01.31.06
Posted in Basketball
at 8:05 pm
From the Globe & Mail :
Wayne Embry didn’t take long to start making moves.
Less than one week after taking over as the Toronto Raptors interim GM, Embry traded centre Aaron Williams to the New Orleans Hornets for two second-round draft picks.
“We are a team in transition and need to play our young guys,” Embry said in a release Tuesday. “Out of respect to Aaron, I thought it best for him to be with a team where he has a chance to play and that is in a playoff hunt.”
The Raptors will get a second-round pick in 2006 that originally belonged to Miami and New Orleans’ second-round choice in 2009.
Not sure if tonight’s “SportsCenter” will show it, but New Jersey’s Vince Carter missed a dunk tonight against the Pistons for the ages — taking off from the foul line, VC muffed the attempt at posterizing Tayshaun Prince and nearly ended up in the 5th row. “He wanted to make Prince his Frederic Weis,” intoned Marv Albert, who did admit a minute later having been fed that line by a producer.
Though the Lakers are roughing up the Knicks at MSG this evening, there is a silver lining for New York. At halftime, Larry Brown’s team is on pace to hold Kobe to under 60 points.
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Posted in Hockey
at 6:41 pm
From TSN :
Ray Emery’s Mike Tyson goalie mask had a shelf life of one NHL game.
The Senators backup goalie wore the mask in a 5-0 home loss to Boston on Monday night, then decided to drop it Tuesday.
“We didn’t ask him not to wear the mask,” Senators GM John Muckler said Tuesday. “We just had a discussion about what was right and what was wrong. He said he would take it off.”
A huge boxing fan, Emery has also had masks that featured former middleweight champ Marvin Hagler, and Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion.
“He told me the reason he put Tyson on his mask is because he was an idol of his, as a boxer,” said Muckler. “He knows now that (Tyson) he’s lost that right because of his conviction as a rapist and also as a female abuser. And he told me he would take the mask off.”
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, presumably not wearing a mask bearing the likeness of a convicted rapist, had 44 saves, the most for any Boston netminder since Bill Ranford a billion years ago. Thomas was having a fine stretch with Boston’s AHL Providence affiliate and is now 6-1-2 in his first 9 starts for the parent club.
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Posted in Baseball
at 5:56 pm
Oakland’s plans to reduce capacity at McAfee Coliseum next season have already been noted, though the SF Chronicle John Shea took the time to pester A’s fans about the scheme.
Green tarps are covering five upper-deck sections at the Coliseum. By the April 1 exhibition against the Giants, all 53 sections will be tarped and off limits to fans.
And a small sampling of fans found nobody with a positive reaction to the change.
The A’s are trying to establish a more intimate atmosphere as well as a higher demand for tickets, which could be tougher to acquire in some cases because the capacity will be 34,077 (not including standing-room tickets), down from 44,073.
“We’re trying to create an environment that’s fun, easily accessible and brings you closer to the field, an environment that could create a real home-field advantage for us,” said A’s president Mike Crowley, who came up with the idea.
Owner Lewis Wolff’s plans for a new ballpark — the site of which is undecided — also include a cozier capacity in the 35,000 range, and the A’s look at this season as a possible dress rehearsal for such a venue.
But in a survey of fans in line buying game tickets at Saturday’s FanFest, it was difficult to find anyone who appreciated the concept of closing the third level.
“I think it’s silly,” said Oakland native Charles Edwards, 50. “Losing those seats for teams like the Yankees and Angels, they’ll lose revenue. They’re going to choke themselves. I think Lew Wolff is a good owner, but I don’t think closing the upper deck is going to do it for them.”
Steven Moya is a 13-year-old from Antioch who enjoyed sitting in the upper deck.
“That’s kind of dumb,” he said of eliminating the seats. “I think they’ll lose money because of that. Plus, it’s a better view from up there.”
When told the A’s wanted to create a cozier atmosphere, Moya said, “That’s not cozy. You’re all squished in.”
Crowley said the A’s don’t intend to lose revenue because of the lesser capacity. In fact, he subscribes to the less-is-more philosophy, suggesting the limited capacity would create a higher demand for tickets and prompt fans to buy them earlier rather than walk up shortly before the first pitch.
Asked why the A’s wouldn’t remove the tarps for select games involving the Yankees, Red Sox and Giants — along with the mid-June weekend Dodger series — Crowley said, “That’s counter to what we’re trying to do. It’s going to be intimate whether the Yankees are in or the Royals are in.”
“I understand what they’re trying to do, but as a fan, it was very affordable to sit up there,” said Oakland’s Rebecca Ramirez, 44.
Nancy Duty, 46, of Pleasanton, said, “I don’t understand it at all. It’s very frustrating. I’m a single mother and can’t afford a lot of lower-level seats. The culture of people who follow the team, it’s not the culture where you pack the house. A lot of people who live here don’t have a lot of money. They pack it in San Francisco, but they’ve got (Barry) Bonds and a new stadium. Oakland isn’t the same. I don’t know if you can manipulate that by closing the top.”
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Posted in Basketball, The World Of Entertainment
at 1:33 pm
Though what may well be a hoops version of “First And Ten” has already been noted in this space, the Fort-Worth Star Telegram’s Randy Galloway has further gory details. Though not, however, an explanation for why Ken Howard doesn’t get jobs like this.
Don Nelson spent three days in Tinseltown last week, shooting the pilot for a new TV show.
George Clooney, he ain’t. But George Clooney, he now knows. Clooney is the show’s producer.
Nellie gets to play himself.
“I’ve been acting like a coach forever. I guess Hollywood must have noticed,” he joked.
So as the Mavericks tear though the NBA, Hollywood asked Nelson to serve as the coach of a mythical NBA expansion team called the San Diego Stingrays.
“I guess you’d call it a reality comedy show,” said Nelson. “We’ve got no lines to memorize, they just give us basketball situations that come up, and tell us to say what comes natural.”
Nellie claimed he showed up on the set for the first time “scared to death.”
But after three days of shooting film, he added, “I never had so much fun in my life. I loved it. They called me ‘One-Take Nelson.’ I even got a standing ‘O’ from the crew after the last shoot.”
Speaking of NBA characters, Vlade Divac plays the aging “superstar” signed by the expansion team; Norm Nixon is Nelson’s general manager; and his assistant coach is Marques Johnson, a former player for Nelson.
“There are no professional actors,” said Nelson. “Everybody, including the players, has some experience in the NBA.”
Del Harris, Nelson’s longtime assistant coach with the Mavs, and also the No. 1 assistant for Avery, got a big laugh out of Nellie gone Hollywood.
“When he retired, all the media wondered how long it would take for Nellie to return to coaching,” he said. “At least by Hollywood standards, it was less than a year.”
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Posted in Baseball, The Marketplace
at 1:10 pm
The Journal News’ Peter Abraham on Princess A-Rod’s latest assignment. (link taken from Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)
That Alex Rodriguez is something. Not only is A-Rod the reigning Most Valuable Player of the American League, he’s also willing to give you a wake-up call.
Nike.com has lined up Rodriguez and seven other prominent athletes to make calls to sleepy consumers. All you have to do is send in your phone number and what time you want a call. Given that I sleep late whenever possible, this seemed ideal.
My first thought was to have Maria Sharapova make the call. What could be better than a little pillow talk with a leggy tennis star?
But given my duties as Yankees beat writer, it had to be Rodriguez. Perhaps he would tell me whether he had changed his mind again and would play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Maybe he would apologize for his poor playoff performance. At least there might be some poker tips or a subtle jab at Derek Jeter.
Alas, it was a recorded message.
“Pete! This is Alex Rodriguez,” he shouted. “Mornings are the most valuable time of the day, and I should know. You snooze, you lose. So get up, get out and do something with your morning.”
While Nike are entitled to employ whatever tactics they wish in pursuit of 100% of the globe’s athletic footwear market, you’d think they’d stop to consider for just one second, how this will hurt Tom Candiotti.
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Posted in Mob Behavior, The Law
at 12:48 pm
(Curtis, far right, dozes off while listening to Bob Klapisch, center, ramble on about how much he paid for Chain Gang’s “Son Of Sam” b/w “Gary Gilmore And The Island Of Dr Moreau” 7″)
With NYC’s 5 boroughs far safer than during the heyday of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa’s vigilante-with-goofy-uniforms have a new approach in the modern age, writes Newsday’s Justin Rocket Silverman.
In a city of strikingly low crime rates, where rough streets such as 103rd in Corona are increasingly rare, the Angels have been forced to redefine the nature of their work as the citizen protectors of the helpless.
“The patrols we have now are more focused and targeted on certain problem areas,” said Curtis Sliwa, who at 25 started the Guardian Angels while working as a night manager at a McDonald’s in the Bronx. “We are also given more things to do as role models and mentors instead of physical interventions in the streets.”
Now also working as mentors, the Angels run after-school centers that combine academic tutoring with martial-arts training. Some Angels teach college courses on violence prevention for public-school teachers.
“We can add a lot of street energy to what is normally very clinical classwork,” Sliwa said. “We make it hip, we make it happening and we make it cool to use the Guardian Angels philosophy in dealing with these problems.”
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Posted in Baseball
at 11:44 am
Boston and free agent SS Alex Gonzalez came to terms yesterday on a one year, $3 million deal that should, at the very least, ensure the Red Sox are able to put 9 guys on the field. From the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman and Tony Massaroti.
Gonzalez (above) will replace the disappointing Edgar Renteria, whom the Sox dealt, along with $11 million, to the Braves in early December for third base prospect Andy Marte. Since the Renteria trade, the Red Sox have maintained steady contact with Gonzalez while also keeping options for a shortstop open, both internally — Alex Cora, Dustin Pedroia — and via trade — Julio Lugo.
Gonzalez, who turns 29 on Feb. 15, is a very slick and smooth-handed defensive shortstop without much to show at the plate. A .245 career hitter with a career on-base percentage of just .291, Gonzalez had a relatively strong year last season with the Marlins. He managed 31 walks, two off his career high, shaved his strikeout total from a career-high of 126 in 2004 to 81 and upped his on-base percentage to .319 with a .264 batting average.
The Gonzalez signing certainly fits into the pattern of deals the Red Sox have made in this abnormally busy offseason. Defensively, with Mark Loretta at second base and Crisp in center field and now Gonzalez, the Sox have improved markedly up the middle. Also, with Gold Glovers Mike Lowell manning third base and J.T. Snow at first, the infield defense leapfrogged to one of the best in the league.
The one-year deal is also telling, since the Red Sox have tried hard not to get locked up in multiyear deals with players whenever possible. The team is hopeful that with more seasoning in Triple-A and/or the majors this season, Pedroia (above), their No. 1 pick two years ago, will grow into the shortstop position.
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Posted in Hockey, The Law
at 10:42 am
Lest anyone think that Anucha Browne Sanders is alone in claiming there’s a fucked up working environment at the World’s Most Famous Arena, she’s actually the 2nd person to level such charges at MSG. From the New York Daily News’ Terri Thompson and Michael O’Keefe.
Courtney Prince, once the captain of the Rangers’ cheerleading squad, the NHL’s version of the Knicks City Dancers, says she is hardly surprised that former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders filed a lawsuit last week accusing Knicks President Isiah Thomas and MSG of sexual harassment and discrimination. In court papers and in her first extended interview about her own sexual harassment lawsuit against the Garden, Prince told the Daily News yesterday that Garden bosses:
- Made arrangements for the skaters to “have drinks with the bosses and guests” at bars near the Garden as part of their job requirements. The bosses repeatedly asked “Who’s loose?” and “Which is the wild one?” One boss told Prince “who he’d want to perform oral sex on” and “who to have sex with from behind.”
- Ignored her complaints that a guest of the Garden, a professional golfer, “came up behind me” and rubbed his sexually aroused body against her at a celebration at a bar. Rangers flack Jason Vogel allegedly told her: “If I was dancing with you, I’d do the same.”
- Ordered skaters to stuff their bras and lose weight.
- Purchased alcohol for skaters who were underage.
- Attacked her character and spread false rumors about her after she warned other skaters not to be alone with certain bosses.
It should be noted that Gothamist was on this one nearly two years ago.
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Posted in Basketball
at 1:47 am
Sparing us an autopsy of last night’s latest Knicks embarrassment — a turnover-crazy, blowout loss to Atlanta that had Larry Brown clearing the bench midway through the 4th quarter — the New York Times’ Harvey Araton wonders how an experienced business dude like James Dolan could’ve allowed the charges against his basketball GM to hit the headlines.
What could James L. Dolan, the Garden’s chairman, have possibly been thinking when he, the person with the last call as the holder of the golden checkbook, instead signed off on the dismissal of Browne Saunders after she filed a complaint within the company against Thomas?
Did his high-powered lawyers really advise Dolan that Browne Sanders had no case in court and could be vanquished without negotiating a suitable severance that would, as the lawyers say, make her whole? Or was Browne Sanders another Jets stadium to spurn, another perceived infidel to slay, another chance for the son of a rich man who wanted to be a rebellious rocker to smash his toy basketball team all over the stage?
When Dolan needed to be a pragmatic manager and chant: “War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing,” he opted for his longtime anthem, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” Could he really be so uncompromising and disdainful of the public and his critics that he would destroy Thomas in the interests of defending him, and expose his organization and the N.B.A. to so much residual shame?
Adds the New York Post’s Peter Vescey,
I don’t want to suggest Garden executives are getting a bit paranoid, but after tonight’s State of the Union address, they’ve demanded Isiah get equal time.
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Posted in Internal Affairs, Rock Und Roll, Sports Journalism
at 1:30 am
Nah, not this one.
Rather, I’d like to stress that while Rob Harvilla of the East Bay Express might have the best intentions, I never refered to Mark E. Smith as “psychotic”. Many words come to mind, but “psychotic” is certainly not one of them. For the purposes of setting the record straight, here is the full text of my correspondence with Mr. Harvilla.
i’ll be attending tonight’s warriors/cavs game and assessing the musical content therein, after reading your postings about stern’s complaints re: in-game music, cuban’s silence experiment, etc.
i was wondering if you’d like to comment on this phenomenon as part of my column. do you share stern’s view that “welcome to the jungle” and such has overwhelmed and cheapened the game itself?
Not really. I mean, the game itself is unchanged. I’d prefer to go to a ballgame without that sort of extraneous stuff going on, but people like to be prompted, pumped-up, cajoled, etc. I don’t begrudge them that, nor do I let it influence my enjoyment of the game itself. If I did, I would’ve stopped going years ago.
are there go-to sports tunes (”let’s get retarded/it started,” “rock ‘n’ roll part 2,” etc) you wish would be retired?
hmmm, all of them? Though given that Gary Glitter is compensated each time “Rock’n'Roll Pt. 2″ blasts over a stadium tannoy, perhaps the venue operators could substitute The Fall’s “Glam Racket” instead. Few patrons would know the difference, and instead of lining the pockets of a convicted child-sex pest, America’s sporting institutions could lend some financial aid to Mark E. Smith — a great friend and role model to young people all over the world.
are there personal favorite tunes of yours you’d like to see replace those old cliches?
I’ve often thought some of Drunks With Guns’ finest compositions (”Wonderful Subdivision”, especially) would really work for professional football.
is there too much music/distraction at your average sporting event, or not enough?
Generally too much though as I said before, I have no quarrel with anything that turns on other groovy people (said in Rick Moranis voice). However, I think White Sox organist Nancy Faust has performed some unusually inventive and at times, otherworldly interpretations of contemporary hits.
I heard a casio version of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” at an NHL game recently that was vastly superior to the band’s patented Superchunk-minus-the-idiosyncracies formula. So that wasn’t bad.
do you have an opinion regarding the controversial “hot dog cannon”?
I don’t think we should be using it on the Iraqi insurgents, if that’s what you mean.
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Posted in Football
at 1:16 am
From the AP :
Chivas USA acquired forward Ante Razov, the fourth-leading goal scorer in MLS history, from the MetroStars on Monday for forward Thiago Martins.
Razov (above) has 84 goals in 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew and MetroStars. He had seven goals and six assists in 25 games last year with Columbus and the MetroStars.
Martins had three goals and one assist in 22 games last season.
The trade reunites Razov with Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley, who coached him in Chicago from 1998-2002 and a portion of last season.
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Posted in Cricket, Racism Corner
at 1:11 am
With mounting allegations of players suffering racist abuse, South Africa’s cricket authorities might not send the team back to Australia if incidents continue. From the Independent’s Colin Crompton.
The Cricket South Africa chief executive, Gerald Majola, said: “It is very serious and if it continues, yes, we would look very seriously about whether we return.”
Makhaya Ntini, Garnett Kruger, Herschelle Gibbs and Ashwell Prince, who are black, were targets of racial abuse during the first Test in Perth last month.
“It is not right when a country has a history like ours,” Majola said. “The sad thing is, it has continued around Australia. It hasn’t just been limited to one state or one city.”
Cricket Australia’s chief executive, James Sutherland, said a crackdown on racist fans was planned. “These types of people are not wanted at cricket. If there is a cost-effective method of keeping them out, we will certainly look into it.”
TVNZ’s has more on Cricket Australia’s response.
ricket Australia is considering following the example of European football and devising a register of “undesirable” fans that would be distributed to gate attendants in a bid to stop boorish, racist spectators from entering international venues.
“Though violent behaviour hasn’t been prevalent at international cricket matches this summer, CA chief executive James Sutherland believes the same method could be applied to curb the racist taunting of players by fans, such as that which distressed the South African team,” Fairfax reported on Tuesday.
Sutherland told the newspapers: “Look at the way they address the issue of hooliganism in England.
“We hope we don’t need to get to that stage, but they have been successful in keeping undesirable people out of grounds,” he said.
Unless Sutherland is refering to the Premiership clubs’ practice of pricing tickets beyond the means of many of their fans, it is hard to fathom what he’s talking about.
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01.30.06
Posted in Baseball
at 10:56 pm
Young hopeful Jeff Wilpon (above) gets a head start on Spring Training, flanked by Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran. Not did the Mets choose to not offer Mike Piazza a contract, but they’ll save plenty of cash in ‘06 by not issuing Wilpon a uniform, catcher’s mask, chest protector, etc.
A link to the Wilpon photo op was culled from Metsblog, who noted this evening that HBO’s “Real Sports” is preparing a segment on the unique throwing mechanics of former Mets catcher Mackey Sasser (above).
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Posted in The Law
at 10:43 pm
From MSNBC :
DEDHAM, Mass. – A dominatrix was acquitted of manslaughter charges Monday in the death of a man who allegedly suffered a fatal heart attack while strapped to a replica of a medieval torture device.
The jury in Norfolk Superior Court deliberated for eight hours over two days before finding Barbara Asher, 56, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and dismemberment.
During his closing argument, prosecutor Robert Nelson re-enacted the bondage session that allegedly killed Michael Lord, of North Hampton, N.H., in July 2000.
Donning a leather mask and speaking to the jury through the zippered mouth, he said Asher did nothing to help Lord as he flailed about and died while strapped to the rack in a makeshift “dungeon” in Asher’s Quincy condominium.
“She did nothing, nothing for five minutes,” Nelson said, his voice muffled through the mask.
It was Nelson’s theatrical closing that provided the most dramatic moments of the trial.
The prosecutor pointed and hollered at Asher. He dumped a box full of hoods, collars and paddles onto a table, and proclaimed that Asher was trying to protect her business.
“That’s why she didn’t call the police,” he said.
With both hands, he reached back and clutched the top of a blackboard to simulate Lord being strapped to the rack.
He paused as his head hung forward as if to simulate Lord’s alleged death.
Page objected, and Norfolk Superior Court Judge Charles Grabau agreed.
“That’s enough, Mr. Nelson,” the judge said. “Thank you for your demonstration.”
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Posted in Hockey
at 7:36 pm
TSN reports that Vancouver D Ed Jovanovski will undergo abdominal surgery this week and shall be out of the Canucks’ lineup for the next 6 weeks, thus rendering him unavailable for Team Canada.
After Steve Yzerman scored his 200th career power play goal against the Wild tonight, Robert Lang’s 14th of the season at 14:58 marked the first even strength goal for the Red Wings in their past 5 games.
Carolina, currently holding the NHL’s best record, acquired St. Louis’ leading scorer (11 goals, 33 assists) C Doug Weight and LW Erkki Rajamaki in exchange for right-winger Jesse Boulerice, centre Mike Zigomanis and the rights to unsigned draft pick Magnus Kahnberg, along with first-round and fourth-round draft picks in 2006 and a fourth-round pick in 2007. SI/CNN’s Allan Muir’s review of the deal :
As nice an addition as Weight is, this move feels like it was as much about Carolina keeping him away from Ottawa, Philadelphia and maybe Atlanta as it was about shoring up the ‘Canes’ depth. Considering that Weight was the premier trade deadline target of those teams, and how tight the East could be down the stretch, that makes this deal a two-fer for Carolina.
For its part, St. Louis did pretty well in the deal. The three bodies the Blues acquired — Mike Zigomanis, Jesse Boulerice and Magnus Kahnberg — won’t make anyone forget Weight (or replace one-third of his offense combined), but they’ll help fill out the roster as the team makes other moves in the next few weeks.
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Posted in Gridiron
at 6:01 pm
From the NY Post’s mini-Mushnick, Andrew Marchand :
With Al Michaels’ future on Monday Night Football in doubt, ESPN is strongly considering putting talk show host/columnist Tony Kornheiser on its telecast next year, The Post has learned.
While ESPN is expected to decide after the Super Bowl if it will force Michaels to honor the eight-year $32 million contract he signed this summer, sources say the network has devised a Plan B around Kornheiser.
If the network allows Michaels out of his contract then the new team is expected to be led by Mike Tirico. Tirico will be joined by Joe Theismann and Kornheiser, if Kornheiser agrees to ESPN’s offer that is believed to be for around $1 million.
The addition of Kornheiser, who writes for the Washington Post, would be a radical move in the same vein as when Dennis Miller was named to the Monday Night booth.
ESPN executives, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, recently met with Kornheiser about accepting the role. If Kornheiser takes the offer then he is expected to continue to co-host Pardon the Interruption.
Though Kornheiser would bring a little more sports journalism credibility (though substantially less hair) to the role than Miller did, given how well the previous experiment worked out, this is a curious choice. That said, there is something funny about the notion that any number of Disney/ABC/ESPN on-air personalities could be replaced at a moment’s notice by the company bringing Kornheiser in on the relative cheap.
And with that in mind, is Jamie Sale’s future 2nd husband ready to go to Iraq?
In an unrelated and untimely note, who amongst us hasn’t wanted to see portraits of Tony, Michael Wilbon and Stat Boy in Pumpkin form?
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Posted in Baseball
at 4:07 pm
From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s JoAnne Klimovich Harrop (link swiped from Baseball Musings).
The Pittsburgh Pirates will introduce a new staff member April 16.
Joining the Pirate Parrot will be another team mascot.
“He will not replace the big green chicken because everyone loves him,” said Tim Schuldt, vice president of marketing, sales and broadcasting for the Pirates. “The new mascot will be warm and cuddly with one gold tooth. He looks like a Pirate. One will work the one dugout and the other will work the other. Fans will love him.”
I’ve got just the man for the job — he’s already a big part of recent club history, has spent lots of time on a boat…and knows all about stealing Kevin McClatchy’s money.
(advance warning : I didn’t make up the joke about the boat and stealing money. Whoever did is entitled to a free autographed photo of Stevie Ray Going-Going-Gone.)
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Posted in Basketball
at 3:57 pm
Declaring “the biggest scandal at MSG continues to be the performance of Isiah Thomas’ team” (I guess he’s never been groped by someone quoting from “Love & Basketball”), the Daily News’ Frank Isola is quite ready to kick Zeke when he’s down.
It’s been one of the ugliest weeks in Knicks history and for Thomas, who is the face of the franchise for all the wrong reasons. The only things we know for sure are that a) neither Anucha Browne Sanders nor Thomas will go down as the most well-liked bosses to ever grace the Garden and b) the responsibility of trying to turn the product into something worth watching falls to Larry Brown.
It’s already 42 games into the Brown’s first season in New York and the coach still can’t make heads or tails of the roster Thomas assembled. Brown has been criticized for shuttling players in and out, failing to define roles and for using 25 different starting lineups.
Does that mean he’s a mad scientist at work or just bloody mad for taking the job in the first place?
It’s probably a combination of both. The word over the summer on Brown was that he had serious doubts about the players brought in under Thomas’ watch. Backup center Jerome James (above) has been a bust. Quentin Richardson, who appears to be playing with a bad back, has struggled and Eddy Curry lacks the drive to become a great player.
Thomas has spent millions to make over the team and yet the Knicks are 77-102 since he was hired. This season, the Knicks have tried to temper expectations by calling it a rebuilding year. But most of the players are veterans with long-term contracts. Plus, the Knicks traded their first-round pick – likely a lottery selection – to the Chicago Bulls in the Curry deal.
Former Georgia Tech PG Will Bynum, currently leading the NBDL in scoring with a 24 ppg average with the Roanoke Dazzle, is profiled in today’s Roanoke Times. Bynum, property of the Celtics through this season and next, is also averaging 6.7 assists per game, along with a league-high 6.2 turnovers.
Fresh off his failure to win Ch. 4’s “Celebrity Big Brother”, Dennis Rodman’s pricey weekend cameo with the Brighton Bears might cause the club to be docked points in the BBL league standings.
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Posted in Football
at 3:34 pm
Save a replay or two, the pairings for the F.A. Cup 5th Round have been determined and the Guardian’s Barry Glendenning and Paul Doyle were near a television set when the heavy shit went down.
Unless they were moonlighting for Mecca bingo, it’s difficult to imagine FA big cheese David Davies, Jason Robinson-doppelganger John Salako and Liverpool legend Ian Rush generating much excitement with nothing more than a glass bowl full of numbered balls, but the trio pulled it off with considerable aplomb at today’s draw for the FA Cup fifth round.
Mind you, it was touch and go. With Davies floundering in his role as MC, just a few sides left in the drum and the early fixtures barely registering a flicker on the Fiver’s interest-o-meter, it was more in hope than expectation that we stayed tuned to events at Soho Square rather than switching the channel to revel at the latest madcap scheme involving mischievous Toadfish replacing Harold’s tuba with Paul Robinson’s prosthetic leg on Neighbours. Luckily, our patience was rewarded as, with trembling hand, Rushie drew ball No4 from the FA tombola, thereby ensuring that the one tie football lovers everywhere wanted to see will take place.
But with Stoke City manager Johan Boskamp unavailable for comment on his side’s home clash with Reading or Bongo FC, we’re going to focus on the equally mouth-watering tie between Preston or Crystal Palace v Coventry or Middlesbore instead. “We wanted it done and dusted in 90 minutes. We now have a ridiculous number of games in a short space of time, but we’ve got to get on with it,” chirruped Crystal Palace gaffer Iain Dowie to an old lady who asked him for directions to the post office. “They are a good side and it was a tough game on Saturday.”
There are, of course, other matches of marginal interest taking place, as Glendenning and Doyle go on to specify.
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Posted in Baseball
at 3:26 pm
After declaring the WBC “teetering towards irrelevance”, here are some pre-Spring Training “hot or not” choices from the always-sizzling Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record (link swiped from Repoz and Baseball Think Factory).
HOT: Billy Beane. He seems untroubled by his two biggest gambles of the winter: first, that Milton Bradley’s on-field skills outweigh his explosive temper, and second, that Frank Thomas was a better investment than Mike Piazza as a DH. Beane was even willing to take on the ever-petulant David Wells before making a wiser choice in Esteban Loaiza. If the experiments all work in Beane’s favor, the A’s will be ready to reclaim the AL West from the Angels.
NOT: Mike Piazza. He had to lower his price to a mere $2 million to join the cash-poor Padres. The fact that Piazza had to literally beg for meaningful work should put retirement on his list of options, although he obviously deserves a chance to hit his 400th home run first.
HOT: Younger players and all capable backups. Remember, this is the first year that amphetamines will be outlawed by Major League Baseball. An army of older players will be dragging, especially during day games after night games. The action on Sunday afternoons will be notably slower, par in 2006.
NOT: Bengie Molina. What was he thinking, turning down $18 million over three years from the Mets?
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Posted in CSTB Podcasts, Internal Affairs, Rock Und Roll
at 12:54 pm
The Fred Smerlas Super Session was the bomb — and I’m not just talking about his visit to the WEEI Men’s Room.
Michael Axelrod’s Get Your Hand Out Of My Face Mix has won acclaim far and wide — mostly, wide.
But I’m pretty confident that the third CSTB Podcast is the finest to date. Blues rock legend Stevie Ray Going-Going-Gone has seen fit to visit us from beyond the grave, and the results are positively shredding.
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Posted in Baseball
at 11:36 am
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Paul Hagen writes that Phillies assistant GM Mike Arbuckle will be interviewed this week for Cincinnati’s GM vacancy.
Arbuckle, 55, has been with the Phillies since October 1992 and has received high marks for his role in rebuilding what had been a moribund farm system.
The early inside track is believed to belong to Minnesota Twins assistant general manager Wayne Krivsky. He was the runner-up to Dan O’Brien 2 years ago and it has been reported that chief operating officer John Allen preferred Krivsky at the time but was overruled by Carl Lindner.
The LA Times’ Bill Shaikin reports on an unfortunate, and as of yet, not very lucrative case of cybersquating :
For sale: The domain name http://www.losangelesangelsofanaheim.com .
Terry Notko, a Laguna Hills businessman, spent $8.95 to register the name in November 2004. The Angels changed their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim two months later, and Notko hoped he could cash in. But the Angels had no interest in buying the name, and he declined a $1,000 offer from the agency that controls major league websites.
After reserving the site for more than a year without providing any content, Notko is selling the domain name on EBay, starting today. He said he would share proceeds with Hope University, an Anaheim school that offers art, music, dance and drama training to developmentally disabled adults.
Notko said his decision to sell was not prompted by the trial between the Angels and the city of Anaheim. If the city has its way, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim name could disappear within weeks, but Notko said he did not believe that prospect would dissuade potential bidders for the domain name.
“It could be a collectors’ item,” he said.
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Posted in Sports Journalism, Sports Radio
at 11:20 am
OK, credit where it is due dept. The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick is frequently mocked around here and with good reason. His beard is a public health hazard and when he gets tired of beating a dead horse (overpriced sneakers, evil video games, Spike Lee, Vince McMahon, ballgames that start later than 6:30pm) he’ll shoot it with a cannon.
But every now and then, purely on the observational tip, Phil redeems himself, if only for a few minutes.
Last week, Michael Kay, after telling his ESPN-NY audience that he’d dined in a well-known steak house, said he wouldn’t give its name because he didn’t want it to become more difficult for him to get a table.
Oh, yeah, the moment Kay says the name of this already well-known restaurant, he’ll create such a run that even a fellow as influential, as famous and as fabulous as Michael Kay won’t be able to get in.
Friday, FAN’s Mike Francesa and Chris Russo chatted with Billy Joel’s saxophonist, Richie Cannata. Russo, a self-proclaimed huge fan of Joel and his band, had seen them perform, the night before. And that should strike all sports fans as important. (Naturally, Russo had the best seats in the house. He always does — unless Francesa’s there.)
Russo asked where his ex-neighbor, longtime Joel Band bassist, Doug Stegmeyer (above, middle), has been. Cannata told Russo that Stegmeyer, “committed suicide, a bunch of years back.” Stegmeyer ended his life in 1995.
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Posted in Hip Hop
at 11:05 am
Austin’s Backroom, often the home for such touring titans as Yngwie Malmsteen and Cannibal Corpse (though sadly, not on the same bill) was the site for a terrific lineup this past Friday evening ; Houston’s K-Rino, Baton Rouge’s Young Bleed (shown above), Dallas’ Money Waters and ATX’s own Basswood Lane all for a minimal cover…and minimal useage of the inhouse dry ice machine.
Said event was presented by the same hardworking chap that brings you HoustonSoReal, which either means the few dozen persons in attendence owe him a massive debt of gratitude. Or some money.
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Posted in Basketball, Sports TV
at 10:41 am
That’s Stephen A. Smith on the right, shown interviewing Tommy “Hit Man” Hearns during the 2nd half of last night’s Lakers/Pistons game at the Palace.
Though Stephen A. neglected to pester Tommy about the child abuse charges the latter is facing, this wasn’t the worst job of sideline reportage ever seen or heard. Though not quite Jim Gray, Smith will have to try pretty hard to top Al Trautwig’s recent chat with Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.
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01.29.06
Posted in Gridiron
at 11:55 pm
The younger set know him from the illustrious announcing career, the video games that sometimes-get-better-from-year-to-year, the Madden Cruiser and the Tinactin ads. The SF Chronicle’s Ira Miller, however, would prefer to go back a bit further with John Madden (shown above, right, with Kenny Stabler).
John Madden was a coach, one of the best ever. It was so long ago that many people might not even remember it, but the Pro Football Hall of Fame will have a chance to correct that oversight Saturday when its 39-man board of selectors chooses its next class of enshrinees.
In 10 years as the Raiders’ coach, he won a Super Bowl, took his team to the conference championship game seven times, compiled the second-best winning percentage (behind Vince Lombardi) in NFL history and had a winning record against each of the 10 Hall of Fame coaches with whom he competed.
It’s somewhat a mystery why Madden was not voted to the Hall of Fame long ago, but he had to overcome the perception he would coach again after retiring at age 42, plus what some former voters say is the committee’s built-in bias against players and coaches who become television icons.
Then there’s this. Outsiders long have believed that the Raiders are so much a product of Al Davis that the coach is insignificant, certainly a perception that most recent coaches, except for Jon Gruden, have done nothing to change.
Of course, that doesn’t explain, if Davis were pulling the strings, why he managed to pull them so much better when Madden was his coach than at any other time. Madden’s regular-season winning percentage with the Raiders was .759. Under eight coaches since he retired, the team’s winning percentage is .533.
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Posted in Baseball
at 6:23 pm
If you’d told me last Autumn that Mike Piazza would return to Southern California, I’d have wagered it would’ve been as either a) a DH in Anaheim or b) partners with Rikki Rachtman in some ill-fated nightclub/satellite radio venture.
As luck would have it, neither turns out to be the case. Metal Mike has signed a one year, $2 million contract with the San Diego Padres. Piazza’s agent, Dan Lozano is quoted as saying “”The Padres told Mike that he could pretty much catch as much as he wanted to,” which presumably applies to Major League Baseball games as opposed to warming guys up in the bullpen.
A catching tandem of Piazza and Doug Mirabelli isn’t so bad for San Diego, just so long as their groundskeepers remember to keep the infield super muddy. And then there’s the bit about moving the fences in another 75 feet.
In all seriousness, I do wish Piazza nothing but the best in San Diego, though I’m glad I won’t be around when the news is broken to Eddie Trunk.
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Posted in Basketball
at 3:50 pm
It can’t get much worse for Houston coach Tom Penders. Just to recap his first month of 2006 :
a) an accusation from that paragon of virtue, Will Leitch, that his private statements —- from some 5 + years earlier — were inappropriate.
b) a pair of losses to national powerhouses Rice and Central Florida.
c) suffering a near hear attack during a loss to UAB, and receiving a technical foul for his troubles.
In today’s Houston Chronicle, Michael Murphy reports that freshman F Lamar Roberson (above) has walked out on the team and is considering transfering to another school.
No doubt choosing his words carefully, not wanting to tar an 18 year old with an unfair characterization, Penders said “I don’t know what in the world he is thinking. Maybe this week he thought he was Ron Artest.”
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Posted in Gridiron
at 3:38 pm
Goddamn, welcome to Nitpick Central. As the Steelers’ Bill Cowher prepares to lead his Pittsburgh squad to his 2nd Super Bowl appearance, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac considers where Mr. Crazy Jawline stacks up in the All-Time Coaching ranks.
And so it is that despite winning 152 games, despite winning more division titles (8) than all but four coaches in NFL history, despite making 10 playoff appearances in 14 years and becoming the first coach since Paul Brown to start his career with six consecutive playoff appearances, Cowher ultimately will be judged on his ability to win a big game.
Never mind that he reached the Super Bowl in only his fourth year as a head coach. Or that the Steelers, needing four victories merely to make the playoffs, became the first team since the New England Patriots in the 1985 season to win three consecutive playoff games on the road to make the Super Bowl.
In the end, if the Steelers don’t beat the NFC champion Seahawks at Ford Field, Cowher will start to be remembered as the Bud Grant of his time — a coach with plenty of division titles but no Super Bowls.
Since the Super Bowl began in 1967, Grant is only coach with more tenure with one team — 17 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings — not to win a Super Bowl. That’s why Cowher is not satisfied merely making the Super Bowl for the second time in the past 10 years.
Should Buffalo’s new head of football operations be relieved or insulted that Cowher be remembered as “the Marv Levy of his time”?
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Posted in Baseball, Sports Journalism
at 1:44 pm
From Phil Mushnick in today’s New York Post,
The first guy to accuse Omar Minaya of trying to sign someone through a “We Hispanics gotta stick together” pitch was Carlos Delgado, who last winter claimed that both Minaya and his assistant, Tony Bernazard, who’s Puerto Rican, turned him off by engaging in such an unsavory sell.
A year later, if a white fan merely suggests such a thing, he or she is a bigot. That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
Phil is intentionally confusing the issue here. I’ve yet to hear a white fan (or a white talk radio host) complain that Minaya was playing the “Latinos In The House” card when trying to sign Delgado —- though it was reported on in print a number of times after Delgado and his agent, David Sloan, chose to engage in a pissing match with the Mets.
Sadly, though, I did hear several supposed-Mets fans (and at least one talk radio host) imply, if not claim outright that Minaya’s bias towards Hispanic players unduly influenced his decisions, along with the classic proposition on “Mike & The Mad Dog” that the club would be re-named “The New York Hispanics”.
A reasoned criticique of Minaya’s tactics when pursuing free agents would be welcome. And given that he’s acquired most of the high profile players he sought, I don’t think his ability to seal a deal is really in question. But moaning that the Mets have a mostly-Latino team — when several of those players are amongst the game’s brightest stars — is, if not outright bigotry, sets a strange double standard unless the complainers have aimed similar charges against mostly white clubs.
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Posted in Leave No Child Unbeaten, Lower Education
at 1:22 pm
This blog’s deep affection and respect for Long Island is a matter of record. With cultural exponents including (but not limited to) Howard Stern, Joey Buttafuoco, Joel Rifkin, The Good Rats, Wayne Chrebet, Mike Cameron impersonators, indie baseball teams that hire John Rocker (and Pete Rose Jr.), Lindsay Lohan’s Dad, the Nihilistics, Lee Ranaldo, Dennis Potvin (Sucks!), Hal Hartley,, Dr. J. tearing it up at the Nassau Mausoleum, etc…What’s Not To Like About Long Island?
Well, how about this?
Seriously, between this nasty bit of gonad grabbing and the Island’s relatively recent episodes of pine cone sodomy (as recounted by the lovely and charming Amy Fisher), the question has to be raised ; what’s up with the male teen jocks of L.I.? If this stuff was consenual, fair enough (said in measured Bill O’Reilly-esque tones), but there does seem to be a pattern emerging.
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Posted in Baseball
at 12:45 pm
Though Mets GM Omar Minaya is the beneficiary of two defenses today against his alleged stockpiling of Hispanic ballplayers, one from the New York Times’ George Vescey, another from colleague Murray Chass, the New York Daily News’ Bill Madden questions Minaya’s most recent deal purely on baseball terms.
The Mets embarked on their annual winter caravan last week swirling in controversy over the influx of Latin players being acquired by Omar Minaya. It probably didn’t help that the day before the caravan began, Minaya traded Kris (and Anna) Benson to the Baltimore Orioles for Venezuelan reliever Jorge Julio and a (very) fringe starting pitching prospect, John Maine.
From strictly a baseball standpoint, this doesn’t look like a good deal for the Mets, even if it does rid them of a public relations nightmare in Anna Benson and save them about $5 million.
For it to be a good deal too many things have to go right: (1) Julio has to shed his image as a head-case with explosive but straight stuff, and become a dependable No. 1 setup man (or at least as dependable as Aaron Heilman was last year); (2) Heilman has to become a consistently effective starter; and (3) the starting rotation needs to stay healthy.
Otherwise, if you eliminate the Anna equation, you have to ask yourself: Why was this deal necessary? We’ve heard for ages the baseball axiom, “You never have enough pitching,” and while Benson seemingly has yet to reach his potential, he’s only 31, had less hits-per-innings last year and a nearly 2-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. Starting pitchers with that kind of resume are hard to come by and, even at $7 mil per year, almost a bargain. Meanwhile, Heilman was about as effective a setup man as the Mets could have hoped for while also providing them an invaluable insurance policy for the rotation. That’s all gone now.
The Times’ Vescey, however, is amongst those who view bannishing Anna Benson (if not her husband) to Baltimore as addition by subtraction for the Mets.
I don’t worry about Minaya’s eye for talent and temperament. We’ll find out if he was wrong about Seo, but he did the right thing in getting Benson out of town. I’ve met some bright and outspoken baseball wives, like Arlene Howard, who raised racial issues that her husband, Elston, could not afford to bring up when he broke in as a catcher with the Yankees in the 1950’s. Anna Benson is no Arlene Howard.
She went on Howard Stern and talked dirty, which is what passes for independence these days. She became known for her racy talk as well as the low-cut dress she wore to the Mets’ Christmas party. A model who does not know how to dress around children is going to be a liability to an organization that likes to think of itself as a family operation.
(from Mets.com, Kris Benson on the left, as Santa. Not shown — model wife whose photos guarantee a massive, if short-lived traffic boost for CSTB, that I really don’t need because I’m not selling ads to shitty gambling sites).
When the Mets obtained Delgado, Anna Benson could not resist speculating that fans might boo him because he had criticized United States policies in Iraq. I also caught her on a television talk show saying female reporters should not be allowed in men’s locker rooms because they just wanted to peek at the players.
This was not a liberated woman but somebody with a low opinion of women, including the professionals I see on the sports beat.
Her husband could have told her that players can avoid modesty problems with a towel or a robe, but it sounded as if he had never told her the facts of life. Omar Minaya traded them? Good riddance.
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Posted in Basketball, non-sporting journalism
at 10:55 am
In the midst of Isiah Thomas’ other zipper problems, what do we make of the New York Post’s inflammatory choice of a front cover today?
Should we presume that Zeke is the target of a paternity suit? That the Knicks GM has a secret son or daughter that he’s neglected all these years?
Alas, it’s nothing nearly as sensational. The Post’s Susan Edelman merely interviews Thomas’ 17 year old son Joshua, who, y’know, loves his father very much.
Nice cover, though.
(AHEM – CORRECTION CORNER : As Nick points out in the comments below, the Post does indeed have a big story about — yep, one of those — a paternity suit against Zeke. My apologies to the New York Post, News Corp, Steve Dunleavy, Rupert Murdoch, the entire Rawkus artist roster and anyone who was responsible for “Get A Life” being on TV for more than 3 weeks).
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Posted in Football
at 12:49 am
Wolves manager Glenn Hoddle, whose views on faith healing and reincarnation ended his tenure as England manager, has recommended that Manchester United’s hot tempered Wayne Rooney seek the counsel of a sports psychologist. From The Independent’s Nick Townsend.
As his Wolverhampton Wanderers side prepare for their fourth-round FA Cup tie with Manchester United at Molineux today, the former England coach said that the 20-year-old striker “could become greater than anything England’s ever had. I really believe that”. However, Hoddle added that though Rooney’s demeanour (referring to his aggression on occasions towards officials, opponents and even his own players, notably David Beckham against Northern Ireland) was “a part of his power, a part of his mental strength, part of his make-up, there’s definitely some work that could be done with sports psychologists that would help him.
“I believe that, from what I’ve experienced as a player. If you try and curb it too much, it’s going to change him. But I do think there’s something in there that you can trigger to help him deal with it.”
Hoddle, who arrived at Molineux 13 months ago, added that Rooney could be the special player who, over the years, had been the catalyst for a World Cup-winning performance. “Bobby Charlton, Pele, Maradona, Zidane,” he suggested. “Cruyff was the only special player that never won a World Cup. We’re all hoping it might be Wayne this summer – but a Rooney in four years’ time could be even better.”
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Posted in Basketball
at 12:23 am
The NBA Shop is ready to flog the above garment, which should come in handy as my “Wilt 100″ hoodie is at the cleaners.
I’m not sure when the t-shirt commemorating the Knicks’ inability to beat the Sixers without A.I. will be ready, but check back on Monday.
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01.28.06
Posted in Blogged Down, Sports Journalism, Will Leitch Sucks
at 9:07 pm
Despite the very cozy “you link me, I’ll quote you” relationship between the NY Times’ Warren St. John and Deadspin’s Will Leitch —- a mutual masturbation session that should at the very least, prove troubling to the former’s editors (the latter having already shown no conscience to speak of) — the Gray Lady is at it again, throwing more plaudits in Leitch’s direction in tomorrow’s Sunday edition courtesy of Vincent M. Mallozzi. (thanks to Repoz for the link)
Will Leitch, a lifelong Cardinals fan, took a job in 1996 covering his favorite baseball team for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Keep dreaming.
“I learned that there is no place in the world less joyful than a press box,” said Leitch, 30.
Yeah, tell those sorry ass motherfuckers in Rwanda to stop their sobbing.
“If ESPN gets a story that they don’t consider news or might not be in their best interest to run, well, it’s no longer a story and we never hear about it,” said Leitch, who worked briefly for New York Times Digital in 2000. “But if I get a really good scoop from one of my sources or something really interesting from a fan, I have the freedom to post it without having to deal with any political pressure.”
“One of my sources” = old issues of USA Today Baseball Weekly or RSS feeds from other blogs. Really, where’s the Paper Of Record’s love for On The DL?
“Basically, the site allows me to be a reporter, and it allows sports fans to serve as my fellow reporters and editors,” Leitch said. “I think a lot of people out there were waiting for something like this. It puts a lot of fun back into sports.”
Yes, people were waiting on pins and needles for a well-financed, less idiosyncratic ripoff of Sports Frog.
(take it from me, pal, you won’t see 35, never mind be able to perform in the sack, if you don’t improve that blogging-while-watching TV posture).
Mallozzi, who most recently penned a questionable profile of an Illinois-obsessed chap (besides Will, I mean), seems to be of the opinion that Leitch’s chronic ethical lapses and predilection for easy targets are unworthy of examination. No point in killing a great American success story.
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Posted in Gridiron
at 8:04 pm
From the Detroit Free Press’ Shawn Windsor (January 25) :
He doesn’t look like an NFL quarterback, they say. Troy Aikman had the jaw and the blond hair. Dan Marino’s brown mane helped him sell leather gloves on television. Joe Namath’s wave suggested macho frolick and opened doors to Manhattan’s playboy scene.
But Matt Hasselbeck? The Seahawks quarterback who torched the Carolina Panthers in the NFC championship game?
He’s bald.
Quarterbacks aren’t bald. They aren’t supposed to sport receding hairlines. Maybe that’s why Hasselbeck won’t be the most highly touted quarterback in the Feb. 5 Super Bowl at Ford Field. Maybe that’s why Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, possessor of a manly brown beard, was bronzed Sunday when his team beat the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game, even though Hasselbeck’s play was equally dominant.
QB’s aren’t bald?
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Posted in Football
at 7:07 pm
The Africa Nations Cup is, sadly, not being shown on any US cable or satellite channel. So we’ll have to take the Observer’s Brian Oliver at his word about the organizers’ efforts to make the stadiums look full.
“Is this a football match or a Devo concert?’ a bemused television technician asked on his way to work at the Cairo Military Stadium on Wednesday evening, where two of this summer’s World Cup finalists featured in an African Nations Cup double-header that was beamed around the world. ‘I don’t know,’ said his colleague. ‘I think they look more like colour versions of the spermatazoa in that Woody Allen film.’
For those who do not recall the dress code for fans of the early-1980s post-punk band, or who did not see Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask,, just think young men in brightly coloured jumpsuits: red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, light blue. Lots of them. A convoy of 32 battered army trucks disgorged 600 or so in the stadium car park, and another 3,000 marched in from the military academy next door. They were there – and have been in lesser numbers at other matches in Cairo, Port Said and Alexandria – to put bums on unsold seats and add a welcome touch of colour and atmosphere.
In the spirt of harmony and goodwill, I’m willing to make the following deal with the Human Whoopie Cushion’s weekend understudy. If he or she is willing to discontinue their pathetic, unfunny attempts at covering soccer, I vow not to live-blog from Lowell, MA during the Curling World Championships.
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Posted in Baseball
at 6:40 pm
Though the Kansas City Royals will soon introduce new uniforms, treating the paying customers with condescension never goes out of style writes the Kansas City Star’s Jeff Passan.
Thomas Geha stole the show Friday.
No, he’s not a new Royals acquisition or a top prospect. Just a fan who’s rather disgruntled with the amount of action outfielder Aaron Guiel saw last season.
Geha received a smattering of claps during the Q-and-A portion of the luncheon for asking general manager Allard Baird about Guiel’s playing time, then pushed further and drew the line of the day when questioning the Royals’ coaching of third baseman Mark Teahen.
“That guy,” Sweeney said, “looks like if you don’t play Aaron Guiel in left field, Allard, you’ll end up in the back of his trunk.”
Geha, a season-ticket holder from Kansas City, wasn’t exactly in a joking mood. He said he saw Teahen resting his bat on his right shoulder most of the season. The team’s coaches, Geha reasoned, should have seen that and changed it.
“Sir,” Baird said, “if this game was that easy, you and I would be playing it right now.”
I wasn’t there for this luncheon, but it would appear as though Geha wasn’t suggesting the game was easy at all. Rather, that the Royals should be employing a manager and coaches with the requisite expertise to offer some advice in such instances. The game isn’t easy, precisely why it might’ve been a mistake to hire Buddy Bell.
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Posted in Gridiron, History's Great Hook-Ups
at 5:57 pm
Some shitty tabloids offer advice to the lovelorn and/or unattractive. And some major sports portals offer fantasy sports tips for persons Colin Cowherd charitably calls “nerds”.
Here at Can’t Stop The Bleeding, I’ve often considered both features to be an utter waste of time. However, if some enterprising person were to say, mix up the mailbag a bit, you might have a terrific new column.
And with that, I’ve taken the liberty of combining some random letters to (and responses from) ESPN’s Fantasy Games expert Scott Engel and The Mirror’s resident Sex & Health guru Dr. Miriam.
Q: I’m 17 and sex for the first time with my girlfriend was painful as my foreskin has always been quite tight. When I’m erect, it doesn’t pass over the tip of my penis. Will this problem go away?
A: As I have said many times, drafting Antonio Gates gives you a clear advantage over your opposition on a regular basis. But he still doesn’t quite match up to the elite WRs in terms of overall yardage. Plus, RBs will be flying off the board in the first two rounds, and you must grab the best one available with one of your first two picks. Drafting at the end of round one can still give you a shot at a very good RB (Rudi Johnson or Steven Jackson might still be available).
Q: I’m in a 12-team league where we are only allowed to retain one keeper. My options are Larry Fitzgerald (I sacrifice a sixth-round pick in 2006) and Steven Jackson (10th-round pick). The other owners will be keeping some good RBs as well, (Larry Johnson, Tiki Barber, Willis McGahee, Thomas Jones, Willie Parker and Warrick Dunn to name a few). With these factors in mind, who would you keep and why?
A: A domineering, self-centred and uncaring person who is smugly convinced of his own importance is a turn-off.
Power struggles and jealousy can create anger and resentment and these dangerous emotions get acted out in sex. You feel bullied and controlled out of bed so your sexual response levels have plummeted. You can’t give your all to someone arrogant about receiving it.
Q: I’M a 54-year-old man whose libido seems to have died.
I’ve had a couple of girlfriends over the past few years and really enjoyed sex with them. One was a lot younger and a bit too demanding. She wanted sex at night and in the morning and I just couldn’t cope. But things aren’t going too well with my new girlfriend either.
The worst thing – apart from the loss of confidence – is the thought I may never be able to form another relationship again.
I don’t expect to be a three-times-a-night 20 year old again, but it would be nice to be able to perform when needed.
A:I would never use a keeper pick on a defense/special teams, as you can always grab a quality unit in your next draft, and top skill position players are much more important. Plus, defenses often vary in performance more often than skill players on a year-to-year basis, so even the best defense comes with some amount of risk. You’re talking about an 11-player unit that could undergo changes, deal with injuries or simply suffer if the offense plays worse next year and puts them on the field too often.
Q: If the Colts don’t re-sign Edgerrin James, what would be the value of Dominic Rhodes? Can he be a top running back behind the same line in the same system if the Colts use him as their featured back?
A: It’s one thing to fantasise about being spanked hard, but a good dose of the cane could cause him an injury and he’s being unfair placing you under this kind of pressure.
For starters, forget the cane. If you’re new at this, stay with your bare hand. Not only are you far less likely to do any real damage this way, you’ll find it far easier to develop a feel for what you’re doing.
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Posted in Baseball
at 5:14 pm
With the possible exception of Jose Mourinho, there’s not a manager in professional sports as skilled in pouring kerosene on a fire as Chicago’s Ozzie Guillen. As you might’ve seen, Frank Thomas took some shots at the White Sox and their addition of Jim Thome, and Ozzie responded thusly to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Chris De Luca.
‘I heard him say we got rid of one old man to get another one,” Guillen said. ”Frank the last two years only gave me 40 at-bats [345 actually]. It’s not fair for me or for Kenny or for the team to not know exactly what we were going to get from him.
”Unfortunately, when I was managing, Frank couldn’t play for me for two years. The day he played for me, he played good. He respected the team. He did everything perfect for me since I had this job. That’s the Frank Thomas I like to have and want to have.
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Posted in Gridiron, The Marketplace
at 4:53 pm
From the AP :
The Seattle Seahawks are facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl, but they have an off-the-field battle brewing with Texas A&M.
School officials are upset with the Seahawks’ use of the “12th Man” theme to recognize their fan support. A&M has legal claims to the “12th Man” moniker, a school tradition that dates to the 1920s.
Texas A&M contends the 12th man lives at Kyle Field, not in Seattle.
The Seahawks have celebrated their fans as a “12th Man” since the 1980s, when they used to turn the now-demolished Kingdome into one of the NFL’s loudest venues.
The team retired the No. 12 in 1984. Now, a No. 12 flag waves atop the city’s signature Space Needle and the team has raised a “12th Man” banner at their new stadium, Qwest Field.
A&M’s “12th Man” tradition started in 1922, when a student, E. King Gill, was called from the stands to suit up for the injury-depleted Aggies as they faced top-ranked Centre College. Gill never got in the game, but the Aggies won 22-14.
The tradition has evolved into a campus-wide commitment to support the football team. Students stand for entire games at Kyle Field and at times, they join arms and sway in unison, causing the stadium to literally shake.
A&M has twice registered trademarks for “The 12th Man” label — in 1990 and 1996 — that include entertainment services, “namely organizing and conducting intercollegiate sporting events,” and products, such as caps, T-shirts, novelty buttons and jewelry.
Athletics director Bill Byrne said this week he’s received e-mails from A&M supporters complaining about the Seahawks’ “brazen use of the 12th Man theme at their home playoff games.”
Much like our friends in College Station, I’m outraged. I think the entire concept of a “home field advantage” is very much the Aggies’ invention and the mere act of packing a football stadium — or any sporting venue — for anything besides a Texas A&M game should be subject to some kind of royalty payment.
Just to be certain, it might be time to ban all bonfires in the Pacific Northwest, too.
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Posted in Football
at 2:55 pm
Bolton 1, Arsenal 0 (F.A. Cup, 4th Round)
(Bolton’s Kevin Davies battling with Arsenal’s Sol Campbell)
Bolton have advanced to the 5th round of the F.A. Cup ; Wanderers’ Stelios Giannakopoulo headed in a Ricardo Gardner cross in the 84th minute. Arsenal’s Robin van Persie had been denied by the woodwork moments earlier.
It’s been a heck of a week for Arsenal . Knocked out of the Carling Cup by Wigan on Tuesday, and then booted out of the FA Cup by Bolton after Arsene Wegner opted to rest Thierry Henry, Jens Lehmann, Lauren, Roberto Pieres, Ray Parlour, Ian Wright, Patrick Viera, Tony Adams, Alan Ball and Nick Hornby. And why not, with so much else to play for these next few months?
Congrats to Dudley “DJ” Campbell of Brentford, whose pair of terrific 2nd half goals managed to eliminate Sunderland, 2-1 in earlier action from that glittering temple of football (cue up massive coughing fit with plenty of phlegm) Griffin Park.
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Posted in Hockey
at 2:39 pm
Funny how this incident hasn’t become a You Tube cause celebre. From TSN (link courtesy Laure and I’m Sorry I Had To Kill That Guy)
Pittsburgh defenceman Ryan Whitney (above) has been fined $1,500 by the NHL for spearing Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin in the groin during the Penguins’ 8-1 victory at Mellon Arena Wednesday.
NHL executive Colin Campbell assessed the fine after a telephone hearing with Whitney Thursday morning.
”He was pretty sure by watching it wasn’t your normal kind of spear, where there’s a lot of intent,” Whitney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ”At the same time, he said that on the video, you could see my stick bend, which means I did get (Ovechkin) pretty good.”
Campbell pointed out to Whitney that his club would have done the same thing if their star player Sidney Crosby had been speared.
”He’s one of the young stars,” Whitney said, ”and Colin Campbell said, ‘I’m sure Craig and the Penguins would be calling, just like Washington was, if someone did that to (Sidney Crosby).’
Whitney’s alma matter, B.U., beat no. 1 ranked Boston College 4-3 last night at Chestnut Hill’s Conte Forum. Eagles goalie Cory Schneider (above), a Vancouver Canucks draft choice, saw his run of clean sheets snapped at 5 games, coming just 12 minutes short of beating the NCAA record for the longest scoreless streak.
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Posted in Basketball, Gridiron, Hockey
at 1:41 pm
For one night, at least.
Friday, the CHL’s Austin Ice Bats finally hit .500 with their 6th straight win, a pair of Jason Kenyon goals pushing the Bats past Fort Worth, 3-2. Tonight’s game against Oklahoma City will mark the farewell of Ice Bats captain Dave McIntyre, who is retiring from hockey in order to take a position with the Toronto police. At least that’s his story. Another winter of post-game concerts by Vallejo would be enough to make anyone hang up the skates.
No word yet on who the new captain will be, but I think John Franco has an outside shot.
In the exciting world of the NBDL, a 26-6 3rd quarter run was the catalyst for the Austin Toros’ 120-101 defeat of Arkansas. Marcus Fizer scored 24 for the Toros with Ramel Curry (above) adding 18.
And finally, to top off an unprecedented (please don’t make me look it up) evening of local minor league success, the Austin Wranglers kicked off their third season in that hothouse of creative thinking that is the Arena Football League with a 64-46 home opening victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators. Over 11,000 persons — clearly unable to cope with this weekend’s relative lack of football action (save for the Leitch-maligned Senior Bowl and uh, other AFL games) — filled the Erwin Center, a total that compares favorably to some of the crowds Texas’ nationally ranked Men’s Basketball team have drawn this season. Football remains the most popular sport by far here in Texas, closely followed by b) football and c) football.
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Posted in Gridiron, Sports TV
at 12:14 pm
Chatting this afternoon with ESPN’s Sean McDonough during coverage of the Cincinnati/Georgetown basketball game, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue didn’t deny published reports that his league will place 8 prime-time games next season on the NFL Network.
“Uh, we’ll probably do that, yes. We seem to be moving in that direction and we’ll hopefully have an announcement real soon. (long pause). Of course, our biggest reliance will be on our traditional partners, including right here on ESPN with ‘Monday Night Football’”
Were the Tagster as quick on his feet as say, David Stern, he might’ve added “And we’re hopeful this development will prove to the millions of Americans who don’t watch VH-1, that Rich Eisen is still alive and well.”
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Posted in Baseball
at 11:48 am
While discussing his toe woes, the Mets’ Pedro Martinez has managed to breathe new life into one of the off-season’s least interesting debates. From Newsday’s Ken Davidoff.
“Alex is American because he was born in the United States, but after what Mike Piazza — a future Hall of Famer — did, who will be playing for Italy, and Nomar Garciaparra, who will be playing for Mexico, he had an excuse to do the same with the Dominican Republic,” said Martinez, who intends to pitch for his native Dominican Republic. Martinez’s statements were spoken to the Dominican-based television network Color Vision. ESPN.com first reported of the interview here.
“Now Alex must prepare for the nasty comments that will arise in the Bronx, where almost half of the citizens are Latino and purely Dominican,” Martinez said. “In fact, when Alex gets [to the Dominican Republic] it’s possible that not even the reporters will be here to welcome him.”
I’m still waiting for Chris Russo to imply that Rodriguez’ inclusion on Team USA is a cynical attempt to market to Americans.
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Posted in Sports Radio
at 3:06 am
The announcement that Eddie Andelman is returning to the Boston area airwaves is hardly the worst radio news of the week ; satellite broadcaster XM, perhaps emboldened by the pairing of Rob Dibble and Kevin Kennedy, has another dubious duo on tap.
From Media Buyer Planer :
XM Satellite Radio continues the development of its sports content with a new weekly sports show starring James Carville – Democratic political strategist and commentator – and Luke Russert, a sophomore at Boston College and son of NBC journalist Tim Russert, Mediaweek reports.
Carville and Russert engaged in entertaining, heated exchanges during various Washington Nationals home games, which Eric Logan, executive vp of programming for XM, believes will entertain XM’s listeners.
Y’know, just because someone who had the misfortune of sitting near Carville and Russert was heard to remark “why don’t you assholes get your own radio show and leave the rest of us alone?” was no need for XM to act on it.
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01.27.06
Posted in Gridiron
at 11:17 pm
As we prepare for the mind-blowing boredom that is the national media’s coverage-of-itself during Super Bowl Week, the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi recalls the exploits of the Oakland Raiders’ late John Matuszak.
It’s been a quarter-century now since that week at Super Bowl XV in New Orleans when Matuszak — all 6 feet 9 and 280 pounds of him — became a bona-fide barroom-brawling, dance-halling, tradition-galling American antihero.
By then, Matuszak was nearing the end of his career with the Oakland Raiders. He was the NFL’s transcendent rebel leading the ultimate set of renegades into the Super Bowl against the robotic archetype of NFL hyper-intensity — the Dick Vermeil-coached Philadelphia Eagles. In those days, Vermeil was the poster boy for NFL burnout — a coach so driven, he slept on an office cot and so on edge, he once shook his fist and screamed at the Blue Angels who were flying over his practice field and distracting his players.
The Raiders, of course, were the complete opposite. Matuszak was seen out most every night at the Super Bowl roaming Bourbon Street in a drunken haze. He called it the “Tooz Cruise” and explained to reporters that he wasn’t really out partying. He was out patrolling.
“I’m the enforcer,” he said. “I’m out on the streets to make sure nobody else is.”
Vermeil was appalled at Matuszak’s lack of discipline. “If he were on the Eagles,” Vermeil said disgustedly, “he’d be on a plane back to Philadelphia right now.”
Raiders Coach Tom Flores scoffed at such a notion. When asked by a reporter what he was going to do to Matuszak for breaking curfew, Flores deadpanned: “Fine him $1,000 and let him sleep it off.”
Flores claims now he was misquoted. “I never told John to sleep it off,” he says. “He’d already slept it off and was ready to roll.”
After the Raiders destroyed Philadelphia 27-10, the Tooz explained the victory philosophically. “The Eagles,” he said, “got so caught up in beating the distractions that beating the distractions became the biggest distraction.”
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Posted in Basketball
at 10:11 pm
From the LA Times,
New Orleans Hornet forward Chris Andersen was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA on Friday for violating the league’s drug policy. Andersen must wait two years before he can apply for reinstatement, the league said.
According to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, a player can be disqualified only for a fourth positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, or a first positive test for “drugs of abuse.”
The drugs on that list are amphetamine and its analogs, which include methamphetamine; cocaine; LSD; opiates, including heroin, codeine and morphine; and PCP.
Andersen had not previously been suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The first positive test for performance-enhancing drugs results in a 10-game suspension.
Andersen, 27 and in his fifth NBA season, is the first player kicked out because of drugs since Stanley Roberts in 1999.
And with that, repeated screenings of Andersen’s miserable entry in last season’s Slam Dunk Contest might serve as the most effective “Scared Straight” video of all time.
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Posted in Baseball
at 7:08 pm
South Side Sox’s The Cheat informs us that former Mets/White Sox OF Timo Perez has a video resume of sorts that may or may not prove enticing for Japanese clubs.
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Posted in Basketball
at 6:50 pm
In his first five minutes against the Celtics tonight, Ron Artest has ;
a) hit a three-pointer and another long jumper
b) hauled down a rebound in heavy traffic
c) forced a turnover leading to a fast-break basket by Brad Miller (Artest with the assist)
d) harrassed Paul Pierce into travelling.
Not bad for a guy who hasn’t played in 7 weeks.
(UPDATE : Tied at 41 with two minutes left in the first half ; there was a massive ovation for Wally Szczerbiak when he checked in for Raef LaFrentz a moment ago. They love those pale guys who can’t play D down at North Station. 9 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal for Artest, who looks like he could really use a nap. Tommy Heinson, the biggest homer this side of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, boldly proclaimed that if Artest “ever gets his emotions in check, he could be a perennial All-Star”. )
(UPDATE 2 : Celtics win, 84-74. Szcerbiak, the 5th leading scorer for the home team with 10 points, was interviewed right after the buzzer as the Garden fans chanted “Wally, Wally”. I’m sure the chanting will be just as loud whenever Michael Olowokandi makes his C’s debut.)
At MSG tonight, the Knicks clung to a two point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining and Jamal Crawford was fouled on an inbounds pass. Though he converted the 2nd of two free throws, that was after Stevie Franchise (36 points, 14 in the 4th quarter) tried to psych Crawford out with an accidently-on-purpose bump at the line. Mike Breem called it “a smart move”, though it seemed pretty bush league from this vantage point. Eddie Curry and Channing Frye combined for 45 points in the New York win. In a week in which Isiah Thomas has taken a terrible beating, it should be stressed that his trade for Curry and drafting of Frye could well help the club long after he’s fired.
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Posted in Football
at 6:39 pm
Winner’s of last season’s Premiership, runaway leaders this season and with the FA Cup and Champions League still to play for, would you believe that Chelsea F.C. 2005-06 are history’s biggest losers? From the Guardian’s Richard Wray.
Yesterday Chelsea collected a new though rather unwelcome accolade by reporting a £140m financial loss, the largest in football history.
The west London club – whose spending power has appeared limitless since Roman Abramovich took charge – clocked up more than £50m of one-off charges related to the ditching of kit supplier Umbro, the sacking of Adrian Mutu and the release of the midfielder Juan Veron.
Chelsea also revealed that Mr Abramovich had pumped £166.6m into the club over the 12 months to the end of June 2005, taking his total investment to £381.5m, plus the £60m he spent buying out the club’s original shareholders more than two years ago.
The scale of the Premiership leader’s plunge into the red is even more dramatic than losses at big-spending continental clubs such as Real Madrid. It outstrips the £87.8m which Chelsea lost in the previous year, itself an English club record. The full cost of the race to win last season’s Premiership title – Chelsea’s first domestic league win in half a century – is revealed in the figures which show that £276m has been spent buying up players.
In a sideswipe at the takeover of his former employer, Manchester United, by the US billionaire Malcolm Glazer, Chelsea’s chief executive Peter Kenyon said the Russian oligarch was in the club for the long term. “The money that has been invested in Chelsea has all gone back into football, unlike some of the other recent changes of ownership. But we are not sat here saying we are happy with a £140m loss. We’re not. We want to get the club on to a level that is sustainable.”
Overall, Chelsea’s turnover in the year to the end of June last year – including merchandising and TV rights – actually dropped to £146.6m from £152.1m as the club sold off its travel agency. It is now looking for a partner to take on its hotel business, a legacy of the creation of Chelsea Village by its former boss Ken Bates, which Mr Bruce yesterday admitted had done the club few favours. “If we were starting from scratch we wouldn’t be building two hotels, we wouldn’t be building a sports club, we would not acquire a travel business but that’s what we have to work with … our intention is to make these businesses profitable because that’s what we have,” he said.
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