02.28.06
Posted in Basketball, Blogged Down, Sports Journalism, Will Leitch Sucks
at 6:55 pm
The New York Post’s Peter Vescey is Will Leitch’s latest nominee for “Your Hometown Columnist Sucks”, a pretty rich concept considering that a “columnist” in Leitch’s own hometown would be the person who transcribes the cinema start times.
Writes Will,
is Vecsey at least funny? You tell us: “Following his 1-for-16 misadventure in Game 1 against the Sonics, Mike Bibby, desperate to figure out his shooting problem, drove to the nearest Wendy’s to see if its employees could put their finger on it.” Um, what?
Admittedly, that’s not even close to Vescey’s best line. But still funnier than anything you’d find in a month of reading Deadspin.
Though hardly above reproach, Vescey is the guy who suggested that Pat Riley stopped talking about “The Disease Of Me” and switched to “The Disease Of Thee” when he noticed Madonna was sitting courtside. The same Vescey that labelled the Daily News’ Filip “King Kong Bondy” and was tearing into Will’s pet Stephen “Anal” Smith when Deadspin was just a twinkle in Nick Denton’s eye.
Some other recent classic gems from Vescey’s “Hoops Du Jour” :
Georgia’s runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, has been indicted for filing false statements and false police reports. She faces up to six years in the pokey, or, if the judge really wants to stick it to her, six Hawks home games.
John Stockton, by the way, returned to the Delta Center Wednesday night at the Jazz unveiled an eight-foot statue of him outside the arena. The statue inside the arena is known as Carlos Boozer.
After eyeballing Sunday’s 64-62 eyesore (the Pistons won despite missing each and every one of 15 field goal tries in the fourth quadrant) Larry Brown announced he was going in for additional hip surgery. He denies he has any intentions of switching hospitals.
Michael Olowokandi finally earned his Timberwolves keep by provoking Nene into a fist-fight, the way it was meant to be, mano-a-mano instead of mano-a-fanatico. Both received the same four-game sanctioned sentence and we all know who came out ahead on that score. The Crying Wolves, who hosted Toronto last night, have dutifully improved on this Kandi-free diet, winning that game in Denver and the next vs. the frontcourt-less Blazers.
This just in: So it shouldn’t be a total loss, Latrell Sprewell petitioned David Stern to turn over Olowokandi’s paychecks to his near starving family.
Say this much about Darko, his team has made the playoffs both of his seasons. Joe Dumars deserves a lot of credit for for not trading up and taking LeBron James.
David Stern’s league, chock full of provocatively dressed and undulating dance teams, has banned players from listening to music during pre-game warm-ups. Vince Carter and others got the word iPods are not part of the NBA’s standard uniform and thus cannot be worn.
Carter, who received the iPod as a gift for being the only person not attacked at the Vibe awards, is appealing Stern’s fearless ruling.
Donald Stern and Mark Cuban have worked out a deal re fines. In the future, any money collected from the owner will be used to bribe people to watch his next show.
Kobe made a point of thanking the Clippers for their interest when the Lakers played them during preseason, but, “like I always say, no means no.”
As far as I can tell, Vescey’s biggest sin is that he’s far more skilled at disembowling ESPN and TNT’s on-air talent, than our Man from Mantoon.
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Posted in CSTB Podcasts, Internal Affairs, Rock Und Roll
at 5:53 pm
With all the crazy conjecture about how to weigh a prospective draft pick’s results on the Wonderlic Test, what an amazing coincidence that this week’s edition of the CSTB Podcast features “Pat McInally’s Big Score”, a WHRB-riffic mix by the Harvard man and former Bengals punter. McInally scored a 50 on the Wonderlic, but more importantly, his terrific musical taste shows that he’s still a master of “hang time” long after retirement.
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Posted in Baseball
at 4:29 pm
…except for the “glorified” part. The enforced pitch counts and bush league mercy rule were rotten enough, but get a load of the following from the Associted Press :
Organizers said Tuesday that games in the first two rounds of the tournament will be ended after 14 innings, even if teams remain tied.
In addition, the tournament’s technical committee may suspend semifinal games after 14 innings if “pitcher availability for both teams would be substantially jeopardized by not suspending the game and pitcher availability would be substantially enhanced by resuming the game as a suspended game on the next day.”
Ties would count as half a win and half a loss in determining a team’s winning percentage, organizers said.
Rain also could cause situations that deviate from normal major league rules.
Games can be suspended, even if they have not gone long enough become regulation games. If the game affects which teams will advance, organizers will attempt to schedule the completion of the game for the following day. If the game is suspended again during the first two rounds or the game isn’t finished, the team that is ahead would be declared the winner if it is a regulation game; it would be a tie if the teams are even or it would be ruled “no game” if it hasn’t become a regulation game.
Even with all of the conditions outlined previously and those mentioned above, I am deathly concerned that someone-is-gonna-get-hurt. Perhaps a no-sliding edict would be fitting? Anyone who tries to break up a DP is adopted by Tommy Lasorda?
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Posted in Basketball, Lower Education, Sports Journalism
at 3:26 pm
With all the talk of Wunderlic tests over the last few days, it’s worth remembering that prospective college athletes must first pass some basic barriers before even getting to college. Luckily, as the New York Times reports today, there are a wide variety of unaccredited, ultra-dodgy ”prep schools” designed to help students more gifted at hoops than standardized test-taking get to “Yes, you may attend UTEP/Mississippi State.”
It’s a lengthy and exhaustive piece, not given to bloggy excerpting, but the article details the rise of unaccredited high schools – many of them with student bodies consisting entirely of a basketball team and faculties consisting entirely of a basketball coach — that function as basketball factories/the last bastion of “spelling classes” in high school education. The schools serve their students through inflated grades (which lower the ceiling on Prop 48 SAT requirements — the higher the GPA, the lower the SAT required to qualify) and SAT/ACT tutoring. Oh, and practicing four hours a day, year-round.
Some of these institutions recently joined other private schools to form the National Elite Athletic Association. With more than two dozen teams from Los Angeles to Toronto, this conference is seeking a shoe contract and a television deal. Its teams sometimes travel thousands of miles to play in tournaments that often attract more college coaches than fans. Those coaches will pay $100 for booklets of information about the players.
“I believe that our high school associations create mediocrity,” said Linzy Davis, a conference founder, who coaches in Stockbridge, Ga. “We have rules in high school associations that say a coach can coach a kid at this time and not at this time. Meanwhile, you have the Europeans that can practice eight hours a day.”
Sounds pretty aboveboard, right? Well, no, but also:
An investigation by The New York Times found more than a dozen of these institutions, some of which closed soon after opening. The Times found that at least 200 players had enrolled at such places in the past 10 years and that dozens had gone on to play at N.C.A.A. Division I universities like Mississippi State, George Washington, Georgetown and Texas-El Paso.
“I would say that in my 21 years, the number of those schools has quadrupled, and I would put schools in quotation marks,” Phil Martelli, the men’s basketball coach at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, said. “They’re not all academic institutions.”
The National Collegiate Athletic Association acknowledges that it has not acted as such places have proliferated. For years, its Clearinghouse has approved transcripts from these institutions without questioning them.
(not the actual logo of a real academic institution, sadly)
There’s much more. But while this is the first most people will have heard of, say, Boys To Men Academy in Chicago (16 students and a curriculum consisting of courses from an online correspondence school and production by Michael Bivins), it is not the first visit to the papers for Philadelphia’s Lutheran Christian Academy, which got a similarly lengthy run-down in the Washington Post two weeks ago. Thanks to Brendan Flynn for the link.
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Posted in Sports Radio
at 1:51 pm
In what sounds like one of the uglier stunts (plug in vulgar rhyme at your own leisure) in recent memory, WEEI’s Pete Sheppard tried his hand at curling, stopping by Wayland, MA’s Broomstones Curling Club. From Metro West’s Lenny Megliola.
Clearly Sheppard wasn’t going to get a handle on the sport in one night. He tried pushing the 42-pound stone three times, and quickly lost his balance each time, crumbling to his knees. Some states would have stopped it right there on the three-knockdown rule.
Kupchik asked him if he wanted to try it again.
“Naww, that’s enough,” said Sheppard (above, left). “You absolutely get winded.”
He was game enough to try the broom thing, sweeping in front of the stone. That proved to be even more difficult. When he got to the circle he did a total wipeout, sliding on his belly into the center of the circle. Curlers using the other lanes stopped and cheered. It was great form. For the breaststroke.
“You OK?” Kupchik asked. “I don’t want to push you.”
Spectators watching from the second-level lounge area gave Sheppard a standing O. “I have a new-found respect for curling,” he told them. “Believe me.”
Not much of a curler, this guy, but a helluva sport. He tried. “(Big Show host Glenn) Ordway would’ve had a heart attack,” said Sheppard.
WEEI’s Whiney Awards are taking place tonight at the TD BankNorth Garden. Tickets are $40, and while I realize a portion of the procees are going to charity, unless they can end all human suffering (ie. blow up the radio station) with the money, this doesn’t sound like a great deal.
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Posted in Football
at 1:28 pm
From Reuters :
Finnish player Markus Paatelainen has revealed how a newspaper article in his homeland helped save his leg from amputation after a blood clot developed hours after he was caught on the shin by a late tackle.
The 23-year-old brother of Finland international and current Cowdenbeath manager Mixu was left in agony when he was scythed down playing for the Scottish fourth division side in a 4-0 league win at Elgin City on Saturday.
He began to feel severe pain in the leg on the journey home and remembered a story he read about impact-related blood clots.
Paatelainen, a former Aberdeen player, told The Scottish Sun: ‘My parents send me Finnish newspapers every week and I read about an ice hockey player who was in a similar situation two weeks ago.
‘When I started to feel the pain while I was on the bus it was unbearable and I thought it might be the same thing. I knew I had to go to hospital then so I got Mixu to take me.’
Markus was caught on the outside of his shin by the tackle and also twisted his knee causing a blood clot.
Hospital x-rays revealed there was no break, but doctors spotted the clot after measuring pressure on the shin and operated immediately at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
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Posted in Baseball
at 11:29 am
Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt was in Clearwater, FL yesterday — site of his abortive managerial tenure with the Phillies’ FSL affiliate — spreading the good vibes about his forthcoming tome, ‘Clearing the Bases: Juiced Players, Monster Salaries, Sham Records and a Hall of Famer’s Search for the Soul of Baseball’. I’ve not seen an advance copy of the book yet, but it could clearly use a longer title. From the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Todd Zolecki.
“My position is to try and tell the story from an insider’s perspective. What interested me more was the psychology of it. Not only from a player’s standpoint, but from how people outside perceived the game and that issue. There’s a lot of discussion about the money in baseball and the pressure and the standards that current players are held up to as opposed to when I played. It’s sort of a study in the human nature on how things like this can happen and how they did happen, how turning a blind eye on the subject allowed baseball to recover in the late ’90s and 2000 with the offensive explosion. And now, how the right steps have been taken by the players association and the commissioner’s office to cleanse the game of pretty much everything.”
Schmidt talked about other topics yesterday, too:
Mark McGwire, and whether he would vote for him to make the Hall of Fame: “Yes. Players need to be judged against their peers today and not against players over time for a lot of reasons. Obviously, the speculation about substance abuse is somewhere in the mix, but there are smaller ballparks, livelier balls, livelier bats and different strike zones… . These guys have not been banished from the game. With these guys, their accomplishments on the field stand for themselves.”
If he would vote for Rafael Palmeiro, who tested positive for steroids: “I think Palmeiro is a little bit of a stronger issue. I think what he’s gone through in the past year and a half may have hurt his chances altogether… . I might take a pass on Year 1, [but] he certainly is a Hall of Fame caliber player.”
If he thinks Pete Rose’s chances at the Hall of Fame are dead: “Major League Baseball has created a Pete Rose purgatory, and that’s where he is. And that’s where he’s always going to be. It’s unfortunate that the commissioner’s office has decided to allow that to be the reality. I don’t think Pete would mind if they said ‘No’ to Pete. Pete wants them to go one way or the other and get him out of the void he’s in.”
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Posted in The Law, The World Of Entertainment
at 9:36 am
…while Jim Rome prepares the obligatory Andrew Ridgely joke, which he’ll repeat five or six times on the radio, then again on his television program.
The Mirror has the best headline about this particular incident : “GEORGE MICHAEL HAD SEX TOYS AND GIMP MASK IN CAR”, though I do think pokerjoel24@yahoo.com ought to complain about the use of such innuendo.
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Posted in Basketball
at 9:24 am
The next time Chris Sheridan wonders why the average fan should care about salaries, the above average fan might want to check this out.
And after doing so, if he or she is a fan of the below average New York Knicks, said fan might wanna think about walking into traffic.
The Newark Star-Ledger’s Dave D’Allesandro is reporting that Chicago’s buyout of Tim Thomas’ contract will preclude a subsequent signing by New Jersey or Philadelphia.
Bulls GM John Paxson told agent Arn Tellem that he is determined to give Thomas the money he has left on his $14 million contract and allow him to become a free agent, but only if Thomas signs with San Antonio or Phoenix.
The negotiation continued yesterday with no settlement. But Paxson has control of the discussion: If Thomas is not waived by Wednesday, the Paterson native won’t be eligible for the playoffs regardless of what team he chooses to play for.
Entering the weekend, it was believed that Paxson didn’t want Thomas to go to Philadelphia, because the Bulls are chasing the Sixers for the eighth seed in the East. But the Nets have been added to his list of undesirables because they still have two games against Chicago this season.
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Posted in Baseball
at 9:12 am
As the battle for the 5th spot in the Mets’ rotation heats up with intra-squad games begining today, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman takes a long look at the state of New York’s starters.
The most meaningful competition will reveal whether the Mets have a depth or dearth of starting pitching. Aaron Heilman (above), the front-runner for the No. 5 starting slot, will work today, as will a few players with a chance to push the righty: Brian Bannister, Jeremi Gonzalez, John Maine and Alay Soler.
Omar Minaya and pitching coach Rick Peterson believe that group, plus Jose Lima and Yusaku Iriki, offer viable options behind a front four of Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel and Victor Zambrano. Minaya depleted the rotation comfort level by trading Kris Benson and Jae Seo in an attempt to deepen the bullpen. The result, however, means the erratic Zambrano is probably back in the rotation while Heilman is likely to be moved from the pen, where he excelled last year, to the rotation.
If either falters or age/injury besets Martinez, Glavine or Trachsel, the Mets will be left with a buffet of untested and journeymen pitchers to step in.
One AL executive surmised, “The Mets are in a lot of trouble if any of their five starters goes down or doesn’t perform well.”
An NL GM more optimistically said: “I think that is reasonable depth. Bannister is a legitimate sixth starter, and Maine and Gonzalez have a chance to give a few decent starts. But I’m sure the Mets don’t want 25 starts from that crew.”
Minaya said he was “comfortable with the numbers, but I’m always looking to upgrade the quality.”
Minaya tried hard to get Javier Vazquez in the offseason and has told confidants he believes the club still needs at least one top-flight starter to win a championship, which is why he will work his radar to see if Jose Contreras, Barry Zito or another front-end arm goes on the market during the season while hoping that last year’s first-round pick, the buzz-producing Mike Pelfrey, comes fast. Minaya also must pray that Martinez and his fragile foot can produce another season of 30-start greatness.
Even if the Mets had kept Benson and Seo, it would not have made Martinez any more expendable. Those are the types who can replace Trachsel, not someone as great as Pedro. Now, however, the Mets must ask if they have enough resources to replace even Trachsel.
Seattle’s Matt Lawton hit a broken-bat HR during an intrasquad game on Monday. Carl Everett suggested checking the bat, which probably went over better than Carl administering a piss test on the spot.
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Posted in Baseball
at 8:55 am
Estranged from his longtime personal trainer/running mate Bobby Alejo, Yankees DH/1B Jason Giambi has enlisted the services of a new bulk-up expert writes the New York Daily News’ Sam Borden.
Sure, Jason Giambi can smash home runs over the fence of just about any ballpark, but how would he do pulling a car down the street? Or carrying a boulder? Or lifting a keg?
The Yankees first baseman very nearly found out how he measures up in those situations because his new personal trainer this winter was power lifter and World’s Strongest Man competitor Mark Philippi (above).
Alas, while Philippi had Giambi do a number of exercises that might be unfamiliar to the average gym-goer, Giambi never hooked his harness to a Chevy or tried to throw a telephone pole as seen in WSM competitions on TV.
“He’s got all that stuff at his house,” Giambi said. “He’d be like, ‘Hey, you want to come over and work with those things?’ and I’d be like, ‘Uh, no man.’”
That doesn’t mean it might not happen in the future. Throughout their training, Philippi joked with Giambi, saying that, “I don’t want to take you over to the garage (where he keeps his WSM equipment) and screw you up,” but he said he does think that kind of training could be beneficial if the two work together again in the future.
“Sled-dragging, pushing of cars, that could be really helpful in strengthening his legs,” Philippi said in a telephone interview. “I could see that making a difference. Things you could do that would translate well to the baseball field.”
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Posted in Baseball
at 8:43 am
The next time Goose Gossage fails to make the Baseball Hall Of Fame, Harry Carson is asked about his longtime Canton snub or Kanye West gets stiffed for some lame trophy, consider the way Buck O’Neal reacted yesterday to the news that he wasn’t amongst the 17 Negro Leagues alumni inducted into Cooperstown. (From the Kansas City Star’s Sam Mellinger and Jeff Passan).
“Shed no tears for Buck,” he said. “No, no. Ol’ God’s been good to me. You can see that, don’t you? If I’m a Hall of Famer for you, that’s all I need. Just keep loving ol’ Buck.”
O’Neil put a happy spin on the day, just like always. There was no disappointment, no how-could-they-leave-me-out talk. He focused more on how far America has come, that the grandson of a slave was given a fair chance at the national pastime’s highest honor.
He said not being elected didn’t hurt nearly as much as the real disappointments in his life, like when he was denied attendance at his local segregated high school in Florida. There will be no bitterness from O’Neil, only smiles.
“This won’t stop me,” he said. “I’ve got a whole lot to live for. It would have been ‘Buck O’Neil, Hall of Famer.’ Now it’s just ‘Buck O’Neil,’ which is all right. Or how about ‘Buck O’Neil, humanitarian’? That sounds better anyway.”
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Posted in Football
at 1:33 am
Whether or not the latest stain on Spanish soccer will result in greater action than just minimal fines, I have no idea, but at some point, La Liga officials have to recognize these episodes are not only overshadowing the terrific football being played…but they render it irrelevant.
From the Telegraph’s Sid Lowe.
Spanish football was last night bracing itself for another wave of condemnation after Samuel Eto’o, Barcelona’s Cameroon striker, threatened to leave the field in protest at racist abuse during his side’s 2-0 victory over Real Zaragoza.
76 minutes into Saturday night’s clash at the Romareda, when Barcelona won a corner, Eto’o, who had been subjected to sporadic abuse by a small section of the crowd throughout the match, went to collect the ball and bottles thrown at him before a chorus of monkey chants went up.
Eto’o pointed at Alvaro, Zaragoza’s black Brazilian defender, in an attempt to underline the absurdity of the abuse, but his response served merely to increase the vociferousness of the chants. Victor Jose Esquinas Torres, the referee, ran over to a club official and demanded that an announcement be made over the PA system. His point was clear: if this behaviour did not stop, the game would be abandoned.
As Esquinas Torres returned, Eto’o, who was clearly upset, had decided to march off, saying: “I’m not carrying on like this. I’m not playing any more.”
The referee sought to stop him, but it was not until players from both sides, and Barca’s coach Frank Rijkaard, had spoken with him that he agreed to continue.
When Ronaldinho finally took the corner, Zaragoza’s concentration had been broken. Edmilson latched on to the ball and his shot beat the keeper, Cesar, but was tipped over the bar by the midfielder Albert Celades, who was sent off.
Ronaldinho then scored from the penalty and ran over to embrace Eto’o to celebrate. Three minutes later, Eto’o crossed for Henrik Larsson to make it 2-0. By now, Eto’o was being booed by virtually the whole stadium.
The Spanish Coalition Against Racism (Cecra) is calling for players to take part in a 5 minute delay of next weekend’s kick-offs, as a show of protest against the Spanish Football Federation’s inaction.
The Mirror is reporting — as tipped some weeks ago — that Newcastle have offered Celtic’s Martin O’Neal their managerial job, which might interfere with the England F.A.’s hopes of making O’Neal the successor to Sven Goran Ericksson.
I’ve never heard U.S. national goalkeeper Kasey Keller sing, but apparently, his vocal stylings are considered criminal in Germany.
On a day when both Will Leitch and Jim Rome took the time to sneer at ill-advised remarks by David Beckham, perhaps these unfunny Twin Brothers Of Different Mothers might want to consider that Becks might still be able to manage double digits on the Wonderlic test.
Rome, whose soccerphobia is so played out that Nike used a soundalike in one of their dopier footie commercials, declared Beckham, “the World’s Greatest Soccer Player.” In 2001, that would’ve been a huge stretch. In 2006, well…lemme put it this way. There isn’t anyone in Leytonstone, Manchester or Madrid declaring Kurt Warner the best player in the NFL.
There’s something a little screwy about ESPN giving Jim Rome a vehicle to laugh at Beckham’s grammar. Granted, the midfielder has never proven himself to be anything other than a comical public speaker, but Rome and his radio callers manage to rape the English language at every available opportunity.
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02.27.06
Posted in Basketball
at 9:51 pm
Declaring that coach Larry Brown “is is no different than his players now. Overpaid, underachieving — stealing Knicks owner James Dolan’s money”, the New York Post’s Marc Berman reveals the club’s biggest transgression to date ; somebody on the roster is spending their meal money on something other than food.
Brown has practiced his players too hard, demeaned them too often and changed their roles too often. Those are not traits of a great coach. Ultimately, that is why he has lost the locker room, why the young players have regressed instead of gotten better, why they are 15-40, the joke of the NBA, the shame of the city.
“We have too many young players right now,” the $40 million defensive genius said as recently as Friday night.
Brown should stop his whine about the Knicks being too young and start doing what he was brought in to do — get the most out of them, make them a team.
The Knicks’ core group now isn’t as green as Brown wants you to believe. The starting perimeter is Stephon Marbury, 29, Steve Francis, 29, and Quentin Richardson, 26.
The two perimeter players off the bench are Jalen Rose and Jamal Crawford. The starting center, Eddy Curry, has been in the league five years. Brown now starts rookie Channing Frye at power forward, but he’s worthy. Last time we proofed them, Malik Rose and Maurice Taylor weren’t teenagers.
The veterans have shown no leadership and Brown has been incapable of motivating this group. The players want to run. Brown wants to run set plays.
The players don’t seem to care about winning anymore. Two Knicks — without mentioning names — munched down on Chicken McNuggets and McDonald’s fries an hour before tip-off Saturday night in Washington.
During the Wizards’ rout, a heckler yelled at new Knick Steve Francis, “Hey Stevie, Where are you going next?” Francis turned to the fan and quipped, “To the bank.” It took only three days for Francis to feel the emptiness of a lost season.
I already wasted the joke about Jerome James and “conduct beneficial to McDonald’s” last week, so it couldn’t have been him.
(it’s hard ’nuff to contend with Tim Duncan, but now Malik Rose has to ignore the scent of those french fries, too)
Tony Parker has 20 points and 12 assists through 3 quarters tonight, with San Antonio leading New York, 100-70. Gilbert Arenas managed to score 46 against NY the other night on a mere 16 shots ; Michael Finley has 22 on only 8 attempts from the floor.
Apparently, Robert Horry’s hips have been realigned. Not at a garage, either.
It was a tough loss for the Nets this evening, falling in overtime to the Hawks, 104-102. Jersey had no answer for Atlanta’s Josh Smith down the stretch, and Vince Carter narrowly missed a 3 at the end of O.T. that would’ve won the game; Nenad Kristic gathered the rebound but blew the lay-up that would’ve forced another extra session.
There’s nothing funny about spousal abuse. Well, usually. Depends on the spouse, I suppose. But based on Maute Bol’s performance on “Celebrity Boxing” a while back, is there any surprise in learning he and his wife filed complaints against each other “after a verbal dispute turned physical”, yet “neither was injured”?
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Posted in Baseball
at 5:33 pm
From the Associated Press :
Roger Clemens’ son took dad deep on the Rocket’s first pitch of spring training, crushing a trademark fastball over the left-field fence Monday.
“That was probably one of the harder fastballs I cut loose,” Roger Clemens said after throwing to Koby and other Houston Astros minor-leaguers. “He got my attention.”
Then the Rocket got Koby’s. The next time his oldest son came to the plate, Roger buzzed him high and tight with another fastball. The younger Clemens dodged the pitch and then smiled at his father.
“He was like, ‘Sorry about that pitch inside. I was trying to change the view of the ball for you a little bit,’” said Koby, a third baseman who was drafted by Houston last summer. “I said, ‘I knew what you were doing.’”
Aside from the only normal human reaction —- ie. I’ve seen “The Great Santini” once and I really don’t need to see it a second time, thanks — this incident brings us two points to ponder ;
1) If an 18 year old is taking the Rocket deep, perhaps Team USA should look elsewhere for pitching help
2) If an 18 year old is taking the Rocket deep, why hasn’t the former been recruited for Team USA’s WBC squad?
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Posted in Baseball
at 5:19 pm
Yesterday it was Billy Wagner. Today, it’s Tim Worrell weighing in on the paying customers who fill Citizens Bank Ballpark. From the Philadelphia Daily News’ Paul Hagen.
Phillies fans might recall Tim Worrell as a relief pitcher who habitually wore the dour look of a man who had just sucked a lemon during most of his tenure in red pinstripes.
Or they might recall him as the guy who asked to be placed on the disabled list for “personal psychological reasons” 2 months into last season, collected about a million bucks while sidelined and then forced a trade to the Diamondbacks.
They probably would not have recognized the jolly fellow who was horsing around with his new Giants teammates recently at Scottsdale Stadium after signing a 2-year, $4 million free-agent contract this winter.
Even when asked if he had a moment to discuss his impressions of Philadelphia, he continued to smile. He also continued to walk toward the door. “That’s past. Looking forward,” is all he had to offer.
Worrell, however, wasn’t as brusque with the Sacramento Bee. He made it clear that, on the whole, he’d rather not be in Philadelphia.
“Philly is a tough place to play when things go right,” he told veteran Giants beat reporter Nick Peters. “I’m a West Coast guy. I grew up in California [Pasadena] and I live in Arizona. It’s a different mentality back there. I don’t want to say it’s wrong, but I’m just not used to it.
“It was a night-and-day difference, a shock to my family. [Philly fans] want to win, but they seem happy being miserable.”
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Posted in College Spurts, Gridiron
at 4:44 pm
Oklahoma State President David Schmidly has sent a letter of apology to his Drake counterpart, David Maxwell, expressing regret over Johnny Bright being sucker-punched by Oklahoma A&M’s Willbanks Smith during an October, 1951 football game.
The Oklahoman’s Barry Tramel discusses the incident, along with how it came to be documented.
It almost never happened.
The publicity. The outrage. The scars. The apology.
Only the football gods made it possible for Iowans and Oklahomans, much less all Americans, to know the ugly tale of that day at Lewis Field.
So says Don Ultang, one of the Des Moines Register photographs who won the Pulitzer.
Ultang, long retired and now living in Johnston, Iowa, refutes many of the long-standing legends from the Johnny Bright incident.
First, the Register photographers were not dispatched to Stillwater in anticipation of racial problems. The Register regularly sent photographers to Drake, Iowa and Iowa State football games. Even bought a plane, a Beech Bonanza, with Navy veteran Ultang as pilot, to get to games all over the Midwest.
Ultang said his editors never mentioned the possibility of racial problems in Stillwater. At the game, a friend, Bob Speigel, said he had heard rumors around campus about A&M’s desire to knock Bright from the game.
“We had no idea what we were getting into,” Ultang said.
Thus, the Register cameras were not focused exclusively on Bright. In fact, the initial hit by Wilbanks Smith was captured by Ultang only in the background of the photo.
The photographers routinely stayed only for the first 10 minutes of road football games. Then they would scurry back to the airport, fly back to Des Moines, process their film and make the first-edition deadline for Sunday’s paper.
Ultang and his sidekick, John Robinson, shot the first few minutes and left Lewis Field with no idea of what they had photographed.
“The football gods wanted us to have this,” Ultang said. “If a lot of things hadn’t been just right, nobody would have known it had happened.”
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Posted in Baseball, Sports Radio
at 4:05 pm
The St. Louis Cardinals’ move from KMOX to KTRS has been mentioned in this space previously, but not with the impassioned plea for decorum provided by the following gent’s letter to the St. Louis Post Dispatch ,
I live 120 miles from St. Louis and have listened to KMOX for years, attend six or seven Cardinals games each year, and am a baseball fan.
I don’t listen to KTRS much simply because it just doesn’t have the class of KMOX. I’m not sure of the market that KTRS is trying to reach, but listening to on-air personalities using vulgar phrases seems pretty tasteless to me.
I’m certainly not a prude, but have found a long time ago that I can communicate just as effectively without marginal talk like that.
I’m sure the Cardinals will make more money in the short run with KTRS ownership. But in the long run, I’m not sure the dumb-down image of KTRS as the Cardinals flagship station will serve the Cardinals’ image well.
Max Jaeger, Mattoon, Ill.
Mr. Jaeger has a point. I checked out KTRS’ daily schedule and was dismayed to see that legendary shockjock Paul Harvey (above) appears on the station 3 times every weekday.
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Posted in Basketball, Dogs
at 2:04 pm
In Sunday’s Boston Herald, Mark Murphy spoke with a number of players — Mike James, Gerald Green and Rip Hamilton, to name 3 — who are devoted pit bull owners.
New York’s Qyntel Woods, as we know all too well, has already demonstrated his own brand of TLC for the breed in question.
There does seem to be a certain cachet associated with the care and breeding of these powerful dogs, and with that mind, I have the perfect pet to recommend to a certain 7-footer recently relocated to Orlando.
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Posted in Basketball
at 1:25 pm
The New York Daily News’ Frank Isola reports that Garden boss James Dolan will be joining the Knicks for tonight’s game in San Antonio. I’ve checked to see if JD & The Straight Shot have any Central Texas gigs to coincide, but sadly, this appears to be a basketball trip.
More happy stuff from Isola,
The Knicks’ players were unavailable one day after losing for the 19th time in 21 games. Washington’s Gilbert Arenas scored 46 points in 30 minutes Saturday night and could have done more damage had his team not been so far ahead that Wizards coach Eddie Jordan rested the All-Star guard in the fourth quarter.
Still, it was an incredible performance and one that again revealed the philosophical differences between Brown and Stephon Marbury, his point guard. Marbury reinjured his left shoulder during Saturday’s loss and likely will sit out tonight’s game against the defending champion Spurs.
Brown can accept the injury rationale, but had a hard time understanding why Marbury ran the team the way he did in the first half. Marbury, who was guarding Arenas, tried to keep pace and ultimately was outscored 33-15 in the half. Marbury recorded just two assists as the Knicks fell behind 71-45 at halftime.
“We tried to run with him and we gave up 71 points,” Brown said.
Later, Brown said that he has to gain control of the team, which may have been a veiled reference to Marbury breaking off plays. In previous seasons, teammates have criticized Marbury for ignoring plays called from the bench.
When asked what he meant by “control,” Brown said: “We can talk all we want but if the team is shooting 65% and we’re turning the ball over and we get in early foul trouble you can’t make it a high-possession game. The second half we didn’t make it a high-possession game. We can’t play like them.”
Marbury has said the Knicks should run more now that he and Steve Francis share the same backcourt. It was a surprising comment since Marbury knows that successful running teams must play defense and rebound. The Knicks, however, don’t stop anyone and they don’t do windows.
The Newark Star-Ledger’s David Waldstein does his part to jumpstart speculation that the Knicks are primed to make a run at Atlanta’s Al Harrington during the off-season. Harrington’s mom describes herself as a Knicks fan — Mike Woodson would like to see her fined for tampering.
There’s no byline on the following item from today’s St. Paul Pioneer Press, which is just as well, given as the situation is pretty obvious to anyone watching Minnesota squander their franchise player’s golden years.
Don’t be surprised if the Timberwolves begin evaluating whether Kevin Garnett, who turns 30 in May, has reached his peak. If so, Garnett, who is being paid $18 million this year and is signed for another $66 million through the 2008-09 season, could be traded while he still has marquee value.
Before the NBA’s recent trade deadline, only one team inquired about Garnett’s availability, and that was to determine whether media reports about his availability were accurate. They were not.
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Posted in Baseball
at 12:27 pm
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Bob Smizik, skeptical of reports that Jim Tracy can walk on water, has had his fill of criticism of the Pirates’ previous manager.
Poor Lloyd McClendon. He has been thrown under the bus so many times by the media and his former Pirates players that his features are barely distinguishable amid all the tread marks.
It started earlier this winter when, in an interview with Tim Benz of ESPN Radio, Zach Duke was critical of McClendon’s communication skills. Say what? Duke was 8-2 with a 1.81 earned run average as a rookie last season. The only thing McClendon needed to say to him was this: “Here’s the ball,” which he did just about every five days.
The message coming out of Bradenton so far has been somewhat more subtle but nevertheless disparaging toward McClendon. Everything about spring training is better. The drills are crisper, the players happier, the teaching more passionate. With all the adulation being directed toward Jim Tracy, McClendon’s replacement, and new pitching coach Jim Colborn it seems as if the only thing that stood between the Pirates and respectability was Mac.
Funny, I thought the reason the Pirates finished tied for the worst record in the National League was because they finished 12th or lower (out of 16) in the following offensive categories: runs, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks and pinch-hitting batting average. I also thought it was because they finished 12th or lower in the following pitching categories: ERA, walks and hits per inning, strikeouts-to-walks ratio and opposing batting average.
Usually, when a team is so deficient in so many areas, it will find a way to the bottom without any help from the manager.
Though Smizik makes a good general point or two, McClendon’s record of 336-449 between ‘01 and ‘05 is the sort that might have any new manager looking good by comparision. Though McClendon surely wasn’t the only person responsible for the club’s stranglehold on last place, along with Kevin McClatchy and Dave Littlefield, he’s pretty high on the list.
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Posted in Gridiron, Racism Corner
at 10:23 am
After yesterday’s widely repeated reports that QB Vince Young had scored a pitiful 6 out of 50 on his NFL draft combine Wonderlic test, the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain writes that that Young’s total was actually 16. Certainly not a score likely to improve Young’s standing prior to the draft, but not evidence of “a learning disability” as one national talk radio creep chortled last night, either.
Writes crusader for truth Will Leitch,
Ignoring the fact that Wonderlic scores are supposed to be confidential — we repeat: Nothing ever ends up confidential. Nothing — we have to wonder about the grading skills of the “guy” in charge. If you’ve seen the sample Wonderlic test — which we encourage everyone to take — it’s difficult to understand how one could grade a test (particularly one so high-profile) so wrong. Strikes us as a bit fishy, actually.
Indeed, it’s almost as though someone has a stake in publicly humiliating Vince Young, negatively impacting his earning potential and worst of all, engage in the scurrilous practice of mocking the intellectual capacity of prominent black sportsmen.
Not that there was anything remotely provocative about a headline that read “If Your Wonderlic Score Is Lower Than Your Jersey Number.”
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Posted in Basketball
at 10:02 am
I Heart KG is right on top of this incident at the Target Practice Center. We can only hope the injured party was helicoptered to the nearest medical facility.
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Posted in Baseball
at 9:47 am
Kudos to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe for resisting the temptation to say something about a wide-angle lens not being available.
Maybe he thought there was no reason to waste perfectly good film or digital space, but David Wells took a pass on the team’s annual Photo Day yesterday morning, when the players smile for a variety of cameras — including in-house photographers and baseball card shooters.
Wells, whose good-natured media boycott is now eight days and counting — he jokingly told Bob Holtzman of ESPN he’d do an interview ”after Manny” — wants to be traded by the Sox, so why pose for mugshots in a uniform he is planning to shed by Opening Day?
Wells still isn’t putting any weight on his surgically addressed knee, but ”his arm is fabulous,” according to manager Terry Francona.
There’s some tough talk from the Mets’ Bret Boone in Ken Rosenthal’s latest Fox Sports entry. Claiming “I’m not interested in hitting 14 home runs with 56 RBI’s, hitting .260,” (which, would represent something of a huge comeback for the second baseman), Boone says,
I’ve been at the top,” he says. “I’ve been one of the better second basemen. I’ve been one of the better players in the game. And I’m not interested in going back to where you look at me and say, ‘Good little player.’ I’ve been that guy before. I’m not interested in playing at that level.
As for Boone’s immediate future, only one thing appears certain: He will not be a backup. Either he returns to being the one player he once was, or, in his words, “I’m gone.”
“I came into this game playing every single day at second base,” Boone says. “That’s how I’m going to leave.”
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Posted in Football
at 2:26 am
Apparently, blowing a 2-1 home lead to QPR fosters paranoia at Bramall Lane. The Independent’s John Culley explains.
Sheffield United’s players have had better weekends. As if a second home defeat in three games were not enough, encouraging Watford and Leeds to believe they might yet deprive them of automatic promotion, they have also had to stomach the news that if they are spotted drinking in public between now and the end of April they will be fined two weeks’ wages.
What is more, manager Neil Warnock (above, left) is encouraging United fans to “shop” their heroes if they see them flouting the ban.
It follows a disturbance in a public house the day after United won the Sheffield derby the previous weekend in the wake of which United’s former Wednesday midfielder Alan Quinn was arrested.
Warnock said that Quinn, who is currently out of the side through injury, will be cleared of any wrongdoing and therefore escape disciplinary action. But he is so determined that nothing will undermine United’s Premiership ambitions Warnock will not allow his players into a pub even for a soft drink.
“I’ve spoken to a number of people about the incident and Alan is in the clear as far as I am concerned, even though going into a Wednesday pub was not the brightest thing to do the day after the derby,” Warnock said. “But none of my players will be going into a pub between now and the end of the season because you can get into trouble even if you are only drinking orange juice.”
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Posted in Baseball
at 2:19 am
MLB.com is flogging the DVD, “One Night In Februrary”, a roast of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa that poses the question, was anyone really waiting for Mike Gallego’s stand-up debut?
From the San Jose Mercury News’ Daniel Brown.
Though La Russa has managed the St. Louis Cardinals since 1996, the evening has a decidedly A’s flavor. Notable amateur comedians include Eckersley, Gallego, Carney Lansford, Dave Stewart, Dave Henderson, Terry Steinbach and Mark McGwire. Jose Canseco shows up, too, but only in punch lines.
Stealing the show, as usual, is Tommy Lasorda, who kills with a long windup about seeing Gallego in heaven with the ugliest woman he had ever seen. God tells him that it’s because Gallego wasn’t such a good guy on Earth; this is Gallego’s penance.
Later in heaven, Lasorda sees La Russa with Bo Derek.
“Lord,” Lasorda said. “Tony must have been really good.”
“No, Tommy,” God replied. “Bo was really bad.”
Unfortunately, not all of the 90 minutes are as witty. It drags at times, and some of the rambling stories appear fueled by what must have been a hefty bar tab.
Sadly, no invites for Steve Kline or Ruben Sierra, either.
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02.26.06
Posted in Baseball
at 9:55 pm
P Troy Percival, out of action since tearing a muscle in his pitching elbow last July, suffered further pain in his right arm today during a simulated game. The Tigers reliever is expected to retire.
Signed as a free agent prior to the 2005 season, Percival has given Detroit a total of 8 saves for their $12 million investment. And they still like him better than I-Rod.
Baltimore has signed OF Richard Hidalgo to a minor league contract. Though maddingly inconsistent from year to year, Hidalgo is a relatively low risk acquisition for the Orioles. And as Chris Russso has reminded us, the film “Hidalgo” was very underrated.
I’m not sure which is lamer, Frank Thomas’ bitterness over his final year in Chicago, or the way Kenny Williams took the bait. Though Ozzie Guillen’s quote might be the funniest part,
I won’t put my nose in something above me,” Guillen said. “He never mentioned my name and if you don’t mention my name, I try to stay away from every part of the conversation.”
Indeed, it would be incredibly out of character of Ozzie to offer an opinion on this.
One of CSTB’s most devoted readers (who’d prefer not to be mentioned so he won’t lose his job at a prominent new media firm) sent me a link, purportedly of the new Willie Randolph/Joe Torre commercial for Subway.
I’m almost certain this was the wrong link.
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Posted in Baseball
at 7:25 pm
And with this, the employment options for Bud Mishkins of the future have become that much brighter.
(no studio anchors for SportsNet NY, just Herman Miller chairs looking snazzy).
From Bloomberg.com (link taken from Metsblog)
Cablevision Systems Corp., the New York-area’s No. 1 cable television operator, reached agreement to carry the network that shows Mets baseball games, people familiar with the negotiations said.
The accord between Bethpage, New York-based Cablevision and SportsNet New York ensures that the company’s 3 million customers will be able to see the Mets when they open the season April 3 against the Washington Nationals.
The agreement allows the sides to avoid a pricing standoff like the one in 2002 between Cablevision and Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, which shows baseball’s Yankees.
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Posted in Baseball
at 3:06 pm
The New York Mets’ new closer, as interviewed in today’s Newark Star-Ledger by Don Burke (link taken from Repoz and Baseball Think Factory).
Those people, it doesn’t matter how successful you are. I don’t get it. They boo you. They scream at you. Anybody who’s going to boo you when you don’t hit 100 miles per hour, what does that tell you? There are some fans who are fantastic, who were very supportive, and made you feel welcome there. But, for the most part, you had the guys who just came to the ballpark to yell at you. If you’re having a bad season there, forget it. You can’t get out of that funk. They won’t allow you to. You have to go into Philadelphia and become so thick- skinned, somebody that you’re not. It’s hard.
Q: How do you think you’ll be received when you visit Citizens Bank Park this season?
A: Oh, I’m going to have a big, old bull’s-eye on my back. But I’m going to approach it like I do everything else. I’ve got three hours to spend with you. You want to spend your three hours yelling at me? Go ahead. Then I’ll go home and go to sleep. You’ll get to tell your grandkids that you yelled at me for three hours. If you want to stand there and yell at me — as long as you’re not saying anything about my family — you can call me whatever you want to call me. I don’t care because I think it’s hilarious. I spent most of my time (in the bullpen) laughing at these people. I think Major League Baseball should have some of these fans come down out of the stands. One’s going to hit and one’s going to pitch and it’s going to be in a big situation. Let’s see how easy it is. They sit up there and tell me how easy is it. ‘I could do that. You bum. You (stink).’ All right, find out how it is. Come down here.
Q : Are Phillies fans as bad as it gets?
A: They’re easier on the visiting team. I’m sure they won’t be easy on me this year. But if that makes your day, if that makes it special for you, go right ahead.
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Posted in Basketball, Sports TV
at 2:27 pm
…if attempting to watch this afternoon’s Rockets/Magic tilt on NBA TV. The game will be shown sans announcers, but with “enchanced courtside audio”.
Which, translated, means that when Jeff Van Gundy asks Stromile Swift, “would you please ask to be traded?”, we’ll hear it, loud and clear.
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Posted in Football
at 2:20 pm
Congratulations to Manchester United and their young rocket scientist, Wayne Rooney, on overwhelming Wigan, 4-0,winning one of the planet’s least meaningful knockout competitions, The Carling Cup aka The League Cup.
(funny, I always thought Alan Smith answered to the name “shithead”)
I’m sure when the Glazer family borrowed heavily to buy the club, this was exactly the sort of glittering achievement they had in mind.
In the Rome derby, Roma are currently leading Lazio, 1-0, courtesy of a 31st minute Francesco Taddei strike.
One of FSC’s slightly pumped-up commentators was heard to exclaim, “Taddei is never going have to pay for a dinner, again in Rome,” which, I think is a pretty fantastic statement to make as there’s at least some portion of the fans in attendence who’d just as soon punch him in the face.
Paolo Di Canio hasn’t sieg-heiled anyone yet, but it’s still early.
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Posted in Blogged Down, Racism Corner
at 1:51 pm
Racism is a heavy charge to be throwing around. So with that in mind, I’m not so quick to label a website that has taken particular glee in
a) suggesting that Mike Tyson can’t read,
b) wondering if Isiah Thomas can use a computer and
c) mocking Vince Young for his allegedly lower-than-low score on a standardized test.
I’m not saying the blog in question has some kind of agenda in questioning the intellectual capacity of prominent black men or anything. I mean, if that isn’t a demographic their 2 advertisers actually care about, why should the author or publisher?
Young, by the way, is offering you the opportunity to have your picture taken with a Heisman Trophy runner-up and National Champion for just $99. As VY is likely to stroll away with more cash that afternoon than a year’s worth of online casino ads are paying The Whoopie Cushion Family, if nothing else, he’s got a head for business.
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Posted in Basketball
at 12:32 pm
The much-travelled Bonzi Wells, currently with the Kings, has his tumultous history reviewed by the Sacramento Bee’s Martin McNeil.
Wells was frustrated with Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello, who replaced a burned-out Hubie Brown early last season. Wells averaged just 21.6 minutes and 10.4 points and said Fratello didn’t communicate with him during the season.
“I just felt like he was scared of me,” Wells said of Fratello, “for what, I don’t know. He may be just a scary kind of dude and couldn’t handle a cat like me, who allegedly had this bad kind of rap. And he just didn’t want to deal with me. I think he fed into that.
“People never heard any reports of me doing anything in Memphis because I didn’t do anything. I had a great time. I’m not that type of dude. I can be, but I’m not that type of dude, really. And he just found some reason not to play me.”
In his postseason banishment, Wells said Fratello kept him from entering the gym for a team meeting after Game 3, then sent security guards to his house to tell him to stay away from the arena for Game 4.
“I called (team president) Jerry West, and he told me it was out of his hands,” Wells said. “He said (Fratello) didn’t want me around. (West) said he was upset about it, and the team wasn’t going to take any money from me.
“I didn’t understand that because he was the president. I asked him to tell me what I did. If I did something, then I could understand. But nobody ever told me what I did.”
Wells said he never received an explanation from Fratello or West as to what happened. He holds no ill will against West, who traded Wells to a better situation in Sacramento.
When the Grizzlies visited Arco Arena on Feb. 7, Fratello refused to talk about Wells or the playoff exile.
“I can’t get into that. I mean I could tell you, but it wouldn’t serve any purpose at this point,” Fratello said.
Then there was an incident while with the Blazers when Wells spit on Ferry, now the Cleveland Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations.
Wells’ agent, William Phillips said part of that story always gets omitted.
“Ferry (allegedly) called him a (racist name),” Phillips said. “That part of it never gets reported. And Ferry becomes the president of basketball operations.
Ferry did not return a phone call to The Bee.
Ferry’s Cavs are currently trailing Detroit, 46-35 with about 11 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
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Posted in Baseball
at 11:05 am
The above headline, is not a joke. I think. From the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck.
The Chicago Cubs may have decided that LaTroy Hawkins wasn’t cut out to be their full-time closer after the shaky start last year that cost him the job and eventually prompted a trade to the San Francisco Giants, but Cubs manager Dusty Baker won’t discount the possibility that he could successfully fill that role if the Orioles need him in the ninth inning.
“He has the stuff,” Baker said after Friday’s workout at the Cubs’ spring training facility. “Sometimes, it takes guys time to do that. Mike Jackson was a setup guy for a long time and had some success [as a closer] after not having much success in the beginning.”
Hawkins has had some success. He recorded 14 saves in 14 attempts for the Minnesota Twins in 2000 after struggling in the starting rotation for three seasons, then came back in 2001 to save 28 games … but the devil is in the details.
He blew nine saves that year and had a 5.96 ERA. The Cubs tried him in the closer’s role and he saved 25 games in 2004, but he blew nine saves and was ineffective in the ninth inning for the Cubs and Giants in 2005.
“Sometimes, he has trouble finishing guys off,” Baker said. “That last out can be hard to get.”
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Posted in Baseball
at 10:59 am
The Seattle Times’ Larry Stone takes note of the many ex-Mariners trying to win jobs around Spring Training, though one in particular really stands out.
The training complex at Roger Dean Stadium is like a Mariners nightmare flashback. Everywhere one turns, it seems, is a screaming reminder of ill-fated trades, misguided personnel decisions, and faded splendor.
On one side is the St. Louis Cardinals camp, where (cue the scary music) Scott Spiezio has resurfaced as a backup infield candidate. This may surprise those who believed, based on last year’s .064 average, that Spiezio would have difficulty winning a backup job on a high-school team. Never mind a pennant contender.
In various recent interviews, Spiezio has had the gall to intimate that his pathetic two-year stint with the Mariners was the fault of: a) stick-in-the-mud teammates who broke his spirit; and b) management that didn’t give him a fair shot; rather than c) an abject inability to perform.
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Posted in Baseball, Sports Radio, Sports TV
at 10:50 am
From the Toronto Sun’s Mike Ganter.
The Blue Jays telecasts are going to be short one analyst this season.
Former Blue Jays pitcher Tom Candiotti is joining the Arizona Diamondbacks’ broadcast team this summer, meaning Jays play-by-play man Jamie Campbell now will be sharing the booth with a rotation of three analysts, instead of four.
Returning will be former Jays Pat Tabler, Rance Mulliniks and Darrin Fletcher with Tabler getting the bulk of the work.
No word from Ganter how Candiotti’s new gig might eat into his availability for the terrific Hollywood Is Calling firm.
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Posted in Basketball
at 10:25 am
As the fruits of Isiah Thomas’ labor continue to make the rest of the league look good — Gilbert Arenas being the latest beneficiary — the New York Daily News’ Mitch Lawrence bemoans missed opportunities in the form of executives Bryan Colangelo and Kiki Vandeweghe.
Bryan Colangelo is expected to leave Phoenix after rebuilding the Suns into a Western Conference power. Colangelo is reportedly about to become the Toronto Raptors’ president, and business associates say he is resigned to leaving the Suns. Meanwhile, Kiki Vandeweghe is on his way out in Denver, where he rebuilt the Nuggets.
The Raptors have had their eyes on Colangelo since firing the overmatched Rob Babcock earlier this season. Colangelo scored his greatest success at Thomas’ expense, with his January 2004 deal to rid the Suns of Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway and their long-term, maximum-salary deals. That gave Phoenix the necessary cap room to sign Steve Nash as a free agent. In Toronto, Colangelo would be working in the same division as the Knicks.
“Toronto is going to wind up with one of the smartest young GMs around,” said one league official.
In Denver, Vandeweghe (above) is serving out the final season of his deal and will be on the market this summer. He has confided to friends that Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, with a reputation for being frugal, doesn’t intend to meet his salary demands.
While Vandeweghe made the mistake of overrating Kenyon Martin, he transformed the Nuggets from a team that won 17 games in 2002-03 into a playoff team the next year. That had never been done since the league went to an 82-game schedule in 1976. One of the keys to Denver’s turnaround came when Vandeweghe traded Antonio McDyess to the Knicks in June 2002 for Marcus Camby and a first-round pick that turned into Nene Hilario.
As fouled up as things are at the Garden, Colangelo or Vandeweghe might have been able to get the Knicks back on the right path.
Without disputing that either man would represent an improvement over Isiah Thomas, surely Lawrence recalls that Vandeweghe is the guy who made Nikoloz Tskitishvili the #5 overall pick?
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Posted in Hockey, olympics
at 9:42 am
Sweden 3, Finland 2
A Nicklas Lindstrom goal for Sweden at the start of the 3rd period broke a 2-2 deadlock in the Olympic final, the assists coming from Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg.
25 saves for Sweden G Henrik Lundqvist (above), including a bunch during a furious finale as the Fins tried desperately to tie the game. Lundqvist’s heroic performance was nearly matched by that of Finland’s Antero Nittymaki, the Philadelphia Flyers’ outstanding goaltender who was nearly unstoppable prior to this morning. The planet could do a lot worse that to watch these two national sides battle each other in longer series.
This was Sweden’s 2nd gold medal in ice hockey ; they beat Canada in 1994 with a team that included Forsberg, Kenny Jonnson and Jorgen Jonnson, all 3 of whom featured on the 2006 squad.
In international hockey news of a slightly less flashy variety, the Austin Ice Bats defeated the Odessa Jackalopes last night, 4-3, in the former’s final game at the Travis County Expo Center. Having been preoccupied with UT hoops and the Mosley/Vargas fight, I’m sorry to say I missed this historic event. I was unable to attend the final night of hockey at the old Maple Leaf Gardens, Montreal’s Forum or the old Boston Garden. Now, I can add the Travis County Expo Center to that storied list.
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Posted in Baseball
at 9:00 am
Perhaps that crazy, batting stance is God’s Will? From the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Joe Christensen (link courtesy Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)
3B Tony Batista, 32, was one of the quirkiest players in the majors before he left to play the 2005 season in Japan. From his unorthodox, wide-open batting stance to his quiet deeds of charity — such as the time he showed up at a random church in Kansas City with $16,000 in cash — Batista is nothing if not original.
Now baseball’s international man of mystery has resurfaced. This time, as the new third baseman for the Twins.
“God brought me here,” Batista said. “I missed one year, but I’m back.”
Here’s what the Twins know: Batista is a two-time former major league All-Star who signed a two-year, $15 million deal to play for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the Japanese Pacific League.
But after a respectable 2005 season that saw him hit .263 with 27 home runs and 90 RBI, Batista was released. The Hawks let him keep all $15 million, allowing him to sign with the Twins for relative peanuts.
According to Gaku Tashiro, a reporter from the Japanese daily Sankei Sports, Batista’s contract was the biggest a Japanese team had ever given to a foreign player with no experience playing there.
“He was released for several reasons,” Tashiro wrote in an e-mail to the Star Tribune. “Manager Sadaharu Oh expected a lot. [Batista] was predicted to hit many home runs. But his numbers were not high enough for a high-paid foreign player and No. 3 hitter.
Batista played in 134 of his team’s 136 games, but he led Pacific League third basemen with 14 errors. Five of the six teams in that league play on artificial turf, which is interesting as Batista moves to the Metrodome, with its slower and more forgiving FieldTurf.
With Fukuoka, he said, he handed out Bibles inside the clubhouse to his Japanese teammates.
“And they read the Bible,” he said, without sounding surprised. “So I think God probably said, ‘You’re done over there. So go back here to Minnesota and talk about Jesus Christ to those guys.”
For those who can’t get enough of cultural misunderstandings, here’s video of Batista getting hit by a pitch in Japan (Windows Media Player required).
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Posted in Sports TV
at 8:38 am
From Phil Mushnick in Sunday’s New York Post,
Reader Mike Murray notes that the NBA’s All-Stars last Sunday night combined to shoot 28 of 52 — 54 percent — from the foul line. Good thing it was on much too late for kids.
The contest in question began at 7pm central, 5pm Western time.
After so many years railing against the supposedly late starting / running times of major sporting events, why is it, you think, some television network hasn’t put an expert like Phil in charge of their scheduling? Say, Fox for instance?
After promising to pay hundreds of millions in rights fees, Phil’s network could introduce such innovations as “Monday Afternoon Football”, and the first-ever World Series in which all games began at 3pm on weekdays (with a 6pm curfew, so as not to interrupt the family dinner).
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Posted in Organized Hate, The Law
at 12:37 am
From the Independent’s Bojan Pancevski and Steve Bloomfield.
Far-right author David Irving’s repudiation of his views on the Holocaust and Hitler’s role in it has not lasted very long. In a prison interview just days after he told an Austrian court he had been wrong to deny the Holocaust, he reverted to insisting that the slaughter in Nazi death camps was exaggerated, and that Jews “bear blame for what happened”.
His latest statements, made just two days after he was convicted of Holocaust denial, could see him end up back in court. Prosecutors are demanding an increase in his jail sentence, and the Austrian supreme court must now decide whether he goes down for the full 10 years.
The author was jailed on Monday for three years for denying the Holocaust during two lectures and in a newspaper interview in Austria nearly 17 years ago. But despite the conviction, the 67-year-old did not shy away from the subject. Irving complained that the Jews held far too much power and predicted their disproportionate control in the US would see a second Holocaust “in 20 to 30 years”.
Just days after he told the Viennese court “I’ve changed my views”, he said it was part of the human condition to dislike Jews and that they were at least in part to blame for the 3,000 years of hatred they had had to endure.
Irving is locked up for 23 hours a day and is taking medication for a heart condition. He gets one hour’s exercise a day – “in a yard half the size of my drawing room in Queen Anne’s Gate, walking around with 70 other men who are robbers, rapists, swindlers, murderers and cocaine dealers”.
It all seems very cruel and unusual….to the 70 robbers, rapists, swindlers, murders and cocaine dealers who are forced to coexist with David Irving.
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02.25.06
Posted in Basketball
at 11:27 pm
Texas 80, Kansas 55
Farewell to the Jayhawks’ ten game winning streak, and hello to another dominant performance by Texas’ LaMarcus Aldridge (18 points, 8 rebounds), a singular talent who might well provide an NBA team next autumn with a tougher, more durable version of Marcus Camby. Aldridge might not boast Player Of The Year-style stats, but if he were playing for a ballclub without nearly as many offensive weapons, his numbers would certainly be gaudier.
You might not be able to tell from this scuzzy jumbotron snapshot (lost my proper camera on the way to the game — there’s a reward!), but that’s Roky Erickson, performing “Starry Eyes” with the Longhorn pep band.
Jay Bilas was heard at halftime mentioning that he always prefered the Red Krayola.
Banner of the night : “Texas Is Ricin To The Top”. What could be funnier than a chemical warfare threat on campus?
I heard Ted Nation’s radio call of BC’s double OT win over at NC State earlier today. If I ever have to go back in time and, I dunno, shoot JFK, I want Ted on the scene to narrate.
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Posted in Baseball
at 7:22 pm
Washington RHP Brian Lawrence, acquired in exchange for Vinny Castilla last November, will miss most of the of the 2006 season after suffering a torn labrum.
Somehow, Lawrence managed to sustain such an injury without engaging in any activity related to the World Baseball Classic. I’m told there remains a possibility, however remote, that other major leaguers might risk sprains, tears, fractures, etc. while performing baseball-related tasks that are outside the confines of the WBC.
Owners, GM’s and managers should be outraged. I realize that MLB and the Players Union have a lot riding on this “Spring Training” money-spinner, but the integrity of games that really count is being compromised.
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Posted in Blogged Down, Rugby, We Aren't The World
at 7:01 pm
The Mighty MJD’s weekly attempts to summarize Saturday afternoon’s slate of English soccer are kinda like listening to David Brinkley wax poetic about the Dangerhouse catalog. It’s a free fucking country, and if he wants to embarrass himself, hey, who am I to argue? I mean, it can’t be any worse than anything I might write about The World Series Of Poking Someone’s Eyes Out.
Today, however, Deadspin’s weekend stooge ventures into uncharted territory. Commenting on France’s 37-12 win over Italy in the Six Nations, MMJD observes,
Is anyone else shocked that the French can win at a sport as violent and physical as Rugby?
(France’s Florian Fritz, eager to meet the guy who questions his violent abilities)
Let’s see. Les Tricolores won the Five Nations in 1955, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1968 (a Grand Slam, having won all 4 matches), 1970, been part of a five-way tie in 1973, another Grand Slam win in 1977, yet another in 1981, a tie with Ireland in 1983, a tie with Scotland in ‘86, a Grand Slam in ‘87, winners in ‘88, ‘93, and a Grand Slam in 1998.
Since the creation of the Six Nations, France have won in 2002 and 2004. They were also runners-up in the 1999 World Cup, having beaten the heavily favored All Blacks in the semi-final in what had to be considered one of the biggest upsets of the era.
So if anyone else is genuinely shocked by France beating Italy at home, well, to quote the super-offended caveman from the Geico commercial, “next time, do a little research.”
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Posted in Cinema, The World Of Entertainment
at 5:58 pm
Don Knotts, who brought joy to the hearts of millions with his roles as Barney Fife and Ralph Furley, has succumbed to pulmonary and respiratory troubles.
Though the Chicago Tribune’s obituatry does a fine job of summing up Knotts’ career, unmentioned is the fact that he was the inspiration for Prince Rogers Nelson’s “You Sexy Motherfucker”.
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Posted in Gridiron, Sports TV
at 5:44 pm
Much mirth was made of the former Outdoor Life Network acquiring rights to selected Arena Football League contests, and with good reason. OLN having already demonstrated production values somewhere between public access and SCTV for their first few weeks of their NHL telecasts, have now managed to make a minor league look, well, pretty minor.
When other satellite/cable outlets routinely offer taped content from other parts of the globe that look better than a live feed from Florida, there’s a serious problem. And while we all know that OLN has limited resources compared to say, a college radio station, what to make of the succession of sweating, would-be Sizzler greeters, grunting their way through the telecast? That human flesh appears to be several different shades of green or blue? Or the fact that OLN’s microphones seem to have been supplied by Radio Hut?
Austin — at 4-0, the only remaining unbeaten team in the AFL — are trailing 41-35 against Tampa at in the third quarter. The Storm’s Lawrence Samuels (above), the league’s no. 2 receiver and the the club’s all-time leader in receiving yards and tackles, has an INT and a TD catch so far today.
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Posted in Basketball
at 2:06 pm
Arkansas 73, Tennessee 69
The no. 10 Volunteers, stymied by a 24-6 run in the final 6 minutes, fell to an Arkansas squad that seemed to increase their energy on defense as the game wore on. Sophmore F Darian Townes (above) had 17 points for the Razorbacks, whom we can only hope have done their part to slow sales of those horrible fucking suspenders in the region.
Coming in tomorrow’s New York Times ; Vincent Mallozi profiles a middle aged couple who watched this entire game without once putting hitting the pause button on their Tivo.
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Posted in Football
at 1:20 pm
Newcastle 2, Everton 0
While the home side’s overall improvment since Graeme Souness departure continues, the individual performance of Nolberto Solano (above, left) this afternoon was nothing short of astonishing. The 2nd of the Argentine’s goals, a 76-minute laser blast from about 20 yards out, is a probable goal-of-the-year candidate. For Everton, this was their first defeat in 7 matches.
Sheffield Wednesday 2, QPR 3
(Marc Nygaard hugs it out (bitch) with Danny Shittu and Marc Bircham after his 6th minute score)
A late goal from striker Paul Furlong delivered the win to the visiting Rangers, who’ve now swept the season’s pair from promotion hopefuls Sheffield United, despite some 22 points and 13 places in the standings seperating the two clubs at the start of the day.
Via the crackly internet feed, this one had everything — an own goal to each team, a missed Rangers penalty, and a stellar job running the show by midfielder Richard Langley.
This just in : Geoff Horsefield has dropped out of Team Canada’s World Baseball Classic squad. Tommy Lasorda, unavailable for comment.
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Posted in Basketball
at 12:43 pm
Along with a funny item about Jazz coach Jerry Sloane nearly being kicked out of the arena by an Oklahoma City security guard, the Salt Lake Tribune’s Phil Miller reported the following after the Jazz played the Hornets this past Wednesday night ;
The PA announcer introduced some special guests sitting in the front row, a pastor and his wife from a New Orleans church that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Then they introduced a taped message from the host of “Extreme Makeover,” who surprised them by saying the home-improvement TV show would be fixing up their church.
A nice, heartwarming moment. Then, a really odd one. The PA announcer said, “The surprises aren’t done yet,” and introduced Hornets owner George Shinn (above), who got up and talked about the commitment the Hornets have made to return to New Orleans, and how the people of Oklahoma have welcomed them there. He was clearly building up to a big donation to the pastor and his church. Sure enough, Shinn finally said, “… and so tonight, we’d like to present you with … ”
$10,000? $25,000? Free labor? Nope.
“… a basketball autographed by all the Hornets. God bless you both.”
Wow. ALL the Hornets? Even Bostjan Nachbar? Gosh, thanks.
And I’m wondering: Where do you display that in a church?
The Rocky Mountain News’ Ivan Moreno writes that not everyone in the Denver area was pleased with the Nuggets’ acquisition of Ruben Patterson. And not merely because they were Earl Watson fans, either.
“It’s disgusting. What does that say to victims?” asked Tamika Payne, executive director for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “(The victim’s) life is forever changed, yet he can go about his life as if nothing happened.”
Ruben Patterson, a forward acquired in a trade Thursday, must register as a sex offender when he arrives in Colorado.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported on May 9, 2001, that Patterson had entered an “Alford plea” to third-degree attempted rape. He was accused of forcing his family’s nanny, who was 24 at the time, to perform a sexual act in 2000, while he was playing for the Seattle SuperSonics.
The plea meant that Patterson acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict him, but that he maintained his innocence.
“The coalition is very disappointed that violence against women is being accepted,” Payne said. “That’s what him joining the Nuggets states.”
Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said that upon arrival in Colorado, Patterson will have five business days to register as a sex offender in the county he will live in.
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Posted in Baseball
at 12:21 pm
When the player’s own agent says we shouldn’t expect to see him in a uniform again, what do we make of Dominican Republic GM Stan Javier’s claim that Manny Ramirez (supposedly on holiday ’til March 1) and Sammy Sosa (unofficially) retired will turn up for the World Baseball Classic?
Given the strength of the Dominican lineup, Sosa is a terrific candidate to hit 10th.
The spectacularly clueless Ronnie Lane (above) was at it again on XM yesterday. A typically gushy caller asked Lane “just how often is this World Baseball Classic going to take place?”
“Not very often,” advised Lane. “Every three years, I think. Same cycle as the Olympics.”
Next week, Ronnie Lane on the term of office for US Presidents (give or take 5 or 6 years) and the exact day income tax returns are due (May 20?) and the age of consent in the District Of Columbia (don’t ask).
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Posted in Basketball
at 12:02 pm
If Oklahoma State manages to beat Texas Tech this afternoon, the win is credited to absentee coach Eddie Sutton’s career total rather than that of his son, Sean. The Oklahoman’s Mike Baldwin (above, left) —- moonlighting from his role as chieftan at the Underworld lingerie factory — examines historical precedent.
There’s some debate about whether Oklahoma State basketball coach Eddie Sutton should be credited for wins during his medical leave of absence.
OSU’s decision to count the wins for Sutton, though, isn’t uncommon.
Major League Baseball, the NBA and NFL all have credited coaches/managers with wins during a medical leave.
So why is Sutton’s situation drawing attention? Maybe it’s because there’s an assumption Sutton will never coach again.
“I don’t think you can make any assumptions,” said Steve Buzzard, OSU’s media relations coordinator. “Eddie Sutton hasn’t retired. Eddie Sutton hasn’t resigned. Eddie Sutton is still the head basketball coach at Oklahoma State.”
The NCAA’s policy is for individual schools to make the decision. Professional teams usually take similar approaches to medical leaves.
Yankees manager Joe Torre underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 1999. During Torre’s recovery, Don Zimmer served as interim manager. Even though Torre wasn’t with the team, he compiled a 21-15 record.
“There’s nothing on the books regarding these situations,” said Michael Teevan, media coordinator for Major League Baseball. “We basically check with our statisticians.”
The NBA and NFL have similar philosophies. Whether a manager/coach leaves to attend a funeral, wedding or deals with a family illness, nearly everyone has been credited with wins during their absence.
Don Nelson, coach of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, took six weeks off in 2001 after prostate surgery. The Mavericks were 13-8 during Nelson’s absence. In 2000, Cleveland Indians manager Charlie Manuel had eight inches of his colon removed during emergency surgery. Manuel was credited with the wins, not interim coach Grady Little.
There was an exception this past year. Rams coach Mike Martz left the team after a 2-3 start due to a bacterial infection of a heart valve. Joe Vitt coached the remainder of the season. Martz was credited with the wins and losses. But when Martz was fired after the season, NFL officials switched the 4-7 finish to Vitt.
Personally, I am fully in favor of all future Oklahoma State basketball wins (Men’s and Women’s squads) being credited to Mike Martz.
With an NCAA tournament berth hanging in the balance, Kentucky has a killer trio of opponents at the end of their regular season. no. 24 LSU tonight, no.10 Tennessee next week and no. 12 Florida next weekend. The New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Jim Kleinpeter points to recent lineup changes — increased playing time for Brandon Stockton, Ravi Moss and Lukasz Obrzut (above) — as being the catalyst for the Wildcats’ current 3 game winning streak, though it seems inevitable that CSTB’s spam filter will again resume capturing vile messages about Tubby Smith.
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Posted in Cinema, The World Of Entertainment
at 11:31 am
Actually, Dick’s Harvard appearance yesterday is merely a convenient excuse to remind you all that not every rumor about a politically conscious celebrity turns out to true.
In another journey into pretending-we’re-People Magazine territory, here’s wishing Damon Wayans much luck with all business endeavors…that have a name other than “Nigga”.
Cinematical’s Adam Finley reports there’s a sixth Air Bud film in the works.
This time the plot apparently revolves around Buddy’s puppies, who set out to rescue him and his wife Molly from dognappers. It sounds as if sports doesn’t play a major role in this installment. This is unfortunate, because after seeing Bud play basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, and baseball, I was hoping the next movie would somehow involve fencing. I really wanted to see a dog running around with a sword in its mouth and jabbing people in the shins.
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Posted in Basketball
at 10:16 am
The Newark Star Ledger’s Dave D’Alessandro’s post-game notes from last night’s Nets defeat of the Knicks at MSG feature a number of noteworthy quotes from both sides of the Hudson ;
Jerome James, on the DL with fluid on the righ hamstring (”whatever that is”)
James, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract over the summer, was asked if he made a mistake coming to the Knicks.
“Mistakes are made on taxes,” he said, adding that he wasn’t fretting over his current status as the whipping boy of the team.
“I came from the bottom,” he said. “I played in Yugoslavia. Playing in the U.S. is a cakewalk compared to that. I’m not worried about it.”
Larry Brown, on benching Slam Dunk Contest victor Nate Robinson,
“I can’t worry about that right now,” Brown said. “I’m proud he won the slam-dunk contest, but I don’t think they have a scoring system like that when we play a game.”
Malik Rose on a certain lumbering teammate,
“Eddy’s too passive sometimes,” Malik Rose said in a sympathetic way. “He needs to get some dog in him. I wish I could slap him before each quarter.”
Lawrence Frank on Nenad Kristic’s lights-out shooting,
“We are going to tell him every game is being broadcast back in Serbia.”
But best of all, from D’Allessandro’s online Nets Blast, is the following explanation for why Chicago’s John Paxson will cut Tim Thomas loose, despite making the player available to sign with one of the Bulls’ Eastern Conference foes,
You might want to consider something a GM told us yesterday. “You want to screw with Arn Tellem, you’re basically screwed for the rest of your tenure.”
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