So, I’m pretty much piggy-backing on Gerard’s catch about the Colorado Rockies, but in reading about the Rox’ clubhouse-wide dedication to The Deity, I was reminded of a long piece that ran at Salon.com several weeks ago. I didn’t post about it because I usually only post on developments involving a possible new Mets stadium or how bad the Royals are. And also because Salon’s articles are sometimes hidden behind a premium subscription wall. If you’re a subscriber, you can read it. If not, you can watch a commercial in exchange for seeing a picture of George Wrighster and Kyle Brady praying together (that’s a plurality of Jacksonville’s tight ends!) and what I found to be a fairly interesting overview of clubhouse evangelicals. Turns out they’re rather conservative Christians. I was also shocked. Tom Krattenmaker reports:
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which claims the Bible is “the only infallible, authoritative Word of God,” strives to “see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of athletes and coaches.” Similarly, (Athletes In Action) states that it “exists to boldly proclaim the love and truth of Jesus Christ to those uniquely impacted by sport.” Houston Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg (above), who has worked with AIA, put it succinctly in an interview with Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network. “The entire reason that I play baseball is so that I get a chance to speak about Christ,” he said.
To promoters of sports-world Christianity, faith is a wholesome force that helps players curb the worst temptations in pro sports — violence and greed, for starters. Chaplains of pro sports teams say their role is to offer prayer services and spiritual counseling to religious players, whose demanding schedules often prevent them from attending church. Today, by most estimates, anywhere from 20 percent to 40 percent of players on a team, sometimes more, participate in Christian Bible studies and prayer services held by team chaplains, a percentage that mirrors Americans who attend church weekly.
But the Christianizing of sports comes at a scarcely examined cost, both to fans who would prefer watching the game without a dose of in-your-face religion and, in the view of some critics, to religion itself. The problem is that the sports-world faith movement isn’t only bringing religion to professional locker rooms but a potentially divisive brand of conservative Christianity, replete with a worldview shaped by an intolerance of gays and lesbians, women’s rights and other religions.
There’s more, including the inevitable quote from Etan “More Than An Athlete” Thomas, and the slightly less-inevitable quote from wild Samoan Esera Tuaolo (above) :
“I went to a Bible study, and, lo and behold, it was about homosexuality,” recalls Tuaolo, who came out as a gay man after his retirement. “I was thinking, ‘Is this a sign?’ That was what really turned me off.”
The choicest bits, though, come from a former NFL journeyman named Anthony Prior, who went on to write a book entitledThe Slave Side of Sunday.
“How can you say Jesus helped you score that touchdown when the player you beat believes in Jesus too?” asks Prior. “You’ve embarrassed him in front of his fans. God answers your prayer and not his?
…
In training camp, Prior adds, some marginal players vying for roster spots carry around their Bibles and attend religious services to impress management. If they’re still on the roster after the final cuts, “then their Bible is nowhere to be found,” Prior says. “Until they get injured, of course, and then the Bible is back in your hand.”
For Chicago, desperately seeking a way of replacing Derrek Lee’s production, there’s little to lose, particularly as the Rangers are picking up the lion’s share of Nevin’s salary. But even a lion would’ve known better than to have signed Chan Ho Park and A-Rod to those massive deals, so perhaps such a statement is grossly unfair to one of the animal kingdom’s most beautiful specimens.
The offensively challenged Cubs have continued to struggle tonight, managing just a pair of Juan Pierre singles against the Reds’ Eric Milton, as Cincinnati leads, 3-0 through 7 innings. Ken Griffey Jr.(above, rubbing noses with Ryan Dunn) has a pair of RBI’s, one of them coming on a solo HR off Carlos Zambrano in the 6th. Zambrano can commiserate with Pedro Martinez (and Brandon Webb) on the lack of run support they’ve received tonight, though hopefully Carlos won’t insist he was the winning pitcher if the Reds lose the game.
No copies of Playboy or Penthouse are in the clubhouse of baseball’s Colorado Rockies. There’s not even a Maxim. The only reading materials are daily newspapers, sports and car magazines and the Bible.
Music filled with obscenities, wildly popular with youth today and in many other clubhouses, is not played. A player will curse occasionally but usually in hushed tones. Quotes from Scripture are posted in the weight room. Chapel service is packed on Sundays. Prayer and fellowship groups each Tuesday are well-attended. It’s not unusual for the front office executives to pray together.
On the field, the Rockies are trying to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons and only the second time in their 14-year history. Behind the scenes, they quietly have become an organization guided by Christianity — open to other religious beliefs but embracing a Christian-based code of conduct they believe will bring them focus and success.
From ownership on down, it’s an approach the Rockies are proud of — and something they are wary about publicizing. “We’re nervous, to be honest with you,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd says. “It’s the first time we ever talked about these issues publicly. The last thing we want to do is offend anyone because of our beliefs.”
What could possibly be offensive about describing your workforce as “all good Christians?” Unless, of course, you’re pretty confident that you’re doing business in a part of the world where non-Christians don’t exist.
(please no comments like “Jordan and Dowie in happier times. How happy could one be having to listen to the guy on the left?)
Iain Dowie’s unveiling Tuesday as the head coach of Charlton Athletic descended into farce when he was served with a high court writ by his former employers Crystal Palace for allegedly misrepresenting the reasons for his departure from Selhurst Park.
Dowie had completed 20 minutes of his inaugural press conference at the Valley when he was interrupted by a bailiff representing Fladgate Fielder, the London-based law firm acting on behalf of Palace and their outspoken chairman Simon Jordan. The bailiff tried to serve him with legal documents and was initially prevented from doing so but succeeded later in the afternoon.
Jordan had jokingly said he would “not be very happy” if Dowie subsequently decided to join Palace’s local rivals, but his worst fears were realised yesterday when the 41-year-old signed a three-year contract to take over from Alan Curbishley and also suggested that he was ready to relocate to south London.
Palace’s claim for damages centres on a series of private conversations between Jordan and Dowie just prior to his departure on May 22. Jordan alleged that Dowie lied about his reasons for wanting to end his contract and that Palace consequently waived a £1m compensation settlement which would have applied had he resigned to take over at another club.
“The level of deceit that is being used needs to be in the public domain,” Jordan said. “The sole reason Iain Dowie was released from his contract was because he wanted to go to the north and I was empathetic to the fact that he didn’t see his boys. He also specifically told me that he wasn’t going to Charlton because of his relationship with Palace and the credibility he would lose by doing so.”
The Royals fired general manager Allard Baird this morning in anticipation of announcing the hiring of Atlanta assistant Dayton Moore as his replacement.
The club declined official comment regarding the moves, but Baird confirmed he had been fired.
“I was told this morning,” he said. “Beyond that, I don’t have anything to say.”
Sources say Moore is getting a five-year contract and complete control over baseball operations in a commitment to turn around a franchise that has lost 100 or more games in three of the last four seasons.
Moore, 39, is expected to take control, officially, next week upon completion of baseball’s two-day draft. Sources said assistant general manager Muzzy Jackson will replace Baird on an interim basis.
Almost on cue, the Royals are blowing a chance to Win One For Muzzy. Scott Elarton allowed a first inning 2-run HR to Oakland’s Frank Thomas, and the A’s lead, 2-0.
(well, that’s another great artist whose CD’s are heading straight for eBay)
How fitting that during a period in which The Sultan Of Surly is almost universally loathed for the 24-and-one environment surrounding his swelled head, the Astros are again prepared to break the bank and every (unwritten) rule about team chemistry to gain the services of Roger Clemens for a final 4 months.
Jayson Stark was on Mike Greenburg and Mike Golic’s ESPN show this morning, opining that Koby Clemens’ (Kobe? Kory? Kruncy? Kasey? Krusty?) presence as an Astros farmhand was the deciding factor. “The Rocket’s tune up starts for Lexington might be the most watched minor league games of the year!” drooled Stark, further suggesting that heads might explode in a Cronenburgian frenzy were we to witness Koby digging in against his Dad during a competitive game.
I mean no disrepect to Stark, whose journalistic chops pretty much kill anything I can offer as a cut and paster. But as someone who watches the odd minor league contest every now and then, I’d like to point out the following :
1) Were Clemens to re-sign with the Astros, it is highly unlikely he’d be pitching against Koby. Not unless the younger Clemens was traded to another team. If Stark misspoke and meant Koby as a battery mate for Roger, perhaps he’s not noticed that Koby has been playing 3B this season.
2) Nothing against Lexington, KY, but Corpus Christi and/or Round Rock are far more likely venues for a trial launch of the Rocket. Particularly as Clemens has a small stake in both clubs.
(KORRECTION KORNER : Lexington, Corpus Christi and Rock Rock are all said to be sites of forthcoming tune-up starts for the Rocket, so I goofed. Stark was not incorrect, though I still don’t get what he meant by father-pitching-to-son. If Lexington are going to move the recently injured Koby behind the plate after he’s been playing 3rd just for the purpose of forming a father/son battery, why not invite all other available members of the Clemens Klan to fill out the other positions?)
(poster sales for Dirk should be through the roof in the Phoenix area this summer) More coffee, please for the two guys on Sporting News Radio this morning who claimed that comparing Raja Bell’s presence last night to Willis Reed’s inspirational play in the 1970 NBA Finals 7th game against L.A. was “inappropriate”. In what way? While the Suns weren’t facing elimnation last night, does anyone doubt they’d have little chance of advancing were they trailing 3-1?
Two Phoenix fans filed a complaint against the wife of Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson as the result of a confrontation Tuesday night during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at US Airways Center.
Rebecca Kettle, 32, and Jose Martinez, 34, alleged misdemeanor assault after they got into an argument with Cassandra Johnson midway through the first quarter of the Mavericks-Suns playoff game, according to arena security.
Kettle and Martinez were escorted out of the arena not long after the incident.
Players on the Dallas bench turned around and looked up into the stands when the argument started. However, Avery Johnson said he wasn’t sure what happened.
“I heard something went on,” he said after the Suns evened the series at two games with a 106-86 victory. “We’ve been in situations before on the road. (Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s) wife has had problems. My wife. Our president (Terdema Ussery).
“You know, when you’re on the road, you know things happen. People throw stuff at you. So, we’ll see what happens. I haven’t really talked to her, yet.”
When hate-crime defendant Nicholas (Fat Nick) Minucci clubbed a black man with a baseball bat in Howard Beach last year, “It sounded like Barry Bonds hit a home run,” a former pal told jurors at his trial yesterday.
“Like ‘bing,’ [just] like that!” was how witness Frank Agostini described the sound of Minucci’s aluminum bat slamming against the skull of victim Glenn Moore.
He said Minucci, also 19, swung the bat a second time, again striking Moore, 23, in the head. Moore suffered a fractured skull, but survived the assault.
Then, as they fled the scene, Agostini recalled an angry Minucci saying: “N—-rs want to come to the ‘hood and rob s–t. They learned their lesson.”
Visibly nervous, Agostini avoided eye contact with Minucci and instead sought out his detective father in the back of the courtroom.
Minucci, meanwhile, shot daggers at Agostini, but also busied himself reading a Harvard Law School professor’s treatise on the N-word. He contends he used a variation of the vile slur as a hip-hop friendly greeting to Moore and his pals – and not as a racial slur.
The N-word, along with other profanities, was laced throughout Agostini’s testimony.
Surely Fat Nick’s defense team are aware that Barry Bonds hasn’t used an aluminum bat since his days at ASU?
The Rock Cats were notified early Tuesday that the striking minor league umpires union had ratified a new six-year collective bargaining agreement and will return to work on or before Monday’s game.
The new pact increases salaries by $100 per month and daily meal-money allowance by $3 a day. The union – Association of Minor League Umpires – rejected a similar deal a month ago. Salaries in the Eastern League average out at about $12,000 over the 5½ months of the season, according to the umpires.
Umps had said their salaries previously averaged $15,000 at Triple-A, $12,000 at Double-A, $10,000 in full-season A-ball and $5,500 in rookie leagues.
As part of the new deal, per diems rise $3 to $28 at Triple-A, $25 at Double-A and $23 at Class A. They will rise gradually to $40 at Triple-A in 2011, $35 at Double-A and $30 at Class A.
In the meantime, the incalculable damage done to the careers of Delmon Young and Tim Ireland won’t be redressed.
The Portland Trail Blazers, the NBA’s most repressive regime, appear to be becoming more so with a new media policy that includes tape recording interviews between reporters and players. Not surprisingly, the dysfunctional Blazers already have had to apologize to the Portland Oregonian for getting quotes wrong in their transcript.
Commissioner David Stern, during a media session last week in San Antonio in which no member of his staff thought to record the questions and answers, was asked about Portland’s new policy, unheard of in the NBA, and responded: “I haven’t had the opportunity [to see the policy], but I think they ought to have some discussions with the Chinese government to see if they can align their policies.”
Stern joked he would “love to muzzle everyone in this room and have you print exactly the story that we’d like.” But he added, turning serious, that he was proud of the NBA’s media access, which is a conduit to its fans, and that it disappoints him when one of the teams doesn’t pursue that goal.
Of course, Stern said, “I don’t know all the facts. I read it in a newspaper, which is inherently unreliable.”
I asked Nash often about the team’s three-headed management team, and he usually said something like, “This franchise isn’t run unlike a lot of others. This is my job. I’m part of this.” And maybe some of that is true, but anyone who has observed the sociological experiment going on at One Center Court knows there is only one other show like this on Earth.Even that one has a ringleader.
This is one of those days I wish we could call in investigators, tape off the franchise with yellow crime-scene tape, and dust for fingerprints. I suspect we’d find that Nash’s prints would show up sparingly. He overruled scouts and drafted Sebastian Telfair two years ago, for sure. Best we can tell, he pulled the trigger, too, on signing free agents Steve Blake ($1 million salary), Joel Przybilla ($1.6 million) and Juan Dixon ($2.5 million).
That is, he had the juice to make the little moves. And you know, he jabbed with the best of them. But it’s haymakers — the knockout moves, for crying out loud — this franchise needed most during this era. And those were noticeably absent. Someone always stood in the way.
When Doug Waechter was warming up to pitch in Boston on Thursday, he didn’t have a good feel for the split-finger fastball he had debuted in his previous start.
He fidgeted with his grip until it felt comfortable and ended up somewhere between how he holds the ball for a splitter and how he holds it for a changeup, with his index finger on the side of the ball and his middle finger on a seam.
From that, the “splange” was born.
“I just figured I’d compromise. I decided I’d grip it right in between and let it rip,” Waechter said. “I’d never even thought about it before. It was one of those things that just comes to you.”
Waechter figures he threw the “splange” about eight times Thursday, including several to Boston slugger Manny Ramirez, and usually with good results. It isn’t as hard as his fastball, and it dropped dramatically out of the strike zone.
He plans to throw more “splanges” again tonight when he starts against the Orioles. “It worked, so I might as well stick with it,” he said.
Waechter may have invented the pitch, but manager Joe Maddon took credit for the name. Pitching coach Mike Butcher was working the other direction, trying to call it a “chitter,” but Maddon liked the sound of “splange.”
Sadly for the Devil Rays, the spalnge wasn’t working too well on Tuesday night, Waechter’s record falling to 0-4 in a 7-5 loss to Baltimore. Miguel Tejada hit his 14th HR of the season in the O’s 3 run 5th.
As long as Mets fans are allowed to moan endlessly about the price paid for Victor Zambrano, consider the cost of Kris Benson ; Ty Wigginton, 12 HR’s and 39 RBI’s in the season’s first two months. I’m not suggesting for a moment that Wigginton had any long-term future to speak of in New York, but he’s not doing badly considering where he was at a year ago.
With the Pistons headed for a likely exit and the Red Wings long since adjourned to the golf course, the Tigers’ insane start to ‘06 rightfully takes center stage, and tonight’s encounter with the Highlanders hasn’t lacked for drama. Detroit came back from deficits of 5-0 and 6-1, as I-Rod’s remarkable career resurrection continues unabated ; Pudge (3-5, 3 RBI’s) hit a solo HR to left off Aaron Small in the 3rd, and his retrieval of a Fernando Rodney wild pitch in the top of the 9th was a possible game-saver ; Rodney tagged out Robinson Cano at the plate. At first glance, it appeared as though Cano got in under the tag, but replays revealed his left foot popped up slightly just prior to making contact with the dish. For all the occastions in which umpires are slaughtered in this forum and everywhere else, let it be noted that Tim Tschida make a terrific call.
Diamondbacks 7, Mets 2
Nothing like a couple of days in Flushing to make Eric Brynes look like an All-Star. The cause of animal over-population aside (I could go on about Chris Cotter all night), there’s not much to say here. Miguel Batista pitched a decent game for the Snakes (CG, 9 hits, 2 earned runs, a solo HR allowed to Jose Valentin), Conor Jackson should’ve already rendered Tony Clark someone else’s first baseman, Alay Soler was horrible, Darren Oliver just fine in relief….and Lastings Milledge (above) not only had a double in his 3rd big league at bat, but he’s got a huge gold crucifix that’s sure to create serious glare problems on a summer day.
(they don’t care where the money is going…though perhaps they should)
On the surface, the New York Mets’ announcement that tomorrow night (Saturday, 8/20) is “Dog Day In The Park” at Shea, seems like fun-fun-fun for everyone. Canine fans of Jose Offerman, Gerald Williams and Braden Looper, can accompany their human guardians to Shea’s Picnic Area, where free Snausages will be offered to the dogs (Looper, however, has to buy his own).
There’s just one catch, however. Some of the proceeds from this event are being given to Port Washington, NY’s North Shore Animal League, the venerable non-profit organization that touts themselves as “the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption center.”
CSTB has tried over the past several days to find out a little more about NSAL. Remarkably, very few persons in the tri-state area’s animal rescue and/or animal rights community were willing to speak on the record, one woman citing NSAL’s alleged “$50 million war chest against litigation”.
John Contino (above) of New York’s Mighty Mutts, however, did not mince words in his characterization of NSAL :
“If i didn’t pick up a thousand animals with a NSAL tag on it, I didn’t pick up one. They simply don’t care who they adopt to. “
They claim that they’ve placed over 33,000 animals a year in homes…that they refuse 3 out of every 10 applications.” Contino, by contrast, says he approves adoption requests by fewer than 10 percent of those wishing to take home a rescue dog.
Then again, Contino doesn’t have a massive fund-raising apparatus to maintain, nor could an individual animal lover have anything whatsoever to gain by bringing thousands upon thousands of stray puppies and kittens into the NYC area and leaving other rescue organizations to deal with the aftermath of unwanted, unspayed or unneutered pets who’ve been abandoned.
I adopted a cat from NSAL in 1985. The process was slightly less arduous than buying a pack of gum.
Said Contino earlier today, “…if they (NSAL) were put out of business, New York City would be a better place.”
Despite how often Mike D’Antoni mocks reports that the Suns would entertain trading Shawn Marion this summer to Chicago or anywhere else, clueless reporters continue the stupid speculation.
“I don’t blame the Bulls or any team for wanting Shawn,” the Suns coach stated last week to a roomful of Phoenix media. “But how would we replace everything he does for us? It makes no sense whatsoever, especially with Amare coming off two surgeries!”
Depending on who is talking, University of Texas all-around center LaMarcus Aldridge and perimeter-oriented Italian big man Andrea Bargnani have the inside track on the top pick, held by Toronto.
Mark Bartlestein insists that his client, Adam Morrison, is the top guy. Tyrus Thomas, the raw LSU freshman forward, has passed through this territory. His agents, Brian Elfus and Mike Siegel, withdrew their invitation to a Thomas workout from the representative of one mock draft purveyor for pairing their athlete with the Celtics at pick No. 7.
But these agent-governed workouts appear to be increasing. Elfus and Siegel, who have yet to send their client on any individual team workouts – much less allow him to work out against another player – have indicated that their client will only work out for the top three teams.
It’s a good thing that in the event Thomas does indeed fall into the Celtics’ lap, Ainge already knows enough to make a decision.
“Sometimes workouts can be tiebreakers,” he said. “But what’s becoming more and more bogus is that the agents are putting in more and more restrictions. Guys with late first-rounders want their guys to work out against guys (projected for) the lottery, and guys in the lottery don’t want to work out against guys who are expected to go lower.
“There are guys you really want to see and a secondary group of guys you want to see if they hold up. But it’s a big thing trying to convince the agents that we’re serious about their guys. It’s gotten worse, but we’re prepared.”
I don’t know what you were listening to several years ago, but those guys in Bristol were down with LCD Soundsystem a long time ago. (link ripped off from Basketbawful)
Rival clubs can do the math: The pending return of center fielder Rocco Baldelli from the disabled list will give the Rays five legitimate outfielders in the majors or at Triple-A.Baldelli, Crawford and Joey Gathright all are 25 or under.
Triple-A outfielder Elijah Dukes, one of the game’s most underrated prospects, ranks fourth in the International League in on-base/slugging percentage.
And Delmon Young, one of the best hitters in the minors, will return on June 19 from his 50-game suspension by the I.L. for throwing a bat that hit a replacement umpire in the chest.
By the off-season, at the latest, the Rays figure to entertain offers for at least one of those outfielders in their quest to stockpile young pitching.
Continuing on the Southern California tip, I’m happy to share the following :
The New York Mets today placed outfielder Xavier Nady on the 15-Day Disabled List and recalled outfielder Lastings Milledge (above) from Norfolk (AAA) of the International League.
Nady underwent an appendectomy this morning at approximately 5:30 a.m. at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Xavier should be able to resume baseball activities in 7-10 days.
Clearly, the Mets have no interest in winning the International League this year.
In all seriousness, with Cliff Floyd suddenly coming alive over the past two weeks and Jose Valentin saving what’s left of his career, who’d have imagined Xavier Nady — drilled in the ribs last night — would suddenly make way for Milledge?
While Knicks captain Stephon Marbury declined to discuss the ongoing Larry Brown saga, the star point guard from Coney Island was very clear about his own future, saying he wants to “die a Knick.”
“I want to be a Knick, I want to die a Knick,” Marbury told The Post in an exclusive Memorial-Day interview.
“If I ever was to be cremated, I’d want my ashes sprinkled on top of the Garden.”
“Playing here has always been my dream,” Marbury added. “I want to be in New York more than any place.”
He believes the current roster is playoff material, tons better than 23-59.
“I hope that every player on this team comes back next season,” Marbury said.
“I honestly mean that. Every player. I think we have a great team. I think it will be so much different next year.”
Replies Jon, “if the entire team returns, Marbury’s chances of dying a Knick should go up (as I assume Tommy Hoops will kill him.)”
Roger Clemens is making yet another comeback with the Houston Astros, Newsday has learned. An announcement is expected as soon as today.
Clemens, 43, has signed a one-year deal that is believed to be worth about $3.5 million per month, which will probably equate to about $10.5 million for the season, depending on when exactly he returns to action.
(UPDATE : quoted by ESPN.com, Astros GM Tim Purpura has denied the Newsday report, claiming the situation is “status quo”. And who amongst us doesn’t love Status Quo?)
Still, it’s kind of sweet that Joe is “embarrassed right now to be a Toronto Argonaut,” (as opposed to say, a long retired player who is currently employed by the Walt Disney Company). How dare Ricky Williams tarnish the reputation of a club once owned by Bruce McNall!
Though this is an instance where I don’t think the agent is doing his client any favors, I’m also surprised Kyle Lohse hasn’t been traded already. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press’s Gordon Wittenmyer.
As Kyle Lohse prepared to make his third start since his demotion to the minor leagues, his agent, Scott Boras, said Monday his client should be in the majors and suggested he would rather have the Twins trade him sooner than later if they don’t plan to bring him back.
“We know there’s a lot of teams interested in him,” Boras said from his dugout suite at Angels Stadium before Monday night’s game. “We’ve been told the Twins want a lot for him. Our frustration is that Kyle’s a major league pitcher; the Minnesota Twins know that, and we know that.”
Boras stopped short of saying he and Lohse have asked for a trade. “Terry Ryan runs the team. I don’t,” he said. “I’m not going to tell teams how to do their business.”
The thing with Penny is this. With a seven-run lead, his job is to throw the ball over the plate. Thus, the first few hits that get smacked off him are excusable. Not desirable, but excusable. But after a certain point, Penny has to bear down and pitch. He might not have felt he reached that point until the Betemit hit – and then was disappointed to have (in his point of view) the grass pulled out from under him.
Surf’s up : Monday’s least convincing internet hoax. On a related note, Lastings Milledge was 3 for 6 yesterday in Norfolk’s 11-1 beating of Pawtucket, with a double and 3 RBI’s. Ewan McLane ran his record to 4-0, and lowered his ERA to 1.93 with 7 innings of one-run ball. Former Met / archery enthusiast / New Weird America figurehead Matt Ginter took the loss for the PawSox.
Clearly, I am not the only one who has pondered the notion of this middle-aged frat guy — and the most successful of the new breed of sports owners — rescuing the Cubs from themselves. “Please ask Cubs fans to stop sending me e-mails asking me to buy the team,” Cuban wrote. “Between Chicago, Pittsburgh and K.C., it’s killing my inbox.”
Not only can the New York Knicks spend the summer regretting the Eddy Curry trade that cost them June’s no. 2 overall pick, there’s also a chance that said selection might’ve been enough to acquire Shawn Marion writes the Daily Herald’s Mike McGraw.
There is talk around the NBA that the Phoenix Suns may be willing to move Marion this summer. At first glance, the idea seems absurd, since the 28-year-old forward is coming off consecutive third-team all-NBA honors.
But here’s the theory: The Suns’ payroll is already close to $60 million for next season, just below luxury-tax threshold. The team also has a new owner, Robert Sarver, who paid a high price to gain control from the Colangelo family.
The Suns expect to have Amare Stoudemire back from a knee injury next year, and they found a capable small forward in Boris Diaw, who won the most-improved-player award and hit the winning shot against Dallas in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Marion is owed about $48.5 million over the next three years, so the Suns might be willing to make a trade if they can get a big man in return and lose a few million in salary. Trimming the payroll would help Phoenix re-sign Diaw and guard Leandro Barbosa, who are eligible for extensions.
The Bulls could send their two first-round draft picks to Phoenix for Marion, which would give the Suns a shot at LaMarcus Aldridge or Tyrus Thomas with the No. 2 selection and also lower their payroll by about $10 million.
Would the Suns be interested in such a deal? Hard to say, but former Phoenix general manager Bryan Colangelo is sitting in Toronto with the No. 1 pick and might jump on the same trade if it’s available.
Rasheed Wallace just fouled out with 3:30 remaining and the Pistons trailing the Heat by 11. There’s a pretty huge disparity in free throws tonight but the Pistons — one or two calls aside — aren’t being jobbed. One of these teams has been playing a smart, well executed game, and it isn’t the squad coached by Flip Saunders.
I can understand how it might be a wonderous distraction for MLB from all the sleazy Sultan talk if Albert Pujols were to break Barry Bonds’ single season HR mark…but what’s it gonna look like if Pujols cracks 80 by September 1? The Cards’ 1B hit a 3 run HR off Houston’s Chad Qualls today, providing all the offense St. Louis required in a 3-0 defeat of the Astros, as a strong effort by Roy Oswalt (6 IP, 0 runs, 7 hits, 5 K’s) was squandered.
Short of intentionally injuring Pujols and/or mixing up his urine sample with that of Abraham Nunez, I don’t know you can defend against him. Not only is pitching around him adviseable, but if Pujols came to bat with the winning run on third and the bases loaded, I’d seriously consider walking him intentionally, just to preserve a little dignity.
Both starters have been removed due to injury in Philly tonight ; Jon Lieber leaving early with a strained groinoid, and the Nats’ Mike O’Connor taking a bullet off his shin. The Phillies have just taken a 5-2 lead, as Ryan Howard has hit his 18th HR of the year off Gary Majewski, a 3 run shot to the front row of the left field seats. Howard’s had a ridiculous May, as has teammate Chase Utley.
The Mets’ 4-1 2nd inning lead over the Snakes is in peril of being washed away ; if only the rains had come before Howie Rose expounded at length regarding a supposedly snazzy pink shirt David Wright was wearing yesterday. Rose, perhaps trying to send a message of some sort to friends and family, hoped that Wright’s bravery in wearing such a garment in public would give others the resolve to do likewise.
In what can only be described as a total coincidence, SNY segued from live action to an episode of a Rain Delay Theatre feature in which “Sopranos” star Joe Gannascoli expressed his admiration for the Mets’ rugged third baseman.
On behalf of everyone outraged by all things BALCO-related, I have petitioned the Commissioner’s Office to have Velarde’s achievment reclassified as an assisted triple play. You’re welcome.
At Wrigley this afternoon, Matt Murton just hit a solo HR off Cincy’s Elizardo Ramírez, and the Cubs lead the Reds, 4-2 in the bottom of the 6th. Plenty of time for the Cubs’ pen to blow it for Kerry Wood, then.
Earlier today in Cleveland, the White Sox teed off on the Indians’ “Jump Off A” Cliff Lee (2.2 IP, 8 hits, 7 earned runs), winning 11-0. Jim Thome (above), Paul Konerko and Juan Uribe all went deep off Lee, with Thome adding a 2 run blast off noted Mike Piazza punching bag Guillermo Mota. Thome has 20 homers on the young season and it is very safe to say that someday, he might be as prodigious a hitter as Ryan Howard. Javier Vazquez, Neil Cotts and Jeff Nelson combined on the 2 hit shutout.
Another AL Central club could only manage a pair of hits today, as Randy Johnson, Ron Villone and Kyle Farnsworth toyed with the Tigers in a 4-0 Yankees win. Johnson had a no-hitter through 5 and 2/3rds before allowing a single to Ivan Rodriguez. Derek Jeter left the game in the 5th inning ; the NY shortstop jammed his right hand while sliding into 2nd during the 3rd inning. It was just yesterday that John Sterling solemnly pronounced that “we’ll never see another one like him” when extolling Jeter’s virtues as the greatest living human. Perhaps the YES mouthpiece oughta consider the way he tempts fate with such superlatives.
A couple of thoughts on how the tournament might shape up :
1) UT-Arlington at Texas (Friday, 4pm, ESPNU) looks like a mismatch, but the Longhorns struggled in a few non-conference games this year against schools within driving distance.
2) Oklahoma State shouldn’t take Princeton too lightly — look out for that back door play!
3) Congrats to the Jaspers of Manhattan on qualifying for The Competition That Dares Not Call Itself The Big Dance for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Baseball America’s John Manuel examines the circumstances surrounding LSU’s lack of an invite, the first time the Tigers (35-24) have been excluded in 18 years.
Mississippi State got into the 64-team field over the Tigers. The Bulldogs–whose athletic director, Larry Templeton, is the head of the Division I baseball committee–finished a half-game behind the Tigers in the Southeastern Conference, did not qualify for the SEC tournament and won only one of their last eight weekend series after beginning the season 21-1. Mississippi State won the head-to-head series played in late March, winning two of three at LSU.
(unidentified Bulldogs players celebrate the New England Journal Of Medicine’s findings that there’s no correlation between excessive hot wing consumption and early impotence)
Committee member Mike Hamrick, the athletic director at Nevada-Las Vegas, handled questions about the Bulldogs-Tigers controversy after the field was announced because Templeton was not in the room when his school was discussed. Hamrick said it didn’t necessarily come down to the two SEC schools for one spot, saying instead they were part of 17 teams bidding for the last seven spots, and then later 12 teams for five spots. He cited the usual factors, such as Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), strength of schedule, wins against top 100 teams and how teams fared in their final 10 games.
“Mississippi State went 23-3 against teams outside the SEC,” Hamrick said. “It did take two of three (head to head with LSU) . . . Sometimes, the teams are so equally grouped, you have to look at the head to head.”
Ricky Williams, sans the bushy beard and dreadlocks that had been his trademark, denied radio reports that he had attended a couple of Argo practices, but went unrecognized because of his altered appearance.
He’ll definitely be there when he lines up in the backfield today wearing jersey No. 27.
He said he wanted that number when he returned to the Dolphins last year after sitting out the 2004 season, but NFL rules do not allow high profile players to change numbers because of marketing profiles.
“This is a more positive outlook on life than I’ve had in the past and I wanted to initiate with No. 27, which is a positive number,” he said.
I’ll have to take Ricky’s word for it. And after all, who’d know more about testing postitive?
While some of us are throughly looking forward to this afternoon’s Jeremy Bonderman/Randy Johnson matchup, Tigers manager Jim Leyland has a new angle from which to grumble : Detroit’s getting too much respect!
“We were a token stop in spring training,” a clearly agitated Leyland said before Sunday’s game. “Now all of the sudden these experts, they knew about (Justin) Verlander, they knew about (Joel) Zumaya (above). They knew about (nothing). They didn’t know (anything), if you want to know the truth. All of the sudden they’re on the bandwagon. That’s the way it goes, but I’m not going to fall for it.”
His biggest problem is that it’s only May, and people are trying to project the Tigers’ current pace into a full season.
“I look forward to my job, but you can see it all being set up,” Leyland said. “Nobody is going to keep up the pace we’ve played. So if we lose a couple games, they’ll say, ‘Oh, it was the Yankees.’ It doesn’t matter who we’re going to play. At some point, this pace is not going to keep up.”
Former Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles is hardly thrilled that Barry Bonds, with his 715th home run, has finally passed Babe Ruth and moved into second place on the all-time list.
“I just hate to see a guy that cheated like him get the record,” Nettles told The Post. “It hasn’t been proven, but I can tell with my own eyes what a guy looks like.”
Nettles – like so many others in and out of baseball – has long suspected Bonds of steroid use. “For the last three or four years, when he got so big,” Nettles said. “Guys don’t get so big and strong at that age. It doesn’t happen without chemicals.”
Nettles, who ranks 46th on the all-time list with 390 home runs, 250 as a Yankee, believes Major League Baseball was right for not celebrating Bonds passing The Babe. “They shouldn’t do anything until he passes Aaron,” Nettles said. “I don’t see any reason how a guy who passes second place … you have to pass the leader.”
Nettles believes those that choose to play the race card in Bonds’ defense are misguided and out of line. “I don’t think race plays any part of it,” Nettles said. “I’m sure some people in the country are racist. I don’t think anything about race should even be mentioned.”
And on that note, I was planning on ignoring the following passage by ESPN’s Tim Kurkijan, but seeing as the same copy has been used on “SportsCenter” along with ESPN.com, I can’t resist :
Passing Ruth into second place all time should be a cause for celebration, but Major League Baseball isn’t recognizing it, Bonds gets booed wherever he goes on the road, and every once in a while a player takes a shot at him: Phillies pitcher Cory Lidle was the latest, saying he doesn’t want to see Bonds break records. Hank Aaron dealt with racial hatred and ignorance on his road to 715. Bonds is dealing with some of that and much more, but unlike Aaron, he brought much of it on himself.
That Bonds has been (I’m being diplomatic here) a testy, sometimes tough-to-embrace kinda guy throughout his big league career is well documented. That said, what has the Sultan Of Surly ever done in his public life that would constitute bringing racial hatred upon himself? Barry has had a thing or two to say about being a black man in Americaville. Sometimes he has a point, sometimes he’s out to lunch. None of it, however, justifies any measure of racial abuse, and there’s something a little screwy about the claim “he brought much of it on himself” going unchallenged. I could certainly use an editor over here most days. I’m surprised they can’t afford one in Bristol.
Major League Baseball is not planning any celebration for Bonds if and when he tops Babe Ruth’s mark of 714 home runs, commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday.
“Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record,” Selig said. “We don’t celebrate anybody the second or third time in.”
Until very recently, the nicest things I could think of citing about the annual Eurovision Song Contest were
a) it gave some of our friends — both the flamboyant and the bookish — an excuse to have a party.
b) Kimberly Rew, of Soft Boys / Waves fame, authored a Eurovision winner in 1997’s “Love Shine-A-Light.”
c) “Waterloo” took the trophy in 1974 (the year that punk broke in half), thus launching the white supremacist juggernaut of Abba.
d) no matter how much Eurovision sucks, it’s still more fun than watching some sub-Curtis Stigers douchebag that looks like a slightly younger version of Jay Leno become an overnight sensation (attention haters : I am not referring to Greg Dulli, so you can stop right there).
With full props to the Diaw-fest taking place on TNT, there might not be a playoff game in any sport (AFL included) played at as frantic a pace as tonight’s Stanley Cup semi-final, a contest that should go a long way to determining who gets to play the Oilers of the beer-deprived city of Edmonton.
With the Hurricanes trailing 3-1 in the 2nd period, Peter Laviolette pulled goaltender Martin Gerber (above) in favor of Cam Ward. I have no problem with this move, but Frank Robinson is simply beside himself.
Actor Paul Gleason, most often remembered for his role as Principal Vernon in “The Breakfast Club”, but equally beloved for his tenure as Dr. David Thornton on “All My Children”, has passed away at the age of 67. Described as “funnier than Jackie Gleason” by Repoz who supplied the prior link, Gleason’s filmography included appearances in “The Great Santini”, “Trading Places”, “Die Hard” and the Anthony Michael Hall star vehicle “Johnny Be Good” (possibly the finest work Uma Thurman would ever do in a film starring Anthony Michael Hall).
Author of the book, “Uleta, Blues & Haikus”, Gleason’s diverse background included stints in the Red Sox and Indians minor league systems, at least according to the dustcover of said book.
I’ve never quite undersood the saying “he’s in a better place now” when someone dies (particularly if the deceased was a woman). But with all due respect to Gleason’s friends and family, heaven, hell or a box in the ground could all be considered an improvement over ever being confused with Jeffrey Jones by a radio commentator who couldn’t keep his teen movies straight.
While some observers can’t wait to wave goodbye to one batting legend (I’m talking about you, Tim Kurkjian), another sport’s icon received a far less conflicted going-away party. With Sunday’s 19 run victory over India, Brian Lara’s final One Day International as the West Indies’ captain saw the Windies take 4 of series’ 5 matches.
There was a Test Match of some import taking place at Edgbaston this weekend, but I’m hesitant to say much more about it. Short of running more Northwestern soccer hazing jpegs, nothing creates server strain in CSTB-land quite like passing references to K—n P——-n. Seriously. Not even Huckapoo, Carmelo/LaLa and Jackie Christie combined have accounted for as much traffic, which either says something about the England cricket team’s massive leap in popularity over the past year or it (more likely) indicates that K.P. scores awfully high on the Cricketeer I’d Like To Fuck (C.I.L.F.) scale for many intrepid Google-abusers.
(there’s no better way to commemorate relegating the Babe to 3rd place than by allowing Todd Greene to grab your ass in public)
Barry Bonds moved into 2nd place on the All-Time HR List this afternoon , hitting career homer 715 off the Rockies’ Byung Hyun Kim in the bottom of the 4th inning at AT&T. Steve Finley was aboard at the time, and the drive landed somewhere just to the left of the right center field bleachers.
Whether or not the Sultan is capable of hitting another 40 homers and catching Henry Aaron might be largely dependent on how many more chances he has to face the Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff. They’ve served up an incredible 8 HR balls to the Braves today, and with the Cubs rallying from a 12-8 deficit in the 9th inning, there’s always a chance for another. Seriously, with all the conjecture over the longball explosion in what is meant to be the Post-Steroid era, perhaps the explanation is very simple : Glendon Rusch is still on a major league roster.
Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas (above) and forward Awvee Storey were arrested on charges of disobeying police, part of the crackdown on disorderly behavior among those who have flocked to Miami Beach for Memorial Day weekend.
Storey had been blocking traffic in the middle of a busy street when an officer told him to get back to the sidewalk Saturday night, according to police reports. Storey did not get out of the street, and the officer arrested him and charged him with failure to obey a command.
While police were arresting Storey, Arenas got out of a vehicle and walked toward the arresting officers. According to reports, an officer told Arenas to get back in his vehicle, but he refused, saying he wanted to stand next to his teammate. The officer took Arenas into custody and charged him with resisting without violence.
As Arenas was being arrested, according to reports, he said, “You can’t arrest me. I’m a basketball player. I play for the Washington Wizards, and I’m not going to leave my teammate.”
Dusty needs to go because one of the more beloved franchises in all of sports is in shambles on and off the field. While it’s not all his fault, the house cleaning has to start somewhere.
The brawl at U.S. Cellular Field and Greg Maddux bashing the bejesus out of a water cooler in Florida are just two signs of the Cubs coming unglued.
There’s also the stuff behind the scenes.
Like earlier this month when the front office summoned the sports editor and Cubs writer from the Chicago Tribune and berated them for their coverage.
Tribune Co. owns the paper and the team. Toss in conflict of interest to the list of troubles.
Baker isn’t to blame for all the chaos in and around the Cubs this year. But his hiring four years ago was a sign.
Ever stop to think why the San Francisco Giants let go a manager who just took them to the World Series?
It wasn’t because the Cubs offered more money. It was because Dusty’s act had worn thin. The way he let his starters throw 120 pitches time and again. The way he balked every time the front office wanted to make a move to make the team better.
Baker has a reputation as a “player’s manager.” It’s well deserved. Almost every time the Giants told Dusty they planned to send a player down, he would argue: “You can’t. He’s my guy. I need him.”
Didn’t matter what Dusty’s guy was hitting. Or how he wasn’t pitching. Every guy was Dusty’s guy. Trouble is, the major leagues allow only 25 guys on a roster at a time.
The Cubs will send Jae Kuk Ryu to the mound in a few minutes to face the Braves and John Smoltz. Fox’s Joe Buck argued during yesterday’s telecast that when Jim Hendry failed to bring in a serious hitter to replace Derrek Lee, that sent a message to the rest of the club that the Cubs weren’t serious about winning. I guess Joe didn’t think much of the acquisition of Tony Womack.
Lt. Dangle left the Dodgers’ win over the Nationals yesterday with a sprained left wrist. You’d be surprised how many guys who are right-handed for most things choose to beat off as a lefty. This afternoon at RFK, the Nats are running riot over Jae Seo, as Ryan Zimmerman and Affonso Soriano have each homered, the latter connecting for his 18th on the season. So much for my thinking that Soriano’s power numbers would suffer in DC.
Despite having allowed a 2nd inning 3-run HR to Jeremy Hermida, El Duque has a shot at winning his Mets debut, as Florida trails NY, 7-3 in the bottom of the 4th. Carlos Beltran hit a 2 run HR off Ricky Nolasco a few minutes ago, his 14th of the year.
Going two for 4 against the Marlins yesterday might seem like a big deal for 47 year old Julio Franco, but until he’s tries out for the Prospect Park Football League, he’s just another old guy…albeit one playing at the highest level of competition. Queens Ledger’s Kenny Bruno issues a challenge of sorts to the Mets’ 1B/pinch-hitter. (link courtesy Sam Frank).
He is the oldest player in Major League history to hit a home run. I am the oldest player in PPFL history to score a touchdown. He is the oldest player ever to hit a grand slam, a pinch hit home run, hit two home runs in a game and to steal a base. I am the oldest to throw an interception, pull a hamstring, and drop an easy pass. Julio eats a dozen egg whites for breakfast, and consumes 5,000 calories a day. I also consume about 5,000 calories a day, most of it in bagels and pizza.
If Julio can keep going till he’s 50 in professional sports, why can’t I do it as an amateur? Instead of egg whites I’ll take more anti-inflammatories. I have a new goal. I’m going to play till I’m 50. Julio, that gives you two years to join the PPFL. We’d love to have you. And you won’t even be the oldest guy in the league.
”I think it was a horse[bleep] game,” Guillen said. ”I think when a team can get 14 hits and score two runs, that means we’re not executing. If we think we’re going to play like this, and they think they’re going to be a contender and in the pennant race, well, they’d better look at themselves in the mirror.
”We’re not playing baseball. We just hit. To win a pennant race and to be where we’re supposed to be, you have to do everything you can possible to help this team. And if they’re not willing to do it, there’s going to be a lot of [bleepin'] changes in the [bleepin'] lineup pretty soon. Everyone thinks it’s a good game. Bull[bleep]. You can say we battled. Yeah, we did. But we shouldn’t be in that situation to battle.”
And for those players who didn’t agree with Guillen?
”If they don’t like what I say, [bleep] them,” he said. ”They can pack their [stuff] and do whatever they want to do. But we’re better than this. Way better than this. If you want to be third place, second place or fourth place, keep playing like that. If you want to win this thing, we have to be better.”
For all the (talented) spare parts Pat Riley added last summer, his two most important weapons are fully capable of dominating, as shown by Shaq’s inside game last night, along with Dwyane Wade’s ridiculous 4th quarter.
If this group is one of the best starting fives that ever laced up a pair of Nikes, then they can’t have the fluctuations of their 98-83 loss to the blazing Miami Heat.
The Heat paid more attention to Tayshaun Prince following his impressive first two games, rendering him basically useless. He scored the Pistons’ first points with a three-pointer in the game’s opening moments and didn’t score again.
The Pistons found themselves on the losing end of another Game 3 on the road. It’s just another phase of the same pattern that repeats itself with disturbing regularity.
They aren’t winning. They’re surviving, mustering just enough effort to keep alive this image that the tougher the obstacle, the more committed the performance. But it’s been two weeks — the final two games of the first-round series against Milwaukee — since the Pistons put together two straight performances worthy of their self-adulation.
Five should always beat two.
But it only works if all five show up on the same night.
This archaic game of Wallace guarding the 7-foot-1, 365-pound tanker known as Shaquille O’Neal is not working. When O’Neal is on his game he is unstoppable.
Wallace cannot guard O’Neal by himself. It’s become painfully obvious in two of the three opening games of the Eastern Conference finals.
Part of it is a source of pride. The Pistons don’t like to double-team even the greatest of superstars. But it is time to swallow their pride because there is a Shaq trait they should be able to exploit to their advantage.
O’Neal picks up his dribble at the first sign of a double team. Or he spins away from the double team and loses his leverage towards the basket. He becomes twisted and confused and his shooting percentage goes down. It is not a foolproof solution to stop Shaq but it is also not the foolish strategy the Pistons have tried.
“It depends on where he’s at,” Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince said. “If he catches the ball inside the paint area, then there’s pretty much nothing you can do.”
But he often catches the ball outside the paint.
When Shaq is spinning and shooting six-foot jump hooks, your chances of survival are better.
When he is rattling the rim as if it is a toy, you are dead and buried.
Jered Weaver’s first Angels start since being called up from Salt Lake was an auspicious one ; 7 IP, 3 its, no runs allowed, 5 K’s, one walk. The bad news is that he’s a dead ringer for his older brother, but I figure Mike Scoscia wouldn’t care if he looked like Dennis Weaver as long he could pitch.
Kendry Morales continued to look sharp during his first week in the majors ; the Cuban 1B had a double, a single and a 3 run HR off Adam Loewen in the 7th inning.
The Astros took a 7-6 lead in the top of the 17th on Willy Tavares’ two-out single, but Mike Gallo wasted no time relinquishing the margin, serving up a meatball to Jose Castillo with the first pitch of the home half of the inning.
(most of the Mike Gallo photos on Google image search are rather plain, so you’ll have to settle for this portrait of Vincent Gallo, instead)
In the bottom of the 18th with Jason Bay on 2nd and none out, Gallo threw a wild pitch while intentionally walking Craig Wilson — about 5 feet over Eric Munson’s head, in fact — moving Bay to 3rd. Moments later, Bay — whose 5th inning 3-run HR gave him 5 round trippers in 5 games — scored on Jose Bautista’s sacrifice fly, but not before creaming Munson on his way home, jarring the ball lose.
There’s no truth to the rumor Michael Barrett was waiting for Bay in the parking lot.
Not only has Matt Cain been doing a tremendous job since being named reviews editor of The Wire, but he’s allowed just one run in his last 14 2/3rds innings of work after holding the Rockies at bay this evening. The Sultan Of Surly was homerless in the Giants’ 4-1 victory over Colorado, but when and if Bonds hits 715, I pledge to interupt whatever I’m watching on Fox so I can diminish the achievment in the privacy of my own home.
After a miserable start by Paul Maholm (5 IP, 5 earned runs, 8 hits, 5 walks) 7 Pittsburgh relievers have combined to pacify the Astros, though by all rights, this one should be over. In the top of the 8th with the bases loaded, Jason Bay failed to haul in a Mike Lamb fly ball to left. While Craig Biggio scored to give Houston a 6-5 lead, Chris Burke was gunned down at the plate. Trouble is, Ryan Doumit tagged Burke with his glove while holding the ball in his bare hand. Home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreath blew the call, tossed Phil Garner, and now we’re stucking watching pretty much every Astros reliever not named Brad Lidge do their best to avoid a 5th straight loss.
(gehrig38, wondering the same thing as everyone else : who gave Mr. Butch the free ticket?)
Curt Schilling collected career win no. 200 earlier today, running his record to 8-2 on the year in Boston’s 8-4 defeat of Tampa Bay. Schilling allowed 4 runs on 7 hits over 7 innings, striking out 7 and walking none. Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon followed for a scoreless 8th and 9th, the latter collecting his 18th save. Kevin Youkilis and Mark “When I Talk To” Loretta combined for 5 hits and 4 runs scored, and the pair are now hitting .324 and .311 respectively.
With Arizona’s 7-0 victory over Cincinnati today, the Reds have now been held scoreless for 21 straight innings, stretching back to Wednesday of this week. The Snakes, for their part, are now 10 games over .500 for the first time since the summer of ‘03.
Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, an 11 year NFL vet who featured at running back for the Colts, Falcons, Saints, Bears and Rams, passed away Saturday at the age of 39. Heyward had been battling brain cancer for some time.
The 24th overall selection in the 1988 NFL Draft, Heyward ran for 2950 yards during his tenure at the University Of Pittsburgh before coming out as junior.
My own memories of Heyward is that he was a dependable 3rd down option early in his career for some teams that we’ll charitably call not-so-great and a big (well, wide) guy who took a lot of punishment. Heyward rushed for 1083 yards while with the Falcons in ‘95 and went to the Pro Bowl that season, his finest campaign as a professional.
Once again, as does he virtually every Satuday afternoon, the Human Whoopie Cushion’s understudy demonstrates that “cosmopolitan” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when describing his soccer coverage.
It’s not a done deal yet, but Chelsea’s expected to sign Salomon Kalou to a four- or five-year deal this week. He was formerly with the Dutch team, Feyenrood, but wanted to move on to bigger and better things. I don’t know how it gets any better than being a professional athlete anywhere in the vicinity of Amsterdam, but hey, whatever makes him happy.
First of all, the Dutch club in question is called Feyenoord. And I think I can guess how it might get a little better than being a professional athlete based in South Rotterdam ; being a highly paid professional athlete in the not-altogether-unhappening vicinity of London, the Borough of Chelsea in particular.
Aside from the extra curricular action on offer, I’d even hazard a wild guess that Chelsea are a better bet to win a domestic or European title next season than Feyenoord.
There’s also the not-so-small matter of Feyenoord blasting Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” over De Kuip’s tannoy each time they score. That alone might account for Kalou’s eagerness to move.
3B David Wright, who sat out last night’s 5-1 loss with back spasms, had a pair of doubles, two singles and two runs scored in this afternoon’s Mets win over the Marlins, a game that solidified Tom Glavine’s candidacy to start for the Senior Circuit in the All-Star Game.
It was also a contest that solidified Lou Piniella’s status as one of the most ill-prepared, uninteresting “color” men to have worked a game for Fox or any other broadcaster. Among Lou’s astonishing observations :
a) Tom Glavine doesn’t look 40 years old. (buy that man a pair of binoculars)
b) It’s tough for Joe Girardi to win with young pitching (though getting older is no guarantee of success, as Dontrelle could surely attest).
c) Is it true that no Mets pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter? (yes).
ESPN Deportes’ Enrique Rojas reports the Mets’ inability to help Pedro Martinez win his 6th game of 2006 is pushing their ace towards an earlier retirement. Well, that and his aching foot.
“I’ve sacrificed my life, my good years, to baseball. I want to go home while I still have the energy to spend time with my family,” Martinez told ESPNdeportes.com. Work is good and it dignifies men, but I want to enjoy the fruits of my efforts. I plan to enjoy a nice retirement and a healthy life after baseball.
“I don’t want to leave the game on crutches or in a wheelchair without having dedicated myself to my children and my family,” he added.
“I’ve done a lot in a short period of time, and now my body must pay the price. A lot of people get startled by the fact that I’m 34, but the thing is that in seven years I worked more than 95 percent of the pitchers in MLB,” Martinez said.
“In order to achieve 200 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, you not only need to pitch in 200 games and 1,000 innings, but you must also count your losses, indecisions, and all the work at the bullpen,” said Martinez, who has pitched 2,580 innings in his career.
“I’ll most likely retire after this contract, but it’ll depend on how I’m feeling at the time, and if I’m feeling then like I am now, my Dominican fans and my family wouldn’t forgive me if I don’t retire.”
Between the restraining orders and the narrow minds of the local constabulary, I don’t get to watch nearly as much college softball in person as I’d like. But even with the mere glow of the idiot box as my consolation this weekend, I doubt I will see a pitching performance…nay, two pitching performances as dominant as those supplied by Texas’ Cat Osterman. Last night, Osterman blew away 16 University Of Washington hitters in the Longhorns’ 1-0 Super Regional win. This afternoon, she’s allowed a mere two hits and one run while striking out 8 in her first 4 innings, as Texas holds a commanding 5-1 advantage over the Huskies.
I know what you’re saying — she’s only a few miles per hour faster than Chad Bradford. Regardless, she’s a talismanic figure in her sport, one whose propensity for putting her team on her back on the biggest of stages compares pretty favorably to any collegiate athlete you’d care to cite, even those with allegedly crappy Wonderlic scores.
For example, if Phoenix wins–which could seriously happen–long, lean multi-talents who shoot the long ball and move like deer, who fit the Raja Bell/Leandro Barbosa/Boris Diaw mold, will get an even bigger jump in the upcoming draft then they have already gotten. Some kinds of players that have been out of favor in many NBA quarters–point guards who shoot a lot of threes and create havoc off the dribble (Steve Nash could be good for Stephon Marbury’s career)–could be reconsidered. The Jeff Van Gundys of the world might be tempted to let the Rafer Alstons get a little crazy in the open court once in a while.
Thanks (presumably) to Dirk’s recent admission of admiration, David Hasselhoff got a fair bit of face time on TNT last night. Even Steve Perry thought it was a little embarrassing.
After the last-place Marlins beat the Mets, 5-1, handing the ace his first defeat of 2006, Martinez delivered a monologue during which he pronounced himself a winner – even though he allowed the go-ahead run to score in the seventh and the Marlins tacked on three runs an inning later against reliever Duaner Sanchez.
“Did I lose? Are you sure I lost?” Martinez asked. “I didn’t lose today. I went out to win and I finished the game as a winner. . . .
“You want me to translate that?”
Invited to go on, Martinez added: “I just did what I was supposed to do for our team to win. The fact that it didn’t come out, they were just a little bit better than we were. But I did what I was supposed to do to give my team a chance to win. So I was a winner today again.”
After taking Friday night off due to back spasms, David Wright is back in the Mets lineup today, and he’s 2 for 2 with a single and a two-out RBI double in the 3rd inning, scoring Chris Woodward. C Ramon Castro has homered off Dontrelle Willis in the top of the 4th, and Tom Glavine has retired all 9 batter he’s faced, as the Mets lead the Fish, 2-0.
Calling Frank Robinson, “a man who respects the game and its players as much as anyone who has ever suited up in the majors,” The Baltimore Sun’s David Steele, though impressed by the Nats manager getting teary while discussing Matt LeCroy’s Adventures In Catching, isn’t surprised.
It would stand to reason that when Robinson had to make the exceedingly rare change of a position player, particularly a catcher, in mid-inning, he would truly be empathetic to LeCroy, sympathetic to his feelings, and deeply concerned about how it would reflect on the player, on him and on the organization.
With all of that in mind, how coldhearted would a manager be if he didn’t shed a tear while explaining it publicly.
Most managers in Robinson’s position would have pulled an Adam Morrison long ago – or would have been gone, figuring a major league manager’s job wasn’t worth this.
Instead, Robinson has stuck around, and now weeps for his players.
Yes, Ted Lilly was pitching and Lilly is a fly-ball pitcher. Yes, Lilly has allowed 10 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings over his last three starts and an extra bat in the lineup was probably more important than an extra glove.
But the Jays knew for a week that the fly-ball guy, Lilly, was pitching last night. If they wanted a bat and were not worried about the glove at short, why not keep Russ Adams around until today and then ship him out, instead of risking a Glaus injury in an unfamiliar position?
In describing the significance of the out-of-position start for the former World Series MVP, GM J.P. Ricciardi said, “Troy is the Ultimate Warrior.” Let’s see. In terms of WWE equivalency, does that make Bengie Molina The Big Show?
I would recommend: A) Therapy, B) Neurological exams, or C) A retreat to a quiet Caribbean island. It is clear the Cubs’ starting catcher isn’t thinking clearly, which won’t help them get their season turned around.
Since popping his cork at home plate, Barrett has tried to rationalize his behavior with explanations that have made him seem increasingly deluded. He initially said it appeared Pierzynski was walking at him, even though Pierzynski’s explanation about wanting to retrieve his batting helmet seems totally plausible.
Pierzynski wasn’t just happy after foiling Barrett’s attempt to block the plate. He was delighted. He wasn’t looking for trouble. But the more Barrett talked, the sillier his explanations sounded.
“Like I said, I don’t like hitting another grown man, but something had to be done there in my opinion,” Barrett said, adding that he probably should have just pushed Pierzynski away.
Yes, that would have been better. But Barrett’s brain apparently isn’t wired that way.
This afternoon at Wrigley, the Cubs manufactured a run after a Juan Pierre infield single, as Chicago leads Atlanta, 1-0.
Keith Foulke was descending the dugout steps after allowing a home run to Carl Crawford when he apparently was heckled by a fan sitting directly behind the Sox dugout. The pitcher backed up slightly and exchanged words with the fan before entering the dugout, where television cameras caught him firing his glove in frustration.
The scene was somewhat reminiscent of an occasion several years ago when then-Sox pitcher Frank Castillo was similarly the target of pointed remarks after leaving the game. Castillo revealed later that a fan suggested he kill himself.
I have no reason to doubt the veracity of Massarotti’s reportage, but something doesn’t add up. Why would a fan tell Keith Foulke that Frank Castillo should kill himself?
Saying “It’s nice to get medicine three months after your diagnosis,”, Mono isn’t just one of Paul Westerberg’s better solo albums for the Angels’ Casey Kotchman (above), who kvetches to the LA Times’ Bill Shaikin.
Kotchman, the Angels’ starting first baseman, batted .421 in spring training but .152 through May 9, when the team put him on the disabled list. In the interim, he said, he received intravenous fluids three times a week and used a hyperbaric chamber in what he called “individual efforts to help myself, because I wasn’t getting it here.”
He said he kept team trainers informed of those treatments. He also said he believed the Angels did not send him to specialists because he appeared to play well enough while tolerating the illness.
During the last two weeks, Kotchman said, he had 10 doctor’s appointments, including visits to a cardiologist and an infectious-disease specialist, who prescribed the medication that he said has eased his fatigue and dizziness. He has yet to resume baseball activities, as he concentrates on regaining his strength. He expects to return this season, but he isn’t sure when — or why his recovery should have taken so long.
“I’m just now seeing a specialist. They’re the ones who told me I had mono,” he said. “You guys make your own [conclusions]…. If you wait to treat something, it might take longer, and you might have relapses.
“I just want to get my health back. My quality of life has been brutal.”
The Royals have offered the job of general manager to Braves assistant Dayton Moore but are ready to move on to other candidates if the two sides can’t reach agreement by this weekend.
The only major hang-up to an agreement, multiple sources have told The Star, is Moore’s demand that he receive written assurance of complete control over personnel matters from club owner David Glass.
If that proves to be a deal-breaker, the Royals appear ready to move into negotiations with former Phillies general manager Ed Wade and/or former Tigers and Padres general manager Randy Smith.
Neither Glass nor Moore could be reached for comment.
The negotiations have been ongoing even as Allard Baird continues to serve as the club’s general manager.
“When you’re getting photo-finished every day, there are ways and means of getting past that,” the first-year manager said before the Pirates played Houston in the opener of a 10-game homestand.
Nosing opponents at the wire hasn’t been part of his stable’s capabilities, what with three of his team’s past four losses and 14 of its past 18 coming by one run. Using a football metaphor as well as horse-racing parlance, Tracy added that it isn’t as if the Pirates are losing all these games by a touchdown. Coincidentally, through 47 games, the Pirates have scored 47 fewer runs than the competition — an average of a one-run loss per game.
Saying he doesn’t hit, field, throw or catch, Tracy laid the club’s National League worst record squarely at the players’ feet.
“Every … little … aspect of the game has to be important to you if you’re going to change the culture,” Tracy said slowly for emphasis.
Baylor and Texas Tech are tied at 1 after four innings in the Big 12 Tournament. To say the game is sparsely attended would be a bit of an understatement — I think there are more people watching it on TV here at Chez CSTB. I’m also fairly certain a couple of guys sitting in the grandstand along the first base line are conducting a drug deal of some sort.
This moment to savour came in yet another film about Mr Posh (David Beckham: A Footballer’s Story, ITV1, Tuesday). They were driving home after a Real Madrid game and he was talking about the travails and vicissitudes of celebrity (no, he didn’t actually use those words), when Mrs Posh piped up from the back. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” she told hubby, adding her own rider: “It’s nearly killed you a few times.”
Not even old Wilhelm Friedrich himself would have made such an imaginative leap ( but then he did die from syphilis, or a brain tumour, depending on who you believe). But what’s next from Philosopher Spice? “God is dead – but Prada lives”? “Whereof we cannot speak thereof we must pass over in silence – so I ain’t never gonna say nuffink else about Jordan, Jodie or Sir Alex bloody Ferguson”? “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in Gucci loafers”? Answers on the back of a microdot, please.
