04.30.07
Music Video In The Pre-Nigel Dick Era
The Embarrassment, “I’m A Don Juan”, link swiped from Failed Pilot.
Lucchino Was Right : Evil Empire, al Qaeda Link Confirmed
“Just because your team signs Carl Pavano, Jared Wright, and has the 2nd best shortstop in New York doesn’t mean you have to go and prove George W Bush right about…. something or other. Get a grip, your team could be starting Chan Ho Park voluntarily!” writes Marc Perlman, who provides a link to the following CNN report.
(surely someone possesses the photoshop skillz in order to place a Yankee cap atop his head?)
An American computer programmer who later became an FBI informant told a British court during 17 days of testimony that he ran training camps in Pakistan for Islamic militants and nurtured a generation of homegrown British terrorists.
Mohammed Junaid Babar’s testimony in the yearlong trial of five men convicted Monday of a plot to bomb targets in London revealed how disaffected Britons were trained for terrorism in Pakistan, where many have family ties.
A naturalized American from Pakistan, Babar was an associate of the ringleader of the deadly July 7, 2005, transit attack in London, the fertilizer bomb plotters and a group who cased Britain’s luxury hotels and targets on Wall Street, law enforcement officials said.Babar pleaded guilty in the United States in 2004 to smuggling money and military supplies to a senior al Qaeda figure and awaits sentencing.
The slightly built Yankees fan from Queens described how he mingled with radicals from the fall of 2001, when he quit a job as a computer programmer and left New York for Lahore — saying he was radicalized by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
Babar’s house and office in Lahore became a magnet for young militants — an outpost of Britain’s al-Muhajiroun militant Islamic group that was banned by British authorities after members praised the September 11 attacks.
His home was also a virtual armory: A kitchen spice rack was packed with jars of chemicals, and aluminum powder and fertilizer for making bombs were stuffed in a bedroom cupboard.
The backyard was a makeshift firing range, Babar testified. Buried close by was a cache of AK-47 rifles, grenades and ammunition.
I don’t wanna come off all hawkish or anything, but based on the above information, it seems to me the administration would be fully justified — as much as ever, anway — to commence bombing the Bronx.
Suffering At Shea : Fish Pounding Park
At the risk of stating the incredibly obvious, even Jose Lima thinks Chan Ho Park was ill-qualified to get the start Monday night.
El Duqe and The ‘Stache were each placed on the 15 Day DL earlier today, while Braves closer Bob Wickman went on the disabled list with an upper back injury. Wickman blew a pair of saves against the Rockies over the weekend, then suffered the indignity of being mistaken for Todd Jones at a nearby bathhouse. Unless that wasn’t actually Wickman, either (it was kind of steamy, sorry).
Cincinnati have announced plans to retire Davey Concepcion’s no. 13 during a July 28 ceremony. The club have neither confirmed, nor denied that Death Wish will provide the evening’s pregame entertainment by covering Das Damen’s ‘Triskaidekaphobia’ in its entiriety.
Marion: Fourth Best Defender, Hands Down
You may remember the Suns’ Shawn Marion — he of the inferiority complex — saying after a win over Dallas that he was “Defensive Player of the Year, hands down.”
Well, not only did the Matrix finish fourth in that category, he didn’t even make All-Defensive team … or second team. But here’s the real burner: Teammate Raja Bell made first team. That’s gotta sting.
Says Marion in The Arizona Republic:
“It’s all right,” Marion said. “I’m just going to keep doing what I do.”
Which means more grousing about being underappreciated. Wouldn’t be surprised for the annual Marion trade rumors to crop up, and possibly even Matrix requesting a deal. Like Joe Johnson before him, Marion wants to be The Man. Would Bryan Colangelo try to reunite with him in Toronto? Or maybe the Grizzlies, if they go after Suns assistant Marc Iavaroni for their head coaching job?
Marchman : Yanks’ Crappy April Par For The Course
George Steinbrenner offered moderate support for Brian Cashman and Joe Torre today, but with all due respect to the Boss (and Howard Rubenstein), the owner could’ve done worse than merely forward today’s New York Sun column by Tim Marchman (thanks to Sam Frank for the link).
There are, perhaps, more ridiculous spectacles to be found in New York than the annual orgy of fretting that takes place among Yankees fans in late April. Full to the brim with cultists, angst-ridden teenagers, the idle rich, fashion designers, bad novelists, drug enthusiasts, diplomats, and actors, among others, the city offers up many preposterous scenes. Few, though, can compete with the frenzy that overtakes rational, educated people at this time of year, faced with standings offering proof that the Yankees have not managed to win their customary 95 games by the end of the baseball season’s first month.
‘m highly impressed overall by the way the Yankees have played lately. They lost four of their top six starters to fluke injuries, and a fifth opened the season in a technical funk so bad he had to be yanked from the rotation. Their left fielder, their center fielder, and their catcher, all among the most durable players in baseball, have all been injured. Given all that, a 9–14 record isn’t something of which they should be ashamed, it’s something of which they should be proud. And when you consider that the Yankees have actually outscored their opponents (and, in fact, scored more runs than any team in baseball), meaning that their record doesn’t even really reflect how well this crippled team has played, any tendency toward hysteria is shown to be all the more outlandish.
I don’t think Torre should have come into this season as the Yankees’ manager, for a variety of reasons, but I defy anyone to explain what new information would make firing the man a sensible reaction to a bad, injury-riddled start to the season. The only real points against him are that Bobby Abreu has apparently read the Roberto Alomar handbook on bunting in RBI situations (not that big a deal, really), and that he’s overworking the bullpen. There isn’t, of course, a manager who’s ever lived who wouldn’t do so with seven of his top eight starters either hurt or ineffective, and Torre has been overworking the bullpen for years without anyone caring. But this is the sort of point that people latch onto when they want to see something — anything! — done, and when they want someone to blame.
Chicago Station Limits Salisbury Airtime…
…despite the fact you can’t see his penis on the radio. From ESPN 1000 in Chicago :
Sean Salisbury, co-host of Salisbury & Rosenbloom, which previously aired in the morning slot, will increase his national ESPN Radio network responsibilities, continue his ESPN TV NFL analysis, and play a role in ESPN 1000’s pre-game Bears coverage and contribute to various shows during the season. In the immediate future, he will take time off from local radio to tend to family matters.
Senior VP, ESPN Radio Traug Keller said, ‘Sean is already a valuable contributor on the ESPN Radio network, and now his increased national role will help us further satisfy our listeners across the country who are constantly clamoring for all things football.’
Writes Hot Shit College Student, supplier of the above item, “Salisbury and Rosenbloom was probably the most fucked radio I’ve ever heard. I welcome the breezy homerism offered by Tom Waddle and former Mariotti stooge, Marc Silverman. It beats Colin Cowherd.”
04.29.07
Vescey : The Mavs Are Decomposing
Though the day’s big hoops story is unquestionably the defending champs’ first round exit at the hands of Da Bulls, we’ll go back in time about 24 hours, in which the New York Post’s Peter Vescey previews Game 4 of the Mavs/Warriors series with some harsh words about Friday’s debacle, to wit, “never has a team that’s won so many games (67) surrendered so unconditionally (Game 3) and decomposed so rapidly from jump street.”
The Warriors should be brought up on charges of identity theft; the Mavs’ minds are messed up, cuz. Heads are hanging. Eyes are glazed. Feet are frozen. Focus is adrift. They’re folding to pressure on the free-throw line long before the shots become must makes. Nobody scored a single point Friday that remotely mattered, that’s how quickly Dallas was out of it.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are running a full-court layup line. Mav-wrecks are allowing opponents to beat them down court and off the dribble. Effortlessly! Off half-court sets, no less! How can you let your man blow by continually when you know your “Help!” isn’t quick enough to react!?
Where’s the Mavs’ energy? Where’s the rage? Where’s the pride? Where’s the basketball HiQ? They say they hate losing. Prove it! The most anger they showed Friday was directed at the refs.
Yesterday, Avery Johnson had his players studying film early in the a.m. before going to practice for three hours. You didn’t have to be there to know the No. 1 topic of conversation was transition defense. In order to regain their confidence and take control of the series (yes, one lousy win in Oakland might be enough to do it) it’s imperative for the Mavs to retard the pace today and slice the Warriors’ fast-break points roughly in half from an indefensible 40 in Game 3.
How is that done? Open up the middle and honor spacing. Attack off pick-and-rolls and pull up for simple springers instead of risking charges. Set picks to free scorers and get to the welfare line like in Game 2.
The Boston Globe’s Shira Springer correctly points out that setting Sebastian Telfair’s contract on fire will not absolve the Celtics of their obligations towards the point guard…but threatening to do so effectively killed Telfair’s already low-value on the open market.
Following the arrest and subsequent remarks from Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck that Telfair had played his last game in a Boston uniform, a league source said the one-for-one deals had evaporated, leaving executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge with little bargaining leverage.
The best deals always dry up when players and teams reach a point of no return. Just ask the 76ers, who had Allen Iverson then Chris Webber dangling, or the Pacers, who knew Ron Artest needed a new home long before he found one.
Ainge basically has two viable options: pursue a multi-player package deal or waive Telfair. The good news for Danny Ainge is that several teams expressed interest in Telfair after Grousbeck’s comments sparked false reports that the point guard had been released.
If you’re thinking the Celtics could nullify Telfair’s contract, don’t bank on it. Historically, nullifying a contract is never easy and never absolves a team entirely from financial obligation. The Vin Baker saga is well-known to fans in these parts, but don’t forget about the Raptors and Nate Huffman or the Warriors and Latrell Sprewell.
Australia Claims The World Cup. Or So We’re Told
(Adam Gilchrist, right, before the sun went down)
Did you have trouble seeing the conclusion of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup? You’re not alone. Though somewhat redeemed by Adam Gilchrist’s stunning 149 off 104 balls, Australia’s 53 run victory over Sri Lanka Saturday under the Duckworth-Lewis Method is unlikely to be remembered fondly by neutrals. From the Times Online :
The final saw a chaotic finish in which Australia were forced to bowl the final three overs in near darkness. The teams had left the field for bad light and umpires wrongly ruled that if they did not return they would have to play out the remainder the following morning.
Jeff Crowe, the World Cup final referee, is hoping the “human error” which turned the end of the showpiece match into a farce does not amount to a resignation issue for him. Crowe admitted last night that the responsibility lay with him for the confusion which led to Australia beating Sri Lanka and celebrating their third successive Cup crown twice over.
Crowe reported that the voices of both on-field umpires Steve Bucknor and Aleem Dar – as well as third official Rudi Koertzen and even the fourth, Billy Bowden – were heard before players from both teams were mistakenly informed that if they did not return from a break for bad light to play three remaining overs they would have to resume on the reserve day instead. Because 20 overs of the second innings had already been completed, the match was over – with no need or provision for using the second day.
With near darkness fast gathering, Sri Lanka – who eventually lost by 53 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis system – had already accepted there was no longer any way they could win. Captains Ricky Ponting and Mahela Jayawardene therefore agreed to bowl only slow bowlers and pat back the ball, before Australia were declared winners for a second and final time.
After a presentation ceremony in which a full-house crowd booed match and ICC officials for their perceived part in such an unsatisfactory ending, Crowe did not seek to explain away his and his colleagues’ errors. “I’m very embarrassed for the playing control team, it’s our mistake,” he said. “These circumstances are very difficult, and it is a bit of a crisis.
“We hope we can learn from this mistake and get it right. They are quite confusing issues to get right, but what we must make sure we do is look at the black print which says the game is over when the 20 overs have been completed. We got our minds clouded over that whole simple issue. It was some voices reiterating when the end of the match was, that tomorrow was the way forward – and that was incorrect.”
John Maine – The Greatest Human Alive Or Merely The NL’s Most Surprising Success Story?
Hey, why not both? Acquired for the mere price of Mr. Anna Benson, Mets starter John Maine ran his record to 4-0 today, scattering 3 hits and striking out 8 over 7 IP in a 1-0 defeat of Washington. New York’s margin of victory was provided by a solo Carlos Beltran HR off luckless Nats starter Jason Bergmann.
Getting Paid To Watch’s Bob Sikes, a Mets clubhouse fixture himself during the 1980’s in his role as assistant trainer, assures us “its not fair to assume members of the great Mets teams of the 80’s were involved” with alleged steroid supplier Kirk Radomski.
In 1985, Kirk would have been about 15 and wasn’t one of the kids who was around at spring training then, but I believe was later full-time as the decade progressed.
He was never a member of official staff at any level. He wasn’t a trainer, a strength coach or probably recognized as an equipment mannager. He probably was paid an hourly wage as an attendant and maybe some from Charlie Samuals out of his tips.
I cannot speak with any degree of certainty beyond the 1991 season as I was dismissed in October of that year after the season. What I am certain of sharing though is a few things. During my time there from 1985 through the end on the 1991 season Radomski had nothing at all to do with providing niether training nor care for any New York Mets player or assisted any member of the Mets medical staff in any manner of any real consequence.
On slightly more ‘fess-up tip, if you’re looking for confirmation The Drugs Don’t Work, look no further than the Flushing tenure of Brian McRae. Though he didn’t take any, of course. Turk Wendell told ESPN The Magazine, “On the Mets, you were definetly an outcast if you didn’t take amphetamines.” Or if your name was Gregg Jefferies.
New England Acquires Moss…
…and if this doesn’t mean that Pat Patriot needs a new look, at the very least it should guarantee an even lower level of rhetoric on WEEI once the baseball season ends. From the Boston Globe’s Mike Reiss.
In a stunning move, the Patriots traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Raiders for controversial wide receiver Randy Moss (above) today.
Trade discussions picked up after the first day of the NFL draft and continued into this morning. The Patriots have tentatively scheduled a conference call with Moss for later today.
The fourth-round pick traded to the Raiders had been acquired on Saturday from the 49ers. The Patriots traded their 2007 first-round pick (28th overall) to the 49ers for a 2008 first-round pick and 2007 fourth-round pick (110th).
Moss is currently in New England undergoing a physical. He has agreed to restructure and/or extend his contract to consummate the deal. He is due base salaries of $9.25 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Moss enters his 10th NFL season after having played for the Vikings (1998-2004) and Raiders (2005-2006). He had a career-low 42 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns last season as the Raiders struggled to a 2-14 record, and is said to be motivated to join a winning program.
The acquisition of Moss continues the team’s offseason makeover at the position. The Patriots traded for Wes Welker and signed Donte’ Stallworth and Kelley Washington in free agency.
Cards’ Hancock, Dead At 29
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bill Bryan.
Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock was killed early Sunday in an accident on Highway 40 (Interstate 64), just east of Compton Avenue, authorities said.
Hancock’s Ford Explorer slammed into the rear of a tow truck that was parked in the far left westbound lane shortly after 12:30 a.m. The tow truck driver, who was seated in the vehicle at the time, was unhurt.
He told police that his emergency lights were on, and that he honked his horn when he saw the Explorer approaching in his rear view mirror, but that the Explorer didn’t slow down or swerve to avoid the collision.
At the time of the accident, the tow truck driver was assisting a motorist from an earlier accident.
Hancock, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner’s office said Sunday morning that an autopsy had been scheduled.
The Cardinals released a statement confirming Hancock’s death, and will make another statement at 3 p.m. at Busch Stadium.
Their home game game tonight against the Chicago Cubs has been called off and will be played later this season. A new date has not been set.
04.28.07
Scarier Than Troy McClure : The Sick Sexual Practices Of Chris Duncan
Bad enough for the Cards that the roof caved in on Adam Wainright in the Cubs’ 7 run 5th inning today. Discouraging enough for St. Louis that Carlos Zambrano (1 earned run, 7 hits, no walks, 7 IP) had his most solid outing of the season earlier today. But if Chris Duncan insists on fucking electrical sockets in the walls of Nuevo Busch, surely a national TV audience shouldn’t have to witness it?
Sharp : Millen’s A Moron
With Detroit needing to fill more holes than one wide receiver — even a world class talent like Calvin Johnson —- can possibly compensate for — the Free Press’ Drew Sharp scoffs at Lions GM Matt Millen not dealing the 2nd overall pick, asking is it any wonder that they remain annual participants in the NFL draft’s top 10?”
There’s nothing wrong with standing firm with the hope of getting maximum value for the second pick overall, but you can’t be stubborn enough to walk away from what might be a very good offer simply because you’re demanding a proposal that blows your socks off.
The Lions blew it again.
“You can scoff at it if you like,” Millen told reporters about his decision to keep Johnson.
Perhaps those words were another smokescreen, and if you’re a Lions sap, you had better hope so, because despite his extraordinarily high potential, Johnson is most valuable to the Lions for the extra early-round draft picks – and extra bodies – he potentially brings.
He’s got freakish athleticism and was generally considered the highest rated talent in the draft. But he’s still a wide receiver.
This should have been Millen-proof.
The word there was “should.”
Deadspin Colleagues In Rapture Over Sliding Quinn
As QB Brady Quinn hasn’t been selected within the first 15 overall picks (Cleveland throwing a slight, Charlie Frye-loving curve with the choice of Wisconsin LT Joe Thomas, above, at no. 3), at least one panel of esteemed observers seems a little too pleased with the Notre Dame product’s excessive face time. From Gawker.com :
Millions of Americans are crowding around the TV or at least occasionally glancing up from their mugs at the bar to check out the NFL Draft today. Although this seven-round yawnfest mostly features at best reluctant teams picking talent that seems the least likely to implode under animal-abuse charges, colossal fan expectations, and the cold-hearted business features of the NFL, there’s occasionally reason to watch. Take, for instance, hunky first rounder Brady Quinn of Notre Dame, who has sports fans licking the hot sauce and blue cheese from their chops every time he drops another position.
According to sources who actually have cable, ESPN’s cameras are zoning in on the uncomfortable Quinn, who is doing such things as adjusting his tie, loosening his tie, and playing with his tie in nervous anticipation. The thick/pretty piece of manmeat is jittering like an Eskimo without a parka, and the colossal plummet is schadenfreudelicious.
RB Marshawn Lynch (Cal), is displayed above, in cliptastic form. Buffalo selected Lynch at no. 12 in the first round — O.J. Simpson, while probably not unavailable for comment, probably wasn’t consulted, either.
King : Torre’s On Thin Ice
I don’t often find myself feeling sympathy for Yankee fans, but when the New York Post follows Jon Heyman’s claim that James Dolan is keen to purchase the ballclub with the above front cover, even an avowed Highlander Hater becomes queasy. And if we’re to believe the Post’s George King, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera being knocked around by the Red Sox last night could well portend the end of Joe Torre’s long tenure in the Bronx.
Yesterday, the word out of Tampa was that Steinbrenner “was very displeased” about the way his high-priced stable of talent is underachieving and was thinking about a change.
Could Torre, who is in the final year of his contract, really be fired before April is finished? Is Torre the reason the starting rotation has melted in the first month and put an alarming workload on the bullpen? Is it Torre’s fault the lineup, so potent through 19 games, has gone 20 innings without an extra-base hit?
If Steinbrenner and the voices he is listening to believe the answers are “yes,” and if the Yankees get swept this weekend by the Red Sox, it’s not out of the realm of the possibility that The Boss could make a change.
Bench coach Don Mattingly and former Yankees catcher Joe Girardi are the names you hear when potential replacements for Torre are mentioned. Working in Girardi’s favor is that he has a year of managing experience. Mattingly was moved from hitting coach to bench coach to be groomed as Torre’s successor.
They’re ‘Tarded In Toledo : Choo Booed Over VT Massacre
From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s Paul Hoynes (link swiped from Baseball Think Factory)
Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, promoted to the big leagues Monday by the Indians, has heard boos before.Last week, the boos took on a disturbing tone. When Class AAA Buffalo, the Indians’ top farm club, played in Toledo, fans apparently associated him with Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech senior who killed 32 of his schoolmates before killing himself April 16.
“Some fans said bad things,” said Choo before Monday’s game. “It’s pretty close to my name. My name is spelled Choo, and his name is Cho.”
When asked what the fans were saying, Choo wouldn’t say. “It upset me when a couple of fans talked like that,” he said.Choo and Cho are from South Korea.
Smart Aleck : Russell’s Gonna Be A Bust
As reports are issued, then refuted that Oakland has opted to selected LSU QB Jamarcus Russell with the no. 1 overall pick in today’s NFL Draft, at least one loyal Brady Quinn supporter insists that Russell is “a fraud” and “the next Ryan Leaf.” Have fun picking apart the following, authored by 411mania’s Ian Smart.
Six months ago if I had told you that the Raiders were going to take Russell, you would disregard everything else I wrote. No one thought Russell should go in the first round when the season began, or even half way through the season. Russell shot up the draft boards after the Sugar Bowl when LSU went head-to-head with Notre Dame and won.
This raises the question of why was Russell not considered a first round talent in October or November? The answer is that he wasn’t worthy of such lofty status, and he still isn’t. Russell finished the season throwing 28 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, rendering him less productive than Quinn in either of his last two seasons. Quinn threw 37 touchdowns and 7 interceptions as a Senior and 32 Touchdowns and 7 interceptions as a Junior.
Russell’s big selling point is not his stats, it is his physical attributes. By now everyone knows that Russell has a cannon of an arm, maybe the best that anyone has ever seen, but how useful is his cannon? How much is just overkill? Apparently Russell can throw inhuman lengths on his knees and posterior, and I will be the first to say that those are impressive feats of strength, but when are they utilized in a game?
If Russell is on his knees, chances are he is being sacked and can therefore not throw, but let’s say he slips and he is on his butt, do you want him to attempt to hit a receiver forty yards down the field? One that he cannot see because of the linemen in the way. Even if you just want to take these accomplishments as a sign of his strength, and not a practical tool, at a certain point arm strength is irrelevant. Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer and Marc Bulger cannot throw as far of Russell, but they are Pro Bowl Quarterbacks. Brady Quinn can throw the ball 70-80 yards from his feet – the only time you should throw a ball that far- so arm strength is irrelevant in the comparison between the two Quarterbacks. There is no throw that Russell can make that Quinn cannot. Russell’s ability to throw a ball threw a brick wall is useless in every facet of the game; it just makes for a good publicity stunt.
With about 90 minutes to go before the Draft begins, we might as congratulate the Lions in advance. Sooner or later, the whole picking a wide-receiver-every-year thing had to pay off, and it probably will this time.
After some disturbing chit chat (is there any other kind) between Dan Patrick and Peter King yesterday that involved the words “titanium plate”, there’s further scuttlebutt (courtesy of the Fanhouse’s Ryan Wilson) that OU RB Adrian Peterson might not play in 2007.
The Dallas Morning News’ Rick Gosselin tips the Cowboys to select Texas CB Aaron Ross with the 22nd overall pick. More importantly, Joe Benigno-Gazingo and Evan Roberts are overcome with emotion in reporting the Burger King has arrived at Radio City Music Hall.
04.27.07
CSTB’s Recent Lack Of NFL Coverage Explained
America’s Most Popular Sport has received scant coverage of late around these parts, and the reasons could be one or more of the following :
a) I’m dreading a Saturday morning in which the phrase “best athlete available” is uttered nearly 200 times.
b) I’m dreading a Saturday morning in which virtually every columnist and blogger is compelled to refer to Mel Kiper Jr.’s hair (ok, I’m in). Without displaying their own quiff, of course.
c) my requests for press credentials at the Draft were shot down. Who knew Stalking The Schwab would be so tough? Other than Jeff Jensen, I mean.
d) I’ve been busy making hotel and flight reservations for Super Bowl 50, taking place at Nuevo Wembley.
d) it’s hard to do anything properly after seeing this :
Inhuman Amusements At $2.2. Million A Year : Scott Pollard’s Crime Against Music
File this under Not Safe For People Who Can Hear. (link swiped from True Hoop)
The quote of the week award goes to the Warriors’ Stephen Jackson, who says of the Chuckster comparing him to Terrell Owens, “I don’t get in conflicts with people that don’t have championship rings. I’ve got one.” Wow. Who knew the car that ran Jackson down outside Club Rio was being driven by Red Auerbach?
With more than a full quarter to go in the Swamp, Jason Kidd already has a triple double, Vince Carter is putting on a clinic (the scoring at will kind, not the sort no one wants to go to), and the Nets lead the Raptors, 75-64.
Ex-Mets Batboy Prepares To Sing
A former New York Mets clubhouse employee pleaded guilty Friday to distributing steroids to major league players, and is cooperating with baseball’s steroids investigation.
Kirk Radomski, 37, admitted providing anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, Clenbuterol, amphetamines and other drugs to “dozens of current and former Major League Baseball players, and associates, on teams throughout Major League Baseball,” San Francisco U.S. Attorney Scott Schools said in a statement.
Radomski, who worked for the Mets from 1985-95, dealt human growth hormone, deca-durabolin and testosterone, among other drugs, the San Jose Mercury News reported, citing a search warrant affidavit. The warrant had some information blacked out, including what appeared to be players’ names.
According to that warrant, Radomski became a major source of drugs for baseball players after federal investigators shut down Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative in Burlingame.
The case is being handled by the same federal investigators who netted guilty pleas from BALCO founder Victor Conte and Barry Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson, among others.
As part of the plea deal, the Washington Post reported Radomski agreed to testify before any grand jury proceeding as requested by the government and participate in undercover activities.
The affidavit listed 23 checks worth more than $30,000 that federal investigators alleged were deposited by individuals associated with MLB into Radomski’s bank account between May 2003 and March 2005, the Post reported.
And SI.com reported cell phone numbers belonging to current and former MLB players already have been identified.
Howard Johnson, a Mets infielder in the 1980s and currently the team’s first-base coach, remembered Radomski.
“He was a clubhouse kid, one of several, one of the kids that were there,” Johnson said before the Mets played at Washington on Friday night.
Ramdowski, presumably not a Cam’ron fan, was certainly a fixture in Flushing for a long era and I for one am bracing myself for the inevitable day in which a small boy on the courthouse steps is heard to cry, “say it ain’t so, Bill Pecota, say it ain’t so!”
The 100% clean 2007 Mets are currently trailing the Nationals, 3-2, in the top of the 4th at RFK, courtest of a 3-run blast by Austin Kearns off Oliver Perez in the first inning. Shawn Green has a pair of hits, raising his average to .367, and further puncturing the hopes of dreams of Lastings Milledge, who was placed on the DL today after straining a ligament in his right foot at Triple-A New Orleans.
Kevin Youklis connected for a 2-run HR off Andy Pettitte in the 3rd inning tonight in the Bronx, spotting Daisuke Matzusaka and the Red Sox a 2-0 advantage. Such grim news for Yankee fans, however, pales in comparison to an item by Jon Heyman that raises the spectre of The Straight Shot’s J.D. purchasing the Bombers.
Your Wednesday Night Is All Figured Out
The Black + a northeastern interloper fond of songs about kitty kats and flying kites Idi Amin. It’s all going down at the Scoot Inn, 1308 E. 4th St., Austin, TX, next Wednesday, May 2 at 10pm. It’s free until 2am, at which point there’s no amount of money that will help you out.
Put A Sock In It : Schilling Can’t Leave Well Enough Alone
It’s not nearly enough for Curt Schilling that Gary Thorne (”an awesome hockey announcer”) has been exposed as less than credible, nor does no. 38 take much satisfaction in his October ‘04 heroics being recounted in the papers over and over again. Instead, while offering a one million dollar donation to charity(!) if anyone can prove his bloody sock wasn’t 4REAL, Boston’s foremost Everquest enthusiast / Republican Schill uses his 38 Pitches blog to tar much of the print and broadcast media with the same (bloody) brush.
Take Gary Thorne, John, Jack Joe or whatever his first name is, Heyman, Karen Vescey, Woody Paige, CHB, Jay Marriotti, Bill Plaschke, and a host of other people that litter the media landscape, and put them all on an island somewhere.Does anyone stop reading their newspapers? Watching the shows they appear on? The answer to that is no. Instead of using the forums they participate in to do something truly different, change lives, inspire people, you have an entire subset of media whose sole purpose in life is to actually be the news, instead of report it. They have little to no talent at what they do and other than a mastery of the English language their skill sets are non-existent.
Watching Woody Paige or the plastered made up face of Jay Marriotti spew absolutely nothing of merit on sports, day after day, makes it easy to understand how Gary Thorne could say something as stupid, ignorant, and uninformed as he did the other night.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, working in the media is a pretty nice gig. Barring outright plagiarism or committing a crime, you don’t have to be accountable if you don’t want to. You can say what you want when you want and you don’t really have to answer to anyone. You can always tell the bigger culprits by the fact you never see their faces in the clubhouse. Most of them are afraid to show themselves to the subjects they rail on everyday.
So Gary Thorne says that Doug told him the blood was fake. Which even when he’s called out he can’t admit he lied. Doug never told Gary Thorne anything. Gary Thorne overheard something and then misreported what he overheard. Not only did he misreport it, he misinterpreted what he misreported.
Without dismissing Schilling’s right to take umbrage at Thorne’s comments, this particular salvo at Masarroti, Page, Shaugnessey and Plaschke is pretty unsophisticated, even by Curt’s standards. Perhaps the quartet aren’t nearly as committed to “reporting the news” as Curt would like because they paid to express their opinions rather than merely provide the game story. Whether or not any of the above have much to offer in that regard, is another subject, but I think Schilling is missing the point here. If Thorne’s accusations were without evidence, he’s up shit creek and deservedly so (though again, this wouldn’t be the first time someone challenged Doug Mirabelli’s account of something). But that has little, if anything to do with print journalists who routinely mock Schilling’s egomania.
Mushnick On A Steamy Case Of Mistaken ID
There are so many things Phil Mushnick and I have in common. Beards. Devotion to our families. A deep appreciation for the Billy Joel canon. Judaism. But perhaps least surprising is that we’re each fans of David J. Halberstam’s “Sports On New York Radio : A Play By Play History”, a tome Phil calls “among the most relied upon books in my library.”
As you might imagine, the book’s author, a former Miami Heat broadcaster, probably fielded no shortage of calls this week upon the passing of Pulitzer winner David Halberstam (amazingly enough, writes Mushnick, a 5th cousin, as both men would later learn). And as Phil transcibes in Friday’s Post, such a mix-up could’ve once yielded some sexy results.
“Not that there should have ever been any confusion, not before, not now. For one thing, David was 73. I’m 55. And while we both had written sports books, I only wrote one.
“And he won a Pulitzer Prize. If I’d been the David Halberstam to win a Pulitzer, I’d have years ago made the distinction between the two of us very clear to everyone.
“I hate to have to think of David’s death in terms of what it means to me, about putting an end to a lot of confusion about our shared names. But, sadly, this should be the end of it.”
It was interesting while it lasted. Even the late David Halberstam, at dinner 18 months ago, told me that he’d occasionally be confused with David, the other.
There was always enough in the mix to mistake David Halberstam for David Halberstam.
David The Other, after all, is now the Executive VP of Westwood Radio Sports. Before that he was the radio voice of the Miami Heat, and before that the radio voice of St. John’s basketball, and before that the analyst on CUNY basketball radiocasts (Myron Rushetzky, the Post’s longtime City Desk traffic controller, was Halberstam’s stat man).
During the 1984-85 basketball season, Larry King’s USA Today column – those columns are still legendary for their colossally comical mistakes – noted that David Halberstam, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, was spending the winter calling St. John’s basketball games on WCBS radio.
And there was that night in 1977, when both Halberstams were single, and the phone rang in Halberstam The Other’s Manhattan apartment. “The woman’s voice on the other end was dreamy, the kind heard in a movie – ‘David, I just arrived in town, and I don’t have your address, and I so much want to see you.’
“That was a tough thing to do, telling her that I think she has the wrong David Halberstam.”
Attn : Philly Phans Who Enjoy Wallowing In Their Own Misery
…after yesterday’s 4-2 loss to the Nats, your tragic number stands at 32. (link courtesy Scott Comeau).
The Sultan Of Surly Has Fallen Out Of Favor With Angry, Drunk Georgians
From The Smoking Gun :
While there is never an excuse for getting drunk and breaking into a neighbor’s home, this Georgia arrestee did have a point last week with his drunken ramblings about Barry Bonds. William Smith, 21, allegedly forced his way into a Statesboro home and verbally threatened the elderly couple living there. The intoxicated Smith, who we’re guessing is a Hank Aaron/Atlanta Braves fan, was shouting, “Barry Bonds did not deserve to be the home run king” when police found him in the kitchen of a home at 7 Greenwood Lane, according to an April 18 Statesboro Police Department report. Smith lives at 17 Greenwood Lane, so perhaps he thought pensioners Shafik and Nilofer Hashmi had broken into his house. Smith, a Georgia Southern University student, was booked into the Bulloch County jail and was charged with a felony burglary count.
In other Bonds musings, The Globe’s David Lefort considers the possibility of Barry breaking Hank Aaron’s home run mark when the Giants visit Fenway Park in mid June. Given the Sultan’s past statements about the city of Boston, this should no doubt inspire all sorts of deep, thoughtful discussion on WEEI.
Raissman : Thorne Was Bloody Irresponsible
“Gary Thorne once said ‘I hate’ when broadcasters become part of the story. He should have thought about those words before he opened his mouth on Wednesday night,” scolds a bemused Bob Raissman in Friday’s New York Daily News.
Even an opinionated voice like Gary Thorne (above) gave the appearance he knew when to hold back, when to put limits on what a broadcaster says during a baseball telecast. He offered evidence of his apparent awareness back in August 2002, when – on a Ch.11 Mets game – he informed viewers what the final telecast of his career would be like.
“It’s going to be a game where you say all the things you wanted to say all those years,” Thorne said almost five years ago. “All the things that will get you fired. All the things fans are thinking, the players are thinking, but we’re not allowed to say because we’ve got to protect somebody’s behind.”
One did not have to ask Sherwin-Williams to know, even back in 2002, that Thorne had already broadcast many games as if they were his last. Wednesday’s was just another one of them. His “paint” comment was neither opinion nor analysis. Thorne threw the line out there as if it were fact, without going to Schilling – or someone in the Red Sox organization – for a response. This was totally irresponsible.
Yesterday, Thorne did what he should have done Wednesday. He went to Doug Mirabelli, the “source” of his story, and concluded the Red Sox catcher had been just jiving him. “I took it as something serious,” Thorne told The AP, “and it wasn’t.”
Still, you must wonder how Thorne, an attorney who once was an assitant DA, could be duped. Or maybe he’s now buying Mirabelli’s explanation just to get out of this mess. For while delivering his accusation on Wednesday evening, Thorne certainly did not protect Mirabelli’s “behind”.
One TV baseball producer who has worked with Thorne was puzzled over how the play-by-play man handled the situation.
“Why do you think we have production meetings (before every game)? If a broadcaster is going to present a story as big as this, everyone (involved in the production) should be on the same page,” the producer said. “You have to go to the other side and, at the least, you would like to have video of Schilling and the (bloody) sock ready to roll.”
Anyone who followed Thorne’s 12 seasons behind Mets radio and TV microphones should not be stunned by what went down in Baltimore on Wednesday night. His delivery has always been fearless, spontaneous and, sometimes, reckless. These are the qualities that always have made Thorne a compelling listen. They are also the very qualities that have dipped him in controversy.
In September 2002, during a Mets-Phillies telecast, Thorne said there were “some real problems” between then-manager Bobby Valentine and his players. “There are a lot of guys down there (in the dugout) who don’t like him (Valentine). They don’t like playing for him. And if there has ever been a Teflon manager, he’s it. Nothing seems to stick. He’s never responsible for anything.”
Valentine basically called Thorne a liar. “How the heck does he know,” Valentine said at the time. “He’s never in our clubhouse.”
How Many Yuan Can You Fine A Player For Wearing A Wifebeater?
Baron Davis, Tim Duncan, take note of the following from Reuters :
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) suspended Xiamen Lanshi defender Gabriel Melkam (above) for three matches and fined him 5,000 yuan ($650) for wearing a vest emblazoned with “Chinese umpires are all fakes”.
On Sunday, the Nigerian import stripped off his team uniform after a 0-0 draw against Chinese Super League (CSL) side Henan Jianye, revealing the undershirt to journalists before a post-match press conference, local media reports said.
“Xiamen No. 4 Melkam displayed serious unsportsmanlike behaviour, which harmed the league and brought a negative influence to bear on society,” the association said in a statement on its Web site.
Local media said Melkam’s act was in response to a referee blunder in the previous round that caused Xiamen to lose 1-0 to Shanghai Shenhua.
An injury-time goal was awarded to Shenhua striker Sergio Blanco, who League officials later conceded was off-side.
Melkam’s punishment was light as he had admitted his mistake and apologised to officials, the reports said.
Guitar Zero : Zumaya Contrite Over Tantrum
From the Detroit Free Press’ Jon Paul Morosi.
On Wednesday night, minutes after walking four batters and hitting another in a disastrous ninth inning, Joel Zumaya sat at his locker, chair turned inward. He stared straight ahead, and did not speak with reporters.
One day later, he left little unsaid.
Zumaya stood at the same locker and answered questions for 12 minutes, before the team departed following the postponement of today’s game with the White Sox.
Zumaya repeatedly scolded himself, both for his performance – the lack of command led to two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning – and his conduct toward Mark Wegner, the home plate umpire.
Zumaya admitted to “getting real bigheaded about myself,” said his concentration was “someplace else,” and acknowledged that he yelled at Wegner “quite a few times” about his strike zone.
“I’m a humble person,” Zumaya said. “Last night, I was not humble. Last night, I was just being a jackass.”
At one point, Zumaya said, “That was embarrassing for me. That was embarrassing for Detroit.”
Zumaya vowed that he would never behave that way again.
“My apologies go to the umpire,” Zumaya said. “I actually wanted to talk to him, tell him, ‘That’s not me,’ and (ask) if he could forgive me for disrespecting him like that.
“I yelled at him quite a few times, and that’s probably why the zone got really tight on me.”
El Barto (11 K’s) was just as impressive in his 2nd start of ‘07 as he was in his first last Saturday ; the Halos beat Seattle yesterday, 11-3 , as Vlad Guerrrero clobbered his 6th HR of the year, a two-run shot off former Met Jae Seo. Gary Matthews had 3 hits, but more importantly, did so without Arte Moreno asking him to pee in a cup.
04.26.07
The Vlade Divac Of Soccer?
Apologies for my negligence in not mentioning
a) the passing of Alan Ball,
b) Manchester United and Chelsea winning their Champions League semi-final first leg encounters with AC Milan and Liverpool, respectively.
c) Jose Mourinho as the meat in a McMahon sandwich, or
d) Fan Appreciation Week at Old Trafford
I don’t suppose this will make it up to you :
Gob The Leafs Fan : Fuck The Canucks
Bad enough for the Vancouver Canucks they were victimized last night by an Andy McDonald hat trick in a 5-1 Game One loss to Anaheim. Today, they learn from The Hockey News’ guest editorialist / Toronto fan Will Arnett, that they’re beneath contempt.
I have lots of buddies in the States who are from different parts of Canada. As such, they’re not all Leafs fans. One friend is from Vancouver, and he hates the Leafs.
He went to the University of Western Ontario and says he loved it there. Except for all the Leafs fans. He thinks we’re all so pompous and to me, that’s hilarious, because our team hasn’t won anything in 40 years.
I think what bothers him the most is the fact I don’t hate the Canucks. It makes him crazy, because he thinks I’m not giving his team the proper respect. I’ll agree with him on a lot of things – “Yeah dude, you’re right, the Sedins sure do play well together; Roberto Luongo should definitely be up for MVP,” – and he gets incensed. He’s like, “You should hate them!” And I say, “Nah, they’re not really my rivals.”
Sometimes people ask me about doing a movie where I’m actually playing hockey on the ice, rather than “Blades of Glory”, where I’m skating around in frilly, completely ridiculous costumes.
I’d love to. I know there’s another “Slap Shot” floating around Hollywood. They want to remake it, but that’s a tough sell for me. It was so great, so iconic, I don’t know how you’d improve on it.
Here’s a hint : try not to cast Stephen Baldwin or Gary Busey.
“Respect me or trade me” doesn’t have the same resonance as “play me or trade me”, but I’d be way out of place giving Alexi Kovalev any career advice. Though I do remember many evening spent yelling “pass the fucking puck, already” as loudly as possible, once upon a time.
Larry Hughes’ Busy Weekend
You don’t need to tell me how difficult it is to juggle party promotion with all sorts of lesser distractions. So with that in mind, salutations to Cleveland’s Larry Hughes, a man unwilling to let the playoffs stop him from keeping it unreal (posters swiped from Deuce Of Davenport).
FX’s Transsexual Sportswriter Drama
The following item appeared in the Advocate last September, and was brought to the attention of Boing Boing earlier today after the Christine Daniels story began circulating. Surely I am not the only person who thinks this could be the big career break Zach Selwyn has been waiting for?
Ryan Murphy, out creator of FX’s Nip/Tuck, has made a deal with the network for a second show, which will follow the metamorphosis of a married sportswriter who is a transsexual, reports Daily Variety. The show is titled 4 oz., named for the average weight of the human penis.
“The first season deals with the revelation of his secret,” Murphy said. “In the second season, he begins dressing like a woman. The third covers the surgery and his inherent doubts about going through with it, and by the fourth season he’s living as a woman and attempting to find love.”
Murphy has begun writing the pilot and hopes to shoot early next year. A spokesman for FX told The Advocate that they are aiming for a fall 2007 premiere. The five-season arc for the series will also focus on the character’s teenage sons.
The gentleman above was unavailable for comment.
Mariotti : Abusive Dusty Doomed Prior
“Even Jay Mariotti finds a truffle now and then,” writes Tim Midgett, and while the former is a usually a matter of mockery around these parts, he’s right on the money in asking “why did it take until this week, after so many disabled-list visits and so much hocus-pocus medical guesswork, to diagnose that Mark Prior had more loose junk in his pitching shoulder than a pawn-shop owner at a flea market?”. From Wednesday’s Chicago Sun-Times.
We’ve known for at least two years that something was terribly wrong with Prior’s arm. Last fall, the renowned surgeon James Andrews found looseness in his shoulder joints. The Cubs said it was a genetic condition that didn’t demand immediate surgery, allowing Prior to report to spring training and endure a miserable pitching experience despite two DL trips last season, one for a right subscapularis strain. Which only raises eyebrows when Andrews finally ends the mystery and identifies the issues, performing a debridement of Prior’s rotator cuff Tuesday while repairing labral and capsular injuries in his shoulder.
All children can be excused from this column while I inform you that debridement, according to my dictionary, is the ‘’surgical excision of dead, devitalized or contaminated tissue and removal of foreign matter from a wound.” And just how long have these dead things been in Prior’s shoulder?
In retrospect, ‘03 will be recalled as the year Prior and Kerry Wood threw an insane number of pitches in September and October, as manager Dusty Baker smelled history in his first season. Anyone who subscribes to the ravaged-arms theory needs only this evidence. Starting Sept. 2 through his Game 7 loss to the Florida Marlins, these were Wood’s pitch counts: 120, 122, 114, 125, 122, 124, 117, 109, 112 — for a total of 1,065. Prior’s workload was more hideous, considering he was coming off a DL stint for a shoulder bruise after the collision with Giles. Starting Sept. 1, he threw 71 innings in six weeks, with these pitch counts: 131, 129, 110, 124, 131, 133, 133, 116, 119 — for a total of 1,126.
My arm hurts just thinking about it.
Baker and all of Cubdom were immersed in the hysteria of trying to end decades of misery. But at the time, many observers — including analyst Steve Stone, then a Cubs broadcaster — were alarmed at the high pitch counts and sounding warnings about future burnouts and breakdowns. Who could forget Game 2 of the NLCS, when Baker, armed with an 11-0 lead in the fifth, kept Prior in the game for 7 2/3 innings? The entire organization was motivated to end the curse … and what better way than placing the entire weight of 1908 on the power arms of Prior and Wood?
I’d like to reassure my friends in Houston their Astros will someday manage to win a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not today, mind you, but someday.
Here’s your Thursday Afternoon Mound Duel Alert : Royals 0, Twins 0, top of the 6th. Zack Greinke has allowed 4 hits and 3 walks, but escaped a jam in the 5th inning, intentionally walking Joe Mauer with first base open, then inducing Michael Cuddyer to fly out to center, stranding 3. Earlier, Torri Hunter was grazed in the face by Greinke, who presumably thought the former should’ve sprung for more than 4 bottles of bubbly.
Bartman Lookalike Given A Warm Wrigley Welcome
Noted thespian Michael Keaton was shown in the Cubs dugout yesterday, donning a Cubs cap and exchanging pleasantries with Aramis Ramirez, prior to throwing out the first pitch before a 9-3 defeat of Milwaukee.
That’s the same Michael Keaton, by the way, that threw out the first pitch for the Pirates’ Opening Day a year ago, and took the occasion to lecture Pittsburgh ownership on their lack of commitment to the club.
Marchman : David’s Gonna Be All Wright
(Vitamin Water’s spokesmodel, left, seeks hitting advice from a member of the New York Juggernaut)
Apologies to the New York Sun’s Tim Marchman, who not only deserves better than the terrible headline above, but also deserves credit for point out that despite hitting just .263 with zero HR’s in ‘07, the Mets’ David Wright is “drawing his walks, fouling off tough pitches in key at-bats, and hasn’t fallen into the habits of the truly afflicted hitter, like changing his stance every time he comes up to the plate or flailing at pitches he can’t possibly hit in an attempt to see if a break in routine will bring new results.”
The premise that Wright is in some sort of extended slump dating back to last year is, to begin with, just not true. Wright may have only hit six home runs in the second half last year, but his overall batting line was .305 BA/.375 OBA/.469 SLG, which is very good, and his batting line was only that low because he had a poor August, in which he hit .245/.313/.392. Wright may not have been hitting home runs, but he has a broad array of offensive strengths, and he was hitting for average, cracking doubles, drawing walks, and even running the bases well, stealing nine bags in 11 attempts. He is not mired in some sort of four-month slump dating back to last year. The reality is that he just didn’t hit many home runs in the second half last year, and he’s in a slump to open this year — two separate phenomena.Even granting this, it’s unusual for a hitter with his power to go this long without a home run, one might reason, and something must therefore be wrong. This makes enough sense, but it’s completely untrue. At the end of the Mets’ game yesterday, Wright stood in the fine company of Mark Teixeira and Alfonso Soriano, both of whom have much more home run power than he does, and neither of whom has knocked one out of the park. Derrek Lee got his first yesterday. Wright may not even be the best young third baseman in his own division to have opened the year short on power— Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman had a big zero next to his name on the scoreboard for this year’s first 18 games.
If that doesn’t ease your mind at all, consider that Travis Hafner and David Ortiz, arguably the two best pure power hitters in baseball over the last few years, have each endured similar season-opening slumps recently. Hafner went 19 games without a bomb in 2005, and Ortiz went 24 without one in 2003; each ended up ranking third in his league in slugging average that year. And if these examples still don’t allay your fears, consider this. I looked at every seasonopening streak of at least 19 games without a home run that took place this decade, using www.baseball-reference.com’sexcellent data-slicing tools and found not one example of a previously well-regarded power hitter who went through such a streak and subsequently proved to have simply lost his power stroke.
None of this means that Wright will simply snap out of it, of course. He may have been affected by a mysterious, power-sapping virus let loose by Braves fans working at Atlanta’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The big contract he signed last year may have robbed him of his desire. Who knows? Precedent, though, suggests that he’s simply cold, as happens to all ballplayers, and that given enough time his skills and talents will assert themselves and all will be well.
After Mike Pelfrey took it on the chin from the Rockies yesterday, Metsradamus strongly advises against a demotion.
So is Mike Pelfrey in over his head? Maybe. But why send him back to the minors now? There’s nothing for Pelfrey to be gained by going back to New Orleans and dominating AAA hitters and having people wonder if he’s just a quadruple A pitcher. No, let him learn and take his lumps up in the majors. Besides, who else can come up? Chan Ho Park and his 7.00 ERA while facing minor league hitters? Hardly.
Pelfrey will be fine. I don’t know when, but under the tutelage and possible butt kicking of Rick Peterson, he’ll be fine. Until then, we may have to see Pelfrey play Charlie Brown for a little while until he learns how to spot his fast ball. Rick Peterson would probably say that Pelfrey is like a chicken that comes out of the oven all crispy on the outside so you think it’s done, but then you slice it open and it’s all pink and cold in the middle. Pelfrey would be better served to broil up in the majors instead of going down to the microwave oven known as AAA for a quick fix.
Big Changes In Store For LA Times’ Penner
Mike Penner, a 23 year veteran of the Los Angeles Times’ sports department is going on vacation for a few weeks. Upon the journalist’s return, his byline will read “Christine Daniels”.
For more years than I care to count, I was scared to death over the prospect of writing a story such as this one. It was the most frightening of all the towering mountains of fear I somehow had to confront and struggle to scale.
How do you go about sharing your most important truth, one you spent a lifetime trying to keep deeply buried, to a world that has grown familiar and comfortable with your façade?
To a world whose knowledge of transsexuals usually begins and ends with Jerry Springer’s exploitation circus?
Painfully and reluctantly, I began the coming-out process a few months ago. To my everlasting amazement, friends and colleagues almost universally have been supportive and encouraging, often breaking the tension with good-natured doses of humor.
When I told my boss Randy Harvey, he leaned back in his chair, looked through his office window to scan the newsroom and mused, “Well, no one can ever say we don’t have diversity on this staff.”
When I told Robert, the soccer-loving lad from Wales who cuts my hair, why I wanted to start growing my hair out, he had to take a seat, blink hard a few times and ask, “Does this mean you don’t like football anymore, Mike?”
No, I had to assure him, I still love soccer. I will continue to watch it. I hope to continue to coach it.
My days of playing in men’s over-30 rec leagues, however, could be numbered.
When I told Eric, who has played sweeper behind my plodding stopper for more than a decade, he brightly suggested, “Well, you’re still good for co-ed!”
I broke the news to Tim by beginning, “Are you familiar with the movie ‘Transamerica’?” Tim nodded. “Well, welcome to my life,” I said.
Tim seemed more perplexed than most as I nervously launched into my story.
Finally, he had to explain, “I thought you said ‘Trainspotting.’ I thought you were going to tell me you’re a heroin addict.”
Gary Thorne, Enjoy The Spotlight
While watching the O’s lose to Oakland on Tuesday afternoon, I marveled at Gary Thorne’s description of Roberto Alomar’s tenure in Flushing. “He was just terrible…he could neither hit nor catch the ball,” complained Thorne, in one of the more startling putdowns I’ve heard a broadcaster deliver to a probable Hall Of Famer. Not that it wasn’t true, for the most part, but Thorne’s tone was awfully dismissive. Anyhow, it turns out Gary was just getting started taking shots at the high and mighty, as the Boston Globe’s Gordon Edes explains.
MASN’s Gary Thorne said on the air, while the Orioles were batting in the fifth, that he’d been told by Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli that was not blood, but paint, on the sock Schilling wore during Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees. It was done for the public relations effect, Thorne said.
“The great story we were talking about the other night was that famous red stocking that he wore when they finally won, the blood on his stocking,” Thorne said to broadcast partner Jim Palmer, the Hall of Fame pitcher, in a conversation that had begun with a discussion of Schilling’s blog.
“Nah,” Thorne said. “It was painted. Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR. Two-ball, two-strike count.”
Palmer: “Yeah, that was the 2004 World Series [sic].” Thorne: “Yeah.”
During a break two innings later, Thorne confirmed that’s what he said, and that Mirabelli had told him so in a conversation “a couple of years ago.”
“Go ask him [Mirabelli],” Thorne said.
Mirabelli was shocked, then angry, when relayed Thorne’s comments.
“What? Are you kidding me? He’s [expletive] lying. A straight lie,” Mirabelli said. “I never said that. I know it was blood. Everybody knows it was blood.”
Sox manager Terry Francona, when first told of Thorne’s remarks, thought that perhaps Mirabelli had been having some fun with Thorne, that it was all a joke. But after Mirabelli angrily denied ever discussing the subject with Thorne — “I honestly don’t know who Gary Thorne is, that’s a straight lie” — Francona became agitated.
“What we’re going through today as a nation, you hate to use a word like heroic on the field, but what Schill did that night on the sports field was one of the most incredible feats I ever witnessed,” Francona said. “[Thorne's remarks] go so far past disappointing. Disrespectful to Schill, to his vocation. I’m stunned.”
Keep in mind, this might not be the first time Doug Mirabelli said something in confidence that was made public.
Nothing To See Here, Ladies & Gentlemen, Just Keep Moving
Joaquín Andújar was just on the phone. He’s no longer certain that Baron Davis knows how to handle a stressful situation. I told Joaquín that for once, I’ll leave the trenchant analysis to someone who actually watched the entire game. But despite winning Game Two against Golden State last night, 112-99, even if the Mavs were to go on to win this year’s title, some things cannot so easily be erased from the memory bank.
David Roth reminds us that one or perhaps two of the gentleman above will win the NBA Championship. But more importantly, despite Nash’s relocation to Phoenix, there’s nothing uncool about adult males showing affection for each other. Or wearing cowboy hats. Or a t-shirt that even the lamest vendor on Canal Street would be embarrassed to display.
04.25.07
Taking A Drink From Richard Justice’s Half-Full Glass
“We stunk” was Scraps Garner’s frank assessment after the Astros were blanked, 3-0 last night by Pittsburgh’s Paul Maholm, who in tossing his first career complete game shutout, handed Houston their 4th straight defeat at the hands of the Pirates. Never fear, Astros fans, “once Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee both start to hit, the Astros will score plenty of runs,” promises the Chronicle’s Richard Justice.
Don’t pull the plug our the Local Nine yet. The Astros will score runs. If Jason Jennings returns and if Troy Patton or one of the kids establish themselves, the pitching might be adequate, too. And then again, the Texans might win 14 games and Jeff Van Gundy may be a stand-up comedian next fall.
Come to think of it, here’s a scenario. How about the Astros stay around .500 for half a season and then bring both Hunter Pence and Troy Patton up to start the second half of the season? They could energize a clubhouse and a city, not to mention a press box. If you’ve ever sat beside Brian McTaggart, you’ll look anyplace you can for energy.
The afternoon after the Rockies failed to provide Aaron Cook with any run support against the Mets, Colorado teed off on New York starter Mike Pelfrey and designated mop up man Aaron Sele, banging out 20 hits in an 11-5 rout at Shea. Willy Tavares had his first 5 hit day, while on the hosts’ side of the stat-padding, Jose Reyes gained his first hits of the series with a 4 for 5 (two doubles) afternoon, and Shawn Green — the living argument for bringing the DH to the senior circuit — knocked in 3 runs with a 6th inning triple. At the moment, the Mets’ problems with the 5th spot in the rotation seem less worrisome than David Wright’s inability to emerge from a slow start. Wright is 2 for his last 22 at bats, and rumor has it, Dr. Jae Rock Lee has turned his attentions to David Newhan.
It’s kind of nice so many school kids attended today’s Mets matinee, especially because this gave them a chance to ask their teachers such important questions as “how is John Mabry still in the big leagues?” and “is Clint Hurdle’s entire career the most glaring example of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx?”
I think it is fair to say the headline “Prior Out For Season” will surprise absolutey no one. Nor should Ben Sheets’ latest injury come as a shock considering the conditions at Wrigley today. But at least Derek Lee busted out — his production will catch up with that of John Mabry pretty soon, I reckon.
Steiner : REM Are The 50th Best Band….From Georgia
Dodgers mouthpiece Charley Steiner (above), writing for Hall Of Fame Magazine.com, takes exception with the 2007 inductees. To Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, that is. (thanks to Repoz for the link)
I’ve got some rock ‘n’ roll chops. If not chops, then certainly some history. From my teenage days in the Village hanging out at the Café au GoGo, Café Wha and the Bitter End, listening to the Blues Project, Lovin’ Spoonful and Richie Havens in their (and my) formative years, rock ‘n’ roll grabbed a hold of me and has never let go. I can’t play a lick, but I would put my 8000 iPod tunes up against anybody’s. Now that the preface is out of the way, let’s get to the heart of the matter. Last year’s inductees into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame wanted dead or alive and in alphabetical order were Black Sabbath (is Ozzy dead or alive?…you be the judge), Blondie, Miles Davis, Lynyrd Skynard and the Sex Pistols. No arguments, no qualms with any of the above. This year’s class, I must admit left me profoundly indifferent. Grandmaster Flash gets into the hall of fame, for scratching records with the needle on a Victrola? Ok, not my cup of tea. R.E.M certainly were the vibe of their decade/generation. Fabulous band, unique sound, but a band with a lasting impact? I dunno. We’ll talk in 50 years. Same can be said for Van Halen, whose off-stage antics were almost as entertaining as their musical body of work. Patti Smith’s primal, guttural and soulful voice and presentation makes her a unique artist. And while the Ronettes were one of the great girl groups, Hall of Famers? I’m not sure about that. It wasn’t as if they had a body of work, and had it not been for Mrs. Spector’s husband’s wall of sound, they might have well been the Shangra-las.
Pacers Fire Carlisle
Following their worst regular season mark in 8 years, Indy have determined they cannot fire Jermaine O’Neal 12 players, and have punished Rick Carlisle, instead. From the Indianapolis Star’s Mike Wells.
Team president Larry Bird announced the decision during a 2 p.m. news conference at Conseco Fieldhouse.”It’s time for a new era. We shouln’t point fingers at anyone,” Bird said.
“We’re all at fault. If you want to blame somebody, you have to blame the people at the top. I understand that. It’s part of the business.
“There were a lot of things that went on here in the last three years that were embarrassing. It hurts, being from Indiana. I had a major problem with a lot of it. And we can’t have that.
“So we’re going to get the right players with skills and the right players to build our community. And we’re going to build from that.”
Bird said he and Carlisle, old friends even before working together with the Pacers, agreed it was time to part ways.
“The truth is, we sat down, I asked him and he said, look, maybe it’s time for me to go. And we went from there.”
Bird said he wasn’t surprised.
“I know Rick. I think in the last few years, everything that’s happened, it wears on you,” he said.
“And I think after time it just gets to the point where (Carlisle thinks) ‘Maybe I should move on, maybe you guys should go in a different direction.’”
Can you imagine what Dave Feschuk would’ve written about Sam Mitchell had the Raptors lost Game 2?
As Leandro Barbosa continues to expose Smush Parker, the Arizona Republic’s Ed Bickley is a tad giddy over the Suns’ scary 126-98 win over the Lakers last night.
How interesting that the Suns have taken over the first two games with Nash, their two-time MVP, on the bench. And both times, it was Barbosa who breached every line of Lakers defense.
Quickly becoming a one-man fast break and a cult hero in Phoenix – this year’s version of Raja Bell – Barbosa has made the Lakers look slower than the lunchtime crowd at the YMCA. By halftime of Game 2, Barbosa had 43 points in 49½ minutes of total action. By contrast, Bryant had 52 points in 64½ minutes.
“Barbosa seems to be the key right now to what we have to do defensively,” Jackson said.
Imagine that. Then again, the playoffs barely have started, and it is amazing how quickly the landscape has changed. It wasn’t long ago that D’Antoni was ripped for not resting his star players in the last two regular-season games, a strategy employed by both Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Mavericks coach Avery Johnson.
Well, San Antonio already has lost home-court advantage, and in Dallas, where the best team in basketball is adjusting to a No. 8 seed, the tension is thick, and Johnson faces myriad problems.
Johnson chose to sit his key performers in a road game against the Warriors, even though a victory could have helped eliminated Golden State from the playoffs. Remember the bravado back then, how Johnson claimed he would fine Dirk Nowitzki if his MVP candidate even showed up at the airport?
That bravado has disappeared. It seems to have resurfaced in Phoenix almost overnight. Not that anyone is complaining.
A Quick Question For Gatorade’s Marketing Department…
…all things considered, do you really want the public to believe the voice in Derek Jeter’s head is Harvey Keitel?
Free Speech For The Dumb
With apologies to Discharge. From ‘This Honky’s Nuts’ (mp3, link taken from Record Robot)
Angelos Denies Nemesis Press Credentials
While acknowledging that Nestor “Nasty” Aparicio (above, right) is seen by many as “a shameless and relentless self-promoter who really can get down and very dirty on and off the air with anyone who might happen to disagree with him,” the Washington Post’s Leonard Shapiro raises questions surrounding the Orioles refusal to grant media credentials to one of the team’s more vocal critics.
In years past, Aparicio’s major forum was his daily sports talk show on WNST radio, a 5,000-watt radio station that gives listeners all local sports talk all the time from sun-up to sun-down seven days a week. The station, now owned by Aparicio, has a loyal following (even if it is ranked 29th in listeners among 30 stations in the Baltimore market rated by Arbitron) and also produces a lively daily web site (WNST.net) almost completely devoted to local Baltimore sports.
Last year, in the midst of a ninth straight losing season and much to the dismay of Orioles management, Aparicio also took it upon himself to lead a “Free The Birds” protest urging Angelos to sell the team. Plugged incessantly on his own station, it involved hundreds of fans going to Camden yards for a game against the Detroit Tigers on Sept., 21 then walking out en masse in the fourth inning. Aparicio says 2,000 fans participated; the Orioles say it was more like 1,000, but the protest got plenty of local and national coverage, much to Aparicio’s delight.
Club management clearly was not amused. Angelos, in fact, was quoted at the time describing Aparicio as “a very unimportant person who has delusions of grandeur.”
The Orioles have granted eight WNST employees media credentials to cover the team and even threw in a couple of precious parking passes. But Aparicio was denied a press pass. If he wants to go to the ball park, he’ll have to buy a ticket just like everyone else. And now, Nasty is mad as hell and vowing not to take it any more, even threatening possible legal action against the team ownership he loves to hate.
“I’ve been telling the truth about the baseball team for years,” Aparicio said. “I live two blocks from the ball park. I’ve seen what their mismanagement has done to the team. Nobody goes, and I’ve seen what it does to businesses downtown, the bars, the restaurants, the hotels. The city is struggling. Downtown is struggling. The Orioles could really help that situation, but not the way they’re running that organization.”
Several members of the Baltimore media interviewed on background for this piece also indicated there is little question in their minds that the Orioles’ decision to deny Aparicio a press credential clearly smacks of payback, mostly stemming from last year’s September protest as well as his countless other transgressions aimed toward the team.
“I write a column, I still blog, I go on the air, I’m still an active member of the media,” Aparicio said. “I’ve never been turned down for a credential in my life. They keep telling me I’m not a legitimate member of the media. But they’re the only ones. Here’s the other thing. If they can pull my credential, who’s next? I’ve had a bunch of calls and e-mails from guys covering the team telling me to keep fighting, because we can’t.”
Much as I hate taking Peter Angelos’ side in anything, it would appear as though WNST’s website is down.
Moonie Rag Hails Flat-Brimmed Firestarter’s Failure To Flip Out
From the Washington Times’ Mark Zucker.
Chad Cordero, as anyone who has watched the Washington Nationals’ closer for the last two years knows, rarely shows emotion on the mound. The right-hander’s nondescript stare has become legendary, evidence of his ability not to be fazed by anything that takes place while he’s in the game.
But that doesn’t mean Cordero never displays his emotions. He has been known to give up a home run or blow a save and keep his composure until he returns to the dugout, at which point he often lets out his frustrations.
And how does he do it?
“I’d really rather not say,” he said with a laugh. “Words, mostly words. I mean, I have slammed down my hat a few times, but I’m not going to go destroy the Gatorade cooler or anything like that.”
These days, Cordero is cutting loose regularly in the dugout with words his mother probably would prefer not to hear. Such is the case when his ERA is approaching 6.00, he has blown two of his three save opportunities and he has served up three towering home runs.
Of all the Nationals struggling to perform during the season’s first three weeks, perhaps Cordero is the biggest surprise. Certainly, he’s the most disappointing because if this club had one sure-fire thing entering the season, it was an established closer.
If only Cordero was living up to the billing. In nine appearances spanning 91/3 innings, he already has given up six earned runs and 15 hits, issued seven walks, thrown three wild pitches and allowed three homers. He has retired the side only once so far, and he has put at least three men on base in five of his nine full innings.
With all due respect to Zucker — who does a nice job of meeting deadline considering he has to sell $300 worth of flowers every morning or face a brutal beating — there’s a thin line between stoic and catatonic. And it should be stressed, Cordero is not only the one of the few tradeable commodities the Nats possess, he can hardly be blamed on nights when the DC pen can’t even get him the ball — Saul Rivera, Micah Owens and John Rauch “Rumble” being the goats of last night’s 6-3 loss in Philly.
Oh Yeah, That’ll Work
Experts agree. There’s no greater aphrodisiac than the sight of Clint Hurdle in tight trousers.
04.24.07
Pacific Coast League Baseball Is Your Best Entertainment Value…
…particularly if you turn up at the Dell Diamond in the 5th inning and the card scanners aren’t working. Free baseball, ladies and gentleman, and plenty of parking, too. Houston’s Round Rock affiliate ended a 5 game skid this evening with a 14-7 drubbing of Oklahoma. Astros center fielder-to-be Hunter Pence (above) had 3 RBI’s and 3 doubles, raising his average to .342. 1B Mark Saccomanno, patiently waiting for Lance Berkman to take up flag football again, was 4 for 5 with a pair of doubles and 3 runs batted in.
The venue affectionately called “The Mouse Pad” by former Gulf War correspondent Mike Capps had all the ambience of a sparsely attended flea market tonight. Especially the flea part. Which surprised me, as the visiting Redhawks brought a star studded lineup (chair tossing Frank Francisco, Desi Relaford, Marlon Byrd, Victor Diaz, John Koronka) to town. It should’ve been an autograph hunter’s dream. Or a process server’s.
In other Triple-A news, Mets fans will be thrilled to know Timo Perez is working on a 19 game hitting streak, having gone 2 for 5 in Toledo’s 4-2 morning victory over Charlotte. Or perhaps you’ll be saddened to learn that former New Weird America icon Matt Ginter allowed 5 runs and 13 hits in less than 5 innings this afternoon in Memphis’ 8-7 win over Omaha (heads up, Will Leitch : the Redbirds’ Rick Ankiel hit his 7th HR of the season). And after all that, perhaps you’re puzzled, dismayed or simply blown away when reading that Ricky Ledee drove in 7 (!) during New Orleans’ 17-8 destruction of Albuquerque. Chan Ho Park improved his record to 3-1, despite giving up 6 earned runs in 5 innings.
Sonics Fire Hill
With rumors flying regarding increased power for Lenny Wilkens and a possible overture towards Rick Adelman, ESPN reported this evening the Seattle Sonics have parted ways with head coach Bob Hill.
The Boston Globe’s Greg Lee claims the Celtics have cut ties with troubled guard Sebastain Telfair following the Coney Island product’s most recent brush with the law. Asked on “PTI” today if the Celtics’ action was justified, Tony Kornheiser insisted that Telfair “keeps getting caught with guns.”
Actually, during his brief tenure with the Celtics, this was the first time Telfair was formally charged with illegal handgun possession.
Mrs. AK-47 (above, right) has an interesting take on her husband’s poor rapport with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, writes the Desert Morning News’ Brad Rock.
Masha Kirilenko said Monday night that she believes some of the problems could be related to her husband’s imperfect command of English.
“It’s frustrating,” she said. “His English is not so good.Sometimes he can’t explain himself. Maybe he needs an interpreter.”
She claimed Houston’s Yao Ming, from China, “has an interpreter all the time” and added “maybe we’ll hire one.”
Masha went on to say that, “with the coach and Andrei that’s certainly a language barrier and it looks like there could be a misunderstanding with both guys.”
Asked if she thinks Sloan and his player can work out their differences regarding playing style and time, she said, “Two smart people like that can work it out.”
She was motivated to speak on the subject when she saw her husband’s red-eyed picture in the newspapers on Monday. “I said, ‘This is not happening,’” she said. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
On the brink of Nets/Raptors Game 2, much of Dave D’Allesandro’s latest mailbag in the Star Ledger consists of angry missives from former Vince Carter fans.
Dave: Love to know what you’re basing the notion that it “wasn’t that clear basketball would catch on in Canada” before Vince came here — and please don’t cite Vancouver, since that’s 3,000 kilometres from Toronto. You’re confusing trend-obsessed members of the short attention span crowd with real basketball fans, who admittedly are not as plentiful in Canada as in the U.S. but do exist in large numbers here. If anything, Vin Weasel set the Raptors back. A lot casual sports fans in Canada still have trouble taking the NBA seriously since the face of our team was a guy who let his ego hold his game hostage. – Neate Sager
Short memory you got, Neate. Ask Glen Grunwald about the crushing debt load he was under in ‘97, or a few years before Vince showed up: The Canadian dollar was tanking (it was worth something like 65 cents), which suppressed the Raptors’ ability to generate revenue. They were losing millions every month, as they had broken ground on the new arena and it was turning into a white elephant. Attendance was falling every year at the Skydome. There were reports that it took them four games to generate the sort of revenues that Madison Square Garden would get in one night. And there was a widespread perception that Revenue Canada (that’s their IRS, for you Yanks who don’t know) was going after athletes, hitting the non-resident NBA players with a higher tax for every day they spent in Canada – which everyone knew would be an issue when it came to pursuing free agents. Anyway, Carter arrived, he became the most popular athlete in the country after Gretzky, and the rest is history – in your case, the revisionist kind.
If You’re Stuck For The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift, Don’t Sweat It – Vincent Gallo Has You Sorted
If after being presented detailed photographs of the purchaser, Mr. Gallo may be willing to waive the natural insemination fee and charge only for the sperm itself. (from Vincent Gallo Merchandise, link courtesy Sally Crewe)
Because It’s A Slippery Slope From Handing Out Free Condoms To Gunning Down 33 People
Funny how such a reasoned critique of our supposedly permissive society makes no mention of the ease with which you can buy a Glock.
Jeff Johnson – Investigatory Menace
If Linda Perry sole contribution to music history was her role as The Widow Cobain’s Song Doctor, her personal wing in Cleveland’s Rock’n'Roll Hall Of Fame would be assured.
However, Fitted Sweats’ Jeff Johnson has taken considerable time and energy to remind us that she’s done so much more.
Torii Hunter Narrowly Avoids 3 Year Ban
From Fox9 (Minneapolis)
(Gardy will turn the phone over to his rule breaking outfielder just as soon as he’s done chatting with Kathy McGinty)
Twins outfielder Torii Hunter’s gift of champagne to the Kansas City Royals has him in trouble with Major League Baseball.
Hunter’s brought four bottles of Dom Perignon champagne to the Royals clubhouse before last weekend’s series. The champagne was meant to be a gift for the Royals sweeping the Detroit Tigers last September, securing an AL Central title for the Twins.
Rule 21 b of the MLB constitution does not allow such gifts. The rule says “any player or person connected with a Club who shall offer or give any gift or reward to a player or person connected with another Club for services rendered … in defeating or attempting to defeat a competing Club … shall be declared ineligible for not less than three years.”
The Twins got a phone call from the commissioner’s office about the gift, forcing the Twins to call the Royals to get the champagne returned.
Hunter said he wasn’t aware of the rule.
“I do good things,” he said. “If you want to make a good thing into a bad thing, then so be it.”
JV & Elvis Have Left The Building
Still recovering from the Don Imus scandal, CBS Radio suspended two local hosts after they twice broadcast a racially charged prank call that targeted employees at a Chinese restaurant.
The hosts of the daily morning show, WFNY-FM’s “The Dog House With JV and Elvis,” have been suspended “until further notice” without pay, CBS Radio spokeswoman Karen Mateo said Tuesday. One of the hosts, Jeff Vandergrift, apologized twice on Monday’s show, she said. Local chapters of the Organization of Chinese Americans, an advocacy group, released a statement Sunday protesting the segment. By Monday, California State Sen. Leland Yee and others joined the campaign.
In the segment, broadcast on April 5 and again last week, a caller to a Chinese restaurant intersperses an order for takeout with lewd language and racial slurs. The caller tells one female employee he wants to come to the restaurant to see her naked and refers to a part of her body as “hot, Asian, spicy.” The caller attempts to order “shrimp flied lice” and refers to a male employee as “Chinese man” before claiming himself to be a student of kung fu. At one point he refers to a part of the employee’s body as a “tiny egg roll.”
Here’s a little more background on the yackmeisters in question. Seems the latest martyrs to the cause of free speech enjoy pulling the plug when someone mentions another radio station.
Newsday’s Best On Sterling : Nobody Does It Better (?)
(aftermath of a real A-bomb. not shown : A-Rod)
Sally Field Alex Rodriguez connected for another two HR’s in the Yanks’ 10-8 loss to Tampa last night, and Newsday’s Neil Best, while acknowledging the “comic pomposity” of YES Radio’s John Sterling, submits that “in 30 years, when fans who now are young bore their children and grandchildren with fond Yankees memories, Sterling’s over-the-top calls surely will be among them.”
Sterling’s goofy genius was evident as the SportsWatch research staff spent a sunny Saturday hunched over a laptop studying his calls of all 12 A-Rod homers entering last night’s game against the Devil Rays.
Some findings: Sure enough, he was 12-for-12 calling the shots “an A-bomb, from A-Rod.”
On 10 of 12 occasions he said, “It is high, it is far, it is gone,” the exceptions being the walk-off grand slam against the Orioles on April 7 and a homer against the Red Sox on Friday on which Coco Crisp fell into the Red Sox bullpen at Fenway attempting a catch. Sterling was in fine form again last night for homers No. 13 and 14, adding two more “It is high, it is far, it is gone” and “an A-Bomb from A-Rod.”
Three times either Sterling or partner Suzyn Waldman noted that Rodriguez is using a shorter, more compact swing. Four times they described his unusual power even on routine flies.
Sterling or Waldman thrice told of balls so well struck that the outfielder barely moved. Three other times – after homers 8, 9 and 11 – Sterling said incredulously, “He’s done it again!” or words to that effect.
The most subdued call was for the homer against the Twins on April 9 that extended the Yankees’ lead to 8-1. The most animated followed the walk-off three-run homer against the Indians on Thursday.
“Alex Rodriguez, having the greatest month of his or any other life!” Sterling shouted, the best line in A-Rod’s tear.
After his “Yankees win, thuuuuuh Yankees win!” trademark, Sterling let 18 seconds of silence go by rather than do something as mundane as describe the scene in front of him.
“Talk about clutch!” Sterling added later. “I’d say he’s clutch!”
(That was one of three references by Sterling or Waldman to clutch hitting after various homers.)
