The Miami police, it seems, should be trying to track down an organization Jason has dubbed “the Black KKK”. From Big Sexy’s latest Fox Sports.com column :
Let’s cut through the bull(manure) and deal with reality. Black men are targets of black men. Period. Go check the coroner’s office and talk with a police detective. These bullets aren’t checking W-2s.
Rather than whine about white folks’ insensitivity or reserve a special place of sorrow for rich athletes, we’d be better served mustering the kind of outrage and courage it took in the 1950s and 1960s to stop the white KKK from hanging black men from trees.
But we don’t want to deal with ourselves. We take great joy in prescribing medicine to cure the hate in other people’s hearts. Meanwhile, our self-hatred, on full display for the world to see, remains untreated, undiagnosed and unrepentant.
Our self-hatred has been set to music and reinforced by a pervasive culture that promotes a crab-in-barrel mentality.
You’re damn straight I blame hip hop for playing a role in the genocide of American black men. When your leading causes of death and dysfunction are murder, ignorance and incarceration, there’s no reason to give a free pass to a culture that celebrates murder, ignorance and incarceration.
Of course there are other catalysts, but until we recapture the minds of black youth, convince them that it’s not OK to “super man dat ho” and end any and every dispute by “cocking on your bitch,” nothing will change.
Does a Soulja Boy want an education?
I don’t claim to be an expert on crime or race, but I’m still having trouble getting past the proliferation of guns having something to do with people being shot to death. Of course, I do realize handguns and hip-hop were introduced at exactly the same time, and without the latter, the former would cease to exist — as would all other social problems!
The Washington Nationals on Tuesday suspended clubhouse credentials for a prayer service leader after a flap over comments about Jews. Club officials said Jon Moeller (above) will not be allowed access to the locker room while the team investigates. Meantime, the Nationals have asked the Christian ministry Baseball Chapel, which oversees clubhouse prayer services, to provide a replacement. An article published Sunday in The Washington Post described outfielder Ryan Church asking Moeller if Jews are “doomed” because they do not believe in Jesus — to which Moeller reportedly nodded. In a team statement issued Tuesday, Church said, “I am not the type of person who would call into question the religious beliefs of others.” Team president Tony Tavares said the reported remarks “do not, in any manner, reflect the views or opinions of the Washington Nationals franchise.” Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, who leads Washington’s oldest Orthodox synagogue, Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah, said, “The Nationals did a good job about bringing hate into the locker room.” Herzfeld said he met with Tavares for about 30 minutes Tuesday after denouncing the reported remarks at a news conference outside RFK Stadium. He described the meeting as productive, but said he would continue to follow the situation. Another Jewish leader, Rabbi Ethan Seidel of the Tifereth Israel synagogue, said, “Yeah, no one likes to be told they’re going to hell, but Christians have been saying that for thousands of years.”
The offending passage in question from Sunday’s Post : The players not only pray, but they also discuss personal matters — marital tension, addiction issues, family illnesses, financial stress — drawing sometimes surprising lessons. (Ryan) Church was concerned because his former girlfriend was Jewish. He turned to Moeller, “I said, like, Jewish people, they don’t believe in Jesus. Does that mean they’re doomed? Jon nodded, like, that’s what it meant. My ex-girlfriend! I was like, man, if they only knew. Other religions don’t know any better. It’s up to us to spread the word.”
And funnily enough, Will parlayed his experience at the Daily Illini and the Sporting News into a full-time job reposting drunk athlete photos.
Today’s no-good kids aren’t cutting their teeth on serious journalism like Will. They’re just going directly into drunk athlete pics. I wonder where they got the idea this might be a fun or lucrative thing to do?
In the meantime, the biggest, most widely-read chunk of the sportsdude blogosphere is almost entirely dependent on sub-FHM (or in some cases, copped from FHM) visual stimuli in order to generate any traffic whatsoever. If you’re waiting for Leitch to take a bold stand against such lazy minds, don’t hold your breath.
Much the way Leitch thought the kid who got the OJ interview scoop for ESPN was worthy of ridicule, he’s awfully selective in these instances.
In any case, Kyle Orton should be thrilled to know someone is standing up for higher standards.
Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.
Knievel’s death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.
Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.
Hot Shit College Student writes, “I typed in “chicago” and searched by date, hoping to find something poking fun at the Kerry Wood signing, or the Bulls sucking, etc. Turns out youtube is turning into CSTB lite, because I ended up with a clip of GG Allin shitting on stage and throwing it at the audience.”
Though I understand HSCS’s analogy between the Cubs bringing back Wood and the Bard Of Hookset flinging his own poo at paying customers, that still didn’t fully prepare me for this clip.
The Mets dealt outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church on Friday.
Schneider, a solid defensive catcher, is now the likely starter. Ramon Castro, who was recently re-signed, is the likely back-up. Johnny Estrada, recently acquired for reliever Guillermo Mota, could be used in a deal or non-tendered.
Church had 15 home runs and 70 RBI this past season. He, along with Carlos Gomez and Endy Chavez, will compete for time in right field and occasionally spell Moises Alou in left field.
Rubin’s a quality reporter and was no doubt in a hurry to compose the above item. So he can be excused for failing to mention that Omar Minaya was abducted yesterday and was replaced on an interim basis by Frank Cashen.
A little early for me to be doing this, to tell you the truth. And perhaps a little early for the Toros, too, currently trailing Sioux Falls, 62-50 at the half. Recently demoted from the Spurs, Darius Washington has 4 points so far in his D-League debut, while former Syracuse standout Damone Brown has 16 for the Skyforce.
If Quinn Snyder doesn’t have to wear a tie to the game, then neither do I.
(UPDATE : Toros 114, Skyforce 109. Washington finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, and was easily the most talented guy on the floor. He’s unlikely to cost Tony Parker much playing time in the near future, but there’s at least one team playing in midtown Manhattan that could use a PG this competent.)
Heat coach Pat Riley said guard Smush Parker (above) would be inactive while the team investigates an allegation that Parker twisted a woman’s arm during an argument over a valet parking fee.
Yomara McKenzie, 41, told police Parker injured her left arm Tuesday morning at a condo building at 355 Biscayne Blvd. According to a Miami police report, Parker was told he owed a $12 fee but said he paid the night before. The valets could not find a ticket for the car.
McKenzie’s attorney, Ron Guralnick, said he would file a complaint with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office this morning. Guralnick, a personal injury attorney, said he also would file a civil suit against Parker “for assault and battery, seeking compensatory and punitive damages.”
Parker’s agent, Bill Ceisler, couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday. On Wednesday, Ceisler said Parker, in a hurry to make Heat practice, didn’t have cash on hand and couldn’t find a working ATM within walking distance.
Police said Parker, denied his keys until the debt was settled, knocked over a podium out of frustration. McKenzie then told Parker he would have to pay for damaging the podium, the police report said.
Parker, 24, tussled with McKenzie in an attempt to retrieve the keys, according to the report. Guralnick said McKenzie went to the hospital Tuesday and was treated for “severe scratches” on her left arm, reported a “tingling sensation” in her fingertips and also complained of back and neck pain.
Decent stuff as Olympic mascots go, but without wishing to tell the Vancouver 2010 organizers how to do their jobs…what, pray tell, happened to the fourth member of the above gang, the guitar-wielding, spoken-word reciting Shithead? Surely an effort to recognize British Columbia’s rich cultural heritage is incomplete without him?
Though Kuff & The Buttheads’ musical salute to Xavier Nady did eventually grow on me, I’m sorry to say I’m just a little underwhelmed with the above homage to John Maine.
On the bright side, these guys have yet to unveil a song about Brian Lawrence.
Even Bill Belichick thought Doc Rivers should’ve given his starters the rest of the night off.
Only a person unfamiliar with the recent fortunes of these two teams would be surprised by the likely result, but the abject lack of effort on the part of the visitors is nothing short of mind blowing. Even during the most brutal moments of John MacLeod or Stu Jackson’s tenures did we didn’t witness a Knicks squad so throughly outclassed, but never in my lifetime have I seen a professional team trailing by 30 more with nearly a half to be played, that completely gave up trying for rebounds, fighting for loose balls or showing even the smallest bit of pride in their alleged craft.
For all the abuse Rivers has received in the past, I’ll say this much ; the C’s are running away from New York like Secretariat at Belmont, and the likes of Glen Davis and Eddie House are still throwing themselves all over the floor. The Big 3 are most assuredly All-Universe, but Boston’s bench would run rings around Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry most nights.
I am wondering, however, just how big the Celtics’ margin has to be for Scot Pollard to remove his warm-ups. If ever there was a time for Pollard to come up with a cheap double-double, this had to be it.
There’s no shame in being beaten, thumped even, by what is arguably the best team in the NBA. But for Isiah Thomas’ charges to not even show up for a nationally televised game against this historic rival is mortifying. And it oughta bug the hell out of Celtics fans who purchased tickets for a game featuring an opponent other than the Washington Generals.
(UPDATE : Celtics 104, Knicks 59. Only via a Nate Robinson three-pointer at the buzzer — after Boston allowed an intentional 24-second violation to turn the ball over — spared New York their lowest point total in franchise history. Postgame, Kevin Garnett acknowledged Quentin Richardson’s tough talk, and yeah, were it not for Q running his mouth, Boston might’ve only won by 40).
This story reminds me of a scene in the Robert Redford vehicle “The Candidate”. Or perhaps the Urge Overkill video, “The Candidate”. Or perhaps, none of the above. From the November 23 Dominican Daily (link lifted from Dodger Thoughts)
Former Los Angeles Dodger slugger and now deputy Raul Mondesí after a meeting with president Leonel Fernandez yesterday decided to continue backing the ruling PLD party and the reelection bid, just hours after vowing to support opposition PRD party presidential candidate, Miguel Vargas.
The newspaper El Nacional said deputy Mondesí –who won his seat after resigning from the also opposition PRSC party- met with Vargas on Wednesday and said he was willing to support his candidacy, but Fernandez invited the ex big leaguer to the National Palace just hours afterwards, when he again vowed to support the re-election.
Vargas said in the two meetings which the former outfielder requested, Mondesí had expressed his disgust with the PLD, for alleged broken promises.
Yesterday, from his native San Cristóbal, in statements by telephone to Radio Z-101FM, Mondesí admitted he was displeased with the PLD, but said as a friend of Fernandez he supports his reelection bid.
He later repeated the statements on the same station to the journalist Consuelo Despradel: “I can meet with whomever, but am friend of the President and support the reelection,” he said, but denied having met with Vargas.
The rumors of Mondesí’s disgust with the PLD and decision to support Vargas spread from San Cristóbal throughout the week, including his threat to turn over his 12 billboards picturing the former L.A. Dodger together with Fernandez to Vargas’ campaign.
A huge huddle of Redskins fans have been taking out their grief over Sean Taylor’s death on Len Shapiro for his Tuesday washingtonpost.com column headlined, “Taylor’s Death Is Tragic but Not Surprising.” Shapiro says he’s gotten hundreds of emails since the article appeared.
“This is the most I’ve gotten for anything since I started doing the column,” Shapiro says. “Every time I click over, there are three or four new ones, many of them starting with ‘Mr. Shapiro, you heartless, gutless prick.’”
The outcry, which has a hater/non-hater ratio of about 100-to-1, has caused Shapiro some second thoughts.
“The headline [which Shapiro didn’t write] was a little tough, and a lot of the readers didn’t get past the headline,” he says. “And if I had it to do over, I probably wouldn’t have been quite as cynical about Taylor’s transformation. I probably shouldn’t have used the words ’so-called.’”
Shapiro has also taken a beating on WOL-AM’s sportstalk show, The Sports Groove. John Mitchell, a sportswriter for the Washington Times, went on the air Tuesday night and quickly nailed Shapiro with a one-two punch, calling him both a “racist, conniving skunk” and a “racist, conniving dog of a skunk.”
Last night, the barrage against Shapiro continued, as Sports Groove host Mark Gray boasted that he had invited the writer on the show to rebut the haters, of which he is a proud ringleader.
Shapiro tells me he was unaware of the invite, but he’ll be glad to discuss the situation with Gray.
In what has to be a more pleasant development for Eli Manning than an expression of empathy from Rex Grossman, the former received a big vote of confidence from, uh, the man partially responsible for tutoring the erratic Giants QB. From Newsday’s Jim Baubach.
“I think resilient is a proper word right now,” former Ole Miss head coach / current Tennesee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said today by telephone. “I’ll tell you why Eli is resilient. Eli is a guy who is accountable. He’s accountable to himself. He doesn’t pass the buck. It’s square on his shoulders. He understands it’s important regardless of whether it’s all his fault or not.”
But what about the laid-back way Manning carries himself on the field, in the huddle, on the sideline. In the wake of his four-interception performance, fans have expressed a strong desire to see Manning break out of his mold and show more emotion, to show outwardly that he cares.
“I see that demeanor that is exposed to people, but I also know Eli,” Cutcliffe said. “And I’ll tell you this: You don’t take things on your shoulders without being a tough guy. He’s not a soft guy. People take quiet as being soft. That’s not the case at all.”
“Eli is a man, and he knows how to step it up when he has to,” Cutcliffe said. “He’s just a little quiet. I guess if people can find fault in being a little quiet then he’s guilty. But it’s not soft. I’ll go in the foxhole with him. He’ll fight until the fight is over with him. I know that from knowing him for a good part of his life.”
“He, probably like a lot of us, just sometimes is a little hesitant to talk to much. He’s just more of an action guy.”
I’m not sure at what point in the call Baumbach explained he was asking about Eli Manning rather than Eli Wallach
Much as I’d like to presume Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa just needed a little more rest last March, surely he knows better than anyone else exactly how many stray cats and dogs are killed each year by drunk motorists?
Richard Dreyfus as Victor Conte? Robert Iler as the Giambino? From Variety :
Ron Shelton has been set by HBO Films to direct a pic about San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds that will air on HBO.
HBO Films has acquired rights to “Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports,” a book by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, the San Francisco Chronicle reporters who broke numerous stories about the nutrition company accused of distributing illegal steroids to athletes including Bonds, Oakland A’s and New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi and Olympic gold medal sprinter Marion Jones. Shelton will write the script with his “Tin Cup” writing partner John Norville as soon as the writers strike ends. The film will be exec produced by Ross Greenburg, the HBO Sports president who exec produced Roger Maris biopic “61*,” and Michael Greenburg (“Stargate SG-1”), who’s now exec producer of Score Prods.
State legislators, family and staff members are invited to the Alamo Drafthouse South on South Lamar Boulevard to watch the game, with food and drink tossed in — courtesy of AT&T.
“We couldn’t invite the public to something like that,” AT&T spokeswoman Jodi Bart said Wednesday without elaborating.
Invitations sent to legislators promise a “high-definition demonstration of our incredible new video product U-verse,” which is competing with cable and satellite TV in the Austin area.
Tracy King, AT&T vice president for public affairs for the Western region, said U-verse became possible because of telecommunications deregulation approved by the 2005 Legislature.
Separately, the Texas House Committee on Regulated Industries will hear testimony Dec. 10 on the dispute between the NFL Network and cable providers.
There was no word Wednesday on whether the committee chairman, Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, will be at the Alamo tonight.
A little birdie says the Boston Red Sox have become the favorite in the Johan Santana trade sweepstakes.
The Twins would receive four players for the Twins’ two-time Cy Young Award winner, including center fielder Coco Crisp, 28.
Others would be shortstop prospect Jed Lowrie, 23; left-handed pitcher Jon Lester, 23; and right-handed pitcher Justin Masterson (above), 22.
Before a deal could be made, the Red Sox would have to have time to negotiate a contract extension with Santana, 28, who can become a free agent after next season and could have a market value as high as $150 million over six years.
Lowrie did not play in the major leagues this year but is considered ready and is a good-fielding shortstop who also can hit. Lowrie had a slugging percentage of .500 at Class AA and Class AAA this year.
The bottom line is that Ellsbury, Buchholz or Lester could be in any package for Santana, but that two (or more) of them will not go in the deal.
According to one major league source, the Twins are looking for a package of players that includes a pitcher, a positional player and one or two prospects. In the case of the Red Sox, Minnesota’s requests translate into something like this: Buchholz or Lester; Ellsbury; and one or two minor leaguers, perhaps someone like Justin Masterson.
Is that a lot to pay? You bet it is, which is why the deal hasn’t happened yet.
Yankee president Gene Michael told ESPN NY’s Max Kellerman earlier today the Bombers are willing to part with Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy in order to obtain Santana, though you’d have to figure one or both would be on offer for a serious discussion to take place.
Possibly a smart bit of dumpster diving on the part of Tampa in signing former Angels/Tigers closer Troy Percival to a two-year deal. After missing all of the 2006 season and retiring in April of last year, Percival looked pretty sharp for Memphis before compiling a 1.80 ERA in 40 innings for the parent Cardinals later in ‘07.
“Catch that new Dan Dierdorf video?” asks David Roth. And while, yeah, it’s been all over the place, I’m pretty worried that if Carl keeps up this kind up of free web video commentary, nobody’s gonna shell out for The Kid From Brooklyn’s new pay site.
The General wasn’t shooting at James Simpson’s house. It was his friend. Besides, they didn’t start firing until 7:45 am. And they don’t have to move. Unless you’re polite. In which case, they still might not move.
Does anyone doubt that having a camera crew follow Bobby Knight 24-7 would result in something almost this fantastic on a regular basis? The man has already demonstrated that heavy-shit-goes-down on visits to the salad bar, gymnasium, etc. What could possibly be happening when Knight is in line at the DMV? Looking for a parking space at Costco?
I’m willing to bet after a day or two you’d have more interesting footage than the entire season of “Knight School”.
What were the odds that a pair of sophisticated, erudite social commentators like Fox Sports Radio’s J.T. The Brick (above) and ESPN’s Colin Cowherd would have virtually the exact same thing to say, particularly when it involved their own questionable judgement?
Both radio hosts took yesterday’s comments by Arizona CB Antrel Rolle that his childhood pal, the late Sean Taylor had “been targeted for years” as validation they were justified in openly speculating about the nature of Taylor’s killing.
“Who you gonna believe?” bellowed The Brick, “the Miami chief of police or the guy’s buddy?”, forgetting of course, that said buddy was in Tempe at the time of the killing and has no more firsthand knowledge of the crime than you or I.
“I’ve always said that reasonable people can reach a conclusion before all the facts are in” huffed Cowherd earlier today, before using Rolle’s remarks as a way of patting himself on the back.
“It wasn’t an accident!” proclaimed Cowherd, who perhaps has difficulty distinguishing between a home invasion (rarely accidental) and something more circumstantial.
“This is talk radio,” explained the Brick’s colleague, Tom Looney last night. “We can’t wait ’till all the facts are in. We have to speculate.”
Given the very deep backgrounds all of these men have in criminal investigation, I’m sure their listeners cannot thank them enough.
Austin American-Statesman sports editor John Bridges muses on the process that made Mike Sherman (above) the second highest paid employee of the State of Texas:
Usually, state jobs in Texas must be posted for 10 days. A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne was able to get a special exception by deeming his opening an emergency. The emergency? Recruiting.
Never mind that Sherman is going to spend the next five weeks coaching for the Texans.
Here’s a suggestion to end all the doubletalk: Establish a National Firing Day, similar to National Signing Day.
At the stroke of noon on this magical day every December, coaches can be fired and hired. Sell the broadcast rights to ESPN. Available candidates could be seated in a soundproof room, squirming like Brady Quinn on draft day. There might even be room to let in a couple of black coaching candidates.
It’s really no more ludicrous than the current process — a process that rightly has the Black Coaches Association and state Sen. Royce West raising questions about minority hiring practices.
They would like for colleges to follow the NFL’s lead and at least include minority candidates in the conversation.
Shoot, at this point, it’ll be progress if there is more than one candidate of any color in the conversation.
Byrne said that Sherman was the only coach interviewed for the A&M job; Ole Miss probably just left Nutt an offer on his voice mail. (”This is Houston. I’m probably on the other line with another school. If you’re an AD, just leave your best offer at the tone.”)
But we can cut Byrne some slack on the minority-hiring thing. He said that he had never met Sherman until he walked into a Houston hotel room Friday night.
Given how much time he’d spent on the matter, perhaps he was surprised to see that Sherman was a white man.
Though the New York Times’ Howard Beck nicely summed up the career travails of Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury since the pair parted ways 8 years ago, the New York Observer’s John Koblin paints a rather grim picture of what it’s like to cover the 2007-08 New York Knicks (link courtesy Jason Cohen).
“It’s Madison Square Garden, it’s New York City, it should be one of the top beats in New York,” said Newsday beat reporter Alan Hahn.
Instead: “It’s maddening. What it should be and what it is—it’s a shame.”
Frank Isola, the 12-year Knicks-beat veteran for the Daily News, said, “It used to be fun here. Now, there are some nights when you’re trying to talk your boss out of sending you here and maybe lie and tell him you’re sick or something.”
“I’ll admit,” said Howard Beck, the New York Times Knicks reporter, “that the beat makes me miserable.”
What really separates the complaints of Knicks writers from those of every other browbeaten city reporter—and reporters are definitely a whiny lot—are their unironic, and apparently accurate, tales of systematic repression.
“It’s the gulag,” said Mike Vaccaro, a columnist for the New York Post.
“We all know what it’s like to cover a normal team,” said Mr. Beck, who previously reported on the Lakers for the L.A. Daily News. “Covering the Knicks is so much worse.”
“Some of the things they practice here are completely against what you’d expect a normal team to do,” said Mr. Hahn, a second-year reporter on the beat who said that he now misses his old job as a hockey reporter covering the provincial New York Islanders. “They come up with things all the time. There’s zero access to players. They would rather you don’t even write.”
The stories from the reporters are endless: layers of institutional paranoia; public relations officials who openly eavesdrop on private conversations with executives and players; the threat—and implementation—of cutting off reporters who are perceived to be critical of the team.
“Everyone is so worried about upsetting Jim Dolan, or getting fired, and as a result people aren’t themselves,” said Mr. Beck. “If you transplanted the same individuals and put them in another city, then they’d be far more interesting. They’d be themselves.”
When I spoke with Mr. Isola, the News reporter, on Saturday afternoon on the Garden floor, he pointed to a media relations official watching us. “He’s taking note that I’m talking to you,” he said.
There are very, very successful teams out there that treat the media with dignity and respect and recognize that 90 percent of the time it’s a mutually beneficial relationship,” said David Waldstein, the former Knicks beat reporter for The Star-Ledger. “Every writer who covers the Knicks gets the impression that we are treated as the enemy.”
(Starting this season, The Star-Ledger eliminated the Knicks beat, opting instead to run wire copy.)
“We have three people here tonight,” said Mr. Vaccaro of the New York Post on Monday night. “That’s 16 inches of copy and 16 inches of free space for the Knicks to sell their product, for better or for worse. To make those three stories as difficult as possible to write seems counterproductive to me.”
Later in the piece, Isola claims that since he asked the Knicks to stop having him tailed around MSG by security, he’s essentially been cut off from all communication. When Isiah Thomas’ contract extension was announced last spring, Isola had to find out elsewhere.
The Twins and Tampa Bay Rays are close to finalizing a multi-player deal, according to several sources with knowledge of the discussions. The deal could be announced as soon as today.
The main pieces changning teams would be outfielder Delmon Young, the first overall pick in 2003, and righthander Matt Garza (above). But indications were strong on Wednesday that as many as six players could be involved.
In addition to Garza, the Twins would send Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett and reliever Juan Rincon for Young, shortstop Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie. Pridie was with the Twins during spring training of 2006 as a Rule 5 pick.
The addition of Young could lead to the Twins non-tendering outfielder Craig Monroe, who was dealt to the Twins from the Cubs a few weeks ago.
While one Twins follower is less than thrilled at the prospect of adding Young, it is interesting to see Garza apparently switching teams without the Mets parting with Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez or Fernando Martinez. Whether or not today’s mooted deal impacts the asking price for Johan Santana remains to be seen, but I can’t imagine the acquisition of Young improved the Mets chances.
Deadspin’s Will Leich claimed in a post earlier today the below PSA is “definitive proof Canadians are terrifying.” So much for David Cronenberg’s career, then. (thanks to Mac for the link)
There’s at least two commercials running south of the border that are far scarier in this observer’s opinion. The first is spot for Hanes underwear that inexplicably asks us to believe Michael Jordan is the host of a television talk show. “The Magic Hour”, anyone? (Though the prospect of Charles Oakley taking the Ed McMahon / Hank Kingsley role is kind of hard to resist). Even more incredibly, we’re supposed to believe Cuba Gooding Jr. would be booked as a guest on a said chat program. In 2007.
The second is a slightly more contemporary ad for Wachovia Bank, in which the firm’s sad-sack employees are awakened on Christmas morning because some kid left his passport in a safe deposit box. Nice fucking work Wachovia, either your employees are going to running errands on the biggest holiday of the year or you’re setting your customers up for grave disappointment.
Perhaps foreshadowing an ESPN report that has Andrew Marchand claiming knowledge of the Mets being contenders in the Johan Santana sweepstakes, the New York Daily News’ John Harper spoke with another unnamed insider with alleged insight into Wilpon Inc.’s pursuit of the otherworldly left-hander.
One executive who knows Omar Minaya well said yesterday that he believes the Mets’ GM will be “very creative” in pursuing a deal for Santana.”He always wants to do something big,” the executive said, “and this is a time when he needs to do something big. And this is as big as it gets for him. I believe he’ll exhaust every possibility, even if it means getting other teams involved, to make a deal for Santana.”
But would Minaya give up shortstop Jose Reyes to make it happen?
“I know he wouldn’t want to,” said the executive. “But I do believe he’ll think long and hard about it if he absolutely has to. As explosive as Reyes is, Omar needs pitching to win a championship, and it has become so hard these days to acquire front-line pitching that I think he’d have to consider it.”
People in baseball say the Mets do have other young players the Twins would consider, including outfielders Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez and Lastings Milledge, and pitchers Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Mulvey.
But would some combination of those players get it done? Probably not. With lefthander Francisco Liriano expected back from elbow surgery, the Twins think of themselves as contenders next year and need to bring back players in a deal for Santana they can sell to their team and their fans as ready to help them win.
Metsblog’s D.J. Short, struggling through this afternoon’s “Mike & The Mad Dog” program with the rest of us, points out that while Francesca and Russo seem all too quick to pack Carlos Beltran’s bags, the center fielder has a full no trade clause. There’s also the matter of Beltran making far more money than Minnesota would willingly pay. But who could imagine a guy willing to play in pain, arguably the finest center fielder in club history, would be considered so expendable by a pair of baseball sophisticates like Mike and Chris?
Given the Sports Putz’ willingness to use his unique skills (cough) to raise money to defeat cancer, I suppose 6+ hours of Bill Simmons chat could be considered collateral damage. But much like Truman’s decicion to level Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I hope a good deal of soul searching went into this on the part of ESPN.com
Bill Simmons: (12:09 PM ET ) Mike from Cleveland asks: “Dont know if you’ve seen Mr.Brooks, but Dane Cook is in it and when he dies I couldnt help but yell out THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO HAVE YOUR THROAT SLASHED to mock his playoff baseball commercials.”
Bill Simmons: (12:10 PM ET ) Glad you brought this up. I hate to give away a key plot point in an Oscar winner like Mr. Brooks, but here we go… if you don’t like Dane Cook, definitely rent this movie if you ever wanted to see something horrible happen to him.
Charles Star suggests that despite perception Scott Boras was left on the outside looking in during Alex Rodriguez’ recent negotiations with the New York Yankees, the mega-agent is no sap.
Meanwhile, two Goldman managing directors acted as liaisons, helping bring Alex Rodriguez back to the New York Yankees baseball team, a classic Goldman deal that enhances the value of the firm’s 40 percent stake in the YES network – which it is trying to sell - while also pleasing Yankee fans. The symmetry was perfect: like the Yankees, Goldman, more than any other bank on Wall Street, is both hated and revered.
So now you tell me: did A-Rod approach people at Goldman Sachs on the advice of Warren Buffet? Or is it more likely that Goldman Sachs approached him, with an assist from Warren Buffet? Or asked A-Rod to give Warren Buffet a call.
I have a feeling that ARod may be making $30MM a year after all, with a little help from friends that aren’t the Yankees. Scott Boras is no dummy. He knows how important the sale of YES is to more than just the Yankees.
Star makes a salient point, one especially helpful to me, having presumed YES’ market value hinged more on the quality of Michael Kay’s “CenterStage” than actual Yankee wins and losses.
Graham Rix, unavailable for comment? From The Sun :
PAEDOPHILE star Chris Langham was pelted with boiled sweets when he went to see Arsenal play.
Fellow Gunners fans jeered “We know where you sit” at the Emirates Stadium.
Married Langham, 58, was at the match weeks after winning early release from a ten-month sentence for downloading child porn.
The Thick of It actor saw the Gunners beat Wigan 2-0 on Saturday.
I don’t know if he has any plans to attend soccer matches, but right about now might be a good time for Wallace Langham to change his name back to Wally Ward.
Texas Tech Coach Bob Knight is under fire for allegedly opening fire. Two Lubbock residents say they were hit by pellets during dove hunting trips involving Knight. Mary Ann Chumley says she was accidentally hit by a stray pellet last month. James Simpson says he was hit in the neck and back after yelling at Knight and another man for hunting too close to his house. Knight calls the allegations of intentionally shooting at the man ridiculous.
Knight oughta be excused for the odd errant gunshot here and there. You have no idea how hard it is to kill a dove by throwing a folding chair.
“NFL players, and the teams for which they play, are proxies for our own self-image” writes East Coast Bias’ J-Red, reflecting on the slaying of Redskins S Sean Taylor. Said identification, however, rarely encompasses genuine empathy for the man under the helmet.
We all know that guy. That guy who lives and dies with X college or NFL team. His entire existence, from car flags to basement shrine, is defined by the ups and downs of a defined number of people (most of whom are of a different race or physical build or intellectual composition) who play under that guy’s colors due to chance (the draft, recruiting) or circumstance (free agency, transfer).
Unless you met Sean Taylor, you just lost a good free safety via non-football means. Just like when Sam Mills of Carolina got cancer and Samari Rolle showed epilepsy, and Derrick Thomas died in a car accident, no fan can cope when their favorite number is lost off the field.
Did you ever think to wonder why the method of tribute always involves the player’s number? Sean Taylor, the man, is not the source of grief in Washington. Number 21 is gone, and he will be sorely missed. Number 21 was an integral part of the Washington fanbase. Life/football without Number 21 is unimaginable.
I seriously heard people wonder if the game this week would be cancelled. Why? Because Sean Taylor died? No. Because Number 21 died, and that might have a negative impact on his teammates’ ability to score points and limit the points scored by the opposition.
Sean Taylor is just another young urban black male murdered. Number 21 is a hero who the entire NFL will honor Thursday, Sunday and Monday.
Given that Taylor was unlikely to play this Sunday (he was in Miami recovering from a Nov. 11 knee injury) I’ve not heard much argument his absence, in and of itself, put Washington at a competitive disadvantage . Coping with his death is another matter of course, and with that in mind, we’ve yet to heard Taylor’s peers eulogize him as “Number 21″. Thankfully.
MLB.com’s Marty Noble gets an earful from Mets closer Billy Wagner, who might be free to write a Newday column if Wally Matthews ever wants to pursue a career as Tom Sizemore’s stunt double.
“Someone asked me what I thought of our team,” Wagner said. “I replied, ‘What team?’ We’ve lost 13 games [Tom Glavine's victory total], and now we are going have to give up something to get those games back. I’m afraid we’re just going to create other holes if we give up a [Lastings] Milledge, a [Mike] Pelfrey or a Heilman.”
“I’m trying to be positive,” he said. “I’m saying we have some good players. But I’m worried. The Braves are getting better, and the Phillies made a move [acquiring Brad Lidge]. We’ve brought back some people, and that’s good. But losing Tom is big. It’s a lot more than the 13 games he won. It’s what he did for John Maine and Oliver Perez and how professional he was. People want to focus on one bad game or just the day-to-day stats. I do that myself when I read about football. By I’m involved in this, and I know how important [Glavine] was. We don’t have him [in 2007], and we don’t even get to the last game with a chance. He was one of the few leaders we had.
“We’re down 13 games already, plus all the games Tom deserved to win,” he said. “Without Aaron, it’d be like another 10 or 12. It would be a big chance to take. Without Aaron, [the bullpen] don’t even exist. No way you can trade him.”
Wagner’s concerns go beyond personnel, to the Mets’ thoughts of using Orlando Hernandez in relief and other relievers’ roles. “[Hernandez] pitches great for five games and then can’t pitch for two weeks,” Wagner said. “If we put him in the bullpen, we’re going to ask him to pitch three times a week. Can he take that?”
Wagner went to bat for his former batterymate as well, saying he has no problem with Johnny Estrada, who was acquired in trade last week. But he believed Lo Duca was an integral component in the team dynamic.
“Maybe he wasn’t the best receiver. I don’t know. But Paulie competed,” Wagner said. “He battled every day, and we had some guys who didn’t show up every day. They were satisfied if they got a hit and we lost. Paul was [angry] if he had four hits and we lost. And every one of the pitchers trusted him. He was a big part of what we did [in 2006], and now he’s gone, too. … It just worries me that we’re missing some important guys.”
It’s hard to know what to make of Wagner’s claim that Glavine was one of the few leader-types on the Mets. On a veteran club with World Series winners including El Duque, Pedro Martinez, Luis Castillo and Moises Alou (not to mention a manager and first base coach of some repute), how dependent should the Mets have been on Glavine’s guidance?
Given Wagner’s already documented tendency to lecture the likes of Lastings Milledge — keep in mind Da Edge has been in the organization longer than Country Time — doesn’t he consider himself a leader? And if so, who exactly is he calling out here?
“I found some pretty embarrassing footage of Mariano Duncan,” writes Rog “and I’m not talking about his booting routine grounders at SS.”
“I grew up in LA and I don’t ever remember seeing this fine cinematic masterpiece. Orel Hershiser hasn’t made moves this bad since his last start for the Indians. Mike Scioscia is lucky that he kept a low profile, lest he wishes to see his ‘performance’ played on the big screen at Angel Stadium. Jerry Reuss has some pretty choice moments, too.”
Even with the above monstrosity fully in mind, I cannot claim the New York Mets don’t have a musical skeleton in their closet even scarier than Metal Mike Piazza’s Dream Theatre collection.
I’ve not checked the Monster.com ads this evening, but there’s a good chance a baseball team in Flushing seeks an announcer with solid baseball experience, and most importantly, the ability to sound kind of like Gary Cohen to persons who aren’t paying very close attention.
Tom McCarthy, who spent the last two seasons as a play-by-play announcer for the New York Mets on WFAN, is returning to his roots as a member of the Phillies broadcasting team, Rob Brooks, Manager, Broadcasting announced today.
The New Jersey native broadcast Phillies games from 2001 through the 2005 season. In addition to play-by-play on radio, McCarthy also hosted the Phillies’ pre- and post-game shows. His contract is five years in length.
Jim Jackson will return handling pre- and post-game shows on WPHT The Big Talker 1210 AM and the Phillies radio network. “I’m excited to be back in Philadelphia,” said McCarthy. “I enjoyed my two years with WFAN and the Mets. Both are first-class as are the Phillies. I’m looking forward to returning and can’t wait for spring training to get here.”
I’m not gonna bore you to death with details of my Thanksgiving Weekend, mostly because a) I barely remember anything and b) unlike Slam’s Farmer Jones, I did not have the pleasure of staying at the Steve Alford All-American Inn while driving between Indiana and Ohio.
I was psyched. My wife was not; instead of some little independent motel in the middle of nowhere, she was hoping we’d stay at a Holiday Inn or Motel 6 or some other vaguely reputable chain, since those seem less likely to end with Anthony Perkins interrupting your shower. I wanted to explain that Steve Alford would never allow a psycho-killer night manager at his hotel, but we were both tired, and she wouldn’t have appreciated the explanation. I told her just to trust me.
The Steve Alford All-American Inn is not unlike its namesake: Physically unremarkable. No frills. Unfancy. Gets the job done. It was pretty comparable to a Holiday Inn or Motel 6, except that those places generally don’t have Big Ten MVP trophies sitting on a shelf behind the check-in desk.
Here is what else it had:
-A bunch of Alford’s jerseys, from high school, college, the Olympics and the pros, displayed in frames on the lobby wall.
-A workout room with white wallpaper that has basketball-related words on it: “Post-Up,” “Rebound,” and, yes, “Slam.”
-Two hoops—height adjustable, with glass backboards and everything—in the parking lot. I would have gone out and shot on one, except we got there at 1 a.m. and left at 8 a.m., and it was freezing, and I didn’t have a ball. But otherwise.
-A giant inflatable basketball shoe in the front. About 6 feet tall, to scale, looking vaguely like a Reebok Pump. And yes, it says “Lobos” on the back.
Is there any surprise in learning Jay Mohr is just as adept hosting live radio as he is blogging and acting? The Big Lead, following a tip from that unimpeachable source The Offshore Online Sportsbetting Message Board, reports that Jay Mohr, while guest-hosting Jim Rome’s Premiere Radio Network show last week, suggested that former A’s/Blue Jays pitcher Joe Kennedy, “died of mediocrity”.
Though Mohr is generally a whipping boy around these parts, I can sympathize in this instance. People occasionally say stupid things when they’re exhausted, and Mohr must’ve been physically spent after moving his many Academy and Emmy Awards into the PRN studios.
Newsday’s Neil Best suffered through Tuesday’s “Mike & The Mad Dog” program and was treated to an overdose of social commentary from Fatso & Fruitloops Mike Francesca and Chris Russo (link courtesy Luke Halpert).
It took less than 12 hours for the late Sean Taylor to go from dying from a gunshot wound suffered in his own home to being the latest symbol of what is wrong with America’s athletic youth on WFAN.It began with an hour-long discussion of how Taylor’s anger, his love of guns and his loyalty to imagined bad influences from a troubled youth had led him inevitably down the path of . . . um, having someone break into his house and shoot him.
The comedic moments included Russo explaining why these things don’t happen to hockey players and Francesa discussing his neighbors, who include Moises Alou, Jose Reyes and “Asian doctors.”
The clincher came at around 2:15 p.m., when a caller informed the hosts that Taylor’s father is a police chief, and that Taylor evidently did not grow up in inner-city squalor.
“Are you sure about that?” Russo said. “I wasn’t aware of that. So we’re using the wrong guy here to talk about dysfunctional homes is what you’re telling me.”
(My wife told me she read about Taylor’s police chief father at 7 o’clock this morning.)
The Liverpool manager let it be known through “close sources” yesterday that he is prepared to offer an olive branch to George Gillett and Tom Hicks, having risked his future at a club he undoubtedly cherishes by raging against their transfer restrictions and lack of faith this past week. Yet the Americans believed that would be the case last Friday, 24 hours after Benítez first brought their dispute into the public domain, and the following afternoon at Newcastle he courted the sack by stirring the nest once more. A contrite message today will confirm the manager’s belief that he has a future, plus a belated understanding that he has picked the wrong fight, although the final judgment call is not his to make.
The Liverpool manager’s “bigger picture” differs to the business model of Gillett and Hicks and understandably so, but to be denied access to Bosman transfers illustrates the lack of confidence in Benítez. For a proud man responsible for winning the European Cup with a mediocre squad in 2005, who almost claimed a second last season and has also lifted the FA Cup, Uefa Cup and two Spanish league titles, this is nothing less than an insult.
Liverpool remain unbeaten in the Premier League and while progress has at times been painfully slow, it is there. Benítez has made mistakes in the market, too, but, fortunately for his owners they have been quickly shipped out of a squad whose overall value has risen significantly with the Spaniard in charge. Both sides now have a duty to find some common ground before it really is too late.
Lest you thought MVN.com’s hoops blogs were the sole province of misogynists, homophobes and illiterates, NBA veteran Doug Christie took advantage of the “anybody-can-do-it” portal and shared his profound holiday wishes with ordinary citizens like you and me.
Thanksgiving is so special to me and my family, as it lets you reflect on all that you’re thankful for. I want to share some of the things I’m thankful for now with you all.
I’m thankful:
for knowing Jesus and putting him first in our life
for being alive
for being married to Jackie
for having our children
for them being healthy
for the many blessings God has given me and my family
for being able to help so very many people in some way
for having this blog on MVN and be able to have a voice and talk to you all
for our country
for another year of learning how to be a even better person than last year
for being healthy
for making it to the NBA and playing 14 years
for all the good in this world
for our wonderful book
for our great DVD – the Christies un-cut
for our reality show
and for the love we (me and my family) have for mankind, even though some have wronged us. We forgive all.
The ratings, which were launched upon an unsuspecting world in 1960, and moved to thecolumnists.com in 2001, were conceived as a loving spoof of The Ring magazine boxing ratings. In those days Ring was the only entity that dealt in ratings, but they have mushroomed like, well, mushrooms, inspiring the IRED to rush in where nobody else dare tread.
Indeed, along with ranking the top Chocolate Ice Creams (Double Rainbow? In a global top ten?), Issacs endeavors to rank the elite in Paintings, Characters In Robert Service Poems, and best of all, Rest Stops On The New Jersey Turnpike.
(1) Walt Whitman; (2) Molly Pitcher; (3) Joyce Kilmer (above); (4) Thomas Edison; (5) Alexander Hamilton (6) Woodrow Wilson; (7) Clara Barton; (8) James Fenimore Cooper; (9) Richard Stockton; (10) Vince Lombardi.
Amidst reports the Yankees and Twins are talking-4-real about the latter trading Johan Santana, the New York Sun’s Tim Marchman proclaims the hurler, “a left-handed Pedro Martinez, though that would insult his uniqueness.”
“He is the best pitcher in the sport as unquestionably as Martinez once was, and as Greg Maddux was before him” gushes Marchman, who just became Peter Greenberg’s favorite baseball writer of all time.
Still in his early prime, Santana throws in the middle 90s, changes speeds masterfully, and has unrivaled control, and thus should be able to easily adjust when, years from now, he does lose a bit of his edge to age. He has never thrown more than 120 pitches in a game, and despite this has averaged 228 innings the last four years. From 25 to 28, he has pitched 912.1 innings, and his park-adjusted ERA has been 56% better than average. Since integration, two pitchers have done better at the same ages while pitching at least 800 innings: Martinez and Maddux. Roger Clemens’s mark was exactly the same.
The only recent parallel for a pitcher anywhere near this young and this good being traded is Martinez. In 1997, just 25, having won his first Cy Young Award for Montreal and in the last year of his contract, he was even more desirable than Santana is now. The Red Sox ended up having to relinquish Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr. for him. At the time, Pavano was Baseball America’s no. 9 prospect. Armas was highly regarded for his great pedigree and a terrific fastball. This isn’t notable just because Pavano was arguably as good a prospect then as Philip Hughes is now; it’s also notable because he actually represents something like the downside of trading a prospect for a truly great pitcher like Martinez or Santana. Pavano may be the punchline to a bad joke, but despite the fact that his greatest achievement as a Yankee was to miss a rehab start with a bruised butt cheek, he’s had a good career. He was the best pitcher on a world champion in 2003.
It’s unlikely that Hughes will do as much, given the reality that young pitchers just get hurt a lot and sometimes mysteriously fail to develop. To invoke another top prospect of a decade ago who suspiciously resembles a top Yankees prospect of today, it’s unlikely that Joba Chamberlain will have a career nearly as good as that of Kerry Wood, whom Montreal could not have had for Martinez. And both Pavano and Wood are considered terrible disappointments.
Though knocking off the no. 1 team in the land earned Houston Nutt a proposed two year extension as Arkansas head coach, it proved to be too little, too late — not with other suitors competing for Nutt’s services, anyhow. Chances are very slim, by the way, that Mitch Mustaine will attempt to transfter to Ole Miss in the near future. From the AP :
Houston Nutt wasn’t out of a job for long: He was hired as Mississippi’s football coach just hours after resigning at ArkansasNutt agreed to a contract late Monday night, and replaces Ed Orgeron, who was fired Sunday after the Rebels lost to rival Mississippi State and finished 3-9.
The hiring of Nutt was confirmed by a person close to the program who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.
Nutt resigned even though the Razorbacks upset then-No. 1 LSU 50-48 in triple overtime last week.
Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early Tuesday from the gunshot wound he suffered a day earlier in his Miami home.
“He did not make it through the night,” said Taylor’s attorney, Richard Sharpstein, who called the incident “a ridiculous, unnecessary tragedy.”
The bullet severed Taylor’s femoral artery, causing massive blood loss. He underwent seven hours of surgery, and there were some initially optimistic signs after he emerged from the operation early Monday evening. Described at first as “unresponsive and unconscious,” Taylor had squeezed a doctor’s hand and made facial expressions, Redskins officials and a family friend said, providing some hope.
Taylor died “a couple of hours ago” surrounded by some family members, family friend Donald Walker said shortly after 6 a.m. “Things turned for the worse,” Walker said by phone from Taylor’s mother’s house. There “seemed like a lot of hope after he responded to the doctor’s command. But he lost a lot of blood.”
Taylor confronted one or more intruders early Monday morning at the bedroom door of the house he shares with his fiancee and 18-month-old daughter, and was shot in the upper thigh near the femoral artery, Sharpstein said. The fiancee and child were uninjured, but Taylor lost significant amounts of blood and received a number of transfusions, according to Sharpstein and a source at the hospital.
Maybe you were already aware the Bucks were in first place in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division. And perhaps you’ve noticed the improved physical condition of Milwaukee F Michael Redd. But did you know that (in the words of ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard), Redd was “celibate for three-and-a-half years before he tied the knot in August 2006?”
Honeys knocked on his door at 2 a.m., followed him to his car after games and left seductive messages on his phone, but through it all he was faithful, to his Lord and to his future wife, Achea. His teammates thought he was crazy.
“You gay, man?” they asked. “Scared?”
Once they realized he was neither, they got behind his decision.
“We used to joke with Mike about it,” guard Mo Williams says. “But we never doubted him because of how he carries himself. He’s so sincere you can’t help but respect him 100 percent.”
Although he got off to a rocky start in the weight room last season, Redd is now obsessed with fitness. Gone are the meat-topped pizzas, the soul food, the burgers, the candy, the popcorn, the soda, the late-night meals of pasta and bread.
And that has meant the end to the Oliver Miller jokes. “It’s good not to hear those anymore,” Redd says.
Not so fast, there’s always time for Oliver Miller jokes. Of hefty Knicks Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph, Hoopsworld’s Mike “The Island Of Dr.” Moreau writes, “You guys are both overweight – this is your fault. Both of you need to lose those five bags of sugar you are carrying around in your uniforms. You will room together on the road with our new assistant coaches: Jared Fogle and Clay Henry from Subway.”
I guess this wouldn’t be a great time to tell Mike about the Chocolageddon.
Randolph scored 28 for the Knicks tonight in a 113-109 home win over Utah. Though Deron Williams suffered the indignity of being outdueled by Stephon Marbury, he can take some consolation in knowing he’ll soon return to a region where one can be married to Jeanne Tripplehorn and Chloe Sevigny at the same time.
The New York Mets today unveiled the commemorative logo celebrating the 45-season history of Shea Stadium in conjunction with the final year in their long-time home. The Mets will wear this logo as a patch on the right sleeve of their uniforms during all 2008 home games.
Past commemorative patches worn by the Mets include tributes to Shea Stadium’s 40th Anniversary (2004), the 40th Anniversary of the club’s inception (2002), the first Major League game to be played in Tokyo (2000), the 50th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier (1997), the 25th Anniversary of the Mets’ 1969 World Championship (1994), the 125th Anniversary of Major League Baseball (1994), a Mets’ 25th Anniversary (1986), America’s Bicentennial (1976), the 100th Anniversary of Major League Baseball (1969), and the World’s Fair (1964, 1965).
Rejected patch designs include the 5th Anniversary of The First Time Doug Sisk Tried Mouthwash (1989), and the 30th Anniversary of Donald Manes cutting his own wrists in the Shea parking lot (1996).
While predicting Mets interest in Dan Haren and Livan Hernandez (!), SI.com’s Jon Heyman is somewhat less than blown away with the club’s recent backstop acquisition.
The Mets are going to have to do better than Johnny Estrada for catcher. That trade made sense in that Guillermo Mota’s time was up in Queens. But Estrada seems to have issues everywhere he goes, and the Mets will be his fourth team in four seasons. He may be the only player not to have gotten along with Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin, well known as a prince of a guy.
The Mets have talked to the Nationals about Brian Schneider in addition to talking to the Orioles about Ramon Hernandez and the Rangers about Gerald Laird. The Mets often talk about wanting a defensive catcher. So it’s about time they get one.
“Kerry Wood has outlasted three managers and countless players, and also figures to outlast Tribune Co.” writes The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan of Wood’s decision to sign a one-deal pact with the Cubs, spurning “some lucrative multi-year offers” from other clubs in the process. So there you go, after pitching a grand total of 119 combined innings the past 3 seasons, Wood can be presented as a survivor.
Kerry Wood called it “a pretty easy decision” to return to the Cubs, and left no doubt he’s psyched about the opportunity to replace Ryan Dempster as the closer in 2008.
“I would think anybody that plays this game wants to be in that position,” Wood said after signing a one-year, $4.2 million deal that includes significant incentives for number of games finished.
“If you’re playing short, you want the ball hit to you and to make the last out of the game. So sure, you say you want to be in that role, and the adrenaline of it every night and the excitement of it.
“It’s not an easy job. Dempster got some harsh criticism last year, and I think he was fourth or fifth (in the Majors) in saves percentage. And he had a rough time out there (from fans) going out and doing that. It’s fun. It’s a rewarding job, and you definitely know when you’re in the game, the game is on the line.
“I feel strong enough to go out and do it, sure,” he said. “Physically I feel like I can do it. I know what it takes to go out and eat 200-plus innings, and I know what kind of toll it takes on your body. With what I’ve been through, I don’t think it’s wise of me to take that chance again right away.”
Some will remember Kevin Dubrow as the journeyman vocalist whose career received it’s biggest boost from a Slade cover. Others (ie. me) will remember Kevin as the Las Vegas morning radio DJ who sang an off-key version of “The Star Spangled Banner” before a Thunder (IHL) game at the Thomas & Mack Center in 1995. And other still, will remember the late Dubrow as the man whose MTV.com obituary was almost totally copped from Wikipedia.
Today, however, I’d like to remember him as a great humanitarian.
“Most NFL fans are familiar with the Madden Curse,” writes the Washington Post’s Michael Lee, ” and the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I should look and see if there is some sort of NBA Live Curse, since both games are made by EA Sports.” I don’t know about Gilbert’s knee troubles, but I can certainly vouch for plenty of NBA Live Cursing in this house, particularly when I get my ass kicked by some invisible stoner over the broadband.
NBA Live ‘05
Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
Could Anthony have had a worse encore to his rookie season? Before the 2004-05 season started, he clashed with Coach Larry Brown in the Athens Olympics, got into a fight at a club in New York, was cited for marijuana possession (a charge that was later dropped) and three men tried to extort him for $3 million in exchange for a tape of the fight.
Then, he was involved in a controversy for a brief appearance in an underground DVD, “Stop Snitching,” which glorified the drug trade and showed drug dealers threatening to kill people who snitch on them.
Anthony was so bummed that his poor play contributed to Jeff Bzdelik getting fired midseason. He needed George Karl to come out of an ESPN booth to make a miraculous run to the playoffs, where the Nuggets lost in the first round. Anthony averaged a career-low 20.8 points and 5.7 rebounds. Not good.
NBA Live ‘02
Steve Francis, Houston Rockets
Bingo. The Franchise averaged career-highs of 21.6 points and 7 rebounds with 6.4 assists. He also made his first all-star start. What’s the problem? Francis was affected by an inner ear infection that gave him daily migraines. The disorder, combined with a foot injury, forced him to miss 25 games.
The good news, though, was the Rockets were so bad that they were able to draft Yao Ming No. 1. A Curse and a Gift.
NBA Live ‘01
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
Bad. Bad. Bad. This was a season that greatly affected Garnett and the Timberwolves, but not because of anything that happened on the court. Garnett suffered a huge loss in the summer of 2000, when his closest friend on the team – and the reason he chose to wear No. 21 – Malik Sealy died in a car accident. Garnett paid homage to Sealy for the rest of his time in Minnesota, keeping an empty locker stall next to his which read, “No. 2 Sealy.”
During the season, Minnesota was caught in a salary-cap tampering scandal involving Joe Smith which resulted in the Timberwolves losing five first-round draft picks (the number was later reduced to three) and receiving a $3.5 million fine. Vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale also was forced into an unpaid leave of absence.
On the court, Garnett played 81 games and managed to produce 22 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5 assists. The Timberwolves, however, were bounced in four games in the first round against San Antonio. Pretty bad overall.
Damning evidence, and the exactly sort of thing the Magic had better hope Dwight Howard keeps in mind next June when EA comes courting.
Having taken just 6 points from 14 matches, is there any surprise Billy Davies is no longer managing the Rams? Other than how Davies somehow outlasted Chris Hutchings? From the Guardian’s Paul Doyle :
Their performances in the Premier League so far this season have proved that Derby County do not need a decent manager – they need a miracle worker. And the club’s board today decided that Billy Davies doesn’t fit that bill, so has parted company with the man who guided them to promotion last season.
Davies insisted he could leave Pride Park with his “head held high” and that he had no reason to be ashamed. “What’s quite ironic, on the morning of me parting ways with Derby, is that I’m going to the East Midland [Sports] Awards this evening to pick up the coach of the year award,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful time here, there’s been lots of ups and lots of downs, but in the main I’m very proud of what has been achieved, and I’m now walking through these gates with my head very much held high.”
Davies did admit, however, that he was sad to be leaving. “Of course, it’s always that way because there are great people here, my family are very settled and there’s lots of good friends here,” he added. “But that’s football, we know what football’s all about, and the situation now is that it’s time to move on to pastures new.”
Bookmakers Coral have since suspended betting on Davies’ successor, following a sustained gamble on the MK Dons manager Paul Ince. “We felt the wheels may have already been put in motion with regard to Ince’s appointment,” said Coral’s David Stevens, after Ince’s price was slashed from 10-1 to 4-9 in a matter of hours.
After what the Washington Times described as a home invasion, Washington safety Sean Taylor (above, right), rehabbing from a November injury, was shot in the groin this morning . The Miami Herald reports this might’ve been the third time in the past week Taylor’s house was broken into.
Taylor’s lawyer, Mark Sharpstein claims there are “a number of people jealous of Sean’s success”. Probably fewer people this afternoon, I reckon.
Taylor, the 5th overall pick in the 2004 draft, leads the Redskins in interceptions (5).
(UPDATE : further details from the Miami Herald. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Taylor has emerged from 6 hours of surgery and has shown some movement and ability to acknowledge conversation with his doctors).
The security presence on the two spiral ramps at Gate D of Giants Stadium was overwhelming Sunday during halftime of the Giants’ game against the Minnesota Vikings. More than 25 state troopers and 50 security guards patrolled the multilevel ramps.
No arrests were made, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police. There were also no ejections, according to George Zoffinger, the departing president and chief executive of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which provides security at Giants Stadium.
“It was in recognition of a problem that had been gaining a little bit of momentum that we have observed lately,” Jones said in a telephone interview after the game. He said security had been increased at each of the stadium’s eight spiral ramps during halftime.
Zoffinger and senior members of his staff were also on the ramps at Gate D during halftime, where it was almost impossible to walk more than a few feet without passing security guards in yellow jackets.
“What you didn’t see, and we’re going to continue to do this, is the undercover people we have that can find people that are leaders of any kind of chanting and inappropriate things,” Zoffinger said in a telephone interview after the game. “And we’re going to make sure that we’re equally up to the task come the next Jets home game.
“We will do this until we nip the problem in the bud.”
In other crowd control news, the Benesowitz family vacation to Anaheim, CA is back on schedule. If there’s a break in the trenchant blogging while you’re enjoying the sights, Alex, we’ll understand.
