Full credit to Mike D’Antoni and Stephon Marbury, both of whom addressed the possibility, however remote that Sixers fans would start chanting for Marbury’s insertion tonight at the Wachovia Center. The Knicks officially placed the Coney Island PG on the inactive list just prior to being blown out, 116-87 by the Sixers. Elton Brand scored 24 points and collected 14 rebounds for the hosts, while the Knicks combined to shoot just 32.7 % from the floor (Zach Randolph, 5 for 19, David Lee, 5 for 13). On the bright side, most of the locals were far too tired to attempt flipping the Knicks’ bus.
Oklahoma City’s new NBA entry seek their first regular season win tomorrow night when they travel to Houston, but if you’re the superstitious type, you might figure the Thunder are already fucked.
Seems like this has become quite the tradition at Southern Cal, but if their laff-riot head coach and mascot-for-life Will Ferrell really want to scare the shit out of the Trojans for Halloween, they’ll hire someone (Jim True-Frost? John Hodgeman?) to pose as an interviewer from Yahoo Sports.
While the City Of Philadelphia continues to celebrate the Phillies’ first World Series title since 1980, the New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman isn’t quite finished castigating Major League Baseball for their handling of the events of Monday night. Accusing Commissioner Bud Selig of “bogarting” Monday night’s press conference, Raissman doesn’t put much stock in the Used Car Salesman’s boast “that before the first pitch of the tilt had even been thrown, he had changed the rule regarding rain-shortened games.”
Selig said that even if the Rays had not scored the tying run in the top of sixth, the contest – which was already an official game – would still be played to a finish.
Since Selig had kept his decision – which was the right one – close to the vest, this was news to everyone in that room. By not informing anyone outside his tight circle, Selig not only hung his TV (Fox) and radio (ESPN) partners out to dry, but also the entire assemblage of print reporters who were filing stories instantaneously.
The media were not the only ones left in the dark. Contrary to what Selig later maintained, the umpires didn’t know that the rule had been changed, either. According to sources close to the situation, neither did the managers (Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel).
“This whole thing is just too fishy. The managers both saying they unilaterally didn’t tell their players (about the rule change) and nobody telling us or the other media,” said one broadcaster involved in a World Series production. “If he (Selig) really made this decision beforehand, why didn’t he announce it to everybody?
“Or even more importantly, why didn’t he make this decision before the postseason even began?” the broadcaster asked.
The fact is, Selig could not have made a unilateral rules decision without collective bargaining with the Players Association, even if he was doing it in “the best interests of baseball.”
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton can clinch his first FI championship this Sunday in Sao Paolo with a mere top 5 finish, but he’ll attempt to do so against the backdrop of claims he’s facing racist abuse, and not for the first time, either. From the Independent’s Emily Ashton :
World governing body the FIA have been quick to condemn a “voodoo-style” website in Spain where hundreds of abusive messages have been posted.
Visitors to the site, which was not working this lunchtime, have been encouraged to drop imaginary nails, pins or porcupines on a mock-up of the Interlagos circuit.
Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the party’s Ethnic Minority Taskforce, urged Foreign Secretary David Miliband to formally protest to Spain asking them to take whatever steps necessary to stop the abuse.
Mr Vaz said it was clear that the website – named Pincha la Rueda de Hamilton, which translates as Burst Hamilton’s Tyre – was set up to destabilise Hamilton before this weekend’s race.
He said: “The Spanish government cannot stand back and allow this organised and systematic racism to continue. These people must be widely condemned and the websites that they use shut down immediately.
“I call upon the Foreign Secretary to make a formal protest to the Spanish government urging them to act on this serious issue that looks set only to escalate if action is not taken now.”
I remember watching “Eight Men Out” with my father when I was a kid, before I picked up what is now an embarrassingly dorky knowledge of character actors. I don’t do it unless I think there’s a good reason, but I have from time to time identified an actor for whoever was lucky enough to be sitting next to me on the couch. Maybe my girlfriend didn’t know that was M. Emmett Walsh, you know? I know you don’t know her, but she’d totally want to know.
Anyway, the first time anyone ever did this in my presence was my father, who picked out Studs Terkel in his role as the newspaper writer Hugh Connelly in that film. My father recognized his voice. I don’t know if anyone recognized Studs Terkel’s face, but tons of people in generations ranging from those preceding my parents’ to mine recognize Terkel’s voice from his 45 years in radio and his canonicinterview-centeredworks of American social history. Terkel died at 96 today, with a new book due next month and mere days away from (one hopes) seeing the election of a fellow adoptive-Chicagoan for whom he’d been an eloquent advocate.
Rick Kogan’s excellent obituary in the Chicago Tribune is almost laughably long and complicated; for someone who seems to have lived the equivalent of three or four lives, it’s amazing how much other peoples’ lives and thoughts remained interesting to Terkel. Amazing and a little inspiring, even to those of us only faintly familiar with his work.
While his Newsday colleagues contend with an anthrax scare (I guess someone really got tired of Wally Matthews), Newsday’s David Lennon reports that while the Mets have picked up Carlos Delgado’s $12 million option, the journalist hints the veteran 1B might not around for the opening of Citi Field.
While it isn’t likely Delgado, whose red-hot second-half carried the Mets to within one game of a playoff spot, will be anywhere but Flushing, there is a school of thought that suggest the Mets could trade him while his value is this high.
Delgado is 36, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to reproduce his 38-homer, 115-RBI season. He could be tempting to an AL club looking to split him at first base and designated hitter.
In a statement Friday, Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Delgado “is a key part of our plans for 2009,” seemingly pouring cold water on the notion of a trade.
“We wanted to let him know as quickly as allowed that we wanted him back,” Minaya said. “Yesterday — the day following the conclusion of the World Series — was the first day that we could pick up the option per the contract. It was our full intent to promptly close our deal with Carlos, and that’s what we did.”
The above moves comes a day after the Mets signed Fernando Tatis to a one year, $1.1 deal. Bringing Tatis back troubles me far less than a rumored Delgado trade ; if the former struggles, there’s not so much invested that summoning Fernando Martinez is out of the question. But it would fascinating to know just how Lennon figures the Mets will replace Delgado’s production.
If I’m a bit quiet on the posting front for the rest of the day, that’s because I’m hard at work on my Scott Schoeneweis costume. The can of Skoal was easy enough to obtain, and I’ve taken enough time playing miniature golf to know how to put a ball on a tee.
While Frank Isola reports the Knicks are considering paying Stephon Marbury to teepee Isiah’s house stay home until a trading partner can be found, the club unveiled one of the more curious, if not frugal marketing schemes of late.
For the mere price of $20.08, the Knicks are offering the following :
(1) ticket to see the Knicks take on Emeka Okafor and the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday, November 5th at 7:30PM
- (1) Food Voucher valid for (1) hot dog, (1) 24-oz soda and (1) bag of chips
Uh huh. Because with a cast including Wilson Chandler, David Lee and Jamal Crawford, what name just screams “Basketball on Broadway’ quite like that of 67 year year old Donnie Walsh? Sincere congratulations to whoever thought of this fantastic idea, and perhaps for the November 25 visit of LeBron and the Cavs, the Knicks marketing dept. can unload any remaining J.D. & The Straight Shot tees for the first 19,000 or so persons thru the MSG turnstiles.
Space. It’s just up there, cold and far away and — at least for the time being — comparatively bereft of good recreational opportunities. Yes, there’s ice cream (of sorts). Space-walking is popular. Repairing crumbling space infrastructure will at least keep you busy. But it took 11-year NFL vet Ken Harvey — whom I remember best as the guy in the Redskins uniform standing over a parade of the lousy pre-Fassel Giants quarterbacks he just sacked — to see the lucrative sports-related opportunities in space.
He calls it SpaceSportilization, which is kind of a bad idea on its face, but I’m not judging. If only because I don’t want to wind up like Danny Kannell. That is, prone. The New York Times‘ Michael Brick breaks down Harvey’s proposed “Float Ball” empire:
It would combine elements of basketball, football and the Lionel Richie video for “Dancing on the Ceiling” into a sort of free-for-all, compelling weightless players to bounce off walls, obstacles and one another while herding weightless balls of various colors to either end of the playing space, which would be placed inside the cabin of a zero-gravity plane or, possibly, on the moon. Eventually, one day, if all went well, some sort of custom arena would be constructed. On Mars.
“There’s a bonus,” said (Harvey) to an attentive audience of National Aeronautics and Space Administration engineers, technicians and scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center recently, “where you have to pick up a person holding a certain ball and throw them through a hoop as a sort of extra point.”
…Inside the campus, a collection of low-slung brick buildings dating to the 1950s, he was escorted on a tour of communications centers stranded in time, working rooms behind glass replete with mainframe computers, heavy phones and framed portraits of astronauts. The only thing missing seemed to be sweaty guys in thin neckties leaning over smoldering ashtrays. His guides spoke of long-ago flush times for space exploration in the cold war. “You had somebody to compete against,” Harvey said, “like Redskins against Cowboys.”
When the time came for his presentation, Harvey descended the steps of a flag-decked auditorium. Stocky and bald-shaven, dressed in a patterned tie, gray suit, brown loafers and interlocking silver bracelets, he stood before a projection screen that displayed grainy images of the SpaceLab scientists performing gymnastic routines.
His audience, about 40 NASA specialists, fell silent. Harvey ran through a series of slides covering the troubled economy, the promise of space tourism, citations of sports in the work of science fiction novelists and precedent-setting events like Alan Shepard’s lunar golf shot. He cracked jokes, digressed liberally and quickly won over the group. “You may say, what the heck is all this?” Harvey told his audience. “You’re talking about sports and entertainment complexes on the moon.”
Advanced concepts like the Float Ball league, he argued, would develop in time from astronaut fitness programs, virtual reality games, zero-gravity flights and educational efforts designed to instill post-space age children with new interstellar dreams.
This may be too inside-baseball, but I’m looking at the list of category tags here on the WordPress page, and there is nothing available for ‘Space Sports’ or ‘Throwing a Guy Through a Hoop as an Extra Point.’ So, of course, apologies for a poorly tagged post.
I couldn’t afford a full coverage insurance policy on my car so my insurance company won’t cover a vandalism claim. I also had to hire a towtruck to flip it back because Triple A doesn’t cover this either. I can’t afford to buy a new car or to have this one fixed – if it’s even possible. I work as a freelance videographer and a car is crucial for me being able to work and get to my different jobs.
There was alot of people on Broad Street last night. If all the people who were hanging out near Broad and Washington (where the car was flipped) gave me ten dollars I could probably buy a new car… or if all the people who actually flipped my car gave me a thousand dollars that could work too.
Much as I’d love to sneer at yet another regurgitated Phil Mushnick column —- guess who’s upset about late night World Series games? — the New York Post’s bearded conscience of all things sports media has on this rare occasion, scooped yours truly and I’m genuinely embarrassed.
When we enter voting booths Tuesday, we’ll see notorious TV time-buy scamdicapper Wayne Root’s name on the ballot as a legitimate candidate for Vice President of the United States (Libertarian Party).
Root has the endorsement of the NBRO (National Boiler Room Operators).
“If baseball insists upon playing 162 regular-season games, three postseason rounds and the World Baseball Classic every four years,” warns Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, “weather problems will continue to disrupt the World Series.” And that’s to say nothing of Ken’s paymasters insisting on evening start times for the Fall Classic. The Chicago Tribune’s Rick Morrissey seems equally troubled, insisting “when the Phillies were jumping on each other Wednesday night after winning the World Series, they weren’t celebrating. They were trying to stay warm.” (link taken from Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)
A wonderful solution would be for baseball to start the season April 15 rather than April 1 and end the regular season Sept. 15 instead of Sept. 30. That’s correct: a 130-game schedule.
Come to think of it, cutting April and September entirely from the regular season wouldn’t be such a bad idea. The season is wayyy toooooo lllllooooooonnnnnnng.
Now I know this would play havoc with statistics. Records we hold dear would likely never be broken again because of the shortened schedule. But let’s keep in mind that the steroids era has taken a sledgehammer to the record books anyway. The home run records, in particular, are silly.
Anyone who has had to sit through a game in the spring knows it can be a wretched experience, at least in Chicago, especially when the wind has kicked up and the cold air hasn’t received the memo about summer being somewhere on the horizon.
What we saw this week made no sense. Why allow weather to be the biggest factor at the exact time the games mean everything?
Assuming the owners don’t like my idea of a shorter season—assuming, while we’re at it, that they don’t like being flogged with a birch switch—what about playing the World Series at a neutral, warm-weather site? Sacrilege, I know. But if football can do it, why can’t baseball?
When precisely isn’t weather a major factor? If the World Series is too important to be played under frigid conditions, can the Texas Rangers petition to play the entire summer at a neutral site?
Of course the Suns beat the Spurs last night —- how could San Antonio be expected to compete after their head coach was suddenly replaced by Dr. Gene Scott?
Mike D’Antoni on Thursday admitted he did hear the chant of “We Want Steph!” from a section of the sellout crowd at the Garden in the second half of Wednesday’s season-opening 120-115 win over the Miami Heat. But while television replays showed D’Antoni yelling, “Are you f— kidding me?” toward the crowd, what is unclear is if he was directing his anger at the chanting fans — who were calling for benched guard Stephon Marbury — or the referees.
“I just thought they didn’t quite get it, but they’re great fans and they’re into it,” D’Antoni said when asked about the situation. “It’s almost like on draft night, no matter who you draft they’re going to boo because there’s somebody the fans like and somebody they don’t … You’ll hear it from the people that don’t and that’s OK. It’s no big deal.”
A majority of the fans seemed to agree with his decision to leave Marbury on the bench for the entire game. But late in the third quarter, with the Knicks ahead by 23 points, some fans in the upper bowl started a chant of “We Want Steph!” After a few attempts, the chant was overcome by loud boos from the rest of the sellout crowd.
But the moment that involved D’Antoni came with 11:10 left in the fourth quarter and, it should be noted, after a foul was called on Mardy Collins. The Knicks were leading at the time, 93-77, and the big lead was already starting to slip away.
A reporter from ESPN Radio said there was also video evidence that D’Antoni added, “What a bunch of a—.” Newsday can only confirm D’Antoni’s first comment.
After D’Antoni addressed the media immediately following practice, he came back a short while later to re-address the issue and said his words were not directed at the crowd.
“There’s no way I would do that to the fans,” he said.
“The job of a manager is not to be a buddy of the players,” insisted Ken Macha earlier today at a press conference introduction as the newest manager of the Miwaukee Brewers. And good thing, too, because the former Trenton Thunder skipper had a reputation for being anything but a players’ pal during his tenure as Billy Beane’s puppet manager in Oakland. At a confusing moment like this, at least we can count on ESPN senior baseball analyst Keith Law to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric.
Jacobs turns 28 today. He is eligible for arbitration, and his salary is likely to jump to around $3 million for 2009. He will be a free agent in three years, which isn’t all that relevant, because in three years it’s unlikely that he’ll be worth paying millions of dollars to. He’s unlikely to get any better than he’s been the last three years, and given the difference in league quality, and the fact that Kauffman Stadium is openly hostile to his primary skill, it’s likely he’ll be a little worse in 2009 than in 2008. This is what happens to unathletic hitters who reach the majors at a fairly advanced age: they are very valuable commodities in Year One, and perilously close to becoming liabilities by Year Four. Which is, in part, why the Marlins are so willing to move him.
Jacobs wasn’t even all that good in 2008. He certainly had his uses; he hit 32 homers in just 141 games, and slugged .514 for the Marlins. But he drew just 36 walks, and his OBP was .299. Two-ninety-nine.
Moore doesn’t get that what really ails his offense isn’t the lack of power, it’s the lack of walks. The Royals finished next-to-last in the AL in homers last season. The one team they out-homered? The Twins, who finished third in the league in runs scored and came within a game of the playoffs. But the Royals didn’t just finish last in the league with 392 walks, they had one of the lowest walk totals in a non-strike season in recent American League history.
A few days ago, I suggested newly appointed 49ers head coach Mike Singletary might’ve peaked too early with his now infamous postgame bashing of Vernon Davis. According to the Arizona Republic’s Dan Bickley, Singletary could well have peaked even earlier.
At halftime of the Seattle game, Singletary called for the attention of his players. He then dropped his pants, turned around and pointed to his backside. He used this occasion and that visual to describe what happened to his team in the first half.
A NFL source inside the room confirmed the story with my radio partner, XTRA 910 football guru Mike Jurecki, and added that Singletary then addressed the team for 3-4 minutes with his pants around his ankles.
The 49ers trailed 20-3 at halftime. They would lose the game, 34-13.
So, the question in San Francisco becomes this: Does Samurai Mike’s legendary intensity rally a football team or does the Crazy Man Act alienate a football team?
In what might be the least surprising political note of the autumn, the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Morain reports Dodgers 2B Jeff Kent has contributed $15,000 to supporters of a California anti same-sex marriage proposition.
In a disclosure filed with the California secretary of state, Kent listed his occupation as professional baseball player for the Dodgers and his address as Austin, Texas. He gave the $15,000 in a transaction dated Monday but which only now is public.
Proposition 8 would ban same-sex marriage by imposing a California constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
With both sides spending upward of $30 million each, the measure has become the most costly ballot measure ever dealing with a social issue, and the spending is by far the most for any proposition anywhere in the country this year.
Frank Schubert, managing the Yes-on-8 campaign, said he was unaware that Kent had weighed in.
“He has had a stellar career and will no doubt one day be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Schubert said. “I wish the Giants had kept Kent and traded [Barry] Bonds.”
Either Schubert is thoroughly unfamiliar with Bonds’ accomplishments between the lines, or his views on baseball are as enlightened as his take on civil liberties. Having made a surprise hospital visit recently, perhaps now would be a good time for the Sultan Of Surly to further curry public favor by making a large donation to Prop 8’s opponents?
So it’s come to this ; two determined political vets, one a dynamic new voice of optimism, the other a decorated American hero….reduced to making Chris Berman look like the modern David Frost. With no shortage of pride, ESPN announced today that Boomer would conduct separate election eve interviews with Senators Barack Obama and John McCain to be shown during halftime of Monday’s Redskins/Steelers tilt on ABC.
There’s no truth to the rumor Bob Barr’s been given a full minute to make his case to Qadry Ismail.
Seriously, for all the mockery aimed at Kevin McHale for having fast-tracked his old pals in Boston with the gift of Kevin Garnett, how about the not-so-popular in Philly Ed Wade helping his former club with Houston’s dump of Brad Lidge?
Though I don’t recall many observers (and Jimmy Rollins doesn’t count) automatically awarding the NL Championship to the Phillies back in Spring Training, Lidge — flawless in the postseason, awfully close during the regular campaign — represented the biggest difference between the ‘08 World Champs and the ‘07 NL East title holders. Jason will have more to offer on last night’s drama and subsequent celebrations, but personal allegiances aside, I can’t be disappointed. Though I’d have loved to watch a seven game series, and there’s no sense in diminishing Tampa’s historic achievement, it’s very hard to argue the Phillies aren’t deserving. And back to those same personal allegiances, I hope Fred and Jeff Wilpon had many snacks and refreshing beverages on hand for their Game 5 2/3′rds viewing party last night. Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro made a bold move with the Lidge acquisition during the offseason, while the recently extended Omar Minaya did zilch at the trade or waiver deadline to address bullpen deficiences that cost the Mets far more than two games in the standings.
Jason, Chuck, and all surviving members of the Sadistic Exploits, you have my sincere congratulations. Though I’m not looking forward to a winter of gloating from this guy.
My first thought upon reading an item from Politico’s Jeffrey Resner that along with hiring a Nashville based P.R. firm, McCain prop Sam Wurzelbacher aka “Joe The Plumber” “is being pursued for a record deal and could come out with a country album as early as Inauguration Day” was, “isn’t the Yep Roc roster large enough already?”
After careful consideration, however, I realized that even in the current economic climate, the general public craves inspirational music that speaks directly to their hopes, dreams and daily experiences. But enough about the Sic Alps, if Mr. Wurzelbacher has something to say, who am I to scoff at his ambitions? However, as a musical neophyte, he’s gonna need help. A producer. Engineer. Song Doctor. Musical dictator director. A savvy, experienced team that know all the crucial elements required to make a hit record in the ultra-competitive pop or country marketplace.
Thankfully, all of those tasks can be accomplished by just one man, a rock’n'roll legend from the battleground state of Pennsylvania with a rich history of knocking out records on a strict deadline. I have no idea whether or not Joey Welz is available or interested in tackling this project, but Sam The Tax Cheat Joe The Plumber’s handlers owe it to themselves to make the phone call as soon as possible.
[Golfer John Daly, seen here, literally pissing away a great life.]
CSTB’s Gerard Cosloy was provided today with the 4000th opportunity to use his favorite Animal House quote, “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son.” Paramedics found John Daly passed out near a Hooter’s restaurant in North Carolina. Reports that he let himself into his own cell with the key, provided by the local sherriff and his deputy, are as yet unconfirmed. Cosloy has no plans to retire the joke.
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (AFP) — Two-time major golf champion John Daly spent a night in jail at the weekend after police here found him drunk outside a restaurant, the Winston-Salem Journal reported on Wednesday.
Police Lieutenant Tyrone Phelps told the newspaper that Daly was held at the Forsyth County Jail early Sunday morning to sober up.
According to the newspaper, paramedics went to a Hooters restaurant at 1 am after receiving a report that Daly had passed out.
When police arrived, they found Daly drunk and unwilling to go to hospital. He was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct.
The newspaper reported that Daly was traveling on a tour bus and told police that others on the bus didn’t want him back on it after the restaurant closed.
According to North Carolina state law, police can jail a person overnight to sober up.
Did a lack of clipboard experience stop Magic Johnson from achieving coaching success with the Los Angeles Lakers? Did Ted Williams’ non existent managerial resume prevent him from winning a World Series with the Washington Senators? “A great player doesn’t necessarily make a great manager,” admits the Guardian’s Marcela Mora y Araujo, while still hoping the surprise appointment of Diego Maradona as Argentina manager “could bring the most out of potentially the best squad in the world.”
One of the most popular chants for Argentina fans is: “We will once again be the champions, just like in 86.” Could this be the way forward? A handful of players, the same manager, and Maradona in charge? The reaction of the Argentine press has been one of incredulity. “Bianchi would have been a more serious appointment,” one vox-popped fan said. Journalists echoed the sentiment. “It’s not so much weird as absurd and shameful,” one told me. “My theory is that Grondona actually doesn’t want Argentina to win the World Cup,” another said.
Most negative statements were uttered in the traditional off-the-record premise, while the media analysed where they stood in terms of towing editorial lines. But Daniel Arcucci, of La Nacion, was happy to be quoted: “The risk is the destruction of the myth – how will someone so close to being a deity handle such an earthly task?”
The negative reaction mostly stems from Maradona’s turbulent off-the-pitch track record. Notoriously unreliable, lacking in discipline, and with an innate contempt for established rules and corporate status quo, will he be able to impose order and focus among the players who could form one of the best squads in the world?
I suspect he could. To footballers more than anyone else, Maradona is inspiring. His respect for the game and the craft of playing is contagious, and among the current squad there are players such as Juan Román Riquelme and Carlos Tevez who have been close to him professionally. The younger superstars – Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero, soon to father Maradona’s first grandchild – will be in awe of him and hungry to learn.
Just kidding, folks. Pete Carroll’s probably the only coach in Division One who could afford Bentley’s services. In other Gunners-related news, former Highbury fixture Freddie Ljungberg will reportedly become the 2nd highest pair player in MLS next spring when he joins Seattle’s expansion franchise. Said transaction has obvious echoes of David Beckham’s move to Carson City last year, an acquistion that’s resulted in much visibility for the league, but zero playoff appearances for the Galaxy. Presumably, we can look forward to Cristiano Ronaldo (with greatly diminshed skills) suiting up for Team Wilpon sometime between 2018 and 2022.
Because it’s even sillier than liveblogging: I shall attempt to Twitter from tonight’s World Series contest. I intend to focus more on the pre-game ticket hustle and the post-game celebration riot wake whatever, though I’m sure I’ll update between innings too.
“I was wrong. I apologize,” Parker said of the report. Parker is a sports columnist for The News, but his appearance on WDIV Channel 4 is independent of the newspaper. The information never was published by The Detroit News.
“I have reached out to the student-athlete’s family and apologized. They have accepted. I also apologize to the Michigan State community.”
Police have only said “multiple MSU student-athletes” were involved in a series of incidents during the late hours of Oct. 18 and morning of Oct. 19 that hospitalized a hockey player identified as A.J. Sturges.
Despite Parker’s mea culpa, The World Of Issac considers this latest offense just part of an established pattern of Spartan-hate on the journalist’s part.
Rob Parker’s history with MSU athletics is not pristine to say the least. From my recollection, twice in the past, he was not only wrong but severely wrong about a story.
1. He claimed MSU Sophomore Paul Davis was a done deal to the NBA and that Coach Izzo had been told. Davis’ dad came out and refuted this saying none of that was true. Davis went on to play 4 years at MSU.
2. Again, another issue with the MSU basketball program. Brandon Cotton, a player who had transferred out of MSU to University of Detroit was given an outright release. Rob Parker claimed that Izzo didn’t sign the requisite papers because he was bitter at him leaving and Cotton would not get an extra year of eligibility. The story turned out to be completely false and Cotton played till the end of his eligibility.
So it seems, outside looking in, that Parker either a) has a grudge with MSU or b) fabricates stories to get listeners/readers.
That’s right, Joe The Plumber is so two weeks ago (even if his recent appearance on The Best Show On WFMU was his most interesting moment in the public eye to date). Both Deadspin and (ahem) Sons Of Bill Simmons are spreading word that Phillies P Scott Eyre (above) was the previously unidentified gent who said of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, “I wouldn’t let him supervise one of my (bowel movements)” according to the Courier-Post’s Mike Radano.
While baseball fans across the land would surely concur with Eyre, the question remains, just who does the reliever consider competent enough to supervise his trips to the toilet? Peter Ueberroth and George W. Bush both come to mind, but surely Dallas Green would like to find some way to play a part in the contemporary Phillies’ success?
“Here’s a story you could have fun with” suggests Philadelphia contributor Chuck Meehan, obviously mistaking me for someone looking to poke fun at Phillies starter Brett Myers (above). “”It’s just fun to bust some caps,” Myers tells the Inquirer’s Jim Salisbury during his rainy day off Tuesday, constructively spent at Delaware County’s Targetmaster.
Myers grabbed the handgun, held it sideways and began firing. “That’s how the gangsters do it,” he said.
“You’ve been watching too many movies,” I said.
“This is a lot of fun for me,” Myers said. “I just like shooting. I was here Saturday, before Game 3,” Myers said. “The games start so late, you have to do something to kill some time.”
There are some similarities between shooting and pitching. Both involve hitting a target. At times, Myers shoots like a starting pitcher. Precise location is the goal. Other times, he grits his teeth and fires like a closer.“Sometimes I like concentrating and seeing if I can hit the target,” he said. “Sometimes I just want to go Rambo-style – no focus, just hold the trigger down. Let it ride, see how much damage you can do to a target.”
Myers knows worrisome Philadelphia fans are fearful that the hellish events of Monday could be the beginning of another chapter of sporting heartbreak in this city.
“The game is tied,” he said. “Why does that give [the Rays] the momentum? I don’t see any momentum change. I don’t feel it. Everyone is talking momentum. We’re still at home, we’re still leading the series three games to one, and I still feel a lot of positive momentum.
“We’ll take batting practice like any other game and go play. We’ll be all right.”
These were calming words, amazingly so from a man holding an assault rifle.
[pictured, student of history Charles Barkley, coming out for a strong national defense]
Is it too early for CSTB to officially endorse Charles Barkely’s 2014 Alabama gubernatorial bid? I’ll notify the editorial board sometime by 2013, but until then: CSTB fully backs Charles Barkley for Governor of Alabama, until he says something stupidindefensible that loses us readers.
Barkley’s large hat is in the ring, and he’s staking out a radically leftist stance. That is, he criticized FOX news. Usually candidates wait for major media outlets to attack them first before dismissing an entire political tv network as “fucked up.” In my on-going attempts to spin Barkley’s positions to conservative Alabama voters, I’d like to point out that while he did say Fox is “fucked up,” that wide-ranging comment also includes Tim McCarver and Joe Buck. Naturally, Fox shot back in its own classy way. Broadcast and Cable’s Ben Grossman has the story here.
“I watch CNN, they’re not fucked up like Fox,” Barkley told B&C. “They are a mouthpiece for the Republican Party. I watch [Fox] a couple times when there is someone I want to see on there. But they’re corrupt.”
When asked whether he is just shilling for his parent company (TNT and CNN are corporate cousins), Barkley denies that he has to stick up for his team.
“Hell no, I don’t,” he says. “I like Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper and John King. They at least try to give both sides.”
But Fox News Channel doesn’t see it that way, as a network spokesperson fired back immediately.
“It’s hardly a surprise that Charles is a shill for a Turner owned network…. He obviously needs the steady paycheck to pay off his consistent gambling debts,” the spokesperson told B&C.
Barkley in May said he was at least temporarily putting on hold a gambling habit that he once told ESPN has cost him about $10 million over the years. Earlier this year, a hotel in Las Vegas alleged that Barkley had failed to repay casino markers.
Writes Tim Cook, “The casting call for 3 members seems a little suspect but since this appeal worked so well for the Gas Station Dogs, I’m trying not to be so judgmental.” After hearing the tunes on this guy’s MySpace page, I’ve buried my Smashchords cassettes in the backyard. As seen on Craigslist :
SLAMSTERDAMN SEEKS 2 HEAVY GUITARISTS AND DRUMS!
myspace.com/slamsterdamn
slamsterdamn@yahoo.com
we are hella connected (mostly in L.A.)
lead singer and bass.
Tracks w/ my vocs will be mixed in and posted in a few days as soon as
we take care of a tech prob. Killer home studio DAW.
Currently in sonoma county/sebastapol/russian sewer area,
looking to relocate as close as poss to san fran.
this is not another tool / incubus / APC / AIC plagerism exercise.
all originals, well experienced in many aspects
of the music shit, er, i mean biz….
YOU: your own gear, be pro minded.
(but i have backup 300w tubeworks/mosvalve combo that sounds like god),
the usual basic must haves and must do’s and dont ever do’s
to pull your part in this (means paying bills).
Meter and clicks yes.
My own riffing is off, that’s why i’m not the gtrist….
Thieves will be kneecapped,
and tweakers/ human drug vacuum cleaners need not apply.
Very low tolerance for idiots.
If you need shelter if you have to commute/record for days on end, etc…
I have a xtra size rv van/future tourbus to shelter in (the ‘MOTHERSHIP’).
Be able to roll the roads, be ready produce FAST.
All originals, you get the writing credit for what you create and
contribute; this will be ran as a bonafide business.
Musically, what is it? Probably stoner rock….and gettin’ off
(l-r : Mr. November, Senator I’m Not George Bush, eagerly awaiting an 11th hour audience with Sports By Brooks)
“Only a very few sports blogs have been covering the Presidential election in a way that clearly declares their position,” declares Sports On My Mind’s MODI, suggesting that just like a daily newspaper, a sports blog oughta weigh in. “A typical week for Deadspin will net more than two million page views. After Al Gore lost the 2000 Florida election (technically speaking) by 537 votes, silence can’t possibly be golden.” Hey, don’t think I haven’t tried to find a way to blame the W. presidency on Deadspin’s former editor.
Deadspin is in fertile territory to potentially influence the political process as any perusal of its comment section will find no shortage of “blithering idiots”. Or is Deadspin a 40 Million-Page-View-Slave?
And what about that other big-but-not-as-big blog The Big Lead? TBL is a self-described “Independent” that likes to slip in an important political links when nobody is looking. It might be an SNL video on Palin or this really scary video at the Vegas McCain rally. So here is a very modest proposal to Jason McIntyre: a) Grab your balls; b) come out of your Obama closet; and c) don’t disclaim, preface, or apologize because your article might have some educational significance. If Obama can have great faith in “the American people”, then you can go out on a limb with your readers. Instead of merely linking to Colin Powell’s endorsement as you did (and it was a fine endorsement), why not lay out your systematic reasons for your Obama vote. Go ahead. Just do it. …or do Republicans click web sites too?
While I don’t know if any sports blogger is obliged to formally endorse a candidate, I have no objection to someone doing so. At the same time, I don’t entirely agree with MODI that a failure to do so is entirely based on cynicism — some of the most frequently visited sites in the blogosphere feature decidedly dogmatic political content. In many instances, the political blogs rank far ahead of their sporting neighbors when it comes to ad revenue. While TBL could run the risk of alienating some portion of the readership with overtly political content, there’s no shortage of short-fused characters from all over the political spectrum who have axes to grind. Their traffic counts, too!
Though I acknowledge there’s much at stake in the general election, a proper endorsement of Sen. Obama from this corner feels a little too much like grandstanding. Endorsing the front runner a week before the election isn’t exactly going out on a limb. And given that I’ve already voted for Obama in both the primary and in early voting for the national ballot, it did occur to me there’s something far more useful that I can do, an effort likely to have a much greater impact than a mere thumbs-up from a poorly read sports blog.
That’s right. Voter fraud. Any schmuck can vote for Barack Obama once. But it takes a truly committed schmuck to visit a succession of battleground states on Nov. 4 and through a variety of means (stolen ID’s, disguises, chloroform), vote for the Illinois Democrat as many times as possible. And don’t think I’m above supressing the vote, either. Whether it’s a matter of spreading a little “siting around money” through a country club or locking hundreds of people in a gymnasium who think they’re attending a free Lee Greenwood concert, I am prepared to do whatever it takes, even if it means pissing all over the electoral process. Rig the election? YES WE I CAN.
Probably. But while a negative X-ray of the 2007 No.1 overall pick’s right foot oughta be considered good news, seeing Greg Oden make a quick exit just 12 minutes into his professional career after missing the entire ‘07-’08 season had to bring to mind the injury-plagued career of you-know-who.
Thanks to Che Ryeback for his kindness in forwarding an invitation to join the Facebook group, “1,000,000 People Against Frank Caliendo”. While I’m seriously stoked to be a part of this Virtual Million Man Or Woman March, I do wonder, what’s with the one million capacity?
While Cleveland has a 28-22 lead over Boston after one quarter in the NBA 2008-09 opener, Cavs nemesis Gilbert Arenas is already in midseason form when it comes to quotability. DC Sports Bog’s Dan Steinberg caught the following snippet from Arenas’ most recent Dime profile :
“You can’t do anything. We played them last year in Washington and LeBron was injured. We were beating them by 30-something points. I told them, ‘you guys look like a bad NCAA team.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, it ain’t easy when LeBron ain’t out there. You guys are [bleep]. You guys are garbage. You look like our practice team.’ They’ve got one megastar who’s carrying them, but you take him off the team and they’re the Cleveland NBDL team.
Gil was also asked whether DeShawn stupidly riled up LeBron by making that series into the most wildly entertaining first rounder of the year.
“No. LeBron’s scoring 30 because LeBron always scores 30. It’s not like he’s scoring 30 because he’s mad; that’s what he does….People like Charles Barkley saying DeShawn’s an idiot for getting LeBron riled up; you didn’t need stuff to get riled up when you were playing against Michael Jordan and those guys? Everyone talked so much trash, but that was the No. 1 watched series in the first round. We had Jay-Z making diss tapes. We had Soulja Boy. We made money for the NBA. It was an exciting series. What more do you want? People are saying DeShawn is stupid–he can’t be that stupid if he made one comment and now we’re playing [Cleveland] on Christmas Day. I’ve been in the League seven years and never played on Christmas. That one comment got us a Christmas game. That’s called marketing to me.“
LeBron James told the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Boyer he had no plans to watch the Celtics receiving their rings and raise their Championship banner tonight. Clearly, The Chosen One was under the misconception you can still get a pregame beer at Chet’s Last Call.
…even if he’s in skates and they’re in flip-flops. (link taken from Kulkas Korner) Senators RW Chris Neil missed the hallway confrontation shown above, but said of Mair, “Maybe he was trying to take a 10-game suspension because he’s already had two of those. He obviously doesn’t like getting paid.”
More rain and possible snow showers were expected Tuesday, so commissioner Bud Selig said Game 5 was tentatively set to resume at 8:37 p.m. Wednesday night — after Democratic president candidate Barack Obama’s 30-minute ad on Fox and other networks. Major League Baseball and Fox agreed two weeks ago to push back Wednesday’s first pitch — originally for Game 6 — by about 10 minutes.
“No one will delay a World Series game with an infomercial when I’m president,” Republican candidate John McCain said to loud applause at a Tuesday rally in Pennsylvania.
Certainly, Democrats and Republicans can both agree: Game 5 2/3 of the World Series is far more important than the upcoming election. Though, isn’t the latter getting better ratings?
There’s been no shortage of Knicks news over the past 24 hours, from the club waiving rookie Patrick Ewing Jr., to Eddy Curry officially being releagated to garbage time, to Harrison, NY police releasing further details that challenge the credibility of the recently hospitalized Isiah Thomas. Instead, we’ll focus on the larger picture ; having failed to dent the popularity of Sen. Barack Obama after linking him to the likes of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers and Tony Rezko, how might the McPalin ticket benefit from calling attention to the Democratic nominee’s ties to a truly despised figure? Newsday’s Anthony Rieber explains.
Stephon Marbury, who donated the individual maximum of $2,300 to Obama’s campaign in June 2007, said he’s not looking for a tax break from the next president, even though his 2008-09 salary of $20.8 million puts him in an income bracket the rest of us can only dream about.
In fact, Marbury told Newsday on Monday that he’s more than willing to pay his share and even endorsed what he called Obama’s plan to “spread the wealth.”
“I think that it’s going to help,” Marbury said. “By him trying to create change and by him trying to spread the wealth as opposed to the rich getting rich and the poor staying poor, he’s trying to make it diverse and I believe in that.
“I pay taxes just like everybody else — half of my money goes to taxes — and I feel like it should go to the people who need it. Me coming from where I come from, I’m aware of the situation that people are in right now, coming from Coney Island and the projects. Me having what I have is a blessing.”
Of the 20 New York athletes who made or will make $10 million or more in salary in seasons that began in 2008, only two gave money to a presidential candidate, according to Federal Election Commission records:
Marbury and Alex Rodriguez.
A-Rod, who can’t deliver in October, won’t even be in the game in November. He donated $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani’s failed campaign in March 2007.
Marbury, who has a better shot of being named Secretary of State than winning an NBA title with the Knicks, can at least be a very small part of a winning team on Election Day if the polls are to be believed.
“I’ll be at the ballot at six o’clock in the morning if I have to,” Stephon the Basketball Player said.
The prominent underwear in Williams’ costume is a reference to the fact that Johnson’s underwear was among the items missing from the bag when it was returned to Lions headquarters. The rest of the ensemble is a bellhop’s get-up with a name tag that says his name is “T. Bell.”
Williams told the crowd at Plaza Lanes in Plymouth that he got permission from Bell to wear the costume.
Costume creativity aside, what’s up with the Lions allowing recently traded players to attend team functions? Does anyone know what Brett Favre is wearing to the Packers’ Halloween festivities?
“That (expletive deleted) guy,” one pitcher said as he saw commissioner Bud Selig before walking out the back door of the clubhouse. “I wouldn’t let him supervise one of my (bowel movements). He has no clue. Not one (expletive deleted) clue.”
“(Expletive deleted),” one position player said in the direction of one television pausing only for a moment before leaving. “He’s a moron. How stupid can one person be?”
Cole Hamels is now done. He won’t be available to finish this game despite a low pitch count. It’s a stretch to believe that he will be ready for Game 7 even if this game resumes on Wednesday. That means three days of rest and we know the history on that one.
“I feel really bad for Cole,” catcher Carlos Ruiz said. “He was pitching well even though the ball was tough to grip. I don;t know why we started that inning. I don’t understand this at all.”
“They have put it out there they are will talk about him but it has to be a substantial package,” an industry source said.
The Yankees need a first baseman but aren’t likely to chase after Fielder for two reasons: He is a below average defender and they are going to need first base for Derek Jerek when he re-signs following the 2010 season.
Since the Brewers are expected to lose pitchers CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets via free agency, they would have to get young pitchers already in the big leagues or on the verge of getting there.
Behind The Green Pillars lines up squarely on the side of Milwaukee waving bye bye to CC, noting the Brewers are at a competitive disadvantage given their crummy local TV deal.
Without a big fat cushion of guaranteed TV money to fall back on, the team has to draw fans to the seats to sustain payroll. What’s more, the fact that they play in a small market means that even when they are drawing fans, they cannot squeeze as much revenue out of the fans as their competitors. The fact that they had the 21st most expensive ticket prices in 2008 (and 28th most expensive overall park experience) is great news for fans trying to take a family to the park, but limits the amount of money the team can raise.One thing about attendance is that fans are fickle when it comes to supporting their team. People who are interested enough to be reading this will probably get out to the park much more than most of their neighbors anyway. We all know, however, that when a team is doing well, a lot of people who wouldn’t be there otherwise start showing up. Those people go away when the wins start going away.
So what does this mean for the Brewers? In short, it means they would not be able to afford any bad luck what-so-ever without feeling a major budget crunch should they decide to give CC that money. As talked about in part I, signing CC would mean that the Brewers would have a lot less room to do other things. They would have to cut the budget significantly in areas like the bullpen and the bench to make ends meet, which means a lot of “ready or not” guys from the middle levels of the farm system filling in key roles because there wouldn’t be money to pay much more than major league minimum. Basically, they would have to get a big number of wins over replacement (different than the traditional “win-loss” record for pitchers) from CC Sabathia because they’re going to have a hard time finding money to buy them elsewhere.
Robocallmania! We’ve all gotten ‘em, some disembodied voice saying Obama’s a terrorist mole, McCain called his wife a cunt (wait, that really happened), etc. But the inspired minds at Jockish have imagined what kind of automated call you might receive if you were one of Major League Baseball’s 30 general managers. Here’s a couple of ‘em :
“How’s it goin’, eh? I’m calling for Eric Gagne, Cy Young Award-winning relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Might not have been the best year for baseball’s greatest-ever relief pitcher, but the Brewers are dangerously weak in their bullpen, and now is no time to throw Eric Gagne under the bus. Over the course of his career, he has averaged more than one strikeout per inning, and also played a pivotal role in the Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series championship. Solomon Torres, Guillermo Mota, and their bullpen allies might seem like flashy celebrities, but we can’t trust their judgment to keep our two-run leads safe. We need someone who’s been there before, and someone who will probably get back there again. Someone like Eric Gagne. This call was paid for by the Scott Boras Corporation and the National Fund for Canadian Baseball.”
“Hello, I’m calling on behalf of starting pitcher Oliver Perez, who’s played a key role in getting the Mets one game away from making the playoffs over the past two years. Oliver Perez is a consistent pitcher with the stuff of an ace and the mindset of a non-roster invitee. When the chips are down, and you need a win, you don’t just want someone that will just keep you in the game. You want someone that’s a little unpredictable. You want someone that will work hard for that win. You want Oliver Perez. This call was paid for by the Scott Boras Corporation.”
Good thing Mike Francesca “doesn’t want to pick on the young lady”. At least her error was acknowledged — can the same be said for the mountains of misinformation Francesca’s been responsible for over the years?
[Barkley, talking like a statesman, if not sitting like one]
Former NBA great and ex-GOP booster Charles Barkley has assessed the political landscape and told CNN’s Campbell Brown last night why he’s fit to govern Alabama. “I can’t screw up Alabama … We are number 48 in everything and Arkansas and Mississippi aren’t going anywhere,” Barkley said.
Indeed, and if I may play spin doctor for Sir Charles, when he says, “The public school system in this country is the worst it has ever been and what that does is that hurts crime, it hurts the judicial system …”, he is NOT running on a platform of better educating criminals to improve their work. The full transcript is here.
Suffice to say, the gentleman above is not pleased after witnessing the first suspended game in World Series history. Keep in mind, he make more sense than the Kruky Monster, and think what they’d save on catering.
Following Washington’s 33-7 defeat to Notre Dame, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Jim Moore wrote of head coach Ty Willingham, “if he’s not fired on Monday, it will be a bigger upset than Washington beating USC on Saturday.” Moore was awfully close — Willingham’s firing, effective at season’s end, was confirmed late Monday night. In the eyes of one of Moore’s P-I colleagues, Willingham was doomed from the start. “What we have at Montlake regarding the football program is one ‘Yakety Sax’ theme song short of the full Benny Hill. As with the British comedian, it hasn’t been especially funny.” Let no one accuse Art Thiel of being short on contemporary cultural references.
Even Don James in his prime could not have parachuted into the 2008 season and made it a winner. Too much bad has happened at Washington to fix in one year, or four years. The new guy, who will lose this recruiting season and probably most of the next one, will need at least five years. He will probably get three.
But the UW history of abject floundering does not mean that the firing of Willingham should not have happened, only that it was inevitable due to the combination of many misdeeds that had gone before his tenure as well as his own hand.
He didn’t make promises, concessions or compromises to players, fans or media that he couldn’t accept. Those kinds of corner-cuts often get programs in trouble. But it’s exceedingly difficult to satisfy elite players and high-rolling boosters without them.
To make it across that tightrope, any coach has to play and talk a good game. Willingham did neither. In an era of the 24 /7 news cycle and Internet message boards that influence recruiting, his frequent inability and/or unwillingness to explain himself well was a bigger handicap than he ever appreciated.
(above : happy Phillies rooters, minutes before the human sacrifice of Tampa’s lone traveling fan)
“This is not a matter of Rays fans being sissies,” insists the St. Petersberg Times’ John Romano of reports Tampa players’ families were “harassed and abused by Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park to an unacceptable degree.”
“Something is very wrong about threatening families and children,” scolds Romano. “And something is wrong with a city that allows it.” So it’s ok to bully adult males, then?
Children were cursed at, and one 9-year-old boy had beer poured on him. A Rays family member stayed locked in a bathroom stall because, he said, Phillies fans were banging on the walls and threatening him.
The Phillies, the police, the mayor’s office and the citizens allow their reputation to be lowered down to the level of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals because they condone this behavior year after year after year. Condone may not even be the right word. They revel in it.
This isn’t just rude or profane; it is intimidating and threatening. It is women being called whores and worse. It is children having food thrown at them. It is being pushed, shoved and jostled in the concourses.
Does this sort of thing happen at other stadiums? Without a doubt. And I’m sure it has happened on occasion at Tropicana Field, too. But no city has the reputation of Philadelphia. And the Rays have never complained about another stadium in this way.
Yes, because for 10 years prior, the Rays represented no threat whatsoever. Look, I’d never condone terrorizing a child — no matter how thirsty he or she might’ve been — but this somewhat twisted version of a home field advantage does exist in virtually every city in America. Romano is perfectly justified in calling attention to the matter, but to tar all of Philadelphians with the same brush because a vocal minority (say 49% of those in attendance) are a crude, savage lot, is to demean one of the nation’s great sports cities. Had the Mets not been overtaken by Philly and Milwauke down the stretch and actually made it to the Fall Classic, I am confident Romano would find just as much reason to find fault with uncouth New Yorkers.
“Joe Blanton became the latest pitcher to praise the game calling of Carlos Ruiz, keeper of the scouting blueprints that have kept Tampa’s 3-4 hitters without a base hit this entire series. That’s the story. Not ducks left on the pond, not the blind officiating and certainly not the coonhound scat on Kentucky Joe’s bill.” So gushed Beerleaguer’s J. Weitzel following Blanton’s mastery of the Tampa Rays in last night’s 4th Game of the 2008 World Series, to which Joe Maddon might well reply, “coonhound what?” From the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Mike Jensen :
As first reported by MLB.com, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon told home-plate umpire Tom Hallion after the second inning that he believed Blanton had pine tar on his hat.
After the game, Maddon addressed the issue with the media. Asked if he noticed a dark spot on Blanton’s cap, Maddon said: “We did notice, it was rather dark. I did bring it to their [umpires'] attention. I asked them to just watch it and be vigilant about it, and nothing happened. But I was concerned about it early on.”
Hallion replied to Maddon that he would check the baseball, and if he found a foreign substance on the ball, MLB.com reported, he would act on it.
Later last night, MLB.com removed the story from its Web site. Geoff Grant, the managing editor of MLB.com said the story was removed because it was obtained “prematurely” by viewing a feed from Fox, which broadcast the game. Grant said that MLB.com would post a new story after the game that would include more reporting and quotes.
“It’s nothing,” Blanton said after the game. “They rubbed balls up with whatever they rub them with. I’m contantly trying to get moisture. It’s nothing sticky.” Blanton then said of his cap, “Anybody can go touch it. It’s just dirt from the ball.”
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel wasn’t aware of what Maddon was protesting about. At a postgame news conference, Manuel took his own cap off and pointed at the bill. “You can look at my cap, it’s got the same kind of stuff he’s [Maddon] talking about.”
I can’t claim to have watched every Phillies game this season, but I don’t recall seeing a rather dark stain, about two inches wide, on the bill of Manuel’s hat. Nor that many members of any other club’s pitching staff without some kind of inspection taking place.
Kudos to the New York Post’s Andrea Peyser. Rather than ring up persons who might’ve gloated for a moment or two over Isiah Thomas’ recent hospitalization (Larry Brown, Stephon Marbury, George Karl), she’s instead sought the opinion of…someone who could’ve gloated all weekend.
“I’ve said all along he should have time to reflect on how badly he’s treated people over the years. Now that he’s not working, he should think about the victims of Isiah. Maybe that’s what’s going on,” Anucha Browne Sanders told The Post.
“I doubt it,” said the woman who netted almost $12 million in her sexual-harassment suit against Thomas and the team, in which she claimed he callously branded her a “bitch.”
Speaking out for the first time since her former tormentor was rushed to a Westchester hospital after what cops described as an apparent prescription-drug overdose, Sanders said she feels sympathy only for Thomas’ family.
“If he tried to commit suicide, I don’t want to pounce on him,” she said, but “I don’t feel sorry for him. You make your bed, you lie in it.”
Browne Sanders added:
“I don’t know what to say about it. If he’s not mentally stable, I’m not going to say anything to make it worse,” but she surmised he was likely having a tough time adjusting to life outside the Madison Square Garden bubble.
“That whole environment, you don’t realize how sick an environment it is until you step away from it,” said Sanders, who was canned from her Knick job after complaining about Thomas’ conduct.
“I just think he should probably stay and play with [the management at] Madison Square Garden. That’s where he belongs,” she said. “It’s just pitiful.”
Burress said he had no idea he was supposed to show up for treatment on Saturday morning before the team left for this defining road trip, which is like the old dog-ate-my-homework excuse. He was benched for the first quarter, then looked so lost on one play the Giants had to burn a timeout to set him straight.
They should have been enjoying this 21-14 victory over the Steelers without reservation, but then came more questions about you know who. The offense looked out of sync for most of this game and had to settle for four field goals deep in Pittsburgh territory. Most of that had to with the Steelers defense.
Burress should have been more fired up for this game than any other on the schedule, a homecoming to Pittsburgh to prove the Steelers wrong from letting him leave town. Instead, he confirmed everything his former team believed about him was true, that Burress’ talent is not worth his selfishness.
Burress should have been morFrom one interview to the next in the visiting locker room at Heinz Field, it was abundantly clear that the Giants have stopped apologizing for Burress. Fifty-two players on the roster have embraced the discipline from head coach Tom Coughlin and are flourishing.
This team keeps proving that it can win without the one. They beat up Seattle while Burress sat out the one-game suspension for missing a team meeting, then scrapped out this tough victory against the Steelers when Burress had just three catches for 15 yards.
Much as I love the image of young Eli and his good citizen teammates craving the touch of Col. Coughlin’s riding crop, surely Politi is aware the head coach’s record in Super Bowls without Burress is exactly the same as Terry Francona’s World Series mark without Manny Ramirez. Politi compares the team’s frustration with Burress to events that led to Jeremy Shockey’s departure, but there’s one key difference : the Giants already proved Shockey was surplus to requirements before dumping him.
(keep smiling, Mr. Commissioner, this letter gets better as it goes on)
“I’m 51 years old now, and I have been a dedicated NBA fan for longer than you’ve been commissioner, and longer than the Sonics were a team. I have not been a corporate box customer, or a multi-season ticket holder, but I have been a valuable customer that your marketing people might refer to as an advocate or evangelist.” Thus states hoops afficiando David Betz, who eloquently addresses NBA Commissioner David Stern with what could well be the first letter of resignation from a (former) NBA fan. To the jump!
For a first post-game press conference, that was a doozy. San Francisco lost, 34-14 at home to Seattle earlier today, and Mike Singletary’s head coaching debut included benching his starting QB, J.T. Sullivan in the second quarter, and telling TE Vernon Davis to take a hike with 10 minutes left in the game. “I’ve never seen a coach so animated,” winced the SF Chronicle’s Kevin Lynch, who clearly never saw Tom Coughlin’s cameo in “The Snorks”.
“You don’t want me to go any further,” Singletary said, to which Santa Rosa Press Democrat columnist Lowell Cohn said, “Yes we do. You’re doing fine.” Singletary said, “This is going to change. It’s going to change because they (and he pointed to the locker room) want it to change.”
“I told everyone at the beginning of the week, I will not tolerate players that think it’s about them when it’s about the team,” Singletary said still in high-decibel mode. “We cannot make decisions that cost the team and then come off (to) the sideline and it’s nonchalant. I would rather play with 10 people and just get penalized … rather than play with 11 when I know that person is not sold out to be a part of the team. It’s more about them than it is about the team. Can not play (with those players). Can not win with them; can not coach with them. Can’t do it. I want winners.”
This drama and animation by Singletary could go either way. Either he self-implodes or he gets the team to buy in. It reminds me of when Magic Johnson took over for the Lakers for a half a season and threw a player’s cell phone against the wall. Johnson couldn’t deal with the modern player and maybe Singletary can’t either.
Sea trash and baseball junkies alike are well aware the summer Cape Cod League, an amateur, non-profit setup dating back to 1885, is a terrific launching pad for the millionaires of tomorrow (3 of the Rays’ starting position players, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria and Jason Bartlett are CCL alumni). Despite the obvious player development benefits to Major League Baseball, MLB Properties is putting the hammer down when it comes to copyright concerns, writes the New York Times’ Katie Thomas in an item from Friday’s paper (link culled from the Eddie Kranepool Society).
Cape Cod teams are being forced to choose between maintaining a link with the major leagues and remaining true to their homespun heritage. In the case of the Chatham Athletics, homespun is winning out. The team has changed its name to the Anglers to sidestep a trademark dispute with Major League Baseball. The teams have a Nov. 1 deadline to abandon their names or purchase team uniforms and merchandise exclusively through licensed vendors.
“We found that too constrictive,” said Peter Troy, Chatham’s president. “We have longstanding relationships with local vendors.”
In addition to Chatham, the Orleans Cardinals have also decided to change their name, although officials have not announced the new one. The other teams with major league monikers — the Hyannis Mets, the Harwich Mariners, the Bourne Braves and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox — will keep their names at least through the 2009 season, said Judy Walden Scarafile, the president of the Cape Cod League.
“This is all about trademarks and trademark law,” Scarafile said. “We totally understand that.”
“Right now, one out of six players in Major League Baseball came from the Cape Cod League,” said John Reid, the general manager of the Harwich Mariners. “It’s unfortunate that they’d have to go after us.”
Although Harwich is keeping its name, Reid said he received permission from Major League Baseball to continue using local vendors if the T-shirts he sells read only Harwich or Mariners, but not the two words on the same shirt. New designs will need approval from Major League Baseball. He is waiting for a price quote on new home uniforms through the licensed vendor, and expects each uniform will cost $30 to $40 more.
The Harwich team has been known as the Mariners since the 1930s, predating the Seattle team by more than four decades. That is partly why the team chose to stick with the name, Reid said, despite receiving a flood of suggestions like the Boggers or the Sea Captains.
“There are not too many creative names left out there,” Reid said.
It’s an unfortunate situation, but the CCL has withstood greater challenges. If the league could survive an association with the Freddie Prinze Jr. star vehicle, “Summer Catch”, having to print a few Hyannis Pantsless Kennedys tees shouldn’t be such a big deal.
In addition to tipping the comeback of 43 year old, four-time Stanley Cup winner/Kris Draper assassin Claude Lemieux, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks dropped the following tidbit into Sunday’s column :
In the World According to Bob Clarke, waving arms in a goaltender’s face and saying unspeakable things on the ice to opponents the way Sean Avery did and does, is crossing the line.
Breaking an opponent’s ankle with an intentional two-hand slash as Clarke did to the resplendent Valery Kharlamov in Game 6 of the epochal 1972 Canada-USSR Summit Series, however, is the act of a national hero.
…in which Adam Jenning’s reputation for unsure hands comes back to haunt him. Watching the replay three times — the final two in slow motion — took me all of 3 minutes from the vantage point of my couch. That’s not meant to be my resume for the NFL’s new director of video review, but given how pivotal the Iggles’ recovery of Jenning’s muff-that-wasn’t turned out to be in Philadephia’s 24-17 defeat of Atlanta, perhaps Ed Hochuli can ghostwrite a few letters of apology?
