*** An article appeared in the NY Post today, naming ten of the worst "Clubhouse Cancers" ever in baseball. These are players who never got along with anybody and created disharmony wherever they went. Many of the players named are recent players and I think it's because writers did not report a lot of bad behavior until the 1960s. Even then, there wasn't much reported that was so bad.
Lately, we are familiar with people like Manny Ramirez, who played hard when he wanted and didn't play when he didn't get his way. Carlos Zambrano and Milton Bradley would have tantrums that became viral on You Tube, and never stayed put very long, lasting only until a team just couldn't deal with it anymore.
The King of the List, as you might expect, is Ty Cobb, who instigated incidents that seemed to be those of a crazed lunatic. He fought everybody: teammates, other players, managers, umpires, clubhouse men and, if the legend is to believed, once went into the stands and beat up a paraplegic. He still made it into the Hall of Fame, so obviously deportment wasn't a factor in his election.
*** Speaking of the Hall of Fame, the 2013 ballots will be sent out this week. Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mike Piazza will be on the ballot, so it will be interesting to see how they're treated. Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro have not been well received to date. McGwire has admitted his usage and Palmeiro was suspended for testing positive, his wagging finger notwithstanding.
Bonds admitted taking PEDs but only unknowingly, Clemens denies it's use vehemently and Sosa didn't understand the question.
Buster Olney has taken this stand: "The Hall is a museum meant to document history, with all that entails. The Hall is not some Never Never Land, where
everybody stays young and pretends the players are perfect in everything
they do." That's okay as far as it goes. That theory falls apart when you realize that the players admitted are players who achieved numbers that exceed the average player. The fact that they achieved those numbers with artificial help demeans those who reached similar numbers without the use of PEDs. To me, that is the definition of cheating, so I say, farewell Barry, Roger, Mark and adios Sammy (understand Senor Sosa?).
*** I read that two Iowa athletes were suspended for hunting rabbits on campus. I knew the training tables in college provided different food than the regular cafeterias, but I didn't know the athletes supply their own meat. It's got to take quite a few rabbits to feed a 300 lb. lineman.
*** Sports announcers must feel they have to entertain besides describing the events, so for a long time they have been describing situations with words which really don't belong in the sport. Nobody hits homeruns anymore, they go yard. They don't fumble, they put it on the ground. Basketball players don't rebound, they hit the boards. At least the announcers don't call them cagers anymore.
Here's one that has snuck into the football booths: They have to be able to move the ball vertically. When I went to school, vertically meant up and down. If you throw the ball straight up, I don't think you'll have much of an offense. Please just move the ball horizontally and score. ...but don't try to do too much.
*** A wise man once said, "Rich or poor, it's good to have money." No where is this maxim followed more than sports -- any sports. Recently, two college teams, Indiana and Georgetown, played a basketball game that started at 10:10 PM on a Tuesday night. Trouble with the arena lighting? 2nd game of a double header? an especially long National Anthem? No, ESPN had a 10-12 PM time slot to fill. Sure hope no one had an Economics test the next day.
***THEY SAID IT***
"The Arch Duke Joseph Diamond just sold for a world record $21
million. Shocking. A story about a diamond and record millions that
doesn't involve the Yankees" -- RJ Currie
"Miami shipped pitcher Mark Buehrle to Toronto, he says, despite
assurances that he wouldn't be dealt as a condition of signing with
Miami. So update that old bromide to read "The check is in the mail, this
will only take a minute, and you won't be traded by the Marlins." -- Dwight Perry
"If these guys were running the United States in colonial times, Brazil
and Argentina would be states because they have something we need." -- SU coach Jim Boeheim, to AP, on conference realignment
"Tufts University rescinded the honorary degree it bestowed on disgraced
cyclist Lance Armstrong and no, the degree was not in chemistry." -- Ian Hamilton
"The Nebraska-Iowa game was overshadowed by Big Ten realignment. Actually,
with the season Iowa is having, the game was also overshadowed by the
“Green Acres” marathon on TV Land." -- Brad Dickson
"Bill Belichick just won his 200th game. This is sort of like when
Secretariat won the Triple Crown with the major difference being that
Secretariat showed more emotion." -- Brad Dickson
"New Jersey was hit by a small earthquake. Either that or Gov. Chris Christie has taken up jogging." -- Janice Hough
CP-
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