Tuesday, May 28, 2019

A FEW RANDOM THOUGHTS

** The Yanks are still doing it with timely hitting and a lights-out bullpen. The power guys - the 95 plus fast ball pitchers - get the ink, but watch Ottavino throw that slider. I swear it breaks two feet. How can anybody hit it?
** Cashman is getting a lot of credit for the depth of the Yankee squad, but how about a couple of cheers for the scouting department, who are really the heroes of this team.
** Manny Machado hustled himself into a surprise double last night. Nice to see a "big star" running hard out of the box. However, he did it leading off in the 9th inning with his team down three runs and he just squeaked in. His run meant nothing in the long run, his team needed baserunners. Why take such a big chance? It wasn't necessary, it was just  foolhardy. All he was doing was building his personal stats. 
** Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay's centerfielder, made another great catch last night. This guy may be the best fielding centerfielder in the game. Annie-O likes him, too. "And he's so dreamy. Look at those eyes."  I'll never mention him in the blog again.
** What's with the Minnesota Twins? They have the best record in baseball, scored the most runs and on a pace to hit 320 home runs. I like their stadium, too.
** The sporting world lost a real gentleman this week. Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr died at age 85.  He was considered to be the best playoff quarterback in history, winning  90% of his games. He was also the MVP of two Super Bowls.
My favorite Bart Starr story
Bart came home after practice one day in a bad mood. This normally soft-spoken gentleman  yelled at the kids, complained about dinner, and generally gave his wife Cherry a hard time, all the time complaining about how much he had to do. "What have you got to do," asked Cherry? "I've got to go to this ceremony tonight," he said. "What for?" "I'm getting a Nice Guy Award." "You're kidding,"  she said.
** I mentioned in my previous blog about Cody Bellinger, Dodger right fielder, being one of the best hitters in the game. I never mentioned that he's also a great fielder with a rifle for an arm. He threw out two guys last night, one at home and one at third. A true five-star player.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Well, at least SF Giants held Diamondbacks last night under three touchdowns."  -- Janice Hough (Final score 18-2)
" Khloe Kardashian and the Lakers Lamar Odom got married last weekend after dating just one month. I'm not saying people think the marriage will end quickly, but most of the wedding guests threw Minute Rice."  -- RJ Currie
 "If the Indy 500 was held in Omaha there'd be potholes on the track."  -- Brad Dickson
"Yankee Gleyber Torres has already hit his tenth home run this year against the Orioles. The Orioles say if he keeps this up, they are going to start pitching to him overhand." -- Jim Barach
"Alex Rodriguez’s lawyers are threatening legal action after a prying photographer — apparently from an adjacent high rise — snapped a shot of him in his New York luxury suite sitting on the toilet. A-Rod, never one to miss a marketing ploy, has already secured the hashtag #SultanOfSquat."  -- Dwight Perry


"Saturday being Cano bobblehead day — a sweet way to salute Cano’s career contributions to the Mets — patrons are encouraged to walk slowly to the entry gates as only those who arrive late will receive the trinket."  -- Phil Mushnick
"Dr. Robert Fowler, co-author of a study on swine flu, advised that  symptoms  like fatigue, loss of appetite or vomiting may mean you've been exposed to the virus. Or N.Y. Knicks  games."  -- RJ Currie
"Dick Vitale says he wants to keep broadcasting college basketball on TV until he’s 100. When he’ll be The Diaper Dandy."  -- Dwight Perry



"Mets just-departed part-time outfielder Keon Broxton, a good-field .216 career hitter who’d struck out 314 times in 750 MLB at-bats. Broxton after K-ing 22 times in 49 at-bats and hitting .143 for the Mets,  complained he wasn't given the chance to show what he could do. Seriously."  -- Phil Mushnick 

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Wednesday, May 22, 2019

I REALLY AM THAT OLD

Back in 1959 (I was 15 at the time), Syracuse University fielded it's best football team in it's history.  It featured running back Ernie Davis and quarterback Dave Sarrett. They finished 10-0 with four shutouts and were named National Champions. They had a great 2nd team with quarterback Dick Easterly, that played quite a bit because of all the routs the team had. So good in fact, that a west coast announcer stated during a game against UCLA, that if the Syracuse # 1 team was the best in the country then the 2nd team must have been the 2nd best.
I tell you this story because it seems to fit the current NY Yankee team. They are playing with about 8  guys who would normally be playing for minor league AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre.  Not only playing, but winning. And not just winning, they're leading the AL East by two games. Stanton and Judge, two guys who were supposed to lead the league in home runs, haven't had 90 at bats between them. The Yanks two top starters are both on the IL. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm loving every minute of it.
It occurred to me watching the game last night, that four or more players on the team are actually fighting for a job. When Stanton & Judge return either Maybin or Frazier will have to go - maybe both. When Didi Gregorious returns, what happens to Estrada or Urshella? They may be looking for work. With the way they have performed, it doesn't seem fair.


**Disaster seems to be haunting the Mets lately. Their hoped-for best slugger Yoenis Cespedes, hasn't played an inning yet this year while he recovers from heel surgery (It didn't take. He's still a heel). Now he broke his ankle at his ranch in what was initially described as "a horrendous fall." Because horseback riding is forbidden as part of his contract, the Mets could stop paying him or even cancel his contract. His agent, aware of this, has come out and said the accident occurred when he "stepped in a hole." That would mean the "horrendous fall" was from a height of 4 feet. Yeah, a hole. That's the ticket.
In other news, Robinson Cano is up to his old tricks, running-jogging-strolling to first base. After being taken to task for it by the press,  certainly not the Mets, Cano apologized and said it wouldn't happen again. Two days later, it did. This time, he never even left home plate while he argued that a ball he hit in front of the plate was actually foul. Replays showed it wasn't even close and the call was correct. The Mets manager commented "I can see how that would happen." I can't. You run until they tell you to stop.

**My west coast sister-in-law took me to task this week because I neglected to mention her beloved LA Dodgers in my last blog. Okay, here it is. They have the best record in the National League and lead the NL West by seven games.  They lead the NL in runs scored and ERA. They also have an excellent defense. Cody Bellinger may be the best hitter in baseball right now. He's currently hitting .404 and has a real shot at the Triple Crown. I don't care what you sabermetric nuts say, those two stats still mean a lot. But their best accomplishment to me so far, is that they just beat the Tampa Bay Rays  and hopefully will repeat that feat tonight.     GO DODGERS! (How's that, Pauline?)

**Ron Gardenhire, manager of the Detroit Tigers (and one of my favorite managers), just got thrown out of a game for arguing after replay review went against his team. Baseball says you can't argue with a replay. The umpires are out of it once it goes to replay, so I guess all you can do is fly to New York and scream at the clowns in the replay room. I still think they should eliminate the replay and go back to the arguments.  Youngsters will never get to see a manager turn his hat around and get right up in an umpires face (Earl Weaver), or pick up 2nd base and throw in into right field (Lou Piniella), or throw his hat down and kick around the field (Piniella again) or kick dirt on an umpire's cleats (Billy Martin). These tactics never changed a decision but they were entertaining as hell.  There's just no color in the game anymore. I told you I was that old.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Friday morning’s Round 2 internet PGA Championship live coverage captured Dustin Johnson about to hit from the rough as playing partner Jon Rahm scrambled into the edge of the woods, where he was seen from behind, er, watering a tree. Must be what they mean by “live streaming.”"  -- Phil Mushnick, NY Post
"The NFL and its players union are studying the use of pot for pain management. So far the league has even managed to find 400 players who are willing to volunteer for the research." - Jim Barach
"My Athlete of the Year for 2019 so far: Bodexpress, who threw his rider at the beginning of the Preakness & then ran the entire race by himself finishing ahead of two other horses. Congratulation, Bodexpress." -- Brad Dickson
"Ex-pitcher-turned-accountant Benjamin Hendrickson, 38, has pleaded guilty to swindling $145,000 by cooking the books in two business transactions. Remember when ballplayers were simply content with just stealing second base?"  -- Dwight Perry
"Al Unser, Jr. was arrested for DUI in Indiana. Police became suspicious of his driving as he was going unusually slow, being observed traveling down a freeway at only 140 mph." -- Jim Barach
"A 2019 survey found half a million Canadians admitted to using cannabis at or just before work. In a related story, demands to be traded to the Toronto Raptors have skyrocketed."  -- RJ Currie
"Well, unless officials somehow rule later that they skated out of their lanes, St. Louis Blues are going to Stanley Cup finals."  -- Janice Hough

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Saturday, May 18, 2019

SOME OF YOU MAY NOT REMEMBER ME, BUT...

I just read that the Saskatoon Express has folded. The managing editor was Cam Hutchinson, a man with a great sense of humor and a marvelous writer. One of my favorite bloggers, RJ Currie, says his blog may cease also since it's tied in with the column he did for the Express. This can't be happening. We've already lost Brad Dickson who lost his column in the Omaha World-Whatever. Luckily he's on Twitter and does a weekly (hopefully) essay which is difficult to read without laughing till the tears come.
I've been too lazy to write for the last few months, but I think I ought to get back on that horse.

There must have been some weird vibe on Wednesday this week. Either that or some teams ran out of pitchers.
Atlanta scored 10 runs
Milwaukee scored 11
Minnesota got 11
Cleveland 14
Texas 16
Oakland had 17 runs
That's a total of  79 runs in six games. By way of reference, based on their average, it would take the Miami Marlins 29 games to score that many runs.

Many years ago in the Eastern League, there was a player named Blake Ball. He was a lot bigger than most hockey players and would get into fights and beat the ever-livin' crap out of the other skaters. He could stop fights by skating near other fighters and was called "The Enforcer." Apparently, that's the role CC Sabathia has taken on for the NY Yankees. Last season, he was ejected from a game for deliberately hitting an opposing batter. Last night, he tried three times to hit Rays hitter Austin Meadows and then allegedly cursed the Ray dugout as he left the mound.
The two teams don't like each other and they're playing for first place in AL East, so the last two games of the series should be interesting. Between Betances, Sabathia, Stanton and Judge have some pretty big Blake Ball- type players, so any kind of brawl might be very interesting.

New York may be the greatest city in the world, but they don't have the best front offices for their sports teams. The Jets can't figure out who is in charge, the Mets are dropping like a stone and the Knicks would have trouble having a winning record in the Oswego County High School League. At least the Yankees are showing the rest of baseball how to win with half the team on the Injured List. When a team can be in first place with a roster populated by the Scranton Railriders from a Triple-A league, it doesn't speak well for the rest of the AL East.

They say if you see enough games, you will see things you wouldn't believe. Bases loaded, one out and an easy ground ball to 2nd. You would expect a double play  and no runs scored. Well, the Baltimore Orioles had a different idea in mind. They Managed to get no outs and two runs scored when they messed up the play completely against Cleveland. Unbelievable.

Yankee fans (I assume they still are fans), sat thru a massive rain delay this week only to be told the game was cancelled at 10:00 PM. We could have told them that at 7:30. Normally when games get "postponed, teams schedule the make-up for a twi-night doubleheader. This is where they have two games in one day but you have to pay for both. Can't lose that payday, boys and girls. Well, after two rain-soaked postponements, the Yankees magnanimously scheduled ONE TICKET doubleheader. Two games for the price of one. I'm pretty sure the other 29 teams immediately censured the Yanks for this gesture. 

***THEY SAID IT***
"Only two games into Eastern Conference NBA finals, but looking like national sportswriters are going to have to start learning how to spell Giannis Antetokounmpo."  -- Janice Hough.
" Baltimore Orioles’ Chris Davis ended his record hitless streak this week at 54 at bats. The most embarrassing part was when his hitting coach pitched him beach balls in batting practice and he still struck out 4 times."  -- Tony Chong
"Americans are bored 131 days a year, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll researchers.
Which, as fate would have it, is exactly the same number of days from this year’s NFL draft to the season opener."  -- Dwight Perry
"NASA just announced it wants to have a woman walk on the moon in 2024. I'm thinking it should be Madonna."  -- Brad Dickson
"Boston swept Carolina out of the NHL playoffs with a 4-0 Game 4 shutout. The Bruins defense was so numbing, they turned the Hurricanes into the Novocaines."  -- RJ Currie

"A Babe Ruth jersey is expected to fetch $4.5 million at auction. It was ruled authentic after researchers found traces of three mustard and two beer stains."  -- Jim Barach
"That’s crazy. That’s rarer than a Chris Davis hit."  -- Cam Hutchinson
"Anyone know who the favorite for Saturday’s Preakness is? Yeah, me neither."   -- Janice Hough
"Helmet-maker Riddell is coming up with alternative designs for all 32 NFL teams. The San Francisco 49ers are now the Bay Area Self-Actualized Vegans."  -- Alex Kaseberg
"Tiger Woods’ redemptive win at the Masters was nearly undone in the third round when a security guard slipped and slid into Woods’ ankle, but it all worked out in the end. Tiger got his green jacket, and the guard got a yellow card."  -- Dwight Perry
"The Kentucky Derby is "the most exciting 2 minutes in sports." It follows "the dullest 5-hour pre-game show in sports."  -- Brad Dickson

" Zach Johnson hit his ball with a practice swing at the Masters. He was totally embarrassed when the entire gallery of patrols all chanted in unison – “one”  -- Tony Chong
"To ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, on why he isn’t bothered about being only 17th on the NFL’s QB pay scale.  “My wife makes a lot of money.”  -- Tom Brady
"A recent study showing that walking faster helps people live longer. Especially for people trying to make their way on foot through New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago."  -- Jim Barach
"Bingo night took an unusual turn in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, when a TV monitor started showing porn. Now we know why the cards' free spaces said XXX."  -- RJ Currie
" The upside to being a race horse: unlike the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl a couple years ago Maximum Security still thinks he won. Today if anyone cuts me off in traffic and impedes my progress I'm gonna shout out the window: "What is this - the Kentucky Derby?!"  -- Brad Dickson

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