WHY ISN'T SPORTS HAPPY?

Sometimes friends ask me why I don't post blogs more often. I always tell them the same thing: I write when I'm inspired to write; when I need to say something. I noticed this week that all the sports stories were sad stories. It was hard to find that joy in watching your team play, watching your favorite athlete perform, watching that great play.
Some of it was there: the Cubs continue to excel, Riley Curry's favorite man coming thru big time in a playoff game, the Yankees winning 5 in a row. But intertwined in the good, was the unfortunate stories and the media always highlight them as though that was the only thing to talk about.
The Warriors are one game away from a magical record-breaking season but the sports networks go on and on  about the dust-up between Lebron James and Draymon Green.
Maria Sharapova gets a two year suspension for a positive drug test.  I'm going to miss those grunts.

The saddest, of course, are the deaths of two of the world's greatest athletes: Muhammad Ali and Gordie Howe. I'm going to miss them, too.
I'm currently watching a 30 for 30 special about the Hillsborough soccer disaster in 1989. I can't think of anything that could be sadder than attending a sports even only to have your anticipated good times ruined when some people are killed and many others injured.

I'm done with that. I'm not going to talk about the bad things anymore. I'm going to enjoy sports, watch the events and be happy again. Find the good even in the face of these sad things Let's start with Muhammad Ali's funeral. Celebrate the man the way Billy Crystal did by watching this eulogy
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOKCoctNk9A

Let's hope that sports gives us those pleasurable moments again. Those great athletic plays, the eye-catching performances  and the record-breaking accomplishments. You will forgive my occasional rants about umpire Joe West and the horrible Fox sports announcers. After all, you can only have so much fun.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Virginia McLaurin finally attended her first major-league game last week at Nationals Park in Washington — at age 107. Not that MLB games drag on or anything, but she was already 108 by the time it ended."  -- Dwight Perry
"After Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Kevin Love underwent concussion protocol. I hope he wasn’t asked, “When was the last time a team from Cleveland won a title in sports?” “I don’t know, but that doesn’t mean I have a concussion.”  -- Brad Dickson
"Steph Curry is bowing out of the Olympics. Makes sense. If he wants the experience against playing against a team of mixed amateurs and professionals, the Warriors have plenty of games next year against the Lakers."  -- Janice Hough
"The NFL has awarded the 2021 Super Bowl to L.A.. Everybody out here agrees it could bring some much-needed traffic to Los Angeles."  -- Argus Hamlton
"ESPN televises The Scripps National Spelling Bee. I watched it, and ESPN was the only word all night I knew how to spell."   -- Jimmy Fallon
" Lil Wayne has written a song about the Cleveland Cavaliers. I believe it's called "#$%^ ^&*! #$^&#@$ and $%^&."  -- Brad Dickson

"Appleton, Wis. — home of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Brewers’ Class A affiliate — has been proclaimed “the drunkest city in America” by 24/7 Wall Street. To no one’s surprise, the bases were loaded when the announcement came."  -- Dwight Perry

"Former NFL punter Steve Weatherford says he got kicked out of a Planet Fitness for grunting too hard. On the plus side, oddsmakers just installed him and Maria Sharapova as the mixed-doubles favorites at Wimbledon."  -- Dwight Perry

"Khloe Kardashian said she's not dating Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.; she was only flirting with him. Given the history of athletes with Kardashians, that’s a pass Beckham was wise to drop."  -- Janice Hough

"A rugby player in Italy tested positive for 11 banned substances. Halfway through testing the specimen jar exploded."  -- Brad Dickson

CP-

 

SO THAT'S WHERE THAT BLOG IS

I've been away so long that I forgot the address of the blog site. Well, I found it, I'm back and as cranky as ever.

Tell your statistics to shut up.
I like stats - a lot - but I hate false statistics. Some of the new defensive ones make no sense to me, especially the one that determines "runs saved." I don't get it. Supposedly, fielders get credit for making plays other fielders can't. Is a shortstop great at going to his left or did the tendency statistics move him into position to make that play?
Here's a big one: A lefty hitter has a tendency to pull the ball to the right side consistently. All of a sudden he begins to ground out to the third baseman regularly. Do we change the tendencies? Pitch him differently? Actually, the defensive shift puts the third baseman in short right field. Do they write that down on the score card? Develop a sign to put next to the putout that the fielder was out of his normal position? Have a beer and burn your score card?

When should a pitcher get ejected for throwing at a hitter?
When the hitters stop doing elaborate bat flips and poses after hitting a homer. (Bautista got what he deserved) However, retaliatory measures should happen reasonably quickly after the event. If you have ever played ball, you know a pitch thrown behind you is scary as hell - and it doesn't hurt. Why throw a pitcher out for that? Point taken and no injuries.

Is there no end to this?
Art Briles, the very successful football coach at Baylor Univ. has been suspended in response to his improper handling of sexual assault allegations against students.The president, Ken Starr, was also "punished" by demoting him to chancellor. And Starr is a law professor at the University. Somehow I doubt he was teaching the ethics course.
The actual problem was that they didn't handle anything.  They did their best to bury everything. I don't wish this on anyone, but what if it was one of their daughters that was assaulted? Would they still bury everything?  Apparently, Briles also recruited players that had been dismissed from other schools for similar allegations. What's really sad is that at some point, some other university will hire him.
It's one thing to cheat by helping students with their classes or submit false high school transcripts, but sexual assaults should be jumped on with both feet - wearing football cleats.

I thought they were on my side - for a while.
Have you noticed that some players wear solid color socks right up to the knee, while some wear their pants over their shoes?  You won't see any kind of uniform freedom in the NFL. Those uniforms must be absolutely, exactly the same for all the players. But not in baseball. Some wear striped socks , a few even wear the stirrup socks. No consistency even for teammates. Of course, I prefer the stirrup socks but then I live a little to the right of John Birch.
I was happy when I heard that MLB had signed a deal with a uniform supplier to be the official sock supplier for MLB. Hooray, consistency. Then I read that players could still wear anything they wanted, just so StanceBaseball, the official supplier,  provided them. So the only consistency here was that MLB found a way to make money when dealing with a problem. No solution, just profit. I should have known.

Is there a message here?
I received a gift for my birthday from one of my friends in the newspaper industry, Dwight Perry. He, like me, is big fan of sports, baseball in particular. We both see the humor is sport, Dwight more than most, and he keeps me laughing all the time. Being that he's from Seattle, there must be a story behind this shirt.

By the way, the reason for the glove is that Annie-O made meatballs and I'm trying to use them up.

***THEY SAID IT***

"The Savanna (Ga.) Bananas minor-league baseball team adopted a puppy found in their ballpark parking lot. If it’s a wiener dog, how about calling it Frank Banana?"  -- Dwight Perry [You knew I had to put this in - CP]

"Virginia McLaurin, 107, went to her first MLB game this week at Nationals Park. 107. Wow. To put this in perspective, Ms. McLaurin was born only two years after the Cubs won their last World Series."  -- Janice Hough
"The Houston Astros’ George Springer hit a foul ball into a concession stand deep fryer. A confused fan who later ate the ball said that, with a little mustard, it was no worse than other concession fare."  -- Brad Dickson
"A photo surfaced of an emaciated-looking Johnny Manziel at a Las Vegas pool party. Manziel’s muscles are so deflated, the NFL is questioning Tom Brady."  -- Alex Kaseberg
"Coach’s name noted at the recent Ontario high-school basketball championships: Gus Gymnopoulos. Some guys are just born to teach gym."  -- RJ Currie
"The NFL is moving the Pro Bowl from Honolulu to Orlando, Fla. What a perfect destination for a Mickey Mouse event!"  -- Greg Cote

"The Washington Capitals let 101-year-old fan Gert Friedman ride on their ice-resurfacing machine between periods at a recent game. Fans knew something was up because the Zamboni’s left blinker was going nonstop."  -- Dwight Perry

"The Cleveland Cavaliers were nearly barred from entering Canada to go play the Raptors. I can picture Cleveland sports fans one day going, “Then there was the year we lost a championship due to Customs.”  -- Brad Dickson

"Jackie Bradley Jr. went 0-4 last night, snapping his hit streak at 29 games. So he was only a little over a month away from potentially catching Dimaggio."  -- Janice Hough
"A man has stood outside Gillette Stadium every day for a month hoping for The New England Patriots to give him a tryout. Finally, Bill Belichick stuck his head out the door and said, “Go home Terrell Owens!"  -- TC Chong
"Don’t get in a fight with somebody who’s ugly. They got nothing to lose."  -- Charles Barkley
"Reuters reports an alligator bit off the arm of a Florida man who tried swimming across a lake to avoid arrest. Police said he was unarmed."  -- RJ Currie  [I've got to stop encouraging puns - CP]

"ESPN’s long-winded Chris Berman will quit his weekly NFL gigs at the end of the 2016 season, the Big Lead reported. That clicking sound you hear is mute buttons coast to coast getting a 21-thumb salute."  -- Dwight Perry

"Blue By won a feature at Horsemen’s Park after losing a race last month at Fonner Park after running into a goose. Signs you’re not cut out to be a gambler: You bet on the horse that rammed a goose."  -- Brad Dickson

CP-
 

THE QUARTERLY REPORT

With 25% of the season in the bank, there are some interesting things going on.

** The Cubs have lost 5 of their last 10 games - which gives then 11 for the year. They're still on a pace to win about 115 games. Meanwhile, Atlanta and Minnesota are a pace to LOSE 120 games.

** Chris Sale is 9-0, Jake Arrieta is 7-0 as is Stephen Strasburg. We may see the first 30-game winner since Denny McLain back in 1968. Maybe more than one.

** Dwayne Wade kept shooting baskets before a game while they were playing the Canadian National Anthem. Very classy, Dwayne. Don't expect any votes for the Canadian Sportsman of the Year.


** Yankee owner, Hal Steinbrenner, recently told the press that he holds the players responsible for the Yankee's horrible start, not Joe Girardi. Well, the players aren't helping, but Girardi should be shouldering a lot of the blame. He manages every game as though it was the 7th game of the World Series. Last night he couldn't wait to bring in the big three guns in the bullpen for the third time, even though he said he would avoid doing that. There was even a good reason to take the starter out. Nova pitched 6 strong innings, had thrown only 62 pitches and was never really threatened.
I can understand physical errors but when players look like their heads aren't in the game, that's the managers fault. There are multiple poor decisions on the field every game. That's your job, Joe.

Here are Yankee beat writer Andrew Marchand's suggestions about what  King George Steinbrenner would do if he was still around.
1. FIRE JOE GIRARDI   (Well, this is a given - and it would have happened a month ago)
2. HIRE BOBBY VALENTINE  (Ugh! I don't like this one)
3. HIRE SEAT-FILLERS  (Just like the Oscars. Sure, why not)
4. FIRE BOBBY V  (Now you're talking)
5. HIRE WALLY BACKMAN  (Who? Oh, 'cause he's a former Met. Yeah, that'll work)
6. RIP JACOBY ELLSBURY IN THE MEDIA  (One of George's favorite tricks & a good place to start)
7. FIRE WALLY BACKMAN  (This doesn't surprise anyone, does it?)
8. MAKE A-ROD PLAYER-MANAGER  (If this isn't a match made in heaven, I don't know what is.)
9. PUT BRIAN CASHMAN ON NOTICE  (On notice? You mean he hadn't fired him already?)
10. GO AFTER JOHN OLIVER  (A feud with a talk show host? Who'd believe that? Well, everybody.)
BONUS: TRADE OUTFIELD PROSPECT AARON JUDGE  (Just Judge? How about Bird too?)

Picasner's bonus: Rehire Joe Girardi. (Oh, like that's never happened.)
And the best part is - They haven't even played the All-Star game yet.

** You gotta love the Atlanta Braves. They fired their manager in the middle of a road trip and don't even tell him. They just booked a flight for him back to Atlanta and let the airlines send a notice about the flight.

** We've all seen the fight between Bautista and Odor and the punishments have been handed out. I have one last take on this. Did Joey Bats really do anything wrong? He slid right over the bag, never really clipped Odor and made no obvious effort to hurt him. Why was he suspended? Let's dump "the Utley rule".

***THEY SAID IT***
"The Atlanta Braves have a concession item called Burgerizza which is a 20-ounce beef patty covered in bacon, five slices of cheese and served between two pepperoni pizzas. Maybe the Braves won't win, but you can feed a family of five with this."  -- Brad Dickson
"Tom Brady has sold out his new cookbook at $200 each. The original price was $225, but they adjusted for deflation."  -- RJ Currie
"Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, fresh off his record-tying 20-strikeout game, took a selfie standing under the sign at the intersection of 20th and K streets in downtown Washington."  -- Dwight Perry

"Russian sports minister does about-face and admits their athletes were doping, saying that he’s ‘ashamed of them. On a related note, his funeral is scheduled for next week."  -- Fark.com

"Texas second baseman Rougned Odor was handed an eight game suspension for his part in the brawl vs the Blue Jays. This will give him enough time to sign an endorsement contract with Hawaiian Punch."  -- TC Chong

"There's an allegation the Russians cheated at past Olympic Games. Take that time Russia set a world record in the four-man bobsled while going uphill. That was suspect."  -- Brad Dickson
"After two complete games back to back for the SF Giants pitching staff, Jeff Samardzija goes 8 innings allowing only 1 earned run. Wimp."  -- Janice Hough
"Max Scherzer threw 20 K’s last Wednesday against the Tigers. That ties a record for striking out I set at my Grade 12 graduation dance."  -- RJ Currie
"A huge brawl broke out between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers. I watched for two minutes before I realized it wasn't an NHL classic game."  -- Brad Dickson

"Mets pitcher Colon — married for 21 years with four children — is being sued for child support by a woman who says he fathered two kids with her, the New York Post reported. Which certainly isn’t what Ernie Banks had in mind when he said, “Let’s play two!"  -- Dwight Perry

" Lebron James: “I have no idea what a common foul and flagrant foul is.” Based on this postseason, neither do NBA refs."  -- Janice Hough

CP-
 

JUST MY TAKE ON THE SITUATION

** David Ortiz is on fire.
This is amazing for a guy in his 40's. He projects out to 45+ homers and 150+ RBIs. He probably won't reach those numbers, but they're still going to be pretty good. He does play in the bandbox they call Fenway Park for half of his games, but he is dangerous on the road, too. If this was A-Rod, everybody would be saying that he's found a way to beat the drug-testing, but nothing like that surrounds Big Papi. My question is: Why is retiring?

** Things could be worse.
For all the bad-mouthing about the Yankees season so far, The Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves are really struggling this year. Both have only 9 wins to date and have a shot at not reaching 50 wins. In 2003, the Detroit Tigers ended with a record of 43-119 and finished 47 games out. Back in 1962, the Amazin' Mets showed how hapless a team could be by finishing a whopping a 60 games out. The Twins and the Braves have a shot.

** How long does this last, Sarah?
On the Sports Reporters this morning, Sarah Spain of ESPN, commented on the ovation Aroldis Chapman received on Friday when he entered the game in the 9th for the first time for the New York Yankees. She felt the crowd shouldn't have been cheering for Chapman since he  was coming off an MLB suspension for Domestic Abuse. They should have been considering his girlfriend instead. First of all, he was never officially charged Secondly, his girlfriend's 'injuries' weren't even noticed by the investigating officers right away. Lastly, he paid for his transgressions, whatever they may have been. So should he be punished for the rest of his life, Sarah?

** For it's one, two, three strikes... 
The Yanks unveiled their new 3-headed closer last night, the Bettances-Miller-Chapman beast manager Joe Girardi keeps locked in the NY bullpen. Opposing teams are hoping he'll lose the key. Their first attempt resulted in in 8 strikeouts out of ten chances, one hit and no runs. They are the most dangerous threesome since the three witches in Macbeth.

** The Russian athletes are doping again.
At least that's the rumor going around. I almost said "amateur athletes," but that's never been the case in Russia. The IOC is investigating this (HAH!) and if these reports are verified, they promise "harsh penalties." (Double HAH!)  Some analysts have suggested that Russia be banned from the Rio Olympics but that will never happen - too much money involved. Of course, with the extreme threat of  an infectious disease outbreak, banishment may not be such a bad thing.

** Another Yankee  goes down. 
This time, it's the youngster 22-year old pitcher Luis Severino.  I've asked this question before - where are the strength and conditioning coaches. It's not only pitchers, but position players too. Older players or rookies, it makes no difference. Do you think George would have put up with this? If he were still running things, we might be in double figures in strength and conditioning coaches by now. 
While we're at it,  New York is 25th in the Majors in hitting, yet they have TWO hitting coaches. More is obviously not better. 

** He might as well keep busy. 
Yesterday was Bat Day at Yankee Stadium. Actually, it was Alex Rodriquez Bat Day and there was A-Rod at one of the gates handing out bats. He's on the DL, so he had no responsibilities on the field And probably felt he should be doing something to earn his millions. Word is that he can be quite charming and this effort has certainly helped his image and it's another PR act that has been a hallmark of the "changed A-Rod since his return from suspension. This can't hurt.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Cast members of “A League of Their Own” reunited last week. Just for fun, they beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2."  -- Brad Dickson
"Tigers ace Justin Verlander and supermodel Kate Upton got engaged. One is known for devastating curves, the other pitches for Detroit."  -- RJ Currie
"Voters in McKinney, Texas, voted to build a $63 million football stadium. If I know Texas football, this is for the JV team."  -- Brad Dickson
"I ordered a pint of Pale Ale at New Orleans Louis Armstrong airport. Cost was US $12. Who do they think they are? Yankee Stadium?"  -- TC Chong
"Bartolo Colon, 42, with a lifetime career .089 batting average, hit his first home run after 19 years in the majors. While rounding the bases, he twice had to stop and ask directions."  -- Brad Dickson
"Two soccer refs who were visibly drunk during a game — one of whom allegedly urinated on the field — were handed lifetime bans by the Czech Football Association.What, no yellow card?"  -- Dwight Perry  [As you all know, I'm not into puns, by my wife liked this one.]
"The Arizona Coyotes made John Chayka, 26, the youngest GM in NHL history. Chayka immediately traded a future first-round draft pick for four killer tickets to Pearl Jam."  -- Greg Cote
"The losers of the Ohio State spring football game were penalized by having to shovel mulch.  Of course, if Urban Meyer really wants to motivate players, he could make the losers go to class."  -- Janice Hough
"Bartolo Colon, the portly 42-year-old Mets pitcher, hit his first career home run Saturday night. As of early this morning, he was rounding second base."  -- RJ Currie  [Followed by David Ortiz, no doubt.]
"I wouldn’t say smoke from Minnesota wildfires reduced visibility in Omaha last weekend, but three hours after the international equestrian show ended at CenturyLink Center, people were still sitting in the stands going, “This is great.”"  -- Brad Dickson

CP-
 







 

JoeDa?

Nice win for the Yankees tonight.

Jason and I were watching the 'Manager's Report' segment of the post-game show when he turned and said, "If you painted Joe Girardi green, he would look just like Yoda... we would have...Joe-Da!"

I'll never look at Girardi the same way again.

- Zola

HELLO AGAIN

Back from the Robotics Wars in St. Louis and ready to vent my anger at all things not old fashioned. Actually, while I do prefer sports played the "old" way, there are many new things that I like.
**I like the fact that the Cubs are winning like crazy and will likely make the World Series. Their stadium, Wrigley Field, has a great history and deserves to be showcased in the post season. It is one of the most uncomfortable stadiums I've ever been in - the seats are small, the rows close together and the ushers not as nice as the other places I've visited - it's great to watch a game on TV.
**Pink bats on Mother's day. I'm not exactly fond of the pink, but it's terrific to honor Mothers Day. We visited the Louisville Slugger factory and museum last week and actually saw the bats being made. The guide said the players only get two bats each and generally, the players give one to their mother and the other is auctioned off for charity to fight breast cancer.. Speaking of which - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers.
I'm not a gambler, so horse races hold little interest for me, but I do watch the triple crown races. The Kentucky Derby intrigues me not only for the race but also for the fashions, especially the ladies hats. My vote for the best hat, however goes to Johnny Weir (sorry, Tara).
**I don't like the antics sometimes, but how can you watch super athletes perform at such a high level and not be amazed. LeBron James' superior performance in all aspects of basketball. Jim Brown, running like a tank through defenses designed to stop him, David Ortiz, hitting homers when it counts the most. Steph Curry, faking players out of their shoes and hitting 40-foot jump shots. Martina Navratilova, destroying opponents like they were school children. Mo' Rivera toying with hitters.

Yeah, it's why we keep going to the games in spite of the sometimes outrageous ticket prices. Who can tell me why a hot dog tastes better sitting in the 2nd deck behind third base, than anywhere else in the world?


I don't like the obscene, planned bat flips after homers. Oh, slamming it to the ground or tossing it a few feet away are okay, but flipping it way up in the air or tossing it 20 to 30 feet away as if to say, "I didn't really need the darned thing," is over the top. Take Odubel Herrera of the Phillies. He slammed a ball deep into the right field stands, flipped the bat away and started his slow homerun trot. Um, wait a minute - the ball was foul. I hope the grin on his face as he retrieved his bat was one of embarrassment.

Big Papi lost it Friday night on a called strike when he thought he had a bases-loaded walk. Ortiz is the King of Whiners, but I appreciate that the situation was so intense that emotions would be high. The umpire let him vent big time and did nothing, which was great. But why did he get tossed when he went back to the dugout? By the way, two replays on YES Network showed that the strike call was correct but some sportswriters are still saying it was a bad call. Shame on them.

How far has former Cy Young/MVP winner Justin Verlander fallen? A few days ago, this headline surfaced: "Kate Upton engaged to baseball player."

 Here’s to Fred Costello, in his 40th year as the organist at Triple-A Rochester Red Wings games. Costello is the country’s longest reigning sports organist. Organs have become passé at ballgames — teams prefer blaring canned music that eliminates conversation. (From Phil Mushnick's column.)

Janice Hough has a thing about East Coast bias and she has a point. Even I'm tired of the Yankees-Red Sox games ALWAYS being on ESPN on Sunday night. At least we don't have to listen to Curt Schilling anymore. John Kruk is bad enough.
Apparently, screwing with ESPN is not the wisest thing to do. Schilling continues to make disparaging remarks about his former employer. ESPN did not respond to all the remarks, but when their aired  special on the Sox terrific comeback in the playoffs after being down 3-0 in games, they didn't show game 6, Schilling's "bloody sock" game. Oops...well we...um, it seems that...uh sorry, we had to cut somewhere, so...

***THEY SAID IT***
"NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman said the regular season no longer matters for Ovechkin and the Capitals. That’s right, it doesn’t matter — it’s like  Gisele Bundchen's IQ."  -- RJ Currie
"A U.S. mother-son team from Georgia is going to compete in the Rio Olympics in shooting. I feel sorry for the burglar who breaks into this house."  -- Brad Dickson
"The Cubs in 2016 have a +101 run differential. To put this in perspective, the Yankees in 2016 have SCORED 100 runs."  -- Janice Hough
"John Daly set to join the Champions Tour after turning 50. He will be the only tour member with two major championships, three children, four ex-wives and, seemingly, nine lives" --  Josh Peters
"NBA officials missed five — five! — calls in the final 13.5 seconds of Game 2 of the Spurs-Thunder playoff series, that's one every 21/2 seconds. You can't even blow the whistle that fast."  -- Mitch Albom

"PGA Tour stars Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler had to dodge a golf ball thrown their way by a so-called fan at the Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday. Bet they’re thanking their lucky stars they didn’t decide to become pro bowlers."  -- Dwight Perry

"Who’d a thunk that  Bartolo Colon‪ would be certain to end the 2016 season with more home runs than Pablo Sandoval?"   -- Janice Hough

"While under the yellow caution light in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s steering wheel came completely off. He was still driving better than most people on Interstate 80 during my morning commute."  -- Brad Dickson
"LeBron James will reportedly star in Space Jam 2. No word on who plays the coach that LeBron gets fired."  -- RJ Currie

CP-
 

STILL NOT HITTING

Oh, occasionally someone hits a homer, but the Yankee offense isn't scaring anyone except the Yankee front office. In the last few games, the Yanks runs have been driven in with bloop hits and swinging bunts. Last night, it looked like more of the same. So much so, Jacob Ellsbury figured the only way he was going to score from third was to steal home on his own. Girardi didn't know nor did Brett Gardner, who was at bat (I almost called him "the hitter." What was I thinking?) If Gardy had swung...?

I've seen most of the great bullpens in the last 50 years (Did I really just write that?), from the single closer having a great year (Elroy Face with the '59 Pirates, to Luis Arroyo with the '61 Yanks, to Trevor Hoffman with the Padres. The Cincinnati Reds had the "Nasty Boys" in 1990, and the Royals have had a very effective bullpen the last couple of years. However, I've never seen anything as dominating as Bettances and Miller. Last night, they threw a combined 23 pitches, 19 for strikes and struck out 5 of the 6 batters they faced. And the Yanks supposed closer, Aroldis Chapman - he of the 100-mph fastball - isn't even available yet. American League hitters are not looking forward to that day.

Chris Colabello of the Toronto Blue Jays was suspended 80 games for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He's hitting .069 so far. Two thoughts here. 1) His drug of choice isn't enhancing anything. 2) Why did they even bother to test him?

ESPN has finally canned Curt Schilling for inappropriate remarks on twitter. What took them so long? He's been making inappropriate remarks on Sunday night baseball for over a year.

The Yankees are advertising an Alex Rodriquez bat day on May 14th. Bat Day is when they give away baseball bats, this time, A-Rod's bats. The choice seems appropriate since A-Rod doesn't seem to be using them. He's currently hitting .143.

The White Sox pulled off the strangest triple play I've ever heard of last night against the Texas Rangers. 9-3-2-6-2-5 if you're keeping score. 5 assists and 3 putouts. Sounds like a beer game.

Who's the hottest team in baseball? The Chicago cubs are off to a great start at 13-4. They lead the majors in runs scored, averaging over 6 runs a game and have allowed the fewest - 38 in 17 games. The White Sox are 11-6 and trail the Royals by 1/2 game.  Can't wait for that inter-league series.

***THEY SAID IT***
" Regarding the Curt Schilling ESPN firing, sounds like the former Red Sox star pitcher has a lot in common with Pablo Sandoval – both would have longer careers if they could only keep their mouths shut."  -- Janice Hough
"Air from Kobe Bryant’s last game was for sale on eBay. Anyone who has no money saved for retirement and buys this is officially a moron."  -- Brad Dickson
"Johnny Manziel is being sued for trashing a $4.5M house that he rented in Los Angeles. The house was actually worth $9M before Johnny moved in for 2 nights."  -- TC Chong
"A Brooklyn man set a Guinness record by watching television for 94 hours straight. No truth to the rumor that 68 hours of it consisted of instant-replay delays."  -- Dwight Perry
"After Kobe Bryant’s last game, it was no surprise TSN SportsCentre featured Kobe’s top 10 all-time greatest plays. What was surprising is one of them was a pass."  -- RJ Currie
"Baylor tight end LaQuan McGowan, who weighs 405 pounds, could be the heaviest player ever chosen in the NFL draft. At the NFL combine, McGowan wasn’t allowed to do a vertical leap after seismologists warned against it."  -- Brad Dickson

CP-
 

WHAT'S NEW?

 **Not New
The Yankees are losing because they can't hit. Ellsbury's hitting .209, Teixeira's hitting .200, Headley is down to .154. The most disturbing number belongs to A-Rod, who, with one more fruitless at bat, will be hitting .096! Aaron Hicks is lower but he's only had 12 at bats.

Pablo Sandoval's former trainer says the Panda has an over-eating disorder. He's had this problem for years and should have been no surprise to the Red Sox. You'd think that breaking your belt when swinging at a pitch, as Pablo did, would make an impression on him, but apparently not.  

Are things that dull in Columbus, Ohio, or are the Cavaliers and the Indians that bad? The Ohio State Buckeyes had their spring practice game (The OSU offense against the OSU defense) and they not only sold over 100,000 tickets, there was a lot of ticket scalping going on outside the stadium. Since the defense never gets the ball, I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying the OSU offense won the game.

**This is New. 
 I saw a headline earlier this week that said that David Ortiz had stolen a base. My first thought was, 'He's an honorable guy. He'll return it.' Then I discovered that he actually ran to second when no one was watching. Maybe they should give him a replica base for the achievement. Based on his average speed when circling the bases on a homer, it probably took him 8.5 seconds to make the trip. If he had seen Big Papi running, I'll bet the catcher could have beat him to the bag. 

**Other Things. 
Now that Kobe Bryant has retired, the discussion has started: is Kobe one of the top ten players in NBA history. Please! He's not even in the top Five all-time players on the Lakers. I give you Jerry West, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Magic Johnson. That's a hell of a starting five. 

Ever wonder why ball players get out of military service? Doesn't happen often, but here's a story about a player who did serve. Back during WWI, "Sailor" Bob Shawkey, a pitcher for the NY Yankees, brought  some papers home for his wife to sign to get him an exemption as the sole provider for his family. His wife, a woman with the nickname of "Tiger Lady," was a real party animal and found her social life stymied somewhat by her marriage to Shawkey. So she refused to sign the papers and threw Bob out of the house with just his clothers and two hunting dogs. "Sailor" Bob ended up serving on a battleship in the North Sea fighting German U-Boats. Back in baseball after the war, he won 20 games four years in a row followed by an 18-win season. In the meantime, rumor has it that "Tiger Lady" 'faced' more major leaguer players than Bob did.  

 ***THEY SAID IT***
"An umpire mistakenly called Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo out after two strikes. This may be a worse harbinger for the Cubs than that dead goat."  -- Brad Dickson
"The  Braves have won! Finally. The last time Atlanta  had a couple weeks that went this badly, General Sherman was involved."  -- Janice Hough

"The 420 Games — “The Olympics for Stoners” — took place March 26 on the Santa Monica (Calif.) Pier, but not without controversy. Apparently three contestants were stripped of gold medals when they passed a drug test."  -- Dwight Perry

"Fans purchased a record $1.2 million in Kobe Bryant merchandise during his final NBA game, which at Staples Center prices works out to three shirts and a hat."  -- Jim Barach

"NY has banned smokeless tobacco at sporting events. You can easily smuggle in guns and knives into the stadiums because Security is focused on “Dip”, Skoal and Copenhagen."  -- Tony Chong
"Now, I don’t want to say Utah rigged the game for Kobe to score 60 points, but Custer played better defense against Sitting Bull."  -- Alex Kaseberg

"The Red Sox have benched corpulent third baseman Pablo Sandoval. On the bright side, he’s got a great shot at becoming the first non-starter in history to lead the league in plate appearances."  -- Dwight Perry

" Jordan Spieth’s 12th-hole tee shot into the creek on Masters Sunday triggered an epic collapse. The most fatal drive involving a 9-iron and water since Tiger Woods hit a fire hydrant."  -- RJ Currie
"Kobe scored 60 points in his last game in front of a celebrity filled crowd. In fact, I think Jack Nicholson was guarding him."  --  Mike Lupica

"YES’ Yankees telecasts have included ads advising Comcast subscribers to seek Fios or DirecTV as alternatives, since they no longer carry Yankee games. One problem: Unless they’re watching miles away in another county, Comcast subs can’t see or hear those ads. It’s like trying to count the absent by asking them to raise their hands."  -- Phil Mushnick
"In his final game, Kobe Bryant scored 60 points on a career-high 50 shots. Most impressive was his first shot, taken through the moon roof in his car while pulling into the Staples Center parking lot."  -- Brad Dickson

CP-
 

 

NOW IT ALL COUNTS

It's now about eight games into the season and all the people with spring training pipe dreams have to deal with reality. For the most part, that is. There are always a few surprises out there.
The Baltimore Orioles started the season 7-0 and lost their first game last night to a mediocre Boston Red Sox team. Sure, it's early yet, and teams sometimes don't come out of the gate according to plan. With their weak pitching and their all-or-nothing offense, I can't see the Orioles contending in September. The Sox pitching is also suspect in spite of  the acquisition of David Price, who got hammered the last time out, by the way.
The big news in Boston revolves around Pablo Sandoval, who was just put on the DL because of some kind of shoulder problem. He hasn't been hitting, has forgotten how to play defense and can't run worth a lick. A triple threat. There is even some talk that this shoulder injury may be bogus and putting him on the DL is a way to get him off the roster for a while. That's another $95 million well spent. There's a rumor that the Sox may trade him to San Diego for James Shields  to bolster their pitching. Why in the world would the Padres want Pablo? Is there a glut of pizza and fried chicken that needs to be reduced?

The Yankees, in the meantime, look like potential pennant winners - or weak sisters, depending on which game you watch. The starting pitching hasn't looked overpowering but the bullpen has been outstanding - except for Ivan Nova's performance last night. Ellsbury looks great again, Castro & Gregorious make a fine double play combination and Headley's throws no longer strike fear in the hearts of fans back of first base. A-Rod's a mystery. Sometimes he looks lost and some days he's hitting line drives all over the park. He has hit into some bad luck, though. I get the feeling that the Yanks are getting ready to shop Gardner. They would use Hicks as the everyday left fielder and bring up one of the young kids from Scranton to be the fourth outfielder. We'll see.

The AL West looks weak with only one team over .500 - the Angels. KC is still a strong team in the AL Central. In the NL, Washington is 6-1, while the Mets, who were supposed to contend are 3-5 and are averaging only 2.5 runs per game. The Cubbies are making Chicago a happy place to be at 7-1. San Fran and the Dodgers will continue to beat each other up in the NL West.

It's really too early to assume that things will continue as they are because baseball always surprises.

Other sports:
Tonight is Kobe Bryant's last game as a professional basketball player after a 20-year career. Don't expect him to pass any torch. Kobe never passes anything.
The NFL draft is two weeks away. This has become a huge event and probably has ESPN executives trembling with excitement. This will have more coverage than the presidential race. (sorry Donald)

The Masters golf tournament just ended and I'm sorry to say that I didn't get a chance to sleep in front of any of those broadcasts. I did hear about Jordan Speith's collapse in the last round. Since he was last year's winner, he had to present the green jacket to this year's champion, Danny Willett. That had to be the toughest job Speith ever had to do.

I finally got my PC back for which I thank my personal computer guru, #1 son Matt.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Sportsnet president Scott Moore said he roots with his heart for the Habs and with his wallet for all Canadian NHL clubs. So he won’t have a team to cheer in the playoffs — not for love nor money."  -- RJ Currie
"Warriors set record for NBA regular season wins. Many casual sports fans thinking “The NBA HAS a regular season?”"  -- Janice Hough
"In the women’s NCAA tournament, UConn defeated Mississippi State 98-38, a 60-point margin. Mississippi State got a moral victory because I’m pretty sure UConn was favored by 61."  -- Brad Dickson
"When asked who’d win a series between the only 70-win teams in NBA history — the 1995-96 Bulls Steve Kerr played for or the 2015-16 Warriors he coaches — he replied like a seasoned politician. “I’ll just say: ‘If the two teams played each other, there’s no question that we could beat us and they could beat them."  -- Steve Kerr  (From Dwight Perry's column)
"A grand jury in Ohio indicted an ex-Browns employee for embezzling $88,000 from the team. Wait’ll they realize Johnny Manziel fleeced them to the tune of $7.7 million."  -- Dwight Perry

"Cleveland guard Kyrie Irving called the Cavaliers the “team to beat” in the playoffs. In a related story, the Grassroots Ohio pro-marijuana group is counting on Irving’s support."  -- RJ Currie
"A marijuana dispensary is seeking the naming rights to Denver’s Mile High Stadium. Which is ironic, as most people thought they already did."  -- Jim Barach
"The NCAA reportedly approved a 3-year moratorium on new bowl games. What a disappointment for all those 6-6 teams who just missed last year’s postseason."  -- Janice Hough
"Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax figure of Steph Curry. That night the wax Curry lit up the Philadelphia 76ers for 32 points."  -- Brad Dickson

CP-

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I lost my main computer this week and my lap top is more difficult for me to use, so bear with me.

The Yankees win! The Yankees win!
Luckily they scored big time because Pineada's mistakes were big time as evidenced by the 6 runs he gave up. The only one who looked lost at the plate was A-Rod. Is it too early to think he needs a day off? Of course, this is all moot since we're all just playing out the string while the Boston Red Sox run away with the pennant - or so the sports writers tell us.

Speaking of the Red Sox...
It appears that Pablo Sandoval has eaten his way out of the lineup. This was NOT one of the Sox better signings. Reminds me of the Carl Crawford signing - good on paper, not so good on the field. At least Pablo is making about $4 million less.

The slippery slope
Baseball has really gotten themselves in a hole. They are learning that it's impossible to legislate yourself out of problems. Case in point:
A) Instant replay allowed everyone to notice that infielders were not always remaining on the bag at second long enough when trying to turn a double play. Now they have to.
B) Runners were having a field day mowing down the fielders because they now had to stay "in range," so to speak.
C) So they institute a new rule that basically forbids runners from knocking down the infielders. (I know that's not exactly what it says, but that seems to be the effect)
D) The problem is, the rule is black and white, the actual situations aren't. Up in Toronto, Bautista and the Blue Jays lost a chance to win a game because Joey Bats hit an infielder's foot when he was trying to complete a game-ending double play. The only danger here was to Bautista's hand, not the fielder. This was not the intent of the rule, but all the changes forced that to be the result. "If it ain't broke...well, fix it anyway."

Could be better
The Yanks have a commercial out showing their new double play combo - Castro and Gregorius having a spirited conversation. Might be funny but they were very hard to understand. The Seattle Mariners know how to do it right. (Courtesy of Dwight Perry)
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-debut-four-commercials-for- 2016-featuring-kyle-seager-robinson-cano-edgar-martinez-nelson-cruz-and-felix-he rnandez/

What would you pick?
On "Mike and Mike" this morning, they asked a question, "What major sporting event would you pick if you could only watch one from now on?" Mike picked the Masters Golf Tournament. Annie-O chose the World Series. I would pick the NCAA Basketball Tournament, even though Annie-O's bracket selections are so much better than mine. (No, I don't want to talk about it!)

Gregg Popovich quote of the day
Q:  "Coach, how will you get your guys into the next game?"
GP: "I get them all on the bus and don't let them out till we reach the arena."

***THEY SAID IT***
"In the finals of the NIT somebody beat someone by a score of ... I’ll have to get back to you."  -- Brad Dickson
"In the first game of the season, Chase Utley has started another controversy with a slide that some thought was dirty at home plate. Well, if he makes a pattern of it, MLB won’t need a Chase Utley rule, as some pitcher will apply the Drysdale rule and put Utley on the DL."  -- Janice Hough
"In women’s Sweet 16 action, it was UConn 98, Mississippi State 38. The last time Mississippi got torched this badly, General Grant was visiting Vicksburg."  -- RJ Currie
"Nebraska’s tallest player, Jake Hammond, is transferring. This puts the Huskers at a disadvantage because he’s the only one who could see over the scorer’s table."  -- Brad Dickson
"A whale-watching boat named the Adventure Hornblower, unable to reverse engines, rammed into a seawall in San Diego. “No comment until we’ve seen the films,” said Hornblower cruise director Rob Gronkowski."  -- Dwight Perry

CP-

AROUND AND ABOUT

The most serious rant I have today is a lack of understanding of my wife's ability to successfully pick an NCAA bracket. I won't say she has no understanding of the spot, she does watch and enjoy of lot of the games. But her picks...well, there's no explaining them. "Why did you pick Hawaii?" I'll ask. "Because," She'll say. "What made you go for Yale?" "They should be smart. They're from Yale." 
Funny, huh? She's ahead of me by 10. Her success rate is 70%. Lucky for me, she never wants to bet. 

 Speaking of the tournament, our home-town team, Syracuse, is doing very well, which is a surprise to everybody. Especially, it seems, to Manish Mehta, who writes for the NY Daily News. On "The Sports Reporters" today, he want off on Syracuse, insisting that "...they shouldn't even be in the tournament." He feels that they haven't beaten any body good (at least in HIS judgement) and have an RPI of 71. If all we go by is statistics Manish, then why are you on TV? What awards have you won? What would a reporter's rating for you be? So when it comes to your opinion, I'll consider the source. Mehta's reputation isn't the best with other reporters either. 

The NFL has finally admitted that the concussions players have suffered may have something to do with their sport. What good will come out of this is highly unlikely at best. Pro football is a $13 billion dollar industry.  Nobody is giving up on that without a fight, even to protect their major asset - the players. 

...and about not protecting their players, check this out. Three cities are outlawing smokeless tobacco in stadiums with more to follow. This would eliminate fans and players from using chewing tobacco on the field, in the stands, in the dugouts and in the clubhouses. But wait - the Major League Players Association has previously shutdown prior attempts by the league to ban chewing tobacco in the past. Maybe THEY should be checked for concussions. 

Lebron James is at it again. After going back to Cleveland and organizing a collection of players he thinks will help him win championships, now he seems to be setting the stage for another attempt at putting together a "dream team."  He's has named - supposedly tongue-in-cheek - 3 or 4 other major stars that he'd like to form a dream team with. If he leaves Cleveland again, the mob that will go after him...let's just say I'd like to have the torch and pitchfork concession in Cleveland.  

Gregg Popovich line of the day:
Reporter (wearing a loud jacket): "The team missed a lot of shots that quarter.  Even their free throws. How come?" 
GP: "I think they were looking at your suit."

***THEY SAID IT***
" According to Sports Illustrated, the Tampa Bay Rays’ flight out of Cuba was delayed six hours. I’m guessing they had to remove all the Cuban national players from the wheel wells."  --  Brad Dickson
"Yale exits tournament to focus on upcoming organic chemistry midterm.”  -- TheKicker.com

"Rockets center Dwight Howard got caught putting Stickum spray on a game ball. Startled witnesses say they’d never seen an errant free throw stick to a backboard before."  -- Dwight Perry

"Basketball for dummies NCAA division: For newbies following March Madness – Steven F. Austin is not named after “Stone Cold Steve Austin”. Weber State did not invent the gas BBQ and nor is Texas A&M named for “Americans and Mexicans”. Notre Dame is not named after a hunchback and Gonzaga is not the brother of Godzilla. And finally Austin Peay’s (pronounced Pea) team name is not the “Urinals” – but their cheerleaders scream “Let’s GO PEAY”!!!!!"  -- TC Chong 
"On Friday the IUPUI softball team plays at UNO. Discount optometrists are sending their patients to the game to read the scoreboard/eye chart."  -- Brad Dickson
"A recent study claims that exercise can ease psychotic symptoms. Researchers obviously are not familiar with Dennis Rodman, John McEnroe or Mike Tyson."  -- Jim Barach
"An Anheuser-Busch rig collided with a Frito-Lay truck near Melbourne, Fla., early Wednesday, littering Interstate 95 with cans of beer and bags of chips. Pablo Sandoval, inconsolable, is expected to be out of the Red Sox lineup for days."  -- Dwight Perry

"Aaron Rodgers says he saw a UFO in New Jersey in 2005. Is he sure it wasn’t one of Eli Manning’s rookie year passes?"  -- Janice Hough
"Kansas City manager Ned Yost broke a stack of concrete bricks with his bare hands. I know it’s a long way to the World Series, but the Royals look good out of the blocks."  -- RJ Currie

CP-

NICKNAME MADNESS

It's finally time for the NCAA basketball tournament. There are 68 teams in the tourny and perhaps another 30 who believe that they should be in it. There will also be a number of coaches who are upset with their seedings and/or the regional they were assigned. I'm not going to try and evaluate the teams since ESPN has already interviewed every "expert" in the country to do just that and they all have their picks. Joe Lunardi, ESPN's resident bracket genius, was unforgiving in his analysis of the official NCAA bracket. "But the committee’s performance is slipping, year over year, and it’s also my job to point that out when necessary. Put aside my three misses for a moment, and what you have is a selection and bracketing process that appears to have gone off the rails." Of course. If it isn't the way Joe picks it. it can't be right.  But, it all boils down to the same thing: there are 68 teams with a chance.
No, I'll do what I do best - make fun of the nicknames.

Naturally with a field this big, there will be duplications.  Do you like the Wildcats? You have your choice of four of them. There are three Bears here - Bears, Golden Bears and the Bearcats.  There's a couple of Trojans and a couple of Panthers. There's even a couple of Pirates. The good news is, if your team loses, you can easily switch over to a team with the same nickname. You can probably make the Final Four just rooting for the Bulldogs - there are five of them.

As Sheldon Cooper from "The Big Bang" sit-com will tell you, teams try to pick nicknames that will intimidate their opponents. This is generally true, but some teams didn't get the memo. How many opponents will be intimidated by these mascots and nicknames?
Friars -- Unless it's Friar Tuck, these people are known pacifists. Sorry, I'm not afraid.
Mocs -- Run this name thru Google and you get - Shoes. The price might scare you, but that's all.
Jackrabbits, Roadrunners -- Just the opposite. You'll scare them but they'll be gone before you can enjoy it.
Terrapin -- This is a turtle. Even if you're afraid to get bitten, you certainly ought to be able to get away from a turtle. No threat here.

It seems that some teams are advocating careers and not animals. You might want to pick your college by these nicknames:
Want to go into politics? Then the Austin Peay Governors is the place for you.
Like the outdoors? Try the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. Maybe the Texas A & M Aggies. or the Wichita State Shockers, a shocker being a "harvester of wheat." (Had to look that one up)
Is aviation your dream? The Dayton Flyers are waiting for you.
If you like working with your hands, I'd suggest the Purdue Boilermakers but it's not a very big field.

The NCAA, in it's infinite wisdom (there's a sentence I never thought I'd write), seeds the teams according to apparent strength, always the weakest team against the strongest. What fun is that? Here's some matchups that would be a great interest, based solely on nicknames.
Holy Cross Crusaders vs. the Farleigh Dickinson Knights. This is an even matchup.

Middle Tenn. State Blue Raiders vs Texas Tech Red Raiders  This is a rivalry made in heaven.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Iona Gaels (Look it up. I'm not doing all the work)
Baylor Bears vs California Golden Bears Let's settle this once and for all.
Iowa State Golden Cyclones vs the Miami Hurricanes  Played in Chicago, the Windy City (sorry)
Southern Cal Trojans vs the Michigan St. Spartans  Greek mythology lives again.
Finally, a special round robin Mini-tournament between UNC Ashville, Fresno State, Yale, Gonzaga and Butler, with only the winner keeping the nickname Bulldogs.

Last but not least, those nicknames which aren't...well, funny.
The Orange
The Blue Devils
The Sooners (rather then the Laters -- okay, maybe a little funny)
The Hoosiers
The Utes
The Tar Heels

Pick your teams, stock the beer and chicken wings, veg out on the couch and have a fun three weeks.
I'm going with North Carolina.

***THEY SAID IT***
"I don't know how they did it. I'm just watching the game, same as you."  -- Gregg Popovich, Spurs coach in another of his now legendary interviews.
"So I wasn’t paying close attention to the NCAA Tournament  brackets. What seed did the Philadelphia 76ers get."  -- Janice Hough

"Maria Sharapova failed a doping test at the Australian Open. You don’t need to be a nun to ask: How do you solve a problem like Maria’s?"  -- RJ Currie
"The Savannah Bananas have just become the 16th team in the Coastal Plain League, which apparently ran out of good nicknames about three teams ago."  -- Brad Dickson
"Some of these teams appeared exhausted. Michigan State 64, Maryland 61, Saturday afternoon on CBS, stood out and stood to reason. Michigan State had played the night before, Maryland late the previous afternoon. The game often appeared to be played by zombies, arms dangled at their sides, poor timing and focus."  -- Phil Mushnick

CP-

IT SEEMS I'M IN THE MINORITY

There are a few big stories in sports right now and I'm on the wrong side for the most part.

Sharapova's failed drug test
Okay, I'm certainly against PED's, no matter what the excuse, but this one doesn't upset me as much as some. Sharapova admitted she took a banned substance, didn't blame it on anyone else and didn't say it was an accident. It was a drug she had taken for years, legally, but when it was put on the list this year, she didn't bother to read the notice she was sent. Totally her own fault and she was up front completely about it. There seems to be no sympathy, no understanding and definitely no forgiveness. Should she be suspended? Absolutely. Are her sponsors correct in dropping their sponsorship?  Well, here it gets a little sticky for me. This wasn't a case of someone trying to steal an edge, or trying to hide an illegal act. She made an honest mistake and yet she's being treated like a pariah. People like Bonds and McGwire are given cushy jobs even though they obviously tried to circumvent the rules. Nike continued to back Lance Armstrong, a proven PED user but Sharapova's sponsor jumped off that ship like it was the Titanic.
So punish her of course, but let's have a little more understanding, please.

Gossage fires a high hard one 
The same way he pitched, Goose comes right at you with his opinions. A couple of days ago, he spouted off about all the showboating in baseball, in response to Bryce Harper saying that all the posturing is a good thing. Goose called guys names, pointed fingers and did not give any slack in his opinions. Harper said the game has changed and the fans like it when guys toss bats, stand at the plate and admire home runs and take forever to round the bases. It's okay in his world for pitchers to celebrate openly on the mound after a strikeout. Gossage's point is that they should celebrate but not preen and show up the opponent. Goose also complained that pitchers couldn't brush hitters back without starting a brawl and umpires are trying to read minds about intentions. More about that later.
The Goose even got called into a meeting with Girardi and Cashman over his remarks. Obviously, we don't know exactly what was said in the meeting, but afterwards Goose didn't sound like he had backed off of his statements one bit. I'm on Gossage's side on this one. So jump up and down and clap your hands after hitting a homer but don't stand at home plate admiring your hit. You can still watch it as you run to first. Pitchers can pump their fists after a strike out but low key always. Do that and no one will get upset.

Speaking of high hard ones...
There was an article on ESPN lately about Baseball's unwritten rules. Now we've been over this before and my position is known, especially on some situations.
**What's with "Defensive Indifference." If you allow a guy to steal, you ought to be penalized for it. Just because you have a big lead, doesn't mean you shouldn't play the game right. Not holding a runner on and playing back to prevent a hit isn't right. You're asking the other team  to "help" you get an out. If you don't care if a guy steals, then fine, your pitcher and catcher have a stolen base charged to their record. A team has a big lead and yet they steal a base anyway. You don't like it? Don't get mad, prevent it! Stealing is part of the game.
A pitcher is pitching a no-hitter late in the game. The third baseman plays back to prevent a hit because the batter is "not supposed to bunt for a hit because that is cheap." What's next? Are you going to say a hitter can't swing at a 2-0 or 3-0 pitch because that's unfair to the guy going for a no-hitter? Play the game right, earn your milestone without forcing the other team to help you.
Okay, I'm done.

Is spring training too long?
There are some players that need more time than others. Hitters need to face live pitching. Pitchers need to stretch out their arms, and managers have 60 or 70 players to look at. So, no, I don't think it's too long. Unlike pro football, you can buy season tickets for a team without being forced to buy spring training game tickets at the same price. If they're too long it's only because the media covers every single aspect of it from beginning to end, and we get tired of watching Single A ball players look helpless against the major leaguers.

Thank the lord Billy Martin didn't have to deal with this
Buck Showalter tells the story about telling one of his rookie pitchers how to pitch to a certain batter.
BS: "Listen, I want you to move so-and-so off the plate next time he's up."
Rookie: "Oh I don't think I can do that, skipper."
BS: "Yes, you can. Pitch him inside. Move him off the plate. He's diving across the plate and hitting line drives to right."
 Rookie: "No, I can't do that."
BS: " Look, I'm not asking you to hit him. Just move him off the plate."
Rookie: "I can't ." 
BS: "Why not?"
Rookie: "We have the same agent."

***THEY SAID IT***
"BYU has a junior college transfer tackle named Handsome Tanielu. To give you an idea of the narcissism of college athletes today, at the first practice somebody yelled “Hey, Handsome” and 38 guys turned around."  -- Brad Dickson
" Instead of a calendar girl, I once dated a colander girl. Our relationship was strained."  -- RJ Currie
[Sorry about that, but my wife likes RJ - Chad]

"Russian ice dancer Ekaterina Bobrova tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, but it was a fait accompli.  Skating officials knew something was amiss the moment she flipped her dance partner into the stands."  -- Dwight Perry

"Now rumors might have both Mark Sanchez and Colin Kaepernick in Denver. Good thing for fans Colorado has legalized marijuana."  -- Janice Hough
"PGA Tour caddies lost their lawsuit seeking compensation for having to wear bibs with advertising: “Dear fellas: Your job consists of carrying a golf bag, telling your guy, ‘178 yards’ and collecting up to 10 percent of his earnings for doing very little. Quiet, please!"  -- Greg Cote
" An elderly fan at a Philadelphia Flyers game removed her bra and threw it on the ice. I’m trying to confirm that the players threw it back."  -- Brad Dickson
"A streaker who ran onto the field during a rugby match in Auckland, New Zealand, claims he was repeatedly punched by a security guard after he was apprehended. So both could face charges — as in public indecency for the streaker and, for the guard, naked aggression."  -- Dwight Perry
"Leonardo DiCaprio won an Academy Award for The Revenant. The Cleveland Browns have a shot at an ESPY for The Irrelevant."  -- RJ Currie
" The Colts resigned Adam Vinatieri for 2016. Not sure how this fits with Indianapolis’s cap room, but at least the team knows his medical bills will be covered under Medicare."  -- Janice Hough
"I'm refusing to call Johnny Manziel the Edsel of draft picks. Let’s be fair. The Edsel lasted three years."  -- Bud Shaw, Cleveland Plain Dealer
" Former Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has been arrested for the sixth time in 17 months. That ties the record held by Otis on “The Andy Griffith Show."  -- Brad Dickson
"The news isn’t all bad for William Collins, the Kentucky fullback arrested after allegedly pilfering a parking meter and trying to flee from the cops. He’s the world-record holder in the one-meter dash."  -- Dwight Perry
"The Nebraska high school state basketball tournament is underway. Some claim Nebraska has too many classes. There may be something to that. A Class D-2 school had to suit up the shop teacher."  -- Brad Dickson

CP-
 

JUST BIDING MY TIME

It's still too early to comment about the teams since these spring training games are only mildly interesting for about 4 innings. After that, you're looking at a lot of players who probably won't make it to the majors for at least two years, if then. A-Rod's hitting pretty good, so is Beltran, but you can't pay too much attention to that since they're not really facing major league pitching.
In the meantime, we'll look at some of the other things happening in sports.

Cleveland Cavs
There seems to be a lot of talk about a lack of team chemistry here. The biggest question mark centers around Kevin Love. Does he get along with King James or not? Does he want to be in Cleveland at all? LeBron seems to be trying to keep it all together, but his celebrity status may be getting in the way, no matter how hard he tries to keep that from happening. One or two great players will not carry a team to a championship. You need that chemistry and it doesn't look good for the Cavs.
In the meantime, Steph Curry and the boys keep rolling.

Who wants to interview Gregg Popovich?
This may be the toughest job in broadcasting. Poppy won't deal with all the "fluff" questions ("Your team is down 12 points. What do you attribute to that?"  Popovich: "They scored more points.") A couple of days ago, I saw this. "Coach, you have a reputation for being a good coach. It's a pleasure to watch you work. Your team really responds..." "Yeah, yeah. Is there a question here? I've got a job to do."
Then, he left. Those interviewers better do their homework.
It reminds me of an interview with Bobby Knight I once saw. The reporter asked a question and Knight started to answer, then stopped. "What a ridiculous question," he said. "You're better than that. I know you. You're pretty smart. Try again." The reporter asked an entirely different question. "Now that's better," said Knight. "I knew you could do it. That's an intelligent, well-thought out question. Very good."
Then, he left. 

Good old ESPN
Once again, they pre-empted one of my favorite shows - The Sports Reporters - to air a special on some "breaking news." Peyton Manning has - are you sitting down? - retired. Why does that need an hour-long special? He doesn't even officially retire until Monday. Why do we have to relive his life complete with interviews with people we never head of? Didn't they learn anything from "The Decision?" Of course, they will eventually return to having pretty girls in sexy clothes laughing and flirting with their male counterparts. The real shame is that these ladies seem to know what they're talking about. This is serious business people. Treat these ladies with respect.    

Even worse when you pair ESPN with MLB
Unless you live in any major metropolitan area and regularly go to baseball games, you probably don't realize how badly these fans are treated by MLB. Read this article by Phil Mushnick of the NY Post:
 http://nypost.com/2016/03/06/no-saturday-1-p-m-mets-games-just-the-latest-mlb-money-grab/
And they wonder why attendance is dropping.

This could be the year of upsets. 
There isn't a college team that appears totally dominant this year. None of the major teams has less than 4 losses. There are going to be second seeded teams in the NCAA Tourny with 6 or even 7 losses. I was going to comment on how Syracuse might not get in because they will end up with 11 losses, but they won't be alone. We may even have teams with losing records in the tournament. Joe Lunardi, the Bracket King, has a nice head of hair right now, but lets see how he looks at the end of the week.

I pledge allegiance... 
I read that the Yanks Aroldis Chapman is applying to become a U.S. citizen. A citizen? This guy throws 105 miles an hour. We're not even be sure he's human yet.

The name game.
The Savannah Bananas. It turns out it's a baseball team. I thought it was the staff of a hotel I once stayed in Savannah.

***THEY SAID IT***
"In New Mexico, there is now a donkey baseball league. “Yeah, kid, we’re, uh, sending you down.” “To Class A?” “No. Uh, you ever ridden a mule?”  In a sign of the times, three donkeys tested positive for PEDs."  -- Brad Dickson

"Peyton Manning, in a speech last night at the Florida Forum “Many of you have probably heard that I have a significant announcement to make, so I thought I’d go ahead and make it with all of you here tonight. Papa John’s is offering 50 percent off tonight through Friday.”
Someday Manning may have the only funeral where they hand out pizza coupons."  -- Janice Hough
" Jason Day phoned Tiger Woods for advice on backing up a physical game with mental toughness. Not discussed: backing up an SUV."  -- RJ Currie

"Warriors guard Klay Thompson and two teammates, taking advantage of their road stop in Orlando, visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Apparently they wanted to see the new Steph Curry exhibit."  -- Dwight Perry

" 54 years ago, Wilt Chamberlain seemingly scored at will. He also tallied 100 points in an NBA game.”  -- Fark.com

"Kobe Bryant had his dislocated middle finger popped back into place. Thank goodness. Without use of his middle finger, Kobe was totally unable to communicate with teammates during practice."  -- Brad Dickson
"On Steph Curry’s NBA wizardry: “He’s Picasso and everyone else is painting-by-numbers.”  -- Norman Chad
"Gianni Infantino was elected FIFA president: “Infantino immediately thanked all of the voters who’d accepted his bribes. Oh, I’m just kidding! Probably.”  -- Greg Cote
"About two dozen prisoners ran 105 laps inside the penitentiary walls at this year’s annual San Quentin Marathon.Though progressive inmates are reportedly pushing to replace it with a pole-vault competition."  -- Dwight Perry
"Last weekend at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Bud Crawford knocked down and then TKO’d “Hammerin’ ” Hank Lundy, who is now answering to “Topplin’ Hank Lundy.”  -- Brad Dickson
"Pablo Sandoval told reporters he reported to spring training with a fat ratio of 17 per cent. But enough about the man’s head."  -- RJ Currie
"The downside of MLB limiting mound visits to 30 seconds this season: “How will players be able to decide on good wedding gifts?”  -- Janice Hough  [Recalling the movie "Bull Durham"]

CP-