Remember the character "Granny" in Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josie Wales ? Her best line in the movie was, 'I never thought much of Hoosiers either.'
Sadly prophetic of Indiana's successful quest to make the down-the-rabbit-hole North Carolina state legislature look like the paradigm of reason; Indiana SB101 aka 'The Sanctify My Irrational Hate and Give Me That Old-Time Religion Act'.
Economic boycotts of offending states is the preferred tool of the United States of America, soon followed by blowing people to bits if that doesn't work. I'm opting only for the former path of action (I neither have the inclination or the means to blow anyone to bits).
So, The NCAA with national headquarters in the state, Nestle (cranking out a mountain of Nesquick and CoffeeMate in HoosierTown) and Vera Bradley (the eye-wrenching bags that no one can miss), you're off my list of vendors from whom I'll buy.
I checked this out with Rand, Jeb, Ted, Marco, Sean, Brisk Limpbisket, and Krauthammer the Impaler - they all said no need to punish business for the bigotry and stupid meanness of others. Buy. Spend. (Hey, me and my pals got stock!).
So not buying until Indiana relents must be the ethical thing to do.
Q.E.D.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF?
At this point in baseball and college basketball, the best players and teams should be emerging. We should be watching veterans and regulars on the diamond and high seeds still playing basketball. We should be reading about big names, familiar names, throwing strikes and hitting the ball, yet on Sunday, the Yanks were still playing guys with numbers in the 70's. On the court, there is still a #11 seed, a #8 seed and a #7 seed still shooting for the national title, when all we should see are #4 seeds and above. So apparently Cinderella is alive and kicking. There are a couple of interesting matchups still ahead: North Carolina vs. Wisconsin and Duke vs. Utah.
A sad note - despite my best efforts, legal and illegal, Annie-O is again kicking my butt in our personal NCAA Bracket. Since she is ahead by 4 and I can only gain one more game the rest of the way, I am officially dead. I'm going to have to cheat better next year. Maybe I'll fill her bracket with teams that aren't included.
** I watched CC Sabathia pitch twice now and his fastball is reaching 92 and 93 mph, speeds he hasn't achieved in two years. Everyone is saying how much better he looks and how pleased they are with his progress. Sorry, I have seen 4 home runs being hit and many line drives. So maybe his velocity is back, but the Yanks still have two losses when he pitches and that's what counts.
** I see that A-Rod's cousin and cohort in steroids, Yuri Sucart, has pleaded guilty. I don't know if it's to drug charges or to being A-Rod's cousin. (I think these are identical felonies)
** After watching the Yanks new shortstop, Didi Gregorious throw to first, I mentioned to Annie-O that he seems to have an exceptionally strong arm, however, it could be because I'm comparing it to Derek Jeter, who had lost most of the zip off his throws the last two years
** Baseball Tonight (BBTN) is ranking the top ten players at each position, starting with the three outfield spots. Boston, with 7 players competing for 3 spots, placed only one outfielder altogether. Interestingly, it's Hanley Ramirez as #4 in Left Field. This is a shortstop converting to left field and already he's better than 26 other left fielders? Brett Gardner is listed as #10, which is just as puzzling.
** The Wisconsin players had a good time with an NCAA official stenographer after their game. Here's the video and subsequent interview with Badger Nigel Hayes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMyHYTHfb3k
“Before I answer that question, I would like to say a few words: cattywampus, onomatopoeia and antidisestablishmentarianism,” Hayes said, according to the stenographer, who spelled the words correctly. “Now, back to your question."
When asked about his unexpected words, Hayes explained his fascination with the stenographer’s job. “She does an amazing job of typing words, sometimes if words are not in her dictionary, maybe if I say soliloquy right now, she may have to work a little bit harder to type that word,” Hayes said, “or quandary, zephyr, Xylophone, things like that, that make her job really interesting.”
You have to remember that these are still just kids, not jaded, professional superstars. At least somebody is still having fun.
We sometimes forget that umpires have spring training, too. Here's good old Joe West getting in HIS work.
http://nesn.com/2015/03/joe-west-ejects-a-j-pierzynski-mid-at-bat-in-most-casual-fashion-video/
(Courtesy of Dwight Perry)
***THEY SAID IT ***
"I just saw a list of "The 10 Wealthiest People in Omaha." Six of them are ticket scalpers in front of the CenturyLink Center." -- Brad Dickson
"The Rangers working on the squeeze in spring training. They're trying to get Prince Fielder in a size-medium pants." -- Alan Ray
"Baylor, Texas, SMU and Texas Southern all lost their NCAA-tournament openers Thursday. Last time the state of Texas had a day this bad, the Alamo was involved" -- Janice Hough
"March Madness has officially begun today, where people that know nothing about college basketball fill out “bracket” pool sheets. Most of the players couldn’t tell you where Xavier, Villanova, SMU, Virginia or Michigan State are if you gave them a map and a GPS." -- TC Chong
"An Indianapolis building saluted Colts receiver Reggie Wayne by lighting offices to form number 87. Not to be outdone, Toronto’s CN Tower saluted Leafs’ management by only using dim bulbs" -- RJ Curry
" Hampton beat Manhattan in a play-in game for the privilege of getting hammered 79-56 by No. 1 Kentucky. Sort of like winning a competition between two Christians to meet the lions." -- Janice Hough
"Tim Tebow worked out in Philadelphia for the Eagles. I won’t say how the passing drills went, but there are now two cracks in the Liberty Bell." -- Brad Dickson
For my cousins, Cas & Fran:
"More people would call the Gambling Addicts Hotline if they made every fifth call a winner." -- Argus Hamilton
CP-
A sad note - despite my best efforts, legal and illegal, Annie-O is again kicking my butt in our personal NCAA Bracket. Since she is ahead by 4 and I can only gain one more game the rest of the way, I am officially dead. I'm going to have to cheat better next year. Maybe I'll fill her bracket with teams that aren't included.
** I watched CC Sabathia pitch twice now and his fastball is reaching 92 and 93 mph, speeds he hasn't achieved in two years. Everyone is saying how much better he looks and how pleased they are with his progress. Sorry, I have seen 4 home runs being hit and many line drives. So maybe his velocity is back, but the Yanks still have two losses when he pitches and that's what counts.
** I see that A-Rod's cousin and cohort in steroids, Yuri Sucart, has pleaded guilty. I don't know if it's to drug charges or to being A-Rod's cousin. (I think these are identical felonies)
** After watching the Yanks new shortstop, Didi Gregorious throw to first, I mentioned to Annie-O that he seems to have an exceptionally strong arm, however, it could be because I'm comparing it to Derek Jeter, who had lost most of the zip off his throws the last two years
** Baseball Tonight (BBTN) is ranking the top ten players at each position, starting with the three outfield spots. Boston, with 7 players competing for 3 spots, placed only one outfielder altogether. Interestingly, it's Hanley Ramirez as #4 in Left Field. This is a shortstop converting to left field and already he's better than 26 other left fielders? Brett Gardner is listed as #10, which is just as puzzling.
** The Wisconsin players had a good time with an NCAA official stenographer after their game. Here's the video and subsequent interview with Badger Nigel Hayes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMyHYTHfb3k
“Before I answer that question, I would like to say a few words: cattywampus, onomatopoeia and antidisestablishmentarianism,” Hayes said, according to the stenographer, who spelled the words correctly. “Now, back to your question."
When asked about his unexpected words, Hayes explained his fascination with the stenographer’s job. “She does an amazing job of typing words, sometimes if words are not in her dictionary, maybe if I say soliloquy right now, she may have to work a little bit harder to type that word,” Hayes said, “or quandary, zephyr, Xylophone, things like that, that make her job really interesting.”
You have to remember that these are still just kids, not jaded, professional superstars. At least somebody is still having fun.
We sometimes forget that umpires have spring training, too. Here's good old Joe West getting in HIS work.
http://nesn.com/2015/03/joe-west-ejects-a-j-pierzynski-mid-at-bat-in-most-casual-fashion-video/
(Courtesy of Dwight Perry)
***THEY SAID IT ***
"I just saw a list of "The 10 Wealthiest People in Omaha." Six of them are ticket scalpers in front of the CenturyLink Center." -- Brad Dickson
"The Rangers working on the squeeze in spring training. They're trying to get Prince Fielder in a size-medium pants." -- Alan Ray
"Talk about watching an overmatched 16-seed taking on a 1-seed on national
TV this week.
But enough about Dick Vitale kissing Ashley
Judd." -- Dwight Perry
"March Madness. That’s the big tournament where you start out with 64 teams, and
in only three weeks you’re down to no girlfriend." -- Seth Meyers
"Artist Yuriy Alekseev
is gaining fame for paintings done at the bottom of a Siberian lake. He
specializes in waterscapes and portraits of Russian Olympians who
didn’t medal in Sochi." -- RJ Curry
"Kentucky’s 5-foot-9 Tyler Ulis got into a stare-down with Auburn’s 7-2
Trayvon Reed in the SEC tournament. This is the first sign Kentucky may
be getting overconfident." -- Brad Dickson
"The Sharks and Jets tangled again Tuesday night, with players sent off
for holding, slashing, high-sticking, cross-checking, roughing and misconduct in
Winnipeg’s 5-2 NHL victory. So who was the referee? Officer
Krupke?" -- Joel Broudy "Baylor, Texas, SMU and Texas Southern all lost their NCAA-tournament openers Thursday. Last time the state of Texas had a day this bad, the Alamo was involved" -- Janice Hough
"March Madness has officially begun today, where people that know nothing about college basketball fill out “bracket” pool sheets. Most of the players couldn’t tell you where Xavier, Villanova, SMU, Virginia or Michigan State are if you gave them a map and a GPS." -- TC Chong
"An Indianapolis building saluted Colts receiver Reggie Wayne by lighting offices to form number 87. Not to be outdone, Toronto’s CN Tower saluted Leafs’ management by only using dim bulbs" -- RJ Curry
" Hampton beat Manhattan in a play-in game for the privilege of getting hammered 79-56 by No. 1 Kentucky. Sort of like winning a competition between two Christians to meet the lions." -- Janice Hough
"Tim Tebow worked out in Philadelphia for the Eagles. I won’t say how the passing drills went, but there are now two cracks in the Liberty Bell." -- Brad Dickson
For my cousins, Cas & Fran:
"More people would call the Gambling Addicts Hotline if they made every fifth call a winner." -- Argus Hamilton
CP-
Saturday, March 21, 2015
FockxsNews wants Bilas
51 seconds left in a 2 score UAlbany - Oklahoma game Oklahoma player drives the baseline from the right corner. Official positioned just outside the left baseline block has an unobstructed view of the driver as he steps out of bounds. Official is either dead, in a comma or has dozed off, no call. And that's after watching less than 30 seconds of that game.
J. Bilas, ESPN's new Senior Officials Apologist Person, also known as the 'softSOAPer' says no call was the right call. Bilas commented, "Why interrupt a nice drive and TV moment just because the player committed a rules infraction?" Reliable sources report that Bilas will leave ESPN to head a FoxNews sports-only schedule of shows. Fockx believes that his uncanny and new-found ability to distort reality and not believe his own lyin' eyes will bring their new, fair and balanced sports shows in line with their 'Blame-Stream' propaganda products.
While Bilas can dunk on Hannity at will, it maybe a while before he will be able to lie, obfuscate and deny like the wily veteran.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
MARCH MADNESS PRE-SHOW V.2
Five month old grand-daughter Mabel has completed her bracket in the family pool. Mom put post-its with the name of each pairing on her high-chair tray table and whichever Mabes touched first was deemed the winner of that game.
Miss Mae had Albany and SMU among the final four. I like it. The-longest-of-shots New York team and Larry Brown. That's great stuff.
And, no lie, she has Kentucky winning it all.
The tournament is an amazing event but is never an end that justifies academic fraud as a means. I wonder what the NCAA will make of the more than $300,000.00 North Carolina will pay to settle the wrongful dismissal suit filed by the most ethical person on the campus. I suspect the shoveling has already begun.
Watch the games if you're a fan of college basketball or a professional gambler but be fully aware of what you are seeing.
Miss Mae had Albany and SMU among the final four. I like it. The-longest-of-shots New York team and Larry Brown. That's great stuff.
And, no lie, she has Kentucky winning it all.
The tournament is an amazing event but is never an end that justifies academic fraud as a means. I wonder what the NCAA will make of the more than $300,000.00 North Carolina will pay to settle the wrongful dismissal suit filed by the most ethical person on the campus. I suspect the shoveling has already begun.
Watch the games if you're a fan of college basketball or a professional gambler but be fully aware of what you are seeing.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
MARCH MADNESS PRE-SHOW
In a lot of ways, what the media calls "Championship Week" is more exciting than the actual NCAA Tourny. A lot of teams playing in conference tournaments this week consider just making the NCAA's a successful season. Consequently, the players go all out.
I also like this time because I discover new schools, new nicknames and some cute cheer-leading stunts.
** Wish they all could be California...**
The state of California has 12 teams playing today, with 6 of them playing each other:
CS Northside vs UC Davis
UC Riverside vs UC Irvine
CAl Poly vs UC Santa Barbara
** It's in code **
FIU vs UTEP
(Florida International vs University of Texas-El Paso)
UTPA vs UMKC
(Univ. of Texas-Pan American vs Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City)
** When just the state isn't enough**
Everybody is familiar with Michigan or Tennessee, but that doesn't mean there aren't other deserving universities in the states. They just need help locating them, so:
The East:
Eastern Washington
Eastern Carolina
Eastern Michigan
The West:
Western Kentucky
The North:
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
The South:
South Florida
And let's not forget:
Middle Tennessee
** No fair praying**
St Joseph's vs St. Bonaventure
(I wonder if the Lord changes sides at halftime?)
**Ahh, the nicknames**
All that glitters -
Golden Eagles - Golden Bears - Golden Panthers
Naturally, with so many teams (there's 120 playing today), there's bound to be duplications.
3 Wildcats, 2 Cardinals, 2 Fightin' (Irish & Illini) and 4 Bulldogs.
If you're wearing a "Go Rams" T-shirt at this Atlantic 10 Conference game between Fordham and VCU you'll fit right in: both claim the Rams as their nickname.
Some nicknames don't bring nice images to mind: If the Demons play the Vandals, the refs may have to carry weapons.
We're all familiar with the animal mascots - Lions and Tigers and Bears (Oh my), but I think I'd have trouble getting behind the Kangaroos or the Anteaters. I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation of a "Hoya."
**Blood on the water**
Some real emotion-packed games today.
NC State vs Duke and North Carolina vs Louisville
St Joe's vs St Bonaventure (Don't worry. It'll be holy water)
** A-Rod hit a home run yesterday. Are we done with the national headlines documenting his every move now? I am.
***THEY SAID IT***
"David Ortiz says the league should go after pitchers to speed up MLB games. This from a guy whose home run trots can be timed on a sundial." -- RJ Currie
"The world record in the ski jump was broken two days in a row — the second time I believe by a Boston commuter." -- Brad Dickson
"The Houston Texans just traded QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to the NY Jets. Not sure how Fitzpatrick feels about the deal. But isn’t it many little boys’ dream to grow up and join the circus?" -- Janice Hough
"Monday was National Napping Day. This is when we announce the teams chosen to play in the NIT, no?" -- Brad Dickson
"The Jets traded for receiver Brandon Marshall but still have no decent quarterback. That’s like someone who can’t cook buying a great set of pots and pans." -- Greg Cote
"Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard drew fire for eating lunch during an intrasquad game. He should know better — usually other teams eat the Mets’ lunch." -- RJ Currie
CP-
I also like this time because I discover new schools, new nicknames and some cute cheer-leading stunts.
** Wish they all could be California...**
The state of California has 12 teams playing today, with 6 of them playing each other:
CS Northside vs UC Davis
UC Riverside vs UC Irvine
CAl Poly vs UC Santa Barbara
** It's in code **
FIU vs UTEP
(Florida International vs University of Texas-El Paso)
UTPA vs UMKC
(Univ. of Texas-Pan American vs Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City)
** When just the state isn't enough**
Everybody is familiar with Michigan or Tennessee, but that doesn't mean there aren't other deserving universities in the states. They just need help locating them, so:
The East:
Eastern Washington
Eastern Carolina
Eastern Michigan
The West:
Western Kentucky
The North:
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
The South:
South Florida
And let's not forget:
Middle Tennessee
** No fair praying**
St Joseph's vs St. Bonaventure
(I wonder if the Lord changes sides at halftime?)
**Ahh, the nicknames**
All that glitters -
Golden Eagles - Golden Bears - Golden Panthers
Naturally, with so many teams (there's 120 playing today), there's bound to be duplications.
3 Wildcats, 2 Cardinals, 2 Fightin' (Irish & Illini) and 4 Bulldogs.
If you're wearing a "Go Rams" T-shirt at this Atlantic 10 Conference game between Fordham and VCU you'll fit right in: both claim the Rams as their nickname.
Some nicknames don't bring nice images to mind: If the Demons play the Vandals, the refs may have to carry weapons.
We're all familiar with the animal mascots - Lions and Tigers and Bears (Oh my), but I think I'd have trouble getting behind the Kangaroos or the Anteaters. I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation of a "Hoya."
**Blood on the water**
Some real emotion-packed games today.
NC State vs Duke and North Carolina vs Louisville
St Joe's vs St Bonaventure (Don't worry. It'll be holy water)
** A-Rod hit a home run yesterday. Are we done with the national headlines documenting his every move now? I am.
***THEY SAID IT***
"David Ortiz says the league should go after pitchers to speed up MLB games. This from a guy whose home run trots can be timed on a sundial." -- RJ Currie
"The world record in the ski jump was broken two days in a row — the second time I believe by a Boston commuter." -- Brad Dickson
"An office building in Indianapolis
configured its lights to form the number 87 as a tribute to just-released Colts
receiver Reggie Wayne. Cleveland, not to be outdone, left a
skyscraper totally lit in honor of Johnny
Manziel." -- Dwight Perry
"2015 has started off as a wild year. Two llamas escape, nobody can agree
on the colors of a dress, and Harrison Ford has hit more fairways than
Tiger Woods." -- Alex Kaseberg"The Houston Texans just traded QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to the NY Jets. Not sure how Fitzpatrick feels about the deal. But isn’t it many little boys’ dream to grow up and join the circus?" -- Janice Hough
"Monday was National Napping Day. This is when we announce the teams chosen to play in the NIT, no?" -- Brad Dickson
"The Jets traded for receiver Brandon Marshall but still have no decent quarterback. That’s like someone who can’t cook buying a great set of pots and pans." -- Greg Cote
"Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard drew fire for eating lunch during an intrasquad game. He should know better — usually other teams eat the Mets’ lunch." -- RJ Currie
CP-
Sunday, March 08, 2015
THE HIT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD
** A-Rod, A-Rod, A-Rod. He's been the big story for the last two weeks. Can he still play? Can he still hit? What will the Yanks do with him? Where will he play? Will he just DH? But mostly, can he still hit? So he singled in his first at bat since September of 2013. It started out being described as a line drive, but I've seen enough replays to know it was really just a soft, hump-backed liner to left field. I know, it's still early, but will someone please tell the media?
** Speaking of hitting, one of the Yanks' pick-ups from last year, outfielder Chris Young, struck out in an intra-squad game yesterday - against a pitching machine. When asked about it, Young replied, "Well, they do throw kinda hard." He did ask for the umpire to check for excess lubricating oil.
** Another one bites the dust. The Texas Ranger's Yu Darvish may soon be undergoing Tommy John surgery. (So many pitchers are having this surgery, the media now just calls it "TJ surgery" or just "TJ.") I think Mr. Tommy John should ask for royalties.
** According to reports out of Port St Lucie, the Met's ace, Matt Harvey was lights out in his first efforts after having "TJ" surgery (there, I said it) last year. Supposedly, his velocity reached 99 mph. You can't always trust those training camp radar guns. Annie-O registered an 86 last year and she's had two knee replacements.
** The Syracuse Orange didn't look too good yesterday, fading badly in the second half after staying with NC State for the first 20 minutes. Coach Boeheim didn't look good at all by skipping the post-game interviews and tossing assistant Mike Hopkins out there instead. The media is calling for his resignation or firing over the misdeeds of the past. I agree -- if he can take John Calipari with him. Calipari ruined two other basketball programs and left both in the lurch to suffer sanctions while he went merrily on his way to Kentucky, free as a bird. His recruiting violations at UMass and Memphis resulted in sanctions that he never had to deal with, simply by leaving for another job.
Not to lessen the violations made at Syracuse, but here's a link to some of the worst violators:
http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/04/03/9-dirty-college-basketball-coaches/
** Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh coached first base for the Oakland A's during a spring training game yesterday. Apparently, he's preparing a second career while we wait for his expected departure from the Wolverine program when he finally irritates the Michigan University officials. Smart move, Jim. We all know how secure baseball coaching jobs are.
I haven't blogged in a while, but other people have been busy -- very busy.
***THEY SAID IT***
"Tickets for the Oakland A’s third game of the season start at $4. This is affordable to most everybody except Oakland A’s players." -- Brad Dickson
"Saturday night we turned our clocks forward an hour. Knicks fans are just hoping they could turn the clock forward to the end of the season." -- Janice Hough
"The Cleveland Browns unveiled their new helmet that’s a more vivid orange. Now, if only they could make Johnny Manziel brighter." -- Ian Hamilton
"Ex-NHLer Eric Lindros, in a defamation suit against former referee Paul Stewart, claimed Stewart called him “unfriendly, hostile, rude, insulting, vindictive, cruel, uncharitable and generally a despicable person”: Which I’m figuring is about 5 for 8." -- Steve Simmons
"Tennessee released tackle Michael Oher, the inspiration for “The Blind Side”: “Michael took the news fine, but Sandra Bullock had to be escorted off Titans property." -- Bill Littlejohn
"Patriots decline to pick up the option on Vince Wilfork, thus creating two open roster spots." -- Fark.com
"In a most bizarre game between the Leaf and the Panthers, both Florida goalies were injured. Starter Roberto Luongo left the game after the 1st period, was replaced by Al Montoya and was in his street clothes when Montoya had to leave the game. Luongo supposedly returned at the 9:08 mark of the third and stopped all three shots he faced. The Leafs never even noticed that the “replacement Luongo” was a cardboard cutout." -- TC Chong
"Recently-married Joey Logano called his Daytona 500 winner’s ring harder to replace than his wedding ring. If marriage were racing, his first lap started in a ten-car pileup." -- TJ Currie
CP-
** Speaking of hitting, one of the Yanks' pick-ups from last year, outfielder Chris Young, struck out in an intra-squad game yesterday - against a pitching machine. When asked about it, Young replied, "Well, they do throw kinda hard." He did ask for the umpire to check for excess lubricating oil.
** Another one bites the dust. The Texas Ranger's Yu Darvish may soon be undergoing Tommy John surgery. (So many pitchers are having this surgery, the media now just calls it "TJ surgery" or just "TJ.") I think Mr. Tommy John should ask for royalties.
** According to reports out of Port St Lucie, the Met's ace, Matt Harvey was lights out in his first efforts after having "TJ" surgery (there, I said it) last year. Supposedly, his velocity reached 99 mph. You can't always trust those training camp radar guns. Annie-O registered an 86 last year and she's had two knee replacements.
** The Syracuse Orange didn't look too good yesterday, fading badly in the second half after staying with NC State for the first 20 minutes. Coach Boeheim didn't look good at all by skipping the post-game interviews and tossing assistant Mike Hopkins out there instead. The media is calling for his resignation or firing over the misdeeds of the past. I agree -- if he can take John Calipari with him. Calipari ruined two other basketball programs and left both in the lurch to suffer sanctions while he went merrily on his way to Kentucky, free as a bird. His recruiting violations at UMass and Memphis resulted in sanctions that he never had to deal with, simply by leaving for another job.
Not to lessen the violations made at Syracuse, but here's a link to some of the worst violators:
http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/04/03/9-dirty-college-basketball-coaches/
** Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh coached first base for the Oakland A's during a spring training game yesterday. Apparently, he's preparing a second career while we wait for his expected departure from the Wolverine program when he finally irritates the Michigan University officials. Smart move, Jim. We all know how secure baseball coaching jobs are.
I haven't blogged in a while, but other people have been busy -- very busy.
***THEY SAID IT***
"Tickets for the Oakland A’s third game of the season start at $4. This is affordable to most everybody except Oakland A’s players." -- Brad Dickson
"Saturday night we turned our clocks forward an hour. Knicks fans are just hoping they could turn the clock forward to the end of the season." -- Janice Hough
"The Cleveland Browns unveiled their new helmet that’s a more vivid orange. Now, if only they could make Johnny Manziel brighter." -- Ian Hamilton
"Ex-NHLer Eric Lindros, in a defamation suit against former referee Paul Stewart, claimed Stewart called him “unfriendly, hostile, rude, insulting, vindictive, cruel, uncharitable and generally a despicable person”: Which I’m figuring is about 5 for 8." -- Steve Simmons
"MMA champ Ronda Rousey needed just 14 seconds to win on Saturday
night. As for her next bout, it’ll be between pitches at a Yankees-Red Sox
game." -- Dwight Perry
" The
NE Patriots have decided not to pick up Vince Wilfork’s two year option,
which will free $8M in their salary cap hit. They will further save $2.5M in
food costs which they will transfer to the Red Sox so they can afford to feed
Pablo Sandoval and Big Papi." -- TC Chong
"At UFC 184, Ronda Rousey submitted Cat Zingano in 14 seconds. I’d make a
joke here, but I’m pretty sure if I fought Rousey, I’d submit during
the pre-fight weigh-in" -- Brad Dickson"Tennessee released tackle Michael Oher, the inspiration for “The Blind Side”: “Michael took the news fine, but Sandra Bullock had to be escorted off Titans property." -- Bill Littlejohn
"Patriots decline to pick up the option on Vince Wilfork, thus creating two open roster spots." -- Fark.com
"The NCAA brought the hammer down on the Syracuse basketball program and
Orange coach Jim Boeheim, but it wasn’t for lack of
trying. Legal experts say they’d never seen five lawyers come out in a zone
defense before." -- Dwight Perry
" Two Tennessee high school girls basketball teams got banned from the
post-season for intentionally trying to lose a game to avoid facing the
top seed. The first thing that gave them away? They came out in tank
tops." -- RJ Currie
"The ex-manager of the Lincoln Race Course claims he was fired after
reporting that cashiers gave cash to people who didn’t even bet. Of all
the ideas I’ve heard to revive the popularity of horse racing, this
one’s probably the best." -- Brad Dickson "In a most bizarre game between the Leaf and the Panthers, both Florida goalies were injured. Starter Roberto Luongo left the game after the 1st period, was replaced by Al Montoya and was in his street clothes when Montoya had to leave the game. Luongo supposedly returned at the 9:08 mark of the third and stopped all three shots he faced. The Leafs never even noticed that the “replacement Luongo” was a cardboard cutout." -- TC Chong
"Recently-married Joey Logano called his Daytona 500 winner’s ring harder to replace than his wedding ring. If marriage were racing, his first lap started in a ten-car pileup." -- TJ Currie
CP-
Saturday, March 07, 2015
DOH!
Syracuse AD Darryl Gross
either deserves high-fives for trying to take the heat off Jim Boeheim or
acknowledgement for winning ‘The 2015 Dumbest Man in the Room’ competition with
his response to SU’s failure to coherently administer its drug testing
policies.
Ever the jokester, Gross
said, “The (athletic) department followed an ‘unwritten policy’ because the
written policy was confusing.”
Amazing! Given poor
reading comprehension skills, Darryl’s department just decided to make stuff
up. Perhaps Darryl and other highly paid department administrators should have used
the tutors that completed athlete’s papers to provide them with a single
syllable interpretation of the written policy so they would no longer be
confused.
On a positive note, Darryl
and his staff have at least provided Common Core proponents with ammunition for
major instructional change to ensure that high-level employees of major
universities have basic reading comprehension skills.
All this time I thought ‘Cuse
was an endearing nickname for Syracuse University athletic teams. Now it’s
clear that the AD and others found the full name “Syracuse University” to be incomprehensible
and officially downsized the name to the single syllable ‘Cuse to avoid
confusion.
Good job.
V.
Friday, February 27, 2015
LOOKS LIKE NONE OF US GOT SMARTER OVER THE WINTER
** Sports writer Bob Klapisch wrote: "Yanks to monitor Masahiro Tanaka's pitches." Great insight, Bob. Maybe tomorrow you'll say something like "Yanks hope A-Rod will hit," or perhaps " Girardi hopes Brett Gardner can run." As fans, we always appreciate the inside story of what's happening in spring training.
** Two Tennessee High School girls basketball coaches were suspended after having their teams try to intentionally lose a their game in hopes of a better tournament seeding. I believe the final score was 2-0. The attempt was was pretty evident, so I hope they learned something from this. Leave this tanking business to the pros.
** ESPN has announced their Sunday night baseball schedule thru July 17. The Yankees and Red Sox are scheduled for SEVEN times. It doesn't seem to matter that we could end up watching 4th and 5th place teams battle it out for most of the summer. Meanwhile, the World Champion SF Giants are on ZERO times in that period. The Dodgers are also missing from the lineup and the LA Angels are scheduled for just two games. There's that old East Coast Bias again.
** Apparently A-Rod was loudly cheered after blasting a couple of balls out of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Of course, he did this against 55-mph batting practice fast balls, which puts him on a level with slow pitch beer games.
** The "Evil Empire" New York Yankees were noticeably quiet over the winter while Red Sox CEO Larry Luchino spent $31.5 million on 19-year old Cuban infielder, Yoan Moncada. When asked about the comparison to NY, he responded, " That's very different." Oh.
***THEY SAID IT***
** Two Tennessee High School girls basketball coaches were suspended after having their teams try to intentionally lose a their game in hopes of a better tournament seeding. I believe the final score was 2-0. The attempt was was pretty evident, so I hope they learned something from this. Leave this tanking business to the pros.
** ESPN has announced their Sunday night baseball schedule thru July 17. The Yankees and Red Sox are scheduled for SEVEN times. It doesn't seem to matter that we could end up watching 4th and 5th place teams battle it out for most of the summer. Meanwhile, the World Champion SF Giants are on ZERO times in that period. The Dodgers are also missing from the lineup and the LA Angels are scheduled for just two games. There's that old East Coast Bias again.
** Apparently A-Rod was loudly cheered after blasting a couple of balls out of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Of course, he did this against 55-mph batting practice fast balls, which puts him on a level with slow pitch beer games.
** The "Evil Empire" New York Yankees were noticeably quiet over the winter while Red Sox CEO Larry Luchino spent $31.5 million on 19-year old Cuban infielder, Yoan Moncada. When asked about the comparison to NY, he responded, " That's very different." Oh.
***THEY SAID IT***
"Swim star Michael Phelps, the 18-time Olympic gold medalist, announced
his engagement on Twitter. In keeping with the theme, it’ll be a five-ring
ceremony." -- Dwight Perry
"It appears that Pablo Sandoval has
caught onto and enjoying the Red Sox “Fried Chicken in the clubhouse”
tradition. Little Caesar’s has introduced a
pizza wrapped in bacon. Sandoval says that would make a wonderful dessert" -- TC Chong
"The Cleveland Browns have announced a new tweaked helmet with a brighter
orange color, and will unveil a new uniform this spring. Unfortunately
for Browns fans, the uniforms will still have the same players in them." -- Janice Hough
" Joba Chamberlain’s new contract includes a Cy Young bonus.Isn’t that like Vin Diesel’s new contract including an Oscar bonus?” -- Bill Littlejohn
" The long-overdue Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown is coming. I’m glad to see Manny and Floyd
are finally putting aside their differences to fight." -- Jimmy Kimmel
" U Conn CB Byron Jones made a standing
broad jump of 12ft 3in at the NFL scouting combine. Wasn’t that the event that
got Tiger in all that trouble?" -- TC Chong
"To give you an idea how much the Huskers have been struggling offensively, whenever a player makes a basket, fans cut the nets down." -- Brad Dickson
"Hank Aaron says he is rooting for A-Rod to have a “great year.” Well,
getting paid $22 million for sitting in the dugout sounds like a pretty
great year to most people." -- Janice Hough
CP-
HA! - We Have A Winner
Gov. Scott Walker says he is ready to deal with global terrorism because he has handled protesters in his own state of Wisconsin. Addressing the crowd at CPAC on Thursday, the Republican described how his record of calling in the Wisconsin National Guard to combat labor union demonstrations has readied him to fight Islamic extremists: “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.”
Sunday, February 22, 2015
IS THIS BASEBALL OR MEDICiNE?
The list of topics on the ESPN baseball page has more references to injuries than baseball:
** Oriole's Weiters (elbow) eyes opening day
** Dodger's Greinke gets injection in right elbow
** Yankee ace Tanaka says elbow feels good
** Wright not worried about shoulder
** Bochy has heart procedure
** Cards to limit Wainwright's innings after torn cartilage surgery in elbow
There were 7 other stories, but 4 of them had to do with contracts.
In 1996, Jeffery Maier "stole" a fly ball from the Baltimore right fielder during Game One of the ALCS series in Yankee Stadium. Derek Jeter was given a home run when he should have been called out for fan interference. In an auction, the glove just sold for $22,000 and change. I had to save my allowance for two months to buy my first glove ($10.99)....and I still have it. Heritage Auctions said they weren't interested.
The Syracuse Orange aren't going to any tournaments which may be a good thing. I can't see the Orange going anywhere with Caleb Joseph at point guard. Maybe we're spoiled after watching the last few point guards Boeheim has had, but this guy is useless. Boeheim supposedly has a super recruiting class coming in next year and I hope one of them is a point guard.
The ESPN show, "Outside the Lines" spent half of Sunday's show on A-Rod's return. I think there are still a few people in Lithuania who don't know about this story, but the media still has 3 or 4 more weeks to get the word out.
***THEY SAID IT***
"Reportedly, Seahawk Doug Baldwin’s squatting after catching a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl was a diss at Pats DB Darrelle Revis. Now Revis has a Super Bowl ring and Baldwin is known as the guy who looked constipated on TV." -- Brad Dickson
" MLB and the players unions have agreed to changes to speed up the game. So who knows, maybe this year they can get an average Red Sox-Yankees game down to four hours." -- Janice Hough
"The Oscars are on this weekend. The Imitation Game is a favorite to win Best Picture. It’s a film about The Toronto Maple Leafs pretending to be a pro hockey team during the past 40 years." -- TC Chong
"Kevin Durant said NBA players are smarter than the media. There's a bar that's not set terribly high." -- Brad Dickson
** Oriole's Weiters (elbow) eyes opening day
** Dodger's Greinke gets injection in right elbow
** Yankee ace Tanaka says elbow feels good
** Wright not worried about shoulder
** Bochy has heart procedure
** Cards to limit Wainwright's innings after torn cartilage surgery in elbow
There were 7 other stories, but 4 of them had to do with contracts.
In 1996, Jeffery Maier "stole" a fly ball from the Baltimore right fielder during Game One of the ALCS series in Yankee Stadium. Derek Jeter was given a home run when he should have been called out for fan interference. In an auction, the glove just sold for $22,000 and change. I had to save my allowance for two months to buy my first glove ($10.99)....and I still have it. Heritage Auctions said they weren't interested.
The Syracuse Orange aren't going to any tournaments which may be a good thing. I can't see the Orange going anywhere with Caleb Joseph at point guard. Maybe we're spoiled after watching the last few point guards Boeheim has had, but this guy is useless. Boeheim supposedly has a super recruiting class coming in next year and I hope one of them is a point guard.
The ESPN show, "Outside the Lines" spent half of Sunday's show on A-Rod's return. I think there are still a few people in Lithuania who don't know about this story, but the media still has 3 or 4 more weeks to get the word out.
***THEY SAID IT***
"It’s obviously Lent in New York.The Knicks are giving up Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and the win
column." -- Dwight Perry
"Reportedly, Seahawk Doug Baldwin’s squatting after catching a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl was a diss at Pats DB Darrelle Revis. Now Revis has a Super Bowl ring and Baldwin is known as the guy who looked constipated on TV." -- Brad Dickson
" MLB and the players unions have agreed to changes to speed up the game. So who knows, maybe this year they can get an average Red Sox-Yankees game down to four hours." -- Janice Hough
"The Oscars are on this weekend. The Imitation Game is a favorite to win Best Picture. It’s a film about The Toronto Maple Leafs pretending to be a pro hockey team during the past 40 years." -- TC Chong
"Kevin Durant said NBA players are smarter than the media. There's a bar that's not set terribly high." -- Brad Dickson
"Online bids for the infamous mitt that 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier used to
snag Derek Jeter’s controversial home run in the 1986 ALCS have reached
$19,000. Gold Glove? No kidding." -- Dwight Perry
"There are many attempts to speed up baseball games. Pitching changes are real show-stoppers.
As far as I’m concerned, anything short of catapulting relievers to the mound
should be on the table." -- Bud Shaw, Cleveland Plain Dealer
CP-
Friday, February 20, 2015
ANOTHER NUMBER BITES THE DUST
** So the Yanks are retiring another number, Andy Pettitte's #46. Supposedly, Bernie Williams (#51) and Jorge Posada (#20) will also have their numbers retired. Of course, Derek Jeter's #2 will be retired as soon as the Yanks can figure out how to get a national holiday declared. As soon as that happens, the Yankees will have retired 21 numbers altogether honoring 22 different players (Yogi Berra & Bill Dickey share #8). I wonder if they plan on retiring Alex Rodriquez number too? They might as well. I can't imagine any other player wanting to wear #13.
I understand they want to honor these players, but why not just give them a plaque in the Monument Park in centerfield? Pettitte, Williams and Posada were very good players but I don't know if they rate having their numbers retired. I suppose longevity means something, but this? And why was Reggie Jackson's number retired? He only played for the Yanks for 5 years. One great World Series? Okay, then why not Bobby Richardson, who had 11 hits and 12 RBIs in the 1960 WS? Heck, Bill Mazeroski hit ONE homerun in that series and it got him into the Hall of Fame.
** Umpire Tim McClelland is retiring. He's 63 and widely seen as one of baseball's most respected umpires. He will always be remembered as the umpire who called George Brett out in the pine tar incident. I will always remember him as the umpire who had two Yankees on third base at the same time and neither one got called out.
** Baseball will have some new rules this year to help speed the game up. Batters will be required to keep one foot in the batter's box at all times. Except:
A) a foul ball
B) a foul tick
C) a swing and miss
D) a brush back or knock down pitch
E) wild pitch
F) when the umpire says it's okay
They might as well have added G) whenever the hell the batter feels like it.
Why? Because the penalty could be a $500 fine. Wow! That's like me being fined 25 cents for speeding.
But they're trying. Managers won't be allowed to saunter out on to the field and stall while they await a signal from the bench if they should ask for a review on a call. That may help.
** The Red Sox are being touted as the favorites to win the AL East, largely based on the addition of Hanley Ramirez and Pedro Sandoval. Ramirez is known to be a troublemaker in the clubhouse and Sandoval has a weight problem and doesn't always exert a 100% effort. Sure enough, Pedro showed up at spring training overweight. Not a new problem for him. I wrote this about him back in 2011:
"In an effort to positively affect his weight problem, the SF Giants put him on a food regimen for the winter. And it worked: He positively gained weight. His trainer said, " We were doing all right until he escaped."
Well, that's all for now. I have to go and shovel again today.
***THEY SAID IT***
"The Bills signed Richie Incognito. That’s good news. I firmly believe everyone deserves a 39th chance." -- Brad Dickson
"If you make every game a life-and death proposition, you’re going to have problems. For one thing, you’ll be dead a lot." -- the late N. Carolina coach Dean Smith
"Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin crashed during Daytona 500 qualifying. Or, as the headlines read: "Danica, Another Driver Crash." -- Brad Dickson
I understand they want to honor these players, but why not just give them a plaque in the Monument Park in centerfield? Pettitte, Williams and Posada were very good players but I don't know if they rate having their numbers retired. I suppose longevity means something, but this? And why was Reggie Jackson's number retired? He only played for the Yanks for 5 years. One great World Series? Okay, then why not Bobby Richardson, who had 11 hits and 12 RBIs in the 1960 WS? Heck, Bill Mazeroski hit ONE homerun in that series and it got him into the Hall of Fame.
** Umpire Tim McClelland is retiring. He's 63 and widely seen as one of baseball's most respected umpires. He will always be remembered as the umpire who called George Brett out in the pine tar incident. I will always remember him as the umpire who had two Yankees on third base at the same time and neither one got called out.
** Baseball will have some new rules this year to help speed the game up. Batters will be required to keep one foot in the batter's box at all times. Except:
A) a foul ball
B) a foul tick
C) a swing and miss
D) a brush back or knock down pitch
E) wild pitch
F) when the umpire says it's okay
They might as well have added G) whenever the hell the batter feels like it.
Why? Because the penalty could be a $500 fine. Wow! That's like me being fined 25 cents for speeding.
But they're trying. Managers won't be allowed to saunter out on to the field and stall while they await a signal from the bench if they should ask for a review on a call. That may help.
** The Red Sox are being touted as the favorites to win the AL East, largely based on the addition of Hanley Ramirez and Pedro Sandoval. Ramirez is known to be a troublemaker in the clubhouse and Sandoval has a weight problem and doesn't always exert a 100% effort. Sure enough, Pedro showed up at spring training overweight. Not a new problem for him. I wrote this about him back in 2011:
"In an effort to positively affect his weight problem, the SF Giants put him on a food regimen for the winter. And it worked: He positively gained weight. His trainer said, " We were doing all right until he escaped."
Well, that's all for now. I have to go and shovel again today.
***THEY SAID IT***
"The Bills signed Richie Incognito. That’s good news. I firmly believe everyone deserves a 39th chance." -- Brad Dickson
"Complaining is like vomiting,” new Twins manager Paul Molitor told Twin Cities
business leaders at a recent breakfast. “You might feel better after you get it
out, but you make everybody around you sick.” No word on if anyone went back for seconds" -- Dwight Perry
"The Oscars are on
this weekend. The Imitation Game is a favorite to win Best Picture. It’s a film
about The Toronto Maple Leafs pretending to be a pro hockey team during the past
40 years." -- TC Chong"If you make every game a life-and death proposition, you’re going to have problems. For one thing, you’ll be dead a lot." -- the late N. Carolina coach Dean Smith
"Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin crashed during Daytona 500 qualifying. Or, as the headlines read: "Danica, Another Driver Crash." -- Brad Dickson
"Suggested walk-up music for Alex Rodriguez’s plate appearances this
season: “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” -- Dwight Perry
"Memo to all players at
Yankee Spring Training: Since we are running out of traditional numbers, please
submit a request for a “letter or double letter” uniform in case the number you
want is unavailable. The letters BB (bat boy); DD (our well endowed left field
foul line girl) and FU (in case Randy Johnson comes out of retirement) are
already taken." -- TC Chong
"Portly Pablo Sandoval reported to his first Red Sox spring training
looking a tad plump. Coincidence? The team’s batting donut has already gone
missing." -- Dwight Perry
"I would put more stock in A-Rod’s letter of apology to Yankees fans if he hadn’t written it in disappearing ink." -- Marc Ragovin
"Roger Goodell, 56, ran the 40 yard dash this week, in a very respectable
5.53 seconds. Assume Goodell did it by imagining he was running away
from tough questions." -- Janice Hough
CP-
Sunday, February 15, 2015
THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT CHEAT...ER, ATHLETES
You should know that these opinions are biased towards 'old school thinking.' That's because I'm old school. No secret there and yes, I'm fully aware of the cheating that went on back in the 20s, 30s, 40s, etc. That doesn't make it acceptable now. Maybe we're more aware now than back then, or maybe the electronic media makes it possible for more of us to be aware. Be that as it may, cheating is still cheating.
#1) Pete Rose. There is talk that the new commissioner is willing to talk about lifting Rose's lifetime ban. Pete says he's suffered enough. Pete bet on baseball. Pete bet on games his own team was playing in while he managed that team. Compounding the issue, he then lied about it for years. He only stopped when one of his advisers told him if he came clean, they might forgive him. MIGHT. Big word, small chance. Talk all you want, just leave him where he is.
#2) Alex Rodriquez. Why is it that these guys think if they deny hard enough and threaten legal action, officials will cower in fear. But when the officials show they are ready to carry on with the battle, these liars back off. Why? Heaven forbid they have to sit in that witness chair and swear to tell the truth - about everything. Lie about one little thing and your serving time for perjury, even if they never prove you cheated.
A-Rod is currently making the sack cloth and ashes tour, starting with the commissioner, continuing with the Yankee brass, planning his confession to the media and finishing with his teammates. How's he doing? Well the Yanks met with him in stony silence and told him to forget getting his "Milestone home run totals" bonus. To show him they meant it, they told him to go ahead and sue us. There's that old witness chair thing again. When the Hall of Fame voting rears it's ugly head (and A-Rod's head), I think his chances should go the same way Bonds, McGwire and Clemens voting is going. Nowhere!
#3) The people in charge of the Little League baseball team. They restructured the territorial lines from which they could choose players in order to get the best players in the city. When they got caught, Little League officials stripped the team of it's championship and suspended the offending team leaders. Now the parents are up in arms, saying that the kids shouldn't have had their "fairly won" championship taken away, that the Little League officials were being unfair. These parents say the kids didn't do it, it was the people in charge. They shouldn't be upset at the Little League, they should be upset with the perpetrators of the crime, Their own officials.Mike Lupica said it best: "But in the end, what Steve Keener, the head of Little League baseball, did was right and proper, and not political, despite all the political pressure he now faces. If they get away with it, the kids grow up thinking that rules, especially at the youth level is really some kind of buffet table. Choose the ones you want to follow."
#4) Ya' gotta love Tark the Shark. Jerry Tarkanian, former coach of the Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels, has passed away. He was a good coach, winning 761 games in his 31 years as a head coach, but he was an even better recruiter, which led to most of his battles with the NCAA. He spent more time on the carpet at NCAA headquarters than the office cleaners, but the NCAA officials were never very successful at nailing him. Tark knew how to bend the rules and even, according to rumors, how to break some without getting caught. One sports writer interviewed Tark after a meeting of coaches and the rules committee. "How come," he asked the master rules-bender Tarkanian, " you voted for every single rules change that tightened up the restrictions?" "Because," he replied, "some teams might follow them."
Dean Smith should not be linked with cheaters, but I wanted to mention one important fact about him. He may have been the one major reason for the collegiate shot clock. Dean took advantage of the rules at the time, to keep the ball away from stronger teams when he developed the '4-corners offense.' In this set, he positioned one man at each of the four corners of the half court and had a ball handler dribble around until he got double-teamed, in which case he would pass to the teammate left unguarded, run over and take the return pass and start all over again. Granted, he had the players needed to execute this plan, but he went out and got them and used them effectively.
Last Thursday, Southern Mississippi lost in overtime to Florida International, 73-71. Late in January, Southern Miss had two players declared ineligible, reducing their roster to seven players. When 3 players fouled out, So. Miss. played the final minute with only four players on the floor. Where was Dean Smith when you needed him?
Annie-O commented that there were 20 some televised games listed in the Rochester paper yesterday. I told her that there were over 140 Division I games scheduled in the country that day and 42 were being televised on some national network.
***THEY SAID IT***
"A record 2.7 million Canadians took in the Eugenia Boughard-Maria Sharapova Aussie Open quarter-final. Of those, 99 per cent were males ages 18-35; the rest like tennis." -- RJ Currie
"Some tough new rules are in effect for the NBA All-Star Game this weekend. For example, if a player tucks the ball under his arm and runs the length of the court, he'll be warned for traveling." -- Brad Dickson
"Laker star Kobe Bryant had season-ending shoulder surgery. Don't worry, Kobe should be up and not passing to anyone in no time." -- Alex Kaseberg
"Reviews of “50 Shades of Grey” aren’t great. But in New York, anyone wanting to see some real torture can always buy Knicks tickets." -- Janice Hough
"According to a recent study, referees under six feet tall call more penalties than refs six feet and over. This puts a whole new spin on playing a man short" -- RJ Currie
"At the Colorado Rockies’ fantasy camp, an 88-year-old rushed the mound after a brush-back pitch. This happened on Monday afternoon, and he arrived at the mound late Tuesday morning." -- Brad Dickson
"NFL Films patriarch Ed Sabol has died. He was XCVIII." -- TC Chong
" Bad news for Dodgers fans, the 2015 season may still be in a TV blackout. Worse news for Lakers fans. The rest of their 2015 season won’t be." -- Janice Hough
CP-
#1) Pete Rose. There is talk that the new commissioner is willing to talk about lifting Rose's lifetime ban. Pete says he's suffered enough. Pete bet on baseball. Pete bet on games his own team was playing in while he managed that team. Compounding the issue, he then lied about it for years. He only stopped when one of his advisers told him if he came clean, they might forgive him. MIGHT. Big word, small chance. Talk all you want, just leave him where he is.
#2) Alex Rodriquez. Why is it that these guys think if they deny hard enough and threaten legal action, officials will cower in fear. But when the officials show they are ready to carry on with the battle, these liars back off. Why? Heaven forbid they have to sit in that witness chair and swear to tell the truth - about everything. Lie about one little thing and your serving time for perjury, even if they never prove you cheated.
A-Rod is currently making the sack cloth and ashes tour, starting with the commissioner, continuing with the Yankee brass, planning his confession to the media and finishing with his teammates. How's he doing? Well the Yanks met with him in stony silence and told him to forget getting his "Milestone home run totals" bonus. To show him they meant it, they told him to go ahead and sue us. There's that old witness chair thing again. When the Hall of Fame voting rears it's ugly head (and A-Rod's head), I think his chances should go the same way Bonds, McGwire and Clemens voting is going. Nowhere!
#3) The people in charge of the Little League baseball team. They restructured the territorial lines from which they could choose players in order to get the best players in the city. When they got caught, Little League officials stripped the team of it's championship and suspended the offending team leaders. Now the parents are up in arms, saying that the kids shouldn't have had their "fairly won" championship taken away, that the Little League officials were being unfair. These parents say the kids didn't do it, it was the people in charge. They shouldn't be upset at the Little League, they should be upset with the perpetrators of the crime, Their own officials.Mike Lupica said it best: "But in the end, what Steve Keener, the head of Little League baseball, did was right and proper, and not political, despite all the political pressure he now faces. If they get away with it, the kids grow up thinking that rules, especially at the youth level is really some kind of buffet table. Choose the ones you want to follow."
#4) Ya' gotta love Tark the Shark. Jerry Tarkanian, former coach of the Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels, has passed away. He was a good coach, winning 761 games in his 31 years as a head coach, but he was an even better recruiter, which led to most of his battles with the NCAA. He spent more time on the carpet at NCAA headquarters than the office cleaners, but the NCAA officials were never very successful at nailing him. Tark knew how to bend the rules and even, according to rumors, how to break some without getting caught. One sports writer interviewed Tark after a meeting of coaches and the rules committee. "How come," he asked the master rules-bender Tarkanian, " you voted for every single rules change that tightened up the restrictions?" "Because," he replied, "some teams might follow them."
Dean Smith should not be linked with cheaters, but I wanted to mention one important fact about him. He may have been the one major reason for the collegiate shot clock. Dean took advantage of the rules at the time, to keep the ball away from stronger teams when he developed the '4-corners offense.' In this set, he positioned one man at each of the four corners of the half court and had a ball handler dribble around until he got double-teamed, in which case he would pass to the teammate left unguarded, run over and take the return pass and start all over again. Granted, he had the players needed to execute this plan, but he went out and got them and used them effectively.
Last Thursday, Southern Mississippi lost in overtime to Florida International, 73-71. Late in January, Southern Miss had two players declared ineligible, reducing their roster to seven players. When 3 players fouled out, So. Miss. played the final minute with only four players on the floor. Where was Dean Smith when you needed him?
Annie-O commented that there were 20 some televised games listed in the Rochester paper yesterday. I told her that there were over 140 Division I games scheduled in the country that day and 42 were being televised on some national network.
***THEY SAID IT***
"A record 2.7 million Canadians took in the Eugenia Boughard-Maria Sharapova Aussie Open quarter-final. Of those, 99 per cent were males ages 18-35; the rest like tennis." -- RJ Currie
"Some tough new rules are in effect for the NBA All-Star Game this weekend. For example, if a player tucks the ball under his arm and runs the length of the court, he'll be warned for traveling." -- Brad Dickson
"Laker star Kobe Bryant had season-ending shoulder surgery. Don't worry, Kobe should be up and not passing to anyone in no time." -- Alex Kaseberg
"The Buffalo Bills just signed ex-Dolphins pariah Richie
Incognito. Well, bully for them." -- Dwight Perry
"Former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian dead at
age 84. Tark holds the NCAA record of most towels chewed in a
season." -- Tony Chong
"Question: Who is the only one who could consistently hold Michael Jordan under 20 points a game? Answer: His college coach, Dean Smith, by keeping him on the bench." -- Bob Ryan"Reviews of “50 Shades of Grey” aren’t great. But in New York, anyone wanting to see some real torture can always buy Knicks tickets." -- Janice Hough
"According to a recent study, referees under six feet tall call more penalties than refs six feet and over. This puts a whole new spin on playing a man short" -- RJ Currie
"At the Colorado Rockies’ fantasy camp, an 88-year-old rushed the mound after a brush-back pitch. This happened on Monday afternoon, and he arrived at the mound late Tuesday morning." -- Brad Dickson
"NFL Films patriarch Ed Sabol has died. He was XCVIII." -- TC Chong
" Bad news for Dodgers fans, the 2015 season may still be in a TV blackout. Worse news for Lakers fans. The rest of their 2015 season won’t be." -- Janice Hough
CP-
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
A Vitale of Few Words? Not Now. Not Ever.
Had a great laugh watching the Kentucky - LSU basketball game when Dick Vitale said, "I've said it once and I'll say it again..."
LOL!
Vitale has never said anything once.
Z.
LOL!
Vitale has never said anything once.
Z.
Sunday, February 08, 2015
THE DEAD ZONE
We're currently in that in-between season, when spring training hasn't started, the Super Bowl is long gone, college basketball hasn't reached the NCAA Tournament seeding speculation, pro basketball is not interesting yet and that game on ice: figure skaters with terrible costumes (commonly known as 'hockey') still evokes interest to former players and analysts. So I'm reduced to off-the-cuff comments about random acts of events which make sense to...well, no one.
** Since neither the Yanks nor the Mets have made any big splashes over the winter, the NY papers keep dredging up the "Yanks-sign-Shields" rumors, even though it seems fairly certain that Shields will sign with the Padres. At least today, that is.
** A-Rod will try to mend fences with the Yankee brass by having a sit-down with them. What's the point? They won't believe anything he says and won't be interested unless he wants to give back the money they paid him (HA!).
**Speaking of bad contracts, the Rockies just signed pitcher Kyle Kendrick to a one year $5.5 million contract. He's 30 years old and has a won-loss average of 10-13 with a 4.40 ERA over the last three seasons.
** The city of San Jose, CA, is suing Major League Baseball because the Giants won't let the A's move there. How can they think that the courts will be any faster or be any more effective than MLB's Commissioner?
** I watched the Syracuse-Pittsburgh game last night and unless your cave doesn't have cable, you know that the Orange have declared themselves ineligible for ANY year-end tournaments. The announcers informed us of that fact over and over and over again. This was usually followed by, "The players haven't given up, they're still fighting hard in spite of that restriction." They neglected to say, "...and they're still losing."
By the way, I've never seen a player mugged so badly and so often as Rakeem Christmas was in that game. They grabbed his arms, shoved him all over the court and sandwiched him between as many as three players. One time, they even hit him in the eye. The refs did nothing except to call the sweepers in to mop up the blood.
** New head coach, Rex Ryan, says the Jets...er, the Bills are going to the Super Bowl this year. I guess he thinks he can get 40 tickets.
** If you own a lousy team like the NY Knicks, you have to rely on promotions and goodwill to keep the fans buying tickets. Knick owner hasn't quite got that technique down yet: Dolan told a fan to "...start rooting for the Nets because the Knicks don't want you," in a contentious email exchange.
***THEY SAID IT***
"NY Yankees officials says they have now agreed to a sit-down meeting with A-Rod. Ah yes, an early sign that spring is approaching. The circus is coming to town." -- Janice Hough
"Nebraska lost out on 6-foot-5, 344-pound offensive tackle Darrin Paulo, who chose Utah, reportedly after the state promised him his own time zone." -- Brad Dickson
"There frigid temperatures in the Northeast: “New Yorkers haven’t seen cold like this since the last Knicks shoot-around." -- Alan Ray
"The NFL fined 4 players from $8268 to $10,000 for their roles in the brawl at the end of the Super Bowl. Good to see the league has its priorities in order. Hitting people is almost as bad as wearing the wrong brand of clothing." -- Janice Hough
"A boys high school basketball game in Alabama ended with a final score of 2-0, with the sole basket coming 15 seconds into the game. The cheerleaders left late in the third quarter. “There’s clearly nothing for us to do here.” -- Brad Dickson
"Pistons guard Brandon Jennings recently recorded the NBA’s first 20-20 game in five years — 24 points, 21 assists. No one has looked so good in the paint since Sports Illustrated airbrushed a swimsuit on Kate Upton." -- RJ Currie
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** Since neither the Yanks nor the Mets have made any big splashes over the winter, the NY papers keep dredging up the "Yanks-sign-Shields" rumors, even though it seems fairly certain that Shields will sign with the Padres. At least today, that is.
** A-Rod will try to mend fences with the Yankee brass by having a sit-down with them. What's the point? They won't believe anything he says and won't be interested unless he wants to give back the money they paid him (HA!).
**Speaking of bad contracts, the Rockies just signed pitcher Kyle Kendrick to a one year $5.5 million contract. He's 30 years old and has a won-loss average of 10-13 with a 4.40 ERA over the last three seasons.
** The city of San Jose, CA, is suing Major League Baseball because the Giants won't let the A's move there. How can they think that the courts will be any faster or be any more effective than MLB's Commissioner?
** I watched the Syracuse-Pittsburgh game last night and unless your cave doesn't have cable, you know that the Orange have declared themselves ineligible for ANY year-end tournaments. The announcers informed us of that fact over and over and over again. This was usually followed by, "The players haven't given up, they're still fighting hard in spite of that restriction." They neglected to say, "...and they're still losing."
By the way, I've never seen a player mugged so badly and so often as Rakeem Christmas was in that game. They grabbed his arms, shoved him all over the court and sandwiched him between as many as three players. One time, they even hit him in the eye. The refs did nothing except to call the sweepers in to mop up the blood.
** New head coach, Rex Ryan, says the Jets...er, the Bills are going to the Super Bowl this year. I guess he thinks he can get 40 tickets.
** If you own a lousy team like the NY Knicks, you have to rely on promotions and goodwill to keep the fans buying tickets. Knick owner hasn't quite got that technique down yet: Dolan told a fan to "...start rooting for the Nets because the Knicks don't want you," in a contentious email exchange.
***THEY SAID IT***
"NY Yankees officials says they have now agreed to a sit-down meeting with A-Rod. Ah yes, an early sign that spring is approaching. The circus is coming to town." -- Janice Hough
"Nebraska lost out on 6-foot-5, 344-pound offensive tackle Darrin Paulo, who chose Utah, reportedly after the state promised him his own time zone." -- Brad Dickson
"There frigid temperatures in the Northeast: “New Yorkers haven’t seen cold like this since the last Knicks shoot-around." -- Alan Ray
"So that’s where the Patriots’ missing air
went! Tipoff for the Boston College-Bucknell
basketball game on Jan. 24 was delayed when referees discovered that the game
ball was overinflated." -- Dwight Perry
"Dan Marino was CNN’s Super Bowl expert. Compared to this, getting weather predictions from a groundhog doesn’t seem so silly." -- Brad Dickson
"ESPN called Maria Sharapova
meeting Serena Williams at the Aussie Open renewing their "rivalry," despite Sharapova’s 15 straight
losses to Williams. That's like calling a fly a rival to a windshield" -- RJ Currie
"The Atlanta Falcons got caught pumping in fake crowd noise. The NFL first
became suspicious when the crowd began cheering the day before the
game." -- Tim Hunter
"My sports and entertainment heroes have been, roughly in order, Bill Cosby, O.J.
Simpson, Bruce Jenner, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen and Brian
Williams. I am starting to think I might be
the problem." -- Alex Kaseberg"The NFL fined 4 players from $8268 to $10,000 for their roles in the brawl at the end of the Super Bowl. Good to see the league has its priorities in order. Hitting people is almost as bad as wearing the wrong brand of clothing." -- Janice Hough
"A boys high school basketball game in Alabama ended with a final score of 2-0, with the sole basket coming 15 seconds into the game. The cheerleaders left late in the third quarter. “There’s clearly nothing for us to do here.” -- Brad Dickson
"Pistons guard Brandon Jennings recently recorded the NBA’s first 20-20 game in five years — 24 points, 21 assists. No one has looked so good in the paint since Sports Illustrated airbrushed a swimsuit on Kate Upton." -- RJ Currie
CP-
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