A little girl prayed...

“Lord give me patience”...

“And give it to me right now”...

----------

How do you make something bad even worse???

Just put it in the hands of the media...

And the political commentators...

That’s an easy blame, isn’t it???

It’s as if they are waiting...

Even worse...

It’s as if they even WANT something like this to happen...

Opportunists they are...

With zero evidence they make their claims...

How sick can you be???

You have those with zero IQ blaming right wing extremists...

It had to be one of those pro gun guys, didn't it???

The media tripping over each other...

Just to be the one to break a story...

“You heard it here FIRST!!!"

“Exclusive videos exclusively as we bring it to you FIRST!!!”

“Before everybody else does”...

Listen to me now...

The Boston Marathon is the race, NOT the news coverage...

I don’t give a rat’s rear end who breaks the story...

No need to "jump the gun"...

Okay, yeah...

That’s great...

You broke the story 15 seconds before they did...

That and three dollars gets you coffee at Starbucks...

Enough with the self=aggrandizing...

It ain't about you...

Just get it right, please...

Keep your trap shut, Michael Moore...

Double-check your sources, CNN...

Before you look even more buffoonish...

Quit wetting your media diaper in order to beat everybody else... 

Have some consideration for the victims...

Let the families grieve...

It’s life...

And death...

All we want is the truth...

dvt

http://stacyannbuchanan.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/little_girl_praying.jpg

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http://media.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/photos/images/2013/apr13/boston_marathon_explosion_sm/boston_marathon_explosion_15.jpg

The first few days of the baseball season can be an extremely funny time. Some guys struggle initially and we sort of shrug it off, reminding ourselves that the season is a 162-game marathon. However, when a guy explodes out of the gate, he's all of a sudden the second coming of Babe Ruth.

Those are the times when we need to slap ourselves with a dead fish.

For those of us that have forgotten the past, let me remind you of a guy named Chris Shelton. Shelton, a first baseman for the Detroit Tigers, hit 8 home runs in the team's first 13 games of the 2006 season. That rush resulted in Shelton being a quick addition to fantasy teams everywhere. However, Shelton quickly trailed off from there, hitting just 7 more during the remainder of the season, and was sent down to the Minor Leagues for the month of August.

Shelton would play just 50 more games in the Major Leagues and hit just 2 more home runs after the 2006 season. At 32-years-old, he is no longer in professional baseball.

What was significant about the 2006 season for Shelton is that it over-shadowed another player who was having an equally impressive April. While Shelton finished April with 10 home runs, 20 RBI, and a growing notoriety, this other player hit 14 home runs and drove in 38 runs during the month.

That player was Albert Pujols.

The point being, is that we put an awful lot of stock into what those players have accomplished in such a short sample size. And right now, as I am typing this, there are people clambering to find ways of adding Chris Davis and Michael Morse to their respective fantasy line-ups.

Chris Davis, a 27-year-old first baseman, spent three seasons in Texas, unable to crack Texas's everyday line-up and eventually being cast off in a trade with Baltimore. Davis became an intergral part of Baltimore's run to the playoffs in 2012, hitting .270 with a career-high 33 home runs and 85 RBI for the Orioles.

Davis has come out of the gate strongly, swatting 3 home runs and driving in 11 in Baltimore's first three games of the season. That mark includes a ridiculous 2.420 OPS in that one series on the season.

Another player jumping the shark early on is Michael Morse of the Seattle Mariners.

Morse was a big pick-up for the Mariners this winter, coming over in a trade with the Washington Nationals, who no longer had room for him after picking up Denard Span and resigning Adam LaRoche. The 31-year-old Morse is no stranger to Seattle, having started his career there, but it took leaving town in order for him to find his potential and blossoming into a 30+ home run hitter in Washington during the 2011 season.

Morse has streaked to begin the season as well, taking comfort while swinging toward the recently brought-in walls of Safeco Field. His four home runs lead Major League Baseball at this early point of the season, putting him on pace for 162 on the season.

Certainly, Morse is taking advantage of the move to a more hitter friendly park and his hot start is a good sign for Mariners fans looking for offense from a team that has been dreadful at it over the years. Orioles fans are equally happy with Davis continuing where he left off a season ago, lending credence to the hope that 2012 was not a fluke.

Still, expectations need to be tempered. Quick starts are just as bad at projecting value as a slow start, especially given the small sample size. Buying into or selling based on false value is a good way to kill one's hopes of having any sort of successful fantasy baseball season whatsoever.

A marathoner wins through patience and prudent action when the need arises. Championships are won by finding adequate bargains and taking low-cost risks. Monitor, but don't plunge into unrealistic paces by players who could not possibly keep them up.

Still, if you buy into paces, I'd be more than happy to flip either of these blossoming (insert snicker here) sluggers for your slow-starting Robinson Cano, Mike Trout, or any other somewhat useful piece of your line-up.

It will be well worth my time when Morse and Davis are hanging drywall with Chris Shelton a few years from now.

Jordan getting hitched, Ramirez fleeing country, NFL action, and this and more in this weeks edition of….

They finished 10^th, with a 6-10 record in the Big South Conference, and 15-20 overall, but since they torched the favorite, Charleston Southern to win the conference, Liberty has made it to the dance. Is it right? It sure is. They got hot when they needed to by winning the conference tournament. Who knows, they might even beat my team, Syracuse, in the tourney. One never knows.

Air Jordan looks like he will be coming back to earth. It seems the only person who could guard Jordan is Yvette Prieto, a Cuban-American model.

Is this a case of Manny being Manny?

Manny Ramirez signed a contract to play with the EDA Rhinos in Taiwan. Rumors are he will make about $12,000 per month.

NFL is heating up before the official free agent frenzy started. Monday, the Vikings traded Percy Harvin to the Seahawks for draft picks, and its only official if Harvin signs a new contract with Seattle.

In the meantime, the 49ers traded for Anquan Boldin to the 49ers for a 6^th round pick.

Dolphins made some noise signing Mike Wallace and Dannell Ellerbe.

With Wes Welker and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are going to the Broncos are they the team to beat?

Bet the Kansas City Chiefs are saying DAMN, as they tought they were catching up to Denver with the signings of Dunta Robinson, Anthony Fasano, Mike DeVito, and Donnie Avery.

Baltimore has released strong safety Bernard Pollard and guard Bobbie Williams, wide receiver Anguan Boldin was traded, lost linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger in free agency, while Ray Lewis and center Matt Birk retired. One and done for the former Super Bowl Champs.

David Wright has been carrying the USA Team in the World Baseball Classic. Will he have anything left to give the Mets??

Is there any college basketball team that will dominate the field? There could be as many as 8 teams that have a chance for the NCCA Title.

I would love to see Gonzaga take it all.

This is what I love about college basketball. Once the tournament starts anyone has a chance to win. It usually ends up being the team in the top 15, but still there are upsets that can happen along the way, and that makes it exciting.

With college football the SEC doesn’t want to share the $$$ with anyone that that they feel doesn’t deserve to be there.

Do you get the feeling I am not a fan of the SEC???

95,000 people watched Barcelona beat AC Milan. Wow.

Til Next time

Scott

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. I spent Tuesday night grilling at my son’s high school baseball field. One thing that I love about sports and baseball in particular is that with a new season, hope springs eternal. Spring brings a year of freshness or at least it does for me. January is the month that many look at new resolutions, but spring is that time when I see a new year begin to unfold. The news that pitchers and catchers report is the alert that another baseball season is on the horizon. Have you ever planned a big vacation? The anticipation and planning is sometimes almost as enjoyable as the reality of the trip. That is how spring training is for me. Baseball is in the air, you know the season is coming…but you have to wait for it. As I stood flipping burgers and dogs last night, I thought back to the past seasons and the wonderful times that I have had at the baseball field. My son is a senior now, and in a few short months, his high school career will be over. What I realized last night is that the ballpark will always be a special place for me. From T ball and beyond, there are memories that will never fade. So, while my son will be graduating, there will always be something to bring me back to the ballpark. The game remains the same, with memories waiting to be made.

Who do you like to win the World Series this year? Who did you think would win it last year? I bet your answer is not the Giants. The media predictably focuses on the flash of the big free agent signings and assume that those teams will achieve the most success. The “experts” like Detroit, Toronto and LA…both the Angels and Dodgers. These teams have spent money to bring talent into camp. I read an interesting quote today from Brandon Belt. I will paraphrase, but it was something like, “you can’t buy chemistry”…an obvious shot at the Dodgers. I also heard this quote, the Dodgers are the kind of team that can get a manager fired...very true. Head on a swivel, Mattingly! The cool thing about team sports is the team with the best talent does not always win. In looking at the Giants recent success, you have to look at GM Sabean and Manger Bochy. Sabean obviously understands the type of personalities necessary to fit the Giants. He has done a tremendous job of constructing a great team. Bruce Bochy says his team’s success is due to the players’ ability to execute fundamentals and their unselfish tendencies. The Giants were a group that cared about each other. They took responsibility for being a teammate and I think that this was the reason that they won another WS last year. I remember a conversation with my son’s high school coach last year. He said it was a pleasure to coach that group because “they liked each other so much”. The Giants are not dumb…they bring back 21 of their 25 players from last year’s championship team. Of course, Andres Torres is one of the four being added and he was a former Giant. He actually lobbied to return to the Giants. I would think that is the sign of a good organization. It is hard to believe that this was the team that Barry Bonds played for only a few years ago.

As a new season approaches, I love to take stock of the changes that have occurred in the off season. The most recent change was Michael Bourn signing with the Indians. I like this deal for Cleveland. I really think that the Indians will be better, but the starting pitching will still be a source of concern. Ubaldo Jimenez needs to rediscover his pitching prowess. If Jimenez can somehow be what he once was in Colorado, the Indians could make noise. I don’t think that they will challenge for the division, but they could battle for a wild card spot. I like Terry Francona and think that his influence will help the Indians as well. I also like Nick Swisher and think his personality will have a positive effect on the Cleveland locker room. I just heard that Dice K was lurking at spring training and that he might be signing a deal soon? I am not a Dice K fan, but maybe the change of scenery will be good? There was a interesting comment released on Tuesday from the DBacks catcher Miguel Montero. He said that Trevor Bauer came in to camp last year convinced that he had all the answers. Montero said it was impossible to get on the same page with Bauer because he would not listen to him or anyone else. So, he was traded. Perhaps Bauer is an arrogant rookie or maybe he knows what works best for him? The Indians certainly hope that the latter is true. Baseball has a way of ignoring innovations sometimes. Change in MLB has been described as glacial. Time will tell if Bauer is better than his 6.02 ERA, but either way, the Indians got him on the cheap. I have a hunch that Francona is a better match for Bauer than Gibson and he has a better year with the Indians.

 The MLB TV guys asked an interesting question Tuesday night. Which team led MLB last year in stolen bases? The answer blew me away. My guess was way wrong. Did you know that the Tigers have hired a personal base running coach for Austin Jackson? I have said before that I think Jackson is an important clog in the Tiger machine. I guess they expect Jackson to be busy this year…I agree. For what it’s worth, I think that the Tigers beat the Giants in the WS this year.

I saw that Alex Rodriguez was staying in New York to continue his rehab. Yeah, that makes sense. Staying in the winter of New York is much better than rehabbing in the sunshine of Tampa. Staying in New York is much better than heading to Florida and facing the music regarding Biogenesis. I am sure that his teammates won’t mind answering questions each day of spring training about Rodriguez. Distraction can be a good thing, right? One thing that will never be said about ARod is that he is unselfish. What a prick…

                                                                                 Alex loves Alex...

I caught this today. The article asked...was the Pope a better hitter than MJ? He starts slow, but actually takes a few good hacks. Of course MJ was matched up against 90 mph heaters...

Have you heard about the new show coming tonight on the MLB channel? It is called “The Next Knuckler” and will feature R.A. Dickey trying to teach 5 guys to throw a knuckleball. I guess it is not fair to characterize the participants as “guys”. Actually here is the list of former athletes: Doug Flutie, Josh Booty, John David Booty, David Greene and Ryan Perrilloux. Kevin Millar is hosting the show and I suspect it will entertaining. The winner of the competition will be invited to spring training with the DBacks. It is funny, but I have often wondered why more players don’t attempt to throw a knuckleball. I have not met a baseball player that has not messed with throwing it. In fact, R.A. Dickey was a position player that got to the majors and learned that he could not hit the pitching. There is less stress on the arm and you can throw the pitch at 50…good news for Flutie.

I read yesterday that wrestling is being dropped from the Olympics? The 2016 games in Rio de Janerio will be the last time the event will be part of the games. Golf and rugby are being added and something had to go. The modern pentathlon was considered, but wrestling got the boot instead. What the hell? No wrestling in the Olympics? Golf is being added? I have one question…why? I have nothing against golf, but the games are about sports like wrestling, not golf. Rugby is okay as well, but not instead of wrestling. Dumb, dumb, dumb…

That is all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey.

If you work on a lobster boat, sneaking up behind someone and pinching him is probably a joke that gets old real fast.

Whenever someone asks me to define love, I usually think for a minute, then I spin around and pin the guy’s arm behind his back. NOW who’s asking the questions?

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own…

Michael Bourn can finally claim to know exactly who he is again after the free agent outfielder officially signed with the Cleveland Indians on Monday. The 30-year-old Bourn signed a 4-year, $48 million deal with the Tribe, which includes a vesting option for a fifth season worth an additional $12 million.

Bourn was an All-Star in 2012 after hitting .274 with 9 home runs, 57 RBI, a .739 OPS, and 42 stolen bases for the Braves last season. His 6.0 bWAR was the highest of his career and many fans felt he was robbed of a Gold Glove award for his play in center field. Overall, Bourn is a career .272 hitter and has 276 total stolen bases.

The fleet footed outfielder was one of the top free agents on the market this winter, but floated out there on the market for quite a bit of time. While his asking price - and his agent Scott Boras - was one of the reasons he had trouble finding a home, Bourn suffered due to the fact that he also had a compensatory draft pick tied to him after turning down a qualifying offer from Atlanta earlier this winter.

The Mets were known to be looking at Bourn as well, but with the 11th pick in the draft, the team did not want to lose its unprotected pick. At one point, there was talk that the Players' Union would petition on behalf of Bourn and the Mets in order for them to keep their pick since they technically had the 10th worst record, only falling out of the protected pick range due to the Pittsburgh Pirates being guaranteed the 10th pick after failing to sign their first round pick in 2012.

The Indians are already giving up their second round pick to the Yankees. They will now surrender their competitive balance pick (69th overall) as compensation for signing Bourn.

Bourn will immediately become the Indians new center-fielder, with Drew Stubbs and Michael Brantley likely platooning in left field. The Indians have made quite a splash this winter in free agency and trades, also signing Nick Swisher and acquiring Trevor Bauer in a deal with Arizona and Cincinnati earlier this offseason. Last week, the team also inked Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jason Giambi to minor league deals.

Next up for Scott Boras, find a similar situation for Kyle Lohse, who has been similarly handicapped after rejecting the qualifying offer from the St. Louis Cardinals.