It’s another week and another installment of talking sports. Let’s go right to bat with this weeks issue.

 

NHL Update

The Boston Bruins have a commanding lead over the New York Rangers lots of blood in this one. What I don’t get is one of the local news stations on Wednesday was talking about how bloody Tuesdays game was. Last time I looked it was Hockey and guys get stitches without missing a shift. Sure Zedino Chara was bleeding and a few kids from the Rangers but that’s NHL Hockey. The news was acting like it was awful and horrible just part of the game.

 

The Penguins just looked unbeatable last night Syd the Kid scoring his 7^th playoff goal and the Senators looking a bit lost out there. The Penguins have a 3-1 lead.The Sharks and The Kings are battling with that series tied at 2. Both teams winning in their own buildings. Finally, the Black Hawks are trailing in their series with the Red Wings 2-1 . The Black Hawks should bounce back and take this series but then again the Wings also could be this years LA Kings just getting hot at the right time.

NFL

OTA ok I have seen this term thrown out there. I thought it meant Oklahoma Transportation Authority but it has a whole new meaning in NFL terms Organized Team activities. It’s May who cares. They use to call that mini camp but since as a society we don’t use whole words any more Mini Camp is OTA. There is no doubt this was either media creation or PR guy with this term.

Brian Urlacher called it a career after 13 years with the Bears . When he was at the top of his game was there anybody who hit harder. Urlacher was sidelined after a hamstring injury last season. He was unhappy with the Bears offer of 2 million. For 1year and not a lot of interest from other teams. Urlacher said yesterday that he would not play up to his standards and was happy he only wore 1 jersey. I think we may not have heard the end of Brian Urlacher. I think if the right team shows interest or need help you may see him back.

MLB

 

It’s a funny thing here in Boston people a continuously talking about David Ortiz batting and he is on a roll batting at .351. However, sliding under the radar is Dustin Pedroia who has been on a tier himself batting .332 and has hit in 12 of his last 13 games. John Farrell also hasJohn Lester and Clay Bucholz both having good years Bucholz is 7-0 and Lester is 6 and1. I have always said the John Farrell is the best thing to happen to Josh Beckett he has struggled without him. Farrell is the calming influence that has also tweaked Lester from his awful 2012 season and has kept Bucholz on the field. The guy knows pitching.

LIl Lanz

There was a Pitching and Catching clinic Sunday for minor Little leagues a few of us coaches ran it. I bring Lil Lanz and he is Mr. Noodle arm. Just not stepping and throwing being lazy about it. So I'm getting pissed at him because I know when he wants to throw he has a pretty good arm. remembering he wanted go to this thing he was awful. So he and I doing errands and we run into the guy I coached with last year and says to him Matt hows your throwing it wasn't prompted he says you had a pretty strong arm just needed some accruarcy. I'm not sure of that statement got to him but we had a game later on Sunday he was playing 3rd just was making solid throws with good form. Not sure what's up with him. Of course being the true hockey kid he is The teacher in school last week asked him a question . He answers I don't know but the Bruins won last night. As the Mrs. says he can't remember his name half the time but ask him about some Russian hockey player he tell you all about him.

Behind The Mask

I was doing a Little League game the other night it was minor little league game that I was doing as a favor for an assignor. I didn’t want to do the game and questioned why I took. It ended up being one of the better games I had all year it was 1-0 game. The kids mostly 9, 10 and 11’s pitched solid and made plays. There was a kid on second  Line drive as he was running to third gets him square in the back Not sure how so I a called him out for interference which is the right call. The kid didn’t understand why he was out the coach did a good job explaining it. I went over to the coach after the inning and saidI hate to call a kid out on that but that’s the rule. The coach says this kid has been up 25 times and has K’d 23. He finally gets on base and that happens to him.My reaction was that poor kid and the coach just agreed and the game went on.

Weird weather here in MA. The weather people have been predicting late May temps and what has been happening it starts to get up there rain and fog move in around 3:30 or 4pm and the temps just drop. I was doing a game Tuesday afternoon The sun was out as we were changing we decided not to wear Jackets. I was on the bases I froze my rear end off. Game started fine I was talking to some fans and I said great weatherThey laiughed as the offered me an extra blanket.

Trust, is just a five letter word

 

Cuzzin DVT, in his blog the last Friday, asked us to decide which, if we could only follow one of the major sport teams we call ourselves fans of in our region would it be.

That got me to thinking, I chose the NE Patriots without hesitation,

Doug said he would have chosen the Red Sox if he were me.

But if I were him, I’d move to Boston!

We Pats fans can be arrogant, not unlike Yankees fans I guess. Success breeds arrogance.

Sporting success has a lot to do with sporting fate.

It wasn’t keen acumen when Bill Belicheck drafted the skinny slow kid out of Michigan in the 2000 draft with his sixth round pick at #199. The late Dick Raybine gets credit for that. 32 teams passed over Thomas Brady several times each including the five times Bill Belichick passed him by.

It was that move along with Drew Bledsoe’s bad decision to try to out run Mo Lewis to the sideline. Combine that with the “tuck rule” and you’ve got a dynasty.

The mantra became: in Bill we trust.

Trust, what is trust

Noah Webster says Trust is:

1. Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.

Our nation’s currency says, In God we trust. I do trust God, I’m not so sure about our currency!

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding says Gods word.

I trust my wife, after 27 years I believe she trusts me

I trust in some of my human abilities, I know when to not trust them.

I trust Shorty to hold me up…most of the time

I know some low level elected officials and kinda trust them as individuals but I no longer have much trust in the Federal government overall.

I trust the military to be ready and able to defend our Nation but I’m not too trusting, given recent events, in the leadership to know when to utilize the military.

This isn’t a thinly veiled political rant so back to sports…

The media, both local and national seem to defer to

“in Bill we trust”, spoken by the masses whenever an otherwise questionable personnel or strategy move is made by Bill Belichick.

Some of the Hoodie’s moves have worked… and some have not

From not giving Drew Bledsoe his starting job back in 2001

cutting Lawyer Malloy before the 2003 season because Lawyer wouldn’t take a pay cut for the good of the team.

Signing Rodney Harrison to replace Lawyer netted consecutive SB’s

 trading Richard Seymour to Oakland for a first round pick (that became Sebastian Vollmer)

To letting Super Bowl MVP Dionne Branch head to Seattle

To signing Bengal’s problem child Corey Dillon and trading for Oakland’s problem child Randy Moss and seemingly over paying for Miami’s all purpose kick returner- slot receiver Wes Welker

To passing on 4^th and 2 from about his own 20 vs the Colts giving Peyton Manning his winning trip to the SB

To signing guys like Ocho Stinko and Albert Hainsworth while not trying to keep Asante Samuel

To trading up and trading down to trading out to trading back again

To letting Wes Welker go to Denver for relatively short money

To taking the oft-injured Rob Gronkowski in the 2^nd round and taking the often in trouble Aaron Hernandez in the 4^th.

For being a nice guy to being a jerk

To being loved in the media by Glen Ordway and being hated by Ron Borges

Loved by Peter King and hated by Charlie Casserly (mutual feelings by the way)

BB usually gets the pass on whatever decisions he makes because in his NFL career as a coordinator and as a head coach he’s been to the SB seven times and come away with five rings. Two as Defensive coordinator of the Giants under Duane Charles Parcells and three as the the HC of the NE Pats.

But…The last of those three was way back in Feb 2005 with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The two he didn’t win, ’07 & ‘11 were by a catch and a drop

It wasn’t BB’s fault that David Tyree’s helmet caught that ball (I still cry when I think about that)

It wasn’t BB’s fault that Welker didn’t. (Giselle still cries when she thinks about that)

Bill is a very private person; some of his off field life does get out.

Bill had his Dad, Steve on the sidelines with him for years and now, after his Dad’s passing he has his son, Steve at his side as part of the coaching staff.

He goes fishing with the likes of Jimmy Johnson and Jon Bon Jovi

He lives on an Island…both figuratively and physically

He has made some head scratching out of the tough guy character moves like

Letting Doug Flutie drop kick his way into the record book and letting Vinny Testeverde throw a TD pass in the only game he played that year to set a record of TD passes in 20 consecutive seasons.

He has a failed marriage; both sides blame the other as they always do in failed marriages. I have a failed one… from way back. Wasn’t my fault either!

Bill is loved and adored by some former players, hated by others, respected by others

Ted Johnson has nothing good to say even blames Bill for his multiple concussions,

Tedy Bruschi loves Bill and credits Bill for his many of his successes in the NFL, Richard Seymour hates him, Asante Samuel, hates him, Tom Brady respects him, Corey Dillion loves him, Lawyer Malloy gives Bill the number one salute, Drew Bledsoe is cordial with Bill but hasn’t sent Bill any of his fine wine from his vineyard. Rodney Harrison loves Bill, Ty Law respects his record. The late Junior Seau loved Bill.

And so it goes.

Did these guys trust him?

With game planning they did.

Should a guy that broke the rules and got caught be trusted? Was his huge fine and knock On his record be considered punishment enough…

Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Belichick talked about the taping incident, with Kraft asking how much it helped on a scale of one to 100. Belichick said, “One.”

 “Then you’re a real schmuck,” Kraft said.

Kraft likes Bill, respects Bill, went way out of his way to hire Bill, pays Bill handsomely, honors Bill’s achievements and his place in NFL and Patriots history but as far as trust…has this been restored? how far he can throw him?

Personally, I don’t really trust in Bill’s integrity and character but I don’t personally have to deal with him, I’m just a fan of the team.

But I do trust in his ability to have his team ready to compete this season.

They will win the AFC East.

Probably finish 12-4 if Brady stays healthy

and maybe get to the AFC Championship game.

Maybe win the AFC championship game

And maybe go to the SB again

And maybe, just maybe win it.

 

Bill will someday end up in Canton as one of the most successful Head Coaches in NFL history. The best decision Bill could make with the rest of his career is to retire with that  skinny slow QB he once took at #199.

I trust Bill and his agent will make the right call on that decision.

Alright, sticking with the the theme....

Who do you think is the MLB All-time best second baseman?

And why?

 

 

 

 

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. Well, after recently complaining of the cooler than average May weather, Mother Nature responded by flipping the switch. Cool and wet has been replaced by warm and humid. Of course, with the increased humidity, there are issues. May has historically been a time for very extreme weather in the Texas area. Warmer days bring the potential for massive thunderstorms, which sometimes bring very scary weather…as we saw in Oklahoma recently. My thoughts and prayers go out to those families in Moore. Is there really anything more terrifying than envisioning a tornado dropping on your home? How about the AAA Astro’s Redhawks hearing of the massive tornado hitting home while playing in California? Team officials opened Bricktown Ballpark to allow wives and family to take refuge in the underground clubhouse. Players are anxious to get home to help with the clean up. As manager Tony DeFrancesco said, "We're ready to volunteer. Anything we can do when we get back, we're willing to help out. It's a great group of guys that care about the community. When you play in that city, you're part of it now."

 

 

 

Kevin Durant gets it as well. Oklahoma City is not just where he plays basketball, it is home. Durant pledged  $1 million on Tuesday for tornado relief. His idea was to prime the pump so to speak. Apparently his idea is taking hold as the Thunder, NBA and player’s association also donated $1 million each. This is the sort of thing that I strongly believe in. In times of trouble communities pitch in to help those in need. This is not about a hand out, but lifting people up that have lost everthing. As BOB mentioned yesterday, our government is off track. We lose focus on the things that really matter. This is what matters. As Durant so accurately says…”playing for the Thunder, we mean so much to the state. So many people support us and I just want to go back and support those people.” This is one reason that I really enjoy seeing teams like San Antonio, OKC or even Sacramento survive and thrive. No offense to the large cities, but New York and Los Angeles have so much other activities, how can teams possibly mean what they do to the fans of Oklahoma City? We see so much negative in professional sports, it is important to remember that there are players that do still care. In times of need, too often we rely on our government to send aid. Communities and states are capable and I think better able to step up to take care of their own...

 

  

 

 

For some strange reason, Sergio Garcia just could not let the incident at the Player’s Championship with Tiger Woods die. Actually, that is not true…the media would not let it die. Prodded by the media, Garcia had this to say…”He called me a whiner. He’s probably right. But that’s also probably the first thing he’s told you guys that’s true in 15 years. I know what he’s like. You guys are finding out.” Okay, it looks like Garcia is just unloading some pent up anger at Woods, right? Here is what bothers me…as I am reading the article by Dan Carson…”Reporters mentioned to Sergio that Tiger had told members of the media Monday that he will not reach out to him in order to end the beef.” How is this different than a group of middle school kids running between two kids with he said this, what do you say? Really, it is freaking ridiculous. Garcia is a dumbass for being drawn into this and the longer it was drawn out, it was inevitable that Sergio would totally step on his dick. Garcia’s immediate response was this…”First of all, I don’t have his number,” Garcia told reporters. “And secondly, I did nothing wrong and don’t have anything to say to him. And he wouldn’t pick up the phone anyway. But that’s okay, I don’t need him as a friend...Like I have always said, I try to be as truthful as possible. Tiger doesn’t make a difference to my life.” Okay that’s enough Sergio. Leave it at that and let it go. Tuesday night, Garcia appeared at the European Tour Awards dinner in London. He was asked if he would be inviting Tiger for dinner at next month’s US Open. Oh no…Sergio, don’t do it!  "We'll have him round every night; we will serve him fried chicken”. This was according to multiple media sources. No doubt…these scumbags have been goading Garcia into saying something really stupid…Fuzzy Zoeller stupid; for the past two weeks. What a dumb ass. Of course, Garcia looks like a racist now and with a remark like that, how can he not? Truly, do I think that Sergio Garcia is a racist? No. But he allowed the press to push his buttons until he gave them what they wanted…a big story. How long did it take his comments to make it across the ocean? Maybe 30 seconds is my guess. Can you imagine how fast those “multiple media sources” left the dinner to report their “news”? When I glanced at the article Tuesday night, there were 5000 plus comments. I did not read one. I did not need to read the comments to know what the public is doing to Garcia.  There is no doubt that Garcia pulled the trigger, but the press loaded the gun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You probably heard that Nick Saban’s former assistant coach Tom Davis called Saban “the devil”. When I read of these comments, I just assumed that Davis did not enjoy working for Saban and was just voicing what others have said about Saban being a task master. After reading a CBS article by Tony Barnhart, I sort of had a change of heart. Davis was talking to a group of Florida boosters when he made the comments regarding Saban. I sort of agreed with what Barnhart stated, “My first reaction was that it was a backhanded compliment recognizing, quite begrudgingly, that Saban is the very best at what he does. I thought it was acknowledgment -- a bit sloppy perhaps -- of where Saban has set the bar and that everybody in college football is chasing him.” Others had a much more critical opinion of the comments. Mark May called Davis a “classless, backstabbing coward”. Saban found the remarks to be “terribly disappointing”…Barnhart asked a very good question in his article…since when did anyone take what coaches said to booster clubs seriously? He remembers a time when the old ball coach stood in front of Florida boosters and  said FSU stood for “Free Shoes University”…everyone laughed, even Bobby Bowden. Barnhart wonders if college football has reached the point when there is no longer a sense of humor? Are coaches to be banned from speaking in public? Do we want coaches to be even more robotic than they are now? Great points and I totally agree. Barnhart goes on to ask if Florida meets Bama in the SEC championship in December will we still be talking about this? Hopefully not, but given the long memory of the media, probably so. Barnhart has a few suggestions…anything said at a booster function does not leave the building. Reporters are required to leave the smart phones at home. It is simply off the record. His second suggestion is that if something does leak out, the press promise not to lose their mind. Coaches promise not to be offended and recruits promise to ignore what they hear. Barnhart finishes with a ominous statement…it is no longer enough to beat a team on the field, we now have to embarrass them on Twitter. As sad as that is, can anyone dispute this? I know that I can’t. The game is no longer the most important thing…and how sad is that?

 

 

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

 

 Laugh clown, laugh. That is what I tell myself when I dress up like Bozo the clown.

 

 One thing that makes me believe in UFOs is that sometimes I lose stuff.

 

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

 

 

Welcome to another Wednesday, Gabbers. The plus side of this week is that we have a bright light at the end of the week: Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a nice day to reflect on the sacrifices of our service men and women. It’s also a great time to get together with family and rediscover the outdoors. It’s the unofficial start of summer. I’m taking off for Cincy Friday. I hope my mother-in-law to be has a grill.

Change is a lot of things. For the NFL, it’s mostly annoying and transparently a huge money grab. The league has decided to move the draft back from March to May. The league wants to tap into sweeps week. It’s also a move that will help free agents as the free agency period would still be at the same time of year, but give teams more time to consider veteran players.

This year’s free agency period has been a rough one for many veterans. Players like Brian Urlacher and Charles Woodson are still waiting for new teams. The problem is most teams would be far more likely to wait the extra month to consider younger, more inexpensive solutions to overpaid, older athletes. It’s no secret that veterans would be less than likely to accept rookie salary money. It’s a weak argument by the league to say that this move is for the veterans. If they wanted to help the veterans, they could listen to the many current retirees who are calling for more safety precautions and aid for severely injured vets. Giving teams an extra month to mull over the veteran-rookie debate doesn’t do much. It just helps the league horn in on more primetime, high rating time slots.

Sidenote: The Raiders are reportedly trying to bring Woodson back. If I’m Woodson, I take less money to find a team that needs veteran help and is closer to a playoff run. The Raiders are too far behind in an improving AFC West.

Goodell has also revealed that the league may be planning a third international game following the sellout of both London games in 2013. I hope international means Canada in this case. I suppose Londoners like the game or at least enough of them do. It gives them a chance to wear horribly outdated jerseys and see mediocre teams in action. Still, this is a huge burden on the teams selected to make the trip.

A lot of people put a great deal of stock into the old NHL Original Six match-ups. Apparently, some Chicagoans didn’t before the start of their semi-final match-up with the Red Wings. In most of their fans defense, the Red Wings had failed to beat the Blackhawks at any point in their last 7 match-ups. Though a few went to overtime, Chicago found ways to win. Many doubted whether the Wings were still a threat.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-16/sports/ct-spt-0517-dan-mcneil-blackhawks-chicago-20130517_1_detroit-goaltender-jimmy-howard-justin-abdelkader-red-wings

Last Wednesday’s game one did little to change this line of thinking. The Wings and Hawks were tied at one after the first period. Howard and the young Wings were hanging tough with the Blackhawks. Then they started the third period and the Blackhawks scored 3 unanswered goals. The Blackhawks win 4-1. Looks like a short series.

Saturday afternoon and Hawks fans look for a 2-0 series lead. The Hawks score in the first and hold a 1-0 lead going into the 2^nd period. The next two periods, the Wings offense wakes up and scores 2 goals per period. Wings win 4-1. The series comes back to Detroit. After stealing a game in Chicago, the Wings follow up with another. The Wings prove most hockey fans right: the NHL playoffs are unpredictable. Rivalries always take strange shapes.

Well, that’s it for me this Wednesday. I have two days of subbing and then get to run off to Cincy. I hope you folks have a nice weekend and get out and enjoy things, weather permitting. Thanks as always for stopping by. I leave you with your word of the week.

bacon tetris, noun

 

Well, so far we have done the best All-time HR hitter...Pitcher...SS...and Catcher....

So today, we'll discuss who is the best all-time MLB Third baseman?

 

 

Okay, today we ask, who do you think was the best all-time MLB Catcher?

And why?

 

 

A lot of celebrating going on in Sacramento as the Kings (against all odds) are staying put.  Within hours of the announced sale of the team from the Maloofs, fans were already renewing season tickets and the Kings put out help wanted ads to bring in ticket sales reps.  I've never in my life seen a city come together for one common goal then what I saw here.  The ole barn known formerly known as Arco Arena will be rockin once again while the city builds a new arena downtown that will open in 2016.  Golden State Warrior fan ain't got shit on Kings fans in terms of loud and crazy (in a good way) behavior!  Bottom line is that Sacramento can now move forward and have a vibrant downtown rather than a dead one.

But there are things that resonate outside of Seattle and Sacramento that can turn off a sports fan.  We fans learned far too much about Bankruptcy law, contract law, lawsuits in general, business ethics, arena issues and downtown development, city budgets, accurate and inaccurate media sources, TV contracts, expansion, and many other subjects that don’t have anything to do with what goes on the court. 

MLB.   All this yappin' about the teams that people expected to do well, but oh snap, look whose quietly creeping up the standings -  the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Eight games OVER .500 and 8-2 their last ten.  Will they fall apart down the line?  Probably, but give the Bucs their props - nobody believed this!

San Francisco Giants went 1-5 this week after dropping two in Toronto then three at Coors Canaveral.  Way too inconsistent.  They’re now in third place in the NL West one game behind the Snakes and tied with the Rockies.  It’s only May, so its tough to be concerned, but damn…pitching needs to seriously wake up.  Cain got rocked.  Vogelsong is struggling hard, and Zito is hitting a rough patch.  With that injured bullpen, its gonna be a tough few weeks.

Oakland A’s had a better week going 4-2, dropping two at home to Texas (no shame there) and sweeping the Royals.  Though there was no shame against Texas they kept Texas offense fairly well in check, they are just over .500 and 6.5 games back in the AL West.

NHL.   I caught the overtime on Sunday of Game 3 between Pittsburgh and Ottawa.  Man, the Senators looked a lot slower and a hell of a lot sloppier than the Pens.  How they pulled it out in double OT is absolutely beyond me, but I guess that’s the beauty of the NHL, eh?

Did Detroit really go into the big bad Black Hawk house and sneak out with a win?  Yet another example of why the NHL may have the best playoffs out of all the sports - YOU JUST DON'T KNOW!

NBA.  Is this picture a sign of the two teams who will be playing in the NBA finals?  Perhaps...there's a damn good chance at it.

There is no more tenacious team in the NBA than the Chicago Bulls.  The Heat might have won that series 4-1, but it was a crazy battle and Miami had to work for it against the undermanned Bulls who fought the Heat (literally) every way possible. 

Memphis polished off Oklahoma City 4-1, but I have to ask the Oklahoma City Sonics (wink, wink Seattle trolls!) where the hell were your bigs?  Memphis ate you up.  Nobody with even half a mind should be putting this on Westbrooks injury - this early exit lies at the feet of OKC's bigs.  Where was Ibaka and Perkins?

San Antonio is on what I believe is its last run, and it’s turning out to be a good one at that.  Now they face Memphis and although they are up 1-0, its gonna be tough.  I want San Antonio to win it all so that Tim Duncan can go out with five rings and very quietly ask Shaq how his ass tastes.

Indiana put the Knicks out of their misery finally.  Good.   Now I don't gotta see Spike Lee acting like an ass on my TV.

Memo to the media:  What is your fascination with Dwight Howard and his drama?  What, the playoffs aren’t good enough because its all small market teams remaining?  Are you seriously going to subject the fans to a third straight year of his garbage?  I can’t count the number of stories about where he is supposedly “intrigued” about where to go this past weekend.  Supposedly Houston.  Then it was Dallas.  Hey losers, nobody turns down playing for the Lakers, especially when he can earn $30 mil a year and there’s a good chance they can sign Chris Paul.

 

Greetings from the Hoodwood, where the locals are praying for our peeps in Oklahoma, stay Okie strong Hoodwood sends its love and prayers.

 

NBA: Another Knick flameout

I think its funny that there were so many that thought that the New York Knicks were really going to beat the Pacers. After they had nearly choked away their firsr round series with the Celtics. They got smoked in the 1^st game with the Pacers. But the Knick fans shrugged it off as so much that their squad was tired from the battle royal with the Celtics. It seemed validated when they routed the Pacers in game 2. “See!” Knick apologists like Colin Cowherd said. The Knicks will roll and win it in 5. Problem was the Pacers weren’t having any of it. They bounced the Knicks in games 3 and 4 in Indy and the Knicks were pushed to the brink. Winning a game 5 handily, the so called experts said that all the pressure was on the Pacers. Win in Bankers Life Fieldhouse Saturday night in game 6 or face a winner take all showdown game 7 in MSG, after racing to a big lead the Pacers had to weather a barrage of 3 pointers by the Knicks by Iman Shumpert (that’s where Nerlens Noel gets the hightop fade look from) JR Smith (where had he been) and fought back into the game. Unheraled Chris Copeland made a couple threes to start the 4^th, and the Pacers were on the ropes. When Smith drilled a 3 to give the Knicks a 92-90 lead and the Pacers Paul George missed a mid ranger jumper it look like the Knicks could deliver the knockout blow and Carmelo Anthony who was having a monster game and would finish with 39 points would head to the bucket when this happened…

 

The Pacers were busting out the Kool-Aid and I was ready to bust out some Funkadelic on the 8 track...It was a funky block party in Nap-town and the Knicks were just not hip to the beat. After the block they just seemed to wilt. The Pacers got back to back buckets from former Bearcat Lance Stephenson including a critical 3 point play on a driving layup and getting fouled by JR Smith who was having a miserable series and just was not the same player after getting that one game suspension in the Celtics series. The Knicks would never get close to the lead again and the Pacers rolled home to a 106-99 win it was ironic that Smith took the last shot for the Knicks a 25 footer that missed of course Smith scored only 15 points on 4-15 shooting. Melo had 39 points but he and Smith were two of only three players on the Knicks scoring in double figures, Shumpert had 19 points on an efficient 6-10 shooting. But the other geriatric Knicks, Jason Kidd, Amare Stoudamire, and Kenyon Martin scored under 5 points. Raymond Felton was 0-7 and was shutout. The Knicks won 54 games and Im trying to figure how. 11 of the 16 so-called experts polled on ESPN picked the Knicks and of course look like fools. The Pacers now face the Heat whom they’ve beaten twice in 3 tries. I think the Heat will in 6 but the Pacers will be a tough out.

What happened to LA Sports

I remember a piece a couple decades ago that was written about the New York rap scene it literally asked “Has New York fallen the fuck off or what?” Now the death of the New York rap scene has of course been greatly exaggerated and the Big Apple rap scene continues to thrive. But the same question could now be asked about the LA sports scene. Of course with no pro football there is no movement in that front in the city of Angels. Speaking of Angels, they and the Dodgers looked to make big splashes with high priced acquisitions. The Angels already bolstered with the signings of Albert Pujols last year and then the Halos then acquired Josh Hamilton. With those feared sluggers the Angels looked to be the real bully of not only the AL West but the AL as well. But the Angels have struggled mightly at 17-27 are 11 games behind the rolling Texas Rangers only the neophyte Houston Astros are further back. Across town in Chavez Ravine the Dodgers are just as bad at 18-25 are only 7 games behind the Giants but are just not playing well. Dodger management has publicly stated that they are nowhere close to firing manager Don Mattingly but the lineup that is packed with stars like Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier and Carl Crawford  is just not producing runs. The Bums are -36 in run scoring differential. If it wasn’t for Clayton Kershaw the Dodgers pitching would be lifeless. With the slow return of Zach Greinke the Dodgers are 5-12 this month after starting at exactly .500 The Dodgers and Angels are the bull teams for interleague next week and face each other but the excitement of the first round of the Freeway series just elicits yawns and wonder of which Angelino baseball team will stink it up more. The mediocrity isn’t limited to the baseball teams, both basketball teams were bounced out of the NBA playoffs in the 1^st round. Though the Clippers won their first ever division title, and roared out to a 2-0 first round lead they then dropped the next four against the Grizzles and were sent home. The Lakers (stop laughing) were pretty much destroyed when Kobe Bryant went down and Dwight Howard just wasn’t able to pick up the slack. They were swept by the Spurs. Wow, who is facing off in the Western conference finals??? The Grizzlies and Spurs. Hmmmm. I know dvt, I know the Kings are repping strong as the defending Stanley Cup champs and are thumped the Blues in their first round Stanley Cup playoff series. They also have won their first two games at Staples against the Sharks. But they lost game 3 and may be in some serious trouble.

Phat Dap Head Slap

Phat Dap

I don’t think Ive ever given someone Phat Dap two weeks in a row but given the situation, I think this merits it. Dap to Dodgers CF Matt Kemp who immediately pledged $1000 donation for every homer that he hits from now until the All-Star break for the victims of the OKC tornadoes. Kemp got off to a good start on his pledge homering Monday in a Dodger win. Matt Kemp is fast becoming one of my favorite players and one fo the good guys in the sporting world

Head Slap

A pair to Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods who just cant let their little spat go. Woods bluntly said “No” when asked had he ever thought of picking up the phone and calling Garcia to mend their tiff. And while the response garnered some chuckled from the assembled media at the AT&T invitational, Garcia was not one laughing, he stated at a London Press junket that he thinks that Woods “called him a whiner which may be true but it’s the first honest thing that he has said in 15 years. This war of words is getting silly and it makes both golfers look petty and like a pair of whiny bitchy schoolgirls. The media is eating it up but I would have expected more from both. Let the rivalry be on the golf course with good play not catty he said, he said shit.

That the view from the Hoodwood for this week, Until Next Post Fellow Sports Fans!

 

 

Last Monday night, the Bruins scored 3 goals in the third period – 2 in the last 2 minutes of the game – to tie up Game 7, force overtime, whereupon Patrice Bergeron scored the game winner to send the B’s to the next round of the playoffs and send the Garden faithful home happy.  Well, the “faithful” who stayed in their seats long enough to witness it.

Two lessons from this game of note: 1) Only a hockey player can get away with a name like “Patrice” – that cat must’ve gotten his butt kicked back in middle school.  2) You never, ever leave a game early.

I’ve learned this the hard way throughout my life, examples illustrated for your reading pleasure. 

November 29, 1987 The Patriots played at the old Sullivan Stadium (nee: Schaefer Stadium) against the Philadelphia Eagles in this week 11 tilt.  It was my very first game, spent with one of my best friends – a man I count among my friends today. 

Given I present this as a lesson in why one should never leave a game early, this box score should come as no surprise:

 

 

Here’s the thing.  What it doesn’t tell you is that the game was completely out of hand at 31-10 at the start of the fourth quarter.  Up and out we went.  We didn’t even listen to the game on the way back to home base.  Imagine our surprise, then, when we arrived home to find the game went into OT.  Of course, as soon as we tuned back in, the Eagles scored the FG for the win.  If you’re going to leave the game, leave the game.  Don’t look back.  Don’t ever mention it again.  The best way to avoid that existential angst?  Don’t leave the freaking game, but if you do, leave it all...and leave your fan card on the seat.  You don't need it anymore.

May 25, 2002  The Mrs and I were given tickets to Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the Nets.  We had sweet company seats and enjoyed the night out.  Heading into the 4th quarter, the Celtics were down by 21-points, and we decided the game was out of hand.  Doing the quick math of what would be required for the C’s to make a game of it, we said “screw it,” packed it in, and headed to a Brazilian barbeque in Allston.  Of course, after gorging on beef, we got in the car and tuned into the Sports talking heads to find out how the game played out.  The box score below shows it all:

  

 

 

The upside was that our quick math was pretty much right on.  My argument for leaving was that they would have to score no less than 40 points, and given that it took the previous 2-quarters to do that, we deemed that entirely unlikely.   Note, I didn’t check on the game until after it was over.  If you leave, and you check, your team will absolutely lose – so if you’re going to be a scumbag (and yes, I’m calling myself a scumbag) and bail on your team, don’t wuss out and check back in on your team.  You gave that up by leaving the game.  By checking in on the game in progress, you’re only guaranteeing you’re going to see your team lose to fulfill your scumbag prophesy. 

To the scumbag fans who left the garden at the end of the second period, or even worse, mid-way through, thank you for not tuning back in.  And please don’t be that guy posting the “Be Calm and Bergeron” graphic on your Facebook.  You’re not worthy. 

I’ve learned that the hard way. 

 

 

 

Sticking with the same theme as the last couple questions...

Who is MLB's best Shortstop of all time?

And why?

 

 

 

Yeah, some people want you to keep quiet...I know plenty of people want me to be quiet...But we know that just isn't going to happen...Sometimes shit needs to be said...Even if it upsets people...Why hold it in?  'Cause some one on facebook may unfriend you?  They aren't your friend if they can't take you telling the truth, or sharing how you feel about something...

 

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist caught some shit for venting his frustration after the Rangers lost game one to Boston Thursday night, in OT...Lundqvist was upset with himself for the 3-2 loss...But he also voiced his frustration with the teams lack of offense so far in the playoffs...He said what every single Rangers fan has been saying for weeks...But people thought it was wrong for him to call out his teammates...Why?  Why can some hack write about how horrible the power play is, but the guy carrying the team can't?

 

I'm not joking, I read a blog that pointed out that Lundqvist hasn't been good in OT...Well, couldn't that also be pointed at the rest of team for defensive breakdowns, and lack of scoring!?!  There was even a comment that Thursday night Lundqvist wasn't at his best...Well, the 2 previous games he threw shutouts...And yeah, if you watched closely, he wasn't at his best...And with that said, he made 45 saves on 48 shots...And his teammates blocked over 20 shots that night...If not for Lundqvist, Thursday night, the Rangers would have been destroyed...So he blew off some steam, and rightfully so!

 

But things got worse...Sunday the Bruins blasted Lundqvist and company 5-2...I had hoped Henrik popping off would have charged them up...And actually some of the Rangers did look like they took it up a notch...But the Bruins had a lot more jump...The series goes back to New York now...I'm not worried yet...The Rangers just need to do what they did against Washington...They'll be alright...

 

-Saturday horse racing took a ding again...They've been dying for a Triple Crown winner but it won't happen again...Just as favorite, Orb started to make his move, Titletown Five and Departing tried making their own moves, and pinched Orb in...He got stuck in the pack and couldn't do a thing...I had Departing winning, (Thanks Eddie Olczyk) but no one was catching Oxbow...That horse ran a hell of a race...With that said, I'll still be watching the Belmont...there are a number of exciting horses, and this thing should be wide open.

 

-Saturday morning Little Beeze and I headed off to our first baseball practice...Things are running behind this year...New organization running the league, and they're trying to figure it out...The practice was good...I've got a lot of good hitters...And my two best fielders, are girls...They both have great baseball sense...I can already tell it's going to be a good season...Had a number of parents that stuck around and helped out...Nice change of pace!

 

-Cleveland weather update...We have officially skipped Spring and are into Summer...80 degrees this weekend and my kids wanted to go ice skating Friday night...

 

 

And when we weren't at the Rink, or Baseball practice...Little sis, wouldn't leave big brother's side...

                            

 

 

-And lastly, The Cleveland Indians...I'm shocked...There has been a lot of rumbling about the Tribe having low attendance...Well, considering a 24oz Pabst cost $10, Parking $20...And every road in the City is ripped up or closed...and the last two seasons the team fell apart after the All-Star Break, I'm guessing people are playing it safe with how they spend their money...It also doesn't help that while the Tribe is playing great, all the Sports talk shows in town are talking about the fucking Browns for some reason...

 

Have a week...

 

The Beeze.

WOO HOO!!! HEY HEY!!! It's Sunday and welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR updates and other fast stuff. Saturday night was the All Star race which I haven't watched. Just didn't feel like trotting over to mom & dads to watch it. Really am irked at the fact that I can't watch the race on my computer like I used to before they started booted you off Justin.TV. Grrrrrrrrrr. Wondering if FOX will make good on their promise of watching online. Guess we'll have to wait till August when FOXSports1 debuts to the web-o-sphere. 

PASSING OF A LEGEND

The picture above is of a short track legend. The winningest short track racer in history. Richard Leroy Trickle or as most know him as Dick Trickle passed away of a self inflicted shot gun blast on Thursday May 16th. He was 71 and had been suffering from unexplained chest pains for quite some time. He made a call to 911 explaining where he was and that there would be a suicide. They found his body next to his '93 pickup truck.

Dick was from Wisconsin Rapids in Wisconsin. He traveled the midwest racing the dirt tracks and small speedways. He amassed over 1000 wins.

Career high lights--->In 1989 he became the oldest rookie in NASCAR at the age of 48. He also won rookie of the year. 

----> Won 7 ARTGO championships between 1979 to 1987

----> 1984 & 1985 he won ASA championships

----> 67 wins in 1972

----> NASCAR Cup career stats---303 races---15 top 5's---36 top 10's and a pole @ Dover

----> NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide) 158 races---24 top 5's---42 top 10's---2 W's

Dick was a smoker and NASCAR allowed him to smoke in the car during caution laps. He had cigarette lighters installed in his race cars. He could always be seen with a cup of coffee and his cigarettes around the track.

Back in the 90's ESPN personalities Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann would give their NASCAR update on Sports Center and always end it with where Dick finished the race. It was sort of a running gag which Dick enjoyed. He wasn't as good in NASCAR due to not having a power house ride. As I recall the guys in the broadcast booth would be mentioning Dick during the race too. They never missed an opportunity. He had a fun name to pronounce.

Matt Kenseth a fellow Wisconsin native said the last time he spoke to Dick was right after he had announced his switch to JGR. Matt said Dick poked his head in the trailer and asked for a beer. They talked for over an hour with Dick telling Matt what a great opportunity moving to JGR would be for him. 

Mark Martin was heart broken and said that he, Alan Kulwicki and Rusty Wallace would not be the racers that they became without Dicks influence. He was very giving. He shared his race setups and driving wisdom. It was Dick who told an 18 year old Mark Martin---"In order to finish first, first you must finish."

I saw Dick at Watkins Glen one very hot humid summer. It was Mark Martin's 3rd win in a row at Watkins Glen that day. At the race start all the cars rolled by. As it progressed you'd hear the pack roll by and then a solo rumble a couple seconds later. It was Dick. About lap 10 the crowd would roar when he buzzed by after the pack. This went on for about 30 laps till the pack caught up with him. He even waved to us in the grass where I was standing and he had a cigarette lit too. Don't know where he finished but my man Mark got the W. 

R.I.P. Richard Leroy Trickle. 

Carl Edwards will have Dick Trickle above his door instead of his own name to honor his passing at the All Star race. He also has the pole too.

MAKE-A-WISH MOMENT

Last weekend on Mothers Day the truckers convoy carrying Make-A-Wish kids rolled up Rt 222 and collected money for the kids. This week a 16 year old young man named Jacob Entrekin who suffers from muscular dystrophy got a wish granted from those donations. He was taken to the All Star race as a guest of Richard Petty Motorsports. He got to meet Richard Petty and Marcos Ambrose. All made possible from the donations to Make-A-Wish. Hope it was a good one.

WIN A PAIR OF SHOES

If you go to Dalejrfootwear.com you can enter for a chance to win a pair of Dale Jr shoes. Amazing. He has his own potato chips and now shoes. Is there no end to this guys entrepreneurialship? I entered to win a pair and got a 20% coupon for shoes.  Didn't check out the merchandise yet but I might later.

NO NEW RULES THIS WEEK

Well yeah, there was. In the past a car had to be on the lead lap at the end of the qualifying event for the All Star race to be eligible for the fan vote. This year they only need to be running and in race shape to be eligible. Guess who this will benefit the most? That's right folks. It's Danica. She seems to keep her cars in semi good shape in the back so it's conceivable that the fans will vote her into the main event and her car will be in running race condition. I can't say for sure about what happened because I'm writing as they're racing. That is if it's not rain delayed right now.

Last week at Darlington there were suspended crew chiefs for the #22. #2 and #20 cars. When a crew member is suspended from a race this means no radio chatter and they must be off the track. This didn't deter the teams effected. They used Face Time and texting while the team members were at the team shop. NASCAR says they don't plan to change any rules to deter that in the future. My question is, how could they? Ain't technology grand?

                      

DARLINGTON RECAP

Hey there's Kasey Kahne again. No he didn't win but he should've. He got into it with this guy. Kyle Busch.

                    

With 35 to go on a restart Kahne and Kyle are out front. They do some fancy cross over moves on each other as well as the side by side stuff and then Kyle goes down on the apron which he had been making it work all race long till this one time. Up he came and seemingly missed Kahne. You couldn't fit a piece of paper between them. Kahne got squirrelly and off he goes for a spin. His radio chatter had lots of French in it. He didn't crunch any fenders but needed tires. Kahne ended his night in 17th. He of course expected a phone call and apology. Supposedly they talked. Kyle says he didn't mean it and expected his car to stick which it didn't. He doesn't see Kahne exacting revenge but understands if it does happen. 

Other happenings in the race were that there were a lot of green flag laps. In fact the first caution didn't come out till lap 124. Darlington is not a nice track. She gives out stripes to unaware drivers left sides. This track was built when cars raced at 70 mph. Now they go around 170 mph at this track and the only way to do it is at the top of the track up close to the wall. Concentration is a must. 

This was Denny Hamlin's first race back full time. He looked spent at the end of the race but he pulled a 2nd place out of his helmet. 

Gordon did his usual whining through the race. With 35 to go and in 5th place he was still whining. I'm so sorry for his CC Alan on top of the box.

Kyle dominated this race but came up short. No win. The cautions at the end of the race put 17 cars on the lead lap. At one point only 9 cars were on the lead lap.

Top 15 finishers - Kenseth - Hamlin - Gordon - Johnson - Harvick - Kyle B - Edwards - Montoya - Dale Jr - Newman - Bowyer - Truex - Biffle - Smith - Stewart

FIRST SEGMENT REPORT CARD

                    

So we've ended the first 11 races. For those of you in my fantasy league, you will have to pick new drivers by next Sunday. Johnson has been the smoothest or most consistent with only 3 races outside the top 10. That's why he's first in the points. Edwards, Kenseth, Keselowski & Dale Jr had 4 races outside the top 10. Kyle, Bowyer & Kahne have 5 races outside the top 10. This is why these 8 drivers are your top 8 at this time. The Chase Champ will most likely be one of these guys.

Almirola, Harvick, Menard, Gordon, Biffle, Truex and McMurray are the 9th thru 15th drivers. Almirola only has 3 races where he was worse than Gordon. Wrap your head around that one. Gordon needs to Step it up. He's had 4 REALLY bad race finishes. If he keeps it up he'll be fighting over a wild card spot again. Harvick is starting to come to life. I expect him to be at least in the 10th spot come Richmond. Biffle started strong and has dropped off. I think he'll be in the top 10. Truex lost his consistency of last year. No top 10 for him in my opinion. McMurray won't make the Chase but it's nice to see him and Montoya finishing better in their new HMS rides.

Hamlin is back but unless he wins a few races and gets into the top 20 we won't see him in the Chase. There is a chance. He sits 27th and 61 points out of 20th. He's got 15 races to do it in.

The 15th thru 21st positions are Stenhouse, Newman, Kurt B, Logano, Burton & Stewart. Stenhouse would be a great filler after you pick 3 top drivers. Don't know what happened at SHR that Newman & Stewart can't figure the new cars out but a 19th average won't cut it. Logano has dropped off. Not sure why. Kurt just expects way too much from his equipment and over drives it. He wants a win so bad he can taste it. All these drivers are worth a pick on your team.

So when you pick 3 top drivers & a mid tier driver, you'll need a C lister or lower equipment challenged driver if you want to be politically correct. Casey Mears, David Ragan, THE DANICA, Bobby Labonte, Dave Blaney, David Gilliland, David Reutimann and Landon Cassill always get in. Mears 25th and Ragan 26th have the better records. Cassill is in the #33 fielded by Richard Childress. He's young and it's my guess he's the one in the experimental set ups. The Danica has SHR equipment and at least tries to finish the race. Very important for points. Bobby is right there with her. He's a veteran. Don't expect more than a 20th to 30th place finish from these drivers. They can surprise you like Ragan and Gilliland did with the 1-2 finish at Dega some times or Danica's 8th at Daytona.

Mark Martin, Ragan Smith and AJ Allmendinger are good choices but they only run limited schedules so you'd have to keep an eye out for the days off to make a switch. 

So good luck in your picks. I hope this helps and if you have questions there's a box some where below to write your query. As always, it's Sunday and hopefully the sun is shining where you are and the weather is warming up for grilling. Take care, hug you pets, honey, kids, teddy bear or your beer. And....

I'm outta here.......

Sticking with the theme from the last question...Feel free to go back and put in your two cents on that one as well...

Who do you think was the greatest MLB pitcher?

and why?

 

 

 

 

 

  Hello ladies and gents, and welcome to this week's Sexy Action Sports Saturday with your old pal, IHM.

  This week's big story that will somehow continue to keep the Lakers and Kobe Bryant in the spotlight even though neither has been relevant in over a month; how about Phil Jackson's new book? In the book, he makes a comparison between Kobe and Michael Jordan, and in making the comparison basically says that he'd take Jordan over Kobe (who the fuck wouldn't?) and that Jordan was a better leader. That is the short version of it. Really, he didn't say anything that hasn't already been said a million times when people actually do compare Jordan and Bryant. Honestly, I don't think it's even a close call... Jordan was a leader on all 6 championship teams he played for... Kobe... not so much. Kobe was Scottie Pippen for the first few he won with Shaq at his side, until later on in his career when he won one on his own (without Shaq anyhow). While Kobe was a major factor in winning those championships, Jordan was the man on every title team he played for.

  Jackson also said that Jordan was a better, more focused defender than Bryant was. Again, just speaking the truth. Jordan would shut the guy across from him down, and back before the league was as watered down as it is today. Not something you can exactly blame on Kobe, but it's just the facts... Jordan has always been a better defensive player than Kobe Bryant, and every bit as good of an offensive player as well.

  So, to recap, Jordan was the superior defender, leader, and at the very least just as good on the offensive end of the floor. Now, what the hell were we arguing about again?

  The real question becomes this: how do we not look at Phil Jackson and name him as the most overrated coach in the history of sports? Yes, he won 11 championships as a head coach in the NBA. 6 with the Bulls, 5 with the Lakers. 6 of them came with Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in NBA history, on his team. In an 8-year span, the only time Jackson did not win a championship were the two years MJ was failing to hit the curve ball in Birmingham, Alabama. So MJ moves on after the second three-peat, and Phil moves on as well. Next stop, LA. Shaquille O'Neal is the best big man in the game, Kobe Bryant gives him a damn good wing player to compliment Shaq. Once again, two great basketball players, leads to four more championship rings to Phil. A few years later, Kobe runs Shaq out of town after they lose the NBA Finals to the Pistons in '04. Phil gets a big man to pair with Kobe (Gasol), the Lakers pick up one more ring.

  The question is this; is Phil Jackson the greatest coach in NBA history... or is he simply the beneficiary of having coached three of the greatest players in modern NBA history in MJ, Kobe, and Shaq? If his "triangle offense" were so effective, where are all the copycats? We all know that the world of sports is filled with copycats... if something new starts to work, other teams will follow suit quickly. Just look at all the NFL teams getting out of the 3-4 now as quickly as they jumped into it. I haven't seen one example of teams trying to copy what Phil Jackson has done in his career... with the exception of the Miami Heat... who have copied one aspect of Phil Jackson's success story... collecting the most superstars allowed under the cap and trying to win it all that way.

  My answer is yes, Phil Jackson is an overrated, egotistical, bag of ass. With all the "zen master" horse shit and book deals since his career ended, it's no wonder the guy has an inflated ego. Especially since there hasn't been a single NBA offseason go by where the guy hasn't been contacted by somebody to either "consult" or just to come back to coach. Notice, though, the last two jobs this guy took, there were superstars in place already. So, if your team is talking about bringing in Phil Jackson this offseason, yet you have nothing to offer him in the way of being a championship-ready... just ignore the rumors. If the players aren't there, he won't be there, either. Now if the Heat were to call on the other hand... I'm sure he'd break a hip tripping over a yoga mat trying to answer that call!

  The next question I have this week is, what the hell is up with Justin Verlander? Over his last two starts, last Saturday against Cleveland and Thursday against Texas, he has not been himself. In both starts, he walked a run in with the bases loaded... he did it twice in the start Thursday night against Texas. Before these last two starts, he had an ERA of under 2. With these two starts added, he's now up over 3 for the year. The question is, is this just an aberration, or is this a sign that something is actually wrong with the Tigers' ace? Unfortunately, if you ask me, this is one of those wait and see type of issues. Based on his track record, Verlander has never spent any extended amount of time hurt... so if it is an injury it's just a matter of waiting it out. If this is something mechanical, the pitching coach should be fired immediately... and then drug outside somewhere and shot!

  My final question of the week... are you as tired as I am of seeing celebrities/athletes going to the prom with freaking high school kids? I mean look, it's cute when a kid has a disability and just wants to meet that person. But now you have perfectly fine, normal kids just trying to get on TV and asking famous people to the prom with them. Case in point, Dwayne Wade of the Heat just went to the prom with some 17-year old girl in Florida somewhere... nothing wrong with the girl... apparently she just wanted to get on TV. Earlier in the year, some nerdy fuck from NY somewhere asked Kate Upton to go to prom with him. I say these little pricks should be stuck getting a date to the prom the same way we all had to... go awkwardly up to some girl in your school and mumble the question, risking embarrassment and humiliation in front of all of your peers. If you aren't strong enough to pull that off, God help you when you little fucks get into the real world!

On this fine Saturday, it is time to take a quick look at who is playing great and who is playing like...well, poorly.  For those playing poorly, my man Clint is going to take you out.  Before we get to the current S-list players, let's look at the A-list, and I start by cross - referencing a post I put up on Tuesday on King Lundqvist in the NHL Section.

On Monday last week, the Rangers put the Capitals out of their usual April / May misery with a 5-0 blitz in Game 7.  There never would have been a Game 7 if Lundqvist did not carry the Rangers there with a brilliant shutout in Game 6.  His understated demeanor and his cool style on the ice perhaps is less flashy than some of the other great goalies that might come to mind, but Henrik is one of the best...ever, and definitely in with the Good!

As a brief side not, I went to see the new Star Trek movie today and found it thoroughly entertaining.  As one who enjoyed the original series and the Kirk-based movies (a little less for the modern cast), this re-launch of the movie series with young stars is very, very well done.  If you like Star Trek at all, and really even if you don't (Mrs. Tzu even liked it), I suggest taking it in.  Good!

Now on to my MLB Good,Bad & Ugly (GBU for short) analysis...

The Yankees & Red Sox are  1 - 2 in the AL East again.  I had prematurely encouraged Yankee haters to do a spring dance on an early Yankee grave, but to their credit they quickly righted the ship and are now 10 games over .500.  The Red Sox looked awful last year and it was possible cause for long term concern, yet here they sit, 1 game behind the Yankees at 25-17.  The real surprise, and one of my true candidates for really good is Buck Showalter, is the Orioles.  It would have been very easy to write off their season in 2012 as a fluke, but here they are just a couple of games back.  Hooray for the O's!  The Yankees, Red Sox & O's....Good!

Also Good in the American League...the INDIANS, yes the Cleveland Indians, are in first place in the AL Central.  With a renewed pitching staff that is coming together and solid team hitting, the Indians are finally showing the promise that fans have been expecting for the last couple of years as preseason trendy picks to surprise...well, surprise!   The Tigers are right there as expected as are the Texas Rangers.  The Rangers have already put 6.5 games between themselves and the A's...Good!

In the National League, the St Louis Cardinals are scary good.  They are playing .659 ball at 27-14, best in the Majors.  They have a +51 run differential 40 games into the season - yikes that is good.  Also Good in the National League we have the Braves, Reds, Giants, & Nationals along with a surprising Arizona team.  The NL is going to be fun to watch as the season unfolds.  Look for the Wild Card to go down to the wire.

On the player front, Miguel Cabrera has validated his Triple Crown effort with another run at the title.  He is already leading in batting average and RBI...can HR's be far behind?  How about Chris Davis for the O's?  Hitting .317 with 11 HR and 39 RBI.  In the Future is Now category, Bryce Harper has 11 HR to go with a .299 BA and a .617 SLG for an OPS of 1.011.  And who the hell is Paul Goldschmidt?!  Where did he come from?  (Note to Team Q - nice draft pick in Round 7)  If you don't know, take a look at the stats table - his OPS is 1.077 (12 HR, .338 AVG).

Yu Darvish & Jordan Zimmerman have 7 wins, Felix Hernandez, Clayton Kershaw and Shelby Miller have microscopic ERA and Mariano is back leading the AL in saves.  Good for Mariano, who seems like a really good guy to me, especially for a Yankee - and the dude can pitch.

For the Bad, we have a few good candidates...

Let's start with the LA Angels ("LA" is bad, Anaheim is good), This glamour team is 15-27 with pitching that has been sub-par and star hitting that has been well below expectations.  Albert Pujols...remember him?...hitting .242.  Josh Hamilton?  barely above the Mendoza line at .210.  Wunderkind Trout, the best of the group at .282 but still below expectations.  (As a side note, the ESPN fantasy geniuses still have Trout as a top 10 pick with the updated rankings.  This is why I generally don't worry too much about what they see when putting together a draft plan).  For the bucks invested, BAD.

The other LA team, the Dodgers, is slightly better off, but not much.  At least they have Adrian Gonzalez who is mashing at .338, but they are still in last place.  The only reason the Angels aren't in last is because of the Ugly Astros.   As for the Dodgers, it may be time to be blue.  A team ERA of 3.89 doesn't sound bad, but in the NL, that is 15th.  Only 21 quality starts out of 40 games and just allowing too many baserunners.  Considering the strength of their division, they are going to be looking up in the standings all year.

Also Bad, are the Mets...come 'on Give me a Break!  (channeling my Warner Wolfe)...in a city where they are beloved, here is ownership that has run a team into the ground.  They can't hit - a team batting average of .229!  A team ERA of 4.5 - if it wasn't for David Wright, who would you think is on this team?  Not just Bad, also SAD.

And then there is the Ugly....

The Astros need no introduction.  Who made the call to move to the American League West?  I hope that they got some decent comp, because it is going to be a long haul for Astros fans.  This team was in the World Series just 7 years ago.  Now they have 11 wins through 42 games.  No hitting, especiall no pitching (team ERA of 5.76!) and NO HOPE.  Things are definitely UGLY in Houston.

Also Ugly, but of a slightly different ilk is the Toronto Blue Jays....here's a team that everyone and their brother picked as the AL East Champs and there they sit at the bottom of the heap.  Dickey? Ugly.  Buehrle?  Ugly!  Dickey is their team leader in ERA with 4.83!  Buehrle - who I loved as a White Sox - has an ERA of 6.33.  Their closer, Casey Janssen is the only one getting it done.  For all the bucks and all the hype, definitely UGLY!!

And on that happy note, I think I will call it a night.  Have a great Saturday!

 

 

 

 

Saturday, shortly after 6:00PM, Orb will try to take the second step towards the Triple Crown...Will another horse stop his quest for horse racing immortality?

I think so...

Here are the post positions and odds on the field, along with their jockey and trainer...

 

 

Former NHL'er, Eddie Olczyk is quite the Horse Racing fan, and apparently he predicted and nailed the Trifecta for the Derby...So today he made his prediction for Saturday...4-1-6...Yep, he's taking (4) Departing to beat (1) Orb, with (6) Oxbow coming in 3rd...

A lot of people like (2) Goldencents...My boss included...And he knows his horses...He thinks if the track is dry, Goldencents can go wire to wire....

If Orb wins, I won't be shocked, but I'll go with Departing...I'll also be throwing a couple bucks down on (9) Itsmyluckyday...Why not? It's called gambling for a reason!

Good luck!

The Beeze.

 

 

 

Just a day dreamin’ the other day...

 

Wonderin’ what it would be like for the rest of my life...

 

Don’t think I could take it...

 

So I decided to reduce it to the next five years...

 

Then I had to make the big decision...

 

Who do I pick???

 

And who can I stand to live without...

 

Amongst my many favorite teams...

 

Clippers, Lakers, Chargers, Kings, Aztec football...

 

Once I pick I can’t go back...

 

For five looooooong year...

 

You are cordially invited to join me...

 

And select only one team...

 

Just one team you can watch and follow for the next five years...

 

And you have no access to the other ones...

 

No access whatsoever...

 

Read the paper, it ain’t in there...

 

Watch TV...

 

 

Just a snowy picture...

 

Same for that radio station...

 

It ain’t there either...

 

Who do you love the most???

 

Who can’t you live without...

 

And the others just don’t exist...

 

For five years...

 

You won’t even know when they’re playing...

 

Or not playing...

 

So...

 

Imagine the off-season...

 

The loooooooong off-season...

 

If you pick a basketball team

 

You can’t watch the other sports...

 

Not just your team...

 

But the entire sport...

 

Well...

 

Maybe we could let you watch the other sports...

 

Or maybe not...

 

But not your team in that sport...

 

Is your absolute favorite team in your absolute favorite sport???

 

Tough choice???

 

Will it be based on how well that team is playing at the time???

 

Or will you pick a crummy team in your favorite sport???

 

I must say...

 

This is a tough one for me...

 

Baseball is my favorite sport...

 

That’s my generation...

 

But there’s nothing like going to a hockey game...

 

Or sitting in the stands with my season tickets...

 

Watching SDSU...

 

My college football alma mater...

 

If I don’t pick a college basketball team...

 

I miss March Madness...

 

Do I mind missing the Super Bowl???

 

Or the World Series???

 

The Stanley Cup...

 

Could I bear not getting to watch???

 

 

The dreaded Pro Bowl???

 

And...

 

As with any challenge like this...

 

There must be an *asterisk...

 

A disclaimer...

 

*Your actual mileage may vary...

 

*Member FDIC...

 

*If it lasts for more than four hours, call a doctor...

 

Okay...

 

One more thing...

 

 

Soccer doesn’t count...

 

You can’t pick a soccer team...

 

Because most soccer fans are one-sporters...

 

The wouldn’t miss the other sports any ways...

 

And that’s not fair to the rest of us...

 

Does that hurt you soccer fans???

 

Then fall down and fake an injury...

 

So...

 

Who’s your pick???

 

Are you going for quantity???

 

162 baseball games???

 

Or quality???

 

A four month college football season...

 

As for me...

 

I will pass on the Clippers and the Chargers...

 

I will miss the Clips...

 

But I can definitely live without the Bolts...

 

Especially after being Norved to death the last few years...

 

It’s between the Angels and the Kings...

 

And if I don’t take the Halos...

 

What do I do during the summer months???

 

Hmmm...

 

I could go to a minor league park???

 

Does that count???

 

I’ll count it...

 

I’m the boss here...

 

I’ll pass on the Angels...

 

So the only one left is...

 

 

GO! KINGS! GO!

 

 

 

dvt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8ui8Ic222rI/S_rMCMoISgI/AAAAAAAAApI/G0PIqauCCdU/s400/disappear.jpg

 

http://www.mathpirate.net/log/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Static.jpg

 

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/chromaco/chromaco1204/chromaco120400022/13135191-baseball-cartoon-player-with-bat-and-ball-vector-illustration.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ddhi4ZDVQw/UQg0vs0rpdI/AAAAAAAAF3s/PW-mu-qGqd8/s1600/Soundtrack+Art.jpg

 

http://www.drdavidgeier.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Faking-soccer-injury.jpg

 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef01761560ea42970c-640wi

In sports, numbers are always important...So much of sports is wrapped up in stats...And stats are our best way to judge the greats...But the numbers still don't make things clear...There is always debate about who was the greatest...People will say Babe Ruth was the greatest Homerun  hitter, even though he doesn't hold the record for the most HR's...Some would say Bonds...But others would argue, 'He never had to face Walter Johnson...Or Bob Gibson...

So, for the next however many Q-o-t-D's we're going to throw these types of debates out there...Is it just stats...Is the era they played in a consideration...How do you base your opinion on the greats...So, since I already touched on it...

Who do you think is the Greatest Homerun Hitter of all time?  

And why?