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.

 

 

 

  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!

Even marrying up, I find that there is a little redneck in all of us.

Ok I’ll admit I married up…way up.

 

My wife’s family is made from different stock, they are bright, good looking and polished. Her 3 sisters and brother and their spouses are all of post graduate degree success. Her parents did a fine job raising these hard working Americans; I love and deeply respect these people.

This unique family is truly one of a kind. Shirt off their back, there for you in a crisis, always caring, and all get along almost all the time. They are a welcoming lot…must be because 27 years after marrying up I’m still in!

 

 I’m no slouch myself…I did graduate Suma oh laudy don’t come backy

from HS and went on to a distinguished, but very short college career at the local University of Party Tech.

After racking up some bills and a GPA in the ones, I reached my potential and got a job…in construction. and here I am decades later with…a job…in the construction industry. I wouldn’t change a thing.

All that being said, I submit to you, that no matter where you were born and raised and no matter what your social class or which precious metal spoon was between your gums at birth, there IS at least a latent redneck gene swimming in that pool in all of us.

 

We live in Southeastern MA, an area known for being an ultra liberal hotbed of academia.

We Harrys try to bring some good old fashion redneck style common sense conservatism to the neighborhood. I don’t drive a hybrid but my fairway irons are hybrids

One brother in law said to my wife last weekend at our pre Mothers Day family get together at my place,

"Harry has turned you into a redneck"

Mrsharry started to protest and then stopped…and pondered…and looked around our place…and laughed.

 

And said,

“ so what your saying is…just because we have a deer hoist on the side of our shed, we just might be rednecks!”

And then she cheerfully added:

 

“ if you have the black and white striped side canopy from the old Coleman pop up camper attached to the front of that shed to shade the beer fridge…you just might be a Redneck”

And then they all piled on

 

If your husband plants a row of arborvitae to create a green monster left field wall to the wiffle ball court…you might be a redneck

 

If the first thing you see when you open door #3 of the shed is a 350 small block Chevy engine…you might be a redneck…if your shed has 3 doors…yup, redneck.

 

When your stone fire pit is rigged with cast iron hooks and rods to become a cooking fire at

A moments notice… you could possibly be sporting some redneck traits.

 

When you protect your blueberry bushes from the birds by tying the old

screen house screens around it…chances are that you just might be a redneck

And if all five of your kids smile in agreement when you are called a redneck and proudly admit they are too…than you just may be doing your part to perpetuate the species known as rednecks.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the staff here at the Gab and also to Norm for taking care of business whilst I was housing the Marines back in oldharrysville, nice job Norm.

Mom is home and feeling better, thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

We had a great visit and I’m happy to say that my Marines make all of us very proud as they risk much to protect our freedoms. As my daughter said,

“ Fighting for freedom isn’t a safe job but I’d rather be free than safe”

 

 

OK Gabbers, this is where you admit to that Redneck gene and tell the rest of us your best redneck moment…don’t be shy

 

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. What happened to global warming? It is mid May and normally, Austin is well on the way to summer. Not this year…pleasant and comfortable is what we have had of late. Of course, that means that others are still waiting for the warm up. I always find it interesting that “experts” talk of trends in weather in the past 100 years. Hell…that is not a trend; that is just a blip. Perspective is an interesting thing. Would you find advice from an 80 year old guy more valuable than a 20 year old? How about a weatherman that was 2000 years old?  Now that is a guy that I would tune into listen to. Beezer and BOB touched on something that has been bothering me for awhile. As BOB mentioned yesterday, Tim Tebow cannot find a team willing to put up with the circus that comes with Tebow the football player. Beezer brought out the fact that the “hero” in Cleveland is perhaps not such a great guy after all. Many will say that Tebow is a victim of his popularity that he willingly fed. I guess that is fair, but is really true? From everything that I have heard, Tebow is a very hard working kid that loves to play the game. I am not a fan, but I can see that he has talent to play the game. What is it about Tebow that the media loves? Is it that he was a personality in college and has failed to find success in the NFL? Fans expect, no that is not the right word…we demand players to be available to the media. Usually, players adopt a mask for the camera and use clichés to avoid offering any real depth to who they really are. With Tebow, we get a player that appears to offer us something more than clichés. In doing so, Tim Tebow now understands the dark side of overexposure.

 

 

 

 

 

I read this week that Vinny Testerverde and Chris Weinke spent time in the off season working with Tim Tebow. They quickly learned that it was not his throwing motion that caused Tebow’s inaccuracy, but his horrible footwork. After correcting his footwork, his passes had sizzle and repeatedly were true. I also read that the Jets ruined Tebow’s chances of playing in the NFL. I would really like for this kid to get a chance to play. As of now, the only team interested is Jaworski’s AFL team. Tebow has not expressed any interest in arena football at this time.

 

 

We live in what has been described as an information age. It is impossible to ignore the many wonderful advances that technology has provided. With the good, comes the bad. With regards to the media and the manner that information is dispersed, I am done…kaput; sick and tired. Emails, twitter, TV, radio…each day such a giant tidal wave of information pours out that I find myself pulling back. Now, of course information is a good thing. It is just the way that the message is being delivered that I have such a problem with. Dig, dig and dig some more is what many media sources do. Why is it that each story must contain drama? Is it because that we want to find the bad stuff that surely must be hidden? I don’t know the Ramsey guy in Cleveland from Jack Shit and really don’t understand why his past is an issue. Except that it gives the media something to dig up and hold up as a trophy of sorts. See, this Good Samaritan is really not such a good guy at all. Look what we found…in the end, we forget that the guy did a really good thing in saving the three women from a horrible existence. Ramsey obviously has had issues in his past. He was punished for his bad behavior and it is not for me to judge his worth as a person, now. Obviously there is a need for this type of coverage because the media finds a large willing market. Maybe it is just me?

 

I suppose it is rather Pollyanna of me to wish for a simpler time. A time when we accepted things at face value without searching for the bad.. Naive, perhaps…but so much easier in so many ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baseball fans are really big on maintaining the integrity of the game. When a player is “tainted” with real or alleged use of peds, he is completely written off by many fans. I constantly hear it said that players cheating are cheating the game. Why do these same fans not see that horrible umpiring also presents the same threat to the integrity of baseball? Frequently, I hear…”let’s not mess with the “human” element that umpires bring to the game.” I am sorry folks; you can’t take one without the other. A threat is a threat nonetheless. Why should we allow umpires to miss a home run that could have changed the outcome of a game? How can an umpire have access to replays that clearly indicated home run and still get it wrong? How can an umpire not know the rules required for a pitching change? Why allow a manager to protest a game without ever changing the outcome? I can recall one game that was replayed because of a protest…the pine tar game. If ever a game should have been redone it was the game that Oakland lost to Cleveland. Rule the ball a home run and finish the game from that point.  I was listening to an interesting story with regards to the pine tar game that I had forgotten. When the Yankees and Royals met to replay the end of the game that allowed George Brett’s home run… Billy Martin appealed that Brett missed first base, then second and third base. The umpiring crew ruled that he was safe in touching all of the bases. Martin screamed, how can you say he touched the bases, you were not even here! Well, Billy we talked to the other crew and they said he touched the bases. Talk about covering all of your bases!! I have to admit that I had my mind changed this week. I work with a guy that is an umpire for high school games locally. I was asking the question why umpires get a pass from the media. Players and coaches alike have to endure the grilling after a game…why don’t umpires? My friend pointed out that umps are not supposed to be a personality. The problem that he sees is that many of these guys have too much personality and ego. By putting them in front of the camera or having their name put in print, we remove the anonymity that an umpire is supposed to have. An impartial judge is the job and I have to agree that he is right.  Let’s give the umpires better tools to do their job and get rid of the few tools that wear blue and threaten the integrity of the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For all the complaining about baseball, there are also many great things about the game. Here is something that is an example of something that is wonderful about baseball. Think Ryu is now a favorite of this kid? Awesome...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have not followed the NBA much this year, but do know that everyone was singing the praises of Seth Curry. Golden State was going to knock the Spurs out. Spurs were too old…yadda yadda. Looks like the Spurs had a different idea on Tuesday night. Curry had touted that they were the greatest backcourt in history…Curry had 9 points Tuesday night. Reminds me of the great quote by Samuel Clemens…”reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.” Somehow the Spurs get it done…when Pop is done coaching, we will look back and realize what a great coach he was. What a great defensive team coached by a tough minded coach.

 

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

 

 

“If I had a nickname, I would want it to be” Prince of Weasels”, because then I could go up and bite people and they would turn around and go…”What the…?”And then they would recognize me and say, ‘Oh, it’s you, the Prince of Weasels”. “

 

  

“I hope when they die that cartoon characters have to answer for their sins.”

 

That’s all I have for today, but feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own.

 

 

 

 

MLB.   St. Louis is an incredible organization and what their pitchers did to Colorado on Friday and Saturday - somebody better call the cops.  Going 47 batters before giving up a hit?  How ridiculous is that?  I've never even heard of that.

San Francisco Giants went 4-3 this week, struggling w/Philly then taking three out of four from Atlanta.  A bit disappointing of a week and the relievers are starting to drop like flies with Affeldt out on the DL, now Casilla hurts his right knee.  Nevertheless, they are still two games up in the NL West over Arizona.

Oakland A’s had a horrific week going 1-6 at Cleveland and Seattle.  Lots of day to day injuries and shuffling the lineup.  Pitching is killing this team, and the hitting is starting to revert back to last season.  Shake yourselves Oaktown.

NHL.   So far so good for me and the NHL Playoffs.  San Jose advances and gets LA in the second round, the Frenchies got smoked, and the Islanders threw a scare into those dirty Penguins.  But you really gotta look at Toronto and say nice job boys.  Nobody expected this.

Ottawa/Pittsburgh should be fun...as should San Jose/LA. 

NBA.  Steph Curry is incredible, and every time you throw dirt on the Warriors, they come strong.  Now the series is even at two and the Spurs are struggling hard.

Looks like Memphis is gonna beat up a weakened OKC team, Chicago is looking to play football, and Carmelo Anthony is shooting way too much.

NFL.  Tim Tebow’s NFL career is over, but not in a way that he ever envisioned.  No team wants to take a chance on a guy because of “the circus” that surrounds him and that’s a shame because despite a lot of talk, he has the ability to help a team.  When he looks back to wonder “what happened?”, I would suggest to Mr. Tebow that he did a horrible job in stopping the press from being so obnoxiously douchy when it came to him.  He should have cut it off quickly and succinctly, perhaps taking a note from Shane Falco in “The Replacements” and say, “Talk to player X, he’s the real hero…” – don’t give the media anywhere to go with that.

Considering Titus Young’s behavior as of late, I can only imagine what kind of crap he got away with up in Boise.  Dude must figure his NFL career is DOA because this dude is going Pac Man all over the place.

Golf.  Is Golf so desperate for press that we have to hear about Tiger getting liquored up and falling down some stars at “the boom boom room” and having some contrived (and sissified) bullshit stirred up with Sergio Garcia?  How stupid is this???

Speaking of Sergio Garcia - toughen the hell up son.  If Tiger is that far in your dome that it affects your play on the links, get off the course because you've got bigger problems.

I hope all the moms out there had a great Mother's Day...We all know the MILF's did! Mother's Day...Shit, it should be called 'Dad get the kids out of here so Mom can be a lump all day!' I'm kidding, I'm kidding...I love all you moms out their....Especially my wife and my mom...Just remember ladies...Remember the lengths we go to on Mother's Day...Because it seems like when Father's Day rolls around, it gets blown off....Restaurants aren't booked solid for Father's Day...There isn't a big hoopla...A steak and a blow job should be the minimum requirement!

So, any big news stories this week....Oh yeah, THIS big story in the Cleve of course...I wrote that the night it broke...But after that I left the story alone...One of the reasons I left it alone was the Charles Ramsey angle...They guy was an instant media hit...Yes he did the right thing...But I was watching all his interviews, and then I heard his 9-1-1 call...I heard stuff that I expected, like him swearing...You could tell in some of the interviews he was fighting to keep certain words back...But the thing that bothered me was how his story changed in slight details, and how his 9-1-1 call didn't match with some stuff he said...Then there was the interview where he said, "I'm not a hero, I'm the definition of a man."

NOT SO FAST CHUCK...Yeah, you did the right thing...You along with another guy who got no love because he doesn't speak English...But Charles Ramsey has himself a hell of a record...Including 3 convictions for domestic violence and some unpaid child support...So while Charles Ramsey helped Amanda Berry break out of that door, and all of Cleveland is thrilled to have found these 3 young women alive, calling yourself "the definition of a man" is bullshit...Charles Ramsey may have changed his ways, but I don't think he can wear that label.

And right after the story broke people seemed quick to bash the police...Yeah, the 9-1-1 operator was an asshole...I think most people agree on that...And yes, police and the courts should have gone after this Castro bastard harder on stuff in his past...Like maybe when he beat the hell out of his ex-wife, busting up her shoulders, ribs, face, and causing a blood clot on her brain....Oh, and taking their kids and not returning them...Threatening to kill her...Yeah, people should have looked at this guy harder...But you can't blame every cop this...Especially when every time the city is in a budget crunch, they layoff Cops...The system is broken, not the police...

See, this is why I started light, with the MILF crap...because I knew this shit was gonna get heavier...

Well, may as well keep it heavy for a bit longer...Former Notre Dame Fullback, Asaph Schwapp died this past week after a long battle with cancer...He was 26 years old...Too damn young...

-So last week I brought up the NCAA Lacrosse Tourney...So here's what shook out this weekend...UNC beat Lehigh 16-7...Yale beat Penn State 10-7...Notre Dame beat Detroit Mercy 9-7...Denver beat Albany 19-14...Cornell beat Maryland 16-8...Ohio State beat Towson 16-6...Duke beat Loyal (md) 12-11 in double OT...and Syracuse beat Bryant 12-7...Action will pick back up Saturday...

-As for Hockey...The Rangers are killing me...There may not be enough beer in this house to get through Monday night's game 7 with the Capitals...Both teams have held their ground at home...So the Rangers have to break that Monday...Both Goalies have been amazing...5 of the the 6 games were won by won goal...Each goalie has a 1-0 victory...Braden Holtby is becoming an elite goalie right in front of our eyes...He's going toe-to-toe with Lunqvist...And the two superstar goal scores...ALexander Ovechkin, and Rick Nash have been shut down...It's the gritty, role players getting it done...

And Glen Sather looks like a genius for trading Marian Gaborik...Derrick Brassard has flourished with the Rangers, and has been one of their 3 best players in this series...John Moore, the young d-man has stepped right in, and shown he's an elite skater, with great hands, and loads of potential...And Derek Dorsett has played great in this series as well...One thing bothering me, is calling up Chris Krieder and giving him hardly any minutes...They refused to trade him in the Nash deal...He gave them great energy late last season...He has great speed...He's a play maker, and a goal scorer...Your team is struggling to score...He needs to be on the ice Torts!

Sunday night's game ended with some chippieness...Green and Ribero from the Capitals pulled a couple of cocksucker moves late in the game, and when the horn sounded at the end of the game...After the Ranger 1-0 win, the well composed unit let the Caps know they weren't forgetting about it...And the Caps were trying to get in their head for game 7...Monday night's game should be fun...But I'll be sure to have my blood pressure meds and a six-pack sitting next to me...

The Boston Bruins will also be in a game 7 Monday night...Some how they let the Maple Leafs back in, and all the sudden the Leafs are giving them fits....WOW! Who would of thunk it!

Playoff hockey people...Can't beat it!

Have a week...

The Beeze.

 

 

   Hello folks and welcome to this week’s edition of Sexy Action Sports Saturday with your old pal IHM.

   This week, we heard a little something out of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder when he came out and publicly stated the team would ‘never’ change its name. Over the years, we’ve been up in arms about quite a few name changes here at the Gab. The most recent and notable was the University of South Dakota Fighting Sioux changing their name despite the support of the Sioux nation. But, with the name “Redskins” you are talking about a whole new ballgame. This name isn’t a tribute to proud warriors who once faced off with what equated with invaders attempting to take their land and way of life away from them… this is a reference to skin color that would with any other race have caused a fucking riot and boycott of all things NFL to this point. Hell, if someone named a team the “Detroit Darkskins”, there would be a public outrage on an international stage. So why is it still okay for the Washington Redskins to continue to exist? Personally, I say it is time for a change, despite the objections of owner Daniel Snyder, and I believe the NFL is going to have to force the issue in order to save face. What say you, Gabitants? Is it about damn time the league steps in and does something to change what is arguably the most offensive team name in the history of professional sports in the year 2013?

   The Lions agreed to terms with Ziggy Ansah today, the final of their 9 2013 draft picks to sign. With his signing, the Lions are ready to roll into camp with a full house. Unfortunately, that means they will have Ziggy Ansah under contract for five years now! Hopefully I am wrong here, but I still say the guy is out of football in two years. Oh, and more great news as Darius Slay, the second round corner, had surgery to repair his meniscus this week, so he’ll miss rookie camp. All right, because we know Mayhew has a great history of taking guys with injury history… right Jhavid Best? Ryan Broyles? Titus Young? Mikkeal Leshoure?

   At least one Lion is upbeat this offseason, as DT Nick Fairley has predicted the Lions will go to the Super Bowl this year. If there were next day, mandated drug tests for saying stupid shit, you’d better bet I’d have his ass on a plane somewhere to get one done after saying that. Not that I’m mad at the guy for dreaming or anything… but history isn’t exactly on their side, either. The only team to go from 4 wins to a Super Bowl win in NFL history was the 1999 St.Louis Rams… and let’s face it, the Rams we ain’t, despite Bill Polian’s insistence.

   Last year at this time, Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was having a solid year with 7 homers, 27 RBI and hitting around .285. This year after the same amount of games, he’s at 40 RBI, same seven home run total, and hitting nearly a hundred points higher at .382. As it sits now, he leads in 2/3 Triple Crown categories, and is four home runs behind AL leader Mark Reynolds of Cleveland.

  Speaking of Cleveland, aside from Friday night, they’ve been playing some damn good ball of late. The aforementioned Reynolds has provided some nice pop with 11 HR/30 RBI, and is even hitting a respectable .283. Ryan Rayburn hit .171 with 1 HR/12 RBI all of last year (205 ABs) with the Tigers. This year with Cleveland, he’s hitting .329 with 4 HRs and 11 RBI. Even spring training invite Scott Kazmir, a forgotten former All-Star pitcher with the Rays, is contributing two wins so far with three straight quality starts. Right now, the Tigers, Indians, Royals and Twins are all within three games of the AL Central lead, with the White Sox in the cellar and 5.5 back.

  Can someone please get David Ortiz to shut the fuck up? My God… you want to know why people think you cheated and continue to cheat to this day? Look at your baseball card from back when you were a Minnesota Twin, hitting .260 or so with a career high of 20 home runs to, in 2003 when you used those “vitamins”, hitting 30 home runs and having 100 RBI. The very next year was your first 40 home run season. You followed that up with two more, then the drug testing program you “support” kicked in and you haven’t topped 40 home runs since. As for the “prejudice” remark in regards to the Boston writer mentioning your Dominican roots, it’s just reality pal. Look at how many former Dominican players have been busted cheating, including a few of them that were on the same 2003 report you were. It’s not prejudice; it’s more so being a realist.

  Before I call it a week, I wanted to take a moment and give a warning to all of you out there planning on a relaxing, care free weekend. Maybe you plan on heading to a lake, pond, or natural setting. Well, I give you this warning: beware of beavers. That's right, a dolphin will rape you, but a beaver will fucking kill you! A man in Belarus was bitten by an angry beaver, severing his femoral artery and causing him to bleed to death before he could get to help. Here is the terrifying video proof that nothing will ruin your weekend quicker than an angry beaver:

 

  That’s all I’ve got for the week, folks. Thanks as always for reading and for any comments you leave on the way out. Have a great weekend, Gabbers.

 

 

 

 

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

• French Proverb

 

When Major League Baseball first made the decision to institute limited instant replay in August 2008, the move was met with a feeling of inevitability. It was an inevitability that a game that always fought progress, would finally succumb to it.

Well, it was also inevitable that the same backward thinking that took it so long for the league to implement the measure would then also impede it from being used properly.

As a game, baseball has long been built around the judgment of the individual, a belief that one person’s naked eye should be the end-all, be-all judge of all. By instituting limited instant replay on home run balls (fair/foul, out of the park or not), the league as a whole caved to the realization that the naked eye is not always to be believed. Bud Selig even admitted as much during his initial press conference on August 26, 2008.

"I believe this is right," Selig. "I think the umpires believe it. I think the players believe it. The evidence [for using it] became overwhelming the more I looked at ballparks. You've got an umpire running out and he's 300-400 feet away, and it became impossible [for him to make the right call]. I'm delighted we're able to make this adjustment.

Yes, here we stand, nearly five seasons after the system has been introduced, and we still rely on the judgment of one person to dictate the outcome of a ballgame?

On Wednesday night, the Oakland Athletics were handed a loss by the Cleveland Indians after they failed to push a tying run over the plate during the 9^th inning. However, that should not have been the case, as Adam Rosales hit what appeared to be a game-tying home run with two-outs in the inning. However, the umpire crew called the ball in play rather than a home run and Rosales ended up at second base.

This is the type of situation replay was instituted to resolve. The Athletics protested and the umpires decided to go to the replay, which clearly showed the ball hitting a railing above the yellow line at Progressive Field and bouncing back into play, which would mean the ball was indeed a home run. However, despite both home and away feeds showing that fact and the umpire crew having access to said feeds, crew chief Angel Hernandez ruled the play would stand as ruled on the field.

Obviously, Bob Melvin was incensed and was ejected for continuing to argue the call on the field. The Athletics would load the bases, but would ultimately fail to push that tying run across.

But that fact is not the real kick in the teeth. That came from MLB’s executive vice-president for baseball operations Joe Torre.

In a ruling on Thursday, Torre admitted that “an improper call was made”. However, Torre left the call as is, saying “By rule, the decision to reverse a call by use of instant replay is at the sole discretion of the crew chief. In the opinion of Angel Hernandez, who was last night's crew chief, there was not clear and convincing evidence to overturn the decision on the field. It was a judgment call, and as such, it stands as final.”

Torre is referring to rule 9.02a which states, “Any umpire’s decision which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out, is final. No player, manager, coach or substitute shall object to any such judgment decisions.”

However, it begs to ask that if we are making progress toward the correct judgment, should we not also be progressing toward a way to correct improper judgment?

In this case, the Athletics are allowed an appeal to Torre’s office, but based on the way the rule is written – or interpreted, I’m unsure which – that appeal is for naught, as the umpire’s judgment is deemed the final word. They in essence become the judge, jury, and executioner so to speak.

This is not the first example of this, let alone the first time this season. The Tampa Bay Rays were robbed twice by bad calls, once on April 9^th when Marty Foster handed Joe Nathan his 300^th save on poor strike call and another time on April 4^th, when Evan Longoria was ruled to have overrun Ben Zobrist on an RBI single. Unfortunately, you cannot argue balls and strikes, and the umpire refused to ask for help on the April 4^th play.

However, the issue at hand is that the appeals system is nearly non-existent. What good does it do to file said appeal if in essence all you are getting to really say is, “I’m really unhappy Joe.” 

It is an absolute disgrace to the game that there is no willingness on the part of Major League Baseball to correct a wrong. Instead, they simply say “sorry” and expect that it is fair to both parties to leave things as ruled on the field.  With the insertion of replay, we should be making progress against bad judgment calls rather than enabling them to continue unhindered.

Is the long-term legitimacy of the game really worth bolstering up the ego of an individual?

Craig and I were sitting in the break room eating lunch and shooting the shit about our fantasy teams like we always do, when he brought up J.A. Happ taking one of the side of his head last night, thank God he is alright, a cut and a bruise at best, no concussion. Anyway, Craig brought up instant replay and how he thought it should be used in baseball, and if they had a more broader use of instant replay they could have overruled Jim Joyce's blown call that cost Armando Gallaraga his perfect game and more or less ruin his major league career from that point on. My argument is this: in baseball its used exclusively for home run calls which I understand, because after all you are expecting old men with poor vision to make a judgment call from 200 feet or more away which can be rather difficult at times which is fine with me. I mentioned hockey's use of replay for goal scoring only more or less, the puck travels at 100+ miles per hour for which it can be in and out before the referee and goal judge see it, so I can live with that. What do you guys think?

How many of you Bruins fans are getting a chuckle out of the Ottawa-Montreal series, with the Sen's leading it 3-1 going into Game 5? I know I am, somebody should have told the Penguins and Canadians that the Islanders and Senators were going to show up, and play them tough. What a bunch of dumbasses if they thought those two teams were just going to roll over and let them win. Also who would have thought the Canucks would go down in 4 to the Sharks, wouldn't be surprised to see the coach and a lot of player turn over this summer in Vancouver. Sorry Beeze, the Rangers-Capitals series means nothing to me right now, have not watched enough of that one to form an opinion.

If you can't tell I really could care less about the NBA playoffs, for whatever reason I am not interested what-so-ever. I have watched about 5 minutes of the playoffs because I am more interested in watching the NHL and the Tigers.  I know most of all the Astros were glad to see them leave Houston last weekend, getting swept and nearly no-hit by Verlander on Sunday.....

Which NBC dumbass decided to pull the plug on Faith Hill? She was sometimes better than the football game they would show on Sunday night. Oh yes and finally, a little something for the Beeze.....

Finally this one is for Sully, I want to thank him for inviting me to take Old Harry's place this week while he is visiting with his daughter. Hope you have a great time with her Harry as she is home on leave from the Marines. I wish her well, and hope she remains safe as she serves for our country.....

This may even get Old Harry's blood flowing, along with a few others who are from that area. May everyone remain safe, until we meet again.........

 

 

 

 

 

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. Tomorrow night I will stand in front of a group of parents for the last time as my son’s high school baseball booster club president. To be honest, the job has been a labor of love. Jim Bouton has a famous quote that goes like this, “you spend part of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it is the other way around.” That is how I feel. I did not play high school baseball. My parents were very uncaring…they took us to the lake and made us swim, fish and ski. Yeah, it was a different time. Baseball was only played in the summer. Instead of organized baseball, we played pickup games, often. My son has a bucket of baseballs that he carries in his trunk. I had one baseball and frequently it was in rough shape. Our field was a field, literally a field with rocks, sticks and flowers. The game we played changed depending on how many players we had. If we only had a few, we would close off left or right field. There were no umpires, we argued until we came to a consensus. It was not fancy, but it was baseball and the grip was established.

 

 

 

                                                                    Getting their attention is the toughest part...

 

                                                              Working a tournament for a Wrangler fundraiser

 

After years of coaching my daughters in softball then my son in baseball, it is time to move on. But, there is this tug. It is hard to explain. With the hours invested in the game, I am having second thoughts. There is fantasy baseball, which is great. Of course I love watching MLB…but I miss being Coach Jeff.  What Bouton described does not only relate to players. Having a son that plays the game brings an attachment that is difficult to describe. My oldest daughter used to date a baseball player. We would go out to eat and she would get so pissed because we would talk baseball. “Can we talk about anything but baseball?”  Players are always looking for answers for a better method to hit a baseball. A different load, a shorter stride…short to the ball, long through the ball. I love the art of hitting a baseball. I totally get Ted Williams. The nuances that Williams marveled at are probably boring to some, but I find them fascinating. Mike Epstein played for Ted Williams and has said that they used to sit and talk about hitting. Where was the best place for the hands? A bit higher than this or perhaps a bit lower? Williams would tell Epstein, if you are going to punch me, where would you start your fist for maximum leverage? There you are, that is exactly where your hands should start. Then Epstein said Williams would say, “hey…I think you are on to something there”. What I would not give to have an hour or two to sit an listen to Ted Williams.

What would be my dream job? Being a  MLB hitting coach would be my dream gig. Yeah, that ain’t gonna happen. Instead, I will just continue to follow the game and taking every opportunity to talk baseball. One thing...there are many of us out there. That tug is shared by former players, coaches and fans everywhere, so finding others to discuss the game is not too difficult.

 

 

                                                                     A long weekend tournament. Tired, but happy

 

 

 

There are many great stories in MLB this year, but I happen to really enjoy the story that is the Cleveland Indians. What makes this a cool story for me is that not one baseball expert liked what Cleveland did in the off season. There was something that the Indians did that had me liking their future, hiring Terry Francona. If I was a MLB manager, it would be Francona’s style that I would use.  Here is a quote by Francona…” I don’t have any perspective. I live and die with this game. And that'll never change. I like what I'm doing, and it means a lot to me. I'm OK with that.” Cleveland was the perfect place for Francona to land, after the messy end in Boston. Even the most fervent Red Sox fan has to admit that there is much more to being a manager in Boston than baseball. In the softer glare that is Cleveland, Francona is allowed to focus on what he loves. Building relationships and trust with his players is what makes Francona great. It is this ability to create a team that will allow Francona’s Indians to compete this year. Lack of quality starters will force the Indians to frequently need to outscore opponents to win, but that is precisely what they are doing. Winners of 8 of their last 9 games, the Indians have scored at least 6 runs in each game…until Tuesday night. Cleveland took a 1 to 0 victory over Oakland, behind the 5 hit pitching of Zach McAlister. So, even though I figure the Indians are at least a year away from bringing in a couple of arms to make a playoff run…if Jimenez and Masterson become what their potential indicates, maybe they could surprise this year. The Indians are a great story and it could not happen to a nicer guy than Francona.

 

 

    Francona building a relationship...the difference between Francona and many other managers is that he truly cares about his players.

 

 

That’s all I have today, but I will leave you a bit of Jack Handey:

 

 

 

I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he's throwing up, is not what I call hospitality.

 

 

If you go parachuting, and your parachute doesn't open, and you friends are all watching you fall, I think a funny gag would be to pretend you were swimming.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guys, before I get started on the regular sports, I gotta take time here and vent my outrage about what happened in Utah.  To the family of 46 year old Ricardo Portillo, my heart is heavy with grief for what you are going through, and what you will continue to go through. 

Ricardo died because he was reffing a rec league soccer game and a player that didn't like a call slugged him.  Taking a man's life over a game that would have been forgotten about 30 minutes after it ended?  What has happened in our society when a punk goes out and does this?  The State of Utah had better go hardcore on this and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law and punish the assailant just as hard.  This 17 year old needs to be tried as an adult and punished like one. 

When and where does this crap end?  What is it going to take for society to be disturbed enough to start taking control back from these little snot nosed punks?  When did it become OK for juveniles to act out like this?  It's time for we as a society to demand respect and accountability from our youth.  Dammit, we are the bosses, not the kids.  It's time to bring back much stiffer punishments rather than moddy-coddling. 

Lastly, why on Earth would anybody want to be a sports official?  Sports is gonna have a problem down the line if nobody wants to do the job of an official, an admittedly tough job.

Welcome to the tantrums where Uncle B.O.B. is sorry to hear that the Minnesota Vikings cut Punter Chris Kluwe and in typical Kluwe speak, he tweeted "So long Minnesota, and thanks for all the fish."  We here in Gab-land love Kluwe for his outspokenness and refreshing honesty.  Whether or not you agreed with his takes, at least you have to respect Kluwe for taking a stand and sticking by it.  Let's hope my man catches on somewhere else. 

MLB.   So I thought I’d look to see who was the hottest team in MLB right now and was surprised to see it was the Detroit Tigers at 8-2 over their last ten games.  But who the hell woke Cleveland up, winning six in a row until Minny got 'em Sunday?  Beeze should be celebrating that Cleveland made it to Cinco de Mayo over .500. 

San Francisco Giants went 6-0 this week sweeping Arizona and the Dodgers and mostly in the comeback type in close games.  Pablo Sandoval is hitting .331 on the season.  Unfortunately, Brandon Crawford has tanked at the plate.  Brandon Belt is coming on strong and Madison Bumgarner has a 1.55 ERA.  Man, if Cain can start coming around like he did last night in seven innings, it's on!

Oakland A’s went 4-2 and took two of three from both the Angels and Yankees.  Not only that, this is happening when the team is going through some injuries.  Cespedes is picking up some of the offensive load and the A's are ranked #1 in MLB in runs scored - a far cry from last season.  Problem is Texas is running red hot right now and Oakland's pitching is struggling...

NHL.   Henrik Sedin, you are a punk.  You punch Logan Couture in the face just after a faceoff against the guy?  Then that same guy you jaw jacked scores a goal just ten seconds later.  How stupid are you?  Then he adds an elbow to the head on a dead play?  What the hell?  The NHL Sheriff needs to come down on Sedin before a serious injury occurs.

Speaking of which, #76 for Montreal is a little punk instigator too.  Good on the Senators for layin the wood.

Lots being made about Ottawa calling a time out w/17 seconds left in their 6-1 win over Montreal.  While at first I thought it was bush, I got to thinking, maybe the coach was telling his players not to do anything stupid because the series still has to go on and they don’t need to get suspended.

NBA.  Joey Crawford the ref takes a lot of heat for his heavy-handed approach to dealing with players, but I'm not gonna bash him for his performance in that Clipper/Grizzly Game Six.  If anything, he should have tossed both Blake Griffin AND Matt Barnes as well for overall douche-baggery and shit-stirring.

I’m celebrating that fact that a lot of the floppers are gone from the playoffs so now we can watch basketball being played straight up.

Speaking of floppers and whiners, I come to Chris Paul.  I love how folks gloss over his schtick and now are saying he'll stay a Clipper.  I don't believe that for a second.  This cat is gonna end up the starting Point Guard for the LA Lakers next season. 

I was one of those who thought Miami was gonna steamroll the East, but as I look, Miami don’t want none of Chicago, then they have to face the winner of that war between Indy and NYC.

Could we see the mother of all nightmares for the NBA, Memphis winning the West?  The NBA must be freaking the hell out with three of the smallest markets (San Antonio, Memphis, and OKC) fighting it out in the West, and no LA to bail them out after the first round. Man, they gotta be praying for Golden State.

Out West, I’m gonna enjoy San Antonio/Golden State.  There’s a lot of folks who think the Spurs should win this easily, but I believe anything can happen if Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson get hot.  As for Memphis and OKC, with Westbrook out you just don’t know about the Thunder but then again if they go deep, it could teach Westbrook a valuable lesson.

CFB.  So ESPN partners w/the SEC for a new network at the same time they have the rights to the college football playoff?  Yeah, this whole thing will be completely above board (Sigh!).  Think I'll be paying even more attention to D-2 Football in the coming years, even after my son graduates. 

This thing is gonna be even more corrupt than the BCS and the AP/UPI rankings of yesteryear combined!  This is gonna get real ugly real quick and if I was the Big 12 and Pac 12, I'd start looking to form my own governing organization and get out of the NCAA. 

Maybe you'd like them to wear something that the wind can blow through....

Saddles are overrated too....

I could post pics of chicks with horses all day...And I could find them doing kinkier stuff too...But I'm just stalling...Yes, stalling....Stalling to say that the best I could do this year with the Kentucky Derby was pick the horse that finished third...

Did I spend too much time studying horses this past week, which has led to my disappointment? Or did I not spend enough time? Listen, I was throwing money down on Orb, (the winner) who ran a great race...He came in as the favorite...The big money wasn't there to be made on him...I took my shots on Revolutionary, Itsmyluckyday, and Java's War....I played with a couple different Trifecta's...But nothing...

In our family bet, Little Beeze said fuck you dad...He put his money on Orb (winner, winner, chicken nugget dinner)...Molls went with her Uncle's pick and took Verrazano (14th place)...My oldest daughter had Revolutionary (3rd place)...I had Itsmyluckyday(15th place)...My wife had Mylute (5th place)...Yeah, studying up did me a whole lot of good...Fucking schooled by them all and their lack of knowledge and nonsensical ways of picking horses...

-I'm also stalling because I don't want to talk about the NHL playoffs...Especially my New York Rangers being down 2-0 to the Washington Capitals...Saturday they lost 1-0 in OT...That's a tough one to take there...I expect Lundqvist to play great...But the way Holtby has played through the first two games is unreal...The next two games at MSG...The Rangers need to take them both, and then play the best of 3...

There is something else that I have been noticing in the NHL playoffs...I noticed it the past few years...The physical play, and chippyness has intensified...The NHL playoffs are always more intense then the regular season...The urgency is always cranked up...And the physical play always seems to go up a notch...But the last few years it seems like it has gone to another level...And this year, there are games where it seems like 'Well it's the playoffs!' is just being used as an excuse for the physical play, chippyness, and penalties, and some players just being total dickheads! (See The Montreal Canadiens/ Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks when looking for major dickheads!)

-Any Lacrosse fans out there? I don't watch Lacrosse on a regular basis, but if I'm flipping around the channels with nothing to do, and there's a college Lacrosse game on, I'll watch it...It's got a bit of a hockey feel to it...So, the NCAA Tournament is about to get underway, so I thought I'd give you the seeding for the tourney...

(1) Syracuse (Big East) vs (16)Bryant (Sunday @7:30)

 

 

 

 

 

  Well folks, it’s that special time of the week once again… time to welcome that irritable prick we all so affectionately call IHM back into your ear for another weekend with this week’s Sexy Action Sports Saturday.

  There’ve been a few major sports stories this week, but in order to avoid the whole “ad nausea” thing and keep everybody happy, I’ll steer clear of the old shit! All that seems to do is cause trouble around these parts anyhow…

  Focusing on the here and now, not sure if anybody was aware of this or not… but apparently Floyd Mayweather Jr. has a fight tonight… scheduled to defend his title against Robert Guerrero. Honestly, I don’t know what is more disgusting, the fact that this guy isn’t in prison still, or the fact that this guy was the highest paid athlete in the world last year at $85,000,000. That’s right, 85 million in 2012, for fighting two fucking times and continuing to duck his biggest potential competitor, Manny Pacquaio. Hell, even this Guerrero cat stands to make $3 mill, plus a cut of PPV profits, win or lose. Where the fuck do I sign up? Mayweather Jr., conversely, stands to pick up a $32 million dollar purse plus his share of PPV profits. My question is how the fuck is that even possible? The claim is that there will be nearly one million PPV sales for this fight. Aside from the obvious bars buying it to play on a Saturday night, I don’t know of anyone in their right mind willing to shell out $80 bucks to watch a two round fight. Even if it “goes the distance”… who gives a shit. It’s welterweight. I’ve said it a million times before, and I’ll say it again, boxing stays buried until it gets a legitimate heavyweight division again.

   Personally, I wouldn’t watch this fight if it came on free TV, basic cable, or anything else I didn’t have to pay for, much less shell out outrageous amounts for the PPV. I haven’t heard any buzz about this fight aside from a couple PPV ads on TV here and there… nobody talking about it, nobody making side bets about it like people used to when Tyson (or as I’d imagine Ali) had an upcoming title defense. So how the hell is Mayweather making all this money? I guess I’ll never get it… but I sure as hell wouldn’t pay this tool $32 million to show up and fight, and wouldn’t pay the stiff he’s going to KO another three million on top of it. What an absolute joke the world of boxing is today, and it’s sad to see.

  In the NBA, the four game sixes that worldwide leader spent all day hyping wound up disappointing, as each team holding a 3-2 lead in their series came away a winner, ending the series and any hopes for a game seven.  Tonight, the NBA gets it’s only game seven of the first round as the Bulls and Nets square off in Brooklyn. The Bulls are up against a laundry list of injuries while the Nets square off against their season-long foe… mediocrity.  Who wins… more like who cares, winner moves on to lose to the Heat in four or five games.

     If the NFL Draft gave us one thing, it gave us the entertainment of watching the talking heads freak the fuck out because none of the “star players” were taken in the first round. Well, seems that the reason behind one of them is becoming a lot clearer with the recent revelations about Jets QB Geno Smith on his draft night. Seems Geno responded to his not being drafted in the first round by firing his agents and threatening to leave the draft. One scout has said “He’s going to have a tough time in New York. Right now, he’s coming off as a spoiled, pampered brat!”  There are also reports that Smith spent time during visits with teams on his phone, dicking around on twitter and facebook and texting friends during valuable meeting time with team representatives. Well dumb ass, you took about a 3-4 million dollar per year pay cut from dropping out of the first round… so hope seeing what your pal Dave had for fucking lunch was worth it!

 

   We all pay some form of attention to the NFL Draft, whether you’re like me and the Beeze and are simply waiting for the team you happen to root for to shit the bed, or like Qwazier or any of the Boston boys and watching your team make solid pick after solid pick… we’re all watching in one way or another. But, a lot of what goes unnoticed is what happens after the fourth round or so. To wrap things up this week, I’m going to put out a list of picks made after round five that I think will become steals from this year’s draft.

1. Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M. Drafted by the Cardinals. The guy has good size and great speed at WR, not exactly sure how and why he dropped to the 6^th round. I DO know the Lions passed on him for Corey Fuller out of Virginia Tech. Fucking Lions. Cards get a good one here.
2. Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon. Drafted by the Carolina Panthers, Barner might have trouble cracking the depth chart here. But, he could become a valued trade piece for the Panthers and fetch much higher than his 6^th round selection if he shows some things during the preseason another team likes.
3. Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia. Drafted by Washington. One of the many players I cursed loudly about when the Lions used a 5^th rounder on a punter. Worst case scenario, he’s a beast on special teams… best case scenario; he develops into a starting NFL Safety.
4. Theo Riddick, RB, Notre Dame. Drafted by Detroit. One of the three picks I agreed with in the entire Lions draft this year. Riddick gives you versatility as a back, slot receiver, and special teams stud.
5. Charles Johnson, WR, Grand Valley State (MI). Drafted by Green Bay. The Packers took a flier in the 7^th round on a guy who might just end up being their next Greg Jennings. Good size, decent speed, runs a good route.
6. Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State. Drafted by Philadelphia. Decent sized corner whose 40-time did him a lot of harm at the combine. Probably should have been a 4-5^th rounder. Instead, Philly might just have a steal here.
7. Steve Beauharnais, LB, Rutgers. Drafted by New England. Beauharnais spent about three rounds at the top of Kiper’s “Big Board”… that aside, he looked pretty good the few times I saw Rutgers last year, and I thought he’d be off the board earlier than that. The Pats stuck with their Rutgers love fest in this draft, though, and might have landed one of the biggest steals.
8. Reid Fragel, T, Ohio State. Drafted by Cincinnati. The Bengals took a chance on a local boy who I cursed the Lions out loud for not taking over Williams out of Alabama. Ah, fuck it, not like Stafford needs protection or anything. Who needs him anyhow.
9. Kevin Reddick, LB, North Carolina. UFA, signed by New Orleans. Somehow this guy went undrafted, and the Saints were the first to get him under contract. Usually works out better for the UFA’s anyhow… they actually end up getting more money than a 7^th round pick more often than not.
10. Da’Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee. UFA, signed by Buffalo. The Bills probably got a 3^rd or 4^th round talent here a day after the draft. He has a history of drug-related offenses, though, so he might not have the brains to stick in the league.
11. Kwame Geathers, DT, Georgia. UFA, signed with San Diego. The Chargers got a 6’5” beefcake to plug up the middle by signing Geathers after the draft was over. If this guy ever gets a work ethic to match his massive size, he’ll be a real steal.
12. Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford. UFA, signed with New Orleans. The Saints were on top of the undrafted linebackers the day after the draft, getting both Thomas and Reddick. With his pass rushing skills and the amount of leadership he showed during his career at Stanford, I am just amazed he didn’t have his name called during the draft.

 

 

 

Anybody you’d like to add to that list? Well, let me know in the comments section below.

 

As for me, that’s all I’ve got for this week folks. Thanks as always for reading and for any comments you leave on the way out. Have a great weekend Gabbers.

     My apologies to those of you who do not dig on Slayer, but one of the finest guitarists in the metal world passed away this week, Mr. Jeff Hanneman. RIP to yet another God of metal.

 

 

 

Besides having one of the most unfortunate names in the history of baseball, Gaylord Perry was a tremendously accomplished pitcher. A veteran of 22 seasons with 8 different teams, Perry won 314 games against 265 losses, posted a career ERA of 3.11, and struck out 3534 batters during his career. In the process, Perry was the 1978 Cy Young award winner and was selected to five All-Star teams.  In 1991, Perry was selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Gaylord Perry was also a cheater.

Over the course of his 22-year career, Perry was known for his use of the spitball, the “puffball”, and also scuffing and cutting baseballs. His former manager, Gene Mauch, was even vocal to the point where he thought Perry’s plaque in the Hall of Fame should have a tube of KY Jelly adhered to it.

So why is Perry relevant today?

Well, the color-commentary announcers for the Toronto Blue Jays, Jack Morris and Dirk Hayhurst, have accused Boston Red Sox pitchers Clay Buchholz and Junichi Tazawa of “loading up” the baseball in a similar fashion. In their accusations, they have noted that Boston pitchers are reaching their forearms and rubbing what appears to be a foreign substance from their arms on the baseball. The accusations arose after Buchholz moved to 6-0, shutting down the Blue Jays offense on Wednesday night.

Here is the accusation from Hayhurst on Twitter:

 

Forget the hair, I just saw video of Buchholz loading the ball with some Eddie Harris worthy slick'em painted up his left forearm. Wow.

— Dirk Hayhurst (@TheGarfoose) May 2, 2013

 

Is it a real issue? That’s hard to pick out, as only Buchholz, Tazawa, and any umpire that checks them going forward will know.

However, the practice of rubbing rosen and sweat from the forearm is hardly proprietary to the Red Sox alone, as pitchers all around the game do it in order to improve their grip on the baseball. In fact, Red Sox catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was quick to note that Toronto pitcher J.A. Happ was going to his right forearm throughout the game as well.

"I saw [J.A.] Happ all night going to his forearm. Is he doing something?" Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said about Toronto's starter. "For them to point out one guy or two guys, I don't think that's right."

What it actually stinks of is the desperation of one team trying to drum up something that will fire a fan base back up.

Aside from the obvious success that the Red Sox have enjoyed in 2013, there is also the John Farrell component. The Toronto media, front office, and fan base are all still equally bitter about the way Farrell left his role as Toronto’s manager in order to take on the same role in Boston.  Add in the fact that he has been able to turn them back into a winner, something he was unable to do in Toronto, and all of a sudden everyone is Sherlock Holmes and there is a mystery afoot.

In the end, what this does is create an unfair stigma around Buchholz and the rest of the Red Sox pitching staff and is going to prompt other managers to stall the game during strong outings and ask for an inspection on suspicion alone.

The fact that is comes from a radio play-by-play guy on a hunch after watching tape is simply ridiculous. Jack, you’re better than this.

Oh, and as a closing note, Sportsnet.ca and Fan 590 are owned and operated by Rogers Communications. Anyone want to take a guess who owns the Toronto Blue Jays?

With all of the chaos of the past two weeks in my personal life and here, this post has been on the fire, off the fire smoldering , on the fire, on the back burner and off again…and now on again.

My Mom suffered a mild heart attack and is off for surgery and my patella bursitis has flared up so I'm in a knee immobilizer for a couple of weeks.

With Shorty back in town for the NFL draft, this gimpy legged tandem sat at the end of the bar thru the entire 3 days man… 3 days.

The last time I did anything for 3 days was back in ’69 at Yazgers farm. Everywhere there was song and celebration.

 And speaking of Woodstock

 

Rest peacefully Richie Havens,72 who passed away last Monday. Richie released 25 albums over his career and is best known for being the opening act at Woodstock Music and Arts festival in 1969. Richie played for 3 hours while the other performers were getting ready after arriving late.

Best known for his renditions of Freedom, Hands of Time and Here Comes The Sun.

Hands of Time

Keep looking through the window pane
Just trying to see through the pouring rain
It's hearing your name, hearing your name
I never really felt quite the same, since I've lost what I had to gain
No one to blame, no one to blame
Seems to me, can't turn back the hands of time
Oh it seems to me, can't back the hands of time

Seems to me, can't turn back the hands of time
Oh it seems to me, can't turn back the hands of time
Seems to me, history was left behind

 

The NFL draft brought a little excitement over at Mo’s Tavern, some of the Gab guys weren’t exactly pleased with their teams picks. Rumor has it that one of our regulars is changing his identity. Our friend IHM will probably be going by I Hate M&M soon.

He was stomping around the un mowed side yard of the Tavern next to the bocce courts mumbling to himself    “a funter, a pucking funter…I can’t believe they ficked a pucking funter”

The Beeze was there wearing two hats, his ND lid facing Northeast and A Rangers cap facing Southwest. He was saying how fate had delt him a bad hand with this Cleveland thing and that he shoulda moved to New England years ago for the wifey.

Mo was a little befuddled about the mower and his Hartford Whalers cap had gas and grass stains on the bill. Scott was trying to sell him on the idea of a lawn service. Mo wasn’t sipping a Fred like usual, he had a brown bag under the bar with something good in it…he wasn’t sharing.

Rad wasn’t dazzled at all by this draft, it wasn’t overwhelming at the beginning or end

And probably the best value was the middle rounds

BOB was ecstatic with the Forty Niners 200 picks and

Frag was at the first booth doing his lineup changes and giving fantasy baseball draft and trade tips to Qwazier, Lanz, Bandit and anyone else that would listen.

Sully was there laughing at the Gabbers who were wondering why their team took this guy and not that guy, didn’t move up to get X or down to get Y

…what diff does it make now, most of these guys will need a passport to get to the great cold North and try to catch on in the CFL.

Remember Bill Belichick moving up to take Chad Jackson and leaving Greg Jennings on the board…it’s a crap shoot so lets not get to high or low over it. It could be worse you Brownie fans, you could have been born Cowboys or Jets fans.

 

 

This is the first week of May and not wanting to further discuss the NBA or NHL

I’ve decided to bring you this special segment featuring a voice over by:

 

 

 

Read below in the voice of  Morgan Freeman

Spring is here  

… and so begins the annual migratory of the human kind as they embark on the tedious journey that ends with the female of the species pushing the male drone out of the nest to perform the rigorous tribal ritual know as the:     honey do list

We find the limping alpha male oldharry looking over his domain, pondering his list

The windows need to be cleaned

The ceiling fans need a dusting

I have the house needs a new roof 

 

I have the screen house on the piazza project

I have the clean out the shed project

I have the fix the fence before it fall the rest of the way and the neighbors pets get in

I still haven’t replaced the leaky faucet in the bathroom project

I have the buy a new lawn mower project so I can give back the mower I borrowed from Rick

I have the power wash the deck and patio, and paint the house project so I can

Put up the screen house project

I still have the put the new dishwasher in project

I have the dig out the stump project

I have the vegetable garden project so we can have those fresh vegetables all summer and fall. The work never ends with growing food. I have to tend the berries, blue, strawberry and raspberry. I have to watch the grape vine and be sure the weeds don’t win control over the herbs

I have the, we host mothers day brunch so get the flowers in the pots and make the yard

I have the fix the picnic table that got crushed by the tree that blew down and took out the table and the Toyota

I have the take the kayaks and canoe out and clean them so I can skip a few of these other projects and go fishing project

I have the lawn swing project for my mother in law

 

and so the oldharry drone limps and staggers about his tasks, he can be heard mumbling

Projects projects projects…never done never done…when one gets crossed off two get added on… and on and on

Don’t forget to check out some real sports with Lanz, over there------------à

Thanks for reading, indulging and commenting

 

 

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. It has been an interesting week. After several years of being dismally slow with work, the demand for mortgage loans has me hopping. It has been years since I have been this busy and I find that the extra business to be a welcome challenge. I think that this portends great news for country’s economy. The housing market was a huge reason that things were slow to improve. I suspect that we are all in for a period of prosperity. The timing for me could not be better. Last Saturday, my son finished his high school sports career. At the end of this month, he will graduate from high school. For the first time in many years, my wife and I will have an empty house…yahoo! It is funny, but this was not something that I was really looking forward to. I am not sure what I expected, but strangely…it is almost relief. Having the freedom to make decisions on where to live or what to do with the rest of your life is pretty cool…almost an epiphany of sorts.

 

 

 

A picture for a fallen teammate. A collision in right field left senior 2B Ryan Smith with a ruptured spleen. He made it back to watch the last game.

 

 

This is the first time I have been to this stadium. It was built in the early 60s. It was 392 to straight away centerfield and there is a pole in play. Notice the hill down the right field line. A very odd field, but it had sort of a good aura to it. Called Nelson Field.

 

 

                                                                                               A different view of Nelson Field.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                      The 2013 seniors of Westwood HS.

 

 

 

                                                                                                   After the last game...

 

 

                                                                                The moms with their boys sweaty hats.

 

 

 

                                                                                Blake with Coach Bratcher and JR

 

As I mentioned last Saturday was “senior night”. In past years, this was a brief ceremony before the game. This year, we celebrated after the game. It was emotional, but primarily it was fun. This group of guys has played together for four years and more in some cases. We have grown very close to the parents and will miss the social aspects of the games. I love football, but the many baseball games allow you a chance to get to know folks. As I write this, I realize that this is part of the appeal to the game of baseball in general. With football, you are packed in a stadium, there are cheerleaders a band and the atmosphere is charged with emotion and adrenaline. With baseball, there is ebb and flow to the game that provides fans a chance to discuss the game that they are watching. I was having a conversation with Carl Spackler the other night. He said that as he has watched so much baseball the past few years that he is seeing another layer to the game that he did not see before. This is the game that I love. It is what makes baseball such a compelling game for me. I am not sure I could choose between baseball and football, but I will say what my son always did…my favorite sport depends on what season it is.

 

 

 

 

I was watching the MLB channel Tuesday night. There was a left handed batter at the plate and he hit a high hopper to 3B. It looked like a play that could be made, but although the 3B did not bobble the ball, the runner was safe. Back in the studio, Billy Ripken made a very astute comment. He said that a third baseman has to charge the ball to make the play, but because of where he was positioned, there was really no way he could get there. Ripken went on to say that with all of the intel that managers have, sometimes they over think the game. With the left handed batter at the plate, the second baseman was almost to the bag and third sacker was easily 25 feet off the line. This is a pet peeve and one that I saw at the high school level too often. For whatever reason, the coaches think that playing the 3B way off the line is the best alignment. A slow roller down the line or even a medium ground ball down the line was impossible for the fielder to play. It certainly was a conversation that we had frequently watching games. In football there is a base defense. I wish that baseball would consider a more traditional approach sometimes.

 

Did you happen to see the end of David Price’s win Monday night? He threw a fastball that was clearly a strike. He started to walk off the field, until the umpire called the pitch a ball. He sort of let out a grunt, then turned his back on the plate, composed himself and threw the exact same pitch. The hitter swung and hit a come backer to Price that he easily fielded and ended the game. He slowly walked toward the dugout, but halfway there, he realized that the home plate umpire Hallion was staring him down and approaching him. Hallion said, “throw the ball over the fucking plate”. Price took offense at this and has filed a complaint. Hallion said that Price is a liar. Price took to twitter to explain what happened. In his words, “not even my dad talks to me that way”. When I first read about this incident, I thought that Price was being a douche bag. When I watched the replay, I changed my mind. Price did not show up the ump when he missed the strike. The ump made a bee line for him instead of walking away. I don’t know what he said, and to me it matters not what he said. The problem I had is that the umpire pursued conflict and is at fault. I got to thinking about all of the things that managers and players say to umpires. Generally that let them throw a few expletives before giving them the heave ho. Umpires as rule as a very patient lot. Maybe Hallion had a bad night or maybe he does not like David Price. The bottom line is that he did not walk away. To me, this is much more the issue than saying “throw the ball over the fucking plate”.  I would say that there is a pretty good chance that MLB brings some punishment for Hallion. Hopefully, it is not for what he said, but for not remaining neutral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got a chuckle this week when Oakland had a Josh Hamilton appreciation day. Remember it was Hamilton’s dropped fly ball that allowed Oakland to win and move forward to the playoffs. A’s fans threw Butterfingers to Josh on his day. Now that is funny.

   

 

 

 

 

I read this headline on Tuesday…Geno Smith fires agent after fall to the Jets. Does that mean that Smith was unhappy he was drafted later than he expected or because he went to the Jets? In just a few years, the Jets have really fallen far. I saw a great 30 for 30 detailing the NFL Draft of 1983. Of course that was the one that Elway, Marino and Jim Kelly were taken. Although there was much to enjoy in the show, what stuck with me was that Jim Kelly was pissed that he was drafted by Buffalo. He was so pissed, that he signed to play in the USFL. But, after a few years in the USFL, he decided that Buffalo was not such a bad option. I certainly don’t think that Geno Smith is Jim Kelly, but I think he is certainly better than Sanchez. The Jets are a mess…

 

 

I saw that a high school in rural Georgia is having their first “mixed” prom. This headline stopped me. What? As I dug a bit deeper, I read that this rural high school made the prom a private affair and only those that were invited could attend. This year, four girls (2 black, 2 white) decided to do something about this. They organized their own prom and invited everyone to attend. This event has caught the national eye. Disc jockeys from Atlanta and Texas have volunteered to do the prom for free. Photographers from Savannah and New York are taking pictures for free. The Wilcox superintendent is supporting the mixed prom and said that it is an embarrassment that this has not happened sooner…you think? He also said that they would do a survey of the students about changing the prom in the coming years. He suggested that the school would begin to run the prom and make it “integrated”. Supporters of the private prom maintain that it has nothing to do with race, but that there are different traditions and tastes in music. Yeah…right. But who decides the names on the invitations? It is beyond sad that in 2013 that a group of high school kids have to show adults the right way.

 

 

I have been reluctant to discuss Lance Armstrong. I have never been a big bike racing fan, but was a big fan of what Lance Armstrong did for cancer. It has been tragic to witness how far he has fallen. In truth, there is no justification for his cheating… that is what it is. I do however have a problem with the government suing Armstrong to recover some of the sponsorship money that they donated to Armstrong when he rode for the US Postal group. Let’s be honest, in a sport rife with cheating does the government really deserve a refund? Armstrong fulfilled his role and earned his money, in my mind. It is almost like sponsoring a billiards player, then acting surprised that alcohol was being served in the pool hall. Am I missing something? Of course, Armstrong deserves whatever he gets….but it is pretty ugly to see the government piling on.

 

 

So, golf has all of these ridiculous rules, but when one of their players (Vijay Singh) admits to using deer antler spray, they don’t do anything? Greg Norman had strong words for professional golf this week. He said that if golf is serious about being clean that they need to get rid of the urine tests and begin to do blood testing. He has a really good point. Why is a sport that has such strong feelings about honor dragging its feet?
 

That’s all I have this week, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey:

 

 

"I think a good product would be "Baby Duck Hat". It's a fake baby duck, which you strap on top of your head. Then you go swimming underwater until you find a mommy duck and her babies, and you join them. Then, all of a sudden, you stand up out of the water and roar like Godzilla. Man, those ducks really take off! Also, Baby Duck Hat is good for parties."

 

 

“The next time I have meat and mashed potatoes, I think I'll put a very large blob of potatoes on my plate with just a little piece of meat. And if someone asks me why I didn't get more meat, I'll just say, "Oh, you mean this?" and pull out a big piece of meat from inside the blob of potatoes, where I've hidden it. Good magic trick, huh?”

 

 

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

 

  

 

Welcome to the tantrums where Uncle B.O.B. had a question come to mind yesterday – who is a better basketball player, Dwight Howard, or my 22 year old “Middle B.O.B.” whose post moves (footwork and strength) were far better than his last night???  That chick still has it, and is far more mature than Howard.  Good job Baby Shaq.

MLB.   Rough week for the boys in Northern California this week.

San Francisco Giants went 2-5 last week, losing the last two to the Zonies, then went to San Diego and must have went on a Tijuana bender because they got swept outta Petco.  Nothing positive to talk about here.

Oakland A’s also went 2-5 and didn’t look particularly well doing it.  At least they’re gonna get Cespedes back soon, who was doing pretty well in Sacramento at AAA.

NHL.   Hey Hockey guys, can I ask a stupid question here?  How the hell is Minnesota not an NHL hotbed in terms of being a traditionally good franchise?  They’ve got the support.  How the heck did they end up the #8 seed and draw #1 Chicago in the first round?

Now I know most of you are gonna yap about Boston/Toronto in round one, but that isn’t even a matchup.  I’ll watch San Jose/Vancouver.

NBA.  That seismic shift you heard about in Southern California yesterday?  That was the stampede of Laker fans running to the retail outlets to trade in their Laker gear for Clipper gear.

Just so you all know, I watched my daughters rec league team of women play and their play was FAR more entertaining than what the Lakers put out on the floor last night!

Y’all know how I feel about Stephen A. Smith, but I can’t argue with his take that “Superman” got tossed on purpose rather than play it out til the end.  It was the move of a gutless coward.  Do you all think that Howard could thrive in a situation like San Antonio where Popovich could slap some sense into him?

NFL Draft.  I’m one of those losers who had the draft on in the background while I was trollin the net, and I chose to listen to the NFL Network because I respect Mike Mayock and his opinions.  I had hoped that Rich Eisen had gotten rid of his ESPN tendencies, but his constant going back to Geno Smith and the Jets was nauseating.  Mayock was right in his very public exhibition of frustration regarding the subject being continuously brought up.  If he could have gotten away with it, he would have told Eisen to STFU!

Florida State was absolutely shitty last year – an embarrassment.  So what does it say about Jimbo Fisher that the NFL is swallowing up his talent – 11 players – more than any other school were drafted.  With that talent, they should have been playing for national titles, but no...they lose to NC State.  Dammit Seminoles, shake yourselves! 

Forget winners and losers, that doesn’t come for three years, and I heard too many “experts” proclaim “Incomplete” when assigning grades to each teams draft participation.  

Hey Geno Smith, I’m sorry for what you are about to endure.  Hey Tim Tebow, congratulations, you got out of the cesspool after only one year.  Now do the right thing and go to Canada to learn how to be a better QB.  No more drama, if you're serious about continuing your NFL career, go up to Canada and learn.  The league starts in a month or so anyway.