Spending Fathers day with my Grampy, my mom and Princess Katie...

Greetings from the Hoodwood, where family above all is the most cherished thing. Sports come and go, but family is the oneliest thing.

NBA: Spurs bombing the Heat to the brink

Before I start…the Spurs just made another 3 pointer. In any case, the Spurs and Heat have been trading off wins through the first five games of the NBA finals. After the Spurs won the first game, the wonks were just about creaming themselves lauding how the Spurs were finally going to be the team that were going to put the Heat in check. I was mildly annoyed at how these same wonks were discounting the Heat’s blowout game 2 win, actually chiding the Heat for “running up the score” in their wins in games 2 and 4. The Spurs were jacking up (and making) threes like they were going out of style led by legitimate Finals MVP candidate Danny Green making a mind blowing 25 3’s…that’s not a team total, gang. That’s Green by…him….self! And like I said it would be 2 weeks ago. The Finals is 3-2, and though the Spurs not the Heat are leading the series I am sure

NBA: The rumor mill spins faster. Could Doc and KG be headed to LA?

I detailed some of the wild machinations of the NBA coaching carousel last week, some have been filled in as former point guards take up the helm in Detroit and Brooklyn. Maurice Cheeks is well traveled having coached in Portland and Philly with limited success (I mean he was the coach of the so-called Jail Blazers) and will get a chance to revive the sorry Pistons. Jason Kidd will move right from the court to the first chair as head coach in Brooklyn, many people are puzzled that the well traveled Kidd will get a head coaching position with no experience. Especially with great assistant coaches waiting such as Brian Shaw who seems to be getting passed over for job after job. The job that seems to have the most intriguing subplots to it is with the Clippers and Celtics. It seems that Doc Rivers has taken a real interest in the position last held by Vinny Del Negro. The Celtics are steadfast in their refusal to allow the Clips to talk to Rivers who has three years left on his current contract in Beantown, The Celtics are coveting DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe. But the Clippers not looking at all like the easily suckered Clippers of old have steadfastly refused to part with Bledsoe. The Celtics and Clips are still trying to create a deal that will allow Rivers to go to LA and possibly with Kevin Garnett. The Clips are also said to be looking to make a deal that would move Blake Griffin to the Lakers for Dwight Howard. This is looking like this could be a tumultuous off-season and the Final aren’t even over.

NHL: This could be a classic

The Blackhawks won a 4 hour thriller in game 1 of the Stanley Cup and the Bruins parried with an OT win of their own in game 2. The Bruins, now with home ice advantage held it as they rode Tuukka Rask to a  pair of sharp 2-0 shutout in game 3. Im looking at this series like it just might be the sort of NHL classic that would be a nice coda to the truncated season that was pushed to the brink of non-existance just 6 months ago. The names that are playing aren’t really household names, but to the hardcore sports fan the names that are in the series are big enough. A pair of original six teams that are battling for the ultimate hockey prize. Im looking at this one going 7 and the 2-0 game 3 score might be looked at as the biggest blowout of the series. And these two teams are fast developing a healthy hatred for one another that will make this series more edgy as the games get more and more crucial

MLB: Basebrawling

The Dodgers and D’Backs are another pair of teams that are developing real dislike if almost hatred for one another. Look at the events of last week involving veterans like Zach Greinke and Ian Kennedy as well as rookie phenom Yasiel Puig. When Puig got hit in the face by a Kennedy pitch, Greinke was obliged to hit a Diamondback in kind. Though Greinke hit a D’Back with a pitch, plunking Miguel Montero it took four pitches to do so prompting both benches to clear.

Ian Kennedy then followed with this and were playing the feud!

Though the brawl was a bit silly, I thought it interesting in the number of former big-name players who are now coaches that were in the middle of the brawl. Kirk Gibson and Don Mattingly as the managers along with Don Baylor in the middle of the brawl. Mark McGwire and Matt Williams were all very heated, McGwire looked like he was in the middle of a serious roid rage as he and Williams tangled in this fight. The suspensions that were handed out were numerous and Kennedy got the brunt of the suspension getting a ten game dock. But the one that might have gotten away with a big part of the fight was Puig who was seen pounding the shit out of someone in that clip. I think that the bad blood between these two teams are far from over. Princess Katie jokingly said it looked like a brawl between the Bloods and Crips. These teams think of themselves as warriors and fighters the brawl seemed to be more pushing and shoving than a real knockdown bare knuckle fight.

 

Phat Dap/Head Slap

Phat Dap

To the management of 790-AM The Zone in Atlanta. They responded swiftly to the boneheaded antics of trio of sports radio talk show hosts. Nick Cellini, Steak Shapiro and Chris Dimino of the Atlanta Sports Talk station morning show thought it would be funny to mock someone with ALS. The jocks thought their bit mocking former Steve Gleason who is battling ALS was humorous. They found out quickly that not only was it not amusing but a fast track to the unemployment line. As someone who has worked in radio and in sports talk radio you always look for something topical and often times edgy, but this was crossing the line. Making fun of ALS is not funny…ever. Bully to the station management who was quick to repudiate the actions of these numbnuts and I hope they never work in this business again. Maybe Me, Sully and Mo could take over that show. We have a whole hell of a lot more common sense than these jackasses that rightfully got the gate.

 

Head Slap

A pair, first To MMA fighter Chael Sonnen who called LeBron James “a dork” in a recent taping of the Jim Rome TV show. Sonnen seems to think that winning a gold medal and an NBA title doesn’t qualify James as a world champion.

Im not a big Sonnen fan to begin with but his ripping on LeBron is pointless. Would he say the same thing against Kobe, Timmy D or Shaq? No? Advice to Sonnen stay in your lane.

Thats the view from the Hoodwood, until next post fellow Sports Fans!

 

I’m still trying to reconcile the difference between Fathers Day and Mothers Day.  Mother’s day is like an all weekend experience.  Mom sleeps in, breakfast is served (because she would DEMAND it), some school work is presented and several hundred dollars of jewelry is presented in a nice bag.  The whole day, if not entire weekend is all about MOM.  Father’s day is like a 10 minute window, where you’re awakened at 7 AM on a Sunday with cold scrambled eggs, a kids ass on your face (usually with at least one fart), and a bag of stuff you didn’t want.  “OH, thank you.  I’ve always wanted a ‘2004 Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Champions’ cap.  Didn’t I just see a bunch of those at the closeout store?”

At 7:10 AM, your “day” is over, you’ve got a new $5 necktie purchased at Big Lots, and a forehead that smells like ass.  I actually did get good stuff, in particular a sweet pair of Under Amour kicks. I'm thinking that is to say, "maybe you shold get back to the gym." By 7:30, I'm in the car heading to Dunkin Donuts to pick up some iced coffee for Mrs. Day's over.

I planned it correctly this year though.  I have a weeks’ vacation to burn, so I’m taking this week off.  Up at 7 on Sunday?  Fine, you know why?  Because I’m sleeping in on Monday, and again on Tuesday...and Wednesday...and Thursday...and Friday.  Of course, that only puts off all the work I’m doing in the yard.  Ask anyone here at the Gab, the best post Mo puts up all year is the post AFTER vacation.  The only question is, how much of that post is dedicated to Mo getting hurt?  Please post your over/under prediction below.  

I was exhausted by the time Bruins/Blackhawks went into the first intermission, so I clicked off the television with the score at 1-0 Chicago. I spent almost an entire hour with network news and still didn't learn the outcome to the game - why the hockey hate? I learned about the spelling fail at the "COLLLEGE World Series," and the NBA finals heading back to Florida for Game 5, but nothing on Lord Stanley's Cup. Disgraceful. I got the score from my Facebook feed on my way to Dunks. Oh, the humiliation.

This year, for Father’s Day, I got a bacon bookmark (I usually “read” audiobooks) and a book entitled “Assholes: A Theory.”  Now, don’t get me wrong.  It’s perfect.  That’s what worries me: my daughter, for the first time spending her own money on a present for me, nailed the perfect present, but it concerns me that she felt okay giving her old man a book with that title.  Christ, it wasn’t until I was in my 30’s and getting married for the second time that I shared “Life Sucks Then You Die” with MY dad, and at that point it was close to 20 years old (see about 1:29 in).  The man who had never uttered anything stronger than calling someone a “donkey” (e.g. “ass”) in front of me chuckled.  When I was a kid, I liked to rummage through my parents crap.  Well, buried at the bottom of my dad’s stuff was this bobblehead that looked like the San Diego Padres logo.  If you pushed the Padres’ head down, this colossal...um....member...popped out from under his robe.  I knew Dad was down with “Life Sucks” but it was just weird, you know, being all real with the man.

 

So, I’m going to the Red Sox/Rays game on Tuesday free.  No, it’s not a fathers day gift. This sales weasel  in my office couldn’t give the tickets away to not one, but TWO prospects, so he asked if I wanted to go.  It’s a 1 PM game on a Tuesday.  Not exactly a draw for the important business man.  But for me?  Perfect.    I love the Red Sox and I love Fenway.  Fenway is a shrine, no temple, to the baseball enthusiast and to the tourist alike.  However, despite the great proximity to the field, it’s a terrible place to see a game.  Poles, obstructed view seats, seats pointed in the wrong direction.  But, it’s my park, MY teams home field.  Fenway Park.  The Jake? Camden Yards?  Citi Field?  Forget it.  I’ll take Fenway anyday.  Those are better baseball stadia for sure, but they’re not Fenway.

 

The Red Sox weekend series with the Orioles didn’t start off too well, but that didn’t stop me from posting a picture of a dead oriole I took outside my office.  Nothing says, “I think you suck”  more than possessing a picture of your opponent’s mascot while dead.  Try pulling that with the Red Sox.  What are you going to do?  Go to a Walmart dumpster and look for overstock?  It works out nicely, really, when your team is named for laundry.  Socks no less.  Tell me, what modern expansion team would dare name themselves after an article of clothing.  You can’t  We have Sharks, and Marlins, and Panthers (two sets of Panthers, no less).  No jock straps, athletic supporters, or boxer briefs.  I’m betting “Polo Shirts” would work out nicely though.  Just think of the gear.  The logo could be some 1980’s DB with his collar popped.

 

At the beginning of the season I wondered who was going to finish in last place: the Yankees in their “larks” or the Red Sox in their diapers.  Well, almost 70 games into the season, the Yankees are in third place 3 GB.  There’s still a lot of fluidity there, but I’m happy it’s the old men and not the kids hitting the skids first.  Plenty of baseball left to play, but for now, I’m pleased as punch.  I know, I must be an a-hole.

 

Well folks, enjoy the rest of the week - I guess there's some basketball still being played, but I'm too wrapped up in NHL Stanley Cup to know what to say about that. Go B's and I'll see you back here next week.

 

Howdy, good morning and good day. Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR updates and other fast stuff. Lots to talk about this week. Some sad stuff, eye rolling stuff, stuff to cheer about and race stuff mostly. Oh, before I forget...HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!!!!!

JASON LEFFLER KILLED IN SPRINT CAR 

That picture above is of Jason Leffler and Tony Stewart way back when they both were in the JGR stable. Tony's kind of skinny. Jason was killed Wednesday night at the Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey during a heat race. Fellow NASCAR driver Dave Blaney witnessed the wreck and said the way the car veered into the wall suggests that something broke. 

Autopsy results said he died from a blunt force neck injury. His team said he was wearing a Simpson Hybrid Head & Neck device which is one of 6 restraint systems approved for use by NASCAR.

                       

Seems Jason was well liked by all. He didn't have a Cup ride this year but got a Start & Park ride last week at Pocono. He was not happy about the arrangement but drove the laps and parked. He's gone back to his dirt track roots and has been driving Winged Sprint cars most of this year.

He had 4 USAC Championships, 3 consecutive USAC Midget titles from 1997-1999 and won the USAC Silver Crown Championship in 1998. Unfortunately his dirt track experience didn't translate to NASCAR. He drove in the truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series but just didn't do as well there. He did have 2 Nationwide wins. One was Toyota's first win in Nationwide.

Tony Stewart said that he enjoyed talking to Jason about up coming races or the one they were in and would miss not being able to talk to him any more. Tony will race over 100 races this year between NASCAR and his Winged Sprint Car. Tony is one of the few drivers who doesn't have to worry about the sponsors telling him no to the extra racing.

Kasey Kahne said he had flown with Jason to Pocono last week. He owns Sprint Car teams but hasn't raced this year preferring to concentrate on his Cup ride. He had a meeting with the teams to make sure the cars were safe this week.

Kasey and Tony as well as other drivers feel the tracks and cars are as safe as they can be but accidents do happen. They don't plan on making too many changes if any. Most all drivers at Michigan this week agreed. It was an accident and racing is dangerous. 

Jason had LEFturn painted on his roof above the door of his race cars. He leaves behind a 5 year old son named Charlie Dean Leffler. This is just a sad day in racing. My condolences to the Leffler family. R.I.P Jason Leffler. You died doing something you loved which is more than most can say.

               

This would be Stewarts Winged Sprint Car.

CHASE ELLIOTT WINS POCONO ARCA 200

Bill Elliott's son Chase became the youngest driver at 17 years to win in the ARCA Series. He drove his #9 Aarons Dream Machine Hendrick Chevy to victory on June 8th. Chase said he got good advise from his dad who won here 5 times. He remembered being in victory lane with his dad so this was extra special that dad could be with him in victory lane for his win. Happy Fathers Day to Bill Elliott and congrats to his son Chase.

EDWARDS DRIVES HENRY'S FORD

Carl Edwards got to drive Sweepstakes. That's what Henry named his car. It was a 1901 Ford that Henry raced against another car on Oct 10, 1901 at a dirt horse racing track. He won the race. Carl said he got the car up to 20 -25 mph and was more scared than driving his car at 205 mph around Michigan Speedway. It was said that Henry got his car up to 73 mph. 

KESELOWSKI MAKING FRIENDS

Keselowski was at it again. Seems he was talking to the media and we all know how that goes. Keselowski made accusations that Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have been stealing employees and information from other teams. Of course you know he got a response.

Gibbs response was that he was surprised and a bit upset. He said that Keselowski's comments were misguided and irresponsible and that he would do well to speak on subjects he is properly informed of. He feels he has a very good personal relationship with Roger Penske too. He said we look forward to competing with Brad in the future and hope he uses better judgment going forward.

Hendrick responded as well. He said that we hired the back up tire changer at Penske who's contract was up, a mechanic from the Penske team in the Nationwide Series and a few guys from the Penske engine shop that shut down. He said Brad forgot to mention the tire changer they got from him.

He feels that everything was done above board and that it is part of doing business in a competitive environment and that Roger would agree. He thinks that Brad should spend more time  focusing on his own program and less time making accusations and insinuations about other teams. He needs to represent himself and this sport with a little more class.

And to think Hendrick was trying to hire this guy a couple years ago. Yup. Making friends is what it's all about.

TRD TO UP ENGINE POWER FOR MICHIGAN

Last week in light of the 6 motors that went poooooof this season, Toyota dialed back the motors in the JGR and MWR camps to make sure the motors would make it through the race. Well they did and the highest Toyota finish was Kyle in 6th. So this week they're amping up the motors. Hamlin will be given extra because he sits 25th in points and needs W's and to get into the top 20 in points to make the Chase. Mark Martin will get all out power. Don't put him in your line up this week. I'm seeing a great big POOOOOOOOF in his future. Mark is hard on motors any way and so is Michigan. Kyle, Kenseth, Truex and Bowyer will get variations on the tweaking up of the motors. So we'll see how the track turns for Toyota Power this week.

                

POCONO RECAP

See that huge Lowes? Not only is it one of dads favorite places but that's your winner. The Jimmie and Chad Show was on. All Jimmie & Chad almost all race long. So how'd he get to victory lane? Lets check my notes.

At the drop of the green flag it's Jimmie on the pole and on the bottom lane. Edwards in 2nd spot takes the lead at the moment. By lap 2 Kahne has gone to the pits complaining of a possible drive train issue. By lap 5 he's in the garage getting a new trans and Jimmie's still 2nd.

Lap 17 sees Jimmie in 1st, Edwards, Dale Jr, Harvick and Kenseth

Lap 22 Khne is back on track and green flag pit stops are in progress. Jimmie leads after all are done and a reminder for all to go to QLRacing.com to enter the contest for getting your mortgage paid for a month if Ryan Newman comes in the top 5.

Lap 44 Jimmie leads, Danica is 25th and Hamlin is complaining about a delay when he shifts into 3rd.

Lap 65 is a caution. Somebody threw their blanket onto the track? That's a new one. Danica is the lucky dog. She had gone a lap down. Everybody pits except Newman and he now leads the restart but Jimmie takes it back. Everyone is told to save fuel.

Caution with 28 laps to go Montoya spins out and takes Kenseth with him. JERK!!!! That's my fantasy league he's messing with. Keselowski bumps into Stewart on the restart. They save it but Keselowski has fender damage.

With 23 laps to go another caution for Almirola getting into Blaney. And around they go.

Jimmie still out front and complaining of a vibration. 

With 13 to go another caution for Allmendinger in the #51. His left front tire has gone down. He gets down onto the apron and into the pits. Gordon complaining he's way too tight. Jimmie has a vibration and he's still in the lead.

With 7 to go Blaney goes into the wall and caution. On the restart Jimmie takes the lead again and Biffle flies up to 2nd. Poor Dale Jr. Just not enough to get the 48. 

Top 15 finishers - Johnson - Biffle - Dale Jr - Stewart - Newman - Kyle - Kurt - Hamlin - Harvick - Logano - Burton - Gordon - McMurray - Bowyer

MICHIGAN  INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY PREVIEW

                     

EDWARDS has the pole this week. Roger Penske once owned this track from 1996-1999. It's a 2 mile lap around a repaved track. New pavement and a new car says throw out last years notes. Last years winner was Dale Jr. This is an endurance track. It eats motors. Mark Martin has 54 starts here. Jeff Gordon has 954 laps led here. Last year the cars were so fast that Goodyear brought 6 year old tires for the left side to slow them down. Didn't do much. We'll see high speeds and blown motors. And we;ll see Superman on Dale Jr's hood. 

Last years top 10 finishers - Dale Jr - Stewart - Kenseth - Biffle - Johnson - Gordon - Bowyer - Montoya - Ambrose - Harvick

​I'm afraid for the Toyota's this week. They'll need the speed to win. So Toyota better not skimp too much on the tweak up. Mark Martin is good on this track but I see a poof in his future and Hamlin too if he's not careful. The other Toyota's (Kenseth, Kyle, Truex & Bowyer) will be good but not fast enough.

Johnson is on a roll. 

Dale Jr has his Mr Steady Eddie title back.

The Roush crew of Biffle, Edwards and Stenhouse will be at or near the front. Look for Edwards or Biffle in the top 5 or W spot.

Stewart & Newman have shown some life. Pocono was a 4-5 finish. Looking good,

Logano starts 6th. He's coming off of a 10th at Pocono.Teammate Keselowski needs to stop running his jaw and concentrate on driving. He was 12th here last year. Not feeling a good finish this week.

McMurray had a 13th finish last week. He's getting closer. The HMS motors have really helped but bad luck has undone those awesome motors. Montoya too. They're both due for a top 10.

Kahne continues the erratic season. He's up and down as of now. A 34th place finish and 19 laps down is not good for Chase championships. I can't recommend this guy. He starts in the top 5 but.......

Gordon is another up and down driver this season. A 12th place finish does not a championship run make. He should do good here but again I can't recommend you pick him either.

C listers I'd recommend. David Ragan, Casey Mears, Ricky Stenhouse, and David Gilliland. Again expect about a 20th through 30th place finish. Stenhouse should do more. He's in power house equipment. This SHOULD be a good track for Danica. It's fast and she's supposed to be fast. She finished 29th at Pocono last week on the lead lap. 

So there you have it. Again I want to wish all the dads out there in Gabville a HAPPY FATHERS DAY. Hope it's a great day for grilling and chilling. And...

I'm outta here....

 

 

 

                       

 

Happy Father's Day Weekend to all of you Dad's out there.  I hope everyone has a special day tomorrow with your families...for many of us, hours spent with Dad often meant something to do with sports.  Probably all of us Dad's spent some time doing what we see here...teaching a son or daughter to hit & throw.  If not that, then to shoot a hoop and play some sort of defense or maybe play "horse" or a lively game of one-on-one on a driveway hoop.  A lot of Dad's put in the extra hours as a youth coach of a baseball, basketball or soccer team.  If you haven't done it yet, you should give it a go.  Yes, you have to put up with pain in the ass parents who think their kid is going to be the next LeBron James, but when you look back on it, that's not what you remember.  You remember being there as your son or daughter made a play that they will never forget.  A lot of Dad's spend many hours watching youth baseball games...I kept score for my son's games up through Legion ball.  That was a lot of hours watching often tedious games go on forever...and I wouldn't give up one minute of it.  I coached basketball for my sons and daughter...watched lacrosse (no expertise there), did a couple of years of baseball as a coach before I decided I was better suited for the scorebook.  Now, I am trying to get them on the golf course - actually my daughter and son-in-law are taking me out next weekend - because it is still one game I can beat them at!  

In my view, Dad's and sports are forever linked.  We teach them how to play, get them to the game on time and then teach them who to root for.  (My brother-in-law who is Redskin Fan #1 has failed at this - his daughter has embraced the Ravens...nothing wrong with picking a winner!).  Now I can commiserate with my oldest son after another Caps flame out and we can debate the merits of RGIII playing too soon.  It's a tie that binds.  So we celebrate Dad's this weekend and we celebrate their connection to Sport.  So thanks Dad for taking the time to play catch, watch my games, take me to the ball park and the Redskins games and for buying Caps season tickets in 1974 (we were in the seats for Game 1, and we are still suffering...and no, you are not the reason that they lose.  No single fan can jinx a franchise!).    Thanks for playing catch with my kids, too...they will never forget the wiffle ball home runs over the fence or better yet over the house.  

Happy Father's Day to All!

Other sports news of the week....

U.S. Open has Phil Mickelson at the top of the leaderboard after 2 days at Merion.  

First things first...what is the deal with the wicker basket on top of the pin?  Nobody seems to know why they use them - only that they have been around for a long time.  It would seem like flags would be more helpful providing wind information, etc.,  but there you go...something unusual to think about.

So Phil has the early lead and is one of a couple of guys at -1 after two days.  The U.S. Open is really a battle of attrition.  Somehow even this incredibly short course at Merion is proving to be a match for the field of long hitting pros.  A bounce off the fairly and you are hitting out of 5 inch rough.  If you have never played in those conditions, you have no idea what a huge penalty that is.  I played two courses - Pebble Beach and Oak Hill - at tournament time and I have nothing but admiration for these guys that can actually get the ball to the green out of that grass.  For most of us, we need the one club not in the bag - the foot wedge - to get back into play.

Tiger is at +3 and four shots back, which does not seem like a huge problem, but on a course like this those strokes will not come easy.  My guess is that +4 will win the Open so that there is a lot of drama and players in contention starting tomorrow morning.  If you made the cut, you have a shot.   How about the amateur kid from Taiwan...he is even par?!  That would be something!  I'll root for nice - guy Phil and his beautiful family on Father's Day!

NBA Finals...for everyone who was hoping the Spurs were going to pull off the upset, I think Dwayne Wade stole that idea away with the big game 4 performance.  Now we are guaranteed of games in Miami and I do not see San Antonio pulling off the big upset on South Beach.

Stanley Cup Finals...I wish I could say I could stay awake through 3 OT's the other night, but I can't.  I woke up about 2 AM and had to flip to the NHL channel to get the final score.  That is a great start to these final between two classic NHL franchises.  Going back to the Original 6 days though, they were hardly dominant back in the day.  It was all Montreal all the time, and when it wasn't the Habs, it was the Leafs.  Sure the Bruins, Hawks and Red Wings popped in there and then there was the fluke Rangers win in '40, but for the most part, nostalgia about the Original 6 when it comes to Cups lies North of the Border.  For this series though, it is up for grabs right now.

Everyone have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So...

 

I’m watching this fairly clever Subway commercial...

 

“It’s Avocado Season at Subway!!!”

 

“To be the best, you’ve got to eat the best...”

 

(A ripoff of the classic Ric Flair line...)

 

“It goes great with Trout...”

 

Cute...

 

And then IT hits me...

 

“Subway, the official training restaurant of Ryan Howard...”

 

“Of Mike Trout...”

 

“Carl Edwards, and athletes everywhere...”

 

Athletes everywhere???

 

Even NASCAR drivers???

 

Athletes???

 

NASCAR drivers???

 

Hmmmmm...

 

I can hear fellow blogger Qwaz getting ready to yell at me...

 

She is The Gab's resident NASCAR expert...

 

Yes, I know... 

 

This isn’t a new debate...

 

But it’s time to resurrect it...

 

Especially since Subway has Edwards in an “athlete” commercial...

 

Ryan Howard is an athlete...

 

Mike Trout is an athlete...

 

Carl Edwards???

 

He’s ath-LET-ic...

 

Does that make him an athlete???

 

Me thinks not...

 

Maneuvering around an oval endlessly is a skill...

 

And it does take the endurance of an athlete...

 

But drivers are not athletes...

 

And if they are...

 

Does that make ME an athlete if I write a six hour blog???

 

Racing is a sport with skilled professionals...

 

I promise you, I won’t try this at home...

 

But that does not make you an athlete, Carl...

Just because you’re really good at something...

 

And if you ARE an athlete...

 

Then chess whiz Bobby Fischer was an athlete...

 

That took a lot of endurance...

 

Mental endurance... 

 

I know you won’t change my opinion...

 

And I probably won’t change yours...

 

Which means we’re at a stalemate on this issue... 

 

Curling is a sport...

 

(A fancy name for ice shuffleboard...)

 

But hey shouldn’t even be allowed to WALK with the Olympic athletes...

 

Both opening AND closing ceremonies...

 

Because they’re “curlers”...

 

Hey, those are what a woman puts on her head, aren’t they???

 

I mean...

 

How athletic do you have to be to sweep ice???

 

I’d rather watch the LA Kings’ Ice Crew girls sweep the ice...

 

Now those honeys are athletes, aren’t they???

 

Should I even mention cheerleaders and drill teamers???

 

“Ready, okay...”

 

I’m not even going to touch that one...

 

I’ll leave that to you in the peanut gallery...

 

Afraid I might offend some of my colleagues at the high school...

 

Back to you, Carl Edwards...

 

I know...

 

You could probably beat me in a game of H-O-R-S-E...

 

I’m sure you’re a better Double-Dutch jump roper, too...

 

And I can tell...

 

Behind that NASCAR jumpsuit...

 

You’ve got a pretty good physique...

 

But sorry...

 

You’re still not an athlere...

 

 

 

dvt

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OdhAbmnxb0

Welcome to another edition of Talking Sports. We have the Stanley Cup Finals and Tebowmania in New England , “Can You Believe It!

 

NHL Update

The Bruins and the Blackhawks dropped the puck at 8 pm to kickoff the Stanley Cup Finals. This series has all the drama of any other finals, two original 6 teams  that haven’t played each other all season. Two uniquely different styles, the Blackhawks with there speed and great forwards, the Bruins with several layers of defense. If game 1 was any indication how this series will play out, it will be a hockey fans Nirvana. The Bruins last night blew a 3-1 lead that ended up in triple overtime before the Blackhawks Andrew Shaw scored on a deflected shot with about 5 minutes left in triple overtime . The game ended at 1am.

. The Hawks beat the Bruins in a thriller, both teams had chances, both goalies came up big. The Hawks got back into this game using speed and burning the Bruins up the seam in the middle of the ice. The Bruins effort was huge, as was the Hawks, in the end the fatigue set in and the Hawks got the bounce they needed to win this game. This was purely the NHL at it’s best.

Tim Tebow is a WHAT? was my initial reaction to hearing that old Timmy has signed a two year deal with the New England Patriots. I’m not sure what Belichick’s plan is for him. I’m not sure if Tebow will make the 53 man roster but it will be interesting to see if this is another Chad Johnson slap you on the ass project by the Patriots or if this is just Belichick taking a kid that he thinks he can help. What this isn’t, is a publicity thing like it was with the J-E-T-S. The Patriots give the media nothing if anything, they avoid publicity at all cost, just listen to a Belichick's press conference. I think this is going to be an interesting experiment in frustrating the media.  What I can’t understand is Tebow usually says and does the right thing but the media creates a circus around him. He tries not to call attention to himself, sure he does the pray thing, but a lot of guys do it in the NFL. Is there a thirst for a positive story because there is so much negativity in the league? I don’t know but this will be interesting as it plays out.

I took a couple of the Lanz’s into the Red Sox Game on Saturday Night, we had no sports for the weekend which doesn’t happen often but lots of rain on Friday, bad field conditions on Saturday and Lacrosse ending last week set this up. We decided to go in around 5 pm for the second half of a day nighter. We ended up seeing Clay Bucholz pitch a gem and he ended up on the injured list after diving for infield ball and making another great play at first. The kids got to see a David Ortiz Home Run . They also got to see Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Josh Hamilton. It was a fun night, we got street parking near Boston University a couple of blocks away, I  got tickets in the family section so there were no drunk assholes and those seats are in left field with a much better view than right field. I think Middle Lanz was fascinated with Johnny Gomes and what he does with his water bottle during the game. He would place it in his glove and take a few sips. Then he would tuck in the small of his back or in a pocket. Lil Lanz who is never short on words or opinions said nothing the whole game, he just kept his eyes on the field. It was a fun night for the Lanz boys.

I have been thinking a lot about Little League Baseball. Lil Lanz’s team was eliminated this week. Sometimes I think the focus on development of the kids and teaching them the enjoyment of the game is lost by over competitiveness. I think there needs to be some competition to make it fun and rewarding but it also needs to be about the kids more than the adults. So the other night the team we were playing in an elimination game has this little boy, B. B is the weakest player on the team and he is the best teammate, his coaches and teammates just love this kid and so do the opposing coaches. So B is a little guy with big glasses, he gets a walk against us and it starts a rally. B has a little accent so the age director shows up to watch the final few innings. B gets all excited to see him.. The guys name is Joe Defazio and Joe is a great guy, so he gets excited to see B. B jumps up and says Hey Defazio  I started the rally. Joe gives him a High Five myself and his coach Bob just start laughing.

B doesn’t say Mr..Defazio . He doesn’t say Joe, last name only. That’s what Little League Baseball is all about.

Hello Gabbers and welcome to another Wednesday. It’s the last week of school for many here in Michigan. I’ve got two days of final exams to monitor. I don’t know how to feel about them. I had a few students who seemed dumbfounded that they had finals. Now, I know I’m just a substitute, but being that these are 10^th graders, shouldn’t they know about finals? They seemed equally dumbfounded that having their phones out during finals would be stupid. This could make for an interesting couple of half days.

It’s June in the NFL. Tebow’s in New England and ESPN is having joygasms all about their office. Idiotic players are guaranteeing Super Bowls among them Nick Fairley of Detroit. Despite high fan resistance (80 some percent according to some polls), Goodell is still rallying for a team in London. Still, one question still tops everything: how is Robert Griffin doing?

It seems like we get daily updates. Former Redskins QB Donovon McNabb came out to suggest that Griffin shouldn’t give in to so much pressure for information. Still, we get them nearly daily, if not weekly. Today, for instance, we learned he is sprinting, apparently “explosively” so.

Now, I don’t have anything against RGIII. In fact, I think he’s a great asset to the league. I hope he tries to put a little less wear on himself when he comes back. He’s got enough of an arm where he doesn’t need to run for everything. Still, I am a lot more tired of the league and media who seem to be pushing/willing this kid to a quick recovery. The cry goes up every day that it only took Adrian Peterson about 4 months to recover. Griffin knows this and has talked with Peterson. Of course, we should all know Peterson and Griffin are different. While they’re of similar size, everyone has their own recovery rate. Rushing Griffin to return is dangerous. Yet, that’s what most involved with the NFL seem to want. Long term health be damned, Griffin must start opening day.

 While Adrian Peterson has apparently become the measuring stick for athletes coming off major surgery, I’d much rather Griffin look to Derrick Rose for inspiration. Rose, like Peterson, suffered an ACL tear. Unlike Peterson, Rose spent last season rehabbing and conditioning his knee. Rose began to take more and more pressure for his actions as the season wore on. Rumors continued to leak that he would be back for round one or against the Heat. Still Rose sat. Why? Rose said he knew he wasn’t ready. I would be inclined to believe him. Who can say they know themselves better than the athletes themselves?

Rose could have come back and might’ve earned his team a few wins. On the other hand, he could have further damaged his knee. In the end, he had the strength of will to know his own limits. Griffin plays in a different sport. We here at the Gab question the toughness of the NBA daily and the flopping epidemic hardly helps. For Griffin, the NFL frequently asks players to suck it up and tough out injuries. Players that don’t play face scrutiny and are openly challenged. If you doubt it, ask Jay Cutler circa 2010.

I believe Griffin feels he doesn’t have much choice but to give in to what the NFL, Redskins, media, and fans are asking of him. If he was anything other than a rookie, he might be able to fight it. If it had happened before Peterson’s miraculous recovery, there’d be no issue. Griffin is stuck by the principles of his sport and the wonders of modern sports medicine. Despite all of this, we have no clues as to whether Griffin is physically or mentally ready. We have Griffin giving a brave front and sprinting, but anyone looks good in June.

Griffin has a rare talent. While many praise him for his speed, he is more of a total package similar to Randall Cunningham rather than a Michael Vick. Forcing Griffin back in too early would be an act of sacrifice. While the league would go on without him, we’d be left wondering what might have been like so many times before. The NFL should do its part to take pressure off of Griffin. I don’t think they should keep him off the field, but perhaps they could hold back some of the updates until real progress has been made. With all of the doubts surrounding the NFL’s commitment to player safety, losing a talent like Griffin would only serve to further the cries of those they’ve already chewed up.

Well, that’s all for this week. Despite it getting warmer, I’m ok with this weather. I’m hoping the rain at least means good sweet corn and a nice crop of apples. With the end of the school year and the fiancée still not settled, I believe I’ll be taking up Beeze’s challenge to do an NFL Faces of the Franchise. Feel free to begin leaving suggestions. I will make an official post about this later. Thanks as always for stopping in. I leave you with your word of the week.

Pringlelingus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bron to Splitter...you gets none!!!

Greetings from the Hoodwood where the locals are awaiting the arrival of the lovely Princess Katie

NHL: Bruins-Blackhawks battle it out for Lord Stanley’s Cup

The Conference finals seemed to be an afterthought. The Bruins swept the Penguins in relative ease, while the Blackhawks dispatched the Kings in five close games. Patrick  Kane logged the first series clinching hat trick in the double OT finale to set up the first meeting of Original Six teams since the Canadiens defeated the Rangers in 1979. This is the probably the best matchup the NHL could hope for short of a Canadian team playing a big US market team the Bruins seem to keep pounding on you till you fold start with the gigantic Zdeno Chara Martin Lucic and David Krejci who always seem to be in position to score or set up scores. The Blackhawks are just as resilient, this is a team that has scorers all over the place. Start with the rugged Kane and continue through Jonathan Toews, and Martin Hossa the West Champs just keep coming at you. These original six teams didn’t meet in the regular season and are meeting in the postseason for the first time since 1978 but you can be sure that the respective loyal and loud fan bases will seek to add to their rich heritage with their 2^nd Cup title in the past five years. I’m seeing this series going 7 and the Bruins hoisting the Cup? Why? I just think that the Bruins are just a little better.

MLB: Puig, who IS this guy?

I heard the name and was chuckling at the name Yasiel Puig? (Pronounced Pweeg) and wondered why the Dodgers spent $42 million on a Cuban defector. But the proof is in the pudding as it stands so far. Puig had rocketed up fast in the Dodgers organization and was recalled from Double A Chattanooga where he had already become a local legend in just 40 games! Puig makes his debut in Chavez Ravine last week and has already has hit 4 homers and knocked in 10. Including an opposite field grand slam he has hit four homers in his first five games and is fast getting a rep as someone not to run on. His throws are rifle-like (see this weeks dap) and reminds me of the accurate throws of a guy named Bo Jackson who was doing that sort of thing before Puig was born (he was born in 1990) But the fast flash is often in MLB, remember Jeff Francoeur? Who I want to see Puig face is Reds fireballer (and fellow Cuban defector) Aroldis Chapman…that will be must see TV

Horse Racing: Another year no triple crown

Palace Malice won the Belmont on Saturday, and I don’t think anyone really noticed or cared. Three different horses won the jewels of the triple crown (Oxbow winning the Preakness and Orb winning the Kentucky Derby) I was at the crib playing basketball on the PS3 and had forgotten about the race not noticing that the race had been run until the notice had come across my phone. But another year has passed without a Triple Crown winner. Which makes Affirmed’s win 35 years ago that much more awe inspiring. But of course it was 40 years ago Sunday that the ultimate win in the Preakness happened. Secretariat had rallied from behind to win the Kentucky Derby (running each split faster than the next…meaning he was accelerating through the entire race.) and Preakness going away by 2 ½ lengths and was a mind-boggling 1-10 favorite to win a six horse Belmont.  As I’ve done the past two years… the 1973 Belmont

So many people bought Pari-mutuel tickets on Secretariat but didn’t cash them in as souvenirs. Hell, who would want to cash in a .20 win? Sham, the supposed rival got run into the ground and finished last. This isn’t a rip on Sham rather a celebration of a great horse and a crowning race. Everytime I see the race I get chills and think of the words of Jack Nicklaus who unashamedly admitted that he wept watching the conclusion of the race. Why? He simply said he recognized perfection in a sporting performance and it moved him to tears.

NBA: Coaching Carousel spins faster…and out of control?

Now I must confess, I’m not a George Karl fan. I’ve always thought him a hyper blowhard, someone who rants and rants and gets players to play above their level…in the regular season but always manages to blow a tire in the playoffs. Let’s look at the examples:

Item: The Karl coached Sonics were the #1 seed in 1994 with 63 wins but managed to blow a 2-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs losing at home with the famous Dikembe Mutumbo laying out on his back shouting in joy

Item: Karl leads the Sonics to a 57-25 record but is again bounced from the playoff by the Lakers (Was that the event that inspired Ice Cube to say “I had the brew, she had the chronic. The Lakers beat the Supersonics? But I digress)

Item: The Sonics finally broke through in 1996 and got to the Finals where they got thumped by the 72 win Bulls. I don’t give a shit that they won in 6, the networks weren’t having a sweep. George Karl got two gimmes.

Item: Two more 50 win seasons in the following season were to come but also two second round exits.

Item:  After leaving Seattle Karl went on to Milwaukee and got the Bucks all the way to a 7^th game of the East Finals in 2001, but the Bucks never got back that deep in the playoffs again and Karl got the gate after 2003.

Item: Landing in Denver in midseason 2005, Karl took the Nuggets to the playoffs every year and got them to the West Finals against the Lakers in 2009. But that was their only foray past the first round despite winning 50 or more games in five seasons, tying then breaking the team regular season record for wins with 57 in 2013 and being named coach of the year. But this season saw another playoff collapse as they got outgunned by the upstart Warriors in 6 games. Karl was named coach of the year but a contract dispute saw Karl be relieved of his coaching duties.

Now Karl is still a hot coaching commodity, and with many coaching vacancies coming open he will be pursued by a number of teams who are really good. The Clippers, Grizzlies and the Nets are a teams that are young hungry playoff teams but gave their respective coaches their walking papers. Del Negro wasn’t a real shocker though his teams have been underachieving every year though they did win their first division title in team history. Lionel Hollins getting the gate was a bit of surprise since the Grizzlies were coming off their deepest ever playoff run in their team history.  The NBA has had a record 12 coaching turnovers and while Gregg Popovich is no surprise as the dean of NBA coaches at 16 seasons, it’s a shock that his NBA Finals opposing coach Erik Spolestra is now 3^rd on the coaching seniority list. Spolestra was all of 26 when Pop was hired as Spurs Coach and 37 when hired as an unknown by the Heat in 2008 but he is now one of the most tenured coaches in the NBA. Ironically, the top four coaches tenure wise all have won NBA titles and the 5^th tenured Scott Brooks took his team to the NBA Finals in 2012. It seems that the head coaching position in the NBA is the most tenuous of professions with even less security than others. If you aren’t winning titles you might be getting run quickly.

NFL: Just when we thought we were clear of it

Tim Tebow was signed by the Patriots. Sully, Mo I had respect for your team until this...what kind of bullshit is this??? I know Im a Tebow detractor lashing out and I have no qualms with Tom Brady but I saw this one and could help but put it in

PHAT DAP/HEAD SLAP

Phat Dap

​Again to Puig who is not only hitting homers at a frightening clip but throwing cats out on the basepath with a sick arm...peep this with the funky drummer backbeat

 

Head Slap

To Chad Johnson, a player that I have always liked. Johnson was sentenced to 30 days for breaking his probation. Johnson was about to take a plea deal when he in his words “playfully” slapped his attorney on the behind. The judge Kathleen McHugh who witnessed this was not amused. Johnson got the proverbial book thrown at him and caught. Johnson who has always been very loquacious and boisterous just didn’t get the fact that you don’t play in court.  I was watching Stephen A Smith about go apoplectic over the news, not that Johnson was sentenced. But that he would do something as asinine as what he did to catch the sentence. I’ve only been in court twice, nothing major and I wasn’t even trying to smile in the court much less do something playful. You just don’t play in court. Johnson is going to cool his heels in jail for a month and any slim chance he had on making a comeback in the NFL is pretty much eradicated now.  

 

Thats the View From the Hoodwood for this week. Until Next week fellow sports fans!!!

 

 

**tap tap** Is this thing on?  **tap tap** testing 1-2-3.  I’m just testing out my new encrypted blogging platform, so the NSA can’t listen into today’s blog post.  The last thing I need sitting in a file somewhere is it being noted that I’m associated with some of you freaks.  

 

The important feature of any vibrant tavern is the talk. The barkeep hears it all, and everyone has an opinion, just like they have...a favorite team.

 

So with that in mind, I was watching the Kings/Blackhawks tilt Saturday night and as the game headed into double overtime the thought occurred to me: The Kings logo sucks.  Frankly it looks like some of the logos of the CFL expansion teams when they tried to break into the US market in the early 90’s.  

 

I started thinking about the best and the worst logos in the major sports here in the US.  In my mind the Kings and the old school Canucks logos make that list.  The best/worst logo thing is hardly a novel idea: go ahead and google it.  Tons of links.  While everyone and his brother has their opinion on the matter, I decided YGS needed to wade into that pool - if for no other reason that the SEO benefits.

 

In my opinion, probably the best logos are found in Minor League Baseball. There are so many whacked out logos that it’s just so hard to pick just a couple out, but the Aquasox logo is pretty damn cool.  I like the shoutout to the old school Mariners trident.  Makes me want to thrown on a Jimmy Buffett album, throw on a Hawaiian shirt and just chill out.  As an aside, the throwback to the old school Mariners’ logo points out a really regrettable time in Major League Baseball uniforms - look no further than the Mid-70’s Mariners, Astros, and Padres unis.

 

Here are my picks for best and worst NHL logos.  My bias seems to be on the side of artistry and thought.  The artist had to put something together that might not be clear from the team name.  What DO you do with a Canuck?  To that question I would suggest that neither the skate logo or the shark logo makes that much sense to me.  If you can’t figure out a logo for your team that makes sense, maybe you should rename the team.  I mean, the Yankees have a logo that makes sense - an Uncle Sam hat on a baseball bat.  Can’t you rubes some up with Something that makes sense?

 

Best NHL Logos:

 

Ottawa Senators  I can’t say why I like this one as much as I do.  I guess its because it harkens back to the Roman empire, and it looks like quite a bit of thought went into it.  

Colorado Avalanche  In my opinion, this certainly blows the Quebec Nordiques logo out of the water.  I like because someone got really creative - I’m not sure I know where I would go if given the assignment for creating a logo for an avalanche.  As an added bonus, they have this great Big Foot shoulder patch.

Chicago Blackhawks.  I know, right now they’re my team’s mortal enemies, but I like the logo.  Its intricate, and generally consistent over the last 90 or so years.  Check it.  I’m actually a bigger fan of the logo they used through the 1950’s and into the 60’s.  Its not without controversy, but that wasn’t one of my criteria.

 

Worst NHL Logos:

 

Carolina Hurricanes  It’s just dumb.  I mean to be the counterpoint of the avalanche - the unique take on the name - the Canes went exactly where you might think and came up with this swirling butthole logo.  I actually like their secondary logo and I wonder why they don’t make the switch.

 

Winnipeg Jets  Not the reconstituted logo, but the original Jets’ logo before they relocated to Phoenix, that hotbed of hockey support.  Now, I should’ve specified that I was planning to stay with only the current teams/logos, but given I hate this one so much because it’s just so...dumb, I’m breaking that rule.  I hate this one even more than the Canucks’ skate logo.

 

LA Kings  Pick one.  They all suck.  The old school, Lakers rip off one is quite abominable, but color scheme aside, the whole palate sucks. The only one that doesn’t suck is the mid-90’s alternate...and that comes close to sucking.

 

So, tell me where I screwed up here.  

 

As a closing thought, in light of this weeks’ news that the government has been spying on us with the help of our friends at Verizon, Google, Facebook and Skype, I’m planning to submit a Freedom of Information request to the records of the negotiations between the Red Sox and Dodgers.  I want to know how the Sox convinced the Dodgers to take on Josh Beckett AND Carl Crawford.  Gonzo is the one redeeming player on the field for LA this season, but Beckett says he may not pitch again and Crawford is on the DL...I know, shock.  Finding that out would be the only positive to come out of the whole spying thing.

 

Good morrrrrrrrrrrrr-ning. Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR update and other fast stuff. Twas a b-u-t-ful Saturday here in PA. Started out cloudy but the sun came out to finish out the day. Great birthday BBQ for my son and and a great day to enjoy the outside. 

So that means it's Sunday. Race day. We're at the Tricky Triangle this week. Pocono Raceway. A lap around here is 2.5 miles and in a triangle. Every corner is different so setting the car up is difficult. You have to pick the turn you want the best set up on and suffer through the others. So the drivers have a double whammy going on here. It was repaved in the fall of 2011 and they're driving the new Gen 6 car. Any notes you have on setups for 2012 are junk. Qualifying was rained out this weekend so practice was limited. The cars will line up by owners points. Only 43 cars entered so all 43 are in. More about Pocono later. Lets get to the other fast stuff.

JEB BURTON WINS @ TEXAS

Jeb would be Ward Burton's son & Jeff Burton's nephew. He's got a ride in the NASCAR truck series and they were at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday. Congrats to Jeb. Nice job.

STEWART MAD @ MEDIA

After Stewart won Dover last week he of course did his media center interview and took a few of the journalists to task for their spewing out untrue info without checking up on it just to get a story out there. In recent weeks rumors have been flying that Stewart was going to fire his crew chief Steve Addington because he's been in such a slump. Stewart was mad about it and said he has a hard enough time being the owner of 3 teams and trying to keep them competitive every week without the media spreading rumors. Says Steve is staying and that his guys work hard and don't deserve the crap from the media.

AJ ALLMENDINGER UPDATE

AJ will be back in the Phoenix Racing #51 car at Pocono this weekend. Roger Penske has been letting AJ drive in some of the races for the Indy Car Series since his re-instatement from NASCAR. He says he's grateful for all that Roger has done for him and is grateful for a ride of any kind be it stock car or Indy Car. 

Besides his Indy Car races he'll be stepping into the #47 at Michigan next week which will displace Bobby Labonte. It would seem that the one car team of JTG Daugherty Racing needs a new perspective from a different driver to get a better handle on this new Gen 6 car. He will get 4 other races this year in the #47. If you have Bobby Labonte on your fantasy league you'll have to be on alert to when he's in or out of the #47. It is said he's not being permanently replaced.

BRAD KESELOWSKI FINED AGAIN

Last week Brad's car was too low after the race and didn't pass post race inspection. The crew says it was a failed part which I believe. The cars run their tolerances close and the cars bend and flex all race long handling high rates of speed and G forces. Sometimes the cars just for whatever reason don't spring back into inspection shape. At Texas Truex's car didn't pass post race inspection because of a piece of debris stuck in the spring causing it to not be able to close back up properly. 

Penalties are----> Crew Chief Paul Wolfe gets a $25,000 fine and probation till Dec 31st.

                     ----> Brad Keselowski loses 6 drivers points.

                     ----> Roger Penske loses 6 owners points.

                         

DOVER RECAP 

My most handsome Knight of the Mobile 1 took the win. Can't believe it but he did. After his crappy struggles in mediocre land so far this year it was a pleasant surprise. There were  some engine failures and accidents. AND a controversy between 2 drivers. Mostly it was just funny to here Jimmie whine and Montoya just shrug his shoulders. 

So lets talk about how we got to that point in the race. First they dropped the green flag with Hamlin on the pole and he takes the lead. Gordon immediately starts his whinning about the car not having any grip. 

By lap 24 Kyle takes the lead. Jimmie is in 21st fighting loose and Danica has tagged somebody and needs to pit for tires and a fender check up. She's 3 laps down now.

After first set of green flag pit stops aroung lap 65 Kyle still leading. Stewart is 1 lap down and Jimmie is barely on the lead lap.

Caution on lap 79 for debris sees Stewart as the free pass recipient or Lucky Dog. A big break for those that need more adjustments.

Kyle is still leading, Gordon is still whining in 16th, Jimmie is up to 14th and Danica is like waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back there and 3 laps down.

Kenseth beats Kyle off pit road after caution #2 on lap 127. He keeps that lead till lap 158 when his motor goes pooooof. Kyle takes the lead back. Jimmie is creeping up.

Lap 207 Jimmie takes the lead. Truex, Kyle, Hamlin and Kahne are your top 5.

Lap 223 sees Casey Mears in 13th!!!!! What?Lap 279 Truex is smoking. Another Toyota motor goes poooof. Jimmie maintains the lead.

Lap 300 sees Newman lose his mind. He takes out David Gilliland and himself. I guess the fighting over track position got a bit fierce and Gilliland wasn't giving in. Funny thing. Since NASCAR laid down the law with the lower under funded Start & Park teams, they aren't laying down so easy any more. We're going to see way more of this. It has the potential to change championship dreams. Actually it is changing the championship landscape already.

84 laps to go and Kahne goes around all by himself. There's a caution and Logano gets that free pass. 

24 to go Hamlin bounces off the wall when his right front tire goes down. Extended stay on pit road trying to get the fender bent out to put a tire on. And now we have our set up for the end. Montoya got out of the pits first with Jimmie second. It's restart time. Cars bunch up, they get to the restart area, Montoya doesn't take off but Jimmie does. He reaches the start finish line before Montoya and half a lap later he's black flagged. 

Rule states that all cars be in 2 lines and bunched up. The leader is to hit the line on the other side of the starting box first or the flag man starts the race at the start finish line with the wave of the green flag. Jimmies nose was clearly 6 to 8 inches ahead of Montoya. Jimmie says that Montoya hung back and never went. He also said he tried to give it back to Montoya but he wouldn't speed up. He says Montoya did what he would consider that flopping thing in the NBA and that as racers you have to exploit all angles and Montoya played it well. He plans on talking with NASCAR about this rule to make it clearer. Dover is a small track with a small restart area but a track like Indy has a much larger one and it's conceivable that he could trap 3 to 5 guys down by doing what Montoya did.

Montoya says that Jimmie hung back before they got to the restart area and mistimed his take off. He says Jimmie would've passed him any way but wanted to get a jump on me so he wouldn't have to deal with me. He had the dominant car in the end but lost the race through mistiming. It's all good. It's racing.

I see where Jimmie is coming from but I see he's whining too. The rule is pretty cut and dry but as of lately there's been some gamesmanship at restarts. Will NASCAR step in? Don't know.

Top 15 finishers - Stewart - Montoya - Gordon - Keselowski - Bowyer - Logano - Harvick - Martin - Dale Jr - Burton - Kurt B - Stenhouse - Edwards - Biffle

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POCONO PREVIEW

Rain has put a damper on things but we should be racing today. The rain out rules put Jimmie on the pole to start the race. This will be a long grueling race. It was shortened from 500 to 400 miles in 2012. Richard Petty won the first Cup race here in 1974. Again Mark Martin holds a lot of records here. He has 52 starts , 3 poles, 7 - 2nd place finishes, 20 top 5's and 34 top 10's. Gordon has 6 W's, 18 top 5's and 28 top 10's. Johnson has a 9.0 finishing average. 

The Tricky Triangle eats motors and transmissions. It's shape is a triangle so there's lots of shifting. Track position is key here. You have to get all you can when there's a restart because the cars spread out quickly. 

Last years top 10 finishers - Logano - Martin - Stewart - Johnson - Hamlin - Bowyer - Kenseth - Dale Jr - Menard - McMurray - Edwards - Newman - Ambrose - Harvick - Burton

Kyle B lost a motor, Kahne and Allmendinger had accidents and Biffle lost a cylinder but maintained the 24th spot as the last car on the lead lap. Martin and Logano battled it out in the last laps with Logano doing a bump & run on Martin for the win.

So this year I'd say the Toyotas will be tuned down. There was a meeting with all the Toyota teams about the 6 motors that have gone poof. Two were last week. This race and Michigan the motors are to be tuned down to emphasize endurance and durability instead of speed.

So that being said, I'm not sure where you'll see Kyle B this week. Wrecker or checker. That's a tough one.

Team mates Hamlin & Kenseth should be good but will they have the power on restarts? The MWR guys Bowyer, Truex & Martin will face that same issue. Will talent be enough for these 6 guys?

Johnson needs to stop making stupid mistakes. What is up with him these days? Should see a top 10. Actually a win.

Dale Jr will be Mr Steady Eddie coming into a quiet top 10.

McMurray has been knocking and little things keep him down. Last week it was a flat tire while he was in 9th with 72 to go. 

Montoya hasn't figured out this track yet.

Stewart and Newman could find their way up to the top 10. Are the handling issues figured out?

Logano won last year. But this is a new year and new car and new team. I'm thinking he'll over come all that. Team mate Keselowski should be up there too.

C listers to watch for. David Ragan #34, Travis Kvapil #93, Dave Blaney #7, David Gilliland #38 (if Newman doesn't take him out again) and Ricky Stenhouse #17. Apparently Bobby Labonte is a B lister this year because he did so well last year. I missed that. Mostly because I wasn't looking for him on my Yahoo picks till recently. 

I did change my ESPN picks. Now I'm not sure about my picks with the announcement Toyota made about tuning down the motors to save them. This has been a tough season to gage. But you know it's onward and upward we go. Another race. Another day. 

I hope you all have a great weekend with the celebration of graduations, anniversaries, new beginnings and just any excuse you can find for firing up that grill, popping the top on a favorite beverage, toasting good friends and family and or just enjoying the day. Cheers Gabbers and others and...

I'm outta here......

 

 

 

 

I just finished watching the Penguins being swept away by the Bruins - in many ways a remarkable result considering the Pens were heavy favorites going into the playoffs and really gave no hint of a collapse going into this series with Boston.  Consider that the Penguins scored exact TWO goals in 4 games.  Sydney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin combined for 0 goals & 0 assists.   You could sense that as the game went on tonight that the Penguins had given it their best shot and had zilch to show for it that they were in trouble.  The Bruins executed on their game plan to perfection.  A tremendous team effort - the better team won.   

Now we are looking at a Blackhawk - Bruin Stanley Cup Final...wow, that should be fun!

Other notes...for all the grief Pen fans (and xenophobic Canadians) like to heap on Ovechkin, he has never been shutout in a playoff series.  I think qualifies as a Pyrrhic Victory for Caps fans....That was the first sweep of the Penguins in 35 years - that's a nice run.  Where do the Penguins go from here?  Seems like they went all in with trades to win the Cup this year...do they make major changes or ride the same horses?

In the NBA, San Antonio jumps out to an early lead

Tony Parker's amazing shot clock buzzer - beater sealed a victory over the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  As you should know, I am not a big NBA fan, but I thought this was one of the best played games I have ever watched.  It had flow, it had tempo, the officials did not ruin it and in the end, you had drama.  It was a great game and I was thoroughly entertained.  It was even more entertaining to have the Spurs win.  I find it hard to believe that the Spurs will be able to sustain this over a 7 game series, but I can hope that we get more games of that quality.  

Notes:  I was flipping between the hockey and basketball - there was a TV timeout in both games near the end.  There was 8:30 left in the hockey and 3:33 left in the basketball.  Any doubt about which ended first?  It wasn't even close...I really think the powers that be need to find a way to move along the end of basketball games.  This is true on all levels - the last 2 minutes of basketball game go on forever.  They really need to eliminate the TV break of several minutes and reduce the timeout to 30 seconds.  If a coach can't say what he needs to say in 30 seconds, he must not be much of a coach.

 

It is time for Tiger Fever Again...

The U.S. Open at Merion starts this coming week and we can expect to hear the drums beating for Tiger Woods again.  After Tiger's disasterous performance at the Memorial, it will really be fascinating to see how he does in the most demanding golf tournament of them all.  The U.S. Open isn't a golf tournament - it is a war of attrition.  Brutal conditions and kitchen floor fast greens make for unusual scoring - and champions.  I don't really have a feel for anyone special this year.  It may be too tedious to watch if Tiger is not on the Leader board.

 I did not really have too much to say about the PED situation in baseball...I'm glad they are trying to keep the cheaters out of the game.   As the Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, said today, they do not belong in the Hall of Fame - ever.  They can hang out with Joe Jackson and Pete Rose  (both have better claims to the Hall than the 'Roid Boys).

Here's to drying out this weekend and enjoying some early summer sun.  Me & Mrs. Sun celebrate 34 years of marriage on Sunday - she must be a saint!....everyone have a great weekend!

Bill

 

 

For all you Spleen eaters out there...

You need to cut back on the Ox Spleen right away...

But Pig Spleen and Sheep Spleen are bad, too...

And while you are at it...

Lay of the Ox Liver, Pig Liver and...
 

Pig Lungs...

No wonder why Josh Hamilton is in a season long slump...

Chompin’ on those Pig Lungs...

Yummy...

Whetting your appetite, am I???

Now this one doesn’t sound nearly as enticing...

Sweetbread...

 

But this isn’t your regular every day sweetbread...

And it’s not from wheat...

We’re talkin’ Calf’s Neck Sweetbread...

Slice me up a loaf, will ya???

No wonder more and more people are getting gout...

And it’s mostly guys...

My dad had it, too...

And boy did he love to stink up the house with...
 

Canned Sardines in Oil...

Served best on Saltines...

No bueno...

But you can always substitute  those sardines...

For less than half the purines with some delicious...

Horse meat...

“Willll-burrrr...”

However...

If you want to smell up the place, Phillip Rivers...

But not get gout...

Try the low purine...



Limburger Cheese...



Great on a first date, Blake Griffin...

(I can’t believe I found that photo.)

But what ever you do, Blake...

Back away from the gravy...

High in purines...

Mashed potatoes without gravy???

How un-Midwestern can you get???

And I have good news for you...


 

Jonathan Quick...

Carrots are very low in purines...

And they’ll help you block more shots with your eyesight...

And for those of us who get gout attacks regularly...



We know that life...

(And gout relief...)

Is a bowl of cherries...




dvt

Hello gabbers and it’s a very early Thursday morning  as the Boston Bruins have just taken a 3-0 series lead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In game that was more what we expected in this series a battle of wills and up down action a lot of opportunity and some chippy play. David Krecji would score at1:42 of the first period and the Bruins wouldn’t score again for 93 minutes and 37 seconds. When Brad Marchand feed Patrice Bergeron for the game winner. Tuuka Rask stood on his head for most of allowing a goal to Chris Kunitz at8:19 of the 2^nd period.

Tomas Vokoun was outstanding as well and when they say a lucky bounce or a quarter of inch is all it takes that wasn’t more evident then tonight. Post were hit on bothsides and both teams came out flying but in the end the bruins found a way in double overtime to take a commanding 3-0 lead against the most talented team in the NHL.

The one thing that is very noticeable throughout the series the bruins have fustrated Sidney Crosby to the point acting more like Lebron being shut down than the Sid the Kid that we know can play. The other thing this series will be remembered for when it is said and down is that the post is truly the goaltenders best friend. I watch a lot of hockey just can’t remember seeing this many post hit in a three game set.

In the West the Loa Angeles Kings finally got off their Porcelain Throne and played some hockey on Tuesday. They beat the Black Hawks 3-1 on home Ice.. Making that series into a battle and give Jonathon Quick some much needed help. I still think the Blackhawks will take the series but it won’t be a sweep. I won’t predict a Bruins sweep either I wouldn’t mind it but the Penguins should there talent Last night they did everything except put the puck by Rask.  Boston it’s time to move on from Tim Thomas and embrace this guy . Rask isn’t as flashy as Thomas but he is far more efficient not wasting a lot of energy chasing down pucks and traveling all over his zone. Rask just is steady and stone cold when it comes to stopping pucks. This was your NHL Update

Some  NHL tidbits for you to munch on

These final for teams are the last 4 Stanley Cup winners Pittsburgh 2009, Chicago 2010, Boston 2011, Los Angeles 2012

56 players in these two series have their names on the Stanley Cup

The Dallas Stars have a new Look

 

Alright admit you were hoping the Pacers had won. I think everybody outside Miami wanted the pacers to win. Has a team ever been more hated. Wait people outside New England don’t answer that.

 

Tuesday Night I worked a double header and came home and was switching between the Red Sox game and the Hawks Kings game.. I turn on the Red Sox and they are up 17-5 in the 8^th when the Rangers bring in former Red Sox Outfielder David Murphy to pitch. Murphy did what nobody in the Texas bullpen could  he throw a scoreless inning. Murphy let up a leadoff Double to Dan Nava and then struck out Mike Carp. On a called third strike which got Carp ejected for bitching about the call in a 17-5 game don’t bitch. Murphy let up two deep fly ball outs. It was refreshing to see Murphy out there smiling and having a little fun in a lost case. The Rangers came back and won 3-2 last night.

That nasty word PED’s have been mentioned again. This time MLB got the cooperation and taking names from the guy that owns the bio lab in Miami. They are trying to make a case against 20 players associated with the Lab including A-Rod and Ryan Bruan. You know when I heard this story all I could do was think shit I have Ryan Braun on my fantasy team. I guess I’m just sick of the whole PED stories and baseball. I read a few articles and they are looking at 100 game suspension for both as a second involvement but they aren’t calling  failing a second test unless the involvement counts. This should end up being a big union battle stay tuned.

That’s it for today and have a pleasant tomorrow

Fresh on the heels of the completed Faces of the Franchise list, I got to thinking of the flipside. What exactly optimizes the worst of a franchise? How have people poked fun at them. Well, I got to thinking a put together a little list of some of the Farces of the Franchises in baseball. Now unlike the Faces list, this is all my doing. You can weigh in with anything I might’ve overlooked, but this one is less passion and more just fun. These might be hard to see/live again. The people and events range from tragic to humorous. I don’t have much rhyme or reason here. So, sit back and enjoy the

Farces of the Franchise

Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson Destroys a Bird (March 24, 2001)

Batters already feared Randy Johnson’s fastball. Just ask John Kruk. After a spring training game in 2001, however, everything would learn to fear Johnson’s fastball. In the 7^th inning of an exhibition game against the Giants, Johnson released a scorcher that collided with an unfortunate dove. The dove was eradicated, sending a shower of white feathers. The play was ruled a no pitch.

Atlanta Braves: Eastbound and Down (Premiered February 15, 2009)

Well, if the show references Atlanta at all it was because Kenny Powers played a year with the team. Many have speculated about whether this is a parody of former closer John Rocker. It is not. While the producers sight episodes of Rocker’s career were an inspiration to Powers’ attitude.

Baltimore Orioles: Earl Weaver’s tirades (Manager from 1968-1986)

Earl Weaver is a certified Hall of Famer. He’s also a legendary manager with a hot temper. Weaver was passionate. You can hear for yourself. He brought 4 pennants to the O’s and one World Series. His tirades against the umps were possibly just as legendary.

Boston Red Sox: Buckner’s Game 6 Error (Game 6 of 1986 World Series)

You gotta feel for Bill Buckner. He had a long, 22 year career in which he hit .289 with nearly 3000 hits, won a batting title and made an All Star appearance. Yet everyone knows him for letting that ball through his legs. The Red Sox had one more game to win it, but just couldn’t. Buckner becomes the goat. He retired with a .991 fielding percentage by the way.

Could’ve been harder on the team and put Fever Pitch here. Two words: Jimmy Fallon.

Chicago Cubs: Curse of the Goat (October 6, 1945)

Things were going great for the Cubs in 1945. They were leading the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in the World Series. Local saloon owner William “Billy Goat” Sianis and his goat, Murphy, bought a pair of tickets to game 4. Sianis believed his goat would bring the team luck. Sianis was stopped at the gate due to a no animals policy. Sianis appealed to the Cubs owner, who said Sianis could come in but not his goat. When asked why, Wrigley is said to have said because the goat stinks. Sianis reportedly threw up his arms in frustration and said: "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field." The Cubs promptly went on to lose the ’45 series to the Tigers. The curse has reigned strong for 67 years, 7 months, and 29 days. The curse continues to rear its ugly head, most notably in the guise of the infamous Bartman incident in 2003.

 

Chicago White Sox: Disco Demolition Night (July 12, 1979)

To say that the ’79 White Sox were bad would be an understatement. The team was so bad that by July of that year, ownership had to get creative to bring people to the stadium. With the rival Detroit Tigers in town, the Sox called in local shock jock Steve Dahl to create an anti-disco promotion. After the first game of a doubleheader, Dahl assembled a collection of disco records which he planned to explode in front of the crowd. Officials figured the stunt would bring in 20,000. About 50,000 showed up and more snuck in after the gates were locked. Around 90,000 have been estimated as being in attendance and the mass of the crowd stormed the field to riot following the destruction of the records. Riot police were called in to restore order and the second game was forfeited by the White Sox.

Cincinnati Reds: Marge Schott (owner 1981-1999)

The ‘80’s were a rough decade for the Reds. They couldn’t quite capture the magic of the Big Red Machine. Oh, and a little woman named Marge Schott began to muscle her way into ownership. As an owner, Schott was vocal and cheap. She disliked scouts and refused to fund the out of town scoreboard. She helped rebuild the Reds and contributed a lot to Cincinnati children’s charities, but she was just too vocal. And insensitive. And anti-semetic. And racist. The kicker came in 1996, when she praised Hitler to ESPN.

Cleveland Indians: Major Leagues movies (Released 1989, two sequels, one good sequel)

Bob Euchre was already a well-established figure in major league baseball, but this movie cemented Euchre and the Indians place in pop culture. One of the greatest baseball comedies ever made, this movie parodies the ineptitude of the 89 Tribe (73-89). The movie showcased a great performance by Charlie Sheen along with unforgettable quotes and characters. If you were wondering, you too can own your own Jobu doll. There is one up for bids on EBay for $30.

Colorado Rockies: What Comes After Two?  (July 29, 2012)

The Rockies were in the middle of a rough game against Cincinnati. Carlos Torres had struck out the third man and sprinted off the mound. The other defenders stayed put, and continued to do so. It took the home plate umpire to get the defense off the field. The Rockies would go on to lose the game 7-2 and fall to 26 games under .500.

Detroit Tigers: 2003 Season

Well, ’62 Mets fans will tell me to stop belly aching, but 2003 was just a rare year for the Tigers. The team went 43-119. It was the worst record compiled in 41 years. Nothing went well here. Dmitri Young was our best batter by far and was under .300 for the season. Our most affective starting pitcher was Mike Maroth with 9 wins in 33 games. Watching Tigers’ games was a comedy of errors. Really the only thing that saved us from out-losing the Mets was a later season winning streak:  5-1 over the last 6 games. Somehow, Alan Trammel went on to manage 2 more seasons for Detroit.

Houston Astros: Tequilla Sunrise uniforms (1975-1986)

There was a lot to work with for the Astros, but I’m being nice to my partner Jeff and going with these terrible uniforms. Widely considered one of the worst uniforms ever, these bright monstrosities were worn by such greats as Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, and Joe Morgan to name a few. Players got a brief reprieve from 1980-1993 when the pattern was moved to the shoulders of the uniform. The 1994 season saw the team drop the streaks for good.

Kansas City Royals: Pine Tar Incident (July 24, 1983)

One of the oddest and best known moments in Royals history is connected with one of their best players. Down 4-3 to the Yankees in the 9^th, Brett stepped up to the plate and belted a two run shot. Billy Martin asked the umpires to inspect Brett’s bat after Martin noticed tar on the bat. The umpires found more than the legal amount and ruled Brett’s home run an out. Brett stormed the dugout and had to be restrained. The Royals protested the game. The game was moved back to the period before Brett’s at bat and restarted August 18. The Royals eventually won 5-4.

Los Angeles Angels: Rally Monkey (Debut June 6, 2000)

The Angels were in deep trouble June 6^th, 2000. Down 5-4 to the Giants in the bottom of the 9^th, all seemed lost and the fans sensed it. A pair of video board operators sensed the crowds’ apathy. In an effort to halt the exodus for the gates, the two found a clip of a monkey jumping from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, superimposed the word “RALLY MONKEY”, and put it on the board. The fans took notice, as did the players. The Angels scored twice to win the game. The Rally Monkey became a staple of the team. The Monkey gained national attention when it was used to help the Angels win the 2002 World Series against the same Giants it debuted against. According to her official website, the Rally Monkey is on vacation.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Dodger Dogs

It’s rare when a team’s food offering are almost as famous as the team itself. The Dodger Dog is just that kind of rare treat. Millions of fans order up a Dodger Dog each year; a chain restaurant has even popped up in Southern California. Despite all the recent bashing of hot dogs, they remain a staple at baseball games and (grilled or steamed) the Dodger Dog is a big part of the tradition. The Dog has received attention outside of sports as Agent Mulder on the X-Files claimed they gave him swamp gas.

Miami Marlins: Jeff Loria

Contrary to their current state and play, the Marlins are two-time World Series Champs. They beat the Indians and the Yankees in the World Series. Yet, after each win, the team was sold off in a fire sale. The fire sale mentality of owner Jeff Loria continued this offseason when he traded many high priced players off to Toronto. Loria has drawn ire from baseball fans and fellow owners, yet the MLB has not taken actions against him. Loria makes things worse by allowing his staff to build up good teams for a time and then immediately liquidating his valuable players.

Milwaukee Brewers: Sausage Races (Debut 1991)

In 1991, local sausage producer Klement’s Sausage Company decided it needed a new way to promote its products. The company appealed to its partners, the Brewers, and the promotional racing sausages were born. The sausages race at every Brewers’ home game in the middle of the 6^th inning. The original lineup included the bratwurst, kielbasa, and Italian sausage. A chorizo and hot dog were recently added. The event is a fan favorite, but turned tragic July 9, 2003. Randall simon, 1B for the Pirates, reached his bat out and struck the Italian sausage mascot. Simon would be arrested, fine, and suspended by Major League Baseball for the incident. Mandy Block, the woman in the costume, was not injured. She asked only for the bat to be autographed and given to her by Simon. She also received a free trip to Simon’s home island of Curacao.

Minnesota Twins: Pavano Rage (May 1, 2011)

Carl Pavano was just one of those guys who never seemed to live up to his potential on a regular basis. Some days Pavano was the stud; others he was the stooge. He rarely showed that more than in Minnesota. In 2010, Pavano was the best pitcher the Twins had. In 2011, they rewarded him with a 2 year, $16.5 million dollar deal. Pavano paid them back by giving up 7 earned runs on opening day against the Blue Jays. May 1^st was not any better. Pavano and the Twins were down 10-3 to the Royals in the sixth. After being pulled, Pavano decided to take out his frustrations on a trash can. Following his tantrum, Pavano did improve his pitching.

New York Mets: 1962 Debut Season

1962: National League Baseball returns to New York! The hot shot Yankees had a challenger. Spirits were high for the newly fledged Mets. Then, reality set in. They finished dead last in the National League with a 40-120 record. They were 60 ½ games out of first. Still, fans came out in droves to support this new team, proving that some can love a loser.

New York Yankees: Larry David as George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld (Debut May 19, 1994)

Rarely has such a feared and powerful man been so successfully lampooned. Larry David nailed it here. The Boss would become a recurring character on the show. He was known for being portrayed as kooky and his face was never shown.

Oakland Athletics: Moneyball (Released 2011)

The story of Billy Beane comes to the big screen. Up until a few years ago, people would have called this and Beane’s ideas a comedy. Beane cobbles teams together based on Sabremetrics and new wave stats. It has led to some mediocre teams and frustrated fans. The last few seasons, however, the A’s begin making the post season. The film, of course, shows a lot of Beane’s move in an overly dramatic fashion.

Philadelphia Phillies: Phillie Phanatic (Debut April 25, 1978)

The Phanatic is every bit as famous as the Chicken. His antics are loved by fans, but have led to some run ins with opposing players and managers. The most famous of these took place in 1988 during a home stand against the Dodgers. The Phanatic commonly beat up mementos of the other team. This time, the Phanatic had a dummy of Tommy Lasorda. After watching the mascot beat up a stuffed version of himself, Lasorda charged from the dugout and beat the Phanatic during the nationally televised game.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Jason Grilli Entrance Video

So apparently enough people have told Jason Grilli that his name reminds them of grilled cheese. He’s acknowledged this with his Twitter handle @GrillCheese49. The scoreboard video producers in Pittsburgh decided to tie into this fact as well. The oddest part has to be Grilli staring down that sandwich…

St. Louis Cardinals: Eddie Gaedel plate appearance (August 19, 1951)

Bill Veeck was nothing if not a showman. Veeck is responsible for some of the most oddball moments in baseball history, but one of the most famous came when he signed Eddie Gaedel, a legal dwarf, to a secret contract and assigned him uniform number 1/8. In game two of a double header against the Detroit Tigers, Gaedel got his at bat and was walked on four straight pitches. The American League was not amused. The president voided Gaedel’s contract, struck the at bat from the records, and accused Veeck of mocking the game. A year later, Gaedel’s at bat was put back in the record books and his jersey is on display at the hall of fame. Gaedel earned $100 for his at bat.

San Diego Padres: San Diego Chicken (Debut March 1974)

Very few mascots have transcended their team or sport more than the Famous San Diego chicken. Ted Giannoulas first donned the chicken suit as part of a local radio promotion at the San Diego Zoo. Giannoulas, a poor San Diego State student, saw an opportunity to build upon this stunt and took the suit to a Padres game. The rest as they say is history. The Chicken has mocked, annoyed, and entertained the games greats and countless fans. He’s even featured on one of my favorite baseball players cards.

San Francisco Giants: ’89 World Series Earthquake (October 17, 1989)

Bay area fans were hyped for game 3 of the ’89 A’s-Giants World Series. The fans were settling in and watching the players finish warm-ups with 25 minutes to go before game time. Suddenly, the right field stands begin to shake. Concrete is knocked loose. Power is lost and fans run for cover. The stadium holds, but MLB officials decide to postpone the game. The earthquake was a 7.1 on the Richter scale.

Seattle Mariners: Mariner Moose ATV Mishaps (Debut April 13, 1990)

Mariner Moose began innocently enough as a child’s winning mascot contest entry. Things went well until they added an ATV to the Moose’s act. During the 1995 divisional series against the Yankees, the Moose was performing his signature rollerblading behind an ATV trick. The driver took a turn too close to the outfield wall and the Moose crashed into the wall. The Moose suffered a broken ankle/ The trick continued to be a crowd favorite until the Mariners moved to Safeco Field in 1999.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Trop Cat Walks

Sometimes stadium plans can become inconvenient. In the Rays case, they can lead to a down right confusing set of rules. Two rows of the rings are considered in play, while two others are considered in foul territory. The catwalks cost the Rays a win against the Twins on August 5, 2010. Jason Kubel hit a ball towards the outfield that would have fallen for an easy third out in any other stadium. In Tampa, however, the ball hit a catwalk and fell for an infield hit. The Twins extended the inning for a 8-6 win. The catwalks are structurally supportive and cannot be removed.

Texas Rangers: Jose Canseco Homers off his Head (May 26, 1993)

Jose Canseco was known for hitting a lot of home runs…and for the methods that got him that power. Canseco, however, saw himself as a well-rounded player. He has pitched before, but his glove has earned him more dubious honors. The Rangers were playing the Indians and Canseco was in the outfield tracking a routine fly ball. As Canseco moved back, he underestimated the ball, which bounced off his head and over the wall for a home run. Canseco would claim the ball went off his glove, but evidence shows the ball hitting his head. The Rangers would lose the game 7-6.

Toronto Blue Jays: Ok Blue Jays (1983)

A lot of teams have a song they associate with their team. In Toronto, they have “Ok Bluejays” by Keith Hampshire and the Bat Boys. It’s a tradition for fans to sing and clap to this song during the seventh inning stretch. They usually still follow it up with “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”.

Washington Nationals: Jersey Debacle (April 17, 2009)

A broken team moving from Montreal to Washington D.C., the Nationals hardly came into the league with much respect. They didn’t even get any from jersey manufacturer Majestic. In this infamous game, several players took the field in jerseys reading Natinals instead of Nationals. The jerseys spawned countless jokes in sports news and late night talk shows. The easiest was that having no “O” in the teams name seemed really fitting. What was worse was that Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman, two of the team’s most visible players, donned these abominations. While Majestic would apologize for the snafu, the team couldn’t apologize for their 2-3 loss to the Marlins that night or their 59-103 season record.

Despite all that has happened in Oklahoma with the tornadoes, a little humor is still there. Hoodwood sends its love and prayers in this most difficult time

This had to be the longest short-week ever here at the Tavern, Harry set up a lemonade stand out front - he got some business, but mostly he was waxing nostaglic about the old ballyard.  Because Harry was otherwise occupied, Sun Tzu decided that it would be okay to take up Harry’s traditional stool at the bar...and spent the rest of the evening apologizing for that and some other offenses.  While that made for a long week, It was definitely a long week for Julie “I choose not to coach you gus” Hermann, Mike Adams and Ricky Stenhouse...and anyone waiting for the Penguins/Bruins series to start.  Of course the worst part of the Pens/B’s tilt is that puck dropped at 8:30 - in the middle of my class reunion.  

 

It’s the first reunion I’ve ever been to - my class from the get-go was known as the epitome of the Gen X slacker - and I chose a doozy of a reunion to attend: I think there were 9 of us.  Of course, because of Facebook, I already know who got fat and bald, and who is in a dead end job and all of that, so the mystery is kind of taken out of it.  There we are, 9 middle aged, out of shape dudes hanging around, looking at our phones to find out what time it was so we could go somewhere else and watch the game.

 

As if that wasn’t enough to depress me about getting old, on Sunday, the #1 Mini-Mo graduated high school.  From the time she started school, I’ve been preparing myself emotionally for this day...or trying to.  13 years of emotional preparation, alas, was not enough.  Seeing her name written out in the program, Hearing her name, seeing her walk across the stage to collect her diploma.  Nope, just not enough preparation for that.

 

As that young woman goes off to college, my attention turns to Rutgers.  As far as Julie Hermann’s long week goes - you would have to think that given what the school has gone through and why they were looking for an AD in the first place, they’d have taken every precaution to make sure their appointee was squeaky clean.  Now, in Hermann’s defense, what is being discussed happened 15+ years ago. We’re talking about letters describing a pretty intense emotional experience, and maybe I’m just reading the situation wrong, but what’s described sounds more like an intense coach - not a troubled meglomaniac.  One wonders if Coach Hermann’s failing as a coach was not emotionally preparing these players for competition.  Then the firing of an assistant for under performing or as sex discrimination (depending on who’s telling the story).  The real issue there seems to me to be an inappropriately close personal relationship between a supervisor and her direct report: she compromised her ability to defend herself against an allegation.  That’s what Rutgers should be looking at.  She’s been successful in her role at Louisville, but given where the State University of New Jersey has been they should have made a more considered decision - maybe that would still have been Hermann, but at least they would’ve been prepared.  That’s the real issue here - they didn’t know what they didn’t know and they weren’t sensitive to their own history.   

 

Mike Adams, a second year player with the Steelers, was stabbed this week in a robbery attempt.  That would make for a long week, but it could make for a long summer - now is the time players should be conditioning themselves, working out, generally preparing.  Hard to do that when you’re convalescing from stab wounds...and a second year player drafted in the 5th round is going to be on the bubble by definition.  That’s got to be weighing heavily on the young man’s mind...

 

Of course there’s the joke about Ricky Stenhouse Jr “banging” Danica Patrick...and wrecking her car.  Just not exactly the way he would prefer.  I don’t much follow auto racing, that’s the province of Qwazier, but I just can’t resist the drama of a relationship in the workplace.  I have to imagine the wreck in lap 318 of 400 would’ve made for a lot of non-conversation and high-drama with the boss.  Relationships are hard things to navigate anyway, now add a media spot light on an autowreck and you’ve got yourself some real drama..  Now that I think about it, that would be an outstanding plot for a murder mystery - picture the scene where a couple had a fight just before the big race, jockey for position, and one causes the other to fatally crash the car.  

 

Life has these funny times when the stars align and you’re left to face an issue from several sides.  That was this weekend. All kinds of emo here at the Tavern - most of it good. And how, really, could it be anything but good when you have a the YGS community coming over for a Fred Light and spending time with you?  

Hey there and good morning. Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR updates and other fast stuff. The weather is finally heating up here on the East Coast. My issues is going from the 50's to the 90's over night. I don't tolerate extremes any way but this was REALLY extreme. My garden is late getting in as a result of this strange weather. Hopefully I can get it in on Monday.

TNT COVERAGE STARTS JUNE 9TH

​Oh goody. My favorite. Not. TNT control room hasn't got a clue. They don't show the race off pit road when they all pit under caution or post the out come and excessive commercials make my head spin among other complaints I have. These guys are responsible for me getting into Twitter while I watch the race. The on track journalists keep us informed. I've really come to enjoy that feed. 

They're rolling out a few new things. They'll be interviewing Dale Jr at his Whisky River property complete with a wild west town and you'll get to see his car grave yard. He takes junk race cars and puts them in his woods along the 4 wheeling trails for something interesting to see while 4 wheeling. Montoya's car that took out the jet dryer at Daytona last year is there.

Another roll out will be 6 drivers and their crew at 6 different tracks will host a fan who will be given an all access pass. Denny Hamlin starts off the festivities at Pocono.  Keselowski @ Michigan, Montoya @ Sonoma and Kurt B @ Kentucky are some of the drivers to expect. Good luck to the fan that gets chosen for each race.

All I know is that I need to make sure the laptop is in good working order or the TNT broadcast will drive me insane. 

CONTRACT EXTENSION

Paul Menard of the #27 Menard Chevy will be staying at Richard Childress racing for 3 more years. He signed his contract this week and is good to go. Guess it pays to have a daddy that loves you enough to be your sponsor. I guess it beats stocking shelves at daddy's store. He's come a long way in driving ability and I expect to see more improvements. How's 8th in the points standings right now for you? Good luck Paul.

                  

SMITHFIELD SALE TO SHANGUI INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LTD PENDING

That would be Smithfield hams being sold to a very large Chinese company who is the majority share holder in China's largest meat processing enterprise. Smithfield owns Armour, Farmland and their namesake. 

Under the agreement there will be no closures and all management teams will stay in tact. No word on how this will effect Aric Almirola's #43 team with Richard Petty Motorsports. 

I know that ham hasn't been on my list of meats to eat for some 25 years now but I am making sure it gets erased from my memory now. Just the phrase, "Chinese meat processing enterprise" gives me the chills. 

                            

Johnsons Dover ride. Cute Monsters on the car. I want to see the movie....With my grandson of course.....

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY RECAP

Last weeks race was interesting. I thought Montoya's D 500 jet dryer extravaganza last year was bizarre. Things just keep happening. It would seem that the ropes that pull the camera down the front stretch broke. They're rated for 9000 lbs but broke. The Austrian company has come in to investigate. No word yet on why.

It sure did create havoc on the track. Fans were trying to get officials attention but couldn't so they started throwing drinks onto the track. Some even tried to pull the ropes over the fence and off the track. There was just too much of it. The first car to hit the rope was Kyle Busch. Yeah buddy. I picked him in my Yahoo and boy was I pissed. As the pack rolled through several more cars came in contact with the rope. Mark Martin, Marcos Ambrose, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart were a few.

NASCAR red flagged the race and made all cars stop on pit road. At first it was going to be a clean up and restart. Kyle got out of his car and went to his pits for his camera. Came back and took pictures. No work can be done during a red flag but a visual is allowed. After what seemed to be forever NASCAR made the announcement the there would be a 15 minute time limit for all repairs related to the caution incident. Johnson who was having voltage issues was told the team couldn't fix that because it wasn't part of the camera incident.

Kyle's car had the worst with the right front fender tore up and front splitter cracked. Ambrose had the rope wrapped around the back axle and it tore up his brakes. Believe it or not Kyle's team got his car repaired in time and every one was given their position at the time of the incident back. So Kyle retained the lead and Ambrose got his 15th back. Kudos to NASCAR.

So were off again on lap 131 with Kyle in the lead and the repairs were good enough to keep him there until green flag pit stops are over on lap 180. Kenseth takes the lead with Kyle 2nd. He drops back to 3rd and on lap 257 his motor goes poof. On lap 258 Dale Jr's motor goes poof. So that's 2 motors in 2 laps.

Caution #6 for debris in turn 1. Johnson changes battery (remember voltage issue?) as well as tires and fuels up. Oopsy. Pass thru penalty for forgetting a lugnut. Guess the new crew didn't perform as well as expected.

Gordon and Keselowski were on pit road when the caution came out. They only got 2 tires and tried to beat the pace car. They didn't but came back in for the other 2 tires. Both are minus 1 lap on restart. 

Caution #8 sees The Danica and Keselowski go spinning. Both are done for the night. Stenhouse (Danica's BF) was making it 3 wide and he bumped Danica who bumped up into Keselowski. I'm sure there was some silence between them over the morning paper & coffee this week....

Caution #9 is a red flag affair. Not as fancy as the rope caution but it did involve Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Aric Almirola in a 3 wide situation that went wrong. Kurt Busch who is in the lead says his car is dead and he'll need a tow truck to push start him. 

Red flag lifted and Kurt goes for a battery change. He's 22nd  and Truex is afraid to restart behind Kahne. He doesn't always get a good restart and usually spins the tires.

But off we go till Caution #10 where we see Montoya run into Johnson's bumper. Around he goes. Kenseth gets damage. So does Menard.Stewart skates through with a slight bumper peeling.

Harvick takes the lead with Kahne in hot pursuit but no cookie for Kahne. 

Top 15 finishers - Harvick - Kahne - Kurt B - Hamlin - Logano - Newman - Stewart - Bowyer - Truex - Ambrose - Edwards - Burton - Menard - Minus 1 lap Stenhouse - Kenseth

​                         

DOVER FED EX 400 PREVIEW

Denny Hamlin is on point for the 2nd week in a row. Says he has to be aggressive if he wants to be in the Chase. Making the top 20 isn't enough. He needs W's. Multiple W's to be exact. He's right. He's now in 24th in the points up 3 from last week. A top 20 is doable but the wins will be tough. 

Fun facts for Dover : Mark Martin leads all active drivers with the most starts at Dover - 53, the most 2nd places w/8, the most poles w/5 and the most top 10's w/24.

Johnson has 7 W's. Gordon has 4 W's.

Edwards has an average finish of 8.294.....Johnson has a 8.636. These 2 are the only drivers with an average top 10 finish this low.

Johnson has led the most laps with 2318.

Janet Guthrie and The Danica are the only 2 females to race at Dover.

LAST YEARS TOP 10 FINISHERS - Johnson - Harvick - Kenseth - Dale Jr - Bowyer - Almirola - Truex - Logano - Kahne - Ambrose

FANTASY HELP - Johnson of course has the most laps led and an average finish of 8 point something. Pick him with confidence.

Edwards has an average of 8 point something. He's finished in the top 10 in his last 5 races. Momentum is a good thing.

Kahne is still a squirrel in my book. I can't believe he got the restart award last week for as much as he spun the tires. He gets a top 10.

Dale Jr should be back on his Steady Eddie track this week. Top 10.

Harvick is coming to life. Top 10. Team mate Menard too.

MWR cars Bowyer and Truex are good here. Top 5's.

Kenseth the stealth bomber is on a tear. W? Very possible.

Almirola is from an under dog team and he's got something for this track. I'm betting on a top 10.

Keselowski needs to awaken from his funk. His crew chief is back from suspension this week. I'm sure his team mate Logano will be in the top 10. He won the Nationwide race here last year.

Kyle won the truck race on Friday. Don't know about the Nationwide Saturday night but it's time for a KB win in the Cup Series. Lost an engine last week and last year at this event. Don't know about Mr M&M.

McMurray has been sneaking up on the front. Glimpses of a break out & brighter future on the horizon.

C listers to watch for. Bobby Labonte, David Ragan, Casey Mears, Ricky Stenhouse and The Danica.

Richard Childress grandson Austin Dillon will be in the #51 for Phoenix racing this week if you want to try him. He does well in the Nationwide Series but that doesn't always translate to Cup. 

So there you have it. Hope everyone's Memorial Day weekend was safe and filled with grilling, trips to the hardware store to hang out in the man heaven aisle checking out the tools, friends & family and sports. It's what we do here at the Gab. Take care folks and....

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

 

 

 

 

 

Let's start off this "mea culpa" issue with the most recent gaffee...throwing dirt on the Chicago Blackhawks grave when they were down 3 games to 1.  Showing the kind of heart that a Champion needs to win, they came all the way back to force a Game 7 against another established and playoff hardened team in the Red Wings.  Not only did they force game 7, get ahead, then score the apparent game winner only to have the Stripped Shirts take it way...they persevered into OT and got the Big Time Win.  So apologies to the 'Hawks for not sticking with them.

This one goes out to the Cubs, who I routinely mock as they continue to see Baseball Nirvana after so many years, no one counts anymore.  However, this year only Mother Nature could prevent the Cubbies from sweeping their cross-town rival White Sox.  As the Sox are my American League team and primary rooting interest in the 30 some years we did not have baseball here in D.C. (not even counting the years the Nats were rotten cheese bad), it was always with great joy when the second class Chicagoans put it to the North Side doormats.  I believe I safely put the Cubs at the bottom of the heap going into this season...well, they are not in last, nowhere near the worst (see Miami for that title) and the dominated the Sox.   They aren't going to win anything else this year, but winning the Crosstown Series is a start.  Go Cubs!

And then in the "Anti" Mea Culpa Section, we have....John Tortorella.

Tortorella, who can famously be quoted as, "It's easy to say, 'I'm Sorry."  I'm not sorry for most of the things I've said."   Well, I'm sorry we won't have you to give us legendary news conferences for entertainment any more.  I'm sorry we won't have your scowl to mock when the Rangers are getting beat up by inferior talent.  I'm really sorry that the Rangers will stop distributing talent to other teams in the NHL with players that Torts didn't like.  So we wave back to you and say "Adios, Muchacho!"

It’s easy to say, “I’m sorry.” I’m not sorry for most of the things I’ve said.

And in Other News of Note....

The NHL playoffs are down to the final four:  LA, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Boston.  I will be pulling for an Original 6 final in Boston / Chicago, but I am thinking the Penguins are going to hard to beat.  As Boston fans will find out, it is not enough to beat the talented Penguins, you have to beat the refs, too.  Good luck on that one...Boston fans are notorious for burning up the message boards after losses....they are going to be on fire.

Anyone who thinks the Pacers had a chance against Miami (yes, I know its not over yet) must be smokin' rope.  In today's NBA, only the stars survive.  It's WWE with a ball.

Injuries are killing my Fantasy Baseball Team...it really is a war of attrition not unlike what a GM must feel during a regular season.  You are left combing the dregs of the free agent list for any help you can find.  With Bryce Harper still down, it is killing both me and the Nationals.  Come Back, Bryce, Come Back!  

I was a little late getting this post up...my bad for that too. Have a great Saturday All!

 

Okay...

 

They don’t play tennis any more do they...

 

Me thinks it ended a few years ago...

 

Oh, they DO play tennis???

 

But nobody watches it, right???

 

The popularity is deader than a door nail if you ask me...

 

You did ask me, didn’t you???

 

I mean, take the French Open...

 

 

Playing tennis on Play-Doh???

 

 

Might as well play it on quicksand...

 

No wonder why tennis has lost its luster...

 

They don't even tell us who won the tournaments any more...

 

And you can blame it on women grunting...

 

That’s the reason, right???

 

Women aren’t born to grunt. are they???

 

Well, I guess in “certain” circumstances...

 

And that will be left to your imagination...

 

Sorry, ladies...

 

When you are playing, it’s mute time...

 

 

I don’t want to hear a “Seles-esque” grunt while I am on the couch...

 

She’s the one who started it, didn’t she???

 

Billie Jean King never grunted...

 

Martina wasn't a grunter, was she???

 

 

I always liked Evonne Goolagong Cawley...

 

I mean, how can you resist someone named “Goolagong”....

 

Goolagongs don’t grunt, do they???

 

 

And then there was the classy Margaret Court...

 

A tennis player named "Court"...

 

I like that...

 

 

Almost as good as a golf player named "Player"...

 

I don’t mind men grunting...

 

We are supposed to grunt, aren’t we???

 

That’s the way God made us, isn’t it???

 

 

Tim Allen made grunting famous, didn't he???

 

But I’m not sure if Tim has ever played tennis...

 

But, you know...

 

There are some times when grunting IS appropriate...

 

But you want to make sure no one hears you...

 

On the other side of the restroom door...

 

Yes, that’s a bad visual...

 

But don’t blame me...

 

Blame women tennis players...

 

They started it...

 

 

 

 

dvt

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.superiorsilkscreen.com/639-685-large/grunting-is-my-native-language.jpg

http://0.tqn.com/d/tennis/1/0/M/L/red-clay-court-roland-garros.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/p480x480/72878_500536226660687_316382608_n.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoNoKIFQODs

http://www.portrait.gov.au/collection/0/762/lg_Evonne_Goolagong-E_Mcquillan.jpg

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0906/top.wimbledon.moments/images/margaret-court.jpg

http://content.answcdn.com/main/content/img/getty/9/4/90157694.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XUg5cfwilI

Hello and welcome to talking Sports it was Memorial Day Weekend and Lil Lanz’s Birthday on Monday. Yes, he was actually born on Memorial Day the year he was born. The lad turned 11. He got the ultimate Hockey birthday . He got NHL 13 for the Xbox a Tyler Seguin Jersey which he hasn’t taken off and a Black Hawks Hat. You know how had it is to find a Black Hawks hat in Boston when the Bruins are hot?

If the Mrs. Had told me I would have got it online but she told me Sunday his birthday was Monday. I pulled it off and found  St. paddy’s Day one if that didn’t work I told him it would be a classic Fighting Sioux hat. We did some mini golf and had dinner a Fuddruckers  he had a blast.

NHL Update

It feels like it has been two years since the Bruins played and I think Penguins maybe feeling the same way. They won’t play game 1 until Saturday. I look for  this to be a physical series and a long one. I think the penguins have more talent and more depth. However , I’ll take Rask over Vulcan or Marc Andre Fluery. I think the bruins really will have to limit the Penguins offense by trying to Fustrat them using a lot of trapping in the Neutral Zone and being Physical. Because they won’t skate with them. The Penguins are the more talented team but this Bruins team never gives up.

In the West the Kings get a big night from Jonathon Quick on Tuesday sending the Sharks home and giving them a chance to repeat. They will face  the Black Hawks who struggled against the Red Wings. Both teams will be tired and a bit sluggish in the first game.

The Rangers Fired John Tortorella Yesterday. There were Gramblings from players for a wild. I have heard that Mark Messier and Lindy Ruff maybe in the running. My question is are players today to soft to take an old school bully type coach? Or Is Tortorella just too old school and really doesn’t connect with players like other coaches do?

Nest time your at an NFL game make sure the college kid that Fox hires to tighten the wires on the Camera that runs up and down the field. Because there were loose wires at this weekends Nascar race and it was that camera. The wires did damage to several cars and put a bunch of  fans in the hospital. The drivers seem to take with a sense of humor.

Has anybody looked the Boston Red Sox are in first place 10 games over .500 who would have ever thunk it. I like MLB and the Camo look  for Memorial Day it was a nice look on all the teams and nice honor as well to all those who have served.

 

Really don’t have anymore this week enjoy the week.