Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Big Chill.......Vol. 40 (October 29, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

David Freese, hometown hero, wins the World Series MVP after the St. Louis Cardinals finish an unlikely comeback to win the 2011 MLB Championship....Freese slugged his way to an outstanding postseason, leaving the shadows to become a viable fantasy threat in 2012....How do the Texas Rangers feel after being defeated in the World Series two years in a row?....Chris Carpenter rebounds from a shaky first inning to hold the dangerous Rangers to only two runs after six innings....Pitching, especially starting pitching, proved to be the Texas achilles heel....Game 7 was anti-climatic after a pulsating Game 6, which shall go down as one of the best Series games ever played....The Pujols and Fielder sweepstakes begin in earnest shortly....Theo has his checkbook ready.

Who do you want to manage the Boston Red Sox?....I like Ryne Sandberg or Dave Martinez since my first choice Bobby Valentine is not on the short list....And how about Larry Lucchino?....Dissing Epstein already....Why can't this guy keep his mouth shut?....He got his power back, God bless Ben Cherington....The full page ad taken out by the former Boston GM thanking the fans was nice but it lacked the sincerity that Drew Bledsoe's had when he left for Buffalo.

The NBA cancels more games as the players slowly figure out that the owners are not going to budge from the 50/50 split and the pro game is becoming irrevelant.

An easy fix for the Boston Bruins....Fire Claude Julien....They won last year despite the coaching.

Young QB's continue to make an impression on the NFL season....Christian Ponder gave Green Bay all they could handle last week....But the week belonged to the Tim Tebow show....Ugly for 55 minutes, Tebow showed us the magic in the last five....Aided by an onside kick recovery Tebow revitalized the Denver team and their fans by LEADING them to overtime finishing the 4th quarter with one of his signature bull rushes.

Mikey Cee's NFL Selections (Week 8)
0-3 season total

Carolina - Minnesota over 47
New Orleans - St. Louis over 48
Philadelphia - Dallas over 50

"I wanted to have a career in sports when I was young, but I had to give it up.  I'm only 6 feet tall, so I couldn't play basketball.  I'm only 190 pounds, so I couldn't play football.  And I have 20-20 vision, so I couldn't be a referee." - Jay Leno

talk to ya........

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Flyer.......Vol. 39 (October 21, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Phil Kessel is having a terrific start to the season, leading the NHL in scoring to this point....But I'm very pleased that the Bruins have Tyler "The Flyer" Seguin....This kid is gonna be something....He is not Jumbo Joe Thornton and he's not Phil Kessel....Seguin is a mature 19 year old with blazing speed and a crackerjack shot....Born to score....Claude Julien kept the reins too tight last year but he's starting to loosen up....Sure the kid will make mistakes....But his upside is sky high....Another Boston superstar.

Speaking of Boston superstars, at least we get to enjoy Jacoby "All-World" Ellsbury one more year before he gets outta town faster than Tito Francona did....And that was fast....Trust me, there is no way that All-World signs with Boston unless the Sox make him the highest paid outfielder in baseball history....MVP winner will be named soon and it's gotta be Ellsbury....After crunching the numbers all signs point to Jacoby....The Red Sox will regret the way they treated him in 2010....The guy was hurt, simple....But he answered all critics with his performance on the field in 2011.

I don't know if anyone else noticed but there is a World Series going on....Instead of the mess swirling around Yawkey Way....Good World Series with both teams playing National League baseball in a National League park....Reminds me of how badly I detest the designated hitter....Fundamentals (except for Pujol's missed cut-off), timely hitting, pitching and managerial chess moves....Real baseball....Nice comeback in ninth last night by the Rangers, clutch hit and great baserunning by Elvis Andrus.

Too bad she retired her show....Has anyone needed Oprah more than Josh Beckett and John Lackey?....Can't see Lackey putting on the Boston jersey again and Beckett has to do the mea culpa press conference....I dunno if he can pull it off  'cause those people from Texas got a pretty good chip on their shoulder.

What part of the owners are intent on killing the 2011-2012 season do the NBA player's association not understand?....Fellas, you're gonna cave sooner or later....Go overseas....We don't care....You have no leverage and you've been spoiled rotten for too long....Not that I'm on the owner's side but I certainly have no sympathy for the overpaid, underperforming player....Great move by the players bringing Kevin Garnett to the negotiating table....Pissed everybody off.

Week 7 in the NFL....A little fish n' chips and a pint are in order for halftime of the Chicago-Tampa Bay game to be held in London....Look for Tampa to pick off  Jolly Jay Cutler more than twice....What is Carson Palmer capable of after one week of practice?....Look for lots of Kansas City blitzes and lots of Darren McFadden....Three other QB's are scheduled to start for the first time on Sunday....Beck with Washington and Ponder with Minnesota are two....Gotta like Cam and Mr. Rodgers....The headline story is Tim Tebow leading the Broncos into Miami....The storyline is set, Tebow's alum the Florida Gators are being honored this weekend and it helps that the Dolphins are in the Suck for Luck sweepstakes....Big game for Timmy.

Mikey Cee's NFL selections - Week 7
Tennessee -3 over Houston
Green Bay -9 over Minnesota
Baltimore -8 over Jacksonville

"I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

talk to ya.........

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Zoned In.......Vol. 38 (October 18, 2011)

Good Morning....

The times they are a changing....A few years ago Direct TV was the way to go because of their NFL package....Watch the game you wanted to, not just the one your local TV market was showing....Very popular and rightly so but you risked whiplash if you tried to follow all the games at your favorite wateringhole....Pricey, but enjoyable....But now there is NFL Redzone....Whiparound action of all games as they happen....All the action and no stiff neck....Perfection....Inexpensive....And no fucking commercials....In the end they show all touchdowns scored that Sunday....A little slice of heaven.

So the McCourts have settled their battle over the Dodgers....Frank keeps the team and continues his steel-cage match with Bud Selig....I think they should let McCourt sell the TV rights and keep the team but there is no way Battlin' Bud lets this happen....McCourt is fighting a losing battle but it's fun to watch....Jon Lester comes out to defend himself and Josh Beckett and John Lackey after Curt Schilling calls them out for not answering the critics....But no matter what Lester said it seemed he stepped into the shit a little deeper....Ah, when things go bad....Lester seems like a good man, Lackey is dysfunctional and Beckett is from Texas....Lackey and Beckett let Lester be the front man instead of standing up for themselves....What does that say?....I don't know how Lackey and Beckett can put the Red Sox uniform on again without clearing the air in Boston or else they may as well call Johnny Damon to find out what they can expect at their first appearance at Fenway in 2012....Let's call off the dogs as far as Francona and Lester are concerned....Theo Epstein too, once this protracted compensation matter is finished....Boston set the bar high, asking for Matt Garza in return....Thats not gonna happen....A Boston establishment is offering a new lunch special...."Rally" beer, fried chicken and a video game at a reasonable price.

How sad about the horrific IndyCar crash in Las Vegas that claimed the life of Dan Weldon....What were they thinking?....I'm talking about the organizers and the folks that run the IndyCar series....These cars usually run on a 2 1/2 mile track with 22 cars involved....This past Sunday they ran on a NASCAR track (1 1/2 miles) with 34 cars in the race....A recipe for disaster....And disaster is what happened.

I thought I was watching NFL Films Follies when Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh had their little catfight after the Detroit-San Fran game....Both overreacted and both looked like a jackass....Harbaugh is passionate and Schwartz is intense....This had its roots in a dinner this past summer where Schwartzie told Harbaugh that if the lockout didn't end soon Harbaugh had no chance to build a winner with no time to prepare his team....Harbaugh bit his tongue....When Sunday's game started with a boatload of false starts by the visiting 49ers it didn't look like San Francisco had a chance....The 49ers came back to upset the Lions to go to 5-1....Harbaugh overreacted when celebrating his team's victory and when he smacked the Detroit head coach on the back Schwartz took exception....I found it very amusing.

Who said Al Davis was dead?....With the rumors flying that the Raiders were going to deal for David Garrard, Davis reaches from the grave to make a trade with old school Mike Brown of Cincinnati for Carson Palmer....Yes, that Palmer....The one that Brown repeatedly said he wouldn't trade....Two reported first round picks will change that way of thinking....Carson wins his holdout, goes back to the west coast and joins a lineup that includes Darren McFadden and tons of speed on the outside....And Al Davis was quoted as saying "just win, baby".

College football enters its meaty part of the schedule as this old-timer tries to keep track of which conference teams are in....Its gotten crazy....Looking forward to the LSU-Alabama slammer....Papa Joe going to his 38th bowl with Penn State....I've got Oklahoma State as a darkhorse for the BCS Championship....Stanford hopes that with any Luck the Champions will be the Cardinals.

Have the Boston Bruins finally woken up from their Stanley Cup slumber?....Terrible start....Lethargic play....This team needs to hit and fight....One of the unfortunate results of winning the Cup is that they kept Claude Julien as coach....The guy who tried to bury Tyler Seguin....Seguin is playing right wing on the third line 'cause we are told there are four better centers on the team in front of Seguin....Bullshit....Seguin is their best centericeman and should be playing on the top line....He's smart, super fast and has got a helluva shot....Pencil him in at C for the next 10 years and then just let him play....Putting him on the third line at RW is like the Red Sox putting Jacoby Ellsbury in left field when they signed Mike Cameron....Seguin is a potential MVP....Let the superstar be the superstar.

We've got the Tea Party out there, the Occupy Wall Street protest, the Republicans just saying "no" to everything, the ineffective Democrats, Herman Cain wanting to electrify fences, Barney Frank, Eric Cantor and everyone has an opinion....BUT NOBODY CARES ABOUT THE NBA!!....cool.

NFL Top Five
1. Green Bay
2. Baltimore
3. New England
4. San Diego
5. San Francisco

"I think my favorite sport in the Olympics is the one in which you make your way through the snow, you stop, you shoot a gun and then you continue on.  In most of the world, it is known as the Biathlon, except in New York City, where it is known as winter." - Michael Ventre, LA Daily News

talk to ya........................

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Oh Henry.......Vol. 37 (October 15, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

The three ring circus that is the Boston Red Sox continues....John Henry couldn't be found when Mid-Life Crisis Francona jumped ship but as his team is being slaughtered in print and thru the airwaves he makes a spontanoeus appearance on a local radio station in some kind of defense....He looked like an idiot....Just watching the rats scurry from the wreck....Adrian Godzalez is one naive superstar....Dude, wake up!....You are playing in Boston....David Ortiz, the big crybaby is whispering about how he doesn't know if he can handle the drama and will consider going to the classy Yankees organization....Don't let the door hit you in your fat ass ya bum....Francona, who was not the greatest of managers, leaves to pal around with Joe Buck....Theo Epstein trades in his gorilla suit for a white horse and rides into Chicago as a conquering hero as he leaves behind a heap of steaming shit....Josh Beckett, well he's from Texas, 'nuff said....And the should be MVP, All-World Ellsbury will again put up great numbers next year on the last year of his contract and then sign with the Evil Empire....Then we can pull Bob Lobel from the mothballs and we can all sing the refrain together "why can't we get players like that"....If the Sox want to keep All-World they are going to have to give him the richest contract in baseball history....Memo to John Henry: bunker down, shut the fuck up and ride out the storm.

On a lighter note, I still can't stop chuckling thinking about the guy throwing the hot dog at Tiger Woods....WTF?....Can't figure it out but it is funny....Very.

St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers do not like each other....And it looks like it's almost Miller Time as the RedBirds are on the cusp of sending the Brew Crew in search of a tee time....The Cardinals continue their torrid stretch since the beginning of September....The anti-Red Sox....I was reading someone's opinion that the Boston batting order of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Godzalez, Youkilis and maybe Ortiz at #5 was the best in baseball....PLEASE....First of all, one of the many mistakes that Francona made was not putting Carl Crawford back in the top of the order....Believe me, and I use Curtis Granderson as the example....Crawford will bounce back in 2012 and assuming the BoSox hire a capable manager he will be restored to the top three in the lineup....Remember Granderson had a shaky start in the Big Apple his first year there....Then he puts up MVP numbers in his next year....Second, the quoted lineup isn't even in the top five....The Yankees order of Jeter, Granderson, Cano, Teixeira and A-Rod isn't too shabby but I think the Texas gang of Kinsler, Andrus, Hamilton, Young, Beltre and Nelson Cruz is the best.

I used to be able to put a college football game on and know whose playing who by the uniforms they were wearing....Not anymore....Got the Michigan-Michigan State game on but you wouldn't know it by what they have on....It seems the Oregon Ducks have a different uni every week....I guess I'm old school....Simple is better....Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, Celtics...Simple but elegant.

"I don't know. I've never smoked Astro Turf." - Tug McGraw, when asked if he preferred grass or Astro Turf, April 1974

talk to ya....

Thursday, October 13, 2011

And In The End.......Vol 36. (October 13, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Theo Epstein is now a Cubbie....Thanks for the outstanding job he did for the Boston Red Sox....It wasn't all perfect but the curse is gone and two championship flags hang in friendly Fenway....Best of luck, Chicago has a good one.

Back to the Beantown meltdown....Nice of the Boston media to point out all the things that went wrong this season....AFTER THE FACT....You're telling me that the local media did not know some of the things that were going on....A few weeks ago Peter Gammons let it out that there was a "disconnect" between Epstein and Terry Francona....The denials were swift and furious....Why would Gammons make up stories?....As a matter of fact when I heard the story I knew there was more to this than they were saying....Peter Gammons is one of the most respected baseball people out there....Drinking in the clubhouse, domestic problems, lack of conditioning and not many on the same page....Even the manager was suffering from domestic and personal issues....Not a word from the esteemed Boston media....Nomar was right....They suck....Also right is Buster Olney who reminded all that if the Red Sox had won one more game or the Yankees didn't give it to Tampa Bay we wouldn't be talking about this....But it is what it is....And when you lose sometimes the fingers start pointing....David Ortiz....Please, oh please, sign with the Yankees....So we can boo your fat ass when you come to Fenway....Look at the New York Jets....Full of themselves the last few years and now they are in the midst of a three game losing streak....The finger pointing has started....And Rex Ryan has lost his bluster.

Houston Astros are rumored to be heading to the American League to even the teams between the AL and the NL....So it's time to get rid of the designated hitter....IT'S TIME.

"October is not only a beautiful month but marks the precious yet fleeting overlap of hockey, baseball, basketball and football." - Jason Love

talk to ya..........

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Timmy Time.......Vol 35. (October 12, 2011)

Good Morning....

Shout out to the Henderson Boys!

It's about time the Denver Broncos wake up and start their saviour Tim Tebow....Yes, he may play ugly and his technique is lacking BUT ALL HE DOES IS WIN!....Reminds me of Doug Flutie....Beat down, looked down on and finally had to go to Canada to prove the naysayers wrong....They said Steve Young was too small....I don't know if Tebow can lead them to a winning season but football just got a lot more exciting in the Mile High city....Might have to tweak the offense to fit his skills but there is no doubt it's Timmy Time.

So Theo Epstein goes to the Cubbies and the Red Sox purge continues....Theo had to make the move....Lucchino on one side and Francona letting the clubhouse implode on the other side doesn't leave much choice especially with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the Windy City....Looks like Ben Cherington is the Boston GM in waiting....Boston should sign Ryne Sandberg as manager in return....David Ortiz, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, John Lackey, Dice-K, Jed Lowrie, Darnell MacDonald and Kevin Youkilis have got to go....Time to clean house and start over....The Sox have got to rebuild the farm system after trading three top prospects for Adrian Godzalez....What fires that boy up?....The even keel bullshit is gonna wear out its welcome in Beantown....Carl Crawford will bounce back in 2012.

Who cares if the NBA shuts the season down?....It's obvious thats what the owners want....To blow this bad boy up....And the players are blind....Please go overseas 'cause I don't want to hear it....NBA players are the most overpaid and underperforming pro athletes out there....Damage has already begun with the cancellation of the first two weeks....More to come....Who cares?

Major League Baseball playoffs are heating up....The big boys like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Miguel Cabrera are bashing away while the rain has nullified Detroit's advantage with Justin Verlander....Doug Fister has kept Detroit's chances alive....Usually pitching shows up in the post season....This year Texas has won despite mediocre starting pitching and the pitchers didn't show up for the St. Louis/Milwaukee series....Yet.

I was chastised for my 2011 prediction that the Detroit Lions had a football team on both sides of the ball....Very exciting team....Great for the NFL....Need them to keep it up with a Turkey Day match up with the other unbeaten team Green Bay on the horizon.

NFL Top Five......
1. Green Bay
2. Detroit
3. New Orleans
4. Baltimore
5. New England

"It isn't hard to be good from time to time in sports.  What is though, is being good everyday." - Willie Mays

talk to ya....

Monday, August 8, 2011

He Said, She Said........Vol 34. (August 8, 2011)

Good Evening....

Adam Scott wins the Bridgestone Invitational.....With Steve Williams, Tiger Woods' ex-caddy, on the bag....Steve Williams, fired because he had the audacity to pick up Scott's bag for the US Open as the Prima Donna sat on the sidelines with his "injury".....Fired after spending 18 months loyal to his boss while keeping his thoughts to himself....Ladies and gentlemen, Eldrick hasn't changed....He's still a punk....Now Williams isn't any crackerjack surprise either....But you put two and two together and you get an employee who was wronged....Eldrick's second public divorce....Let the war of words begin....If your sitting on the sidelines taking it all in, it's great theater....Woods' career may be stuck in neutral but he's still out in Tigerland with his handful of enablers....He claims he fired Williams "man to man, face to face" while his former caddy insisted it was over the phone....I don't know who is right or wrong but Eldrick has gone from superstar to cad to laughingstock....Williams carried Eldrick's bag during 13 majors, 16 World Titles and 72 wins....And after Scott's win the anger seeped out as he claimed "that's the best win I've ever had."....If only HBO could run a weekly reality show following Adam Scott/Steve Williams and Eldrick Woods/????????

The age old question....Is a NASCAR driver an athlete?....There's no doubt it's a physical job but ya can't play baseball, football, basketball or hockey on a broken left ankle....Brad Keselowski wins the Pocono 500 despite crashing Wednesday during a test session busting his ankle....They slapped a brace on it and viola he drives to victory lane....I dunno....Though Jack Youngblood of the LA Rams played with a broken leg (albeit a non-weight bearing bone) back in the day....NASCAR drivers cowardly spin other drivers out, engage in catfights but I've never seen a decent punch thrown....Of course I didn't see 65 year old Richard Childress go all Tyson on Busch.

The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry was renewed this past weekend....What did we find out?....Curtis Granderson and Jacoby Ellsbury are having MVP seasons....Dustin Pedroia is a freak....Mariano Rivera is only a 50/50 proposition against the Sox....Sometimes he gets them....Sometimes they get him....Derek Jeter is back....Boston seems to have C.C. Sabathia's number....Brett Gardner has picked it up and has a lot to offer at the top of New York's lineup....And they play looooong games.
Memo to Joe Girardi - when ARod comes back use this lineup -
LF Gardner
SS Jeter
CF Granderson
1B Teixeira
2B Cano
3B A. Rodriguez
Carl Crawford settling in at the six spot for Boston is working out.

Can you believe it?....Pre-season games this week?....Didn't the lockout just end?....What's up with The Hoodie?....signing Ocho Cinco, Haynesworth, Anderson, Carter and now Shaun Ellis from the arch-rival New York Jets....Belichick keeps it interesting....Couple of Fantasy Sleepers.....Kevin Kolb to Larry Fitzgerald and Rob Gronkowski.

"He had no teeth and he was slobbering all over himself.  I'm thinking you can have your money back.  Just get me out of here.  Let me go be an accountant.  I can't tell you how badly I wanted out of there." - Denver rookie QB John Elway, on Jack Lambert after Lambert and the Steelers knocked Elway out of his first game as a pro (1983).

....talk to ya.........................

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Police Academy........Vol 33. (August 4, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Moses Hightower is no more....Bubba Smith the actor who portrayed Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movies has passed at the young age of 66....I'm sure Bubba received more notoriety for his acting career especially the many Police Academy sequels but I remember Bubba Smith the 6'7" defensive force out of Michigan State who went on to have a stellar career in the NFL....Smith was a member of the 1966 Spartan squad who played Notre Dame to a 10-10 tie in what was billed as the "game of the century"....Michigan State fans would chant "kill, Bubba, kill"....Baltimore selected him as the #1 overall pick in the 1967 NFL draft....He went on to win his only Super Bowl ring with the Colts in 1970....And who can forget the Miller Lite (2nd worst beer in history, Old Milwaukee is number one) commercials with Bubba and Dick Butkus....Tastes great....Less filling....RIP.

Alex Rodriquez is being investigated by MLB for being in attendance at underground poker games....I could care less what the fool does but when the commissioner's office has warned you about this behavior and you continue to participate then I guess you've got whats coming.

Tiger Woods is back in the fairway....If anyone thinks this guy has changed you're not seeing what I'm seeing....He's won this tournament seven times....Hope he doesn't even make the cut.

Maybe it's global warming but I've seen a treasure chest of magnificent double plays this year.... No look tosses, fantastic turns at second base and great glove work at the first base bag....Web gems galore....And have you noticed since the Buster Posey collision that players are shying away from contact with the catcher on close plays at home....Run 'em over when you have to....It's not like your playing in the city league and everyone has to go to work tomorrow....I've seen several plays where the player has beaten the throw home but because the catcher has his foot in front of the plate on the third base line they end up being out because they tried to slide in...Run 'em over.

It's August 4th and only one game separates the BoSox and the Bombers....We have a pennant race....Perfect time for a three game set between the long time rivals....This weekend at Fenway Park promises to be a great series as the Yankees are looking to erase their one game deficit....Both teams are ripping it....Red Sox fans are giving John Lackey the benefit of the doubt with a prolonged ovation Monday despite a lackeyluster performance....Lackey vs. Sabathia on Saturday....Spotlight is on Phil Hughes and Erik Bedard....They can go a long way to settling each team's pitching rotation.

Did you catch John Tomase's column in the Boston Herald today? ("Ellsbury Shows Off Star Power")....Some quotes from the piece...."The birth of Jacoby Ellsbury as a superstar"...."If the season ended today, he could make a legitimate case for MVP"...."A superstar is being born before our eyes, and its a sight to see"....John, you're a little late....I nick-named him "All-World" four years ago....From the time he made it to the show it was obvious he was going to the top of the world....All-World is on a mission this year after the lack of respect he was shown last year despite the fact he was injured....People questioned his mental and physical toughness....HE WAS HURT!....Two walk off hits in the last two games and last night's home run to straight away center was impressive...The sky is the limit.

"The difference between the old ballplayer and the new ballplayer is the jersey.  The old ballplayer cared about the name on the front.  The new ballplayer cares about the name on the back". - Steve Garvey

....talk to ya..............................

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

They Say It's Your Birthday, We're Gonna Have A Good Time........Vol.32 (August 3, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Happy Birthday to Tom Brady....Brady turns 34 today....It seems like it was just yesterday that he burst on the scene like a supernova....I was a Drew Bledsoe guy....I thought Bledsoe should get his job back....I was wrong....I thought the Patriots should hire Buddy Ryan over Bill Parcells....Wrong....I wanted the Pats to draft Rick Mirer instead of Bledsoe....Wrong....But the fact that Brady went down in the Pittsburgh AFC Championship game that year and Drew came in to lead the Pats to victory was the icing on the cake....Of course Brady returned to lead New England to an upset win over "The Greatest Show on Turf" (St. Louis Rams) in the Super Bowl, writing the first chapter of his legacy....Tweeters were asked what they'd give Tom for his birthday....I'm partial to this one: "he's got three Super Bowl rings........Gisele.......talent........I'd give 'em a high-five."

Boston fans were spoiled by the Shaquille O'Neal Traveling Salvation Show....Then he retired....Lo and behold here comes Chad Ocho Cinco....Maybe (maybe not) he should tone it down a notch but don't lose it....Have fun like the Big Shamrock did....Just bust your ass in practice and in games and the Boston fans will embrace you....What a final act it could be....The football is in your corner....Same goes for Albert Haynesworth....Saying and doing all the right things so far but he's got aways to go to win the fans over....We know the track record and he has a sexual assault trial hanging over his head....Bust your ass in practice and in games and the Boston fans will embrace you....Interesting to see if New England switches to the 4-3 defense but the thought of Haynesworth and Vince Woolfork raising havoc on the defensive line makes a Patriot fan giddy....In Bill We Trust.

So Clay Buchholz is maybe out for the year....Stress fracture in his back....No one has questioned his toughness or inability to make it back to help the team out for the rest of the year....Not like last year when the Boston front office, media, fans and at least one of the players shit all over Jacoby "All-World" Ellsbury when he was suffering with cracked ribs....Instead of Terry "Softball" Francona writing his name at the top of the order in centerfield for the next 10 years as I suggested, GM Theo Epstein signs 37 year-old Mike Cameron and Boston puts him in CF and moves All-World to LF where 3B Adrian Beltre proceeds to run him over like a Mack truck on a pop-up down the left field line in foul territory causing his injuries....Then he was shit on by the front office, player(s), fans and media....Then they sign Carl Crawford for a King's ransom....The Red Sox better sign Ellsbury soon and for a boatload of dough or he's gone after 2013....Imagine how good he'll be in 2013....He has Most Valuable Player potential....His agent is Scott Boras and they both won't forget how he was treated in 2010....He's gonna get his money....The question is will he still want to play in Fenway....Sox blew this one and the only way to make amends is to get All-World's John Hancock on the dotted line of a new contract....And Buchholz thinks he can take 4 months off, come back in time for the playoffs and help the team....Dude, the team is gonna shut you down....It's the right thing to do....Take the time to go home, look in the mirror and realize you're not anything special.

Is Tony LaRussa having a nervous breakdown?....I know he's pals with Belichick and Bobby Knight and I'm sure it would be interesting to play for Knight or Bill but I don't get the same vibe from LaRussa....He seems unhappy all the time....Maybe it's time to call it quits, Tony....A couple of days ago he threw Colby Rasmus under the team bus....His diatribe before the media last night was lame....He's mad at Milwaukee for hitting Pujols....But it's okay for his team to throw at Ryan Braun....He's upset with the Brewer fans for having the audacity to boo in their home park....I believe the word he used was "idiots"....Tony, shut the fuck up!....Keep it in the clubhouse....Go Pirates!

And speaking of the St. Louis Cardinals, how about that Rick Ankiel....Ankiel began his career as an up and coming star pitcher in the Cardinal organization until that fateful playoff day when he couldn't get the ball over the plate to save his life....He reinvented himself as an outfielder and has bounced around with several teams....Tuesday night he hit 2 home runs and added another last night....Bombs....And he unloaded a bullet throw on the fly to home plate that no other player could do....Good story....Brendan Ryan of Seattle last night hit a ball in the hole and beat the throw....Then noticing there was no one covering second base he took off and made it safely....Oakland recovered but I think all nine players ran to second because third base was left empty and Ryan took off making it to third base easily....A triple, the hard way....Ah, there's nothing like hustle....And if I'm the Oakland manager I'm left pulling whats left of my hair out of my head.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win the pennant every year." - Sparky Anderson

....talk to ya..........................................

Monday, August 1, 2011

Mr. 3000........Vol. 31 (August 1, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Watched a couple of interesting documetaries on HBO recently...."The Curious Case of Curt Flood" presented an inside look at a complicated man....Curt Flood was a key member of the great St. Louis Cardinal teams of the sixties....Flood, who liked to tip a glass or two, challenged baseball on the reserve clause eventually leading to free agency for all players....But the court proceedings that led to the Supreme Court took its toll on Flood as the other players did not publicy back him at the beginning....A riches to rags to redemption story...."Jeter 3K" is a behind the scenes view of Derek Jeter's world as he neared the 3000 hit plateau....A private man, classy and great ballplayer, Jeter explains that he let the cameras follow him because he was jealous of other players who would bring their children into the clubhouse and he wanted something he could show his kids in the future....Complete with a fairy tale ending it is a fascinating portrait of a Hall of Famer approaching a great accomplishment.

NFL is back!....With a vengeance....This avalanche of players signing, being cut, traded and moving on must have executive's heads spinning....But it leaves the casual fan drooling....Philadelphia Eagles look to be ahead of the curve with the Kolb trade and the Asomugha signing....Here in Boston, the Hoodie (Belichick) always keeps it interesting signing Chad Ocho Cinco (could be some upside) and Fat Albert Haynesworth (who the fuck knows?)....Look for somebody to put Ocho Cinco and Cinco Ocho (Jonathan Papelbon's alter ego) together to hawk some product....Rumors were hot that Denver would send Kyle Orton to Miami but it's gotten very quiet....The Broncos seem intent on playing Tim Tebow at QB (hmmmmm)....Donovan McNabb will help the Vikings win some games but we all know what happens if they make the playoffs....Reggie Bush going to Miami makes him a 2012 sleeper in fantasyland.

MLB trade deadline has come and gone and I've got more Philly talk....The Phillies do what they need to do and get Hunter Pence....Perfect fit....They seem to do it every year....Very surprising that Ubaldo Jimenez ends up in Cleveland....Good for the Indians....I just don't think that Jimenez is a stud pitcher....If Erik Bedard can stay healthy he can help the Boston rotation as Clay "another prima donna" Buchholz is out for the year....Me thinks Clay reads his ink too much....A no-hitter to start his career and shit since....Will we finally see the Colby Rasmus talent now that he's been released from LaRussa Penitentiary?....Tony LaRussa comes across as a complete asshole....Pittsburgh gets Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick but I don't think its enough as St. Louis adds Edwin Jackson to its starters....Texas Rangers getting Mike Adams was huge....And the Yankees stand pat....I wouldn't be so fast to hand the AL East to the Red Sox....The Bombers have been tearing the cover off the ball and veterans Colon and Garcia have pitched steadily to help shore up the rotation after the great C.C. Sabathia....How about the Tiger-Angel game yesterday?....Magglio Ordonez has words with Angel pitcher Jared Weaver....Then Carlos Guillen hits a homer and does a world class job of showing up the pitcher as he takes his time getting out of the box, dances down the line while staring and talking to Weaver....What's a pitcher to do?....Throw at the next batter which Weaver does, aiming a missle at Avila's noggin....Say goodnight Jared....The next inning (the 8th) with Justin Verlander tossing a no-hitter the Angels pull a no-no as they break one of baseball's unwritten rules and have Eric Aybar bunt....He reaches on an error but the damage is done....Should be worth watching when these teams meet again.

Tiger Woods returns to the PGA tour this week....Who cares?

That rat bastard Paul Menard sneaks by my man #24 Jeff Gordon to win the Brickyard 400....Damn!

I don't see the NBA playing this year....There seems to be no urgency on the part of owners, players and fans....So be it.

"I will always be #1 to myself" - Moses Malone
"I could take myself and 4 homeless guys off any corner street in my hometown and beat the Celtics" - Moses Malone (1981 NBA Championship Finals)

"Moses Eats Shit" - Sign at the 1981 Boston Celtics Championship Rally
"Moses DOES eat shit" - Larry Bird

....talk to ya..................................

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Caddyshack........Vol. 30 (July 21, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

So Tiger Woods fired his long time caddy, Steve Williams....The first clue was Williams being on Adam Scott's bag three weeks ago....Williams says he's "shocked" but he's known for two weeks....This is hardly surprising news given that Woods is as arrogant as ever but the two wives (one is now an ex-) were very close and I'm sure close knit Tigerville has been changing the entire guard since his indiscretions....Williams doesn't have much of a fan club himself having played the goon for Woods over the years....And Williams ended up carrying the clubs of a better player (Scott)....Long live the records of Jack Nicklaus.

I've read some opinions out there about the USA Women's soccer team getting a free pass over their heartbreaking loss to underdog Japan....Please....They say if it was the USA Men's team they would have been vilified by the media for choking in the finals....Please....Is that what it has come to?....Lets call it the way it should be called....The World Cup story was fantastic....It would have been nice to have a better ending for the Americans and yes they did miss some penalty kicks....But they gave their all and have nothing to hang their heads about....Bryant Gumbel used his soap box on HBO's Real Sports to point out the lack of criticism by this country's press....Please....Maybe that mentality is whats changing youth sports....And not for the better....Everyone gets a trophy or its an 8 year old all-star team that that neglects the average kid....What ever happened to leaving all on the field and sometimes the breaks don't go your way?....When your kid made a bad play or struck out and after the game you consoled him/her and took him/her for an ice cream or a snickers bar....Turn this story upside down and you come up with Japan....Huge win....That team didn't quit and came back at the end as the USA did against Brazil....So Bryant, relax and enjoy a good story when you see one....USA Ladies, well played.

All I can say about Logan Mankins and Vincent Jackson is that when they came back to play after holding out they were ready, in shape and produced....This nonsense about the two holding up the CBA agreement between the NFL and the Player's Association for a $10M settlement each is just that, bullshit....The average fan doesn't care....Give 'em the money, don't give 'em the money....Just start the season on time and don't mess with Fantasy Football.

A couple of high powered arms delivered yesterday in MLB as Kershaw and the Dodgers outduel Lincecum and the Giants, 1-0....They both will be around for awhile....Angels snap Texas' 12-game winning streak as the Rangers have had a bevy of great pitching performances lately....And they have an explosive batting order....When I think of Carl Crawford I think of Curtis Granderson....Granderson came to the Yankess last year amid great expectations....He underachieved....This year he is having an MVP season....He seems relaxed and very comfortable in his situation....Crawford got off to a less than desirable start with Boston....Spent some time on the DL and since his return has shown off some of his potential to Red Sox Nation....I expect him to improve on his first half and next year when he is relaxed and comfortable to have a MVP season as Granderson has done....Boston has not seen the real Carl Crawford yet....The sky is the limit....Boston has Crawford AND ELLSBURY??....Should be a law against....Rarity last night in the Arizona-Milwaukee game as Stephen Drew breaks his ankle sliding into home and Carlos Gomez breaks his collarbone diving to make a catch in centerfield on consecutive plays.

"My dad has always taught me these words: care and sharing.  Thats why we put on clinics.  The only thing I can do is try to give back.  If it works, it works." - Tiger Woods

....talk to ya.............

Monday, July 18, 2011

To Be or Not To Be........Vol. 29 (July 18, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

It's Sunday morning....Phil Mickelson burys a 40 footer on the 7th hole for an eagle and ties for the British Open lead....Women's World Cup Soccer Championship between the USA and Japan is on tap for later....With the Americans prohibitive favorites and Lefty on fire it seemed the stars had aligned for a memorable day....But it was not meant to be....Missed chances by Mickelson and the USA would come back to haunt both as they went down in tantalizing defeat....A great win by a deserving Darren Clarke....Playing consistent golf thru numerous weather changes the self-described "normal bloke" holds off charges by Mickelson and Dustin Johnson to bring home another trophy for Northern Ireland....Or as Rory McIllroy says, "Northern Ireland.  The golf capital of the world!"....And what words can describe Japan's victory?....Withstanding an early USA barrage of shots (of which three hit the crossbar or post) and rallying from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits they upset the shocked Americans and their fans....USA had a 22-0-3 record against Japan going into the final....The USA women now know how their Brazilian counterparts felt after the Americans came back in the closing moments of the quarterfinals....Good stuff.

Throw in a 16 inning 1-0 Red Sox victory over Tampa Bay and it was a long day....Carl Crawford returns to the spotlight as he tries to overcome a disappointing first half and justify his large payday....Phil Hughes returns for the Bronx Bombers as they need all the pitching they can find....Bartolo Colon could barely cover first base Thursday night....My God, I don't know who is wider....Colon or Jackie Brains?....Pittsburgh Pirates grab the top spot in the NL Central for a second....They need to make THE trade and grab another arm....Seize the moment....Pirates and Reds get together for an important series and Minnesota (who said they were out of it?) takes on the Indians in another interesting match that kicks off with a doubleheader today....Texas has an 11-game winning streak....Watch out.

MFL Fantasy Baseball continues it's marathon with the Sniper and Chas Menino ("Hitmen") winning Week 15 and putting some room between themselves and the contenders....Diamond Dave ("Shitbags") and Jackie Brains ("Glassholes") have grand illusions of catching The Commish ("49ers")....They're fucking delusional.

You get the feeling that the NBA lockout is not going to be pretty....At least the NFL has got it together as an announcement is expected in the next week....You don't get that sense of urgency in the NBA matter....Or maybe the owners want to blow the whole thing up....Be careful what you wish for.

Roger the Dodger....Clemens turns over a lucky charm as his so-called case is ruled a mistrial because the prosecuters failed to review some of the video they were presenting and evidence the judge had ruled inadmissable inadvertently was shown to the jury....As much as I wanted to see that lying cementhead squirm, the feds gotta let this go....Too much money wasted on a scumbag....Plus, the federal government couldn't convict a ham sandwich.

"Luck?  Sure.  But only after long practice and only with the ability to think under pressure." - Babe Didrikson Zaharias

....talk to ya.................

Monday, July 11, 2011

USA!........Vol. 28 (July 11, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Lounging on the recliner giving the clicker a workout on a lazy July Sunday I came across the Women's World Cup soccer match between the United States and Brazil in Germany....What a match!....Brazil took a 2-1 lead on the second of two goals by the brilliant Marta....With the Americans down to 10 players after an ejection in the 66th minute, all hope disappearing quickly as time ran out, Megan Rapinoe blasted a pass across the field that the Brazilian goaltender narrowly missed and Captain Abby Wambach perfectly headed the ball into the empty net....WOW!....Folks, this was Doug Flutie hail mary stuff....Off we went to penalty kicks with the USA confidently putting all five shots in the net....Brazil missed their third shot as Hope Solo (who was sensational) made an outstanding save....USA wins!....Despite a controversial call on Brazil's first goal the American women prevail....Snatching victory from defeat unleashed an emotional outburst from the American team as they danced across the field....Thrilling....One of the best finishes in a big time game I've ever seen....USA advances to the semi-finals on Wednesday @11:30 am against France....I'll be watching.

Did you catch the David Ortiz-Kevin Gregg dust up the other night....Ortiz's shenanigans at the plate are wearing thin....He continues to show pitchers up and he acts surprised when they throw inside....Thats how you get The Big Cry-Baby out....And the fight was a joke....Both players threw a feeble punch (?) that didn't even land in the other's zip code....Now we get to watch The Big Cry-Baby hold court during the Home Run derby....I may have to pass.

At the break I see the Yankees and Red Sox are having their annual stare down in the AL East....The AL Central is up for grabs and the AL West has Texas and Anaheim going toe to toe....The loser in the east and west will battle for the Wild Card.

In the National League, the Phillies and Giants have taken a slight lead in the NL East and NL West with Atlanta the front runner for the Wild Card....The NL Central promises to go down to the wire with 4 games separating St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and the THIRD PLACE PITTSBURGH PIRATES (one game out).

Remember when the Mid-Summer Classic was exactly that....You have to go back to the 60's and 70's when some players stayed in the whole game and starting pitchers sometimes went three innings....Now they get a hang nail and pull out, collect their bonus and head somewhere exotic....83 players got selected this year due to injuries and pitchers starting yesterday....83....Time to abolish this "exibition" as its become a joke.

Still selecting the jury for the Roger Clemens trial....There has been a lot of discussion about whether this trial is necessary....Waste of money, who cares about steroids, etc....Let's remember (or misremember) that the Rocket brought this on himself....Arrogant and obnoxious, he insisted on appearing before Congress...He didn't have to....But he did....Then he lied, lied, lied.... You can't lie to Congress on national television and think you're gonna get away with it....He's a proven scumbag just by the way he's tried to bury the truth-telling Brian McNamee....Fuck him and the horse he rode in on....But as last week's Casey Anthony trial showed us, he'll walk.

"If I ain't startin', I am departin'!" - Garry Templeton (1981 All-Star Game)

"They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays." - Ted Williams

....talk to ya............

Friday, July 1, 2011

Red, White and Blue.......Vol. 27 (July 1, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Burgers, Pie, Ice Cream, Watermelon and Fireworks!

Happy Birthday to my good friend SeeMore on Independence Day....Don't look back, keep the ties that bind so the loose ends out in the street don't get lost in the flood.

Some moments in July 4th history....

1976 - Tim McCarver, who with his Fox partner Joe Buck are front-runners for the 2011 Joe Morgan Excellence in Broadcasting Award, playing for the Phillies hits a grand slam in Pittsburgh only to pass teammate Gary Maddox as he was rounding the bases...The umpires award him a "grand-slam single."

2007 - Joey "Jaws" Chestnut upsets six time defending champion Tabeku Kobayashi in Nathan's International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island....Chesnut wolfs down a record 66 dogs in 12 minutes as ESPN covers the event live....Also live was the surreal moment when Kobayashi attempted to eat his own vomit, known as a "reversal"....ah, I'll pass on the frankfurter and have a cheeseburger instead.

2005 - Legendary football coach Hank Stram passes....Won three AFL championships with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1962, 1966 and 1969...Led his team to victory in Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7....If you get a chance, watch any NFL Films footage of Coach Stram....One of the good ones.

1984 - Richard Petty wins the Firecracker 400 at Daytona....It is The King's 200th victory and the last of his NASCAR career....Don't make 'em like that anymore.

1910 - Undefeated James Jeffries comes back after six years of retirement to show the white man will beat the black man, Jack Johnson....It didn't work out that way....Johnson knocked down Jeffries twice, the first time Jeffries had ever been dropped....Jack Johnson won in the 15th round when Jeffries' handlers wouldn't let him answer the bell lest he suffer the inglorious indignity of being knocked out by a black man....The result sets off race riots across the country....Can't we all just get along?

1983 - Dave Righetti throws a no-hitter for the New York Yankees....In front of a packed Yankee Stadium, with Tricky Dick Nixon in the crowd, he defeats the dreaded Boston Red Sox 4-0.

1939 - Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium....A sad time in baseball history as ALS strikes the "Iron Man"....Gehrig utters the famous words, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."....1st major league player to have his number retired as New York tucks #4 away.

2008 - The E Street Band, without the late Danny Federici, perform "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" in Gothenburg, Sweden....Bruce dedicates the song:

"We always send this one out to Danny,
and just a few days ago, Madame Marie
who was the gypsy teller in the Asbury Park
boardwalk passed away, she was 98,
thats a lot of fortune-telling.

There's enough mystery lost in the world.
We need all the fortune-tellers we can get,
so tonight we're gonna send this out to
Madame Marie....."

....talk to ya.........................

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Phil-layed........Vol. 26 (June 29, 2011)

Good Morning....

The Phillies showed 'em whose boss last night....Behind Cliff Lee's third consecutive complete game shutout, Philadelphia bests Boston in the opener of an interesting three game set....Lee was dominating....Red Sox nation travels so well that it was refreshing to see and hear a packed stadium full of hometown fans at a Red Sox away game....Up and coming Dominic Brown provided the offense and Jimmy Rollins flashed some glove to back Lee up....Gio Gonzalez throws eight innings of one-hit ball as the A's nip Florida 1-0 in a late game....What's up with the Marlins?....A stable of young studs (Morrison, Gabby Sanchez, Anibal Sanchez, Stanton and Hanley Ramirez) but they're just not clicking....And now the bad news that ace Josh Johnson has suffered a setback in his comeback and will visit Dr. James Andrews today....Uh-Oh....This is not good for Florida and Fantasy Baseball owners....Jose Reyes hit his 15th triple of the year as he continues his sizzling year....Only Ty Cobb has more triples and stolen bases in his first 1,000 games than the oft-injured Reyes.

Congrats to the Gamecocks of South Carolina as they repeat as College World Series champs....Michael Roth tosses 7 2/3 innings on three days rest and South Carolina leaves an impressive streak of 11 straight College World Series wins.

The Roger Clemens trial starts next Wednesday and I can hardly wait....Fireworks all week, starting on Monday the 4th....Liar,liar pants on fire....This is Must-See TV....I haven't checked but its gotta be on somewhere....And just when you think that arrogant, obnoxious, jerk-off, lie-spewing Clemens will get his comeuppence you remember that O.J. was found not guilty....As Mr. Intense (Kevin Garnett) once said, "anything is possible."

What's up with the Canadien authorities that want to talk to Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara about his hit on Montreal's Max Pacioretty a while back....He hit the stanchion....It wasn't a "criminal action"....It wasn't even a bad check....It's a safety issue....This is not the first time a player has hit a stanchion (the corner of the glass) and been injured....C'mon....NHL, fix it please....Montreal's justice system must have better things to do....Using their logic I wouldn't want to be a NFL safety.

Mr. "Jiggy, Jiggy" himself, Antoine Walker, has finally pleaded guilty to unpaid gambling debts worth $750,000....Probation....Of course....Another example of an overpaid pro athlete who had the world by the balls and pissed it away.

Former ESPN anchor Brett Haber bet Craig Kilborn "that we could invent a catch phrase that meant absolutely nothing and if we used it a couple of days in a row, it would catch on.  Soon after, they were eating Mexican food and someone said, "Salsa!!"  Kilborn used it on highlights three consecutive nights, and on the fourth, a fan at a game held up a sign: "Salsa...Sportscenter is Next." - "Those Guys Have all the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN" by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales

....talk to ya....................

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Twisting The Night Away.......Vol. 25 (June 28, 2011)

Good Morning....

The most unique ceremonial first pitch I've ever seen....Cirque du Soleil at MGM Grand in Las Vegas were participating in the first pitch festivities before the Padres-Royals game at PETCO park in San Diego....Gabryl Nogueira da Silva delivered a strike after completing a twisting, acrobatic 360 degree flip....Wow! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6qzfbKfiXM&feature=player_embedded

Frank McCourt may be making all kinds of noise off the field but his Dodgers hit all the right notes last night as they smacked a MLB season high 25 hits in a 15-0 romp over Minnesota last night....Matt Kemp for MVP?....Brandon Beachy tosses his second consecutive gem for Atlanta....Keep an eye on this arm....Red Sox and Phillies get together for a three game series in Philly in what could be a 2011 World Series preview....It dosen't get better than Josh Beckett vs. Cliff Lee....Jim Leyland had an animated conversation with the first base umpire last night after the ump blew the play at 1st only to change his call after conferring with the home plate ump....Leyland does his best Earl Weaver impersonation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2_jtthsqqA

Christian Walker, despite a broken hamate bone in his hand, singles in the 11th inning, steals second and scores on a couple of throwing errors to lead South Carolina to a 2-1 victory and a 1-0 lead in the best 2 out of 3 College World Series.

Sad to hear of the sudden passing of Lorenzo Charles who scored the winning basket for the 1983 NC State Wolfpack in the NCAA Championship Finals....Charles was killed in a bus crash....He collected Dereck Whittingburg's missed Hail Mary from 30 feet and scored as time expired to lead NC State over heavily favored Houston in one of college basketball's finer moments http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puQvU4PBzhI

Don't look now but #24 Jeff Gordon is creeping up the NASCAR standings....My man.

What a week in Fantasy Baseball (MFL) as "DTA 3:16" (SeeMore and The Mailman) get a 1 a.m. save from Brandon League to upset the "Shitbags" (Diamond Dave) and win Week 12...."Hitmen" (Mr. Depot and The Sniper) hold on to first overall with the "Odd Couple" (Felix and Oscar) a close second...."Glassholes" (Jackie Brains) continues to mire in the pitching roulette muck...."49ers" (The Commish) weather Madison Bumgarner's awful performance Tuesday and squeak by "BCDC" (Mr. Class and The Professor) on the back of Bumgarner's career best 11 strikeouts Sunday night.

There's been a lot of discussion about New York and Boston fans out voting everyone else and putting their players in the Mid-Season Classic....In 1957, Cincinnati fans stuffed the ballot boxes and voted 8 Reds in as starters....Here is one man's All-Star team for 2011.

American League...................National League
1B - A. Gonzalez Bos            P. Fielder Mil
2B - R. Cano Yanks              R . Weeks Mil
SS - A. Cabrera Cle                J. Reyes Mets
3B - A. Beltre Tex                  P. Polanco Phi
C  - C. Santana Cle                B. McCann Atl
OF - J. Bautista Tor              M. Kemp LA
OF - C. Granderson Yanks   R. Braun Mil
OF - J. Ellsbury Bos              J. Upton AZ

"It's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get up." - Vince Lombardi

....talk to ya............................

Monday, June 27, 2011

Riggle Room........Vol. 24 (June 27, 2011)

Good Morning....

Trying to make sense of the Jim Riggleman situation....He's in the final year of his contract and as most managers he wants an extension....The Nationals GM Mike Rizzo will not give him one....Yet....Riggleman wants to talk about it....Rizzo refuses....Riggleman resigns....Washington is having it's best season in years, the future looks bright and they bring on inner turmoil....I don't see any winners here....The GM should have taken his manager behind closed doors and kept this from public view....His refusal to talk and Riggleman's subsequent decision to quit comes across as a pissing contest with no regard for the team....The manager had a contract for this season and I understand his frustration on not getting an extentsion BUT he has a contract for this year and he quit on his players....I would think that closes the door on any future mangerial jobs for him....The Nationals dust the mothballs off Davey Johnson.

BREAKING NEWS....LA Dodgers file for bankruptcy in a Delaware court....Just the beginning....Bud Selig is like a landlord trying to get rid of his tenant....Not easy but Selig will prevail....How about that Roy Halladay?....Notches his tenth win and fifth complete game of the season....The Red Sox miss Halladay this week but the Boston-Philly series still promises to showcase the talent that could be the 2011 World Series matchup.....Tonight, Josh Beckett vs. Cliff Lee.

NFL labor talks are still giving off good vibes....Both sides seem to have a blueprint in place for a resolution....NBA labor talks are going the opposite way....Did you see the players in their "stand tall" t-shirts?....Do they have a clue?....Will the league give the players the $160M back that the players have in escrow?....Does anybody really care?....Train wreck written all over it.

Yani Tseng wins the LPGA Championship by 10 strokes....Impressive....Only 22, she completes the Women's Grand Slam, although not in the same year....Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng at 22 years young leading their respective tours....Tiger who?....Michelle who?....Terrell Owens undergoes ACL surgery....Could retirement be far behind?....Philadelphia Flyers blow their team up by trading captain Mike Richards and leading scorer Jeff Carter....hmmmmmmm....Ron Artest of the Lakers files to have his name legally changed to "Metta World Peace"....My favorite was back in the 70's when Lloyd Free changed his to "World B. Free"....Boy, did he have a scorching jump shot....A Celtics killer.

College Baseball World Series best 2 of 3 starts tonight....Defending champ South Carolina vs. Florida....The SEC is guaranteed it's 9th title in the past 21 years....South Carolina has won nine straight CWS games but Florida has a deeper bullpen and strong offense....Florida is considered to be the favorite but the Gamecocks took two out of three in Gatorland earlier this year....Always a lot of emotion in the Finals....South Carolina in 3.

A guy walks into a bar in South Beach, orders a drink, and asks the barkeep if he'd like to hear a good Miami U joke. 

"Listen buddy," he growled.  "See those 2 big guys on your left?  They were both linemen on the Miami U football team.  And that huge fellow on your right was a world-class wrestler at Miami.  That guy in the corner was Miami's all-time champion weight-lifter.  And I lettered in 3 sports. Now, are you absolutely positive you want to go ahead and tell your joke here?"

"Nah, I guess not," the man replied.  "I wouldn't want to explain it 5 times."

....talk to ya................................

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Love That Dirty Water........Vol. 23 (June 23, 2011)

Good Morning....

The contrasts in Los Angeles and Boston are compelling....Boston's MLB franchise is one of the brightest....John Henry's group has delivered two championships, saved Fenway Park and become a successful business model....Frank McCourt has left Dodger nation in shambles as Bud Selig continues to force him out of the game....Yesterday on an another beautiful Southern California day you could see many empty seats at Dodger Stadium in the first inning of the LA-Det game while in Boston, despite four rain delays and steady rain all day, the Fenway stands were full 'til the end....Blame on the Pink Hats....Cliff Lee tosses back to back shutouts....If the Phillies stay healthy into the playoffs they will have the Halladay, Lee and Hamels trio....Can't think of another team that matches up....Chris Heisey delivers three home runs from the leadoff spot as Cincinnati salvages the back end of a day-nighter....Fans have been clamoring for more playing time for Heisey and manager Dusty Baker has balked....Not any more....Arizona takes the lead in the NL West but as we've seen over the last few years this division will go to the wire....Seattle are only two out in the AL West and the Pittsburgh Pirates hang in the NL Central, only three back.

Frank Laydon, former GM of the Utah Jazz, asked one of his players "What is it with you? Ignorance or apathy?  The player replied "Coach, I don't know and I don't care."  ........talk to ya.............

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Cuban In La-La Land?........Vol. 22 (June 22, 2011)

Good Morning....

Mark Cuban, interested in the Dodgers?....By the time Frank McCourt and Bud Selig finish their square dancing in court the team could be in such a mess that no one wants them....Frank rode into town, threw money around, hired Joe Torre and traded for Manny Ramirez....He was loved....Now, they wouldn't give him the time of day....Bud has got McCourt by the short hairs and he ain't letting go....McCourt is threatening to keep Dodger Stadium and all its assets if baseball forces him to sell....I dunno Frank, a scorned woman and a commisioner trying to drive you out of the game....Not good....And the lawyers get rich....Mark Cuban would be a fantastic baseball owner.

Baseball stat line of the night: Bumgarner (SF) 1/3 inning, 9H, 8ER, 0BB, 1K.....yikes!!....Eight hits to start the game....single, double, single, double, single, double, single, double....Bumgarner struck out the pitcher before the leadoff hitter got his second hit of the first inning and he was FINALLY, mercifully, taken out of the game....Lot of unhappy fantasy owners out there and count me as one as I have him on both my teams....sucks!....Looks like Bryce Harper will be promoted to maybe Double-A....Won't be long....The future looks bright for Washington and it was last night for the Nationals as they rally for five in the ninth to pull out a victory.

Hard to get excited for Thursday's NBA Draft.....I see Kyle Irving and Derrick Williams....Thats it....And I'm not sure about them....Time for the Celtics to jettison Big Baby Davis....The man-child refers to himself in the third person more than Wade Boggs....He says that Doc Rivers talks too much....Way to grease those skids, Glen....Be careful what you wish for.

"The greatest thing in the history of south Florida sports was these guys coming together.  With the exception of the (undefeated '72 Dolphins).  Maybe." - Pat Riley....hmmmmmmmm....Last time I checked the South Beach Trio hadn't won anything....Yet.

Jaromir Jagr is making noise about returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins after a three year absence....Isn't he a grandfather?

I hope the NBA and its players are paying very close attention to the labor dispute in the NFL....The vibes are positive about reaching a settlement shortly....Both sides will meet this week for a couple of days in the home city of Bob Kraft (Boston)....I have to think that Kraft has been influential in getting a deal done....Who feels bad for Tiki Barber?....Not me.

"I want to rip out his heart and feed it to Lennox Lewis.  I want to kill people.  I want to rip their stomachs out and eat their children." - Mike Tyson (star of The Hangover and The Hangover II)

....talk to ya..........

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Teardrops On The City..........Vol. 21 (June 21, 2011)

Good Morning....

Fantasy Baseball is real in the sense that if your best player gets hurt it puts your team in a flux....Such is the case with Albert Pujols going down for 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist....Championships are being put on hold....My Fantasy Baseball League (MFL) has been going 25 years strong....Being the defending champ after a whoop-ass year I'm being treated like a pariah....I love it!....Struggling this year in sixth place, trying to hang in and give myself a second half chance....Mr. Depot and The Sniper (Hitmen) have lengthened their lead but they know that there is 14 weeks to go....Last year The Painter and The President (Sluggers) got off to a torrid 12-0 start....They started comparing themselves to the '72 Dolphins but then the wheels came off and they sank to the bottom half....(Glassholes) start Week 12 with a big night as they score with their pitching roulette strategy....That strategy is about picking 2 start pitchers for that week....Costly and dangerous but a chance for a big payout....It was my plan last year and of course monkey-see, monkey-do....Jackie Brains (we call him that because he doesn't have one), manager of the (Glassholes) leads the league in trash-talking and dating big, beautiful women....Some of the guys call him Jackie Legs (he doesn't have any of those either)....He'll find a way to fuck the week up....At this time, The Assasin (Grand Slams) seems to have the top team....Loaded with Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamiltion, Michael Morse and a pitching staff to envy he's my pick to win it all....Oscar and Felix (Odd Couple), Dr. Thoroughbred Murr' (Hoop Gurus) and Diamond Dave (Shitbags) are all near the top and can't be counted out....If we could just get Jackie Brains into a Dale Carnegie course.

With the NL Central up for grabs, the Cardinals could ill afford an injury to King Albert....Milwaukee with their impressive lineup and Shaun Marcum back soon has the opening they wanted....Can't discount Cincinnati as Joey Votto hasn't kicked into gear yet....Marlins hire 80 year old Jack McKeon and the first thing he does is bench that slacker Hanley Ramirez....The immature Ramirez is the clubhouse leader for the 2012 Raul Mondesi Award as the biggest dog in baseball....The Red Sox may be 14-2 in their last 16 and putting runs up at an impressive clip but the Evil Empire is right on Boston's heels....New York is banged up, using smoke and mirrors, but might make this a pennant race yet....Have I underestimated Joe Giradi?....The McCourt saga continues with Bud Selig turning the screws a little tighter....No Fox TV money for you, Frank....LA Dodgers are about to go up for auction.

The Stanley Cup is everywhere in Boston....The city delirious with the Cup victory threw a parade celebration unmatched even in the City of Champions....One million plus, Zdeno Chara cruising the streets of Boston on his bicycle, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron rapping "black and yellow" and Cam Neely raising Lord Stanley over his head as the crowd roared....Top it off at Fenway Park on Sunday as the team took a victory lap in a Duck Boat and all the players took part in the first pitch ceremony....The camaraderie enjoyed by the four Boston franchises is a joy to watch....Me thinks Shaq rubbed off on everyone.

Rory McIlroy is the real deal....After imploding at the Masters he puts up numbers for the ages and takes a victory in the US Open that was never in doubt....Here is a champion worth rooting for....On the downside, Congressional CC played like a lamb....I'm sure the USGA is not happy and the weather didn't help, so God help the players at next year's layout....It's gonna be tough.

And last but not least,
I've seen Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band many times from the cozy Somerville Theatre to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas and I've never been disappointed....As a matter of fact I've never seen a less than stellar show....It was a sad day to hear of the passing of Clarence Clemons....The sax player of a generation and a beautiful person off the stage, he will be missed....Professor Roy Bittan with his melodic piano playing may drive the band and Mighty Max Weinberg, pounding the drums, is it's engine but The Big Man was it's soul....The end of an era.

"I have seen the future of the whole fucking thing and its Big Man Clarence Clemons" - Bruce Springsteen

....talk to ya..........

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Something's Bruin........Vol. 20 (June 16, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Boston Bruins, Stanley Cup Champs....In a dominant performance that left no doubt as to who was the best team Boston picks it up a notch to knock off the heavily favored Vancouver Canucks....It started with Nathan Horton dousing the Vancouver ice with water from the ice at Boston Garden....Very funny to watch Horton who looked around to see if anyone was watching at 3:17 yesterday afternoon while the TV cameras caught every move....The Bruins set the tone, dictated the tone and it ended with Tim Thomas tapping the goal posts as the puck was slid to him....Reminder of 1972 as Bobby Orr slid the puck to and jumped into the arms of Gerry Cheevers as time ran out....A treat to watch Zdeno Chara hoist the Cup unable to hide his emotions....He thrust the Cup to the heavens several times, his face breaking into total glee....Right then it hit home to all Boston fans....After 39 years, our Bruins had won the Stanley Cup....Sweet....Brad Marchand may be a rookie and a pest to the other team but his fire and determination, never mind his 11 playoff goals, lit the spark as it seemed the B's won every battle....Chara might be the Captain but Shawn Thornton's return to the lineup in Game 3 and leadership let Vancouver know they were in for a fight....Timmy Terrific was simply magical....Milan Lucic lifts the Cup in his hometown of Vancouver and they love him....Patrice Bergeron....What can you say?....Faceoffs, defense and 2 goals in the deciding game....With Horton out of the series Bergeron picks the team up and was everywhere....Cam Neely, the face of the Boston Bruins, raises the Stanley Cup which he never got to do as a player....The Bruins faced adversity all through the Stanley Cup playoffs....Lost the first two games at home to the Montreal Canadiens but came back to win Game 7 in overtime on a goal by Horton....Revenge last year's horrific collapse to Philadelphia by sweeping the Flyers in four straight....Win a back and forth tough series with the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7, 1-0, on a goal by Horton....Top it off with a Game 7 win in the Finals on the road....Rolling Duck Boat parade through the cobblestone streets of Boston on Saturday....Should be something....Boston - City of Champions.

"Hockey is a man's game.  The team with the most real men win."  - Brian Burke

In 1999, then Vancouver GM Brian Burke held the #4 pick in the NHL Entry Draft....Through intimidation and diplomacy he turned that pick into the Sedin twins....Everyone has been patting him on the back since.

Stanley Cup Final Stats:
Daniel Sedin - 1 goal, 3 assists
Henrik Sedin - 1 goal, 0 assists

Josh Beckett throws a complete game shutout, matching James Shields from the night before setting up a Buchholz-Price matchup for the rubber game of the Rays-Red Sox three game series....Mark Teixeira and Michael Morse both smack a couple of Big Fly's last night....I think Ryan Zimmerman is gonna like hitting in front of Morse....Count me as one who likes inter-league play....And there is lots of it coming.

The US Open golf championship is one of my favorite tournaments to watch....Its not target golf....Players must keep their drives in the fairway and put their approach shots to the correct area on the green....You don't want to be in the rough....Par is a winning score and the tourney ends on Father's Day.

"US Open golf is 72 holes of bad breaks with an occasional surprise." - Jack Nicklaus

....talk to ya..................

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Thrill of Victory, Agony of Defeat........Vol. 19 (June 15, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Boston and Vancouver get ready to do hockey battle in Game 7 out in British Columbia....The Canucks earned home ice advantage with their overall play during the season....Big advantage it seems in this series as the home team has won each game....Though the Bruins were dominant at home while Vancouver kept Boston off the scoreboard and squeezed out victories in all three games in their rink....Who will the Canucks start in goal?....Can Timmy Terrific continue to make outstanding saves for the B's?....Will the Sedin twins make the difference?....The Boston area is nothing but a sea of black and gold and I'm sure its the same in Vancouver with their blue and white....Expect both teams to come out strong and the referees to put the whistles away....Boston has never played in a Stanley Cup Game 7 and haven't won the Cup since 1972 when the great Bobby Orr ruled the hockey world....Vancouver hasn't won the Cup in the entire 40 years of their existence....Milan Lucic and Ryan Kesler are key players tonight....Despite Dan Shaughnessy's love letter in the Boston Globe to coach Claude Julien, the Bruins have stayed in the fight all season because of veteran leadership and Tim Thomas....Tough injury to Vancouver forward Mason Raymond who suffered a fractured vertebrae when he was slammed awkwardly into the boards by Johnny Boychuk....Its been a physical series but I don't think that play was intent to injure....Rome's hit on Horton was a tad too late but I don't agree with the 4 game suspension....Everybody's ready so let's drop the puck.

Time to give Lebron James some room....His team lost....Dallas won the title and to them go the spoils....King James needs to go on vacation in a deserted part of the world and forget about basketball for awhile....He is the best player in the game....Didn't always play that way in the Finals....Miami brought all this negative attention on themselves....It will be interesting to see their mindset going into 2011-2012....Nice to see people like Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki get to the top of the mountain....Eric Spoelstra should be allowed to continue coaching the Heat....Remember Doc Rivers had some lean years before Garnett and Allen came over....The South Beach Trio can't be the easiest team to lead and continuity is a must....With a year under their belt the future looks bright for Spoelstra, Wade, Bosh and James.

Justin Verlander emerges as the front runner for this year's AL Cy Young award....He takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning last night and cruises to a 4-0 win as Detroit takes a one game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central....Jered Weaver follows suit with a complete game shutout win over the Mariners....Jose Reyes is having a sensational start for the Mets....Dodgers gonna have trouble making their payroll, again....What a mess....The McCourt saga is gonna make for a great book....And maybe a movie....Don't look now but the Pittsburgh Pirates are at .500 and 4 games back in the NL Central and the Seattle Mariners are at .500 and 2 games back in the AL West.

The US Open Championship begins Thursday at Congressional CC in Bethesda, Maryland....Count me as one who is glad that Prima Donna Woods is not there....I don't need obnoxious and arrogance....The Mickelson army should be out in full force....The talk around the course is the American golfers lack of major wins lately....I don't know about everyone else but I've enjoyed watching new players come to the forefront....Every tournament seems to come down to the final hole or a playoff....Who needs Tiger?....TV?....My pick for the US Open title goes to Geoff Oglivy.

For Ray:
"The reason the golf pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing."

....talk to ya

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Send Lawyers, Guns and Money........Vol 18. (June 14, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

The Stanley Cup Finals are going down to wire as Boston fires in four early goals and hang on to force Game 7....The Bruins plan of shooting at Roberto Luongo's glove side paid off as the Canuck goalie gave up a couple of soft goals early from which Vancouver could not recover....Brad Marchand put one over his glove up high and Milan Lucic stuck one in through the five hole as Boston scored four goals in four minutes and change....In a game that felt it could turn into a laugher, Vancouver holds the fort, outscoring the Bruins 2-1 the rest of the way....Game 7 will be a challenge for the Bruins as they've only scored two goals in three games in Vancouver....Canucks have to decide if they keep Luongo in goal or switch to Cory Schneider....Luongo didn't seem too upset when they pulled him last night....Daniel Sedin guarantees a Vancouver win....Thats funny coming from The Flopper....If its intensity you like, Game 7 should provide it.

Some of the Miami Heat allegedly partied with players from the Champion Dallas Mavericks after Game 6....Whats going on?....Imagine the Celtics partying with the Lakers or Heat after losing?....Now that the NBA season has ended, what next?....The NFL seems to be making progress on their new CBA....No doubt thru the effort of owners and players to get the lawyers out of the room and negotiate with each other....And it looks like some kind of agreement will be in place before training camps are scheduled to open next month....Just waiting for the NBA to screw their negotiations up....Both sides meet next week in New York and I can see shots across the bow....Are there owners and players willing to throw the lawyers out of the room and negotiate in good faith?....As I've said before, is there any athlete more overpaid and overprivileged than a National Basketball Association player?

From the "where has he been lately?" department....Vernon Wells hits two home runs for the Angels....Think Toronto is forever grateful that the Angels took on that behemoth contract?....Derek Jeter pulls up lame last night putting his run to 3000 hits on hold....Hunter Pence has a quietly put together a 23 game hitting streak....After a day off, can Boston continue their offensive onslaught?....We will find out as they face David Price and James Shields in Tampa this week.

Sad times in E Street Nation as Clarence Clemons has suffered a stroke....The 69 year old saxophone player suffered paralysis on his left side and has undergone two surgeries....Thoughts and prayers go out to The Baddest Man On The Planet.

"Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns." - John Leonard.................talk to ya

Monday, June 13, 2011

Cavs For Mavs........Vol. 17 (June 13, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Congrats to the Dallas Mavericks as they win the NBA Championship....Displaying veteran experience and refusing to get rattled they defeat the South Beach Trio who looked shell-shocked at the end of the game....Jason Terry led the way as the Mavs made shots when they needed to....Another superb shooting game from behind the 3pt. stripe by Dallas and another mediocre at best fourth quarter from Lebron James....Dirk Nowitzki shakes off a 1-12 first half to make some clutch baskets in the last few minutes....Miami shows sportsmanship by shaking hands after the game....Great job by Rick Carlisle (another branch of the Celtic tree) and owner Mark Cuban....Gotta make the Heat 2011-2012 favorites.

Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight in the Hub of Hockey....This has turned into a great series....Both teams have a strong dislike for each other....From the finger biting, trash-talking, finger pointing, slashing, late hits and all-around chippiness to the physical hits, offensive chances and outstanding goalie play this has been a great series to watch....Something about playoff hockey that keeps you on the edge of your seat....And the fan support for each team has been off the charts....Bruin diehards will "will" their team to victory for having the Vancouver Canucks hoist the Cup around the Boston Garden is unacceptable....C'mon there's gotta be a Game 7....Just gotta be....I can't understand Claude Julien's decision to keep Tyler Seguin off the Boston power play....Maybe he knows something we don't and he is the Coach....But hmmmmmmmm....I hope the Kid scores the winning goal.

Received a phone call at 6:45pm Saturday, just after the Belmont Stakes ended from a jubilent Dr. Thoroughbred Murr'...."I told ya so, I told ya so" he blabbered....Turns out he had the exacta #3 "Ruler On Ice" and #2 "Stay Thirsty" that paid $928.00 on a $2 ticket....He also had "Stay Thirsty" across the board and that paid $19.40 in the middle and $10.80 on the end....Nice score....His reasoning for his picks, "Ruler On Ice" and "Stay Thirsty" were the only two horses listed at 20-1 in the morning line and Dr. Murr' has a thing for 20-1 longshots....Next time we meet up cocktails are on Dr. Murr'....My selection #6 "Nehro" finished fourth and "Animal Kingdom" battled back from an awful start but ran out of gas down the stretch and crossed the wire sixth.

I know its supposed to the year of the pitcher but I count a number of contenders for the Triple Crown....Like Horse Racing, very difficult to do....This year you've got Jose Bautista, Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz and even Paul Konerko from the AL with a shot....In the NL, keep an eye on Matt Kemp, Joey Votto and Prince Fielder....And always be on the lookout for King Albert....Red Sox have won 9 in a row, Atlanta 6 straight and Milwaukee (8-2 in their last 10) sweeps the Cardinals to take over first place in the NL Central....Boston has been smoking hot and certainly didn't need a day off today....Lots of young talent to watch including Stanton (Fla), Hosmer (KC), Moustakas (KC), Morse (Was), Rizzo (SD) and soon to be coming to a field near you Lawrie (Tor)....Nice to see the young players in Pittsburgh and Kansas City but look out for the Washington Nationals....Drew Storen and Michael Morse....Jordan Zimmermann throwing lights out....With Steven Strasburg on the mend and the already a legend Bryce Harper blowing kisses down in Single-A.

Always great to see #24 Jeff Gordon win another NASCAR race....His 84th time taking the checkered flag....Not a fan favorite but he's number one on this list....He's just plain ol' good....My children are not #24 fans and one of 'em tried to get under my skin before the race by telling me this joke....But remember, he who laughs last, laughs best....

"Did your hear Jeff Gordon is bringing in a new crew chief from China?  His name is Win-Won Soon."

the jokes on y'all.........talk to ya

Friday, June 10, 2011

I Must Be In The Front Row........Vol 16. (June 10, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

Well, Miami let Dallas hang around and after a thunderstorm of three pointers the Mavs are one game away from making all Celtic fans very happy....Lebron James has another lousy 4th quarter, Wade is hurt (or so he says) and momentum has shifted to the hungry Mavs....If Dallas wins how hard will it be to live with Mark Cuban?....If Miami loses will they cry like the little bitches that Sir Charles says they are?....If the Heat come back to win, will it matter?....Jason Terry and J.J. Barea start raining long balls and its over....A lot of attention, and rightly so, goes to King James but isn't that Dirk Nowitzki some kind of player?

The Stanley Cup Finals return to Vancouver where the "Green Men" hope to help the Canucks find their mojo....Boston physically dominated Vancouver in games 3 and 4....This is a MUST game for the Canucks 'cause they do NOT want to go back to crazy ass Beantown down 3-2....Can Timmy "Terrific" Thomas get away with his feistiness in British Columbia?....Has anyone seen the Sedin twins?....Brad Marchand (so far) has their number.

Red Sox sweep the Yankees to go 6-0 in Yankee Stadium this year....They also assume a two game lead in the AL East....Sox drill a couple more Yankees and the Bronx Bombers retaliate with a "love tap" (to borrow a phrase from Timmy Terrific) to the thigh of Big Papi....Lets see, Ortiz hits a home run, pirouettes, flips the bat and instead of A.J. Burnett delivering the memo in the 1st inning the next night he grooves one and Ortiz takes him yard....BoSox pitchers hit Jeter and A-Rod....Yanks hit Big Papi with a "love tap"....C'mon, send a message, high and tight.....Sox rally with 7 in the 7th (after a 10:32 pm start) against C.C. Sabathia, sweep the series and send the New Yorkers crawling home with their tails between their legs.

Dustin Pedroia expected to play for Boston tonight in Toronto....Nice surprise....Joba the Hut expected to undergo Tommy John surgery depleting an already suspect bullpen down in the Bronx....Two unexpected things (Not!)....Manager Bob (what we have here is failure to communicate) Geren is fired by the A's and QB Terrelle (I did nuthin' wrong) Pryor is not coming back for his senior year at Ohio State....Shocking.

The 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes is being run on Saturday with a strong field....Top seven finishers in the Kentucky Derby will go to post....Rubber match between Derby winner "Animal Kingdom" and Preakness victor "Shackleford"....Just got off the phone with Dr. Thoroughbred Murr' and after making plans to watch the Stanley Cup tonight he offered his selection on Saturday's race...."A longshot is due and thinking about how many beers I'm gonna drink tonight watching the hockey game, I'll go with #2 "Stay Thirsty" at 20-1"....After I hung up I quickly scratched "Stay Thirsty" off any exotic plays I had him on....Dr. Murr' hasn't picked a winner since he had Billie Jean King over Bobby Riggs....I like #6 Nehro and will throw $20 across the board on him....Add #1 "Master of Hounds", #9 "Animal Kingdom", #10 "Mucho Macho Man" and #12 "Shackleford" to round out your Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta betting....Good luck.

Happened across a "Major League" movie the other day and it reminded me of this....

"The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you.  That was when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game.  He really showed me something.  Struck out three times.  Made an error that lost the game.  Parents were throwing things at the car and swearing at us as we drove off.  Gosh, I was proud." - Bob Uecker...............talk to ya

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Fit To Be Tied........Vol 15. (June 8, 2011)

Good Afternoon....

All you have to know is Lebron James scored 8 points last night, zero in the 4th quarter....Miami should have won this in four straight....But like a punch drunk boxer the Mavs hang on and even the series....Jason Terry steps up and takes some of the pressure off an ailing Dirk Nowitzki....The Heat have no excuse....As Magic Johnson said, James must bring his "A" game next time out....If he plays Game 5 like the best player in the game that he is, Miami should pull away....Dallas doesn't quit and if Miami only shows up for 3 1/2 quarters again, anything can and will happen.

Just when David Ortiz made it back on my Christmas card list he goes and pulls a stunt like last night....After hitting a home run in the fifth inning last night he flipped his bat towards the Yankee dugout and spun around before his trot around the bases....He doesn't think its a big deal....It was bush league at best and if he doesn't get drilled tonight I'll be wondering what kind of manager is Joe Giradi....At one time "Big Papi" was a big crybaby....The Red Sox went to him in the off season and told him they would do him a favor and pick up his option for $12M...If he insisted on a 2 year deal the Sox were more than willing to let him check out the market and there was no way he was getting close to $12M....Boston told him to shut his mouth, take the money and play for a new contract....To his credit he has said and done all the right things....He's played his way onto the all-star team....Then there is last night's incident....Just admit you were wrong and listen up for the chin music.

Boston Garden should be crazy this evening....The fans know they are the 7th player and the team feeds off its energy....No, I'm not a Claude Julien fan....Take the kid gloves off Tyler Seguin and let him go out and play hockey....He'll more than make up for any mistakes he has....The kid produces points and the Bruins need his speed and scoring touch, especially on the power play....But what do I know?

What did Bobby Knight have to say after his 1980 Olympic team played China?....
"It was fun playing the Chinese, but after an hour, we wanted to play them again." ....talk to ya

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Short Story.......Vol 14. (June 7, 2011)

Good Morning....

Bruins shellack Vancouver 8-1....Toughman Shawn Thornton says nothing will carry over to Game 4....C'mon, the fans are nuts, Horton takes one for the team, Bruins are down 2 games to 1....The Garden will be crazy....If Boston continues to play physical, they win.

Yankees and Red Sox continue their rivalry tonight for the umpteenth time....
Jeter
Granderson
Teixeira
A-Rod
Cano
Thats a scary lineup....
But when you have Carl Crawford hitting sixth....That ain't so bad....I'll be tuned in.

Miami by 20 tonight.

Tyler Seguin.

In 1963, the MVP in the American League, National League, NFL and AFL all wore #32
Who were they?
Answer Wednesday..........talk to ya

Monday, June 6, 2011

Childress KO's Busch......Vol. 13 (June 6, 2011)

Good Morning....

Sounds like Kyle Busch got his this weekend....Kyle has made some enemies over the years and his disregard for common sense (128mph in a 45mph zone?) is legendary....Pissed more than a few drivers off and 65 year old team owner Richard Childress had enough....After Busch bumped one of the Childress' cars after Sunday's race Childress confronted Busch, put him in a headlock and punched him three times....Eerily reminiscent of Nolan Ryan bitchslapping Robin Ventura after the Chicago third baseman had the audacity to come out to the mound after the Hall of Famer....Childress is put on suspension and Busch goes scott free which tells you how many blows Busch got in....At least Pedro got the old man on the ground....Not too many people feeling bad for KyBu.

Am I missing something or are the NBA Finals not quite up to par?....Dallas attempts a last second shot and the crowd is sitting on their hands....Up here in Boston they don't need bells and whistles to shake a building....Dallas needed to steal that one last night....Time for the Heat to wake up and put this away in 5....Vancouver outhustles Boston Saturday night, scoring 11 seconds into overtime and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals....Great goalie play from both teams but Burrow's wraparound both Chara and Thomas proves to be the difference....Hey Claude, put Shawn Thornton back in the lineup, bang some bodies and a lot more Tyler Seguin on the power play....What do you have to lose?

I could get used to the positive vibes the NFL and the Player's Asscociation are giving off if I didn't know better....Stay at the table and keep the lawyers out of the room....They have about five weeks to get this thing done.

Christy Martin loses her comeback bid in the sixth round Saturday....Despite winning on all the judge's cards, the ring doctor stopped the fight after she broke her right hand.

King Albert is starting to be heard from as Pujols belts two walk off home runs this weekend....Just when you think Jake Peavey might be back to his old self he ends up on the DL....Still hear rumbling from the fallout that was the Posey-Cousins collision....Giants GM Brian Sabean throws Cousins under the bus and now the kid is receiving death threats and Sabean is backtracking....If Cousins played for San Francisco they'd love the play he made....It was unfortunate but it happened....What next?....Outlaw the break up slide at second base on a double play?....Is Michael Morse the next big thing?

Why do the French-Canadiens do it doggy-style?
So they both can watch the hockey game, eh............talk to ya

Friday, June 3, 2011

It's A Beautiful Day........Vol.12 (June 3, 2011)

Good Morning....

They say ya gotta be in the right place at the right time....On Tuesday, Edmonton Oiler center Gilbert Brule and his girlfriend were in Vancouver to attend Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final....They passed two people hitchhiking and after persuading his girl to circle back and pick them up found that their passengers were Bono and his assistant....Bono was in town for a show in Edmonton the next night....Out for a walk, the U2 frontman found himself in the rain until he flagged down a ride....They chatted about Dublin, Brule's career and Bono's fondness for Vancouver....Bono offered tickets for the U2 show and without hesitation they accepted, later selling their Stanley Cup tickets....Wednesday evening, Bono told his side of the story.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i14SHfRGc70  ....cool.

So the NFL and the NFLPA met for "secret" meetings outside Chicago this week....Can't be too secretive when the owners are flying into town in their private planes with logos plastered all over them....Can both sides give and take and get something done?....The $64,000 question....Oral arguments before the court today on whether the lockout is legal....I want to know how the NFL is negotiating with a union that is decertified....47 players show at the second day of New England Patriot workouts put together by Tom Brady.

Just as the Miami-Dallas NBA Championship Series was about to put me to sleep, Miami lets their guard (no pun intended) down and the Mav's storm back to tie this one up....The South Beach Trio were having their way with the Texas Twelve with a 15 point lead and 7 minutes to go....After a celebratory timeout, Miami shots began to clang off the rim, Dallas stepped up their defense and Dirk Nowitzki put his team on his shoulders....Nowitzki did it all (with some help from Jason Terry)....Jumpers, layups and 3 pointers....Chris Bosh didn't stand a chance....  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/video/nba/2011/06/03/0041000402_dirk_9pts.SportsIllustrated/index.html  ....But make no mistake....Miami gave this one up....I don't expect it to happen again.

A quiet night on the baseball front....Mets come back to beat the upstart Pirates....New York's signing of Pedro Martinez and Jason Bay should be used as teaching lessons for upcoming General Managers on what NOT to do....Yankees and Red Sox have settled into their customary positions (1+2) in the AL East....Twins need a big dose of Joe Mauer 'cause they are having an awful season....Nice to see the resurgence of Pittsburgh and Kansas City....Both could use pitching but they have some nice young ballplayers....Keep an eye out.

Female boxer Christy Martin makes a comeback this weekend six months after being stabbed, shot and left for dead by her husband last November....At one time Martin (49-5-3, 31 knockouts) was the best female fighter in the world....Martin, 42, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in '96 and made $500,000 for her fight with Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila....She fights against Dakota Stone this Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles....You go, girl.

"Boxing is the only sport you can get your brain shook, your money took and your name in the undertaker book." - Smokin' Joe Frazier.............talk to ya

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Is That Your Dick, Mr. Weiner?........Vol. 11 (June 2, 2011)

Good Morning....

I must start off with a few comments regarding the distraction going on in Washington D. C.....A twitter photo was sent to a young woman in Seattle showing a man from the waist down with bulging underwear from the account of Congressman Anthony Weiner (D)-NY....Mr. Weiner claims someone "hacked" or "pranked" his account....He has taken a page out of the politician playbook and "deny, deny, deny"....He gave out several interviews to say he wasn't the one to send the picture but only proceeded to put his foot in his mouth....Why doesn't he listen to his counsel that he has "the right to remain silent"?....Why woody?....Too funny....His colleagues nicknamed him "Brett".

Jim Tressel resigns as Ohio State football coach....What took him so long?
South Carolina's Steve Spurrier wants to pay players a $300 stipend per game out of his own pocket and six other SEC coaches sign his letter....Say what?
We all know that college atheletes have been receiving payments under the table for ever....Can't blame them....NCAA rules and regulations are a joke....College basketball players have to go to school for one year....Crazy....College football and basketball are just Triple A professional leagues for the NFL and NBA....Let the studs go straight from High School to the Pros....Greed has run rampant.

Vancouver scores with 18 seconds left to edge the Bruins 1-0 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals....Ryan Kesler's hustle play to keep the puck in the Boston zone ends with Raffi Torres sliding the puck past Tim Thomas.....A chippy game with both teams trying to set a physical tone....Timmy Thomas stood on his head again with more than a few outstanding saves....Alexander Burrows pulls a "Tyson" and bites Patrice Bergeron's finger during a scrum....What's up with that?....Good game.

Word has it that Roger Goodell met secretly with several influential NFL owners....What could they have been discussing?....Maybe they read my piece yesterday....Time to get back to the table and hammer out an agreement before training camps are scheduled to open....Will Rex Ryan go on vacation?....Please....With his guarantee of a Super Bowl victory, a starring role on "Hard Knocks" and his book tour we have been over saturated with the blustery one....And how about Drew Bledsoe being the 18th person voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame....Drew was one of the classiest ballplayers to put on a Boston uniform....Started his career under the demanding Bill Parcells, led the team to a Super Bowl and took on the infamous Boston media straight up....He took out a full page in the Boston newspapers to thank the fans and his team when he left unlike "misremembered" Clemens who trampled all over the paying customers as he hauled his fat ass out of town....Bledsoe has a successful Wine business as he raises his family in Montana....He is scheduled to be inducted into The Hall at Patriot Place in September.

Ubaldo Jimenez flashes his 2010 brillance with a 4-hit shutout of the Dodgers....Colorado needs that big arm....Jay Bruce goes yard again....Great stories, Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson....Just when you think the Red Sox have become that juggernaut that we thought in spring training along comes the Chicago White Sox to sweep them at home and push their tailspin to four games.

******The Packers Fan******
There was a Packers fan with a lousy seat at Lambeau.  Looking down he noticed an unoccupied seat at the 50 yard line.  When he sat down he asked the man next to him if the seat was empty.  "This was my wife's seat. She passed away. She was a big Packer fan" the man responded.  The first man offered "I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.  May I ask why you didn't give the ticket to a relative or a friend?"
The man replied, "They're all at the funeral.".........talk to ya