Archive for August 22nd, 2007
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
Tonight, against the first-place (for now!) Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb is attempting to extend his 42 consecutive inning scoreless sheet. He’s 17 innings away from tying Orel Hershiser’s record of 59 — Orel Hershiser married a girl from Mattoon, by the way — and that’s just two shutouts away. Having watched him in Atlanta last week, it’s clearly possible, and almost seems likely.
But if Baseball Prospectus has taught us anything, it’s that the anecdotal is bullocks; it’s time to go to the numbers. Vegas Watch breaks down the odds of it happening, and Johnny Number Five computes that Webb has a 1 in 57 chance of breaking Orel’s record. Of course, BP says the Cubs are the favorites in the NL Central, and hey, that’ll be the day!
(Sorry.)
What Are The Odds: Brandon Webb [Vegas Watch]
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
On last night’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” the plucky host who stole Larry Sanders’ show out from under him mocked the NBC SundayNightIsFootballNight crew for analyzing how the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons would deal with Michael Vick’s guilty plea. We understand the easy joke — Who cares about football? He tortures dogs! — but we’re not sure what Costas and Co. were expected to talk about. It is, after all, a football show.
Anyway, to risk continuing to be Insensitive Bastards by actually discussing Ron Mexico’s impact in football terms, but Lion In Oil brings up a great point: It turns out that the Chargers’ trade of Vick’s draft slot might have been one of the NFL’s great trades.
[The late John] Butler, who built the Buffalo Bills teams of the early 1990s and went onto San Diego before dying of cancer in 2003, however, was weary of signing a top pick with top pick money at quarterback right after the disastrous pick of Ryan Leaf by the Chargers in 1998. So Butler, after being unable to come to terms with Vick before the end of the draft, made the shocking move of trading an instant superstar and got a player he was very high on, Tomlinson along with a third-rounder that year, a second-rounder the following year, and Tim Dwight.
Remember, too, that the Chargers picked Drew Brees in the second round that year, who turn out pretty great himself, albeit not for the Chargers. Wherever you are, Mr. Butler, we salute you. We hope you have some pit bulls as pets up there.
A Look Back At One Of The Great Trades Of All Time [Lion In Oil]
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
In March 2006, we — Rick, actually — wrote, about the announcement of George Mitchell’s steroid panel, “it would seem any investigation would have to be so wide-ranging that Bonds could either surpass Ruth and Aaron or retire before it can be completed.” We thought that was ridiculous, and we believe we told Rick so. Whoops. That was March 2006.
Apparently, though, almost a year-and-a-half later — which, frankly, isn’t all that long — Mitchell apparently finally has something. And it’s all thanks to Kirk Radomski (pictured), that old clubhouse attendant who gave all those steroids to the players in the ’90s.
One person familiar with some of Mitchell’s findings said people are going to be “very surprised'’ by how much Mitchell has learned about baseball’s steroid past. While Mitchell has interviewed hundreds of people, Radomski is believed to have provided the juiciest new details — by far. Radomski is said by federal authorities to have been a supplier of steroids to current and former major leaguers between 1995 and 2005 after previously working as a Mets clubby and batboy.
Jon Heyman’s report goes on to say that, “it remains to be seen whether Mitchell will make some or all of the names known in his final report;” if they don’t give out the names, we’re not quite sure of the point. We still find it kind of amazing that of all the presumed hundreds of people who gave out steroids to players in the ’90s, they found just one who would talk. So yeah: Better hope he wasn’t your dealer.
Ex-Mets Clubby Talks To Mitchell [SI.com]
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
Sure, it was all fun and games to make fun of Latrell Sprewell for turning down a $21 million contract a few years ago because he “had to feed his family.” Well, that family, which has apparently been floating around on a Milwaukee boat, is about to get hungrier.
Turns out, Spree’s boat has been repossessed
Armed with an order from U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Callahan Jr., a federal marshal seized the $1.5-million, Italian-built vessel in Manitowoc, Wisc., where it sat in storage, Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel reported. A New York bank is claiming the yacht’s owner, a company run by Sprewell, 36, has defaulted on a mortgage loan.
The firm, LSF Marine Holdings, hasn’t made monthly payments of $10,322 on time and hasn’t maintained the necessary insurance on the 6-year-old vessel, North Fork Bank alleges. It wants the yacht, “Milwaukee’s Best,” sold to pay off the $1.3 million it says is remaining on the loan.
To think, it was only a year ago that Sprewell was being accused of choking someone on that boat. Memories!
Maybe We Shouldn’t Have Laughed At Sprewell’s “I Got My Family To Feed” Comments [The Smittblog]
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
So here’s a great idea for a blog: The random sports jerseys you see people wearing on the street.
It’s Straight Cash, Homey — shifting focus, you see — and is focusing (right now) exclusively on the streets of New York City, which is a great place to see bad sports jerseys. The Vin Baker one above is rather outstanding, but the black guy with the Wesley Walls jersey, tough to beat that. We still have our Buzzsaw Jake Plummer jersey … but we won’t be wearing it out much.
Straight Cash, Homey
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
Believe it or not, folks, the NFL season is much closer than you can possibly imagine. So close, in fact, that, if we’re going to fit in every NFL team preview by the start of the season, we have to go this early. So there you have it.
Last year, we asked some of our favorite writers to opine why Their Favorite Team Was Better Than Yours. Ultimately, we found this constrictive, and it also might have killed James Frey. So this time, we’ve just asked them to just run free, talk about their team, their experience as a fan, their hopes, their dreams, their desires for oral sex. All our teams are now assigned; if you sent us an email and we didn’t get back to you, we’re sorry, and we accept your scorn. But today: Green Bay Packers.
Your author is Jeff Bercovici, an editor for Portfolio. His words are after the jump.
———————–
Brett, I owe you an apology.
I have broken faith. I have sinned against you in my heart.
A year ago at this time, I was saying unkind things about you to other Packers fans. Things like “It’s time for him to retire before he ruins his legacy with another 30-interception season.” And: “Every season he plays just postpones our next Super Bowl hopes by another year.” And: “He’s the only quarterback alive whose decisionmaking gets worse as he gets older.”
Brett, I’m sorry. All those things I said about you? They were true. Face it: You’re just not the same quarterback you were 10 years ago, and I don’t mean physically. Half the time, you don’t seem to have the heart for a whole 60-minute game. You’ll squander a perfectly promising drive by throwing deep into double coverage, for no apparent reason other than to cut the tension. (Holmgren would’ve kicked your ass for it. Sherman didn’t, which is probably why you keep doing it.) Then, you’ll make that ridiculous little-boy grimace-face, like “How could this have happened?” which makes me want to reach through the TV screen and shake you. Afterwards, you’ll say something preposterous about how your mistakes weren’t really mistakes because you were just trying to “make something happen.”
But you know what? None of that matters. After last season ended, I realized something had changed. I wanted you to come back. And it wasn’t because you’d managed to lead the Green Bay to a perfectly respectable and better-than-expected 8-8 finish. Nor was it because this season’s prospects look even better, with a core of talented young defensive players (Aaron Kampman, Cullen Jenkins, A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett) who should guarantee the Pack a playoff spot no matter what happens on offense. Nor is it because, seriously, Aaron Rodgers?
Brett, I don’t care about those things. I don’t care if we make the playoffs or not. I don’t care if you throw 40 picks this year, and you make that stupid face every time. If I wanted to watch someone execute perfect plays, I’d root for Peyton Manning. I don’t. I want to watch the guy who got called for a late hit against the Vikings after decking the cornerback who’d picked him off. The guy who got knocked silly in the Jets game, then popped up and threw a touchdown he didn’t remember afterwards. The guy who played the best game of his life the night his dad’s body lay cooling on a slab — turning a throwaway Raiders game into the most poignant night of my career as a fan. If the other stuff — the insane decisions, the dumb risks, the misguided belief in an ability to turn any broken play into six points — if all that comes along with the package, so be it. I just want it to last as long as possible.
(Confidential to Coach McCarthy: First time he lobs an easy one into the waiting arms of a safety, you have to tear his fucking head off. It’s what Holmgren would do.)
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
We send our condolences to the family and friends of former Timberwolves guard Eddie Griffin, who was killed last Friday when his SUV hit a moving train. Word of his death in Houston only came out yesterday.
They haven’t announced the toxicology report yet, so it’s best not to jump to conclusions … but … well, Griffin had has certainly had his fair share of difficulties behind the wheel of a car before. It’s not the most desirable way to be remembered, we suppose, but as clearly troubled as Griffin’s life was, in a way, you almost have to be relieved it happened fast. And, of course, not while the film Privates was playing, which, we repeat, is the worst name of a porn film we have ever heard.
Rest in peace, Eddie: It was a short, crazy trip for you.
Former Wolf Griffin Dies After Hitting Freight Train [Minneapolis Star Tribune]
Eddie Griffin’s Odd Film Choices [Deadspin]
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2007
So, you had tickets to the Angels game on Tuesday, but decided instead to go see Daddy Day Care. You foolish, foolish man.* You missed The Garret Anderson Carnival of the Unexplained, as our hero had 10 RBI … yeah, 10 … before 44,264 highly-caffeinated Angelistas, as the Angels blasted the Yankees 19-8.
Anderson had a grand slam, a three-run homer and a pair of doubles — Jesus-like production — as the Angels kept pace two games ahead of the Mariners in the AL West. He’s the 12th player in Major League history to get 10 or more RBI in a game; Alex Rodriguez also had 10 against the Angels on April 26, 2005. And speaking of him, he homered twice on Tuesday (41, 42). As you know, the sheer weight of A-Rod’s homers in a losing cause is infinite, and if dropped would fall straight through the earth’s crust, and beyond. The Major League record of 12 RBI is shared by the Cardinals’ Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993), but you knew that. The AL record of 11 was set by Tony Lazzeri of the Yankees on May 24, 1936. Sorry to mention it, but Yankees are now six games behind Red Sox in the East. Mike Scioscia, by the way, has a 38-22 record against the Yankees as manager.
• An Important Part Of This Complete Breakfast. Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo each had two-run doubles as Boston beat Devil Rays 8-6. And David Ortiz, obviously excited about selling his car on the Internets, had a triple. Hmm, there’s nothing in that last sentence that makes a bit of sense.
• Chicago Hope. Cliff Floyd, who had missed nine days due to the death of his father, had a go-ahead two-run single in the ninth as the Cubs beat the Giants 5-1; Chicago remaining tied with Milwaukee for first in the Central. The Brewers and Cubs meet for three at Wrigley beginning Aug. 28, which should be fun.
• Luis, Luis, Oh No. Luis Castillo singled home the winning run off of Trevor Hoffman in the ninth, the Mets beating the Padres 7-6. Carlos Beltran, five RBI.
• The Tilde Cannot Be Contained. Your AP lead of the day: DETROIT (AP) - Comerica Park is a long way from Curacao. Wait, I’m writing that down. Jair Jurrjens, who hails from the Dutch Caribbean islands, allowed only one hit through six innings, and Magglio “The Tilde” Ordonez and Carlos Guillen each homered to lead Detroit over Cleveland 2-1. Curacao is still alive in the Little League World Series, by the way.
* = Idiot.
