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.............
Thursday, July 21, 2011
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.................
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............
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.........................
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.........................
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