The Pine Tar Game: George Brett Goes Wild

Twenty five years ago today, in what is considered one of the more bizarre incidents in baseball history, George Brett jacked what appeared to be a game winning home run that might have beaten the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. But in a highly unusual move that will forever be known as the Pine Tar Incident, the Yankees (with advance knowledge) objected to the bat that Brett was using to hit the home run. They suggested that he had too much pine tar on his bat. The umpires examined the bat and after a few moments of consultation, they agreed and nullified the home run. Brett went bonkers and had to be restrained by teammates. Quite an amazing moment, I have to say.

Personally, I was wondering, in the seconds leading up to the nullification, knowing what he (the umpire) had to do, what was going through the mind? He had to know Brett was going to go ballistic. This was no journeyman shortstop hitting just above the Mendoza Line. We're taking about getting an earful from a superstar and future hall-of-famer. Unless he didn't mind the sure-as-hell confrontation that was about to come his way, I have to believe, he made that call with pure dread.

Anyway, click here for a great story in today's New York Post. Then click here to see the video of the incident.

Sunday Brunch.....Are You Ready For Some Football?

Well, training camps will be opening across the country this week and so, the season is just about upon us. And for thousands of fans, that means its fantasy football time.

Fans all over the country are in various stages of draft preparation (yous truly, included) and so I thought I would refer a few websites in this post to serve as a sort of starter kit /resource center. Of course there's no way to list all the good sites because I'm sure there are a gazillion of them (since apparently, everyone is an expert with an opinion).

DiMaggio's 56-Game Hitting Streak Comes to An End

On July 17, 1941, the Cleveland Indians, led by Ken Keltner put an end to Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak. The streak is considered one of the greatest feats in baseball history. This (like hitting .400) is one of those records that when you compare to today's athletes, you just marvel at how such a streak ever happened. How is it possible?

Whether such a record(s) could ever be broken remains to be seen, of course. We live in a different world now. Modern sports athletes are subject to unbelievable pressures and distractions that come with the need for instant gratification, the so-called 24/7 information society. If a player would get anywhere near the record, the focus and attention brought upon him would be almost unimaginable. Under those circumstances it seems like breaking this record is just inconceivable.

The All-Star Game - Longest Ever Played. Yawn

Ya know, everyone is making a big deal about last night's all-star game at Yankee Stadium. I know, they played 15 innings before the AL won for the 12 year in a row. And I know, it's the last one ever at Yankee Stadium and there was lots of buzz and hoopla and nostalgia and tradition and glory of the game and blah, blah blah, blah. But honestly? I wasn't feeling it. To me, it's still just a boring exhibition game.

Now in fairness, and for purposes of full disclosure, I'm a Mets fan. But in all sincerity, my apathy has nothing to do with my allegiance to the Mets, but more with the fact that the game for so many years has had no meaning and very little significance other than to "showcase" the talents of the best players in the game, as selected by the fans. But after a generation of apathy and disinterest by the athletes themselves (A-Rod, the leading vote getter among all athletes went home; left the stadium after the 5th inning), I just can't get too excited about the outcome of this game, even though MLB has tried to add some incentives to the players by awarding home field advantage in the World Series to the winners of the game. Even with that little biscuit, it's still not enough for me to tune in.

Oh, by the way, the five minutes of the game that I did watch before going to sleep, it was 3-3 in the 12th. It didn't help that I half jokingly presumed that it was Billy Wagner who gave up the tying run in his appearance, only to wake up in the morning to find out it was true (I hate it when I'm right). This guy is just killing the Mets, but I digress.

Farve vs Pack: It's Getting Ugly

As many of you know, Brett Farve now wants to "un-retire" and play football again. So much so, that he even asked the Packers for his release so he can sign on elsewhere. Now to me, this is starting to deteriorate into one of those things where everyone is nice to each other for as long as they can be and then their true colors show through.

In this instance, the Packers have been very gracious. When Farve couldn't make up his mind last year about whether he wanted to retire or continue to play, they waited very patiently for him to decide without saying a word (at least publicly), eventhough I'm sure they would have loved for him to have made his decision sooner than he did (dragging it out through the off-season). Certainly there must have been some consternation about his fence sitting when you consider that, with all due respect to Farve, there is a business side to football (or is it a football side to business?) and that business side involves making decisions about player personnel, i.e., the drafting of players, cap issues, etc. Farves' delay in making his decision last year almost certainly put their draft strategy in jeopardy if it didn't actually determine who they drafted.

Sunday Brunch......with Dad

From the moment you're born, you are destined to die. Everything else we do in between serves as a distraction 'til that moment comes. So don't forget to take some time out of your busy lives to enjoy the simple things in life, like a catch with your son...or dad.

Former Yankee Bobby Murcer Succumbs to Cancer at Age 62

Jones Quest For .400 Is Likely Over

Well now that Chipper Jones has cooled off slightly, I believe his chances of hitting .400 are virtually zero. So let's take a look at the math. As of today, Jones has 108 hits in 288 at bats through 80 games played. His average is .375. That means Jones has been averaging 3.6 at bats per game. The Braves have played 92 games so that means there are only 70 games left to play this season. If he were to play all 70 games, he would get approximately 252 more at bats (70 x 3.6). That would mean that Jones would finish the season with about 540 total at bats (288 + 252). For Jones too finish at .400, he would need to finish the season with 216 hits (216 / 540). Since he has 108 at this point, that means he would need 108 more hits in the next 252 at bats. In other words, Jones who is already hitting a phenomenal .375, would have to hit a whopping (and unsustainable) .429 the rest of the season. To me, this just seems like one of the records that are destined to never be broken. Since 1941, the year in which Ted Williams was the last person to hit .400 (he hit .406), there have been several players who have made runs at .400, including Nomar Garciaparra who, 2000, was hitting .403 as late as July 20. But he like all the rest eventually failed. Here are the three players since 1941, who finished the season within striking distance of the elusive club.

Tony Gwynn - 1994 - finished at .394
George Brett - 1980 - finished at .390
Rod Carew - 1977 - finished at .388

Another Athlete Arrested on Felony Charge

See what I mean? Earlier this week, Tony Gonzalez made news by saving a man's life in a California restaurant. I had inferred that this was an aberration because it was a nice "feel good" story, which we almost never hear about. Usually today's off-field stories about our athletes are about their criminality and/or arrogance and sense of entitlement. So just to underscore my point, just 3 days after my previous post, we have this story about Matt Jones. Just another day in the world of sports.

A Nice Story For A Change: Chiefs Tony G. Saves A Life

We have become so desensitized about almost everything these days that almost nothing shocks us anymore. We live in a society where everything/everyone is fair game to our pop culture standards, which depending on your point of view is either passe or, plummeting faster than the China Syndrome. In general, athletes today are perceived on a scale somewhere between overly paid entertainers with an irrational sense of entitlement or malcontent thugs that belong in prison. Neither of this is true (save of a few) of course, but the public persona of sports athletes has been severely tarnished based on what's been reported over the years. So with that in mind, it was nice to hear that Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez was credited with saving a man's life this past Thursday night in California. Nice going Tony.

Sunday Brunch....Who's On First?

I remember growing up in New York City in the 1970's. Back then we called it...well, just growing up. Today, it's recollection with melancholy of the years gone by, it's waxing nostalgia about one's childhood, it's assigning romance to what in reality was just the mundane. Or to put it simply, it's remembering with fondness the simple, less complicated pleasures of a life that was lived long ago.

I remember Saturday evenings in our household. It was so wonderfully routine and predictable. Every Saturday night my dad would head out in the early evening to pick up some bagels, a pack of smokes and the early edition of the Sunday Daily News and

Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech - July 4th, 1939

Sixty nine years ago today, Lou Gehrig delivered his famous speech that is still considered one of the greatest moments in sports history. Here is the full text version of the Farewell Speech

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift - that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies - that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter - that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know.

"So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."

-----Lou Gehrig, 7/4/39

This Soap Opera Moment Is Brought To You By The Rodriguez'

Good Lord! Do I really care who A-Rod is boinkin'? Does anyone care? The world of sports is already in the gutter, can it sink any lower?

Okay we get it, A-Rod is a slime ball---maybe. But really, c'mon he's a 32 years old superstar playing for arguably the greatest sports franchise; who already banked $250 million and just signed another contract for another $275 million. This guy is among the few who walk among us that is living a charmed life. And with that kind of float, who wouldn't feel a sense of entitlement? Who wouldn't want to see what the world has to offer. I can't even imagine the kind of "opportunities" this guy must get on a daily basis, but I would guess that after a while you just give in to temptation. He's not doing anything differently than any one of us would do if we were in his position. The problem is......

It's July: All-Star Game and football training camp

For most "four-sport" fans, July's primary sporting events are baseball's All-Star game, which this year will be held at Yankee Stadium and the start of football training camp. Here is the 2008 training camp schedule for all 32 teams.

Sunday Brunch.......with The Boss

Here is, in my opinion, the greatest version ever of Prove It All Night by the Boss. This is the from the September 19, 1978 concert at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ, which at the time was also broadcast live on the radio on 102.7 WNEW-FM. It is regarded as one of his best concert performances.

What to do with Shockey

So yesterday, I got the email. 'Draft Date is tentatively set for August 28th, more details to follow'. If you love football, then that's all you need to know to understand what I'm referring to. It's fantasy football time! With training camp only a few weeks away, football season is just about on the horizon (Week 1 starts with Giants vs Redskins, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008, 7:00pm on NBC). So with that in mind the question is what do the Giants do with Jeremy Shockey?

Has Jagr played his last game for the Rangers?

Reports are circulating that Jaromir Jagr may have played his last game with the Rangers. Jagr becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and speculation is that he will play in Europe, where he received a substantial contract offer from Omsk, a team that plays in the Russian Superleague. While the Rangers are still very interested in signing Jagr, there are cap issues and its unlikely they would match the offer that's already on the table. Complicating things a bit is that if the Rangers should sign Jagr, they would have to reconsider which free agents are available that fit with Jagr's game and how that would impact the team overall in terms of team chemistry and direction.

Mariners 11, Mets 1..........OY!

Okay, now that the Mets were slaughtered by the worst team in baseball last evening, it's time to get real. Its seems that somewhere in the last year or two, NYers (and others) got the impression that the Mets were a championship caliber team. Certainly, the fans and the media bought into it. And it was easy to get excited when you just look at the talent that started flocking to New York beginning with Pedro Martinez in 2004. Before long Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado , Billy Wagner and Johan Santana. Add the emergence of David Wright, Jose Reyes John Maine and I could see how everyone thought this team could make a championship run. So when they struggled at the end of last season and continue to struggle this year, it's easy to criticize, point fingers and perceive this team as underachievers. Listening to the media use words like "disappointing" and "underachieving" is the common theme. But how about this for a novel thought.....The Mets are not a championship team! I could be wrong but I might be the only person who thinks the Met are NOT underachieving. I believe they are playing exactly to their potential. These guys are a .500 ball club, who have been playing .500 ball for more than a year now --plain and simple.

Sure, its nice, as fans, to get excited about the start of the baseball season. And sure, its good to hear that the players have high expectations of themselves, but all this talk about playoffs and a championship run is nonsense. It's no longer the beginning of the season; The Mets are about 80 games in already. Fans and players are only fooling themselves. I know the team is only 3 1/2 games out of first. But that's because the Phillies have fallen back to the pack; not because the Mest are playing inspiring baseball. They haven't given any indication they are capable of making a challange for a wild card spot or division title, much less the ability to win regularly. The team is 38-39 at this point. Do you think they can just flip a switch and become a contending team? It would seem that if the Mets would try to make a playoff run, they would probably need about 90 wins, a reasonable expectation for a playoff team. That being said, the Mets would have to go 52-33. Does anyone believe this team can suddenly play .611 baseball? You may recall the Colorado Rockies last year who got smokin' red hot and went all the way to the World Series, winning a staggering 21 out of 22 games before they were swept by the Red Sox in the World Series. But let's be honest, it was an abberation. A streak like that happens once every, oh I don't know-gazillion years? Do you really think it could happen two years in a row?

Look, this team can't hit or pitch. They don't have enough horses to put it all together. When the team hits, the pitching fails and visa-versa. Martinez and Delgado are only shells of themselves. I would not be surprised if the Mets fall further behind, they buy out the rest of Delgado's contract and just waive him. They already acquired right-handed hitting first baseman Andy Phillips earlier this evening, indicating they may platoon him with Phillips, which Delgado already said would not be acceptable with him. Martinez is in the last year of his contract and he most certainly won't be back unless he were to agree to a reduced role. There is no production coming from left field -- a traditional power position. Moises Alou, at 41 was the expected starting left fielder (that alone should have gotten GM Omar Minaya fired) after his red hot finish last season indicated he still had a lot left in the tank. But this guy has a history of regularly ending up on the disabled list and this year is no different. He already has been on the DL three times and I believe his day with the Mets will be over shortly.

Then there is Billy Wagner. A few years ago, he regularly threw in the high 90's (96-99 mph), often breaking 100 mph. But I can tell you from the time he arrived in New York, he NEVER pitched with that kind of velocity. He is consistently in the low 90's, ocassionally topping out at 95 mph. Carlos Beltran had both his knees scoped in the off season and he simply is not the same player he once was. Oliver Perez, who stepped it up last year (15 wins, with a decent ERA), after almost pitching his way out of baseball, appear to be on that path again. At times this year he has been atrocious. Santana has pitched well, but not great. But when you're paid $140 million to play once-a-week, well let's just say expectations can be unreasonable (Cy Young performance every time out on the mound?).

What's interesting here is (and maybe the reason why the fans still believe this is a championship team) that the Mets didn't acquire these stars as has-beens. They began to decline in Met uniforms, some becoming has-beens after they got there, specifically Martinez and Delgado who had great first seasons upon their arrival. When that happens, sometimes as fans, it's hard to come to terms with that. I mean, you've watched the player(s) perform and they produced in the past so when the slide begins it becomes difficult to identify if it's just a slump or the beginning of the end. And we hate to accept when it's the latter.

So its time for everyone to look at this team and realize the players who fans were accustomed to thinking of as great are no longer the same players they once were. Their skills have deteriorated and all that's left are their marquee names. Granted, the Mets do have some good players and some very good players but no really great players (certainly none that could carry this team by themselves) to take them to the next level and so they will never be more than what they are right now. So Mets fans, get over it. Win one, lose one, win one, lose one and that's it. Lower your expectations to fit with reality and this will significantly reduce your risk of heart attack (and upset stomach). OK? Got it? Good.

NHL 2008 Draft: Steven Stamkos Goes No. 1 Overall; New York Rangers Draft Michael Del Zotto

Last night, the NHL held their 2008 entry draft and as expected, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected Steven Stamkos with the first pick. Stamkos, a 6"0, 175lb center out of Sarnia of the OHL is a projected NHL star that has been most closely compared to Hall-of-Famer Steve Yzerman. He is considered an elite offensive player, with excellent skating skills who plays a two-way game and has an abundance of character.

With the 20th pick of the draft, the New York Rangers selected Michael Del Zotto, a defenseman out of OHL Oshawa. More on Del Zotto below


Here is the complete 2008 draft by round.

Update: Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons Is Out

Earlier today, on the heels of the Mariners firing their manager John McLaren, I speculated as to who might be the next to go. I zeroed in on John Gibbons of the Toronto Blue Jays since published reports suggested his situation was critical. Well, I didn't realize just how critical, until I learned that this afternoon, the Blues Jays, did in fact, fire John Gibbons replacing him with Cito Gaston. Gibbons was the third manager to be fired this week, following Willie Randolph and John Mclaren of the Mets and Mariners, respectively

Seattle Mariners Fire John McLaren. Who's next?

Well, it looks like the permits were issued and the shootings have begun. I didn't realize hunting season on baseball managers had started but we now have two that have met their fate as the Seattle Mariners fired their manager John McLaren last night replacing him with bench coach Jim Riggleman.

This past Monday, the New York Mets fired Willie Randolph in what was perceived as a whacking even Tony Soprano would be proud of. By the way, with the worst record in baseball and the firing of general manager Bill Bavasi earlier in the week, McLaren's firing should not have come as a surprise, especially since the Mariners were expected to compete for the western division title. But we live in an era of players with multi-million dollar annual salaries and $100 million dollar payrolls, so now more than ever, the stakes are higher to produce a championship. Certainly, McLaren's record as manager (68-88) since taking over for Mike Hargrove in the middle of last season warranted consideration, but I believe it was not so much his record this season (25-47) as it was the high expectation of a $117 million dollar payroll that did him in so quickly. Case in point, look at the Nationals, a perennial low-budget team dating back to its days in Montreal. With a payroll half the size of the Mariners, management is not so quick to pull the trigger. Further, Willie Randolph leaves the Mets with a record of 302-253, the second best record in team history behind Davey Johnson. But he was only about .500 since last May and with a $138 million dollar payroll and a mandate to win the championship, it just wasn't good enough. Oh yeah, there's this other team that plays in New York; you may have heard of them -- the Yankees.

So, the question now is who is next? Well, follow the money. Each year, as part of the passage of spring in the northeast, the Yankees and Red Sox begin their annual quest for the American League eastern title (and beyond). This year is no different, except someone taught the Tampa Rays how to play baseball, and who are now in the mix. That's a problem for the Toronto Blue Jays since it is they who perennially compete with the Yanks and Sox for the AL East, although usually finishing third. But today, the Blue Jays are in last place with a payroll of approximately $97 million dollars, so it looks like John Gibbons could be next. Here is a look at some other possibilities

Breaking News (Well, sort of.....)

At approximately 3:15 am eastern standard time, the New York Mets fired manager, Willie Randolph and replaced him with bench coach Jerry Manuel. He will manage the team in the interim until a permanent replacement is hired. The firing should come as no surprise to anyone who follows Mets baseball as Randolph's job has been on the line for several weeks with speculation that his demise could happen at any moment. His job security was so tenuous that it was generally accepted that it was no longer a question of if the ax would fall, but when. Watching the Mets play baseball took a back seat as The "Randolph Watch" became the main event; no longer the side show it was for most of the season.

Randolph's firing has been the subject of New York sports talk shows dating back to last season's historic collapse when the Mets lost a 7 1/2 game lead to the Phillies with only 17 games remaining. Mets Nation was devastated. Fans lit up the phone lines of sports talk shows with repeated calls for Randolph's firing. But Mets management chose not to be reactionary; instead mandating that the team must start the 2008 season by winning early and often. Neither of that happened and the Mets stumbled out of the starting gate and never really got it going. It was clear right from opening day that the foul taste left in the mouths of Mets fans did not abate during the off season. In fact, quite the opposite. Having all winter to stew about what happened Mets fans returned to Shea to boo loud and often. Not only were the Mets not playing winning baseball but the losses were incredulous. Pressure on management to do something began to mount. Many believed Randolph escaped the ax in May when he met with management after returning home from a poorly played road trip. In that meeting he was asked to explain his accusations of racism and being unfairly portrayed as stoic on the team's television network. While fans were stunned by management's vote of confidence stemming from the meeting, it was clear Randolph was on a very tight leash and their support for him was lukewarm at best. It was also speculated that Randolph did not have the full support of his players as many chose not to publicly back him. But in the end, it was untimely hitting, poor relief pitching, so-so defense, late inning meltdowns and in the eyes of many fans, the appearance of indifference by many of the players that ultimately sealed Randolph's fate. And so, like the hundreds (thousands?) of others who've ever manged a professional baseball team that underperformed, Randolph got the ax. That's the way it always goes. Everyone who follows sports knows you can't fire the players. The manger is always the fall guy.

Remembering Lord Stanley

For all Ranger fans, June 14 1994 is a special day as it is the day the New York Rangers finally won the Stanley Cup with a victory over the Vancouver Canucks, taking the best of seven series 4 games to 3, and bringing an end to one of the longest championship droughts in professional sports history. The Rangers had gone 54 years without one, while only the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox of the four major sports (football, baseball and basketball being the others) experienced greater futility. Today is the 14th anniversary of that memorable day and so to Mark Messier - The Captain, our captain, we salute you and to all who followed - congratulations.


Post script, the Red Sox and White Sox have since won their World Series championships leaving only the Chicago Cubs with, by far and away, the longest drought in professional sports. They last won the World Series in 1908 (that's 100 years if your doing the math). To put it in perspective, that's the same year Ford introduced the Model T and only 32 years after Bell invented the telephone.