Saturday, November 01, 2003
BASEBALL FIX BY LOOKING BACK...
Okay, I feel like posting, but I can't think of much to bring to the table. So that means it's time to go back into the message log for chats between Jeremy and myself. This one is from last March 31st, opening day for 24 teams for the 2003 baseball season, and the day before spring quarter classes started at Central... (later notes and follow-ups in italics)
---begin chat transcript---
David: well, derek jeter did great today, huh? (referring to separated shoulder)
Jeremy: that sucks for him. if he's out for a long period, that hurts the yankees tremendously
Jeremy: he's the heart and soul of that ballclub
David: sucks for them
David: but good for everyone else
Jeremy: indeed
David: truly sadistic, i know
Jeremy: the red sox bullpen by committee flunked.....piniella wins his first game
David: crap, the devil rays won (6-4)
Jeremy: unbelievable
David: jon gruden threw out the first pitch...bet he didn't stay long
David: i'd have to be paid at least $50 to watch a game at the trop
Jeremy: [unrelated subject]
David: [unrelated response]
Jeremy: the trop is a dump
David: i kinda wanna see that [cincy] place
David: couldn't believe even that place has a corporate name, but at least it doesn't sound like it
Jeremy: it's not a corporate name
Jeremy: thank goodness for that
David: it's great american insurance...but it doesn't sound corporate (I'm sure this surprises a lot of people when they first hear about the corporateness)
Jeremy: i'll say this much..........the reds will fire bob boone by the all star break (not bad, Jeremy; he was fired July 28)
Jeremy: so it is a corporate name? agreed on that
David: quite ceremonious for the new place
Jeremy: that pitching staff is horrendous
David: hell, jose rijo was brought back last year
Jeremy: when that happens, yikes
David: 11 years ago, yeah, he was great, but man...
Jeremy: Jimmy Haynes was their OPENING DAY starter?????????
Jeremy: oh boy oberto, Griffey won't be happy
David: yeah, how bad does your staff have to be for that to happen?
Jeremy: i have no idea
David: i'd like to see a game someday at the gabp though
---end chat transcript---
Okay, so that chat didn't teach us much other than that Jeremy was only a couple weeks off with the Bob Boone firing. I don't think we really foresaw the Reds' fire sale though. That Reds fire sale would also add a cog named Scott Williamson to the Red Sox bullpen which Jeremy brought up in the first part of the chat.
---begin chat transcript---
David: well, derek jeter did great today, huh? (referring to separated shoulder)
Jeremy: that sucks for him. if he's out for a long period, that hurts the yankees tremendously
Jeremy: he's the heart and soul of that ballclub
David: sucks for them
David: but good for everyone else
Jeremy: indeed
David: truly sadistic, i know
Jeremy: the red sox bullpen by committee flunked.....piniella wins his first game
David: crap, the devil rays won (6-4)
Jeremy: unbelievable
David: jon gruden threw out the first pitch...bet he didn't stay long
David: i'd have to be paid at least $50 to watch a game at the trop
Jeremy: [unrelated subject]
David: [unrelated response]
Jeremy: the trop is a dump
David: i kinda wanna see that [cincy] place
David: couldn't believe even that place has a corporate name, but at least it doesn't sound like it
Jeremy: it's not a corporate name
Jeremy: thank goodness for that
David: it's great american insurance...but it doesn't sound corporate (I'm sure this surprises a lot of people when they first hear about the corporateness)
Jeremy: i'll say this much..........the reds will fire bob boone by the all star break (not bad, Jeremy; he was fired July 28)
Jeremy: so it is a corporate name? agreed on that
David: quite ceremonious for the new place
Jeremy: that pitching staff is horrendous
David: hell, jose rijo was brought back last year
Jeremy: when that happens, yikes
David: 11 years ago, yeah, he was great, but man...
Jeremy: Jimmy Haynes was their OPENING DAY starter?????????
Jeremy: oh boy oberto, Griffey won't be happy
David: yeah, how bad does your staff have to be for that to happen?
Jeremy: i have no idea
David: i'd like to see a game someday at the gabp though
---end chat transcript---
Okay, so that chat didn't teach us much other than that Jeremy was only a couple weeks off with the Bob Boone firing. I don't think we really foresaw the Reds' fire sale though. That Reds fire sale would also add a cog named Scott Williamson to the Red Sox bullpen which Jeremy brought up in the first part of the chat.
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FIREWORKS IN THE STL
What will I be doing during Fourth of July weekend in 2004?
Well, I'll be in St. Louis, hopefully, for the three-game series between the Mariners and Cardinals at Busch Stadium July 2-4. It's November 1, so there's plenty of time to get the needed funds. There's Christmas and my birthday is in February, so it's no secret that a trip to STL for Fourth of July weekend would be a great gift for me.
Don't worry though, I won't start a collection fund here. I'm not like that. But I'm going to do anything and everything possible to make it up to St. Louis for those three games. Hell, if I can only go to one game, I'd be happy with that. But I'd love to go to all three games. We shall see though.
Well, I'll be in St. Louis, hopefully, for the three-game series between the Mariners and Cardinals at Busch Stadium July 2-4. It's November 1, so there's plenty of time to get the needed funds. There's Christmas and my birthday is in February, so it's no secret that a trip to STL for Fourth of July weekend would be a great gift for me.
Don't worry though, I won't start a collection fund here. I'm not like that. But I'm going to do anything and everything possible to make it up to St. Louis for those three games. Hell, if I can only go to one game, I'd be happy with that. But I'd love to go to all three games. We shall see though.
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KICK, STRUT, STRUT, AAAAAAND KICK
Heeeee's fifty. Or at least he scored fifty in the Sonics' 124-105 win against the LA Clippers.
Rashard Lewis stepped the frick up in the Sonics' second game in Japan, rattling off 50 points against the Clips. He went 18-of-25 from the field, 10-of-13 from the line, and 4-for-7 from the 3-pt arc. The last Sonic to score 50 or more in a game was ol' Dale Ellis, who torched the Bucks for 53 back in 1989.
Ron Murray followed up his great first game with a strong 22-pt, 7-ast, 5-reb outing. Barry, Ridnour, and Radmanovic all hit double figures in points. To nobody's surprise, the Sonics were outrebounded (though narrowly) 43-42.
In a curious note, the Sonics signed Antonio Daniels in the offseason and it seemed like a meaningful acquisition. Two games in, he has two DNPCDs. What the hell gives?
To those of you out there who are really good, you surely would have picked out that SNL Sally O'Malley (Molly Shannon) reference at the top of this post. If not, you probably have a life, unlike me.
Rashard Lewis stepped the frick up in the Sonics' second game in Japan, rattling off 50 points against the Clips. He went 18-of-25 from the field, 10-of-13 from the line, and 4-for-7 from the 3-pt arc. The last Sonic to score 50 or more in a game was ol' Dale Ellis, who torched the Bucks for 53 back in 1989.
Ron Murray followed up his great first game with a strong 22-pt, 7-ast, 5-reb outing. Barry, Ridnour, and Radmanovic all hit double figures in points. To nobody's surprise, the Sonics were outrebounded (though narrowly) 43-42.
In a curious note, the Sonics signed Antonio Daniels in the offseason and it seemed like a meaningful acquisition. Two games in, he has two DNPCDs. What the hell gives?
To those of you out there who are really good, you surely would have picked out that SNL Sally O'Malley (Molly Shannon) reference at the top of this post. If not, you probably have a life, unlike me.
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FIRIN' UP THE HALF...PART II
This would be earlier except I had my schoolwork take a little longer than expected and I fell asleep at some inopportune times. That said, here is another installment of this week's Half-Ass High School Football Review.
Central Kitsap 64, Port Angeles 7. Yeah, after two whoopings in a row, I think it's basically safe to say that PA was dead without Adam Macomber. Sure, last week they had South and got whooped 51-0, but getting whopped by 57 points against CK? Yikes. How much of a difference can one guy make? You know, usually I read the article a bit and post some tidbits or something in the paragraph, but this time, I just took the Macomber thing alone and no numbers, because really, that's the whole point, and this is a HALF-ASS review, not a true review.
Shelton 48, North Kitsap 27. North had a great season, but lost at the wrong times. This was the one they needed, and they couldn't get it. QB Jared Prince has the new school record for passing, but I'll venture to guess it's bittersweet with the Vikings not going to the playoffs after being right up there with South Kitsap for most of the year in the Narrows Bridge Division.
I'll just let this paragraph from Nathan Joyce's Sun article to sum it up:
Shelton's balanced attack proved nearly impossible for the Vikings to stop. Quarterback Jeff Kieburtz was 13-of-26 passing for 232 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target, receiver Tyesen Robbins, caught seven balls for 177 yards and four scores. Tailback Isaiah Taito added 196 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and caught a touchdown pass as well.
Shelton racked up 523 total yards on offense. North hung in with 470 of their own, but they had some defensive gaffes which were undetailed in the article.
Olympic 49, Bremerton 6. You know, I am just hoping Bremerton gets just one win this year, and I thought this game was a chance to do that. Mount Tahoma next week will now be the chance the Knights have to finally win a game this year.Oly running back Jonell Hodge cut through the Knight defense for 220 yards on 15 carries.
There is only one Kitsap score I can see from Friday night's game, so Part III of the Half-Ass will just be about the Vashon 47, Klahowya 27 game.
Central Kitsap 64, Port Angeles 7. Yeah, after two whoopings in a row, I think it's basically safe to say that PA was dead without Adam Macomber. Sure, last week they had South and got whooped 51-0, but getting whopped by 57 points against CK? Yikes. How much of a difference can one guy make? You know, usually I read the article a bit and post some tidbits or something in the paragraph, but this time, I just took the Macomber thing alone and no numbers, because really, that's the whole point, and this is a HALF-ASS review, not a true review.
Shelton 48, North Kitsap 27. North had a great season, but lost at the wrong times. This was the one they needed, and they couldn't get it. QB Jared Prince has the new school record for passing, but I'll venture to guess it's bittersweet with the Vikings not going to the playoffs after being right up there with South Kitsap for most of the year in the Narrows Bridge Division.
I'll just let this paragraph from Nathan Joyce's Sun article to sum it up:
Shelton's balanced attack proved nearly impossible for the Vikings to stop. Quarterback Jeff Kieburtz was 13-of-26 passing for 232 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target, receiver Tyesen Robbins, caught seven balls for 177 yards and four scores. Tailback Isaiah Taito added 196 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and caught a touchdown pass as well.
Shelton racked up 523 total yards on offense. North hung in with 470 of their own, but they had some defensive gaffes which were undetailed in the article.
Olympic 49, Bremerton 6. You know, I am just hoping Bremerton gets just one win this year, and I thought this game was a chance to do that. Mount Tahoma next week will now be the chance the Knights have to finally win a game this year.Oly running back Jonell Hodge cut through the Knight defense for 220 yards on 15 carries.
There is only one Kitsap score I can see from Friday night's game, so Part III of the Half-Ass will just be about the Vashon 47, Klahowya 27 game.
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CANUCKS 4, COYOTES 1
The Canucks turn in a much better performance than the night before and (stretching it here, but...) avenge the late tie that they had when the Coyotes were at the Garage.
Goals scored tonight by Trevor Linden, Jiri Slegr, Brendan Morrison, and Markus Naslund.
Slegr scoring is a good thing for him, not just because of, well, scoring goals, but because he wasn't getting a lot of playing time (we're talking being a multiple-time healthy scratch here) until Brent Sopel got injured (though frankly, he should have been getting more time regardless). It appears to me now that Slegr is making the most of his ice time, and that's always a good thing.
Two goals here involving the top line; good to see them start warming up. Though he didn't score any goals, the first star at American West tonight went to the Todd Bertuzzi, he of the new contract. Apparently he had a play where he was behind the net with the puck, passed it to himself off the back of the net, held the stick with one hand while fending defenders off with the other arm, and then managed to set up Brendan Morrison for a goal. Also on the top line, Markus Naslund has the team lead with six goals this year.
Assist count tonight: two each for Bertuzzi, Marek Malik, and Magnus Arvedson. One each for Ohlund and Dan Sedin.
Marek Malik is a simply unreal plus-14 this year. Morrison and Naslund are plus-10 each.
The Canucks have reeled off a seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2).
On the second night of a back-to-back on the road, although Cloutier did do great last night and good tonight -- what the hell does Hedberg have to do to get some time in net? Is there any better time than on the tail end of a back-to-back to put in the backup goalie? It just seemed right to have Hedberg in net tonight, biono. Crawford went with the hot goalie, though, and it didn't bite him, so I guess there's only so much room for criticism.
Four games next week for the Canucks. Monday v Detroit, Wednesday at Nashville, Thursday at Saint Louis, and Saturday v Minnesota. A nice little four-games-in-six-days stretch. Schedule makers are not nice sometimes. And it must be said that the Canucks probably face the same bitch-ass travel that the Mariners do every year.
Photos: one, two, three, four, five
Goals scored tonight by Trevor Linden, Jiri Slegr, Brendan Morrison, and Markus Naslund.
Slegr scoring is a good thing for him, not just because of, well, scoring goals, but because he wasn't getting a lot of playing time (we're talking being a multiple-time healthy scratch here) until Brent Sopel got injured (though frankly, he should have been getting more time regardless). It appears to me now that Slegr is making the most of his ice time, and that's always a good thing.
Two goals here involving the top line; good to see them start warming up. Though he didn't score any goals, the first star at American West tonight went to the Todd Bertuzzi, he of the new contract. Apparently he had a play where he was behind the net with the puck, passed it to himself off the back of the net, held the stick with one hand while fending defenders off with the other arm, and then managed to set up Brendan Morrison for a goal. Also on the top line, Markus Naslund has the team lead with six goals this year.
Assist count tonight: two each for Bertuzzi, Marek Malik, and Magnus Arvedson. One each for Ohlund and Dan Sedin.
Marek Malik is a simply unreal plus-14 this year. Morrison and Naslund are plus-10 each.
The Canucks have reeled off a seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2).
On the second night of a back-to-back on the road, although Cloutier did do great last night and good tonight -- what the hell does Hedberg have to do to get some time in net? Is there any better time than on the tail end of a back-to-back to put in the backup goalie? It just seemed right to have Hedberg in net tonight, biono. Crawford went with the hot goalie, though, and it didn't bite him, so I guess there's only so much room for criticism.
Four games next week for the Canucks. Monday v Detroit, Wednesday at Nashville, Thursday at Saint Louis, and Saturday v Minnesota. A nice little four-games-in-six-days stretch. Schedule makers are not nice sometimes. And it must be said that the Canucks probably face the same bitch-ass travel that the Mariners do every year.
Photos: one, two, three, four, five
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Friday, October 31, 2003
HE KNEW BETTER; EYE MAN
Marian Gaborik wised up and is back in the fold with the Minnesota Wild, accepting a multiyear deal. They've got their two holdouts back on the team, but as I've said, the Wild are not going to sneak up on anyone this year like they did last year.
Also, Bryan Berard, a recipient of the worst stick injury I've ever seen in my life (to the eye), has signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. There were some rumors about him coming to Vancouver, but those were not to come true. The rumors also miffed Canucks defenseman Jiri Slegr, who has one goal in the Coyotes game at the moment that I'm typing this.
Also, Bryan Berard, a recipient of the worst stick injury I've ever seen in my life (to the eye), has signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. There were some rumors about him coming to Vancouver, but those were not to come true. The rumors also miffed Canucks defenseman Jiri Slegr, who has one goal in the Coyotes game at the moment that I'm typing this.
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WHAT'S HAPPENING?
Gig Harbor running back Gary Cole should never be referred to as "Gary Coleman." Instead, he should be known as Bill Lumbergh, the boss from "Office Space." Gary Cole played Lumbergh. And let's think about it, it's better to be referred to as Lumbergh than "Mike Brady", when the Hollywood Gary Cole played Mr. Brady in the "Brady Bunch" movies.
"Office Space", one of the best movies of all-time. If you don't think so, well, you can bite me. I'M JUST KIDDING!!
"Office Space", one of the best movies of all-time. If you don't think so, well, you can bite me. I'M JUST KIDDING!!
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THE HALF-ASS, PART I
Since it's somewhat urgent, I'll pass along just a tiny part of the Half-Ass High School Football Review right now, and I'll post the scores and recap the rest of it in about 10 hours when I have no classes and the Bremerton Sun finally updates their website for the day. Until then, I'm using the Tacoma News Tribune (a refutable paper that can actually put their new editions on the web at midnight so all us nightowls can read the latest stuff) as the source for this one particular article...
To title this, I guess it'd be "Came, Saw, Conquered."
The Gig Harbor Tides went into opposing territory in Port Orchard -- onto the turf of the South Kitsap Wolves. End result: 14-9...South eats it at the hand of Gig Harbor for the first time since South joined the Narrows League, snapping South's 6-game win streak against GH. There were two big turnovers for South: one on a muffed punt return on which GH recovered the ball seven yards from the end zone, and another on a 4th-quarter interception that iced the game.
South stud running back Shannon Haney ran for 104 yards on 23 carries, but when you factor in that one of the runs was for 38 yards and then average it out accordingly...(quick math) that's 66 yards on 22 carries (3 yd/carry). By the same token, GH back Gary Cole (come on, don't even think about a Gary Coleman joke here; you know he's probably heard it before) ran for 133 yards on 22 carries, one of the runs being a 34-yarder...take that one out and you get 99 yards on 21 carries (about 5 yds/carry).
Another thing, GH's 5th-ranked defense in the state held South's offense (averaging 41.3 pts/gm) to 9 points and 213 total yards.
The other Kitsappish scores listed are:
Shelton 48, North Kitsap 27 (North could have had a playoff berth with a win)
Olympic 49, Bremerton 6 (ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch)
To title this, I guess it'd be "Came, Saw, Conquered."
The Gig Harbor Tides went into opposing territory in Port Orchard -- onto the turf of the South Kitsap Wolves. End result: 14-9...South eats it at the hand of Gig Harbor for the first time since South joined the Narrows League, snapping South's 6-game win streak against GH. There were two big turnovers for South: one on a muffed punt return on which GH recovered the ball seven yards from the end zone, and another on a 4th-quarter interception that iced the game.
South stud running back Shannon Haney ran for 104 yards on 23 carries, but when you factor in that one of the runs was for 38 yards and then average it out accordingly...(quick math) that's 66 yards on 22 carries (3 yd/carry). By the same token, GH back Gary Cole (come on, don't even think about a Gary Coleman joke here; you know he's probably heard it before) ran for 133 yards on 22 carries, one of the runs being a 34-yarder...take that one out and you get 99 yards on 21 carries (about 5 yds/carry).
Another thing, GH's 5th-ranked defense in the state held South's offense (averaging 41.3 pts/gm) to 9 points and 213 total yards.
The other Kitsappish scores listed are:
Shelton 48, North Kitsap 27 (North could have had a playoff berth with a win)
Olympic 49, Bremerton 6 (ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch)
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Thursday, October 30, 2003
CANUCKS 3, KINGS 1
Sure, the Canucks got their first road win of the year tonight, but they played like crap.
Goals tonight were from Mattias Ohlund, Daniel Sedin, and Brendan Morrison. No points from Naslund or Bertuzzi. Morrison has points in six straight games now, but coach Marc Crawford said after the game that "a center's gotta do more than that," probably alluding to wanting Morrison to set up his linemates for more points.
But basically the game can be summed up by two things. One, the LA Kings outshot the Canucks by a 38-15 margin -- more than a 2-to-1 ratio. Two, Dan Cloutier basically stood on his head and stopped 37 of those 38 Kings shots.
It should also be noted that the Kings couldn't finish on their opportunities all night, and that they were the better team on the ice on this night. The Canucks were flat.
Yeah, if anything seems to detailed above, it's because I listened to the Canuck postgame show on CKNW.
Canucks at Phoenix tomorrow, where the announcers hate that the cameras are on the side of the arena opposite the press boxes, the sightlines behind one goal are brutal, and when the crowd gets up, the announcers can't see for crap. The new Coyotes arena in Glendale will open soon.
Tonight's pictures: one, two, three
Goals tonight were from Mattias Ohlund, Daniel Sedin, and Brendan Morrison. No points from Naslund or Bertuzzi. Morrison has points in six straight games now, but coach Marc Crawford said after the game that "a center's gotta do more than that," probably alluding to wanting Morrison to set up his linemates for more points.
But basically the game can be summed up by two things. One, the LA Kings outshot the Canucks by a 38-15 margin -- more than a 2-to-1 ratio. Two, Dan Cloutier basically stood on his head and stopped 37 of those 38 Kings shots.
It should also be noted that the Kings couldn't finish on their opportunities all night, and that they were the better team on the ice on this night. The Canucks were flat.
Yeah, if anything seems to detailed above, it's because I listened to the Canuck postgame show on CKNW.
Canucks at Phoenix tomorrow, where the announcers hate that the cameras are on the side of the arena opposite the press boxes, the sightlines behind one goal are brutal, and when the crowd gets up, the announcers can't see for crap. The new Coyotes arena in Glendale will open soon.
Tonight's pictures: one, two, three
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I HOPE THIS IS THE START OF A GREAT OFFSEASON
Paul Molitor is the new hitting coach of the Seattle Mariners.
In 21 major league seasons, mostly with the Milwaukee Brewers, Molitor hit .306 and recorded 3,319 hits. Molitor also spent time in Toronto and Minnesota, where he was a roving minor league instructor during this past season.
I have no problem starting this rumor at all, and here it is: Paul Molitor as Mariner manager after 2004? Blow-Mel's contract is up after 2004. Hmmm...
I'll have my "what the hell should the Mariners do in the offseason?" plan in the coming days. Be on the lookout for it.
But this is great news if you're a Mariner fan. I'll say this: I respect the hell out of Paul Molitor, not some hack guy like Lamar Johnson, Gerald Perry, or Jesse Barfield.
In 21 major league seasons, mostly with the Milwaukee Brewers, Molitor hit .306 and recorded 3,319 hits. Molitor also spent time in Toronto and Minnesota, where he was a roving minor league instructor during this past season.
I have no problem starting this rumor at all, and here it is: Paul Molitor as Mariner manager after 2004? Blow-Mel's contract is up after 2004. Hmmm...
I'll have my "what the hell should the Mariners do in the offseason?" plan in the coming days. Be on the lookout for it.
But this is great news if you're a Mariner fan. I'll say this: I respect the hell out of Paul Molitor, not some hack guy like Lamar Johnson, Gerald Perry, or Jesse Barfield.
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CORPORATE RIVALRY
Guess what, kids? Softy on KJR says that starting in 2004, the ol' Washington/Washington State football game held every year will now be called the Tree Top Apple Cup. Go figure.
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NEW DUDS, OLD DUDS
Yeah, I've gotta comment on those Mavs uniforms. They looked like garbage bags or something. That friggin looked weird.
Orlando also messed with the lettering on their road unis. Also, it looks weird. Also looks like they have nothing on the uniform that says or exudes "Magic" in any way. I guess it's kind of like what the Pacers or Nets have done.
And last night, we saw the Toronto Raptors red jerseys. God help us all.
On NHL2Night last night, Jeremy and I were witness to two countdowns. One was for top 10 best hockey uniforms of all time, the other was for top 10 worst.
In top 10 best, they had the old standards: Boston, the Habs, the vintage Leafs, Blackhawks (number one, surprisingly), yada yada.
In the top 10 worst, they had two of the Canucks old-skool uniforms -- one that I like to call the "stick-in-box" jersey (that's before I heard it called "stick-in-rink"), and the other with the big black-and-orange V. Also up there were what Bucci and company called the "Burger King" Kings jerseys, and the Denver Rockies also had their due. But number one was the Gorton Fisherman jerseys of the New York Islanders, which were so bad they ended up going back to the old logo. I highly doubt anyone that bought any Isles merchandise from that era still wears it with pride; they're probably ashamed to have it.
Orlando also messed with the lettering on their road unis. Also, it looks weird. Also looks like they have nothing on the uniform that says or exudes "Magic" in any way. I guess it's kind of like what the Pacers or Nets have done.
And last night, we saw the Toronto Raptors red jerseys. God help us all.
On NHL2Night last night, Jeremy and I were witness to two countdowns. One was for top 10 best hockey uniforms of all time, the other was for top 10 worst.
In top 10 best, they had the old standards: Boston, the Habs, the vintage Leafs, Blackhawks (number one, surprisingly), yada yada.
In the top 10 worst, they had two of the Canucks old-skool uniforms -- one that I like to call the "stick-in-box" jersey (that's before I heard it called "stick-in-rink"), and the other with the big black-and-orange V. Also up there were what Bucci and company called the "Burger King" Kings jerseys, and the Denver Rockies also had their due. But number one was the Gorton Fisherman jerseys of the New York Islanders, which were so bad they ended up going back to the old logo. I highly doubt anyone that bought any Isles merchandise from that era still wears it with pride; they're probably ashamed to have it.
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GOOD GOD, Y'ALL!
The Sonics beat the Clippers some time around 5am today and Ron Murray, one of those other players that came over in the Ray Allen/Gary Payton deal, went off and lit the Clips for 24 points on a 10-for-17 night. Vlad Rad also had a double-double with 13 and 11.
But the truly "Good God" note out of all of this -- I looked out the window last night and it was friggin snowing outside. First snow of this winter in Ellensburg: October 29th. It is now officially friggin cold here.
But the truly "Good God" note out of all of this -- I looked out the window last night and it was friggin snowing outside. First snow of this winter in Ellensburg: October 29th. It is now officially friggin cold here.
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Wednesday, October 29, 2003
THE NBA IS BACK
However, I could do without the crappy Mavericks silver uniforms.
I'll have my half-ass NBA predictions up sometime later tonight or tomorrow. I can guarantee two things in those predictions: The Sonics won't make the playoffs and the Blazers will find a way to make it to the playoffs.
But the great thing about having the NBA back in our lives is TNT's "Inside The NBA". Ernie Johnson. Kenny Smith. Charles Barkley.
That's great TV as far as I'm concerned.
I'll have my half-ass NBA predictions up sometime later tonight or tomorrow. I can guarantee two things in those predictions: The Sonics won't make the playoffs and the Blazers will find a way to make it to the playoffs.
But the great thing about having the NBA back in our lives is TNT's "Inside The NBA". Ernie Johnson. Kenny Smith. Charles Barkley.
That's great TV as far as I'm concerned.
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QUICK HAWK FACT
From Mitch Levy on KJR, the Seattle Seahawks are giving up 310.4 yards per game, good for the 12th-best defense in the NFL. They are also one yard away from being 16th (close quarters).
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DRIVING EXCITEMENT
Here's the first racing post on the page...
Pontiac will be pulling out of NASCAR. Why? Well, from the article, it looks like a combination of driver exodus to other makers and Tony Stewart saying that Pontiacs were the bitch of other cars in the realm of aerodynamics. I also think the re-entry of Dodge onto the circuit a couple years ago may have had something to do with it too.
The funny thing here is...when I hit up this page at the P-I, they have a graphic at the top of the page indicating that it's supposed to be a Mariner story. That's good for a chuckle.
Pontiac will be pulling out of NASCAR. Why? Well, from the article, it looks like a combination of driver exodus to other makers and Tony Stewart saying that Pontiacs were the bitch of other cars in the realm of aerodynamics. I also think the re-entry of Dodge onto the circuit a couple years ago may have had something to do with it too.
The funny thing here is...when I hit up this page at the P-I, they have a graphic at the top of the page indicating that it's supposed to be a Mariner story. That's good for a chuckle.
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SORRY IT'S NON-SPORTS, BUT IT'S WORTHY
So I was wondering a while ago why the hell longtime KIRO 7 (Seattle) anchor Susan Hutchison suddenly disappeared from her usual stints on her two weeknight newscasts and was replaced by Kristy Lee (of Asian descent). Well, something finally came out today. Susan Hutchison (white) is suing KIRO on the grounds of gender, age, and race discrimination. It's a dicey story, so you should probably just click the link. Meanwhile, Jean Enersen and Kathi Goertzen are still on the air at KOMO 4 and KING 5...
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AT LEAST HE HAS A REP
After seeing all these hacks interviewed for Mariner GM and seeing a bunch of hacks interviewed for the M's hitting post (and the hacks that have held the job over the last four years), it's somewhat refreshing to hear that the Mariners are going after Paul Molitor for the hitting coach position. I like this. The GM search? It's crap. Molitor though, is a step in the right direction. At least the players won't doubt his reputation.
Also in the article is the fact that A's assistant GM Paul DePodesta's contract runs out after tomorrow. After that, the Mariners do not need A's permission to talk with him. Do we like this possibility? I do.
Also in the article is the fact that A's assistant GM Paul DePodesta's contract runs out after tomorrow. After that, the Mariners do not need A's permission to talk with him. Do we like this possibility? I do.
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OVERNIGHT SPORTSCENTER SUCKS!!
If I have to hear Juan Pierre with the microphone at the Marlins World Series Champion rally again, I may have to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. That's the worst celebration moment since Mark Madsen of the Lakers a couple years ago.
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Tuesday, October 28, 2003
MUTHA CANUCKAZ 6, BLUE JACKETS 3
Good home ice win to avenge the loss in Ohio on the road trip.
Goal scorers: Artem Chubarov twice (not known for goal scoring), Markus Naslund twice (with two assists), Magnus Arvedson (one assist), and Matt Cooke (one assist) all lit the lamp at the expense of Jacket goalie Fred Brathwaite.
Other things sticking out on the stat sheet are three assists from Brendan Morrison and two assists from Todd Bertuzzi. The other thing is 11 penalty minutes from Jarkko Ruutu, seven of which were incurred on what appears to be a fight that happened with 36 seconds left in the game.
But what also happened tonight was that at least two players off the top line were involved in four of the six goals that were scored; a very good sign indeed.
Johan Hedberg got the start tonight (about time) and stopped 13 of 16 shots, once again, not too many shots being directed at the Canuck netminders.
Photos: one, two, three
Canucks at Kings Thursday, and Canucks at Coyotes Friday.
Goal scorers: Artem Chubarov twice (not known for goal scoring), Markus Naslund twice (with two assists), Magnus Arvedson (one assist), and Matt Cooke (one assist) all lit the lamp at the expense of Jacket goalie Fred Brathwaite.
Other things sticking out on the stat sheet are three assists from Brendan Morrison and two assists from Todd Bertuzzi. The other thing is 11 penalty minutes from Jarkko Ruutu, seven of which were incurred on what appears to be a fight that happened with 36 seconds left in the game.
But what also happened tonight was that at least two players off the top line were involved in four of the six goals that were scored; a very good sign indeed.
Johan Hedberg got the start tonight (about time) and stopped 13 of 16 shots, once again, not too many shots being directed at the Canuck netminders.
Photos: one, two, three
Canucks at Kings Thursday, and Canucks at Coyotes Friday.
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YUP, IT BLOWS
The Canuck power play is a great/grand/wonderful 1-for-23 in the four games in which they have not won. And yes, that's a 4.3 percentage. And yes, that is frigging brutal. This here article is about how, in Todd Bertuzzi's words, "everyone and [his] aunt knows" what the Canucks do on the power play. They're predictable.
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HOO BOY
So on the Softy show on KJR, Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti was interviewed. What took place was that before Bellotti came on (obviously he was holding on the phone), Softy played a couple Husky highlights (one was a Reggie Williams 46-yard touchdown catch) from last year's 42-14 stomping in Eugene and Softy later asked a couple questions about Bellotti possibly using game tapes and last year's Husky celebration on the O at midfield at Autzen Stadium to motivate his players. Bellotti said he wasn't using the tapes as motivation. After the interview, Softy went off about how Bellotti seemed like something that Softy did or played pissed him off. Some callers thought the playing of the highlights to set up the interview was in poor taste, and some didn't. One caller thought Bellotti didn't get ticked until Softy asked the motivation question. The producer thought Bellotti was having a bad day altogether, and was ticked before KJR called him, possibly anticipating some kind of question that would rile him up. Or maybe Bellotti is playing the joke on the people of Seattle. Who knows? And in some ways, who cares? It's just medicore Husky football, that's all.
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THE SEMI-ASTUTE EAR
So I was sitting there with Monday Night Football in the background and I heard Chris Chambers of the Miami Dolphins introduce himself in the player introductions. His college? "U-Dub." Of course, Al Michaels and John Madden go on and say that Chambers went to the U of Wisconsin, and Madden added that he usually thinks of the U of Washington when hearing the term "U-Dub." I just wonder how many people watching MNF in Huskyville got their panties up in a bunch over this. If the whole school was pissed over it, then that'd be hilarious.
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BETTER DEAD THAN RED
(note: Okay, this time I could have just linked it too, but I think it would have been one of those deals where the link stays the same but the article on the page changes or whatever. Anyway, here's the article from the Cincinnati Enquirer)
O'Brien's problems come in short, long-term form
To-do list: Find manager, improve scouting
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When Dan O'Brien is introduced today as the new general manager of the Reds, he faces the great GM double-whammy.
The Reds don't spend a lot of money, and their farm system isn't cranking out enough players.
If you spend enough money, you can win, i.e., the New York Yankees. If you produce enough players, you can win, i.e. the Florida Marlins. If you do neither, you don't win, i.e., the Milwaukee Brewers.
There's no way to be certain, but we're pretty sure Carl Lindner didn't promise O'Brien a $100 million payroll.
O'Brien faces a ton of challenges. He has to find a manager, although the guess here is Dave Miley will get the job. He has to find a third baseman. He has to find a long-term replacement for Barry Larkin at shortstop. And he has to put together a pitching staff.
How he does those things will put fans in the seats for 2004. Perhaps more importantly, how O'Brien fares at his long-term task - fixing the scouting and player development - is the key to the franchise becoming competitive again.
The GM O'Brien replaces, Jim Bowden, made a lot of mistakes. But his biggest was constantly trying to fix things short-term. That's how you go into a season with Jimmy Anderson and Josias Manzanillo on your pitching staff, while Chris Reitsma and Jose Acevedo start the season in the minors.
The Reds always had a plan under Bowden. But on different days, it was a different plan.
When the Reds went looking for a new GM, they wanted someone who could get the player development department cranking out players - particularly pitchers. O'Brien's work in Houston landed him the job.
There are three components to producing players: Find talent. Develop the talent. Keep the talent healthy.
The three are intertwined. But it's clear the Reds haven't had a lot of luck drafting good pitching. It's unclear how well they're developing it, because it seems like every top prospect ends up hurt.
O'Brien also isn't going to be given carte blanche to rebuild the baseball operations.
Chief operating officer John Allen has said only that the new GM will have some leeway to bring in his own staff.
But assistant GM Leland Maddox, player development director Tim Naehring and special assistants Johnny Almaraz, Al Goldis, Larry Barton Jr. and Gene Bennett are all under contract. Maddox and Goldis received extensions shortly before Bowden was fired.
The Reds' recent track record of amateur scouting isn't good. Of the last 10 first-round picks, only Austin Kearns and Ryan Wagner are on track to be impact major leaguers.
One scouting mistake illustrates how a really bad decision can hurt a small market franchise.
In 1999, the Reds discovered Miguel Cabrera, the 20-year-old wonder kid of the Marlins.
Felix Delgado, the Reds' scout in Venezuela, was Cabrera's youth coach.
Cabrera signed in July 1999. The Reds could have had him for $800,000. But the money wasn't there. One reason was the club had spent $1.9 million to sign Alejandro Diaz in March 1999. Then-scouting director De Jon Watson made the call on Diaz. Diaz is 28 years old. He's never played above Double-A. Cabrera's drawing comparisons to Alex Rodriguez.
The Reds have had other similar disasters.
They picked Jeremy Sowers first in 2001 and didn't sign him. Ty Howington, the 1999 top pick, and Chris Gruler, the 2002 top pick, have been hurt. David Espinosa, the top 2000 top pick, was traded for a player the Reds released.
The Reds' scouting department has undergone a lot of turnover in recent years. Maddox took over as director of scouting duties from Kasey McKeon in 2001. McKeon had replaced Watson the year before.
Assistant general manager Doc Rodgers left before the 2003 season after being demoted by Bowden. Gary Hughes, one of the top scouts, also left.
So while O'Brien's decision on the manager and free agents will get the attention, his work in scouting and player development will have at least an equal impact.
O'Brien's problems come in short, long-term form
To-do list: Find manager, improve scouting
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When Dan O'Brien is introduced today as the new general manager of the Reds, he faces the great GM double-whammy.
The Reds don't spend a lot of money, and their farm system isn't cranking out enough players.
If you spend enough money, you can win, i.e., the New York Yankees. If you produce enough players, you can win, i.e. the Florida Marlins. If you do neither, you don't win, i.e., the Milwaukee Brewers.
There's no way to be certain, but we're pretty sure Carl Lindner didn't promise O'Brien a $100 million payroll.
O'Brien faces a ton of challenges. He has to find a manager, although the guess here is Dave Miley will get the job. He has to find a third baseman. He has to find a long-term replacement for Barry Larkin at shortstop. And he has to put together a pitching staff.
How he does those things will put fans in the seats for 2004. Perhaps more importantly, how O'Brien fares at his long-term task - fixing the scouting and player development - is the key to the franchise becoming competitive again.
The GM O'Brien replaces, Jim Bowden, made a lot of mistakes. But his biggest was constantly trying to fix things short-term. That's how you go into a season with Jimmy Anderson and Josias Manzanillo on your pitching staff, while Chris Reitsma and Jose Acevedo start the season in the minors.
The Reds always had a plan under Bowden. But on different days, it was a different plan.
When the Reds went looking for a new GM, they wanted someone who could get the player development department cranking out players - particularly pitchers. O'Brien's work in Houston landed him the job.
There are three components to producing players: Find talent. Develop the talent. Keep the talent healthy.
The three are intertwined. But it's clear the Reds haven't had a lot of luck drafting good pitching. It's unclear how well they're developing it, because it seems like every top prospect ends up hurt.
O'Brien also isn't going to be given carte blanche to rebuild the baseball operations.
Chief operating officer John Allen has said only that the new GM will have some leeway to bring in his own staff.
But assistant GM Leland Maddox, player development director Tim Naehring and special assistants Johnny Almaraz, Al Goldis, Larry Barton Jr. and Gene Bennett are all under contract. Maddox and Goldis received extensions shortly before Bowden was fired.
The Reds' recent track record of amateur scouting isn't good. Of the last 10 first-round picks, only Austin Kearns and Ryan Wagner are on track to be impact major leaguers.
One scouting mistake illustrates how a really bad decision can hurt a small market franchise.
In 1999, the Reds discovered Miguel Cabrera, the 20-year-old wonder kid of the Marlins.
Felix Delgado, the Reds' scout in Venezuela, was Cabrera's youth coach.
Cabrera signed in July 1999. The Reds could have had him for $800,000. But the money wasn't there. One reason was the club had spent $1.9 million to sign Alejandro Diaz in March 1999. Then-scouting director De Jon Watson made the call on Diaz. Diaz is 28 years old. He's never played above Double-A. Cabrera's drawing comparisons to Alex Rodriguez.
The Reds have had other similar disasters.
They picked Jeremy Sowers first in 2001 and didn't sign him. Ty Howington, the 1999 top pick, and Chris Gruler, the 2002 top pick, have been hurt. David Espinosa, the top 2000 top pick, was traded for a player the Reds released.
The Reds' scouting department has undergone a lot of turnover in recent years. Maddox took over as director of scouting duties from Kasey McKeon in 2001. McKeon had replaced Watson the year before.
Assistant general manager Doc Rodgers left before the 2003 season after being demoted by Bowden. Gary Hughes, one of the top scouts, also left.
So while O'Brien's decision on the manager and free agents will get the attention, his work in scouting and player development will have at least an equal impact.
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METS WALLOW IN THEIR OWN DUQ-IE
(note: I'm pasting the New York Times article here because if I just linked it, you'd have to get a member ID and a password and stuff and it takes too long. Here, I'm just giving you the material. There is no by-line for the article).
Jim Duquette will be introduced as the Mets' general manager at a news conference today at Shea Stadium. Duquette was appointed to the position on an interim basis after Steve Phillips was fired on June 12.
Duquette soon engineered the salary-dumping trades of Armando Benitez, Roberto Alomar and Jeromy Burnitz. Duquette had been the organization's farm director and a top assistant to Phillips.
The Mets interviewed other general managers, Gerry Hunsicker of the Astros and Omar Minaya of the Expos, each a former Mets executive. But Hunsicker accepted a one-year contract extension to remain with the Astros, and Minaya opted to continue with Montreal after the Mets presented him with a position that would not give him the final say on baseball decisions.
The Mets wanted Minaya to become the organization's top talent evaluator and work alongside Duquette, a relationship in which they would share in decisions and report to ownership. Minaya said Sunday that he was grateful for the Mets' interest, but that he was hesitant to give up the control of player moves that he has in Montreal. He also said he was reluctant to leave the post after becoming the first Hispanic general manager in baseball.
The Mets will continue searching for someone in the mold of Gene Michael, the Yankees' top scout, to assist Duquette in player evaluations.
Jim Duquette will be introduced as the Mets' general manager at a news conference today at Shea Stadium. Duquette was appointed to the position on an interim basis after Steve Phillips was fired on June 12.
Duquette soon engineered the salary-dumping trades of Armando Benitez, Roberto Alomar and Jeromy Burnitz. Duquette had been the organization's farm director and a top assistant to Phillips.
The Mets interviewed other general managers, Gerry Hunsicker of the Astros and Omar Minaya of the Expos, each a former Mets executive. But Hunsicker accepted a one-year contract extension to remain with the Astros, and Minaya opted to continue with Montreal after the Mets presented him with a position that would not give him the final say on baseball decisions.
The Mets wanted Minaya to become the organization's top talent evaluator and work alongside Duquette, a relationship in which they would share in decisions and report to ownership. Minaya said Sunday that he was grateful for the Mets' interest, but that he was hesitant to give up the control of player moves that he has in Montreal. He also said he was reluctant to leave the post after becoming the first Hispanic general manager in baseball.
The Mets will continue searching for someone in the mold of Gene Michael, the Yankees' top scout, to assist Duquette in player evaluations.
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Monday, October 27, 2003
WHAT A COUNTRY
A perfect representation of the love affair between the people of America and the NFL.
God bless America. God bless women. God bless football. I'm loving it.
God bless America. God bless women. God bless football. I'm loving it.
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ROD RODDY 1937-2003
Ladies and gentlemen, a part of my childhood died today.
Rod Roddy, best known as the announcer of the CBS long-running game show "The Price Is Right", is dead at 66. For two years, he had suffered from colon and breast cancer, and had taped his last show two months ago.
Roddy was also the announcer of the 1980s game shows "Press Your Luck" and "Love Connection", as well as the narrator of the ABC sitcom "Soap". PYL and TPIR have always been my two favorite game shows, and part of that is because of Rod Roddy.
"These three players are after big bucks and they want to avoid the whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives. From Television City in Hollywood, it's time to PRESS YOUR LUCK! And here's the host, the star of Press Your Luck, Peter Tomarken!"
No Rod, you were the star of Press Your Luck. RIP Rod.
Rod Roddy, best known as the announcer of the CBS long-running game show "The Price Is Right", is dead at 66. For two years, he had suffered from colon and breast cancer, and had taped his last show two months ago.
Roddy was also the announcer of the 1980s game shows "Press Your Luck" and "Love Connection", as well as the narrator of the ABC sitcom "Soap". PYL and TPIR have always been my two favorite game shows, and part of that is because of Rod Roddy.
"These three players are after big bucks and they want to avoid the whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives. From Television City in Hollywood, it's time to PRESS YOUR LUCK! And here's the host, the star of Press Your Luck, Peter Tomarken!"
No Rod, you were the star of Press Your Luck. RIP Rod.
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ESPN MISSES RICH EISEN; WAVE MOMENTS
He is now with the NFL Network where nobody can see him, but former SportsCenter anchor and king of movie quotes (especially Caddyshack quotes) Rich Eisen is featured once again on VH1 for the I Love the 80s Strikes Back shows. I forget which year I'm about to refer to, but they have a segment in one of the shows about The Wave being invented at sporting events. Rich Eisen has the most magical two lines in response to The Wave:
"Hey, ass&%#*, I'm watching the game!!"
"Sit the f*$@ down."
I'd like to add that yes, I do sit down whenever The Wave goes by. I remember there used to be a section of season-ticket holders at the Kingdome (the number 136 comes to mind) where they would get the whole section to sit down to make somewhat of a hole in the Wave as it rolled by.
I think another Wave moment of mine happened when my dad, my friend Grant, and I all went to a Yankee/Mariner game in 1999 (which I will now dig up), and some drunk in the upper deck wearing a McGwire jersey was on the main walk coming from the tunnel saying "WE'RE GONNA DO THE WAVE!!! WE'RE GOIN' TO THE LEFT!! WE'RE GOIN' TO THE LEFT (yes, that's right, he felt the need to repeat that)!! ONE...TWO...THREE!!!" Ugh. Gak.
And if you didn't look at that boxscore, this was a game where the three of us got there kind of late, there was a heavy downpour and thunderstorm outside, and before we even got to our seats, Jeff Fassero had given up three dingers and the Yanks were up 5-0. It should also be noted that this was a game where Edgar, Frankie Rodriguez (four innings of shutout relief), Chad Curtis, and many others were involved in near-brawl if not full-brawl conditions. And yes, this was one of those games where the Mariners teased you with a comeback but didn't come through. You gotta love these guys!
"Hey, ass&%#*, I'm watching the game!!"
"Sit the f*$@ down."
I'd like to add that yes, I do sit down whenever The Wave goes by. I remember there used to be a section of season-ticket holders at the Kingdome (the number 136 comes to mind) where they would get the whole section to sit down to make somewhat of a hole in the Wave as it rolled by.
I think another Wave moment of mine happened when my dad, my friend Grant, and I all went to a Yankee/Mariner game in 1999 (which I will now dig up), and some drunk in the upper deck wearing a McGwire jersey was on the main walk coming from the tunnel saying "WE'RE GONNA DO THE WAVE!!! WE'RE GOIN' TO THE LEFT!! WE'RE GOIN' TO THE LEFT (yes, that's right, he felt the need to repeat that)!! ONE...TWO...THREE!!!" Ugh. Gak.
And if you didn't look at that boxscore, this was a game where the three of us got there kind of late, there was a heavy downpour and thunderstorm outside, and before we even got to our seats, Jeff Fassero had given up three dingers and the Yanks were up 5-0. It should also be noted that this was a game where Edgar, Frankie Rodriguez (four innings of shutout relief), Chad Curtis, and many others were involved in near-brawl if not full-brawl conditions. And yes, this was one of those games where the Mariners teased you with a comeback but didn't come through. You gotta love these guys!
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RED HOT SOCAL
So southern California is burning down, and the Dolphin/Charger game was moved to Tempe. To heighten the situation of hullabaloo, tickets were free and the parking lot at Sun Devil Stadium was reportedly (according to a KJR Jason Puckett sports update) reserved for ASU students taking night classes. I bet the parking scalpers were out somewhere...
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IT HAPPENED...ON SATURDAY
Yes, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers once again were entangled in the Battle of Alberta.
Now, of course the game was a battle, but this is nuts...
"Three fights in less than 34 seconds. By the end of the first period there were five scraps and 70 penalty minutes."
Now, of course the game was a battle, but this is nuts...
"Three fights in less than 34 seconds. By the end of the first period there were five scraps and 70 penalty minutes."
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THE CALL OF THE WILD GOES UNRETURNED
Minnesota Wild star Marian Gaborik, a mere 21 years of age (like myself), is going back to Slovakia after contract talks between him, his agent, and the Wild brass have broken down once again. The Wild managed to get Pascal Dupuis back in uniform after he held out, but not getting Gaborik back...that'll hurt. The Wild won't be sneaking up on anyone this year anyway, Gaborik or not.
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MORE GAMMONS RUMORS THAT ARE PROBABLY CRAP
Peter Gammons on Pardon the Interruption says that out of the Yankee trio of Giambi-Soriano-Boone, he sees Soriano not with the Yankees next year. He sees Boone possibly taking his place at second and the Yankees getting someone else at third. He thinks Soriano would go in a trade for either Jose Vidro or Carlos Beltran. Will any of this come true? No. IT'S PETER GAMMONS. None of his rumors come true.
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OUT OF BOUNDS
Taken from the ESPN Around the Horn show, this year's LCS ratings for Fox were very good, but the ratings for the Yankees/Marlins World Series are in...and they ain't good. This year's World Series is the THIRD-LOWEST RATED WORLD SERIES EVER. Was that really a surprise??
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MORE KJR, MORE GM SEARCH STUFF
Dick Fain's shift going on right now on KJR. He has noticed that Darrell Jackson cost the Seahawks two drives yesterday; one on a dropped pass on third down and the other on a fumble. He is also asking where the hell Koren Robinson is, because he's barely getting the ball. Fain says that Jackson hasn't been the same since he "got his bell rung" when he went over the middle against Dallas last year. Now, says Fain, Jackson doesn't even go over the middle at all and is now dropping passes when nobody's on him.
And as has been noted multiple times in blogspace, the Brian Cashman rumors are flying. I don't want him; I really don't. Problem is, the only people I'd even want are DePodesta, Antonetti, Ng, or maybe Beattie or something, and they aren't even interviewing (except maybe DePodesta) anybody out of that group. Instead, we have "old guard"-type people like Looper, Pelekoudas, and all these lame guys who have been at the heads of rebuilding efforts, like Jennings or Avila. What the hell kind of message does it send if the M's are interviewing guys who were in charge of rebuilding? If they bring in a guy who is good at rebuilding, what should we expect from that guy? To make the team better by adjusting here and there, or to blow up the team and start from scratch? If they want the latter, I hope it waits two or three years...
And as has been noted multiple times in blogspace, the Brian Cashman rumors are flying. I don't want him; I really don't. Problem is, the only people I'd even want are DePodesta, Antonetti, Ng, or maybe Beattie or something, and they aren't even interviewing (except maybe DePodesta) anybody out of that group. Instead, we have "old guard"-type people like Looper, Pelekoudas, and all these lame guys who have been at the heads of rebuilding efforts, like Jennings or Avila. What the hell kind of message does it send if the M's are interviewing guys who were in charge of rebuilding? If they bring in a guy who is good at rebuilding, what should we expect from that guy? To make the team better by adjusting here and there, or to blow up the team and start from scratch? If they want the latter, I hope it waits two or three years...
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GRAY DEE
Shocking to see Grady Little's option not being picked up for the 2004 season.
2004 is going to be a really interesting year in Boston, especially if the Red Sox hire Bobby Valentine. Yes, I could definitely see that happening. But who knows what's going to happen. It's Boston for crying out loud.
So now Brian Cashman's name is being bandied about in Mariners GM circles. Well, he hasn't had experience working under a "budget", but hell, if he were named the new M's GM, I wouldn't have a huge problem with it. But after reading "Moneyball", which I just finished this weekend, I have two words for the M's brass:
Paul DePodesta. More on this later.
2004 is going to be a really interesting year in Boston, especially if the Red Sox hire Bobby Valentine. Yes, I could definitely see that happening. But who knows what's going to happen. It's Boston for crying out loud.
So now Brian Cashman's name is being bandied about in Mariners GM circles. Well, he hasn't had experience working under a "budget", but hell, if he were named the new M's GM, I wouldn't have a huge problem with it. But after reading "Moneyball", which I just finished this weekend, I have two words for the M's brass:
Paul DePodesta. More on this later.
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YUPPIE SCUM!
David, I didn't hear the new ads for the Fox Sports Grill, but I do know about it.
Anyways, I think this place will close within 2 years. I've never gotten the whole "yuppie upscale" restaurant deal. This goes for crapholes like Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Seattle as well. Screw Fox. Why isn't there an ESPN Zone in Seattle? I'd much rather see that than a freaking Fox restaurant.
This is the reason why I've never been a fan of the Hit It Here Cafe. Too many yuppies. This is not the wave of the future I like to see when it comes to sports-themed restaurants. Give me the usual sports bar scene any freaking day of the week, not these stupid ass Fox Sports Grills.
And let's be honest, if you go to the Fox Sports Grill, then you are a moron. Overpriced food and for what? Just to watch endless repeats of "5,4,3,2,1?"
Anyways, I think this place will close within 2 years. I've never gotten the whole "yuppie upscale" restaurant deal. This goes for crapholes like Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Seattle as well. Screw Fox. Why isn't there an ESPN Zone in Seattle? I'd much rather see that than a freaking Fox restaurant.
This is the reason why I've never been a fan of the Hit It Here Cafe. Too many yuppies. This is not the wave of the future I like to see when it comes to sports-themed restaurants. Give me the usual sports bar scene any freaking day of the week, not these stupid ass Fox Sports Grills.
And let's be honest, if you go to the Fox Sports Grill, then you are a moron. Overpriced food and for what? Just to watch endless repeats of "5,4,3,2,1?"
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GRADY'S ASS IS GRASS
The Red Sox manager for the 2004 season will NOT be named Grady Little. No surprise. Unfortunately, the Mariner brass cannot admit their mistake in hiring Bob Melvin. Grady did get more than one year, however. Eek.
And of course, this gives us a great chance to promote FireGradyLittle.com. Just love the caricatures on the front page -- "Eh! Grady wicked sucks!"
And of course, this gives us a great chance to promote FireGradyLittle.com. Just love the caricatures on the front page -- "Eh! Grady wicked sucks!"
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FSGNW
Don't know if Jeremy has heard the ads, but everyone listening to KJR in Seattle has heard the ads...
What was the Planet Hollywood in downtown Seattle will very soon have a grand opening as the new FOX Sports Grill. Yes, that's right. The scary thing in the ads is that they're calling themselves "upscale," and when I hear the word "upscale," I think "rich people."
What was the Planet Hollywood in downtown Seattle will very soon have a grand opening as the new FOX Sports Grill. Yes, that's right. The scary thing in the ads is that they're calling themselves "upscale," and when I hear the word "upscale," I think "rich people."
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LET THE DISSECTION BEGIN
I'm sitting here in a computer lab with KJR on the computer and they're talking about how Shaun Alexander doesn't fight through contact well. In Softy's words, on a certain play "a Seahawk offensive lineman had the defensive tackle blocked and Shaun ran to the side of the block, and the defensive tackle stuck his hand out and that was enough to being Shaun down." Basically the gist of his words there. Yes, the calls for more carries to Maurice Morris are underway.
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I DON'T HAVE TO FEEL THIS
This sums up yesterday's Seahawks 27-24 loss to the Bengals.
Oh, and a guy named Rudi. As in Rudi Johnson, not Rudy from "The Cosby Show" or the Notre Dame "Rudy". Rudi Johnson is every hack pitcher who beat the Mariners in 2003 all rolled up into one.
The Steelers come to Seahawks Stadium on Sunday. This is a huge game for Seattle. Here's a Steelers team that is 2-5, and have no running game or pass defense to speak of. But I tell ya, if the Seahawks don't come to play, expect Jerome Bettis to score three touchdowns. And don't get me started about Tommy Maddox, who has come back to earth in 2003.
A few hits, non-Seahawks related:
---The Chiefs are a fun team to watch. This is a far cry from the boring Marty Schottenheimer years.
---#6 Washington State at #3 USC Saturday at 4 PDT, 6 CDT. I hope Pine Bluff Cable TV is offering that on ESPN Gameplan.
---Bob Goen also hosted a syndicated version of "Wheel Of Fortune" in the late 80s-early 90s.
---I only caught the last 10 minutes of "Viva La Bam", but it's a great show. I'll remember to watch the whole damn show from now on.
---IT'S CALLED THE TODD BERTUZZI!!! Great job locking him up, Mother Canuckers. If only the Mariner management was that dedicated. But I'm already expecting the M's to sign Glendon Rusch to a minor league deal, so there you go.
Time to get ready for school...I wanna go back to sleep but I can't, dammit!
Oh, and a guy named Rudi. As in Rudi Johnson, not Rudy from "The Cosby Show" or the Notre Dame "Rudy". Rudi Johnson is every hack pitcher who beat the Mariners in 2003 all rolled up into one.
The Steelers come to Seahawks Stadium on Sunday. This is a huge game for Seattle. Here's a Steelers team that is 2-5, and have no running game or pass defense to speak of. But I tell ya, if the Seahawks don't come to play, expect Jerome Bettis to score three touchdowns. And don't get me started about Tommy Maddox, who has come back to earth in 2003.
A few hits, non-Seahawks related:
---The Chiefs are a fun team to watch. This is a far cry from the boring Marty Schottenheimer years.
---#6 Washington State at #3 USC Saturday at 4 PDT, 6 CDT. I hope Pine Bluff Cable TV is offering that on ESPN Gameplan.
---Bob Goen also hosted a syndicated version of "Wheel Of Fortune" in the late 80s-early 90s.
---I only caught the last 10 minutes of "Viva La Bam", but it's a great show. I'll remember to watch the whole damn show from now on.
---IT'S CALLED THE TODD BERTUZZI!!! Great job locking him up, Mother Canuckers. If only the Mariner management was that dedicated. But I'm already expecting the M's to sign Glendon Rusch to a minor league deal, so there you go.
Time to get ready for school...I wanna go back to sleep but I can't, dammit!
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Sunday, October 26, 2003
DAMMIT...BUT BERTUZZI LOCKED UP
The Canucks were a mere 1:14 from extending their home ice winning streak this season to 5 when Krys Kolanos of the Phoenix Coyotes hit paydirt with a wraparound goal that got by Dan Cloutier (as Phoenix goalie Sean Burke was being pulled for an extra skater), who up to that point was having his best game of the year, according to radio color man Tom Larscheid.
However, the Canucks blew a 2-0 lead and had a 3-2 lead from the Naslund goal (top line gets a goal, yay!) up until the Kolanos goal. The Canucks also went an inexcusable 0-for-8 on the power play, probably the main reason they didn't win this game, other than the Brent Sopel giveaway of the puck in the neutral zone, which started the debacle in the second period where Phoenix got their two quick goals.
GREAT POSTGAME NEWS as a press conference announced that Todd Bertuzzi has been signed to a new 4-year contract (this year's terms under the previously signed contract are tossed out) and will remain in a Vancouver Canuck uniform. This eliminates the main distraction hanging over the Canucks over these first few weeks of the season. A 4-year deal is what I call stepping up, and that is EXACTLY what Canucks owner John McCaw did in this situation, new collective bargaining be damned. In Bertuzzi's words, he "[wants] the parade down Robson Street." If there is ever a chance of that happening, I really hope I can be there for that. It'd be cool as hell.
So yeah, the Canucks should have won tonight and they were crap on the power play. However, the Bertuzzi contract is one huge distraction to take away. Great job by McCaw to step up and great job by GM Brian Burke to convince him that this is the right thing to do. They have shown the team AND HAVE SHOWN THE FANS (hint to Mariners management) that THEY ARE COMMITTED TO WINNING THE STANLEY CUP. This keeps together a great core of players that has tried to stay together over the past few years, and hopefully they can get the Cup real soon.
And when the hell is Johan Hedberg going to get some time in the net? Good gracious, he's only played twice in eight Canucks games this year. And with Cloutier letting in that wraparound goal (postgame callers are ripping him for this)...come on.
Back to studying for a test tomorrow in Structural Geology...
However, the Canucks blew a 2-0 lead and had a 3-2 lead from the Naslund goal (top line gets a goal, yay!) up until the Kolanos goal. The Canucks also went an inexcusable 0-for-8 on the power play, probably the main reason they didn't win this game, other than the Brent Sopel giveaway of the puck in the neutral zone, which started the debacle in the second period where Phoenix got their two quick goals.
GREAT POSTGAME NEWS as a press conference announced that Todd Bertuzzi has been signed to a new 4-year contract (this year's terms under the previously signed contract are tossed out) and will remain in a Vancouver Canuck uniform. This eliminates the main distraction hanging over the Canucks over these first few weeks of the season. A 4-year deal is what I call stepping up, and that is EXACTLY what Canucks owner John McCaw did in this situation, new collective bargaining be damned. In Bertuzzi's words, he "[wants] the parade down Robson Street." If there is ever a chance of that happening, I really hope I can be there for that. It'd be cool as hell.
So yeah, the Canucks should have won tonight and they were crap on the power play. However, the Bertuzzi contract is one huge distraction to take away. Great job by McCaw to step up and great job by GM Brian Burke to convince him that this is the right thing to do. They have shown the team AND HAVE SHOWN THE FANS (hint to Mariners management) that THEY ARE COMMITTED TO WINNING THE STANLEY CUP. This keeps together a great core of players that has tried to stay together over the past few years, and hopefully they can get the Cup real soon.
And when the hell is Johan Hedberg going to get some time in the net? Good gracious, he's only played twice in eight Canucks games this year. And with Cloutier letting in that wraparound goal (postgame callers are ripping him for this)...come on.
Back to studying for a test tomorrow in Structural Geology...
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ON-AIR TALENT BIOS ARE FUN!!
This is from the bio of KING 5 Seattle sportscaster Greg Bailey, the #2 sports guy at the NBC affiliate that Bremertonians (and Seattleites) know and love...
--joined the KING sports team as the weekend sports anchor in October 2000.
--came to Seattle from Wichita, Kansas, where he worked as the sports director at KAKE TV for 3 years.
--was the television voice of Wichita State basketball.
--called play-by-play for the National Baseball Congress World Series from 1995-1999
--won two awards from the Associated Press for sports reporting and was honored three times by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters in the best sports program category.
--started his career at KLBK TV in Lubbock, Texas.
--graduated from Texas A&M University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
--served as host of the Miss Kansas USA pageant.
I bet that last one was fun!!! Greg Bailey basically got to be Bob Goen for a day. I swear, I think beauty pageants and the occasional Entertainment Tonight are the only things Bob Goen does.
--joined the KING sports team as the weekend sports anchor in October 2000.
--came to Seattle from Wichita, Kansas, where he worked as the sports director at KAKE TV for 3 years.
--was the television voice of Wichita State basketball.
--called play-by-play for the National Baseball Congress World Series from 1995-1999
--won two awards from the Associated Press for sports reporting and was honored three times by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters in the best sports program category.
--started his career at KLBK TV in Lubbock, Texas.
--graduated from Texas A&M University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
--served as host of the Miss Kansas USA pageant.
I bet that last one was fun!!! Greg Bailey basically got to be Bob Goen for a day. I swear, I think beauty pageants and the occasional Entertainment Tonight are the only things Bob Goen does.
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BEAR DOWN
Once-promising guard and former Arizona Wildcat star Michael Dickerson has retired from the game of basketball. If I'm not mistaken, he also played high school ball somewhere in the state of Washington, too. Anyway, another great college player bites it in the NBA. Sad stuff indeed.
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MY NOTES ON THE SEAHAWKS GAME THAT WAS A WASTE OF MY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON...CAN YOU SAY "TRAP GAME"?
Chris Myers/Dale Hellestrae broadcast team...ugh.
-1st qtr
46-yd TD pass on 3/11 to Mili after false start penalty, 10:39
CIN TD drive 5:33; no Hawks defense to save own asses
4:23, Darrell Jackson drops 3rd-down pass, league-lead-tying 6th drop
-2nd qtr
bull$*)+ Darrell Jackson fumble (he sucks), 13:46
BULL$*)+ Warrick reverse (broke about five tackles), 12:05
BULL$*)+ CIN TD 10:39
(the defense sucks ass and can't stop for crap)
Alexander big run 10:27, good run 8:55, rollover TD catch 6:34
Hawks FG with a :50 drive
-3rd qtr
Bengals three/out
Nice drive with a couple key third-down conversions...Hawks 24-17
Def holding penalty on what would have been third down on Orlando Huff for auto first down...Bengals bull$*)+ run down the field...but key Hawks goal-line stand to hold CIN to field goal
-4th qtr
Hawks great field positiion, blow it around the 30...FG blocked
Total bull$*)+ delay of game penalty (drawing the WR offside on the cornerback?!) and subsequent wide-open pass to Chad Johnson, basically end game
The true end of the game, though had to be the second time Hasselbeck had a ball batted and then picked out of the air by a Bengal defender. What are the odds of that happening twice? Anyway, three of the Hawks five turnovers were picks, the others were fumbles by Alex Bannister and Darrell Jackson. Way to go, Hawks!! You fell for the Trap Game and the defense had one good stop all day. Way to waste my morning, guys, I couldn't have done it without you.
-1st qtr
46-yd TD pass on 3/11 to Mili after false start penalty, 10:39
CIN TD drive 5:33; no Hawks defense to save own asses
4:23, Darrell Jackson drops 3rd-down pass, league-lead-tying 6th drop
-2nd qtr
bull$*)+ Darrell Jackson fumble (he sucks), 13:46
BULL$*)+ Warrick reverse (broke about five tackles), 12:05
BULL$*)+ CIN TD 10:39
(the defense sucks ass and can't stop for crap)
Alexander big run 10:27, good run 8:55, rollover TD catch 6:34
Hawks FG with a :50 drive
-3rd qtr
Bengals three/out
Nice drive with a couple key third-down conversions...Hawks 24-17
Def holding penalty on what would have been third down on Orlando Huff for auto first down...Bengals bull$*)+ run down the field...but key Hawks goal-line stand to hold CIN to field goal
-4th qtr
Hawks great field positiion, blow it around the 30...FG blocked
Total bull$*)+ delay of game penalty (drawing the WR offside on the cornerback?!) and subsequent wide-open pass to Chad Johnson, basically end game
The true end of the game, though had to be the second time Hasselbeck had a ball batted and then picked out of the air by a Bengal defender. What are the odds of that happening twice? Anyway, three of the Hawks five turnovers were picks, the others were fumbles by Alex Bannister and Darrell Jackson. Way to go, Hawks!! You fell for the Trap Game and the defense had one good stop all day. Way to waste my morning, guys, I couldn't have done it without you.
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SOME PHO-TOES FROM THE MADNESS
My boy Dontrelle with the World Series trophy.
Derek Jeter looking like the pansy that he is.
Pudge Rodriguez "appropriate" kissing in public scene. (I will not link the previous Pudge kissing photos, because well, they're not right)
And finally,
Josh Beckett with his new flaming jacket. No word on whether Boy George is interested or not. (If you saw any episode of "I Love the 80s Strikes Back", you would know that Boy George has simply lost his freaking mind)
Baseball season is over. Fire up the hot stove. My offseason plan for the Mariners to come in a few days. Later, fools.
Derek Jeter looking like the pansy that he is.
Pudge Rodriguez "appropriate" kissing in public scene. (I will not link the previous Pudge kissing photos, because well, they're not right)
And finally,
Josh Beckett with his new flaming jacket. No word on whether Boy George is interested or not. (If you saw any episode of "I Love the 80s Strikes Back", you would know that Boy George has simply lost his freaking mind)
Baseball season is over. Fire up the hot stove. My offseason plan for the Mariners to come in a few days. Later, fools.
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