The Bobby Valentine Joke is getting old - a Bleacher Report article

I called for Bobby Valentine to be fired in April.
I wasn't wrong.

I'm not saying the Red Sox would have won the pennant if they did that, but correct mistakes earlier rather than later is what I say.

The Red Sox have an off day today. As I wrote in Bleacher Report. after the 1-8 road trip and his WEEI rant, there is no better time to fire him than now.

He has done worse than lose the respect of the team. He has become a punchline. And there's no recovery from that.

You can read the whole article HERE.

 

Stephen Strasburg Bullpen Strategy for Washington Nationals - A Bleacher Report Article

OK, the Washington Nationals could go into the playoffs as the best team in baseball and make the decision to not use their best pitcher, Stephen Strasburg.

Kind of crazy, right?

In my latest article for Bleacher Report, I try to figure out a way to still use Strasburg and stick to an innings limit under 180 from now to the end of the World Series.

It is thinking outside of the box. If the Nats win it all, they can thank me later.

You can read the whole article HERE.

 

Are you against instant replay? Well you are wrong.

I had a crappy day at work the other day and I made a mistake..

And someone corrected my mistake.

But nobody can correct umpire Tim Welke's mistake today.

He called Jerry Hairston out at first on a grounder during today's Dodgers/Rockies game.
First baseman Todd Helton was closer to second base than he was to first. He couldn't have had his foot on the bag unless he was Mr. Fantastic, stretching out his leg.

It was a botched call.

Again, mistakes happen.

Welke isn't perfect.

But why can't this awful call be corrected?

Watch the clip.

About 2 seconds after the call was made, the announcers pointed out that Helton wasn't near the bag.
Mattingly was out on the field about 5 or 6 seconds after the call was made.

Mattingly and Welke argue for a while.

Whatever Welke is saying in his defense is 100% correct.

No fault of Welke, he hasn't seen the evidence of his mistake.



And WHILE THEY ARE ARGUING...


The TV cameras show this image.

Pretty subtle, isn't it?

Now maybe Welke wasn't in the right position to make the call.

Hey, as I said, we all make mistakes.

This image was beamed to TVs (and hand held tablet devices) less than 40 seconds after the call was blown.

Why can't someone on the umpiring crew be in the TV booth? (Hey! An extra job and another member of the union!)

And he could call down and have someone with a tablet show Welke the mistake.

He would say "My bad!" and the game would have gone on. Nobody would have a beef and Hairston would be on first BECAUSE HE DESERVES TO BE!

What's the argument against that?

It would slow the game down?

Mattingly continued to argue while the replay was happening.

So throw that argument in the dumpster. It is meaningless.

It would be good for the game?

How? How is blowing calls good? Especially in a game like this that ended on a walk off homer and that a call here or there could have affected the outcome of the game.

And think of Welke.

He made a mistake. Nobody's fault. But instead of taking less than one minute to correct it (and it would be forgotten instantly) this bad call will be shown on TV and is already the topic of a Yahoo Sports article.

How is THAT good for baseball?

He made a mistake and no matter how much evidence you have to correct it, we can't because... um... WHY? Someone tell me!

I seriously think Instant Replay opponents are the baseball equivalent of people who insist there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark. No amount of evidence or logical discussions could ever sway them.

Either way... Instant Replay Opponents... you are incorrect.

But I've said this before.











 

Wasn't "Don't Jump on a Trampoline" a Joba Rule?

Joba Chamberlain's career has been derailed and sidelined by so much stupidity that it is almost fitting that one final dumb act could have put a fork in it.

Has a more apt metaphor ever sent a once great player crashing quite like this?
Joba's career was up and down and up and down... all the while he has been a big kid if sometimes a little jittery and has a loving (if somewhat complex) family.

And what does he do?
He jumps up and down, acting like a kid, while with his own kid and busts his ankle.

Optimistically he will be back in July.
This might not be a Kendrys Morales situation interms of severity of his injury but it could be as stupid as the Angels first baseman derailing his career jumping on home plate.

Seriously, how could this have happened?

What else was on that to do list?
Bungee jumping?
Torch juggling?
Crocodile wrestling?

Don't give me the crap of "He was being a good father."
He could be just as good a father staying on the sidelines watching his kid jump on a trampoline!
Or reading a book to his kids.

Do you know what a REALLY good father would do?
Not put at risk a career that could not only take care of his kids financially but their grandkids as well.

When your career is on the line and you are already coming back from surgery and a career that is no longer as promising as it once was, why would you do ANYTHING risky?

Remember when he was being called a future ace? Mariano's heir? A potential #1 starter?
He was going into 2012 as "potential 4th option out of the bullpen."
You know, the role they give AAA players and veterans playing for one year contracts.

As the great Lisa Swan wrote "this isn't bad luck. Getting covered by midges is bad luck."
(By the way, she wrote a great piece about Joba on Subway Squawkers.)

I'll take it a step further. I'll quote John Belushi and say "That's not bad luck. That's DUMB luck."

Joba has made good money so far. (May we all make a couple of million dollars before age 26.)
But he hasn't hit the megabucks yet.
He hasn't made the stupid money.
He hasn't made the tens of millions of dollars owed to good, let alone great, pitchers... especially those who play in a big market.

Think $2 million will last a lifetime?
Ask Antoine Walker how long $110 million will last if you don't manage it well.

I can imagine Joba's son years from now asking him "Daddy. Why aren't we rich like all your other Yankee friends?"

"Well you see when you were five years old, I decided to take my 250 pound frame and jump it up and down when I was coming back from a career threatening injury."

"Gee dad. I hope you had fun."

I'll say it... the Red Sox over babied Clay Buchholz

The Red Sox decided not to trade for Rich Harden.

Why? Because they already had an ace caliber pitcher who is always hurt!

Clay Buchholz has a stress fracture in his back. I don't think it is as bad as what Ralph Macchio had in The Outsiders, but just as destructive for the season.

Hasn't that been the mantra this season?

Get Lester and Buchholz healthy and the Sox could win the pennant.

Now what?

Lester is healthy and looks good and Beckett has been solid.

Lackey has been winning, but how long will THAT last?

Andrew Miller is not the ace that the Tigers and Marlins thought he was. He's a #5 pitcher.

Tim Wakefield is Russian Roulette.

And Eric Bedard will probably be in a full body cast by Labor Day.

The Red Sox pennant chances are no better than the Yankees, whose rotation we love to make fun of.

The Rangers pitching staff is miles ahead of the Red Sox and Yankees. I even put the Angels in front of us.

And I will say it. I can never rely on Clay Buchholz again.

I've been saying since 2007 that the Red Sox have been babying him.

They've been treating him with kid gloves to avoid injuries since he threw the no hitter. And what has he been since?

AN INJURY PRONE PITCHER!

Red Sox fans, ask yourself. If Buchholz were a Yankee, wouldn't you be throwing him in with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain as pitchers with ability but whose bodies have betrayed them.

And here we have Clay Buchholz. It's his 5th big league season. He's 26. And he has pitched 100 innings a grand total of one time in his career.

All the while he has been treated with kid gloves and all of that love and care has put him on the shelf AGAIN!

He's another example of a babied pitcher. Instead of a reliable stud we have an injury prone frustration.

Any decent season the Sox get from Clay Buchholz MUST be considered a bonus from now on.

He is another pitcher ruined by kid gloves.

Only blithering idiots are against instant replay

If you are offended by the title of this post, keep 2 things in mind:

1) You are only a blithering idiot on the subject of instant replay
2) But on the subject of instant replay I am 100% right and my opponents are 100% wrong.

A wonderful game was planight between Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
19 innings.
Both teams left their guts on the field.
Both teams played like champions.
And the Pirates, playing the most critical stretch of games that they have played since 1992, were wiggling out of jams left and right.

Is THAT what we are going to talk about?
No.

The topic will be home plate umpire Jerry Meals blew a call at home plate to end the game.
It happens.
It's 19 innings into the game. Mistakes happen.

But less than 1 minute after the call was blown, the replay clearly showed the tag was made and the runner was out.

The game went on for more than 6 hours. Are you telling me you can't spend 1 minute to make sure it isn't ended on a mistake?

Are you people who stupidly are against Instant Replay going to say this ending was good for baseball?

Where is the HUMAN element of Daniel McCutchen pitching his brains out but being charged with a loss because an umpire made a mistake?

Where is the HUMAN element of giving the Pirates the loss when they just made a terrific play to possibly end ANOTHER game ending rally?

You've got nothing, opponents of instant replay. NOTHING.
You sound insane.

I'm sure on many other topics you know your stuff.
Give up this argument.

New Sully Baseball Video "Babying Pitchers"

In the latest Sully Baseball Video, I talk a little bit about the insanity of babying pitchers. The practice doesn't make sense and frankly the numbers show a pitcher needs to be worked rather than pampered.

Well, I'll let the video do the talking. As always the video was made with my amazing wife Lisa. This one was shot in San Diego last weekend.

To see the previous Sully Baseball Videos, click here.

New Sully Baseball Video - "Strike Zone Clarity"

In the latest Sully Baseball Video, I ask the simple question: Why can umpires have different strike zones?

It's a logical question... I wonder if I will get a logical answer.

To see previous Sully Baseball videos, click here.

Milton Bradley and mistakes

So the Mariners are going to keep Milton Bradley. Despite a lousy year where he had to leave to take care of personal matters, and an off season arrest that shows those matters aren’t really resolved, he’s coming back.

“People make mistakes,” new Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.

Yeah they do Eric. Like giving Milton Bradley chance after chance.
At what point does this become enabling?
At what point do you say “Hmmm, I see a pattern here.”

When a guy this talented plays for 8 teams in 11 seasons (including 5 in the last 4 years) and each time he goes there is much rejoicing, isn’t that the point where you say “Yeah, let’s move on.”

Wedge managed Bradley with the Indians and it was a confrontation between the two that forced his first of many trades.

In the 7 seasons since, he hasn’t really improved, has he?

And when you look at his career, is it even worth it on the field?
He had a great half season in 2007 with the Padres (until he injured himself arguing and ended his season… a season where the Padres missed the playoffs by a single game.)

He had a terrific season in Texas in 2008, his walk year.
Now he has had two straight miserable seasons, is in his mid 30s and frankly has had only had 2 and a half seasons of note.

The Mariners need to rebuild. How exactly is Bradley a piece to any rebuilding project?
If he is no longer a usable player (which he isn’t) and he’s no longer a person you want in the clubhouse (even he doesn’t want to be there) then why bring him back?

People make mistakes.
Eric Wedge and the Mariners are making one now.

It is time for my OTHER obsession… the Oscars.

Yup, I need to take a quick pause from talking baseball to feed my other beast: I am an Oscars addict. Now I promise I won’t turn this blog into Sully: Oscars, but each year I need to make my predictions for the big show.

So here are my picks for the nominations that will be announced tomorrow morning.
Note that these AREN’T the films that I think should necessarily win.
These are the films that I think WILL be nominated.

Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are Alright
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Joel and Ethan Coen – True Grit
David Fincher - The Social Network
Tom Hooper - The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan – Inception

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
James Franco – 127 Hours
Mark Wahlberg – The Fighter

Best Actress
Annette Bening – The Kids are Alright
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale – The Fighter
Andrew Garfield – The Social Network
Jeremy Renner – The Town
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids are Alright
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis – Black Swan
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

Best Original Screenplay
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are Alright
The King’s Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Best Animated Feature
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3


Best Documentary Feature
Client 9
Inside Job
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman
Who is Harry Nilsson?

Best Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit

Best Cinematography
Inception
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
True Grit

Best Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Burlesque
The King’s Speech
True Grit

Best Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
127 Hours
The King’s Speech

Best Sound
Black Swan
Inception
127 Hours
The Social Network
True Grit

Best Sound Effects Editing
Inception
127 Hours
TRON: Legacy

Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Inception
The Social Network
TRON: Legacy

Best Music Score
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

Best Original Song
“I See the Light” – Tangled
“If I Rise” – 127 Hours
“Shine” – Waiting for Superman
“We Belong Together” – Toy Story 3
“You Haven’t Seen The Last of Me Yet” - Burlesque



I am predicting that the Academy will not nominate David O. Russell… perhaps the clash with Lily Tomlin on Youtube would still be on their minds. And I think that the DVD release of Winter’s Bone will make it the surprise Best Picture nomination.

And while The Town will get shutout of the big prize, Ben Affleck will get another writing nomination.

And I am also predicting some serious distribution of wealth amongst the nominations.
I see both The King’s Speech and True Grit getting double digit nominations with 10.

Black Swan, Inception and The Social Network should all get 9 nominations.

That’s 5 films with a pile of nominations.
And with 8 nominations for 127 Hours and 7 for The Fighter the possibility of another upset is strong. (Remember how The Hurt Locker upset the blockbuster Avatar last year?)

Alrighty. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is nomination day and always a big day in my insane calendar.

Manny to the Yankees? Another Christmas gift for Red Sox Nation

Could it be?
Seriously... could the Yankees be finally saying to the world "WE ARE RUDDERLESS!"?

The Yankees are potentially thinking about bringing in Manny Ramirez?

Why not just tell Andy Pettitte to stay home?

Why not tell Derek Jeter "We think the clubhouse has been too peaceful"?

Could the Yankees be reverting back to all of their awful late 1980s, early 1990s habits of bringing in people that are recognizable instead of addressing their needs?

How can they POSSIBLY spin their interest in Manny Ramirez as anything other than "Hey! We got a player fans have heard of! And a former Red Sox player to boot! Hey! How about that? We're the Yankees and we get stars!"

The Steinbrenner Yankees have always had a mild obsession with bringing in players who have beaten them in October. From Don Gullett to Randy Johnson, the notion has always been "If you can't beat 'em, BUY em!"

And they thought that Cliff Lee was going to be the next name on the roster.
But he's gone. And so is every other potential big impact pitcher. (Unless you consider Joe Blanton to be awesome.)

The Yankees need pitching depth. BIG TIME. Yeah they can use outfield depth, but do you know what? There are never a shortage of outfielders looking for a job. Hell, Jermaine Dye has been looking for one for over a year. He's a former World Series MVP. And unlike Manny, he hasn't left a series of teams in his wake saying "It's just not worth dealing with this crap!"

But here we are. It could just be an internet rumor... but there's something about it that doesn't seem far fetched. That the need to make an off season splash to off set the Cliff Lee humiliation is there. And a move to counter act all of the "Red Sox have passed them" talk.

Bringing in Rafael Soriano would be a good solid move to upgrade their bullpen depth. But does bullpen depth put the Yankees on the back page?

Manny does.

The symbolism of taking ANOTHER 2004 Red Sox player and putting him in Pinstripes would have some allure. Alan Embree, Mark Bellhorn, Johnny Damon, Mike Myers and Doug Mientkiewicz all played with the Yankees after winning with the '04 Red Sox. (So did Ramiro Mendoza, but who are we kidding? He was a Yankee in Red Sox clothing!)

Why not Manny?
Well, first off 2004 was six years ago.
Manny was 32 then. He'll turn 39 in 2011. And the days of guys getting BETTER in their late 30s have ended. Manny has already been caught and guess what? His bat has slowed down.

I of course LOVED Manny when he was with the Red Sox, but as I wrote in my Dodgers piece for The Hardball Times, he is like a trip to Las Vegas. It is super fun at first but by the end you find yourself thinking "Oh God, this HAS to stop or else something terrible will happen."

So the Yankees will get all the headaches of Manny without his amazing bat.

And remember, Manny is a spoiled little kid who gets what he wants because his butt has been kissed. It was kissed by the Indians who wanted to develop a big star and get their team back to respectability.

It was initially kissed by the Red Sox because his signing was a counter reaction to the Yankees brining in Mike Mussina. So they had a new superstar to coddle. And later his butt was kissed because they knew they had a potential championship combo if only he stayed happy.

And the Dodgers kissed his butt because they had the first real draw to Chavez Ravine since Mike Piazza was traded.

So plop him into Jeter's clubhouse and see what happens.

You will get the symbolism of trying to erase the past while the problems of the present are left unchecked.

It's the whole bringing in Ken Phelps to a team where there is nowhere to play him all over again.

As I said before, it probably won't happen. But the fact that we have to say "probably" shows how bad the off season has been for the Yankees.

How great is this for Red Sox fans?
The idea that the Yankees could be doing essentially what Isiah Thomas did with the Knicks! Just bringing in big names for the sake of getting a headline.

OK, the Knicks are a harsh example. But what if they are the Mets? Bringing in recognizable names only to see it blow up in their face!

They won't be able to resist making a big move before spring training. And having Andy Pettitte come back isn't a big move. That's avoiding a loss.

Carl Pavano isn't coming back.

But there are no more big names left... except Manny.
No other names that would get anyone's attention... except Manny.

They may not be able to resist it.
And what a beautiful sight that would be.

It would be worth it to see if he would take a leak in Monument Park during the game. What wonderful symbolism that would be.

Why doesn't MLB want my money?

This past Labor Day weekend my family took a weekend trip to the lovely city of San Diego... and while I was there I ran smack dab against a Major League Baseball rule that didn't make a lick of sense to me.

Bear with me.

We were staying in a hotel right across the street from PetCo Park, a stadium I hadn't seen yet. Now the Padres were playing the Rockies Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon. Our Saturday and Sundays were packed and my wife and I were putting the boys to sleep around 8:30 that night.

When they were down, wifey saw how close we were to a big league game and I was starting to act like Gollum longing for the ring.

"Go watch the end of the game."

So off I went across the street. I knew it was late in the game, but I figure I'd get in. The Padres have had trouble drawing.

I went up to the Ticket window on Tony Gwynn Drive and asked the teenager working behind the counter "One please. Where do you have available?"

"Sorry. No tickets."

I was surprised. The Padres had sold out. Maybe the pennant race had finally caught on with San Diego fans.

"Wow," I said. "You guys sold out!"

"No sir. There are plenty of tickets."

Now you can see how there could be a disconnect here.

"OK, I would like to buy one of them" I said, not 100% sure why there was confusion.

"I can't sell you any tickets sir."

"Why not?"

"Major League Rules. No tickets sold after the 7th inning."

Now I understand no selling beer after the 7th inning because, well, people are probably smashed and they don't want them MORE smashed. But I had never been to a place of business where they were actually saying "Sorry... we won't let you be a paying customer."

I showed him my cash, maybe thinking he thought I was homeless or something.

"I have money and I want to spend it on your product."

"Sorry sir. I can not sell you a ticket."

Now I am no economics major, but I can tell you a surefire way to NOT make money is to turn away people who are saying "I want to spend my money on the product that you are having a hard time selling."

Buster's, the local ice cream shop and cafe in my town, is always selling day old bagels and Rice Krispy treats trying to squeeze and extra buck or two out of their product.

Not the Padres. They were saying "Sorry. We do not want your dough."

"What if I promise to buy a sundae in a plastic helmet?"

"Sorry sir. We have games on Saturday and Sunday."

"I'm seeing Shamu tomorrow. And besides, my kids are asleep, my wife is reading her book and there is a game on RIGHT NOW! THERE! BEHIND YOU!"

"Sorry sir."

It was surreal. It was reverse capitalism.

I walked up to one of the ushers who guard the gate to that great park just beyond center field.

I told him the story. He confirmed. "I am sorry. There is no selling of tickets after the 7th inning."

Hearing it again made it somehow make LESS sense.

Let's think of a not exactly outlandish scenario... Petco Park is located in the Gas Lamp Quarter where there are lots of bars and foot traffic. Let's say you didn't buy a ticket to the ballgame, but Mat Latos is throwing a no hitter and it is the 7th inning.

You find yourself at Rockin' Baha Lobster watching the game and you think "Oh man! He's throwing a no no! I should walk 2 blocks to the big ole half empty baseball stadium and be in the stands and cheer!"

Or you are at the Tipsy Crow and you see the Padres were down 8-1 but are coming back and rallying in the 7th inning.

And you think "Hey. Let me walk 5 blocks, buy a ticket and catch the end of the ballgame!"

Or you are AT the game, sitting in the empty upper deck, you get a text from a friend saying "Where R U?" You write back "At the Padres game."

Turns out they are a trolley stop away and they buy a ticket and join you in the 1/4 filled third deck.

None of those scenarios are crazy or out there.

And each of them throw some extra bucks into the Padres coffers.

And MLB has set up rules to prevent that.

I pleaded my case to the usher... whose gender, race and general description I will not divulge... and the usher nodded, reached into their pocket, gave me a ticket and said "Just go in."

So I got in for free.
The ticket was a $50 ticket. It cost me exactly gotch.

I was willing to spend $20. Instead I spent $0.

Lo and behold I went in and...


... the joint was damn near empty.

I already took the Padres fans to task for not supporting their team...

But man I found this rule to be peculiar.

I've never run a business before but I am sure that turning away customers isn't the way to do it.

I am sure if they an eager customer says "I want to pay $20" the correct bartering technique is NOT "I say $0."

The beautiful ballpark with character and charm is sitting 1/2 empty on a Friday night during a holiday weekend with the team in first place.

Shouldn't the goal be putting asses IN the seats?

Oh I am sure someone will write to me and explain why it is smart to turn customers away and why it hurts the business model.

But let me tell you... it won't be long before the Padres have to figure out what the hell to do about Adrian Gonzalez's contract.

And they'll be fretting that they can't afford to sign him.

They'd have at least an extra $20 to throw at him if it weren't for a silly MLB rule!

Nice to see Bob Davidson act out the end of "...And Justice For All."

It's not often that you can see a grown man lose his God Damn Mind.

But once again, in a night where we should be celebrating baseball, an umpire's ego takes center stage.

Bob Davidson tossed out a player, Brewers outfielder Chris Dickerson.

He tossed out a coach, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan.

He tossed out Brewers manager Ken Macha.

And finally he tossed out a fan who was sitting up close and heckling Yadier Molina.

Now I don't know what he said and if the fan said anything racist, then I can understand it. But so far nobody has revealed if there was anything really offensive.

And besides, the umpire doesn't have the authority to eject a fan unless they interfere with the field of play. And this was a guy sitting up close. I can't imagine the guys sitting up in the upper deck of MILLER Park watching a team called the BREWERS and have been drinking beer since 11 AM were quoting sonnets.

But Bob Davidson basically went nuts. And we are talking about HIM instead of Trevor Hoffman's 600th save.

No doubt he would have tossed Billy the Brewers, all four Sausages from the Sausage Race and Bob Uecker before the night was out.

I can just hear him screaming "You're out of order... You're out of order... this WHOLE game is out of order!"

(Spoiler alert on this clip... it kind of spoils the ending but explains the blog post title.)

Hey Ozzie... don't give Manny any ideas

Seriously, Ozzie Guillen, be careful what you say about Manny Ramirez.

I read your quotes in the AP article by Tom Withers, and some were a bit odd.

"I never see anyone on his team get mad at him because he goes about his business."

Um, did SOMEONE forget Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis going at each other in the dugout in 2008?

But really, Ozzie... when regarding his manner of dressing and upkeep of his uniform, you said "That’s not my department. Guys can go out there buck naked, and if they win games for me, I’m happy."

Ohhhhh boy. You just opened a can of worms there.

This is a guy who took many leaks in the Green Monster, brings drinks up out to the outfield and wears his iPod in the field.

Showing up nude to the plate?

It's only a matter of time.

There's just nothing to write about the Clemens case

I got a bunch of e mails asking what my take was on Clemens pleading not guilty today.

Here's what it is:

It's sad and EVERYONE on the planet Earth knows how this is going to end except Roger Clemens.

When Pete Rose comes across as a beacon of wisdom, you know we are heading towards a sad ending to... let's face it... a wonderful career.

What else can you say about this?

He's a big stubborn S.O.B.
That's what made him great and that's what's going to bring him down.

How is this going to end?
Christ, just watch Raging Bull.

(Spoiler alert!)

It isn't a happy movie.

(Although I would like to see Fat Rocket doing the speech into the mirror at the end.)

Kirk Gibson's homer as recreated by RBI Baseball

I have no idea how long it takes to recreate these games with RBI baseball... but I think it was worth every nanosecond.

This kind of insanity makes me so happy.

Oh for Christsake, just shut Dustin Pedroia down for the year

Seriously... we all are impressed by how fast Pedroia came back. He's a gamer. We love him. He's our guy.

Now take away his spikes and say "See you in spring training."

He's back on the Disabled List after 2 games off of it.

And yes, it is because the same foot is hurt.

This is nuts. Why risk injuring our MVP any further?

2010 is a lost cause. Even if the Sox play better than their current pace and win 92 or 93 games, they are still playing golf on the first full week of October.

As I wrote before, 2011 looks promising provided Pedroia and Youk is healthy, Beckett pitches well and they let some of the kids play and fill some holes.

Let's see what this kid Yamaico Navarro can do in the infield. He's supposedly a dynamic fielder. Let's see his do his thing in the show.

He's already the greatest Red Sox player named Yamaico.

So Dustin... nobody is questioning your heart. We're questioning your foot.

And if the Red Sox don't shut him down, I'll be questioning their sanity!

Someone will say Brandon Morrow's game was a bad one, I'm sure

The Blue Jays Brandon Morrow just completed his against the Blue Jays.

His line was pretty amazing.

9 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 17 strikeouts, a complete game shutout and a complete of a sweep.

And he did it against the second best team in baseball (but evidently the easiest team to no hit in baseball). And it was a pressure packed 1-0 game to boot.

But with all the new ways to measure stats and a pitchers effectiveness, I am sure there is some blogger out there who will write about how bad this game was.

There will be some measurement that I've never heard of that will be flung and me to show that this game was actually a poor start.

"He nearly threw a no hitter!"
"Yeah but did you check his "NOBOGH" percentage?"
"His WHAT?"
"His Number Of Bounces Of Grounders Hit percentage. The more bounces a ground ball takes, the more likely the ball will be picked up. His grounders have a low NOBOGH, which is bad."

Think I am joking? When Edwin Jackson threw his labored no hitter earlier this year (against the Rays) I heard people call in to shows and write on their blogs "Was it even an effect start?"

Um... He threw 9 innings, let up no runs and no hits.

So YES!!!
I don't care how many ways you bend the stats and how much origami you do with the numbers... throwing 9 innings, giving up 0 runs and 0 hits and getting a 1-0 victory IS A GOOD START!

Maybe it isn't a glamorous perfect game, but shouldn't he get CREDIT for working out of tense jams?

So prepare yourself for the craziness.
There will be someone out there shaking their head at any adulation of Morrow's performance.

We'll be looking at the runs, the hits and the results... yet someone will be counting the bounces and saying "Tsk tsk tsk... too many."

The steroid era is ending... so hopefully is the excessive celebration era

With pitching dominating and home run totals getting back to normal, we are seeing baseball finally getting out of the steroid era.

And thanks to Kendry Morales and Chris Coghlan we might be saying good bye to an era of stupid celebrations.

Look, I am not against having fun or even a fun spontaneous celebration. But I am glad to see home run celebrations muted a little after Kendry Morales put his career in peril due to a walk off homer leap.

And with the Angels offense sputtering, you think they could use his bat these days?

Not every game ending shot should be treated the same as Joe Carter's homer.

And I wouldn't mind seeing people celebrate things like walk off homers a smidge more sincerely.

Wouldn't it be more interesting to see the players celebrate based on what they would actually do instead of a carefully choreographed dance.

I want to see ball players thrilled at winning on the last swing of the bat, not Riverdance.

The only thing that Morales can take comfort in this year is that Chris Coghlan found a stupider injury in a post game celebration.

He wasn't even the hero of the game. He was trying to shove a cream pie in the face of Wes Helms. And somehow he busted his knee.

I don't even know how that is possible.
Did he have the pie on his knee?

But this is a recent tradition that I can do without. The pie in the face may have been funny once or twice, but like the bucket of Gatorade on the winning coach, it has become such a cliche that it is a joyless obligation rather than a fun ritual.

And Heaven forbid a guy be interviewed with a little dignity after getting the game winning hit. I would have love to see these guys pull that on Eddie Murray or Kirk Gibson after a game winning hit.

Or if you are going to do something... be original. The Keystone Cops thought pies in the face were hack.

But something just hit me... the steroid era is ending and dudes are getting hurt celebrating?

Maybe they are getting hurt because they are no longer juiced.

Better not try a forearm bash!

Yankee fans are throwing Jeter under the bus? This Red Sox fan WON'T HAVE IT!

Wow... it is a strange world we live in. I am a Red Sox fan and I am coming to the defense of Derek Jeter who is being dog piled by Yankee fans.

Even Bizarro finds this odd.

Yesterday I gave Jeter what I thought was a deserved tip of the cap for his class and understanding his role on the team.

Kind of a quick harmless post from me. And it is good ammo against anyone who says I don't give the Yankees any credit.

I figured that was that and I would move on with my life.

But nooooooooooooooo.

I got a few comments on my page and even more private e mails from people all KILLING Derek Jeter.

My cousin Chris e mailed me wanting to know my opinion on Jeter not being at Bob Sheppard's funeral.

Lisa at Subway Squawkers, one of my favorite New York baseball sites, is on Jeter's case.
So is John Harper at the Daily News.
And Bill Madden at the Daily News.
And Mike Mazzeo from the Star Ledger.

And I bet a lot more if I had the time or energy to look more.

REALLY? We're really going to throw Jeter under a bus?
We're going to act like Derek Jeter hasn't been 100% respectful of the Yankee tradition and specifically the legacy of Bob Sheppard this whole time?

After all Jeter has done in a Yankee uniform, and this is coming from a Red Sox fan, to represent its tradition, its titles, its link to the past and its place in New Yorkers lives, you are telling me Jeter has NOTHING in the bank in terms of credit?

This is not some knucklehead like Ben Roethlisberger or some Rent a Yankee who couldn't get out of town fast enough like Randy Johnson. This isn't a dope like Vince Coleman who didn't know who Jackie Robinson was or Jack McDowell flipping off the Yankee fans.

This is the captain of the team.
This is the man who continued to have Sheppard's voice announce him when they went to the new stadium.
He's the one who paid tribute to him and The Boss in front of 50,000+ fans and did so without notes and was clearly choked up.

He's earned the benefit of the doubt.
If he wasn't at the funeral then he should be given a pass. There was probably a reason. Maybe it was a "if the whole team doesn't go, then nobody should go" thing. Maybe it was a "we will pay tribute our way... publicly and in a heartfelt way."

Whatever it was... maybe you shouldn't jump to the conclusion that he did the wrong thing or isn't showing class.

This isn't Steve Howe. It's Derek Jeter... and some day there will be a day for him in the Bronx and will have earned it. (I am assuming he has earned it. According to some Yankee fans he evidently still needs to prove his reverence for the franchise.)

By the way, the next time one of you Yankee fans accuse me of just slamming your team, remember how I came to your captain's defense.

(But if you don't give Jeter credit, what hope do I have?)