Friday, May 11, 2007

Friday 05/11 A.M. Quickie:
Moms, Dirk, DEI, Pac-Man, More

Happy Mother's Day! Up until this year, I have only experienced Mother's Day as a son of a mom and grandson of a grandma, not as the spouse of a mom. Maybe it's new parenthood, but I have a new appreciation and enthusiasm for the holiday.


Be (especially) nice to the moms this weekend: They deserve it. Anyone doing anything particularly cool (or sports-related) to celebrate? (And keep your eye out for the awesome pink bats being used by MLB on Sunday, one of the greatest promotions in baseball history.)

Dirk Nowitzki as NBA MVP is totally laughable, given the result of the first-round of the playoffs. I'll say it again, and it's very simple:

Naming a season's MVP solely from the regular season is as counter-intuitive as naming a champ solely from the team with the best regular season record.

LeBron snubbed for All-NBA: Now THAT was a shocker. Nash, Amare, Kobe, Dirk and Duncan made it. I find it hard to grasp that "experts" can't agree that LeBron is one of the Top 5 players in the league. (You know what this is, don't you? The LeBacklash, in its most potent form.)

My usual call for awards transparency: I would like to see the complete ballots of the 129-member panel, so we can see which specific 65 voters didn't think LeBron was first-team All-NBA.

My All-NBA First Team: Nash, Kobe, Dirk, Bosh, LeBron. Second Team: Duncan, Amare, Arenas, Yao, KG.

Pistons go up 3-0 on Bulls, even after Chicago held a 19-point 3rd-quarter lead at home. It's not just that the series is o-v-e-r, but the Bulls have been completely obliterated in the process. If they are the Baby Bulls, this was their bris. Maybe this rite of passage – every two decades or so, a Bulls team has to get pummeled by the Pistons en route to a title a few years later – will make them stronger. Or maybe it exposes them as the "paper bull" the team really is.

Suns-Spurs intrigue: Amare says Bruce Bowen is dirty. Really? This is what goes for "scandal" these days? The scandal would be: Who DOESN'T think Bowen plays dirty?

MLB Stud: The Indians, who got permission from MLB to wear Larry Doby's No. 14 on August 10. Every member of the team will wear the number in tribute to the AL's first black player.

MLB Dud: The Blue Jays, whose lost season found its ultimate symbolism when pricey closer BJ Ryan underwent season-ending elbow surgery.

Yankees: Freedom-loving or -hating? I did not know this until it was in the paper and subsequently covered by blogs: Yankee Stadium won't let fans leave their seats during "God Bless America" in the 7th inning. Because nothing honors our unique and cherished brand of American "freedom" like "don't effing move."

In the hierarchy of American values, your presumptuous and elitist perception of my lack of patriotism does not trump my freedom to go to the bathroom or concession stand during the middle of an inning of a baseball game. (h/t: Deadspin | Fanhouse)

MLB Weekend: Who had "Brewers-Mets" as the biggest series of the season so far when you were looking at the schedule in March?

MLB Steroids: Claiming privacy, MLB players won't agree to let George Mitchell have their medical records. It's not outrageous, and it's not paranoid to question whether those records – connected with other testing – would be leaked to the media by the Mitchell group.

Rory Sabbatini disses Tiger: "Rowr-y" claims the Man is "as beatable as ever," adding he'd want to take him on during Sunday's final round.

I appreciate bold talk as a way of making the radar (and you always want to punch up a class), and I refuse to sit here and go "Oooh: Tiger's gonna whip your ass for that one!"

Maybe he will, but I don't mind seeing a little "dispute" put into the "undisputed king" of golf. "Undisputed" anything is boring.

(Meanwhile, Tiger didn't have a single birdie in the entire round for the first time in four years. Now THAT sounds like a streak.)

NFL: Pacman Jones meets with Roger Goodell today to appeal Goodell's punishment of a season-long suspension of Jones.

Jones has a point: Based on previous punishments, this one seems unusually harsh. I appreciate that Goodell wants a crackdown on off-field behavior problems, but the decision to put all the weight on Jones seems arbitrary in its timing and severity.

(By the way, if you haven't seen the lawyers' document listing all of the NFL off-field infractions going back... a long time... you've got to head over to Deadspin to see it. Amazing stuff, and it truly backs up Jones' "unfairly unprecedented" claim.)

T.O. won't be at mini-camp: What, like you're surprised?

Falcons owner Arthur Blank was "stern" in a meeting with Michael Vick: What, like you're surprised?

Dale Junior leaving DEI, the day after: Scroll down to the post belo for a longer take. But I got an appropriately brilliant response from CNBC's Darren Rovell, who said the most apt comparison was that it was like Steve Jobs leaving Apple.

Landis offered deal to snitch on Lance: Floyd Landis says the USADA offered him a cakewalk punishment if he'd give them the goods on Armstrong. Now THAT's messed-up.

Again, happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

-- D.S.

67 comments:

Clinton (Indianapolis) said...

The Yankees story about enforcing patriotism reminds me of when I was accosted by several co-workers for not having one of those magnetic "Support Our Troops" ribbons on my car. I tried to politely explain to the mouth-breathers that my support should have been implied, considering that I'm an American citizen, and I'm not insecure enough to have to buy a stinking ribbon to show everyone else that I really do support the troops.

No wonder nobody takes this country seriously anymore...

Unknown said...

Goodell's response to Pacman should be:
"I don't give a shit what happened in the past. My name isn't Tagliabue. My name is Roger Goodell, bitch. You'd best recognize."

Luke Bell said...

1. It's the 7th inning stretch. You are suppossed to move.
2. It's God Bless America, not the national anthem. What the hell?

As if I needed more reasons to hate the Yankees.

Jingoist said...

Darren Rovell's analogy is a little off base. If we could change history and Dale Sr. was alive and HE left DEI, then THAT would be like Steve Jobs leaving Apple. But to say Jr. is Steve Jobs is a poor analogy.

I wouldn't compare Jr. leaving to any other scenario. It is, in my mind, VERY unique. The son made the father's company BETTER- so much so that he "experts" project at least a 50% drop in the value of DEI (ouch).

I guess the step-monster figures owning DEI outright and getting 50% on the dollar is better than getting 49% and giving Junior majority stake. Not my type of business strategy, but hey we're talking about a very erratic and naive businesswoman who fell into her husband's fortune/company.

Wow, I can't believe i just had that long an opinion on NASCAR.

Incidentally, Sens take Game 1 in Buffalo.

Adam Giblin said...

Obviously the various leagues have thought about holding off on the MVP awards until after the postseason, but the immediate problem is that then the MVP would just be the finals MVP every year, right? D Wade was the single reason the Heat won last year, so he was therefore the slam-dunk MVP by your standard, even though Nash may have had a bigger impact on the success that his team had (even if it wasn't the ultimate success). The award is just not that compelling if it goes to a player from the champion every year (although in college I think Tournament POY trumps National POY). That's why there's a separate Finals MVP award. The MVP is designed to be the player who was most valuable to his team during the regular season. That's the whole point. Now, I still don't think it was Dirk, and the embarrassment is still there due to the playoff choking, but the whole point is that it measures regular season success, and Dirk had a lot of it.

The Poobah said...

Each sport also has a finals or postseason MVP, so I don't see the problem there.

LeBron completely half-assed it the first 40 games or so. Is he one of the Top 5 players in the league? Of course. Was he one of the 5 best over the course of the whole season? Maybe.

The Yankee Stadium thing is a huge "whatever". How long is the song there, 45 seconds?

Agreed on Sabbatini. He just doesn't give a crap. Although when I read his full comments, they didn't seem that bad. He wants to be there playing with Tiger every Sunday.

There have been a lot of horrendous player conduct incidents with the NFL. But at what point do you take a stand and say "enough"? I don't have an issue with the suspension.

BLT said...

Dan,

The NBA MVP argument has to stop. Every league gives out its MVP based on the regular season, and another for the playoffs. Dirk was an MVP caliber player all season long, and thus was in the mix with 3/4 other to receive the honour. He obviously won't get it for the playoffs, but like hockey/baseball it is sometimes an unlikely guy that comes up big during the teams championship run that gets the playoff MVP prize. If GSW could go the distance, Baron Davis maybe, but you would never consider him the MVP of the league over 82 games.

To take that season MVP honour away would be silly. What if the Lakers missed the playoffs this year, no sportswriter could have even considered Kobe as MVP which is ludicrous.

Jingoist said...

And to my last point, Dan...

You couldn't even spend a line of text on the Sens/Sabres playoff matchup?

Richard K. said...

Lebron got robbed for the MVP? Really?

My top 5 would have been:
1. Tim Duncan
2. Steve Nash
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Chris Bosh
5. Lebron James

CMFost said...

studs- Wakefield, Conteras, D.Lowe (until the 9th), Escobar, Youkillis, Oakland's offense, Texas Offense

Duds - Halladay, D.Lowe (in the 9th), Wang, Yankees Bullpen, Royals Pitching

Michael said...

I'll preface this comment by saying that I am too lazy this morning to look any of this up to be sure but wasn't Sabatini in the final round with Tiger last weekend when Tiger won a tournament. Did that first hand beating not teach Rory a lesson.

MLB Stud: Tim Wakefield is having a better season than Beckett without the run support or else there would be two Sox starters with 7 and 0 records. The guy has an ERA below 2!!

How can you say that the regular season MVP should not come from the regular season. Would you not have given A-Rod his MVP in texas that he deserved even though his team didn't even make the playoffs? I think an argument can be made that Kobe should have been given the MVP and his team didn't stand a chance in the playoffs. You are essentially rendering a regular season irrelevant which isn't the case.

CMFost said...

All leagues MVP awards have always been for the regular season and they should be based on the regular season since the league MVP is not always on the best team. Take Andre Dawson winning it for a last place team or A-Rod when he won the MVP in 2003 when his team was 20 games under .500

The only thing I would like to see is instead of the NBA,NFL and MLB naming finals mvp's they should do what the NHL does and give out a playoffs MVP award

Unknown said...

Hockey fans... did you miss the memo? Dan told us he won't cover the NHL but that commenters are welcome to start convos about it.

ToddTheJackass said...

Yesterday's MLB Studs and Duds:

Studs:
1. Kelvim Escobar
2. Jose Contreras
3. Dan Johnson
4. Tim Wakefield
5. Josh Willingham

Duds:
1. Roy Halladay
2. Chien Ming Wang
3. Matt Albers
4. Luis Vizcaino/Sean Henn
5. Jeff Weaver

So what is the penalty if you get up and go to the bathroom during God Bless America? Does Al-Yankzeera send you to Guantanamo?

Dave Kern said...

That stuff with the Yankee's is unbelievable.

Putting aside the fact that that tenor blowhard who sings for them every game is atrocious and that "God Bless America" is a terrible song set to the melody of "God Save the Queen" (The national anthem of this country should be "America, the Beautiful." "The Star Spangled Banner" is too hard to sing and the melody is that of an English drinking song...I digress)

I cannot believe that they would do this, and I also cannot believe that this is just making news.

Have they been doing this 2001 when this lame tradition began? Yes, I know it came as a result of 9/11, but why are they still doing it? I'll take "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch, thank you very much.

Free speech activists should be all over "The House that Ruth Built" exercising their right to get a hot-dog or take a leak during the 7th inning stetch.

Steinbrenner can make his players get a haircut whenever he wants, but this is ridiculous.

DEATH TO THE EVIL EMPIRE!

Brian in Oxford said...

It's "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" which has the "God Save the Queen" melody, actually.

Goodell should emphatically state that there's a new sheriff in town, in case he's suddenly a lot tougher on thugs than Tags was.

Sens, baby!

Jobs did leave Apple in a power struggle, the company fell apart, and brought him back in to save it and turn it around it. Dale Jr. could easily do that 10 years from now.

Steve said...

Dan, How can you make a statement like "Naming a season's MVP solely from the regular season is as counter-intuitive as naming a champ solely from the team with the best regular season record." and yet fully support the BCS? You either think the regular season matters or you don't but don't straddle both sides of the fence.

If I were at Yankee stadium and they tried to pull that shit, I'd get up and go to the bathroom anyway, chains or not. I really hate all this patriotic jingoistic bullshit that's going on all the time now. The U.S. is not better than any other country in the world and the sooner we lost that attitude the better.

Dave Kern said...

Brian...

Thanks. I got a little fired up for myself.

Stewart said...

That Yankees story reminds of something that (TOO!) often happens during the playing of the national anthem at sporting events in the Washington-Baltimore region. In Baltimore, fans scream "Oh!" in support of their beloved Orioles during the anthem. That action has crept down to the DC area, most notably at Capitals and Redskins games. Because I LOVE our anthem -- and the son of a Korean War veteran -- I ALWAYS stand at attention during its playing. Anyone who screams at any time during the anthem is starting to be met with a "Shhhhh!!!!" because I think it's disrespectful to what the anthem means, as well as those singing it. Am I wrong in denying them their right to -- in my opinion -- disrespect the anthem?

Unknown said...

I'm looking at Pacman's appeal in a couple ways. First, most of the incidents in the appeal document didn't occur under Goodell's watch, but Tagliabue. So sure, the suspension seems (and is) unprecedented, but it also is now Goodell's show to run.

Second, if Pacman gets a year and Tank Johnson gets nothing, something is messed up. Johnson has been just as reckless in his decisions and somehow the NFL still let him go to the Super Bowl. That's the one you have to harp on, because that situation is as messed up as Jones'.

I love the NY papers today too, talking about how old the outfield looked yesterday. I still think it's the most dangerous lineup in the league, but Abreu looks just awful, and now he's carrying his at bats into the field. Just can't do that.

Clinton (Indianapolis) said...

Stewart, you're not wrong to voice your opinion. That's what this country is all about.

What the Yankees are doing, however, is restricting peoples' movement during a period of time. What if there were a legitimate emergency at that moment, but nothing could be done because people aren't allowed to leave their seats.

I can't fathom somebody telling someone else in a BALLPARK when they can and can't move. It's not parade ground on a fort, it's a freaking BALLPARK.

ToddTheJackass said...

Interesting Ripken came out in support of Barry (or at least the presumption of innocence). I'm not an O's fan, but they don't come any classier than Cal. Awesome to see the O's ahead of the Yankees though.

Should also be an interesting test for the Brewers, in that the upcoming schedule for them should really test exactly how good they are.

Joey said...

I feel bad for the rest of the teams left in the playoffs now. LeBron being left off of 1st Team All NBA is just going to make him play that much better. Voters have to be on crack to not think he is one of the 5 best players in the league, he is easily the best SF in the league.

His numbers blow Amare away playing in a slower half court offense. Everything that everyone loves about Nash being unselfish and making his teammates better, LeBron does the same thing from the forward spot. His best asset is his passing. That is what sets him apart from other big scoring guys. He also has that ability to just get to the hoop whenever he wants.

Part of the reason people think he was slacking the 1st half is he had a variety of injuries and was tired from the summer qualifying. His slacking is still better than pretty much everyone.

CMFost said...

you know what at this point the Barry Bonds story does not matter. He is going to break the Home Run record and you know what good for him. He did what a majority of the other players in the league did at the same time he took steriods. Since the rules are just now starting to be enforced why hold it against him. There are probably tons of players that if it ever game out who did steriods that would shock everyone. Honestly it would not surprise me to find out Cal Ripken did steriods since knowing the team he was on at one point he probably did. If you can get away with it why not give your self an edge. We all do it in a given fields of work. We all find whys to perform better and make us better in what we do. that is all these players did.

CorrND said...

To add a little to the Steve Jobs/Jr. analogy discussion: I believe Steve Jobs was forced out at Apple, whereas Jr. is choosing to leave.

Mega said...

MLB Stud-
Jose Contreras, shutting down a young and studly lineup

MLB Dud-
Carlos Zambrano, if he pitches like this in the worst division against its worst team, just imagine how badly the AL teams are going to light his ass up.

Melbye said...

Yeah, I tried to get on here early this morning, but nothing was up...Anywho, I was thinking about this last night...How does the info on NBA MVP get out every year and if it's out, freakin announce it or find a way to stop the leak...Don't know any other sport that has stuff show up in the news a week before it's released. All other sports have to rely upon speculation...

CMFost said...

good news


Friday night lights is coming back

ToddTheJackass said...

Ricky Williams failed another drug test? How could that have happened?

kitibo said...

On your point as far as talking trash, I have no problem with someone who can talk trash, but you have to earn it on the course to be able to talk trash on arguably the greatest player of all-time. Especially when you had the shot at the title a week before, played with him and got beat down, when that player did not even play his best. I would love to be considered beatable, when I have won 9 out of my last 12 tournaments, have won 4 majors in the past 2 years, and but for the anomaly of playing too soon in the US Open last year after my father died, and missing the cut, I have not finised outside of fourth in a major in my last eight, I would be in the position to tell Rory that he can hug deez nuts

Mikepcfl said...

I dont think it is "jingoistic bullshit" to think the US is the best country in the world. It is impossible not to be overly simplistic this being a blog, but there are several reasons.

This is still the land of economic and political opportunity. Why do so many people want to immigrate here? We have a high standard of living and more freedom than just about anywhere else. Lately, the media has said that we are crushing free speech and expression. But France is the country cracking down on muslims wearing their preferred headdresses. The muslim community is fairly well integrated here, that's why we have not had many homegrown terrorist incidents. It's hard to recruit terrorists from the US because most ethnic/religious minorities are happy here.

Countries all over the world ship their products here bcause we are the world's biggest market. The money we spend keeps the world economy afloat. The dollar is still the dominant currency in the world. The US set up the world's economic system following WWII that set in motion decades of growth. Anyone remember the Marshall Plan that jump started the European economy?

There have always been debates over the use of the US military, but for the past 60 years, we've done a pretty darn good job in protecting the peace against aggression. When there is a world crisis, who does the rest of the world look to for solutions? Our military has provided the protection for the world's economic growth of the past few decades.

Sorry, but I dont think it is wrong to believe we are the best country in the world. This is not to put down any other countries. If there is some guy out there in England or Germany (even France) who believes that his country is the best, I say go for it. He probably has good reasons to believe it too. We should be proud of our country. It only becomes jingoism or unhealthy if you think you are a master race like the Nazis who should subjugate the rest of the world. A healthy pride in believing your country is the best in the world is a good thing no matter where you live.

(BTW, I think the Yankees policy for the 7th inning is BS.)

mcam09 said...

@cmfost,

Glad to see FNL is coming back, really got into that show, especially the second half of the season, really turned into a great show. Just wondered why more people weren't watching.

pv845 said...

Dirk deserved the MVP for the regular season. No one helped his team more and had their team accomplish more than Dirk. Just look at how bad he played in the first round and how much his team suffered. You can make all the arguments you want for having the MVP voting come later, but then it isn't the REGULAR SEASON MVP. It would then be the whole season MVP.

As for Lebron not being on the first team. Again you miss the point Dan. It isn't the 5 best talents in the NBA (which I think he isn't a member of either, but that is another debate). It is the 5 best players from the season. Lebron did not deserve to be on the first team. It isn't a recognition of potential, or what you could have done. It is recognition of what you did. Every stat for him dropped from last season and previous seasons. He had a good season, just not better than the players on the first team.
As for the Suns, whine, whine, whine. Maybe it was cheap, maybe it wasn't. It is a contact sport and Dr. Naismith invisioned defense as part of the game and the Suns play NONE and the Spurs play a ton.

ToddTheJackass said...

Clinton, your story about co-workers accosting you reminds me of the AIDS ribbon-Kramer incident on Seinfeld.

As for the forced patriotism, etc. I think it's fine to be proud of your country, as national pride can be a good thing. It's when it gets too self-righteous and prohibitive that it becomes a problem. Clearly this current administration has suffered greatly from being too self-righteous, and not being open to challenging ideas outside of their own direct circle. And that whole "you're with us or with the enemy" cowboy shit needed to go along time ago, like around the time of Andrew Jackson...

So back to the Yankees, do they really enforce that rule? Will they kick you out of the stadium if you try and use the bathroom?

Justin Kadis said...

Quote:

As for Lebron not being on the first team. Again you miss the point Dan. It isn't the 5 best talents in the NBA (which I think he isn't a member of either, but that is another debate). It is the 5 best players from the season. Lebron did not deserve to be on the first team. It isn't a recognition of potential, or what you could have done. It is recognition of what you did. Every stat for him dropped from last season and previous seasons. He had a good season, just not better than the players on the first team.

-----------
Rebounds, assists and points are all down a little from last season. I will agree with you on that point. But he did average at least 27/6/6 for the third year in a row which only Big O has done. I think Dan is right, there is a backlash. LeBron played so well last year that by having a worse year his stats are worth less. I wouldn't put him in my Top 3 for MVP discussion this season, but he got hosed for being kept off the All-NBA First Team.

Brian Windhorst has a nice explanation of what happened with the voting process this year (looks like Ohio from the 2004 Presidential election):
blogs.ohio.com/cavaliers_blog

pv845 said...

Justin I will agree that his stats are gaudy, but stats are just that. Look at what the first team players did this season. 4 of the five are from the 3 best records/teams during the regular season. Kobe is just Kobe and had an amazing season, again. He was voted into the only spot that Lebron could have hoped for.

Darklawdog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dave Jackson said...

At what point does the NFL stop looking the other way when players screw up? I really don't care if the suspension is unprecedented. Other players will surely take notice.

This is something Goodell had to do. And remember, the union didn't fight it. They both recognize something has to be done for the good of both the league and its players. If Jones didn't want to be made an example of, he shouldn't have gotten himself arrested FOUR times.

I do agree with Collin that Tank Johnson seems to be getting a free pass here.

Darklawdog said...

"Look at what the first team players did this season. 4 of the five are from the 3 best records/teams during the regular season."

Where would the Cav's be without Lebron's presence? Lebron improves the play of all of his teammates and his stats are still gaudy. Also, it seems to me that the Cav's had a pretty good record as well. The 2 seed in the East (I know the east is the weaker conference), but as of now they have yet to lose in the playoffs.

Stats are just stats, but when you do what Lebron has done all year, then yes I think he was undeservedly left off the first team.

Unknown said...

First of all, LeBron not being on the 1st Team is just insane. There is no exuse for it. No one in their right mind leaves him off top players in the league. In my mind it is Kobe, LeBron, and Nash at the top and then everyone else.

Second of all, Nash should win the MVP. Last year it should've been LeBron and the year before it should have been Shaq. This year he deserves it.

Third of all, the NBA awards are fine. 1 for the regular season, 1 for the playoffs. You can't have one for the whole season because then what would you do in those early 80's years when Jordan averaged like 35 but didn't make the playoffs? He can't even be considered?

STEWART-
As an O's fan I can tell you that in the general area around here whenever the anthem is sung they have adopted a policy to tell the singer that they should have a big pause till after the "OH" and it works perfectly. The practice can also be heard at O's away games and it freaks people out. I remember there being a big "OH" at a game at Yankee I was at and all the evil fans were looking around confused.

And I will mark down the God Bless America thing as #95463 on my reasons I hate the Yankees list.

CM-
Wow you are on both sides of me today...
my good side- FNL is back! I can't wait. Such a good show.
my bad side- Cal was on steriods? Are you kidding. Look at his numbers. Consistant. Look at his body. Consistant. Look at the proof he did them. What? There is none? Whoops.

One last thing... CLEAR EYES! FULL HEARTS!...

CMFost said...

guy is was more of a statement to say we would really be surprised who did steriods if we ever got the names of all the players who did steriods.

As for Cal I was just saying it would not surprise me. he played with Palmerio and Brady Anderson and he is one of the few players that at an older age was able to go out and play every day.

chipp said...

The NBA West is being touted as the better conference, but doesn't Detroit seem like they're going to be tough to beat? They haven't lost in the playoffs yet, giving them extra rest (if they sweep CHI, especially so). Can either the Nets or Cavs beat them? Doubtful. They should roll through either of them in no more than 5. They will be the most rested team going into the finals and should have a great opportunity for another title.

Brian in Oxford said...

Detroit might pull the first Moses Malone....fo', fo', fo'....but that would only get them to the finals.

I may have to check Elias says...has any team ever swept 4, then been swept 4 in their next series?

If only the playoffs MVP were for the playoffs, rather than the finals.

Any good boxing this weeekend?

Justin Kadis said...

Quote:

I may have to check Elias says...has any team ever swept 4, then been swept 4 in their next series?

------------

The 1989 Lakers swept the Suns in the Western Conference Finals and then were swept by the Pistons in the NBA Finals.

Mikepcfl said...

Actually, the fact that Cal played every day (until his final couple seasons) are evidence he did not use steroids. He never had any of the "muscle pulls" that steroid users typically had. If Cal had a huge power number spike, it might make sense. But I think steroids would've hurt more than help with the streak.

Unknown said...

Hey, I was at the Yankee game yesterday. I stood up and crossed my heart for the national anthem and also stood respectfully for God Bless America. I didn't feel anyone infringed on my rights. I saw some nappy haired leftover from the 60's last year at Shea intentionally sit down during God Bless America. Nobody said anything or did anything. However I did have the impulse to walk over and call her a bitch.

Richard K. said...

Todd,

You're suprised that Ricky failed another drug test?

CMFost said...

mike - steroids do not always make you stronger. They can also help you recover quicker with light works out. You still need to do a pretty strong workout for the steroids to really help you get markedly stronger. It is one of the reason pitchers, especially relivers would use them since they help your muscle recover from fatigue quicker.

Brian in Oxford said...

cycledan,

Was your hippie friend protesting the song? Or protesting the fact that it was shoved down the crowd's throats?

I for one don't like that somehow sporting events are excuses to rally up political statements. (It's not like the national anthem is played before movies, rock concerts, or dance/theatre shows.)

pv845 said...

Yes, the Cavs would be horrible without Lebron, but come on. Like you said, the weaker conference. But even playing their weaker conference they only managed 50 wins. That would have been good for 6th in the west not 2. Second, they have been kicking tail in the playoffs, but who have they beat? That's right, the Wizards without Agent 0 and the Nets that have a combined age somewhat north of 30. Not exactly stellar teams. I am by no means saying that he does not deserve All-NBA recognition, but I don't have that hard of a time believing he was not worthy of 1st team status.

CMFost said...

I have no problem with the anthem being played before I game. It is one of those traditions that we grew up with. I am sick of the seventh inning stretch having good bless america played. What happen to the traditional 7th inning stretch songs??? Luckily in Fenway they only do god bless america on Sunday's. No if we can only stop them from playing sweet caroline in the 8th

Mikepcfl said...

CM, I'm not a steroids expert. I thought I read that they sometimes lead to muscle injuries. But I also heard they help your muscles recover, so who knows? Just a fan who saw Cal play his entire career, his body never did change that much. Not that I have any inside knowledge or even suspicions, I could see someone accusing him of amphetamine use to keep going out there day after day. I just dont think that steroids would have been his thing. But there have been more surprising revelations on players, so I dont say never.

Mikepcfl said...

For the 7th inning stretch, I love hearing Thank God I'm a Country Boy in Baltimore. It is the greatest thing in the world to jump around and sing to. A Baltimore tradition.

CMFost said...

mike do not get me wrong I am not saying for sure he did them. I would just not be surprised by anyone who we found out was on roids at this point. I think if it ever game out I would be willing to bet at times that there were more players on them then not on them

dogomoreno said...

Come on Dan, Bosh over Duncan and you are questioning Dirk for his postseason... keep the same standards.

danwise1856 said...

What gets me more then the Yankees making people stand still during "Gob Bless America" is those that sing the National Anthem and try to dress it up.

Whether the put a little dance to it, sing off key intentionally or change how it is sung, that is more disrespectful.

When you are around of veterans and they Boo and have tears in their eyes because the song they fought for is being looked at like a piece of meat, that is disrespectful

Dave Kern said...

Cycle-
You're a bigot.

DantheMan-
They didn't fight for a song.

Steve said...

"I for one don't like that somehow sporting events are excuses to rally up political statements. (It's not like the national anthem is played before movies, rock concerts, or dance/theatre shows.) "

Totally agree. A large percentage of professional players aren't American citizens anymore. They also always have a Christian prayer before Nascar races, way to alienate the fan bases of all other religions there.

I don't like patriotism or jingoism because I just don't see the difference between people of different geographical regions, we all bleed red. I don't see a need for all these different nations, we're all just people sharing the same planet. It's just a reason to point out differences instead of celebrating what we all have in common.

/soap box

chitown italian said...

I am late joining today so excuuuuse me if this has been said.

MLB.com is selling pink bats unfortunately my mom would probably swing it at my head if I got her one but for those mom's that thoroughly enjoy baseball I say that's a unique gift.

chitown italian said...

Danny Boy,

I am not sure how I feel about the God Bless America no leaving your seats but I know how I feel about people yapping it up, hitting the concession, etc. during the National Anthem....shut up, get the popcorn out of your hand, get the cap off your melon, quit moving, quit talking on the phone, etc.

You don't have to stand with your arm on your heart but you sure as hell should respect those who serve and have served by being still for two to three minutes.

USMC
1991-1994

Jen said...

mikepc~ I'm coming to Camden...I love that song!!

Unknown said...

DWK, What's your definition of a bigot? I am proud to have friends of almost every race, religion and background. I would never discriminate against anyone based upon those things.
However I can't stand people who take their freedoms here so for granted. It seems to be fashionable for US citizens to hate the US for some reason. It comes in all shapes and sizes from the "I would never buy an American car" up through calling our soldiers war criminals.

My parents were immigrants. They appreciated this country for what it stood for. Sure this country is not perfect or the greatest in everything but there are some things that I love about it.

And to answer the question you are probably going to ask, I can't stand Bush and didn't vote for him. I was against us going into Iraq right from the beginning. But hell if I am going to bad mouth my own country that does so much for me. I don't love all the bullshit patriotism being shoved down my throat. But when the star spangled banner is played, I am going to stand and respect it. And I have no problem standing for Kate's Smith's God Bless America either.

Brian in Oxford said...

One thing to think about is that the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem.

God Bless America is just a commerical song, really. It's not any different from if in 50 years, suddenly we were required to stand at attention for some new-fangled 5th inning tradition of singing "God Bless the U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood.

Unknown said...

mikepcfl-

Went to the game last night and there was a guy near us that in the middle of the inning unzipped his bag pulled out a pair of overalls and put them on over his clothes. Then he took out a straw hat and put it on. He had a whole jig to the song and they had him on the jumbotron. It was so funny I almost fell down laughing. Classic.

thistlewarrior said...

Have you guys read this? I about peed my pants laughing!

http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05/09/brewers-may-literally-be-making-fans-pee-pants/

A.P. Boynton said...

I love this country as much as the next person, but the Yankees playing God Bless America every game needs to stop. Then again, it could be worse. They could have an old pitcher announce his comeback in the 7th inn....oops.....

First Team NBA: Bosh, LeBron, Kobe, Nash, Duncan
Second Team: KG, Yao, Arenas, Amare, T-Mac

Dirk gets nowhere near the top two teams because he plays with no heart. He should be ashamed of himself for not playing hard against the Warriors.

Studs: Beckett, Wakefield, Capuano, Cordero, Josh Hamilton, Peavy

Duds: Yankees pitching staff, Cano, Abreu, Damon, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bulls

Phil said...

Yes a little late but for my mom I got her tickets to a Redsox Yankee's game we already went i gave it to her early she has a blast