Monday, August 06, 2007

Monday 08/06 A.M. Quickie:
Bonds, Glavine, Steelers, Shaun White, More!

Bonds 755: He took the day off on Sunday, so we can all "enjoy" the moment (if "enjoy" means "get some hot weekday media-outrage action!")

So what DID you think of Bud Selig's reaction to 755: Hands in pockets. He had a hell of a fine line to walk: Did he do it, or make a much of it? Consider that most of those fans in San Diego probably didn't like Bonds much either, but most seemed to cheer anyway.

756 Watch: Bonds goes for the record at home against the Nats tonight. Quite sure that fans in San Francisco will be cheering. (Though Selig won't be there. Isn't it more important for the Commissioner of MLB to be at the record-SETTING game, even more than the record-TYING game?)

Glavine 300: Tom Glavine joins a club with only 22 other members – and one that will likely become even more exclusive as the years go by and even the best MLB pitchers can't come close to 300.

MLB Dud: Clay Hensley, who the day after giving up No. 755 to Barry Bonds was demoted to the minor leagues. Enjoy the infamy.

NFL Hall of Fame Game: Let the month begin of games where you can count the number of plays the starters get on one hand – and then try to divine the implications for your upcoming fantasy draft.

Steelers beat Saints, 20-7: Big Ben was 2/3 for 73 yards, including a 55-yard play to Cedrick Wilson (think Wilson will see a fantasy "most added" up-tick?) Reggie Bush had 2 carries for 8 yards.

(Meanwhile, Michael Irvin must have a pretty good ghostwriter, to pull that contrite-sounding HOF speech out of his rear end. I'm sorry: No single speech will impact his lasting legacy of personal lampoonery. Part of the reason his speech was so notable was because basically everything else that had previously come out of his mouth for the past 10 years was complete and utter idiocy.)

Chiefs sign rookie WR Dwayne Bowe, less notable for his impact on the Chiefs offense (though it might be big) and more for the fact that he's the pick right after Brady Quinn, yet Bowe managed to sign after a lengthy holdout. Quinn manages to look like even MORE of a d-bag.

X Games: Shaun White wins Skateboard Vert event. Between this and snowboarding, is White the action sports equivalent of Bo Jackson? I'd argue that between his jaw-dropping moves and marketability, he is.

MLB Wild Card: The Yankees were 9.5 games behind the Wild Card lead one month ago. Now, they are a half-game behind. I'm no Yankees fan, but this is very good for baseball.

NBA Crime Beat: Rafer Alston was arrested for assault and public intoxication this weekend.

Tomlinson's new Nike ad: Oh my god, I'm so so SO glad he's on my Yahoo Bloggers' League fantasy team, which has a new Behrens draft recap! (video h/t: MDS at FanHouse)

-- D.S.

46 comments:

CMFost said...

If at the end of August after the Yankees have played some good team they are still in the race then we can talk. the Yankees have gotten fat and happy playing the bad teams in the league. I think tonight is the first time they will play a team with 500 or better record since the all-star break.

pv845 said...

Dan, we get it. You hate Brady Quinn and ND. Now shut up and move on!

Again, Selig looks like a tool for not even paying a bit of attention to the game.

Matt T said...

Doesn't matter if they've gotten fat and happy playing the bad teams, they won the games.

.5 a game back is .5 a game back.

Congrats to Glavine as a Braves fan, I'm glad to see him get it, but its unfortunate it was for the Mets.

Unknown said...

Eh..little harsh on Irvin. But I'm a fan of his work as a player, and that's what matters to me as far as HOFs go. So he likes crack, hos, and crack hos. meh



Here we go, Steelers! Here we go!

And dan..if YOU want to pick up Cedrick Wilson, you go right on ahead.

Unknown said...

re: Shaun White = Bo Jackson

You're the old man here, Dan. Do you really forget how marketable Bo was!? I suppose you quantify it by saying "of action sports" which is a small niche market. But Bo was marketable for the two big dogs of sports..MLB and NFL. It's like saying a LLWS slugger is the equal in national appeal to Hank Aaron.

jhawkjjm said...

Yes because QBs are not nearly as important as WRs. Good thing WRs get paid more than the QBs.

Thanks for the Tigers and Indians sucking ass for the last month so that the Yankees are only 1/2 game out of the Wild Card. Dammit.

shueytexas said...

Random thought. Given that public speaking is among the top fears of most people, has there ever been a HOF inductee who just couldn't get up in front of that crowd and deliver, or who tried and didn't make it through? Athletes aren't necessarily communicators, so somewhere through the years surely someone couldn't do it or flamed out. Anyone?

marcomarco said...

Dan, Dan, Dan,

Consistency, my friend. How can you claim that a Yankee wildcard is "Good for Baseball", yet complain like a 3 year old every time they play the Sox on TV?

If there is another Sox-Yanks ALCS, i don't want to hear a peep out of you.

ToddTheJackass said...

MLB Studs and Duds from yesterday:

Studs:
1. Brandon Webb - W, 9.0IP, 0ER, 7H, 4K
2. Scott Baker - W, 8.0IP, 0ER, 4H, 4K, 2BB
3. Dustin McGowan - W, 8.0IP, ER, 8H, 6K, 8H
4. Ryan Spilborghs - 2/3, 2HR (1 ITP), 2RBI, 2R, SB
5. Josh Beckett - W, 6.2IP, ER, 8H, 9K, 2BB

Duds:
1. Andy Sonnanstine - L, 3.2IP, 7ER, 8H, K, 2BB
2. Francisco Cordero - BS, 1.0IP, 3R, H, 2BB, HBP
3. Ryan Franklin - L, 1.0IP, 3ER, 4H, K, BB
4. Gil Meche - L, 4.0IP, 6ER, 6H, K, 5BB
5. Adam Eaton - 4.2IP, 6ER, 9H, 3K, 3BB

Honorary Stud: Tom Glavine - W (300), 6.1IP, 2ER, 6H, K, BB

Bedard for Cy

Big D said...

From the Yahoo! Article:

"Worst. Team. Ever., Dan Shanoff"

Fixed.

Big D said...

P.S. Todd - I agree with you 100% about Bedard getting some Cy consideration. If only the Orioles could put together some semblance of an effort and finish the season at or near .500, he'd have the Around the Horn guys screaming about how deserving he is.

Gotta believe the AL Cy right now looks something like:

Beckett
Sabathia
Bedard
Lackey
Haren

Unknown said...

As an O's fan I can say that watching Bedard for a couple year makes me realize how great he is. This year he is finally showing it. In my opinion he should be the Cy leader right now. Beckett may have wins, but he doesn't have that much in some other categories. Sabathia is next for me.

mattie said...

I thought Selig looked ridiculous, and him not going to the game tonight is just nonsense. I'm NO FAN of Bonds, and hate that he's breaking the record. But Selig needs to just man-up and make a decision about this one way or the other. I'm of the opinion that as the commissioner (and as the commissioner under whose watch the steroids era took hold), he has an obligation to be there, and that if he's going to be there, it's not to pout, get prodded into standing, give a sarcastic clap or two, etc., etc. then release another dumb statement about Bonds being innocent until proven guilty while not explaining why he won't be at the games where Bonds will most likely break the record. This hemming and hawing is just childish.

Yay for Tom Glavine, and for the Mets bullpen not screwing him again (though they made a pass at keeping it interesting right after he left the game). Class guy, HUGE achievement. And good for A-Rod getting 500 as well. That was one hell of a record-setting weekend.

I'm with you on Irvin, Dan.

I'm surprised, Dan, that you couldn't spare a mention for Tiger absolutely beating the hell out of a guy who tried to claim Tiger looked "as beatable as ever." The lesson as always -- don't piss off Tiger. If you actually have the chops to beat him, just do it, that'll speak for itself. Don't take a little shot at him after he's just won a tournament, then go into a Sunday with a one stroke lead over him, then lose by EIGHT. Or is this just more of Tiger's "boring" dominance that's supposedly oh-so-bad for the game of golf? Guess what we need is more Sabbatinis who choke to death in Tiger's presence to make the game more interesting for you!

pv845 said...

Tiger is as beatable as ever. Problem is that he still isn't very beatable.

Jingoist said...

Um, so here's a question... Despite serving a suspension for a year, doesn't Pacman Jones' alleged upcoming involvement in TNA wrestling probably fall under some "No No" clause in his contract?

Can anyone be an absolutely bigger dumba$$ than this guy?

Unknown said...

The Yanks have a brutal schedule in August so they did what they needed to do. Luckily, the only tough team they play in September is Boston for 3 games. That means that they need to say close over this tough stretch and they will most likely do it.

Yanks now lead the league in almost every hitting statistic (avg, obp, runs, rbis) and are tied with Detroit for most HRs.
Their pitching is still very mediocre. Wang is their best starter. Pettite is still good but on the downhill side of his career. Mussina is just an average pitcher now at this stage of his career. We have to wonder how many more quality starts Clemens has left. Hughes is not there yet.

To make matters worse, the bullpen is equally shaky.

ToddTheJackass said...

The Yankees did what they needed to over their easy stretch, playing especially phenomenal at home. It'll be a test in the games coming up, but they do look like they're probably the favorites for the Wild Card at this point, which is what they should be looking toward.

As per their bullpen, they DFA's Mike Myers, and are calling up Joba Chamberlin (pronounced Jabba), who is an awesome flamethrowing prospect who is destroying the minors right now with a blazing fastball that sits around 96-98 on a non-juiced gun. With Proctor gone and the Farnsworth fiasco that is, the Yankees really need Joba to do what Zumaya did for the '06 Tigers (pre-Guitar Hero injury).

But the real story in the AL playoff race has to be the Tigers. What is going on there? Right now, Verlander's the only pitcher I trust, and they just lost Andrew Miller to the DL as well. Is Bonderman hurt or just going through a rough patch? Also, the Sheffield shoulder injury isn't a good sign.

Right now I'd have to say that it looks like the AL playoffs will probably be Red Sox, Angels, Indians, and Yankees. Detroit had better wake up.

Unknown said...

1) The big question on Selig attending 756 isn't whether he SHOULD be there... it's why he doesn't WANT to be there! What would the rest of us give to be in the San Franciso sun right now watching Barry smack some dingers, let alone historic ones? It's a real shame the commish of baseball isn't a baseball fan.

2) How sweet do those new white helmets look on the Chargers? They're got an awesome Penn State look going on.

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

I will agree with Dan on one thing and that is the new LdT Nike commercial, it got me ready for the NFL season.

Brian in Oxford said...

The Yankees' surge is like a big H2 coming up alongside a line of regular cars and cutting off the Tigers to get in the "exit here for playoffs" lane of the highway.

hutlock said...

Forgotten in the Cy Young race:
Fausto Carmona. Kid has been a flat out STUD all year, and he wasn't even supposed to be with the major league club. He'd likely split votes with Sabathia though, and neither one will get it. Which sucks, because they're both worthy. Oh well.

And yeah, I'm pretty pissed at Tigers/Indians for letting the Yankess back in it. I don't think the Yankees in the playoffs is a good thing for baseball at ALL! Let them sit home for one October so some of the other good teams that don't get all their pub can shine in the spotlight for once!

Jen said...

One of the little cars will swerve back, causing he H2 to flip down the side of the off-ramp and the Yanks will be home in October.
(hey, one can dream!)

ToddTheJackass said...

Maybe someone could send their mascot on an ATV and almost run over one of the Yankees position players. I hear it almost worked for the Mariners.

Also, anyone hear about the crazy rat problem they have in Angels Stadium?

Anonymous said...

I still have huge issues with the commish of baseball being a team owner. To me, that is a total conflict of interests and selig should be thankful for some really good baseball in the last few years, because his tenure adds nothing to baseball.

Jen said...

Dan, really...do you think Quinn has much to do with his hold-out? He's working out in Arizona while his agent is duking it out with Phil Savage. Savage is between a rock and hard place right now; he caves and all other GMs will not look at him highly. He continues to be strong and his future QB is not at camp.

Do your homework.

Luke Bell said...

Selig has NOT owned the Brewers in a number of years. Even his daughter sold off a while back. The team is now owned by Mark Attanasio.

And I would argue that the "good baseball" is largely due to Selig's tenure, specifically the Wild Card and three divisions in each league.

chipp said...

Why isn't Putz in the Cy talk? As a closer, he needs to have a perfect final run, but shouldn't he get consideration?

ToddTheJackass said...

I'd rank the AL Cy race as such:

AL Cy:
1. Dan Haren - 13-3, 22QS, 2.46ERA, 127Ks, .606 OPSA

2. Erik Bedard - 12-4, 18QS, 3.09ERA, 192Ks, .633 OPSA

3. J. J. Putz - 32 SV, 1.38ERA, 56Ks, .449 OPSA

4. Johan Santana - 11-9, 17QS, 2.98 ERA, 164Ks, .657 OPSA

5. Josh Beckett - 14-5, 14QS, 3.31ERA 132Ks, .641 OPSA

And yes, I'm now switching back to the Haren camp temporarily. The extra QS did it for me.

chipp said...

No one thinks the Mariners are in the WC race at a-half game back? Their combined opponents for the rest of the season are under .500 (just under, at .4987).

jhawkjjm said...

Dan, here's some info on Quinn you may want to consider:
From the Cleveland paper: The Plain Dealer.

"The No. 22 overall pick, Quinn is seeking about $8 million in guaranteed money, same as the No. 20 overall pick, and the Browns have increased their guaranteed offer to about $7.5 million. Browns General Manager Phil Savage said Friday he was willing to pay a quarterback premium above the No. 22 slot to get Quinn into camp."

Doesn't seem to me like he's asking too much when you realize that guaranteed money is the only part of the contract that matters.

ToddTheJackass said...

Wow, the Mariners are only a 1/2 game back?

Still, I'm not sure if I'm buying the Mariners yet. While their bullpen is excellent, (maybe the best in the AL), I don't buy that rotation outside of Felix, and he's not a lock to stay healthy by any means. As is, they only have 2 starters that have 10 QS or more. At least they finally called up Adam Jones. That dude can rake.

hutlock said...

I'm a Mariners believer, for sure. I'd love to see them beat out the Yanks, in fact.

Toddthejackass: No Sabathia in even the Top 5 Cy Young candidates? WHA?!? He's having a FAR better year than Santana in everything but ERA. I understand not wanting to rank him in the top, but to not have him top 5 tells me you ain't watching very closely.

ToddTheJackass said...

Sabathia ranks 19th in OPSA (.719) among all MLB pitchers with at least 100IP. Also he has 1 less QS than Johan, an ERA of nearly a half-point higher, 16 less Ks. Really C.C. is only beating Johan in Wins, IP, and K/BB ratio.

Wins are totally overrated. Unfortunately though, they do dictate a lot of the Cy race for the voters. That being said I do love C.C, I just don't think he's one of the 5 best pitchers in the AL right now. I'd accept the argument over Beckett, but certainly not over the other guys.

ToddTheJackass said...

Sorry, that's 19th among AL pitchers in OPSA for Sabathia. Haren ranks 1st, Bedard 2nd, Beckett 3rd, and Santana 7th.

Sabathia is probably 6th in my Cy race.

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

Another of source of Bonds’s home run power?

Jen said...

future~ hmm, that is a very interesting perspective on Bonds' "armor".

I'm just glad we don't have to wait for the tie HR, and hope that the go-ahead comes tonight so we don't have to hear about that one anymore.

Kover said...

Hey Malcolm. Unfortunately, I'm sitting in San Francisco, and it's not sunny. At all.

Allen Wedge said...

I'm not a huge NASCAR fan but caught the end of the Busch race Saturday which I think you all would enjoy simply for the amusement of what happened:

4 laps to go there is a big wreck because Kevin Harvick intentionally runs into Scott Pruet and spins him out causing a pileup. (this should be a black flag for Harvick but isn't for who knows why)

Just after this happens Robbie Gordon had just passed Marcos Ambrose for the lead; and after the yellow flag is out Ambrose hits Gordon... (which you would think would be a black flag for Ambrose)

Then Gordon is told by officials he is supposed to be in 13th not 2nd; because that is where he ended up after his spin (which if you remember was caused illegally by Ambrose under yellow). Gordon refuses to concede and passes everyone to go back to 2nd arguing on the radio that he was in 1st when the yellow came out.

At this point Gordon actually is black flagged, but he refuses to leave the track accept it and stays behind Ambrose (why this is allowed who knows).

As soon as the race goes green Gordon hits Ambrose, knocking him out of the race, but since Gordon was actually black flagged he is illegally on the track at this point and not in first place.

Kevin Harvick (who should have been black flagged for the major accident earlier) inherits the lead and goes on to win.

Gordon claims he won and both drivers are doing victory laps and victory peel-outs...

Gordon ends up suspended and is appealing the race.

But shoot if this isn't a matter for debate on what should have happend I don't know what is.

If NASCAR is standing by their ruling on Gordon, why was Gordon's taking out of Ambrose allowed?

And if one hit isn't allowed, shouldn't Harvick and Ambrose also be DQ'd and Patrick Carpentier (the next in line) be declared winner?

Brian in Oxford said...

Sounds like nascar needs an instigator rule so they can't police themselves on the track....ha....

Wormfather said...

To quote one of my fellow KSK readers.

"whowillsexmutombo? said...
To have Winslow's back, and to offer a quick rebuttal to Shanoff:

Name me one speech in the past 100 years of international politics that was not written by a ghost writer. Better yet, name me one coherent speech by a pro-athlete that didn't get a little help from a ghost writer.

And if we're going to base HOF worthiness on how "smart" the stuff coming out of people's mouth is... wow, that is one powerful breeze coming from one empty hall of fame.

In closing, Shanoff, why don't you go let Michael Irvin's cousin [explitive delted) you in the mouth.

Unknown said...

Barry Bonds mechanical advantage

FutureLVY, some aspects of the article may be true but it is not an issue since it is legal. If it is such an advantage, you should see all baseball players start wearing them. I actually would like to see MLB do something to prevent all this armor from being worn. I would allow a shinguard and and arm protector for up to two weeks after a batter is injured or struck by a pitch. After that they need special permission.

ToddTheJackass said...

Per the body armor, I don't mind it necessarily, as no one wants to see their best hitters go down with injuries due to someone hitting them with a pitch.

What does need to be enforced though is when hitters hang those armored parts of their body over the plate. That rule needs to be enforced. But if a guy is legitimately standing in the batter's box and has some armor on, I don't really see the harm in that. I mean, cutting down on injuries isn't a bad thing, right?

Camp Tiger Claw said...

So the Yankees back in it is good for baseball.

The Celtics merely being respectable again isn't good for basketball, it's a bunch of hot air coming Boston sports fans.

Seriously man, some semblance of consistency would go along way.

ToddTheJackass said...

Early stud to Mariano. Yankees Win 5-4.

Mariano: SV, 1IP, 3Ks

Unknown said...

Yanks are now tied for the WC lead. It seems that Seattle, the Yanks and the 2nd place team in the AL central will battle it out.

The WC really keeps fans of at least 6 extra teams interested in baseball during the last month of the season.

Unknown said...

And Bonds goes yard...

All I can say is...wow is Hank Aaron classy...