For the first PC hockey "weekend" of the new year - should a Tuesday game count as a "weekend" - I'm dusting off the free form rant from earlier in the year.
-First off, Hi Mark. Yes, we will come and visit soon. I was thinking of this weekend, but yet again there's a "the World is coming to an end! Load up on milk and bread and lobsters!!!" type snow storm coming on Saturday night. In truth, it will probably be about 1-2 inches, but the roads will still be awful. Go figure.
-I understand that Tim Army can't come right out and say "Oh my God, we're screwed, we're screwed!" but if there's a reason for optimism about PC's season right now, I'm missing it. One point in Hockey East. One.
-I'll stay in Rhode Island for the next comment. Congrats to Keano Davis and company for somehow getting the PC team I saw flounder against BC to 3-0 in the Big East. I don't care what kind of teams they had to beat to get there and how big of a challenge the game at Georgetown is going to be. That's an accomplishment. Keep up the good work.
-And on opposite side of the spectrum, we have the Celtics. Talk about a perfect cocktail of awfulness: unforgiving schedule, awful bench play, an offense that disappears in the last quarter, teams "figuring out" my man Rondo, a defense that has played poorly at times, and - as always - the awful officiating that NBA is famous for. And now, we have Cleveland on the horizon. The way this travesty of a month is going, look for LeBron to score 137 tonight.
-It's such a cliche: "I almost drove off the road when I heard BLANK on the radio." So no, I didn't almost drive off the road when some caller to WEEI called in to say he thought Theo Epstein was doing a great job this off season. But I did laugh. Loudly. As currently, constituted, the Red Sox will be fighting the Yankees for the Wild Card spot. If everything works out, they might beat out Tampa Bay for the division lead - I'm not sold that the Rays are going to fade.
-Charlie Chaplin needs to focus his feline anger on the tools that infest the Celtics side of www.boston.com. Is it really that boring in Los Angeles that the same two or three Lakers trolls have NOTHING better to do than post immature trash talk and whine about how the person who runs the blog keeps deleting their idiocy? My advice to them : If you don't like your posts being deleted, why don't you attempt to add to the conversation instead of posting like a 9 year old with a sugar high and no dictionary? Or get your own blog so we can make fun of you in a new and different way!
-The biggest story in Boston sports right now is the dismissal of BC's football coach for going behind AD Gene DeFillipo's back to interview for ... the Jets?!?! I've heard every conceivable angle on this story, but no one has yet brought up what an awful job that is: not only are coaching a team that plays second fiddle to the Giants, but you play in a stadium NAMED after the team you're playing second fiddle to. While there's a lot of talent on the Jets, you do have to deal with a quarter back who practically gifted the last game of the season to the opposing team. To top it all off, you have the New York media breathing down your neck and practically begging you to fail. Yep, sign me up for that job! He was better off at the Heights.
Showing posts with label Yankees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yankees. Show all posts
Friday, January 9, 2009
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch/You'll shoot your eye out!
Dear Red Sox fans,
First off, Merry Christmas/Happy Hannukah/Festive Festivus, whatever.
Second off, calm down. Relax. We go through this every year. I know that not signing Texiera and the apparent paralysis of Red Sox management to sign ANYONE AT ALL this year is frustrating, but we're getting too down on the team right now.
I understand that a certain third place team in the Bronx just got a whole lot better, basically by making obvious free agent signings they could afford. Yes, the Be-Pinstriped Ones will be much better next year. But they do that every year. How is this morning any worse than the morning following the Sabathia signing? How on earth is this different from the pick ups of A-Rod and Giambi?
Are Red Sox fans really dumb enough to NOT remember these things happening? And remembering how it didn't lead to a 27th World Championship for You Know Who (and I don't mean Voldemorte).
Don't these spending sprees usually back fire?
Everyone needs to calm down, relax and remind yourselves: it's only December.
Hugs and kisses,
Jon
First off, Merry Christmas/Happy Hannukah/Festive Festivus, whatever.
Second off, calm down. Relax. We go through this every year. I know that not signing Texiera and the apparent paralysis of Red Sox management to sign ANYONE AT ALL this year is frustrating, but we're getting too down on the team right now.
I understand that a certain third place team in the Bronx just got a whole lot better, basically by making obvious free agent signings they could afford. Yes, the Be-Pinstriped Ones will be much better next year. But they do that every year. How is this morning any worse than the morning following the Sabathia signing? How on earth is this different from the pick ups of A-Rod and Giambi?
Are Red Sox fans really dumb enough to NOT remember these things happening? And remembering how it didn't lead to a 27th World Championship for You Know Who (and I don't mean Voldemorte).
Don't these spending sprees usually back fire?
Everyone needs to calm down, relax and remind yourselves: it's only December.
Hugs and kisses,
Jon
Monday, September 15, 2008
Meanwhile, at Fenway Park...
Now that I've talked about the Patriots in 3 consecutive posts, here are some random thoughts about the Red Sox:
-Whatever the problem is with Papelbon needs to be solved now. The last inning of the series finale against Toronto was nightmarish only if you hadn't seen Paps implode against the Rays earlier in the week. Consider that the Red Sox would be tied for first had that not occurred. Since Tampa Bay is genetically predisposed to play tight games in late innings, this might come back to haunt the Red Sox again.
-This might be one of the better American League playoff fields in recent memory: a pain in the arse Rays team that doesn't understand they should be here, a frightening White Sox team that is cruising to the finish line the way they did in 2005 when they won the World Series, the unbelievably dominant Angels and the defending World Series Champions. Now watch the NL team win anyways - remember the 2006 Cardinals?
-Speaking of the Rays, the bandwagon I warned about earlier in the year never materialized. How on earth do you not get behind a team in first place that wins seemingly every close game they play in? It makes very little sense to me. If this happened in any other major league city, the place would sell out in EVERY single game.
-I hate to say this about someone who has been a stalwart with the Red Sox for many years, but Timlin shouldn't be coming out the bullpen in a tight game.
-Yes Jenny, it is nice to see Mike Lowell back.
-As annoyed as I usually am with the Yankees, they make great spoilers, don't they?
-I want to caution everyone not to get too excited: Yes the Red Sox look like a good bet to get to the post season. But if they can't beat Tampa Bay at all this week (and they haven't won a game at the Trop ALL SEASON), there is the chance of the Twins getting up off the mat and getting to within 3-4 games. Just a warning.
-For the record, Overbay was safe. I still think Toronto was toast after losing 2 games, never mind three.
-Would I rather have the division or the wild card? I'll take a playoff appearance any way you can get them - especially since there are no "easy" teams in this field. I suppose it's more "sexy" to win the division, but after the playoffs begin, who really cares? Okay, I'll take the division.
-It was premature to say this in July, but I'll say it now: the Rays are a legitimate threat to get to the World Series. I still think the Red Sox can take them in a seven game series, but the Sox have to get there first.
-Is this the year the Cubs finally win it all? And will people ever stop asking this question every year?
-Whatever the problem is with Papelbon needs to be solved now. The last inning of the series finale against Toronto was nightmarish only if you hadn't seen Paps implode against the Rays earlier in the week. Consider that the Red Sox would be tied for first had that not occurred. Since Tampa Bay is genetically predisposed to play tight games in late innings, this might come back to haunt the Red Sox again.
-This might be one of the better American League playoff fields in recent memory: a pain in the arse Rays team that doesn't understand they should be here, a frightening White Sox team that is cruising to the finish line the way they did in 2005 when they won the World Series, the unbelievably dominant Angels and the defending World Series Champions. Now watch the NL team win anyways - remember the 2006 Cardinals?
-Speaking of the Rays, the bandwagon I warned about earlier in the year never materialized. How on earth do you not get behind a team in first place that wins seemingly every close game they play in? It makes very little sense to me. If this happened in any other major league city, the place would sell out in EVERY single game.
-I hate to say this about someone who has been a stalwart with the Red Sox for many years, but Timlin shouldn't be coming out the bullpen in a tight game.
-Yes Jenny, it is nice to see Mike Lowell back.
-As annoyed as I usually am with the Yankees, they make great spoilers, don't they?
-I want to caution everyone not to get too excited: Yes the Red Sox look like a good bet to get to the post season. But if they can't beat Tampa Bay at all this week (and they haven't won a game at the Trop ALL SEASON), there is the chance of the Twins getting up off the mat and getting to within 3-4 games. Just a warning.
-For the record, Overbay was safe. I still think Toronto was toast after losing 2 games, never mind three.
-Would I rather have the division or the wild card? I'll take a playoff appearance any way you can get them - especially since there are no "easy" teams in this field. I suppose it's more "sexy" to win the division, but after the playoffs begin, who really cares? Okay, I'll take the division.
-It was premature to say this in July, but I'll say it now: the Rays are a legitimate threat to get to the World Series. I still think the Red Sox can take them in a seven game series, but the Sox have to get there first.
-Is this the year the Cubs finally win it all? And will people ever stop asking this question every year?
Friday, July 25, 2008
Enough is enough...
...of my lack of blogging.
Well put.
...and I can't believe I just linked to the Boston Metro! Well, this has been an odd season. The writer of this article does have an excellent point. Enough is enough with the endless Manny debate. Both sides of the Manny debate are just grasping at straws at this point and it's more than a little embarrassing.
Another good point
Excusing the complete pomposity of this article (you're above singing "Sweet Caroline" and the Wave? Well, aren't you superior!), he's absolutely right. The "Yankees Suck" chant is idiotic and needs to be retired immediately. No, I don't secretly like the Yankees. But I would rather hear "Let's Go Red Sox." Because our identifying feature as Red Sox fans should be liking the team - not hating our arch-enemies. Besides, the chant reeks of jealousy. And since 2004, why would we possibly be jealous of them? It's time to grow up...
Well put.
...and I can't believe I just linked to the Boston Metro! Well, this has been an odd season. The writer of this article does have an excellent point. Enough is enough with the endless Manny debate. Both sides of the Manny debate are just grasping at straws at this point and it's more than a little embarrassing.
Another good point
Excusing the complete pomposity of this article (you're above singing "Sweet Caroline" and the Wave? Well, aren't you superior!), he's absolutely right. The "Yankees Suck" chant is idiotic and needs to be retired immediately. No, I don't secretly like the Yankees. But I would rather hear "Let's Go Red Sox." Because our identifying feature as Red Sox fans should be liking the team - not hating our arch-enemies. Besides, the chant reeks of jealousy. And since 2004, why would we possibly be jealous of them? It's time to grow up...
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sox at the break
When I do make predictions, they tend to be wrong, so I'll avoid that temptation. But I would like to say that nothing has been decided by this week of baseball.
When we began the week, the Rays were up by 5 games. Now, largely due to the fact that Tampa Bay is only slightly less incompetent a road team than the Red Sox, the Rays are half a game down. I said last week that the Rays and their "cute" four game league meant nothing. I will say this week that the Red Sox and their tinier half a game lead are just as irrelevant. I expect Tampa Bay to go on a run when they get back home and the Red Sox to continue to struggle on the road. I also expect the BePinstriped Ones to get back into the race and create a three way struggle for the AL East. I wouldn't even put it past the Orioles to get hot.
This could be a very very entertaining second half if four teams can compete for one or two playoff spots.
When we began the week, the Rays were up by 5 games. Now, largely due to the fact that Tampa Bay is only slightly less incompetent a road team than the Red Sox, the Rays are half a game down. I said last week that the Rays and their "cute" four game league meant nothing. I will say this week that the Red Sox and their tinier half a game lead are just as irrelevant. I expect Tampa Bay to go on a run when they get back home and the Red Sox to continue to struggle on the road. I also expect the BePinstriped Ones to get back into the race and create a three way struggle for the AL East. I wouldn't even put it past the Orioles to get hot.
This could be a very very entertaining second half if four teams can compete for one or two playoff spots.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Schmooze
My all time favorite sports talk personality is Steve Sommers out of WFAN in New York. He's funny, articulate, has the ability to put up with a lot of crap from opposing fan (and as a Rangers and Mets fan, he puts up with a great deal) and is generally superior to the most of the on air talent on WEEI in Boston - at least in my opinion. I base this observation on an incident that happened on Saturday.
Steve Sommers was taking phone calls during his usual insanely varied schedule (he tends to be on the air whenever they can squeeze him in) and one of the dumber fans I've ever heard called him. He described himself as an "ex" Yankees fan who had abandoned the team a few years ago before because he didn't like the way the team management was treating Joe Torre and he was sick of Hank Steinbrenner's act. Rather than let him go on with his insane comment, Steve pointed out the logical fallacies in his argument (for example, George Steinbrenner's past misdeeds were even worse) without stooping to personal attacks.
Then I lost the signal. I went over to WEEI and subjected myself to the Mustard and Johnson show. It didn't take me very long to find someone even worse than the "ex" Yankee fan. Instead, we had an "ex" Red Sox fan who went on an 2 minute tirade about how much he hated the Red Sox and how much better things were when Yaz was around and how he was much more interested in his son's college baseball team. Rather than point out that he was an idiot, the two hosts let him rant. In fact, they seemed to egg him on I wanted to reach through the dashboard and strangle this moron and I was rather disappointed that the hosts didn't at least point out that he was a horrible fan - or at the very least hang up on him.
I understand that WEEI is immensely popular, that they are one of the highest rated radio stations in this region - if not the country. I also understand that letting nimrods and jackanapes make asses of themselves on the airwaves is successful business strategy - kind of like how the Romans used to feed people to the lions and stage epic battles for entertainment. Also, I am aware that listening to the Mustard and Johnson show doesn't give me a lot of moral high ground - it is referred to as "Yankee talk" for a reason. Still, I prefer the way Steve Sommers goes about his business and I would gladly trade an entire month of "Boston" sports talk for a 3-4 hour schmooze.
Steve Sommers was taking phone calls during his usual insanely varied schedule (he tends to be on the air whenever they can squeeze him in) and one of the dumber fans I've ever heard called him. He described himself as an "ex" Yankees fan who had abandoned the team a few years ago before because he didn't like the way the team management was treating Joe Torre and he was sick of Hank Steinbrenner's act. Rather than let him go on with his insane comment, Steve pointed out the logical fallacies in his argument (for example, George Steinbrenner's past misdeeds were even worse) without stooping to personal attacks.
Then I lost the signal. I went over to WEEI and subjected myself to the Mustard and Johnson show. It didn't take me very long to find someone even worse than the "ex" Yankee fan. Instead, we had an "ex" Red Sox fan who went on an 2 minute tirade about how much he hated the Red Sox and how much better things were when Yaz was around and how he was much more interested in his son's college baseball team. Rather than point out that he was an idiot, the two hosts let him rant. In fact, they seemed to egg him on I wanted to reach through the dashboard and strangle this moron and I was rather disappointed that the hosts didn't at least point out that he was a horrible fan - or at the very least hang up on him.
I understand that WEEI is immensely popular, that they are one of the highest rated radio stations in this region - if not the country. I also understand that letting nimrods and jackanapes make asses of themselves on the airwaves is successful business strategy - kind of like how the Romans used to feed people to the lions and stage epic battles for entertainment. Also, I am aware that listening to the Mustard and Johnson show doesn't give me a lot of moral high ground - it is referred to as "Yankee talk" for a reason. Still, I prefer the way Steve Sommers goes about his business and I would gladly trade an entire month of "Boston" sports talk for a 3-4 hour schmooze.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Random thoughts about the Red Sox
Bandwagon Ahoy!Would someone please look at the calender? There we go: it's July.
This means that regardless of how the Red Sox (or any of their opponents) are playing, there's still a chance. I bring this up because I grow weary of panicky Red Sox fans, the unbelievably pessimistic bunch who have replaced our usually cocky friends from the Bronx, and the nouveau rich Rays "fans" who are printing up World Series tickets already that NOTHING has been decided. It's July. If you don't believe how inconsequential the standings are at this point in the season, please find a Mets fan and ask him or her about last year. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Hooray for Tampa Bay and their impressive start, but its means nothing unless they can carry this into September and October. The Ray's fan base (who didn't exist prior to July, apparently) will again be purely mythical if they're lack of experience ever catches up with them. I'm sorry - I'm not impressed by a week where the Rays roll over the Marlins, Pirates, the Lowell Spinners team impersonating the Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals. That's what Tampa Bay is supposed to do with that collection of teams.
Pink Hats I have two problems with the so called "Pink Hats" and only two. 1. Pink is not a color of the Boston Red Sox. It is not a color of any major sports team - with the possible exception of Juventus. 2. Jason Variteck is not going to have sex with you.
Other than that, we're completely cool.
I love it how the media is trying to spin the friction between the Red Sox diehards who predate the massive post 2004 bandwagon and their new bizarrely colored opponents in Red Sox "nation" as some form of sexism rearing it's ugly head. In fact, I think the real friction is between the people who had to go through the late forties, 1967, 1975, 1978, 1986, the abysmal playoff series in 1988, 1990, 1995, and 1998, and the cataclysmic stupidity in 2003 and the late comers who have latched on to the "Nation" silliness or whatever the Rem Dog is selling this week. While it's fun to pose Wally the Green Monster in different positions or vote for the president of Red Sox "Nation", none of this has a thing to do with rooting for the Boston Red Sox. Can we please get back to supporting the baseball team and stifle any talk of us being a "nation" and not a fan base? No wonder everyone now hates us; how presumptuous it is for Red Sox fans - or anyone else! - to describe their rooting experience as nationhood! While rooting for a team should be fun, baseball is an enjoyable enough sport to follow on it's own merits without the additional silliness. This is a sport. Not a lifestyle.
Part of the problem is that because I root for all four "Boston teams", I can not lavish all of my time and energy on the Boston Red Sox. I root for the seemingly (ouch) invincible Patriots just as hard as I do for the hapless Bruins. You can follow four sports at one time - this is what prevents me from growing obsessed about the Sox to the point where I would join in whatever silly pink or green capped "Nation" the marketing division at Fenway is jamming down our throats this week. And it is marketing. I hate to say this, but isn't this faux "nationhood" deal the reason why everyone hates Cowboys fans?
MannyManny should have been forced to sit down for one game following his altercation with the traveling press secretary. The end. He should not have been traded, kicked off the team, put on waivers, arrested, or beaten up by the press secretary's family. The discussion of Manny's punishment was a lovely attempt to distract us from the five game losing streak, but it was a transparent one. I grow weary of the reflexive Manny bashing on the part of the Usual Gang of Idiots at WEEI.
The good old days I also tire of the grumpy old man segment of Red Sox fans (first in queue is the arch-masochist Angry Bill who has been whining and carrying on since 2004 in an apparent desire to resurrect Bucky Bleeping Dent or whatever tragedy it is he'd like to revisit) who have been moaning about the team since Yaz retired in 1983. That's a long time to hold a grudge. Besides, if you want to root for a hopeless case, you have the Bruins. The anti-hockey establishment in Boston is almost as hopelessly pathetic as the frauds who hate the "new" Red Sox for selling out. I'd love to be ignorant enough to accuse the Red Sox of selling out. Tom Yawkey's teams of the 40's and 50's were always the highest paid in baseball. And let's not sugar coat the fact that the Sox were the last team in baseball to integrate. Yeah, nothing like 86 years of misery, overpaid prima donnas, and racism to make one nostalgic, right?
I hate to sound arrogant, but I like it when my team wins a championship. It's a satisfying way for my loyalty to be repaid. If you don't know why, please understand that rooting for PC hockey makes me appreciate these things far more than I would otherwise. How can you get spoiled when you root for the Boston Bruins?
This means that regardless of how the Red Sox (or any of their opponents) are playing, there's still a chance. I bring this up because I grow weary of panicky Red Sox fans, the unbelievably pessimistic bunch who have replaced our usually cocky friends from the Bronx, and the nouveau rich Rays "fans" who are printing up World Series tickets already that NOTHING has been decided. It's July. If you don't believe how inconsequential the standings are at this point in the season, please find a Mets fan and ask him or her about last year. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Hooray for Tampa Bay and their impressive start, but its means nothing unless they can carry this into September and October. The Ray's fan base (who didn't exist prior to July, apparently) will again be purely mythical if they're lack of experience ever catches up with them. I'm sorry - I'm not impressed by a week where the Rays roll over the Marlins, Pirates, the Lowell Spinners team impersonating the Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals. That's what Tampa Bay is supposed to do with that collection of teams.
Pink Hats I have two problems with the so called "Pink Hats" and only two. 1. Pink is not a color of the Boston Red Sox. It is not a color of any major sports team - with the possible exception of Juventus. 2. Jason Variteck is not going to have sex with you.
Other than that, we're completely cool.
I love it how the media is trying to spin the friction between the Red Sox diehards who predate the massive post 2004 bandwagon and their new bizarrely colored opponents in Red Sox "nation" as some form of sexism rearing it's ugly head. In fact, I think the real friction is between the people who had to go through the late forties, 1967, 1975, 1978, 1986, the abysmal playoff series in 1988, 1990, 1995, and 1998, and the cataclysmic stupidity in 2003 and the late comers who have latched on to the "Nation" silliness or whatever the Rem Dog is selling this week. While it's fun to pose Wally the Green Monster in different positions or vote for the president of Red Sox "Nation", none of this has a thing to do with rooting for the Boston Red Sox. Can we please get back to supporting the baseball team and stifle any talk of us being a "nation" and not a fan base? No wonder everyone now hates us; how presumptuous it is for Red Sox fans - or anyone else! - to describe their rooting experience as nationhood! While rooting for a team should be fun, baseball is an enjoyable enough sport to follow on it's own merits without the additional silliness. This is a sport. Not a lifestyle.
Part of the problem is that because I root for all four "Boston teams", I can not lavish all of my time and energy on the Boston Red Sox. I root for the seemingly (ouch) invincible Patriots just as hard as I do for the hapless Bruins. You can follow four sports at one time - this is what prevents me from growing obsessed about the Sox to the point where I would join in whatever silly pink or green capped "Nation" the marketing division at Fenway is jamming down our throats this week. And it is marketing. I hate to say this, but isn't this faux "nationhood" deal the reason why everyone hates Cowboys fans?
MannyManny should have been forced to sit down for one game following his altercation with the traveling press secretary. The end. He should not have been traded, kicked off the team, put on waivers, arrested, or beaten up by the press secretary's family. The discussion of Manny's punishment was a lovely attempt to distract us from the five game losing streak, but it was a transparent one. I grow weary of the reflexive Manny bashing on the part of the Usual Gang of Idiots at WEEI.
The good old days I also tire of the grumpy old man segment of Red Sox fans (first in queue is the arch-masochist Angry Bill who has been whining and carrying on since 2004 in an apparent desire to resurrect Bucky Bleeping Dent or whatever tragedy it is he'd like to revisit) who have been moaning about the team since Yaz retired in 1983. That's a long time to hold a grudge. Besides, if you want to root for a hopeless case, you have the Bruins. The anti-hockey establishment in Boston is almost as hopelessly pathetic as the frauds who hate the "new" Red Sox for selling out. I'd love to be ignorant enough to accuse the Red Sox of selling out. Tom Yawkey's teams of the 40's and 50's were always the highest paid in baseball. And let's not sugar coat the fact that the Sox were the last team in baseball to integrate. Yeah, nothing like 86 years of misery, overpaid prima donnas, and racism to make one nostalgic, right?
I hate to sound arrogant, but I like it when my team wins a championship. It's a satisfying way for my loyalty to be repaid. If you don't know why, please understand that rooting for PC hockey makes me appreciate these things far more than I would otherwise. How can you get spoiled when you root for the Boston Bruins?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Two problems
Two things I'd like to go over this morning:
1. The story over the weekend that one of the workers on the new Yankees Stadium buried a David Ortiz jersey in the concrete in order to jinx the team is so utterly preposterous that it could have only come from the New York Post. A few things don't make sense here:
A. Why would the person who did this tell ANYONE at this stage of construction? Clearly, if you're going to try to "hex" the Be-Pinstriped Ones, you wait until the stadium is complete. Also, why would you let this get leaked to press? For one thing, you're going to get FIRED from your job. I would think most construction companies would frown on burying random items in concrete. Unless you work for the Mafia, of course.
B. The goofy "let's dig up the jersey" scene that followed. This was especially funny if you remember the Yankees initially dismissing the story as an April Fools joke. Apparently, it wasn't a joke. Or maybe the joke was on anyone who took it seriously.
C. The whole curse thing is hilarious. Red Sox fans went through this malarky during the "Curse of the Bambino" idiocy that the local and national media took over from Dan Shaugnessy in the 80's. Are New Yorkers really naive enough to believe in weird superstitions? In reality, sports is sports and losing streaks happen. God doesn't care one way or another who wins a bloody baseball game. I thought New Yorkers were smarter than this. Or was it just a slow news day?
D. What probably happened was the Yankees planted the jersey, dug it up and put on a huge show. Even if they didn't do it intentionally, this is still colossal waste of time. But it was kind of amusing, as compared to other wastes of time.
2. This is just a quick reminder for John Dennis and Gerry Callahan: Not everything in the world revolves around golf. Because I didn't feel like staying up until 1AM to see the Red Sox and Yankees, I went to bed early and turned on WEEI this morning to see if they were talking about the game. They were talking about the game, kind of. They spent 20 minutes babbling about the fact that baseball games take so long to complete.
I do agree that 4 hours for a baseball game is a bit much. I even agreed with their contention that the game could be stepped up if the batters didn't spend so much adjusting their gloves or stepping out of the batters box after every pitch. These are all valid points.
The problem is that they compared baseball to golf about 30 times in the span of 15 minutes. That was their only sports analogy. Golf. I understand the Masters was yesterday and they're getting over the shock of Tiger Woods not winning something, but come on: isn't there another sport you can compare it to? Basketball? Hockey? Football? The long laborious at bats that baseball is famous for are equaled by the ninety timeouts and fouls that happen at the end of every basketball game and the endless commercial breaks that accompany any NFL or college football contest. Both of those analogies I just made are better than comparing baseball to golf. Where's my million dollar contract and lucrative radio career?
1. The story over the weekend that one of the workers on the new Yankees Stadium buried a David Ortiz jersey in the concrete in order to jinx the team is so utterly preposterous that it could have only come from the New York Post. A few things don't make sense here:
A. Why would the person who did this tell ANYONE at this stage of construction? Clearly, if you're going to try to "hex" the Be-Pinstriped Ones, you wait until the stadium is complete. Also, why would you let this get leaked to press? For one thing, you're going to get FIRED from your job. I would think most construction companies would frown on burying random items in concrete. Unless you work for the Mafia, of course.
B. The goofy "let's dig up the jersey" scene that followed. This was especially funny if you remember the Yankees initially dismissing the story as an April Fools joke. Apparently, it wasn't a joke. Or maybe the joke was on anyone who took it seriously.
C. The whole curse thing is hilarious. Red Sox fans went through this malarky during the "Curse of the Bambino" idiocy that the local and national media took over from Dan Shaugnessy in the 80's. Are New Yorkers really naive enough to believe in weird superstitions? In reality, sports is sports and losing streaks happen. God doesn't care one way or another who wins a bloody baseball game. I thought New Yorkers were smarter than this. Or was it just a slow news day?
D. What probably happened was the Yankees planted the jersey, dug it up and put on a huge show. Even if they didn't do it intentionally, this is still colossal waste of time. But it was kind of amusing, as compared to other wastes of time.
2. This is just a quick reminder for John Dennis and Gerry Callahan: Not everything in the world revolves around golf. Because I didn't feel like staying up until 1AM to see the Red Sox and Yankees, I went to bed early and turned on WEEI this morning to see if they were talking about the game. They were talking about the game, kind of. They spent 20 minutes babbling about the fact that baseball games take so long to complete.
I do agree that 4 hours for a baseball game is a bit much. I even agreed with their contention that the game could be stepped up if the batters didn't spend so much adjusting their gloves or stepping out of the batters box after every pitch. These are all valid points.
The problem is that they compared baseball to golf about 30 times in the span of 15 minutes. That was their only sports analogy. Golf. I understand the Masters was yesterday and they're getting over the shock of Tiger Woods not winning something, but come on: isn't there another sport you can compare it to? Basketball? Hockey? Football? The long laborious at bats that baseball is famous for are equaled by the ninety timeouts and fouls that happen at the end of every basketball game and the endless commercial breaks that accompany any NFL or college football contest. Both of those analogies I just made are better than comparing baseball to golf. Where's my million dollar contract and lucrative radio career?
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