Posts
This is the reason.
While he's not the webmaster for Baseball Prospectus, it's refreshing to hear players (especially young ones) are embracing the more complex statistical analysis of baseball and doing away with the bullshit "feel and see the game through an old timers eyes" mentality that is still running rampant in upper management of most teams.
Hopefully this is marking a turn in how people will view baseball statistics and will finally make people see that ERA, wins, batting average and RsBI are really archaic ways to view the value of a player. If it's not a shift in mentality, then GMs really are as stupid as the crappy moves they make.
Kudos Max.
8.07.2009
5.08.2009
Has the Sky Fallen?
My gods, the internets is ablaze with Manny drama. Some calling for lifetime bans.
Others calling (and rightly so) for Manny to face the media himself.
Then there is Bill Plaschke, who, in a mere two pages manages to sound like an angry nine year-old girl who didn't get the pony she wanted for Christmas. Plaschke, the master of inane hyperbole, discusses the destruction of a fictional, and incredibly stupid city named "Mannywood" by Ramirez, due to his current suspension. If you've never read Plaschke before, then here is a taste of what you get:
The giddy streets are lined in shadows. The colorful houses are painted in lies. The friendly shops are stocked with juice.
Beautiful, no?
He manages to try to take credit for this with the old cliche of, "I'm not going to say I told you so, but so I told you."(not an actual Paschke quote, but it's lame enough to be) by claiming "In earlier columns [he]warned the Dodgers against giving Ramirez a long-term deal because of his potential for combustion, but [he] never thought [Manny]would be suspended for something like this." Hey Bill, reality calling. I will gladly place infinite dollars and thirty five cents on the line that your moronic prose have zero, ZERO, impact on anyone in the Dodger organization. They don't wear WWBPD wristbands. They don't run to the computer whenever you type to see what they should do to fix the Dodgers.
He is also blatantly wrong: "And while the Dodgers have graciously agreed to close the two sections dubbed Mannywood, they said it wouldn't necessarily be permanent, and they would still hand out Mannywood T-shirts and sell Manny souvenirs, thus teaching children that baseball crime does pay." Apparently, from all reports, Manny merchandise has been pulled from the stands. Also, HOW THE FUCK DOES SELLING A T-SHIRT TO A CHILD TEACH THEM THAT CRIME IS OK YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE? My god man, do you proof your work while you're pulling it out of your ass and slapping it on the page? Baseball is a business. They sell jerseys for their players, as well as all other types of merchandise. If they want to continue selling said merchandise that is a business decision and theirs alone to make. Also, Manny didn't kill someone. He didn't rape a puppy and then eat it. He doesn't write crappy columns for the Los Angeles Times. He didn't charge the mound and try to throw his helmet at a pitcher (should players have their merchandise pulled after they do that too, Bill? I mean that is not only a baseball crime, but a real world crime too). He took a woman's fertility drug that is linked to the possibility of steroid use. (To channel Jim Tracy for a moment) Illegal? Yes. Definitely, no one is arguing otherwise. A crime to end all crimes? No. Also, Bill, they've pulled the Manny merchandise already. Just like you claimed they should, and didn't, but they did it, just to appease you and the rest of the masses who clamor for revisionist histories as soon as your perception of reality is interruputed.
I would be amiss if I didn't note that Plaschke does make a valid point in his article (one that Tim Brown at Yahoo, link above, did, but much more reasonably). Plaschke writes: "Ramirez is the kind of player who would appeal a three-day timeout for throwing a helmet, yet he willingly accepts nearly two months on the sideline and the loss of nearly $8 million? That's all I need to hear. He was caught red-handed, but now it's the Dodgers who are blushing. They not only accepted his explanation, but congratulated him for it. 'The fact that he did take responsibility . . . that was big,' Torre said. Um, no he didn't." Correct there Bill, in a way. Manny took responsibility for taking the drug, and the fact that he did not appeal the suspension is clearly suspicious, but I think what you meant to say was that while Manny admitted that he took the drug, he refused to face the media and chose to hide instead. You know what, fuck it. This Plaschke quote isn't even that good of a point. Just read the Tim Brown article instead.
At the end of the article, Plaschke hits us with a whammy of insanity with the following: "If [Manny] was using steroids, he will be off the stuff by then. His swing will change. His coordination will suffer. The Dodgers can base their season on that, or you can get smart and move on. They can celebrate what they have, a great young team in a lousy division[...]James Loney does little things Ramirez never did[...]They should celebrate that. They should build on that. They should trade to make that better."
Where to start? Plaschke jumps the gun and throws out the giant IF Manny was on steroids, while spending the whole article accusing him of being on steroids. He then goes on to say that Manny's swing will suffer because of it. Do you do any research at all you ass? There are multiple sources, including this ESPN article that clearly indicates that Manny tested positive for elevated testosterone during Spring Training, meaning where he on steroids, he was already off of them before the baseball season began. While I am not justifying their use, Manny's swing when he comes back will be the EXACT SAME SWING as when he left because he wasn't on steroids 2 days ago. IF he were, it was months ago, and the fact that he has never failed a drug test before in his fifteen or so tests that Manny has claimed he's had, if he uses steroids, it's clearly never during the baseball season. This is called critical thinking. About James Loney doing "the little things that Ramirez never did"....um WHAT? What the fuck are you talking about? What little things? Not hitting homeruns? Hitting .100 less than Manny? Having his OBP lower than his slugging percentage? Having an OPS+ of 89 (to Manny's 194)? Or do you just mean, not (allegedly) using steroids? Because that's what you really mean. So just say it, and don't hide behind vague bullshit statements. Also, telling a professional athlete that he does "the little things" is tantamount to calling a retard "special". It's the politically correct way to tell a player that they blow. Players who do the little things: David Eckstein, Scott Podsednik, Juan Pierre, Julio Lugo. Players who don't do the small things: Albert Pujols, Adam Dunn, Manny Ramirez, Evan Longoria. You know you're right Plaschke. I think I'll take the "little things" team.
His last statement in the paragraph is the most arbitrary and worthless addition. In a team that's young and good and in a lousy division, as he claims earlier, the Dodgers should just "trade to make that better"? Are you kidding me? They should trade some of their good young talent, for what? To get worse? To get better? Who should they trade for? Who shouldn't they trade for? This is one of those ridiculous Plaschke comments that serves as no other reason than to fellate himself later in the year. If the Dodgers play poorly, then they should have traded for someone. If they trade for someone, he will say that they listened to him. if they don't trade for anyone and fail to win the World Series, he will yell I told you so. Name one team in the league that doesn't need help somewhere in their line-up? Baseball isn't like basketball. There are always upgrades at every position because you can't really steal possession time from one of your players as in basketball. Every baseball team should "trade to get better". It's one of those moronic "no shit" statements. Ugh, I tire of this idiot.
I am not the first to bash Plaschke, nor will I be the last. Shit, I'm not even the first to bash Plaschke this week (see MSTI already had theirs up earlier. And I did not read their column before writing mine, so any similarities are strictly coincidental), but this guy sucks. He really, really does. Tony Jackson has been laid off, and Bill Plaschke still has a job? Isn't that the real crime? Worse than using steroids? (how's that for some hyperbole, Bill?!)
In closing, I should in good faith address this entire situation. I am not saying Manny is innocent. He isn't. It's possible he's been taking steroids his entire career. But the HCG medication is the only link that he has to possibly taking steroids. This isn't Clemens, or A-Rod, or Canseco. This situation is much more muddled and of course, everyone is jumping to conclusions, whether it means he's innocent, or guilty. I'm not going to spout cliches and yell guilty or innocent. Or say, well that's just "Manny being Manny" like so many idiots have spouted (including co-workers of mine). No sex jokes, no dick jokes, no pointing fingers at other players, no absolution, no complete criticism. No matter the situation, Manny is just a a moron. Plain and simple he was stupid. Whether he is entirely innocent or guilty, he is a moron. Everything about him will be questioned by people, and he fucked up royally. He will be forced to live with the consequences, and will be forced to have shit like this Plaschke article, written about him for quite a while. I can't wait to read the stuff that comes out just before his return. It's going to be a fun week.
Others calling (and rightly so) for Manny to face the media himself.
Then there is Bill Plaschke, who, in a mere two pages manages to sound like an angry nine year-old girl who didn't get the pony she wanted for Christmas. Plaschke, the master of inane hyperbole, discusses the destruction of a fictional, and incredibly stupid city named "Mannywood" by Ramirez, due to his current suspension. If you've never read Plaschke before, then here is a taste of what you get:
The giddy streets are lined in shadows. The colorful houses are painted in lies. The friendly shops are stocked with juice.
Beautiful, no?
He manages to try to take credit for this with the old cliche of, "I'm not going to say I told you so, but so I told you."(not an actual Paschke quote, but it's lame enough to be) by claiming "In earlier columns [he]warned the Dodgers against giving Ramirez a long-term deal because of his potential for combustion, but [he] never thought [Manny]would be suspended for something like this." Hey Bill, reality calling. I will gladly place infinite dollars and thirty five cents on the line that your moronic prose have zero, ZERO, impact on anyone in the Dodger organization. They don't wear WWBPD wristbands. They don't run to the computer whenever you type to see what they should do to fix the Dodgers.
He is also blatantly wrong: "And while the Dodgers have graciously agreed to close the two sections dubbed Mannywood, they said it wouldn't necessarily be permanent, and they would still hand out Mannywood T-shirts and sell Manny souvenirs, thus teaching children that baseball crime does pay." Apparently, from all reports, Manny merchandise has been pulled from the stands. Also, HOW THE FUCK DOES SELLING A T-SHIRT TO A CHILD TEACH THEM THAT CRIME IS OK YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE? My god man, do you proof your work while you're pulling it out of your ass and slapping it on the page? Baseball is a business. They sell jerseys for their players, as well as all other types of merchandise. If they want to continue selling said merchandise that is a business decision and theirs alone to make. Also, Manny didn't kill someone. He didn't rape a puppy and then eat it. He doesn't write crappy columns for the Los Angeles Times. He didn't charge the mound and try to throw his helmet at a pitcher (should players have their merchandise pulled after they do that too, Bill? I mean that is not only a baseball crime, but a real world crime too). He took a woman's fertility drug that is linked to the possibility of steroid use. (To channel Jim Tracy for a moment) Illegal? Yes. Definitely, no one is arguing otherwise. A crime to end all crimes? No. Also, Bill, they've pulled the Manny merchandise already. Just like you claimed they should, and didn't, but they did it, just to appease you and the rest of the masses who clamor for revisionist histories as soon as your perception of reality is interruputed.
I would be amiss if I didn't note that Plaschke does make a valid point in his article (one that Tim Brown at Yahoo, link above, did, but much more reasonably). Plaschke writes: "Ramirez is the kind of player who would appeal a three-day timeout for throwing a helmet, yet he willingly accepts nearly two months on the sideline and the loss of nearly $8 million? That's all I need to hear. He was caught red-handed, but now it's the Dodgers who are blushing. They not only accepted his explanation, but congratulated him for it. 'The fact that he did take responsibility . . . that was big,' Torre said. Um, no he didn't." Correct there Bill, in a way. Manny took responsibility for taking the drug, and the fact that he did not appeal the suspension is clearly suspicious, but I think what you meant to say was that while Manny admitted that he took the drug, he refused to face the media and chose to hide instead. You know what, fuck it. This Plaschke quote isn't even that good of a point. Just read the Tim Brown article instead.
At the end of the article, Plaschke hits us with a whammy of insanity with the following: "If [Manny] was using steroids, he will be off the stuff by then. His swing will change. His coordination will suffer. The Dodgers can base their season on that, or you can get smart and move on. They can celebrate what they have, a great young team in a lousy division[...]James Loney does little things Ramirez never did[...]They should celebrate that. They should build on that. They should trade to make that better."
Where to start? Plaschke jumps the gun and throws out the giant IF Manny was on steroids, while spending the whole article accusing him of being on steroids. He then goes on to say that Manny's swing will suffer because of it. Do you do any research at all you ass? There are multiple sources, including this ESPN article that clearly indicates that Manny tested positive for elevated testosterone during Spring Training, meaning where he on steroids, he was already off of them before the baseball season began. While I am not justifying their use, Manny's swing when he comes back will be the EXACT SAME SWING as when he left because he wasn't on steroids 2 days ago. IF he were, it was months ago, and the fact that he has never failed a drug test before in his fifteen or so tests that Manny has claimed he's had, if he uses steroids, it's clearly never during the baseball season. This is called critical thinking. About James Loney doing "the little things that Ramirez never did"....um WHAT? What the fuck are you talking about? What little things? Not hitting homeruns? Hitting .100 less than Manny? Having his OBP lower than his slugging percentage? Having an OPS+ of 89 (to Manny's 194)? Or do you just mean, not (allegedly) using steroids? Because that's what you really mean. So just say it, and don't hide behind vague bullshit statements. Also, telling a professional athlete that he does "the little things" is tantamount to calling a retard "special". It's the politically correct way to tell a player that they blow. Players who do the little things: David Eckstein, Scott Podsednik, Juan Pierre, Julio Lugo. Players who don't do the small things: Albert Pujols, Adam Dunn, Manny Ramirez, Evan Longoria. You know you're right Plaschke. I think I'll take the "little things" team.
His last statement in the paragraph is the most arbitrary and worthless addition. In a team that's young and good and in a lousy division, as he claims earlier, the Dodgers should just "trade to make that better"? Are you kidding me? They should trade some of their good young talent, for what? To get worse? To get better? Who should they trade for? Who shouldn't they trade for? This is one of those ridiculous Plaschke comments that serves as no other reason than to fellate himself later in the year. If the Dodgers play poorly, then they should have traded for someone. If they trade for someone, he will say that they listened to him. if they don't trade for anyone and fail to win the World Series, he will yell I told you so. Name one team in the league that doesn't need help somewhere in their line-up? Baseball isn't like basketball. There are always upgrades at every position because you can't really steal possession time from one of your players as in basketball. Every baseball team should "trade to get better". It's one of those moronic "no shit" statements. Ugh, I tire of this idiot.
I am not the first to bash Plaschke, nor will I be the last. Shit, I'm not even the first to bash Plaschke this week (see MSTI already had theirs up earlier. And I did not read their column before writing mine, so any similarities are strictly coincidental), but this guy sucks. He really, really does. Tony Jackson has been laid off, and Bill Plaschke still has a job? Isn't that the real crime? Worse than using steroids? (how's that for some hyperbole, Bill?!)
In closing, I should in good faith address this entire situation. I am not saying Manny is innocent. He isn't. It's possible he's been taking steroids his entire career. But the HCG medication is the only link that he has to possibly taking steroids. This isn't Clemens, or A-Rod, or Canseco. This situation is much more muddled and of course, everyone is jumping to conclusions, whether it means he's innocent, or guilty. I'm not going to spout cliches and yell guilty or innocent. Or say, well that's just "Manny being Manny" like so many idiots have spouted (including co-workers of mine). No sex jokes, no dick jokes, no pointing fingers at other players, no absolution, no complete criticism. No matter the situation, Manny is just a a moron. Plain and simple he was stupid. Whether he is entirely innocent or guilty, he is a moron. Everything about him will be questioned by people, and he fucked up royally. He will be forced to live with the consequences, and will be forced to have shit like this Plaschke article, written about him for quite a while. I can't wait to read the stuff that comes out just before his return. It's going to be a fun week.
4.30.2009
The Ultimate Deuces Wild
Amidst sucking back Jack Daniels during the recent Dodgers/Giants game, G.T. and I came up with the scenario in which Vin Scully shall depart our planet and become one with the universe and cosmos, once again assuming his role as supreme chancellor of all dimensions.
It will be the year 2222, Clayton Kershaw the forty-second would bring his ancestor’s #22 jersey out of retirement to commemorate the anniversary of Clayton Kershaw the First’s fourth consecutive no hitter on Feb 22nd (Spring Training no-hitters will be the highlight of Dodger seasons in the coming years). He’ll pitch to a very fat catcher wearing #222 with 2 balls, 2 strikes, 2out, 2 on, in the top of the 22nd inning with the score tied 2-2.
Vin Scully will then start shaking violently, and his head will explode while at the same time bidding us adieu. Although I find himself taking his own life with a .22 caliber much more fitting (in the context of this post, I never condone Vin dying. Ever.)
It will be the year 2222, Clayton Kershaw the forty-second would bring his ancestor’s #22 jersey out of retirement to commemorate the anniversary of Clayton Kershaw the First’s fourth consecutive no hitter on Feb 22nd (Spring Training no-hitters will be the highlight of Dodger seasons in the coming years). He’ll pitch to a very fat catcher wearing #222 with 2 balls, 2 strikes, 2out, 2 on, in the top of the 22nd inning with the score tied 2-2.
Vin Scully will then start shaking violently, and his head will explode while at the same time bidding us adieu. Although I find himself taking his own life with a .22 caliber much more fitting (in the context of this post, I never condone Vin dying. Ever.)
2.03.2009
Holy Crap!
Kobe is amazing.
You know how goot hat night is, not just for Kobe, but for the Lakers? If you took the combined score of Pau, Ariza and Kobe, they would have lost to the Knicks by only 12 points. Total domination by the Lakers.
Does it ever surprise me that Kobe can drop 61 out of nowhere? This guy is simply incredible. He's so good that it's become passe to see him drop 40 points. I'm really not shocked anymore.
This helps with the sting of a Bynum loss for 12 weeks. Ouch.
That is all...
You know how goot hat night is, not just for Kobe, but for the Lakers? If you took the combined score of Pau, Ariza and Kobe, they would have lost to the Knicks by only 12 points. Total domination by the Lakers.
Does it ever surprise me that Kobe can drop 61 out of nowhere? This guy is simply incredible. He's so good that it's become passe to see him drop 40 points. I'm really not shocked anymore.
This helps with the sting of a Bynum loss for 12 weeks. Ouch.
That is all...
1.28.2009
STOP THE PRESSES!!!!
Joe Torre used to manage the Yankees?!?!?! I swear someone would have informed me about this at some point in time. Ok Jeff Passan, I'll believe this "Joe Torre managed the Yankees" myth, but all I've seen is a blurry photo of a guy with a huge nose in what looks like pin striped pajamas. Yankee gravitas (and I actually used this word before I noticed Jeff did, so I'm keeping it in (that's what she said))!
So the baseball world is a-buzz over Joe Torre/Tom Verducci double teaming some blank pages and coming out with "The Yankee Years": the unbiased, definitive story on the New York Yankees, if your obsessed with things that happened two years ago and are over. I may have added the last part of that title. The Yankee "mystique" reigns down upon us through the release of this book, ensuring that ESPN will be talking about it for the next 7 months, into early August then the Dodgers are eliminated from playoff contention, and sportscasters need something juicy to talk about. People act as if the Yankees are a livelihood and the aura is something that is untouchable, or unachievable if you aren't a New Yorker. Jeff even states:
"Outsiders can read the book, shrug shoulders and wonder what the big deal is, why Torre still has a stranglehold on the city’s consciousness more than a year after he left for Los Angeles. And then it occurs that this isn’t about Torre so much as it is New York and the surrounding bubble that makes it so amazing and confounding. Live in it long enough and you become it."
If you ever wanted any more proof as to why I hate the Yankees it is the above stated paragraph. There is this mentality amongst many in the sporting world that the Yankees are the greatest thing since Nutella. The Yankees surpass the idea of a baseball team and are now simply an esoteric belief system with all involved with them. This is why A-Rod gets bashed for not being a "true Yankee" and Derek Jeter, one of the more overrated players in baseball for the last 10 years, is heralded as Reggie Jackson with a hint of Chili Davis. The truth is actually in Jeff's above quoted paragraph as well; nobody cares about New York except New Yorkers. The Yankees are force-fed down the throat of the nation because there are so many transplanted New Yorkers who think that we care about the Yankees as much as they do. Truth be told, I don't. I could care less about the Yankees, except the joy I feel when I watch them fail.
New Yorkers are so egocentric that they fail to realize that Boston fans are just as diehard, Pirates fans are just as blood thirsty, Cardinals fans are as crazy, Cubs fans are as annoying, and Dodger fans (despite our stereotype around the nation for not caring) are just as vicious as Yankee fans. How about we drop the facade that the Yankees are going to be elected President and rise up as the savior of our nation, and treat them like a sports team. It's fine to have passion, and even a mild obsession, but keep that to yourself New Yorkers. We all have other issues to think about.
Although, great timing by Joe. The release of this book will allow the Dodgers to hide the fact that they are doing nothing of merit this off season, and will guarantee Joe is asked about the Yankees more than he is about how poorly the Dodgers are playing.
So the baseball world is a-buzz over Joe Torre/Tom Verducci double teaming some blank pages and coming out with "The Yankee Years": the unbiased, definitive story on the New York Yankees, if your obsessed with things that happened two years ago and are over. I may have added the last part of that title. The Yankee "mystique" reigns down upon us through the release of this book, ensuring that ESPN will be talking about it for the next 7 months, into early August then the Dodgers are eliminated from playoff contention, and sportscasters need something juicy to talk about. People act as if the Yankees are a livelihood and the aura is something that is untouchable, or unachievable if you aren't a New Yorker. Jeff even states:
"Outsiders can read the book, shrug shoulders and wonder what the big deal is, why Torre still has a stranglehold on the city’s consciousness more than a year after he left for Los Angeles. And then it occurs that this isn’t about Torre so much as it is New York and the surrounding bubble that makes it so amazing and confounding. Live in it long enough and you become it."
If you ever wanted any more proof as to why I hate the Yankees it is the above stated paragraph. There is this mentality amongst many in the sporting world that the Yankees are the greatest thing since Nutella. The Yankees surpass the idea of a baseball team and are now simply an esoteric belief system with all involved with them. This is why A-Rod gets bashed for not being a "true Yankee" and Derek Jeter, one of the more overrated players in baseball for the last 10 years, is heralded as Reggie Jackson with a hint of Chili Davis. The truth is actually in Jeff's above quoted paragraph as well; nobody cares about New York except New Yorkers. The Yankees are force-fed down the throat of the nation because there are so many transplanted New Yorkers who think that we care about the Yankees as much as they do. Truth be told, I don't. I could care less about the Yankees, except the joy I feel when I watch them fail.
New Yorkers are so egocentric that they fail to realize that Boston fans are just as diehard, Pirates fans are just as blood thirsty, Cardinals fans are as crazy, Cubs fans are as annoying, and Dodger fans (despite our stereotype around the nation for not caring) are just as vicious as Yankee fans. How about we drop the facade that the Yankees are going to be elected President and rise up as the savior of our nation, and treat them like a sports team. It's fine to have passion, and even a mild obsession, but keep that to yourself New Yorkers. We all have other issues to think about.
Although, great timing by Joe. The release of this book will allow the Dodgers to hide the fact that they are doing nothing of merit this off season, and will guarantee Joe is asked about the Yankees more than he is about how poorly the Dodgers are playing.
1.23.2009
My God
Take your beating you pussies (and perhaps poor choice of words since it is girls basketball).
You're winless in four seasons and now everyone wants to complain about losing by 100 points? Get your head out of your asses. If your high school team is that bad, then end the program and stop playing competative sports, especially if everyone and their mother (literally in this story) plans on whining about being destroyed.
Teams get stomped on in the professional world, and at the high school level every day (especially in football) and these kids deserve preferential treatment why? Because they have "learning disabilities"? These kids have apparently already been dealt a poor hand, and getting their asses handed to them in a basketball game is the least of their concerns.
Cram it Texas basketball. If I was a player on the winning team, I would be pissed that they are trying to forfeit the game.
You're winless in four seasons and now everyone wants to complain about losing by 100 points? Get your head out of your asses. If your high school team is that bad, then end the program and stop playing competative sports, especially if everyone and their mother (literally in this story) plans on whining about being destroyed.
Teams get stomped on in the professional world, and at the high school level every day (especially in football) and these kids deserve preferential treatment why? Because they have "learning disabilities"? These kids have apparently already been dealt a poor hand, and getting their asses handed to them in a basketball game is the least of their concerns.
Cram it Texas basketball. If I was a player on the winning team, I would be pissed that they are trying to forfeit the game.
Looking for ABC/TNT NBA "Broadcasters":
The worst in the history of sports.
Job Requirements: Must be nostalgic. Must wax nostalgic adnaseum. Must speak in cliches. Must talk about generalities like "heart" and stupidity about how one team just "wanted it more" than the other (because in reality, teams love showing up to a game and immediately deciding to lose). Must speak in cliches. If you are white, must be a former coach or be related to someone famous, and use this as a stepping stone to another coaching job from which you'll be fired from in half a season. If you are black, must be a decent to good former basketball player whose command of the English language boarders on the comical (see: Charles Barkley, Gary Payton, Chris Webber, and Reggie Miller).
Pay: Much less than you were earning as a player, but you get to bash all the up and coming players for not playing the right way, or playing during the golden era of the sport.
I hate the ENTIRE TNT/ABC broadcast. It is ALL bad. All of it. Kenny Smith may get a slight pass, but he still fails. Chris Webber and Gary Payton add nothing to a broadcast and make me yearn for the days of having to wait 10 minutes for Charles Barkely to spit out a sentence.
Reggie Miller particularly draws my ire. He is a moron and that pains me to say as a fellow Bruin. He is a first class retard in the broadcast booth. Cheryl Miller owns him in the booth. Reggie has this attitude of free reign because it appears that nobody ever tells the guy to shut up (Doug Collins disease). He makes asinine statements, particularly ranting last night about how Al Jefferson amongst others are not All Stars due to them being on crappy teams (see my rant 2 posts ago on this stupid statement). Look being an All Star is arbitrary and is really stupid. The fans vote for them and generally fans vote for the players who they want to see, not who is on the best team as Reggie claims all the All-Stars should be. So the All Star game this year would be Boston vs. Lakers, if it was up the Reginald Miller. I think according to Reggie, when the Cavs were terrible to mediocre the past 3 seasons, LeBron would have had no part in the All Star game. Reggie can't even pronounce words properly. He can't remember the names of the players he's watching. He mistates facts, and CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAMES OF THE PLAYERS HE'S WATCHING. My god, that above all else is his job and he can't even do that right.
The saddest part about all of this is that the trend will not end. We have Jerry Reuss and Rick Monday stinking up the Dodger booth here in Los Angeles. All across the country sports teams throw former athletes in the booth and see what sticks.
I wish I had more examples and You Tube clips of the errors and stupidity of the ABC/TNT broadcasters, but I wrote this at work and they have blocked any "streaming media". Damnit. You all will just have to take my word on this.
Job Requirements: Must be nostalgic. Must wax nostalgic adnaseum. Must speak in cliches. Must talk about generalities like "heart" and stupidity about how one team just "wanted it more" than the other (because in reality, teams love showing up to a game and immediately deciding to lose). Must speak in cliches. If you are white, must be a former coach or be related to someone famous, and use this as a stepping stone to another coaching job from which you'll be fired from in half a season. If you are black, must be a decent to good former basketball player whose command of the English language boarders on the comical (see: Charles Barkley, Gary Payton, Chris Webber, and Reggie Miller).
Pay: Much less than you were earning as a player, but you get to bash all the up and coming players for not playing the right way, or playing during the golden era of the sport.
I hate the ENTIRE TNT/ABC broadcast. It is ALL bad. All of it. Kenny Smith may get a slight pass, but he still fails. Chris Webber and Gary Payton add nothing to a broadcast and make me yearn for the days of having to wait 10 minutes for Charles Barkely to spit out a sentence.
Reggie Miller particularly draws my ire. He is a moron and that pains me to say as a fellow Bruin. He is a first class retard in the broadcast booth. Cheryl Miller owns him in the booth. Reggie has this attitude of free reign because it appears that nobody ever tells the guy to shut up (Doug Collins disease). He makes asinine statements, particularly ranting last night about how Al Jefferson amongst others are not All Stars due to them being on crappy teams (see my rant 2 posts ago on this stupid statement). Look being an All Star is arbitrary and is really stupid. The fans vote for them and generally fans vote for the players who they want to see, not who is on the best team as Reggie claims all the All-Stars should be. So the All Star game this year would be Boston vs. Lakers, if it was up the Reginald Miller. I think according to Reggie, when the Cavs were terrible to mediocre the past 3 seasons, LeBron would have had no part in the All Star game. Reggie can't even pronounce words properly. He can't remember the names of the players he's watching. He mistates facts, and CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAMES OF THE PLAYERS HE'S WATCHING. My god, that above all else is his job and he can't even do that right.
The saddest part about all of this is that the trend will not end. We have Jerry Reuss and Rick Monday stinking up the Dodger booth here in Los Angeles. All across the country sports teams throw former athletes in the booth and see what sticks.
I wish I had more examples and You Tube clips of the errors and stupidity of the ABC/TNT broadcasters, but I wrote this at work and they have blocked any "streaming media". Damnit. You all will just have to take my word on this.
1.15.2009
Forgot about This
Dodgers to release Andruw Jones today
Which begs the question: Back into the ocean?
Worthless in his one year as a Dodger, he'll go back to Atlanta and hit 20 homers, with 5 of them coming agains the boys in blue. See ya every night as you slowly rotate around the earth.
Which begs the question: Back into the ocean?
Worthless in his one year as a Dodger, he'll go back to Atlanta and hit 20 homers, with 5 of them coming agains the boys in blue. See ya every night as you slowly rotate around the earth.
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