Cheap Seats

Let's talk baseball: Rangers (before 19-17 loss)

2008-08-13T05:16:21Z

Assistant sports editor Trevor Williams and staff writers Adam Boedeker and Jeff Andrews talk Rangers baseball, the Adam Dunn trade and the Tampa Bay Rays on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 12th. 0812 Baseball podcast

Smashing Americans

2008-08-11T18:21:28Z

What happened in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay yesterday at the Water Cube in Beijing was probably the greatest moment this Olympic Games will see, and we're only three days in. This race had all the makings for a classic. The French team, which was the favorite and has the 100-meter freestyle world-record holder (each swimmer swims 100 meters), Alain Bernard. Yes, his name's Alain. But that's beside the point. Bernard was quoted as saying the French team was coming to Beijing to "smash the Americans." The NBC announcers even said they'd broken down the race hundreds of times in their heads and saw no way the Americans could win and keep Michael Phelps' hopes of eight gold medals in a single Games alive.]]> Phelps led off the race and had the U.S. in second place when he gave way to the second and third legs. As anchor Jason Lezak took the pool, the veteran of three Olympics was in bad shape. Bernard had a full body-length lead after 350 meters. Lezak began creeping back into contention but it still appeared he wouldn't have a shot at catching the French. Then, it happened, sending Phelps and his teammates into a primal celebration that had to have been so much sweeter standing right next to their French rivals. As the NBC folks said last night... "Who's talking now?"

Let's go racing: Watkins Glen, Kentucky

2008-08-09T04:17:15Z

Assistant sports editor Trevor Williams and copy editor Matt Crider discuss NASCAR and IndyCar. Issues include the upcoming Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen and the IndyCar race at Kentucky. 0808 Motor Sports podcast Also, take a look at Trevor Williams' latest column and read about his experience at driving at the Lake Country Speedway in Ardmore, Oklahoma . Click here

Principal Goodell wants to send fans to ISS

2008-08-05T20:30:32Z

a conduct policy for fans at NFL stadiums. Punishment for not representing NFL fans in a manner become of the beacon of integrity that is the NFL is not only ejection from the game, but banishment from the stadium. ]]> Such behavior includes, but surely is not limited to: -- Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures. So cursing or flipping the bird now constitutes banishment from NFL games. -- Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel. You better move swiftly down the escalator, or else. -- Verbal or physical harassment of fans from the opposing team. Something tells me attendance at Eagles games is going to be zero by the time Week 6 rolls around. For the most part, I like Goodell. I think he's doing a good job, but this behavior conduct kick he's on is ridiculous. This is frankly insulting to me and if you actually try to implement this policy, there's going to be hell to pay. Something tells me this is just something they can fall back on in the event that a fan is being out of control and they want to eject him. If it's not, there is virtually no way to fairly enforce any of this, if it's even league. Are there going to be behavior police running around the stadium listening for dirty words? Which specific words are banned? Is there an appeals process? (Yeah right. Per the NFL standard, any appeal will go directly to the person who originally made the charge.)

ESPN gets pass on Favre coverage

2008-08-04T22:01:19Z

Usually, the collective inner monologue of sports media conglomerate ESPN goes a little something like this: "Yankees. Red Sox. Yankees. Red Sox. Yankees. New York. Boston. Chicago. Major east-coast media markets. Yankees. Boo-ya. Jessica Simpson. Red Sox. Yankees. Boo-ya. Hockey sucks. Boo-ya. Red Sox." But after all the drama in Green Bay, ESPN's thought processes include only two words: "Brett" and "Favre." Most of the time, something like this would set me off on an ESPN rant of epic proportions. The network walked the party line again by basically shutting down its programming today for excessive and needless coverage based not on journalistic integrity, but mass appeal and ratings. But, sadly, I really can't blame them for this one. This is a huge story. It basically encompasses every adjective recorded in the English language. It's bizarre beyond description. All the criteria for how to determine whether a story is newsworthy that we learn in journalism school are thoroughly met. So, they get a pass - this time.

Georgia's the top Dawg, but may not be BCS title winner

2008-08-01T22:29:35Z

The first USA Today Top 25 coaches poll was released today, a poll that unfortunately goes a long way to determining the national champion. So which team was basically handed the pole position for the BCS title game? Georgia, which finished No. 2 in the nation last year after wasting unworthy Hawaii in its bowl game. Georgia very well may be the best team in the nation, but in the SEC, the Bulldogs will lose two or three games. What it all comes down to is who they lose to, when they lose and how many undefeated teams there are. 1. Win 10 games. If Georgia loses three, it may be too much to overcome. 2. The winner between USC and Ohio State must lose. Outisde of this early showdown of titans, both teams have a pretty clear path to go undefeated. If USC is 12-0, Ohio State is 11-1 and Georgia is 10-2, do the voters move the Bulldogs ahead of one of those two teams? 3. Win one of these two games: at LSU (Oct. 25) or vs. Florida (Nov. 1). Georgia can make it to the title game and lose late, but losing back-to-back may knock the Bulldogs too far down to justify putting them back in the mix.

Sorry, Cows. Bill Parcells is responsible for this team

2008-08-01T05:07:38Z

BristolParty.com's Cow depth chart as a reference. Know how many starters were aquired before Parcell's arrival? That would be three -- Roy Williams, Greg Ellis and Flozell Adams.]]> How many players have been aquired after Parcells since he left? That would be three - Zach Thomas, Ken Hamlin and Leonard Davis, although to be fair, Pacman is not on this depth chart. How many were aquired during Parcell's four-year tenure serving for all you Cow fans? That would be 16. Do you see that number? That includes Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware, Terence Newman, Jason Witten, Terrell Owens and Marion Barber -- basically all your best players. Newsflash Cow fans: Bill Parcells built this precious team you think is going to the Super Bowl. And you hate him? Oh, that's right, "He didn't win a playoff game." I know, Cow fans. It's his fault Romo dropped the ball on the extra point. You're right ...

Rangers: No deals, no advancement

2008-07-31T22:05:08Z

I must say I'm more than a little disappointed that the Texas Rangers didn't pull the trigger on a deal to rid themselves of a spare part in order to gain a prospect at the trade deadline. Hank Blalock, Eddie Guardado, Jamey Wright, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padillia, four catchers, Frank Catalanotto, Milton Bradley -- basically anyone not named Hamilton, Young or Kinsler -- came up in trade talks. No one was delt. All the movers and shakers in the MLB said teams were being very protective of their prospects at the trade deadline, so that makes me want to give Jon Daniels and Co. a pass on this one. But seriously. You couldn't find something you liked in the Marlins system that would have made dealing Gerald Laird worth it? Surely there was something to be done at the deadline. I was hoping that in light of how good the Mark Texeira trade has turned out, the Rangers could trade two or three players, add four or five prospects and watch them grow over the next two or three years along with Hamilton and Kinsler. Maybe that wasn't possible, but Daniels hasn't earned enough stripes for me to give him the benefit of a doubt on this. What do you guys think? Mad, sad or happy?

This summer's ESPN filler less annoying than last year's

2008-07-25T21:13:08Z

For us in the sports media, there's always a lull in July. Basketball is over. NFL training camp is a month away. We struggle for things to talk about other than baseball. And no, we don't talk about the Turning Left World Championships (NASCAR) because they are pointless. For us at the DR-C, that means a lot of feature stories we couldn't cram in during the school year. For ESPN, that means pointless (more so than NASCAR) and over-publicized filler. This year, it's TitleTown USA. Which town is TitleTown USA, New York City or Massillon, Ohio??]]> that man who's having sex with a worn-down piece of leather went head-to-head in a battle royal, throwing down for the title of Now. The conflict was heated. America hit refresh as it braced for the crown of Now. Now was everywhere - ESPN, espn.com, ESPN2, ESPN NEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic, ESPN U. The title of Most Now was all we as a society cared about, which is, of course, why ESPN seemed to only air things about Now. Who won the title that ESPN actually created a bracket for? Oh, that's right. Nobody knows. Nobody cares. Nobody cared. ESPN, please, find something better than this stuff to play in July.

Coming soon: Shockey drunk in New Orleans

2008-07-21T22:46:41Z

Yes, I am a Giants fan. No, I am not a Jeremy Shockey fan. That's why I'm fairly happy to see that the outspoken, angry, drunken hillbilly was shown the door by the team in the form of a trade to the New Orleans Saints for second- and fifth-round draft picks. This is the same deal the Saints offered the Giants before the 2008 draft, which New York turned down, for whatever reason. Sean Payton coached Shockey in New York in Shockey's formative years, and should be a good fit there. Look for him to be pissed off and motivated to have a big year. Still, it was time for him to go. He more than wore out his welcome in the Big Apple and the Giants won the Super Bowl without him. He is a huge headache, whether he's calling Bill Parcells gay or drinking heavily. And consider this: for all the hype surrounding Shockey, his most productive year was his rookie year when he caught 74 balls for 894 yards. Since then, he's been in the 600- to 700-yard range. So why is this guy so valuable? Yes he is very talented, but who cares if it doesn't result in production on the field?

So much for the Hank experiment

2008-07-18T18:25:03Z

Well, looks like Crush (Chris) Davis made enough of an impact in his first few weeks as a major leaguer. I mean, six home runs in 18 career games is a pretty decent start, right? Davis still has a lot to learn before becoming a great major league hitter but he's shown the promise and has flashed some serious leather at first base, so he's earned an everyday spot in the lineup. That means Hammerin' Hank Blalock will not move to first base as originally planned and will be in the lineup tonight back at the hot corner where he came up as a big leaguer. I'm still kind of lukewarm on this whole Hank comeback effort, but this decision opens up a lot of possibilities for the Rangers. The hope is that Hank will rake over the next week and a half and build up some good value so he can be shipped out of town. Blalock started the season off pretty well before getting hurt and appeared to be back to his old self at the plate. This move leaves a couple of people in the dark. Most notably, our favorite mustached friend Ramon Vazquez. The 9-hole hitter has hit a quiet .310 this season and has shown the ability to hit in clutch situations as well. Ideally, he will move into a utility role now similar to what Mark DeRosa did a couple of years ago. The only problem? Why would you want to take Ian Kinsler or Michael Young out of the lineup besides for the occasional rest. It also means 22-year-old German Duran will likely be sent back to the minors. The third baseman from Fort Worth has actually begun to swing the bat pretty well over the past couple of weeks after some big struggles, but this will give him a chance to play every day, which can only be good for anyone as young as he is. With 13 days until the trade deadline, it appears the Rangers will be pretty conservative and the main guys likely to be dealt, relatively speaking, are Milton Bradley and Eddie "Every Day" Guardado. I think Eddie will most likely be moved somewhere. If Hank can set the world on fire, he might be dealt too. Think the Rangers are regretting rejecting Florida's straight-up offer of Josh Beckett a couple of years back? I do.

Blogosphere: Ruining journalism or old-fashioned fun?

2008-07-18T17:07:21Z

Stuart Scott's good eye, which ever one it is, recently responded to questions from GQ about Deadspin with some not-so flattering comments. Stuart falls just shy of calling Blog Nation the downfall of journalism and defends his buddies in Bristol, which are the default punching bags of numerous blogs across the net. Blogdome would argue that there's a disconnect between the public and the big-wigs at ESPN and across the nation, which has given rise to alternative media. Who is right here? Me, of course.]]> cheap shots. That said, ESPN anchors have really become elitists who aren't part of the general media anymore. ESPN's coverage has become a corporate agenda like CNN or Fox News. They lead off Cowboys interviews with Jessica Simpson questions. They don't cover baseball games outside of New York and Boston. And I think I've made it painfully clear what I think of the Bristol Party platform when it comes to the NHL. Frankly, I think the green-roomers at ESPN deserve to be batted around a little bit -- when it's legitimate criticism. If you're looking for a good blog, check out Fire Joe Morgan. It's basically a blog dedicated to ripping ESPN's baseball coverage, and of course, Joe Morgan. What do the non-media think about blogs like Deadspin and Fire Joe Morgan? Do these blogs interest people? What about ESPN? Do people have a gripe outside of people like me who sit and nit-pick everything they do? Talk to me!

Previously on 'The National Football League' ...

2008-07-17T20:57:37Z

I made a random trip to Best Buy last night and went home with a little piece of heaven -- a DVD set of the original broadcasts of the last five games of the 2007 season for the New York Giants. In case you don't remember, that includes the regular-season finale against the Patriots, the Wild Card round against Tampa, the Division Round win over the Cows, the NFC Championship Game against the Packers, and of course, Super Bowl XLII. I watched the Super Bowl last night and relived the glory of spoiling the Evil Empire's precious perfect season. Here are a few observations: -- Eli Manning's pocket-presence is as good as anyone in the league. He recognized the defense early, and despite not being the most mobile QB, managed to avoid the rush with sound decision-making. Some of his escapes were down-right unreal. -- Tom Brady is the worst human being on the planet. During what would have been New England's Super Bowl-winning drive, Pretty Boy Brady stopped and posed for one of those floating cameras while he was taking signals from the sideline. It screamed "Look at me. I'm better than you. Interview request denied." Don't worry, Tom. I was looking for Eli, not you. You're stupid. -- Bill Belicheck's arrogance may have cost the Pats the game. He went for it on fourth and 13 in the third quarter after yet another Giants sack. He could have kicked a 49-yard field goal, making the game 17-17 at the end of the game. Too bad, Bill. -- Wes Welker is a complete monster. I hate that he plays for the Evil Empire, but this guy is an absolute baller. He's the most consistent slot receiver in the league and a great route-runner. He has great hands and underrated speed. If Evil had prevailed, he would have been the game's MVP. -- Super Bowl XLII may not have been the prettiest game ever played, but it was the most tense Super Bowl of all time. The game was an absolute war in the trenches. No team really had control of the game at any point, and that includes Evil, even though it led for most of the game. Thank goodness for Good. -- Steve Smith is a budding young star at receiver for the Giants. The former USC Trojan made one huge mistake by letting a pass bounce out of his hands and into the hands of Evil in the red zone in the first half. He made up for it with countless plays, including a great play to set up the final touchdown where he converted on third and 11 by just a few inches. -- Brandon Jacobs and Laurence Maroney ain't that great. Jacobs is a good short-yardage back, but I don't think he had but five or six carries in the game, if any in the second half. Maroney simply couldn't get away from the Giants front seven. Looks like they'd have been better off drafting his teammate from Minnesota -- Marion Barber III. -- Remember when Junior Seau made some very insensitive comments about homosexuals while he was with Miami? Because of his ridiculous looking Jheri curl, I'd confuse him with the demographic he was bigot-ing against if I didn't know better. Seeing him get denied a Super Bowl was most satisfying. Karma, Junior. Karma.

Selig narrowly averts All Star Game circus

2008-07-16T19:30:49Z

Per my word, I did not tune in at 7 p.m. last night to watch the MLB All Star Game, but when my roommate went to bed, checked his radio and told me the game was still on at midnight, I had to check in to see what kind of stupid face Selig would make when his trumped-up exhibition went grossly awry. I was hoping for a face like this, or this, or possibly like this. Instead, unfortunately, much to my chagrin, we got a civil ending in the 15th inning, and Selig was off the hook -- for now. Can you imagine the backlash if there'd been another tied All Star Game? Not only would it have opened an old wound for Selig, but he would have had to come up with some sort of alternative to determining home-field advantage in the World Series. And you know that would have been a disaster. Think how ridiculous the first decision Selig made when the All Star Game ended in a tie (tying it to home-field advantage). The next time? Maybe a pidgeon race or a soap-box derby racer. Maybe an NL/AL Family Feud episode. Sadly, that won't happen thanks to Michael Young's sacrifice RBI in the 15th. And now we don't get to see something like this.

Instant replay in baseball?

2008-07-16T18:59:13Z

So, MLB commish Bud Selig has come out and said the league could install an instant replay system that could be effective as early as the postseason this year. Consider me sold. For a long time, I was on the side of the baseball purists, who said it's against baseball's ideals to have instant replay and the calls should be left up to the four umpires on the field. But it's about time that changes. Baseball is the last of the major sports to have no form of instant replay and although last night's/this morning's All-Star Game did end up being won by the right team (The American League) it could've been a headache for Selig had the NL won and gotten homefield advantage (don't even get me started on that rule). We all know by now that the game ended up going 15 innings before a Michael Young sac fly finally ended it by driving in Justin Morneau in the bottom of the 15th, but it should've been over much earlier. First off, in the 11th inning, Ian Kinsler was on first and took off for second. It was a close play, but shortstop Miguel Tejada's tag never met Kinsler's body as he slid into second, obviously safe. Nope, called out by the umpire. If the game was the real deal, I guarantee you Kinsler would've flipped his lid and rightfully so. Three batters later, Young drove a single up the middle and Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro was gunned down from second at the plate by Pittsburgh center fielder Nate McLouth. If Kinsler would've been called safe at second, it would've been the storybook ending for the Rangers as Young would've driven in Kinsler for the game-winner. But wait a second, after further review, Navarro appeared to be safe as his foot seemed to touch the plate before the tag was applied to his waistline. True, this was just the All-Star Game, which is no longer meaningless, but still an exhibition. Imagine if those calls had been made in the World Series come October. Count me in as one of those in favor of putting in some sort of instant replay in baseball, ideally just to determine if a ball is a home run, foul or fair and for plays at bases. Of course, we can't begin to even imagine tinkering with balls and strikes. That would be horrible.