Saturday, February 15, 2020

Sports this 'n' that

ESPN & Knicks announcer Mike Breen and Pardon The Interruption co-host Michael Wilbon are bound for the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year for their media contributions. Wilbon, who also contributes to NBA broadcasts, and Breen both have had the thankless task of having to put up with ESPN bloviator Stephen A. Smith, which is kind of like hazard pay at the network.

If Smith should ever get the call, someone would have to investigate to see if it was vetted by a certain fellow bloviator in Washington.....
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Major League Baseball is bracing for some unpleasant on-field violence this season in the wake of the Houston Astros' 2017 sign-stealing scandal that netted them the World Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, whose trade---with outfielder Joc Pederson---to the Angels was derailed, has said he'll play headhunter on any ex-Astro, which includes the Mets' off-season signing, Jake Marisnick, and ex-Valleycat J. D. Davis, who begins his second year in Flushing.

Stripling won't get to play against the Astros this season after all, but the Mets will, as their interleague schedule sees them playing the AL West.

Marisnick & Davis both sounded contrite when speaking with reporters, but tabloid media in New York isn't buying. Astros owner Jim (Whooping) Crane wasn't helping matters earlier this week when he claimed the tactics didn't have an impact on the game. DUH! Of course it did.

Now, the sound of banging trash cans couldn't be picked up by microphones on the field during games. All we know for sure is that the Astros' current players still with the team from 2017, including ex-Valleycats Jose Altuve & George Springer, will have bullseyes all season.
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Ex-Met Zack Wheeler, now with Philadelphia, is whining about his el cheapo former employers and how they negotiated with him. Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen tried to defend the team, but there's no defending the fact that the Wilpons wanted to move on from Wheeler, who'll likely burn the Mets badly this season.
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Former Syracuse QB Eric Dungey, who washed out in Cleveland and with the Giants last season, has taken a week's leave of absence from the XFL's Dallas Renegades to deal with some family issues, promising to return in week 3.

The timing, though, couldn't be worse for Bob Stoops' Renegades, who were upset by St. Louis in their opener. Starting QB Landry Jones is questionable for tomorrow's game vs. Los Angeles with a knee injury. I don't think Stoops ever started 0-2 at Oklahoma any time in his storied career, but there is a first time for everything.......
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Hot story making the rounds the last 24 hours has ESPN/Fox analyst/playboy Alex Rodriguez angling to buy the Mets.



Rodriguez may want to talk to his steady, singer-actress Jennifer Lopez, about being part of the ownership group, and to ex-Yankee teammate Derek Jeter about how hard it is to run a major league franchise. Jeter and his group have been castigated for the Marlins' stumbles the last couple of years, and Rodriguez, whether J-Lo jumps in with him or not, will get the same treatment from the hardcore New York fan base if he can't improve the team's fortunes.

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