Way, way back in the day, before Major League Baseball's suits began altering the game in the name of player safety, among other things, brushback pitches were fairly common. If Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies was legitimately thinking of initiating Washington Nationals rookie Bryce Harper, old school style on Sunday night, on national television no less, he went about it the wrong way, and, oh, has he paid for it in spades.
By now, you know that Hamels plunked Harper in the first inning, only to see Harper steal home. Now, that should've been the end of it. It's what happened after the game, a 9-3 Philadelphia win, that created more controversy.
You see, Hamels admitted after the game that he hit Harper on purpose. It was his way, he said, of welcoming the rookie into "The Show". Ok, so Hamels was a bit late to the party on that one. On ESPN's Around the Horn earlier today, panelist Woody Paige defended Hamels, while the rest of the panel basically buried him. A proper initiation, in fact, would've been the ol' brushback, the way Hall of Famers like Bob Gibson would've done it. Panelist Kevin Blackistone labeled the HBP, "dumb", and Hamels' post-game admission, "dumber". Exactly.
Major League Baseball responded to Hamels' admission by slapping him with a 5-game suspension, which some critics are deeming a mere slap on the wrist. Hamels will make his next start on Mother's Day, a day later than normal, so he really isn't being punished at all. If MLB really wanted to do it right, they'd make it 5 starts, and sideline Hamels until next month. There will be those who will see this as a case of the Phillies getting a break from the commissioner's office. Lord knows there've been allegations of worse offenses, not to mention the infamous laser pen incident vs. St. Louis 3 years ago.
The real motivation behind Hamels' act, in this writer's opinion, is a case of petty envy, if not so much jealousy. Philadelphia opens play tonight in last place in the NL East, while the Nationals are in first. Usually, it's the other way around, and things could reverse itself before the season's over, but maybe it's a harbinger of a change in the divisional pecking order. The arrogant Phillies don't like it, but, hey, let's remember they're missing a couple of key players, and it's frustrating to them that they're not in the upper tier of the division where they're accustomed.
Hamels picks up a Dunce Cap to go along with a 5-game vacation, and we'll send some caps to the commissioner's office, too, for not coming down harder.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
George Lindsey (1928-2012)
He charmed audiences for nearly 30 years as a simple country boy, splitting time between Mayberry, NC & Kornfield Kounty, USA, but few people may be aware that George Lindsey had already led two careers before turning to acting. Better known as grease monkey Goober Pyle (nee Beasley) on The Andy Griffith Show (1964-68), Mayberry, RFD (1968-71), & Hee-Haw (1971-93), Lindsey was a graduate of what is now known as the University of North Alabama, and served in the Air Force before spending a few years as a teacher before relocating to Hollywood in the 60's.
Lindsey's other acting credits include two appearances on Gunsmoke, one each on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, M*A*S*H, & Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and a supporting role on The Tycoon, a short-lived Walter Brennan sitcom. Lindsey also made some movies, including a trio of Disney cartoons; "The Aristocats", "Robin Hood", & "The Rescuers", and "Cannonball Run". In 1985, Lindsey tried his hand as a talk show host, guest hosting Nashville Now on the Nashville Network (now Spike TV).
It is with sadness that we report that George "Goober" Lindsey, actor, comedian, and humanitarian, passed away earlier today at 83 after a brief illness. We celebrate his career, and we would be remiss if it was not mentioned that in recent years, he'd been involved in working with the Alabama Special Olympics.
During his early run in Mayberry, Lindsey also took a turn at singing, recording the 1-shot, "My Home Town", which was an ode to Mayberry. WCFL1000 uploaded a slideshow that collects pictures of Lindsey in his most famous role. Rest in peace, George. They're opening a service station in Heaven just for you.
Lindsey's other acting credits include two appearances on Gunsmoke, one each on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, M*A*S*H, & Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and a supporting role on The Tycoon, a short-lived Walter Brennan sitcom. Lindsey also made some movies, including a trio of Disney cartoons; "The Aristocats", "Robin Hood", & "The Rescuers", and "Cannonball Run". In 1985, Lindsey tried his hand as a talk show host, guest hosting Nashville Now on the Nashville Network (now Spike TV).
It is with sadness that we report that George "Goober" Lindsey, actor, comedian, and humanitarian, passed away earlier today at 83 after a brief illness. We celebrate his career, and we would be remiss if it was not mentioned that in recent years, he'd been involved in working with the Alabama Special Olympics.
During his early run in Mayberry, Lindsey also took a turn at singing, recording the 1-shot, "My Home Town", which was an ode to Mayberry. WCFL1000 uploaded a slideshow that collects pictures of Lindsey in his most famous role. Rest in peace, George. They're opening a service station in Heaven just for you.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Free Comic Book Day 2012: A sampling
The first Saturday in May means Free Comic Book Day. Today, my original plan was to visit three shops, but time constraints and having my brother visit trimmed it down to a quickie at the neighborhood shop. Oh, well, can't have everything, amigos. Maybe next year. Anyway, let's see what landed on my desk today:
Spider-Man: Season One preview: The full-length graphic novel, which brings the webhead's origin forward to the present day with the references to modern communications, such as texting, hits stores on Wednesday. It's a good way to warm up for "The Amazing Spider-Man", starring Andrew Garfield, opening in July, as Sony is hitting the reset button on the "Spider-Man" movie franchise. They've got their own reasons, but we'll discuss that again another time. Between this and the current family of Spider-Man monthlies, plus the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series on DisneyXD, some folks might get a wee bit confused with the various interpretations. Old schoolers like me won't be. I like the artwork. The graphic novel is filed under "consider". Rating: A.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron preview: Even though the AvX miniseries event is out now, Marvel is preparing for the next event in the Avengers family of books with the return of one of the team's deadliest enemies, Ultron, a sentient robot whose intelligence supposedly exceeds most of us. Uh, right. Writer Brian Michael Bendis, one of the busiest scribes in the business, is joined by a couple of veteran artists in Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary. As they used to say to promote such things at Marvel back in the day, miss it not. My wallet's telling me I have to. Common sense, you know. Rating: A.
Valiant 2012 preview: 20-odd years ago, Valiant was a major player in the comics industry, and had no less than Jim Shooter at the helm. Today, the characters introduced in the early 90's are back, rebooted for the 21st century. X-O Manowar is already on the shelves, with revivals of Harbinger & Bloodshot due later this summer. The artwork looks gorgeous, but I've a feeling these are going to be kinda pricy this time around. Decide for yourselves, folks. Rating: A.
Also:
DC: The New 52 previews a forthcoming storyline in Justice League, plus the next wave of titles, some of which, including Earth 2, are already out. DC also serves up the latest in their Adventures line for younger readers with Superman Family Adventures, the cover of which looks like it might be along the lines of the late Tiny Titans book.
Hermes Press may not be as well known as a lot of other publishers, but they are sort of a niche company in that they specialize in reprinting older titles that came from other sources, particularly Gold Key. Hermes' contribution to FCBD '12 is a reprint of GK's adaptation of the TV series, My Favorite Martian, with art by Dan Spiegle, who did a lot of work for Gold Key, DC, and others for many years. Fan favorite writer Grant Morrison wrote the preview for Dinosaurs vs. Aliens, which I believe is meant to be a feature film from "Men in Black" director Barry Sonnenfeld. Blue Water, which made 60's icon Adam West into a comic book character last year, has done the same with his Batman co-star with Burt Ward, Boy Wonder. I suppose next year, to complete the trilogy, they'll get Yvonne "Batgirl" Craig to sign off on a similar project. That, actually, might not be such a bad idea.
Marvel had a 2nd Avengers book, reprinting an earlier issue drawn by John Romita, Jr., all part of the push for the "Avengers" film, which opened in the US yesterday. The neighborhood shop has a rule restricting customers to 3 books per person, and even with the rule in place, most of the freebies were gone by the end of business this afternoon, which I think might be a first, I just don't know.
Well, I did acquire the first issue of IDW's Popeye miniseries a week ago, and it is faithful to the original Thimble Theatre strips by Elzie Segar back in the Golden Age, except for one thing. Bluto, the villain of the piece, was not really a major adversary in the strip. He became more of an icon thanks to his inclusion in the animated shorts. However, writer Roger Langridge came up with a wonderful script that bridges both the strip and some of the best of the shorts. It's done in one, so there's no cliffhanger, and we can move on to the next issue. Rating: A.
I am still referring to it as a miniseries, though there are those who claim it's actually an ongoing title, and that Diamond, which solicited it as a miniseries initially, may have been misinformed. Stay tuned.
Spider-Man: Season One preview: The full-length graphic novel, which brings the webhead's origin forward to the present day with the references to modern communications, such as texting, hits stores on Wednesday. It's a good way to warm up for "The Amazing Spider-Man", starring Andrew Garfield, opening in July, as Sony is hitting the reset button on the "Spider-Man" movie franchise. They've got their own reasons, but we'll discuss that again another time. Between this and the current family of Spider-Man monthlies, plus the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series on DisneyXD, some folks might get a wee bit confused with the various interpretations. Old schoolers like me won't be. I like the artwork. The graphic novel is filed under "consider". Rating: A.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron preview: Even though the AvX miniseries event is out now, Marvel is preparing for the next event in the Avengers family of books with the return of one of the team's deadliest enemies, Ultron, a sentient robot whose intelligence supposedly exceeds most of us. Uh, right. Writer Brian Michael Bendis, one of the busiest scribes in the business, is joined by a couple of veteran artists in Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary. As they used to say to promote such things at Marvel back in the day, miss it not. My wallet's telling me I have to. Common sense, you know. Rating: A.
Valiant 2012 preview: 20-odd years ago, Valiant was a major player in the comics industry, and had no less than Jim Shooter at the helm. Today, the characters introduced in the early 90's are back, rebooted for the 21st century. X-O Manowar is already on the shelves, with revivals of Harbinger & Bloodshot due later this summer. The artwork looks gorgeous, but I've a feeling these are going to be kinda pricy this time around. Decide for yourselves, folks. Rating: A.
Also:
DC: The New 52 previews a forthcoming storyline in Justice League, plus the next wave of titles, some of which, including Earth 2, are already out. DC also serves up the latest in their Adventures line for younger readers with Superman Family Adventures, the cover of which looks like it might be along the lines of the late Tiny Titans book.
Hermes Press may not be as well known as a lot of other publishers, but they are sort of a niche company in that they specialize in reprinting older titles that came from other sources, particularly Gold Key. Hermes' contribution to FCBD '12 is a reprint of GK's adaptation of the TV series, My Favorite Martian, with art by Dan Spiegle, who did a lot of work for Gold Key, DC, and others for many years. Fan favorite writer Grant Morrison wrote the preview for Dinosaurs vs. Aliens, which I believe is meant to be a feature film from "Men in Black" director Barry Sonnenfeld. Blue Water, which made 60's icon Adam West into a comic book character last year, has done the same with his Batman co-star with Burt Ward, Boy Wonder. I suppose next year, to complete the trilogy, they'll get Yvonne "Batgirl" Craig to sign off on a similar project. That, actually, might not be such a bad idea.
Marvel had a 2nd Avengers book, reprinting an earlier issue drawn by John Romita, Jr., all part of the push for the "Avengers" film, which opened in the US yesterday. The neighborhood shop has a rule restricting customers to 3 books per person, and even with the rule in place, most of the freebies were gone by the end of business this afternoon, which I think might be a first, I just don't know.
Well, I did acquire the first issue of IDW's Popeye miniseries a week ago, and it is faithful to the original Thimble Theatre strips by Elzie Segar back in the Golden Age, except for one thing. Bluto, the villain of the piece, was not really a major adversary in the strip. He became more of an icon thanks to his inclusion in the animated shorts. However, writer Roger Langridge came up with a wonderful script that bridges both the strip and some of the best of the shorts. It's done in one, so there's no cliffhanger, and we can move on to the next issue. Rating: A.
I am still referring to it as a miniseries, though there are those who claim it's actually an ongoing title, and that Diamond, which solicited it as a miniseries initially, may have been misinformed. Stay tuned.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Adam "MCA" Yauch (1964-2012)
The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, but could not take part in the ceremonies. The reason? It's not that they were following the lead of Axl Rose and dissing the Hall. Hardly. One of the founding members of the group was simply unable to attend, and so the Boys couldn't perform.
Adam Yauch, better known as MCA, passed away earlier today, losing a lengthy battle with cancer at 47. Yauch was first diagnosed with the cancer in his neck in 2009, which pushed back the release of a CD that ultimately came out last year, and perhaps will be the final Beastie Boys album.
In the course of their 26 years together, the Beastie Boys went from just a trio of frat-boy white rappers to a gifted, versatile combo that could also play instruments as well as throw down rhymes. The adjustments had to be made in order to stay relevant in hip-hop, of course, but it also allowed the Boys to remold their image, getting away from the frat party imagery cultivated by their 1986 debut hit, "Fight For Your Right (To Party)", and moving forward to more adventurous visual efforts, including 1998's "Intergalactic", and 1994's homage to 70's crime drama, "Sabotage", which I've chosen to represent the Beasties at their best as we pay tribute to MCA today. The video comes from EMI's VEVO channel. Rest in peace, Adam.
Adam Yauch, better known as MCA, passed away earlier today, losing a lengthy battle with cancer at 47. Yauch was first diagnosed with the cancer in his neck in 2009, which pushed back the release of a CD that ultimately came out last year, and perhaps will be the final Beastie Boys album.
In the course of their 26 years together, the Beastie Boys went from just a trio of frat-boy white rappers to a gifted, versatile combo that could also play instruments as well as throw down rhymes. The adjustments had to be made in order to stay relevant in hip-hop, of course, but it also allowed the Boys to remold their image, getting away from the frat party imagery cultivated by their 1986 debut hit, "Fight For Your Right (To Party)", and moving forward to more adventurous visual efforts, including 1998's "Intergalactic", and 1994's homage to 70's crime drama, "Sabotage", which I've chosen to represent the Beasties at their best as we pay tribute to MCA today. The video comes from EMI's VEVO channel. Rest in peace, Adam.
Panic in the Bronx: Now the Yankees have an injury epidemic
It's one thing when a key position player goes down with a significant injury and misses a large chunk of time. The Mets know about that all too well. However, it's their crosstown rivals, the Yankees, the supposedly indestructible Bronx Bombers, who are suffering from a damaging injury plague, and at the wrong time, too.
One week after Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey had his season end due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, performed earlier this week by Dr. James Andrews, the Yankees saw star closer Mariano Rivera go to the ground during warmups prior to Thursday's game at Kansas City, a game the Royals would win to send the Bombers to their 3rd straight loss and 4th in their last 6. It was later revealed that Rivera had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and was likely lost for the season, pending a second opinion. The Yankees are already missing outfielders Brett Gardner & Nick Swisher, the latter of whom could be back as soon as next week, for all we know.
Prior to the start of the season, Rivera had hinted that 2012 would be his final season. Then again, Atlanta's Chipper Jones had dropped similar hints a couple of years ago, but also had to deal with injuries that shortened his season. Jones has made it clear that this is his final season, regardless of injury or how much the Braves might need him in 2013 to make a transition to the next generation. We're barely a month into the season, and Rivera, the anchor of the Yankees' bullpen corps, if not also their pitching staff, is gone.
Luckily, the Yankees have Rafael Soriano, whom they acquired prior to the 2011 season. He had a shaky first year in New York, but now, he has to fill Rivera's role as the closer, a role he had in previous stops in Atlanta, Tampa Bay, & Seattle. It's better than having to force an untested rookie into the role, something neither the Mets nor Yankees would even want to do, not with the media in New York micro-scrutinizing their every move. That said, the Yankees will be fine for now, but toward the end of the season, they may need some insurance in case something were to happen to Soriano.
The headlines in the tabloids this morning fanned the flames of panic and fear, but because of deadlines, they didn't have the latest information in hand. The way analysts on MLB Network carried on last night, you'd think Chicken Little was forecasting that the sky was falling. I imagine it was the same on YES & ESPN and elsewhere. Please, give me a break. It's been years since Rivera was on the disabled list, and this only proves that he is human after all.
The Yankees simply have to adjust, regroup, and rededicate themselves to the mission at hand. You know, of course, that's how the late George Steinbrenner would've wanted it, and he---and Rivera---wouldn't want it any other way.
One week after Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey had his season end due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, performed earlier this week by Dr. James Andrews, the Yankees saw star closer Mariano Rivera go to the ground during warmups prior to Thursday's game at Kansas City, a game the Royals would win to send the Bombers to their 3rd straight loss and 4th in their last 6. It was later revealed that Rivera had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and was likely lost for the season, pending a second opinion. The Yankees are already missing outfielders Brett Gardner & Nick Swisher, the latter of whom could be back as soon as next week, for all we know.
Prior to the start of the season, Rivera had hinted that 2012 would be his final season. Then again, Atlanta's Chipper Jones had dropped similar hints a couple of years ago, but also had to deal with injuries that shortened his season. Jones has made it clear that this is his final season, regardless of injury or how much the Braves might need him in 2013 to make a transition to the next generation. We're barely a month into the season, and Rivera, the anchor of the Yankees' bullpen corps, if not also their pitching staff, is gone.
Luckily, the Yankees have Rafael Soriano, whom they acquired prior to the 2011 season. He had a shaky first year in New York, but now, he has to fill Rivera's role as the closer, a role he had in previous stops in Atlanta, Tampa Bay, & Seattle. It's better than having to force an untested rookie into the role, something neither the Mets nor Yankees would even want to do, not with the media in New York micro-scrutinizing their every move. That said, the Yankees will be fine for now, but toward the end of the season, they may need some insurance in case something were to happen to Soriano.
The headlines in the tabloids this morning fanned the flames of panic and fear, but because of deadlines, they didn't have the latest information in hand. The way analysts on MLB Network carried on last night, you'd think Chicken Little was forecasting that the sky was falling. I imagine it was the same on YES & ESPN and elsewhere. Please, give me a break. It's been years since Rivera was on the disabled list, and this only proves that he is human after all.
The Yankees simply have to adjust, regroup, and rededicate themselves to the mission at hand. You know, of course, that's how the late George Steinbrenner would've wanted it, and he---and Rivera---wouldn't want it any other way.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Musical Interlude: Hero (2002)
Sony decided to reboot the "Spider-Man" movie series, with "The Amazing Spider-Man" opening in July and starring Andrew Garfield. To be honest, I don't get the corporate fixation with fixing something that ain't broken, but that's a story for another time.
So, then, let's go back to 2002. The soundtrack to Sam Raimi's 1st "Spider-Man" film featured "Hero", a duet of a sort between Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger and his Saliva counterpart, Josey Scott, who would later take a risk by nerdifying himself in the video for "Ladies & Gentlemen". If you don't believe me, check out the video, and tell me. I digress.
What I don't get is how so many people on YouTube mislabel "Hero" as a Nickelback song, when it is clearly billed as "Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott". Big difference, effendis! Then again, considering Nickelback has had a larger body of work in the 10 years since..........!
So, then, let's go back to 2002. The soundtrack to Sam Raimi's 1st "Spider-Man" film featured "Hero", a duet of a sort between Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger and his Saliva counterpart, Josey Scott, who would later take a risk by nerdifying himself in the video for "Ladies & Gentlemen". If you don't believe me, check out the video, and tell me. I digress.
What I don't get is how so many people on YouTube mislabel "Hero" as a Nickelback song, when it is clearly billed as "Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott". Big difference, effendis! Then again, considering Nickelback has had a larger body of work in the 10 years since..........!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
It's only been a month, but who'd have thought this was possible?
Consider what has happened in the first month-plus of the baseball season:
Boston----in last place??? Believe it. Bobby Valentine has made more headlines running his mouth than the Red Sox have winning games. They've been embarassed on Fox's Saturday game of the week twice (vs. Detroit and the Yankees), and ran off six wins in a row before losing to the White Sox on Sunday. However, the AL East is more loaded than ever, as Tampa Bay & Baltimore sit atop the division. Yeah, the Orioles have teased us before, but remember, it usually takes a while before a Buck Showalter-managed team makes the playoffs.
Buck wins a grand!: Showalter won his 1,000th game as manager Tuesday, as Baltimore beat the Yankees, the team that gave him his first big league managerial gig some 20 years ago. Maybe he can do the Yanks a favor and take Freddy Garcia and/or Phil Hughes off their hands.......
Do you believe in Magic?: The Dodgers do, and now, so does Major League Baseball, which approved the sale of the team to a group including NBA icon/broadcaster Earvin "Magic" Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten, who helped build the Braves' dynasty and was last seen in Washington overseeing the Nationals. Los Angeles sits atop the NL West, so it's a matter of time before the same stars that usually show up at Laker games (i.e. Jack Nicholson) get primo seats at Dodger Stadium and get name checked by Vin Scully.
Be careful what you wish for, Miami: Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen earned a Dunce Cap in this space a couple of weeks back for some ill-timed remarks about Fidel Castro that were published in Time Magazine, and the team is paying a hefty price, sitting in the basement in the NL East. Owner Jeffrey Loria should also consider reading the works of Santayana. If the NBA's Heat chokes again in the playoffs, well, it's a sign that no matter how much money is spent to make a team better, it's the results on the field that count the most. Shortstop Jose Reyes returned to New York as a visiting player for the first time last week, and the Marlins were swept out of Queens by the Mets, who all but completely shut down Reyes.
Maybe it's not just a tease this time: Washington sits atop the NL East, but the lead has become tenuous. The Nationals have lost 5 in a row, including getting swept by the Dodgers last weekend. They opened the season in 1st once before, a few years ago, but fell out of contention before the 4th of July. This time, I think they'll stay in the race to the end, based on the simple fact that 1) the Phillies are old and vulnerable on offense, 2) the Mets still must deal with the curse of Citi Field, 3) Atlanta's already nipping on the Nats' heels, and 4) Miami isn't what they thought they were---yet----, and may not be until next year.
Every team should have a staff psychologist on hand: Delmon Young of the Tigers got in trouble with the law and didn't play against the Yankees over the weekend. His problem was making some racially-charged remarks to some strangers in New York, and was supposedly intoxicated. When are these guys going to realize that being young and gifted doesn't mean you're also automatically entitled? Speaking of the Yankees, they may need to give Phil Hughes some counseling to figure out what's wrong after he got lit up again, this time by Baltimore. They also need to cut their losses on Freddy Garcia before he becomes like Oliver Perez and writes his ticket out of New York with bad efforts out of the bullpen. The Mets don't just need a psychologist (they had one in the late 80's), but an exorcist. Another run of injuries has me convinced that there might be something else wrong with Citi Field that moving the fences can't cure. Instead of feuding with Angels batting coach Mickey Hatcher, Albert Pujols should offer Hatcher something encouraging, like a Bible.
Apparently, MLB Network has it written in their company manual that only one hot woman can be on their on-air roster.: Sam Ryan came over from ESPN (as did the latter network's long time boxing guy, Brian Kenny), so Hazel Mae became expendable. I'll bet most of you didn't notice or care.
Boston----in last place??? Believe it. Bobby Valentine has made more headlines running his mouth than the Red Sox have winning games. They've been embarassed on Fox's Saturday game of the week twice (vs. Detroit and the Yankees), and ran off six wins in a row before losing to the White Sox on Sunday. However, the AL East is more loaded than ever, as Tampa Bay & Baltimore sit atop the division. Yeah, the Orioles have teased us before, but remember, it usually takes a while before a Buck Showalter-managed team makes the playoffs.
Buck wins a grand!: Showalter won his 1,000th game as manager Tuesday, as Baltimore beat the Yankees, the team that gave him his first big league managerial gig some 20 years ago. Maybe he can do the Yanks a favor and take Freddy Garcia and/or Phil Hughes off their hands.......
Do you believe in Magic?: The Dodgers do, and now, so does Major League Baseball, which approved the sale of the team to a group including NBA icon/broadcaster Earvin "Magic" Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten, who helped build the Braves' dynasty and was last seen in Washington overseeing the Nationals. Los Angeles sits atop the NL West, so it's a matter of time before the same stars that usually show up at Laker games (i.e. Jack Nicholson) get primo seats at Dodger Stadium and get name checked by Vin Scully.
Be careful what you wish for, Miami: Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen earned a Dunce Cap in this space a couple of weeks back for some ill-timed remarks about Fidel Castro that were published in Time Magazine, and the team is paying a hefty price, sitting in the basement in the NL East. Owner Jeffrey Loria should also consider reading the works of Santayana. If the NBA's Heat chokes again in the playoffs, well, it's a sign that no matter how much money is spent to make a team better, it's the results on the field that count the most. Shortstop Jose Reyes returned to New York as a visiting player for the first time last week, and the Marlins were swept out of Queens by the Mets, who all but completely shut down Reyes.
Maybe it's not just a tease this time: Washington sits atop the NL East, but the lead has become tenuous. The Nationals have lost 5 in a row, including getting swept by the Dodgers last weekend. They opened the season in 1st once before, a few years ago, but fell out of contention before the 4th of July. This time, I think they'll stay in the race to the end, based on the simple fact that 1) the Phillies are old and vulnerable on offense, 2) the Mets still must deal with the curse of Citi Field, 3) Atlanta's already nipping on the Nats' heels, and 4) Miami isn't what they thought they were---yet----, and may not be until next year.
Every team should have a staff psychologist on hand: Delmon Young of the Tigers got in trouble with the law and didn't play against the Yankees over the weekend. His problem was making some racially-charged remarks to some strangers in New York, and was supposedly intoxicated. When are these guys going to realize that being young and gifted doesn't mean you're also automatically entitled? Speaking of the Yankees, they may need to give Phil Hughes some counseling to figure out what's wrong after he got lit up again, this time by Baltimore. They also need to cut their losses on Freddy Garcia before he becomes like Oliver Perez and writes his ticket out of New York with bad efforts out of the bullpen. The Mets don't just need a psychologist (they had one in the late 80's), but an exorcist. Another run of injuries has me convinced that there might be something else wrong with Citi Field that moving the fences can't cure. Instead of feuding with Angels batting coach Mickey Hatcher, Albert Pujols should offer Hatcher something encouraging, like a Bible.
Apparently, MLB Network has it written in their company manual that only one hot woman can be on their on-air roster.: Sam Ryan came over from ESPN (as did the latter network's long time boxing guy, Brian Kenny), so Hazel Mae became expendable. I'll bet most of you didn't notice or care.
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