Congratulations go to Balco and to Barry.

Commiserations to Washington Nationals pitcher, Mike Bacsik, to Hank Aaron, to Bud Selig, to Major League Baseball and to all the fans of the game  …

Our silent vigil ends.

Now it seems that ‘S’ stands for “Sopranos” and the ‘E’ for “Eulogising”.

I download their podcasts (Mike’n’Mike, Herd and Patrick) every day to drown out my 2-hour each-way commute. This week I’ve been skipping huge segments and binning-off whole programmes due to the hosts’ preoccupation with becoming TV critics.

This just in: when I want to listen to TV talk and critique I download my favourite TV critic talk shows … oh wait … no I don’t … ‘cos I don’t have one … ‘cos I don’t care … hence my intent in downloaded sports talk … pity it ain’t.

I’m thinking those other letters … the ‘P’ and the ‘N’ … I’m thinking they should stand for “pretty nauseating” …

That was the moment the Red Sox boot should have crushed the Yankees’ throat. A 2-1 series loss leaving them 13 and a half games behind on the back of the demoralising new on Clemens plus an injury to Pettitt would have been devastating.

Instead the “out” saw Boston clinging to a one-run advantage but at least they had their lights-out closing duet to see them through.

Only this time they didn’t. An eighth inning single drove in the tying run and the ninth brought more drama. Papelbon versus A-Rod. Two out and an 0-2 count. Another fizzing fastball stays just a tickle too low. A-Rod’s bat swings sweetly through the line and clubs it into the Red Sox bullpen for 6-5 lead.

Crushing silence descended on the hitherto frenzied Fenway Park stands.

And worse was to follow. The heart of the Red Sox line-up battled through a 26 pitch ninth innings before surrendering to Rivera.

Ah the old ghosts had risen to haunt them.

True Red Sox fans scoff at any mention of a curse. But we know better than that deep down. Oh the Red Sox fans’ curse is no goat, no shade of the bambino. No. The true curse of being a Red Sox fan is this .. No lead is ever big enough … No stretch short enough … No cinch sure enough that you can truly relax and enjoy the moment.

A lifetime of near misses and lost opportunities condemns us to forever to fear the “what if” … to turn rabbit-ears to the whisper of footsteps behind!

Sunday night’s loss to the Yankees may prove to be nothing more than a blip in a remarkable Boston season.

But I can’t help feeling the Red Sox just handed the Yankees a massive morale boost. Abrieu, A-Rod and Manuel Reviera all shone in the clutch, whilst the feted Red Sox pitching wilted against the NY batting order.

Those footsteps may not be much closer, but their tread is more steady.

Favre was Superman at play.

Could he still lead a tooled-up team to glory? Death or Glory? Hell, yeah! Just not these Packers. The rebuilding – maybe – Packers. The Packers stocking-up on low grade Draft picks hoping to find a diamond in the rough.

Not even Thomas Cook’s Tour Guide of the Year could lead that green crew to a Super Bowl. Not even with a revved-up Tom-Tom.

So, no wonder the guy is frustrated. Does he want out? Probably.

We said here last year the time was past when the Packers and he could have made a nice, tidy and ‘still friends’ break. Now they are heading for a freefall into acrimony. This (losing) season will finally drain the last dregs of love from the Packer-Favre love-fest.

And that is the inevitable consequence of the short term strategy that Favre has forced onto the Packer organisation by refusing to commit to anything other than 1 year extensions. Not that the Packers are excused … stronger management would have forced the issue three years ago now.

So, look for him to be a Vick-evicting Atlanta Falcon – for one season only – as he strives to ‘Elway’ one more Superbowl ring in 2008.

For the mercy of our sacred elders stop already with the Aaaaaaaa-bomb from Aaaaaaa-Rod nonsense …. grow the hell up!

By the way great job Alex Rodriguez in sticking it to the whinging whining loud mouth Yankee fans. Smart move. Let ’em make jackasses of themselves booing their socks off at ya’ for a season or so then dump the heap of talent on them all at once.

If by any chance there’s a baseball God and one with a sense of humour then you’ve already inked a contract with Red Sox for 2008 onwards. Can’t wait till the pinstriped crowd are staring down the barrel of an ages long ‘Curse of the Aaaaa-migo’

]]> https://sfsportsusa.wordpress.com/2007/04/25/aaaaaaaaaaaaa-nnoying/feed/ 0 bridgey https://sfsportsusa.wordpress.com/2007/04/19/lessons-learnt/ https://sfsportsusa.wordpress.com/2007/04/19/lessons-learnt/#respond Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:11:53 +0000 http://sfsportsusa.wordpress.com/2007/04/19/lessons-learnt/ Dice-K (1-2) has found out the hard way – if he ever doubted it – that Baseball is a *team* game.

After his first game win – a 10 ‘K’ performance – he’s pitched two more ‘quality’ starts, yet picked up two losses as his batters fell silent, posting only a solo David Ortiz home run in those two outings.

With Boston peppering runs in games Dice-K hasn’t pitched it begs the question: why?

It seems facing Dice-K is just the tonic opposing pitchers need to bring their ‘A’ game to new levels of excellence. An unfortunate turn of events for a batting line-up that whilst potent is also patchy, with Crisp, Pedroia, Varitek and strangely Ramirez all getting off to sluggish starts.

Dice-K’s next start is Sunday against the Yankees for whom a suddenly slap happy A-Rod is leading the league in prompting inane home-run calls ‘an Aaaa-bomb for Aaaa-Rod’ (aaargghh!).

So, DK is going to have to find a way to waken the Bean Town bats and still the Yankee timber there could be an international incident … because if A-Rod A-Bombs … well …

Robinson and Branch Ricky broke more than a sporting barrier with that courageous move.

But that much is obvious. My question – and it’s been niggling at me for a weekend now – is what has changed in the ten years since it was fifty years since Robinson crossed the colour line?

Ten years ago on that fiftieth anniversary – a landmark usually more auspicious than a 60th – MLB retired forever the #42. And I think that was it. Period.

Now, in 2007, there’s no end to the celebrations of Robinson, the society-changing sportsman.

I don’t have an answer as to what has changed. Yet the question bothers me still. What has changed in those ten years?

• Has the feat itself assumed greater import?
• Are we more sensitive to the whole racial issue?
• Is it tangible evidence of the rising power of the Afro-American middle class?
• Is the sport and the media simply more attuned to the ethnic diversity of our population?
• Is it because of a genuine shift in societal sensibilities?
• Is it because we’ve taken another step in the maturation of society? One that will grow to have a positive impact on the future of today’s youth?
• Is it an attempt to turn-on the young Afro-American athlete to a sport that once meant so much to them but which now draws less than 20% of its players from their population?

I’m hoping sommeone closer to this than I can dig up some answers on this over the weeks ahead.

In the mean time … Mr Robinson you did a great thing, I wish you were here to be thanked in person; you’re not but your actions still reverberate through a society you helped change for ever … thank-you.

Yes, Bonds could redeem himself and become ‘re-beloved’ in a way that Pete Rose can only wet-dream about.

Bonds the home run hero. Bonds the ego. Bonds the slugger. Bonds the Hall of Fame wanna-be. Bonds the father. Bonds the God-son of legend Willie Mays. Bonds the pantomime ‘steroid’ villain.

If the complex entity we know as Barry Bonds retains any shred of respect for Baseball’s tradition then he’d better show it now.

And if he does, even now at this 11th hour he has one avenue, one recourse of action that is win-win-win.

Almost single-handedly Bonds can resurrect a tainted reputation and breathe new life into his hero status. Become a statesman of baseball even.

He can rescue baseball from an era shrouded in doubt and shame.

He can give fans back the game they love.

And he can preserve the integrity and dignity of baseball’s most hallowed record, protecting the legend that rightly earned it.

How?

Mr. Bonds, here’s your step plan:

1. Stop ‘the Chase’ on 754. Just one run short. The whole world will know you could have gone-on to break it with ease. The whole world will wonder how far you could have gone on. That legend has legs.
2. Call a press conference whilst on 754 and come clean with the date you first used performance-enhancing drugs. If it’s when most pundits feel then you were already assured of HoF status and should be a ‘shoo-in’.
3. Announce your retirement one home run short of Hank Aaron’s record, explain it’s out of respect for the man and the game.
4. Explain the drivers that led you to do this and the dangers; the downside. Begin to become a role model.
5. Set-up, sponsor and/or support a programme of education and information aimed at dissuading the drug cheat athlete.
6. Liase with the MLB and players union to set-up an Amnesty Programme aimed at stopping steroid use in the game. Get current users to step forward, renounce and be rehabilitated into the game.

On the back of all of this MLB should announce a rigorous testing regime; including retroactive testing to dissuade the ‘one step ahead’ mentality.

Were all of that to happen Baseball, Barry Bonds and the American sports landscape would all be Winners.

And the ‘Steroid Era’ can be boxed-up for ever …

Technorati Tags: Bonds, MLB, Baseball, Aaron, Mays, Steroids, Homer

Strike that.

What is it with American sports? Can’t you guys take a lickin’?

Why is it the other team ‘running-up the score’? Ain’t you playing a competitive game?

You don’t like being beat, that’s fine. Do your dead best to stop the other guys whooping you. But don’t bleat when the beatin’ turns nasty.

I watch sports around the Globe and rarely hear the ‘they ran up the score’ moan from any other game in any other nation; not outside of school sports anyhow.

I shake my head everytime I hear it, whether it’s the cry-baby Knicks in the NBA again or some Baseball or College Football
Coach.

When you’re out there playing it’s your responsibility to put in the effort to stop your opponents … Not theirs to go-easy on you.

You want it any other way then at least stifle the whinges and formalise the abomination in a ‘mercy rule’.

That way any one gets 30 points up on the Knicks again we can declare them victors and all go home early.

Gotta say I was impressed, at least with the pitching and defence. I thought Wade Miller pitched a terrific game as he hunts that fifth place spot on the rotation. Miller went 5 shutout, walk-free innings and even threw-in a textbook 1-3-6 double play to earn a key out in that 5th inning.

I was concerned earlier in the day to read what looked like a spat betweenLou Pinella and pitcher, Kery Wood. Seemingly Wood felt he was readier than Pinella did and there’ll only be one winner in that row.

But I guess it’s a good sign that Wood feels strong enough to pitch and is chomping at the bit to do so … equally he has to accept that the Cubs want not just to get him healthy but to keep him that way.

Hopefully he come’s through his next Spring outing injury free and ready to jet out to Cincinatti for Opening Day …

Technorati tags: MLB, Cubs, Chicago, Chicago Cubs