Separated at Birth: A Fair and Balanced Moose

Today I stumbled upon Fox News and temporarily thought Daryl Johnston became a daytime cable news anchor under the stage name "Trace Gallagher." When Gallagher went 20 seconds without mentioning his relationship with Troy Aikman and/or Emmitt Smith, I quickly realized I was mistaken.

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5 reasons MLB should show people running onto the field

This weekend, while unpacking my life from boxes, I caught the Braves and Sox on TBS.

In the ninth, a fan ran onto the field and the few minutes of hijinx seemed to delight the crowd. Sure it was a real drama (and could have been a momentum) killer for Braves with the Sox down one run with two out but once the dude was caught it was back to baseball business.

During the melee, the announcers reminded us that they "don't show this sort of thing on television."

Well why the Frank White not? I know they claim it will just encourage others fans to attempt it. Bull. Just because I see some drunk make a fool of himself in front of enourmous crowd doesn't mean I'll attempt the same. I'll save my drunk gate crashing for weddings and bat mitzvahs.

MLB should show fans running onto the field. Here is why:

1) The guy usually gets jacked up by security- If I don't see the whole thing go down, I'm assuming the guy runs around like a jackass, finally gets caught by his shirt tale, security grabs his arms and gingerly escorts him off the field. In reality, the fella usually gets his rear-end handed to him, forced to the ground, cuffed, and pulled off the field like a kid at the mall who just knocked over an entire shelf of Yankee Candles. If people see how brutal the guy is treated, it will make even the punchiest drunk think twice.

2) It's free entertainment- This is what drives me nuts; they won't show the jackass running around second base with his pants falling down but they will show fan and player reaction to the whole situation. That is like going to the movies and facing the crowd. It's torture. We are invested in viewing the game just like the fan's in attendance. We should get the whole show. It's also free entertainment for the fans. It's much more enjoyable than those annoying between innings quizes. Oh, that's how many people are in attendance and also paid way to much money to see this overpaid group of hacks. Good to know.

3) Public ridicule- When Joe Drunk gets to work on Monday and coworkers asks "How was your weekend?" he probably won't divulge he was locked in the clink getting grab-assed by a bunch of seedy fellas. If you put the fence jumpers face on TV, his punishment will go way beyond a night on a cot. He could lose his job, an embarassed girlfriend and his dignity. Especially if he gets his ass handed to him by a bunch of rent-a-fuzz.

4) People love drunks- Fail pics. YouTube vids. ESPN roasts. Think of the countless hours of entertainment too much booze brings into our lives. If you told me that a Sunday game between the Pirates and Reds had the possibility of at least three drunken fans storming the field I'd watch from first pitch to final out. It makes a boring game at least tolerable. Add drunk players and the Buckos might finally sell out!

5) To justify announcer's salaries- Honestly, I could go an entire televised game without a peep from the booth but I'd take the TV off mute if these jokers had to do play-by-play of some guy getting chased around the field for five minutes. Most of them mail it in every broadcast anyway. Make them earn their paycheck. I'd love to listen to McCarver say things like "To avoid getting caught, a person must 'run faster' than security. What do I mean by 'run faster'?" Joe Morgan would probably tell a story about a guy rushing the field at a game he wasn't even alive for. Think of the possibilities.

Chris Illuminati is a jackass. Read more of his stuff here.

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The Curious Case of Jay Mariotti: Blogger Bashing Is Bad Journalism

This debate/story just won't die. And I know, I'm only keeping it on life-support.

Journalists want it both ways. They decry the rise of blogs, criticize the "liberties" taken with truth by bloggers, bemoan the medium's unprofessional nature, and mock its authors while touting their j-school degrees and years cutting their teeth in the newsrooms of no-name papers.

Jay Mariotti, a blogger himself on a big-name platform built into a powerhouse by none other than a blogger, is the latest multi-platform rambler in the vein of the Bissingers and Rosenthals of the world to jump into the blogger vs. journalist war of words, albeit weeks late.

Rather than paraphrase his latest column on the subject, lets take a look at it in its entirty and inject some truths behind his innuendo.

Steroid Guessing Is Bad Journalism
Posted Jun 29, 2009 11:12PM By Jay Mariotti

I am one of the fortunate ones. Twelve months a year, I'm paid to dispense information and opinions on a major Web site read by millions, not to mention a major TV network watched by millions. I don't have to STRRRRRETTTTCCH THE TRUTH or make something up to be noticed as a columnist.

Show of hands by the bloggers out there. Tell the truth. How many exaggerate for the sheer purpose of garnering attention (like, say, a commentator on Around the Horn)? How many of Jay's millions of readers and viewers would lose a wink of sleep if Mariotti were today relieved of his duties at AOL and/or the Four Letter?

But in this changing media sphere, where everybody and his pet tarantula has a blog, many do have to compromise facts and fair play to turn heads and maintain some sort of living. And in the sports end of that sphere, the easiest path is to take liberties with the steroids crisis and randomly drop names of so-called users based on nothing more than unfounded speculation, whim and guesswork.

Rather, it's almost suggested that bloggers take the tact that Jay's counterparts in the industry did between 1998 and 2007: bury your head in the sand. I challenge Mariotti to provide one name "randomly" dropped by bloggers.

For all the fine work done by legitimate journalists who continue to uncover the smut in what inarguably is sport's biggest scandal ever -- T.J. Quinn, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Selena Roberts among them -- the sports writing business is rife with too many reckless idiots who don't hesitate to publish or post a name without the slightest bit of corroboration.

Talk about "name-dropping." Speaking of "reckless idiots," let's look at one of those "legitimate journalists" that Jay praises, Selena Roberts.

Michael David Smith, a highly respected blogger at Mariotti's online home, wrote last year, "Two Years Later, Selena Roberts Still Can't Admit She Was Wrong About Duke Lacross."

Sports columnist Selena Roberts is a gifted writer who usually sounds just the right notes in writing about the way sports intersects with issues like race, class, politics and the law. But she was dead wrong about the Duke lacrosse case. Roberts wrote a terrible column on March 31, 2006 that centered around this 20-word paragraph: "But why is it so hard to gather the facts? Why is any whisper of a detail akin to snitching?"

Roberts' thesis was that the Duke lacrosse players were banding together to protect the rapists in their midst. Of course, as we now know, it wasn't so hard to gather the facts in the Duke lacrosse case -- the facts were right there, out in the open, but a corrupt prosecutor named Mike Nifong (the only person who went to jail for the Duke lacrosse case) was so eager to twist the facts to his own political advantage that he would have sent three innocent men to prison had the attorney general not taken the case out of his hands.

...

But while Roberts got the story wrong in March of 2006, that can be understood -- it was a complex story, one that most members of the media got wrong. What is harder to understand is Roberts' continuing refusal to admit she was wrong, nearly two years after the fact.

Yes, given the staggering bulk of guilty names and relentless flurry of new information, we all wonder to ourselves if every major leaguer who has played since 1995 used steroids. But that doesn't mean anyone has the right, legally or ethically, to start speculating for public consumption just because he has a functioning computer, a miniscule niche in cyberspace or a column in the dying newspaper industry. The methods of dissemination may have changed, but journalistic standards suddenly shouldn't go to hell.

Here lies the main crux of this column and why I feel so angry and perplexed by the whole issue in general. Like Rosenthal and Buzz before him, Mariotti implores bloggers to uphold the journalistic standards he implies they should have. In doing so, Mariotti is alluding to the idea that bloggers are, in fact, journalists and members of the media- these same individuals he taunts as "wreckless idiots" and stretchers of truth.

Let's lay it on the table then. Jay, are you willing to accept and treat members of the new media as your peers, uphold them the same rights, encourage your contacts in leagues, news outlets and with teams to treat them equally and fairly as they would any old-school hack, and only then reserve judgment as to whether or not they meet your industry's self-identified standards?

If you know an athlete who uses steroids, convince us that it's true with corroborated material.

If not, please keep it to yourself.

Again, I ask you to give us an example of a player and or athlete "unfairly" and definitively accused by a blogger.

The irresponsibility began three years ago when blogger Will Leitch wrote on a Web site that he had "80 percent'' faith in a source who said a Kansas City-based strength and conditioning coach was one of the redacted names in the Jason Grimsley report. "Does (the trainer's) name sound familiar?'' Leitch wrote. "If it doesn't, he -- and we assure you, this gives us no pleasure to write this -- has been Albert Pujols' personal trainer since before Pujols was drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 draft.'' A photo of Pujols was included in the blog item.

Here's the problem: The trainer's name wasn't found anywhere in the report, meaning Leitch smeared the trainer and Pujols in one inaccurate swoop based on an "80 percent'' certainty rate. I think we learn in our 11th-grade journalism class, if not out of the womb, that it's irresponsible to tell a potentially damaging story if you're not entirely certain it's true. Eighty percent may as well be zero percent. The mess was exacerbated by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who ran with the story and caused a national feeding frenzy, and not until Pujols threatened legal action did a shamed, humiliated Leitch emerge with a correction titled, "A Deeply Regrettable Wrong,'' apologizing to the trainer in the process.

A reputable Web company would have fired him on the spot. Unfortunately, Leitch worked for a company that enjoyed the attention and allowed him to spew more lies about people. He profited from his fraudulence by writing a book read by a few of his blogging buddies.

Here's the rub. While Leitch is widely praised as the poster boy of the sports blogosphere, he couldn't be a further example of your typical blogger. Rather, Leitch's educational background and career more closely reflect that of yours, Mr. Mariotti. He is YOUR peer, not mine. A former editor at his college paper, he is/was a contributing editor at New York, and a contributor to The New York Times, GQ, Fast Company and Slate, and prior to that book you referenced, had already been twice published. The fact that he is deemed a blogger because he founded Deadspin is akin to you being deemed a blogger because you opine at FanHouse.

What he did was open the door to the Jerod Morrises of the world. A few weeks ago, Morris speculated on his obscure baseball blog that Raul Ibanez, who is enjoying a career season with the Philadelphia Phillies, might be on steroids. In a post headlined, "The Curious Case of Raul Ibanez: Steroid Speculation Perhaps Unfair, but Great Start in 2009 Raising Eyebrows,'' Morris proceeds to do what he suggests himself is unfair and indicts Ibanez. "Any aging hitter who puts up numbers this much better than his career averages is going to immediately generate suspicion that the numbers aren't natural, that perhaps he is under the influence of some sort of performance enhancer ...,'' he wrote. "Maybe the 37-year-old Ibanez trained differently this offseason with the pressure of joining the Phillies' great lineup and is in the best shape he's ever been in. And maybe that training included ... Well, you know where that one was going, but I'd prefer to leave it as unstated speculation."

Unstated? No, Jerod, you left nothing for conjecture.

June 16, 2009, Jay Mariotti at FanHouse:

At least three times, maybe more, I've asked Sammy Sosa if he ever has used steroids. Each time, he testily answered no, once stating that the only performance-enhancing substance he took was a "Flintstone vitamin." He had this goofy, cartoonish way about him that made you want to believe him, even though deep down, as someone who noticed that his head and upper body were swelled disproportionately to human reality, I knew he was as stone-cold guilty as any of them.

Now, at last, the other syringe seems to have fallen. In a development that will shock no one but the lying, denial-ridden Sosa himself, baseball's sixth-leading home run slugger of all-time reportedly is on the list of 104 players who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2003. Assuming the New York Times report is correct, it means Sosa becomes the latest in a staggeringly prominent line of fallen, cheating, juiced-up heroes who have turned the game's steroids debacle into pro sports' biggest scandal ever.

Pot, meet Kettle.

...Predictably, another blog -- Hugging Harold Reynolds, if you can believe it -- linked the piece to its Twitter feed, and Morris instantly became the hottest potato in the sports blogosphere.

We re-tweeted it because it was well-written, researched and thought-provoking piece on a topic every average fan chats about with his buddies - be it on a fantasy message board or on a sports bar stool.

Quite impressively, Ibanez, whose only sin might have been playing in Seattle-based obscurity for too long, responded with a robust stance of self-defense that rightfully focused on the lack of proof. All Morris had was two-plus months of Ibanez numbers -- .312 batting average, 22 home runs and 59 RBI until he went on the disabled list for a strained left groin -- that obviously trump his career power averages of 23 homers and 95 RBI.

He responded because he was put on the spot by a beat writer looking to fill a page, a beat reporter who (more than anyone else) is responsible for blowing up the story, and, in turn, making the Ibanez ordeal a national controversy.

"I'll come after people who defame or slander me," Ibanez raged to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's pathetic and disgusting. There should be some accountability for people who put that out there. Unfortunately, I understand the environment we're in and the events that have led us to this era of speculation. At the same time, you can't just walk down the street and accuse somebody of being a thief because they didn't have a nice car yesterday and they do today. You can't say that guy is a thief." When asked if he has used steroids, Ibanez flatly said no. "You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool -- anything you can test," he said. "I'll give you back every dime I've ever made (if a test is positive). I'll put that up against the jobs of anyone who writes this stuff. Make them accountable. There should be more credibility than some 42-year-old blogger typing in his mother's basement. It demeans everything you've done with one stroke of the pen. Nobody is above the testing policy. We've seen that.

Total over-reaction to a piece he in likelihood hadn't even read at the time. While denouncing unfounded claims (not unlike bloggers categorizing elderly hitters having career years in the steroid era), Ibanez lumps bloggers into one, widely-repeated category of basement-dwelling 40-somethings.

"It's unfair because this should be about how hard work, determination and desire trumps chemicals and shortcuts. That should be the message: desire, character, work ethic. But some guy who doesn't know me -- one idiot -- says something like this. They should be held accountable. It's cowardly.''

While Morris tried (unsuccessfully) to contact his subject, to my knowledge, Ibanez made no effort to directly address his accuser. Rather, he chooses to hide behind the paper and media that "writes this stuff."

Predictably, Morris made a fool of himself during a panel discussion on ESPN's Outside The Lines. Like many bloggers, he came off as someone who hasn't been properly trained to grasp libel law. Of course, the Internet is the Wild, Wild West and doesn't punish abusers for libeling people.

The perception that Morris made a fool of himself solidifies the notion that Mariotti is writing for his counterparts, the league, the players and the teams, and not the fans. While not all feedback on J-Rod's appearance from the blogosphere was positive, the one most pointed at as looking foolish, ill-informed and out-of-touch, was Ken Rosenthal. Has Morris been sued for libel?

Yet. Meanwhile, the real professionals will keep pounding on the amateurs. "Ten years ago there was not a chance that any newspaper or magazine or any other entity would have printed such a thing,'' FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal said on OTL. "It's wrong. It's irresponsible, it's unfair, and it needs to stop."

Over the last 10 years, the publication at which Rosenthal made his bones, The Baltimore Sun, has cut 60% of its staff; and in 1999, Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, Clemens and Palmerio were heralded as national icons.

"It's not fair to make assumptions like that,'' ESPN's Jackie MacMullan said. "It's a shame anyone is questioning (Ibanez) without proof.''

Fine.

"It is unfortunate that we have an Internet circumstance where people can be inflammatory with everything they say,'' co-host Tony Kornheiser said on ESPN's 'Pardon The Interruption.'

WTF is an "Internet circumstance?"

Because the Internet is a gateway to everyone, bloggers have a place in this new media world. I've seen plenty of good ones who apply the principles that will win them credibility for years. I've also seen plenty of bad ones who have no conscience and don't belong anywhere near a keyboard. And the problem involves more than bloggers. Recently, an ancient columnist named Rick Telander suggested in the Chicago Sun-Times that Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot's early power burst should send up red flags. "Sorry, Ryan Theriot, you're a suspect,'' he opened his column. "Forget Manny Ramirez and Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and Mark McGwire and all the other hulking, accused performance-enhancing drug users. You, sir, all 5-11, 175 pounds of you, are doing devious things.''

Basically, Telander was no different than blogging boy Jerod Morris -- speculating based on numbers, not facts. And if he was being sarcastic, he picked the wrong topic; this one is way too sensitive. My guess is, Telander was trying too hard to get attention in a death-warmed-over newspaper.

"Boy?"

Yeah, we know. You left the Sun Times on your terms. To "compete" and abandon the dying medium.

And what was Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times thinking when he wrote, "Thanks to Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, etc., fans outside St. Louis must wonder, 'Do we celebrate Albert Pujols or suspect him?' ... Pujols has batted four times with the bases loaded this season and three times has hit grand slams ... In his only other at-bat with the bases loaded, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger delivered a two-run single ... Sadly, it makes you wonder.''

Yes, unfortunately it does. And unfortunately people talk about it. So, unfortunately it's news.

Sure, we wonder. Know how many names have been leaked to me through the years? But as writers, we should not release our wonderment for public consumption unless we have full evidence of wrongdoing, as Roberts had when she broke the Rodriguez steroids story in Sports Illustrated. If Pujols and Ibanez were guilty, we'd probably find out in due time. Until then, I'll pause because we have no solid reason to presume guilt beyond the fact several of their colleagues have been guilty.

Yes or no: Did OJ do it? Did MJ molest kids?

These are desperate times in the media. But desperation should not turn us all into National Enquirer sleazes.

If you are implying that Midwest Sports Fans is sleaze, you too are basing that on nothing more that unfounded opinion.

The first thing a professor ever told me was, "Get the story right.'' That's why I was so angry a few years back when I was framed by the Sun-Times. The agent for Scott Skiles, then coach of the Chicago Bulls, had given our basketball beat writer the financial figures for Skiles' new contract. They slightly differed from the numbers run by the rival Tribune, as supplied by Bulls management. Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf, no fan of mine, ridiculously marched his lawyers into the office and demanded a correction in my column -- even though the numbers had been approved by editors and were supplied to me by an editor. (Reinsdorf actually was mad that I had been criticizing him for being a cheapskate and not signing Skiles earlier.) The paper buckled and ran multiple corrections for my column only -- but not for its own news story that published the same numbers -- which should tell you how corrupt the place was.

Woe is you. You were framed. Should have checked your sources. Trust, but verify. Which begs the question: what is "truth" and what makes you the authority on it.

So it bothers me when a writer just drops a name and doesn't face any repercussions. I'm definitely seeing an erosion in the accuracy game. We're down to, oh, about 80 percent now.

Has Jerod not faced repercussions? Has he not faced public scrutiny? Has he not stood up and acted honestly and respectfully? Has he once pointed blame (like, oh, he was framed)? He has stood by, defended, justified, debated and amended what he wrote. He doesn't hide. Nor does he or did he invite this "attention."

So tell us. What are you, Jay Mariotti? Newspaper hater? Blogger? Journalist? Renaissance man? Be it abandoning the platform which brought you success, or babbling away near-daily on ATH, you come off as one of the very things you accuse bloggers of being - a self-serving, attention seeker.

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Mike Hargrove Gets Paid $1 to Help Teach Liberal BeeJays

Am I the only one that couldn't help snickering at ESPN's "Where are they now" profile on former MLB skipper Mike Hargrove yesterday?

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Re-capping @jemelehill's Vodka-Induced, Un-Funny, Stereotype-Laden BET Awards Recap

In all likelihood, sports fans, you spent last evening in the same manner as I did - not watching the BET awards.

I was however, lucky enough that plenty of folks on Twitter felt the need to keep a Simmonsian running diary, including ESPN 1st & 10 mainstay Jemele Hill.

Among other things, the show somehow became a tribute to former Phillies/Mariners/Giants/Reds/Indians/Astros/Twins/White Sox reliever Mike Jackson.

I, for one, had no idea he was so popular in the R&B community.

Nor did I have any idea just how out of touch with the BET-watching community I, in essence, am.

Take it away Jemele...

If anyone wants to explain to me what exactly that action is referring to, by all means. Whitlock?

Last night's reunion performance, New Edition's 27th in the last 10 years, surprised and pleased only Jemele Hill. Then again, she remembers fainting when an adolescent Bobby Brown would strip off his shirt and dry hump the stage.

Apparently Jamie Foxx came out looking like this:

Is that Sheila E?

Jemele finds this amusing:

• Wow. Jamie Foxx came out with a Beat It jacket. I love this dude.about 13 hours ago from web
• Aight, Jamie, if you're going to do the Beat It reincarnation, i'mma need you to stay on beat.about 13 hours ago from web
• J Foxx has on some pants so tight I can see his butt cheeks flexinabout 13 hours ago from web
• If Jamie moves a bit too quickly, he coming out of those pantsabout 13 hours ago from we
• LMAO...Jamie Foxx just said his Michael Jackson pants are giving him a "camel toe." Now that's hysterical.about 13 hours ago from web

Clearly it doesn't take much to amuse Jemele Hill, and clearly Foxx fails to recognize and understand the subtle, yet distinct, differences between "camel toe" and "moose knuckle."

You people in Bristol just don't learn do you?

The real questions are:

• Why does BET have an awards show?
• Why does Jemele Hill have a career?
• Why am I following her Twitter feed?
  

A larger size uh what exactly?

After marveling over Bron's snug slacks, Hill goes on to Tweet about the following people I've never heard of:

• Keri Hilson
• Ne-Yo
• Neffei
• Keke Palmer
• XScape
  

That what she said.

If I followed this recipe but instead did so with Puerto Rican midgets and called in PRMET, I guarantee 2 things: 1. I would be deemed racist and offensive; 2. It would be more entertaining and successful than anything ever produced by BET. Bank it.

It took a fifth of vodka, but there we have it - Jemele's first and only amusing comment.


Jemele Hill, tearing down black stereotypes on Twitter since 2009.

This comment is applicable to:

A. BET's 2009 Awards Show
B. Jemele Hill's Tweetcap
C. This Post
D. All of the Above

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Knicks Grab Hill and Douglas In Draft, Rubio In Sight?

As Stuart Scott stumbled through two rounds of the NBA Draft and one first round pick referenced not the east coast or the west coast but the rarely visited mid-coast of the United States, a flurry of activity went down all throughout the day leading to one of the most anticipated drafts in some time. With the Shaq Daddy moving on to Cleveland and Vince Carter going to Orlando the stage was set for a host of moves during the actual draft. Unfortunatley, there weren't many moves left to be made outside of the usual swapping of rights that dominates most every NBA Draft.

The hometown New York Knicks were disappointed early on when the Golden State Warriors snatched Stephen Curry at the seven pick right as the Knicks were ready to go in the eight spot. When Arizona's Jordan Hill was selected, he was met with a bit of a Bronx Cheer. I think Hill has a chance to be a nice addition and the fans weren't necessarily booing Hill but booing the fact Curry was no longer available. Between the NFL Draft and Jets fans and the NBA Draft and Knicks fans, history tells us whenever the New York crowd is set on one person and that person is no longer available they would boo any man that comes down the pike.

With Hill the Knicks took the "best available player" - which is a nice move since at this point they just want quality guys. Later on they confirmed the trade with the Lakers for the 29th pick of the first round to take Florida State's Toney Douglas. Douglas is not exactly a household name in college hoops but could be a nice pick up. Another interesting move was obtaining Darko Milic for Quentin Richardson from the Memphis Grizzlies. Knicks fans are hoping this isn't the last trade with Memphis (see, Rubio, Ricky) but it's a move that is worth taking a gamble. Both players have expiring contracts after this season and Richardson has been banged up in recent seasons, while Milic, the famous bust of the Lebron/Carmelo draft might work in the Mike D'Antoni system.

Late rumors from Yahoo Sports have mentioned that the Knicks are trying to work a deal for Rubio, a player they highly coveted along with Curry in the first round but were unable to make the moves to get in position to make the picks. That is of course a to be continued.

Other thoughts on the draft...I thought Brandon Jennings might have been a nice gamble pick for the Knicks at the eight spot, but he ended up going to Milwaukee at the ten spot...James Harden seemed to surprise going high as the three pick, but OKC now is starting to build a solid core of young guys...Dick Vitale was vindicated when Tyler Hansbrough cracked the lottery at 13 to the Pacers...Vitale pretty much refuses to acknowledge players that didn't go through the college system which is always fun and makes me wish I recorded the Lebron James draft...BJ Mullens may be this year's Todd Fuller, the very tall white center that doesn't pan out, but stay tuned...Sam Young is fun to watch and could be nice in that mix on Memphis...Danny Green might be a solid bench player on a contending Cleveland team...Patrick Mills from St. Mary's goes very late in the second round, possibly a sign he should have stayed. Mills made a strong name for himself on the Australian National Team at the Beijing Olympics, but perhaps a late season injury hurt his stock...Finally shout out to New Jersey product and St. Anthony's grad Ahmad Nivins going from St. Joe's to the Dallas Mavericks. For anyone that read the Miracle of St. Anthony by Adrian Wojnarowski, Nivin was well chronicled and it's great to see his career continue to advance.

-posted by Cadillac Mescallade

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It's Not Unusual

In addition to having "tremendous upside" and being very "long," scouting reports indicate that UConn Center Hasheem Thabeet's name roughly tranlates to "Carlton Banks" from Tanzanian-to-English.

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Rubio to Become First Member of Menudo Ever Selected in NBA Draft

Barring some unforseen event, flashy Point Guard Ricky Rubio, of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo fame, is expected to become the band's first member ever taken in an NBA draft tomorrow in NYC.

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Blake Griffin is Just a Simple Caveman...

Your NBA draft frightens and confuses him. Because he's a caveman -- that's the way he thinks.

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Nick Jonas Upstages Ray Leonard, Meets with Frank Drebin on Capitol Hill to Discuss Diabeetus

Nick Jonas Meets with Sgt. Frank Drebin (nee: Lautenberg) today in DC.

Despite being an Olympic gold medalist, multi-time champ and one of the greatest boxers ever, Sugar Ray Leonard can't hold a candle to "teen heartthrob Nick Jonas of The Jonas Brothers pop group" in the eyes of DC's elite.

Leonard, Jonas and others were in DC to testify before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on federal funding for diabetes research.

From Politico, "VIDEO: Jonas Brother electrifies Capitol Hill":

The place was jam-packed with not just teenage girls hoping to get a peek at their crush, but also the parents of teenagers hoping to bring home a picture of their child's favorite star. So powerful was Jonas' star appeal that the crowd otherwise ignored the others stars also testifying: Mary Tyler Moore and Sugar Ray Leonard.

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Martina Navratilova's Ex-Lover/Wife Calls Tennis Great a Hypocrite on Gay Rights

As great as Martina Navratilova was on the court, she continues to strike out on the relationship front. For the second time, Navratilova is being dragged to court by a former lover after a failed long-term relationship.

This time, however, wife Toni Layton is calling a spade a spade, nothing that Navratilova, an outspoken champion for gay rights, is hiding behind "Florida's antiquated anti same-sex laws" to prevent Layton from receiving what she feels is her fair due in the breakup.

Marti makes out she's a champion of gay rights and sees herself as an icon for the gay and lesbian community. She has publicly urged people who are gay to 'come out' and stand up for their homosexuality.'

Yet here she is, hiding behind Florida's antiquated anti same-sex laws, trying not to give me a fair deal for those eight years I was there for her at every minute of the day and night.

If I was a man, married or not, I'd be entitled to half of everything that she earned during those years together. But because I'm a woman, it seems, rather conveniently, she believes I'm entitled to next to nothing.

Marti knew that when she decided it was time to get rid of me and move on with her life. And that is why I am having to sue for a breach of our partnership.

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I'm Keith Hernandez

After garnering underground buzz and doing a tour of the film festival circuit, Rob Perri's short film, "I'm Keith Hernandez," has been released online for free.

From creating a more confident Joaquin Andujar to his influence on the '86 championship Mets to encouraging Don Mattingly's attraction by association, Keith Hernandez's influential mascualinity knew no bounds in the 1980s.

Needless to say, the film's widespread viewership is long overdue.

I'm Keith Hernandez from water&power on Vimeo.

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From The D.C. Bureau: Hunter Mahan Is Gonna Be Late For Work

Thanks to the rain delay at Bethpage, Hunter Mahan had to wear his Sonic Car Hop uniform to the course today. Sources confirm he's headed straight to his other job right after he finishes his round.

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A yearlong swan song in Omaha

Image: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Good friend of HHR, Eric Angevine, heads to Omaha to visit and pay homage to Rosenblatt Stadium, the College World Series' home since 1950, which will be shutting down.

Story here.

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Who's Your Daddy?

Any ham and egg blogger can put together a list of contraceptionally-challenged athletes in honor of Fathers Day. But how many are honoring the men who have humbly embraced father-inspired nicknames?

Today we salute you, figurative fathers of sport.

Willie "Pops" Stargell
The Father of Stovepipe Baseball Caps

George "Papa Bear" Halas
The Father of the NFC Championship Trophy

Glenn "Pop" Warner
The Father of Derailing American Youth From Playing That Commie Sport Soccer

David "Big Papi" Ortiz
The Father of Esther Rolle Look-A-Likes

James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell
The Father of White Guilt of Segregated Sports

Papi Chulo
Father of "Believe it or Not I Actually Competed at Wrestlemania"

Scott "Big Poppa Pump" Steiner
The Father of the Steiner Recliner

Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson
The Father of Great Wasted Nicknames

Charles "The Godfather" / "Papa Shango" Wright
The Father of the Ho Train

Shaquille "Shaq Daddy" O'Neal
The Father of Ten-Too-Many Self-Given Nicknames

Jason "Big Dady" Keep
Father of Tattoo Shenanigans

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Buzz Bissinger Irresponsibly Speculates While Denouncing Irresponsibility in Spreading Speculation

On today's Deadcast, It’s Family Hour With A Kinder, Gentler Buzz Bissinger, Buzz addressed the Ibanez blowup, which was obviously reminicent of his Leitch showdown.

However, as Dan Levy points out to Drew, his message might be somewhat lost as it appears Buzz hasn't brushed up on his homework on the situation, and inexplicitly calls out MLB Network's All-Star personality (and this site's namesake), Harold Reynolds.

Buzz: "Harold Reynolds picks it up, and puts it up on his website. And then before you know it its all over the place. I think Reynolds was really wrong. I think it was, um you know, really sloppy on his part."

Clip via Awful Announcing:



From John Gonzalez's column in question:

There was a time when a small, regional site like MSF could write something like that and no one would notice. Not anymore. Not long after the Ibanez post went up, Hugging Harold Reynolds - a popular national blog - linked to it on its Twitter feed. And just like that, we were off. Less than an hour later, I had several e-mails in my inbox asking if I read the MSF story and whether I believe Ibanez is chemically enhanced.

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From The D.C. Bureau: Congressional Baseball Is Not A Sport

Just thought I'd update the rest of the country on what its tax dollars were up to last night.

Each year, your members of Congress gather 'round the the ol' ballpark and perform a giant geriatric circle jerk in front of their paid staffs and the adoring media. The morning after, sports fans in DC get to wake up to the following in the morning headlines. "Oh what a site it was..." "Rep. X really hustled all night...""Rep. Heath Shuler also sucks at baseball..." etc.


Here's the truth:

These guys play baseball about as well as they spend our money. And the crowd probably has attended more Ways and Means committee hearings than ballgames, which is why they no doubt know the words to Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m just a bill” better than “Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Moreover, the fact nobody could go yard against Joe Baca, a 62 year old Congressman who sorta looks like a old/fat Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez, tells me that none of them deserve your vote in 2010.

(Except Sen. John Ensign…he didn’t attend for some reason. So go ahead and vote for that guy.)

If you still don't believe just how fecal this event is, I’m displaying pictures comparing this fake baseball bonanza to the real deal happening in Omaha:

Congressional pics via dcist.com
CWS pics via texassports.com

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Worst Kept Secret Ever Revealed by New York Times

Move over Pete Rose, you have company. Arguably the worst kept secret in baseball history was partially revealed yesterday when the New York Times reported that "Slammin" Sammy Sosa is on the seemingly neverending list of players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs back in 2003.

The reaction from sports fans nationwide was one of complete indifference, as many for years already believed Sosa was on some type of steroids. The other half has become so numb to a report of a major league baseball player cited for HGH or any other number of pharmaceuticals that news like this no longer even registers.

As the news machine fired up regarding the Sosa announcement including equal parts: ex-teammate reacton, ex-manager reaction, potential legal ramifications, and the all important now trashed Hall of Fame status, the general public yawned and went back to sleep hoping to catch a later edition of SportsCenter that might have begun focusing on actual sports again.

In the meantime MLB Commissionor Bud Selig was preparing his three stages of acceptance to the news: first slight disbelief, followed by complete disgust sandwiched with current positive drug testing news, topped off by quiet acceptance.

As for Sosa, he has many options before him as his predecessors have paved a variety of paths in dealing with these type of announcements. The Jason Giambi method of actual live game redemption has been ruled out since nobody has wanted to touch Sosa with a ten foot pole since 2007. That leaves three basic choices:

• There is the Roger Clemens defense in which despite a ridiculous amount of evidence Sosa could go on the offensive in complete denial mode while also inventing new words to the English language.
• Second is the Barry Bonds maneuver. Sosa could maintain he still wishes to play and that it is Major League Baseball that is blackballing him, thereby shifting the focus off the fact that sometime after 1995 he grew gigantic muscles.
• Last, he could follow in the footsteps of home run swatting pal Mark McGwire. This one seems to be the easiest as it requires going into complete hiding for several years and then reemerging in later years as a sentimental hitting guru.

Regardless that the directions for Sosa are many, what he will do remains to be seen. At last check reporters had spotted Sosa leaving a Chicago area Dennys. When asked about the recent reports Sosa launched into his trademark homerun celebration which included leaping horizontally, pounding his chest, kissing his fingers, and pointing to the sky all while smiling uncontrollably. As the media contingent momentarily joined in the celebration, Sosa slipped into a waiting Suburban and sped away. It appears yet another new method of coping has been developed.


Stay Tuned!

-posted by Cadillac Mescallade

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Can You Dig It?

As MSMers put out an APB on bloggers trying to make it back to Coney following the Outside the Lines summit on ESPN, SI's Joe Posnanski serves as one of the few mainstream voices of reason as he offers a fair and honest account of the @Jerodmsf/Ibanez/Rosenthal/Gonzalez fallout.

In this week's issue of the magazine, Posnanski pens Without A Clue: In the steroid age, those who cover the game struggle to describe what they see, noting, "The shame of it was that the conversation reignited the tedious mainstream-media-versus-bloggers conflict when, instead, it should have been about how Morris was simply wrestling with the same thing we all wrestle with."

Appropriately, the story hits mailboxes the day people are blowing up over the NYT article indicating that slugger Sammy Sosa tested positive to PED use in 2003.

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Nike Golf's 8 > 9 Campaign Put to Test

Nike is bragging that its new SQ DYMO STR8-FIT and SQ DYMO² STR8-FIT drivers, with a choice of eight club head positions, will outperform all competition including, namely, the Taylor Made R9.

We decided to tap HHR's resident golf expert, DJ Virg, to put its claims to the test.

Nike SQ Dymo STR-8 –FIT vs. TaylorMade R9

Each club tested met the following specs:

Head Size: 460cc
Degree: 8.5◦
Shaft: Stiff

DJ Virg's Review

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to test out these 2 drivers. Both have the ability to change the lie and angle of the club head to adjust for certain shot types (e.g. draw, fade). Certainly this ability could benefit a golfer greatly, but with time restraints I decided to test these drivers out with a neutral head position. I am looking for a driver to add a little distance and cut down the severity of my missed shots. If I could find it in one of these drivers in the neutral head position, having the ability to change the position of the club head would definitely be a bonus.

Let me give you a little bit of my golfing background before I get to the results...

Years played: 13
Handicap: 6
Avg. Swing Speed (driver): 118 mph
Avg. Ball Speed (driver): 178 mph

The strength and weakness of my game is off the tee. I have a lot of distance but am not very accurate, and my missed shots are almost always un-findable. So in comparing these clubs I tested on 3 aspects of a golf shot: feel, distance and distance off center line.

Round One: Feel

The feel test consisted of hitting a dozen golf balls with each club. Have to say both clubs set up to the ball nice and had great overall look. The first swing with the Nike sounded like an explosion; the ball jumped of the clubface. The rest of the swings with the Nike felt very solid even a few missed shots off the heel and toe sounded and felt solid. The club was very forgiving. The Taylor made was also a very solid club, when the sweet spot was hit; however the miss hits felt awful. Miss hits were a lot less forgiving.

Winner: Nike SQ Dymo STR-8 - FIT

Round Two and Three: Distance and Off Center Line

Distance test was done using a virtual driving range at Golf Galaxy in Langhorne, PA. The machine calculates many statistics such as distance, ball flight, spin rate, launch angle and distance off center line. To complete the test I hit 5 drives with each club. Here are the numbers:


The numbers show that on average the Nike driver was about 17 yards longer and about 20 yards closer to the center line. The off center line numbers for the TaylorMade are very consistent with my typical tee shots, long and off the radar. For the Nike driver, my off center line numbers were by no means perfect, but showed a big difference from the TaylorMade and also my current driver. The Nike might not help me hit every fairway, but I will definitely be in play. Additionally the Nike had a much lower spin rate which in turn means greater distance.

Winner: Nike SQ Dymo STR-8 - FIT

Overall
The Nike SQ Dymo Str-8 FIT out-performed the TaylorMade R9. The Nike gave me more distance, accuracy and was lot more forgiving on missed shot.

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Today in History

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the greatest Bababooey call in history. Oh yeah, and a former Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer, OJ Simpson of Nordberg fame, went on the lam in LA in a white Bronco.

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JERUSALEM "Your Business' Name Here" KINGS

A few weeks back, we spotlighted an upstart venture in the Holy Land, Bob Kraft's Israeli Football League, and profiled a good friends of HHR who is coaching one of the league's teams.

For a very nominal fee, your company can actually sponsor that team. Hmmmm..."The Jerusalem HHR Kings Football Club" has a nice ring to it.

---

The Jerusalem Kings football club is an amateur football team that plays in the Kraft (New England Patriots) Family Israeli Football Ball league. The Jerusalem Kings consists of diverse group of players from all over the world, who have come together for the love of the game of football.


The Jerusalem Kings are searching for a sponsor for its 2009-2010 season.

Sponsors will have their logo and website linked to both the IFL main website and the Kings fan site. All news articles will include the name of the sponsor with-in the team name. For example, it will appear in the Jerusalem Post: "The Jerusalem 'Your Business Name' Kings defeat the Tel Aviv "Mike Place's Bar and Grill" Sabers 24 - 14." Sponsors may set up a stand to sell or promote their items at all home and away games. Team member will also be available to show up in uniform for promotional events.

For more information please see:

http://www.jerusalem-kings.com/

http://www.ifl.co.il/

Contact Information:

David Jesselson, Team Manager - 01-972-2-52-246-8579; djesselson@gmail.com
Shmuel Wiesfield - 011-972-2-54-696-5885; shmuelw@gmail.com
Joshua Rubin - jerusalemkings@gmail.com

For more pictures, please email you request to: "Maxim Rivkin", tzugunder@yahoo.com

From The D.C. Bureau: James Loney Is Probably On Steroids

From Special Agent Blue Pulaski, DC Bureau (Blame him if Loney decides to go Ibanez on blogs)


Apparently, Man-Ram really had an effect on one of his teamates. Think of all that tired "Manny being Manny" talk back before he was outed as a hormonal female. This morning, the L.A. Times breaks some news with a profile on Dodgers first baseman James Loney. The Times quotes teammates who describe Loney's personality with suspiciously Manny-esque adjectives such as "dumb," "spacey," and "unaffected."

However, the case against Loney gets really interesting when you read pitcher Randy Wolf's comments about Loney's physical appearance, "Crazy legs and crazy eyes. He's like a baby giraffe."

While they don't come right out and say it, is it possible his teammates are trying to tell us something?

"He's very left-handed," Randy Wolf says. "He's out there."

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Have You Gotten Your BlogsWithBalls Tickets Yet?

Beverly Hills Hair Salon Owner Leads Italy Over USA

The US-born Giuseppe Rossi of Teaneck, NJ, best known for hocking hair products on the YES and SNY Networks, scored two goals to lead Italy over the Americans in yesterday's Confederations Cup matchup.

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Have You Gotten Your BlogsWithBalls Tickets Yet?

Is FanNation funnier when.....

It gets a headline wrong.....

...or right?

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