SPORTSbyBROOKS.com shares this little video nugget of former Nebraska linebacker and ESPN analyst Trev Alberts telling blogger Chris Rasmussen of “Bugs and Cranks” on what’s important when raising his daughter.
Lighten up, Trev. At least Rasmussen didn’t write about how he plans on duct taping a Kansas City Royals jersey onto his daughter if she refuses to become a fan.
The Sports Hubris found 10 funny profile pictures of major league players and ranked them.
Personally, I think Adam Jones’ mug should be higher than seventh.
Christine Brennan of the USA Today writes that the absence of Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds has given baseball a sense of freshness this season.
It’s as if two co-existing realities are present in baseball — parallel universes if you will, in which you can be a huge fan of the game and also be greatly concerned about steroids. It’s not unlike the reality faced by fans of the Olympics, who revel in the joys of the Games even as they wonder who might be cheating before their eyes.
A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found that 53% of baseball fans cared “a lot” about baseball players using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, while an additional 29% cared “a little.” Only 16% said it mattered to them not at all. And 34% of the fans surveyed estimated that at least half of all major leaguers use illegal substances.
So fans think there is a lot of cheating going on, and they care about it — but then they dash to the ballpark anyway.
The funny thing is, it actually makes sense. It’s the game they are coming to see in most cases — or this week, even more esoterically, the spectacle of opening day.
No matter how bad the news for baseball, the act of going to a game is still a childhood fantasy for most of us. For those few hours, most fans don’t want to be reminded that the real world has intruded on the game. Tell them later, tell them tomorrow morning — but don’t tell them while they’re in their seats. That time is all the baseball fan has to escape.
Last night I was watching baseball and it hit me how much I love the game. I, like many fans, spent the summer entrenched in the Clemens-McNamee trial, as well as the Mitchell Report, of course. But I don’t care now. I mean, I do, but I just want the game back. Baseball is such a terrific game, but it’s being ruined. Maybe Brennan is right and the game gets a shot at redemption this year with Barroid and Clemens on the sideline.
Ohio State made it to the champhionship game again. Unfortunately, it is in the NIT. However, if you are Thad Matta you can use it as a sprongboard to next year. With so many young players, these extra games are key in their development. They lacked a true point all year as Jamar Butler is not the same type of leader that Mike Conley was a year ago. Not to take anything away from Butler. He has had one of the greatest careers in Buckeye history. He will leave as the all time assist leader and will have taken part in the most wins in a Buckeye uniform.
Just in case you don’t know, UMass is the opponent for the Buckeys. Travis Ford has done an outstanding job resurecting the program. Albeit, not to the same level of the Calipari days. His success has made him the leading candidate at LSU. Hard to believe only a few years ago he was in a make or break year at E. Kentucky. They won the conference tournament and the rest shall we say is history.
Other Coach News:
Look for Fran McCaffrey to be the top choice at Providence now that Larranaga has turned it down. Also, he could be in the hunt at Marquette. Billy Grier is the top guy at Oregon State and Mike Montgomery looks to be looking at Rice.
Tristan H. Cockcroft of ESPN.com recently posted his 2008 Fantasy Predictions. Some of his most interesting predictions came in the section he calls “Players I didn’t draft anywhere.” It was a collection of guys he stayed away from on draft day and there’s some pretty big names in his group.
Josh Beckett: Not that I don’t respect his talent, I just don’t trust his health. Beckett has exactly two 30-start campaigns in six years, and he logged 230 2/3 frames in 2007 (counting the postseason). That’s a lot, and I think it limits him to 25 starts in 2008.
Cole Hamels: Again, this one is all about health. Has everyone forgotten he missed a month late last year with a strained elbow? Fast fact: Hamels has averaged fewer than 18 starts per season as a pro. That’s not enough for me to make him a top-10 starter.
Hideki Matsui: I’ve watched enough baseball to recognize a career decline when I see one. His knee is a tad questionable, and his 2007 numbers were boosted by a monster July when he hit 13 homers with 28 RBIs. Take that month out, and he’d have been a .270-12-75 hitter in 115 games. Snore.
Brian McCann: I don’t overspend on catchers and wasn’t willing to grab McCann as early as he went. It’s just not what I do. That said, I’d say McCann’s true value is closer to his average draft position than most.
Jorge Posada: Again, I don’t overspend on catchers. Especially not 36-year-olds with thousands of innings on their knees coming off out-of-nowhere career years.
Carlos Zambrano: It’s easy to rag on him now after he left his Opening Day start with forearm cramps, but go back to January, when I said I was about as anti-Zambrano as a fantasy writer could get. If he makes 30-plus solid starts, I’ll be stunned.
I agree with his assesment on all of these players. Each one of these guys has some major fantasy drawbacks, yet players like Zambrano, Hamels and Beckett are still going high in drafts. I like what he writes about not overspending for catchers, too.
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