Category: MLB (Page 38 of 448)

      Writer: Beaten Giants fan should have known not to wear jersey

      April 13, 2011 /
      San Francisco Giants fans root for their team in the eighth inning during Game 1 of the Major League Baseball (MLB)’s World Series against the Texas Rangers in San Francisco, October 27, 2010. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      I’ve seen plenty of crap writing in my day but John Steigerwald of the Observer-Reporter has taken bad journalism to a whole new level.

      I actually read this piece yesterday but I wanted to let my opinions marinate overnight. I like to play devil’s advocate as much as possible and give writers the benefit of the doubt if I can at least see where they were coming from. But after reading Steigerwald’s article again this morning, it’s pretty clear that this guy doesn’t have a point.

      Steigerwald’s column is about Bryan Stow, the 42-year-old paramedic and lifelong Giants fan who is now in a coma because a pair of thugs beat him to within an inch of his life outside of Dodger Stadium on Opening Weekend. Steigerwald suggests that Stow (whom Steigerwald apparently called “Snow” until he was corrected in the comments section of the piece) should have known not to wear his Giants jersey to the park that night.

      Maybe someone can ask Stow, if he ever comes out of his coma, why he thought it was a good idea to wear Giants’ gear to a Dodgers’ home opener when there was a history of out-of-control drunkenness and arrests at that event going back several years.

      If he ever comes out of his coma? You’re kidding me right? How insensitive can you get?

      Nobody needs to ask Stow why he wore his Giants’ “gear”: He was supporting his team at a ballgame. It’s not like he went to the beach dressed in an Eskimo suit.

      Are there really 40-something men who think that wearing the jersey makes them part of the team? It was cute when a 10-year-old kid got that feeling by showing up at Three Rivers Stadium in a Pirates jersey, but when did little boys stop growing out of that?

      Here’s tip for you if you actually think that wearing your team’s jersey makes you a part of the team:

      It doesn’t.

      Is this now a cautionary tale that Steigerwald is writing or is he badgering a man in a coma? I’m confused.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, MLB

      Red Sox in last place, Indians in first – welcome to bizarro world

      April 12, 2011 /
      Cleveland Indians players watch a video tribute to the late Bob Feller prior to the season opening MLB American League baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Cleveland, Ohio April 1, 2011. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk(UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Remember that Seinfeld episode when Elaine meets a new group of friends that are exactly like Jerry, George and Kramer, although they’re normal and not deranged?

      Yeah, well I feel like Elaine in that “bizarro world” episode when I look at the current standings in Major League Baseball.

      You feel like a woman, Anthony?

      Well not…uh…ah, shut up.

      A quick look at the standings reveals that the Orioles and Indians are in first place, the Red Sox, Tigers and defending World Series champion Giants are in last place, and the Pirates and Royals are in second place. What in the name of Rick Vaughn is going on here?

      Well, it’s not “bizarro world” as much as it’s the second week in April. The most overused phrase at this point of the year is “It’s early,” and it is. But that’s not to suggest that a team like Boston doesn’t have some serious issues to work through and Cleveland’s current six-game winning streak is a fluke.

      The Red Sox’s current run differential is –31, which is the worst in the league. In their first 10 games, they’ve already given up 69 runs, or 21 fewer then they did through 10 games last year when they started 4-6 and missed the playoffs. For a team that many believed would win the World Series, the BoSox are off to a horrendous start.

      On the flip side, the Tribe is 8-2 after dropping its first two games and is getting tremendous efforts from Asdrubal Cabrera, Orlando Cabrera, Travis Hafner and a young pitching staff. It remains to be seen whether or not their starters can continue to eat up innings and pitch well throughout the year, but it’s not a stretch to think that this is the start of a career year for Asdrubal Cabrera or that guys like Justin Masterson and Carlos Carrasco are coming into their own. Who’s to say at this point?

      Granted, at this point last year the Blue Jays, A’s and Cardinals were all in first place, and none of them made the playoffs. But every year a team that wasn’t expected to contend does just that and shocks the masses. Nobody thought the Padres would compete in 2010 and if it weren’t for a late-season collapse, they would have made the playoffs.

      Yes, it’s early – really early, in fact. But confidence is a scary thing and teams like the Indians are bringing truck loads of it to the park right now. Chances are things will go “back to normal” eventually (Elaine did find herself back with Jerry, George and Kramer), but then again maybe we’ll be trapped in bizarro world for a while longer. (I’m sure Tribe fans wouldn’t mind.)

      External Sports, MLB

      Steroids and why they matter in baseball

      April 11, 2011 /

      I’ve found it rather interesting that in the midst of Barry Bonds’ perjury trial and the news that Manny Ramirez abruptly retired instead of dealing with a 100-game suspension for another positive PED test (his second in three years), that some people have developed a rather nonchalant attitude towards steroids as it pertains to the game of baseball.

      Whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook or in sports forums, people continue to utter the statement: “What’s the big deal? It’s only steroids. I like home runs! Steroids make the game more exciting!”

      Honestly, I have rationalized at least part of this argument in the past. I couldn’t care less if someone wanted to take steroids – including athletes. Do you know what the yearly average is for deaths caused by steroids? Three. As in: three people. For comparison sake, tobacco kills 5.4 million people per year, which is a shade more than three.

      That’s not to say I condone the use of steroids. When the day comes where I have children of my own, I’m going to make sure they understand how dangerous steroid use is. The potential side effects of misusing steroids are well known and if a doctor does not prescribe them, the risk just isn’t worth the reward in my eyes. We’re talking about highly dangerous stuff here, especially for those who don’t know what they’re doing.

      But if a groan man wants to sink hundreds of dollars into drugs that will make him bigger, stronger or heal faster, then whatever. It doesn’t affect me and quite frankly, this country is dealing with way more pressing issues at the moment.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, MLB

      Manny: “I’m at ease” with decision

      April 10, 2011 /
      Tampa Bay Rays’ Manny Ramirez reacts to a pitch during the seventh inning of their MLB American League baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in St. Petersburg, Florida, April 1, 2011. REUTERS/Brian Blanco (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      If you thought Manny Ramirez might have some regret about the way he abruptly retired instead of serving a 100-game suspension for his second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs in the last three years, well then you just don’t know Manny.

      From the San Francisco Chronicle:

      “I’m at ease,” Ramirez told ESPNdeportes.com by phone Saturday from his home in Miami. “God knows what’s best (for me). I’m now an officially retired baseball player. I’ll be going away on a trip to Spain with my old man.”

      I’ve never met God but from what I’ve read about him, I don’t think he would have approved of Manny’s actions over the past three years. This is a man who tested positive twice for performance-enhancing drugs and instead of serving his second suspension and remaining committed to a team he signed a deal with this offseason, he just up and walked away.

      Hey, if he wants to go to Spain with his old man, good for him. But we’re not talking about someone who tried to play and in the end couldn’t physically endure another season so he retired. We’re not talking about someone whose heart just wasn’t in it anymore a la Ken Griffey Jr. in his final year. We’re talking about someone who quit just so he didn’t have to face punishment after he broke a rule.

      If he can rest his head on his pillow at night and not have any regrets, then so be it. But if it were me, I wouldn’t have gone out like that and I’m sure many other fans feel the same way.

      External Sports, MLB

      Nyjer Morgan takes pot shots at Nationals

      April 9, 2011 /
      Washington Nationals baserunner Nyjer Morgan (R) argues after being called out at home plate against the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth inning of their MLB baseball game in Washington, August 28, 2010. Home plate umpire Dan Bellino makes the call at left. Morgan was assisted by a teammate after scoring on the play and then called out. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      You knew it was only a matter of time before Nyjer Morgan sounded off about the Nationals. The guy can’t not say something. (Sorry for the double-negative but damn it, it works.)

      Now that Morgan is becoming somewhat relevant again in baseball (he’s on the verge of earning more playing time with the Brewers thanks to his solid play), he decided to take a few pot shots at the Nationals on ESPN Milwaukee radio recently.

      On why he was traded to Milwaukee (from the Washington Post):

      “Basically, the process was the Nats wanted to get rid of me,” he said, when asked how he wound up in Milwaukee. “And basically, you know, I figure one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, in my eyes. And, basically, it feels good to be in a baseball city, [with] people who understand my game and love just the aggressiveness and the hard work and the hard play I bring.”

      On why things went south in D.C.:

      “I think just some stuff that happened last year, I guess,” Morgan responded. “I’m not sure, just the way I play, I guess it wasn’t ready for D.C., in my eyes.”

      After the host explained that people in Milwaukee don’t really follow the Nationals closely enough to understand his comments:

      “I don’t follow them neither,” Morgan said, with his trademarked Tony Plush cackle. “I’ll just plead the Fifth on it. I’m glad to be in Milwaukee now, I’ll tell you that.”

      When asked about being in Milwaukee:

      “Just the team camaraderie is unbelievable,” Morgan said. “For me, it’s fun again. And I haven’t been on what, a three-game winning streak for about two years now, so this actually feels unbelievable.”

      As Post writer Dan Steinberg points out, the Nationals actually had eight winning streaks of three games or more in 2010, although something tells me Morgan isn’t sweating the details at the moment.

      Why can’t players just let it go and move on? I mean, if the dude is happy in Milwaukee, why take pot shots at his former team? Morgan had two incidents last year of lowering his shoulder into a catcher and while some people defended his actions by saying he was “just playing the game hard,” the fact of the matter is that both plays were unnecessary. He was trying to lower the boom on both catchers (the Marlins’ Brett Hayes and the Cardinals’ Bryan Anderson) so that he could draw attention to himself. Catchers have gear on, but it’s not like those chest protectors are shoulder pads. Both incidents could have been avoided.

      And now he’s in Milwaukee and spouting off about the Nationals? Please. I like Morgan – I think he’s funny and personable. But again, he does some things to draw attention to himself and it’s just not necessary. Plus, tell me how the Nationals did him wrong outside of trading him. Did they torment him? Did they withhold his pay? Did they make his girlfriend sit in the nosebleeds? Did they call his mother names and make him eat all his meals with his hands? What?

      I’m sure he’s well-liked in Milwaukee now, so all of his attention should be on the Brewers. The Nationals are closed chapter in his life.

      External Sports, MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑