Red Sox Simply Amazed With Wang

 

ESPN U Announcer Talks About What is Gay

ESPN U announcer….actually, I have no idea who is announcing here but it’s funny. A Northern Illinois receiver dropped a pass, so the analyst is going on and on about catching the ball with your hands. He says that the hands are tender, and can caress the ball. The next comment by the pbp man gets him a suspension.

I love the silence that ensues before he says “4th and 9″. The producer must have fainted.

 

Kobe Bryant Denied MVP

Out of nowhere, this very similar player who averaged the same number of points as Kobe Bryant, wins his first ever MVP award.

Kobr Bryant?! Wow, that’s a surprise.

 

Memorable Day in the NFL; Kid Stops Wearing Favre Shirt

In a week where Marvin Harrison is possibly shooting people, Michael Boley and Cedric Benson are arrested, Rashard Mendenhall is robbed at gunpoint, and Fred Davis doesn’t wake up in time for camp, this story will cancel out all of those other stories.

David Whitthoft, a 12 year old from Ridgefield, Connecticut, has stopped wearing his now faded Brett Favre shirt after 1581 days. He’s been wearing it since he was 7 years old! Now it barely reaches his torso. Via the Green Bay Press Gazette:

Twelve-year-old David Witthoft wore a red Nike shirt to school on April 24.

It’s significant because on each of the previous 1,581 days, Witthoft wore the Brett Favre jersey he received as a gift for Christmas 2003 when he was just 7.

“His last day wearing the jersey was April 23, which was his 12th birthday,” Chuck Witthoft, David’s father, said from their Ridgefield, Conn., home on Monday. “It was tough for him for awhile but now that he’s 12, he is a little more concerned about his appearance. And the jersey barely came down to his beltline.”

David Witthoft gained national attention in 2005 when it was disclosed that he wore his Favre jersey every day since it was given to him at Christmas 2003. He gave radio, newspaper and television interviews about the streak. He also received a card from the now-former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

He and his family flew to Green Bay when the Packers took on the Detroit Lions in December and also will attend the Sept. 8 game when the Packers retire Favre’s No. 4. The Packers announced Favre’s decision to retire on March 4.

“Dave was pretty upset when Favre retired,” his father said. “But we knew we had to figure out an end game. He finally decided it was time.”

Yes you may be thinking that it’s disgusting, but his mother washed it every other day so it’s fine. A truly heart-warming story…..sorry, I can’t finish this post…it’s so….incredible (breaks down in tears).

Mr. Madden, you’re up next…..

 

To Dick Stockton: Retire

Dick Enberg and Dick Stockton have a lot in common. They both have the same first names, have covered basketball, the Super Bowl (Stockton commentates for the international viewers, GASP!), NCAA Tournament games…..and they are 278 years old.

Last month I called for Enberg to retire because well….his senility is not meant for the sweet 16.

Dick Stockton, come on down!

I beg of you to retire because it’s quite clear your announcing skills have eroded from your days at CBS, when you didn’t have to do boring 76-72 NBA games, but 176-172 games. Your player recognition is horrible, and last night took the cake.

“Sasha Varejao is in the game for the Cavaliers….excuse me….Sasha Pavlovic.”

Cleveland could’ve used the new player combination because Sasha is a good shooter and Varejao is tall. Still, that’s an inexcusable mistake to make. Stockton also said that the Celtics/Cavaliers did not disappoint. That’s right, a game in which LeBron James, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen went a combined 4-36, we had a GREAT game. Maybe it’s the director telling him what to say, but I doubt it.

He constantly makes factual errors, which is bad because you’re supposed to have the stat sheet with you. I mean, it’s not like Mike Fratello is helping him either.

“Remember, Boston still has fouls to give.” - MF

“One foul to give for the Celtics.” - DS

Stockton’s other big problem is that he stumbles way too often and has no idea what is going on. I’m at home, sitting on the couch and I know what happened on a play.

“Ahead to Pavlovic……and he is……..fouled.”

Just do that 50 times and you have Dick Stockton in a nutshell. TNT should cease using him from calling playoff games and at least get someone like Kevin Calabro (Sonics announcer) or somebody who has some free time.

Whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, Mr. Stockton, you are dangerously reaching Pat Summerall senility and need to be removed from the broadcasting booth.

 

Papa John’s to the Cavaliers: You’re Welcome…er..Sorry

The Wizards/Cavaliers rivalry…is not much of a rivalry considering Cleveland has torn apart the Wiz 3 years in a row in the postseason. There has been constant trash talking from players like DeShaun Stevenson and Brendan Haywood, mainly about LeBron James, the overrated crybaby actor.

Well Papa John’s Pizza get into the act. In game 6, the final game of the series, the horrible pizza chain decided it was an absolutely great idea to give Wizards fans t-shirts that had James’ number on there and the word “crybaby”.

You watched the game, the Wizards are now golfing with Charles Barkley.

Cleveland to Get 23 Cent Pizzas - ESPN.com

So PJP apologized to Cleveland and the Cavaliers for the gesture, and will ask for forgiveness via selling lare, one-topping pizzas for 23 cents on Thursday to all Cleveland residents, as well as donating $10,000 to the Cavaliers Youth Fund.

Moral of the Story: A player’s great performance when being the subject of mockery can get an entire city cheap pizzas.

 

Marvin Williams is Public Enemy Number One in Boston

Words cannot describe how badly the Atlanta Hawks looked and played at Boston yesterday. If the Celtics were not as generous the Hawks probably would have scored 54-58 points.

The big story of the game however was Rajon Rondo’s drive to the basket…oh yeah, and Marvin Williams decided to go with the piledriver.

That is a totally inexcusable act and if it was not for the fact that their season was over, I would’ve suspended him for at least 3 games. Luckily Rondo was not seriously hurt and the Celtics continued to pound Atlanta into the ground.

In other news: The Washington Wizards call Rajon Rondo a sissy.

 

Wake Up Martin Tyler

It’s an oldie but a goodie. Legendary soccer commentator Martin Tyler has to be asleep when he makes this goal call of Wayne Rooney’s fantastic goal against Newcastle 3 years ago.

ROONEY!!!!!!

Judging by the crowd noise however it sounds like Tyler and analyst Robbie Earle were commentating from a studio…..but it’s still funny.

 

A True Act of Sportsmanship

I want to turn your heads away from the NBA playoffs and some guy named Buzz for a moment and bring you a beautiful story that happened 2 days ago, a perfect example of sportsmanship at any level.

Sara Tucholsky, a senior right fielder for Western Oregon, a Division II softball side, had a .151 career batting average. With 2 runners on base, she hit a 3 run blast in the 2nd inning to give her side a 4-2 lead over Central Washington, and a trip to the playoffs was in sight. This was Tucholsky’s first home run of her career, and a wonderful moment for her and her teammates. She forgot to touch the first base bag, as the rules say you have to touch all bases for the home run to count. As she turned and went back to touch first base, the unthinkable happened. Tucholsky collapsed with a knee injury. She was forced to crawl back to first, but at this point, it looked like her lone home run would only count as a single because Western Oregon would need a substitute runner.

The umpire said rules do not allow her teammates to carry her around the bases, there was nothing they could do.

Of all things, her opponents wanted to help. The star player for Central Washington, Mallory Holtman (and all time HR leader for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference), asked the umpire if they could carry her around the bases to have her home run count.

The magic of loopholes, nothing in the rulebook about that. Holtman and her teammate Liz Wallace picked up Tucholsky and they had their home run walk. She touched the bases with her good led and the home run did count, many people in the stands were in tears seeing such a great act of sportsmanship.
“In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much,” Holtman said. “It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain and she deserved a home run.” - Quote from KOMO TV

The umpire definitely didn’t study his NCAA rulebook though. Central Washington coach Gary Frederick clarified with the umpiring supervisor, and NCAA rules DO allow a substitute player to run for an injured player after a home run.

That doesn’t matter now, not only did the home run win the game (neither team scored the rest of the way), Western Oregon are now in the Division II softball playoffs.

Holtzman and Taylor were interviewed yesterday on ESPN’s First Take, and are certainly worthy of gaining some notoriety. Take lesson in this, they didn’t care that they were losing, they cared that Tucholsky got credit for what is likely her only home run of her career.

Unbelievable Moment Stuns Crowd at Softball Game - KOMO TV

 

SSR Interviews: Afraid of Ed Hochuli

We continue our interview series with another Seattleite (I’m done with Seattle after this you little….), Afraidofedhochuli (otherwise known as The Matt).

1. Why did you decide to join the blogging world?

I love sports and I love to talk about them. As long as I can remember I have loved to write – I have a degree in playwrighting and am currently working on a book. I figured that putting the two things together (sports and writing) were a logical choice.

I am trying to get myself together to go back to school for journalism, but it is really difficult in the crazy world we live in.

2. What are your most fond memories in Seattle sports history?

Listening to the 1995-1996 finals with my Dad on the radio. Hearing the Sonics toss up threes and miss, and the young me yelling at the radio: “Don’t take ‘em if you can’t hit ‘em!”

The 1995 “Refuse to Lose” Mariners. My favorite part of this was watching the people, not the team. My step-father’s mother was a huge M’s fan, and I remember watching a game or two at her house. Now that she is gone, the memory of the joy and excitement on her face was worth more then any of the other memories.

The Seahawks memory is vague and not fully formed. Yes, I was a big fan of the “Bowl” run, but that is a cop-out. I guess it would have to be every draft day. I love seeing the picks, doing some research and then realize that these are the players of the future. I can tell you where I was the last 5 years and what I was doing when the Hawks’ pick happened.

3. I’m mostly “angry” at Howard Schultz in this whole Sonics deal because he was the one that sold the team. Thoughts on this whole debacle?

I was down on Schultz until the last week happened. After the debacle that has come forward, I am starting to side with Schultz. It looks like he got duped just as much as the rest of us. Maybe that is what he wants, and maybe I am naïve, but I still blame Bennett and Stern more then anyone else.

4. Are you really afraid of Ed Hochuli?

You know what…I kind of am. The guy is huge and he is a lawyer. But, no, he is a great guy – even though he is too busy for my emails… - and I think that he wouldn’t actually hurt me…unless, I piss him off.

5. What happened to the Mariners offense? It seems that they can’t hit at all.

What happened? Bill Bavasi happened. ‘Nuff said. (P.S. It is kind of funny that after you send me this, they have a 5-run 9^th.)

Update: They’ll punish me and score 23 runs tonight…

6. What happened to the predictions thing we did a while back?

No one (other than you) really did them. They took forever to get back to me, we finished the big-3 sports and no one spoke up. I just didn’t think anyone cared. But, if you like it so much…maybe I will get the “prediction” machine up and running.

7. What are some of the other blogs you recommend (don’t include mine)?

The Sports Apple; Cold, Hard Football Facts; Chicks in the Huddle; Women Like Sports; Joe Sports Fan (one of my all-time favorites); Oh No, Romo!; Sports Censored.

8. Finally, what do you think of the Seahawks draft picks?

I like them all…for the most part…but I am not going to give away my “Hoch’s Nest” article for today.

Thanks to AOEH, and please visit his site at http://www.afraidofedhochuli.com. Besides, shouldn’t you be looking at the blogroll anyway?

 

Links of the Day

I will TRY to revive my once weekly linkage to other blogs.

1. The Sports Hernia gets mentioned on Sportscenter!

2. More on the debacle that was Costa Now from Awful Announcing.

3.  David Beckham is on Sesame Street says The Beautiful Game.

4.  After the Suns loss last night, Signal to Noise reports Mike D’Antoni won’t be coming back.

5. Pacifist Viking looks at what the Vikings fixed with their draft picks.

6.  Finally, Larry Brown Sports (not the coach you fools) on how the Giants are mishandling the Barry Zito situation.

 

Larry Brown to Coach Bobcats

(Ap Photo)

Larry Brown shocks everyone and decides to comeback to coaching and the Charlotte Bobcats is team #664523534.

This comes after the firing of rookie head coach Sam Vincent, who finished the season 32-50, but had clashed with players on a couple of occasions. Sportsline says:

Brown hasn’t lasted anywhere long, and has had some ugly divorces. His last coaching job was the disastrous 2005-06 season in New York, when the Knicks went 23-59 and Brown clashed with management.

His dismissal was followed by a long dispute over how much money he was owed for the rest of his contract.

A deal eventually was struck and Brown became an executive vice president with the Philadelphia 76ers, but Brown yearned to return to the bench.

“I was a bad coach. I did a bad job. I learned from that,” Brown said, referring to his time with the Knicks. “But being out of it in the last few years, even though I had a title in Philly … I just missed being around the game. I love it. I want to be a part of it.”

Jordan said he contacted Brown before hiring Vincent last spring, but Brown said he wasn’t ready to return. He changed his mind late this season, quitting his job in Philadelphia after being interviewed for the Stanford opening.

If you’re like me, you wonder why Larry Brown hasn’t just decided to coach 30 teams at once. He is a hall of fame coach but he has only won 1 NBA title, despite coaching 500 teams in the league. I still believe he is a coach that can turn the ship around if the players are good enough, but he won’t lead you to a championship.

We’ll see how this plays out, but I’m not too fond of the hiring.

 

SCHOLES!!

Thank you for doing something. The wonderstrike from Paul Scholes gives Manchester United a spot in the UEFA Champions League final, and guarantees an All-English final, as the Red Devils face either Chelsea or Liverpool.

 

Owen Schmitt is the Seahawks Runaway Beer Truck And YOU Can’t Have Him

I was quite pleased with the players chosen by Mr. Ruskell. My favorite pick has to be Owen Schmitt out of West Virginia. Not only is her a runner, a blocker, and just flat out huge….he is a runaway beer truck. Remember this play?

Owen Schmitt, Leonard Weaver, Julius Jones, TJ Duckett, Mo Morris, and no more Shaun Alexander? I must be dreaming.

 

Please Watch Costas Now

I’ve never been so infuriated by words from another guy like Buzz Bissinger.

We missed the live edition, but I urge you to join me in watching Costas Now (if you have HBO) because it involves the state of sports media, the rise of internet blogging, and the rise of sports radio.

I say this because apparently last night, writer Buzz Bissinger just went on an all out assault on Will Leitch of Deadspin fame. He discredited everything blogging and questioned his 40 years of writing experience, when a blogger on Deadspin used the word that rhymes with ”runt”.

Bissinger also called out Leitch, saying he was “full of sh*t”.

He just went off, and Leitch did not bite back, which I applaud because that would’ve meant more fuel to the fire, considering that Costas and Bissinger were talking about the mean-spirited tone of the internet.

I’m happy that Leitch didn’t walk off the stage looking at some footage that spilled over to the world of video sharing. It was just a horrible display, and Bissinger is probably not going to be called Buzz Bissinger from now on.

If more videos show up I will post them.