-- It's funny what does and doesn't get edited out of The Sopranos on A&E. And some of the complete redubbing of scenes is downright hilarious -- close to being like the old kung fu films.
-- I actually got to see Bill Simmons' appearance on Mike and the Mad Dog and I was actually looking forward to his writeup of it. The one thing interesting about Simmons is that he was just wandering around trying to get radio gigs during Super Bowl week, whereas almost all the football people (save Gil Brandt, apparently) had everything set up by publicists to shill some product, service or event. Usually while watching/listening to Mike and the Mad Dog, those guys get decent guests because they can, so it was weird having to hear some famous player pitching a Web site or odd product at the end of the interview.
-- So apparently I was one of about five people who actually watched the NHL All-Star Game as opposed to Andy Griffith, Ace of Cakes or Mythbusters. (I still flipped back and forth to Idol.) And the only reason I got to see it is because the INHD channel picked it up since I don't get Versus. Great job, guys. Not a bad game, and the ongoing discussion between the booth and Marty Turco (who was playing goal) in the third period was a stroke of genius.
-- Speaking of things happening on channels I don't get on my cable, it took me an extra day or two to realize they'd just crowned a new Miss America. There was little buzz about it to begin with, and now she's doing the talk show rounds. Who knew?
-- If you want to see the generation gap when it comes to the sports world, just check out the Barbaro saga. Horse racing doesn't have the same relevance to today's sports fan, so the reverence by some for a horse, even a Kentucky Derby winner, seemed a bit much. We felt that way at the office, and obviously so did many others since I think we might've pushed the limits of our snarkiness with this whole drawn-out affair.
-- Finally, here's my contribution to the overly exhaustive Super Bowl coverage at work. And it has nothing to do with fantasy football. How about that?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Adventures in cardboard
I dug up a poster checklist of the 1990 Bowman set the other day, and while I saw a ton of spring training head shots, the notable part of the set were special portraits of the stars of the day (a sort of takeoff of the Donruss Diamond Kings). And I stress, of the day. Take a look at the 11 special card subjects (highlighted nicely on the Topps Magazine checklist) and what happened to their careers:
-- Bo Jackson: The hip injury would come a couple of years later, or else he might've been a legendary superstar. Of course, you could've believed that about everyone else with the portrait card, but well, you'll see.
-- Mark Davis: He was coming off his 44-save, Cy Young Award campaign with the Padres the season before when he got the portrait treatment. He also got a then-shocking, four-year, $14 million deal with the Royals and then his career went south. He did get one Hall of Fame vote in 2003.
-- Doc Gooden: He was limited to just 19 games in 1989, after winning at least 15 in his first five seasons. But in 1990, he did go 19-7 in what would be his final great season (although he did throw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1996). After such an amazing start to his career, he would end up getting just 17 Hall of Fame votes in 2006 and dropped from the ballot.
-- Bret Saberhagen: The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner got his own portrait after going 23-6 for his second award in his career. He got hurt in 1990 (and finished just 5-9), continuing his run of greatness in odd-numbered years and struggles in even-numbered ones. Then he battled injuries throughout the '90s but had a few good seasons here and there with the Mets and Red Sox. He got seven Hall of Fame votes this year -- a surprisingly high number in current hindsight but a shocker when this card came out.
-- Don Mattingly: You could almost say being on this portrait card in 1990 was the downfall of his career. Still at his peak in 1989 (.303-23-113), he played just 102 games in 1990. And he never had more than 86 RBIs after that. He may be like Steve Garvey and Tommy John in that he'll stay on the ballot for the 15 years but never getting in.
-- Jerome Walton: A pretty lackluster selection as 1989 NL Rookie of the Year, Walton barely hung around as a spare outfielder throughout the '90s.
-- Nolan Ryan: Finally, our first Hall of Famer in the bunch. He sealed his Cooperstown credentials in his final years with the Rangers. In 1989, he earned his 5,000th strikeout. In 1990, he won 300th game and earned his sixth no-hitter. The seventh no-hitter came a year later.
-- Will Clark: He was the NL MVP runner-up in 1989 and won NLCS MVP honors as well. He had a bunch of solid seasons after that, but in the end he finished with 23 Hall of Fame votes in 2006, just barely missing the cut to return for another year.
-- Gregg Olson: The AL Rookie of the Year in 1989 after saving 27 games, he had three straight 30-save seasons for the Orioles after that. He finished his career with 217 saves but was not part of this year's All-Star ballot despite playing parts of 14 seasons.
-- Kevin Mitchell: He ran away with the 1989 NL MVP award after hitting 47 homers and 125 RBIs. He did have 35 homers and 93 RBIs in 1990, but never played more than 113 games in a season after that because of an array of injuries, weight problems, etc. He did get two Hall of Fame votes in 2004.
-- Robin Yount: Our second Hall of Famer in the mix and second member of the Class of 1999, along with Ryan. He was coming off his second AL MVP award when he got the portrait treatment. He eventually got to 3,000 hits, making his election a no-brainer.
So in the end, we got two future Hall of Famers in the set, one perennial HOF also-ran, five one-and-done HOF candidates, both 1989 Rookies of the Year who eventually fizzled out and the curious case of Bo Jackson. Not necessarily the greatest of percentages for the arty inserts.
-- Bo Jackson: The hip injury would come a couple of years later, or else he might've been a legendary superstar. Of course, you could've believed that about everyone else with the portrait card, but well, you'll see.
-- Mark Davis: He was coming off his 44-save, Cy Young Award campaign with the Padres the season before when he got the portrait treatment. He also got a then-shocking, four-year, $14 million deal with the Royals and then his career went south. He did get one Hall of Fame vote in 2003.
-- Doc Gooden: He was limited to just 19 games in 1989, after winning at least 15 in his first five seasons. But in 1990, he did go 19-7 in what would be his final great season (although he did throw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1996). After such an amazing start to his career, he would end up getting just 17 Hall of Fame votes in 2006 and dropped from the ballot.
-- Bret Saberhagen: The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner got his own portrait after going 23-6 for his second award in his career. He got hurt in 1990 (and finished just 5-9), continuing his run of greatness in odd-numbered years and struggles in even-numbered ones. Then he battled injuries throughout the '90s but had a few good seasons here and there with the Mets and Red Sox. He got seven Hall of Fame votes this year -- a surprisingly high number in current hindsight but a shocker when this card came out.
-- Don Mattingly: You could almost say being on this portrait card in 1990 was the downfall of his career. Still at his peak in 1989 (.303-23-113), he played just 102 games in 1990. And he never had more than 86 RBIs after that. He may be like Steve Garvey and Tommy John in that he'll stay on the ballot for the 15 years but never getting in.
-- Jerome Walton: A pretty lackluster selection as 1989 NL Rookie of the Year, Walton barely hung around as a spare outfielder throughout the '90s.
-- Nolan Ryan: Finally, our first Hall of Famer in the bunch. He sealed his Cooperstown credentials in his final years with the Rangers. In 1989, he earned his 5,000th strikeout. In 1990, he won 300th game and earned his sixth no-hitter. The seventh no-hitter came a year later.
-- Will Clark: He was the NL MVP runner-up in 1989 and won NLCS MVP honors as well. He had a bunch of solid seasons after that, but in the end he finished with 23 Hall of Fame votes in 2006, just barely missing the cut to return for another year.
-- Gregg Olson: The AL Rookie of the Year in 1989 after saving 27 games, he had three straight 30-save seasons for the Orioles after that. He finished his career with 217 saves but was not part of this year's All-Star ballot despite playing parts of 14 seasons.
-- Kevin Mitchell: He ran away with the 1989 NL MVP award after hitting 47 homers and 125 RBIs. He did have 35 homers and 93 RBIs in 1990, but never played more than 113 games in a season after that because of an array of injuries, weight problems, etc. He did get two Hall of Fame votes in 2004.
-- Robin Yount: Our second Hall of Famer in the mix and second member of the Class of 1999, along with Ryan. He was coming off his second AL MVP award when he got the portrait treatment. He eventually got to 3,000 hits, making his election a no-brainer.
So in the end, we got two future Hall of Famers in the set, one perennial HOF also-ran, five one-and-done HOF candidates, both 1989 Rookies of the Year who eventually fizzled out and the curious case of Bo Jackson. Not necessarily the greatest of percentages for the arty inserts.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
The championship feeling
It should be a fun Super Bowl, if today's championship games are any indication. As much as I wanted to see the Saints in there, at least we have a different socially conscious storyline that will overdone by Thursday -- the first big game with an African-American head coach, and there's one on each sideline. (That New Orleans one would've been pulverized by Tuesday afternoon.)
Which gets me to a couple of interesting observations I picked up on a couple of the sports talk shows over the weekend. One host wondered if the Falcons violated the Rooney Rule before hiring Bobby Petrino, or at least thought their "minority" candidate interview of the Bears' Ron Rivera seemed fishy. I guess being of Hispanic descent doesn't count as minority in his mind. "Minority" doesn't automatically mean African-American -- no matter how some groups want to paint that term. I mean Norm Chow would definitely fit the "minority" candidate bill, and he did get a few interviews this offseason. (BTW, looks like the Steelers will be fulfilling their end of that rule if the hire of Mike Tomlin actually comes through.)
And on a similar note, another host put the Giants' hiring of Jerry Reese as GM in an interesting light. If you knew nothing about his race, he's a decent hire -- a guy who worked his way through the team's system and became a logical successor. But it's a groundbreaking hire because he's African-American.
Back to some fun stuff. I guess we'll get a whole new slew of Super Bowl ads, which is good in a way since I've already tired of the ones constantly playing this postseason (and that includes missing good chunks of the divisional playoff games last week).
For instance:
-- What's with the guys eating Wendy's and mini-Wendy's in the library, $2.99 deal or not?
-- Nice to see McDonald's rescuing Growing Pains' Jeremy Miller away from another VH-1 or TV Land talking head show. DiCaprio gets in Oscar-nominated films. Miller advertises the Dollar Menu. OK fine.
-- The disclaimer on the Ford Edge ad: "Yes this is a fantasy. Vehicles can't drive on buildings." Rrreallly??
-- How many ads are we going to see of the new sitcom with Puddy, David Spade and Kate Hudson's brother during the Super Bowl?
-- And how many ads will feature Peyton Manning? D-Caf? Senor Manning for the cell phone?
Which gets me to a couple of interesting observations I picked up on a couple of the sports talk shows over the weekend. One host wondered if the Falcons violated the Rooney Rule before hiring Bobby Petrino, or at least thought their "minority" candidate interview of the Bears' Ron Rivera seemed fishy. I guess being of Hispanic descent doesn't count as minority in his mind. "Minority" doesn't automatically mean African-American -- no matter how some groups want to paint that term. I mean Norm Chow would definitely fit the "minority" candidate bill, and he did get a few interviews this offseason. (BTW, looks like the Steelers will be fulfilling their end of that rule if the hire of Mike Tomlin actually comes through.)
And on a similar note, another host put the Giants' hiring of Jerry Reese as GM in an interesting light. If you knew nothing about his race, he's a decent hire -- a guy who worked his way through the team's system and became a logical successor. But it's a groundbreaking hire because he's African-American.
Back to some fun stuff. I guess we'll get a whole new slew of Super Bowl ads, which is good in a way since I've already tired of the ones constantly playing this postseason (and that includes missing good chunks of the divisional playoff games last week).
For instance:
-- What's with the guys eating Wendy's and mini-Wendy's in the library, $2.99 deal or not?
-- Nice to see McDonald's rescuing Growing Pains' Jeremy Miller away from another VH-1 or TV Land talking head show. DiCaprio gets in Oscar-nominated films. Miller advertises the Dollar Menu. OK fine.
-- The disclaimer on the Ford Edge ad: "Yes this is a fantasy. Vehicles can't drive on buildings." Rrreallly??
-- How many ads are we going to see of the new sitcom with Puddy, David Spade and Kate Hudson's brother during the Super Bowl?
-- And how many ads will feature Peyton Manning? D-Caf? Senor Manning for the cell phone?
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
No one's worthy
I used to enjoy picking apart the Baseball Hall of Fame ballots -- how will guys on the cusp like Goose Gossage, Jim Rice and Bert Blyleven fare; and how many votes marginal players on the ballot such as Bobby Witt, Scott Brosius and Tony Fernandez will get.
But the fallout from this year's election had me grateful that I'm on vacation this week and thus more interested in watching the numerous commentaries from my Freaks and Geeks DVD box set than listening to the usual sports radio blather.
The Mark McGwire situation is obviously a touchy one, and while I think he deserves election, I can understand the moral outrage that's behind many people's votes. At least he got enough to remain on the ballot for another year -- as opposed to Surreal Lifer Jose Canseco (remember when there was a fear that he might be elected despite being a vagabond DH the last few years of his career?).
But the bit that gets me is arguing that the stats don't support McGwire's candidacy. If you want to be suspicious of the "before" and "after" stats, go ahead. But at the time of his retirement, weren't we ready to believe he might be a unanimous choice (which will never happen -- see Cooch's column for more on that), given his home run numbers? So he's a one-dimensional home run hitter, are we also going to eliminate Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers and eventually Mariano Rivera for being one-dimensional as well?
At the same time all the hand wringing over McGwire's much debated credentials, it was even odder to hear on Mike and the Mad Dog, "If it weren't for the Streak, Cal Ripken isn't in the Hall of Fame." It is a debatable point, but it's a big part of his resume. In fact that statement starts to sound like Lewis Black's "If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college."
Which got me thinking that baseball, more than I think any other sport, tries to make excuses for why someone isn't good. I'm as guilty of it as anyone else, but whether it's fantasy prospects or Hall of Fame choices, we have to come up with as long a list of cons as we do pros. At some point, analysis has given way to being a devil's advocate.
And yet that might be the way we have to approach things to motivate today's athletes, if those postgame comments from Florida after the Corn Chip Championship Contest. "We get no respect." "No one gave us a chance." Blah blah blah. Maybe we should just predict everybody to lose every game. It jives well with the "X sportswriter has a bias against your favorite team" as well the perfectly generic "your team sucks."
But the fallout from this year's election had me grateful that I'm on vacation this week and thus more interested in watching the numerous commentaries from my Freaks and Geeks DVD box set than listening to the usual sports radio blather.
The Mark McGwire situation is obviously a touchy one, and while I think he deserves election, I can understand the moral outrage that's behind many people's votes. At least he got enough to remain on the ballot for another year -- as opposed to Surreal Lifer Jose Canseco (remember when there was a fear that he might be elected despite being a vagabond DH the last few years of his career?).
But the bit that gets me is arguing that the stats don't support McGwire's candidacy. If you want to be suspicious of the "before" and "after" stats, go ahead. But at the time of his retirement, weren't we ready to believe he might be a unanimous choice (which will never happen -- see Cooch's column for more on that), given his home run numbers? So he's a one-dimensional home run hitter, are we also going to eliminate Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers and eventually Mariano Rivera for being one-dimensional as well?
At the same time all the hand wringing over McGwire's much debated credentials, it was even odder to hear on Mike and the Mad Dog, "If it weren't for the Streak, Cal Ripken isn't in the Hall of Fame." It is a debatable point, but it's a big part of his resume. In fact that statement starts to sound like Lewis Black's "If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college."
Which got me thinking that baseball, more than I think any other sport, tries to make excuses for why someone isn't good. I'm as guilty of it as anyone else, but whether it's fantasy prospects or Hall of Fame choices, we have to come up with as long a list of cons as we do pros. At some point, analysis has given way to being a devil's advocate.
And yet that might be the way we have to approach things to motivate today's athletes, if those postgame comments from Florida after the Corn Chip Championship Contest. "We get no respect." "No one gave us a chance." Blah blah blah. Maybe we should just predict everybody to lose every game. It jives well with the "X sportswriter has a bias against your favorite team" as well the perfectly generic "your team sucks."
Happy trails
After nearly five years at this spot, and more than 10 years at this mindspring address, I'm moving this blog over to BlogSpot to take advantage of the new Blogger features. So update your bookmarks shortly to howawkward.blogspot.com.
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