Archive for July, 2009

What a story Lance Armstrong could write.  He is peddling his way up the standings in this years Tour de France bike race and has already won there in the past.  He beat cancer and got to date Sheryl Crow for awhile.  He is truly living the dream.

Couple of updates for you readers…  Kelly Pavlik is throwing out the first pitch at the Scrappers game tonight, I will have something posted here tomorrow of his appearance at the game.

I am interviewing Jason Smit before the game.  Smit was drafted at age 16 and is from Australia.  He is working hard to climb the ladder and get to the next level.  I have had brief conversations with him before and he is an enjoyable person.

I am close to gaining credentials for Youngstown State Football and couldn’t be more excited about the potential of Coach Heacock and this years team.

I spoke with Mike Pavlik yesterday and am very close to securing an interview with Kelly Pavlik in the next couple of weeks, stay tuned for that.

Here are some stories from other great sites:

• Sports Rubbish found Colin Montgomery warming up for the British Open by hitting some targets provided by Pirates.  Check out the divot he takes out of a green.
• PSAMP likes the brand of humor that Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes brings to the table.
• The Fifth Corner updates the progress of Team USA’s basketball squad in the World University Games.
• Zoner Sports thinks that Alfonso Soriano is not good enough to complain about a day off he was not expecting.
• Babes Love Baseball posted a video of Mark Wahlberg throwing some pitches and hitting a fan right in the ass on his first pitch.
• Sharapova’s Thigh looks at the ridiculous money people like Marcin Gorcet are handed as NBA free agents.
• Style Points has Albert Pujols with a blank slate after finding an interview with the machine where nothing was answered with a cliche or traditional answer.
• NESW Sports also has a video of Mark Wahlberg throwing out the first pitch that errantly hit a fan in the butt.
• Fansided previews the tough ACC Conference for the upcoming college football season.
• Cubbies Crib thinks the Cubs are too reliant on Derek Lee and need something from Aramis Ramirez and/or Alfonso Soriano.

In what can only be described as a weird thought, Joel Hanrahan could have been the first player in major-league baseball history to win and lose the same game. If Hanrahan had been traded to Houston instead of Pittsburgh, the oddest scenario ever could have been played out.

 The Astros and Nationals have to finish a suspended game tomorrow. The game is tied 10-10 after ten and a half innings.  Joel Hanrahan pitched the top of the 11th for Washington without giving up a run.  He is in line to get the win if Washington could scratch out a run in the bottom half.  The game was then suspended before Washington got to bat.

Here is where it gets tricky…  Had Houston acquired Hanrahan instead of Pittsburgh and put him on the mound in the bottom of the 11th and Hanrahan gives up a run.  He would have been the winning pitcher for Washington and the losing pitcher for Houston.

However, it will not happen as Pittsburgh continues to run a flea market for the rest of MLB.

Just saying though, how weird would that have been?

Marty Popham (on mound in picture) seems to get better every start and the statistics are backing him up.  Popham threw a career-high 7 innings, struck out a career-high 9 batters and only walked one in leading the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to a 6-1 victory over the Auburn Doubledays.   

Popham threw 89 pitches before giving way to reliever Austin Adams.  Adams kept the no-hit bid alive but after a couple of Scrapper errors, Doubledays LF Chris Hopkins singled with two outs in the ninth inning.  There has never been a no-no thrown at Cafaro Field.  The Scrappers recorded a no-hitter in 2007, but that was in Vermont.

A vocal audience of 3,903 enjoyed one of the best pitching performances in Scrapper history.

Mahoning Valley wasted little time getting on the board in the first inning as Jordan Henry walked and would later score on a Brian Justice wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.

In the third, Kyle Bellows, who walked three times in the game, reached via the free pass with two outs.   Greg Folgia delivered with an RBI double, scoring Bellows,  to double the Scrappers lead to 2-0.

Back-to-back singles by Henry and Kyle Smith set the stage for Jason Smit’s RBI double in the sixth.  Ben Carlson’s sac fly plated Smith to push the lead to 4-0.

In the bottom of the seventh, Lurvin Basabe’s double to left scored Folgia.  Besabe came home to make it 6-0 on Jordan’s third single of the night.

Marty Popham was throwing a perfect game into the seventh inning.  His walk to Eric Eiland squashed perfection possibilities, but he did leave with a no-hitter still intact.  After the game, Popham commented on his effort, “I had everything going for me tonight – all of the pitches, good catching behind the plate, and great defense in the field.  Going seven almost perfect, it was a hell of an outing.  I haven’t started since college, when I first got drafted they put me in the bullpen for the whole year and I just started coming back as a starter.”

Coach Travis Fryman praised the performance that Popham had, ” Two in a row, back-to-back performances that we expect from Marty.  At this level the guys are on pitch limits, obviously your not going to see an individual throw a no-hitter.  To get seven innings, frankly, this early in the year is a testament to how efficient he was from inning-to-inning.”

Professional Wrestling is fixed.  95% of the people that go see the stuff live have accepted that fact.  So if it has predetermined outcomes, why do people cheer and boo for the participants?  A “Bad Guy” aka a heel, and a “Good Guy” aka a babyface act very differently to get crowd reaction.

The Good Guy

The good guys are usually wholesome looking athletes who speak well and smile too much.  The prototype “good guy” is smart enough when using a microphone, to include the fans as some sort of special unit that is paramount to their success.  They either downplay a bad guy or credit the fans for support to get a response.

Sgt. Slaughter (above) used the patriotic angle to ride the “good guy” wave for years.  By carrying an American flag into the ring while your Iranian opponent waits for you, a cheer or two should be heard.  The chants of “USA, USA, USA”, usually start a few times during the match to support the face.

Hulk Hogan used his great physique and some line about taking your vitamins and saying your prayers to seem wholesome.  His allegiance of fans were even called “Hulkamaniacs“.  This was really the first time that merchandising and storylines became more important than the action to take place in the ring.  Hogan was the master at working a crowd during a match.  After the match, he would crank his wrist clockwise a few times and put it up to his ear for more approval.

Today’s wrestlers are different “good guys”.  The storylines, not the personalities, more dictate who should be cheered and who should be booed.  As Randy Orton was climbing the rungs on his last championship run, he gave a woman the RKO and kicked Vince McMahon seemingly unconscious.  This would thrust Triple H into instant hero status.

The Bad Guy

Wrestlers are categorized as bad guys for several reasons.  Anti-patriotic usually is the easiest angle to sell.  The Iron Shiek was never a good guy for a reason.  His accent was not an act, he was actually an Iranian amateur wrestler.  What put Shiek over the top was his ability to criticize America and say that his country was #1.

A good heel knows how to piss the audience off.  Whether it be by cheating to win, insulting audience members every week, or just acting real dark, bad guys have the harder challenge in my opinion. 

A good heel was someone like George “The Animal” Steele.  Steele’s character was dark and mysterious.  No one could seem to control or communicate with him.  He always had a foreign object in his trunks and was a master at acting challenged.  The green tongue, the abundant body hair, and the look in his eyes elicited fear from some.  Steele would later magically learn a few words from the teaching of Dr. Papoofnick and fall in love with Miss Elizabeth, but for most of his career, he was Uber villain.

In today’s wrestling, the heel is someone who is cowardly, has allies, and can just talk in a different tongue.  Chris Jericho does a good job, blaming the hypocrite fans for his recent attitude problems.  Freddie Blassie also used to do well with his “pencil-knecked geeks” references to the audience.

Patrick Wells is one of the newest members of the Mahoning Valley Thunder.  He has led the team in tackles the past couple of games, and has been a difference maker on a defense that seems to be improving every week.

Wells grew up in Dayton and played his high school football in the Cincy hotbed.  Wells played his college ball in Michigan at Ferris State.  He was recruited to go to camp with the Cleveland Browns after Ferris State.  ” I got calls to go to many camps as the most-recruited guy at Ferris State.”

Wells said he likes the area and really likes eating at Antone’s.  He told me that the fried cheese and chicken parm are out of this world.

Patrick likes to play Call To Duty with QB Brad Roach.  “We got here about the same time and we have gotten to be pretty good friends.”

Wells said he does not have the time to watch too much television.  He will watch Sportscenter when it comes on, but other than that he would rather spend his spare time lifting weights and working out.

Wells is in a retro music mode right now.  He is on a Bone, Thugs, & Harmony kick.  However, with the fast-paced practices and workouts, he said he has been listening to slower and calmer music to unwind.

We briefly discussed the deaths of stars like Steve McNair and Michael Jackson.  I asked Wells who might be next.  “If Eminem died, it would shock people.  He mistreated his body early in his career.  That would be a real suprise.”  Granted, Wells is not wishing death on anyone, just merely doing his best Nostre Damas at my request.

Wells was well-spoken and seemed focused throughout the practice I attended.  He will be around for awhile if the opportunity does not present itself at the higher levels.

Big Kenny Shane credits his father with all of the success he has achieved throughout his life of playing football.  Shane said his dad got him into it and just kept on him all of the time to make him a better player.  He played on a traveling team as a kid, and would blossom into a complete player while attending his high school in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Shane progressed all the way up to the Big-10 level, where he played at Michigan State during the Drew Stanton era.  He said he is really having fun playing for the Mahoning Valley Thunder and sees it as an opportunity to stay in shape in hopes of moving to the next level.  The next level in this case would be the UFL, or AF1 if it starts back up.

Kenny likes to take in Sportscenter on ESPN when he has the chance.  Other than that he will watch a movie when time permits.

Shane, like many other Thunder players, likes Jeremiah Bullfrogs.  He told me that he likes to get the different burgers that Bullfrogs offers and will change it up from time-to-time in search of that perfect burger.

Kenny has an X-Box 360 and is currently playing Rainbow 6: Vegas 2.  He listens to Rap and R & B and told me if he could only take one CD with him somewhere it would be T.I.

A few weeks back, an errant snap gave Shane a chance to prove that big guys can handle the ball.  The errant snap was never touched by the holder, Jermain Moye, and ended up in then-Thunder kicker Nathan Palkovic‘s hands.  Shane scrambled around and was the open guy in the middle.  He caught the ball on about the five and dragged a pile of bodies inside the one, but came up just short.  “I played some tight end.  There were a couple of times against Albany where passes came my way, but they were intercepted.”

Kenny likes the area, seems to be enjoying his time with the Thunder and hopes the team can string together some wins to end the season.

Mahoning Valley Thunder Coach Chris MacKeown knows that when players have a bye week, that the first day back can be sluggish and that the lazy relaxed feelings need to go away.  With just two road games and a home finale against Green Bay on July 25, the moves come late in the season.

The Thunder added Youngstown State’s Tom Zetts to the roster.  Coach MacKeown likes what Zetts brings to the team and says that Zetts and YSU’s former kicker, Brian Palmer, were not brought in just because they are from the area.  “I don’t care where guys come from, I have had guys from Japan on my teams.  As long as they help us win, I don’t care where a player comes from.  Are people gonna come because there are local guys?  Do you sacrifice wins?  He [Zetts] would have been here sooner, but he is so commited to his school.  Tom Zetts and Brian Palmer were not signed because they are local guys, they were signed because they can play.”

I asked Coach MacKeown what he would do with both Zetts and Brad Roach at quarterback.  “We will play the guy that gives this team the best chance to win.  The best guy is gonna play.  Brad has an advantage because he has some game experience.  Tom’s first day was better than Brad’s first day, Tom will tell you, he has a lot of learning.  I’m excited because I think we have two quarterbacks that can get it done.  With Brad we scored 53 points, and if we kick half of the PAT’s against Wilkes-Barre, we score 50 points again.”

MacKeown also stressed that there are two ways to put people in the seats, by winning or by loading up a roster with local talent.  “When I was at Louisville, there were local guys up and down the roster and they would draw 14,000 a game but lose.  When I was brought in to win, there were hardly any locals left, and the attendance dropped a bit, but we won and went deep into the playoffs.  Unfortunately, here we didn’t have the winning or the locals, so the formula to put bodies in seats is still untested.”

WR Quorey Payne who leads the team in almost every offensive and special teams category was not in practice.  He is dealing with a knee injury and will be re-evaluated by Thursday.

I still remember watching many of Evel Knievel’s jumps live when they happened.  I do not remember seeing this particular jump so I thought I would share it with you guys.  If Knievel didn’t do what he did, would there be any X-Games?

• Bootlegger Sports has Lance Armstrong screwing up at the Tour de France.  No, it wasn’t a banned substance, he forgot to sign in.
• Steady Burn presents the return of zombie kickball.
• NESW Sports finds Ron Artest paying tribute to Michael Jackson with a horrible rap song (video).
• Babes Love Baseball posted a John Kruk cartoon video.  Check out the post called Alright Dude, Let’s Get Wasted.
• My Sports Rumors predicts there will be some more Indians on the move soon.  Which ones do you think? 
• Motown String Music finds Rasheed Wallace agreeing to a deal with the Boston Celtics.
• Fansided has the scoop on a Pittsburgh Pirates trade rumor, as they try hard to look stupider than Cleveland this season.

WWE Superstar Edge tore a muscle in his leg and is expected to miss about eight months.  The injury took place at a Smackdown House Show in San Diego, CA on Friday night.  Edge injured himself very early in the match and could not finish.  He apologized on the microphone to the San Diego fans for not being able to finish the match.

• No Guts, No Glory analyzes which 5 college football coaches are on the hot seat and better have a good season to keep a job.
• NESW Sports has the video of a recent interview with Rafael Palmeiro.  In the interview, Palmeiro praises Manny, thus trying to cash in on the new love for cheaters.
• PSAMP has a sneak peek at the Pittsburgh Penguins championship DVD to be released real soon.
• The Fifth Corner documents progress on Tyler Hansbrough and Reyshawn Terry at Orlando’s Pro Summer League. 
• Fantasy Pros 911 thinks Busch Stadium will look like Fenway Park with all of the Red Sox on the all-star team.
• PacMan Jonesin’ writes about Tiger Woods sending Anthony Kim to his room with no supper.
• Major League Jerk critiques the fans choices for the 2009 MLB All-Star game.  He agrees with some choices, but presents valid arguments elsewhere.
• Moon Dog Sports questions whether Albert Pujols will get A-Rod money in 2012.
• Sharapova’s Thigh has the new Nike commercial featuring Roger Federer called “Love-15“, celbrating Federer’s 15 Grand Slam titles.
• Zoner Sports lists 5 NL pitchers who should be all-stars.

Mark Shapiro is the Cleveland Indians general manager.  Eric Wedge must be his buddy.  Shapiro declared Sunday before the Oakland A’s – Indians game that Wedge would remain at the controls for the rest of the season.  I am not sure I understand why.

By firing Wedge and getting a new manager in place now, the Indians can realistically look to next year optimistically.  By waiting until the end of the year to do the obvious thing – firing Wedge, you are stalling that true rebuilding process. 

When the Indians traded Mark DeRosa last week, it signified the white flag.  We surrender.  I fear many core players are going to be traded for prospects over the next couple of weeks.  Not if, but when, Victor Martinez gets sent somewhere, I will go completely over the edge with this team.  True, the Indians are loaded at catcher at every level of their farm system.  Carlos Santana in Akron, could be called up by the end of the year.  But lets face it, trading DeRosa for Ryan Franklin, a 12-pack of St. Louis grown Budweiser, and a couple of pictures of a clydesdale aren’t going to do much in the present or the future for Cleveland.

Wedge needed to go last month.  I have been adamant about firing him since the “ultimate motivator” watched quietly as his team raced out to an 0-7 start this season.  The team needed a spark and he failed to provide one.  It is his job to win.  With the talent pool Cleveland had going into 2009, there is no excuse for the shoddy product being displayed every other game by the lake.

If Mark Shapiro thinks for one minute that Eric Wedge is going to better prepare this year’s team for a run next season, than the powers that be should really consider Shapiro’s future with the team.  If you are going to paint the house, paint the whole house, not just the front.

I’m not sure anyone involved has a clue.  Maybe we should just promote the entire Single-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers team to Cleveland for a three-game series, what would it hurt at this point?