The three title words were almost painful to write. I'm not a dittohead by any means, but I'm going to have to give Rush props on a very solid point, one that cost him a job. Some years ago, Rush commented on McNabb that the media loved to hype black quarterbacks. You'd have thought he called for the mass deportation of anyone with less than complete Aryan ancestry by the way the media attacked. Rush attacked their darling, and there was no way, no way at all, he was their darling simply beca...
When infamous receiver Terrell Owens made the jump from Philly to Dalls, sportswriters counted on him giving Dallas one stellar year, then becoming poison. He did it in San Francisco, he did it in Philly, he'd be almost certain to do it in the "Big D". One thing they hadn't counted on though: Terrell Owens has climbed to such undeserved stellar heights that he no longer needs to "prove himself" for a year before infecting the team with his wretched attitude. He showed up to camp, and has put ...
The title of this article is an homage to the signature line of Dave Neihaus, who was the voice of the Seattle Mariners for many years. As most of you know, I am a die hard Mariners fan. What you may not know is that the Mariners are dangerously close to not sucking, something that was DEFINITELY not among the forecasts in the crystal ball of the "pros". They're a game under .500, true, but well above the 90 loss season that was pretty much forecast for them, and within a few games of the top...
First of all, I want to apologize to all the women I offended with my "panty-waist" comment. They don't deserve a stain like Bud Selig on their gender. But when I weighed it against "Pansy-ass", I decided that it would look better in the sidebar. Bud Selig suspended pitcher Randy Johnson for five games for throwing at a Cleveland batter in a game recently. Not for hitting him, mind you, but for throwing AT him, in obvious retaliation for Cleveland's pitcher hitting Yankees catcher Jorge Posad...
My fantasy baseball team is not doing too well this year. In fact, it is downright sucking. To begin with, I made the error of releasing Ken Griffey, Jr. too early, anticipating his stay on the DL to approximate previous stays. I tried to pick him back up off of waivers, but was beat out by someone else. I have a decent core for a team, though. It's just getting them to all click at the same time that is the problem. But that may all be about to change. For the season thus far, I have k...
As a baseball fan, and primarily, a Seattle Mariners fan, I go back to the days when the Mariners' highest attendance occured at a "funny nose and glasses" promo, inspired by outfielder Tom Paciorek, where Groucho Marx glasses were handed out to everyone in attendance. The M's were less than a laughinstock; an SI story detailed hotel booking complications where the desk clerk couldn't even pronounce the team name right. Ken Griffey Junior changed all that, along with a stellar supporting clas...
NFL commish Paul Tagliabue has announced is retirement in July ( Link ). Tagliabue, whose tenure began in 1989 when he succeeded Pete Rozelle, is staying on until NFL labor talks are complete. As an NFL fan, I can't say I'll particularly miss him, but it does seem like another era is over. Now if we can only inspire MLB's Bud Selig to follow suit, we'd be set.
Being the baseball fan that I am, I could not allow Kirby Puckett's passing to go unnoticed. I never followed the Twins very closely. Unless they are playing my Mariners or trading with the Mariners, they are largely irrelevant. But I lived for 12 years in the state of Wisconsin, where 4 of my 5 children were born, and where the spectre of the Twins easily overshadows the dismal Brewers (a likely motivation for Selig's ill-fated attempts of a few years ago to wipe the Twins from the map), and...
If you're not a Seattle Mariners baseball fan, you'll put this article in the "who cares" category. If you're not a baseball fan in general, you'll be even more inclined to disregard it. But every year, about this time, I start itching for that little white ball with stitches. So, I'm putting up this information for the few, the proud, the Mariners faithful! (from yahoo! news) Major League Baseball and the Seattle Mariners released the official report dates for Spring Training 2006. ...
February is almost upon us. The Superbowl's a-nearing. Those two events mean one thing. Baseball's a-comin'. Pitchers and catchers report sometime later in the month, and by March, everything is in full swing. And as a Mariners fan, I have reason for hope, with the acquisition of former Angels ace Jarrod Washburn and a team with the better parts left mostly intact. Sure they've sucked the last couple years (last year, I believe, the departure of Edgar Martinez was a major factor; Ichiro Suzuk...
Every year, sportswriters look for controversy. Since the inception of the much hated Bowl Champiohsip Series, much of it in the late season has centered around worthy teams that were snubbed from their "rightful" place among the BCS elite. And sometimes the writers are right. But sometimes it becomes a matter of Much Ado About Nothing. This year, the latter was true of the vaunted Oregon Ducks, who viewed their bowl matchup with Oklahoma as not worthy of their time and attention. Perhaps the...
A few years ago, Jarrod Washburn broke into the majors. As I had been a resident of Oshkosh, Wisconsin (his alma mater for several years), I took notice. Having close connections with the team, I knew him to be a good man and someone that sports fans could look up to. Two years ago when he put a million bucks into the kitty of his college's stadium rebuilding fund, he only reaffirmed that. But there was one big, overriding problem. Washburn played for the Anaheim Angels. In baseball, while it...
26-17 was the final score as the Indianapolis Colts fell for the first time this season to the San Diego Chargers. Miami Dolphins fans no doubt rejoiced, as they will be reminding us until next season that they are to this point NFL's only team to play out a season and postseason undefeated. While Indy is no doubt disappointed at missing its chance to make history, this might be the best Christmas gift they could have gotten. See, entering the postseason undefeated has its drawbacks. Defea...
As a diehard Seattle Mariners fan, I'm drooling. The Chicago White Sox have bought out Frank Thomas' contract for 2006, meaning the slugger is eligible for free agency. Although Thomas has been plagued by injuries, he still remains a slugger that pitchers are inclined to fear when he steps to the plate. He has a lethal bat that can reach the cheap seats in any ballpark on any given at bat. His biggest liability is being prone to injury. But injuries don't often affect designated hitters...
In light of the recent steroid ban, writers who have long looked for an excuse to keep Rafael Palmeiro out of the Hall of Fame have found it. But does their argument have a solid foundation? Let's say for a second that it does. I'll follow up with the question: based on WHAT? Rules violations? I bet noone's arguing for Kenny Rogers' omission after his infamous altercation. And George Brett, of pine tar infamy, hasn't been denied his rightful place among baseball's immortals. If you look at th...