Yesterday, we told you about the lady who was told to tone it down because other UT fans complained about her cheering. In case you were wondering, “what’s the big deal?”, here’s video for you.
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Category: MLB General
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“bad Nat X impersonation”
Scoop Jackson wrote an article today complaining (surprise, surprise) that there weren’t enough minorities in Sports Illustrated’s Oct 9th cover of baseball’s all time dream team. Of course, with every passing column, we are reminded about how accurate Jason Whitlock’s words were in an interview with The Big Lead.
…there’s a big dropoff from being associated with Ralph [Wiley], Hunter [S. Thompson] and Bill [Simmons] than being linked to someone doing a bad Nat X impersonation. It pissed me off that the dude tried to call himself the next Ralph Wiley and stated some [bleep] about carrying Ralph’s legacy. Ralph was one of my best friends. I hate to go all Lloyd Bentsen, but Scoop Jackson is no Ralph Wiley. Ralph was a grown-ass man who didn’t bojangle for anybody. Scoop is a clown. And the publishing of his fake ghetto posturing is an insult to black intelligence, and it interferes with intelligent discussion of important racial issues. Scoop showed up on the scene and all of a sudden I’m getting e-mails from readers connecting what I write to Scoop. And his stuff is being presented like grown folks should take it seriously. Please.
In other news…
[St. Petersburg Times]: Chris Simms turned down $10M in guaranteed money before this year… ooops
[Adfreak]: Make your own Cowboys cheerleader ad
[DC Sports Chick]: For the trashy chick you know
[Fox Sports]: Stephen Jackson booked and released
[Indy Star]: Police report from Stephen Jackson incident
[FloydLandis.com]: Floyd Landis defense is now online
Ole!
In 2003: In Game 3 of the ALCS, several brawls broke out as the Yankees and Red Sox showed the world that – gasp – they might not like each other or something. In the fourth inning, Pedro Martinez threw a pitch over Karim Garcia’s head and words were exchanged. When a Roger Clemens pitch sort of came a little inside to Manny Ramirez the next inning, Manny went ballistic and both benches cleared. That’s when Don Zimmer, all of 72 years old, charged Pedro like an extremely pissed off, chubby, white, pale bull, and Pedro game him an “ole” into the Fenway Park turf. It was both hilarious and embarrassing to watch at the same time. The Yankees won the game 4-3.
In 1972: The Cincinnati Reds became the first team since 1912 to win a series when coming to bat trailing in the bottom of the ninth inning. Behind 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth and deciding game of the NLCS, Johnny Bench tied the game with a solo homer off Bob Moose. Two singles and a wild pitch later, the Reds were celebrating a trip to the World Series with a 3-2 win in the game and the series.
In 1992: Deion Sanders did double duty as he suited up for a pro football game with the Falcons against the Dolphins, then took a jet to Pittsburgh in time to join his Braves for Game 5 of the NLCS. “Prime Time” was a two-time loser that day, as Miami defeated Atlanta 21-17 and the Pirates staved off elimination against the Braves 7-1 as Deion watched from the bench. Sanders was criticized on the air for playing football by CBS analyst Tim McCarver. Neon got his revenge by throwing water on him in the locker room during the celebration after Game 7.
unassisted triple play
In 1920: An amazing trio of firsts occurred in the decisive Game 7 (of a nine-game series) of an otherwise drab World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Brooklyn Robins. In the first inning, Cleveland’s Elmer Smith hit the first grand slam in World Series history. In the fourth, the Indians’ Jim Bagby became the first pitcher to hit a home run in the WS; and in the eighth, little-used second baseman Bill Wambsganss converted the first (and only) unassisted triple play in World Series history to help the Indians take the Series 5-2. It was a bittersweet moment for the Indians; while they were celebrating their first championship, they were still mourning the death of Ray Chapman, who died earlier that summer as a result of a Carl Mays bean ball.
In 1926: While Babe Ruth was always considered a World Series hero for his feats in the postseason (pitching 29-plus scoreless innings for the Sox, calling his shot against the Cubs), he was actually a huge goat in the Yankees’ loss to the Cardinals in the decisive seventh game. Trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth at Yankee Stadium, Ruth reached first off a walk from a very hung over Grover Alexander (who won Game 6). With two outs and the slugging Bob Meusel at the plate with a 3-1 count, Ruth inexplicably took off on an attempt to steal second base without any type of sign from the coaches or manager. He got a horrible jump and was easily pegged for the final out of the series. Ruth was roundly booed, criticized and mocked in the newspapers for losing the series for the Yanks.
In 1904: Citing that the American League was a minor or “junior” league, New York Giants manager John McGraw refused to meet the Boston Americans (who had defeated the Pirates of the NL in 1903) in what would have been the second World Series. Arguments over rules, potential gate shares and personal animosity between McGraw and AL president Ban Johnson also led to the cancellation of the Series. Besides 1994 — when a player’s strike wiped out the postseason — it was the only time a World Series was not contested.
In 1969 and 1995: New playoff formats were used for the first time in baseball history. In 1969, the League Championship Series (LCS) debuted, with the Braves meeting the Mets and Baltimore going against the Twins to determine the pennant winners, eschewing the tradition of the first-place finishers in the regular season meeting in the World Series. In 1995, the League Division Series (LDS), an additional round of playoffs, made its first appearance, with two series’ in each league. In the American League, it was Yankees-Mariners and Red Sox-Indians, while the National featured Reds-Dodgers and Braves-Rockies. New York and Colorado were the first ever “Wild Card” teams.
In 1959: A World Series game was played west of the Mississippi River for the first time, with the Los Angeles Dodgers meeting the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the Fall Classic. It was also the largest crowd in World Series history, with over 90,000 in attendance at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Dodgers won the game 3-1 and the series in six games.
In 1922: For the first time, an entire World Series was broadcast over the radio. Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice handled the broadcasting duties while the second straight “Subway Series” between New York teams saw the Giants sweep the Yankees in five games (Game 2 ended in a 3-3 tie).
and of course, on Oct. 1, 1903: The first-ever modern World Sereis game is played at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Beaneaters. It was known more as the “Championship of the United States” during that first year. The Pirates won the first game 7-2, but Boston would take the Series behind the pitching of Cy Young, five games to three.
In 1951: Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hit one of the most famous homeruns in baseball history. His ninth-inning, two-out, three-run shot off the Dodgers‘ Ralph Branca became known as “the shot heard ‘round the world“ and clinched an unlikely pennant for the Giants. The teams were battling in the third game of a playoff series to determine the NL pennant winner. The Dodgers led 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth when Thomson stepped up to the plate and delivered the famous round-tripper (although the Dodgers to this day accuse the Giants of stealing signs that allowed Thomson to know what pitch was coming) that sent the jubilant Giants and their fans to the 1951 World Series. After Thomson’s homer, Giants’ broadcaster Russ Hodges made the famous call, “THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!” (baseball library.com)
In 1995: After a 252-day trial, former football star OJ Simpson was acquitted by a jury of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson was later found to be liable for their deaths in a civil trial and was made to pay over $30 million in damages. (espnradio.com)
In 1974: Almost 32 years to the day he was fired as manager of the Washington Nationals, Frank Robinson became the first black manager in the major leagues when he took the job as skipper of the Cleveland Indians. He would also continue to play for the Indians the next two seasons. (baseballlibray.com)
And in 1989: 15 years after Robinson‘s hiring, Art Shell became the first black head coach in the NFL when he took over the Los Angeles Raiders. He led the Raiders to the AFC Championship game in his second season with a 12-4 record. He was rehired by owner Al Davis to be the head coach of the Raiders for the 2006 season.
1. Center of attention: After a season of leading the AL Central division, the Tigers couldn’t keep their lead on the last day of the season. They fell in extra innings to the Royals while the Twins won to take the division. Detroit was winning 6-0 in the third inning but couldn’t keep their lead, even against the awful Royals offense. The game was tied 8-8 heading into extra innings, when the Tigers decided to send in starter Kenny Rogers. This seems like a stupid decision to us, and it backfired when Rogers allowed the game-winning runs. Detroit lost to finish the year at 95-67. Meanwhile, the Twins ousted the White Sox 5-1 to take the division title. They finished with a 96-66 record, and their players had numerous achievements. Joe Mauer went 2-4 and won the AL batting title at .347. He became the first catcher ever to win the title. Johan Santana, though he didn’t pitch yesterday, finished as the American League leader in wins, strikeouts, and ERA to take the Triple Crown. He led virtually every pitching category there is. And Justin Morneau, the sudden MVP candidate, hit an RBI in the finale to finish with a robust 130. The Twins roll into the playoffs.
2. Backing in: The St. Louis Cardinals lost but still clinched the NL Central division for the third year in a row. Though the Brewers beat them 5-3 and they finished at a middling 83-78. They lost 9 of their last 12 games and will be the coldest team entering the postseason. This is almost the opposite of the past two years, when the team finished with over 100 wins each year. But they’ll still make the postseason, and Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter have played like MVP and Cy Young candidates again. Pujols posted career-best numbers in homeruns (49) and RBIs (137), while Carpenter was second in the league in ERA. They’ve been the only real reasons this team is even close to the playoffs.
3. 1-2 punch: Remember how alarmingly awful the NL West division was last year? The Padres barely finished with a winning record yet still made the playoffs. But this year, this division is home to the Wild Card winner as well and both teams look dangerous. The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers both finished at 88-74, and both will make the postseason. Both teams are among the hottest in baseball, and both won yesterday. The Padres won their second straight West title because of a tiebreaker: they went 13-5 against the Dodgers this season. The Padres seemingly have their number, and that will come in handy if the teams face each other in the NLCS.
4. Not this year: The Astros had made the playoffs for two straight seasons, making an incredible run at the end of each year. This year, they played like animals in September once again. But they won’t be seeing any more postseason play. Houston lost to the Braves two out of three times over the weekend, ending their aspirations of overtaking the Cardinals. John Smoltz’s 16th win yesterday actually tied him for the National League lead. Six pitchers have that exact amount, which is one of the lowest league-leading totals ever. Anyway, the Stros are out of October play this year.
5. Matchups: Here are the playoff matchups, as finalized yesterday. In the American League, the Twins play the A’s and the Tigers face the Yankees. In the National League, the Mets take on the Dodgers while the Cardinals and Padres face off. This should make for a wildly entertaining postseason.
In 1932: Depending on what you believe, this was the day that Babe Ruth supposedly hit his famous “called shot” in Wrigley Field in the World Series. In the fifth inning, Ruth was being heckled by the Chicago Cubs’ bench and the crowd. After falling behind two strikes, Ruth made what some called a motion toward the centerfield bleachers and what others believed to be a gesture at Cubs pitcher Charlie Root. Either way, Ruth smashed a towering homerun into those bleachers while a stunned crowd looked on in complete silence. They were so shocked that they didn’t even seem to notice Lou Gehrig’s homerun on the very next pitch. The Yank’s easily won the series in four games. (baseball library.com)
In 1970: 14 members of the Wichita State football team were killed when their plane crashed into the Rocky Mountains outside of Denver on its way to Utah. It was one of two planes that were traveling to the game, and the team resumed its schedule three weeks later. The Shockers football program would never be the same, as it had only one more winning season and was discontinued in 1986. It was not the only air tragedy in college football that fall, as the Marshall football program was decimated by a crash a little more than a month later. (espn.com)
9 RBI day
1. The “Lone” Leader: The Los Angeles Dodgers, simply put, are on a roll. With another win yesterday, they increased their Wild Card lead to two games over the Phillies. With just three games left to go in the season, that is huge. Thursday’s win over the Rockies was, well, unique. LA won 19-11 in the highest scoring game the majors has seen this season. Their win was prompted by a previously unheard-of name: James Loney. Loney drove in a team-record 9 RBIs, more than anyone in a single game this season. He broke the NL rookie record for single game RBIs. Loney hit two homeruns, a grand slam and a two-run shot, as well as a two-run double. His efforts gave the Dodgers their 15th win in 19 games against the Rockies this season. Taking away those games, this team is only .500.
2. Twin Leaders: The Minnesota Twins, who have been so good the second half of the season, have done what once seemed impossible. They tied the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central division lead. The Tigers, once easily the best team in baseball, have fallen off while the Twins have won game after game. Two months ago on this day the Twins were 10.5 games back while the Tigers were in command. But since that date Detroit has gone 25-31 while the Twins have posted a 36-21 record. Yesterday the Tigers fell 8-6 to the Blue Jays as Kenny Rogers had his worst start in a month. But the Twins, fueled by a ninth-inning homerun by Joe Mauer to tie it up, won in extras against the Royals. That handed Kansas City its 100th loss of the season. The Devil Rays are the only other team that mathematically can reach that mark.
3. It’s getting closer: The St. Louis Cardinals need a wake-up call. The team has virtually wrapped up the division title by mid-September, but with a bevy of losses lately they’ve forfeited this lead. They lost again yesterday, and they only have a half-game lead over the Astros, who have won nine games in a row. They lost 9-4 to the pitiful Brewers yesterday, with Jason Marquis’ ERA increasing to over 6.00. This team needs to win their next three games, all against Milwaukee, or they’ll be in big trouble.
4. SD keeps their lead: The Padres needed a win to avoid a tie at the top of their division, and they got it. San Diego beat Arizona 12-4, keeping their one-game lead. Their offense got three homers and Jake Peavy struck out 7.
5. Pedro out for the year: First it was the toe, then it was the hip, then it was the right calf. And now, finally the left calf is the injury that will keep Pedro Martinez out of the postseason. He has a torn tendon in his left calf that does not require surgery but will keep him out of the lineup for the playoffs.
Pujols for MVP?
1. A season-saving homerun?: The Cardinals looked like they were done. They came into yesterday’s game having lost seven in row, and it looked like they were going to end up losers once again. San Diego starter Chris Young had pitched excellently and the Padres got out to a 2-1 lead through seven innings. But no lead is safe when your opponent has Albert Pujols in the lineup. Pujols jacked a three-run homerun in the eighth to lift the Cardinals 4-3. Not only did this win the game, it might have saved the season for the previously reeling Cardinals. Now St. Louis has kept their 1.5 game lead with 5 games left to play. The Padres gave up some ground in the division to the Dodgers.
2. Untouchable: The Houston Astros, who seemed all but out of the playoff hunt a week ago, seemingly decided to start winning. There is no other explanation for their incredible 8 game winning streak. Though the Cardinals finally won, the `Stros kept their streak going yesterday. They defeated the hapless Pirates in 15 innings. Somehow Houston has a knack for playing (and winning) long games like these. They did it again, though even getting to extras was difficult this time around. Houston was down 6-1 after five innings but then rallied back to tie up the game. Brad Ausmus’ sac fly in the 15th sealed the deal. There is a negative consequence to playing all these long games like the Astros have. Their pitching staff has pitched the most innings among every major league team, meaning they might seem more fatigued than some of the other teams as Houston heads down the stretch.
3. Extra! Extra!: The Houston game wasn’t the only extra-inning game involving playoff contenders yesterday. The Phillies and Nationals couldn’t decide their game after nine innings either. They ended up going a whopping 14 innings, and Philly ended up winning. The Wild Card contenders won 8-7 as their offense looked excellent. Jimmy Rollins, perhaps the most underrated shortstop in baseball, went 3-8 with 4 RBIs, including the game winner. Chase Utley hit a homerun early on, and leads all second basemen with 32 homers and 102 RBIs on the year. The Phils currently stand one game behind the Wild Card-leading Dodgers.
4. Central Supremacy: The race for the Central between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins is the only important thing going on in the AL. Detroit was one game back heading into Wednesday, and they remain that way after both teams lost yesterday. The Tigers lost to the Blue Jays 7-4 in a game that featured seven combined homers by both teams. Meanwhile, the Twins fell to the pitiful Royals, who barely avoided their 100th loss of the season. The second and third best teams in baseball by record won’t play each other the rest of the season. The Tigers have one game left against the Blue Jays and a three-game set with the Royals. The Twins will face the Royals again and then the White Sox for three. And all of this, by the way, is just a race to see who will play the Yankees (wild card winner) or the A’s (division winner).
5. Bonds will be back: To the surprise of few, Barry Bonds announced that he’ll play in the 2007 season. Bonds has hit 26 homeruns this season to move him within 21 of Hank Aaron’s prestigious record. He should break that record next year if he could avoid a major injury. The big question is which team Bonds will play for. Of course right now Bonds is acting like he’ll stay with the Giants, but everyone thinks that he’ll end up as a DH for an American League team, likely the A’s or Angels.