Basebrawl

Posted by Nick Verlaney on Aug 11, 2010 in Baseball | 0 comments

*Hey Red Card Nation, it has been a little while since my last post, so this post will be getting caught up and definitely showing some folks the Red Card.

- On Monday, Cincinnati Reds 2nd baseman Brandon Phillips had some not-s0-kind words for the St. Louis Cardinals: “I’d play against these guys with one leg. We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals.” On Tuesday that smack talk escalated to a benches emptying brawl before the 1st inning was even over. There was jawing between Tony LaRussa and Dusty Baker. Scott Rolen and Chris Carpenter also exchanged pleasantries. Then there were kicks thrown by Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto. I am normally not for professional athletes behaving like children, but this was awesome to me, and really spiced up the playoff chase in August. Both of these teams have been battling all season, and to have them go at each other WWE style was pretty comical to watch. I hope all the playoff races become this fun to watch (except for my Braves, who I hope win the NL East by 20 games).

- A-Rod finally reached his 600th career homerun last Wednesday, making him the youngest player to reach that milestone. It took him 46 at-bats in between 599 and 600, but it finally happened. He also stole his 300th base during the weekend series with the Red Sox making him only the 3rd player in MLB history with 600 homeruns and 300 steals. On one hand, I am extremely happy for him, mainly because New York and the media put him under so much pressure to perform, that no matter what he does, it never seems like it is enough. On the other hand though, I feel like this milestone has been tainted by his use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. To say I have mixed feelings about baseball records since the era of P.E.D.’s would be an understatement, although I feel like lack of replay cheats the game in the same way. That is a discussion for another day though.

- Baseball has also had 2 more no-hitters since I last posted, one by Edwin Jackson and one by Matt Garza. Pitching has regained its footing in baseball for the first time since the steroid era started and looks to be back for good. Brandon Morrow almost added another on Sunday night, but lost his no-hit bid with 2 outs in the 9th inning. If I had a bet on who would be next to throw a no-hitter, it would be Josh Johnson of the Marlins. I would also bet that there will be another no-no before the end of the season.

- In a great story, the ownership group headlined by Nolan Ryan beat out Dallas Mavericks owner/billionaire Mark Cuban at an auction to win ownership of the Texas Rangers. There is nobody better to take control of that franchise than Ryan. He will add stability and re instill tradition to the Rangers like Tom Osborne did to Nebraska when he returned to be athletic director in 2007.

- Moving on to college football, the first  Coaches Poll was released last week, and the coaches  had Nebraska at number 9. Looking at pre-season polls to me is worthless, but if I was to critique this poll, I would make a few changes. Those who would move up would be: Ole Miss, Oregon, and LSU. Those who I would have move down: Nebraska, Iowa, Miami, and Texas. I like Ole Miss to rise up due in-part to Jeremiah Masoli, who got to transfer out of trouble after his release from Oregon to Ole Miss due to the fact that Oregon did not offer his graduate school specialty. Talk about a lucky break. Head Coach Houston Nutt said that Masoli is under a 1-strike policy at Ole Miss, but the risk for them to take him on is nothing compared to the reward of having a Heisman-caliber QB walk on at Ole Miss.

-I would start Nebraska ranked at 13. My only fear for the Huskers this season are the expectations that have been put on this team are too high. I have heard from 3 different publications/commentators that they expect the Huskers to be in the National Championship against Alabama or Ohio State. To me, that is a little overkill. Look, I bleed Husker red, but I am also a realist and I know this team needs a starting quarterback that can make plays. I also know that the team as a whole has a lot more athletic ability than any Nebraska team in recent memory. The x factor for this team will be if key players can avoid injury, because as I have come to find out, a team is only as good as its bench players. I will be doing a preview of the upcoming season in a couple weeks, so stay tuned.

- Now that  NFL training camps are underway, lets touch base on the big story lines that have made the pre-season worth talking about.

1) Injuries. Specifically to the Denver Broncos. The mile-high team has been the most unlucky this off-season with injuries to NFL sack leader Elvis Dumervil, running backs Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, and starting left tackle Ryan Clady. Injuries during training camp can shape the season of a team, whether that team is looking to go to the Super Bowl or just improve measurably from the previous year. Looks like it is going to be a tough year in Denver, especially since the rest of the division will be a lot better.

2) Contract disputes always dominate the off-season headlines, and this year has been no different with many big name players like Darrell Revis threatening extended hold-outs. I am torn on this issue as well. On one hand, football is a team sport where players make sacrifices all the time for the good of the team. I dont like hold-outs, especially because I think it takes away from that team concept. On the other hand, though, if a player has out-played his current contract then I think he does have a gripe to get paid more based on performance, much like in any other career. In the same manner, if a player doesnt live up to the terms of the contract, NFL teams will leave players out in the cold at a minutes notice. This has always been a tough issue to see who is really at fault for me. In terms of Revis’ contract though, I think he needs to play. His team has a very real shot of winning the Super Bowl this year, and for him to not be a part of that makes him seem selfish and immature, even if he is not. Dont look for either side to back down soon, unless the Jets defense suffers early in the season, then Im sure a new contract will be in the works.

3) Free Agent signings. The most publicized signing of the off-season was Terrell Owens to Cincinnati. I had 20 people text me when the news broke about this, asking me if I thought this was a good move for both sides. My answer was neutral. Look, I think T.O. is still a great receiver when he is in the right offense and in the right state of mind, but I dont think that the Bengals needed him this year. They already had drafted slot receiver Jordan Shipley, and signed Antonio Bryant before signing him. Dont be surprised if Bryant starts over T.O. by seasons end. Bryant is faster, younger, and has better hands right now than T.O. I still maintain that the best signing of the whole off-season was Anquan Boldin to Baltimore. The worst might just be T.O. in Cincy if he doesnt get his way.

- The U.S. played Brazil in a friendly last night, and boy oh boy Brazil was impressive in their 2-0 win. They could have easily scored 4-5 goals in the game, completely dominated possession, and made the beaten up U.S. defense look worse than in the World Cup. If these young Brazilians play like they did against the U.S., the rest of the world shouldn’t show up to the World Cup in 2014.

- Time to show some folks the RED CARD.

- First up: Brett Favre. Seriously, the past 3 years I have heard the same drawn out drama about your retirement. Everyone knows you cannot quit football. Announce you will not retire until you die so we dont have to wonder anymore. Please and thank you, the people who watch ESPN for actual sports stories, not “Brett Favre eats chicken noodle soup, is a comeback looming?”.

- Next up: LeBron James’ management and publicist. You are getting shown the RED CARD because you have advised him to do bad public image stunts, such as; making an hour long decision special on SportsCenter, not giving Cavs management a heads up or a thanks before leaving, and writing a thank you note to the city of Akron and not including Cleveland. Clevelanders are the ones who need to feel LeBron’s gratitude, not Akron. Absolutely abysmal advising, which has turned his public perception from good guy to a-hole. If you didnt watch the ESPY’s, I implore you to watch Steve Carrels spoof on LeBron’s decision.

- Former teammates of Lance Armstrong who remain anonymous but make accusations of Armstrong taking P.E.D.’s throughout his career, Im showing you the RED CARD. Seriously, you are cowards. If you have something to say or prove, then come out in the open and say it. All you are trying to do by remaining anonymous is either slander his name, or avoid perjury charges. Floyd Landis is a dirtball, but at least he isnt hiding behind anonymity when he makes accusations.

- This week’s GET A GRIP is dedicated to Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Talk about a guy who does not care about the team. In 2009 he signed with the Redskins for 100 million dollars. He got the money he wanted. Then in the off-season the Redskins hired 2 time Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan to revive this once proud franchise. Shanahan decides that the 3-4 defense will better suit the players that he has on roster. This means that Haynesworth will not be able to hunt down the quarterback like he was accustomed to in Tennessee, and will more than likely have to play gap filler to allow the linebackers to create pressure on the QB. Haynesworth hated this idea and threatened to not play a down this season. Then after some good legal advise decided to show up to training camp after not being present at a single mini camp in the offseason. Mike Shanahan decides that Haynesworth has to complete a fitness test before he will allow him to participate in practice. Haynesworth, who said all off-season, that he was in the best shape of his life, couldnt complete the fitness test for 8 days. Look, this guy to me is the consummate unprofessional and if I were the GM of the Redskins, I would have cut him and then sued him for his signing bonus money (11 million dollars). To show how easy the fitness test was to complete, Mike Golic of ESPN, who has been retired from football for 16 years completed it…..8 days before Haynesworth. The guy is a joke and needs to GET A GRIP.

- Finally, its time for some quick hits.

- Spain has had an awesome sports year: World Cup Champions, Rafael Nadal won the French Open and Wimbledon, and Alberto Contador won the Tour de France. Wow.

- Shaq signed with the Celtics last week. I never thought I’d see the Big Aristotle in green, but I think it is a good way for him to end his career. I also think it gives the Celtics added depth on the low block that kept them from beating the Lakers in the Finals. Who knows, maybe the Big Leprechaun has one more title in him.

- If you havent seen Inception yet, go. You know you will be watching a great movie when you see it, but you wont know what you just saw by the end. The movie takes a good couple of days to process. Great job again, Christopher Nolan.

- Song of the week: Unforgettable, Drake feat. Young Jeezy. As many of you know, I have been waiting to lay judgement on Drake until his album came out. To my surprise, I liked it (thanks to Danny Dunbar for getting it to me). I wont go as far to say that he is in my top 10 yet, but I like most of this album.

- Ndamukong Suh donated 123 iPads to the Nebraska locker room, which are installed now. What a baller.

- Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson is going to be on the new season of Survivor. 2 thoughts: Survivor still exists? How bout them islands?

- Blogs on the Horizon: English Premier League preview, Top 25 hottest women, College Football preview.

Have a good week everyone. Ill stop rambling……now.