The Awkward Catcher-Pithcer Meetings on the Mound

There's usually a time for a pitcher on the mound who isn't throwing well or starting to show signs of fatigue.  Sometimes you can't even smell the strike zone and you're in another world.  Whatever the case may be the pitching coach or catcher is going to come out and talk to you.  And if you're playing in front of an away crowd the chirps can get nasty.

Your coach signals for your catcher to go out and have a chat (settle him down).  You see him coming... do you meet him halfway to be courteous or should you stare him down until he gets all the way here?  What could he possibly say that would help me turn things around?

"Hey let's mix in some outs"? I've had catchers come out and say "let's pretend we're talking because I don't have anything to say and neither do you".  I've heard some jokes on the mound and the type of discussion usually depends on the pitcher.  Sometimes it's about a chick in the crowd, sometimes it's about a party, and sometimes it's strictly baseball.

Some catchers like to pretend they know what they're telling you and it's always about your front side flying out.  There's no way you can watch my mechanics as you're trying to catch.  But for some reason it loosens up the pitcher and actually helps.

Mel Kiper Is A Joke

I hate watching the pre draft ratings and mock drafts because it's never anything close.  Mel Kiper has no clue what he's talking about.  If he was the owner of a team he would pick every year because he is terrible.  His "best available" is a joke.  He didn't even have Newton going in the top 10 picks... If you didn't already know Newton went first overall.

Bangs is it at it again

Is this serious?

Madden Cover: Peyton Hillis

I'm not sure how Aaron Rodgers isn't on the cover but he's not.  EA Sports created a 32 player tournament to allow the fans to vote for the cover of the new Madden.  Hillis beat Rodgers in the semifinal and Vick in the finals.  If you didn't watch this past NFL season you wouldn't even know who Peyton Hillis is.  Don't get me wrong-- Hillis is a beast but he plays for a terrible team... Just seems like Rodgers would be a little more fitting for the cover of Madden.

Losing and Skids

Every team loses... it's going to happen in a 56 game season but no one should take losing lightly because every loss hurts.  So much time is invested in a single season (morning lifts, runs, practice) and it should hurt if you're invested in the team.     

But just as there's a right way to win, there's a right way to lose.  In a "good" loss you played well enough to win but the other team made one or two bigger plays.  Maybe it was a pitch in a tight situation, a big hit, or a great defensive play.  In these losses you leave the park feeling a little bit better knowing that you played well enough to win but you just got beat.

Bad losses are avoidable-- usually it's guys going through the motions and a lack of focus or effort.  It's the games where pitchers don't challenge hitters and walk guys, hitters have bad approaches at the plate, or bad defense that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Your offense can run into some good arms.  A couple guys might start struggling at the plate and all of a sudden it spreads throughout the team.  Sometimes no matter who you put on the mound you can't seem to get anyone out.

Just about every team hits a losing skid and it comes in many different forms.  It's either the offense, pitching, defense, or a combination of the three.  Good teams turn it around and bounce back from a loss or skid while bad teams experience a "snowball" effect.

What is ESPNU thinking?

The "featured" college baseball game on ESPNU right now is Bethune-Cookman and Coppin State.  There isn't a better game to broadcast than this game?  I thought the whole idea of broadcasting games was to increase viewers and awareness of college baseball.  You can't tell me this game is helping the cause.

Mark Cuban Hit In Face Last Night

From USA Today-

Mark Cuban was having some fun with Portland Trail Blazers fans last night, but then someone at the Rose Garden kicked the antics up a notch and tossed something that hit the Dallas Mavericks owner in the face.

"Somebody hit me in the face," Cuban told the Dallas Morning News. "Somebody threw something and it hit me."

The incident happened with 6:56 left in Portland's victory.ESPN Dallas.com reported Cuban was encouraging fans to boo him by putting a hand to his ear, and that extra security was added to where Cuban was sitting, behind the Mavs' bench.

Honestly, Cuban's antics ask for fans to hit him in the face.  You're playing in Portland surrounded by Trailblazer fans.  What do you expect?  Go up to the press box where you belong. 

Arkansas Hit-By-Pitch

If I was going to get tossed I would definitely go at it like this kid did.  This is an old video but hilarious nonetheless.

Ryan Braun signs 5 year/$105 million extension

The new contract extends his current contract through the 2020 season.  Braun is one of five players in history to hit .300 and have 125 HR in his first four seasons.  Braun is a great player and this could turn into an absolute bargain but I don't understand why teams lock players up for 10 year deals.  Ten years is a long time especially when you're talking about 162 games per season.  What if he gets hurt in a couple years and isn't the player he is now?  Not to mention he will be 37 at the end of the contract.  It seems like a much bigger risk than reward.  

Jersey Shore-- Florence

From MTV.com--

Despite the unrest among journalists in the old country, the "Jersey Shore" cast is off to Florence in May to film Season 4 and spread the holy acronyms known as GTL and DTF. But there are some conditions they'll need to adhere to, says the city's mayor, Matteo Renzi. Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera (via the New York Post) has listed the restrictions, and they are as follows:

1) The cast cannot be filmed in bars and clubs that serve alcohol.
2) The cast cannot be filmed drinking in public.
3) The show cannot be filmed to promote Florence as a drinking town.
4) The show must be filmed in a manner to promote Italy and feature its culture and good food.
5) The cast cannot be filmed in the city’s historic buildings.

Hmm... so what are we going to see on this season of Jersey Shore?  The first restriction would limit half of the previous episodes.  I didn't even watch the last 10 episodes of this past season.  Personally I'm sick of watching Sammi and Ronnie fight.  The only people I enjoy watching are Pauly D, Vinnie, and occasionally Mike.  It feels like MTV and the Jersey Shore are on a downward spiral with this season.

Mike Leake Arrested For Shoplifting

Reds pitcher Mike Leake was arrested for shoplifting at Macy's on Monday.  He is facing a misdemeanor for stealing 6 shirts valued at less than $60 dollars.  He had $250 dollars and 3 credit cards in his possession.

What shirts was he stealing valued at less than $10 a piece at Macy's?  Not to mention he had enough cash and credit cards on him... unbelievable.  He's starting on Thursday for the Reds.

Smart Alarm Clock App

I saw this application on another website and I have to admit I was skeptical.  How could a phone record what type of sleep I was in and wake me up at the best time so I felt refreshed?  I figured I'd give it a try and after three nights of using it I've never felt better waking up.  You can set your alarm and it wakes you up within 30 minutes of your set time.  I highly recommend using it.  You can either get the free or the .99 cent version.  The free version works just as well.

Epic Sax Guy

It's the weekend and if this can't get you in a good mood I'm not sure what will...

Major League Movies

Which is your favorite Major League movie?  Personally I'm a fan of the 2nd.  Rube Baker has some great lines and Dorn comes back to play.

Major League

vs.

Major League 2

vs.

Back to the Minors

Showtime: The Franchise

Showtime announced they are airing a show called The Franchise this summer following the San Francisco Giants.  I can't believe this hasn't been done before.  What better team to follow than the Giants with Lincecum and Wilson.  HBO aired Capitals and Penguins 24/7 this past fall and it was great.  I couldn't even watch 5 minutes of a hockey game on TV but the documentary made me a hockey fan.

Kobe Bryant's Gay Slur

Bryant was fined $100,000 by the NBA for uttering a homophobic slur towards the ref in which he received a technical foul on.  Seriously?  Are we going to start fining players every time they cuss?

I feel like this a response to Wayne Rooney's suspension and fine and David Stern is using it as a publicity stunt to say "look at me... I'm cleaning up the league".  There have been many times I've been watching a game and I'll hear a slur loud and clear and nothing is thought of it.  Listen, I understand that these guys get paid millions of dollars and are role models but they're competitors.  Think about when you're playing and something goes wrong.  Do you expect players to say "dag nabbit" or "gosh darnit"?

I'm not an NBA fan or a Kobe fan for that matter.  He's a great player but he complains the whole game.  Just watch him during a game and every missed shot is because "he was fouled" and he never gets back on D because of it.  However, I am on Kobe's side for this one because it's ridiculous and now it's going to affect every sport.   

Wiffle Ball, Where Did You Go?

One of my best childhood memories is playing wiffle ball.  Our games ranged from 1 on 1 home run derby to a game of 3 on 3.  Not to brag but my driveway was always used as the field because of it's perfect dimensions and great backstop (garage door).  It was close enough to the end of a dead end road to not have to worry about traffic.  Many people use the chair technique but if the pitcher doesn't hit the chair you have to chase it.  We made up our own rules and only needed to be amended a couple times.

We played with the traditional yellow bat but it was nothing close to traditional.  Many rolls of athletic tape were used for the perfect weight distribution allowing balls to fly off the bat without making the barrel too big.

We also didn't use the white plastic wiffle ball.  They were too easy to break and when taped they didn't move as much.  We used the yellow Jugs baseball that flew off the bat but moved more than a wiffle ball and tougher to pick up spin.

Imitating Batting Stances and Pitching Windups

The motivation for this post comes from seeing an article on Tim Lincecum's great mechanics.  His mechanics are good but not great and I would never tell me kid to pitch like this.  I would never tell a kid to imitate any great players stances or windups.  They are freak athletes and that's why they are playing at that level.  If I would tell my kid to look at a swing or windup I would show them a .230 hitter or a pitcher with a 4.5 ERA because those are the guys that have to do everything right to play at that level.

That being said when I was growing up I think I changed my batting stance at least once a week.  If I had a couple hits with a particular batting stance I kept it...  let it ride.  If I had a bad day at the plate you better believe I was going to change it before my next game.

I chuckle about it now because not only was I changing my batting stance to emulate a favorite player but their stances were repeated for years and I was trying to do it in a day (most times without any batting practice).

What is going on in airports?

I go on USA Today and 3 out of the top 6 news stories are related to airports.  A week ago we were talking about roofs flying off and turning into convertible airplanes and now we have a 6 year old getting patted down, a woman sexually assaulted, and 4 more traffic controllers falling asleep.

Aren't airports supposed to be one of the safest places on Earth?  I mean I don't see what the big deal is about patting down the girl.  People have tried stashing drugs on their children before and they followed protocol but the others are pretty inexcusable.  I don't know what type of shifts air traffic controllers are on but apparently they are too long.  Bad press keeps hitting the news yet airlines keep increasing the price of tickets.  Joke is on us...

Childish Gambino

Dice K

The Red Sox still have Matsuzaka under contract through 2012 after signing him to a six year, $52 million deal in 2006.  They also paid over $50 million just to negotiate so they have a lot of money invested in him.

I don't think trading him would be the best option at this point and I'm not sure if any team would even be interested after his first two outings of the season and the contract they would inherit.

Do What Bob?

When Karl Ravech asked Bobby Valentine about Josh Hamilton's decision to tag-up on the popup and Hamilton broke him arm on this is how he responded...

From Yahoo Sports--

Karl Ravech: What was stupid about the play?

Bobby Valentine: Well, it was the first inning and it was taking a chance with your best player and he did dive headfirst and it was a way of avoiding the slide and he knew that he shouldn't go and he did go, you know? And you know, there's indiscretion in this guy's life, he was stupid earlier and because of that, he can't take drugs now to help cure this injury and heal this injury. And that might have been dumb on everyone's part because, my gosh, it's the first inning, he's the MVP. They're scoring runs better than anybody in the league, you have to tag up on a fly ball in front of the dugout?

Basically, Bobby Valentine is taking something himself.  I'm not for sure what his point could have possibly been here.  Is he talking about painkillers?  Painkillers don't heal injuries they just take the pain away.  Is he saying that because he took drugs earlier in life it somehow affected his decision making?  

Bob, you've obviously made some poor decisions in your life too such as this one:

Josh Hamilton Out 6-8 Weeks

From-- ESPN

"It was just a stupid play," Hamilton said. "I definitely shouldn't have done it."

Inge caught the ball and tossed it Martinez, who was racing home, and the catcher was able to tag out Hamilton as made a headfirst dive.

"I listened to my third-base coach," Hamilton said. "That's a little too aggressive. The whole time I was watching the play I was listening. [He said] 'Nobody's at home, nobody's at home.' I was like, 'Dude, I don't want to do this. Something's going to happen.' But I listened to my coach. And how do you avoid a tag the best? By going in headfirst and get out of the way and get in there. That's what I did."

Talk about throwing your coach under the bus.  Yes, it was a stupid play but you don't have to go just because your coach tells you no one is covering.  The play is in front of you.  It's not like they're going to take Hamilton out of the lineup if you don't go.  The team is built around you.  


I can understand what his thought process was during this though.  Last year he missed the month of September because he broke his ribs and he missed almost half of the '07 and 09' season due to injury.  You're taught not to slide in head first to home but he most likely slid head first because he's had knee problems in the past.

The Latest NCAA Scandal: San Diego Basketball

I'm positive you've already head about the San Diego basketball team and their drug ring and point-shaving scandal so I'll spare you the details.  It seems like I'm blogging about a new scandal every week.  Are sports really this corrupt?  Is it even more in-depth than we even want to know?  Maybe revenue sharing is the only solution because obviously scholarships just aren't cutting it.  The worst is for the players who weren't involved.  Imagine how they feel-- to know that some of your losses might be due to some teammates shaving points.  To make matters worse if you were a senior on that team.  They had terrible records both years but no one will ever know because of a couple of selfish players.

The First Great Day of Weather

I'm almost positive I could be diagnosed with some sort of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  (I looked it up on WebMD and made a self-diagnosis).  By the way they have come up with a light which is therapy for SAD.  I'm going to install these all over my house when I'm older.

I'll never be in a bad mood.  In all seriousness, weather affects your mood and up til today it's been tough to be in the Northeast.

Weather has just been flat out shitty.  We haven't really had a day over 50 degrees and we had snow on April 1st.  That would put Mr. Rogers in a bad mood.  How that show not syndicated beats the hell out of me... I would watch the hell out of Mr. Rogers.

I walked out of my house this afternoon with pants on and I had to turn around and get my shorts.  I've never been so happy to go back into my house.  (99% of the time I forgot something).

Nice weather brings out the best in people and today I couldn't be in a better mood.  I think I'll go out on the porch to enjoy an ice cold man beverage and get down on some people watching.

The Masters

I've been rooting for Tiger to get back on track and with his poor play and missed cuts I was afraid we may never see the old Tiger again.  After his second round masterpiece I really believed he was going to win the jacket.  After a sub-par 3rd round he's 7 shots back to pretty much take him out of contention unless we see a miracle on grass considering Rory is playing lights out golf right now.  Nevertheless, this was a big weekend for Tiger and hopefully he can bring out the Sunday red, finish strong, and roll with it for the rest of the season.

A Glimpse at the Real World: Corporate Charge Cards

So as I write this, I am 35000 feet in the air on the before mentioned business trip to Vegas. How I got to this place in time is very simple...no not by getting the job, I owe the thanks to this flight and in-flight WiFi to my trusty friend corporate charge card. When you do get to the real world, if you do happen to get your hands on a corporate charge card, first let the novelty wear off. Yes you have a credit card in your pocket that you can use in place of your own money for anything work related. After the shock wears off, think a little bit about the power that now sits in your pocket, wallet, money clip etc. You have been trusted with a no limit piece of plastic with which is necessary to conduct business away from your home or office or in my case home office. Now that I've scared you a little bit, I've got to admit, it is pretty sweet to have one. Anything that you can claim as work related is kosher to use the card for. Dinner during travel days, expense it. Flight and rental car to get to the hotel, expense it. Internet at the airport and on the plane so you can get some work done, expense it. Corporate charge cards are god's gift to the working man. But be careful and make sure you do the simplest part of having one, stay up to date with your expense reports. While there is no limit, there is still a bill. The payment is taken care of, all you have to do is put the report in so that they know they have to pay it. Now if you excuse me, it's time to use the card for a nice jack and ginger and dinner. See you in Vegas

Red Sox Struggles

The Red Sox are 0-6 with only 156 games left in the season so they need to get it going and fast.  History says that no team has started 0-6 and won the World Series.  Relax Sox Nation.  The season is a marathon not a sprint.

History was meant to be broken and if I might remind you no team had come back down 0-3 in the playoffs yet the Sox did it to the Yankees in '04.  The Red Sox have the talent and they aren't going to hit this bad all season.  They have given up 38 runs in 6 games but with their staff they should be fine.  

The team that should be worried is the Tampa Bay Rays.  Their offense isn't as good as the past few years without Crawford and with Longoria out they will struggle to score runs.  Longoria might not put up the type of numbers he's used to because he's not going to see as many pitches to hit without Crawford and Pena in the lineup.

Mascot of the Week: Stanford Tree

I have no clue why their mascot is a tree considering they are the Cardinals but you have to respect how ridiculous it looks and how irrelevant it is.  You often see mascots giving high fives to little kids but do kids get pumped for a high five from a tree?

Vanderbilt's Fitness Video

This video has had some tough feedback especially from Deadspin but I thought it was pretty good...

Bigger Stronger Faster Documentary

I'll go ahead and begin by saying I've never taken anabolic steroids and I never will.  However, Bigger Faster Stronger is a great documentary about steroid use and the different perceptions of drugs, cheating, and the means of achieving success in America.  It is a little long and a few segments could be shortened but it brings up valid arguments for both sides, mainly pro-steroids.

It begins with the author and his two brothers idolizing Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone while growing up.  All three idols have either admitted to using or been caught.  Now that Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California it seems as though he is against steroids.  But, he still sponsors a competition which does not test for steroids.

Basically, the documentary is searching for the line between accepted behavior and performance enhancing behavior.  The fact is our society is hypocritical when it comes to drugs and cheating.  Our slogan could be "we have a drug for that".

On Demand TV

On Demand TV is one of God's gifts to mankind.  Seriously, who wants to watch commercials?  A 30 minute show turns into 22 minutes and an hour show turns into 45 minutes.  And, if you're lucky enough to have the "Premium" channels... talk about hitting the jackpot (free movies, Entourage, Californication, Boardwalk Empire).  I have to admit I would almost rather wait for the season to come out On Demand so I can watch it all the way through.  When you're watching a show and you have to wait a whole week for it to come out with a new episode I feel like I lose interest or forget about it too often.  Hats off to you On Demand TV...

Big Black is Back

I am a huge fan of Rob and Big. I think everyone at one point was. People tuned in every week to see what kind of shenanigans these two would be planning on getting into. Rob the skater and sneaky LOADED co-founder of DC clothing living with his best friend and body guard Christopher "Big Black" Boykin. They went three seasons strong providing America with catchphrases (I can't think of anything said during that time that wasn't followed by "Do Work Son") clothing (BB Tees) but then seemingly out of no where, the last season finale also became the series finale. To the public, Big Black was taking time to "be a good dad", his daughter was born and he decided it was time to move into a home of his own with his fiancee and infant child. Privately though was a different story.

Well That Was a Bigger Buzz Kill Than Buzz Killington

What a terrible national championship. One of the best sports times of the year has come and gone but not before leaving us with a sour taste in our mouths. Nice job Butler, yeah cuz it always works shooting nothing but 3s to get back into a game. I want my money back and I didn't even spend any

Charles Okwandu

Much of my childhood was spent playing NBA Jam.  I used to duel it out with the kids in my neighborhood.  It was always heated and it was almost like we were playing for the rights to the hood.  Watching UCONN's Charles Okwandu play reminded me of this great game.  Tell me he wasn't on NBA Jam.

Another Reason to Hate Soccer

Wayne Rooney put the team on his back and brought Man U back from a 2-0 deficit by scoring a hat trick on Saturday.  Apparently, after scoring the last goal to put them up 3-2, he had a few choice words during his celebration with his teammates which were overheard by cameras.  He was suspended today for 2 games by FA.

Seriously?  This guy is the face of the league and you suspend him because he showed emotion?  No wonder soccer hasn't taken off in the United States.  Imagine if NBA, NFL, or MLB players were suspended for swearing.

Shaka Staying at VCU

Shaka Smart, the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth, has agreed to a new contract to stay at VCU.  News came this morning that he turned down the coaching vacancy at NC State and had accepted an extension less than 24 hours later.  I think we will begin to see more of this as Brad Stevens signed a 10-year extension after the National Championship last year.

Having Trouble Kicking Energy Drinks?

--From Foxnews.com

Fox News reported that a man found a dead mouse in his can of Monster after noticing the can wasn't getting any lighter as he almost finished it.  The man reported that he could see the tail and after opening the can he quickly realized it wasn't just the tail but an actual dead mouse.  If this doesn't make you sick to your stomach I don't know what will.  This makes me hesitant to drink not just Monster but anything out of a can.

National Championship

Butler vs. UCONN

Connecticut is more athletic than Butler.  The big 3 of Kemba, Lamb, and Oriakhi is one of the best in the country.  However, don't sleep on Butler.  They have been playing like they're on a mission to avenge their runner-up finish from last year.  They held VCU to shooting just 33% from the field.  Looking at the two teams they are very similar.  I think if it's a close game the advantage goes to Butler.  They know how to grind out wins.

The Pick-- Butler by 3

Final Four

Butler vs. VCU


It's hard to root against either of these teams and I wish they weren't meeting until the championship but I'm going to have to pick Butler for this game.  I think Mack takes over the game and leads Butler back to the 'ship.  Plus they have a bulldog on the court.

The Pick--- Butler by 5

Kentucky vs. UCONN


Who could pick against a team that hasn't lost since before the Big East Tournament--- I can.  If you watched the Kentucky/North Carolina game the Kentucky defense is swarming and very good.  I think Calipari leads the 'Cats back the 'ship.

The Pick--- Kentucky by 8

A Glimpse at the Real World: Building the Perfect Resume

I think this pretty much sums it all up.

Kid Gets Nailed By Soccer Ball

This was #1 on Sportscenter's "Not Top 10"

DJ Porter At It Again

Velocity Isn't Everything

If you watched Brett Myers today you would have quickly realized velocity isn't everything.  Myers was sitting 85-86 and absolutely shoved until the seventh inning while only throwing 51 pitches through 5 innings.  He scattered three hits over 7 innings and only gave up one run.  Pitching is about keeping hitters off balance by mixing up your pitches and staying down in the zone.  The Phillies' hitters were off balance all game while he was pitching and had terrible at-bats.

Nutrition

Nutrition is one of the most important parts of being an athlete and getting the most out of your body.  It can be the difference between a good and elite athlete.  Some guys battle with their weight while others can stuff their face because their metabolism is through the roof.  You don't have to watch every last thing that you eat but every athlete should pay attention to their diet.

Hydration and especially water is crucial for any athlete.  You lose a lot of fluids during exercise and can become dehydrated.  Dehydration can cause fatigue and muscle cramps and inevitably reduce injuries.  It can keep the best athletes from playing well.  Cold water is absorbed faster and also helps lowering body temperature.

Hangover 2 Trailer