Sports Bytes - May 28, 2010

Shame on you if you were hoodwinked into believing that Yankees P Javier Vazquez had turned a corner with his impressive performance against the Mets last week. Yankee fans knew better than to be duped by that tease. Vazquez returned to the mound last night and was crushed by the Twins lineup. The stat sheet says that he threw 112 pitches in 5.2 innings while surrendering five runs, but the reality was much worse. Were it not for two great plays by Mark Texeira the Twins would have scored at least another three runs. They were crushing Vazquez's pitches to the point that I feared for the lives of both the Yankee players and the fans in attendance. Vazquez cannot handle pitching in the American League and it's time that Yankees management accepts it . . . Oh, by the way, the Yanks lost 8-2 . . .

Alex Rodriguez's funk continues. He is 6 for his last 23. In the first inning yesterday he killed a potential rally by meekly grounding into a double play with one out and runners on first and third . . .

YES Network broadcaster Kim Jones announced during yesterday's game that Derek Jeter is a huge "American Idol" fan who demanded that his teammates refrain from telling him who won this season's competition. After learning this disturbing news, I felt compelled to destroy my son's Derek Jeter t-shirt . . .

The Red Sox five-game winning streak ended yesterday with a 4-3 loss to the last place Royals. Considering that the Red Sox just finished demoralizing the best team in baseball, even Red Sox Nation won't begrudge them a down night. If the Sox lose again today, however, expect to see the return of the David Ortiz effigies . . .

LA Dodgers RF Xavier Paul must have failed geometry in high school like I did. During yesterday's loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Paul twice misplayed base hits down the right field line, allowing both to skip past him after they caromed off the foundation of the right field seats in foul territory. In both instances Paul comically crashed into the wall, and one of the times he even lost his glove . . .

ESPN.com boxing columnist Dan Rafael reports that former world champion Paulie Malignaggi plans to continue fighting despite his recent demolition at the hands of Amir Khan. Malignaggi also told Rafael that he will jump to the welterweight division. Considering the number of tough fights that Malignaggi has competed in the past few years, and that he suffers from a chronic nerve problem in his neck, I was hoping he would take the money he earned and ride off into the sunset. Sadly, he is on track to becoming just another fighter who couldn't hang up his gloves . . .

I saw a photo on Fightnews.com of Hasim Rahman and his trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Rahman looks as old as Muhammad, which is bad news for the former heavyweight champion since he is returning to the ring on June 19 . . .

San Francisco Manager Bruce Bochy met with defending two-time National League CY Young Tim Linecum, who surrendered six runs in 4.2 innings against the Nationals. Bochy's advice: Relax . . . Relax? I bet Bochy had to consult with a team of psychiatric experts to formulate that innovative suggestion . . .

While watching the Phillies-Mets series, I was convinced that Rod Serling was going to appear and announce that I'd entered The Twilight Zone. How else can you explain the Phillies inability to score a single run in a three-game series against New York? 27 innings of zeros. The two-time defending NL champs have now lost five in a row and are 3-7 in their last 10 games . . .

After 71.1 innings of pitching, Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Hernandez is 9-1 with an ERA of 0.88 . . . Jaime Garcia of the St. Louis Cardinals is the only other pitcher in baseball with an ERA under 2.00 (1.14) . . .

Boston and Toronto are now the two highest scoring teams in baseball. Both have scored 255 runs this season . . .

San Diego and St. Louis are the only two clubs in baseball with Team ERA's under 3.00 . . .Arizona's ERA is an astounding 5.81 . . .

The paranoia of Boston fans is legendary, and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy has some fun with it in his column today. Shaughnessy discusses whether the Celtics are destined to choke and blow what was once a 3-0 games lead. (Boston is ahead 3-1 games) . . .

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Sports Bytes: May 27, 2010

You can't make this stuff up. According to the NY Post disgruntled Washington Redskins DE Albert Haynesworth is being sued by an exotic dancer who claims that he impregnated her and has avoided her ever since. The dancer is demanding $10 million, in part to cover the medical bills associated with the pregnancy. How's this for irony? Haynesworth played for the Tennessee Titans for seven seasons before signing with Washington. TITANS is also the name of a brand of condoms manufactured by a company named HUGE . . .

Why bother? Polish heavyweight Tomas Adamek, fresh off his impressive victory over Chris Arreola, is scheduled to return to the ring on August 21 against Michael Grant. How pointless is this fight? Grant hasn't won a meaningful bout since he beat Andrew Golota in 1999 . . . Rumor has it that after Adamek disposes of Grant he may fight Ron Lyle . . .

The Red Sox completed their manhandling of the AL East leading Rays with an 11-3 drubbing last night. Adrian Beltre homered twice and David Ortiz once as the Red Sox lineup lit-up Matt Garza and the Rays bullpen. Garza surrendered six runs in five innings of work . . . The Rays, who seem to have taken their foot off the gas pedal since hammering the Yankees, were "2 for 25 with runners in scoring position in the series" . . . David Ortiz' has homered in six of his last 11 games, and nine times overall in the month of May . . .

The Yankees rediscovered winning, beating the Minnesota Twins twice yesterday. The first victory, a 1-0 win, was a completion of Tuesday night's rainout. Jeter homered for the Yanks sole run. The second victory, a 3-2 win, came courtesy of a strong pitching performance by Andy Pettitte who surrendered just two earned runs in eight innings. Nick Swisher homered in the ninth inning to put the Yanks ahead for good . . . Mariano Rivera saved both games, a welcome sight for Yankee fans considering how badly Rivera has looked recently. His famed "cutter" has been as flat as an Academy Awards opening monologue . . .

I like to read SI.com, but sometimes their columns are inane. Yesterday, columnist Joe Posnanski examined whether Derek Jeter has a realistic shot at breaking Pete Rose's all-time hits record of 4,256. C'mon, Joe. Can we at least wait until Jeter reaches 3,000 before we start discussing Rose's record? Silly, just plain silly . . .

David Ortiz is just now finishing his home run trot . . .

The Mets have now shut out the NL East leading Phillies two nights in a row. Last night Hisanori Takahashi pitched six strong innings and Jose Reyes completed his fourth-straight multi-hit game to pull the Mets to within three games of the Phillies . . . Somebody needs to taser the Phillies lineup . . .

The Cincinnati Reds have bounced the St. Louis Cardinals from first-place in the NL Central Division. The resurgent Reds have won eight of their last 12 games . . . The Associated Press story recapping last night's Reds win over the Pirates contained the following note. "An estimated 650 dogs were with their owners in the stands by the right-field foul pole, part of an annual pet promotion. During the nightly 'KissCam' segment, the videoboard showed a couple with their dog. The woman kissed the dog but not the man" . . . Talk about a waste of space . . .

The NY Times reports that " developer Steven Roth is quietly trying to revive a plan to move Madison Square Garden one block west of its current home atop Pennsylvania Station just as the arena is beginning a major $850 million renovation" . . .

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Need a PR Specialist? Perhaps my 13 years of PR experience can satisfy those needs. I have publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile.

Sports Bytes - May 26, 2010

"The Fat Toad" has apparently been overindulging in the saki. Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was arrested for alleged drunk driving in Los Angeles. I guess I would have started drinking too if I was as big a pitching disappointment as he was . . .

Hall of Fame QB Roger Staubach must have been sharing Irabu's saki when he told the Dallas Morning News that the 2011 Cowboys may be the first NFL team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. "This is a really, really good football team and they have the capability. There are probably five or six teams in the NFL that can win it all. This is one of them. They can do it" . . . Sorry, Roger. It ain't happening. The only thing this Cowboy team has proven is that they can beat a Donovan McNabb-led Eagles team--a team which doesn't exist anymore. The Boys may win the weakened NFC East, but they'll make a quick postseason exit . . .

The Meadowlands will host the 2014 Super Bowl. Let's see how happy corporate sponsors are when they are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Route 3 while trying to enter New York City through the Lincoln Tunnel . . . Maybe they'll even be some February snow to add to the traffic nightmare . . .

Among those least excited about the Super Bowl landing at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ is East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella, who knows that his town will be an afterthought in all of the festivities. "The NFL would prefer to make this all about New York City. I'm sure the mayor of New York will be there. I'm sure he'll have no problem going to the game. But I suspect I will be sitting in my recliner watching at home." Cassella should cheer up. At least he'll be warmer watching the game than will NY Mayor Mike Bloomberg . . .

NFL .com fans support holding the Super Bowl in cold weather stadiums. 55,454 people responded to the question, "What do you think of Super Bowl XLVIII being held in New York/New Jersey?" Of that number 72% said, "Like it; can't wait to see a Super Bowl played in the elements" . . .

According to Chicagobreakingsports.com Terrell Owens "tweeted" that he recently spoke with Bears teammates QB Jay Cutler and TE Greg Olsen at the Chicago nightclub Underground. Just what a head coach like Lovie Smith, whose job is already in jeopardy, needs--a proven locker room poison with diminishing on-field skills. Bears ownership might as well fire Smith now and save him the aggravation . . .

Since when did Lester and Buchholz become Koufax and Drysdale? Led by their #2 and #4 starters, the Red Sox have held the AL East leading Rays to only one run in 18 innings. To put that accomplishment in perspective, consider Tampa Bay's major league leading run differential of +95. The closest team to the Rays in this category is the Yankees (+65), who stand a very distant 30 runs behind . . . Amazing . . .

Think the Angels are kicking themselves for letting Vladimir Guerrero get away? He is second in the A.L. in batting (.347), fourth in homers (12), and first in RBIs (42) . . .

A Milwaukee Brewer leads the National League in RBIs, but it's not Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun. It's 3B Casey McGehee who has driven-in 40 runs . . .

I love this. The Kansas City Royals are 10 games under .500 and they are ninth in the American League in runs scored, but their 1B Billy Butler is third in the American League in hitting (.344). Keep it up, Billy . . .

Want to know how irrelevant tennis is? People care more about whether Venus Williams' outfits flash her privates than they do about whether she wins or loses . . .

I was watching old fight films on You Tube of Larry Holmes, Ray Leonard, and Muhammad Ali, and I realized something: I miss those Pony sneakers from the 70s and 80s . . . Just thought I'd mention that . . .

Looks like there may be a competitive NBA Western Conference Finals just yet . . .

Let's have a moment of silence for those ESPN sports fans who are mourning Erin Andrews elimination from "Dancing with the Stars" . . .

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Need a PR Specialist? Perhaps my 13 years of PR experience can satisfy those needs. I have publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile.

Sports Bytes - May 24, 2010

Yesterday was a tough day for pitching aces: C.C. Sabathia was rocked for six runs in five innings by the Mets; Roy Halladay was lit-up for six earned runs in 5.2 innings; and Zack Greinke was pounded for seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings . . .

How bad are the Yankees right now. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games, and they just lost two of three to their cross-town rivals--the last place NY Mets . . . In the three game series the Yankees generated a grand total of nine runs . . . Prior to last night's game Mark Texeira was batting .204--the second lowest average in the American League among players with at least 150 at-bats . . .

Somebody please put Randy Wynn and Chan-Ho Park on a raft and ship them off to the "Lost" island . . . Speaking of "Lost" I gave the final episode a "C" rating. I had no problem with the survivors discovering they were dead, but I was disappointed that the creators did nothing to explain "the island". Ultimately, I know no more about the island today than I did before the finale . . .

Alex Rodriguez needs to start dating Kate Hudson again . . .

What a tragedy. Former All-Star P Jose Lima died of a massive heart attack at the age of 37 . . .

Tim Wakefield is only 20 innings away from reaching the 3,000 innings-pitched milestone. Yesterday the knuckleballer threw eight shutout innings against the NL East-leading Phillies. Somehow it was only his first win since July 2009 . . . I've said it before and I will continue to say it: if I were starting a team Kevin Youklis would be among the first players I'd grab. Yesterday he went two for four with a triple and a homer . . .

The Rays are the best team in baseball and the Red Sox are arguably MLB's hottest team. Their three-game series beginning tonight should be as exciting as a 15-round heavyweight championship fight . . .

The San Francisco Giants have lost five in a row and are 14th in the NL in runs scored (175) . . .

The Mariners continue to slide. They are now 3-7 in their last 10 games and sit 12 games below .500. They have scored the fewest runs of any team in the American League (153). Free agent signing Chone Figgins epitomizes how poorly the M's offense has played: his batting average (.195) is only 15 points higher than his weight (180 lbs) . . .

The Blackhawks vs. the Flyers would make for an exciting Stanley Cup . . .

The Tampa Tribune has ripped the growing possibility that the Meadowlands will host the 2014 Super Bowl. The Florida newspaper argues that a NY-area Super Bowl is "the worst idea since Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty [filmed] 'Ishtar." ' The editorial also pleads that "[u]nless reason prevails . . . NFL owners [are] about to be led down a slushy path by a commissioner determined to reward New York for building a new home for the Giants and Jets." Truthfully, even though I am a New Yorker, I can't say I disagree with them . . .

Bears LB Brian Urlacher should find a better way to defend his club than by calling out Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers. In response to some critical but reasonable comments Sayers made about the state of the Bears today--including questioning whether Urlacher can recover from his wrist injury--Urlacher slammed Sayers and implied that the Hall of Famer was overrated. " Let me ask you a question: 'How many championships did Gale Sayers win? How many playoff games did he win when he played? None. None. None . . . Does [Sayers] know how to win football games? Does he? No. How are you going to criticize someone else when you haven't done it yourself?" Urlacher's suggestion that Sayers is overrated is ironic considering that in a 2006 Sports Illustrated poll of 361 NFL players, Urlacher was voted the second-most overrated player in the NFL behind only Terrell Owens . . .


Am I the only sports fan who could care less that Tony Romo may play in the U.S. Open?

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Need a PR Specialist? Perhaps my 13 years of PR experience can satisfy those needs. I have publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile.

Sports Bytes - May 20, 2010

Kudos to Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley. Bradley has overstayed his welcome in every city he has played in, but Seattle may be different. Recognizing that he has emotional issues that need addressing, Bradley spent two weeks undergoing professional counseling. And judging by his honest, mature comments to the media, the help appears to be working. "I don't have all the answers. I'm not saying I'm cured. I'm committed to this process. It's the best thing for me." Good for you, Milton . . .

That was quick. After making it clear that he has no intention of apologizing to his Marlins teammates, Hanley Ramirez did a 180-degree turn and offered a mea culpa to each member of the club. Marlins third baseman Wes Helms reports, "He told us he was sorry and he was wrong ... and he wouldn't let it happen again." Ramirez deserves a lot of credit for the manner in which he apologized. Instead of just making a general apology through the media, Ramirez visited each player at his locker to say he was sorry. That takes courage and character . . .

Dwight Howard's takedown of Paul Pierce in Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals was reminiscent of the NY Giants secondary committing pass interference . . .

The NY Yankees can forget defending their crown in October if their pitching staff doesn't improve. In the last four games the Yanks have surrendered a total of 32 runs. Last night's pitching debacle featured A.J. Burnett, who gave up six runs in his first four innings of work against baseball's best team -- the Tampa Bay Rays . . .

Nothing better symbolizes the state of the Mets than this. Last night Angel Pagan became the first player in over 50 years to hit an inside-the-park-homer and participate in turning a triple play in the same game. Yet, the Mets still lost the game to the Washington Nationals 5-3 . . .

I guess the Red Sox were not faking a Josh Beckett injury when they pulled him from Monday's Yankees game. Boston placed their ace on the DL citing lower back problems . . .

If NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to use other professional athletes to woo LeBron James to sign with the Knicks, he'd better cross Osi Umenyiora off that list. On his personal blog Osi suggested that LeBron stay in Cleveland, and he warned about the pressures of playing in the Empire State. "I will say this, if he does come to New York, don't have a bad game. Not one because Knicks fans will come down on him. There is no better place to be when you're winning than New York. And there's no better place to be than New York, it's a great city with great energy. But it does go both ways. When you lose, it's tough" . . .

Former world champion Miguel Cotto visited Yankees Stadium yesterday to promote his June 5 battle against Yuri Foreman. Manager Joe Girardi should have added Cotto to the roster as a reliever. He can't pitch any worse than Chamberlain and Park have recently . . .

Minnesota Twins teammates Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer now have the two highest batting averages in the American League . . .

It's too bad that LA Dodger Andre Ethier has to visit the DL. As of last night he led the National League with a batting average of .392--a full 50 percentage points higher than Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun, who is in second place at .342 . . .

Interesting response to an ESPN.com poll about Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo. 58% of the 28,891 respondents believe that Romo is more likely to qualify for the U.S. Open than win a Super Bowl . . .

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Need a PR Specialist? Perhaps my 13 years of PR experience can satisfy those needs. I have publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile.

Sports Bytes - May 19, 2010

NY Jets DB Darrelle Revis must be experimenting with some of the "therapeutic" plant life on Revis Island. Revis is reportedly demanding a pay raise from the Jets, one that would pay him $20 million per year. Revis is probably the best corner in the NFL, but for that kind of money I would expect him to cover both corner positions and free safety--at the same time . . .

I recognize that I'm going out on a limb, but sometimes you have to take the heat. May 29th's Vitali Klitschko-Albert Sosnowski bout will not sell more PPV buys than did Mayweather-Mosley. There, I said it . . . Incidentally, the Klitschko-Sosnowski promo video doesn't even include Sosnowski highlights. Nothing like trying to sell a fight as legitimate while ignoring the opponent . . .

Florida Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez is quickly becoming the poster boy for why so many sports fans dislike the modern professional athlete. On Tuesday, after misplaying a ball and kicking it, Ramirez appeared to only lackadaisically trot after it. Ramirez insists he was running as fast as he could but was slowed by a left leg injury that occurred an inning before when he fouled a pitch off his left shin. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez benched Ramirez for his lack of effort. Ramirez responded by snidely suggesting that his benching was okay because "he [Gonzalez] doesn't understand that. He never played in the big leagues ." Ramirez then threw his teammates under the bus by refusing to apologize and adding, "We got a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They don't apologize." Ramirez might have received the benefit of the doubt about his leg injury had he not earned a reputation as a non-hustler. Marlins 3B Wes Helms was among those critical about Ramirez's laissez-faire attitude: "I can't overlook it. I know people say that's just the way he is, but you know what? That's not the way it is. That's not the way the game's supposed to be played" . . .

If ESPN.com's poll about the issue is any indication, sports fan agree heartily with Gonzalez and Helms' assessment. 25,840 fans responded to the question, "What do you think of Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez benching Hanley Ramirez during a game for not hustling after a ball?" 88% agreed that it was a "Necessary move to send a message", while only 12% believe Gonzalez was "Picking an unnecessary fight with his star" . . .

Incidentally, what's with players named Ramirez and "dogging-it"?

Move over, Hanley Ramirez. According to Profootballtalk.com Washington Redskins DE Albert Haynesworth is skipping the team's voluntary mini-camp because he is upset that he is "being asked to occupy blockers" instead of being allowed to attack the QB as he was promised when he signed with the organization. Unemployment in the U.S. is at 9.9% and many Americans have seen their personal incomes drop over the past year. How many sports fans do you think sympathize with Haynesworth, whose contract is worth $100 million? . . .

Last night was a good night to be a Yankee-hater. Take your pick as to who was the goat most responsible for NY's pitiful choke at the hands of the Red Sox:

• Joba Chamberlain: There is no safe lead when Joba Chamberlain enters a game. Last night Chamberlain imploded for the umpteenth time, entering the game with the Yankees ahead 5-1. After a throwing error by Alex Rodriguez , Chamberlain fell apart. Pedroia singled, Drew doubled to left field, and Youklis singled to right field. Just like that it was 5-4. After a groundout from Victor Martinez, Ortiz singled off the right-centerfield wall to score Youklis. Tie game . . . And a waste of a strong performance by C.C. Sabathia, who pitched seven complete innings and only surrendered one run . . .
• Alex Rodriguez or Marcus Thames: The heroes of Monday night's win committed costly errors in the final two innings. Rodriguez's throwing error in the eighth started Chamberlain's swoon, while Thames dropped fly ball in the ninth extended the inning . . .
• Mariano Rivera: Sure the box score says that Rivera surrendered two unearned runs, but the truth is that if Rivera doesn't give up a double to .227 hitting Jeremy Hermida the Yankees enter the bottom of the ninth tied 5-5 instead of down 7-5 . . .
• Randy Wynn: If Wynn was playing any shallower on Hermida's double he would have been considered a fifth infielder. No excuse for this poor judgment . . . Plus, in the ninth inning with the Yanks down 7-6, Wynn struck out with the tying and winning runs in scoring position . . .

Tough night for NY Mets 3B David Wright. Three strikeouts and a ninth-inning throwing error resulting in the Braves scoring the winning run (3-2) . . .

Sometimes I question whether headline writers actually read the articles before they draft their sound bytes. For ex., here is the Associated Press headline for yesterday's Toronto Blue Jays victory over the Minnesota Twins : "Marcum outduels Pavano as Blue Jays spank Twins". Reading that I expected to learn that the game was a nail-biter that ended with a score of 2-1 or 3-2. What was the final score? 11-2 . . .

The three MLB teams with the worst record in their last 10 games are the Mets, Brewers, and Diamondbacks. All are 2-8 . . .

Contrarily, the teams with the best record in their last 10 games are the Dodgers and the Reds. Both are 9-1 . . .

The Rays are 15-4 on the road . . .

Six periods, zero goals. The Canadiens upset both the #1 seed Washington Capitals and last year's Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, but they have proved incapable of scoring on Flyer's goaltender Michael Leighton. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Leighton is only "the third goalie to post back-to-back shutouts in the first two games of a conference finals series since 1944" . . .

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Need a PR Specialist? Perhaps my 13 years of PR experience can satisfy those needs. I have publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile.

Sports Bytes - May 18, 2010

Not many things in baseball are more enjoyable than watching Jonathan Papelbon blow a game. Last night the Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth inning down 9-7. After Brett Gardner doubled and Mark Texeira flew out, Alex Rodriguez launched a Papelbon fastball into the bullpen to tie the game 9-9. Papelbon responded by plunking Francisco Cervelli, and then watched helplessly as Marcus Thames sent his first pitch screaming into the left field seats to give NY the 11-9 win . . .

Despite the incredible victory Yankees manager Joe Girardi should not forget his staff's pathetic pitching performance. Phil Hughes , who entered the game with a 1.38 ERA, blew a 5-0 lead and was chased after only five innings. Reliever Boone Logan--maybe they should call him Bane Logan--then donated a run before handing the ball over to Chan Ho-Park. Not surprisingly, Park was unable to keep his pitches inside the park, surrendering back-to-back homers to Kevin Youklis and Victor Martinez to give Boston the 9-7 lead . . . I still think Park should be sent to the 38th parallel. Maybe he can take Javier Vazquez with him . . .

Former World Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman returns to the ring on June 19 to fight some journeyman named Shannon Miller . . . At this stage of his career it makes more sense for Rahman to fight Shannon Miller the Olympic gymnast . . .

Kudos to Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson for criticizing professional sports groups that have slammed the Arizona immigration law. "I don't think teams should get involved in the political stuff." He added, "Where we stand as basketball teams, we should let that kind of play out and let the political end of that go where it's going to go." I couldn't agree more, especially considering that many of those screaming loudest against the law haven't even read it. Where do I stand on the law? Nowhere, because I haven't read it. My advice to the NBA and other sports organizations: Shut up and play! . . .

Quarterback Donovan McNabb doesn't owe anyone in Philadelphia an apology for the Eagles not having won a Super Bowl. No, McNabb did not play big in big games--but neither did the rest of the Eagles team. If there is any apology offered to Eagles fans it should come from the entire organization . . . Here's a suggestion for Andy Reid: forget that silly West Coast offense and develop a running game. When was the last time a defense feared the Philly rushing attack? . . .

Nice job by the Mets grabbing a much needed win last night against the Atlanta Braves. Following the ugly four game sweep at the hands of the Marlins, there wasn't a newspaper within 50 miles of Times Square that wasn't hysterically demanding Jerry Manuel's head. The 3-2 victory yesterday lifted the Mets out of the cellar . . . Mets fans need to accept that a summer of agita awaits them. Their ball club is streaky and is just as likely to lose five straight as it is to win five straight. It's going to be some roller coaster ride in Flushing this summer . . .

I'm sure you will not be shocked to learn that the Rays won again . . .

What a surprise! Yankees DH Nick Johnson is hurt. The only thing Johnson does more often than get hurt is take call-third strikes . . .

Here's an anomaly. The lowest ERA in the American League is held by a Texas Ranger: CJ Wilson (1.48). How unusual is Wilson's accomplishment? "Wilson's ERA is the third lowest for a Rangers pitcher after 30 games and a minimum of 40 innings. Rick Honeycutt had a 1.38 ERA after 30 games in 1983 and Kenny Rogers had a 1.42 ERA in 1995."

Pretty amazing. The San Diego Padres are eight games above .500 and sit atop the National League West; yet, they are 24th in runs scored. None of the teams who have scored fewer runs than the Padres are playing .500 ball . . .

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Need a PR Specialist? Perhaps my 13 years of PR experience can satisfy those needs. I have publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile.