Sports Bytes - June 30, 2010

The "Joba Rules" were garbage and so are the "Hughes Rules." Just let pitchers throw and stop obsessing about pitch counts and innings pitched. Excessive rest is a detriment, not a benefit. Case in point: Last night Phil Hughes pitched for the first time in 10 days. Yankees manager Joe Girardi skipped Hughes last turn in the rotation for no other reason than to rest his young hurler's arm. Hughes responded by getting bombed for 10 hits and six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. Nice job, Joe. Take a guy who was among the AL leaders in wins, unnecessarily break his rhythm by skipping his rotation spot, and then watch as he is hammered in his next start. It's the latest example of Girardi over-managing . . .

Prior to last night's loss to the Mariners, the Yanks were 10-5 but were only batting .249 as a team during that stretch. They are not hitting. Period. Last night was no different. Through eight innings they had scored only two runs--both of which were the result of solo homers by Nick Swisher . . .

Cliff Lee was masterful again last night against NY. Lee pitched his third consecutive complete game victory, and his walk of Jorge Posada in the second inning was the first he issued since June 2. Amazing. In comparison Joba Chamberlain can't seem to pitch an inning without walking someone . . .

Ugly loss for the Mets last night. Or maybe I should say an Uggla loss. After scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game against the Florida Marlins, the Mets surrendered a game-winning single to Dan Uggla in the bottom of the inning. It was NY's second consecutive loss to the fourth-place Marlins. The once white-hot Mets are now 4-6 in their last 10 games . . .

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to struggle. Yesterday Boston smacked around James Shields for five runs in five innings on their way to winning their third game in a row and their seventh in the last 10 games. DH David Ortiz launched his 17th homer of the season, and 3B Adrian Beltre continued his torrid hitting, going 4-for-4 and scoring two runs . . . If Boston is this good with a dugout resembling a MASH unit, imagine what they'll be capable of when they are healthy . . .

Mike Scioscia's Angles cooled-off the Texas Rangers yesterday, but it wasn't easy. Vladimir Guerrero reminded his former club of what they were missing by going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Angels RF Bobby Abreu flexed some muscle himself, clubbing a three-run double in the sixth inning. LA won 6-5 . . .

"The Zeroes: My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane" by Randall Lane looks to be an interesting read. Among the topics covered is Lenny Dykstra's steroid use . . .

There must be something about kicking a ball that makes athletes melodramatic. NFL punters perform wonderful acrobatics when a defenseman even approaches them as they kick the ball away. They spin in the air. They flop to the turf. It's pretty comical. But not as comical as the antics of soccer players, who are the kings of emoting. Once hit they fall to the ground as if they've been shot by a sniper, and then roll around on the grass with their hands covering their face as if they're in agony. Moments later they're on their feet running downfield. Truly Academy Award-winning performances . . .

I guess the Pittsburgh Steelers believe the last few months have not been stressful enough. Why else would they consider signing Flozell Adams to replace the injured Willie Colon? Adams is one of the dirtiest and most penalized players in the NFL. Perhaps Steelers' management believes Adams will become best buds with the player Sports Illustrated says was voted by his peers as "The Dirtiest" player in the NFL--WR Hines Ward . . .

Congratulations to Tomas Adamek who received the "Ali Award" at the "Ed Kelly Sports Foundation Giants Award" dinner in Chicago . . .


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Sports Bytes - June 29, 2010

Congratulations to Jaime Moyer who surrendered the 506th homer of his career, breaking the all-time record set by Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. Why congratulations? You have to pitch very well for many years to hang around MLB long enough to set that type of record. All Hail, Methuselah! . . .

I've run harder trying to catch a New York City subway than B.J. Upton ran after those two gappers Sunday afternoon . . .

The Brain Injury Research Institute, a research center affiliated with West Virginia University, discovered that the late Cincinnati Bengals WR Chris Henry suffered from "chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- a form of degenerative brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head -- at the time of his death." Henry was killed when he fell or jumped off the back of a moving pickup truck his fiancée was driving. Researchers at the institute have now "discovered CTE in the brains of more than 50 deceased former athletes," and they say repeated blows to the head is the only known cause of the condition. Considering all of the people playing football in this country, plus those who box and participate in MMA, the potential for future incidences of CTE is frightening . . .

I wonder how much of a hit ESPN's World Cup viewership will take now that the U.S. has been eliminated . . .

I am enjoying the rise of Stephen Strasburg as much as anyone, but even I don't believe he deserves a slot on the NL All-Star team. To put a pitcher on the All-Star team who has only started five games is an insult to the other starters who have competed since opening day . . .

Tough loss for the Steelers as starting OT Willie Colon tore his Achilles and will miss the entire 2010 season . . .

I hope former teen tennis star Jennifer Capriati's drug overdose was truly accidental; although, I must admit I am skeptical considering the number of current and former celebs who have purposely taken the OD route to escape their troubles . . .

Rex Ryan must be serving his Kool-Aid again. In an interview with ESPN, recently acquired RB LaDainian Tomlinson promised that the Jets will be Super Bowl Champions within the next two years. "Absolutely. No question. Absolutely" . . .

Can't blame the Marlins for deciding against hiring Bobby Valentine as their manager. Valentine is a respected baseball mind, but he seems to attract controversy wherever he goes . . .

So much for the Giants quickly finding a kick returner to replace Domenik Hixon. Last week the Giants claimed Chris Davis off waivers from the Bengals. Yesterday, they waived him after he failed the team's physical. The whole process reminded of a scene from "The Honeymooners". Ralph returns home with a suitcase that was left on his bus and went unclaimed for 30 days. When asked by his wife Alice what is in it, he responds, "It couldn't be anything of value or someone would have claimed it." Alice's mother-in-law then interjects, "It couldn't be anything of value or you wouldn't have found it!" The Giants should remember that the next time they scan the wires for a player . . .

I am not a fan of Michael Vick. I do not think he is a good quarterback and I don't feel much sympathy for him. Nevertheless, if he was not involved in the shooting outside of the nightclub where he was celebrating his birthday, the NFL would be wrong to punish him in any manner--regardless of his past . . .

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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 - June 28, 2010

The U.S. Soccer Team deserves credit for getting as far as they did in the World Cup tournament, but anyone who watched Saturday's game has to admit that the U.S. was outplayed. Even a non-soccer fan like myself could see that the ball repeatedly found its way into the U.S. backfield, usually because of sloppy turnovers by U.S. players. In the first half it looked as if the U.S. was going to get blown out, so for them to have taken the game into overtime was impressive . . .

Last night the Yankees' offense waited until their final at-bat to start hitting. Down 6-2 to the Dodgers in the rubber game of the their three-game series, New York shocked Joe Torre and his club by scoring four runs in the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10th Robinson Cano hammered an opposite field two-run homer to put the Yankees ahead for good. Mariano Rivera shut down the Dodgers in the ninth and 10th innings to seal the victory . . . YES Network celebrated the Yanks-Dodgers series by broadcasting some of the Yankees postseason wins over the Dodgers, including Game Six of the 1977 and 1978 World Series, both of which were championship clinching games . . .

A.J. Burnett's ERA is the only thing climbing more swiftly than the sweltering temperatures here in NY . . .

Maybe Terry Francona walked under a ladder or opened an umbrella indoors. How else do you explain the injury bug plaguing the Red Sox? Just days after red-hot SS Dustin Pedroia was sent to the DL for fracturing a bone in his left foot, C Victor Martinez fractured a bone in his left thumb and P Clay Buchholz hyper-extended his left knee running the bases. Although an injured Martinez hurts the Sox, a laid-up Buchholz is even more damaging considering the state of the club's pitching staff. Buchholz is tied for second in the American League in wins with 10, but Boston's staff is ranked 21st in the majors with a 4.31 ERA . . . Boston haters should not celebrate too enthusiastically at the team's misfortune. Even without some of their marquee players Boston is a dangerous club. Yesterday, they banged around two-time CY Young Tim Linecum, sending him to the showers after only three innings. Linecum had won three straight . . .

Judging by their pathetic performance against the Mets this past weekend, the Twins appear eager to relinquish their AL Central division lead. The Twins have lost five of their last six games and now occupy a slim ½ game lead over the Tigers, and a 1 ½ game lead over the White Sox. Yesterday Mets P Jonathan Niese pitched shutout ball for six innings while his teammates crushed three homers to lift NY to a 6-0 victory . . . Speaking of the Mets, yesterday's win coupled with the Braves loss to Detroit moved the Boys from Flushing to within a ½ game of first place . . .

Somehow, despite battling injuries and playing for the pathetic under-achieving Seattle Mariners, P Cliff Lee has managed to lead the American League with a 2.39 ERA . . .

One additional benefit of the U.S. Soccer Team's World Cup run is that it's been several days since I've heard the name LeBron James mentioned . . .

The "big" boxing match Saturday night was Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. vs. John Duddy. Ten years ago that would have served as the opening bout on a PPV telecast. Now it's considered a PPV headliner. It's a good example of how bereft of talent boxing is today once you get past Mayweather, Pacquiao, and the Klitschkos . . .

Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith rationalized his playing flag football as follows: "I mow my grass, too. I can get my finger chopped off fixing my lawnmower. I could roll my ankle playing tag or slip-n-slide with my kids." Smith could also break his neck driving his car off a bridge or tear his ACL running out of a burning building, but I don't think either of those possible scenarios excuse his playing flag football, and I don't think Panthers' management will either . . .

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Sports Bytes - June 25, 2010

The Yankees were off last night, so the YES Network aired Game Six of the 1977 World Series between the Yanks and Dodgers. Or as it is more generally known, "The Game Where Reggie Jackson Hit Three Homers." I remember going to bed that night in my glory because the Yanks had won the World Series. There's nothing bigger for a nine-year-old boy than to have your team win a championship. One image from that game is forever etched in my memory: Reggie Jackson standing in right field with two outs in the ninth inning, while in the background fans sit atop the right field wall with their legs dangling in view as they prepare to storm the field after the final out . . .

Unbelievable performance by Dustin Pedroia last night. The Red Sox 2B went 5 for 5 with three homers and five RBIs to lead Boston to a wild 13-11 victory in 10 innings. Closer Jonathan Papelbon blew a lead for the second straight game . . . At the start of the season most insiders expected the Red Sox to have an average lineup and a marquee rotation. However, today the Sox lead the majors in runs scored with 410, but are ranked 21st in ERA (4.34) . . .

Ozzie Guillen's crew is now just 2 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central after winning their ninth straight game. 1B Paul Konerko played the hero yesterday, banging a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie with the Braves. It was Konerko's 18th homer of the season . . . Both teams starters (Gavin Floyd and Derek Lowe) pitched seven scoreless innings. Braves reliever Takashi Saito surrendered the homer to Konerko . . . Although the White Sox are on fire right now, it will not continue unless they get their staff ERA under control. As of today they are ranked 20th in the majors with an ERA of 4.30 . . .

The Atlanta Braves may be a respectable 6-4 in their last 10 games, but they have now lost three in a row . . .

Both the Rays and the Tigers managed to save face by avoiding being swept. The Rays recovered from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Padres 5-3, while the Tigers tagged Hisanori Takahashi to squeak by the Mets 6-5 . . .

Let's all rise in honor of the Baltimore Orioles, who won their 20th game of the season last night by defeating the Florida Marlins 11-5 . . .

The Yankees are the only team in baseball with a better than +100 run differential (+102) . . . On the other hand there are three teams with run differentials lower than -100 (Orioles, Astros, and Pirates) . . .

Is there anyone who doesn't believe that Brett Favre will announce his return to the NFL after training camp ends?

Talk about procrastinating. The Portland Trail Blazers fired General Manager Kevin Pritchard less than an hour before the start of the NBA draft . . .

In what Bizarro universe does the United States advance in the World Cup while Italy and France are eliminated? . . .

Philly.com online sports editor Sheil Kapadia may want to take a deep breath. In a column yesterday about Eagles TE Brent Celek, Kapadia made the startling claim that although Celek has had only one big season and still needs to improve, "it's not a stretch to suggest that Celek could finish his career as the best tight end in modern (Super Bowl era) Eagles history." Uh, Sheil, can the guy play for a few more seasons before we start talking about all-time greats? . . .

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Sports Bytes - June 24, 2010

The only thing longer than that record-setting tennis match at Wimbledon is a Yankees-Red Sox game . . .

Speaking of the Yanks, they were lucky to escape Arizona with a win yesterday. The Bombers blew opportunity after opportunity and appeared destined to lose. For. ex, Diamondbacks P Dontrelle Willis walked seven batters in just 2.1 innings; yet the Yanks only managed to score two runs off those seven walks. They also ran themselves out of several potential rallies through base running blunders. It wasn't until Curtis Granderson blasted a 10th inning solo shot that the Yanks were able to secure the win . . .

The Yankees win prevented a rare occurrence: a loss by every AL East club. The Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Orioles all lost yesterday . . .

Time for Red Sox Nation to hit the panic button? Not only did Jonathan Papelbon serve up two homers in the ninth inning to blow a comeback win for Boston, but according to the Boston Globe Terry Francona and his staff may be burning out fire-baller Daniel Bard. The newspaper warns that " Bard is tied for the American League lead in appearances and is on pace to pitch in 80 games" . . .

The Washington Nationals are 21st in the majors in runs scored. Considering how poorly they've hit lately, it's amazing they're not ranked last. Yesterday, phenom Stephen Strasburg struck out nine batters and surrendered only one run--and lost 1-0. Somehow the Nationals were unable to score a single run off Royals P Brian Bannister, who enter the game with a 6-5 record and an ERA over 5.00. Pathetic . . . For the third time in his four starts as a pro, Strasburg failed to allow a walk . . .

The Dodgers are floundering. It's hard to believe that this is the same team that won nine straight earlier in the season. Joe Torre's club has lost six in a row and eight of its last 10 . . .

You have to believe Jim Leyland can't leave Citi Field soon enough. In the past two days his Tigers have been pummeled by the Mets by the combined score of 19-6. Yesterday, they were shut out 5-0 by R.A. Dickey, who threw eight shutout innings . . .

This is not a misprint. The Seattle Mariners have won six in a row and seven of their last 10. For the first time this season the M's are playing up to their potential . . .

It's a sad day for Giants fans as LT, perhaps the greatest Giant of them all, faces a possible four year prison term after being indicted for raping a 16-year-old prostitute . . .

Washington Redskins Albert Haynesworth wisely decided not to put his $21 million bonus in jeopardy by skipping the team's training camp. In a statement he released to the media, Haynesworth assured all that he plans to attend camp "despite my current differences with the Redskins." Something tells me this isn't over. I anticipate Haynesworth remaining intransigent, but participating just enough to keep his eight-figure bonus intact. Stay tuned . . .

NFL.com fans have some interesting views on the Haynesworth mess. 30,830 people responded to the question, "How many games will Albert Haynesworth play with the Redskins next season?" Of that number 36% believe that he will not play a single game for the Skins . . . Good move by the Baltimore Ravens signing veteran Marc Bulger as a backup to Joe Flacco. Bulger's experience will help Flacco, and should Flacco be injured Bulger should prove serviceable in the interim . . .

Good move by the Baltimore Ravens signing veteran Marc Bulger as a backup to Joe Flacco. Bulger's experience will help Flacco, and should Flacco be injured Bulger should prove serviceable in the interim . . .

Although defeating Algeria was a great win for the U.S. soccer team, it's difficult for me to get excited about a sport where I have to wait 90 minutes before a team scores a point . . .

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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.