Sports Bytes - August 31, 2010

Excellent article by Philadelphia Daily News Columnist Bill Conlin, revealing how several baseball insiders predicted arm trouble for Stephen Strasburg because of his mechanical flaws, specifically "hyper-abduction, where the pitcher's throwing elbow continues to move above the line of his shoulders." It's a good read . . .

NFL owners are planning to inaugurate 2012 as the first year of the 18-game regular season. That's bad news, folks. You think there are a lot of injuries now in the NFL? Wait until you see the injured reserve lists following Game #18. Players are already battered and exhausted during the final weeks of the 16-game season. Adding two more regular-season games--and expecting playoff teams to play three more on top of that 18 in order to win the Super Bowl--is insanity. (Three more games, that is, unless they are a wildcard team. Then they'll have to win four games on top of the 18 to win the Lombardi Trophy) According to the NFLPA the average NFL player has a career span of only 3.5 years. 18-game seasons will shorten that lifespan even further, which in turn will result in fewer earnings for the players. The NFLPA should fight the owners to the death over this one . . .

One more time for those who are still confused. Boxing and MMA are completely different sports. A boxer is not going to dominate MMA any more than a MLB player is going to dominate cricket or an NFL player is going to dominate rugby . . .

Now I've heard it all. The Associated Press reports that "Head and Shoulders" has insured Steelers safety Troy Polamalu's mane for $1 million. Count me among those who enjoyed watching Larry Johnson drag down Polamalu by his hair during an interception return in 2006 . . .

Trouble in the desert as Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart is furious with coach Ken Whisenhunt for not declaring him the team's starting quarterback. In an interview with the Arizona Republic, Leinart even appeared to insinuate that Whisenhunt's lack of support is personal in nature. "I feel like I’ve outplayed the competition, training camp, preseason. I think my plays speaks about that. For me, this goes beyond the football field." Stay tuned . . .

So now Manny Ramirez is going to be the savior who will bring the White Sox the AL Central crown? . . .

If Andy Pettitte returns and does not pitch as well as he did prior to the All-Star Break, the Yankees will make a quick exit from the postseason. Burnett and Vazquez have been disappointing, and Phil Hughes has been hit hard (4.12 ERA) despite his 15 wins. Ivan Nova looks good, but he's only pitched 14 innings in the big leagues. If the Yanks are relying on him they're in trouble . . .

Yankees DH Marcus Thames has six HRs in his last six games . . .

I don't care how many games the Red Sox trail the Yankees and Rays. Don't count them. That team has returned from the dead more times than Jason in "Friday the 13th" . . .

Speaking of the Rays, they continue to roll. Last night they defeated the Blue Jays 6-2 to win their third straight game and their seventh in the last ten . . .

The Mets aren't out of the playoff race yet, but a few more losses like the one last night and it will be time to sing Don Meredith's favorite tune, "Turn out the lights." The Braves pounded NY's pitchers yesterday for 14 hits and nine runs . . .

The streaky Cardinals have picked the wrong time to go cold. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have lost three in a row. Yesterday the Astros shut out the Cards 3-0 and held them to only two hits. Monday's loss combined with the Reds win leaves the Cards six games behind the Reds in the NL Central race . . .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 - August 30, 2010

If Tom Coughlin's future as head coach of the NY Giants rests on the team's performance this season then I say, "Enjoy retirement, Tom" because the 2010 Giants are at-best a .500 club. After three pre-season games it is clear that NY still cannot defend against the pass, nor can they pass protect or run block with any consistency. On Saturday the Giants secondary was torched by Ravens QB Joe Flacco for 220 yards and two TDs--in just the first half. So poor was the pass coverage that gaping holes could be seen in the middle of the field, holes wide enough for a Cessna to land on. The Giants offense was just as disappointing, generating only three points. Manning was intercepted once and barely escaped turning the ball over several other times. He was also sacked once and faced a strong pass rush throughout the evening. The Giants running game was equally weak. Although Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 76 yards on 19 carries, 29 of those yards came on one Jacobs' run . . .

As Jason Campbell was being carted off the field on Saturday night, do you think he was already cursing The Fates for sending him to the Raiders? . . .

Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo had a rough night on Saturday, fumbling once and getting sacked twice. There are rumors that his back is bothering him a lot more than he's acknowledging . . .

If wide receiver Antonio Bryant decides he longer wants to play football, he should consider a career as a financial adviser. Last season Bryant underwent surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee. In the offseason he signed a four year contract with the Bengals for a reported $28 million. However, complications from his surgery left him unproductive in training camp and prevented him from playing in any of the Bengals four preseason games. Yesterday, the Bengals cut him. But don't feel too sorry Bryant because when he signed his four year deal with the Bengals he insisted that eight million of those dollars be guaranteed. In other words, Bryant can collect $8 million for doing nothing but sitting on his couch. Hey, Antonio, can you get me a deal like that? . . .

Now that Donte Stallworth is out for at least two months with a broken foot, Ravens management looks even more brilliant for signing Anquan Boldin in the offseason . . .

James Toney was "choked out" by Randy Couture in his MMA debut. Judging by Toney's weight I'm guessing he "choked down" more than a few Big Macs during training camp . . .

Someone should remind A.J. Burnett that his ERA is not supposed be as high as his shoe size. His July ERA was 11.35 and his August ERA is 7.80 . . .

Maybe NY Mets P Johan Santana should enter the game in the second inning. His ERA in the first inning this season is 8.04; in the other eight innings it is 2.17 . . .

If former Mets pitcher Ambiorix Burgos ever invites you to dinner, I suggest you politely decline. According to the NY Daily News (by way of the Associated Press) Santo Domingo police allege that Burgos kidnapped his ex-wife and forced her to eat rat poison . . . C'mon give the guy a break. Maybe he reached for the salt and accidentally grabbed the poison instead. It's an honest mistake . . .

Congratulations, Frank Thomas. The classy 1B/DH watched yesterday as his number was retired by the Chicago White Sox. Thomas won the AL MVP twice, and hit 30 HRs and 100 RBIs ten times in his 19-year career. He retired with 521 HRs . . .

Did somebody tell the Padres that the MLB season ends on Aug 31? San Diego leads the NL West by five games, but has lost four in a row and six of their last 10. Five games is not insurmountable, gentlemen . . .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 - August 26, 2010

I'm supposed to take the Cincinnati Reds seriously as a World Series contender after they surrender 38 runs in three games against the Giants and blow a nine-run lead in yesterday's game? This is the same Giants team that is ranked 15th in the majors in runs scored (562) . . .

The Atlanta Braves are no better. Yesterday, they blew a 10-1 lead over the Rockies and lost 12-10. The victory gave the Rockies the series sweep . . .

I guess Philadelphia has its heart set on winning the wildcard spot. Over the past two weeks Atlanta has virtually hand-delivered the NL East lead to Charlie Manuel's crew; yet, the Phils have not gained a single game on their divisional rival. Atlanta is 5-5 in their last 10 games and they have lost three in a row. Philadelphia has also lost three in a row and is 5-5 in their last 10 games . . .

Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes gave a forgettable performance last night, serving up five runs and six hits in just 3.2 innings. Although he has 15 wins Hughes' ERA is an unimpressive 4.12 . . .

Tampa Bay was unable to capitalize on the Yankees loss, as they were stung by the Angels 12-3. Mike Napoli hit a grand slam and Hideki Matsui doubled in three runs to lead Los Angeles. The AL East lead remains tied between NY and Tampa . . .

Josh Beckett's strong performance yesterday helped the Red Sox win the first game of a doubleheader against the Mariners. Beckett pitched 6.1 innings and only gave up 3 runs as Boston beat Seattle 5-3 . . . In the nightcap, Felix Hernandez shut down Boston's offense to lead Seattle to a 4-2 victory. Hernandez scattered 2 runs and 4 hits over 7.1 innings. Amazingly, his record is a dismal 10-10, despite owning a 2.47 ERA . . . Boston remains 5.5 games behind in the AL East divisional race . . .

Tony LaRussa's club continues to confound. Is this the same team that recently swept the Reds in Cincinnati? Yesterday, the Cardinals lost yet again to the Pirates, making them 3-7 in their last 10 games. They have now lost their fourth-straight series to an under-.500 ballclub, and have fallen 3.5 games behind the division leading Reds . . .

The Mets giveth and the Mets taketh back. On Tuesday night NY eked out a one-run victory over the Marlins 6-5. Yesterday, they lost a one-run game to those same Marlins. Making the loss even more heartbreaking for Mets fans is that NY had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with Jose Reyes at the plate. Reyes grounded out to end the game . . .

Former world champion boxer James Toney is alleged to have once pulled a gun on his then-manager Jackie Kallen and threatened to kill her. Unless Toney brings that gun into the ring on Saturday night there isn't much chance of him defeating Randy Couture in their MMA showdown . . .

What a surprise. NY Giants CB Aaron Ross is injured. Last year he missed half the season with a hamstring injury. Now he has a plantar fasciitis tear in his right foot . . .

Get ready for the Elin Nordegren PR Tour. Expect a crying session with Oprah any day now . . .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.