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Toute Acclament Fleury!
2008-06-03 19:42:00
Game 5 showed every single reason why nothing compares to a sudden death Stanley Cup Playoff game. A team on the brink of elimination was getting pummeled. They held on by a hair, gritted their teeth, and left two of everything they had on the ice. The crowd was living and dying with every play. Twenty thousand fans were 30 seconds away from their pinnacle moment as a sports fan—they were going to see their team win the cup on home ice. (And by the way, hockey is probably the best sport to witness a championship in person. In all other sports the teams celebrate on the field, but they’re in a hurry to get to the locker and really celebrate. When a team wins the Stanley Cup every single player skates around with it as the fans cheer for him. It’s such an authentic and meaningful interaction between player and fan.) As the 20,000 Red Wings faithful stood on their feet waiting for the cup, Max Talbot put the puck in the back of the net. (Speaking of Talbot, ...

Pops Screwed Up
2008-05-28 09:33:00
Gregg Popovich had a big decision to make. His Spurs trailed by two and the Lakers had the ball with 28 seconds left. Should he play defense and hope for a last second shot, or should he foul and attempt to trim the margin? Popovich decided to play defense. Wrong move. When you play defense, if the Lakers score the game is over. If they get an offensive rebound the game is over. If you lose the rebound out of bounds the game is over. If the Lakers draw a foul late in the possession the game is over. If there’s a long battle for the rebound your ensuing offensive possession is cut in half. And the Spurs didn’t even try to steal the ball. They just let the Lakers walk it up court. Under Popovich’s strategy the best case scenario was being left with 1-4 seconds in which to tie the game. Not so good. Fouling would have lengthened the game. The Lakers are a good foul shooting team, but only Kobe and Fisher are automatic. There’s a good chance a free ...
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You Know How I Know You’re Guilty…
2008-05-23 06:27:00
…because you’ve decided to disassociate yourself from your suspected co-conspirators. The truth is, O.J. Mayo is smart to cut ties with Bill Duffy. As long as Duffy remained his agent, the accusations and questions would continues to pour in. But now that Mayo has severed the relationship he can play the “it’s in the past card.” Whenever anybody tries to bring up the scandal he can talk about how he just wants to move on with his career. He’ll make sure to mention he did nothing wrong, and that his focus is now on being the best NBA player he can be. This new development should remove any doubt that Mayo and Duffy engaged in some sort of wrongdoing. If Mayo and Duffy were innocent they would have stood on stage together, proclaimed their innocence, and chastised the media for attacking an upstanding young gentleman. That would have been the savvy PR move…if they were innocent. Instead they did the opposite. They ended their relationsh...
More About: Guilty

What’s Wrong With the Pistons?
2008-05-22 19:52:00
I’ll say it. The Pistons had no excuse losing Game 1 against the Celtics. The way I see it, the Pistons don’t have an excuse for losing any game to the Celtics (well, maybe one or two). Here are the facts. The Pistons have the best point guard, shooting guard, and center in the series. Their power forward is their best player, and their small forward ain’t two shabby either. The Pistons also have the series’ best big man and scoring guard off the bench. When the Pistons have their starting five on the floor, nobody can be left open from inside 20 feet. Couple that with the fact that the Celtics must double team whoever Ray Allen is guarding, and it seems the Pistons should have an easy time scoring. The key word there is “should,” because in game 1 the Pistons made a mess of their offense. The Celtics are a very good defensive team, but I refuse to believe they’re so good they can run a double team at an athletic player who knows ...
More About: Wrong

Odel Thurman and the Moral High Ground
2008-05-21 01:54:00
Who’s right and who’s wrong? Yesterday the Bengals released Odell Thurman for missing some workouts earlier this month. Thurman says he simply didn’t return to practice as swiftly as the team liked after his grandmother passed away. Clearly there are other factors which played a roll in the decision. Did Thurman’s past drug suspensions put him on a short leash even for an offense like a bereavement absence? Did the team think the story about Thurman’s grandmother wasn’t the “whole story” (a la Zach Randolph)? On the other hand, it’s possible to team used Thurman’s absence a way to cut ties with a player who’s had a checkered past. The one word that repeatedly jumps off the page of the AP story on Thurman’s release is “voluntary.” As in the “voluntary” workouts Thurman was released for missing. Sometimes in sports things happen and fans never know the real story. This is one of those transactions where there’s likely more than meets the eye...
More About: Ground , High , Moral

Thoughts on a Thursday
2008-05-15 08:12:00
—Arlen Specter does not have good timing. He’s chosen to launch his one-man assault on the credibility of the NFL just three months after the chair of Roger Clemens’ congressional hearing (the fabulously mustached Henry Waxman) expressed regret that Congress wasted its time listening to Clemens and Brian McNamee bicker at each other. I admire Specter’s quest for the truth (and higher approval ratings in his native Pennsylvania) but the fact that Roger Goodell seems content to sweep the whole thing under the rug means he likely has a tough path in front of him. —When will people start talking about the NHL Playoffs? The two most dominant teams in the league are about to meet for a championship. When was the last time that happened in any sport? Lakers-Pistons in 2004? Yankees and Diamondbacks in 2001? (Yes, maybe the 2007 Rockies and Giants, but I’ll consider them postseason wonders.) Right now the Penguins are 11-1 in the postseason. The Red W...
More About: Thoughts , Thursday

What’s the Deal With the NBA Contact Ban?
2008-05-13 08:23:00
An old criticism of the NHL was that once the playoffs started the referees looked the other way and nary a penalty was called. Now, in 2008, the opposite is happening in the NBA playoffs. For some reason the league decided there will be no excessive contact whatsoever. They will not let the guys play. It’s a decision that’s led to a horde of flagrant fouls, lots of testy chest bumping, and the travesty of Darius Songaila’s game 6 suspension. My question is, why? As far as I can tell the contact crackdown has two main consequences and both of them are bad. First, the borderline flagrant fouls are leading to more jawing, chirping, and shoving than ever before because the delay caused by referees deciding whether to call a flagrant only builds the tension. Instead of quickly sending the players to the line and have the game continue, there’s a two minute break for the crowd to get rowdy and players to jaw at each other. In the cases where a flagrant is cal...
More About: Contact , Deal

Is Rusty Hardin the Worst Lawyer Ever?
2008-05-09 06:40:00
I’m not sure too many people are going to be hiring him in the future (although he did do some noble work in getting Enron off the hook). Here a few of Hardin’s shrewd moves so far. –Demanding a congressional hearing in which his client was repeatedly railed by the democratic members of Congress for being an arrogant liar—Somehow Hardin failed to foresee that the U.S. Government wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to clear the name of one of baseball’s most upstanding gentlemen. Additionally, Hardin let Clemens testify without any material beyond the “I worked hard” line he’d been peddling for the previous six weeks. –Filing a defamation lawsuit against Brian McNamee without knowing whether there was any information that could prove Clemens’ name was already defamed—Either McNamee was so naive he didn’t believe Roger Clemens’ copious extramarital affairs would effect the suit, or he didn’t both...
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Why Would Somebody Not Hire This Man?
2008-05-07 08:05:00
Barry Bonds and Kenny Lofton are unsigned free agents. The MLB Players Association is so flabbergasted at this development they’ve launched an investigation. After all, why would nobody would be interested in a disgraced steroid user and a 41-year-old, zero-tool centerfielder? Think about it. Bonds’ walks would more than make up for the biggest fan backlash in league history, and Lofton’s .300 slugging percentage would be a small price to pay for a guy so old you would need Torii Hunter to play the other two outfield positions. Frankly, I’m surprised the MLBPA is stopping there. Why aren’t they also investigating how Mike Maroth remains a free agent? He had a 6.89 ERA last year and a 12.91 ERA in three Triple A starts this year.  Who doesn’t need that kind of production? It’s obvious there’s some kind of owner collusion that’s designed to keep unproductive players out of baseball, and it’s nice to see the MLBPA has tak...
More About: Hire

At Least Eight Belles Didn’t Have a Rape Stand
2008-05-05 23:13:00
After NBC’s Saturday broadcast of equine euthanasia, that same question keeps coming back? Why is dog-fighting universally lambasted as a despicable, barbaric activity while horse racing is given a free pass? Granted they are not the same thing (the goal of a dogfight is for the dogs to be harmed, the goal of a horse race is for no animal to be harmed). But that doesn’t change the fact that in the end, both sports force animals to do something which might leave them dead just so humans can gamble. That’s the bottom line. It’s a point which cannot be disputed. Another point which cannot be disputed is that if dogfighting fans and its participants were rich white people with political connections, and horse racing participants were poor, urban “lowlifes,” the two sports would be looked at in a different light. I’m not a fan of PETA. I think there are much better things to fight for in this world than getting animals equal (or in some cas...
More About: Rape , Stand

Attention Verizon Center Fans
2008-05-01 08:08:00
When LeBron pays a visit to D.C. tomorrow night it’s time to step it up a notch. Forget simply booing. In honor of Brendan Haywood’s outstanding thespian performance I encourage all fans to serenade LeBron with their best impression of a 2-year-old’s tantrum every time he touches the ball. You could take it easy with a simple “Waaa, Waaa,” or you could be hardcore and go into full blown toddler wailing. Ideally, an unique taunting sound will emerge—something along the lines the old Larry Murphy “Whoop, Whoop” turkey call. Every time LeBron steps foot in Washington I want his ears to let him know exactly what city he’s in. Is LeBron actually acting like a baby? Only slightly. But when a guy lightly hits himself in the face with Darius Songaila’s arm and staggers backward like he just took a haymaker from Clubber Lang, he deserves more than just boos.
More About: Fans , Verizon , Center , Attention , Verizon Center

The Great Western Snooze Job
2008-04-30 17:02:00
Remember how excited everyone was for the upcoming Western play-offs? Blockbuster trades created a buzz not felt in the NBA for some time. For two months there were great games and constant debate about the best team in the West (remember the Lakers-Suns game right after the Shaq trade?) Every night the ordering of the play-off berths changed. Then play-off time came and guess what happened? Yawn. Eric was right a week ago when he said that the Western conference play-offs were going to be much less exciting than people thought. As it turns out, the best four teams in the Western conference are… the top 4 seeds in the play-offs. Ho-hum. Only one series has gone to a game 6. Except for the double OT between the Spurs and Suns, no game has been within 4 points (the only decent series, Jazz-Rockets, have had three games within 4 points). The Suns, with the addition of Shaq Diesel, looked flat and listless against the Spurs. Not that I fault Kerr or D’Antoni. A shakeup was needed. I...
More About: Great , Snooze

Roger Clemens Has Lost His Mind
2008-04-30 09:03:00
As Roger Clemens testified before congress about the perpetual purity of his urine, many people pointed out it appeared as though he was living in his own fantasy world. After Mind y McCready’s confirmation that, yes, she did in fact have an affair with Clemens, I think it’s time to consider the fact that Clemens may, in all seriousness, no longer be living in the same reality as the rest of us. This was the statement released by Clemens’ lawyer yesterday: At no time did Roger engage in any kind of inappropriate or improper relationship with her. It is unfortunate that the Daily News has chosen to report anonymous allegations that are completely unfounded, have no basis in fact, and have nothing to do with Roger’s baseball career or the issue of steroid use in baseball. Why in the world would Roger Clemens attempt to refute this story? He knows it’s the truth. He knows people who know about it will testify under oath if it becomes relevant in his laws...
More About: Lost

Hey, does this investment come with a happy ending?
2008-04-30 05:52:00
$126 million for a relief pitcher? Since the advent of modern free agency, there have been some serious free agent busts. The ability of teams to freely bid on players means that sometimes teams spend extravagant amounts of money on players that turn out to be not worth it. This has become increasingly true since the strike in 1994, and now teams are under even greater pressure to spend big bucks and take big risks. And while a couple of recent free agents may some day make this list (Barry Zito, Carl Pavano and Andruw Jones, I am looking at you) here are the five biggest busts in baseball free agency history. 1. Mike Hampton: $121 milllion/ 7 years ($17.3 a year) – Rockies and Braves Although he has had 3 seemingly decent (I stress decent) seasons since his signing, this has to be the absolute worst free agent bust. Perennially injured (he hasn’t started since 2005), even when he was healthy Hampton went 46-48 with an era of 4.92. That’s $2.6 million dollars a win. Watching h...
More About: Investment , Happy , Ending

David Stern Almost Shits Himself
2008-04-29 05:54:00
Forget about game one of the Suns-Spurs series. Forget about past and future heroics of Kobe and LeBron. The greatest moment of the NBA playoffs came in tonight’s Boston-Atlanta game. Just moments after TNT interviewed David Stern (and Stern pretended to be excited about the Hawks strong play jeopardizing his plans for a Lakers-Celtics Finals) Kevin Garnett gave Zaza Pachulia a little elbow. Pachulia did not take kindly to that elbow and jumped in Garnett’s face. Joe Johnson stepped in between them, but Sam Cassell thought Johnson was a little too aggressive and he went after him. Almost instantly all 10 players were jawing and both coaches were on the court trying to clam things down. Right at that moment TNT cut to a shot of Stern in the crowd. I want that producer promoted. The look on Stern’s face was priceless. You knew exactly what was going through his head. Fuck. Now I have to call TNT and tell them to tell Nike we have to cancel half of their pla...

Pacman Heads to Dallas…Finally
2008-04-25 10:08:00
After weeks of speculation and bargaining the Titans finally agreed to trade Pacman Jones to the Cowboys for a 4th round pick. What took so long? Was Jerry Jones busy recovering from reconstructive surgery? This isn’t the first time there’s been an NFL trade that took weeks to happen, and then when it finally did happen, involved a single late round draft pick. I want to know what goes on in those trade discussions? Does one team counter a 3rd round pick offer with a 7th rounder, then a week later counter a 4th rounder with a 6th rounder, then a week later finally agree on a 5th round pick? These lengthy trade discussion are just one symptom of teams overvaluing mid-round draft picks. Very few 3rd-7th rounders become NFL starters, yet nobody wants to trade them—even for proven starters who have manageable contracts. When the draft rolls around NFL GMs become like fantasy team owners—they don’t want to give up the excitement of making a draft pick ...
More About: Dallas , Finally , Heads

NFL Rookie Contracts Are Out of Control…Still
2008-04-23 07:29:00
NFL rookie contracts are going to destroy the league’s salary structure. I touched on this last year, but since the league has no intention of coming up with a solution (which is good news for Jake Long), I’ll rant about it again. In case you haven’t heard, the Dolphins just made Jake long the highest paid lineman in the league. He has played zero NFL games. For those who think it’s a good deal for Miami, take a look at the offensive lineman who have been drafted in the top 5 since 2001: Joe Thomas, Levi Brown, D’Brickashaw Fergeson, Robert Gallery, Mike Williams, and Leonard Davis. Of those six, Williams and Gallery have been complete busts, Thomas looks like a future star, Davis is a solid player but at guard not tackle, and the jury is still out on Fergeson and Brown. It’s a small sample size, but it’s not exactly the evidence you’d like to see before making a rookie the highest paid lineman in the league. The problem for the D...
More About: Control , Out Of Control , Contracts , Rookie

E:60 Now Embarrassing Innocent People on Camera
2008-04-18 10:08:00
E:60’s ambush of Miguel Tejada was flat out wrong. It was television at it’s lowest point. Pure exploitation in order to get ratings. What did Tejada do to deserve being lured into a studio and left bare in front of a camera on live tape-delayed TV? This isn’t “To Catch a Predator.” Nobody can think to themselves that the guy on camera deserved what he got. Nobody can think ESPN was helping out it’s viewers by calling attention to Tejada’s real age. It was simply entrapment. Tom Ferry tricked Tejada into lying and then he had the brazeness to keep yelling questions as Tejada left the room. I guarantee Tejada was led to believe the interview would be about something else. How do you even describe what E60 did. Unethical? Sleazy? Ruthless exploitation? The last question Ferry yelled was “does the U.S. government know your real name?” He was indirectly implying Miguel Tejada was some sort of terrorist or a threat to the U.S...
More About: People , Camera , Innocent

How ‘Bout Those Eastern Conference Playoffs
2008-04-18 06:43:00
Unlike the West, the Eastern Conference playoffs have a chance to be pleasantly surprising (thank you, low expectations). The other reason the Eastern Conference playoffs will be good? The Washington Wizards. They meet the Cavs in the playoffs for the 3rd straight year and that first round series will be the best in the NBA not involving the Spurs and Suns. The Wizards want to beat the Cavs. Badly. Meanwhile, David Stern wants the Cavs to win. Badly. Should the Wizards prevail (and I think they will), they’ll take on the Celtics (who will be coming off a closer than expected series against a very athletic Hawks team). Right now handing the Eastern Conference to the Celtics is all the rage, but the Wizards will beat them. (I’d like to be higher on the Celtics, but every time I turn on my TV they’re being pummeled by a short-handed Wizards team.) For the first time in years all eight Eastern Conference playoff teams have potential.  The Hawks are young and at...
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What Happened to the Great Western Conference Playoffs?
2008-04-17 09:23:00
The Western Conference playoffs start on Saturday. And I’m more disappointed than J.J. Redick’s life coach. Two weeks ago it looked like this might be the most exciting Western Conference playoffs of all time. There were be 8 legitimate title contenders, seven potentially spectacular playoff series, and an exciting air of uncertainty. Now all that has changed. It started with Golden State missing the playoffs. That left only seven real contenders (sorry Denver) and gave the #1 seed a huge advantage. Then the Lakers (the one team who given the right circumstances could cruise to the Finals) locked up that #1 seed. Then the Lakers were given the right circumstances—two relatively easy matchups (vs. Denver, vs Utah or Houston) and a conference finals opponent who will be tired and worn down. In effect, those eight contenders were narrowed down to five (I’m short changing Utah and Houston, but they just won’t be able to beat the Lakers).  Four of those ...
More About: Great , Playoffs

Trent Johnson, Dodgeball Master
2008-04-16 19:11:00
LSU’s new basketball coach has another talent We can only home that someday there will be a mano-a-mano match between Jonson and Billy Madison to determine who’s #1 at injuring unsuspecting dodgeball participants.
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D.U.I. (Dumb and Unsportsmanlike Infraction)
2008-04-15 17:05:00
Oh, Melo, what were you thinking? It seems we are subject to some irresponsible action or legal infraction by a professional athlete every week, and this week’s spotlight falls on Carmelo Anthony. It is the timing of this one that makes it even dumber. After beating the Rockets 111-94 on Sunday night to move just ahead of the Golden State Warriors for 8th place in the play-off hunt, apparently Melo thought it would be a good idea to go joy riding in the early A.M. Anthony was coming off an abysmal 3-14 performance with just 11 points to show for it. He had to rely on teammate Allen Iverson’s 33-7-7 game to help give his team a chance of making the last seed in the play-offs.  Luckily for Melo, the Golden State Warriors lost Monday night, meaning Anthony and Co. are going to the play-offs for the 5th straight year. I wonder if he saw this from the drunk tank, or if he had already been bailed out in time? Carmelo Anthony has been in the national limelight since he carried Syracus...
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Roy Williams’ Catharsis
2008-04-11 07:26:00
A lot has been made about Roy Williams ’ rabid Jayhawk cheerleading on Monday night. Even given Williams’ Kansas background, it was surprising to see him so enthusiastic about the team which had just broken the hearts of his players. Many UNC faithful are not too pleased with their coach—-this article sums it up nicely—so why exactly did Williams do it? The answer can be found five years ago when Williams decided to leave Kansas and Jayhawks fans around the world called him every dirty name they could think of. It’s clear that Williams never got over the hurt from the vitriol spewed his way. For the last five years he’s wanted Kansas fans to know how much the school meant to him, how much he cared for those Kansas players, and how difficult it was for him to leave. Unfortunately, he never really got a chance to show it. On Monday night Williams got that chance, and he decided to take it regardless of the consequences. He knew his Kansas stick...
More About: Roy Williams

Isn’t There an Intern Who Should Be Taking Care of This
2008-04-10 17:24:00
Gary Roberts was acquired by the Penguins at last year’s trade deadline. He was re-signed in the offseason. All in all, Roberts has been a member of the Penguins for more than a year, but apparently that’s  enough of a reason for his official ESPN.com player card photo to not have him in a Panthers jersey. Maybe if he scores a few more playoffs goals they’ll put him in the black and gold.
More About: Care , Intern , Taking

the Hardest Yard
2008-04-09 17:05:00
I just heard Michael Vick might be playing some pick-up ball in the prison yard. Dangerous, potentially serious injury causing decision? Hell no! How about Fox’s newest reality show this fall? The premise: Michael Vick is putting together a football team to take on the guards (ok, so I might have borrowed an idea or two for this one. Maybe we even call it “The Hardest Yard .”) There are tryouts, cuts, interviews, and some good old fashioned dramatic back-stabbing (literally.) Leavenworth puts together their toughest squad. Maybe they even import a guard or two (preferably an ex-college star.) Her are some ideas for the show: - A prison style combine featuring: WRs: Scaling the Wall in an Attempted Escape Vertical Jump test and Not Dropping the Soap Hand Skills test OLs: Pass Blocking the Guards While Your Cellmate Stabs a Rival Gang Member test LBs: How Quickly You Can Recover from a Taser Shock (shows toughness) RBs and QBs: Outrunning Prison Dogs (sure, Vick can run 63 yards ...

Roy Williams Wins the Title!!!…oh wait
2008-04-08 08:27:00
Congratulation to the Jayhawks. And congratulations to Bill self for winning despite nearly throwing the game away by inexplicably switching to a zone defense. For 28 minutes Kansas had been playing terrific defense. Derrick Rose was ghost, and the entire Memphis offense consisted of Chris Douglas-Roberts taking difficult jumpers. Kansas was wearing them down and had the game in control. So what did Self do? He decided he had to contain Douglas-Roberts and went to a Box-and-1. It contained Douglas-Roberts, but it also let Derrick Rose play 4-on-4 against a zone. It woke Rose up and he took over the game. Fortunately for Self, Memphis’ free throw shooting woes (remember those?) caught up with them. On another note, this is the 2nd straight year where all four Final Four teams could be considered “greatbasketball teams.” I can’t remember the last time that happened. It’s like somehow by not letting teenagers play in the NBA, David Stern has rai...
More About: Williams , Title , Wins , Roy Williams , Wait

Get a Grip
2008-04-07 19:00:00
Rumors have been circulating for weeks that the NBA has been considering raising the minimum age in which players can declare themselves eligible for the NBA draft. Well, it appears that in the next couple of days NBA commish David Stern and NCAA president Myles Brand are going to announce that the minimum age, set at 19 (or after one year of college) in the collective bargaining agreement of 2006, will be raised to 20 (or two years of college). A seeming victory for those protecting the integrity of the game (and certainly a victory for college basketball, who can now hold on to their stars another year). But I have to say, while Stern might have the best interest of the NBA at heart, this really is unfair to all those young, talented athletes who are forced to enter college. Forced to enter college? Unfair? Well, yes. Consider the fact that the only people this is affecting go to college as a springboard to the NBA. Why go to college? The only reason president Brand cares ...
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The Great Eastern Conference Tank Job
2008-04-07 06:34:00
Gregg Oden and Kevin Durant are no longer awaiting the winner’s of this year’s draft lottery, but hey, that’s no reason for Eastern Conference teams to not tank the end of the season. Take a look at the standings. There are only two teams still trying to win. The Hawks—because they’re securing the final playoff spot, and the Celtics—because they don’t know how to relax and rest themselves for the post-season. The rest of the conference could care less whether they win. The big battle is between Atlanta, Toronto, and Washington to not finish 5th and draw a matchup with Cleveland. On Wednesday the Wizards blew a 10 point 4th quarter lead and lost at home to Milwaukee. On Saturday the Sixers, who are the hottest team in basketball, lost at home to Altanta. Not to be outdone, the Raptors lost back-to-back games to Charlotte and New Jersey. You can’t blame any of them. There are three Eastern Conference teams nobody wants to play. Clevel...
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NFL Announces New Rules, Bill Belichick Frowns
2008-04-03 07:18:00
As it normally does after each controversy laden season, the NFL decided to tweak a few rules. What does it all mean? I shall tell you. Rule change #1: No more force out This is a rule change that had to be made, but mark it down now—it’s going to be problematic. The league’s goal is to remove judgment calls, but what will happen when a receiver jumps to catch a ball and the defensive back gets under him and carries him out of bounds? His feet never touch the ground. Was his forward progress stopped? Officials are still going to have to make judgment calls about that kind of stuff. My other problem with this rule is it will effect the game way more than people think. Generally there’s only one to two force out calls each game, but that’s because defensive backs aren’t trying force receivers out. Now that force outs are legal I think we’ll see 5 to 10 force out-related incompletions each game. Passing attacks will suffer. Rule change #...
More About: Bill Belichick , Rules , Bill

A Way of Life
2008-04-02 20:52:00
Ahh… after a couple of days it has finally set in. Baseball season is here. More so than any other sport, baseball elicits so many different emotions and memories. I first got into sports around the tender age of 8. This happened to be the summer or 1991, and the Atlanta Braves were poised to make history. A miracle season. Worst to first. Wait; before you stop reading, this is not a diatribe about the greatness of the Braves. No, the importance of this summer is that this is when I fell in love with baseball. Falling asleep listening to Skip Carey and Don Sutton call a game. Running outside to my front lawn to see the fireworks over the stadium after a victory. Going to my first ball games with my dad, while he pointed out players and gave me history lessons about previous teams and players. I have been in love with the game ever since. My enjoyment of baseball has evolved over the years. The strike of 1994 was devastating (hell, at least we got most of the season in). But then B...
More About: Life