Between the LinesBetween the LinesOur Mission here at Between the Lines is to expose bad sports commentary in all its forms, for the mindless, poorly written and uttered drivel it is. Articles
I Would Also Be Better Off Amputating My Left Leg
2007-07-03 22:01:00 Mike Missanelli, normally the babysitter for Stephen A. Smith during Smith's eponymous radio show on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York, has been forced into the role of The Village Idiot this week while Stephen A. takes some much-needed time off. I needed it, not Stephen. Anyway, over the normal two hours it's common to hear Stephen A. take ridiculous stances on the issues of the day, while Mike tries to rein him in. With Stephen A. on holiday, however, Mike wants us to hear his best Stephen A. impersonation:(Apologies for paraphrasing, although c'mon, it's New York sports talk radio, not exactly the King's English in the first place)Mike's catchy intro: Yanks win one last night, but if A-Rod goes on the DL, will the Bombers be....BETTER off?No, the Yankees will not be better off without A-Rod. Just in case you were having any doubts about the guy who already has 17 win shares this year. Anyway, Missanelli then starts talking about what Bill Simmons' readers know as the Ewing Theor... More About: Alex Rodriguez , Left , Would
Gotta Get Me Some of That Veteran Leadership
2007-07-03 21:21:00 Isn't it touching when baseball veterans feel the need to impose their knowledge on talented young players who may not need it? Especially when one of them has never, ever been good at baseball?When Hunter Pence went 0-for-4 the other night, Craig Biggio pulled him aside and offered some advice. "Look, go back to the cage right now," he said. "Don't wait until tomorrow. You'll go back there mad and hit until you're exhausted. By the time you leave, it'll feel right again."Hunter Pence is batting .342, in his first season, at the age of 24. He's OPS-ing .948. Does he really need Mr. 3000 to send him back to the cage because he went 0-4 in one game? Obviously, whatever he's doing is working very well. Craig Biggio, on the other hand, is OPS-ing .701. Hey Craig, I know you're 41 and all, but get your ass back in that cage until you're OPS-ing .916 like you did in 1997 (which was a career high, and still worse than Pence is hitting in his rookie year). By the time you leave, it... More About: Leadership , Veteran , Ship , Tera
Let the All-Star Festivities Begin
2007-07-03 20:36:00 There seems to have been a dearth of shoddy sportswriting for a while, so we here at BTL haven?t had great material lately. Fortunately, every year the All-Star game rolls around, and sportswriters all over the country come crawling out of the woodwork to lament a snub of their favorite player, or else laud some other All-Star team appointment. In other words, BTL is quickly back in business. This time around, it?s Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who chooses not only to applaud the selection of the three Phillies who made it, but also to offer up a couple more would-be Phillies All-Stars.It's always easy to debate All-Star Game selections and even easier to criticize a voting process that sometimes rewards reputation over merit. But as far as the Phillies are concerned this year, the system worked.Well, maybe it worked as far as the Phillies are concerned, but does that mean it?s fair?Ryan Howard probably should be on the National League team. Despite his slow start and... More About: All Star , Jimmy Rollins , Albert Pujols 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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