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Olympic Winner, Marion Jones, Admits to Steroid Use [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:55:00 It will only be a matter of time before the International Olympic Committee acts to strip Jones of her five medals that she won as a track athlete during the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.Here is more from the Associated Press:The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will step up its investigation into the Jones case and the possible removal of her three gold and two bronze medals from the 2000 Sydney Games."We welcome that there is now some light to be shed on the whole affair," IOC vice president Thomas Bach told The Associated Press. "Now, with this admission, we can accelerate and speed up the procedures."The IOC opened its investigation in December 2004 after Jones was implicated in the BALCO steroid scandal. The American runner ? the only female track and field athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics ? repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and the IOC had little firm evidence to go on until now.Jones was scheduled to appear Friday afternoon in U.S. District Cou... More About: English , Steroids , Winner
Peter Gammons on the Mets Collapse [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:53:00 Shout out to my friend whom sent me this article. Its a great bit from Peter Gammons on ESPN on how revenue sharing in baseball has helped even the playing field, but that still does not excuse what happened to the Mets :In the end, none of the six teams that finished first in 2006 repeated in 2007, another feather in Bud Selig's revenue-sharing cap. What once were baseball-mad franchises in Philadelphia and Denver were revitalized as Cleveland makes its way back, a new cast of heroes named Jimmy Rollins and Matt Holliday and Prince Fielder and Carlos Pena stepped to the podium and, damn, can we wait to see how Joba Chamberlain, Troy Tulowitzki and Howie Kendrick fare in October? For every Holliday and Tulowitzki, there is Trevor Hoffman, who no one in the game ever wants to see fall. For every Chase Utley there is David Wright, who stood when others hid and accepted accountability for the Mets' untimely fall.......The Mets "blew" a seven-game lead to a team that rode shotgun do... More About: Collapse , English , Mark
No Time to Panic Yankee Fans [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:21:00 The New York Yankees fell to the Cleveland Indians last night 12-3. Fear not Yankee fans, no need to think that the Yankees will take an early bow from the playoffs once again.Going back to 1995, the Yankees have been 5-0 in the ALDS when they lose the first game of the series. Conversely, when they win the first game of the series they are 2-5. Which means, that if history is an indicator of anything, the Yankees will be playing the ALCS.Losing 12-3 may be the best thing that has happened to the Yanks since at least 2004.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?im age=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Fans , Time , English , Mark
Peter Vecsey Weighs in on Isiah Thomas [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:13:00 Isiah Thomas was found liable for sexual harassment earlier this week, and the MSG organization as a whole looks worse then ever. Peter Vecsey of the New York Post breaks down the quagmire surrounding Thomas:Like hundreds of others who've worked for, played with or for, and partied alongside Isiah Thomas, when I heard his closing "not-guilty-as-found" statement on the courthouse steps I shook my head and rolled my eyes.......How many times can a man deny wrongdoing before his credibility is irretrievably impounded? How often can blame be shifted before even the blindest loyalist converts to a Doubting Thomas? How many times can truthfulness be dodged during decades of incidents and accidents, hints and allegations? How come someone's always lying about Thomas? Distorting what he said or did? Fabricating things he claims he didn't say or do? Why is everybody so hostile toward him? So quick to think the worst? Taking such pleasure in persecuting, er, prosecuting him? Remember ... More About: English , Mark , Mark English
Cleveland Loves LeBron, LeBron Loves the Yanks [David Stefanini]
2007-10-05 15:30:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: New York Yankees , Lebron James , David , Cleveland Indians , Cleveland
Rangers Open Season with a Win [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 03:58:00 ...and also they announced that they will retire Brian Leetch's number in January. There is little reason why this should not be a special season for the New York Rangers . On paper they could be one of the best teams in the NHL, and even SI picked them to go to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Sharks. But they have had great players on this team before, and have shown very little for their efforts. Hopefully they will break that trend this year.Here is more from the Rangers website:The Rangers erupted for four third-period goals tonight at Madison Square Garden to humble the visiting Florida Panthers 5-2 in the season opener for both teams.Trailing 2-1 after two periods, the Blueshirts outshot the Panthers 16-8 in the third, getting goals from Petr Prucha, Chris Drury, Ryan Callahan and Martin Straka.Henrik Lundqvist was his usual self in goal, stopping 27 shots for the victory.Drury was named the game's No. 1 star in his first game with the Rangers.http://img68.imageshack.us... More About: Open , Open Season , English , Season
Red Sox Fans Roughed up in Yonkers [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 03:38:00 Not good. And this took place five minutes from where I live...From WNBC:Two men attacked a Red Sox fan outside a Yonkers hotel Thursday night, beating him so badly he ended up in the intensive care unit, police said.The incident began when the two victims, Carlos Ortez and Walter Ostromecki -- one of whom was wearing a Red Sox hat -- were in the bar of the Ramada Inn late Thursday night, according to police.Suspects Duane Somers and Edward McConaughey made a comment about the Red Sox, leading to a heated exchange, police said.The suspects allegedly followed the Red Sox fans out into the parking lot, where they attacked Ortez, who ended up in the in an intensive care unit with broken facial bones.Ostromecki managed to get away.Somers and McConaughey have been arraigned on assault charges.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php ?image=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Fans , Boston Red Sox , English , New York Yankees , Mark
Take a Balk with Me [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 02:55:00 Some MLB playoff thoughts -I didn't think it would be possible, but I'm actually watching playoff baseball. I guess I'm almost over the Mets "long national nightmare". Thanks Adds for the soothing words of comfort.The Phillies are down 2-0 already to the Colorado Rockies. Weren't the Rockies supposed to be up for contraction a few years ago? If not, they should have been. I think maybe two people in Colorado really cares about that team.Speaking of the Phillies, going back to the year 2001 they have gone 86-76, 80-81, 86-76, 86-76, 88-74, 85-77, and then this year 89-73. I guess it took that elusive 89th win to finally cross the threshold. Talk about consistency though. How many other teams have had that many winning seasons in a row without making the playoffs? Lets just say they were due.Going back to the Rockies. As my friend (a Mets fan) wrote: Kaz-fricken-Matsui!! 3-4 with 5 RBIs and only a single shy of the cycle!!! I don't think I have been happier with Kaz.... More About: New York Rangers , English , New York Mets , Philadelphia Phillies , Mark
Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 5 Picks [EdMcGon]
2007-10-04 14:08:00 Once again, time for the picks (in red), this time from last week's defending champion (that's me):Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans: I can't pick the Fish until they show me they can win. Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs: The Jags are not much better than the Chiefs, but they should be good enough to beat this Herm Edwards train wreck.Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots: The only way the Pats lose this one is if they take the Brownies lightly.Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints are a tempting pick this week, but they will have to win one before I take them. They have looked pretty bad so far.New York Jets at New York Giants: This one is a coin toss between two underachieving teams.Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers: I have not been overly impressed with either of these teams. They have played well enough to win, but their competition so far has not been exceptional. That said, I lean towards the Steelers in this long road game for the Hawks.Ari... More About: Week
Rockies Beat Phillies In Game 1 [David Stefanini]
2007-10-04 00:48:00 I am very thankful to see that team of the Phillies look so upset today. They could not hit Rockies pitcher, Jeff Francis. The Phillies sent staff ace Cole Hamels to the hill. Hamels was nearly perfect, except for the 2nd inning. The Rockies got 3 base hits and scored 3 runs. It was the only base hits and runs allowed for Hamels in his 6 2/3 innings of work.Francis was dealing right from the start. He fanned the first four Phillies he faced. He went 6 innings, giving up only those 2 runs while striking out 8 batters. It was a great performance on his behalf and he has now given his team a 1-0 lead in the series.Now the Phillies are playing with their backs up against the wall (thank God). They are now facing a must win in Game 2. They will turn to pitcher, Kyle Kendrick, who went 10-4 this season with a 3.87 ERA. Opposing him will be Franklin Morales, who is 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?ima ge=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Philadelphia Phillies , David , Beat
Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 4 Results [EdMcGon]
2007-10-03 13:22:00 Look who won this week. Some guy named Ed:EdMcGon - 8FunkyPundit - 7J. Mark English - 6Bill Barker - 6bl - 6Rigel - 6David Stefanini - 5Dave O'Leary - 5SoloD - 5Robert A. George - 4And that guy named Ed seems to be moving up in the YTD standings too (with number of weeks won in parentheses):David Stefanini(1) - 33EdMcGon(1) - 32J. Mark English(1) - 30Robert A. George(1) - 27Bill Barker - 27Dave O'Leary - 21bl - 16FunkyPundit - 15SoloD - 12Rigel - 11Mike - 8 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Results , Week , Result
Don't Worry Mets Fans--Life Goes On. [Addison Quale]
2007-10-02 22:06:00 I feel for the Mets . I feel for their fans. I really do. They are my second team and I just hate to see these collosal collapses look possible as the season wears on, then more and more probable, and then watch them become the cold hard reality. That's why in May when everyone was writing off the Yanks who were out 14.5 games, I didn't join the bandwagon. Because this is one area where the STATS masters haven't mastered--the arena of high pressure situations and the human-emotional factor. Yes, the chances are slim to nil that a 7.5 game lead will not hold up with 17 games left. But when the entire confidence of a team is utterly shaken to its core, anything is possible. And the threat of loss becomes too big to ward off. But, as they say, that's why they play out the games--and not just figure out who will win on paper. Because life doesn't happen on paper. It happens out there. On a field. Stats can't really portray that much reality.But I digress--something struck me though... More About: Life , Fans , New York Mets , Worry
Video: Phanatic Offs Mr. Met [J. Mark English]
2007-10-02 17:01:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Video , English , New York Mets , Mark , Mark English
The Mets Apologize [J. Mark English]
2007-10-02 05:47:00 Dear Mets Fan: All of us at the Mets are bitterly disappointed in failing to achieve our collective goal of building upon last year's success. We did not meet our organization's expectations -- or yours. Everyone at Shea feels the same range of emotions as you -- our loyal fans -- and we know we have let you down. We wanted to thank you for your record-breaking support of our team this year. Equally important, Ownership will continue its commitment in providing the resources necessary to field a championship team. Omar will be meeting with Ownership shortly to present his plan on addressing our shortcomings so that we can achieve our goal of winning championships in 2008 and beyond. You deserve better results. Many thanks again for your record-breaking support. http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: English , New York Mets , Omar Minaya , Mark
Re: Long-Winded Baseball Reflections [Christian Amport]
2007-10-02 05:28:00 Here's my rough assesment, unecumbered by empirical evidence and more supported by anecdotal evidence and conjecture. I'm open to criticism, these are just first thoughts. I think the rules difference in format between the leagues accounts in large part to the difference in game outcomes and to the ability of some teams to excell above and beyond. And not due to the "designated hitters hit better than pitchers" argument (but that does play some part, see below), or that AL teams are able to consistently secure better pitchers than the NL. I formulated this theory last spring playing softball. Now, I personally haven't played baseball since I was about 11. (With the brief exception of my stint with the Appeals softball team at DANY). And I was never a pitcher. So this never occurred to me until this past spring when I found myself as the replacement (and subsequently the regular) pitcher for my roommate's softball team. My realization was this: pitching is exhausti... More About: Christian , Baseball , Reflections , Seattle Mariners , New York Mets
Long-Winded Baseball Reflections [Aaron DeRosa]
2007-10-02 05:25:00 I've been toying with this idea for a while and thought i'd throw it out there for debate. I'll make my claim, state what I've found, and open it up to discussion: Context: The assumption is consistently made that the AL is better than the NL. This disparity is reflected in the wins column. However, as with pitchers, wins don't necessarily adequately reflect a team's "quality." Thesis: The dispairty in the records of AL and NL teams has more to do with the parity of the NL which spreads wins out more evenly among its teams. This seems like a logical statement. the Florida Marlins aren't a "bad" team like the Devil Rays or the Royals. Or at least, they don't have that stigma that their AL bottom-feeding counterparts do. So how do we determine if one league has greater parity than the other? And how do we determine which league is therefore better? Well I started with parity: AL - NL 90+ wins: 4 - 1 80-89 wins: 3 - 8 70-79 wins: 4 - 6 60-69 wins: 3 -... More About: Baseball , Reflections , National League , Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Remember this Phillie Fans? [J. Mark English]
2007-10-01 21:45:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Fans , English , Philadelphia Phillies , Toronto Blue Jays , Mark
Quote from Opie and Anthony [J. Mark English]
2007-10-01 21:26:00 "Meet the Mets, greet the Mets...step right up and play golf with the Mets" - Opie and Anthony (shout out to the friends who alerted me to this...)http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php ?image=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: English , New York Mets , Mark , Mark English
Requiem for the Mets [J. Mark English]
2007-10-01 21:24:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: English , New York Mets , Mets , Mark , Mark English
A Day of Great Expectations and Melancholy [J. Mark English]
2007-09-30 18:06:00 The only thing that I am certain of today is that by eight o'clock tonight, I will be sitting in my seat at Giants Stadium, awaiting the kickoff to a Sunday Night Football match up between the Eagles and the Giants. The Giants come in with a 1-2 record, as are the Eagles. The result of the game will likely determine which team has the hopes of turning around its season, and which team may want to start early preparation for the 2008 draft.The implications of the Sunday night match-up will pale in comparison to the events that would have already occurred in Queens, slightly north of Giants Stadium, as well as the events that would have transpired a hundred miles south on I 95 in Philadelphia.The Mets and the Phillies, as well as the Padres, will set the mood for Met fans at Giants Stadium tonight. Can the Mets stave off a complete disaster by finishing with a desperate finish in their finale? Will the Phillies actually surpass their expectations of always choking? Will there be... More About: Great , English , New York Mets , New York Giants , Mark
Mets Win, Phillies Lose, Setting Up A Great Final Day [David Stefanini]
2007-09-30 08:32:00 What a roller coaster ride it has been this month being a Mets fan. Entering this month I thought for certain I would be taking my girlfriend to a Mets playoff game this year. In the middle of the month I found myself saying, its ok they will turn on the jets and start pulling away any day now. I was upset that the Mets allowed the Phillies to shrink the lead down to 2 games. Right now, at the end of the month, I am overjoyed that they have pulled even with the Phillies, a predicament I never thought I'd be happy about. With the Mets 13-0 victory today and the Phillies loss to the Nats 4-2, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies enter the final day of the regular season with identical records.The scenario is simple when it comes down to the NL East. If the Mets win and the Phillies lose, the Mets are in; and visa-versa for the Phillies. If they both win/lose, then a one game playoff will be played on Monday at Philadelphia to determine the champion.Tomorrow, the Mets will send... More About: Great , Final , David
It's About Time! [David Stefanini]
2007-09-29 20:50:00 For the first time in a very, very long time, the New York Mets look alive! Already up 9-0, the Mets jumped out of the dugout to run to the back, when a Marlins pitcher threw at Louis Castillo twice in a row. The first one barely missed his legs, and the second one was an inch behind him. The Mets cleared the bench and got in the face of a few Marlins players.My question is this, WHERE THE HELL HAS THIS BEEN? The fans where chanting 'Let's Go Mets' as the Mets were on the field. It took 161 games, but they look to be alive. Instead of walking aimlessly through the season with nothing to worry about, they are a scared team that knows they are going to go down in history as choke artists unless major changes happen over the next two days.AND HERE WE GO!!! Olvio, the Marlins catch took a big swing towards Reyes but missed. The Mets run out onto the field looking for a fight. The Mets fans are screaming Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose. It about time the Mets look alive. Its probably to late, ... More About: Time , David
As Mets Lose Control. Cubs Clinch Division [David Stefanini]
2007-09-29 19:56:00 We all know how miserable this season has turned out for the New York Mets . However, the Chicago Cubs have clinched their division and are looking towards the playoffs. Here is ESPN.com with more:"They lost on the field, fought in the dugout, fell out of contention before the season's midpoint. Then, the Chicago Cubs did something that defied their long history of failure and disappointment.Somehow, they pulled together and won the division.Chicago's two biggest offseason investments took them the final step toward the playoffs on Friday night. Alfonso Soriano hit another leadoff homer, Carlos Zambrano kept his cool and the Cubs clinched the NL Central with a 6-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds."Hopefully we can have a few more little parties like this," said Lou Piniella, who enjoyed a champagne shower in his first season as the Cubs manager. "They're fun."http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?im age=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: David , Control
Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 4 Picks [EdMcGon]
2007-09-28 13:41:00 As Shakespeare might have said: "Cry bacon! And let slip the pigs of war!"Ok, I took a few liberties with that, but here are my picks (in red) anyway:Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons: The Matt Schaub Bowl, otherwise known as Schaub returns to Atlanta to show the Falcons why they were horrendously stupid for trading him and keeping Mike "Dog-fryer" Vick.New York Jets at Buffalo Bills: Welcome to the NFL, Trent Edwards.Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: Take the Brownies to pull an upset in a surprisingly close game.St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys: No Steven Jackson. No Orlando Pace. No win for the Lambs.Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: With Brian Griese in for Rex Grossman, the Bears look like a much better team. Griese's flaw has always been choking in the clutch, but the Bears should be able to get far enough ahead of the Lions to avoid that possibility.Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins: Thanks for the victory guaranty, Joey Porter! I was worried the Raiders might take this ga... More About: Week
A Consoling Quote for Met Fans [J. Mark English]
2007-09-28 06:14:00 Senator Jim Bunning, who played for the 1964 Phillies team that watched a 6.5 game lead evaporate in their 12 games, once said that he would not wish that kind of pain they felt on anyone. Not on any team, nor fans, nor city.It reminds me of what A. Bartlett Giamatti once said about baseball when he was the MLB commissioner in the 1980's:"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone."Sadly, the Mets are facing the stark reality of leaving those who bleed orange and blue with a fall to be forgotten as the cold begins to sink in. Have mercy on us please, oh baseball lords :-(.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?ima ge=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Fans , English , Mark , Mark English , Quote
Photos: ...Phillies in Jubilation as they Share NL East Lead [J. Mark Engli
2007-09-28 06:12:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Photos , East , Philadelphia Phillies , Share , Atlanta Braves
Photos: Mets Sulk as they Lose the Division Lead... [J. Mark English]
2007-09-28 06:10:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Photos , English , Mets , Mark , Mark English
Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 3 Results [EdMcGon]
2007-09-27 12:45:00 Sorry this is late folks. But the winner for week 3 is (followed by the rest of us losers):Robert A. George - 12bl - 10David Stefanini - 8Bill Barker - 8Dave O'Leary - 8FunkyPundit - 8J. Mark English - 7EdMcGon - 7SoloD - 7And the year to date standings (with weeks won in parentheses):David Stefanini(1) - 28J. Mark English(1) - 24EdMcGon - 24Robert A. George(1) - 23Bill Barker - 21Dave O'Leary - 16bl - 10FunkyPundit - 8Mike - 8SoloD - 7Rigel - 5I will have this week's picks up either tonight or tomorrow, so hurry back and play!http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?im age=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Results , Week , Result
Video: Are the 2007 Mets the 1964 Phillies? [J. Mark English]
2007-09-27 05:00:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Video , English , New York Mets , Mets , Mark
As I Pull My Hair Out... [J. Mark English]
More articles from this author:2007-09-27 03:19:00 ...I have a wild solution to the wild card.But first... I've been wanting to spew vomit all over the place for the last few weeks. I mean how much more can I take as a sports fan?Notre Dame (not my alma mater, but since I am Irish Catholic I claim the right to root for them)...is 0-4. The for worst start in 120 years. Ugh.The New York Giants - They made a nice little come back against the 'Skins, but the first two weeks, the defense gave up 80 points in two games. The first them their defense has been so futile since the early 1970's.And then there are the New York Mets . Ah, my Mets. This is a team that just a few weeks ago were in position to wrap up the NL East with ease. Tonight, after giving up a five run lead to the Nats, with the Phillies leading the Braves, the Mets might not even make the playoffs!!So yea, it has not been a cheery time to be a sports fan. I've been almost avoiding the blog in the hopes that all this bad luck with my teams might just turn around.... More About: English , Hair , Philadelphia Phillies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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