Thursday, August 31, 2006

Thursday Blogging Hard

Today, I will post plenty of stuff from yesterday’s show. But, first, what is quick becoming a non factor on this blog and in the North Texas Sports Universe: Baseball talk.

First, Jamey Newberg’s essay on Buck and his future …I would advise you to read it all, but here is a small highlight:


Even the best managers have a shelf life. Circumstances inevitably lead to a breakup, sometimes by the manager's choice and other times anything but. But that's only the second most interesting thing about the SI poll.

What's most interesting to me is who was polled. We don't know which players SI questioned, and what criteria the publication used to determine which players to ask. Did they have to have played for more than one club? Did they have to vote within their own league? Could they vote for their own skipper?

Which players were polled is really not very important. But the fact that the survey exclusively involved big league players is significant, I think. Doesn't the fact that nearly two-thirds of the players in the major leagues were asked to weigh in mean something, when free agency is a bigger factor in baseball than in any sport?

Likeability certainly isn't on the list of prerequisites for a big league manager or coach, but isn't any reason that a marquis player may not want to play in Texas a reason that needs to be considered?

It was a players' poll. Four hundred seventy baseball players who are, by definition, current or potential Texas Rangers.

Here's what I think, and let me reiterate that I'm just a fan, entitled to an opinion because it's my team but not entitled, in this case, to assume my opinion has any basis in fact.

I think Showalter has proven that he is among the best in baseball at taking a bad baseball team and making it better. At taking a collection of young baseball players and teaching them how to prepare and how to manage the grind. At getting a team on the right track. But then what?


Meanwhile, someone whose opinion I respect far less than Jamey’s, Tom Hicks on the pitching


As usual, that meant that a lot of talk centered on pitching. With less than 30 games to go in the season, only one spot in the 2007 starting rotation is guaranteed. That goes to Kevin Millwood.

Hicks said the team remains interested in all three of its potential free-agent starters: Vicente Padilla, Adam Eaton and Kip Wells. Padilla stands to command the most money and longest commitment. Hicks said the club does not view off-the-field issues as a problem with Padilla. Padilla was charged with DWI after a July 7 traffic stop, but those charges have been dropped.

"I think [Padilla] has responded well to [pitching coach] Mark Connor and to Buck [Showalter]," Hicks said. "He comes from a different place than the rest of us. I'm fine with his off-the-field behavior. He had one incident, but everything worked out fine."

Hicks said he also is interested in watching Robinson Tejeda and Edinson Volquez pitch in September but that he has made no request for top pitching prospect John Danks to be called up.

The rest of the answers will have to come during the winter trading and free-agent bazaar.

"We're going to wait and see how people pitch the rest of the year," Hicks said. "But we're going to have another busy off-season."


Galloway on the Guy Morriss – Gary Patterson fun


So, here's Morriss, talking smack at Baylor alum functions about Patterson.

"Walk past him, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up."

"When he's around, my skin crawls."

"He likes to hear himself talk. And he talks a lot."

Yo, baybee.

My personal mission for this week was to stir this pot some more.

TCU-Baylor is an old Southwest Conference rivalry revived, and that receives my highest approval. Plus, we could also be in for a good game Sunday. And now the head coach at Baylor was throwing in some verbal jalapenos.

When bad blood is spilled in sports, I immediately go CSI.

Coach Patterson, what's this all about?

"Truthfully, I don't know," he said. "I've probably only talked to Guy three times ever. But some members of his staff are good friends of mine, have been for a long time, and will continue to be."

Are you mad, coach?

"Not really. More like puzzled. Don't know where it all came from. I know I'm a young coach, and I talk a lot, but if I don't talk about TCU, and promote us, who will?"

Gary, uh, would you like to fire back at Guy?

"Early in the summer, I put a gag order on our players for this opening game. I didn't want them calling friends who are Baylor players, or text-messaging, with any smack talk.

"I'd just say if Guy doesn't want to like me, then he doesn't have to like me. It's OK."


I admit I know nothing about writing. But has Galloway ever constructed an entire paragraph? Why not combine sentences into a paragraph sometimes?

The Barnhouse top 25


5 Texas The Longhorns should make a good run at defending their title, but Job One
is getting effective quarterback play.

13 Oklahoma If the Sooners can squeeze something out of the passing game, OU will be OK with RB Adrian Peterson aiming for 2,200 yards.

20 TCU The Frogs have outstanding depth at running back but QB Jeff Ballard must keep playing as he did last season.

22 Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach gets to prove his pass-happy attack can succeed with a non-senior at quarterback.

25 Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan's West Coast offense is finally producing as QB Zac Taylor has improved.


Here is a great link that shows you the television schedule for college football …nicely done…

Wow. The DMN with another blog! How original. Here is there college football blog ..

OK. Yesterday on the show we covered many things. Here are some items to follow up on those:

#1 – The blood letting UFC fight discussed during “What’s on my Tivo” – Watch at your own risk.



#2 – The great Nascar Audio from “Wally’s World” can be found Here …Gold, Jerry.

And #3 – The controversial Don Nelson segments yesterday generated a huge amount of feedback. Here is a sampling of my email. Some like me, some don’t:


Bob, I could not have agreed with you more on your comments about Don Nelson. While I give him a lot of credit for rebuilding the Mavs, his antics over the last couple of years have made me lose all respect for him.

The four reasons for being pissed were right on, but let me add a fifth - his refusal to even try to coach defense. One of the things that led to their breakup was Cuban's OUTRAGEOUS demand that Nelson try to coach some defense. When asked about it on Norm's show, Nellie responded that if a player wasn't a defensive player, he couldn't be taught to be one.

Excuse me, but isn't a coach's job to teach players what they don't already know? Avery has proven that while the Mavs will never be the Pistons, they can at least be respectable defensively.

I say good riddance to Nellie. I'm sick of him laughing all the way to the bank around here. Let him take his act to Golden State, where he can get back with his old drinking buddy, Chris Mullin.

Keep speaking the truth.

Larry in Garland

----------

I didn't get a chance to tell you what made me believe the Dampier deal went down the way I said it did. You have to understand , Nellie to me is like the bretts to you, I read every interview and follow every story about him. Soon after the Dampier trade went down and the team was preparing for training camp and the 03-04 season , Nellie was asked in an interview about his team and he said "it's Mark's vision now". Nobody paid any attention to this quote , except me of course. I knew then that this was Nellie's way of letting people know that he didn't make all the personell decisions anymore and I think it was his way of telling people that he didn't pull the strings on the Dampier deal. Remember it was only after the Dampier deal that Cuban put a muzzle on his announcers and told them not to talk about contracts anymore on the air.

Even if I'm wrong about the details , it's no secret that the realtionship was getting bad and it was only a matter of time before he left anyways.

Your behavior in all of this has been horrible. Instead of focusing on the big picture and all of Nellie's contributions while he was here you decide to rip him on his way out of town. You ripped him while he was coaching , you ripped for how he resigned, and now you rip him when he takes another job. The most ridiculous part of all of this is you ego driven stance on the media reaction to his new coaching job. Everyone else is sucking up to nellie , while you alone, the great Bob Sturm, is being objective, What crap. The rest of the media is doing the right thing, they are thanking him for his work here.

Has it ever occurred to you that you are the one who is not objective ? I fully admit my bias , maybe you should to. Go warriors ! Keith
---------

Bob,

I was ecstatic to hear your point of view on Don Nelson today (8/30) at lunch. I am one of the biggest Maverick fans in Dallas. I am a 5 year season ticket holder (thanks to Don Nelson and Mark Cuban) and I have more time and money invested in them than anything else in my life (except my house and marriage)

I was one of Nellie’s biggest supporters for 5 years. And while I agree he is/was a “good guy” a likeable guy I contended 2 years ago that he QUIT on his team and organization. No one can convince me otherwise. When I first heard he was letting Avery run practices I thought to myself that this was Nellie’s way of taking some time off to perhaps spend with his Ailing wife who had cancer or perhaps to ease the riggers of coaching and thereby improving his own Health!

And that might have been the case at first. However, then I heard him say that he had actually planned to “miss” a few games and let Avery do the coaching.HuH? So he got kicked out of a few games (on purpose) so Avery could coach the team. Remember when he kicked the ball in the stands? Remember when he got kicked out of a San Antonio Spurs game in the first quarter!?!?! That was intentional too.

If Bill Parcell’s said “hey I’m going to take a few games off and let my assistants coach the game people would have flipped out! Double Standard.

Then to top it off Nellie got his feelings hurt when little Stevie Cash took the money and went to Phoenix. Boo Hoo. So Nellie decided to QUIT on his team mid way through the 2004 season. Thank god Avery was around to help pick up the peaces.
Plus I have heard Nellie actually try and take credit for hiring Avery and grooming him to be the next coach. That’s crap. I don’t buy that. But it was better that Avery was the coach and he is exactly what we needed.

So Nellie sits around doing nothing for a year and a half collecting a big fat check from Cuban and now that the money is drying up all of the sudden he is ready to coach again . . . . . how convenient.

Nellie is great at making a bad team into a good team but he can’t make a good team into a Great Team. So for Golden State he is perfect. For the Mavs it was time for him to go and Avery is perfect. So it all worked out. But I don’t think Nellie deserves a send off party or a pass.

Call him for what he is:

Good Coach
Fun Guy
Exciting style of play
Quitter
Who-re
The more I listen to you Bob the more I find that we have similar opinions.
Except for I hate Dan!

Perry Hood

-------------

Hey Bob,

I love you, i love Dan, i love your show but you're sounding like Dale Hansen when he's talking about the Boys. But seriously, you are losing your cred points here.

We know that what he did, by switching teams just when his checks from Cuban started drying out, is absolutely absurd. But this is also the fact about Nelly, he's a nice guy but do we really know that he didnt get pushed out by Mark Cuban? Mark Cuban had a lot to do with this, Why dont we list the last few years of his stay with the Mavs, we start with his demotion, Donnie's promotion, Dirk's benching in the series against the Spurs, Free-Agent players that Nelly wanted that Cuban ignored, to FA players that Cuban signed-off that Nelly didnt like, the hiring of Avery, and the final straw, the let go of MVP Steve Nash. Of course he also made bone-headed deals, like Bradley, Wang, that Euro player, but nobody's perfect.

There's a similar scenario happening now, the Parcells and Jerry Jones relationship. The only difference is that Parcells has more cred, and has more pull in his team than Nelly with Cuban. Also the fact that Jerry Jones wanted the Tuna while Cuban came in into Nelly's team. I think thats a big difference. Just think about all the Jones signings versus the Parcells signings. Its very interesting.

The truth could be, Nelly just squeeked out all the money he can squeeze out of Cuban as a sort of payback. Because the way he left the Mavs was more like a buy-out than anything else. I think he's just going where he is needed, which is exactly the opposite of his final seasons here with the Mavs.

If you do read this, Thanks man.

Love the Show!... Love everything!... though tell Donovan to put his ego aside a lil bit. I think he needs to know that the Ticket is about the little guy. The little guy that gets beat the hell out by punks. Remind him that the Ticket's history does say alot about Big Ego guys that used to work there. Shoot, even Big Dick got canned. I guess if your name is BIG DICK, that would explain it all.

Jobzki...
----------

Noone saying anything should be a slap in the face to Nelly. I think people around here feel that we are better off without him, we’re winning. If we would have struggled since his departure, people would have a problem. Golden State can have him…

Chris T. Lee


So there you have it. Those who agree with me think I am smart. Those who disagree think I am dumb. Welcome to Sportsradio.

Today’s Youtube:

Genius in so many ways.



I don’t care where you go to school, dorks are everywhere. Here are some from Baylor:



Well, the final preseason Cowboys game is upon us. Do you like me or hate me for going an entire blog without any mention of Owens?

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bear has caused me to ponder everything in my life today. It's no wonder they are the #1 Terror Threat.

Anonymous said...

At least Gramps doesn't write like Jenni Carlson of the Daily Oklahoman.

She.
Writes.
Like.
This.

Anonymous said...

The Nellie question is like everything else these days - one extreme or the other.

Nellie DID bring this team to contender status, he DID restore respectability, he DID find Dirk. All of that and more is GREATNESS.

Nellie DID quit on the team, he DID say that, even though he wanted to quit (and in many ways had already done so), he WOULDNT walk away unless Cuban agreed to pay him off (all about the Money) - he DID refuse to demand defensive accountability.

He was both GREATNESS and SORRINESS, all rolled up into one large package.

-Rob in Dallas

Anonymous said...

At least Galloway knows when to use "there", "their", and "they're."

cracker1743 said...

Gay, or Not Gay? Actually, this is more Brokeback territory:

"UT friendship leaves mark on Simms, Shanahan

College tattoos keep Bucs QB, Texans assistant bonded for life


By JOHN MCCLAIN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Chris Simms and Kyle Shanahan became such good friends at the University of Texas that they have their initials tattooed on each other's lower leg."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/4153409.html

I'm imagining lots of whispered late night phone calls and desperate text messaging.

Anonymous said...

OK, I feel like your trying to draw me offsides by saying that Texas should be #5 and Oklahoma #13 -- but I'm not gonna let you. (Even if your just quoting some idiot writer, I think your agreeing with his opinion on this one.)

If you want to say we are #13, fine. I will be the only one at the end of the year who can say that he had it right all along. Oklahoma will play for the national championship this bowl season, mark it down.

Twelve teams better than OU? Get serious. I can't even come up with three or four teams that even belong in the conversation. Notre Dame? Too much hype, but alright, they should be up there. I don't see Adrian Peterson running the ball for these other teams. I don't see Paul Thompson slinging it for them. I don't see them with the big nastys we have patrolling the front 7 on D.

If you want some good in sight on what this season will bring, you should look at recent history. OU is up there almost every year. These ohter schools don't produce the Tommie Harrises, Dvoraceks, Jason Whites, Adrian Petersons, Mark Claytons, Jammal Browns, etc. etc. Most college teams are lucky to have two or three guys make it to the NFL but OU cranks them out consistently.

This year you will all see the next crop of OU college football legends emerge and put the team back where it belongs.

What does Texas have? Colt McCoy? Justin Blaylock? Big deal.

How about A&M? Coutney Lewis? McGee? Bennett? This is not scaring anyone.

Tech has some new QB for the 100th year in a row who will pass for a lot of stats and about 7 wins.

Baylor thinks the spread offense will save it from itself. Callahan is Cluelesshan up in Lincoln.

The bottom line is that OU is gonna roll in the Big 12, they will roll through whatever North spare makes the conference championship, and they will roll right into the big bowl for all the marbles. The only question in anyone's mind is who will be there to play for second place.

Good luck to the Big 12, I hope all your teams do well and that our games against each other are exciting. But early next year, when it is all over, your all going to be saying "that Sooner was right" and asking me where to lay your money on Saturdays from now on. Mark it.


BOOMER SOONER!

Sturminator said...

Sooner-

I feel like you need this explained to you:

"Quotes on Bob's blog are not Bob's opinions, but rather the opinions of those who actually write them".

Sometimes I agree with them, sometimes I don't. But don't you think it would be boring if I only posted links and emails that agreed with me?

Settle down, Sooner. You may be better than #13. at Oregon and 10/7 will tell us that. But Mr. Barnhouse has put some work into his column and poll, I am sure.

Anonymous said...

Alright Bob, I follow your logic there. I am not worried about Oregon. I don't see Akili Smith or Joey Harrington back there slinging it for them. I don't see Onterrio Smith running the rock.

Oregon is a perreneal wannabe team running all over the place in there green and gold. When I look at NFL rosters I don't see a lot of Ducks. And theres a reason for that.

I am much more worried about the Red River Shootout than the Pacific Northwest Steamrolling. Texas has good Texas High School talent. Oregon has a bunch of lumberjacks kids with long johns under there pads. If this was the outdoor games on ESPN2 I might put them at even money, but there will be no chainsaws or log roll dancing on that gridiron.

Besides where is Akili Smith now? Maybe the best Duck in the last 20 years, and he is probably slinging an axe in some god forsaken clear cut forest in the Oregon woods for $6 an hour.

Anonymous said...

Bob,

"I like you."

Anonymous said...

Genius, Fake Sturm.

Anonymous said...

Bob...no TO=happy day for p1dean. The day he is finally run out of here, leaving a trail of former fans angrily burning their #81 jerseys and wondering why they're always attracted to the bad boys who hurt them, will be the day I start caring about the Official team of the Ticket.

The longer you can go without TO, the longer and harder I will love you in your belly.

p1dean

Anonymous said...

Let's play whose empty bag is bigger:

Brad Wilkerson

or

Larry Brown


You decide!


Bone
out.

Anonymous said...

Sooner,

Way to think outside the box. When sizing up the matchup between Oklahoma and Oregon I never thought to analyze Akili Smith's short pro career. That could be the difference make right there. I can't wait to place my bet on OU with that golden nugget of information. Good stat about the OU players in the NFL. I bet Oregon concedes before the coinflip once they find that out. Excellent insight!!

You are a credit to the OU fan base sir.

Anonymous said...

i think SOONER deserves his own blog. this guy is classic. i have no idea if it's a bit or not, but he is freakin hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Chevyt..the video is genius, as Bob says, on many levels...
1) This is a bear that has been trained to run around scantily clad christian girls without eating them (or at the very least masturbating).
2) This bear has a very large head.
3) This bear was previously a Methodist.
4) The scantily clad christian girls have apparently been trained to take no notice of a pantless bear running around their midst.
5) The scantily clad christian girls are all "technically" virgins.

p1dean

Anonymous said...

Bob does it really count as a TO'less blog if at the end you tell us it was TO'less? I wish everyone would quit picking on Sooner. It's not his fault that he believes his team should be ranked higher than #13. He actually believes losing that no talent whif they had as QB is a real loss. That's like being upset you lost VD. Be glad. Now you don't itch as much.

Anonymous said...

ignore Sooner, and he will go away

Sturminator said...

Chevyt-

In addition to what has been offered as above, please note at the very end the appearance of an opponent touchdown being scored in the background.

Bob

Anonymous said...

It always comes back to sports with you, doesn't it Bob? Oh well, I guess that's why you're the Sturminator and I'm just some dude in the next cubicle over.

p1dean

btw...now that the little ticket is the official Cowboys station, and Spags is technically your boss, have you had to apologize for that tense "everything's always a joke" meltdown?

Anonymous said...

Hot Carl, it is bad that we lost Bomar, but we will suffer no dropoff at QB. Paul Thompson is as talented and athletic a QB as you'll see this year. He did not get a fair shot last year because the alumni pressured our athletic director to push Bomar to the front.

Thompson's arm strength would be in the top 5 of current NFL quarterbacks, and is definitly at the top of major college quarterbacks. His accuracy is improving and is said to be close to first rate. After all we all know that you cant teach strength but accuracy is a different story. That brings me to his running. Thompson is a gifted runner who can make plays with his feet but will win championships with his arms.

If Bomar was here we would be a little better at receiver because Thompson would be out there. But having him at QB is great because he gets a chance to make a play on every snap. If you think about it, most college fans are probably madder about Bomar getting dismissed than OU fans are because it kills the possibility that Thompson would transfer to there school to play quarterback!

I think some of you get the wrong idea about me. I am the first to admit that the Sooners need a few bounces to go there way to win it all. I'm not saying there the '85 Bears or anything -- I just think that there ready to get back to the top. We will all get to watch and see how it plays out. I think alot of people see the logic in my ideas -- and if I have helped make a few more of you into Sooner fans then I am happy.

Have you noticed that most people are afraid to say who they root for because they dont have a lot of hope this year. I'm not. I like the Sooners.

Anonymous said...

You know what, SOONER? You're right, I'm tired of being afraid of what other people think. You've inspired me.

Sure, my alma mater needs a few "breaks". Yeah, they don't play "real good" football. And sure, they've flown under the radar these last few years, but by god, I believe that this is the year the MEAN GREEN will break through that Top 20 ceiling. Go UNT! Go UNT! Fight, Scrappy, you crazy eagle, you!! Who's with me? Jub Jub?! Anyone? Bueller?

Anonymous said...

I think this guy Sooner makes some sense and you all maybe should back off a little with your jokes -- some of his sports points are alright.

Anonymous said...

Dude, I'm being serious...okay, not about the top 20 part...but I think he's dead on about rooting for your team regardless of popular opinion. That's what makes the Cub's fan so great. That's what make the average Dallas Sports fan such a whip! The Mavs are a non-entity until they crack the finals and now everyone was a Dirk fan 20 years ago!

Sooner likes the Sooners...p1dean is rooting for the Mean Green...Bob is hoping for the Pack to have one more magic season...Gordo is hoping for the right parmesian to black pepper ratio on his next Caesar Salad at Le Madeline's. We're all winners when we dream!!

Anonymous said...

#1. I have no credibility
#2. I didn't say he had good sports points (that was "anonymous")...I know nothing about college football (North Texas?? Hello?!?), but I agree with him sticking with his team, no matter how um, uh, dispoplar his uh preposition might be uh, um seen as it were.
#3. I have no credibility
#4 . I have some short-term memory issues.
#5. Maybe the dude does have a top 5 arm...without seeing the rest of his "package" that means nothing (didn't Leaf have a super arm? too bad he was an immobile moron.
#6. [has been left intentionally blank]

good day to ya...p1dean

Anonymous said...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/4153409.html

bob, check this link for a gay/not gay for Gribble's hero Chris Simms...

Highlights from the article:
"UT friendship leaves mark on Simms, Shanahan
College tattoos keep Bucs QB, Texans assistant bonded for life


By JOHN MCCLAIN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Chris Simms and Kyle Shanahan became such good friends at the University of Texas that they have their initials tattooed on each other's lower leg.

Anonymous said...

Let Sooner boy have his moment in the sun for now while his team is still undefeated.

He won't be here doing any boasting by mid October anyway...

Anonymous said...

4:28 anon -- Welcome to the party. That was already posted here this morning, and Deadspin has run with it. Don't worry, Bob will report it as breaking news in a couple of months.

Anonymous said...

As a Sooner fan, let me offer this up.

After what happened the last three years, I don't think we as Sooner fans have any room to complain about where we are ranked.

Besides, nobody cares where you're ranked coming into the season. The only polls that matter are the last two polls of the season.

Anonymous said...

Team USA Basketball RULES!



































*sob*

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