I love the MLB All-Star Game. It's clearly the best of the major sports exhibitions. The reason? The first 30 minutes of the broadcast; and Yankee Stadium did not disappoint. It was fantastic seeing all those Hall of Famers out there on one field welcoming the 2008 All-Star starters. It was great seeing those faces wander Monument Park.
It reminds you this game is more than the statistics or steroids or teams or contracts or egos. It's a simple game shared by fathers and sons. I was constantly told baseball is clear cut: You catch, you throw. Fortunately for all of us, Brooks Robinson caught baseballs incredibly well. Whitey Ford threw them well. And the likes of Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson hit them extremely well. It honestly got a little dusty in my house watching those greats tip their hats. It was even nice seeing the Yankee greats like Yogi Berra, Ford and Jackson get love, even if they are Yankees.
This from Milton Bradley's All-Star New York Times blog:
Besides the birth of my son, I don't think I've had a prouder moment in my life. The embrace with Wash was a special one. It felt like a father-son moment to me. In 30 years, I've never really had one of those so I an only imagine that's what it must feel like.In other news, the American League won 4-3 in an instant 15-inning classic. You really felt you were watching All-Stars. The pitching was brilliant (did you see Joakim Soria buckle Dan Uggla's knees in the 12th?), the defense was superb. In fact, the only disappointing aspect was the hitting which included a series of un-clutch moments and poor at-bats. Good stuff, nonetheless.
As for the Rangers contingent, the four-headed offensive monster of Milton Bradley, Josh Hamilton, Mike Young and Ian Kinsler went a combined 3-14, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 4 K and 3 stolen bases. Not totally unproductive. The lone RBI was the game winner by Young. So, there you go.
Favre and the Pack continue to play chicken
Looks like neither side is backing down in the war of Favre vs. Packers. Favre expressed his intention to continue on with petitioning the league for reinstatement Tuesday even joking about showing up at Packers training camp, putting the ball in the Pack's court. As a good-strong Cowboys fan I'm hoping the two sides will eat themselves alive and we won't have to worry about them this season. -Brad C
Though Favre hasn't filed his official retirement papers with the league, he is on the Packers' reserve/retired list, and by NFL rules, has to ask the commissioner in writing for reinstatement to the team.
A source close to Favre said he is going to petition the league, and though he didn't say when, the assumption is it will be sooner rather than later so Favre can be traded to a new team before training camp.
"He's going to write the letter to the commissioner," the source said. "We'll see what happens from there, I guess."
The women's soccer news you've been dying for
So everyone raise your hand who knew we had a really awesome women's national team. Yeah, me neither. But they beat Brazil Sunday night 1-0 in their final exhibition match before the Olympics. I don't know much about soccer at all, but one thing I do know is Brazil be good at it. So when I saw the US women beat them I looked up the FIFA international rankings and the US is ranked number one. Friggin' A right?? So I for one will now be bandwagoning on the US women's team during the Olympics but it's not illegal rooting 'cause dang it, I'm 'merican!! and what's more 'merican than sudden-expertism and bandwagoning during the Olympics?!! GO SOCCER!! -Brad C
The U.S., which has posted shutouts in its last six games, is now 20-0-1 in 2008. The two teams meet again Wednesday in San Diego in their last match before the Olympics start next month in Beijing. The U.S. faces Norway on Aug. 6 in its first Olympic match.
In a rather shocking turn of events, the Los Angeles Clippers are certainly "rebounding" (get it?)after getting the middle finger from Elton Brand. Yesterday, the team agreed to swap second-round picks next year with the Denver Nuggets for center Marcus Camby. Clearly, the Nuggets were fed up with the scene with their vets unable to eclipse anything other than the first round of the playoffs. So much that they gave up one of the league's best interior defenders and rebounders for nothing.
For the Clips, it gives them a most formidable frontcourt tandem in Camby and Chris Kaman. Let's see Baron Davis, Cat Mobley, Al Thornton, Kaman and Camby. That's a salty starting five.
Question for Mavs brass: Why the heck weren't the Mavs giving up their picks for this guy? I refuse to believe guys are just traded on a whim. Camby's name had to be out there. So before you give DeSagana flippin' Diop the mid-level exemption, why not try to deal for Camby? He's instant defense, quality offense and it allows you to bring Erick Dampier off the bench. Ugh.
A cool feature in the eephus pitch. The thought of the always-serious Randy Johnson tossing one makes me giggle.
Shield's last season makes me sad-happy
As BaD Radio fans are aware, The Shield is a huge presence in the life of our boys Bob and Dan and on Tuesday The FX Network held a series of panel discussions one of which included the major players of The Shield discussing the 7th and final season coming up this fall. Sounds like it will be great so get ready for an amazing ending to the second best show of all time. Be sure to watch it or Vic Mackey will come and eat your children! -Brad C
Chiklis agreed, saying that "what thrills me about the finale is you will not see this coming. You will not know that we do. That when you look back at you'll go, holy cow, yeah, that's exactly right."
Another thing Chiklis added was that the first four episodes of this season are "incredibly dense. I don't think I've ever seen more packed into hour-long episodes than in those."
Between Two Ferns
Bob Sturm will not be pleased
5 comments:
the Mavs couldn't have made the Camby move for just draft picks because they (the Mavs) are over the salary cap. Because the Clips lost Elton Brand last week, the went under the cap and was then able to make a trade that didn't match salary for salary. The Mavs would have had to send equal salaries back to Denver for Camby, which is not what Denver wanted. This trade was a salary dump, pure and simple.
You know, if you're going to write a blog of any kind, much less fill in for Sturm, you should do an ounce of research before asking dumb questions like "why weren't the Mavs in on Camby".
Why, you ask? Well how about because the NBA has rules on how trades can be done. Teams over the cap can't just take on salary in a trade without sending back basically equal value back. The only way a team can absorb a contract like Camby's without sending anything back is if they have enough room under the cap to absorb his contract. That means two teams in the NBA had the ability to do this trade, the Clips and Grizz.
Only way Dallas could have gotten involved is if they had sent expiring contracts to the Nuggets. That doesn't help the Nuggets get under the luxury tax this season.
Seriously, an ounce of research first.
RE: Camby trade.
I was also mystified by the apparent free giveaway of Mr. Camby, but ESPN is reporting that the Clips were the only folks under the cap enough to take that $10m salary off the Nugget's hands and save them $10m in luxury tax. It also gives them that $10m trade exception for a year.
Bull
"Second best show of all time"?
So what's number 1? The Wire? Lonesome Dove? Please don't say The Sopranos...
So it's impossible for the Mavs to have given Jason Terry or Jerry Stackhouse with Bass or Jones for Camby? It works moneywise and would've kept the Mavs at about the same place cap-wise.
There are tons of variables here but to say it was impossible for the Mavs to maneuver to make a run at the guy is not true.
The salary dump, I think, was a last-ditch move because they allegedly didn't want to give Camby away. This team isn't rebuilding with AI and Carmelo on the roster.
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