RIP: Bill Walsh

It wasn't so much the Super Bowl rings, or turning what was a moribund franchise when he arrived into a dynasty, in my opinion a valid measure of a coaches greatness on any level, is the number of coaches that go on to success after mentoring in a particular program.

Going by the coaching tree above (from Wikipedia), Walsh was one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time.

Revolutionized NFL offenses with the "West Coast" offense. Just a quick hitting, efficient pass first--run second style that at times seemed unstoppable.

Former players comment on his impact:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=3526148

TAKE THE FAMILY OF FOUR TO A GAME...TAKE OUT A MORTGAGE

It seems like every year, some consumer group does a survey of the cost a family of four incurs to attend a game for the four major sports. They may even include NASCAR now so let's say five major sports, and yes we are stretching the definition for hockey.

Anyway it seems as if they always get a quote from Joe Six Pack something along the lines of, "Yeah, this is really getting out of hand. You have to take out a mortgage just to take your family of four to a game."

Well SOB if someone wasn't listening. Somewhere, Joe Six Pack is doubled over from this kick in the groin.



http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2007/06/19/Take-a-Seat-Sports-Fans-for-a-pric

Take a Seat, Sports Fans - for a Price
by Megan Barnett Jun 19 2007
A start up being backed by a Wall Street giant offers a new twist in stadium financing.
Join the Conversation

What if you could spend, say, $100,000 to become the owner of two seats behind the dugout in the new Yankee Stadium, due to be completed in 2009?

We are talking not about tickets, but about the seats themselves. They would be your property for as long as the Yankees play at the stadium. And with the sale of these seats, the Yankees would have raised the entire $1.2 billion needed to build the venue.

.......Stadium Capital’s approach allows fans to be "locked into seats for an extraordinarily long time without any price increase" and "solves the problems municipalities have with a lack of appetite to finance new stadiums."

.......details about his brainchild can be found in Weisbach’s February 2006 filing at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Patent application No. 20060036506 describes a "method of financing a sports stadium or entertainment center."

......fans would buy seats for a designated period of time and finance them much like a mortgage. Pricing mechanisms can vary, but the most appealing option for buyers might be a 30-year loan with an annual payment equal to the current price of a season ticket. In exchange, the seat becomes real property, equivalent to, say, a condominium. The team (or university or other owner) receives the principal amount of the loan up front, to put toward construction costs.

This arrangement is different from seat licensing, which gives the holder the right to buy a season ticket for a specific seat. It also differs from the stock ownership of teams like the Green Bay Packers. Under Weisbach's system, people own seats, not shares of a team.

Say, for instance, the current price of a season baseball ticket is $3,240. A 30-year loan at 6 percent interest with an annual payment of $3,240 results in a principal amount of $45,000. Even if the price of the seat doubles in the next 20 years, the seat owner still pays $3,240. Investors will have the option of making annual payments over 30 years, paying the entire amount up front, or something in between. Owners can also sell their seats at any time for market value, but rest assured—the team will get a cut of any profits.

So just how many seat buyers would it take to finance a state-of-the-art stadium with the latest retractable roof technology? In an interview, Weisbach said fewer than 10 percent of seats would need to sell in order to build a new stadium. However, going by the example outlined above, the patent application states that selling 20,000 tickets would yield $900 million, just about enough to cover costs. In most Major League stadiums, this would require selling nearly half of the seats.

THE BONDS WATCH: WEEK IN REVIEW

The "news" of the week was that the Grand Jury investigating Barry Bonds for perjury and tax evasion was extended once again. So the "strong" case documented in the Pulitzer Prize winning book Game of Shadows....uh Pulitzer Prize nominated book?....what it wasn't even nominated? Oh darn. Looks like the Pulitzer committee knew bad journalism when they saw it, even if the brethren did not.

Star witness Kimberly Bell makes another trip to the ATM machine that seems to describe her relationship with Barry, by showing her worthless goods to all the world via Playboy. She'll be an attractive witness for the government, although I must say, she'll fit right in with the crowd. Vindictive whores of a feather are flocking together on this sinking ship. She'll be a great witness.

It must be a coincidence that this is timed out to when the GJ term is about to expire. I would think if she was going to testify at a pending trial, this would not have been cleared by her attorney or the government's attorneys for that matter.
I'm certain it's timed to Barry breaking the record, for maximum exposure to the magazine. No pun intend....oh please, of course I selected that term for a reason. They must be having a big circle jerk over this one. That is if they have an advance copy of the magazine.

I don't think Bonds' attorney Michael Rains would be publicly calling these guys out like he has been lately if most signs didn't point to this being one of the most botched investigations since the OJ trial. The government must be hoping for a Perry Mason-type moment to keep this thing alive, maybe a last minute alley-oop pass from Radomski or Giambi or the Mitchell white-wash, er...investigation.

We've had the Scooter Libbey perjury trial come and go, Michael Vick's investigation and indictment come and go and the whole Duke lacrosse thing come and go in less time than this one. Maybe the government should get those attorneys on this case, huh? Oops, one of them is no longer practicing. It will be interesting to see how they try to perform a face-saving moon-walk out of this one.

The ship that is the case against Bonds appears to be sinking. And those who initiated the investigation (IRS Agent Novitsky) should now concern themselves with whether they can at minimum save face with a tax evasion charge that they'll likely lose.

The haters will say the worst if he's convicted of that, but does anybody really believe that on April 15th, a time of year the Giants are usually playing games, that Bonds is sitting in his hotel room with a pencil, an abacus and various IRS forms and publications doing his own taxes? I didn't think so. The odds of them nailing anything substantive on Bonds even in this area, appear to be nil.

I stioll maintain that the court of public opinion is where these people truly want this thing to be. It's where all the crap about hat size, shoe size, head size, etc.
Half of the stuff in Game of Shadows that is related to to Bonds, is of such circumstantial nature or even outright garbage when examined fairly (as one judge characterized a piece of "evidence" used liberally by the book).

ENJOY THE SHOW.

FROM BASEBALL MUSINGS - BELL POSES FOR PLAYBOY

Bell in Playboy
Kimberly Bell, former mistress of Barry Bonds, tells her story in the November Playboy and poses nude as well.

Bell's appearance in the magazine can't help the government's case against her former lover.
Defense lawyers are widely expected to argue that Bell was a woman scorned because of Bonds' decision to marry another woman during their relationship. Her appearance on Playboy may only add fuel to the defense's case.


Really? Haven't we learned anything from the Gennifer Flowers case? Her story was dismissed because she sold it to a tabloid, but it turned out to be true. If Bell does have tapes to back up her story, my guess is her story will hold up in court just fine

SLAV'S TAKE:
Yes, she sounds like a fine witness:

"He was very envious of Mark McGwire," she said from her San Jose home. "He never said that was the reason, but I know it was."

Now, I'm not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV, but even I could rip this one to shreds.

Greg Anderson is more likely protecting his own behind not Barry's. He's a non-factor, or he would have been one by now.

Just MO, but come on, use some common sense. Self-preservation or preserving the reputation of a guy the rest of the world knows as the biggest a-hole out there. And only you see another side of him, a side worth doing time in prison for?

WOW, I want to see that story as a made for TV movie.

I said from day one, the best they would get out of this was a tax case. Now, it looks as if they might not get that.


From ESPN.com SELIG'S NON-STATEMENT ON BONDS SAYS PLENTY:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2944073

Selig's non-statement about Bonds says plenty


SLAV'S TAKE:
Who cares? Selig and Aaron can play their little 69 act in Milwaukee when
Bonds breaks the record for all I care. Who needs
Selig's pickle sucking expression in SF? If I were
Bonds and he showed up I would walk right past him and
ignore him, not shake his hand, although I'm pretty
sure Bonds wouldn't do that. Aaron would never show up
in SF because he would once again wilt under the light
that shines upon Willie Mays. He was in Mays shadow
all throughout his career and didn't like it, and I'm
sure he doesn't like it now. Get over it, Hank you
freaking cry-baby.


UPDATE: Selig speaks:

"Out of respect for the tradition of this game, the magnitude of the record, and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty, I will attend Barry Bonds' next games to observe his potential tying and breaking of the home run record, subject to my commitments to the Hall of Fame this weekend."

Ironic that he added the "innocent until proven guilty" jab. Hasn't been the csae so far. I'm glad to hear he won't be on the field and hopefully Barry hits it when he's not there at all. We don;t need the cut-aways to old pickle-puss to damper the moment.


BASEBALL MUSINGS What About Bonds

What About Bonds?
A commenter to this post writes:

Is it wrong to wish injury or failure on Bonds at this point, or is the integrity of Baseball's record books so trashed that it really doesn't matter?
Is Baseball Musings really happy about this?


When Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record, people complained. He wasn't Mickey Mantle. The season was too long. Expansion made home runs easier. When Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record, people complained. He wasn't as good a player as Ruth. He was black.

People like to complain when a record gets broken. They find all sorts of reasons why the new record holder isn't as good as the old record holder. But now Maris is recognized for his achievement as he never was in his lifetime. Aaron is universally adored as a great player and a fine human being.

Bonds pursuit of the record is a story. It's interesting if he breaks the record. It's more interesting if he breaks down short of the record. I'm fine with either one. What I know is that in 30 years, his chase will likely be remembered fondly, just as Maris and Aaron are today.

SLAV'S TAKE:To all the people who cling to the "mountain of
evidence" argument the the book Game of Shadows
provides, (most of whom I believe have not read one
page of the book). I have just one simple question:

Since this book is based on the "mountain of evidence"
the government has at its disposal to presumably bring
perjury charges against Bonds, WHERE IS THE INDICTMENT
AND WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG TO BRING IT?

This mountain of evidence is crystal clear and
compelling and overwhelming and convincing, right?

And yet no indictment, after all this time. When as
the saying goes, you can get a grand jury to indict a
ham sandwich.

And they sure brought down an indictment on Vick
fairly quickly in another case that was initially
described as complicated to prosecute.

Perjury is not THAT difficult to prove, ask Scooter
Libby. Neither is tax evasion. IRS does it all the
time.

It is difficult when you don't have the evidence. And
those closest to said evidence and hearing all of it,
apparently remain unconvinced. Therefore, so do I.

Your tax dollars at work.


FROM ESPN.COM - SANFRANCISCO ROSTER

Also see: Giants Lineup Change team:

Pitchers
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
18 Matt Cain P R R 22 6-3 234 $650,000
31 Vinnie Chulk P R R 28 6-2 195 $396,000
32 Kevin Correia P R R 26 6-3 202 $400,000
41 Brad Hennessey P R R 27 6-2 195 $400,000
34 Steve Kline P R L 34 6-1 210 $1,750,000
55 Tim Lincecum P L R 23 5-11 170 N/A
51 Noah Lowry P R L 26 6-2 202 $1,365,000
23 Randy Messenger P R R 25 6-6 247 $380,000
22 Matt Morris P R R 32 6-5 220 $10,037,283
48 Russ Ortiz DL P R R 33 6-1 222 $380,000
53 Jonathan Sanchez P L L 24 6-2 165 $381,000
37 Jack Taschner P L L 29 6-3 208 $382,000
75 Barry Zito P L L 29 6-4 210 $10,000,000
Catchers
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
50 Eliezer Alfonzo DL C R R 28 6-0 223 $382,000
72 Mike Matheny DL C R R 36 6-3 227 N/A
1 Bengie Molina C R R 33 5-11 225 $4,000,000
39 Guillermo Rodriguez C R R 29 5-11 195 N/A
Infielders
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
35 Rich Aurilia 1B R R 35 6-1 190 $3,500,000
5 Ray Durham 2B B R 35 5-8 191 $7,000,000
7 Pedro Feliz 3B R R 32 6-1 210 $5,100,000
19 Kevin Frandsen 2B R R 25 6-0 175 $380,500
21 Ryan Klesko 1B L L 36 6-3 220 $1,750,000
13 Omar Vizquel SS B R 40 5-9 175 $5,140,084
Outfielders
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
25 Barry Bonds LF L L 42 6-2 228 $15,533,970
14 Fred Lewis RF L R 26 6-2 190 N/A
10 Dave Roberts CF L L 35 5-10 180 $5,000,000
9 Mark Sweeney LF L L 37 6-1 215 $900,000
2 Randy Winn RF B R 33 6-2 193 $5,000,000

Average Age: 30.7
Average Weight: 204
Average Height: 6-1
Right-Handed Pitchers: 8
* Batter totals exclude pitchers Left-Handed Pitchers: 5
Right-Handed Batters: 7
Left-Handed Batters: 5
Switch Hitters: 3

SLAV'S TAKE:
Average Height: 6-1 Barry Bonds Height: 6-2
Average Weight: 204 Barry Bonds Weight: 228

It's interesting to note that the "average" player is only 1 inch shorter and 24 lbs lighter. The extra inch in height is usually good for 10-15 lbs. Interesting, barely above average.

IT'S ALL RELATIVE I GUESS.

BONDS #752 @ WRIGLEY FIELD

Cool link to video of #752, jacked out of Wrigley Field, the first bomb to leave the yard this season apparently. The dude that caught it supposedly turned down $5-10K right on the spot for the ball. Unless it ends up being Bonds' final HR, it's hard to see the value going any higher than that for #752. But what do I know about collectibles?

It's on e-Bay listed @ $75,200. I'll check my wallet.



http://cgi.ebay.com/BARRY-BONDS-HOME-RUN-752-WRIGLEY-FIELD-7-19-2007_W0QQitemZ260141675951QQihZ016QQcategoryZ73418QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD4VQQcmdZViewItem

First Business - Barry Bonds HR #752

3 min 37 sec - Jul 19, 2007
Average rating: (1 rating)
Description: Would fans break with Wrigley Field tradition if they caught a home run off the bat of Barry Bonds?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6525788014502358977&pr=goog-sl

L'Affaire Vick, ESPN and the Giants

ESPN weighs in on Michael Vick, and as usual links to Barry Bonds:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=kreidler_mark&id=2940791

WTF!!! No matter what the story, ESPN finds a link to Bonds. Wrestler dies, kills his family, link it to Bonds. Vick runs his dog killing operation, link a story theme to Bonds. Global Warming, I bet the knuckleheads at the WWLIS find a way to lay it at Bonds doorstep. And I love how every weasel talking head now wants to caution everyone that an indictment doesn't mean anything happened. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE AN INDICTMENT OF BONDS YET AND YOU'VE ALREADY CONVICTED HIM IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION. You'd have to be contortionist to reconcile your arguments now folks. Athletes are supposed to know exactly what they put into their bodies when they test positive for steroids, well the same argument should go for Vick and his property. He should have (and very likely did) known what was going on. Why does Vick get the benefit of the doubt for something that is much more of a disgusting act against society? And please don't give me your nonsensical drivel about Vick not chasing a "hallowed" record. THAT ONE IS OLD. ESPN writers and talking heads are one-trick ponies and when the BALCO grand jury goes bye-bye after pitching a three-year shutout, what say you then?

Note: judging by the other comments posted, it seems as if many others are catching on to the WWLIS's act. My faith in the collective intelligence of my fellow man is being restored.
=====================================================================================



It's difficult to put the Michael Vick situation into perspective, because the details of the indictment paint a picture of a sick, disturbed individual. And it's not as if he hasn't flashed signs of becoming a bit of a jackass before.

He makes the Bonds affair look like child's play. This very likely sinks lower than Pete Rose, lower than Barry Bonds, lower than Ray Lewis and perhaps due to the he said/she said, "was it rape or simply adultery?" nature of the offense, lower than Kobe.

It's absolutely insane that we are at a place where we are searching for the bottom of the barrel of behavior in sports. Let's see, what's worse? Steroids? Rape? Active participation in a homicide? Running a dog killing operation? Pedophilia? Good Luck sorting the chips here NFL. And your dumb-ass sponsors. You all deserve each other.

And now we'll see if the Ayatollah Goodell is serious about his brandy-new personal conduct policy or not. It's different now that we;re talking about a marquee player rather then Pac-Man or Chris Henry or some other replaceable part. Be careful what you wish for, huh Roger-Dodger?

If the details I'm hearing are correct, that Vick purchased raw land and this "enterprise" was built on said land without his knowledge, then you can toss out the rogue relative, I didn't know what was happening on my property defense.

This will get very ugly, very quickly. Because these guys will turn on each other quicker and in a more ferocious fashion then the dogs they bred. And guess who has the most cash on hand to hire the most ferocious pit-bull legal team? And guess who has the publicity generating machine of both the NFL and corporate scumbag Nike on his side?

Right now, I feel sorry for Vick's accusers, they are going to be attacked with a ferocity we haven't seen, well since the last Presidential election.

As for Nike, they've already proven themselves to be a fairly rotten corporate citizen, so it does not shock me one iota that they would support Citizen Vick. That's fine, that is their prerogative. They should remember however, there are consequences for this position. They better hope they are right in stridently aligning themselves with Vick and continuing to roll out new products with his name as the sales tool.

For what it's worth, I'll take my chances on an early burn-anything-I-own with the Nike logo on it. If I end up wrong, I'll by a whole new Nike infested wardrobe. However, the verdict won't be my prime determinant (you know the whole OJ thing).

Let's see how big a fan of the court of public opinion the World Wide Leader in Shake and Bake (ESPN) becomes now that one of the biggest stars of their largest broadcast partner (the NFL) publicly fries when the details of his behavior come to light.

It's like I've always said, don't listen to what they say, watch what they do. Actions speak louder than words. They will act different here, because at the core level, let's just say, we know what they are, we're just negotiating the price.

I forgot where I saw it, for attribution's sake, but some legal expert opined in an article that Team Vick will spin all further media accounts using some euphemism that diverts attention from what this is, a dog-fighting operation, sick, sadistic animal abuse. Much like L'Affaire Kobe's rape-trial was rarely referred to as what it was, a rape-trial, it was Kobe's off the court issues, or Kobe's legal issues.
Making it sound like he was fighting a parking ticket or something. You'll see the same thing here.


Just to remind people that one of the behaviors psychologists have found common and prevalent in serial killers and other sociopaths, is an inclination to abuse animals before moving on to other victims. It is a sick, abhorrent behavior. Clinton Portis's jackass defense that a lot of people do it, doesn't justify the behavior.

It makes the defense that once this jackass exhausts the legal process, Goodell better come down good and hard on this clown. In fact, if I was NFL Commissioner for the day, I would tell Scumbag Vick in no uncertain terms:

"You can play the system here all you want, that is your right, but if this thing gets strung out to the end, and you're even remotely close to a guilty verdict, you'll never play in the NFL again. You will be banned for LIFE. And I don't mean life, like in the justice system definition of life, I mean the rest of your time here on earth LIFE. Are we clear, scumbag?"

It actually disgust me to no end that they will let this guy take the field.
Make no mistake about it, as much as I love the Giants, if this douchebag is playing against them, I wouldn't watch it.

UPDATE: Nike surprisingly does the right thing by suspending the new Vick shoe line that was due to be released. I already weeded the Nike shoes from my wardrobe but maybe now I can keep the pants and shirts.
=====================================================================================
AS THE GIANTS TURN:

Well, we're stuck with Sabean for a few more years. The team is in last place and seemingly is intent on mounting a sincere challenge to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the #1 overall pick in nest years draft. Which we'll use to draft and develop a stud pitcher we can use to trade for another broken down veteran.

That's the Sabean MO.

And don't give me the A-Rod pipe dream.

I think Magowan has been a good owner for this franchise, money has not held them back as much IMO as the use of the money given, and that is Sabean all the way. There’s been way too many dollars tossed down the drain with little return on the field.

Bonds salary over all his years with the Giants has been one of the biggest bargains in baseball. They’ve done a poor job capitalizing on having a centerpiece.

Which leads me to believe that if they ever actually had a legitimate chance to get someone like A-Rod, this recent history of personnel decisions will come back to haunt them. 4-5 teams will be in the hunt for him and I have to imagine the dollars will be close among all. The deciding factor after that, for A-Rod and his agent, will be which team can build around him after they’ve paid his king’s ransom of a salary.

Giants and Cubs would seem to fall back in this regard, behind the Yankees, RSox, Angels and perhaps the WSox. Just my $0.02.

UPDATE: Well, the Taste of Chicago just concluded, but for dessert Chicago gets a taste of Bonds. Two dingers, two balls hit out of the stadium (one foul). 4AB's and three absolute laser beams. GUESS WHO'S BACK??? At this point, FUCK THE WEASEL, who cares if the scumbag Selig is there or not. It would actually be better if he's not there.

HEY, THAT'S US: SOUTH ELGIN IS #82

WOW, we hit the big time finally. Good to see that Money magazine recognizes what we saw a couple of years ago when we moved up here. Great place to live, it could be warmer in January and February though. :)

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_top_100.moneymag/82.html

MONEY Best Places to Live Top 100:

For this year's list we focused on smaller places that offered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community.

82. South Elgin, Ill.
Population: 21,300
Median home price (2006): $263,640
Average property taxes (2005): $5,569

It's rare to find a place where you can fish in the middle of town. But in South Elgin, 60 miles northwest of Chicago, it's common to see anglers wading the shallow Fox River. Much of the town's charm comes from its old-fashioned feel. Residents flock to the many town gatherings throughout the year, like the four-day Riverfest Express, which features a children's fishing derby. (The winner is named the Tuna Kahuna.) South Elgin is also home to the Fox River Trolley Museum, which operates antique trolleys, where people can experience a little bit of yesteryear. -B.N.

Jimmy V. Speech: Dare I say a Modern Day Gehrig?

LOU GEHRIG AND HIS FAMOUS SPEECH.

When I was a youngster, one of the films I used to watch every year around this time was "Pride of the Yankees" the Lou Gehrig story. It was like an annual event. I came to admire not only Gehrig's ability as a player, but his decency as a man, and the strength he had to persevere on his way to 2,130 consecutive games played (I couldn't tell you how many Cal ended up with). Finally, you had to admire the courage, strength and dignity he displayed in dealing with the tragic illness that cut his life too short. The tragedy that I felt was that it seemed unfair to me that this great man's life was cut short by this random act of illness. There's no way you could ever reconcile this in your mind.

His great speech at Yankee Stadium on Lou Gehrig day, when he knew what the illness had done to him and would do him still, forever immortalized the words "today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth". You just can't know the story and watch the film and not be touched deeply.

In some regards, I feel the same way when ESPN does it's annual V-Foundation drive to raise funds for cancer research. It's an annual event, run around this time every year, coincidentally the same time "Pride of the Yankees" would run, and I feel the same way about the great Jimmy V. ESPY speech in 1993.

JIMMY V. 1993 ESPY SPEECH:

He says at the beginning of the speech:
To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number 1 is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number 2 is think. You should spend some time in thought. And Number 3 is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

Not a bad philosophy to live by. Alone this would have made the speech very good. But then Jimmy V. proceeds to take everyone on an emotional roller coaster within the speech by making us laugh, when he told the story of his first speech, the infamous Green Bay Packer speech. He made us think, when he told us about the fight he wanted to lead against cancer with the formation of his foundation, The V-Foundation, whose motto is the phrase most associated with Jimmy V. "Don't give up, don't ever give up."

And finally he made us cry by ending his speech with this blast:

"Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. I thank you and God bless you all."

Jim Valvano would die two months after giving this speech, just as Gehrig died shortly after delivering his most famous speech. The last couple of years, I find the comparisons between the two both sad and poignant, but in the same sense that Gehrig's story was inspiring to me, I find Jim Valvano's story doing much the same thing. The strength he displayed to be thinking of others when he knew what this dreaded disease had done to him and would do, to chose be a source of hope and strength and inspiration rather pity is awesome. His brother Bob wrote that he asked Jim why he was willing to work so hard when he was so sick himself and he said "This is my life. When you get sick, you can choose to live or wait to die. I choose to live."

Jim was a great coach, a great motivator, with a great passion for sports and life and how they seem to fit together. His North Carolina State Wolfpack's remarkable run through the ACC Tournament, the NCAA's and finally a Houston Cougar Phi-Slamm-Jamma team, that seemed more like it was heading to a coronation than a Finals appearance,ranks as one of the more remarkable coaching jobs of all-time. They were huge, huge underdogs. Maybe only the second biggest underdogs I've seen win, trailing only the 1980 Miracle on Ice Team. And yet they won, and afterwards you felt foolish for doubting them.

Fortunately for Jimmy V., his legacy lives on through his foundation. And the great memories.

HOME RUN DERBY & ALL-STAR GAME

"The All-Star Game was invented for Willie Mays" - Ted Williams

Anytime you get to see Willie Mays on a baseball field it's going to be a great baseball game, one to be remembered. It seems like they tried to recreate the Ted Williams event in Boston, but to honor Willie like that was a great thing for baseball to do.

The game itself almost, almost becomes anticlimactic after that, but hey, this time it counts, right? I'm not so up in arms about having the All-Star game winner determine the World Series home-field advantage. Any system you use will have its flaws. The alternating years system wasn't doing much for anyone. I've heard using the winner of inter-league play, but that system would not be perfect either.

If this gets a little more interest and intensity in the game, that's fine. It's still the best all-star game of all the major sports.

Regarding the Home Run Derby:

It just goes to show how good Bonds has been the last few years, when the best home run hitters couldn't conquer Pac Bell Park. Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder with no splash shots and very few homers, IN A GLORIFIED BATTING PRACTICE!!! INCREDIBLE.

If I had known Matt Holliday was that good though, I might have voted for him as well. He's going to be something and if they can somehow shut down the humidors for a year or so, he might hit 60+ dingers.

from ESPN.com

NL Starting Lineups Salary $52,015,260 total, $5,779,473.33 average
AL Starting Lineups Salary 120,207,164 total, $13,356,351.55 average

It's not quite the Yankess vs. the Devil Rays, but this may help explain why the NL hasn't won much of anything in a decade or so.



It's a good time to look at my pre-season predictions and where they stand at the break:

My pre-season Divison winner predictions:
NL East: Mets 48-39 record 1st place 59.9% chance to make playoffs
NL Central: Cardinals 40-45 record 3rd place 1.2% chance to make playoffs
NL West: Dodgers 49-40 record 2nd place 57.7% chance to make playoffs
Wild Card: Giants 38-48 record last place 1.7% chance to make playoffs

Al East: Yankees 42-43 record 3rd place 14.5% chance to make playoffs
AL Central: Tigers 52-34 record 2nd place 92.2% chance to make playoffs
AL West: Angels 53-35 record 1st place 79.3% chance to make playoffs
Wild Card: Indians 52-36 record 1st place 63.2% chance to make playoffs

World Series: Giants vs. Yankees
World Series Winner: Giants

Over/Under on Bonds breaking Aaron's record: September 3rd.

The precentage chance to make playoffs figures are from the aptly named, Coolstandings.com:
http://www.coolstandings.com/baseball_standings.asp?i=1

Giants and Cardinals are obviously kiling me so far. I must have really been drinking the orange and black Kool-Aid in the pre-season. Giants have been terrible, when Bonds looks like the most vibrant player on the field most days, your team is getting old. The offense is anemic and the bullpen horrible.

Missed on the RedSox in the AL so far, Yankees are given a better chance to make the playoff then the second place BlueJays, probably justified. They can't be as bad as they looked in the first half. But just like Bonds with the Giants, the Yankees fortunes ride on one man, Mariano Rivera. If he goes down, or continues to look frayed around the edges,as he did in the first half. The Yankees are the most expensive .500 team in history.

If baseball truly wants a level playing field, players and owners need to get together and work on some form of "payroll parity". I know money doesn't guarantee success, but clearly the lack of it guarantees failure. Or at least the feeling that your team should be named the Washington Generals. Ask the Devil Rays, Royals, Pirates, etc. And some of the other teams are just cosmetically competetive.

The playoffs are becoming a party where realistically only about 1/3 of the teams have a realistic chance of making the playoffs annually, 1/3 need so many thing to go right each year that realistically it's not possible and 1/3 have no chance after April or May at the latest.

BYE BYE BALCO, WE KNEW YOU TOO WELL

I couldn't write this script any better myself to demonstrate what I've been saying about this steroid mess all along.

FROM THE AP REGARDING RADOMSKY CASE:

Federal prosecutors said yesterday they did not give baseball steroids investigator George Mitchell a complete copy of an affidavit containing names of players who allegedly received performance-enhancing drugs from a former New York Mets clubhouse employee.

Prosecutors urged a judge to keep under seal the names of the players identified in a sworn statement signed by IRS special agent Jeff Novitzky.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco said a motion by Hearst Corp. seeking unredacted copies of the search warrant affidavit is a "thinly veiled attempt to benefit financially" by publicizing the names of people involved in the government's steroid probe and does not serve a public need.

Now, one wonders why the same argument was not made loudly and vociferously by all the haters. Why wasn't the public portrayal of the "Game of Shadows" put in the same light?

PUBLICIZING THE NAMES DOES NOT SERVE A PUBLIC NEED!!!

THIS FROM THE SAME OFFICE THAT DOESN'T BAT AN EYELASH WHEN THE NAMES AND TESTIMONY OF BONDS AND SHEFFIELD IS USED TO PUBLICLY SMEAR AND PROFESSIONALLY HARM THEM?

Disgraceful, disgusting conduct and once again your tax dollars at work. As I always say, if there is ever again another true revolution in this country, guys like these "public servants" will be hanging upside down in the public square like human pinatas. And I'll be happy to bring my Louisville Slugger. Unfortunately, all we can do is vote the scumbags out of office, but it doesn't hurt to think of the possibilities.

That's OK, it's becoming apparent to everybody with a brain what's going on and what's gone on in the past.

FROM THE BALCO CASE:
Lead Investigator IRS Agent Novitsky: Charges of misconduct and abuse of office in this case. It became obvious what was going on when he asked Grimsley to wear a mike and gather evidence against Bonds in exchange for leniency. Has been accused by former partners of having a personal vendetta against Bonds. Not widely reported for obvious reasons.

The Lead Attorney in the case fired for incompetence and replaced by the President.
It's pretty bad when the most incompetent President of my lifetime fires you for incompetence. THAT'S GOT TO HURT.

And on a side note, how can the Bush Adminstration's Justice Department continue to pursue perjury charges in a high-profile case like this after erasing perjury charges against one of their own in Scooter Libby? Seems a little hypocritical. It would seem to be at odds with their own Attorney''s quotes in this case about the public interest being served. What then is the continued public interest that is being served in continuing to investigate Bonds for perjury?

Potential Star Witness in the case Greg Anderson gives them nothing in the case, and if he says anything of value now, how hard would it be for a defense attorney to tear up his testimony due to duress caused by his incarceration? Guys have given up mob figures with less screw-turning from the feds.

Potential Star Witness, mistress Kimberly Bell. Aside from the potential sour-grapes angle of an ex-lover scorned, there's the hurdle of possible extortion that would make her value as a witness next to nil. Combine this with the book deals and the pending Playboy layout and this ex-stripper has defined what she is, we're just not sure of the price.

After almost five years, and this is the huge pile of evidence that is not only the basis for the case against Bonds for perjury, but also the basis of the book, "Game of Shadows" that all the haters cite as indisputable proof.

I just have one simple question. If it's that indisputable, how come we haven't seen that indictment we've heard should be coming down the pike "any day" now for fricking years on end? Not even an indictment. And remember how easy it is to bring down an indictment. The Keystone Cops can't even do that.

My guess is this latest grand jury will not be able to bring down anything of substance and even the pending tax evasion charges will go away leaving only the vapor trail of innuendo and supposition. That's where the haters want it, in the court of public opinion, but the assholes had the full weight of the US Government behind the and have, to date come up with more swings and misses than Dave Kingman.

The Radomski case names are likely filled with some popular names from the New York market. Good Luck getting them released. Guys from outside the New York area have their own clubhouse boys why would they trust the NY clubbie more than their own?

The Grimsley case, they won't pursue much further because of the names that have already been linked to it.

All this time and all these tax dollars expended and these guys have come up with a big bag of nothing. GOOD JOB FOLKS.

The WWLIS Stands for World Wide Leader in Stupidity

One of the enduring memories of the remarkably unforgettable ESPN production "Dream Job", where geeks like me could compete for a job as an ESPN talking head, was the boss man's mantra that "ESPN doesn't make mistakes like....blah,blah,blah,blah,blah".

Simple mistakes like pronunciation of names, dates when events happened, stadium names, etc. Well, guys how about some remedial math courses thrown into the next corporate get-together?

The reason I bring this up? On a recent Baseball Tonight with Steve Bertiaume and I believe Kruk and Steve Phillips (who should know better) were batting around the
recent Buerhle-White Sox contract drama, and compared his age, salary and prior record with that of the Giants Barry Zito.

They did a good job of illustrating that they were dead even in almost all the relevant baseball stats, not including salary. Good job so far. These guys looked like equal values.

HOWEVER, they then veered into the dollars and centsd and Bertaume acted astonished that the Sox would not sign a comparable talent to Zito for ".50 cents on the dollar vis-a-vis Barry Zito. Apparently, accounting is not for everybody.

I guess using the simplistic "total value quoted" method of analysis this might be correct: Zito signs for $126 million vs. Buerhle's $56 million.

However, given the assembled on-air talent and the army of off-air staff these guys have in research (where's The Schwab when you need him?) shouldn't somebody have told these guys that Buerhle was not giving these guys any real "hometown discount"

That's another term I heard the local (Chicago) ESPN talent tossing around a little too liberally. Guys, there isn't any discount here.

I'll do the homework nobody at ESPN seems to be able to do.

Contract figures are from:
http://mlb4u.com/profile.php?id=209

We'll look at Zito's deal in depth. Although it's reported as a 7-year, $126 Million deal.


Contract:
signed 7-year deal worth $126M thru 2013 season on 12/29/06- + he receives salaries of $10M in 2007, $14.5M in 2008, $18.5M each year in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and $19M in 2012 and $20M in 2013- + the deal includes a team option for 2014 worth $18M or a $7M buyout- + the option becomes a player option if he pitches 200 innings in 2013 (with at least 180IP in either 2011 or 2012), 400 innings combined over 2012 and 2013 or 600 combined from 2011 to 2013- + if the option becomes guaranteed as a player option, but he chooses to decline it then he receives a $3.5M buyout- + he receives a complete NO-TRADE clause- + he receives a suite on road trips- + he can earn award bonuses: $500K for Cy Young Award, $200K for 2nd place Cy Young finish, $150K for 3rd palce Cy Young finish, $100K for 4th place Cy finish, $50K for 5th place Cy finish; $750K for second Cy Young award and $1M for 3rd Cy Young award; $250K for MVP, $150K for 2nd place MVP finish, $100K for 3rd place MVP, $75K for 4th place MVP and $50K for 5th place MVP; $200K for WS MVP, $100K for LCS MVP; $100K for Gold Glove and $100K for All-Star selection- + as part of the deal, he will fund the construction of youth fields in the San Francisco area through his foundation and a portion of his deal will be donated to his charity, Strikeouts for Troops- + 2006 salary: $7.9M, 2005: $5.6M, 2004: $2.7M, 2003: $900K, 2002: $500K (+ $400K signing bonus)

OK, lets see how that works out for Zito for the early years:

2007 - $10M
2008 - $14.5M
2009 - $18.5M
2010 - $18.5M
so for the first four years Zito makes $57.5M in salary.

2011 - $18.5M
2012 - $19M
2013 - $20M
and in years 5-6-7 $57.5M in salary.


So in reality, a 7-year, $115 deal, so far.

ZITO ALSO HAS $11M POTENTIAL BONUSES, BUT HE WOULD HAVE TO WIN THE CY YOUNG AWARD, TH E LEAGUE MVP, THE WORLD SERIES MVP & THE GOLD GLOVE AWARD EVERY YEAR FOR SEVEN YEARS TO COLLECT ALL $11M IN POTENTIAL BONUS DOLLARS AVAILABLE.

What are the odds of that happening? Realistically, out of that $11M pool of "potential" bonus money, he'll be lucky to collect 10-20% of it over the life of the contract.

Don't even get me started on the rant about why a guy who is already getting paid $15-20M in salary has these type of bonuses in his contract.

A-Rod has a bonus for making the All-Star team for chrissakes!!!

FOR HIS SALARY, HE SHOULD MAKE THE ALL-STAR TEAM EVERY FREAKING YEAR, OR HE FORFEITS A PERCENTAGE OF HIS SALARY!!!

Oh well, too late.

Anyway, back to Zito-Buerhle:

So Buerhle gets 4 years, $56M vs. Zito's FIRST 4 years, $57.5M, a hometown discount of $1.5M over the same four years. The only difference is Zito knows what his salary is for years 5,6 and 7 and Buerhle does not. Buerhle might get a bigger deal in the out years. It depends on his performance and where the market goes. Both sides are taking a crapshoot.

White Sox fans to this day are clogging the airwaves with fanciful hopes of a pot of $70 million in saved salary that can now be spent on top-tier free-agents (A-Rod??).
STOP IT PEOPLE!!!

Ask yourselves, who are you going to get in years 5-6-7 to be your top of the rotation starter and how much do you think it will cost in those years?

So get all your facts together before opining on these issues or issuing kudos to Kenny Wiliams, White Sox GM, or Buerhle for the "hometown discount" or loyalty or whatever. It's just not there, folks.

I'll forgive the boys at ESPN this time, after all, I owe them for removing Salibury from my local radio airwaves. And now, I hear Danny-boy is leaving also, which means the Olber-douchebag can't be far behind. My ears may stop bleeding after all.
HAT TRICK!!

Now if Doug Gottlieb can only contract terminal laryngitis. Ahhh, perchance to dream.

JUST PLAY: WIFFLEBALL, HAPPY 54TH B-DAY

Happy 54th Birthday Wiffleball. One of the greatest childhood games.

http://sportsreviewmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1208



The Field and the Rules haven't changed much. You learn how to hit a variety of pitches without the threat of Little League elbow. And you learn how to hit a variety of breaking pitches and off-speed pitches just by sheer repetition.



It seems as if maybe the game is growing outside of the backyard and the playground as well. Maybe someday, we can see a National Wiffleball Tournament, perhaps on ESPN8, The Ocho? Or maybe they can just replace all the poker they've been showing. Or maybe instead of the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest.

It seems as if Indiana is the current cradle of Wiffleball, judging by the rankings:

http://www.whiffleball.org/

Super 20 Whiffleball Teams on the Planet Earth

The World Whiffleball Commission's computer rankings of the Super 20 Whiffleball

Teams on the Planet Earth as of August 1, 2006.

1. Club Ripped; Munster, Indiana
2. Blue Ribbon Builders; South Bend, Indiana
3. Funky Plastic Offspring; Bloomington, Indiana
4. Cult West; South Bend, Indiana
5. Looney Wifflers; New Carlisle, Indiana
6. LoweRiders; Addison, Illinois
7. MILF Hunters; Mishawaka, Indiana
8. Warning Track Power; Mishawaka, Indiana
9. Wildcat Baseball; South Bend, Indiana
10. Network Design; Mishawaka, Indiana
11. Colt 45's, London, Ohio
12. Screamin' Seaman, Byron Center, Michigan
13. Balco Boys, Mishawaka, Indiana
14. South Side Crows, South Bend, Indiana
15. Swingers; St. Joseph, Michigan
16. Lombard Lightning, Lombard, Illinois
17. J.A.W.G.; Grand Rapids, Michigan
18. Monon Yankers, Olathe Kansas
19. Hayes’ Heroes; Mishawaka, Indiana
20. The Sure Things, South Bend, Indiana

Honorable Mention:
Red-Headed Stepchild, Mishawaka, Indiana, 10th Street Crime Family; Bloomington, Indiana, The Alpha Team; St. Louis, Missouri, The Crooks; South Bend, Indiana, Middlebury MudHens; Osceola, Indiana, Deuce’s Wild; Munster, Indiana, Cornbread Reds; Lawrenceville, Georgia

AWESOME GAME.

ESPN & Woody Paige Sued for Harrassment

Oh Lord, who saw this coming? My money was on Salisbury to be the next in the long line of serial harassers at the WWLIS, but how could I not have seen that a guy who goes by the name "Woody" would be the one? STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--espn-sexualharass0628jun28,0,3810487.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

NEW YORK -- A woman who worked on the set of the ESPN talk show "Cold Pizza" is suing the sports network, claiming she was fired after complaining about sexual harassment by the shows host and one of its regular panelists.

In the suit, Bronx makeup artist Rita Ragone said she was pinched and fondled by sports commentator Woody Paige and subjected to crude sexual comments by ESPN host Jay Crawford at the shows studio in Manhattan.

Ragone claimed Paige once grabbed her backside so forcefully, she was "propelled forward and into the air."

I hate to sound skeptical about such a serious matter, but the claim that Paige grabbed her so forcefully that she was "propelled forward and into the air" sounded a little over the top.

So I got to thinking........How could I find out for sure if these charges are true or not?......HMMMMMMM........Perhaps find a place where there are a pool of women that one could scientifically test our hypothesis that:

It is physically possible to grab a woman with sufficient thrust and lift forces that one could reasonably expect to propel said woman in both the horizontal and vertical plane.





Just imagine the amount of forces that would be involved. That would be one heck of a STRONG ass-grab, don't you think?

First problem, where would we find a place that would have such a pool of women? We need a sufficient number of test subjects to insure data pool is large enough to be statistically significant.

Dang, Hooters, of course. The girls there are likely the most experienced in receiving such forceful grabs as described in the allegation, so there would not be a long learning curve. Plus, the women there seem to be of a sleeker, lighter weight design then the average woman, so if we err, we err on the side of the accuser, not Mr. Paige.

I mean if these subjects couldn't be propelled forward, it would be that much harder to send a Two Ton Tessie into a low earth orbit. Logical.





So off we went to test the hypothesis. Isn't science cool?

But first we decided that perhaps our level of pinch strength may not have been up to that of the subject Mr. Paige.

According to published studies measuring pinch strength and grip strength norms for adults, we find that we are about average in both.

None of the girls we tested left the ground on either the horizontal or vertical plane. NONE.

Some however did manage to squeal, giggle, grunt, moan, slap the tester back and complain to security. None of the girls tested gave up a phone number, address, my space page, IM address or in any way shape or form indicated that the slap or pinch was enough provocation to inspire said woman to desire to continue the relationship from its pathetic and feeble beginnings.

LET THIS BE A LESSON TO US ALL. We therefore reject the hypothesis that: It is physically possible to grab a woman with sufficient thrust and lift forces that one could reasonably expect to propel said woman in both the horizontal and vertical plane and reject it as fact. I LOVE SCIENCE.

HOLY HANGING CHADS, BATMAN!!! BONDS IS A STARTER??

I have to admit, even I didn't think dude would get voted in as a starter, BY THE FANS!!! By the players, maybe. Or added by LaRussa, with the tacit approval of Bud Selig holding his nose. Hey Bud, Giant fans buy tickets too.

I'm not sure all those last minute votes were all coming from Frisco either. Too laid back, punching ballots or voting on the Internet is too time consuming and non-productive for them. I even found it pretty tedious. And I only voted once.

I might be considered one of Bonds bigger fans, and I was getting the vote for Bonds and Molina stuff, since I'm connected to every SF Giants team and fan site or blog known to man, and I'll tell you honestly, I voted for Dude ONCE. ONE TIME. That's it.

And I wouldn't have voted late, because I would have thought that my vote and Giants fans votes versus the other 29 teams fans negative votes would have been like voting for Ron Paul in the Republican primary. It might be the right thing to do, but it won't work out right in the end.

But this one came out right. The fans always get it right and its their game, or at least that's what we always hear. The haters could have rallied around Soriano or Matt Holliday or whomever they thought could save the world and the democracy. But they didn't. Or they didn't do it well enough. And just like the Gore backers, now all they can do is cry about what might have been.

Seeing Bonds vs. Beckett or Verlander might be the only reason to watch the game.

By the way, if there is any game where the DH should be used, in NL parks and AL parks, it's in the All-Star Game. I can't wait to see Chris Young bat against C.C. Sabathia. That might be the funniest All-Star matchup since Krukkie vs. The Big Unit.

Good comedy there. It should be mandatory to pinch-hit for the pitchers spot every time in this game. Everybody plays, just like in Little League.