TWTW!! Maybe Hawk Harrelson has it right

After listening to the recent debate between the Hawk and ESPN's Brian Kenney (YouTube below), I couldn't help but think that maybe the Hawk has a point, maybe two. Whether you call it TWTW or GRIT or whatever, intangibles are a quality that by definition do not lend themselves to being quantified by definition, but you know them when you see them.

from thefreedictionary.com:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/intangible

3.	intangible - hard to pin down or identify; "an intangible feeling of impending disaster" unidentifiable - impossible to identify

Some guys have that quality of making the other guys around them better. They make the total of the team greater than the sum of its parts. They are leaders and chemistry builders. And some guys are the opposite.

Winners have the intangibles!!! And like many things, you don't appreciate what you've got until after it's gone. Then you realize the hard to quantify value-added that these guys provide after they are missing from the equation. Then the team is equal to ( mediocrity ) or maybe even less than the sum of its parts ( under-achievers ).  Of course, then it's too late.

That's what Hawk is trying to explain to the geek squad here, IMO.

from The Big Lead:

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2013/04/27/hawk-harrelson-invented-a-new-sabermetric-category-twtw-the-will-to-win-video/ The first example that came to my mind was Tim Tebow in 2011 with Denver. Artistically, not a QB work of art. Statistically, not a work of art. But his teams win consistently. It took the Jets to break the streak and that says more about the Jets than it does Tebow.  The Jets have been a cesspool of bad personnel decisions and Tebow was supposed to come in and be the team plunger how? By holding a clipboard? Anyway, I thought I would take a look at the 2011 year in quarterbacking in the NFL and began with the premise that the better the QB statistically, the better the teams record would be. So,  I wanted to see the correlation between the ESPN total QB rating and winning. In addition, I wanted to see if there were any examples like Tebow of QB's who violated the statistical model, so to speak. Who won sometimes in spite of their liabilities as a QB as defined by the statistical metric. They were "bad" QB's who just won ball games. Here is the metric and how they determine the QB rating. There were some interesting results (shown below). from ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr/_/year/2011 Glossary * Season Leaders: On pace for 250 action plays. * All-time data reflects 2008 onwards. PASS EPA: Clutch-weighted expected points added on plays with pass attempts. RUN EPA: Clutch-weighted expected points added through scrambles, designed rushes and fumbles/fumble returns on running plays. SACK EPA: Clutch-weighted expected points added (lost) on sacks. PEN EPA: Clutch-weighted expected points added on penalties. TOTAL EPA: Total clutch-weighted expected points added. ACT PLAYS: Plays on which the QB has a non-zero expected points contribution. Includes most plays that are not handoffs. QB PAR: Number of points contributed by a quarterback over the season, accounting for QBR and how much he plays, above the level of a quarterback who plays very rarely and is on the fringe of the NFL. QB PAA: Number of points contributed by a quarterback over the season, accounting for QBR and how much he plays, above the level of an average quarterback. TOTAL QBR: Total Quarterback Rating, which values quarterback on all play types on a 0-to-100 scale. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6833215/explaining-statistics-total-quarterback-rating A quick primer on the fundamentals of Total Quarterback Rating: Scoring: 0-100, from low to high. An average QB would be at 50. Win Probability: All QB plays are scored based on how much they contribute to a win. By determining expected point totals for almost any situation, Total QBR is able to apply points to a quarterback based on every type of play he would be involved in. Dividing Credit: Total QBR factors in such things as overthrows, underthrows, yards after the catch and more to accurately determine how much a QB contributes to each play. Clutch Index: How critical a certain play is based on when it happens in a game is factored into the score. For the W-L data for each QB, I used CBS Sports NFL data. The W-L data includes only games where the QB started and includes playoff games if the team advanced that far. (TWTW) from CBSSports.com: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players The correlation between the Total QBR and the QB winning percentage (W_Pct) as a starter was 0.64. No surprise, the NFL is a QB driven league nowadays. Based on this small sample, the correlation number implies that about 40% of a teams winning percentage is derived from the play of their quarterback. The first thing that jumps out are the names at the top of the list are WINNERS. The creme de la creme of the NFL. Aaron Rogers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Tony Romo and Matt Ryan are the top five and win at about the rate that their stellar play implies The bottom of the list gives us Blaine Gabbert, Curtis Painter, Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez. Painter and Gabbert won at about the level of play their QBR would indicate. Sam Bradford seemed to just have one of those miserable season where everything went wrong for him and his team. But Tebow and Sanchez both out kicked their coverage so to speak. Sanchez had a QBR of 33.6 and an W_Pct of 50.0% for a plus 16.40 score. Tebow came in with a 29.9 QBr and a W_Pct of 61.5% for a plus 31.64 score. The list of over-achievers, possessing dare I say TWTW, were: John Skelton @ +39.90 Alex Smith @ +31.98 Tim Tebow @ +31.64 Mark Sanchez @ +16.40 Joe Flacco @ +12.52 Tom Brady @ +10.63 Jay Cutler @ +10.20 The interesting name on the list was Skelton who out-performed a more highly regarded QB in Kevin Kolb ( 34.4 QBR - 33.33 W_Pct) for the same Arizona Cardinal team. Apparently, Skelton may have had had that je ne sais quoi, the TWTW that Hawk is alluding to and he was able to rally the team around him as Tebow did the Broncos in relief of Kyle Orton. Skelton and Tebow are interesting because they took over the same team, with the same defensive squad and rallied them from depths to heights. That result defines what Hawk is speaking about. We're just not certain how to identify it in advance, but we can generally spot it after the fact pretty well. The rest of the overachiever names you can generally say had good to excellent defensive teams around them. How much of the teams performance can be attributed to good defense and how much of the defensive performance is aided by good QB play (keeping them off the field, playing from ahead more often than from behind, etc.) is fodder for another post. Hindsight and many forms of statistical analysis are always 20/20.  I think that is the Hawk's frustration with the SABR crowd and it is well placed in some instances. Looking at the other end of the scale, the under-achievers yields some interesting names. These guys QBR was significantly higher than their team record for whatever reason. Maybe they were stat gatherers and not team motivators. maybe they were on bad teams.  Kyle Orton @ -29.80 Tony Romo @ -21.40 Josh Freeman @ -18.63 Sam Bradford @ -18.60 Carson Palmer @ -18.16 Matt Schaub @ -17.50 Cam Newton @ -17.50 Some of these guys were on good teams, with good defenses, soooooooooo.......IDK. Lets just say I would score this one in favor of Hawk Harrelson over Brian Kenney and Harold Reynolds by a TKO. STOP THE FIGHT!! And they can roll their eyes and snicker amongst themselves all they want.
TWTW Total QBR W-L W_Pct W_Pct Diff Player 86.2    15-2 88.2%        88.24        2.04 Aaron Rodgers 84.0            14-4 77.8%        77.78       (6.22) Drew Brees 72.7       15-3 83.3%        83.33      10.63 Tom Brady 71.4      8-8 50.0%        50.00     (21.40) Tony Romo 69.1    10-6 62.5%        62.50       (6.60) Matt Ryan 67.5             5-5 50.0%        50.00     (17.50) Matt Schaub 65.5    10-6 62.5%        62.50       (3.00) Matt Stafford 64.4      7-6 53.8%        53.85     (10.55) Michael Vick 63.6    11-5 68.8%        68.75        5.15 Ben Roethlisberger 62.8      9-7 56.3%        56.25       (6.55) Matt Hasselbeck 62.7      8-8 50.0%        50.00     (12.70) Philip Rivers 62.6      4-5 44.4%        44.44     (18.16) Carson Palmer 59.8      7-3 70.0%        70.00      10.20 Jay Cutler 59.7    13-5 72.2%        72.22      12.52 Joe Flacco 59.4    12-7 54.5%        54.55       (4.85) Eli Manning 56.6      6-6 50.0%        50.00       (6.60) Matt Moore 55.0    6-10 37.5%        37.50     (17.50) Cam Newton 51.2      4-5 44.4%        44.44       (6.76) Matt Cassell 50.5    6-10 37.5%        37.50     (13.00) Ryan Fitzpatrick 49.8      1-4 20.0%        20.00     (29.80) Kyle Orton 45.8      9-7 56.3%        56.25      10.45 Andy Dalton 45.8    14-4 77.8%        77.78      31.98 Alex Smith 45.3    4-11 26.7%        26.67     (18.63) Josh Freeman 43.9      5-8 38.5%        38.46       (5.44) Rex Grossman 40.1      4-9 30.8%        30.77       (9.33) Colt McCoy 37.7      7-8 46.7%        46.67        8.97 Tarvaris Jackson 35.1      6-2 75.0%        75.00      39.90 John Skelton 34.4      3-6 33.3%        33.33       (1.07) Kevin Kolb 33.7      2-9 18.2%        18.18     (15.52) Christian Ponder 33.6      8-8 50.0%        50.00      16.40 Mark Sanchez 29.9      8-5 61.5%        61.54      31.64 Tim Tebow 28.6      1-9 10.0%        10.00     (18.60) Sam Bradford 22.5    2-12 14.3%        14.29       (8.21) Curtis Painter 20.6    4-11 26.7%        26.67        6.07 Blaine Gabbert 0.641328597   Correl OBR - W_Pct  GUILFORD’S SUGGESTED INTERPRETATION FOR CORRELATION COEFFICIENT VALUES Value  Interpretation Less than .20    Less than .20 Slight, almost negligible relationship .20 - .40  .20 - .40 Low correlation; definite but small relationship .40 - .70  .40 - .70 Moderate correlation; substantial relationship .70 - .90  .70 - .90 High correlation; marked relationship .90 - 1.00  .90 – 1.00 Very high correlation; very dependable relationship

Prospect Ups and Downs and Timmy Tough

Gary Brown starts to heat up for Fresno 

from the Fresno Bee:
Grizzlies Report for 5/12: Fresno 7, Memphis Redbirds 4, 11 innings - Fresno Grizzlies - fresnobee.com:

Brown warming up: After a slow first month, Grizzlies outfielder Gary Brown is starting to heat up. Brown, one of the top prospects in the San Francisco Giants' farm system, went 3 for 6 with a double and two RBIs. His season average is up to .220. But Brown, who typically starts off each season slow, is hitting .326 in his past 10 games with two home runs and six RBIs, along with three steals. Brown, however, still must work on his strikeout-to-walk ratio, which was 15-2 in the past 10 games and 38-9 for the season.

Cardinals prospect Oscar Tavaras big swing

Prospect goes down: Redbirds outfielder Oscar Taveras, rated the No. 3 overall prospect, injured his right ankle during a slide into second base during the ninth inning with the game tied at 4. Taveras, considered the top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, is considered day-to-day. The 20-year-old finished 2 for 5 to raise his average to .317, and has four home runs and 20 RBIs.

'via Blog this'

Tony Avelar Associated Press Tim Lincecum's outing was the third in his career in which he's gone at least seven innings, allowing two or fewer hits and no runs.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/13/5415037/good-day-for-giants-lincecum-he.html#storylink=cpy

from the Sacramento Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/13/5415037/good-day-for-giants-lincecum-he.html

SAN FRANCISCO – After his last start against the Phillies, the eighth outing in a span of 10 by the Giants' rotation that did not qualify as a quality start, Tim Lincecum said he expected there would be some discussion among the five about righting what has been an up-and-down month and a half to start the season.

The topic was broached in the following days, Lincecum said Sunday, though apparently not in any formal setting.

"I mean, it's just kind of one of those things where we kind of kick each other in the ass," Lincecum said.

Metaphorical or not, the intended effect showed over the final three games of the Giants' series win over the Braves, punctuated by a 5-1 win Sunday in what Lincecum readily acknowledged was his best start of the season.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/13/5415037/good-day-for-giants-lincecum-he.html#storylink=cpy

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the great moms out there.

The job really doesn't pay well, but the rewards are priceless and ever lasting. We could never pay you enough or appreciate you enough for all that you sacrificed for us.

God bless all the moms and tell mine that I love her and miss her very much.

This graphic shows why we have our educational priorities misplaced

I would say the same the same thing if the baseball coach was the highest paid employee in all 50 states.

This is just messed up. Plain and simple. I understand that some of the money comes from the unbelievable revenues the sports generate, but my goodness, here we could share the wealth a little bit better.

Maybe make the lot of some the athletes a little bit better. Or help out some of the so-called minor sports a bit  more. Liberals and the OWS crowd carp endlessly about income inequality and this is the best they can do within the heartland of liberalism / socialism that dominates the halls of academia. Do as I say, not as I do.

It's embarrassing regardless of who is at fault.

from Deadspin:
Infographic: Is Your State's Highest-Paid Employee A Coach? (Probably):

You may have heard that the highest-paid employee in each state is usually the football coach at the largest state school. This is actually a gross mischaracterization: Sometimes it is the basketball coach.

Based on data drawn from media reports and state salary databases, the ranks of the highest-paid active public employees include 27 football coaches, 13 basketball coaches, one hockey coach, and 10 dorks who aren't even in charge of a team.

'via Blog this'

The Juice: Shelby Miller retires 27 straight Rockies in one-hit shutout - Yahoo! Sports

It looks like Cardinals RHP wanted to announce his presence with authority.

from Yahoo Sports:
The Juice: Shelby Miller retires 27 straight Rockies in one-hit shutout; Jon Lester one-hits Blue Jays | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports:

A remarkable Friday night for starting pitchers was highlighted by the dazzling performance of St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Shelby Miller. The 22-year-old was basically untouchable, allowing only an Eric Young Jr. single leading off the game en route to his first career complete game shutout and a 3-0 victory for St. Louis.

That's right, Miller retired 27 batters in a row (with 13 strikeouts) and essentially equaled a perfect game, but had to settle for one of the most dominant one-hit performances we've seen in recent history. So dominant, in fact, that according to Yahoo!'s own Jeff Passan, only 18 pitchers have posted a higher nine-inning game score than Miller's 98 since 1916.

'via Blog this'

Miller's results were a little better than Nuke's

from Bull Durham:

Joakim Noah tells critics to back off Chicago Bulls teammate Derrick Rose - ESPN Chicago

Or maybe Joakim Naoh should just shut-up. It's great that he comes to the defense of a teammate, but when fans are simply asking "where is the warrior mentality" from somebody who has been marketed to them as a "warrior", IMO that's not totally out of line at all.


from ESPN:
Joakim Noah tells critics to back off Chicago Bulls teammate Derrick Rose - ESPN Chicago:

Noah took a question regarding how much pride he and his team feel being able to win without Rose while so many pundits count them out, and he went off on an emotional defense of his close friend.

"Derrick's a brother," Noah said. "And to see him go through this is tough, but at the end of the day it's really funny how quick people are to judge. But people don't know what it's like to lead a team, especially after you tore your ACL.

"If you tore your ACL and you have to be the starting point guard and have the expectations that Derrick has, then maybe you can judge, but everybody who hasn't been in that situation before should really shut up because I feel like it's just so unfair to him and to this team. We're fighting, and everybody's going to just s--- on somebody who's been giving so much to this organization. It's crazy to me."

'via Blog this'


He's well over the average recovery time for his injury. And his team is travelling further in the playoffs then perhaps anyone imagined without him. That's gotta hurt.

He's perhaps getting bad advice from his agent / manager / brother and or his shoe company to think about yourself at the expense of the team, which is the antithesis of a team player and a leader. To say nothing of being the antithesis of a "warrior" (see below).

Now he's caught between a rock and a hard place after indicating he was going to shut it down and seeing the "other guys" on the team busting their ass trying to win without him. Nice that you want to circle the wagons and protect a brother, but fans have their viewpoint as well.

That's why you guys get the big bucks, you have to deal with the scrutiny in good times and bad times.

It's totally justified for people to wonder "How is he going to lead this team if they win the whole thing without him." Or is he going to all of a sudden miraculously recover in time to be a part of that? Just because you don't particularly like the message, no need to shoot the messengers.

Derrick needs to take a long hard look at who he puts his trust in. He says it's in God, but it appears more like big brother Reggie Rose and Adidas are running ahead in this area. Heck, Adidas wasn't even a Greek god of anything. And it may be time for little brother to step out from behind big brother's over-protectiveness. One wonders exactly what it is that big-brother is protecting. Because he sure isn't doing a great job of protecting his carefully sculpted image here. Which is the job of a good agent / manager.

Good Luck in the playoffs, with or without the distraction of "Is he or isn't he....?".

And instead of telling fans and commentators to shut-up maybe you should tell Derrick that one of the virtues of being a warrior is that of being selfless.

Here's some others you might want to toss into the conversation, courtesy of Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Social_Cycle

Warriors, or Kshatriya in Sanskrit, have strong bodies, vigorous physical energy and a sharp intellect. Warriors tend to develop the skills that take advantage of their inherent gifts of stamina, courage and vigor. Their mentality is one that is not averse to taking physical risks. Examples of people in our society with the warrior mentality include: policemen, firemen, soldiers, professional athletes, skilled carpenters and tradesmen, etc. They all achieve success through their physical skills and a deep understanding of their profession.

  Esse quam videri - (Latin) To be, rather than to seem.  
It's better to be, rather than to seem. 

Get it? Got it? Good. 

Death of Soccer Referee Ricardo Portillo Raises Questions About Assaults on Officials - NYTimes.com

It's good to see these questions raised by some in the national media ( noted here from the New York  Times and AP ). The next step is to get something done to reverse the trend that now is becoming tragically obvious to all.

from the NY Times:
Death of Soccer Referee Ricardo Portillo Raises Questions About Assaults on Officials - NYTimes.com:

To some observers, Portillo’s death is simply the most recent example of a growing problem. Mano said treatment of officials had deteriorated drastically since he began the organization in 1980. At that time, he said, the notion that an official would have insurance specifically against assault was “ludicrous.”

“It wasn’t on anyone’s radar,” he said. “But now it’s part and parcel of what we do, and not a week goes by where we don’t get at least two or three calls with reports of officials being assaulted.”

Reliable data on referee assaults at all levels of all sports does not exist, but there have been several violent events worldwide in recent months. In December, a soccer official in the Netherlands died after being attacked by a group of players. Three months ago, a referee in Spain was hospitalized and had his spleen removed after being assaulted by a player. Last week, a New Jersey parent was arrested and charged with assault after he slapped a 17-year-old Little League umpire.

'via Blog this'


from the AP:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RAGING_AT_REFS?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Ref's death a consequence of lack of sportsmanship

The football teams were still on the field, exchanging the traditional postgame handshakes, when Pete McCabe walked by. The veteran referee heard another official call his name and turned, only to be smashed in the face with a helmet by one of the players.

Almost every bone in McCabe's face was broken, his skull fractured in several places and his nose nowhere close to where it belonged. As he lay on the ground in Rochester, N.Y., the semi-pro player who assaulted him stood over him yelling, "Take that. Take that. This is what I'm all about."

"I have said since this happened to me that it's going to happen again," McCabe said, "and someone is going to get killed."

Four years later, someone was.

..........

 McCabe was sickened when he heard the news that Ricardo Portillo had died Saturday, a week after the youth soccer referee in Utah had been punched in the head by a 17-year-old player angry over a yellow card. Just as Portillo's family is now pleading for athletes to control their tempers, McCabe has spent the last four years preaching the importance of sportsmanship in and around Rochester.

To limited success.

"There's no respect for officials now," McCabe said Monday. "Go look at any game, and they're yelling at the official. Pick a high school event, and go watch a couple of games. I guarantee you, you'll see a coach get out of control on the sideline. Or a parent. Or a kid. It's so rampant.

"What happened in Utah, I knew it was going to happen. It was just a matter of time," he added. "Whether it was New York state, Massachusetts, Florida, it was going to happen somewhere in this country."

...........

"Part of this isn't a sport problem, part of it is a societal problem," said Dan Gould, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State. "You watch TV, and the trash talking that's accepted. If you're famous, you're almost supposed to get into trouble. Why is everyone infatuated with Lindsay Lohan when she seems like a spoiled brat?"

Added Barry Mano, the founder and president of the National Association of Sports Officials, "We've become so loud and so brash. It's about me and about being in the spotlight. All of those things play out in the games we play."

Part of the beauty of sports - and youth sports in particular - has always been its power to educate and transform. To instill in athletes skills and values they can use for the rest of their lives, in arenas that don't have hardwood floors or boundaries outlined in chalk. Talk to any CEO or other successful person, and odds are he or she can trace the lessons they learned about teamwork, fair play, leadership and overcoming challenges back to Little League, Pee-Wee football or some other youth sport.

But just like passing, dribbling and hitting, those skills don't come with the uniform and the practice schedule. They have to be taught and reinforced by league administrators, coaches and, of course, the parents who signed their kids up for a team in the first place.

"Most Americans really want their kids to learn values through sports. And research has found we can teach kids to be good sports and enhance their moral development through sports if it's done correctly," Gould said. "But the big myth is it just happens."

Happy 82nd birthday, Willie Mays - McCovey Chronicles

Still the greatest baseball player who ever lived. This from Leo Durocher pretty much describes the reason why. Happy-B-Day, Willie Mays.

from the McCovey Chronicles:
Happy 82nd birthday, Willie Mays - McCovey Chronicles:

Here's Leo Durocher on Mays:

If somebody came up and hit .450, stole 100 bases, and performed a miracle in the field every day, I'd still look you right in the eye and tell you that Willie was better. He could do the five things you have to do to be a superstar: hit, hit with power, run, throw and field. And he had the other magic ingredient that turns a superstar into a super Superstar. Charisma. He lit up a room when he came in. He was a joy to be around.

'via Blog this'

Matt Cain gets first win as Giants sweep Dodgers - Yahoo! Sports

If you had told me before the season started that the Matt Cain would be on pace towards a 5-10 record and the Giants would still be in first place, I would take that deal. Cain will turn it around, yesterday was a first step. I was hoping for a walk-off hat trick but have to settle for a sweep. What a tough life being a Giants fan has become. We used to talk of torture and consecutive years without a pennant and now we complain about trivial matters.

from Yahoo Sports:
The Juice: Matt Cain gets first win as Giants sweep Dodgers; Justin Verlander impeccable for Tigers | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports:

After two consecutive nights where they needed walk-off wins to beat the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants looked to have things in order Sunday night.

Matt Cain, winless on the year at that point, cruised into the eighth inning. Hunter Pence drove in all four Giants run with two doubles and a fielder's choice. The Giants were up 4-0. But then, as tends to happen when the Dodgers and Giants play, things got interesting.

'via Blog this'

Utah soccer referee punched by player dies, police say | Fox News

Unbelievable that it's come to this. I've written time and time again about how this is embedded in the culture of youth sports in baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball -- you name it.

"Aw, let it go. It's part of the game" this razzing of officials, the outright disrespectful, boorish conduct. And that's bad enough. "Stop being so serious, they're just having some fun with the game".  "We gotta get our monies worth out of you guys (referees, umpires)." As if it's a legitimate part of the price they pay to have officials at games.

I see people seemingly tip-toe this line constantly. What's shocking in this instance was that it was a player. Generally, it's folks not directly involved in the game physically that are the worst, but not here.

But now it's come to this.

Players are out of control, coaches are out of control, fans are out of control at youth games all across the country. This happened in a rec-league game for crying out loud!!


from Fox News:
Utah soccer referee punched by player dies, police say | Fox News:

Police have accused a 17-year-old player in a recreational soccer league of punching Portillo after the man called a foul on him and issued him a yellow card.

 "The suspect was close to Portillo and punched him once in the face as a result of the call," Hoyal said in a press release.

Portillo's family said he had been attacked before, and Johanna Portillo said she and her sisters begged their father to stop refereeing because of the risk from angry players, but he continued because he loved soccer.

"It was his passion," she said. "We could not tell him no."

'via Blog this'


Because they feel entitled, emboldened by the culture of the game and now EVERY announcer, every damn one of them acts like Hawk Harrelson on steroids because they have the benefit of instant replay and whatever other whiz-bang form of "gotcha analysis" that's out there that tells them "the ump blew it", "we're getting hosed again".

And it's not just Hawk Harrelson that does it. I watched the Giants-Dodgers game and Duane Kuiper, I think went on and on about how badly Zito was getting hosed. All game long. That's got to stop as well. Whatever directive Selig has to bring down on these guys, whatever money has to come out these guys pockets for what comes out of their mouths, it has to happen. Because the conduct and the culture is dictated from what these folks hear and see in their living rooms well before they venture out to their youth field. They are conditioned to act this way. A fish rots from the head down.

It's disgraceful. There's instant replay in every stadium showing close/controversial calls, which they never used to do. That whips the fans into a frenzy at home, in bars and living rooms across the country. And they become conditioned. Some may say it doesn't even matter anymore, since people have all sorts of mobile apps, but the teams don't have to encourage the boorish behavior themselves institutionally. They need to lead on this issue.

So now it's come to this.

This better be a wake up call to sports administrators across the country to take this kind of shit a little more seriously than they do. And I'm not going to apologize for the language. This kind of behavior is coddled and tolerated by too many people who should know better. And it has to start at the top and flow all the way down to the pee-wee level. Because they are really at their worst there. They're putting their boorish training wheels on at that level. Time to step up and lead folks.

Because now it's come to this. And it's disgraceful.