Obligatory Sports Asterisk

"I did it," or How Mark McGwire Used Steroids and Lied About It Covered It Up.

Obligatory Sports Post

Politico reports this morning that one-time Pony Express rider and current ESPN football analyst Craig James is considering a run for the US Senate: James told WFAA-TV that he’s testing the waters for a Senate race for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat. Hutchison is running for governor, and has said she would be stepping down from office sometime this year.

James told the station that he’s been meeting with prominent Texas Republican donors in order to raise his political profile, and will be the keynote speaker at an upcoming conservative policy luncheon being attended by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. John Cornyn.

“I'm a Texan. I’m concerned for our country,” he said. “I disagree with the approach that we're having, things that are taking place, and so whatever door opens up, I’ll look at it, if and when it opens up,” James said.

While James might fancy himself as a future politician, he’d have a tough time winning many votes in west Texas right now. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call James one of the most loathed people in in Lubbock, where many students and alumni are blaming him for losing their successful coach.

Well, there is that...

And That is That

I'm disgusted. TJ Simers says it well:

The Dodgers had the best start, the best record for a long time, and finished with the top mark in the National League -- squandering it all, the home-field advantage and all that success, to finish exactly as they did a year ago.

God is not Funny

I don't find this the least bit funny:

Rollins lined a two-run double with two outs in the ninth inning off All-Star closer Jonathan Broxton and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied past the Dodgers, 5-4, Monday night for a 3-1 lead in the series.

Rollins? Jimmy Rollins? That Jimmy Rollins!?

Good Lord...guy's not hitting his weight in the playoffs after a year of epic suckage and he all but knocks his team into the World Series.

$%@$%^&*((*^%^&**&^%$#$$%%^^%$(*#;!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suck-watch '09 (Day 22)

Suckage, thy name is Chone Figgins.

In the last week Figgins is hitting a grand .208 with the penultimate suckage coming in last night's double-header against Kansas City. Figgins went 0-for-2 last night: that's right, two games, no hits and 4 K's. Though he did manage a walk and a run scored.

Suck-watch '09 (Day 7)

A lot can change in a week. As of Friday, Jimmy Rollins was in a career-worst 2-for-31 slump. Thats severe suckage.

Since then he's 8-for-15 and including Thursday night's contest, 10-for-19. And he's raised his average from .205 to .224 So is it the water?

Meanwhile, teammate Ryan Howard seems to have caught whatever it is Rollins has finally shaken off. Since the 1st of July Howard is hitting a paltry .150 (3-for-20 through last night) with no HR, with perhaps the worst of it coming in last night's shellacking of the Reds.

The Reds were giving away RBIs all night long. How much do you have to suck to go 1-4 on a night your team scores 22 runs?

Suck-watch '09 (Day 6)

Timing is everything. And mine, as per usual is off. Way off.

A half-season of suckage prompted the first post in this series aimed primarily at Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins. Since that day Rollins is 7-15 including yesterday's HR and 5 RBI in a series sweep of the Mets.

What to say, other than the obvious; timing is everything. And mine, as per usual is off. Way off.

Meanwhile, the other target of that first post continues along his merry way, getting hung out to dry again yesterday. Lee is now 4-8 and has lost 4 straight starts.

Suck-watch '09 (Day 3)

A Rollins sighting in Atlanta last night: The only promising signs for the Phillies were another strong start for J.A. Happ(notes), who gave up two runs in seven innings, and two hits by Jimmy Rollins(notes), who ended his career-worst 0-for-28 drought.

2-for-31. Progress!!

Meanwhile, teammate and formerly one of the best set-up men in Baseball, Ryan Madson seems to have picked up here in early July where he left off in June: Suckage. This from Yahoo Sports summarizes it pretty well:

Ryan Madson was 2-1 with four saves, one blown save, 13 holds, a 1.95 ERA and had allowed only 33 base runners (24 hits, nine walks) in 32 1/3 innings through June 16. Since then, and including the three runs he allowed in Thursday night's 5-2 loss to the Braves at Turner Field, the Phillies' setup man is 0-3 with no saves, three blown saves, one hold, a 10.80 ERA and 19 base runners (12 hits, seven walks) in 6 2/3 innings. On Thursday night, Madson entered a 2-2 game and allowed Brian McCann's leadoff single, Matt Diaz's RBI double and Garret Anderson's two-run homer into the Braves' bullpen in right field.

I was never fully sold that the Phils were in fact the best team in Baseball last year. They got hot and blew through the playoffs but they've seriously come back to Earth this season. Good thing 4 of them are sucking up my Fantasy squad.

Suck-watch '09 (Day 2)

Jimmy Rollins went 0-3 yesterday in his team's 11-1 blowout loss to Atlanta. He's now gone 27 at-bats without a hit and finds himself flirting with a sub-.200 BA.

But hey, he did steal a base.

Fantasy Baseball: Suck-watch '09

Jimmy Rollins, who has yet to get anything going 3 months into the season, came back last night from his 4-game benching, a.k.a. "rest", to go 0-5 with 2 K's. His batting average is now .207 and he hasn't had a hit in 24 at bats. At the rate his average is falling, I'm guessing he'll barely be hitting his weight by the end of this month.

At least one of my fellow Fantasy leaguers is dropping the S-word.

Cliff Lee, coming off a career year in 2008 (22-3 with a Cy Young Award) had his worst start in 3 seasons yesterday. At least in terms of innings pitched, as Lee was done after 3 having given up 7 ER. This from a pitcher who was working a streak of 47-starts going at least 5-innings, the longest such stretch in 30 years.

It's not all his fault, as the Indians are close to, if not the biggest disappointment in Baseball right now and Lee has had multiple good starts and been hung out to dry by his offense but this is ridiculous. Certainly no one should expect anybody to follow a 22-3 season with a similar level of near-perfection (well, maybe Clemens) but 4-7 halfway through the season? Really?

Crafty Veteran

Fisher 2, Orlando 0

Embarrassing

It's been over since last Thursday though it only finally ended tonight. No proof of life at all in the second half and that's just embarrassing.

Will anyone notice that the Guru is 3-8 in his last two trips to the Finals?

Stick a fork in 'em

The series is over. Good teams don't lose games at home after leading by 24 points...

God is Great

God is good...

There was a palpable expectation of history here on chilly night in the Arizona desert. Super Bowl XLII delivered on that score, but history of a different sort was made Sunday.

The Giants, 12-point underdogs, ruined the New England Patriots' quest for a perfect season. New York, which lost six of 16 games during the regular season, prevailed 17-14 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

18-1 is great...unless the 1 is the last game of the season.

I've been saying for weeks that the Pats were due; all the tough games in the playoffs and at the end of the regular season and finding ways to win even on an off night...it couldn't last forever. And it didn't.

&^*# Fantasy Sports

I quit. I'm officially going AWOL at Fanball. An un-attended squad can do at least this poorly...

Brutal

Chants of "Marty..." from Charger fans after the Bolts turn the ball over on downs inside the KC 10-yard line at the 3-minute mark of the 4th Qtr.

1-3 and giving up 24 unanswered points to the likes of the Chiefs will do that to you, I guess.

Break out the Asterisk

*Barry Bonds has done it. The Giants slugger hit his 756th career home run, setting the new all-time major league record.

Ick.

A Blown Opportunity

Barry Bonds left LA without tying Henry Aaron's home-run record. Under anything resembling normal circumstances I'd call that 'Mission Accomplished.'

The inherent irony of the whole thing was just too good...what a marvelous setting the Dodgers provided Barroid last night. Shamefully, he didn't deliver.

Commitment to Mediocrity

I'm not normally very big on sloganeering. But sometimes a good slogan just works.

I've reserved this in the past for the worst franchise in football. Today, however, I've been forced to conclude that the Minnesota Timberwolves have devised a new and exciting strategy to render themselves hopelessly mediocre for years to come.

Meh!

Barroid inches closer to Hank Aaron with HR 750 last night. As God often does, where sin abounds so there is grace even more:

Barry Bonds is going to have a harder time enjoying his home runs if the Giants keep losing close games.

Heh...