Wednesday January 31st 2007 7:30 PM
I cried in the Forum pressbox on March 11. 1996. I wasn't alone that night. Most tears flowed during the 11 minute ovation for The Rocket. I started to cry when Ken Dryden was introduced.
Dryden was the first local athlete I felt a real conncection with. Oh, I loved Rogie Vachon and Rusty Staub and Terry Evanshen. But that was like puppy love. As someone who clearly was interested in a media career at a young age (I devoured everything I could as if studying for an exam) Dryden was the first local guy I found to be, well, different. And then came Bill Lee (that's another book).
Dryden, with the long hair and longer pads (hello Jim Pappin), strange stance, which had to be, to at least some opponents, as intimidating as Cournoyer's speed or Lemaire's slapshot or Robinson's bodychecks or Gainey's shadow. Leaning on his stick was a statement. I'm in control. And I'm the most relaxed guy in the rink. Beat that.
He spent time working with "Nader's raiders" when Ralph Nader was deep into investigating government corruption. He studied law. He won a Cup and a Conn Smythe before winning a Calder (had never been done prior to him, nor since). He quit the Habs, feeling betrayed by the front office. They won with him. Lost without him. Point made. Six Cups in eight years. And then, like Jim Brown and Sandy Koufax in 1966, poof! Gone, at age 31. And with him the chance to win another Cup. Until a skinny 20 years old from St Foy arrived in 1986.
Where some hear long-winded, I hear eloquence. How many current or former NHLers other than Dryden could have written "The Game"? The smartest man in hockey? Maybe the smartest man in sports. Ever. And he was ours.
Until he went to Toronto. And thank goodness Leaf ownership (now there's a genius or two) wouldn't let him hire Bob Gainey.
It was difficlut to watch the Montreal hockey scene unfold without the presence of Dryden. He was rarely around. Introduced to the Forum crowd only once (1982), making an occasional pit-stop to sell a book. It was clear he was no longer ours. Until March 1996.
Watching the jersey retirement ceremony for #29 monday at the Bell Centre wasn't as emotional-for me-as his return to the Forum but was a lot more meaningful. Frankly, I never thought the Canadiens would actually get around to honoring Dryden. Especially before #33. I was thrilled to see Al McNeil start things off, visibly nervous, speaking without notes, about the improbable Cup win of 1971. I'm sure the last time a set of eyes focused on McNeil in Montreal, he was surrounded by bodyguards. Dave Dryden couldn't have done a better job articulating the pride, honor and love the entire Dryden clan has for Ken. To be privy to that kind of intimacy and susequent brotherly embrace was a privilege. Tretiak, spending 24 hours in the air over two days to be there says it all. Thanks to Red Fisher for hooking them up. And if Vladislav Tretiak wants to have a Summit Series, take two, let's do it. Dryden himself was warm, gracious, passionate, moving and funny. The perfect speech.
And then the present-day Habs reverted to form (forum?) and beat the hottest team in the league, backstopped by David Aebischer. The perfect night.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Habs in Toronto: What the F#&*!?
Sunday January 28 2007 6 PM
While trying to sleep and sweat my way out of a vicious throat infection (how vicious? Swallowing razor blades would hurt less. But a good sign- about an hour ago I coughed up projectile phlegm that got me thinking about a new Olympic sport; Winter Olympics, of course) I kept waking up in the middle of the night screaming “Mats Naslund, where are you???”
Getting consistently embarrassed on HNIC will do that to an old hockey fan. For the second time this year in Toronto on a Saturday night (and coming off that rididulous no-show in Ottawa on Hockey Day in Canada) the Canadiens decided to leave their game in the hallways at the Harbour Castle. Facing a Leafs team that’s sliding in the standings, minus Darcy Tucker, minus Michael Peca, minus Kyle Wellwood and with mediocre goaltending, the Canadiens barely worked up a sweat in another emotion-less, intensity-less, does-anybody-around-here-even-care-the-whole-country-is-watching, performance that might be the most worrisome of the season.
True they lost earlier in the year on a Saturday night (5-1) but bounced back. Even the back to back recent horror non-show losses to Ottawa and Vancouver were answered by impressive wins in Atlanta and at home against Buffalo. Now what?
To start with they’ll play the hottest team in the league-Ottawa-three times in the next 13 days. No surprise the Senators, with Jason Spezza back, have overtaken the Habs in the standings. The defending Cup champion Hurricanes, in town a week from Tuesday, now trail Montreal by just one point with two games in hand.
Bob Gainey doesn’t need a front page poll to get him to act. He saw for himself Saturday night in Toronto that this time needs a spark. Steve Begin will help. But Peter Forsberg or Craig Conroy or Mats Sundin or some other proven NHLer who wants to win would help even more. If this keeps up for another game or two, I’d even consider calling Naslund.
All Time Favorite Leafs Team:
G-Johnny Bower
D-Jim Dorey
D-Al Iafrate
C-Doug Gilmour
RW-Darcy Tucker (yeah I know, but he's on my team)
LW-Tiger Williams
Coach-Pat Burns
Go ahead, laugh a little: http://www.slobberbomb.com/video_clips/conan_obrien_1864_baseball.php
While trying to sleep and sweat my way out of a vicious throat infection (how vicious? Swallowing razor blades would hurt less. But a good sign- about an hour ago I coughed up projectile phlegm that got me thinking about a new Olympic sport; Winter Olympics, of course) I kept waking up in the middle of the night screaming “Mats Naslund, where are you???”
Getting consistently embarrassed on HNIC will do that to an old hockey fan. For the second time this year in Toronto on a Saturday night (and coming off that rididulous no-show in Ottawa on Hockey Day in Canada) the Canadiens decided to leave their game in the hallways at the Harbour Castle. Facing a Leafs team that’s sliding in the standings, minus Darcy Tucker, minus Michael Peca, minus Kyle Wellwood and with mediocre goaltending, the Canadiens barely worked up a sweat in another emotion-less, intensity-less, does-anybody-around-here-even-care-the-whole-country-is-watching, performance that might be the most worrisome of the season.
True they lost earlier in the year on a Saturday night (5-1) but bounced back. Even the back to back recent horror non-show losses to Ottawa and Vancouver were answered by impressive wins in Atlanta and at home against Buffalo. Now what?
To start with they’ll play the hottest team in the league-Ottawa-three times in the next 13 days. No surprise the Senators, with Jason Spezza back, have overtaken the Habs in the standings. The defending Cup champion Hurricanes, in town a week from Tuesday, now trail Montreal by just one point with two games in hand.
Bob Gainey doesn’t need a front page poll to get him to act. He saw for himself Saturday night in Toronto that this time needs a spark. Steve Begin will help. But Peter Forsberg or Craig Conroy or Mats Sundin or some other proven NHLer who wants to win would help even more. If this keeps up for another game or two, I’d even consider calling Naslund.
All Time Favorite Leafs Team:
G-Johnny Bower
D-Jim Dorey
D-Al Iafrate
C-Doug Gilmour
RW-Darcy Tucker (yeah I know, but he's on my team)
LW-Tiger Williams
Coach-Pat Burns
Go ahead, laugh a little: http://www.slobberbomb.com/video_clips/conan_obrien_1864_baseball.php
Peyton Manning is going to The Super Bowl
Monday January 22 9 PM
It was déjà vu all over again. On a football field. Maybe good things really do come to those who wait. (I first heard that phrase from a teenage girlfriend. She was right.) My first thought after Peyton Manning completed his version of “The Drive” was how it carried much the same emotional response-albeit at a lower level-as Johnny Damon’s grand slam home run off Javier Vazquez in game seven of the American League Championship Series on October 20, 2004.
Not only did Damon’s blast all but ensure a Red Sox victory (he hit another off Vazquez two innings later) but it put several exclamation points on the improbable pennant win. And set the stage for a relatively easy win over St Louis to give Boston its first World Series since 1918. They had done it, doing something no other team in baseball had ever done (come back from a 3-0 defecit) against their arch rivals. As the late Jackie Gleason used to shout, “How sweet it is!”
As a football fan who has always admired quarterbacks who can throw (I can go as far back as “The Mad Bomber” of the Oakland Raiders, Darryle Lamonica & Joe Namath in the mid to late 60’s, having just missed the glory years of Johnny Unitas) Dan Marino and Peyton Manning have been my favorite quarterbacks. I don’t buy the “Can’t-win-the-big-game” descriptions heaped on athletes who don’t win championships. Marino is the prime example. Manning was on his way.
Let’s examine Marino’s lone Super Bowl appearance. January 1985 versus the San Fransisco 49ers. That would be the 49ers of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark, Freddie Soloman, Russ Francis, Roger Craig, Randy Cross, Jack Reynolds, Keena Turner, Dwight Hicks and Ronnie Lott. Have I forgotten anybody?
Montana would win his second Super Bowl MVP as the 49ers beat Marino’s Dolphins 38-16. Time of possession in the game: San Fransisco 37:30; Miami 22:30.
Must have been Marino’s fault. In the 1985 playoffs Marino helped the Dolphins beat Seattle and Pittsburgh to get to the Super Bowl. Were they not “big games”?
Or how about January 1986 when the Dolphins trailed 21-3 in the third quarter only to have Marino march them down field to three consecutive touchdowns to win 24-21. (Dolphins lost to New England 31-14 in AFC Championship (Five turnovers) for the right to lose to Da Bears in the Super Bowl). Not a big game?
Next up-January 1991, 1990 AFC Wild Card Game. Down 16-3 in the fourth quarter, Marino throws a pair of touchdown passes to win 17-16. A nothing game? It sent the Dolphins into the next round against the Buffalo Bills, led by the no-huddle offense of Jim Kelly. Marino threw three touchdown passes and helped put up 34 points. But Kelly also threw for three touchdowns and the Bills scored 44.
Damn that Marino.
Two years later Marino throws two touchdown passes as the Dolphins blank San Diego 31-0. They move into the AFC title game against Buffalo. Jim Kelly wins again with help from Thurman Thomas and Kenneth Davis. Who did Marino have in his backfield? Bobby Humphrey and Aaron Craver.
The point being, there are too many variables, too many teammates, too many opponents and too many coaches for one single football player to be charged with a defeat. The question should not have been-all these years later-why Dan Marino couldn’t get back to the Super Bowl, but rather did Marino take his offense as far as he could? As somebody who followed the Marino years closely the answer is a resounding yes. A better question to ask is why couldn’t Hall of Famer Don Shula provide Marino with a better running attack (remember Don Nottebart?) or build a better defense?
Dumping solely on Peyton Manning for his inability to win deep into the payoffs is intellectually lazy and does a great disservice to one of the best pro sports organizations of all time, the New England Patriots.
Which brings us back to Sunday. Down 21-3 I’m asking myself why Manning always finds himself in the position of having to play catch up. But a strong start in the second half had visions of Johnny Damon dancing in my head. And when Manning did complete the greatest comeback in the history of the AFC title game, it was a replay of that blast of exhilaration from 2004. Not only did Manning finally win “the big one”, but like the Red Sox that October past, he did it in style. Creating a first. Against his arch rivals. How sweet it is!
Oh, the Bears might be a tackling dummy in the way to a Super Bowl win but does anybody outside of Chicago doubt the Colts will go on to do what The Red Sox did two autumns ago?
How fitting is it that Manning can win the Super Bowl in Miami?
On a field that once belonged to Dan Marino.
It was déjà vu all over again. On a football field. Maybe good things really do come to those who wait. (I first heard that phrase from a teenage girlfriend. She was right.) My first thought after Peyton Manning completed his version of “The Drive” was how it carried much the same emotional response-albeit at a lower level-as Johnny Damon’s grand slam home run off Javier Vazquez in game seven of the American League Championship Series on October 20, 2004.
Not only did Damon’s blast all but ensure a Red Sox victory (he hit another off Vazquez two innings later) but it put several exclamation points on the improbable pennant win. And set the stage for a relatively easy win over St Louis to give Boston its first World Series since 1918. They had done it, doing something no other team in baseball had ever done (come back from a 3-0 defecit) against their arch rivals. As the late Jackie Gleason used to shout, “How sweet it is!”
As a football fan who has always admired quarterbacks who can throw (I can go as far back as “The Mad Bomber” of the Oakland Raiders, Darryle Lamonica & Joe Namath in the mid to late 60’s, having just missed the glory years of Johnny Unitas) Dan Marino and Peyton Manning have been my favorite quarterbacks. I don’t buy the “Can’t-win-the-big-game” descriptions heaped on athletes who don’t win championships. Marino is the prime example. Manning was on his way.
Let’s examine Marino’s lone Super Bowl appearance. January 1985 versus the San Fransisco 49ers. That would be the 49ers of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark, Freddie Soloman, Russ Francis, Roger Craig, Randy Cross, Jack Reynolds, Keena Turner, Dwight Hicks and Ronnie Lott. Have I forgotten anybody?
Montana would win his second Super Bowl MVP as the 49ers beat Marino’s Dolphins 38-16. Time of possession in the game: San Fransisco 37:30; Miami 22:30.
Must have been Marino’s fault. In the 1985 playoffs Marino helped the Dolphins beat Seattle and Pittsburgh to get to the Super Bowl. Were they not “big games”?
Or how about January 1986 when the Dolphins trailed 21-3 in the third quarter only to have Marino march them down field to three consecutive touchdowns to win 24-21. (Dolphins lost to New England 31-14 in AFC Championship (Five turnovers) for the right to lose to Da Bears in the Super Bowl). Not a big game?
Next up-January 1991, 1990 AFC Wild Card Game. Down 16-3 in the fourth quarter, Marino throws a pair of touchdown passes to win 17-16. A nothing game? It sent the Dolphins into the next round against the Buffalo Bills, led by the no-huddle offense of Jim Kelly. Marino threw three touchdown passes and helped put up 34 points. But Kelly also threw for three touchdowns and the Bills scored 44.
Damn that Marino.
Two years later Marino throws two touchdown passes as the Dolphins blank San Diego 31-0. They move into the AFC title game against Buffalo. Jim Kelly wins again with help from Thurman Thomas and Kenneth Davis. Who did Marino have in his backfield? Bobby Humphrey and Aaron Craver.
The point being, there are too many variables, too many teammates, too many opponents and too many coaches for one single football player to be charged with a defeat. The question should not have been-all these years later-why Dan Marino couldn’t get back to the Super Bowl, but rather did Marino take his offense as far as he could? As somebody who followed the Marino years closely the answer is a resounding yes. A better question to ask is why couldn’t Hall of Famer Don Shula provide Marino with a better running attack (remember Don Nottebart?) or build a better defense?
Dumping solely on Peyton Manning for his inability to win deep into the payoffs is intellectually lazy and does a great disservice to one of the best pro sports organizations of all time, the New England Patriots.
Which brings us back to Sunday. Down 21-3 I’m asking myself why Manning always finds himself in the position of having to play catch up. But a strong start in the second half had visions of Johnny Damon dancing in my head. And when Manning did complete the greatest comeback in the history of the AFC title game, it was a replay of that blast of exhilaration from 2004. Not only did Manning finally win “the big one”, but like the Red Sox that October past, he did it in style. Creating a first. Against his arch rivals. How sweet it is!
Oh, the Bears might be a tackling dummy in the way to a Super Bowl win but does anybody outside of Chicago doubt the Colts will go on to do what The Red Sox did two autumns ago?
How fitting is it that Manning can win the Super Bowl in Miami?
On a field that once belonged to Dan Marino.
Mark Mcgwire: Hall of Famer; Pierre Mcguire vs Jack Fraud
Wednesday January 17th 7:30 PM
Things have been tough and testy locally so let’s start with a laugh-as first seen on Monday’s Golden Globe awards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Hb8SenD98
(If you have yet to see Borat, you might want to skip the above clip)
Now, back to the sandbox. If that wasn’t a royal “F-You” by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to Mark McGwire then I misunderstand the true meaning of the phrase. In receiving just 23% support for the Hall of Fame, McGwire is a lot closer to sliding off the ballot completely then he is to ever getting in. (75% support needed for enshrinement, 5% or less and you’re gone for good.)
Now the question becomes how many writers, such as The Gazette’s Pat Hickey wanted to punish him in at least his first year of eligibility, but might be willing to vote for him somewhere down the line, compared to the number of hacks who will never vote for him.
Here’s what I would do if I was a sports editor at a large daily: dig into the archives and find all those columns and features written about McGwire while he became the talk of the baseball world-and beyond-in the summer of 1998. Print ‘em all over again, juxtaposed with the most recent drool induced hatred spewing from some of the very same people who willingly went along for perhaps the professional ride of their lives back then. Expose the double standard.
Look, I’m not happy about guys on juice. Especially if the most glamorous career record goes down because of it. But it’s not just Barry Bonds assault on Hank Aaron’s all time home run mark of 755 that’s so bothersome. It’s watching names like Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle and a host of others being passed by guys who simply weren’t as good. Except with a needle instead of a bat.
But what to do about it? Simply white out the name of anybody who juiced up? Anybody have a definitive start and end date? If hitters did end up blasting 50-100 more career home runs as a result, how many were hit against pitchers who were also juiced? Deny entrance to the Hall of Fame if there’s any doubt whatsoever? Who’s to judge, a sportswriter whose moral compass extends to the bridge of his own nose? And now that amphetamines are banned do writers aim their vitriol at those who “greenied up” before games? Or are those numbers so outrageous it’s not even worth going there. What if I were to tell you that, say, the late Willie Stargell used amphetamines through most of his career. And a corked bat (I have absolutely no knowledge of Willie cheating…with a corked bat)? Oh, it’s not the same you say? Listen to speed and steroid expert Charles Yesaris, professor emeritus at Penn State who told the New York Post: "They're far more risky than steroids," said Charles Yesalis, an expert in performance-enhancing drugs. "They can stone-cold kill you. It's far more dangerous. They're not even in the same room with steroids."
Hmmm. Now what? Can anybody say with complete certainty that other than Tony Gwynn and David Wells most MLB players did not use steroids? Or speed? Or both?
Mark McGwire hit 49 home runs as a slender rookie with the 1987 Oakland A’s. He also drove in 118 runs. His on best percentage was .370. He slugged over .600. His power numbers over the next five years:
32 HR 99 RBI
33 HR 95 RBI
39 HR 108 RBI
22 HR 75 RBI
42 HR 104 RBI
He was on his way to a Hall of Fame career long before anybody discovered a jar of Andro in his locker. He finished his career with the best home run to at bat ratio in major league history. Second on that list is Babe Ruth. But McGwire never did cozy up to the writers. And he didn’t give them the big headline they wanted when he appeared before congress. He lashed out at Jose Canseco and Canseco’s book as a teammates’ “betrayal”, adding that he, himself would never have thought to discuss anything about a teammate’s personal life, including “sexual preference”. Now there’s a possible headline but writers were too blinded by rage. Forced to admit they were asleep at their keyboards back in ’98. Or perhaps since 1988.
Unlike Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and even Curt Schilling, Mark McGwire did not lie during his testimony. He did what anybody who studied law by reading “Lawyers for Dummies” would suggest. He took the 5th, knowing full well what it really meant.
Jack Todd (you knew I was getting to him) argued this week, while explaining his decision not to vote for McGwire, that anybody who compared cheating via throwing spitballs to using drugs was “out of their ever-lovin’ minds”. (Don Sutton is in the Hall of Fame. He pitched for 23 years. Won 20 games in a season once. But for his entire career won 324. Now anybody who knows anything about the career of Don Sutton knows he scuffed balls. But 300+ wins is apparently automatic. So, if Sutton doesn’t scuff, especially while pitching well into his 40’s, does he win 29 games over the final three years of his career? If not, he’s stuck at 295. That’s just seven more wins than Tommy John who’s never getting in. Capisce?).
Besides, the fact that Jack Todd has a vote tells you all you need to know about the entire Hall of Fame process.
Jack is a slimeball. What he did to Pierre McGuire this week should cost him his job.
In Jack’s world (what a place that must be) Pierre initiated everything.
Scene October-Indoors
Typical TV room on the south shore.
A large man with a dent in his forehead is lying on the sofa watching a hockey game. A phone rings loudly, startling the man, nearly sending him sprawling off the sofa. He picks up the phone.
Jack: “Hello”
Pierre: “Sheldon Souray can’t play in the NHL”
Jack: “Huh?”
Pierre: “You heard me stud, Sheldon Souray can’t play in this league”
Jack: “Oh, hi Pierre” Click.
Jack Todd writes, in his lead four months later, that “A certain TSN hockey analyst who shall remain nameless doesn’t think Sheldon Souray can play in the NHL”.
Learning how to do my own job by studying every scene and every line from “All The President’s Men” I decide to get to the bottom of this. I ask Pierre on the air if HE is the TSN analyst Jack was referring to. (I had a 50-50 shot. TSN has two game analysts. That’s right two. Pierre and Glenn Healy).
Pierre says he talked to Jack after reading a column he wrote. That he said, as he had several times on the air, that Souray, with his lack of foot speed is probably going to struggle defensively in the new NHL. And if Jack was in fact referring to him, then “It’s fictitious reporting and I’d be concerned if I was a Gazette editor.”
What followed this week was an all-out attack on the same guy who had provided oodles of background information for years to not only Todd but other members of the gazette sports department: The Gazette Monday Januray 15th McGuire on McGuire: Look, if you say something, at least have the integrity to admit that you say it. Yes, it was TSN's Pierre McGuire who phoned me early this season to say - and this is a direct quote - "Jack, Sheldon Souray can't play in the National Hockey League. "
I didn't phone McGuire on that occasion, I didn't ask him about Souray. He phoned me, he offered the opinion on his own. I didn't name him when I wrote about Souray making the all-star team because I thought it was kind of funny that the guy who considers himself the world's biggest expert on the NHL could be so wrong. Truth be told, although he didn't say it was off the record, I probably should not have quoted McGuire - but that's why I didn't use his name. But when McGuire goes on the air and denies he said it and then says the Gazette has a problem - well, I have a problem with that. It's one thing to be wrong, but lying is something else - and calling me a liar is something else again. You drop the gloves, you'd better be ready to dance.
If you have an opinion, have the guts to own up to it. McGuire was wrong about Souray, just as he was wrong when he said "the league has the book on (Cristobal) Huet." We all make mistakes. It happens. McGuire should have fessed up, admitted his mistake, laughed about it and moved on. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the integrity or the guts. Ironically, Souray and Huet are now in the All-Star Game. And if either of them runs into McGuire in Dallas, you know what he'll say: "Hey, big guy! Congratulations! I've been telling them all along you should be an all-star." Right.
And: Other zeros: Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Randy Johnson, David Samson, Jeffrey Loria, Don King, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, Brian Billick, Peyton Manning, Randy Johnson, TSN &&&& last but not least, Pierre McGuire, because the man lacks those three qualities Koivu has in abundance n heart, courage and integrity.
Jack Todd suggesting Pierre Mcguire lacks guts is akin to George Bush suggesting that Barack Obama lacks intelligence. Jack writes that Pierre had called him EARLY IN THE SEASON to tell him that Souray can’t play. Yet he waits until January to write it? Oh, he didn’t name Pierre. But at the same time admits TRUTH BE TOLD I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAVE QUOTED MCGUIRE. Huh? Try to find how many times Todd has referred to Mcguire in his columns, usually in an effort to support his own opinions. Or better yet “My friend, Pierre McGuire says…” Whatever was said, in whatever context, I can assure you that Pierre makes and receives several calls a day from across the league. Most are for gathering info. Occasionally, if he has an extra 3-5 minutes, he’ll shoot the shit. But unless a writer/columnist specifically calls him for an interview he certainly is not being quoted. Until now. As Pierre Mcguire’s star has risen (TSN, NBC, Sports Illustrated, The Team radio, etc) Jack’s has dimmed. It's now barely a flicker. I can think of no other reason why Todd deliberately set out to embarrass Pierre. It was yellow, gutter journalism at its worst. Beyond unprofessional. The epitome of gutless. Unless Jack has finally hit rock bottom and-in his own words-is now completely “out of his ever-lovin’ mind”.
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=118743&HS=True
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/leaders.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=mlb&statType=1&sortByStat=HR&timeFrame=3&timeSubFrame=0
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/leaders.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=mlb&statType=2&sortByStat=W&timeFrame=3&timeSubFrame=0
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=123006&HS=True
Things have been tough and testy locally so let’s start with a laugh-as first seen on Monday’s Golden Globe awards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Hb8SenD98
(If you have yet to see Borat, you might want to skip the above clip)
Now, back to the sandbox. If that wasn’t a royal “F-You” by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to Mark McGwire then I misunderstand the true meaning of the phrase. In receiving just 23% support for the Hall of Fame, McGwire is a lot closer to sliding off the ballot completely then he is to ever getting in. (75% support needed for enshrinement, 5% or less and you’re gone for good.)
Now the question becomes how many writers, such as The Gazette’s Pat Hickey wanted to punish him in at least his first year of eligibility, but might be willing to vote for him somewhere down the line, compared to the number of hacks who will never vote for him.
Here’s what I would do if I was a sports editor at a large daily: dig into the archives and find all those columns and features written about McGwire while he became the talk of the baseball world-and beyond-in the summer of 1998. Print ‘em all over again, juxtaposed with the most recent drool induced hatred spewing from some of the very same people who willingly went along for perhaps the professional ride of their lives back then. Expose the double standard.
Look, I’m not happy about guys on juice. Especially if the most glamorous career record goes down because of it. But it’s not just Barry Bonds assault on Hank Aaron’s all time home run mark of 755 that’s so bothersome. It’s watching names like Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle and a host of others being passed by guys who simply weren’t as good. Except with a needle instead of a bat.
But what to do about it? Simply white out the name of anybody who juiced up? Anybody have a definitive start and end date? If hitters did end up blasting 50-100 more career home runs as a result, how many were hit against pitchers who were also juiced? Deny entrance to the Hall of Fame if there’s any doubt whatsoever? Who’s to judge, a sportswriter whose moral compass extends to the bridge of his own nose? And now that amphetamines are banned do writers aim their vitriol at those who “greenied up” before games? Or are those numbers so outrageous it’s not even worth going there. What if I were to tell you that, say, the late Willie Stargell used amphetamines through most of his career. And a corked bat (I have absolutely no knowledge of Willie cheating…with a corked bat)? Oh, it’s not the same you say? Listen to speed and steroid expert Charles Yesaris, professor emeritus at Penn State who told the New York Post: "They're far more risky than steroids," said Charles Yesalis, an expert in performance-enhancing drugs. "They can stone-cold kill you. It's far more dangerous. They're not even in the same room with steroids."
Hmmm. Now what? Can anybody say with complete certainty that other than Tony Gwynn and David Wells most MLB players did not use steroids? Or speed? Or both?
Mark McGwire hit 49 home runs as a slender rookie with the 1987 Oakland A’s. He also drove in 118 runs. His on best percentage was .370. He slugged over .600. His power numbers over the next five years:
32 HR 99 RBI
33 HR 95 RBI
39 HR 108 RBI
22 HR 75 RBI
42 HR 104 RBI
He was on his way to a Hall of Fame career long before anybody discovered a jar of Andro in his locker. He finished his career with the best home run to at bat ratio in major league history. Second on that list is Babe Ruth. But McGwire never did cozy up to the writers. And he didn’t give them the big headline they wanted when he appeared before congress. He lashed out at Jose Canseco and Canseco’s book as a teammates’ “betrayal”, adding that he, himself would never have thought to discuss anything about a teammate’s personal life, including “sexual preference”. Now there’s a possible headline but writers were too blinded by rage. Forced to admit they were asleep at their keyboards back in ’98. Or perhaps since 1988.
Unlike Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and even Curt Schilling, Mark McGwire did not lie during his testimony. He did what anybody who studied law by reading “Lawyers for Dummies” would suggest. He took the 5th, knowing full well what it really meant.
Jack Todd (you knew I was getting to him) argued this week, while explaining his decision not to vote for McGwire, that anybody who compared cheating via throwing spitballs to using drugs was “out of their ever-lovin’ minds”. (Don Sutton is in the Hall of Fame. He pitched for 23 years. Won 20 games in a season once. But for his entire career won 324. Now anybody who knows anything about the career of Don Sutton knows he scuffed balls. But 300+ wins is apparently automatic. So, if Sutton doesn’t scuff, especially while pitching well into his 40’s, does he win 29 games over the final three years of his career? If not, he’s stuck at 295. That’s just seven more wins than Tommy John who’s never getting in. Capisce?).
Besides, the fact that Jack Todd has a vote tells you all you need to know about the entire Hall of Fame process.
Jack is a slimeball. What he did to Pierre McGuire this week should cost him his job.
In Jack’s world (what a place that must be) Pierre initiated everything.
Scene October-Indoors
Typical TV room on the south shore.
A large man with a dent in his forehead is lying on the sofa watching a hockey game. A phone rings loudly, startling the man, nearly sending him sprawling off the sofa. He picks up the phone.
Jack: “Hello”
Pierre: “Sheldon Souray can’t play in the NHL”
Jack: “Huh?”
Pierre: “You heard me stud, Sheldon Souray can’t play in this league”
Jack: “Oh, hi Pierre” Click.
Jack Todd writes, in his lead four months later, that “A certain TSN hockey analyst who shall remain nameless doesn’t think Sheldon Souray can play in the NHL”.
Learning how to do my own job by studying every scene and every line from “All The President’s Men” I decide to get to the bottom of this. I ask Pierre on the air if HE is the TSN analyst Jack was referring to. (I had a 50-50 shot. TSN has two game analysts. That’s right two. Pierre and Glenn Healy).
Pierre says he talked to Jack after reading a column he wrote. That he said, as he had several times on the air, that Souray, with his lack of foot speed is probably going to struggle defensively in the new NHL. And if Jack was in fact referring to him, then “It’s fictitious reporting and I’d be concerned if I was a Gazette editor.”
What followed this week was an all-out attack on the same guy who had provided oodles of background information for years to not only Todd but other members of the gazette sports department: The Gazette Monday Januray 15th McGuire on McGuire: Look, if you say something, at least have the integrity to admit that you say it. Yes, it was TSN's Pierre McGuire who phoned me early this season to say - and this is a direct quote - "Jack, Sheldon Souray can't play in the National Hockey League. "
I didn't phone McGuire on that occasion, I didn't ask him about Souray. He phoned me, he offered the opinion on his own. I didn't name him when I wrote about Souray making the all-star team because I thought it was kind of funny that the guy who considers himself the world's biggest expert on the NHL could be so wrong. Truth be told, although he didn't say it was off the record, I probably should not have quoted McGuire - but that's why I didn't use his name. But when McGuire goes on the air and denies he said it and then says the Gazette has a problem - well, I have a problem with that. It's one thing to be wrong, but lying is something else - and calling me a liar is something else again. You drop the gloves, you'd better be ready to dance.
If you have an opinion, have the guts to own up to it. McGuire was wrong about Souray, just as he was wrong when he said "the league has the book on (Cristobal) Huet." We all make mistakes. It happens. McGuire should have fessed up, admitted his mistake, laughed about it and moved on. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the integrity or the guts. Ironically, Souray and Huet are now in the All-Star Game. And if either of them runs into McGuire in Dallas, you know what he'll say: "Hey, big guy! Congratulations! I've been telling them all along you should be an all-star." Right.
And: Other zeros: Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Randy Johnson, David Samson, Jeffrey Loria, Don King, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, Brian Billick, Peyton Manning, Randy Johnson, TSN &&&& last but not least, Pierre McGuire, because the man lacks those three qualities Koivu has in abundance n heart, courage and integrity.
Jack Todd suggesting Pierre Mcguire lacks guts is akin to George Bush suggesting that Barack Obama lacks intelligence. Jack writes that Pierre had called him EARLY IN THE SEASON to tell him that Souray can’t play. Yet he waits until January to write it? Oh, he didn’t name Pierre. But at the same time admits TRUTH BE TOLD I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAVE QUOTED MCGUIRE. Huh? Try to find how many times Todd has referred to Mcguire in his columns, usually in an effort to support his own opinions. Or better yet “My friend, Pierre McGuire says…” Whatever was said, in whatever context, I can assure you that Pierre makes and receives several calls a day from across the league. Most are for gathering info. Occasionally, if he has an extra 3-5 minutes, he’ll shoot the shit. But unless a writer/columnist specifically calls him for an interview he certainly is not being quoted. Until now. As Pierre Mcguire’s star has risen (TSN, NBC, Sports Illustrated, The Team radio, etc) Jack’s has dimmed. It's now barely a flicker. I can think of no other reason why Todd deliberately set out to embarrass Pierre. It was yellow, gutter journalism at its worst. Beyond unprofessional. The epitome of gutless. Unless Jack has finally hit rock bottom and-in his own words-is now completely “out of his ever-lovin’ mind”.
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=118743&HS=True
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/leaders.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=mlb&statType=1&sortByStat=HR&timeFrame=3&timeSubFrame=0
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/leaders.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=mlb&statType=2&sortByStat=W&timeFrame=3&timeSubFrame=0
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=123006&HS=True
Welcome to 2007; And Here's To You.....
Friday January 12 7:45 PM
Hope you had a safe, productive holiday season. In no particular order here is my 2007 wish list for some of your favorite/not-so-favorite sports people/places/things:
Tony Romo: Stickum
Alex Kovalev: Saku Koivu
Sergei Samsanov: A new nose; for the net
Michael Ryder: A fire
Guy Carbonneau: Peter Forsberg….Craig Conroy….Darcy Tucker…. Jose Theodore: A new job
Steve Begin: A new body
Cristobal Huet: A greeting card…from Pierre McGuire; a ticket to Dallas
Glenn Healy: Positive pills
Andrei Markov: A new contract
Sheldon Souray: Ditto
Craig Rivet: Ditto
Montreal scalpers: 40 more home games for the Habs
Mayor Tremblay: Same as Jose Theodore
Bell Center: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and/or The Allman Brothers
Residents of Park Avenue: Otis Grant’s gloves
TSN Hockey Crew: A gold medal too
Marty Shottenheiemer: A Super Bowl before Peyton Manning
Pop Montreal: Tom Waits
Anthony Calvillo: A new playbook
Joey Saputo: A new league
Larry Smith: A new radio station
Montrteal Matrix: A cheque book
Montreal Baseball Fans: Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Mitch Garber: You’re kidding, right? Not a thing
PJ Stock: Rookie of the year award
City of New Orleans: Superbowl win of the Century
Red Fisher: A sequel: Hockey, Heroes & Me (Two)
Pat Hickey: Same as Steve Begin
BillyBob Productions: A road trip to Austin
Ron Reusch: A live show
Dick Pound: Duct tape
Jack Todd: A new fastball
Dick Irvin: Pablum
Ron Fournier: Weed
Murray Wilson: Coffee
Stu Cowan: Young talent
Shane Murphy Trio: A new cd
Denis Casavant: Sleep
Shaun Starr; Cheech & Chong boxset
Elliott Price: 51 Candles
David Beckham: A gas mask
Noel Butler: A translator
Tony Marinaro: Per Diem
Picard: Claws
Scott Saxon: Tranquility
Rod Francis: 10 minutes with Rhona Ambrose; or Marv Levy
Andie Bennett: Her own mountain; or a couple of small ones
PJ Kennedy: Season tickets to The Paramount & AMC
Lorne Rubin: A Cowboy hat
Stephen Brunt: Professor status
Pierre McGuire: A helmet
Mike Boone: A laughtrack
Joey Elias: Another patch
Bill Lee: A congressional seat
Melnick In The Afternoon: Bob Dylan
Listeners of The Team 990: A million thanks
Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears, Jessica Simpson, Terrell Owens, A-Rod, Bud Selig, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Todd Bertuzzi, The War on Terror, Troop Surge, Climate Change, George Bush, Dick Cheney: A Disappearing Act
Bob Gainey: Everlasting Peace
Hope you had a safe, productive holiday season. In no particular order here is my 2007 wish list for some of your favorite/not-so-favorite sports people/places/things:
Tony Romo: Stickum
Alex Kovalev: Saku Koivu
Sergei Samsanov: A new nose; for the net
Michael Ryder: A fire
Guy Carbonneau: Peter Forsberg….Craig Conroy….Darcy Tucker…. Jose Theodore: A new job
Steve Begin: A new body
Cristobal Huet: A greeting card…from Pierre McGuire; a ticket to Dallas
Glenn Healy: Positive pills
Andrei Markov: A new contract
Sheldon Souray: Ditto
Craig Rivet: Ditto
Montreal scalpers: 40 more home games for the Habs
Mayor Tremblay: Same as Jose Theodore
Bell Center: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and/or The Allman Brothers
Residents of Park Avenue: Otis Grant’s gloves
TSN Hockey Crew: A gold medal too
Marty Shottenheiemer: A Super Bowl before Peyton Manning
Pop Montreal: Tom Waits
Anthony Calvillo: A new playbook
Joey Saputo: A new league
Larry Smith: A new radio station
Montrteal Matrix: A cheque book
Montreal Baseball Fans: Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Mitch Garber: You’re kidding, right? Not a thing
PJ Stock: Rookie of the year award
City of New Orleans: Superbowl win of the Century
Red Fisher: A sequel: Hockey, Heroes & Me (Two)
Pat Hickey: Same as Steve Begin
BillyBob Productions: A road trip to Austin
Ron Reusch: A live show
Dick Pound: Duct tape
Jack Todd: A new fastball
Dick Irvin: Pablum
Ron Fournier: Weed
Murray Wilson: Coffee
Stu Cowan: Young talent
Shane Murphy Trio: A new cd
Denis Casavant: Sleep
Shaun Starr; Cheech & Chong boxset
Elliott Price: 51 Candles
David Beckham: A gas mask
Noel Butler: A translator
Tony Marinaro: Per Diem
Picard: Claws
Scott Saxon: Tranquility
Rod Francis: 10 minutes with Rhona Ambrose; or Marv Levy
Andie Bennett: Her own mountain; or a couple of small ones
PJ Kennedy: Season tickets to The Paramount & AMC
Lorne Rubin: A Cowboy hat
Stephen Brunt: Professor status
Pierre McGuire: A helmet
Mike Boone: A laughtrack
Joey Elias: Another patch
Bill Lee: A congressional seat
Melnick In The Afternoon: Bob Dylan
Listeners of The Team 990: A million thanks
Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears, Jessica Simpson, Terrell Owens, A-Rod, Bud Selig, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Todd Bertuzzi, The War on Terror, Troop Surge, Climate Change, George Bush, Dick Cheney: A Disappearing Act
Bob Gainey: Everlasting Peace
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