Talking Jets with Brian Bassett
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Ahhh…
Marshall, the former Dodgers outfielder now managing the Chico Outlaws of the independent North American Baseball League, was suspended three games for fighting Monday with Tony Phillips.
Yep, that Tony Phillips, the one who played in the major leagues for 18 seasons. And is still playing for the independent Yuma Scorpions — managed by Jose Canseco….
Marshall may regrettably be best remembered as the player who sat out a game for “general soreness” and dated Go-Go’s lead singer Belinda Carlisle.
Ahhh… Wait, no. First of all… No, no, first of all — OK, OK…
Yeah, there’s just nothing I can add.
How much are flights to Yuma these days?
More like US Pee Team
The US Ski Team has dismissed an 18-year-old member of its development squad after he was accused of getting drunk and then urinating on a fellow passenger aboard a JetBlue flight to New York City.
On top of this, a few years ago the U.S. Ski Team made a rule that skiers could no longer drink before practices. They’re really cracking down on these guys these days.
I couldn’t come up with a better headline about sign-stealing that implied how much I hated the movie Signs
At Grantland, Jonah Keri takes a thorough look at the allegations that the Blue Jays have been stealing signs with the help of a mysterious Man in White in the Rogers Centre center field seats.
I planned to write something with similar themes on the same topic, but Keri does a better job than I would have anyway, so check that out. The crux of it:
1) There’s not much evidence the Blue Jays benefited from sign stealing.
2) Every team tries to steal signs, as they should. It’s not against the rules, and players are going to do everything they can do gain competitive advantages.
3) There’s just no way you can chalk up Jose Bautista’s improvement to sign-stealing because lots of players have presumably enjoyed stolen signs before and very, very few — including all the other Blue Jays — have improved as rapidly as Bautista has.
4) I really hated that movie Signs.
Sanchez!
ESPN LA announced today that it has reached an agreement with the New York Jets to broadcast the team’s games during the upcoming NFL season. All 16 regular-season games will air live on 710 ESPN, beginning with the Jets’ Sept. 11 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
Led by former USC standout and Orange County native Mark Sanchez, the Jets have emerged as a perennial title contender, advancing to the AFC Championship Game each of the past two seasons. Prior to joining the Jets, Sanchez demonstrated his post-season prowess as a Trojan, earning Offensive MVP honors with a 413-yard performance in a 2009 Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.
– Jets press release.
Well that’s reasonably interesting.
And now they speak in whispers low
So in the amazingly unlikely event Dan Uggla breaks DiMaggio’s record, who writes the song about him? I vote Cee-Lo Green. He’s from Atlanta, he’s both popular and accessible, and like Uggla he’s a role model for stocky people everywhere. Of course, I’d probably vote for Cee-Lo Green no matter who broke the mark.
I had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon and had to leave the office early. Enjoy the weather if you’re in New York.
Baseball Show with Patrick Flood
Sandwiches of Citi Field: The Single Shack
Due to the rain Tuesday night, the line at Citi Field’s Shake Shack was short. I grabbed the opportunity to review the last remaining unreviewed Shake Shack sandwich.
It will set you back $6.50, if I recall correctly. Normally it will also cost you a couple innings of baseball, but not if you go a half hour before the game while they’re pulling the tarp off the field.
I think it’s even better than the Double Shack. While the single patty de-emphasizes the delicious, high-quality beef, it makes for a better balance of ingredients. Biting into it, you taste everything at once: crispy lettuce, sweet tomato, tangy shack sauce, creamy cheese, soft bun, juicy meat. It’s damn near elegant. No, screw that; it is elegant.
I’ve long since given up comparing sandwiches to baseball players but I think I’m prepared to make the following call. And this is not a distinction I would bestow upon a sandwich lightly: The Shake Shack burger is the Carlos Beltran of sandwiches. Deemed overrated by some but still appreciated by legions of Mets fans, every element of its game is excellent without being flashy. It will sometimes require a wait — diminishing its value, no doubt — but patient fans can recognize its greatness in center field at Mets games.
Move over, Kevin Mitchell 1987 Topps
Over at Notgraphs, Dayn Perry uncovers a rather remarkable 1980s-era Minor League baseball card. Via Kyle.
Mariano Rivera is still ridiculously awesome
“For him to go through what he’s gone through the last two outings, this guy’s human,” Hunter said. “He’s going to get older, and it’s going to slow down for him, but I still don’t want to face him.”
Hunter continued: “Hitters still fear him. Mariano’s name carries weight, and I’m not even going off his name, I’m going off what he still has. His cutter is unbelievable. Still, to this day. He doesn’t throw as hard — 91, 92 — but the cutter still cuts the same.”
Against Abreu on Tuesday, it did not, and Scutaro also handled the pitch. Rivera is signed through next season, and he reacted calmly to the defeats, as always. But such moments remind us of the uncomfortable reality that Rivera, the Yankees’ indispensable closer, is reaching an expiration date, as all players do.
Speculation about the inevitable end of the Mariano Rivera era in the Bronx is now about as predictable as Mariano Rivera. Every time a couple of his rare blown saves happen to come back-to-back, Yankee fans freak out and baseball columnists start penning eulogies for his ridiculously awesome career.
Here’s the thing, though: Rivera is still great. His ERA in 2011 is exactly at his career mark, and his WHIP and K:BB are better than his established (and awesome) rates. To his credit, Kepner notes a lot of that in his column.
Watch: Rivera’s going to lock down his next 15 chances, and everyone will clam up about his age. Same thing’ll happen next year.
Tedquarters 