Sports Idiots

Kevin Youkilis vs Rick Porcello

JFerg — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:36:24 +0000

Kevin Youkilis who got beamed for the second time in as many night’s charged Rick Porcello and both were ejected from last nights game. Mike Lowell who replaced Youkilis in the lineup ended up hitting two homeruns in a Red Sox victory over the Detroit Tigers.

The question is though, who won the fight? You can see for yourself on this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuu3CIPLrTA.

When Youkilis charges you see Porcello definitely backing away practically fleeing from Youk. This was a weak maneuver by Porcello who definitely wasn’t like Nolan Ryan was vs. Robin Ventura. (See picture to the left) But the kid is 20! He is a barely a fully mature adult if that, and has a bald guy with a glorious goatee after him, who wouldn’t run. But then there is Youkilis who tosses his helmet at Porcello when he gets close, how can you charge someone for throwing something at you and then you do the very same thing? After Youk throws his helmet, Youk goes in for a Ray Lewis type tackle. But the unexpected happens; Porcello gets under the arms of Youk uses his momentum and slams him to the ground. Then the mob surrounds and their individual fight is over.

Red Sox fans keep bringing up the fact that Porcello was running away but does that matter? I don’t think so, the fight still happened and the wiry Porcello dominated it. Victory to Rick the Brick Porcello!

Update

Boston’s Kevin Youkilis and Detroit pitcher Rick Porcello were suspended for five games each Wednesday and fined by Major League Baseball for their roles in a benches-clearing confrontation.

Another Sunday Lineup

nickchristy — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:11:16 +0000

Watching the Orioles on Sundays is kind of like watching a AAAA all star game. I will never understand the reasoning behind starting all of your reserves on the same day. It’s kind of like telling the other team, “go ahead take the W were only interested in playing time today, not winning.”. That’s a little league mentality, and doesn’t win against other teams that care more about winning then playing time.

Wouldn’t it make much more sense to slot your reserves in during the week when they have favorible matchups, rather then putting them all in together on the same day? What’s even more disturbing is when they all play on a day when your facing a dominant pitcher like Roy Halladay.

Great Debut, Matusz

Kevin Ferg — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:52:05 +0000

Congrats Brian Matusz on an excellent outing in his major league debut. A combination of good offspeed stuff and some pretty good defense by the Orioles, Matusz was able to pick his way through a couple touchy situations. Struggling a little with his control and giving up three early walks, he put himself into a bases loaded situation. With an excellent play by Izturis he was able to get out of a situation, no harm no foul. Again, in the fifth, he got himself into a second and third jam. He kept his head, concentrated on the batter and got himself a strike out to end the inning. Good pitchers find a way out. Granted, this is his first outing and has a lot to prove, but I’m pretty excited to see what he brings to the mix. As it stands right now, the Orioles are up 5-1 in the sixth and have the bases juiced. Let’s get Matusz some big run support and give this young pitcher his first win.
IP H R ER BB SO
5.0 6 1 1 3 5

Mora Needs to Work it out

nickchristy — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:44:33 +0000

How many times have we seen this before? An aging veteran who is no longer producing becomes angry at his manager when he starts to see a lack of playing time. Mora was quoted yesterday as saying that Dave Trembley has disrespected him. Earth to Melvin – your 37 years old and hitting .256/.321/.331. Sorry Melvin, stats like that don’t earn playing time. Sure you had a great run as an Oriole, and you will always be remembered for making the most out of your talent. You worked hard and made yourself into a ballplayer – but that was 5 years ago. Now your an aging veteran who has seemingly lost a couple steps. You don’t have the bat or speed you once had, but it looks like you still have the attitude. There isn’t room on a developing team for a veteran who is concerned about himself.

What you should be doing right now is working with the kids, showing them how you went from a utility player to 3 time all-sar. Show them how you put together all your tools and actually received MVP votes in 2004. Show them what hard work is about. Instead you put yourself first and throw Trembley under the bus.

We all have our questions about Dave Trembley as a manager, but its pretty clear that showing his players respect has always been a good quality for Dave. Too bad you are confusing doing what is best for the team with respect.

You have been a great Oriole Melvin, I just wonder how good you could have been if you have not always been so eager to listen to boneheads. We all remember the Tony Battista years when he was in your head about hitting home runs. We remember how bad your swing was, because you thought he had all the answers. Now your letting a steriod using liar (Big Pappi) get in your head about how you should be playing every day and hitting higher in the lineup. Just understand this Melvin, if you were playing for Francona, he would have benched you a long time ago.

What were they thinking?

nickchristy — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:58:28 +0000

A couple of us idiots made our way to Oriole Park at Candem Yards yesterday to see the O’s take on the Redsox. Every Orioles fan knows that when they come to Baltimore the stadium is over-run with Redsox fans. Even more disturbing then hearing the “Let’s go Redsox” chant is watching them celebrate when they win. Most of the time I can put up with it, because O’s fans have no real reason to go and feel like a visitor in their own ballpark. What I do have a problem with is going to the Orioles team store at the stadium and seeing Redsox Jerseys for sale.

Are you serious? I know that its all in an effort to make a few dollars but I would have hoped that respect for your franchise would weigh higher then making a few dollars on Jersey sales.

Has baseball really come to this?

Is Shaq Good for Cleveland ??

Kevin Ferg — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:13:53 +0000

There has been a lot of big news this year in the NBA off season. After a rather anti-climatic finish last year, Cleveland has been especially active. The recent acquisition of superstar center Shaquille O’Neal has created a lot of waves amongst sports writers and fans alike. After the NBA hype of Kobe vs LeBron came crashing down, it looks like the Cavs front office wanted to ensure a “Ring for the King” as Shaq so eloquently put it. My question is can Shaq bring another ring to ANOTHER young superstar?? Throughout his career, Shaq has been a perfect compliment to some of the NBA’s biggest names. Starting out with Penny Hardaway, moving in with Kobe , giving a ring to DWade and making an ailing Suns team a serious threat with Steve Nash. Granted, he only went into the history books as champ with Kobe and DWade, but he has been a definite force with every team he’s played for.

Now, is Shaq good for the Cleveland Cavaliers? I say no. One thing Shaq will have to understand is this is LeBron’s show. Steve Nash says that Shaq understands this and that he will “work well with LeBron.” I disagree. LeBron has shown over and over again that he likes to take over when things are getting bumpy. Granted, this is the job of a superstar, but late in the game when LeBron is trying to make something happen, will Shaq be in the middle clogging up the lane? King James becomes less of a threat when he can’t drive. With an inconsistent three ball, he has to rely on speed and power to get things done. Shaq in the middle takes that away and NOBODY tells Shaq to, “Get out of my way.” Cleveland has a great defense and proved it all last year, consistently earning number one in the rankings in a variety of categories. They already have a pretty potent offense and a player that can make things happen. So the question then becomes, why did they lose in the conference finals? The reason – the three balls. Orlando was too much for them. The amazing in-and-out game with Dwight Howard and a laundry list of able shooters gave the Cavs too much to defend at one time. The answer for this year – should’ve gotten yourself a serious three ball threat.

Orioles Trade George Sherril to Dodgers

JFerg — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:36:12 +0000

The Orioles have traded George Sherril to the Dodgers for third base prospect Josh Bell and pitcher Steve Johnson. This was a necessary trade for the Orioles who are once again out of contention. The Orioles had to look to the future and might of grabbed themselves an all-star calibar third baseman. As an O’s fan you gotta like the deal.

The skinny on Josh Bell and Steve Johnson by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus:

Josh Bell, 3B, Dodgers (Double-A Chattanooga)

A fourth-round pick in 2005, Bell has always combined impressive tools with good/not-great performances due to a poor approach. Things have changed considerably for him this year, as his walk rate is way up, his strikeout rate is way down, and that combination is rarely seen suddenly only after a player reaches the upper levels. The exciting thing is that the bat is beginning to explode as well; by going 12-for-21 in his last six games with four doubles and pair of home runs, he’s now batting .297/.388/.500. No wonder his name is suddenly coming up quite a bit in trade rumors

Steven Johnson, RHP, Dodgers (Double-A Chattanooga)

Sleeper Alert! A 13th-round pick in 2005 and the son of former big leaguer and Orioles broadcaster Dave Johnson, Steven has taken a slow-but-steady rise through the Dodgers system. He has taken a big step forward this year, striking out 102 in 96.2 innings for High-A Inland Empire and now 15 in 10 2/3 frames over his first two Double-A starts. He’s not a monster by any stretch, but his fastball and breaking ball both rate a tick above average and there’s some deception to his delivery. Scouts think he could fit in the back of the rotation when all is said and done.

David Ortiz Tested Positive For Steroids

nickchristy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:34:46 +0000

This just in… The New York Times is reporting David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were among the more than 100 Major League Baseball players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.

I will have more to say about this later tonight, but wanted to pass the news item along..

O’s Chris Tillman to Start Tonight

JFerg — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:34:40 +0000

Tonight at Camden Yards the Orioles will start Chris Tillman vs. Zach Grienke and the Kansas City Royals. Tillman, yet another piece the Orioles ripped off from Seattle for Eric Bedard, has been pitching in AAA Norfolk this year, honing his skills with 99 SO, 26 BB and a 2.70 ERA over 96.2 innings pitched.

As the number one pitching prospect in the Orioles organization, Tillman has been hyped as the teams future ace. Oriole fans will be watching, hoping to see the next great pitcher of the Orioles since Mike Mussina. He has a great opportunity to bring these(us) fans some excitement pitching against one of the worst offenses in baseball.

For the fun of it im projecting a line of:

Baltimore	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
Tillman	6.0	5	1	1	2	5	0

All Over

nickchristy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:45:59 +0000

Buehrle walked someone with 2 outs in the 6th, then gave up a single to follow – lost the perfect game and no hitter in two batters… Just goes to show you how amazing a perfect game really is.