MONTREAL, CANADA – It certainly wasn’t going to be the man’s heart. He had way too much of that, regardless of his proximity to a baseball field. Heart, an aspect missing in Queens lately and a major reason the ’86 Mets team was tough to beat. As fundamentally sound as a catcher there ever was, you can forgive a baseball player for squeezing out a few more years, especially if it’s for the love of the game. And there were three late stops for a deteriorating body—two in his home state of California with the Giants and Dodgers and then back to where it all began in Montreal before mercifully retiring. The body just doesn’t respond well to catching 150+ games per year as this position player hits an imaginary physical wall evident to any baseball audience. Baseball writers weigh this accordingly when voting for Hall of Fame enshrinement. Catchers do not merely get this honor on offensive stats alone as defense is a prerequisite. Continue reading »
With the conclusion of the NFL Championship Game and another football season put to rest (in the Giants trophy case), one thing carrying over like a Pick Six Pool at Belmontis the always heated NY-Boston rivalry. The payoff may come in April or May and has little to do with the Sawx and Yankees. How so you ask? The Rangers and Bruins are on course to grab the attention of casual hockey fans or even [...]
LAS VEGAS, NV – Let’s be honest, nobody is looking to read anything other than something about the Super Big Game (exhale Short Matt), specifically the numbers, whether it be for your pools, boxes, bookies or whatever. So… Today’s Total (54) is down a tick from 55 early last week as my opinion had the over/under number at least three points too low. Lines-makers base their point spreads on public perception, with the goal of [...]
FOXBORO, MA – The NFL Championship game (damn trademarks) is a week away leaving party hosts plenty of time to conjure up a menu for company. A variety of fare is advisable just in case the game becomes such a runaway that commercials and box pools are the only things keeping viewer’s interest. Screw the Food Network! For a truly unique gastronomic spread to make your efforts the focal point of this unofficial American holiday, [...]
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“I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan and the first to point out my team are undisciplined losers…” SAN FRANSISCO, CA – To the delight of all Big Blue fans’ ears, I’m handling the latest Giants playoff run eerily similar to that of five years ago: I didn’t think they were that good then, and I was proved wrong. They won in spite of their offense that Sunday, regardless of the game MVP honors thrown Peyton’s brother’s [...]
TRENTON, NJ – It’s a new year and like we’ve heard time and again, “Out with the old and in with the new.” But because I am Cheesy, this cliché left me a different perspective of this beaten-to-death and droll saying… one with sports figures dripping with toilet water/humor. So, while might be furthest thing from fresh, here is a handy new guide to help label your old output. I’m hoping some of these will [...]
CHICAGO, IL – Just this past week, Chicago Bears WR Sam Hurd was arrested and implicated in a drug sting that would’ve made Tony, not Joe, Montana very proud. It’s avarice, if not capitalism at its very finest—a million dollar football player looking to make millions more by drawing up distribution plans for blow and wacky tobacky. Sam Hurd the football player is nothing more than a fourth or fifth receiver on a roster and [...]
NHL HQ – This past week the NHL announced a realignment that harkens to a previous time that relied heavily upon border wars and age-old rivalries, circa 1993, before a shift to the league’s existing format. A product of cost-cutting travel expenses has each of the two Eastern “Conferences” playing conference foes six times – and this before the intensity rises, as teams square off inside the Conference for the first two rounds of the [...]
CHICAGO, IL – This weekend’s NFL games showcase one position that has deteriorated exponentially in the past 10 years; The Backup Quarterback. Today, we get to see some of these guys forced into action, and really, they have little shot at helping their team win. It doesn’t matter if it’s an emergency or longer term, they just aren’t up to the task. The John Skeltons and Tyler Palkos of the current NFL are a far [...]
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – I awoke at 9:30 AM to the kids saying they were going to the movies. After wishing the brood a Happy Thanksgiving, they out the door to catch the 10:20 showing of Arthur Christmas. Knowing breakfast would be the only shot at a decent meal on this day – my wife’s culinary skills are on par with those of an eight-year-old experimenting with an E-Z Bake Oven – Thanksgiving came on the [...]
