1,972 Wins

30 For 30: Pete Rose Here Now. Great short film by ESPN. Put. Him. In. The. Hall. Of. Fame.

Waterworks Wednesday: Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin must be shaking his head in disbelief. All that brain power and time invested into creating the fragile and intricate invention of the bifocal glasses; and now, we wear frames with no lenses as a fashion accessory! 

Don't get me wrong, I love this movement of young NBA basketball players dressing very... savvy. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Griffin, LeBron and Wade all seem as though they have enlisted the same stylist. Each possesses a similar distinctive style: a hybrid crossed with geeky and hipster. I am personally obsessed with the Ray Ban look that Durant pulls off every night (... with lenses, though).  

What I don't get is wearing empty frames as an accessory. I don't get wearing items dug out of your kid's costume chest to your job. I just don't understand why Wade would rock this look after a colossal loss. It gives the impression of distraction, apathy, and a lack of seriousness. 

What do you think of this look? Is it enough to make Ben Franklin shed some waterworks?    

Crowning the Zero

Yesterday I was way too excited about the Hero of the Week to focus on bashing any ill-advised sports figures. To be honest, I am going to be all warm and fuzzy on the inside for some time due to Santana's amazing performance on Friday night. I just see Johan's face, and I can hear his "Yeah baby! Believe it!" in my head, and I smile from ear to ear.

But I can't let this feel-good story prevent me from calling out the losers who just don't get it. That is why today I am going to name the Zero of the Week, which happens to be the biggest jerk in NASCAR.

This week's Zero:

Kurt Busch

I am not sure if it is Kurt's intention to wind up racing late models again for $3000 to win, but he seems to be playing it that way. NASCAR is not a sport with a minor league, or a d-league for that matter; you're either in it, or your not. 

Owners, sponsors, and the media can only be patient for so long. A driver with blatant anger management issues and a total disregard for consequences is not going to be a NASCAR driver for much longer. 

Kurt Bush's drama has existed for years, dating back to a 2005 confrontation with Phoenix police after being pulled over for suspicion of drunken driving.

Last year, many thought Busch reached his ultimate low, verbally abusing members of the media, ultimately resulting in an artificial apology video and his imminent departure from Penske racing. 

But I will argue that was not Kurt's low. This is. 

Kurt, you are a grown man. Grown men learn from the mistakes they made when they were younger. They don't make excuses. They don't throw tantrums on a monthly basis. They don't try to fight members of the media who are just doing their job. And they definitely don't act as if they are bigger than NASCAR. Grown men show up to work and get the job done. 

Kurt, I am an eternal optimist, but you are going to be out of the job you have dreamed of since the first time you raced Las Vegas Speedway Park. And you have no one to blame but yourself.  

Hero/ Zero of the Week

This weekend has been thrilling for fans of baseball, especially if you are a fan of the NY Mets. Weekly, I like to discuss a single Hero and Zero of the last seven days. Tonight, I am going to stray from the exact make-up of this feature simply because I have so much excitement for what transpired at Citi Field on Friday night. (It is worth noting, I am pretty excited about everything that has gone on at Citi Field this series so far.)

So here it is, this week's Heroes:

I could sit here and name every player on the Mets roster that contributed to the first no-hitter in franchise history, but I don't have to do that. We all know the team effort that took place, and like Johan did, we thank them all. 

But with that being said, there is one young Met, who sacrificed his body to preserve the no-hit for Johan, the Mets, and NY fans, that deserves to be recognized. A boy from Queens, growing up a Mets fan, Mike Baxter made a fantastic catch in the outfield, only to slam full force into the wall and exit the game with injury. This was the play that truly solidified the gravity of the night before that last out. 

So, thank you Mike Baxter, for laying it all out to make the dream come true for that little boy from Queens and all those other life long fans out there.

Dear Terry Collins: I know I am not Sandy Alderson. I am not Fred Wilpon. And I'm defiantly not Tony LaRussa. But I need to say, you did good. Without your courage, history would not have been made on June 1, 2012. Santana may be your Hero, but here at Into The Stands, Terry, you are a Hero.

And lastly, this week's biggest Hero is the one and only Johan Santana. Johan's return to the mound this season has been storied, with solid pitching, lack of run support and wins, followed by a shut out, and a no hitter, earning him the nickname No-Han. Friday night, with Josh Thole, catching, Johan threw a career high 134 pitches, nearly 20 more than Collins' pitch limit for the recovering left hander, clearly adding to the drama of the event. 

Johan accomplished what Met pitchers such as Seaver, Gooden, Ryan and Darling could not do for the club. His heroics will extend well beyond this week, beyond the season. He will forever be a Hero in Mets History.

Mike Stobe

Waterworks Wednesday: Mashup

Unable to post over the past week or so, I began my day by brainstorming what to highlight on this Waterworks Wednesday.
I thought perhaps I would dissect the Oklahoma City Thunder falling victim to the Spurs' undefeated streak. Going into the series I thought for sure Durant & Co. could contend and shake things up. Now, I am not so sure.
Next, I thought my Waterworks Wednesday post could focus on the NBA Draft Lottery tonight (especially if the bleak Bobcats don't secure the number one pick).
Then, I had a fantastical (that's a word, right?) mis-encounter at my work today proving that in no way, shape or form do I possess any ounce of smoothness. Working as an HR Manager at a grocery store less than ten minutes from the ESPN headquarters, I have heard of token ESPN personalities gracing our aisles every once in a while. Today was my chance to chat it up with the man of ESPN... an athletically dressed Stuart Scott held the door for me! Unconvinced it was him... then convinced it really was... I was too indecisive to say anything. Booo to me.
But my true Waterworks came when I realized that I somehow missed the major announcement that Michelle Beadle is leaving ESPN for NBC! Sadly, I knew this day would come; her sassiness and sense of humor would ultimately lead her to bigger and better things, but still disappointing.

SportsNation will never be the same.

Be sure to catch Beads' last SportsNation on Friday!

Video Bonus

If you haven't seen this video yet, don't miss out any longer. The creative genius behind this concept is pure fun and a major score. Must watch!

Flashback Friday: May 18, 2004

Justin Verlander nearly threw his third career no-hitter tonight. With two outs left in the ninth, Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison singled up the middle.

On this exact night eight years ago, a 40 year old Randy Johnson threw a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves. Watch Randy's 27 K's as he pitches the 17th perfect game in MLB history.

 

Pure Awesomeness

I couldn't resist sharing the most awesome bobblehead of the year.
I am amped for the Keith Hernandez Bobblehead Day at Citi Field on Sunday, June 17th. But a trio? With awesome mustaches? In action?

This is the grand slam of bobbleheads.

A King and a Prince

The Star-Ledger

Cavalier: noun: A mounted soldier; a knight

Eight years ago LeBron James was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year. This year, LeBron won his third MVP award.
Both are distinguished honors.
Both add to LeBron's surmounting legacy.
Both provide credibility to the (perhaps self-imposed) nickname "The King."
But there is one glaring difference between the LeBron James who accepted the Rookie of the Year award and the LeBron James who took home his third MVP: The team in which he leads.
We all know the not-so-storybook-ending for LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron set his sights on a conquest, and then decided to go to battle for a new land, with a new army at his side.

So what's a kingdom to do when they have lost their King? Go out and find themselves a Prince. 

And that is exactly what they did with their number one draft pick last summer. Kyrie Irving has been a cavalier for the city of Cleveland. He is the league's Rookie of the Year. He is Cleveland's Prince. And with three first round picks in this upcoming draft to fill the court, Cleveland could have a King once again.

Hero/ Zero of the Week

Deciding this week's Zero at Into The Stands was a difficult task. I was torn in two directions by equally disturbing displays of poor sportsmanship.
I decided not to choose Our Lady of Sorrows as this week's Zero, because, despite their flawed belief system, it is still a belief system. I don't want to label that, but I will call it out.
Our Lady Sorrows baseball team forfeited a championship game because their opposing team, Mesa Preparatory Academy, consisted of a 15 year old girl at second base. It is not that Our Lady Sorrows believed they were going to get cooties (they are 15, not five), or injure the girl (baseball isn't a contact sport); rather, they believe a woman's place is not on the field (really? with the 40th anniversary of Title IX right on the horizon?).
My response would never be as good as that of Nancy Hogshead-Makar, senior director of advocacy Women's Sports Foundation, who said: "In real life, these boys are going to be competing against the girls for jobs, for positions in graduate programs or in trade schools. In every other area of their life, they are going to be competing side by side."
Boom.


This week's Zero:

Josh Beckett 

Getty Images

It is hard to ignore the attitude of this guy. 

Missing a start... acceptable. Golfing on your day off... acceptable. Have a bad outing... sucks, but is also acceptable. Mouthing off to the media...eh, it happens.

However, the combination of all four of these misnomers equals a big, fat goose egg for the Red Sox's pitcher Josh Beckett.   

Beckett is so cocky, so irresponsible, so entitled, that I can't even look at him and that weird patch of hair on his chin.

My words of advice here are for the Red Sox organization. They are one of the strongest organizations in MLB, and that is by no coincidence. They have pushed so many of the right buttons. Loved by lots, hated by lots, respected by more, they have always worked diligently to remain PR conscious, and have built a solid brand. 

So now, here is the tough part to swallow... Josh Becket is spoiling your brand. Doesn't matter how good he is. The beer drinking, fried chicken eating, egomaniac is spoiling your brand, John Henry. 

Show him the door, and never look back. 

Cole Hamels is a free agent at the end of this season.  

This week's Hero:

Rick Hendrick

Jimmie Johnson may have won the race at Darlington on Saturday, but Rick Hendrick was the winner at the end of this race. 

The Southern 500 win marked Hendrick's 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup victory as a team owner, a win his drivers and teams have been vying for since the 199th win last October. 

Hendrick won his first race as an owner at Martinsville in 1984. 

His continued impact on stock car racing is apparent and longstanding. With drivers such as Johnson, Kahne, Gordon, Earnhardt Jr, Hendrick can now set his sights on 250 wins.  

Flashback Friday: Happy Birthday Jim Calhoun

On Thursday Jim Calhoun celebrated his 70th birthday.

On the same day, Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics celebrated taking the first round of the playoffs by knocking out the Atlanta Hawks in six games. 

On this Flashback Friday we are going to revisit a game that happened well before NCAA and NBA Championships were a reality for these men. Watch as the UConn Huskies battle in the final seconds of the 1996 Big East Championship after  trailing 13 points with less than three minutes on the clock.

(PS. My favorite part of this video is not Iverson, or Allen's head of hair, or even Jim Calhoun's condolence face... rather, it is Dick Vitale yelling unbeeelievaaableee in his trademark voice!) 

On The Defense

I am an adamant supporter of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's decision to punish Sean Payton, Greg Williams, and all those involved in the Saints' Bounty scandal. The day the story broke- the minute it came out Sean Payton was aware of the pay-for-injury program- I believed the respected coach must sit out of the game for an entire year. Then, I applauded Goodell for making the tough decision, because it was the right decision. I am confident that this was the only way the league would become what it wants to be: focused on players' safety.
This is all the more reason I am surprised that I get what Chris Carter was bringing to the table when he revealed his own "bounty" history. And I am even more surprised that I am not morally opposed to the description he relayed on ESPNRadio of calling attention to specific players on opposing teams.
To me, it seems Carter described an insurance plan in the form of rewarding for protection. The label 'bounty' is so assuming now, that it is not fair to say a steak dinner for an extra tackle is a bounty. In a day where we know players aimed to tear ACLs and torture the concussed, we can not use the term bounty lightly. The type of insurance Carter describes could exist in 'old school' football the way it no longer can. It could be the culture in a league of football where players weren't constantly warned about bounties by a man named Goodell.
It is a good thing players such a Carter and Romanowski don't play the game anymore. Because the truth of the matter is... the game, and perception of the game, has changed.

It's Raining Bombs (Josh Hamilton's Bombs That Is)

What do the first, third, seventh, and eighth innings all have in common tonight?

These are the four innings in which Josh Hamilton slugged a home run in the game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Yes, that is right. Four innings, four home runs. One game.
If this doesn't sound impressive enough, take a look at these numbers.
Hamilton is only the 16th MLB player to add this achievement to his resume, and the first since Carlos Delgado in 2003 (We all know how prestigious a perfect game is... 21 pitchers have perfect games).
Tonight Hamilton went 5-for-5.
Hamilton swung 9 times and took 18 total bases during the game.
18 sets the AL record for total bases.
With this, he raised his slugging percentage from .703 to .840 (Matt Kemp is holding strong at .832).

So, what does it all mean?
It means that Josh Hamilton is in the final year of his contact. Naturally, it seems that players who are in the final year of their contract generally play 'better'. As a guy who is plagued with injuries and personal struggles in past seasons, Hamilton has to show why he is worth the gamble heading into the free agent market.

Flashback Friday: Mine That Bird

The Kentucky Derby is an American tradition.
Maybe more like a holiday. A big holiday. Like Christmas.
On this Flashback Friday we are are going to revisit the 2009 Kentucky Derby and the stunning sequence of events that unfold to lead to one of the most memorable endings ever. Watch as Mine That Bird and Calvin Borel come from dead last in the first turn to take the lead in the final furlong.
Be sure to listen to NBC sports announcer Tom Durkin as even he is shocked by the ending that rocked the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Waterworks Wednesday: Thought It Was Plastic

"It read "Break Glass in Case of Emergency." Amare must have thought 0-2 to the Miami Heat was an emergency."

"It wasn't the Heat, it was just stupidity."

"Season: Extinguished."

These are some of the catchiest snip-its written about Stoudemire's... 'predicament.'
(It is notable that the NY Post's headline was quite lame, reading "Bloody Idiot."...Come on guys. They just lost to the Heat... He punched a fire extinguisher... Couldn't take that anywhere else?)
I digress though from Waterworks Wednesday. As outlandish and brainless of an action punching/slapping/hitting a fire extinguisher installed on a concrete wall really is, I must admit, I kind of have Amare's back on this one.
Witnesses of the incident and Amare himself have stated that, the NY Knicks player did not wind up and punch the glass; rather, it sounds as though he back-handed the casing with a closed fist.
Here is how Stoudemire explained the incident today:
"It wasn't like I has a closed fist and just punched through the glass. It was nothing like that. I just walked by, wanted to make some noise, swung my arm, hit the fire extinguisher door and didn't even realize I was cut at all... Then I saw the cut... Unfortunately after games, when it's very passionate, things happen. You don't expect..to injure yourself, but you've just got to deal with it."
If the sequence of events really went down like this, I sort of feel badly for Amare's poor decision which resulted in some really bad luck. I am impressed with Amare's ownership of his mistake, and I believe his apologies are heartfelt.
On this Waterworks Wednesday I want to applaud Amare for not playing the "cry me a river" card, and offer my condolences to the NY Knicks, who may now, not be able to put out the fire.

Just For Fun

Watching the wonderful pitching match up between Derek Holland and David Price tonight sparked laugh out loud memories of Holland's Harry Caray impressions which he debuted during last year's postseason. Of course, this led to a diligent search of YouTube for more laughable material provided courtesy of Holland. That is when I came across this great segment featured on Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable. Check it out and laugh out loud (please note, his shirt features the one and only honey badger... how great is that).

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

When Derrick Rose went down, the Bulls cringed, the fans gasped, and the entire NBA nation held their breaths.
Were we witnessing a game changer for the entire NBA postseason? It seemed that way.
All signs pointed to it, but no one wanted to speak the words out loud. That is until a medical professional stated the results of the MRI performed after the game: Torn ACL. Out for the rest of the season.
Rose has already missed 26 games for various other injuries during this shortened season. By habit, we are so quick to assign meaning to the reasons for Rose's injuries.
Do the injuries mean he is weak, as one Nike designer would imply in a tongue-and-cheek tweet? No, I don't think so.
Do they mean we should blame someone for this devastating blow? Should that person be the Bull's head coach, Tom Thibodeau? Absolutely not (and it is so annoying to me that people actually would).
Does this injury, hand in hand with Shumpert's, indicate the harsh reality of a physically demanding sport pinning athletes to an even more demanding and merciless schedule, 66 games in four months? I can't completely buy that either.
I think we just have to accept that sometimes, for no reason at all, things like this happen. We have to understand that you can call all the right plays and still lose. We have to accept superstars are fallible. And we have to accept that Derrick Rose is out for the remainder of this season.

Hero/Zero of the Week

While on vacation last week, I truly missed posting to In The Stands. Even more so, I was bummed that I could not dub my Hero and Zero of the Week. With that being said, I have been thinking long and hard over the past fews days about who to bestow this great honor upon this week.

Drumroll please...

This week's Hero:

Washington Nationals

The Associated Press

Record after first 20 games: 14-6.

Rotation ERA: < 2.0.

Preseason Expectations: Pretty low.

For real?: Seems that way. 

It is a great time to be a fan of the Washington Nationals. 

This week's Zero:

Prank Caller

Thank goodness this story has a happy ending, that way I can tell it with a smile on my face. 

The NFL Draft may be the most exciting and nerve wrecking time for all young football players pursing a professional career. However, it is undoubtedly a different kind of nervousness and excitement for each player. Top prospects, such as Andrew Luck and RG3, can find more pleasure in the process than players who have no guarantees for where they will fall. That is why the sheer meanness (or maybe just obliviousness) of a NJ prank caller is this week's Zero. 

Can you imagine being a kid who is not quite sure what is in store from him, and then is led to believe he is not only going to play professional football, but he is in fact, a first round pick?! Can you imagine the elation a family feels for their son and his dreams that are coming true?  Then, can you imagine finding out seconds later that this was a lie, a fabrication... a joke?

Sounds awful, right? Well, that is excatly what happened to Rutgers' receiver Mohamed Sanu. Receiving a call that the Bengals were using the 27th draft pick to select him, Sanu and his family began to celebrate, until the Bengals actually chose someone else. Sanu's agent then realized the call was a prank from a NJ area code. 

Luckily, this story has a nice ending. The following day, Sanu received a call during the third round of the draft. When he picked up the phone, he heard "Hey Mo, it's James Urban. You want to be a Bengal-- this time, for real?"

More Than Mets The Eye

HOWARD SIMMONS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

There he is. A rookie. A homegrown Mets baseball player. A guy who swung on a 2-0 pitch, connected, and hit his first MLB walk-off hit today to sweep the Miami Marlins.  

You may not know him, but his name is Kirk Nieuwenhuis. In fact, you may not be familiar with a lot of the names in the starting line up for the NY Mets, aside from David Wright and Ike Davis. But I suggest people start to learn the names of these young men, as they are on their way to becoming great ball players. 

It is highly notable that every single player who started today for the Mets was  homegrown from the Mets' farm system (with Reyes in the lead-off spot for the Marlins, when the game began, there were 10 homegrown Mets players on the field). This is a true testament to the work the organization and its scouts have been doing over the past several years. 

Down 2-1 going into the bottom on the 9th, the team not so much rallied, as they demonstrated patience and poise, as they allowed closer Heath Bell to derail himself. Bell's inability to find control led to four walks, ultimately walking in the tying run after a 13-pitch at bat against Justin Turner. 

Through the first 19 games of the season, the Mets team has shown they may be better than people gave them credit for. I still believe this long season will have ups and downs, but this team's make-up is scrappier than ever. Series such as this will leave people astonished, as they wonder is there more to the Mets than meets the eye?

COUNTDOWN WEBSITE