RonRon Being RonRon

Ron Artest evidently was in favor of the Matt Barnes pickup by the Lakers today. This was his tweet of support:

"RONARTESTCOM Matt has the heart off a lion on steroids wit extra chest hairs and three testicles screaming " Adrian "!!!!!!"

about 2 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

The extra chest hairs part surprises me.

Story Source

Leave the All Star Game alone

I spent the earlier part of the week participating in All Star game activities, on location in Anaheim California. I checked out the Fan Fest on Sunday, the Home Run Derby on Monday, and the game itself on Tuesday. I fully enjoyed all of it, but I do have one VERY controversial opinion to share with you:

There is nothing wrong with the MLB All Star game.

It seems like all anyone talks about is what needs to change about the All Star game. But it's fine the way it is. In comparisons with the other 3 major sports, it easily trumps the Pro Bowl. The MLB game is much more like real baseball whereas the NBA all star game is very little like real basketball (albeit basketball might have the better scene in the weekend surrounding the game). Hockey might be the closest contender as far as the game goes, but I haven't watched enough hockey to make an argument here.

Here are the typical complaints about the MLB All Star game:

1. The selection system leads to good players getting snubbed. This year, they added a ton of spots on the rosters, and people were still complaining about this. It is time to admit that no system will eliminate this, unless of course we let Jayson Stark pick the teams, in which case at least the loudest complainer would shut up. But seriously, think about it, the fans vote for the starters and they (we) screw it up constantly. The players get a vote now, and they often screw it up. And of course, the managers selections are just as questionable (Omar Infante, anyone?). I don't think there is some method that will solve this problem.
   Some choose to blame it on the fact that every team gets a representative. I personally like the rule the way it is - because I remember what it was like to be a fan of a terrible team who only got an all star because of this rule. Moreover, if we can't get the rosters right after they've expanded to 34, we'll never get them right.
2. The game doesn't mean enough. To this group, I admit, the World Series homefield advantage rule is a ruse. It hasn't actually changed the way that the game is played, simply the way it is perceived. My only response is - it's an exhibition, what do you expect? The great thing about the baseball all star game is that these players don't need any practice together to still play at a high level, so it's really up to the players to decide how much they care about this game. As you'd expect, some come ready to play and some don't.
   If you think about Tuesday's game, I didn't see much to indicate that the managers or players were not trying to win. Sure, Girardi mismanaged on the AL side, but that's just because he's not a very good manager. He brought in his own guy Hughes, who lost it for us. He didn't bring in A-Rod, but the fact is that A-Rod was a debatable all star to begin with. He didn't pinch run for Ortiz, because, well, he had already mismanaged himself into a hole there.
   
3. The World series homefield advantage rule is stupid. I agree, but get over it, Selig is obsessed with it and it doesn't negatively affect the All Star game. Some might say it negatively affects the World Series, but I don't agree with that either. Previously, the MLB just alternated between leagues, which wasn't any better.

I think the only thing that could make the MLB All Star game better would be to do away with (or scale down) interleague play. Traditionally, what the all star game so great was these batter vs. pitcher match ups you never got a chance to see elsewhere.

Otherwise, get over it and leave it alone.

The Ultimate Catch

Make it stop. I'm begging you.

Play football.

It's So Easy.......An Octopus Can Do It?

Those of you that are veteran readers of The Frappe know that I am no fan of the sport affectionately known by the world outside the U.S. as "football".

I've heard all the arguments from the proponents of soccer. I've read the statistics of it's increase in popularity.  I noticed the wide array of people from all walks of life that followed America's journey in this year's World Cup.  This weekend I drove past a local park where AYSO (youth soccer) signups were occuring and saw roughly 60 people lined up to destroy their kids sign their kids up.  Against my will, I was forced to learn what a vuvuzela was.

As compelling as some of that is, how can I enjoy a slow paced, low scoring game where the majority of the players can only run around "bending it" without the use of their hands?  I would rather go to that same local park and watch people play hacky sack. There's only slightly less scoring there.

I caught myself beginning to allow my mind to open to this "sport". I had to slam it shut again when I found that someone/thing had picked the winner of 10 0ut 10 (that's 100% to you and me) of this year's contests including the final match.

A dude named Paul did in fact make perfect picks.  Paul is an octopus. 'Nuff said.

Courting Lebron James

Unless you've been in jail, a coma, or self imposed World Cup only binge, you know that the hottest sports question right now is where Lebron James will play next season.

Just like the networks clear out time when the president wants a word with the public, ESPN has cleared out an hour of poker it's valuable airtime for King James to let his subjects know where he's setting up court.

Since the end of the NBA playoffs, rumors have run rampant that Lebron could end up in Chicago, New York, Miami, or stay at home at Cleveland.  As of this writing, various Twits are tweeting that Newsweek has heard from numerous sources that he is going to Miami to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

This is not a new rumor, as Stephen A. Smith has been claiming this going on two weeks.  Chris Bosh has already done his deal.  The big question in everyone's mind has been whether or not Wade and James could co-exist long enough to win a ring.

Who really knows?  Lebron does.

I know Old Skool dudes (I am one) that curse 24 hour sports coverage as the cause of everything from the erosion of fundamentals in sports, placing self over team, and the focus on ginormous dollars earned for playing kids' games.

In a world where your sports hero can text you what he/she's having for dinner in 140 characters or less, there's a feast of information for your never ending appetite of news on your favorite player, team, or the gigantic symbiotic industries they have created.

25 year old Lebron grew up in this self promoting, brand building era. His high school had a cable deal to show their basketball team's (featuring Lebron) games.  His entry to the league was the biggest thing since Magic and Bird entered together. The tale of him and his four buddies playing together in travel ball and high school was even made into a documentary in 2008.

He lived up to the hype too, quickly taking his NBA game to a superstar level. He quickly showed he could lead his team and make money promoting his name's brand. Who can forget him going Eddie Murphy and doing all the parts in the successful Nike ad campaign "The Lebrons"?  He even hosted Saturday Night Live. He has his own puppet for crying out loud.

Why wouldn't he commandeer the four letter network and create all the buzz he can?  It's a little late in the game, but here's my help (free, or whatever) for Lebron:

Setup a panel like all the sports show formats do and have the seats filled with Lindsey Lohan, Brett Favre, a Soccer Nut, Justin Bieber, Woody from Toy Story 3, and some of those werewolf kids from the vampire movies.

Go all Donny and Marie variety show meets TMZ on it.

The balance of NBA power potentially shifts Thursday on ESPN somewhere between 9:00 and 9:15 pm Eastern.

Why Other Countries Hate Us

Pomp and Circumstance

Fireworks that blatantly rub our dominance in England's, and therefore the rest of the world's face.

The McRib

The paper or plastic option

Farmville

NBA players stating they want to be billionaires

Las Vegas

Brett Favre's indecisiveness

These all qualify as reasons why the world hates America.

Add to that list the fact that we own the competitive eating game via one Mr. Joey "Jaws" Chestnut. Other countries hate that we own this "sport" that is the epitome of hipness, freedom, gluttony, and the thug life.

Who didn't think that it was about to go down when all of 128 bucks (58 kg) of Takeru Kobayashi hopped on the platform at this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest trying to steal some of Joey Chestnut's glory? Was he going to make it rain condiments?  Knock over the little cups of water? Steal the mustard colored WWE like trophy belt and run away?

We will never know the answers to these questions because he was abducted and spent the night in the tank before getting charged with  obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

You can't bum rush an important American event and then think you can force participation in a post 9/11 world. Especially that close to the 4th of July holiday. The debacle was described with such words as "mayhem", "berserk", "unprofessional", and even "unsavory".

Chestnut won the event by quaffing 54 dogs in 10 minutes.

Straight Up Hood

Seems that on the eve of the Martin Luther King holiday, a new basketball league announced that it would be forming. It has targeted Augusta, Georgia as it's hopeful birthplace.


The problem is that the All American Basketball Alliance has some pretty racy guidelines for inclusion/exclusion:

"Only players that are natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league".

This is the point where you go to the bottom right corner of your monitor, click on the time, and double check the calendar to see what year this is. No........it's not 1957. It's still 2010.

Check out this additional primer in supremacist speak that the upstart league's Commissioner Moose (Don "Moose" Lewis) dishes out:

He wants to emphasize fundamental basketball instead of "street-ball" played by "people of color."

"There's nothing hatred about what we're doing," he said. "I don't hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here's a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like."

(There's nothing hatred? A GED would have helped that)

"Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?" he said. "That's the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction."

"People will come out and support a product they can identify with. I'm the spoken minority right now, but if people will give us a chance, it'll work... The white game of basketball, which is essentially a fundamental game, works."

Did you catch that new racist code boys and girls? Fundamental basketball/game = White basketball. You can't dribble through your legs in that robe.

The Moose seems to believe that the Southeast is the best place to locate 12 teams. The licensee fee is $10k.

Will they have Woody Harrelson throw up the first jump ball?

We know the concession stand will offer Haterade, but will they ban nachos and Hot Tamales because they're too ethnic?

Unfortunately, this wasn't the only hint of racism on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Story Source

Big Unit Likely To Retire From Blasting Birds This Wednesday

LHP Randy Johnson is likely to announce his retirement from baseball this Wednesday according to reports.

Johnson's sick pitching which included sound barrier breaking speed, and George Sanford type junk saw many storied battles with a multitude of team and individual successes. 

Johnson came to prominence with the Seattle Mariners after a stint with the Montreal Expos. He has played with six teams, including two separate enlistments with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he won a World Series ring in 2001.

When you see Johnson's career accomplishments it's like a player you'd build in a video game (sans mullet probably):

• Five time Cy Young Winner, receiving the award pitching in both leagues.
• Ten time All Star
• World Series Champ and co-MVP in 2001
• Pitched a no hitter (1990)
• Pitched a perfect game (2004, the oldest at 40 to ever do so)
• One of 4 pitchers ever to 4,000 strikeouts
• 24th pitcher in MLB history to win 300 games
• First in 300 Win Club to ever beat every team in the MLB.

All those are amazing feats, but the Big Unit will always be remembered for helping with bird control while pitching in a preaseason exhibition.

Tip of the cap Unit!


Stat Source: Wikipedia