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WHAT MOTIVATES A-ROD TO SUCCEED THIS YEAR?

 

            I saw on television today that Alex Rodriquez, the third basemen for the New York Yankees, hit yet another walk off homerun to win the game in the 9th inning for the Yanks over the Indians, a 3 run 2 out job that capped off a 4 run rally.  The Yanks won the game 8-6.

 

 Rodriguez matched Albert Pujols (last year) and Luis Gonzalez (2001) for the second-fastest to 10 homers behind Mike Schmidt (12 games in 1976), according to the Elias Sport Bureau. A-Rod is the first player with two game-ending homers this early in the season since Philadelphia's Pat Burrell had two in the first nine games in 2002.  This was his 474^th lifetime dinger.  A-Rod, also hit a game-ending grand slam against Baltimore with two outs in the ninth for a 10-7 victory on April 7.

Currently he is hitting a sizzling .365 with 10 HRS and 23 RBI’s.  He leads the league in homers and runs batted in.  In only 14 games, Alex has set records being the fastest to hit 10 HRs in only 14 games in AL history, and he is the only player in American League history to hit a grand slam and a 3-run walk off home runs in April, and he has as many HRs as the rest of his entire team.  He is challenging the record for Homers in the month of April.  Derek Jeter says he has never seen anyone swing the bat the way Alex is now.  This is an unlikely turnaround for him since he has come to the Yankees in New York.  The fans cheered him in the Bronx today, but on opening day, he was booed by the fans.  All of last year, he was plagued by errors and inconsistent at bats.  This is his option year.  I have heard that he came into camp in shape and ready to play, just trying to finally fit in as a Yankee.  But then he called a press conference to state that he and Yankee captain, Derek Jeter, were not friends anymore.  Didn’t seem like he was taking one for the club there to me.  Because of his huge salary, his lack of productivity in the playoffs, and the Yankees failure to win a World Series since 2000, up to this point, he has not exactly been accepted in New York.  Suddenly, he is the new Mickey Mantle?  I’m not saying he isn’t fun too watch.  I’m saying he’s still the same old self-centered Alex.  He is not exactly bleeding pinstripes. 

I’m not buying this.  Did anyone else see the segment on HBO’s Real Sports that covered Lou Pinella’s coming to the Cubs?  Lou was sending kisses to Alex, and Alex was almost in tears crediting Lou for making him a major leaguer when they both were with the Seattle Mariners.  Millions of dollars and several years and miles later, I think that A-Rod wants to have a career year in NY and use that to springboard his way back to Lou, Wrigley and the Cubbies.  Think about it for a minute.  The Chicago Tribune has already announced that they will sell the club at the end of year to a real estate tycoon.  What better way to usher in a new regime and sell tickets, then to bring the red hot Rodriquez to Chicago for an emotional reunion with his old mentor/manager.  Yankee Stadium can be a cavernous place to hit, Wrigley Field is a bandbox.  Hailed as the piece the Cubs need to propel them to a World Championship, A-Rod would come to Chicago and feel the love reserved only for guys like Ernie Banks and Sammy Sosa, when Sammy was Sammy.  Those of us that have followed sports in Chicago know what it means to be beloved in Chicago.  No bad reports in the news (except maybe Marriotti) , he won’t pay for a cab ride, a movie, a meal, and if he does help to make the Cubs World Champs, he get the standard Michael Jordan/Mike Ditka/Harry Carey pass for life and a restaurant with his name on it.

This all comes with a caveat.  He may go back to just moody metrasexual Alex.  And that’s the rub.  The Cubbies may really be buying a pig in a poke.  Just imagine the money it will take to sign him.  A new league and a problem child reputation, he just doesn’t call up memories of signing a free agent like Andre Dawson to me.  Pitching wins championships and the last time I checked, the Cubs could use starting pitching, not another SS-3baseman.  Let’s see what happens, but I think without the motivation to make a jump in his contract year, we may not see Super-Alex again for a while.  He did not bring a title to Seattle, Texas, and he has not in NY.  What track record does he have that he will do it for a franchise that has not been there in almost 100 yrs?

So you Yankee fans enjoy the season of Alex.  I don’t believe he loves you or your city or the legacy of the winningest baseball franchise in American history.  Ruth, Gehirg, DiMaggio, Mantle, Jeter all understand how special it was/is to be a Yankee.  Not so with Alex.  He just wants to be back with Lou, and Lou is a long way from the Bronx.

 

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CHICAGO (AP) - Mark Buehrle pitched the first no-hitter of the season Wednesday night - and he was nearly perfect, too.

The Chicago White Sox left-hander faced the minimum 27 batters in a 6-0 victory over the Texas Rangers, picking off the only hitter he walked and throwing his team's first no-hitter since 1991.
Working quickly and efficiently in a dominant performance, Buehrle allowed only one baserunner. He walked Sammy Sosa with one out in the fifth inning, then promptly picked him off first base.

"I can't believe I did it," Buehrle said. "Perfect game would have been nice, too."

With the crowd on its feet in the ninth, Buehrle struck out Matt Kata and Nelson Cruz, then got Gerald Laird to hit a slow grounder to third base that Joe Crede picked up and threw to first. As Paul Konerko caught the ball, he pumped his fist, setting off a wild celebration.

Buehrle was mobbed by teammates at the side of the mound, including catcher A.J. Pierzynski, and then got a big hug from manager Ozzie Guillen as he came off the field.

On a chilly 40-degree night, Buehrle threw 105 pitches. His previous low-hit game was a one-hitter against Tampa Bay on Aug. 3, 2001. It was the 16th no-hitter in White Sox history and first since Wilson Alvarez threw one at Baltimore on Aug. 11, 1991.

"I was part of one in high school," Buehrle said. "To get through a big league lineup three times, I never thought it would happen."

It was the first no-hitter pitched against the Rangers since June 17, 1995, when Toronto's David Cone threw one in a 4-0 win.

More than two years passed without a no-hitter in major league baseball before rookie Anibal Sanchez threw one for Florida on Sept. 6, ending the longest stretch without a no-no in big league history. His gem against the Arizona Diamondbacks was the first in the majors since Arizona's Randy Johnson threw a perfect game to beat Atlanta 2-0 on May 18, 2004.

Buehrle, who retired 20 of the final 22 batters he faced in his previous start against Oakland, had some stellar defensive plays behind him before a crowd of 25,390 at U.S. Cellular Field.

Three of the closest plays came on grounders. Jerry Hairston hit one to Crede at third in the third inning and was called out at first after a headlong slide. Replays showed Hairston was out, but he was ejected by first base umpire James Hoye for arguing and had to be restrained by first base coach Gary Pettis when he returned to the field.

Tadahito Iguchi made a diving stop of Hank Blalock's grounder in the hole, got up and threw him out to end the fifth. That came one batter after Sosa spoiled the perfect game bid by drawing the walk.

And in the seventh, Chicago shortstop Juan Uribe went into the hole to get Ian Kinsler's grounder and got him at first, thanks to a nice scoop by Konerko.

Chicago right fielder Jermaine Dye also made a nice play in the second on Blalock, going back to the fence to catch his long drive.

"Obviously, for a guy like me, I need my defense behind me," Buehrle said.

Once the ace of the White Sox staff, Buehrle went 12-13 last season - his first losing record in six full major league seasons. After making the All-Star team, he struggled mightily after the break, going just 3-7.

His season got off to a rocky start when in his first appearance he was hit in the left forearm by a line drive from Cleveland's Ryan Garko and had to leave after pitching just 1 1-3 innings. But Buehrle rebounded with a solid effort against the A's, allowing four hits and three runs in seven innings and getting stronger as the game progressed.

The White Sox made it easier Wednesday night by breaking out of an offensive slump. They had scored only two runs in the previous three games, all losses.

Jim Thome homered twice - giving him 477 for his career - and Dye hit a two-out grand slam in the fifth off Kevin Millwood (2-2).

The White Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth on Iguchi's single and back-to-back walks to Thome and Konerko.

Dye then had an 11-pitch at-bat. After fouling off six straight pitches, he hit a 3-2 pitch on a line into the left-field bullpen for his sixth career slam.

Millwood went five innings, allowing five hits, five runs and four walks.

Notes
Buehrle is 9-3 in his career against the Rangers. ... Dye's last grand slam came on July 4, 2005, against the Devil Rays.

 

IG JIM SAYS:

 
I'm so happy for Mark Buehrle!  A tough year last year and no new contract from his general manager this spring.  Mark is a quality pitcher who will bounce back big time this year.  Maybe this will be the spark that gets the White Sox started.

 

 

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THE IMUS MESS

 

            This Imus thing has me troubled.  I really wanted to write a blog this week about baseball and A-Rod’s hot start(he’s not trying to fit in or be accepted in NY, he wants to come to Chicago to be with his old manager and the Cubs), or how Kobe just dropped another 50 points …and the Lakers still lost, or how the White Sox actually just won a series in Oakland for the first time since Kennedy was the President(OK, just seems like it) or maybe how the Bulls look for their playoff run.  But I can’t because of Don Imus.  This story just keeps getting in the way, so I have to exercise the demons.   

            Last week on his radio show, Don Imus made a racial remark about the women on the Rutgers University Scarlet Knight basketball team.  The team had just finished playing in the finals of the Woman’s NCAA Basketball Championship game, and they lost to a powerhouse, perennial winner Tennessee.  This was a great feel good type story that shows fans why NCAA basketball is great; a small New Jersey school makes it through the brackets to the finals.  Wonderful, what heart, talent and courage it takes to do that, and only in College Basketball can David still take on Goliath, and win, on national television.  The women on that team and their coach, the school, their fans, should be very, very proud, and held up as an example to all of us underdogs that hard work, persistence and tenacity are all still good qualities to have in life.

           

            Then Imus comes along last week, in his MSNBC radio show and CBS simulcast television show, and calls them names, and makes racial remarks.  Horrible!  His show, which he has hosted for nearly 30 years, draws an audience of millions of listeners/viewers almost everyday and generates an estimated $15 million a year for CBS alone, was yanked off the air by both NBC and CBS, after a tremendous wash back against the talk show host.

The cantankerous Imus, once named one of the 25 Most Influential People in America by Time magazine and a member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame, was one of radio’s original shock jocks. His career took flight in the 1970s and with a cocaine- and vodka-fueled outrageous humor. After sobering up, he settled into a mix of highbrow talk about politics and culture, with locker room humor sprinkled in.  The truth be told, Imus has spoken this way about Afro-American women before, and part of his stick is to insult many, many different types of people.  As long as he was drawing a large audience and generating incredible amounts of cash for the networks, no one seemed to care.  As long as the sponsors were happy, and the cash kept flowing, Imus could keep using racial slurs and remarks as part of the joke.  His employers didn’t care.  Much like Howard Stern in the past, as long as the green kept flowing, the ratings were up, and the advertising budget was well-funded, it was go Donny, go on the air.

“He has flourished in a culture that permits a certain level of objectionable expression that hurts and demeans a wide range of people,” CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves said in a memo to his staff.

 

“In taking him off the air, I believe we take an important and necessary step not just in solving a unique problem, but in changing that culture, which extends far beyond the walls of our company,” Moonves said. 

ON Wednesday, MSNBC said it will drop its simulcast of the “Imus in the Morning” radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host’s racial slur against the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

“This decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It also takes into account many conversations with our own employees,” NBC news said in a statement.

MSNBC’s action came after a growing list of sponsors — including American Express Co., Sprint Nextel Corp., Staples Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., and General Motors Corp. — said they were pulling ads from Imus’ show for the indefinite future.

NBC News President Steve Capus said he made the decision after reading thousands of e-mails and having countless discussions with NBC workers and the public, but he denied the potential loss of advertising dollars had anything to do with it.

“I take no joy in this. It’s not a particularly happy moment, but it needed to happen,” he said. “I can’t ignore the fact that there is a very long list of inappropriate comments, of inappropriate banter, and it has to stop.”

NBC’s decision came at a time when Imus’ program on MSNBC was doing better competitively than it ever has been. For the first three months of the year, its audience was nearly identical to CNN’s, leading CNN to replace its morning news team last week.

 

 

Yeah, Leslie, you’re a real social innovator.  You only waited about a week to act.  The remarks hadn’t changed any.  Who are you kidding Steve?  The loss of that list of sponsors must have cost a bundle.  The hurt the Rutgers Women suffered hadn’t changed any.  The only change that came in a week was that sponsors pulled off of the show, and MSNBC and CBS began to realize that they were going to loose money on funny old Imus.  Why don’t we all just get real?  Imus was pulled off of the air because he was becoming a financial liability on a national stage.  Not because he insulted heroic, young women, who had done something remarkably special.  His employers stood to loose some of that $15 million CBS made, and some of the millions NBC made off of his show.  This week was not the time for the networks to get a social conscious and take steps to make sure their talk show host did not slander innocent members of the public.  That should have started in the 70’s when he first began to make those types of jokes.  Face it, as long as silly old Don was making incredible money for the networks, they let him say whatever he wanted.

 

So, what effect did this firing of Don Imus have?  First of all, Imus was in the midst of a two-day radio fundraiser for children’s charities when he was dropped by CBS.  The show’s charity fundraiser had raised more than $1.3 million Thursday before Imus learned he had lost his job. The total had grown Friday to more than $2.3 million for the Tomorrows Children’s Fund, CJ Foundation for SIDS and the Imus Ranch.  The annual event has raised more than $40 million since 1990.   “This may be our last radiothon, so we need to raise about $100 million,” Don Imus had cracked at the start of the event. 

 

Secondly, Imus went to Rutgers and apologized.  An apology that was accepted by the team and it’s coach.  “We, the Rutgers University Scarlet Knight basketball team, accept — accept — Mr. Imus’ apology, and we are in the process of forgiving,” coach C. Vivian Stringer read from a team statement a day after the women met personally with Imus and his wife.

 

“We still find his statements to be unacceptable, and this is an experience that we will never forget,” the statement read.   On Friday, his wife, Deirdre Imus, a physician and author took over and talked about the meeting with the players.  “They gave us the opportunity to listen to what they had to say and why they’re hurting and how awful this is,” author said.  He feels awful,” she said of her husband. “He asked them, ‘I want to know the pain I caused, and I want to know how to fix this and change this.”

Imus apologized on his show late last week after getting complaints about the Rutgers comment. He also tried to explain himself before the Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio audience, appearing alternately contrite and combative. But many of his advertisers bailed in disgust, particularly after the Rutgers women spoke of their hurt.

 

Thirdly, Imus’ troubles have also affected his wife, the founder of a medical center that studies links between cancers and environmental hazards whose book “Green This!” came out this week. Her promotional tour was called off “because of the enormous pressure that Deirdre and her family are under,” said Simon & Schuster publicist Victoria Meyer.

 

The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology in Hackensack, N.J., works to identify and control exposures to environmental hazards that may cause adult and childhood cancers. Imus Ranch in New Mexico invites children who have been ill to spend time on a working cattle ranch.

 

So, was the firing of Don Imus justified?  You bet.  He should not be allowed to say those things on the public airways.  Is he the only culpable suspect in this instance?  You would think so by listening to some of the commentators on television, radio and in newsprint.   I don’t think so.  I don’t think the general public and the Afro-American community leaders have gone far enough.  His co-conspirators, the networks, sponsored and tacitly approved his actions and statements.  Only after they started to loose real money did they take action, almost a full week after the remarks.  This jerk has been doing this for years, and now his firing hurt handicapped kids and the environment.  But he is still only a little jerk in the scheme of things.  The big jerks, the networks, act like Pontius Pilot and just try to appear sensitive, while washing their hands of Imus.  This is only after 30 years of allowing him to be a jerk!  In my opinion, Imus will be back on the air, like Stern, on some radio satellite network, where he can bring his audience and continue to use bathroom humor to generate money.  So, why not punish the real culprits.  Maybe NBC and CBS ought to make up the difference to the handicapped kids and make a significant contribution to the cause against global warming. 

 

I agree with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who had appeared on the MSNBC program "Hardball," where host David Gregory asked the senator and presidential candidate if he thought Imus should be fired.

"I don't think MSNBC should be carrying the kinds of hateful remarks that Imus uttered the other day," Obama said.

He went on to note that he and his wife have "two daughters who are African-American, gorgeous, tall, and I hope, at some point, are interested enough in sports that they get athletic scholarships. ... I don't want them to be getting a bunch of information that, somehow, they're less than anybody else. And I don't think MSNBC should want to promote that kind of language."

 

In other words, the networks are responsible for the programs they carry and the hosts they promote.  They should have regulated their shows.  Maybe some of them should loose their jobs too.

 

 

Game over for Pacman

 

 

 

 

 NEW YORK (AP) - Adam "Pacman" Jones of Tennessee was suspended for the 2007 season Tuesday and Chris Henry of Cincinnati for eight games - both for numerous violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy.

 

Roger Goodell has laid down the law (something new for Pacman Jones) and has suspended the Titans troublemaker for the entire 2007 season. Tell us what you think about the punishment.

 

"It is a privilege to represent the NFL, not a right," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement announcing the suspensions. "These players and all members of our league have to make the right choices and decisions in their conduct on a consistent basis."

 

Jones' off-field conduct has included 10 incidents where he was interviewed by police. The most recent took place during the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas. Police there recommended felony and misdemeanor charges against Jones after a fight and shooting at a strip club paralyzed one man.

 

Henry was arrested four times in a 14-month span, resulting in two benchings by coach Marvin Lewis and a two-game league suspension. He was one of nine Bengals arrested in nine months.

 

Both the Titans and the Bengals said they supported the suspensions.

 

"While we regret the circumstances that called for it, it's good for both Chris and the Bengals to have the matter resolved," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. "Our team will move forward, and now it is up to Chris to acquire a more mature understanding of his responsibilities as a player for the Bengals and a representative of the NFL."

 

Goodell, who replaced the retired Paul Tagliabue seven months ago, also announced the new, tougher personal conduct policy that will include larger fines and longer suspensions.

 

The suspensions came under the current NFL policy on player conduct.

 

"It is important that the NFL be represented consistently by outstanding people as well as great football players, coaches and staff," Goodell said in announcing the new policy.

 

"We hold ourselves to higher standards of responsible conduct because of what it means to be part of the National Football League. We have long had policies and programs designed to encourage responsible behavior, and this policy is a further step in ensuring that everyone who is part of the NFL meets that standard."

 

Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, starred on the field but had nothing but trouble off it during two seasons with the Titans. He had four touchdowns last season, three on punt returns and one on one of his four interceptions.

 

He could be reinstated before season's end if he adheres to a strict set of conditions set by the NFL that include no further involvement with law enforcement; counseling, education and treatment under league and court-ordered programs; follows restrictions on his activities agreed to with the Titans; and a community-service program submitted to the league for review and approval.

 

"We appreciate the Commissioner's thoughtful decision today and the discipline plan imposed on Adam Jones," the Titans said. "We respect this decision and are confident this is in the best interest of the league and the team. We are hopeful that it will achieve the goals of disciplining the player and eventually enabling him to return to the field of play. Our goals for Jones are consistent with the league's in that regard."

 

Jones' attorney, Manny Arora of Atlanta, was in a meeting and did not immediately return a message left by the Associated Press.

 

Associated Press Sports Writers Teresa Walker in Nashville and Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

 

BIG JIM SAYS: 

 

I applaud the new commissioner for taking steps to enforce the player conduct clause of the collective bargaining agreement.  I fully expect appeals and attempts to enjoin the action.  What I am the most pleased about is the follow up conduct that the players have to complete during the course of the suspensions.  Great start for the new commish.

 

 

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