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MLB

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New York Yankees

A Red Sox Fan’s Tongue-Biting Tribute to Mariano Rivera

By Ryan McGowan

Mariano Rivera notched his 500th career save last weekend against the Richmond Braves New York Mets.

Back in the 90’s, or even as recently as 2003, such an event would have been greeted in Red Sox Nation with snotty, sarcastic dismissals and whiny, insecure hating.  New England would have made a collective litany of excuses as to why this event was irrelevant, as to how Mo was overrated, and how 500 saves wasn’t anything to be proud of.

Thank God we’ve grown up as a fan base.  Now, at least, we can fully accept and appreciate Rivera for being what he is—the greatest closer of all time.   No strings attached, no questions asked.

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Golden State Warriors MLB NBA NFL Oakland A's Oakland Raiders San Francisco 49ers

Oakland: A One-Sport Town?

Oakland doesn’t get much publicity as a sports town, but the capital of the East Bay is one of the few cities in America to house a team in each of the three major sports (Take that, San Francisco! You too, hockey!). But faced with the prospect of losing two-thirds of its teams, Oakland is now in the middle of a sporting crisis.

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Oakland A's

No Home For Holliday

Summer is nearly upon us, which means three things are about to heat up: the weather, the A’s, and trade rumors surrounding Oakland’s best player. This year, that player is Matt Holliday, who’s been an Athletic for a grand total of 57 games.

Despite being free of Colorado’s purple jerseys and dinosaur mascot, Holliday appears less than thrilled to be spending his contract year in Oakland. In his brief time here, he’s followed the basic formula of an old Clint Eastwood western:

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MLB

Changing of the Guards: A Fascinating Decade in Baseball

The news came to me earlier this week, washed up debris within the daily flood of Internet information. Eric Chavez, plagued by injuries in recent years, could be on the verge of retiring. I was momentarily stunned, recalling the brilliant young third-baseman who the A’s preferred keeping over Miguel Tejada, a silky smooth fielder who could slide to stop a line drive with detached ease. Chavez tantalized with Hall of Fame talent, combining thunderous power at the plate with a keen eye. He was delivering, before being derailed. Luck plays a part in the formation of long lasting stars, and Chavez faded far too quickly. My mind considered the similar fate of Mark Mulder, a supremely gifted left-handed ace. Mulder possessed the icy mound presence of Tom Glavine, could make his pitches dart with precision. After being dealt by the A’s to the Cardinals, Mulder was devastated by arm woes, intermittently appearing in recent seasons, he too a burnt bulb.

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MLB General

MLB Ramps Up Casino Sponsorships

It was 30 years ago when baseball legend, Willie Mays, was banned from Major League Baseball (MLB). Four years later, NY Yankee great, Mickey Mantle, met with the same fate as did Willie. And what was their supposed fall from grace? They each became promotional spokesmen for two Atlantic City casino hotels.

Willie Mays had a deal with the Park Place Casino – now Bally’s Park Place – and Mantle contracted with Del Webb’s Claridge Casino Hotel. The roles both played were as pitchmen for the resorts as they appeared in television and print ads for the respective properties.

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Boston Red Sox New York Yankees

Yankees Passed Over by Evolution like the Damn Dirty Apes They Are

By Ryan McGowan

It’s only April, of course.  And I know that you can’t win the division in April (but you could lose it – see New York Yankees, 2007).

But is there any doubt after the Red Sox swept the Yankees (as well as their recent nine-game homestand) that the chasms between these two franchises are larger than they have been in a long time?

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MLB New York Yankees Uncategorized

Permanent Transit

“Everything passes, everything changes, just do what you think you should do.” – Bob Dylan, — To Ramona

The blank page is a void we must fill.

The empty stadium is a palace we must glorify.

The abandoned, snow-dusted field is just cause for melancholy.

I saw a great movie once, one line always stuck out, more than the others. “Nature’s cruel, Staros.”

Nature’s cruel. The two characters talking represent the dualistic nature of man. Yeah, two thumbs up.

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Anaheim Angels MLB

Any Way You Look At It It’s Murder

I don’t want to know what was going through Andrew Gallo’s mind. I don’t want to know why the wrong men died.

It’s hard to say someone deserved to die, but if anyone did, it was Gallo. Ostracize me, I don’t care. Come on, you know you want to. You know you want to call me sick; you want to stop reading this right now and vomit. You know you want to. But you also won’t. Because you know I am right. You know Andrew Gallo killed Nick Adenhart and two other people. You know killed is the only correct word.

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MLB

2009 MLB predictions

With opening day of the 2009 Major League Baseball season just around the corner, it’s time for every credible sports journalist to lay their reputations on the line and give their predictions for how the year will play out. Well, despite lacking credibility (or accreditation for that matter), I’ve decided to give it a whirl too. And since most of the supposed “expert” predictions in the media turn out to be horribly wrong, I’ve decided to just shoot from the hip with the first thing that came to mind. So here it is, my completely inane list of 2009 MLB predictions.

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MLB

Secluded Scout Who Found Ryan, Sutton, Pujols Dead at 86

You probably don’t know the story of Edgar Willard, not unless you knew the man. He did not want you to know him; he did not want you to know his story. Sure, people tried. What a funny word, tried. Could you really have tried when the odds of success going in were zero?

Yet, I knew Edgar Willard, lived next door to him for eight years. Shot hoops in the backyard and when I missed, the ball would roll into his yard. He’d pick it up and toss it back. Not a word.

One day I asked him why he kept silent, why he had no visitors, why he was so aloof, and he told me. He told me everything.

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