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Bar Chat

07/15/2013

'Roid-Star Game

All-Star Game Quiz: How many of the 18 future Hall of Famers who appeared in the 1964 All-Star Game at Shea Stadium can you name? Answer below.

Ball Bits

--Kind of out of nowhere, Tim Lincecum threw the first no-hitter of his career, striking out 13, in shutting down the Padres 9-0. What is more impressive, or as impressive, is the fact he threw 148 pitches, a career high by ten.

Lincecum was at 138 after eight innings as outfielder Hunter Pence saved the day with a diving catch to finish off that inning and, as Manager Bruce Bochy said, “He wouldn’t have talked to me the rest of the year if I’d have taken him out.”

So is the two-time Cy Young winner, who had a hideous 2012 and was struggling this season,  finally back in form? Or will his arm fall off next start?

--Yes, this week’s All-Star Game will have a feeling of impending doom as Major League Baseball looks set to issue massive suspensions against the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun. By all accounts, Commissioner Bud Selig is looking to levy fines of 100 games, even for a first offense, because he will claim that under the drug protocol hammered out with the players union, 100-game suspensions can be levied if the players received drugs from Tony Bosch of Biogenesis, then lied about it, which would constitute two offenses. The union would certainly challenge that, so back to the courtroom we’d go.

Many also believe there are more than the 20 reported players involved in the Biogenesis case. Yes, it’s going to get very ugly.

In the case of A-Rod, reports have Selig looking at a 150-game suspension. And that creates problems of a different kind involving the contract.

A-Rod didn’t help matters this weekend. Following his meeting with MLB officials on Friday, he was scheduled to play for Single-A Tampa as part of his 20-day rehab schedule.

However, sources told the New York Post he never showed. When team officials finally found him, he said he wasn’t going to play, infuriating management further.

The game, however, ended up being postponed by rain. But as the Post’s Joel Sherman notes:

“Rodriguez had enough time to get from the nearby location where he was interrogated to the park before any official word had come down about whether the game would be played or not. He was not excused by organization officials from attending the game and, in fact, the Yankees had been told by MLB the interview would be done in a time frame to allow Rodriguez to continue his rehab games. The meeting ended about two hours before the scheduled first pitch.”

A-Rod also supposedly told the Yankees he would not travel to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this weekend to avoid the rain.

“It is now a frantic footrace with the MLB drug posse for Alex Rodriguez, who will never play another game for the Yankees but is desperately trying to make sure he doesn’t lose a penny of the $100 million owed him on his last 4 ½ years of his contract....

“As the Daily News reported June 26, A-Rod’s real mission is to get himself to the safe haven that will protect him from losing any of his money as a result of being suspended by baseball – and that place is the so-called ‘unable to perform’ list, where he and baseball doctors determine whether the severity of his hip condition is such that it precludes him from being able to perform....

“If A-Rod is suspended while on the disabled list, he does not get paid.

“However, there is an appeals process for any player suspended under baseball’s joint drug policy that could take at least a month. So it would seem the meter is also ticking for MLB if it wants to get the most bang for its buck on any suspension of A-Rod. For if during that time, it is determined A-Rod is unable to perform and is forced to retire...he gets paid in full and the insurance will cover the Yankees for approximately 80% of the $100 million. Thus, a suspension of A-Rod after it’s been determined he is unable to perform would be but a Pyrrhic victory for baseball.

“In short, Alex Rodriguez has become a constant embarrassment to baseball and a living, breathing, still-playing symbol of the steroid era, which continues to plague the game and dog Selig’s legacy.

“The sooner he goes away – for good – the better off everyone, including A-Rod, will be.”

--As for Derek Jeter, as everyone said this week, “Wow, that was short.”

In his first game back, Thursday, he went 1-for-4 with an RBI, but in his third at-bat, suffered a Grade 1 quad strain that may see him head back to the DL.

“It is the quality that makes him great, but it also might be the quality that undermines his ability to be a productive player as he enters the twilight of his career.

“Derek Jeter expects excellence and only excellence. Asked what he could best hope from himself the rest of this season, after two ankle surgeries and nine months of inactivity, and the reply is as predictable as his first-pitch infield single in his return Thursday.

“ ‘I expect the same thing I expect every year – to help this team win games,’ Jeter said. ‘That’s the bottom line. That’s what you play for and I don’t expect anything different.’

“It’s more than that, of course. He expects to be the best shortstop in baseball. He expects to hit over .300 and score a lot of runs and celebrate another championship in late October. He expects to be Derek Jeter, the superstar who will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer five years after he retires.

“But this is also the problem the Yankees now face. Jeter is a 39-year-old who treats his body like he is 24.... He can’t play hurt just because that’s what he always did. He needs to be honest about his body and exercise caution when necessary.

“He needs to start acting like a 40-year-old.”

The Yankees let Jeter talk them into letting him return too soon, this is clear, even though Jeter’s excuse is that he was running well, doing everything right, and there was no need to play more rehab contests.

--Meanwhile, regarding Baltimore’s Chris Davis, he of the 37 home runs at the break, a former teammate at Texas, Josh Hamilton, isn’t surprised. “I always knew what kind of potential he had,” said Hamilton this weekend.

“He’d always go down and rake in the minors, come back up, hit a few home runs and struggle with his average. Now, I look at him and he’s relaxed, having fun, just enjoying the game.”

[Davis also has 27 doubles, or 64 extra-base hits...so on pace for 108. In 1969, Reggie Jackson had 37 homers at the break. Barry Bonds once had 39, but we don’t count anything Barry did once his head started to swell to the size of a Jack-o-‘lantern.]

Chris Davis...37 HR 93 RBI....Miguel Cabrera...30 HR 95 RBI

--Detroit’s Max Scherzer suffered his first loss on Saturday, 7-1 at the hands of the Rangers, so he goes to the All-Star game with a 13-1 mark.

--Give the Dodgers’ Zack Greinke credit. He signed a massive offseason contract and has earned his keep, going 8-2 with a 3.49 ERA, including a complete game two-hitter on Saturday.

--Washington’s Stephen Strasburg suffered the worst outing of his career, giving up seven earned runs in an 8-3 loss to the Marlins. Strasburg’s ERA ballooned from 2.45 to 2.99 and his record fell to 5-7.

--The Mets’ Jeremy Hefner has a 1.76 ERA his last 8 starts. Teammate Matt Harvey is at 2.68 over that same period (since June 4). Hefner hasn’t allowed more than 2 earned runs in his last 10 starts since the Moore, Oklahoma tornado (as I told you last time, Hefner having grown up there).

--The Pittsburgh Pirates starting staff has allowed 3 earned runs or less in 27 of their last 28 starts. [Not all of these are quality starts, though...six innings or more...but still awesome.]

--So the Mets sent down Ike Davis to get his swing back. They then brought him back up after a few weeks and Davis is 5-for-26...2 for his last 21. Mets fans will show no mercy if the team insists on keeping him around.

--The Wall Street Journal had a piece on the worst All-Star player ever, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Frankie Zak, who played 44 games before making the 1944 All-Star squad. In 160 at bats for the season, he had zero home runs and 11 RBI, but hit .300. He only had another 48 at bats in two seasons, with no homers, 14 RBI for his career. Zak died at age 49 in Passaic, N.J.

--I was glad to see Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig not get voted onto the All-Star team as he lost out in the fan voting to Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman. Puig is hurt anyway.

--Mariano Rivera is going to finish his career having gone 0-for-3 at the plate with one walk. It will of course be the most games played without a hit. Wait a year and win some coin on that one at your neighborhood tavern. Of course you’ll have to split the winnings with whomever you partner with to dupe the unwitting patrons.

--Former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton had two tumors successfully removed. It seems he has been diagnosed with the same brain cancer that took the life of Gary Carter.

NBA Fever

--Wow, how did the Brooklyn Nets nab Andrei Kirilenko, the 32-year-old veteran forward, who has not only averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in his career, but plays terrific defense, for just $3.18 million each of two seasons? Talk about the perfect backup for Kevin Garnett.

Well, it seems once the signing was announced, NBA owners immediately cried foul. You see, Kirilenko turned down Minnesota’s $10.2 million offer, he having matched his career numbers (almost exactly) with the T’Wolves last season.

As in, what is going on between Nets billionaire owner, Russian Mikhail Prokhorov, and his friend and fellow Russian, Kirilenko?

It’s really comical. Of course there are all kinds of things under the table for Andrei. Probably post-retirement, I’m guessing, if the two are that tight. Kirilenko doesn’t need the money and Prokhorov, to avoid suspicion, could simply promise to give Andrei ‘X’ in his later years. What could the NBA do about that? And both could deny there is anything untoward in terms of current obligations or payments.

So now you have a Nets starting five of Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, and Deron Williams, with Jason Terry, Andray Blatche, Shaun Livingston, Reggie Evans, Mason Plumlee and Kirilenko in reserve. That is one deep team. And Garnett and Pierce won’t have to extend themselves early on.

--I guess I’m a little surprised the Atlanta Hawks matched Milwaukee’s four-year, $32 million offer for Jeff Teague, but Hawks management said all the right things in obviously committing to the 25-year-old point guard out of Wake Forest who just gets better.

--I was listening to one of those CBS Sports minutes, this one by Doug Gottlieb, and he made the excellent point that it makes zero sense the Miami Heat haven’t made one move to improve themselves this offseason, instead focusing on keeping the core around.

Gottlieb said what all hoops fans are thinking...Indiana returns Danny Grainger to an ever-improving core...Chicago brings back Derrick Rose, a former MVP...Brooklyn is immensely better, and deeper, after all their changes...I mean just start with those three. The Knicks will be competitive, Atlanta should be as well.

Golf Balls

--Congratulations to Kenny Perry for winning his second consecutive senior major, the U.S. Senior Open, by five shots over Fred Funk. Perry went 64-63 at Omaha Country Club this weekend.

Two weeks ago, at the Senior Players Championship, he went 63-64 on Saturday /Sunday. Remarkable play.

--For the first time in 20 years, Phil Mickelson won in Europe, taking the Scottish Open at Inverness as he prepped for the British Open next week at Muirfield. Talk about a confidence boost.

And the long range weather forecast for Muirfield is beautiful, sunny and warm. Britain and Ireland have been in the midst of an historic heatwave, but with temps moderating a bit, not sure how Muirfield will play.

--And in a five-hole playoff with David Hearn and Zach Johnson, 19-year-old Jordan Spieth won his first PGA Tour title, becoming just the fourth teenager to do so. The amazing Spieth, who turns 20 in two weeks, also now has six top-10s this year.

--Golf Magazine interviewed 50 PGA Tour pros and asked them, ‘Would you rather play 18 with Barack Obama or George Bush?’ 78% said Bush, 18% Obama, 4% don’t care.

--President Obama played a round with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon of ESPN on Saturday.

Now I like that our president is a big sports fan. But I do wish our president would spend just a wee bit amount of time on foreign policy because the world is unraveling at light speed!!!

--Cory Monteith, star of “Glee,” died on Saturday of an apparent drug overdose at a downtown Vancouver hotel. This spring he had voluntarily checked himself into rehab. His girlfriend was Glee co-star Lea Michele.

--This was disappointing...American 100-meter record holder Tyson Gay tested positive for a banned substance and said he will pull out of the world championships next month in Moscow, where he was to have a big showdown with Usain Bolt.

Instead, he is heading back to Colorado Springs to await the results of his “B” sample test, possibly as early as next week.

“I don’t have a sabotage story. I don’t have any lies. I don’t have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADA’s (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) hands, someone playing games. I don’t have any of those stories. I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down.”

Gay wouldn’t provide any more details but clearly there is something wrong with this story. Gay, after all, was vociferous in promoting himself as being clean and was part of a big program to that effect.

But give track and field credit for doing its best to clean the sport up. Eventually you get caught.

--Ilya Kovalchuk, an NHL star in his prime who is just 30 years old and has already scored 417 goals in his 11 seasons, more than any other player during this time, announced he is retiring from the NHL and going home to Russia.

Talk about unheard of. Kovalchuk, who played for the Devils the last four seasons, had just completed his third year of a 15-year, $100 million contract, so he’s walking away from about $77 million.

Kovalchuk says he decided to return to Russia during the NHL lockout, when he ended up playing 36 games for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.

Well good for him. But it is a huge blow to the NHL because of the message it sends. Other European players may opt to do the same. It’s not like the Russian league doesn’t pay its superstars. It just takes away from the aura that the NHL is where the best players in the world gravitate.

--An analysis by a Los Angeles Times reader, Scott Ninegar, shows that in 1948, John Wooden was paid $6,000 to coach the Bruins in his first season at UCLA. In today’s dollars, Ninegar calculated, Wooden’s $6,000 would be $57,994 when adjusted for inflation.

Wooden’s final salary in the 1975 season, when he won his 10th NCAA title, was $40,500, or $175,358 today.

New UCLA Coach Steve Alford’s salary is $2.6 million a year for seven years; or 14.8 times what Wooden’s $175,358 would have been after adjusting for inflation.

--Jim Buck died, age 81. Who was Jim Buck? He is widely described as the first professional dog walker, or so legend has it.

“Starting in the early 1960s, Mr. Buck, the scion of a patrician Upper East Side (NYC) family, rose each morning at dawn to walk passels of clients’ dogs, eventually presiding over a business in which he and two dozen assistants walked more than 150 dogs a day.

“When he began that business, Jim Buck’s School for Dogs, it was the only one of its kind in New York. Today, the city has scores of professional dog walkers.” [Margalit Fox / New York Times]

--And Amar G. Bose died. He was 83. No mystery who he was. I’m the proud owner of three Bose radios, each of which I’ve had seemingly forever. I was always amazed how Bose could command the same price, year after year, when all other electronics products were going down in same.

Amar Bose kept the company he founded private, so he was able to pursue risky ventures for the long term, like noise-canceling headphones.

He was an engineering student at MIT in the 1950s when he became disappointed by the inferior sound of a high-priced stereo system he purchased. So he began to study concert hall quality sound and how it worked. He then became the father of true acoustic sound.

Bose was born in Philadelphia, by the way. His father was a Bengali freedom fighter who studied physics at Calcutta University when he was arrested and imprisoned for his opposition to British rule in India. He escaped and fled to the U.S.

In 2011, Bose gave MIT the majority of Bose Corp. stock in the form of non-voting shares whose dividends support education and research.

--Chuck Foley, co-creator of the party game Twister, died at the age of 82.

“Foley came up with a wide variety of gizmos and games, including a hand-launched toy helicopter, soft-tipped darts, plastic toy handcuffs and ‘un-du,’ a liquid adhesive remover used by librarians, people who keep scrapbooks, and anyone who wants to lift an uncanceled stamp off a used enveloped.”

Twister, originally marketed as “The Game That Ties You Up in Knots,” was a collaboration between Foley and cartoonist Neil W. Rabens when they worked at a St. Paul, Minn., design firm in the mid-1960s.

The game rocketed to fame in 1966, after Johnny Carson and Eva Gabor played it on “The Tonight Show.” 

In interviews, though, Foley said he made only $27,000 on it after a dispute over royalties with his boss, the owner of the design firm employing Foley.

--It seems things got out of hand a bit at a Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field in June, but we’re learning of it now because the president of the parking lot has blasted the fans for leaving five times more trash than Steelers fans do.

Thing is, Steelers management, as well as Chesney’s, are torqued off and the Steelers demanded an apology because the negative publicity hampers having future shows there.

Oh, and 73 people were arrested during the concert for disorderly conduct, public intoxication and aggravated assault.

Heck, about three years ago I saw Chesney in Calgary at the Calgary Stampede and there wasn’t one arrest! Even I behaved.

--Randy Travis suffered a stroke while being treated for congestive heart failure. Hang in there, Randy.

Top 3 songs for the week 7/13/85: #1 “A View To A Kill” (Duran Duran) #2 “Sussudio” (Phil Collins...they say Phil is a real pain in the butt to work with...) #3 “Raspberry Beret” (Prince & the Revolution)...and...#4 “The Search Is Over” (Survivor...just trying to survive this week before heading back to the 60s...this one is hideous...) #5 “Would I Lie To You?” (Eurythmics...A-Rod’s theme song...) #6 “Everytime You Go Away” (Paul Young...ughh...) #7 “You Give Good Love” (Whitney Houston...one of her better ones, I guess...trying to be kind to the dead...) #8 “Voices Carry” (‘til tuesday...I guess if you were doing heavy drugs, this would sound good...but I was drinking domestic back then and strictly into the oldies...) #9 “Glory Days” (Bruce Springsteen....thankfully Bruuuuce is on this list) #10 “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” (Cyndi Lauper...was not a fan of hers...preferred Paulina Porikova...not that she sang, she didn’t have to...)

All-Star Game Quiz Answer: 18 future Hall of Famers...

American League

Luis Aparicio
Whitey Ford
Al Kaline
Harmon Killebrew
Mickey Mantle
Brooks Robinson

National League

Hank Aaron
Jim Bunning
Orlando Cepeda
Roberto Clemente
Don Drysdale
Sandy Koufax
Juan Marichal
Willie Mays
Bill Mazeroski
Ron Santo
Willie Stargell
Billy Williams

*The A.L. was up 4-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, but after tying it up, Johnny Callison blasted a three-run homer off Dick Radatz* to give the National League a 7-4 win.

Starters Don Drysdale and Dean Chance each went three innings.

*Radatz would go on to pitch in 79 games in relief for Boston in ’64, throwing a staggering 157 innings, while going 16-9 with 29 saves. You will never, in your lifetime, see something like this again.

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