Better to be Stupid than an A-hole

Ok, nobody really aspires to be stupid or an asshole. But if you had to be one or the other, I would choose to be stupid. And now there is proof to back up that decision. When the news started to spread that Manny Ramirez had tested positive for some hormone used to cover up steroid use, a few people were shocked and surprised. But most just rolled their eyes and muttered, “what a dip shit”. If there is a surprise, it has to be how anyone can be that stupid. The MLB drug test is a good deterrent, but it takes a moron to fail it! I mean it’s the ultimate open book test. You know when it’s coming and you know what they’re testing for.

But the real point here is the acceptance and almost immediate forgiving of Manny Ramirez. Even fans of other teams shrug there shoulders and shake their heads as if to say “oh well”. It’s like when the goofy kid on your kids tee ball team, with his hat on backwards and glove on the wrong hand, hits the ball then chases after it before the other kids can field it. You just put your hand over your face, try not to laugh out loud, and holler encouragement to the rest of the team. “Come on Juan Pierre, you can do it!”

And in LA they still have Manny Wood, the wigs still sell off the rack, and I’m sure number 99 still on the backs of fans all over the park. Compare this to our old friend Barry Bonds. Barry was never caught using steroids, never really admitted it, sure as Hell didn’t apologize for anything, and treated everyone who questioned him like trash he throws away (actually he treats everyone like that). People are so pissed at Barry Bonds; they’re counting the days until A-Rod (another cheater) breaks his record. Nobody will hire him to hit balls out of their ball park, and I’m guessing Bonds uniforms leftover in sporting goods stores are being given away if you buy a pair of Nikes. Now this goes beyond the fact the Manny served a suspension and Barry didn’t. Manny hasn’t apologized publicly yet either. Manny hasn’t truly admitted he was cheating. I think he said he was trying to get pregnant. But Bonds made a career out of being smug, arrogant, and treating people around him like they were a lower level of humans. And trust me, it goes beyond the fact that Bonds broke Babe’s record. It’s all very simple actually….

Bonds is an asshole, Manny is just plain stupid.

Wiffle Ball Wizard

I saw this show, Sports Science, on FSN the other day. Pretty cool video. I always loved playing wiffle ball when I was younger, who would have that you could make a career of it though.

Michael Annett

ESPN's Nationwide Weekly Preview Show features Iowan Michael Annett. Here's the link... http://www.nascar.com/video/busch/2009/06/11/nns.ken.preview.nascar/

Sorry Strasburg and Ackley

The 2009 MLB Draft was held from June 9th thru the 11th. No other draft in professional sports is more of a crap shoot, in my opinion. With all the expert scouting, evaluations, and analysis done on the prospects, there is never a sure thing and it seems more like drawing names out of a hat. For every Mike Piazza, drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft, and John Smoltz, a 22nd round pick in 1985, there is the cant miss super stud like Brien Taylor, #1 pick of 1991, and Mark Merchant, the 2nd overall pick in 1987, that never make it to the major leagues. Looking at this years draft there are a couple of guys that appear head and shoulders above the rest and both are major league ready, according to the experts.

The first is Stephen Strasburg. He is a pitcher from San Diego St. Strasburg was 13-1 with an ERA of 1.32 this year. His fastball has been clocked at 103 mph. Stephen struck out 195 batters in 109 innings and walked only 19, which shows incredible control. The Nationals drafted him #1 overall and believe he could be on the major league squad by the end of the year. The other player that has everyone drooling is Dustin Ackley, the top ranked hitting prospect in the draft and a 3 time All-American from North Carolina. Ackley has a .412 batting average on the year with 22 home runs and 70 RBIs. He could add to that as the Tar Heels advanced to the College World Series. As expected, Dustin was drafted #2 by the Mariners.

Both Ackley and Strasburg have amazing talent but I would avoid both of them in the draft. Why you ask? Both are clients of prominent sports agent Scott Boras. Boras is a pompous ass who somehow continues to get teams to dramatically overpay to sign his clients, which adds to the gap between the big and small market teams. Unfortunately for the fans of baseball, he does his job very well. A Boras client from last year's draft, #2 pick Pedro Alvarez, had some shady negotiations with the Pirates. Add to that, a recent story on ESPN reported, "Boras wouldn't give numbers, but he's expected to ask for a package worth several times the value of the current high-water mark of $10.5 million that Mark Prior received in 2001." That will equate to a possible $50 million deal. If Boras cant get what he wants, he has been known to encourage his clients to pursuit other baseball options, and re-enter the next year's draft. This strategy seems to benefit Boras more than the actual player and isn't the player who he should be looking out for. It appears that Scott Boras represents the top 3 picks in the 2009 MLB Draft and 5 of the top 13 picks. Business is good for the Scott Boras Corporation.

Baseball Dance-Off

Highlights from the 2009 Big East Baseball Tournament...