Ichiro and Hunter win Gold Gloves...again

In the last nine years, the economy has gone from mighty juggernaut to slightly healthier than a veal calf. We thought the World was coming to an end (Y2K) and we watched Jay-Z and Brett Favre retire and come back. Some of us even watched two American League players become arguably the greatest fielders at their respective positions in more than a generation.

Torii Hunter and Ichiro Suzuki are consistently flawless fielders. Anyone who cannot achieve joy watching Hunter track down a rocket in the gap or isn't floored by Ichiro's m16a2 of a right arm doesn't deserve love.The two have roamed outfields in relative obscurity for their careers. Yes, Ichiro is a rock star in Japan and parts of America. Hunter plays in Los Angeles for a perennial playoff contender. So what?

The Los Angles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of Earth of the Milky Way will always be a second class citizen to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And Seattle? Please. They will eventually play the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, and both teams will find a way to lose.

Obviously, both teams play on the West Coast. That really doesn't help these players. And even though Hunter played for the Minnesota Twins for a decade, they really aren't talked about. Doesn't matter that they are regularly one of the most exiting teams in baseball.

These players, somehow, aren't well-known. And that is just sad.

How do I back this up? Not empirically, that's for damn sure.

It's proven in who gets the advertising, and who gets the national recognition.

For one day each year, the All-Star game, casual fans a quick refresher on what these two are doing every day for their respective teams.

And then, they go back to toiling in virtual anonymity.

Should we feel sorry for them? Absolutely not.

Both are paid handsomely and get amazing health care to play a child's game. Both are widely respected among their peers. Ichiro is a lock for the Hall of Fame, Hunter is getting there.

But that doesn't change how sad it is that more people aren't understanding and appreciating what these two do. If either of them played for the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees, they would be on the covers of video games. Their jerseys would be worn around the country by posers and 'roided-up frat boys.

But maybe it's good it's like that. It keeps fans like us what makes us better than casual fans.

So congratulations to Ichiro and Hunter. I look forward to telling future generations about watching you two play the game with style, respect and hustle. (A preemptive "screw you" to all those who say since Ichiro rarely dives he isn't gritty or doesn't hustle.)

Thank you both for your energy and enthusiasm.

Grandma-ma is gone-ma-ma

Running back Larry Johnson must have decided it would be funny to use a gay slur on his Twitter account, because he did exactly that the other day and it got him fired. Two weeks ago, Johnson used a derogotary term for gay men in a Twitter post, but finding out which one is like trying to discover a government secret – Google “what did Larry Johnson say” if you want to waste some precious moments of your life. Allegedly, Johnson used a common slur that begins with the letter F and won’t be repeated here because journalism is still sort of my day job.

Johnson was also critical of Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, and was suspended for his conduct. But apparently, Johnson had completely worn out his welcome because the Chiefs outright released him today.

It’s been clear for a long time that Johnson is an arrogant jerk – although Priest Holmes put up insane numbers as the Chiefs’ leading tailback, Kansas City drafted Johnson in 2003 and almost immediately the young punk began to voice his desire to usurp Holmes. When Holmes got hurt in 2005, Johnson took over and never gave the job back.

Since then, Johnson has been arrested three times, each time after allegedly assaulting a woman in some fashion. He has always been a prickly character, but his production has fallen off in a huge way. After finishing first in the league in rushing in 2005 and second in 2006, he hasn’t gotten more than 900 rushing yards in a season since. Because of his size (six-foot-one and 230 lbs) and athletic ability, some contending team will undoubtedly pick Johnson up. But if he hasn’t learned a lesson about how to behave like a civilized person, he’s going to be joining the unemployment line again very soon.

One last time

Try to savor this season. It's likely the last in Sacramento. 

Moreover, they aren't going to be a winning team. The Kings won't sniff 40 victories.

But there are some reasons to still have the game on in the background while you clean your house.

There are some future All-Stars on this team; just not this season.

Omri Casspi is going to turn heads. He dazzled in the opener and he wasn't just exploiting the ho-hum Oklahoma City Thunder defense.

Tyreke Evans will experience growing pains but will be more effective than most rookies.

Kevin Martin is playing like he wants to be traded. Let's ride it and see what he brings us. Virtually anything is better than his brittle frame and pathetic defense.  

Jason Thompson's minutes limited due to foul trouble. It looks like that will be an issue again this year. 

Don't get me wrong, I am excited Thompson is a King. He's capable of matching up with the better power forwards of the league and making them earn their double-double. He's been gifted with athletic footwork and soft hands. He is a piece to build with.

Spencer Hawes is a decent power forward as well. What's that? Center? 

Oh...I see. I guess your average NBA center is supposed chuck up more than 100 three-point attempts in a season. For perspective, Hakeem Olajuwon attempted 124 in his career. Hawes passed that career mark last season. For the record: Three-point related categories will be the only time Hawes beats Olajuwon's career numbers in any category. 

He probably should toss of prayers, you probably don't want him to clumsily labor his way into the painted area.

Long story short, Hawes will average nine boards a game this season. At best. And anything less than or equal to 9.4 boards will be rounded down.

In spite of this, the Kings will provide us with some fun wins scattered across a field of disappointment. 

They will break our heart yet again. They are going to leave and nothing can be done.

So savor this year. 

If you will please excuse me, I need to use the bathroom and take a Maloof.

A day for revenge and redemption: Benson, A-Rod and Brooking get theirs

Derek Jeter can finally call A-Rod his equal in October. Photo by Flickr user chris.ptacek








Sunday is supposed to be the day for rest, but it was a day of two very big other R-words for some athletes and coaches: revenge and redemption. From New York City to Oak-Town, there were chips on shoulders all over the country. A rundown of who was looking to even the score Sunday.

Cedric Benson vs. the Chicago Bears: If you paid any attention to football at all Sunday, you heard this one about a billion times. Running back Benson was the No. 4 overall pick for the Bears in 2005, and to call his time there tumultuous would be an understatement. Coach Lovie Smith never seemed willing to make him the featured back, and after some alcohol-related arrests Benson was released in 2008.

Benson never was convicted of any wrongdoing, but his career was seriously derailed. He signed a one-year contract with Cincinnati in 2008 for $520,000, and no one expected very much from him. But Benson played well, and got a two-year, $7 million contract from the Bengals last offseason.

So far in 2009, Benson leads the league in rushing and no doubt wanted to run roughshod over the Bears on Sunday – and apparently, the Bengals were happy to comply. They handed the rock to Benson 37 times and he did not disappoint, racking up 189 yards and a touchdown against the team that spurned him.

Benson is only 26 and hasn’t had too many carries over his career (789), so the Bengals appear to be in for some very productive seasons from No. 32. Especially if they play the Bears every year.


Alex Rodriguez vs. himself: Is there a more troubled superstar in sports than A-Rod? He has been criticized for being obsessed with his image, had a very public divorce from his wife Cynthia, admitted to using steroids and was widely ridiculed when Madonna reportedly said he had the “heart of a poet.”

But the worst knock against A-Rod was his tendency to disappear in October. Rodriguez’s postseason career numbers were downright pathetic, and the man who plays on his left, Derek Jeter, casts a mighty big shadow. Jeter has been called "Mr. November" for his clutch postseason performances, while Rodriguez was once dropped to eighth in the batting order in a playoff game.

But A-Rod was a new man this postseason, and his bat was the most feared in the dangerous Yankee lineup. Rodriguez batted .400 in the ALCS, and was walked three times Sunday night in a pivotal Game 6. Twice this series A-Rod was walked intentionally in the ninth inning after he tied Game 2 with a long ball against erratic Angels closer Brian Fuentes.

Thanks to A-Rod’s bat and the pitching of C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettite, the Yanks are going back to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2003. Watching his jubilation after the last out was recorded Sunday night, is there any doubt that no one in New York wanted the pennant as badly as he did? Rodriguez will still have to perform well in the World Series in order for the Yankee faithful to fully embrace him, but I don’t think anyone in the Bronx will be booing him again anytime soon.


Keith Brooking vs. the Atlanta Falcons: Sunday’s matchup between the 3-2 Cowboys and 4-1 Falcons was intriguing for many reasons. The Falcons looked unstoppable in their 45-10 dismantling of the 49ers two weeks ago, while the Cowboys looked anything but in a narrow 26-20 overtime victory in Kansas City.

But the rise of receiver Miles Austin (421 receiving yards, four touchdowns in the last two games) has propelled Tony Romo back into the pantheon of top quarterbacks, and Dallas was very impressive in a 37-21 victory over Atlanta. The Cowboy defense hassled and harassed quarterback Matt Ryan all day, and the Atlanta offense just never got going.

The game was of particular importance to Cowboy linebacker Keith Brooking. A native Georgian who went to college at Georgia Tech, Brooking spent 11 excellent years in Atlanta, where he was voted to the Pro Bowl five times and was an All-Pro selection twice. But the Falcons cut him loose in the offseason, and Brooking signed a three-year contract with the Cowboys. Unlike so many other athletes who give politically correct answers to reporters, Brooking did not mince words about facing the team he gave most of his career to.

"Obviously, it was a big game for me personally. I’d be lying if I told you it wasn’t,” Brooking told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We took it to them. We bloodied their noses, and then we stepped on them and kicked them to the ground. So that’s a good feeling.”

Brooking’s emotion was obvious on the sideline – the veteran linebacker hooped and hollered throughout the game, and had a huge grin on his face the entire fourth quarter when the game was already in hand.

This may not be his last chance to enact vengeance either – the Cowboys appear poised to make a run at the playoffs, so a rematch with the Falcons in January is a definite possibility. A message to Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey: If you see these guys again, I’d run all my plays away from Brooking.


And briefly, two others looking for revenge and redemption: Niner quarterback and NFL Draft bust Alex Smith played the second half of San Francisco’s game in Houston after Shaun Hill got the hook, and made the game close at the end. Overall, Smith had a pretty good game (118.6 quarterback rating) and played his way to a start next Sunday against Indianapolis. Will we finally see the emergence of the former No. 1 overall pick? Niner fans have heard this story before, and they know Smith has a way of teasing you with his brilliance, only to fall apart soon after. He won’t have many more chances to prove himself, so it’s put up or shut up time for Smith.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan led his team to a 38-0 pounding of the Raiders, but the game had special significance to his family and his assistants. The Raiders previously fired Jets line coach Bill Callahan (Raider head coach from 2002-03) and Rex’s twin brother Rob (defensive coordinator from 2004-08), and Ryan admitted in his postgame comments that it was a significant win for both him and Callahan. Al Davis’ list of enemies just keeps getting longer and longer…

Frank McCourt cans wife

Frank McCourt is making me put aside my hatred for all things related to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a minute by firing his wife.

Awesome. 

After getting bounced from the National League Championship Series by the Philadelphia Phillies, Frank McCourt canned his wife of 20 years. The couple is separated and is about to go through a very messy and public divorce.

Jamie McCourt was the chief executive officer for the Dodgers for the last seven months. She has also served as vice chairman and president. 

If you look at basic divorce proceedings in California, you realize Jamie McCourt is basically entitled to half the team.

Let the mayhem begin. This is gonna get interesting. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.

This can only make for a dysfunctional working environment for everyone involved. It will probably spill into the clubhouse, and Manny Ramirez will become a diva without significant value a' la Terrell Owens next season. At least that is the dream.

Now I'm not someone who enjoys other's misfortunes. I savor them. And this is a feast.

Richard Seymour proves the Raiders’ team facility has become an asylum

Where the crazy people go play. Photo from Flickr user scotrail.

Al Davis has been crazy for years, and the overhead-projector-aided rambling press conference about Lane Kiffin only solidified that the owner is lucid enough to still be nuts. Then JaMarcus Russell proved he’s delusional by saying he was fine with his awful passing performance this year.

Well there must be something in the water, because now Richard Seymour has lost his damn mind, too.


The defensive end was on a Cincinnati radio show Wednesday (who the hell knows why he’s on a show in Cincinnati when the Raiders play New York this week), and he boldly proclaimed that the Raiders will make the playoffs. Not in 2015, or even next year – he expects to playing in January this season.

Manny doesn't seem to understand what a “clean-up” hitter really is

In the top of the ninth inning of Game 4 between the Phillies and Dodgers Monday, Jonathon Broxton was heaving 101 mph fastballs at hitters, trying desperately to keep Los Angeles alive in the postseason. Somehow, someway, shortstop Jimmy Rollins managed to turn on a 99 mph heater, doubling in the game-tying and game-winning runs in one quick, Dodger-killing, monumentally clutch moment. This you probably already know. But do you know where Manny Ramirez was?

Taking a shower.

No, really. Taking a shower.