Now we've got a bunch of younger guys doing the same thing BUT, they don't really know a lot about sports. They were all on their college debating teams. They'll create a controversy then milk it dry often times just plain insulting callers. The latest things are players who have been guilty of, or maybe just "ACCUSED" of domestic violence, or guys wanting more money, or---which teams were "tampering" with players while they were under contract with another team. I call all those things "Socio-sports" and, after a mention...put them aside and talk about REAL sports. Find some other shows to talk about all that other garbage.
Guys who get "convicted by the media" whether guilty or not, have their lives ruined for the sake of ratings. Do I have to go any further than the fraternity house that was SHUT DPOWN because some girls FALSLEY claimed they were sexually abused at their parties. The national fraternity house is forever tarnished as are the members of that house. NOW that the police have found out the truth...NOTHING is being done to make sure this injustice is never again allowed to happen. AND let's not forget the entire soccer team that was indicted for rape a few years back. The story was as huge as any in recent memory BUT, when it was discovered that there really was no rape...NOTHING
more was said about it. The FALSE accusations should have been a story and steps should be taken to make sure that can't happen again. But, again, the sports media does NOTHING.
One player punched his girl-friend and they talk about it for weeks. I'm not condoning it but don't make real sports talk get put aside for it. By the way---SHE didn't mind it...She married him after that. THEY, SHE included, are the sickos. Leave my sports talk shows alone guys. We've got a whole generation of youngsters out there who don't even care about baseball anymore because they don't know all the nuances of the game. MY generation grew up on that stuff. Anyone remember Guy Manilla and the original "Calling All Sports?" `We learned things that most kids today don't even care about let alone KNOW about...Suicide squeeze plays," double steals when runners are on first and third, moving the runner on second base over by hitting to the right side. Anyone know what a delayed steal is? Most baseball managers only use half of the possible moves to manufacture offense, mainly because they're afraid to take chances. Baseball used to be exciting because, on every pitch there were so many different things that could happen. IF the managers weren't afraid of being laughed at by the media for trying them.
I had a chance to talk to Bill Carrigan many years ago. He's the only man to win a world championship with the Red Sox as both a player (catcher, 1912, 1915) and as manager (1916, 18)
He said, "The Curse of the Bambino was actually THE MEDIA." After owner, Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees they crucified him in print. (There IS a story there and it's not the "No-No Nanette fable that's been passed down through he years. Follow this site and I'll tell you about it the way he told me.) "From then on the owner was so worried about the media criticizing his moves that he kept following THEIR advice. As soon as an owner with a gutsy GM comes along and pays no attention to what the writers have to say---THEN the Red Sox will have some pennants and worlds series championships to boast about." ---That finally happened in 1946 and again in 1967 with the fabled "Impossible Dream Team" and manager Dick Williams......Stay tuned
Now the big story on the radio and TV is, "Inflate-gate" and "Tampering," or "how could Bill Belichick let Durrelle Revis get away" (in football,) and "The Red Sox don't have a #1 pitcher."
Lost in all this is more in depth talk about the Celtics and what's happened to the Bruins. (Their moral is low because of moves (the soon to be fired GM" Peter Chiarelli has made. I personally think he made a mistake dumping Shawn Thornton who was a huge moral builder on and off the ice and only cost a million and a half.
Danny Ainge has been quietly (no big media talk) building a heck of a team AND a great locker-room with his trades. They'll make the playoffs and will be a "presence" in the NBA when Danny is through. All they need is a "rim protecter" and down low defense. Leadership is bulding and all those draft picks will pay dividends in the off season. I'd like to see Mark Gasol here but, whoever Danny brings in will work fine. Yes..."In Danny I trust."
ALSO, "In Bill Belichick I trust." Only the media (surprise) doesn't. They forget (or choose not to write about it) that the Patriots have a salary cap to manage and 50 players to think of when they (even consider) making outrageous salary offers. With the money they DIDN'T give to Revis they can
pay THREE very good players (pass rushers?) that will help win games. Whatever Belichick's plan is I have complete faith in him. I remember him saying one time, several years ago, to Will McDonough and a few of us, that all coaches always had to have a backup plan...just in case things didn't go as expected. I personally believe that he knew Revis was not going to sign on again with the Pats. I also believe the Jets deal was done while Revis was still under contract to the Pats.
NOTE---I also believe that the Red Sox ace lefty, John Lester, was pre-ordained to go to the Chicago Cubs. It only made sense that his best friend, Theo Epstein, being the general manager of the Cubs, had struck the deal long before it was made public and the Sox knew it. Doesn't anybody remember he said he would take a hometown discount (but never said how much). Then, when the Sox made him the same offer they had made to their then ace, Josh Beckette, under similar circumstances, Lester's people said they were extremely offended by the low-ball offer. BUT, and here's the crux of the thing---They never came back with an offer of their own. THAT'S what good negotiating is...unless you aren't dealing in good faith, which Lester's people were not. Why not. Because they already had the deal sewed up with Epstein. THEY already knew of Epstein and his ethics and were well prepared. By the way, they did pretty good in the trades they made. They now have three pitchers who could turn out to be #1. And they all have a history of going 200 innings or more in consecutive years. You see, youngsters, THAT'S one of the most important stats to judge a pitcher by, along with ERA and walks/hits per innings pitched.
I'll end things there with a promise to tell you THE REAL STORY of Babe Ruth going to the Yankees as well as a bigger story.....How Carlton Fisk wound up leaving the Red Sox.
All comments welcome and will be addressed......Stay tuned to THIS site.......