It's official: Kenny Rogers is going to the All-Star Game whether any of us want him to or not.
And frankly I'm sick of talk show hosts and callers who think he shouldn't.
Yes, Kenny Rogers is a jerk. We know. We've heard.
Yes, Rogers' appealed the suspension and is still playing for now. It's called a grievance procedure. Your workplace has it too. Check your contract, check your employee handbook, check your HR people, check the bulletin board that has all those postings that you never read anyway, it should be there somewhere.
Most of the callers don't know the whole story of what's wrong with the Rangers. They are lowballing Rogers, their best pitcher at the moment, and leaking outright lies about Rogers to the media. Rangers' management also released Ryan Drese, who is now an anchor of the Washington Nationals' staff. There's a lot of tension in Arlington, and the camera push is the tip of a much larger iceberg that all these Kenny Rogers haters are refusing to see.
If anything, John Hart should be fired for his office putting out the statement that Rogers intentionally injured his hand so he wouldn't have to pitch against some good teams. Without that report, there's no incident.
So if all you talk show callers want to get on a real issue, start calling for Hart's head.
On a separate note, David Wells is an idiot. (courtesy Sporting Fools)
Armstrong gives up yellow, for now
Lance Armstrong conceded the Yellow Jersey in yesterday's Stage 9, a stage that also saw Armstrong's rival Jan Ullrich split his helmet during a crash.
Your leader after 9 stages: Jens Voigt of Germany, who is 2:18 up on Armstrong.
They say Armstrong will probably get the jersey back in the upcoming mountain stages. 2 minutes and 18 seconds is a lot to make up in cycling terms, though, so we'll see.
A look at education issues from those who lived them.
From time to time, I harp on education and/or youth sports issues, because I'm really passionate about them. I work in a school part time, after all.
This one falls under "education issues":
Steve "The Holywriter" Adams recently completed a series on a string of incidents that happened in his high school back in the late '90s. I would encourage you to read it. Why? Well, just like teenagers using steroids (my big pet issue), what happened at Steve's high school still could happen at your kids high school (or *your* high school if you are reading this and are of high school age), even if the groups in conflict have different names than "redneck" or "freak".
Here's the Nothing But The Truth Chronicles in their entirety:
Introduction
Chronicle 1: Setting the stage
Chronicle 2: Celebrity, international and local
St. Mary's: A Dossier: Background on high school society in St. Mary's, West Virginia.
Chronicle 3: Freaks and 'Necks
Chronicle 4: Don't Look Back in Anger
Chronicle 5: Thefts and Bomb Threats
Chronicle 6: All The School Board's Men
Conclusion: A year later, Columbine.
Random...Not So Much: The effects of the incidents years later. (Not technically part of the series, but it should be)
Tomorrow: Home Field Advantage
Monday, July 11, 2005
Friday, July 8, 2005
A sad day for a global game
When the Olympics return to London for 2012, baseball and softball won't be coming with them.
The IOC voted to cut both sports from the Olympic program yesterday.
Never mind that the sport is going to have it's first real world championship in 2006 and that the Pacific Rim, the Caribbean, Canada, and Australia are into the sport.
Never mind that softball was eliminated only because it had to be eliminated with baseball and that now opportunities for female athletes have been reduced.
So what killed the sports at the Olympic level? Steroids, in part. The steroid scandals in the Major Leagues hurt the image of the sport internationally, and the IOC is pretty quick to react to doping issues.
What else killed it? Well, unlike basketball and hockey, which are willing to allow it's athletes to compete in the Olympics and expand the global reach of the sport, (in mid-season in hockey's case) Major League Baseball is unwilling to give it's players 3 weeks off to compete in the Games.
There's also a thought that the baseball and softball facilities don't get much use once the Olympics is over. (Here's a thought, maybe you could use the facilities to learn to play baseball?)
Anyway, the Olympics couldn't agree on a replacement. Golf, Karate, Rugby, Rollerblading, and Squash all failed to get the necessary votes.
(I don't understand why they couldn't get enough votes for golf? I mean, you could hand out at least 4 medals... stroke play, match play singles, match play doubles, alternating-shot. I don't understand why Rugby didn't make the cut either, the appeal of that one is fairly global also.)
Astros near .500
While the other baseball team in the state is apparently falling apart, The Astros have seemingly pulled things together, going 21-11 since the start of June. They can pull above the .500 mark if they sweep the slumping Dodgers this weekend. The ridiculous Roger Clemens trade rumors have stopped for the most part. And the team appears to be hitting a lot better now.
The funny thing about the baseball season is, most teams go through stretches where the team just plays really well. Even the bad ones. But since this is over an extended period of time, and because the Astros just took 2 of 3 from first-place San Diego, I think we can dismiss any talk of this being a fluke. Unfortunately, the All-Star break is Monday.
Monday: Home Run Derby
The IOC voted to cut both sports from the Olympic program yesterday.
Never mind that the sport is going to have it's first real world championship in 2006 and that the Pacific Rim, the Caribbean, Canada, and Australia are into the sport.
Never mind that softball was eliminated only because it had to be eliminated with baseball and that now opportunities for female athletes have been reduced.
So what killed the sports at the Olympic level? Steroids, in part. The steroid scandals in the Major Leagues hurt the image of the sport internationally, and the IOC is pretty quick to react to doping issues.
What else killed it? Well, unlike basketball and hockey, which are willing to allow it's athletes to compete in the Olympics and expand the global reach of the sport, (in mid-season in hockey's case) Major League Baseball is unwilling to give it's players 3 weeks off to compete in the Games.
There's also a thought that the baseball and softball facilities don't get much use once the Olympics is over. (Here's a thought, maybe you could use the facilities to learn to play baseball?)
Anyway, the Olympics couldn't agree on a replacement. Golf, Karate, Rugby, Rollerblading, and Squash all failed to get the necessary votes.
(I don't understand why they couldn't get enough votes for golf? I mean, you could hand out at least 4 medals... stroke play, match play singles, match play doubles, alternating-shot. I don't understand why Rugby didn't make the cut either, the appeal of that one is fairly global also.)
Astros near .500
While the other baseball team in the state is apparently falling apart, The Astros have seemingly pulled things together, going 21-11 since the start of June. They can pull above the .500 mark if they sweep the slumping Dodgers this weekend. The ridiculous Roger Clemens trade rumors have stopped for the most part. And the team appears to be hitting a lot better now.
The funny thing about the baseball season is, most teams go through stretches where the team just plays really well. Even the bad ones. But since this is over an extended period of time, and because the Astros just took 2 of 3 from first-place San Diego, I think we can dismiss any talk of this being a fluke. Unfortunately, the All-Star break is Monday.
Monday: Home Run Derby
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Bittersweet week for the UK
(Jane Mingay/AP)First off, Congratulations to London and the UK on landing the 2012 Olympics. Second, thoughts and prayers go out to the folks in London and the UK because of the attacks on their subway system.
Now, before anyone gets on the "anti-American" vote thing, New York killed its own bid because it couldn't secure financing for a stadium. Also, a lot of New Yorkers (as in folks in New York City) didn't want the Olympics either because of the potential traffic nightmares, which is understandable when you're in a city that's not exactly built for cars.
Seriously, think about the North American cities since 1984 that have held or are scheduled to host an Olympics: Los Angeles, Calgary, Atlanta, Salt Lake, Vancouver. All those cities are spread out over a large area, and building venues would not have completely re-made the face of the city like it would New York City. Not only that, those cities do not require you to grease 50 palms just to build the weightlifting venue
As for the other cities, as much as this seems like a good opportunity to bash the French, I kinda feel sorry for them because their economy's in the tank and they really could have used the shot in the arm.
Madrid is a nice city, and Spain has hosted a World Cup and Olympics before, but it's not built for cars either and they have a lot of nice buildings that they can't really knock down. Plus, there's that pesky ETA problem. (not that I don't like Basque people, it's just that there's better ways of going about it. If the Olympics had known about Eric Rudolph, Athens probably would have gotten the Games years earlier than it did.)
Moscow would have been OK. The thought of an American Olympic team making good to the folks of Moscow 32 years after Jimmy Carter ruined the chances of a generation of athletes by boycotting the last Moscow Olympics (which didn't solve anything in Afghanistan and just led to the Russians and East Germans returning the favor 4 years later) would have been nice. Problem is, their internal corruption problem is worse than NYC's, and they would have had just as tough a time getting things approved.
While we're talking Olympics, Why not have a Texas city put in a bid for 2016? Why not Dallas? Why not Houston? Why not a joint bid from San Antonio and Austin? Come on Texas, step up to the plate, get organized, and let's land one of these things.
Oh my God, Kenny Apologized! You B@#$%rd!
Frankly, I was a bit disgusted at Kenny Rogers' scripted apology yesterday, and I'm one of the people who thinks the Rangers are the real bad guys in this mess.
Rogers just really mishandled this situation right from the get-go.
He didn't like the fake stories the Rangers were putting out about them, and the Dallas media wasn't happy with the fact that one of the teams' hardest workers was being accused of being a jake by management when it didn't match what Rogers was doing for the Rangers. Rogers wouldn't have merited an All-Star berth if he had not worked hard, and most of the Dallas media knew it.
Plus, the Dallas media has been aware for some time that the release of Ryan Drese has created a lot of tension in between the Rangers front office and the players. Add to that the fact that many reporters have complained about John Hart's aloofness and lack of availability, and the media could have been an ally for Kenny Rogers.
If he had gone to the media and told them that the Rangers front office was leaking false reports about them, and that the report about the motive behind the hand injury was false, they would have listened, and they probably would have called for Hart's head
Instead, Rogers turned a potential ally into an enemy when he shoved the cameraman. Then he compounded his media mistake with that fake apology yesterday.
So now, instead of focusing about how Rangers' management is making Kenny Rogers' life hell, how they screwed up with Ryan Drese, and how Mark Texiera, Michael Young, and Hank Blalock are all going to walk because of John Hart's mismanagement of this team, we're talking about how Rogers punched a cameraman and how he doesn't deserve to be in the All-Star game.
Tomorrow: Meanwhile, the other Texas team is coming together.
Wednesday, July 6, 2005
Gotta love this fan funeral
James Henry Smith, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan who recently died at age 55 of prostate cancer had an unusual setup for his viewing.
The description has to be read to be believed:
Tomorrow: TBA
The description has to be read to be believed:
The Samuel E. Coston Funeral Home erected a small stage in a viewing room, and arranged furniture on it much as it was in Smith's home on game day Sundays.Isn't that cool?
Smith's body was on the recliner, his feet crossed and a remote in his hand. He wore black and gold silk pajamas, slippers and a robe. A pack of cigarettes and a beer were at his side, while a high-definition TV played a continuous loop of Steelers highlights.
"I couldn't stop crying after looking at the Steeler blanket in his lap," said his sister, MaryAnn Nails, 58. "He loved football and nobody did [anything] until the game went off. It was just like he was at home."
Tomorrow: TBA
Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Scott Ferrall off the milk carton
This probably isn't big news to anyone unless you're a sports talk junkie like me, but Scott Ferrall guest hosted for J.T. The Brick yesterday, which is the first time the once up-and-coming sports talk host has been heard on national radio in about 5 years.
And, frankly, it was good to hear Ferrall's raspy voice and hyperactive style on the air again.
I don't think it means he's coming back to Fox Sports Radio permanently, but if he does go national again, that's really his only option. He's too interesting for ESPN Radio to consider.
Lance back on top in France
Thanks to Team Discovery Channel's third straight win in the Team Time Trial, Lance Armstrong is back in the Yellow Jersey at the the Tour de France, four stages in.
Before you say, "Wait a minute, wasn't he on a different team last year?" No, it's the same team, it was just called U.S. Postal last year. The sponsorship asking price for Lance's team got too rich for The Post Office to afford. (The team in the past has been sponsored by 7-Eleven and Motorola).
As for the Tour, there's about 4 more flat stages before they hit the mountains, so the maillot jeune could change hands a few times before then. But Lance Armstrong usually just keeps close to the leaders until the mountains, then slingshots around them in the mountain stages. That is, if he's the same Lance Armstrong.
What I think is significant is the fact that Armstrong took the yellow from another American, David Zabriskie. Why? It means that Lance Armstrong isn't the only American who could be a featured cyclist.
Zabriskie, by the way, is also a blogger. Check out his personal site. You'll find out such personal tidbits as his preference of religion (not Mormon), movies (Batman and Star Wars), and that apparently was once hit by a car (a peril I'm sure most American road cyclists have either been through or narrowly avoided).
My advice, Dave: move to Austin. They actually give cyclists some respect here
Note of trivia: Yesterday's stage started in Tours (which, coincidentally, is pronounced similar to "Tour" in French). Tours was the site of one of the biggest turning points in Western European history, a 732 AD battle where the Frankish general Charles Martel (great-grandfather of Charlemagne) defeated Muslim jihadists under Emir Abd er Rahman al-Ghafiq. The battle effectively stopped the Muslims advance into the Christian areas of Europe, and was the last time a Muslim nation would seriously threaten a Western nation until the 1970s.
R.I.P Hank Stram 1923-2005
Hank Stram's soul matriculated to heaven yesterday, after his body was in declining health for several years due to diabetes.
Stram got his pro coaching debut in Texas with the Dallas Texans and won the AFL championship in 1962 before the franchise moved to Kansas City. Stram, who was previously an assistant at "The U" and SMU before that (where he was position coach for Texans' owner Lamar Hunt), beat out legendary Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson for the job
Stram, however really shined when the franchise moved from Dallas to Kansas City due to stiff competition from the NFL's Cowboys. The re-christened Chiefs appeared in the first Super Bowl, where Stram's stack defense forced Vince Lombardi to change tactics and rely on short passes rather than the power sweep (If you know anything about Lombardi's style of football, you'll know that it was a pretty significant shift). Granted, the Chiefs lost, but the Packers had to play AFL-style football to win it.
In 1970, the Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl, this time to face the Vikings, whom they destroyed 23-7. This was notable for 3 things: First, it was the first time a coach was wearing a microphone on the sideline, which gave us such gems as "matriculating the ball down the field" and brought the fan virtually onto the sidelines. Second, it showcased the stack defense and the moving pocket, Stram's contributions to the game as we know it today. Third, it proved the New York Jets' victory the prior year was no fluke and that these AFL teams really are on par with the NFL.
Tomorrow: I'm R.D. Baker, and I approved of this message.
And, frankly, it was good to hear Ferrall's raspy voice and hyperactive style on the air again.
I don't think it means he's coming back to Fox Sports Radio permanently, but if he does go national again, that's really his only option. He's too interesting for ESPN Radio to consider.
Lance back on top in France
Thanks to Team Discovery Channel's third straight win in the Team Time Trial, Lance Armstrong is back in the Yellow Jersey at the the Tour de France, four stages in.
Before you say, "Wait a minute, wasn't he on a different team last year?" No, it's the same team, it was just called U.S. Postal last year. The sponsorship asking price for Lance's team got too rich for The Post Office to afford. (The team in the past has been sponsored by 7-Eleven and Motorola).
As for the Tour, there's about 4 more flat stages before they hit the mountains, so the maillot jeune could change hands a few times before then. But Lance Armstrong usually just keeps close to the leaders until the mountains, then slingshots around them in the mountain stages. That is, if he's the same Lance Armstrong.
What I think is significant is the fact that Armstrong took the yellow from another American, David Zabriskie. Why? It means that Lance Armstrong isn't the only American who could be a featured cyclist.
Zabriskie, by the way, is also a blogger. Check out his personal site. You'll find out such personal tidbits as his preference of religion (not Mormon), movies (Batman and Star Wars), and that apparently was once hit by a car (a peril I'm sure most American road cyclists have either been through or narrowly avoided).
My advice, Dave: move to Austin. They actually give cyclists some respect here
Note of trivia: Yesterday's stage started in Tours (which, coincidentally, is pronounced similar to "Tour" in French). Tours was the site of one of the biggest turning points in Western European history, a 732 AD battle where the Frankish general Charles Martel (great-grandfather of Charlemagne) defeated Muslim jihadists under Emir Abd er Rahman al-Ghafiq. The battle effectively stopped the Muslims advance into the Christian areas of Europe, and was the last time a Muslim nation would seriously threaten a Western nation until the 1970s.
R.I.P Hank Stram 1923-2005
Hank Stram's soul matriculated to heaven yesterday, after his body was in declining health for several years due to diabetes.
Stram got his pro coaching debut in Texas with the Dallas Texans and won the AFL championship in 1962 before the franchise moved to Kansas City. Stram, who was previously an assistant at "The U" and SMU before that (where he was position coach for Texans' owner Lamar Hunt), beat out legendary Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson for the job
Stram, however really shined when the franchise moved from Dallas to Kansas City due to stiff competition from the NFL's Cowboys. The re-christened Chiefs appeared in the first Super Bowl, where Stram's stack defense forced Vince Lombardi to change tactics and rely on short passes rather than the power sweep (If you know anything about Lombardi's style of football, you'll know that it was a pretty significant shift). Granted, the Chiefs lost, but the Packers had to play AFL-style football to win it.
In 1970, the Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl, this time to face the Vikings, whom they destroyed 23-7. This was notable for 3 things: First, it was the first time a coach was wearing a microphone on the sideline, which gave us such gems as "matriculating the ball down the field" and brought the fan virtually onto the sidelines. Second, it showcased the stack defense and the moving pocket, Stram's contributions to the game as we know it today. Third, it proved the New York Jets' victory the prior year was no fluke and that these AFL teams really are on par with the NFL.
Tomorrow: I'm R.D. Baker, and I approved of this message.
Monday, July 4, 2005
Kenny Rogers Update
Happy 4th of July everyone... to everyone serving the country overseas, thank you.
Anyway, the controversy still rages over Kenny Rogers and the camera incidents.
Kenny Rogers is suspended 20 games, pending appeal. No problem there. However, no one in the Rangers front office was punished for instigating the whole thing with the completely untrue press release about the reasons behind the injury to his non-throwing hand.
Rogers, however, was selected to pitch the All-Star Game, though many think he should have to give up his spot.
As far as the relationship between Rangers players and the front office... Well, between the way the Rangers have handled Kenny Rogers and the way they let go Ryan Drese, the damage has been done. Michael Young, Mark Texiera, and Hank Blalock may be gone as soon as their contracts are up.
That's all, Happy 4th!
Tomorrow: Yellow Jersey, Green Jersey, Polka-Dot Jersey?
Anyway, the controversy still rages over Kenny Rogers and the camera incidents.
Kenny Rogers is suspended 20 games, pending appeal. No problem there. However, no one in the Rangers front office was punished for instigating the whole thing with the completely untrue press release about the reasons behind the injury to his non-throwing hand.
Rogers, however, was selected to pitch the All-Star Game, though many think he should have to give up his spot.
As far as the relationship between Rangers players and the front office... Well, between the way the Rangers have handled Kenny Rogers and the way they let go Ryan Drese, the damage has been done. Michael Young, Mark Texiera, and Hank Blalock may be gone as soon as their contracts are up.
That's all, Happy 4th!
Tomorrow: Yellow Jersey, Green Jersey, Polka-Dot Jersey?
Friday, July 1, 2005
Cheap Seats goes Paul Harvey on Kenny Rogers
I'm sure by now you've seen the footage of Kenny Rogers going off on the pitcher, if not, the footage is available at the KTVT website.
I have to admit, it was tempting to rip on Kenny Rogers, talking about how he "gambled away" his all-star appearance, how he didn't "know when to fold 'em", how he "roasted" the dude with the camera, how he didn't want to be "chicken", how he's going to "face the music" today. I'll leave that to other bloggers and writers that are wittier than I.
And really there isn't an excuse for going off on a camera guy, especially if you put one in the hospital. Rogers will probably get suspended, as well he should.
However, word out of Dallas is that there's another side to the story that may suggest bigger problems for the Texas Rangers organization.
With apologies to Paul Harvey, this is "The Rest of the Story"
A couple days ago, Rogers injured his non-throwing hand punching a water cooler, a la former Ranger Kevin Brown, who injured his pitching hand in a similar fashion with the Yankees last year. Rogers was upset after getting yanked after allowing 10 hits against the Anaheim Angels*.
Then a story surfaced, attributed to "unnamed Rangers officials" that Rogers had intentionally broken his hand so he could miss a few starts and pitch in the All-Star Game to help contract negotiations. Which, considering Rogers has only sat down one start during his career when not forced to by injury, is a curious statement to make. Rogers may have a chip on his shoulder, but he's not a jake. Buck Showalter even said such in the press conference.
So apparently the reporter attached to the Fox 4 camera crew confronted him with the report and that's what set Rogers off.
Again, the report is no excuse for going off on the cameraman.
However, Kevin Sherrington, had this in his column for the Dallas Morning News today:
Couple that with reports from way back in spring training, also from "sources within the Rangers organization" that Rogers was threatening to retire if he didn't get an extension, and it seems like there's a problem between Rangers management and Rogers.
So where is Rangers GM John Hart in all this?
Mike Rhyner (from "The Hard Line" on 1310 AM "The Ticket" in Dallas), provided some interesting insights on Hart on the "Bucky and Erin" show on 1300 The Zone this morning(and I wish that The Zone podcasted the show so I could play the audio).
Among the things he said:
"Hart is aloof... It wouldn't surprise me if he had to be told by his staff if Kenny Rogers was a lefty or righty. You can go for a whole week of home games and not see John Hart."
"Hart was off in Frisco[, Texas] when the incident occured."
"You only hear from Rangers' management what they you want to hear."
"The players don't believe that management wants to win, and it goes back to the release of Ryan Drese."
"[Mark] Texiera and [Hank] Blalock are going to remember this when it comes time to renew their contracts."
Hmmm...
By the way, John Hart's reaction to the leaked report? "Laughable" and "uninformed"
Considering, that at least 2 members of the Dallas media got the story unsolicited from the Rangers (according to Kevin Sherrington), Hart's statement is laughable because it shows he's the one who is uninformed.
No excuse for going after a camera man, but maybe some members of the Rangers front office need to be suspended. After all, don't you also punish accesories to a crime?
More on this as the situation develops.
UIL blacks out Tyler Lee game in Ohio
I don't like televised high school games. TV has already ruined amateur sports at the adult level, whether it's the NCAA or the Olympics, which is one thing because the participants for the most part are adults who can make decisions on whether or not to participate in that system for themselves. (From what we see with the NBA and MLB drafts, most people decide not to participate in the NCAA given the choice) When TV wants to get into youth sports, I have a problem. The adults don't have the right to make money off of the kids in their charge.
When the UIL decided to black out an ESPNU telecast of a pre-season game between 5A State Champion Tyler Robert E. Lee High School and Ohio's top-level state champ, most people were upset.
I think it's a step in the right direction. Now if they would just take the Texas Bowl off TV.
Monday: TBA
* - Out of respect for the residents of Orange County, Cheap Seats refuses to call them the "L-s Ang-l-s Angels of Anaheim."
I have to admit, it was tempting to rip on Kenny Rogers, talking about how he "gambled away" his all-star appearance, how he didn't "know when to fold 'em", how he "roasted" the dude with the camera, how he didn't want to be "chicken", how he's going to "face the music" today. I'll leave that to other bloggers and writers that are wittier than I.
And really there isn't an excuse for going off on a camera guy, especially if you put one in the hospital. Rogers will probably get suspended, as well he should.
However, word out of Dallas is that there's another side to the story that may suggest bigger problems for the Texas Rangers organization.
With apologies to Paul Harvey, this is "The Rest of the Story"
A couple days ago, Rogers injured his non-throwing hand punching a water cooler, a la former Ranger Kevin Brown, who injured his pitching hand in a similar fashion with the Yankees last year. Rogers was upset after getting yanked after allowing 10 hits against the Anaheim Angels*.
Then a story surfaced, attributed to "unnamed Rangers officials" that Rogers had intentionally broken his hand so he could miss a few starts and pitch in the All-Star Game to help contract negotiations. Which, considering Rogers has only sat down one start during his career when not forced to by injury, is a curious statement to make. Rogers may have a chip on his shoulder, but he's not a jake. Buck Showalter even said such in the press conference.
So apparently the reporter attached to the Fox 4 camera crew confronted him with the report and that's what set Rogers off.
Again, the report is no excuse for going off on the cameraman.
However, Kevin Sherrington, had this in his column for the Dallas Morning News today:
Hart cited a report Thursday in The Dallas Morning News that a "club official"Hmmm...
floated a story accusing Rogers of faking the injury so he could miss a couple
of tough starts.
Hart called the report "laughable" on radio and "uninformed" at Thursday's news conference.
Accurate, is more like it. At least two members of the local media got the story, unsolicited.
And it's no secret. One player told me he's sure that Rogers is aware some faction
of the club is behind the media rips.
Couple that with reports from way back in spring training, also from "sources within the Rangers organization" that Rogers was threatening to retire if he didn't get an extension, and it seems like there's a problem between Rangers management and Rogers.
So where is Rangers GM John Hart in all this?
Mike Rhyner (from "The Hard Line" on 1310 AM "The Ticket" in Dallas), provided some interesting insights on Hart on the "Bucky and Erin" show on 1300 The Zone this morning(and I wish that The Zone podcasted the show so I could play the audio).
Among the things he said:
"Hart is aloof... It wouldn't surprise me if he had to be told by his staff if Kenny Rogers was a lefty or righty. You can go for a whole week of home games and not see John Hart."
"Hart was off in Frisco[, Texas] when the incident occured."
"You only hear from Rangers' management what they you want to hear."
"The players don't believe that management wants to win, and it goes back to the release of Ryan Drese."
"[Mark] Texiera and [Hank] Blalock are going to remember this when it comes time to renew their contracts."
Hmmm...
By the way, John Hart's reaction to the leaked report? "Laughable" and "uninformed"
Considering, that at least 2 members of the Dallas media got the story unsolicited from the Rangers (according to Kevin Sherrington), Hart's statement is laughable because it shows he's the one who is uninformed.
No excuse for going after a camera man, but maybe some members of the Rangers front office need to be suspended. After all, don't you also punish accesories to a crime?
More on this as the situation develops.
UIL blacks out Tyler Lee game in Ohio
I don't like televised high school games. TV has already ruined amateur sports at the adult level, whether it's the NCAA or the Olympics, which is one thing because the participants for the most part are adults who can make decisions on whether or not to participate in that system for themselves. (From what we see with the NBA and MLB drafts, most people decide not to participate in the NCAA given the choice) When TV wants to get into youth sports, I have a problem. The adults don't have the right to make money off of the kids in their charge.
When the UIL decided to black out an ESPNU telecast of a pre-season game between 5A State Champion Tyler Robert E. Lee High School and Ohio's top-level state champ, most people were upset.
I think it's a step in the right direction. Now if they would just take the Texas Bowl off TV.
Monday: TBA
* - Out of respect for the residents of Orange County, Cheap Seats refuses to call them the "L-s Ang-l-s Angels of Anaheim."
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