Recent Comments by drevl

Will Wie make history?

I enjoy the LPGA. Therefore, my concern isn't that Wie can't make it on the PGA tour, but that she can. I worry that she could set a new trend. If Lorena, Annika, Paula, Natalie (especially Natalie) etc defect to the PGA, the LPGA would most likely fold - or at least lose enough tv ratings that I'd never get to watch it. There is a precident for my worries. It didn't take long after Jackie Robinson joined the majors, and was followed by the best of the Negro League players, that the Negro League folded. Robinson made his major league debut in 1947, and the Negro League disbanded after the 1949 season. I am torn between believing that the best golfers (of any sex or race) should be allowed to play in the PGA, and the possibility that the LPGA might follow in the footsteps of the Negro Leagues.

posted by drevl at 10:34 AM on June 05, 2006

Top 10 Baseball Records

Damn, thanks grum. And I thought 14 tb was good. I was 10 at the time, so forgive my poor memory (I was 58 when Green did it, so I guess more than memory is involved here).

posted by drevl at 07:19 PM on May 31, 2006

Top 10 Baseball Records

Oh yea, another cool performance. I remember (back in the 50's when I was but a pup) Joe Adcock of the Braves had 3 home runs and a double in a 9 inning game. 14 total bases is pretty hard to beat.

posted by drevl at 05:02 PM on May 31, 2006

AL Central the best ... so far

and in this case, "so far" means "until the AL East takes over." posted by The_Black_Hand at 7:15 AM CDT on May 30 TBH, you're beautiful. If I was of the other persuasion, I'd kiss you.

posted by drevl at 04:52 PM on May 31, 2006

Clemens signed on the dotted line

KrisL, this is unforgivable. You may be banned for life. Keep looking over your shoulder, evil may be behind you. ;-)

posted by drevl at 04:40 PM on May 31, 2006

Top 10 Baseball Records

Is it just a coincidence that the two top choices (56 game streak and 406 avg) both happened in the same year? Or could there have been something different about the game in 1941. Maybe this stuff about raised/lowered mounds, lively balls, small strike zones etc, have more than just a small impact on the various records. One item not mentioned in the article was Roy Face's 18 and 1 record (as a reliever) in 1959. As he was primarily a closer, that must have meant a lot of blown saves and come-from-behind late inning rallies. I doubt we'll see such a thing again.

posted by drevl at 11:58 AM on May 31, 2006

Clemens to Astros?

Actually the money is not that outrageous by todays standards. Right on, Termite. $17.5 million is about what an insurance company executive gets, and there are thousands of them. Most of them couldn't even strike out a pitcher.

posted by drevl at 11:27 AM on May 31, 2006

"The King" Thinks women should not be in Racing

drevl, read for context, okay? The individual in question, who was commenting about how SpoFi had gone to hell in a bucket, has been a member for less than a month. Still all mad at me? posted by lil_brown_bat at 5:56 PM CDT on May 27 lbb, if that's the case then you have a point. However, you seem to be directing this comment to someone named "lightman" and I can't seem to find any comments in this post by anyone named "lightman". Am I missing something?

posted by drevl at 10:52 AM on May 28, 2006

Waltrip Buys Start for Coke 600

Thank you Chico for spelling Derrike correctly. Also, I love your "Leo the Lip" reference.

posted by drevl at 12:44 PM on May 27, 2006

Location, location, location.

Thanks for the post, grum. At first I didn't pay any attention to the source of the article and went back to the top to check. I thought it was from Onion. Very funny (but true) stuff.

posted by drevl at 09:38 AM on May 27, 2006

Waltrip Buys Start for Coke 600

Has anyone noticed that the few races that Cope gets in, he usually starts 43rd, and yet with 42 cars in front of him, he is usually the first to crash and get a DNF. You're totally right TBH - Mikey has taken a nosedive if he can't qualify ahead of Cope.

posted by drevl at 09:27 AM on May 27, 2006

"The King" Thinks women should not be in Racing

I don't; that's what you get for using Yahoo for a search tool. Since this term evidently originated well before your time...fenugi. Fuckin' New Guy. posted by lil_brown_bat at 7:56 AM CDT on May 27 I've seen you use the term "fenugi" several times and never knew what it meant. Now that I do, I'm amazed at the usage. Here's a post about attitudes, and you infer that a person doesn't know what he's talking about - BECAUSE HE'S A NEW MEMBER TO THIS SITE! Give me a break. Also, please, please, please stop with the moving goal-post analogy. The only thing I know about moving goal-posts was moving them from the front of the end-zone to the back of the end-zone for safety reasons.

posted by drevl at 09:16 AM on May 27, 2006

"The King" Thinks women should not be in Racing

that all men are created equal, Since women couldn't vote and slaves were basically considered two thirds of a person, interperate "all MEN" as meaning all white men (who also happen to be property owners). Even white men with no property couldn't vote. Is that truely your verson of "equality"?

posted by drevl at 04:05 PM on May 26, 2006

"The King" Thinks women should not be in Racing

And owning slaves is directly in conflict with the positions they were taking in the Declaration of Independence. I assume you mean the Constitution, as declaring our independence from England had nothing to do with our new system of laws, just that we wouldn't obey their laws (ie: civil disobedience). Not only was slavery NOT in conflict with the Constitution, but the Constitution went so far as to make a slave two thirds of a person (as respect to the census count).

posted by drevl at 03:44 PM on May 26, 2006

"The King" Thinks women should not be in Racing

If comander cody is completely wrong, and everett is completely right, then we should not take into account the changes in the world from generation to generation. Therefore our founding fathers (Washington and his slaves, Jefferson and his slave servents etc) should be treated in our history books as early nazis, or at the very least, evil bigots. Frankly, the history books from my 50's schooling didn't treat them as such. How about todays schoolbooks?

posted by drevl at 10:34 AM on May 26, 2006

White Sox and Cubs brawl.

Any fielder who puts his body between the runner and the base deserves to get removed by the runner. If the fielder has the ball, then a tag with the glove is all that's necessary. Blocking the base is unnecessary. If he doesn't even have the ball (ie: Barrett) he should get the hell out of the way. If it's the catcher blocking the base, he deserves the Pierzynski treatment. If it's a fielder blocking second or third base, he deserves the Ty Cobb treatment.

posted by drevl at 04:02 PM on May 22, 2006

White Sox and Cubs brawl.

There's something in the rules that I could never understand. If a catcher can legally block the plate while waiting for the ball, why can't, for example, a first baseman block the bag while he awaits the ball? IMO, a catcher should be charged with interfearing with a baserunner - as would the first baseman.

posted by drevl at 09:51 AM on May 21, 2006

The devil is in the details

Living in a country ruled by laws, I can't imagine why we are asking unions or owners to enforce punishment for violations. If illegal steroids or any other illegal substance is discovered, the appropriate law enforcement people should be notified. Any subsequent investigation, prosecution or punishment should then be doled out by the proper legal entity. The rest of the country works this way, why not sports? Does their anti-trust waver include illegal activities?

posted by drevl at 10:13 AM on May 10, 2006

"I'm Keith Hernandez."

What the f&@k is a "massage therapist" doing in the dougout in the first place (male or female)?

posted by drevl at 12:19 PM on April 25, 2006

Baseball By The Dumbers: Part I

PS to BullpenPro - A Manchester guy shouldn't come down too hard on a Rockville (OK, make that Vernon) native. You know how dumb we can be.

posted by drevl at 03:57 PM on April 24, 2006

Baseball By The Dumbers: Part I

I would rather have a "clutch" hitter like Reggie than a guy notably in reverse, like, say, A-Rod. Very interesting. Does that mean you would rather have Reggie than ARod on your team? 162 game average over their careers: .............Reggie..........ARod Hits............148..........193.... ARod +45 HR................32............44.....ARod +12 RBI...............98...........125....ARod +27 BA..............262...........307 OBP...........356...........385 SLG............490...........577 Nothing in the pure statistics shows whether or not all those extra hits, HRs, and RBI for ARod were clutch or not, but you can bet they sure helped his teams win games. I think that matters most of all. In a clutch at bat, I too would rather see Reggie. In the far more frequent non-clutch at bats, I'd rather see ARod.

posted by drevl at 03:53 PM on April 24, 2006

Baseball By The Dumbers: Part I

Not performing worse than usual is the most liberal description of a clutch hitter as I have ever seen. I guess most players are clutch hitters. There must be a different word to describe Reggie's magical ability to excell at critical times. Clutch (as described as not being worse than usual) is way too mild.

posted by drevl at 03:45 PM on April 23, 2006

Baseball By The Dumbers: Part I

There are 3 types of lies. Lies, damn lies and statistics. Why would anyone want to be thought of as a clutch hitter? One of the most notable clutch hitters was Reggie Jackson. Granted, there were very few players I'd rather see at the plate than Reggie when the game was on the line. But I'll be damned if I can figure out why this clutch ability is praised as something wonderful. In clutch situations, Reggie was one of the best. Yet his career batting average was 262. As he was such a good hitter in "clutch" situations, he must have been a sub - 250 hitter at other times. Since he could hit so well when he concentrated and gave an at bat 100% effort, why praise him for not giving 100% for all his at bats? The opposite of a "clutch" hitter would be someone like Ted Williams. He treated every at bat like the game was on the line. He knew only how to give 100% all the time. He hit at a 344 clip day in and day out. I'll take that consistant effort every time. I use Reggie and Ted as extreme examples. There are plenty of both types. It's simply my belief that anyone that can hit in clutch situations should be able to hit equally as well in other situations. Being a clutch hitter should be viewed as a negative.

posted by drevl at 01:11 PM on April 23, 2006

Damon Hits Fan, Hits Dinger

Left Oakland for more money with Boston Left Boston for more money with New York Have I got this right? Boston fans loved Damon, even though he went to BOSTON for more money, but despise him for going to NY for more money. So, is it the MORE MONEY part that they dislike, or the going to NY that they don't like?

posted by drevl at 08:51 PM on April 14, 2006

"Lucky" Luc Robitaille retires

It seems I can't make up my mind about which HOF baseball player is most like Robitaille! Is it Murray? Can't be Murray - he was also a great defensive player. Luc was just another warm body on defense.

posted by drevl at 08:33 PM on April 13, 2006

Mickelson makes it look easy at the Masters

Fuz had a cocktail in hand as he said it posted by mjkredliner Fuzzy had just finished his round and was standing behind the 18th green when he said it. He didn't have a cocktail, or anything else to drink. You should read your own internal post.

posted by drevl at 10:18 AM on April 10, 2006

Pens could be bought; moved to Hartford

Thanks, Chico. I like to learn something new every day. Today I learned - don't question Chico (actually, I think I already knew that).

posted by drevl at 10:35 AM on April 09, 2006

Pens could be bought; moved to Hartford

Chico, I thought the Devils earliest years were as the Colorado Rockies?

posted by drevl at 06:23 PM on April 08, 2006

Pens could be bought; moved to Hartford

They should move to Hartford and use the Whalers name. Just think of the cool logo - an Orka tossing a Penguin in the air just before the fatal bite.

posted by drevl at 11:01 AM on April 08, 2006

Soriano refuses to play outfield for Nationals

BP, nicely put. You just converted me. I now think it will be good for Soriano to play left this year. That way, he'll have one year of practice there before he signs to play left for the Yanks. posted by drevl at 10:09 AM CST on March 22 smithee, you're about a day and a half late with your lecture. I was converted by bullpenpro yesterday.

posted by drevl at 08:07 AM on March 24, 2006

Soriano refuses to play outfield for Nationals

BP, nicely put. You just converted me. I now think it will be good for Soriano to play left this year. That way, he'll have one year of practice there before he signs to play left for the Yanks.

posted by drevl at 10:09 AM on March 22, 2006

Soriano refuses to play outfield for Nationals

Moving from 2B to OF doesn't make Soriano an outfielder. It makes him a 2B/OF, which improves his position flexibility, and his value in the market. Usually, but not always, when a player gets moved out of his position it's a sign of deminished capability. That is an image that Soriano would like to delay until after he signs his first free agency deal. Once he signs that long-term, hundred million dollar deal, he will gladly play left at Yankee Stadium. Yesterday, bullpenpro listed a few players who have changed positions during their career. Two that I am very familiar with are two of my favorite Yankees - Mantle and Berra. Is bullpenpro telling me that Mantle's value went UP when he switched to 1st base? Or that Yogi's value went UP when he moved to left? If so, I will gladly "Count him among the dummies" as he suggested above.

posted by drevl at 09:49 AM on March 22, 2006

Soriano refuses to play outfield for Nationals

Smithee, do you have the foggiest idea what this is about? Soriano is a 280 hitter who can hit 30 plus homers. As second baseman go, that is most impressive. As outfielders go, it's pretty average. Soriano's value as a 2nd baseman is tremendous. His value as an outfielder is so-so. He's smart enough to realize this. You, obviously, are not.

posted by drevl at 08:04 AM on March 22, 2006

Soriano refuses to play outfield for Nationals

Let's see if I got this correct. Soriano has been a major league second baseman for 5 years and has been an all star the last 4 of those years. As an all-star 2nd baseman due to become a free agent next year, he'll become one of the highest paid ballplayers. As an outfielder, he'll be an average hitter and not particularly sought after as a free agent. Somehow, his sticking to his guns is an incorrect move? I suppose that if Michael Vick got traded, and his new boss decided that he wanted Vick to be a linebacker, you folks obviously think Vick should be a good little boy and play linebacker, or defensive end, or whatever wacko move some idiot boss wants him to do.

posted by drevl at 07:32 PM on March 21, 2006

How do you score?

I clicked on the link and got Page 2. I couldn't seem to find Page 1. Maybe it had easier questions.

posted by drevl at 02:52 PM on February 28, 2006

Week 1 MLB power rankings released.

Thanks, jersey girl. I didn't know that. Is there any reason to suspect the shoulder is not mendable? He had a pretty good year for an injured player. If healthy, he could be dynamite this year.

posted by drevl at 12:24 PM on February 17, 2006

Week 1 MLB power rankings released.

I noticed that, though I don't really get it. With damon breaking down and coco being 26 I'm not sure center field will be any worse. posted by justgary at 9:33 AM CST on February 17 Please back up the damon breaking down comment. BA..... Crisp 300 Damon 316 OBP... Crisp 345 Damon 366 BB..... Crisp 44 Damon 53 SO..... Crisp 81 Damon 69 SB..... Crisp 15 Damon 18 CS..... Crisp 6 Damon 1

posted by drevl at 12:14 PM on February 17, 2006

Who is the Yankees best lead-off hitter?

This is some interesting stuff. I had taken it for granted that Damon leads off and Jeter hits second. Now I'm not so sure. Their baserunning is nearly identical, so that isn't a factor. However, Jeter strikes out more (averages 116 per year to Damon's 73 per year). This is unproductive with a runner on first. Also, Jeter hits into 15 GIDPs per year to Damon's 6. This is worse than unproductive. Jeter, followed by Damon, sounds better and better.

posted by drevl at 02:04 PM on February 14, 2006

Most Valuable Players Wanted More Valuable Paycheck

The former MVP's weren't there to honor someone else. They were the ones being honored. If two guys (for whatever their reasons) chose not to go and take their bows, what's to get upset about? I think their reasons were trite, but that's their business - not mine.

posted by drevl at 09:47 AM on February 06, 2006

Emmitt Smith:

Not to mention that Lawrence Taylor was arguably the best defensive lineman to ever play the game. Chico, make that the best linebacker to ever play the game. Or better yet, the best defensive player to ever play the game.

posted by drevl at 05:44 PM on February 04, 2006

Woods acquires Jupiter Island property for $38 million

Here's how I see this story. Tiger Woods had $38 million. Mr. X had a house worth $38 million. The two sat down and signed a piece of paper. Now; Mr. X has $38 million. Tiger Woods has a house worth $38 million. The only thing that seems to have changed is that a new owner lives in the house. I can't see that anything bad has happened because of the transaction. I can't see that anything good has happened because of the transaction (unless it generated tax revenue, which couldn't hurt). The best thing to come out of this post is the great comment by wfrazerjr - thanks for the laugh.

posted by drevl at 09:17 AM on January 27, 2006

Beaver Falls Student Humiliated By Teacher

Where is Beaver Falls? Check this out. http://football.about.com/cs/legends/p/joenamath.htm

posted by drevl at 09:03 AM on January 25, 2006

Beaver Falls Student Humiliated By Teacher

I don't get it. Joe Namath is from Beaver Falls. I thought that was Jets country.

posted by drevl at 06:10 PM on January 24, 2006

Another 2005 photo retrospective:

billsaythis, I've been called twisted and I've been called a fuck - but never little. Also, your comment about first initial/first syllable came just two comments after my reference using "A-Rod". I read your words, not your mind. TStew is a poor choice of a nickname. I hope it don't stick. He deserves a tougher name. lbb, I wouldn't eat my cheerios any other way. Thanks for your concern.

posted by drevl at 07:00 PM on January 11, 2006

Another 2005 photo retrospective:

Hey, drevl, it wasn't some kind of call for mass castration, okay? Breathe deeply, in, out, in, out. posted by lil_brown_bat at 9:14 AM CST on January 11 Hey, lbb. Some shithead tells me to stop calling a player by his very famous nickname, I'll tell him to go fuck hisself. However, being this is an internet site I chose to simply modify his SpoFi nickname instead. See what a nice thoughtful guy I am.

posted by drevl at 02:48 PM on January 11, 2006

Another 2005 photo retrospective:

Please stop calling so many athletes by first initial/first syllable of last name. 2004 is calling,they want their nicknames back! Players known by nicknames, first names, initials etc, usually did something special to garner such instant recognition. Names like The Mick, Reggie, A-Rod, T O, Yaz, The Babe, Killer and many more have been used forever. Sorry you don't like it, billysaysshit. Hope it doesn't ruin your whole day.

posted by drevl at 09:01 AM on January 11, 2006

Another 2005 photo retrospective:

"Therapy can be a good thing; it can be therapeutic". - A-Rod Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined.

posted by drevl at 01:44 PM on January 10, 2006

Carolina Skunks New York

Just a couple of quick comments here. E. Manning isn't a rookie this year as a few stated above. Just because he plays like a rookie doesn't mean he is one. I made the comment at the start of the season that "My Giants are the only team I know of who would sign a QB because his brother is good". I received a lot of comments that I was all wet - that Eli had some super talent. His best talent seems to be hiding all his talent. I love my Giants, but they do suck.

posted by drevl at 09:18 AM on January 09, 2006

Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame Ballot

PS to my above. If anyone knows how to calculate this WIN SHARES number, would you please do so for Mariano Rivera. If he also comes out as a 200 share guy I think we'll have a better idea of the worth of the stat.

posted by drevl at 09:46 AM on January 07, 2006

Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame Ballot

I don't understand this WIN SHARES statistic, but if 350 is HOF numbers - and Gossage only has 223, Smith 198 and Sutter 168 - methinks the stat is garbage.

posted by drevl at 09:42 AM on January 07, 2006

Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame Ballot

nobandwagon, did you forget to take your medication yesterday? Mattingly may fall short of HofF status, but was that Mattingly/Munson tyrade really necessary? Mattingly's 1 MVP, 6 all-star, 9 gold glove seasons may not be Ruthian, but most teams would have been happy to have had his 13 years at first base. Can't complain about your choice of Jim Kaat, however. Hope he gets in.

posted by drevl at 09:28 AM on January 06, 2006

Booo!

The majority of Americans didn't even vote, and Bush did not win the popular vote. He won because the electoral college is an antiquated system. STLCardinalfan is quite right. Kerry lost by over 3 million votes. It WAS in all the papers.

posted by drevl at 01:20 PM on January 05, 2006

Vince Young leads Texas to 41-38 win over USC

Equipment problem? In the biggest game there was? Please. I never heard that said, You must have had the sound too low (not a bad idea, actually). Buy yes, the announcers said just that. Isn't the fact that the game lasted so long partly due to the extrordinarily long half time crap?

posted by drevl at 10:26 AM on January 05, 2006

if they earn it let 'em celebrate

I'm sure that if most of the people here were in the NFL and scored a touchdown, they would want to celebrate too. No shit, Sherlock. Then again, that ain't what we do for a living. As I said above, I have no problem with celebrating after a great game-winning play or a truely spectacular run or catch. It's just that acting like you just won the Superbowl after every catch gets a little tedious. drevl, they will never "drop the ball and head back to the sidelines". Sadly, this may be coming true. Gone are the days when Jim Brown, Don Maynard, Paul Warfield, Payton, Sayers, Rice, et al, would do just that. I can't see that the sport is any better for it. The funny thing to me is, the people who continue to watch the "jackass" after he makes the catch. Restate that to say - people who continue to watch the game IN SPITE OF the "jackass". As a Giants fan, my team has both "jackass" and Classy Guy. Shockey's antics after every catch gets tiresome. Tiki Barber, on the other hand, is cooler than the other side of the pillow.

posted by drevl at 10:46 AM on January 02, 2006

Doug's Drop Kick

Hell of a first link grrrlacher. Keep up the good work.

posted by drevl at 10:05 AM on January 02, 2006

if they earn it let 'em celebrate

This celebrating stuff is a matter of personal preferance. Some like it, some don't. Nobody's right and nobody's wrong. My admiration is with the ones who make a spectacular play - and continue playing as though nothing special has happened. Kind of like - what's so special. I do this stuff all the time. When T O makes a touchdown grab, you'd think this was the first time in history anyone has ever caught a touchdown. If it's a game winning catch as the clock runs out - go ahead and celebrate. But if it's the second quarter of a game in the middle of the season, drop the freaking ball and head back to the sidelines. T O and a few other jackasses don't seem to know the difference.

posted by drevl at 09:45 AM on January 01, 2006

if they earn it let 'em celebrate

Does anyone mind if I apply this celebrating thread to another sport? As an old Yankee fan, I've seen Reggie hit the ball a mile, stand there at the plate admiring it until it clears the fence, then grin at the pitcher as he slooooowly trots around the bases. I've also watched Mickey Mantle hit the ball a mile, put his head down so as to not show up the pitcher, and run the bases. Mickey was a class act. Reggie earned all those Bronx Cheers. I always admired the guys who "Act like they've been there before". Back to football. From Don Maynard to Jerry Rice, the guys who make incredable plays - then calmly trot back to the huddle (or sidelines) get my admiration. The TO's of this world who try to make the NFL look like the WWE tend to piss me off.

posted by drevl at 09:24 AM on December 30, 2005

Castro Cries Foul

Cuba is vastly below standards on medical care mainly because we supply them with nothing. Of all the things you could accuse Cuba of, this is the silliest. Their medical care is the one area in which they excell. They send medical care to more third-world countries then the US does. They don't have the money to spend on medical research, but they spare no expense in helping the ill wherever they can. I was never a fan of Cuba exporting mercinariy soldiers around the world, but I've never complained about their exporting doctors and nurses all around the globe.

posted by drevl at 07:19 PM on December 29, 2005

Sometimes, you gotta kick a stallion.

I'm going to be the next lisa leslie. Go for it, sweetheart. Just don't beat up on my favorite, Diana T.

posted by drevl at 06:58 PM on December 29, 2005

Castro Cries Foul

STLCardinalfan - What is the tacit benefit of the continued embargo of Cuba? What makes it so righteous? So weedy, let me see if I've got this right. Trying to curb communisn in Vietnam, China and North Korea is OK, but trying to curb it 70 miles off of Florida is somehow preposterous! Ya know, I'll betcha Cuba's army could take over Canada, if not for it's fear of interferance from Canada's neighbor to the south.

posted by drevl at 06:19 PM on December 29, 2005