World Series, Girardi and Fighting Over Pee

With the Red Sox winning the World Series with ease coinciding with a book I'm reading, it reminded me of some things we forget. Sports have history. I'm not talking about records but rather the way the leagues and the game was played and developed over time. I'm reading a book titled Crazy '08 which reveals some great baseball insights. During the early part of the 1900s, baseball was a young game. As I've come to find out back then the NL dominated. The AL wanted to join in with the NL, and did, but many players and coaches would rip the AL teams saying they were a cut below. After all, the NY Giants and Cubs dominated during that time and the AL were very weak.

Here we are 100 years later and the last 7 out of 10 champs have come from the AL. Also ironic, the NY Giants have since moved to San Francisco and their star player, Bonds, has injected himself to the point of becoming a giant (allegedly).

It's always fun to remember past World Series Champs.

Yanks Hire Girardi

What took you so long? After insulting Joe Torre with a pay cut, it should have been a breeze to hire Girardi. Joe Girardi won Manager of the Year in 2005 with the Florida Marlins, took 2006 off, waiting for this job. Who looks dumber than the Marlins now?

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Classic line today from my 4 year old. She and our 2 year old daughter were fighting over who gets to flush the toilet. Kailey replies with, "I get to flush it, it's my pee!"

Ahh! The World Series

There's nothing more American than the World Series. Unlike the NFL where every game matters, Major League Baseball bores most of us to death by June. Does the Nationals-Reds game really matter in the middle of May? NO. But the World Series...is true sports viewing pleasure...especially this year. It will be played at Fenway Park, the most famous ball field in the game. I'd give my left toe to be there!

Thank you baseball!

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Remember Heath Shuler?

Check out the 23-foot Jason Taylor robot! This guy already looks big enough in that Peyton Manning commercial, we don't need a rbot. The fins could use this bot. I don't understand the marketing logic behind this. Hey brits, let me know why this amuses you....and me.

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By the way, it's now 10-1 Red Sox cruising, forget what I said about the World Series being great.

School Bus Racing

This is totally red-neck and totally awesome (said like Chris Farley). Watch this all the way through, they crash on the last lap...don't worry, it's only 3 laps. When you watch this you have to think:

• If this goes big time, they could fit alot of sponsorship stickers on them.
• Once people get bored of this, will they start putting kids in them?
• They should stick a guy in the back to shoot watermelons at the other buses (like in the Millennium Falcon).
• I'm going pro with this, my spokesmen? Jerome Bettis. That was stupid.
• If they race over railroad tracks do they have to do that open the door thing?
• I always hated how hard it was to open the windows.
• Is it possible to bump draft with a bus?

Enjoy the Wisconsin Cheese 500:

Rocky Mountain Men

If you are any kind of sports fan you MUST start paying attention to what the Colorado Rockies are up to. Last night, the Rockies pulled more late inning heroics to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 11th inning 3-2. The Rockies are the first NL team to win the first 5 games of the postseason since the Cincinnati Reds did it in 1976 (first NL team to do it since Wild Card was introduced).

What else have they done? In their last 20 games they are 19-1. How do they do it? The Rockies set a Major League record for highest fielding percentage in a season with their .98925 mark this year. These guys are insane! Rockies look like a team of destiny. It may not be sexy to root for the Rockies this year, but be honest, none of us are really sexy anyways. Is winning all the time sexy? So, if your team is long out of the World Series hunt, root for the good guys.

MORE SPORTS NEWS

• Marion Jones admits using 'The Clear', gives medals back
• Falcons want $20 million back from Vick - They won't get it, the dog ate it (sorry, i had to).
• Cow Taken Into Custody for killing six

The Final Season Trailer - Lord of the Rings Lineup

This Friday, October 12th, The Final Season will be released in theatres starring Sean Astin (Rudy, Lord of the Rings). I've posted the trailer below for you all to see. I can't wait to see Samwise Gamgee throwing a two-seam fastball and waving a runner around third base. I'll like to see Gandalf take the hill and Gimli behind the dish. I could see Legolas at short turn the DP with Frodo Baggins. Bilbo would be the manager. Boromir at third, and one of those talking trees at the 1 bag. Outfield would be Aragorn, Merry and Pippin.


The Final Season

I Told You

See...I told you so. Full story.

Book Review: The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs

"...when Barry Bonds hit 72 home runs in 2001, his longest (except the ones hit in altitude enhanced Denver) was 462 feet. In Ruth's day, any drive of that length hit to center field wasn't good enough for a homer"

Bill Jenkinson's book The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs is a great baseball read. It brings Babe Ruth to life like never before. Things I never knew about baseball in the early part of the 20th century are revealed in this book. Bill Jenkinson convincingly communicates that Babe Ruth is 100% the greatest baseball player that has ever lived. Why? Read the book. Bill give specific reasons with scientific proof. Nobody has ever hit the ball harder than Ruth...including today's juiced players.

You won't be able to keep the book down. There are even some areas in here where Bill talks about HRs that Ruth hit in Exhibition games that may have gone over 575 to 600 feet! He's got the newspaper clippings to prove it. This book really opened my eyes. I knew Ruth was a legend, but I never knew exactly why and was surprised that it was at such a level superior to anyone else.

Gnats!

Jorge Posada sprays Mariano Rivera with Off to keep away the gnats. Speaking of off, how long before the media notices that A-Rod is batting .000 this post-season going 0-4 tonight with 3 Ks and leaving 3 men on base? Oh, they know. What we all also know is that if the Yanks lose this series, faces will change.

Josh Beckett - Pay Attention Baseball Fans

It's about time that Josh Beckett starts getting more props. Ya, the media does say how good he is, but I feel this guy is becoming the top pitcher in Major League Baseball. Last night he pitched a complete 4-hit shutout against a potent Angels lineup. Beckett finished the year 20-7 and should be getting the Cy Young award.

Beckett has a World Series ring and he did it by taking the mound and getting it. In 2003 the Marlins were completely outmatched by a high-paid Yankee lineup. But Beckett is one of those guys he gets what he wants. His postseason numbers are 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA. In 51 postseason innings he's given up just 25 hits and struck out 55! Oh, by the way, he also has an All-Star game win from this season where he started 2 innings and gave up 1 hit, striking out 2.

Pay attention folks, Josh Beckett is in the middle of perhaps pitching one of the better years of our time. Full Postseason stats.

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And while your paying attention, Brandon Webb is another pitcher that sometimes goes under the radar for us east coast fans. He pitched 7-gem innings last night against the Cubs for the DBacks. He went 18-10 this year and his ERA gets better every year.

Mets Collapse

In 1969 they were known as the Amazing Mets. We could use that term again to describe the 2007 Mets. It was Amazing how they were able to squander a 7 game division lead in just 17 games. It has never been done before.

And the Mets did it in Amazing fashion. Check out the boxscore. Tom Glavine gave up 7 runs while recorded an out. Can you speak into my good ear? It sound like you said an out. TommyG, who notoriously struggles in the first inning, did just that. The Mets lost to the Florida Marlins, second worst team in the National League.

At the All-Star Break Glavine said, "I'd be shocked if we've already played our best baseball."

This morning Tom Glavine and Met Nation woke up shocked.