Well, folks, here we are, just a little over a month left to go in the season, and in the midst of a pennant race we all thought we’d see back in April. This season has not been as enjoyable as last. The players have seemed surlier, Ryan Howard’s average continues to plummet, Chase Utley looks like a poor man’s version of himself, and Jimmy Rollins has had an absolutely abysmal year. With their superstars reeling, the team has been lifted by the likes of Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell, and Jamie Moyer. And somehow, here we are, in the midst of a pennant racethat we all know is going to come down to the last week of the season. And it will be for all the marbles, as neither of these teams will make it as a wild card.

I was at the game last night, and it was awesome to see Jimmy Rollins play like, well, Jimmy Rollins. When Brett Myers went down to the minors and then got shelled there, I thought he’d never pitch in the Majors again. But he’s come back and been awesome. Sure, we all wish we had gotten CC Sabathia, and it’s frustrating that our ownership TOTALLY F****** BLOWS, but Joe Blanton has been a decent if not spectacular acquisition (read: he’s better than Adam Eaton). And Jamie Moyer, wow, has been nothing short of phenomenal. But I think the bottom line is this: If J-Roll and Utley get hot in the last month of the season then the Phils win the pennant. If they continue to hit like they have the last three months, the Mets take it. I really think it’s that simple. Your thoughts?

Was talking with Steve-O tonight about Olympic controversies. The Roy Jones fight is, in my mind, the biggest scam of them all, much worse than even the ’72 basketball game between the US and USSR (at least that game was close). I remember this fight, because it was the first time that I ever saw a sporting event that was unquestionably fixed. 20 years later and I am still pissed about it. Here is the fight in it’s entirety. Jones landed 86 punches to Park’s 32, and it later came out that the judges had been wined and dined by Korean officials, and the three judges were all suspended. But still they haven’t given Jones his gold medal. In case you were curious, while Jones became one of the greatest boxers of the last 30 years, Park si-Hun finished out his pro career 0-9, being knocked out 6 times. Any other Olympic controversies you remember?

Jimmy Rollins called Phillies fans frontrunners, and ripped them for booing members of the team. “Negative energy doesn’t produce anything positive. That’s just the truth. . . . It’s not me; it’s booing the guy that’s out there working hard, busting his butt. That’s when I really get upset.” Sometimes the fans curse their luck because they’ve won one title in 125 years. But to be honest I think they are part of the problem. And I include myself in this statement, because I boo the crappy players on this team too. But Jimmy’s point is a good one: It’s ridiculous to boo your own guy before he even does something wrong. Booing during player introductions for your team is assinine, and hurts the team. The sad truth: Now Rollins will be booed before the next home game. Of course, then again, with the way this team is playing, I think they might all get booed.

• Do bronze medal finishers feel better about their achievment than silver medalists? Yes, according to a 1996 study.
• D-Mac is covering the Olympics for Vanity Fair.
• As I saw so many of you cheering last night for the gymnastics competition, I thought to myself, “Am I the only one who finds the sight of 11 year old anorexic hermaphrodite automaton being hugged by a 55 year old man after she performs numerous backflips exceedingly creepy?” Apparently the answer is no. Buzz Bissinger thinks the same thing: I cringe at what I believe is the unsavory stench of the sport in general — children under the wing of men who based on lengthy documentation have proven to be abusive, relentless, intolerant, humiliating and, in some instances, accused of sexual misconduct. “These girls will do anything for these guys,” Ms. Ryan told me. “They have such control over them.”

The NFL just unveiled a new Fan Code of Conduct: drunk and “disruptive” fans can be ejected from stadiums or parking lots without refund — and stripped of their season tickets. The same goes for fans who verbally or physically harass other fans, use obscene language or gestures or interfere with the game by throwing objects onto the field. Fans who become drunk or unruly during pregame tailgating will not be allowed into stadiums.

Fans becoming drunk during pregame tailgating will not be allowed into stadiums? Yeah that should go over well for the 50,000 Philadelphians whose entire lives revolve around becoming drunk during pregame tailgating and then going into stadiums. But other than that (and I’m sure I’ll catch heat for this), I think this is a good policy. Listen, I’m all for getting drunk and cheering on your team. But truth be told, the level of obnoxiousness I’ve witnessed at Eagles games is beyond absurd, to the point of being disgusting. Sorry glutton, but save your beer throwing, vomiting, and sexist/racist/homophobic screams for Wing Bowl. (scroll down.) But don’t worry, Eagle fans. You can still boo your quarterback, even though he’s the best one the team’s ever had. They can stop you from being drunk, but they can’t stop you from being stupid.

Whenever the MLB All-Star finishes 9 innings in a tie, it goes straight to hell. All of a sudden, pitchers who threw 100+ pitches on Sunday need to pitch on one days rest. The fans all go home. People at home cut off their tvs and go to bed. The kids (who baseball desperately needs to excite in a video game world) tell me this morning how “boring” the game was last night. How can the MLB settle for failure when the alternative is a surefire, guaranteed thrilling winner? It’s simple. If the two teams are tied after 10 innings, you go to a home run derby. You bring out the HR leader on each squad for a little mano a mano, just like the regular derby, except now it means something. Nobody leaves, nobody goes to bed, no pitchers take a chance hurting their arms. I brought it up to the teens in the summer program and they said it would be awesome. Can someone give me a single reason not to do this?

…I’m a Sixers fan now. While the Phillies brass sat on their thumbs, the Cubs and Brewers both went out and vastly improved their pitching staffs. But why should Phillies ownership care? After all, they have found the sweet spot. They can take advantage of three of their best players ever (Rollins, Howard, and Utley) to put people in the seats. Why pay money to improve when you are selling out games? Meanwhile, read this about the Brewers: Though the owner has infused financial life into the franchise which hemorrhaged money during the pre-revenue sharing days of the Selig regime, $90 million is still a fairly significant figure for a team that plays in Major League Baseball’s smallest media market.

“We’ll probably generate some measure of a loss this season,” Attanasio said.

It’s a loss Attanasio, an investment banker by trade, is willing — and feels somewhat obligated — to take in order to produce a championship.

Even though just one team during his time as owner finished with a winning record, attendance has been steadily growing each year. The team is on pace to draw nearly three million fans in 2008. Those numbers made the move possible.

“It’s a huge boost to the fans who have had a long drought here,” Melvin said. “Maybe they thought this kind of thing couldn’t happen. We felt we needed to go for it.”

So who’s the real winner here? The Phils, obviously. They are going to win 85 games this year and maybe or maybe not make the playoffs. But who cares? Ownership will make money hand over fist either way. Meanwhile, the multi-multi millionaire who owns the Brewers is actually going to lose money. And all he’ll get for his loss is a legitimate shot at a World Series title and generate unbridled excitement for an entire city.

http://www.youtube.com/v/4qHB7TAoUUc

Excellent piece on Len Bias on ESPN.com this week that I think you guys should check out. Inspired me to write a short bit about his death after the jump. (Warning: Serious, non-snarky, and clumsy emoting on the site straight ahead.)

Continue reading “Len Bias” →