Long Road to the HOF

Dubbed "The Chosen One" by SI, Bryce Harper got his first hit in college ball. Check it out:



True that: I bought a Harper autographed ball on eBay. Playing the odds.

Like Grains of Sand...

Slipping Through an Hourglass. That is what the Mets action/inaction on ball players most closely resembles.

In case you have not heard, Ben Sheets is now an Oakland A. Contract was in the neighborhood of $10M. Pricey neighborhood yes, but guess what? THEY HAVE THE MONEY!!!

Now the Mets are interested in John Smoltz. I would think that after Tom Glavine, we'd stay away from 40+ year old HOF pitchers from Atlanta. But that's just me.

As soon as I'm done banging away that this keyboard I'm calling Minaya, see when I can get a tryout. I'm a better bet to finish the season than Ollie Perez, folks.

Goodbye, Mr. Favre?

Ahhh, now the waiting game begins. Will he retire, won't he retire?

Who cares. SoulSlam does not.

This guy decided a couple of years ago he wanted out of Green Bay, where they were tired of waiting for him to make a decision year after year about returning. He's HOF caliber indeed, but his wavering over retirement puts a franchise in limbo. But hey, he's Bret Favre and he don't care.

How many times did I have to look at his wife on TV after Bret got the stuffing knocked out of him again and again last night.

Go away. Your team is done. You should retire. Now.

Friday Notes

11:05PM here at the center of the universe. Just got in from baseball practice (January is indoor practice time) and have some time on my hands. Good practices put me in a good mood. You should have seen me last week - polar opposite.

Watching Bulls-Suns on TV. Not much else is on.

Lots of hoops this weekend. And Sunday is championship Sunday for the NFL. Colts and Saints are my picks.

Mets picked up Gary Matthews Jr in a trade with Halos. Since they are out about $1M a year, it seems like a great deal, as the Angels are picking up the remainder of $22M or so. Yikes!

Oh, Nets are at Golden State. They are losing. What a surprise.

See ya soon.

The B.O. Guy

If you need an explanation...

Two days in a row. Yesterday I go to my local corner store for the newspapers (apparently me and two other people still buy newspapers!) and my 20 oz. coffee. Little jam-up at the the coffee area (read all about it here) and some personal space is being violated, mostly mine.

Some big oaf comes in, dressed in business casual, must be on his way to crunch some numbers. Stands next to me and...

"WHAT FREAKIN" DIED IN HERE" I think. Rough. Smelly. Bad B.O.!

I move quickly to the counter to escape, but it's like one of those Pepe Le Pew, dead skunk in the road moments. Even in my car, I have the smell attached to my nostrils. Driving in 28 degree weather with the windows open to rid myself of that taint.

So this morning I go in again and THERE HE IS! I walk down a couple of aisles of cat food, cold medicine and gardening gloves to make sure I steer clear, which I do.

I don't know how people could stand themselves in the days of weekly bathing.

Jets

Not in caps, like all the rah-rahs like to chant. I am basically shut out of sports radio this week since I can't take the blather.

I don't like the NY Jets (they play in NJ by the way).
I don't like their uniforms - either the regular ones or those Titans unis they wear.
I don't like Rex Ryan.
I don't like Joe Namath.
I don't like Fireman Ed and his antics.

Go Colts.

Elective Surgery

And Carlos Beltran elected to have surgery done, and the Mets may have known, or they may not have known, or they were told, or they may not have been told...(get the point?)

Long and short. If the guy thinks he needs surgery to be 100%, then he should have the surgery. Carlos Beltran has always been an enigma to Mets fans. Not a real leader; soft-spoken to the point when he does say something, it's a major headline (just ask Jimmy Rollins); plays hurt, but always seems to be hurt; great talent but sometimes makes some bonehead moves. But like it or not, he's the Center fielder folks. But I have a feeling the Mets are going to look to deal #15 before the trade deadline.

Another day in Met-land. Never boring, you gotta admit that.

Intentional Swerves

So Big Mac sat down with Little Bob and spilled the beans. But was it only half the beans?

Lot's of speculation and negative reactions abound. Every which way this guy is getting blasted. Even Canseco is taking his shots, and he's probably looking to do a celebrity version of Jersey Shore.

Let SoulSlam be honest. After the strike in '94, I kind of lost interest in the game. Still went to Mets games with my friends, still watched, but I was not a die-hard fan. Even went to Doc Gooden's no-hitter against the Mariners in '96. Still the spark had died.

The summer of '98 was when my oldest son was born, and the excitement that McGwire and the future zombie guy, Sammy Sosa created was just what the doctor ordered. Ever since, and a large part probably comes from becoming a father, I have been baseball dedicated.

And I like Big Mac. The guy, not the sandwich. I do. And everyone deserves forgiveness. If you don't believe me, look up Steve Howe (RIP), Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, A-Rod, Manny, Andy Pettitte, etc. But the big guy is going to take his lumps here. So maybe he should sit down again, tell the whole truth and live his life. The HOF is gone.

A Confession, Finally

WOW.

Mark McGuire has finally admitted doing steroids during his days of long and many dingers. He's scheduled to be on MLBTV tonight at 7:00PM with Costas.

Stay tuned.

Sports Weekend

Besides the football extravaganza of the NFL Playoffs...

Friday Night:

7:15PM - 8:15PM 6th Grade Travel Basketball Game

8:30PM - 10:00PM Travel Baseball Indoor Practice

Saturday:

3:00PM - 5:00pm 2ND/3RD Grade Boys Rec League Basketball

6:30PM - 7:30PM 6th Grade Travel Basketball Game

Sunday:

9:00AM - 10:00AM 11U/12U Pitchers/Catchers Workout

2:00PM - 3:00PM 6th Grade Travel Basketball Game

Lots of stuff! Especially the nirvana of baseball season upon us!

Superbowl Prediction:
Colts-Cowboys
Cowboys win.

Baseball!

So maybe I'm remiss at not posting anything on the day the newest Met, Jason Bay, had his press conference. Am I enthusiastic about the signing? Not really sure. One thing I do know; he's better than whatever was out there in the desert of 2009.

Holliday gets what he wants (or almost wanted) - $120M over 7. Nice. What in the world will St. Lou do when The Machine becomes a free agent?

HOF time and Andre Dawson gets in, Alomar does not. Alomar will get in next year, can't argue that he may not be a first-time inductee. McGwire got 2 more percentage points or so from last year. When is the press conference the Cardinals promised?

And in local baseball news, we start indoor winter practices in 2 days. 2010 is gonna be good for the local heroes!

Useless

In a word, that describes the "sideline NFL reporter".

I guess this began in the late 70's when you had limited exposure to any information. In the NY Metro area you had four or five channels and the daily papers. So a "sideline NFL reporter" was a way to get some additional though severely limited insight.

Now, you have 24/7 access to everything, so the tantalizing tidbits such as "so and so says today's game is a golden opportunity..." is worthless. Heard it, seen it, read it on Twitter (not really).

And Pam Oliver is beginning to look like a Patagonian Toothfish with all the work she's had done.

Not A Shirt

First post of 2010!

Anyway, the Clan SoulSlam went to the movies on NYD - and decided to grab a bite after.
Went to the local Applebee's, which tends to put sauces and spreads that I don't like on everything. Oh, well.

So we have about a 10 minute wait and I spy a fellow with some girth chowing down and drinking Heineken. What caught my eye was the unbelievably tight, bright red Under Armour mock turtleneck he was wearing in public.

Now, Under Armour makes a fine product. And if your on the field, out in the elements, etc. it makes a lot of sense to wear. I could even see it being worn with a fleece or t-shirt over it.

But:
1. While you are gorging yourself in public
2. In a color that screams "HERE I AM"
3 And the most strenuous thing your doing is dipping a mozzarella stick

Is not the best use of this technologically advanced fabric.

Gonna be a good year!