Jimmy Rollins?! Really?!

Yesterday before the Red Sox/Phillies game there was an exhibition of the absurd.  One that attracted a crowd to watch something that was simply not possible.  Red Bull Sponsored a contest to see if Jimmy Rollins could beat a world record of the longest batted ball (575 ft) achieved by Babe Ruth back before Home Runs could be measured accurately.

Sorry to be the hater here, but

1.       The Babe's HR never went 575 ft. IN THE AIR!  The measurement was from where the kid found the ball after it came to a stop.

2.       Jimmy Rollins?!  What?!  The dude averages 10-15 HR a season.  Why not bring back Ozzie Smith for a home run derby.  Seriously Red Bull…that was your choice?

3.       Breaking 575 is not possible in Philadelphia.

If you haven’t done so already, do yourself a favor and read The Physics of Baseball.  Yeah, it’s a ton of math, but it’s fun math.

One thing you will learn is that under normal conditions a ball cannot travel more than 545 ft. in the air. That’s based on max bat speed, max pitch speed, and optimal trajectory.  So if somehow Jimmy Rollins were to put together the perfect swing he’d land 30 feet shot of the record.

Sure they doctored the bat and used loaded balls. I know I know.  But remember, it’s Jimmy Rollins!

Tangent: Ok, wait a minute.  Red Bull was trying to break the record held by The Bambino with a loaded, doctored bat?  Let’s say somehow they pulled it off.  Can you really say it’s real?  Babe Ruth, in a game, off live pitching, with a regulation bat versus Jimmy Rollins off a juiced ball and a loaded bat getting soft-toss down the center?   Come on Red Bull!

For argument sake let’s say the juiced bat and balls give Jimmy Rollins the ability to swing the bat with maximum force and that the juiced balls give the effect of a max speed pitch.  So a ball hit perfectly on the ideal trajectory…30 feet short.

So how do you make up those 30 feet?

Simple:  Go to Denver.  Every 1000 ft. elevation adds 7 feet of flight.  And for that matter, if you can get the perfectly hit ball on a 100-degree day in Denver add 8 more feet to the  ball (4 feet for every 10-degrees of air temp.  It was 80-degrees in Philadelphia yesterday).   Voila... 588 Ft.  New Worlds Record!

How about this: The perfect bat speed + the perfect pitch speed = the perfect trajectory + Denver, Colorado + 100-degree heat + a 25 MPH tailwind + a heated ball 20-degrees above normal + the ball being hit down the foul line!  All that would equal a 682 Foot HR!!!!!!!

…Or just next time, Red Bull, don’t have Jimmy Rollins as your batter.

Metta World Peace

It is all too easy to dismiss Ron Artest’s decision to change his name to Metta World Peace.  It’s just a publicity stunt, right?  It’s just Ron Artest trying to be controversial and interesting…right?

It seems like every article written about Artest harkens back to World B. Free.  But that is inaccurate.  And the parallel to Chad Johnson is downright irresponsible.

World B. Free, born Lloyd Bernard Free, changed his name because he wanted to.  His friends and teammates already called him World, so why not make it legal.   So he did.  End of story

Chad Johnson changed his name to Ochocinco out of selfishness.  He wears number 85 and he nicknamed himself Ochocinco years back.  The name change was simply stepping up his own level of arrogance.

Now the lazy sports media looks at Artest and says, “His new name has World in it, and World be free does too.  Bam! There’s my story!”   or “Ron Artest and Chad Johnson are both currently active. It’s like the same thing!”   In-Co-Wrecked

Look at Ron Artest in the last few years.  I’m not talking about the fighting in the stands Rodman-esque behavior of years back.  I’m looking at the dedicated athlete who helped the Lakers beat Boston for a Championship.  I’m looking at the Ron Artest who sold his NBA championship ring to support Mental Health Awareness.  I’m looking at the Ron Artest who was just awarded the 2011 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his off the court actions.

Does this sound like a man who wants to drive self promotion through a name change?

Maybe there are two other comparisons that make more sense.

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr and Cassius Clay. Better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Muhammad Ali

Clay changed his name to transcend what he felt was his slave name.  He believed he was given the last name Clay by his ancestor’s masters.  He wanted to step out of that shadow and be his own man.  A man not owned by any masters. 

Alcindor changed his name after converting religions.  Alcindor again was the name given to his family by a slave owner and for personal reasons the change was made to Kareem Abdul-Jabar, meaning “noble, powerful servant”

Ron Artest has chosen the name Metta World Peace.  Metta is Buddhist with definitions ranging from “kindness” to “friendliness” to “benevolence”.   The World Peace part is pretty straight forward. 

It is clear that this proposed name change is one grounded in the same “transcending” attitude of Ali and Abdul-Jabar.  It is a common man with a checkered past changing him name to stand for what he now believes in.  Peace, caring, friendship and world peace.   

Plus, it’s a far more meaningful name change than others in the entertainment and sports culture.

You don’t hear much about Robert Zimmerman, Carlos Ray, Marion Michael Morrison, or Maria Nuñez but when they become Bob Dylan, Chuck Norris, John Wayne, and Mariah Carey the world pays attention.

To lump Artest in with World B. Free and Ochocinco spits in the face of all the good Artest has done in the last few years and puts an unneeded hurdle in his path to being a better person and a better citizen of this planet. 

The Curious Case of Derek Jeter

When it comes to sports, ALL sports, I am a conspiracy theorist.  I know deep in my fanatical soul that there are usually reasons for the way things just seem to work out.

The bail-out calls by the refs to ensure the big market NBA team triumphs.  Duh.  The extra tight strike zone on pitchers that fans love to see flip out. Yup. The Tuck Game…yeah, no one wanted the Raiders to win that game.

So why not baseball, and why not the Yankees.

Derek Jeter is barely batting over .250.  He has 20 RBI which is second worst in the lineup squeaking by the immortal Brett Gardner.  Plus he pissed of management with his contract holdout.  With all this, his minor, grade 1, lowest grade calf strain lands him on the DL.  This is a day-to-day injury at best!

“But wait,” you say “why would the Yankees want to hold Jeter out of the lineup?”

Great question. Because they are money grubbing, attention hogs that care more about their image than what is right for the team or players.  That’s why.

It was often said during the contentious contract negotiations that Jeter had the Yankees over a barrel just as much as the Yanks had Jeter.  Jeter IS the modern day Mickey Mantle. They couldn’t let him walk, but how could Jeter walk away from HIS team.  Furthermore, many said there is no way the Yankees would let Jeter reach 3000 hits in another uniform.  Let’s rephrase that…in another stadium.

Oh, that’s right.  Jeter is 6 hits from 3000 but averages about a hit per game.  Unless he rattled off three consecutive 2  hit games the Yanks would be on the road.  Not just on the road, but visiting arguably a team with more “history” than the Yankees.  Thanks-Dad Steinbrenner doesn’t want to see Jeter reach 3000 at Wrigley and not get to profit off it! So a calf strain is the perfect excuse to put him on the shelf.  After Chicago, New York was off to Cincinnati meaning Jeter would have to go five for around 45 to be looking to reach the milestone at home. 

Or you give him a 15 day vacation.  Then a slightly extended rehab in AAA because, to anticipate the press conference, “We’re bringing Derek back slowly.  We don’t want to rush him back and risk re-aggravating his injury.  He means too much to this team.  We need him down the stretch.”  Puh-lease.

Target July 4 for Jeter’s return my friends.  Why July 4?

Yanks are in Cleveland.  Jeter will play Monday because it’s a holiday and his mug will be all over TV for all the vacationers to see. (Cha-Ching).  They will give him Tuesday off staying on the “easing him back” routine, but it’s more to ensure he doesn’t rattle off too many hits in stinky Cleveland.  Then we’ll see him Wednesday for the series third game.  Jeter will be a couple hits away and would you look at that! Home for a 4 game stand against Tampa.  3000 hits = done.

But wait, there is more! What happens after the Tampa series?  All-Star Game!  Three days of Jeter loving on the National Stage!   

Well played again New York.  Classless move to create you’re ideal moment.

 I’m sure your half empty stadium will go nuts when Jeter reaches 3000. 

McIlroy Wins...Tiger's Still Better

Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on his U.S. Open victory, but let’s make something very clear…this was not even close to Tiger’s 2000 U.S. Open dominance.

Sure Rory beat the field like a rented mule.  And yes his game looked tighter than anyone else allowed within the ropes.  He won.  He deserved to win, and he should take Grahame McDowell’s advice and enjoy it.

But when the media starts in with the “next Tiger Woods” and drawing comparisons to Tiger’s beat down of the 2000 U.S. Open field I lose it.

Fact: Rory McIlroy topped the lowest score to par in U.S. Open history set by Tiger Woods in 2000 (-12).

Reality:  This course was barely ready to host an AT+T Invitational, not to mention the U.S. Freaking Open.  Soft greens, playable rough, and pin placements where the ball fed to almost every hole?!  The U.S. Open is supposed to be the toughest challenge in golf. I watched close to 5 shots feed back to the hole and almost go in for an ace.  That’s muni-course crap.  The grounds crew at Pinehurst and Pebble Beach are laughing their butts off saying “Is that all you got?”

I know the weather screwed up the plans and made things softer. So what?  If the rains made the greens softer then why didn’t they make the rough gnarly and lush.  We should have seen caddies searching for balls in the primary cut.  Instead we watched Rory and the field slash 7 irons onto the green.  Where is the punishment for a wayward tee ball?  Again, congrats on the win, but…

How much different than 2000 was this.  Look at a few details.

The top 7 finishers in the 2011 U.S. Open have a combined 1 major championship (Not including the one Rory just won).  That would be Y.E. Yang, who by the way hasn’t won since his major victory at the PGA Championship in 2009. But those Top-7 would have all won the last SEVEN U.S. Opens!  Does that seem right to anyone?  If you put Rory’s scoring on par with Tiger’s does that mean we should put Kevin Chappell and Robert Garrigus on par with the late Payne Stewart for all posting -6?!  Of course not!

When Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open he bested the entire field by 15 strokes.  There were 18 players in this Open within that mark of Rory. 

When Tiger posted the record -12 the next closest competitor was +3…AND  within that Top 7 were 8 major wins at that point.  Does that compare to the field Rory toped?  Nope. 

I’m not saying Rory won’t be great.  He may challenge every record in the book someday.  But can we all please step back and show Tiger some respect?  He won by more. He beat a tougher field. And he did it on a tougher course.   Give the man credit before you announce a 22 year old first time major winner is the second coming.

The good news is in life there will always be some constant.  In this case it’s our favorite golfer.  The beloved Phil Mickelson.  In both 2000 and 2011, despite Tiger and Rory lighting up the board…Phil puked up a +9 and a +7 respectfully.  By my math that means if you take Rory’s Open plus the 2000 Open he lost by a combined 44 Strokes!  Well done Phil!

Well done Rory and I hope the best for you, but you’ll have to do more than that to be up there with the greatest players in the game.

U.S. Open Preview and Predictions

Well, the easy news is that Tiger’s not playing.  Phil Mickelson will also be a no-show for the U.S. Open, the difference is Phil doesn’t know it yet. 

The NBC promos all tease that maybe Phil will finally win the elusive U.S. Open which he has come so close to before.  But he won’t.  In fact, Phil will be home with his family on Father’s Day this year destroying a box of Krispy Kream glazed donuts.

Phil isn’t in top form.  He’s old.  He’s wild on his drives. His short game magic isn’t there this year.  Plus with lightning fast greens, heavy rough, and anticipated rain slashing out of the second cut won’t lead to many bogeys.  Prediction:  Phil struggles to break 80 in round 1 and is trunk slammin’ after Friday.

So that takes care of Tiger and Phil.  What about the rest of them…

1.)    This isn’t the Masters.  This course will be insane to play and a no-name first timer will not be able to Forrest Gump his way around to a sneaky victory.  To win this Open a player will need to be GREAT not just good.  Sorry Schwartzel.

2.)    No Repeat:  Graeme McDowell just isn’t playing well.  He’s been puking up his worst scores in recent memory.  Not sure what it is, but it certainly won’t fix itself on a US Open track.  McDowell finishes Top-30…but no trophy

3.)    Luke Donald? Sorry…Not this year.  His driving accuracy is sub-par and that will lead to early bogeys.  He’ll battle to a Top-15, but won’t even be in the conversation late Sunday

4.)    Lee Westwood?  Man he’s good…but doesn’t seem to have that killer instinct or crazed passion that leads to something great on Sunday.  I see him tied for the lead going into Sunday but just not pulling it together.  3^rd Place for Monty…I mean Westwood

5.)    How about the babies?  Rory or Rickey?  Fowler will have a crazy score card every day.  Something like 5 birdies, 3 bogeys, and a double.  He’ll be a sneaky top 5, but won’t be able to hack it with the big boys all week.   Rory?  Ahhh Rory.  I’m sorry my friend but your torture is not over yet.  He’ll be in the final pairing with Westwood Sunday.  He’ll have the lead at some point Sunday.  And he’ll make a double bogey early Sunday.  And then the Ghosts of Augusta will return.   Rory’s not done suffering.  He’ll win a couple Opens in his career, but this year he’s still too fragile.  6^th place for Rory.

And the winner is….

There are years where is all comes together.  Years when everything you dream for as a sports fan happens. Your beloved Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 7 games (it’s happening damnit!). Your passion for the Red Sox early in the season pays off with a bounce back to the best record in the AL by June while the Yankees crumble to pieces. And even you’re most hated college rival, Ohio State, destroys itself in a blaze of agony.  So what does this have to do with the U.S. Open?  Everything is coming up Boston baby!

Nick Watney is winning the Open!  Is it because he’s Top-20 in Driving Distance, Greens in Regulation, and Putting?  Is it because he’s 4^th in scoring average?    Is it because he eats up Par 4’s and will make birdies when most struggle for par?  Is it because he has 7 top 10’s and is getting hot at the right time?  Is it because it’s just his time for the golfing gods to smile upon him?

NO!  It’s because he is cousins with the beautiful sideline reporter for the Red Sox, Heidi Watney!  The Bruins are hot! The Red Sox are hot!  Heidi Watney is hot!  …and by association…Nick Watney is hot (on the golf course)!

So Mr. Watney, when you win the U.S. Open I think you owe it to all of Red Sox Nation (and your cousin) to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park when the Padres come to town. 

And in advance Red Sox Nation and the City of Boston say, You’re Welcome.

The Hit the NHL Missed

You missed it NHL.  You said you’d be looking for plays like this and would punish player swiftly and justly.  You said you would protect players.  You said head-hunting wouldn’t be tolerated.  After losing stars like Marc Savard and Sidney Crosby one would think you’d do something.

…but you didn’t NHL… you missed it.

It was a blatant attempt to injure an opposing player by targeting the head and launching with a high elbow.   BLATANT disregard for the rules the NHL so adamantly defends.

…But this wasn’t Aaron Rome.  This did not involve Nathan Horton.  And no one ended up in the hospital.

The game was over.  With under two minutes left and the Bruins laying a beat-down on the Canucks 7-1, Vancouver’s Raffi Torres took a run at Johnny Boychuck’s head.  Torres skated clear across the ice with no plan on playing the puck or issuing a clean body check.  Torres instead leaped off his skates and shot his elbow directly at Boychuck’s noggin. 

…but he missed.  A charging minor was called and the game continued.

Where are you on this one NHL?  Does a player only face discipline if he lands a crushing, season ending hit?  Does a hit only get reviewed if it sends a man to the hospital?   

This was by all accounts a cheap, viscous, thoughtless, unsportsmanlike play by Torres.  The Bruins are just fortunate Boychuck had the wherewithal to dodge this SlapShot-esque attack.

But wait!  There’s more, NHL!  What about your promise to punish repeat offenders?!

Raffi Torres missed the final 2 games of the season and the first 2 playoff games because he did this same thing in early April.  In a 2-0 Canucks loss Torres blasted Edmonton’s Jordan Eberle’s head with an elbow.  Classless!   Now the NHL is going to ignore his violent attempt to do it again?  Clearly he learned nothing from the 4 game suspension and needs to be reminded by the league that it won’t be tolerated.

So let’s recap:

1. Blowout game with the outcome decided:  Check

2. Launching off skates to hit high on an opponent:  Check

3. Targeting the head:  Check

4. Repeat Offender:  Big check

NHL action:  None

Get well soon Horton…and Savard…and Crosby..and…

50 Rounds of Boredom That Could Save Your Team

Today begins the MLB amateur draft.  La-di-da.  There is nothing better than following teams pick players you’ve never heard of, from high schools and colleges you didn’t know existed, and then waiting 3-5 years to see if they pan out.  I skipped work for the week just to follow all 50 rounds.  That FIVE ZERO…50 rounds.  That’s over 1500 picks?! Snooze-o-rama

But in all seriousness the draft is truly vital to an organizations future success.

Look no further than the Boston Red Sox.

I know it can be difficult to think that the Sox or Yankees care what happens in the draft.  You may say “those guys will just drop all the money they need to for free agents.”     Don’t be so fast to lump these two rivals together.

Look at some of the Yankee stars and starters.

Teixeira, A-Roid, Jeter, Granderson, Cano, Swisher, Posada, Brett Gardner, Phil Hughes, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Fat-olo Colon.

Of that list ONLY Jeter, Gardner and Hughes were drafted by the Yankees.  All others were through trades, free agency and international free agent signing.  That’s 3 of 12. 

For those of you punk Yankee fans saying “What about Joba?”  Think long and hard about Joba’s future with the Yankees and try and justify his name on the list.

Now look at the beloved Red Sox:

Youkilis, Lowrie, Pedroia, Gonzalez, Ellsbury, Crawford, Lester, Buchholz, Beckett, Bard, and Paplebon, Ortiz.

8 or 12!  All drafted in the amateur draft by the Red Sox. 

Youkilis – 2001, Pedroia – 2004, Bard – 2006, Lowrie – 2005, Ellsbury – 2005, Buchholtz – 2005, Paplebon – 2005, Lester – 2002

Now, I’d love to tout that this makes the Red sox better than the Yankees, more dedicated, a better farm system, more loyal players, a more passionate fan base, smarter management…but I won’t do that.

The truth is the draft can be a boom for team like the Red Sox or an epic failure.  And there is hardly any way to know what you’re getting. 

If the Sox knew Youkilis would be an All-Star, Gold Glove Winning, hitting machine would they have drafted him in the 8^th round with a puny $12,000 signing bonus?  Would Dodger’s star Matt Kemp have been picked in the 42^nd Round 1250 overall?  Would Buster Posey have been picked in the 50^th and final round 1496 overall?!   No.  Of course not!

So while it’s bore as all get out, it is a vital part of building a team.  And you never know if a Buster Posey is lurking in the 50^th round.

CBS Doesn't Care

Before I begin this tirade I am sure there is some contract in place I don’t understand.  There is probably some corporate reasoning I don’t know of.  There is probably some precedent that I don’t know about.

…so as a fan of the game of golf… THIS IS BULL HUNKY… HORSE MANURE!

My man, Jim Nantz, just explained that if the weather delay in the Memorial Invitational lifts before 7pm the ONLY way to watch the event will be to get on the old computer and watch the streaming live coverage of it on.  BUT after 7pm Golf channel will pick it up.

Fudge you CBS (“…but I didn’t say fudge…”).  Fuuuuuuuudge you!

Here’s the deal:

1.)    1.) If a network carries a sporting event they need to understand that sometimes time is not an issue.  If Fox is showing a MLB game on Saturday afternoon and it goes 18 innings they don’t cut to Cops re-runs do they?!   No!    If the Master’s went extra holes should they go to streaming it online in place of what?... The local news!?    

2.)    2.) Let me ask you this CBS, if this wasn’t a weather delay, and we had two players coming up the 18^th fairway tied looking for a win.  Wait… If this was Tiger Woods playing next to Doughboy Phil, tied for the lead, with 2 holes left, would CBS force Nantz to say “Well, we’re about to hit our 6pm limit”  Nope.  CBS would say screw you 60 Minutes…we’re sticking with golf. 

3.)    3.) CBS can’t figure out some channel to put the golf on?  When Fox has a baseball game run into a late NASCAR race they kick one to TNT so FANS CAN WATCH!  When ABC has a conflict they use ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU for goodness.  SO FANS CAN WATCH!  CBS?  Uh…stream it online?

4.)    4.) STREAM IT ONLINE?!  Do they have any grasp on their target demographic? Jim Nantz himself seemed confused by how one would accomplish such a feat.  I think he said the phrase “If you can figure it out…” before explaining that coverage would move to CBSSports.com.  Golf fans are not tech-savvy.  They are probably old men.  And now there are millions of Andy Rooney-ish people wondering why the local news just cut off Jack’s tournament.  Seriously CBS?  There are slightly under 4 bazzilion TV stations and you can’t find one to pick up coverage until 7pm?

Maybe the PGA Tour needs to take a look at network’s back-up plans for situations just like this.  Kudos to NBC for not missing a minute of coverage with their teamwork with Golf Channel.

Shame…SHAME on you CBS for not putting the fans first and NOT caring.   Despite their constant PSA’s… CBS Does Not Care.