Archive for June 5th, 2006

June5

Screw Lastings Milledge And His Joy

By: the mighty mjd

The Mets have this young stud outfielder named Lastings Milledge. And with an injury to Xavier Nady, he’s been called up. And yesterday, Milledge hit a solo home run to tie the game in the 10th inning. When he ran out to take the field in the 11th, he made a stop along the way to high-five some fans sitting near the field.

And he’s been reprimanded for this. “It will not happen again,” says Mets manager Willie Randolph. Well… why the hell not?

Did Major League Baseball pass some sort of anti-happiness legislation in the off-season? I really don’t see the problem here… even the Sportscenter guys last night were saying, “Hey, you’re not in Norfolk anymore.” Is this interpreted as a sign of disrespect to the opposing pitcher? Is it just because a rookie shouldn’t be drawing that much attention to himself? What unwritten rule is there here that I am not aware of?

Because to me, it seemed like a pretty slick thing to do. It’s a young and excited guy, happy to be where he is, happy to have done what he did, spreading some love amongst the Shea faithful. Apparently, the young man finds baseball and competition exciting. It’s a crazy, maverick attitude to have, but for better or worse, it’s him. I think acknowledging and interacting with the fans should be a good thing.

Posted in: Baseball12 comments

June5

Disrespecting Mark Cuban

By: the mighty mjd

As Deadspin and Yay!Sports note this morning, Mark Cuban’s first post-Western Conference Championship blog entry is all about the “we were disrespected” angle. Here’s how it starts…

The Mavs CAN’T play Defense.
The Mavs CAN’T play a half court game.
The Mavs CAN’T get past the first round
The Mavs CAN’T beat [fill in a team here] because [fill in an excuse here]
Dirk CAN’T play against smaller defenders
Dirk CAN’T take the ball to the basket
Dirk CAN’T play defense
Dirk CAN’T step up in the playoffs
Stack CAN’T play a team game
JET CAN’T be the point guard on a Finals team
Devin Harris CAN’T get past last years playoffs to have an impact
Gana Diop CAN’T be a player in this league
Avery Johnson CAN’T lead this team to the Finals as a 1st year coach

I said some of those things. In fact, I said, let’s see… five of those things. And you know what? I was right when I said them. There was a time when the Mavs couldn’t play defense. And there was a time when Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t play against smaller defenders.

But the Mavs corrected those things, and that’s why they are where they are. I don’t blame Mark Cuban for wanting to rub this in people’s faces, but… it doesn’t mean they were wrong. Some of these things were right. And you know who agrees with that? Avery Johnson. Because if Avery Johnson himself didn’t agree with some of these criticisms, he wouldn’t have worked his ass off to correct them, and the Mavs would not be in the NBA Finals right now.

And just for the record, the last four things on that list, I’ve never heard anyone say. But, sure, Mark Cuban is certainly entitled to a gloating, chest-pounding post… I’d probably do the same thing. And because he himself is very much a part of what’s happening in Dallas, it’s probably hard to step outside of that situation and see things from another perspective. So I suppose it’s easier to say, “Hey, you were wrong, jerk!” instead of, “Well, you were right, and we fixed some of those things.”

I’m sure we’ll get far deeper into the NBA Finals as Thursday approaches. Congrats to the Mavs and the Heat.

Posted in: NBA5 comments

June5

The Michelle Wie Question

By: the mighty mjd

Michelle Wie attempts to qualify for the U.S. Open today. It’s a 36-hole event. If she finishes in the Top 18 of the 153-person field, she’s in. ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski says it’s too soon for all of this. A snippet…

Wie keeps cutting an unprecedented path because her talent allows for it. When that replaces common sense and good judgment as the barometer, you’re throwing a young athlete into harm’s way

The golf isn’t going to be the problem for Wie. It’s everything else around it, beginning Monday morning with a carnival at Canoe Brook Country Club, a sectional qualifier to get her to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. If she were to get there, and it’s a big if, what a spectacle of epic sporting proportion that would be.

Great for golf, I guess. For a 16-year-old, don’t be so sure. Pass or fail, what will assuredly come with all of this for her is a resentment on the men’s and women’s tours, two worlds of pros that will be slow to embrace her. That’s life. That’s human nature. And that happens with the prodigies in everything, but to expose her to all of this now, asking Michelle Wie to take on what will come with success and failure now, is sure asking a lot. And for what?

This is a hell of a burden for the biggest and best golf’s ever developed — let alone a kid still waiting to get her driver’s license.

It’s certainly fair to question it, and I’m not saying that Wojnarowski is wrong, or that I disagree with him. I just don’t know the answer. I don’t think there is one. No one’s ever been in those shoes before. And while I understand the questions, I think it’s awfully presumptuous for anyone to put themselves in BJ Wie’s position and say definitively, “Yes, I know the right thing to do here, and you are wrong.”

I’ve never really seen any signs that Michelle Wie is an ill-adjusted kid. Yeah, it would be a lot to ask of her to take on the pressure of either pro tour, and possible resentment of other pros (which I don’t think would be that bad). But she’s had to handle a lot of things already, and she’s done it. She seems like her head is screwed on right. And if her parents have done a good job in all other areas of her life, and they’re going to continue to do so through the whole thing… hey, there’s always a first person to do something, and it’s never easy for any of them.

Posted in: Golf9 comments

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