The Greatness of Ozzie Guillen

June 30, 2009 By 2 Comments
Email Post Email Post

Ozzie GuillenFirst a disclaimer: I am not a diehard White Sox fan like Jerod. I was not born in the Midwest and I am not particularly tied to the fortunes of those particular professional teams.

However, I am a student at Northwestern University, which allows me to witness the microscope both Chicago baseball teams are placed under.

And, as a neutral observer, I have to make a confession.

I think Ozzie Guillen is awesome.

Are there better tactical managers? Eh, maybe. I don’t know. I’m not the best person to say. Each manager has his own particular strength on the tactical side of things.

But, based on my own outside observation, there doesn’t seem to be a manager that gets his guys to play harder for him than Ozzie.

Personally, I think Ozzie has such success because he has a team with several key veterans. The leaders of that team – Dye, Thome, Konerko – are all guys that have been around for quite some time. They all know their roles and Ozzie knows his. With a younger team? I don’t know. Ozzie might not have the patience to deal with a bunch of rookies.

But Ozzie’s skills as a manager are not what I like the most about him.

What I like most about Ozzie Guillen is that he is never boring.

Seemingly every day, there’s a new story involving something off-the-wall regarding Ozzie. Most recently it was his comments about how he hates Wrigley Field that caused a big hullabaloo.

I thought it was pretty funny to see Ozzie come out against Wrigley (which, by all accounts, is a tomb underneath the seats in the locker rooms) and see people react negatively to those comments.
Although there wasn’t that much of a negative response – people are starting to get used to Ozzie’s antics. What did you expect? Ozzie to come out and say that Wrigley is the greatest ballpark in the major leagues?

My favorite Ozzie story comes from a game I attended between the Texas Rangers and the White Sox in Arlington on June 14, 2006. The White Sox were defending their 2005 title well, entering the contest with a 40-24 record. The Rangers were clinging to first place with a 34-31 record.

The game itself was a clunker, with the Rangers running away with it early, scoring 4 runs in the third inning to go up 5-0. What is notable is what happened in that game. Vicente Padilla, the almost certainly crazy right-hander, hit A.J. Pierzynski twice in his first two trips to the plate.

The Rangers pounded Javy Vasquez for six runs in six innings, so he was lifted for young reliever Sean Tracey, making his third major league appearance, entering the seventh with the White Sox trailing, 6-0.

Lefty Hank Blalock was leading off the inning for the Rangers, having already doubled and homered in the game. Tracey’s first pitch was way inside; in fact, it went behind Blalock. The next couple of pitches went for strikes, but the fourth pitch was again a ball inside. Blalock, however, was not hit, and groOzzie Guillenunded out to second base on the next pitch.

Tracey was then pulled for Agustin Montero, who finished off the game, giving up a pair of runs in the eighth. Tracey was immediately optioned to Triple-A Charlotte after the game, and wouldn’t make another appearance for Chicago for more than another month.

Ozzie said after the game that he brought Tracey in specifically to hit Blalock, regardless of whether or not he would have been thrown out.

Above all else, that’s why I love Ozzie. He does things his way and doesn’t worry about what people think.

So here’s to you Ozzie – thanks for being Ozzie.


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, MLB, ozzie guillen

Behind the Keyboard: Hannah Patrick of Sports Media Challenge Takes us Behind the Buzz

June 30, 2009 By 9 Comments
Email Post Email Post

Behind the Keyboard: Hannah Patrick InterviewAs many of you know, I started the Behind the Keyboard series as an opportunity for you and I to get to know some of the influential voices and personalities in the sports blogosphere. We kicked it off a few months back by profiling Barry McBride of the Orange and Brown Report and then last week we interviewed Sarah Spain of Mouthpiece Sports.

Today, Behind the Keyboard is highlighting an individual who is actually not a blogger at all (at least not that I know of, but you never know who is lurking in the dark shadows of their parents’ basement…) but who still has the ability to influence the sports blogosphere on a daily basis. That individual is Hannah Patrick, a Media Analyst with Sports Media Challenge.

If you are an avid viewer of the 10:00 am SportsCenter, you may have noticed a new feature that popped up a few months back called Blog Buzz. The goal of this feature is to highlight the five most important and talked about sports stories, as seen by the sports blogging community. As you will find out from the interview below, Hannah is the point person for submitting the editorial content for the daily Blog Buzz feature. This is actually how she and I were first “introduced” — when she emailed to alert me to MSF’s first appearance on Blog Buzz, back when we wrote about Mike Brown being named NBA Coach of the Year.

Because I am at the office when Blog Buzz runs on ESPN, I have never actually viewed the seHannah Patrick, Sports Media Challengegment myself. (I did, however, receive many calls from friends who were watching when MSF was on there.) And while I think all sports bloggers like the general idea of Blog Buzz, it was met with some criticism upon its initial launch (for examples, here and here).

One of the main reasons I contacted Hannah about participating in this interview was to give her and Sports Media Challenge an opportunity to discuss their objectives with Blog Buzz as well as to get her unique perspective, as someone in the middle, on where the blogger-mainstream media relationship is headed.

I am sure that many other sports bloggers know Hannah from being contacted about Blog Buzz and her effective use of Twitter to network, as well as the recent Blogs With Balls conference that she attended (and that I wish I had too!). Hopefully this interview will allow you to get to know her even better, as well as understand the objectives behind Blog Buzz and some of the ways that Sports Media Challenge continues to be a pioneer in the merging of sports and online media.

My sincere appreciation goes out to Hannah for her diligence in completing this interview, which we conducted over email. As usual, a few quick background notes first and then we jump right into the interview.

Hannah Patrick Background Info:

  • Education/College: East Carolina (Arrrghh!) with degree in Communications
  • Current Company and Position: Media Analyst with Sports Media Challenge
  • Favorite sport: I grew up loving baseball. But in recent years football has become my favorite.
  • Favorite teams: Panthers, Bobcats, Hurricanes, and all ECU Sports
  • Favorite athletes: Jake “Day light come and I wanna” Delhomme, keeping it local. We are both originally from Cajun country and ended up in the Carolinas. Plus, he has persevered and accomplished a lot regardless of all the scrutiny around him.
  • Twitter: @mhannahp

Hannah Patrick Behind the Keyboard Interview:

Jerod: If you would, provide our readers with a quick background on Sports Media Challenge, how you got involved with them, and what you do as PR coordinator.Hannah Patrick - Balls of Fury

Hannah Patrick: Sports Media Challenge is a brand monitoring, marketing, and PR consulting company specializing in sports and entertainment clients. I got involved with SMC through networking while dominating in a kickball league. We were named “Balls of Fury” (pictured left, click for larger view) and were champions in Spring ’08.

As media analyst my responsibilities include monitoring our client’s reputations online. Currently, my responsibilities have shifted to leading SMC’s efforts with SportsCenter’s Blog Buzz, which means I am in charge of the editorial content that is submitted on a daily basis.

Jerod: How did the idea for Blog Buzz come about? Was it initiated by SMC or ESPN? How has the response been from fans, bloggers, and the Worldwide Leader?

Hannah Patrick: SMC used to do a section for the “Sports Business Daily” called Blog Hound. It was based on the same premise, where we submitted to them the top five most popular blog topics on a daily basis. ESPN came to SMC looking for a similar concept, thus Blog Buzz was born.

The response, other than the initial launch, has been mostly positive. We have seen both sides though: bloggers that are totally stoked to see their hard work on SportsCenter and others that just don’t see the value. In the end, our goal is to connect one of the world’s largest sports entities to some of the most intelligent, informed and passionate sports fans and writers.

Jerod: What other Blog Buzz-like initiatives is SMC planning for the future?

Hannah Patrick: In the immediate future we would like to see the segment in other SportsCenter show times, like the 6:00 pm hour for instance. We would also like to start doing an in-depth analysis one day of the week, where we give several different blogger perspectives.Jerod Morris, Ken Rosenthal, John Gonzalez

Jerod: Time for a random question. If you had to bet your last $10 on a fight-to-the-death cagematch between me, John Gonzalez, and Ken Rosenthal, who are you picking?

Hannah Patrick: Definitely you. But you are going to need some sort of super power first. Like… the ability to walk through cages.

I polled the office on this question as well. Results were pretty entertaining and are as follows:

  • “Ken Rosenthal would win because he is backed by the traditional media and he would squash Jerod with his huge budget.” @ryanstephens
  • “Ken Rosenthal because he came on screen like the Hebrew Hammer or the Jewish Juggernaut. But no matter what… Buzz Bissinger would beat all of them.” @jakerosen
  • “Kimbo Slice.” @jackieadkins
  • “Jerod being a blogger wears underwear like cage fighters. So I am going to go with Jerod.” @matthewgarner
  • “I would go with the guy asking you the question.” @brittanylane

[Editor's Note: While I appreciate Matthew Garner's trust in my willingness to wear underwear, Brittany Lane clearly had the right train of thought here considering I'm the one posting the interview...]

Jerod: Shifting gears to Blogs With Balls, what were you overall impressions of the event?

Hannah Patrick: Everyone has said this, but it was awesome to put a face with all of the talented names that I have been working with. For me, it was a great opportunity to talk to people about what they do and don’t like about the segment.

For example, Blog Buzz’s biggest fan, Chris Motram, and I finally got the chance to meet. That might have been my favorite part. Getting to pick his brain about the segment was great. I took some much appreciated notes that we plan on going over with the big guys in Bristol.

To me, that was the spirit of Blogs with Balls. Everyone was just out to learn something new, share information, and shake someone’s hand. I think it was a great success, and I look forward to seeing it evolve into something even greater in the future. The guys at HHR really did an outstanding job.

Jerod: Excuse me for a moment while I kick myself again for not going. What were the three most important things you took away from the event?

Hannah Patrick:

  1. Bloggers can be professional without losing the spirit of what they do
  2. Sports bloggers are just as eccentric, talented, and entertaining in person.
  3. When they say wear comfortable shoes, they mean wear comfortable shoes.

Jerod: I would define your role as somewhere in between bloggers and the mainstream media. Would you agree? If not, to which side do you see yourself falling; and if so, how do you navigate through the sometimes choppy waters of bridging the gap between blogs and the MSM?

Hannah Patrick: I would agree with the statement that my role lies somewhere in between bloggers and the mainstream media. The line between traditional media and social media is being blurred more and more every day and SMC’s and ESPN’s efforts with Blog Buzz are another step in that direction. We have worked to establish a place as the communication arm between the two platforms. Blog Buzz has simply createdHannah Patrick - Sports Media Challenge another intersection between the MSM and bloggers.

Jerod: What is your most memorable personal sports moment?

Hannah Patrick: In 2006, when the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. I had just moved to a new city and didn’t know anyone but my roommate. When the Canes won, everyone stood up on the tables and on the bar and sang “God Bless America!” At that moment I felt like I knew everyone in the place. It’s funny how sports can unite a group of people.

Jerod: Coming from a PR perspective, I would love to get your honest thoughts (good or bad) on how the Raul Ibanez controversy was handled and played out publicly. Specifically, if you had been prepping me for the OTL interview, what would your advice have been?

Hannah Patrick: The Ibanez controversy really was an interesting case study about the dichotomy of bloggers vs. traditional media. This brought about a conversation that was inevitably going to surface. Blogs With Balls was a perfect place for the two sides to share their thoughts… and there were many different thoughts.

From a PR standpoint, there are times to take a lower profile until the heat dies down; this was not one of them. We would give you four stars on the way you handled the Ibanez controversy, specifically for three reasons:

  1. You were gutsy for jumping on the issue.
  2. You should always go into a media appearance with an agenda that is as strong, if not stronger, than the person asking the questions. You should be able to articulate your message easily and repeatedly. You successfully did all of these.
  3. You should also craft your message so that people will first listen, then understand, then believe, and finally remember. Which you did!

Jerod: SMC appears to be one of the leaders in assisting athletes in managing and promoting their reputations. How much of your focus is shifting to the online world and what are the specific challenges/opportunities that athletes face when it comes online PR?Sports Media Challenge logo

Hannah Patrick: The vast majority of our focus is online. We have been working to push our clients towards the social media landscape and we stress to them that social media has to be a single component of an overall media strategy. Many athletes are hesitant about getting involved in various forms of social media because they are afraid that they won’t be able to control their message. But the reality is that whether they are in the space or not, they are being talked about. Buzz Manager enables us to provide our clients to with critical information about “the buzz” on the web.

Jerod: We know that there is lots of hype around Twitter and that it is the new time-waster-du-jour for many people in many different industries. How do you use Twitter from a professional standpoint and what kind of sustained impact do you see it having 6 months, a year, 5 years down the road?

Hannah Patrick: We always tell our clients that whatever you put into Twitter is what you will get out of the experience. It has been compared to a river of conversation. You can step back and watch if flow on by, but at any time you can jump in and take part.

Professionally, Twitter has enabled me to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the sports blogosphere second by second. I think that will be the heart of Twitter when this initial explosion dies down. The ability to track current topics of conversation will have more of a sustained impact than the other uses of Twitter. I love that Twitter is championing citizen journalism and I don’t foresee that dying down. I think it will play a large role in future elections for sure.

As far as using Twitter as a tool to interact with and follow celebrities, I am more wary about the long term impact due to the high level of involvement that it requires. Other forms of social media, like Facebook, seem more likely to stand the pass of time because it doesn’t require such intense devotion.

Jerod: Time for another random question. You can play a round of golf with any three people relevant in the sports world (including the media, bloggers, etc.) today. Who are they? Why?

Hannah Patrick:

  1. Skip Holtz, because I am a Pirate fan. JRod - MSF
  2. Shaq, because he would crack me up.
  3. Jerod Morris, assuming his mom would let him out of the basement.

Jerod: Unfortunately, my mom only lets me out of the basement for dinner, yardwork, and White Sox games; so I’ll have to pass. Finally though, getting back to Blog Buzz and the slow but steady blurring of the lines between blogging and the mainstream media, where do you see it going? Where should it go? And what do you think are things that bloggers and the MSM should keep in mind to make this inevitable transition as successful as possible?

Hannah Patrick: Yes the process has been slow and steady, but I think that Deadspin implementing their new commenting policy will be a huge catalyst in this process. Also, the FTC has become more aware of the blogosphere and is making writers become more accountable.

As long as bloggers recognize that professional organizations are taking notice and giving bloggers a voice, there has to be some sort of give and take. The blogosphere is changing, and that means that those who are looking to make money from it will need to get used to the changes.

**********

Our thanks again to Hannah Patrick for taking part in the Behind the Keyboard series and for supplying me with pictures to use throughout. You can follow her on Twitter at @mhannahp and you can jump over to the Sports Media Challenge website to learn more about Blog Buzz and to keep your finger on the pulse of how sports and online media interact.

If you are interested in being the subject of Behind the Keyboard, follow me on Twitter (@JerodMSF) and shoot me a message. Let’s make it happen.


Filed Under: Behind the Keyboard, Featured Column Tagged With: Behind the Keyboard, bloggers, blogging, Blogs with Balls, Hannah Patrick, interview, mainstream media, sports blogs, Sports Media Challenge

A Summer of Sadness for Indians and Uncertainty for Reds

June 29, 2009 By 2 Comments
Email Post Email Post

Grady Sizemore, Cleveland IndiansOne Ohio team has mercifully closed the chapter on their 2009 season, even though the calendar has yet to flip to July.

Truthfully, the Cleveland Indians season ended the first week and a half of the season when they stumbled out to a 1-8 start. How on earth a team with that much talent could play so poorly in early April can only be answered by manager Eric Wedge. Aside from 2007, his teams have underachieved like no other three of the past four seasons — yet, for now, he still has his job, despite his team displaying the AL’s worst record (31-46).

With the economy in northern Ohio sputtering, and now Mark DeRosa gone, with perhaps others to follow, Jacobs Field could be a sad site this summer.

Let the next “phase” begin, I suppose. It can’t be worse than the first, and we have seen Tribe teams bounce back after rebuilding. It’s just that this team only gave its fans ONE year of success after a bleak three year period (2002-2004) following the magical mid to late 90s’ squads.

Bring on the White Sox! Cleveland baseball has written some whirlwind stories in its history.

Meanwhile to the southwest, the tease that is the Cincinnati RedLegs, fresh off taking two of three in the “Ohio Cup,” have found their way back to .500 again at 37 up, 37 down. They’re somehow ahead of the Cubs, who might be as disappointing in 2009 as Cleveland — maybe.

Cincy moves on face some crucial home games this week versus the putrid Diamondbacks, then the first place Cardinals. Win four or five of those six, and this team is a legit contender in a jam-packed NL Central as we reach the All Star break.

Brandon Phillips bat (and perhaps his mental attitude) and Homer Bailey’s arm — with the indefinite loss of Edinson Volquez — will be two of the many keys to success on the banks of the Ohio this summer.


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: Cincinnati Reds, cleveland indians, MLB

Laugh Out Loud Videos of the Day: Pool Bloopers and Shaq Sings ‘Over the Edge’

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

Shaq Singing Over the EdgeA couple of quick videos that are just sublime in their awesomeness. And, as usual, were found by taking a daily perusal of Hot Clicks by Jimmy Traina.

The first one is Shaq lip-syncing the song “Over the Edge” by Akon, and was posted just a few days ago on YouTube, obviously in the aftermath of the announcement that Shaq will be in Cleveland next year. This is greatness and further proof why Shaq is one of the most entertaining athletes of all-time.

And the next video literally had be laughing the entire time. I realize that kids falling into swimming pools and dude’s getting racked by diving boards shouldn’t be funny, but damnit it is. (And it doesn’t look to me like anything beyond a few bumps and bruises occurred anyway.)

Enjoy:


Filed Under: Featured Column, Random Thoughts Tagged With: bloopers, Hot Clicks, shaquille o'neal, videos

The Anchor’s Desk: The Gradual Sexification of Sports News

June 28, 2009 By 4 Comments
Email Post Email Post

Scott Reister - Sexification of SportsThe economy sucks. Newspapers are shutting down. Local news stations need to earn back viewers. Mainstream sports websites have new competitors and independent blog sites to compete with.

It’s time to make a desperate ploy, fellow media members. Time to turn to an age-old method to get attention: Super-hot chicks.

This has been creeping up on us for a while. Us men used to keep our two favorite things –women and sports–separate. The SI Swimsuit edition was a completely separate issue that came once a year. It was fun, and had nothing to do with sports. The lines weren’t blurred. Then our local sports pages started getting sprinkled in with car ads sporting hot bods and mini skirts.

Sex sells.

Fox’s Best Damn Sports Show Period will dedicate an entire episode to a Hooters beauty pageant. I’m not saying I wouldn’t watch, but if I want sports, give me sports for crying out loud! Call it what it is.
Mainstream sports websites like www.cbs.sportsline.com, and especially www.si.com, dedicate plenty of room to the hotties. Features like “Which celeb chick is hotter?” or “Vote on which athlete looks better half-naked” have become Internet staples that come as a side dish to our sports information consumption. It’s become a part of the equation.

The sports sites are starting to become man-sites. The message is: “Guys, we give you tons of reasons to come to our site! Get your sports and your women all in one place.” The lines have definitely blurred.

Since the internet is the future, are we going down this road and never looking back?

Right now, the major shows and websites are still trying to walk that fragile line of subtlety. Just a small bit of the hot babes sprinkled in with the sports info. I say, why pretend to make it subtle? If sex sells, and you are using that to get readers and viewers, why not go all the way? Why not give us more chicks with our sports…WAY more.

That’s the future anyways, right?

I say don’t stop. This could save the local sportscast, which has been disappearing from some newscasts. Fellow sports anchors like myself could sprinkle in still shots of Baywatch and Maxim babes in between each highlight.

Here’s how my Mariners highlights could look and sound like:

–ANCHOR ON CAMERA—
Good evening, The Ms at home tonight…

(–TAKE VIDEO–)Megan Fox pic
To the first inning, Ichiro homers. 1-0 Mariners! What a great play! And now we take a look at Pamela Anderson. (cut to still shot of her in red bathing suit)

Moving on to the third inning, Beltre strikes out again. Hey, Yasmine Bleeth sure looked hot in 2001! (cut to a still shot of her)

Eighth inning, the Ms put the game away. Ichiro a double! A run scores! He’s the only guy on this team who isn’t terrible! Here’s someone not terrible…Megan Fox! (cut to hot Fox picture)……”

Think more viewers would turn in? If our brains have been preconditioned the last few years to expect babes and sports together…my plan is crazy enough to work.

Sports pages could have an article about a game, and the accompanying picture wouldn’t be from the game, but a sexy shot of Eliza Dushku. The caption would read “This hot babe had nothing to do with the Packers game, but she’s nice to look at!” That might put a jolt into the dying newspaper industry, right?

I’m gonna go cry now about the state of journalism…right after I google some Megan Fox pics.

* – Megan Fox photo credit: Maxim

[Editor's Note: Thank you for writing this article Scott.  It provided the perfect excuse to include a picture of Megan Fox, thus making Midwest Sports Fans one of the last sports blogs to feature its first picture of Fox. Also Scott, please don't take offense that we replaced your headshot on the front page.  You're great and all, but I guarantee the Fox pic drives more click-throughs to the article...thus proving your point I guess.]

———-

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as Dallas Sports Fans.

He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com


Filed Under: Anchor's Desk Tagged With: Megan Fox, scott reister, sports journalism, Sports Media

More Cubbie Blues: White Sox Win Series as Milton Bradley and Sweet Lou Feud

June 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

Milton Bradley - Chicago CubsThis weekend was another one filled with more Cubbie blues.  Not only did the Chicago White Sox take the second and third games of the three-game Windy City weekend set, but Milton Bradley proved that he is just as loose a cannon as ever.

Lou Piniella told Milton Bradley to go home after Bradley threw his helmet and went after the cooler. Bradley was mad that he flew out in the 6th inning in the first game against the White Sox. Piniella told him to take off his uniform, and the two had an exchange of words in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse.

There was no sign of Bradley getting taken out of the lineup or having to deal with any consequences. Jim Hendry promised that it would never happen again. Bradley has already been suspended once this year for arguing with umpire Larry Vanover over a called strike.

Piniella has apologized for calling Bradley a “piece of expletive”. Bradley accepted the apology, and is glad that the incident is over with. Piniella told him the team can’t deal with his antics, and one day Bradley will hurt someone or himself.

Bradley is not new to getting in scuffs with mangers, umpires, and players. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2007 after manger Bud Black spun him to keep him away from umpire Mike Winters. Bradley was suspended twice in the 2004 season. He got a 4-game suspension for throwing balls onto the field after he got ejected. He was also suspended 5 games the same year for slamming water bottles at the feet of a fan after someone in the stands threw it on the field. He also criticized Jeff Kent, saying that Kent was not able to play with black players.

Bradley has been a big flop this year after the Cubs signed him in the offseason for $30 million dollars. Bradley has had one decent year in his career, and his trouble with umpires, mangers, and players always gets in the way of his playing. He has only been a nuisance to teams. It shows when you see that he has been with 7 different teams in 9 years. Teams have shown that they will not deal with him.

So why did the Cubs sign him? Who knows, but let me say it was a bad choice. Bradley is hitting .236 with 5 homeruns and 16 RBIs. His lack of defense has also shown. He sometimes can’t remember how many outs there are, as shown when he threw the ball into the crowd after he caught a fly ball. He thought that catch ended the inning, but it was only the 2nd out.

The Cubs don’t need stuff like this happening when they are already two games under .500, and 3.5 games out of first place. The Cubs need to get back on track if they want any chance to make it to the playoffs.

* – Milton Bradley photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times via Houston Chronicle/AP


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, chicago cubs, lou piniella, Milton Bradley, MLB

UFC 100 Preview: The Title Fights

June 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

Wimbledon betting may excite some sports fans, but there’s another breed of sports fan that finds tennis a bit too tame. That kind of sports fan is probably tossing and turning at night, anxiously awaiting UFC 100. The spectacular event features two title fights. Odds are already up, so it’s not too early to preview the epic battles.

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Brock Lesnar (3-1) vs Frank Mir (12-3)
UFC odds: -225, Mir +185

The wait for the big rematch is almost over. What makes Lesnar/Mir II so interesting is that both fighters have evolved so much since their last bout that the rematch may as well feature two different fighters. Lesnar is a new-age mixed martial artist – not just a “guy who likes to fight” or a skilled competitor in one discipline who learns a few extra skills. He’s an athlete, one who learns at a seemingly geometric rate and seemingly can do whatever he wants to. From collegiate wrestling champ, to WWE superstar, to NFL roster member, to interim UFC heavyweight champion, Lesnar is a ridiculous physical specimen. He has tremendous wrestling ability and punching power and is slowly but surely developing his ground defense.

He’ll need that against Frank Mir, one of the heavyweight division’s best Jiu-JItsu specialists. It’s no secret that Mir is great on the ground – he proved that when he submitted Lesnar in their first meeting – but Mir is more dangerous now because he’s added strong boxing to his repertoire. No one saw his upset of Minotauro Nogueira coming; Mir’s surprisingly technical boxing helped him become the first man to knock out Nogueira.

Since this fight is so tough to call based on skills, athleticism is the tiebreaker. If Lesnar’s ground game keeps improving, he’s virtually unstoppable; no one can physically dominate him and it’s a tall order to knock him out. He’ll overpower Mir and become the undisputed champ.

Pick: Brock Lesnar

WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Georges St-Pierre (18-2) vs Thiago Alves (22-4)
UFC odds: St-Pierre -260, Alves +200

The welterweight title fight seems like a mismatch to some fight fans making sports predictions, but don’t be so sure. Challenger Thiago Alves has one thing GSP has never faced before: raw striking power. St-Pierre, considered by some the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, had his chin called into question when Matt Serra – not a hard hitter – famously upset him in their first bout. As great as GSP is, all his notable victims – Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, to name a few – are known more for their ground work than heavy hands.

Thiago “the Pit-bull” Alves thus poses a new challenge for the champ. With his aggression and deadly Muay Thai knees and kicks, Alves can knock opponents out at any time. On the flip side, St-Pierre is among the best strikers in the sport too. He can just as easily drop Alves and he’s far superior on the ground. St-Pierre, a true champ, also prepares for fights like no one else. He’ll be ready for anything Alves throws his way and you can bet he’ll have a set gameplan entering the fight.

Anything can happen and GSP won’t have an easy time, but he’ll still pull out a victory. Going against him is poor betting management.

Pick: Georges St-Pierre


Filed Under: MMA Tagged With: MMA, ufc

Why the Cubs Won’t Win the NL Central in 2009

June 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

Chicago Cubs logoThe Cubs season hasn’t gone as planned. At .500 the Cubs have failed to meet the expectations of their fans and experts alike.

Many experts said that the Cubs had a great pitching staff, and for the most part they do. The only problem is those guys never seem to stay healthy, and when they return they don’t pitch well.

The Cubs hitters have fared much worse. The team’s batting average is .246, which is 26th in the league. While Derrek Lee has started to hit, his efforts are in vain. Kosuke has once again fallen under the .300 mark, just like he did last year after having a great start. Bradley has been a bust since he has yet to hit over .250. Soriano is their main source of power, but he is not a leadoff hitter. A leadoff hitter doesn’t bat .227 and strike out 70 times in 65 games.

The Cubs have just as many problems on the pitching side. Harden has done what he does best: getting injured. Zambrano has also gotten injured and suspended. Dempster hasn’t followed up on his breakout season of last year. Kevin Gregg has shown that he can’t be depended on to close tight games. Carlos Marmol has struggled to strike out hitters, which he did so well last year. With no clear bullpen ace, setup man, or closer, the Cubs have a bunch of problems that seem to stretch on forever.

If there is any hope this year, it’s Randy Wells and Ted Lilly. They are the only consistent pitchers on the ball club. They pitch well every start and give the team a chance to win. Lilly is 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 14 games of work. With Wells, his numbers do not tell the story at all. His 1-3 record is deceiving. His only bad start came against Minnesota, where he gave up 4 earned runs in 3.2 innings of work.

With all of their problems and inconsistencies, the Cubs will not win the Central division for a 3rd time in a row. The Cubs need a lot of revamping and rebuilding. I suggest dropping some older players and picking up younger ones that show promise. The one thing the Cubs have never really had is a good farm system. Most of their draft picks are a bust in the majors, or they never make it to the majors.

While I am a Cubs fan, I just don’t seem them pulling this off. 101 years it will be.

When does football season begin?


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: chicago cubs, MLB, nl central

White Sox Ride the Waves of Interleague Play

June 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

White Sox logoThe initial version of this post was going to cover the White Sox series victory over the Cincinnati Reds during interleague play. In fact, I was actually twittering during the final game of the series. It was the first time I had done anything like that and I found it to be a unique experience. Not only was I able to verbally express my distain for the White Sox bullpen but I could also send it out to the small number of people who actually follow me.

Of course, these positive feelings did not last long as the LA Dodgers came to town. The first game was a relatively low scoring affair that really was not that disappointing of a loss. The Dodgers are a solid, well rounded team even without Manny Ramirez in the lineup. As per usual the game was not on television so I was stuck listening to the game on the radio. I decided not to Twitter this game as I felt that I could easily slip and end up typing some not so pleasant words.

Thankfully Game 2 with the Dodgers provided me a better outlook and the White Sox won 10-7. Gavin Floyd started out a little rocky but he worked his way through it after both Pierzynski and Ramirez were charged with errors that allowed the Dodgers jump to a 3-1 lead early in the game. It just appeared that the defense was not supporting Floyd’s efforts on the mound. Or course, the headache-producing middle relievers allowed the Dodgers to start to creep back into the game late, but the Good Guys held on.

The big surprise for me was Josh Fields finally showing his potential at the plate. Bringing Gordon Beckham up appears to maybe have started a fire under Josh. He played first base during this second game with the Dodgers. If his bat continues this way Ozzie is going to have to find someplace on the roster for him.

If we can take the third game of the series from the Dodgers we go into the next series against the Cubs riding high.


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB, Uncategorized

The Curious Case of Journalists Perpetuating “Pathetic” and “Ridiculous” Steroid Speculation

June 24, 2009 By 11 Comments
Email Post Email Post

I don’t really know the best way to introduce the source material that I am about to comment on, so I’ll just copy/paste an excerpt and let it speak for itself before adding my own thoughts:

From a recent article by Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times:

Thanks to Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, etc., fans outside St. Louis must wonder, ‘Do we celebrate Albert Pujols or suspect him?’ . . .

Pujols has batted four times with the bases loaded this season and three times has hit grand slams. . . .

In his only other at-bat with the bases loaded, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger delivered only a two-run single. . . .

Sadly, it makes you wonder. . . .

Now, being from the Midwest and never having lived in LA, I was unfamiliar with Jerry Crowe’s work before seeing this article. However, I have to assume that he has proper journalistic training and some level of understanding for the “professional ethics” and “standards of decency” that were trotted out time and again over the past couple of weeks since I wrote about Raul Ibanez.

Geoff Baker and Ken Rosenthal know what I’m talking about.

I honestly don’t even know what to say. It’s not like this article by Crowe is an isolated example of some mainstream sportswriter going rogue and speculating about specific players using steroids. As was chronicled in the myriad posts written about the Raul Ibanez “controversy”, there are countless examples of media members making claims very similar to what Crowe has written above and similar to the article I wrote that touched off such a fire storm.

And I am not highlighting Crowe’s article because I disagree with him or think he is wrong to speculate. Albert Pujols is in my own personal group of players (along with Raul Ibanez, Derek Jeter, and a few others) that I believe in the most, but no one would truly surprise me anymore. I don’t think that Albert Pujols is on steroids, and his statistical consistency as well as what I’ve read about his high level character are two reasons why; yet, I certainly can understand why people would speculate, and the thought has definitely crossed my mind that it’s a reasonable possibility.

So I have no problem with what Crowe wrote. That’s not the point.

What I just find to be hilariously ironic, especially after another viewing of the Outside the Lines video a couple of nights ago, is how righteous and arrogant Ken Rosenthal was and how many of his peers came across the same way in their responses to what I wrote. Believe me, I’m glad they did because it helped to drive traffic to our site and give us a brief little brush with “fame” and exposure, but their larger points about how the blogosphere is ruining sports writing just seem more and more laughable with each post I read like Crowe’s above.

For some reason, bloggers took a tremendous amount of external criticism in the aftermath of Raul Ibanez’s comments about my post. And, come to think of it, I wonder if Albert Pujols is going to publicly scream at Jerry Crowe for his “pathetic” speculation. Perhaps not, since I assume Crowe wrote it from the LA Times offices and not from the dark nether regions of his mother’s basement.

But the truth of it all is this:

  1. Bloggers didn’t create the steroid problem in baseball, baseball did. So getting angry at me or anyone else who writes about it honestly and genuinely is terribly misguided. That’s like having a water pipe burst or break at your house because the plumbers did a shoddy installation job and getting mad at the cable guy for talking about how wet your floor is.
  2. Bloggers certainly didn’t create steroid speculation on our own. Journalists have done it for years (it just came far too late, I’m afraid). As I said above, I don’t have a problem with it. I just have a problem with people accusing the honest, hard-working, passionate sports fans who blog of being “unprofessional” and “unethical” and “attention whores” and “lacking standards of decency” and the multitudes of other trite criticisms we hear, when the “journalistic standards” (whatever that term even means) to which we are ostensibly being held (although most of us never claimed to be setting out to uphold them) are not even being upheld by their own peers.

There are fair criticisms and critiques from professional writers that we should listen to because they can make our content better, but I just hope that if Ken Rosenthal or Geoff Baker reads Jerry Crowe’s column that they roll their eyes, think it’s ridiculous, and write 5,000 word articles lambasting Crowe for his lack of integrity. (And I wonder if Crowe reached out to Pujols before “hitting publish.” He has “access.” Sadly, it makes you wonder…)

It just makes the last couple of weeks look like a disingenuous charade from a group of people who feel threatened by bloggers and the uncertain future of their industry. And it makes all of the righteous indignation seem like nothing more than a bunch of verbose and ironic nonsense.

Tom Fornelli, the author of FoulBalls.net and a writer for FanHouse, said it best as you can read in the excerpt below. And since his article is the one that alerted me to this story, and is the reason I am writing about it, I will both mention him by name and link to his article. (You see, journalists, in the blogosphere we have our own code of ethics and integrity and *gasp* actually follow it!).

It does make me wonder. It makes me wonder what exactly the difference is between what Jerod Morris did on a blog and Jerry Crowe did in the Los Angeles Times. Frankly the only difference I see — aside from the fact Morris did actual statistical analysis and Crowe just threw his opinion out there — is that Crowe speculated about a specific player’s steroid use in a major newspaper that I’m sure has a far greater reach than MidwestSportsFans.com, yet for some reason I doubt there will be as much of a reaction to it.

I guess responsibility only applies to those without press passes.

I have nothing else to say about this story.

By the way, for a funny little anecdote about Sammy Sosa and his obsession with the Sammy Sosa Gun Show, here is another great post by Fornelli at FanHouse. Has a player ever fallen from beloved and respected to resented and laughed at more precipitously than Sammy Sosa? It would be sad if every problem Sosa has faced was not brought on by his own selfishness, personal choices, and the ineptitude of the union and league that he was a part of.

And if you still want more MLB content to read, the good folks over at Sparty and Friends put together a nice piece regarding MLB contraction.

**********

My apologies again for the lack of activity this week. Work has been extremely busy and my two best friends from college are in town so my time at night to write has been limited, but it sure has been great catching up. We ate dinner at Fogo de Chao last night. Ridiculously expensive and ridiculously worth it. See if they have one in your city and go right now. It’s amazing.

And on the very bright side, my previously ill dog is almost fully recovered from surgery and will be completely back bouncing around like his old self in about a week. Thanks again to everyone who sent emails and tweets with kind and supportive words. They were all very much appreciated.

Have a great day everyone.


Filed Under: MLB, Sports Writers and Reporters Tagged With: albert pujols, Geoff Baker, Ken Rosenthal, Raul Ibanez, sammy sosa, steroids

World Series Rematch: Breaking down the Phillies-Rays series

June 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

Phillies-Rays World Series LogoEven if you don’t bet on MLB odds, you have to be excited to watch the Phillies and Rays duke it out this week.

Each team has endured a bumpy road since they met in the 2008 World Series and, while the Rays are climbing toward the top of the AL East, the Phillies’ grasp on the NL East is tenuous. What will happen this week at Tropicana field?

Let’s make some MLB predictions.

Tuesday, June 23, 7:08 p.m. ET
Jamie Moyer (4-6, 6.35) vs David Price (1-1, 3.46)
MLB betting lines: Phillies +155, Rays -175

Is it swan song time for Jamie Moyer? It’s been an amazing run, but he may finally be out of gas, as his 6.35 ERA suggests. However, I have a feeling he helps bust the Phillies out of their six-game skid tonight. He has a somewhat useful 5.40 ERA on the road – good enough with the Phillies bats behind you – and he handled the Rays in the deciding game of the World Series. In fact, he held Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena hitless.

David Price is a special pitcher, so it’s understandable that sportsbooks favor the Rays. However, while many fans love his 30 strikeouts in 26 innings, it’s easy to forget his 18 walks during that time span. That’s simply too high for a major league pitcher, and the Phillies will punish him if he doesn’t hit the plate.

Pick: Phillies

Wednesday, June 24, 7:08 p.m. ET
Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.28) vs Matt Garza (4-5, 3.83)
MLB betting lines: Phillies +145, Rays -165

Time for Tampa to strike back. The Rays have to feel confident sending promising youngster Matt Garza to the hill against the Phillies. He’s quickly establishing himself as a big-game pitcher, having allowed just seven earned runs in 33.2 innings in five starts against the Yankees and Red Sox. Joe Blanton must have nightmares about Tropicana field, as he has a 7.64 ERA there. Carlos Pena has sweet dreams about facing Blanton, hitting .571 off the portly hurler. You have to give the edge to the Rays here.

Pick: Rays

Thursday June 25, 7:08 p.m. ET
Antonio Bastardo (2-2, 5.21) vs Andy Sonnanstine (5-7, 6.60)
MLB betting lines: Not posted yet

Oh, boy. Looks like the home run derby starts early this year. Andy Sonnanstine has been a special kind of bad in 2009 – the kind that usually earns you a ticket to Class-AAA. He’s allowed at least one homer in eight straight starts and 14 in total over that span. Is there any way he can handle a prolific power-hitting team like Philly?

Antonio Bastardo has taken his lumps (though I assume his jersey sales remain strong – what’s the price per head on those at Citizens Bank Park?), but only at home. He’s 2-0 with a 2.45 road ERA in his young career and is a good bet to survive on Thursday.

Pick: Phillies


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB, Sports Betting Tagged With: MLB, philadelphia phillies, tampa bay rays

Sports World Roundup: U.S. Open Resumes Play This Morning with Phil, Tiger Lurking

June 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

U.S. Open Logo - Bethpage Black 2009A busy morning awaits with work duties and consulting appointments at the SBDC, so I figured a quick morning roundup was in order to get you caught up on the latest and greatest stories in the sports world.

First up?  The U.S. Open.  I really wish I could take today off from work to watch final round action, which has stretched into Monday because of torrential rain in New York this past weekend.  The fourth round should be completed today, assuming there is no more rain, and resumes at 9:00 ET.

Taking a quick glance at the leaderboard, Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover are tied at -7 (with Barnes in trouble after his tee shot #2 found trouble last night before play was suspended) with Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, David Duval (David Duval!!??) and Ross Fisher sitting at -1.  Mike Weir is in 7th place at -1 and then Tiger Woods is lurking at even par.

I have a feeling that Phil or Tiger is winning this thing.  I know they have a lot of ground to make up, but I just have that feeling.  Not sure the young guys ahead of them will be able to deal with the pressure.  Either way, it’s been a fascinating championship, and would anything really surprise you at this point?

By the way, if you’re at work and catch watch the U.S. Open live, a great place to track it is Jason Sobel’s blog on ESPN.com.

———-

ProFootballTalk has a report via Terry Pluto of the Plain-Dealer that the Browns never seriously got close to trading Braylon Edwards because no one came close to offering what the Browns considered fair value (namely, a first round pick.)

———-

Scotty Pods has been outstanding this season in his return to the South Side.  Is his success creating a problem for the White Sox? (If so, it’s definitely a good problem to have.)

———-

Albert Pujols jacked two home runs last night to help Tony LaRussa get win 2,500.

———-

Because it’s Monday, you should all read Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback.  I haven’t read it yet, nor will I probably have time to until this evening, but you should.  It’ll be good.  It almost always is.

———-

A great breakdown of fathers and sons in baseball by Josh Q. Public.

———-

Bob Costas use the greatest sportscaster catchphrase ever.  And yes, it starts with “Boom” and ends with “dynamite.”

———-

Pedro as a closer?

———-

From Friday, but because it’s so awesome it deserves more attention, a great video showing us all how to make golf more exciting.  And yes, it involves Gus Johnson.


Filed Under: Golf Tagged With: Golf, links, U.S. Open

Eric Wedge Must Go!

June 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Email Post Email Post

Eric Wedge Must Go!The Cleveland Indians blew a six run lead Monday night versus Milwaukee, and then today, in a debacle, predictably blew a 7-0 lead, losing 8-7 in ten after Kerry Wood was one out from putting Chicago away at Wrigley Field, 7-6.

Eric Wedge is frustrated, has lost the respect of his players, and his team has underachieved in remarkable fashion three of the past four seasons. They currently ride a four game losing streak after a nice win this past Sunday night vs Saint Louis on ESPN.

There is nothing left for him to ruin here.

Injuries are part of the game, so that is no excuse. And since Eric’s a good, humble, honest man deep down, he won’t use that as a cop out either. He’s done a poor job and needs to pay the price, just like anyone in business.

This should have been done six weeks ago; it should have been done three weeks ago, and it sure as heck should be done now, Mr. Shapiro.

* – Eric Wedge Photo Credit: Ohio.com


Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: cleveland indians, Eric Wedge, MLB

Hawk Harrelson: Total Homer, a Little Crazy, and the Best White Sox Announcer Ever

June 19, 2009 By 26 Comments
Email Post Email Post

I don’t remember exactly when I really got into the Chicago White Sox. But here are a few things I do remember:

  • I liked them peripherally for a while in the early 90s and then my White Sox fandom began in earnest while I was in high school, and I’m pretty sure KVB and I got into the White Sox at around the same time (although he may have been a fan first…you’ll have to ask him).
  • My favorite players from those early years were Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Black Jack, Ray Durham, Mike Cameron, James Baldwin, and Roberto Hernandez.
  • From the first moment I heard Hawk Harrelson call a game, I was hooked.

(For the record, what I do remember from my early baseball years is that I hated the Cubs long before I ever loved the White Sox, simply because so many of my Indiana friends loved the Cubs and I could never understand it. They received so much adulation yet never seemed to win anything. I wasn’t about toHawk Harrelson - Chicago White Sox offer any more undeserved adoration.)

I realize that Hawk takes a lot of grief for being an unabashed homer, for sometimes telling long and sprawling stories about guys like Ted Williams and George Brett, for firing Tony LaRussa during the Hawk’s ill-fated tenure as White Sox GM, and for sometimes talking about things that make you wonder if he’s doing okay. Plus, we all know that he likes to make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. (Well, not really the question mark…more like batting gloves. And that actually doesn’t seem to be such an outrageous claim after all.)

But…and it’s a big BUT…for the life of me I cannot understand how any White Sox fan does not enjoy listening to a Hawk-called game over a road announcer or one of the national schmoes they trot out on ESPN or Fox.

I started thinking about this today when I went searching online for a list of Hawkisms that KVB needed for a gift he’s making a friend of his and a friend of the South Siders. I unwittingly stumbled upon the unfortunately named website HeaveTheHawk.com. As you might expect, the creators of this website are not big fans of Hawk for the reasons mentioned above and many more.

Now, I don’t know much about this site nor do I have the time or inclination to go digging. (And for all you haters out there, I am blatantly violating journalistic ethics and integrity by not reaching to them for a comment before publishing this. If you’ve got something to say about, email me.) It appears as if they are White Sox fans, but I suppose it’s possible that it’s a bunch of Cubs fans looking to poke fun at the TV face of White Sox baseball. I have no idea.

All I know is that I disagree wholeheartedly with their “Manifesto“. I do know that one of their gripes is that Hawk Harrelson never played for the White Sox, as evidenced by this excerpt from their page “10 Reasons Why the Hawk Must Go”:

3. Hillbilly. The fair city of Chicago is the third largest media market in the country. So why must we listen to a South Carolinian carnival barker with NO White Sox connection? But wait, he was GM, you say? Yes, read on.

I have never lived in Chicago, so perhaps there is more of this sentiment floating around than I realize. But I consider myself about as die-hard a Sox fan as they come (though, admittedly, not as die hard as these guys or these guys) and I’ve certainly never once thought of Hawk as a “South Carolinian carnival barker.” Plus, what exactly does Hawk need to do to develop a “White Sox connection”? The guy’s been with the White Sox for as long as I’ve been following them. Sure, he didn’t play on the South Side, but doesn’t he have more of a White Sox connection than, say, Mike Cameron, who was only with the White Sox for a couple of seasons? How exactly do we define “having a connection”?

Anyway, I don’t want to make this a long and drawn-out post, and the truth is that I can’t because two of my best friends from Indiana are flying into town tonight (they’re in the air as I type this) so I have to actually put the blog toy away for a little while. But seeing that ugly website earlier today made me feel compelled to throw some support behind my man Hawk. White Sox games just aren’t as fun when Hawk isn’t announcing, telling balls to “stretch”, imploring the scorekeeper to “put it on the board”, and giving opposing batters their proper “he gone” send off after a strikeout.

Hawk Harrelson - Chicago White SoxYeah, Hawk’s a huge homer. Probably the biggest one in all of baseball. So I can understand why a non-White Sox fan might abhor him. But for Sox fans to not like him? That I do not understand, and I’d like to get some feedback. If you’re a White Sox fan, what do you think of Hawk? Surely you love the guy, right? I can’t be this wrong about our fan base, can I? (And if you’re not a White Sox fan…be gone! I’m sure you don’t like him, so you can spare me the trite Hawk criticisms that I’ve already discussed.)

But before you head down to the comment section, sit back, relax, and strap it down as I offer you one of the only redeeming aspects of HeaveTheHawk.com. It’s a sublime song that lists out pretty much all of Hawk’s most famous Hawkisms. I’m assuming it’s meant to be a sarcastic dig at Hawk, and it’s certainly not all that great musically, but it’s still awesome. So click here and check it out.

And then send the creators of HeaveTheHawk.com some hate email. Because, as well know, Hawk looooves email, and I’m sure he’d love knowing that White Sox fans have his back. Say what you will about him, but he has a more tenured association with the White Sox now than anyone but Jerry Reinsdorf. And as far as I’m concerned, I hope he never gets “heaved”, because White Sox games just wouldn’t be as much fun without him.

I agree with the guys at HeaveTheHawk.com that listening to Ed Farmer on the radio is great. But nobody compares to Hawk Harrelson. And unlike the guys at HeaveTheHawk.com, I say that in the most positive context possible.

Hawk…you rule.

What do you think of Hawk Harrelson?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, hawk harrelson

Awesome Video: How to Make Golf More Exciting

June 19, 2009 By 1 Comment
Email Post Email Post

Tiger Woods sunday redA shout-out goes to Jimmy Traina for featuring this awesome video in today’s Hot Clicks.

And an even bigger shout-out goes to the guys at SlateV.com who made the video, which features exuberant college basketball calls over golf highlights. (Spoiler alert: Gus Johnson does make multiple appearances!

Jimmy said it’s one of the 10 best videos he’s ever featured on Hot Clicks. Outside of the myriad hilarious Bob Knight videos I’ve posted (including the Guitar Hero commercial), I can’t think of another better than this that we’ve posted here.

Anyway, here it is. You’re welcome.

* – Tiger Woods photo found at Kotaku.com


Filed Under: Featured Column, Golf Tagged With: Golf
« Older Posts