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Hall of Fame Redskin John Riggins to current owner Daniel Snyder: “You’re pure evil”. I paraphrase only slightly.

COLLINSWORTH: There is a fine line between being a bad guy and a bad GM if you will. Are you saying a bad guy as in the NFL needs to take a look at this?

Gary Clark gave me homework over The Bourbon Chase. I had to read LeBron James’ and Buzz Bissinger’s Shooting Stars and start posting to the front again. Here we go.

Shooting Stars tells the story of how LeBron James learned basketball and created lifelong friendships with his fellow players and coaches. Little Dru, Sian, Willie, and eventually the mercurial Romeo. The coming together of “The Fab Four” then “The Fab Four plus One” in high school to the eventual “Fab Five”. The guys started playing together as a travelling AAU team eventually attending Akron’s St. Vincent’s and won three of four Ohio high school championships, including being USA Today’s number one their senior year.

The book consistently glosses over essential details that leaves the reader longing for more.  Things like LeBron’s mom, only 16 when LeBron was born, is absent from his life for months at a time doing “what she needed to do” to get her life together and become more involved in her sons life. LeBron doesn’t see what could have been wrong when his mom, still on public assistance, got the loan for the $50,000 Hummer she “gave” him for his 18th.

Worst is the pages long descriptions of the basketball games won and lost and LeBron’s internal dialogue. I paraphrase here the pages describing the Ohio Championship game their Junior year where they were runners-up:

“Roger Bacon is playing us tough. We’re trading baskets” (Tons of internal dialogue. How did we get here? We’re supposed to be too good. Why didn’t we listen to the coach?). “Roger Bacon makes a three pointer with 20 seconds left. They’re up by seven” (Much more internal dialogue. LeBron blaming himself, the refs, the partying, his sore back, etc.).

I hated this book. It made me sad to be caught reading it. Swampers, runners, fellow air travelers all pitied me. One woman in Lexington asked me if I realized I was reading a book written for nine year old boys. I nodded slightly and averted her gaze. Best for the description of Grant Wahl’s SI cover piece when LeBron turned 18 and the impact of the media pressure that ensued. Worst for everything else.

C minus.

Disclaimer: We received a promotional copy of this book for review.

Last year Rocco Baldelli (The Woonsocket Rocket) was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease which can be fatal.

From WebMD:

Mitochondria are the energy-making structures inside the cells of our bodies. They have their own DNA, which we inherit directly from our mothers. Mitochondrial diseases or disorders are caused by defects in mitochondrial DNA, or by defects in regular DNA that affect mitochondrial function.



People with mitochondrial disease may get too little energy to power the immune system, the nervous system, and/or other important bodily functions. Or their dysfunctional mitochondria allow toxins to build up within cells.

So in layman’s terms with mitochondrial disease you’re fucked. And since it is genetic perhaps you wouldn’t sire any off-spring. But that’s not what Rocco has. Turns out all those experts where wrong. Where is House when you need him?

Rocco has, and let’s for now say allegedly, channelopothy. The internet does not have much information about channelopothy, but apparently it is not fatal and it is treatable.

So now Rocco becomes a more valuable free agent. You paying attention Hank and Hal? He would look good in center in pinstripes.

I can only imagine how thorough his free agent physical is going to be. It could take weeks. But it is great news for Rocco and his family.

The Baltimore Orioles have evidently given up on waiting for right-hander Daniel Cabrera to live up to his potential.

The Orioles declined Friday to offer the arbitration-eligible starter a contract for 2009, making him a free agent.

I fail to see how this makes the Orioles a better team. Sure this guy can be wild and inconsistent, but he is only 27 years old and he is 6′9″. (the ESPN article says 26 and 6′7″ but their roster has him listed as older and taller, way to go WWLIS)

Perhaps they were afraid of getting their ass toasted in arbitration, but this guy led the league in wild pitches and batters hit. He only had Leo Mazzone for about a year. Maybe the guy is a head case and the Orioles know all about him, but based on their current rotation and his raw ability, I don’t see how this helps them.

Wouldn’t it be funny if Cards sign this guy and give him to LaRussa and Duncan? Perhaps the A’s? He had trade value last year, but after Bedard’s exit the Orioles wanted to keep him and now the Orioles have nothing in return.

Way to go Baltimore. Keep that tradition alive. Why not try having three GMs next?

From the city that never sleeps, we bring you the newest FA signed by the Yankees: A.J. Burnett. This is the kind of high risk signing few teams other than the Yankees could afford. (Think Carl Pavano.)

The deal is $82.5M 5-year for an oft injuired right hander that last year had career highs in wins (18), strikeouts (231) and innings (221 1-3). Never mind those 10 trips to the disabled list for various elbow and shoulder injuries, he should work out just fine.

I remember a period when George would collect about half a dozen 1B/DH types and wonder why they couldn’t all play in the same game.One of those guys only cost Jay Buhner. Today’s move may be just as curious, but there may be more than meets the eye.

The Yankees have found their center fielder for 2009, as they are set to send Melky Cabrera to Milwaukee for veteran outfielder Mike Cameron on Thursday, according to two major league sources.

What the article doesn’t say, and what I read or heard somewhere yesterday, is that Cameron and Sabathia are BFFs.

The problem I have with this is that it is a one year fix. Cabrera is not even 24 years old yet. I understand the move, but I don’t like how little they got for Melky.

Brian Cashman did a lot of talking and hand holding these last three days to get Sabathia to sign. The Yankees, a franchise that seemingly has a love affair with hefty lefties, offered Sabathia the largest contract ever to a pitcher.

A $161 million, seven-year contract, with a three year opt-out clause, should keep him stuffed with cheeseburgers. Ruth, Wells, Sabathia…. where is Jared Lorenzen? It’s not like the Yankees didn’t toy with Elway and Drew Henson.

When people say this guy will anchor the staff, well they aren’t kidding.

Today is my 5th anniversary of joining this website. I followed a link from Gino, who we then helped win the Super Bowl commercial thing, and we haven’t heard from him since.

I have learned and seen many things in my time here. It is not as difficult to explain having a friend on the internet as it was five years ago. At some point someone got drunk and even allowed me to write on the front page.

Some of us have married, some have divorced, some have battled illnesses, one guy even died. We’ve had get togethers, Fantasy Baseball auctions, a great dinner at Sammy’s, and even finally banned HWNWWNM.

I have learned how expensive it is to call Scottie in Canada on my cell phone. I have helped many Swampers disinfect their computers, I have collected money for too many pools and I even talked with a few guys about sobriety.

I watched a certain female UF student manipulated us with her stories of sexual prowess with most of the Gator basketball team, just so we could vote for her to win a contest.

I have watched countless soccer threads go by and yet I still don’t get it. And that is what this place is all about.

Take what you like and leave the rest for someone else. I am proud to call this my home in cyberspace.

This year has the smallest amount of players on the ballot. Yesterday I listened to Peter Gammons, who will again add Alan Trammel to his ballot. Here is my ballot:

Rickey Henderson
Bert Blyleven

That is the sum total of whom I would vote for. I would love to throw David Cone a vote for being a warrior and Mattingly a vote for being a class act, but let’s be honest, they were great players, but they belong in the Hall of Very Good.

As for Jim Rice, All-Star Hockeycentric Swamper, Max Webster says it best:

“I was the biggest Jim Rice fan in the world growing up. I think at this point I’d rather have him be one of the best on the outside than one of the worst on the inside.”

Well said Max and I completely agree.

Here is a list of everyone on the ballot.

Rickey Henderson
Mark McGwire
Jim Rice
Jay Bell
Mark Grace
Dan Plesac
Matt Williams
David Cone
Ron Gant
Jesse Orosco
Greg Vaughn
Mo Vaughn
Harold Baines
Bert Blyleven
Andre Dawson
Tommy John
Don Mattingly
Jack Morris
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Tim Raines
Lee Smith
Alan Trammell

A Miami-Dade jury has awarded almost $1.2 million to a 21-year-old man hit in the groin by a batting-cage pitch.

The jury decided last week that the Sluggers batting cage operation at Tamiami Park in West Miami-Dade negligently failed to properly supervise its employees.

Lhyvann Felipe, who was 19 years old at the time, was hit in the groin by a 60 mph pitch, said his attorney, Gabriel M. Sanchez. He was hospitalized several days later.

The ball struck him after an employee asked him to go back into the batting cage to help pick up the balls.

The machine, which had already completed the cycle and did not have the lights on, spit out the ball, which hit him.

Remberto Sanchez, an owner of Sluggers, declined to comment. Sluggers’ attorneys did not return calls for comment. The judgment called for Felipe to be paid $160,000 for medical expenses and $1 million for pain and suffering.

That made me cringe and immediately check on my twins. The main legal question is, would John Kruk or Mike Lowell only get 500k for pain and suffering?