Dale Lature: Sports Blog

Fox Sports Stinks

Sat, 27 Sep 2003 18:06:46 GMT

I turn on the TV to watch the ONLY REMAINING baseball with any meaning today, the Cubs, and I see the Atlanta Braves and Phillies? Get a clue Fox! And don't give me any scheduling crap. Yeah, it's a double header, but it is THE GAME today. Nobody cares about anybody else compared to this, if they are baseball fans. Get your buts to wherever it takes to cover baseball, or don't cover it at all. Geez!

Reds: Get some pitching and a manager , please

Sun, 06 Jul 2003 20:29:31 GMT

The Reds are probably only going to be 5 games out , which is by no means insurmountable, but stick a fork in 'em, they're done. On a long extended stretch of games where thy play only 3 out of 22 games at home before the all-star break, they come home to play those long-awaited home games in that stretch against the last place Mets. And what do they do with that "relief" frm the long road trip, where they had gone 4-8 during the first 12 games? They get swept by them Mets. Bravo!

The Reds will never get over the hump for 2 reasons: First, obviously, it's pitching. Secondly, lack of a decent manager. Boone is horrible. Today he removed their most effective starter with just 90 pitches, and a 5-2 lead, where 5 runs werew scored over the final 2 frames to finsih off the sweep. He brought in the closer , Williamson, who is anything but a "fire stopper" with his penchant for wildness, who promptly surrendered the game tying two run double. He also failed to make a double switch with Williamson's spot due up second in the Reds eighth, for the umteenth time this year. Add to that his hairbrained experiment with Dunn as the leadoff batter, I think the Reds are in dire need of a change. Boone has never had a team over .500. He took a team at KC from 13 over to 4 under his first year there. Looks like he's doing the same with the Reds as well.

Sun, 08 Jun 2003 15:34:20 GMT

reds

Reds 9, Blue Jays 8

Sun, 08 Jun 2003 15:21:40 GMT

Most of this season, I've avoided writing anythking about the Reds. One is, at least earlier, they didn't provide much to "write home" about. Bad pitching, bad defense, and for a while, bad hitting. The first two remain a problem, but the hitting has finally reached a level that Reds fans had been talking about but not seeing much over the past two seasons. And it has made for some exciting finishes at Great American Ball Park.

16 of their 30 wins have involved scoring the winning or deciding run in their final at bat, and 8 of those , walk-offvariety wins at Great American Ball Park, inciting the smoke stack fireworks celebration in Centerfield.

Great American Ballpark has been dubbed "Coors Field East" because of its becoming a "primeier long ball allley" in Major League Baseball. I believe I saw a graphic during Wednesday's game with there with the Yankees that there have been more homeruns hit there than in any park in America. No wonder, with the Reds leading the NL in homers, and the Reds staff being quite the "run producers" themselves, surrendering runs at alarming rates, and so they give up the long ball quite liberally.

Adam Dunn, stuggling with an alarming K-rate, and an anemic batting average (he just raised it over the .210 mark inthe last couple of games, accentuated by a monster blast last night that cleared the right field stands and probably went bouncing along the highway behind the ballpark and in fornt of the Ohio River. He leads baseball with 20 homeruns, and raised his average to a robust .215. Last night the guys on ESPN were saying they "liked him at leadoff now", since he's walked 4 or 5 times and homered twicce in the last two nights, but guys, his OBP is .335, which is NOTHING to write home about. It ranks tenth on the Reds team, which doesn't excactly bode well for making him a good leadoff guy. Why not bat Barry Bonds leadoff ?(after all,, he started off as a leadoff guy). He gets on base with the best of 'em. Why? Because he also hits homeruns, and you want guys on base when shit like that happens. Also, he's hitting .215, which blows the original spark for the idea in the first place (that he gets on base). Come' on Boone, get some sense. I haven't seen such a horrible idea since my 2nd grade teammates who bat their most powerful hitter first in a pickup softball game during recess. By the way, both of Dunn's homeruns this weekend came with the bases empty (surprise, surprise). (By the way, the Reds leader in on-base-percentage? Ken Griffey Jr. at .404. I bet you Dunn hasn;t batted leadoff since , well, second grade.

Walkoff Homeruns Ring Out at Great American Ballpark

Sat, 10 May 2003 18:23:57 GMT

Guillen hits Reds third walk off of the week! Two of them two run homers with the team a down a run. Guillen's cannon blast comes after he uses his own "Shot-gun" of an arm to nail a would -be run at the plate in the top of the inning. (see it at MLB.com at this link, click the 300k link under "Play of the Game" in the MIL-CIN row about half way down the list....I tried to add the jsp script and link here to get a direct link , but it's too closely tied to MLB's scripts and all)

Griffey suffers injury again

Sun, 06 Apr 2003 04:04:03 GMT

Fans in Cincinnati have been absolutely horrible to Ken Griffey , Jr, and today, more morons were yelling and criticizing him as he lay in the outfield with a dislocation of the shoulder after diving for a ball to try and prevent a bases-clearing double.

For me, I'm not mad at Griffey. I am pretty much out of any real hope that this will ever end. Every year since 2001, it's been a nightmare, and a real shame to see a guy who came to Cincinnati at age 30 only 102 homers shy of 500, and entered 2001, at 31, only 62 away. Now, two years later, he still has 39 to go. I was hopeful, after the good spring, that this would be the year when he shut up all the loud mouths. Now, they're crowing again, and I'm so glad I don't live there anymore so I don't have to hear it.

Big Boppers come up empty for the Reds

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 21:16:00 GMT

After doubling in his season opening at-bat, Griffey strikes out on a pitch head high with the bases loaded and one out, thus starting the fans grumbling. If he can stay healthy, this won't be the norm. But I sure was frustrated that he couldn't capitalize on that great opportunity to begin some fan PR by getting a big slam right there, putting the Reds back in the game. He wiffs, and after a walk to Kearns forces in a run to make it 6-1, Dunn brings on more groans by popping out to shallow right. Sigh.

Sports Theme remains Blue

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 21:00:58 GMT

This sports page will remain Blue in honor of the Kentucky Wildcats of 2003, and the Tennessee Titans, who just fell short of another SuperBowl Birth. Both teams overcame discouraging starts to end the season on amazing streaks (Titans went 11-1 until losing to Oakland in the AFC championship, and Kentucky won 26 in a row after starting 6-3, before Bogans went down and the defensive pressure with him. The "Suffocats" just weren't there without Bogan's skills.

Until the Reds can show some signs of life, the Reds theme will be absent from this template.

I already want Bob Boone out

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 20:52:48 GMT

Used to be the Reds made a good showing opening day, even in not so hot years. I was about to say, "Maybe the Reds offense can come alive and make a game of it yet, just before Adam Dunn grounded out to the pitcher after jumping ahead 3 balls and no strikes. I thought that was usually a hitter's count. There goes Casey for out number two. This is not starting out good at all. All of this from walkking the opposing pitcher. I say, the quicker the Reds can get rid of Bob Boone, the quicker they're team can strat winning. Boone has never won anything (has he even had a team that finsihed over .500?) Reds go quietly, 1-2-3. Still 6-0 after two complete.

I never liked the idea of bringing him in. The word was, players who have had hime don't like him. So, that's reason enough to bring him right in. The Reds are heading in the wrong direction.

Reds stinking up Great American Ballpark early

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 20:44:14 GMT

2003 starts off just great for the Reds. Haynes gives up a 2-run homer ro ex-Red Reggie Sanders, then after issuing a 2-out walk to opposing pitcher Benson, gives up a 3-run homerun to Kenny Lofton? The pathetic pitching already killing us. Before I can get another sentence complete, Jason Kendall jacks another for back-to-back homeruns, the third in the inning. All of this off of the "opening day starter", the supposed " ace of the staff.

At least Griffey started out good with a double in the first. After one and a half, Pirates 6, Reds 0.

Kentucky Blue(s)

Sun, 30 Mar 2003 02:18:44 GMT

Being a Kentucky Basketball fan, I'm a bit deflated tonight (sports wise --- otherwise it was a pretty good day ---- see the post later today) . Actually, the gloomy outlook for the Cats began Thursday night in the first half when Keith Bogans went down, and then finding out later that he had a high ankle sprain. They outlasted Wisconsin, but the road ahead looked to be too much to ask without a healthy Bogans. The one chance was to outshoot and outhustle Marquette, and give Bogans another week to heal before taking on Arizona or Kansas (Kansas won) and then the final (probably Oklahoma or Texas). But when Chuck Hayes got in foul trouble, and nothing would fall in the first half (26% shooting, including 1-8 from 3, while Marquette hit 7 of 13 from 3 and 56% overall), it was a little much. The injury really shot down the title hopes. I didn't watch the next game until the latter half of the second half. I'm really pulling for Roy now (Roy Williams of Kansas). Could well turn out that 3 of the Final 4 teams are Big 12 teams. Wonder if that's ever happened?

Funny that a movie on HBO (High Crimes) I was watching to "drown my sorrows" had Ashley Judd in it, a big Kentucky fan and constant shot of cameramen at the games. She had the Kentucky team over to her house in Nashville for barbeque last weekend when they played the first round games. Great year, Blue! A shame to have been cut short.

Kentucky Number One

Fri, 21 Mar 2003 13:15:27 GMT

My Pro Football Team (Tennessee Titans) and College Basketball Team (Kentucky Wildcats) overcame slow starts to finish extremely strong (Titans from 1-4 to 11-5 and AFC Championship Game) and Kentucky from 6-3 and a sound thrashing by Louisville to 29-3 and a perfect 16-0 SEC record and an SEC Tournament victory (even the '96 team didn't win the tourney, being ousted by Mississippi State in '96, in New Orleans, which is where they played this year, but Kentucky on top this time, 64-57. They're playing the first two rounds this year right here in Nashville, but there aren't enough tickets to go around. Go cats! Ranked number one going in (since those "other wildcats" in Arizona lost in the first round of their tourney)

Year-old News Shows up

Sun, 02 Feb 2003 11:58:23 GMT

I got this on my News Aggregator this morning. Trouble is, it's from April 2002. It's difficult to know (at least for me) if the error is Moreover's or About.com's. Somehow , it got today's date on it.

Griffey Injured Again. About.com Pro Baseball Feb 2 2003 6:30AM ET [Moreover - Sports: baseball news]

Wed, 22 Jan 2003 04:45:56 GMT

Friend: Rose Ready to Admit Gambling. Newsday Jan 21 2003 11:34PM ET [Moreover - Sports: baseball news]

Sun, 15 Dec 2002 00:05:18 GMT

Time for basketball (even though the Titans are still very much alive)

Reds Hall of Famers

Fri, 06 Dec 2002 03:53:31 GMT

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The big four Reds of the 70s: Bench , Morgan, Perez, and the should be hall-of-famer, Rose. If Steve Howe can be given, what was it? 5 chances at drug rehab, then Rose can be forgiven.

Sun, 27 Oct 2002 15:21:03 GMT

Angels' late-inning heroics surprise everyone but them. FOXSports.com Oct 27 2002 2:38AM ET [Moreover - Sports: baseball news]

and me. Anybody that it "surprises" hasn't payed much attention. Where do they get these headlines?

Coming back home usually spells victory in Series

Fri, 25 Oct 2002 12:53:07 GMT

OK, before everybody starts talking about the Giants being on the brink of a Title, remember recent history. Coming home down 3-2, the Angels need only look back one year to the Diamondbacks, who trailed the Yankees 3-2 as the series came back to Arizona. Look at 1991, when the Twins did it to the Braves, 1987 when the Twins did it to the Cardinals, 1986 when the Mets bounced the Red Sox, 1985 when the Royals did it to the Cardinals (St. Louis was up 3-1). The Cardinals did it to the Brewers in 1982, Pirates to the Orioles in 1979, and it goes on and on. It seems to be that if a team comes back home at all, they win it. And we've seen what the Angels can do. At least the Giants have shown that they CAN win a game in Anaheim (game 1). We shall see.

Philly Enquirer sees through the Baseball Memorable Moment vote

Thu, 24 Oct 2002 11:55:26 GMT

I knew that this "vote" would raise debates. It's so incredibly clueless how people fail to realize (although the quote below does indeed realize) that people will vote for THEIR memorable moment based on at least a couple of factors: That they were actually , like, ALIVE and stuff when the event happened (the Jackie Robinson finishing 3rd complaint) and they vote on the basis of what the media not so subtly suggests are the most memorable. The Philadephia Enquirer article includes these couple of observations:

The voting by more than 1.1 million fans, underwritten by the MasterCard company, promoted by Fox Television and blessed by baseball during the pregame ceremony, served not only as a testament to Ripken, the Orioles' modern-day Iron Man. It also acknowledged the power of the TV and Internet generations.

These generations, wooed by Internet balloting, dominated the election process just as they did in an earlier baseball promotion in which players such as the fifth-leading home-run hitter of all time, Frank Robinson; Hall of Famers such as Stan Musial and Roberto Clemente; and every Negro League great failed to make the fans' All-Century team, while present-day players such as Ken Griffey Jr., Roger Clemens and McGwire were honored.

Said Dusty Baker, manager of the National League champion Giants: "Most people vote on their memorable moments that they were there to witness or [had] in their time or their generation."

Jackie Robinson's integration of baseball, rendered just third in the fan voting, touched a nerve among those who will always view Robinson's contribution as something that transcended sports and changed the way America looked at race.

The fact that Ripken won proves the "acknowledged the power of the TV and Internet generations" point. Ripken's feat was played and hyped and replayed to unprecedented proportions, far outreaching the actual "fondness" the event holds in just about any baseball fan's heart outside the Baltimore vicinity. For them, of course it was special, just as Pete Rose's 4192nd hit was to me as a Cincinnati fan. But consecutive games played is NOT something which has the possibility of standing up against the homerun record, or Jackie Robinson, or even Bobby Thompson.

Gehrig's speech blows Ripken away. Clemente's death blows it away. Bonds' 71st homer (a guy who I don't particularly admire, save for his raw ability as a hitter) blows Ripken's record away. Bonds didn't get it becuase he broke a whopping 3 year old record. WOW! It shouldn't take much gray matter to realize that a 3 year old record broken by a guy who nearly everybody outside of SanFrancisco thinks is a jerk (and probably the majority of people IN SanFrancsico) will not be recognized as providing a "near and dear to the heart" moment.

If the vote had been an essay question with no "multiple choice" , I don't even think Ripken's streak would have been on the radar. If the vote had been done on the ranking system, that record would have so many rankings below 50 that it would have fallen way off the list.

Baseball's Most Memorable moment??!!

Thu, 24 Oct 2002 00:35:13 GMT

I was afraid that the "Most memorable Moment" would be the Ripken streak. What a media -induced response.. Consecutive games played is indeed a monumental achievement, but WAY WAY over glorified. I got SO sick of hearing about it. I like Ripken, and it's certainly an awesome record, but I do not consider that "memorable". Give me a break. Not even in the top 20 or even 50 in my book.

Maybe that's the point. How could we forget, since we got reminded about as many times as Ripken had games played during ther streak?

Combining Sosa and McGuire and referring to the whole season seems to me to be "compressing" a bit too much into one (no doubt to "make room" for others), but mCGuire's 62nd homerun eclipsed everything in that season and that "race". With McGuire going over and hugging the Maris boys and Sosa coming in from right field to embrace McGuire, that was certainly up there for me. I also like Sosa, but Mac got there first. I also like Mac a heck of a lot more than Bonds, but I found myself pulling for Barry to make it to the Series (everybody deserves that thrill. I don't think Sammy's going to make it unless he goes elesewhere)

Thu, 17 Oct 2002 12:37:44 GMT

Dave Does Baseball

4/24/95: "I'm a mystic when it comes to baseball. Living in California, I'm also a mystic when it comes to earthquakes." [Scripting News]

A Rare World Series with Both Teams back after a long absence

Mon, 14 Oct 2002 05:26:11 GMT

We are assured of a World Series where the participants have been collectively absent for at least 54 years (the Angels have never made it before in their 41 year history, and the Giants have not been there in 13 years, the Cardinals in 15, for a whopping minimum of 54. The last time that the Series has had two teams , neither of whom had been there in the previous decade was in 1986, when the Mets and Red Sox met (Mets had been absent since 1973, and the Red Sox since 1975). Prior to that, it was 1984, when the Padres (first time in their 15 year history at that time, and the Tigers, since 1968). 1982 saw the Cardinals back for the first time since 1968, against the Brewers, first trip in their 13 year history which began as the Seatlle Pilots. 1980 pitted the Phillies (first trip in 30 years) against the Royals (first time in their 11 year history). Before that, you gotta go back to 1948 (mainly because the Yankees were present in just about all of them back to then) and the Braves of Boston (not since 1914) and the Cleveland Indians (not since 1920). Before that, only one other: 1929 when the A's of Philadelphia were back after 15 years, and the Cubs for the first time since 1918. That's it. This will be the 7th Series like that (4 of them in the 80's!). Just thought you ought to know how rare this is.

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 13:18:41 GMT

I guess I need to go looking for some UK logos and backgrounds for my sports page and be content to wait for College Basketball to start, becuase the Titans absolutely SUCK. They lost to Dallas last week, who got thrashed for the second time in three games, and then they lose AT HOME to CLEVELAND, blowing a 14-point lead with 5 minutes left, and it only took Cleveland about 4 minutes to go 65 yards and kick a field goal to win in overtime, after tying the game on an onside kick where NO Titans were anywhere close to the ball. The titans got 188 yards in TOTAL offense. They won't even win this pathetic division. Horrible. For the second year in a row. I'm so tired of Jeff Fischer and his pathetic offensive "plan".

There's no "escape" in Titans football this year.

The Reds also closed out their Riverfront Stadium/ Cinergy Field history by getting swept by Philadelphia, and pretty much sewed up a sub-500 season. Great American Ballpark, here we come. Hopefully, Ken Griffey Jr. will have a healthy year and I hope a relatively injury-free remainder of his career, and give himself a shot at 700-plus homeruns.

When it gets closer to late fall, I 'll be interested enough in basketball to start looking at who they have and what the season will look like in 2002-3.

Titans Win Opener 27-24!

Sun, 08 Sep 2002 22:40:14 GMT

The Titans played much better (after what whatmust have been a very UN-quiet halftime thrashing from Fisher- following a first half where a quick and awesome start was totally turned around by a two consecutive turnovers and two Eagle touchdowns). When the Titans scored a TD to make it 24-19, with 12 minutes to go, they elected to go for 2, and the announcers said it was "automatic". I thought "it's way too early", and too many different combinations of scoring possibilities still existed. The Titans failed in their attempt. They later scored a go-ahead TD, which put them up 25-24. A an extra point on the previous score would have enabled them to take a 3-point lead with another kick. As it turned out, they got the 2 this time. If the Eagles had simply scored a FG, it woudl have been an 8 point game. It just seems to early to call that decision "automatic". John Madden, if I recall, doen't like the "formulas" that have been used for this either. Especially before the last 5 or so minutes of the game, where the range of possibilities is less. But anyway, a good comeback! 27-24! Kearse is lost for a while , though.

NFL.com -

Sun, 08 Sep 2002 15:59:22 GMT

	vs.
Team News Official Site		Team News Official Site

·Kirwan: Eagles have depth
·Esiason: Watch out for Titans
·Titans' Kearse plans to play in opener

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