All Talk Sports

With the pressure of possibly losing his job, Joe Torre desperately needed a win against the Cleveland Indians to avoid a sweep.  On Saturday, George Steinbrenner stated that Joe Torre would be fired if he didn’t win the series against the Indians.

Sunday’s game looked like it was going to be the end for Torre and the Yankees.  The Yankees found themselves down 3-0 early in the game as Roger Clemens struggled against the Indians and made an exit in the third inning.

The Yankees were able to make a rally and came back to beat the Indians 8-4.  The savior of the Yankees’ season and Torres’ job was Johnny Damon.  Damon had three hits and drove in four runs, including a go ahead, three run homer, giving the Yankees a 5-3 lead.  This gave the Yanks the momentum they needed to rally and come away with the win.  The Yankees still trail the  first round AL playoff series 2-1, but this victory might give the spark the club needs to win the series and ensure Torre keeps his job.

George Steinbrenner threatening to fire Joe Torre is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.  Given the success Torre has had with the Yankees, Steinbrenner should have shown more class, and not broadcast to the media that Torre would be fired if the Yankees were swept.  Torre can only do so much when one of your star players goes into hiding when post season comes around.  Alex Rodriguez goes from a superstar to a minor league player when the games matter the most.  Instead of threatening to fire Torre, maybe Steinbrenner should have threatened to take some of A-Rod’s money back.

Well, I knew USC was going to be upset, but I definitely didn’t think that it was going to be Stanford of all teams to pull it off.  Some how, some way, the Stanford Cardinals shocked the USC Trojans, Trojan fans, and the entire nation as they defeated the No. 2 ranked team in the nation 24-23 in Los Angeles.

In addition to a poor showing against Arizona State the previous week, the Cardinals were coming into the game as a 41 point underdog, and without their starting quarterback T.C. Ostrander due to a seizure.

Quarterback Tavita Pritchard took on the challenge and stepped up his play.  Pritchard had only completed one pass the entire season.  But,  faced with 4th and goal, Pritchard threw the game winning touchdown to Mark Bradford with just 41 seconds remaining in the game.

While Pritchard may have won the game for the Cardinals in the end, most of the credit has to go to the Cardinal’s defense.  The Cardinals held the Trojans to just 95 yards rushing.  Coming into the game, the Trojans were ranked No. 10 in the nation, averaging 237 rushing yards per game.  The Cardinals also intercepted 4 passes from USC quarterback John David Booty and sacked him 4 times.

Surprisingly, the last team to beat the Trojans at home was the Cardinals in 2001.  With this lost, the Trojans had their 5 game winning streak against Stanford snapped, their 35 home game winning streak snapped, and their 24 game Pac-10 home win streak snapped.

So there you have it, I never expected this to happen, but it did.  The Cardinals defeated USC with a second string quarterback, and held their potent rushing game under 100 rushing yards. I know that anything can happen in college football, but given the circumstances, and of all the teams to upset USC… Stanford?!

For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here is the video of Marion Jones’ apology for lying to the feds about using steroids, as well as stating that she will be retiring from Track and Field.

Another athlete’s career tarnished and ruined because of drugs.  When will they learn?

Here is a funny Lebron James skit from his appearance on Saturday Night Live.  The funny thing is, I can definitely see something like this happening to a star athlete.

First Vick, and now Travis Henry has tested positive for marijuana.  Henry, the Broncos leading rusher, faces a one year suspension from the NFL due to a positive test of the banned substance.

In 2005, Henry served a four game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy as a member of the Tennessee Titans.

Henry is attempting to  block the NFL from testing the B Sample that is needed to confirm the positive test because he states that the NFL would not let his expert be present for the testing. The conflict between Henry and the NFL has reached federal court. 

Henry made headlines on All Talk Sports in August, when reports surfaced of Henry having nine children with nine different women. Although making millions in the NFL, the reports stated that he was unable to come up with the money to pay the child support.

Henry not only let his team down, but also let his family down.  I don’t think Henry or his nine children can afford to miss an entire year’s worth of pay.

This is Part II, and the final installment of Mr. Insider’s “Barry Bonds, Summer of Love.”  

Barry Bonds, “Summer of Love” Part II

8-1-07 

Later, on June 11, I chatted with Barry as he stood on the dugout steps at AT&T Park.  As he returned to step down, I thanked him again for what my friend Larry Beil the Sportscaster calls “A Random Act of Kindness by Bonds”.  Barry looked at me, smiled and said, “No problem and you are welcome.”  He then missed a step, tripped and nearly fell into the dugout.  I was horrified, but he caught himself before flopping onto the cement!  I apologized for taking his attention and said, “Gee Barry, I can see the headline now.  Sports Columnist causes Barry Bonds to trip and pull a muscle. The writer’s body was later found floating in McCovey Cove”!  Bonds chuckled and replied, “No sir, it was my fault.  No problem, It was me, not you that tripped.  I’m ok.”

Friday the 13th.  Another perfect San Francisco evening with blue skies, white scudding clouds and 68 degrees.  Once again Barry was leaning against the dugout railing.  I approached him and said “How’re doing now”?  He shook my hand and replied, “Not bad for Friday the 13th.  How are you doing?”  Flummoxed, I stuttered that I was great!  I then asked, Barry, “Why do you seem more grounded, more comfortable, this season? I cannot imagine the pressure from expectation.”

“Yes, well, I am feeling good.  As long as I feel good I want to do this.  I dont have to do this.  I do it now because I want to now.”

I replied that it seemed a positive way to perform under the press, the hoopla and pure pressure by the sporting world.  Then asked if he would consider being a DH for the Athletics or AL in the future.

Laughing, Barry replied, “I don’t know.  Right now I really am doing what I want to do, as I said.  Can’t say at this point.  My focus is to stay healthy and help my team out of it’s slump.”

OK, but what about breaking the most hallowed record in sports?

“Well, there is someone coming right behind me who is pretty darned good.  A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) is a great talent and should be the next one to set the record.”

(more…)

With Barry Bonds not coming back to the Giants, and the whole Mark Ecko publicity stunt, I’d figured we would show some love to one of the best sluggers in MLB history.  Mr.  Insider is a subscribed reader to All Talk Sports and is a rookie reporter for the Castro Valley Newspaper. During the Summer, he became good friends with Barry Bonds and wrote a two part series on his interactions with Bonds.  Here is part I of a 2 part series of Mr.  Insider’s ”Barry Bonds, Summer of Love”. 

Barry Bonds, “Summer of Love” Part I

7-25-07

Photo Courtesy of Pete Liebowitz  

A spectacular Saturday at AT&T Park.  Crystal clear blue sky, sunny balmy 72 degrees.  What better time to reflect on Barry Bonds’ 2007 season than to listen to the “Summer of Love” Band entertaining an enthusiastic crowd.  Carlton Poward did an eerily perfect impression of legendary Jimi Hendrix, making Woodstock and 1967 seem as if they were yesterday.  Songs by the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, The Byrds and my favorite, The Mama’s and The Papa’s, flowered over the crowd as Barry Bonds stood at the dugout steps with his enigmatic smile.                                           

Next two weeks are about Barry, one of the best players of all time, and how I have come to know him.  No dwelling on performance enhancement, clubhouse politics or press relations.  This is about a baseball writer and his time with Barry Bonds.

The sporting world knows Bonds will eclipse the most hallowed record in sports, Hank Aaron’s 755 home runs. Today, Barry has done it or is just a few swings away from beating that record.  Well ahead of his Godfather Willy Mays’ 660 homers.  My opinion of this incredible athlete has changed.  Regardless of Bonds’ bashers, and there is plenty of ammo for them, here are a few thoughtful facts. Seven MVP awards, with no one else having four.  Only member of the 500 homers/500 steals Club.  14 All-star games, homers off a record 443 pitchers, 3rd in runs scored just behind Ty Cobb and Ricky Henderson, with a lifetime slugging percentage of .608

The next two weeks, you decide who is the real Barry Bonds.  He is a complex man.  One day an orge, the next charming.  One day throwing carts in the clubhouse, the next praying with Rev. Jesse Jackson, one day introverted, the next sharing studied insights about the game of baseball, its history, and its stage actors.  He is one of those actors.

(more…)

If you go to youtube and search for your favorite NBA player’s highlights, there is a very good chance that your favorite player will be dunking on the man pictured below. 

His name is Shawn Bradley, and for 16 seasons he was the NBA’s punching bag.  No player in the history of the NBA has been dunked on and posterized as much as Bradley has.  Standing 7′6” and weighing a very slender 275 pounds, Bradley was expected to be a shot blocker, but was never really that good at it, as he consistently got dunked on by quite a few players in the league. 

Whenever I turned on a game and saw Bradley playing, my eyes would light up because I just knew that there was going to be an amazing dunk.  It would happen almost everytime he stepped on the court.  After a while, I kind of wished that Bradley would just stop trying to block dunks, because I was somewhat embarrassed for him, but there was just no quit in him.  Here is a list of some of the players that have posterized Shawn Bradley during his career:

• Kobe Bryant

• Robert Pack

• Yao Ming

• Donnell Marshall

• Cuttino Mobley

• Kevin Garnett (numerous times)

• Tracy McGrady (numerous times)

• Chris Webber (numerous times)

• Eddie Jones (numerous times in the same game)

• Shaquille O’neal (too many times to count)

• Keon Clark

• Penny Hardaway

• Derek Anderson

• Jason Richardson

• Derek Fisher

Please click here for a video of the many dunks on Shawn Bradley.

It was supposed to be a very special day for the Cincinnati Reds. The weather was perfect at Great American Ball Park, and there was that usual sense of excitement among the fans on every Opening Day. 

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory was given the honor to throw the opening pitch and former Cincinnati Reds Outfielder Eric Davis was the catcher.  Mallory proceeded to step to the mound and then..