Pinstripes & Plowboys

test

2010-01-18T22:52:00.002-05:00

Prince

Now batting, Fred Durst

2009-05-25T20:59:00.006-04:00

All the teams in MLB wore red hats. Now, I'm as patriotic as the next guy but the red lids were a little bit weird, and this is coming from a guy who went to a Yankee game last week with his dad who was wearing a maroon NY jersey.
The hats were part of MLB's Stars and Stripes collection. I guess the red hats could have been worse.

There's no truth to the rumor that A-Rod wore these spikes

Swinging in the rain

2009-05-22T20:28:00.001-04:00

Check out how the UConn and South Florida baseball teams wasted time during a rain delay - a dance off.

New Stadium

2009-05-22T20:16:00.004-04:00

Reports of my demise are premature. I just haven't blogged in a while because I'm lazy. Had a great birthday Thursday. Took my pops to the New Yankee Stadium to watch the Bombers whup the O's. Loved the new digs. Lots of room to walk around and pee, things that were severaly lacking in the old stadium. Still can't get over the fact that beers were $10 a pop (2 beers at NY=30 pack at package store), but what are you going to do. My dad is also going to the Stadium Saturday with my brother. He's going to have to take out a small loan. Anyway, two thumbs up from dad and I on the new Yankee Cathedral. Our original seats were upper, upper, upper deck, but I was able to persuade a security guard to let us move down. (Good story from my pops, who recalled slipping an usher a 5-spot in the 70s to move three of us behind home plate vs. the Red Sox. Guessing beers weren't $10 then). We had a great view for 5-plus innings before deciding to move down even further. The best thing about the Stadium is the fact that you can walk around and actually stand and watch the game behind the railing down low. There's a much friendlier atmosphere there, with staffers all over holding signs reading, "How can I help you."

Overall it was a great time and great place.

BP? How about AJ.

2009-05-14T21:26:00.002-04:00

So the Yankees have finally decided to allow fans to move down to the outer reaches of the lower deck during batting practice so they can get a better view.
Fans with tickets for seats elsewhere in the new Yankee Stadium can move into outfield sections and corners of the field-level stands during batting practice, a change in policy the team said it made in reaction to fan desires.
Really, I don't know what the fans were complaining about. If they want to watch BP just go to the Stadium whenever A.J. Burnett pitches.

Sore subject

2009-05-13T22:00:00.008-04:00

I think the Yankees need to change their name to the Crankees, because boy are they old.

Jorge's already on the DL.

Same with Matsui.

Jeter's even missing games with a sore right oblique. He's no spring chicken anymore.

I don't even know what an oblique is, but I'm sure mine's sore. For three straight days, I've taken the twins for a walk around the neighborhood.

No, not those twins.

Anyway, the walk brings me to Winding Ridge, which features beautiful homes and a nasty hill.

It's absolutley killing me.

The full walk takes me about an hour, which is about an hour too long for the boys to actually sit still. Every day I pack two juice cups, a bottle of water for myself and a box of Vanilla Wafers.

It's counterproductive. The boys drink their juice and all my water and I eat the cookies on the way back down the hill.

Manny being suspended

2009-05-07T20:51:00.013-04:00

So, Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for failing a drug test. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

Maybe he did it because chicks dig the long ball.

I'm sure he'll be grilled by MLB, maybe even Congress.

He's in elite company.

Could there be others to follow?

Seriously, the Yankee fan in me wants to feel good that someone from the Nation, or with ties to the Nation, finally got nabbed, but I don't. Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't believe that anyone's clean anymore. And I resent the amount of money they're getting paid. It's official, I am getting old.

I've long said that Vince McMahon should start a league, The XXXXL, which features nothing but athletes all hopped up on performance enhancing drugs.

I'm sure Afa and Sika would put up some serious power numbers.

But who would they get to manage them.

2009-05-05T19:13:00.003-04:00

The Yankees just can't seem to beat the Red Sox. Posada's injury is really going to hurt because he was raking. Joba needs to go back to the bullpen because he's not getting it done as a starter.

The rivalry has lost some of its steam, mostly because the Sox are spanking the Yanks, but it got a little heated Monday when Joe Girardi accused the Red Sox first base coach of relaying signs to his hitters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/sports/baseball/05yankside.html
Maybe the Yanks should come up with some other signals like the ones used in this classic "Naked Gun" clip.

Philling in nicely

2009-04-29T17:07:00.005-04:00

I didn't get to watch Tuesday night's Yankee game because I'm surrounded by Sox fans here at work. I guess Phil Hughes pitched well, allowing two runs over six innings. The Yanks broke open a scoreless game with 10 runs inthe seventh victory on their way to a 11-0 victory. Jose Molina hit a grand slam.

Hopefully Hughes can keep it up, Wang can straighten himself out and Joba can go back to the bullpen.

Then maybe the Yanks can make the playoffs. Overall, Tuesday was a good night, espeically since the Sox lost on a heartbreaking play reminiscent of the good old days.

I guess Youk hit Lopez in a a bad spot - the glove.

Tri-State vs. Wallingford Twilight

2009-04-28T17:43:00.005-04:00

Just to let the thousands of fans who follow my P&P blog know, the Tri-State Baseball League, featuring the one and only Bethlehem Plowboys, will put together an all-star team to take on the best the Wallingford Twilight League, another really good summer circuit, has to offer in a special All-Star game May 9 at 11 a.m. at lovely Fussenich Park in Torrington.

The event is for a god cause, a Mother's Day Baseball Charity Weekend with all proceeds donated to the Breast Cancer Awareness/
Pancreatic Cancer charity fund. The weekend will culminate with a ceremony on Sunday at Pat Wall Field in Wallingford at 4pm on May 10 followed by a baseball doubleheader.

Here are the league websites.
http://www.wallingfordtwilightleague.com/index.html
http://www.tristatebaseballct.com/wordpress/
Hope to see you there.

Cheap seats

2009-04-28T17:37:00.004-04:00

The Yankees are cutting some premium ticket prices and giving free seats to certain ticket holders in response to empty seats during the first homestand at their fancy new ballpark.

The team on Tuesday slashed the price of 48 first-row Legends Suite season seats on the outer half of the dugouts and photo cages from $2,500 to $1,250, and 68 others in the final three sections down each foul line from $1,000 to $650.

"There are a few hundred suite seats in our premium locations that have not been sold on a full season basis," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. "As a result, and for many of our fans who have already purchased full season suite seats in such premium locations, the Yankees are announcing today a program that adjusts certain prices and benefits."

A-Rod inching closer

2009-04-28T17:32:00.003-04:00

Alex Rodriguez participated in a sliding drill for the first time and got 15 at-bats Tuesday during his initial simulated game since undergoing right hip surgery last month

Bernie talks about Cheshire

2009-04-27T21:34:00.008-04:00

I don't know if you've seen Bernie Williams with Michael Kay on YES' Centerstage or not, but he gives a shout out to Cheshire.

The Yankees hid Williams out at Cheshire Academy when he was 16. He also spent some of that summer playing for Meriden's Katz Sports Shop the Greater Hartford Twilight League. He joked about the fact that the Katz managers never played him.

Pretty cool. Dave Katz reports that he watched the Centerstage show and that many people have commented about Bernie mentioning playing with the team.

Here's a link to a New York Times story that has some info on Bernie at Cheshire.

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/20/sports/teen-ager-in-hiding-how-yanks-kept-williams-under-wraps.html?n=Top/News/Sports/Baseball/Major%20League/New%20York%20Yankees&pagewanted=all

Break out the brooms

2009-04-27T20:59:00.002-04:00

I haven't blogged in a while, and it's not because the Yankees stink.
I really only watched one of the three games against the Red Sox over the weekend. I took in Sunday night's game while folding a pile of laundry.
Some thoughts:

The Yankees look old and tired, like an over-40 softball team.
C.C. and A.J. better start earning their $$, O.K.?

Joe Girardo must go.

Ellsbury should have been plunked, not for stealing home because he caught cousin Andy and Jorge sleeping, but becuase he came out for a curtain call.

Are you starting to hate Nick Swisher yet?
How about Brett Gardner (DiMaggio...Mantle...Williams....Gardner)

It is time to panic.

Melkman delivers

2009-04-22T20:24:00.005-04:00

Wow, did Melky Cabrera pimp it after hitting a two-run shot in the 14th inning Wednesday to give New York a 9-7 victory over the Oakland A's.
Not bad for Brett Gardner's back up.
It was the second homer of the game for Melky, which should be proof that something is going on with a wind tunnel at the new Stadium.
A record 26 homers were hit on the opening homestand, one more than the previous mark set at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium in 1955, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Seventeen of the homers went to right field, raising suspicion that there might be a wind tunnel.
There has been talk that the Yanks hope to fix the problem, if there is one. I kind of like all the homers.

Yanks will skip Wang's turn

2009-04-20T19:37:00.000-04:00

Chien-Ming Wang, 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA, was bypassed for his next turn, and Joba Chamberlain, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte were scheduled to start this weekend in the Yankees' first trip of the year to Fenway Park. Wang, who thinks he may be leaning to the left in his pitching motion, cannot be optioned to the minors. "I believe he's going to fix it," Girardi said. "I just do in my heart. We're behind this guy and we need this guy."

Homer Dome

2009-04-20T16:56:00.007-04:00

Checked my email as soon as I got into work today. Apparantly, I've won 1.2 million dollars. All I have to do is send a check for $1,500 to Somalia and the 1.2 will be deposited into my account. I'm in the money.

Another email suggest that I, "Stop Stretching!" OK.

I also stumbled upon this email:
AccuWeather.com reports fourteen of the 20 home runs went over the right fieldwall, including a controversial game-changing home run hit by Yankee Jorge Posada on Sunday. The abundance of homers is raising concerns that the new stadium's design may favor fly balls, which should be alarming to the baseball team that invested $243.5 million on pitching last winter, according to the Daily News .
The wind on Saturday during the Yankees' 22-4 loss against the Cleveland Indians was mostly from the west at 15-20 mph. Given the layout of the stadium, the wind could have had an effect on fly balls in right field. Six home runs were scored by the Indians in the second inning alone.
Although the field dimensions of the new stadium are exactly that of the old stadium, the shell of the new stadium is shaped differently. AccuWeather.com meteorologists also estimate that the angle of the seating in the new stadium could have an effect on wind speed across the field.
The old Yankee stadium had more stacked tiers and a large upper deck, acting like a solid wall in effect, which would cause the wind to swirl more and be less concentrated. The new Yankee stadium's tiers are less stacked, making a less sharp slope from the top of the stadium to the field. This shape could enable winds to blow across the field with less restriction. In addition, the slope of the seating would also lead to a "downslope" effect in the field which, depending on wind direction, would tend to cause air to lift up in the right field. Fly balls going into right field during a gusty west wind would be given more of a lift thus carrying the ball farther out into right field.
If the stadium seating tier shape is indeed the issue, games will only be affected during times with the winds are from a westerly direction and above 10 mph. This typically occurs during the spring and the middle to late fall. The calmer weather during the summer should lead to a smaller number of home runs. In the meantime, the home run derby may continue.

Whatever is going on, the new Yankee Stadium seems less like the House that Ruth Built and more like Coors Field.

The Yanks stunk up the new joint

2009-04-16T21:37:00.005-04:00

It was a beautiful day for baseball. Yankee Stadium II looked gorgeous. John Fogarty played "Center Field" in center field and Bernie Williams strummed out a stirring rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Fighter jets flew overhead, Yogi threw out the first pitch and David Wells sat in the bleachers for "Roll Call."

What a great day.

Then the Yankees stunk up the joint.

Before Derek Jeter led off the bottom of the first, the bat Babe Ruth used to hit a three-run homer in the 1923 Stadium opener was laid across home plate. Jeter picked it up and the baton was officially passed. Maybe they should have dug up the Babe. The Yankees could have used in a disgusting 10-2 loss to the Indians.

The Yanks pitching was so bad that the fans, probably led by Boomer Wells, began chanting, "We want Swisher!"
It was a day to remember for all the wrong reasons.

2009-04-15T15:25:00.003-04:00

I'd like to issue an apology. After further review, I don't hate Nick Swisher (even with this photo). And not just becuase he's hitting .458 with four homers and 11 RBIs and averages a strikeout per inning. I was harsh on Swisher earlier this week for his antics on the mound. After visiting his website, I like him a whole lot more. He has a tribute to his grandmother on there and his tweets show just how much he loves the game.

http://nickswisher.net/

Best of luck, Swish, especially since Nady is apparantly done for the season.

Peeved

2009-04-14T17:21:00.004-04:00

When I revived this blog a couple weeks ago I made it clear that I would use this forum to discuss what's on my mind. Most of the time, it's sports. But I've noticed something lately that really, well, pi**es me off - People peeing on the side of the highway. I'm used to it, say, on the way to Yankee Stadium or something, but not on 691 like I saw on my way into work on Tuesday. Unfortunately, this is not the first time in recent weeks where I saw someone unload their bladder roadside. What ever happened to holding it? Or going deep into the woods. My wife blames MTV.

This really has me upset. It's nice to get it off my chest. I'm relieved.

Thabeet makes it official.

2009-04-14T16:53:00.005-04:00

As expected, junior center Hasheem Thabeet's UConn caeer University of Connecticut junior men’s basketball player Hasheem Thabeet (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) has chosen to give up his final season of eligibility and enter his name into the 2009 NBA Draft, it was announced Tuesday.
“After spending time with my family and friends and speaking with Coach Calhoun, I have decided to give up my final year at UConn and enter my name in the 2009 NBA Draft,” said Thabeet. “I have had a great experience at Connecticut and cannot thank my coaches and teammates enough. I look forward to the challenge of playing professionally and know that my time here at UConn has prepared me to be successful in the future. I also want to thank all of the fans in Husky Nation that have followed my career, especially those from my homeland of Tanzania, and hope they will all be as supportive of me at the professional level as they have been to this oint.”
“Hasheem is more than ready to make the move to the next level,” said head coach Jim Calhoun. “He has been one of the most dominant defensive players in the history of college basketball and I am certain that where ever he ends up in the NBA, he is ready to be equally successful. He is a special player and even more special as a person. He will truly be remembered as one of the great players in UConn history, not only for his accomplishments, but also because of the type of person he is.”

Thabeet was named First Team All-American in 2008-09 by the NABC and the John R. Wooden Award. He was the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons and was the 2008-09 BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year. He averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game (No. 2 nationally) in 2008-09 and helped lead the Huskies the 2009 NCAA Final Four and a 31-5 final record.

Thabeet is the 11th player at UConn to declare early for the NBA Draft and nine of the previous ten were drafted in the first round. Eight of the ten were taken in the lottery portion of the first round.

Nick Switcher?

2009-04-13T22:35:00.007-04:00

I wanted to email all my friends who are Mets fans after the other team from New York lost in the opening game at their own ballpark. I changed my mind when I turned to the YES Network and saw Nick Swisher on the bump and Jorge Posada at first base.

Then it got even worse Swisher struck out Gabe Kapler and had the ball thrown into the dugout. He also tipped his cap after getting three outs. Are you kidding me? Yankees fans like to talk about the "energy" Swisher brings. Trust me, you won't like him in two months when he's hitting .220.

What happened to my Yankees?

What's wrong with Wang.

Fire Joe Girardi right now .

Raining on the Parade

2009-04-13T17:34:00.006-04:00

Cancel the UConn women's parade, scheduled for Sunday in downtown Hartford. Going 39-0 and winning the national championship is a huge deal. Congrats Lady Huskies. You deserve a parade, but you don't need one at this time when the state and families are struggling.

In a press release, Gov. Rell said the parade is "being made possible through generous donations from the Cityof Hartford, State of Connecticut and a variety of civic organizations and area businesses."

The Gov. then went on to say that, "“Frankly, the people of Connecticut needed some good news at this time and the undefeated women’s team was it. Let’s return the favor by lining the parade route and showing them how much they really mean to us.”

Give me a freakin' break. It's just not worth it. Families (including mine) and businesses (including mine) have been forced to to tighten their belts and so should the state of Connecticut. This is basically throwing money away. I'm a UConn alum. I support the UConn women. Maybe I'm just fired up because I did my bills today, but I hope the streets are empty.

Thabeet tweets

2009-04-13T17:18:00.004-04:00

Hasheem Thabeet is a twit.

From the AP:

Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet hasn't said whether he plans to skip his senior season to turn pro, though messages on his Twitter account indicate the promising center enjoyed a superstar's lifestyle during a holiday weekend in Miami.
On Sunday, Thabeet "tweeted" on the social networking site about being courtside near rap star Ludacris to watch the NBA's New York Knicks play the Miami Heat, and then wrote about dining out at an upscale Miami Beach restaurant.
"At The Forge For Dinner!!! I didn't know food could be so expensive.... Ahhhh LOL!! Enjoyin MIAMi tho.. Fancy Life, Fancy Cars.... Mhmmm," Thabeet wrote in his online post.
At 7-foot-3, Thabeet was hard to miss at the game. Afterward, he told a reporter that he planned to speak with Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun on Monday about whether he should make himself available for the NBA draft. But Kyle Muncy, a spokesman for the Connecticut basketball team, said he was unaware of that meeting, and doesn't expect an announcement on Thabeet's future this week.
"He is definitely going to meet with the coach over the next couple of weeks," Muncy said.
Thabeet has until April 26 to declare for the draft. If he doesn't hire an agent, he would have until June 15 to withdraw and retain his collegiate eligibility. Under NCAA rules, he would lose any eligibility if he accepts gifts or benefits from an agent or anyone else because of his athletic ability.
Thabeet did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment. A telephone call went unanswered.
Muncy said he did not know why Thabeet, who is still enrolled at UConn, was in Miami or who was paying for the trip.
"I assume he was there to see a basketball game," he said.
Thabeet averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and blocked 152 shots for the Huskies this past season. Muncy said the center has been "a lot of places" since UConn lost in the national semifinals to Michigan State. He stayed in Detroit to pick up a postseason award, and has also traveled to New York for an award ceremony, Muncy said.
While other UConn underclassmen have posted messages about going to class, Thabeet's "tweets" since April 1 have mostly been about having fun.
"Swagga On A Zillion... Oewwwwww!!!! MIA-yooo Lets Go!!!!," he posted Sunday at 2:30 a.m.
UConn had classes last week and this week. The school's spring break was March 8-14.
Thabeet, who is known for his sense of humor, caused a bit of a stir before the Final Four with a prank post on his Twitter account in which he said he had failed a surprise drug test, and wouldn't be going to Detroit.
That was posted April 1, and was followed less than an hour later with another message — "ApriL FooLs!! LOL hahaahhaha!!!"
Thabeet has so far left just one cryptic message about his basketball future on Twitter. On Saturday he wrote, "Indiana 2009-10?"
Indianapolis will be the site of next year's Final Four.
On Monday afternoon, Thabeet tweeted that he was back on campus.
"Back In UConn... Wats Good Peepo????," he wrote.

It doesn't matter. There's no chance Thabeet is coming back for his senior season.

The eyes have it

2009-04-10T20:05:00.002-04:00

It felt like a decade ago, with "Cousin" Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada leading the Yanks to a 4-1 victory over Kansas City. Pettitte went seven strong and Hip-Hip Jorge smacked a two run-single to royally spoil KC's home opener. That's two in a row for the Bombers.

A-Rod's hip

2009-04-10T17:51:00.004-04:00

This just in, A-Rod will begin baseball activities Monday, more than a month after hip surgery on March 9.

Sidney Ponson on the bump

2009-04-10T17:42:00.002-04:00

KC's Sidney Ponson takes the mound today against the Yankees, his former team.

I'm sure he had a restless night's sleep in anticipation of the big game.

The King is here.

2009-04-10T17:11:00.009-04:00

Speaking of Facebook, I recently was asked to name my top five favorite athletes. I selected these 4:

(I know, I know, Lou Piniella? I was born in 1970 and Sweet Lou helped lead the Yankes to World Series championships in 1977 and '78. He was my favorite growing up. I even wore No. 14 from Little League through high school and beyond.)

Still, my absolute favorite athlete of all-time is:

So I'm super-thrilled to watch the premiere of the new HBO documentary "Thrilla In Manila" on Saturday night.

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/thrillainmanila/index.html

Myles and Miles

2009-04-10T17:04:00.006-04:00

How freakin' hip am I? Not only do I blog, but I'm also on Facebook, which I learned Friday can really get you in trouble with Myles Brand and the NCAA.

This story just came over on the AP wire:

College sports fans, be careful of the company you keep on Facebook.
You might get yourself — and the program you support — in trouble.
That was the lesson this week for Taylor Moseley, a North Carolina State freshman who expressed a common-enough opinion on campus when he started the Facebook group called "John Wall PLEASE come to NC STATE!!!!"
More than 700 people signed up for the group encouraging Wall — a local standout and the nation's No. 1 basketball recruit — to pick the Wolfpack by national signing day next week.
But the NCAA says such sites, and dozens more like them wooing Wall and other top recruits, violate its rules. More than just cheerleading boards, the NCAA says the sites are an attempt to influence the college choice of a recruit.
Moseley got a cease and desist letter from N.C. State's compliance director, Michelle Lee, warning of "further action" if he failed to comply.

So be careful UConn fans. You may already be in enough hot water when it comes to recruits.

What if Calhoun called it quits?

2009-04-09T19:58:00.014-04:00

What if today's press release from UConn announced Jim Calhoun's retirement? Who would be next in line. Dave Leitao, Tom Moore, Karl Hobbs and even associate head coach George Blaney have been mentioned as possible replacements obviously because of their connection to the program.

I've even heard discussions about Donny Marshall and Geno Auriemma.

I think I would have gone after Gonzaga's Mark Few.

Either Few or this guy

Pres. Obama congratulates UConn on smoking Louisville

2009-04-09T18:57:00.005-04:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is wishing congratulations to the Connecticut women's basketball team on its perfect national championship season.
Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama called coach Geno Auriemma and the president told him he looks forward to welcoming the team to the White House for a ceremony.
The Huskies went 39-0, capping a dominant season with a 76-54 victory against Louisville in the NCAA tournament final.
In the same phone call, Obama spoke with star player Tina Charles, who scored 25 points and went 11-for-13 from the floor in the championship game.
Gibbs said the president praised Charles for a great game but kidded her about what happened on the two shots she missed.

Time to celebrate. Yanks actually win

2009-04-09T18:51:00.008-04:00

(AP) Three games into the season, the New York Yankees finally looked the part of the highest-priced team in the major leagues.
Using standout performances from newcomers A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira, New York pounded the Baltimore Orioles 11-2 Thursday for its first win of the season.

Do you know who this is? Hasheem doesn't

2009-04-09T18:12:00.003-04:00

According to the New York Daily News, swimming sensation Michael Phelps introduced himself to Hasheem Thabeet at a NYC nightclub earlier this week.

"Hasheem had absolutely no clue who Michael was, and (Phelps) walked away looking a little embarrassed," the paper reported.

Maybe Phelps should've worn his medals.

Calhoun to return

2009-04-09T16:31:00.005-04:00

This came from UConn today:
STORRS - University of Connecticut head men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun will return for the 2009-10 season, it was announced by the school Thursday
.
“It is my full intention to return for the 2009-10 season,” said Calhoun. “I look forward to coaching next season and to continuing as the head coach at Connecticut into the future. In many ways, the journey of this past season has made me realize how much I love coaching this game, how much I love my kids and how much I enjoy being at Connecticut.”
“I am very excited that Coach Calhoun will continue as our head men’s basketball coach,” said UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway. “We look forward to continued success in our men’s basketball program for years to come under the leadership of our Hall of Fame coach.”

Calhoun completed his 23rd season at UConn in 2008-09, his 37th year as a collegiate head coach. He has compiled a career record of 805-342 and is No. 6 all-time in NCAA Division I Basketball history with his 805 career wins. He has a record of 557-205 in his 23 seasons at Connecticut. Coach Calhoun led the Huskies to the 2009 NCAA Final Four, the program’s third trip to the Final Four, and guided UConn to the 2004 and 1999 NCAA National Championship. He was a 2005 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

It ain't over

2009-04-08T23:00:00.003-04:00

The Yankees are 0-2. If I'm Joe Girardi, I go into the clubhouse, flip over the buffet table and go all Bluto on their pinstripes. (Warning explicit language).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lT1o0sDwI

Plowboy up

2009-04-08T18:09:00.005-04:00

FYI, the Bethlehem Plowboys play in the Tri-State League. Here's info on both:

http://www.tristatebaseballct.com/wordpress/

http://www.freewebs.com/plowboy4life/comments.htm

From the small world department

2009-04-08T17:31:00.004-04:00

From the small world department, about 20 years ago I worked part-time in sports at the Waterbury Republican with Adrian Wojnarowski. He was a full-time reporter and I doubt he would remember me. Woj is one of the Yahoo reporters who wrote this story about possible UConn recruiting violations:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ys-uconnphone032509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Guess who was also a part-timer on the Waterbury staff at that time? None other than political activist Ken Krayeske, who became famous for asking Calhoun about his salary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xokthY5zuPU
I'm still waiting for my 15 minutes of fame.

Ripping Tommy John

2009-04-08T17:26:00.005-04:00

Maybe this is my 15 mintues. Here's the batting practice session with Tommy John I was talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdw7slGi2No

Joba (Breaks) Rules

2009-04-08T17:18:00.004-04:00

Maybe it's appropriate, since Joba Chamberlain has a mid-90s fastball, that a website called Smoking Gun released video from his DUI arrest.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0406091joba1.html
Think Joba thought he was getting pinched that night after talking baseball with the cop.

One Shining Moment lacks luster

2009-04-07T22:48:00.005-04:00

Has "One Shining Moment" jumped the shark? (If you don't know what that means Fonzi, check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark)
I used to love watching the highlight video at the end of the Men's National Championship game, but "One Shining Moment" has lost its luster, escpecially since ESPN hits us over the head every night with rapid-fire highlights set to music. With that said, I present to you the one and only Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE

Charles in Charge

2009-04-07T22:36:00.006-04:00

Speaking of Charles. How about Tina Charles leading the Lady Huskies to a perfect season and the women's programs sixth national title. Guess you can say Charles was in Charge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeE8x--PeII
Congrats. I don't follow women's basketball much, but it's a wonderful accompishment.

Carsten Charles

2009-04-07T22:06:00.002-04:00

The answer to the Sabathia Sweepstakes is, of course, Carsten Charles.

Hasheem Stylin

2009-04-07T21:51:00.003-04:00

Think Hasheem Thabeet is going to come back for his senior season? He certainly looked the NBA part at the Final Four in this photo: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Hasheem-Thabeet-gets-caught-in-his-girlfriend-s-?urn=ncaab,153380

Nailed

2009-04-07T21:35:00.006-04:00

Remember Lenny Dykstra? The big chaw, running into walls, mixing it up with Rick Dempsey. Nails. HBO recently featured him as a successful business man on Real Sports (what is Gumbel actually jotting down on the pad). Lenny's been ripped in a GQ article. Check it out.
http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_8558

Too early to panic

2009-04-07T18:39:00.006-04:00

One question I was asked after C.C. got roughed up by the O's on opening day? Is it too early to panic? Of course it is.
Give the Yanks at least another week.
I watched pieces of Monday's game, in between feeding kids, folding laundry and sparring with the IRS over my lost tax documents. (I had the day off, but wished I could go into work to relax).
Jeter had a good day out of the lead-off spot and Brett Gardner looked OK in the nine hole. The Yanks do, however, seem a little old with Damon, Posada and Mutsui all one hamstring pull away from an extended stay on the DL.

Sabathia is going to be just fine. He hit 95 on the gun, I noticed, and he seems more like a warm-weather pitcher.
Anyone know what C.C. stands for? Is it:
A. Crooked cap.
B. Cool cash.
C. Carsten Charles.
D. All of the above.
I'll provide the answer in tomorrow's blog. Speaking of this blog, I'll spend most of the time writing about the Yanks but I also plan on including anything I find interesting, like this ultimate April Fool's prank
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1774718