It seems as if lots of “stuff” happened while I was seeing Panama and the Panama Canal at a leisurely pace. I cannot even pretend that I am caught up on things yet but some events of the past week and a half call for comment.
John Daly got mad when a reporter did a story on Daly’s 456-page personal file held by the PGA. That file contained much of the disciplinary actions taken by the PGA with regard to his behaviors over the years. The reporter did not “steal” the records or get them from a “mole” within the PGA; the file was public record because it was evidence in a lawsuit that Daly filed against a different reporter several years ago. So, Daly is the one who made the file available. Nevertheless, Daly sent out a note to his “Twitter Twits” giving them the cell phone number of the dastardly reporter who published his shenanigans and told the “Twitter Twits” to flood the reporter with complaint calls. The Twits did just that. Three things jump out at me from that short description of what happened:
1. How the hell could the PGA put up with a member who had a 456-page disciplinary file? Isn’t golf supposedly the gentleman’s game where one has the honor to call penalties on oneself? Looks to me as if the PGA cannot call a penalty of any significance on a popular player. Question:
How many pages would be needed in an NFL player’s disciplinary file before he was suspended for a year or more and the basis for the suspension was widely known in the reign of Roger Goodell?
2. John Daly is an even bigger horse’s ass than I thought.
3. Most of the writers who have covered the PGA Tour for the past 15 years or so cherish their access to the golfers way too much to be considered “objective journalists”. Am I to believe that few if any of the behaviors that led to a 456-page disciplinary file manifested themselves to the PGA press corps? Why was there any “news content” in the current story other than the exact number of pages in that file?
In perusing reports from Spring Training, I try to avoid the ones that are formulaic such as a player reporting to camp 10 pounds lighter than last year or another player reporting to camp 15 pounds heavier than last year both with the expectation that the change in weight will make them better at the end of a long season. However, there were a couple of reports that caught my eye.
Kyle Farnsworth is an extremely fortunate man; he is in the Kansas City Royals’ training camp this year. Assuming that he makes the squad and travels north to Kansas City in April, this will be his twelfth major league season. How that can be true and why he is in camp again is what makes him an extremely fortunate man. A quick check of the record books will tell you that Farnsworth’s career major league record is 31-53 with 27 saves in 11 seasons. He is 33 years old, over his career, his ERA has been 4.47 and he gives up 8.7 hits per 9 innings. Farnsworth pitched for the Yankees for 2 seasons and had a losing record there; now the Royals are going to try to make him over into a starter – again – and somehow they think he will generate a winning record in Kansas City. Maybe Kyle Farnsworth is really Mandrake the Magician…
I have written in the past that I really enjoy watching Giants’ infielder, Pablo Sandoval, play baseball because he plays with enthusiasm and hustle. In one sense, he reminds me of Manny Sanguillen and Roberto Clemente in the sense that there is no pitch that he will automatically take – - other than the one that bounces 10 feet in front of home plate. According to reports from Giants’ training camp, this winter he played in the Venezuelan league with a hitting coach and worked on “pitch selectivity”. That would clearly be beneficial to Sandoval who is already a very good hitter despite chasing pitches well outside the strike zone. That is the good news for Giants’ fans…
Over the same winter, Pablo Sandoval went to a nutrition clinic and worked with a nutritionist to lose some weight. Sandoval comes by his nickname, Kung-Fu Panda, honestly. He came out of the clinic 10 pounds lighter and with a new dietary regime. Then he went to Venezuela and gained all of it back. So much for “learning and retaining new behaviors” at the dinner plate. That makes the question facing Giants’ fans rather simple; can Pablo Sandoval learn and retain new behaviors at home plate?
I read a report on MLB.com where Manny Ramirez said:
“I’m an employee here. I just do what they want me to do.”
Ah yes, Manny Ramirez trying to stake out the position as the loyal follower dedicated to betterment of the team as a whole… I wonder what the fans in Boston and the Red Sox management might think about that kind of image makeover in light of Manny’s famous knee injury that prevented him from playing regularly until the day after he was traded to LA.
Let me say from the beginning that I have never been enamored with Dusty Baker as a manager. Looking at the reports from the Reds’ training camp this season, it seems as if much of the positive feeling for the team centers on young pitching. The Reds have Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez on the squad – - with Volquez working his way back from surgery. Both are young and talented. In addition, the Reds signed Cuban phenom, Aroldis Chapman over the winter. However, the caution flag should be flying in the minds of Reds; fans because Dusty Baker had Kerry Woods and Mark Pryor in Chicago and both became “regulars on the DL” with arm trouble because they were used up early in their careers.
I noticed that Forbes Magazine named Cleveland as America’s most miserable city. From that fact, I draw the following conclusion:
The panelists who deliberated to confer this “award” have spent precious little time in Detroit, Fresno or Lubbock.
Finally, two comments from sports columnists on recent sports happenings:
“BYU guard Michael Lloyd was munching a candy bar on the sidelines when called into action, Saturday against New Mexico. He ended up having the game of his career, coming off the bench to notch 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
“No word on which candy bar he was eating, but here’s guessing it was a Skor.” [Brad Rock, Deseret Morning News]
“Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila have settled their dueling lawsuits out of court, which is a huge relief. You’d hate to see those kids tarnish their reputations.” [Scott Ostler, SF Chronicle]
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…
Comments
You should have been imprisoned in Panama for the rest of your life ’cause people like you have no place in USA.
Curm,
Welcome back.
Farnsworth owes his career to the JUGS gun. He can throw his fastball 100MPH. You cannot coach that. but if that is the only pitch you can throw for strikes, unless you have exceptional location (he doesn’t) and movement (he doesn’t) a good hitter WILL catch up to it. I think Mathews said if you put it straight over the middle, he could pull a bullet. Everyone thinks they can coach him into another pitch. It has happened, Koufax and Ryan were not very good at first, and Koufax could not win with very good Brooklyn teams – but they started to get it together by 25 or so.
Re: Cleveland
>The panelists who deliberated to confer this “award” have spent precious little time in Detroit, Fresno or Lubbock.
Would you?
billy:
And I hope you have a nice day too.
Ed:
After 11 seasons and at age 33, one might think that even an old baseball hand might get the idea that Farnsworth is unlikely to be a “late bloomer” and what you have seen is what you will get…
In a previous incarnation, I did have the joy of spending a SMALL amount of time in those three cities. Personally, I would take Cleveland over all three of them.
Must be ‘vent your spleen day’ for billy. Can somebody vent his spleen?
Billy must have gotten lost. He probably meant to send that letter to his local politician.
Oh, yeah… almost forgot to add. I think that John Daly gets a pass for his misdeeds because (and this is just my impression), he comes across as somewhat harmless and only a danger to himself. I don’t agree with it, and I think he’s an eyesore for the sport, but that’s the impression I get.
I’m not going to even mention the kind of risk he is placing that poor reporter in by making his number public. That’s just inexcusable on Daly’s part.
Rob:
I think Daly gets his pass for his behaviors because he makes no attempt to hide them or to change them. He projects the image of “everyman” and “class clown”. Daly would probably agree with Popeye the Sailor who always said, “I yam what I yam.”
Reporters tend to love guys like that because they are story generators. Therefore, as long as Daly’s actions cause little or no harm to anyone else, they portray him as an eccentric guy and not someone whose life is way off the centerline.
SC,
I agree Farnsworth will not find it – that was why I mentioned Ryan and Koufax found it by 25.