Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category

Under the Fedora: Goals, No Debate on this, Protesting the Geek Prom, Barr None, Redsox vs Miami Heat advantage Sox

Posted: April 27, 2024 by datechguy in baseball, culture, education, elections, media, nba, politics, Sports, under the fedora
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Other than the Professional activists who are being paid to upend universities I would be real money that the girls at the “Free Palestine” protests are there for status and self esteem and the guys are there in the hopes of getting laid.

In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if more than one guy at these “camps” are taking liberties that they shouldn’t and the ladies who are being taken advantage of are told not to talk about it, complain about it or report it for the sake of the cause.

I don’t care what Radio host he said it to does anyone really believe Joe Biden circa 2024 is going to take a stage opposite of Donald Trump?

Cripes they don’t even let him walk to the airplane or helicopter without being surrounded for fear of people seeing how fragile he is and you’re going to put him in front of Trump who will ask Biden before millions of eyes how heavily did they have to drug you up to get you to this podium?

If they thought Biden could stand up to Trump they wouldn’t have spent the last year trying to jail him.

The White House Correspondents dinner is going on as I type. The folks at the Lincoln Project are suggesting it’s going to be a big win for Biden. Given the hundreds of protestors outside making trouble, all leftists btw, I think this is another example of redefining words.

The real irony is just about all the journalists in their spend most of their time whitewashing the crimes both of Hamas and the protestors themselves, but every revolution eventually eats their own allies.

As you might have heard Bill Barr who did his level best to ignore and enable the steal of 2020 by inaction endorsed Donald Trump for 2024 on the grounds that whatever he might think of Trump, Joe Biden and the Democrats are an actual threat to freedom.

Trump being Trump accepted the endorsement listing all the names that he has called Barr and stated from now on the label “lethargic” will be removed from the list.

CNN hoped to pounce on this but Barr just laughed and when pressed listed all the ways that freedoms are being threatened by the Biden Administration rules that were not being done under Trump.

That’s how bad this administration has been, they’ve got Bill Barr doubling down on an endorsement of Trump.

Finally I was out with a devout young friend of mine who was once my boss. He was part of the layoff at my place but because he is a hard worker and very talented he quickly found another job at a better pay and has by that hard work advanced himself admirably.

We went to Buffalo Wild wins and caught the Celtics vs Heat game and the end of the Red Sox Cubs game while we were at it. As I watched the finish of the Redsox game which carried into the 2nd quarter of the Celtics playoff game I saw something I had never seen before.

The Celtics have a spectacular defense and put on a show during the first quarter of the game. How much of a show? It took the NBA’s Miami heat until 2-3 minutes into the 2nd quarter before they managed to outscore the Boston Red Sox who put up 17 against the Cubs today.

If the Celtics play this kind of defense during the rest of this playoff run I don’t see how any team beat them. Bill Russell would have been proud of them.

History awaits as Chicago White Sox might finish with worst MLB season ever

Posted: April 21, 2024 by John Ruberry in baseball, Sports
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Blogger at a White Sox game

By John Ruberry

History is unfolding on Chicago’s South Side.

Three weeks into the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox are 3-18, a .143 winning percentage. If they continue at this pace, at the end of the 162-game season, they will finish far worse than the benchmark of modern baseball futility, the 1962 New York Mets season.

In their first National League campaign, those Mets ended up at 40-120, a .250 winning percentage. Or if you prefer, a .750 losing percentage. In 2003, the Detroit Tigers set the American League record for the most losses at 119. They started off that dreadful season at 3-22. 

More recently, the 2022 Cincinnati Reds matched the Tigers’ 25-game start, but sort-of rallied to conclude the season at 62-100.

But the Sox are probably in ’62 Mets and ’03 Tigers territory. Because this year’s South Siders aren’t just losing often, they are bottom feeders in most MLB team statistics. According to Yahoo Sports, the White Sox are 26th in WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), 26th in earned run average, 30th in runs scored, 30th in batting average, 30th in home runs, and 30th in slugging percentage. For those who don’t follow baseball, there are 30 MLB teams.

The White Sox have nine batters hitting under .200. The South Siders’ pitchers have been equally ineffective. Last week, CBS Sports last week called the Sox “depressingly bad,” but singled out starting pitcher Garret Crochet as a bright spot with his 3.57 ERA. But on Friday night, Crochet was yanked in the 4th inning after surrendering seven runs. His ERA is now 5.61.

The best hitter for the White Sox has been third baseman Yoan Moncada, who leads the Sox batters with a .282 average. But after 11 games, Moncada was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a left adductor strain. He may not return this season.

Last week on X, user Jim Passon summed up the South Siders’ start. “White Sox this season: Lose 4 in-a-row win 1. Lose 5 in-a-row, win 1, Lose 6 in-a-row, win 1.”

Since that X post, the White Sox traveled to Philadelphia to lose three more, including Friday night’s Crochet loss. In the first two games of that series, the Phillies carried no-hitters into the seventh and the eighth innings. So far, the White Sox–and remember, they have played only 21 games–have been shut out seven times.

During the postgame show after Sunday’s loss, former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen summed up the team’s season: “Overall, a lotta, lotta bad stuff.” 

Indeed.   

In 2023, under first year manager Pedro Grifol, the White Sox lost 101 games. While in 2021, under Hall of Fame skipper Tony LaRussa, the Sox won 93 games and topped the AL Central Division. Most analysts figured another 101 loss-or-so season was in order for the South Siders this season. Since the 2023 trade deadline–and into this year–the Sox have traded pitchers Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Aaron Bummer, and Dylan Cease for prospects.

Shortstop Tim Anderson, the 2019 American League batting champion, was not offered a contract after the ’23 season. Ironically, the Florida Marlins, who have MLB’s second worst record so far this season, signed him.

The worst American League start ever was 0-21, the 1988 Baltimore Orioles earned that dishonor. Larry Sheets was an outfielder for those O’s. His son, Gavin Sheets, also an outfielder, plays for this year’s White Sox team. Father and son have a lot to talk about.

The White Sox, although the 2024 season is still young, have a very good chance to surpass the Mets’ 1962 record for the worst modern era MLB season of the modern era.

It might be a bit late for the White Sox to add a marketing slogan for the ’24 campaign, but seriously, my idea might sell some tickets and gain some television viewers.

“History awaits, see your 2024 Chicago White Sox.”

The legendary Casey Stengel was the manager of the ’62 Mets, he called his team “the Amazin’ Mets.” Yes, they were. And that team’s first baseman, Marvelous Marv Throneberry, made a living off of that team’s notoriety.

Let’s not overlook the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who suffered thru a 20-134 .130 percentage National League season. 

History awaits the White Sox.

Finally, in a case of wretched timing, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is asking for state and municipal funding to build a new stadium for his team. The Bears have their hand out for a new stadium too. The toothless Monsters of the Midway have finished with the worst record in the NFL the past two seasons. Both teams play in taxpayer funded stadiums that are relatively new; in fact, the bonds for both facilities are not been paid off yet.

It’s a bit like a kid who smashes the car his parents bought for him asking for a new automobile as the vehicle he wrecked is being towed away.

UPDATE April 22:

There was another shutout loss for the White Sox tonight, their eighth. The Minnesota Twins topped the South Siders 7-0.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

Five More Sports Thoughts Under the Fedora: Pete Rose must be Laughing his Ass off, The Best team that’s not ready for Prime Time, It’s why you actually play the games, NE who?, How DARE you be so White Straight & Good Ms Clark!

Posted: March 26, 2024 by datechguy in baseball, nba, nfl, nhl, Sports, under the fedora
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I’m sorry but I can’t be the only person in the world who can’t handle the irony of watching and listing to the folks of sports radio and talk all beating their breasts over the Ohtani story just before they reveal their bets sponsored by the official sports book of whatever sport they’re covering at the moment.

I think Pete Rose nailed it

I wonder if draft kings is the official site for Baseball fans to place a bet on how all this ends?

The coach of the Bruins has come out hard against his team’s laxity after a loss against Philly saying bluntly that they aren’t ready for the playoffs.

Mind you this is a Bruins team that is tied for the most points in the NHL, then again last year they had a record setting regular season only to lose their first round series in seven.

I must confess that it has reached the point that if they have a one goal lead or are tied with under two minutes to go I expect them to give up a goal.

I find it one of the oddest things I’ve ever seen in sports

Yesterday the Celtics put their 10 game winning streak on the line against an Atlanta Hawks team that had a dozen players injured and quickly built up a 30 point lead on the Hawk’s home court.

Then managed to squander that lead by the 4th quarter and lose a game that they were favored to win by 12. It’s why you actually play the games.

Now in fairness games like this are going to happen occasionally particularly after a long winning streak and when facing a team with absolutely nothing to lose, but it highlights the problem with sports gambling because ask yourself how many people who lost what seemed a really safe bet are asking themselves if the fix was in?

Am I the only person in the world who appreciates the irony of after letting Brady go and dumping Belichick the first move for the Pats at QB is to sign a guy who was drafted by Bill and Backed up Brady?

In fairness nobody seems to be talking about the Jacoby Brissette signing because they’ve been too busy commenting on a documentary that seems to be all about hitting Belichick.

It’s as if 2001-2018 never happened and the Krafts want to blame Bill for all that’s ever been wrong in the world even though he was the guy who drafted Brady, who kept four QB’s to keep him on the roster, who designated him as the backup and decided to go with him when Bledsoe had healed up. No Bill, no Brady.

But I understand the sports boys wanted to talk about the old stuff, because the new product is likely not going to be all that interesting to watch.

Finally there seems to be a lot of fuss coming about the impending coming of Caitlin Clark to the WNBA. Clark has been filling arenas all over the country and give the possibility that the WNBA team that has he and their opponents might actually draw enough fans to create a team that could be solvent without NBA subsidies.

It appears however that Clark might not be all that welcome as she is guilty of the twin crimes of being both white and straight in a league that is “98% gay” and the idea that she might draw a bunch straight white fans who might swamp the microscopic numbers that the league currently draws seems to horrify the league as well.

It will be interesting to see what she does to the TV numbers because if they shoot up enough the powers that be might decide to lay down the law to the league that currently only exists on the charity and guilt of others.

Finally off to a 7-2 start for my 1972 league. There is a long way to go but as long as Al Downing (0-2) doesn’t pitch ever day for me it’s looking good.

Massachusetts Side Effects Patriots Edition

Posted: March 15, 2024 by datechguy in nfl, Sports
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Well there’s been another round of layoffs and outright dismissals at my company. To my knowledge only one of my bosses and bosses bosses over the last year will be with the company ten days from now but since that doesn’t seem to impress anybody in terms of just how bad things are let me put it another way.

Driving to mass today I was listening to sports radio and they were talking about the various free agent signings in the NFL. When the Patriots had Tom Brady getting free agents was never a problem because the chance of going to a Superbowl was 50-50 every year and at worst it meant that later in life you could say “I played with Tom Brady!” Even with Bill Belichick here there was a slight draw in the idea that you would be playing with one of the greatest tacticians and the one of the top 3 winningest coaches of all time.

But both Brady and Belichick are now gone and now when I turn on the radio I hear about the competitive disadvantage that the Patriots have in signing free agents. There are quite a few locations that don’t have a state income tax which means that you have to offer a minimum of 5-6% more as a baseline just to be even with the other guy, but with the Millionaire’s surtax added on suddenly the price of a good free agent goes up so much that another team can outbid you without even trying.

It’s not just the business people who flee, it’s the people who don’t bother to come in the first place.

But hey as always we get the government we deserve. Good and Hard.

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