Steve J. Rogers

???? I'm guessing *61 is where you are going, but Crystal is more of a "story teller" type of fan than a "I can recite all the averages of all of the 1957 Yankees" fan

Not neccessarilly according to LaGreca! I can sort of see his point where the roider is only doing it for selfish reasons, but again its a "I recuse myself from the conversation" type of question since he is a known fan of teams and the answer itsn't something that should be said out loud, and on the air! Steve

I hear this debate creep up sometimes on the Net, not really on other forms of media though, but its something that really should be discussed. The problem most people have with Bonds/McGwire/ect and steroids is that it "cheapens" records once thought to be sacred. Has anyone stoped to wonder "Why" this is so? Baseball's Hall of Fame seems to be the only one where certain "milestones" equals "automatic election" even though there are plenty of rarified stat groupings in the other sports (100 Touchdowns scored, 10,000 yards, ect) For years one of the biggest complaints from fans calling up talk shows is that there was a time when they could "list all of the 500 HR club members off the top of their heads and now they need to look it up" or people saying that the single season record is now cheapend because it has been eclipsed too quickly that they can't remeber what that number is now Think about it, whats Kareem's all-time point total? Dan Marino's all time Touchdown passes total? Cy Young's win total? The only one that anyone can tell you without looking up is Cy's 511. In the grand scheme of things, should it matter? Somehow in baseball it does matter what the exact number is. Just something to ponder... Steve

Got a decent one this week from the same station as in my first post. Don LaGreca, who usually knows his stuff, actually said that he'd rather have a player on his team be a coke addict (and he's a big football Giant fan (LT), and a moderate Mets fan (Gooden, and Strawberry) so he has a history of this type of player) than all roided up! Granted he was "goaded" into the comment by the host Michael Kay, but it really is a "I refuse to answer that!" type of question

Boomer Esiason not Phil Simms By the way, one of my biggest pet peeves about any thread on radio broadcasters is when an "He/She knows nothing about (insert topic) " without backup. Its more entertaining for a reader to READ how bad the host is at that topic, and it provides fans, such as myself, to give a retort (i.e. does it matter than Russo can't pronounce a hard name if he tried) For example, I'm sure you are referring to "Inside The Huddle" seemingly being too "inside" and that you'd have to know what goes on here in NYC to know why Russo goes off on Boomer, the show's producers, ect and that its not condusive to a weekly show that should be more centered around the topic rather than Russo being Russo. Very vaild argument IMO Steve

Got a few here in NYC: Tom Keegan of 1050ESPN Radio is a long time anti-stat pro-look with your own eyes sports writer decided to declare the "Moneyball Era" over after Theo Epstein and Paul DePodesta made their deadline moves this summer. Basically getting Mientkiewicz and Cabera and unloading Nomar meant to Keegan that the Redsox were getting away from the "defense is overrated, obtain a rotissere lineup" way of thinking as well as the mistake of trading LoDuca and Mota for Penny and Choi, even though it was CRYSTAL CLEAR that the deal was made thinking Charles Johnson and Randy Johnson were "signed, sealed, and delivered" showed that the Dodgers were making a "Moneyball" type deal in giving up proven "team character guys" for guys who "just put up numbers" was enough to declare Moneyball officially DEAD! Same radio show had Keegan's host Wally Mathews pull a hamstring back-peddling on the Mets trades at the deadline. As the trades were coming down he was all "I don't know Kasmir, I don't know Peterson, I know Benson, and Zambrano is also a Major Leaguer." Basically same spin he has whenever talking trades, get the proven guy for the unproven guy. Well that was on Friday, the Monday after, after Benson had a bad first start and the entire weekend was full of Met fans upset over trading the best pitching prospects, a very good catching prospect, and a valued MLBer for a guy with a history of arm troubles and a seemingly .500 at best hurler who could walk away after the season, Mathews was all "I was wrong! Lets unload all the veterans now in waiver wire deals!"s Be consistant would ya! And don't get me started on his rants against people he doesn't like (Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, the Dolans, ect) And don't get me started on Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, I could devote an entire thread on him! Steve

I always thought the story lines were decent for their matches, but after OTE there wasn't much they could bring to the table in the ring against each other due to injuries and such Rock and Mankind had some piss-poor matches I wonder how much better that series would have been if Mick had played the "Cactus Jack" persona, would Mick had been able to show ANY sign of offense? Steve

Or Madison Square Garden... I'd call it the FUCK SHIT FUCK GODDAMNIT Center Ironically THAT was the original "name" for the original place. The Boston arena and the old New York one (in the mid 40's and 8th Ave I believe) were created by Tex Richard and both were going to be called "Madison Square Garden" Steve

Also, it didn't help when the WWE actually Kayfabed the X-Pac hate, that started right around the time of that Heat episode, where the WWE was "encourging" the fans to chant "X-Pac SUCKS!" almost like they wanted to turn the apathy into genuine "We'll pay to see you get killed heat" I don't think he was treated seriously by the fans again after that Steve

EXCELLENT point! If only THAT was the WWE's logic all the time, and not only on wrestlers who apparantly have some control over their characters (Triple H, Austin, Rock, Angle, Taker) Seems like the WWE only knows how to take a character, run it untill it becomes stale, take the character off TV, repackage him only AS THE SAME CHARACTER and the same vicicous cycle continues untill the wrestler becomes a "Roster Fat Trimming Casulty" I.e. X-Pac

Not to mention that team was forced down everyone's throats as being "the most talented tag team, maybe of all time!" Okay, the division was bare bones back then but still, easy with the hyperbole Ross and Cole!

It's where the fans hate you, but in a "I don't want to see you here" way, rather than a "I will pay to see you get beat" way. Yes, so instead of paying to see you lose they simply turn the channel. Test had this heat too. It is easy to figure out for faces, like with Rock's initial face run and Randy Orton now. The hard part is trying to differentiate it from legitimate heel heat, like JBL gets. Think of it as similar to the heat that HHH gets around these parts, except extended to 90% of the entire fanbase. One thing I LOVED was the WWE's and X-Pac's "explanation" of why he was getting booed all the time. One time on Heat he was asked about it, and he quoted Reggie Jackson by saying "You have to be somebody to get booed!" Actually the quote is "Fans don't boo nobodies." For some reason I went on this board to "correct" him (I did it on the Heat recap thread, LORD knows if its still floating around) by explaining that you CAN be a "nobody" and be booed and I used two examples: 1) A Heel in a Dark Match. NOONE in that stadium knows who you are (unless you are a local performer of course) but since you are in the Heel role, and if you are doing it well, the fans will boo you and 2) You are a September call up for the Boston Redsox at Yankee Stadium (or a New York Yankee at Fenway) and you are making one of your first starts ever in MLB. Your name gets introduced (especially first at-bat) and you are going to be lustliy booed by the crowd. You are a complete unknown, only baseball equivilents of "Smart Marks" will know who you are, and you are getting booed un-mercifully Then again the above examples are more "the crowd acting like they are "supposed" to" as opposed to actual "hatred" But just like the WWE to spin "booing" as "acceptance" Almost trying to make it seem that X-Pac really was "liked at one time and is doing such a good job at being a heel..." Steve

We'll find out a year from now...

Okay, here is the question though, which of all of the ones you mentioned were not "surprising" because you've read rumblings to the effect that they would become on the internet And also, which ones had the announcer acting the most shocked even though most people were NOT SHOCKED! I'd go with HHH Turning on HBK as one that ranks up there with Ross's reaction. I swear Face Play-By-Play men have to have the most gulible characters ever! Steve

Just linked the article to my post above...

And his ripping goes all the way to the White House! McGwire, Giambi, Palmerio, Pudge Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez are all mentioned in this "preview" in today's NY Daily News Also apparently, despite all the rumors, he did NOT bed Madonna!: http://nydailynews.com/front/story/278279p-238313c.html

Yup I searched all I could but Yahoo's are as far back as batter vs. hitter splits goes it appears. Best I can come up with is Orlando Cabrera has the most at bats (17) against Randy Johnson without striking out. Oh and Mike Marshall lead the Majors in 1984 with three homeruns when there was a full moon. Hint, his last at bat against Ryan was probably during the 1988 season. Very well known player for anyone older than 20 And here is another stumper, who was the last Major Leaguer to hit .400 in a single season with over 100 at bats Steve

Surprised no one went for the Minor League career HR hitter (and it was MUCH MORE than the number Crash Davis was going for in Bull Durham... I think, was a number ever said on screen?) who is a guy who played in the Mexican Leagues during the 50'd-60'd named Hector Espino. From what I read the was a guy who felt more comfortable playing in those leagues than the show, I guess fear of "The Big Time" Plus this was in the dying days of the old Independant circuts so there was still "weight" on leagues such as the PCL as "secondary" leagues to the Major's AL and NL Thats a record though that would be hard to top. Don't think someone would toil that long in the minors without realizing that they just aren't going to make it to the show, or the cup of coffee they got was all they'll be able to show for the years they've put in. Actually that was off the top of my head. Sure there are sites on the web on the guy (The minors have there own website somewhere, not sure if its still affliflated with MLB.com or not) Just showing off the stuff that is floating around in my sports brain! Steve

lmao at that line great stuff dude anyhow, BUDDY GROOM? whats wrong with the yanks? I dont know much about him except he has a silly name. any info on him? Is it possible that Gammons said '69 Mets, which legitimately was a Cinderella story, and ABC/ESPN got freaked out and edited the phrase '69? I'd go with that, but I think they were trying to tie in Peter's Boston connection Also in a sad way (sad in terms of the fact that it always seems to be the way the Mets are looked as) that 108 win juggernaut does tend to get looked upon as a bit "Cinderella-ish" when you consider the "luck" involved with winning key ballgames that postseason The Mets never do "roll" through postseasons, I think only twice in their history have they've even gone 2-0 in a series! (1969 NLCS against the Braves and the 2000 NLCS against the Cardinals) Its always "interesting" and the Mets always seem to be the team with some sort of "comeback magic" in them, hence why no matter how dominate the 86 team was, it will always be seen by "mainstream media" as a "Cinderella Story" Steve

Eight palyers (Dave Winfield, Jim Rice, Ron Kittle, Dave Kingman, Tim Wallach, Cesar Cedeno, Joel Youngblood, Mike Marhsall) all each hit a homerun on June 13, 1984 when there was a full moon. DUH!!! Okay, ya wanna go, lets go... Who holds the record for most At Bats against Nolan Ryan without ever striking out

I just started a gig at insidepulse.com as a Q&A guy, column isn't up yet, but I'd like to start fielding some questions so I can build a second column! Much like Leonard's (WrestleDeacon) at 411 movie column, this is what I'd hope to be an FAQ style column. So feel free to email me at [email protected] so I can get the ball rolling First, however are some ground rules: -I love lists, but limit lists to between 5 and 10, and make them interesting. Sure I can rattle off the greatest running backs of all time, but a more interesting way to ask is Top 5 I would want to win the ultimate game with, or Top 5 biggest RB busts for example. -Keep away from minutia of stats. I truly hope that readers don’t want to see me rattle off the top 20 three point scorers in NBA history, or try to research an obscure stat like who hit the most homers in the month of June, 1984 when there was a full moon. There are stuff I’d be more than happy to help with, such as “Who hit the most homers in the history of the Minor League?” Basically the questions I would like to answer about stats will be able to let me tell “the story behind the stats” -Any topic that has to do with sports is fair game. Obviously, the Big 4 North American sports are my “bread and butter” but feel free to ask about any other sports topic. Well, within reason. Topics about sports media, (both local and national, TV, radio, print and even internet) college, tennis, golf, boxing, and lesser sports like soccer are all available. Don’t feel bad if I don’t get to your question in time for my next column, it may just be I need to do more research on the question. Well, now I’ll give an example of a good Q&A I would hope that this column will provide: Q Hello Steve, got a question about the recent Hall of Fame nominations in football, and Michael Irvin got snubbed! Why is the Playmaker not going to Canton this summer? Well, for one I would suspect there are a few voters who thought Irvin’s career was cut too short, unfair of course but still. However, I’m sure some people might suggest that Michael Irvin’s well documented off the field problems cost him “first time enshrinement” the same way enshrinement eluded Carl Eller until this past year. Some might question the logic of keeping Irvin out when Lawrence Taylor got in on the first crack, no questions asked. Well Taylor’s nomination WAS a controversial one at the time, but when you think about it, LT was the type of transcendental player, the “one of a kinds” that deserve “first year” status. LT revolutionized the position, and can be considered THE, not ONE OF THE, greatest players to line up at his position. However, as great as Michael Irvin was, there was nothing particularly “special” about his greatness. He did things great Wide Receivers had done for years, still do this day, and will do in the future. Irvin may belong in the team picture of the greatest receivers in NFL history, but he certainly isn’t THE greatest WR in the history of the game. That honor belongs to the current #80 in Seattle, Jerry Rice. However, it would be a shame if 5 years from now, when Emmitt Smith gets the call, Michael Irvin were not in the Hall. In fact, Troy Aikman is up next year, somehow I doubt voters next winter will pass up the opportunity to enshrine the Aikman-Irvin combo that led the last NFL “Dynasty” before the current Pats one. I look forward to hearing from you Steve

Never mind, fixed it! Please delete Thanks Steve

Don't be so sure, the public sure the hell doesn't want it. For one, most of the Jet fan base would rather have it closer to Queens/Long Island than on the West Side of Manhattan Second, New Yorkers will NEVER go for it unless ALL of it is privately funded Thirdly in a last ditch effort to keep a monopoly on the convention market the owners of Madison Square Garden put a bid to buy the land where the Jets are looking to build that tops the Jets bid! This is one sorrid tale that is still unfolding

And here is the real sad part, there are places who will only know the AP story, and not even know the Star-Trib's story Put it another way, the way the Star-Trib has it, its like loaning a World Series Championship ring, or Super Bowl Championship ring to someone so that person can feel for just a moment what "it feels like" Anyway here in NY two radio hosts, Wally Mathews and Tom Keegan, just read the AP report and thought Dante was being a complete Indian Giving jerk and wondering how a Moss signed jersey would be worth the same as a 75 thousand dollar piece of jewerly, not too mention what took so long for Dante to realize "Hey wait a minute!" So that means, as far as anyone listening to that segement here in New York, Dante Culpepper is a Class A Asshole and a prime example of "Whats wrong with today's modern athletes" Steve

Okay, not an insult, but when Lesnar was hitting the NCAA and High School scenes, exactly how many people associated his name as being the same as the real name as a Spider-Man villian? Think of it this way, how many casual comic book fans know Magneto's real name? Or Green Goblin? Ask a causal fan who Oswald Cobblepot is, or Edward Nygma? In other words, don't assume that people will "Get the connection" How much do you want to bet Brock Lesnar never heard of Venom and/or Eddie Brock Could be worse though, Dennis Rodman did call Lex Luger "Luthor" once in a promo, though I wonder if that was really a slip up though as Hogan is always booked as a "Superman" type and since Lex was the guy he was feuding with at the time... Add to the fact that Rodman at the time was marketed with Jordan and Pippen as "Superman, Batman and RODMAN" (as opposed to Robin of course) Steve