Nyjer Morgan vs. Chris Volstad…And the Winner is?

Neither one! The winner is Gaby Sanchez, the Marlins first baseman. One of the best clotheslines I’ve seen in a long long time, ESPECIALLY on a baseball field….

Courtesy of MLB.com

Now, here’s the thing. Everyone is all up in arms about what Morgan did, the unwritten rules of baseball, yada yada yada. Who cares about the “unwritten rules?” The guys that “make them up” are pansies. If you follow the chain of events here, Morgan does absolutely nothing wrong and is simply trying to protect himself and his team. People and the marlins were complaining about “Oh, we had a 10 run lead in the 4th inning, he shouldn’tve stole two bases”…you know what? SCREW THAT. What should the Nationals have done? Quit? I, as a die hard Atlanta Braves, have seen, this year, the Bravos come back from a 9 run lead (in the 9th inning no less) and blow a 10-1 lead on separate occasions. It’s not like this game was in the 8th or the 9th. NO WAY should Morgan and the Nats have stopped playing. Anyone who thinks so is a quitter, including the Marlins. Why wouldn’t he steal bases and try to get in scoring position for his team to get back in the game? It’s ridiculous how everyone is just so darn sensitive. If everyone played balls to the wall, it’d be a lot more entertaining and competitive that’s for sure. For goodness sakes, they’re getting paid millions of dollars to “half ass it.” Forget that, give me a ball and let me throw a few up there around 90 mph. At least I’ll bust my ass every time I walk out onto a Major League Baseball field. Pro athletes can be such babies…..suck it up and deal…..

The MLB’s Replay System…Two Thumbs Up…

A steady hand clap goes out to Mr. Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Well done, sir. Your system has proved its effectiveness and worth. Though fans may have to wait a few extra minutes and the game may be extended between calls, the umpires WILL GET THE CALL RIGHT. To me, that’s all that matters. Last night, in two separate ball games, two home runs off the bat of Ross Gload and Adam Laroche that were originally ruled dingers, were correctly reversed as a result of an instant replay booth review. At last, something to help the “umps” get it right, we all know they need it. Ultimately, if a few extra minutes will save my team from getting beat on a horrible tag-out call or alleged homerun, it’s worth it. Too many times as a Braves and Orioles fan, I have watched my team go down at the hands of umpires who simply make absolutely horrific calls that couldn’t be more obvious at the worst possible moment of a ballgame. And yes, I have one prime example…get your popcorn ready…unless you’re an Orioles fan…then please turn away…

Circa 1996, when the Baltimore Orioles were actually competitive, they were all locked up in a playoff series with the all-powerful and heavily overpaid New York Yankees. With the Yankess trailing the O’s 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th in a crucial Game 1 of the series, Derek Jeter hit a deep fly ball to right field, in the land of then O’s right fielder, Mr. Tony Tarasco (and Tony, if you’re reading this, please stop. We don’t want any relapses…). As the ball fell out of the air, 12 year old and now famous New-Yorker Jeffrey Mayer reached out over the right field fence and stole the ball from Tarasco. And what then did those trustworthy Yankee umps do? Well, they called it a dinger for Jeter instead of fan interference. Watching the replay from home, it was clear that Mayer reached out onto the playing field to catch the alleged homer off Jeter’s bat. Later that night, Bernie Williams would shatter the O’s hopes with a walk-off homer in the 11th. Clearly, the ball was tampered with and the homer should’ve never happened. Thus, my strong support of the instant replay system.

I mean, for goodness sakes, that call was so bad, that Mayer is now famous for it and even has his own Wikipedia page…great job New York, great job…

Alpha Inventions

Manny, Why So Stupid?…

Courtesy of FOXSports.com

Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Thursday morning.

The Dodgers informed AAA outfielder Xavier Paul Thursday morning that he was being promoted to the big-league club, according to the report.

FoxSports.com

Alpha Inventions

Have The Yankees Found A New Ace?…

Ha ha, ha ha. New York, you provide me so much entertainment. Last night, as you were getting blown out by the defending American League Champions, the Tampa Bay Rays, you resorted to letting a position player, Nick Swisher (why not let Jeter pitch?!?!), throw your eighth inning. This was absolutely comedic. The only thing better? Jose Canseco’s pitching appearance years ago when he literally threw the ball all over the place from the mound. Swisher, who hasn’t stepped onto the mound to throw a pitch since his high school days, actually threw a scoreless inning however. He even struck out Gabe Kapler on his way to putting up his goose egg on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth! Shoot, after last night’s performance, the Yankees should renegotiate his contract and put him in the rotation. None of the rest of their starters can get anybody out, and this includes anyone, and I mean ANYONE, in their bullpen. Why not? What do you have to lose? Oh yea, the mystique and pride of the New York Yankees. Swisher’s debut was well worth a ticket to the field down in Tampa Bay…I know the Rays’ fans had fun…and I’m just jealous because I wasn’t there to witness it in person…

And for all you fellow Yankee haters out there, check out the hilarious video below…how embarrassing New York…

Courtesy of YouTube

Come on Bobby, Where’s the Class?…

Only a few days after the tragic passing of Nick Adenhart, a young phenom hurler for the Anaheim Angles, what does Adenhart’s teammate Bobby Abreu do? He attacks Josh Beckett, a flamethrower for the Boston Red Sox, for no reason. Why? Well, he thought for some reason that Beckett was throwing at him after the umpire called “time” during one of Abreu’s at-bats when Beckett couldn’t stop his pitching motion.

Courtesy of photos.upi.com

Bobby, if you knew what snapping your elbow to stop a pitch mid-throw felt like or did to your throwing arm, you’d understand what Beckett did. Pitchers have caused major arm and/or elbow damage by jerking their arm to a stop in the middle of a pitch in order to accomodate the hitter and/or umpire. At a young age, as a pitcher, you’re taught to just continue your motion and throw the ball anyways in order to preserve the health of your arm. That’s all that happened here. Beckett simply held the ball a little long. To me, Abreu got way too bent out of shape for no reason at all. And yes, if Beckett wanted to hit him, he would have. He only throws like a 150 MPH fastball…

I know that the ball wizzed over Abreu’s head, but let’s be real here. It didn’t hit him, it didn’t even graze his jersey. Is a fight and verbal altercation really necessary? Beat him at the plate instead Bobby! Better yet, Tori Hunter hopped on the raged bandwagon, ran out to the pitcher’s mound, and threatened to pound on Beckett. Consequently, he was ejected from the ballgame. Get real Tori, nobody cares about what you do anymore. At this point, you and Bobby Abreu, for that matter, have fallen off the baseball map as prestine outfielders in the Major Leagues. If I had to guess, Beckett would’ve probably put up a good fight anyways (especially with Yuke and Big Papi having his back). He looks scrappy, right folks?!?

Worst of all, the timing of this ridiculous, babyish confrontation couldn’t have been worse. Shouldn’t we be paying respects and mourning the death of Nick Adenhart, a teammate, and realize that there’s more to life than inexplicably feeling threatened by an opposing player? Grow up fellas (Tori and Bobby). Do the right thing…be respectful, shut up, and please, just play ball…

Courtesy of YouTube

MASN, You Need A Replacement…

Ok Nats fans, you have to agree with me on this. Rob Dibble, one of your two MASN and Washington Nationals announcers, is absolutely 100% obnoxious broadcasting your baseball games. Depending on the night, Bob Carpenter or former Atlanta Brave Don Sutton, a Hall of Fame pitcher with his rightful spot in Cooperstown, should be doing the broadcasting by himself if it comes down to it.
Now, I do know that hometown announcers are biased for their given team (and yes, they should be), but Rob Dibble is a meathead. And no, this isn’t just from watching the Nats play the Braves the past few days. The same was happening when the Nats were getting swept by the Marlins last week. To be honest, he sounds hammered on the air and routinely slurs his speech. MASN, at least get someone who doesn’t speak broken English on your broadcasting team. He gives Don Sutton and Bob Carpenter bad names for being in the same booth as “Nasty Boy.” Rob Dibble, also called “The Officer,” was a legit Major League pitcher until late in his career when angered tantrums and bar brawls highlighted the end of Dibble’s career in the pros. From there, he had pretty much fallen off the face of the Earth until ESPN and now MASN gave him a chance to talk about baseball. Poor choice guys…

Without a doubt, Dibble is a total moron. Tonight, for example, Lastings Milledge got called out strikes and proceeded to curse the umpire on his way back to the dugout. As he verbally lit up the umpire, Dibble made some stupid comment about how Milledge was right to say what he said and that the umpire should not have warned him. Are you kidding me Rob Dibble?!? Milledge, a bum in his own right, dropped multiple “F-bombs” on his way back to the pine. Be realistic big guy. When your guy screws up, don’t defend it just because you’re a meathead, you’re in a booth, and you think you’re proving something. Just tell us what’s going on. Nobody needs your two-cents on how you feel on the given situation. It’s like listening to a two year old read me the Comedy section of the newspaper. MASN, if anything, let Bob Carpenter do his job and phase Dibble out of the conversation. It’d be more quality television. Because in all seriousness, I think my IQ drops every time words come out of the guy’s mouth…