The North Shore Navigators beat the Newport Gulls 5-2 in the decisive game of the Eastern Division championship series in the New England Collegiate Baseball League at Cardines Field on Saturday night.
No. 2 seed North Shore won the last two games of the best-of-three series to advance to the league championship series against the Danbury Westerners.
Derek Legg and Zac Elgie had two hits each in Newport's eight-hit attack.
Brendon Kelliher had an RBI single and David Bentrott a sacrifice fly to account for the Gulls' runs, but Newport couldn't overcome a four-run second inning by the Navigators.
No. 1 seed Newport, the 2009 league champions, finished 30-17 overall.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Fantasy land
I used to make fun of those who enjoy fantasy football. I belittled them, called them nerds, insinuated that they have too much time on their hands.
Then I fell off my high horse. Fell hard.
Now I just make fun of fantasy baseball, basketball hockey, golf and really any other sport that has fantasy leagues. Hypocritical? Perhaps, but I’m sticking to my guns.
I’ve played fantasy football for five or six years now, and I’m not sure there’s anything that brings me as much simultaneous joy and rage. My league draft’s on Aug. 26, and even though it makes no sense to do it earlier (what with possible training camp injuries, holdouts and the like), I’d do it today, if I could.
Who’s the No. 1 overall pick? Regardless, I sure hope I don’t get that pick, because with a 14-team league, it’ll be an eternity before the person with the top pick gets to make his or her (yes, we have five ladies in the league) second selection. Is a top-notch wide receiver worth a first-round pick? Who else in the league might be eyeing the same players I’m eyeing?
So many questions. So many days until they are answered.
Then I fell off my high horse. Fell hard.
Now I just make fun of fantasy baseball, basketball hockey, golf and really any other sport that has fantasy leagues. Hypocritical? Perhaps, but I’m sticking to my guns.
I’ve played fantasy football for five or six years now, and I’m not sure there’s anything that brings me as much simultaneous joy and rage. My league draft’s on Aug. 26, and even though it makes no sense to do it earlier (what with possible training camp injuries, holdouts and the like), I’d do it today, if I could.
Who’s the No. 1 overall pick? Regardless, I sure hope I don’t get that pick, because with a 14-team league, it’ll be an eternity before the person with the top pick gets to make his or her (yes, we have five ladies in the league) second selection. Is a top-notch wide receiver worth a first-round pick? Who else in the league might be eyeing the same players I’m eyeing?
So many questions. So many days until they are answered.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Journalism is dead
There was a time not too long ago when those who wrote for mass audiences were held accountable for their words, back when words like slander and libel meant something.
These days, writers - actually, bloggers - can write essentially whatever they want with little or no consequence. The example I'll use is the story on Deadspin that is gaining momentum.
A.J. Daulerio is an editor and writer for Deadspin and recently posted a story about Brett Favre sending pictures of his private parts to Jenn Sterger, the Florida State football groupie turned sideline reporter for the Jets. According to the story, Sterger had a casual conversation with Daulerio when the subject of Favre came up.
Sterger said Favre, who is married, was sending her flirty text messages and eventually sent him pictures of him in the buff. Sterger asked that the story not be made public and didn't want to go on the record, but it was too juicy for Daulerio to keep under wraps.
So far, no such pictures, text messages or voice mails have been made public, therefore there is no concrete evidence. But why would a blogger care about hard evidence?
Is this where journalism is going? This is why newspapers are dying? That's a pretty sad state of affairs. A story like this is what you'd normally see in the National Enquirer or Star Magazine, yet people don't seem to care. They simply want the scoop, whether it's there or not. Wake up, people.
I don't know if the story is true or not (I'm leaning toward no, only because Sterger has always been and will always be an attention-starved person), but as journalist, I wouldn't go with a story until I was convinced it was true.
On a side note, I'm sick of all of these sports stories with unnamed sources. These days, getting the story out and getting it out quick is the name of the game. Unfortunately, that means using "a person close to the situation" as the major source. Maybe it doesn't bother you, but it bothers me greatly.
Last year, when the Celtics held training camp at Salve Regina University, Daily News sportswriter and I were joking that we should go with a story that the Celtics made a trade for LeBron James, citing, of course, a person close to the team. Why not? There doesn't seem to be any backlash when such reports prove untrue.
Of course that was an idea made in jest, but it's a scenario that happens far too often these days.
These days, writers - actually, bloggers - can write essentially whatever they want with little or no consequence. The example I'll use is the story on Deadspin that is gaining momentum.
A.J. Daulerio is an editor and writer for Deadspin and recently posted a story about Brett Favre sending pictures of his private parts to Jenn Sterger, the Florida State football groupie turned sideline reporter for the Jets. According to the story, Sterger had a casual conversation with Daulerio when the subject of Favre came up.
Sterger said Favre, who is married, was sending her flirty text messages and eventually sent him pictures of him in the buff. Sterger asked that the story not be made public and didn't want to go on the record, but it was too juicy for Daulerio to keep under wraps.
So far, no such pictures, text messages or voice mails have been made public, therefore there is no concrete evidence. But why would a blogger care about hard evidence?
Is this where journalism is going? This is why newspapers are dying? That's a pretty sad state of affairs. A story like this is what you'd normally see in the National Enquirer or Star Magazine, yet people don't seem to care. They simply want the scoop, whether it's there or not. Wake up, people.
I don't know if the story is true or not (I'm leaning toward no, only because Sterger has always been and will always be an attention-starved person), but as journalist, I wouldn't go with a story until I was convinced it was true.
On a side note, I'm sick of all of these sports stories with unnamed sources. These days, getting the story out and getting it out quick is the name of the game. Unfortunately, that means using "a person close to the situation" as the major source. Maybe it doesn't bother you, but it bothers me greatly.
Last year, when the Celtics held training camp at Salve Regina University, Daily News sportswriter and I were joking that we should go with a story that the Celtics made a trade for LeBron James, citing, of course, a person close to the team. Why not? There doesn't seem to be any backlash when such reports prove untrue.
Of course that was an idea made in jest, but it's a scenario that happens far too often these days.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Don't believe the hype
You know when I’ll believe that Brett Favre isn’t going to play this season? When the Vikings’ season is over and he hasn’t taken a snap.
Then, and only then, will I believe that the latest “Favre is retiring” rumors are true. Quite frankly, anyone who buys into these vague reports now is naive.
Even if the attention addict of a quarterback does turn down the Vikings (who reportedly sweetened his deal by $4 million today) and officially announces his retirement, I won’t be sold. After all, he’s retired and changed his mind twice before.
If the Vikings break training camp and No. 4 isn’t in uniform, it doesn’t mean a thing. If Minnesota announces that Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels is the starting quarterback and one of them is under center when the season opens next month, don’t rule out another Favre comeback. If the Vikings get off to a good start, it’s entirely possible some players on the team will get text messages along the lines of, “I’m coming back!”
After last season, we learned that Favre needed surgery on his ankle if he wanted to keep playing. He had said surgery, leading everyone to believe he’d play another season (at least). He spent the summer practicing with high school kids in Mississippi. Aside from being so narcissistic he feels cool being the big man on a high school campus, that certainly seems like a sign that he’s planning on playing a 20th NFL season.
Most assumed that was the case, until Tuesday. Now ESPN, among other national media outlets, is jumping all over this story as if a couple of alleged text messages are the end of the Favre speculation.
I flipped on ESPN Tuesday afternoon and Steve Young was on, talking about Favre. He was asked who he thought would be under center when the Vikings begin the season. Young said, unless he hears otherwise from Favre himself, it’s Favre. Then Scott Van Pelt asked if all the talk of Favre retiring was a huge waste of time. Um, yes. Yes it was, and will continue to be.
We won’t know for a while whether Favre is serious this time. We won’t know when he makes the official announcement. We won’t know when the season starts. We’ll know when the season is over. And even then, there’s no guarantee he won’t try to come back next year.
Like most football fans, I’m sick to death of Favre. I’d like him to shut up and retire, and stay quiet until he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame. But that’s not going to happen. This saga is far from over.
Then, and only then, will I believe that the latest “Favre is retiring” rumors are true. Quite frankly, anyone who buys into these vague reports now is naive.
Even if the attention addict of a quarterback does turn down the Vikings (who reportedly sweetened his deal by $4 million today) and officially announces his retirement, I won’t be sold. After all, he’s retired and changed his mind twice before.
If the Vikings break training camp and No. 4 isn’t in uniform, it doesn’t mean a thing. If Minnesota announces that Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels is the starting quarterback and one of them is under center when the season opens next month, don’t rule out another Favre comeback. If the Vikings get off to a good start, it’s entirely possible some players on the team will get text messages along the lines of, “I’m coming back!”
After last season, we learned that Favre needed surgery on his ankle if he wanted to keep playing. He had said surgery, leading everyone to believe he’d play another season (at least). He spent the summer practicing with high school kids in Mississippi. Aside from being so narcissistic he feels cool being the big man on a high school campus, that certainly seems like a sign that he’s planning on playing a 20th NFL season.
Most assumed that was the case, until Tuesday. Now ESPN, among other national media outlets, is jumping all over this story as if a couple of alleged text messages are the end of the Favre speculation.
I flipped on ESPN Tuesday afternoon and Steve Young was on, talking about Favre. He was asked who he thought would be under center when the Vikings begin the season. Young said, unless he hears otherwise from Favre himself, it’s Favre. Then Scott Van Pelt asked if all the talk of Favre retiring was a huge waste of time. Um, yes. Yes it was, and will continue to be.
We won’t know for a while whether Favre is serious this time. We won’t know when he makes the official announcement. We won’t know when the season starts. We’ll know when the season is over. And even then, there’s no guarantee he won’t try to come back next year.
Like most football fans, I’m sick to death of Favre. I’d like him to shut up and retire, and stay quiet until he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame. But that’s not going to happen. This saga is far from over.
Monday, August 2, 2010
NFL random thoughts
NFL training camps are in full swing, the first preseason game is Sunday, and the regular season kicks off Sept. 9. I, for one, cannot wait until Week 1. But in the meantime, we have some interesting stories from camp.
Albert Haynesworth: First the defensive tackle complains about the Redskins switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense (boo hoo), then he shows up to training camp out of shape. He has yet to pass the team's conditioning test, and thus, is not allowed to practice. He had to run two 300-yard shuttles, with a three-and-a-half-minute break in between, in times of 70 and 73 seconds, respectively. I would love to try this test, in which Haynesworth was required to run 25 yards and back six times before the break, then do it again. Granted, Hayesworth has about 200 pounds on me (he's listed at 350, but if he's out of shape, my guess is he's carrying some extra pounds), but he's also two years younger and, oh yeah, he signed a $100 million contract last year. If I had $100 million as motivation, I'd damn sure be able to pass this test.
But it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Haynesworth has an attitude problem. Before he became one of the best defensive tackles in the league, he was a punk with the Titans who once stepped on a guy's head, sans helmet, after a play.
Darrelle Revis: The Jets cornerback, arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, is holding out of camp for a better contract. I'm always a little torn on these issues. On one hand, he has a contract that he signed, live up to it. On the other, his rookie contract isn't close to market value for an elite corner. He's supposed to make $1 million this year. By comparison, Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha signed a deal that pays him an average of about $15 million a year. I'd like to say Revis should show up at work and trust that the Jets will do the right thing. But NFL teams don't always do right by their players.
T.Ocho: I've never been a big Terrell Owens fan, but I think he's found a good fit with fellow wacky wideout Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati. The Bengals won the AFC North last season, and adding T.O. should make the Bengals better. It'll be interesting to watch that team this year. What's the over/under on excessive touchdown celebration penalties and fines for the two of them? I'll set it at 9.5 penalties, 5.5 fines and take the over on penalties, the under on fines.
And finally ...
Brett Favre: Will he just man up and admit that he's coming back for another season with the Vikings? The answer is no, he won't for a while. But seriously, we all know he's going to play, but we also know he has no interest in training camp. The Vikings are clearly OK with that, so he might as well just stop the guessing games. "Yes, I'm coming back to the Vikings. But I'm not showing up until ..."
I'm quite certain Favre will play again. I'm also pretty sure there's no way he and Minnesota are having the season they had last year. Absolutely nothing went wrong, Favre had a career year and the Vikings were one play away from going to the Super Bowl. There's no way that good fortune will continue into a second season. The Vikes will be good, but they're not winning the NFC North (you know who I'm picking there) and they won't get a sniff of the Super Bowl. So fine, Brett, come on back. But don't make the mistake of thinking 2010 will be a repeat of 2009.
Albert Haynesworth: First the defensive tackle complains about the Redskins switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense (boo hoo), then he shows up to training camp out of shape. He has yet to pass the team's conditioning test, and thus, is not allowed to practice. He had to run two 300-yard shuttles, with a three-and-a-half-minute break in between, in times of 70 and 73 seconds, respectively. I would love to try this test, in which Haynesworth was required to run 25 yards and back six times before the break, then do it again. Granted, Hayesworth has about 200 pounds on me (he's listed at 350, but if he's out of shape, my guess is he's carrying some extra pounds), but he's also two years younger and, oh yeah, he signed a $100 million contract last year. If I had $100 million as motivation, I'd damn sure be able to pass this test.
But it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Haynesworth has an attitude problem. Before he became one of the best defensive tackles in the league, he was a punk with the Titans who once stepped on a guy's head, sans helmet, after a play.
Darrelle Revis: The Jets cornerback, arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, is holding out of camp for a better contract. I'm always a little torn on these issues. On one hand, he has a contract that he signed, live up to it. On the other, his rookie contract isn't close to market value for an elite corner. He's supposed to make $1 million this year. By comparison, Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha signed a deal that pays him an average of about $15 million a year. I'd like to say Revis should show up at work and trust that the Jets will do the right thing. But NFL teams don't always do right by their players.
T.Ocho: I've never been a big Terrell Owens fan, but I think he's found a good fit with fellow wacky wideout Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati. The Bengals won the AFC North last season, and adding T.O. should make the Bengals better. It'll be interesting to watch that team this year. What's the over/under on excessive touchdown celebration penalties and fines for the two of them? I'll set it at 9.5 penalties, 5.5 fines and take the over on penalties, the under on fines.
And finally ...
Brett Favre: Will he just man up and admit that he's coming back for another season with the Vikings? The answer is no, he won't for a while. But seriously, we all know he's going to play, but we also know he has no interest in training camp. The Vikings are clearly OK with that, so he might as well just stop the guessing games. "Yes, I'm coming back to the Vikings. But I'm not showing up until ..."
I'm quite certain Favre will play again. I'm also pretty sure there's no way he and Minnesota are having the season they had last year. Absolutely nothing went wrong, Favre had a career year and the Vikings were one play away from going to the Super Bowl. There's no way that good fortune will continue into a second season. The Vikes will be good, but they're not winning the NFC North (you know who I'm picking there) and they won't get a sniff of the Super Bowl. So fine, Brett, come on back. But don't make the mistake of thinking 2010 will be a repeat of 2009.
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