By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Release the hounds.
The father of the kid that got pushed aside by Glen Davis after hitting yesterday's game-winning shot is demanding an apology from the player, according to a blog post on the Orlando Sentinel.
According to the Sentinel, a front-row season ticket holder by the name of Ernest Provetti wrote an email to the NBA today demanding an apology from Davis, saying that he went way overboard and "embarrassed" his son.
Among the more colorful language from Mr. Provetti:
-- "The NBA makes it clear to not cross the sideline. If I cross that line, the NBA will take away my tickets. It's a double standard."
-- Davis acted like a "raging animal with no regard for fans' personal safety."
-- "How do you like to be a 12-year-old and see a raging lunatic coming at you?"
Readers have been quick to rake this guy over the coals for his overreaction. When I started writing this, there were 118 comments about the Sentinel's blog entry, mostly negative against Provetti.
I can understand the guy's anger. I'm only 24, and thus have no idea what it's like to raise a kid, but I'd be pretty pissed off if my son was getting goofed on by the SportsCenter dweebs for something he had no control over (by the way Tim Legler, you're still a hack). But what I don't understand is A) why so much anger is directed at Big Baby, and B) why he had to use such potentially-racist language in scolding him.
Thankfully, about 10 minutes after I started writing this, the dude officially backed off, saying he "reacted emotionally."
People, when you trip over a rock, it's your own fault. Stop looking for a handout and violin music every time something doesn't go your own way. Think rationally, not passionately. Please.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Red Sox Firmly Strapped To Jason Bay's Back
By Erik Pesta
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Jason Bay came through in the clutch yet again last night, banging a double off the left field wall to plate David Ortiz and give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jonathan Papelbon allowed runners to reach first and third base with nobody out before striking out the side in the ninth, to give Boston a two games to one victory in the weekend series. Josh Beckett settled down to pitch fairly well after allowing a first inning run on a single by Pat Burrell that scored Carl Crawford. The hard throwing right hander gave up three earned runs on six hits in as many innings, while striking out five and walking three. Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez also chipped in, with the latter picking up the victory to improve his 2009 record to 3-0 and continue his dominant season in the set-up role.
Kevin Youkilis has better overall numbers in the batting average, on base and slugging percentages, but Bay is Boston's MVP thus far. He has come through time and time again in big spots, and carried the Red Sox to victory. To me, that is the definition of value. Boston has one of the better records in all of baseball (20-12), but it's hard to imagine where this team would be without their left fielder's late inning heroics on numerous occasions this year. He has provided a crutch for a team that has been the victim of the injury bug as well as shoddy starting pitching through the first six weeks of the season.
The aforementioned injury bug bit again last night, as Dustin Pedroia needed to come out of the game after straining his right groin while swinging in the third inning. He was replaced at second base by Nick Green, who slid over from the shortstop position as Julio Lugo entered the game. Pedroia admitted after the game that he's been feeling the injury for about 10 days and aggravated it during last night's game. He expects to be able to play again by Wednesday.
The Sox are off tonight for the first time in 17 days. They are traveling to Anaheim to begin a three-game set with the Angels, before swinging up to Seattle for the weekend.
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Jason Bay came through in the clutch yet again last night, banging a double off the left field wall to plate David Ortiz and give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jonathan Papelbon allowed runners to reach first and third base with nobody out before striking out the side in the ninth, to give Boston a two games to one victory in the weekend series. Josh Beckett settled down to pitch fairly well after allowing a first inning run on a single by Pat Burrell that scored Carl Crawford. The hard throwing right hander gave up three earned runs on six hits in as many innings, while striking out five and walking three. Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez also chipped in, with the latter picking up the victory to improve his 2009 record to 3-0 and continue his dominant season in the set-up role.
Kevin Youkilis has better overall numbers in the batting average, on base and slugging percentages, but Bay is Boston's MVP thus far. He has come through time and time again in big spots, and carried the Red Sox to victory. To me, that is the definition of value. Boston has one of the better records in all of baseball (20-12), but it's hard to imagine where this team would be without their left fielder's late inning heroics on numerous occasions this year. He has provided a crutch for a team that has been the victim of the injury bug as well as shoddy starting pitching through the first six weeks of the season.
The aforementioned injury bug bit again last night, as Dustin Pedroia needed to come out of the game after straining his right groin while swinging in the third inning. He was replaced at second base by Nick Green, who slid over from the shortstop position as Julio Lugo entered the game. Pedroia admitted after the game that he's been feeling the injury for about 10 days and aggravated it during last night's game. He expects to be able to play again by Wednesday.
The Sox are off tonight for the first time in 17 days. They are traveling to Anaheim to begin a three-game set with the Angels, before swinging up to Seattle for the weekend.
Bruins Back in the Series!
By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
The Boston Bruins Game 5 performance was a B's fan dream. The Bruins got a great game from goalie Tim Thomas, strong defense throughout and the return of a physical, aggressive offense. The Bruins finally got back to what they did during the regular season. Tim Thomas played extremely well. The defense was in position to deal with rebounds and not let the Canes get second scoring chances. Phil Kessel and Marc Savard finally played well together during this series, and David Krejci was all over the place creating scoring chances. The most important part of the night was the B's penalty kill. They played much better a man down, and never allowed Carolina to get their power play rolling as they had in game 4.
Over the weekend several Bruins players mentioned they needed to manufacture aggression and hatred towards the Hurricanes. They successfully did that Sunday night, but by the end of the game, real hatred had been created. First Jussi Jokinen gave Zdeno Chara a vicious slash to his ankle while the referees weren't looking. Down went Chara towards the end of the 2nd period, but luckily he was back for the 3rd. Next came one of the biggest cheap shots I've seen in a long time. While Aaron Ward was engaged with Matt Cullen, Scott Walker entered the fray, grabbed Ward and landed a huge sucker punch that may have fractured his orbital bone. Scott Walker should be suspended for at least the remainder of this series, if not the rest of the playoffs if they should move on.
If Ward is lost for the playoffs, the Bruins lose half of their first defensive pair and a solid leader with three Stanley Cup rings. They also get even thinner at a position they're already two men down with the loss of Matt Hundwick and Andrew Ferrence. They'll need to call up a rookie defender from Providence with practically no games played in the NHL, much less playoff experience. This does concern me, but believe the Bruins are that much better of a team and one who's extremely motivated to exact their revenge through wins, not violence. That is the key now for winning the series. They need to maintain discipline and play like they did last night. They can't be run by their emotions and blood lust. If they can do that, then the Bruins will win Game 6 on the road and take Game 7 at home.
Stay tuned for Matt's view on last nights' game and the road ahead.
Fantasy Baseball: Garner's Greatest Top 25
By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
(Garner's Greatest Top 25 combines past and current performance and projections throughout the season to create the top 25 best players that will help lead your team to a fantasy baseball championship. The top 25 will change from week to week so be prepared for some surprise picks and players you just might no agree should be on the elite list.)
Player rising; Players falling
1. Albert Pujols, 1B, STL (previous 1)
2. Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA (4)
3. Evan Longoria, 3B, TB (3)
4. Ian Kinsler, 2B, TEX (2)
5. Chase Utley, 2B, PHI (7)
6. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET (7)
7. David Wright, 3B, NYM (9)
8. Jose Reyes, SS, NYM (5)
9. Carl Crawford, OF, TB (25)
10. Ryan Braun, OF, MIL (11)
11. Grady Sizemore, OF, CLE (8)
12. Nick Markakis, OF, BAL (15)
13. Johan Santana, SP, NYM (14)
14. Alfonso Soriano, OF, CHI (10)
15. Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM (18)
16. Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI (13)
17. Roy Halladay, SP, TOR (16)
18. Tim Lincecum, SP, SF (17)
19. Jason Bay, OF, BOS (24)
20. Kevin Youkilis, 1B, BOS (12)
21. Victor Martinez, C-1B, CLE (20)
22. Tori Hunter, OF, LAA (19)
23. Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN (NR)
24. Matt Kemp, OF, LAD (22)
25. Jorge Cantu, 1B-3B, FLA (NR)
Dropped out: Manny Ramirez, Curtis Granderson
ALIVE
Adam Jones, OF, BAL -- The second-year outfielder is quickly starting to adjust to the MLB level. He's still not a household name, and no he's not "Pacman Jones", but Adam has 6 homers and 21 RBIs and a .353 BA. Did you know he's ranked No. 11 in standard 5 x 5 fantasy leagues?
Carlos Pena, 1B, TB -- Pena will never hit .300, but he's a great source of power and a guy that will never get drafted high in any league. But Pena is lifting off at a rapid clip -- he's got 13 home runs and 32 RBIs, so you can easily forget about his .254 BA.
DEAD
Manny Ramirez, OF, LAD -- I know it's just Manny being Manny, but getting busted for using performance enhancing drugs and getting slapped with a 50-game suspension ... that's not fantasy fun. He's dead on every roster right now.
Emilio Bonifacio, 2B-3B -- For a guy that everyone rushed to the free agent pool to land in the first week of the season when he was ranked No. 1 (me, too, I'm guilty), he's been getting dropped more than a one-armed boxer. He's now ranked No. 244 overall, and slipping by the day. He's only hitting .248 now and is only owned in 31 percent of leagues. YIKES!!!
(Coming Wednesday: Between the White Lines by Jim Ingram)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
