Team River City update

To make loyal (but hated [not by me {well, not always}]) reader and commenter, Seal, happy, I will now update everyone on Team River City’s basketball season.

 

It was a classic showdown last night between Team River City and River City. That’s right. The same bar sponsored two teams and they squared off in a classic duel. Both teams entered the game at a disappointing 1-2 record, and one would have a long road to climb to reach the playoffs after falling to 1-3. Luckily, the right River City team won. Team River City that is. We are now 2-2 on the year and sitting in third place. Next week we play the second place team and win would put us in front of them. 

 

Last nights game was highlighted by poor shooting and worse officiating. We previaled 49-44 after some clutch free throw shooting by another commenter (and brother) Scott. In warm ups, he hit 15 free throws in a row and we all made fun of him for just shooting FT. But in the end, those helped win us the game as he went something like 5-of-6 at the line in the final 2 minutes. 

 

It was defensive battle (actually it was just poor shooting but I think to think some of that had to do with our defensive). The story of the game though was the refs. I don’t expect good officitating in park and rec leagues (hence why they are park and rec officials) but I do expect them to at least now the rules. 

 

Long story short, one ref didn’t know what a carry was. He also didn’t know that a line violation on the first of two free throws doesn’t cancel the second free throw. After he called a foul on a shot, he never looked to see if the ball went in. Twice, it took everyone in the gym to tell him the bucket was good. Even after that he was saying two shots and we all had to tell him it was only one. He spent three minutes checking with the score’s table about what the score should be after one such call. Multiple times he called fouls on the floor, shooting faults after the guy who was fouled said he was shooting. They agreed. Several times he called shooting fouls on the floor (I  would think as make up calls but I don’t think these guys were smart enough to know what a make up call is). 

 

There were plenty more examples like that but the bottom line is Team River City is sitting pretty. We are playing better together, learning how to play off each other and starting to play well. (If only we could make some shots now) I expect us to finish the regular season at 7-3 at the worse.

 

The one bad part from last nights game is I didn’t score. I think I missed like 6 three’s or something. I would be ok with not scoring but Seal’s punk ass score on an easy lay up, after Scott made a nice steal, gave me the ball, and I got it to Seal for the lay up. Those were his only points. But it should be disallowed since he shot a left handed lay up, right handed. Solid work Seal.

 

Go Team River City.

 

Also, did you see the 49ers signed Chris Wenke. Wow. I would have went Jeff George over him. At least we know if the Browns need a win in Week 17 to make the playoffs, it will be that much easier. I also heard the 49ers are signing Rashaan Salaam.

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The Mitchell Report, what a waste

It all comes out at 2:00 today. The moment we have been waiting for. The moment three (?) years in the making. The moment we all have been that will forever change the baseball and all sports and quite possibly the fate of the free world. That’s right, at 2:00 p.m. today, Thursday, December 13, 2007, the Mitchell Report is set to be released. What a day it sure to be.

 

I have just one question…

 

Does anyone even care anymore? I mean really, do you? Do you really care if someone took some kind of performance enhancing drug 15 years ago? I know I don’t. I think this whole investigation has been a joke. Everyone knows players took something. Fans knew it, players knew it was going on, owners knew it was going on, MLB officials knew it was going on. And now, all of a sudden we are suppose to care. Now we are suppose to shocked that 60-80 players names are on the report. Oh my, no! Give me a break. This is stupid.

 

I don’t care if someone took some pills or shot something in his ass that he thought would make him a better player. Those make you bigger and strong but not always a better ball player. You still have to hit the ball, catch the ball, run the bases, spit tobacco and grab your crotch. To me it just isn’t that big of a deal if someone was on steroids. When MLB is making commercials (when they had to know this was going on) about how “chicks dig the long ball,” they lose all creditability. 

 

I could be wrong here, but wasn’t it just a few months ago no one was cooperating with Mitchell and Bud Selig almost stop the investigation? And now, all of a sudden, he’s got the whole report together. How does that happen? And how can we even trust the report? There’s no tests to back up the names. There wasn’t even testing going on until two years ago. How can we know these guys really took anything? Isn’t it all hearsay? I think Mitchell was under so much pressure by MLB to get something together that he rushed this thing together and it won’t be creditable. Anyone who’s name is on the report, well sue or do something to clear his name and will probably win whatever stems from that.

 

The name everyone is going to what to see won’t be there, Barry Bonds. Everyone’s favorite home run king, won’t even be on the list. I can guarantee that. There’s absolutely, positively, without a doubt, no way he ends up on the list. If Bonds hasn’t tested positive for steroids yet, he’s smart enough to know how to stay off this list. Plus, MLB, as much as Selig hates Bonds, won’t want their all time home run leader to be in the report. That would damage baseball more than any other name and it would cause and solvable problems. I’m not even sure there will be any big names in the report. Maybe a few mediocre All-stars but no superstar.

 

The whole steroid thing has been a witch hunt and it’s being led by a misguided man. It’s a waste of time. Everyone knows there was steroids going on in the game, what is it going to prove to name names? How does that help anything? All it does is cause more problems, cause more arguments and cost more worthy players a chance at the Hall of Fame? MLB should just accept it for what it was, a flawed period of time when offensive numbers ballooned, and move on. They are doing the right thing by trying to clean it up with the new testing but there’s no way they can right the wrong done in the past. No matter how many names are mentioned at 2:00 p.m. today.

 

(Final note: It’s going to suck having to listen to this talk dominated the air waves for the next week starting with ESPN and ESPNews covering the entire thing from 1:00 to 6:00 today [ESPNews I’m sure goes longer]. Do they really need two channels covering the same thing? Stupid Mitchell.)

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