STARTING FIVE
Jeter may play “shortstop” but at 6-3 he is actually taller than Nash.
1. A Pirate Looks at Forty
Mother, mother ocean, after all these years I’ve found
My occupational hazard being my occupations
just not around.
I feel like I’ve drowned,
Gonna head uptown.
That’s Jimmy Buffett, of course. Two of my all-time favorite athletes turn 40 this year and both are staring out at the abyss. Yesterday Derek Jeter, whose on-field accomplishments and off-field behavior are unimpeachable –unless you’re a blogger, because who holds themselves to higher personal and career standards than sports bloggers do– announced he will retire at the end of the season. And Steve Nash, as this mesmerizing video from Grantland demonstrates, can also see the finish line.
Old age doesn’t kill people. Loneliness does. You can see it in Jeter’s and Nash’s faces even though –thank you, Deadspin, I got–they’re not actually dying.
2. Hey, Man, Nice Shot
I believe this photo was shot from Walnut Creek.
I hate LeBron James’ jump-shooting form. Mount Rushmore or no, he’s not a classic shooter. Scorer, maybe, but the better pure shooter on the court last night plays for Golden State. Yet, LeBron did bury the dagger three with Miami trailing by two to defeat Golden State. That’s a nice way to send your teammates off on a week-long vacation as you head to the All-Star Game.
The Pitt Falls of being a freshman.
And as for Tyler Ennis, whose 35-footer kept Syracuse undefeated (24-0) and handed Pitt its first home loss versus a Top 5 team since that venue had been built? Ennis, a freshman, just has “it.” If you were watching live, you were not betting against Ennis as he crossed midcourt.
3. Pinkos and Pinkeyes
Exclusive photo of Costas at the NBC cafeteria. Good to see the condition has not curbed his appetite.
(For you youths, Archie Bunker used to refer to Russians/Communists as “pinkos.”).
Leave it to The Daily Show to employ one illustration that is pithier than anything written about Bob Costas’ ocular odyssey, a condition that I will heretofore refer to as “Soch-eye.” Here’s what host Jon Stewart had to say about “Young Bob Costas.”
By the way, here’s Bob’s son on MLB Network. Is this a Tim-Luke Russert deal?
4. Unnecessary Roughness? Fatsis Vs. SI
Fatsis
Author Stefan Fatsis ripped SI a new one earlier this week (Well, good luck ever getting someone from SI on one of your podcasts from now on, Stefan) for its reporting on the Michael Sam story. Specifically, the “roundup” of NFL opinions on how the league would perceive Sam. People tend to forget that SI, like any publication or organization, is nothing more than an aggregate of humans. In this instance we had two SI writers, Thayer Evans and Pete Thamel, speaking with eight anonymous NFL personnel.
First: At the end of the day, you have two guys conversing with eight guys. That’s it. And none of these eight were Jerry Jones or Robert Kraft, you know? When you slap on the brand “Sports Illustrated” or “NFL”, we tend to give these opinions or this reporting more credit than they probably deserve. Also: Whatever NFL guy agreed to speak on condition of anonymity –and all of them did–is a coward. I’m invoking, and for now on referring to it as, the Sara Bareilles Rule: “Say what you want to say/And let the words fall out/Honestly, I want to see you be brave.”
If Michael Sam could be brave, why couldn’t these guys?
Second: Here’s what happened (probably). Jon Wertheim phones Sam’s people on Friday afternoon, informs them that SI is on to the story, but agrees not to jump the gun. In return he is told when Sam will make his announcement, so that SI.com will have something prepared. Did SI have a game-plan prior to this moment? Perhaps, but Austin Murphy is in Sochi and Peter King is looking forward to his first non-football weekend in about 30 weeks. So is this why two college-sports guys were conscripted to round up quotes? I don’t know. It’s not Pete or Evans’ fault. It’s just that I doubt everyone in the NFL is as Neanderthal as this. There’s more than one Chris Kluwe out there. There’s got to be.
Finally: there MUST be a few gay NFL players currently on rosters. There must be a few more gay sports media people (I know who some of you are but I won’t tell). Has there ever been a better time for all of you to come out and overwhelm us with this? No, there hasn’t. Don’t leave Michael Sam hanging, people.
5. Vanity Fare
One magazine’s annual reminder that movie stars have better lives than we do: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julia Roberts, Idris Elba, George Clooney, Michael B. Jordan, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong’o and a few others including Margot Robbie (white dress).
The Hall
Charter Inductees: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner
1937: Tris Speaker, CF; Cy Young, P.
1938: Grover Cleveland Alexander, P; Eddie Collins, 2B
1939:Nap Lajoie, 2B; Joe Jackson, LF
1940: Billy Hamilton, OF; Cap Anson, 1B
1941: Wee Willie Keeler, RF; George Sisler, 1B
1942: Rogers Hornsby, 2B; Pie Traynor, 3B
1943: Mickey Cochrane, C; Frankie Frisch, 2B
1944: Ed Walsh, P; Old Hoss Radbourn, P
1945: Lou Gehrig, 1B; Kid Nichols, P
1946: Ed Delahanty, LF; Lefty O’Doul
1947: Pud Galvin, P; John McGraw, INF
1948: Carl Hubbell, P; Addie Joss, P
1949: Harry Heilman, OF/1B; Monte Ward, P/SS
1950: Cool Papa Bell, CF; Jimmie Foxx, 1B
1951: Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, P; Josh Gibson, C
1952: Paul Waner, RF; Charlie Gehringer, 2B
1953: Mel Ott, RF; Hank Greenberg, 1B
1954: Eddie Plank, P; Dan Brouthers, 1B
1955: “Wahoo” Sam Crawford, OF; John Clarkson, P
1956: Chief Bender, P; Bill Dickey, C
1957: Sam Rice, RF; Joe DiMaggio, CF
1958: Bill Terry, 1B; Heinie Manush, LF
1959:
Jay Hanna Dean, P; 1930, 1932-1941, 1947, Cardinals
Dizzy Dean is the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in a season, but we include the ace of the Gashouse Gang as much for his legend as for his stats. Perhaps more so. Dean once bragged that he’d strike out Vince DiMaggio four times in one game. He fanned him three times and on DiMaggio’s fourth at-bat, when he hit a foul pop behind home plate, Dean screamed at his catcher to drop it. The backstop did and Dean went on to whiff ’em. He’s the guy who first said, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can back I up.”
Tim Keefe, P; 1880-1893, five teams
A career record of 342-225 with a WHIP of 1.123 certainly is worth noticing. Keefe, whose four uncles all died in the Civil War fighting for the Union, also had five 35-plus win seasons. It was another era: not until his final season was the mound moved back to its current distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.