Memories Of Bobby Murcer

Baseball was still unknown to me in 1965 when Bobby Murcer first donned the Yankee pinstripes, and by the time I discovered the game, he'd been traded to the San Francisco Giants. So when he returned in 1979 I had no fond memories of him. But I remember how happy everyone was to see him back in a Yankee uniform, and I remember feeling jealous, because I hadn't been able to experience the good times that he'd given to Yankee fans in the past.

Those next few years, which proved to be the last of his career, were not terrible ones, but they certainly were not all-star caliber. Being a relatively new baseball fan, I was unimpressed. I didn't understand why he was so beloved. I didn't understand that he had earned that love back in those glory years of the late '60s and early '70s.

Then he retired and moved into the broadcast booth. To me, he seemed in over his head. He was a fish out of water. He'll never make it, I thought. I was alone in my thoughts, it seemed. Even in the broadcast booth, he was the Beloved Bobby Murcer.

Yesterday, after the YES Network announced his passing, Joe Girardi and several players talked about Bobby. The common thread running through all their thoughts about him was that he was always positive and always smiling. YES Network commentators echoed those sentiments and it was difficult for them to maintain their composure as they did so. YES played clips of his playing days and his days in the booth. I was particularly taken with a clip of what was probably his last Old Timers Day appearance. He played left field and wore a mic, sharing the experience with all the viewers. I smiled as I watched, because it was then that I finally began to understand. I could finally see what a great human being he was. I was no longer alone in my thoughts. He was, indeed, the Beloved Bobby Murcer.

The Lady

Congratulations, Jon Lester

Two years ago, when Jon Lester was diagnosed with cancer, did anyone think he'd even pitch again, much less pitch successfully? I know I didn't. Lester came back from his illness to pitch Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, and last night at Fenway, he pitched a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals.

Ordinarily, when something like this happens to the Red Sox, I could care less. However, it's hard to be a rival when the story is this good. Anyone who's battled cancer or who has gone through any type of crisis in their life should feel inspired by Jon Lester's story. So, for today at least, I tip my cap and say "Congratulations, Jon Lester."

The Lady

Giambi's Thong Song

If you haven't heard the news, here it is: Jason Giambi wears a gold lame thong to get out of hitting slumps. I thought it was a joke, but it appears to be true! It's all exposed in the Daily News, who got it from Portfolio.com.

To me, the funniest part about this article was that Giambi and several of his teammates admitted that it was all true! Giambi said "It works every time." Derek Jeter complained that "it's so uncomfortable running around the bases." Jeter revealed more: "I had it over my shorts and stuff," he said. "I was 0-for-32 and I hit a homer on the first pitch. That's the only time I've ever worn it." Johnny Damon's also worn it, admitting to wearing the panties "probably three times."

Jorge Posada, on the other hand, had something else to say: "Whoever is on slumps, puts it on. I don't know if it works. I haven't worn it yet." He hasn't worn it yet?

Bobby Abreu, who strikes me as being the most macho Yankee, claimed to know nothing about the thong, but Mark Feinsand and his colleagues who co-wrote the article didn't believe him.

So, what's really going on here? Is it all one big joke? Are these guys just playing along or do they really wear the golden panties? Players have done some really superstitious things over the years, so this isn't really that surprising in the grand scheme of superstition. But it is when it comes to the button-down corporate Yankees. Do you want to know something? I kind of like it! If they're really doing this and they're comfortable enough to admit it, more power to them. I'm sick and tired of hearing about how serious and business-like this team is. They need to change their image, and I think having a gold lame thong superstition is a step in the right direction.

So, boys, keep on doin' it, cuz "...I know you wanna show da na da na that thong thong thong thong thong thong!"[Sisqo]

The Lady

The Blow-Up Doll Blow Up

There's a lot being said about what the White Sox did the other day with those female blow-up dolls. Here's my take on it:

Things like this go on in clubhouses and locker rooms all over sports, but they're usually kept behind closed doors, away from the public's view. The White Sox had no female reporters covering them that day (and they were in a visiting clubhouse as opposed to their own, where family members would likely be). So, they thought they were away from the public's view. Unfortunately for them, they were not. Now they're being labeled as sexist. Please. They used poor judgement, that's all. What they did does not necessarily mean they're a sexist bunch. It just means they're professional male athletes.

I'm not saying that, if I'd walked into that clubhouse I wouldn't have been offended. Of course I would've been. But I doubt the dolls would have been there if they'd known I was coming. To me this is like doing something in the privacy of your own home and being interrupted by unexpected guests.

A big blow up over nothing.

The Lady

Chien-Ming Wang Does A Commercial

I don't think I'd be exaggerating much if I said that Chien-Ming Wang is like Michael Jordan in his native Taiwan. He's all over the place there. Here's one the commercials he's done:



Good stuff!

The Lady

No. 42 To Be Un-Retired Again (Yawn)

Next Tuesday, April 15th, will be Jackie Robinson Day. It'll be the 61st anniversary of the day Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier. Last year, for the 60th anniversary, Robinson's No. 42, which had been retired throughout MLB, was put back into circulation for that one day, and dozens of players wore it to honor Robinson and his legacy.

Well, now MLB is putting the number back into circulation again. Players will once again have the opportunity to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day. I have one question: Why?

Seeing it being worn last year was a beautiful thing. (It would have been even more beautiful if more white players had worn it.) However, doing it again this year only waters down the whole idea. I can understand wearing it on a milestone anniversary like the 60th. But, doing it again a year later borders on travesty as far as I'm concerned.

Wait until the 70th anniversary to wear No. 42 again. Do it every 10 years, not every year.

The Lady

[Photo: Jon Soo Hoo/Dodgers]

A Few Words About Knoblauch

Chuck Knoblauch finally surfaced yesterday, weeks after his name showed up in The Mitchell Report. He told The New York Times "I have nothing to defend. I have nothing to hide at the same time." In other words, no contest.

Knoblauch's tenure with the Yankees was never what he or anyone else expected it to be. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the fact that his father was dying of Alzheimer's Disease. I once heard MSNBC's Keith Olberman (whose mother was the victim of one of Knoblauch's errant throws) talking about how a lot of players practically lose the ability to play when the person that first taught them the game (in most cases, the father) is taken away from them.

Before those abilities left him, Yankee fans witnessed a lead-off hitter who, all of a sudden, began leading off games with home-runs. (Yankee announcer John Sterling once remarked, "Torre better like it," after one of Chuck's jacks.) He was no longer the tough out he was with the Minnesota Twins. He no longer took pitches and always seemed either to hit the ball out of the park or ground out. At the same time, we were bombarded with tales of how much of a health nut Knoblauch was. We were told that he would never put anything unnatural or unhealthful in his body and that he was embarrassed to be caught with even so much as a small bag of pretzels.

What's the truth? Did he take steroids and, as a result, hit more home-runs? Or, was he really the health nut everyone believed he was? Knoblauch is pleading no contest now. We'll see if that changes on February 13th.

The Lady

Christmas Fun

Whether you're a Yankee fan or not, you'll love this take on the classic Christmas poem:

'Twas The Night Before (Yankee) Christmas

Thanks Peter Abraham. And to all my cherised readers: "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

The Lady

The Mitchell Report: Do You Care?

Bud Selig now has the Mitchell Report in his hot little hands and he'll reveal what it says tomorrow. Does anyone care? I don't.

To be more clear about this, I don't care about the Mitchell Report but I do care about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. The Media keeps saying that I don't, but that's simply not true.

Every media organization I turn my attention to says the fans don't care if players are using steroids or HGH. To hear them tell it, all fans only care about seeing their favorite players hit balls out of the park. It doesn't matter how or why they do it, as long as they do it.

That's an insult. Just because attendance goes up every year and the MLB coffers are overflowing doesn't mean fans don't care about steroids or HGH. Heck, I believe the real fans do care. The real fans are the ones who don't miss a game on their regional sports network, who know why a batter bunts, who know why a runner can't score from third on a fly ball with two outs. The real fans, for the most part, can't spend a lot of money on high-priced tickets and merchandise. The real fans, for the most part, aren't rich people who know nothing about the game and only show up at the ballpark to be seen. Fans do care, and I'm tired of hearing that we don't.

As for the Mitchell Report, I refuse to give any credence to someone who was on the payroll of an MLB team, a team who, up until now, has had not a single player come under suspicion for use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The Lady

Dukes & Milledge Are Teammates!

Elijah Dukes was traded to the Washington Nationals yesterday. The troubled outfielder joins another troubled outfielder recently traded to the Nats, Lastings Milledge. Dukes and Milledge together. On the same team. In Washington, DC. Am I the only one that sees a potential for trouble here?

I might be out of touch right now and things in Washington might not be as bad as they were years ago. I only know that several members of my family who have lived there over the years have had problems with the law; some with one side of it, some with the other side. Both of these young men are extremely talented and have bright futures in the Major Leagues. However, they've both had their legal troubles off the field, and dressing them up in the same uniform and plunking them down in the Nation's Capitol might be prove to be a bad mix. Too many distractions for two young men who seem to have trouble being good citizens off the field.

Let's hope I'm wrong. Good luck, guys.

The Lady

The Patriarch: An Enlarged Heart?

Yankee announcer Michael Kay often referred to journeyman pitcher Joe Kennedy as The Patriarch. I don't remember Kay ever explaining that he gave the pitcher this nickname because JFK's father was also named Joe Kennedy. Each time he said The Patriarch was on the mound I would ask myself: "How many young viewers is Kay alienating this time?"

As reported several days ago, Kennedy, 28, passed away at his in laws home early Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving. Now comes the news that he may have had an enlarged heart. I'm not a doctor or any kind of health care professional, but if he did have an enlarged heart, a heavy Thanksgiving meal certainly could not have helped him any.

Sadly, this Patriarch won't get the chance to be the father of his own clan. He leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old child. My heartfelt condolences go out to them.

The Lady

MLB & Venezuela: No Mas?

There's an article on ESPN.com now about how Venezuela is beginning to make it harder for MLB to conduct business there. They're talking about, among other things, teams paying the government 10% of a player's signing bonus and making players register with the government for a professional athlete's license. Teams are starting to throw up their hands in defeat. The Padres have already given up completely, having packed up and left the country.

I don't know why, but this makes me think of Ugueth Urbina, languishing in a Venezuelan prison. I believe he's serving a 14-year sentence for beating and burning his field hands. I remember that most people believed the sentence was much too harsh. Urbina's troubles along with these new developments really make me wonder: Does Venezuela hate its baseball players? Probably not. The players are just scapegoats. The country is buried in problems. Sticking it to MLB players is easier than tackling the real issues facing Venezuela.

The Lady

Is Your Security At Risk?

Hello, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to remind you all about secruity during the holiday shopping season. I attended a luncheon sponsored by Staples last week at which they pointed out an area on their website where you can test your risk of identity theft. If you need more info, I've posted a few more details on my other blog.

Happy Thanksgiving and safe shopping for all!

The Lady

$6 Billion and Counting

I was just reading an article on CNNMoney.com which says that Baseball will surpass $6 billion in revenues this year. Why is this significant? Because it comes awfully close to the more than $6 billion in revenues reported by the NFL in 2006.

The NFL is the nation's top moneymaking sport and for MLB to be catching up to it in revenues is a very big deal. Now all they have to do is catch up in popularity as well and all will be right with the world.

The Lady

Mr Met Heads Home

Funny stuff from Conan Obrien:



The Lady

A-Rod To The (Peter) Max

Before last night's game against the Orioles, the Yankees held a ceremony to celebrate A-Rod's 500th career home run. While I watched it I thought, Either the Yankees really want A-Rod to stay or they can't wait for him to opt out.

When I saw one of the gifts, three "works of art" from Peter Max, I began to think it was the latter. I know Peter Max is known as a pop artist, but how cheesy can you get? He gave Alex the two paintings shown above, plus some kind of "sculpture" made of bats, which tumbled to the ground when the cover was lifted from it. Created with the same silly pastel colors, it looked just as cheesy as the paintings.

I tried to gauge A-Rod's reaction to the artwork and my guess is that he didn't like it very much. However, knowing that it carries the potential of a small fortune I'm sure he'll have no problem getting used to it.

The Lady

One More Time: Bud Must Go

The SF Giants will be in Bud Selig's hometown of Milwaukee this weekend for a three-game series against the Brewers. As we all know, Barry Bonds now needs two home-runs to tie the all-time record and Selig still has not said whether he'll be in the ballpark when the record is broken.

I can't stand Bonds and I'm really upset that he's the one that's going to break this hallowed record. However, as I've said in the past, there's nothing anyone, not even Selig, can do about it. No one spoke up about steroids a decade ago and this is the price everyone has to pay.

If Selig hasn't made up his mind by now whether or not he'll be in the ballpark, Bonds might make it up for him if he hits homers 754 and 755 before the series ends. Not being in his hometown ballpark at that point would make Selig look like a foolish child. Bonds is well-rested going into this series. Looks like your weekend plans include a trip to Miller Park, Bud.

The Lady

[Illustration: Daniel Adell/SI]

It's Not Always Fun For Gary Sheffield

I don't have HBO, so, unless I can catch it online somewhere, I won't get to see the controversial Gary Sheffield "Real Sports" interview this week. I won't be knocking myself out trying to find it, either.

Why aren't players knocking themselves out trying refute what Sheffield has said? So far only Darryl Strawberry has spoken out, saying that he knows nothing about it and that Joe Torre has treated him well. Why hasn't Cecil Fielder said anything? What about Tom Gordon? Where is Glenallen Hill?

Their silence is deafening.

Maybe they haven't said anything because of who it is that made the comments. Maybe they were already aware of what Sheffield told the Detroit News: that he uses the injustices he sees as motivation. Sheffield said, "...it's not always fun for me to come to the park." he said. "A lot of times it's boring. I have to give myself some excitement." In other words, the game itself isn't motivation enough. In other words, he's not in it for the love of it. In other words, he's a selfish player.

It sounds like Sheffield is thin-skinned as well. Buster Olney says Joe Torre has often called out his best players in team meetings, including Paul O'neill, Roger Clemens and Derek Jeter, players he thinks are confident enough to handle criticism. He's not going to do it with younger or more fragile players.

It'll be interesting to see what the fallout is when Sheffield and the Tigers come to the Bronx next month. My guess is that this whole race thing will have blown over, and Sheffield, in his never-ending quest to give himself some excitement, will have given the media something else to chew on and something else for Yankee fans to boo him about.

The Lady

First Israel, Now Ghana

Did you know they play baseball in Ghana? MLB.com has a story up now about some determined young men in Tema, Ghana who play baseball without shoes, on a soccer field using old steal cushions as bases. Apparently they're attracting some attention, because they were visited recently by an MLB delegation, which included New York Mets manager Omar Minaya.

Their aspirations seem to be realistic: college or Single-A, with college seeming to be more important to most of them. Their most promising player is an 18 year-old named Kofi Frimpong, an infielder on the national team. He hopes to attend the University of Miami, if he can secure a visa. He's very aware of baseball history including what Ted Williams, Connie Mack and Cal Ripkin have accomplished. His favorite active player is the Mets' Jose Reyes.

Nice story. Best wishes to all of them.

The Lady

[Photo: Stephen Ellsesser for MLB.com]

Let The Regurgitation Begin

The traditional food of choice at baseball parks around the nation was the center of attention once again yesterday, at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. In the annual 4th of July Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, CA ate 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes, breaking his own world record of 591/2, set only one month ago. Chestnut beat out Takeru Kobayashi, who's won the contest every year for the past six years. Nathan's has held the contest since 1916.

Eeeeeeeewwww! This event never fails to disgust me. How anyone can watch people stuff food into their mouths at an alarming rate with the possibility of barfing it back up just boggles my mind. What also boggles my mind is the fact that competitive eating is an organized "sport." According to the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), Kobayashi and Chestnut are ranked 1 and 2 respectively. (Or, is it the other way around? Oh, who cares!)

Kobayashi, Chestunut and the rest of the competitive eaters out there can have their fun. I could never be a competitive eater. I love food much too much to eat it that fast.

The Lady

[Photo of Joey Chestnut: AP/Seth Wenig]