Sports

Sterling too visible at White House

As several readers couldn’t help but notice, this week there was another serious security breach at the White House, when John Sterling was allowed entirely too close to President Obama.

Looking like a wax figure, Sterling was posed and positioned so perfectly and prominently in the Yankees/President photos and videos you’d have recalled that he made the catch on Bill Mazeroski to end the 1960 World Series, then, in 1996, sold his playoff seats to Jeffrey Maier’s dad.

Even a fellow local team radioman couldn’t resist comment about Sterling’s intrusive presence. During Tuesday’s Dodgers-Mets game, Howie Rose said he’s going to take another look at his “Sgt. Peppers” album cover because Sterling, perhaps next to Marilyn Monroe, must be in there, somewhere.

Van Pelt has a Bud

IF, through his ESPN Radio/ESPN2 simulcasts, Scott Van Pelt is eager to be heard as Mike Francesa or Dan Patrick — a host who wants to be thought of as a Mr. Inside big shot while only occasionally serving the little people who might be listening — then Van Pelt, on Monday, succeeded.

During an excessively chummy let’s-do-golf chat with Padres manager Bud Black, Van Pelt made this listener feel like an eavesdropping busboy, waiting to ask Mr. Van Pelt if he preferred sparkling water or tap.

At the close, Van Pelt said to Black, “Be good, man.”

Yeah, be good, man. Yeesh!

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Sports-talk radio often makes it difficult to distinguish satire from a flat tire. Monday on ESPN 1050’s local version of “Baseball Tonight,” Mike Pelfrey’s strong start was the topic when co-host Bonnie Bernstein asked 1050 analyst and ex-Yankees pitcher Jeff Nelson this:

“How much can it boost a pitcher’s confidence when you feel good about your secondary stuff and your off-speed pitches?”

Nelson said that such confidence can be very helpful. Don’t ask why, but I had a feeling he’d say that.

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Quiz Time: The last few minutes of close basketball games should cause: a) excitement, b) drowsiness?

The last 1:45 of Bulls-Cavaliers on TNT, Tuesday night, ran nearly 15 minutes, with timeouts after every whistle and/or change of possession.

And so, again, a game was played in which, during crunch time, there was little-to-no reward for the better coached and prepared team, the team that can think and act smarter with the clock running. Pity.

Parking PSL? Nothing’s impossible

Folks have been asking what we know about parking for NFL games in new PSL Stadium. All I know is the rumor:

Parking will cost $25 per car. Thus, including two exhibition games, season’s parking per team will be $250.

However, in addition to paying to park, one will have to purchase, for $995-$1,495, a parking space — a PPSL, or personal parking space license.

Nonsense? At least for now it is, but made ya look! See? The cost of attending Yanks, Mets, Jets, Giants, Rangers and Knicks games has so exceeded the outer limits of science fiction nothing out of the question seems impossible, does it?

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Tim Cronin, of White Plains, suggests TV/radio/print folks cease claiming that as the son of former major league pitcher Ron Davis, Ike Davis “grew up in and around” the big leagues. Dad’s last season was 1988, when Ike was 1.

Brings to mind ESPN’s Joe Morgan. In 2007 he said Mets pitcher Joe Smith, born in Cincinnati, told him that he grew up watching Morgan and the “Big Red Machine.” The Big Red Machine was kaput by 1978, Morgan’s last year with the Reds was 1979 and his last year in baseball was 1984 — the year Smith was born.

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Former Mets pitcher (2002-03) Mike Bacsik lost his hometown Dallas sports radio gig when, following the Spurs’ Game 5 win over the Mavs, he Twittered congrats to San Antonio’s “dirty Mexicans,” adding a vulgarity about David Stern.

The question, then, isn’t why Bacsik was fired, but why he was hired? Given what radio execs consider essential in sports talk — aka “guy talk” — I’ll bet on the blind that he was hired for the same reason he was fired.

‘Grand’ call not O-Kay

YANKEES center fielder Curtis Granderson on Tuesday, made a head-on diving catch. Over a slo-motion replay, Michael Kay marveled that Granderson “had to make a full-body dive,” but added “to make a shoestring catch.”

Granderson’s shoestrings, along with his shoes, socks and feet, were farthest from the catch.

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CBSSports.com’s Alex Riethmiller has shared with us some team names chosen by its baseball Fantasy Leaguers. Some are inspired by TV — the Springfield Isotopes (“The Simpsons”) and Vandelay Industries (“Seinfeld”). Others are just inspired — the Jeters Never Prosper, Victorious Secret and, my favorite, the Honey Nut Ichiros.

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Sirius/XM has live coverage of tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby beginning at 5 p.m. (S Ch. 120, XM 140). The pick here? The usual. An exacta or triple box on those Mike Francesa claims have no shot.

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Our NHL numbers man, Scott Cooper, notes that Stanley Cup home-ice “advantage” remains more notion than fact. Seven of eight Round 1 clinchers were won by the visitors. Round 1 home teams went 22-27.

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The U.S. Open: Apparently we weren’t alone who felt so moved by CBS’s open to December’s Army-Navy game that kickoff was watched through tears. This week that open won an Emmy. Credit director Pete RaDovich for putting together what made us fall apart.

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Down in front! Versus either still doesn’t get it or just doesn’t care. On Monday, with three minutes left in the Caps-Canadiens game, the Caps down two and in desperate offensive mode, when up pops a promo graphic covering the lower third of the ice. One more time: Wait for a whistle! Why does the NHL’s national network still not know better?