Are the baseball media oper ating under orders or under a spell? The biggest stories are either politely ignored or politely forgotten.
Last week during TBS’ Phillies-Braves telecast, Bid Selig, er, Bud Selig, said one of those incredible things that he says, this one up there with how he personally checked and found that all tickets in the new Yankee Stadium are affordably priced.
While discussing expanding the playoffs from eight to 10 teams, Selig said “10 out of 30 is still a good number. It’s by far the least number of any other sport, as you well know.”
Duhhh, yes, Boss. Dat’s da trooth, Boss. Duhhh.
And, as we also well know, baseball plays a 162-game season, twice as many as “any other sport.”
It’s not unusual for the worst teams to win two of three or three of four against the best, thus 162 games serve to distinguish and reward the good from the far less, to diminish the possibility the World Champion be determined by a crap shoot.
Yet, with eight postseason qualifiers, the 2006 Cardinals, with the 12th best record in the majors, won the World Series. So with 10 qualifiers …
But once again, the Commissioner of Baseball, the steward of the National Pastime, is only following orders: To serve, first, foremost and only, the financial interests of team owners. The Game? What game?
And, once again, the media, once relied upon by the public to protect our sports from greed and scams and scoundrels, roll over and play dead.
Also last week, Steve Abfalter, a juror in the Barry Bonds perjury trial — Bonds was convicted only for obstructing justice — told the New York Times that after learning how much incriminating evidence had been deemed inadmissible, he now realizes that Bonds “was obviously so guilty” of perjury.
Given that Bonds is baseball’s home run king, able to surpass drug-free immortals because he used steroids, fully enabled by Selig’s don’t-upset-the-money-cart neglect, this, too, should have been given something louder than the silent treatment.
And with every home run Alex Rodriguez now hits, the new career total appears on the screen: 620, 621, 622 …
No mention that who knows how many — 200? 250? — were hit with the help of steroids and Selig’s “I see nussing!” Sgt. Schultz act. No mention — not anymore — that Rodriguez, like Bonds, cheated and lied his way to fame and fortune during Baseball in the Age of Bud.
‘SportsNation’ meter Nova-flowing with ‘BS’
On ESPN’s “SportsNation,” Thursday, hosts Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle, using their “BS Meter” (isn’t that nice?), spanked Jorge Posada. The Yankees had beaten the Rays, Tuesday, and ESPN played Posada’s quote: “No one really gave us a chance to win tonight.”
Cowherd and Beadle called that an absurd quote. But there was a good reason for that — he didn’t say that! He said, “Nova” — Ivan Nova — “really gave us a chance to win tonight.”
Speaking of bad listeners, why would NBC, during its Stanley Cup coverage, not pay attention to every word spoken by Doc Emrick?
Saturday, with play whistled, Emrick said: “An injured referee at one end and a save by Tim Thomas at the other.” NBC then cut to a close-up of Bruins goalie Thomas, then to a close-up of the Lightning’s Martin St. Louis. Next, finally, a shot of ref Dan O’Halloran, still in agony.
* Dept. of You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: Last Sunday’s Phillies-Braves on TBS included the use of “Pitch/Trax” — ready? — during an intentional walk! (Credit Jeff Prescott, San Diego, with the heads-up.)
Also last Sunday, Post crime reporter C.J. Sullivan was working a story on 123rd Street. Daylight was on the fade, the weather was cold, cloudy and damp; an electric sign outside a bank read 57 degrees.
Sullivan got into his car to keep warm and to listen to the start of the Red Sox-Yankees, two miles away. The first words he heard were from John Sterling, who said it’s a beautiful, clear evening, 70 degrees.
* Modern Baseball: Monday, Yankees-Rays, bottom of the eighth, one-run game. Ball four to B.J. Upton. But he just stands there. Two teams fighting for first, one-run game in the eighth, and he had no idea of the count.
* Thursday, during Nationals-Mets on SNY, Gary Cohen and Ron Darling discussed reasons for long rain delays. They spoke of interleague play making rescheduling difficult and the safety of players. But nothing about the safety of fans making it to and from ballparks, often despite National Weather Service travel warnings.
* Reader Stanley Yellin notes that ESPN has returned World Series of Poker coverage on a “semi-live” basis. “Is semi-live,” he asks, “the same as half-dead?”
Costas interview pure gold
After two legs of the Triple Crown, its TV star is a human, a man, by his own admission, who is too frank for his own good. But that’s good for us.
Not that journalism has much of a future, but Bob Costas‘ pre-Preakness interview with Animal Kingdom’s manager, part-owner,straight-talking spokesman, Barry Irwin, Saturday on NBC, would make a strong case study for pure professionalism and its rewards.
Irwin, after his horse won the Kentucky Derby, essentially accused the thoroughbred industry of being loaded with liars and assorted bad guys.
Saturday, without apologizing, Costas asked good, tough questions, and Irwin returned them with good, firm answers.
Asked if security for Animal Kingdom had been strengthened because he seriously suspected someone might mess with the horse, Irwin explained now that he and trainer Graham Motion have been identified as “a couple of Boy Scouts,” he couldn’t rule it out.
“I’m sure somebody would like to see one of my horses come up with a positive so they can say, ‘See? He’s just like all these other guys.’ “
* There’s no end to ESPN’s hideous contradictions. The Magazine is soliciting from readers put-downs of every NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB team. Specifically, ESPN is asking for “trash talk” and “insults.” Seriously.
Anyone with a seething hatred for the Minnesota Wild? Bring it, baby!
Perhaps the theme of a future issue will be “The Death of Sportsmanship and Civility — Where It All Went Wrong.” That issue can feature the latest tale of a fan beaten into a coma by fans of the other team — just for hollering an insult, or returning one.
* Good stat yesterday from YES pregame anchor Bob Lorenz: Yesterday’s was the Yankees’ first day game in two weeks.