Leyland Better Get Used To The Cabrera Questions

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland says he's tired of all the questions about slugger Miguel Cabrera. Earth to Leyland: Get used to it. The questions aren't going away anytime soon. At least right now anyway. That's what happens when your best player acts like a buffoon while drinking himself into oblivion. What in the world made him go into a restaurant threatning to shoot and kill people. I never mad those threats on my wors drinking night. Usually you try to make it somewhere to pass out.

Team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski is hitching his and Leyland's immediate future to Cabrera. And how does Cabrera repay them? By going out and behaving like some college frat boy. Right now they look like enablers which isn't a good thing. Which means that reporters and writers will be asking questions about him as long as the Tigers haven't hardlined Cabrera, and that day ain't coming anytime soon.

It'll be hard for the general public to move past Cabrera follies, if you want to label it as such, as long as the organizational powers enable him to act in an irresponsible manner. The Tigers hired Raul Gonzalez to babysit Cabrera for this season. Whether this works or not I don't know. I call it more of a smoke screen. Cabrera can still go out and get blasted, and have Raul drive him home and help him to his couch and make sure he gets to the ballpark on time the next day. I think it's more of an enabling process than trying to help the guy. And yes he does need help.

There will be more questions coming and no matter how pissed you get Jimmy they're gonna keep coming. The vague answers aren't good enough. The reporters don't want to hear about what shape he's in or how he's gonna have his best season ever. What they want to know is whether you guys are going to give him some legitimate help off the field. What they want to know is if he's a functioning alcoholic, if he does this all the time or are his previous incidents just a blip. I'm betting that it's more of a problem than Leyland or Dombrowski are letting us know.

As a Tigers fan I won't be hypocritical, because I know I'll be rooting for the guy on the field. I don't expect anyone to agree with me. But he really needs to get it together off the field and they need to get him some real help and not a babysitter. By doing that all they're doing is enabling his activity and saying he doesn't have a problem, which is what Cabrera's probably saying to the Tigers.   

Marshall Avoids Another Tragedy

In November of 1970 37 members of the Marshall University football team along with 8 memebers of the coaching staff and 25 boosters died in a plane crash in West Virginia. The crash and the way the program was put back together was mad into a movie, "We Are Marshall".

On Wednesday night, history almost repeated itself. Members of the coaching staff were on a plane that had to make an emergency landing in Louisville,Kentucky. A very scary case of deja vu.

From CBSSports.com: Around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, a landing gear malfunction aboard ComAir Flight 5359 diverted a flight bound for Charleston from Atlanta to Lexington. The flight included Marshall’s entire offensive coaching staff and two of its defensive coaches.



Entering into its final descent, the landing gear finally came down on the plane and a crash-landing was averted as the coaches made their way off the flight safe and sound.

I've flown a few times and consider myself lucky not to have any kind of turbulence on those flights. I know I would've feared for my life considering history.

 “On our way back, we kept circling flying into Charleston — three times,”tight ends coach Phil Ratliff told the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. “He (the pilot) went back up in the air and we knew something was wrong.



“The crew basically came back and told us that they were diverting us to Lexington. They didn’t say it but if we had to crash land, it was a bigger runway.


“You grow up hearing about this for 40 years. For this to happen 40 years later, it was just unbelievable. We were all praying. It was calm, but we were definitely praying. It was a situation that you never want to go — thinking about your family, having your life go before your eyes. It was just unbelievable.”
 
Fortunately everyone on the flight was safe and unharmed. That had to be a scary situation for everyone involved.

Don King Puts $1 Million On Mayorga vs. Cotto

Well known boxing promoter Don King has been known to bet on his fighters as well as the opponent. Saturday night one of his fighters, Ricardo Mayorga, will be taking on Miguel Cotto, for Cotto's super welterweight title.

The fight should be an entertaining one with Mayorga's wild, drunken style against Cotto's natural boxing skills that have been honed by legendary trainer Emanuel Steward.

With this being a Don King promotion, along with rival promoter Bob Arum, that should add to the entertainment factor. Add this in also. King has bet $1 million dollars on Mayorga. Now maybe King knows something we the public don't know or he's just smarter than us. I think he would claim the latter. Mayorga is an 8-1 underdog and even though he has fought with the best, he's slowing down. If I'm King I would bet a few million on Cotto to cover possible losses. King is a sly fox so you never know what can happen.  

Sacramento Sports Director Plays A Joke On Kings Fans

From Mediabistro.com

It was a cruel bit of hype for KTXL‘s 10 p.m. newscast: about an hour before the broadcast, sports director Jim Crandell, who has been nicknamed “Scoopmeister” by the Sacramento Bee, tweeted, “Coming up in my show at 10PM, David Stern makes the announcement no Kings wants to hear…”


Sacramento sports fans have been anxiously waiting a decision on whether or not their beloved Kings will move to Anaheim after the season. Last month, NBA commissioner David Stern expressed his discontent with the stadium situation in Sacramento and confirmed that a move was possible. Had Crandell landed a scoop that would break the hearts of sports fans in the city?

It turns out that, no, he hadn’t. After teasing the Stern soundbite throughout the newscast, Crandell merely played archival footage from 1985 of Stern (right) announcing that the Kings were moving to Sacramento from Kansas City, the franchise’s previous home. KTXL played the original footage first and then played it again with the cities crudely dubbed in so that it sounded like Stern was announcing a move from Sacramento to Anaheim.

The would-be joke sparked outrage among many viewers. The Kings are the only major sports team in Sacramento and the community’s enthusiasm has provided the team with one of the best home court advantages in the NBA.

After the scoop that wasn’t, Crandell had to deal with angry viewers on Twitter. “U seriously owe this city an apology for that BS u pulled 2night,” wrote one.

“YOU DO NOT MESS WITH THE HEART OF SACRAMENTO @ A TIME LIKE THIS.”

Crandell responded to Kings fan “LocalStreetHero” tweeting, “Wow, Local, you are one mad dude. Sorry you got so upset. Thankfully, most people took it in the spirit it was intended.”

Phil Jackson Not A Fan Of The Way The Heat Plays

Count on Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson to stoke the fire before a game. The Lakers play the Miami Heat tonight and Jackson told reporters that he's not a fan of their style of play. This isn't the first time Jackson has taken shots at the Heat. Jackson questioned Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's job security earlier this season.

Jackson said the Heat rely on 1-on-1 basketball and likened it to an X-Box video game. I partially agree with that because the offense really revolves around Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. My problem with Jackson is why can't he concentrate on his own team.

“I’m not a big fan of the style that Miami plays,” Jackson said. “I like to see everybody involved in the game.”


It's easier to get everyone involved when you've coached cold blooded assassin's (Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan) and a one man gang (Shaquille O'Neal). Everyone just has to fit into their role and embrace it. The Heat haven't figured out who will play what role. It would also help to have a decent point guard and center.

“I think that’s really important to basketball,” Jackson said. “That’s what I’m trying to preach as a basketball coach, even though we have a guy that dominates the ball in Kobe (Bryant). Their basketball is very much standing with Xbox games or whatever those games are. Basketball’s not a 1-on-1 game. It’s a team game.”


When you have Kobe, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom it can make being a coach a lot easier.

The Heat don't play team ball and never will. Jackson has earned the right to criticize any team in the NBA and anyone with a brain realizes that. Even if the Heat played team ball they don't have what it takes to win an NBA Championship. They don't have a center or point guard not to mention a bench.


The reality of the situation is that LeBron quit on the Cavs in the Celtics series and that is his nature and it won't change. Wade and LeBron don't fit without a point guard that is a great ball handler, passer and defensive skills that demand their respect. That point guard is in Boston. Even with this being said there simply isn't enough basketball's on the court at one time and thats why Bosh is crying. Miami would have been better off with just the acquisition of Bosh. Sometimes less is better. Bosh would have complimented Wades's game. LeBron takes away from his game. Maybe Derrick Rose knew something we didn't, even though he says he never said he didn't want to play with LeBron.


 

Cabrera Needs To Lay Off The Sauce

After giving a Florida cop the middle finger, baseball star Miguel Cabrera shouted at police, “Fucking shoot me, kill me” when ordered to drop to his knees so that officers could handcuff him, according to a sheriff’s report.


The 27-year-old athlete, busted last month in Fort Pierce for drunk driving, also stated, “Fuck you. Do you know who I am? I’m Miguel Cabrera, I play for the Detroit Tigers, you don’t know my family.”

A second document--a statement given to cops by bar manager Fletcher Nail--recounts an incident shortly before Cabrera was arrested at the wheel of his Range Rover. Nail recalled that Cabrera arrived after last call and refused to leave Cowboys Bar-B-Q & Steak Co.

Nail said that Cabrera “leaned down close to my face” and said, “I will kill you.” Nail added that the ballplayer looked around the bar and added, “I know all of you, and I will kill all of you and blow this place up.” Another witness, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agent, told investigators that Cabrera threatened him and Nail “by saying he had a gun in his bag for us.”

The investigative reports were included in documents released today by prosecutors in response to an open records request. Cabrera, who has previously acknowledged abusing alcohol, was busted for DUI, resisting arrest, and having an open container of alcohol in his car.


Source: TheSmokingGun.com

Tressel Is The Biggest Fraud In College Football

Jim Tressel is the most fraudulent human walking around right now. This isn't a biased opinion, it's damn true. I know it'll burn up the Ohio State faithful, but I don't care. The guy is a liar, cheat, and flat out dirty. it just isn't him either, the school president and athletic director are both cosigning this mountain of bullsherky.

He knew about his players selling their athletic gear/merchandise for eight months, but says he didn't want to put his players in danger. Ok Jim, you didn't know what to do. You call the compliance office and report the transgressions you dope! Instead you sit by and let things slide and basically play a whole season with ineligible players. Instead he offered the confidentiality defense. He covering up something and I can't wait for the NCAA to come to toen and blow the lid off Columbus. I'm not saying this because I'm a Michigan fan, only because if you're caught cheating you should get hammered. I mean major violations, not for spending 5 minutes extra on the practice field. I know it would give the Big Ten a black eye, especially since head honcho Jim Delany went to bat for the Buckeyes before the Sugar Bowl.

 The Ohio State Universtity has nearly 400 violations Tressel's watch. He had violations at Youngstown State. This isn't Ed Martin bad, but it's bad. In my opinion, this looks like lack of institutional control. There was the Maurice Clarett deal, the Troy Smith violation, and now this. Not to mention lots of minor violations that were self reported. I bet Ohio State is hoping that since they self reported so many times, the NCAA will have mercy on them. I hope the NCAA burns that program down like General Sherman. If they don't the NCAA are a bunch of hypocrites. If Dez Bryant can lose a year of football for lying to investigators, then the Buckeyes should be going on probation for Tressel's lies on top of lies.

Tressel should be fired for, just like Steve Fisher was ran out of Michigan for his role in the Ed Martin case. He knew about this and didn't say anything and now he's acting like he's actually sorry for this whole mess. I hate to say this though, Ohio State will get a slap on the wrist and will go on winning and competing for Big Ten titles and national championship. If I'm Pat Hill of Fresno State I'd be worried because somehow the mighty hammer of the NCAA will come down on you and your program, because that's the way the system works.