Dom's Dish - March Craziness edition

Dom's Dish - Friday, March 9, 2007


So, I was up in North Jersey, away from home, and I briefly caught something about this somewhere on ESPN or the radio, but didn't get all the specifics. Then I found an article in USA Today and had to rip it out, since I was perplexed at the story. You probably heard about this huge steroid bust/online pharmacy sting that involves the states of NY, FL and Alabama (AL - I know AL is the state abbreviation, but not sure if all of you out there do...). First, Gary Matthews, Jr. a baseball player who was a Texas Ranger, but in "hot stove" negotiations got sent to the Anaheim/LA Angels (I think they're still "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim") accepting a 5 year $50 million contract. When it leaked that he might be involved, he did not refute or deny the statement like many before him (Palmiero, Bonds, McGuire) that were suspected. Nope, he said "he needed more information." Earlier this week, he hired star attorney Robert Shapiro, yes, THAT Robert Shapiro of O.J. Simpson fame. (I wonder if Shapiro will use a Cochran move and have Matthews try on an old batting glove...never mind) Ridiculous what all of this means, especially getting to my next point...

...So, the article I clipped was one that cited a report on all of this that a former major leaguer right here in the Philly area received up to 6 shipments of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) for a "medical condition." The player is former third baseman, David Bell. Now, when I read this, I thought, "self, there's no way," I mean, the guy's father, Buddy Bell is the skipper of the KC Royals and had an MLB career, maybe that's why he's stuck around this league so long. Like others suspected before him though, they got bigger, stronger and performed better. Not David Bell. Unless we're talking about his stats from 2004 that shot up with the Phils from .195 AVG in 85 games with 4 HR in 2003 to a stunning .291 with 18 HR in 143 games in 2004. Even still, the average isn't indicative of a "performance enhancing drug" - they don't improve eye-hand coordination, do they? Also in this 37-pg report, it points out one common factor: Bell, Matthews and Jerry Hairston all have former major league fathers. Conspiracy theory? Now, David Bell is nowhere to be found on any MLB roster after not being re-signed by the Milwaukee Brewers, so there's no reason to rain on his non-parade. I'd still have to say that these "performance enhancers" didn't work for David and do wholeheartedly agree with the guy, who looked like Hugo from "Lost," in section 104 of Citizen's Bank Park - "David Bell: YOU SUCK!"

Dominic Rhodes, near Super Bowl MVP, has visited more than a few teams in this free agency period, including the Giants and Bills. However, today he agreed to a deal with the....Oakland Raiders? Lamont Jordan restructured his deal a week ago, now they bring in another back? I guess Lane Kiffin (31 yr old coach) who at USC last year, didn't have a "feature back" plans to utilize the same system. I guess Dominic's DWI charge a few weeks ago really made an impact - he's sent to the island of misfit toys...er, NFL players, out in Oaktown. And it was mentioned yesterday on NFL radio by the Afternoon Blitz team - do the Giants know free agency started? They've lost a good kicker (Jay Feely to Miami), a huge Left Tackle (cut Luke Pettigout, now in Tampa) and cut a mistake they made last offseason (Lavar Arrington).

What's with the ACC Championship location? The majority of the conference is centered around the Carolinas (with BC being in Mass.), and they hold the tournament down in Tampa? Great city, but why make 90% of the teams travel on a 1 1/2 hour flight? Couldn't get the arena in Charlotte or DC this year? And I don't get how some tournaments let everyone in. Miami was 4-12 in the ACC this year, and they almost had another upset. I guess 5 wins in a row is a big feat for an NCAA auto-bid.

This whole new Daylight Savings Time is getting out of hand. So a few people will be late for meetings? I heard people compare it to Y2K. What? The threat of financial institutions shutting down back in 1999 vs. a few people being at the right place at the wrong time? There is no other comparison other than the fact that it affects all computers and has to do with date/time. P.S. don't forget to spring forward and lose sleep on Sunday morning at 2am! A week into free agency, with all the money being thrown about, the Eagles are entering the fold. For those out there calling for a WR, you've got one and maybe another on the way. Those same people won't be happy even still. Bethel Johnson? Kevin Curtis, possibly? Does anyone remember how excited we got about Jabar Gaffney last year? Look where he ended up, not on this roster. Today, they added William James, my guess is that he'll be their Nickel CB for the year, but don't be surprised if they draft a CB this year in the late rounds (for cheap).

(side note - not just because I'm an Eagles fan, but I've visited most every NFL site, and am perplexed to see that not many of them keep writing articles and updating all areas of their site during the offseason. http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/ has a great staff, has won awards for NFL content, have a regular contributor in Dave Spadaro (who honestly writes a column 330 of the 365 days every year I bet) and always have new features and interviews with players. I guess other teams don't see the value...)


Around the balls:
Giant-orange- Villanova was getting spanked yesterday and nearly came close to tying the game in the final minutes. For a team who lost some key pieces to the pie in the last few years to the NBA: Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry, etc. they're having a great season. Goes to show Jay Wright is a great coach and Nova will definitely be in the brackets come Sunday night.
White-leather-stitched- Mike Hampton of the Braves, a pitcher, who was trying to come back from an elbow injury, was injured the other day while taking batting practice. He strained his left oblique while swinging and could be out 2 months. To DH or not to DH? Another chip for the entire league to go DH...?
Rubber-non- It's definitely worth watching the hit, as it's up there with the Todd Bertuzzi hit a few years ago (when he slammed another player's head into the ice). Last night, Chris Simon of the NY Islanders used his stick to hit NY Ranger Ryan Hollweg in the face. Ok, sure he got put in the boards by another player, but holy cow - he used his stick swinging it at Hollweg's face like a baseball bat or an axe. Ugly. I'm all for fights in hockey, but totally uncalled for. He's been suspended for (my favorite word that I don't know what it means:) indefinitely. Probably the remainder of the season.
Big-brown-oblong- Willis McGahee was traded from Buffalo to Baltimore for 3 draft picks - 2 in April and one in 2008. Funny, that's also the number of children he has supposedly fathered during his stay in Buffalo...

...March definitely has "come in like a lion"...


Program Alert:
Borat is out on DVD as of Tuesday. Very nice!
Sunday night, NCAA Brackets come out. If you don't watch, you're not a true sports fan...or you're busy. Whether you watch on CBS or ESPN, you're right!


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