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All sports welcome in Philly.
This weekend, something is occurring in the city of Philadelphia for the first time.
In this re emergence of sports that has seen the Phillies win a world championship, and return to unsuccessfully defend their title and the Flyers with an improbable comeback from the brink of elimination to the Stanley Cup finals, the national spotlight is more aware of Philly as a sports town, and one with a newly found winning mentality.
So I am glad to see the PGA returns to the area for their first tournament since 2002 with the AT & T National being held at the Donald Ross designed Aronimick Golf Club in Newtown Square, PA.
The event marks the first time Tiger Woods has played in a PGA event in the greater Philadelphia area as he defends his title and trys for the 6.2 million purse. Jim Furyk is the hometown favorite.
With football preseason around the corner, and some major changes to the team, the Eagles look to hold a high level of interest early this year as well.
The Union has made their presence known. The Soul are returning, sans Bon Jovi, and the Sixers remain a draw, although a contender they won’t be for quite some time.
Overall, the city of Philadelphia is becoming a well rounded sports mecca.
The city now boasts multiple premiere sports arenas with the new Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and the Wachovia Center with 2 or 3 professional teams playing meaningful games late in the year, strong college teams, and huge attendance and interest from the general population.
Rabid fans, successful programs, new stadiums,the countries fifth highest population with 3rd heaviest population density having annual disposable incomes 30% above the national average. Can you say Philadelphia ?
2020 summer Olympics, anyone ??
In case you missed it …
It was a good weekend to be a Philadelphia sports fan.
The Flyers did enough to get in the playoffs, the Phillies swept the Astros and the Union won their first game as a franchise. And there was a big explosion.
Bellow is a brief recap of the weekends events in the Philly sports scene … in case you missed it.
- The Phillies had their way with the Astros, outscoring them 19-7 in a three-game sweep. The series featured a pair of great pitching performances. On Friday J.A. Happ and the bullpen combined for a shutout in an 8-0 whipping of the winless Astros. Happ went five innings, while allowed just two hits over the final four frames.
After out-slugging Houston, 9-6 on Saturday, pitching was again the story on Sunday as Roy Halladay pitched a complete game, allowing just one unearned run in a 2-1 Phillies win.
Over two starts The Doc is 2-0 with an 0.56 ERA. Not too shabby.
- After suffering a defeat to the Rangers on Friday that put their season in jeopardy the Flyers came back on Sunday and defeated New York 2-1 in a thrilling shootout to grab the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The game had a bit of everything: hard hitting, clutch late scoring, big saves and an emotional crowd.
The NHL playoffs open up on Wednesday. The Flyers will face the Devils in the first round, a series that should be tight throughout.
- Maybe the Union won’t be so terrible after all? After a tough 2-0 loss to Seattle in the franchise’s first game the Union bounced back on Saturday with a 3-2 win over D.C. United in front of 34,000 fans at The Linc.
It was a great site for Philadelphia soccer fans, and one that hopefully is repeated for the rest of the season. Philadelphia UUUUUNNNION!
- And finally a video that may bring a tear of joy to some. The Eagles season came to terrible end last season at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. In a way you could say the Eagles imploded in their back-to-back losses to Big D.
On Sunday, there was another kind of implosion going on – this one the literal kind.
Texas Stadium bit the dust, being reduced to rubble by a series of explosions.
It was the perfect way to cap off a great weekend in Philly.
It’s pure Madness!
Temple? Gone.
Villanova? Gone.
Kansas? Gone.
Forget everything you thought you knew about college basketball a week ago. This postseason proved the reason why this time of year is called March MADNESS.
Entering the tournament the one certain seemed to be that the Big East reigned supreme. Since then Villanova, Georgetown, Louisville and Notre Dame were all sent home as the favored team.
While the Big East was floundering we got to know little schools such as Northern Iowa, Cornell and St. Mary’s.
This is what is so great about the NCAA Tournament and so frustrating all at the same time. A team can be great all year and be bad for one day and all anyone will remember is that day bad. Meanwhile, a team can be average all year and be great at the right moment and be remembered for that one moment for years to come.
This truly is a special time of year. March Madness brings you to the highest of highs and lowest to lows all in one weekend. It can bring you to your feet on Thursday and to your knees by Saturday.
If you had Northern Iowa in your Final Four pleas stand up. You sir in the corner – sit down. You are a liar.
Whether you are happy about the last few days results or sickened, all you can is move forward. There is still more to come.
This is madness and this is why we love it.
Throw out your bracket. Forget the time you put in studying your bracket thinking that you actually knew what you were talking about. Enjoy the event for what it is: A true tournament to determine one true champion.
You can always win your pool next year – or the year after. But a tournament like this only comes around once in a decade.
Sit back and enjoy this.
The Madness is in full swing.
Who you calling old, sonny ?
A quick note regarding multi sport athlete and former Eagles running back Hershel Walker.
He recently embarked on a new career, this time trying something decidedly new. MMA fighting.
He won his first bout, and now fans, when polled, think his next logical opponent would be retired baseball star, Jose Canseco. Walker, 47, college football’s 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, floored his first opponent, Greg Nagy in each round, but was unable to force his first foe into submission. The surprising match up on January 30th shows that Walker has not given up on his training or the world of athletics.
Herschel has generally accomplished great things at everything he tries to do, from playing multiple sports in college and the pros, to a stint as a hopeful Olympic bobsledder, to mixed martial arts fighting. Nagy landed just seven punches as he faced a man old enough to be his father while Herschel landed 73% (77 of 106) strikes on his nearly helpless 21 year old opponent.
“This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Walker told Fox Sports in an interview “(After practice) every muscle in your body is sore.”
Another example of 40 being the new 30. With Brett Favre, Bernard Hopkins, Randy Couture, Dara Torres, and a host of others over 40 and still competing actively today and routinely beating contenders half their age, I predict Herschel Walker will enjoy a good run in the MMA where training, conditioning and flexiblity may outweigh brute strength and energy.
There have been standout athletes that played or performed into their 40’s and 50’s in the past, like Gordie Howe who played every game of a season when he was 52 and Jerry Rice who was probably the third best receiver in the league at age 44, but I have to admit that in the past ten years, there have been more instances of 40+ year olds performing at an extremely high level. And, since I just turned 40, this gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Step aside middle age, I am not done yet !!
Philadelphia Soul coming back
Are you ready for some football? Indoor football that is.
The reborn Arena Football League is looking to bring the Philadelphia Soul back into the fold, among several other teams.
The original AFL went bankrupt last year, but promised to be back after a short renovation process. The new league is scheduled to launch in April and it hopes to have the Soul back in the fold by 2011.
Bellow is an excerpt from the Associated Press article:
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Arena Football League, reborn under new leadership after folding last year, is already looking to add teams in Philadelphia, Southern California, Denver and Pittsburgh.
Commissioner Jerry Kurz said on a conference call Wednesday that the league has had serious negotiations to place teams in those markets beginning with the 2011 season. The Philadelphia Soul won the last AFL title in 2008.
“We are so excited to be talking to the Philadelphia market and we would love nothing more than for Jon Bon Jovi, Craig Spencer and Ron Jaworski to join our league,” Kurz said. “Our ownership has already extended an offer to them to join us.
“No one has done more for the brand of arena football than that collective group.”
Kurz says a new group of owners spent $6.1 million for the assets of the defunct Arena Football League, including the name, history and records. It will relaunch in April with 15 teams — about half of them from the former AFL and the remainder from what used to be known as arenafootball2.”
It looks like the Soul will be back. No complaints here.
U.S. soccer coming to The Link
The Philadelphia Union is not the only soccer team coming to Philly this Spring.
The United States men’s national team will face Turkey in a friendly on May 29 at Lincoln Financial Field. Bellow if the official release sent out by the Associated Press.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. will meet Turkey at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on May 29 in the Americans’ last warmup match before leaving for the World Cup.
The NFL’s Eagles, the stadium’s primary tenant, has called a Wednesday news conference to announce the game. The stadium is among the sites included in the U.S. bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cups.
The U.S., preparing for its sixth straight World Cup appearance, hosts El Salvador on Feb. 24 at Tampa, Fla., with an all-Major League Soccer roster, then will add Europe-based players for a March 3 match at the Netherlands.
At the World Cup in South Africa, the U.S. opens June 12 against England, plays Slovenia six days later and completes the first round against Algeria on June 23.
Super Squib dominates Wing Bowl 18
Wing Bowl 18 had all of the familiar elements. This years contest was won by Super Squib who consumed a ridiculous 238 wings in 30 minutes. The mark was a few wings short of Joey Chestnut’s record of 241 in 2008, but it was more than enough for a landslide victory. Not Rich finished second with 145 wings.
As has been the case since 1993 Al Morgani and Angelo Cataldi made the presence felt, with Morgani doing the PA and Cataldi calling the action on WIP. Morgani looked like he was having the time of his life.
Four contestants were eliminated due to puking and for better or worse each “pile” was put up on the big screen for all to view. The crowd ate up every minute of it (not literally).
One of the highlights of the event (at least at a PG level) was the crowd reaction to some celebrity want-a-be by the name of Snooki. Apparently Snooki is a cast member in the never seen, never will, MTV reality show “Jersey Shore.” The crowd booed Snooki at every turn, clearly flustering her. At one point she pulled a Rex Ryan and flipped off the crowd. Shockingly that only made the fans boo louder.
I’m talking about Sidney Crosby-like boos here.
It is safe to say Snooki will not be a part of Wing Bowl 19.
It’s hard to describe exactly what Wing Bowl is without being there to see it yourself. There’s a lot scantly-dressed women, wild crowd reactions — and a lot of waiting The line to get in was about 300 yards long. The evnt is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. but really doesn’t get going until 8. But as strange as it may sound, even the moments of waiting were enjoyable.
The Wing Bowl is not for everyone. In fact, the only demographic that that it is for is young men and maybe a few thick-skinned, open-minded women.
For me it was a blast.
For a complete breakdown, as well as videos and photos, check out WIP.com.
Oh and one more thing. If yopu decide to head to Wing Bowl 19 make sure you have a couple of 5-hour energies. You will need them.
Wing Bowl 2010 arrives
The odds-on favorite is a contestant that goes by the name of Super Squid. He is the event’s defending champion and is listed as a 2-1 favorite.
Personally, I am rooting for The Wild Turkey. Anyone who can put down 5 dbl cheeseburgers and 3lbs of mashed potatoes in 7 minutes has my vote.
I will be there and will have a full report and hopefully pictures at some point Friday.
Here is the complete breakdown courtesy of WIP.com
Super Squib
Hometown: Berlin, NJ
Height- 6`4
Weight- 215 lbs
The defending champion
Odds: 2-1
Bam Bam Wingalow
Hometown: Lincoln University, PA
Height- 6`1
Weight- 225 lbs
Eating Stunt: 36 Wings in 5mins
Odds: 40-1
The Wild Turkey
Hometown: Collegeville, PA
Height- 6`1
Weight- 265 lbs
Eating Stunt: 5 dbl cheeseburgers & 3lbs of mashed potatoes in 7 mins
Odds: 10-1
Hot Pockets
Hometown: Abington, PA
Height- 6`2
Weight- 225 lbs
Eating Stunt: 20 meatballs, sauce and cheese
Odds: 35-1
Snack-Jack
Hometown: Bainbridge, PA
Height- 5`10
Weight- 220 lbs
Eating Stunt: 100 Won Tons
Odds: 100-1
The Polish Assassin
Hometown: Newark, DE
Height- 6`0
Weight- 185 lbs
Eating Stunt: 12 Perogies and 8” of Kelbasa in 3 mins
Odds: 10-1
Hungry Hungry Hebrew
Hometown: Center City Philadelphia, PA
Height- 6`2
Weight- 205 lbs
Eating Stunt: 30 Latkes in 5 mins
Odds: 75-1
Hank the Tank
Hometown: South Philadelphia
Height- 6`1
Weight- 320 lbs
Eating Stunt: WIP Vending Machine in 24 mins
Odds: 12-1
Obi Wing
Hometown: The Main Line, PA
Height- 6`2
Weight- 250 lbs
Eating Stunt: Various Fruits
Odds: 15-1
Rick the Manager
Hometown: Royersford, PA
Height- 5`10
Weight- 230 lbs
Eating Stunt: 7 International Foods in 6mins
Odds: 25-1
Pot Pie the Sailor Man
Hometown: Blackwood, NJ
Height- 5`10
Weight- 290 lbs
Eating Stunt: TGI Fridays Desert menu
Odds: 10-1
Fat Bastard
Hometown: Warrington, PA
Height-
Weight-
Eating Stunt: 67 Wings in 10mins @ Rock Bottom
Odds: 30-1
Stormin Norman
Hometown: South Philadelphia, PA
Height- 6`5
Weight- 300 lbs
Eating Stunt: 4.5 Vesuvio Pizzas in 10 mins
Odds: 12-1
The Mouth of the South
Hometown: Havertown, PA
Height-6′5″
Weight-326
Eating Stunt: 14 Soft Tacos in 6mins
Odds: 5-1
Buffalo 7
Hometown: Medford, NJ
Height- 5`10
Weight- 170 lbs
Eating Stunt: 30 Egg Omelet in 6 minutes
Odds: 30-1
Damaging Doug
Hometown: Parts Unknown
Height- 6`2
Weight- 504 lbs
Eating Stunt: 52 Wings @ PJ Whelihans
Odds: 6-1
Tiger Wing
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Height-
Weight-
Eating Stunt: 10 Pretzel Dogs in 5mins
Odds: 35-1
Not Rich
Hometown: Schwenksville, PA
Height- 6`1
Weight- 225 lbs
Eating Stunt: 20 Hot Dogs in 3mins
Odds: 3-1
Cheesecake Beefcake
Hometown: Drexel Hill, PA
Height- 5`7
Weight- 168 lbs
Eating Stunt: 50 Wings @ Paddy Whacks
Odds: 12-1
The Heavy Weight
Hometown: University of Delaware
Height- 5`9
Weight- 285 lbs
Eating Stunt: 30 Munchkins in 1:59 minutes
Odds: 20-1
Freak of Nature
Hometown: Woodbury, NJ
Height-
Weight-
Eating Stunt: 48 Wings @ PJ Whelihans
Odds: 16-1
Kenzo Kev
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Height- 5`8
Weight- 240 lbs
Eating Stunt: 56 Wings @ Christine`s Cabaret
Odds: 35-1
Qwazy
Hometown: Conshohocken, PA
Height- 6`5
Weight- 340 lbs
Eating Stunt: 52 wings at Catch It Grog & Grill
Odds: 25-1
Big Bambino
Hometown: South Philadelphia, PA
Height- 6`1
Weight- 380 lbs
Eating Stunt: 2.5 lbs of Fettuccini Alfredo in 4 mins
Odds: 4-1
Dud Light
Home Town: Phoenixville PA
Height- 6`2
Weight- 180 lbs
Eating Stunt: 6 fluffernutters in 10 minutes..did it on a little over 5min
Odds: 20-1
Farmer Bob
Home Town: Warrington, PA
Height- 6`7
Weight- 280 lbs
Eating Stunt: 48 Wings @ Cheeseburger in Paradise
Odds: 17-1
Oink Oink
Home Town: Philadelphia, PA
Height- 6`4 Weight- 210 lbs
Eating Stunt: 38 Wings @ Tonelli`s
Odds: 18-1
The Shocker
Home Town: Philadelphia, PA
Height- 6`1
Weight- 310 lbs
Eating Stunt: Studio Wing Off Winner
Odds: 24-1
Lights Out Taylor
Home Town: Philadelphia, PA
Height- 6`3
Weight- 215 lbs
Eating Stunt: Second Studio Wing Off Winner
Odds: 9-1
Time to upgrade late night sports talk
I wish I could say the same about his radio career.
As a member of 610 WIP, Cobb brings his insights to the late night listeners. Cobb doesn’t lack in experience - he was a CBS sports anchor for eight years, runs his own web site gcobb.com and is a columnist for the Philadelphia Bulleton.
What he lacks is range.
When it comes to talking about the Eagles, few on the station do it better than Cobb. As a former player he knows the ins and outs of the game and provides quality insight.
When it comes to the Flyers, he gives you nothing.
The Sixers? A little.
The Phillies? Well, he does his best.
On Wednesday night Cobb made a big error though. Every disk jockey will make a mistake here and there, mixing up a fact or two, and that’s to be expected. No one is perfect.
However Cobb’s error showed a clear lack of knowledge about a sport he is paid to talk about.
While talking about what the Phillies need to do to win the World Series next year, Cobb turned the focus to Cole Hamels and eventually Brad Lidge. The point being made was a good one. Cobb said that the their ability to return to their 2008 form would be critical for Phillies success.
That point is right on target. This was not.
Cobb went on to say that had Lidge not blown those 10 saves the Phillies could have had home-field advantage in the World Series. I waited for the retraction. And then I waited some more. It never came.
This tells me that Cobb truly believes that the team with the better record gets home-field advantage in the World Series. Any true baseball fans knows that home field in the World Series goes to the team form the league that wins the All-Star game. It has been that way for years.
That Cobb doesn’t know that after being a sports anchor for eight years astonishes me. I don’t ask for perfection, I just ask for common sports knowledge.
Is that too much to ask for these days?
Rival fan base lashing out at ownership
While the Phillies have locked up their key pieces and brought in the best pitcher in baseball the New York Mets have done little to suggest they will compete this season. The team did acquire Jason Bay and is expecting a healthy return from the likes of Jose Reyes and Johan Santana, but that has done little to ease the nerves of the team’s fan base. The team is short on quality starters, and experience at first base and catcher. Meanwhile Luis Castio is still the starting second baseman.
In the last week fans have seen Ben Sheets, John Garland, Joel Pinero, and Bengie Molina signed away by other teams and now there is little, to nothing left on the market.
Here is a small sample of how Mets fans feel about their organization right now.
“In the final analysis, what the front office has done was cut the budget significantly while saying publicly they will spend what it takes….to just get by. Getting Bay was good, but they have done nothing else but pick up some cheap risk and retreads. Meanwhile our division rivals got stronger. There is no commitment to winning on the part of this ownership. It’s all a ruse.”
“the nats are strasburg and harper away from kicking the mets butt.”
“Why should I pay to see this team play”
“This current ownership and FO would screw up a 1 car funeral. Until they leave and professional management is brought in it will NEVER improve.”
About the ownership: “I wouldn’t trust those idiots to bag a McDonalds order right.”
On the Mets options this season: “1) trade the prospects for the best pitcher they can get
2) throw away this season and play with what they have.”
On the Nats signing Orlando Hudson instead of the Mets: “Awesome!!! You have a player that has wanted to be a Met for the past 2 years now and the Nats make the moves to get him! Yeah.. this team don’t deserve a player like that! The Mets will take the place of the Nats in dead last in the NL East! Way to go Mets! You can thank Omar for his brilliant move on Castillo as to why Hudson is not a Met.”
Season outlook: “This team will be lucky to win 75 games….But you should buy tickets because it is a new Stadium, there will be dedications to some former Mets, Omar/Fred spent 140 Mil, If you don’t go then you are not a “real fan” and the sadistic fans could watch Santana struggle to win 10 games because his team is soooooooo bad!”
It looks like not everyone is excited about Spring Training.
Coach and reporter refuse to play nice
got into it with New York Post hockey writer Larry Brooks. As you can see Tortorella was the clear winner of this exchange.
My favorite part of the series comes at the 40 second mark when Tortorell tells Brooks that he probably got beat up at the bus stop a lot. At this point a fellow reporter laughs in the background and Brooks looks back to see who would dare laugh at that thought. Check it out, it’s gold.
I don’t know a lot about Tortorell and I know even less about Brooks. What I do know is that while there should be no place in profession sports for stuff like this, it does make for good entertainment.
Watching this spar between coach and reporter makes me think back to a couple of years ago when 610 radio jockey Howard Eskin got into it with Charlie Manuel. Eskin got into it with the Phils skipper about not showing enough fire in front of his players, to which Manuel responding by saying he could show Eskin that fire in a fight.
Needless to day, the encounters always happen when a team is on hard times. You don’t see coaches and reporters go at it when a team is on a nice winning streak. These are acts of frustration. The coaches aren’t happy and the media isn’t happy.
However, when it comes at the expense of the Rangers, we Philadelphia fans couldn’t be happier.
Owner takes bowling way too far
Maybe he even glued down a few of the pins to drive the bowlers there nuts?
Hey it’s all in the name of good practical joking right?
Not with this whack job.
Steven Henry Smink, the operator of Pike Lanes Family Fun Center in Deerfield, was arrested Tuesday for the conspiracy to burn down Loyle Lanes, destroying Vineland’s only bowling alley. Felix Antonio Manzano (21) and a 17-year-old boy in connection with the Jan. 11 blaze were also arrested.
Talk about sick. What could have possibly gone through Smink’s mind? If he was losing customers to a rival ally, he could have thought about lowering prices, making special deals or updating his equipment. Instead he hired a couple young men to do the unthinkable.
I hope Smink gets the book thrown at him. And while he is in jail he should be banned from any type of activities. He took bowling away from Vineland residents, the system should all recreation away from him.
How did we get to this point? When I think of amateur bowling, I think about Bob Saget making bad impressions while showing clips like this on America’s Funniest Home Videos.
Now That We Know, What Do We Do?
Okay, Mark McGwire came out and told us all about his sins, and he did it so he could be welcomed back into Baseball as the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. We also know that Andy Pettite took stuff, and we know that Barry Bonds admitted to taking either “the cream” or “the clear” (he’s still “the creep”) and of course we know that Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa both failed the tests years ago that were supposed to have been kept out of the public. Oops.
The question now becomes where will these guys fall in history? What do you do when they come up for Hall Of Fame election? I’ve heard alot of opinions on the subject over the past day or so listening to XM radio from both the fans, players, former players as well as the shows hosts. Some have said that in McGwire’s case his numbers aren’t Hall Of Fame worthy anyway and that they werent’ surprised. Others have said anyone who admitted to taking any performance enhancers should be shut out completely.
My opinion is that you can’t rewrite history. We all saw what was going on back in the late 1990’s as balls were flying out of yards other than Coors Field at an alarming rate. We all saw McGwire’s frame change from that skinny rookie to something out of Rambo – same for Barry Bonds as well as Sammy Sosa. Nobody questioned when Sosa went from 40 homers in 1996 to 66 in 1998, nor did anyone find it even remotely funny that a record that had stood since 1961 got broken twice in the same season. When I say “we all”, I mean Bud Selig, MLB Executives, Managers and Coaches, fans and the media. Since Baseball did nothing during that time I can’t fault the players for doing what they felt they had to do to keep up with the other players and you can’t keep an entire generation of players out of the Hall Of Fame. The same hypocrites in the media who were writing about how McGwire saved the sport back in 1998 are now roasting him on a spit and its not fair. What he did was wrong – they are all wrong, but you can’t go back now with the revisionist glasses on and say it didn’t happen because it did. It happened and everyone involved loved every ‘roid enhanced homer that was hit and as I recall we cried for more.
By turning his back on the problem until forced to handle it, Bud Selig signed a deal with the devil. Baseball made alot of money during the past couple of decades. Do you think we’d have the MLB Network right now without the McGwire’s or Bonds of the world? Probably not. The Hall Of Fame’s purpose, as stated in their mission statement, is to educate people about the sport. Knowing that you have to allow these guys in because they are a part of the sport’s history. Richard Nixon cheated to win an election back in 1972. Last I saw he is still listed as a former President, but along with his legacy Watergate is mentioned as well as his having to resign. If the numbers, however inflated, are worthy then put the players in but make sure that its noted whether or not he admitted to or was found to have done steroids. Otherwise you’re trying to tell the public that the era didn’t happen, and it sure did. To try to say it didn’t insults the intelligence of too many people.
McGwire Comes Clean, Admits To Steroid Use
Some of you may be surprised, others may not be. Mark McGwire issued a statement Monday saying that he did take steroids during the 1990’s including the 1998 season where he broke Roger Maris single season homerun record, a record that had stood since 1961.
The big first baseman, who hit 49 homers as a rookie for the Oakland A’s in 1987, said in a statement issued at 3pm on Monday, “I used steroids during my career and I apologize.”. The statement went on to say “It (using steroids) was foolish and a mistake.”. Major League Baseball’s steroid policy was established after McGwire retired in 2001 so McGwire was never tested for steroids at any time in his career.
An emotional McGwire, sometimes fighting back tears, was interviewed last night on MLB Network by Bob Costas where McGwire admitted that he took steroids because he was frustrated by the injuries that cost him significant time during the 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons. He said there was a time in 1996 that he had considered retirement because of his inability to stay healthy during those years. McGwire went on to say he was sorry and when asked if he felt he would’ve hit the homers he hit without steroids, McGwire answered “Yes”. McGwire refused to connect sterioids and performance enhancement, saying that he was given the ability to hit homeruns and that the “low dosage” of steroids he took were taken only to keep him healthy enough to play regularly. He also said during the interview that he called Roger Maris widow, Pat Maris to tell her what he had done. When asked what she said, McGwire told Bob Costas that she said she was disappointed.
I for one applaud McGwire for coming out and admitting what he did because he didn’t have to. There were no positive test results like what brought A-Rod’s admission out. McGwire played at a time where there was no testing policy in place so he literally could’ve just said all he took was Androstinedione – an over the counter supplement that was legal when he took it – and I think most people would’ve believed him. McGwire, unlike Bonds and Sosa, had a huge homer season or two before the steroid allegations, hitting 49 back in 1987. Before Bonds hit 70 he had never hit more than 50 in a season, and its entirely possible that he was on steroids when he hit his first career high of 46 in 1993, his first year with the Giants. Sosa had hit just 40 homers once, in 1996, before that famous summer in 1998 when he and McGwire chased Maris – Sosa finished with 66 homers that year. Lest we forget about Brady Anderson, who went from 16 homers in 1995 to 50 in 1996 and afterwards hit no more than 24 in any following season.
Do I believe that steroids enhance performance? Do a degree I do. I believe that if you are stronger then the balls will fly further. I never tried steroids, but I did take Andro for a season back in 1998-1999 while playing Softball. Granted, I wasn’t trying to hit 90 mph fastballs, but I can tell you two things. The balls I hit flew farther, and my recovery was much shorter to where I could play a few days in a row without feeling the normal aches and pains. In McGwire’s case, he was already strong and was hitting homers. He might never have hit the season totals he hit, but I believe he would’ve finished between 400 and 500 if not a few more and that just might’ve been good enough for the Hall Of Fame. I cannot say the same for Bonds and Sosa – I don’t think either would’ve hit more than 35 or so in a season. Bonds certainly would not have passed Hank Aaron’s career homer mark of 755.
Think what you want, but you have to give McGwire credit for sitting on live television and coming forward. It was a very difficult thing to do and I applaud him for it. I’m disappointed but it doesn’t change my overall view of McGwire. I’d still vote for him on my Hall Of Fame ballot and I hope now that he’s been honest he isn’t penalized for it.
Is it spring yet ?
The Philadelphia Wings of the National Indoor Lacrosse League returned to action this weekend playing the Titans, the former NY team, in Orlando at their new home. The Wings lost by a surprising 13-8 score in the first professional lacrosse game ever played in Orlando. It is true the Titans were winners of the NILL championship for the 2009 season, but it was thought the Wings would be more competative, espeically with the changes made to the defense on this years team. Allowing 13 in their first game was hardly what the preseason expectations were. We will have to wait til next Saturday, the 16th, when the Wings play their home opener at the Wachovia center against the Boston Blazers to see if this team is as talented on the field as it appears to be on paper.
This team returns NILL All-Stars Geoff Snider, Taylor Wray, Drew Westervelt and Spingfield (Delco) native Kyle Sweeney. Mat Giles, the Wings’ top scorer in 2009, returns for his 12th season. Defensively, the Wings stay formidable with the return of captains Thomas Hajek and Shawn Nadelen. Transition player John Christmas returns after taking a year off to start LEAPS, his program to spark lacrosse interest in the city. Jason Crosbie returns after playing a season in Toronto. Netminders Brandon Miller and veteran Rob Blasdell also return.
Notable newcomers include forwards Bill McGlone – a Ridley native – and Dan Teat, who arrived from Edmonton via trade. Teat was the leading scorer for the Rush last season (28 goals, 41 assists) and will bolster an attack stung by the loss of 2008 NILL Player of the Year Athan Iannucci, out for the year to rehab a recurring knee injury suffered last season.
Now that the Eagles failed to get it done, these Wings may represent the best chance the city has for a championship run until the Phillies begin play next spring. The Flyers are confusing, looking formidable one week, and pathetic the next.
And it is a consensus belief that the Sixers just plain suck for 2009-2010.
The Wings are owners of 6 championships in the past 22 years, since the re-inception of the NLL< but it helps that the league has always been small when compared to the big 4, and it is smaller yet this year, with the western division reduced to 5 teams, giving the Philly franchise a 1-11 shot at winning the championship if all teams were considered equal. The Wings actually possess the most championships in the legaue and are the only team to play every season for the same city since the league took on it’s current name in 1987.
So from now until March 4th, when the Phitens begin their 2010 campaign against those DamYankees that prevented them from capturing their 2nd straight World title, I will be watching the Wings.
Is it March yet ?
How about now ?
Please ????
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