Manute Bol

Rest in peace Manute Bol, who died earlier today at 47.  He was a decent basketball player, but a great humanitarian who was dedicated to building schools in his native Sudan.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-obit-bol

Go Cubs Go.....right into last place

Is it me, or has it just gotten downright painful to watch the Cubs this year? Derrek Lee is a shell of his former self, Aramis Ramirez is on the D.L., again, and the pitching is as up and down as it gets.  Ted Lilly almost threw a no hitter last week, but today he was closer to a no outer.  Nobody is hitting, but at least they went out and got the top hitting coach in baseball.  Rudy Jarimillo has not done anything positive for this team.  They are all swinging at garbage, and have no plate discipline.  Marlon Byrd is the only bright spot this season, and the only player holding his own.  He's even playing BETTER than advertised.  Sadly, he is the only one.  Hopefully they will stay out of the race as the July 31st trade deadline approaches and try to dump some salary and try and rebuild.  That's going to be a difficult task considering how much of their money is tied up in Soriano, Fukudome, and Lilly.  Those would be the easy choices to trade, but who is going to take on that kind of money for so little production.  I may be unfairly grouping Ted Lilly with those other two, because he hasn't failed quite as bad, but his salary is just too damn high.  Those are tough deals, but they may be necessary or we'll still be praying for a World Series win for more years to come.  Just in case we haven't waited long enough. 

I hate Vuvuzelas

I hate Vuvuzelas (the terrible horns at the world cup).  Those are the most annoying sounds in the world.  Who wants to hear bees swarming for an hour and a half?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela

Strasburg is for real

Having seen first hand what hype can do to a pitcher (Mark Prior) I was hesitant to crown Steven Strasburg legit after his first two starts.  Boy was I wrong.  That kid is amazing.  It's one thing to strikeout batters, it's another to leave every single one of them shaking their heads like they just saw a ghost.  That should be the name of Strasburg's change up, the ghost.  That thing comes in at 91mph, and out of nowhere it seems to almost stop dead in it's tracks, and drop straight down.  Unfortunately for the batter, this happens right as they decide to swing at it.  Lots of guys can throw 100, a few can even control it at that speed, but nobody has a change like that.  I'm still waiting for him to get a shot at a real potent offense, but big league hitters are still big league hitters.  If this kid can stay healthy we may be watching the beginning of a Hall of Fame career.  His numbers are outstanding, having already struck out more hitters in a three game span then anybody in history.  The other advantage he may have over  Mark Prior and Kerry Wood is his mechanics.  Wood's curve ball destroyed his arm, and nobody taught Prior how to actually pitch.  Strasburg's mechanics seem perfect.  If he can figure out how to land that lead foot without the mound giving him fits he won't have much else to work on.  That's why he's the real deal, not hype.  After three starts the only negative is how he lands on the bump.   

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300618120

New Coheed

Just downloaded this album.  Wow, that's all I can say, wow.  OK, I'll elaborate a little more.  While this CD is slower than their previous work the guitars are incredible.  They continue to change how each album sounds, and they all seem to stand alone really well.  "Year of the Black Rainbow" is a quality CD from start to finish. 

Fergie loves Kerry Wood....I'm sure of it....

We had an autograph signing with Fergie Jenkins, the greatest pitcher in Cubs history.  The TV in the store only had a DVD player hooked up to it, so we were showing Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout game.  It was from
Chicago Cubs Legends - Great Games Collector's Edition.  A great DVD for any Cubs fan, it also includes Greg Maddux's 300th win, and the game Sammy Sosa hit numbers 61 & 62.  About 20 or so minutes into it there is a lull between people coming up to him, and I notice him laughing at the television.  Naturally, I ask him what he was laughing at, and he says Houston (the team Wood demolished that day).  He then starts telling me how because it had started to rain in the 5th that they just gave up, and were swinging at "garbage".  I've watched that game at least 50 times, and trust me they were trying.  The whole time he was talking about it he had this look in his eye, pure jealousy.  Fergie is a hall of famer, and one of the best, but even he knows he never had the stuff to do that. 

Lakers edge out Celtics in ugly game 7

Congratulations to the Lakers on winning the title yesterday.  It was an ugly game, but that's what happens when you have two really good teams in a game 7.  Kobe Bryant is now one more step closer to being the greatest of all time.  Yup, that's what I said, the greatest of all time.  Jordan is the benchmark, no argument there, but Kobe is almost there.  Scoring wise it's a coin toss.  Jordan's 63 was legendary, but that's 19 points less than what Kobe did against Toronto.  Even though Bill Russell has 11 rings, the 6 that Jordan got seems to be the real top of the mountain.  If the Lakers can win next season and have two seperate 3-peats, that would be the icing on the cake.  Yes Kobe had Shaq for the first three, but Jordan had Scottie for all six.  As good as Pau Gasol is, and Lamar Odom, neither is a hall of fame caliber player like Pippen was.  Now all Kobe has to do is win next year, no easy task with the ever looming LeBron sweepstakes. 

A Letter to Lou

Dear Mr. Piniella,

I will start this by saying I am one of your biggest fans.  I think you are a top level manager, with a great ability to coach up young talent.  I even own a number 41 Cubs jersey with your name on it.  I am also writing this right after you guys beat the A's 3 to 2.  You are making a couple of mistakes that may very well ruin this franchise for another 100 years.  Geovany Soto is a Rookie of the Year award winner, not to mention starting in the All Star Game.  Koyie Hill is not a terrible ball player, but is never going to get close to the level that Geo can.  Geo is young and needs to play more than three times a week.  He needs to be out there getting the at-bats, and working with the staff.  That's the only way he will improve and reach his potential, which might be limitless. 

Nebraska to the Big Ten

As a die hard Michigan fan, it's been a rough couple years.  This news about Nebraska joining is just fantastic.  Tom Osborne once robbed Michigan of a national title.  Now they get to repay him year after year after year.  That is a rivalry born out of hate that will live on for a long time to come. 

Chuck Liddell

I simply do not know where to start this one.  Chuck is the reason i started watching MMA to begin with, and he may also be the reason I stop.  If that man is allowed to fight one more time I will personally start a UFC boycott.  Seriously people, I'm all about going out on your own terms.....Brett Favre......but this is just absurd.  That Rich Franklin knockout wasn't even highlight reel material.  He literally pushed him in the face and he was out cold.  Enough is enough, we are learning more and more every day about brain injuries and long term effects of concussions and none of the information is good.  Football players, boxers, MMA fighters all are at risk.  That's why we have commissions and doctors to step in and say no.  That should have happened here, and Dana White is partially to blame.  I wont hassle him for making a buck, we all gotta get paid, but there are plenty of fighters out there to promote and give a shot.  Please Chuck, bow out gracefully.  And if Strikeforce tries to grab him and pay him a boatload I hope his family or someone close to him will talk him out of it. 

Tom Izzo

So Tom Izzo is staying at Michigan State......SHOCKING!!!  Just kidding folks, this is the least surprising news since Tiger had an affair.  There is no reason for him to ever leave East Lansing, none.  He makes 3 million a year, not chump change.  He is widely considered one of, if not the best coaches in the NCAA.  He built that program from nothing........well not nothing, but 1979 was their last title before Izzo.  No disrespect to Jud Heathcote, who is still one of the most influential people in Michigan, but after Magic left there wasn't much going on until Izzo took over.  The NBA would have chewed him up and spit him out to Kent State or something like that, there's no going back to MSU after a move like that. Not to mention he would have had to accept the job without any real indication from LeBron whether or not he would stay in Cleveland.  There is no way he would ever tip his hand before July 1st, and Cleveland cannot wait that long to hire a new coach.  In the end Izzo made the only choice he could, and he will not regret it. 

Me

This is my first post, so I should probably give a little background on me.  I was born in Lansing, Michigan and grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago.  While I do support the Chicago Cubs, the rest of my teams hail from Michigan.  Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, and yes kids I even support the Lions.  I come from a retail background that at one time afforded me the opportunity to meet and work with top athletes.  I've met some interesting characters along the way (wait for my post on Fergie Jenkins and how he thinks Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout game was a joke).  This blog will follow current sports stories, and some great tidbits from the past.  As for the name of the blog, just my own spin on one of the greatest quotes of all time "Ball don't lie" - Rasheed Wallace.  As for the layout of my page, please bear with me for now, I'm still new at this website design business.  Any questions, concerns, or just random comments can be sent to my e-mail - bstuch66@aol.com.  Thanks and now on to the sports!