Best line of the day

“And I noticed that all players in MLB were paying tribute to Michael Jackson by wearing one glove.”

Flip Flop Fly Ball, which is a great site, full of odd, but interesting graphics about baseball.

The bible of baseball cards

I have a copy and love this book. “The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book”.

Redux post of the day

101 things all sports fans must experience before they die.

Manny

Manny Ramirez’s assignment with the Albuquerque Isotopes amounted to two games, eight innings total, four appearances at bat — two ground outs, a strike out and a walk. Big deal.

Batting lead-off

… for the Albuquerque Isotopes, Manny Ramirez.

Manny will be Manny tonight as he begins a “rehab” assignment with the Albuquerque Isotopes vs. the Nashville Sounds.

Needless to say, this is the talk of our sometimes delightfully small town.

UPDATE: Ramirez struck out on a foul tip first time up.

Golf line of the morning

“Tiger made two double bogeys in the first round last year at Torrey Pines and still won.”

Dan Jenkins on Tiger’s two double bogeys in round one this year (+4 for the first round).

Dan Jenkins (danjenkinsgd)

The great, great sports writer Dan Jenkins is on Twitter for the U.S. Open, his 200th major golf tournament.

Studying The Finals

Even more insight into the NBA Finals from Bill Simmons, this from The New Yorker website.

This is good reading, too — Who has the better life philosophy, Phil Jackson or Stan Van Gundy?

Good-bye Tiger Stadium

“Two machines went to work today on the what remains of the old stadium. One tore through the stadium structure, and the other picked up the falling debris and moved it to the side.”

Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

It’s appropriate that they tear it down, but I can’t say I’m happy about it. I went to a lot of Tigers or Lions games at Briggs/Tiger Stadium — with Dad, with Mom, with Grandpa, with Grandma and Grandpa and my sister, with my uncle, with Dad and my uncles, with my then fiancé and with my then father-in-law. I saw Mickey Mantle’s first career grand slam, and was there one of the times the Mick put it out of the park onto Trumbull Street. I was present when Denny McLain won his 29th game (of 30) in 1968. (The only time since 1938 a pitcher has won 30 games in a season.)

Good memories.

Blowing the whistle on the NBA’s flaws

Bill Simmons with the best insight into the NBA that I’ve ever read. This is a must read for anyone watching the NBA conference championships.

Best line of the day

“Lord, I’ve been a Rockets/Nuggets addict since I was 9, and I keep trying to picture my lovable, dog-butt Nuggets winning it all. This state would come unglued. People would paint the Front Range powder blue. Half a million fans would clog the streets. People would stand on John Elway to get a view.”

Rick Reilly praying for a Denver win.

Factoid of the day

Dick Bavetta, one of the referees in last night’s game between the Lakers and Nuggets, is 69-years-old.

Just sayin’.

Factoid line of the day

“The life expectancy for former NFL players is 20 years lower than it is for the general public.”

From Bill Simmons: A back-and-forth with best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell.

Bill Simmons and Malcolm Gladwell

An intelligent exchange that includes talk of Larry Holmes, Nick Faldo, Tiger, Michael, Jennifer Anniston, the press (basketball), etc. Good stuff.

Best line: “You can become great without the help of someone else, but you can’t stay great without someone pushing you. Golf excepted, of course.”

And: “And in any case, if the reverse-order draft is such a great leveler, then why are the same teams at the bottom of both the NFL and NBA year after year? The current system perpetuates the myth that access to top picks is the primary determinant of competitiveness in pro sports, and that’s simply not true. Success is a function of the quality of the organization.”

Bill Simmons: A back-and-forth with best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell.

A long way to go for the Lobos

The Quad Countdown ranks the New Mexico Lobos 106th of 120 Division I Football Bowl Schools for the upcoming season. Sad, but likely true.

Idle thought

If a doctor could prescribe a pill that would let me hit even one major league home run, I’d take it.

Manny Being Manny

Manny Ramirez’s suspension for 50 games will cost him $7.7 million in salary.

The Quad Countdown

For the second straight year, Paul Myerberg is counting down all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in preparation for the college football season. We know, we know. Baseball hasn’t reached the All-Star break, the N.B.A. and the N.H.L. are making their way through the playoffs, college lacrosse hasn’t even reached its Final Four. But there’s never a bad time to start getting ready for the football season. So why not begin here? Paul will be back every day with a new team, providing some gridiron knowledge to help you make it through the days until the season kicks off.

The Quad Countdown starts with No. 120, Western Kentucky.

The Quad Countdown: No. 119 Idaho.

The Quad Countdown: No. 118 New Mexico State.

2009 Kentucky Derby Photos

The Big Picture has 29 terrific photos taken at this year’s Kentucky Derby.

Mind That Bird

Watch it again!

How about that?

Maybe we’ll have to start calling it the New Mexico Derby.

The Blind Side

Michael Oher, the subject of Michael Lewis’s excellent The Blind Side, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. He was the 23rd player taken in this year’s NFL draft.

Best line of the day

“Want to trim the federal budget and improve the military at the same time? Shut down West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy, and use some of the savings to expand ROTC scholarships.”

Tom Ricks made the case in last Sunday’s Washington Post.

But that’s not the best line. This, from Charles Pierce is:

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that, if Ricks’s proposal is enacted, Notre Dame is unlikely ever to win another football game.”

Great plan

Lousy timing. Why are they doing this in April? God intended baseball for late summer afternoons and evenings.

30 Ballparks in 30 Days

Dove Mountain

Any date on the calendar, any place on the planet, I doubt you could find a nicer day than the last Friday of February was at Dove Mountain near Tucson. Tiger Woods had more than likely flown home the night before after being eliminated from the Accenture Match Play Championship, but he should have stayed and enjoyed the low humidity, slight breeze, clear skies and 80º.

Even without Tiger, the golf was interesting and fun to watch in person. Donna and I managed to see about half of the 18 holes and all but a few of the 16 competitors, some just a few yards away (which meant they weren’t where they wanted to be).

Readers of these pages will know I am not a fan of Phil Mickelson, but we saw him several times throughout the day and he seemed less the automaton than many of the others, even giving five to the kid who reached out as he and Stewart Cink walked between holes. Despite the white belt he was wearing, and his attendance at the vile Arizona State University, I became a fan. And keep your eye on Rory McElroy of Northern Ireland; the 19-year-old surely has game.

The course, just a few months old, was hard to believe. Grass, even the rough, like fine carpet. Simply amazing. (Cameras and cell phones were not allowed on the course.)

I liked being at a golf tournament in Arizona in the winter. Only sporting event I could attend and be below the median age.

And it was Mickelson and Cink that we stood directly behind on the 8th tee. If I could ever once hit a golf ball as well as they each did (probably just routine drives), I would play golf every day for the rest of my life.

Tiger’s Back

Let’s hope he’s still back in the third round, because that’s when I’ll be there to see him.

The No-Stats All-Star

Michael Lewis takes a look at basketball in the form of Shane Battier. This is an excellent and truly insightful piece. Highly recommended.

Slam

Nate Robinson is 5 feet 9. Dwight Howard is 6 feet 11.

Who Should Progressives Root for in the Super Bowl?

So you’re not a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and you’re not an Arizona Cardinals fan, but you’ve been invited to a Super Bowl party and you need to know who to root for. Before you pick the Cardinals because you’re a progressive and you love underdogs, I urge you to consider a few facts.

Dan Rooney, the 76-year-old owner of the Steelers and a lifelong Republican, endorsed Obama and stumped for him not just in Pennsylvania but in the surrounding swing states. He did so despite the fact that Obama’s promise of increased taxes on the wealthy forced Rooney’s family to restructure the ownership of the team. Head coach Mike Tomlin is a vocal Obama supporter. At a recent press conference he said, “Barack is selling hope. And I’m buying.” Steelers players have spoken out about how they hope to win the Super Bowl in part because it would mean they would be the first championship sports team to visit Obama’s White House. (Also worth noting: Barack Obama grew up a Steelers fan and is rooting for the Steel Curtain on Sunday.)

The Bidwell family, longtime owners of the Cardinals, are major Republican donors. Their donor history can be found on opensecrets.org, but to save you time, I’ll point you to a couple links. The LA Times reports that team President William Bidwell and Vice President Michael Bidwell each gave $50,000 to Republicans this past election season. Politico adds that as fundraisers for McCain, they bundled upwards of $350,000 for the Republican presidential candidate.

Mull that over as you tip back your favorite adult beverage on Sunday evening. I think your choice is clear.

MoJo Blog

Seemed worth repeating in full to me.

I’ll be watching the Super Bowl with someone who knew Mike Tomlin the Steelers coach when they were in college.

My goodness

According to an item in Sideline Chatter, America’s number one basketball recruit is 6-foot-8.

Number one girl basketball recruit that is.