Game two of the Cubs/Mets series was all Cubs on a cloudy afternoon. The start time was adjusted to about 3 PM local to accommodate the FOX television audience. About three-quarters of the country got this game. A big rain system to the west was supposed to interfere but the real wet stuff failed to materialize. It sprinkled a bit but that was it. Dumpster never got into a situation where he was needed and Woody didn’t get in either. Lou said he’s looking for a soft spot for Woody’s return. Saturday seemed like the perfect game to bring him back, but Piniella must have wanted to win the game without a second-guess. He’s starting to manage like it is late September. Tinkering and experimenting may be curtailed with a tight divisional race prompting Lou to go with what got him to this point.
Meantime, our favorite Met Aaron Heilman hasn’t been used this series but he’s proving to be excellent at guarding the bullpen. Heilman (pictured above protecting a fellow relief pitcher) has been the designated bullpen protector this whole weekend. Late in the game, he slumped over and put his hands on his knees, perhaps tiring of his role. Hopefully, Heilman will get into tonight’s game and play a part in preserving Tommy’s 300th.

For yesterday’s loss, we sat down the right-field line in our brother’s seats in section 242. The Cub fans have been great all weekend, treating the visiting crowd with hospitality and tolerance. But on Saturday, a guy in our row was verbally challenging Mets fans when the game turned in the Cubs favor.
So, it was kinda funny late in the game to see the loud mouth quieted by his own over-indulgence. After spouting off about the Cubby lead, with in-your-face verbal jabs, all of a sudden the young man fell silent as he fought the effects of one too many (pictured above).

Later the suddenly quiet kid’s buddies would confront equally offensive Met fans looking for a rumble. Wrigley security sniffed the situation out and put an end to it, removing the Met fans who failed to produce seat assignments that matched the place they were sitting.

We went to the Piano Man on Grace and Clark before the game. Our cousin’s husband recommended the place and it delivered with a lively, non-congested scene with cold Old Style tall boys at four bucks a pop. After the game he took us to a gem of a post-game place called Ten Cat on Ashland. It was perfect. Out of the way with a great back porch – it was the perfect place to discuss the game and relax at a genuine Chicago tavern serving frosty bottles of beer. Why more baseball fans don’t hit this place, I don’t know.

For dinner, it was a deep dish pie at Eduardo’s on Dearborn in the south loop. On the menu, the pizza is referred to as “stuffed.” But it really is the traditional deep dish pie unique to Chicago. The tomato sauce sat on top of a thick layer of cheese and sausage with a buttery, flaky and thick crust. The deep dish pie at Eduardo’s is as good as any we’ve ever had.

One more game to go tonight. All eyes are on Tom Glavine as he tries to notch the milestone. What will Cub fans do if Tommy exits in the 7th or 8th with a big lead. You would expect he’ll get big cheers.

8-5-07 0945

The Cubbies fell out of first place and really the Mets were fortunate to get a win in the first of three at Wrigley on Friday. They were playing with a lineup loaded with backups, facing the likely Cy Young award winner on a day the wind was blowing straight in.

The skies were a perfect pale blue and the dry, stiff breeze off the lake made it a lovely day for a ballgame. Carlos Zambrano and El Duque battled on mostly even terms through the early stage of the game, although the Z-Man had control issues. When he left the game in the sixth after a Castro bash, it seemed premature but we were glad because it gave the Mets a shot.

D-Lee evened the score in the bottom of that inning with a homer into the wind. The two teams again traded runs in the seventh. El Duque was excellent, striking out nine with a lollipop that was tricking the Cubbies badly.

Cub closer Ryan Dempster was handed the ball to start the Met ninth, game tied at two. The Mets shredded Dempster for four runs leading to pretty loud boos from the home crowd. Wags finished it off for the Mets who took the series opener 6-2. When you spell check any written item that includes “Dempster” it recommends changing it to “dumpster.” The Cubs may consider that the way Dempster has looked recently. Maybe Marmol is the way to go. He’s got heat and he seems to have the closer’s aura.

Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam threw out the first pitch and sang Take Me Out. He wore a Cub shirt with Kerry Wood’s last name on the back. Woody warmed up in the bullpen, and when Bobby Howry came into the game in the eighth, the confused crowd cheered loudly thinking it was Wood who got the call. But Wood failed to get in the game on the day he was re-activated. Maybe he’ll pitch on Saturday?

Vedder and his Pearl Jam band are in Chicago for the three-day Lollapalooza music festival. Lots of great bands are playing on nine stages. From our 14th floor perch at Roosevelt and Michigan, we could hear the house-music act Daft Punk wrapping up their set a little before ten last night and then see thousands of Paloozers scatter for the exits.

Other highlights of Friday: An excellent dog at Wrigleyville Dogs just north of the ballpark on Clark. You know it’s legit when you see the place packed with Wrigley vendors eating their pre-game meal there. We also took a nice walk along the lake that included a winding route through Belmont Harbor. The red line is a complete disaster – with the ride from downtown to Wrigley double the time it should be. We bussed it back downtown and will try to avoid the red line the rest of the weekend.

8-4-07 0950

The wind was blowing straight out Thursday, yet the Cubs failed to hit a home run and lost to the Phils 10-6. It was a game the Cubs climbed back into after trailing by six early on. After chipping away, it was a one-run game until Will Ohman got knocked around in the ninth.

Despite the loss, the Cubbies remain in a first place tie with the Brew Crew because the Mets beat Milwaukee on Thursday.

We sat down the left field line in section 202, thankful that the hot sun moved behind the grandstand roof just 45 minutes after first pitch. Because of the intensity of the previous night’s post-game partying (we were introduced to what’s called the “Irish Car Bomb”), we let the beer man pass us by most of the afternoon.
It was interesting to see Alfonso Soriano’s animated conversations and hand gestures as he interacted with the fans in the left field bleachers throughout the game. After warming his throwing arm as he takes his outfield position, Soriano throws a baseball into the bleachers and points to the fan he hopes receives the ball. If the intended target of his throw catches the ball on a fly, Soriano raises a fist to the fan to congratulate him or her for catching it.
We could have misread it, but Soriano seemed annoyed by Jacque Jones as the two converged on a liner early in the game.

As we’ve noted before, Soriano has a gun for an arm and seems to have great outfield range for a converted second baseman. He has a hop in his step and seems to enjoy being a Cub.

Friday, it’s Zambrano vs. El Duque. Mets vs. Cubs. First place vs. First place. The Big City vs. The Second City. We’ll be the guy with the Heilman Met jersey. Go Mets.

8-2-07 1935

After Wednesday night’s exciting 5-4 Cub victory over the Phillies, most fans stayed in their seats and sang “Go Cubs Go.” They watched the flags on top of the scoreboard get re-arranged to show that their team is in first place. On a warm summer evening at Wrigley Field, this visitor could feel special energy associated with the team and its supporters.

Yeah, it’s nearly 50 bucks to sit in the bleachers these days, killing the tradition of a couple decades ago that involved the same underemployed crowd gathering day-in, day-out. But the folks that run the Cubs know they’ve got a good thing out there and have no problem selling tickets with a stiff $42 face value and added service charges. Recent improvements to the concourse behind the bleacher seats make it easy to get a beer, go to the bathroom and get food. The view from our right-field perch was excellent. And the crowd is paying attention. Some keep score and plenty of others discuss strategy. When the scoreboard put up the final from Milwaukee, most fans immediately stood and cheered knowing a first place divisional tie was near. Especially when Brett Myers is throwing the ball all over the place.

We had post-game beers at the Irish Oak, a block south of the ballpark on Clark. It’s far enough away from all the hub-bub in the immediate vicinity of the ballpark to relax a bit. Both the brat and the polish at the ballpark are reasonably priced relative to other sporting venues. Both are tasty.

We’re back out at Wrigley today as we prepare for the main event: this weekend’s big three-game set with the Mets.

8-2-07 1015

Looks like the Mets will have to sink or swim with Heilman, Feliciano and Mota to get to Wagner in the late innings. Mets GM Omar Minaya was unable to pull off a deal for a reliever on deadline day, refusing to part with one of the organization’s prized outfield prospects. As the deadline approached, the Mets put minor league starting pitcher Philip Humber on the block – and offered him straight up for Nationals closer Chad Cordero. The Nats declined the offer, countering with an effort to pry away Milledge, Gomez or Martinez in addition to Humber according to several reports.

So, in the end the Mets made just the one big move, acquiring Twins second baseman Luis Castillo. It appears to be a salary dump by the Twins and a defensive upgrade for the Mets who will send Ruben Gotay to the bench.

We’re glad Minaya chose to otherwise stand pat and retain the homegrown talent that will likely anchor the outfield for years to come. He could have panicked when he saw the Braves land Teixeira and Dotel. Instead, he resisted raids on the well-built farm system and will let the Mets fight the next two months with a roster that has the talent to fend off the Braves and Phillies. It’s a rare display of restraint in a market that always demands “win-now” vs. a deliberate approach to team-building.

-As we passed through Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport on our way to Chicago on Tuesday evening, we spotted the old Boeing 727 used by the Texas Rangers baseball team for its charter flights. The team’s logo is painted on the plane’s tail. It’s parked across from the FedEx hangar while the Rangers visit Cleveland to play the Indians. The 727 is an old airplane, with the last batch of them produced in the early 80’s. Many professional sports teams charter airplanes owned by commercial airlines to take advantage of newer (and arguably safer) equipment.

While the Rangers are being hauled around in an old airplane, it is constantly at the team’s disposal and controlled solely by the team’s timetable rather than that of a commercial airline.

-If only Bartman could attend, we could have a reunion celebrating the Cubby NLCS collapse of ’03. When the Cubs meet the Mets on Friday, two key guys from that crazy game six disaster against the Marlins will take the field for New York. Moises Alou is the oft-injured but recently re-activated left-fielder for the Mets and Luis Castillo is New York’s new starting second baseman. It was Alou playing left for the Cubs who barked at Bartman for interfering with a pop-up hit by Castillo with the Cubs up 3-0 in game six. Just five outs from the World Series, Bartman was in his old little world – listening to a radio walkman. From his front row seat down the left field line, he opted to reach for the souvenir rather than clear the way for Alou. Castillo’s at-bat was still alive – he walked – and the floodgates opened after an error by Cub shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

-The popular low-fare bus service “Megabus” is setting up a hub in Los Angeles and will take people to seven cities starting next week. Megabus launched its operation in Chicago last year with service to several cities in the Midwest. You’ll often see their sleek-looking equipment and logo on interstate highways in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. What’s especially enticing about Megabus is the availability of a $1 one-way fare for select customers who book way in advance. Among the cities served by the Los Angeles operation will be San Francisco and Las Vegas. A story in the LA Times says the highest one-way fare for the LA-Frisco route (a 7-hour ride) will be $38.50.

8-1-08 1215

Jodi Kantor’s lengthy and favorable front-page profile of Chelsea Clinton in Tuesday’s Times had neither bombshells, nor an interview with its subject. But it did contain an eyebrow-raising claim against the father of Chelsea’s long-time boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky.

Edward Mezvinky, a former US congressman, is incarcerated for stealing $10 million from dozens of investors. He pled guilty in 2002 and is due to be released from prison at about the same time Chelsea’s Mom is elected President (November 2008).

What’s interesting about Kantor’s piece is information she got from the prosecutor in the Mezvinsky criminal case who said the elder Mezvinsky used his son’s relationship with Chelsea as a sales-pitch in his investment scam.

Kantor cites unnamed friends of Chelsea in reporting that a White House wedding is possibly on the horizon. “Ms. Clinton and Mr. Mezvinsky seem serious about a future together.”

The Kantor piece raises the issue over whether Chelsea’s personal exploits are fair game as her mother seeks the White House. Whether they are or not, there are plenty more stories like this to come. Count on the Clinton campaign to continue efforts to protect from intrusion the past and possible future first daughter the best it can.

8-1-07 1259

A shifting work and commute pattern in this region has New Yorkers getting home later and later, and one television news boss is making a bold change to capitalize on the trend. New York’s NBC affiliate is scrapping its five PM newscast and adding a new 7 PM cast.

WNBC-TV station manager Dan Forman tells the Times that the number of available viewers in the five PM time slot has dropped 40-percent in the last ten years. Forman says the 7 PM newscast will capture a larger audience just getting home from the job.

It’s an interesting decision when you consider that all three network newscasts are currently followed at 7 PM by light entertainment fare. The change at WNBC-TV takes effect September 10.

TSR’s informal observation of commuting trends in our immediate neighborhood seems to back Forman’s vision and decision. Both the subway station and the produce market seem most crowded with workers coming home between 6:30 and 7 PM.

7-31-07 0119

Mets TV voice Gary Cohen really ripped into Willie Randolph for a botched managerial move in the nightcap of Saturday’s day-night double-header. The Mets were minus a position player to make room for starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey (Anderson Hernandez got sent down before the second game). Tied at three in the seventh, Paul LoDoca tweaked a hamstring running to second on a single by Lastings Milledge. The only two position players left on the bench at that point were utility-man Marlon Anderson and back-up catcher Ramon Castro. LoDuca was hobbled, couldn’t run, and had to be pulled. So Willie sent out El Duque to pinch-run. Fine. Good move. El Duque has demonstrated excellent base-running skills all season. But with one out, two on, and the pitcher’s spot coming up, Willie had Anderson pinch hit even though Castro had to come into the game to replace LoDoca as catcher. In one fell swoop, Willie had unnecessarily cleared his bench with two innings to play in a tie game. Castro is a clutch hitter and he should have batted to save Anderson in case the pitcher’s spot came up in a close game later.

Indeed it did.

In the bottom of the ninth, it was the 8, 9 and 1 spots with the Mets down a run. With his bench empty, Willie was forced to use Tom Glavine as a pinch-hitter. Cohen had ripped into Willie in the seventh when he made the confounding move that cleared his bench, predicting trouble. In the ninth, Cohen reminded the TV audience of the blunder two innings earlier. “This is not a situation Willie Randolph had to be in. He backed himself into a corner and he’s paying for it now.”

Glavine grounded out and the Mets went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, losing to Washington 6-5.

Randolph will no doubt say he favored Anderson in the spot he was used and was going for the win. But you don’t clear your bench in the seventh inning unless you have to. Cohen was correct in his criticism.

7-28-07 0129

Big Blue is falling apart, its head coach is on borrowed time and now a key defensive player is staying away from camp. NY Giants football opened training camp Friday with Michael Strahan a no-show. Strahan didn’t didn’t explain his status to either head coach Tom Coughlin or GM Jerry Reese prior to the start of camp, but Strahan’s agent says the face of the Giants defense is contemplating retirement. Strahan is due four-mil as he nears the end of a front-loaded contract (a hefty reduction from his previous annual earnings) and you wonder if his blow-off is a negotiating ploy. If it is, Giants beat writer Paul Schwartz told Mike Francesa this afternoon that management definitely won’t re-negotiate. “I know they won’t knuckle under.” says Schwartz.

“With Strahan, it’s always about Strahan, it’s never about the team,” said Francesa who believes Strahan may want to miss several hot and steamy workouts in Albany before changing his mind.

Michael Eisen, writing about the Strahan situation on the Giants web site says Strahan’s immediate retirement is plausible because of his expressed interest in becoming a broadcaster.

7-27-07 2159

The Federal agency charged with investigating airplane crashes in this country gathered for a one-day hearing in Washington Thursday to discuss its findings associated with the August 2006 crash of Comair flight 5191 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Unfortunately, the five-member board charged with issuing the probable cause of the crash came off as stacked in favor of laying blame solely on the two pilots flying the airplane. Three of the five members of the NTSB went to great lengths to keep the focus of the day’s proceedings on mistakes made by those pilots, despite several other serious elements that played a major role in the tragedy.

In case you don’t remember the basic facts, a refresher: On 8-27-06, Comair flight 5191, (a 6 AM departure to Atlanta) left the gate at Lexington Airport with 47 passengers, two pilots and a flight attendant. Like two departures before it, it was cleared to take-off under dark skies from the main runway (22). Somehow, Comair 5191 wandered to the wrong runway (26). The 50-seat regional jet failed to gain proper altitude on take-off and clipped trees at the end of the runway because it launched from a general aviation strip meant only for small, light planes that is half the length of the main runway. Essentially, the plane crashed shortly after it ran out of runway.

Everybody on the airplane died except for the flight’s first officer James Polehinke.

Polehinke suffered several serious injuries including the loss of his left leg and multiple bone fractures all over his body including his spinal column. Reports have indicated he has zero recollection of the accident and continues to recover from his injuries in Florida.

At today’s hearing, three of five members of the NTSB stated on the record that full blame for the accident should focus on the two pilots. Each dwelled on “40 seconds of non-pertinent discussion” between the pilots captured on the voice recorder during the plane’s taxi phase as evidence the pilots weren’t taking their jobs seriously. NTSB chairman Mark Rosenker was especially harsh in his criticism of the pilots, at one point referencing pictures of the two runways. “How couldn’t they see the difference?” he said. But there was much more to it.

Where was the air traffic controller with 17 years experience at Lexington’s tower as the airplane taxied to the wrong runway? Well, he wasn’t watching. He cleared the flight for takeoff and then turned his attention to administrative duties. He had worked 22 hours in the 24-hour period prior to the crash. NTSB staffer Hilton Hall says air traffic controllers are supposed to “visually monitor” whether pilots follow tower instructions. Despite the controller’s failure to do that, and despite strong statements by other NTSB staffers who believe the controller’s role came into play in this accident, board member Steve Chealander made a motion to remove the controller’s failure to catch the wandering airplane as a contributing factor in the crash. After debate, Chealander’s motion passed and the controller’s inattention was stricken from the probable cause portion of the report. It was a horrifying form of wrongful-acquittal and a lost opportunity to send a message to the men and women who work in control towers at airports across this country.

Is it a case of a federal government agency covering the ass of another federal government agency? It sure seemed that way from the agenda-driven speeches delivered by the majority of the NTSB board. It sounded like a political hearing with three, sometimes four of the five board members seeking to steer its testifying staff investigators toward the errors made by the cockpit crew and the cockpit crew only.

Aside from the controller’s inattention to the airplane’s movement, construction at the airport at the time of the crash had created a potentially confusing set of irregularities for a cockpit crew starting their work day at a quiet and dark air field. Charts that pilots use to navigate airports across America didn’t accurately reflect Lexington’s taxi-way configuration at the time of the accident. Additional information submitted to pilots (known as NOTAMS) failed to mention a taxi-way alteration in the Comair flight crew’s paperwork. And a taped-loop broadcast on the field – updated by the FAA – (known as ATIS) failed to reference the taxi-way detour.

Those problems were noted at the hearing. Yet for some reason, the board (with the exception of earnest and truth-seeking member Debbie Hersman) seemed to be anxious to lay near total blame for the crash on the two pilots – one who’s dead, and one who is in shambles.

There was no witness testimony at the hearing other than what came from staff members. We watched the day-long hearing via webcast on the NTSB web site.

7-26-07 1830

It was about as good of a job a commissioner could do under the circumstances and constraints he was operating under. With a major professional sport’s integrity on the line, David Stern stepped to the podium at the Westin on 43rd a few minutes after 11 AM Tuesday and projected a gravely serious vibe as he outlined what he knew about NBA ref Tim Donaghy and the charges facing him. Stern couldn’t discuss every detail with the federal case still developing, but he was careful to admit that the league had no idea they had a crooked ref among its ranks until late June after the ’06-’07 NBA season was over. As Stern delivered his prepared statement, he looked like he was physically ill from the controversy. He acknowledged Donaghy was under league office scrutiny for his hot-head behavior off the court – and he said the league had investigated a dead-end claim a few years back that the ref had gambled at the Borgata in AC – but the commish was frank in saying that it is the government that did all the work in uncovering the current scandal.

Believe him or not – and we do – Stern at least temporarily put to rest a couple of speculative reports advanced in the media. First, based on what he knows, Stern believes Donaghy is the lone bad apple within the league roster of refs.

With indications that Donaghy is willing to cooperate, that perhaps could change if he names others. But Stern believes at this moment that it’s an isolated case. He also debunks claims that the league allowed Donaghy to work games knowing he was a gambler with ties to the mob. He says the FBI came to him in late June with news of the case and asked him to keep quiet and not immediately pursue the termination of Donaghy.

It’s still not clear that Donaghy did anything more than gamble on games and disclose proprietary information, says Stern. He says he doesn’t know whether Donaghy actually attempted to rig games he worked.

Stern outlined an impressive system of security controls and performance-monitoring of game officials including the presence of a “consultant” in Las Vegas who pays attention to movement of gambling lines. Stern acknowledged that the referee in-game monitoring program didn’t really focus on criminally-related inclinations. He also said that the league’s efforts to monitor the personal exploits of referees are somewhat limited legally and are nowhere near as broad as the powers held by law enforcement.

Stern said Donaghy was paid $260-thousand this past season. “There are lots of people that keep the peace that earn a lot less,” he said.

It took until near the end of the news conference before somebody actually asked a question that elicited a crucial detail previously unreported with a named source. Warren Levinson of the AP: “Mr. Donaghy hasn’t been convicted – in fact even charged with anything – so what evidence do you have that he’s guilty of betting on games?” It’s an obvious question at this date because Donaghy hasn’t publicly spoken – and all the reports thus far have been prepared citing unnamed government and league sources. Stern paused at least fifteen seconds and said: “His lawyer informed us that he’s contemplating a plea on that subject. Does that answer your question?” So, there you have it. Stern says Donaghy’s counsel came to him amidst government instructions that Stern stay quiet and confirmed the government claim.

Oddly, at that exact moment, the televised feed of the news conference froze. Seventy minutes into the event, and it was over, at least for those watching on TV. The cable TV news networks had pulled out much earlier. The ESPN channels were still with it and went back to the set. NBA TV stayed with the frozen image for about thirty seconds then cut to a taped segment of the “Marv Albert Show.”

Alan Schwarz of the Times – who had the Donaghy/Borgata nugget in his piece this morning (attributed to an unnamed league source) was the only reporter who seemed to get under Stern’s skin. He referenced a comment Stern made in Vegas during All-Star weekend this year about game-fixing. Schwarz seemed to be implying that Stern’s Vegas comments were naïve and blind to the prospect of the current controversy. Stern asked Schwarz if he had a transcript of the remark and then tried to put what he said in context as it relates to the proposed location of a franchise in Sin City.

-Ticket sales for David Beckham’s stop in New York seem slow given all the excitement surrounding his arrival. Mark Everson of the Post says “approximately 30,000 tickets” have been sold for the August 18th Galaxy/Red Bulls match at the Meadowlands. Barring a massive walk-up number, it seems unlikely the stadium on the swamp will be sold out.

7-24-07 1645

Until somebody comes up with blatant evidence of NBA ref Tim Donaghy’s in-game efforts to manipulate point spreads or point totals, we’re gonna remain nonplussed about the allegations against him.

Yeah, David Stern is doing the right thing voicing grave concern for the league’s integrity in light of reports that Donaghy had mob-linked gambling-related debt and reportedly attempted to alter the outcome of games when he got in deep.

But extensive examination of Donaghy’s performance hasn’t really turned up much other than he called a lot of personal and technical fouls. He was generally considered a good ref according to coaches and players who have commented on the matter – and he graded well on his job performance report cards. The league is said to carefully scrutinize referee performance and sources told the Times that Donaghy was considered to be an above-average ref.

We have actually bet on games officiated by Donaghy including a losing wager on a Knicks/Heat game in February that is being pointed to as a possible fix job. In that game, the Knicks were a slight fave at home against a Dwayne Wade-less Miami team. The Knicks took a ton of free throws and covered the number but nothing really clicked about it being super-unusual at the time.

There are so many bad calls in NBA games and so many long stretches of irregular and indifferent play by the players that a concerted effort to manipulate a point spread by a single ref on a three man crew seems tough to do. It’s possible Donaghy’s actions or claims of action as a favor to those he owed money to were more grandiose than real. It could be the feds are putting the kibosh on a potentially dangerous relationship that linked the mob and a major American sports league without actually uncovering a specific plot that worked.

Say Donaghy bragged to the mob that he would deliver on certain contests and actually had a positive rate of success on their behalf – it’s possible that it was merely his understanding of gambling and the NBA that produced a positive return on investment.

Where it could get interesting is if Donaghy were to finger other NBA officials. If you had an entire three-man crew on the same page, then the rig seems more realistic.

One Post report said that Donaghy was feeding the mob referee assignments well in advance of regular public disclosure and that somehow that was benefiting somebody. Statistically, there are some refs that call fouls at a higher rate (Donaghy among them) and perhaps that would make it likely the over/under total would be exceeded if a foul-happy ref was working the game. But the way most NBA games are bet (legal or otherwise), the spread and totals aren’t posted until the day of the game – or the day before. Ref assignment info seems like a sketchy, barely-helpful angle.

We understand the simple fact that there was an alleged relationship between organized crime and a NBA ref is serious stuff. But a lot of the coverage seems to have overblown Donaghy’s influence on outcome. The coverage also seems to have lacked a basic understand of gambling.

When guys bet a bundle – they want a lock – a sure thing – a guaranteed result. Donaghy can’t give ‘em that. He can give the bettor knowledge – and he can try to assist here and there – but a single bad apple isn’t gonna bring the game down. Once Stern sees all the facts, he’s gonna need to make sure nobody else was involved from the inside. He then needs to educate those on the outside that while the league suffered from this episode, it is an isolated episode of desperation by a troubled man.

As a bettor, we’re far more bothered when athletes fail to give maximum effort than some guy in stripes who is trying to figure out a way to impact outcomes under the glare of massive audiences. The way we look at, betting the NBA carries major risk because of the momentum swings associated with unpredictable lapses in effort by the players. Until we see some documented in-game actions by Donaghy that are blatantly crooked, we fail to understand how he had much impact in the grand scheme of things.

-The new belly putter that had been credited for boosting Sergio’s main weakness failed him on Sunday. He pushed several make-able putts badly. Still, when Paddy vandevelded 18 with ghosts all over the place, the tourney was Sergio’s to lose. And lose it he did with that belly putter and a poor second shot into a bunker on 18. It’s a conversation for another day, but the governing bodies of golf probably should rid the game of any putter other than the standard length ones.

There was so much drama in that final hour. 6 PM at Carnoustie and Paddy’s tee shot on 18 bounces on the bridge before falling into the burn. Fans are running around on the fairway at 17 delaying Sergio’s tee shot. Paddy and Sergio then converge on the bridge playing different holes with memorable glances at one another. Paddy burns another one. Oh my gosh. You know the rest. The playoff was mostly anti-climactic (except for Paddy’s moderately difficult short pressure putt for bogey on the final playoff hole) and Sergio’s first major will have to wait – maybe forever with Tiger sure to reclaim his game and poised youngsters like the kids from Northern Ireland and Argentina ready to emerge.

-ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi was fantastic doing the post-round interviews from his location on 18. After Steve Stricker’s record-setting 64 on Saturday, Rinaldi asked him if he knew what he had just done and the golfer said no. The two analyzed Stricker’s string of birdie-putt bombs but it was Rinaldi’s question about Stricker’s career turnaround (Stricker was the 2006 comeback player of the year) that put the interview into memorable territory. Stricker’s voice started quivering and his eyes turned watery as he reflected on a mid-career collapse. Stricker had fallen into the ranks of mediocre tour pros with mechanical problems but has resolved them in the last year. Suddenly, Stricker had vaulted into the upper echelon with a huge weekend round at Carnoustie. “It means a lot. To do it in a championship of this caliber. I gotta keep telling myself this is the third round. I’ve got one more day yet to go.” Cognizant of the fact that he was breaking down a bit on the live American TV broadcast, Stricker tried to pull it together. “This is part of my problem. I need to get a little tougher on the inside and gut it out, and hopefully I can do that tomorrow.”

Stricker would miss a ton of putts on Sunday that were one-third or a quarter of the length of the ones he was draining on Saturday.

Rinaldi also did a heart-stirring one-on-one with Paddy right before the jug ceremony. After a brief audio problem, viewers on ABC could hear Harrington say: “I’ve come a long way…I don’t think I was the player destined to go out and do it. I’ve worked hard. I’m a worker. It’s been a good long road.” Rinaldi’s questions weren’t imposing, they were simple and logical. Harrington nearly started crying, he took deep breaths and described his feelings as he appeared to lose and then win such a coveted trophy. “I convinced myself I was going to win, but I didn’t enjoy winning until I actually won. I never enjoyed the emotion of winning until I hold that pot.”

That pot was later handed to him under a real Scottish rainbow. Harrington will take it to Ireland and likely put a dark colored beer in it at some point. Sergio got a silver platter and had a tortured look on his face.

7-23-07 0215

“That no doubt was a different baseball,” said Cubs play-by-play man Len Kasper after a kid in the front row of the left-center field bleachers was pressured by those around him to throw back the 753rd home run ball hit by Barry Bonds Thursday at Wrigley.

The Bonds blast into a biting wind landed in the basket (his second dinger of the game) and the kid who appeared to be about 15 with a striped Cubs hat scooped it up. Immediately, the guy next to him asked to take a look at it and the kid appeared to tighten his clench on what could be a somewhat prized collector’s item of value. Fortunately, an older man sitting immediately behind him offered a shielding, supportive aura from the mob urging the throw-back. “Don’t throw it back, don’t throw it back,” he appeared to yell to the kid. The old man shouted at and pushed away a couple guys to offer protection to the kid.

The young man with the Bonds ball appeared to be prepared for this lucky moment. He reached down to his feet – out of the view of the Comcast SportsNet cameras – and appeared to grab another baseball from his belongings stowed at his feet. He then presumably threw back a different ball – a long right-handed toss – the fans cheered – and the second base umpire collected the ball – which you’d think Bonds and the Giants will be able to easily determine as an imposter.

It’s a silly tradition there at the ballpark on Clark and Addison. Fans in the bleachers are expected to toss back home run balls hit by opposing players. The pressure can at times be pretty strong. Fortunately, it appears this kid had a plan that he executed well with help from a cool guy behind him.

7-19-07 1715

WABC-TV’s Bill Ritter may have at least temporarily popularized a Yiddish word rarely heard on mainstream airwaves in describing the debris in the vicinity of the large hole blown open near Grand Central Station Wednesday evening.

Ritter co-anchored Channel 7’s breaking coverage of the story and repeatedly used the word “schmutz” in reference to the concrete chunks and other debris that scattered across a large area around the gaping hole opened by the steam blast.

Other Channel 7 on-air talent picked up on the word during on-the-scene coverage of the story. When Mayor Mike came to the mike about three hours after the explosion to deliver an update at the nearby command center, he stopped after about thirty seconds when fire equipment sirens blared. “I’m going to wait until the sirens stop,” said the Mayor. An impatient Ritter said from his set: “Go ahead and talk – we can hear you.” Mayor Mike obviously couldn’t hear Ritter and waited a full three or four minutes before delivering his update.

In a city on edge about air quality issues in the wake of an alleged cover-up connected to the dust from Ground Zero in the days, weeks and months following 9-11, Mayor Mike formally recognized the possibility that the steam that blew from the 80-year-old pipe below may contain asbestos particles.

Over on Channel 2, reporter Pablo Guzman’s eyeglasses slipped low on the bridge of his sweaty nose as he delivered accounts from his location at 41st and Third. Guzman re-told the account of a worker whose 17th floor office was adjacent to the blast. The witness told Guzman that he saw a large concrete chunk blow through the window of his building lobby as he and co-workers evacuated.

In our quick channel-flipping between the major stations, it appeared Channel 7 had the best footage of the scene as it initially unfolded. All three of the major network affiliates stayed with the story until 9 PM and then went back to prime time programming. Among the shows that were pre-empted was a re-run of King of Queens on WCBS-TV.

7-18-07 2115

The great Ohio rock and roll band Two Cow Garage has been at it for more than five years, playing loud and hard with grueling months-at-a-time tour itineraries covering lots of cities in a van. Tuesday night, Two Cow Garage stopped at Piano’s on the Lower East Side and made the most of their 45-minute slot awkwardly placed between a Brit-popster and a soft alt-country act.

Two Cow has three full-length records out, including their latest “III” which comprised much of the set. The band doesn’t sell a lot of records or rake in much dough from their live gigs. Singer-guitarist Micah Schnabel (above left) and bass player Shane Sweeney (above right) repeatedly urged those in attendance to buy the new CD at a price of ten bucks. “If we sell a few, it may get us a meal,” said Schnabel.

“Why not just get a CD? They’re almost as cheap as it is to get a beer around here, and they’ll last a lot longer” said Sweeney. Budweisers at Piano’s were selling for five bucks.

It took the guy working the sound board about a third of the set to find a way to blend Sweeney’s great harmonies into the mix. At first, when the band played “Come Back to Shelby,” what was coming out of the speakers was a mish-mash dominated by Schnabel’s vocals and Sweeney’s bass. It didn’t matter, because to see Schnabel and Sweeney bobbing up and down – lunging at each other as they attacked their instruments – you didn’t need perfect sound to enjoy the theatrics.

Eventually, as the band blazed through a cover of Neil Young’s “Ohio,” the sound mix was perfect and you wished the set would keep going and going.

“Three more,” said the guy on the board.

Lots of Two Cow’s tunes sound like Uncle Tupelo, especially material from its first record Please Turn the Gas Back On. Schnabel recently told the south of Boston daily The Patriot Ledger that he and the band had never heard of Tupelo growing up in the small town of Bucyrus, Ohio. He has at times said the band sounds like John Cougar fronting Nirvana. “We are hard to describe, but that’s about how it feels to me. We have that Midwestern songwriting approach, but we take it real loud. I guess when you grow up in a small town, that is just the sound you get. It’s kind of like a curse, because if you say country, a lot of people get turned off, especially younger audiences. Nirvana was huge when we were growing up, so grunge couldn’t help but be an influence.”

You just hope Two Cow Garage doesn’t get worn out from all the effort of hop-scotching across big regions without getting much back other than the adulation of small audiences that appreciate a hard-working rock and roll band. These are guys are in their mid-20’s and it’s clear they’re having fun when they’re on stage. But getting that van from point A to point B every day on a shoestring budget has got to be a difficult routine. Last night, Two Cow’s set time was reduced by about fifteen minutes as the Brit-popster went long, and then lingered to sign CD’s for kids with Syracuse hats on instead of hustling gear off the stage. Through it, Two Cow was gracious about what amounted to disrespectful treatment. They sipped PBR’s as they waited to set up and then packed their shortened set with nothing but rockers.

Piano’s – the venue – is not among the better area places to see a band. The bar is separated from the music space by a soundproof door leading to a narrow hallway that makes it a hassle to go back and forth. The bathroom wait is often congested at the bottom of a long flight of stairs. And obviously, Piano’s has issues with the way they organize an evening’s roster of entertainment. Instead of the attendee seeing a progression of bands that have the same m-o, Piano’s treats each time slot as a distinctive show with its own crowd that files in and files out for just a single band.

-Newspaper circulation figures and corresponding cuts in newsroom staffs at big dailies across the country are bleak enough. But the results of a new study from the Shorenstein Center at Harvard examining the media consumption habits of young people are even more depressing. The Harvard study polled 1800 Americans between the age of 18 and 30 and asked them whether they picked up a newspaper every day. Just sixteen-percent said yes. That’s only one in every six young people. That’s not to say they don’t get their news elsewhere, but results of the study seem to guarantee the slow death of newspapers as we know them.

-Much of the run-up going into this weekend’s British Open has focused on the ’99 collapse of Jean Van de Velde. The Frenchman isn’t playing Carnoustie this year. He’s sick and is being tested for the possibility of bone cancer. The Post’s great golf writer Mark Cannizzaro interviewed Van de Velde’s caddy at the time, Christophe Angiolini. His story appeared in the Post early this week. “For myself and for Jean, it was the first time we were on top of the leaderboard of a major and we didn’t have the experience of that. It’s difficult to imagine the pressure,” said Angiolini in describing the feeling on the 18th hole eight years ago. Van de Velde fired Angiolini a few weeks after the ’99 British Open which sent the caddy into a funk. When Cannizzarro asked Angiolini what he did in the eighteen months away from golf after Van de Velde fired him, Angiolini said: “Smoked joints.” Angiolini now works again as a caddy for several French golfers but he won’t be working this year’s British. Our pick to win at Carnoustie? We’ll go with the loud outfit-wearing Ian Poulter to become the first home-turf winner since Paul Lawrie - who backed into the Jug at the expense of Van de Velde.

7-18-07 1620

Nice job by fans at Wrigley Monday night as the red-hot Cubs rallied in the eighth after a rare error by Soriano gave Frisco the lead in the top of that frame.

A-Ram drilled a ball to the ivy in left field to score the go-ahead run and what do Cub fans in the bleachers do? They littered the field with beer cups and other debris causing a delay in the ballgame and on ESPN’s national telecast.

They weren’t throwing garbage on the field to protest a bad call or express displeasure with a bad play, as we’ve seen them do in recent years. In this case, they were throwing garbage into play to celebrate a big Cub hit. It’s the kind of nonsense that is often produced by the crowd that gathers in the bleachers these days. And it’s something you really don’t see much of at other ballparks.

But put aside fan conduct. The Cubs are on a big charge and could end up being the NL team to beat come October. The top half of that lineup is as good as or better than the Mets and they’ve got a true stopper every five days in Zambrano. The removal of Michael Barrett from the team could have been not only a jolt – but a chemistry boost. If you haven’t seen the lanky Dominican righty Carlos Marmol, you’ll be amazed at his stuff and Bobby Howry looked impressive last night.

If Lou can stay out of the way, the Cubs could be playing some autumn games that even the fans in the stands may be forced to pay attention to. Three weekends from now, the Mets invade Wrigley and we’ll be there for all three. We can hardly wait.

-On a day that newspapers ran stories about the Roman Catholic diocese in Los Angeles paying out $660 million to victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, there was news that the Pope is coming to the US in 2008. Several newspapers say Pope Benedict will visit New York City in part to address a meeting of the United Nations. The last papal visit to NYC came in 1995 when JP-2 made a stop in the big city. You would hope that any American visit by Benedict would include intensive efforts by the world’s top Catholic to address the rampant sexual abuse scandals that have tortured many young Americans – and alienated a segment of the faithful (many of whom seek removal of out-dated restrictions and rules associated with becoming and being a priest).

7-17-07 0144

If you buy your papers on the newsstand, the cost of a New York Times goes from a flat buck to $1.25 this week. It’s the first increase in the daily’s price since ’99 and it is reasonable when you consider what you usually get back from it. A few months ago, the Post raised its newsstand price from 25 cents to 50 cents but rescinded the increase a week later after the News countered by temporarily reducing its cover price to a quarter from 50 cents.

So, for those looking for the quick getaway from the news vendor, it’ll now be easy to grab the Times, News and Post for a neat and even two bucks.

-Saturday’s Times devoted significant space to a story written by John Burns detailing the murder of its own reporter Khalid Hassan in Baghdad Friday. The primary source for the story’s key details was an off-duty policeman/eyewitness waiting in a gas station line who told Hassan’s father what he saw. Burns also uses his extensive knowledge of the complicated and numerous groups of warring factions and their motives in speculating who might be responsible for the killing. The Burns story says the Times has “more than 30 journalists in Baghdad and across the country (of Iraq)” and that Hassan was willing to travel to Iraq’s most dangerous war zones.

-It turns out Newsday got the Rickey Henderson story wrong. When Mets hitting coach Rick Down got fired as the All-Star break concluded, Newsday said Henderson was replacing him. Mets GM Omar Minaya refuted the report although admitted Henderson was a candidate.

On Friday, the Mets named Howard Johnson the new hitting coach and made Henderson the first base coach.

Newsday’s confusion reflected the lousy way in which Minaya and the Mets handled the whole thing. In fact, Newsday’s David Lennon reports that when Willie Randolph informed Down that he was getting canned, he told Down that Henderson was his replacement.

It’s been widely reported that Randolph opposed Minaya’s decision to terminate Down. The day after Down was fired (Thursday), Minaya called it an “organizational” decision and told Chris Russo that Randolph was on board. He said a decision on Down’s replacement wouldn’t be announced until Friday.

So, for one full day, the Mets had no official hitting coach. And then on Friday, it was formally announced that Johnson got the job and that Randolph made the final decision.

Our hunch is that Minaya let Randolph select from the pool of two candidates (Johnson and Henderson) as a way to soften the blow of firing his longtime friend. How it all played out in public was chaotic and confusing with the blame for that squarely on Minaya.

-It’ll be interesting to see how the papers cover it – if at all – but Tom Seaver slurred his words badly throughout much of a speech introducing Ralph Kiner on Saturday night at Shea. The Mets paid tribute to Kiner prior to the ballgame and invited several key people from Kiner’s past to celebrate including Jerry Koosman, Bob Feller and Yogi Berra. Howie Rose was the emcee. All went well until Seaver stepped to the podium to introduce Kiner and had a difficult time stringing words together. It was brutal.

-As great as the HBO documentary on the Brooklyn Dodgers is, it’s really disappointing that Vin Scully isn’t among those who appear in the film. HBO says it asked Scully to participate. Scully says he received no such invitation. It’s crazy that Charley Steiner made the flick and one of the most towering figures in Dodgers history is left out.

-The ride to LaGuardia Airport on the Q33 bus is bumpy and slow-going these days. Construction crews have stripped away several inches of asphalt from 83rd Street between Northern Blvd. and Astoria Blvd. and are preparing to resurface the street. In the meantime, the Q33 has been diverting down other north-bound streets causing some confusion among riders. Soon, the newly-paved street will be smooth and fast and the ride on the Q33 will be likewise.

-While praising San Francisco’s BART system the other day, we forgot to mention one glaring negative. The BART completely shuts down at midnight which removes it as an option for lots of late-night workers and revelers.

-If current Newark Mayor Cory Booker was a true reformer, he’d have the guts to cheer the multiple-count indictment of his crooked predecessor. When Sharpe James got hit with a slew of corruption charges tied to his two-decade reign over Newark Thursday, Booker responded with a “no comment.”

Booker probably fears that the vestiges of the James political machine wouldn’t take kindly to commentary from the current mayor. So, he’s remained silent on the matter. But Booker should have commended the federal government for lowering the boom on a guy who lined his pockets on the dime of a long-decaying city desperately trying to make a comeback in spite of its former longtime leader.

The worst of the charges against James is his engineering of a series of below market-value sales of city-owned real estate to a girl-friend who made a bundle on quick flips of that property.

Booker has been billed as a wonder-boy mayor (the Times loves him) bent on cleaning up the mess left by James. Why didn’t he publicly praise the wheels of justice as they grinded out the evidence against James?

7-15-07 0110

We left a stinky, hot and humid New York on Tuesday morning and six hours later landed on the other coast greeted by a cool, dry blast of clean air. A San Francisco treat. It was the 2007 All-Star game in a great American city at a ballpark as nice as they come.

The open concourse stadium that has had several names is currently called AT & T Park. They put a record 43,965 fans in the stands to see the Stars. The park is part of the current trend towards opening baseball venues with down-sized capacities and quirky outfield dimensions and setups. AT & T beautifully incorporates the Bay and is nestled in a spot that takes away the brutal swirling winds that made Candlestick a sometimes hostile evening for the fans and players. The park is easy to get to and has all sorts of pre-game drinking spots in close proximity.

The seats that look intriguing are the “club outfield” sections down the right-field line that appear to sit at a perfect angle with excellent views of the field, the Bay and the Bridge. It’s breathtaking. And not to go nuts, but the weather in San Francisco is such a huge positive. It’s cool and crisp in the evening. And when the sun is out during the day, it’s not hot. It’s perfectly pleasant on a consistent basis. Yeah, we know about the fog, but the cool and breezy is really nice on the human body.

We sat in the lower boxes down the left field line about fifteen rows up from the NL bullpen. It was mostly Giants season ticket-holders in our vicinity. We crossed paths with a lot of Met fans too.
Banjo Man (pictured above) is a regular at A’s home games and put on an impressive performance as he exited the ballpark picking and grinning. Giants fans seemed generally warm and hospitable to the many fans wearing A’s jerseys which would seem to suggest that the cross-town bitterness that exists in other two team towns doesn’t exist in the Bay area.

We took public transit and cabs throughout our short stay. The BART took us from SFO to the lodging spot in the Financial District for about six bucks. The fares are actually lower than that throughout the rest of BART’s extensive system, but if you get on or off at the airport, you’re looking at least five or six bucks no matter where in the Bay Area you’re going. It’s a pretty good deal. Lighted message boards at station stops make the BART easy to navigate. They also tell you how many minutes before the next train is due.

On the way home, our redeye flight was departing from San Jose, so we took the BART to Millbrae for a connecting Caltrain down to Santa Clara. Total cost was less than ten bucks. A free “Airport Flyer” bus takes you from the Caltrain stop in Santa Clara to the airport. Caltrain is a double-decker commuter train that runs from San Francisco to San Jose with stops in several nice locales including Palo Alto and San Mateo. As we looked out the window, we passed by Bay Meadows, the thoroughbred race track slated to shut down in the next couple years.

Time was short, so we only had a few meals in Frisco. The shrimp, zucchini and mushroom dish at the House of Nanking on Kearny was excellent. The nachos plate at Harry’s on Fillmore was great. And on the way out of town, we had a really tasty tomato and mozz sandwich at a café (can’t remember the name) on Montgomery.

Now, it’s back to real baseball with the start of the second half. The Mets did the right thing parting ways with Julio Franco. The 48-year-old was clearly too slow swinging at a fastball and was hurting the Mets in a pinch. We like the move but oppose the promotion of me-first Rickey to hitting coach (Newsday is reporting that Rick Down is gone and Rickey will fill his slot. Omar is saying Rickey's new role hasn't been defined yet). We’ll predict right now that Rickey Henderson doesn’t last the season if he's named the new Met hitting coach.

7-12-07 1650
It’s a revelation that is sure to sour the stomach of the semi-serious to serious horse racing handicapper. A portion of the record-setting pick six pool at Hollywood Park was pulled down earlier this week by a blind dart-thrower.

Ed Fountaine of the Post says two of the thirteen winning tickets were sold to the same bettor at Los Alomitos (a quarter horse track near LA) – one for the minimum wager of $2 and the other for $4.

With nearly $11-million in the pool, and Hollywood’s take scraped away, the 13 winners each got 576-grand. The Los Alamitos winner got twice that, and what’s so disturbing about it is the complete irrationality of the winner’s wagering commitment and approach.

When Bonds was introduced, the crowd roared with support. The soon-to-be home run king took a bow (pictured above). The ovation could have gone on for at least a couple of minutes had it not been for the abrupt and appropriate cut-off of the moment by MC Joe Buck who hurried to continue the introduction of the NL’s starting lineup.

Bonds had just two at-bats in the game and got the early hook to make way for the far more legitimate left-fielder Alfonso Soriano, who lost his starting role in an 11th-hour fan vote surge for Baroid.

It turns out that all of the potential minefields associated with Bonds and the All-Star festivities failed to explode. He skipped the home run contest. He faked his way through extended media sessions and he got in and got out of the whole thing with minimal on-the-field effort. The only thing that perhaps he and MLB couldn’t tightly control was the reaction of the fans in the ballpark. And so, when the robots in the crowd rose to cheer for Bonds, it was a lost opportunity for the powerful ticket-buying fandom to publicly rebuke a cheater and a liar.

We spoke to several Giants fans – many wearing Bonds jerseys – about their admiration for a surly slugger who took a chemically-enhanced route to success. The response is consistent: he bulked up in an era that craved home runs as a fix for the post-lockout blues. The juice was loose with the knowledge of all concerned and as long as the ball flew out, all was good. Giants fans maintain that Bonds simply was playing by the rules set up by those trying to fill ballparks and the desires of those that filled them.

Soon, Bonds will break the most hallowed record in sports and the indications are now that the commish will be in the stands. It amounts to a league validation stamp if it happens. Bud Selig probably based his decision on the way Bonds cake-walked through All-Star week with plenty of help from the fans.

As controversy-free as Bonds was, there were still plenty of hot topics associated with what turned out to be an exciting game. Carl Crawford’s home run was aided by a fan pulling it into the stands. Chris Isaak botched the anthem and the fighter jets were late. The tribute to Willie Mays was awkward with current stars unsure what to do as Say-Hey entered the outfield. When Mays started throwing baseballs into the crowd from a vehicle it turned the hall of famer into a circus act. We were waiting for Willie to pull out one of those howitzers that blasts t-shirts into the stands.

LaRussa’s failure to deploy Pujols as the NL was rallying was the leading discussion point on Gary Radnich’s entertaining KNBR radio program the morning after. Chris Russo here in New York is saying Pujols was unavailable and out of uniform late in the game. All the sidebars in Wednesday’s papers portrayed Pujols as upset his manager didn’t use him. But now Russo is reporting that Pujols pulled a diva act and bailed on his responsibilities. It happens every year. Players want the glory of making the team, but then want out to enjoy what’s left of the break by splitting to awaiting private jets. We see the Pujols issue as moot because LaRussa lacked a defensive plan if he used Pujols in Rowand’s spot and the game went extras.

More significant is what happened in connection with Ichiro, the game’s MVP. His jet was waiting and he had street clothes on the go as the game was nearing an end. Those involved with planning the post-game MVP ceremony informed the Japanese hitting machine that he was on the brink of winning the award and needed to stick around to participate. Ichiro’s response according to a source was: “Just give it to Crawford.”
A fan tossed a Giants cap to ESPN’s Chris Berman (pictured above) as he walked down the left field line before the ballgame. Berman put the hat on, mugged for fan pictures and signed autographs. “Boomer” is a big Giants fan. He was the lead voice on the Monday broadcast of the Home Run Contest.

We lingered for a while after the ballgame and wondered what all the commotion was as fans cheered a bearded and caped A’s fan playing a banjo. It turns out it was “Banjo Man,” a far more musically talented version of “Cowbell Man.”
Many players spent thousands – tens of thousands of dollars – to attempt to correctly select six winners in a row and failed to win the bet. It’s generally considered a waste of money to play the pick six unless you’re in it for four figures. But here you’ve got some person spending just six bucks to hit it twice? It’s not feasible to believe the winning tickets were the product of some special ability to handicap.

Yeah, the double winner may know how to pick horses – but assuming the winner is an excellent handicapper, would he or she play the pick six for six bucks with an 18-1 shot singled on both tickets?

We don’t know who the Los Alamitos winner is yet - so there's been no disclosure on the method behind the genius. He or she hadn’t stepped forward yet according to the Los Alamitos web site.

Given the way the tickets were constructed, it’s possible to winner doesn’t even know he/she won.

-Chicago’s chances to land the 2016 Summer Olympics have improved with the selection of Sochi, Russia as the host site of the ’14 Winter games. It knocks out St. Petersburg as a player, and Sochi’s proximity to Europe could hurt the bid of Madrid. London is already locked in as the 2012 summer host so you’d think the IOC will shift its attention away from Europe. A final decision on ’16 will come in the fall of 2009.

-Paul LoDoca’s “permanent” media boycott didn’t last long. He did his paid regular spot with Benigno and Roberts on WFAN Tuesday, and then offered extensive commentary to reporters after the Mets got crushed in Denver last night.

-We say goodbye for a couple days. We’re headed to Shytown Friday night for a big baptism, return to the east coast to do a couple work shifts and then try to fly Tuesday morning to Frisco to see the stars at AT & T. A full report on return.

7-5-07 1755

Expectations weren’t super high as we made our way to the Battery to see the Canadian band The New Pornographers on Independence Day. The band is six weeks away from releasing its fourth record and was doing this free outdoor gig minus Dan Bejar, a group member whose touring role in the band is frustratingly spotty.

Bejar is said to have committed to a fall stretch of dates with the band, but has done few gigs otherwise leaving the reins to Neko Case and A-C Newman. What’s unfortunate about Bejar’s absence at the live shows is that the songs he pens (about one-fifth of the catalog) are far and away the most compelling.

Our hunch is that Bejar probably doesn’t get satisfaction from Newman’s more syrupy material and would just assume retain a certain distance from a band that travels a different musical path than the one Bejar is on.

But that all said, the show rocked without Bejar on a rainy afternoon and it was a great way to celebrate the holiday.

Lady Liberty looms just to the west of Battery Park and the big hole in the ground is just a few blocks northeast. So, as you stand there, no matter the day, there’s an energy and significance that you can feel – especially on a national holiday.

The New Pornographers went on about 5 PM. For those unfamiliar with the band, there is no actual connection to - or promotion of pornography. The band is a collection of members who had their own limited success as rock and rollers prior to its formation. The current group has found fairly big success, enough so that Battery Park was near-packed for the gig.

Tickets to the show were free, but there were a few hoops to go through to get them. Those who didn’t get tickets stood on the perimeter of the park and still had a good look.

“The J essica Numbers” from New Porn’s last record Twin Cinema was especially powerful. Also great was “The Laws Have Changed.” The band played a lot of new stuff from its pending release Challengers. The one that sounded best was “All the Old Showstoppers.” When Newman announced that the band was about to play Showstoppers, the crowd cheered. Newman was surprised. “How could you possibly know this song? Security! Security!” he said.

What Newman may not know is that his band’s website is streaming the new record for those who make an advance purchase of the disc. Copies are also floating around, as is usually the case in a town loaded with record company workers.

Our pal Marc handed us the disc the other night and his enthusiastic claim that the Bejar track "Myriad Harbor" is bound to be a hit (within the confines of the college radio audience) is correct. It’s a great song (set in NYC with a PS 1 reference). And fortunately, the band didn’t try to play it in Bejar’s absence.
But, Newman and the band did perform "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras" and "Testament to Youth" and mangled both of them. They were brutal to listen to without Bejar at the steering wheel.

But overall, the kind sound achieved largely through the work of Case made the show a good one. There were strings and horns as part of the band and the show lasted 90 minutes with one encore. What started out as a light rain about half-way through the show turned heavy near the end. No alcohol was available for sale. Much of the crowd near the back appeared content to sit on blankets and talk on cellphones. The more serious fans gathered near the front – which was easy to access via footpaths down the east side of the park.

7-4-07 2210

The tail end of Mets beat writer Mark Hale’s game notes in Monday’s Post contained an interesting tidbit of information. It indicated that after Sunday’s game in Philly, catcher Paul LoDuca said “he’s done talking to the media permanently.”

If true, LoDuca is being a baby. He’s steamed primarily about two instances of newspaper coverage of incidents initiated by his own conduct and comments. The first came last year when it was reported by the tabloids that he had courted a teenaged woman from Long Island as he split from his wife. That coverage was a bit over the top and probably not newsworthy, but it is New York and it’s gonna get play in the tabloids.

Then last Thursday, after the finale of the Cards series got rained out at Shea, LoDuca was approached for questions on two major themes. The media wanted to preview the important weekend Phillies series. And reporters also wanted an update on whether - or when LoDuca and the Mets would drop an appeal of a two-game suspension handed down after he flipped his lid and threw equipment on the field after getting ejected for arguing balls/strikes on 6-23 vs. the A’s.

LoDuca was tired of discussing the suspension appeal, which had become a daily concern for the media because of its important roster implications. Instead of a polite no comment, he said something that garnered headlines: “I’ll do this (interview), but you need to start talking to other players. It’s the same three or four people every day. Nobody else wants to talk. Some of these guys have to start talking. They speak English, believe me.”

LoDuca has been a go-to guy for the media because he’s passionate, generally well-spoken and usually has something interesting to say. He’s also the catcher, a position that can bring a wider perspective on the game. He’s in the final year of his deal, and the Daily News has reported that the Mets don’t want to bring him back in ’08.

His declaration that he’s done talking to the media came two days after what seemed like a sympathetic reaction to his comments aimed at the portion of the roster that speaks Spanish first. It was speculated that LoDuca was referring primarily to Carlos Delgado who routinely blows off the media and is wonderfully bilingual.

If anything, LoDuca raised an issue that had otherwise not been acknowledged from the inside, but was considered a possible point of consideration. Is the beautiful and diverse collection of talent assembled on the Met roster complicated by the fact that a solid half of the team speaks Spanish first? That didn’t seem to be the point of LoDuca’s statement. More so, it could have been LoDuca deflecting a leadership role he’s not always comfortable with – and that nobody (other than maybe David Wright) on the Mets seems to want.

Who knows. Public perception of LoDuca may be a lot higher than LoDuca thinks it is. The two main stories that LoDuca is ticked about haven’t negatively impacted public opinion of him best we can tell. He should have continued just being himself.

His decision to clam up and cut off contact “permanently” with the writers who cover the Mets might make him feel like he’s firing a salvo at the big bad New York media. But really, he’ll be the loser. He’ll create further awkwardness in the clubhouse as quote-seekers have to find others to extract info from. He won’t be able to clarify his role in a given ballgame. If he indeed continues his media boycott, he could end up turning into a villain.

And villains can get skewered in this town.

-Great story Monday from reporter John Branch as he covers Wimbledon for the Times. He profiled the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, the number one men’s doubles team in the world. The 29-year-old identical twins “do not like to be apart,” says Branch. His piece includes all sorts of really funny and heart-warming examples of their quirky way of life, including the fact that they share their hotel rooms and a single e-mail account. While both attended Stanford, they initially were assigned separate dorm rooms and couldn’t stand being apart. So Branch says “Bob put a mattress on the floor of Mike’s room. They have rarely been apart since.” Branch’s story also says that during the period in which they won their first Grand Slam title in Paris in ’03, they ate at the same Chinese restaurant 29 nights in a row.

-One of the real highlights of watching West Coast baseball on the package late night here in New York is getting to see Dodgers catcher Russell Martin. What a player. He’s the best catcher in baseball right now, for sure. He steals bases, hits in the clutch, throws runners out and carries himself like a real leader on a very tough Dodgers team.

7-3-07 0114

Unable to exhibit the slightest bit of fiscal restraint or team-building know-how, Isiah Thomas continues to bury the Knicks with maneuvers that will make the once-celebrated franchise impossible to revive for several more years.

Isiah’s acquisition of selfish scorer and habitual thug Zach Randolph on draft night turns the Knicks into an ever worse mess than thought possible. Yeah, it’s nice to unload the atrocious contract of Stevie Francis but there’s a reason Portland dumped Zach and his 25 and 10 on the Knicks with Channing Frye as the only borderline chip in return. It’s because Zach has a rap sheet, he’s selfish, he doesn’t play D and he can quickly undermine the concept of team in a variety of ways. The final straw for astute Portland GM Kevin Pritchard was when the team granted Randolph a questionable bereavement leave (he missed three games to attend the funeral of a girlfriend’s cousin). Randolph ended up walking out on a Portland strip club tab during the time frame he claimed was needed to attend the funeral in Indiana.

Randolph plays much the same kind of game as Eddy Curry does – and Isiah has been saying since spending two lottery picks on Curry that the big man was supposed to be the team’s franchise player. With Randolph due $61 mil over the next four seasons, how does another ball-hog impact Curry’s development? Says Peter Vescey of the Post: “As much guaranteed scratch as the Knicks squander annually, correct me if I’m wrong, they’re still limited to using one ball on each offensive possession.”

And oh yeah, you’ve still got Starbury who wants to be the man. And what about David Lee’s minutes?

It’s really a shame. The Bulls are sitting there with Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah as the ex-dynasty rebuilds with Knick picks. The Knicks spend and spend and spend with no long-term plan. Every time the Knicks get a couple years closer to getting some kind of cap relief, they take on another bloated contract and go back to being a collection of unlikable shoot-first individuals.

Randolph’s history of violating laws and team rules makes it an even likelier possibility that the deal backfires. One bad incident from this guy as a Knick and the back pages will lower the boom in a way that even Isiah hasn’t seen yet during his brutal reign.

-We listened to ESPN radio’s coverage of the NBA draft, and its version of the Celtics/Sonics trade didn’t mention the inclusion of Glen “Big Baby” Davis. A broadcast team lead by Doug Gottlieb reported throughout the evening that the Celts were giving up Jeff Green, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for Ray Allen. It wasn’t until Friday morning that we heard Davis (selected at #35 by Seattle) was also going to Boston.

If you consider that Allen may be on the downside of his great career, and that the 23-year-old West is a very underrated and tough point guard, you wonder if this deal could backfire on Boston. They could have kept Green – and continued a deliberate rebuilding program which already includes Al Jefferson. The inclusion of Davis makes it a more intriguing deal, however, because Big Baby could end up being an excellent pro, not to mention a great marketing guy.

6-29-07 2211

About a third of the way through the show during a quiet period while Bejar seemed to be thinking about which song to play next, a woman standing near me started singing the opening couple of lines from “It’s Gonna Take an Airplane.”

He scoffed at the request. It put a bit of a chilling effect on what I’m sure would have been several verbal pleas to hear any number of great songs from his vast catalog (TSR was hoping to see him do our favorite: “Trembling Peacock”). Despite the reaction to the fan’s request, Bejar was in excellent spirits perhaps in part due to the spirits that accompanied him on stage. He indicated he had flown in from Vancouver that day and was a bit weary, but he smiled often. Well before he took the stage, he stood in the audience for the duration of the set by the first of two opening bands.

When he went on a little after ten, it was just Bejar and his electric. He played about 90 minutes and included several “new” songs as well as material from his ’06 release Rubies. Especially intense were “European Oils” and “Painter in Your Pocket.” A full band would have been nice, but Bejar did an excellent job filling the percussion layer with fluctuations in noise level that acted as a beat. His transition from soft to loud – from gentle to brash – added a depth to the sound which was delivered through a system that was constructed well above ear-level if you were standing on the main floor.

The crowd was quiet, appreciative and respectful during the performance. There was no encore, and really no significant attempt to get one.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn about fifteen minutes from the venue by foot. The late-night walk back to the hotel was pleasant. As we strode through the mainly deserted capital city of Canada just before midnight, a passing front was bringing in cool, dry air after a couple days of oppressive heat and humidity.
Barrymore’s (pictured above) on Bank Street is an impressive old, converted theatre that is a great place to see a show. A small, dark lounge on the first floor has a DJ and a full bar. You climb one flight of stairs to access the main space which ascends two more stories with a bar on each level. There are chairs and tables facing the stage on each floor and we’d estimate the capacity at about 500. Just over half that number came on Wednesday night leaving the place plenty comfortable and accommodating.

We had a few pre-show brews at Connor’s Gaelic Pub next to Barrymore’s. When the owner/bartender served your pint, he’d loudly say: “Incoming!”

The chicken shawarma plate and a soda for $10 at Shawarma King on Elgin was fantastic.

Ottawa is just a sixty-minute flight from New York and is a great place to visit. The #97 bus takes you from the Ottawa airport to downtown in less than a half-hour for just $3. About a quarter of the city’s population speaks French, which adds some flair and unpredictability to the social environment.

On six or seven previous visits to Canada, we breezed through customs. But this trip was different. When the Canadian customs agent asked the purpose of my visit, I told her I was going to a rock show (this is the kind of story that requires first-person vs. our normal style of “we” and “our”).

“Destroyer” I told her. A solo performance by Dan Bejar. That must have raised a red flag, because she sent me to the immigration office for a complete grilling with note-taking by a serious no-nonsense woman in uniform. “Where is the concert? Can I see your ticket? Do you have a printed copy of your return itinerary? Have you ever been arrested, for even the most minor offense? Who do you work for? What do you do?”

Whatever I said – or didn’t say – bought us yet another stop in a private and secure room for a somewhat intimidating session with an armed immigration agent who rifled through every last bit of my limited belongings on hand. “Destroyer, huh? What kind of music is that? I saw Roger Waters a few weeks ago,” said the agent with a nice haircut. He wanted to know how to pull up the stored pictures on my camera. There were none. He examined an ATM receipt with my balance that was stuffed in a wad of American currency I was carrying. Like his cohort previously, he wanted to know whether I had been arrested. This time I came clean on a minor transgression two decades ago. He raised an eyebrow. And then he thought he had me nailed. Several crumpled up Hershey’s chocolate kiss wrappers in my book bag! One by one, he unraveled them. “When is the last time you used drugs?” he said.

Not exactly a fairly structured question. So I responded in kind. “I’m not a drug user, sir.” The kiss wrappers were tossed in the bag last Christmas after candy had been passed around the office. He also unwrapped a discarded lens tissue that from his perspective could have been an illicit storage technique.

Who knows. Maybe the whole thing was random. But the intensity of the experience felt less than random. I felt a little better when the guy in the inspection/interrogation area next to me was getting the same treatment. He said he was a war photographer based in Baghdad. His interrogator asked him what his annual salary was.

On most trips to Canada, I’m with my Dad for hockey games. Maybe he’s the reason I’ve glided through customs in the past.

The early AM flight out of Ottawa was cancelled because the previous night’s thunderstorms in New York had also cancelled the flight that was to bring the airplane in. So, I made plans to hop the 10:45 AM departure and encountered more hassle on the way out of Canada.

Loaded up with titanium, I’m guaranteed to trip the metal detector at all post-9-11 airport screening stations. In the US, the TSA generally understands when I cut to the chase and bring on the news that removing my shoes is cumbersome and unnecessary for both parties. It leads to a thorough pat-down and some kind of particle testing by the screener. But when I attempted to explain this to a screener in Ottawa, she yelled in earshot of about 25 people: “You need a note! You need a note!”

“A note? A note for what?” I said.

“You need a doctor’s note if you don’t want to take your shoes off! A note!” said the screener.

Soon, another screener stepped in and injected common sense into the equation. Before long, we were on our way back. It’s nice to get away, and it’s always nice to come back. Back to the good old U-S of A.

6-28-07 1722

Our entry today comes courtesy of TSR pal Mike who relayed an amusing story on return from a week-long business trip that included a few nights in Dallas, Texas:

Stayed at a ridiculous hotel called Hotel ZaZa each night. The place is like a “W” hotel on steroids, with an unbelievable procession of gorgeous Texas women packing the bar every night. It also attracts its share of famous people, as well as people who like to get fall-down drunk. Drunker than you typically see people at NYC bars.

Thursday night I was at the bar standing next to a massive gentleman who I later found out was Eric Gagne (pitcher for the Texas Rangers).

An incredibly drunk guy who later fell off his chair struck up a conversation (with Gagne) that I found hilarious:

Guy: "What?"

Gagne: "I play baseball."

Guy: "You play bass?"

Gagne (now struggling not to laugh): "No, I play baseball."

Guy: "Too bad you don't play bass. (imitating a bass player) Ba-BOW-bow-ba-ba-bowwwww"

Gagne: "Yeah"

Guy: "That's the way to get a lot of pussy, man. Join a band."

Gagne: "Oh yeah?"

Guy: "Yeah. You should totally play bass."

Gagne was cool with the guy. Seemed like he found it as funny as I did.

6-26-07 0127

Looked like quite a scene at the Soldier yesterday afternoon as the green and red colors of the Mexican fans dominated the sell-out crowd at the thrilling CONCACAF championship match. There were loud boos for Landon Donovan and the great Clint Dempsey every time they touched the ball. We watched the tape of the broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel when we got home from work this morning and haven’t seen this kind of soccer since the World Cup.

US defender Carlos Bocanegra is a tough cookie and seems like a guy who will be an important figure as the US team moves toward the World Cup in 2010. The 28-year-old former member of the Fire plays for Fulham and snuffed out several Mexico scoring opportunities. He was clearly the best player in a near World Cup-quality match.

The game-tying goal by Donovan came on a penalty kick after a close call in the box as American Brian Ching acted a bit as he was clipped by Mexican defender Jonny Magallon. When Donovan prepared to take the penalty kick, the Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez approached him and appeared to taunt him with words and a facial display that mimicked a smooch. It was if Sanchez was questioning Donovan’s manhood. So, it was then fitting that Donovan pooched the ball softly past Sanchez as the goalkeeper froze.

The game-winner was a right-time, right-place blast from Benny Feilhaber who proved the notion that it pays to launch ‘em instead of playing around with the ball like the US teams so often do. It capped a 2-1 victory for the US in a match that really could have gone either way.

2010 can’t come soon enough for soccer fans who may have a US team that may have found the right coach in Bob Bradley.

It’s interesting to note that a majority of the game stories appearing this morning in newspapers across the country use copy written by the AP’s Nancy Armour. In her story, she notes that the US and Mexican players failed to shake hands after the match was over, a ““tradition” in this rivalry.” Yet Chicago Tribune reporter Luis Arroyave said in his game story that “a few Mexican players, including Carlos Salcido, shook hands with US players after the match.”

-With New York’s first significant stretch of extreme heat and humidity in the forecast, we’re glad to report that TSR headquarters has been equipped with a brand new air conditioner. It’s one of those windowless units that sucks out the hot air through a thick hose that fits in your window. It dehumidifies and it filters the air in the room.

We picked up a 12-thousand BTU model at a downtown Manhattan electronics store and in our initial usages, we have mixed feelings about it.

Problem No. 1: When you turn it on, its noise level reaches that of an airplane engine at full power. It vibrates the floor and makes it impossible to hear the volume on either the television or the radio. Will neighbors think we’re enriching uranium?

Problem No. 2: When it fills with water, it automatically shuts down. It can shut down in the middle of the night which forces a jump out of bed to empty the unit before re-starting it.

But the benefits are nice, too. The fact that no windows are blocked by a bulky and heavy unit means the few windows we have can remain open on cool summer nights. The windowless portable unit will be much easier to winterize with a simple roll into the closet.

-The Post’s coverage of this past weekend’s NHL draft was the best of the city’s four major newspapers – largely because it was the insightful and witty Larry Brooks who was given significant space in each of the last three days.

The Rangers dominated the headlines with the selection of Russian phenom Alexei Cherepanov who was taken with the 17th overall pick by the Blueshirts. There seems to be unanimous agreement that Cherepanov is a potential star and his plunge to the middle of the first round is attributed to concerns about prying him away from his home country. Hockey officials in Russia have blocked efforts in recent years as the NHL tries to grab away its best talent.

Meantime, Brooks says the Islanders refused to make their GM Garth Snow available for a discussion of the draft, and Brooks suggests there’s an organizational grudge against the Post. Brooks says the Post was not invited to the conference call announcing the buyout of Alexei Yashin’s contract a few weeks ago.

With or without assistance from top Islanders officials, Brooks reports that free agents Jason Blake and Ryan Smyth have shunned sizable opening contract offers to stay on the Island. Brooks also says it’s quite possible nobody scoops up Yashin and he ends up playing in Europe.

6-25-07 0219

When New York governor Eliot Spitzer took up residence in Albany as the state’s chief executive at the start of this year, there was the expectation that he was the perfect guy to break up the do-nothing gridlock that had taken hold during the Pataki era. Spitzer had a mandate from the people and was a bulldog in his stepping-stone job as attorney general.

But now it’s becoming clear that it wasn’t Pataki that was the big problem. It’s the two-faced leaders of the two houses of New York’s legislature. Both Sheldon Silver (Assembly speaker) and Joe Bruno (Senate majority leader) have been hostile obstructionists to Spitzer’s modest agenda of government reform and progressive ideas. Spitzer laid that agenda out in a fantastic state of the state address in January. Silver and Bruno flanked Spitzer for that speech and clapped throughout. But as the two houses of the state legislature called an end to its session this week, most of the governor’s proposals had been torpedoed by Silver and Bruno.

What’s especially distasteful is the conduct of Bruno who has publicly bashed Spitzer every step of the way for his approach to getting things done at a fast pace. Bruno is a skuzzy politician. He has profited privately from his public position through the creation of a “consulting firm.” He’s under federal investigation for his dealings which include highly questionable disbursements of taxpayer-funded grants to organizations to which he’s personally connected.

Bottom line: Bruno has no business demeaning Spitzer who was elected governor because the people of this state admired his interest in clean government and fairness for the common person.

So, what did Bruno have to say as his chamber closed for business this week without passing Spitzer’s campaign-finance reform measure and several other major proposals? “The blame for that lies squarely on the governor’s shoulders due to the fact that he still hasn’t figured out how to govern.” Bruno doesn’t believe Spitzer compromises enough. Bruno is used to doing it his way or no way at all. So, Spitzer has fairly attempted to shine a light on Bruno’s tactics, and the Senate majority leader has fought back with claims that Spitzer is a bully.

Spitzer isn’t a bully. He sees a legislative branch that had its way with his predecessor for more than a decade and he’s determined to make up for lost time. Spitzer thinks expenditure of public money should be done in the full light of day. He supports modest caps on campaign contributions. Bruno blocked it. And because he apparently thinks New Yorkers are dumb, he blamed the session’s inaction on Spitzer.

Another measure blocked by Bruno was a bill that would have allowed terminally-ill New Yorkers to legally access, possess and smoke marijuana to kill their pain or revive their appetite. The Assembly passed the bill, Spitzer said he would sign it, but Bruno wouldn’t permit a vote on it in the state senate. The bill was very limited in scope. Unlike some other states, it didn’t extend the right to smoke up to those with chronic pain.

The Spitzer-backed Bloomberg proposal to charge cars eight bucks to enter Manhattan during the week to reduce congestion and pollution was also not acted on. Silver has been a key obstructionist on this matter.

-The use of music by the composer Bach at Friday’s memorial service for nine firefighters killed in a furniture warehouse fire in Charleston, SC has caught the attention of classical music writer James Oestreich of the Times. Oestreich says the Charleston Symphony played “the Air” from Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 throughout the opening segment of the service. In his piece printed in Saturday’s paper, Oestreich critiqued the performance, called it “profound” and said that orchestras had often used the piece in the past to memorialize one of their own members. But the key point from Oestreich – and the most interesting – is his contention that the use of Bach in the firefighter memorial demonstrated both the power and relevance of classical music. Said Oestreich: “With all the hand-wringing over aging and shrinking audiences for classical music these days comes a concern for how to make it seem relevant to younger listeners. At its most extreme, the concern extends to whether classical music, so much a creature of Europe, has relevance for Americans in the first place. So, the use of Bach in a populist and quintessentially American setting was all the more striking.”

6-24-07 0115

Met GM Omar Minaya (pictured above prior to the game - with Beltran) will likely be tempted to shake things up if the lackluster play continues. He has a lot of trade-able commodities. Peter Gammons said a few days ago that Mark Buehrle of the White Sox was being targeted by Omar with one of the young Met outfield prospects as the return. But would it not be more prudent to just stand pat and let this team revive on its own? On paper, it’s just as good or better than last year’s roster which nearly made it to the World Series. Pedro is a month away from returning, and really, the rotation has been pretty decent.

The bullpen’s biggest problem has been Scott Schoeneweis, the lefty middle-man who got a fat, three-year deal after the Mets let Chad Bradford get away. Schoeneweis has recently revealed that he has a severed tendon at the bottom of his left hamstring that originally developed last season. That would have been nice to know before the Mets got him. That left leg clearly is a problem when you watch Schoeneweis pitch. He has no push at all and just flicks the ball. He’s getting crushed, and last night he gave up a big two-run double to Joe Mauer. If there is a move to be made, it’s to put Schoeneweis on the shelf and get him right physically instead of continually using him. The evidence is strong that this guy can’t get the job done in his current physical state.

Special instructor Rickey Henderson (pictured above with Met PR man Jay Horowitz) popped in before the game last night. His role on the Mets has always been a bit of a mystery. The king of aloofness, indifference and self-absorption played cards in the Met clubhouse during game six of the ’99 LCS, yet somehow remains connected to the franchise. Prior to last night’s game, Rickey signed autographs and had a brief chat with outfielder Shawn Green. He was a great lead-off man, yeah, but do the Mets really need a guy like that hanging around the team?

Attendance was 44,517. Cowbell Man (pictured above making noise in the loge) had a funny pair of shorts on and doesn’t seem to be phased in the slightest by the plight of his team. Don’t get the hot dogs from the stands that sell them from under the heat lamp. They’re much better from either the vendor or the outlets that pull them fresh from the rotating cooker. The 7 was a piece of cake coming home. Our crappy work schedule has locked us out of our Saturday Met ticket plan but we’ve managed to get out to Shea at a pretty good clip nonetheless.

If we had to guess where this Met season is all headed, it’s really hard to say. Our hunch is that it all comes together and it’s a great battle for the division with the Phils and Braves. Maybe another group head-shaving is in order for the Mets. We hope Omar doesn’t move any young talent – including Aaron Heilman and Lastings Milledge. Don’t panic. The Mets will right the ship.

6-21-07 1356

The White Stripes rolled out the title track from their new record on Conan early this morning – and it was a big wow of a performance. On an otherwise horrible program headlined by an evasive and dull Tea Leoni, The Stripes ripped through “Icky Thump” and blew the studio’s roof off in the final minutes of the show. On a stage carefully tailored to the band’s devotion to the color red with unusually professional lighting for a TV talk show appearance, Jack alternated between a turbulent synth and a loud, crisp, ramped-up Jimmy Page-guitar sound. Best as we can decipher, Icky Thump is a tune about a guy who has had a few too many and finds himself in Mexico. As he attempts to recover, he is offered a place to rest by a “redhead senorita.” Between dazzling guitar solos, Jack throws out this image-filled passage about the song’s subject as he absorbs his temporary shelter. “Icky thump with a lump in my throat, grab a coat and I was freakin’, I was ready to go. Yes, where beside the head she had one white eye, one blank stare lookin’ up, lyin’ there. On the stand near her hand was a candy cane, black rum, sugar cane, dry ice, something strange. La la la la la la la la la la – laa – laa – laa.”

Later in the tune, Jack (wearing red pants and a black t-shirt with Meg doing the reverse) offers commentary on so-called immigration reform: “White Americans, what, nothing better to do? Why don’t you kick yourself out? You’re an immigrant too.”

Conan came out after the four-minute, fifteen-second performance was over and seemed genuine when he said: “That was the real thing! I could hear that twice!”

Normally, on Conan and all the talk shows – the rock and roll band performance is limited to one tune before the credits roll. But on this program, the show came back from break with the Stripes sitting in the studio audience for a second song off the new record: “Effect and Cause.” What was interesting about this tune was that Jack had a triple-microphone rig. About half-way through the song, he moved his head to sing into mike to his right and the audio from the television corresponded with a single-channel shift from that mike. It was a neat and surprising trick. Jack bounced back and forth between the right and left mikes and the television viewer was the beneficiary of an interesting mix. It was a great idea and great fun for the viewer at home.

The Stripes are doing a show at Irving Plaza tonight (we refuse to call it the Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza). It has to be an impossible ticket. They’re doing gigs all over the place for the next several months including a stop in July at the Garden (the big space). The record is out today and we’re gonna pick it up for sure.

-Francesa and Russo took time Tuesday afternoon to mock ESPN’s prohibition on talent from the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” from appearing on the Mike and the Mad Dog radio show. Guys like Jeremy Schaap, Peter Gammons and Buster Olney had all appeared as somewhat regular guests on the WFAN radio program but a recent edict from ESPN management now bans those appearances in deference to New York’s ESPN radio affiliate at 1050 on the AM dial.

During a lengthy discussion Tuesday about the greatest right-handed pitchers in the history in baseball, Russo and Francesa indicated they had hoped to discuss the issue with Schaap. Russo said Schaap called to decline citing his employer’s policy. That led Francesa and Russo to ridicule the ESPN policy as high-schoolish.

Francesa: “He (Schaap) basically needs a hall pass to get on the show.”

Russo: “He basically has to raise his hand to ask to go to the bathroom.”

Francesa: “Are they allowed to listen (to WFAN)?

Russo: “They can’t listen in the building. They’re not allowed to listen on the premises. There is a guard when you go into Bristol who makes you turn the radio off (WFAN). And they can’t go to 1050. They can’t find it (alluding to the weakness of the signal).”

6-19-07 1720

Jack Bell of the Times is reporting that the Mets have been linked with talks about launching a second Major League Soccer franchise in the New York area. Bell cites an unnamed “industry executive” who says the Mets have had discussions with the up and coming league and could be in line to operate an expansion franchise as early as 2010. Both the Mets and MLS commissioner Don Garber failed to outright confirm the idea in Bell’s story but both parties also refused to deny it. Bell, an editor on the Times sports staff is constantly breaking soccer-related stories as the paper’s stay-in-the-newsroom soccer columnist. He suggests in his piece that the new Met ballpark and associated redevelopment of the ugly salvage yards that dominate Willets Point could include room for a new soccer-only stadium. The whole thing makes sense. There is a huge pool of soccer fans from Central and South America within a few miles of Shea. Some make the trek for international friendlies and Red Bull matches at the Meadowlands. For those same folks to take the 7 train to a 25-thousand stadium with great sightlines to see professional soccer seems like an automatic success story.

6-19-07 0146

When Angel Cabrera flicked a nerve-soothing ciggie from his fingers walking up the fairway on 17 at Oakmont Sunday, he looked like anything but an Open champion. He was gripping and ripping and near the end, he was a nervous wreck. It was a beautiful thing to see brute force tackle a brute force course while the greatest player on the planet chased him from a couple holes back in the sequence.

Cabrera no doubt won fans this past weekend with his playing style. He replaces John Daly as the hero of the hacker. And the outcome was great drama as we watched it on TV.

But really, until Tiger finally missed the long and difficult birdie putt on 18, Cabrera didn’t have the look of an Open champ.

The husky Argentinean was visibly nervous and jumpy. Cabrera circled his par-saving attempt on 17 like a guy who didn’t want to take the shot until his pulse settled. Cabrera seemed to be looking for anything to regulate his emotional state. Between the smokes, the swigs off a water bottle, and the constant adjustments to his hat, Cabrera couldn’t seem to settle.

He wore a South African Airways emblem on his yellow golf shirt. When he plays the Open next year at Torrey Pines, Cabrera will wear a logo from a much bigger company.

When Cabrera went up to the brutally difficult final hole Sunday, he again gripped – and ripped. The ball finally stopped rolling on the narrow fairway at the 346-yard mark. It was in perfect position to keep Cabrera in command on a hole that had played nightmare all weekend. He soaked up the gallery cheer on 18 and made par.

Meantime, Jim Furyk’s decision to go driver on 17 may have been the tournament. Burned by the same decision on two, Furyk’s club selection with two holes to go betrays his extraordinary shot-making talents and steady approach. He should have remain