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Bar Chat

08/22/2013

Pretty Boy

Posted: Wednesday a.m.

NFL Quiz: Name the eight to have 1,000 receptions for their careers. [Hint: No. 9 is Randy Moss with 982. No. 10 is Reggie Wayne, 968. No. 11 Andre Reed, 951.] Answer below.

The Saga Continues

I obviously posted the last column before the Red Sox-Yankees Sunday night contest. Yes, Sox hurler Ryan Dempster was a total ass and should have been suspended. The first pitch, thrown behind A-Rod, you can say was warranted, if Dempster was going at him because of his position on the whole PED matter. But that’s enough. Message sent. To then drill him three pitches later was stupid on so many different levels, not the least of which it’s not as if the Red Sox were up 6-0 in the seventh and there were two outs, no one on.

Of course Dempster’s move fired up the Yankees and you saw the result. A-Rod can still hit a little.

But then we also learned that Dempster may have gone after Rodriguez because A-Rod dissed him over a charity event. That’s middle school stuff.

[Dempster received a five-game suspension and, due to the way the Red Sox’ schedule works out, won’t miss a start, thus ticking off the Yankees all over again.]

I also thought, though, that Yankee manager Joe Girardi’s comments afterwards were over the top in terms of how ‘you just don’t do that in baseball.’ 

Meanwhile, A-Roid continues to have his ‘people’ work their magic off the field, with Rodriguez and his team preparing to sue the Yankees’ team doctor, Chris Ahmad, for malpractice, while the despicable attorney, Joe Tacopina, conducted his media offensive over the weekend and on Monday.

Only Tacopina was ambushed by ‘Today’ host Matt Lauer, who held in his hand a letter from MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred that spelled out how MLB was prepared to reveal Rodriguez’ “entire history” with the game’s drug program, “including, but not limited to, his testing history, test results, violations of the Program, and all information and evidence relating to Rodriguez’ treatment by Anthony Bosch, Anthony Galea and Victor Conte.” If...Tacopina would authorize it.

Tacopina did not, as yet, saying instead, “I know the evidence against Alex Rodriguez. And I will tell you this. It will never stand up in a court of law or in an arbitration-panel courtroom. Never.”

But Tacopina had to admit that A-Rod did have “a relationship” with Bosch, this after A-Rod back in January insisted through his team of publicists – since dismissed – he was “not Mr. Bosch’s patient, he was never treated by him, and he was never advised by him.”

Monday, Rodriguez’ camp provided ESPN with an MRI allegedly taken on Oct. 11, as A-Rod struggled on the field during the playoffs. According to “a description of the radiologist report,” and not the findings of Ahmad, the team doctor, the MRI showed a “superior labral tear with small parabral cyst” on his left hip. A couple of weeks after the season, Marc Phillipon, who performed A-Rod’s right hip surgery in 2009, conducted a separate MRI on Rodriguez’ hip and recommended surgery.

The Yankees then said in a statement: “We relied upon Dr. Christopher Ahmad and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital for medical diagnosis, opinions and treatment. The Yankees neither had any complaints from Alex Rodriguez pertaining to his left hip during the 2012 regular season and the Yankees postseason, nor did the Yankees receive any diagnosis pertaining to his left hip during that same period of time. Given the various allegations that have been made by Alex Rodriguez and his counsel, if you have any medical questions they should be directed to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Dr. Christopher Ahmad.”

Tacopina charged the Yankees with forcing A-Rod to play “like an invalid.” But even Rodriguez admitted GM Brian Cashman’s contention that he begged Girardi to keep him in the lineup.

Yet A-Rod on Monday said, “This is America. And we do have an opportunity to protect ourselves. And I’ve chosen to take that route.” [Andy McCullough / Star-Ledger]

Another take...from Bill Madden / New York Daily News

“Rodriguez’ latest lawyer, the notorious self-promoting blowhard Joe Tacopina, was interviewed by Matt Lauer on the ‘Today’ show Monday morning and made a fool of himself, once again refusing to answer the only question that is relevant in this A-Rod circus: Did his client use performance-enhancing drugs?

“About MLB’s pending 211-game suspension of A-Rod, all Tacopina would say is that baseball’s evidence is based solely on the testimony of Anthony Bosch....Bosch, Tacopina asserts, has no credibility and therefore if his testimony is MLB’s case, A-Rod doesn’t deserve to be suspended for a single day.

“But when Lauer asked Tacopina about the latest revelation to come out of this affair – that the firm of Roy Black, one of A-Rod’s first lawyers (since fired), made a wire transfer of $50,000 to Bosch’s attorney as the case began to heat up last winter – Tacopina didn’t know what to say.

“If Bosch has no credibility, Lauer asked, then why would A-Rod’s attorneys want to pay for his legal fees? In any case, this is all more fodder for MLB in its contention that not only did Rodriguez violate the drug agreement on multiple occasions, he and his people also impeded its investigation.”

I just have to interject that the following take of Madden’s, found later in the above reference column, is the key to me.

“There are plenty of Yankee fans, I’m sure, who only want to believe in A-Rod’s dream scenario, the one in which he is the victim in all of this – victim of baseball’s vendetta against him and the Yankees’ treachery with him – but that he nevertheless is able to fend off all his attackers, rise to the occasion and become an inspiration to all as he leads the Yankees to the postseason. They do not care that he has cheated the game, lied to them, allegedly libeled the organization and even allegedly ratted out his fellow players and own teammate [ed. catcher Francisco Cervelli] to take the steroids onus off himself, just like San Francisco Giants fans didn’t care that a bloated Barry Bonds was using steroids and lying to them when he made a mockery of baseball’s hallowed home run records. There are fans everywhere who don’t give a hoot about steroids and what they’ve done to the integrity of the game and the sanctity of its records – even though the players themselves obviously now do.

“This is what A-Rod is counting on in a desperate effort to keep all his money by impeding baseball justice and portraying himself as the victim. Everybody loves stories of heroism, of man overcoming adversity, and this is his dream scenario.

“He is counting on the fans to judge him only by what he does on the field while ignoring his words, deeds and choices off it....

“Most of all, A-Rod’s betrayal is of the game he purports to love so much.”

Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports reports that A-Rod has a standing offer of a 150-game suspension and that Rodriguez rejected a 100-game ban days before MLB announced the 211-game suspension. MLB denies there is an active offer.

As to when this is all done, an attorney familiar with the case tells the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, “bet on early November, maybe later.”

If it’s possible, I hate the guy even more this week than I ever did.

Ball Bits

--Uh oh...as I go to post, the extent of Miguel Cabrera’s latest injury is not known but he has been playing with pain and various abdominal/groin ailments and clearly aggravated whatever ails him in his last at bat, Tuesday. It could be ‘good-bye Triple Crown.’

--So Albert Pujols is out for the season. $28 million of a $240 million contract over...$212 million to go. 17 HR, 64 RBI, .258. Just wonderful. And he turns 34 in January.

Forget whether he took steroids or not, as Jack Clark alleged. Pujols, from the D.R., may not be 34! No one ever talks about that aspect of his story. So many of the guys from there, history has proved, are not exactly on the level.

I think Pujols will still have some very productive seasons. Like a few 30-90, maybe 30-100, especially with Mike Trout ahead of him.

But obviously his contract is suddenly of A-Rodesque proportions for all the wrong reasons.

Not far behind is the five-year, $125 million handed to teammate Josh Hamilton.

--Mets rookie hurler Zack Wheeler is 6-2, 3.49. The team is 9-3 in his starts. Matt Harvey is 9-4, 2.25, and the Metsies are a mere 13-12 when he’s been on the mound. Go figure.

--Kind of out of nowhere, the Mets’ Dillon Gee has a 2.27 ERA in his last 15 starts since May 30. The only N.L. pitchers better over that stretch are Jose Fernandez (1.65) and Clayton Kershaw (1.88).

NFL Bits

--It’s still up in the air whether Robert Griffin III will start the regular season opener for the Redskins on Sept. 9. Dr. James Andrews hasn’t cleared him yet, though Andrews said the other day he feels good about RG III’s progress. I don’t have a good feeling about this season for the quarterback. It just seems to me that the Seattle playoff game was devastating, no matter what kind of progress or shape Griffin is in, say, week 8. One hit in the wrong place and I fear what that could mean.

[It doesn’t help that solid backup Kirk Cousins hurt his foot in Monday’s night’s preseason game.]

--Strange situation with Denver star linebacker Von Miller. He was suspended for six games (like think 60 games in baseball) and will lose $800,000 of his nearly $2.3 million salary. The NFL wanted him gone for eight games, but they compromised. Team EVP John Elway said he was frustrated with what happened “and, I think, disappointed in Von.”

Miller released a statement saying, “although my suspension doesn’t result from a positive test, there is no excuse for my violations of the rules.”

So what did he do? He either missed a test, refused to take one, tampered with it, or gave a diluted sample, according to the league’s “Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.” Most reports say he gave a diluted sample.

--Reason to watch Jets-Giants exhibition game on Saturday...Sanchez vs. Geno Smith. 

--SHARK! Holy Hilo! Two shark attacks within days in Hawaii. A 16-year-old surfer dude suffered injuries on both legs after a shark bit him off Hilo, and days earlier, a German visitor was snorkeling up to 100 yards off Palauea Beach in Makena when the shark bit her arm off. Bystanders on shore heard the 20-year-old scream. Talk about a hero, a California high school teacher swam out to bring her to shore. At last word, however, she is on life support. Should she succumb, she would be the first shark fatality in Hawaii’s waters since 2004.   At least officially. [The Dept. of Tourism has withheld about 600 cases...just a guess on my part.] The boy, by the way, is listed in satisfactory condition. There have actually been seven shark attacks this year in Hawaii’s waters.

It is not known what kind of shark was involved in either attack. 

--Tony Stewart is out for the remainder of the NASCAR season after suffering a broken leg in a sprint car race on Aug. 5 in Iowa. 54-year-old Mark Martin will drive Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet in 12 of the final 13 Sprint Cup races. Martin has 40 career wins.

Stewart had been a solid contender to make the Chase for the Sprint Championship. He’s expected to be back for preseason testing in January and then Daytona the following month. 

--Roger Federer is seeded No. 7 for the U.S. Open, his first slot outside the top three at any Grand Slam tournament in a decade. That’s rather remarkable.

--Steve D., vying for Rookie Marshall of the Year, was at Liberty National on Tuesday, site of the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and reports that Jason Dufner was in his glory and signed autographs for 30 minutes.

--We note the passing of crime novelist Elmore Leonard, 87. Last fall, he became the first crime writer to receive an honorary National Book Award. Talk about perseverance, his first novel, “The Big Bounce,” was rejected 84 times before it was published as a paperback in 1969. But Hollywood paid $50,000 for the rights and turned it into a movie starring Ryan O’Neal, that Leonard called “terrible.” Some of his early Westerns were turned into films such as “Hombre,” “Valdez Is Coming,” and “3:10 to Yuma.” After abandoning the Western genre, he then went on to critical acclaim with the likes of “Get Shorty.”

Top 3 songs for the week 8/19/72: #1 “Alone Again (Naturally)” (Gilbert O’Sullivan...incredibly depressing song...makes you want to blow your brains out...) #2 “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” (Looking Glass...never been with a Brandy...just sayin’...so can’t comment...) #3 “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” (The Hollies...been with that...)...and...#4 “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right” (Luther Ingram...not into word problems...) #5 “I’m Still In Love With You” (Al Green....ahhh, Peggy Fleming...one of the most beautiful women in the history of the solar system...) #6 “Where Is The Love” (Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway...tremendous tune that will sound good in 2000 years...) #7 “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast” (Wayne Newton...don’t cross him in Vegas or you’ll be knee-capped...) #8 “Hold Your Head Up” (Argent...one hit wonder...Rod Argent...ex- of The Zombies...) #9 “Coconut” (Nilsson...ughh...had to YouTube this one to remind myself...) #10 “Goodbye To Love” (Carpenters...sadly, Karen said goodbye to us...)

NFL Quiz Answer: Eight with 1,000 receptions...

1. Jerry Rice 1,549
2. Tony Gonzalez 1,242
3. Marvin Harrison 1,102
4. Cris Carter 1,101
5. Tim Brown 1,094
6. Terrell Owens 1,078
7. Isaac Bruce 1,024
8. Hines Ward 1,000

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