Off The Bench

I had dinner with my good friend Harold last night and caught up on a lot of shite. It was much-needed and long-overdue for both of us. I open up here since he's the one who named my ramblings "off the bench."

That said, I'm really tired this morning. A rough night's sleep.

Perhaps my favorite site in the world, Call of the Game, was hacked into about a week ago. For a brief moment it looked like the "home office" for sports broadcasters would close up shop, but alas it now seems like Jim Tocco and Joe Block's baby will indeed return. It might even have a familiar face/voice/writer on it. I've exchanged emails with Jim and will see what happens.

Speaking of contributions, I will guest host Tim Parry's "Live From the FC" tomorrow, as Tim had a death in his extended family (condolences to Tim and wife Ursula). So if all goes according to plan, I will talk with Mike Quick, Marce Petroccio, and Nick Angotto - or some combination like that.

Click here to listen - tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00 AM.

My stellar performance on Matt Levine's "The 50 Yard Line" is now archived here. Click on 11/13 show to watch me and the captains from the Norwalk Bears.

A-Rod, thank you. Ya done good. You basically urinated on the man who has tried to ruin baseball, Mr. Scott Boras (Don Fehr and Gene Orza have done their share of ruining the game also). But it's more than that. Personally I was prepared to move on without you and was beginning to picture players like Miguel Cabrera or Miguel Tejada at third. Yet watching The Son cry - hard - when I told him that you wouldn't be a Yankee in 2008 had me fuming. So for his sake, welcome back. Now go break that home run record but more importantly, go get that first World Series ring.

Oh then we have Barry Bonds. What more can I say then "got ya." Enjoy.

The New York Knicks continue to amaze me. They've become the Mets - circa 1990 (bleach, firecrackers and so on). What a mess. Willis, Dollar Bill, Clyde, DeBusschere, Barnett - save us please!

The countdown is on to the return of His Imus-ness. I will grant you that Boomer and Carton aren't awful on WFAN, but I could never see myself becoming a devotee to their show. They get good guests (Jay-Z, playa!) and Carton pisses me off enough to make me listen...and want to reach through the phone and choke him. But facts are facts - the I-Man is coming, and there's nothing anybody can do. He's even back on TV (RFD-TV, which I get via Direct TV).

Neil Best added an item at his Watchdog that caught my eye:

Tom Verducci is out as an analyst on YES's "Yankees Hot Stove.''

Why? His recent, scathing column on SI.com regarding Joe Torre's departure might have had something to do with it. Actually . . . it had pretty much everything to do with it.

YES spokesman Eric Handler said Verducci's "recent remarks pertaining to the Yankees' ownership were extremely personal and cutting, and we decided it would not be in our interests to have him on the show going forward.

"Also, Tom is collaborating with Joe Torre on a second book. It’s unfortunate, but we figured it was an action that had to be taken. We appreciate the work he’s done for us in the past.''

Asinine, and gutless on the part of the people at YES. I'm tired of this notion that people appearing on any media outlet must drink the Kool-Aid (see Network, MSG). Verducci is one of the top baseball writers and his opinions are often spot-on. Taking him off of YES shows their inability to take criticism. That's what makes TV (or radio) lively.

By the way, did you realize that Jim Jones and company did not drink Kool-Aid at their mass suicide in 1978? It was actually cyanide-laced grape flavored Flavor Aid.

It's true!