Of Ozzie Guillen and blow-up dolls

May 6th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

It’s bad enough the Sox are coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays. It’s bad enough their first place title is now gone, destined never to return again this season. It’s bad enough Guillen turned out one of his famous tirades in which he called the Sox “Chicago’s bitch.” (Can’t say I necessarily disagree.)

On top of all this, Guillen now has to deal with columnists shocked — absolutely shocked I tell you! — that a major league clubhouse might, get this, not respect women all the time.

Designed to help the team break out of its slump, the shrine featured two female blow-up dolls surrounded by ‘’strategically placed” baseball bats and was accompanied by a sign that read, ”You’ve Got To Push,” Canada’s National Post reported.

”A few of the bats were doing naughty things,” Sun-Times beat writer Joe Cowley wrote in his blog. Apparently one of the dolls was propped up by a bat in its rear end. Whether the lewdness was intentional or not, this was inappropriate. As were the blow-up dolls. Period.

[ … ]

Apparently the sensitivity training classes Guillen attended after using a gay slur in 2006 did not include a segment on blow-up dolls.

Just so we’re clear, had there been any female reporters working Sunday’s game — my understanding is there weren’t — the Sox could have found themselves in legal trouble as a result of the display. It’s also possible male reporters were offended by the display.

But this isn’t about reporters’ feelings. Reporters are conduits to the fans. What a team does behind closed doors is its own business. But once the locker room opens, the franchise is on public display. So, how do you like your team now, Sox fans? Do you think the players respect women? I’m not so sure about that.

So in an effort to try and lighten the mood and help the team hit, the Sox have effectively pissed off a female Sun-Times columnist and still aren’t hitting at all. So, to tally: one Guillen outburst, one borderline sort of, but not really offensive prank by the Sox all within the span of one series. And it’s only May. This season, I have a feeling, only promises to get better.

Visionaire should be your pick for the Derby

May 2nd, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Big Brown is the favorite for tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby. But he’s got to bust over from position 20. And he’s never faced any competition in the three races he’s competed and won in.

So do you pick the flashy newcomer still, then? Or perhaps a cagey veteran with more experience? Or do you just get bombed in the infield and go talk to random strangers? OR do you pick someone you know will have the grit, the fire and the passion? Of course you do. Yes, friends put your money on Visionaire. After all, he’s got Barbaro ties. From Joe Sports Fan:

Bet Visionaire if… you’re the sympathetic type. His trainer is Michael Matz, the same trainer for the almighty Barbaro.  But Barbaro fans remember that if Visionaire wins there’s no need to send him any congratulatory cards because…horses can’t freaking read.

Well that settles it … his 20-1 odds be damned. You may say it’s a waste of money for me to throw down on a horse purely for emotional reasons that don’t make much strategical sense. I say at least I didn’t pick the horse because of its name.

Chipotle and the St. Paul Saints: Good thinking

April 30th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Turns out, there is other stuff happening in the world besides this whole Buzz Bissinger nonsense. (No seriously, there is!) Take for instance Chipotle’s partnership with the St. Paul Saints. You love Chipotle right? With its organic and farm fresh ingredients and the size of the burritos and the … yeah, it’s good. (I used to finish a whole Chipotle burrito on the five-minute walk from the restaurant back to the newsroom in college. Sitting and eating is for suckers.)

In any event, the details here are rather rad:

The Saints and Chipotle have come up with this unique concept for an outfield sign as corn will grow over the popular restaurants’ billboard during the 2008 season.

The billboard is believed to be the first of its kind in minor league baseball. It will appear in right field on the second level of Saints billboards, approximately eight feet off the ground and will have a planter at the base. Corn seeds will be planted just prior to the beginning of the season, and the goal is to bring attention to the fresh, natural ingredients Chipotle uses in their food every day.

[ … ]

Fans will have an opportunity to cash in on the billboard. During the July 4 Saints game, all fans in attendance will have an opportunity to win a free burrito courtesy of Chipotle. If the sweet corn is knee high by the Fourth of July, everyone walks away a winner.

Towards the close of the season, when the corn is ripe, fans will get a chance to enjoy a taste of the sweet vegetable, with a Chipotle Tailgating party, with Roasted Chili Corn Salsa as the guest of honor.

Rumor has it Chipotle’s parent company, McDonald’s, was originally slated for this promotion, but the Saints thought slaughtering a cow near the end of the season might not go over so well. Whatever.

{HT: Lion in Oil.}

“Costas Now” Internet segment in video from

April 30th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

O’Day asked for it, so here it is. Watching it again … ugh … I really just don’t want to write about it because I’d go on for way too long. (See here, here, here and here for some great writing on it.)

I will say this: it’s clear Buzz doesn’t read blogs; he doesn’t understand them. So to have all that spite and anger built up about something you don’t know at all, it’s a bit much. And it’s a generational thing. It happens in music, art, film, fashion — the old guard can’t except the new. And they aren’t even willing to try. This is not a new specific conflict going on between bloggers and traditional writers, it’s a debate that’s been waged many times before. We must just all let it pass and keep on doing as we do. This shit is fun, no use having someone that doesn’t get it ruin that. (Also, it’s incredibly more complex than just old guard vs. new guard stuff. There is crossover in both arenas.)

BUT ANYWAY: here’s the intro, then the panel discussion. Enjoy. (Big thanks to AA as always for the vids.)

Poor Adam Morrison

April 30th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

So you’re Adam Morrison. Once the darling of the NCAA with your Halo buddy J.J. Redick, you’ve now been reduced to people taking shots at your hair as you spent the season on the bench, out with a bum knee. Hey, that’s not fun. Maybe not even fair.

But now, even worse, new Bobcats coach Larry Brown might not even know who you are.

“I saw Sean (May) when I walked in and Matt (Carroll),” Brown said. “And the kid with the long hair, I didn’t know his name. He wasn’t dressed like a basketball player.”

Burn, baby, burn. Perhaps Brown was just calling him out — already picking his player to get after early and often. But geez Larry, how can you not remember this moment over here to the right?

{Via FanHouse.}