Random links on a Friday morning: Attention, paging Dr. Doug
I’ve been absent from this here blog, and you can thank the horrendous thing that is Strep Throat for that. Fully recovered, I figured the best and easiest way for me to come back into action was a good ol’ “Random Links” post. Of course, with all these antibiotics, doctor’s visits, and so on, I couldn’t stay away from the medical theme. Well, O.K., a dentist is not necesarily a doctor, but I digress.
• Some weirdo in San Francisco is going to “lifecast” from this year’s All-Star game. This is the story of a sad man who happened to watch to many ears being eaten alive by Mike Tyson. The same man whose “only claim to fame” was his attendance to the game where Barry (or is it Brian?) Bonds hit his record-setting 73rd home run of the 2001 season. He was a few rows behind the guy that caught the ball (and the other guy that sued him for it). Now he wants to hook up to a webcam and a wireless laptop to beam his life to all and all. No matter that justin.tv (left) is now broadcasting 11 different channels, and that Justine Ezarik is a girl, who’s blond, and is also doing the same thing. No, Dr. Doug: Baseball Hunter will be different. (Never mind that the actual lifecast of the game will be blacked out, and that Dr. Doug, a dentist, has to check back with his disapproving wife and root canal patients).
• It doesn’t matter that you’re the youngest player to reach the 100 home run mark. You gotta get educated.
• And speaking of Brian, er, Boris, I mean, Barry, Dontrelle Willis isn’t scared that the Marlins could be the team against which Bonds hits big seven-five-six.
• Hmmm. The Twins’ new stadium may end up costing people in Minnesota (aka, taxpayers) a bit more than anticipated. About $8 mil more $10 mill more, and all thanks to those $320-an-hour attorneys. Don’t they know why the A’s continue to lead the way when it comes to…ugh, you know what I mean.
• For a minute there, Jason Bergman found comfort in knowing that all those sharpshooters scattered throughout RFK stadium where there for protection. Too bad his offense didn’t do the same, the Nats lost 4-2.
• This isn’t the Adam LaRoche of old; his aggressive attitude is paying dividends for the Pirates. His production his up, his average is up, he’s even swinging at 3-0 pitches. I wonder…
• And forget Polow Da Don, everybody knows “THE KING” of white girls is Chase Utley.
June 26th, 2007 at 12:17 am
Well you you gotta remember Ken Caminiti. It’s not like he died twenty years ago, he passed away in ‘04. And though he died of “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates,” his steroid use must’ve contributed in some way to his poor health (not to mention, his enlarged heart).
I dunno if baseball learned anything from Caminiti’s death. Then again, maybe that got this whole thing rolling…
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June 26th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Really, guys?
From the SI article:
“Nicknamed “Shooter” and well-known for his fondness for country music, cowboy boots and cigarettes”
“Beck was popular with teammates, fans and reporters, but battled personal demons late in his life. He abruptly left the San Diego Padres for a two-month stint in rehabilitation during his final season in 2004.”
A country boy who battled personal demons and your first instinct for his nickname is steroids?
An athlete (kinda, he was a relief pitcher) who smoked and did a stint in rehab has no known health problems?
Yes, he was teammates with Barry Bonds. Yes, his third most domninant season came when Slammin’ Sammy was chasing the record.
Except he was also only ~30 at the time. Was he really that much of a statistical outlier?
Let’s wait for the autopsy before we break out the tar and feathers.
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June 26th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Rich, I totally agree. I mean, I was just joking about the link between his nickname and steroids.
But I do think that baseball will be slow to take steroid (and HGH) testing seriously until we can show that performance enhancers are causing real harm to players. And if one of the fallen players happens to be one of the most popular and likeable guys in recent memory, that will make the need for serious testing and penalties that much more apparent.
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June 26th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Totally agree, Coley. Totally agree.
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July 4th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Coley, you are an idiot. To “joke” about a 38 year old father of 2 and his untimely passing is not “journalism” but the postings of an insensitive - speculation driven - rumor mongering moron. God help your family should you pass on in an untimely fashion. I wonder what skeletons there are in your closet?
There were no skeletons in Beck’s closet - they were out there for all to see. I found your attack on his character and memory an insult … and you GUTLESS for connecting (from all acoounts) a good ballplayer, teammate, friend to speculative drivel.
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July 28th, 2007 at 3:00 am
Rod was not a “juicer”, he liked beer, hard lemonade and cigarettes. He liked to throw darts and play with his dog “Duke”. He enjoyed being with his friends and was surprized to know he still had fans that cared about him, most of all he loved his daughters. He is missed by my family, he was our friend.
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