It wasn’t enough that we all had to be dragged through the Miguel Tejada ordeal by ESPN (yes, fine, big deal; but why make a spectacle out of it?), the Mother Ship from Bristol has decided to criss-cross the Caribbean from the sunny beaches of the Dominican Republic to the northern coast of Colombia to bring us the apparent bad blood between its two most prominent baseball players, Orlando Cabrera and Edgar Rentería.

According to an upcoming report in ESPN The Magazine (and published today at espn.com), there is rising animosity between the two shortstops originating in a business deal gone bad related to Colombian professional baseball, Cabrera and Rentería’s family.

To make a long story short, Cabrera bought the Cartagena franchise “Los Indios” last year from Rentería’s family business, Team Renteria (who runs the professional league down there) only to sell it right back after the short one-month season. Cabrera claims he’s owed money in from his cut of ticket sales, advertising and TV deals. Rentería alleges Cabrera bought the franchise only to run it into the ground out of what Rentería considers spite and jealousy; what’s more, he is saying:

“I won’t accept dealing with him. I think he’s disrespected so many baseball people in Colombia who have been working to improve the sport. And that’s not something I can accept, even with an apology from him.”

And…

“He wanted to buy one team so he could wreck everything that’s been done with the league,” Edgar says. “I think he did it out of malice. You should ask him what he has against the Renterías. For several years, people have told me that he’s jealous of me. People have always known me more in Colombia than him, and I think that bothers him.”

There are a couple of things that surprise me about this story; one of which isn’t ESPN’s gullibility in believing there is a story here. Just like in the Tejada case, they found a fissure and wedged their press pass deep enough to create a gaping void. Again, there may have been journalistic recency to the Tejada story, but ESPN was marketing the thing like it was a heavyweight title fight. And in this case, just as the White Sox are playing the Yankees in prime-time, and as Orlando Cabrera is at the plate, the TV anchors point to the story as it’s being published on ESPN’s website. What? Does ESPN get the final say in what’s news?

But again, that doesn’t surprise me.

What does surprise me is Rentería’s handling of this situation. In Colombia, baseball is an afterthought; it’s like Lacrosse, you know it’s there, but you think only college kids are playing it every now and then. The exception to the rule is Rentería’s name. Just like ESPN correctly points out, he became a celebrity after his game-winning hit in the ‘97 World Series. Hell, I was watching the game on public access TV in Colombia – There were three public channels back then. Unlike Rentería, Cabrera is lesser known, and that I dare say is a direct result of Rentería’s fame (and quite literally, Rentería was scouted by Cabrera’s father, who also gave the Expo’s Orlando’s older brother, Jolbert, before Cabrera himself made it to the big leagues).

Colombia’s major and most important daily, El Tiempo, relishes in Rentería’s success. Their coverage of Rentería’s career seems to imply that he is Colombian baseball. Check that, Rentería is Colombian baseball. If Rentería has a bad night, it’s news, if he hits a home run, it’s news. Ironically, just tonight as ESPN published their story, Rentería’s line at the plate sat under the “Grandes Ligas” headline (Major Leagues) on El Tiempo’s website (ironic also that El Tiempo was caught with their pants down, and in haste, after the embarrassment of being scooped, they decided to buy the story from ESPN and run a word-for-word translation).

Cabrera does gets some coverage, as he’s made a name of himself, mainly due to his leadership and gamer attitude. And he’s always mentioned every year when the Colombian media select the sportsman’ of the year. But make no mistake, ask any Colombian to name a ball player, and Rentería will be the overwhelming response.

So what does all this have to do with this squabble over the $25,000 Cabrera invested (keep in mind these two players make millions)? Nothing! And that’s why there’s no story here. ESPN makes it seem like because there just happens to be two Colombian ball players in the league, it’s news that there is some tension where one would assume would exist cordiality and friendship. What? Do all players from Hawaii have to get along? Canadians?

I don’t blame ESPN; the New York Times had a similar piece during the 2004 World Series (theirs was of the positive spin kind) that still commodified the difference these two ball players represent. And it’s a natural thing for the MSM to take a “cultural” angle to any story and run with it; but ESPN took it to the gutter.

Even after reading ESPN’s masturbatory story “Behind the story”, it’s still not clear to me how the reporter “discovered” it, or why it’s relevant to us. In fact, Team Rentería’s communication director, Fabio Poveda Ruiz, published an open letter on its website, criticizing the writer behind the story, Jorge Arangure, for various factual inaccuracies, and for relying on stereotypical descriptions of life in Colombia.

What is really sad, however, is Rentería’s handling of the situation. This is a personal matter between his family and his family’s business and Cabrera. It’s no secret that Rentería has had issues with being in the spotlight (main reason he got shipped out from Boston), but he didn’t have a choice in becoming the face of Colombian baseball, he simply was ordained by the nature of Colombian sports and sports journalism where idolatry supplants true, good-hearted sport fanaticism. In fact, it was because of his prominence amongst Colombians that I was able to land an interview with him for a magazine I work for here in Atlanta that caters to the Colombian community – instead of being open to the opportunity to engage, he asked me to get it over with quick after he took batting practice.

At the time I figured, hey, we’re a small magazine, I should appreciate any second I get. But it’s clear now; like many prominent Colombian sports figures, fame and fortune get to their head to a point where they forget what their role is. In this case, Rentería fell for the oldest trick in a reporter’s notebook. By speaking publicly about his problems with Cabrera, he dragged his fellow country man through the mud; Rentería says Cabrera is giving Colombian baseball a bad name, but what’s clear to me is that not even Yamid Haad, the next best Colombian prospect, who was suspended for using steroids, did as much damage as this “story” will.

It’s really too bad. I love Bill Simmons. He’s funny. He’s to the point. And his Sports Guy blog is so delightfully long and rambling. Plus, he gives hope to bloggers everywhere that one day, you too may be plucked from obscurity by ESPN and get paid to do what you already do for free.

But in this column from last year which ESPN has just resurfaced, he’s not really that funny. And not really to the point. I didn’t like it then, I don’t like it now.

He gets off to a decent start:

Normally, I enjoy the week the Baseball Hall of Fame inductees are announced. Not this year. With Mark McGwire’s inclusion on the 2007 ballot, we have officially entered the Let’s Blackball the Potential-Steroids-Guy Era.

Some writers won’t vote for McGwire because he probably used steroids — keep in mind there’s never been proof that he did, other than a visible bottle of andro and those 135 pounds of muscle he added from 1990 to 2002 — which would be fine if they weren’t so pious about it.

135 lbs of muscle? Pretty funny. Okay. Pious? Yeah, fair point. What else you got, Sports Guy?

Not content with simply dismissing McGwire’s candidacy and moving on, they need to climb on their high horses and rip the guy to shreds. Of course, many of them would appear on any radio or TV show for 50 bucks and a free sandwich. We’re supposed to believe they would refuse the chance to take a drug that would enable them to do their job twice as well and make 10 times as much money? Yeah, right.

Totally valid. In fact, 50 bucks is what the Metro pays me per column (sandwich not included). Unfortunately, this may be the last valid point Simmons makes in this column, so take a minute to savor it. Go on. I’ll wait.

Ready?

Read the rest of this entry »

Here at Umpbump, we value all reader comments equally. But we value some reader comments a little more equally than others.

So it was with great pride that we learned that ESPN stat-head Rob Neyer decided to critique Nick’s post, 33 men (and one woman) out: the all-time worst Hall of Famers, on his blog.

You can read Neyer’s commentary here.
If you’re not an ESPN Insider, you can read the text of Neyer’s post after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Those daredevils over at ESPN tested out a new statistic during this weekend’s College World Series — win probability.

It’s actually not a new stat. It’s just new to baseball. Usually, you’ll see the win probability stat used in poker.

How does win probability work? In poker, it’s easy. There are 52 cards in a deck, so after the players receive their first two cards a computer (or a really smart MIT grad) calculates the odds of each player winning the hand.

In baseball, it’s a little more complicated. Or, at least, it must be. Actually, I’m not entirely sure how win probability works in baseball. Apparently, Orel Hersheiser explained it the other night, but I missed his explanation. I’m told it has something to do with how each team has fared against opponents with similar records in similar spots. Or something like that.

My problem with win probability, as applied to baseball, is that it doesn’t really tell me anything. In poker, win probability is an exact science. There are only so many cards in the deck and only so many combinations of cards will allow me to beat my opponents.

But in baseball, it’s a lot more wishy washy. There’s no way to say exactly how likely or unlikely it is that a team will come from behind to win. No way to factor in the blister that Josh Beckett has on his finger. No way to calculate that Ryan Howard is in the zone, or that Derek Jeter has got a case of the dropsies.

As a result, all the win probably stat does is assign a number to the notion that it’s unlikely that a team trailing 5-2 in the seventh inning will come back to win the game.

But we already knew that, didn’t we? We didn’t need the number.

I hate to point out the obvious, but ESPN.COM is late to the game. I also hate to revel in my favorite team’s demise, but, again, ESPN.COM is late to the game.

A full 12 days late to be precise.

Yes, a week and a half ago, we here at Umpbump realized the White Sox stank, but just now Jerry Crasnik has gotten a wiff off of that stinking South Side cheese.

Well, now they know.

What the White Sox lack in excitement value, they make up for in predictability. They went into the quintessential hitter’s park Monday night against a starter, Adam Eaton, sporting a 5.99 ERA, and summoned their usual nada. They managed five hits, all singles, in a 3-0 loss at Citizens Bank Park.

“It’s like watching ESPNEWS after 11 o’clock at night — the same thing over and over and over for 24 hours,” Guillen said. “That’s what it feels like right now.”

Guillen is almost as inventive with his batting orders as his imagery. When he wasn’t making waves on Chicago sports talk radio, he was running out 49 different lineup combinations in the team’s first 59 games. No matter who’s leading off or batting ninth, Chicago’s lineups have shared the same nagging aversion to crooked numbers.

I was actually surprised ESPN picked up the Phillies-Sox game (must’ve been one of those “hey, they never play each other, let’s see what happens when they do” kind of games.

I mean, last week the mother-ship also carried our game but that was simply because the Rocket was scheduled to pitch. They weren’t there for us, they were there for the game in which a certain 44-year-old pitcher was slated to return.

Yes, we suck – bad. But, c’mon ESPN, let’s keep closer tabs on the sport we’re supposed to be covering. Don’t want to be out-foxed (and out-scooped) by bloggers, now do we?

ESPN’s Cold Pizza is moving its studios from Manhattan to Bristol, Conn.

What does it all mean?

When CP was launched in the fall of 2003, the show was designed as an alternative to Sports Center. People who had already seen Sports Center the previous evening didn’t want to watch repeats of the show in the morning. Cold Pizza offered live, in-studio interviews instead of stale highlights.

You’re probably thinking, “Then why call the show Cold Pizza?” Nobody knows, except that it was show-creator Jim Cohen’s daughter’s idea.

Now that Cold Pizza is moving back to Bristol, you can bet that it will mean the end of the show’s in-studio interviews. After all, how many athletes are going to make the trip to Bristol (which is in the middle of NOWHERE), so that they can do an early morning chat? None, that’s how many.

Instead, the show will probably just use more satellite interviews, which are not as intimate or personal, but may ultimately be cheaper. Also, if ESPN wants to cancel the show, as it has done with ALL of former VP Mark Shapiro’s creations, it won’t be as big a hassle.

Full disclosure: I’m a former CP intern. Those, my friends, were the good old days. Start work at 3 a.m., get home at 7 p.m. Fun, fun, fun.

Harold Reynolds says he plans to sue ESPN for wrongful termination. He was fired as co-host of Baseball Tonight after a female intern accused him of hugging her innapropriately.

Reynolds says he’s just looking to protect his good name:

“I have tried everything possible to handle this situation quietly behind closed doors. After numerous conversations and multiple mediation discussions with ESPN executives, it is clear that ESPN had no intention of solving this problem amicably,” Reynolds said in a statement.

“For 11 years, I served ESPN with enthusiasm and dedication. It is unfortunate that ESPN has handled this process in an unprofessional manner. At the end of the day, my integrity, reputation and family are my top priorities, and for those reasons I need to set the record straight and clear my name.”

The suits at ESPN are sticking to their guns. They say Reynolds’ suit has no validity and they are confident that they made the right decision.

Word on the street is that Reynolds’ innapropriate hug was not his first offense and that several women had complained about his flirtations in the past.

I’m hoping that Reynolds can prove his innocence. He was one of the most liked ESPN personalities. Watching Baseball Tonight without him and Peter Gammons (who missed time after a brain anurysm) this summer just wasn’t the same. Just like PTI isn’t any good without Wilbaun and Kornheiser, Baseball Tonight needs its stars.

At the very least, here’s hoping this lawsuit will shed some light on the one question everybody is dying to know: what exactly does an “innapropriate hug” look like?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is asking readers if they think that ESPN was unfair to Braves second baseman che in a recent “Outside the Lines” segment, when the show suggested that the sole reason for LaRoche’s second half turnaroundis his decision to start taking attention deficit disorder medication.

From the AJC:

ESPN unfair to LaRoche?
By AJC | Sunday, September 17, 2006, 09:55 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An ESPN Outside The Lines program credited medication for attention deficit disorder as the sole reason for Adam LaRoche’s statistical improvement this season.

LaRoche has hit .344 with 20 home runs and 52 RBIs in 69 games since June 24.

In edited interviews with LaRoche and other Braves players, no mention was made of LaRoche’s opportunity to play every day, instead of being benched vs. left-handed pitchers.

Was ESPN unfair to LaRoche? Do you admire the first baseman for being willing to discuss his ADD? LaRoche told the AJC’s David O’Brien: “The reason I wanted to do [the show] was really for kids who might not think they can play sports or be successful with ADD.

For his part, LaRoche takes some offense at any insinuation that his sudden surge is completely due to the medication, which was cleared by a specialist in Atlanta and approved for his use by Major League Baseball.

“They want to make it out to be strictly the medication,” said LaRoche, who takes his medication in the early afternoon. “Whatever they turned it into, that’s out of my control.”

He credits his improvement at the plate more to getting the opportunity to play against lefties and righties than to the medication.

“I said for years that I could hit if I played against lefties,” LaRoche said.
What do you think? Has ESPN sensationalized the story? Does ESPN make a habit of manipulating stories? Or could LaRoche’s improvement really be due to his ADD medication?

It’s official. Harold Reynolds was fired by ESPN for sexual harassment. It seems Reynolds, who had a reputation at ESPN for hounding the Bristol chicks, was fired after a female ESPN employee complained that he hugged her inappropriately at an Outback Steakhouse.

First question: Hadn’t the woman heard that at Outback, inappropriate hugs are just Australian for, “I appreciate the work you do and I really respect you as a colleague”?

Second question: What does an “inappropriate hug” look like? Is it a hug where the man approaches from the front, wraps his arms around the woman and then grabs her butt cheeks? Is it a hug where the man approaches from behind, places his hands on the woman’s breasts and then lets gravity drag them south? What made this hug inappropriate? What makes any hug innapropriate?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Deadspin.com is reporting that Harold Reynolds was fired for sexual harrassment.

The site is running excerpts from various anonymous Bristol staffers, all of whom think Reynolds was canned for chasing too much tail. Apparently, he had a reputation for dogging the ladies, despite the fact that his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child just a few months ago.

Oh Harold, say it aint so.