Jason Kipnis and Justin Masterson named to AL All-Star team
July 6, 2013Making sense of Anderson Silva’s loss to Chris Weidman
July 7, 2013“While We’re Waiting” serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
Tribe has failed to capitalize on this holiday weekend. “The streakiest team in baseball has picked one of the worst possible times to get cold again. Now losers of four in a row, the Tribe will need to win Sunday and Monday just to salvage a split in the 4-game series against the Tigers, who have opened up a 3.5 game lead in the Central.
The problem for the Indians isn’t just that they’re losing, or even that they’re losing to the team they’re chasing, it’s how they’re doing it: 7-0 and 9-4 the last two days, and they were never in either game. The team has struggled to draw fans all year, and finally people are coming out on a holiday weekend for the showdown with the Tigers – they had a sellout Friday and another 28,000 Saturday. But Saturday’s game was essentially over after three and a half innings. I still think fans should go out, but it’s so discouraging because the Indians need to draw casual fans and convince people this team is better than last year’s, but they haven’t managed to play engaging baseball in either game during this showcase series.” [Matt Hutton/It’s Pronounced “Lajaway”]
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First Earl Clark, now Jarrett Jack. Who knew Mike Brown was a free agent recruiter? “Jack said that Cleveland coach Mike Brown was central to his coming to the Midwest.
“Basically, the person that spearheaded the deal was Mike Brown,” Jack said. “Chris Grant asked who he wanted, and the only person he brought up was me. To start off with a vote of confidence with the coach is big. I know what they have there with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. It seems like an organization that’s first class, from everybody I’ve spoken with. It’s time for a new challenge for me.”
Jack’s presence will give Irving more opportunities at shooting guard as well, as Cleveland — which surprised almost everyone around the league by taking UNLV freshman Anthony Bennett first overall in last month’s Draft — continues to add talent and depth to its rebuilding team.
“I’m new to this situation like everything else,” Jack said. “I haven’t spoken with the coach on how they’re going to incorporate me. With the type of money they’re paying me they wouldn’t do that with any old body. But I’m patiently waiting. I’ve always been a fan of (Brown’s) from a distance, as a coach and as a person. It’ll be cool to get an up close and personal view.” [David Aldridge/NBA.com]
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Jarrett Jack seems like he’ll be a fun follow on Twitter. [Sheridan Hoops]
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Hold on, Bartolo Colon made the All-Star team???? “Then there’s pitcher Bartolo Colon. It’s not clear if Colon was voted in by the players or selected by Jim Leyland, but I’d be curious to find out. I like Colon, enjoy watching him pitch, am impressed by the year he’s having at age 40. And I am generally not someone who generally gets too worked up over PED use. I don’t think someone who tests positive once should be kicked out of the game, or shunned, or miss an entire season. That said… I’m also not sure that person should be an All Star the very next season, especially when there are a number of very qualified A’s players who have no such baggage — Lowrie, Donaldson, Grant Balfour — and yet did not make this squad. At a time when MLB is so keen to look tough on drugs that they’re using all kinds of extraordinary measures to try and punish players involved in the Biogenesis mess, this is probably not the message baseball intends to send. It’s hardly the end of the world, but it seems, at the very least, inconsistent.” [Emma Span/Sports on Earth]
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It’s gonna be weird not having Phil Dawson lining up for kicks. “Graham, a 12-year veteran, spent seven productive seasons (2003-2009) with the Cincinnati Bengals, but has since bounced around the league. Last season with the Houston Texans, Graham posted very respectable numbers, making 31 of 38 field goal attempts (81.6 %) during the regular season and all six of his attempts during the postseason.
Bogotay, who has never appeared in an NFL game, backed up current Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh while attending the University of Georgia from 2009-2011. His primary duty was to handle kickoffs, where eight of his 29 career kickoffs went for touchbacks. Walsh handled the majority of field goal duties, though Bogotay did make all seven of his extra-point attempts, as well as one of two field goal attempts, during his collegiate career.
Although the two are currently engaged in a position battle, various reports have stated that there is a possibility that the Browns may keep both kickers on board, as the coaching staff has been impressed with both Graham’s accuracy and Bogotay’s power. If that were the case, the likely scenario would be that Graham would handle regular placekicking duties and Bogotay would handle kickoff duties, though it would also be likely that the Browns would send Bogotay out for long-distance field goal attempts.” [Brian Vamos/iSportsWeb]
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I’m kinda surprised how much heat Urban Meyer is taking for Aaron Hernandez murdering people. “Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said it is “wrong and irresponsible” to connect him or his former Florida staff to the murder charge facing Aaron Hernandez.
In texts to The Columbus Dispatch and The Gainesville Sun on Saturday, Meyer said there was no cover-up of drug tests during Hernandez’s time at Florida. Meyer coached Florida from 2005 to 2010.
These were Meyer’s first comments about Hernandez after he declined to comment earlier this week.
The coach said in the texts he “received an email from a friend where there is an accusation of multiple failed drug tests covered up” by the university or the coaching staff. Meyer said that is “absolutely not true” and Hernandez was “held to the same drug testing policy as every other player.”
Hernandez played three years under Meyer at Florida. The former New England Patriot is charged in the shooting death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. He has pleaded not guilty.” [AP/New York Times]
2 Comments
Bennett, Clark and now Jack look out Chris Grant!
Tribe rewards 45K+ fans by being shutout then follow it up with another stinker on Saturday! Better get a “W” today with Scherzer pitching Monday otherwise it’ll take another holiday before you see another sellout.