Author Archive
National League’s All-Star Chances Are Already Dimming Thanks to Voters
Posted: 4th July 2010 by Andrew Brining in MLB
Unless you're new to Major League Baseball, you know the American League has been unbeatable against the National League in the All-Star Game for the last 13 years.
Excluding the 2002 contest that ended in a tie and featured the infamous Bud Selig shrug, the Junior Circuit has won every game since being shutout in 1996.
Obviously, a 12-game winning streak that spans over a decade has a litany of explanations. For ...
MLB’s Kiddie Table Needs More Chairs: 15 Most Exciting Players Under 24
Posted: 13th June 2010 by Andrew Brining in MLB
Every so often, you hear people of influence connected to or interested in Major League Baseball fuss about how the black American baseball player is disappearing from the diamond.
Various reasons are given—the game's simply not cool, it doesn't translate to the urban setting, MLB doesn't do a good job of reaching out to the black community, etc.
In my opinion, one of the biggest—if not most popular—reasons for the disparity ...
San Francisco Giants in the Brian Sabean Era: Fred Lewis Says It All
Posted: 18th May 2010 by Andrew Brining in MLB
Sooner or later, the revisionist sharks will begin circling one of their favorite pieces of bait, San Francisco Giant general manager Brian Sabean.
My guess is that they've already started and the first bite is only a matter of time.
For whatever reason, there's always a strong chorus of anti-Sabean sentiment heard rumbling in the background of the Bay Area. Despite being the longest tenured GM in Major League Baseball and steering ...
If LeBron James Is Really Smart, He’ll Stay a Cleveland Cavalier…at a Discount
Posted: 15th May 2010 by Andrew Brining in NBA
Let's all agree on one thing right out of the chute—barring some astoundingly cataclysmic decision-making, LeBron James will never have to work on a budget.
In fact, it would take just run-of-the-mill bad decision-making for any future generations possessing a drop of King James' blood to ever find themselves worrying about greenbacks.
The sum total of the dude's personal fortune is already mind-boggling and LeBron is only 25 years old. There's ...
2010 Oakland Athletics Starting Pitchers: The JaMarcus Russell Edition
Posted: 11th May 2010 by Andrew Brining in MLB
After the Oakland Raiders traded for the Washington Redskins' Jason Campbell, the speculation in the swirling rumors of JaMarcus Russell's imminent demise was replaced with inevitability.
The big man with the even bigger contract was due $9.45 million in the upcoming season and, by all accounts, nothing about the kid warranted rolling the dice when that kind of money was at stake.
And so the axe fell on May 6th, putting Russell ...
Cincinnati Bengals Decide Roster Roulette Is More Fun Than Winning
Posted: 6th May 2010 by Andrew Brining in NFL
I'm not all that excited about the National Football League when it's in season.
The games are definitely exhilarating and can't-miss television—as long as decent teams are pitted against each other. But all the resources sunk into the pageantry, as well as it's arrogance in pursuit of the almighty dollar, keep the NFL a distant third on my list of preferred sports.
So it's a rarity that I'll write about the ...
Time for the San Francisco Giants To Adjust Expectations?
Posted: 2nd May 2010 by Andrew Brining in MLB
Before the 2010 Major League Baseball season began, I really wanted to put the San Francisco Giants atop the division when previewing the National League West .
Instead, I stuck them in second and gave them the NL Wild Card because I figured the more grandiose vision was the product of the fan in me.
Furthermore, I thought granting them a postseason berth was still setting the bar pretty high. Possibly a ...
Hey NBA, Quit Whining and Play (or Just Shut Up If Your Name Is Mark Cuban)
Posted: 1st May 2010 by Andrew Brining in NBA
Now that the first month of the National Basketball Association playoffs has kicked off, it's time to start paying closer attention to the cagers.
The best athletes in the world still don't seem to be totally focused on the task at hand, which is the reason my enthusiasm for the hardwood has waned of late. I just refuse to believe you get 20-point swings if both teams are concentrating and such ...
Your 2010 Oakland Athletics: These Questions Will Determine Their Fate
Posted: 27th April 2010 by Andrew Brining in MLB
The Oakland Athletics were gracious enough to hook Bleacher Report up with a press pass and a closer look at their collection of young talent. In a stroke of surreal good fortune, I found myself on assignment and standing amidst the bright green grass of the Oakland Coliseum for a second time in my life.
Whereas before I wore my high school baseball uniform and played in what would be my ...
San Francisco Giants Lose Again: Why Are the San Diego Padres So Happy?
Posted: 21st April 2010 by Andrew Brining in MLB
The San Francisco Giants are stranded in one of those offensive deserts where the run-scoring oases are replaced by shimmering mirages of runners in scoring position that dissolve into nothing.
Hey, it was gonna happen sooner or later—this is not a team capable of winning 100 games.
Those kinds of clubs have exceptional hitting to complement the same kind of arms.
While these Giants have the pitching part of that equation, even the ...