Author Archive

Milton Bradley Strikes Out Again, Next Team to Offer the Guy a Shot Is Batty

Posted: 21st September 2009 by Andrew Nuschler in MLB
It's getting towards late September and that means several annual rituals are starting at the altar of Major League Baseball. Certain contenders are pulling away from the fading pack, like the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox in the races for the respective Wild Cards. A former lock for the postseason is teetering and threatening to hand the keys over to a hard-charging spoiler—I'm looking at you, Detroit Tigers. Additionally, you've got ...
Whoa, I had a totally different article all lined up about the frustration of being a West Coast fan stranded on the East Coast for vacation during a Major League Baseball postseason chase. That's out the window. I just read that prized San Francisco Giant prospect Angel Villalona is the primary suspect in a murder investigation ongoing in the Dominican Republic. Suffice it to say that's some shocking news. I'm not really ...

ESPN Can Lead Us to the Yankees, but It Can’t Make Us Love ‘Em

Posted: 18th September 2009 by Andrew Nuschler in MLB
I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I'm on vacation, so bear with me. By now, everyone who cares about such things has heard of and probably seen footage of the skirmish between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. For those who haven't, here's a recap. The Bronx Bombers jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind Sergio Mitre. Shockingly, Mitre surrendered the two-run ...
The San Francisco Giants' 2009 season might've cleared the point of no return the minute Ian Stewart's two-run bomb cleared the right-center field fence at AT&T Park. Although the game against the Colorado Rockies still had some life in it after Stewart's sixth-inning blast made it 4-0, the Giants wouldn't be able to make up that last run. Despite a spirited ninth-inning comeback against the previously untouchable Franklin Morales, our guys came ...

Jay Cutler’s Future Still Bright, but Luminosity Remains a Fair Question

Posted: 14th September 2009 by Andrew Nuschler in NFL
Despite my lack of affection for Jay Cutler, one cannot deny the kid has talent. No matter what I may say about the gray matter between his ears, the diva who forced his way out of Denver has a cannon hanging from his shoulder. Not only that, he's got one hell of a competitive drive and comes equipped with a full arsenal of athleticism to complement his arm. So it makes sense ...
With all the hoopla surrounding the onslaught of the National Football League's Opening Weekend as well as a couple huge college football games, the San Francisco Giants' weekend series with the Los Angeles Dodgers flew almost completely off the radar. In truth, I don't really have a beef with that—the return of such monsters as well as the renewal of storied college rivalries merit every drop of ink they got. Especially since ...

A San Francisco Giant Die-Hard’s Descent into the Belly of the Beast

Posted: 12th September 2009 by Andrew Nuschler in MLB
Here's a nasty little secret:  I love Los Angeles—the sprawling city, not its sports teams. It's a rough admission because I'm a die-hard San Francisco Giant fan and, as such, there is no team on Planet Earth I hate more than the LA Dodgers. Honestly, if you told me a Bum broke his leg, there would be a nanosecond of glee. Until you told me the player's name, it would simply be ...
Never let it be said that my fear of the Baseball Gods' wrath is phobic. Exaggerated perhaps, but certainly not unfounded or illogical. "As a die-hard San Francisco Giant fan with a long memory pockmarked by devastation, I'm trying not to get too excited. But it's getting harder and harder..." I wrote those words to end an article about Brad Penny's resplendent debut against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the morning of Sept. ...

When “Tweet” Becomes an Obscenity, Will We Have to Bleep Tweet?

Posted: 10th September 2009 by Andrew Nuschler in NFL
Phil Simms earned major points from me when he pointed out how sick he already was of Twitter on Showtime's "Inside the NFL." Bill Cowher retorted that the social-networking phenomenon is harmless. The story about Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila trading accusations via tweets would suggest the former Pittsburgh Steeler coach isn't totally correct. After all, giving emotionally unstable laymen easy access to the public record whilst in the middle of a ...

The Joba Chamberlain Question Proves too Much for Steve Phillips

Posted: 10th September 2009 by Andrew Nuschler in MLB
September really is the best month to be a general sports fan. It's been mentioned already by other writers so I won't rehash it extensively, but the first month of college football, the ramp up of the National Football League, and the stretch run of Major League Baseball conspire to steal millions of hours from American employers as the leaves turn. For a baseball nut such as myself, it's the first time ...