Editorial: Let Manny be Manny

The below represents the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the other writer’s at Outside the Beltway Sports, its ownership, management or its sponsors.

Manny apologist alert – Consider yourself warned.

The amount of scrutiny applied to a professional baseball player in Boston is outlandish. If he cleared his absence with the team, then who cares what he is doing with his time. Number one, fans indirectly pay Manny’s salary, by attending games and buying team related merchandise, however, they do not make the decisions regarding his salary. That doesn’t mean they cannot complain. Of course they can, but to do so is to take more involvement in an issue that fans have no ability to control. Manny may be a public figure, but he is not a public official. He loves classic cars. There was a very nice story in the Globe about 18 months ago about how he spent his off day in between Interleague series in St. Louis and Chicago by overseeing the restoration of a car he was to give to his father. The car is the one that is to be auctioned. The photo essay of Manny’s trip is here.

He shows up when he wants to and probably gets sick and tired of listening to people complain about his choices and decisions. Since those choices do not materially affect our lives, why does it matter? Is he a great role model? Maybe not. There isn’t enough information to judge. And the little information there is has been filtered through the media lens of the bile belching Boston Baseball beat writers. Who knows what kind of a husband, father, friend Manny is? His wife, son and friends, and they aren’t telling us. Is he a good hitter? You bet. Can I live with the lack of the information about the former with the abundance of the latter. Yeah I can.

One of the things that I think bugs me is the amount of scrutiny we apply to athletes. It’s not like they are leasing a pricey Cadillac DTS using taxpayer money or hiring a scheduler for his wife that gets paid much more than I do using taxpayer money. Those are worthy of boos. Manny being Manny is just not that big a deal to me.

Other fans disagree, and it is reasonable to do so. Some folks need their sports heroes to be spotless role models. And that is their choice. Maybe I am cynical. Players are people, not some gilded statue without flaws, without selfish feelings. Not many people are capable of dealing with the harsh glare of the adversarial media, especially in a sports obsessed town like Boston.

I cannot, nor would I want to forget that he led my team, the Boston Red Sox, to a World Series victory. He helped them win in a magical season. Credit is due and deserved. When former Sox closer Keith Foulke announced his retirement, many Sox fans recalled with fondness his gutty contributions to the Sox 2004 Title. Why is it different with Manny, who arguably has produced more to the Red Sox success in his career with the team, than Foulke did in his Sox career?

Manny’s contract and frequent missteps with the team has made him a lightning rod for controversy. And the Boston media has whipped every misstep into a paper selling, channel-flipping adventure. As a result fans pay more attention to his mistakes, his lapses and his lolly gagging, which only compounds the whole situation. Let Manny be Manny, Boston. We have enough real worries in this world to allow ourselves to get vexed about Manny showing up on the mandatory day players must report to camp, rather than early like the clubs prefer.

Fuzzy Zoeller sues law firm for Wikipedia posting

The 1979 Masters and 1984 US Open Champ filed suit in Miami last week.

Pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller is teed off over what he calls defamatory statements about him on Wikipedia.

But instead of suing the popular online reference site, Zoeller is taking a swing at a Miami company. In a lawsuit filed last week in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Zoeller — suing under the name John Doe — alleged the statements were posted from a computer belonging to Josef Silny & Associates.

Josef Silny, the company’s president, expressed surprise when told this week by a Miami Herald reporter that the 1979 Masters champion was suing his company.

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Zoeller’s attorney, Scott D. Sheftall of Miami, said he had to sue the company because he can’t sue Wikipedia. Federal law says “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as publisher or speaker of any information provided by another.”

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However, Silny said he doubts any of his 45 employees was responsible for the statements.

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Zoeller’s identity was concealed in the suit to protect his privacy and prevent further harm, his attorney said. Sheftall has sought to have the entire court file sealed. However, he agreed to discuss the case after The Miami Herald learned Zoeller’s identity.

”The Zoeller family wants to take a stand to put a stop to this,” Sheftall said. “Otherwise, we’re all just victims of the Internet vandals out there. They ought not to be able to act with impunity.”

Sheftall added there’s no source to suggest any truth to the statements, which accuse Zoeller of abusing drugs, alcohol and his family.

Wikipedia calls itself the largest reference website on the Internet. Articles on Wikipedia can be edited by anyone who has registered with the site. Wikipedia, though, warns in a disclaimer that it “cannot guarantee the validity of information found here.”

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The statements Zoeller finds defamatory no longer appear in his current Wikipedia biography, but they can still be seen by reviewing a history of entries made. The statements apparently were first posted Aug. 28 by someone using the name Damien Lynch but were later removed. They were reposted twice, most recently on Dec. 20. It’s that posting that Zoeller’s attorney has linked to Silny’s firm. The statements were removed on Jan. 2.

When I first saw the headline, I thought the suit was related to these comments of Fuzzy. Considered very likable up till then, Fuzzy’s reputation never recovered.

Fuzzy is the second pro golfer to sue for defamation or libel recently. John Daly filed a lawsuit against the Florida Times-Union in 2005.

Cross posted to- The Florida Masochist and Poliblog’s Deportes

Cowboys Finalizing Coaching Staff

The Cowboys have officially made Jason Garrett their new offensive coordinator but have kept Tony Sparano, last year’s de facto coordinator, on staff as assistant head coach and signed him to a contract extension. The only remaining offensive vacancy is at quarterbacks coach and former Dallas backup QB (1995-97) and quarterbacks coach (2000-2002) Wade Wilson interviewed today.

The defensive side is a little more complicated, as the Cowboys haven’t given up on trying to pry two coaches from San Diego’s staff.

Phillips is attempting to hire San Diego Chargers secondary coach Brian Stewart and assistant linebackers and quality control coach John Pagano. Phillips was denied permission to officially interview Stewart and Pagano two weeks ago. After Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired on Feb. 12, Phillips decided to make another run them. New Chargers coach Norv Turner said he wants to retain all the current assistant coaches, but Pagano and Stewart are trying to get released from their contracts.

If Stewart is allowed out of his contract, Phillips would hire him as the defensive coordinator in Dallas. Phillips said he likes Cowboys’ secondary coach Todd Bowles, who could become the defensive coordinator. But Stewart’s familiarly with Phillips’ 3-4 defense allows the Cowboys to make a smooth transition from the way ex-Cowboys coach Bill Parcells ran his defense.

I’d likely prefer Stewart to Bowles, too, given that the Dallas D way underperformed its roster talent last year. Still, keeping Bowles hanging on as an “if nobody better comes along” option will certainly go noticed by the players if in fact he winds up getting the job by default.

Tim McMahon thinks the ‘Boys will get Phillips, though, as the Chargers just hired Baylor defensive coordinator Bill Bradley to “work alongside Stewart.” McMahon’s likely right that McMahon has “lot of skins on the wall to be an assistant secondary coach.”

USC Hockey Player Moons BYU Fans

Sometime you have to wonder what does through college students brains and why would you do it in Logan, Utah of all places.

A University of Southern California hockey goalie put on a show, but it had nothing to do with stopping shots.

Mickey Meyer rode his stick like a horse, dropped his bulky pants, mooned the crowd and slapped his buttocks during a game against Brigham Young University, police said.

He was ejected and ticketed for lewdness, a misdemeanor, after an officer who was working security at the rink said he witnessed the scene Saturday.

“I had my fill of these refs,” Meyer said on an Internet broadcast of the game, according to The Herald-Journal of Logan.

Meyer’s antics occurred while play was stopped and referees were trying to sort out penalties in the third period of a consolation game in the ACHA West Regional tournament at Eccles Ice Center.

The junior from Clinton, N.Y., was “riding his hockey stick like a horse and slapping his butt,” North Park Officer Mike Stauffer said in a report.

After pulling down his pants, Meyer slapped his bare bottom several times, Stauffer said.

Cowboys Re-Sign Gurode to Six Year Deal

Andre Gurode got off to a slow start but a Pro Bowl year has earned him a big contract extension.

Free agency might not start until March 2, but the Cowboys got a head start Tuesday morning by re-signing center Andre Gurode to a six-year deal.

Terms were not readily available, but suffice to say the Cowboys had to give last season’s starting center enough financial incentive to prevent him from testing free agency, especially since he was considered one of the top two centers heading into the market.

Gurode started all 17 games last season and was a late addition to his first Pro Bowl. He was one of two offensive line priorities the Cowboys had heading into the off-season, the other being right tackle Marc Colombo, who also was a 17-game starter. Colombo, after battling serious knee injuries for several years, surprisingly performed well while starting more than five games in a season for the first time in his career. The Cowboys likely will turn their attention toward the five-year veteran.

But the signing of Gurode was key, especially since the Cowboys really didn’t have another alternative at center. While Al Johnson had started at center the two previous seasons, he too is scheduled to become a free agent. It would seem unlikely the Cowboys would now commit serious financial resources to keep him on the team.

A smart and necessary move for the Cowboys. It’s a mighty thin free agent crop this year and most teams are flush with cap room, owing to the terms of the new labor deal signed last offseason. Most likely, however much they overpaid for Gurode would have been exceeded on the open market.

Royals Spring Training Preview – Starting Pitchers

Previous Installments: C – 1B/DH – 2B/SS – 3B – OF

The Kansas City Royals have done more than just remodel the pitching staff in the last year. General Manager Dayton Moore has basically demolished the whole thing and started over with his own guys.

Three of the top five starting pitchers on the current depth chart weren’t with the team coming out of camp last year and the other two spent significant time in the minor leagues.

Like with the hitters, the player’s name will link to their career stats page, and I will list the 2006 won-loss record, ERA, WHIP and ERA+ for each.

Gil Meche
11-8/4.48/1.43
ERA+ 97

Meche is going to make a lot of money over the next five years and everybody is going to make fun of the Royals for it.

His career comparables through age 27 include guys like Jason Marquis, Chris Carpenter and Jason Schmidt – sort of a mixed bag of results.

He did see a significant spike in his strikeout rate last season, and Lord knows the Royals could use a few more pitchers who know how to miss bats.

Year K/9
2003 6.28
2004 6.98
2005 5.21
2006 7.52

Meche was on his way to becoming a superstar before injuries derailed him in the early part of the century. Since coming back to the big leagues in 2003, he has been consistently almost average.

That kind of performance may be worth $11 million a year in baseball today.

Odalis Perez
6-8/6.20/1.58
ERA+ 76

In 2002, the Atlanta Braves included Perez in a trade with the Dodgers in order to get Gary Sheffield so they could win another division title.

Perez responded by putting up ERA+ of 126, 87 and 127 over the next three years. The Dodgers then signed him to a $24 million contract and he proceeded to stink up the joint, act all disgruntled and get himself traded to the Royals.

Take that, Odalis.

The Royals are only on the hook for about $5 million of Perez’s remaining contract, and he showed signs of life pitching for the team in the second half of last season.

Luke Hudson
7-6/5.12/1.44
ERA+ 95

After a middling career bouncing between the minors and the majors with the Colorado and Cincinnati organizations, Hudson joined the Royals in Spring Training last year and left Arizona with a big league job.

After putting up an 8.74 ERA in the first month of the season, he was sent down to Omaha. I’m guessing he dined on some of the finest steaks America has to offer for the next two months. I’m not really sure.

He did acquit himself nicely when returning to the Royals at the end of June, going 7-3 with a 4.67 ERA to finish out the season.

Jorge de la Rosa
5-6/6.49/1.71
ERA+ 72

De la Rosa was another one of Dayton Moore’s mid season pickups. I think you can learn a lot about a player by looking at who he was traded for in his career.

For example, in a three day period near the end of 2003, Jorge was one in a group of players exchanged by the Red Sox to get Curt Schilling and then the Diamondbacks to get Richie Sexon.

By July 25, 2006, the Royals were able to get him straight up for Tony Graffanino.

He does have a very pretty name, though.

Zach Greinke
1-0/4.26/1.58
ERA+ 114

Excuse me for breaking out the Gnarls Barkley…

“Maybe I’m cra-zay… maybe I’m cra-zay…”

Greinke was a coveted prospect coming out of high school and did well in his first full season of minor league ball. At 20, he cracked the Royals starting rotation and was named the team’s pitcher of the year in 2004.

2005 was a down year and then he left spring training before last season to attend to personal issues. Those personal issues are still a mystery to most, but the Royals seem to have handled the situation well, as Zach is back in camp this year, throwing easy and apparently having a good time.

Mental make up is a hard thing to measure, but Greinke was pegged with Cy Young potential early in his career. If he can stay focused enough to take the mound every fifth day, the Royals may still have a solid, above average starter in the quirky kid from Florida.

Rope-a-Dope Confirmed?

About two months ago, I posted an opinion that the Red Sox closer search was a lot of smoke and mirrors to distract the rest of the league from the Red Sox true needs. I called this the rope-a-dope strategy. It appears your not so humble correspondent may have been onto something.

In an interview with the Globe’s Gordon Edes that will air on NESN tomorrow night, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein hinted for the first time that Jonathan Papelbon remains an option to be the team’s closer this season, which would suggest that the medical staff likes how Papelbon’s shoulder has reacted this week. And during their meeting with the media, owner John Henry and Tom Werner seemed even more confident that a decision had been reached.

Should the Red Sox move Jonathan Papelbon back to the bullpen to close, Kyle Snyder, Julian Tavarez, Joel Pineiro and Jon Lester are all candidates to assume the last sport in the rotation. The closer spot has been the Red Sox most glaring weakness. With the success Papelbon enjoyed last year, and stricter control on his use, that area of weakness may again be a strong point for the Sox.

Update Gordon Edes is backing off his earlier story, the one I linked a few hours ago. In fact, the post that I quoted from has been changed to remove what I had quoted and further downplay the idea that Papelbon may return to closing duties. Thanks to the Internet Archive I can pull the original of this post.

I personally find the Globe’s tinkering with the story to be reprehensible. They should have updated to note the exchange was a joke. To change the story and hope that the assertion disappears indicates that the MSM has a lot to learn about blogging and how transparency is essential to credibility.

2007 NBA Thug Convention

I am surprised any city wants an NBA team, especially after this weekend’s All-Star Game:

Violence marred post-NBA All-Star Game partying as shootings left three people in critical condition and stamped an ugly footnote on what should have been a time of celebration.
Police arrested 362 people during the All-Star Game weekend as scattered fights broke out along the main casino strip early Monday even though police had braced themselves for the post-celebratory mayhem.
…
Police also had extra officers to control rowdy crowds at the Las Vegas airport where thousands of weary NBA fans missed their flights Monday.
Montoya said four people were shot in two separate shootings and a manhunt was on for one of the gunmen who shot three people outside the Minxx nightclub.
A manager, security guard and female customer were all in critical condition Monday, he said.
Another man was shot in the hip at 4 a.m. in the front entrance of the luxury MGM Grand Hotel and Casino early Monday. It was followed by a brawl less than half an hour later in a club at the Wynn hotel.
Montoya said even though the Minxx victims were shot outside in the parking lot, police believe the shooter had the gun inside the club earlier in the evening.

You can hardly make it a week without an NBA player having some run in with the cops. It’s a joke on most sports stations about NBA players can’t act like gentlemen and the Gentlemen’s Club or how they can’t go anywhere with out their guns. It’s so bad David Stern is more of a baby sitter than a Commissioner, his job consist of telling grown men to watch their language, dress nice and leave their guns at home. Now its not to say that the NBA is the only league with player problems (just look at the Cincinnati Bengals), but the NBA markets its players so when those players screw up it hurts the league marketing image. The NBA needs to get smart and tough, to save its image while it still can.

Oh and Kobe was the MVP.

Kings European Tour Expansion

Looks as if the Kings’ opening day in London was just the begining. Now it is being rumored that the Kings will also play games in Austria and Slovenia.

The Kings are near an agreement to play two exhibitions in Salzburg, Austria, part of a two-day tournament before they open the 2007-08 NHL season in London, a hockey source in Europe said.

Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Hockey League is to play host to the four-team tournament. A spokesman for AEG, which owns the Kings, declined to comment, but the source in Europe said a deal was set and only awaiting final details.

The Kings will split their training camp between Southern California and Europe in September. They will open the regular season with two games at the O2 Arena in London, which was built by AEG, and probably will face the Ducks. The Vancouver Canucks are also being considered for those games.

Besides the tournament in Salzburg, the Kings expect to play other exhibitions in Europe, with one in Slovenia being considered. The Kings’ Anze Kopitar, the first Slovenian-born player to reach the NHL, is one of the top rookies this season.

Hopefully this doesn’t interfere with the fan favorite preseason ritual, Frozen Fury at the MGM Las Vegas. Although with Luc Robitaille planning and promoting a charity poker tournament for Frozen Fury 10, it is unlikely that the event is experiencing a planned cancellation. Not of this is set in stone until the official announcement which is expected in March sometime, but it hasn’t stopped season ticket holders in my section from starting to put together a travel package for all the games.