The Week That Was
(6/20/05 - 6/26/05)

BB: Bill Barnwell
ED: Ed Agner
PR: Phil Rippa


ED: S-L-O-W.  So very slow.

PR: Aww… did softball season again?

MLB
ED:  The Reds fire Manager Dave Miley and Pitching Coach Don Gullet, replacing them with Jerry Narron and Vern Ruhle respectively.  Oh, that's going to change things.

BB: Do you think Dave Miley stole Adam Dunn’s barcalounger on the way out? Do you think Dave Miley’s got a big enough car to fit Adam Dunn’s barcalounger in it? Do you think Dave Miley’s got a big enough car to fit Austin Kearns in it? HE’S FAT!!!!

PR: Yeah – Sean Casey is so going to tell both of them that you are being mean to them.

ED:  More people put on the cripple list include – White Sox Old Man And The Sea Orlando Hernandez (shoulder), Royals 1B Mike Sweeney (wrist), Reds Futility Infielder Luis Lopez (shredded hammy – out for the year), Mets Out/E-4 Kaz Matsui (bruised knee), Royals P Jeremy Affeldt (getting' his groin right), Dodgers PVCanadian Eric Gagne (now done for the season to…NOT undergo Tommy John surgery), Dodgers C Paul Bako (now out for the season with an ACL), LAA's AARP member Steve Finley (shoulder), Padres P Adam Eaton (finger) and C Ramon Hernandez (wrist), Orioles MANLY-MEATINESS!!! B.J. Surhoff (ribs), Phillies P Randy Wolf (now done for the season to get Tommy John surgery), Pirates P Mike Gonzalez (knee), Cardinals P Randy Flores (blister…on his foot), Brewers VETERAN PRESENCE! Jeff Cirillo (broken hand), Reds DUI Ryan Freel (foot), Reds P Randy Keisler (elbow), Padres 1B Phil Nevin (oblique), Mets GLOVE!!! Doug Misspelling (hammy)

PR: See I was already with my “Okay, so normal recovery time from Tommy John surgery is a year to 18 months, so since Gagne is Canadian, does that mean he will be out 4 to 6 years?” But he didn’t have the surgery so all is lost.

ED:  People out of work this week include: Mets P Mike DeJean is released (Phil weeps), Rangers P Pedro Astacio (no one weeps), Cardinals OF Roger Cedeno is DFA'd (and a whole lotta Mets fans laugh)

BB: Lot easier to DFA Roger Cedeno when it costs you $180,000 instead of $8 million, or however much his ridiculous ridiculous contract was for.

PR: Maybe the Mets will resign. I mean, they need to have depth to keep blocking Victor Diaz.

ED:  Twelve cars owned by Washington National players or employees are broken into - and one owned by Nats OF Marlon Byrd was stolen - in a parking garage under RFK stadium while the Nats were on a road trip.  Wil Cordero, as always, is ready to slap around whoever is responsible.

BB: I would really like a Wil Cordero/Al Martin reality show. “You slapped my wife!” “WIFE?!? I thought that was your DAUGHTER!” (canned laughter). Actually – not their own show. They should be on Ultimate Fighter.

PR: I just enjoy that Jose Guillen was at least smart enough to know you don’t park your car in Washington DC. I also enjoy that the police didn’t think to just head out to the Beltway. I mean the thieves are probably still stuck in traffic.

ED:  Because it's a slow week, coaches for the AL Star game have been announced – for the AL it's Tigers Mgr. Alan Trammell and A's Mgr. Ken Macha, for the NL it's Giants Mgr. Felipe Alou and Brewers Mgr. Ned Yost.  Yay!

BB: Will Trammell have to serve under OZZIE??? Maybe Ozzie can explain how he was a better shortstop than Trammell ever was ‘cause Ozzie’s fiery and honest.

PR: It’s last year’s World Series managers. Which means Terry Francona. Poor poor Smartball. His rationale for selecting coaches was pretty funny. “Umm… well Ken Macha hired me… and he might have some compromising photos of me.”

ED:  Mariners HEIGHT!!!  Richie Sexson and Orioles Mgr. Lee Mazzilli are suspended each suspended two games for separate incidents involving arguing with umpires.  Well, as long as Lloyd…D'oh!

ED:  Pirate Mgr. and VP.com favorite Lloyd McClendon says he's toning down his act and will not argue so much with umpires.  Well, as long as he still threatens Tony LaRussa regularly, we're OK with that.

BB: Fire that man.

ED:  The Padres sign Mgr. Bruce Bochy to a two-year contract extension.  Told ya it was a slow week.

BB: The Padres haven’t won anything in like eight years. What does Bochy have to do to lose his job?

PR: Slap Tony Gwynn around with his… oh, right. Family site.

NBA

ED:  The San Antonio Spurs are your NBA champs, putting down the Pistons in 7 games.  Now, please NBA, go away.

BB: Mokeski…

ED:  The Bucks fire head coach Terry Porter.  And to think that I didn't even know he had retired from playing.

BB: Sikma…

ED:  Seattle gives GM Rick Sund a three-year contract extension.  Ehh.

BB: Lohaus…

ED:  Word on the street has it that Danny Ferry is going the be the new GM of Clevaland.  Yeah, if there's one guy completely un-LeBron-like that I wouldn't want to run LeBron's team, Danny Ferry would be it.

BB: Schayes…

ED:  Oh, further word on the street - I hang with Carmelo Anthony's posse, mind you - is that Mavs C Sean Bradley is retiring.  Hey, I gave you the warning about it being a slow news week from the get go.

BB: LET THE ANDREW BOGUT, WHITE BUCK ERA BEGIN!!! Of course – this will probably be released after the draft and the Bucks will have not picked Bogut and my joke will all be for naught.

CFL
WEEK ONE!!!

ED:  Montreal handles Hamilton, 31-22.  Stupid crappy Danny McManus.

ED:  Ricky Ray throws for 354 yards and 2 TD's as Edmonton slaps around Ottawa, 41-16.  You know what Ricky Ray is missing to become a top-flight NFL QB...or at least to become a quality back-up?  That's right, Jerry Jones blowing a top pick on him and a bad coke habit.  Oh yeah, the Jets can't lose enough games to make me happy.  Friggin' idiotic Jets.

ED:  In a rematch of last season's Grey Cup, BC tops Toronto, 27-20.  Oh yeah, the Argos getting their ring ceremony crammed back down their throats makes me very-very-very happy.

ED:  COREY HOLMES!!! runs roughshod as Saskatchewon whips Winnipeg, 42-15.  Sweet Canadian X-Factors!

SOCCER
BB: Story of my week – go to bed at 3 am Saturday. See on the BBC website that Chelsea’s signed Shawn Wright-Phillips. Think – weird, haven’t heard that anywhere. Check Google News on the story and find absolutely nothing. Whatever, go to sleep. Wake up at noon and Manchester City DEFINITELY isn’t signing Shawn Wright-Phillips. Right. Now it’s Monday and they might be.

PR: What is this? Fanball?

PR: Eddie Lewis signed with Leeds. Will still be underappreciated in America.

PR: Confederations Cup continued. Still no one died… yet.

PR: Oh yeah – what would a season of World Cup Qualifying be without folks losing their jobs. Ersun Yanal is out at Turkey. Antti Muurinen is now the ex-coach for Finland. Senegal sacked Stephan (Guy Stephan that is). Oh and Nigeria suspended Christian Chukwu for a whopping three days.

NFL
ED:  Even more astute GM moves include:  the Browns signing QB Doug Johnson, the Bengals claiming QB? Craig Krenzel off of waivers, the 49ers signing STRAIGHT! Johnnie Morton, the Lions signing CB R.W. McQuarters, the Cards signing LB Greg Carothers, the Redskins signing CB Artrell Hawkins

BB: The PATRIOTS!!! signed Chad Morton which means Chad Morton went from being a useless Redskin to being a SUPER VALUABLE PATRIOT!!!! in the matter of days. Oh yeah – this NFL preview is going to be hate-filled.

PR: TWO TOUCHDOWNS!!! ONE GAME!!!

ED:  Your NFL Trouble list:  Redskins S Sean Taylor pleads not guilty to gun and assault charges – and faces a minimum of 3 years jail time for the charges…as if that would happen.  Colts CB Nick Harper waives his right to an initial hearing on domestic battery charges.  Dolphins S Quinton Williams arrested on DUI and drag racing charges…and is then released.

BB: Can you negotiate a new deal whilst in jail?

PR: Well I am sure you can negotiate which orifice… oh right, family site.

ED:  Steelers radio announcer Myron Cope to retire after 35 years.  Man, 35 years of watching the Steelers would be my definition of Hell.

BB: I love the writers/fans who talk about how Cope is a throwback to another era because he has a weird voice and how it shouldn’t matter that he screws things up and gets player names wrong because he’s charismatic. The JOB of the announcer is to pass along the story, just like any other journalist. The charisma part is secondary. Yes – I hate 99% of announcers. But it shouldn’t be hard to find someone who can do both.

PR: I love that my first reaction when Ed said “Oh the annoying Steelers announcer retired” was “Terry Bradshaw?”

NCAA
ED:  Texas beats Florida to win the College World Series.  In case you wondered, Texas winning the CWS is the equivalent of say, North Carolina winning the NCAA hoops title.  Yes, that's why your stomach was turning.

ED:  Nebraska 3B Alex Gordon wins the Golden Spikes award - basically college baseball's Heisman Trophy, minus the inevitable blown out knee and failure at the pro level of course.

BB: Well now he’s a Royal, so that will come naturally.

ED:  Georgia Tech CB Reuben Houston is suspended after his arrest on felony charges of conspiring to possess and distribute about 94 pounds of marijuana, with a street value of $60,000-80,000.  HELLOOOOOOOOO, DALLAS!!!

BB: Man, the initiation to get into Nate Newton’s frat is tough.

BB: First time I typed that joke, it read “Man, the initiation to get into Nate Newton’s fart is tough.” I think I like that one more.

ED:  Two Tennessee football players, LB Daniel Brooks and DB Corey Campbell, are suspended for a game for traffic violations.  HAH!  You get points towards your varsity letter at Ohio State for that.

BB: BUCKEYE!

ED:  Bart Oates, Brian Kavanagh and Tony Roberts are inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.  I will now step aside so Phil can swoon over Bart Oates.

PR: Aww… he named his dog Dexter.

ED:  The Baylor basketball program gets a punch in the jimmy from the NCAA - cutting down the teams schedule to only home games as punishment for the whole Carlton Dotson fiasco.  See, if Dotson has just stabbed Dennehey...

BB: Brian Dennehy? Then there would’ve been no Bobby Knight movie!

PR: Well, it would have at least made the Bobby Knight movie watchable. Oh and the penalty is that Baylor only can play conference games. I don’t know why Ed said home games. Unless he was implying that the entire team was on some sort of work release program.

ED: St. Peters basketball player George Jefferson dead at 20.  Ugh.

PR: Yet Leonard Little is alive and not in jail.

BB: So he is in comically better shape than me and – right. Oh mortality.

OTHER
ED:  Tony Stewart wins the Dodge/Save Mart 350.  I am lazy.  It was either make note of this or the LPGA US Open.  Congrats, NASCAR!  You beat out a whole lot of lesbians.

BB: That is actually what most of my girlfriends say to me when our relationship starts.

PR: Before or after they don’t sleep with you?

ED:  Wimbledon is underway.  Far too many lonely men now planning on spending the next two weeks sitting around pantsless watching Russian teenagers.

BB: Should Rippa insert the Danica’s nipples joke in here?

ED:  Formula One head calls racer Danica Patrick congratulating her on her Indy 500 achievements and then tells her that, "Women should be all dressed in white like all other domestic appliances.'' He later calls to apologize for that. Well, at least he didn't reference her nipples, I guess.  Yeah, "nipples" really needs to replace "punch in the jimmy" as our new catch phrase.

BB: Oh, there.

ED:  HOCKEY NEWS!!!  The Chicago Blackhawks hire Dave Tallon as their new GM - and he promptly turns around and fires head coach Brian Sutter.  The Anaheim Ducks hire Brian Burke as their new GM.  Well, there's always a place for "punch in the jimmy" after all.

ED:  Oh, the funny news for me is that Chris Spielman resigns from being head coach of the Columbus Destroyers.  What's funny about that, you ask?  Is it because he's able to resign instead of getting canned for the horrific job he did running the franchise into the ground?  Oh no.  The funny part is how I was able to hear Columbus news morons call him a former NFL great all weekend.  Oh, that's rich.  Former NFL great.  Hehehehe.

PR: Maybe they thought it was Alonzo Spellman.