On break

Hey to all those loyal followers out there (because I know that here at The Rant, we have soooooo many followers).

Posting on The Rant will be on pause for the next month or so. I am working on a significant article/project at the Atlantic City Weekly Newspaper, my employer for the summer.

Once I am finished, I'll be back on The Rant writing.

Until then, thank you for all of the support up to this point and I look forward to bringing you more articles in about a month- and more radio shows in about two months!

"Moneyball" set to be released Sept. 23, 2011

Moneyball will hit theaters on 9/23/11.

One of the all-time great non-fiction sports books (well, at least one of the all-time greats in my opinions), Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis, is set to hit theaters as a movie on September 23, 2011.

The movie, which is directed by Bennett Miller and is based off of the 2003 New York Times  bestseller, will be starring a couple of big name actors: Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

The book/movie chronicles the operations of the Oakland Athletics front office under general manager Billy Beane, who is played by Pitt.

Under Beane and Beane's right hand man, Harvard graduate Peter Brand (who is played by Hill, and is an alias for the actual right hand man of Beane, Paul DePodesta), the Oakland A's personnel decisions are managed by what is known as Sabermetrics.

Sabermetrics is the practice of evaluating the game of baseball and the ability of baseball players by using mathematic calculations and analysis.

As I said before, the book is phenomenal. It is absolutely a must read for any sports fan that enjoys baseball.

But, I am not so sure how the movie will turn out.

The book is not really based on a plot and there is not one set story line to which the book adheres. Moneyball, the book, ultimately shows how the A's turned into a successful baseball team over time, thanks to Beane and DePodesta stressing the use of mathematical formulas to determine the value of players.

My guess: Moneyball the movie won't garner nearly as much excitement and prestige as did the widely popular movie The Blind Side, which was also based on Michael Lewis' book by the same name.

One part of the movie that I am definitely looking forward to, however, is seeing how well Pitt portrays Beane.

Pitt of course is not normally casted in sports movies, so I am also intrigued to see how well he fills the role of a sports figure.

Brad Pitt will play the role of Oakland A's 
GM Billy Beane. It should be interesting to see
 how well he fills the role of the "fire ball".

But even more than that, throughout the book Moneyball, Beane is presented as a complete fire ball who does not take failure well. It will be interesting to see how well Pitt fills the role of a hot-headed baseball general manger.

Just to give you an idea of how angry Beane becomes sometimes, consider this excerpt from page 9 of the book. In the excerpt, Lewis is presenting a story from Beane's early playing days (Beane was the 23rd overall pick in the 1980 MLB draft, but never developed into the star he was supposed to become).

"One time after [Beane] struck out, he whacked his aluminum bat against a wall with such violence that he bent it at a right angle. The next time he came to the plate he was still so furious with himself that he insisted on hitting with the crooked bat" (Lewis 9).

Here is the IMDb page of the movie for those of you who want to learn more about the cast.

I will definitely post a review when I have a chance to see the movie in September.

Finally, something good comes out of the NFL lockout

With discussions heating up about a potential end to the NFL lockout (which went into effect on March 12) between the NFL Players Union and NFL Team Owners, there has been some optimism that the lockout will end sooner than later.

Pope was much more than just a football player this past weekend.

But regardless of whether or not the lockout culminates in the near future, ultimately nothing good has arisen from the now 91-day-hiatus. 

The lockout has caused some serious skepticism about whether or not there will be an NFL season this year.

The lockout has caused many people, myself included, to become disgusted with the selfishness of those preventing the NFL lockout from ending.

And, the lockout is also partially to blame for the arrests and legal troubles of a countless number of NFL players, an issue Bri and I discussed frequently on "The Rant" a month or so ago at the University of Rochester. Just to give you some perspective about what I mean, take this into consideration: through the first 42 days of the lockout, 13 different players had been arrested.

Do the math: 42 days divided by 13 different players = For the first 42 days of the lockout, there was 1 player arrested every 3.23 days.

If there wasn't a lockout in effect, players would have been training at NFL facilities (the NFL lockout bars players from using team practice arenas), which in turn may have prevented some of the players from being incarcerated since they wouldn't have been wherever they were when they were arrested.

But as of today, I can finally say that this lockout is the reason for something good happening.

Thanks to the NFL lockout, a six-year-old is living today.

Earlier this afternoon, ESPN.com reported that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Leonard Pope saved the life of a six-year-old boy who was drowning in a swimming pool this past weekend.

Apparently, Pope was inside one of his close friend's house in Americus, Georgia when he heard commotion outside by the pool.

"I was coming out of the house, I heard [six-year-old Bryson Moore's mother Anne] cry. She was like 'get, get him, he's drowning!' I couldn't see Bryson. All I could see was [Bryson's] fingertips at the top of the water and I couldn't see his head," Pope said in the ESPN.com article that reported this story.

Pope reacted upon seeing Bryson completely under the water. Fully clothed and with his cell phone, wallet, and all of his other belongings in his pockets, Pope jumped into the water and managed to save Bryson.

If the NFL lockout had been over at the time of this near drowning incident, Pope wouldn't have been present to save Bryson-- he would have almost definitely been at training camp in Kansas City.

"The fact that he is normally at camp and could have been in Kansas City just proved to me that he was placed here to save my son from drowning, and I thank God that he was here," Anne Moore told the Americus Times Recorder. 

Finally, something good, make that very, very, very, good, came out of this NFL lockout.

And after learning about this story, I'm not so angry about the lockout anymore.

In fact, I am thankful for it.

The NBA Finals are over...Thank DeShawn Stevenson

I've been skeptical to predict who is going to win the NBA Finals up to this point in the series.

While many have been picking the Heat to win the championship, claiming that they are just too talented for the Mavs to keep up with, I've been a bit hesitant to agree.

While the Heat definitely have 3 of the 4 best players on the court each night (LeBron, Wade, Bosh vs. Nowitzki), the Mavs surpass the Heat in one aspect: team depth.

Simply put, I've felt all along that the Mav's depth could allow them to keep up with the Heat, even though the Mavs don't have the overall star power that the Heat possess.

But, just a few hours ago, I changed my mind. I am now convinced that the Heat will win this series.

And my reason has nothing to do with basketball.

It has everything to do with the idiotic comments Mavericks swingman DeShawn Stevenson made earlier today.

I am not sure if a player's bozo comments have ever been the reason for a team winning the NBA Finals, but if not, I am confident it is about to happen for the first time this year.

The day following the Mavericks 86-83 game four win in Dallas, Stevenson felt the need to say that LeBron "checked out" in game four.

For the record, LeBron did have an awful night, especially for LeBron standards. He scored 8 points, a career playoff-low, on 3-11 shooting in 46 minutes.

Stevenson went on to explain his meaning of "checked out", by saying that "Our defense was good, but at the same time [LeBron] wasn't in attack mode. We all know that LeBron can get to the basket and when he has his shot going, it's pretty tough to keep him from the free throw line...He's trying to find other guys and Dwyane Wade has it going, so I think he's deferring. At the same time, it's good for us. It's a positive for us."

First off, let me clarify what DeShawn is trying to say: LeBron has been playing passively.

Stevenson is right. LeBron has been a bit passive in his play, especially in last night's game. And as Stevenson hinted, a passive LeBron is clearly a good thing for the Mavericks because LeBron's game thrives on being aggressive. His aggressive basketball play is what makes him great, and without that, LeBron is simply not LeBron.

Not to mention, the Mavs had the Heat just where they wanted them after last night's game, with LeBron and the Heat feeling unsure of themselves.

I might end up eating my words, but here
goes nothing: Heat will win the
NBA Finals and LeBron will score
25+ in both game 5 and 6

After the Heat's 88-86 game three win on June 6, the Heat had to be on cloud nine. All the experts were saying the series was over, and the Heat probably felt the same.

But after losing game four, the Heat were brought back to reality. The Mavs proved to the world that the series is far from over, and that they are more than capable of winning it all.

So now I ask DeShawn Stevenson, how dumb can you be? Why make the comments you made?

Because of Stevenson's unnecessary comments, LeBron's passiveness is no longer a positive for the Mavs. I am confident LeBron will not play as passively as he did in game four for the rest of the NBA Finals.

Stevenson just lighted a fire that was not--but was in dire need of being--lit. This is what LeBron needed to turn around his performance, something to motivate him and get him angry.

LeBron just got that something, courtesy of DeShawn Stevenson.

I'm banking on LeBron having a huge game five tomorrow night and game six on June 12, thanks in large part to Stevenson's comments.

Now, I'm not big on predictions, but I'll give it a shot here anyway. Why not? Let's have some fun and make the rest of the series a bit more interesting (for myself anyway).

It's a best of 3 game series now that the series is deadlocked at 2-2. Whichever team wins two games first will be named the 2011 NBA Champion.

My prediction: Heat will win the next two games, with Lebron scoring 25+ in both game 5 and 6.

And if my prediction comes to fruition, one thing is for certain.

DeShawn Stevenson should receive the NBA Finals MVP.

Giants GM Brian Sabean speaks out on Posey-Cousins collision

Giants GM spoke out on the Posey-Cousins collision.

The collision that ended San Francisco Giant's catcher Buster Posey's season took place over a week ago (Wednesday, May 25), but emotions are still running high from people in the Giants organization.

Giants General Manager Brian Sabean openly shared his feelings yesterday during a radio interview on KNBR of San Francisco, and absolutely ripped Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins for his season-ending hit that left Posey with a broken leg and several torn ligaments in his ankle, saying the collision was "malicious".

One of the most interesting aspects of this whole story is that Posey is just as upset as Sabean--apparently, Posey has refused to return an apologetic phone call from Cousins.

Cousins has issued several apologizes and has faced serious criticism following the collision. According to ESPN.com, he has received several death threats and MLB's security department has been monitoring the situation.

I am looking forward to the next time the two teams match up because I have to think the Giants are surely going to enact some revenge against the Marlins and Cousins. Perhaps there will be a bench-clearing brawl- who doesn't love watching one of those in a baseball game?

The two teams play one another in a three-game series from August 12-14 in Florida.

Here is the story that was published by ESPN.com with all of Sabean's comments. But take a look below to see what Sabean had to say about the whole situation.

---"Why not be hard-nosed? If I never hear from Cousins again or he never plays another game in the big leagues, I think we'll be happy."

---"[Cousins] chose to be a hero, in my mind, and if that's his flash of fame, that's as good as it's going to get, pal. We'll have a long memory. Believe me, we've talked to [former catcher Mike] Matheny about how this game works. You can't be that out-and-out overly aggressive. I'll put it as politically as I can state it: There's no love lost and there shouldn't be."

Posey's season ending injury could have, and should have, been avoided

Cousins collides with Posey at home plate. Clean hit? You be the judge.

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is busted for the year.

No more enjoying one of the most exciting catchers in the game.

And it all could have, and should have, been avoided.

For those of you who have been preoccupied with Memorial Day Weekend fun and have been oblivious to the hoopla that has surrounded this Posey crisis, the situation took place on May 25, 2011 when, in the 12^th inning of a 6-6 ball-game, Florida Marlins centerfielder Scott Cousins tried to score a run from third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of left fielder Emilio Bonifacio. 

It was a bang bang play, and Cousins maliciously collided with the Giants' pitch-caller, leaving Posey rolling on the ground in agonizing pain.

The Marlins ended up winning the game 7-6, as Cousins was safe. But the same could not be said about Posey, who fractured a bone in his lower left leg, effectively ending his season.

To make matters worse, Posey, who was batting .284 with 4 home runs and 21 RBIs and was in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak prior to the collision, also suffered torn ligaments on both sides of his ankles. 

I’ve watched the video (click "video" to watch the collision) over and over again and I still can’t fully grasp what in the world was going through Cousins’ head before his Lawrence Taylor-esque tackle on Posey. 

Is anyone else drawing comparisons between  Cousin's hit on Posey and LT's infamous hit on Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman that fractured Theisman's leg and ended his career?

Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic here given the hits took place in two different sports, but Cousins did a pretty good impersonation of LT in my opinion.

The worst part about Posey's season ending injury is that the entire disaster could have easily been avoided. 

While it's important to note that his take out was completely legal, Cousins decision to obliterate Posey was one of the most classless acts I've ever seen take place in sports.

First off, I have no clue as to why in the world Cousins was even tagging up on Bonifacio's fly ball. The ball hit by Banafacio probably will go down as one of the shortest sacrifice flies in MLB history. Thirty feet towards home plate, and that ball is an infield fly.

Simply put, Cousins had about as much business tagging up in that situation as Chick-fil-A has on Sundays.

And just for the record, Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays.

But the bigger issue here is how one man, Scott Cousins, did not have a brain — or heart— during the four-second-time span it took him to run 85 feet and tumble 5 feet from third base to home.

Former MLB catcher Mike Matheny put it best when he recently said, "You know what, it wasn't a dirty play, he didn't come high spikes, he didn't come high elbow. But it wasn't a necessary play. He was hunting. Buster gave him an option and he didn't take it."

It's one thing if a base runner collides with a catcher when he is blocking the plate or if he is sitting in front of home plate, well-prepared and ready to absorb a body to body explosion.

But Posey was not blocking the plate at all, nor was he in any way expecting a collision to occur. 

Posey left half of the plate open for Cousins to slide into, but instead, Cousins chose to deck Posey unnecessarily.

Posey also was just turning his head around to apply a tag on Cousins when he was given a "blindside" hit surprise by Cousins (a la Lawrence Taylor once again). Posey was completely defenseless in that situation.

There was nothing Posey could have done to prevent the collision, or at least protect himself from being seriously injured.

There was everything Cousins could have done, like slide or not even tag up to run home in the first place.

_______________________________________________________

Now, I know much of the media is suggesting possible rule changes to prevent base runners from taking out catchers, and I think there is one is one logical way this issue can be fixed: The MLB should prohibit players from colliding with catchers if they are in a defenseless position, or in other words, are not prepared to take a hit from an incoming freight train. 

If a player does collide with a catcher in this manner, he should be immediately called out and, depending on the severity of the hit, be ejected from the game.

There is no reason why players should be getting hurt from preventable hits such as Cousins'. MLB players have to worry enough about getting hurt in a plethora of other ways such as overusing their arms or getting hit by 90+ mile per hour fastballs.

In baseball and every other sport, there are so many unpreventable injuries players can get that are just part of playing the game. Why not minimize one way a player can get injured in baseball, especially if it's a scenario that can easily be prevented?

The bottom line is that while he did nothing wrong according to the rules of baseball, Cousins should not have even had the opportunity to end the season of one of baseball's best players.

But until the MLB does something about the current state of base runners trying to take out defenseless catchers, Buster Posey may very well not be the only catcher who is busted by a heartless collision this season.