St. Louis Has the Archway, We Got the Links

The home run derby was boring as shit last night. Yet there I was, watching every damn second of it. Why? I have a problem. A very large problem. Sure, it's cool when one guy goes off like Josh Hamilton did last year and Bobby Abreu did a few years ago, but overall, it's a pretty dull spectacle that does not translate well to television. Too many pitches taken, too many commercials, too damn long.

But chicks dig the long ball.



Frankly, I'm more excited for the game itself. All anyone wanted to see last night was a Pujols-Howard final, the native son and the hometown hero. Instead we got Nelson Cruz vs. Prince Fielder, with the fat man running lean. Congrats, Prince. Your name is dumb.

Oh, and we were subjected to the moronic ramblings of Chris Berman. I used to like Berman. He was a fixture on ESPN as I grew up, and honestly, I thought it was cool how much he seemed to enjoy his job. But the older I get, the more I realize just how unprofessional this jackass is. Last night, he had the nerve to say baseball should have found a way to add Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson to the All-Star teams because it could very well be the last season for both. What? Are you fucking serious?

Listen, I love Griffey as much as the next guy, and he and Johnson are surefire Hall of Famers. But to suggest that Major League Baseball should just add them to an already bloated All-Star game as some sort of lifetime achievement award is ludicrous. If the fans voted them in, cool, because this game is, after all, for the fans. But to just add them? When they don't deserve it? Just because they were great players? You have lost your God damn mind Berman.



First of all, players get bonuses for making the All-Star game. As stupid as that sounds, I think the players should earn them. If you are having an All-Star caliber year, you get that reward. Secondly, Griffey and Johnson have made a ton of All-Star games in their careers. They earned them. They experienced them firsthand for years. Now it's time for others to share that experience, others who have earned it. Adding Griffey and Johnson would take away from another guy who could be going for the first time, and may never have that chance again.

Lastly, Ken Griffey Jr. is batting .222 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs. .222. Guys like Ian Kinsler and Mark Reynolds and Pablo Sandoval got left off while having fantastic years, yet Berman is championing for a guy batting .222. Fuck you, Chris Berman. Fuck you in your biased, unjournalistic ass. On top of that, Randy Johnson is 8-6 with a 4.81 ERA and .256 opponents' batting average. Sure, his numbers would look great on the Phillies' staff, but the guy has a 4.81 ERA. That's not an All-Star. At all. Seriously Berman, just retire already, you fucking hack.

Onto the links …

-Five reasons to sign Pedro Martinez.



-Watch Ryan Howard's 15 home runs from last night, if you want.



-It is the one-year anniversary of Boo? Fuck you.



In hindsight, we should have seen this coming.

-Omar Vizquel has pet kangaroos.

-Some Summer Leaguers of note:



Ahmad Nivins looks like a pro player -- long, muscular, athletic, and coordinated. The but that usually follows this profile is ... lacks fundamentals, or doesn't have a post game. With Nivins, though, that doesn't appear to be the case. He displays good footwork, moves around the floor with purpose, and is a beast on the boards. When you ask folks here why he dropped to No. 56 in the draft, you get a lot of shrugs, followed by a soft endorsement of his skills. He's had a nice week thus far -- 14 points and 6 rebounds per game on 51.6 percent shooting from the field. The only apparent drawback is that he looks waaaay too wound up on the court, and that intensity occasionally works against him.



Dante Cunningham put on a show for the Trail Blazers faithful (who, needless to say, travel well), from Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "While general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan scrutinized Bayless from the stands, Cunningham stole a lot of their attention. The second-round pick from Villanova started at power forward and showcased a nice midrange jump shot, a nose for the basketball and sturdy defensive prowess. He finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, making 8 of 17 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws. After the game, he was chosen to man an autograph zone in the lobby of the arena, where he scribbled his name on jerseys, shirts and hats and posed for pictures with fans -- many of whom sported Blazers jerseys. 'If he can knock that (midrange shot) down consistently, he's going to be a player,' McMillan said. 'And I think that's going to come. His rotation and everything is good. He just needs to keep shooting when he's open.'"



I didn't get a chance to see the Kings-Bucks game, but Tyreke Evans put up eye-popping numbers that had the campus abuzz: 33 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists. What's more? 19 free throw attempts, 17 of them successful. Evans is the most physical guard in Las Vegas this week (with Eric Gordon coming in second).

-More summer league, Brandon Jennings:



-Football players at Miami are clever, via EDSBS.

-Allen Iverson is still a lot better than people think.



-Critics say the Big 10 is too slow. Well, Penn State just got faster:



-Jayson Werth thinks Charlie Manuel is a handsome man:

Untitled from Big League Stew on Vimeo.

Hard to argue with the guy, isn't it?