Matt Holliday cracks some jokes after his moth meeting

Given that Matt Holliday wasn't immediately available for comment following his uncomfortable run-in with a moth on Monday night, it seems only right to revisit the story and see what the St. Louis Cardinals slugger had to say about the incident on Tuesday.

Here's some of his comments from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. To Holliday's credit, he kept a remarkable sense of humor about the whole episode.

On what happened: "I was just standing there and all of a sudden there's a moth fluttering in my ear like crazy. I started shaking my head, like you do when you have water in your ear but I said, 'That's not working.' I don't think my glove was on for one pitch because I was trying to get it out ...�But it was like, 'I can't handle this.' That's when I called time out."

On if he felt pain: "It wasn't killing me, but if you can imagine something that far in your ear fluttering the whole time, it's not comfortable."

On if he was worried the mouth would do some real damage : "That was my concern ? that it would eat through my brain. But Dr. (George) Paletta assured me that that was not possible."

On how the moth died: "There was so much wisdom that was passed on to him that he died of the overflow of wisdom from being inside my head."

On if he'll be OK going forward: "As long as there's no larvae remaining. As long as they didn't lay babies while it was in there, I'll be OK, I think."

On why he saved the moth's corpse and put it in his locker: "I figure we're friends. We've bonded."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Matt-Holliday-cracks-some-jokes-after-his-moth-m?urn=mlb-wp17003

Logan Morrison Daniel Murphy Donnie Murphy Xavier Nady

Smith homers, Rockies snap 17-game losing streak on Sundays

The Colorado Rockies insufferable Sunday sabbatical is over. For the first time since April 17 ? a record streak of 17 Sundays ? Rockies fans can celebrate victory on the day that comes between Saturday and Monday.

Securing that elusive victory wasn't easy for the Rockies. In fact, it was looking like another typical Sunday when they batted in the bottom of the seventh inning trailing by a run. As has been the case often, the offense went stagnant against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley, going without a hit after Carlos Gonzalez's first-inning two-run homer.

But thanks to another surprisingly effective outing from recently signed Kevin Millwood, the Rockies were only one big swing away from grabbing the lead. The swing came from Seth Smith, who after Jason Giambi led the seventh off with with a walk, launched a titanic 458-foot go-ahead homer into the second deck in right-center field.

Watch Seth Smith's moonshot

Troy Tulowitzki added a little insurance with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and fill-in closer Rafael Betancourt pitched a scoreless ninth to lock up a 5-3 victory, officially ending the longest Sunday losing streak of baseball's modern era.

Thank goodness, Tulo said.

"The worst part was talking about it all the time," said Tulowitzki. "Then you start to think about it. Obviously, we're out there playing and it's in the back of our heads. But it's over with now, and the biggest thing we can look forward to is, we won another series and we'll keep on trying to win more. That's all we can do right now."

Keep winning series, and hope the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants keep getting swept. Since, you know, the Rockies are still eight games under .500 and 9 1/2 games back in the uninspiring NL West. But hey, they've had a couple of decent Septembers in recent seasons, so maybe the stage will be set for something similar this season.

The mountain wouldn't be so high to climb, Jason Giambi said, if only the team hadn't been so bad on that one day of the week.

"If we had just played .500 ball on Sundays, we would be right there in contention," Giambi said.

He'll to have to get over it, but he does make a good point. If the Rockies ? who won their first two Sunday games of the season ? had played .500 ball on Sunday rather than .150, they could be 67-61 right now, and only 2 1/2 games back.

I said "could," because it's impossible to predict how differently things would have played out if even one of those Sunday decisions were altered. But the mere thought of where they could stand, compared to where they are, has to be difficult for them to digest.

Follow Mark on Twitter ? @Townie813 ? and engage the Stew on Facebook

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Smith-homers-Rockies-snap-17-game-losing-streak?urn=mlb-wp16697

Brian Bocock Reid Brignac Emmanuel Burriss Asdrubal Cabrera

Video: New York earthquake shakes up MLB.com fantasy guys

In a video clip that goes from nerdy, to eerie, to hilarious, watch as the hosts of MLB.com's "Fantasy 411" experience the earthquake that recently stunned the East Coast.

At first, watching three guys freak out on TV because their building in New York City was shaking made me uncomfortable, especially with the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 coming up. But once you realize that everyone would be OK ? and that soon they'd return to analyzing the meaning of Jason Kubel's home-road OPS split ? the creepiness melts away.

In fact, watching Mike Siano, Jeremy Brisiel (the super-freaked-out host in the middle) and Cory Schwartz try to make sense of what's going on is quite amusing.

(Warning: Includes two expletives that start with "holy"):

That's almost like something out of Ron Burgundy's b-roll. Now, the question is, what are the best lines uttered in the moments of near-panic?

There are many candidates, such as: "Is there a building shaking?" by Brisiel. Or, "Should we ... go somewhere?" also by Brisiel.

Schwartz tries to mount a comeback with: "Dude, that's an earthquake. ... I've been in two ? that's an earthquake. ... This is what an earthquake is, guys."

Meanwhile, Siano keeps mostly silent, finally asking Brisiel "Are we good?"

As if he knows!

But this exchange wins:

Schwartz: "Did you know that most of Manhattan is built on landfill, not on granite?"

Brisiel: "Yes, I do know that."

Schwartz: "And if there were, like, an 8.0 earthquake, that parts of Manhattan would just disintegrate?"

Brisiel: "I did. I'd like to not ... worry about that right now."

Gallows humor is the best. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. Physically, anyway.

Big BLS h/t: Brobible

Follow Dave on Twitter ?�@AnswerDave ? and engage�the Stew on Facebook

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Video-New-York-earthquake-shakes-up-MLB-com-fan?urn=mlb-wp17190

Jeff Keppinger Felipe López Jed Lowrie Julio Lugo

Wright field: Astros? reliever pitches, plays outfield, pitches again

I couldn't tell if I was watching another Little League World Series game or a Major League Baseball game Tuesday night.

To be honest, I was wondering that well before Houston Astros skipper Brad Mills utilized a strategy that wouldn't seem out of place in Williamsport, but is very rarely used in the big leagues. His decision to go that route was simply the capper to a game filled with too many mental and physical errors to list and explain without taking up your whole afternoon.

The first step of Mills' strategy, which played out in the eighth inning of Houston's eventual 8-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies, was to bring in left-handed reliever Wesley Wright to start the frame against Carlos Gonzalez. Wright made that work, retiring his man on a foul out.

With right-handed slugger Troy Tulowitzki due next, Mills elected to bring in David Carpenter to pitch and sent his lefty reliever to right field, replacing Brian Bogusevic. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with that move to right field, Wright became the first Houston Astros pitcher to play another position in the same game he pitched.

But he wasn't staying there long. After Carpenter got Tulowitzki to ground out weakly to shortshop, Mills had another move to make. Left-handers Todd Helton and Seth Smith ?�who cracked a 478-foot home run earlier in the game ?�were the next scheduled hitters, so Mills walked to the mound again and made the call to right field. Wright trotted back to the hill, with J.B. Shuck taking his spot in the outfield.

The whole scheme worked out perfectly. Wright would strike out Helton on a 3-2 pitch, and the unusual 1-2-3 inning was complete.

If you were scoring this game at home, you're probably in need of some assistance I'm not certified to provide for you. I'm sorry. But I can give you Mills' explanation for messing with your scorecard.

From MLB.com:

"We just wanted to use one lefthander in that situation," Mills said. "He's played the outfield, probably, somewhere down the road. He said he had. Those guys shag the ball every day in batting practice."

Wright confirmed that he played a little outfield back in high school, but that was eight years ago, and that experience was nothing like playing right field at Coors Field.

"I was really trying to have fun and focus on the pitch and make sure I got a good jump if the ball actually did come to me, because the last thing you want to do is miss it. So I was just trying to stay focused and make sure if it came to me, I caught it."

While new to the Astros, this isn't the first time this particular strategy has been used in Major League Baseball. The most recent case�was in 2009 when Lou Piniella, then manager of the Chicago Cubs, moved his left-handed reliever Sean Marshall to left field for one batter. The strategy worked then, too.

But despite the recent successes, it's not difficult to understand why managers don't employ the strategy more often. Who wants to be the one that gambles and has it backfire? Not many are willing to take that risk or face that potential backlash. Mills might feel the same way under normal circumstances, but with Houston having been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race on Monday, he didn't have a whole lot to lose rolling the dice this time.

Follow Mark on Twitter ? @Townie813 ? and engage the Stew on Facebook

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Wright-field-Astros-reliever-pitches-plays-ou?urn=mlb-wp16906

David Ortiz Lyle Overbay Steve Pearce Carlos Peña

The Juice: Already? Astros officially eliminated from postseason

Nine innings and nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.

1. Be gone with you! We're not even within a week of the calendar flipping to September, but the Houston Astros have already tumbled into an early grave. A 9-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies, combined with Milwaukee's doubleheader split in Pittsburgh earned Brad Mills' bunch a mathematical elimination from the 2011 playoff chase.

And all while we can still wear white to summer picnics! For shame.

The Astros are currently 42-86 and on pace for 109 losses. That'd be the most in baseball since the 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks lost 111 games. In case you're wondering who's next to get the assured go-ahead for booking tee times, the Baltimore Orioles' elimination number is nine, while the Florida Marlins' measures at 11.

2. Slumping snakes: �Speaking of the D'Backs, this isn't how you unseat a defending champion. Despite San Francisco's recent woes, Arizona is managing to do them one worse. A 4-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Monday night brought the team's loss streak to six, though they still own a one-game lead in the NL West over the Giants. They've scored only seven runs in their last six games.

3. V is for Victory: ... and also Justin Verlander, who became the first 19-game winner in the majors by going seven solid innings in Detroit's 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. He's won his last seven starts and now has a chance to notch his first 20-win season before Sept. 1.

"Do I know where I'm at?" Verlander said. "Of course I do, but I've said time and time again, those things, totals, season stats, are meant to be looked at at the end of the season."

OK, that's fine. But can we take off the blinders and note that ...

4. Growing throne: �... the Tigers' lead in the AL Central now measures at a season-high 5.5 games? An off day from the Chicago White Sox and a 3-2 loss by the Cleveland Indians to the Seattle Mariners gives them that edge with just 35 games to play.

5. That's amore!: A three-run homer by Mike Napoli in the sixth inning keyed the Texas Rangers to a 4-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. �As has been mentioned a few times this season, think the Angels lineup misses Napoli this year? His Fangraphs' WAR stands at a career-high 3.6 so far and the Halos, who were off on Monday, sit 4.5 games behind the Rangers.

6. Sittin' Starlin: See if this makes sense: Mike Quade gave Starlin Castro a "mental day off" on Monday for the mental day off he took on Sunday. Coming up with a PC term for getting your butt benched is taking this all a little too far, no? At any rate, the rest of the Chicago Cubs' offense just took a plain, old day off, stranding 15 runners in a 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Fredi Gonzalez's crew has won five straight.

7. Bruised birds: There's going to be a lot of second-guessing of Tony La Russa in St. Louis this Tuesday morning. The Cards' skipper yanked a dominant Chris Carpenter after he hit the Dodgers' Juan Rivera to start the top of the ninth and then Aaron Miles tied the game with a triple off Fernando Salas. He later scored the winning run in a�2-1 comeback triumph for Los Angeles.

8. Smooth sailing?: Though the Brewers won their 13th straight game over the Pirates in the day's first game at PNC Park, they couldn't extend the streak to 14 and dropped the nightcap by a score of 9-2. No matter. That Cardinals collapse�put St. Louis nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, which gives them the biggest lead in any division.

9. An A for August: Not a bad month for Cliff Lee. He's 4-0 with a 0.58 ERA this month after pitching seven scoreless innings in Philly's 10-0 win over the New York Mets.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-Juice-Already-Astros-officially-eliminated?urn=mlb-wp16815

Jack Wilson Josh Wilson Brandon Wood Chris Woodward

Betting is a way of life for Dan Gilbert, owner of Moyenne Corniche | Will Hayler

Professional punter is planning a tilt at the Melbourne Cup with horse who won him �130,000 at York on Saturday

When he reached the point of having 10 horses in training, Dan Gilbert decided enough was enough and resolved to cut back on a hobby that represented "financial suicide" compared to the income from his successful punting. Now he has 19 and is not quite sure how it happened.

Judging by the way he is already looking forward to the next auction, the bank account might be about to take another hit. Fortunately, his share of the �130,000 prize for winning the Ebor last Saturday will cushion the blow.

Bought by Gilbert for �31,500 at a sale last October, Moyenne Corniche beat 19 rivals to take one of Europe's most valuable handicap prizes and may now be aimed at the Melbourne Cup.

Even after the Ebor, Moyenne Corniche may not be sufficiently highly rated to make the cut for that race. But Gilbert and his trainer, Brian Ellison, have identified another handicap at Flemington, the Lexus Stakes, in which victory would guarantee a place in the final Cup field. It is just four days before the big race itself.

"Is he the sort of horse that could take two races in four days?" Gilbert muses. "I don't know, but it'll cost us about �40,000 to get him out there, where we could be racing for A$3m [�1.9m] in prize money, so those are the odds we've got to think about."

Getting the maths right has never been a problem for Gilbert, though it took him time to become a successful punter. "I tried everything on Betfair at first," says the 32-year-old. "I tried systems, momentum trading, tipping lines, I was just desperate to make it pay.

"Then I started off punting in-running, laying horses that I thought would find nothing, trying to use my knowledge of the jumps horses, and I was winning a few quid.

"Nowadays I rarely play in-running. I very nearly went skint one or two times and I just didn't have the discipline and the patient mindset. I used to go to the exchange shop at Cardiff and another in Bristol and, if you were having a bad day and you had your headphones on, you'd just end up simmering and chasing losses. I'd rather try and get my money in before the race now and if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

"It started when I went to university and took a job in a bookmaker's, which, in those days, was my dream job, as it meant I got to sit and watch racing all day. After I dropped out, I became a relief manager and I worked in all the quietest shops where nobody else wanted to work so that I could study the form in the morning.

"One year, in February, I was getting a bit more successful and I realised that I wanted to be at Cheltenham rather than working, so I quit, and that helped. I always thought if you really can crack this game, you only need to be making a few percent to be winning a fair amount of money. If I can keep it going like this for the next 10 years, I'll be happy."

Gilbert had a "reasonable" bet on Moyenne Corniche, although it was only half of what he asked William Hill to lay him, and much less than he had backed the horse to win when mid-division in the John Smith's Cup on his previous start.

"We learned something about how to ride him that day but a lot of the last few years have been a learning curve," he admits.

His co-owners in Moyenne Corniche are Mark Lawrence and Andrew Bruce, who work as odds compilers in Hong Kong. He met them while watching the Australian Open in Melbourne.

"When I buy these horses, anyone who wants a share in them can have one really, it's nice to get people involved. It makes it a bit cheaper, too.

"I like to give Brian good horses. When the sales come along, I just get too tempted not to buy them. I like Brian to see the horse and often he can spot one with a problem straight away and, if we can get that problem sorted out, then we're in business.

"The first horse I bought a share in was Film Festival, with Kristian Strangeway [Ellison's stepson] after we had got talking on the Betfair forum.

"When that went well, I got such a buzz off it that I thought I'd like one for myself and decided to claim one. I didn't have a clue how to go about it, so I rang Brian and that's how it began.

"He did so well with that horse, Elite Land, in the first year, that when I wanted another one the following year, I wouldn't have dreamed of going anywhere else."

• Horse racing

Will Hayler

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/aug/24/dan-gilbert-professional-punter

Brandon Snyder Eric Sogard Matt Stairs Ian Stewart

Earmoths! Matt Holliday leaves game after bug invades ear

Of all the various afflictions that have sidelined big league ballplayers this season, there isn't one that will leave you more squeamish than what happened to Matt Holliday on Monday night.

Watch Holliday's exit

The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder was just minding his own business in Busch Stadium's left field when a moth flew into his right ear and refused to come back out. �The inner-ear invasion left Holliday in pain and he immediately left the field under the care of a trainer.

Say, where's Fredbird when you really need him?

From the AP:

Holliday was taken into a dark room and a light was put to his ear, trying to lure the moth out, Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said. When that didn't work, an instrument was used to pry the live moth out of Holliday's ear.

Holliday was not available for comment but appeared to be OK, Bartow said.

"He had a moth fly into his ear, deep into his ear. I don't even know what happened to it," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

So what was more embarrassing for Holliday? That he had to leave the game on account of a moth? Or that the rest of us can make jokes about there being enough room between his ears for that little sucker to make himself at home for a spell?

No matter the answer, the fact that Holliday elected to save the moth for posterity is more than amusing. Anyone know if Cooperstown keeps an entomologist on staff?

UPDATE: We've just obtained a proposal of the Cardinals' plans to prevent anything like this from happening in the future. Not bad, though we wish old Busch Stadium was still around so it could be converted into a giant citronella candle.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Earmoths-Matt-Holliday-leaves-game-after-bug-in?urn=mlb-wp16823

Miguel Cairo Jorge Cantú Mike Carp Chris Carter

Wright field: Astros? reliever pitches, plays outfield, pitches again

I couldn't tell if I was watching another Little League World Series game or a Major League Baseball game Tuesday night.

To be honest, I was wondering that well before Houston Astros skipper Brad Mills utilized a strategy that wouldn't seem out of place in Williamsport, but is very rarely used in the big leagues. His decision to go that route was simply the capper to a game filled with too many mental and physical errors to list and explain without taking up your whole afternoon.

The first step of Mills' strategy, which played out in the eighth inning of Houston's eventual 8-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies, was to bring in left-handed reliever Wesley Wright to start the frame against Carlos Gonzalez. Wright made that work, retiring his man on a foul out.

With right-handed slugger Troy Tulowitzki due next, Mills elected to bring in David Carpenter to pitch and sent his lefty reliever to right field, replacing Brian Bogusevic. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with that move to right field, Wright became the first Houston Astros pitcher to play another position in the same game he pitched.

But he wasn't staying there long. After Carpenter got Tulowitzki to ground out weakly to shortshop, Mills had another move to make. Left-handers Todd Helton and Seth Smith ?�who cracked a 478-foot home run earlier in the game ?�were the next scheduled hitters, so Mills walked to the mound again and made the call to right field. Wright trotted back to the hill, with J.B. Shuck taking his spot in the outfield.

The whole scheme worked out perfectly. Wright would strike out Helton on a 3-2 pitch, and the unusual 1-2-3 inning was complete.

If you were scoring this game at home, you're probably in need of some assistance I'm not certified to provide for you. I'm sorry. But I can give you Mills' explanation for messing with your scorecard.

From MLB.com:

"We just wanted to use one lefthander in that situation," Mills said. "He's played the outfield, probably, somewhere down the road. He said he had. Those guys shag the ball every day in batting practice."

Wright confirmed that he played a little outfield back in high school, but that was eight years ago, and that experience was nothing like playing right field at Coors Field.

"I was really trying to have fun and focus on the pitch and make sure I got a good jump if the ball actually did come to me, because the last thing you want to do is miss it. So I was just trying to stay focused and make sure if it came to me, I caught it."

While new to the Astros, this isn't the first time this particular strategy has been used in Major League Baseball. The most recent case�was in 2009 when Lou Piniella, then manager of the Chicago Cubs, moved his left-handed reliever Sean Marshall to left field for one batter. The strategy worked then, too.

But despite the recent successes, it's not difficult to understand why managers don't employ the strategy more often. Who wants to be the one that gambles and has it backfire? Not many are willing to take that risk or face that potential backlash. Mills might feel the same way under normal circumstances, but with Houston having been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race on Monday, he didn't have a whole lot to lose rolling the dice this time.

Follow Mark on Twitter ? @Townie813 ? and engage the Stew on Facebook

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Wright-field-Astros-reliever-pitches-plays-ou?urn=mlb-wp16906

Travis Hafner Mark Hamilton Todd Helton Mike Hessman

Husker Don?t: Bubba chooses Royals over Nebraska football

Sometimes people can surprise you.

For instance, I logged onto my computer this morning fully expecting to find Nebraska football fans flaming Bubba Starling's late-night decision to sign with the Kansas City Royals instead of reporting to the Huskers football camp.

Sure, the 18-year-old made the choice most of us would, agreeing to a $7.5 million signing bonus that ranks as the richest in Royals history. The fact that he grew up in a suburb of Kansas City and will be playing for his hometown team as the Royals try to reverse their fortunes made it even easier.

But as you may know, people on the Internet have a tendency to get a lot angrier over much less. With Scott Boras serving as Starling's agent and the super athlete even reporting to the Huskers' autograph day earlier this month, there was a potential for some hard feelings to develop.

Boras' aim, of course, was to make the Royals believe the No. 5 pick in last June's draft was considering becoming the highest draft pick since J.D. Drew to say "thanks, but no thanks" to the team that selected him. The Huskers were a convenient vehicle to help drive some doubt into Dayton Moore's mind, so you'd understand if some Nebraskans felt like their state's flagship team was being used.

But credit should go to the Husker fans ? who are oft recognized as some of the classiest in sport ? for handling Starling's snub with reason. From the program to the papers to the message boards, everyone seems to understand that landing Starling was always a long shot, but a risk worth taking if baseball negotiations broke down.

Said Nebraska coach Bo Pelini:

"In the end, Bubba was in a win-win situation regardless of his choice, and we respect the decision he has made. I personally will root for Bubba in every game except when he plays against the Indians!"

Nebraska fans already have some experience with this type of disappointment. In 1999, Carl Crawford was recruited by the program to play quarterback, but opted to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays instead. There are also a lot of Royals fans in Nebraska and they'll likely get to watch Starling at Triple-A Omaha before he hopefully moves on to play with former Husker Alex Gordon down in Kansas City.

They did get to fantasize about Starling stepping under center for a long while, though, as the Royals' deal wasn't finalized until five minutes before Monday night's deadline. There was a lot of interest in the negotiations, too, as "Bubba Starling" was Google's top trending search term for awhile on Monday.

In the end, though, the deal got done as expected. In fact, the only first-round pick to snub his pro team was Tyler Beede, who will head to Vanderbilt instead of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Husker-Don-8217-t-Bubba-chooses-Royals-over-Ne?urn=mlb-wp16098

Steve Tolleson Troy Tulowitzki Justin Turner Juan Uribe

Jock Wallace's battle fever management would not survive the sneers | Rob Smyth

It is difficult to imagine a manager with such tough methods lasting the distance in the cynical modern game

It is an immutable law of pub talk that if you introduce the topic of Brian Clough, you will hear at least one of the following cliches within 60 seconds: He was the best manager England never had, he was the best manager of all time, and he could not have thrived in the modern game. . What you are less likely to hear is an exploration of the uncomfortable paradox, that Clough was exceptional then but would be unsuitable now, and to what extent that reflects poorly on modern football.

Fans regularly lament the extinction of the hard man, yet just as striking is the disappearance of the hard manager. If Clough's instinctive idiosyncrasy was his major strength, then his regular demonstrations of the toughest love were also integral to his unparalleled success. He would regularly get his players to run through nettles, and once slugged Roy Keane to the floor as punishment for playing a backpass.

Clough's mentor was Harry Storer, a man who proudly boasted: "I have a team of bastards, and I am the biggest bastard of them all." This was an era when masculinity was an extreme sport, when household items like tea cups, plates and hairdryers found an alternative use or an alternative meaning. It was not just a British trait. The legendary Internazionale coach Helenio Herrera once ordered two players to walk six miles back to the team base because they were 20 seconds late for the coach.

Nobody encapsulated that school of management better than the late Jock Wallace, one of Rangers' greatest managers. Wallace was a chillingly hard man with a granite face, an even stronger will, and a voice that rarely softened from its default growl. His army background shaped so much of his management. Wallace was stationed in Northern Ireland and the Malay peninsula in the 1950s, engaged in jungle warfare and surviving by eating what he called "monkey steaks".

Wallace's militarism was such that his dressing room might have been a scene from the film Full Metal Jacket. Gary Lineker recalls a reserve game at Leicester when, at half time, Wallace threw him against a wall. Leicester were 2-0 up. Lineker had scored them both.

His most famous act at Leicester was to introduce a gloriously sadistic form of pre-season training. During his time at Rangers, while having a picnic with his wife, Wallace stumbled across the sand dunes of Gullane, jauntily entitled "Murder Hill". He made his players run up and down the hill until they could run no more ? and then he made them do it again.

When he got to Leicester, Wallace scouted a similar incline. There is a wonderful clip of the Leicester players panting their way through a session with Wallace barking "Hands off that bloody sand!" every two seconds. Pre-season training should have been called Wallace and Vomit: players were frequently sick as their bodies surrendered.

Some will comfortably dismiss Wallace as an antiquated barbarian, yet it is difficult to reconcile that with the fact most of his players adored him. Ted McMinn, who Wallace took to Sevilla when he managed them in the 1980s, described him as "everything to me, a dad really". Wallace could inspire most players to run to the ends of the earth ? or, worse still, up Murder Hill. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Jock Wallace," said Manolo Jim�nez, who played under Wallace at Sevilla and later managed them. "He was a great, great manager who instilled in me my belief and fighting spirit."

He also instilled a winning mentality. At Rangers, Wallace ended Celtic's run of nine consecutive titles, and then won two trebles in three seasons. In a TV interview before the 1984 League Cup final against Celtic, Wallace announced: "I fancy us very strongly. We've got the battle fever on today." They won 3-2 and the phrase stuck, a mantra for Rangers fans.

Wallace's focus on fitness made him something of a visionary, even if his methodology was emphatically of its time. He was the Ars�ne Wenger of his day, only armed with sand rather than pasta.

John Greig, perhaps Rangers' greatest ever player, says Wallace's regime was the reason he was able to play until he was 35. Others felt the value of the training was as much psychological as physical. Wallace may have made some of his players vomit, but then there could be no battle fever without sickness.

He also knew that hardship begot hardness. Wallace was obsessed with character-building, having built a deceptively complex character of his own. In many respects, Wallace was a gentle beast. On the day Rangers won their first title for 11 years, he sent on a palpably unfit Greig for the last two minutes so that he could drink in the moment and collect the trophy. Wallace also forged a friendship with Johan Cruyff and nearly persuaded him to join Leicester in 1981.

"They don't come with giant character and personality like 'Big Man' Jock Wallace any more," wrote Sir Alex Ferguson ? and that was in 1994, before the game really started to change. Wallace would have no chance with the whirligig of snidery that is modern football, particularly with player power rampant. But he is a perfect reminder of an age when football well and truly had the battle fever on.

Rob Smyth

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/aug/23/jock-wallace-hard-football-manager

Justin Turner Dan Uggla Juan Uribe Chase Utley

Five reasons why the D?backs will beat out the Giants

The San Francisco Giants might find themselves trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks by 2 1/2 games in the NL West, but the truth is that they've come back from bigger deficits. At this time last year, they were six games behind the San Diego Padres, but rallied magnificently to win not only the division, but the team's first World Series title in over 50 years.

Unlike the Padres, however, the D'backs don't look like a team ready to relinquish their division lead. And despite a 7-5 win over Atlanta that stopped the bleeding on Wednesday, the Giants don't appear ready to take back first place, either.

With that in mind, here are five reasons why the upstart D-Backs will stay on top and make it to the postseason.

1. Hot at the right time: A major factor for the D-Backs' surge has been the emergence of Ian Kennedy as one of the best pitchers in the National League this season. His 15 wins are tied for the NL lead, and his strikeouts (146), WHIP (1.13) and opponents' batting average (.232) are all among the league leaders.

Kennedy is also one of the top NL pitchers in Wins Above Replacement, though he trails the Giants' big three of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner, as well as teammate Daniel Hudson in that category.

Going into Thursday's outing against the Phillies, Kennedy had won seven straight starts. In each of those appearances, he allowed three runs or fewer. But he didn't faced stellar competition (Dodgers, Mets, Padres) in those games either.

2. Walking wounded: This has been such a rough week for the Giants that the entire next episode of Showtime's "The Franchise" might take place in the trainer's room.

On Tuesday, they placed Carlos Beltran and Sergio Romo on the disabled list. Brian Wilson didn't go on the DL Wednesday, but he did visit Dr. James Andrews, a trip no team wants to see its pitcher take. Jonathan Sanchez has a sprained ankle. Jeff Keppinger has a bone bruise in his wrist.

None of these injuries appear to be season-ending, so the Giants could get every one of them back in time for September. But it'll be hard for them to stay in the race if their training room requires a revolving door and the lineup still resembles a Triple-A outfit.

3. The best player: The Giants have been waiting all season for someone ? anyone ? to break out and be their offensive star. Their lack of punch is likely the main reason that the D'backs have overtaken them in the NL West.

Trading for Beltran appeared to solve that problem, but he's missed the last 10 games with a hand injury.

Meanwhile, Arizona might have the NL's Most Valuable Player batting third in its lineup every night. With a .300/.372/.552 slash average, 25 home runs and 75 RBIs, Justin Upton might not stand out in an individual category over other MVP candidates, such as Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Matt Kemp or Troy Tulowitzki. �But he isn't far behind any of his peers, either.

The tipping point in his favor might be defense. Upton is the best defensive right fielder in baseball, according to Ultimate Zone Rating. Only Tulowitzki is as dominant at his position, arguably the most important on the field.

That total package of offense and defense is why Upton leads all NL players in WAR. The Giants don't have anyone providing that kind of value in their lineup right now.

4. Unexpected contributions: Ryan Roberts hit .197 in 36 games with Arizona last season. But he's rebounded with 16 homers and 50 RBIs thus far, and currently leads NL third basemen in WAR.

When J.J. Putz went to the DL with elbow tendinitis, it looked to be a huge blow for a bullpen that had drastically improved from last season's embarrassment (5.74 ERA). But David Hernandez stepped right in and pitched even better than Putz, striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings and converting all 11 of his save opportunities.

Willie Bloomquist has taken over ably at shortstop after Stephen Drew was lost for the season with a broken leg. Gerardo Parra has brought more speed and great outfield defense to the lineup. Almost every player in the lineup has been a revelation this year.

5. The trump cards: The D'backs have already gotten help from the minors with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, outfielder Collin Cowgill, and relievers Joe Paterson and Bryan Shaw. Pitcher Wade Miley was recently called up from Class-AAA Reno to replace Jason Marquis after he broke his leg on Sunday.

But Arizona may still have one card left to play. 2011 first-round draft pick Trevor Bauer is currently pitching in Double-A Mobile. He's struck out 25 batters in 14 innings of minor league work so far.

That's led to rumblings that the D'backs may call up Bauer to help with the playoff push. From all accounts, Bauer has the stuff to handle major league hitters. But his heavy workload in college (136 2/3 innings with 10 complete games) is a concern. Could a pitcher who was throwing for UCLA just two months ago end up being the difference in the NL West race?

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Five-reasons-why-the-D-backs-will-beat-out-the-G?urn=mlb-wp16308

Yunel Escobar Danny Espinosa Adam Everett Rafael Furcal

Ars�ne Wenger knows but Arsenal are in an almighty mess| Richard Williams

Six months ago Arsenal were in contention for four trophies ? the collapse that followed defeat in the Carling Cup final raises big question marks over the manager

Not many neutrals can be enjoying the anguish of Ars�ne Wenger, excruciatingly visible as his team lost their first home league fixture of the season against Liverpool on Saturday. The Frenchman has brought so many good things to English football that all lovers of the game can consider themselves permanently in his debt but what an almighty mess he finds himself in just now.

Every team, however well managed, sometimes encounters unexpected trouble. Just under two years ago Sir Alex Ferguson, to whom the constant replenishing and regeneration of his squad is an article of faith, found himself suddenly so short of cover for his central defenders that he was forced to select two midfielders, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick, in the positions normally occupied by Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. They coped so well that they could hardly be blamed for United's eventual failure to defend the title. But the problem currently afflicting Arsenal ? exemplified by the need to play a full-back out of position, to bring on a teenaged centre-back for his first-team debut and to select two players known to be on their way out of the club against Liverpool ? appears to be more systemic, an outbreak of chaos created by something more profound than an injury crisis and with long-term implications.

Six months ago Arsenal were in contention for every trophy going. The nature of the collapse that followed defeat in the Carling Cup final, however, put question marks against every aspect of the way the club is staffed and run. If it seems a little facile to identify the cause in a single incident, then sometimes the logic is not entirely specious (see Roman Abramovich's fateful decision to send Ray Wilkins packing last November). And maybe the tackle that broke Eduardo da Silva's leg on 23 February 2008 was the moment at which Arsenal's fortunes began to take a turn for the worse.

Wenger's team had gone to the top of the league two weeks earlier and the Brazilian-born Croatia striker, having finally established himself in the first team over the Christmas period, was scoring freely as Arsenal looked on course for their first title in three years. After a transitional period which saw the dispersal of the 2003-04 Invincibles and the move to the Emirates, the club's destiny seemed firmly under control.

Only a year earlier, after all, Wenger had gone to Anfield with a team including the teenagers Justin Hoyte, Johan Djourou, Armand Traor�, Cesc F�bregas, Alex Song, Theo Walcott and Den�lson, and beaten Liverpool 6-3 in a Carling Cup quarter-final. The future seemed to be in safe hands. Although an injury to a single player should not derail an entire team, Eduardo's misfortune disturbed Arsenal's equilibrium in a way that Wenger seemed unable to correct. Defeated only once in the league up to that point, they took just 19 points from the season's last 11 games, dropping to third place behind Manchester United and Chelsea.

Less obviously, the manager was making a significant change to the philosophy of his team by relegating Gilberto Silva to the bench. A quietly important midfield guard since 2002, Silva made only a dozen league starts that season, was overlooked as captain in favour of the more volatile William Gallas and left in the summer. Wenger seemed to consider him too old at 31 and too deliberate in his distribution to fit in with the principle of rapid ball circulation embodied by his youngsters. How Arsenal could do with some of that deliberation now.

"If I have shown one thing in the last 15 years," Wenger said on Saturday, "it is that I have bought good players." Wojciech Szczesny, Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey attest to the manager's continuing ability to identify and develop young talent. On the other side of the scales we find an assortment of rejects and survivors, including Den�lson, Traor�, Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh, S�bastien Squillaci, Carlos Vela, Abou Diaby, Fran M�rida, Jay-Emmanuel Thomas, Henri Lansbury, Craig Eastmond, Kerrea Gilbert and even Song, who have not measured up to Wenger's hopes and the fans' expectations. What was once his strength has become his weakness, and it is not something likely to be fixed in the next week.

Let's roll back on corporate language ? going forward

I have a friend who is collecting examples of the redundant verbiage that litters public life in the 21st century such as when some politician describes an urban riot as "totally unacceptable", meaning he or she has no idea what to do about it. The BBC2 comedy series Twenty Twelve, so justly praised by my colleague Martin Kelner in yesterday's paper, is adept at skewering this habitual evasiveness and you have to wonder if Debbie Jevans, the director of sport for the London Olympics, has ever watched it. Asked about competitors' criticisms of the BMX course during the test event, Jevans said: "We will listen to the feedback from the athletes. We will take on board what they say, we assess that and then we make decisions going forward." The use of "going forward" is widespread in corporate life but who makes decisions going backward? One simple improvement to the BMX event would be to raise the standard of the commentary. On Friday, when the competitors were making individual time-trial runs, the opportunity to tell the spectators something about each of them was completely ignored.

England need tougher Test to secure place in history

For all the pleasure to be derived from England's ascent to the pinnacle of Test cricket, no one can pretend that, as a competitive event, the series against India has been anything other than a severe disappointment. Sterner challenges are required before we can be sure of the true standing of Andrew Strauss's team. And only then will we know whether history is likely to view Strauss and Alastair Cook as an England opening partnership in the class of Hobbs and Sutcliffe, Hutton and (Bill) Edrich, or Boycott and Barber. As an incurable optimist I suspect the answer will be yes.

Castiglioni, a past master on looking to the future

Claudio Castiglioni, who died last week, aged 64, was an Italian businessman and motorcycle enthusiast responsible for reviving and exhuming several famous makes, among them Ducati and MV Agusta. He knew that the secret is not to recreate the glorious past but to build on it.

• Ars�ne Wenger
• Arsenal

Richard Williams

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/aug/22/arsene-wenger-arsenal

Kila Ka aihue Paul Konerko Casey Kotchman Mark Kotsay

Tigers get another bat, acquire Delmon Young from Twins

The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins dropped a surprise into the baseball news cycle on Monday afternoon, making a somewhat jolting trade between inter-division rivals.

Outfielder Delmon Young was dealt by the Twins to the Tigers in exchange for Class A pitching prospect Cole Nelson and a player to be named later.�With the Twins and Tigers set to open a three-game series Monday night at Comerica Park, Young can jot over to his new clubhouse right away.

Actually, according to the Twins' baseball communications staff, Young was informed of the trade during the team bus ride to the ballpark.�Detroit manager Jim Leyland has already written him into the No. 3 spot in the Tigers' lineup.

Young hasn't had an impressive 2011 thus far, batting .266/.305/.357 with four home runs and 32 RBI in 325 plate appearances for Minnesota. (His reaction to Jim Thome's 596th home run was probably his season highlight.) That follows up his best major league season, in which he compiled 21 homers and 112 RBI to go with a .298/.333/.493 average in 2010. That RBI total was the eighth-highest in the majors last season.

Despite those struggles, the Tigers look to be getting Young at just the right time. Since June 1, he's been batting .302. During the month of August, his OPS is .865.

That would give Detroit better production in front of Miguel Cabrera than it's received from the No. 3 hole for much of the season. Leyland still insisted on hitting Magglio Ordonez, who's batting .223/.280/.295 this season, in that spot much of the time.

(Sunday's 0-for-5 performance versus the Baltimore Orioles may have convinced the Tigers that they needed to add a bat to their outfield, if the team wasn't already leaning in that direction already.)

But this is a surprising move for the Twins, given Young's production last year and their disappointing team performance this season.�At 11 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, the Twins would appear to be looking more toward next year. And a promising 25-year-old outfielder with one more arbitration year would seemingly be a part of that future.

Yet here Young is, now playing for his third team in six seasons after being selected as the top overall player in the 2003 draft. He'll get almost two months to show the Tigers that he can still fulfill his massive potential and be a part of their future. Otherwise, he may end up looking for a fourth team next year, if Detroit decides to non-tender him.

Also, with Young seemingly taking his spot in the lineup, it appears that Ordonez's spot on the Tigers' roster might be in danger. The team has already designated one popular veteran player for assignment in Brandon Inge. But for now, Detroit avoided making a tough decision by sending second baseman Will Rhymes down to Class Triple-A Toledo.

Leyland says he'll pick his spots for Ordonez, working him in off the bench. However, a DFA still looms as a very real possibility for a Tigers team that looks like it's going all in to win the AL Central.

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Andy LaRoche Derrek Lee Brent Lillibridge John Lindsey

Juan Nicasio returns to Coors Field, receives standing ovation

Even the most optimistic person could not have pictured this moment back on Aug. 5.

That's the day Colorado Rockies rookie right-hander Juan Nicasio was struck on the right temple by a line drive off the bat of Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond. The impact of the baseball, and the awkward fall that followed, left Nicasio with internal bleeding in his head and a fractured C-1 vertebrae.

Without question this was one of the scariest scenes we've seen play out on a baseball field in recent memory. You knew instantly Nicasio's season was over. When we heard reports about a neck injury, we worried about his overall prognosis first, and his baseball future second. When we heard C-1 fracture, we finally firmly grasped the reaility and severity of the situation.

Rockies trainer Keith Dugger drove the reality home even further when discussing Nicasio's injury in a press conference prior to Tuesday's game with the Florida Marlins.

"From my experience, or from what I've learned, it's usually diving accidents in shallow pools or car accidents," Rockies trainer Keith Dugger said. "That's the most common way to fracture that vertebrae. A high number of them have paralysis or, unfortunately, [death]."

That's how delicate this situation was for Nicasio. In that split second, he had gone from a pitcher on the rise, and perhaps the brightest spot in the Rockies 2011 season, to a young man fighting for his life. In fact, many believe that if it wasn't for the quick actions taken on the field by Dugger and the medical personnel on hand, an unspeakable tragedy could have occured right before our eyes.

Fortunately, that was not the case, and incredibly, Nicasio, who underwent extensive surgery to repair the C-1 in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, was able to leave the hosptial just five days later.

On Monday, just 10 days after the accident, Nicasio returned to the Coors Field clubhouse. Needless to say a lot of smiles and hugs were seen in that clubhouse as his Rockies teammates were finally able to begin their healing process from the emotional trauma they went through.

From the Denver Post:

"Seeing him full of life, it's really encouraging," closer Huston Street said. "Baseball is totally the secondary focus in this matter. When you see someone on the ground, in the moment you assume they're going to be OK. Then, when you hear how truly close he came to being paralyzed or dead, you thank God for keeping him with us." [...]

"I can't begin to tell you how warm it is in that clubhouse seeing Juan Nicasio walking around here," manager Jim Tracy said. "This guy is some kind of tough, I've got to tell you."

On Tuesday, Nicasio took a few more steps on his long road to recovery. For the first since being carted off on the fateful day, Nicasio made the walk from the Rockies clubhouse and up the dugout steps. This time, it wasn't his job to overwhelm the Marlins with his electric fastball. Instead, he was to be recognized for inspiring us with his positive attitude, toughness and sense of humor in the face of his devastating injury.

He was greeted with a standing ovation from the 36,136 fans in attendance. As was his mother, who accompanied him on the field after only arriving to Denver on Sunday following visa issues in the Dominican Republic.

It all made for a wonderful moment to be shared�by a player, his mother and the Colorado Rockies fans. But make no mistake, Nicasio intends for there to be many more just like it in the future.

"He's already said he's going to be a 20-game winner," Dugger said. "Right now, he has a baseball in his hands at all times."

Sounds crazy, but at this point, I wouldn't put anything past Juan Nicasio.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Juan-Nicasio-returns-to-Coors-Field-receives-st?urn=mlb-wp16165

Chin-lung Hu Omar Infante César Izturis Paul Janish

The Juice: Freeman single vs. Wilson caps Braves comeback win

Seven innings and seven items (thanks to the shorter schedule) to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.

1. Fab 5 Freddie: Freddie Freeman made Brian Wilson throw him a strike with the bases loaded, and the rookie turned it around for a two-out, two-run, rally capping, game-ending single and a 5-4 Atlanta Braves victory against the Giants on Monday night.

"I knew I was going to get a pitch to hit," Freeman said. "He's got to throw a strike or walk in the tying run. ? I got a pitch to hit and got it up the middle."

Freeman's only worry: healing a toe that someone stepped on during the celebration.

"We'll see in about two hours when the adrenalin rubs off," he said with a smile.

What a season so far for Freeman, who has to be the leader for NL Rookie of the Year heading into the final six weeks.

2. Texas-sized lead: The Rangers stretched their lead to five games in the AL West with an 8-4 victory at Los Anaheim. The Angels lost their starting pitcher, Garrett Richards, to a groin injury after just 19 pitches. That's too bad for him, but what the heck were the Angels doing using such a neophyte in a game of this importance in the first place?

3. Jimmers likes taters for dinner: Minnesota slugger Jim Thome blasted a pair of homers to give him 600 for his career in a 9-6 victory at Detroit. Jimmer's performance also helped mess up the Tigers debut for Delmon Young, who hit a home run in his first game for his new team against his old team.

4. Efficiency experts: The Milwaukee Brewers turned a triple play, along with four double plays ? that's 11 of 27 outs on five swings! ? in a 3-0 victory against the Dodgers. The Crew are 20 games over .500 and lead the NL Central by six games after the Cardinals fell at Pittsburgh.

5. Rocktaugust: It's hard to believe the Rockies were 0-55 when trailing after eight innings, but a lack of unlikely comeback victories is one reason they're not competing for the playoffs. That said, Jason Giambi evoked memories of the good old days by launching a game-ending three-run homer to cap a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth in Colorado's 7-4 victory against Florida.

6. Baseball B.C.: Jon Morosi of Fox suggests the Blue Jays and Mariners should play a series in Vancouver, B.C. It's the coolest idea you'll hear today. In the meantime, we'll just have to be content with Casper Wells and Mike Carp going deep at Safeco in a 6-5 comeback win for the M's.

7. This is PETCO: Congratulations to Jason Isringhausen on the occasion of his 300th career save, finishing off the Mets 5-4 victory in 10 innings against the Padres.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-Juice-Freeman-single-vs-Wilson-caps-Braves?urn=mlb-wp16061

Micah Hoffpauir Ryan Howard Chin-lung Hu Orlando Hudson