Yankees TV host Bob Lorenz charged with drunken driving; cops found YES anchor passed out in car

Passed out? How could they possibly tell the difference?

YES Network television host Bob Lorenz has been charged with drunken driving in Connecticut where police say he was found passed out in his car in his hometown of Westport.

The 48-year-old Lorenz was arrested early Wednesday morning. Police say they found him slumped over the wheel of his car and when they woke him up he drove away slowly and nearly hit a utility pole. Officers say his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol.

Lorenz hosts pregame and postgame shows for the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets. He was arraigned Wednesday at Norwalk Superior Court and his case was continued to Feb. 29.

The Book Blog: MGL: Today on Clubhouse Confidential

Everything we had hoped for from the MLB Network…save a cucking stool ride for Kevin Millar, of course.

Or as Ozzie Guillen tweeted about this fantastic slice…“all gm in baseball please give mitchel litchman a job or bench coach he is good hahaha wow.”

MLB: Jose Reyes gets dreadlocks shorn for charity (Video)

Cripes, I remember when a $100 bag of Thurston Moore’s muggy hair sat grewsomely for years on our record store wall…with little feedback.

Jose Reyes took one for the team Friday night.

To conform with Miami Marlins policy, the 28-year-old shortstop cut off his famed dreadlocks, which he had sported the past three years as a member of the New York Mets.

The Marlins have a strict grooming policy, and Reyes met it in grand style. On Friday night, the four-time All-Star had his hair cut on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” show, which aired at 6 p.m. ET.

“It’s going to be a little bit emotional, because I’ve spent three years with this hair,” Reyes said shortly before sitting in a barber chair set up in the studio. “At the same time, I understand it’s a rule of my new team, the Miami Marlins. I’m a team player, so I have to cut it off.”

...Reyes used his platform on MLB Network to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida.

Reyes’ hair has been packaged and authenticated by Major League Baseball. It is now being auctioned on eBay.

Garrison: Repeat DUI Arrestee Dan McLaughlin Keeps Job as Cardinals Broadcaster

Throwing ‘em back with The McLaughlin Groupdrink.

Good news, sports fans. The glory days of baseball broadcasting—when a commentator could be forgiven for a bit of misbehavin’—are alive and well.

Why’s that? Because this week Fox Sports Midwest announced it will retain Cardinals play-by-play broadcaster Dan McLaughlin for the 2012 season. Last fall, Daily RFT opined that McLaughlin’s career in St. Louis was finito after he was charged for his second DWI in just over a year’s time.

We felt even more confident about that prediction when the embarrassing details of McLaughlin’s arrests came out a few weeks later. When pulled over in August 2010 for the first DUI, McLaughlin was allegedly so shitfaced he’d wet his pants. When he crashed his car in the second DWI in September 2011, McLaughlin was apparently too drunk to unlock the car door and lied to the officer that he lived just a few blocks away and could safely drive home if she let him go.

...FSM general manager told the Post-Dispatch today that he is standing by the 37-year-old whose worked for the cable channel for 14 years. Since the second DUI charge, McLaughlin has confessed to being an alcoholic and is said to attend as many as two or three AA meetings a day now.

“It’s perceived as an illness,” Donovan said of McLaughlin’s alcoholism. “We’re trying to support him.”

Rex Hudler Favored For Royals TV Broadcast

according to chatter, Rex Hudler is favored to fill Frank White‘s color commentary role. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star suggests the same, though the other finalist is George Frazier, currently of the Rockies broadcast team.

He is familiar with the Kansas City Airport so I guess that is a local tie.

Keith Olbermann: 10th Annual Topps Pack Opening Day

Any Nate Colbert Super Pack pulls!

For years, as part of my moonlighting as an unpaid consultant for Topps Baseball Cards, I have engaged in a ritual involving a few company executives and a few (brand new) boxes of that year’s Topps set. The first box to come off the production line is ceremonially opened, either on television or at Topps HQ, and then we quietly pillage through whatever’s available pack-wise.

Today we turned it into a happening.

This started when I ran into my colleague and fellow collector Greg Amsinger at MLB Network two weeks ago. Greg is giddy enough about cards that I once almost distracted him from a Yankee Stadium live shot by advising him that my collection included three Honus Wagners. When the Topps gang and I set the “ripping of the first packs” for today, I asked if I could invite Greg along.

Ka-boom.

Greg brought a camera crew, Topps put up a display including blowups of the cards of Pujols and Reyes in their new unis and the one-of-a-kind gold card inserts, they assembled the entire 2012 Baseball Production team, I dressed up in my Matt Moore First Win Game-Used uniform, they fitted up a conference room full of unopened boxes, and pizza…

Kim Jones to leave YES Network

Pork chop on a shtick. Finished, thankfully.

Kim Jones will be leaving YES after turning down several contract offers from the Yankees network, The Post has learned.

Jones had been with them since 2005, working as a reporter, and the split was amicable, a YES Network spokesman confirmed.

...Industry speculation points Jones to WFAN, where she has worked occasionally as a host, and most recently has been a frequent contributor and occasional partner with Mike Francesa.

A YES Network spokesman said they are looking at several different options on how to handle the future without Jones. They did not know for sure if they would hire a replacement, or give a bigger role to Jack Curry.

“Kimberly’s been a valued member of the YES team, and we wish her well. We would love to have had her return to YES, but we understand her decision,” the spokesman said.

Former Phillies broadcaster Andy Musser dies

RIP, Andy Musser…Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster for over a quarter-century.

Former Phillies broadcaster Andy Musser died peacefully in his home in Wynnewood on Sunday, his family said.

Mr. Musser was 74. No cause of death was listed.

The native of Lemoyne, Pa., broadcast Phillies games for 26 years. At one time or another, Mr. Musser did play-by-play for every major sports team in Philadelphia except the Flyers.

A Syracuse graduate and Army veteran, he broadcast two World Series, two Super Bowls, two Masters Toumaments, and numerous football and basketball games on national networks.

After leaving the Phillies in 2001, Mr. Musser worked in private business.  He is survived by Eun Joo, his wife of 50 years; two children: Allan of Roswell, Ga., and Luanne Zimmerman of Lower Gwynedd, Pa., and four grandchildren.

Jim Kaat: Will we finally get The Real Deal?

Kaat Said: Orientalism.

A couple of short stories about Asian pitchers and Irabu: I was announcing Yankee games in the mid-90s when I said over the air, “I wonder if we’ll ever see an Oriental position player in the Major Leagues?” Dion James was playing for the Yankees at the time, and told me about an exciting 19-year old named Ichiro Suzuki who had a chance to be the first. We all know that story. Big fan of Bernie Williams from watching Yankee games in Japan. Wears number 51 because of that.

So, I get a letter about a week later from an Asian baseball fan. Not a malicious letter but scolding me gently for referring to Asian players as “Oriental.” He said, “Noodles and rugs are Oriental, not people. We are Asians.” Fortunately for me, he put his phone number in the letter, so I called him.

We had a pleasant conversation and I told him I certainly didn’t intentionally say “Oriental’ as a slur or condescending remark. It was said innocently out of ignorance. He understood. I asked him if he would be watching the next game we televised. He said he would. He was a huge baseball fan and was complimentary of our telecasts on the MSG Network. I asked if he would please watch and listen in the top of the 4th inning. He said he would.  I took the opportunity to clear up the Oriental/Asian situation.

...So, I’lll be keeping a close eye on Yu Darvish and see if he is finally the one to be able to challenge and dominate our bigger, more powerful big league hitters. For his and the Rangers’ sake, I hope he does. It will be good for the game and the Rangers profit and loss statement!

Thom Brennaman says he’ll broadcast ‘multiple’ games with his HOF dad on the radio this season

RETURN OF THE BRENNAMANSTER! (flee good people…flee!)

All the Reds trades to bolster the roster sure are nice, but here’s another reason for Reds fans to smile about the upcoming season:

Thom Brennaman promises that he’ll do some games on radio this year with his father, Marty Brennaman. They didn’t do any last year.

“Yes! Write it down in your notebook! We will do multiple games,” said Thom during a “Reds Hot Stove League” commercial break with his father Tuesday at the Holy Grail downtown.

The more he talked, the more he promised.

“I’m hoping we’ll get a chance to do three or four series together on radio,” Thom said.

Josh Lewin leading candidate to replace Wayne Hagin

I would take a mutant like Josh Clay over Wayne Hagin…but I will settle for Josh Lewin.

According to Newsday’s Neil Best, “Josh Lewin has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Wayne Hagin alongside Howie Rose in the Mets’ radio booth.”

Last month, Mike Puma of the New York Post said WFAN recently auditioned Jim Duquette for a spot in the Mets radio booth, since “Wayne Hagin is not expected to return.” According to the report, Billy Sample, WFAN reporter Ed Coleman and SNY host Chris Carlin were also being considered.

Michael Kay Bets NYBD on Mets Win Total

Winner gets a vintage Kay/Silvatone Guitar!

Earlier today I called out Michael Kay for his statement regarding the Mets winning between 55-60 games this coming season.

Kay has taken to Twitter this week and done a great job interacting with fans.

Kay responded to my post about his statement asking me how many wins I see for the Mets.

Okay, mike, you’re so objective, how many will try win? Honestly. If I’m the shill, tell me how many they will win in your unbiased opinion.Thu Jan 12 18:05:29 via Twitter for iPhoneMichael Kay
RealMichaelKay

I responded that 77-81 is not out of the question. Regardless, they won’t be near the 55 to 60 games he predicted.

So here is our bet :

@NYBD you’re right, mike, they’re never devastated by injuries. What was I thinking? Betcha my 55 to 60 is closer than your 77 to 81.Thu Jan 12 19:34:04 via Twitter for iPhoneMichael Kay
RealMichaelKay

...Looks like the Mets are going to need to win more than 68 games for me to prevail.

Bob Carpenter to return to MASN as voice of Nats

and Face Palm Santangelo to return as the facepalm of Nats.

Late last year, it appeared Carpenter would not return to the booth after the Nats didn’t pick up his option last August, but both sides managed to come to terms recently. Calls to Carpenter were not returned.

It will mark Carpenter’s seventh season in the broadcast booth for MASN. He is known for the catch phrase, “See you later,” whenever a Nationals player hits a home run.

F.P. Santangelo will continue to be Carpenter’s broadcast partner. Santangelo is the fifth TV partner for Carpenter, who has worked with Tom Paciorek, Don Sutton, Rob Dibble and Ray Knight.

Neyer: What’s To Be Done With Bill Conlin?

One old sparky chair comes to mind! Picks up torch and pitchfork (sees Bon Iver won year-ender…throws away in disgust)...

But what if we discover that one of the players in the actual Hall of Fame did something far more abhorrent than using steroids or testosterone? Say, murder. Would the Hall of Fame seriously consider removing that player? I honestly don’t know.

Of course, time plays a role here. Conlin just won the Spink Award. In the display in the Museum, he’s featured. If Conlin were dead, or if he’d won the award 10 years ago, this whole sordid affair might be a three-day story. But now? With Conlin still around? With an extra-big photo of him in the Museum? With Jerry Sandusky still running free?

Right now, everything is so raw. If given a chance, I suppose I would split the difference. I would not rescind Conlin’s Spink Award, but I would hasten to make him less visible in Cooperstown. We’ve got a new winner: Bob Elliott. Maybe it’s as easy as making him the center piece of the exhibit a few months earlier than scheduled.

Or maybe Conlin should simply be defrocked. I don’t have the answer yet. I do anticipate a spirited discussion. Which will be more than welcome.

MLB Network unveils brand new social media layer to studio

Krajewski’s Pig Farm goes high tech!

Even though it’s the off-season for the MLB, the MLB Network is hard at work leveraging social media by curating off-season chatter through their programming — and now they’ve rolled out a brand new social media area inside of their state-of-the-art Studio 3 in New Jersey.

The social area of the studio serves up 108-inch touchscreens for MLB Network talent to interact with fans through Facebook polls, Twitter and email. MLB Network has over 98,000 followers on Twitter and over 350,000 likes on Facebook.

...LR: How will social media be incorporated into the studio? On air?

MB: Fans can be part of the discussion and chime in on all the latest Major League Baseball news and rumors leading up to the 2012 regular season. As it has done throughout 2011, MLB Network will continue to interact with viewers and post questions and display select responses on-air in each studio show – including “Hot Stove,” “Clubhouse Confidential” and “Intentional Talk” this offseason – either on the in-studio touchscreen monitor or on-screen in our social media “ticker.”

We also want to bring fans the best and newest info shared by players and media via social media, so MLB Network on-air personalities will discuss tweets on-air, whether it’s a breaking news story or a photo that a player posted from a recent vacation. During the various Jewel Events on the MLB calendar, like Spring Training, Opening Day, the All-Star Game, Trade Deadline, Postseason and Winter Meetings, we monitor hashtags to stay on top of the most talked about storylines and display tweets and stories reported on Twitter from baseball beat writers.

Lou Piniella set to return to Bombers as YES Network television analyst

Tip: Buy a comb.

Lou Piniella, a fan favorite as both player and manager, is deep in negotiations and close to signing a deal to return to the Bombers as an analyst for the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network. He also will likely serve as a spring training instructor.

According to industry sources, Piniella will do a limited number of appearances for YES in the broadcast booth and studio.

Piniella would join YES’ cast of analysts that includes Ken Singleton, John Flaherty, Paul O’Neill, David Cone, Al Leiter and play-by-play man Michael Kay.

...Now, sources said, Piniella wants to stay to baseball. It looks like the Yankees are providing that opportunity. This likely means Yankees fans will see Piniella in the YES booth when the Bombers play the Rays in 2012. The Yankees open the season April 6 in Tampa. Piniella should have a role in that telecast.

After leaving Tampa in 2006, Piniella spent a season working for Fox Sports on its major league baseball package.

Hannibal Courier Post: Tim McCarver is not a Hall of Famer

Lifting from Mountaintop Motel Massacre’s sweet Evelyn here…“Please do not piss off Cardinal fans. They already are.”

Tim McCarver, that biased broadcaster, has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

From here on out, he’ll be referred to as a Hall of Famer.

But I’ll just call him Tim McCarver.

Because in my eyes, he is NOT a Hall of Famer. He is a dumbfounded broadcaster who, for whatever reason, has been on the air way too long.

...He is constantly negative toward the Cardinals and does not have any credibility. I can remember when he referred to former pitcher Donovan Osborne as Donovan “Os-burn.” Even during this past postseason, McCarver said the word strike was made up of five letters. Add all that to his sentence structure — that I’m sure makes English teachers squirm — that’s not excellence.

McCarver was a great ballplayer, I respect him for that. In that genre, he’s still not a Hall of Famer (didn’t have the numbers nor did he stand out), but he was certainly an impacting player for the teams he played on.

Losing out on the award this year is Texas Rangers broadcaster Eric Nadel, who is the best descriptive broadcaster there is; McCarver’s former teammate Mike Shannon, who is the most unique broadcaster in the game; and a large number of others who were so much more deserving.

Bob Uecker to be inducted into broadcasters’ hall of fame

Hey, sports fans! You LOVE me!

[National Association of Broadcasters] officials announced today that the play-by-play announcer known as “Mr. Baseball” will be inducted during a luncheon April 17 during NAB’s annual convention in Las Vegas.

The Brewers are scheduled for a home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the same day.

Finn: Q&A with MLB Network’s Brian Kenny

I haven’t been this riveted to a TV show since Roy Thinnes got a severe pinky cramp and had to hide it during a whole The Invaders episode!

The resistance from—I guess you could call it the long-established media, since mainstream applies to the internet these days—seems to be fading. Writers such as Keith Law or Dave Cameron at Fangraphs have BBWAA membership, which is a wonderful, progressive development. But there’s still that challenge of making sabermetrics accessible to the those who are skeptical or intimidated. How do you approach that challenge on the show?

Kenny: “That’s always the challenge in knowing where the line is. I want any baseball fan to be able to tune into the show and have a passing knowledge of statistics to be able to watch the show and enjoy it. So I really take my time and take particular care to explain the methodology and to explain what some of these new analytical tools are and how they are used and why they work.

At the same time, I stress this is not math class, a lot of times I try to say, hey, this is wins above replacement. Try not to get caught up in what goes into the number, just look at what the numbers are telling us. We can look at OPS, we can look at weighted on-base average, let’s see what all the evidence is telling us. I don’t get caught up in one number because there is no magic number. A fan is already looking at the numbers. How do you know someone is a good hitter? He hits .300. He drives in 100 runs. Those are metrics. They’re just not the best possible metrics to analyze production and project future performance. There are other numbers for that and we’re going to teach people what they are and how to use them.”

...Before I let you go, I have to ask since he’s one of my favorite players and his Hall of Fame candidacy is cause of sabermetricians: Does Tim Raines belong in the Hall of Fame?

Kenny: “Tim Raines is two Hall of Famers.”

Verducci: Winners and losers from a wild week at the Winter Meetings

What are you wearing, Tom from MLB Network?

uhh…khakis.

Winners

Regional sports networks. Twelve months ago Moreno was complaining about Carl Crawford money (seven years, $142 million.) What changed? He lined up a new local TV deal that could pay him almost twice the current annual rate of $50 million—even with the second-worst ratings in baseball. Sports programming is hot. It provides loads of content and, most importantly, content that is DVR-proof. Most sports programming is consumed live, not time-shifted, and that’s increasingly valuable to advertisers who prefer their ads actually be seen and not zapped. There is a reason the Rangers, who were in bankruptcy a year ago, and the Angels, who kept coming up short on free agents, are now superpowers—they lined up state-of-the-art massive TV deals. Once it was new ballparks that created the hierarchy of spending power in baseball. Now RSNs are the new oil wells. Next up at the TV windfall game: the Dodgers.

Sandy Alderson. The Mets GM had the two best lines of the meetings, first, in response to Reyes whining about not being wooed by the Mets, said, “Maybe I should have sent him a box of chocolates,” and then later, noting two of the three biggest contracts in baseball history (Alex Rodriguez and Pujols) were handed out at the same Dallas hotel, said, “There must be a strain of Legionnaire’s disease here.”

Losers

St. Louis fans. They don’t get to watch Pujols chase records and burnish his legacy as a Cardinals icon. But don’t blame the ballclub or even Pujols. Pujols essentially became too good and too expensive for the size of the market—particularly one that hasn’t cashed in yet on the new RSN boom like the Angels and Rangers. St. Louis still has six years left on its local TV deal. They could also start their own RSN, paralleling what the Yankees and Red Sox have done, but St. Louis ranks 24th out of the 30 media markets measured by Neilsen. The Cardinals might not have enough eyeballs for the TV calculus to work.

Hanley Ramirez. He was a problem when he was playing the position he wanted, shortstop. Do the Marlins really believe he will go peacefully to third base? Don’t rule out the possibility of a trade.

BHOF - Tim McCarver Named 2012 Ford C. Frick Award Winner for Broadcasting Excellence

Tim McCarver, who has served as a national analyst on networks for three decades and simultaneously shined as part of broadcast teams with four big league clubs, has been selected as the 2012 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

McCarver becomes the second primary television analyst to win the Frick Award, joining Tony Kubek, who received the honor in 2009. McCarver will be honored as part of Hall of Fame Weekend 2012, July 20-23, in Cooperstown, New York.

I thought it was just that he looked better next to Ralph Kiner…

MLB: Enter to be a Part of MLB Fan Cave 2012

As the lone comment sez…“Baseball Wives isn’t embarrassing enough?

Major League Baseball announced today that the MLB Fan Cave in 2012 will start the season with a group of fan contestants, some of whom will be eliminated throughout the season until one winner is crowned before the end of the World Series. Multiple contestants will begin the season in the MLB Fan Cave and watch every single MLB game each day while chronicling their experiences online through videos, blogs and social media. Along the way, they will compete against one another over the course of the baseball season in a series of challenges, with fans online helping decide who gets to stay in the Fan Cave and play host to the baseball stars and celebrities who will visit throughout the season. Entries – which include a series of essay questions and a video submission – are now being accepted at MLBFanCave.com, with a deadline of Friday, January 13.

The MLB Fan Cave will return to the 15,000 square foot location at 4th Street and Broadway in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village that was formerly the home of Tower Records. After hosting a number of holiday-themed events this month, the MLB Fan Cave will shut its doors in January to be redesigned to feature new technology and interactive elements. The MLB Fan Cave is a unique event space and content factory mixing baseball with music, popular culture, media, interactive technology, and art. It also serves as a digital hub for all baseball fans, with a constant flow of online video and conversation via social media.

Thanks to T. Hissey.

MLB issues media dress guidelines

Well…at least they don’t have to worry about banning flannel. Huh, ohh.

Muscle shirts, ripped jeans and flip-flops—fine for the beach, not so fine for big league press boxes starting next season.

Baseball has become the first major pro league in North America to issue dress guidelines for media members, putting them in writing at the winter meetings.

The no-wear list also includes visible undergarments, excessively short skirts or anything with a team logo.

“This is not in response to any single incident,” MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said Tuesday.

...The media should dress “in an appropriate and professional manner” with clothing proper for a “business casual work environment” when in locker rooms, dugouts, press boxes and on the field, the new MLB rules say.

Banned are sheer and see-through clothing, tank tops, one-shouldered or strapless shirts or clothing exposing bare midriffs. Also listed in the guidelines are skirts, dresses or shorts cut more than 3-4 inches above the knee.

...At 81, former Marlins manager Jack McKeon has seen dress codes change a lot during more than a half-century in the game. Especially at warm-weather ballparks during the hottest summer months.

“I remember the old days, when even the people in Triple-A would wear a coat and tie,” he said. “Now, it’s casual. Less than casual, really,” he said.

“Today, it can look pretty sloppy,” he said. “But that’s not just baseball. It’s generational.”

Thanks to C. Treadway.

Hoops icon Dick Vitale voices some support for Mariano Rivera

LESS LES CASON, LESS YELLING!

When Dick Vitale heard prior to Thanksgiving that Mariano Rivera was headed for vocal cord surgery, he attempted to reach out to baseball’s all-time closer.

Having undergone surgery on his vocal cord in 2007, the college basketball television announcer and Yankees fan wanted to recommend the doctor that operated on him.

“I had Dr. Steven Zeitels in Boston,’’ Vitale told The Post. “He did mine, Steven Tyler, Adele and James Taylor. He is the Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter of his profession.’’

...“Not being a singer, we don’t use our diaphragms when we talk,’’ Vitale said. “They taught me to do exercises and try to learn that you don’t have to scream and yell on the phone. I have learned that the day of the game I have to be low key.

“Of course, I make my living with talking. Mariano makes his living with his arm.”

NYBD: Silva: The Wild Ride of Bobby Valentine and Steve Phillips

Another…Greatest Sports Argument Of All Time!

Steve Phillips and Bobby Valentine were reunited yesterday on the “Evan and Phillips Show” on Mad Dog Radio. It was a reunion of two men that appeared would never mend the fence after a tumultuous six years as the Mets GM/field manager combo. For as much criticism both Phillips and Valentine receive after the fact, they have the second best run in franchise history.

...Many point to Phillips firing Valentine’s coaches in June of 1999 as to when the relationship went sour. It was actually the departure of first baseman John Olerud after that season that rankled Valentine and created the divide the existed for the remainder of their tenure.

In October, I interviewed Bobby Valentine at the Hamptons Film Festival regarding his new movie “Pelotero,” which followed two young Dominican baseball players while they worked to achieve their dream of being signed by a professional club on their 16th birthday. I spent about 20 minutes recording an audio piece for my radio program and chatting with Valentine. He was probably one of the most engaging, honest, and interesting individuals I have met during my time covering baseball. When I mentioned to him that one of my favorite Mets teams was the ’99 squad, we talked a bit about that team. I went on to say that I thought it was a “mistake” to let John Olerud walk and replace him with Todd Zeile, but that from what I understood “Olerud and his family wanted to play in Seattle.” “Who told you that?” Valentine said. When I mentioned it was a fairly popular media talking point he told me the reason that Olerud left was because “some players on the team didn’t like that he brought his wife on road trips.” Valentine went on to add that he tried to intervene and talk to Olerud about the situation and find a way to correct it and ease any concerns, but Phillips wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he elected to sign Todd Zeile, a move that Valentine wasn’t thrilled about. “That’s when things started to go bad with me and Steve. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Royals Review: Royals Fired Frank White For Being Too Critical?

I wasn’t pitch-fork ready when I heard that Frank White was not returning to Royals broadcasts in 2012. However, Jeff Passan has made the discussion a little more interesting:

I’m told the Royals fired Frank White because team thought he was too critical. To fire him is bad. To fire him for that is unconscionable.

...The Royals are in a tough spot here. The team/FSKC has every right to go in another direction, and in the past White has been fairly prickly about being denied or removed from similar Royal-for-life-I’m-a-Famous-guy roles. A number of fans are upset about Frank being fired and a few days the Royals are going to take some heat for it. For me, I’m much more concerned about why he was fired.

I agree with Passan—who is a nationally respected baseball writer with KC ties—that firing Frank for being critical of the team is a bad thing. The odd, and scary thing, is that I would have never considered him critical in the first place. I can begrudgingly understand and even warrant that a team would not want a truly critical voice on team broadcasts (although this could also mean more entertaining TV and maybe more money, etc). But if Frank White was too critical what could they possibly want? Can any of us name three negative things the man said? Coupled with the short-sighted decision to dump Fanfest in favor of focusing on out-of-town corporate junketers this summer, we’re looking at a rough winter from Royals leadership.

Are the bad old days of a paranoid ownership returning?

Thanks to Pa Tech.

STL Today: Dan McLaughlin to return?

Everybody deserves a third

shot

chance.

It appears that Dan McLaughlin will find out if he’ll be back in the Cardinals’ TV booth in the next week or so. And while his return looked like a long shot in the weeks shortly after he was arrested in late September on his second drunken driving charge in 13 months, all indications now are that he has a good chance of being retained.

Fox Sports Midwest general manager Jack Donovan was extremely angry when he found out about the latest of those arrests and immediately suspended McLaughlin, although the move was mostly symbolic because he already had finished his Cards schedule and had no other FSM assignments pending.

...Second, working in McLaughlin’s favor is that he has been extremely up front about his situation, not holding back about criticizing himself in a recent STLtoday.com interview when he addressed his troubles and seemed sincere.

“I’m an alcoholic, and I’m not ashamed to say that because I needed help in a bad way,’’ he said in that conversation. “Through what’s happened, it’s turning my life around. That’s the truth.’‘

Former Arizona Diamondback, Eric Byrnes Finishes Ironman Arizona

All those who chose to oppose his field must yield!

Among the nearly 3,000 athletes who participated in the 2011 Ford Ironman Arizona triathlon on Sunday in Tempe, Arizona was former Major League Baseball star Eric Brynes.  Byrnes is now an on air analyst for the MLB Network after 12 years in the big leagues with multiple MLB teams including the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Byrnes was no where close to being in Ironman shape only 11 months ago but now he’s an Ironman athlete who just finished swimming 2.4 miles in Tempe Town Lake, cycling 112 miles through the desert landscape of southern Arizona and running a full marathon in 10 hours and 45 minutes.

...Byrnes remembers racing one of his triathlons and getting crazy comments yelled at him,  “I was kind of the joke of the triathlon. People were yelling, ‘Go beach-cruiser dude!’ as I was getting passed by 16-year-old girls. As many of us know….it only takes a taste before we are ‘bit by the bug,” he said.

How One Man Played ‘Moneyball’ With ‘Jeopardy!’

My buzzer doesn’t work in the Double Jeopardy!

“It wasn’t even about the money,” Craig says. “I felt that my systems and my methods were sort of validated.”

That system? A computer program unlike any other, custom-built to study Jeopardy! for patterns.

Craig says it works like Moneyball — a reference to the book and movie about the statistical techniques used by legendary Oakland Athletics coach Billy Beane to build a winning baseball team. Craig’s system also relied heavily on statistics.

“I actually downloaded this site called the Jeopardy! Archive, which is a fan-created site of all the questions and answers that are on the show.”

“Something like 211,000 questions and answers that have appeared on Jeopardy!,” says Esquire writer Chris Jones, a self-proclaimed “game-show nerd” who’s familiar with Craig’s tactics.

Using data-mining and text-clustering techniques, Craig grouped questions by category to figure out which topics were statistically common — and which weren’t.

Larry Dierker Says Astros Fans Will Get Used To New League

Dierker isn’t generatin’ that Texan’s are stupid or something, but…

Many Houston Astros fans are up in arms about the team’s impending move to the American League. But one person who isn’t is a former player, manager and broadcaster.

As an Astro, Larry Dierker has seen it all. He debuted for the then Colt .45’s as an 18-year-old pitcher in 1964, spending most of his 14-year career with the team. Later he managed the Astros and also spent a number of years calling games from the broadcast booth. He doesn’t like the move to the American League that comes with the sale of the team, but says fans will get over it quickly.

“Most of them just want to be at Minute Maid Park and most of them just want to watch a ballgame. I don’t think a high percentage of them are so knowledgeable about baseball and so avid in their fan participation that they’re really going to be affected that much. I think it’s mostly they just want to go to the ballpark and have a good time.”