The Situational Lefty : CBSSports.com Blogs

Clubhouse Loser: August 31

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:27:29 EDT

Arian Foster on Twitter = anti-awesomeness

insert hamstring MRI here

CLUBHOUSE LOSER: Aug.10

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:06:18 EDT

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD - Maurice Jones-Drew (Take 2):

“I haven’t gotten a chance to (talk to Cutler), but I wouldn’t apologize because I didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t think... I didn’t commit a crime. I didn’t kill anyone or rape anyone or anything like that. I mean, I stated my opinion, and it seems like you get more backlash for that than committing a real crime in some sense. I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong, I just said what everybody else was thinking.”

CADDYSHMUCK: Clubhouse Loser Aug.8

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:53:56 EDT

Stevie Williams, ex-Tiger Woods caddy, on Adam Scott's PGA Tour victory:

“I’ve caddied for 33 years—145 wins now—and that’s the best win I’ve ever had." Hmmm... exactly how many balls did you put in play this weekend, Stevie?

Clubhouse Loser: July 19

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:53:33 EDT

USC RB Marc Tyler, when asked if USC players were getting paid more at USC or if they were in the pros:

"USC. They breaking bread."

Biggest Loser (Sports Edition): June 13

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:39:44 EDT

KING OF NOTHING: Lebron James

“All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today,” James said. “They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that.

“They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they have to get back to the real world at some point.”

BBN11.4.2: IS DARING LEGEND

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 8:03:44 EDT

What's the anagram answer for DeAndre Liggins... Prophetic? So far so good!

BBN11.4.2: FINAL FORCE

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 7:51:22 EDT

It's game day in Houston! UK vs. UCONN, 8:45PM

watch: Big.Blue.Madness.

BBN11.3.26: BUCKEYE DON'T THINK SO!

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:08:51 EDT

A game for the BBN Ages last night as UK ousts overall #1 OSU in a 62-60 defensive thriller.By my recollection, it's the 1st W for UK as a blue-jersied lower seed since took down Wojo's Dukies in a memorable Regional Finals en route to their last National Championship in '98. Next up: a rematch with the Tar Heels who bested them by 2 in Chapel Hill in December. Big Blue props to Jorts for yet another outstanding game and posterizing block in the paint (on Sullinger), not to mention the Rany Johnson-esque fastball to 0's chest on the out-of-bounds save, that seemed to define the 'Cats gritty and tenacious approach throughout the game.

BBN11.3.13: Congrats Miller!

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:39:42 EDT

Well-deserved SEC Tourney MVP honors for #1 in blue & white!The knee-jerk reaction to the NCAA seeding is that UK was slighted in receiving a 4 seed in the East, which features overall tourney #1 OSU; meanwhile, Florida inexplicably still garnered a #2 (I mean, did the committee fill out their brackets on Friday and call it done??). However, I will take the glass half-full view of the situation and think that the "disrespect chip" will serve as perfect motivation to keep the Cats focused on making a deep run. If I were a Buckeyes fan, I'd be nervously wondering why UK is #4 in the overall #1 team's region.

BBN 4/4: Big Blue Sadness

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 8:22:38 EDT

Painfully interesting for UK fans to note that (according to ESPN) West Virginia's 21-point loss to Duke marked the 2nd-most lopsided defeat in a Men's Semi-Final game since the tournament expanded to 64 (now 65) teams, with the worst being a 33-point Kansas whooping of D-Wade & Marquette in 2003. Of course, the Big Blue connection to this bit of trivia: both teams defeated UK in the regional finals to reach the Final Four.

BBN 1/30: Win #20

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:26:28 EST

Is there another player in America that is improving game by game any better than Cousins? It seemed like he was finishing off And1 3-pt plays just about at will whenever he got a touch vs Vandy. Big #15 is the biggest target on the team with the biggest bullseye, but he has grown up a ton since Cancun, in all aspects of his game - his effort is tremendous, and you can tell he's putting in all the hard work with his moves in the post and his improving free throws. It's quite a sight to behold to see him maturing before our very eyes!... March Beastness.

2 more things I loved about this game:

1. +18 Rebounding advantage for UK (including 18-3 on the offensive boards) combined with 12-23 shooting behind the 3-pt arc2. Lebron looks like an awesome Y wearing Kentucky Blue!

BBN 1/25: So clich� but still �

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:46:19 EST

…what a difference a year can make. Last January, there were so many random views of and within BBN on the state of the UK basketball program: Meeks’ 54 provided an exciting but conflicted appearance in the national spotlight, as any positive buzz rapidly degenerated into team chemistry questions and the instantly infamous Jeanine Edwards’ sideline interview. Rumors of team bus revolts and bathroom stall punishments began to surface, amid continuously frivolous arguments of how far the program had slipped, and just who was to blame because so-and-so’s playing all these minutes, and was Patterson in fact a Smith recruit or not, and why on earth do the ‘Cats not play any zone since no one on the team can stay within 15 feet of players like Downey, and is really in the job description of UK basketball coach to be an “ambassador” for the university or not, and just how bad would it look if UK ran another coach off without giving them at least a third year, and…

wicked tasty clunk

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:46:15 EST

kentucky wildcats = WICKED TASTY CLUNK

go to this link and type in any name to see what anagram it comes up with -- usually it's pretty hilarious and sometimes even downright freaky!

BBN: 1/23 kick start

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:02:23 EST

Good news for UK Football special teams, as help for the kicking game appears on the way via the familiar LaGrange pipeline: UK recruit PK Joe Mansour was named to the Georgia HS All-Decade team by Maxpreps.com. Mansour is said to possess a much-needed big leg, having booted over 80% of his kickoffs for touchbacks and having successfully converted (3) 50+ yard FG's during his Senior season at LaGrange.

FDA Effect: Wild Finish 10/6/2009

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:44:05 EDT

After 9000+ plate appearances and 1400+ innings pitched per team, it is pretty amazing that just one more game could have any statistical bearing on the league standings. And while yes, there was zero chance to impact the league winner, there was plenty of uncertainty in terms of place and show (read: 2nd place $$ vs. 3rd place $$), and also, albeit to a lesser probability, 4th vs. 5th vs. 6th (with 5th place obtaining the rights to Pujols in next year’s draft). And so, of course, with the Tigers-Twins playing game #163 for the AL Central tie-breaker, this marks the 3rd year in which an extra game is added onto the regular MLB season. (Minnesota ended up outlasting Detroit, 6-5 in 12 innings, to complete the Tigers’ homestretch meltdown in which they held a 3-game lead with 4 to play.) In the end, the standings managed to hold form, in patented Even-Steven fashion, as if the game were not played. But within and throughout these final bonus frames of Lexington Lumberyard fantasy baseball, there was more than enough of crazy statistical drama to make Matthew Berry wonder aloud, “How is this possible?” The incredibly geeky recap of Ques09’s wild finish to second-place…

"His evil is unmatched..."

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:12:35 EDT

Whether or not you're a fan of reality TV, this is pretty funny if you're a fan of college basketball: has anyone else noticed just how eerily similar the crazy dude Russell the new Survivor is to Billy Gillispie? Just substitute the names "Marisa" and "Betsy" in the Survivor:Samoa trailer with "Jasper" and "Meeks" and I think you're left with the speech Billy G really wanted to deliver at last year's Big Blue Madness!

"It's crazy how you can break their hearts by telling them a lie..."

"You can call me the puppet master..."

Cutler beware

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:43:44 EDT

Ran across this article today on Da Bears QB history -- funny to think that Cutler is about to become the 43rd starting QB change in The Windy City since Favre began his consecutive games streak back in 1992... there have been only 44 U.S. presidents for crying out loud!

http://www.bearshistory.com/lore/chicagobearsquarterbacks.aspx

FDA Effect: Blue Moon

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 7:44:56 EDT

What has gotten into the MLB umpires power trip this season? Maybe they're the ones with the raging hormones. I thought it was absolutely horrible and embarrassing a few weeks ago while I was attending my first Reds game of 2009 (vs. Padres) and Joey Votto was run out of the game by the 3rd base umpire in the FIRST INNING for objecting to a check-swing from home plate. (It should be noted that both teams fielded lineups that had a combined total of 4 batters hitting above .250 ... I mean C'MON BLUE!!! Do you really think we are here at the park to see you toss the only .300 hitter before we've even sniffed our first brat?!?!)

But Sunday marked a new low (or should I say "long distance") standard when Victorino got tossed for arguing the strike zone... FROM CENTER FIELD! Maybe there is something to this umpire ejection fantasy league idea... Ed Rapuano would definitely be a 1st rounder.

FDA Effect: Closing Time

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:34:41 EDT

Yet another prime example of why drafting a closer within the 1st 8 rounds typically compromises your roster's potential:

Relief Pitcher A: 2-2, 24 Sv, 2.39 ERA / 1.24 WHIP, 50 K (49.0 INN)

Relief Pitcher B: 3-3, 26 Sv, 1.61 ERA / 1.15 WHIP, 59 K (50.3 INN)

(2009 stats thru 8/5)

FDA Effect: Garko Syndrome alive and well

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:12:02 EDT

Ryan Garko's past 4 games:

7/22 v.TOR: 3 1 3 0

7/23 v.TOR: 3 0 0 0

7/24 v.SEA: 4 1 2 3 HR

FDA Effect: Play Ball! (take 2)

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:37:21 EDT

LLY 2009 All-Star Break Standings

Transaction Summary:

1H'09: 601 transactions (9 trades)

1H'08: 543 transactions (11 trades)

Hawaii Top 10

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:34:39 EDT

Top 10 events/experiences from our vacation to Hawaii (Oahu, Kauai), in chronological order:

1. Beach at Ko'olina: Who knows what these semi-secluded West Oahu lagoons will look like once Disney completes their resort construction;

2. Live Hawaiian music: Amy Hanaiali'i, performed a free concert under a beautiful dusk sky in the Iolani courtyard;

3. Tsukiji buffet dinner at Ala Moana: a pacific rim cuisine orgy; I must have downed $100 worth of ahi poke and sushi alone;

FDA Effect: Crede

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:32:48 EDT

Joe Crede (.212, 7 for last 33, 0 HR, 4 RBI) in his first AB after drop: 3-run double.

BBN: Meeks to turn pro

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:16:40 EDT

Meeks' decision to keep his name in the NBA draft means that UK will have to find someone to fill some awfully big shoes at the 2-guard if they want to live up to the super-sized expectations that certainly still await Coach Calipari's 1st season in BBN. Not only was #23 one of the premier 3-point shooters in all of college basketball (all-time treymaker in UK history), he did most of his damage with defenses focused on containing him with little regard for any other shooters out on the perimeter. And his excellent FT% ability will no doubt be missed down the stretches of those tight games. Personally I would have loved to see Meeks back for a great Senior run to cement a legacy as one of the all-time legends in UK history, but you can't fault him for pursuing a career after all the adversity he's had to endure the past few years in Lexington.

FDA Effect: Shanahan's New Gig?

Sat, 30 May 2009 7:09:57 EDT

Just curious, is Mike Shanahan now coaching in the Rays' bullpen?That's one super-sized committee they have down there in Tampa... funny that with six rostered TB RP's in the Yard for Friday night (Isringhausen, Balfour, Wheeler, Howell, Thayer, and Percival (DL)) the Rays got a save from... Randy Choate?!?...

Hilarious "Caliparity" song

Sat, 30 May 2009 6:59:42 EDT

kudos to Gary Parrish's blog for posting this link to "Johnny Calipari"...Whatever gets anyone through the mourning/hatred/envy process, I say!(UK haters: just remember that Memphis was left holding their blank check from FedEx when CC came to LEX for LE$$) Definitely worth the listen in spite of the BG-like drunken karaoke vocals!

BBN: bad day may 27

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:39:17 EDT

Any way you slice it, a bad news cycle trifecta for BBN:

Former UK coach sues school's athletics association for breach of contract, fraud, and punitive damages -- if that ain't the pot calling the kettle black I'm not sure what is!

NCAA accuses Memphis of major violations under Calipari -- shady circumstances are said to revolve around former one-and-doner Derrick Rose.

UK recruit Wall pleads guilty to misdemeanor -- no harm, no foul; just foolish teen malfeasance (at least that's the way we here in BBN rationalize it since he is headed to Lexington and not Duke or Florida!); you can bet UK will hear its share of "back door entry pass" wise cracks this season.

FDA Effect: Dirty Sanchez

Tue, 26 May 2009 6:57:24 EDT

With 6 players on the DL (Escobar, Duch, Kazmisery, Guillen, Ludwick, Iannetta) and a couple (K-Rod, Sandoval) more in fantasy triage, Queso needed to clear a roster spot for a catcher. Dropped Jonathan Sanchez in lieu of his h2h matchup with Vazquez. After a scoreless showdown into the 5th, naturally it was Vazquez who blinks first: final score 8-2, with the W going to the Dirty one... "Hanrahan Haters Club" is seeking new memberships: The Nats closer is up to 5 saves as a free agent (no saves and a 13.50 ERA when rostered by Lumps, Busters, Cheap Seats).

The Fantasy Drop/Add Effect

Wed, 13 May 2009 23:31:48 EDT

(May 9) Weekend lame duck OF Juan Pierre (approved trade execution pending) inserted into lineup in favor of Chase Headley, who had been out of the lineup for several days nursing injury (not to mention a sub-par season in general too). Pierre, you'll recall, was freshly picked off the free agent heap minutes after the announcement of Manny's 50-game suspension, then mercifully dealt to Goinyard (since Pierre had been curiously holding down GY's reserve spot the 1st 4 weeks of the season in the faint hopes that he would somehow find playing time to boost GY's team SB total into double digits by Memorial Day) for ex-Con Queso reserve Elvis Andrus. While Pierre did provide an unexpected bonus of 3 RBI, all Headley did was have a 2-steal game... where'd that come from?! (Answer: from my bench!)

Patterson will be back

Sat, 09 May 2009 11:51:11 EDT

UK made the official announcement on Friday. Somewhat surprising, given that the formal NBA evaluations have yet to take place. Meeks apparently will remain in the fold to test his status, but Patterson was thought to have much better draft standing than Meeks, and one would think Meeks will return for his Senior year. With good odds of Coach Cal landing highly-coveted prospect John Wall later this month to top off the already-#1 recruiting class, 2009-10 will no doubt be the most highly anticipated (with the highest pre-season expectations) season in BBN since 1996.

Assuming Meeks returns, the current roster is +2 over the scholarship limit:

1: E.Bledsoe, D.Liggins, K.Galloway2: J.Meeks, J.Hood3: D.Miller, D.Dodson, R.Harris, AJ Stewart4. P.Patterson, M.Pilgrim, J.Harrellson5. D.Cousins, D.Orton, P.Stevenson