For The Love Of Jake...Shut It Down

Let's be the realistic, Jake Peavy shouldn't see a major league diamond for the rest of the season. Although I am cautiously optimistic about the trade for the next Chicago White Sox ace, it's just not worth the risk of rushing him back for "possibly" meaningless games and a "possible" playoff game.

As the White Sox continue to slide down the ladder of the AL Central (that's for you Kris) and their playoff chances fade away quicker than my receding hairline, it's just not worth the risk of possibly rushing back a Cy Young pitcher from an injury that has hampered him since mid June.



Looking at the White Sox remaining schedule, if Peavy were to return Friday September 4 against the Boston Red Sox, his spot in the rotation would come up a possible 5-6 times. However by the time September 4th rolls around, the currently 4.5 games back White Sox could easily be 6 back with 3 upcoming games in each the new Yankee Stadium and the Metrodome where as the Detroit Tigers play at home against the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland. If you're 6 games back of the Tigers with 27 to play....is the risk of further injury worth a couple of wins?

The White Sox have already rushed back one starting pitcher this season from injury.....Jose Contreras. After rupturing his achilles tendon late last season, many believed IF Contreras were to come back it wouldn't be until mid-June of this season. To every one's surprise however come spring training, who was in camp ready to start pitching right away?? Jose Contreras!! 4 months ahead of schedule!! To hear the words miraculous, spectacular, and shocking thrown around when what should have been said was HOW? WHY? HUH? Contreras was rushed back and promptly started the season losing 5 of his first 6 outings before being sent to AAA Charlotte for a month.



Rushing back players for potential match ups is outright insane. This is a highly paid, highly productive pitcher that the White Sox acquired. There is no reason why Jake Peavy should be rushed into a situation that he's not ready for nor the White Sox may not even be around for talking about a push for the AL Central title.

As sports radio hosts, we always talk about when is the right time to sit players so they can rest up for the next day/next season. In this case, wouldn't it be better to have a for sure 100% healthy Cy Young Award winning pitcher in Jake Peavy ready for spring training than rushing him back against opponents whom only one of which he has a winning record against (Seattle career 4-1)?

It just makes more sense to treat Peavy with kid gloves and play it safe rather than taking any chances on a batted ball hitting him in his pitching elbow. Oh wait....already happened.

I applaud the aggressiveness of the best GM in baseball Kenny Williams, but I'm good with waiting till next year for Peavy.

-RoCk
twitter.com/rock_mamola
facebook.com/rockmamola

5 Things The Cubs SHOULD DO The Rest Of 2009

So has the countdown finally ended? Has the bell tolled for the last time on the Cubs season? If a 15-6 loss to the worst team in baseball is any sign....then with a resounding yell I say HELL YEAH!!!

Finally the headaches that come with long nights of utter disappointment are what Hawk Harrellson would say "OVA!" The west coast trips where a team that won 97 ballgames last year can't win 2 total games in San Diego of all places are over. I don't have to watch anymore! Hurray!!!

So since we have 39 games left on the schedule facing not one opponent with a winning record, what would I like to see happen with the friendly ball club on the north side. So many of you have voiced your opinions on the Score and you have been heard. But with new management waiting to officially takeover and the end of another season of disappointment officially on the horizon.....listen up....here's what I'd like to see.



#1 - Play the Vets
You paid em, you play em. As bad of a position they've gotten you in by injury or just a lack of performance all year long....play Soriano/Fukudome/Bradley/Fontenoit/Theriot/Ramirez/Lee/Soto. This way you solve two issues. One being that you're playing the guy you decided to handover large long term deals too, and two....it gives the fans a chance to voice their frustration on a nightly basis at the friendly confines and every stadium around the country.



#2 - Fire Lou Piniella After The Season
If this season has shown anything, it's that Lou doesn't want to manage a ball club anymore. Being a person that HAS to listen to every post game press conference on a daily basis....if I wanted a recap of the game's highlights....I'll watch sports center. If I had a penny for every time I've heard:
"I don't know"
"What do you want me to say"
"Ah"
"I'm not sure about that"
"I've tried everything"
I'd be F'n rich and would have my own site for the Rock Report. The Tampa Mai Tai Tour has to end after this season.



#3 - Be Charitable....Give Refunds
If fans want to leave before the 4th inning of a game at Wrigley Field, you should allow them a 50% refund on the face value of the ticket. How many games have you watched where after the 3rd inning, you pretty much knew the outcome of the game (good or bad). It's alot of them. Between parking, CTA, beer, merchandise, and the ticket price themselves....you've already out priced most fans from taking their families to a game. Some families I know planned to come later in the year thinking a team that won 97 ballgames last year would be on pace for another run at October. It would be good PR for your fan base plus help with overall moral of the people who trek out to the n side.



#4 - No Post Game Press Conferences Unless It's About Something Impressive
The fans don't want to hear the BS anymore about this year. For too long it's been about IF the Cubs get on a roll. IF the Cubs can get their offense going. IF this and IF that....it's not gonna happen. The Cubs will be lucky to win over 81 ballgames this season....there is no need to hear crap when you know it's cliche crap. Stop wasting the fans time with your nonsense.

and finally......


#5 - A Public Apology
This is indeed the most important thing they can do and should do after the last game. For over 100+ years you have tried and tried again to bring happiness to your ball club's fans and you've failed every year. This year especially by getting rid of FAN FAVORITES Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa and bringing in Milton Bradley (who we can all agree is not). You grossly overpaid most of your starting 9 (including some on your pitching staff) to where it WILL handcuff you in later years to make quality additions to your ball club. Overall...the fans are not happy even if they still come out 41,000 strong every home game. I would wait for your last home game and have the entire roster come out to the field (management included) and publicly apologize for everything that has happened over the 2009 season. In a forgiving society that we live in....they WILL FORGIVE YOU.

Since the season is over...it's time to make good with the people who keep you in business.

-RoCK

And The Manhunt Begins....

The most wanted man in Chicago is a guy that wears his lid to the right and wears Kanye's white shades. He should be arrested just for that. I'm not that big on fashion, but that's just fugly.

So some clown decides to perfectly time a beer toss while no one is looking that way and now people want names/address/blood type/eye color/age/weight/birthday/sexuality of this guy. WHY?

What good does it do to single out some clown and give him an extra 15 minutes of fame? None. Do I feel sorry for the guy who was falsely accused of the "crime"....of course, but keep in mind that he was taunting Victarino after the incident as well. There were fans cheering the act last night and after the hangover wears off this morning I'm sure are saying "this guy should be burned at the stake for this!!!" Do I feel sorry for tubby who was promptly ejected by Cubs security? Not enough where I demand justice of true "criminal" of the matter. It does nothing to start a witch hunt for the suspect and demand he face his sentence.

Should he be banned from Wrigley Field like many meatball Cubs fans have said? NO. Like any other ballpark there are idiots at every turn...even at US Cellular Field. There is going to be incidents like this like it or not and the best thing to do is just move on and let the incident fade away.

Don't get me wrong, I think the act was (to be frank) bulls**t but in no way does identifying this "fan" do anything but cause more problems. If his name is released I'm sure there are some nuts out there that will track him down, call him relentlessly, heckle him at all times of the day, and for the most part make his life more miserable than it already is. What good does that do? Nothing.

Let's all act like grown ups and remember that idiots will act like idiots.....let's just move on. Sometimes you just can't stop stupidity and lets face it people, all in all it's just an expensive waste of a good cold one.


-RoCK
Joe O and Rock Show Saturday Nights On The Score
Follow The Show at: twitter.com/joeoandrockshow

Baseball's Best Fights - w/VIDEO!!!!

In light of the recent Kevin Youkilis/Rick Porcello fight last night.....let's take a trip back to what I believe is the top 5 baseball fights/scuffles/brawls/fisticuffs/tussles of all time.....

In case you missed Youk/Porcello.....


#5 - IZZY ALCANTARA KICKS CATCHER....STARTS BRAWL

Never seen anything like it. Izzy super kicks the guy like Shawn Michaels back in da day.

#4 - DAYTON DRAGONS VS. PEORIA CHEIFS

Cubs prospect Julio Castillo throws a ball at the dugout full speed.....and like Carlos Marmol of late misses hit target. The ball flies in the stands striking a fan in the head......Castillo got 30 days in jail and 3 years probation for the errant toss.

#3 - Don Zimmer Charges Pedro

There's nothing funnier than a senior citizen thinking he's still tough. Not a large fight....but still pretty damn funny.

#2 - AJ vs. Barrett (no embed video...but click here to view)

This put a new wrinkle on the crosstown series. Personally this one is my favorite because it was Michael Barrett's greatest highlight. Sucker punches are always so fun to watch.

#1 - ?

I don't know exactly what to say about this one.....this is a dance I learned in 3rd grade when I had to run to the bathroom in the middle of class.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Kyle Farnsworth vs. Reds - Click Here To View

Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura - Click HERE To View

Another Classic Japanese Baseball Fight - Click Here To View

and of course....The Cleveland Indians fighting each other


-RoCk

Joe O And Rock Show - EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT ON THE SCORE
FOLLOW THE SHOW AT twitter.com/joeoandrockshow

Patrick Kane: Perspective.....

So Patty Kane got arrested in Buffalo, NY Sunday morning and charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor counts of theft and criminal mischief. The incident allegedly happened because the cab driver did not have .20 cents change to give back to Kane and his cousin (James) after a cab ride to an unknown destination.

I'm not here to defend Kane and his alleged actions but working today's Mully and Hanley Morning Show and listening to the response of our listeners, I was shocked to learn how fast people play that morals card they have in their hip pocket. What Kane allegedly did was extremely wrong, but why are we so quick to judge in today's society?

We still haven't heard Kane's assessment of what happened and yet some people were calling for him to be traded this morning. Really?? That's what it's come to?? Everyone wants to nail this KID to the cross because he got aggravated over .20 cents in change? For Shame!

The issue isn't that Kane and his cousin allegedly went nuts on a cabbie.....it's that he was drinking at the age of 20!!! It's was funny listening this morning that people were insulted this multi-million dollar BOY went to extreme lengths to beat up a cab driver over a mere .20 cents. Yet when you bring up the issue of a multi-million dollar BOY drinking underage....people laughed it off with the excuse "Who doesn't drink at 20?" "Everyone in Buffalo drinks".

Aren't we missing the point here people?

What we should be more concerned with is the fact that a 20 year old KID was partying on Chippewa Street In Buffalo (a hot spot for a good time) and they served him. 20 YEARS OLD!!!! It just goes to show you that with celebrity comes certain luxuries which in Kane's case involves being able to drink in his hometown underage. That's something that needs to be addressed more than the beating of a Buffalo, NY taxi cab driver. Without the alcohol there is no incident, no mug shot, no court date, no controversy.

Think of when you were a young kid and when you tried to test the limits of life with a couple of beers. I bet you've done something in your life where the influence got to you too. What was the outcome of the event? A lesson in how abusing alcohol can make you do things which you wouldn't do in normal life.....which is indeed what happened Sunday night with James and Pat Kane.

So, to all those who want to berate this KID.....for shame.

-RoCk

Twitter: FEAR THE FUTURE

Before I begin....you can follow me at:
Twitter.com/rock_mamola
&
Twitter.com/joeoandrockshow
Follow me!!



As a member of the Twitter network for almost two years now, this week I saw some news of how mainstream media is still somewhat afraid of what some could consider as the death of print media. This week ESPN sent out a memo (which you can read HERE via Deadspin) to it's employees basically stating that any news to be reported by their "talent" (if you wanna call them that) is to be strictly prohibited to ESPN.COM and their television outlets only. Basically....if you have a story:
#1- You may not tweet the breaking news
#2 - You may not blog the breaking news
#3 - You can't have or state an opinion on "sports related content" unless authorized
#4 - Avoid giving inside scoops/internal policies on social networks
#5 - Don't respond to challenges by "critics" of your work
#6 - The Mouse will kick you a$$ if you violate any of these rules.


In an age of the 24/7 news cycle where news is broke at a seconds notice and with competition between newspapers/online media outlets/blogs/etc.....how can you restrict your people to branching out into the "new media?" That makes no sense to me at all.

I understand to some degree that corporations are concerned that if you allow the people (talent) to speak their minds that it may hurt your organization in the end. They didn't hire you for your opinion on what's going on, they hired you to do what's in the best interest of the organization. Some recent instances show that maybe Twitter isn't good for big business. For example, the whole Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) /Chad Ocho Cinco (@OGOchoCinco) back and forth on twitter where an argument didn't happen face to face...but more less Blackberry to IPhone making the discussion not private but a public event. Or the recent fine of Antonio Cromartie (@crimetime31) by the SD Chargers where he tweeted negative comments about the food served at training camp.

But why does big business fear the same people they hire? Are they not allowed to use a platform to communicate with "followers" in ways that were previously not available?

That's the kind of information you can't get anywhere else at a seconds notice. People want it now and in the 140 characters or less. If it were reported in the print media, you would read it the next day in the paper. It's the fact that you can get exactly what Shaq's (@the_real_shaq) next conquest is, or what Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) is eating for lunch that makes this so interesting. Some may think that what Kevin Durant (@KevinDurant35) does in his free time isn't that interesting.....but why then do 55,746 people sign up to "follow" Durant and his ustream broadcasts? Why do 796,964 people care what Serena Williams is up to? Over 1.68 MILLION people want to know what Lance Armstrong is up to on a min-by-min basis. Obviously people want their info straight from the source and without approval.



The technology allows the fan to communicate with the athlete therefore removing the middle man (print media). Twitter accounts are frowned upon by professional franchises because it allows unfiltered news/comments about what is going on with their team. But isn't that what makes twitter attractive?

The fan is sick of the generic filtered response of sports....they want to be more inside and know what the inner workings are. Why not let athletes tweet their thoughts during a game....wouldn't it make the game a little more interesting? Wouldn't it give the "print media" and "digital media" more fodder to talk about? The fact that 10 NFL teams so far have banned reporters from tweeting the activities of training camps around the country is rediculous. I enjoy reading what Zach Zaidman (@zachzaidman), Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs), David Haugh (@davidhaugh) are updating LIVE from Bourbonnais. For the people that can't go, can't listen to the radio and don't wanna wait till the next day to read the updates from camp.....pull out your phone and read in real time what's going on with a little editorial here and there. That's the attraction. Information fast and easy to read with no fodder or censorship.

Companies should be promoting this service and learn to adjust to it. Promote the fact that your people have the best information and will get it to you the quickest and easiest way to read it possible. To hold "talent" back from sharing information and waiting for an "ok" from the big boys in expensive suits is just absured.

Let the "talent" be what they are....reporters who get information and make it compelling to read. That's what the people want and in an extremely competitive era of sharing info.....you better get with the program.

-RoCk
twitter.com/rock_mamola
twitter.com/joeoandrockshow

So I'm watching NASCAR on a monday morning and for some reason I'm more into it than on a normal weekend. I'm calling for more Monday NASCAR races!!!
-Rock