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Ok, this may be a shameless way to promote a Podcast but I feel it needs to be done!
We have already recorded many trial shows which have been listened to by independent producers from around the country. The show has already drawn interest from mass media companies looking for a “fresh breath” version of sports talk radio.
The Jimmy Failla Experience is going live on 6/9/10 on BlogTalkRadio.com
What's a better way to build a loyal audience than to give stuff away... right?
The first give-a-way will be an Apple I-Touch.
There are two ways to enter:
1) Wait until we announce the contest on the air on BlogTalkRadio.com during the month of June.
-or-
2) Get a leg up on the competition and follow me on Twitter! Your name will then be automatically entered into the pool for the I-Touch along with any subsequent give-a-ways.
www.Twitter.com/SheasCurse
Francisco Rodriguez showed us once again what happens to a hard throwing closer when they lay off the Sosa Snacks. With one strike left on David “The Nerd” Eckstein, K-Rod let up a seeing eye single to score the tying run and set the stage for a walk-off grand slam by Adrian Gonzalez. So, once again the Mets fail to win a road series this season. What’s more, the Mets have not won a road series in over a year. But that’s not the real problem. K-Rod continues his assault on taking over first place in the unpopularity contest currently held by Oliver Perez. While Perez still holds a big lead, K-Rod is quickly narrowing the gap.
Does anyone remember what a relief/closer used to be? Back when baseball was played by men who didn’t complain about when and under what circumstances they were used, the title of relief/closer was played by a former starter who could still throw strikes; just not for nine innings. Guys like Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and Dennis Eckersley mowed down hitters from the seventh inning on. It wasn’t because they threw the ball 100 mph, it was because they still had the ability to establish their fastball early in the count and then follow it up by throwing breaking pitches for strikes.
Lee Smith and Randy Myers changed the landscape of relief pitching. Now there was a specialized spot on every MLB roster for a hard throwing “closer”. A guy who would come into the game for the sole purpose of striking out three batters in a row; all while trying to break the speed of sound with their fastballs (as long as it was a “save situation”). Their mystical powers would somehow vanish however if their team was ahead by more than three runs. And, on the off chance they were used in the eighth inning, you could rest assured that their agent would receive a call the following morning. These hard throwers paved the way for closers like; Billy Wagner, Armando Benitez, and Eric Gagne… remember them?
From 2005-2008, K-Rod was one of the games most prolific closers. With a fastball that ranged from 95-97 mph and some decent breaking pitches, he was able to keep hitters off balance and make them swing at slower stuff in the dirt. Now that his fastball is sitting in the low 90’s and his breaking stuff consists of a mediocre splitter and a run-of-the-mill change up, even National League hitters are teeing up on him.
In addition to his declining abilities, K-Rod has been consistently complaining about his in-game usage. This came to a head during a (swept under the rug) pushing contest with Mets bullpen personnel in mid-May.
It is no debate that across town, Mariano Rivera has been the most consistent closer over the last 10 years. Every batter knows what they are going to get from him (cutter in) yet, they still can’t hit it.
K-Rod makes this Mets fan long for the days of John Franco and his tomato patch. Maybe he wasn’t the most animated and highest paid closer in history, but at least you knew you could count on him give the team and the fans 100% Between his on the field performance and his off the field charity work, Franco exemplified what a professional baseball player should be. Where as K-Rod, with his man-tantrums and huge contract to go along with his sporadic effectiveness, exemplifies everything that is wrong in professional baseball today.
For more fun and candid insights, follow me on Twitter:
www.Twitter.com/SheasCurse
It was only a matter of time before the players themselves got fed up with the antics of Oliver Perez. The New York Post is reporting that teammates of Perez are calling for is outright release.
Manager Jerry Manuel was questioned before last night’s game and asked what kind of situation would have to arise in order to put Ollie in a game. He alluded to the fact that it would have to be an extra innings game; perhaps in a setup role for a position player.
So the Mets will play with essentially a 24 man roster until one of two things happen:
1) Ollie accepts a demotion to AAA in order to help salvage a floundering career.
2) The Wilpons, along with upper management, screw their heads on straight and swallow 20million dollars by giving Perez his outright release.
The first option would seem like the most acceptable; except to Ollie and his agent Scott Boras. They feel a demotion would hurt his career. Apparently neither one of them has taken a hard look at his stats and figured out that might be whats hurting his career. Perez is 0-3 with a 6.25 ERA in seven starts this year. In his three appearances since being banished to the bullpen, Ollie is posting an impressive ERA in the low double digits.
The second option scares the pants off of the Wilpons and the rest of the Mets organization. If Ollie is released than he will be owed 20 million American dollars. This would be a terrible onus to carry since the Wilpons are trying very hard not to show the fans that they were financially impacted by the Bernie Madoff scandal. However, from a baseball perspective, it would be hard to let a young, once promising, left hander go; for fear that he may flourish with another team in a different city. Either way, Perez is not going to flourish in Flushing.
The New York Mets are starting to turn their season around. The last thing they need at this point in time is a player who the others are starting to resent for his selfishness. For the fans, Perez has been the topic of great debate and dismay since 2008. If the New York Mets are trying to get back in the good graces of their fans, as they have sincerely attempted to do, then the first step should be to let go of Perez… two years ago.
For more fun and candid insights, follow me on Twitter... please!
www.Twitter.com/SheasCurse
The Indy 500 came and went today. With all the fan fair that surrounds it, the IRL series is yet to gain even a fraction of the popularity that the NASCAR series enjoys. In only one instance (2005), since 2001, has the Indy 500 gained a higher viewer rating than the Coca-Cola 600; which is run later that same evening.
Enter Danica Patrick.
Danica was supposed to be the International Racing League’s savior, although series officials would never admit this. She was supposed to drum up a new kind of energized fan base. However, to this point the only thing she has drummed up are hits to GoDaddy.com
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By now everybody has heard of the Philadelphia Phillies Being accused by the Colorado Rockies of stealing signs by way of binoculars. Apparently, Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was peering out from the bullpen and calling in the upcoming pitches to the dugout where the Spying Hawaiian, Shane Victorino, was gladly accepting the courtesy call. After further review of the facts, it appears that the Phillies were actually peering a bit further west of home plate at Coors Field; they were actually stealing tips from the Seattle Mariners instructional hitting videos. This proof came to light as the Phillies were shutout in three straight games at Citi Field by the New York Mets.
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The new and improved date for the live airing of our podcast will be Monday June 7th @ 9pm! This looks pretty set in stone. But then again, so did Vick's attendance as the Key Note speaker at the ASPCA National Convention three years ago. Stay Tuned...
www.BlogTalkRadio.com
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It’s final; the Super Bowl will grace the greater New York area with its presence in 2014. That’s right, three and a half years from now; we can expect to be super saturated with everything from NYC 2014 Super Bowl attire to self loathing media personnel; all longing to escape the cold weather. Instead, they will be thrust into the arctic tundra that is East Rutherford, New Jersey.
If you have listened to talk-radio in the NYC area, or tuned in to ESPN lately, you have no doubt found self-proclaimed experts debating the pros and cons of a “cold weather” Super Bowl.
The fact of the matter is, all of those brain trusts who believe a “cold weather” Super Bowl is a bad idea, fall just short of saying what they really mean; that what they really want is a tropical or desert heat vacation in February. Well, keep faith brethren
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I just wanted to give a quick shout out to everybody. I’ve been posting on New York Sports Source for the past few weeks and I’ve now moved over to ProSportsWrap.com
For those of you who followed me over…thanks for sticking with me!
For those of you who are wondering “who the heck is this clown?”…I don’t blame you
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It was a pretty light day in the sports world yesterday. So, I'm going to leave today's topic up to you guys! As a matter of fact, I could use a good topic for tonight's podcast. That being said, if you submit a topic and we get to it on the show, I'll post a link for the show so you can hear us debate your topic. Actually, either way I'll get the link out there! We don't go live until next Tuesday but some of our recordings are actually pretty funny and you guys might enjoy listening to them.
Topics to avoid if posssible, if not then hey whatever
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Charles Wang recently cancelled a team trip that would have taken the New York Islanders to China for nine whole days. In addition to consuming some awesome moo shoo, the team was going to host several other non-communist events.
Apparently the logistics that came with getting NHLPA approval were just too much to bear for Wang. One can only imagine the rigors the players union must put you through to complete this kind of trip if Wang was to give up so easily. I mean after all, he has spent the better part of eight years trying to revitalize a downtrodden section of Nassau County to no avail. One can also only assume that the NHLPA threw up hurdles greater than those imposed by Kate Murray and the Town of Hempstead legislative body; but that seems unlikely.
The players union just wants to make sure that there are adequate accommodations for the players and all venues/transportation are safe and secure. In other words, they don’t want the team to run into any unsuspected surprises; like the signing of an injured goalie to a 15 year contract
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Comment by Ryan DeCicco
on Mutiny in the Citi