Hans Smith, 23, wrote a letter to Sony in 2008, the makers of the game “MLB: The Show,” to express his gratitude for their release of such a realistic game. Smith, who has cerebral palsy and can’t so much as grip an actual baseball, wrote about how the game allowed him to live out the experience of playing baseball. The creators of the game were so touched by his gratitude that they actually put him in the game.
“The team really took it to heart. We never get letters like this,” said [development team member Jennifer] Kacizak. “He is just so inspirational, humble and grateful, he keeps telling me that he never expected us to do this, he never asked us to.”
Hans was invited to visit the developers of the gameThat’s a pretty cool story, much better than that silly $1 million promotion for whatever it was. It would have been amusing to see them put Hans’ wheelchair in the game, even if it would have been incredibly poor taste. He couldn’t have been any slower than Adam Dunn.
Texas Rangers manager (for now) Ron Washington failed a test for cocaine in July of last year, according to a new online report. Washington apparently told the team after the fact that it was, according to the report, “a one-time transgression.” Uh huh.
“I did make a mistake and I regret that I did it,” Washington told SI.com by phone from Surprise, Ariz., on Tuesday night. “I am really embarrassed and I am really sorry.”
Washington declined to discuss the specific circumstances surrounding his decision to use cocaine because he didn’t want his family to hear about it in the media. “Any attempt to try to explain it is going to sound like excuses,” he said. “There is no right way to explain something wrong, and I did wrong. Was it tension? Maybe. Anxiety?”
He said he only did it once, and I totally believe him. And I love how he says he won’t make excuses, and then proceeds to make excuses. Washington reportedly notified the commissioner’s office before the results were known that, yeah, he was doing cocaine. Personally, I’m not worried; there are plenty of treatment options for people battling drug addition. Being stuck as manager of the Texas Rangers sounds like an even bigger problem. Hell, I’d be doing worse drugs than that if I had that job.
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter would like to elaborate on his thoughts on Latin American players, and how they relate to African-American ballplayers that grew up here in America.
“What troubles me most was the word “impostors” appearing in reference to Latin American players not being black players. It was the wrong word choice, and it definitely doesn’t accurately reflect how I feel and who I am,” Hunter posted on his Angels-sponsored blog Wednesday afternoon.
“What I meant was they’re not black players; they’re Latin American players. There is a difference culturally. But on the field, we’re all brothers, no matter where we come from, and that’s something I’ve always taken pride in: treating everybody the same, whether he’s a superstar or a young kid breaking into the game. Where he was born and raised makes no difference.”
So…there’s no difference in your eyes between blacks and Latinos, Torii? [Emphasis added.]
“…The point I was trying to make was that there is a difference between black players coming from American neighborhoods and players from Latin America. In the clubhouse, there is no difference at all. We’re all the same. –Y! Sports.
So aside from the obvious differences in race, there are no difference. This is what I’ve been saying all along. It’s like when I go down to the Navy Yard and specifically request an Asian girl, and they bring me this Indian chick. “India is IN Asia,” they keep telling me. Next thing I’m gonna hear is that Australia is a country and a continent. What, you think I was born yesterday? Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier today, Deadspin cited an online report, saying that noted FOX sports broadcaster and alleged douchebag Joe Buck was separating from his wife. The source? Joe’s mom, Carol.
“They’re taking a break,” said Joe’s mom, Carol Buck. Buck, the son of the late legendary sportscaster Jack Buck, helms “Joe Buck Live” on HBO and continues his chores on FOX. –Berger’s Beat, via Deadspin.
Way to be optimistic, Mom. You make it sound like he’s just running out for lunch. “He’s just running out to grab a quick lunch and a 15-year-old from Singapore.” I guess that a woman that lived with two baseball announcers would develop a knack for understatement. Are you taking on other clients, Mrs. Buck? There’s a certain quarterback in Pittsburgh that you use your expertise at the moment.
College football is coming to the House That George Built. The new Yankee Stadium will be hosting the Pinstripe Bowl this December, in arguably the worst name for a bowl game since the Poulan Weedeater Independence Bowl.
The game will feature a matchup between the Big East team with the third-best conference record and the Big 12 team with the sixth-best record after removing both conferences’ BCS Bowl participants.
The inaugural game will be the first college football game held in the Bronx since Dec. 15, 1962. –MLB.com
I’m somewhat surprised to see more postseason football–first the Super Bowl and now this–making its way up to the Tristate area, especially considering the obvious weather issues. But money talks, and I think I hear it saying, “We want to watch football,” and most people just do whatever the money tells them. I really thought this would work itself into a joke, but it ain’t happening. Right now I hear the money telling me to wrap it up. Good idea, actually.
The Washington Nationals got a deal when they managed to sign “can’t miss” pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg for four years at less than $4 million per. Today, they’ll see what exactly they paid for, as the right-hander will do his first pitching in a Nationals uniform in spring training this afternoon.
Drew Storen, another Nationals draft pick, played with Strasburg in the Arizona Fall League, making him one of the Nationals who has seen him pitch in a game.
“He’s a bulldog out there,” Storen said. “He’s one of those guys you like having on your team, because you know he’s a competitor. He’s so laid-back otherwise, you don’t necessarily see that. You’ll kind of see a different side of him. I don’t know if he’ll say he has a different side, but you’ll definitely see he turns it up a notch on the mound. It’s pretty fun to watch.” –WaPo.
Strasburg won’t put the Nationals in contention right away–the rest of their pitching staff is just abysmal. The San Diego State product should be able to contribute immediately to a team that finished dead last in the NL in team ERA last season. It’s like when you go out on Friday night and make out with the fattest, ugliest person at the bar. Saturday night, by definition, can’t be any worse.
