Yankees vs. Canadiens: A case study in hate

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

The Yankees won their 27th Commissioner’s Trophy this fall. As an A’s fan, I am steaming hot mad. This seems to be the way of the MLB landscape where the top-moneyed teams buy up all the best free agents and those of us in small markets sit around and stew. Like this: I cannot express in enough words how completely awful it is that Alexander Emmanuel Rodriquez will receive an over-sized ring that he won’t wear next April. Stinks out loud it does.

Part of what makes the Yankees so awful or rather their fans so awful is that they’ve won now 27 World Series. They’ve been around since 1903 which makes them two years younger than the A’s franchise. (The A’s began in Philadelphia in 1901) They had “Murderer’s Row” and the “Bronx Zoo” and began poaching players from teams in full in the 1970’s. Some of it was other owners being cheap (Charlie Finley) and some of it was George Steinbrenner being a tyrant.

The latter is the leitmotif of the Yankees. Their infield includes the 252-million-dollar centaur, Mark Teixeria’s ugly mug, and Jeter. The pitching staff was created out of the ruins of the Indians and Blue Jays staffs (Sabathia and Burnett) and the rest of it is just old money.

By comparison, I offer the Montreal Canadiens. The most storied team in the history of the National Hockey, Les Canadiens have hoisted the Stanley Cup a total of 24 times since the inception of the NHL in 1918. Part of what made the Canadiens so dominant was that the NHL was a six-team league until 1967. In addition, there was a clause in the draft in the 60’s that allowed the Canadiens two picks in order to select French-Canadian born players.

Needless to say, the Canadiens won early and won often. Twice (the ’55-’56 season through the ’59-’60 season and ’75-’76 season through ’78-’79 season) the Habs won the Cup multiple times. These teams included a large collection of Hall of Fame players, coaches, and executives. The Canadiens are seen as the team to be against the NHL over. But the question is: Are they? I know that they were and are hated by Bruins fans. Ken Dryden’s great book The Game details how Dryden loved playing against the Bruins in the old Boston Garden because of the scope of the rivalry. I also know that the Habs are booed repeatedly by Leafs fans whenever they roll into Air Canada Centre.

The query that I have is: Who is more hated? Is it the Yankees with their entitled fan base, hyperventilating announcers, and disdain for long hair and beards? Or is it the Canadiens with the “bleu, blanc, et rouge” and the banners littering the rafters of the Bell Centre?

These guys could teach Joe Buck a thing or two

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

I don’t know exactly when, but at some point in the not-too-distant future, baseball will lose a great man. Ernie Harwell -- the voice of the Tigers for 42 years -- will succumb to the cancer currently ailing him.

I have never met Mr. Harwell nor have I been to Comerica Park. I do, however, know what it’s like to lose the voice of your team.

Bill King was the voice I heard every time I listened to an A’s game as a child. When he died in 2005, I was saddened not only because the Bay Area had lost 40 years of broadcasting gold, but also because I felt like I hadn’t heard him enough. From the Holy Roller to Hatteberg winning the 20th in a row, Bill King was there.

I had the opportunity to meet Bill King -- albeit briefly -- in 2004 at Spring Training. My only regret -- as with his overall career -- was that I didn’t talk to him for longer.

I consider Bill King and Ernie Harwell cut out of the same cloth. Legends in their field that almost transcend their sport. I feel the loss of Bill King only when I hear a great moment in A’s past with him on the call. I can only imagine that Tigers fans have the same feeling while listening to games on the radio.

This is one of the many reasons why people hate the likes of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Okay, so there are at least a hundred thousand reasons, but I don’t feel like going over all of them. The best possible way to handle that situation is to give over all nationally televised baseball games to Jon Miller. Miller works Giants games Monday through Saturday and does ESPN Sunday night games. Oh, and he’s a fantastic broadcaster and I’m an A’s fan.

Frankly, I’m not sure there is such thing as a great or even good color commentator. More people tend to focus on play-by-play men like Bill King and Ernie Harwell.

These are men who set the standard for excellence in broadcasting carried out by someone like Jon Miller. They are treasures of the game and are honored as such by their communities and fans. And while I could go on an El-Dorado-sized rant about Bill King not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame, I will abstain. For now.

I would like to offer good thoughts to Ernie Harwell and all Tigers fans. As I said, I’ve never met Mr. Harwell but I hope to go to a Tigers game in person sometime soon. For those of you who may have grown up with a similarly stand-out voice, think a good thought for that person. Whether it be Foster Hewitt, the late Myra Cope or Johnny Most, or Ernie Harwell, treasure those moments when they helped teach you the game.

The Toronto Maple Sox?

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

The Leafs are 0-6-1 as of Saturday’s loss to the Rangers. Don Cherry has already begun decrying Ron Wilson and Brian Burke but it’s early and Don Cherry’s a Leafs fan deep down. (Note: Any Leafs fan that can confirm or refute the previous statement, please do so). It appears that the Leafs again have issues “in the nets” as former Sharks back-up goalie Vesa Toskala has been less than stellar to say the least. Furthermore, his back-up, Jonas Gustavsson alias “The Monster,” is injured. This -- it seems -- is just another year in the season of the Maple Leafs.

I have tried to figure out a baseball comparison to the Maple Leafs. My first thought was that they were the Boston Red Sox of hockey. They were the second-class team to the Montreal Canadiens and had a history of “almost” just as the Red Sox did. The Leafs did, however, win 13 Cups from 1918 to 1967 and were fairly dominant in the pre-expansion era.

My second thought was that they were the Chicago Cubs of baseball. This, I know, is a tough thing to saddle anyone with. I have a great deal of respect for all the history and lore that is the Chicago Cubs. They have my favorite ballpark (outside of the Coliseum) in Wrigley Field and as everyone knows, haven’t won the World Series since 1908. Furthermore, they haven’t even made the World Series since 1945. What turns me away from a full-on Cubs-Leafs comparison is that there is a part of the Cubs fandom that embraces being the “lovable losers” partying down at 1060 W. Addison 81 times a year. This does not seem to be the arc of the Leafs fan.

I am thus at a bit of a standstill. I know that all three cities have powerful sports media bases scrutinizing their teams. Until the Cubs were just sold, they were owned by the Chicago Tribune. It is my common belief that every last Red Sox game is beamed live and in HD on NESN. Each game has an hour long pre-and-post-game show covering about as much as ESPN tries to do with Monday Night Football. The Leafs are the official team of Toronto even if the Argonauts, Blue Jays, and Raptors continue to play. The only time this may have wavered was 1992 and 1993 when the Blue Jays won the World Series -- although Dougie Gilmour and the Leafs were in the midst of trying to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

I would like to pose the following questions to Leafs fans: 1. Do you believe the Leafs are comparable to either the Red Sox or the Cubs? 2. Do you think that the Leafs are capable of winning the Cup sometime in the foreseeable future?

A quick revision: I wrote in a previous post that Maple Leaf Gardens was no longer standing. This is false and I will go see it when I’m in Toronto.

Break out the toques, Timbits, loud jackets, and Officer Koharsky jokes, it's hockey season

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

So, it’s hockey season, even if it isn’t quite cold enough for the snow to begin falling in Brampton. Since the season opened already and there’s no point in me trying to make predictions about a sport I didn’t grow up watching, here are a few broad generalizations:

1. The continued success of the “Original 6” is not just good for the NHL, it’s just plain good.

2. It has been 16 years since the Montreal Canadiens hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup for the 24th time. No Canadian team has won it since and I hope that Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, or Ottawa does.

3. I will bore many a person pontificating on how I think the Winter Classic match-up should be Boston vs. Montreal instead of Boston vs. Philadelphia.

4. That being said, if Chris Pronger and Zedeno Chara get into a center ice/infield fight and they align the rink so that you can check someone into Pesky’s pole, I may be swayed differently.

5. Don Cherry will say something that will make me laugh, confuse me, and make me angry.

6. I will see promos for “The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos” and being curious only in the time between when I see it and the close of the period.

7. Sean Avery will make someone angry. I don’t know who, I don’t know how, but this is about as easy a guess I can make as saying that Ichiro will have 200 hits again next year.

8. People -- and yes, it has already started: I saw Barry Melrose and John Buccigross discussing it on ESPN -- will proclaim that “The Great 8”/Alex Ovechkin could break Gretzky’s scoring record. This cannot be done, no matter how good Ovechkin is now and can be in the future. Gretzky was next-level good to the point that they changed the rules after him.

9. I will continue to be amazed/envious/slightly jealous of the awe and reverence that Canadians hold for Lord Stanley’s Cup. It will be for this reason that I will once again want the Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Leafs, Senators, or Canadiens to win the Cup if and only if the Sharks are unable to do so.

The Richmond Giants

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

No, not Richmond, Calif. but Richmond, Va., which starting in 2010 will be the home of the San Francisco Giants' Double-A team. This is of specific interest to me as my mother grew up in Richmond, Va. at a time when the Richmond Virginians or Virginia Vee’s were the Triple-A team of the New York Yankees. The Vee’s left in 1964, however, so the team I saw was the Richmond Braves. Visiting my Grandfather in Richmond, I have a few occasions to see the Braves at “The Diamond.” Sadly the Braves were relocated to Gwinnett, Ga. this season.

The city of Richmond has since been looking for another team to replace the Braves. Part of the problem is that “The Diamond” was not exactly the most modern facility. I’m not sure how necessary this is but considering the fact that the only other minor league ballpark I’ve been to is Raley Field (home of the Sacramento Rivercats), I can’t say for certain. It (“The Diamond) had a very college baseball feel to some extent though Richmond is not a giant sports hub. It is a wonderful city that doubles a quality college town (Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond, and Virginia Union among others) and was the birthplace of Arthur Ashe, Moses Malone, and Bruce Smith.

The former home of the Giants Double-A team was Norwich, Conn. I have never been to Connecticut but like most people I know it for ESPN, the Whalers, and UConn. I also know that it was never the seat of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Yes, Richmond was the capitol of the Confederate States and has a rather large statue in honor of General Richard E. Lee. It’s not gaudy but it’s there in “the Fan” section of Richmond along with a statue of Arthur Ashe.

Richmond has come quite a long way in the 144 years since the Civil War ended and is a very nice place to visit. It is about an hour south of Charlottesville where the Cavaliers are having an up and down football season. William and Mary?! Oh my. The scuttlebutt is that “the Diamond” will be refurbished for the Giants but considering the money they have tied up in Dave Roberts, Randy Winn, and Edgar Renteria, it may take a lot of votes and public funds. And we all know how quickly Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T was voted on.

In the meantime, the artist formerly known as the Connecticut Defenders will be rechristened the “Richmond Defenders” or something equally snappy. Maybe the Richmond Rusty the Robots or the Richmond Crazy Crabs.

The Hamilton Coyotes?

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

All right, so I’m not a complete expert on the inner workings of the NHL or the U.S. dollar to Canadian dollar exchange rate. What I do know is that the NHL made a giant mistake in allowing the Winnipeg Jets to be “relocated” to Glendale/Phoenix back in 1996. There are various reasons for this including: poor location, little-to-no fan base, and a money-losing franchise.

All told, each of these issues is interwoven. The snowy landscape of Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Winnipeg Arena fostered the careers of Teemu Selanne, Nikolai Khabibulin, Kris Draper, and Keith Tkachuk. They also had a nice, simple logo featuring the team’s name in white and a jet airliner. Plus, they represented Central Canada, an area generally not noticed by most Americans.

In truth, more people are familiar with the city of Phoenix, Ariz. What they are not as familiar with is Glendale, Ariz. I can’t imagine Gary Bettman and the powers that be in the NHL sitting around and thinking “Hockey in Phoenix? Sounds good.” Phoenix is the home of Spring Training baseball, the Suns, and the Cardinals. It is not the home of hockey.

Unsurprisingly, the Coyotes do not draw well and their losing money faster than a drunken CEO on a craps run in Vegas. Does that mean there aren’t a few Arizonans who have adopted the Coyotes as their own? No, but I would be very surprised. Frankly, I can only imagine that transplants from cold weather U.S. states or ex-pat Canadians are Coyotes fans.

This leads to the current situation where Research in Motion Ltd. head Jim Basille is trying to relocate the team to Hamilton, Ontario. Basille has been meeting roadblocks from the NHL, Glendale city officials, and other owners. Pushback by the city of Glendale combined with the Maple Leafs lack of desire for more competition in-province seems reasonable. The unreasonable comes from the NHL who seems to think it can have a hockey organization flourish in Arizona.

The alternative as presented by Basille is to move the Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario. The Leafs are against this because they feel it provides extra competition since Hamilton is much closer to Toronto than Ottawa. It is my personal opinion that this would be a good idea if not for another idea: give the Coyotes back to Winnipeg.

The city of Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba is not exactly a vacation destination. The only celebrity I know of from Winnipeg is former “Let’s Make a Deal” host Monty Hall. The only professional team in Winnipeg right now is the CFL’s Blue Bombers who recently had the good sense to not sign Adam “Pacman” Jones.

Basille’s motto for the Coyotes to Hamilton is “Make it Seven” referring to having seven teams in Canada. I agree, I just think that the seventh team should be in Winnipeg and he should push for an eighth in Quebec City. What say you, Jim Basille?

A voice from above

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

When the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum opened its turnstiles to East Bay baseball fans, there were two voices booming loudly. In the broadcast booth, it was Monty Moore detailing the exploits of the likes of Jim “Catfish” Hunter throwing a perfect game and “helping his own cause” by getting three RBI. A few rooms over, a bushy-haired man sat booming the names to the fans below. That man: Roy Steele.

Dubbed “The Voice of God” by Jon Miller, Steele has been the voice of the Oakland Athletics since 1968. He is the West Coast version of the Yankees Bob Sheppard. Like Sheppard, however, Steele is no longer able to work the Coliseum’s Public Address System.

As a young A’s fan in the late '80s, I can distinctly remember the names of Mark McGwire and Dave Henderson echoing through the Coliseum. It always highlighted the experience of sitting in the stands at the Coliseum. Not to mention the fact that A’s were consistently contending for the Commissioner’s Trophy (World Series Trophy) each year. I have never had the opportunity to meet Roy Steele but I would like very much do.

The reason for this is simple: I met Bill King in 2004 during Spring Training. This is the first and only time I’ve met an announcer in any sport. Because I was a bit out of the loop sports wise, my lauding of Bill King did not resonate the way it should. It also hurt his cause that I wasn’t hearing him broadcast Warriors or Raiders games when I was a kid.

Roy Steele, on the other hand, has been a constant voice I have heard throughout my childhood. I like Dick Callahan -- the current voice of the Coliseum and the Cal Bears -- well enough. He is a jovial sort and does a good job. The problem is that he is the unenviable position of following Roy Steele.

The same is true of Vince Cotroneo who was hired by the A’s after Bill King’s untimely passing in 2005. I can only think of one situation in which the man following a legend did so without a “bump in the road”: Harry Kalas.

In addition to having been the voice of the Phillies since 1971, Kalas became the full-time voice of NFL films after John Facenda passed in 1984. Facenda created many of the great voice over moments in the history of NFL films. For Bay Area purposes, one of his greatest was “The Autumn Wind is a Raider.” The combination of the musical score and Facenda’s voice is what Hawaiians call a “chicken skin” moment.

This only one moment in a sea of other, slower transitions from one voice to another. Like many things, I just miss “The Voice of God” as it hearkens back to a simpler time when Dave Henderson’s name boomed through the stands.

Getting reunited with the stirrup sock

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

One of the great phrases of all-time was whoever first referred to the NFL as the “No Fun League.” The fact that there are “uniform police” in the NFL borders on the fully ridiculous. One of the best examples of this was Jon Kitna getting fined by the NFL because he wasn’t wearing a Bengals hat during his post game press conference. Never mind that the hat was orange, it was more that it was religious. That is a different argument for a different time. What bothers me is not the NFL and its “uniform police.” What pisses me off is the lack of a “uniform police” in Major League Baseball.

I don’t know who first started wearing the uniform pants all the way to the shoe tops but has to stop. I could argue that this is a safety issue because people like Manny Ramirez look like he’s going to trip over himself. The issue is the disappearance of the stirrup sock. What is the stirrup sock you ask? It is generally a solid color sock worn over a “sanitary sock.” The A’s, for example, wore a green stirrup sock over a gold sanitary sock. The Cardinals wear the “barber pole” socks favored by Brendan Ryan and others. Most of the stirrup socks, however, were a simple solid color.

I realize that the authoritarian nature of league officials is bad for sports. No one wants to have people telling Jon Kitna what hat to wear or Wayne Gretzky how to tape his stick. What is at stake here is the definition of the word “uniform.” As I have heard one Adam Carolla yell on a few occasions, it is about “uniformity” or “sameness.”

I want people to wear stirrup socks because it is a safety issue. Take the aforementioned Manny Ramirez. The way he wears his uniform makes it look as though it is at least two sizes two big. This is compounded by the fact that the cuffs of his pant hang low over the back of his cleats. I can’t remember what Mr. Ramirez’s contract is worth, but I doubt Frank McCourt, Ned Colletti, or Joe Torre would like to see him blow out his ACL because he tripped over his pants.

On a selfish level, the stirrup sock look is a classic look that further makes each team unique. From the Kelly green and Fort Knox gold of the A’s to the Oriole orange, stirrup socks were an extra reminder of the team’s colors. Frankly, my only regret is that the Giants used to wear black stirrup sock but white and not orange sanitary socks.

There is hope on the horizon. A’s rookie pitcher Josh Outman donned the traditional A’s stirrup socks and showcased them to the general sporting public until he was shelved by surgery on his pitching elbow. I know one person can’t reverse a trend, so if Manny Ramirez wouldn’t mind tripping while rounding first, “That’d be great.”

Advice for Pacman as he heads north

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

So the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a new defensive back in one Adam “Pacman” Jones. Now Adam is a Georgia native who went to college at West Virginia. It snows on occasion in West “Fuckin” Virginia and in Morgantown, in specific. But this is “The Great White North” and the province that brought us Monty Hall. With that in mind, here are a few quick tips for Adam.

1. Winnipeg is located in Manitoba which is one of Canada’s 13 provinces.

2. The Canadian equivalent of the dollar is called a loonie and is a coin. You cannot “Make it Rain” with coins.

3. When people in Winnipeg refer to the “Jets”, they will not make any reference to Ken O’Brien.

4. DO NOT BADMOUTH WAYNE GRETZKY!!!

5. Yes, that is curling on TV.

6. Canadians are generally a friendly people but making fun of hockey is not advised.

7. Canadians also play rugby quite a bit. If you thought Hines Ward hit hard, try getting in a scrum.

8. The man with the loud suits on CBC at 8:00EST on Saturdays during hockey season is not, I repeat not, Howard Cosell or Craig Sager.

9. Make sure you have many warm coats/anoraks.

10. The head of the Canadian government is Prime Minister Steven Harper.

11. DO NOT BADMOUTH JOHN CANDY!!!

12. Canadian beer is stronger than beer “in the States.”

13. There are three downs in the CFL.

14. The field is 150 yards long and 65 yards wide.

15. The Grey Cup, much like its hockey counterpart the Stanley Cup, is larger and weighty. Should you and the Blue Bombers win one, make sure to lift with your knees.

Bonne chance, Monsieur Jones. While you are in Winnipeg, please remember that you are representing the United States to a small extent. As someone who likes Canada quite a bit, I would appreciate it if I didn’t hear that you and Link Gaetz are having a boxing match.

'Hartford...? The Whale...? They only beat Vancouver once, maybe twice in a lifetime.'

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

I am a fan of every Kevin Smith movie except Jersey Girl. To be fair though, Kevin Smith isn’t a fan of Jersey Girl and he directed it. One of Kevin Smith’s fine films is Mallrats, the first acting turn of My Name is Earl’s Jason Lee. During the movie, Jason Lee utters the following line: “Breakfast’s come and go Rene. Now Hartford? The Whale? Hey, they only beat Vancouver once maybe twice in a lifetime.”

The Whale to which Jason Lee refers is not Shamu nor Moby Dick but the Hartford Whalers Hockey Club. Added into the NHL from the WHL in 1979, the Whalers were the lone professional sports franchise in the state of Connecticut. For 18 years, they existed mainly as a franchise with a cool logo and their own theme song. Then came the year 1997 and the Whalers were taken away from Hartford. I do not remember this well as a young sports fan in California. I generally focused on football and baseball with a casual interest in basketball.

Seeing Mallrats introduced me to “The Whale” and in turn that Gordie Howe finished his illustrious career wearing a Whalers sweater. I also learned that the Hartford Whalers had become the Carolina Hurricanes. This annoys me as sports purist because I think of hockey as a sport played primarily in the 13 Canadian provinces and the upper Midwestern and New England United States. Proof of this can be found in the NCAA hockey teams routinely in the “Frozen Four.” Find me a UCLA, a “U-Dub” on that list and I’ll be very surprised.

This is a part of the larger question of the NHL being in far too many “Sunshine States” and the “Make it seven” campaign headed by Jim Balsillie from Research in Motion Ltd. I support M. Balsillie’s efforts and frankly think there should be eight teams in Canada again.

Then again, the city of Hartford threw a parade when “The Whale” made the playoffs one year. Made the playoffs! Toronto wouldn’t have people marching down Yonge Street and they haven’t won the Cup since 1967!

On the flipside, there was a recent New York Times article about fans in Hartford who still go out to the Hartford Civic Center wearing Whalers sweaters to see the local minor league team. Furthermore, a quick viewing of a University of Connecticut men’s basketball game will reveal Whalers banners still hanging from the rafters.

Put on the old 45 of “Brass Bonanza” Whalers fan. Maybe one day Gary Bettman will retire and someone smarter will bring back “The Whale.” Then Rene and Brodie can go to breakfast.

It's high and outside: strike 2 for the Giants

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

The infield of my youth was the 1989 World Champion Oakland Athletics featuring Mark David McGwire at first, Mike Gallego at second, Walt Weiss at short, and Carney Lansford at third. I still hold these men in high regard save McGwire who cannot be shown on film or in still photographs from his rookie year until the mid-90’s because of “the juice.” This will not be an article about the 1989 Oakland Athletics infield. It is instead about Carney Lansford and hitting.

Lansford is currently the hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants. One of the Giants bright young stars is Pablo Sandoval, a free-swinging 22-year old from Venezuela. Most of the Venezuelan major leaguers I can think of are not free swingers. People like Magglio Ordonez and Omar Vizquel are fairly patient hitters. Marco Scutaro is leading the Blue Jays in walks and ranks high in the AL lead for runs scored. Sandoval, on the other hand, is a disciple of the “You don’t walk off the island” mantra common to the Dominican Republic.

Highlighted in a recent Sports Illustrated column by Lee Jenkins, Sandoval was in A-ball with a cousin of Vladimir Guerrero. Whether or not Guerrero had a direct influence on Sandoval is not certain. What is certain is that Sandoval, like Guerrero will swing at anything close to the plate. This is much to the chagrin of Lansford who is quoted as saying, “We don’t have a lot of what I call ‘professional hitters.’”

Lansford does not stop Sandoval from free swinging but I’m guessing he is probably trying to curtail it. Lansford was himself a long time Major Leaguer playing for the Angels, Red Sox, and A’s. During his time in “the Nation,” Lansford re-worked his swing so that he could bang doubles off the Green Monster. Playing the original Coliseum, he became a gap-to-gap hitter with some pop and a masterful ability to cover the vast foul territory down the left field line.

As you can imagine, I am in the Carney Lansford camp all the way. It really isn’t even bad that Sandoval is a free swinger. What is the problem is that the Giants seem to have allowed free swinging to become the order of the day. As someone who remembers tales of Will Clark having 20-10 vision and dominating the 1989 NLCS, I can’t figure out the change. People harp on the Giants for not having a lot of power hitters since the departure of one Barry Lamar Bonds. I’m no studier of the Giants for the following reasons: I’m an A’s fan and I’m not being paid to follow the Giants.

Consequently, I cannot say for certain that all the Giants hitters are free swingers like Sandoval. What I do know is that if they are, it is not likely that they’ll go far in the playoffs.

Les Expos

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

I had a one-point thought of writing about a few teams I consider in the have-not column in Major League Baseball: the Orioles, Royals, Pirates, Blue Jays, Reds, Padres, and Mariners were all on such a list. I wrote out in my head what why I thought they fit into this category. In the end, however, I couldn’t make a cogent piece, so I scrapped it. There was, of course, a team that I left off this list and that may be the ultimate “have not” team: Les Expos de Montreal.

Born at Jarry Parc en Montreal, Quebec in 1969, Les Expos were the first Major League Baseball team born outside of the United States. From the start, unfortunately, they were second class citizens to the Les Canadiens de Montreal. Having already won 14 Coupe de Stanley prior to the birth of Les Expos, les Canadiens were and are the face of pro sports in Montreal.

The two best examples of Les Expos have not status are the following: the number of good players traded away and honoring Maurice Richard. Most people know about Les Expos trading players away. During the late eighties and early nineties, all the following players left Montreal: Andre Dawson, Dennis Martinez, Randy Johnson, Orlando Cabrera, Vladimir Guerrero, Andres Galarraga, Larry Walker, and Moises Alou. The only person to be traded to Les Expos was Pedro Martinez and that was only for three years and pre-Activator.

The other example is not meant as a dig at the late, great Maurice “the Rocket” Richard. The man started a riot for crying out loud! Inadvertently of course, it involved him losing the scoring title because he was suspended by Commissioner Campbell. The example is this: when Maurice Richard passed away in 2000, not only was there a public funeral at the Molson Centre but Les Expos wore a patch with Richard’s No. 9 on it. I can’t think of another time where this has happened anywhere.

Phil Rizzuto passed away died in 2007 and the Yankees wore No. 10 patches. I don’t remember seeing Henrik Lundqvist with a pinstriped “10” on his helmet. The only other cities where I could see this happening are Toronto, Detroit, and Chicago and only if it’s Darryl Sittler, Gordie Howe, or Bobby Hull.

Alas, les Expos are now the Washington Nationals (when the clubhouse manager sews on the letters correctly) and stinking out the joint. At one point, they were on pace to match and possibly eclipse the lowly 1962 New York Mets who lost 120 games.

Canadian pitchers are as healthy as a diseased hooker

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

Allow me to preface this missive with the following statement: I heart Canada. I grew up watching “You Can’t Do That on Television”, “Kids in the Hall” and re-runs of “SCTV.” I own not only “Strange Brew” on DVD but have the soundtrack on vinyl. Much of this is courtesy of my Dad who was not Canadian but rather Hawaiian-Chinese. I also believe that the toughest sport this side of rugby is hockey. I am of the opinion that hockey players are the toughest, more rugged, and yet nicest guys on the planet. Expect say Sean Avery or Patrick Roy who are red asses. I am also a fan of Canadian baseball players. It slightly bothers me that professional pinch-hitter and former Athletic Matt Stairs is no longer a Blue Jay even though he’s from Fredericton, New Brunswick and not Toronto. I worry, however, about Canadian pitchers.

This was born out a short conversation I was having with a woman sitting behind me at the A’s-Yankees game Monday night. It was a 1-2 count to Melky Cabrera, I believe, and the conversation lasted under a minute. The point was that former A’s pitcher Rich “Vandal of Style” Harden was injury prone. I always took up for Rich when he wore green and gold even though he was on the DL quite a bit. There are, however, other Canadian pitchers out there. Harden’s current team, the Cubs, has Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, B.C.) who was on the DL this year because he injured himself jumping over the railing of the Cubs dugout. Erik Bedard (Navan, Ont.) just had exploratory shoulder surgery and has been a disaster since being traded to the Mariners.

The last two examples are Jeff Francis of the Rockies and Scott Richmond of the Blue Jays. Francis has been on the DL and will probably be out for the whole year. Richmond was on the DL from July 1st to July 28th and then went out and lost to the A’s on August 1st. The question is simple: Why?

Matt Stairs has been a journeyman to be sure but he’s active, Jason Bay has stayed off the DL most of the season for the Sox, Russell Martin has been consistently behind the plate for the Dodgers, and Justin Morneau hasn’t missed much this year if at all.

Now all these men are position players and most of them don’t play every day but pitchers only pitch every five days. Hockey players, on the other hand, roll in shifts that last maybe a minute thirty max. Not every player is a bruiser in the style of a Jody Shelley or a George Parros whose main job title is “fighter.” And they don’t get injured as often as a Rich “Vandal of Style” Harden. Maybe they didn’t play enough backyard hockey growing up. Maybe Gerry Cheevers talk to these guys. Couldn’t hurt, seeing as he used to paint scars on his mask where the puck hit him...IN THE FUCKING FACE.

And they tore it down

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

They are many a fine building, ballpark, and stadium in the world of sports. Wrigley Field is a Mecca of good times, Old-Style beer, and Harry Caray’s oversized sunglasses. Fenway Park is the home of screaming matches, narrow seats, obstructed views, and the song Sweet Caroline. There is even Joe Louis Arena where octopi are hurled onto the ice and Stevie Y used to rule.

And then there are those places lost to history. The most recent of these was Tiger Stadium, formerly at the corner of Michigan and Trumball in Detroit. As a kid, I can remember watching the commemorative video covering the 1988 A’s season. In it, there is footage of Tiger Stadium with Bill King narrating about the A’s prowess. I used to watch that and be amazed by Tiger Stadium. Yes, it was cramped, hitting a ball out to center required being Cecil Fielder or Reggie Jackson, and the bullpens weren’t great. It doesn’t matter. The bulk of the Tiger’s history was written there. The 1968 World Series was won there. The 1984 World Series was there. Mark Fidrych talked to the dirt at Tiger Stadium. It was great and the wrecking ball keeps taking it away.

In basketball, there was Boston Gardens. A place with uneven parquet floors, Red Auerbach’s cigar smoke, Johnny Most’s voice, and Boston sports fans. DJ’s lay up, Bird being Bird (take that Manny), and Havlicek. And now there is the TD Bank North Gardens and it isn’t the same. Sure, there’s “The Big Ticket”, “The Truth”, “Jesus Shuttlesworth”, and “Big Baby.” Forget it, doesn’t have the same cache.

I would go into the numerous football stadiums that have been torn down but the truth is that it is more about teams being ripped from fan bases. Cleveland losing the Browns, Baltimore losing the Colts, and Houston losing the Oilers. The only great stadium in football is Lambeau Field and it still stands -- for now.

We come now to hockey. Hockey too has its history of poor relocations but for the purposes of this blurb, I’ll stick to buildings. The building in question is the Maple Leaf Gardens. The hub of Leafs hockey from 1931-1999, it saw Lord Stanley held aloft 11 times. It had multi-colored seats, a live band and an organ, and Bill Barilko. Who was Bill Barilko you ask? Well, a Leafs hall of famer, Barilko scored an overtime winner in 1951 to win the Cup against the Canadiens. Oh, and “Canada’s house band”, Kinston, ON own Tragically Hip immortalized him in their song “Fifty Mission Cap.” Toronto, of course, is the home of the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame. Yet even this building, even in Toronto, home of the Leaf, even there they tore down this gem.

Why does it happen? People shame young athletes for not knowing their history. Yet with sports it seems to be bigger and better. Maybe sometimes, but definitely not always.

What the hell happened to the Pirates?

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

I once rooted for Barry Lamar Bonds. Sounds weird, huh? Allow me to explain. The year was 1992 and the Atlanta Braves were back in the playoffs after losing the World Series in seven games to the Twins. That’s right, the Twins. The Braves opponent in the 1992 NLCS? The Pittsburgh Pirates complete with Andy Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla, Doug Drabek, and two young guys named Barry Bonds and Tim Wakefield. Seriously. I can recall that I rooted for the Pirates because they were underdogs and I like rooting for underdogs. That and the A’s had lost the ALCS to the Blue Jays. Clear in my head is the memory of Barry Bonds trying to throw out Sid Bream at home and believing he was out. He was, by the way, very much safe. This would not matter so much as the Braves went on to lose to Ed Sprague and the Blue Jays. Oh well.

The point of this is not to laud the once mighty Blue Jays and their excellent uniforms. What we are dealing with here is the once mighty Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club. The Pirates came into being way back in 1887 and have one the World Series five times in their history. This year, for example, is the thirtieth anniversary of the “We Are Family” Pirates headed by Alameda-native Willie Stargell. This wouldn’t be so bad if 1979 was the last time the Pirates had won the World Series.

The current version of the Pirates will not win the World Series this year. Yesterday, they traded off their double play combination in Freddy Sanchez to the Giants and Jack Wilson to the Mariners. ESPN did something interesting yesterday when they laid out the 2003 Pirates lineup. Not a one player was still on the team and two thirds of the outfield is in Boston and Atlanta, respectively.

I have no rational explanation for the Pirates misery. The Marlins have won the World Series twice for crying out loud. The goddamn Devil Rays were in the World Series. Yeah, that’s right, Devil Rays.

The only possible hope for the Pirates is for MLB to introduce a salary minimum like the NBA and NHL that forces teams to spend a certain amount but not above the already established salary cap. That or transfer ownership to one of the other current Pittsburgh sports team owners. I’m not sure how much either the Rooney’s or Sir Mario Lemieux know about baseball but it’s got to be better than what the Pirates have now.

Adieu Mr. Holliday

he following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

As news came across ESPN's ticker that the A’s had traded Matt Holliday to the Cardinals for 3B Brett Wallace, OF Shane Peterson, and RHP Clayton Mortensen, it wasn't something unexpected. Frankly, when the news came across the proverbial wire, my first thought was, “Well, about time.”

When the A’s traded Greg Smith, Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Alan Embree to the Rockies for Holliday in the off-season, I had mixed emotions. Gonzalez and Street were both two good young players with Street having been the 2005 Rookie of the Year. Smith was an up-and-coming lefty who was victimized by a lack of run support and Embree was a journeyman out of the bullpen. I didn’t think about the A’s not keeping Holliday through the end of his contract. Every media outlet did that. I just watched him play and wanted to see how good he was up close and personal.

At various points during the season, I felt as though Holliday was “lollygagging” on some plays. I can’t prove this any more than I can prove Newtonian theories. When it came out that Holliday had done a radio interview during which he said he’d like to be “on a contender,” I resented it. I understand that in the modern baseball era, players will think about getting moved in order to improve their chances of winning a ring. What got me was that Holliday never seemed to be trying to hide it.

Even during the A’s comeback against the Twins on Monday, even after hitting a game-tying grand slam, he seemed non-plus. Listening to Holliday be interviewed on the A’s post-game show, I had it crystallized. He sounded very much as though it was just another game. Now I know that he had played a crazy game with the Rockies against the Marlins where the Rockies and Marlins played a Coors Field special that ended something like 19-17. The fact is that when Holliday hit the grand slam and afterward, he seemed bored.

The old adage is: “Act like you’ve been there before.” Even if Holliday had been in a similar situation once, “Get excited!” as puppet Lebron James said. Maybe I’m too naïve, maybe I expect too much out of athletes. I just like to think that an athlete is capable of being overcome with emotion when something unexpected happens during a game, match, etc.

As usual, Bill Simmons on ESPN expressed this idea well, although he did in terms of the Red Sox. The 2009 Sox, he noted, were like Timothy Hutton’s girlfriend in Beautiful Girls. “A good solid seven and a half” but nothing that stood out. The A’s equivalent of this is Miguel Tejada. Miggy was an open show of emotion at the drop of a hat. Sometimes, I’m sure this pissed off various opponents and that he should have been more reserved. Holliday’s problem seems to be that he was only reserved.

And now he's back in the National League. Where he belongs.

Ten-run deficit? Sure, why not?

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

Often I have sat at the Oakland Coliseum during a lopsided affair. As people around me have stood up and started to walk out, I think the same thing, “You’re going to be sorry when the A’s come back.” Most of the time, sadly, the A’s do not come back. The A’s-Twins game Monday was shaping up to be one of those games. It did not, however, and ended up being one of the wildest things I’ve ever seen. This then is a recap not fully in the style of but certainly inspired by the “retro diaries” often employed by “The Sports Guy” Bill Simmons.

As I settled in with my Gordo’s burrito, I watched Gio Gonzalez getting worked early. Justin Ernest Morneau tagged him for a lightning quick grand slam followed by a Michael Cuddyer solo shot. The A’s were down 5-2 by this point and things were not looking up. When Morneau clocked his second homer, a three-run jack, a white flag may have been in order. Yet there I was, feeling hopeful.

I was on thin ice when the A’s were down 12-2. That a Holliday two-run shot and a Barton two-runner made it 12-7 was encouraging until the Twins scored their 13th run. At that point, the seventh inning, I stood up at took a bathroom break. I returned to my seat just as Morneau overran an Ellis pop up in foul territory. Ellis ended up walking and Cabrera followed with a two-run dunk single to right. When Scott Hairston walked, I got my hopes up way high. With the score now 12-9, I dreamed big and wanted Holliday to hit one out. I even employed an ESPN device of reciting the line from Madonna’s “Holliday” of “Holiday, celebrate.” Dreaming entirely too big, I know.

“Tell it goodbye” were the words out of my mouth as Holliday crushed an off-speed pitch over the right-centerfield wall. If I had planned it, I would have said “Holy Toledo” but Lon Simmons came to mind before Bill King. I had no time to react when Cust hit a soaring-uppercut-induced solo shot following Holliday.

And then was the 9th. When Michael Wuertz struck out Morneau for the second out, I was convinced there would be a clean ninth. Cuddyer stopped that by singling to right and intentionally walked the next hitter. With Delmon Young up, Wuertz spiked a slider into the dirt and off of catcher Kurt Suzuki’s shin guard. The ball ricocheted to the backstop and Cuddyer was on the move. Suzuki scrambled, picked up the ball and threw to Wuertz covering and tagged Cuddyer for the third out. The reality of course is that Cuddyer was safe but the game ended. This is when I came back to Bill King and the “Holy Roller.” If you can find the extended version of that call, you’ll here King say, “Madden wants to know if it’s real. They say yes, get your big butt outta here. He does.”

And so did the A’s.

Unadulterated Ice

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

The NHL network does not have a glut of programming available to it. Unlike the NFL and MLB networks, the NHL network generally shows a collection of 30-minute or hour-long specials talking up players, coaches, teams, or announcers. The only time it varies is during the All-star break when they heavily covered the events in Montreal, during the draft, and simulcasting hockey from TSN, CBC, and occasionally Rogersnet. All this is fine. The NHL network is not an old entity and in time may develop programming much the same as the NFL and MLB networks. On July 19, 2009, however, they took a new step and in doing so provided a thought.

The NHL network replayed the fifth and final game of the 1979 Stanley Cup finals between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. The game was played at Montreal’s venerable Forum. This was the first time I have ever sat down and watched a game featuring one of hockey’s hollowed buildings. Part of what drew me to it was former Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden. Dryden, who was playing in his last game that night, went on to pen the book The Game. If you haven’t read it: do so. It is a fantastic look at both hockey, Montreal, and the inner workings of perhaps the most storied franchise in sports.

What stood out for me was not Dryden in the nets, Lemarie and Robinson on the wings, or Shutt and Savard up front. What caught my eye was what was not there. The boards at the Montreal Forum had not one advertisement on them. The ice only bore the classic logo of the Canadiens at center ice. Only by looking into the stands did someone see an ad for Molson beer.

These days, every arena, ballpark, and court has advertisements all over them. This is especially confusing in hockey where the contrast of the ice and the vulcanized rubber puck is how the sport can be followed on TV. Sure, the advent of HD has helped immeasurably but the ads are too much.

Going back to Dryden and The Game, there is an anecdote in it where Dryden talks about playing in the 1976 hockey game between Canada and the USSR. The game was to be televised on CBS but the NHL felt it needed more income. To supplement their income, they sold advertising space on the boards. The CBS brass was so incensed that they deliberately shot the game so as to not show the ads. I still shake my head when I think about this fact.

The problem is that there is too much money to be had with advertising and the NHL is not a cash cow. That being said, the NFL -- which does consider itself an endless moneymaker—is completely dictated by ads. Thus, the Super Bowl is a stop and start event better watched at home and the seventh game of the Stanley Cup is an edge-of-your-seat thriller good on TV and great in person. C’est la vie.

Lucky mustaches, powder blue jerseys and real, friggin' grass!

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

As we are at the All-Star Break (or were like two days ago), I found myself with a collection of thoughts and not the ability to stretch them out into lengthier posts. Thankfully, however, we are in the moment of the “tweet.” Thus, this is a smorgasbord of thoughts that may or may not be hilarious. Pick what you want, skip what sucks, and mind the sneeze guard.

The St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff: It has come to my attention that the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff has started growing “lucky mustaches.” I am all for it. Not merely because I hate the fact that the Yankee mandate about no long hair. What is funny and yet all at once obvious is that the Cardinals bench coach is Dave Duncan. For those of you that don’t know, Dave Duncan was the primary catcher of the 1972 Oakland Athletics dubbed by Oakland Tribune writer Ron Bergman: the Mustache Gang. All I ask is that Duncan or his son Chris grows one. Please.

Another thought from the All-Star game festivities: As ESPN scanned the crowd at Busch Stadium, one saw fans in the St. Louis Cardinals mid-80’s jersey in all its powder blue glory. Because I grew up in the 80’s, I have nostalgia for powder blue jerseys such as these and those worn by the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. The best example, however, were the Kansas City Royals who have brought back the jerseys but not the pants. Bring back the powder blue pants of George Brett and Bo Jackson Kansas City!

The Oakland Raiders: This year marks the fifty anniversary of the Oakland Raiders. It has been twenty-six years since the Raiders won the Super Bowl and then they were Los Angeles. Long gone are the days of guys named “Assassin”, “Snake”, “The Ghost”, and “The Mad Bomber.” What is further gone is the rivalry that existed in the 1970’s between the Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It had everything: great nicknames, great coaches (Madden and Knoll), theme songs (!), and voices (Myra Cope and Bill King). The sad fact is that I’m not sure the swagger of the Raiders and the rugged meanness of the “Steel Curtain” can be recaptured. Phooey.

Grass in Toronto: There used to be Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario. From 1977-1989, it stood as the home of the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1989, the Jays moved into the then Sky Dome. From 1989-1993, Sky Dome/Rogers Centre was sold out and the Jays made the playoffs several times and one two titles in ’92 and ’93. What bothers me, however, is the fact that it has a retractable roof but artificial turf. This is a quibbling point, but a city like Toronto should have natural grass. Maybe that’ll persuade Doc Halladay to stay. Well, maybe.

The Good, the Bad and the Wicked Awful

The following is written by David Kamoe, a life-long sports fan whose sister is a close friend. David is an avid A's fan, wen to to high school with Drew Gooden and can't believe that Giants commentator Mike Krukow used to refer to the right-centerfield expanse at Pac Bell Park as "Finley Alley," referring to Steve Finley who remarkably wore a Giants uniform for a season. David will likely be stopping by these parts a few times a month, so treat him right. And no sister jokes.

Note: The title of this blurb should be read using a semi-decent Bostonian accent a la the movie, "Beautiful Girls.".

On the Sixth day of the Seventh month of the year 2009, the Oakland Athletics prepared to play the Boston Red Sox. The pitching match-up featured A’s youngster Brett Anderson against life-long Atlanta Brave John Smoltz, now of the Red Sox. The subplot to the story was the return of two former Red Sox who happened to have been traded for each other five years prior.

First to the bat was Orlando Cabrera who received a nice cheer from “Red Sox Nation.” They cheered because he was a part of what Kevin Millar dubbed “the Idiots” who won it all in 2004 after 86 years of “almost.” The next ovation went beyond my general dislike of both the East Coast complex of “We’re #1!” and the leitmotif of Boston fans for feeling as though the world’s owed them. When Nomar Garciaparra was announced over the Fenway public address system, “Red Sox Nation” rose up in a lengthy amount of applause. I am not sure that “Red Sox Nation” wanted to see “Nomah” hit a homer as I did, but that he grounded out in his first AB was probably just fine with them.

What was not fine -- or should not have been fine -- was a beach ball in the crowd. This is something I count on seeing at Dodger Stadium or Angels Stadium. Certainly not at Fenway Park with its 97 years of history. Yet there were A's broadcasters Ray Fosse and Glen Kuiper noting a beach ball on the field at Fenway.

This would have been bad enough if it wasn’t for something else that cameras could not shield. As I watched the A’s feed of the game, I saw the crowd at Fenway Park doing the wave. Had I been drinking water, I would have done a Danny Thomas spit take. (Ask your parents. Better yet, Google it.) There can be only one even slightly plausible explanation for this: the Oakland A’s aren’t the same draw they used to be and those that filled Fenway on this Monday evening were members of the extended “Red Sox Nation” and not Bostonians. Were they, however, actual residents of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine: what is wrong with you? “Red Sox Nation” is considered a “hardcore fan” with extensive knowledge of all things Sox. See Bill Simmons, Ben Affleck, Steven King, et al.

I would offer the story of the late Bill King, legendary broadcaster of Raiders, Warriors, and A’s games and his general dislike of the wave. I could point out the wave is subject to a variety of origins. Instead, I would simply note that the wave is a device used by fans who are bored. If you’re bored, why are you there? People always offer that baseball is too slow. Go watch a football game live and watch the game be completely controlled by a man wearing orange gloves to the elbow.