Martin Kester

Album review: Nas - (Untitled)

2008-07-29T16:08:00.002-05:00

This is a response to an email from a friend about Nas's new album. I wrote my review below, then read this from XXL, the LA Times and the only review I actually agree with...

Anyway, read on for my humble thoughts on an album I heard about, awaited and was both disappointed and surprised.

I don't listen to ask much hip hop anymore either. As an art form, it's almost pushing its older generation of fans away with what passes for what is considered the best.
I mean, people who listened to The Who and the Rolling Stones may not have liked Aerosmith and Van Halen, but there were similarities. There is nothing similar between KRS-One and Rakim and T-Pain and Young Jeezy, expect they're each on top of the game.
Nas' album isn't like the rest of the stuff out now, so I don't see how its going to sell. The controversy around the title of the album can only push record sales for so long...

Then again, if fans like you and I get the album and listen, maybe we'll come back. Probably not, but it's worth a try.
Let's see. Lyrically speaking, Nas is, has been and will always be one of the greatest of all time. There's no denying that and the concepts on some of the tracks are absolutely classic. "Fried Chicken" with Busta Rhymes, about how we love the food that's going to kill us, and "Project Roach", about the insect that stays alive just like the people described by the word I've left out of this review on purpose.

He could be considered "preachy" on this album, especially on "We're not alone" where he's basically saying that aliens exist and have been to Earth, but it's a touch refreshing to have someone saying something on a song that isn't just about money, drugs and hoes.

"Black President" is about the obvious, but then again who else is out there rapping about Obama. Granted, he's using a 2Pac cut that says "Although it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to have a black president", but he clearly puts his weight behind the Democratic representative, however much any rapper that dropped in the early 90s has with a young voting public that probably was in diapers when Illmatic dropped.

It's an album that needed to be made. It's refreshing, but still a hard listen as it seems sometimes the topics, production and the occasional track like "Make the World Go Round" just doesn't fit. I'm proud to add it to my collection, but I wonder how many tracks from it I'll be listening to months from now...

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Now playing: Nas - Make The World Go Round (feat. Chris Brown And The Game)
via FoxyTunes

Album review: Skillz - The Million Dollar Backpack

2008-07-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

This is a response to an email I received from a friend, informing me about an interview with the aformentioned Skillz.

Skillz first appeared on the scene as Mad Skillz, a new voice from Virginia with an album that dropped 12 years ago. "The Nod Factor" and a couple other tracks like "Extra Abstract Skillz" which featured Q-Tip. It's easily one of the best albums during a golden era in hip hop, what with "Reasonable Doubt" out around the same time.

Nevertheless, losers like me kept an ear out for Skillz and I can remember being on a bus in Cancun with some overgrown athletic women (Kris, you were there in spirit), listening to The Best of the Superfriends mixtape.

Long story short, here's a quick review. I've got a couple more in the vault on the way with my thoughts on Nas's Untitled album next.

I've heard the album and while it's got a couple of quality tracks, overall it almost seems like a personal album, showcasing Skillz ability to use a variety of styles. I don't know what kind of album I would have wanted or expected from him, but I just made a mix with songs from Skillz, The Carter III and Untitled. There are a bunch of Skillz tracks, but not as many as I would have originally thought and they were the first to go when I had to cut tracks off...

That being said, there are times when I listen and hear the voice that I enjoy. But it's weird hearing Hip Hop Died again, a song I feel like I heard a year ago. For the most part, I like the concept songs, but the somewhat negative review on the second site you sent has a touch of truth behind it.

He name-drops all over the place and you have to imagine that Jeezy is someone he ghostwrote for and My Phone, which is all these celebs that he's gotten phone numbers from. The catch being that he loses the phone at the end.

Sick is the only track that sounds like the old Skillz, which I guess is part of getting older. I like that track, but one could argue it's more name-dropping (Lines like I was sick back when Big Boi and 3000 were the best of friends), but it's more about the flow with me. He slows it down a couple too many times and that's just not great...

Preaching to the Choir, a story track, is a breath of fresh air but if he's dropping So Far, So Good as the first track then I don't know what to say cuz that's one of my least favorite tracks on the 14-song effort

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Now playing: Skillz - Hip Hop Died (Prod. Khari Ferrari & Skillz)
via FoxyTunes

News & Notes

2008-07-22T12:50:00.001-05:00

With the Record's great columnist Bob Klapisch out due to injury, I'll be taking over his space for a while...

At least on this website, in a similar manner with which he operated.

News Item: Shockey traded to Saints
The company motto, seemingly around the Giants and NYC (at least according to Kellerman and Kenny on 1050 ESPN) is that this is addition by substration. That is foolish.

While Shockey's numbers may be varied at times and he did drop passes, he was a legit threat, or at least was considered so by opposing defensive coordinators. That means they planned for him, wondering whether to use a strong safety (too small) or linebacker (too slow) to defend him.

Shockey was also a quality blocker, something the replacement everyone is crying for, Kevin Boss, isn't right now. While I'm not saying they shouldn't have done the deal, let's not forget what the crazy Oklahoman brought to the table.

With that being said, Shockey's exit no wmeans that this is officially Elisha Manning's team. The old guard of Fassel's era (Barber, Strahan, Shockey) are gone. Toomer is part of that, but you never really hear from him. We now live and die with Elisha...

By the way, when was the last time a defending Super Bowl Champion was albe to play the "Us against the World" card two years in a row? According to the world at large, the Giants will be lucky to make the playoffs behind the Eagles with a healthy McNabb and the Cowboys, the greatest team that hasn't won a playoff game in the last decade.

News Item: 'Dancing' Taylor goes to Redskins
Once again, the Redskins place well in the off-season standings with the biggest trade of the off-season. Or at least the last one...

Don't be truly fooled by this. It was necessary for the Skins after a season-ending injury to Phillip Daniels. They needed to fill a hole and the Dolphin great does just that.

Will he be motivated to be great? Yes. Will he make a difference? Sure. Will he be the same All-Pro, Defensive MVP candidate he was in Miami? Of that, I'm not sure. Will he make the Skins good enough to make the playoffs and compete for a Super Bowl? Once again, we'll see but the cards are stacked higha againt himm and his teammates playing in the toughest division in the NFC.

News Item: Yanks just 4.5 gams back.
Despite what Kris read, I wasn't bashing the Yanks with my movie pitches in a previous post. I was just stating the obvious, that this Yankee team is a touch old with young players mixed in (Somewhat like their neighbors in Queens). But I heard an intersting fact the other day.

The Yanks were only a game off the pace they set last year, a year that saw them in the playoffs. Granted, they only had the Red Sox in front of them at the time, but this year they're only three back in the wild card and have nothing but people coming back from injury to help.

It's a scary time to be in the American League right now, but to steal a page from the Wilpons; In his first season at the helm, Joe Girardi will manage meaningful games in September.

News Item: Mets vs. Flithies for the NL East
Yes, the Marlins are only .5 games back and the Braves haven't officially called it in and traded Mark Teixeira (although I don't know who's going to take him, a Scott Boras client in his walk year when most if not all contenders have 1B locked up)...

But tonight starts the biggest three-game series of the year for both the Mets and Flithies. For the Cheese Steak Boys, they had a chance to run away from this division a couple of weeks back and decided to go into the tank against the AL (4-11). They've realized that Adam Eaton was bantu fodder and Joe Blanton is much better and hope that Brett Myers can hang.

The Mets, and all their front-running fans, should just shut up. I didn't think we would run away with anything this year, but I didn't cry a river and call for everyone's head when they played like crap for the first 6 to 8 weeks of the season.

Nevertheless, who would have thought Delgado would remember to go with pitches the other way and Oli Perez would come down to Earth for a couple of consecutive starts and Mike Pelfrey would remember that it's pretty hard to hit a 92-MPH sinker in the strike zone.

But that's all for not since the season starts today and today is when Johan Santana can earn his HUGE contract. We overpaid him for starts like tonight and I don't expect, I demand he produce with at least 7 innings with less than 3 runs. If he can do that, we'll be OK...

Pitching Topher Grace around MLB

2008-07-17T23:29:00.001-05:00

OK, I want to get through this while it's still on my mind and there's still some sort of All-Star hangover, especially for those of us who tried to stay up and watch the whole thing...

Anyway...

The Wizard of Ozzie - Grace stars as a media/public relations director for the Chicago White Sox and comedy ensues as he tries to contain Ozzie Guillen
(played by either Freddy Rodríguez or John Leguizamo) while the White Sox battle with the Twins (and their PR guy played by Bill Murray) for the AL Central crown.

How about an animated feature for Pixar?
Cursebreakers - Grace voices Loyd Christopher, who despite growing up in Redmond, CA was always a Cub fan. He made his pro debut with the 1945 team and didn't get a hit, not until two years later with the White Sox. He bounced around the minors, but never made it back to his adopted home, Chicago, where he died in 1991. At the gates, he's given a chance to go back and get that first hit with the Cubs, only now its 2008.
There's some alternate plot with Joe Black, a New Jersey native who missed his chance to shine for his hometown friends with the Brooklyn Dodgers when Bobby Thompson hits his home run in 1954. Both are dropped back into bodies of late-season callups that make the playoff roster and eventually face off in the NLCS with a trip to the World Series on the line.
This needs a little more work, but you get the drift...

Now the coup de grace, Mindbender.

Grace played Ryan Church and the movie starts with his second concussion, this one in Atlanta when he takes Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar's knee to the head and goes black. We come back to Church in a hospital bed, his wife Tina (played by Maria Bello) looking down and asking him to "Open his eyes and see his son Mason." He notices that Brett Farve is announcing his retirement and then sees video of his first concussion, when he collided with Marlon Anderson in the outfield in March.

The movie moves back and forth, sometimes going back to Church in high school where he's complained of "migranes", other times we come back to present-day and the timeline can be judged by Farve's activity. Sometimes he'll see Farve retired, other times he'll be with the Pack. We're also watching the standing and the Mets and Flithies are neck and neck.

Church comes back in August and plays well for a couple of weeks, but after hitting a two-run double gets dizzy at second base. He scores the run and takes himself out, going back on the DL for two weeks and back again to the head doctor, played by Gary Oldman who looks slightly different each time Church sees him.

The movie ends with Church waking up in his own bed, Tina telling him to open his eyes because he's late. Whether he's late for batting practice, the World Series parade or another doctor appointment is never made clear. This would be pitched to IFC Films and would likely include him talking with football and hockey players about concussions and the modern athlete.

So whadda think?

Topher Grace in MLB at the Break - AL West

2008-07-15T22:55:00.001-05:00

As I'm sure all of you are well aware of, That 70's Show is now in syndication on both ABC Family and The N, not to mention FX and likely one of your local affiliates.

It's one of my favorite shows from the late 1990's into the new century, mostly because the central character in the ensemble cast was played flawlessly by Topher Grace.

So why not look back on each of the MLB Divisions with movie pitches staring Mr. Grace...

(Stick with me on this, there may be a point or two worth reading)

AL West - The Josh Hamilton Story

This one was obvious in so many ways. Need I really spell it out?

OK, fine, using creative license with the story cuz I really don't feel like reading all that's been done about this guy. We'll start out with Hamilton (Grace) in the locker room at Yankee Stadium. He's on the phone with his sponsor/girlfriend, played by Ali Larter, and they talk like he's just another recovering addict.

Then he goes out and bombs 28 taters before millions on ESPN as the credits role.

We go back to Hamilton in high school, killing the ball and running around Raleigh, NC with Megan Fox on his arm.

She is too hot to not have a wild side. Hamilton, being the toast of the town and even more so after Tampa Bay drafts him No. 1, gets everything thrown at him and Fox does as well...

On second thought, I don't know if she can handle the role and what it needs because the duo are headed to a real bad place. I think Grace can handle the coke and the herion and the like based on his time in Traffic and that part can last long enough for her to die from an overdose, like Halle Berry did in Jungle Fever.

Well, maybe she didn't die in A Spike Lee Joint, but what's wrong with another excuse to look at the new mother.

Anyway, Hamilton goes down far enough into the gutter that he stumbles onto a Little League baseball field where Larter's son is playing. One thing leads to another and you can figure out the rest.

Unfortunetly, we'll end with the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles celebrating their division title at the Ballpark in Arlington. Hamilton heads back to the locker room and goes into a dark place, striking out to end the game and all. He looks like he's headed back down that bad road, then Larter's kid shows up with a big smile and everyone is happy again.

Hooray!!!

Cover this!

2008-07-15T12:24:00.003-05:00

With all the flap about the New Yorker cover on Obama and his wife, I will keep this quick.

1) I see the sarcasm and giggled. That's exactly how Fox News and the right side of the line view the man.

2) The New Yorker, who's been doing animated covers since the 1920s, shouldn't and won't lose sleep over this issue. In fact, they may have more sales of it, but I can tell you one thing - I doubt they'll lose any subscribers over this.

3) The spotlight is on this now because Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and Linsdey Lohan haven't done anything cool in weeks, we're still waiting on Bradgalina to sell photos of the twins and as the late great George Carlin said, "People like it when you're topical", so we push the politics a little on a non-issue.

Topher Grace in MLB at the Break - AL East

2008-07-14T23:49:00.003-05:00

As I'm sure all of you are well aware of, That 70's Show is now in syndication on both ABC Family and The N, not to mention FX and likely one of your local affiliates.

It's one of my favorite shows from the late 1990's into the new century, mostly because the central character in the ensemble cast was played flawlessly by Topher Grace.

So why not look back on each of the MLB Divisions with movie pitches staring Mr. Grace...

(Stick with me on this, there may be a point or two worth reading)

AL East: Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil
The Yankees won't hear anything about the age of their team, don't want to hear that Melky Cabrera (.241 average) and Robinson Cano (.246) won't bounce back and produce in the second half, don't want to hear that they won't go far without Chien-Ming Wang (despite his 4.07 ERA before he forgot how to run the bases.) or that they should have moved Phillip Hughes or Ian Kennedy for Johan Santana last summer.

However the Rays will hear plenty. They'll hear about how they haven't seen pressure like these last few months will entail. How they won't be able to see the Red Sox in the distance after losing seven straight headed into the All-Star break and how their pitching staff, currently ranked third in the league with a 3.79 ERA, hasn't seen the mound in a pennant chase.

However they'll speak the company line, detailed so well by Crash Davis in Bull Durham. They'll speak about respecting the Red Sox and their history and they should because until the end of September, there's only one defending World Series champion to speak of and that's Red Sox Nation. It's within that nation that our hero, Topher Grace will play the role of J.D. Drew, who was killed by those wonderful fans in Philly for not signing with their no-account franchise before solid seasons as a Cardinal. Then to Atlanta for a breakout year (.305, 31 HR, 93 RBI) before a couple of seasons in LA.

These are all flash sequences, leading to Drew (Grace) answering the phone and talking with Theo Epstein about coming to Fenway. We follow Drew through a rough first season, one that sees fans still finding ways to hate him despite the team's success.

He spends the off-season dating a book worm, played by Kate Beckinsale, who gets him to release his inner-tension and through their love, he explodes in 2008, leading the Sox to another division title when the film fades to black.

Games to Watch: First Edition continued

2008-07-14T11:55:00.002-05:00

I had three more weeks in October to get to and I'll do that now...

Oct. 3 - Tri-County Academy at Canton Academy
Sure, there's no bad blood in this cross-country, Highway 22 rivalry between two schools that some might say are headed in opposite directions.
I'm sure that former TCA coach Curt McCain, let go last winter because he couldn't follow in the large footsteps left by Bo Milton, won't be rooting extra hard for the students he is now headmaster of at Canton Academy.
I'm sure that Canton won't look at this as another opportunity to bash Flora's spirits yet again and continue influencing South Madison County athletes not able to cut it at the larger schools (i.e. Madison Central and Ridgeland) to head northeast not northwest.
Or it could just be an important AA-District 2 battle. One or the other...

October 10 - Pearl at Canton
Canton is on this list a lot and a lot of that has to do with last year's performance and the opening of a new field. That and this will mark the first time in 30 years that the Tigers will enter this game with a memory of a win. Imagine that there are kids that will play in this game who's parents were about 10 years old the last time Canton went into a game against Pearl with a winning streak, albeit one game.

October 17 - Provine at Madison Central
The Jags could be rolling downhill with a head of steam by the time this matchup comes about. With the new turf down and players used to the feel under their feet, I'll mark this as the game that looks close from afar but turns into a track meet with too many long touchdowns to count...

Stick around for a detailed breakdown of Major League Baseball at the All-Star break...That and cuts from previous MCH football previews in a moment

Games to Watch: First Edition

2008-07-11T10:39:00.002-05:00

Just looking over the schedule for Madison County schools, here are the one big game that jumped out to me...

August 21 - MRA at Jackson Academy
I really don't need to say anything, but the MPSA season starts here.

August 22 - Canton Academy at Manchester Academy
The Panthers should have won this season opener last year, only to falter down the stretch. It's a district game, it's a season opener and I believe this will be an eye-opener for the rest of AA-North that CA is here to stay.

August 29 - Canton at Velma Jackson
A north Madison County war that needs to be seen (and heard) to be believed. It's always a good game, with extra drama with Billy King becoming the third former Tigers coach to head north to Camden. Add to that the Canton band starting on the road, meaning they'll come and go as they please, and it's a nice way to open the season.

September 5 - Ridgeland at Velma Jackson
The Titans' win over Velma last year was the true sign that their season was about to take off. There'll be a new Two Rivers Trophy as I was standing near the 50--yard line when Trevor Stigers broke the last one (On purpose, of course).

September 12 - Tylertown at Canton
This marks the opening of Canton's high school field on campus. It will be interesting to see just how many they get in the 4,900 available seats. What will be even more interesting is to see where all the fans that normally would watch from The Hill at Nichols Middle will "enjoy" the game.

September 19 - Canton at Ridgeland
There are a couple other good contests this week, but Tigers vs. Titans has decided who can and will host a playoff game in Region 3-4A the past couple of years. So it's a game to pay attention to.

September 26 - Clinton at Madison Central, St. Andrew's at MRA
The Jaguars season was made with their win at Arrow Stadium last year and while this used to be the premier rivalry around, I think Saints vs. Patriots has an intersting dynamic. Last year, St. Andrew's was the better team by far but MRA fans still ended the game waving a flag on Roger Stribling Field. I would hope that hasn't been forgotten.

I'm back

2008-07-10T11:39:00.002-05:00

I'd love to say I was on vacation or I was busy, but I was a little of both and a lot of neither...

Anyway, football season is right around the corner (at least for reporters), so here's a full list of Madison County schools schedules so you can plan your Friday nights in September and beyond.

I'll be back soon with the early edition of Games To Watch

2008 MADISON COUNTY FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

CANTON TIGERS (8-3 Overall, 6-1 Region 3-4A)
August 29 at Velma Jackson
September 5 at Greenville-Weston
September 12 Tylertown
September 19 at Ridgeland
September 26 Yazoo City
October 3 at Yazoo County
October 10 Pearl
October 17 at Callaway
October 24 Vicksburg
October 31 at Lanier

CANTON ACADEMY PANTHERS (7-5 Overall, 1-3 District
2-AA)
August 22 at Manchester Academy
August 29 Open
September 5 Leake Academy
September 12 Newton Co. Academy
September 19 at Riverfield, (La.)
September 26 Carroll Academy
October 3 Tri-County Academy
October 10 at Sylva-Bay Academy
October 17 at Benton Academy
October 24 at Winston Academy
October 31 Indianola Academy

MADISON CENTRAL JAGUARS (6-6 Overall, 6-1 Region 2-5A)
August 29 at Lafayette County
September 5 at Picayune
September 12 McComb
September 19 at Tupelo
September 26 Clinton
October 3 Murrah
October 10 at Warren Central
October 17 Provine
October 24 at Grenada
October 31 Northwest Rankin
November 7 at Greenville-Weston

MRA PATRIOTS (6-5 Overall, 5-1 District 2-AAA,
Division 1)
August 21 at Jackson Academy
August 29 Magnolia Heights
September 5 Open
September 12 at Presbyterian Christian
September 19 East Rankin
September 26 St. Andrew’s
October 3 Hillcrest Christian
October 10 at Parklane Academy
October 17 at Lamar School
October 24 at Washington School
October 31 Jackson Prep

RIDGELAND TITANS (10-1 Overall, 7-0 Region 3-4A)
August 29 at Mendenhall
September 5 at Velma Jackson
September 12 Neshoba Central
September 19 Canton
September 26 Lanier
October 3 at Pearl
October 10 Callaway
October 17 at Yazoo County
October 24 Yazoo City
October 31 at Vicksburg

ST. ANDREW’S SAINTS (9-3 Overall, 6-0 Region 6-2A)
August 29 Lake
September 5 at Yazoo County
September 12 Forest
September 19 McLaurin
September 26 at MRA
October 3 Wesson
October 10 at Hinds AHS
October 17 Loyd Star
October 24 at Enterprise-Lincoln
October 31 at St. Joesph

ST. JOESPH BRUINS (6-5 Overall, 4-2 Region 6-2A)
August 29 Riverside
September 5 at Raymond
September 12 at Newton
September 19 Hinds AHS
September 26 at McLaurin
October 3 Enterprise-Lincoln
October 10 at Wesson
October 17 St. Aloysius
October 24 at Loyd Star
October 31 St. Andrew’s

TRI-COUNTY ACADEMY REBELS (5-6 Overall, 0-4 District
2-AA)
August 22 Prentiss Christian
August 29 at Immanuel Christian
September 5 at Manchester Academy
September 12 at Trinity Episcopal
September 19 Benton Academy
September 26 Leake Academy
October 3 at Canton Academy
October 10 Veritas School
October 17 Winston Academy
October 24 at University Christian
October 31 Central Hinds

VELMA JACKSON FALCONS (7-4 Overall, 6-0 Region 4-3A)
August 29 Canton
September 5 Ridgeland
September 12 at Yazoo City
September 19 Humphreys County
September 26 at Marks Palmer
October 3 Cleveland East Side
October 10 Open
October 17 at Charleston
October 24 Lexington-McClain
October 31 at Greenwood Elzy

Free Willie

2008-06-17T09:24:00.002-05:00

In case you haven't heard, and judging by the Mets timing of this whole thing, you likely didn't, Willie Randolph has been fired as the manager of the second-best team in the City that never sleeps.

He was fired after the Mets' 9-6 win over Anaheim of Los Angeles and it would seem after the New York tabloids would have already gone to press, so the headlines this morning won't scream about it as loudly as the websites likely do...

I was out for a job with my XM when I heard the news this morning, but really I heard the news weeks ago, months ago even. Willie was fired by the fans and the media when this team didn't jump out to a 15-game lead in the division from the start of the season.

He was fired when Jose Reyes started off slowly and all the old players GM Omar Miniya signed got injured. He was fired when someone in the organization didn't make Ryan Church go on the DL after he was kneed in the head and he was fired when Billy Wagner forgot how great a season he was having (for my fantasy team as well) and blew three straight games...

But let's all be honest here. Willie was fired for two reasons: 1) 2006 NL Championship series Game 7 and 2) September 2007.

In one, he should have told Beltran to swing at that curve ball. No wait, he should have told El Duque to quit his act and get on the mound so we don't have to pitch Steve Traschel. No wait, he should have told Aaron Heilman that despite being a great late inning guy all year to stay in the bullpen and not give up a home run to a Molina. No wait, he should have...

The point is, when the Mets didn't make it to the World Series in a year when they were the best team (Doesn't matter that John Maine and Oliver Perez, two unproven starters at the time would start big games in that series), Willie was officially put on the hot seat because another manager would have found a way to win.

As for September 2007, that was the biggest collapse ever and he should have been let go right there. I wouldn't have liked the move or necessarily agreed with it, but I would have understood it. It would have been justified and no one would have blasted the Wilpons.

Instead, they strung him around and instead of making the organization better, they made the team look better on paper for one year. It was basically asking a manager with little experience to take one last gasp at it before we pull the plug. It was a move you make with a Bobby Cox or jim Leyland at the helm, a veteran manager who's been through it all before. Willie, who wasn't that bad a manager, was dealt a bum hand and was asked to play it out.

Doesn't matter that an old team has been asked to make four different trips out west in their first 70 games. Doesn't matter that injuries and players not performing to expectations (from David Wright to Carlos Beltran to John Maine to the entire bullpen). None of that matters, not when you play in New York and there are 8 to 12 daily papers that send reporters and you're an image-worried franchise getting ready to open a new stadium next year on a rather new TV network with little else besides baseball.

It means the manager goes and takes all those under-performing players with him.

What's that? They're still on the team?

And most of them have long contracts that no one in their right mind would take off your hands (I'm looking at you Luis Castillo).

And your best trade bait starter is a power left-hander with a Jeckly and Hyde complex (Hi Oliver).

And while trading Beltran seems like a smart move on paper, you're gonna have to eat some of that contract and that's only if he waives his no-trade clause?

And there's really absolutely nothing at the AAA level? Nothing?

Wow, it almost sounds like Willie Randolph made out like a genius. He gets the rest of his contract to not have to deal with all this crap for the next three months. Good for him and a bad day for Mets fans, those that wanted this especially...

On second thought, maybe it was done this way to turn Willie from a marked man into a martyr. Not like I can spell that word, but you get the point. Instead of the usual focus on how horrible a coach he was, Willie is now being looked on as a great man done wrong by a horrible organization...

Pitch counts are silly

2008-06-10T12:43:00.004-05:00

I think those are two of the silliest words associated with baseball and there's a ton that would qualify for that list.

More than Nelly being a successful rapper or Jason Sehorn being able to pull the stunning Angie Harmon after showing only a glimspe of true potential on the football field (Yes, I'm saying that if you're a New York Giant and come up young on the field, you shouldn't be allowed to pull amazing females like Ms. Harmon.)

But I digress...

It's a movement that has now been championed from the bottom (Little League baseball) to the top with announcers and TV directors routinely flashing just how many pitches so and so has thrown so far.

I'm smart enough to realize that much smarter men have written much more on this topic than I have, including Rob Neyer and Bill James and Steve Treder's great article on The Hardball Times, so I won't bore you by repeating what they've said. I'll just spout my two cents and leave it alone...

These articles deal with the major leages, but the problem starts before these kids make it that far. Players twenty years ago didn't worry about a pitch count, at that time it was a concern for innings but that shouldn't matter either.

Any capable catcher, whether he's 29 or 9 years old, can tell when the pitcher on the mound doesn't have "it" anymore. Any coach worth his weight in chewing gum and cliche phrases should be able to see when a pitcher doesn't have "it" anymore. And the same way a hitter gets better with more and more swings, the only way a pitcher is going to have a strong arm is to throw and throw.

Granted, it's important to have proper mechanics and that's where you're likely getting all these arm injuries from at an early age. If you let kids throw however they want, then ask them to throw with more weight, power and pressure but they've been straining their elbow from the beginning, it's asking for an injury regardless how many pitches they throw...

Something to think about...

2008-06-03T00:08:00.003-05:00

I'm not proud of it, but as a married man with little control of the remote control when my wife is home, there have been times when I've been forced to watch what she says.

Sometimes that's a good thing, like my discovery of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls with Lauren Graham and the hilarity that was Paris Gellar.

Other times it's painful, like when she watches American Idol, Degrassi the Next Generation or Instant Star on The N.com (Canadian TV for teens), old episodes of ER, 7th Heaven and of course Oprah.

9 times out of 10, I can't stand Oprah but occasionally, she'll have something worth mentioning to the masses. Like yesterday's episode about morbidly obese people losing weight and the fat sow pictured below takes the cake, literally...

Check here if you don't believe me, but before she got down to a weight where she could walk down a flight of steps...

BTW, if I'm so fat that I can't get down a flight of steps in a burning building, then I don't think I deserve to live. Sorry, that's called survival of the fittest...

Anyway, Cathi was 530 pounds fat to the point that she ordered a three-tier wedding cake and ate the whole thing by herself over two days with a gallon of milk.

And that, my friends, is the saddest thing I've ever heard. Hopefully, anyone with similar Sobb Stories caught the show and realizes it's time to do something before your living room becomes your casket.

Get out and walk on any of the trails in Madison County for starters...

2008 MCH All-County Baseball team

2008-05-30T11:16:00.001-05:00

Due to complications beyond my control, the 2008 MCH All-County baseball team wasn't posted when Thursday's articles reached our website...

Mostly because it was just pictures and stats and there's a problem with posting PDFs, which means there was no good way to put those pictures on the site and thus, we are where we are...

Here's a link if you're trying to see the individual pictures and didn't take the earlier port keys.

And for all three of you actually looking for the team and their stats, here they are along with the rest of the roster (or the Second Team selections, if you want to view it that way.)

Madison Central
** Matt Peters – Junior pitcher (8-2, 2.85 ERA, 42 Ks, 10 BBs in 49.2 innings)
** Tyler Akins – Senior OF (.394, 3 HR, 29 RBIs, 32 runs, 27 walks, 4 SBs)
** Brandon McHenry P/OF – Senior (.413, 25 RBIs, 22 runs, 7-2, 1.85 ERA, 44 Ks in 41.2 innings)
Ridgeland
** Casey Lavender – Senior P/3B (5-3, 1.49 ERA, 73 Ks, 17 BBS in 51.2 innings)
Canton
** Trennis Grant – Senior C (.448, 5 HRs, 40 RBI, 22 runs)
** Andre Johnson – Senior P (4-7, 4.87 ERA, 94 Ks, 52 BBs in 67.2 innings)
St. Andrew’s
** Chandler Anthony – Senior SS/P (.439, 11 HRs, 57 RBIs, 52 runs, 50 hits, 11 SB / 6-4, 3.30 ERA, 64 Ks, 33 BB in 52.2 innings)
** Robinson Crawford – Junior 3B/SS/P (.389, 4 HRs, 48 runs, 35 RBIs, 9 SB / 9-2, 3.65 ERA, 60 Ks, 16 BBs in 72.1 innings)
St. Joseph
** Justin Franciskato – Senior P/ IF (.297, 18 runs, 13 RBIs, 4-2, 3.28 ERA, 43 Ks , 20 BBs in 42.2 innings)
MRA
** Fraser Adams – Senior P (.324, 1 HR, 14 runs, 13 RBIs / 5-4, 2.59 ERA, 64 Ks, 14 BBs in 51.2 innings)
Canton Academy
** Zach Glenn – Senior 1B (.406, 43 hits, 26 RBIs, 10 2B, 1 HR)
** Mitch Tidwell – Senior P/SS (3-1, 4 saves, 46 IP, 53 Ks, 1.53 ERA / .346, 38 hits, 2 HR, 18 RBIs)

Rest of the roster
Madison Central
Michael Rutland – senior SS (.360, 24 runs, 22 RBIs)
Ridgeland
Jarrett Jenkins – sophomore OF (.375, 23 runs, 20 BBs, 14 RBIs, 12 SBs)
Wesley Williams – senior P/IF (.325, 23 runs, 17 RBIs, 9 SBs / 4-4, 2.43 ERA, 46 Ks, 21 BBs in 49 innings)
Daniel Gilbert – junior 3B (.325, 27 RBIs, 24 runs, 27 hits, 5 SBs)
Canton
Damian Brown – Senior OF (.560, 3 HRs, 30 RBI, 30 runs, 11 SBs)
Jamarcus Jackson – Senior 2B (.394, 32 runs, 30 hits, 27 RBIs, 6 SBs)
St. Andrew’s
E.B. Martin – Junior C (.412, 26 runs, 25 RBIs, 17 SBs)
Elliot Varney – Junior P/3B (.386, 4 HRs, 41 RBIs, 36 runs / 7-4, 3.75 ERA, 63 Ks, 51 BBs in 57.2 innings)
St. Joseph
John-Michael Horlock – senior C (.341, 14 runs, 9 RBIs, 5 2Bs)
MRA
Will Henry – Junior (.410, 5 HRs, 26 RBIs, 17 runs, 32 hits)
Canton Academy
Brett Warren – Senior C/DH (.480 (12-of-25), 6 HR, 2 2B, 1.28 slugging percentage)
Tri-County Academy
Frankie Thompson – Senior 3B (.442, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 19 runs, 29 hits)

3rd annual MCH Baseball tournament - Opening Round

2008-05-27T22:28:00.002-05:00

Similar to the NHL, the Madison County Herald County baseball tournament wasn't played last year due to a search for suitable sponsors and a disagreement with the umpires and the tournament organizers over the use of instant replay on home runs only.

But all that was settled, just in time for the tournament selection show, brought to you by that large bank down the street and the sandwich place opening in the City of Lights.

Interestingly enough, Canton was the central focus after the brackets were displayed. The Spirit of Unity game between Canton and Canton Academy was canceled and never played in the regular season. However the Chamber of Commerce was more than happy to lend its support behind the MCH tourney's 4-5 matchup.

It would indeed be the most watched best of three series in the opening round, with the No. 4 seed Panthers winning Game one in a slugfest as Canton coach Josh Reagan started Damian Brown before a packed Jim Butchart Stadium.

Brett Warren proved Delta State was smart to sign him to a baseball scholarship, slugging two home runs and a line drive double and Zach Glenn went 4-for-5 in the 14-10 win.

Trennis Grant was 3-for-4 with two doubles in Game 1 and would duplicate that performance in Game two. But it was what he did behind the plate that mattered more, throwing out two base runners and catching Andre Johnson's complete game five-hitter in a 4-1 win.

Game three showed why pitching and defense win championships, or in this case a really big trophy. After throwing Stuart Smith and Michael Killelea, CA coach Gerald Ray was able to throw Mitch Tidwell while Reagan went to Simon Collier, a shortstop by trade.

Without one of their best defenders, the Tigers' already suspect defense couldn't pass the test and Tidwell kept them down in a 11-5 win that was closer than the score indicates.

Other first round matchups included:
No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion Madison Central barely broke a sweat in a two-game sweep of St. Joseph. Bruins pitcher Justin Franciskato threw well for three innings, but couldn't duplicate his success the second time through the lineup.

Southpaw starter Fraser Adams topped out at 92 miles per hour on the gun and baffled batters with a nasty slider that helped No. 7 seed MRA upset No. 2 Ridgeland 3-1 at Titan Park. But Casey Lavender answered with seven shutout innings at Patriot Park and Jarrett Jenkins and Daniel Gilbert each had four hits in a game three blowout to advance.

Fueled by their early inning success in a 12-7 loss at Barkett-Cummings Field on March 29, No. 7 seed Tri-County Academy jumped out on No. 2 St. Andrew's early. But just like that day, an error by Rebels third baseman Frankie Thompson opened the floodgates as the Saints scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to win the opener.
In Game two, Thompson was 3-for-4 with two home runs, but his two errors at the hot corner led to enough unearned runs for the Saints to sweep the best-of-three series.

The semifinals are set with the top seeds advancing. So Madison Central will host Canton Academy and St. Andrew's will take on Ridgeland.

Frustration

2008-05-23T12:33:00.007-05:00

I've been sitting on these thoughts for a while and was tempered by the Subway Series two-game sweep, but knew it would resurface with a poor showing against the lovely team to the City of the South...

There is nothing more frustrating than rooting for the Mets, regardless of which era you live in or remember. I've been rooting for this team since I cared to remember about professional sports.

Granted, that was about the same time they won their last World Championship - 1986 - but I was an impressionable nine-year-old and when my mom was willing to take me out of Lowell (which, by the way, was a great school. Just look at the school's fight song) so I could go to the ticker tape parade, I was locked in.

I wasn't as invested as I am now, so memories of Marva K taking me to Shea for a Mother's Day game aren't clear. Nevertheless, thanks to the power of the Internet
(It's on computers now?) I've deduced that it was May 14, 1989 and I snuck past player's wife to watch Lenny Dykstra score on an error in the ninth for a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres. But the only memory I have is finally being able to see the green grass of Shea up close and my heart was set in stone, prepared to bleed Giants orange and Dodger blue for the rest of my days...

We'll skip past watching the 2000 Subway Series with a certain Yankee fan, quietly
forecasting the impending doom that was obvious to all involved. In fact, let's fast forward to 2006 and watching that yak of a curve ball by Adam Wainwright freeze Carlos Beltran like a deer in front of a Hummer. There was a feeling of absolute shock and awe. I mean, it was just two innings ago that Endy Chavez made a catch that would go down in lore as large as The Unnamed Pass & Catch between Elisha and David Tyree.

Nevertheless, there was also a feeling that the team was built for more than a one-year run. There was youth in Reyes and Wright. We had just stuck two young pitchers (John Maine and Oliver Perez) into situations made for last names like Clemens, Shilling and Beckett and they had performed adrimably.

Next year was now and they ran out of the gates in 2007, but then something happened.

Call it yet another injury to Moises Alou, a reality check for John Maine, the continued demise of Carlos Delgado, the continued implosion of a bullpen that relied too heavily on two guys (Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano) because the others couldn't get out the Bad News Bears or a combination of all of the above.

The rest of the season became history and regardless what the history books will write, the Mets gave the Phillies the division title, not the other way around. Yes, the Philties won eight straight late, but they still only won by a game and needed Tom Glavine to deliever his worst performance in this Hall of Fame career on the season's final day to avoid a one-game playoff.

And now here we are. It's 2008 and Met fans, the flicklest of all in the Tri-State area which is saying a lot, were ready with boo birds from Opening Day, with boo birds for the high-priced No. 1 starter that everyone on this side of the world said the Mets needed. I say they because while I expected this team to compete, I didn't think they would run away with anything AND NEITHER DID PUNDITS, BOTH LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY.

Yes, the team management and front office expected to win the division (which, by the way, still has over 100 games left to be decided), but how many people said the Mets were the clear cut favorites? Let's see by a show of hands...

Keep them up if you thought they would do it due to a starting pitching staff with Pedro and El Duque rounding it out and taking pressure off Maine and Perez.

Keep them up if you said they would do it if Jose Reyes continued to struggle like he needed a lesson from Indians manager Lou Brown, Delgado still refused to take pitches the other way, Beltran continued to cater to rumors that he really wanted to be a Yankee so he could be a quiet star ala Bobby Abreu and the same bullpen that could hardly get anyone out last year was asked to do more with Mike Pelfrey and Nelson Figueroa lucky to get through the fourth inning.

Does anyone still have thier hand up? If so, please point them out to the attendents from Arkham Asylum can take them away. I believe a cell between the Joker and Poison Ivy just opened up.

Nevertheless, all this has happened and we're not world beaters without two veteran starters and an oft injured outfielder, an injury to the man who did a servicable job replacing him before injury befell him as well (Where are you, Angel Pagan?) and now, now is the still to fire Willie Randolph because he's clearly to blame.

He didn't help himself with the quotes he gave Ian O'Connell of The Record, a column I read and took nothing more than the same frustration that every Met fan with any reason has with a team that could and should be better.

Will they be? Who knows. Will they be better off with Willie gone? Maybe, but here's the $64,000 question that no one, and I mean NO ONE, has yet to answer for me.

I'll admit that Willie hasn't taken Reyes aside and been a mentor since he got the big contract (just a thought). He hasn't bridged the gap between the mix of Latin and American players (No Pedro and the lackluster play of Delgado hasn't helped that situation any) and you can question his bullpen use but it's not his fault he has to turn to them every night for three-plus innings. Nevertheless, who's taking over this team if Willie is fired that will lead them from the cellar to the penthouse? George Jefferson isn't walking through that door. Bobby Valentine isn't walking through that door. Davey Johnson, Gil Hodges or Ozzie Guillen aren't walking through that door.

And since the latter, who I think would be perfect for the job, is currently under contract with a first-place team, I'll wait for an answer. Until then, I'll ride out this season and hope that as the team gets healthy, they have a strong second half like Santana tends to do and like any true fan has to hope for with their team.

Again with the left, right

2008-05-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

At the end of 2007, I had accumulated a lot of vacation days. So I planned to spend that time sitting on my couch, playing XBox and watching cable.

My wife was having none of that.

She looks a lot better than Simon Cowell, but they both have a spirited disposition and a knack of getting what they want. Faye wanted me to get out of the house, make good on my promise to lose weight and found the perfect thing.

A class called "Hearts in Motion" was held at the Northpark Mall, a short walk from our home, three days a week and it was free. With nothing better to do, I went and realized as I walked in that the only age contempary in the class was the teacher.

Tawanna Johnson was cheerful, moved easily and confidently between the many
elder participants and conducted a quality workout in the food court,
using the small space well withbungi-cord wraps for specific exercises.

“An old friend of mine (who attended the class) tried to get me to join,”
said Catherine F. Cooper, 60, of Jackson. “It was really helpful and
(Johnson) would bring the best out of everyone.
“It was so convenient because I got to come here and walk, then go to the (class).”

According to Cooper and 85-year-old Gladys Pressley of Jackson, the class had been going on, “since the 1980s,” Pressley said. “That's when I started coming up here and walking.”

Both women go to Northpark Mall in the mornings and walk 3 to 5 miles, or 6 to 10 laps on the bottom level. But they're missing "Motions".

“It would be about 30 minutes of bending and stretching, but I'm not getting that," Pressley said. “I could do it at home, but you know how that goes. There's
always something that will keep you from doing it; but with the class,
you're going to do it.”

The class helped to serve as motivation and “it kept me more flexible,” Pressley said. “Walking helps my heart and with cholesterol, but the exercise group kept me more flexible.”

Those participants didn't have much muscle to flex in this matter, both
figuratively and literally. Instead, they were dispersed to various
options, some to St. Dominic's, others to the YMCA and the Courthouse
and others still to a class at Old Trace Park on the Reservoir.

And because this was and is something that deals almost exclusively with the elderly, it's a non-issue for most (unless it's an elderly related to them). But while "Motions" was free, each of the places listed above cost money.

And while I don't know this for sure, I would have to assume 67 percent of these people are living on fixed incomes, pensions and retirement benifits...

I've got little else to say on the matter, but know that while I hadn't attended the class in a while I'm sad to see it go and know that participants like Cooper will deal with it, just like she'll deal with finding time to walk Northpark despite her grandson in town for the summer.

“I'm just going to have to jiggle it,” Cooper said, “but I'll get my exercise in one way or another.”

Left. Right. Repeat.

2008-05-21T11:47:00.003-05:00

I would love to take credit for tomorrow's headline for the MCH sports section on walking, but that was all Annie Oeth...

Anyway, if you can't tell (or read over the statement in the last paragraph),
tomorrow's section will be about walking in Madison County, something
you may question like, "Martin, why are you writing about walking?"

To which I answer, "Do you want the short or the long answer?"

And since you're a voice in my head that nobody else can hear, I'll just answer you the best way I can...

This was done more as a personal response to working out, but I'm not trying
to get too in depth with it all. It was a response to looking over at
Amy Forsyth , an ad exec in our office that jogs/runs four miles every
morning on her treadmill or whatever cool machine she has that helps
her stay in shape.

It was done for the woman that runs up and down Highway 51 in the
mornings, that I've seen on my way into the office and everyone in my
office says I should catch up with and find out her story but it will
be hard since I can't run that long that fast...

It was done for me and my wife, who have taken to spending a touch of time in the
mornings when we can and walking together, but to mention that means I
have to go back even further.

Picture Thanksgiving 2006. I'm with my wife, visiting family in Tampa for the holiday season and to my bemusement, all anyone could say to me is how big I had gotten since
they had last seen me.

Well that struck a cord, especially since I have some serious personal
self-worth issues that make me glad that my wife going to eventually get her
doctorate in psychology so she can tell me what's wrong with me for
free, but I digress...

I was just turning 29 years old and promised on that day that I would lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday. While it may sound like anyone's New Year's resolution, it's a touch different since I did it a month earlier and my birthday is Dec. 24. So Ha.

Anyway, it wasn't really until the end of the 2006-07 high school sports season
that I really started to put my ear to the grindstone or whatever you want to say that means motivation.

I started by jogging two to three laps around the block by my house and finally starting to use the Bowflex Extreme with Power Rod technology that had been collecting a small glint of dust in an extra room.

Needless to say, I stayed with it and while I don't have a six-pack with a
rock-hard core, I no longer can wear a lot of the same clothes and
other clothes that were once small, previously purchased either on the
cheap, with someone else's body in mind or handed down from above, now fit.

I could say my true motivation was for my own health, but that would be a
lie. I'm sure a lot of it was in response to my wife's pregnancy and
wanted my newest daughter to avoid looking at a fat man growing up...

But let's all get real. This was to look better for my wife, who I'm still
trying to find ways to impress nearly four years later because I don't
really know if I'm worthy of her. She's beautiful and there's little
reason for a sane person to believe that I look good enough for her...

But I'll surely be good enough for her psychologist couch.

Derelict of my duties

2008-05-16T11:49:00.002-05:00

It's a horrible shame (on my part entirely) that I haven't posted in so long and there's no excuse for it besides my anguish at the end of the baseball season.

A year in which I rightfully expected to be covering two teams at Trustmark, a year where the warm-blooded heart in me hoped for Canton Academy to make a deep playoff run - All of that was dashed away with rain, run-outbursts and classic contests I'll soon not forget.

Nevertheless, I make my quiet return with some loud news...

It was a rumor I heard weeks ago and now, it's come to fruition.

A reliable source with his ear close to the ground like a natural tracker has learned that the MHSAA will switch to a six classification system within the next three years.

That means they'll play out the remainder of this enrollment cycle and likely after the 2009-2010 school year, Madison Central will remain one of the largest schools in the state in 6A.

Breakdown of number of schools in each class, likely based on grades 9 through 12
6A - Top 32 schools
5A - 33 - 64
4A - 65 - 113 (There will be seven division with six teams and one with 7 teams)
3A - 114 - 163 (That's the only way to split 49 schools into 8 divisions)
2A - 164 - 213 (Same as above, so you do the math)
1A - 214 - 265 (Don't ask me how they're going to split up 51 schools)

So there you are. For those of you who actually check this site, I vow to do better.

St. Andrew's advances

2008-05-05T21:46:00.002-05:00

I gave Saints coach Mark Fanning about an hour ago and he informed me that St. Andrew's has moved on the Class 2A State playoffs with an 11-0 win over St. Patrick at William Carey College in Hattiesburg Monday night.

Fanning said senior Chandler Anthony took a no-hitter deep into the game. I would like to remember him saying the seventh, but I'm not 100 percent sure.

What I am sure about is the Saints will get a chance at revenge of some sort in the next round, the South State finals.

If it's Richton, they'll face the team that ended their season last year.

If it's Wesson, they'll face the team they beat out for the district title, but were forced to play second fiddle to in the postseason due to forfeits by St. Joseph.

Either way, it should be an interesting South State final.

Two slams in 24 hours

2008-05-03T23:27:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to lounge on the first of the two grand slams I witnessed in a 24-hour period over the weekend, only because Brett Warren's blast (and it was gone off the bat) A) resulted in a loss and 2) I'm going to come back to that a little later...

So that leaves us with Chandler Anthony's shot, called by Saints golf coach Joe Ray in the press box as he walked to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“I thought I would get a double dose of St. Patrick today,” said Anthony, who helped the Saints sweep the Irish in the 2A State Tennis team playoffs earlier in the afternoon. “I came back out here and said, I want this one too.”

His slam, on a 3-2 pitch no less, was about as dramatic as you could get. But none of that would have happened without the play of Michael Halford at the plate and in the field.

Don't get me wrong. Anthony was the obvious star, what with the first part of a 6-3 double play in the fifth with Robinson Crawford still on the mound, a play where he looked to bobble the ball before ending the Irish's hopes of increasing their 5-4 lead.

“Robinson always teases me because I have a new glove this year,” Anthony said. “He says it’s so stiff, he doesn’t see how I catch the ball because I don’t have much feeling.”

You couldn't help but to see Halford catch the ball in the sixth after Anthony relieved Crawford on the mound, inducing Keaton Day into another crucial twin killing.

“Chandler made a big pitch and (Day) got a good lick on it and hit it right to me,” Halford said. “I saw (Pitzer) on first break for second and him and (first baseman) Greg (McMillin) were both running back to the bag at the same time.

“Greg made a great play to keep the ball in front and getting to the bag first.”

Anthony got to the plate with the ball first whhen Beau Underwood attempted to score on a wild pitch later in that frame, but his glove was on the plate not in front. The umpire, who drew this initial quote from Irish coach Joe Sam Owen...

“I’ve been doing this 20 years and been very quiet as a coach,” Owen said. “This was the worst officiating we’ve ever had.

“He squeezed the plate on us, but I guess that’s baseball.”

And I guess I digress...

Anyway, Day originally came on in the fifth and made quick work of the Saints, but that wasn't the case in the bottom of the sixth.

E.B. Martin popped out, but William Mayfield walked and Jerrod Myers singled to right field before the biggest play of the game, bigger than the slam if you really think about it.

“A key error by their best overall player leads to a big inning for us,” Fanning said about the ground ball that rolled between the legs of junior shortstop Kyle Ladner. “We got back to the middle of our order and that was probably the first time all series Chandler’s been able to hit with runners in scoring position.”

He hit the slam, the crowd went crazy and to top it all off, he went out and struck out the side (minus a walk to Trey Lacy) in the seventh. All this does is set up a game Monday at William Carey College in Hattieburg.

“I know final exams are coming, but there’s no way the school can’t think this ball game isn’t the most important thing on their minds,” Fanning said. “They’re teenage boys and they can’t wait for this game on Monday.”

If Owen has his way, they would wait a little longer because Day was likely starter for Game 3, Saturday's starter Josh Essington is the No. 2 and Lacy threw a two-hit shutout Friday, but it took 135 pitches and he doesn't want to come back with the southpaw.

“I’m going to have to see (Sunday) who has the least amount of pain,” Adams said. “It’s a terrible way to do it, but that’s what will have to happen.”

Anthony will come back for St. Andrew's and while he pitched great against Enterprise Clarke in a similar situation last week, one has to think the Irish are about as pissed as possible headed into this game. Or at least Anthony does.

“We know they’re going to come out fired up,” Anthony said. “They came out with an little edge and jumped on us. We have to do the same thing with them and stay composed if we fall behind.”

“St. Patrick is a great team and Monday is going to be a brawl,” Halford said. “They swing the bats well and so do we. Our bats have been quiet, but tonight woke them up.”

----------------
Now playing: Talib Kweli - Say Something (feat. Jean Grae)
via FoxyTunes

It was right there...

2008-05-02T12:05:00.002-05:00

Right in front of me, the greatest blog post ever.

It had everything you need to grab the attention of the reader:

- A catchy title (Much better than the one up there)

- A opinion with passion (like how Rosanna Arquette is much prettier than Patricia Arquette, but has no classic roles like that of Alabama Whitman)

- A touch of local flavor (somehow, someway adding in the fact that if you took a poll at the beginning of the year about who would still be playing baseball in Madison County this late in the year, you could have got decent odds that Canton Academy and St. Andrew's would be the two...

Granted, after they lost Game 1 in Canton on Tuesday, who didn't expect the Panthers to battle back and win at Kirk. Kind of like it's hard to pick against them today when they play in about 50 minutes with Mitch Tidwell on the mound...

That is, if they play at all as the April Showers that bring May Flowers haven't decided to follow the whole calendar thing and are sticking around and creating havoc for my week next week...

- I might have even kicked in a touch about how New York teams aren't given the same opportunities as small market clubs, like how Brian Cashman's move to go with three young pitchers was appluaded by pundits nationwide and wouldn't be thought of again in Phoenix, Kansas City, Chicago, Atlanta and D.C., but could get him fired in New York because there is no such thing as an allowable rebuilding year.

- I most definetely would have given a shout out to my daughter's 7th birthday party and how it's going to the be shindig to end all shindigs, with a large tounge in cheek. Then wish her and my wife a happy early birthday as they were both born on the same day (May 6).

And I likely would have ended with Miley Cyrus lyrics, especially since she's in hot water for taking a very artistic photo by an accomplished photographer that sounds a lot worse than it looks.

But that was then...and this is the first time, when I freaked out and just kept looking down...

The other side's view

2008-04-30T09:03:00.002-05:00

Here's what the Meridian Star started with about the Saints' one-sided victory to send them to the Class 2A South State semifinals.

By Brandon Walker

"It just wasn't our night."

Those words came from Enterprise head baseball coach Jeremy Wilkins Monday night in the wake of the Bulldogs' Game Three playoff showdown with visiting St. Andrews.

In a game that was suspended in the middle of the first inning Saturday night, the two teams collided Monday night to determine which would move of to the third round of the Class 2A Playoffs.

Like Wilkins said, it wasn't Enterprise's night.

The Bulldogs fell victim to nine hits from St. Andrews and chipped in four errors to help the visiting Saints, who entered the day with a 1-0 lead thanks to a run in the top of the first Saturday.

After re-starting the game Monday night, St. Andrews erupted for six runs in the first two innings to take command with a 7-1 lead en route to a 13-2 triumph.

"We couldn't make a play tonight and they did a good job at the plate," Wilkins said. "They really did a nice job of putting the ball in play and found some holes. They kept fighting and fighting at the plate and we were unable to match that when we were at the plate."

Early on, the Bulldogs seemed to be up to the task, striking for a run in the bottom of the first to tie the score. After Jamie Taylor singled to open the game, Blake Hennington drove him home with an RBI double.

The game would not remain tied for long, as the Saints struck for four second inning runs.

Four days after turning in a workman-like seven inning performance, Enterprise ace Hennington was thrust back into a pressure-packed situation Monday night, entering the game with Enterprise trailing 3-1 thanks to a 2-run home run by St. Andrews' left fielder Jarrod Meyers. Meyers connected off of Enterprise starter Stephen Taylor to give the Saints the lead for good.

The first batter to face Hennington also connected for a 2-run homer as Robinson Crawford delivered a shot over the left-field wall to put SA up 5-1.

Hennington, who has been the Bulldogs' go-to pitcher all season, battled through 6.2 tough innings Monday, giving up six hits and five walks. Hennington also struck out 10 on the night.

"Blake just gives you everything he's got when he's on the mound," Wilkins said. "He did that tonight. He fought his heart out."

Trailing 7-1, Enterprise scored its second run in the bottom of the third. Colby Pritchett doubled to start the rally and Tyler Cooper drove him home with an RBI groundout.

St. Andrews starter Chandler Anthony was superb, striking out seven in the complete game win.

SA would add a pair of runs in the fifth and three more in the seventh, taking advantage of EHS errors each time to stretch the lead to 13-2.

After Enterprise went down without incident in the bottom of the seventh, the Saints were moving on to the second round while the Bulldogs saw their season end with a 20-10 record.

"It hurts right now, but we won a lot of games this season," Wilkins added. "We won a district title and that's always something to hang your hat on. It didn't end where we wanted it to, but I thought our kids did a great job this year. I'm just proud of this group of seniors, they've given a lot to the program."

On the night, Hennington also led the way offensively with a single and a double.

Game three

2008-04-27T20:46:00.002-05:00

We're down to two baseball teams still alive in Madison County, something that's a touch shocking to me.

I wasn't expecting Canton to knock off a No. 1 seed anytime soon, especially not this year, but Ridgeland and Madison Central looked to have the pitching to make a deep run.

But they're both done now...

That leaves just two teams alive, Canton Academy will start on Tuesday and St. Andrew's, who will conclude their three game series against Enterprise Clarke on Monday night.

The Saints evened the series at 1-1 with a 10-6 win Friday night before a large crowd at Barkett-Cummings Field, but that doesn't answer for the umpire's infractions, according to coach Mark Fanning, from the previous night.

The Saints' 11-year coach was thrown out for arguing four different rulebook infractions. That means he wasn't yelling about balls and strikes. It was more like being charged a visit to the mound after checking on an injured player, the umpires calling an errant throw down the first base line a dead ball and sending a runner back a base.

I'm sure if you catch Fanning Tuesday and ask him, he can tell you the other two. But I would only ask if they've won Monday night.

P.S. The Saints faced a hard throwing lefthander named Herrington in their Game One loss. He threw 150 pitches and according to Bulldogs coach Jeremy Wilkins, wasn't going to pitch on Saturday. But with the rainout, he'll have three days rest and I'll be shocked and awed if he's not on the mound Monday night.
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Now playing: Gnarls Barkley - No Time Soon
via FoxyTunes

Stick around for the ride

2008-04-24T22:37:00.001-05:00

So I was at the office, looking for my car keys and while I can't remember what I was watching, the opening chords to T.I. "What You Know About That?" started running through my head...

Yes, that same T.I. that decided instead of attending a premier of "American Gangster", he would try to play the role for real and buy guns from "The Man". Real smart.

Anyway, I went and found the video on YouTube, which according to Lewis Black is the greater root of all evil compared to porn.

So I'm watching the video, realizing the song was off the "ATL" soundtrack. While realizing how horrible the first 20 minutes of that film were (That's all I could make it through and I watch a lot of bad films).

The draw of YouTube, as many of you know, is the related video section, but I'll get back to that in a moment.

I start thinking of other catchy tunes, finding the video for Bring Em Out and then thinking of other tunes that grab your ear mostly because of the hook.

So I went and found that Busta Rhymes song, Touch It, with all the remixes with random people like Mary J. Blidge and Winky Wright.

Which in turn lead me to find a verse from "Cannon" by "The best rapper alive", or so self-proclaimed, Lil' Wayne.

Although after listening to this, you almost want to say he's got a point, especially when he says "I've got duck tape and rope, I'll get you missing like the O'Bannons"

Which brings me to the final point of this rant, whatever happened to the O'Bannons?
Ed O'Bannon was NCAA player of the year, leading UCLA to the 1995 championship and was the No. 9 pick by the New Jersey Nets.

His younger brother, Charles O'Bannon, was a starter on that same UCLA team and was a Piston for a hot second before starting his real career with Toyota Alvark in Japan.

So if you were wondering where the O'Bannons were, there you are. Now where are my car keys?