A Friday e-mail bag

E-mailer Jake kicks it off, with this apt observation off this week's news that a pair of San Francisco Chronicle reporters must give grand-jury testimony and could be jailed if they don't reveal the sources behind their coverage of l'affaire BALCO:

Barry Bonds. Isn't it interesting that Barry Bonds' personal trainer has spent time in jail for refusing to testify before the grand jury about Bonds and the possibility exists that the two reporters who broke the story (and book) about Bonds lying to the grand jury are being threatened with jail for refusing to reveal their sources? All the while, Bonds remains free to go about his business. I appreciate that he is innocent until proven guilty but it's more than ironic that other people have or will spend time in jail while the subject of the legal action does not.

Yes, it is ironic, but in the absence of a federal shield law, U.S. district court judge Jeffrey White said he had no choice but to order reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada to testify and reveal their sources. That it clearly isn't a matter of national security did not dissuade the judge, nor did arguments that the reporting was in the public interest (it was mainly based on leaked grand-jury testimony) or led to Major League Baseball adopting tougher rules on prohibited drug use (dubious; there were others pursuing the story, too). The Chronicle immediately announced it would appeal. Meantime, the need for a shield law is the core issue behind the irony, and putting them in jail for this amounts to a serious case of overdoing it.

Steven Dykstra sends in a note regarding Chuck Nevitt off this week's Loren Woods farewell post, suggesting the inauguration of a new term: the Nevitt Line, a la baseball's Mendoza Line, "the place where awesome height crosses remarkable futility ... I saw him play live once—actually, I saw him warm up live once. He could dribble behind his back. I guess he couldn’t translate that talent to actually game time."

Steven was busy this week, also responding to Rating the Tubeheads:

1. Sportscaster most likely to make a million bucks in the U.S.: Jennifer Hedger. I can't believe she hasn't been snapped up by a national network in the United States.
2. Second best sportscaster in his household: Sean McCormick (married to J. Hedger).
3. Funniest anchor: Jay Onrait and Adnan Virk (tie). Jay has a great, dry sense of humour that drips into his broadcasts. His style isn't appreciated by everyone, however. Adnan seems to have great fun. I love that. He tosses around clever, hip references throughout his broadcast.
4. Best chemistry for an anchor team: Sid Seixeiro and Tim Micallef. Another set of guys that love what they're doing and it shows. Fun to watch, but not for everybody (my wife thinks Tim snaps back shooters just before show time).
5. Least chemistry between broadcasters: Jerry Howarth and Warren Sawkiw. Their styles are too similar. For Jerry, his smooth, low key, style works wonderfully; but Warren desperately needs some colour in his personality.
6. Most disappointing broadcasts: Blue Jays on Rogers Sportsnet. Trying to do things on the cheap, like the broadcasters don't really matter. Imagine, we once had Dan and Buck. Now we have Jamie Campbell and whatever scrub Sportsnet throws out there on any given night. C'mon, Ted, spend some freakin' money and get your viewers a dedicated, talented duo of sportscasters for your broadcasts.

There was more, but you get the idea. Good points on Micallef, who I quite like, and the Jays here. Pat Tabler does a decent job and delivers an occasional anecdote that tickles the spot, but there's an overall lack of personality and energy -- they all sound so interchangeable. Some continuity would be welcome.

Then there's regular Mark Freedman, recovering from back surgery and feeling bored as he counts down the days to NFL kickoff:

Question: Why did the Kings sign Loren Woods? I think I have an answer. There must be a place in the NBA for a inexpensive 12th man (since he's young) who will not see any playing time, keep his mouth and not whine about the lack of PT and take up space in practice. Woods has shown nothing in the pros but yet he's still getting an NBA salary when there are more established crappy big men available.

That takes us back to where we started. You can never have enough crappy big men.

Mailbag: Ballpark etiquette

Neate Sager leads off a bulging e-mail bag with this one seeking some advice -- which sort of makes this an "Emily post", I guess (I'll stop now):

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ballpark etiquette: When not to go for a foul ball, example 2.

"Just wondering -- where does JABs stand on the over-under for "Being too old to catch a warm-up ball lobbed into the stands by a player without losing your dignity"?
I'm 29, and last night, a friend who's 27 didn't try to go for it when Russ Adams tossed a ball in his general area before the game.
In his defence, he had a fresh $7 beer and it was Adams (26 errors last year), so you couldn't predict where the ball was going.
It's a relevant question, since so much of the resurgence in Blue Jays interest comes from people in the 25-34 range (i.e., the target audience for Rogers -- people who have disposable income but haven't established brand loyalty yet)."

A real moral dilemna for our times, this one. Relevant data: Russ Adams "E-6" model baseball, $7 soapsud beer, pregame. I think you're cool playing it cool, Neate. During the game, though, with something like a Kenji Johjima foul ball, or a Cubs-on-the-verge-of-destiny moment, or sipping a glass of Kristal in one of those new playpens at the Jays' place? Different story (Kenji, incidentally, is the bargain-basement star of JABS' fantasy-league team, the Old Perfessors, and just might be the next Josh Bard; as for the Cubs and the Kristal, just run away). If you had a brought a baseball glove, though, it'd be different. Anyone over 12 who wears a baseball glove to a baseball game is probably a Yankees fan, and should be treated with the all the contempt that odious association confers.

Riffing off this morning's Natural Born Killers post, regular visitor Carla -- fresh off a move back to the homeland, and welcome back -- sends along a movie recommend: The Wicker Man. "Kinda cool and creepy," she says. This is, of course, a flimsy excuse to plug Carla's brand-new blog, Our Lady of Perpetual Hell.

Andy Chung of Scarborough has a Mike James question:

"When Mike James was first traded to Toronto from Houston he told reporters that he was a chameleon. Mike claimed that he was able to make himself “fit” into any situation.
Fast forwarding a couple of months …
When asked to change his style of play to be a pass-first point guard, Mike basically told reporters that if the Raptors they didn’t like his style of play they shouldn’t have traded for him in the first place. As a fan I don’t really care if he wants more money, but I find that his “adaptation skills” were all just a big act. Sometime this week (or last) I read somewhere that he said that he wouldn’t stop his “style” of basketball. If Coach Mitchell asks his players to do something shouldn’t they try to do what coaches ask them to do? My main concern is that IF we sign him next year he might not be the team player we’re looking for. What’s your take on this?"

This segues neatly into another friend of this blog, Mark Freedman, who e-mails in the suggestion that James and Sam Mitchell are fated to part:

I gotta believe that Mitchell is barely toleraring James because he's been scoring enough. But I bet Mitchell is really wanting a pass-first PG. James' game doesn't really match Mitchell's old-school mentality.

And that rolls right into ANOTHER Mike James e-mail, this one from Chris Flynn:

Mike James is talking like an elite NBA player. He is elite because he is surrounded by teenagers and early-20's guys who are still learning the game.
As good as he has been this year, he will not get the money he wants and he should definitely not get a penny out of the Raps. There has to be a reason he was traded for Rafer, which I could never put my finger on, and this has to be it. He is a big mouth who thinks he is way better than he is, and articulate is the last word I would use to describe him. I just looked it up, and he did in fact go to college. With all those double negatives ie. "I ain't gonna do nothing stupid," please tell me he is not a graduate. This guy is a fool, and the last thing we need is a big Tie Domi-like ego on the Raps. Bosh should be the one with the ego, but that guy has class.
Mark my words, Mike James will never be the starting point guard for an NBA championship team with his piss-poor attitude. ... There is nobody on a 12th place team that should have an ego like that, not even Bosh. If he's so good, then why are they in 12th?

Nobody splits the hoops fan constituency more than Mike James. I like the guy's fire, but I loathe his lack of a conscience with the ball in his hands. I like that he seems to be the only one who plays with his heart on his sleeve, and I understand why he might not want to pass off to Joey (Billy*) Graham clanks another open jumper -- but the head-down, outta-my-way charges to the cup drive me nuts. Mike James has a future. I just don't think it's here in Toronto, with this team.

(*Nickname alert--Like Billy, Joey is the only guy who can make 19,000 people get up off their feet and groan "Oh God!" in unison)

Finally, regular John Richardson chimes in with something that sounds like the the seed of a topic for next week:

In addition to the obvious-- 7th game of a Stanley Cup or World Series final-- the Masters and the Kentucky Derby have always been at the top of "sporting events I'd sell my first-born to see".
(snip)
Love the Masters. Can't stand the reverential broadcast or that godawful music but it sure as hell beats watching the Fedex/Nissan/Chick Fil A Open.
And I kinda miss the Martha/Hootie extravaganza.

John, because you miss it so, just for you, here's the latest from Martha Burk (pdf file) because yes, I got an email from her, too.

The bag runneth over

Latest Friday tradition round here: Emptying the week's e-mail bag.

First, this from Jlo, who lives in Montreal:

RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR

Honey, let's blow this sports bar and get some poutine.

So I sat in Cage Aux Sports with my Leafs cap on, groaning most of the evening. Actually, it was 3-0 by the time we got there, so it wasn't so much downhill all the way as starting from the deepest valley. Being a mountain runner doesn't help when the mountains are called Belak and Berg.

So just imagine: you're a Leafs fan, trapped in Montreal, wandering late into the sports bar with the cap on and you check the scoreboard and it's 3-0, and you know that everyone in the bar is snickering. You turn to your date and say:

a/ "Maybe there's a late movie we can see -- I haven't seen Pink Panther yet, have you?"

b/ "Y'know, I'm starving. Let's go grab some poutine."

c/ "Here, put this on ... Did I ever tell you how hot you look in that Leafs cap?"

d/ "Oh hell, that's my ex over there. Let's get out of here!"

Submissions, please.

Moving right along, there's mounds of sympathy in Ottawa from Neate Sager:

"If you think a team could sink even lower after making Radek Bonk look fast, then you just don't know the Leafs." 

Oh, I know the Leafs all right, Neate. I also know the media, which means that the Strip-Mats-of-the-C train should arrive right on time on Sunday, the Fire-JFJ and the Goodbye-Eddie having vacated the station, and the Pat's Gone already reaching its destination long ago.

Regular John Richardson is back (and as a fellow who became the recent owner of an autographed Mikael Tellqvist Tre Kronor jersey, I can relate):

Well, to quote our friend T.S, "This is the way the world ends...."
After my namesake Luke got traded back to the Leafs, Deb thought it would be cool to get his jersey. Right. So I could hang it up beside my Aki "The Finnish Bobby Orr" Berg jersey.
Turned that train wreck off after the first period and watched the London Knights dismantle the Soo and St. Mikes lose to Barrie in OT on a goal that Savage would love to have back.
And is Tony gonna wake up from this dream on Sunday?

Thanks for that much-needed perspective, J-Rich, but I'm saving my Sopranos stuff and Junior Hockey heads-up for the Friday afternoon roundup. Oh all right -- let's just say Tony better wake up from that dream. Gandolfini playing Chauncy Gardner isn't exactly what I'm tuning in for, know what I mean?

Over to Brian Webb, who switches gears and zeroes in on Mike James, Bitch!:

I am not a huge basketball fan but I do follow the Raptors a bit. I have a question for you.
Am I the only one that seems bothered with Mike James' me-me attitude?
#1 When Rafer Alston was here,he was sometimes slammed for being a shoot-first guard as opposed to a pass-first player. I have never heard the same thing said about James,and yet he seems to be the exact same type of player.
#2 I want Bosh signed, I want lots of money, I want this kind of a contract, etc. Now, there is nothing wrong with trying to get what you can, but his attitude just seems to reek of me-first.
#3 What kind of an organization would allow a player to do all the types of things he wants to do in the off-season if they are paying him the kind of money he wants?
#4 8-10 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is he on crack or is he really worth that much, and are the Raptors dumb enough to pay him that kind of money??

You asked, Brian, I'll try and answer, and no, you're not the only one:

#1 If you go to basketball-reference.com and look up "Mike James" and check the players he's most similar to -- yup, there's Rafer (UPDATE -- not any more, thanks to those ever-changing similarity scores). Here's their 2005-06 stats, head to head:

Player.........Min/gm.FGA/gm..FG%...Ast....T'over...Pts
Rafer...........38.1......11.0.......38.3.....6.6....2.5.....11.5
James..........36.1......14.8.......47.6....3.9.....2.4....19.3

#2 What's the question again?

#3 You'd be surprised.

#4 Wait and see. You never know.

And finally, I like a blogger who owns up: Joe Clark, with a new twist on an old post:

I guessed wrong: Height/weight is a stronger predictor of wymmynz size compatibility in men's hockey, not body-mass index (BMI), at least for the Turin Olympics.

For Joe's latest, go here. And thanks to all for the submissions.