Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 10-3-12

The Orioles, A's, Jets and Tebow are all on the agenda
and topics of conversation on this show, so if you missed
any part of it on ScatterRadio, here it is:
 


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With Votto & Hamilton, Cincy Left To Wonder What If

Courtesy CBS Sports

After seeing the types of numbers that Joey Votto
and Josh Hamilton have put up recently, I can't
help but realize that I'm not the only one who
might be wondering what if. The Reds have to be
besides themselves knowing that they had both
Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton on the same team at
the same time, and now don't because they gave up
on Hamilton a tad too early. Of course the Tampa
Rays could be upset too having drafted Josh number
one overall, but how could they ever know that
Hamilton would eventually recover to some degree
from his demons of drug and alcohol addiction.

The numbers of these two are staggeringly similar
if you're willing to give a little. Since 2010
Votto has an RBI edge of 240 to 216 over Hamilton,
but Josh leads in HR's 75 to 71, as well as batting
avg .337 to .315, and with that you still have to
give Josh the edge in all three when you consider
that he has played in 58 less games and in turn had
127 less at bats. I could churn numbers all day,
and it sill won't define a clear cut winner with
these two, at least not until the end of their
careers. The Texas rangers are a scary lineup,
and Josh Hamilton is a big reason for that, and yet,
how do you thin pitchers would feel if they had to
face Votto and Hamilton in the same lineup every
night? Scared, probably, and the Reds too are left
to wonder, what if.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 5-9-12

Is Josh Hamilton for real? Do Orioles fans appreciate
their teams early success? NBA Playoffs, and Cole
Hamels are just some of the topics covered in this
Mad Stork Sports podcast, so here you go!



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 4-25-12

Lots of talk about the NHL Playoffs, the upcoming
NBA Playoffs and even a little MLB baseball with
all this football draft talk in the air. Also hear
how boosters at Arkansas have reacted since the
firing of Bobby Petrino. Here you go!



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 4-18-12

Lots of talk about Bobby Petrino's "situation"
at Arkansas, baseball and even some Tim Tebow
talk on this edition of the show. Here you go!



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Perez, Pelfrey, & Darvish Complete Overpaid Trifecta

It's clear to see with this Trifecta of names how
the system is broken for everyone but the players,
and yet though we as fans are larger in numbers,
still allow it to continue.

I last wrote that the New York Mets were basically
throwing money out the window by signing pitcher
Mike Pelfrey to a $5.6Mil contract for the 2012
season, and this was coming off of the heels of
paying Oliver Perez $12Mil to do nothing in 2011.
Perez was cut by the Mets in Spring training and
paid to stay home rather than have him around and
ruin games. Since no other team picked him up for
even the veteran minimum, the Mets were on the
hook for the final year of his contract ridiculous
contract.

Now yesterday the Texas Ranger beat a 5PM deadline,
and agreed to a 6 year $60Mil deal with Japanese
phenom du jour Yu Darvish This is of course after
they paid $52mil to his team in Japan for exclusive
rights to negotiate with him. So this will cost the
Rangers $112Mil over 6 years, or roughly $18.7Mil a
year. Almost $19Mil a year to someone who has not
thrown ONE pitch on the Major League level, not ONE.

Am I the only one who is having a hard time wrapping
his mind around this, or should we all continue to
act like sheep and keep paying the high salaries of
these overbloated athletes(with our ticket purchases)?
I know this is a very weak example but there was once
a very popular league, albeit short lived, in the US
called the NASL (North American Soccer League), and
though I know it was a combination of factors, one
trait they shared with MLB, and other leagues, is that
on a very consistent basis spent like drunken sailors.
They no longer exist, and ticket purchases were at
least one factor. Maybe fans need to shy away for a
while and bring some of the owners and athletes back
down to earth. You can watch on TV! Though you may
say that they can make this revenue up on the TV
revenue, I suggest this: When Nielsen calls you up
to ask you if you watched the game last night, LIE.
Though I don't advocate lying, it may be time to
play dirty. It's your money they're overspending,
can't you see that?


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Texas Rangers Win Right To Overpay Yu Darvish, Fans Lose

AP Photo

The old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Well it's broke, so why isn't anybody fixing it?
I don't understand how we have gotten to this point.
You would think that after all that has transpired with
Japanese pitchers like Hideki Irabu(RIP), Kai Igawa,
Daisuke Matsuzaka, etc. we might have learned a thing
or two. Trust me, I am by no means saying, don't sign
them, but $51.7 to negotiate a contract and then in
turn pay the pitcher another $40-$80 million more.
That's nuts, insane and just plain stupid, but it gets
done over and over again for one main reason, it's your
money.

The argument is already being made that Darvish is the
best Japanese pitcher to come from Japan since Matsuzaka.
Well Matsuzaka cost the Red Sox $103 Million between
posting fee(51.1M) and contract(6 years for 52M) and his
record after five years he is 49-30 with 4.25ERA with a
very good team. This is not worthy of investing $17Mil+
per year on a pitcher that averages 3.9 games over .500
per year. Would you pay an American pitcher $17Mil if
he would be 10-6 every year? That's what he's averaging.

Yu Darvish has gaudy pitching numbers, but his numbers
hold the ultimate ***asterisk***. He pitches in Japan!
Smaller ballpark, smaller ball, smaller players, six
man rotation = pitching once per week. Do you know who
Tuffy Rhodes is? Rhodes was an American baseball player
who is the all-time leader for foreign-born players, and
tied for 10th overall, with 474 home runs in Japan.*
Do you know what his numbers are in the US? Six seasons,
13 Home Runs, .224 batting average. Get it?

My issue here is clearly not with Darvish, or even the
fact that he is half Iranian. I would never hold that
against him. My issue here is with the posting fee.
It's bad business that eventually only trickles down to
the fans, win or lose. It's broken, and needs to be fixed !

*Wikipedia

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Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting With Rizzo Replay 10-31-11

Happy Halloween, hope this podcast fits in to
your day somehow. On this show we talk much
about the Cards and Rangers World Series, and
look at the Steelers and Patriots matchup, as
well as the usual minutia, so listen in and
write in at rizzo@wdisam.com
Thanks !




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Thank You Al Davis !

Texas Rangers Outfielders Killing Championship Hopes

AP Photo

It surprises me that so little was made over
the fact that Nelson Cruz misplayed what should
have been the final out in the ninth inning
today, and then tonight the Texas outfield once
again fails to cut off the game tying single in
the bottom of the first. Daniel Murphy has got
to cut that ball off in the gap. Right now this
could be a tie game instead of Texas trailing by
a run. Every run counts and the Cards just won't
go away, making Tony LaRussa look like the genius
he isn't. You hate to criticize a guy like Cruz
who has had such a tremendous post season at the
plate, but he could very well be the reason they
lose this series. The Rangers will look back at
this with many regrets if this series gets away
from them. Can you say Buffalo Bills?

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Mad Stork Sports with Nick Rizzo

In case you missed the show last night on Scatterradio,
the podcast is up for you in lightning speed, check it
out, and comment.




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MLB Post Season & Hottest Stoves

Texas Rangers look like they are ready to right
last years wrong, and go back to the World Series
and win it this time. It will be interesting to
see if they can accomplish it this year, but no,
I am not counting Detroit out, but 3-1 will be
hard to come back from, it's been done, but that
doesn't mean it was ever easy.

Speaking of three one Milwaukee needs to stay
away from that hole with the St. Louis Cardinals
now in front 2-1, if they have any intentions of
making use of Prince Fielder for the remainder
of this post season. LaRussa = Smoke & Mirrors

Terry Francona is gone and may have been distracted
by pain killers in 2011, Theo Epstein is looking to
make lightning strike twice by signing with the Cubs,
Josh Beckett and John Lackey were drinking beer in
the clubhouse during games, David Ortiz is open to
playing for the Yankees, and CC Sabathia "may" opt
out of the final years of his deal with the New York
Yankees, Hmmmmm, just another ho hum off season for
Major League baseball I guess. I wonder were Prince
fielder ends up.





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Double Take

Is it just me or did anyone else have to check to
see if the Mets were in Texas on Saturday or if
they were in Illinois? It seemed as though
Daniel Murphy was doing an awesome Abe Lincoln
tribute with his facial hair as seen quite clearly
during the FOX Broadcast for their game of the
week.