Curious thoughts about the Pittsburgh Pirates "Run for 81."

Phoenix - Burning the midnight oil on a mission to provide Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Bad Deal Neal Huntington some next level knowledge for his run for 81 (wins) this year, I came across a few burning questions that peaked my curiosity about the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates and, of course, other random topics that have nothing to do with baseball.

First, the random topics. 

Scouring the sports pages of the LA Times in an attempt to decode the success of the 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers and report back to Bad Deal Neal my findings, I came across an article about the home stadium of the USC Trojans football program, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  According to the LA Times article, the Los Angeles Coliseum was used as the site for a porn film.  I'm not sure which I am more curious about...the fact the Coliseum was a video shoot location for "The Gang Bang Girl #32" or the fact the LA Times decided to run an article about this a decade after the 2002 production was released.

Splendid investigative reporting by the LA Times.  A man of Bad Deal Neal's stature can certainly admire the forsight. 

(Side note:  Does anyone else find it ironic that the star of the movie goes by the name of "Mr. Marcus?"  Marcus Allen, not the...cough-cough...movie star was a star running back at USC from 1978-1981.  Additionally, OJ Simpson (Juice) wore #32 at USC, bringing the coincidence total to two in this investigation of investigative reporting.  I guess the "Juice" wasn't the only one on the loose in
the Coliseum.  Somewhere, super USC fan Snoop Dog is curious how he got left out of this equation.) 

While completing this important research for Bad Deal Neal, an advertisement from Fifth Third Bank popped up on my screen. 

What is the significance of a Fifth Third Bank advertisement you ask? 

Be like Curious George, start with a question and look under the hat to find what's there.

Fifth Third Bank's slogan is "The Curious Banker."

I'm curious who the advertising agency is.  A curious bank (er)? 

I want my cartoons to have a monkey character that is curious, not my bank.  I'm curious how long it took for Fifth Third Bank to repay their $3.4 billion in TARP funds.  I'm curious about the timing of Duke Energy guaranteeing a $10,000,000 credit line to the Democratic National Committee, a credit line issued by Fifth Third Bank.

I'm curious if there is corruption in D.C. and Wall Street?  (Stop laughing)

I'm curious if Bad Deal Neal had anything to do with this. 

I'm curious what I may have for lunch tomorrow. 

Bad Deal Neal is probably curious why I am discussing poor banking advertising slogans and decade old "flicks" instead of funneling him the next level knowledge mentioned in paragraph one that may lead the Pirates to their first non losing season in 20 years.

I'm curious about where I can find a Pittsburgh Parrot costume for Halloween if Bad Deal Neal screws up the run for 81. 

Magic # 56.

Until Next Time,

Craig Turley
@That_Dude_CT

Follow @BadDealNeal on twitter for insightful Pirate chatter from someone that isn't me.

Busch Stadium Streaker "Walks off a Hero"

St. Louis - The "Walk off a Hero" program probably did not expect the type of publicity a naked streaking fan and an opportunistic AP photographer provided for them at Busch Stadium Thursday evening.

Evolution of the Rally Squirrel?  (Photo: AP)

The St. Louis Post Dispatch stated the twenty-two-year-old Collin Grundstrom of Jefferson City was captured at Busch Stadium after shedding his clothes before the start of the seventh inning Thursday night.
Officers retrieved his shorts from the stands and made him put them back on before leading him away.

Grundstrom is charged with violating two city ordinances -- being a spectator running on the playing field, and lewd and lascivious behavior. He was jailed overnight.

The "Walk off a Hero" program, sponsored by Budweiser, will donate $5,000 to the Folds of Honor Foundation for every walk off win in Major League Baseball in 2012. 

Please feel free to add  your "short end of the stick jokes" about the naked streaker......now.

Until Next Time,

Craig Turley
@That_Dude_CT




H/T Folds of Honor, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Mark McGwire: Doing positive things as a hitting instructor.

On March 17, 2005, former major league baseball slugger Mark McGwire testified at a Congressional hearing on steroids in baseball.  McGwire was dressed in a business suit, green tie in honor of St. Patrick's Day, wearing reading glasses and an expression of bottled up shame.

McGwire indirectly enacted his 5th Amendment rights that afternoon in Washington D.C. and repeated in various patterns that he was not there to "talk about the past, but was there to be positive about the subject."  At the time, not talking about the past and being positive about the subject amounted to him screaming I'm guilty as charged and I want to move on. 

And for five years, move on is what he did. 

McGwire reportedly kept a low profile with his family in Southern California, playing golf and doing some independent hitting instruction work - which included current big leaguers Matt Holliday and Skip Schumaker.  

Then, his former manager, Tony LaRussa reached out to him via text offering him an opportunity to become the St. Louis Cardinals hitting instructor.  On October 25, 2009, Mark McGwire accepted the chance to get back in the game he once revived with fellow steroid star, Sammy Sosa. 

Additionally, McGwire took the opportunity to set the record straight and admitted his steroid use during his 583 home run career.

Before the Spring of 2010, McGwire confirmed his steroid use  - validating the long time opinion of the public.  McGwire did what he had to do by admitting use, and was then free to do what he had to do - be the St. Louis Cardinals hitting instructor without whispers. 

Chase Field - Matt Holliday hits a home run for the St. Louis Cardinals (Photo-Craig Turley)

The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals led the league in runs scored, batting average and on-base percentage.  The Redbirds were also the only team in the National League to strike out less than 1,000 times under McGwire's tutelage.  Oh yea - you may have also heard they won the World Series.

This year?  Even better.  The Cardinals, minus one mega superstar named Albert, lead the National League in batting average (.285), on base percentage (.356), slugging percentage (.469), and are second in runs scored (198) to the Atlanta Braves. 

In addition, there has been a revitalization of stagnant careers of former All Star's Rafael Furcal, Carlos Beltran, and Lance Berkman - all of whom at one point over the last few years were considered "past their prime."  Furcal is second in the league in hitting, behind only David Wright, with a .359 batting average; while Beltran leads the National League in home runs (13) and is second in runs batted in (32).  All this offense while Pujols is struggling in Anaheim and Lance Berkman has been injured.  The Cardinals batting lineup has been so good this year that All Star catcher Yadier Molina is hitting .301 and he has the seventh highest batting average on the team.   

McGwire has done the job.  

Seven years ago, McGwire was a picture of shame and embarrassment.  The other baseball stars that day testifying were Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, and Curt Schilling.  

Palmeiro was the most theatrical that day, emphatically waiving his finger in anger (as guilty people do) that he has never used steorids.  Palmeiro tested positive for steroids five months later.  Palmeiro stated that he never knowingly ingested the steroids - just like certain Presidents never inhaled.  Palemeiro continues to deny knowingly using steroids.

Meanwhile, Sammy Sosa forgot English that very day in March and has not been heard of much since.  In a 2009 report, the New York Times confirmed Sosa was one of 104 players that tested positive for steroids in 2003. 

Although Canseco was correct on many of the players he implicated in his book about steroids, he continues to tweet irrational things and was banned from a Mexican baseball leauge this past spring for refusing to take a drug test. 

Schilling, the most outspoken critic of performance enhancing drugs during and after his playing days, has run into other issues.  Schilling's company, 38 Studios, recently missed a $1.13 million debt payment to the state of Rhode Island.  Schilling has frequently been quoted as saying that if you used steroids in baseball, you should not be eligible for the hall of fame in baseball.  I am curious how he feels about second chances now.

Mark McGwire does deserve a second chance.  Mark McGwire has earned a second chance.  

He may have been the only truthful soul at the Congressional hearing March 17, 2005 - including Congress.  

He wasn't ready that day to talk about the past. 

He has done that now.

He has become a positive influence through his actions, not words. 

Well done Big Mac.

Until Next Time,

Craig Turley
@That_Dude_CT

It's the Green Bay Packers fault and other ridiculousness.

Every week in sports has its share of ridiculousness, controversy, and finger pointing. However, this week appears to have an unbalanced amount of ridiculousness.

Do you know who's fault it is?

Yep, the Green Bay Packers.

At least that is what the midwest grocery chain Roundy's indicated in it's weak Q1 earnings released this week.

Courtesy Solitude Canyon Investment Advisors:

This sounds like it's straight from the pages of the Onion...in their earnings press release, midwest grocer Roundy's said their Q1 sales came in light because:

Will it be the Packers fault if the Lakers lose tonight?

"results were also negatively affected by lower sales during the 2012 pro football postseason playoffs compared to 2011 when the Green Bay Packers appeared in the Super Bowl."

Seriously, you're blaming the Packers?

Meanwhile, Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers refused to be out done by some silly corporate executive justifying their existence by pointing the finger at the Green Bay Packers playoff performance. 

Earlier this week, with his Los Angeles Lakers in control of a best of seven series against the Denver Nuggets 3-1, Bynum decided it was time to voice his opinion of "close out" games.

Courtesy Larry Brown Sports:

Lakers fans looking for someone to blame for the 102-99 Game 5 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday night have a scapegoat: Andrew Bynum.

The Lakers center said prior to the potential series-ending game that “Close-out games are actually kind of easy. Teams tend to fold if you come out and play hard in the beginning, so we want to come out and establish an early lead and protect it.”

Yeah- what 'Drew said.

Tune into Game 7 tonight as the Lakers attempt to close out the Nuggets for the third time this week.  Maybe third time is the charm...eh 'Drew?

Finally, reviewing the positive side of "ridiculousness," look no further than Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. 

Since May 7, Hamilton has nine home runs.  Nine. 

Red hot Josh Hamilton May 7, 2012 thru May 12, 2012 

AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BA
25	10	12	9	15	0.400

Hamilton has hit five more home runs than the San Diego Padres in the 2012 MLB season (18-13), and he has moved within one home of the team totals of the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins (19).   

Good:  Josh Hamilton

Not Good:  Roundy's grocery and Andrew Bynum.

Until Next Time,

Craig Turley
@That_Dude_CT

Josh Hamilton 14 San Diego Padres 12

If you have been idly wasting your time and preparing for the end of the world correlating with the Mayan calendar dated December 21, 2012, perhaps, you've missed the sizzling play of the Texas Rangers Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton hit four home runs on May 8, 2012 against the Baltimore Orioles in an obvious sign of solidarity supporting the hypothesis the end is near based on the aforementioned Mayan calendar.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there have been 16 games in major-league history in which a single player hit four home runs.  The chance of seeing this based on the 200,519 regular-season games all ready played in MLB history?  One in 12,532.

Josh Hamilton has now hit more home runs this season than the San Diego Padres as a team.  Hamilton has 14 and the Padres have 12 team home runs. 

Phoenix - Matt Holliday rounds the bases after a HR May 7, 2012 (Photo: Craig Turley)

Additionally, while emphasizing the power outage going on in San Diego, I witnessed the St. Louis Cardinals hit seven home runs in 11 innings of baseball earlier this week against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Good:  Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Not Good:  San Diego hitting, Baltimore pitching, and Arizona pitching.

Until Next Time,

Craig Turley
@That_Dude_CT