WSBA Blog

WSBA Blog /Blog/Blog/ WSBA Blog http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en-us Radio Copyright 2005 seanb@susqtech.com seanb@susqtech.com /Blog/Blog/RSS/Image.jpg WSBA Blog /Blog/Blog/ 100 100 Sun, 15 May 2008 08:41 GMT Have you noticed Sports%20with%20Jeffrey%20Schiffman /Blog/Blog/ViewItem.asp?Entry=2273 /Blog/Blog/Comments.asp?Entry=2273 Noticed how home runs have dropped in major league baseball this season? I guess players have gotten the message that steroids are no longer allowed. ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips says the number of home runs have dropped by about a hundred after the first 6 weeks of the season. MLB leaders Chase Utley of the Phils and Lance Berkman of the Astros both have 14 homers which extrapolates out to 56 for the season. That number would be more than A-Rod had for the 2007 season but the key note is overall homers are down because guys were fingered by the Mitchell Report and the league has finally come to terms with policing the problem. Another indicator of the change is overall velocity of pitches is down a couple of miles per hour. With pitchers also not juicing up you have a drop in heaters. Very interesting. I will keep my eye this...you should too! OK it is time for Arlen Specter to drop the whole NFL Spygate investigation. After former Patriots Video Assistant Matt Walsh met with Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this week...the commish essentially said case closer. The Pennsylvania senator is calling for a Mitchell Report like investigation. WHY!!!!! Arlen the league has handled this lets move on. Don't members of Congress have better things to do. Gas prices are nearing $4...food costs are going up it seems every minute and thousands of people are out of jobs as the economy slumps. Maybe Arlen and his buddies in DC should worry about those problems and let Commissioner Goodell take care of the Patriots and Bill Belicheat! How about a Mitchell like report into how ineffective Congress is...that might have more impact on this country than Arlen's plans. Fri, 6 May 2008 07:56 GMT Oh Roger Sports%20with%20Jeffrey%20Schiffman /Blog/Blog/ViewItem.asp?Entry=2259 /Blog/Blog/Comments.asp?Entry=2259 Just when you thought it couldn't get worse for Roger Clemens it has! Big time. 7 time Cy Young award winner has been fending off accusations he took steroids but that is nothing compared to the problems he faces at home. Clemens now has to explain his relationship with country music star Mindy McCready. Apparently he and Ms. Mindy have been an item for a decade and a half. Clemens has denied they had a sexual relationship as alleged when he first met McCready when she was 15. But he doesn't explain allegations that McCready was seen in recent years coming out of Clemens' hotel room while on the road. The "Rocket" has brought all this stuff on himself after suing former trainer Brian McNamee for libel. The newest scandal is a result of McNamee's attorney's digging into Clemens' past. I wonder if Roger is thinking what's next! My guess is Roger will drop the suit and crawl back into his hole. The problem is now he has destroyed all his credibility. I didn't believe his claims of innocence when it came to taking steroids...now I'm certain he's not the great family man he claims to be. Kudos to the Men's Volleyball team at Penn State. The Nittany Lions won the NCAA title with a win over Pepperdine on Saturday night. The win was special for the Hempfield Volleyball program--full disclosure...my son plays for the Black Knights--with 3 players from the 2001-2004 state champs wearing Blue and White. Setter Luke Murray, Outside Jay Stauffer and Middle John Sherrick did us proud. Way to go guys!!!! Thu, 5 May 2008 06:18 GMT Back in the Saddle Sports%20with%20Jeffrey%20Schiffman /Blog/Blog/ViewItem.asp?Entry=2256 /Blog/Blog/Comments.asp?Entry=2256 We are now a couple of weeks into the York Revolution season and I hope the many area baseball fans try and make their way down to the stadium on Arch Street. You will be treated to a completed facility that will make you smile. I know that a lot of people choose to stay away last year because Sovereign Bank stadium wasn't finished. Now you don't have an excuse. If you want to see baseball and don't want to shell out all that extra cash to drive to Baltimore...you have a local alternative. A month into the major league season the Phillies and the Orioles are both playing pretty competitive baseball. I guess we expected that out of the Phils this year. They won the NL East last season and were able to upgrade a bit by adding closer Brad Lidge and rightfielder Jeff Jenkins. I think the Phils will be in the race for the entire season. I wouldn't be surprised if Pat Gillick is one of the wheelers and dealers come the trade deadline in July. Now to the Orioles...who'd thunk it. The Birds are within holler distance of 1st in the East. Do I think they Birds will stay in the race...no way but lets not forget the 1989 Orioles who no one believed could win. That club was called inexperience with no chance but yet they stayed in the race with solid starting pitching. I'm not sure what will happen by the end of the season but if this is how a rebuilding project is supposed to go...so far so good. Sun, 8 Apr 2008 07:05 GMT It is early but... Sports%20with%20Jeffrey%20Schiffman /Blog/Blog/ViewItem.asp?Entry=2234 /Blog/Blog/Comments.asp?Entry=2234 I know just a week of the Major League Baseball season is in the books but you have to be encouraged by the Orioles performance so far this season. The Birds have won 5 straight as of Monday. All 5 of the wins have been comebacks including 2 in the last at bat of the game. Yeah I know this will not last but one can hope. I like the approach manager Dave Trembley has taken. Trembley has been preaching to the team not to pay attention to all the media predictions of gloom and doom. Nice idea--especially with some of the young players on the team. You have to give Andy McPhail credit for staying with Trembley when I am sure Peter Angelos wanted a more high profile manager. Trembley will help develop this young team like he'd done during most of his minor league career. Trembley may not reap the benefits down the road but his retention as the manager looks like the right move. Hats off to the Revolution for allowing the York College Baseball team and the York High team to play games in Sovereign Bank Stadium the past week or so. I am sure every one of those players loved the experience. The Revolution showed they can be a great neighbor. I think it would be great for the Revolution to host the YAIAA semifinals and finals and it would be very cool to see the District and State games played in the Ballpark on Arch. Nice way to market the facility to area fans who have not come to a game. I cannot wait for the Home Opener on April 29th. Catch all the Rev games with Darrell Henry starting with the season opener on April 25th from Camden. Mon, 2 Apr 2008 06:27 GMT Opening Day Sports%20with%20Jeffrey%20Schiffman /Blog/Blog/ViewItem.asp?Entry=2226 /Blog/Blog/Comments.asp?Entry=2226 Opening Day has come and gone for the Phils and Orioles with both losing. Lets pick apart the Birds game against the Rays (nee Devil Rays). Things got off to a good start with Kevin Millar doubling off the glove of Carl Crawford driving in a pair. Jeremy Guthrie couldn't hold the lead and by the time he'd left he gave up 9 hits and 6 runs over 5 and a third. This will be a long season for the Orioles and it will be interesting to see which veterans are still on the club by August 1st. My prediction the O's continue to shop Brian Roberts, 3rd baseman Melvin Mora and catcher Ramon Hernandez. The team is committed to building by trading veterans for young players. I think if this is done properly the Orioles could become competitive in a few years. Remember the Tigers were a 100 loss team just a few years ago and now they are one of the best in the American League. It can be done by developing young players and then signing free agents to fill in the gap. The best sign of the Spring was that GM Andy McPhail was able to cut Jay Gibbons. In the past owner Peter Angelos would never have let the team cut a guy who was owed $11 million. Great news for Orioles fans. The Phils are a contender for the N-L East title again and with out a doubt the Wild Card but they will need a solid effort from their bullpen. The club needs Brad Lidge to return to the level he was at when he helped the Astros to the World Series a few years ago. Tom Gordon proved on Opening Day that he is coming to the end of his tenure as an effective reliever. As I suspected GM Pat Gillick is going to make every effort to improve the pen during the season. He has already made a move by signing Rudy Seanez. Seanez --who is 39--was 6-3 with a 3.79 and a career high 73 appearances for the Dodgers. Look for Trader Pat to make more news. The Phils have one of the best core of young players Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels and Brett Myers. This group should help lead Phils back to the playoffs. Here are my picks for the coming MLB season. American League East--Red Sox Central--Tigers West--Angels Wild Card--Indians National League East--Phillies Central--Brewers West--D-backs Wild Card--Cubs Don't hold me to any of this but hey at least is starts a conversation.