Welcome to The Baseline, the Palestine Herald-Press sports blog. Here, you'll find breaking news updates, live game updates, thoughts and musings on sports, both local and national, and more.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Another arguement for a H.S. shot clock

I wrote a column back in December about why I felt like H.S. basketball needed a shot clock after Robert E. Lee stalled for much of the fourth quarter to beat the Palestine girls' basketball team. (READ HERE)

In the D/FW area last night, another reason has emerged. Nationally ranked Flower Mound Marcus (No. 12 in Yahoo's Rivals 100) topped Plano West 38-31, IN TRIPLE OVERTIME.

Why the low score? Well, since Marcus had blown out West earlier in the season, West decided the best strategy was to be very, very deliberate with its offensive possessions. What that resulted in was the low-scoring, three OT affair.

According to Yahoo's Prep Rally blog (Read the full story HERE), West averaged more than one minute per possession on offense.

No offense to West, because it was a strategy that worked brilliantly, but is this really what we want basketball to be about at the high school level?

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Rangers send Francisco to Toronto for Napoli

According to multiple reports first started by FOXsport.com's Ken Rosenthal, the Rangers have traded long-time reliever Frank Francisco to Toronto for utility-man Mike Napoli, who was a Blue Jay for all of a week, acquired by the Canadian club in the Vernon Wells deal.

Rosenthal also tweeted that this deal probably shows that Vlad Guerrero won't be back in Texas either, as Napoli is expected to split time between C, 1B and DH.


Inside the TABC polls (Week of 1/24/10)

GIRLS (Full Rankings)
Class 3A
Only a slight change in the area 3A implications this week. After an undefeated week, Fairfield moved up two spots to No. 23.

Class 2A
Still no local squads or district rivals in the top-25 for Class 2A

Class 1A, Div. I
We saw some local movement in this poll after last week. Slocum jumped a spot from No. 13 to No. 12 after topping Grapeland on Tuesday then having Friday off. Slocum's district rival, Lovelady, made a big jump from No. 17 to No. 13, still one spot behind a Slocum squad they beat in district play. As far as District 20 goes, Martin's Mill held strong at No. 3, while LaPoynor moved up to No. 16 from No. 18 after beating Cayuga and Cross Roads during the week.

Class 1A, Div. II
Once again, Neches comes in at No. 2, a spot it should occupy until A) the Lady Tigers lose or 2) Saltillo suffers its first loss of the year.

This week's 'Monday Lookback'

For those that don't follow us on Twitter but do check the blog—there's bound to be one of y'all, right?—here's the link to yesterday's 'Monday Lookback' podcast on 'View From the Cheap Seats.'

I talk Westwood/Palestine rivalry games, as well as a little Palestine boys' soccer.

We'll have a chat with good friend Kyle Fuller (@pimpinkal) posted on Thursday, where we look back at the season that was in the NFL, and specifically in Cowboy land. We'll give you our MVPs, Rookies of the Year and biggest surprises/disappointments. Bet you can't guess who one—or both—of us chooses for that last one, huh?

Anyway, check it out HERE

Friday, January 21, 2011

Ramirez-to-Texas deal heating up

We've asked the question all week right over there -------> in the poll question, and for the one person who voted (and voted for Manny Ramirez) it seems your wish may come true.

According to the Jamey Newberg of the Newberg Report, in an e-mail sent to his mailing list (I got it from friend of the blog and podcast Kyle Fuller (follow him on Twitter @pimpinkal), the Ramirez deal is gaining some steam in the metroplex:

According to a local report posted in the last hour: “The Rangers are pursuing free agent outfielder/designated hitter Manny Ramirez.  He would be the big right-handed bat at DH and off the bench.  It would likely mean far more playing time for Michael Young at first base and would cut into Mitch Moreland's playing time.  But the Rangers are definitely interested in Ramirez.

For anyone that thinks postgame (or match) press conferences are dumb and boring

If the title describes you, Caroline Wozniacki is on your side. However, unlike most people, the world's No. 1 female tennis player has the ways and means to change these types of things.

Change she did. Instead of allowing reporters to ask her the same, bland questions that open every press conference in every sport—it's true, sadly. We always ask the "So, how did it feel out there?" or "What does this win (or loss) mean moving forward?" questions first. Why? I don't know, I guess it's like wading into the pool instead of diving in head first. Plus, it helps build the back-and-forth needed in settings like that. One of the first things your taught in Journalism school is to ask the tough questions last, that way if they make someone mad, you've still got material.

But, I digress, follow the link to the full story HERE to check out how she handled things. (Via Deadspin.com)

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Soccer match predicting octopus immortalized

Everyone remember Paul, the Octopus who so famously—and correctly—predicted the outcomes of all of Germany's matches past year's World Cup?

Well, unfortunately, Paul is no longer with this world, but the public's ability to remember him will soon increase exponentially, because Paul got a statue.

From the AP:
BERLIN (AP) — Paul the celebrated octopus has finally got his tentacles wrapped around a soccer ball.
The Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen on Thursday unveiled an outsized memorial to the World Cup's most unlikely star: A 6 1/2-foot (2-meter) tall plastic replica of Paul clutching a ball in his eight arms.
Aquarium spokeswoman Tanja Munzig says Paul's cremated ashes were placed in a gold-leaf-covered urn inside the ball. Paul died three months ago and Munzig says fans around the world had asked for a memorial.
Paul correctly tipped the outcome of all seven of Germany's games at last year's World Cup plus the Spain-Netherlands final. He made his predictions by opening the lid of one of two boxes, each containing a mussel and bearing a team flag.
Most people don't even get statues when they die, but then again, most people are not that accurate with predictions. It got so bad that the poor guy got death threats against him when he picked against Germany in the semifinals.

RIP Paul.

Hakeem, Bill Simmons and nationalities...and how it never mattered (UPDATED)

So, on Twitter today I got into a discussion with ESPN's fantastic columnist Bill Simmons (@sportsguy33) about a comment he made in his new column (Read that here). Here's the part we talked about:
Dirk Nowitzki: Was moving into the Barkley/Malone big-picture historical discussion before an injury derailed his MVP campaign.
Manu Ginobili: Reclaimed "Only a few guys get better when it matters and he's one" and "Night in, night out, it's just hard to imagine anyone being more entertaining" status after bad ankles nearly derailed his career. Hey, here's another fun 2011 subplot: the three best foreign players ever who didn't play college ball in the U.S. (Dirk, Manu and Pau, in that order) playing on the same team.
The point I made was this: Isn't Hakeem Olajuwon foreign? I mean he was born in Nigeria, and didn't immigrate to the States until college. On the flip side, Patrick Ewing was born in Jamaica, but moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 11.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Record number of non-seniors to hit this year's NFL draft

According to a story released by the Associated Press, there are 56 non-seniors that are leaving their college squads to enter the 2011 NFL draft, a record number.

Now, the reasons could be many. For one, there is rampant speculation that in the upcoming labor dispute, the owners and league are going to almost mandate a rookie wage scale, much like the NBA has.

Great, great story out of Houston

Sports are fun. Fun to play, fun to watch and fun to cover.

This story out of Houston is one of the exact reasons why:

One-handed girls hoops star inspires outside of Houston

(Via Yahoo's Prep Rally/Houston Chronicle)

Rangers to announce Rhadigan as new play-by-play voice

The chair occupied by Josh Lewin for the better part of the last decade in the Texas Rangers' TV booth now has a new occupant.

According to ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett, the Rangers are all set to announce John Rhadigan as the new play-by-play man for the defending AL champion Rangers. Rhadigan will join long-time Rangers' analyst and former player/general manager Tom Grieve for Texas Ranger broadcasts.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Bourn, Barmes and Keppinger avoid arbitration with Astros

HOUSTON (AP) — Center fielder Michael Bourn has agreed to a $4.4 million, one-year contract with the Houston Astros, who also reached deals with infielders Clint Barmes at $3,925,000 and Jeff Keppinger at $2.3 million.

Tuesday's agreements avoided salary arbitration.

Bourn hit .265 with 25 doubles, a career-high 38 RBIs and a league-leading 52 steals last season for Houston. Bourn earned his second Gold Glove in 2010 and leads the majors with 154 stolen bases since 2008.

Barmes came to Houston in a November trade from Colorado and is expected to play shortstop for the Astros. He has hit .254 with 61 homers and 285 RBIs since 2003 with the Rockies.

Keppinger hit .288 with six home runs and 59 RBIs in 137 games for Houston last season.

New View From the Cheap Seats Podcast

Posted a new podcast to the Web site yesterday, a new feature we'll be calling the Monday Lookback. This week, we take a look back at the Palestine girls' basketball team's loss to Fairfield and the evolution of the Ladycat soccer team over the weekend.

Check it out

Inside the TABC polls (Week of 1/17/10)

I've learned something about basketball here in the Dogwood Circle as we near the halfway mark for district play in the area: We've got some teams that can ball.

As it currently stands, there are seven local squads (four boys/three girls) that sit inside the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Top-25. Oddly enough, all of them are in the state's smallest two classifications, Class 1A, Div. I and Class 1A,  Div. II.

So, with that being said—and with squads from area districts also being ranked—from here on out during the basketball season we'll dive into the polls weekly to see where the movement, if any, has been for the local squads.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

New View From the Cheap Seats Podcast

Meant to post this yesterday, but a new episode of the podcast is up over at palestineherald.com. In the episode, my buddy Kyle (@pimpinkal) joins me to talk a little Rangers' offseason and the NFL playoffs. Sorry about the dated Jim Thome talk, who knew?

Anyway go check it out, let us know what you think.

Friday, January 14, 2011

McDonald's employee fired for letting Adrian Peterson use bathroom? (UPDATED)

According to Yahoo's Shutdown Corner NFL blog, a McDonald's employee was recently let go because she allowed someone to come into the restaurant to use the restroom after closing time.

Turns out, that someone was Palestine-native and Minnesota Vikings' star Adrian Peterson. From Shutdown Corner:
An assistant manager at McDonald's was fired after allowing Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson to use the bathroom while the restaurant was closed. 
While working the late-night drive-thru shift at 3 a.m., a female employee encountered a man standing outside the window who asked to come inside and use the restroom. After a little while, she realized it was the popular Minnesota Vikings star and opened the door for him to come inside and use the facilities. (The seating area at the restaurant is normally closed during the late-night hours.)
One week later, the mother of three was fired for the offense. 
"He's a public figure... I know him better than some of the maintenance people that come in and out," she told Consumerist. "I never thought in a million years that that decision was going to cost me my career."

Thome stays in Minny...Now what?

Earlier in the week, we talked here on the blog about the possibility of Jim Thome bringing his talents to North Texas. My buddy Kyle and I even talked about the move on the newest installment of the View From the Cheap Seats podcast.

But according to ESPN, Thome's talents are staying far, far north. The question is now, what are the Rangers' plans? One apparent possibility is that Manny Ramirez could bring his show to Arlington. The Rangers are apparently interested in the slugger along with a slew of other squads.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

New Braunfels' school installs red turf field

Yes, the headline is correct. At  New Braunfels Canyon High School, the school's new red turf field debuted this past week during some soccer matches (via Yahoo's Prep Rally). The turf will be home to the football team in 2011 as well.

Much like Boise State's blue turf, the red turf leaves quite an impression, but whether or not that is a good or bad thing is up to personal taste I guess. Me personally, I'm a fan of the basic green turf. But that's just me, maybe I'm old school.

But, according to the above-linked article, Canyon may not even have the brightest turf within a 50 mile radius if UT-San Antonio gets its way. Apparently, the Roadrunners are hoping to have an orange field inside the Alamodome when the program begins play in 2011 under Larry Coker. I guess with Boise State moving to the Mountain West Conference and UTSA heading into the WAC soon, someone had to take the weird turf torch.

What do you think of the field? OK with random weird colors or just keep it green?

Some MLB updates, links

Josh Hamilton is still recovering from his bout withe pneaumonia, but is expected to be out of the hospital by the weekend: via dallasnews.com's Ranger's Blog

Astro fans, welcome to Texas Ranger fan's world. Apparently, Drake McClane has "20-25" potential buyers for the 'Stros lined up: via the Houston Chronicle

But, that sale isn't stopping Astros general manager Ed Wade from taking on some New Year's resolutions. Wade is going to run the Houston Marathon, three years after completeing the Marine Corp. Marathon in an impressive 4:45. (Via Yahoo's Big League Stew)

"Golden-voiced" man headed to rehab

I guess the story of Ted Williams, who went from homeless to Youtube sensation to celebrity in about 36 hours last week, couldn't turn out quite that Hollywood.

According to CNN, Williams is headed to rehab at the urgence of Dr. Phil. If you'll remember, Williams was offered voice-over work by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NFL and more entities once the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Web site discovered him in a video piece done by one of their reporters.

Here's CNN's full story

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

New Podcast available

After a day of some technical difficulties that I could not fix nor even understand, we've gotten the very first "View From the Cheapseats" sports podcast up and running over at the paper's Website.

Head over, check it out and let me know what you guys think. We'll be doing more very soon, and hope to be adding guests including local coaches and players, as well as other media types from around the area and more.

Check it out here

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

RANGERS: Why is Texas chasing Jim Thome?

According to multiple ESPN baseball sources, the Rangers are apparently in the hunt for the services of designated hitter and future Cooperstown resident Jim Thome.


I first heard this last night, and the first thing I said was "Huh?"

I mean, the club just signed Adrian Beltre to an almost $100 million dollar contract, and in the process said that Michael Young was going to be a "super-utility" player for the team, with most of his at-bats coming at DH, but also spelling others in the infield when they needed the rest.

New Year's Resolutions and such

Everyone has their basic New Year's Resolutions. Get in shape, eat better, be better with money, etc. In fact, all three of those are my personal resolutions for 2011. Will I be able to do it? Who knows, but I'm going to try.

But, in addition to personal resolutions this year, I made a couple of professional ones as well. Namely, I'm going to be more out there. I'm going to get away from merely being on the sports page. So, my plan is to blog more as well as probably set up a dedicated Twitter account for the sports department here at the paper. We've also got a possible podcast in the works, where myself and others will get on and talk a little sports for people's listening pleasure. With the absence of any sports radio in the area outside of game broadcasts, I think that it'll be a good venture. At least I hope it will be.