Random thoughts: Have a merry Bullpen Day?

by Gary Shelton on April 1, 2018 · 0 comments

in general

Sunday, 4 a.m.

So, what did you get your significant other for Bullpen Day?

-- Now that the Rays have committed themselves to these things called "bullpen days," when the relievers take over, how long before they rely on "bench days" and let the scrubs play?

-- Former Rams' coach  Jeff Fisher is so full of himself he might change his name to Bill Belichick. Fisher admitted the other day that he didn't respond to former quarterback Vince Young's letter to him ... because his name was misspelled. Check his records over the year, and the question is why anyone would get his name right.

-- UConn lost? That's the biggest upset since Xerxes.

-- Sadly, this isn't how you practice the "streak" pattern, Zay Jones.

-- Sam Darnold, who might be the first pick in the NFL draft, is getting advice from Ryan Leaf. Who else is terrified?

-- A final thought on Sister Jean. Shouldn't every team have one?

-- I'm not surprised that the Raiders cut punter Marquette King. Seems that Jon Gruden doesn't plan on ever punting.

-- The latest consensus appears to be that the Bucs draft safety Derwin James of FSU, but I've seen a couple of mocks where Penn State running back Saquon Barkley slips to them. In that case, the Bucs should set a 40-yard dash record in getting to the podium to draft him. Anyone who says there is a better back than Barkley hasn't been watching.

-- Art Briles was paid $15 million in go-away money after not reporting sex crimes by his team. Yeah, it's a lousy job, but the pay is good.

-- Danica Patrick says "everyone wants to be a unicorn." Not me. I want to be a unicorn-eating shark.

-- The Final Four of theSpun.com's Most Annoying People in Sports bracket is epic. You'll have Stephen A. Smith against Skip Bayless and Jamelle Hill vs Bill Walton. She's a friend of mine, but Hill seems to be the favorite. She's already ousted Deadspin, Jim Nantz and Colin Cowherd.

-- Of course, in this bracket, Bayless is Villanova.

-- I think he's talented, but there is no way I'd ever give two No. 1 draft picks for a receiver, even for Odell Beckham. Receivers are too easy to find. And remember, more than any other player,  a receiver is dependent on other players to get him the ball downfield.

-- Peyton Manning really, really likes his time off.

-- Lamar Jackson doesn't know that a firetruck is red. Or a lot of other things that NFL teams ask on its Wonderlic test. Jackson scored a 13. Of course, Dan Marino scored only a 16, and things turned out ok.

-- Josh Allen scored a 37, which means he'll be the better quarterback on those "third-down-and-take-a-silly test" opportunities.

-- If you believe that stuff about Stu Sternberg paying for half of the new stadium, shame on you. He said that he'd pay it if he could make the same $25 million a year that the Mets get for the naming rights to CitiField. No way in the world that happens.

-- Let's face it: The only way that Notre Dame's upset of UConn could have been better would have been if Sister Jean hit the winning shot.

-- Malcolm Butler says the Patriots would have won the Super Bowl if he played. Maybe they would have won it if they hadn't traded Jamie Collins. Maybe they would have won it if they hadn't traded Chandler Jones. Just a thought, but maybe Bill Belichick isn't as perfect as we thought.

-- Just wondering: Why are the Bucs showing so much faith in Vernon Hargreaves, who has been the Roberto Aguayo of cornerbacks?

-- A new book talks about the friction between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The reason? "Women," Ruth is quoted as saying. "It's always women."

-- Australia has its own Black Sox Scandal. Members of the national team were caught altering the ball in a match against South Africa. No word from the descendants of Shoeless Joe Jackson.

-- You can now buy a DVD of I, Tonya. Sadly, there isn't a version that tells the truth.

-- I have to admit, though, I liked the scene where Tonya saves Private Ryan.

-- Tiger Woods says he's a walking miracle. It must be because of all those laying on of hands in the back of Perkins' Restaurant.

-- FSU has inducted Peter Warrick into its Hall of Fame. For those of. you who don't know, the Hall of Fame is located in the men's department at Dillard's.

-- A fan of the Lotte Giants was so annoyed he threw fried chicken at the team's star. Given the heat of the moment, I suppose it was the breast he could do.

-- Kyle Koster, writing for theBigLead.com, asks an excellent question: After the hoodoo and the cake got on base, why did they pitch to Casey? And what, exactly, was the name of that team?

-- The Miami Herald reports that the Florida Marlins have a payroll of $100 million this year. Not bad, except that $52 million of it is for players who are either hurt or no longer on the roster.

-- Gabe Kapler, the old Ray, is having a hard time in Philly. He tried to remove a pitcher when no releiver was warmed up, he pulled his starter with 5-0 lead, and now he's guaranteed the playoffs for this season. Just wondering: Since when do the playoffs let 94-loss teams play? And are we sure that the Phillies didn't make a mistake and hire Gabe Kaplan by mistake

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