Cheap Seats
George is a living black eye
George Steinbrenner was asked by George King of the New York Post if the recent brawl between the Yankees and Orioles was a black eye for the sport.
“Not a black eye,” he said. “Look at hockey. They have a black eye every 15 minutes.”
Garnett has devil of an initiation
High school kids like Al Harrington, Lamar Odom, Rashard Lewis and Korleone Young look at Kevin Garnett and imagine themselves signing for $126 million, but Garnett told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune his first season in an NBA locker room with the likes of former teammates Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider was a case of culture shock.
“It was hellfire,” Garnett said. “Guys going after guys, guys upset at coaches, all kinds of stuff. I said to myself, ‘This is the league? This is where I dreamed of playing?’ … I started telling my boys, ‘Go to school, man. Stay in school.’ The attitudes shocked me.”
Not to say it’s dull, but …
Reader Dave Clemens of Monterey, Calif., to the San Francisco Chronicle: “Just thought I’d write to tell Chris Webber about the night life in Sacramento. Owls.”
Hearing that hallelujah chorus
Los Angeles Lakers coach Del Harris comparing fans in laid-back Los Angeles with the rabid types in smaller markets: “We’re not a loud crowd here. The small town fan is just different than the big city fan. In Salt Lake, they’ve got the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and you’ve got the Jazz. At Portland, it’s the only big league team they have. Seattle, I don’t know, they just drink too much coffee.”
We get the idea
After the big trade with Florida that sent Mike Piazza packing, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Bill Russell said: “Something had to happen. The players weren’t having any fun. The fans weren’t having any fun. I wasn’t having any fun.”
Nuke LaLoosh is alive and well
Right-hander Jeff Juden, with his sixth team in six years, is wearing out his welcome in Milwaukee. His insistence on playing loud rock music in the clubhouse before he pitches already has led to one confrontation.
“I think Jeff’s got some arrogance about him, some cockiness,” admitted general manager Sal Bando, trying to put the best possible spin on the matter. “But we’re not putting together a choir here. Bottom line: He’s 5-2.”
Ruined by a poor role model
Rockies centerfielder Curtis Goodwin, on standing at the plate to admire his first home run of the season before sprinting around the bases: “I’m a showboat. I grew up watching Rickey Henderson.”
Can weather the weather
Angels manager Terry Collins, after rain in Anaheim wiped out pre-game batting practice twice in one week: “The next person I want to see go on the disabled list is El Nino.”
The last word …
“Millions of pagers didn’t work because a communications satellite suddenly lost track of earth. Latrell Sprewell knows how that feels.” - Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: