Dibble dumped
Former Major League pitcher Rob Dibble is now a former member of the Washington Nationals’ television broadcast team on MASN, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Dibble, one of the three “Nasty Boy” relievers on Cincinnati’s 1990 World Series championship team,
sealed his fate when he took issue with the injury situation of Washington rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
“You can’t have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder, sore elbow,” Dibble told Sirius XM Radio last week.
Strasburg is expected to go under the knife on Friday after being diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament, the story said. He will be sidelined 12-18 months, the AP added.
Dibble’s departure proves that, while he has the right to his own opinion, it is never a good idea to throw people under the bus – whatever the circumstance.
Turner Shining in the Big Sky
Former Dayton product Stephanie Turner has come a long way at the University of Montana since redshirting during the 2006 collegiate volleyball season.
An injury sidelined Turner in 2007.
The next two seasons proved to be ones of growth and improvement for the ex-Bulldog. She competed in 21 of 27 matches as a reserve in 2008, and played in all 28 of Montana’s 2009 matches – 23 of which she started.
Turner was named to the Big Sky Conference’s All-Academic team in 2009. Season highlights included being named to the all-tournament team at Virginia Tech’s Hokie Invitational – in which the Griz placed second.
Montana was off to a 1-1 start this season after splitting its first two matches at Mississippi State’s Maroon Classic in Starkville on Friday. The Griz swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before losing in straight sets to Austin Peay.
Turner collected four kills, 10 digs, three block assists, three setting assists and an ace in the two contests.
Classic play continued on Saturday.
Stephanie Turner: Representing our area well at the NCAA Division I level. Hopefully the trend will continue and will result in a solid senior year.
Riley Shows Zero Tolerance
When young people do dumb things, I’ve often heard adults dismiss their actions by saying, “It’s just kids being kids.”
An Oregon State University football prospect proved the other day that it’s not always about that, it can sometimes be more about kids being stupid.
The insubordinate idiot to which I refer is offensive lineman Tyler Patrick Thomas, 19, of Kalispell, Mont., who was arrested early Sunday by Corvallis police for entering a stranger’s house both naked and intoxicated, according to the Associated Press.
He was charged with suspicion of criminal trespass, criminal mischief and resisting arrest, the story noted.
His actions landed him in the Benton County, Ore., jail. He was later released.
OSU coach Mike Riley dismissed Thomas from the team on Monday, according to a school spokesman.
Thomas redshirted during Oregon State’s 2009 campaign, the AP reported. And for what? A chance to exhibit his definition of the naked truth, perhaps?
Kudos to Mike Shanahan
Wanted to take a moment to applaud Redskins coach Mike Shanahan for the strong stand he has taken in the Albert Haynesworth situation.
Haynesworth was a no-show at most of Washington’s drills during the offseason and participated in only five of the team’s first 18 pre-season practices at training camp.
Things came to a head Saturday night after the Redskins’ 23-3 exhibition loss to Baltimore. Haynesworth – who did not play with the first or second team defenses in that game – criticized the team for holding his lack of involvement against him and “underplaying his injuries,” according to ESPN.com.
Shanahan told reporters on Sunday that Haynesworth “has gotten away in the past with playing without practicing.” The head Redskin made it clear that it is not going to happen on his watch.
I would suggest that, from now on, Mr. Haynesworth be more present and active at Redskin practices. That would be a good first step to get back in Shanahan’s good graces.
Yahoo!
As if we hadn’t heard enough about Brett Favre, now there’s this.
Yahoo! Sports is reporting alleged utterances by an unnamed member of the Minnesota Vikings that do not put head coach Brad Childress in a positive light.
The unknown player claims Favre was hesitant about returning for the 2010 season because he felt Childress was “clueless” about the team’s offense and that he does not trust the head Viking.
I was a little hesitant to write about this because I’m not fond of stories that do not attach names to comments – alleged or otherwise.
It appears that one of two things needs to happen – or both. The Vikings need to clear the air or Yahoo! Sports has to come clean.
Regardless, this looks like another distraction the Vikings have to deal with, and possibly another instance when a media outlet – in the long run – would be better served by being more accountable.
It’s Here!
It’s mid-August, and that means many things.
Major League Baseball pennant races are taking shape.
The National Football League pre-season is underway.
School is about to resume.
And with that in mind…drum roll please…practices for fall sports – including high school football and both high school and college volleyball – are upon us.
It figures to be another thrilling year in our valley. I’m hopeful the Union-Bulletin’s football preview insert and local volleyball page – which includes capsule information on the teams and a feature story on a standout athlete or athletes – will fuel the excitement.
To coin a phrase from a holiday commercial, local fans are about to begin the most wonderful time of the year.
Fritz Will be Missed
I was merely a half-hour removed from a trip to Bend for the Oregon Education Association’s annual Equity and Leadership Conference when my mother informed me that my uncle, Frank Elia, passed away on Thursday night.
The man I, and many other family members, lovingly referred to as “Uncle Fritz” had lost his wife Bernice in mid-July.
One of the things I’ll remember about both of them, along with the fact they were two of the greatest relatives any nephew could ask for, is that they were avid sports fans. For years, they traveled with Don and Jan Angotti to numerous DeSales High School athletic contests. Their love for the school and student communities was quite evident.
Now they will have a different vantage point from which to witness games involving the Green and Gold. One might surmise they will enjoy the best seats in the house.
Wakamatsu Shown the Door
A series win over the Kansas City Royals this past weekend, as it turned out, was not enough for Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu to keep his job.
Wakamatsu was let go by the M’s on Monday. The team currently sits in last place in the American League’s West Division with a 42-70 record.
The move comes less than a year after Wakamatsu guided Seattle to a respectable 85-77 mark. That, coupled with a representative starting pitching staff and some off-season deals, brought expectations to a high level in the Emerald City.
Unfortunately, those expectations have not been realized.
General Manager Jack Zduriencik also gave three of Wakamatsu’s assistants their walking papers – including pitching coach Rick Adair.
Zduriencik told MLB.com, “New leadership is needed and it is needed now.”
Triple-A skipper Daren Brown will serve as the team’s manager for the remainder of the season.
It is often said that coaches get too much credit when a team wins and too much blame when a team loses. This may be another one of those cases.
What a difference a year makes.
Referee flags himself
National Football League referee Bill Leavy was in Renton over the weekend for, among other things, an annual training-camp rules interpretation session with the Seattle media.
He commenced the event by admitting he was guilty of mistakes during the Seahawks’ 21-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL, according to ESPN.com.
Leavy stated he “kicked a couple of calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game.”
I applaud former Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and ex-Seahawk wide receiver Bobby Engram – now with the Cleveland Browns – for the way they reacted in light of Leavy’s remarks.
Holmgren, currently a Browns’ executive, noted that he’s moved on, Hasselbeck described NFL officials as “stand-up guys and Leavy is no different,” and Engram added, “I respect what they (the officials) do. It’s not an easy job.”
Engram also acknowledged that the Seahawks did not play their best on that mid-winter day in 2006.
It’s a great thing – when closure comes to a situation because people handle the matter in a classy way.
Peach Basket upon us
With the 17th annual YMCA Peach Basket Classic just a couple of days away, I can’t help but reflect on how this event has grown since its inception in 1994.
About 150 teams made their way to Walla Walla for the inaugural Classic, a tournament I had to the opportunity to broadcast for what was known then as TCI Cable Channel 3.
This year’s field is made up of 266 teams, an improvement of just over 12 percent from the 2009 gathering. As I have done the past several years, I will be present to cover the weekend’s activities for the Union-Bulletin.
Regardless of my role I – like the teams and all other parties concerned – am looking forward to witnessing some great 3-on-3 action.
