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The Common Man has much love for these links, and thinks you will too.

Hey, did you hear about the big podcast on Wednesday night?

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Skip the first 8 minutes of technical difficulties to hear the brilliant TCM, Lar from wezen-ball.com and Bill of The Daily Something talk about the All Star Game, George Steinbrenner, the Trade Deadline, and the 1st half of the season.


Speaking of friends of the blog Lar and Bill… Bill’s got a great article up today (inspired by Omar Infante’s inclusion in the All Star Game) of the worst All Stars of all time. Ron Coomer’s on the list, as is TCM’s favorite inexplicable All Star Billy Hunter. Lar’s been getting ready for his big SABR presentation next week on Charles Schulz’s Peanuts and baseball, so he’s had a number of guest bloggers this week. However, Lar did take the time to figure out exactly how long it would have taken the Home Run Derby participants to run out each of their blasts. The “winner,” just as in the Derby, was David Ortiz, who would have taken more than 14 minutes to trot.


Some of TCM’s more foolhardy fellow Twins fans are complaining about Justin Morneau’s concussion. In particular, Jack Steal (who writes the Fanatic Jack Talks Twins blog), claimed on Twitter last night that Ron Gardenhire was babying both Morneau and Mauer, and asked “Who is a bigger Candy Ass. Mauer or Morneau.” [sic] Jack is incredibly pessimistic, especially in 140 characters or less, and his fatalism is endlessly fascinating to The Common Man.

That said, Jack’s being an irresponsible idiot here. In recent years, we have learned more about the damage to the brain caused by concussions. Indeed, Twins fans should be acutely aware of these problems because of Corey Koskie’s catastrophic post-concussion syndrome. Frankly, there’s no such thing as a small brain injury, because any follow-up traumas are potentially debilitating and life-threatening. One would do well to read up on the symptoms and the potential lifetime of problems that can stem from a concussion before criticizing Morneau, Jack.

It’s hard enough hitting a 95 MPH fastball, but it’s damn near impossible when you can’t concentrate, have diminished reflexes, and can’t remember how to recognize pitches. The Twins can't afford to risk Justin's long term health, as well as his ability to come back this year, by rushing him back.


The death of George Steinbrenner obviously disrupted the Yankee Universe this week, with several remembrances (including TCM). Larry at It’s About the Money has a good piece up on George’s legacy, while Jason reassures us that the Steinbrenners aren’t going anywhere. That’s precious little comfort to Muhammad Cohen, who has apparently been nursing a pretty significant grudge for 25 years, and picked a hell of a time to unload it.


As if you needed them, here are 50 excellent reasons to be excited about the second half of the season.


And finally, while there is nothing funny about the racism and apparent violence that Mel Gibson has been guilty of in recent weeks, we can all enjoy this hilarious video of Dennis Leary, calling Mel out during a Red Sox/Tigers game in 2006:

Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke Blast Mel Gibson! | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

(H/T to Andy on the BaseballReference.com blog)

Bad Sports

Two stories in particular have caught The Common Man's attention today. Both are about sports and the people who play them, as is fitting for a blog about manliness:

The lesser, more trivial, of the stories is that Joe Torre has a new book coming out, co-authored by Sports Illustrated columnist Tom Verducci. The book purports to explore the Torre-era Yankees, and rips into Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Brian Cashman. A-Rod, especially, gets the back of Torre's hand, "Back in 2004, at first Rodriguez did his best to try and fit into the Yankee culture -- his cloying, B Grade actor best. He slathered on the polish. People in the clubhouse, including teammates and support personnel, were calling him 'A-Fraud' behind his back."

The Common Man, frankly doesn't give a damn about A-Rod or Joe Torre, or their feelings, or their squabbles. Indeed, the state of the Yankee clubhouse isn't important to him at all. But what is interesting is that Torre is still managing in baseball, as the skipper of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As his current players see that their manager is willing to violate the cardinal rule of baseball's clubhouses (what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse) and sell them out for a big payday, they will inevitably wonder whether they will be the unwitting stars of Torre's next book. While The Common Man isn't a big proponent of team chemistry, he does think that most players can't play well unless they can relax a little. And it's awfully hard to hit a fastball or find the plate when you're looking over your shoulder for your manager and his ghostwriter. It will be interesting to see whether the Dodgers continue to underachieve and fail to live up to their potential this year.

The other story comes out of professional football, where it seems like players need additional protection from their coaches and their own desire to compete. Now, as much as The Common Man loves him so football, he would rather that The Boy find another sport to enjoy. This feeling is only reinforced by this CNN.com report about the deterioration of football players' brains from multiple concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). According to neuropathologist Ann McKee, who has studied the brains of six former NFLers, "What's been surprising is that it's so extensive. It's throughout the brain, not just on the superficial aspects of the brain, but it's deep inside." The brain damage can start early and is progressive, damaging centers of the brain that control rage, memory, and breathing, among others. It's also proving to be fatal, as sufferers often die young and unnatural deaths. And, as NFL players like Kyle Turley have noted, the league and the players' union is doing little to address this growing problem and take care of former players who are suffering.


Likewise, The Common Man is disturbed by the news out of Kentucky regarding the death of Max Gilpin and the arrest of his coach Jason Stinsin for reckless homicide. Stinsin, allegedly, was forcing his players to run in full pads in August without giving them access to water when Gilpin collapsed and his body shut down. The NFL is just now beginning to take action on the issue, following through on a settlement with Korie Stringer's wife to spend more time and money on prevent tragedies like that that befelled her husband. And it looks like, on this issue, a least, headway has been made. It's still not enough that The Common Man would be comfortable letting The Boy strap on the pads, but it's getting closer.