What Happened All Week? Or: The Bulls Take Rose and the Sox Bitch-Slap the Cubs

So, as I hoped and expected, the Bulls took Derrick Rose with the top overall pick in this year's NBA draft. A huge move for the team, who needed a dynamic guard. Granted they also need an inside scoring presence, but they're closer to getting that from Drew Gooden than they are to getting guard play from Hinrich/Gordon/Duhon/pu-pu platter. Rose can come in and be an impact player immediately a la Chris Paul.

In the baseball world, the Cubs followed their sweep of the White Sox by losing 2 of 3 to the Orioles at home, then getting swept by the same Sox to plummet to 49-33. Still good, but since the wildly overachieving Cardinals refuse to remember that they suck, it's only good for a 2.5 game lead. The Sox, meanwhile, maintain their 1.5 game lead on the red-hot Twins.

Not much else going on, but with me starting a new and less inconsistently scheduled job tomorrow, we'll see if I can't get better about consistent posting.

Gone For a Week???

Sorry about being MIA all week - especially in one of the biggest Chicago sports weeks in recent memory. I was rip-roaring drunk for Sunday Night Baseball, worked 12 hours on Monday, then found out I had another job, and on top of that traveled to Chicago from Tuesday to Thursday to watch the Cubs and O's. I worked again yesterday, work again today, and bought a new computer. Basically the busiest week of my life. I promise a full post tonight.

What Happened Today? 6/21/08 Or: One Way or the Other...

In case you hadn't noticed, I have decided for the time being to make this a Chicago sports-only blog. Figure I might as well give this baby a focus.

So today, the Cubs found a new way to win at home: fall behind early, then bury the opponent with a one-inning explosion. The lovable winners scored 9 runs in the 4th inning today against the White Sox, including 2 homers by that guy, Jim Edmonds, to score an 11-7 win and clinch the first round of the Crosstown Showdown. The win improved the Cubs to an unfathomable 31-8 at home, including 13 straight wins. The Wrigley magic lives.

Tomorrow, it's Sunday Night Baseball. Jon Miller overpronouncing Aramis Ramirez's name and Joe Morgan preaching how Ryan Theriot "plays the game the right way". Are you ready?

Let's go get the brooms.

(Also of note: We are very close to the Bulls' No. 1 pick selection. All indications are that it will be Derrick Rose. And I could not be happier.)

What Happened Today? 6/20/08 Or: Of Course They Did It Again

Ironically, this morning when I woke up, a friend of mine who is a Sox fan IM'ed me about this series. A battle of first-place teams is always intriguing, and despite my feelings about it (see below), an intracity series adds a little spice to things. He cracked that he was circulating a petition to keep the Cubs from playing the bottom of the 7th inning today due to their penchant for coming back in that inning, especially at home.

Sure enough, that afternoon, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez went back to back in the bottom of the 7th, erasing a 2-run deficit and leading to Ramirez continuing his legend as one of the great big-situation hitters in Cubs history with a walk-off to center field to lead off the 9th. It was a win the Cubs absolutely had to have after the demoralizing 3-game sweep to the Rays, and in retrospect seems even bigger after Jason LaRue, Skip Schumaker and an on-the-take Red Sox defense led the Cardinals to yet another ridiculous win over a superior opponent tonight.

The Cubbies have won 12 straight home games, are a nearly unfathomable 30-8 at Wrigley and send Jason Marquis to the mound tomorrow for Game 2 of a series that all of a sudden seems sweepable.

In perhaps even better news, Carlos Zambrano's MRI revealed only a minor shoulder strain. It is likely that Z will miss two starts, then be back in the saddle. It is rumored that Z agreed to miss the 2nd start largely because it would be at U.S. Cellular Field, meaning he wouldn't be able to hit for himself. He's just too hilarious.

In other Chicago sports news (well, kinda), NBC has agreed to extend their exclusive contract with Notre Dame football for five more years, through 2015. Mike Wilbon smartly pointed out on PTI today that NBC has pretty much boxed themselves into a corner with the Irish - since all the major conferences now have deals with other networks, NBC is left with ND. Fine by me.

It's worth noting also that Jay Mariotti, the windbag of windbags, has had about enough of Ozzie Guillen. Mariotti ripped his colleagues at the Chicago Sun-Times for being what he called "brainwashed" to believe that Guillen's periodic rants is just Ozzie being Ozzie. Mariotti is not a fan of that, calling Guillen "one of the great crackpots in the history of professional sports". Welllll...this could be interesting.

What Happened Today? 6/19/08 Or: The Least Secure Best Team In Baseball Ever

So, Cubs fans, not only have we lost Carlos Zambrano for at least one start, but for the first time in 2008, the Cubs will be entering a series coming off a sweep. The Cubbies choked away a 3-1 lead in the 7th inning in Tampa tonight, as Carlos Marmol walked 2 and hit 2 in the only 4 batters he faced, followed by Scott Eyre immediately giving up a grand slam to Carl Crawford followed by about 17 more line shots - I lost count after a while because I was washing the gushing blood from my eyes.

Next up for the free-falling but still best-in-baseball Cubs is a home set against the White Sox. There will be literally thousands of articles published about how the teams are "archrivals" in the next few days, but the fact is, they are just not. Apart from the minor annoyance of Sox fans paying far too much attention to a team that has literally zero effect on their playoff hopes, I could give a rat's ass about this weekend's series. Sure, the Sox annoy me, but no more so than any other team on the schedule does once the game starts. Tomorrow's pitching matchup, John Danks vs. Ted Lilly, could be an even one if the Cubs get the Lilly of the last few starts or could be wildly mismatched. Who knows. All I know is the Cubs need wins, no matter who they're against. Luckily, they're headed back to Wrigley, where the team is nearly invincible. (By the way, if you want Len and Bob rather than the completely unwatchable Hawk and DJ to call the game, watch Comcast Sportsnet Chicago tomorrow and WGN on Saturday - and NOT the reverse.)

Elsewhere in sports:

He's out! The latest manager to join the unemployment lines is Mariners skipper John McLaren. This makes far more sense than the Randolph axing, as Seattle is the worst team in baseball and McLaren had already gone through his prerequisite meltdown press conference a couple of weeks ago. Taking the reins will be former Cubs manager and ex-Mariners bench coach Jim Riggleman. That should go well. Rumors are swirling that the M's aren't done with their reshaping, even after dumping their G.M. and their manager.

Shocking - Chicago native wants to play in Chicago. Derrick Rose, he who has already said he believes Michael Beasley is the best option at the top of the draft, is now publicly asking the Bulls to take him. I'm on record as wanting this since I found out about the Bulls' being handed the #1 pick by a desperate David Stern...err....I mean, catching a lucky break with the lottery balls. Rose is a franchise PG. As has been proven over and over again, a franchise PG means everything, provided you aren't stocked with stars at other positions. And the Bulls are not. What they do have, however, is two pretty good players - Luol Deng and Drew Gooden - in the spots Beasley would be playing in. Not quite as good a fit.

Last Word: But seriously, to quote one of my friend's Facebook statuses, in what universe do Sox fans care if the "Cubs are swept by the Rays", let alone "walking on air" about it?? If anything, they should be unhappy - the Rays would be the White Sox's chief competition for the wild card should they fail to win the AL Central division. Ah, the mind of a Sox fan.

What Happened Today? 6/18/08 Or: Here We Go Again, Cubs Fans

Yep. Things were just going too well. A couple of days ago, the Cubs were 45-25, the best team in baseball and pulling away from the Cardinals. Sure, Soriano was on the DL for a few weeks, but the Cubs could absolutely get through without him.

Now, the Cubs are 45-27. Still the best team in baseball. However, the injury train is coming, Carlos Zambrano got hurt tonight - and he may well have been hurt for a while, There's no telling where he's headed. Half the Cubs' outfielders have gotten hurt in the last 24 hours.

Granted, St. Louis is still down to us 3.5 games, and after spending most of the season defying any statistical reason why they should be good, they've lost two in a row at home to the Royals. But bad things seem afoot...

Also of note, Tiger's done for the year. This vaults his U.S. Open to a whole new level of brilliance - the MJ Flu Game times about 150. He was playing four weeks before he should have even been MOVING. Incredible.

Image Credit: AP

What Happened Today? 6/17/08 Or: We Have New Champions But From the Same Old City

I will confess to having watched nearly none of tonight's deciding 131-92 Game 6 blowout to give the Boston Celtics their record 17th NBA title. I was addicted to a rather exciting Cubs game (and baseball always takes precedence over hoops to me), and by the time it was over, so was the NBA Finals game. The Lakers didn't even bother showing up to try and take the NBA crown. Boston laid the smack down, so much so that Kevin Garnett, who I swear put up the most unimpressive double-double average in a Finals ever, piled up a 26/14 in his winning moment.

The person I'm happiest for is Finals MVP Paul Pierce, who toiled on a terrible team for much of his career, and in an amazing twist of fate, found himself with two worthy sidekicks in one off-season. Maybe we were aiming the praise a little too heavily in KG's direction this year, maybe not. But Paul Pierce is a legitimate badass.

Either way, it's nice to see Boston win one. That city's had a really rough sports year.

Not a whole lot else happened today, except that Willie Randolph got canned. Probably not justified, but as I said the other day, it was probably time to make a change and these things just seem to happen a lot these days in sports. Of course, the Mets lost the debut of interim manager Jerry Manuel - the ex-White Sox manager.

More tomorrow. Congrats, Celtics.

Image Credit: Getty Images

What Happened Today? 6/16/08 Or: Tiger Flips the Script

Usually, it's complete domination. The inevitable playoff charge followed by the opponent cowering in Tiger's wake.

Today, it was neither. Rocco Mediate, an unlikely competitor (he would've been the oldest first-time major champion ever), played very well in the 18-hole playoff, and Tiger looked highly uneven. Mediate did struggle late with some bunker shots, but contrary to his usual work, Tiger did not roar forward and destroy the universe. Maybe he wasn't even capable of it with his bad knee. But Mediate was given extra chances all over the place, and ultimately, it was Rocco himself that handed out the extra chance when he missed an entirely makeable putt that would've clinched the Open on the 18th hole. He followed that by a disaster of a sudden death playoff in which he beached his first shot, then put his 2nd nearly into the gallery, forcing him to take a drop. Tiger easily two-putted in for the title.

In the end, it was major No. 14, and I'm guessing the great one takes a month off before the British Open after this trying endeavor. He clearly was not 100 percent.

Elsewhere:

The completely insane Hank Steinbrenner. Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees will be out until at least September after hurting his foot running the bases yesterday at Houston. This is not the major news. Hank Steinbrenner took the opportunity to blast the NL for playing without the DH. "My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century," Steinbrenner said. "That was a rule from the 1800s." Well, the AL didn't have the DH until 1972, and for another thing, Hank, the FREAKING FIRST RULE OF BASEBALL in the book is that baseball is a game of "9 against 9". What the AL is doing is technically not even baseball. This is why I'm an NL fan pretty much exclusively.

Everything else that happened today in baseball is here.

Draft business. Mario Chalmers of Kansas will stay in the draft. So will Joe Alexander of West Virginia, whose stock skyrocketed in the final month and a half of the season. But the big news is that three Tar Heels - Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green - are coming back...this sounds like a UNC title in 2009.

More Euro-madness. If you weren't flipping back to ESPN2 here and there while the U.S. Open playoff was going on, you missed out on a classic Euro 2008 game. Turkey's Nihat Kahveci scored two goals in less than two minutes (87th and 89th minute) to lead his team into the quarterfinals with a dramatic 3-2 win over the Czech Republic. The first goal came when Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech flubbed a ball coming right at him straight into Kahveci's foot, then the Turk fired a perfect shot into the very top of the net in the 89th minute.

The Last Word: I have to give it to Mike Mussina, talking about the 'plight' of AL pitchers playing with no DH: "We run in straight lines most of the time. Turning corners, you just don’t do that.”

What Happened Today? 6/15/08 Or: Too Much For One Headline

This post is a few hours late. Oh, well.

With two great headline-worthy stories, I've elected to spotlight both of them.

We start with Tiger, of course. Down one shot going into the 18th hole, with Rocco Mediate, looking to become the oldest U.S. Open champ ever, waiting in the clubhouse, was there any doubt Tiger was going to birdie? Even though The Man beached his tee shot, he managed to get up to the green in 3 shots and sank his birdie putt, setting off the loudest celebration I've ever seen in golf from the gallery. Mediate was shown on NBC saying, "I knew he'd make it", immediately after the shot. As I write this, they're in an 18-hole playoff and tied at +1 through 5 holes.

Also in the headlines: The Lakers fought off another late Celtics rally to salvage Game 5 and force the NBA Finals back to Boston. Not to be overlooked, however, is a brilliant performance by Paul Pierce, who put up a mind-boggling stat line of 38 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists to try and lead his team to the title on L.A.'s floor. Also not to be overlooked is the sheer mediocrity of Kobe Bryant's second half. Apart from his steal-should-have-been-a-foul late in the 4th quarter, the guy who's supposedly compared to MJ was decidedly un-star-like. No way that the greatest player ever would be allowing this nonsense to happen in the Finals.

Also in the news:

At least he didn't get the 'vote of confidence'. Mets manager Willie Randolph got no reassurances from his G.M. Omar Minaya that he will be leading the team much longer going into the Mets' West Coast trip. Two games under .500, the Mets are in 4th place in the N.L. East with the daunting Phillies starting to pull away. For a team that was among the N.L. favorites, that just doesn't work. It might be time to fire Randolph if for no other reason than to get rid of the everlasting distraction involving his job security.

Oh yeah, racing's still going on. My attention to NASCAR normally begins - and ends - with the Daytona 500 each year. But it is noteworthy that Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally won his first race in his new Hendrick Motorsports car by smartly saving some gas for the final few laps. 76 races was the winless streak that Little E had had before finally taking the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway.

Save our Sonics. The trial to determine if the gasbag Clay Bennett can move his team immediately to Oklahoma City begins today. This is one of the saddest stories in sports this year - a team being ripped from its home and its fans for no real reason. Supposedly they need a new arena, which is a joke because their current one is about 15 years old and was roundly praised at the time as one of the best in the league. The lawyer for Seattle says that a deal was made that would keep Seattle there until the year 2010 at least, and Bennett must uphold that bargain. We'll see how it plays out. Good luck, Seattle.

The Last Word: Who will come up and immediately start raking for St. Louis after Yadier Molina likely hits the DL? The unfortunate reality is that Cubs fans are forced to be bitter towards the Cardinals due to their incredible ability to get good years out of players that are not good (Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Wellemeyer, Kyle Lohse, Braden Looper, etc.) Hopefully Molina is ok after his neck injury yesterday.

What Happened Today? 6/14/08 Or: Eldrick Roars To the Top

Well, my allusion to Tiger being atop the leaderboard after round 3 of the U.S. Open proved correct today. The man, the myth, and the legend sunk an eagle putt from about 20 miles away to bring the gallery to its feet and to take a one-shot lead on Lee Westwood (after being down 5 with 6 holes to play) heading into Red Sunday, as Tiger would like to call it. Just an electrifying experience to watch this man play golf. I don't even follow the sport much, but you have to appreciate this level of greatness from an athlete. Inspiring to see.

Also from the wires today:

Replay debate lives on. Today's word is that umpires, not managers, would be responsible for initating any replay review that is required during the course of a baseball game. Umpire crew chiefs, to be exact. That's always comforting. If we trusted the umpire's judgment, would we be using replay to begin with? I think we should stick with the whole 'challenge' thing - easier, more fan-friendly, and also leaves less to the umps' discretion.

These Cubbies don't lose twice in a row. At this point, it's safe to say the Cubs own Roy Halladay. Three years ago, Cubs scrub Sergio Mitre managed to beat Halladay when the Jays visited Wrigley during interleague play. In 2008, Jason Marquis, who is no better certainly than Mitre was, beat Halladay. Yes, sample size, but it's fun to see. And kind of unbelievable. Former Blue Jay Reed Johnson hit a 3-run homer - and got a standing O from the Canadians - to spark the Cubs to the win, and Marquis lasted into the 8th before needing to be pulled. Very nice work.

In the amateur ranks... I don't really follow college baseball either - except for the occasional foray into my alma mater's fortunes - but a surprising result today as top-ranked Miami fell to Georgia 7-4 in a CWS game. The Dawgs scored 4 in the 9th to capitalize on Canes' closer Carlos Gutierrez's throwing error to nab the victory. The Canes now need to play their way out of the loser's bracket while Georgia gets Stanford next.

He's tired from carrying KG? Young Celtic Kendrick Perkins is reportedly heavily favoring a strained left shoulder and didn't practice Saturday in L.A. He still says, though, that he's likely to go in Game 5 tomorrow night, a possible clincher. Personally, I think it seems likely the NBA will assign Dick Bavetta, now-unemployed Tim Donaghy, and Magic Johnson to officiate Game 5, the better to send the series back to Boston.

The Last Word: Anyone like soccer? I've grown to enjoy it a little more, and Euro '08 is going on now. David Villa of Spain, who already boasts a hat trick in the tournament, scored a goal in injury time to beat Sweden 2-1 today, a big win for the Spaniards, who, if I'm correct, were not exactly favorites to compete in the tournament. Meanwhile, defending champ Greece (I remember this happening, because it was such a giant upset) has already been eliminated, being dumped by Russia 1-0.

Image Credit: AP

What Happened Today? 6/13/08 Or: Remember That Tiger Guy?

Was there ever any doubt, good denizens of the blog universe, that the great Tiger Woods would shrug off his knee injury and begin his charge today in the 2nd round of the U.S. Open? Shooting an impressive 68 at Torrey Pines - one off the best score of the day (that pesky Padraig Harrington fellow fired a 67) - Woods climbed into a tie for 2nd place at the year's 2nd major. He trails Stuart Appleby by a stroke halfway through the tournament. I'm guessing this will change by about 9 holes into Tiger's Saturday round...don't you?

In other news:

What is this devilry on my television screen? Those perpetually behind-the-times, crochety old men, pick-whatever-silly-generalization-you-like guys at Major League Baseball might be picking up instant replay sooner than you think. Like, this year, if you believe the always-trustworthy "two sources familiar with the discussions". Maybe this will put an end to the recent spate of blown home run calls...maybe not.

Meanwhile, on the field...um...the Cardinals suck. Those of you waiting for the insanely overperforming Cardinals, led by the suddenly-great-for-the-first-time-at-29 Ryan Ludwick, to come back to earth probably enjoyed tonight's 20-2 shellacking at the hands of Philadelphia a bit too much. The Phillies' Big Three - Utley, Howard and Burrell - went back to back to back in the 1st inning and it's safe to say the Cardinals never threatened from there. The archboys even sent infielder Aaron Miles out to the mound at one point, always a fun time for everyone. The Cubs lost as well, though, leaving STL 3.5 games out of first.

I won't make an eye joke, I promise. Chipper Jones, the latest guy to take a hack at Ted Williams's claim to being the last player to hit .400, might be angering the Baseball Gods or something. After limping through Atlanta's last series with the Cubs, Chipper took a ricocheted BP pitch to the face today and was a late scratch from the Braves/Angels game, which the Braves...umm...bravely gathered together to win anyway.

The Last Word: Sad day for sports fans and nonsports fans alike. Sportscaster Charlie Jones, who worked the first Super Bowl as a broadcaster, and more recently was the voice of one of the defining football games of my young fanhood - the 1993 clash between #1 Florida State and #2 Notre Dame - passed away today of a heart attack. Meanwhile, anyone who loved seeing Tim Russert expertly wield his white board during NBC's presidential election coverage the last couple of times around is saddened by his passing today after collapsing in the Washington, D.C. bureau he was the head of. As an aspiring journalist myself, I look to Russert as one of the best examples of impartiality and pride in the media. Sad to say he is gone.

Image Credit: Getty Images

What Happened Today? 6/12/08 Or: The Lakers Take the Driver's Seat and Fall Asleep at the Wheel

After the 1st quarter of tonight's Game 4 of the NBA Finals, it looked like the Celtics' goose, for the moment, had its head in the oven. They had missed their opportunity to take control of the series by allowing the Lakers to take Game 3, thanks largely to incredibly bad performances from Paul Pierce (2/14 shooting) and Kevin Garnett (6/21). They were the proud owners of the largest end-of-1st-frame deficit in the history of the NBA Finals. And L.A. was doing it all without the services of Messr. Kobe Bean Bryant.

But, in the 3rd, the Celts made their inevitable run, ripping off a 21-3 run in the final 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter, and the Lakers never responded. Bryant posted an underwhelming 19 points on 6/19 shooting, Ray Allen continued his run for a Finals MVP award, and Pau Gasol continued his quest to lull me into a false sense of security by not impressing me in any game I watch him play.

The Lakers never really showed up in the 4th, and when they graciously allowed Allen to make a pretty much uncontested layup with 16 seconds to play, that pretty much shoved the fork into the Lakers. They lost the game 97-91. Now Showtime is down 3-1 in the series, with 2 games left in Boston. No team has ever come back from down 3-1 to win the Finals. Maybe there's a first time for everything, but I doubt this year is it.

Other stuff that happened today:

The Cubs win - no matter what year it is. Full disclosure - I'm a Cubs fan. There will be a post very soon describing the incredible surreality of the 2008 season for me. Today was yet another example of how the Cubs make the once-impossible late-inning comebacks seem like a formality. While the team celebrated 60 years of WGN baseball with throwback uniforms and 2 innings of black and white 'retro-style' broadcasting, the most recent hero was Jim Edmonds, who found the basket in the LF bleachers to tie the game at 2 in the 9th inning. In the 11th, after the Cubs loaded the bases with no one out, Reed Johnson pinch-hit for Edmonds against the lefty pitcher Jeff Ridgway of Atlanta. Ridgway promptly hit Johnson to end the game with his first pitch. The win gives Chicago a 43-24 record - the best in baseball by two games - including a completely ridiculous 29-8 record at Wrigley Field. Although Alfonso Soriano is still out a while with that fractured hand, I have a feeling they'll be alright.

Billy, Mr. Randolph would like a word with you. A few days ago, Billy Wagner was fine as closer of the Mets. He was 13/15 in save chances, was sporting an 0.36 ERA and was generally regarded as one cog in the underperforming Mets' machine that didn't need to be worried about. Well, Wagner has blown three straight saves, all multiple-run leads to boot, and today's was perhaps the most damaging, as NY lost to the D-Backs 5-4, falling to three below .500, 7.5 behind Philadelphia, and also 7.5 out of the wild card. For a team that was universally considered to be Arizona's biggest threat to keep them out of the World Series this year, it's not working out so well there. At least Randolph's job's not in jeopardy, right? Umm...right?

You don't care about steroids, but here it comes anyway. Although baseball fans - including myself - have pretty much decided to ignore that anything steroid-related has ever happened (except for making fun of any fans of a team whose player gets caught), the news keeps leaking out. Today comes word that Congress wants to hear more from Bud Selig and Don Fehr, who the lawmakers suspect may not have been entirely truthful in the original 2005 steroids hearings. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Tom Davis (R-VA) are particularly intrerested in passages of the Mitchell Report that claim "that the random testing program was suspended for a large part of the 2004 baseball season" and "that players may have been told of upcoming tests". Hmmmm.

Chad Johnson shows up, but is he healthy? As he promised to do a while back, that master of celebration Chadwick Johnson arrived on time for Bengals minicamp today. But he never said he'd actually do anything. Johnson claims to have bone chips in his ankle, although the Bengals' medical staff gave him a physical and found nothing of the sort. Bengals QB Carson Palmer (remember those other guys on the team?) tellingly refused to talk about Johnson, saying he's pretty sure everyone's "sick of hearing about him, so I'm not going to talk about him". I dunno about you, Carson, but I'm never sick of hearing about Mr. Johnson.

Here's to you, Alex Ovechkin. The most electrifying talent in the NHL this side of Pittsburgh, as expected, took home the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP tonight, receiving 128 out of 134 first-place votes. Speaking as someone who can name no other Capital despite their division championship this season, that sounds like a pretty good choice. Ovie said he has his sights set on a Stanley Cup, though. We shall see...

Last Word: Is anyone remotely surprised that with all the Tim Donaghy crap going on that the Feds are looking to see if there are any more crooked refs? And is anyone remotely surprised that in their hunt for crooked refs, the Feds are honing in on the one and only Dick Bavetta, universally considered the worst remaining ref in the NBA?

Image Credit: New York Times

I'm Back

In a previous world, I had a sports blog with this same title but never had time to work on it - pesky college life.

Now, I do. So I'm reviving it.

The new Swivel Arm will aim to have a post each night running down the day's top stories, as well as other content uploaded whenever I feel like.

A long-time sports fan, I now feel the time is right to have a blog, because I am following sports now more than I ever have. Through the magic of MLB.TV, multiple other sports blogs, and message boards a go go, I have my finger on the pulse of the sports universe (or at least the universe I care enough to follow).

So enjoy, everybody.