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Baseball Author - Written By: Nakamura

Buster Olney, You're a F*cking Idiot

I can't stand baseball analysts. They have literally no clue what they're talking about. Ever turn on the TV or radio to hear, "He needs to stop
Buster Olney
The True Idiot
tipping his signs. That's why the opposing team is hitting him this inning." Yeah, sure it is. I'm sure you figured it out before his pitching coach. It sure makes a jolly lot of sense that this self-proclaimed genius is in a booth and not in a dugout.


Fact is, most of the people who are on TV talking about sports are idiots. In order to break down baseball, you need some credentials. You need to play the game to understand it. When Curt Schilling breaks down the numbers of a 1-1 count, I'll listen. When Joe Buck does it, I'll start listening to my iPod and watch the game on mute. There are few people who know the game well enough to have the ability to break it down on television. Personally, Ken Rosenthal, Bobby Valentine and Tim Kurkjian are the only ones worth listening to. Several others such as Barry Larkin and Al Leiter don't receive enough credit, but they aren't as good as the first three.
Tim Kurkjian Bobby Valentine Buster Olney Ken Rosenthal
(From Left to Right) Ken Rosenthal, Tim Kurkjian, Bobby Valentine



On the other hand, certain people have no clue what they're talking about. Namely Buster Olney. This guy must be constantly stoned. His head is probably in a cement mixer because he's a complete Block Head. Sure, he know his baseball history. But so does everyone in a sports bar. That's what Olney is. Just your average Joe in a sports bar. He doesn't know jack sh*t.
average joe
The team Buster Olney so proudly plays for


Before the season, he interviewed Carl Crawford and his trainer to see how one of baseball's fastest players was getting faster in the off season. In the entire video, Buster said only a few lines. The trainer did most of the talking. But when talking about Carl Crawford's slow start off of 1st base on a stolen base attempt, Buster said "So basically, what's happening is you're in a row boat and you're leaving your oars behind".

What the f*ck are you talking about Buster? What kind of pot are you smoking in order to ask a question like that? Of course, the trainer respectfully answers, "Right, that's a perfect analogy". If I was in his position, I'd be thinking, "Is this guy on crack or is he on meth?".

Later, Buster gave an "inside" report on a possible trade that was in the works. The Phillies' Ryan Howard for St. Louis' Albert Pujols. My reaction was "WHatalhkafjnweaJHLAFBWEKJFHB Eabneifalenjfawe
afwe???!@#%^*#!". But then I read who wrote the article and I reacted something more along the lines of, "Oh, it's another piece of bullsh*t to add to the pile". I'm sure the ESPN crew has sources. But only the average Joe in the sports bar would talk about a trade like this, and it would be in a fantasy baseball league. Perhaps that's Buster Olney's main source. A sports bar.

Why didn't he realize no one else in ESPN, or the sports world for that matter, picked up on this story? Did he really think, "Hey, I'm the first to find this huge story!"? What a dumbass.
Dumbass


His most recent video blog came in August of 2010. Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana had suffered an injury trying to block the plate from Boston outfielder Ryan Kalish. About this injury, Buster said,
"[Carlos Santana] put himself at risk for one run, on one play, for one game, and you'll wonder when he come back, if the Indians will have conversations with him about the way he blocks home plate, telling him, 'look, the most important thing for the Indians is to make sure Carlos Santana is in the lineup on a daily basis [...] But you wonder if in the big picture, [if] this is a good thing, is this a good strategy to have catchers put themselves at risk constantly by blocking, again, to save one run on one game on one given day".

Ok, right off the bat, Buster's stating the obvious. Sure, it was for one run, on one play in one game. But every time Zach Grienke throws a pitch, he's risking an injury. In fact, Grienke will throw upwards of 100 pitches per game. A catcher will make an attempt to block home plate maybe twice in a game. And you're really asking for a player to tone it down a bit? That his passion and intensity towards playing the game is too much?

Please, we're not talking about Pete Rose tackling a catcher in an All Star game. This is a catcher who's trying to make a play at the plate. I grew up a catcher. My role model wasn't Mike Scioscia, but Jason Varitek. And if there's going to be a play at the plate, you can be damn sure I will block it. I plant myself to the ground like a fire truck and wait for a hit. I've been knocked to the ground by people literally three time my weight. I weight less than 125 pounds. I'm easily the skinniest kid on the field. You can bring NFL running back Steven Jackson to bulldoze me. If he's trying to score, I will stand my ground. I will probably be knocked unconscious. I will probably sh*t my pants. But I'll stand my ground because that's my duty as a catcher. You wouldn't understand that Buster, cause you've never played this game we call "baseball". Injuries happen Buster. And I would gladly f*cking injure you if it meant you'd stop talking.

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Metal Bats to Wood Bats to Metal Bats... and Back to Wood Bats Again

There is an art to hitting. Anyone who has tried to hit at a level past high school knows this. To be able to hit a 73 mph curveball on a line dive to right field isn't easy. But when it happens, it's a beauty. There's nothing quite like it. But what goes into the bat? There's a beauty in bat-making too, right? Furthermore, what's with bats anyways? They can cost anywhere from $15 to $300.

In the state of New York, high school baseball players are not permitted to use metal bats in official games. Why? Because they're dangerous. That's right, metal bats are too dangerous in the hands of a high school New Yorker, but not in the hands of a high schooler from Florida or Arizona.

The metal bats we're outlawed due to their characteristics in weaponry. They were banned because the ball flies off it too well. If a batter hits the ball hard right at the pitcher or third baseman, the fielder may not have enough time to react to the ball, thus get injured or ... die.

But what I don' understand is this: Why would you ban them in high school but not college? And what about little league? Now, the kids go from using metal in little league, wood in high school, metal in college, and wood in the pro's, if they go that far. That's just stupid.

The metal bats should never have been banned. The wood bats can be dangerous too. In the event that the bat breaks, a 24 inch splinter will be shooting across the field, hunting for one of the infielders. At least with a hard hit line drive, you somewhat expect it. You can make a semi-athletic maneuver to try and survive. But if a chunk of wood is heading your way, you might not notice it because you're too focused on the ball.
Broken Bat


And besides, metal bats are cheaper. They can go for about $80, but once it's bought, it will last. They can be as cheap as $20. Metal bats rarely break and never shatter. An average wood bat will cost around $70. If you're jammed once, you'll need a new one. These are high school kids we're talking about here. How are they going to afford such expensive bats?

All I'm trying to say is that metal bats should be allowed in New York. It's allowed in all the other states. Why not New York? If you're going to complain about the rates the MTA give, complain about the prices a Marucci bat costs. Or an Old Hickory or Sam Bat costs.
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The Most Painful Blown Call of the Year . . . If Not Century

Put yourself into the shoes of 28 year old Detroit Tiger Armando Galarraga for a second. You're living the dream. You're living in the moment. Especially if that moment happened to be on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010.

Galarraga was ready to sign his name into the record books. He had a perfect game going in the 9th inning with 2 outs. 26 up, 26 down. All he needed was one more out and he'd join the list of 20 greats including Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson and Cy Young


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Ultimate Baseball Value Meal: A No Hitter with a Side of 20 Innings and an Unfinished Game

Remember Saturday April 17th for the rest of your life. Engrave it into your brain. Because one day, it will be the king of all baseball trivia.


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The Dream Team (Post 1990)

A couple friends and I were discussing how much younger players have gotten recently. General Managers these days let go of former stars once their prime has passed. Leading us to wonder, what would the "Dream Team" of players from the steroid era on be like? Here is the list. (This list is an opinion and in no way is it official)

Lineup:
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My Idol, My Hero, and My Inspiration

He was more than just a player to me. He was more than just an all-star. He was more than a two time batting champion to me. Nomar Garciaparra was my idol.

Nomar was the reason why I started playing baseball. When I was around 4 years old, I knew what baseball was, but I was just a fan. I had actually never set foot on a real baseball diamond before


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6 Pitchers... 5 Spots for Boston's Rotation

There's the fireballer, Josh Beckett.
There's the cancer survivor, Jon Lester.
There's the newly acquired John Lackey


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Why 2nd Place is Unacceptable

1st Place
Some people say that if you try your best, then everything will be alright. Really? Because not everybody agrees. There's another group of people that believe failure is utterly unacceptable. Some people say that finishing second sucks. I am one of those people. So here are 12 quotes to prove that 2nd place sucks.

12) "Winning is everything, to win is all there is. Only those poor souls buried beneath the battlefield understand this." -SEAL Team Saving


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Trading Cards 101 Part 1

Remember those days when baseball cards were... popular? Those were the good old days,
Honus Wagner 1909 T206
T206 Honus Wagner, once worth half a million dollars
huh? Well, what happened? For everything baseball cards, Nakamura and Aguilera have come together to let you all in on it.

Compared to the past, how do present baseball cards differ in value?
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All Time Best: Infield

Every generation has their share of stars. This time around, there are players such as Mauer, Pujols, Suzuki, Lincecum and more. Way back when, there were players such as Ruth, Gehrig and Mays. So who were the true best of the best? Here are my picks. Feel free to leave your top players in the comments.

Catcher: Johnny Bench Hall of Famer. 14 time all star. Two time MVP. 10 time gold glove award winner. Owner of two world series rings. One world series MVP. Anyone who says Bench is overrated is insane. This man could do it all; whether it be catching pop ups, fielding
Johnny Bench
Johnny Bench
bunts or throwing out runners at second. He takes the crown for best defensive catcher by a long shot. And with the bat, he is third on the list of most homeruns hit by a catcher. As first ballot hall of famer, Bench got in with 96% of the votes


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