John from Keene, New Hampshire asks: Bill did you catch Rob Dibbles comment the day Strasburg got hurt? Talk about being tough on the kid.
Answer: Yes I did hear about that. In my opinion it was a bad coincidence for Dibble as who knew the injury would require Tommy John surgery? For those that didn't hear, when Strasburg hurt his arm last week, right after he threw the pitch, it didn't seem all that serious but Strasburg instantly called the coach and trainer out and quickly left the game. He was shaking his arm around and moving it like it was going to be fine but as we know, turned out to be more serious. Well Rob Dibble, who's one of the Nationals announcers, criticized Strasburg and said on air the kid needs to man up and shake it off. I don't feel the comments were meant in a bad way, it was an honest comment by a guy that pitched in the majors for a long time and dealt with various injuries himself. Apparently Dibble asked to take a couple days off and hasn't been back on the air since.
Steve from San Clemente asks: Bill what happened with Mike Napoli being on waivers and being claimed by the Red Sox? Napoli's one of the Angels power hitters and they can't score runs...
Answer: Yes the Angels put Napoli on waivers and he was claimed by the Red Sox but they were unable to work out a deal, so Napoli stays. A lot of teams put players on waivers, some time with the intention of trading them, other times just to see what interest is out there from what teams, should some thing come up in the off season. Speaking of the Red Sox, I'll bet you didn't know they had Clay Bucholtz, John Lester, Josh Bard and Hideki Okajimi on waivers this year. Why? They were just curious what was out there, doesn't mean they want to trade any of them. Going back to Napoli, the Angels have catchers Mathis and Wilson also on the roster with Hank Conger in AAA. Napoli is the worst of the major league guys defensively (although the best offensively) and makes the most money (roughly $3.6 million). They have to do something and they've probably decided Napoli is the guy to "cut bait on" and get that salary off the books. Red Sox probably didn't offer as good a prospect as the Angels were looking for, so they're waiting till the off season to unload him.
Jim from Portsmouth, New Hampshire asks: Bill loved your write ups on Basketball Wives, what's going on with it? Will it be back next year?
Answer: Thanks Jim. I got quite a bit of feedback on those write ups and apologize for not recapping the last couple episodes. The good news is Basketball Wives has been renewed for a second season although they haven't announced the "cast". It'll still take place in Miami so maybe with the new Heat roster, they'll have plenty of fresh "talent" to choose from. As soon as I hear more details I'll pass it along. I just hope Evelyn returns, she's my favorite "ho".
Rob from Natick, Massachusetts asks: Bill what's your prediction about Roger Clemens and his court case? I read your write up last week and then saw the "Rocket" plead not guilty yesterday. Is he going to jail?
Answer: I saw the sentencing guidelines yesterday if he's found guilty. 15 years in jail and a million dollar fine. Yikes....Now most likely if found guilty he'd get the minimum (20 months jail time) but still, would you risk that? I know he's a "proud Texan" (god knows we heard him say that for 25 years now) but still, way too much circumstantial evidence out there for me to be risking that sort of stiff penalty if by some strange reason I'm found guilty. I see where his lawyer (Rusty Hardin) quit last weekend. Usually when that happens it's due to the fact the lawyer thinks the client is guilty and should plead guilty and except a lesser sentence and the client disagrees and wants to fight it. As I said last week, I think Roger should suck it up, plead guilty and except the consequences.
Pete from Naperville, Illinois asks: Did you see the hit by Ndamukong Suh on Jake Delhomme last weekend? Think he should be suspended?
Answer: Hi Pete, long time, no hear. Yes I did see it, pretty scary. No I don't feel he should be suspended, I don't think any extra "malice" was intended other than bringing down the QB. He was penalized on the play and personally I think it should be left at that. From Suh's comments he thought Delhomme still had the ball and that's why he finished off the play by throwing Delhomme down. You can't expect to tell football players to be aggressive, then go out and suspend them when they think they're being aggressive within the rules. As I said, he was penalized for the face mask and as they say in Star Wars, "move along, nothing more to see here". For those haven't seen the hit, here's a youtube clip: Suh flattens Delhomme
Steve from Lake Forest, Ca asks: Bill, how will the El Toro football team do this year?
Answer: Thanks for asking Steve, nice hearing from you. Actually I think the program is on an upswing. They've got some nice pieces in place with 6 returning all league players from last year along with a transfer QB from Virginia who's being highly recruited. Coach Frith and his staff did a great job last year in year one of taking over and are looking at improving on last years record of 8-4 (4-1 Sea View). With Trabuco Hills moving over to the South Coast league, it leaves the league wide open for El Toro and they'll capitalize on it. I believe the OC Register has them at #11 in their Orange County preseason rankings and that sounds about right to me. My prediction is 9-3 on the year. They open on the road when they travel to Boston to face Delaware Valley this Friday, September 3rd. Go Chargers!
Susan from Lake Forest, Ca asks: Bill, you were talking about the CIF transfer rules and how a couple players eligibility were turned down due to it being an athletic transfer, yet I see a linebacker from Trabuco Hills just transferred to Mission and he's eligible. What's up?
Answer: Susan, great question. The CIF is sort of like the NCAA sanctioning body as they seem to be a government all their own! Seriously though, they have certain guidelines they follow and then make their decision based on the information they gather. In relation to your question though. Chase Favreau transferred from Mater Dei this year to Edison and was all set to take over as starting QB. Well CIF ruled he transferred due to athletic reasons and have said he needs to sit out a year. Of course Edison's fans and coaches are upset but come on, it was athletically motivated and everyone in the "know" knows it. I remember sitting in the stands for a Mater Dei baseball game two summers ago and talking about Favreau and Wittek battling it out for the starting position. Well Wittek won the job so Faveau's leaving so he can start elsewhere. Not brain surgery.... From all I've heard, the family lives in Newport Beach and the dad has plenty of money, so the transfer is not due to "money issues" (and besides if it was money, why wouldn't the kid go to Newport Harbor or CDM, where he's zoned for?). The linebacker from Trabuco Hills you're referring to is Griffin Balmer. He just transferred to Mission for his senior year. He was the Sea View leagues Defensive MVP last year and CIF just okayed his transfer and he's eligible to play this year. Why is he eligible but Favreau isn't? Not sure. How about that for an answer? I'm doing some checking around with my sources at Trabuco Hills trying to find out. Someone said the parents are divorcing and the mother has moved into an apartment in Mission Viejo and he's living with her and now eligible to attend Mission. If that's the case, well it would fit the CIF rules for transferring. If and when I get a clear answer I'll pass it along (9/2 update - Got more info on Ballmer. Apparently he has "off field issues" which in all fairness to the boy, I'm not comfortable mentioning in a public forum. How this entails him to transfer and not lose eligibility, I'm not sure, but the transfer does NOT have to do with family marital problems). Some times the CIF does seem arbitrary when they rule some one eligible or ineligible, but I'm sure they have all the facts where as the rest of us are just guessing at what's going on.
Tim from Lake Forest, Ca asks: Bill, I know you're dialed in on the high school baseball players, whats the latest on any underclassmen signing?
Answer: Tim, here are a couple "name" underclassmen that have verbally committed recently. Sophomore short stop Chris Rivera from El Dorado High School committed to Cal State Fullerton, Sophomore catcher Jeremy Martinez from Mater Dei committed to USC, Junior 3rd baseman Andre Real from Orange Lutheran committed to University of San Diego and Junior Rio Riuz from Bishop Amat has committed to USC. The USC signings will be interesting to follow as Kreuter just got fired there and Pat Haden is waiting for a year to announce the new permanent head coach. A lot can happen between now and 2012/13.....
Thanks for the questions and please keep them coming!
Bill
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