I had two pairs of skis: 1987 Atomic Arcs (which got stolen), and 1989 Pre's (which I didn't like).

My golf clubs (which I haven't used in over two years) are 1990 Ram Laser FX's.

Our car is a 1990 Acura Integra.

I own a Rawlings glove right now that's stiff from non-use. As I look at it, I realize it has no autograph. I thought that was illegal.

My golf clubs are Cleveland ta4 irons, about 8 years old now. I've got a big bertha driver that's about 2 generations old.

Old friends, winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends

Can you imagine us years from today,
Sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears

--------------------

Sorry, not a parody, I just like that song.

My two cars are a Prius and a Packard.

The Management by Baseball post is of interest.

Sorry if this deviates from people talking about old sports equipment.

A few years back, I bought one of those old 50s pillow style mitts, the kind that doesn't close all the way around the ball. It was a blast to play catch with, a whole different skill. Frankly, the idea that you always have to use 2 hands is kind of an anachronism dating to these old gloves. Problem was, the laces kept popping out, even after I had them all replaced.

If anybody wants some really cool old golf irons (1960 something MacGregor blades in near mint condition) let me know.

So I bought a new one at our local Gemco. The only one available that would fit my hand was a Greg Luzinski model glove.

My second glove, circa when-I-was 9, was also a bit too big. It was, I think, a Ron Cey model. I used it through college intermural softball.

The most distinguishing feature, however, was that I had collected a few autographs on the glove itself. My dad used some sort of coating to preserve the autographs. I can't remember who all signed it, but I know one of the autographs was Dusty Baker, and I think another was Bill Russell, perhaps Steve Yeager, too. (I believe there were three Dodgers from that era.)

The painful part is that, coming back from college after my senior year, I mailed a bunch of boxes back home. The one box that didn't show up included my most expensive textbooks and my glove.

It hurts to have lost that glove.

Too cheap (or too pragmatic) to buy the latest and greatest, I found 2003 Atomic R11's (top of the line) for $125 at my local Sportmart.

I didn't believe all the hype about the new generation of skis. I was wrong.

They are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking some up. (A Ferris Bueller quote, if no one caught it)

Try the bargain rack at your local sports warehouse.

USA TODAY: What you would change about the NBA?

Barry: If every player had money on the line in every game based upon a victory, you'd see some unbelievable competition. Sports and team concept would change dramatically.

No comment, just passing it along.

He also had this one (I expected his answer to be that foul shots should be worth three points each):

USA TODAY: The league has instituted several rules in recent years aimed at increasing scoring and making the game more attractive. Has that been a good thing?

Barry: What they need to do is force coaches to make teams run. . . .

I also have a Rawlings "Keith Hernandez" first baseman's mitt.

That's funny. I was just thinking to myself yesterday how sports would be improved (from a fan's standpoint) if (1) every player on a team made the same salary and (2) the total team salary was determined by the team's success.

So am I...

The Arensons have the hammer in the 11th.

Annette Norberg for Prime Minister!

When she is not on the ice, she works as an actuary, but because of the sport, she says she has no time for hobbies.

She's an actuary and a curler? Wow, what an adrenaline rush!

And most damning, Jim Bowden says he has "flair."

Jim Bowden is the New Alvin Toffler!

Since this came up yesterday, this says that Robles was third in the league last year in Plate Discipline (whatever that is)

http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2006/02/swinging_taking.php

I always had hand me down gloves. I like Wilson for some reason. The Ron Cey was great, but I sucked at baseball as I got older, and foolishly gave up on it. Now I use my wife's softball glove. Yuck.

I had a great Stiga Power/Kill blade with Friendship rubber and Stiga Shoes stolen in college. I'm sure they all ended up in a dumptser. I almost cried.

SAAB 9000 CSE
Neon ACR for track and twisties

http://www.sportsartifacts.com/gmurphylht.JPG

I retired my Wilson A2000-XL last season after 20 years of faithful (or sometimes unfaithful) service. The purchase of a new glove was more a nod to making sure I didn't lose the old one, which I am sentimentally attached to.

As for skiis, your 1989 vintage 200's are only slightly shorter than my 205's. In the case of the skiis, I think I'll opt for the "edge" of new gear, to avoid doing a "Jim Lonborg."

My current glove is a Brett Butler model which has the advantage of actually fitting my hand, but it still hasn't reached the net like quality of my first glove.

My first time on skis was at Purgatory in Durango. My second time was somewhere in the Japanese mountains about 4 hours from Yokosuka. The first time was amusing more for the (legal) 3.2 Coors we could drink than for the skiing. The second time I strained the heck out of my knee and ended up in an ankle-to-hip cast for 3 weeks. Try using a flush-to-the-floor Japanese toilet (benjo) with a leg that won't bend.

i finally bought new skis this year, and am hoping to christen them next weekend on the minneapolin mole hills before heading back out to tahoe for some real skiing. i think i will buy a helmet for that trip.

Do I see characteristics at this point in time in this young man's career that are similar to an Adrian Beltre?

Yes, I do," Tracy said.

"He has a lot of the same attributes."

It's a good thing, what with the "Alex Cora would have gotten that" event having fallen into disfavor and the Grabowski Principle having moved over to international competition. The "arm angles" challenge, one would, would apear to be still be with us, although its leading advocate and primary villain have both moved east.

I wonder why the two most mentioned gloves on in this thread are from '70s era third basemen (Schmidt, Cey).

Tracy will not make his triumphant return to L.A. until September 19 as the Dodgers have a weird end of the season schedule with many games out of the division.

I know this bothered Steiner and Monday a lot last year when they saw it. Apparently, they are unfamiliar with the fact that you can't divide five evenly by two so there has to be one team at all times playing outside of the division.

http://tinyurl.com/hv9w7

However, the reason for my post is to provide a link to minorleagueball.com that some of you may be interested in (it involves a certain huge Korean)

http://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2006/2/23/165921/148

he never threw one before right?

Well, I bought the Cey glove because I was a Dodger fan, because it fit my hand perfectly, and because I was going to be playing third. A year later I decided to move away from third to take advantage of the greater opportunities for self defense afforded by playing second and short.

They share a rookie card, too, something I was dismayed to find out, because Schmidt drives the price way up. All I was really wanted was Cey.

that card and the 1971 dick allen were the last two cards i found to complete my dodger team sets from 1970 - 1989. i found them in 89 (before ebay) and just about hyperventilated when i saw the dick allen card.

http://shegel4.mybesthost.com/ProjectionLineupToy.html

Our "best" Pecota lineup would be (with Borders filling the pitcher's spot in the lineup):

Navarro, Mueller, Drew, Nomar, Kent, Cruz, Furcal, Lofton, Pitcher's Spot (or Borders)

As for our "best" prospect lineup, again with Borders as the pitcher:

Martin, Aybar, Guzman, Laroche, Kemp, Young, Ethier, Loney, Pitcher's Spot (or Borders)

The story was about the toy company, recalling a game that inspires children to injure themselves or something.

Speculation on how the hazing ritual version of Chicken Limbo would be played is welcome.

I think Gagne's always had a slider, but it's supposed to stink. I think Lo Duca would tease him about how useless a pitch it was. Is he throwing it this spring? I'd be surprised if he actually uses it this season.

WWSH

Sad. I still cringe at the guys name. Life ain't fair, I guess.

He supposedly gave it up when he became a reliever, but is working on it again. Apparently it really impressed some of the guys he threw to today.

Nothing like being unhitable with two pitches and then adding a third.

And those are just the unhittable ones

but izturis also stinks at hitting so who knows.

I don't think you need to be a HOF hitter to know a really good pitch when you see one. After all, if Vinnie announced that Gagne had developed a "nasty" slider, we probably wouldn't question him.

Now that Gagne seems to be back, we can trade Baez for that outfielder we need.

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/322634.html

Afraid it's going to take more than Baez to get Dunn, Nate. Are you willing to throw in one or two of our prospects?

Who needs a closer? Baltimore, Cleveland, Atlanta, D'Backs? With all of the player movement lately, I can't keep track of who might be willing to give us something good.

if it takes ty cob--- i mean, repko, then i guess sooo.

Sorry, can't give 'em Repko. Steve would have to find someone else to pick on and he's developed such a fine relationship with Jason

Jason Bay

By the minors, I saved up for a real leather mitt, a Dean Chance model. It was hugely oversized for my 10 year old hand. Now I even looked like Charley Brown.

My gloves have been to countless Dodger and Angel games. My Sandy glove even got to see his namesake when the Dodgers retired his number in 1972. Both gloves are still in the closet, and my wife knows not to throw them out.

My old Olins are associated with white-out, and tire chains and frozen, wasted weekends. They're deep under the Eisenhower Course in the Industry Hills landfill. Maybe they'll contribute a little hydrocarbon to some future generation.

http://dcbb.blogspot.com/

Actually, he then caveated it and said "... like the Raiders of the 60's, 70's, and 80's..." Hopefully the D'Back players didn't catch on to the last part.

He also doesn't understand figure skating's new scoring system.

http://www.slate.com/id/2136701/nav/tap2/

(not that i give a single iota of a darn about figure skating)

Given that both scoring systems are fundamentally subjective and biased, they might as well go back to the old system. That being said, I'm not sure the Olympic results would have been much different under the old scoring system...

"Meanwhile, part of the new arrangement for Dodgers' spring training games starting next Thursday is the elimination of weekday delayed broadcasts on KFWB-AM (980). Instead, those games called by Charley Steiner and Rick Monday will be heard only the Dodgers' Web site during the week. KFWB plans to carry weekend games live from Florida."

http://tinyurl.com/fw2rk

[Sorry]

What a miserable excuse for a human being he is.

Not sure which I meant but both work: It is not that unusual that the leader after the short program doesn't win gold and it is not that unusual that Plaschke conveniently omits relevant information from his stories.

good stuff.

We're all figure American figure skating fans.

More likely he would not be a writer at all. I'm not sure he's either capable or inclined to write to that level. That, ironically, is the same problem Sasha has with figure skating apparently.

Didnt last spring start out with Gagne being slow on the gun, and then he tweaked his mechanics, tore up his knee...came back too early and hurt his arm...done for the year.

I agree Gagne's best pitch is probably his change-up. But if he cant throw his fastball, that change-up becomes very hittable.

How is it possible that his piece gets in to the paper, anyway? There's nobody who works there with veto power over Mr. Chivalry? Or do they think it's brave to spit on a five foot tall ice skater, too?

http://tinyurl.com/e6bxy

And with the Drew, everyone is in camp. Except for Choi and Seo, who I believe left this morning. So everyone has been in camp at some time

it was a good question damnit!!

Most other news outlets were far less rabid in their coverage of the event.

no, but he did stay at a holiday inn.

I would assume that columns by Plaschke, Simers and Adande get minimal editing before they get published.

The big columnists usually get that treatment. Sometimes it doesn't work out well unless you happen to own a certified Mitch Albom Time Machine.

The best picture is Aaron Sele looking like a beer-league softball player trying to make a catch.

ah, tomko pitching batting practice. that's going to be a familiar refrain this year.

I really like the spring uni's too. The first thing I thought when I saw them was "oh cool"

cr

If he is 230 then Walter Young is 230.

I feel like he's one of those Asimov robots and his three laws are crashing into each other and causing his head to steam. (1) Must love and advocate for baseball. (2) Must love and advocate for the home team, unless that conflicts with law number one. (3) Must criticize mlb management, unless that conflicts with the first two laws. But the home team is mlb management? Does not compute. And loving baseball seems to mean not advocating for the mismanaged home team right now, but rooting against the home team now embarrases baseball . . . no, wait.

Anyhow, I haven't figured it all out, but last year he was fine -- a homer and sort of over the top, but readable. So far this year, he's just as you say.

The Soriano column was an obscene Penthouse letter. I was mildly embarrassed for him.

I wish I lived in DC so I could see Soriano SWAGGER.

That's what the Dodgers need. SWAGGER.

GM Ned Colletti said Lajoie would evaluate talent, monitor the Triple-A and Double-A affiliates, and serve as an extra set of eyes when the club is looking at players to acquire.

Apparently not.

"Three" -- there's a stat we can all get behind I say!

J.D. Drew smiles after a bunting session at camp on Friday afternoon. (Rick Silva/AP)

Kent's immediate rehabilitation was aided immensely by circumstance. He was replacing Alex Cora, and you had a significant number of people making truly silly arguments about what a terrible signing it was and how horrible it was to be letting Cora go. Just extraordinary stuff. Those issues overrode previous concerns about his Giant-ness, and then, he justified his existence.

"Even accomplished runners such as Kenny Lofton, Rafael Furcal and Cesar Izturis were hanging on every word."

Could it be his executive bashing was correct, but merely misplaced?

I'm looking at you Mr. Kupchak.

Caron for Kwame
Shaq for Odom
Smush Parker
Phil Jackson for 10mils a season.

Indeed, no?

Isnt that right, Mitch?

When the Dodgers play an intrasquad game at Jacksonville on Tuesday, prospects who have played for the double-A affiliate in that city will be grouped together and will wear Suns' uniforms.

Top prospect Chad Billingsley, who was 13-6 and led Jacksonville to the Southern League championship last season, will be the starting pitcher.

Did y'all find that interesting? Maybe. If I threw in an oblique insult towards the wife, I could be writing like T.J. Simers. If I used the word "I" several more times, I could be writing like T.J. Simers.

Of all the phrases one can use to describe Jim Murray, "self-absorbed" isn't one of them. I have never read a more self-absorbed writer than Simers and hope I never do. Yes, Murray took positions that were illogical and stuck with them but the prose was so extraordinary we hardly cared. Jon wrote a while back that saying you think Simers is funny is kind of like laughing along with the kid who just spray painted your car. I think that's exactly right.

Im involved in a type of keeper league fantasy baseball. You take a real Major League ball club, and keep every player from year to year. There is a salary cap, free agent bidding, and Minor League affiliations. The scoring is done through Yahoo for just this year, while a website is getting finished up. Its totally free to join and its a lot of fun.

In MLB_Franchise 1 the Cubs and Nationals are available.

Since the rosters have been active for a while, there are some changes to each team, but theres still a lot of time to make trades and stuff.

If you're interested in joining join the group here: http://tinyurl.com/phqry
and post a claim for the Nationals or Cubs.

Than Join the Free Yahoo fantasy group with League ID #94524 password: henry and name your team either the Nationals or Cubs, which ever one you choose.

You need to have some time to dedicate to this league, so if your just looking for a once a day update league, this one isnt for you. If you have any questions yo can email me at barkin.daniel37@gmail.com. The leagues are a lot of fun.

can someone explain to me why teams in the NBA trade all their expiring contracts for worse ones? If Isaiah had just let Davis and Hardaway run out, he would have had about 30 million off the books after this season. Instead he's stuck with Jalen Rose and Steve Francis. Huh? Is it me or is that about 10 steps beyond illogical.

As far as Kupchak goes, the fact that he didn't get an All Star back for Shaq is really disturbing. I knew we'd have to take a bad contract back (i.e. Grant) to make salaries match up...but please, you're telling me shaq doesn't bring in at least one all star? NBA Gm's boggle my mind.

the knicks payroll is close to 100 mil i think. the salary cap is somewhere around 45 mil.

even if they let those expiring contract run out after this year, they are still over the salary cap and the 30 mil off the books will be useless because they will not be able to spend it.

this summer, the knicks need to trade francis or marbury. im assuming marbury since it seems larry brown doesnt like him.

Odom isnt a #2 scoring option. He's a role player getting paid a max contract. He is what he is. I think Kobe, Caron, and a good PG, with Odom as the #4 option on the team would have been much better.

Kwame Brown has to be the worst #1 overall pick in the history of the NBA. For a player to be in the NBA for 4-5 years, and he still has not developed any types of offensive moves, is unfathomable to me. Phil should just start giving Bynum his minutes and try to develop him. I'm not sure what Bynum's ceiling is since he's not a very explosive athlete, but it has to be better than what Kwame's amounted to.

As for the Clippers, they have a very bright future. I saw Livingston play quite a bit in high school and honestly wasnt that impressed, but if he ever stays healthy he's gonna be an All Star. 6'7 PG's dont grow on trees. Liv, Maggette, Brand are 3 good guys to build around.

If Kupchak somehow convinces Kevin McHale to trade Garnett for Odom/Bynum...I'll be shocked. Odom is hard to trade because A. He has a long contract. B.He's not worth his max level deal.

Garnett will only get traded for expiring contracts or high level young players that still are under a good contract.

I think only Bynum or Brian Cook would fit this mold for the Lakers. Kwame, Odom do not.

All that being said, I expect the Lakers to be mediocre at best for the foreseeable future.

"the knicks payroll is close to 100 mil i think. the salary cap is somewhere around 45 mil."

Salary cap is about 50 mill.

"even if they let those expiring contract run out after this year, they are still over the salary cap and the 30 mil off the books will be useless because they will not be able to spend it."

that's exactly my point. The only way to fix that team is to basically start over with NO bad contracts. Kind of like how the Dodgers were hampered by awful contracts from Malone for all those year. But in addition to that thirty million, they have Houston and Taylor coming off the books next year which I believe amounts to about another 30 million. So in other words, they could have gotten their payroll from around 100 million to about 40 million in the span of two seasons. That's not that long considering a lot of teams wait years and years for contracts to be up....and all Isaiah did was trade those bad contracts for equally bad contracts that don't expire right away. Not very savvy.

"this summer, the knicks need to trade francis or marbury. im assuming marbury since it seems larry brown doesnt like him."

marbury is essentially untradeable because of his contract...and so is francis. Thomas was the only GM dumb enough to go after Francis. That team is riddled with bad deals...let them run out, and start out new and young. They should basically keep Frye and maybe Curry and just ditch everyone else/let their contract expire.