Should Kenny Rogers be allowed to pitch in the MLB All-Star game?
Beatty: It depends. Now that the All-Star Game “counts,” it should be considered a normal game just like any other when your suspension extends over it. If he is still appealing when the game comes up, then Rogers should be allowed to pitch, just like in any other game.
Bellamy: As much as I hate all the sanctimonious, knee-jerk reactionaries whining about how Rogers is a bad role model and shouldn’t be rewarded for his actions, I have to take their side in this one. Look at it this way: The All-Star Game is taking place in a city that was responsible for the Ron Artest melee-they don’t need this kind of temptation. Kenny Rogers is delicious bait for those Detroit folks. If anything, he should be forced to lob slow fastballs during the Home Run Derby and that’s all. Fans would love seeing David Ortiz and Andruw Jones take Rogers deep a few dozen times. It’s just the kind of humiliation Motor City thrives on.
Who were the winners and losers in the Michael Redd/Ray Allen/Nate McMillan flurry of signings?
Bellamy: Ray Allen came out the best. He and Rashard Lewis have formed one of the top offensive duos in the entire NBA, and if the Seattle front office can find some low-post help, they should be a perennial playoff team for years to come, no matter who’s coaching.Michael Redd came out the loser. I understand the loyalty factor, but Redd had the chance to sign with Cleveland and play the Scottie Pippen role with LeBron James, and he didn’t take it. Bad move. The Milwaukee Bucks are the Milwaukee Bucks-does anyone realistically expect them to be anything more than the middle-of-the-road playoff losers they’ve always been?
Beatty: Nate McMillan scored big time this week. NBA coaches with names other than Sloan and Brown have no job security whatsoever in this league, so it makes sense to take the biggest money job. Seattle is one injury away from going back to being the SubparSonics, so it is in McMillan’s best interest to go to a team that will have a better overall chance of winning and will give him more money to do it. The Cavs are big losers in both player signings. They still don’t have a good shooter to complement LeBron, and since Joe Johnson will probably resign with Phoenix, Cleveland looks like it will strike out on what should have been an easy way to keep James happy. If LeBron leaves in two years, people will look back on the 2005 off-season as a big reason why.
Is the MLB All-Star game format good or bad?
Beatty: In theory, it’s a good idea. But as long as each team has to have a representative, it’s silly to have the World Series impacted by a ninth-inning triple by a Devil Ray or Royal.
Bellamy: I completely agree. The “one representative for each team” rule is like that lame little-league rule by which everybody had to bat, even that weird kid who didn’t know how to play, sat in the dugout eating his boogers, closed his eyes and refused to swing every time he got up to the plate. Of course he had to have an “equal chance” like everybody else because otherwise his parents would start whining and make a fuss. There’s no crying in baseball, folks.
Who would have been a better choice than Scott Layden to fill the Jazz assistant-coach vacancy?
Beatty: Nobody. Layden gets a lot of grief, but he’s been around the Jazz organization since he graduated from college and knows the style that made them near-champions. He won’t be able to muck anything up in the front office, and will bring the “know everything about basketball” mentality that left with Gordon Chiesa.
Bellamy: Layden gets a lot of grief because Layden is an idiot. Grady Little would have been a better choice.
Is it a good idea for the Red Sox to tab Curt Schilling as their new closer?
Bellamy: As a Red Sox fan, I have to say I’m thrilled. I’d rather see Calvin Schiraldi on the mound in the ninth inning than Keith Foulke. I’d rather see Jose Canseco try to close out a big game. Schilling is not completely healthy and probably won’t be until next year, and the Sox have five decent starters. Schilling is as clutch as it gets, and he’s absolutely perfect for the closer’s role. He’ll be back in the starting rotation eventually, but for now, he’ll be a perfect closer for the Sox.
Beatty: It’s not necessarily a terrible idea to have Schilling close, but the Red Sox have better options. Mike Timlin has closed effectively before, and lately Bronson Arroyo has been great the first time through the lineup and terrible later in games. It would be wiser to throw him in the pen and let Schilling pitch where he is a hall-of-famer: in the rotation.
Besides Alex Smith, which Ute rookie will have the biggest NFL impact in 2005?
Beatty: Paris Warren goes to a situation in Tampa in which he can make a big splash. Brian Griese could always use a big, sure-handed receiver. Warren fits the bill and will make Griese flash back to the good old days of throwing to Rod Smith.
Bellamy: The Pittsburgh Steelers have a history of finding good offensive linemen in the draft, and for that reason I’ll have to give my vote to Chris Kemoeatu. He has his critics, and he may not have reached his full potential at the U, but he has the talent, the size and the mean streak to succeed at the next level. The Steelers, with all the great linemen they’ve molded over the years, are the perfect team for Kemoeatu.
Who was the biggest MLB All-Star snub?
Bellamy: This is why I hate the All-Star Game format. Danys Baez has blown six saves already this year, but he’s an All-Star because the Devil Rays are required to have somebody on the American League roster. Bullcrap. Of course I’m biased, but the Red Sox pitching staff has been without Curt Schilling practically all year, and they’re still in first place. Matt Clement has anchored the rotation in Schilling’s absence to the tune of a 10-2 record, and Mike Timlin has been Boston’s only reliable reliever-not to mention his ERA is 1.73, and he’s only allowed eight runs all season long.
Beatty: The fans were smart enough to make my Scott Podsednik choice moot, so I’ll go with Astro third baseman Morgan Ensberg. He has five more homers and 11 more RBI than Aramis Ramirez (who was picked for the team), as well as much higher slugging and on-base percentages. He also doesn’t have a Derrek Lee to protect him.
Phil and Kobe-Will it work this time?
Beatty: No. Last time, it ended horribly, and that team had Shaq, Payton and the Mailman. Perhaps this is a case of addition by subtraction, but even the Zenmaster won’t be able to overcome the non-existent depth of a team that is just plain bad.
Bellamy: I hesitantly say yes. As much of a headache as Kobe is, I can’t really see the Lakers getting rid of one or both of them anytime in the near future. In other words, they’re stuck with each other, so it’s going to have to work. Neither Bryant nor Jackson is going to accept losing for very long, so they’ll find a way to work together and make the Lakers a winning team again. They still won’t like each other, but Shaq and Kobe absolutely hated each other-and they still won three titles together.
The NHL looks like it will come back. Do you care?
Bellamy: The day the NHL finally comes back, there will be a party at my house, and you’re all invited. Sure, there are plenty of ADD-afflicted people out there who dislike hockey because they “can’t tell what’s going on” (it’s really not that hard) or, even worse, “there’s not enough scoring.” Some people fail to realize that a 4-3 hockey game has the same exact amount of scoring as a 28-21 football game. Anyway, pro hockey is a fantastic sport, and the Stanley Cup playoffs are the most unpredictable of any major sport. I can’t wait.
Beatty: As long as they only bring back the [email protected]@chronicle.utah.edu