FROG’S THOUGHTS

Ahhh, WIP radio host Angelo Cataldi is upset because Bill Conlin of the Daily News and Comcast Sports Net’s Daily News Live was suspended from the later for disparaging comments that he made.

If you didn’t know, last week the subject of Donovan McNabb’s tendonitis was brought to the table. A viewer emailed a comment about the media blowing everything out of proportion, stating that it was just a case of tendonitis. Mr Conlin responded by ripping the mailer’s ethnic background, resulting in his suspension. Cataldi thought the week’s suspension was too much.

Actually he thought that Conlin shoudn’t have been suspended at all. Why? What’s Cataldi doing? Defending one of his bobo’s that “Double Dip,” working for both the print and electronic media? Why in the hell do most talk show hosts have to come from the print media? What about the college kids who have a degree in radio? I guess they know more than the trained people. After all, if you listen to Mike “I Played College Baseball… therefore I am an expert on everything” Missanelli ,you would think that he is God’s gift to sports talk radio.

Hey Mike, where are you going to be working next? It’s hard to keep track of you, therefore I will not acknowedge your work place. It’s a damn shame I even mentioned your name.

Hey, ain’t this great. I can rip people just like they do. Oops.. I got one of their own. I guess they’ll be PO’d……

Tim Donaghy, Steve Javie, Ed Malloy, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich and Mike Callahan. What do they all have in common, besides officiating in the NBA ? They all were and are from the Philadelphia metropolitan area. They also entered the league at a young age. What’s the connection besides all living close to one another? How about they all followed in the footsteps of another Philly guy, Joey Crawford?

Being that Crawford was looked at as one of the top officials in the league, my guess is that the NBA pushed for more Philadelphia refs. These guys get a taste of “Life in the Fast Lane” too quick. Unfortunatly, Tim Donaghy will be paying a lot for his speeding ticket. I recall watching Ed Malloy blowing his whistle at West Catholic High School one year and the next year I almost chocked on my popcorn when I saw him at the Wachovia Center officiating the Sixers game……

Chase Utley. Although this looks like a good time to pick on Utley since he is 0 for his last 20 at bats, I was going to mention this anyway. After seeing Utley hit home runs in five consecutive games, which puts him in a unique category, I said to myself: how in the hell does he do it ?

Yes, he has quick hands, but so do plenty of other hitters. The thing that baffles me about Utley and his home runs is this. Most home run hitters will follow through on their swings. In baseball lingo that’s called “Swinging Through The Zone.” If you watch Utley, it appears that his hands stop when the barrell of the bat meets the ball, yet the ball goes over the fence. HOW ????

I’ll finish with a quote that former major league player Larry Walker made a few years back. Small ballparks, bad pitching and juiced up baseballs has turned our National Pastime into nothing more than “Glorified Whiffleball.” Hey, can anyone find my Whitey Ford ball?

There’s one more thing I will say about Utley, but unfortunately, I can’t say it until a book I am currently working on is published. What will be revealed will SHOCK YOU !!!! No, it’s not steroids.

For those of you who can’t get enough of Tiger Woods, Spokesman Tom Casey of Fox Sports Network has announced that the network soon will debut the TIGER CHANNEL. Twenty Four hours of Tiger. Grrrrrrrreeeeeeaaaaattttt !!!!!!

PHILLIES FALSE FACT !!!

If I heard it once I heard it a thousand times: why did former Phillies manager Jim Fregosi take Roger Mason out of Game 6 of the 1993 World Series and replace him with Mitch Williams?

That, my friends, is one of the biggest misconceptions in Philadelphia sports history. Yes, Roger Mason was taken out of the game, but he was replaced by David West. I know for a fact that it happened because I was there and while I am writing this piece I have the box score of that game right next to me.

Let’s go back almost 15 years and review the scenario. Mason relieved Phillies starter Terry Mulholland at the beginning of the Toronto sixth with the Blue Jays ahead 5-1. Mason gave up a meaningless leadoff single to Robby Alomar, then retired the next three hitters. In the top of the seventh, the Phillies battled back with 5 runs to take a 6-5 lead. The big blow was a three run homer by Lenny Dykstra.

Mason pitched a one-two-three inning in the home seventh. The Phillies failed to score in the top of the eighth but still held a one-run lead. Now here’s where the confusion begins.

Joe Carter led off the eighth against Mason by flying out to left field. It appeared that Mason was really in a nice groove. He had retired seven consecutive batters. Suddenly, and shockingly to all Phillies fans, Fregosi comes out of the dugout and takes Mason out of the game. Are you kidding me? Mason was really spectacular to this point. Why in the hell would you take a veteran pitcher out of an elimination World Series Game? Don’t give me that righty, lefty and pitch count hogwash.

Before I continue, let it be known that pitch counts really irritate me. They were never even heard of until the 1990’s. For God’s sake, Robin Roberts pitched 30 complete games a year. Even if that’s how Fregosi felt, that thinking should be tossed aside. Come on, we’re talking about the friggin’ World Series with a seasoned veteran on the mound.

Fregosi replaced Mason with lefty David West. At this point the momentum swung in favor of the Blue Jays. West walked John Olerud and was lifted after just one batter. Larry Anderson entered after West and faced four hitters to record the final two outs. Although Toronto didn’t score there, it presented the opportunity for Joe Carter to bat in the bottom of the ninth. If Mason would have stayed and retired the next two hitters, Carter would have been the seventh batter in the ninth inning as opposed to the fourth batter.

Mitch Williams entered in the ninth and we all know what happened. Instead of facing leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson to begin the inning, it could have been the numbers eight and nine hitters to begin the final frame.

So as you see, the pitching order for Game Six of the 1993 World Series was as follows: Mulholland, Mason, West, Anderson and, finally, Mitch Williams. Sorry to bring back memories of that fatal night, but facts should be facts .