General

Shanoff’s Wake-Up Call: Randolph, Tiger, More

Jun 17, 2008, 12:36 PM UTC

â†µToday's Calls: Willie Randolph vs. Unemployment, Tiger vs. Rocco, Hank Steinbrenner vs. the NL, Bill Bavasi vs. Ken Tremendous, UNC's Big Three vs. Bill Walker, NASCAR vs. Junior and More!â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: The irony is that Willie Randolph went out a winner.â†µ

â†µâ†µFiring Randolph after last season’s epic collapse would have been a bit knee-jerk-ish, but understandable. Firing him after the Mets lost two of three at home last week to the D-backs to drop their record to a season-worst three games under .500? I hear you.â†µ

â†µâ†µBut the Mets actually were coming off a late-night win Monday against the AL West-leading Angels, the start of a six-game road swing.â†µ

â†µâ†µSo the timing of Randolph’s ousting is odd, but just shy of 70 games into the season, the direction of the team was clear: Mediocrity. Maddening inconsistency.â†µ

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â†µâ†µ"Hey, we're only one game under .500!" isn't a rallying cry for a team expected to contend for the NL pennant -- or one moving into an expensive new stadium in 2009.â†µ

â†µâ†µRandolph’s fate was likely sealed as soon as the Phillies eked past the Mets for that playoff spot a year ago.â†µ

â†µâ†µCredit ownership for not bailing on him in the heat of the crushing disappointment, but critique them for not being more decisive in 2008. Like their ex-manager, they are in a no-win situation.â†µ

â†µâ†µIn the end, they weren’t “The Mess.” They were “The Mehs.” And that is worse.â†µ

â†µâ†µTiger wins U.S. Open in 19-hole playoff: Just after the 18th hole but just before the 19th, this officially became the greatest title of Tiger’s career.â†µ

â†µâ†µBut beyond that, the 18-hole playoff captivated a nation of fans, whether they cared about golf or not. Part of that was the novelty of a Monday-afternoon diversion from work; the rest of it was the drama of Tiger.â†µ

â†µâ†µI thought nothing could top the 1997 Masters, but this did. For sheer drama, Tiger will be hard-pressed to eclipse this one.â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile, Rocco Mediate didn’t win his major, but he won something different -- and arguably more important: national recognition.â†µ

â†µâ†µBeyond avid golf fans, now even casual fans don’t merely know the name “Rocco,” but connect him to going toe-to-toe with Tiger and taking Woods to his limit, all with that knowing smile on his face.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Among Tiger’s 14 -- and ultimately infinite -- major titles, how many runners-up can you name? Likely none. Except this one.)â†µ

â†µâ†µRocco is now a national golf “personality” -- no last name needed. He will draw new gallery interest, new TV interest, new sponsor interest. Ironically, his career prospects improved by losing in the way that he did.â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Finals Game 6: Is it too much to ask that the Lakers make it mildly interesting by winning the game and taking this thing to 7? (Please.)â†µ

â†µâ†µThe “other” Finals matchup: TV ratings. Game 5 ratings were up 11 percent over 2006. (‘07 didn’t have a Game 5.) Not bad, but certainly not earth-shaking. (Perhaps because the series was an “it’s-over” 3-1?)â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Instant History: One more sign the Yankees are cooked this year? Chien-Ming Wang is out until September, and Hank Steinbrenner is blaming the NL pitcher-bats rule. ... Fantasy Stud: Ryan Howard, with 2 HR against the unusually bash-less Red Sox. ... Detroit’s six-game win streak snapped by the Giants: THERE are the Tigers we remember. ... So apparently Griffey-to-the-Rays WAS just a daydream. ... Mariners fire GM Bill Bavasi; they should really hire Rob Neyer (Too risque? How about FJM’s Ken Tremendous?). ... Oh, and then the Mariners lost their eighth straight (at home!). ... Chipper Watch: .403. ... I just can’t get that worked up about A-Rod texting Pete Rose (unless A-Rod was asking for gambling tips).â†µ

â†µâ†µNFL: Javon Walker robbed in Vegas. That’s the official explanation for how Walker ended up unconscious on a Vegas street corner with a fractured orbital bone (ouch). There are rumors he was out late partying, which creates two issues: (1) The extent of his injury and (2) The extent of his lifestyle. (Remind me if I ever make any money not to blow it on spraying champagne on a club crowd.)â†µ

â†µâ†µNASCAR: Ahh, haters.â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Draft: Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green are all going back to UNC. Combine that with Tyler Hansbrough’s return and the usual recruiting reload, and UNC will be your consensus No. 1 team.â†µ

â†µâ†µHere’s the thing, though: They were the consensus No. 1 choice a year ago, too, along with the odds-on pick to win the national title. And Hansbrough still has as many national title rings as ... me.â†µ

â†µâ†µThat said: I don’t see many (um: any) teams with the combination of experience and athleticism (and Psycho-T) to match up with UNC. So let’s embrace the expectations: Too early to predict a perfect season?â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile, the enigmatic Bill Walker is staying in the draft, despite (another) knee injury over the weekend. Some team (Detroit?) will take a chance on him late in the first round, and he will be the steal of the draft. (Or, in a parallel universe, he never really recovers and we look back in 10 years going, “Remember Bill Walker?”)â†µ

â†µâ†µGoing back to school: Arizona’s Chase Budinger, who immediately fits himself for first-team preseason All-America status (if only because the media types who pick the team love the guys who spurn the NBA, even if he would have totally jumped if he knew he was sure he would be a high pick.)â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: In total, 12 true freshmen are in the NBA Draft, up 50 percent from a year ago, which was the first impact year of the NBA’s cynically revised age limit. So David Stern didn’t change the early-entry dynamic at all; he merely postponed it a year.â†µ
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â†µâ†µDan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.â†µ

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