General

Shanoff’s W.U.C.: Barnes, Favre, Thabeet

Jun 22, 2009, 12:08 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: Ricky Barnes vs. Open Glory, Brett Favre vs. Secret Deals, Albert Pujols vs. the Field, Barry Zito vs. Justin Verlander, Hasheem Thabeet vs. Tyreke Evans, Moneyball vs. John Hodgman, Pete Carroll vs. Kevin O’Neill and More.â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: Ricky Barnes? Now HERE is a golfer the masses can root for (who isn’t Tiger).â†µ

â†µâ†µAnyone hear of him before he set the 36-hole record after the 2nd round? (Be honest!) All we know is what we could see:â†µ

â†µâ†µHe eschewed the traditional baseball-style hat for a natty painter’s cap — normally, I think dudes who wear that kind of hat look like they’re trying too hard; in that starchy field, it makes Barnes look cool.â†µ

â†µâ†µAnd those pants! It’s like he went into a thrift store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and plucked them right off the rack. The fact that crotchety old sportswriters think they look ugly just make them look even cooler.â†µ

â†µâ†µTopping it off is the sheepish, almost too-cool-for-school “What am I doing up here?” look on his face.â†µ

â†µâ†µOh my gosh, I think I’ve figured it out. Ricky Barnes is ... “The Hipster Golfer.”â†µ

â†µâ†µHow far ahead was Barnes? So far ahead that he could play mediocre on Sunday, yet still maintain his lead. Watching his advantage drip away, stroke by stroke, like Thursday’s raindrops, actually made him more likeable.â†µ

â†µâ†µNow, don’t choke, Mr. Cool. (Hipsters’ taste is fickle. So about this Lucas Glover ...). â†µ

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â†µâ†µBrett Favre Watch: Great little tip passed along through PFT that Favre has already signed with the Vikings. What a cleverly under-handed thing that would be. But, again, does anyone — anyone — not believe Favre is going to sign with the Vikings? What a strange story: Everyone knows it’s going to happen, but have to wait for it to be “official” before actually talking about it.â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Talking Pointsâ†µ

â†µâ†µ— Albert Pujols: Enough said.â†µ

â†µâ†µ— Barry Zito Mania: Near no-no (usually “No! No!”)â†µ

â†µâ†µ— Walk-Off Watch: Nick Green new Boston heroâ†µ

â†µâ†µ— Injury Watch: CC Sabathia (biceps)â†µ

â†µâ†µ— Milestones: Ryan Howard streak over (343)â†µ

â†µâ†µ— A.L.‘s Top P: Zack? Why not Verlander?â†µ

â†µâ†µ— Rockies still rolling: That’s 16 wins in 17 gamesâ†µ

â†µâ†µ— Fantasy Stud: B.J. Upton (4-for-6, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R)â†µ

â†µâ†µWimbledon: Here’s what we know — there will be no epic final, with Rafael Nadal topping Roger Federer. That’s because (1) last year’s final simply can’t be topped, and (2) Nadal dropped out, which presumably clears a path for Federer to roll to yet another Wimby title. No drama this year.â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Draft: Thabeet Stock Falling? Should Hasheem Thabeet’s shoulder injury concern the Grizzlies, whose workout he missed? Or any team thinking about taking him, at No. 2 — or beyond? (I would be more concerned about the fact he has a one-dimensional pro future, rather than any particular temporary injury.)â†µ

â†µâ†µMore Draft: Evans Stock Rising? Why will Tyreke Evans end up as a Top-5 pick, despite a tweener-ish game, a one-year stop at Memphis and one of those prep backgrounds that should have you saying, “Stay. Away.”? Because (a) he did this and (b) President Obama is on the record as loving Evans’ game.â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile: Ever play the “This draftee is like this NBA player” comparison game? In this version, players compare themselves to other players. â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Offseason: Dwyane Wade wants the team to invest in winning a title immediately; the team would like Wade to commit to the Heat before doing it. That type of stand-off isn’t going to help keep him in Miami in 2010. (Of course, look where “invest now in keeping the star happy” might get the Cavs.)â†µ

â†µâ†µCBB Coaching Carousel: Kevin O’Neill hired by embattled USC. If O’Neill has a clause in his contract that pays him a bonus by the curse word, he’ll be set for life. USC fans should get used to grind-it-out games featuring great D, but not much O. (That is: If they’re not docked from playing altogether.)â†µ

â†µâ†µCWS: LSU vs. Texas in a best-of-3 for the championship, with 11 national titles between them. LSU has been just clobbering opponents to get here; Texas has been more like the “Cardiac ‘Horns.” Something’s gotta give. You might ask, “Can LSU win a tight game?” The question is: Will they ever need to?â†µ

â†µâ†µSoccer’s Confederation Cup: Wow, you don’t see Italy get absolutely humiliated like that very often. On the humiliation scale, what will likely happen to the U.S. against Spain — currently playing as well or better than any team in the world — should come close to the same humiliation in Wednesday’s semis.â†µ

â†µâ†µNFL Offseason: Nope, no reason to have EVER seen this coming a mile away. (What would have given it away: The bowl-game drama? The combine fiasco? The agent snafu?)â†µ

â†µâ†µTwitter Breaks Sports News (Again): This time, it’s Pete Carroll scooping the L.A. media on Kevin O’Neill’s hiring as USC hoops coach.â†µ

â†µâ†µHollywood: So, about that movie version of “Moneyball?” Yeah, not so much anymore.â†µ

â†µâ†µRelated, but not about sports directly: Many of we sports fans were — and are — in fact, somewhat nerdy. (Somewhat?) We always have been (my junior-high bullies thank you, Strat-o-Matic!) and we likely always will be (“You’re citing batting average and RBI? Really?”) On Friday at the RTCA dinner, the brilliant John Hodgman provided the valedictory.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: Dan Jenkins, through his must-read Twitter feed, has been a joy to follow at the U.S. Open. Here’s to one more day of Jenkins 2.0.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Is there anything more made for Twitter than a Monday final-round of a major? It is the golf equivalent of the first two afternoons of the NCAA Tournament. Sit back and let the masses at Bethpage alert you when something interesting is happening.)â†µ

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. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/danshanoff. â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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