For those that may have noticed a slight decline in material here at The Wife Hates Sports, first I say… thanks for noticing.  Second, I will say that there has been some vacation time affecting the volume ofthrowingtomatoesbanner posts here, but don’t fret – there will be much more to come very soon, so please don’t give up on us.  How about some “Throwing Tomatoes”, starting with one in my direction?

Meanwhile, in the world of sports – the NBA and NHL seasons are almost over and done with – and currently, there’s little to hate on regarding each of those two leagues.

Baseball, however… that’s a different story – so let the tomatoes be harvested and hurled.

Throwing Tomatoes: June 2, 2010

Jim Joyce

…for crushing a dream and single-handedly affecting baseball history.

First, I’ll be nice… because at least Jim Joyce apologized to Detroit SP Armando Galarraga, who was an out away from a perfect game.  The veteran ump admitted to screwing up the call at first – where Cleveland’s Jason Donald was called safe.

Still, this wasn’t even a “tie goes to the runner” situation.

Nice guy time is over.  It’s inexcusable, and how can a guy let such a thing happen with history on the line?  Just like that, you crush a dream of a kid like Galarraga – who likely as a pitcher has had times where he’s dreamed about throwing a perfect game.

Now his dream is gone and baseball history has been affected for good.ken-griffey-jr-mariners-retires

Baseball’s future should be affected too – in the form of a much more involved instant replay plan going forward

The End for Ken Griffey Jr.

…for being not what we as fans deserved.

For me, it seems like ages ago that “The Kid” entered the baseball world – not just becoming a star almost instantly, but being such a likable player on and off the field.

Then, the injuries came – and some latter-career underachieving came around as well.

Finally, Griff was back in Seattle to finish up his career – what seemed to be a situation set to be a fairytale ending.

Then, the snoozing in the clubhouse story came around – and the struggles, too.

Now… retirement – not even halfway into the season.  The story went from hat backwards to ass backwards – and it’s a damn shame – and as a baseball fan, I can say that Griffey Jr. will be sorely missed.

See you in the Hall, Junior.

Jose Canseco

…for being a bad penny regarding the steroids story in baseball.jose-canseco-pointless-seethrough-shirt

So let me get this straight… Jose Canseco is going to be defending Roger Clemens when he testifies before a grand jury?

Is anyone else surprised by this?

Or more importantly, does anyone continue to wish that stories like this would just go away – because while it may continue to become news in “bad penny turning up” fashion, the fans of the game would rather be the head guy behind BP oil than hear another steroids story in baseball.

Talking about this so much is about as pointless as the see-through shirt Canseco was somewhat famous for a few years back.

The Orioles, Astros and Pirates

…for having offenses that are downright offensive.

Three teams in baseball have been too ugly to this point – especially on offense… so bad that it has to be noted here.  Look at the Orioles, for example – who have been mentioned here before, and continue to not put crooked numbers on the scoreboard… so much that the lack of production has the O’s already 20 ½ games back just 53 games into the season.

Somehow… two teams have scored less than Baltimore to this point in the season.

Baltimore Orioles (177 runs – 15-38 record)

Pittsburgh Pirates (171 runs – -128 run differential)splatteredtomato

Houston Astros (168 runs – worst record in NL)

Something’s gotta give with these teams – as it’s just gotten ugly.  We’re just over 50 games into the season – not even a third of the way.

Jobs have to be lost – not just for managers, but on the rosters, too.  It’s getting to the point where the trade deadline is becoming more of the focus, and each team’s minor league prospects need to get more attention, too.

 

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where Jim Joyce doesn’t have to tell us that we’re not perfect…