The latest edition of Throwing Tomatoes climbs the vine of sports topics and touches upon many recent stories including football legends and their sons, golf legends faltering at another major, former NBA stars dreaming of a comeback and much, much more.

So as the headlines continue to get generated, more stories of sports frustration emerge.  Don’t sweat it, The Wife Hates Sports has them covered – in lycopene, that is.

Throwing Tomatoes: July 18, 2010

Nate Montana

…for being an apple that falls far from the tree.

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Will Nate Montana be like his Dad, or just a “regular Joe”?

Nate Montana – a backup QB for Notre Dame and the son of Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana – was arrested for underage drinking over the weekend.

Fine, most college kids drink underage, I get that – but when you carry that name and family reputation for the Irish, one has to be smarter.

It’s not just making some critics think that the apple falls far from the tree, but instead of fruitful beginnings in South Bend, Irish fans are left thinking sour grapes.

Here’s hoping Nate rights the ship and I wish him the very best.  

Tiger Woods and the Media’s Crush

…for challenging my gag reflex.

A few years ago, I understood the media’s crush on Tiger Woods, even though I still felt it was a little much to show his every shot – even when out of contention during a major tournament.

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Any chance we can tone down the Tiger coverage?

But now that he’s had his name dragged through the mud for months and months – and he’s failed to take a major or win a tournament all year, it’s about time that we take a step back in the Tiger coverage – just a hair.

Either that, or replace it with some more press conferences featuring Tiger and the British media – that would be the ‘bees knees’.

Pacquiao-Mayweather

… for being a sports topic with little punch.

It certainly feels like an eternity that this dream match between Pacquiao and Mayweather has been discussed.

In the end, it’s all bark and no bite.

As the deadline passes, it’s “blah blah blah”, trash talk stacked on top of trash talk.  In all likelihood, no match was decided upon because there wasn’t enough millions to go around for the two of them.

If you ask me, this story needs a permanent TKO.

Wendi Nix

…for botching a well-known sports movie line.

So I’m minding my own business watching coverage of the British Open championship, when Wendi Nix comes on to interview Rory McIlroy during coverage of the third round.

In the middle of the interview, Nix drops the line, “There’s no crying in football, so we’ll say there’s no crying in golf either…”

Hello, Wendi?

Talk about being in a “league of your own” – a female sportscaster that botches arguably one of the more famous lines in a sports movie featuring mostly females.

Maybe, I’m being a little overcritical – who knows.  I don’t know, what do you think, Tom?

Penny Hardaway

…for wanting to ride the coat tails of LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh.

I’ve already pitched in my two cents on this story, but it simply deserves a tomato, too – as Penny Hardaway has made it known that he’d like to come out of retirement and play for the Miami Heat this upcoming season.

Sure, if I had a penny for every person like Penny that said this, then… well… never mind.

Joe Girardi

…for giving away an opportunity at home-field advantage in the World Series.

It’s no doubt a challenge to manage an All-Star lineup.  Both Charlie Manuel and Joe Girardi were faced with a number of challenges in Anaheim a few short days ago.

But it’s Girardi that made the biggest blunders late in the game, leaving no speed on the bench and not pinch-running for Big Papi during a crucial time in the 9th inning.  This could have made all the difference between earning home-field advantage and not. 

Welcome to Throwing Tomatoes, Joe.

Baseball and Mark Cuban

…for being a match made in hell.

Listen, I understand that Mark Cuban can be a strong personality, but he’s a passionate person and a great owner that puts a lot into his sports franchises.

The first part of that statement is why I understand why Major League Baseball continues to ignore him – first when he expressed interest in buying the Chicago Cubs, and recently when he “offered to help” with the Texas Rangers– a team that has had recent financial troubles and will be up for auction on August 4th.

But wanting to win very badly and put blood, sweat and tears into his franchise… what’s wrong with that?splatteredtomato

So, c’mon MLB – give “Cubes” a chance – this really could be a match made in heaven.

 

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where no tears were shed in the writing of this post.