Though the buzz on the news is still the world reeling from MJ’s death (not Jordan for those living under a rock), many have overlooked the passing of a great, or perhaps greatest pitchman of the television era.

Billy Mays hocked more items on infomercials then you could count. Items that ranged from OxiClean to Mighty Putty, he stood firmly behind all of them, a rare proclamation found these days. The instant you heard his signature booming voice, you would instantly pay attention to what this man was pushing. Today looking an episode of Seinfield, I came across commercial and was about to change the station when Mays’ voice caught my attention. This time a hand held saw that could probably cut through diamonds was the product. Mays could make you want to buy anything he could describe to you at home.

A great among broadcasters and television personas, the world just lost a great man and salesman. Infomercials will continue without Mays, but they will forever pale in comparison to the great Billy Mays’ work.



Note: To cross reference this with the whole sports theme, Mays recently made commercials for ESPN 360, which are quite entertaining.

A Once Great Game

With summer now in full force, though you wouldn’t know it living in the Northeast, it means it will soon be time for the Mid-Summer Classic that is the MLB All Star game. The game that brings bitter rivals together to compete on the same team is fast approaching as the season draws closer to its midway point. Though this once sought after game has lost luster in the hearts of many, becoming more of a side show than a showcase of talents.

A long time has passed since this exhibition meant anything to the players. There use to be a point where it was the second greatest accomplishment in a season, only beaten by a championship trophy in October. Guys like Pete Rose would give it their all and slide with reckless abandonment just to advance an extra base in which to help his squad gain a run in this exhibition. Though the game wouldn’t influence the standings, it meant something to these kings of the diamond. This same passion is rarely duplicated in today’s era.

An era shrouded in performance enhancing drugs, finger pointing, and fat wallets, the MLB has broke the hearts of many fans. No matter how much promotion or new gimmicks they throw on to the game, it just cannot compare to the games held in the decades earlier. The All Star game and Home Run Derby once was a way to boast ones ego and show dominance and flair over another, but has since turned into a circus of juiced-up freaks crushing even more juiced-up baseballs over the fence.

The demise of the classic occurred in Milwaukee, Bud Selig’s former stomping grounds. The game put a black mark on baseball and made it an embarrassment of the sports world by ending in the worst way possible; in a tie. No other sport could screw up as royally as baseball did. The players walked off the field as Selig had a bewildered look upon his face. There was no real complaint from the players as they had made their obligation to the fans, and most likely were content with catching a plane home before the next series. I couldn’t imagine Nolan Ryan or Bob Gibson wanting to leave an All Star game in a draw. Selig and his cronies have since made adjustments to warn off this from happening again, but by no means does that solidify the fact that this won’t happen once more one day in the future.

That one game is not the only factor bringing this once fabled game back to earth; players just don’t care. Once deemed a great accomplishment, now seems to be just another accolade. Upon being named to the team, players will magically come down with ailments preventing them from playing. Replacements are named and also opt out and results in practically any player with a decent season being called an All Star. Many stars would rather take three days off in the summer than give the fans a game the dreamed of. With no one to care about the game, it loses its mystique, and the fact that these millionaires would rather get a three day vacation then give up two innings of their time to the fans that pay their salaries is sickening to this fan of the game.

To some, the All Star game still means something and I know injuries do occur at this point in the season, but the sheer amounts of ailments that arise in the middle of July makes me wonder. As Bud Selig cashes in his 17 million dollars a year in salary, the game we love is slowly dying in appeal. Someone needs to make this game matter again (not that stupid home field advantage rule) and become as common to Americans as fireworks on the Fourth of July. The dark cloud of steroid allegations continues to worsen and MLB needs a bright ray of light to catch everyone’s attention away from the blemish, and that distraction should be the All Star game.

The Great Disappearing Dice-K

Two DL stints and a whopping 8.23 ERA, not exactly the kind of thing you would expect from a legendary, rubber-armed Japanese pitcher lured to America by millions of dollars and a ridiculous contract. After putting up amazing numbers last year, Matsuzaka seems to have self imploded and lost it all together. Posting a very unflattering 1-5 record through 8 starts, he is currently serving his second trip to the DL with a "mild right shoulder strain".

Although the numbers may not show it, this isn't really that big of a surprise. While posting a stellar 2.90 ERA through the 2008 season, Dice-K pitched much worse than the numbers would say to you at first glance. Matsuzaka would frequently walk the bases loaded and get inopportunely wild with runners on base. As a result, Dice-K walked nearly a hundred batters in just 167 innings pitched, a full 40 innings less than he pitched in 2007. For some reason, however, lady luck was smiling on the Japanese import as he always seemed to wiggle out of the trouble that he created for himself. Matsuzaka posted a 1.32 WHIP through 29 games, the same posting he put up in his 2007 season (15-12, 4.40 ERA).

If you ever actually watched the man pitch, you would understand about how frustrating a pitcher he really is. It's not just the walks that pain you to watch, its the undeniable fact that the man cannot pitch with a lead. Time after time, the Red Sox would open up a lead for their starter, just to see him tie the score back up single handed. In fact, there is rarely an outing where he makes it to the fifth inning without already pushing the 100 pitch mark. This ineffectiveness is easily proven by the lone complete game that Matsuzaka has posted into his third year in the major leagues. What ever happened to the whimsical rubber-armed wizard we all heard stories about? It almost seems like he has no motivation to even try in America. Honestly, he pitched well enough to earn the MVP honors in the World Baseball Classic, where did that go?

The big question still remains, what do you do when Matsuzaka returns from the DL? With Smoltz officially returned and Penny churning out solid starts, where exactly do you put the man if he continues to struggle? Add Clay Buchholz to the mix and you have a whole heaping mess of confusion in the rotation in Bean town. One way or another, somebody is going to end up on the raw end of this deal.

A tale of two halves (Recap: USA vs Brazil)

It would not be Greece vs Portugal today. Rather, the United States' run resembled the familiar underdog story exemplified in its homeland by teams such as the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays: a breathtaking run that ultimately runs inches short of glory.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the US's 3-2 loss to the reigning Confederations Cup champions. The first and most important one is that the Americans can compete on the same field as the big dogs. Bob Bradley's side continued their stellar play from the semifinal into the first half of today's match. Strong positional defense limited the Selecao to mostly outside shots and goalkeeper Tim Howard proved strong when needed. On the offensive side, the quartet of Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan were able to not only keep the Brazilian defense on their toes, but also make strong breakthroughs that resulted in two beautifully executed goals. Both Dempsey's deflection and Donovan's strike showed that technical ability is not at a shortage on the American side.

Unfortunately, the same American team did not show up for the second half. After Luis Fabiano's quick strike in the 46th minute, one could feel the beginning of a comeback. To their credit, Bradley's men provided a few counterattacks that, with a few better placed balls, could have easily restored the two-goal lead. After the 60th minute, however, there was only one team on the pitch. After the referees missed Kaka's tying goal, the Brazilians showed why they are a world class side. Chance after chance was created, and it seemed inevitable when Fabiano capitalized again in the 73rd. After this goal, Bradley finally brought in some fresh legs when he subbed in Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein for Altidore and Benny Feilhaber, moves that were perhaps 15 minutes too late. The Americans' lack of explosive talent from the bench, partly attributed to the questionable suspension of Michael Bradley, proved pivotal in the second half. Lucio's perfect header on questionable corner kick coverage by Howard sealed the game 7 minutes before full time.

Even with the disappointing ending, the US should be proud with its efforts in the tournament, and rightly so. One can hope that FIFA will look at their result against Spain and reward them with a top seed for the upcoming World Cup. The Yankee side was hurt badly by their placement into the last World Cup's "Group of Death" and would benefit greatly if they were immune to having a team such as Brazil or Argentina in their group. Even so, Americans must realize that the Confederations Cup means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. The real test comes one year from now and this was a good first step to get the American public excited. I look forward to what the US can do in a real tournament and I hope we see more of the first-half play rather than the second.