Overtime with Kyle Brennan

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Kyle Brennan
Kyle Brennan

Round of Applause

Ryan Dempster might not be an especially good pitcher anymore, but he earned his money Sunday night with his tremendous plunking of Alex Rodriguez. There are lots of points to be addressed in this matter, all of which the majority of folks I’ve heard from on social media seem to have all backwards. No. 1: Dempster didn’t hit A-Rod because the latter is a lying cheater who has contributed to most of baseball’s disgraces over the last decade. Dempster hit A-Rod because of the reliable reports that surfaced at the end of last week which implicated Rodriguez in leaking the Biogenesis documents that resulted in the heat on Ryan Braun, among others, so the focus could be taken off himself. Rodriguez is a semi-clueless, narcissistic, pathetic figure who stops at no means to try to pull what’s left of the wool over our wide-open eyes. The rest of the now-normal baseball establishment is tired of Rodriguez’s mockery — more than his drug use, in fact — and Dempster sent the message loud and clear. It’s that he wants to shove colleagues underwater so he can stand on their shoulders and stay above the surface. There was a reason none of his teammates came out of the dugout to defend Rodriguez after he got plunked. No. 2: Dempster shouldn’t have needed four pitches to hit A-Rod, and I will rationalize his $2,500 fine and five-game suspension (during which he will simply delay his next start) as penalties for his poor control. It was pretty funny, though, to see four pitches in a row with the intent to connect with steroid-enhanced muscle. No. 3: Joe Girardi may manage a team full of losers, but he is a terrific manager. I hope everybody saw the slow-motion video replay of him almost landing a right hook on home plate umpire Brian O’Nora. That was tremendous. No. 4: Red Sox fans who revile Rodriguez only for being a cheater while burying their heads in the sand about the reported positive tests of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez earlier last decade are just as bad as the Yankees fans who think Dempster hitting A-Rod was “bush league” or “macho” and will try to make Red Sox fans “wish they didn’t go” to the next game between the two. You see, this Rodriguez clown brings out the worst in dumb baseball fans.

That’s Rank

Top 10 Teams to Win the National Championship

1. Alabama: Because the Tide are pretty much the favorite until they’re not, right?

2. Georgia: Doesn’t have an SEC-like defense yet, but QB Aaron Murray heads great offense.

3. Stanford: Nation’s best O-line should power pro-style offense. Always a stingy defense.

4. Texas A&M: As long as Manziel plays, Aggies have to be considered. Sept. 14 vs. ‘Bama.

5. Ohio State: Bucks were ineligible for bowls last year. Could be like Florida circa 2008.

6. Oregon: If Kelly had stayed, Ducks might be higher. Still, speedy offense is always good.

7. South Carolina: Jadeveon Clowney is back to lead perhaps SEC’s best defense.

8. Clemson: Should be easily ACC’s best with Heisman candidate in QB Tajh Boyd.

9. Notre Dame: Offense needs more work, but big NG Louis Nix leads a tremendous D.

10. UCLA: There’s lots to like about the Bruins: a great QB in Brett Hundley and a solid D.