Welcome to another week of Nightmare Clients! Things have been relatively quiet in the media with regards to players, but even during the quietest of weeks there is bound to be a Nightmare Client or two…or three…or four…
1. Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella was suspended indefinitely and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Sunday for his latest dirt-kicking tirade against an umpire. Piniella was ejected in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves [Length of Piniella’s suspension to be determined by MLB on Monday].
2. Gary Sheffield explained his not-so-politically correct theory on why there is an all-time low percentage of African American players in the MLB during an interview in this month’s GQ magazine. I’ll save my breath on this subject and point you towards the excellent article that Darren wrote earlier today [Sheff Serves Up the Race Card].
3. If you have tuned into ESPN any time over the past couple weeks you’ve no doubt heard about the Michael Vick dog-fighting saga, but now two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation have told ESPN.com that they believe there is sufficient evidence to indict Vick [Source: Vick probe receiving increased attention from feds]. The sources, however, cautioned this week that, based on the current evidence, it might be difficult to successfully prosecute Vick, who has denied knowledge of dog fighting at the property in Surry County. However, regardless of the outcome of any legal proceedings, Vick will surely feel the effects on his pocket book in the form of lost endorsement money (think Kobe Bryant after his rape allegation fiasco in Colorado). In fact, one company has already chosen not to renew Vick’s endorsement contract – AirTran Airways has ended its relationship with Vick, who has been a pitchman for the airline since 2004 [AirTran parts ways with Vick after off-field incidents].
4. Anaheim defenseman Chris Pronger received a one-game suspension Sunday for his hit to the head of Ottawa forward Dean McAmmond in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals [Pronger suspended for hit to head on McAmmond]. Though this may not seem to be Nightmare-worthy on its face, it becomes notable because this is Pronger’s second suspension of this year’s playoffs. Being suspended for a playoff game is a sure way to hurt your team during the most important part of the season, and being suspended for two games in two seperate series is downright inexcusable.
5 replies on “Nightmare Clients for the Week of May 27th-June 3rd”
You would think that Pronger wouldn’t have such stupid judgment. Winning the cup probably means more to him and Selanne than anyone else left on the ice.
The bottom three guys on the list are obvious nightmare clients this week but I think Lou might actually help the Cubs by doing what he did. First off it’s no suprise Lou’s tirade came a day after the fight between Zambrano and Barrett. Lou has been around long enough to know he needed to do something to bring the attention back on him instead of his players. Second the Cubs are at rock bottom right now so Lou doing something to get kicked out/suspended for a few games could be the spark to get the team going. I currently live in Chicago (not really a Cubs fan though) and listen to some of the postgame comments after the games and Lou is at a loss for words. He has no idea how to motivate this team to win so maybe he thought this might get them going. It’s also important to note that the Cubs came out and snapped out of their losing streak the day after Piniella’s tirade. Whether they continue this remains to be seen but I would have to say I think what Lou did was pretty smart. On a side note I saw a replay and the runner was clearly out and even Lou admitted after the game the ump got the call right.
In regards to Pronger I have no idea what he is thinking. He is killing this team by receiving the suspensions along with pennalties. The Ducks need him on the ice I don’t really see any way this series doesn’t become 2-2.
Drew: I tend to agree with you about Lou Piniella. Between his graciousnesses towards the official’s call and the media being on his side, I think he is turning the situation into a positive for himself and his team.
Sports illustrated has a great article on the dog fighting investigation. I bet his agent’s pretty flustered right now.
Note: The Cubbies have won both games since Piniella’s suspension.
Cubs are winning because Alan Trammell is at the helms.