Tired of Delmon being Delmon

I'm sick of Delmon Young.

He's shown in the picture to the right, smiling, seemingly having a good time as baseball's premier prospect. At just 20 years old, the reigning Minor League Player of the Year should be relishing in the limelight of Durham before he is thrust into the pressure and high expectations of The Show. Instead, his on-the-field exploits have been overshadowed by his impatience, immaturity and the infamous bat-tossing incident that cost him 50 games already this season.

The suspension - which should've been for the entire season - likely cost him an early-season promotion. Last season, he bumped umpires, scolded teammates and berated his organization, which hindered his hopes of opening the 2006 season as the Devil Rays starting right fielder.

This week, Delmon spouted off again in regards to his displeasure, publicly criticizing the people that cut him his checks.

"I don't know what they're waiting for. They're, what, 30 games out of first place? They think they're going to mess up their clubhouse chemistry. B.J. should be up there. What are they waiting for? They always have excuses."

Unfortunately, Delmon's piss-poor attitude and lack of respect is permeating the Durham clubhouse, and he's now accompanied by two other high-profile prospects who, in an attempt to rise to the major leagues more quickly, are only further damaging their careers and delaying the process.

B.J. Upton, who earlier this summer was arrested for DUI, commented on how he should already be in the bigs, and Elijah Dukes - who I fault the Tampa Bay brass for even keeping in the organization - somehow one-upped Delmon Young in this week's ridiculous-comment contest.

"In the big leagues, you throw your uniform on the ground and it's washed and hung up nicely in your locker," Dukes said. "Here, you do that, you come back the next day and find it still on the floor. Those guys up there (in the big leagues) shower in Evian. Here we use sewer water."

So, how would even the best front office handle this situation? First, Delmon should be dealt, immediately. Test the market for him (he's probably the best pure-hitter to come up since Albert Pujols), and see if the team can get a few arms for him. Young doesn't want to be apart of the organization, and the Rays have enough obstacles to overcome than to have its prima-donna star affecting any team chemistry that is built.

Mr. Dukes should be cut, immediately. If they want to find a cheap trade, do it. If not, just cut your losses and move on.

As for B.J., I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt. He didn't behave poorly until joined by Young and Dukes. He didn't chastize the Rays front office as Young and Dukes did, only saying that he didn't understand why he was still in AAA (B.J., you must play defense in the major leagues, just so you know.) Leave him in AAA for the year, and if he commits to the current Rays philosophy, give him a chance to win a starting job at the start of 2007 (he'll still just be 21).

To the Rays credit, their words in response are appropriate. Manager Joe Maddon said,""I don't know what qualifies people, at any age, to disrespect anybody in the manner that article indicated to me," Maddon said. "It speaks to disrespect in general and it speaks to a sense of entitlement that young athletes have today that I totally disagree with."

New GM Andrew Friedman hinted toward disciplinary action, and stated that their comments were a "disrespect towards the game and the achievement of becoming a major league player."

I agree, and it has to be stopped.

Whatever it takes.

Pittsnogle to sign with Celtics

Per Nate Maczuzak of the Martinsburg Journal, Kevin Pittsnogle will sign with the Boston Celtics. His agent told the Journal that it is a standard rookie free agent contract, which is one year with a second-year team option.

The article states that there will be a Wednesday news conference where Pittsnogle and his agent will comment on the signing.

Pittsnogle went undrafted, but played for both the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks in summer league action in his effort to secure a spot on a NBA roster. Check out the link below for Maczuzak's breaking news story.

Pittsnogle to sign with Celtics

ESPN fires Harold Reynolds

In a very disappointing development, the New York Post has reported that Harold Reynolds, a key member of ESPN's Baseball Tonight crew, has been fired. Neither Reynolds nor ESPN are commenting, but Deadspin.com, who confirmed the termination, is stating that its likely a result of a sexual harrassment complaint.

If the allegations are true, Reynolds certainly deserved the boot, but that doesn't soften the blow of losing one of baseball's most knowledgable sports journalists, as well as one of the best personalities. He had 11 years of service with ESPN, and was a staple of the College and Little League World Series.

Baseball doesn't have as many alternate avenues for employment, but hopefully he can find a Fox TV job or make his way onto XM radio, as long as he cleans up his act (He has a wife and a newborn child).

But as for Baseball Tonight, which has lost the legendary Peter Gammons already this summer, the replacements will have big shoes to fill in Gammons, the Hall of Famer, and Reynolds, the resident sexaholic.

For more, check out deadspin.com, one of the best sports web sites out there.

Update: ESPN.com has also confirmed this, in addition to the previous sources.

Second Update: Deadspin.com also tossed out the possibility that Reynolds was fired after a heated arguments with ESPN officials in regards to the coverage of Alex Rodriguez. It seems more far-fetched, considering he would have to do more than give them a tongue-lashing to lose his job, but it may have some wheels to it. Stay tuned.

Public Courts winless streak continues...

At this point, I would love to be on the same level as WVU's infamous bowl streak. At least then, I could have accomplished something before the loss set in.

In my return to the Public Courts, I bowed out in singles and doubles without notching a single victory. Sure, my partner (Sarah Bowlin, pictured here with me) and I advanced to the quarterfinals of the Open Mixed Doubles division, but that was only after the 4th-seeded duo of John Oxley and Anna Cerrato failed to show up.

That enabled Team Bowlin-McGill to face a pair of recent St. Albans graduates. The result was an unexpected, straight-sets sweep, 6-4, 6-2.

In singles play Saturday, Andy Travis defeated me, 6-3, 6-1. I felt like it was closer than the score indicated, but that doesn't really matter, does it? My serve was still erratic, and I was very passive with my groundstrokes, but I feel like I can win a lot in the coming months.

I plan on playing in two more tournaments this month, one in Parkersburg, and the other in Charles Town. I'm anxious to continue playing and elevating my game, and hopefully returning to Men's Open singles next year.

For more shameless self-promotion, check out the story by me, on me, below:

Charleston Daily Mail: Chuck McGill column

My Return to Tennis

It's been 7 years, almost to the day, that I last stepped onto a tennis court in a tournament. In fact, it was this very same tournament, when I bowed out to one of the area's best players, James Kent, 6-1, 6-0 in a mostly uncompetitive match.

I had only minor scholarship offers to play tennis collegiately, so when I elected to go to West Virginia University, I hung up the racquets, seemingly for good. I still played on occassion, and still maintained most of the marginal skills I possessed as a high schooler.

Saturday, at 9 a.m., I make my not-so-triumphant return to competitive tennis. To be honest, I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect. I'm about 25 pounds heavier than the last time I roamed the courts. Then, I gladly carried the handle "Wheels," which I was dubbed for my extraordinarly quick feet and ability to get to any ball. Afterall, thats about the only thing that helped me overcome my height.

The wheels feel more square now and the fatigue sets it earlier than it used to, but I tell you, I may want it more than I ever did in high school or in USTA matches. I qualified for two state tournaments, carried a respectable, winning record as the No. 1 seed for two years, and performed well in USTA-sanctioned matches, but I've never won at Public Courts. Not once.

My opponent is Andy Travis, whom I'm hoping is either Randy Travis' alter-ego, a twin, or someone who won't expose the new-and-unimproved antithesis to Wheels. I want to enjoy myself more than anything, but I'd like to play well, too. And of course, winning would be nice. Hopefully, I'll go 3-for-3, and never take a hiatus from tennis again.

Note: If anyone is pathetic enough to wake up on a Saturday morning and want to watch a 200-lb. short guy chase after a ball, let me know. I play at 9 a.m. in Kanawha City.

Review: An Inconvenient Truth

I don't claim to be the foremost expert on movies, or have the ability to convey their deeper meanings, the use of lighting or cinematography, or relate them to their predecessors. But after seeing the thought-provoking, fear-inducing documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, last Friday, I felt I could pull off a rare review.

For those unfamiliar with the film, it came to fruition as the urgent message of global warming bullies its way into the center of the political spectrum. Yes, its a leftist movie, but its message should garner the attention of conservatives and liberals alike. We are - as the movie drives home - in serious trouble. As a planet, as a human race, our life as we know it may take a significant turn for the worse in the next 10 years if the effects of global warming are not curtailed - and soon.

This movie is, more or less, a filmmakers portrayal of former Vice President Al Gore's lifelong PowerPoint presentation of global warming, and its drastic effects that have already taken its toll on the world and the American people. Some of the highlights? Ten of the last 14 years are the warmest on record, that a significant portion of Florida, India and Asia will be under water in the coming years as the polar ice caps continue to melt, and a host of other stat-supported facts that will give you chills.

Gore, who has been giving the slideshow presentation for years, says he's invested 30 years of work into this issue and given more than 1,000 presentations. He starts at square one, explaining the basics of the global warming process and how greenhouse gases are thickening the atmosphere, thus retaining more heat. The end result? Above-ground ice, which can be found at each pole and Greenland, is melting. It's displacing animals, and the water is rising around the world. Soon, there will be displaced citizens, a continued increase in violent, severe weather (there's a portion of the film devoted to Hurricane Katrina) and a litany of another minute facts that would've passed me by on any other day.

If you can get past Gore's dry sense-of-humor, which in actuality, cannot even be considered a sense-of-humor, then you will enjoy this documentary. It's clearly going to have an underlying political agenda, but it isn't as prominent as you would think. It's simply a collection of Gore's new life work, which he has devoted his existence to since falling to George W. Bush in the 2000 election.

He recollects on a few of his life happenstances that helped shape who he is today, and why this issue has taken extreme importance to him, which he insists is beyond the political arena. He claims he has no intentions of ever entering politics again - a continuous theme throughout in an effort to distance himself from any possible political gain.

Regardless, the movie will provide a scare, a jolt and leave you scrambling inside your own head in hopes of finding something you can do to help remedy the situation. Start by seeing this movie - even if you feel like you would rather not know what your daily habits are contributing to the place you inhabit.

Our world and our future depends on it.

View the trailer below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4ofSx6NsQs&search=an%20inconvenient%20truth

Gansey to the Heat

According to the State Journal, Mike Gansey has signed a two-year deal with the Miami Heat.

Gansey, perhaps the most-beloved Mountaineer in history, went undrafted after hearing whispers of a potential first-round pick. It is believed, however, the much of the $1.1 million in the two-year agreement is guaranteed.

His college teammate, Kevin Pittsnogle, remains unsigned after turning down an opportunity to be a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Note: It appears that only a small portion of Gansey's contract is guaranteed, contrary to what I reported a few days ago. The rest of the contract is contingent upon Gansey making the roster.

So Long, Andre

Any child/sports enthusiast has likely dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. Few, if any, ever fulfill their boyhood aspirations, often settling for backyard glory.

In my younger days, I played out my sports fantasies as all my favorite athletes: Don Mattingly, Magic Johnson, Jason Williams, Randy Moss, etc.

When it came to tennis, I looked up to two people: Andre Agassi and Michael Chang.

Growing up, I was always undersized. I still am. And that's why I remain attached to Agassi, who bid farewell to Wimbledon this week.

For me, its always easy to root for the little guy. The Agassi's and Chang's gave me a reason to believe, that at 5-foot-6 (barely), I could excel in a sport which provides a distinct advantage for taller competitors.

Agassi left Wimbledon on Centre Court, where he always dreamed of playing as a kid. So long, Andre.