PioneerSkies

Some musings about baseball on this Wednesday morning...

http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla/ci_7972099
Bud Selig has got to go.  I don't know how this corpse still has a job.  Kiszla wrote a good column about how the Used Car Salesman fouled up the whole steroids issue.  However, the truth is that this is just one of a long list of Selig's failures.  The 1994 strike, the abomination of interleague play, the suspicious rise of his pet Milwaukee Brewers (how the hell are they in the NL?), a tie in the All Star game, and the ever-increasing gap between the rich and poor teams are all attributable to Selig's incompetent attempt at leadership.  I see all this garbage about the presidential election.  When will America realize that the most important position in this country, Commissioner of Baseball, has been occupied by a complete fool for too long?  Major League Baseball is successful in spite of Bud Selig.  Sic semper tyrannis!

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_7981638
On a slightly less frustrating note, the Monfort brothers, owners of the Colorado Rockies, are at it again.  And by that I mean nothing at all.  Renck wrote about what they've done so far this offseason.  In short: Kazuo Matsui is gone, Marcus Giles signed a minor league contract, Aaron Cook has a longer deal, an aging Luis Vizcaino signed on as well as a handfull of lower tier starters--Kip Wells, Mark Redman, and Josh Towers--who will compete for (most likely) a single spot in the rotation.  That's it.  The Monforts have accomplished a small list of rather insignificant moves.  Now I don't mind that they haven't gone after any big names.  What's disturbing is the lack of progress with the big names we already have--namely, Matt Holliday.  At the start of the offseason, the Monforts committed to proposing a long-term contract to Holliday through his agent Scott Boras.  They have not done this yet.  Instead, all they have given us is excuses--Holliday is under contract through 2009, there's no agreement about the length of a long term deal, etc. etc.  This is just more of the same and it makes me sick.  There's a word for this: posturing.  The Monforts are already posturing themselves for the loss of Matt Holliday to free agency--and what's even more frustrating is that they have being doing this for some time now.  It's almost as if Holliday is already gone and the Monforts are telling us why they were too weak to keep him.  Enough excuses.  Break out the checkbook and pay Matt Holliday what he is worth.  Don't tell us fans that there's no money for it--attendance was way up last season and there's a huge boost in revenue from the playoffs.  Now it's time for the ownership to pony up and put some money back into the team in a serious manner.  In the end, I feel like the Rockies ownership group doesn't know how to treat their fans--from the World Series ticket fiasco to the endless self-pitying line of excuses.  A similar chorus can be said about this situation: the Rockies are successful in spite of the Monforts' blunders.

http://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nene_surgery_011508.html

DENVER, Jan. 15 -- Denver Nuggets forward Nenê underwent successful surgery to remove a testicular tumor yesterday. Results of a biopsy to determine the presence of cancer are pending.
“A right testicular mass was found incidentally and it was managed surgically,” said Dr. Fernando J. Kim, Chief of Urology at Denver Health Medical Center. “Nenê is recovering well and in good condition.”
“I want to thank my fans, my teammates, the Nuggets organization and everyone that’s been supporting me,” said Nenê. “My victory will represent their victory as well. Thanks for being with me in this moment. I will remember all the appreciation. I thank God that we could detect this at such an early stage.”
Last week, an examination by team physician Dr. Saurabh Mangalik revealed the presence of a tumor. Nenê then consulted with Dr. Kim, a graduate of the University of São Paolo School of Medicine in Nenê’s home country of Brazil, who performed the surgery.
“As a cancer survivor and someone who has watched his son go through two cancer-related surgeries, I know firsthand the emotions and fears that you feel when someone says you might have it,” said Nuggets Head Coach George Karl. “Our job now is to support Nenê and be there for him as a family. Basketball is at the bottom of the totem poll at a time like this. We just want him to get healthy.”
On Jan. 11, the Nuggets announced Nenê would take an indefinite leave of absence from the team. There remains no timeline for his return.

Well, we have learned it was a testicular tumor.  A biopsy is being conducted to determine whether or not it is cancerous.  On the radio today, coach George Carl said that the team was very melancholy and emotionally frustrated.  This is a very tough time for the Nuggets.  Besides Nene's situation, Kenyon Martin is out with a staph infection apparently in his butt.  Eduardo Najera is healthy enough to dress, but he is really banged up.  And on top of everything, the team has lost two games in a row.  Hopefully, the team can pull together and rebound during what looks to be (somewhat of) an easy schedule.  Our thoughts are with you, Nene.  We hope to see you healthy soon.