Kelly Shoppach Messes Up My Story Idea

Kelly Shoppach: Dream Killer

I've been holding on to a secret for a little while, and I was really looking forward to telling you all about it. I'm from Washington, DC, and the Nationals play Major League Baseball there. The New York Mets, Butte native Rob Johnson's current team, play there sometimes too. It turned out that the Mets would be in DC to play the Nationals during my vacation back home. They play a three game series starting tonight.

"This is great," I thought. "I can get a press credential, I used to go to Nats games all the time through an internship, I'll get to see old friends and shoot a story about Rob Johnson for KXLF. Win win."

Except Kelly Shoppach ruined all of my hopes and dreams and turned one of those wins into a loss.

On Tuesday, Shoppach was a minor league catcher for the Boston Red Sox, hitting a pedestrian .250 with the big club in 48 games to go along with 17 RBI. Then on Wednesday, the Mets traded for him and demoted Johnson to AAA.

I'm at the game now, and so far Shoppach is 0-1 with a strikeout 1-3 with a home run. He hasn't had a hit His first for the Mets since joining the team. Well, I take that back. He hit my story idea square on the nose. He obliterated it the opposite way - it's going, going, gone.

Who Should Start for the Griz?

With Jordan Johnson suspended for his rape charge... the Griz are down to three quarterbacks who've never completed a pass in college. Sophomore Shay Smithwick-Hann of Kalispell, redshirt freshman Trent McKinney from Hawaii, and true freshman Brady Gustafson from Billings West. Who would you like to see start?Maybe Trent McKinney can channel Colt Brennan, he was a pretty good Hawaii quarterback.

USA Basketball Clowns Tunisia

"Please, Mr. James, My Family's Watching"

With 3:37 left in the first half of today's Olympic game between the United States and Tunisia, Tunisia's Marouane Kechrid made a three-pointer that cut the USA's lead to 35-30. Then the USA went on a 75-33 run to close out the game, and the final score was 110-63.

The USA didn't cover its 54-point spread, but it did have the amazing photo pictured above. Let's break it down.

Mohamed Hdidane (No. 9, on the far left) somehow is the only one back to guard against Lebron James. He's clearly done his homework, because everyone knows the way to stop a James dunk is to put your forearm on his chest. He's ticklish there.

At this point in the game (before the ball goes through the hoop), the USA is up 31-23. James probably thought that dunking on one of the Tunisian players would break their spirits with a 10-point lead. It actually didn't, as outlined above, but James is clearly going for a statement dunk. It's written all over his face.

My favorite part of this picture are the three Tunisian players in the background. All have stopped running and at this point are just watching. One of them could be saying a prayer for poor Hdidane. I know I would.

Credit to ESPN's SportsNation for the photo.

Rob Johnson's First Multiple RBI Game of 2012

Here's a stat that any Mets fan (or coach) should pay attention to: since being recalled July 25, when Rob Johnson plays in a game and bats in a run, the Mets are 2-0. In games he doesn't play: 1-2. In games before they recalled the Butte Central Grad and since the all-star break: 1-11. The Mets need Rob Johnson.

Yesterday Johnson went 1-3 with two RBI - one an infield single and the other a fielder's choice. That second RBI came in the 10th inning and proved huge. It put the Mets up 8-6, and the final score was 8-7.

He's just 1-6 at the plate in two games since coming back, but has driven in three runners, and caught Mets super-prospect Matt Harvey last week.

Harvey will make his second career start tonight, but it's likely that Josh Thole will do the catching in San Francisco.

Bob Green's Recruiting Pitch to Ted Dawson

This is one of those things that goes in that mythical Favorite Thing Ever category. Today Bob Green and I talked about how college football coaches recruit, and I thought it'd be great to see Bob's best pitch to make Ted Dawson an Oredigger.

I can't see how Ted could say no, although he may not be eligible unless he improves his grades. But hey, Bob Green believes in him, so I do too.

Alumni Colosseum and Legion Baseball

Tearing up the dirt infield

There is some confusion out there as to what is being done at Alumni Colosseum and how it affects the Butte Miners American Legion Baseball team that plays there.

First, some background: The State of Montana owns Alumni Colosseum because Montana owns Montana Tech. Legion Ball was leasing the land and the building to play their games. Montana Tech hasn't played baseball in decades.

The baseball field and the football field use the same grass in the outfield, but Montana Tech has had their eye on upgrading to synthetic field turf for years. This past August, Montana Tech Athletic Director Joe McClafferty sat down with the heads of the Legion program and told them that in either 2012 or 2013, they would install the turf, and Legion would have to leave.

At the end of March, Tech didn't have all of the funds that it needed to complete the project, but they were more than halfway there. They informed the Miners that construction will start in 2013, so 2012 would be the last year Legion could play at Alumni Colosseum.

The reason Legion baseball has to go is because Tech isn't installing field turf on anything but the football field. In effect, left field and center field will be field turf, and right field and the infield would be grass. This isn't acceptable for baseball.

The Miners will play at Copper Mountain Park for the next few years. They hope to call the Babe Ruth fields behind the Civic Center home before too long, but they sit on a Superfund site, and until it's cleaned up they can't construct anything there.

For now, the Miners and Montana Tech are working to get any reusable pieces of the baseball stadium out of Alumni. The dirt, signs, external clubhouse, external concession stand, and batting cages will all go with the Miners.

The grandstands will stay where they are for now. Montana Tech is looking to add new dormitories in the next few years, and the grandstands sit on the preferred spot for a new dorm building. The structure is so old that it could just be knocked down.

In addition to a more reliable and weather-proof football field, installing field turf gives Butte a legitimate venue for outdoor concerts, as well as a place for Montana Tech's intramural teams to play without having to worry about the quality of the field for its varsity sports.

The Miners' transition to Copper Mountain will be tough. There are no stadium lights at that facility, which means that home night games could be scarce. The team is raising money to build a new facility once the Superfund issue is resolved behind the Civic Center, but it's unclear when that will happen.

Kim Jung Il's Ghost May Be a Personal Trainer

Yahoo has a great story about North Korea's Om Yun Chol, a 123-pound man who clean-and-jerked three times his body weight at the Olympics. When asked how he did it, he said this:

"How can any man possibly lift 168kg? I believe the great Kim Jong Il looked over me."

A few things:

• Did Kim Jung Il ever look over any adults when he was alive? That may have been difficult.
• Did Kim Jung Il ever go to a gym? North Korea's former Fearless Leader was never in danger of qualifying for the Olympics himself. I'm guessing he was a pudgy 4'10" 180lbs.
• If Kim Jung Il's ghost is a personal trainer, what are his motivation tactics?
• How much does he charge per hour? If he's a ghost, he has no need for money, but he is a celebrity.

These are all questions that I'll investigate if I ever meet Om Yun Chol. How much would you pay the ghost of Kim Jung Il to spot you while you bench pressed?