Mattingly sparks debate between Bonds or Stanton in three hole

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First, some disturbingly uplifting (well, disturbing to me, anyway) info from Justine Siegal’s story about being an Oakland’s A’s coach during the Arizona Fall League.

“It wasn’t smooth sailing throughout instructs. This one afternoon, I didn’t throw batting practice as well as I thought I should have. I was really upset with myself because in my world, when I do something poorly, it’s a reason why people get rid of me. As a woman trying to become a coach in a men’s league, I live in a world where mistakes aren’t allowed — where I have to sort of be invisible and perfect all at once.

“So at the coaches’ meeting in the next morning, I felt I needed to tell them how I felt I did badly, how disappointed I was in myself — basically, that I was really sorry that I didn’t throw a good batting practice the day before. I think it goes back to constantly feeling like I need to justify why I’m here and why I belong in the room, too. As I was talking to them, I hear one of the coaches say something that I’ve never been told on a baseball field:

“Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.”

I immediately relaxed. Then all these coaches started telling me about their worst batting practices. It was one of the most special moments I’ve had in baseball.

We’ve got your back. I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone to tell me that.

Four words. Try to remember them, though not at the expense of four other words that fit a lot of other circumstances.

“That said, you stink.”

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Because Gregg Popovich is the author, hating and honoring the three-point shot at the same time makes perfect sense. From James Herbert of CBSSports:

“I still hate it. I’ll never embrace it. I don’t think it’s basketball. I think it’s kind of like a circus sort of thing. Why don’t we have a 5-point shot? A 7-point shot? You know, where does it stop, that sort of thing. But that’s just me, that’s just old-school. To a certain degree, you better embrace it or you’re going to lose. And every time we’ve won a championship, the 3-point shot was a big part of it. Because it is so powerful and you’ve gotta be able to do it. And nobody does it better than Golden State, and you know where they’re at. So it’s important. You can’t ignore it.”

Maybe he’d cave on the five-point shot if you got a giant stuffed bear every time you made one.

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Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has a serious Chipotle jones, so much so, he told the Toucher and Rich radio show in Boston that his coworkers call him “The Jared Of Chipotle.

Given what we know about Jared, I think it may be time to remind Ainge that he has the power to fire people.

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Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly started putting ideas in people’s heads when he suggested that his new hitting coach, B. Lamar Bonds, “could play, I bet. He looks like he could still play.”

He is 51 years old, and hasn’t swung a bat in anger in eight years, Don. You say that one more time, that lunatic Jeff Loria is going to take you up on it, and then you’ll have the exciting problem of settling an argument about who bats third between Bonds and Giancarlo Stanton.

That’s not the way to make people forget your time in L.A., sport.

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Baylor coach Art Briles knows his perspective. After hearing that his former aide Sterlin Gilbert has just been named the offensive coordinator at Texas, Briles said, “We have to work harder now. It’s like when someone gets into your bank account and steals your identity.”

Why doesn’t he just get GridLock, the football version of LifeLock, and then press charges? I mean, money comes and money goes, but Texas football insanity is forever.

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A new development with the nation’s most beloved Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers -– and no, not the neutering of general manager Sam Hinkie.

Owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who just bought a healthy chunk of Crystal Palace of the English Premier League (Rebecca Lowe is now contractually forced to wear a Dribbling Ben Franklin T-shirt), are gunning to own the first NFL team in London, according to Mitch Lawrence of Forbes.

“Their strategy is simple: According to a business associate of Blitzer, it’s to “get to know the market,’’ as they get a footing in London and see how things operate there for their bid to land an NFL expansion team in London.

But what about the Sixers, who willfully have been driven into the earth’s crust?

“They’re more interested in getting the NFL in London than they are in the NBA,” Lawrence cited a source as saying. “Their No. 1 goal is to get the NFL team in London. They want to flip the Sixers anyway.”

And then all their games can be put on HGTV. Perfect.

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And finally, Jarrett Bell of USA Today tells us that Dez Bryant might actually get to provide input on the new “What Is A Catch This Week Committee” after all.

Nothing has been announced yet, but former coaches Ken Whisenhunt, Jim Schwartz and Joe Philbin are expected to join former general manager Bill Polian, former NFL receiver James Thrash and Tom Finken, a former NFL side judge who currently trains game officials, on the committee. Supervisor of officials Dean Blandino, who has caught traincars of hell over idiotic rules and rulings this year, was asked about Bryant, and said, “He cares,” Blandino said. “It’s important to him. We definitely want to hear from him.”

But this better not be a cheap stunt. Dez does have a bit of a temper when provoked. Also when not provoked.

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