Jim Nantz gets to sit in his cushy booth perched high above the action for CBS. He can sip mint juleps and make very soothing comments about putting that cause the viewing public to dose off. Well the same is not the case for Analyst Ian Baker-Finch. He my friends is in the line of fire, and this past weekend....he took one for the CBS Team....

Rich Beem's second shot on No. 18 deflected into CBS analyst Ian Baker-Finch's face after hitting a rail behind the green, dropping him to the ground. Baker-Finch was back on his feet a little later and appeared to be OK.

"I took one for the U.S. Presidents Cup team," Beem joked, noting that Baker-Finch will assist International captain Gary Player at the Presidents Cup. "I think he'll be all right. Luckily, I didn't catch him on the fly. But still, to get hit by a golf ball coming that hard can't feel any good."

Ow. I was once got hit by a golf ball in the shin when I was a cart boy at the age of 13. I cried like a little girl. I was also almost struck by lightning and a tree almost fell over and crushed my golf cart (I cried like a girl then too). Good times.

Beemer KO'S Baker-Finch (The Sporting News)

What it is...I have no idea. Maybe it's just me, but I'd like my Football with a little less anger. It is just a "game" after all. I don't care if we are talking about Mike Vick....no one ever needs to be THIS serious....

I'm so confused. So I'm supposed to hope that Vick comes back soon why? Because jail sucks? Isn't that the whole point? Someone help me out here.

Also, Jerome Bettis' orchestrated explanation of how he wasn't calling Coach Cowherd out was the biggest hunk of garbage ever. I can't believe I'm saying this, but....

Can I have Peter King back?

This week's edition of the Press Buffet is dedicated to the weaklings who signal the true start of football season. It is traditional for high-caliber programs to tune up in the early going by scheduling lightweights from small conferences, and even Division 1-AA or smaller. The NCAA rule allowing teams to claim a non-division-1A win in order to become bowl eligible (once every few years) has done nothing to dissuade anyone from the practice.

I wrote about the absurd notion (to me) that college football now starts in August in a guest shot on Losers With Socks, and it's turned into a regular feature.

Today I want to examine the journalistic mindset of writers who cover the cannon fodder. Do they wring their hands and moan? Do they put on false bluster? Do they talk about tennis instead? Let's find out.

First I turn to the Ogden Standard-Examiner, which is published in the hometown of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. The Wildcats will be the first team to take on the newly mighty Boise State Broncos following their wild Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma to end last season:

"We want the community support," WSU coach Ron McBride said in between picture with the fans. "We want to get the community involved with everything we're doing."

WSU opens the season Thursday at No. 24 Boise State, and then will play its second game of the season on Sept. 15 at Cal Poly. The following Saturday the 'Cats will play their home opener against Montana State.

I guess that's life outside the BCS - start out on the road every year.

Also from the state of Utah, the University of Utah Utes are heading to Oregon State to open the season. Here's what the Salt Lake Tribune had to say about an early trip to the Pac-10:

"Light," has been the overall theme for the Utes in practice the last week as practices have been kept short, with very little contact. Apparently the coaches feel good enough about the team's preparation that they're ready for Oregon State.

"We're not going to stay on the field just to stay on the field," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said after Saturday's practice. "We've got a veteran offense and usually it takes the offense a little longer to come around. The defense tends to develop faster, but it has been a rapid process for the offense with 10 returning starters."

In other words, after losing one starter due to a preseason injury, the Utes prefer to take their lumps in Corvallis rather than on the practice field.

On to the Buffalo News, where the University at Buffalo (that's what they really call it) travels to New Jersey to take on another Cinderella from last year, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. They're taking a different approach - Ontday entionmay Utgersray:

Early in his career at the University at Buffalo, James Starks distinguished himself as a lot of things: a quarterback, a cornerback and a wide receiver. But the Bulls’ starter at tailback?

“I played running back a little in Pop Warner,” Starks said. “Then they moved me to quarterback.”

Hah. Oh ho... yeah. I don't think Rutgers' first string is going to need to play too long in this one. In fact, here's the prediction from the hometown paper of record:

Prediction

While Gill has recruited better and the players have bought into the system, the Bulls haven’t experienced enough success to warrant anything more than another two-win season. Looks like they’ll go 2-10.

Ouch.

Finally, off to wee Murray, Kentucky, where the Ledger covers the 1-AA Murray State Racers. The pride of Murray will drive a few hours up to Lou-uh-ville to get demolished and pick up a game check. As you might expect, the team preview is full of cheerful little nuggets like these:

Consider this: the Racers went 1-10 last year while fielding a team with 39 freshmen. Yet, as strange as it sounds, this year the Racers could be even younger, with 73 freshmen and sophomores and just 14 upperclassmen on the team.

Charlie Jordan ran for a team-high 448 yards last year, but the team's biggest question heading into the season remains who will give Jordan and talented wide receiver Rod Harper the ball.

Linebacker Nate Williams, who finished seventh in the nation in tackles per game with 11.1, anchors a defense that will try to improve after finishing 113th in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA).

So, I guess what we're saying here is... there's still a chance! [/Lloyd Christmas]

That's your August preview from Cupcake City. See you next week.

--Extra P.

(posted by OMDQ)

(Note: I think this is my favorite post ever.)

One game story, three outstanding usages of the name "Wang":

As it first appeared in my Google Reader:

"Red-hot Wang propels Yankees past Tigers"

Banner description on the top of the game story page in Internet Explorer:

"Yanks lean on red-hot Wang in win over Tigers"

And the sub-headline of the SI.com game recap:

"Weary Yankees lean on Wang in 7-2 win over Tigers"

It's enough to make a Red Sox fan not care that the Yankees won. Although..."Cocky Wang deflated after being slapped around by Tigers" would have been the pinnacle of awesomeness. In fact, I propose we set up a fund to reward the first mainstream media employee who manages to work "cocky" and "Wang" into the same headline. Come on now - somebody up there has to be up to the task.

And you weren't going to get any pictures tonight because I'm using my brother's laptop and don't want to save anything to his hard drive, but this picture of my man Chien-Ming was too good to pass up:

Why, oh why, couldn't the caption referred to it as his "5-and-oh face"? (If you don't get that, watch this.)

Chien-Ming Wang should pitch every single day.

Photo: SI.com (also the link for the game story)

(posted by OMDQ)

Saturday was apparently a big evening for baseball ceremonies. In addition to B.J. Surhoff's induction into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame, the Cincinnati Reds honored former shortstop Dave Concepcion for his years of service by retiring his number 13. He became the eighth player or manager so honored by the team, including five Hall of Famers.

"The crowd chanted, "Davey! Davey!" as the 59-year-old Concepcion walked to a microphone on the field, prompting him to turn away and dab his eyes with a towel. He sniffled and repeatedly stopped in mid-sentenced -- choked with emotion -- as he thanked his family and former teammates."

Very cool. That's almost the pinnacle of individual honors that can be awarded to a player. What's less cool? Joe Morgan injecting himself into the story, as he is wont to do.

"Unfortunately, I think we've overshadowed his accomplishments," Morgan said. "Sparky and Johnny and myself, we're in the Hall of Fame, and I think we tend to overlook what he did on a daily basis. Guys like Davey and Foster and (Lee) May and Griffey don't get their just due."

Translation: "It's too bad Johnny and I were so awesome that nobody remembers the other guys who played for the Big Red Machine in the 1970s. Some of them were actually okay - not as great as me, but who is?"

Get over yourself, man. You're in the Hall of Fame, Dave Concepcion is not, which is pretty much the way it should be. He had a nice career and all, and it's cool that the Reds retired his number, but Cooperstown? No.

Also, I'm going to nitpick and point out that he forgot to mention Tony Perez, who was in attendance at the ceremony and is also in the Hall of Fame (although not until he spent several years on the ballot, so he's probably not considered a "true" Hall of Famer by Sir Joseph). And if he had any balls, he would've dropped Pete Rose's name in there as one of the "attention-getters" on the team.

(posted by OMDQ)

Sometimes, Mother Nature needs to know when to shut the hell up and provide good weather.

Rain interrupted B.J. Surhoff's induction into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame Saturday night (an exclusive group that also includes legendary talents such as Rick Dempsey and Chris Hoiles), requiring him to throw out the game's first pitch after home plate and the pitcher's mound had already been covered with tarps (total bummer, man - not nearly as much fun if you can't at least stand on the dirt of the mound).

It seems weird to write the words "Hall of Fame" and "B.J. Surhoff" in the same sentence, but I will say this for the guy: he was, without a doubt, a charter member of the "Holy Cow, That Guy's Still Playing?" Hall of Fame (a group that has since added Damion Easley, and probably countless others, to its ranks). Seriously, Surhoff always seemed like the type of player who talent-wise should have had a 10-12 year career, but through a combination of hard work and a willingness to play everywhere (the only thing he never did in the majors was pitch) stretched it out to nineteen seasons, most of them as a valuable contributor.

Good for him for making enough of an impact to receive this honor (seriously - Dempsey and Hoiles may be members, but so are Robinson, Robinson, Ripken Jr., and Murray. Good group).