No Shake for You! Celebration costs Uruguayan handshake at French Open

Doubles tennis doesn't usually make headlines, which is a shame, because it's just as much a part of the sport as singles (and more fun to watch, in my opinion).

But semi-famous American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan made the news at the French Open when they refused to shake their opponents' hands following a three-set loss in the quarterfinals.

Trailing 5-1 in the third set tiebreaker, the Bryans were miffed when opponent Pablo Cuevas celebrated by leaping over the net. In case you're wondering, the more orthodox and civilized way is to walk around the net post, taking a swig of your Evian water while you're at it.

The Bryans took umbrage: "He was really disrespectful," Mike said. "He jumped the net right in our face. It's classless." The brothers punished Cuevas the only way they knew how, by refusing to shake his hand after the match, and I'm guessing no hugs were exchanged, either. Cuevas seemed to be OK with that.

"Maybe I celebrated a little too much. But it's worth it," he said. "It's not every day you beat the No. 1 team."

Not very classy behavior by either doubles team, if you ask me. Hopping the net is juvenile and should be reserved for a Saturday morning practice session, but the Bryans could have easily risen above the fray by giving their excited opponent a pass.

It can't get much lower for the Rockies

We've heard all about how weird of a baseball season it's been so far, and who am I to argue?

Tampa Bay has the best record in the American League but still can't convince anyone there to see it for themselves, the Yankees are struggling just to stay out of the cellar, and the Cubs have the best record in the Majors. (They're the Cubs, though, so disaster is bound to strike eventually.)

But what I haven't heard many people talking about is the Colorado Rockies, the team that swept through the NL playoffs last year and seemed poised to at least duke it out with the Diamondbacks for tops in the West this year. Fifty-seven games into the season, though -- this year's more than 1/3 over, folks -- Colorado looks like the worst team in baseball.

Perhaps the lowest of lows came Friday afternoon when the Rockies surged to a 9-1 lead over the Cubs after five innings. Even at Wrigley, an eight run lead should be safe. Chicago rallied for three in the sixth and six in the seventh, and just like that, Colorado snatched defeat from the jaws of victory: the second in a four game sweep at Wrigley, and the fifth of seven straight.

Why the sudden turnaround, less than a year after the Rockies seemed to be building a dynasty? Three reasons, as I can see it (though there may be more).

First and foremost, it seems that last year was an aberration, not this. Before reeling off 14 of 15 to steal the Wild Card last season, the Rockies were 76-72. Respectable, but not outstanding. They got hot at just the right time, and their streak extended through the NLDS and NLCS. But let's not forget that Colorado finished last in the West in 2005 and 2006.

Second, the Rockies' pitching has been atrocious. The team ERA is 5.05, worst in the Majors. Jeff Francis, who was supposed to be the team ace, is 1-5 with a 6.12 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. Aaron Cook (7-3, 3.36) is the only starter who's been decent, but even he had a rough day Friday, coughing up seven runs in the Cubs' comeback.

Lastly, they've been without Troy Tulowitzki essentially the whole season. Tulo was off to a crummy start when he tore his quadriceps at the end of April. Without his leadership and energy on the field and in the clubhouse, this club is going to struggle. Injuries to Matt Holliday, Clint Barmes, and Brad Hawpe haven't helped, either.

Colorado proved last season that it has some streak in it, and with the crazy things I've seen so far this year, I'm not going to count them out. But at 12 games back and with four teams to pass, it's a long road to the top.

On Vacation!

Hi, everyone. I'm leaving this morning for vacation, so no blog posts for me until the first week of June. I suppose events in the sports world will just have to unfold without my being here to analyze them.

The wrong kind of chin music

One of the biggest critiques of the anti-metal bat movement sweeping the country is that it's primarily based upon anecdotal evidence. The hard data, people say, will show you that metal bats are no more dangerous than wood bats.

Try telling that to the family of a Lacey, Washington high school sophomore whose jaw was shattered by a rocket off an Easton Stealth Composite. The kid will spend the next 2-4 months with his jaws wired shut, could lose two teeth, and will know for the rest of his life that he was spared from death by millimeters.

I wrote a story for today's Olympian on the nearly tragic event and a sidebar on the player's parents asking for a change in the rules. Check them out, if you like.

In preparing to write the story, I recalled a blog entry I wrote months ago on this very subject. In it I said,

"If you take the metal bats away from baseball, kids and young adults will still sustain serious injuries and even death due to batted balls, simply because the nature of such events is so unforeseen. It's about being in the exactly wrong place at exactly the wrong time."

There is truth to the notion, but it's hard not to be persuaded when you're sitting in front of a kid whose jaws are wired shut and parents filled with fear and anger.

Is home court a self-fulfilling prophecy?

If you ask me, these NBA playoffs have become a little too predictable. Like top-tier tennis players slugging it out, holding serve until the set reaches a tiebreaker, the remaining teams seem invincible on their home courts.

When the series swaps cities, though, Dr. Jekyll stays home and Mr. Hyde doesn't seem to travel well.

Throughout the regular season, NBA teams playing at home were
769-491 (.611 winning percentage), but keep in mind that includes Miami and Seattle, which were woeful wherever they played. In the Conference Semifinals the home team is 11-1 (.917), with the only defeat coming to the Magic at the hands of the Pistons.

I understand that at home the fans are booing instead of cheering, and players can shoot free throws without the distraction of waving balloons or cowbells. And it makes sense that sleeping in your own bed and preparing in your own locker room and playing on your own home floor give somewhat of an advantage.

But I'm starting to wonder if the expectation of winning at home -- and by extension, losing on the road -- is as great a factor as any. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Home teams are supposed to win, so they play more focused, intelligent and physical basketball. Away teams are supposed to lose, so they loosen up the screws a bit, maybe try something different, and the net result is sloppy and/or lethargic play.

My theory is a little bit "out there," so I'd be interested in any other explanations for what we've seen in the last couple of weeks. In the meantime, excuse me while I watch the Hornets win Game 5.

Time for Houston to end the Bourn Experiment

Here's a riddle for the Houston Astros to chew on: how valuable is an incredible base runner that rarely reaches base?

When the Astros acquired Michael Bourn as part of the deal that sent Brad Lidge to Philadelphia, it seemed like a great fit. Bourn was born and raised in Houston, played at the University of Houston, and was originally drafted (but not signed) by the Astros.

Most of all, Houston envisioned a spark plug at the top of the order, a speedy center fielder who could get on and steal bases.

So far Bourn has fulfilled only the less important of the two expectations: he leads the Majors in stolen bases with 17, but that's only because he steals just about every time he reaches base. In 34 games, Bourn is hitting .198 with an OBP of .269.

Make no mistake about it, Bourn's base stealing abilities are outstanding: he hasn't been caught once. But an 0-4 every third night -- and a 1-4 or 1-5 on the other two -- just doesn't get the job done. Among regular Major League leadoff hitters, Bourn ranks near the bottom with just 16 runs scored. Rafael Furcal has 34, and even a slow-starting Ichiro has 26. Teammate Lance Berkman has a Major League-leading 40.

Houston is playing some great baseball at this stage of the season, so it's easy enough to overlook Bourn's struggles. But at some point, a "slow start" or an "early-season slump" are no longer fair descriptors for plain ineptitude.

If the Astros plan to make a run at the NL Central, they need to end the Bourn Experiment sooner rather than later. Let Hunter Pence play center and bat leadoff, and use Bourn in the role best suited for his talents: pinch runner.

Michael Bourn (Wikipedia)
Michael Bourn Statistics (Baseball Reference)

If you're looking for innings, Livan Hernandez is still your man

Say what you want about Livan Hernandez -- he's pudgy, he's got average stuff, and there's no way he's only 33 years old -- but the man is an innings eater.

Hernandez has been traded or cast away by four teams now, but when the dust settles, there he is, pitching late into games every fifth day. He was at it again Wednesday night, tossing a complete game victory over the White Sox to improve to 5-1 for the Twins, who now look brilliant for signing him for peanuts ($5 million with up to $2 million in incentives) in the offseason.

The strange thing about Hernandez is that he's really never been a dominating pitcher. Decent stuff, but never great; just ask the players who've taken him deep 279 times since 1996. His 4.24 career ERA is pedestrian, as is his 1.42 WHIP, but he always takes the ball and rarely relinquishes it before the seventh inning.

Since 1998, Hernandez leads the majors in innings pitched with 2,324. Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens are distant competitors. Granted, Innings Pitched is a simple stat that doesn't tell the whole story, as evidenced by his 126 losses -- or almost 12 per year -- over that time period.

But ask a manager with a tired bullpen how he feels about five earned runs in eight innings from his starter, and I bet he'll say he'd take it. That's Hernandez, though to be fair, he's often better than that. Even with a .500 record most seasons, Hernandez is an asset to any pitching rotation.

That Hernandez does it not only night after night, but also year after year -- seemingly without time off for injuries -- is all the more remarkable. Since 1998, Hernandez lowest start total is 30 games. Are you listening, Josh Beckett?

It seems that Hernandez's average stuff and seemingly cavalier attitude have turned off some of the teams he's played for. San Francisco, for instance, seemed convinced that Hernandez was over the hill after he bombed in the 2002 World Series, and they shipped him to Montreal for Jim Brower in 2003.

Think they'd like to have that one back? The later Nationals traded Hernandez, though, and Arizona let him walk after last season. Hernandez has responded to his sendoffs in the only way he knows: he just keeps pitching.

Livan Hernandez Statistics (Baseball Reference)