Second Thoughts: Bruce strikes out on Twitter

Credit: Al Behrman

Credit: Al Behrman


Knucklehead of the Week

Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts must be a terrible poker player. Ricketts has raised the prospect of the Cubs leaving Wrigley Field if he doesn’t win approval for a giant video scoreboard above the bleachers in left field. Wrigley, which turns 100 next year, is a major reason the Cubs are so popular, and valuable. Moving them out of Wrigley would be akin to moving the Dragons to a stadium in Springboro.

It’s Cinco de Mayo today, and to celebrate the Cincinnati Reds will kill a bottle of tequila and eat the worm before they take the field in Chicago. Really, could that hurt their run production one bit? Maybe the Reds can request a waiver from the National League and use the coach-pitch format for a few days.

Speaking of cold Reds, Jay Bruce's skin is getting thin. Bruce, who had just one home run heading into Cincinnati's weekend series, lashed out at his Twitter critics last week. Among his suggestions for snarky fans was to consult a life coach. A life coach? Now we know Bruce's issue — he over-analyzes everything.

Listen, when you make $8 million-plus you’re going to take some heat now and then. I’m sure Bruce will come around and hit 30 homers this season, but for now he should hide his head in shame. Why? He has struck out more than Adam Dunn.

UD point guard Sam MacKay received an invite to the Seattle Storm's training camp. MacKay might not make the WNBA team's roster, but I guarantee she'll throw the most behind-the-back passes while she's with the club. BTW, the Storm is coached by former Wittenberg star Brian Agler, who helped the Tigers win the 1977 NCAA Division III men's championship.

A recent soccer match between the Columbus Crew and D.C. United was delayed because the scoreboard at Crew Stadium caught fire. Obviously a case of arson, because no soccer scoreboard gets enough of a workout to overheat. The match was delayed 50 minutes and the Crew should be commended for converting a field goal in its 3-0 win.

Good move by Adreian Payne to stay for his senior season at Michigan State. The first time I saw Payne play last season he jacked up a 3-pointer and I shook my head. It went in, and the long-range set shot has become part of the Jefferson grad's game. Impressive for an athletic 6-foot-10 post. If Payne keeps improving he'll be an NBA lottery pick in 2014.

LeBron James is donating $1 million to his alma mater, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, so the school can renovate its gym. It's getting tougher and tougher to dislike LeBron.

Churchill Downs got rid of its press box this year, turning the former scribes' den into an area for high-rollers. It's all about the money. In protest, I did not watch Saturday's race.

Best tweet of the week comes from Ed Sherman, author of The Sherman Report: "Maybe I am being overly optimistic, but am looking forward to day when athlete's sexuality is non-story."

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