Morning Jolt: Charles Barkley wants to be a GM
Monday, June 14
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Barkley wants to be a GM on his terms
Owners, pick up the phone! The itch to delve into management has increased for [Charles Barkley] and he feels qualified to run his own team. But he has a list of stipulations. Barkley is not going to take over a team that has no intentions of winning. ... "I'm ready to get into management," he said before last night's game. "But it's going to have to be a great situation. I'm not going to give up a great situation for a bad situation. I got a great situation here but I'm ready to be a GM. It's just time for that, but like I said, it's going to have to be under my own terms and I am going to have to have complete control. I ain't going to work for somebody else if I am going to get the blame." (The Boston Globe)Comment
Key to David Wright's resurgence
His power has returned, and his strikeouts are slowing in their rate -- so, after another two home runs Sunday, is David Wright back? "David," Mets hitting coach Howard Johnson said, "is a very unorthodox hitter." ... After hitting a career-low 10 home runs last year, Mr. Wright saw his power return this year???but with a price: He was striking out so frequently that he was on pace to challenge the major-league single-season record. A vital step was missing from his routine at the plate. The machine wasn't functioning properly. "He has to make sure all those things are firing at the right time," Mr. Johnson said. When Mr. Wright is in a slump, "there's no easy fix. There are so many different parts to him. The thing with David is that his timing has to be spot on." (Wall Street Journal)Comment
Rosenfels falling off Vikings' radar
Sage Rosenfels, who for the second day declined comment about the situation, may be a man without a country come late July. While [Brett] Favre sat at his Mississippi home contemplating retirement (wink, wink) this past weekend, Sage Rosenfels appeared to fall behind rookie Joe Webb on the depth chart as the Vikings conducted their three-day minicamp. ... That meant a sixth-round pick out of Alabama-Birmingham (Webb) and an undrafted rookie out of William & Mary (Archer) got more work than a 10-year veteran. Rosenfels' role as a spectator made one wonder if he even will be wearing purple when the Vikings report to training camp in late July. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)Comment
Must-See Photo
In his second major league start, Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg struck out eight and allowed only one run in Washington's 9-4 win over Cleveland. :: AP
Must-See Video
Vince Young made it back into the news for the wrong reasons over the weekend, being cited for assault at a Dallas strip club. Here's video of the incident:
Game To Watch
Blue Jays at Padres, 10:05 ET
SI Vault: Reggie Jackson
This Day in Sports
- 1952 - Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt was born. Other birthdays: ex-tennis star Steffi Graf (1969) and ex-NBAer Bruce Bowen (1971).
- 1969 - Reggie Jackson hit two home runs and drove in 10 runs in a 21-17 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
- 1987 - The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title by defeating the defending Boston Celtics.
- 1992 - The Chicago Bulls won the NBA championship beating the Portland Trailblazers.
- 2002 - The U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 and advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals. It was the best showing in the World Cup for the U.S. since 1930.
