Question of the Week

James, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Subj: What’s left is right
Hey Ryan, there’s something I’ve always wondered about: why do baseball announcers refer to left-handed pitchers as “Southpaws”?

The term dates back to the late 1840’s when baseball architects discovered they could keep the setting sun out of batter’s eyes by building parks with home plate facing west, the outfield facing east, third base facing north and first base facing south. Naturally, this strategic configuration meant that left-handed pitchers would have their throwing arms facing south. Observant sportswriters picked up on the phenomenon and use of the newly minted word “southpaw” quickly spread from baseball to other popular sports like boxing.

You've Got To Be Joking

Sit back and relax as you enjoy this week’s Sports Shorts.

Joe Dumars has said he’d like to have a new coach for the Pistons by July 7. It’s nice to know that at least one company in Detroit is still hiring.

Randy Johnson could be headed to the DL with a strained shoulder. No word yet on whether he also pulled his Big Unit.

The Jazz are interested in trading Carlos Boozer. It certainly won’t be the first time that a Boozer has been forced out of Salt Lake City.

Titans quarterback Vince Young says he’s been hit hard by the death of Steve McNair. In all fairness, we think it probably hit Steve McNair a little harder.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin have agreed to identical five-year contract extensions with the Vancouver Canucks. In fact, the contracts look so much alike that only their parents can tell them apart.

A game between San Diego and Houston was delayed by 52 minutes when a swarm of bees took over left field at Petco Park. Apparently not even God wanted to see another Padres game.

The Cleveland Indians have traded minor league pitcher John Meloan to the Tampa Bay Rays for righthander Winton Abreu. If you’ve heard of either of these players you officially watch too much baseball.

Lance Armstrong finished 10th in the opening stage of the Tour de France: just good enough to make doping officials suspicious, but not so good as to completely piss off the French.

Roger Clemens' lawyer says the pitcher was not among the more than 100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. Unfortunately Clemens did test positive for being a douchebag every year from 1984 onwards.

Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Beimel has said he’d like to go to another team. In all fairness, Washington’s entire front office has also said the same thing.

Swiss sensation Roger Federer has won his sixth Wimbledon title. However, Federer did have a major advantage since his racket also turned into a knife, a bottle opener and a compass.

You've Got To Be Joking

Sit back and relax as you enjoy this week’s Sports Shorts.

Alex Rodriguez reportedly told a ten-year-old boy to “beat it” when the young fan approached him for an autograph at a Baltimore Hooters. Oddly enough A-Rod also said the exact same thing to his chesty waitress minutes later.

Noted horseplayer Joe Torre has gone on recording stating that Big Brown will win at Belmont. If Torre is so good at picking winners why did he agree to manage the Dodgers?

The San Francisco 49ers have waived free agent Ezra Butler after police found a small amount of marijuana in his car. It’s one of the few times in law enforcement history that the Butler actually did it.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Mike Williams has lost an impressive 30 pounds during the off season. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Andruw Jones seems to have found it.

James Blake was ousted in the second round of the French Open by 19-year-old Latvian phenom Ernests Gulbis. An athlete hasn’t had this much trouble with a teenager since Roger Clemens.

Sammy Sosa says he may retire after next year's World Baseball Classic. It’s nice to hear he’s finally going to put a cork in it.

A blind wrestler has qualified for the Maryland high school state championships. Whether he finds his way there is another matter altogether.

Manny Ramirez hit his 500th homerun in a 6-3 victory against the Orioles. The Red Sox outfielder is now a lock to become the first man inducted into both the Baseball and Rastafarian Hall of Fames.

Randy Johnson has tied Roger Clemens for second place on the career strikeout list with his 4,672nd K. However, the Rocket still has a chance to regain the lead if he strikes out with the jury at his upcoming trial.

Members of the New York Giants have finally received their $25,000 Super Bowl rings from Tiffany and Co. The rings are so stunning that Kobe Bryant is considering buying three of them for future transgressions.

Experts in the field of concussion management claim the Mets have put Ryan Church at significant medical risk by having him play through dizziness, lethargy and headaches. The team has dismissed the charges since those are the exact same conditions that Willie Randolph manages under.