Does anyone know what this is doing in the NYT?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/sports/basketball/16hoops.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

A former college basketball player writing about The Next High School Superstar?

It reads like something out of a college newspaper. Is this a favor from the sports editor to his friend's kid? I hope this is not the new wave in the paper.

 

I wonder the same thing every time I read an article by David Picker.

 

This guy's been writing a blog for them since tournament season. He's had some decent stuff in there before, inside type writing. He's no Bill Bradley.

 

Hell, even the Ole Gray Lady needs to spread her legs every now and again. Good on the Danster.

 

Moland: You mean to tell me this kind of writing doesn't grab you by the throat?

The decibel level at Yankee Stadium soared like a firecracker during the top of the 10th inning yesterday. The 53,363 fans were ecstatic for two justifiable reasons. Shelley Duncan had tied the score against the Baltimore Orioles with a three-run homer in the ninth inning. And Mariano Rivera, a model of consistency this season, had just taken the mound.

But it got quiet in a hurry. Rivera suffered a meltdown, allowing three runs, as the Orioles handed the Yankees a deflating 6-3 defeat.

 

Does a firecracker soar?

 

Not only doesn't a firecracker not soar, the noise from a firecracker doesn't soar, either. He's terrible -- worse than Stephen Danley, that's for sure. I've always wondered why such an illustrious newspaper keeps sending him out to cover major-league baseball games.

 

[blue]"I" enjoyed the way he interested "I" into the stories on several occasions. "I" am jealous. "I" need to learn from this and make sure "I" am part of the story in the future."I" need to learn from him. It's the least "I" can do after reading his article. "I" wish "I" had thought of that. "I" am out.[/blue]

 

Actually, that lede is one of Picker's best ever. Here is what it's usually like:

When Billy Wagner runs from the bullpen to the mound during the ninth inning of games at Shea Stadium, fans always cheer as Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blares over loudspeakers. And they almost always leave the ballpark to the tune of a victory.

Wagner has probably been the most consistent player on the Mets this season, recording 26 saves in 27 opportunities entering last night’s game against the Florida Marlins. So when he took the mound with a one-run lead in the ninth inning, another save seemed likely.

But Wagner is not immune to the baseball odds, and he allowed two runs as the Marlins came back to hand the Mets a dispiriting 4-3 defeat.

 

Here's another head-scratcher:

BASEBALL; Pérez Settles In and Makes the Marlins Uncomfortable
By DAVID PICKER
Published: May 3, 2007

As Oliver Pérez jogged onto the field to start yesterday's game between the Mets and the Florida Marlins, he tried to scoop up a baseball resting near the mound. The ball squirted out of his glove and trickled away. For a moment, Pérez looked overmatched. For the rest of the afternoon, however, he pitched with poise as the Mets defeated the Marlins, 6-3, to avoid being swept by Florida in their three-game series at Shea Stadium.