Jerry Sandusky Hired the Worst Lawyer Ever

I think you can tell a lot about an accused criminal based on the attorney they choose to defend them. If it's Johnny Cochrane, they're probably guilty. If it's some no-name, hard-working lawyer, there's a good chance they're not guilty. If it's a sex crime case and they hire a pervert, it's a good chance they're guilty because they have no idea that some sexual acts are wrong and perverse.

Two typical traits of pedophiles are that they don't appreciate that what they're doing is harmful (they see it as playing), and they tend to gravitate toward people with similar sexual scruples (or lack of scruples).

That's a picture of Joe Amendola, Jerry Sandusky's defense attorney. The woman is Amendola's ex-wife. She was named Mary Iavisile. She worked in Amendola's law office when she was 16. Amendola represented her in an emancipation trial, which is the legal separation of a child from their parents. Amendola then got her pregnant, then married her, then divorced her.

This is the man representing Sandusky. He not only had sex with an employee, he had sex with a 16 year old girl. As I said, pedophiles tend to gravitate toward people with similar sexual scruples, or lack thereof.

Amendola is also a moron. He's the one who arranged Sandusky's interview with Bob Costas. That interview pretty much convicted Sandusky in the public's eye. Amendola had his creepy client face an expert interviewer. Because in Amendola's own immoral mind, Sandusky hasn't done anything wrong. But this is what the public saw:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jerry Sandusky Phone Interview
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And as Sandusky's trial has started, Amendola's incompetency has continued. If I weren't so convinced Sandusky is guilty, I'd feel bad that he has such a moronic lawyer defending him. Amendola went after one of Sandusky's accusers, trying to throw some curveball questions to him, but all that did was give the accuser a chance to hit some homeruns off Amendola. Here's an example:

Amendola said that Sandusky treated a man known as Victim #4 "like a son."

Victim #4 responded "He treated me like a son in front of other people. Aside from that he treated me as his girlfriend."

Sandusky even wrote letters to Victim #4. And Amendola, fully displaying his obliviousness to the immorality of pedophilia, asked Victim #4 to read them out loud. To Amendola, these letters portray Sandusky as a mentor and a father figure. But they sound like the emotional ranting of a scorned lover.

"I know that I have made several mistakes. However, I hope that I will be able to say that I cared. There has been love in my heart. My wish is that you would call..."

"I write because of the churning of my own stomach when you don't care. I write because I still hope that there will be meaningful time when we know each other."

These are not the words of a concerned mentor. They're the words of a heartbroken old man in love with a 16 year old boy who was realizing that something was wrong with the way Sandusky had been touching him.

Sandusky doesn't seem innocent at all. Neither does Penn State University, who confirmed a story that high-ranking school officials decided not to alert authorities because they wanted to be "humane" to Sandusky. Apparently, the word "humane" has a different meaning in State College, PA because to me it doesn't seem humane to subject vulnerable young boys to the sexual advances of a dirty old man.

Anyway, good for Victim #4. Not many victims of this kind of abuse have the opportunity to face their attacker. Not many get a chance to help Justice be done.

Kings Win the Cup

The LA Kings lost as many games in this series (2) as they'd lost in their entire playoff run leading up to the Finals. The 8th seeded Kings finished the playoffs 16-4 in one of the most astounding and impressive Stanley Cup Championship runs in recent memory.

The Kings winning is good for the NHL. It's a big market, it's a first time Champion, and American goalie Jonathan Quick won the Conn Smythe. That's back-to-back Conn Smythe wins for Americans (first time that's ever happened). It was also good for the NHL that the Devils made things interesting by winning a pair of games. And it was good that the Kings wrapped up the series before the NBA Finals started and garnered most of the country's attention.

This game turned on a reckless boarding penalty. Which is ironic, considering how significant a concern head injuries have been to the NHL recently.

Steve Bernier was given a 5 minute major for boarding Rob Scuderi. Bernier made no attempt to play the puck, Scuderi was in a vulnerable position with his body facing the boards. Bernier went in full-speed and drove Scuderi's skull into the glass. It was a correct call. Bernier got a 5 minute major and was kicked out the game. On the ensuing 5 minute power play, the Kings scored 3 times.

The Devils were upset because an earlier check from behind wasn't called against the Kings. But that hit was different from Bernier's boarding of Scuderi. Very different.

The Devils made this series interesting because of their physical play. But they went beyond the rules in Game 6, and it cost them. Brodeur was repeatedly beaten glove-side high, and Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Drew Doughty made the Devils pay.

In the last three years, the Stanley Cup has been won by Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago. It's not a bad thing that big market teams are doing well in the playoffs. It's a good thing. Although a Canadian team winning wouldn't be so bad either. So long as it's not Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver.

Congratulations to the Kings.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Sox Forget to Bring Their Talent to South Beach

The best news out of this game is that Mark Melancon's scoreless 8th inning brought his ERA down to 33.00. Beckett labored in the 1st, and the offense did nothing. This was a team loss. Apart from Scott Podsednik, everyone in a Sox uniform can share responsibility for this defeat. Which is the 7th loss in 8 games for the streaky Sox.

The Sox managed 5 hits. Podsednik had 3 of them. Pedroia had a double and Ryan Sweeney hit a single. And of course, none of these hits came with runners in scoring position. That's exactly what the opposition would be expecting.

The Sox offense has been streaky this season because it's been supported by secondary players. Guys like Mike Aviles, Cody Ross, and Daniel Nava have taken up the slack as Youkilis and Gonzalez have struggled, and Ellsbury has been injured. But now reality is starting to sink in. Aviles is mired in a 2 for 17 slump (.118). He's hitting .228 in June. He was very productive in April with 5 homers and 17 RBI. He was solid in May with 15 RBI. But in June he's slowed to a crawl.

It's hard to believe that the Sox will continue to perform this poorly on offense. But I'm sure by the time they heat up, the starting pitchers will start to struggle. Then Aceves will blow a few saves. There might be a few overlapping games when starters, relievers, and hitters are all clicking. But for the most part, this team is seemingly built in layers of mediocrity to prevent any lengthy stretch of consistent play.

The 1st inning summed up the Sox' shortcomings very nicely. They had 2 on with 0 outs, and couldn't take advantage of the opportunity. Then in the bottom of the inning, the Marlins scored a run thanks to a leadoff triple. Then they did some damage with 2 outs. They took full advantage of Gonzalez's poor fielding and inexperienced throwing in right-field. They wound up scoring 3 runs in the inning. And that was more than enough.

As a sidenote, how long until John Henry and Larry Lucchino hire some dancers to shake their stuff on the Green Monster? Or maybe install an aquarium between the bullpens at Fenway? How about a petting zoo on Yawkey Way?

Buchholz faces Mark Buehrle tonight. Buehrle has struggled lately, and some of the Sox have hit well off him in the past (Ortiz has a .345 average against him, Pedroia's is .375, Podsednik's is .364), so maybe they can score a few runs.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Euro 2012 Update*

Just as a sidenote, some people in this country think that Europe is the epitome of civilization. Well, not all of it is. There have been stories out of Euro 2012 about monkey noises directed at a black Dutch player, some Russian fans were accused of racist chants during their match against the Czech Republic, and a 14 arrest brawl broke out hours before the Ireland/Croatia match (10 of the arrested were Polish, 3 were Irish, 1 was Croatian). So yeah, Europe is like here. There are jerks everywhere. Now to the matches...

Poland 1, Greece 1
Not a bad start for the host country. They'll take the 1 point. Greece was unable to convert a penalty kick against a Polish goalie who had just entered the game (he replaced the previous goalie, whose foul was the reason there was a penalty kick, for which he was also ejected).

Russia 4, Czech Republic 1

Russia look like they have some very good form for this tournament. They could dominate Group A.

Denmark 1, Netherland 0

This is a stunning upset. I picked the Netherlands to win it all, and they lose to the Danish. The Dutch should settle into a groove, though, as all the top-flight teams seem to be a bit out of step at the start of the tournament.

Germany 1, Portugal 0

The Germans dominated most of the play, but struggled to finish. It was the equivalent of an American football team not doing well in the Red Zone. Mario Gomez scored Germany's goal. I know that doesn't sound like a German name. His father was Spanish. He was born in Riedlingen, Germany. He scored a header when a ball glanced off a Portuguese elbow. That glance was Germany's best last-pass of the game.

Spain 1, Italy 1
A pair of giants met, and nothing was decided. Spain do look beatable, though. And that's new.

Croatia 3, Ireland 1

The Croats crushed any aspirations Ireland might have to advance to the next stage. And with Spain and Italy drawing, Croatia has an outside chance to advance themselves.

Today's games:
England vs. France in a rematch of about a dozen different wars. And Sweden vs. Ukraine in a battle over who gets to use blue and yellow as national colors.

Nationals Sweep Sox

The good news is the Sox only have 9 more games against teams from the Maryland/DC part of the country (they're 3-9 against the Orioles and Nationals). The bad news is, the Sox are below .500 again, their offense has cooled off, their bullpen looks shaky, they can't seem to win at home (14-19 in Fenway), they're 6 games behind the Rays, 5 games out of the Wild Cards (with three teams to leapfrog over), and the Yankees are red hot.

At least the weather's been nice lately.

There is one other piece of good news, and that's the starting pitching. Jon Lester struck out 9 yesterday in a very typical Jon Lester start. He went 7 innings, allowed 3 runs, and gave the Sox a very good chance to win the game. If only they could get a hit with runners in scoring position. Which they didn't. The Sox were 0 for 8 with RISP.

David Ortiz provided the only real offense. He was 3 for 4 with a double and a homerun. The other 2 Sox runs came from groundouts. Dustin Pedroia grounded into a fielder's choice in the 3rd and Scott Podsednik had an RBI groundout in the 7th to tie the game at 3-3. Podsednik has been decent with the Sox, who lately seem to be able to find productive outfielders with their eyes closed. He's hitting .368.

Unfortunately, Alfredo Aceves blew another game. He gave up a 2 out RBI double to Roger Bernadina. Aceves went on a nice run in the middle of May, but since blowing a save against Tampa Bay on May 27th, he's 0-3, and has allowed 7 runs in 9 innings. He does not appear to be a steady, reliable Major League closer.

Jonathan Papelbon has converted 16 of 16 save opportunities and has a 2.22 ERA.

When David Ortiz called a player's meeting a month ago, part of what was discussed was that the starting pitchers need to pull their weight. They've been doing that. Lester was good yesterday. Daisuke wasn't bad (especially for a rehab start) on Saturday. Buchholz was brilliant last Thursday. Beckett was great last Wednesday. The Sox only won 1 of these games.

Now it's the lineup's turn to pull some weight. Ortiz can't do it all. Pedroia is in a 3 for 24 (.125) slump since returning from his thumb injury. Adrian Gonzalez is slugging .419, about .100 lower than he should be expected to slug. Kevin Youkilis did well when he first returned from the DL, now he's in a 4 for 25 (.160) drought. Will Middlebrooks hasn't had an extra-base hit since May.

Hopefully a trip to Miami can help turn things around. The Marlins are in 4th place, and Beckett is on the mound for the Sox tonight. He might need to hit a few homeruns on his own to give himself a reasonable amount of run support. He faces 3-4 Josh Johnson. Adrian Gonzalez is 4 for 11 in his career against Johnson, so maybe he'll get a few hits tonight.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

A Sad End to a Happy Era for the Celtics

In what could be the last game of the Big Three Era in Boston, the Celtics fell to the Heat 101-88. It was likely the last time that Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen were all on the same floor on the same team in a meaningful game.

It was a brutally painful end to an enjoyable 5 seasons. So even though the ending wasn't a triumphant one, and there was no ride into the sunset with an 18th NBA Championship trophy in tow, I'd argue that as a whole the story of The Big Three was happy one.

In the Big Three Era, the Celtics won 5 divisional titles, 2 Eastern Conference titles, and an NBA Championship. They won 11 playoff series (they'd won 10 between the 1986 NBA Finals and the start of the Big Three Era). They had a .693 winning percentage and won 273 regular season games. They rekindled the rivalry with LA. They won rings for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. And they made sure that the number 34 would one day hang in the rafters of the Garden with the other Celtic greats.

More important than all that, the Big Three Era made the Celtics relevant again. Before, the C's were struggling on the court and were struggling for attention in a town that had Super Bowl and World Series winning teams. The Big Three Era returned the Celtics to prominence in this town. And nationally, Boston was once again a focal point of the Basketball world.

It's been a very special 5 years.

Now, let's talk about Game 7.

The Celtics and Heat were tied 73-73 going into the 4th. The Celtics led 82-81 with 8:00 left in the 4th. Then the Heat went on a rampage and the C's cooled off. They outscored the Celtics 20-6 from that point on. The Heat executed, the Celtics didn't.

The common explanation for this is that the Celtics "had nothing left in the tank." They simply ran out of gas. That may be. And it might be part of the reason Miami was able to pull away so quickly. I'm not quite sure that's the reason, though.

This Celtics team has been very streaky all season, especially with their shooting. Hot for 10 minutes, cold for 10 minutes. They've blown several leads (and built several leads) in the postseason because of this streakiness. They were cold at the end of the 4th last night, but it didn't look much different from previous cold stretches.

And give credit to the Heat for their execution. I hate that I have to do that, but they made the big shots in the 4th last night. They made the momentum swinging plays (example: late in the 2nd Celtics had a chance to go up by 9, Pietrus turned it over, then LeBron dunked to make it a 5 point game). They played better than the Celtics, especially in the clutch.

I'm not calling the Celtics a team of chokers. You can't be both a Choker and a Champion, and you can't be a Choker if you're also the underdog. But the Celtics could have won this series if they played just a little bit better. The effort was there, but not the execution.

Earlier in the series, the Celtics got cold at a key time and let another game get away from them. Game 2, remembered mostly for bad officiating, saw the Celtics up 5 points with 3:00 left in the 4th. And they couldn't hit a shot. Miami took a lead, then the Celtics had to miraculously tie it, hope for LeBron to choke (which he did), and go to OT. Which they eventually lost, thanks in part to the refs. But the C's had that game in their hands, and didn't execute.

And that's fine. The Bruins didn't execute against the Caps. The Patriots didn't execute against the Giants. It happens. I'm not trying to lead an anti-Celtic crusade here. I'm not trying to criticize them or call them losers. It just seems like every time the Celtics lose, there's always an explanation and it never includes the phrase "didn't play well enough to win." It's either the refs, or their age, or health, or injuries, or running out of gas.

It's okay to admit that these guys are human, and that it's tough to execute perfectly for 16 games and win an NBA Championship. If anything, I think it emphasizes how impressive their 2008 title was. The NBA Playoffs are a grind. Only a freak could play their absolute best in every single game.

Anyway, in 10 years we won't remember this game much. We'll remember the players, but not for their shooting percentages in the 4th quarter of this game. We'll remember them for what they did the 5 years they were here. They brought pride back to the Green and White, to the most storied franchise in the NBA, and to Boston.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Euro 2012 Preview*

It's time for the European Championship of soccer. I think I like this tournament a little bit more than the World Cup. Most of the best teams in the world are in it, and you don't have to bother with separating the wheat from the chaff. There are also some really interesting and intense rivalries that this tournament is more likely to see than the World Cup. England/Germany, Germany/Netherlands, Spain/Portugal, France/Italy, et cetera.

This year, the tournament is being hosted by Poland and the Ukraine. There are four teams in four groups. They'll play a round-robin round, with 3 points awarded for a win, 1 for a draw. The top two teams advance to the elimination stages. Here are the groups:

Group A:
Czech Republic
Greece
Poland
Russia

This is the Eastern bloc group. Greece and Russia are the highest ranked teams, according to FIFA. But the Czech Republic side isn't bad. And Poland, being a host country, is sure to be energized and also receive benefits from a few calls. I think Greece's political problems might wind up distracting their team. And Poland will take advantage. Russia wins the group with Poland squeaking through in second place.

Group B:
Denmark
Germany
Netherlands
Portugal

This is the "Group of Death" for the tournament. Germany is ranked 3rd in the world, the Netherlands are ranked 4th, Denmark is 9th, Portugal is 10th. That's in the world, not just Europe. I can't not pick the Germans to win this group. They're very talented this year, and they always seem to play above their talent-level anyway. And the Dutch have so many guys that can make plays and score, it's hard to pick against them. So Germany wins this group, the Dutch come in second.

Group C:
Spain
Italy
Ireland
Croatia

Ireland is a darkhorse to advance from this group. If Spain and Italy draw each other, then one of them draws with Ireland, and maybe Croatia upsets Italy (who tend to occasionally show up to summer tournaments in lackluster form), Ireland could advance. It's possible, but unlikely. What's more likely is that the #1 team in the world (Spain) dominates this group. And Italy dominates Ireland and Croatia to finish 2nd.

Group D:
Ukraine
Sweden
France
England

This is a tough group. There's a host country, then England (#6 team in the world), France (#14), and Sweden (#17). France and England both have a history of disappointing in big tournaments. So when two chokers face each other, what happens? A draw. I don't know if the Ukraine is good enough to capitalize on some friendly officiating, but Sweden could sneak into the elimination round from this group. I think England wins the group, Sweden finishes 2nd.

Notice how only two of those girls are showing their teeth? That's England for you.

If my predictions come true, then here would be the quarterfinals:

Russia vs. Netherlands
The Dutch would roll in this one. That's a feeble joke about rolling joints.

Spain vs. Sweden
This is as big of a mismatch in soccer as it is in hockey. Spain is too good to be stopped by the Swedes.

Germany vs. Poland
The best Polish born player in the world is a German citizen named Miroslav Klose. Germany wins.

England vs. Italy
England chokes on ravioli, Italy advances.

Then the semifinals:
Spain vs. Netherlands
The Dutch upset the Spanish with some quick strike goals.

Germany vs. Italy
The Germans outwork the Italians and win in extra-time or a penalty shootout.

Then the finals:
Germany vs. Netherlands
My heart is with Germany, but I have a feeling that the Netherlands will win it all.

The tournament starts today on ESPN. I highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance. This is world class soccer, something we don't get to see much of in the US.

Buchholz Shuts Out Orioles

The Sox, having lost 3 straight, needed a good start from Buchholz and some production from their offense. They got both. Buchholz went the distance, allowing 4 hits, only walking 1, striking out 6, and shutting out the Orioles.

Over his last three starts, Buchholz has pitched 24 innings and allowed 4 runs (1.50 ERA). He's striking batters out, he's getting them to ground out (he induced 3 double play balls last night), he's finally pitching as well as his 6-2 record suggests he can pitch. He's no longer a worry in the rotation.

Brian Matusz struggled to throw strikes, and the Sox took advantage. They drew 5 walks off him. And were up 4-0 by the time he was pulled in the 3rd. If anything, they could have scored more runs off him. But I'll take the 7 runs and the win.

Nava and Gonzalez each knocked in 2 runs. Pedroia and Youkilis each had an RBI.

This was the first time the Sox beat the Orioles in Fenway Park since September 19, 2011. Brian Matusz got the loss that night as well. I'm glad that shameful streak is over.

The good news is that the Sox didn't fall below .500. And the great news is that Buchholz is pitching extremely well. Right now, I'd say that Buchholz is the best pitcher in the rotation, with Beckett a close second. Doubront would be a solid third. If Lester could get going, then the Sox could start to scare opponents. Beckett, Buchholz, and Lester all at their best are quite formidable. Add Doubront's solidity, then Daisuke's potential to be a quality 4/5 guy, and the sky is the limit.

The Sox bats will be challenged this weekend as the 1st place Washington Nationals come to Fenway. Doubront faces 6-1 Stephen Strasburg tonight.. Strasburg has a 2.35 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Although he has had a shaky May.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo