I would like to take this time to welcome new readers to this site, and if you are reading Smallthoughts:Rants and Raves for the first time, welcome. I post Smallthoughts:Rants and Raves every Friday. 3 rants and 3 raves kind of like the baseball expression 3 up 3 down. I give my rants on something that happened during the week and my raves as well. Thank you again and welcome aboard.
Rants: Rutgers University– Can they get a hiring right? First they made the right move to fire Mike Rice and then hire Eddie Jordan, but then don’t even check to be sure that he graduated from the University before putting in their press release, then they hire Julie Hermann to become the new AD and didn’t do their research to find out that she was accussed of bad behavior when she was at Louisville. What’s going on there at Rutgers?
Rants:Ike Davis and Ruben Tejeda– the minors beckon for thee.Until Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees(which the Mets won 9-4) neither player could buy a hit never hit water off a boat into the ocean. Both have been told in no uncertain terms get it together or you will be playing in Vegas. It took the Mets long enough to finally make the players in question accountable.
Rants:John Tortorella – You were surprised by the firing? really? Hate to say it but he seems a bit out of touch with reality. He loss the team sometime ago, his tight bully style worked at the beginning but it wore thin on the players and apparently management too.
Raves:New York Mets for their first 5 game winning streak of the season 4 of those wins came against the New York Yankees. Maybe the Yankees lineup didn’t feature Jeter, ARod and Mark Texeira but the wins count and the Mets aren’t throwing those back. The Mets swept the Yankees in a home and home seyt of the 4 game series and it was only the second time since interleague play started in 1997 that either team swept the other (Yankees in 2003 went 6-0 against the Mets)
Raves:San Antonio Spurs for reaching the NBA Finals …again. The model franchise is looking for their 5th NBA title. Little known history fact. 1976 the league known as the ABA(American Basketball Association) folded. There were 4 teams left that merged with the NBA, The Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New Jersey Nets and the San Antonio Spurs. Three of those 4 teams have at one time since joining the NBA played in the NBA finals, of the 3 the Spurs have been the most successful winning 4 NBA Titles (1999,2003,2005, 2007) old numbered years are good for the Spurs.
Raves:Curtis Granderson He maybe having a bad year injury wise but that hasn’t stopped him from forgetting where he is from. It is not often that we hear athletes doing something positive but in this case it is well deserved.When New York Yankees star Curtis Granderson had his jersey retired in February at his college alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago, he promised to help fund a new baseball stadium there that would serve both the college and the community.Granderson will pay $5 million of the $7 million it will cost to build the stadium, which will be named Curtis Granderson Stadium.
To put the donation in context: That’s one-third of the $15 million he’ll make this season, part of a $32 million contract he signed in 2008. Now that is putting your money where your mouth is. Nice job Mr. Granderson.
smallthoughtsinasportsworld 
Bad behavior for Julie? That’s too bad. Rutgers is really having a terrible time here. BTW – I’m doing fine and thank you for asking. PS- I think you may have missed one of my earlier comments.
Rutgers is said to be considering getting out of the contract with her….and glad to hear you are doing well.Sorry if I missed a comment lol.How is the book coming ??
That’s really too bad. I haven’t been following her but I am interested in knowing what her issues were. As far as the book – sadly, nada. Nada, nada, nada! And now look what’s happened – it’s summer! Can you say – cold margarita on a hot beach!!
come on you are a big inspiration to to me to go back and write mine.Don’t give up now! You can write on the beach with the margarita lol
Hermann’s issues has to do with the abusive way she allegedly treated her players when she was coaching at Louisville
I know. This is incredibly shameful behavior! So I should be asking you – how is YOUR book coming?
it isn’t…for now but I am going to start up again soon.
Soon? Hmmm. I think that “soon” needs to be turned into a “now.” What are you waiting on??
I am waiting on a good idea to put on paper to make the story appealing to the reader lol