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BY JIM DAWSON
MARCH 28, 2016
LIES, DAMNED LIES AND STATISTICS
The great quote attributed to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli about the three
types of lies needs a fourth: 'misstatements'. This layman learned that lawyers don't lie,
they 'misstate'. NY Law School Professor Robert Blecker wrote the Appeals Court about
4 'misstatements' by NFL lawyer Paul Clement. That forced Clement to write the
Appeals Court to deny that he had done any such thing. However one of his denied
'misstatements' was his parroting of Roger Goodell's lie that Tom Brady, when deposed,
had denied talking to John Jastremski about the deflated balls, just about Super Bowl
preparations. When the deposition transcript was released, Brady had testified that he
did speak to Jastremski about how the balls could have gotten deflated. Clement argued
in his letter to the judges that Goodell didn't find Brady credible because he testified that
he and Jastremski spoke primarily about Super Bowl preparations rather than about how
the footballs might have gotten deflated. Goodell used that to say Brady wasn't credible
and his act showed obstruction. That was tied to Brady's 'destroying' of his phone (when
the NFL had all the phone and text messages from that phone) as evidence also of
Brady's obstruction.
The fact that Blecker got Clement to respond opens the door to look at Brady's
deposition testimony. Will the 3 judges walk through that door? We'll see. After reading
much of Houston attorney Stephanie Stradley's (http://www.stradleylaw.com/snapshot-
of-deflategate-2nd-circuit-argument/) views and responses to comments/questions by
readers (like me), it seems that no one knows how these judges will rule. Hey this is law,
Baby, an area most of us have no expertise in, with the exception of what is learned in
that downer called divorce. Patriots fans can only hope that this divorce ends with Brady
getting to keep his 4 games. The word is 'hope'.
And I hope that the 3 judge Appeals Court exposes Roger Goodell and his NFL cronies
for what they are: the conniving, conspiring and 'we'll punish players by hook or by
crook' putzes that they are.

MORE LIES
That the NFL is trying to defend its flawed 'scientific studies' that showed no link
between concussions and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) tells me that they are
scared that the Appeals Court will rule against them regarding money to be paid to
players who have been injured by the sport. The money not only isn't enough, in some
cases it covers players only injured since 2006.
If you read League of Denial, you know that the peers who reviewed the NFL studies
that were published as science, had serious doubts about the research data. And as a clue,
the NFL committee created to look into head trauma and CTE was called the Mild
Traumatic Brain Injury Committee and its original chairperson, Elliot Pellman, M.D., is
a rheumatologist!

BULLETS
• Do you think that the NFL and 'Guru' Goodell didn't want to reveal the PSI numbers
found in 2015 games where footballs were tested because that would ruin their case
before the Appeals Court? Just asking. I mean Mr. Wizard isn't around, but I believe in
the Ideal Gas Law, and that there were natural reasons why wet and cold footballs lost
pressure. Lies, damned lies and statistics.

• And the NFL may find itself before a Congressional committee regarding pulling
funding for BU's CTE study. The NFL had pledged $16 million over 7 years to study the
link between concussions and CTE, but stopped the funding because they didn't like Dr.
Robert Stern as head of the BU study. Stern had criticized the NFL for denying the
connection. We'll see how the NFL and Goodell try to weasel their way out of this one.

• Three Oakland Raiders have consented to donate their brains after they die to the
Boston based Concussion Legacy Foundation. The Herald's Sports in Brief (3/27) noted
that George Atkinson, George Buehler and Art Thoms have pledged their brains in
support of teammate Kenny Stabler who was found by researcher Ann McKee to have
had moderate to severe CTE.

• RIP Joe Garagiola, Sr. who recently died at age 90. As a youth, I read a book by
Garagiola (I believe it was Baseball Is a Funny Game first published @ 1960). It was
very funny and revealed the relationship Garagiola had with Yogi Berra. Both had grown
up in St. Louis on The Hill, an Italian-American neighborhood.

• In an accident reminiscent of Wade Boggs hurting himself taking off his cowboy boots:
the Herald's Baseball Roundup (3/27) noted that Brewers RHP Will Smith tore a
ligament in his right knee while taking off his spikes.

• And speaking of the Brewers, the Globe's Nick Cafardo (3/27) highlighted the 3B
competition among Aaron Hill (.150 BA), Will Middlebrooks (.184) and Garin Cecchini
(.200). I thought that the Red Sox gave up very early on Cecchini who had hit .300 (or
close to it) at every minor league stop until Pawtucket (.263 in 2014 but .213 in 2015).
Cecchini is only 24 (25 in April), but a factor was his infield defense was sub-par.

• Cafardo also had this inside info: Allegedly Expos' owner Jeffrey Loria wanted Derek
Jeter so badly that he had his GM propose a trade in which he would have sent Vladimir
Guerrero and Pedro Martinez to NY for Jeter. However, Yankees GM Brian Cashman
said he could not trade Jeter. Fact or Fiction?

• Ryan Kalish, who turned 28 today, is now with the Chicago Cubs (thanks to FootJoy
for the update). Kalish was one of my favorite PawSox players, and I was present the
April night (2011) when he dove for a ball in CF and hurt himself. The injury led to
multiple neck and shoulder surgeries. Per Wikipedia, Kalish was rated as the 5th best
prospect in the Red Sox organization (12/09) by Baseball America which also ranked
him in its Top 100 baseball prospects (#96). My hope is that Kalish can bounce back and
be a viable player. When Kalish was in Pawtucket, manager Torey Lovullo said: "He's
as close as any player I’ve ever managed to being a superstar."

E-MAIL
This came in from Frankie Lee who ran into Amici at the Hot Club and sent this via
iPhone: "I stopped at the hot club this weekend. I paid 6.50 for a beer and no one even
looked good"-Amici

Hey Jim,
Pretty sure it was Eddie Van Halen who did guitar solo on Beat It. And as far as Chris
Young helping you in the outfield. I watched him trying to play the outfield for the Yank
ees the last two years. What kind of help was it that you wanted ???
Jim 'Mr. Yankee' Dwyer
They got Young because he hits lefties well. So they will platoon him and use him to give
the other outfielders a break.
The stuff I had heard was that Young was a pretty good outfielder but maybe not CF any
more. Where did NY play him? - Z
It usually depended who was on DL Beltran or Gardner but usually right. I guess you'll
get used to him because you watched Manny all those years, but I would shudder every
time a ball was hit his way. His bat got real tired 2nd half of year no matter whether he
was facing right or left. At first I wondered why Mets gave up on him then I found out..
But one thing for certain he'll probably bat .500 and play like Roberto Clemente against
the Yanks. Jim Dwyer
Jim I saw Derek Jeter at the Rays-Cuban nat'l team game. He was talking to Pres.
Obama and then the TV guys. Said Obama told everyone that he gave Jeter 30 strokes
when they played golf against each other. Wanted to correct that misinformation. - Z

THE HOT CLUB
First off, let me correct the date of the gig by Tanya McIntyre and the Professors – it is
March 31, this Thursday from 6-9. And yes, I'll be there.
If you haven't voted yet for the band as Motif Magazine's Best RI Cover Band, do so
now. You may have to create an account to vote (I did), but do it. Go to:
motifri.com/2016music.
We were talking about a song that the Professors have played before – Jay and the
Americans' Come A Little Bit Closer. Jesse pointed out that musically, the song is quite
similar to Richie Valens' La Bamba. I told the band guys that La Bamba was my first 45,
and my mother bought it for me when Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper died in a
plane crash.
The conversation turned to John Lee Hooker, one of my favorite blues men. Jesse and
Peter said that the best version of Hooker's One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer is that
of George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Me, I'll stay with John Lee's original.
So I told the guys that a favorite Hooker song of mine is House Rent Blues. In it, he tells
his landlady that he's lost his job and is 'on dole'. His landlady wants the back rent.
When she leaves, John Lee says “She'll be lucky to get the front rent”.

LAST ISSUE'S QUIZ ANSWER
Who was it that did the guitar solo in Michael Jackson's Beat It? Why Eddie Van Halen,
that's who. Jim Dwyer, Bobby Sisto and Roger Boudreau all had the correct answer.

THIS ISSUE'S QUIZ
Professor Peter provided this week's quiz question. What major singer/songwriter played
on Bob Seger's first hit – Ramblin' Gamblin' Man.
And just because I have a little extra space, here's one for you movie lovers: Name the
only three films that swept the 5 major Oscar awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best
Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay?
Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz.