I just realized you're probably expecting some sort of punchline with the headline I gave you. Sorry to disappoint, but this is not a joke. The big talk over the weekend in New York -- besides the Yankees offensive outburst that rivaled the scoring by defenses facing Eli Manning -- was Shelley Duncan. The 2001 2nd round pick of the Yanks went 4-for-12 over the weekend, crushing three home runs, including two on Sunday, driving in seven runs. But it's not so much the amazing weekend that concerns me about Shelley Duncan, as it is this nugget I picked up. Just when you thought Mark McGwire was out of the spotlight, his name reappears:Duncan, 27, is the son of the St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan and the brother of Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan. As a child, he tagged along with his father's teams and became close with the slugger Mark McGwire, spending a week with McGwire in California last October.Seems pretty innocent I guess. But here you have Barry Bonds stuck on 753, three home runs away from setting the all-time home run record, and he's the center of attention. Hardly ever thought of these days is Mark McGwire. Probably the last thing he wanted was for his name to be brought back up in the news, but unfortunately for him, it has been. And I'm sure Shelley Duncan is only to happy to be creating headlines."It was funny, I went out there thinking we were going to hit," Duncan said of his visit with McGwire. "It wasn't really. It was all mental stuff. That's how he's always been his whole career. He was so strong mentally, and that's what made him such a great hitter.
"I've talked to a lot of successful people around the game, and that's what they all have in common: they stay focused every single day."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2007 @ 4:39PM
Mary said...
Mark we miss you. Hope life is still treating you good. Take care.
Mary
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7-23-2007 @ 4:43PM
Mary said...
Mark I forgot to tell you that we love you too, and really miss you on first bast for the Oakland Athlitics. But you did great for Tony LaRussa and the St. Louis Cardinals.
From San Leandro, California
Mary
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7-23-2007 @ 4:52PM
Ken said...
Oh! Give the kid a break... and let him enjoy his "opening weekend" as a Yankee. Of course... if his Dad was in baseball... as a youngster, he'd get to know the folks around the diamond. Good for him. I hope he was able to glean any of the good things McGwire had to offer... and shy away from any of the unsavory stuff he may have seen going on in the clubhouse... or the heard from the backwhispers of ball players who were suspicious of anything McGuire was doing... outside the lines.
Go get 'em Shelley. This is your "shot" at the "Big Show!"
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7-23-2007 @ 4:47PM
Ken said...
Oh! Give the kid a break... and let him enjoy his "opening weekend" as a Yankee. Of course... if his Dad was in baseball... as a youngster, he'd get to know the folks around the diamond. Good for him. I hope he was able to glean any of the good things McGwire had to offer... and shy away from any of the unsavory stuff he may have seen going on in the clubhouse... or the heard from the backwhispers of ball players who were suspicious of anything McGuire was doing... outside the lines.
Go get 'em Shelley. This is your "shot" at the "Big Show!"
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7-23-2007 @ 4:53PM
TOM said...
I understood also that Shelley was linked to
Alger Hiss, Mohammad Atta, and
Joe McCarthy.
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7-23-2007 @ 4:54PM
Kevin said...
Mark,
Thank you for helping further tarnish MLB's image by cheating and becoming the Pete Rose of your generation.
You were overrated when you played and the game is better off without you.
PS Did you give Duncan some shortcut ideas that he was desperate for since he was 26 and hadn't made it to the majors yet?
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7-23-2007 @ 7:25PM
JEF said...
GO SHELLEY!!!! We loved you in Trenton and Love you with the Yankees...It's amazing the lengths people go to undermine success.
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7-23-2007 @ 8:02PM
Mary said...
MARK YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL SWING. I HOPE SHELLEY ONLY LISTENED TO YOU AND TOOK YOUR ADVISE. AFTER WATCHING HIGH LIGHTS IT SEEMS AS IF HE DID. YOU'LL ALWAYS BE BIG MAC IN MY EYES.
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7-23-2007 @ 9:54PM
Ralph Garcia said...
Shelley Duncan is not steroid big like Mark McGwire, which means he didn't use steroids. As far as the guy making fun of Shelley Duncan's first name it's an Irish name. Just like some parent's want to honor their Irish heritage by naming their sons Kelley. Saying that Shelley Duncan used steroids because he tagged along with Mark McGwire reminds me of McCarthyism. You know Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy said that everyone hanging or talking to a communist in the early 1950s made him one. According to McCarthy this was true even if they talked and disagreed on politics. Do me a favor, stick to the truth and not rumor or innuendo please.
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