Josh Hamilton Is A Great Human Being

Josh Hamilton is a fascinating man. If you are not familiar with his story then allow me to enlighten you. With the world in front of him at age 18, Josh Hamilton was drafted by the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999 with the first pick overall. Truly a five tool player, hitting for average, hitting for power, fielding, throwing, and running, Hamilton had all the promise in the world. Unfortunately for Hamilton this meant an introduction to the world of hard drugs and alcohol. Hamilton succumbed to this lifestyle and found himself suffering on the baseball field collecting several fines and suspensions for breaking the drug policy in Major League Baseball. In 2001, two short years after being drafted, Hamilton made his first attempt at rehab. By 2004 Hamilton's addictions forced him out of baseball all together as he began his road to recovery. In 2006 the Chicago Cubs selected Hamilton in the Rule 5 Draft, trading him to the Cincinnati Reds for $100,000. The long road to recovery was finally complete and he was back in baseball. Since October 6, 2005 Hamilton has been sober from both drugs and alcohol. Or so we thought.

Pictures have surfaced of Josh Hamilton at a bar with women, who are not his wife, in provocative poses. According to Hamilton he became intoxicated in January and relapsed from his sobriety for the first time in 4 years. Hamilton also stated that after realizing what he had done he immediately told his wife and teammates of the incident. Let me repeat that. After realizing what he had done he immediately told his wife and teammates of the incident. He did not wait till the pictures came out to apologize to his wife with expensive jewelry. He did not wait until the media brought up the pictures to his teammates for their reactions. He did not wait till the pictures were released to apologize to his organization. He did the right thing and made sure everyone that needed to know knew and received an apology. When asked if he felt like a hypocrite for relapsing Hamilton responded by saying "I feel like I'm human. I got away from the one thing that keeps me straightened out and going in the right direction." This man is a beacon of hope in a sea of liars and cheaters that are plaguing the sport of Baseball.

I respect Josh Hamilton. He is one of the few men in Major League Baseball that I trust is genuine and honest in everything he does. It is for this reason I have chosen not to post the pictures of Hamilton's relapse. Instead I have chosen to provide you with what is probably his shining moment: the Homerun Derby at Yankee Stadium in 2008. After all of his addictions and suspensions in 2006 Hamilton had a dream. He dreamt that he was in Yankee Stadium participating in the Homerun Derby. As you can see that dream came true and he captured the hearts and imaginations of millions as he had beaten the odds. With his relapse, Hamilton clearly proved he is human and makes mistakes. However he also proved that he does not hide from those mistakes but rather owns up to them and rectifies them.

Baseball*

Unless you are in a coma, and even then you still have a pretty good idea, you are aware that Major League Baseball has been battling the epidemic of steroid use for several years now. However in order to fully understand where we are, we must first examine how we got there.

In 1994 baseball went into a strike that cancelled the World Series. As a result interest in the sport diminished and football was claiming the title of "America's Game" from baseball. Losing its fanbase, baseball desperately needed a shot in the arm to get them going as a sport. Luckily two players decided to impersonate Charles Atlas and put Major League Baseball on their shoulders. In 1998 Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa brought baseball back to relevance as they went on a Maris and Manlte-esque quest for the single season homerun record. Eventually Mark McGwire would rewrite the record books slugging 70 homeruns in a single season. Not to be out done Sammy Sosa eclipsed the previous single season record with 66 homeruns. 3 short years later Barry Bonds, albeit without a running mate, chased down Mark McGwire's record and eventually reset the record books with 73 homers in one season. These three players brought casual fans back to baseball and behind their unofficial slogan "Chicks dig the longball" baseball was back.

However when something seems too good to be true... it probably is. Bud Selig who was in his first official year as commissioner must have been torn up internally with this homerun race. Although his sport was experiencing unrivaled drama and renewed interest, Selig could not ignore the 600 lbs gorilla in the room. Much like the President of the United States knows of everything that happens in his country, Bud Selig was not ignorant to the fact that the very players who were saving the sport were also cheating. Now this raised one enormous question in the mind of baseball's commissioner. Would I rather have a sport saved by McGwire and Sosa immediately and deal with the problem later, or would I rather have my sport played with integrity and accept an extremely long rebuilding process. If your first instinct is to choose the latter, I implore you to take a second and consider what exactly that would mean. Running your sport in a clean and honest manner does sound like the way to go. However an event such as a strike year that cancels the World Series threatens to plunge the sport into obscurity. By the same token an enthralling race for the single season homerun record can save a sport. Therefore rather than risk the sport possibly not gaining a following and falling to the ranks of hockey in America, Selig made a decision to look the other way for now.

The year is 2003. In the past 5 years three people had hit over 60 homeruns in a single season. In the previous 95 seasons only 2 players had accomplished such a feat. Commissioner Bud Selig can no longer sit back and ignore that pesky gorilla. So Selig commissions a sport-wide mandatory steroid test. Normally the players association would prevent such an invasion of their players. Selig avoided the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Player's Association) by ensuring anonymity and that the results would be destroyed after they were reviewed by MLB front offices. These tests confirmed that steroid use in baseball was in fact a problem and needed to be addressed. With the "help" of the MLBPA the first steroid policy was put into effect for the 2005 season. Originally the policy was not very strict with the first offense being 10 games, second 30 games, third 60 games and fourth one full season. Since then the policy has been amended to a first offense suspension being 50 games, second 100 games, and a third offense would be a lifetime ban from baseball. Which brings us to the present.

During Spring Training Alex Rodriguez was dealing with a hip injury and was blindsided by his name being linked to steroids. Strike one. The source that was cited as evidence was the very same 2003 list of positive tests that were to remain anonymous and destroyed after review. Although Rodriguez had previously denied steroid use, he came clean and admitted to using steroids from 2001-2003, his tenure with the Texas Rangers. When this news died down, a few months later, Sammy Sosa's name was revealed to be on the list. Strike two. Even though many people had accepted this fact with little evidence in the past, now Sosa doubters had their evidence. Over a week or so ago, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were a part of a strike em out throw em out double play as their names were the most recent names to be leaked from the list. Manny Ramirez did not make many waves with his name being on the list because earlier in the season Ramirez served a 50 game suspension for a women's fertility drug used when coming off a cycle of steroids. It was David Ortiz's name that made a wave the size of Empire State Building.

David Ortiz blossomed once he got to Boston after Minnesota had given up on him. Ortiz's career with Minnesota was disappointing at best and was having all the makings of a forgotten baseball player. With the Twins Ortiz hit .266 with 58 homeruns and 238 RBIs in 454 games over 6 seasons. In his last two seasons 2001 and 2002 his power numbers were the highest in his career, jumping considerably from his 2000 totals. His years with Boston saw such great success that many people considered him one of the premier hitters in the league. Hitting .288 with 246 homers and 793 RBI in 7 seasons. The changes from team to team are remarkable. Yes, some of it is being older and maturing as a baseball player. However a player does not mature at a rate of 30 homeruns from one season into the next. What is important to take from David Ortiz is the effects steroids have on a player. Ortiz was a player that was going to slip into the ranks of John Hetki, Mark Christman, and Mike Guerra. Who are those guys? They are all players who played for a few years in the Majors but didn't produce much. Instead of falling to the forgotten list, Ortiz became an elite hitter, a 2-time World Series Champion, and was going to be seriously considered for the Hall Of Fame. Clearly steroids affect more than just homerun numbers.

Now what is to be done about this list. It should be noted that not only was this list supposed to be destroyed and the names kept anonymous but it has a court seal on it as well. So whoever is leaking these names is not only spitting on the agreement made to keep the names anonymous but he is also committing a crime. Leaking information under a court seal is a crime and whoever is leaking the names is in for some jail time. Which is what complicates the idea of simply releasing all the names so as to avoid this tri-monthly piecemeal leaking of information. For baseball it would be best if all these names were released in one go around, so that this will not bog down the sport the way it is now. Unfortunately this means that the agreement to keep the names under wraps will need to be waived.

Hopefully the revelation the Ortiz has changed his status in baseball the steroid policy will be revisited. It is my hope that steroids will receive a lifetime ban for the first offense. The reason behind this is because I believe in the integrity of the sport. When something like this compromises the integrity of the sport it must be stopped at all costs. While I do not endorse Selig's decision to look the other way in 1998, I understand why he did what he did. The biggest mountain to climb comes in the form of the MLBPA. The MLBPA who protects its players to no end will not allow their players to be infringed upon the way I would like to see. If it were up to me every player would be tested twice a month with the one offense lifetime ban policy. It is sad that so many of baseball's biggest stars are testing positive for steroids. As a fan of the sport, it kills me to see the lack of respect certain players have for sport. It is a shame that the game is being defiled as it is now but hopefully the worst of the storm is passed and sunshine is in the future.

Jolly Old England

The state of the PGA today two names come to mind: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Dealing with a tragedy such as his wife being diagnosed with breast cancer, the field was one big name short as Phil Mickelson opted out of the tournament to be with his wife. Unfortunately for golf Tiger Woods did not make the cut and with his lack of performance the biggest name in the sport today was out of the British Open. Normally losing both Phil and Tiger would maim the tournament and leave the average fan with no interest in The Open. It took a name from another generation to bring the interest back to the tournament. After three days 59 year old Tom Watson held a 1 stroke lead going into the final 18 holes on Sunday. Watson captivated the hearts of many who believed that he could become the oldest person to win a major by almost 11 years. Going into the 18th hole Watson had a chance to win the British Open with an 8 foot putt but his shot was offline and tapped in to force a playoff. Unfortunately as Watson said himself "The wheels fell off" and he bogeyed 3 of the last 4 holes and the other hole he double bogeyed. Let us not let the magnitude of what happened at Turnberry this weekend. Despite his finish, Tom Watson who is a major blast from the past held his own with a field that was about 20 years his minor. Moreover he, like Greg Norman the year before, brought a compelling story to another Tiger-less British Open. Hats off to you Tom Watson, thank you for sweeping us off our feet and taking us on a journey and making us believe in a great story.

Where you going on Halladay?

The past few weeks have been riddled with talks about the impending trade deadline. Dominating the talks is Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in baseball. Normally a pitcher of Roy Halladay's caliber would not be traded but rather locked up for a multi-year contract. After an off-season that saw AJ Burnett leave for the New York Yankees and receiving nothing in return the Jays GM JP Ricciardi is looking for pieces to build with in return for his ace pitcher. Several teams have been rumored to be in talks with the Jays. These teams are the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers, and the Boston Red Sox. Of those five teams I believe only the Phillies have true interest in the right hander.

Now there is a huge difference between interest and possibility of actually making the trade. It is my belief that this trade will not be made this season. Ricciardi who knows Halladay's worth has made it clear that Halladay will not come cheap, this season at least. In order for Halladay to be traded this season I believe Ricciardi is looking for a trade that favors the Jays in terms of young major league ready talent. There is no urgency for this trade to be made before the July 31 deadline. For that reason JP Ricciardi can sit back until the deadline this year and even the offseason before urgency sets in. This deadline, in my opinion, gives Ricciardi the option to send out an invitation to all teams and say "impress me". Unless a deal comes along that sets the Jays up for the next 6 years I can not see Halladay being traded this season.

This is not to say the trade deadline will not provide a great deal of buzz. As we all know the Pirates are still in MLB and have two very good infielders in Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, so look for the Pirates to ship them out. The Phillies, although actively after Halladay, would still be looking to snag a starting pitcher. When it comes down to Halladay, all the buzz around him being traded will resume this time next year.

(M.E.T.S.) Must Endure The Season

In the third game of a four game set against the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets thirdbaseman David Wright was slid into by a Matt Diaz leaving Wright in pain. The collision left Wright bent over in pain for a few minutes. Eventually he stood up on his own power, walked off the pain, and remained in the game. Although the whole incident took a few minutes, it felt like an eternity because of the Mets injury problems. For the entire time Wright was on the ground I found myself holding my breath the entire time. Wright who represents the last healthy big name position player would be an enormous blow to the Mets roster and would effectively end any hopes the Mets would have for a winning season. The rate at which Mets players are getting injured raises many red flags that need to be addressed by the Mets front office.

A few years ago the New York Yankees were dropping like flies to injury. In response to their players getting injured seemingly every other day, upper management made a decision and fired the conditioning coach Marty Miller. After Miller was terminated so were the injury problems. The New York Mets have lost their all-star shortstop, all-star firstbaseman, all-star centerfielder, and all-star setup man. Obviously the Mets have made some changes in the front office or training staff right? Wrong. The Mets have not done anything to rectify the injury situation. Injury after injury has plagued the Mets often times the original diagnosis being a seemingly harmless ailment. Soon after the original diagnosis the player is put on the DL for an extended period of time. If you are not immediately alarmed by this then you should be. For the Mets it is imperative for them to get rid of their problems in the training room. Jerry Manuel, who has been criticized this season, can not do anything about the state of his team as he is not responsible for the injury problem. That is why Omar Minaya needs to step in and clean out the training staff.

If the Mets were not injured this year it is fair to say they would be contending for the lead in the National League East. However they are fielding a lineup that has lost their 1,3, and 4 hitters. The Mets current lineup has the makeup of a triple A team with a couple of great players waiting to be called up in Wright, Santana, and Rodriguez. With Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, Putz, and Maine all on the DL and probably out till August the Mets are all but mathematically eliminated from contention. Sad though it may be, injuries are a part of the game. Had the Mets not been maligned with injuries a bidding war would be raging between the Mets and Phillies to land Roy Halladay, a war I believe the Mets would win. Unfortunately for the Mets this season will have to be filed under the category of "There is always next season".

The Most Entertaining Game Of The All-Star Break

As the sporting world enters into the slowest period of the year, the MLB All-Star break, there is little to talk about except for the All-Star festivities. Some people love the Homerun Derby. Others truly enjoy the All-Star game itself. While truly die-hard baseball fans relish the opportunity to see young players before they have truly made it big in the All-Star Futures game. However there is one event that often gets severely overlooked. This event is easily my favorite event and it is the Taco Bell Legends and Celebrities Softball Game.

If you are not familiar with this game then I shall enlighten you. This game is a slow-pitch softball game that is played before the Homerun Derby and after the Futures game. The fence is brought in and the bases are also brought in to simulate a softball field. Much like the All-Star game the participants are divided into the National and American Leagues. This is where the game starts to get fun. The participants are a mix of former MLB players including many Hall-of-Famers and celebrities. Since the celebrities have obviously never played in the MLB they have no clear affiliation to any team. In order to keep the rosters even, the celebrities are paired with the team they root for. So for example Billy Crystal would play for the American League team as he is a lifelong Yankee fan and Kevin James who is a comedian and a big fan of the Mets would play for the National League due to his aforementioned support of the New York Metropolitans. As for the rules they are exactly the same as any baseball game.

The reason why I enjoy this game so much revolves around the spirit of the All-Star break and that would be fun. For several years now the main event, the All-Star game, has been tagged with the responsibility with determining homefield advantage for the winning side. Changing the rule has sucked out all of the fun that came with playing the game. The Homerun Derby has retained some semblance of a fun event but certain aspects possess a sense of professionalism. The Futures game puts the participants in the spotlight, granted a small spotlight but a spotlight nonetheless. The Legends and Celebrities game lends itself only a fun atmosphere.

The reason I say that the Legends and Celebrities game is only about fun is that no one cares about the result of the game. This is not to say the game is irrelevant but rather that the participants are playing to have fun, no different than any pick-up basketball game or stickball game in the middle of the street. Another aspect of the game is the blending of celebrities and hall of famers playing together. In the game today Nelly, the rapper, hit a homerun off recent Hall of Famer Richard "Goose" Gossage, and then later Ozzie Smith made a diving play and threw to firstbaseman Bobby Knight. Yes, you are thinking of the correct Bobby Knight, the same Bobby Knight who threw a chair across a basketball court in the middle of a NCAA basketball game. Where else can you see the king of the handlebar mustache Rollie Fingers hit a homerun off Goose Gossage. If you are a fan of trash talk then you will be happy to know that ESPN radio hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg are the managers of each side and spend the whole game ripping on each other and each other's performance in the game. This game is one of the most entertaining games of the year with Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium coming in around the top of the list.

Big Z Slugging It In The Derby

It is widely accepted that of the nine positions on the baseball diamond, the pitcher is the least athletic. Before the American League instituted the designated hitter in 1973 every player on the field was required to be able to handle the bat. The rule does not require that the designated hitter substitute for the pitcher. The designated hitter can take the place of any player on the field but is reserved for the pitcher so to free the pitcher of any extra burdens of hitting or running the bases. Ever since 1973 it has become a novelty for a pitcher to be a good hitter in either league. Some pitchers in today's game enjoy the hitting aspect and others loathe the experience of squaring up for the sacrifice bunt. However one man stands out amongst the crowd of bunting pitchers and his name is Carlos Zambrano.

Today Carlos Zambrano hit his 3rd homerun on the year and his 19th career homerun. Zambrano is truly a unique pitcher. He challenges conventional wisdom on pitchers in every aspect of his game. When his previous contract expired, Zambrano was courted by several teams in both leagues. He ultimately decided to stay in a Chicago Cubs uniform for several reasons including that he enjoyed hitting and a switch to the American League would limit his at-bats to 6 or 7 over the course of the entire season. Hitting from both sides of the plate provide many advantages, for the hitter and are usually a detriment to the pitcher. Zambrano is a switch hitter, an extreme rarity amongst a field of pitchers who fear the batters box. As it stands today Big Z is the active leader in homeruns for pitchers and is currently tied for 13th place on the all-time homerun list for pitchers. To put it in perspective Zambrano has 3 homeruns in 16 games compared to David Wright's 5 homeruns in 86 games. To prove that Wright is not an arbitrary name, David has hit 26 or more homeruns in his last 6 seasons and has never hit less than 14 in a single season. So it is clear that Zambrano is some special hitter disregarding the fact that he is a pitcher.

Why bring this up? If your sports calendar is up to date you know that the State Farm Homerun Derby, that still sounds strange, is taking place on Monday. This year, much like last year, the players were reluctant to join the Homerun Derby for fear of messing with their swing or simply embarrassing themselves. Eventually both leagues sent 4 men to participate most of whom are pretty solid homerun hitters. Last year the game was played in, the House That Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium an American League park which uses the designated hitter. However this year the All-Star festivities will take place in, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium a National League park. By now you have probably put two and two together and realized what I am implying. Why not invite Carlos Zambrano to the Homerun Derby?

As previously stated Big Z has a bit of a love affair with hitting and being the active homerun leader for pitchers he would be a good choice. Major League Baseball consistently tries to draw in more and more fans as is evident by the "this one counts" campaign. Although it would initially look like a publicity stunt, the deeper and deeper into the debate people delve the more they would see that Zambrano has a legitimate shot at contending. Not only would he be the first pitcher to contend but it would provide an interesting storyline that Lance Berkman has brought in years past: no switch hitter has ever won the Homerun Derby. The sheer novelty of a pitcher in a homerun contest coupled with the possibility of seriously contending for the crown would draw in an amazing amount of viewers.

Clearly manager Lou Piniella might have some concerns about Zambrano hurting himself. However if this were to actually happen it would truly capture the spirit of the All-Star break... fun.

Who Knew Free Throws Were Kryptonite

Well it is over. Not officially but in essence this series was ended on the charity line. The score is 84- 87 Orlando and Dwight Howard gets fouled with 11.1 seconds left in the game. Already 5-10 from the line, Howard only needed to make 1 free throw to seal the game and tie the series at 2 games a piece. However this was not the case and Howard missed both free throws and the Lakers recovered the ball. After the inbounds Derek Fisher had the ball in his hands, down three, set up behind the arc and, with Jameer Nelson giving him a ton of space, drained a tre and tied the game. This play sent the game to overtime where the Lakers took control and stole the game. With this loss the Magic lose a second game they should have won.

One thing needs to be made clear. Kobe Bryant was not the deciding factor in this series. Despite all of Kobe's "hunger" and "focus" he alone is not the reason why the Lakers are going to win this series. Do not misunderstand what I am saying. Not only do I believe that Kobe Bryant is the best player in this series but I also believe that he was an integral part of the Lakers winning the NBA Championship. However the Orlando Magic did in fact lose this series. When you look at the three loses for the Magic in this series you will see two games that should have been won by the Magic. The first game of the series is discounted because the Lakers dominated every aspect of that game. In Game 2 the Magic were a missed layup away from winning the game and not the inbounds play that Van Gundy drew up. That play, although brilliant, was a very difficult play due to Courtney Lee's momentum taking him under the basket before he even caught the basketball. If either of the two layups goes in the Magic tie the series and go back to Orlando with momentum and home-court on their side. The next game the Magic should have won was last night. Dwight Howard was fouled with 11.1 seconds left in a three point game 4. Should Dwight Howard simply sink one free-throw then the Magic would have tied the series yet again. Instead they find themselves playing the role of Sisyphus unable to get to the top of the mountain.

With a 3-1 series lead Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and the rest of the Lakers have secured the 2008-2009 NBA Championship. This series could easily have swung the other way with the Magic up 3-1 and a chance to secure their first franchise championship on their home-court. Since this is not the case the Los Angeles Lakers have prevailed and are benefiting from a scorching hot team, in the Magic, who cooled off to a frigid tempo. Under the circumstances this finals will not be remembered as a missed opportunity by Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Stan Van Gundy. Instead the finals will be remembered as Kobe's first ring without Shaq, Phil Jackson's tenth championship as a coach, and the coming out party of Pau Gasol.

Closers Not Holders

It has to be the strangest phenomena in all of sports. Stranger than professional basketball players missing free throws regularly. Stranger than curling...all of it. The situation is either a tie ball game or a blowout game. The manager brings in the closer to pitch the ninth in order to maintain the tie or simply to get work in. Normally the closer is automatic in the ninth. In these situations however closers seem to forget who they are and struggle mightily. Proof enough is Mariano Rivera in yesterday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The score was tied and Mariano came in to preserve the tie in the ninth. However he ended up surrendering 4 runs in only 2/3 of an inning pitched.

When Mariano makes the jog in from the bullpen Metallica's "Enter Sandman" plays over the loudspeaker. Why? Because he puts the game to bed in save situations. It is not just Mariano. Almost every closer has is these situations. Closers claim that the mindset is completely different coming into a game where the game is not on the line. Something about the closer changes when it is not a save situation. Two years ago the Yankees visited Shea Stadium and were down by 4. Not a save situation but the Mets brought in then closer Billy Wagner to finish the game. Not only did he blow the lead but he also blew the game as the Yankees came back to win the game. These instances are hard to explain and make for one of the most confusing phenomena in sports.

The New Yankee Stadium

As an aspiring sports writer I try to maintain an unbiased blog. However I am going to stray from unbiased viewpoints and talk about my beloved Yankees and their new stadium.

Being a true Yankee fan is difficult. Everyone hates your team. If you are losing then your team sucks because they should win because of the payroll. If you win then your team won because of the payroll or that our new ballpark is a joke. This really bothers me. So what if the Yankees have a $200 million payroll. If you have not already noticed money does not guarantee a World Series Championship. The Yankees have not won the World Series in 8 years and have not even sniffed the World Series since 2004. On top of that the Rays made it to the World Series last year and they have the sixth lowest payroll in the 5 team American League East. As much as this bothers me, it is not the most frustrating issue in my eyes.

What truly grinds my gears is that people hold the new stadium over the heads of both Yankee fans and the Yankees themselves. The Wiffleball Park in the Bronx, as dubbed by Yankee haters. My first reaction to this is stop talking. Yes the ballpark is on pace to smash homerun records for a stadium in its first season. However do not expect this to continue. There are several factors about this stadium that Yankee Haters seem to disregard. First the old Yankee Stadium is still standing and awaiting demolition. Nobody seems to know exactly what effect the demolition of old Stadium will have on the wind. Will the wind blow out to centerfield as well as right field or will the wind die down without the stadium, no one seems to know. I ask Yankee haters did you think of that? Second the Yankees did not plan for an influx of homeruns. They expected the stadium to play the same way as the old stadium. This is evident by the fact that the dimensions are the same as the old stadium. The mannerisms of this stadium are something that no one could have predicted and obviously the Yankees did not predict. Finally to those people who say that the Yankees have an unfair advantage playing in this ballpark I say you need to get your head checked. Since the Yankees are not the only team hitting in this ballpark, the Yankees can not possibly have an advantage. Despite the Yankees playing almost 72 more games in this park than any other team, it does not diminish the chances of other teams to equalize the games with homeruns. One last note on the "fairness" of the Yankee Stadium homeruns. In Fenway Park David Ortiz hit his second homerun of the season the other day. What makes this homerun relevant to my argument is that the ball traveled 302 feet down the right field line. Also the ball hit off the base of the Peske Pole. If you have ever seen or been to Fenway Park you know that the right field wall is all of 2 feet off the ground. Possibly the shortest homerun ever hit that was not an inside the park homerun.

With that being said I do have my own problems with the ballpark. My first problem stems from the sheer existence of the stadium. I have been opposed to the new stadium all together since the announcement that the Yankees were contemplating a new stadium. The history, ghosts, mystique, and aura contained within the old Yankee Stadium could not be matched by any new building, in my honest opinion. Also I did not see a reason why the new stadium was necessary. The building was not falling apart nor was it by any stretch of the imagination an ugly ballpark. However the stadium was built and I can do nothing about it. My biggest concern with this ballpark is how it is affecting the Yankees and yes it does stem from the homerun problem. My hang-up on the ballpark is that the Yankees are hitting so many homeruns. The effect of this is two-fold. First and foremost it changes the Yankee offense. One problem the Yankees have had over the last few years is that they rely far too much on the longball. This stadium is clearly enabling this problem. Instead of stringing together hits and starting rallies from walks and taking advantage of missed opportunities on the part of the defense the Yankees are sitting back and waiting for someone to blast one out. Which brings me to my second beef with this stadium. I do not like that the new Yankee Stadium has joined the ranks of Fenway Park and Coors Field as one of those ballparks where no lead is safe. My favorite part about baseball is that there is no running down the clock. In order to finish the game you have to work out of the game. When something like cheap homeruns can bring a team back into a game then it diminishes what I love about baseball.

In all honesty what bothers me the most about what Yankee haters are saying about the new stadium is that what they are saying is true and there is nothing I can say or do to change that. At the end of the season the Yankees will rectify the homerun problem. Either certain vents will be closed or the old stadium will fix the wind tunnel. Either way next season will not yield as many homeruns and the Yankee haters will be forced to look elsewhere for material. Enjoy it while you can.

Serena Stop Sobbing

In the first set of her third round match at the French Open Serena Williams volleyed a ball back to a charging Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The ball ricocheted back to Serena's side of the court past Williams. The point was awarded to Sanchez but Williams had a gripe. She felt that the ball hit off Sanchez's arm and not her racket which would have resulted in an automatic point for Serena. Upon review of the replay the ball did indeed bounce off of Sanchez's arm. Winning the set Sanchez did not report the ball hitting off her arm. However Serena came back to win the match and move on. 

For most people this would be vindication enough but not for Serena. She, for some reason, felt the need to further attack her opponent in the post-match press conference. The topic of the aforementioned volley came up and Serena went off. She accused her opponent of cheating and being unsportsmanlike. First of all she does have a point that her opponent should have said something. However true that may be she did not need drag her opponent through the mud. Williams would have looked much bigger had she not went on a small tirade about how her opponent cheated. The reason for this is that she ended up winning the match. Not only did Serena win the match but the set in which this volley happened was the first set. Granted Sanchez won that set, but it did not factor into the match as Williams won the next two sets. 

Serena went out of her way to attack another player that probably did not deserve it. Even after winning the match and advancing to the next round, Serena seemed irate that she was so unjustly treated in that one game. It was not even like the officiating was horrific and Serena was using this isolated incident to embody the officiating. No. She was genuinely angry that she lost the set even though she won the match. Congratulations Serena you made yourself look like a whinny teenager.

New York, New York

After a Yankee win at Yankee Stadium Frank Sinatra's version of "New York, New York" plays over the speaker system. A win 1,000 miles away in a different sport may have cued up this song in the head of a member of the losing team. Dwight Howard shot a three as time expired on the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers season, and most likely LeBron James' time in Cleveland. Obviously frustrated with the outcome LeBron left Amway Arena without talking to the press in the post-game press conference. The loss in the Conference Finals may just be the final straw for LeBron. Since he has joined the team his teammates have jumped on his shoulders and rode him as far as he can take them. History shows that every great player needs a supporting cast and James' tenure in Cleveland has not seen a good supporting cast. I personally do not understand LeBron James making a move to the New York Knicks in 2010, but insiders have said that James has an interest in the franchise. The most recent failure in the playoffs may be just the initiative LeBron needs to ship out of Cleveland. Like his pregame ritual it seems that his time in Cleveland has gone up in smoke. So Start spreading the news, hes leaving today.

Watching The Major Leagues

Last night Fernando Martinez of the New York Mets made his second start in the big leagues. He has not recorded his first hit in the majors but has an RBI. However in the bottom of the sixth inning with Ron Villone on the mound, Martinez hit a pop fly to the catcher. It is at this point that the madness ensues. First the catcher botches the play in fair territory and Villone recovers the ball and throws out Martinez at first. Second Fernando Martinez stood in the batters box and watched the play unfold. Let me remind you that Fernando Martinez is highly praised as the Mets' #1 prospect in the minor leagues. From the first practice in tee-ball players are told to run out every play. Now for a Major League player to sit in the batters box and watch a play unfold in front of them is simply unacceptable. Fernando Martinez better enjoy watching the game because if he continues this lack of hustle and production then he will be watching baseball more than playing the game. It is worth pointing out that Martinez is not the only player to lack hustle on the bases or in the field. However Martinez only made one previous start in the Major Leagues and has not hit 500 homeruns, 3000 hits, or 800 RBIs. This also does not mean that all great players did not hustle. In fact Pete Rose was known as Charlie Hustle and he is the all-time hits leader. It appears that the days of hustling players busting it down the line on a grounder are long gone. Hopefully Fernando Martinez does not fall into the category of lazy ballplayers that he seems to be surrounded by in the Mets organization.

Not So Fast

For the second straight game, LeBron James and the Cavaliers found themselves down with 1 second left in the fourth quarter. For the second straight game the Cavaliers took a desperation shot with 1 second left on the clock. The difference between games one and two is that Mo Williams missed the shot in game 1 and LeBron James made the shot in game 2. This win can be looked at two different ways. One can look at this game and say big win for the Cavaliers. However someone else can look at this game and see a world of trouble for the Cavaliers. I fall in the latter category. 

This young series has seen two games in which the Cavaliers have jumped out to huge leads early in the game. At halftime the Cavaliers looked to be in total control only to have the rug snatched from underneath them. Now the Cavaliers have split at home in the beginning of the series and given up homecourt advantage. The reason why the game 2 buzzerbeater is not as encouraging as most would think is because it should have never come down to that. Clearly this Orlando Magic team did not get the memo that David Stern sent out to the NBA that Kobe and LeBron are going to meet in the finals. This Magic team is not going to roll over and play dead. Leading the game going into the fourth quarter, the Cavs gave up two big leads in consecutive games. The inability of the Cavs to step on the throat of the Magic and press firmly down is alarming. Do not expect the Cavaliers to win any games in Orlando if they continue to play as they have been playing. Making clutch shots and believing they can win are the deadly combination that the Magic are riding to the finals. 

D Train Back In the Tunnels

It is one start. I repeat one start. However this one start is a sign that LHP Dontrelle Willis of the Detroit Tigers is finding his way back to being a big league pitcher. Few things in sports are sadder than watching a pitcher implode in front of your eyes; losing the strike zone, throwing lollipops, and just the general glaze of a pitcher so lost on the mound that he no longer feels that he can throw the baseball within a three block radius of the plate. Mechanics drive the machine that is a pitcher. If one little gear is out of place the machine falls apart. For a pitcher like Dontrelle Willis, who has a very funky arms and legs delivery, it is difficult to maintain their delivery because of how complicated it is. Much of Willis' problems with the Tigers were due in large part to his lack of control which was a result of his pitching motion. Due to his poor performance he was sent down to the minors midseason to fix his problems. That was last year. At the beginning of this year Willis was on the DL with an anxiety disorder. Add all these bumps in the road up and you have a pretty big hill to climb. 

With his start on Tuesday Willis took his first step toward reviving his big league career. Hurling 6.1 scoreless innings allowing only 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 5, Dontrelle picked up his first win this season and his first with the tigers. As previously stated nothing is quite as watching a pitcher breakdown in front of your eyes. Luckily it appears that Dontrelle Willis will not be yet another story in a long line of sad stories.

To Infinity and Beyond

The best part about professional baseball, and really all professional sports, is that any given day something can happen that has never happened before. On Saturday the fans at Angel Stadium witnessed a statistical anomaly. John Lackey, in his first start of the year, threw two pitches to Ian Kinsler: one behind him and one in his ribs. These pitches resulted in the immediate ejection of Lackey from the game. Eventually Kinsler came around to score a run charged to John Lackey. Since Lackey did not record an out and the run scored his E.R.A. was infinity. As odd as this is, on monday Lackey pitched again. With one out he "lowered" his E.R.A. to 27.00. And people say baseball is hard to watch and boring.

The Maddon Touch

Sunday was an oddity in the world of sports. Two game 7s were played in the NBA one of which the Boston Celtics blew a 3-2 series lead to the Orlando Magic for the first time in their franchise's history, and Rafael Nadal lost on clay in his home country of Spain to Roger Federer. Finally RHP Andy Sonnanstine batted third in the Tampa Bay Rays lineup due to a lineup card miscue by Joe Maddon and Dave Martinez, the bench coach. As the adage goes to err is human, and when last I checked Joe Maddon is a human. You may be saying but wait the Rays are in the AL and the Designated Hitter hits in place of the pitcher. Yes these are both correct. Unless the manager does not field anyone in the DH spot. Normally Evan Longoria plays third base and Maddon decided to give him a half day off by DHing him. However Maddon listed both Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist in the third base position. When only Zobrist was fielded, opposing manager Eric Wedge brought the miscue to the umpire's attention. What this meant is that no DH was in the lineup and the pitcher would have to hit and Evan Longoria was no longer available. 

First let us give credit to manager Eric Wedge of the Cleveland Indians. Instead of immediately pointing out that two players were listed as third basemen he decided to wait and see which player would be fielding that day. Had he immediately reported the discrepancy, the Rays would have been able to field Longoria and thus keep the Major League leader in RBIs in the lineup. This was not the case and a strong strategic move was made by Wedge. Although Wedge pushed all the right buttons he forgot one little thing: Joe Maddon apparently can not press the wrong ones. Originally I was going to blast Joe Maddon for flubbing up like this but then I stopped to think about what actually happened here. My concerns revolved mainly around the lax attitude that the players and coaches took to putting Sonnanstine up there to bat. Now I know pitchers do it all the time in the NL but there is always some risk, as with any player, that the pitcher will get hurt in any number of ways either in the batters box or running the bases. Again I, like Wedge, did not consider the Maddon Touch. Not only did Sonnanstine not get hurt but he hit a RBI double. How often does a manager substitute the league leader in RBIs for a pitcher and the pitcher gets an RBI double. Never because it would only happen if you are Joe Maddon. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. But what happens when your good at being lucky? Answer you are Joe Maddon.

Brett Favre: The Modern Day Benedict Arnold

As we enter May it is just about that time of year in which Brett Favre makes his, now annual, news appearance. Of course I am speaking of his "retirements" which really just means the period of time in between the football season and training camps. A long time ago in a different world Brett Favre was going to be remembered as the new face of the Green Bay Packers. However he has since had a highly publicized split with the Packers and GM Ted Thompson. Eventually this rift lead to Favre being traded to the New York Jets for picks in the draft to be determined on how the Jets did that season. Since his trade Favre had an average season failing to capitalize on the great start the Jets got off to and missed the playoffs. After the season was over he claimed to be retired and the Jets released him. Which brings us to the present... Brett Favre as a free agent. Much has been said about aging athletes and their undying desire to play the game they love forever. Brett Favre is no exception.

It is no big secret that Favre intends to play until his arm falls off. Therefore he should not keep playing the retirement card. Pick a side. Now it is also very clear that he wants to stick it to Ted Thompson for how he was treated at the end of his career when the Packers chose to back the quarterback of their future Aaron Rodgers. With the acquisition of Jay Cutler the Bears were not an option for Favre and the Lions are an absolute train wreck and can not afford to have a one and done quarterback. Leaving the all time touchdown leader with one option: the Minnesota Vikings. Why this team? Two reasons, they are competitive and play in the same division as the Packers. This ensures two games against the Packers and two attempts to show the Packers they made a mistake. If the circumstances are any indication of what will happen then Favre will be playing for the Vikings this season. X-rays have been sent to the Vikings to diagnose a problem in Favre's throwing arm. Should "major" surgery be needed Favre will remain retired. Obviously if "major" surgery is not needed then Favre will play. Aside from the theatrics surrounding this situation, it would make a lot of sense for the Vikings to pick up Favre. 

Something bigger is happening here that has nothing to do with football. Favre is eclipsing not only records but himself. For the past three to four years Favre has contemplated retirement very publicly. The breaking point came at the end of last season when, in a tear filled press conference, Favre made the decision to retire for good. This lasted approximately a month as Favre, like a crazed ex-boyfriend, wanted to return to the Packers but the Packers had already moved on. Maybe it is a product of being in the moment but his actions seem to be overshadowing just how great a quarterback he actually is. This is a man who has not missed a start since his first one way back when over 17 years ago. He holds the record for most wins, touchdowns, yards, and completed passes. He has appeared in two Superbowls and won 1. However people will remember his childish antics and constant attempts to stick it to Ted Thompson. Leaving behind a legacy can be tricky, simply look at Bill Buckner who was a good fielding first baseman until the '86 World Series. Clearly Favre is marring his legacy by all these antics.

Glimpse Into the Future

Zach Geinke is not going to set a major league record by going undefeated this season. He suffered his first loss of the season at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Outdueled by opposing pitcher Joe Saunders, Greinke pitched beautifully allowing only 1 run, a sacrifice fly to left, on the weight of 4 hits no walks and 5 strikeouts. Both pitchers hurled complete games the only difference being that Joe Saunders did not give up any runs. Credit where credit is due. Joe Saunders pitched a great game and deserved the win. However the Royals are not a great offensive team. As a team they rank 11th out of 14 in the AL in runs scored and hits, 12th in average, and 9th in on base percentage. Overall they rank in the bottom half of the AL in total offense. Unfortunately this means that Zach Greinke may not get the run support he needs. Thus is the downfall of being mired in a market such as Kansas City. 

I fear that the May 9th game against the Angels will be a microcosm for Greinke's season. If Greinke continues his dominance on the mound, it is very likely he will be a Cy Young contender, even the front runner. However he may be overshadowed by a pitcher, like Joe Saunders who is 5-1 with a 2.66 E.R.A., who has more wins or a better winning percentage due to the team around them. If this sounds familiar to you that's because it already happened. Flashback to the year 2004. Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros wins the NL Cy Young over Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the stats tell a different tale. Roger Clemens' team ranked in the top half in total offense, whereas Randy Johnson's team ranked in the lower half in total offense. This is no more evident than in each pitcher's record for the season. With a distinct advantage in offense, Clemens won 18 games while only losing 4. On the other hand Johnson won 16 games and lost 14 games. Normally losing 14 games is indicative of poor performance. However Johnson's E.R.A. was 2.60, a very respectable E.R.A. especially in comparison to Clemens' 2.98 E.R.A. On top of the season Johnson had, he threw a perfect game against the Braves. Due in large part to his team producing runs for him, Clemens won the Cy Young over the clearly more deserving Randy Johnson.

It is sad but it appears that Zach Greinke will suffer a similar fate to that of Randy Johnson. Although Greinke has matured into one of the game's upper tier pitchers, it appears that the team around him will ultimately seal his fate as a pitcher. After overcoming a social anxiety disorder it is tragic that a pitcher of Zach Greinke's quality has to overcome not only the other team but his own team's offense.

Martin Brodeur's Nightmarish Last 80 Seconds

Martin Brodeur is arguably the best goalie in the history of the NHL. However this does not make him perfect. In Game 7 of the first round of the 2009 playoffs it appeared that the New Jersey Devils were going to close out the Carolina Hurricanes as the score was 3-2 with 2 minutes left in the game. Then everything went downhill as Jussi Jokinen lit up the lamp 18 minutes and 40 seconds into the third period to tie the game. What made this goal particularly frustrating is that Jokinen was camped by the side of the net with almost no opposition. Therefore a quick pass cross-ice to Jokinen would and did result in a easy goal. After this goal, although deflated, the Devils fans had a game 7 overtime to look forward too. Unfortunately 48 seconds later Brodeur gave up another goal, stick side under his arm, similar to another goal he gave up earlier in the game. Ultimately the Devils lost to the Hurricanes and have an offseason to think about those last 80 seconds. 

The Devils in this game seem to have been guilty of counting their chickens before they were hatched. Who could blame them. Leading the game with a one goal lead and Martin Brodeur between the pipes with only 2 minutes left in the series. Clearly the Devils lost this series. The two goals let up late in the third period were "soft" goals as they could have easily been prevented. Jokinen's quick shot off the cross-ice pass was a result of the defense breaking down around Martin Brodeur. However Martin Brodeur foots the bill for the second goal. Not only did he let up the second soft goal of the game but it was the exact same shot. Eric Staal drifted to the glove side of Martin Brodeur and shot across his body slipping the puck under the right arm of Brodeur. Earlier in the game Brodeur let up a goal in the same fashion. Now despite giving up these two soft goals, it is tough to say that Brodeur lost them the game. If the defense had kept face on the Jokinen goal the Hurricanes may not have been able to win that game. Therefore this game was not lost on the weight of Martin  Brodeur's performance but on the defense as a whole. 

Lions Making a Big Decision

Today the Detroit Lions have made a big decision. They have changed their logo to a lion with fangs and lettering that is more aerodynamic. This was a much needed change. Coming off a record low, for the NFL, season at 0-16 it is clear that the lion on the logo truly needed a makeover. What better way to wash the shame of the worst record ever to be recorded in the NFL than by changing the logo. It is doubtless that this change will boost the morale of the fans, ownership, and players. Now that the logo has teeth the offensive line will not give up 52 sacks over the course of the season. The sharp new lettering will give the defense the confidence they need to pick off more than 4 passes in the season. Do not underestimate the power of these two changes. The new lion and lettering will undoubtedly move the offense up out of the current 27th ranking. Yes these changes were truly needed. It is hard to think of how spending time on the draft, free agency, and administration could be a better use of their time than changing the logo. Good for you Detroit. I for one am glad that you have your priorities so right and have truly learned from your 0-16 travesty. 

Wang Problems

For the third start in a row Chien Ming Wang has been absolutely dreadful. This season Wang has pitched only 6 innings total while giving up 23 hits, runs, and earned runs. On top of that he has walked 6 batters and given up 2 homeruns. What is truly troubling about these starts is that Wang has been giving up homeruns. As a sinkerballer Wang is at his best inducing groundballs and going deep into ballgames. Since he is giving up line drive hits and walking men something needs to be done. Normally this kind of struggling would be chalked up to rust from injury. However Wang has not escaped the second inning in his last two starts and is definitely harming the team. Manager Joe Girardi needs to do something with Chien Ming Wang. He can not be sent down to the minors as he is a 3 year veteran which prevents him from being sent down without either being put on waivers or without his permission. In a best case scenario Wang would accept the move to be sent down to the minors, which he should do. The reasoning behind this is twofold. First Wang will be able to work out his problems without hurting the team. Second the bullpen will not be as taxed as they have pitched 21 innings over the course of Wang's three starts. The only question would be who should be brought up. In my opinion Phil Hughes would be the logical choice to replace Wang. Hughes has had major league success and is familiar with the Yankees. Unless Girardi thinks Wang will have an immediate turn around, the decision seems to have been made for both of Wang and Girardi. If Wang wants to truly help the team he will realize the importance of a stint in the minors to the team.

Jets To Play Last Regular Season Game At Giants Stadium

The NFL released the schedules for every team today. Normally this is an uneventful occurrence but this time is a bit different. Since the Giants and Jets will be moving into a new stadium after this season is over they will each have one last home game at the current stadium. The schedule makers have opted to adorn the last home game at the Meadowlands in green giving the game to the Jets. This also would not be notable, however I left out one tiny detail that changes the view on this decision. Currently both the Giants and Jets play their games at Giants Stadium. Lets recap, the Jets will be playing the last regular season game at Giants Stadium. 

Now there are other factors which make this even more questionable. First the stadium, although sometimes referred to as the Meadowlands, is called Giants Stadium. Unfortunately for the Jets this means that when they play their home games they are playing at Giants Stadium. This gives the illusion that the Jets are renting the stadium from their landlords, the Giants. Next the Giants have most recently won a championship. Therefore all of last season the stadium featured a banner which took up an entire side of the stadium. Lastly it only makes sense that the Giants would close out the regular season in the stadium that bares their name. This is where we enter the grey area. The Giants are favored to be a playoff team this season. This does not guarantee that they will play a game in Giants stadium at any point during the playoffs. Best case scenario the Giants get home field throughout the playoffs and win the NFC Championship game to go to the Superbowl. Worst case scenario the Giants do not make the playoffs and Giants Stadium's last home game will be a Jets game. The schedule makers messed up big time here. 

Michael Kay Doesn't Get It

In his second start of the season A.J. Burnett threw six innings of no-hit baseball. Until he gave up a single to left off the bat of Carl Crawford, in a very good at-bat, Burnett's only blemish was a walk to Pat Burrell. Needing a rest, the Yankee bullpen had worked eight full innings the night before when Chien Ming Wang gave up 8 runs in only 1 inning of work. This start was exactly what the Yankees needed as Burnett is shaping up to be the stopper in this young season. However there was something in the game that truly bothered me as a baseball fan. Play by play Announcer Michael Kay, from the third inning on, relentlessly mentioned the no-hitter Burnett was working toward.  

I can not quite remember when it began. Maybe it was in Little League when the team would rally behind the hitter. Maybe it was later on in Babe Ruth when I would tap the corner of the plate with my bat before every pitch. Maybe it was when I saw Bull Durham for the first time. Maybe it was when I would make sure I wore the exact same outfit to every Yankee game for good luck. Whenever it started one thing held true: baseball is superstitious... point blank. Being as unique a game as baseball is, players will do anything that can help them remain in the zone. People who know baseball understand this. Michael Kay is not one of these people. As I was listening to his radio show a caller said he had a problem with how he called the game. Citing the fact that Kay mentioned the no-hitter as his problem with the broadcast. To this criticism Kay went berserk saying that he did not make any difference in the game and that people who believe that "belong in Salem", referring to the Salem witch trials. 

First of all let me state that I truly believe that baseball and superstition go hand in hand. However I also believe that superstition only applies to the players and anything I do watching the game is solely to appease my own superstitions and have no real effect on the game. With that said the announcer has an obligation to respect the fan's wishes. You do not talk about a no-hitter while it is in progress. Period. A true fan will know whats going on and it does not need to be repeated after every batter. Watching the game I grew increasingly more angry with Michael Kay as he would not let up. Anyone who believes that superstitions in baseball are a bunch of malarkey then I offer this piece of advice from Crash Davis "If you believe you're playing well because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you wear women's underwear, then you ARE! And you should know that!" 

Usain Joint

Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica told the German newspaper Bild that when he was younger he tried marijuana. The full quote is this "In Jamaica, you learn as a child how to roll a joint. Everyone here has tried it. I did too -- but I was real young then. My family and my friends don't smoke and I don't hang out any longer with people who smoke." In his home country of Jamaica marijuana use is illegal but there have been several movements to decriminalize it. Aside from Cool Runnings, Jamaica's biggest tie to pop-culture is undoubtedly Bob Marley. As many know Bob Marley was an avid marijuana user and became a cultural icon, in part, because of it. Unfortunately many people then associate the Jamaican people with that type of lifestyle. Although some people in Jamaica, as with any country, are into that lifestyle, it is understandable that some people would find what Usain Bolt said of Jamaican culture a bit troubling. However there is no real problem with what Bolt said. He admitted to being young and curious. Aside from those admissions nothing of substance was said. Being an Olympic athlete he was tested regularly and never failed a test. Unlike the pictures of Michael Phelps hitting a bong, this quote is about past events and Bolt even admitted that he no longer associates with that type of person. Therefore Bolt has said or done nothing wrong. The only gripe here is that which was said about Jamaican culture which may or may not hold some truth.

Beantown

The past few days have been tough on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. On Thursday Nick Adenhart, the 22 year old top pitching prospect, was killed by a drunk driver, a terrible tragedy no team should have to endure. Then on Sunday Josh Beckett nearly drilled Bobby Abreu in the head with a fastball on a called timeout. The benches cleared and Torii Hunter, Justin Speier, and manager Mike Scioscia were all ejected. The Angels won both games mentioned above and should be commended for their resilience in such a tough time. 

I would like to put the Josh Beckett incident under the microscope. This pitch was a bit fishy. Bobby Abreu came up to bat in the bottom of the first with 1 out and a man on second. The count was in favor of Josh Beckett at 1-2. With Chone Figgins, a threat to steal a base, at second base Josh Beckett was checking second base to make sure Figgins did not take off. However the amount of time taken to throw the pitch was highly inordinate at 11 seconds. Since Bobby Abreu was in the batters box for this whole time he chose to call time and the umpire granted him time out.  Apparently aggravated by such a preposterous decision to call time after an 11 second wait at the plate Josh Beckett threw a fastball near the head of Bobby Abreu well after time was called. Beckett was already in his windup but that does not excuse the pitch. Since Jason Varitek was setting up low and away before the pitch, up and in was clearly not where the pitch was supposed to go. 

After the pitch was thrown Bobby Abreu took a step back and looked at Josh Beckett with the "what the hell" look we are all familiar with. The umpire immediately went to restrain the stationary Bobby Abreu from advancing on Josh Beckett. The only problem with this is that at this point Josh Beckett was charging the plate. Inevitably the benches cleared and people were ejected. The people ejected were Justin Speier, Mike Scioscia, Mickey Hatcher, and Torii Hunter. Only Torii Hunter truly deserved to be ejected as he reacted with anger and needed to be restrained. Clearly Mike Scioscia was pulling an old managerial trick by getting ejected on his own volition. One person who was not ejected was pitcher Josh Beckett. Not only did Josh Beckett throw the pitch with intent to send a message, maybe not to hit Abreu, but he also charged the plate which may be a first as the pitcher is the one who threw the pitch. I do not know what the umpire was thinking in this situation. Over the past few years Beckett has established himself as a very accurate pitcher and knows where he is throwing the ball. Given this information it was clear that Beckett was throwing at Abreu. Lets say he hit Abreu which would have been in the head. Abreu might not be able to come back from an injury like that...ever. Think about that Beckett would have ended his career over a called time-out mid-windup. Really Beckett, did it annoy you that much to risk the career of Abreu. 

Suspensions were handed out and Josh Beckett was handed his due punishment. He was suspended 6 games and fined. Of the Angels ejected, Hunter, Scioscia, Speier, and Hatcher, only Hatcher was suspended for one game and the rest were fined.   

The Meaning Seems To Be Lost

With the 2008-2009 NBA season coming to a close it is time to give out the end of the season awards. Probably the most interesting of the award races is the MVP race. The race is clearly between Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both of these players are the leaders of their team. The difference between the two players is that LeBron James' team is in first place and Dwayne Wade's team is in fifth place. In comparison the two players have similar stats but it appears that LeBron James will win the award. A similar occurrence happened last year when Kobe Bryant won he MVP award over Chris Paul who was arguably more qualified. It seemed as though Kobe was given the award in large part because he did not already have an MVP award and also because his team was in first place. This seems to miss the whole point of the award.

Decoding the acronym M.V.P. one would find the phrase Most Valuable Player. Sometimes the meaning of these words can be a bit blurred. While it is true that the best player on the first place team, e.g. LeBron James, is valuable in his own right, it is not always true that that player should win the award. The supporting cast that LeBron James sports is far more impressive than Dwayne Wade's. Made up of mostly younger players and declining veterans, the Heat rely heavily on Wade to pick up the slack in every game. If Wade has a poor game then the team's chances of winning decline greatly. On the other hand LeBron James' team, although a huge part of their team, can have a less than average game without diminishing his team's chance of winning too much. Looking at the stats the two players are fairly even with LeBron slightly ahead as he has 2 more rebounds per game. Aside from the rebound differential the other stats are simply too close to call. 

However the x factor in this race is that the Heat would not be a playoff team if you took Wade out of the lineup. Lets not forget the game against the Chicago Bulls when he hit the shot to send it to overtime. Then while in overtime he stole the ball and hit a three to win the game. Taking James out of the Cavaliers lineup would obviously drop their seed but they would still be a playoff team. Dwayne Wade deserves the trophy but LeBron James will take home the hardware because the writers will be swayed by the number 1 seed. That is not to say that LeBron James does not deserve the award, he had an amazing season and would be a legitimate MVP winner. What this does mean is that Wade is more deserving of the award.

Jack Elway following the advice of Fleetwood Mac

Jack Elway, son of NFL Hall of Fame quaterback John Elway, decided to give up on football and quit the Arizona State Univeristy football team. That was the formal way of saying it. I prefer to say that Jack Elway realized that he did not have to follow in the footsteps of his father. In fact the very notion that this is even news is unbelievable. This piece of information should not be on the Yahoo.com mainpage but rather a small story in the The State Press, the ASU student newspaper. In fact this story is not the headline of the ASU homepage. Essentially this story is relevant to two groups of people. The coaching staff of the ASU football team and the Elways. Otherwise this is not news. Jack, good for you. It can be very difficult to step our of your parents shadow especially when it is someone as iconic as John Elway. You are making it your own way, and I for one wish you good luck on your future endeavours.  

UNC Cruises... I mean Cruises

The nets have been cut down in the NCAA tournament and North Carolina came out on top. Coming back after a crushing defeat in the Semifinal game last year both Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough chose to forgo the NBA Draft and return to win the national title. And they did just that. However it is tough to say they would have expected to cruise to the championship the way they did. The Tarheels did not face a #1 seeded team throughout the tournament. Furthermore they did not win a game by less than 12 points. In case you needed clarification that is udder domination.

Hansbrough and Lawson clearly made the right choice in coming back for one more season. The championship is the cap to Tyler Hansbrough's four year career in which he set the ACC record for points in a career surpassing J.J. Reddick. Experts feel that Hansbrough will not have a fruitful NBA career but that is yet to be seen. During the tournament Ty Lawson put on a clinic. His star rose immensley in the eyes of NBA teams looking for a point guard.

Despite not beating a #1 seed, North Carolina grabbed the competition by the throat and did not let up till the final buzzer was sound. Welcome back to dominance.