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.