Sportsbusters

NO MORE BLOGGING...FOR NOW

2009-05-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break from blogging while I pursue other projects. To be honest, I've become a little depressed about the lack of hits/feedback. I said I'd give it a year and I have done. Trouble is, there are so many stories written about the New York Yankees I feel as though I'm a small fish swimming in a big pool. If you've read my blog and miss it, please send me an email to let me know.

Thanks for reading!

Bruce.

TALK IS CHEAP. PITCHERS (GOOD AND BAD) ARE NOT

2009-05-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK baseball fans are never satisfied. How could they be with the level of expectation in the Big Apple?

When the Yankees and Mets are doing well, the phone-in shows on ESPN and WFAN are pretty quiet.

But when things are going badly, the switchboards are jammed.

Right now, the talk radio hosts are having a field day. And why not. After all, there are plenty of negative things to talk about.

Here are just a few of the topics:

A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez. Okay, so we’re all fed up with talk about performance-enhancing drugs but tipping pitchers, well that’s a whole new ball game.

CC Sabathia: The hefty lefty is 1-3 with a 4.85 ERA, begging the question, is he worth the $161 million the Yankees will pay him over the next seven years.

Ditto AJ Burnett: He’s making $82.5 million over the next five years yet he can’t hold a six-run lead against the Boston Red Sox and has an ERA of 5.90.

Mark Teixeira: Even allowing for the fact that’s he’s a notoriously slow starter, a batting average of .182 is horrendously bad for any player, let alone one who is costing $180 million over the next eight years.

Bad Ollie leaves Mets with massive hole to fill

Oliver Pérez: The Mets have invested $36 million in their left-hander over three years yet it’s anyone’s guess when we will see him again in the Majors after he gave up 28 hits and 24 runs in five starts for an ERA of 9.97.

Sean Green: The relief pitcher is being labeled the new Aaron Heilman after blowing two saves.

David Wright: He’s rapidly “earning” the same tag as A-Rod, namely that he can’t hit in the clutch.

Carlos Beltran: All the ability in the world, but a player with a soft center. Why can’t he play hard every day?

These are just a few of the subjects being debated by disgruntled fans, who don’t seem too impressed with the job done by either Joe Girardi or Jerry Manuel so far this season.

So which side of the city should be worrying the most? Probably the orange and blue rather than the pinstripes.

Coming off dreadful collapses in each of the last two seasons, the Mets – more than anyone – needed to get off to a fast start.

The trouble with baseball is that no sooner have you solved one problem than another appears.

Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz have shored up one end of the game but they’re not of much use if you can’t hand them a lead.

And, with the notable exception of Johan Santana, the Mets’ starters have been anything but consistent so far. I’m sure John Maine and Mike Pelfrey will get it right sooner rather than later, but that still leaves them looking for two more starters.

Yanks manager still has complete faith in CC

Girardi remains 100 percent confident Sabathia will become the ace Yanks’ fans are craving. He’s probably right.

But compare his figures with those of Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, another name linked with the Bronx Bombers during the winter.

Greinke, who signed a new three-year contract worth $38 million with the Royals in January, has a 5-0 record with an ERA of 0.50. Now that’s real value for money.

Given their pitching problems, Chien-Ming Wang’s complete loss of form, injuries to A-Rod, Xavier Nady and Brian Bruney, the failure of Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom to reproduce their spring training form, and a complete lack of reliability in the bullpen, Yankee fans should be ecstatic their team is 13-11.

Let’s not forget that this record includes 15-5, 10-2, 22-4 and 16-11 defeats, not to mention a three-game sweep in Boston.

The Yankees are fortunate to have a sixth pitcher in Phil Hughes and their batting lineup will look a lot deeper if and when A-Rod returns next week.

The bad news for the Yanks is that they’re competing in the toughest division in baseball, especially with the Toronto Blue Jays getting off to an 18-9 start.

Despite being well below .500, the Mets are only two-and-a-half games out of first place.

Of course, we’re little more than a month into the season. But it’s going to take a major turnaround in the fortunes of both clubs to stop those switchboard lights flashing.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR PHILSOPHICAL HUGHES

2009-04-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

ON THE DAY the New York Yankees slashed premium ticket prices, there was a certain irony that it was a homegrown talent who should end their slump.

Not big-money signings CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett –two of the men signed to put bums on seats at the new Yankee Stadium – but Phil Hughes, the Yanks’ first-round draft pick in 2004.

Little more than a year ago, Hughes was so highly regarded that general manager Brian Cashman wouldn’t even entertain including him in a trade for the great Johan Santana.

When he failed to win a game in eight starts in 2008, that looked a serious error of judgment.

To his credit, Hughes took his medicine and returned to Triple-A baseball to work on his game and develop a curveball. His education continued in the Arizona Fall League.

Last night, in Detroit, the 23-year-old right-hander from Mission Viejo, California, made a triumphant return, allowing just two hits in six shutout innings to help end the Yanks’ four-game losing streak.

He managed to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and of the 99 pitches he threw, 58 were strikes. His fastball averaged 91.3 mph and reached a velocity of 94 mph.

With the Yankees making the most of a fielding error in the seventh inning to score 10 runs, Hughes was rewarded with the win his performance deserved.

Of course, one swallow doesn’t make a summer and Hughes has yet to prove he can pitch to this level on a consistent basis.

But with Chien-Ming Wang out of sorts, the Yanks need a fifth starting pitcher, and Hughes could hardly have provided them with more encouragement last night.

Young Yankees pitcher makes triumphant return

Dave Eiland, the Yankees’ pitching coach, said he was delighted but not surprised. “I think he has something to prove,” said Eiland.

“That’s a good thing. He can build on this, but it’s only one game. Let’s see him do it again and again and again. He was tremendous tonight. But I’ve seen him do that before and it doesn’t surprise me. That’s how good he can be. He’s much more focused and confident now.”

A healthy Hughes pitching well gives the Yankees so many more options. Dare I say it, but if Wang can iron out his problems, they can even consider putting Joba Chamberlain back in the bullpen where he belongs.

After getting swept in Boston, and losing game one at Comerica Park, the Yanks were in desperate need of a lift from someone.

Although Sabathia pitched competently the previous night, the Yankees were behind from the very first inning.

Hughes was so good that he was able to outlast Edwin Jackson and give his team the chance to feast on Tigers reliever Ryan Perry.

Now the challenge is for the rest of the Yankees’ starting rotation to follow suit. On paper, they have the pitchers to put together a similar run to the red Sox, whose 11-game winning streak came to an end in Cleveland last night.

As Hughes demonstrated in Detroit, a stellar pitching performance can cover up a multitude of sins, such as a struggling bullpen and out-of-form hitters.

Good things can happen, like a fielder misjudging a routine fly ball and your No. 8 hitter lacing a fastball over the fence for a grand slam.

CASHMAN AND GIRARDI DRINKING AT LAST CHANCE SALOON

2009-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

THEY'RE not in last place in the American League East…yet. But when it comes to pitching statistics, the New York Yankees are rock bottom of the AL pile.

Nineteen games played, 117 runs conceded, and an ERA of 6.18. Not bad for a franchise that spent close to $250 million in the winter in an attempt to improve their pitching.

Left red faced by the Red Sox, and tamed by the Tigers last night, it’s fair to say that things have not gone according to plan for general manager Brian Cashman and team manager Joe Girardi so far.

Okay, so they’ve had more than their fair share of injuries, losing Alex Rodriguez, Xavier Nady and Cody Ransom. But as one New York radio host put it, how can a team with an annual payroll of more than $200 million have so many needs?

Are the Yankees free from blame over Chien-Ming Wang’s complete loss of form? Shouldn’t they have seen the warning signs during spring training? Did they work him hard enough to rebuild his strength? After all, surely that’s what spring training is about.

Cashman has been given more money to spend that any other GM in baseball. Yet here we are, with the season less than a month old, and the Yankees’ roster is already looking threadbare.

There are more players lining up for the DH spot than a closing down sale at Circuit City. Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon look as though they are ready to draw their pension. Jorge Posada, and dare I say it, Derek Jeter are not far behind them.

And therein lies the problem. A lot of the Yankee stars are growing old together – and, unlike the Boston Red Sox, the youngsters being groomed to replace them are not up to the job.

Optimism that Brett Gardner could become the everyday center fielder looks misplaced. Angel Berroa may be a good fielder but he can’t hit either. Melky Cabrera has not developed in the way the Yankees had hoped for.

Nick Swisher was signed to be a bench player, which is exactly what he looks like now the honeymoon period is over, and with Mark Teixeira (.220) failing to make an early impression, rejuvenated Robinson Cano is the only batter over .300.

Yankees’ many failings reflect badly on management

That might not have been such a problem had CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett justified their exorbitant wages. But Burnett couldn’t hold a six-run lead in Boston and Sabathia has been no better than okay so far, which isn’t good enough when you come up against someone pitching like Justin Verlander did for Detroit last night.

Am I the only one sick and tired of listening to Girardi wax lyrical about how good the opposition pitcher was? Let’s not forget that Verlander lost his first two starts so maybe some of it was down to the fact that he was facing a team devoid of form and confidence.

The Yankees are paying the price for continuing to believe that they can buy success, while other teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays and the Pittsburgh Pirates build from within. Remember Carlos Pena, Russ Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens? Just three of the many Yankee rejects making the most of a second chance elsewhere.

In New York, eight years is a long time without a World Series. Patience is not a virtue among the fans. Anyone who listened to the phone-in shows on Monday morning will know that. Getting swept by Boston – and having your nose rubbed in the dirt by Jacoby Ellsbury – is just not acceptable.

Maybe the Yankees will turn it around when A-Rod returns. No pressure there then on a player not renowned for producing his best when it’s needed most.

Messrs Cashman and Girardi had better hope so because they’re drinking at the Last Chance Saloon. Cashman’s judgment is being questioned…and rightly so. How could he let the Yanks go into the 2009 season with such a weak bench?

When Girardi took over from Joe Torre in October 2007, many were expecting him to manage with a “bulldog spirit”, to drill his troops like a sergeant major. Instead, he has become an apologist.

Torre had the Midas touch. He was able to pluck the right man for the right situation from the bullpen. Girardi is exactly the opposite. He seems to micro manage and every move he makes backfires.

Maybe he’s just unlucky. Or maybe Torre was fortunate enough to have better players at his disposal.

CAN YANKS SHIFT BALANCE OF POWER BACK TO THE BRONX?

2009-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

THE NEW YORK YANKEES – year in and year out the team with the highest payroll in baseball – are not accustomed to being cast in the role of underdog.

But that’s exactly what they will be when they renew their annual rivalry with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend.

For the best part of a century, the Red Sox had to live in the shadow of the “Evil Empire.” But that’s all changed in the new millennium.

The last of the Yankees’ 26 World Series titles came in 2000. Since then, the Sox have won two championships, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 and the Colorado Rockies in 2007.

Diehard Yankees fans still feel the pain of losing the 2004 American League Championship Series 4-3 after winning the first three games.

The balance of power in the AL East has shifted up the Eastern Seaboard to Massachusetts. The Red Sox ended the Yanks’ nine-year winning run in 2007 and even though they only finished second last year, they still beat the Yankees to the wild card.

New York fans are not used to such mediocrity. That’s why the Steinbrenner family said to hell with the economic depression and sanctioned spending totaling $423.5 million on three free-agent acquisitions during the winter.

Red Sox still in the ascendancy

Of course, money is no guarantee of renewed success. Both the Yanks and Sox were humbled by the low-budget Tampa Bay Rays in 2008.

It’s still way too early to make any firm judgments about what will happen in 2009. But we should get a few more clues over the next three days.

The 9-6 Yanks have won their last three games, but that’s nothing compared to Boston, who have recovered from a 2-6 start to win their last seven…and by a margin of 55-20.

Despite the loss of Manny Ramirez, the Sox still have a batting lineup with patience and power.

In contrast, the Yankees’ batting is not quite as deep as it used to be, especially without Alex Rodriguez, who is currently rehabbing after hip surgery. First baseman Mark Teixeira can expect a similar reception to the one he received in Baltimore after rejecting both the Orioles and Red Sox in favor of signing with New York.

The Yankees have placed more emphasis on improving their starting pitching this season. So far, it has failed to pan out quite the way they planned.

AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte have delivered. But CC Sabathia has again struggled in the month of April, Joba Chamberlain has yet to prove he’s as good a starter as he is a reliever, and Chien-Ming Wang has been worse than awful.

Pitchers must match up to Beckett and Lester

Chamberlain goes up against Jon Lester tomorrow night. He’ll be followed by Burnett v Josh Beckett and Pettitte v Justin Masterson. So even with the Yanks' upgrades, it’s advantage Red Sox.

The Yankees are hoping Sabathia and Burnett will do for them what Beckett and Lester have done for Boston: be consistent aces.

There’s no substitute for solid starting pitching, especially in October, and the chances of the Yankees recapturing former glories hinge on a settled rotation.

They need their starters to go seven innings on a regular basis so they can hand a lead over to Brian Bruney and Mariano Rivera.

So it’s seconds out and round one of the annual 18-game slugfest between two of baseball’s heavyweights.

They finished dead level at 9-9 in 2008, but over the last seven regular seasons, the Yankees lead 68-63. Any advantage gained by either team could be especially significant this year.

WANG’S WOES MAKE YANKEES LOOK AVERAGE

2009-04-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

THE GOOD NEWS is that, somehow, the New York Yankees are 7-6. The bad news is that there are more holes in their lineup than a Swiss cheese.

Despite spending $423.5 million on upgrading their playing staff in the winter, the early indications are that this is going to be another long, hot summer for Yankees fans.

The Indians were circling the wagons this weekend, outscoring the home team 40-19 in four games, yet the Yanks escaped with a 2-2 split.

Yes, it’s still early days; the pennant isn’t decided in April. But, right at the moment, you get the feeling that manager Joe Girardi is desperately trying to paper over the cracks.

The acquisition of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett has been offset by the inexplicable loss of form by Chien-Ming Wang.

Wang, a 19-game winner in 2007, has given up 23 earned runs and 23 hits in just six innings for a whopping ERA of 34.50.

The coaching staff secretly fears he has lost his velocity after being out for nearly 10 months with a foot injury. He’s certainly lost the sinker that gets him most of his outs.

Fenway Park is no place for a pitcher to try to regain lost confidence so it would be madness to throw him out there again on Friday.

Joba struggles as starter too

Then there’s Joba Chamberlain. Will the issue of whether he should be the eighth inning guy or a starter ever go away?

For what it’s worth, I’ve never wavered in my view that he should have stayed in the pen.

His pitching – and his psyche – is much more suited to one explosive inning, and who better to hand the ball over to Mariano Rivera?

With Brian Bruney pitching the seventh, Joba the eighth and Mo the ninth, nine times out of ten, the Yanks are going to hold on to a lead.

Not only that, you can use Joba two or three times a week, rather than just once every five days.

And if he’s going to be limited to throwing 150 innings this year, you’re going to be able to stretch him out longer from the pen.

Of course, with Wang struggling, that’s even less likely to happen now. The Yanks have Phil Hughes waiting in the wings for another chance, but he may have to stand in for the man from Taiwan.

With the notable exception of Rivera and Bruney, the bullpen has looked anything but solid so far this season.

Bullpen reliant on Bruney and Rivera

Phil Coke is a work in progress; there are no in-betweens with José Veras – he’s either brilliant or rank bad – and Dámaso Marte, the man signed to fool lefties, can’t fool anyone.

As for the batting lineup, there are too many easy outs without either Alex Rodriguez or Xavier Nady in it.

In the American League, you simply can’t afford to play Cody Ransom (.150), Brett Gardner (.244) and José Molina in the same team. Yet Girardi has no other choice on the days he wants to rest Jorge Posada.

Hopefully, A-Rod will be back in early May, and there’s a chance that Nady may play again this season rather than undergo Tommy John surgery on an elbow injury.

Nick Swisher’s hot bat has been a bonus but the once-formidable Hideki Matsui is hitting .194 and as one New York baseball reporter put it, you get the feeling that the Yankees are one more injury away from serious offensive problems.

When you factor in that the Yankees are not a great defensive team either, it’s hard to see them putting together the winning streaks you need to win the division.

A pessimistic point of view, certainly. But, right now, a realistic one too.

COKE CHOKE TAKES FIZZ OUT OF YANKEES

2009-04-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

STILL WONDERING why both New York teams missed the playoffs last season?

Well, if any further evidence was required, just look at the way the Yankees and Mets contrived to lose games yesterday.

If he’s not the best starting pitcher in baseball – and he gets my vote – then Johan Santana is certainly the most dependable.

When Santana starts, the Mets must win. It’s as simple as that. You can’t rely on the rest of the rotation to produce on a regular basis.

Santana could hardly have done more against the Florida Marlins, striking out 13 in seven superlative innings.

But all his good work was undone when Daniel Murphy dropped a regulation fly ball from Cody Ross with two out. That enabled Josh Johnson to emerge the winner, even though he gave up five hits compared to Santana’s three.

So the Mets return to New York for today’s home opener against the San Diego Padres with a 3-3 record. It could be worse, but it could be so much better.

The Yankees are also 3-3. Not so bad, you might say, after losing their first two games.

But if you harbor serious ambitions of making the playoffs – let alone winning the World Series – you need to have a better than 50-50 record against the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals.

Quite frankly, the Royals stink. They’re perennial losers. The Yanks had them on the ropes but failed to deliver the knockout blow with a really sloppy performance that denied them the sweep.

New York teams show their soft center

Joba Chamberlain pitched well and they led 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth with two out and none on. But manager Joe Girardi’s faith in 26-year-old Phil Coke to get the final out proved misplaced.

Coke gave up the lead, plus another two runs, to leave Girardi’s critics (and there are quite a few of those now after last season) questioning why he didn’t call on mighty Mo – the game’s greatest closer, Mariano Rivera – for a four-out save.

Coke showed great potential at the end of last season, and again in spring training, but he was untested in pressure situations.

For all the money they spent in the winter, the Yanks lineup still has plenty of holes in it, especially without Alex Rodriguez and, now, Mark Teixeira, who has a wrist injury.

Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom have, so far, failed to reproduce the form they showed in spring training. Ransom is 1 for 20 and neither has done enough to convince that they can be an everyday player.

Add Jose Molina and Melky Cabrera to the starting nine and you have a National League batting lineup.

Hideki Matsui looks a shadow of his former self and the Yanks’ batting is nowhere near as fearsome as it was with Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu in it.

Less than a week into the season and Girardi is resting players. I’m sorry, Joe, but without A-Rod and Teixeira, that’s a luxury you can’t afford.

Instead of heading to Tampa today, and a difficult three-game series against the Rays, on a four-game winning run, the Yanks are on a down.

If they’re to succeed this season where they failed in 2008, then both the Mets and Yankees need to replace their soft center with a real ruthless streak.

KENNY PERRY'S HOUSE OF PAIN

2009-04-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

PHIL WAS FABULOUS on the front nine. Tiger clawed his way back into contention. Chad dropped out on the first extra hole and someone up above was smiling on Ángel when his second shot on the 18th hole cannoned back off a pine tree and into the fairway.

But, on a thrilling final day at Augusta National, it was Kenny Perry’s Masters to win or lose.

Aged 48 years and eight months, Perry should have become the oldest man in history to don the famous Green Jacket. Sadly, he will be remembered as yet another golfer to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

All he had to do was play the last two holes in one over par. However, back-to-back bogeys forced him into a three-man play-off, and he eventually had to settle for second place when he bogeyed the second extra hole.

Such is the unique pressure that comes with trying to win your first Major. In the end, it proved too much for the likeable veteran from Franklin, Kentucky, who was brutally honest in the assessment of his own performance.

“It just seems like when it gets down to those deals, I can’t seem to execute,” said Perry, who lost to Mark Brooks in a playoff to decide the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla. “Great players make it happen and your average players don’t. And that’s the way it is.”

Agony and ecstacy as Cabrera wins Masters

Ángel Cabrera had the distinct advantage of having been there before. He won the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 2007. Now he’s the first Argentine to win the Masters.

Cabrera, who used to smoke his way around the golf course, now tries to calm his nerves by chewing gum instead. He looked to have blown his chance when his drive at the 18th ended up among the pine needles.

But an excellent third shot left him a knee-trembling six-footer to save par and with Perry missing his putt, he was handed a second chance.

It wasn’t just Perry who left Georgia wondering what might have been. Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods both threatened to overcome a seven-shot deficit going into the final round, only to shoot themselves in the foot.

Woods, like Perry, bogeyed the last two holes. Mickelson, who covered the front nine in 30 to reach 10 under – just one shot off the lead – hit his tee shot into Rae's Creek at the 155-yard par three 12th and ended up taking double bogey five.

There will undoubtedly be other days for both Woods and Mickelson. But will Kenny Perry ever get another shot at greatness?

RAYS’ STING MORE LETHAL THAN RED SOX

2009-04-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

YANKEES WIN! Theeeeee Yankees win! At the third time of asking.

Okay, so we were hoping for a better start to the 2009 campaign, but after CC and CMW were blown away, at least AJ saved New York from what would have been a demoralizing 3-0 sweep by the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

And for all the travails of CC Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang, the Yanks are no worse off than the Red Sox.

In fact, you could argue that they’ve made a better start than Boston, whose 2-1 opening series defeat by the Tampa Bay Rays came at Fenway Park.

It may be a little early to start comparing records, three games into a 162-game marathon. But to earn the right for a crack at winning their first World Series since 2000, the Yanks are going to have to finish above at least one of those teams, if not both.

The question is, which one will be their main rival?

Some pundits are predicting the Rays will “bounce” after surprising everyone by winning the American League and reaching the World Series in 2008. Personally, I can’t see it.

The Red Sox may (and I stress may) have the better starting pitching but they’re getting older and, of course, they don’t have Manny Ramirez this year.

That one-two punch of David Ortiz and Ramirez was enough to frighten any pitcher. It was a case of picking your poison. Pitch around them – and risk loading the bases – or challenge them and risk losing the game there and then.

Tampa have wild card to play in Price

Of course, the Sox found a pretty good replacement in Jason Bay. With Bay at six and Mike Lowell at seven, their batting lineup has depth. But it’s still not as intimidating as it was with Manny.

The Rays have a tremendous trio in Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria and Carlos Peña. They’ve also strengthened their batting with the acquisition of Pat Burrell from Philadelphia.

James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann don’t look quite as menacing as Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny.

But the Rays have a wild card in David Price, who finds himself back in the minors after being thrust into the limelight in the post-season last October.

Price is still learning his trade. However, he has the potential to make a similar impact for the Rays that Joba Chamberlain has for the Yankees. Watch this space.

The Rays’ bullpen has improved in leaps and bounds. But perhaps their biggest weakness is their closer, Troy Percival, who hardly matches up with the legendary Mariano Rivera or tough-as-teak Jonathan Papelbon.

Thanks to the addition of Sabathia and AJ Burnett, the Yanks have, on paper at least, the most complete rotation.

It will be interesting to see whether it pays dividends over the next two days against the Kansas City Royals, who have the unenviable tasking of pitting their No. 4 and No. 5 starters against Andy Pettitte and Chamberlain.

THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER FOR CC AND TEX.

2009-04-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

THE NEW YORK YANKEES looked like a million dollars in spring training. Or, to be more accurate, they looked like a team with a $200 million-plus payroll.

But if ever there was an example that spring training counts for nothing then it came at Camden Yards yesterday as the Yanks, and $161 million dollar man CC Sabathia in particular, suffered an embarrassing 10-5 defeat.

Baseball fans (and reporters) are prone to overreaction. If some of today’s newspaper columns are to be believed, then the Bronx Bombers are one and done.

But although the Yanks lost the opening day battle in Baltimore, they can – and most probably will – still win the war.

Those expecting a Johan Santana-like pitching performance from Sabathia should remember he is a notoriously slow starter. He went 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA in his first four outings in 2008.

Trouble is that when you’ve spent the kind of money the Yanks have on rebuilding their team this winter, then you want to see an instant return.

Hopefully, CC – with the aid of his heating pad – won’t take quite so long to warm up this year.

He needs to get the fans on his side and it won’t take too many more outings like yesterday’s, when he gave up six runs and eight hits in just 4.1 innings, to have people questioning whether he really is worth all that money.

For the first time in 110 starts, Sabathia failed to record one strikeout. He had never previously thrown two wild pitches in the same inning. It was also the first time he had lost to the Orioles in ten career starts.

Opening day anguish for big-money signings

“It was just command of the fastball,” he said. “I’ve stressed this – everything I throw is off my fastball: my changeup, my cutter, my two-seamer. When I can’t find command of that and can’t get ahead of guys, it’s pretty difficult for me.”

Maybe Sabathia was nervous; maybe it was the cold, damp conditions in Maryland. Whatever the case, he will be hoping for much better on his second start.

So too will another of the Yankees’ big-money signings, Mark Teixeira, who had a miserable debut against his hometown team, going 0 for 4.

Teixeira, who spurned an offer from the Orioles to sign an eight-year, $180 million contract with New York, was booed by the fans.

“I would expect Orioles fans are going to boo the Yankees,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, where you grew up or what your name is.”

Welcome to New York, Mark and CC. In just one day, you’ve learned about the pressure that comes with playing for the Yankees.

You’ve learned about the fickle fans that flood the radio phone-ins after each and every defeat. You’ve learned about the reaction you can expect on the road from opposing supporters. And you’ve learned about the tabloid newspapers with banner headlines screaming “Money For Nothing.”

You should also have learned that the Yankees have some pretty good players and, given a season free of major injuries, there should be more good days than bad.

PARTY POOPER TIGER EYEING FIFTH MASTERS

2009-03-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

SORRY, Phil, Geoff, Padraig and all you other professional golfers who’ve been having a ball for the past nine months; the party’s over. THE man is back.

If anyone thought it would take Tiger Woods time to get back in the swing following reconstructive surgery on his left knee then they were right: 35 days, to be precise.

That’s the number of days between Tiger making his comeback in the Accenture Match Play Championship and winning the 66th PGA Tour title of his illustrious career.

On Sunday, he recorded his sixth victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in typical Woods fashion with a birdie on the 72nd hole.

Even those of us who never doubted that the world number one would return as good as new surely didn’t expect him to win on just his third tournament back.

But perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised because if Tiger didn’t think he had a chance of winning, then he wouldn’t bother to turn up.

Such is his strength – both physical and mental – that he has been able to overcome an injury that might have destroyed a lesser player’s career.

And while that’s not such good news for his “rivals” like Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy and Padraig Harrington, it’s great news for golf fans and the PGA TOUR.

Tiger has been sorely missed…not just by us but also by the broadcasters, who have seen viewing figures plummet, and by the sponsors, whose numbers have been dwindling due to the recession.

Everyone’s happy…except Woods’ fellow pros

There’s an advert doing the rounds on the worldwide web at the moment showing a clubhouse full of jokes and jollity being reduced to reverend silence when Woods walks in. “Good to see you back, Tiger,” says one golfer, grudgingly.

Okay, so it’s going to be harder to win tournaments – especially the Majors – from now on but look at it this way: any event you win without Tiger in the field is hugely devalued.

The frightening thought for his fellow pros is that there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Woods had to sink a long putt just to make bogey on the final hole of his third round and force his way into the final group with Zach Johnson and five-shot leader Sean O’Hair.

That proved to be of great significance, for as one commentator succinctly put it, O’Hair might have won comfortably had he been in the group ahead.

Instead, he spent Sunday afternoon being stalked by a Tiger. The anxiety clearly got to him as he shot a three-over-par 73 compared to Woods’ three-under 67.

With dusk about to give way to darkness and a playoff looming, Woods – as he did last year and in 2001 – made his last shot a winning one, draining a 16-foot putt before celebrating with the now customary fist-pump, and embrace with caddie Steve Williams.

“It feels good, it feels really good,” said Woods after matching his biggest comeback in a PGA TOUR event. “It’s great to be back in contention again, to feel the rush and have to deal with everything coming down the stretch.”

What price now against Woods winning his fifth Masters Green Jacket at Augusta National in two weeks’ time?

Odds of 2-1 look pretty skinny but if you like backing favorites with guts, heart and class, then Tiger’s your man.

NOT EVEN AIG EXECS CAN AFFORD THE BEST SEATS AT THE NEW YANKEE STADIUM

2009-03-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

WHICH IS MORE OBSCENE? The bonuses paid to its executives by the American International Group (AIG) or some of the prices the New York Yankees are charging to watch a baseball game at their new stadium in the Bronx.

In truth, it’s a close call. In fact, if you haven’t recently received a bonus for services rendered (or not as the case may be), then forget about going to the Yankees’ home opener against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, April 16.

The good news is that there are still some tickets left. The bad news is that if you buy one, you won’t have much change left from $3,000.

Yes, you read correctly – $3,000. A seat in the Legends Suite will set you back $2,625, plus a convenience charge of $59.70.

I love that phrase, “convenience charge.” Is that a charge to use the public conveniences (Brit-speak for restrooms)? Whatever it is, it sure as hell ain’t being levied for your convenience.

After surveying the ticket prices at yankees.com, it appears there is also a processing fee, no doubt to cover the cost of processing the convenience charge.

Okay, so you can sit in the nosebleeds (baseball-speak for the bleachers) for just $14 – if there are any left – but whatever you do, don’t take your car to the game because it will cost you more than the price of your seat to park at the new Yankee Stadium: $19, to be precise.

What, so you expected a concession due to the fact that you’d already bought a ticket to the game? Tsk, tsk.

Bronx Bombers bank on beating recession

Far better to let the train take the strain, providing, of course, that the new Metro North Station in the Bronx is open (I gather it won’t be for the first home stand of the season).

Take your checkbook with you if you want to sample one of Lobel’s freshly sliced dry-aged prime rib sandwich, which will sell for $15. My advice is Eat Fresh, Eat Subway. Failing that, eat on the subway itself.

I’ve yet to ascertain the price of beer but I can personally vouch for the fact that at the old Yankee Stadium, a 24 oz Heineken set you back $12.50.

Two beers for the price of…well, two, or maybe three, depending on whether its happy hour in your local boozer. At least you only have to make half as many trips to the bathroom.

Okay, so I know it’s all about supply and demand. After all, someone has to keep hefty-lefty CC Sabathia in hamburgers.

Someone has to pay into Derek Jeter’s retirement fund and for A-Rod’s performance-enhancing drugs. Oops, sorry, he stopped taking them back in 2003 when he was young and stupid. Thank God he’s old and wise now.

I love baseball; I love the New York Yankees. I wish I could afford to buy the best seat in the house, but I can’t.

Only corporate America and companies like AIG can do that these days…or can they?

UNITED STUMBLE AGAIN ON ROAD TO QUINTUPLE

2009-03-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER UNITED, according to Forbes magazine, is the world’s richest football club.

Those resources have enabled manager Sir Alex Ferguson to attract talent of the caliber of World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, Bulgarian striker Dimitar Bebatov and Argentinian Carlos Tévez to Old Trafford.

Such is United’s strength in depth that Tevez usually plays only a cameo role from the substitutes’ bench.

But for all their flair and resources, you would have got long odds against the Red Devils winning all five of the competitions they entered this season.

Not so long ago, doing the “double” (league and FA Cup) was regarded as the pinnacle of achievement in English football.

Now, United are shooting for the stars as they go for the “quintuple.” And with the Club World Cup and Carling Cup already safely locked away in the trophy cabinet, it’s not just fantasy football.

United are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they will be expected to overcome Porto. They face Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

A few weeks ago, they looked to have had the Barclays Premier League title wrapped up for the third successive year.

But two unexpected defeats, 4-1 at home to Liverpool followed by a 2-0 reverse at Fulham on Saturday, have breathed new life into the title race. It was the first time United had suffered back-to-back league defeats in 147 games.

Liverpool, who thrashed fading Aston Villa 5-0 at Anfield yesterday, are now just one point behind their arch rivals, although United do have a game in hand.

As if losing to Fulham was not bad enough, United had two players – Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney – sent-off, meaning the duo now face suspension.

"We'll need a lot of luck" – Fergie

Even with the size of their squad, United will need luck with both injuries and suspensions on the run-in if they are to keep their hopes of five alive.

Ferguson, for one, believes it’s a tall order. “The thing about cup football is you need to be the best but you also need a lot of luck and I think it’s asking too much for all the games to go your way,” he says.

“The one thing I will say is this squad is the best I have ever had. Every game we play, I feel confident.”

The two-week hiatus for international football has probably come at just the right time for United.

And the good news is that when the players return, their next game is at home to Villa on Sunday, April 5.

Only a few weeks ago, Martin O’Neill’s team looked a good bet to finish ahead of Arsenal and claim the fourth Champions League place for next season.

But it’s all gone horribly wrong since then. They haven’t won in their last eight league and cup matches and the lack of depth in their squad compared to United and Co. has been exposed.

Villa were no match for Liverpool at the weekend, crashing to a 5-0 defeat, and it will take all of O’Neill’s considerable motivational skills to coax a performance out of his tired troops at Old Trafford.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson believes United will still come out on top, saying: “United are such a good team with so many good players, I still think they are favorites for the championship this year. But the last two defeats have given the teams chasing them that little bit more hope.”

Third-placed Chelsea missed the chance to join Liverpool on 64 points when they were beaten 1-0 by rapidly improving Tottenham.

It’s still a three-horse race but United have the pedigree and the British bookmakers still make them a 1-3 shot to finish top with Liverpool 11-4 and Chelsea 14-1.

THINGS GO BETTER WITH COKE!

2009-03-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

PHILLIP COKE, Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom. They’re three of the lesser-known names on the New York Yankees’ roster but a trio who could make a significant contribution during the 2009 season.

There’s an old saying in baseball that spring training counts for nothing. If you’re looking for a stat to back that up then here’s one for you: Kei Igawa, the Yanks’ $46 million Japanese misfit, has yet to give up a run in nine innings pitched.

Igawa has been such a disappointment in Major League Baseball that he couldn’t even make the Japanese squad for the World Baseball Classic.

So does anyone seriously believe that this is anything more than a flash in the pan or that he’s going to force his way into the starting rotation some time this year? Probably not.

But just as Igawa’s improved performances may catch the eye of another team desperate for pitching, so Ransom, Gardner and Coke have been earning brownie points from manager Joe Girardi.

Up until a few weeks ago, Ransom could expect to play only a cameo role from the bench. Now, with Alex Rodriguez recovering from hip surgery, he is the Yanks’ first-choice third baseman.

For a man of his age (33), Ransom has made remarkably few plate appearances. He’s no A-Rod, but with nine runs and 14 hits in 35 at bats in spring training (.400 ERA) so far, he’s done enough to convince general manager Brian Cashman he can hold the fort until Rodriguez is ready to return.

Three musketeers earn shot at stardom

With eight runs (three of them homers) and 12 hits in 32 at bats for an ERA of .375, Gardner has been equally impressive. Already, he’s earned the right to start the season at center field ahead of Melky Cabrera.

An excellent fielder, Gardner has tremendous speed and is always a threat to steal a base or two. Nobody is expecting him to be a power hitter in the majors. His job is to get on base and then distract the opposing pitcher.

If he can do that – and the signs are encouraging – then he will be a tremendous asset to the Yankees.

Coke, 26, started 2008 pitching in Double-A baseball for Trenton Thunder. He finished the year in the Yankees bullpen, allowing just one run in 14.2 innings.

Again, those stats could be misleading as the Yanks were out of playoff contention by then.

But Coke has continued where he left off in spring training, conceding only two runs in eight innings.

He’s made such a good impression with Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland that he could conceivably become the main lefty out of the pen ahead of the injured Dámaso Marte.

Of course, when the curtain goes up on the 2009 MLB season on April 6th, the spotlight will be on CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.

But keep an eye on The Three Musketeers who are earning their shot at stardom down in Tampa.

LET THE REAL GAMES BEGIN, PLEASE

2009-03-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

BORED WITH BASKETBALL? Irked by ice hockey? Sick of spring training and not wild about the World Baseball Classic?

Well, if you fall into any of these categories, the good news is that the real baseball season is now little more than three weeks away.

Quite frankly, it can’t come soon enough for this New York Yankees fan.

I’ve tried to form attachments to the other sports but it’s just not working. The Knicks and Nets suck, the Rangers are skating on thin ice and UConn – my wife’s alma mater – can’t even get past Syracuse in six overtimes.

It’s about time I backed a winner…and up until a week ago, I was pretty sure it would be your 2009 Yankees.

Now, before a ball has been thrown in anger, I’m not feeling quite so confident.

For all his faults, Alex Rodriguez is an integral part of the Yankees’ batting line-up and being without him for at least the first month is a major blow.

Jorge Posada has yet to catch a game in spring training and we’re still awaiting Mariano Rivera’s first pitch.

The pair have reportedly made a full recovery from major surgery during the winter. But let’s not forget that they’re both in their late thirties so it’s asking a lot for them to return as good they were.

Most fans agree that, for once, the Yanks’ prospects of making the playoffs and beyond hinge on their starting pitching rather than bludgeoning their opponents to death with their bats.

And after spending top dollar on CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, there should be a big improvement in this department.

Spring training not going smoothly for Yankees

However, there are no guarantees. It’s a little worrying that Sabathia was roughed up by Gary Sheffield and the Detroit Tigers on his latest start.

And let’s not forget his shaky start to last season when he went 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA in his first four outings.

That the Yankees overpaid for both Sabathia ($161 million over eight years) and Burnett ($82.5 million over five years) is beyond doubt.

The Boston Red Sox have just signed Jon Lester to a five-year contract extension at a cost of just $30 million. Lester went 16-6 with an ERA of 3.21 in 2008. Compare that to Burnett’s record of 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA.

Yankees fans will be expecting Sabathia and Burnett to start earning their money from day one, which may be unrealistic.

We’re also hoping for great things from Joba Chamberlain, providing he stays the course.

With Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte completing the starting rotation, the Yanks have a powerful pitching line-up on paper. And they also have Phil Hughes standing by as first reserve.

But they’ll need a lot more luck than they had last year when they were plagued by injuries.

The Yanks face a testing start with a nine-game road trip to Baltimore, Kansas and Tampa Bay.

If A-Rod is healthy by early May, if Posada can return as the everyday catcher, if Mariano is still the best closer in baseball, if Sabathia and Burnett are indeed ace pitchers, and if Joba really is a bona fide starter, the Yanks are going to be the team to beat in the American League East.

But that’s a whole lot of ifs…

ALEXANDER THE GRATE

2009-03-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

AT LEAST the New York Yankees should be used to getting held to ransom.

No one comes cheap to the Yankees, least of all Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez.

The Steinbrenner family met the ransom demands set by Scott Boras in December, 2007, when they agreed to pay his biggest client $275 million over a ten-year period.

As the saying goes, act in haste, repent at leisure. Has anything good happened to the Bronx Bombers since then?

Come to think of it, has anything good happened to the Yanks since Rodriguez joined them from the Texas Rangers on February 15, 2004?

The most-fabled franchise in baseball has not won a World Championship since 2000 and last year, they couldn’t even finish in the first two in their division.

True, A-Rod has been voted the American League MVP in two of the last four seasons.

But isn’t that just symptomatic of the fact that it’s no longer about the power, the pride or the pinstripes. It’s all about A-Rod.

The Yanks go out and spend $423.5 on three players during the winter. But what have we read about CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira?

As usual, it's all about A-Rod

Next to nothing, thanks to the never-ending soap that goes under a variety of names such as A-Rod, A-Roid or A-Fraud, but rarely Alexander the Great.

First it was his strained relationship with the skipper, Derek Jeter. Then it was the separation from his wife, Cynthia, and his supposed liaison with Madonna.

This year, it has been the steroids scandal, the lies, the public apology. Now it’s the cyst and the labrum tear in his right hip. An injury, by the way, that the club has apparently known about for nearly ten months.

The Yankees are hoping he can play through the pain. If he can’t, it looks like they will have to rely on journeyman professional Cody Ransom, who is 33 years of age yet has had only 183 at bats in Major League Baseball.

Perhaps it would be better for both the team and the fans if A-Rod went and had the surgery now.

That way we could enjoy the opening of the new stadium and embrace our new players without having to listen to the daily health bulletin on our third baseman.

Every time he opens his mouth, he puts his foot in it, prompting one of the Yankees’ beat reporters to suggest he would better served declining all interviews.

Not much chance of that happening. A-Rod, quiet clearly, loves being the center of attention. Why else would he invite his cousin – the same cousin who injected him with performance-enhancing drugs – to spring training. No one could be that naïve or stupid, could they?

Hank Steinbrenner, part-owner and senior vice president of the Yankees, says that despite it all, he’s still glad A-Rod is part of the organization; that he has no regrets about signing him to a new, long-term deal when the club could have cut him loose.

Today, I wonder just how many Yankees fans feel the same way?

PAKISTAN NOW A NO-GO AREA FOR WORLD SPORTS

2009-03-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

SPORTS AND POLITICS should never mix. That old saying has never been more true following the tragic events in Lahore, Pakistan, today.

Six policemen were killed and seven members of the Sri Lankan cricket team wounded in the latest atrocity on the Indian subcontinent.

The ambush took place as the Sri Lankans were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium to play a Test match against Pakistan.

Officials said the incident bore similarities to the deadly attacks in Mumbai, India, last November. The England cricket team, who were touring India at the time, returned home before agreeing to resume their tour the following month.

There is absolutely no chance of Sri Lanka following suit after an attack that will rock the very foundations of world sport, never mind cricket.

Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, said: “It’s difficult to see international cricket being played in Pakistan for the foreseeable future.”

Should Sri Lankans have even been there?

But the question remains: Should the Sri Lankans have been in Pakistan in the first place?

Australia withdrew from a scheduled tour to Pakistan in March of the last year due to safety concerns and only last month, the ICC decided not to hold this year’s Champions Trophy for the same reason.

In India and Pakistan, cricket is like a religion. The top players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Yousuf are worshipped like gods.

Crowds are large and boisterous. The advent of Twenty20 cricket and the formation of the Indian Premier League have led to a resurgence in interest and generated huge revenue.

Sadly, however, politics has never been too far away. And now, it seems, terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban see sportsmen as a legitimate target.

Former Pakistan Test captain Wasim Bari believes his country should not be subject to a boycott.

“What happened today is a great tragedy but at a time when terrorist attacks are taking place all over the world, Pakistan cricket should not be abandoned or isolated.”

Bari has a point but the fact remains that Pakistan has now gone from a red-flag destination to a no-go area.

Just as South Africa was boycotted by the other cricket-playing nations for 30 years due to apartheid, so Pakistan will be shunned until it can prove that it’s safe to return. That could be some time off.

I SAY STANFORD OLD BEAN, IT'S JUST NOT CRICKET

2009-02-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

SIR ALLEN STANFORD is a name Americans are only just becoming familiar with. But, over on the other side of the pond, Stanford has been making regular appearances on the front page of the tabloids.

Stanford has become as notorious in Britain as Bernie Madoff is in the United States, mainly through his involvement with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Only last summer, the Texan billionaire, who is being accused of an $8 billion fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission, was hailed as the savior of English cricket.

Stanford landed his black and silver branded helicopter at Lord’s in London to make millionaires of England’s cricketers.

He agreed to support five Twenty20 (short-form) matches between the Stanford Super Stars – made up of international cricketers from the West Indies – and the England Test team at $20 million a pop.

The first “Stanford Challenge” took place in Antigua on November 1 and resulted in a crushing victory for the host nation.

But of far more interest to the editors of Britain’s “red top” newspapers were the pictures of Stanford bouncing the pregnant wife of the England wicketkeeper on his knee.

Apparently, some of the England team were upset about Stanford’s regular visits to their inner sanctum – i.e the dressing room.

It was then that some of England’s former cricketing greats started to voice their concern about whether the sport’s association with Stanford was entirely ethical.

So imagine the reaction last week when it was revealed that all their fears about Stanford’s possibly sleazy past look like coming true.

England officials stumped by Texan tycoon

There were calls for Giles Clarke, chairman of the ECB, to resign. Clarke, however, is determined to ride out the storm.

“We have to raise our monies from all kinds of place. Sport cannot exist without money,” he said.

“The issue at the time was ‘Can he (Stanford) pay?’ When somebody offers those sorts of sums of money you want to be completely satisfied he’s going to be capable of paying. He actually did pay and he was capable of paying.”

While Clarke insist the ECB conducted due diligence, the shocks waves of the Stanford affair are still being felt throughout the sports world.

New York Yankees baseball stars Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady had their assets frozen while Phillies reliever Scott Eyre says he’s “broke.”

England footballer Michael Owen and Fijian golfer Vijay Singh are other sportsmen believed to have been victims of Stanford’s Ponzi scheme.

As in the case of Madoff, the list is sure to grow in the coming weeks as 58-year-old Stanford, who holds joint US and Antiguan citizenship, is a flamboyant figure with links to prominent politicians and sports stars.

Stanford was tracked down to Fredericksburg, Virigina, last Thursday. For once, his personal photographer was not with him.

Who said there’s no such thing as bad publicity?

WHY GOLF NEEDS TIGER, TIGER BURNING BRIGHT

2009-02-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

IN HIS ABSENCE, Padraig Harrington won the Oscar for Best Supporting Golfer. But it’s no surprise that the PGA TOUR is rolling out the red carpet for the return of its main box office attraction this week.

Much has happened since Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open Championship on one leg at Torrey Pines last June before hobbling off to have reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

Affable Irishman Harrington, and evergreen Aussie Greg Norman, have provided a few interesting sub-plots.

There’s an old adage in sports that no one player is bigger than the game itself. But in the case of Tiger Woods and golf, it comes pretty close.

Not even a rich man’s sport like golf has escaped the ravages of the recession. And the American taxpayer is increasingly underwriting the PGA TOUR tournament circuit.

No fewer than eight of the Tour’s 2009 events feature primary corporate partners that have received a combined total of $105.2 billion in federal bailout funds.

U.S. Bank has already announced that it will end its sponsorship of the old Greater Milwaukee Open after this year’s tournament in July.

And the PGA TOUR was dealt another blow last week by the news that the Stanford Financial Group, chaired by sports-loving Texas financier Sir Allen Stanford, is facing charges of “massive fraud” by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Stanford Group sponsors the $6 million St Jude Championship, played in Memphis, Tennessee, in June, as well as the LPGA’s season-ending Stanford Financial Tour Championship in Houston.

The bad news does not end there. A total of 22 PGA title sponsorships are due to expire next year and without Tiger, TV viewing figures are inevitably down.

A massive 55% fewer people watched the thrilling showdown between Harrington and Sergio Garcia in the final round of the PGA Championship last August compared to the 2007 event, won by Woods.

TV ratings plummet during Woods’ absence

So no one was happier to hear the news of Woods’ return in this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona, than PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem.

It seems Tiger’s fellow professionals are also happy, even though they realize his presence significantly reduces their own chance of winning.

Phil Mickelson, the man in form after winning the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, summed up what Woods means to professional golf.

“The reason why we all want Tiger back is because he drives the game of golf,” explained Mickelson. “He drives the television ratings, the sponsors need him in their events and the fans turn out to see him.

“We’re very lucky in golf to have the No. 1 athlete in the world. I never thought that would happen. We had some of the greatest players in history, whether it was Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus, but nobody ever reached the status of the premier athlete in the world before.

“He does so much for us on a national level here and on an international level throughout the world. We’ve missed him.”

Every sport needs rivalries and it will be great to see Woods and Mickelson go head-to-head again in the coming months.

Only time will tell whether seven months away from the game has done any damage to Tiger physically, or whether the birth of his second child will diminish his desire to win trophies.

One thing, however, is for sure. PGA TOUR officials will be keeping everything crossed that in the words of William Blake, it’s still Tiger, Tiger burning bright.

HAS BECKHAM REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE TO SOCCER IN THE STATES?

2009-02-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

“I’M COMING here to make a difference.” Those were the words of David Beckham when he signed a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.

Now, after one injury-hit season in Major League Soccer and just 30 appearances, “Becks” wants to turn his back on America in favor of Italian giants AC Milan.

It’s indisputable that Beckham has raised the media profile of soccer in the States. He’s the one player who can rub shoulders with A-Rod and Kobe on ESPN’s SportsCenter program.

There’s an interesting article about the 33-year-old Englishman in today’s New York Times under the headline: His Wish to Exit Hurts, but Beckham Has Helped. Has he really?

Yes, Beckham has brought a buzz to MLS, helped increase attendances and boosted the profile of the league around the world.

Don Garber, the commissioner for MLS, said that even his hiking guide in a small Chinese village was aware of the Galaxy last summer because of Beckham.

The league expects to increase its number of teams from 15 to 18 by 2011 and, by the end of next year, nine stadiums specifically built for soccer are scheduled to be operational.

But one can also argue that Beckham’s desire to cut short his stay in LA will do more harm than good.

During his short loan spell with Milan, Beckham has discovered that it’s much easier being a star when you are surrounded by other quality players.

Star set to quit Galaxy after just one season

He also knows that he has a much better chance of impressing Fabio Capello, the current England coach, in Capello’s native country of Italy rather than the USA.

Beckham playing his football in the MLS is a bit like a Triple Crown winner coming out of retirement to compete in a claiming race at Aqueduct.

Considering the fanfare that greeted his arrival in the States, his departure after such a brief period of time would be a major PR setback for MLS as it enters its 14th season, not to mention the negative effect it will have on the Galaxy and their crowds.

David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California, is quoted by the Times as saying: “Beckham at least rang the doorbell and a lot of people answered.”

But what good is it getting someone interested in a product if you can’t deliver on your promise? Next time, the customer won’t bother opening the door.

The simple truth is MLS needs Beckham more than Beckham needs the MLS.

Juan Pablo Ángel, the New York Red Bulls’ Colombian striker and perhaps the player with the second-highest profile, is not in the same league as Beckham.

Soccer is always going to struggle against American Football and baseball this side of the pond. Those two sports, with their constant interruptions between plays and innings, are so much more advertiser-friendly.

It’s encouraging that viewing figures for international matches are increasing. But MLS is still lights years behind the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga.

Without players with the charisma of Beckham, it always will be.

A-FRAUD FAILS IN THE CLUTCH…AGAIN

2009-02-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

IF ALEX RODRIGUEZ seriously wanted to draw a line under the A-Roid controversy and move on, then he struck out looking in the first inning in Tampa today.

A-Rod was given the chance to come clean in front of the assembled media and elaborate on his “loosey-goosey” interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons a week ago.

Instead, he and the New York Yankees fudged the issue by staging a press conference that was nothing short of a sham.

By refusing to allow any follow-up questions from the reporters, the Yankees effectively enabled A-Rod to dodge every question and stick to the party line fed him by his agent, Scott Boras, and his PR advisors.

If A-Rod really believes this is the end of the matter, he’s living in cloud cuckoo land.

So many questions remain unanswered. Who was the cousin who supplied him with the steroids from the Dominican Republic?

Why did he continue taking steroids for three years, injecting himself twice a month on average, when he claims he couldn’t tell whether they were having any effect?

Can he possibly believe that he was doing anything other than cheating and how can we believe that he has not experimented with any other performance-enhancing drug since 2003?

Yankees star fouls off every question

Joel Sherman of the New York Post summed up A-Rod perfectly when he wrote in his column: “No one thinks about himself more and knows himself less.”

Sherman added: “Rodriguez projects a disingenuous quality that – perhaps more than anything – gives so many people a negative feeling about him.

“There is always a sense that Rodriguez is putting on a show; that he either is not in full touch with himself or that he is always running a con designed to fool you and elevate him.”

From the moment he opened his press conference by reading a prepared statement – a statement he clearly didn’t prepare himself – he came across as exactly that: disingenuous.

He was obviously told to keep repeating the “young and stupid” line and insist that all he wants to do is “move on” with his life.

Yes, it’s unfair that so far Rodriguez’s name has been the only one revealed of the 104 players who tested positive for PHDs in 2003.

Yes, the reporters should be knocking down the door of Major League Baseball and the Feds demanding to know how and why the news was leaked to Selena Roberts of SI.com.

But he owes it to himself and the paying public to provide honest and open answers to the many outstanding questions.

Until he does, he won’t be allowed a minute’s rest by the media, who will be seeking to further expose him as the A-Fraud he quite patently is.

POLICE PURSUE PHELPS. HAS THE WORLD GONE POTTY?

2009-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

MICHAEL PHELPS is considering a boycott of the 2012 Olympics in London. If we are denied another opportunity to see the greatest Olympian of all time in competition, we only have ourselves – and the British tabloid press – to blame.

Just consider this. Alex Rodriguez admits taking performance- enhancing drugs for three years from the age of 26 to 28.

The consequence? Major League Baseball is powerless to punish him as testing was not officially introduced until 2004.

The owners of the New York Yankees are “not angry at all” with A-Rod and have no intention of reneging on his 10-year, $275 million contract. As far as we know, neither do his sponsors, who include Nike, Pepsi and Topps.

Michael Phelps trains tirelessly for four years leading up to Beijing Olympics, where he wins a record eight gold medals.

When he returns from China, Phelps unwinds by taking a puff of marijuana from a bong at a party and a photograph of the act is published on the front page of Britain’s leading Sunday newspaper, the News of the World.

The consequence? Phelps is suspended from all competition for three months by U.S.A swimming and is dropped by sponsor Kellogg’s because he is no longer “consistent with the image of Kellogg.”

Now we hear he is being pursued by the South Carolina police force, who are seeking to make a case against the swimmer.

Don’t get me wrong. If Tony the Tiger was caught with his snout in a bong, I’m sure he would receive a frosty reception from Kellogg’s too. But does the punishment really fit the crime?

Punishment surely doesn’t fit the crime

While A-Rod was seeking to gain an unfair advantage over his fellow professionals, one that has led to untold riches, amateur Phelps was using cannabis for recreational purposes.

Let’s not forget either that, at 23, he’s ten years younger than A-Rod. How many of us can hold our hands up and say that we never experimented with “weed” at the same age?

He still qualifies in the categories of young, stupid and naïve. At 33, A-Rod does not. He quiet clearly has neither the brain nor the shame to cope with fame.

He also has a long way to go to prove himself as a true New York Yankee – a player who can produce his best form on the baseball field when it really matters.

It remains to be seen whether Phelps decides to try to add to his total of 14 gold medals in London in three years’ time.

He is sure to come under intense scrutiny from the British tabloids, always keen to find flaws in supposedly squeaky-clean sportsmen.

If he decides he wants to keep his private life just that, I, for one, will understand.

Yes, he used bad judgment. But in the court of public opinion, can we really put his “crime” in the same league as the baseball cheats?

NO FOND FAREWELL FOR FAVRE THIS TIME

2009-02-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

IT WAS meant to be a match made in heaven. But, like 50 percent of new marriages in the USA, it has ended in divorce. After just six months.

Fortunately for the New York Jets, their breakup with Brett Favre has been nowhere near as messy or emotional as the split with his partner of 17 years, the Green Bay Packers.

This time, there were no tears or long goodbyes. Favre simply instructed his agent to inform the Jets that he won’t be coming back this year to play for new coach Rex Ryan.

At the age of 39, one of the most recognizable and flamboyant quarterbacks in the National Football League has (for the second time) decided to hang up his cleats.

The good news for the Jets is that it will give them more room to maneuver within the salary cap and possibly paves the way for Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis to reunite with Ryan.

The bad news for Gang Green is they are now without a proven player in the most important position on the field. Of the three quarterbacks on their roster – Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge – only Clemens has started an NFL game.

Favre, of course, will be remembered for his exploits and achievements with the Packers, whom he led to one Super Bowl title against the New England Patriots in 1997.

A ten-time Pro Bowler, and the Associated Press’s NFL MVP on three occasions, Favre insists he has no regrets about his brief stint with the Jets.

He said: “Mike [Tannenbaum] and Woody [Johnson], as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding. My teammates were a pleasure to play with. Eric [Mangini] could not have been any better. I enjoyed playing for him. My time with the Jets was short, but I’m honored to be given that chance.”

Favre joined the Jets in the hope that he could have one last shot at winning a second Super Bowl.

Jets fans won’t be heartbroken by news

When they were 8-3, it looked possible. At the very least, the Jets seemed certain to make the playoffs.

But it all started to go wrong when they suffered a shocking 34-17 defeat at home to the Denver Broncos.

That was followed by a 24-14 loss in San Francisco and although the Jets did manage to record a somewhat fortuitous victory over the Buffalo Bills, they lost four of their last five games to finish 9-7 and miss out on the playoffs to the Miami Dolphins.

Favre completed 343 of 522 attempted passes and threw 22 touchdowns. But the most telling statistic was the number of interceptions – also 22.

Jets fans are still debating how much of the blame for their team’s demise was down to Favre – and how much was down to his teammates and Mangini’s coaching.

The answer is probably a combination of all three. There can be no doubt that Favre was too cavalier with the football. But then, he always has been.

His arrival – and the fanfare with which it was greeted – undoubtedly caused some jealously in the dressing room. By the last month of the season, the Jets were divided and disunited.

Mangini gave Favre so much rope that he was eventually hung by it. He paid the ultimate price with his job. Only time will tell whether he can find redemption in Cleveland.

Now Favre has decided that a second season under the intense spotlight of the New York media is not for him. The majority of Jets fans, unlike their Green Bay counterparts, probably won’t be heartbroken by the news.

But is this really goodbye? What are the odds against Brett having a change of heart later this year and coming out of retirement to play for another team. Stranger things have happened!

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE

2009-02-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

PETER GAMMONS is one of the most respected writers in baseball, but after the way he handled the Alex Rodriguez “exclusive” on ESPN, I suggest he sticks to post-match sound bites in future.

In fairness to Gammons, Team A-Rod chose him and his station for a reason. Naturally, they wanted a carefully choreographed interview to limit the damage caused by their client’s “stupidity” and “naivety” in taking performance-enhancing drugs.

An interview during which the words “performance-enhancing”, “drugs” and “steroids” were taboo.

As Abraham Lincoln said, you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

Judging by the reaction to the A-Rod interview, some people are actually buying his story. Even though I’m an ardent fan of the New York Yankees, I’m not among them. There are far too many flaws in it.

Are we really supposed to believe that after taking steroids for three years from 2001 to 2003, he had a sudden revelation in bed one day that what he was doing was wrong?

How can we be sure that he hasn’t been taking drugs throughout his career and, since 2003, has managed to avoid detection?

He lied to Katie Couric during his 60 Minutes interview in December, 2007. So why should we believe a word he says now?

ESPN’s A-Rod exclusive a sham

His explanation? “I was lying to myself.” Hold on a second, Alex. I thought you said you saw the light in 2004?

Two other things really bother me about the Gammons interview. One is the fact that A-Rod evaded the question about who supplied him with the drugs while he was playing for the Texas Rangers. The other is that he denies any knowledge of what he was taking.

As one of his friends said: “Alex is so meticulous about what he eats and drinks and puts in his body, if there’s broccoli on his plate, he has to know where it was grown.”

Okay, so this all happened a few years ago, or so he says. But is an athlete so concerned with his shape and appearance really going to take an unknown substance that could have long-term effects? That’s a little hard to swallow.

Gammons failed to press him on either point. Surely the rest of the media won’t give him such an easy ride when they finally get to him.

A-Rod even had the gall to try to deflect attention from himself by attacking Selena Roberts, the reporter who first broke the story on Sports Illustrated’s website.

Roberts denies that she stalked A-Rod, saying: “I can tell you that long list of things he alleged were a complete fabrication.”

Any self-respecting journalist will go to the subject of their story and give him or her the chance to respond to the allegations.

It took Rodriguez five days to make that response. In the end, he came up with a story that had more holes in it than a string vest. And Gammons, it appears, is the latest to be taken in by A-Fraud.

A-ROID: BOTH FALLEN HERO AND FALL GUY

2009-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

ONE MONTH ago, no one had heard of Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III. Everyone had heard of A-Rod.

Two months ago, moms and dads were buying their sons a New York Yankees shirt displaying the number 13 and the name Alex Rodriguez for Christmas. No one was buying a “Sully is my copilot” T-shirt.

Fourteen months ago, during an interview on 60 Minutes, A-Rod looked Katie Couric in the eye and vowed that he had never even been tempted to use steroids. Last night, “Sully” Sullenberger told Couric that “we were simply doing the job we were trained to do” when he landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River.

So who’s the real hero now?

While A-Rod is in hiding following the revelation on SI.com that he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, Mr. Sullenberger is conducting interview after interview for the world’s media.

The difference is that while A-Rod seems to crave being in the limelight, Mr. Sullenberger is playing the role of reluctant hero.

Today, at City Hall, Mr. Sullenberger and his crew will receive the key to the city of New York.

Eighteen months ago, Mayor Bloomberg presented the key to A-Rod in honor of his 500th home run. If the reports are true – and the evidence looks pretty damning – he should be asked to hand it back.

What does your child want to be when he grows up…a television presenter, a pilot, a baseball player?

The last profession is the most lucrative but you may have to cheat if you want to reach the very top. Just ask A-Rod, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Roger Clemens or Andy Pettitte.

Baseball sullied by latest drugs bust

Is it just coincidence that four of those six played for the Yankees? And just how many more A-Frauds are out there? Can we trust anyone or anything any more about America’s favorite pastime? Even players like Derek Jeter?

There are still 103 more names to come out from the list of those tested in 2003, the year before Major League Baseball introduced suspensions for those tested positive.

It’s grossly unfair that A-Rod’s name has been the only one leaked…so far. There can be no doubt he has been hung out to dry by his own union, who could have legally destroyed the tests.

But the fact remains that if the SI.com report is confirmed, baseball in general, and the New York Yankees in particular, have been dealt a major blow.

Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, was desperate for a Mr. Clean to surpass Bonds as the leading home run hitter of all time.

Okay, so A-Rod was no saint, despite his relationship with the Madonna, but at least his athletic ability and physical prowess was based on hard work rather than anabolic steroids…or so we thought. Now we learn that he not only allegedly cheated on his wife but on the game of baseball too.

The Yankees could have severed their link with A-Rod at the end of the 2007 season when he opted out of his contract. Instead, they re-signed him for $275 million and are committed to him for the next nine years.

This winter, they have invested $423 million in signing three top players in preparation for their first season in a new stadium.

2009 is supposed to be the year when the New York Yankees reestablish themselves as the top dogs in the American League East.

Perhaps they will invite Mr. Sullenberger to throw the first pitch on opening day at the new Yankee Stadium – Monday, April 6th. He's guaranteed to be cheered by the crowd. A-Rod might not be so lucky. Because he has given the many enemies of the Yankees yet another reason to despise the Evil Empire and all it stands for.

NO REGRETS SAYS ARTFUL DODGER TORRE

2009-02-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

OPINION among the fans is divided. Some feel Joe Torre’s book The Yankee Years violates baseball’s unwritten code of conduct. Others wonder what all the fuss is about.

Torre insists that the book is not borne out of bitterness. But, like most memoirs, it’s bound to upset someone.

In this case, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and star player Alex Rodriguez are most likely to be the aggrieved parties.

Cashman and the club’s hierarchy have refused to comment on the book. Will Torre be welcome back in the Bronx or will he be excommunicated?

Listening to him talk to Mike Francesca on WFAN talk radio, you get the impression he has no regrets.

“I went into this with my eyes wide open. I can’t concern myself with the way other people perceive it [the book],” he told Francesca.

Is he surprised by the reaction? “A little. I really don’t believe in my heart that any of the stuff I talked about is a violation.

“There was a lot of stuff I gave Tom (Verducci) that I didn’t allow them to print. What I allowed in the book I feel comfortable with.”

Former Yankee boss stands by “his” book

There is no more eloquent talker in baseball than Torre. As one writer put it, he has the ability to drop a bomb, then defuse it in the same instant.

He was his normal eloquent self during his interview with Francesa. But there were contradictions.

On the one hand, he says: “I wrote this book; I’m proud of this book. I wouldn’t change anything in it.”

On the other, he says: “Tom Verducci wrote the book. I really didn’t have any control over what he wrote.”

After years of dealing with the New York media, Torre has become the “artful dodger” during interviews.

He says he was “disappointed” rather than bitter about his split with the Yankees after 12 years. He deflects his implied criticism of A-Rod, saying he believes the penny will eventually drop and that he can win in New York.

On the subject of steroids, he claims: “I didn’t realize just how widespread it was until the Mitchell report came out.”

But he admits: “That doesn’t free me of the blame and responsibility that we all have to bear.”

One thing that’s not debatable is that Torre is going to make a packet from The Yankee Years. Whether it costs him his place in Monument Park remains to be seen.

SORRY METS, BUT CITI FIELD SHOULD NEVER OPEN

2009-02-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

A DEAL is a deal is a deal. But in these current economic times, there are plenty of companies attempting to disprove that theory.

Today’s edition of the Wall Street Journal reports that Citigroup Inc. is exploring the possibility of pulling out of its $400 million marketing deal with the New York Mets.

Those of you who have driven through Flushing will have already seen the Citi Field sign perched on top of the Mets’ new stadium.

It was back in November, 2006, that Citigroup and the Mets announced a 20-year marketing and business partnership that included naming rights for the stadium, which opens in April.

Of course, back then, no one knew of the troubled times ahead for America’s financial institutions. Or, if they did, no one was doing anything about it.

Now, little more than two years on, Citigroup is in disarray and relying on government bailout money for its survival.

Which leads me to the $400 million question: Is it morally right that they should be allowed to financially support the Mets, and should the Mets be allowed to enforce the contract?

A Citigroup spokesman today insisted that no TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program] money will be used for Citi Field or for marketing purposes.

Perhaps not directly, but how can that really be true when Citibank has already received a $25 billion rescue package from the U.S. Treasury Department?

Why Citigroup must back out of 20-year deal

Two congressmen – Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Ted Poe (R-Texas) – have written to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urging him to push Citigroup to dissolve their deal with the Mets.

It may not be quite that simple. There are likely to be penalty clauses within the contract and David Howard, the Mets’ vice president for business affairs, is quoted as saying: “Citi are our partners and both side are going to live up to the agreement.

“Superficially, I understand the public’s reaction. But the reality is the TARP recipients were companies the federal government thought were vital to our economy. To continue doing business, they still need to advertise.”

A point well made and one that brings up a much wider issue. How much should companies relying on bailout money cut back on their advertising and marketing budgets?

The fact that certain baseball clubs, particularly the two in New York, continue to hand out multi-million dollar contracts like confetti, is hardly going to endear them to members of the public who are neither Mets nor Yankees fans.

Both clubs have relied heavily on taxpayers’ money to build their new stadiums. The Yankees have even had the cheek to ask for – and receive more – in the form of tax-exempt bonds after spending $423.5 million on signing three new players this winter.

There has already been public outrage over the bonuses paid to Merrill Lynch executives from bailout money and the CEO who spent $1,405 on a trashcan.

It’s high time Barack Obama and the White House got tough with the banks and told them to pull the plug on non-essential spending.

Unfortunately for the Mets, that should include naming rights for sports stadiums and Taxpayer Field.

MORE BAD NEWS FOR FEDERER: IT’S GOING TO GET HARDER

2009-02-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

MOST PUNDITS believe it’s only a matter of time before Roger Federer equals, then passes, Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slam tennis titles.

They’re probably right. But whereas it looked a certainty not so long ago, now there’s an element of doubt.

Federer had everything going for him in Melbourne. Rafael Nadal not only had to come through the longest match in Australian Open history in the semi-finals (5 hrs and 14 mins) but he also had one day less to prepare for the final.

That he still had the energy to beat Federer in five sets speaks volumes for his physical condition and mental strength. And the bad news for Federer is that it’s only going to get harder.

The Swiss is still only 27 but compare that to his main rivals in the world tennis rankings. Nadal is 22. Then there are two, hungry 21-year-olds: Brit Andy Murray and Serbian Novak Djokovic.

Federer is not just going to have work harder to reach Grand Slam finals but now there’s now more than one player who actually believes they can beat him.

There is no greater rivalry in sports than Federer v Nadal. Between them, they have won 15 of the last 16 Grand Slams. Federer has claimed nine, Nadal six.

But in head-to-head meetings, Nadal leads 13-6 and, perhaps more significantly, he’s won their last five matches.

Frustration mounts for Swiss in pursuit of record

We already know he has Federer’s measure on clay. Now, it seems, he can beat him on any surface – even grass.

Nadal will be heavily favored to win the next Grand Slam – the French Open at Roland Garros – so Federer will probably have to wait until Wimbledon for his next crack at Sampras’s record.

Nadal is convinced he will do it one day. But first, Federer will have to go away and analyze what went wrong in the fifth set, when his game fell apart. Could the iceman have cracked under the pressure?

“I definitely played a terrible fifth set,” he admitted. “I kind of handed it over to him.

“This is one of the matches in my career where I feel like I could have or should have won. But you can’t go through your whole life as a tennis player taking every victory that’s out there.

“You’ve got to live with those you don’t. But they hurt, even more so if you’re that close, like at Wimbledon or here at the Australian Open.”

But for Nadal, Federer would have long since broken the record and proved beyond any doubt that he is the greatest player to ever pick up a tennis racket.

However, the fact remains that Nadal has now beaten him in five Grand Slam finals. Federer has lost his aura of invincibility and, possibly, his best chance of joining Sampras in the record news.

PICK CARDS TO PULL FINAL UPSET OVER STEELERS

2009-01-30T08:53:00.000-08:00

AMERICA’S economy is shrinking and unemployment rising. But some things can survive, even in the toughest climate, and it appears the Super Bowl is one of them.

Last year’s Super Bowl between the New York Giants and New England Patriots attracted an average audience of 97.5 million and was the second-most watched TV program in U.S. history (the final episode of MASH in 1983 had an average of 106 million viewers).

It’s unlikely Super Bowl XLIII will quite reach those heights, but it appears that despite the recession, host broadcaster NBC will sell all of its advertising slots.

NBC has allocated 33.5 minutes of commercial airtime. At around $3 million per 30 seconds, that will generate revenue close to $200 million. Not bad for one night’s work!

Expect a hard-sell approach to this year’s ads. “Any advertisers that are going to spend $2 million to $3 million for a spot, their shareholders and chief executives will want to see a return on that,” says Mark Chmiel, chief marketing officer for Denny’s.

Sometimes the commercials are more exciting than the game itself. But not last year, when Eli Manning led the Giants to a thrilling upset win over the previously unbeaten Pats.

Underdogs can turn up the heat in Tampa

This year, the Arizona Cardinals are cast in the role of underdog against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In stark contrast to the Steelers, who have won the Vince Lombardi Trophy five times, the Cardinals are making their Super Bowl debut in Tampa.

They have been the surprise team throughout the playoffs, beating the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles.

In Larry Fitzgerald, they have one of the best wide receivers in the National Football League. The question is whether 37-year-old quarterback Kurt Warner, MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV when he played for the St Louis Rams, can get the ball to him against one of the best defenses in the league.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Willie Parker and wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are the key men in the Steelers offense. But perhaps their biggest weapon will be safety Troy Polamalu.

If the Cardinals fail to give Fitzgerald sufficient protection, he could see more of Polamalu than is good for either him or the Cards.

In the Cardinals favor is the fact that the temperature in Tampa will be considerably higher than it is Pittsburgh, who have been ideally suited by the recent frigid conditions.

If they can turn it into a high-scoring game, there’s every chance that Cardinals can copy the Giants and spring the upset.

Either way, it should be a great occasion – and one that proves that even if bleak times, America still knows how to party!

WHY EUROPE SHOULD HAVE PICKED WOOSIE RATHER THAN MONTY

2009-01-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

EUROPE’S reluctance to give the Ryder Cup captaincy to the same person twice may well cost them the chance of regaining the trophy in 2010.

There is no debate about Colin Montgomerie’s playing record in golf’s premier team competition. He never lost in any of his eight singles matches and won 23.5 points, putting him just 1.5 points behind the record held by Nick Faldo, the losing European captain at Valhalla, Kentucky, last year.

But if the European Tour tournament committee’s sole aim was to win back the cup at Celtic Manor in Wales next year, then surely they would have given the job to Ian Woosnam.

Woosnam not only led the Europeans to a crushing 18.5-9.5 victory over the USA in 2006 but he also happens to be a Welshman.

So who better to whip up the crowd and unite the players than “Woosie,” who played in eight Ryder Cups himself between 1983 and 1997?

In the end, it appears it came down to a straight choice between Montgomerie and Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal – two stalwarts of the European Tour for the past 20 years or so.

And Monty, who has won the European Tour Order or Merit eight times and the Ryder Cup five times, got the nod.

Monty is a popular figure with golf fans throughout Britain and designed one of the courses at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales, for billionaire owner Sir Terry Matthews.

Mrs. Doubtfire to lead Europe in 2010

Thomas Bjorn, chairman of Europe’s 15-man Ryder Cup tournament committee, said: “There was no vote involved. We went around the table and everyone seemed to back Monty. A very hard and difficult meeting turned out to be a fairly easy one.

“I spoke to Jose, to Woosie and to Sandy (Lyle), all three in person. All Jose said was that he thinks Monty will be a great captain.”

The committee clearly believes it is only fair to rotate the job, meaning Olazabal and Lyle will be leading contenders in 2012 (Illinois) and 2014 (Scotland).

You might have thought that Scot Monty, still only 45, would have been better held in reserve for Gleneagles in five years’ time.

Monty’s assets are his passion, determination and in-depth knowledge of the game. But his detractors will also point to the fact that he never won a Major, can be extremely selfish at times and has a fiery temper. He has a love-hate relationship with the media, who once dubbed him Mrs. Doubtfire.

Like Faldo, he was very single-minded as a player, and that doesn’t always translate well to leading a team over three days of intense competition.

The good news is that the 2010 Ryder Cup is being played on British soil…American golf fans have been known to get under Monty’s skin.

It’s not as though Montgomerie is a bad appointment. It’s just that Woosnam would have been a better one if Europe is to wrest the cup back from Corey Pavin and his star-spangled U.S. team.

DOUBTS CAST OVER BECKHAM’S RETURN TO THE LA GALAXY AND MLS

2009-01-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

WHEN THE MOON hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.

AC Milan has fallen in love with David Beckham and anyway you slice it, the England midfielder should still be playing his football in Europe rather than the United States.

Beckham has proved a much bigger hit in Italy than the USA since joining Milan on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 33-year-old has played in all three of Milan’s Serie A games this year and scored his first goal for the club in their 4-1 rout of Bologna on Sunday.

Not only has he proved a hit with the fans but his contribution has also been recognized by his teammates.

Kaka, Milan’s star striker from Brazil, said: “The first matches showed quite clearly what his qualities are along with his passing ability and his capacity to play well.

“Perhaps these first two months will lead to six months or to one year, to more contracts. I certainly would like to play more with him.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, who said: “Beckham knows what our wish is. We all hope that he can stay with us.”

Beckham’s three-month loan period expires on March 9, the date he is due to return to the Galaxy and prepare for his second season in Major League Soccer.

After investing a reported $250 million to secure Beckham’s services for five years, the Galaxy are hardly likely to let him go after only one year – unless, of course, some financial settlement could be reached.

AC Milan officials plan to meet with Beckham’s agents shortly to see if anything can be done.

Milan keen to keep England midfielder

Adriano Galliani, the Milan vice president, is quoted as saying: “If Beckham reaches an agreement with the Galaxy, we are prepared to pay a fee.

“If he decides to free himself and wants to stay, we will welcome him with open arms, but he belongs to another club and we’ve got to thank them because they were very kind to us.”

Quite clearly, Beckham has failed to make the impact on US soccer that both the Galaxy and MLS were hoping for.

LA failed to make the playoffs last season, thus enabling Beckham to join Milan on loan.

The simple truth is that Beckham is not a player who can win games single-handed. He’s not a Pele or a Franz Beckenbauer

He can’t head, he can’t tackle, but what he can do is pass with amazing accuracy and deliver the perfect ball into the box from set pieces.

His abilities are far better suited to a team containing other superstars than one wanting to make him the focal figure.

In other words, he is of far more use to Milan than he is to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham is just one game short of becoming the second most-capped player in English football history. He currently has 107 behind Bobby Moore (108) and Peter Shilton (125).

He has a far better chance of adding to that list while he’s playing for Milan rather than the Galaxy.

That’s why it would make sense for both Beckham and the LA Galaxy to cut their losses now and let him make a permanent return to European football.

TOO LATE NOW TO SAY IT AIN’T SO JOE

2009-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

BESTSELLER or one of the worst decisions of his baseball career? Joe Torre’s memoirs of 12 years as manager in the Bronx are sure to boost his bank balance, but will they tarnish his image as a New York Yankees legend?

That’s the debate raging among baseball fans following the leak of excerpts from “The Yankee Years”, due to be released on February 3.

In the book, written in conjunction with Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, Torre claims he was betrayed by general manager Brian Cashman and says that Alex Rodriguez was often referred to by his teammates as “A-Fraud”.

With the Super Bowl still a week away, and only basketball to report on, books like this are a godsend to tabloid newspapers.

Cashman says he has already spoken to Torre about the book and claims he is “very comfortable” about his relationship with the former Yankees skipper. Others, A-Rod included, are unlikely to be so understanding.

We all know Torre was bitter about his departure from the Yankees and feels that the offer of a one-year, $5 million contract plus incentives (a cut of $2 million) was an insult.

At the time, many Yankees fans sympathized with him, agreeing that he deserved better treatment from the Steinbrenner family after 12 years of loyal service.

But that was 15 months ago so it’s a little surprising that Torre has chosen now to open up old wounds.

Torre takes a shot at Cashman and "A-Fraud"

It’s even more surprising that he has taken a shot at Alex Rodriguez. For all his failings in the post-season, A-Rod was named American League MVP in two of the four seasons he played under Torre.

And he certainly isn’t the main reason why the Yanks have failed to win a World Championship since 2000.

By publicly criticizing A-Rod, Torre has gone against the unwritten code of conduct among sportsmen.

It’s one thing to tell all when you’ve retired but to do so while you’re still managing is out of order.

Torre may well have an axe to grind with the Yankees. But let’s not forget that they paid him around $45 million over 12 years and it’s not as though he’s fallen on hard times since leaving them.

He is entering the second year of a $13 million, three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Torre will no doubt attempt to distance himself from some of the comments, claiming they were taken out of context and that he did not directly write the book.

But at a time when many hard-working Americans are losing their jobs through no fault of their own, some greedy people clearly don’t realize just how lucky they are.

CASHMAN STILL HAS SOME SHOPPING TO DO

2009-01-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

THERE’S AN OLD ENGLISH expression: “Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’p’orth of tar.” What it means is don’t risk failure of a large project by trying to economize on trivial things.

Having already invested $423 million in new players this winter, it’s hard to believe the New York Yankees are willing to go into the 2009 MLB season without a proven fifth starting pitcher.

The Yanks are already gambling in a number of positions. They’re banking on Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera returning fully fit from shoulder surgery; a combination of Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner being good enough to patrol center field; and Brian Bruney and Dámaso Marte building a strong enough bridge to the closer.

CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain (providing he stays healthy) give them an awesome-looking front four.

But they don’t have the strength in depth of the Boston Red Sox, who added John Smoltz and Brad Penny to a staff already boasting Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz.

That’s why it’s a little puzzling to hear Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talk about a competition for the fifth starting role between Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Alfredo Aceves.

Hughes and Kennedy failed to win a game between them last season and although Hughes somewhat redeemed himself in the Arizona League this winter, the jury is still out on whether he is going to make it at the highest level.

Why Yankees must sign fifth starter

As the saying goes, you can never have enough starting pitching, and the Yankees still look a little light in this department.

It’s all gone quiet on the Andy Pettitte front. Pettitte, it appears, won’t sign for $10 million, and the Yankees seem unwilling to increase their offer.

If Cashman and Pettitte can’t reach agreement, then surely the Yanks need to make a move now for the talented Ben Sheets, who went 13-9 for the Milwaukee Brewers last season with an ERA of 3.09.

Sheets is the best free agent pitcher on the market and although he has spent long periods of his career on the disabled list, he would probably come cheaper than Pettitte.

Cashman and the Yankees have been criticized by all and sundry for their level of spending at a time when the country is in recession.

But as they start a new era in a new stadium, it’s worth remembering that’s it’s now nine years since they were world champions and they have to overtake both the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East next season.

So having spent big money on ordering the meatiest entrée, there's no point in Cashman trying to save on his starter.

BERN BABY BERN – BERNIE’S BACK!

2009-01-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

THIS SURE can be a depressing time of year. Football is over for all but the fans of Arizona and Pittsburgh. And if you’re not into basketball, which I’m not, the baseball season still seems a long way off.

I’ve already had enough of shoveling the snow from my drive and I’m still mad at myself for locking in the price of my heating oil at more than $3 a gallon.

I can’t say I’m too excited either about the World Baseball Classic, a competition featuring such fearsome ball-playing nations as Australia, Italy and the Netherlands.

But one piece of news did cheer me up yesterday, namely that Bernie Williams is returning to the diamond to represent his country of birth, Puerto Rico.

We can’t really say he’s coming out of retirement because Bernie, now 40, never actually retired. His contract with the New York Yankees expired at the end of the 2006 season and he declined an invitation to attend spring training in 2007 as a non-roster invitee.

Yankees great makes Classic return

Since then, Bernie – a classically trained guitarist – has been developing a musical career. He played on stage with Bruce Springsteen last November and is due to release his second CD, entitled Moving Forward, in April.

Still bitter about the way his split with the Yanks was handled, Bernie didn’t return to the Stadium until the official closing ceremony on September 21 last year. But when he finally did, what a reception he received from the fans.

Now, the good news is that he’s back in training for the World Baseball Classic, which takes place in March with the semi-finals and final being staged at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, from the 21st to the 23rd.

Bernie has missed baseball and baseball has missed Bernie. Few players have enjoyed such a rapport with the paying public. He was/is one of the gentle giants of the game.

“I’ve been playing baseball since I was an eight-year-old. I miss that competitive edge that all athletes have,” he says.

If Puerto Rico should qualify and Bernie shows he can still hit a line drive or two, what chance Dodgers manager Joe Torre signing him up for the season? In truth, probably little, but in these cold winter months, we can but dream.

SOCCER’S GONE GAGA IF CITY SIGN KAKA

2009-01-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

MONEYBAGS English Premier League club Manchester City have stunned world football by making a bid for a player that, if accepted, will more than double the world record transfer fee.

The record is currently held by Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, who moved from Italian club Juventus to Spanish giants Real Madrid for £46 million in 2001.

Now Manchester City, purchased by a consortium from the oil-rich Emirate of Abu Dhabi last September, have offered AC Milan £108 million ($150 million) for their Brazilian striker Kaka.

City have spent most of the last 130 years living in the shadow of their more glamorous neighbors Manchester United. But no longer.

They signaled their intention to compete with the big boys by paying £32.5 million for another Brazilian, Robinho, last year.

And now that the transfer window has reopened, they are determined to prove that every player has a price by luring Kaka from a club standing third in Italy’s Serie A to one lying 15th in the Barclays Premier League and fighting against relegation.

The early indications were that both AC Milan and the player himself would reject City’s overtures.

Now, it seems that even a club of Milan’s stature will be unable to turn down such a huge transfer fee and that Kaka will succumb to a net weekly wage of £255,000 (close to $400,000).

English club bids $150 million for Brazilian

To put the deal in perspective, compare it with baseball’s highest earners. The New York Yankees recently agreed to pay first baseman Mark Teixeira $180,000 million over eight years. That works out at $22.5 million a year or ($430,000 a week) BEFORE tax.

City have been champions of England two times, compared to United’s 17. They have never won the Premier League title while United have done so 10 times in the last 16 years.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, admitted to being “shocked and surprised” by the offer.

“I find it hard to get my head round this to be honest,” he said. “Football is football. From time to time you get shocks and surprises. But this is surprising everyone.”

Just as some Americans fear baseball is no longer a game for the average Joe, so some of those involved in English football fear for the future.

Steve Bruce, manager of Wigan and a former Manchester United captain, said: “The beauty of our game is that it means more to the average man in the street than anybody. I know the average man in the street now finds it very difficult to find £40-45 to go and watch a game.

“We are all staggered by the news. It is quite unbelievable when you are talking about a credit crunch throughout the world. But it just shows you what the Premier League is all about.

“I think this year people thought the situation with finances would be a little more sensible. But then along come the owners of Manchester City who want to have the best players in the world at their club.”

Only time will tell if City succeed in signing Kaka. If they don’t, there are plenty more fish in the ocean for them to catch.

HALL OF FAME SHAMED BY RICE WAIT

2009-01-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

THE BASEBALL Writers' Association should be applauded for refusing to let any Tom, Dick or Barry who swung a bat or hurled a ball into the National Hall of Fame.

It should be castigated for taking 15 years to induct former Boston Red Sox left fielder Jim Rice.

Rice, it seems, had few friends among the media during his playing days. That can be the only reason why he’s had to wait so long because this eight-time All Star selection had 382 home runs, 2,452 hits and 1,451 RBIs in 16 seasons for a batting average of .298.

To be elected to the Hall of Fame, players require 75 per cent of the vote from members of the Association. In Rice’s 15th and final year on the ballot, he received 76.4 per cent or 412 votes from the 539 ballots cast.

Rickey Henderson, an automatic first-year pick if ever there was one, was still snubbed by 28 of the writers who have a vote.

While you can understand the reluctance of the baseball scribes to vote for players suspected of using steroids, Rice’s exclusion was harder to fathom.

Bonds could be kept out of Cooperstown

Now 55, he made his last appearance for the Red Sox back in August, 1989, and could be forgiven for feeling a little bitter about his long wait.

“If you look at some of the people in the Hall of Fame, my numbers are compatible,” said Rice. “Why it took so long I don’t know. The only thing I can say is that I’m glad it’s over with. I’m not going to badmouth any writers or what have you. I’m just looking forward to things to come.”

Rice and Henderson will be inducted on July 26th in Cooperstown along with the late New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, who was elected by the Veterans Committee last December.

The chances of Mark McGwire joining them any time soon look remote as his support dropped from 23.6% to 21.9%. That doesn’t augur well for Barry Bonds either when he becomes eligible.

I’m all for the baseball writers keeping out the cheats, but surely votes should be based on statistics rather than personalities.

IT’S TIME BIG PHIL BOUGHT A HAIRDRYER

2009-01-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE has earned a reputation for being the best soccer league in the world. It attracts the top players, it’s watched by fans on every continent and creates the most revenue.

Money talks. That’s why, since its formation in 1992, only four clubs have won it – Manchester United (10 times), Arsenal (3), Chelsea (2) and Blackburn Rovers (1).

Year in, year out, the league is dominated by these first three clubs, plus current leaders Liverpool.

The “Big Four”, particularly United and Chelsea, spend huge sums on upgrading their first team squad each and every season.
http://www.myairshoes.com/category/reebok

Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich has spent roughly £600,000 million ($900,000 million) on the club since buying Chelsea in 2003.

His millions helped Chelsea win back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. But while money can attract the best footballing foreigners, the contract doesn’t say anything about loyalty to the shirt or commitment to the cause.

Anyone who watched Manchester United thrash Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday will testify to that.

United played with pride and passion. Chelsea looked as though they were going through the motions.

A midfield containing two England internationals (Frank Lampard and Joe Cole), Portuguese star (Deco) and the captain of Germany (Michael Ballack) were played off the park by their Red Devil counterparts.

And if ever there was a player picking up a huge paycheck under false pretences then it’s Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba.

Chelsea stars going through the motions

Drogba, who cost the Blues £23.8 million from Olympique Marseille in July 2004, has long been rumored to be unhappy at Stamford Bridge. He is constantly linked by the British tabloids to a reunion with his former boss, José Mourinho, now in charge of Inter Milan.

It was under the Portuguese coach Mourinho that Chelsea enjoyed their greatest success, although his negative style of play did not please everyone.

Ironically, the man dubbed by the media as “The Special One” was among the Old Trafford crowd as his Inter team face United in the last 16 of the Champions League next month.

Former Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was brought in last summer with a remit to win with style. Chelsea may only be four points behind United but in recent weeks, they’ve hardly been winning and when they do, it’s certainly not in style.

They’ve collected maximum points from just two of their last seven Premier League matches and were far from impressive in qualifying in second place from their UEFA Champions League group.

Big Phil’s coaching skills are not in question. He led Brazil to victory in the 2002 World Cup.

But when it comes to motivating his mercenaries, you have to doubt whether he’s in the same league as tough-talking Scot Sir Alex Ferguson.

Fergie, now in his 23rd year as United manager, is famous – or infamous – for handing out the “hairdryer treatment” when he feels he’s being let down by his players.

No one is immune to his tongue-lashing. David Beckham required several stitches in a cut above his left eye after being struck by a stray boot during a dressing-room rant by Ferguson.

Perhaps that fear factor is why you rarely see any United player – even the sometimes moody FIFA World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo – giving anything less than 100 percent.

So the message to Scolari is crystal clear. Forget about signing another big name player from abroad. Go out and buy yourself a hairdryer!

BURRESS MUST TAKE MUCH OF THE BLAME FOR MELTDOWN IN THE MEADOWLANDS

2009-01-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

THIS WAS the year the New York Giants should have won the Super Bowl.

The fact that they won it a year early against all the odds was of scant consolation after yesterday’s meltdown at the Meadowlands.

So much for a Giants v Jets showdown in Tampa next month. The only thing the two New York teams have in common now is that they both lost four of their last five matches.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, momentum plays a big part in sports, and it was most definitely with the sixth-seeded Philadelphia Eagles – just as it was for the underdog Giants a year ago.

The Giants had to take it away for them and for a few minutes, it looked as though they could. An impressive drive from the kick-off resulted in a field goal and they then returned the ball close to the halfway line.

Two needless penalties and an Eli Manning interception later, the Eagles were 7-3 ahead and in control of the game. In truth, it was a grip that they never really relinquished.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and his defensive counterpart Steve Spagnuolo have worked wonders over the past 12 months. But, collectively, they got it wrong on Sunday.

What was the point of kicking a field goal towards the end of the second quarter if they were then going to sit back and let Donovan McNabb effortlessly march his team straight back down the field in the remaining 93 seconds to regain the lead? They might as well have gone for it on fourth and inches.

Throughout the game, the Giants’ play calls lacked variety and invention. They ran the ball when they should have passed it and vice versa.

Perhaps this was due to the fact that Manning couldn’t control the velocity or spiral of the ball in the swirling wind. Neither, for that matter, could kicker John Carney, who missed from 46 and 47 yards.

Why did the Giants even bother to dress a second kicker, Laurence Tynes, who has a longer range than Carney?

Giants coaches choose wrong game plan

In the end, it probably didn’t matter. The Giants couldn’t come up with any big plays on third and fourth down. And if you don’t score one touchdown in 60 minutes then you don’t really deserve to win.

So where and when did it all go wrong? Try a nightclub in Manhattan on the night of November 28. I guess most will point to the Plaxico Burress shooting incident as the turning point in the Giants’ season, both physically and mentally.

The Giants seemed to lose their spark after that. Certainly, Antonio Pierce, who was with Burress on that fateful night, completely lost his focus.

The absence of 6ft 5in Burress seriously limited Manning’s passing options. Judging by yesterday’s game plan, neither Manning nor the coaching staff had faith in Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, Armani Toomer or Sinorice Moss being able to make a big catch at a vital time.

Instead, they preferred to use Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward as battering rams…and the Eagles defense was equal to the task.

We’ll never know what would have happened had Burress playede. If he doesn’t return, the Giants are going to need to sign a dominant wide receiver to take his place.

Spagnuolo is in line for a head coaching position, possibly with the Jets, and deservedly so on his achievements in making the Giants defense one of the most feared in football, especially after the retirement of Michael Strahan and the season-ending injury to defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

On Sunday, however, the Giants couldn’t bring any pressure to bear on McNabb, failing to sack him once, although they did manage a safety.

It was the same story in the previous two meetings between the teams this season, although on this occasion, they did at least limit the damage done by Brian Westbrook.

The Eagles visited Giants Stadium twice and left victorious on both occasions so there can be little argument that they deserve their place in the NFC Championship game in Arizona.

For the Giants, there are only regrets that they lost the plot after going 11-1. In a year when there is no one outstanding team, they had a great chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The belligerent Burress has a lot to do with the fact that they won't.

COACHING FRAUD OR JUST A SLOW LEARNER? BROWNS BOSS IS BANKING ON THE LATTER

2009-01-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: What do you get for going 23-25 in three seasons and failing to make the playoffs from a position of 8 and 3?

ANSWER: The sack, swiftly followed by a four-year contract from another team.

New York Jets fans are still in mourning after another season that promised so much yet ended in failure.

So they might not exactly be rejoicing at the news that coach Eric Mangini was out of work for precisely nine days.

There were those who thought Mangini might struggle to land another head coaching position, particularly after he “shopped” his mentor, Bill Belichick, during the videotaping scandal known as Spygate in 2007.

Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner was not among them. Lerner interviewed Mangini the day after he was fired by the Jets and was so impressed by what the 37-year-old had to say that he soon became the front-runner for the job.

On Wednesday, Mangini, who began his NFL career with Cleveland 15 years ago as an intern in the PR department, was introduced as the Browns' new head coach.

Only time will tell whether it’s a good appointment. Once dubbed “Mangenius” in New York, the former defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots was found wanting as the Jets lost four of their last five games.

But what I can tell you right now is that Lerner is nobody’s fool. The one-time investment analyst also happens to be chairman of English Premier League soccer club Aston Villa.

Mangini gets second chance in Cleveland

Villa, European Cup winners in 1982, had fallen on hard times in subsequent years. But, shortly after taking over the Midlands club in 2006, Lerner lured one of Britain’s brightest coaches – Martin O’Neill – to Villa Park.

Now, less than three years later, O’Neill’s team occupies fourth place in the table and is threatening to break the stranglehold on the top four positions by Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Mangini led the Jets to the playoffs in his first season in charge. If he can repeat the feat with the Browns this year, then he will be hailed a hero.

After going 10-6 in 2007, the Browns were a big disappointment in 2008, ending up 4-12, despite upsetting reigning Super Bowl champions the New York Giants 35-14 in week 6.

They finished the season with six straight losses, so it was no surprise then when head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage were both fired.

Ironically, after a season in which he had a quarterback – Brett Favre – thrust on him by the Jets’ owners and management, Mangini has another issue to resolve: who starts in that position for the Browns in 2009.

The Browns used four starting quarterbacks last year: Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey and Bruce Gradkowski.

Anderson, who signed a new three-year contract in February, 2008, started the season as first choice in the position.

But on November 3, the Browns announced that he would be benched in favor of Quinn, the 22nd overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft.

Quinn sustained a season-ending finger injury after just two games as No. 1 quarterback. Now Mangini must decide whether to go with youth or experience.

Lerner clearly has faith in him making the right decision. Why else would he award him a four-year deal?

And after being ridiculed for his coaching by many Jets fans on the New York talk radio shows, Mangini may yet find redemption in Cleveland.

OLD GUARD, NOT NEW, HOLD KEY TO YANKEES’ SUCCESS IN 2009

2009-01-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

NO DOUBT about who has been spending the big bucks in baseball this winter. But just how much stronger will the New York Yankees be in 2009?

After finishing eight games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and two adrift of the Boston Red Sox in the American League East last year, they need to show improvement.

That’s why Brian Cashman has been by far the busiest general manager this off-season, and why the sport’s richest club has invested more than $423 million in signing three of the top four free agents – Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett.

There’s no question that Cashman has acquired the best players on the market. Manny Ramirez might have better numbers in the short term than Teixeira, but the latter is undoubtedly a sounder long-term investment and a better fit in the clubhouse.

The Yanks have also acquired Nick Swisher in a trade with the Chicago White Sox so how much difference will these four players make?

If you base it on statistics alone, the answer is not a lot.

Sabathia (17) and Burnett (18) won 35 games between them last season. That’s just one more than the retired Mike Mussina (20) and possibly departing Andy Pettitte (14).

Pettitte has sullied his reputation as one of the Yankees’ all-time great pitchers by rejecting a more than reasonable offer of $10 million for one year’s work.

Teixeira (121 and 33) and Swisher (69 and 24) produced a combined total of 190 RBIs last season, including 57 home runs.

Compare that to the 196 RBIs and 52 home runs hit by Bobby Abreu (100 and 20) and Jason Giambi (96 and 32).

GM Cashman lives up to his name

Of course, the game isn’t all about statistics. Teixiera and Swisher should improve the team defensively and there are many other factors to be taken into consideration.

The Yanks will have Xavier Nady for a full season, Robinson Cano will surely improve on last year’s figures and a healthy Hideki Matsui would be an added bonus.

Chien-Ming Wang’s return from a foot injury gives the Bronx Bombers a scary-looking rotation, no matter who their fifth starter is.

Hopefully, Mariano Rivera will return as good as ever from surgery on his sore right shoulder and players like Phil Coke will continue to make progress in the bullpen.

But perhaps the key to just how good a year the Yanks have is whether catcher Jorge Posada returns as good as new from his shoulder surgery.

Switch-hitter Posada gives the batting lineup immense depth, but he has to be able to throw out runners too.

All this and we haven’t even mentioned A-Rod, who still managed to hit 103 RBIs and 35 home runs in a sub-standard year.

A little more from Alex Rodriguez, especially in clutch situations, and the Yanks will have a real chance of marking the first season in their new stadium with their 27th World Championship.

To do that, they will have to finish ahead of one – if not two – of the Rays and Red Sox in the regular season.

That will be no easy task. The Rays have added the experienced Pat Burrell to a lineup packed with emerging young talent and don’t expect the Red Sox to stand still this winter.

Whatever the outcome, Yankees fans have a lot to look forward to in 2009. It could just be a big year.

GIANTS MUST STOP McNABB…AND MOMENTUM

2009-01-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

THEY'RE THE TEAM the New York Giants least wanted to face. But if the Giants are to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they must first find a way past the Philadelphia Eagles.

I’m sure most Giants fans were rooting for a Minnesota Vikings victory on Sunday so Big Blue could avoid playing the Green Machine and a divisional rival in their first post-season game.

In truth, it was never going to happen. Despite keeping it close for the first three quarters, the Vikings were overmatched, especially at quarterback. Donovan McNabb v Tarvaris Jackson was no contest.

With seven minutes remaining, Brian Westbrook took a screen pass from McNabb and zigzagged 71 yards for a touchdown. It was Westbrook’s first significant contribution of the game. It was also decisive.

It means that this Sunday (1pm), Andy Reid’s Eagles will visit the Meadowlands for the second time in little more than a month.

And we all know what happened the last time they were in New Jersey on December 7. They outplayed the Giants for much of the game and were far from flattered by their 20-14 victory.

In the Giants’ favor, they have home advantage and an extra week’s rest. But momentum plays a huge part in sports and that’s definitely with the Eagles.

Since McNabb was benched at halftime in a 36-7 mauling in Baltimore, the Eagles have won five of their last six games.

In-form Eagles pose a major threat

They’re the form team in the NFL. McNabb is playing with confidence while Westbrook has often been a thorn in the Giants’ side.

In contrast, the Giants have lost a little of their aura since the Plaxico Burress shooting incident, as well as three of their last four games.

At one point in the season, they looked invincible. No longer. Now the $64,000 question is can they regain that momentum?

“I think the Eagles are the hottest team in the NFL right now,” concedes Giants defensive end Justin Tuck. “They may be the sixth seed but they sure aren’t playing like it.

“We know them well, which is a good thing, but they know us too. I’m glad this game is going to be at home because I know our fans will be into it. It’s going to be the tough NFC battle you’d expect, and we are really looking forward to it.”

The Giants and Eagles have met three times before in the post-season. The Giants lead 2-1 but lost their last meeting in Philadelphia two years ago when a 38-yard field goal from David Akers gave the Eagles a 23-20 victory.

It’s 1-1 this season, the Giants winning 36-31 in Philly in November before losing the rematch.

History, both ancient and recent, suggests it’s going to be close. Much of the pre-game focus will no doubt be on the match-up between McNabb and Eli Manning.

But, for me, the key is going to be how long the Giants can maintain possession and how Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw run the ball.

If they have to rely too much on the pass, then the Eagles could well take another step toward emulating another team from the City of Brotherly Love – the baseball World Series-winning Phillies.

SHOELESS JOE IRAQI TO PITCH FOR BOMBERS

2008-12-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

This post from the Borowitz Report is too funny for words! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Sportsbusters.

TIME FOR CASHMAN TO CALL PETTITTE’S BLUFF

2008-12-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

WITH CC AND AJ in the bag, the Yankees are hardly sweating on whether AP accepts their offer of a one-year deal worth $10 million.

The AP I’m referring to is Andy Pettitte, who is hardly endearing himself to Yanks fans by humming and haaing over whether to re-sign for “the only team I want to play for.”

Now one well-informed baseball scribe is reporting that the reason for Pettitte’s prevarication is that another team is willing to give him a three-year, $36 million deal.

Even allowing for the fact that despite the recession, baseball clubs are still handing out long-term contracts like confetti, this story beggar’s belief.

True, Philadelphia have rewarded 46-year-old pitcher Jamie Moyer with a new, two-year contract. But then Moyer did play a leading role in helping the Phillies win the World Series this year.

Veteran pitcher wants better offer

For all his past achievements in pinstripes, Pettitte couldn’t even help the Yankees reach the playoffs last season. Reportedly troubled throughout the year by a nagging shoulder injury, he went 14-14 with an ERA of 4.54.

At 36 years old, Pettitte was said to be contemplating following Mike Mussina into retirement.

Now we are being led to believe by his representatives that he is actually considering pitching for another three years – and that someone is prepared to pay him $12 million a year to do so.

It’s the right time of year for fairy tales. Could this be another tall story leaked in the hope that the moneybags Yankees will increase their offer?

That’s quite possible, given that the agents representing CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett waited patiently in the wings until the price was right.

What general manager Brian Cashman should do now is call Pettitte’s bluff by telling him it’s now or never to accept the Yanks’ offer.

GIFT GIVING STARTS EARLY IN NEW YORK

2008-12-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS is a time for giving…and it seems the presents are being handed out early in the National Football League.

Buffalo Bills quarterback JP Losman gifted the New York Jets victory at the Meadowlands and quite possibly saved coach Eric Mangini from Santa’s sack.

Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher’s puzzling decision not to allow Rob Bironas to attempt a 49-yard field goal in the last two minutes in Houston resulted in his team’s second defeat of the season. Bironas, remember, kicked one from 60 yards in 2006.

And the officials in Baltimore overturned the ruling on the field that Santonio Holmes had caught Ben Roethlisberger just outside the end zone when TV replays failed to provide any conclusive evidence that the ball had in fact broken the plane of the goal line.

Such is the margin between victory and defeat, success and failure, in the NFL.

So what have we learned from week 15? That some teams are not as good as we thought they were – and that some are even worse than we could imagine. Take a bow the Detroit Lions, St Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs.

Just as winning is a habit, so is losing. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that the Chiefs managed to blow yet another lead – this time a 21-3 advantage over the struggling San Diego Chargers in the third quarter.

Giants lose their aura of invincibility

“I’m still in utter shock right now,” said linebacker Rocky Boiman. “How we can come so close and still somehow let it slip away. It doesn’t seem possible.”

Anything is possible for Herm Edwards’

hapless Chiefs, who have lost 21 of their last 23 games.

The Jets, who looked like world-beaters when they were winning in Tennessee and New England, have been made to look distinctly average by the 49ers and Bills.

And, without Plaxico Burress and Brandon Jacobs, the previously invincible New York Giants were left battered and bruised by the Dallas Cowboys.

For the second week running, the Giants offense was awful, leading to Eli Manning being sacked no fewer than six times.

Two weeks ago, a second successive Super Bowl looked a distinct possibility. Now the momentum has shifted to teams such as Pittsburgh, Dallas and the Carolina Panthers – the Giants’ next opponents on Sunday.

That word momentum holds the key to success in most sports. And now that the Giants have lost it, they’re not going to find it easy to get it back.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT FOR MINAYA AND METS

2008-12-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

AS USUAL, the Yankees upstaged the Mets by agreeing a deal with CC Sabathia less than 24 hours after their cross-town rivals had signed Francisco Rodriguez.

While the Yanks have the cash to splash on Sabathia, the Mets have made a more modest outlay on K-Rod and JJ Putz.

The Yanks are not finished yet. But when this winter’s wheeling and dealing is finally done, it may well turn out that Mets general manager Omar Minaya is the overall winner of The Price is Right.

Let’s to be honest, you don’t have to be the shrewdest businessman in the world to close a deal with the top free agent when you’re willing to outbid your competitors by more than $60 million.

Such was the Yankees’ desperation to sign a genuine No. 1 pitcher that no one was going to stand in their way – not even CC’s wife, Amber.

In comparison to the $161 million, seven-year deal handed to Sabathia, K-Rod is a steal at $37 million for three years.

He may not be the best closer in baseball – I’d put Mariano Rivera and Jonathan Papelbon ahead of him – but neither of them had anywhere close to 62 saves last season.

But while Rodriguez was a straightforward money signing, Minaya had to get creative to acquire the services of JJ Putz in a three-team, 12-player trade involving the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians.

K-Rod and JJ to pack powerful one-two punch

Putz, who will be 32 in February, was among the best closers in baseball in 2007 with 40 saves and the lowest ERA (1.38) among Major League relievers.

He was troubled by injuries last season but still managed 15 saves an ERA of 3.88.

If Putz stays healthy in 2009, the Mets are going to have the best eighth and ninth inning combination in the National League.

Compare that to this year when the bullpen blew an amazing 29 saves and gave up 61 home runs from the seventh inning on.

But for their ninth inning profligacy, the Mets would have finished the regular season five games ahead of the Philadelphia in the NL East…and we all know what the Phillies went on to accomplish.

All Minaya gave up to acquire a man with 101 saves in 308 games were Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith and Endy Chavez.

Of those three, only Smith could be considered a major loss. Heilman was a disaster this year in key situations and while Chavez made some spectacular catches in the outfield, he was a lightweight with the bat.

On paper, the Yanks have more cracks to fill in than the Mets. But they may live to regret the folly of handing out long-terms deals to seasoned players.

Judging by his physique, Sabathia is going to be a hungry player. But whether that hunger is for success or merely fast food remains to be seen.

CC ENSURES THERE’S NO SEVEN YEAR HITCH IN NEW YORK

2008-12-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

SHOULD YANKEES FANS be elated, relieved or concerned now that it appears CC Sabathia will be wearing pinstripes next year?

Elated because above anything else, the Yanks need an ace pitcher who can compete with the Josh Becketts of this world.

Relieved because for the last three weeks it seemed that Sabathia didn’t want to come to New York for all the tea in China.

Concerned because giving any pitcher a seven-year deal is a major risk, let alone one of CC’s build and age (28).

His ability is not in doubt; he has a career ERA of 3.66. But he’s already pitched 1,659 innings so has plenty of miles on the clock.

After their gamble backfired on giving youth a chance rather than pursuing Johan Santana last winter, the Yanks were not going to make the same mistake twice.

That’s why general manager Brian Cashman has used every trick in the book to persuade CC that New York City can be his kind of town.

Opt-out clause seals deal with Yanks

Mind you, reports suggest that the $161 million, seven-year deal includes an opt-out clause after three years, just in case life in the Big Apple doesn’t suit the father-of-two from California.

Sabathia had a close relationship with the fans in Cleveland, so much so that he took out a full-page ad in the local newspaper thanking them for their support after leaving for Milwaukee.

He will soon discover that there are no in-betweens with the fans in New York. They idolize you when you’re playing well, but turn on you pretty quickly when you’re out of form. A-Rod can tell CC all about that.

There have been some concerns expressed about Sabathia’s weight, but he has been a willing workhorse throughout his career and was able to pitch successfully on short rest for the Brewers at the end of last season.

Another worry is his record in the postseason – one win against three losses in five games. He went 0-2 with a 10.45 ERA against the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 American League Championship Series.

But after being eliminated from the postseason for the first time since 1993 this year, the Yanks priority is actually getting there next year. Playing in the same division as the Red Sox and emerging Tampa Bay Rays, that’s going to be no easy task.

It’s also why Cashman and the Yanks will continue to pursue the other free agent pitchers, notably AJ Burnett and Derek Lowe.

Add one of those two to Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and probably Andy Pettitte and you should have a pretty decent starting rotation, especially with Phil Hughes waiting in the wings.

Being greedy, I would like to have seen the Yanks leading the race to sign Mark Teixeira as they need a first baseman who can hit and he’s a perfect fit.

As well as their well-chronicled pitching problems last season, we shouldn’t forget that the Yanks fell well short of their projected runs total too.

Teixeira would go a long way to solving that problem but, sadly, that’s one deal that doesn’t look like happening.

Baseball’s hot stove is sizzling now and with the Mets capture of K-Rod (Francisco Rodriguez), New York fans are going to be treated to seeing two of the best three closers currently playing the game.

NOW NEW YORK BASEBALL CLUBS ARE YANKING OUR CHAIN

2008-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK baseball fans will no doubt be glad to hear that even if they can’t afford to go to the city’s two new ballparks next season, they will still be making a significant contribution to the clubs’ welfare.

The Associated Press reports that the Yankees and Mets are asking New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city for an additional $450 million in public bonds to finance the building of their new stadiums.

The news comes at a time when the Yankees have made an offer of $140 million to one player, CC Sabathia. The Mets are already committed to paying Johan Santana $137.5 million over the next six years.

In the Yankees’ application, the club is asking for another $259m in tax-exempt bonds and $111m in taxable bonds. This is on top of the $965m in bonds already granted for the $1.3 billion new Yankee Stadium.

The Mets are requesting an additional $83m, on top of the $615m already approved for their $800m Citi Field.

The reason? Rising costs, which are far greater than predicted in 2006, notably to replace the parkland on which the new Yankee Stadium is being built and construction of the Metro-North rail station nearby.

City officials claim they will still make a net profit on the bonds and that the new ballparks have generated thousands of construction jobs.

Taxpayers taken for another $450 million

But they’re certainly providing critics of the deal with plenty of ammunition to fire back that the cost to taxpayers far outweighs the economic benefits.

In the current economic climate, when people are losing jobs through no fault of their own, this story is bound to raise eyebrows.

As a fan myself, I know just how much pleasure the Yankees and Mets bring to the community in New York and far beyond.

Baseball remains America’s favorite pastime. It’s also an “industry” that generated a record $6.5 billion in revenue this year alone.

The salaries paid to the top players are obscene, the ticket prices charged so high that the average fan can no longer attend games on a regular basis.

At a time when the U.S. Government is having to bail out the banks and car manufacturers, surely Major League Baseball – and especially the moneybags Mets and Yankees – should be told to pick up the tab.

HOW LONG SHOULD THE YANKS WAIT ON CC?

2008-12-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

THE YANKEES are used to getting their man but surely it must be crystal clear by now that CC Sabathia is not in a New York state of mind.

More than three weeks after the Yanks first dangled a $140 million, six-year deal in front of baseball’s most sough-after free agent, the hefty lefty has yet to take the bait.

General manager Brian Cashman is preaching patience and he’s right…imposing a deadline would probably only succeed in driving the ace pitcher away.

“These free agents, especially when they’re the high end, can dictate the pace,” said Cashman.

“Now I’ve had a chance to meet CC he’s a quality guy. Whether he picks us or doesn’t pick us, I think he’s going through this process with genuine, sincere effort to make the best decision for himself and his family, simple as that.

“We’re not being played, we’re not being manipulated, we’re not being used. I just think that he’s making an informed decision.”

Such are the club’s pitching needs that Cashman and Co. can’t sit around forever in the vain hope that Sabathia will eventually agree to take the Yankee dollar.

Ace pitcher prefers LA to New York

As an ardent Yanks fan, of course I want to see CC in pinstripes. But if he can’t share my passion for the Bronx Bombers then I’d rather he go elsewhere.

Reports suggest that after plying his trade in the baseball backwaters of Cleveland and Milwaukee, Sabathia is concerned about the scrutiny he and his family would be subjected to in New York.

The Big Apple brings out the best in some players, but the bright lights and mass media attention are not for everyone.

The Yanks are pulling out all the stops to persuade Sabathia he would fit right in. They have even enlisted the help of Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, who knows all about hero worship in New York.

But despite all this, Sabathia seems desperate for someone else to come up with comparable offer so he can play on the West Coast, preferably in the National League.

So much so that his representatives have even made overtures to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have money to spend now that they have withdrawn their $45 two-year offer to Manny Ramirez.

Cashman no doubt has a backup plan or two if and when Sabathia officially rules out a move to the Yankees.

But after deciding not to pursue Johan Santana last winter, the Yanks are desperate to land the big one this year…and it shows.

BLUE MONDAY FOR NEW YORK FOOTBALL FANS

2008-12-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

TALK of a Subway Super Bowl proved premature. The New York Giants are fallible, after all, while the Jets are proving a real enigma.

Nerveless in New England, titanic in Tennessee, losing big at home to the Broncos was bad enough, but they were 3.5-point favorites in San Francisco and lost by 10.

Even allowing for a questionable holding call, which ruled out a 99-yard kickoff return by Leon Washington and robbed the Jets of a 21-17 fourth-quarter lead, Gang Green was once again in disarray.

A lack of unity, highlighted by the sniping comments aimed at Brett Favre by Laveranues Coles in the San Francisco media leading up to the game, is almost as concerning as the lack of leadership by coach Eric Mangini.

Mangini is clearly no Bill Belichick. He is either unable or unwilling to change his game plan when it isn’t working. And the inability of the Jets defense to apply any real pressure to the quarterback continues to hurt them against supposedly inferior opponents.

The 8-5 Jets are now in a three-way tie for the lead in the AFC East with the Patriots and the Miami Dolphins.

They have the ideal opportunity to bounce back when fast-fading Buffalo come to town this Sunday.

That really is a “must win” game as the Jets – 0-3 on the West Coast – then have to go to Seattle before playing their final game at home to the Dolphins.

It’s all building up to a massive showdown between Favre and the man he usurped at quarterback, Chad Pennington, for a playoff place – and perhaps a divisional title – on Sunday, December 28.

Giants stumble, Jets fall from grace

Defeat for the Giants was not so costly, and perhaps not so surprising, even though they were favored by 7.5 points against the Philadelphia Eagles.

This was a much more important game for Donovan McNabb and the Eagles than it was for the Giants. And after the media circus following the Plaxico Burress shooting, they have clearly taken their eye of the ball.

The good news is that the Dallas Cowboys’ 20-13 defeat in Pittsburgh means the Giants have now clinched a playoff berth and the NFC East title.

The bad news is that they have to play in Dallas this weekend and, just as it was for the Eagles, this is a game the Cowboys simply cannot afford to lose.

With their last two games against Carolina (home) and Minnesota (away), there’s going to be no easy ride to the playoffs for Big Blue.

That’s why it is vital that coach Tom Coughlin has a week without off-the-field distractions to enable the Giants to regain their focus.

Eli Manning, normally so good at executing Coughlin’s game plan, was strangely out of sorts, along with most of his teammates.

And it was a complete mystery as to why, on a freezing cold day, the Giants went away from their usual running game.

Surely they should have learned by now of the threat posed by the Eagles multi-talented running back Brian Westbrook? Far better to let McNabb try to beat you in the air than give Westbrook the freedom of the Meadowlands.

Giants fans can only keep their fingers crossed that this was a one-off. But, as Jets supporters will testify, one bad performance can lead to two.

IS PETTITTE READY TO COMMIT TREASON?

2008-12-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

BASEBALL’S HOT STOVE is still on simmer, the majority of free agents waiting for CC Sabathia to set the benchmark for salaries.

Sabathia is clearly in no hurry to accept the New York Yankees’ offer of $140 million over the next six years.

And until he does, his fellow pitchers, notably AJ Burnett, Jake Peavy and Derek Lowe – or, more accurately, their agents – don’t know just how high to set the bar for their wage demands.

Sabathia, it would seem, has no great desire to play in pinstripes. The word on the street is that he and his wife, Amber, would rather live on the West Coast – even if that means him playing for the struggling San Francisco Giants, some 30 miles from his home town of Vallejo, California.

In stark contrast, Andy Pettitte has made it plain that New York is the only place he wants to play. Perhaps he should have added the rider…at the right price.

Reports suggest the Yanks have offered the 36-year-old left-hander a one-year deal worth $10 million – $6 million less than he earned this year, when he went 14-14 with an ERA of 4.54.

Pitcher should accept Yanks $10m offer

With Joe Torre and the Los Angeles Dodgers waiting in the wings, Pettitte’s agent, Randy Kendricks, clearly believes his client can get more. Which begs the question: is there even one degree of loyalty left in modern-day sports?

Just remember that Pettitte has already left the Yankees once for a better offer. In 2003, he joined the Houston Astros on a $31.5 million, three-year contract.

And let’s not forget either than the Yankees stood by him – and their contractual agreement – almost exactly a year ago after the Mitchell report revealed that he had taken human growth hormone.

Pettitte neglected to inform the Yanks that he had spoken to investigators before signing his new, $16 million contract.

Later, at an emotional news conference, he apologized to the organization and the fans for his mistake. And, before, during and after last season, he has maintained that he wants to finish his career in the Bronx.

If that truly is the case, then Pettitte should accept the Yanks’ offer.

After all, if anyone deserves a “cut price” deal then it’s the Yankees. They’re the club that have set him up for life. Any other move would be nothing short of treason.