tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49239754512991231732024-03-19T04:31:46.808-07:00SportsbustersBruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-40089508098295074202009-05-20T12:49:00.000-07:002009-05-20T12:54:59.140-07:00NO MORE BLOGGING...FOR NOW<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:18px;">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.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Thanks for reading!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bruce.</span></span></div>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-47560122092755285122009-05-04T10:09:00.000-07:002009-05-04T13:13:27.139-07:00TALK IS CHEAP. PITCHERS (GOOD AND BAD) ARE NOT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QOAMLd3Y42YVRrCl7mfLtD4Oq1rrsqXlYX9LHHvaKjEcU_vh8AJlop8FJxh8tH_AWv5Vhx-i7V5nkA397L8K2J_KTsUqFVw23qPYPldR-haSMMdoBmwjUPLdmdTySsTNbBMlT_Rwa_s/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QOAMLd3Y42YVRrCl7mfLtD4Oq1rrsqXlYX9LHHvaKjEcU_vh8AJlop8FJxh8tH_AWv5Vhx-i7V5nkA397L8K2J_KTsUqFVw23qPYPldR-haSMMdoBmwjUPLdmdTySsTNbBMlT_Rwa_s/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332017656273377570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJPi0keKQIKEB4c6Vi9RnRhwiSKfDClGZkNHMX2PCDaGJYB6yah0rW63M4R1ndzCdz1N85TD-Se5kaD8FOSvfaa_ak7tcmw-PsdD7jU6oko7jrG5LlUnpGvz0L4EocIOzwal-DMTayXE/s1600-h/100px-NLE-NYM-Logo.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJPi0keKQIKEB4c6Vi9RnRhwiSKfDClGZkNHMX2PCDaGJYB6yah0rW63M4R1ndzCdz1N85TD-Se5kaD8FOSvfaa_ak7tcmw-PsdD7jU6oko7jrG5LlUnpGvz0L4EocIOzwal-DMTayXE/s400/100px-NLE-NYM-Logo.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332017533945070690" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">NEW YORK</span> baseball fans are never satisfied. How could they be with the level of expectation in the Big Apple? </span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When the Yankees and Mets are doing well, the phone-in shows on ESPN and WFAN are pretty quiet.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But when things are going badly, the switchboards are jammed.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Here are just a few of the topics:<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Bad Ollie leaves Mets with massive hole to fill</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sean Green: The relief pitcher is being labeled the new Aaron Heilman after blowing two saves.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">David Wright: He’s rapidly “earning” the same tag as A-Rod, namely that he can’t hit in the clutch.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Carlos Beltran: All the ability in the world, but a player with a soft center. Why can’t he play hard every day?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So which side of the city should be worrying the most? Probably the orange and blue rather than the pinstripes.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Coming off dreadful collapses in each of the last two seasons, the Mets – more than anyone – needed to get off to a fast start.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The trouble with baseball is that no sooner have you solved one problem than another appears.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Yanks manager still has complete faith in CC</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Girardi remains 100 percent confident Sabathia will become the ace Yanks’ fans are craving. He’s probably right.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But compare his figures with those of Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, another name linked with the Bronx Bombers during the winter.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Despite being well below .500, the Mets are only two-and-a-half games out of first place.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-59658197350360895802009-04-29T08:50:00.000-07:002009-04-29T08:52:55.935-07:00MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR PHILSOPHICAL HUGHES<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFBj8IBj2VwHUQqbnfHVRC2cL6xllPQATUkokl9RT3hfsDOg7szliOERN8ar4ByCAJt5DuzPHYhmw8k7sQi81NZiJI8X4lr9KIGCpEAeTPgBDERscY0USN8kNxeIhqIuVGS9IlP_t8bI/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFBj8IBj2VwHUQqbnfHVRC2cL6xllPQATUkokl9RT3hfsDOg7szliOERN8ar4ByCAJt5DuzPHYhmw8k7sQi81NZiJI8X4lr9KIGCpEAeTPgBDERscY0USN8kNxeIhqIuVGS9IlP_t8bI/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330141890840090034" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">ON THE DAY</span> the New York Yankees slashed premium ticket prices, there was a certain irony that it was a homegrown talent who should end their slump.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When he failed to win a game in eight starts in 2008, that looked a serious error of judgment.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Young Yankees pitcher makes triumphant return</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Dave Eiland, the Yankees’ pitching coach, said he was delighted but not surprised. “I think he has something to prove,” said Eiland.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After getting swept in Boston, and losing game one at Comerica Park, the Yanks were in desperate need of a lift from someone.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Although Sabathia pitched competently the previous night, the Yankees were behind from the very first inning.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-24417618296309531172009-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:002009-04-28T08:57:58.124-07:00CASHMAN AND GIRARDI DRINKING AT LAST CHANCE SALOON<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai6zcIA-weoxVgWyAyBwc9T6Xj5aB7YeXgCDz6-7xmsV9YDsR08kvivPrZ_SaOlWT4eUYLUHeXql2Z7mriC0vMbvxzTGXgw2YKORa4xO24JnliUzFoGkFM3SbpwC9TCwI8tyKrNc6hro/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai6zcIA-weoxVgWyAyBwc9T6Xj5aB7YeXgCDz6-7xmsV9YDsR08kvivPrZ_SaOlWT4eUYLUHeXql2Z7mriC0vMbvxzTGXgw2YKORa4xO24JnliUzFoGkFM3SbpwC9TCwI8tyKrNc6hro/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329771305453349666" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">THEY'RE</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Yankees’ many failings reflect badly on management</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Maybe he’s just unlucky. Or maybe Torre was fortunate enough to have better players at his disposal.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-67312400080945977232009-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:002009-04-24T11:26:43.484-07:00CAN YANKS SHIFT BALANCE OF POWER BACK TO THE BRONX?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeKzLRG-28-Fx7giZrqyJlnG6j2Peou7nZZTnEFd-w3A5AxbN8zpFSe99QuRuPT-Wb9H5lnfdrIWJjzAFKauJouforY5upAVTbDoOvpu8Dz5NdgewsDrvHoxwIbd2MQRyxLsmo131XoM/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeKzLRG-28-Fx7giZrqyJlnG6j2Peou7nZZTnEFd-w3A5AxbN8zpFSe99QuRuPT-Wb9H5lnfdrIWJjzAFKauJouforY5upAVTbDoOvpu8Dz5NdgewsDrvHoxwIbd2MQRyxLsmo131XoM/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327925700567964034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1agS-umkkrcZdbQxXkEh8zoW31V7bCzR9EMAGnUDvzVT46dywhgfF7ZihyphenhyphenarrLMl2uqwmSFM-Rh1O3M7P8WnWnmVmcqB6NUYRCJRRWm860nCRNWutSBfB50_EF0aertxuBl2yaSNy1s/s1600-h/150px-ALE-BOS-Logo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1agS-umkkrcZdbQxXkEh8zoW31V7bCzR9EMAGnUDvzVT46dywhgfF7ZihyphenhyphenarrLMl2uqwmSFM-Rh1O3M7P8WnWnmVmcqB6NUYRCJRRWm860nCRNWutSBfB50_EF0aertxuBl2yaSNy1s/s400/150px-ALE-BOS-Logo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327925596631597826" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">THE NEW YORK YANKEES</span> – year in and year out the team with the highest payroll in baseball – are not accustomed to being cast in the role of underdog.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But that’s exactly what they will be when they renew their annual rivalry with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Diehard Yankees fans still feel the pain of losing the 2004 American League Championship Series 4-3 after winning the first three games.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Red Sox still in the ascendancy</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Despite the loss of Manny Ramirez, the Sox still have a batting lineup with patience and power. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Pitchers must match up to Beckett and Lester</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Yankees are hoping Sabathia and Burnett will do for them what Beckett and Lester have done for Boston: be consistent aces.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So it’s seconds out and round one of the annual 18-game slugfest between two of baseball’s heavyweights.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-51254041474816910652009-04-20T09:04:00.000-07:002009-04-20T09:06:45.284-07:00WANG’S WOES MAKE YANKEES LOOK AVERAGE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fLttVGqWUMWUN5bR3cpmsSEMJ9plcQlGlQhodqzF1Kg2knFbpQXO8W98rVHm4Wx7ARrMTspYbAl63VBVj9L275RQBb49UyvtY6gvAh8k8j51DCqCiji2b11zdIscq64YO9jfm4-rPLc/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fLttVGqWUMWUN5bR3cpmsSEMJ9plcQlGlQhodqzF1Kg2knFbpQXO8W98rVHm4Wx7ARrMTspYbAl63VBVj9L275RQBb49UyvtY6gvAh8k8j51DCqCiji2b11zdIscq64YO9jfm4-rPLc/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326805684348235154" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">THE GOOD NEWS</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The acquisition of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett has been offset by the inexplicable loss of form by Chien-Ming Wang.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Joba struggles as starter too</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Then there’s Joba Chamberlain. Will the issue of whether he should be the eighth inning guy or a starter ever go away?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For what it’s worth, I’ve never wavered in my view that he should have stayed in the pen.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">His pitching – and his psyche – is much more suited to one explosive inning, and who better to hand the ball over to Mariano Rivera?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Not only that, you can use Joba two or three times a week, rather than just once every five days.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">With the notable exception of Rivera and Bruney, the bullpen has looked anything but solid so far this season.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Bullpen reliant on Bruney and Rivera</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As for the batting lineup, there are too many easy outs without either Alex Rodriguez or Xavier Nady in it.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A pessimistic point of view, certainly. But, right now, a realistic one too.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-76420307420591204062009-04-13T08:13:00.000-07:002009-04-13T12:49:08.020-07:00COKE CHOKE TAKES FIZZ OUT OF YANKEES<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZSOAlwnZ15zJjQDMQXALdQwUS2hmSx896ELaWSgwDl6hy3u2g5i3MN3sUxFoYrP8vNu5kJ2Ev-ueMNHZR0WdgrQ-1fy_3ZOEXv4FihNjnxVOcDNZ2TDrK-hfLEMRYy773TPPJRpuSSY/s1600-h/100px-NLE-NYM-Logo.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZSOAlwnZ15zJjQDMQXALdQwUS2hmSx896ELaWSgwDl6hy3u2g5i3MN3sUxFoYrP8vNu5kJ2Ev-ueMNHZR0WdgrQ-1fy_3ZOEXv4FihNjnxVOcDNZ2TDrK-hfLEMRYy773TPPJRpuSSY/s400/100px-NLE-NYM-Logo.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324195412326130290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68NgByRQD2Yo-An0agEVDJQjDC2eB3DznpUGKcGr0dQvClGBfjNRuVYIyMpohJbuSqF5K2Yg36efaohRu1MgrL0KovlD3YyPnyh8a41ULMDld_ks0X1xiJ7_t8Fusf2pSoDXT-vofJD8/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68NgByRQD2Yo-An0agEVDJQjDC2eB3DznpUGKcGr0dQvClGBfjNRuVYIyMpohJbuSqF5K2Yg36efaohRu1MgrL0KovlD3YyPnyh8a41ULMDld_ks0X1xiJ7_t8Fusf2pSoDXT-vofJD8/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324195286383849794" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">STILL WONDERING</span> why both New York teams missed the playoffs last season?</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well, if any further evidence was required, just look at the way the Yankees and Mets contrived to lose games yesterday.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If he’s not the best starting pitcher in baseball – and he gets my vote – then Johan Santana is certainly the most dependable.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Santana could hardly have done more against the Florida Marlins, striking out 13 in seven superlative innings.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Yankees are also 3-3. Not so bad, you might say, after losing their first two games.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">New York teams show their soft center</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Coke showed great potential at the end of last season, and again in spring training, but he was untested in pressure situations.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Add Jose Molina and Melky Cabrera to the starting nine and you have a National League batting lineup.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-797680879122306382009-04-12T19:28:00.000-07:002009-04-13T12:46:15.624-07:00KENNY PERRY'S HOUSE OF PAIN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dukM04An852eTobU4UT25L3k_1xrA7A6eK6cDBqN3ZsxHLzKaZ4GKjsp26TbCFPvSdsbcAnSV9stGqTbUX79nX3nxGVIVDr-EPcLWfS-Q9yt3-ghTwvqllCFiTdyWEUJyBuLdRvSKbQ/s1600-h/Masters_logo.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dukM04An852eTobU4UT25L3k_1xrA7A6eK6cDBqN3ZsxHLzKaZ4GKjsp26TbCFPvSdsbcAnSV9stGqTbUX79nX3nxGVIVDr-EPcLWfS-Q9yt3-ghTwvqllCFiTdyWEUJyBuLdRvSKbQ/s400/Masters_logo.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324176116787858962" /></a><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">PHIL WAS FABULOUS </span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">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 </span></span><a name="OLE_LINK1"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Ánge</span></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">l when his second shot on the 18th hole cannoned back off a pine tree and into the fairway.</span><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But, on a thrilling final day at Augusta National, it was Kenny Perry’s Masters to win or lose.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />“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.”</span></span></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><div align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Agony and ecstacy as Cabrera wins Masters</span></strong></div><div align="justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Woods, like Perry, bogeyed the last two holes. Mickelson, who covered the front nine in 30 to reach 10 under </span><a name="OLE_LINK2"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">–</span></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> 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.<br /><br />There will undoubtedly be other days for both Woods and Mickelson. But will Kenny Perry ever get another shot at greatness?</span></span></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-7893064791320249372009-04-10T09:10:00.000-07:002009-04-10T09:13:15.976-07:00RAYS’ STING MORE LETHAL THAN RED SOX<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6neHfE1dPNXZ2r5-8C87vId-Vm04dZt5mNlUOR3NVQsNNlNVZEUt6WI1xYGVCWz1OEDMDJgSUlhmiWcEH5t7rsUvRZ80M3r-IMf-vTS79mdXcE15NnsQFlB2WP7DybdW0Wepf0iluug/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6neHfE1dPNXZ2r5-8C87vId-Vm04dZt5mNlUOR3NVQsNNlNVZEUt6WI1xYGVCWz1OEDMDJgSUlhmiWcEH5t7rsUvRZ80M3r-IMf-vTS79mdXcE15NnsQFlB2WP7DybdW0Wepf0iluug/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323096505195118370" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">YANKEES WIN!</span> Theeeeee Yankees win! At the third time of asking.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And for all the travails of CC Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang, the Yanks are no worse off than the Red Sox.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The question is, which one will be their main rival?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Tampa have wild card to play in Price</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thanks to the addition of Sabathia and AJ Burnett, the Yanks have, on paper at least, the most complete rotation.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-26605129010441776042009-04-07T08:28:00.000-07:002009-04-07T11:44:28.147-07:00THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER FOR CC AND TEX.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfmmbly46ZQ37TWko8oxXueKi_qxlVFNiVOnaBBnCPGji9j_zDlpvienYWBoRpcvKXiMqDtLMkoGz4BoqMs3vpXOAdbfJ_lSnmuJt_UWBSvzaukxNmNiExpgjuTrrNjLg2VOZIHsD33s/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfmmbly46ZQ37TWko8oxXueKi_qxlVFNiVOnaBBnCPGji9j_zDlpvienYWBoRpcvKXiMqDtLMkoGz4BoqMs3vpXOAdbfJ_lSnmuJt_UWBSvzaukxNmNiExpgjuTrrNjLg2VOZIHsD33s/s400/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321972281974799970" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">THE NEW YORK YANKEES</span> looked like a million dollars in spring training. Or, to be more accurate, they looked like a team with a $200 million-plus payroll.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But although the Yanks lost the opening day battle in Baltimore, they can – and most probably will – still win the war.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hopefully, CC – with the aid of his heating pad – won’t take quite so long to warm up this year.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Opening day anguish for big-money signings</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Teixeira, who spurned an offer from the Orioles to sign an eight-year, $180 million contract with New York, was booed by the fans.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Welcome to New York, Mark and CC. In just one day, you’ve learned about the pressure that comes with playing for the Yankees.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-74219675161296497212009-03-30T08:10:00.000-07:002009-03-30T08:40:14.232-07:00PARTY POOPER TIGER EYEING FIFTH MASTERS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtku2Nu6jmHZmYiodVo29i9IW7gRhKaTFAqPLTuIEOGgr1ZVLXMkeUDbGJQOz279KlRrhyphenhypheno5cjtH6t-g8rh7eLu25oQRXawI6xkHNUxlyuNqoipbP3pnjJ5EvaiK4O5T4o98Y09EvMZc/s1600-h/afafa99c23a82a84.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtku2Nu6jmHZmYiodVo29i9IW7gRhKaTFAqPLTuIEOGgr1ZVLXMkeUDbGJQOz279KlRrhyphenhypheno5cjtH6t-g8rh7eLu25oQRXawI6xkHNUxlyuNqoipbP3pnjJ5EvaiK4O5T4o98Y09EvMZc/s400/afafa99c23a82a84.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318999782625611058" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">SORRY</span>, 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Everyone’s happy…except Woods’ fellow pros</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The frightening thought for his fellow pros is that there’s still plenty of room for improvement.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What price now against Woods winning his fifth Masters Green Jacket at Augusta National in two weeks’ time?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Odds of 2-1 look pretty skinny but if you like backing favorites with guts, heart and class, then Tiger’s your man.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-64515881606115851032009-03-27T11:34:00.000-07:002009-03-27T12:22:13.846-07:00NOT EVEN AIG EXECS CAN AFFORD THE BEST SEATS AT THE NEW YANKEE STADIUM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE9H567Wf04jNt4iTl8C5j4tAJDEYwzJpOc_Z8njDJTur2tkukmvAZr_6t8HLgA0SS7B0kgFJjbJJ-3TC2Kt1KWCm-egY8n8WnqQyi216FSPuj5HOvNejGLit_-Y6KpFLLY0iyI79n_w/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE9H567Wf04jNt4iTl8C5j4tAJDEYwzJpOc_Z8njDJTur2tkukmvAZr_6t8HLgA0SS7B0kgFJjbJJ-3TC2Kt1KWCm-egY8n8WnqQyi216FSPuj5HOvNejGLit_-Y6KpFLLY0iyI79n_w/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317938239012688562" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">WHICH IS MORE OBSCENE?</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What, so you expected a concession due to the fact that you’d already bought a ticket to the game? Tsk, tsk.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Bronx Bombers bank on beating recession</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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).<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Okay, so I know it’s all about supply and demand. After all, someone has to keep hefty-lefty CC Sabathia in hamburgers. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Only corporate America and companies like AIG can do that these days…or can they?</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-91444540568365792392009-03-23T09:59:00.000-07:002009-03-23T10:12:56.001-07:00UNITED STUMBLE AGAIN ON ROAD TO QUINTUPLE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbw4-n7fe_KyEaMHp_OM9yCr0h8iV4zcn9-l-tG3Ao3KPKrw7Ie9nJQr7ASRStm1TCL2xD2j8ovh9VNgh63it2Pc2EpORyDo-DznHI5u59cWUeBswjagyQ4X2atOzWMvjEcs0CDK8ack/s1600-h/180px-Man_Utd_FC_.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbw4-n7fe_KyEaMHp_OM9yCr0h8iV4zcn9-l-tG3Ao3KPKrw7Ie9nJQr7ASRStm1TCL2xD2j8ovh9VNgh63it2Pc2EpORyDo-DznHI5u59cWUeBswjagyQ4X2atOzWMvjEcs0CDK8ack/s400/180px-Man_Utd_FC_.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316432181659728578" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">MANCHESTER UNITED</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, according to Forbes magazine, is the world’s richest football club.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Such is United’s strength in depth that Tevez usually plays only a cameo role from the substitutes’ bench.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Not so long ago, doing the “double” (league and FA Cup) was regarded as the pinnacle of achievement in English football.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A few weeks ago, they looked to have had the Barclays Premier League title wrapped up for the third successive year.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"We'll need a lot of luck" – Fergie</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“The one thing I will say is this squad is the best I have ever had. Every game we play, I feel confident.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The two-week hiatus for international football has probably come at just the right time for United.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And the good news is that when the players return, their next game is at home to Villa on Sunday, April 5.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Third-placed Chelsea missed the chance to join Liverpool on 64 points when they were beaten 1-0 by rapidly improving Tottenham.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-37354692162103242122009-03-17T08:29:00.000-07:002009-03-17T08:33:29.478-07:00THINGS GO BETTER WITH COKE!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfb4QCjQnLeZbnK-Xhioa2HSJ2mWC75G9jptTyj_rvOFZBeU2Alw1rRz8Lmv5yo36hF1ROKYBhY361vlz2nt_Bo6a8wnCW51SvAeWaUeWH6LTiAH8vyr-t2Z75Xo81quqWRoxRV6cjHE/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfb4QCjQnLeZbnK-Xhioa2HSJ2mWC75G9jptTyj_rvOFZBeU2Alw1rRz8Lmv5yo36hF1ROKYBhY361vlz2nt_Bo6a8wnCW51SvAeWaUeWH6LTiAH8vyr-t2Z75Xo81quqWRoxRV6cjHE/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314179977218321618" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">PHILLIP COKE</span>, 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Igawa has been such a disappointment in Major League Baseball that he couldn’t even make the Japanese squad for the World Baseball Classic.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Three musketeers earn shot at stardom</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If he can do that – and the signs are encouraging – then he will be a tremendous asset to the Yankees.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Again, those stats could be misleading as the Yanks were out of playoff contention by then.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But Coke has continued where he left off in spring training, conceding only two runs in eight innings.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But keep an eye on The Three Musketeers who are earning their shot at stardom down in Tampa.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-20729513530566962542009-03-13T08:54:00.000-07:002009-03-13T11:31:10.689-07:00LET THE REAL GAMES BEGIN, PLEASE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eQNbqeBXeNQJecvJKZAlWRiW5Fzofjm-pbtcZNykh2514zvo9F1M6_YuWrQ-EbAWfZHv22WgagrLUmwkxem1R0x0JjTTvvqYYGhT5832ZKzpb238NIt3SXAyVK0og12YFcxMMFAHz9w/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eQNbqeBXeNQJecvJKZAlWRiW5Fzofjm-pbtcZNykh2514zvo9F1M6_YuWrQ-EbAWfZHv22WgagrLUmwkxem1R0x0JjTTvvqYYGhT5832ZKzpb238NIt3SXAyVK0og12YFcxMMFAHz9w/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312701939179778018" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">BORED WITH BASKETBALL?</span> Irked by ice hockey? Sick of spring training and not wild about the World Baseball Classic?</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Quite frankly, it can’t come soon enough for this New York Yankees fan.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It’s about time I backed a winner…and up until a week ago, I was pretty sure it would be your 2009 Yankees.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now, before a ball has been thrown in anger, I’m not feeling quite so confident.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jorge Posada has yet to catch a game in spring training and we’re still awaiting Mariano Rivera’s first pitch. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And after spending top dollar on CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, there should be a big improvement in this department.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Spring training not going smoothly for Yankees</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That the Yankees overpaid for both Sabathia ($161 million over eight years) and Burnett ($82.5 million over five years) is beyond doubt.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yankees fans will be expecting Sabathia and Burnett to start earning their money from day one, which may be unrealistic.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We’re also hoping for great things from Joba Chamberlain, providing he stays the course.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But they’ll need a lot more luck than they had last year when they were plagued by injuries.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Yanks face a testing start with a nine-game road trip to Baltimore, Kansas and Tampa Bay.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But that’s a whole lot of ifs…</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-33143361253890061542009-03-06T08:08:00.000-08:002009-03-06T09:00:48.751-08:00ALEXANDER THE GRATE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA01X8WoebdU68luIh-eScDuOJkv4_iYhfzgGhgX-neMOwZGaUtTfaSRXCCAn5MbejT-AuzdGUSEpomC-ZKyUqErFxJS5kibRmEnQs_bp0sAQ3tdmfUNGGwJeFXd2h0pilsJq28nvWcDk/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA01X8WoebdU68luIh-eScDuOJkv4_iYhfzgGhgX-neMOwZGaUtTfaSRXCCAn5MbejT-AuzdGUSEpomC-ZKyUqErFxJS5kibRmEnQs_bp0sAQ3tdmfUNGGwJeFXd2h0pilsJq28nvWcDk/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310108088819415362" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">AT LEAST</span> the New York Yankees should be used to getting held to ransom.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No one comes cheap to the Yankees, least of all Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As the saying goes, act in haste, repent at leisure. Has anything good happened to the Bronx Bombers since then?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Come to think of it, has anything good happened to the Yanks since Rodriguez joined them from the Texas Rangers on February 15, 2004?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">True, A-Rod has been voted the American League MVP in two of the last four seasons.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">As usual, it's all about A-Rod</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps it would be better for both the team and the fans if A-Rod went and had the surgery now.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Today, I wonder just how many Yankees fans feel the same way?</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-76976011670882370092009-03-03T10:58:00.000-08:002009-03-03T11:02:14.663-08:00PAKISTAN NOW A NO-GO AREA FOR WORLD SPORTS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BJBP4RSiJQlrjLZm9J-Bxhb9gCfJfK-LkAG4liDyFohwZK-c92yXhzWNj6-TyiSxn7je7RUp4fS66xd-7jotu9UQTyCc7fP12-qaWAeBc-uE2o8RaXvH-FcMmjb03y3B4Hrel0uJADQ/s1600-h/200px-Sri_Lanka_Cricket_Logo.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BJBP4RSiJQlrjLZm9J-Bxhb9gCfJfK-LkAG4liDyFohwZK-c92yXhzWNj6-TyiSxn7je7RUp4fS66xd-7jotu9UQTyCc7fP12-qaWAeBc-uE2o8RaXvH-FcMmjb03y3B4Hrel0uJADQ/s400/200px-Sri_Lanka_Cricket_Logo.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309038686029424594" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">SPORTS AND POLITICS</span> should never mix. That old saying has never been more true following the tragic events in Lahore, Pakistan, today.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Six policemen were killed and seven members of the Sri Lankan cricket team wounded in the latest atrocity on the Indian subcontinent.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The ambush took place as the Sri Lankans were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium to play a Test match against Pakistan.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Should Sri Lankans have even been there?</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But the question remains: Should the Sri Lankans have been in Pakistan in the first place?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In India and Pakistan, cricket is like a religion. The top players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Yousuf are worshipped like gods.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Former Pakistan Test captain Wasim Bari believes his country should not be subject to a boycott.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Bari has a point but the fact remains that Pakistan has now gone from a red-flag destination to a no-go area.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-22844415575867897422009-02-25T11:57:00.000-08:002009-02-25T12:00:54.845-08:00I SAY STANFORD OLD BEAN, IT'S JUST NOT CRICKET<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6HhrWuvqI9yUXhvA_LrVnvHaXqNcrdR36KNVl6lNfoIK2z11c8Tv6x4zefcFHGwD_zHDVrPSz1Wi-JniJ7OKYgH9kDEOkje1q8Ze1-LQSYGw4JOoYkNVhVPD-6FN8Y24JPzvX_D6puk/s1600-h/200px-West_Indies_Cricket_Board_Flag.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6HhrWuvqI9yUXhvA_LrVnvHaXqNcrdR36KNVl6lNfoIK2z11c8Tv6x4zefcFHGwD_zHDVrPSz1Wi-JniJ7OKYgH9kDEOkje1q8Ze1-LQSYGw4JOoYkNVhVPD-6FN8Y24JPzvX_D6puk/s400/200px-West_Indies_Cricket_Board_Flag.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306827251508753442" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">SIR ALLEN STANFORD</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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).<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Stanford landed his black and silver branded helicopter at Lord’s in London to make millionaires of England’s cricketers.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The first “Stanford Challenge” took place in Antigua on November 1 and resulted in a crushing victory for the host nation.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Apparently, some of the England team were upset about Stanford’s regular visits to their inner sanctum – i.e the dressing room.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So imagine the reaction last week when it was revealed that all their fears about Stanford’s possibly sleazy past look like coming true.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">England officials stumped by Texan tycoon</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There were calls for Giles Clarke, chairman of the ECB, to resign. Clarke, however, is determined to ride out the storm.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“We have to raise our monies from all kinds of place. Sport cannot exist without money,” he said.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">While Clarke insist the ECB conducted due diligence, the shocks waves of the Stanford affair are still being felt throughout the sports world.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">New York Yankees baseball stars Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady had their assets frozen while Phillies reliever Scott Eyre says he’s “broke.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">England footballer Michael Owen and Fijian golfer Vijay Singh are other sportsmen believed to have been victims of Stanford’s Ponzi scheme.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Stanford was tracked down to Fredericksburg, Virigina, last Thursday. For once, his personal photographer was not with him.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Who said there’s no such thing as bad publicity?</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-48385137600907150492009-02-23T09:36:00.000-08:002009-02-23T09:41:25.424-08:00WHY GOLF NEEDS TIGER, TIGER BURNING BRIGHT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufrAZh9ApW02UQo-UMGtzCe3stimZeOzWOt8dItiVtUNehSNhY6Z-zFMCkHHmy0yXuvtI1nWYReLhUB-vidslNrx64AE2W9HwpgUkeVZMoqbpMtjB4_d40SHAv2p9y5uWyCUIMhWNsGc/s1600-h/cf6a1dd6bab0f10c.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 106px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufrAZh9ApW02UQo-UMGtzCe3stimZeOzWOt8dItiVtUNehSNhY6Z-zFMCkHHmy0yXuvtI1nWYReLhUB-vidslNrx64AE2W9HwpgUkeVZMoqbpMtjB4_d40SHAv2p9y5uWyCUIMhWNsGc/s400/cf6a1dd6bab0f10c.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306049244101086258" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">IN HIS ABSENCE</span>, 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Affable Irishman Harrington, and evergreen Aussie Greg Norman, have provided a few interesting sub-plots.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">TV ratings plummet during Woods’ absence</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It seems Tiger’s fellow professionals are also happy, even though they realize his presence significantly reduces their own chance of winning.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Phil Mickelson, the man in form after winning the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, summed up what Woods means to professional golf.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“He does so much for us on a national level here and on an international level throughout the world. We’ve missed him.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Every sport needs rivalries and it will be great to see Woods and Mickelson go head-to-head again in the coming months.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-81814465201701721162009-02-19T08:25:00.000-08:002009-02-19T10:30:02.165-08:00HAS BECKHAM REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE TO SOCCER IN THE STATES?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdNLNDAothF4Y23_mOz7Wx8zkdcsgzyrHSvpJ6iCw525WNu4iXDlBYdubHXc8ic4NQPuGPhbgO-lTRSIEFGg6TyvjaGHsWYTAVJyW2SAry-KhyWTAwuarL-9wGIbWhepdMjVbwXRmsVg/s1600-h/200px-MajorLeagueSoccer.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdNLNDAothF4Y23_mOz7Wx8zkdcsgzyrHSvpJ6iCw525WNu4iXDlBYdubHXc8ic4NQPuGPhbgO-lTRSIEFGg6TyvjaGHsWYTAVJyW2SAry-KhyWTAwuarL-9wGIbWhepdMjVbwXRmsVg/s400/200px-MajorLeagueSoccer.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304546070811772482" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">“I’M COMING</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes, Beckham has brought a buzz to MLS, helped increase attendances and boosted the profile of the league around the world.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But one can also argue that Beckham’s desire to cut short his stay in LA will do more harm than good.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Star set to quit Galaxy after just one season</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The simple truth is MLS needs Beckham more than Beckham needs the MLS.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Without players with the charisma of Beckham, it always will be.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-79407437412048858662009-02-17T12:09:00.000-08:002009-02-17T12:13:16.618-08:00A-FRAUD FAILS IN THE CLUTCH…AGAIN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrVCBY9yzbsnRPfR5TgN9DwexquBAa1r2dLZY7-CPtup6OTsWm06ah4SB2cqGd_AG58xajcyovTOSIUcXo05S9sfI761F40kngq_iMIx0xspilvZNLqJi5eNOXSFg53uB1i72_j-PJyM/s1600-h/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrVCBY9yzbsnRPfR5TgN9DwexquBAa1r2dLZY7-CPtup6OTsWm06ah4SB2cqGd_AG58xajcyovTOSIUcXo05S9sfI761F40kngq_iMIx0xspilvZNLqJi5eNOXSFg53uB1i72_j-PJyM/s400/100px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303861652637827474" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">IF ALEX RODRIGUEZ</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Instead, he and the New York Yankees fudged the issue by staging a press conference that was nothing short of a sham.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If A-Rod really believes this is the end of the matter, he’s living in cloud cuckoo land.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So many questions remain unanswered. Who was the cousin who supplied him with the steroids from the Dominican Republic?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Yankees star fouls off every question</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sherman added: “Rodriguez projects a disingenuous quality that – perhaps more than anything – gives so many people a negative feeling about him.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But he owes it to himself and the paying public to provide honest and open answers to the many outstanding questions.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span> <br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-73606667892772731052009-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:002009-02-12T09:03:41.671-08:00POLICE PURSUE PHELPS. HAS THE WORLD GONE POTTY?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjpjTw1GeGZI7sh03S__tife_muVGaiBaArKrrSbb9auB67wDcOyDy9bMkD4D-ZRr_uc46Ruu3CT6pmZ2IxFk8UThRcjb0XGg6wL-AvUaeSyHnop5HgsUPi9GD2ApwZxvO_3ZGcogOc4/s1600-h/Tony+the+Tiger+2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjpjTw1GeGZI7sh03S__tife_muVGaiBaArKrrSbb9auB67wDcOyDy9bMkD4D-ZRr_uc46Ruu3CT6pmZ2IxFk8UThRcjb0XGg6wL-AvUaeSyHnop5HgsUPi9GD2ApwZxvO_3ZGcogOc4/s400/Tony+the+Tiger+2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301957531135590802" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MICHAEL PHELPS</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Just consider this. Alex Rodriguez admits taking performance- enhancing drugs for three years from the age of 26 to 28.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The consequence? Major League Baseball is powerless to punish him as testing was not officially introduced until 2004.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Michael Phelps trains tirelessly for four years leading up to Beijing Olympics, where he wins a record eight gold medals.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now we hear he is being pursued by the South Carolina police force, who are seeking to make a case against the swimmer.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Punishment surely doesn’t fit the crime</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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? <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He is sure to come under intense scrutiny from the British tabloids, always keen to find flaws in supposedly squeaky-clean sportsmen.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If he decides he wants to keep his private life just that, I, for one, will understand.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-10703027103942026482009-02-11T10:49:00.000-08:002009-02-11T10:52:08.112-08:00NO FOND FAREWELL FOR FAVRE THIS TIME<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaI7vVDffjeJOJirOOfVHSWNvSn-on3pIDFCzas7M1Q1yOKTmDaUX4WCEJcU9LCp2O-6L96I1wWwwh70sdgGq2OKiF86LpYmoYApQkPQueM5ojMw25hTWZDzd-ULeYnEo0QUUDwuM8_w/s1600-h/135px-New_York_Jets_helmet_rightface.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaI7vVDffjeJOJirOOfVHSWNvSn-on3pIDFCzas7M1Q1yOKTmDaUX4WCEJcU9LCp2O-6L96I1wWwwh70sdgGq2OKiF86LpYmoYApQkPQueM5ojMw25hTWZDzd-ULeYnEo0QUUDwuM8_w/s400/135px-New_York_Jets_helmet_rightface.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301614521791481058" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">IT WAS</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Favre joined the Jets in the hope that he could have one last shot at winning a second Super Bowl.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Jets fans won’t be heartbroken by news</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When they were 8-3, it looked possible. At the very least, the Jets seemed certain to make the playoffs.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But it all started to go wrong when they suffered a shocking 34-17 defeat at home to the Denver Broncos.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Favre completed 343 of 522 attempted passes and threw 22 touchdowns. But the most telling statistic was the number of interceptions – also 22.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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!</span><br /></div></span><br /></div>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-39498988611984696672009-02-10T08:14:00.000-08:002009-02-10T08:19:38.571-08:00LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRhqpHd5_V-6CEyP9z18O8g-AW_M5pDlOXmXwbz64p4SaBSN3RyJ4FcnVC7sziJWKZ_15h54ZNjFwP1NZjgBUdp8-3R_jC-ids63usjZ7P_jdProaNSCazqpWx-7bhYloQkeyOQcbkvE/s1600-h/200px-ESPN_wordmark.svg.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 50px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRhqpHd5_V-6CEyP9z18O8g-AW_M5pDlOXmXwbz64p4SaBSN3RyJ4FcnVC7sziJWKZ_15h54ZNjFwP1NZjgBUdp8-3R_jC-ids63usjZ7P_jdProaNSCazqpWx-7bhYloQkeyOQcbkvE/s400/200px-ESPN_wordmark.svg.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301203502528641826" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">PETER GAMMONS</span> 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.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">An interview during which the words “performance-enhancing”, “drugs” and “steroids” were taboo.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How can we be sure that he hasn’t been taking drugs throughout his career and, since 2003, has managed to avoid detection?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He lied to Katie Couric during his 60 Minutes interview in December, 2007. So why should we believe a word he says now?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">ESPN’s A-Rod exclusive a sham</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">His explanation? “I was lying to myself.” Hold on a second, Alex. I thought you said you saw the light in 2004?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Roberts denies that she stalked A-Rod, saying: “I can tell you that long list of things he alleged were a complete fabrication.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Any self-respecting journalist will go to the subject of their story and give him or her the chance to respond to the allegations.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span><br /></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923975451299123173.post-79650675616205850082009-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:002009-02-09T17:12:26.859-08:00A-ROID: BOTH FALLEN HERO AND FALL GUY<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2o4LR2Vvc6uYqlxe2zu7BspEFe6YNicMXEvW9NKpGKF0jxENW5KidvNHUNV2UF68Xn8yABdzCpfCFoRSVhmw-ruUHu37S4b7uFnb0T0BzIeJeGVqkp3TYXJaQoW9ZgbT4ScaUzK3deg/s1600-h/220px-New60minutes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300841426000998594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 165px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2o4LR2Vvc6uYqlxe2zu7BspEFe6YNicMXEvW9NKpGKF0jxENW5KidvNHUNV2UF68Xn8yABdzCpfCFoRSVhmw-ruUHu37S4b7uFnb0T0BzIeJeGVqkp3TYXJaQoW9ZgbT4ScaUzK3deg/s400/220px-New60minutes.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">ONE MONTH</span> ago, no one had heard of Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III. Everyone had heard of A-Rod.</span></span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So who’s the real hero now?<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The difference is that while A-Rod seems to crave being in the limelight, Mr. Sullenberger is playing the role of reluctant hero.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Today, at City Hall, Mr. Sullenberger and his crew will receive the key to the city of New York.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What does your child want to be when he grows up…a television presenter, a pilot, a baseball player?<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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. <br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Baseball sullied by latest drugs bust</span><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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?<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This winter, they have invested $423 million in signing three top players in preparation for their first season in a new stadium.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2009 is supposed to be the year when the New York Yankees reestablish themselves as the top dogs in the American League East.<br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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.</span></div></span>Bruce Becketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887781783459657757noreply@blogger.com0