NFL IS TAKING THE HARD BUT FAIR HIT OUT OF FOOTBALL

I’M SURE New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck won’t be losing any sleep over being fined $7,500 by the National Football League.

But I’m glad to hear that Tuck will be appealing the punishment handed out for his “foul” on Dallas Cowboys’ back-up quarterback Brooks Bollinger last Sunday as he should never have been penalized in the first place.

According to an NFL spokesman, Tuck was fined because “he unnecessarily drove the opposing quarterback to the ground.”

The NFL is taking a tough stance these days on what the organization deems to be “illegal and dangerous hits.” Some say they are making football soft.

Sometimes, there is a thin dividing line between a hard but fair tackle and unnecessary roughness.

To my mind, Tuck’s tackle was within the rules. Replays showed that he hit Bollinger just as he threw the ball. He party released his grasp as they were on the way down and it was only sheer momentum that resulted in his 274 lbs, 6ft 5 in-frame ending up on top of the unfortunate Bollinger.

It was exactly what Tuck is paid to do…get to the quarterback. I’m all for stamping out dirty play, but this was not a premeditated act and is a prime example of the rules having gone crazy.

Tuck fined for doing his job too well

Football is a contact sport, yet as Tuck says about the modern-day quarterback: “You can’t hit him in the head, you can’t hit him below the knees. Obviously, you can’t hit him hard either.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin did not think the play should have penalized at the time. “The guy was attacking the quarterback. He doesn’t have a checklist that he goes through.”

Many football players – both past and present – believe the NFL has gone too far in protecting the players.

Only last month, Troy Polamalu, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ four-time Pro Bowl safety, said: “It’s becoming more and more flag football, two-hand touch.

“We’ve really lost the essence of what real American Football is about. They’re not really concerned about safety, because people have been doing this for quite a few decades.

“You’ve got to figure out how to tackle people a new way…and it’s too much.”

Tuck, Coughlin and most Giants fans would no doubt agree.

CALZAGHE’S NO ORDINARY JOE IN BRITAIN

TO NEW YORK sports fans, Madison Square Garden is home to the Rangers (NHL), Knicks (NBA) and Liberty (WNBA).

But to the rest of the world, and particularly Great Britain, MSG is famous for being a boxing venue.

Every great fighter – John L. Sullivan, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali to name but a few – has graced the Garden at some stage in their careers.

To top the bill at the Garden is acknowledgement that you are among the elite.

Only a handful of British fighters have had this honor. Scotland’s Ken Buchanan, who lost his WBA world lightweight crown to Roberto Duran there in 1972, said: “From a boxer’s point of view, once you have boxed at the Garden you can die in peace.”

This Saturday, Welshman Joe Calzaghe joins this special group of Brits when he takes on Roy Jones Jr. for the Ring Magazine Light-Heavyweight Championship.

For many years, Jones was regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. But, at 39, you have to wonder whether he is past his prime.

He has won his last three fights, all by unanimous decisions. But, before that, he had lost three in a row, getting knocked out in two of them.

Undefeated Welshman favorite to beat Jones

Calzaghe, in contrast, remains unbeaten in 45 contests, 32 of which he has won by way of knockout. He dominated the Super Middleweight division before switching to Light Heavyweight. Now 36, he turned professional in 1993 and has undoubtedly been the best British boxer of the last decade. Better than Ricky Hatton, who was well beaten by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas last December. 

Such is his popularity in Britain that he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2007 ahead of Formula One motor racing world champion Lewis Hamilton and Hatton.

British bookmakers believe Calzaghe will prove victorious. They make him a 1-3 shot with Jones 9-4 against.

Whatever happens, “The Pride of Wales” says this will be his last fight; that only this sort of challenge can motivate him any more.

“For years and years I’ve been fighting guys I’ve never heard of with names I couldn’t even spell,” he says.

“I’ve always said I’ve got more chance of losing against fighters I’ve never heard of than the ones I have.

“We’re not robots. It takes a lot to get tuned up and get yourself in a certain zone. If you’re not in that zone you don’t perform. You get caught with punches you’re not supposed to get caught with.”

For that reason, Calzaghe has distanced himself from his opponent after they had formed a friendship while promoting the fight.

"It's going to be one hell of a fight"

“I haven’t spoken to Roy in six weeks. We know this is what we get paid to do,” he said.

“Make no mistake about it, I respect the guy. But now he’s in my way and he’s trying to stop something that I’ve worked for all my life. I’m not going to allow that.

“That’s why I am going to go in there and leave everything in the ring and make sure I do my best to knock him out.”

Confident words from Calzaghe, but he remains wary of Jones and his record.

“Roy says he’s in the best condition he’s been in for years. I believe that. I’m in the best condition I’ve been in for years so it’s going to be one hell of a fight,” he added.

“I was one of those guys that wrote him off, but he’s come back and had three good wins. He’s Roy Jones Jr. The guy’s a legend; an even bigger legend than Hopkins.”

Calzaghe struggled to a split decision over Bernard Hopkins in his last fight in April after being dropped by a right-hander in the first round. Jones, meanwhile, gained an easy points decision over Felix Trinidad in January.

Both men have enjoyed illustrious careers. Neither wants to go out on a low note so those willing to splash out around $50 to watch it on HBO pay-per-view should get their money’s worth.

OBAMA VICTORY UNLIKELY TO TAX BORAS

BARACK OBAMA’S victory in the general election could be bad news for baseball players. But never fear – Scott Boras is here.

Boras, a man who has brokered more big-money deals than Jerry Maguire, is already thinking of ways that his clients can avoid the near-5 percent rise in the top federal income tax proposed by America’s President-elect.

On a day when Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig warned of the effects the recession could have on his sport, the top agents were more concerned by the tax implications of a shift in power.

Obama’s election campaign included a proposal to increase federal income tax from 35 percent to 39.6 percent for households bringing in more than $250,000 annually.

That includes every Major League player as the minimum wage is $400,000. But for a free agent such as Manny Ramirez or Mark Teixeira, who are likely to earn around $20 million in 2009, their taxes could increase by more than $900,000.

Boras, who represents both Ramirez and Teixiera, is reportedly considering counteracting this by asking for a bigger signing bonus. 

If the bonus was paid before January 1, it would likely be subject to the current rate of taxation. 

New President could hit baseball

“There's some consideration to be had with the impact of the election,” Boras is quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

As I said in yesterday’s column, Boras’s job is to get the best deal for his client…and nobody does it better.

He bases his negotiations on numbers crunched by his 40-strong staff at high-tech offices in Newport Beach, California.

Whether Boras is such good news for the average baseball fan wanting to purchase a season ticket and a Derek Jeter shirt is another matter.

Spiraling salaries are pricing the Average Joe out of the market to watch live games, particularly here in New York.

So are we really going to be concerned that A-Rod and Manny may have to stump up another million in taxes? At $25 million a year, that’s some hardship!

There are those who believe that, thanks to television, baseball and its mega-rich superstars will always be recession-proof. 

They may well be right. But just remember the story about the goose that laid the golden eggs.

RECESSION-PROOF. THAT’S MANNY AND CO.

FOOD PRICES are rising, stocks are down, the housing market has crashed and our 401k retirement plans are up the swanny.

So isn’t it good to know that one area remains 100 percent recession-proof: Sports, and in particular, baseball.

As we struggle to pay the mortgage and keep our heads above water, baseball players and their agents (take a bow Mr. Boras) are rubbing their hands with glee.

It’s time to fire up the hot stove. Out-of-contract players are filing for free agency and testing the market to see how high their value will go.

The more clubs interested the merrier. And the bidding war for the marquee players such as Manny Ramirez, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira is sure to be intense.

Estimates for the deal pitching ace Sabathia can expect range from five years at $125 million to a high of six years at $180 million.

Remember, only last winter the New York Yankees agreed to pay Alex Rodriguez $275 million over a ten-year period.

“The price of gasoline is up, so I’m up too,” Ramirez joked with reporters after his “loan team” the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs.

Gas prices have actually been falling in recent weeks, but don’t expect Manny to settle for a regular deal.

Ramirez is 36…he will be 37 in May. Yet such is his stock that his agent, Scott Boras, will no doubt be looking for a five-year contract. 

Baseball players play Oliver Twist with owners

Wherever he goes, you can bet he’ll earn more than the $20 million a year he received in his last free-agent deal with the Boston Red Sox in 2000.

Of course, you know who ends up paying these inflated salaries in the long run? You and I. The fans.

And just as long as we’re prepared to do it, baseball players – like Oliver Twist – will continue to ask for more.

The American obsession with its favorite pastime shows no sign of waning. Attendance figures at Yankee Stadium were up for the fifth successive year in 2008. Total attendance amounted to 4,298,655 at an average of 53,070 a game.

Virtually every game is a sell-out, which is why the Yankees can charge between $500 and $2,500 for the best seats close to home plate at the new Yankee Stadium. At least they have opted against introducing Personal Seat Licences, a move that has angered many supporters of the Giants and Jets.

Of course, a career in sports can be short, especially for a football player. Baseball is a little less physically demanding.

You can’t blame the athletes for maximizing their earning potential. But you can blame the owners for agreeing to meet their demands.

I don’t want to be hypocritical. I’m a Yankees fan and I would love to see us sign Sabathia to improve our shaky starting rotation.

But the Tampa Bay Rays proved this year that you don’t have to have a $200 million-plus annual payroll to reach the World Series.

And at a time when decent people are losing their jobs through no fault of their own, please spare me the stories about greedy baseball players and their excessive wage demands. 

HOWZAT? ONE GAME OF CRICKET WORTH TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS

PRESSURE. It’s an overused word in modern-day sport. But its usage was, for once, appropriate when England played a West Indies XI in a cricket match over the weekend.

The winners took home $20 million. The losers left with nothing. That was the winner-take-all prize put up by Sir Allen Stanford, a billionaire financier born in Texas but now a citizen of Antigua and Barbados.

Stanford has a passion for cricket. Earlier this year, he agreed a deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to stage five Twenty20 internationals between England and the West Indies.

Twenty20 is the short-form version of a sport that still has matches lasting five days in duration.

The $20 million is the largest prize ever offered to a team for winning a single tournament.

The Stanford series was not without controversy, especially after the 58-year-old was pictured in the British tabloids balancing the wife of the England wicketkeeper on his knee.

Not only that, the cricket purists claimed that the ECB has sold their soul to the devil. This competition wasn’t about the glory of the game; it was about money, pure and simple. Correct!

England players can’t handle the pressure

The merits of the match clearly got to the England players. They were bowled out for just 99 runs and the Stanford Superstars did not lose a wicket in successfully reaching their target. In baseball parlance, it was akin to a 10-0 defeat.

England captain Kevin Pietersen was magnanimous in defeat, admitting the West Indies players needed the money more than his team.

“I looked at the faces of players who basically have nothing and it brought a smile to my face,” he said.

“It was absolutely fantastic to see a guy fall over crying at the end with a million dollars in his bank account.

“I’m a human being and these guys are fellow professionals. Quite a few of them are a lot less privileged than I am and our lads are. To see them so happy is wonderful.”

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle will be spending part of his winnings on hospital treatment for his brother, who has a heart problem, and his father, who is also ill in Jamaica.

At least some of the money from this ill-advised competition will be spent on a good cause.

www.whoplayscricket.com

WHERE’S THE LOVE? YOU WON’T FIND ANY IN PHILLY THIS WEEKEND

THERE’S NOT MUCH brotherly love at the moment between the cities of Philadelphia and New York.

Jimmy Rollins, the Philadelphia Phillies’ shortstop, couldn’t resist taking another dig at the New York Mets during his team’s World Series celebrations.

Referring to the signing of high-profile pitcher Johan Santana last winter, Rollins said: “It takes more than one player to bring home a championship.”

The Phillies hadn’t won baseball’s World Series since 1980. The city’s football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, have never won a Super Bowl.

If they are going to make it third time lucky next year (they were runners-up in 1981 and 2005) then they’re going to have to find a way past the New York Giants.

The NFC East is undoubtedly the toughest division in football. The Eagles currently stand at 5-3 yet find themselves in third place behind the Giants (7-1) and Washington Redskins (6-2).

That makes Sunday’s meeting between the teams in Philadelphia one the Eagles can’t really afford to lose.

Both teams are in top form. The Giants crushed the Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys 35-14 yesterday while the Eagles slaughtered the Seattle Seahawks 26-7.

Giants now the team to beat in the NFL

Donovan McNabb passed for 349 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles recovered from conceding an early seven-point deficit.

Adding spice to an already tasty contest is the fact that the Giants edged last year’s contest 16-13 to all but eliminate the Eagles from playoff contention. Kicker David Akers hit the upright on a 57-yard field goal attempt with one second remaining.

The Giants, of course, went on to win 11 successive games on the road – a streak snapped by Cleveland last month.

Tom Coughlin’s men must come to terms with the fact that they are no longer the underdog, as they were in every playoff game last season.

They’re now the team to beat and they can expect another cauldron of hostility when they come face-to-face with old foes Brian Westbrook and Co. this Sunday. The Eagles will certainly be up for it.

“I can’t wait,” said safety Brian Dawkins. “I’ve always enjoyed playing against them because I know it’s going to be a physical battle. I know it’s going to usually be a nail-biter, and it’s usually a competitive game, a very competitive game.

“We definitely respect this team, and it’s one of those games you really look forward to. We would like to win. We’ll see what we’ve got.”

That respect, I suspect, is mutual. Rollins is right. It takes more than one player to win a championship –as both the Phillies and Giants proved in 2008.

Whatever the outcome, though, there will be no love lost between Eagles and Giants fans this weekend.

WORLD SERIES RING A PERFECT END TO A PERFECT SEASON FOR LIDGE

THREE REASONS why the Tampa Bay Rays failed to win the World Series: a team batting average of .212, Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge.

I don’t know whether it was stage fright or the cold weather, but those same Rays who overcame the Boston Red Sox – and in particular, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria – failed to show up in Philadelphia.

Pitching usually prevails in the World Series. The lower temperatures of late fall give the hurlers an undoubted advantage.

Hamels set the tone by taking home-field advantage away from the Rays in Game One. He didn’t actually win Game Five, but in five post-season starts, the World Series MVP went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

Lidge’s stats are even more impressive. He converted 41 out of 41 save opportunities during the regular season with 92 strikeouts in 62 games for an ERA of 1.95.

The 31-year-old from Sacramento carried that form into the post season, saving seven out of seven to complete the perfect season at 48-0.

It was hard to believe this was the same guy who had blown eight saves in 29 chances for the Houston Astros in 2007.

Phillies closer finishes the year 48-0

Lidge also had to erase the memory of a traumatic experience on his only previous appearance in the World Series – in 2005.

He gave up a walk-off home run to Scott Podsednik – only Podsednik’s second homer of the year – in Game Two and the Astros were swept 4-0 by the Chicago White Sox.

Lidge, a deeply religious man, was not interested in reflection. “I don’t care about that other crap,” he told a reporter who had the temerity to bring up the past. And why should he? He has a World Series ring now.

That the Phillies deserved to win there is no doubt. They’re a good team, if some way short of being a great team.

The Rays, meanwhile, have the potential to become a great team. They already have outstanding young pitching and the addition of 23-year-old David Price to the rotation next season will make them even stronger.

The only stumbling block is that they play in the same division as the Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Having missed out on the playoffs completely this season, you can be sure the Yanks won’t want to play second fiddle to the Rays and Sox again next year. It should be an interesting winter.