Chad Pennington: 2 Brett Favre: 0

Like everyone else, I too was excited for the announcement of this years NFL Comeback player of the year award. For those who do not understand the headline, Chad Pennington has won the award. Favre, on the other hand, did not win. He didn't even have a vote.

Let's rewind to last summer. The Jets won this Favre lottery, which came from the wierdest retirement of a legendary player. The Jets essential said to their quarterbacks currently on the roster that they had no skill and should probably quit at life. No, no, Vinny Testaverde was not there. He was finally selling his house in Cleveland that day... or something like that.

One of those poor QB's who were told the George Bailey story that they were worth more dead than alive was Chad Pennington. Yeah, both of us at Sal's 401K have numerous mocked people with his jersey. Though this time, I'm giving him kudos.

I believed in Chad, thought it was great that he could leave New York, cesspool of the north and go to Miami, cesspool of the south. With a new coaching staff and a management looking to actually do something (take note Miami based franchises), Pennington could succeed. A few factors allowed him a chance:

1.) This isn't New York, so if you lose one game, the fans won't kill you out in the street like South American football matches.

2.) No one was expecting you to succeed, especially in that division. Brady and company were supposed to have it wrapped up in July.

3.) Brett Favre is like a million years old and doesn't have a great wide receiving corps like you do. Not everyone has O.J. McDuffie... wait is he even on the team?

Either way, Brett failed to even make the playoffs, Chad did. Mark that one. Now, apart from playing in January, you won an award saying that people think he had the best turn around. That's two. So way to go Chad, you just gave the Jets management a good ol' shit burger to wolf down. Especially when they will go out and sign Dave Klinger for a back up role for Brett. Maybe they can get Rae Carruth for a song. If he's out by next year.

Best Year Ever!

(Cue Audio: "When you wish upon a star")
GFX: Roll tape of embarrassing Lions plays (fumbles, picks, miss tackles, Matt Millen)

The Detroit Lions, you have just lost your 16th game of the season. What are you going to do next?


All the Lions in unison: "We're getting the first overall pick!"

VO: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you too can have the first overall pick in the NFL Draft if you; blow every game of the season, fire coaches, trade away players with great potential and have Matt Millen as your GM for a few years before considering to do something about it. Then when you do get that first overall pick, might as well make it the traditional Lions pick, draft a wide receiver. Those wide outs have been great for them lately.

For the first time ever in NFL history, one team has managed to go win less in a season. All those early Tampa Bay teams can have their champagne and boast about how they were the best and how no one can touch them. They must have some Mercury Morris in that bunch who was a mediocre RB on a crappy team but mouths off like he won the Super Bowl single-handily. Then have a commercial with Reebok after the Lions lost, welcoming to the losers neighborhood.

This futility of the Lions, especially within the past few years have given Motown this appearance of the early Mets teams. When all else is wrong in the world, at least the Lions will lose.

The NFL talks about the parity of the league but since Matt Millen was at the helm of the Detroit office, the team has tanked. For goodness sake, since then the Saints went to the playoffs and even the Cardinals won the division, first time since they left the Midwest.

Of course the Lions have been suffering for years. How do you have a running back more explosive than LDT and put up better numbers than Emmitt Smith but fail to win more than one playoff game with him. That summed up the Barry Sanders years. No wonder he left football (well, that wasn't why, but you could reason with that)!

Detroit. I love to stand by Midwest teams, that the kind of guy I am. But you guys are f*cking it all up! Hell, even the Tigers went to a World Series. I thought the only way they could come back was if zombies sprouted from the earth in the year 9595 and Jack Morris pitched 21 consecutive scoreless innings and Hank Greenburg hit a 500 ft home run!

Detroit, here is the ultimatum. Do something or your fired! I heard L.A. needs a new team.

Sal Sez: "The strip joints in Motown are out of sight!"

The Winter Classic is the Best Idea in Ages!

Nothing brought in the new year better than a pond hockey game in a snowy Great Lakes city. Buffalo, forever linked to those early 90's Bills playoff games where the temps were low and the turf was covered in snow. Fans still coming out in droves, some in the skimpiest of attire (the men usually).

But the great sight last New Year's was seeing Ralph Wilson stadium packed with excited hockey fans. Who couldn't have been excited, not only was Sid the Kid coming to town but so was NBC and the whole hockey establishment. The Winter Classic was the NHL's opportunity to reintroduce itself as being different but most importantly a fun, exciting sport again. Though there was little scoring, the feel and the players made up for it. The ending, a shootout goal by Crosby, sealed the deal for the league. No better way than to have the games biggest star score the first game winner of 2008.

Now the NHL has done something smart and are trying to replicate it. Wrigley Field will host the second Winter Classic. The Blackhwaks will host the Detroit Red Wings, a match up of divisional rivals, both of which are tops in the league.

Chicago is trying to rebuild it reputation in the league as a force of youth. Patrick Kane and Jon Toews are the stars of tomorrow.

Detroit is the defending champs led by a veteran core of Lidstrom, Datsyuk and Osgood. These guys are the steady contenders.

Either way it is great to see an Original Six match up. Outdoor games being played in great hockey cities. Obviously it won't be long before we see Toronto-Montreal or Calgary-Edmonton, but those are difficult to draw an American audiance in.

The fact remains these games are great for hockey and great for television. It happens once a year on a holiday with the possibility of a great viewing crowd. Let's keep up the good work NHL, it's been a hell of a comeback.

Yankee Fans: I cannot feel your pain... ever!

After Marky Mark went from sunny California to the Big Apple where every at bat and every trip to the barber shop is examined, the Yankees proved once again that the only God in sports is the Almighty Dollar. This is a team assembled by a corporation set out on creating robots that are so uniform and sterile, you'd think they didn't have reproductive organs.

See, growing up in a family where most of our sports allegiances have suffered decades without a conference championship let alone a World Championship, I can never ever feel sorry for a group of fans who have waited only since 2000 for the hopes of a title.

Yankee fans are always believing that their wealth and the fact that they always recieve the best players is what makes them the best. Combine that with their desire to have the most boring looking lineup and rotation in baseball (called "The Yankee Way") makes them more intolerable than having your toe nails being pulled out.

This Yankee Way has been a thorn in my side. Groups of players known for their flair and color are not good enough to be Yankees or would be promptly told to change "their ways" for the "Yankee Way."

To me this is more of a group of historically rich fans to think of themselves as richer. For them winning the World Series is like Mr. Burns getting another ivory back scratcher. These titles are so plentiful some of them are really of no value and no signifigance to the fans. While easily any Phillies fan could treasure both of their teams Fall Classic triumphs. For someone like myself who grew up an Indians fan, the only recollection I have is failure through David Justice/Tom Glavine and Edgar Renteria.

While Yankee fans are down in the dumps since 2000 but are now riding an optomism that can only surpass how they felt since Joba became a starter (based on what again?), these fans will become unbearable. Major League Baseball, outside of the New York market has enjoyed success over the last several seasons as many teams unfamiliar to postseason play have become stars to it. Honestly who could have thought that ten years we would see Tampa, Colorado, Detroit, Chicago AL and Houston in World Series play, let alone two Red Sox World Series wins? I know I couldn't. Let the Yanks buy their players, it's gonna happen but don't ever let me think that people should pity their fans.

Yankee Fans, I Feel You're Pain

Before I say this, I'd like to kindly ask all Red Sox fans to put down their pick axes, crossbows and hatchets, because....I feel bad for Yankee fans. How can you not empathize with a group of people who are forced to cheer for the most boring, manufactured, colorless team in the history of baseball?

When the Yankees signed first baseman Mark Texiera to a 26-year, 10 zillion dollar deal in the off-season, they crossed the final T and dotted the final I on selling away any chance at their team having a soul. Now officially every player on the team has proved that, to them, money is more important than baseball.

Some of the Yankees players probably had to close their eyes and take a drink before signing their name in blood. Think about Johnny Damon. After winning the world series with the Red Sox, Damon signed with the Yankees. I'm guessing it wasn't because he looked good in blue and white. Since Damon has been a member of the Yanks, he has smiled less than Clint Eastwood.

If you are a Yankee fan, how can you be happy? Isn't what makes a championship team great the role players? You know, it's that guy you never expect to hit the home run or the unsung hero who bunted for a single the play before. That is what makes a sports fan fall in love with a team.

Take a look at some previous world series heroes. All 5 foot nothing, 100 and nothing pounds of David Eckstein won the world series MVP award in 2006. Bill Mazeroski, who hit seven home runs in 1960, hit the walk-off, series winning home run. Pat Borders, who hit .253 with 69 home runs for his career, won the world series MVP for Toronto in 1992.

Sure you have you're big stars, your quarterbacks and slam-dunkers, but its the mix of stars, along with blockers and rebounders that make a winning team lovable.

But, I may be going to far to assume the players' salaries will amount to winning. Would you trust your janitor to put in 100 percent, do his work with joy and excitement and push it to the limit? Or would you assume that he's only doing it because he's getting paid to.

I heard someone say the Yankees winning would be good for America. Hmm, are we a nation that only cares about winning no matter how we got there? I'd like to think not. I'd like to think we were the underdogs who beat the British in the Revolutionary War. But maybe today's sports fans would have cheered for the red coats, or even rooted on Napolean in his attempt take Asia.

Yes, I do feel for these people who will cheer on the Yankees. Because even if they do win the world series, for the rest of time, everyone will always remember them as the team who bought it, not earned it. Remember the 1997 Marlins?

How could you expect anything less from an organization who gasps at a goatee? Those who love baseball don't want crew cuts, they want excitement and a child-like passion from their favorite players. If they Yankees won the series, instead of a dog piling, they'd be meeting with their agents to find out about the bonus.

Just look at who the Bronx Boring are trotting out in the field this year: at first base, Al Gore. Second, a rocking chair. Third, my old P.E. teacher. Left field, that monotone public adress announcer guy. On the mound, a box of cheerios (not the ones with honey). Behind the plate, Mona Lisa. And closing, well, thats still Rivera. The guy is amazing on the mound, but has about as much jolt in him as a West Palm Beach retirement facility.

I'd be more excited watching C-Span than YES this season. How can you not feel bad for fans that have to endure that?

The Great Debate: Hall of Fame Class of '09

I love the Hall of Fame. It showcases the best of the game and the greatest achievements of not only the players but of the human spirit. Nothing is more American than the National Baseball Hall of Fame. However, I hate some aspects of the Hall.

First and foremost I hate the Veterans Committee. A bunch of old players who think no one was every good enough to be voted in... except themselves of course.

"This guy didn't hit enough homers."

"This guy didn't have a 20 win season."

"This guy was too... BLONDE!"

Arg! I hate that.

The second thing I hate is the fact that as soon as retirements starts happening after the World Series the Yankee fans, writers, supporters start coming out of the wood work and demand their players get in. It's like when people apply for pardons from the President. None of them deserve it because if they did, then they would be free or in the Hall already.

First on the list is Mike Mussina. Yes, he retired this year and he did almost throw to perfect games (not a legit reason to vote someone in). He did not win 300 games, he had a decent strikeout total and he was a solid pitcher for the era.

However, meeting that win total and being considered a dominant pitcher is what will drag him down. Though he did finish second every year he was up for the Cy Young, the fact he never won and never really had that break out year is what will leave him staying at his home and not in Cooperstown when he is eligible. I'm sorry, he couldn't even get the Yanks a World Series with the staffs they had in 2001, 2003 or even the pennant in 2004.

Roger Maris is a consistent pick to be considered for the Hall. Granted he may have hit 61* homers in 1961 and he had some hardware to go with it, but need less to say, he was nothing special. He never had a season where he hit .300. His totals were never that great from 1961 beyond. The Yankee fans who supported him where not there in '61 when they pretty much attacked him, wished him dead, etc. So why do you guys think he is worthy to be with Ruth, Mantle and Aaron? Those guys were great sluggers.

Now, since this man has been having poor health recently and turned over the franchise to his sons (or is that spawn?). George Steinbrenner has been getting this grass roots campaign to be elected. Frankly, this man is not a saint or a person who held the game to the highest standard.

Yes, he was one of the first owners to embrace free agency and yes he won plenty of world championships. However, George was constantly being punished by Major League Baseball for breaking rules and flat out not caring about the rules that applied to "other teams". My favorite vice was when Dave Winfield came to New York and had an agreement with George to doante money to Winfield's charity. The payment was never made and George went out to assualt Winfield's character and charity. This man is as much a saint as Marge Schott was a civil rights activist. No embrace from me.

In fact we really need to examine our thinking of who is a Hall of Fame player. The last few years we have voted in the greats of the game. The last twenty/thirty years have blessed us with legends of the diamond but I hope that we don't try to water down the hall with slightly less standards and "Maris" like players.

Sal Sez: " I was catcher for the Red Sox when Maris hit #61."

Doc Ellis: 1945-2008

Sad news from the AP, legendary pitcher... make that folk hero pitcher Doc Ellis is dead at 63. The former Pirates pitcher died in California from a liver ailment.

Those who remember Ellis, know of his LSD no-hitter where he walked 8 Padres but still had goose eggs in the hits column. The only reason he pitched high, was because he did not know he was slated to start that day. But I'm pretty sure he was high when he wanted to bean every batter on the Cincinnati Reds line up (he failed, Pete Rose walked to break his streak).

This is truly a sad day since his colorful attitude and hair style really makes people feel nostalgic for a great 1970's fashion and baseball. Of course if he played for the A's he would have had a Fu Manchu and dropped acid while playing in yellow double knit uniforms. The colors children, notice the colors!

He would later change his lifestyle and advise against the use of drugs and in the 1980's was hired by the New York Yankees to consul minor leaguers on the dangers of substance abuse.

Doc, you will be missed.

The New York Yankees 2008 Off-Season or How I learned to stop worrying because we have no soul

I love those references.... AH, it makes me feel so safe and warm.

I do not however feel safe and warm when the Yankees spend more money than God on two pitches;
one of which started the first half of last season losing more games than he lost all of last season and the second never really living quite up to expectations from when he left his previous team a few years earlier.

This is like a Yankee knee jerk reaction, when you lose in the regular season, make sure you spend money on players like a kid in a candy store who happen to find a twenty on the corner.

In fact in signing A.J. Burnett and C.C. they pretty much took a pile of cash and set it on fire. They did the same when they signed Jaret Wright (product if an overly productive contract year), Kevin Brown (same thing) and Carl Pavano (well, that was all potential there).

Now to add to the fact they spent large (three times the size of the Rays payroll) on two guys, the Yankees actually had the audacity to ask New York for more funds for their new stadium, "The Place that Taxpayers Might Have to Build".

Though the fact remains and this is one thing both of us at Sal's 401K believe is key to a championship team. Oh, that's right Yankee fans, your team has not won a single World Series since that dumb Subway Series that is barely a Series at all. Might I digress, Yankee teams are composed of mostly 33 year old plus players who were assembled by a dollar amount rather than a strategic purpose.

See, baseball teams much like other teams need to have chemistry and I just don't see the chemistry and of course key role players on the New York Yankees. The point I always make, and it angers Yankee fans is that in 2004 the Boston Red Sox traded Nomar Garciaparra. You may have remembered him, he was the franchise player. Well, they traded him and acquired Orlando Cabrera who was not as much as a power hitter as Nomar was. He didn't make the same wage as Nomar. But he was pretty flashy on the field with defense and his speed helped add some horsepower and stolen bases when they needed it. In fact their key stolen base was by Dave Roberts, some backup outfielder who doesn't hit 30 homers a year. Try finding that on the Yankees.

Fact remains that the New York Yankees get drunk with their check book everytime they lose. Though as usual they will probably unload most of the old guys when they realize they weren't worth it to begin with. Maybe they will unload their crappy young players... like Joba.

Sal Sez: "When I was with the Yankees they made me shave my mustache off. I killed a trainer at spring training when he tried to shave me."

NHL, Stars Make Example of Avery

A few weeks ago, NHL player Sean Avery made a common mistake, a simple slip of the tongue. But this slip will cost him any chance at ever playing for the Dallas Stars and maybe even the NHL again.


Avery made crude comments about another NHL player, Dion Phaneuf, dating his ex-girlfriend. Lets just say his comments may have been appropriate for a Wal-Mart men's room, but not for a pre-game interview.


NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed down a six game suspension, then Dallas Stars management informed Avery he no longer plays for the team.


At first I thought, who cares? Words don't hurt as much as a high-stick to the teeth or fist to the temple. In a game with such violence, how could an off-color comment land a guy out on the street?


Through Avery's discipline, the NHL and the Dallas Stars made the best possible statement to their players and fans: unlike other leagues (any guesses?) the NHL does not welcome those who embarrass it with their stupidity.

On the contrast, take a peek at the NFL. Remember Randy Moss admitting to smoking pot in the off-season? Oh yeah, and running over that police officer with his SUV. Both incidents went without punishment from the league.

Micheal Vick flipped off Atlanta fans after a loss....as expected, no suspension.

It only gets worse in the National Felon League.

Prior to the '08 season, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones is arrested for posession of crack cocaine. He is then allowed to play through week 14 before finally being given a three games suspension. The NFL was even courteous enough to wait until the Jaguars had been eliminated from the playoffs to suspend Jones.....how nice, seeing that he was leading the team in receptions with 65.

Roger Goodell must be so out of touch he doesn't know posession of crack is a felony. Jones faces more years in prison than missed games from the NFL.


Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes was arrested in October for marijuana possession and missed a grand total of zero games. It is Holmes' second arrest since 2006, yet neither the Steelers or the NFL have punished the star.


I guess the only argument the NFL has is if they suspended every player who did or said something dumb, they would be filling rosters with Arena Football players by November.


The NFL could care less about player conduct. Last year's Super Bowl was the highest rated in history and attendance - except at Lions games - is rising. If fans don't care when their stars smoke pot, have litters of children out of wedlock and run over pedestrians while driving drunk, then why should Roger Goodell?


It seems the Dallas Stars and Gary Bettman, through the Avery punishment, decided to care.

Some old-school fans -who'd likely prefer players not wear helmets and grow thick Burt Reynolds-like mustaches - may say the NHL is going soft. On-ice trash talking is part of the game, but degrading the game, as Avery did, is unacceptable for any professional athlete.

The NHL is following a path made by the NBA, who has taken a stand against it's gangster reputation. The first step for the NBA was putting a dress code in place. For some reason, it has been effective. We've seen a reduction in baby-momma-related wage garnishing, Plexi-gun incidents and less arrests for activities most promoted by Bob Marley and Snoop Dogg.

Lets hope the NHL continues to enforce player conduct and further leads us to believe there is a chance ticket prices dont outweigh players' IQ's. Maybe it might even influence the NFL to start kicking players out....OK nevermind, that's asking too much, I know.

The Amerks win hockey games?

Last night the Rochester Americans won a hockey game against the Syracuse Crunch by the score of 1-0.

Amazing!

Many doubt it was at all possible.

Broduer, once again, was the reason they won. The defense was so pathetic, the powerplay non-existent and let's not even start on the offense.

This kid must have been gold in the ECHL.

Enough of the game... turns out the Amerks are introducing a new mascot. It's this dumb Eagle thing. He doesn't have a name yet, but since last nights game was a company outing for Sal's 401K a few suggestions were mentioned to said bird. Though these were words and names I won't mention here.

Don't the Amerks already have a mascot that has been around for quite some time?

Oh wait they do. Last time I checked the Moose was quite a popular and very good mascot (if there was such a rating for failed acting majors in a hot suit). Fans I say we band together and propose an end to this Eagle. He will not become a new Rochester tradition... as if we need a new tradition for the Amerks. The Amerks have won 6 Calder Cups and are one of the longest standing members of the AHL!

For Sale: One QB with good arm, low miles

FOR SALE

One QB with a good arm, low miles. Hasn't seen a winter in NY State. I mainly used him when my primary QB was injured. No rust, bought in Louisiana. Will take any offer or trade of better QB or offensive lineman. Call Bills front office for more information.

So to keep riding this, "Bills Football: Next Year is our Year!" mantra, Jean Paul Losman was the lead for the Who's Not in this weeks SI.

To quote J.P., "I didn't think I was that rusty."

Of course you weren't. Hell, any first round pick would never throw 13 of 27, an interception and get sack four times (excluding Ryan Leaf). First round picks would have thrown for at least one score... in Losman's case to the other team.

When will this team learn he was never the answer. Edwards is not God or as one person at the Cardinal Courier referred to as Kelly 2.0, both of these guys are normal QB's. Well, I didn't mean to place Losman in that catagory, it's unfair to all those QB's in D-II.

Yo Buffalo, cut the cord, let's call it!

The Houston Comets ... we hardly noticed yee

So, upon reading my new Sports Illustrated an article popped up at me.

First let me apologize for just finding this out, not having cable and modem internet shuts me out of the real world.

The Houston Comets have folded!

OMG!

This is for real, yo!

The league, that Bill Simmons mentioned a few years ago, makes really no money, in fact has to be financially backed by the stable NBA, has lost a team.

This was a complete shock to me on two factors. First, "They shut down WNBA teams? They have a PR department?" Secondly, "Didn't they win the first three or four titles in the leagues history?"

The team was purchased recently for $10 million. Essentially A-Rod gets that for striking out in a critical at bat. K-Rod is getting paid that for a little under a years play for the Mets. Ten people who won "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" earned that much. I can keep going on how small that number is to buy a franchise... I think I will continue. Jerry Jones probably spent that much getting land looked at for his teams new stadium. Hans Gruber was going to steal over 60 times that in Die Hard.

So the team that had Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson and Sheryl Swoopes (all long gone might I add) is no more. None of these teams actually find themselves in the black (this is what SI said). The L.A. Sparks are the only team close to making a profit, mind you this is one of the largest markets, imagine what smaller markets must look like come budget time. In fact as Simmons remarked it was the NBA franchise that shared the city (and arena) usually pitched in to keep teams afloat.

WNBA, I would like you to meet the WUSA. She was this great league created after you, following that emotional World Cup victory by the USA women's team. See, she played these games of soccer that no one attended, watched on TV or wanted to bankroll after it was well known that there was essentially no, I repeat, no interest in female soccer. This could be you. Actually it should have been you if Stern and Co. didn't throw millions at you to stay on life support.

I don't want to be tagged as a guy who rags and hates women's sports. In fact I love them. I enjoyed covering them in college. I dated women athletes (soccer, softball, hockey, skiing, the occassional figure skater). The fact remains I want to see these leagues succeed. The only snag is no one else does. I'll be honest during the summer, I have no interest in watching a WNBA games on ABC if FOX has Saturday baseball, even if it is the Mets playing the Yankees. Most American men would not even consider turning it to a WNBA game.

Now, I have attended a WNBA, back when Cleveland had a team. The Rockers were hosting the Comets and it was a blow out. Cleveland has no shot in hell. The game was physical (especially from my courtside seats) and the action was a decent pace, unlike the low tempo games of women's D-III. Though the game had no appeal to the Midwest fans of the Rockers, regardless of the fan fare the team threw at them. People left midway through the second half, the energy was dead. If this is the same feeling in Detroit, LA, Chicago or New York, the WNBA has no chance. Eventually the NBA has to question how long they want to keep funding what seems like a lost cause. The XFL seems like a worth while venture compared to this.

I'm sorry ladies but the ball is no longer in your court.

Sal Sez: "I heard about the WNBA when I was playing in Richmond last year. Do you know if they have foxy boxing during the halftime?"

Will the Yankees ever learn?

If I'm paying out $160 million over seven years for a pitcher, he better win more games than McClain in '68, strikeout more than Ryan in '82 and win more Cy Young awards than Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson combined.

When the Yankees raised their flag the highest in the C.C. Sabathia auction, they chose to keep up the "buy, buy, buy!" mantra that has landed them on the couch at the end of the last seven Octobers.

With the Brewers, Sabathia was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA. Amazing right? But recent history tells us caveat emptor when it comes to trusting a pitcher's numbers on the last year of their contract.

Barry Zito: 16 wins, 3.83 ERA and an All-Star with Oakland in '06. Over the next two seasons he combined for a 21-30 record with San Francisco including a 5.15 ERA in '08.

Randy Johnson: 16 wins, 290 strikeouts, 2.60 ERA in 2004 with Arizona. The next two seasons with the Yankees, Johnson managed a high of 211 strikeouts and had a 5.00 ERA in '06.

Carl Pavano: 18-8, 3.00 ERA and an All-Star in 2004. Over the next three seasons, he pitched a total of 26 times for the Yankees. He pitched less than 150 innings as a Yank and won only nine games.

Mike Hampton: 22-4, 3.14 ERA in 2000 with the Mets. With the Rockies, 21-28 over two seasons. Hampton's lowest ERA was 5.41 with the Rockies.

Kevin Brown: 14 wins, 2.39 ERA in 2003. After signing with the Yankees, 14-13 over two seasons, 6.51 ERA in '05 and even broke his hand punching the dugout.

Before coming down with World Series fever, Yankees fans should consider a few things about Sabathia:

First, Sabathia was only 6-8 with the Indians before his trade to the Brewers. The American League, and the Red Sox, have seen Sabathia since 2001.

More importantly, Sabathia may have A-Rod syndrome. In his two career ALCS starts, he is 0-2 with a 10.45 ERA.

Before printing up 2009 world series t-shirts, the Yankees should also take a peek at their lineup.

Thirty-five year old Johnny Damon is likely to lead off. Damon faded down the stretch hitting just .250 in September. He is likely to be the designated hitter because, well, his arm is weaker than the U.S. dollar in the global market.

Derek Jeter is coming off the worst season of his career offensively and at 34, isn't a likely candidate to pull a Bonds or Clemens.

Alex Rodriguez, 33, will put up his usual monster numbers, but drove in just five runs in close and late situations last season.

Injury prone outfielder Hedeki Matsui played just 93 games in '08 and 51 games in '06.

The Yankees won't be able count on a post-shoulder-surgery Jorge Posada to put up numbers like he did in 2007.

The only likely under-30 starter, Robinson Cano often looks more like he's trying to hit a pinata than a curveball. He managed only 74 RBI in '08 with a pitiful .305 on-base percentage.

Bobby Abreu's replacement Xavier Nady set a career high with 25 home runs last season between Pittsburgh and New York, but hit just .268 as a Yankee and walked only 39 times all year.

The Yankees may spend more money to fill the gap between the lip and nose that Jason Giambi left, but until then, this retirement home lineup isn't exactly competing with the '76 Reds.

When will they learn to develop from the minor leagues and fill in the rest with role players. When they won four world series' the stars were Jeter, Williams, Posada, Rivera, all developed through the system. They filled in the rest with role players like Paul O'neil, Scott Brosious and Tino Martinez.

Yankees management are like moths, they keep getting mezmorized by bright shining free agents until they sign them and get zapped.

The Yankees blinders must have been on too tight last October when the Tampa Bay Rays, with a $43 million dollar pay roll, went to the World Series. Someday the Yankees will learn team chemistry isn't for sale.

Scott Pitoniak - "Why do the great ones get let go!"

So last week, people thought I was writing that D&C lay-off post about Scott Pitoniak. I wasn't. In fact it was really for one of my friends who works in lay out. I thought Scott was untouchable. Turns out he wasn't. I want to take the time to talk about how sad this is. Granted Scott wrote on his facebook status that seeing the support he recieved from his friends over the social network was like attending your own funeral. In some perspective it is.

Growing up, I knew I wanted to be a journalist... a sports journalist. I was never going to play for the Cleveland Indians or skate on Mario's line with Sid the Kid at wing. I was never going to grow taller than six foot to play for the Cavs. I watched 10NBC sports with Rich Funke and later Mark Gruba who I grew up and wanted to be like. I read the occassion D&C (we subscribed to the Daily Messenger at home) to read Bob Matthews column but most importantly for Scott Pitoniak.

Scott was what I wanted to be in a journalist. His writing style and tone for most articles was what I wanted readers to understand. The overall message from his articles that sports were fun. You played sports to escape the harsh realities of life, like kids do. The excitement of the game, the comraderie of team work was what I felt sports were like. Reading his article about a local high school athlete or a reflection on a great game twenty years ago focused on the pure essence of what sports are.

One column I saved, especially since I wanted to do this, was when Scott took over the role of Spikes at a Red Wings game. At the time I was reading too much George Plimpton (read Open Net, great reference to Don Cherry's Rochester days) and was jealous Scott beat me to the punch, filling in for a mascot. I was going to ask the athletics department at Fisher to let me play the Cardinal (unofficial dubbed Carl by Founders Hall).

Junior year at Fisher, I enrolled into the sports writing class, taught by Scott. Not to sound like a preteen girl at an 'NSYNC concert, I was overjoyed. Every class was like learning from the master of sports journalism. I never wanted to let him down. Yes I do understand that it sounds like I had the biggest man crush on him, but let me finish the story. I was so thrilled that by the end of the class, he thought so much of me, he would let me use him as a reference. Granted my dream is to go into television broadcasting, but it was like getting the blessing from God himself.

I have nothing but admiration for the man, the D&C will miss him. Hopefully, more books penned by Scott will come out. Pick up his recent book about Yankee Stadium, it's a great read. I also recommend it if you are like the rest of us at Sal's 401K and abhor that damn team.

Sal Sez: "Scott, you've come a long way babe!"

Honestly, can the NFL get it right?

Charles Manson, Michael Jackson and the NFL officials from the Dallas-Pittsburgh game.

Ok, so name three people you wouldn't want at your son's Pop Warner Game.

Again... honestly, can the NFL get officials who know what the fudge they are doing?

The officials in that game were horrible. Not in the instance that one call ultimately lost the game for the Cowboys (chalk that up to Romo and Witten). The officiating was lackluster in a few respects that always burns me.

First and foremost, why were Terrell Owens and Ike Taylor allowed to keep popping each other during the game? I understand that half the time it was retaliation, but on Owens' TD, Taylor was all over the guy, if he didn't catch it I should have been seeing a yellow flag. But no, as explained during the broadcast, that's just great defense on a star player.

Well that great defense turned into a sparring contest between those two players, as they both lawyered for calls from the officials. Reminds me about how people whine about New Englands d-backs playing dirty, aggresive football.

The second and most annoying call was on the Steelers comeback drive. On a crucial play, while the Steelers were building momentum, Nate Washington makes this amazing catch that could have very well have touched the grass. However, the officials and Joe Buck pointed this out (both Joe and Troy were confused on the call) did not communicate with one another whether or not Washington had a reception.

Hold on, wait a second... I'm under the assumption that officials talk to one another, be it in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, PBR (do they have officials?) or even the Little League World Series. It's already bad enough that this year we have had a huge problem with refs blowing the game on crucial plays. If these guys don't talk to each other, how effective are they in the highest league they can work in. Division III college officials talk it out... but forget about those NFL guys.

Oh Lordy!

Sal Sez: "It was a catch but it was too low for a strike. Not even my framing could help it out."

Forget the Bitterness, Amerks fans

Anyone who loves hockey would have appreciated Sunday's Rochester Amerks game against the Albany River Rats. Rochester's goaltender, in his first AHL start, shut out the opposition stopping all 28 shots. There was a bloody fight and four Amerks shots made their way into the net.

The problem? Total shots outweighed total attendance.

In the ocean of blue seats only a few fans floated around in each section. It was surprising the camera men found enough couples in the stands for the, "Kiss cam." The AHL Web site lists Amerks attendance at over 3,000 per game....after being there a few times...hmm, 1000 at best.


It isn't easy to ask people to watch a team who has won only 4 out of 23 games. It's tough to call upon fans to forget being stabbed in the back by ownership. But it is time for the people of Rochester to forgive the Rochester Americans.

Rochester is a hockey city. Kids have skates strapped on before the umbilical cord is cut.

Rochestarians remember when the packed stands of the War Memorial (now Blue Cross Arena) would go wild when the gloves dropped. When you could go deaf from a two-on-one save by the Amerks goaltender. When a goal meant pure madness.

Well, we've learned you can't reach pandemonium with 600 people in a 10,000 seat arena.

The reason this city can't forgive and forget: resentment. Fans are angry with the Amerks for letting the Buffalo Sabers slip away as their parent club. The 28-year relationship was beautiful for Rochestarians. Watch a player like Ryan Miller for 12 bucks, then see him on TV in net for your favorite NHL team a year later.

Now, future Florida Panthers players roam the ice at Blue Cross. If you gave them three, Rochestarians couldn't name five players on the Florida Panthers. Heck, people in Florida couldn't name five players on the Florida Panthers.

But, regardless of their record, regardless of the parent club, Rochester must keep the Amerks alive. The city is already slipping faster than J.P. Losman's trade value. If the Amerks are run out of town because fans can't forgive, the city will lose much of its minor league, mid-size allure.

But most importantly, future generations of children will grow up without going to an Amerks game.

I remember sitting in the stands with my father on the night Jody Gage's jersey rose to the rafters. Who knows what the score was, but talking about everything from my day at school to the Amerks' dump-and-chase strategy meant everything. The only disappointment was watching the final seconds tick off the clock.

There are more important things than the Amerks' Calder Cup chances. Maintaining the city's hockey tradition, passing down passion for the sport and allowing the next generation of Rochestarians to have the same experience.

Hey LeBron, Nice Comeback!

OK I have to admit, I laughed last season when Shaq told Bill Walton there was, "A big-man pecking order." The statement was classic, but attacking a broadcaster for giving his opinion was wrong. Shaq is Shaq though and thats what he does, he entertains just like Walton (I'm giving him points for delivery and humor)

But last week, when Lebron James called Charles Barkley, "Stupid," it was way out of line. Sir Charles said that James should stop talking about going to the Knicks when his contract is up because it is disrespectful to the Cavs. I'm sure Cav's fans who pay $80 for a ticket agree.

anyway, some notes here for Lebron.

For starters, Barkley is paid to give his opinion. So James really should have called TNT stupid for paying Barkley.

Second of all, Barkley went to this crazy thing called college. Something Lebron, im sure, has never heard of and certainly can't spell.

And the obvious: "stupid" is the best you've got? Why don't you just call him Mr. Dummy Pants, tip over his juice box and spread a rumor that calls his hygiene into question.


I dont see a big problem with athletes calling out media members for slanderous acts or personal attacks. If you recall, Joe Torre showed his displeasure with New York Post headline writers after blowing an A-Rod story out of porportion (big suprise). But in this case, LeBron attacked Barkley for stating an opinion. Maybe he should attack every columnist or blogger who writes that their grandmother has a better perimeter game.

If I was LeBron's PR guy, I'd do my best to limit what comes out of his mouth. Stick to, "Take it one day at a time," and, "No comment."

Oh the sad reality of journalism

As I write this, the Democrat and Chronicle is in the midst of lay people off. Chances are sports will have some cut backs, it always does.

Personally I have a few friends from college working there. It's a fine paper and their work is a reason for it. However as the saying goes, last one in; first one out. Hopefully, this won't be the point.

Turnover and reducing staffs are a huge trend in media. My mentor, Mark Gruba, was not resigned this summer at WHEC, which to me was a sad thing to see. Nothing against Robin DeWind, but Gruba was the kind of guy who worked hard every night for that station and taught me many lessons about television journalism. Sports is a dispensable department now as people want more weather reports from their local affiliate.

Radio Stations suffer the same fate. Apart from being replaced by XM and Sirius, radio stations are all about selling, selling and more selling. While interning at WHTK, the name of the game was having more ads, especially live ads done by the main talent. Clearchannel is a great company in that they care more about selling ads than giving me money for parking. This is not a bitch out since I worked there five days a week for a semester for free. The least they could do was pony up four bucks a day to pay for Midtown Parking.

The fact remains, the media is on thin ice. While this country loves tuning into CNN or ESPN for universal coverage, everyone underneath is being crushed by tightened budgets and reduced staff. There is a disease spreading over local and smaller media. We need journalism for journalism sake. No more need to watch talking heads on ESPN speculate opinion after opinion. Local coverage such as the Scholar Athlete or interviews with local high school or collegiate athletes brings journalism back to its purest forms.

Let's try to save local media, buy a D&C and watch the evening sportscast people!

The NFL: The Real Dope Show

Today the NFL has suspended six player for violating the league's substance policy. More specifically in the area of banned substances for performance enhancing.

Dear Major League Baseball,

Despite how much Bud Selig is a poor commish but brilliant salesman, it is now noted that you guys are off the warning list. Your league has done well advocating and weeding out substance abusers and have provided us with great, competive baseball.

Sincerely,

Sal's 401K

PS - wasn't it great to have a Yankee less Post Season?

Now the NFL is on notice. Six, yup that's right six players were told that they cannot play for the rest of the season. While America, usually Pro-Football, (no pun intended) blames all doping offenses on the National Pastime, has to realize that football is not impervious to scandel.

While everyone (along with the league) tried to sweep SpyGate under the rug, not moan about shoddy officiating (it's getting redic), cannot ignore the amount of pro footballers taking drugs to take a step ahead of the competition. Baseball has nipped its bandits (while still questioning the validity of records), but did so stearnly to preserve the game.

Thomas Boswell once remarked about the change of the public's view of the players as a reevaluation of heroes. Where we shouldn't look up to a player nor look down to him, but rather at a level field. People hold these "Holy than Thou" attitudes about football stars, while shunning baseball players because of the doping in the late 1990's. While it was damaging for a period that baseball was associated with juiced balls, players and records, the damage done has helped cleaned up the game with zero tolerance.

Zero Tolerance has so many meanings. First, the league put zero tolerance on players giving them harsh punishments for failing the drug tests. Second, but most importantly, those associated or involved with the doping of baseball have been shunned and essentially blackballed. Was Barry Bonds on a squad this year? How about Roger Clemens, you think many teams are going to be calling his home or agent? Sammy Sosa saw his career and legacy crack from speculation. Jose Canseco thrived on it, almost becoming a saint, but mainly as an anti-hero.

Football is no longer immune, depsite the commandments of the No Fun League/Nazi Football League/etc. Get with the times... baseball has.

So Buffalo Fans Start to get IT?

After Buffalo's humiliating loss to San Fran this week, it seems that the overly optimistic media have finally got the hint.

THE YEAR WAS NOT THE YEAR!

My goodness, year in and year out, it's always "our year", as if the lack of a proper offensive line, a strong quarterback, key offensive weapons and a defense not riddled with impact player injuries have ever changed the team appearance on paper. Despite on person from my college paper proclaiming that Edwards, Lynch and Evans were the Kelly, Thomas and Reed 2.0 version, this team was in no shape or form better.

While Lynch is a strong running back, Evans and Edwards are no way comparable to the statistical but also cultural impact Kelly and Reed placed on the Buffalo fan base. Sure, replica jerseys are easier to acquire, but those guys cannot carry Kelly's or Reed's jockey straps.

This team was 5-1 for a reason... they played no one. Hell, they trailed against a horrendous St. Louis team. The Rams couldn't beat a cold, but for some reason, the almighty Buffalo Bills needed the second half to claim the lead. It wasn't even the offense who pitched in there. The defense spurred the momentum as the offense chugged along like a battered V6 engine on a worn Chrysler sedan, barely keeping afloat.

Hopefully fans will get the message. As we have mentioned here before, Sal's 401K is unbiased, but Bills fans are so annoying and led by blind faith that they fail to realize how horrible their team really is. This is a wake up call to them.

It's a tough week for New York Sports fans

The winner of the American League MVP is...

DUSTIN PEDROIA of Boston!

That's right, the most valuable player award does go to Pedroia and he deserves it. Contrary to what most people out in Rochester think, this kid is worth the talk and the awards.

Despite starting off weak at the plate in his rookie year in 2007, he worked his game into a frenzy hitting for average and securing the number two spot in the powerful Sox line up. Oh and he came up to the plate and delivered in the crucial moments ('07 ALCS, anyone?). He didn't have a soph slump, he built on it, playing the same game and earned the votes, more so than Morneau who, despite me liking his game, didn't deserve to win a few years back (Didn't the catcher on his team win the batting title?).

Yankee fans hate the fact he won the Rookie of the Year, hoping someone like Joba (with really no realistic experience) would win it. Even though Joba had no chance in hell, Yanks fans thought he was a front runner.

Yankee fans also hate Pedroia because he plays for Boston and earns more praise than Robbie Cano. Yes, that guy who only hits and fields worse than Jose Offermann. Let me replay the texting between the Sal Board of Chairmen after the announcement of Pedroia's win.

Me: Congrats to Pedroia from Bip Roberts or anyone who was short and played in the middle of the infield, even Kirby Puckett is smiling down from heaven.

Zooperstars: Mark McLemore is crying

Me: While still playing for the Orioles

Zooperstars: At age 52

Me: Starting, but then again he's better than Cano

Zooperstars: (Silent agreement)

God, he sucks at defense... something Pedroia knows how to do.

Then again its great knowing he won the MVP especially since Derek Jeter, the still a heart throb/despite being thirty shortstop hasn't won it and lost to Morneau. That year, according to Yanks fans, they owed it to Jeter for years of service.

Pardon me, this isn't the Academy Awards where honor is placed to someone who hasn't won one and give them a b-s award. This is baseball! Not The English Patient (which was so boring, I'm glad they killed him).

Sal Sez: "I hated that movie too! He deserved to die, he earned it!"

The World Series and Weather: A Mighty Conflict

So the make-up for the rest of Game 5... will not be seen tonight, as the entire East Coast is being soaked with wet weather.

In a related note, weather turns really crappy when it gets close to November.

So why in the world are we still playing baseball. Don't get me wrong, I love baseball, but when then wind is howling and the temperature is dipping well below 50 degrees, the last thing I want is baseball. Though, due to Bud and his brilliant idea to create the Divisional Series, baseball is pushed so long into Fall it finishes damn near winter. Taking a look at some of the teams competiting the last few years in the Series (Boston, Philly, Colorado), these games have to compete with the elements. While Tampa is much warmer and of course domed, half of the series will be played in the harsh Northeast.

We need to go back to the old days when the World Series was decided before Columbus Day or better yet before the last week of election campaigns.

I hate to say it, but this world series sucks

Tonight the Phillies and Rays, tied at 1-1, will battle for advantage in the world series. The problem, nobody cares. I can name off the top of my head the last 60 world champions, but even I have found myself in and out of this series.
The games have been close, but not too exciting. There are no great storylines or contraversey. There is no ill-will or bad blood. Its a battle between an expansion team, whos crowd looks like a bunch of homeless people grabbed off the street and given Rays jerseys so it looks good on TV and a team who has about six fans outside of the city of Philidelphia.
Why is it that the AL and NL championships series' have been way better than the world series for the last five seasons.
2004, Red Sox legendary comeback against the Yankees from down 3-0 and in the NL, Jim Edmonds game winning home run in game 7 to send the cards to the series. Pure baseball magic. Then we get to the series, the Cardinals don't show up and its a 4-0 sweep....BORING.
2005- Astros shock the Cardinals, despite Albert Pujols ruining Brad Lidge's Astro career with a game winning blast that likely landed in the Pacific Ocean. The world series? Another sweep. UGH.
2006- Carlos Beltran freezes on a 3-2 curveball with the winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth in game 7. Catcher Yadier Molina hit the game winning home run. A gripping series. World series? Tigers pitchers fail to be able to throw to first base and Cards win easy. Lowest rated series in history...until 07
2007- Another magical Red Sox comeback. Down 3-1 to the Indians, they claw back, inspired by a JD Drew grand slam and beat Sabathia and Carmona to win 4-3 in 7. World series? ANOTHER FLOP. 4-0, Rockies never show up and things get pathetic.

My only hope is that Phils-Rays goes 7 and either Carlos Pena or Jimmy Rollins hits a series-winning walk off home run in a 17-16 game that includes 12 home runs, 8 stolen bases, 5 hit-by-pitches, two brawls and a bat boy getting trapped under the field tarp, only to be saved by Lassie. Maybe that make the 2008 world series worth watching.

The Browns have a defense?

So this morning I wake up. I turn on crappy over-the-air broadcast TV. I have my morning ritual of tea (for the vocal cords) and Wheaties (Breakfast of the Unemployed Broadcaster). After I scratch my groin for a few minutes I receive a text. It's from my buddy and Cowboy fan Ed. Apart from talking to him while he suicidally watched the Cardinals win on Sunday he was uplifted by last night's game. Side note: A game I cannot see because of my lack of cable. Thank you ESPN... f*cking bastards!

The text read:

"When did the Browns learn how to play football? A big thank you to whoever taught them."

Yes the once Mighty Cleveland Browns beat the New York football Giants. This will end my APB for their defenses return.

Browns to win Super Bowl? (said with exaggerated upward inflection)

I guess Furcal is not that hurt.

So while watching Game 4 of the NLCS, I thought for a second... man this Furcal guy is pretty good. He had this nagging back all year, was on the roster, off the roster, had rehab, rehab failed, had surgery then begged Torre to put him on the roster.

Wow, talk about having a questionable decision work out so well. Furcal is magic right now for the Dodgers. Apart from blowing that throw in Game 1 to let Victorino on base and ultimately tie the game on the Utley home run, Furcal has been the most dangerous player on the LA team. Well, this Manny guy, who Boston fans should not whine about, is tearing the cover off of baseball and Jamie Moyer's life. Regardless, Furcal is that spark plug player that Philadelphia has in Jimmy Rollins.

Speaking of Rollins, has anyone seen him. He entered last night with nothing to show for and finally relaxed and opened up on a few pitches.

If Furcal keeps playing like this and the Dodgers go all the way, I would see him as a dark horse to win the MVP.

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch!!!

Texas – Oklahoma

I guess the Longhorns - a Sooners game is a big deal. I do not know why since, being from Ohio, there is only one Big Game and its Ohio State – Michigan.

Any who, this was a crucial match up not only between rivals and Big XII competitors but also because it was the first ranked Sooners against the number five Longhorns. It was a great game that showed why Colt McCoy is a great field general and leader on the field, but you would not have really known of that.

This game was marred by the over powering judgment of Brent Musburger. Three plays highlighted the game and most of them were not the “blown call of the century”, as Brent would have put it. It was not Garcia calling a home run over Tony Tarasco or the Tuck Rule.

First play was Oklahoma’s first touchdown, a pass where the tackle happened at the goal line, but the lineman called the ball in the endzone for a score. Brent did not think so. Kirk Herbstreit thought it was a close play and the official review was not used to rule otherwise.

The second play was an interception by Leon Robinson called an incomplete pass in the endzone. The replay did show that Robinson had the ball in his possession and dropped it in celebration (this was the drive following a fake punt that failed). However the played stood and allowed Texas to kick a field goal. Brent was really not amused because of his hatred of the referees for the whole game.

The final play of Referee’s Death Wish starring Brent Musburger was running in the kicker call against Texas. Here Knall was knocked down and stayed down, holding his left leg, inciting flag. Musburger really hated this call and Kirk backed him up on it. The former Buckeye QB reasoned that the flags be replaced with yellow cards, turning the game into football.

While all these plays were happening, causing Brent to urge the world to murder the officials, burn down their houses with their families in them and killing their pets… he could have instead acted like a professional and not lay it on the authorities on the field.

See in broadcasting school (myself a recent graduate) the announcer is not supposed to attack the officials. Officials, meaning those on the field or in the booth working the video replays, but no, it’s easier for Brent Musburger to attack the officials working a critical game of the year for both schools.

This was a great game as Texas trailed the first half and made a strong comeback in the second half before putting it away 45-35. If Brent would have been really watching the game, the critical turning point was not the blown calls but rather the decision by Bob Stoopes to have a fake punt run by Knall which led to points for Texas. This really helped push the Longhorns into a positive momentum swing to take the lead and then the win.

Kids, next time Brent Musburger starts whining about the rules and officials just remember, Ed Hochuli is lifting weights waiting for a chance to confront him.

Underdog Dodgers Can Make the Show

For the fourteenth straight year, Joe Torre will be managing in October. The New York Yankees, however, will be watching Torre on TV instead of playing for him.
In a move comparable to the junior varsity coach who cut Michael Jordan, the Yankees last off-season gave Torre an unacceptable offer and let him go.
Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada claimed they’d leave the Yankees too if he left. They sold out and resigned. Torre on the other hand, as always, stood tall.
Now, he will be standing at the top of the dugout at Dodger Stadium managing the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series
Though they enter the playoffs as a long shot, the Dodgers strong rotation, solid bullpen and dred-locked left fielder will carry the Dodgers past the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series.
Starting pitcher Derek Lowe is 6-1 in his last 10 starts with a 1.27 earned run average and starter Chad Billingsley has 16 wins, 199 strikeouts and a team low 3.14 ERA. The addition of future hall of famer Greg Maddux gives the Dodgers rotation depth and experience.
The Dodgers bullpen has four relievers with an earned run average under four and a now-healthy closer Tasaki Saito.
Jonathan Broxton and Joe Biemel give the Dodgers the edge. This righty, lefty combo is reminiscent of the way Torre used Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton in the Yankees World Series victories in the late 90s.
As for the Cubs, Ryan Dempster has been consistent but that has not been the case with the rest of the rotation or bullpen.
Carlos Zambrano threw a no-hitter, then didn’t make it out of the fourth inning his next two starts. Ted Lilly has given up 32 home runs this season and outside of Carlos Marmol, getting the ball to first-year closer Kerry wood has been difficult at times.
The Cubs weak and inexperienced ’pen does not have a shut-down left handed pitcher to stop Dodger sluggers Andre Ethier and James Loney from getting on base in the late innings.
As for the Cubs lineup, last year against the Arizona Diamondbacks in round one, Chicago’s heavy hitters were contained and Arizona took the best-of-five series.
Beside pitching, what tips the scale for the Dodgers is the trade-deadline acquisition of Manny Ramirez.
In 53 games with the Dodgers Ramirez hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in. But more importantly, Ramirez has 24 career playoff home runs, two world series championships and had a .508 on base percentage in the 2007 playoffs.
For Torre, working with the former Red Sock Ramirez must feel like Republicans getting support from former Democrat turned Independent Joe Lieberman, a little strange, but beneficial none the less.
On the other side of the bracket, the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers will face off in a series likely to set NLDS records for home runs.
C.C. Sabathia has dominated since being traded to the Brewers, but struggled in his playoff past. In four playoff starts, he has a 7.17 earned run average.
The Phillies starting rotation is weaker, but lefty J.C. Romero and closer Brad Lidge have been the kind of stoppers that the Brewers lack. Romero allowed just 41 hits in 59 innings and Lidge did not blow a save in all of 2008.
Though the Phillies will likely win the division series, hitting doesn’t get you to the world series, just ask the Yankees.
The Dodgers swept the Phillies in late August by shutting down the left handed power hitters Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.
Twenty years after the Dodgers won the world series under Tommy Lasorda, Joe Torre will lead them back. All while Hank Steinbrenner sits on his pinstripe throne pouting behind his shades.

This is what baseball is about!

With the White Sox winning the most important game of their season, we now find ourselves watching the beauty of baseball... the one game playoff.

From Bucky Dent to well, Bucky Dent, these crucial one game/do-or-die/heart wrenching season makers can lift the team to the playoffs or well end the season one day later.

Though I always loved the feel of that crucial one game. It helps define which team is truly ready and which players can step up to the plate and make those critical plays. Alexei Ramirez showed that last night. Who knows maybe Denard Spann will be it tonight.

Say Sez: "I was the Red Sox bullpen catcher in '78. Man, they have some really good chowder in Boston."

Baseball Regular Season Wrap up

Today marks the last day of regular season play in baseball and it’s great to reflect on how amazing of a year it has been. We’ve seen dominance from the usual suspects, careers develop and standings look like a contrast from the normal.

Yesterday we saw the dominance of Johan Santana pitching a complete game three hitter to keep the Mets in the playoff hunt. This guy went from small market to large market and did not suffer a lapse in his ability, truly showing off his stuff. Speaking of pitching in a not so talk about local in the north, Roy Halladay is going to lose the Cy Young to Cliff Lee. Halladay is working so many complete games and just shuts down every offense powerhouse, but he suffers from playing on a team that does not have it to be a playoff team in the AL East.

That brings us to Cliff Lee, who will win the Cy Young, hands down. He went from being a mediocre 3-4 starter on what should have been a pennant contender to being an ace on a collapsing AL Central team looking to stay above five hundred. Due to an intense off season work out schedule and hunting wild animals, he is in amazing shape and posting up the stats, winning 22 games.

The greatest thing about this season has got to be the teams going to the playoffs. For the first time since 1993 (well 1994 since there were no playoffs) the Yankees will not be in October. So since 2000, there will be another year with no Yankee World Series wins. It is so sweet, because its nothing against the players, it’s their fans. They have the dumbest/ignorant/self-righteous/warped fans in the world of organized sport. Boastful hockey parents and soccer moms are better informed than Yankee fans.

Tampa Bay, the team Yankee fans always bragged about being better than, are going to the playoffs. It had to eventually happen, the Diamondbacks won the World Series, along with the Marlins. Last years NL Champions were the Colorado Rockies, so who knows maybe the young, versatile Rays might beat the perennial power house Red Sox and Angel teams for the pennant. They got my favorite player, Evan Longoria doing wonders as a rookie. To think that last year the buzz was about rookie Dustin

Pedroia being tops amongst AL rookies and doing so on a World Championship club.

The Sox are back in the playoffs. Honestly this team is as good as last year, while not having Manny being Manny. These are 25 guys who are just out there to win, a great feeling for those paranoid Boston fans.

Paranoid, but not in a sadistic way, Cub fans won the division again. It’s nice to see Pinella doing a great job with that team, especially with all the expectations placed on Fukudome. Even with Fukudome not playing as well, everyone else has stepped up.

This year has been an amazing ride. Tampa Bay can finally have fans find pride in their team before maybe they get moved to Montreal or some other city in America that has no need for Major League Baseball. Maybe they will move the Marlins to Los Angeles and turn them from a baseball team to a football team.

Sal Says: “I was the starting tailback for the 1999 San Francisco 49ers.”

A Legend in Lost (1925-2008)

Saturday was quite a day for College Football. Lots of upsets that should scramble the BCS, but the day seemed a bit out of place. The world of sports seemed less manly.

This may be a website dedicated to sports, but I think this person falls somewhere in that category. Paul Newman passing away took something away from sports or rather sporting men.

Apart from his birth in Shaker’s Heights, Ohio, I really admired Newman for that life he led. He was ultra manly, playing manly parts in great men movies (Cool Hand Luke, Slapshot, Butch Cassidy) and he acted like a man.

When Newman retired from films he spent time racing (quite manly) and made great food products (new, modern manly), while he was married to one broad for many years. Oh did I mention he was from Ohio.

In all serious, we lost someone who helped define what the twentieth century man was. Newman was cool, handsome, smart and had all around talent. He was also smart by despising the Hollywood attitude. That is a real man there. Modern actors take notice.

Sal Says: “I went as Paul Newman for Halloween 1960-1974,1976-88. I went as Roger Moore in ’75.”

Hockey will be back in Rochester soon! OP-ED

Last night the Sabres played the Canadiens in a little rink in Canada. Apart from the fact they lost to a team The Hockey News said should be number 1 in the East, it means one thing... one really awesome thing.


HOCKEY IS BACK!!!!

This is a great time. Hockey is gaining respect again and partly because the league got off their asses and started doing something about it. No two line passing rule, no obstruction, letting players score goals for once.

Though this means the Florida Panthers will have the Amerks as a farm club. This is sad since the Sabres and the Amerks could not agree to terms for a what should have been an affiliation for life. Instead most fans might not want anything from the Amerks since the affiliation for Buffalo is no longer a local connection but rather Portland, Maine. I'm hear to tell you guys to keep supporting the Amerks.

Hockey has always had a special tie with this city. RIT went from a dominant D-III program to a full fledged D-I team in the playoffs most years. Don Cherry came here and coached strong Amerks teams with Gerry Cheevers in net. Don Stevens on the mic... timeless. The Old War Memorial and Blue Cross Arena have been the staple for years. Even local kids getting a chance to play in the NHL now, Marty Reasoner, Brian Gionta and Ryan Callahan are showing that believe it or not New York state is developing a lot of strong American pro hockey players. If this continues we could challenge Minnesota and Michigan.

The thing is the players may have contracts with the Panthers and if we don't support the Amerks and go to game (which are fun, might I add), then what kind of attitude are we showing them. We still have professional hockey in Rochester. This isn't an IHL team or an ECHL team. No, this is a bona fide AHL team, no franchise that has been ingrained in the games history.

Buy tickets for the home opener Oct 10th. I assure you, I will be there.

Sal Says: Go Amerks! Also, bring back Sean Mc Morrow.

The Streak is OVAH!!! NOMMMMMAAAAARRRR!!!

Oh yes Lady's and Gent's this is a glorious day. The Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians last night, extending a Rays-Sox lead in the AL East. What this means is yes, say it with me people, THE YANKEES WILL MISS THE PLAYOFFS!

Say it slowly, the New York Yankees... who have the highest payroll, the dumbest fans and the worst hometown announcing crew in the league, will miss the 2008 Major League Baseball Postseason for the first time since 1993. That was when crappy players like Kevin Maas and Steve Sax were on the Yankees. Oh don't forget about the 1980's when they had really crappy players and young players they would unload in the 1990's.

The last game at Yankee Stadium was in September which is bittersweet. It's sad because it is the most important park in baseball history. However and for those who were on Deadspin last week, it was home to the biggest bunch of idiot fans who honestly thought the sun only rose each day for a Yankees win. In a related note, the sun didn't rise for the Yankees during the 2004 Playoffs through the present day.

At Sal's 401K, again, located in Rochester, NY, we argued all year long that teams such as Tampa Bay could not exist as the perennial cellar dwellar (save that now for Baltimore). That team is good and showed it when key players went down.

Also, they had to realize that as much as most people hate Red Sox fans, they are right that the Red Sox are wicked hard! These guys play to win. The Yankees are really a bunch of hired fielders with huge salaries and do not deliver in the clutch and play around a miserable pitching staff complete with wash ups, has beens and never will be's. Also they have a few good players here and there.

Let it be told that we might actually see Yankee fans realize that New York is not home to the best baseball. Los Angeles is making a strong case now along with Boston and Tampa. Oh let's not forget Chicago.

Sal Says: Nomar Garciaparra is still a member of the Red Sox in his eyes. Of course that does mean missing 30 games and swinging on every first pitch.

Instant Replay Needs Out

Jay Cutler rolls left. He turns to throw up field and loses the handle on the ball. it’s a fumble! Chargers recover, they can kneel down and win the game! Right?
OK the coach threw the red flag, but it was a fumble, it was obvious, right? Wrong.
Referee Ed Hochuli trots out and announces that its an incomplete pass. 10 million people went, WHAT!!?? Broncos then throw a touchdown, go for two and win the game.
Each and every week of NFL football, I become more and more baffled at why there is still instant replay challenges.
After some shady refereeing in the late 90s, the NFL finally decided to put in instant replay in 1999. At the time, I agreed with the move. But after seeing it put into practice, well, the grass wasn’t greener on the other side.
What I didn’t anticipate was that the game would come to a ten minute complete stop after a red flag was tossed.
The ref has to walk over to the coach, have an intimate conversation about the play, their kids school play and maybe even how to fix that leaky kitchen sink. 3 minutes elapse.
Then, the ref walks slowly over to a video booth, stands for 3 more minutes watching all 263 camera angles, talks to the people, “Upstairs,” and finally comes to a decision.
All the while, we the viewer are watching commercials. You know what makes me enjoy a football game? Commercials.
We already get commercials after an extra point, then again after the kickoff, then again half way through the drive for a, “TV timeout.”
But seeing the same boring Family Guy punch line 43 times isn’t the only problem.
There are hardly ever any challenges that get overturned. Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs had only 7% of his challenges overturned. The league on average only gets 2 out of every 10 overturned.
So eight of out ten times, we’re wasting our time.
If it wasn’t already confusing enough, there are plays that are, “Not reviewable.”
You can review if a receivers foot was in bounds, but you can’t review if he was forced out. Sometimes you can review if a player was down by contact, sometimes you can’t. And the one I never understood, you can’t review if a field goal was good or not. WHY?
Coaches have also gotten rather clever when it comes to replay. They know that if they take a timeout to stop a teams momentum, it will be 30 seconds and back to it. If they challenge a play, it will be the aforementioned 10 minute delay.
Its kind of like the way college basketball coaches use timeouts, only ten times the length and there is a possibility of getting a flunky referee to overturn the play.
Major League Baseball has just started introducing instant replay, only on home runs so far, but who knows where that will lead. For baseball fans, this should be a (excuse the pun) a red flag.

Forming a search party

People I am on a missing persons case. Has anyone seen the Browns defense? Has anyone seen the Browns secondary? If so please email Sal Fasano's 401K. Thank you.

The Bills are coming! The Bills are coming!!!

So as I mentioned in my post on Sunday about the rise of the Buffalo Bills, there was a line I put in explaining how Bills fans are hopefully of a possible playoff berth. Well, the feeling is optomistic... a little too optomistic.

This evening the banter between the 10NBC anchors to sports director Robin DeWind was focused on Bills fans thinking that this team has a legit chance to go to the Super Bowl. While I have no problem with people thinking about their team going to the big game, I am a person who wants to think realistic and rationale about it. For instance fans of the Kansas City Royals should always feel realistic that their team might win 70 games tops (unless Tony Pena is the skipper). Those situations call for no hope, very real results.

In this case the Bills just wailed on a pitiful Seahawks team with not a lot going for them. Who actually plays for Seattle, especially at WR. This game had a lot of references to Seattle's jet lag coming into Orchard Park. When did travel become so much of a concern. Hockey teams have to do it in one day in the playoffs in the 2-2-1-1-1 system, but you never hear anyone complain. The Bills play another mediocre team, Jacksonville this Sunday. It will be a real guage to see how well they do, especially offensively because as Sal from the D&C was mentioning on WHAM's sportscast with Mike Catalana, Trent Edwards was far from spectacular. Granted he is still a drastic improvement from Jean Paul Losman, he needs to establish his game to make this Bills team credible in a strong AFC East. This is considering the Brady-less Pats and the Favre full Jets (who I still think won't win the conference).

Bills fans, I'm not saying this to flat out hate, but rather to suggest that you keep your mind open to the fact the Bills may not be it this year. Especially if Chad Pennington throws the way he did last week.

Where have you gone... stir ups?

The nation needs you more than you will know... ho ho ho... hey hey hey

So this past weekend SportsTalk 1280 WHTK held it's charity kickball tournament. Now, I'm the kind of guy who loves athletic competitions for charity. I showed up to the game dusting off some relics from high school baseball; my old cap, pants and of course my hosiery, the stir up. Back in the 1980's and especially in little league in the 1990's all ballplayers had prominent socks. The Reds made sure their players wore them up high as a team uniform code.

But as the 1990's allowed more players to sign shoe deals and make uniforms a fashion statement and overall disdain for stir ups, they began to vanish. This was a sad way of thinking for me. I grew up with the Norman Rockwell view of baseball with kids dressing up like their heroes those ball players wore the high stir up, at least a visible stir up.

We need to bring these back. A few players have but that's not enough. We need more people to ditch the solid color sock and don the sanitary sock covered by the stir up! Who is with me!

Also, those socks with the faux stir up do not count... only cheap coaches buy thoses!

Let's keep pumping this NFL Opening Weekend Thing

So the duo of Sal Fasano 401K watched one opening day match as a team. This is more like Siskel and Ebert rather than Batman and Robin. Girlfriends and friends who are girls would vouch for that. Together we united and critiqued the NFL during the Cowboys-Browns game.

First off it should be noted that while both of us do not really like football, the Cleveland Browns are our team. For no team has faced more pain that the Cleveland Browns (Bills fans cannot, because they didn't lose their team for five years).

I cannot understand and FOX kept going back to this, would someone want to bring a Cleveland Browns 1964 Team Program to the game. Since it was a decent shape and a scarce collectors item (denoting value) it should be in a safe place. I somehow doubt the safest place would be a football stadium in Cleveland with pretty rowdy fans, who have been known to toss beer bottles at referees, milk bones at John Elway and tons of other trash at Art Modell.

If it were me, that program would be in a clear jacket in a box in a dry, room temp, out of suns rays position.

Fans do bring some of the dumbest stuff to games. Kids can fall under that category.

While I am not saying that kids should never be at ballgames, infants, babies (especially on sunny baseball games, so those kids can develop skin cancer at an early age) should be left with a babysitter. Also they do cry and have diapers, resulting in missing action and angering those who paid to go see a ballgame on their day off.

Work is another thing. Baseball always has this. Someone will go to a baseball game and bring paperwork with them. Did you pay thirty bucks to balance the office budget or to see the Royals score six runs off of C.C. Sabathia? I think the work can stay in the office, especially since reports shouldn't have nacho cheese on them for not being able to move for the guy who bought those nachos.

Really bad jerseys. Now, both of us here at Sal's 401K support Brady Quinn and his quest to be a savior as the Browns QB. However, until he actually plays a down of football.... neh, he actually is named starter of Cleveland, leave your jersey home. This maybe nit picky, but blowing $100 on a Quinn jersey after the draft was a good idea then. Derek Anderson rose to prominence and nullified later sales of the #10 jersey. So keep those at home, bring to the stadium those Eric Couch jerseys or actually spend a c-note on a Kosar jersey. The man is a god.

Opening Kick-off Part Deux

The French is a ploy to impress girls...

So for everyone who read the first part of my football preview, that was all sarcasm… I know it doesn’t translate well for reading. Everyone loves football, so much so NBC calls it’s pregame coverage on Sunday Night, Football Night in America. Ironically it sounds very similar to CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada… I feel pending lawsuit on our hands.

Anyways, in 2008 America, football is the most popular sport around. Views change, granted fifty years ago, baseball was the best thing in town, everyone knew the starting lineups of very team in the N.L. and A.L. Now, there are kids who probably know every starting O-Line in the league. Needless to say I never bothered with that growing up (unless it was Orlando Pace from The Ohio State University).

Thomas Boswell once wrote an article explaining 99 ways baseball was better than football. George Will once said that football dealt with the “two worse things in modern America; violence punctuated by committee meetings.” He really topped it off by asking, “who wants to grow up as a third and long yardage pulling guard.”

I can’t help myself from agreeing with that. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love football’s athleticism, but I think as a nation we placed football and the National Football League’s success on such a high pedestal. Many, especially people my age, fail to remember how weak and vulnerable the sport was twenty-five years ago. There have been collective bargaining issues, work stoppages and even franchises that have faltered, something seen in every sports league. Replacement players did not just happen in the 1994 MLB strike, the NFL had replacement players.

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Okay so while watching the Bills-Seahawks game (thank you local coverage), my spank bank was filled. Sideline reporter Charissa Thompson was dressed in a nice sweater, glasses combo. She was official the best looking girl in Buffalo Sunday. She is really setting a decent bar for the women, now if only her sweater would blow open...

Sal Says: If only her sweater would blow open. I'm into that kind of thing... does anyone have any money, I need to buy booze.

New Team, Same Favre

So it’s opening weekend for the NFL, it’s bigger than Christmas, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. This is the most important weekend in all arm chair quarterbacks’ calendar … well maybe tied with the release date of Madden.

The big event in every sports writer’s minds, along with everyone in a small Midwest city was the debut of Brett Favre in New York. Jets fans, in their own sad delusional way, are already saving up money for Super Bowl tickets, hoping to stick it to Giants fans who no less will still revel in their upset win against the Pats.

Of course Favre is a first ballot Hall of Famer and the last gunslinger of an era of pass first-ask questions later QB’s (John Elway, Dan Marino). He showed that kind of play on his 4^th and 13 TD pass to Chansi Stuckey. The Jets should benefit greatly from the aging QB, but I don’t know if they are going to go to the big dance, especially if Tom Brady’s injury only takes him out of Week 1 or Week 2 action.

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Living in Rochester, New York, a lot of attention is being paid to the Buffalo Bills, the unluckiest franchise this side of the pre-2004 Red Sox (though the Cleveland Browns are not far behind). Trent Edwards is the new starting QB, winning the position over the flakey, immature and not as talented as promoted J.P. Losman.

While this is not the same Great Buffalo QB Controversy as seen between Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson, it is still another snag in a franchise that fifteen years ago was the usual AFC champion. The fans, who still support the team, despite revolving door QB’s and head coaches, losing quality players because there is nothing in Buffalo, the possibility of losing the franchise to Toronto despite the aging Ralph Wilson hoping to leave a positive image, still believe that this is the year.

Well, this year being the year they will make the playoffs (a reasonable goal). This replaces the old, Brooklyn Dodgers, wait til next year to win the Super Bowl belief in Buffalo. Of course I’m fairly convinced the only time the Bills will ever win the Super Bowl is when they will be in Toronto.

Sal Fasano says: Football is really banking on this Favre kid.

The Map Game

Notre Dame vs San Diego State

“Will this be the game that put San Diego State on the map.”

That was the recurring theme in Saturday’s Notre Dame – San Diego State Game. Honestly, this was a huge game for the Aztecs. While Notre Dame is currently in the hang over days of Brady Quinn and losing the Fiesta Bowl to Ohio State, beating a college program with a deep rich tradition is still a big deal for small tier D-I programs.

Though the argument rises, will this game really put San Diego State on the map? Last year was a horrible, something one would never will against their enemies season. Only Michigan could imagine a horrible season comparable to the Irish. Sophomore Jimmy Clausen was truly baptized by not only Touchdown Jesus but also by many defensive opponents. The team has losts its standing in the minds of football fans of schools who truly are perennial contenders for the national championship. Schools from the Sun Belt, the South or Southern California have become the standards. In fact many, not including this author, finds that old conferences such as the Big Ten has lost its swagger and do not deserve a shot at the title game.

So let’s put it into perspective, Notre Dame is losing value in the stock of college football, being trumped by Texas, USC, Florida, LSU. San Diego State was a college teams like Ohio State would schedule early in the season to tune up against and win by several scores. Notre Dame was favored by 22 points and trail 13-7 in the fourth. This is not a game that will put San Diego on the map.

San Deigo is playing a team that is a shell of what it was a few years ago. Many people question the schedule of Notre Dame and their overall ability on the depth chart. Despite what the NBC broadcast teams says, this game will not put the Aztecs on the map … especially when they allow Clausen to find Tate for a touchdown pass.

Sal Says: Never assume this game will mean anything fro both teams… it’s not like its Appalachian State

Sorry K-Rod, You Got Nathan on Joe

With his Friday night save against the Angels, Twins closer Joe Nathan lowered his ERA to 0.98. Nathan has allowed just six runs in 55 innings, struck out 61, saved 35 and allowed just 36 hits.
This type of season is reminicient of Eckersley's legendary 0.61 ERA for the A's in 1990. This is one of those Cy Young, MVP, always to be remembered seasons for Nathan. Yet the anaylists remain silent on young Joe.
Francisco Rodriguez's league leading 48 saves have columnists scurrying to dub him the Cy Young.
While K-Rod has had a special season, his numbers just dont stack up to Nathan as a total package. Nathan has a better ERA (0.96 to 2.75), 16 less walks and more strike outs in virtually the same amount of games and innings.
As the Angels run away with the lackluster west, Minnesota battles every night for first. The pressure on Nathan has been far more than on K-Rod to hold down close games.
It should be noted that since the invention of the Rolaids Relief award in 1976, no closer other than Eck and rescently inducted hall of famer Goose Gossage have finished the season with an ERA under one.
So why, Buster Olney, are we still talking about K-Rod? Could it be that the Walt Disney co. owns both ESPN and the LA Angles? Or just that Buster and the rest of the Baseball Tonight crew don't do any of their own reseach, but just rather sit in front of a teleprompter and state the seemingly obvious.
Aren't these people paid to seek out things that the average viewer might not know about, like the success of a closer playing in a small market?
Or on a related note, discussing their should-be MVP Joe Mauer, instead of talking about which slugger has the most home runs?
It is a sad era in sports broadcasting.

Heres the award picks so far:

AL MVP - Joe Mauer
NL MVP - Albert Pujols
AL CY YOUNG - Cliff Lee
NL CY YOUNG - Brandon Webb

Sox Own Trade Deadline

Since the 2004 ALCS, the Boston Red Sox have been superior to their rival New York Yankees in every facet of baseball from World Series wins to off season acquisitions. The story was no different come the July 31 trade deadline.
The Red Sox decided to send Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and recieve Jason Bay in a three way trade including the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees delt reliever Kyle Farnsworth to the Tigers for vetran catcher Ivan Rodriguez.
If Cashman v. Epstein was a heavy weight bout, it would look like Evander Holyfield facing my 85 year old grandmother. It would look like Jacoby Elsbury vs. Cecil Fielder in a foot race. Ozzie Smith vs. Ozzie Osbourne in gymnastics. Yeah, its that one sided.
Lets break it down:
The Yankees delt away the only veteren in their pathetic bullpen for a worn out, 13 million dollar contract year catcher. Farnsworth had a 3.65 era in 45 games and wracked up 43 strike outs with the Yanks. This left the Yankee bullpen with, Jose Veres, Edwar Ramirez, David Robertson, Damaso Marte and Billy Traber. Those names have even the most savvy fan going, "Who?"
Since Ivan Rodriguez became a Yankee, he's hit just .238 and has thrown out 2 out of 10 base stealers. He's managed just one RBI in 21 ABs and worst of all has forced Jose Molina to see far more pine-time than he deserves.
Molina leads the league in runners thrown out percentage and is said to be the best at calling a game behind the plate that Mike Mussina has ever seen.
This asinine trade shows once again the Yankee front office mentality, get a big name whether they will help the team or not, even if they are pushing 40 and arent what they used to be, at least its a big name, right?
Wrong. Ask Cashman about Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown, Raul Mondesi ect ect ect

On the Holyfield, Elsbury and Smith side of things is Theo Epstein and his Red Sox front office. Manny Ramirez's contract was comming up, he was sitting out games against the Yanks and his dreads were out of control, it was time to go.
In exchange for their 34 year old outfielder, the Sox recieve an underrated, unknown star, Jason Bay. The 29 year old former Pirate hit over 20 HRs every season as a starter, stole 43 bases and was only caught 4 times since 2004 with a career batting avg of .282. Not to mention he isnt a premodanna.
The 07 champs dump an old grumpy lazy leftfielder for a young rising star who will never crack 20 million on the payroll. The Evil Empire loses their best righthander for a worn out, retirement home catcher.

This type of deal comes as no suprise to those who have followed the Sox (which seems to be more and more with each championship, must be the team colors, right?).
Acquiring Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell, bringing in David Ortiz and keeping home grown stars like Pedroia, Elsbury and Papelbon are some major accomplishments of the Epstein era in Boston.

Cashman and the Yankee organization should be embarassed at their post 2000 moves because their lack of emphasis on bullpen and focus on getting players who used to be stars.

Likely Bay's addition and the loss of Farnsworth will have major effects on who is playing in late October