It's official: The 2009 New York Yankees are the least likeable team in the history of professional sports.
This off-season, the Yankees signed C.C Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Texiera, three players who are probably more concerned with which kind of private jet to invest in rather than winning. With these shining additions, the team now has the personality of a ceiling fan and the heart and charisma of a shoe rack.Then of course, there is Alex Rodriguez.
The Yankees statement in light of Rodriguez's admittance to the use of steroids was classic. "Alex - like all of us - is not immune to fault," the Yankees statement said.
Hmm. OK, nobody is perfect, true. But when I think immune to fault, I think, oops I locked my keys in the car, darn. Oops, spilled coffee on white carpet, geez. Not, I spent thousands of dollars to purchase illegal steroids so I could hit a zillion home runs, betray millions of fans and make myself 27.5 million dollars a year.
Now players and coaches are, "rallying around him." My stomach just turned.Something about his mushy interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons must have made Yankees players forget that Alex is an ultra-arrogant, October-choking, cheating-numb-skull, who has always cared more about his own batting average more than where the Yankees fall in the standings.
I'd rally around Michael Phelps before Alex Rodriguez.
A column per day could be written on why to hate this year's Yankees, but rather than waste our time, it is more fitting that we talk about the most likable team in baseball history: the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.
Coming into 1955, the Brooklyn Dodgers had lost four of the last seven World Series', all to the New York Yankees. The mechanical Yankees owned the city, seeming to prove each season that they didn't need a black player or personality to win.
The '55 Dodgers’ had a mixture of stars such as Duke Snider and NL MVP Roy Campanella, with role players like 36-year old infielders Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Their powerful pitching staff was led by the first black player to ever win 20 games, Don Newcombe and All-Star Johnny Podres. Newcombe also added a .359 batting average and seven home runs.
Brooklyn featured four black players (the most in the league at the time) who added a flare to the game that had never been seen across town.
They finished 13.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Braves and won first place in the National League. In the American League, the New York Yankees held off the Cleveland Indians by three games to win the pennant.
In the World Series, the Dodgers fell behind 2-0. The series went back to Ebbets Field where the Dodgers found their bats, scoring eight runs two games in a row. They then took a pitchers duel 5-3 - won by Roger Craig - to move ahead 3-2.
Legendary Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford took game six. The home team won each of the first six games, for game 7, it would be back to Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers would have to go in front of 62,000 Yankee fans and take down the giant.
Game 7 stood for far more than just a win or loss for a franchise. It was the separation of two time eras. It was no mistake that this series fell five years after the 50s and five years before the 60s.
The Dodgers represented a pull toward individualism and progression. The Yankees, with their all-white, close cropped crew, pulled toward conservatism. It wasn't until 1956, nine years after the color barrier had been broken, that the Yankees took a team picture with a black player.
Johnny Podres shut out the Yankees in game 7 and Brooklyn finally celebrated its first World Series. Author Pete Hamill said “In Brooklyn that day, it was the Liberation of Paris, Vee Jay Day, New Years Day all rolled into one.”
The '55 Dodgers encompassed the beauty of baseball. It was, for six summer months, a team with skill, desire and personality who came together to create on-field poetry.
So every time you hear a crowd erupt for an A-Rod home run, keep in mind there was a wonderful time in baseball where the game meant more than steroids and salaries.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentine's Day: A Day of Love and A Day To Love
With today being Valentine's Day and I all I thought it would be a great idea to tell guys to be nice to their girlfriends and actually do something they want to do today. Listen, I understand there are games to be watched, you might have to miss them. Also, there might be some sports related thing you want to do, you might have to postpone it. You might want to watch Hoosiers today, you might have save that for tomorrow.
The thing is today was never designed for a guy in a relationship. Unless your married, you might get some leeway. So this is a sacrifice day. Some of the above problems can be solved if your girl loves sports. Though it obviously backfires if you love watching a Saturday hockey game, but she is not a hockey fan. I know I've been there before.
So guys let me make this simple. Skip the game today (DVR it or if you're retro throw in a VHS) and let her do whatever she wants for today. If she wants to watch Love Actually, suck it up and watch it. It wasn't that bad... well some scenes are. If she wants to go shopping, make sure you act interested, that will pick you up points. Remember this is crucial to building a relationship... and getting something in return at the end of the day.
Now let me direct this towards the ladies. While the guys are being nice to you and doing many of your commands, try to be supportive of the sports loving guy. Yes, you may think sports are stupid and accomplish nothing, but they rank pretty high with us. Second to only women, sports has been the backbone of our lives. We wear that same hat from 1996 or treat the reporting of pitchers and catchers as its own holiday, sports is a part of our lives. You have your things (chick flicks) and we have our things (Karl Malone picks). So go to a game and actually try to learn the game and a few players to make it easier on us. I know one of my last girlfriends wanted to learn something about hockey so I taught her a little.
So guys remember be kind to your woman and ladies give us a little gift on pitchers and catchers reporting... maybe a new hat of our favorite team.
The thing is today was never designed for a guy in a relationship. Unless your married, you might get some leeway. So this is a sacrifice day. Some of the above problems can be solved if your girl loves sports. Though it obviously backfires if you love watching a Saturday hockey game, but she is not a hockey fan. I know I've been there before.
So guys let me make this simple. Skip the game today (DVR it or if you're retro throw in a VHS) and let her do whatever she wants for today. If she wants to watch Love Actually, suck it up and watch it. It wasn't that bad... well some scenes are. If she wants to go shopping, make sure you act interested, that will pick you up points. Remember this is crucial to building a relationship... and getting something in return at the end of the day.
Now let me direct this towards the ladies. While the guys are being nice to you and doing many of your commands, try to be supportive of the sports loving guy. Yes, you may think sports are stupid and accomplish nothing, but they rank pretty high with us. Second to only women, sports has been the backbone of our lives. We wear that same hat from 1996 or treat the reporting of pitchers and catchers as its own holiday, sports is a part of our lives. You have your things (chick flicks) and we have our things (Karl Malone picks). So go to a game and actually try to learn the game and a few players to make it easier on us. I know one of my last girlfriends wanted to learn something about hockey so I taught her a little.
So guys remember be kind to your woman and ladies give us a little gift on pitchers and catchers reporting... maybe a new hat of our favorite team.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Jamal Anderson is doing the dirty bird... and the white horse
This weekend Jamal Anderson, former Pro Bowler for the Atlanta Falcons was arrested for possession of cocaine and marijuana.
Last week a photo of Michael Phelps was leaked where he was at a college party taking a hit from a bong.
Saturday, reports were released that Alex Rodriguez failed a drug test, testing positive for steroids in 2003.
They say celebrity deaths happen in three's... I guess you can say athletes with drug problems happen in three's as well.
Let's break these down one at a time.
First off, Jamal... what the hell man!?! Sure, this isn't 1998 and not everyone knows or cares where you are... but both of those drugs are illegal! You volunteered and help kids and you go and do this stuff. Use your head!
Michael... I understand your still a young guy, a kid. Lots of people in their early 20's smoke pot. However, not all people in their early 20's win eight gold medals breaking a mark set by Mr. Spitz. You have a reputation as an American hero and you cannot do something that stupid when you have high regard in this country.
Finally, Alex.... you said that you took the steroids because you felt the huge pressure to succeed in Texas. The only way you were going to succeed in the Lone Star state was if you also pitched 2 of every five game. You should have been learning pitching mechanics from Tom House instead of shooting up illegal substances to get bigger muscles. Now, you're legacy and stats have been compromised.
Listening to the John DiTullio Show this morning with a bunch of Yankee fans still fawning, hoping there is some loop hole to get A-Rod out of his A-Fraud state, it got me to thinking. Well, it's more of me re-thinking a point I love to make.
As Americans, especially young boys, we grow up with this strong hero worship thing involving professional athletes. I'm not saying it's bad, because we all do it at one point. Though for people my age, we got to see what athletes are really like off the field. Courtesy of TMZ and ESPN, we have so much access to LeBron James and Alex Rodriguez. We knew LeBron was pulled over for speeding and Madonna dropped Guy for Alex.
I remember when I was a fan of young, rookie Allen Iverson... before the cornrows. I remember his Reebok commercials and the way it seemed like he was playing on a level I never saw a rook play. Then... he gets nailed for having weed on his person. I tried to defend him, I knew he probably did, but I still denied it.
Then it was Randy Moss. This guy was unreal. His game is so amazing, he can take a one yard wide out screen and turn it into a 75 yard touchdown. Then he is caught lighting up the Mary Jane and running down meter maids.
From then on I picked up from Thomas Boswell's philosophy on admiring athletes. He is quoted in Ken Burn's Baseball when they focused on drug users in 1980's baseball, that we have a thing with hero worship. For a certain number of years we looked up to ball players. Though we should not do that or look down on players either. We should look at them on the level and not place them higher than ourselves or members of our own family. Essentially the core of his argument is that we need to take these guys for who they are... human beings. We place them, the President of the United States and members of the clergy on such a high pedestal. Though we are all human and as the saying goes, err is to human.
The moral of the story is we should not trying to defend, hero worship athletes for when they fall. As members of the human race, they, much like us, are prone to do stupid things. Granted we don't mess up on national television and on the Internet. So let's cut them a little slack but not let them off the hook. That is how O.J. got off of murder.
Last week a photo of Michael Phelps was leaked where he was at a college party taking a hit from a bong.
Saturday, reports were released that Alex Rodriguez failed a drug test, testing positive for steroids in 2003.
They say celebrity deaths happen in three's... I guess you can say athletes with drug problems happen in three's as well.
Let's break these down one at a time.
First off, Jamal... what the hell man!?! Sure, this isn't 1998 and not everyone knows or cares where you are... but both of those drugs are illegal! You volunteered and help kids and you go and do this stuff. Use your head!
Michael... I understand your still a young guy, a kid. Lots of people in their early 20's smoke pot. However, not all people in their early 20's win eight gold medals breaking a mark set by Mr. Spitz. You have a reputation as an American hero and you cannot do something that stupid when you have high regard in this country.
Finally, Alex.... you said that you took the steroids because you felt the huge pressure to succeed in Texas. The only way you were going to succeed in the Lone Star state was if you also pitched 2 of every five game. You should have been learning pitching mechanics from Tom House instead of shooting up illegal substances to get bigger muscles. Now, you're legacy and stats have been compromised.
Listening to the John DiTullio Show this morning with a bunch of Yankee fans still fawning, hoping there is some loop hole to get A-Rod out of his A-Fraud state, it got me to thinking. Well, it's more of me re-thinking a point I love to make.
As Americans, especially young boys, we grow up with this strong hero worship thing involving professional athletes. I'm not saying it's bad, because we all do it at one point. Though for people my age, we got to see what athletes are really like off the field. Courtesy of TMZ and ESPN, we have so much access to LeBron James and Alex Rodriguez. We knew LeBron was pulled over for speeding and Madonna dropped Guy for Alex.
I remember when I was a fan of young, rookie Allen Iverson... before the cornrows. I remember his Reebok commercials and the way it seemed like he was playing on a level I never saw a rook play. Then... he gets nailed for having weed on his person. I tried to defend him, I knew he probably did, but I still denied it.
Then it was Randy Moss. This guy was unreal. His game is so amazing, he can take a one yard wide out screen and turn it into a 75 yard touchdown. Then he is caught lighting up the Mary Jane and running down meter maids.
From then on I picked up from Thomas Boswell's philosophy on admiring athletes. He is quoted in Ken Burn's Baseball when they focused on drug users in 1980's baseball, that we have a thing with hero worship. For a certain number of years we looked up to ball players. Though we should not do that or look down on players either. We should look at them on the level and not place them higher than ourselves or members of our own family. Essentially the core of his argument is that we need to take these guys for who they are... human beings. We place them, the President of the United States and members of the clergy on such a high pedestal. Though we are all human and as the saying goes, err is to human.
The moral of the story is we should not trying to defend, hero worship athletes for when they fall. As members of the human race, they, much like us, are prone to do stupid things. Granted we don't mess up on national television and on the Internet. So let's cut them a little slack but not let them off the hook. That is how O.J. got off of murder.
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