R.I.P – Macho Man
I was shocked when I heard the news that Randy "Macho Man" Savage died in a car accident. In the 1980's, the WWF (that's what it was called at the time) brought professional wrestling back into the national spotlight. The biggest star was Hulk Hogan. But who was right up there was Randy Savage.
The Macho Man character captivated audiences all across the world. One of the best pro wrestling matches ever was the Wrestlemania III match between Savage and Ricky Steamboat. In fact, that may have been the best Wrestlemania ever as the main event was Hogan against Andre the Giant (no, it was not Bartolo Colon). R.I.P. Macho Man.
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Make sure you check out tonytalkssports tomorrow as I'll review the first two games of the Subway Series, Game 4 between Bruins and Lightning and a look at the major league baseball standings one week from Memorial Day weekend.
Interleague Play Begins – Do You Care???
Interleague play begins today, with the renewal of the Subway Series in New York, the Battle of Ohio, Marlins-Rays, Cardinals-Royals, the Beltway Rivalry and the Bay Area Battle. There is also the Chicago Cubs visiting Fenway Park. But in addition to these match-ups, you have the awe-inspiring Astros-Blue Jays, Twins-Dbacks, Braves-Angels and Tigers-Pirates.
Interleague play does not generate the excitement that it did when it began in 1997. Of course, the geniuses at MLB needed to continue to bring fans back after the 1994 labor debacle which canceled the season and the World Series. In my opinion, the interleague scheduling has taken away from the allure of the Baseball All-Star Game. Baseball's all-star game was always the best to watch and had the most interest because it was the only time, other than the World Series, where you got to see the stars from both leagues play against each other. Now, who cares when you can see them play aginst each other in May and June. So in order to drum up interest in the All-Star Game, we now have the league which wins the game gets home field advantage during the World Series. Wow, hardly causes me to watch.
To me interleague play has worn out its welcome. The random way these interleague games are scheduled can have a big effect on playoff races. Historically, the NL Central has been weak while the AL East has been strong. If you draw the NL Central you will have an advantage over teams that draw the Braves and Phillies in the NL East. If you draw the AL West, you will have an advantage over teams that draw the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. With another wild card team being proposed by the baseball genius, Bud Selig, this will have a greater impact.
I remember a time when the Yankees and Mets played an exhibition game during the season on an off day. It was called the Mayor's Trophy Game. I can remember being fired up about this stupid exhibition game and at one point the game was televised over WPIX which we were able to get through the cable system. As we head toward tonight's game, somehow my anticipation for this edition of the Subway Series is far less than it was for the old Mayor's Trophy Game. It's time to end interleague play!!!
Yanks Win & Ohio St. A.D. is a Joke
Bartolo Colon pitched like it was 1999 but wasn't the winning pitcher in last night's 4-1 Yankee win as it took the Pinstripers 15 innings to extend their winning streak to 2. Colon was simply awesome last night as it may have been the best starting pitching performance by a Yankee this year, striking out 7 and only throwing 87 pitches through 8 innings. Which raises the question: why not let him start the ninth??
Joe Girardi was asked that question and his obvious answer was that he has the greatest closer in the game. Last night, however, Mariano Rivera coughed up a run in the ninth which sent the game to extra innings. Hindsight is 20-20 but one has to wonder if Colon would not have been able to go the distance.
ARod certainly continued hitting the ball well in spite the announcement that they are going to have him undergo an exam of his hip. I'm not expecting there to be any problems and its certainly great to see him hitting the ball the way he has the last 2 games.
Unfortunately, the rest of the team seems to still be in a hitting funk particularly with men in scoring position. Of course, credit should be given to Zack Britton. The young Baltimore left-hander has all the makings of being a pitching nemisis for the Yankees. Again makes you wonder about the "great" pitching prospects the Yankees have and when will we see them contributing to the big team.
Thankfully, Robinson Cano came through to drive in the winning runs in the 15th inning. A bright spot was pitcher Hector Noesi. He pitched himself out of a jam in the 12th and went on to get the win. Let's hope we see more of this kid.
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Read an article this morning about the Big Ten meetings that are taking place and could not believe the utter gall of Ohio State A.D. Gene Smith. Mr. Smith has no intention of taking any disciplinary action against Head Football Coach Jim Tressel. What also was interesting was the defense of Tressel by his fellow coaches and other A.D.'s, particularly Tom Osborne of Nebraska.
This whole situation totally disgusts me. Particularly since Tressel and Ohio State carries themselves as being a super clean, mom and apple pie program. Tressel is a fraud and so is Ohio State. Here's hoping the NCAA takes the appropriate action and makes Tressel and the Buckeye football program pay a heavy price. They should lose scholarships and be banned from national championship consideration if they refuse to fire Tressel. Since Smith has no intention of taking action, we will have to wait until August when the NCAA will announce what action they will take.
ARod Comes Through & R.I.P. Killer
Last night, a night in mid-May, the New York Yankees were fighting for their lives. Joe Girardi said this was as close to a must-win as you can get this early in the season. With everything swirling around the team, the Yankees needed someone to grab them by the throat and shake them out of their funk.
Well, the man who rose to that challenge was ARod. His 2 home runs powered the Yankees to a 6-2 win, stopping a six game losing streak and hopefully sets the team up for a much needed winning streak. What's really interesting is in reading the NY Daily News and seeing that prior to the game a Yankee source was saying that ARod was concerned about his prior hip injury possibly causing him some problems. Well, it sure didn't look that way last night. That Yankee clubhouse and management team has more leaks than the CIA.
The Yanks can sure use ARod to go on a hitting tear. The team is teetering on the brink of collapse. As they head to Baltimore, a little win streak heading into the Subway Series will go a long way to get things moving in the right direction. However, a winning streak can't mask the fact that the Yankees, as they are currently constructed, are a flawed team. For now, they must stay close until a move can be made, whether that's bringing up someone from the farm or a trade.
By the way, if you haven't already, make sure to participate on my Cashman poll.
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I was saddened by the news that Harmon Killebrew passed away yesterday. Killebrew was a true gentleman and a classic power hitter. It was incredible to see the emotion on the part of former players, guys who never played with Killebrew but who knew him well as he was involved with the Twins and was an icon in the Twin Cities area.
As a child, I remember watching Killebrew as the Twins were an American League powerhouse back in the 60's. A dangerous hitter, he didn't need steroids or HGH to hit 573 home runs. He wasn't overly big, 6 feet tall 190 pounds. He was a player of a much simpler time, one that I look back on fondly. One that will never be back. Rest In Peace Killer.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering when did the Yankees turn into the Mets, here is what I'm thinking about this morning:
* Last week was a sad day in the sports world with the death of 28 year old Derek Boogaard and the announcement that Harmon Killebrew was entering hospice. Killebrew was an awesome power hitter back in the day forming a dangerous duo for the Minnesota Twins back in the 60's with Tony Oliva. Killebrew wasn't that tall and certainly didn't have a body builders physique but his arms were huge and he had tremendous power. Classy till the very end. Anytime a young athlete dies its sad and usually leads to speculation as to why. It's unfortunate that some are using Boogaard's death to start up the band for the banning of fighting in the NHL. Boogaard suffered a concussion back in December as a result of a fight and never played again. Very sad.
* So happy that the Bulls took Game 1 of their series with the Dream Team. Here's hoping that they can keep it up.
* The NHL playoffs resumed with Vancouver and Tampa Bay scoring Game 1 victories. The Lightning have more offensive fire power than the Bruins and I think will come out on top in this series. The Sharks blew a 2-1 lead in the third period which seems to be a perplexing pattern. This series will go seven games and unfortunately I think the Canucks will win.
* The streak is now 6 games and losing 10 out of their last 13. Last night the Yankees blew a 5-1 lead to fall to the Rays 6-5. AJ Burnett reverted to 2010 blowing up in the 6th inning. If this becomes a pattern with Burnett, look out!!!
* The obvious discord between Yankee management and Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada is outright ridiculous. It was Yankee management that gave Posada a four year contract. No one twisted their arm but for the fact that they couldn't take it if the Mets signed him and they needed damage control after their break up with Joe Torre. With respect to Jeter, in reading his comments there was really nothing for the China Dolls in Yankee management to get their shorts in a knot over. Instead of moving on, they needed to keep this front and center. Maybe the reason for this is to mask the total failure of Cashman and company in fielding a team worth $200 million being beaten down by the low spending Royals and Rays.
* Joe Girardi is saying all the right things about believing in his guys, everyone goes through this during a season, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm waiting to hear the classic, "the sun will come up tomorrow..."line that was used quite a bit when Torre was manager. Unfortunately, Girardi is not Torre. I have a feeling if Torre was manager this whole thing would not have spun out of control. However, tough guy Cashman is the new Marshall Dillon and he's not taking any guff from anybody, even if they are 5 time champions.
* I wonder if since the Yankee brass is so pissed off at Jeter whether or not there will be any big ceremony when the Captain cracks the 3,000 hit mark, becoming the first Yankee to do it. Think about that for a moment. A team with the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, Di Maggio, Mantle, etc. has never had a player get 3,000 hits. That will change this summer. If I had to bet, they'll do something so they can make a boat load of money off of Jeter's accomplishment.
* Will the Yankeeographies on Jeter and Posada be forever banned.
* The NFL owners have been victorious as the 8th Circuit Court is putting a freeze on the injunction of a stay and as a result the lock out is back on. You know what I hope they don't play a single down and lose a ton of money.
* It's looking like the Atlanta Thrashers could be moving to Winnipeg. While I have no problem with Canada getting another team, I question why the NHL has gone out of their way to subsidize the Phoenix Coyotes to keep them in Glendale while they are sitting idly by with the Thrashers. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think Atlanta deserved another team after losing the Flames many years ago. But why the inconsistency. Gary Bettman: another super genius running a sports league (Goodell, Stern and Selig other geniuses in their own minds).
* And finally, how long will it take before the Yankees make a move, Hank Steinbrenner erupts and Joe Girardi takes the fall for Brian Cashman's ineptness???
Yanks Swept Away: What A Disgrace!!!
Losers of five in a row and 9 out of their last twelve, the Yankees head off to Tampa to take on the first place Rays and their ace, David Price. Could we be looking at 6 in a row?? Who knows.
One would have thought that their blood rivals would have brought out the best in them, but the Yankees played uninspired baseball. Errors, failure to hit in the clutch, base running gaffes and failure to do the little things were evident last night and have been evident in the recent 5 game losing streak, the longest losing streak ever at the new Yankee Stadium.
There were plenty of scapegoats last night. Freddy Garcia couldn't hold a lead, Alex Rodrieguez botching a ground ball that led to a run, Russell Martin's passed ball which resulted in a run, Nick Swisher looking totally lost at the plate and Brett Gardner going 0-4, unable to get down a sacrifice bunt and getting picked off at first base. Painful to watch.
To summarize: the Yankees are a mess and a disgrace to their fans and the uniforms they wear. Moreover, I'm not sure that the two men in charge (Cashman & Girardi) have the ability to lead them out of this. Joe Girardi lamented that there is no book that you can turn to when it comes to how to deal with aging stars. Hmmmm....are you kidding me??? He had no idea that this might have to be something he would have to deal with?
In Joe's defense, he shouldn't have been put in this position because the tough guy General Manager should have been developing players to begin the process of replacing the Core Four. Brett Gardner is the only new addition from the farm system in the last 3 years. Let me ask you a question, who would you rather have: Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera??? For Cabrera the Yankees got Javier Vazquez. How did Cashman make out with that one??
But for Robinson Cano, the Yankees have not developed a position player of consequence since the arrival of Jeter, Pettite, Posada, Rivera and Williams. Hmmmmm.....the foundation of the dynasty. Oh and by the way, Cashman had nothing to do with any of that.
For the last several years, Cashman has put an emphasis on drafting pitchers. Yet, they have ruined Joba Chamberlain, don't know what's wrong with Phil Hughes and have had to bring on board Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon. Where are these young arms????? How come other teams bring kids up and they can perform????
There is a management theory which is based on the belief that 92% of what goes on in an organization is a reflection of the person in charge. If we accept that, its painfully obvious why the Yankees are in the state that they are in. The Steinbrenner boys don't have a clue about baseball. The guy they have complete trust in has developed only one position player of consequence in the last 6 years. This is the same guy who has not developed a quality starting pitcher in the same time period. The same guy who appears to have the media skills of a ham-handed CEO who loves to show how tough he is by going after his employees. In this case, employees who have made your organization very successful.
Maybe the disgrace isn't the guys wearing the uniform. The disgrace is the guy who is running the show. The disgrace is Brian Cashman. It's time for a shake-up. It's time for Cashman to go.
Don't forget tomorrow's Tuesday's Thoughts.
Pinstripe Trouble – Brace Up It’s Going To Be A Long Summer
While losing 6-0 to the Red Sox wasn't bad enough, all hell broke loose when it was reported that Jorge Posada pulled himself out of the lineup before the game. You see, Posada was demoted to batting ninth. Batting only .165, Posada was moved to 9th and Nick Swisher was moved to 8th with Brett Gardner and Russell Martin being moved up in the lineup. What transpired during and after the game tells me a lot about this team and this organization.
Can I understand why Posada was moved down in the lineup?? Yes, but wouldn't it have made more sense to just sit him?? The Yankees know Posada. They know that he is an extremely proud person who has a fiery personality. As a result, why wouldn't they have just sat him. What difference would it have made if he was sitting on the bench or batting ninth. If he couldn't bat 6th or 7th in the lineup then he didn't deserve to play.
Brian Cashman goes on FOX and tells a national television audience that Posada pulled himself out of the lineup. As evidenced by Posada's remarks after the game this clearly irritated him. However, Cashman says that he told Posada and his agents exactly what he was going to say on FOX. What I found most telling was a comment that Posada made that went something like "that's the way he does things now." To me that shows that Posada doesn't appreciate Cashman's handling of players. Think about how the Jeter contract scenario played out. If Posada feels that way, don't tell me that there aren't others in that clubhouse who feel the same way as Posada. If that is the case, how can you expect this team to function as a team.
This collection of millionaires is not like the 1977-78 Yankees. That group took on all the distractions including the meddling of George Steinbrenner and played to win. They were World Champions twice including the dramatic 14 game comeback against these very same Red Sox in 1978. Somehow I don't think this collection of players could pull that off.
This entire organization is in trouble. As I have stated many times on this blog, the farm system has not produced players to begin the process of phasing out older stars, some of whom are icons. The Steinbrenner boys are responsible for giving Jorge Posada the extra year on his current contract because they couldn't risk further fallout after the hostile break-up with Joe Torre. Think: bad break-up with Torre, open warfare in contract negotiations with Jeter and now Posada.
This team has played poorly since last August. In fact, in an article today in the NY Post it was pointed out that the Yankees were 29-30 from August 1 to the end of the 2010 regular season. Couple that with their current record, they are 49-47 since August 1, 2010. Hardly championship material. What's more troubling is that I don't see much hope of it turning around.
There seems to be a terrible entitlement malaise with this team. Some of these guys are stilling living off the 2009 Championship. Some of these guys are living off past performances. The Yanks have lived off the long ball this year but that tells us a lot. It tells us that these guys are playing as individuals. When do you see someone try to get something going by laying a bunt down? When do you see the Yankees hit and run? How about stealing a base.
There needs to be a major shake-up. The Steinbrenners are going nowhere. Cashman's contract runs out this year and I think there needs to be serious consideration for a change. Girardi also needs to be reviewed in that I believe that some of these guys he's played with have a problem with him. Some of the young players down on the farm need to be brought up. Jesus Montero should be brought up now. Bring up Jorge Vazquez. Think about bringing up Kevin Whelan and see what he's got, he of 12 saves and a 1.50 ERA. There needs to be an infusion of youth beacuse this team is old and stale. Maybe youthful energy can spur some of these older players.
I have felt from the beginning that this was going to be a long season and there is nothing that this team is showing me that would lead me to believe otherwise. Tonight they have to depend on Freddy Garcia to avert a sweep. What does that tell you?
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/yanking_our_chains_3SjsFdJyJZrihm4nvsCdKN
Read the article above by Kevin Kernan. Brace up boys, it's going to be a long summer!!
Bulls, Sharks Win; Yanks Awful
In D.C. and stumbled across a sports bar called, "The 51st State". The 51st State is a NY sports bar meaning they feature all NY teams when they are playing on their TV screens. Last night, by the time we got there, the Bronx debacle was already underway as the Yanks were already down 5-0 to the bargain basement KC Royals. With the Red Sox coming to town today, the lustre of the Blood Rivalry is a little bit worn. The Red Sox are under .500 and have just been swept by the Blue Jays up in Toronto. The Yankees have just lost 2 out of 3 to the Royals. Who knows what to expect. If I had to predict: probably plenty of runs tonight as Bartolo Colon faces Clay Buchholz. In the mean time, Tampa Bay is now in first place. The team that lost Matt Garza, Carlos Pena, Rafael Soriano, Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour and Carl Crawford.
The other thing that makes The 51st State sports bar stand out is that it was the only bar that had the Sharks/Red Wings game on TV. We stayed for the first period and it certainly looked like the Sharks were poised to win. In the end, they did but not before the Red Wings made them sweat. This was a great series and a tip of the hat to the Red Wings. Canucks/Sharks should be a dandy. By the way, so much for the great NHL TV contract with Versus. No Versus in the hotel. And I'm staying at a major chain. There is an NHL team here. It was funny as we were walking back to the hotel we thought we could stop at another bar to watch the second period. Not one bar on the way back had the game on. It was NBA.
Which brings me to the Chicago Bulls. Thankfully, they will advance to face the Miami Heat and hopefully but an end to the Dream Team. This will be a great series, one that I wil be following which is amazing for me to say since I am not a big NBA fan.
Hoping to check out the Nationals tonight against the Marlins. Should be fun.
No Justice: Heat Advances
The Miami Heat eliminated the Boston Celtics by winning the series 4-1 and awaiting a possible date with the Chicago Bulls. While the Bulls hope to eliminate Atlanta, the Dream Team will rest and get prepared to win the Eastern Conference title. Frankly, it disgusts me.
I do not have any problem with players exercising their right to free agency. But I do have a problem with the chicanery that went on last summer when Lebron James and Chris Bosh conspired with Dwayne Wade to construct the Dream Team in South Beach. To hell with Cleveland. To hell with Toronto. This is about winning a championship even if it means destroying two franchises and sadly they are 8 games away from pulling it off.
Wade and James are outstanding athletes and great basketball players. A year ago, I really liked them. But now they represent to me athletes who really don't give a damn about the fans. For that, I was really hoping that they would get knocked out of the playoffs sooner rather than later.
The Celtics looked old and couldn't cope with the injury to their outstanding guard Rondo. His courage to play through injury is to be applauded. With the Lakers also eliminated, it may rest with the Bulls to do us all a favor and eliminate the Dream Team. Here's hoping they can do it.
* I'll be in D.C. for the next couple of days and will try to have new posts on Friday and Saturday. If unable, will definitely be back Sunday morning with NHL predictions and thoughts on the second round of the Blood Rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox.
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