Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering when Monday Night Football lost its relevance, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The talks between the NHL and the NHLPA seems to have hit the wall as it appears that Emperor Bettman has issued an ultimatum that the league will not budge off of its latest proposal. Isn't that what negotiations are suppose to be about?? Give and take, right?? How does this guy keep his job beats the hell out of me.
* It has been years since Notre Dame has been relevant in college football. The big difference between this year's team and the teases of the past has been its defense. Led by Manti Teo, the Fighting Irish have one of the best defenses in football. Whether they will get a shot at playing in the BCS title game remains to be seen but kudos to Brian Kelly for what appears to be a turn around at South Bend.
* Since Emperor Bettman has taken hockey away, I sat down and watched the New York Knicks last Friday against Dallas and found the game very entertaining. It appears that the Knickerbockers may have found the right coach in Mike Woodson, who's no nonsense approach may be just what the doctor ordered. It remains to be seen how this team will perform throughout the season, but so far Woodson has them heading in the right direction.
* The Cleveland Browns have a new owner in Jimmy Haslam. Haslam has the passion that may be needed to inject some energy in a franchise that has floundered since it has come back to the NFL in 1999.
* Mike Holmgren leaving the Browns doesn't break my heart. I began to lose confidence in Holmgren as a result of his handling of the Colt McCoy concussion. I also think his hiring of Pat Shurmur as head coach was a mistake and may be corrected by Haslam at the end of this season.
* Soon the Winter Meetings will begin and I will be surprised if the Yankees do anything of note. Of course, we Yankee fans need not worry as Brian Cashman says he's not worried about filling the holes in right field, catcher and the starting rotation.
* Bills GM Buddy Nix says that he will be looking for a franchise QB in the 2013 draft. Really. Nix and Company has sold the Bills Mafia on Ryan Fitzpatrick and now Nix has realized that Fitzmagic is not the answer. The fact is that Fitzpatrick is a serviceable QB but you are not going to win anything with him. Nix has been a joke of a GM and he is lucky he works for Ralph Wilson.
* Someone should tell Bills Coach Chan Gailey that he needs to lose the facial hair.
* Had to laugh last night hearing Schoop and the Bulldog slapping down all the Chester Cheektowagas and Louie Lackawannas slamming Fitzpatrick. Typical WGR. The all-sports radio station, and home of the Bills, spent all summer selling people on how this team will make the playoffs. These two nitwits were still at it last night. But when things go bad, they can't take it when Danny Depew calls up and vents his spleen because the Bills don't look like a playoff team. The fact is that they are not a playoff team!!
* The only good thing about Emperor Bettman's cancellation of games is not having to listen to the GR loudmouths talking about how Ryan Miller is overrated.
* And finally, there are not many NFL games I really look forward to watching but I can't wait to see the Colts and Patriots next Sunday. Andrew Luck has led the Colts to a 6-3 record and it will be interesting to see him compete on the same field with Tom Brady. Hey Buddy, see what a franchise QB can do for you??
Bettman Has Got To Go
I have never been a Gary Bettman fan. He is arrogant and obnoxious. Moreover, he is not a hockey guy. He is only concerned about maintaining the confidence of enough team owners to keep his job. By my count, two lockouts in the last seven years, which included a lost season in 2004-2005, is the record of failed leadership.
The last lockout was centered on the establishment of a salary cap. The league got that and were poised for prosperity. Out of his own mouth, Bettman proudly announced in June that the NHL had a hugely successful season from an economic standpoint. From a fan standpoint, the contract with NBC Sports provided great TV coverage. The Winter Classic continued to be a New Year's Day event. All of this makes it hard for me to swallow Bettman's poor mouth routine.
On top of this, the summer saw a number of multi-year contracts. When I say multi-year, I'm talking about 10 and 12 year contracts. These are the very contracts that Bettman and Company want to do away with and not honor. Let me ask you, if you had a contract with your employer that says you would make $50,000 a year and he came to you and said, "you know in spite of your good performance and the fact that we are making money, I'm cutting your salary by 10%", would you be happy about that?? Probably not.
The league continues to talk about how small market franchises are struggling. What Bettman & Company will not realize that these so-called small market teams are in cities that have no business having a hockey team. You see another failure of the Bettman era is the ridiculous expansion into markets that don't give a rats ass about hockey. Two teams in Florida, three teams in California, teams in Nashville, Carolina and Phoenix is an invitation for disaster. But you see the crazy expansion allowed Bettman's bosses to make money off of the entry fees that these new teams had to pay upfront in order to have the privilege to play in a league that views its players as the enemy.
I want to believe that this season can be saved. I want to believe that hockey will begin in December. But I have absolutely no faith in Gary Bettman. Let me leave you with one last question: whatever happened to a commissioner who acted in the best interest of the game as opposed to his own best interest??
Now What Mr. Cashman??
Hiroki Kuroda has turned down the Yankees $13 million dollar qualifying offer leaving the Pinstripers without their number two starter. Brian Cashman stated in a couple of newspaper stories that he is confident that the Yanks can sign Kuroda but if they can't he is happy that the Yankees will get a compensatory draft pick. They will also get compensatory draft picks if Rafael Soriano and Nick Swisher sign elsewhere and Cashman sees this as an insurance policy that will help build the farm system. That would be true if Cashman and Company were able to draft players who eventually succeed in Major League Baseball.
Without Kuroda the Yankees are in big trouble, especially if Andy Pettite does not come back. Will Cashman then try to sell us with the signings of Freddy Garcia-types to fill out the roster?? The loss of Soriano and Swisher are not as serious as losing Kuroda. Kuroda was exceptional last year and really stabilized things when CC Sabathia was hurt. Losing Kuroda would force Cashman to make some kind of move however based upon Hal Steinbrenner's edict to have payroll at $189 million dollars by 2014, I am not optimistic.
The winter meetings in December will be very interesting as the future of this franchise will be shaped: will the the Yankees continue to be a factor in the American League or will they begin their descent back to the days of Horace Clarke, Jerry Kenney and a half-empty Yankee Stadium.
Yankeeland In Trouble
After a terrible post season, the New York Yankees find themselves with some major question marks. Rafael Soriano and Nick Swisher will not be back. We don't know whether Andy Pettite and Hiroki Kuroda will be in pinstripes and Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are another year older. On top of all of this, Hal Steinbrenner is committed to bringing payroll down to $189 million dollars.
This past year's team was one of the least entertaining in a number of years. The home run or bust offense has failed miserably. Brian Cashman's statement that he is not going to change a philosophy that was successful under Gene Michael is a joke because if you look at the record, only one year from 1996-2000 did the Yankees have a 40 HR hitter. That was in 1997 which was the only year that the Yankees did not win the World Series during that time period.
Cashman's job is safe and that is a problem. He has failed to recognize that this team needs to get younger and it needs to rely less on home runs. In the post season, you have to be able to manufacture runs and these Yankees are unable to do that. Part of the problem is that the Yankee farm system has been terrible in developing position players under Cashman. It is inconceivable that the richest team in sports has such a terrible scouting staff. When was the last time the Yankees developed an outfielder, a third baseman and a first baseman (Bernie Williams, Mike Pagliarulo and Don Mattingly)??
I hate to say it but we can be on the verge of a dark period in Yankee history rivaling the late 80's early 90's. Cashman and Company have done absolutely nothing to restock this team with young homegrown talent. Take Jeter, Pettite, and Mariano Rivera from this roster and what you have is a collection of mercenaries around Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Brett Gardner and Joba Chamberlain. For those of you who don't know, that's what the 80's were like. Yankee fans we can be in for a long winter.
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