tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

The New York Mess

I can remember vividly being in New York City the summer of 2007.  This was the baseball season after the Mets came oh so close to going to the World Series as they lost a heart breaking series to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3.  The future was bright.  In fact, I remember the big debate at the time: which team had the better left side of the infield: David Wright & Jose Reyes or Alex Rodrieguez & Derek Jeter.

Being in New York for a few days that summer, Mets fans and some neutral observers were giving the edge to the Mets.  The Met duo was younger and they gained valuable experience looking to kick the door down to the World Series after coming so close the previous year.  The Yankees were older and ARod couldn't come up big when it counted and Jeter was losing it in the field.

4 years later the debate seems almost laughable.  Wright and Reyes will never be ARod and Jeter.  Never.  Even at their advanced age, in the clutch give me Jeter & ARod.  It's time for the Mets to start over and that means moving one if not both of the supposed building blocks of a Met renaissance which has never happened.

I really like David Wright as a player and as a solid baseball citizen.  The fact remains that the kid has not exhibited the ability to carry his team when they needed him.   I would think the Mets could get a solid return in any trade for Wright.  Reyes??  That's another story in my mind.

Reyes has extraordinary ability both as a fielder and a hitter.  His speed is a valuable weapon.  However, the constant nagging injuries and the boneheaded plays ( like getting picked off on a sacrifice bunt) makes Reyes expendable.  He is in a walk year and I would be shocked if the Mets don't move him at the trade deadine.

When I was in New York the summer of 2007, the Yankees were in a dogfight to make the playoffs and the Mets were cruising along.  However, it was the Yankees who played in October and it was the Mets who blew a 7 game lead to be knocked out of the playoffs.

It's time for a Met overhaul.  They owe it to their fans.  Beltran, Reyes and Wright are not and have not got it done.  With a new GM who has no allegiance to these players its time for the Mets to move on.  The time is now.  Otherwise, Met fans will continue to be relegated to second class citizens in NY baseball.

Another Tough Knick Loss

Last night was probably one of the most courageous basketball game I've seen played by a team in a long time.  The New York Knicks, already down their point guard. lose their star power forward early in the first quarter yet still had a chance to pull out a playoff win in Boston against the fabled Celtics.  However, as what happened on Sunday, the Knicks couldn't close it out and lost 96-93.

In Game 1, Carmelo Anthony came up small and had a chance to win the game and failed.  But last night, Melo carried the Knicks on his back scoring 42 points and grabbing 17 rebounds to lead his team, a team on this night devoid of any other stars, to nearly pulling off one of the great playoff game upsets in league history.  Let's face it without Chauncey Billups and losing Amare Stoudemire early, the Knicks were left with Anthony and 4 other guys.  It kind of reminded me when I was in junior high and we played this one team who had a very good guard who could make shots from all over the place.  Second time we played them we doubled him most of the night and ended up winning 72-20.

On this night, the Celtics couldn't stop Melo until when it counted.  In the last 2 minutes or so, as soon as Anthony touched the ball Big Baby Davis collapsed on Anthony along with Paul Pierce making it impossible for Melo to take a shot. As a result,  Jared Jeffries was a recipient of two opportunities to score.  The first one he converted to put the Knicks in front.

The second one was a disaster.  After Kevin Garnett put the Celtics ahead 94-93, the Knicks still had time to set up a play to win the game.  Coach D'Antoni called timeout.  The Knicks knew Melo would be doubled and sure enough he was leaving Jeffries open.  Melo dished it off to Jeffries who, instead of going up hard to the basket, tries passing it off and Garnett steals the pass.  Game Over.  Another heartbreaker.

Can the Knicks bounce back??  In my opinion, they can provided that Amare can play Friday night.  With some luck, the Knicks could be up 2-0.  Melo showed that he can deliver in the clutch.  Can you imagine what might have happened last night if Amare was in the game in the final seconds.  Do they double Anthony which results in Amare being open for that last shot???

I don't think we can be that critical of guys like Toney Douglas, Turiaf or Jeffries.  In fact, Jeffries and Douglas were the only other Knicks in double figures besides Anthony.  The rest of the team was just non-existent.  Bill Walker was 0-11 from the field.  Landry Fields has seemed to regress since the Melo trade.  In the end, it was Melo against the Celtics Big Three.  It was a valiant effort.  One that gives you hope, along with frustration wondering if things would have been different if Stoudemire had played the whole game.  If he's back on Friday, the Knicks can still win this series.  If he's not back, this could be over on Easter Sunday.

Fan Violence Out Of Control

Opening day series between the Giants and Dodgers resulted in the beating of a Giants fan outside Dodger Stadium leaving the man still in a coma.  A Jets fan and his son were attacked outside of Cleveland Browns Stadium.  A husband and wife who happened to be rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs had to leave HSBC Arena because they were threatened and verbally assaulted.

I've been attending sporting events for over 40 years.  I've witnessed plenty of attacks on people.  I've been the subject of attacks.  All because of what team I was supporting.  By the way, it doesn't matter how old you are either as I have witnessed kids being taunted and mocked.  As a 13 year old I had a beer dumped on me because I happened to wear a Leaf jersey to a Sabres game at the old Aud.  It was the first Leaf jersey I ever had.

What's the root cause of such stupidty???  The answer: alcohol.  Go to a NFL game and see what goes on in the parking lots.  The amount of beer consumed is unbelievable.  If you had the 5 cent deposit for all the bottles and cans of beer consumed for the past decade you could probably pay off the national debt.

Now don't get me wrong, I love having a good time at a game including having a few beers.  In fact, since the Browns have been back the best part of going to a game has been the tailgating.  However, some people develop beer muscles and are going to show their team loyalty by going after other fans who paid money to get into the game but happened to be rooting for the other team.

I've attended football games at Notre Dame.  There is massive tailgating that goes on before the game.  And I can tell you that beer and other alcoholic beverages are consumed.  But I have never witnessed any fan violence.  The main difference between the college game and the pro game: no beer sold inside the stadium.

What would be the odds of beer sales being prohibited from pro sporting events???  Slim and none.  Yet, that's where the problem lies.  I love sports and there's nothing like supporting your team.  But when you have to fear being attacked it's gone over the top.  That's why I usually will only go to a game when my team is home.  Even then I'm disgusted when I see fans of opposing teams being ridiculed. 

A young man lies in a coma in Southern California because he happened to be a Giant fan.  What a sad state of affairs.  Actually, its enough to make you sick.

Bonds Found Guilty; What About Selig & Union??

Let me start out by saying that I believe that Barry Bonds used steroids.  I also believe that many others in major league baseball were using steroids or other performance enhancing drugs.  I also believe that Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Association knew that players were using steroids and performance enhancing drugs and did nothing about it until BALCO. 

So I'm not sure what the guilty verdict on an obstruction of justice count means when looking at the Bonds case.  The jury was deadlocked on the perjury charges.  If Bonds is guilty of obstruction of justice how is he not guilty of perjury???  One account I read was that the jurors were not sure that Bonds knew that he was being injected with steroids. Hmmm.

It's gotten to the point for me that I really don't care anymore.  Bonds biggest mistake was his arrogance in that he wouldn't just come clean.  The same can be said for Roger Clemens and that's why the feds are going after them so hard.  Both men could have avoided all of this by just telling the truth.

The bigger issue, and this has been the bigger issue for me all along, is that baseball and the union knew that this was going on and did nothing about it.  In fact, I contend that baseball and the union was quite happy with the results: a home run chase by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, more home runs and higher scoring games.  Remember there was a fan backlash prior to the home run chase because of the the 1994 - 1995 baseball strike.

What irks me is that MLB and the Union are not being held accountable.  They could have put an end to all of this right away but didn't.  At best, they both just looked the other way.  At worst, they were willing accomplices.  Do I condone what Bonds, Giambi, McGwire, ARod, Big Papi, Manny, (that's right Red Sox fans...maybe Schilling too) etc. did??  No!!! But MLB and the union knew and they have gotten off scott free.  A big joke and a disgrace!!!