Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if there is a better month than July for weather, here's what is on my mind today:
* The New York media's obsession with Derek Jeter's place in the batting order is borderline annoying. In today's editions, the fact that Jeter was 0-4 last night was the major story despite the fact that the whole team was hitless through 6 innings. Here's hoping the Captain gets to 3,000 before the All-Star break.
* The fact that CC Sabathia was not chosen to the American League All-Star team is a complete and total joke. It's hard to pick a pitcher who is more important to his team than CC.
* The Baseball All-Star Game has lost its luster for me. Interleague play has destroyed the novelty of the game. I can remember wanting to see how Reggie Jackson would do against Steve Carlton. In today's game, they may have faced each other in a weekday series in May.
* The whole idea that the league winning the All-Star game gets home field advantage in the World Series is a joke and an over reaction to the tie game that took place several years ago. Another one of the dumb moves made by clueless Bud Selig.
* The trading of Brett Lebda and Robert Slaney for Matthew Lombardi and Cody Franson was a good move on the part of the Maple Leafs. Lebda was flat out terrible last year and Slaney was a low level prospect. Lombardi is trying to come back from a concussion which kept him out of action for Nashville all of last year. If he can bounce back he will certainly help the Leafs particularly in face-offs and penalty killing. But the prize of the deal is Franson, a 23 year old defenseman who played on the Predators second power play unit. He's big and has offensive skill. Suddenly the Leafs have 8 NHL defenseman to choose from and hopefully some assets to make another move. Nashville made the trade in order to free up cap space in order to take care of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.
* Still shaking my head as to why the Leafs would sign Tim Connolly.
* A group of retired NFL players (Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, to name a couple) have filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the NFLPA for failing to address the pension issue. Shame on the current players and the owners if they don't do right by the retirees. If it wasn't for these old NFLers, the league wouldn't be where its at today and the current players wouldn't be making the money their making today.
* The NBA players are locked out and the season is in severe jeopardy. Who cares??
* And finally, is there anything more disgusting than watching idiots fill their faces to see who can eat the most hot dogs?? What's more disgusting is the fact that ESPN covers the whole mess.
Happy 4th!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Taking a day off today. Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July. I'll be posting "Tuesday's Thoughts" tomorrow with plenty to say on All-Star selections, the latest Leaf trade and more.
Happy Birthday U.S.A.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Connolly??? Colon Keeps It Going
The Maple Leafs, having lost out on Brad Richards, signed Tim Connolly to a two year deal at $4.75 million per year. Richards went to the Rangers in spite of the fact that the Leafs actually offered him more money per year, however the Leafs contract was only for 5 years while I believe the Rangers deal was for 8 years.
Every pundit that I have read indicate that the Connolly signing was a good move despite his injury history. I don't see it. If you look at Connolly's career it is average at best, one filled with promise but not production. His best year was in the 2009-2010 season when he played the most games (73) in his career scoring 17 goals and 48 assists. Last year in 68 games he scored 13 goals and had 23 assists. Hardly the stats of a first line center.
I think the Leafs should have tried to make a trade and maybe they still will do that. Dave Nonis indicated that there may be some other moves. I certainly hope so otherwise I think that before the end of the season Tim Connolly will be out for some period of time and the Leafs will be relying on one of the kids to fill the role.
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Bartolo Colon continues to impress as he looked masterful in his return from the disabled list by shutting down the Mets as the Yankees won game two of the Subway Series at Citi Field. Brian Cashman rolled the dice based on Tony Pena's winter observations of Colon down in the Dominican and it has paid off big time for the Yankees. Today the Pinstripers look to sweep their cross town rivals as Freddy Garcia faces R.A. Dickey, the same guy who confounded the Yanks with his knuckleball at the Stadium leading the Mets to a 2-1 victory back in May.
Yanks Draw First Blood/NHL Frenzy or Lunacy
The Yankees drew first blood in the Subway Series by spanking the Mets 5-1. I was really impressed with Ivan Nova as he was very good in getting out of trouble particularly in the 5th inning when he got Angel Pagan to strike out with the bases loaded. Nova has shown me that the Yanks have a pitcher that they can slot in their rotation for years to come. Probably a 3rd or 4th starter. Mark Texiera continued his hot hitting and Alex Rodrigeuz continues to drive in runs. In fact, I have been impressed with ARod's leadership. I read an article where in had a comversation with Boone Logan about Logan's importance to the team and that he just needs to go out their and pitch, not think. Since the conversation, Logan has somewhat turned it around.
On my continual Michael Kay stupidity watch, last night BigHead was just amazed at the number of Yankee fans at Citi Field. BigHead said he couldn't believe how many people he saw coming off the L.I. Railroad wearing Yankee jerseys, t-shirts and ball caps. Really Michael!!! You're surprised?? Who is he trying to impress? There are plenty of Mets fans at Yankee Stadium when the Mets come in. It's a classic example of Kay's melodramatic, trying to create a story/controversy when there isn't one. I really enjoy Al Leiter in the booth. Too bad he can't be a regular with Ken Singleton and Paul O'Neill.
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Canada Day marks the beginning of the NHL free agency period. TSN called it Free Agent Frenzy. I'll call it Free Agent Lunacy. Once again I want to bring everyone back to the Fall of 2004 when Gary Bettman announced that the players would be locked out in order to "bring fiscal stability" back to the league and help small market teams be viable. Hmmmm... Guess what team has the highest payroll in the NHL today??? The Buffalo Sabres. Who signed the most free agents yeasterday??? The Florida Panthers. Small market teams the last time I checked.
The contracts given out yeatserday were unreal particularly since its still unclear whether these signings will significantly improve the clubs involved. There's no question that the defense moves the Sabres made will help them but the signing of Ville Leino, who the most goals he has ever scored in a season is 19, will help them offensively. The Panthers signed the players they did in order to reach the cap floor of $48 million, including acquiring Brian Campbell, whose contract is one of the worst in the NHL.
The Maple Leafs were quiet yesterday however they are one of 4 teams waiting to hear what the Brad Richards decision is today. My gut tells me that Richards will sign with the Rangers. I'm hoping that the Leafs do not sign Tim Connolly. What I think will happen is that the Leafs will be involved in a trade to attempt to get a center to play with Phil Kessel. If not, I have no problem with them going into camp giving Joe Colborne a shot at the first line. He didn't look out of place in the season finale against the Canadiens when he was with Kessel and Lupul. The other thing that needs to be considered, its a long summer and trades can be made up and through training camp in September. Plenty of time for Burke and Company to get the job done.
CC, Yankees, the DH & Canada Day – NHL Style
Earlier this baseball season, a comment on this blog said that CC Sabathia was no match for Josh Beckett. Pleaaaaseee. Yesterday, Sabathia showed why he is a legitimate all-star and one of the game's best by winning his 11th game and leading the Yankees to a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. 13 strikeouts, all swinging, was the big lefty's signature yesterday afternoon over 7 2/3 innings of work. How many times this year has Sabathia stopped any losing streaks by posting a victory. There's no doubt he is one of the best in the business.
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I was very concerned and critical after the Yanks were swept again by the Red Sox earlier in June and really wondered whether this team would have the ability to make the playoffs. But since that series debacle, the Yankees have been on quite a roll in spite of losing Derek Jeter, Bartolo Colon, Rafael Soriano and Joba Chamberlain. Now with Colon and Jeter scheduled to come back and Phil Hughes' impressive last outing in rehab, the Yankees suddenly find themselves in pretty good shape as we head into the July 4th weekend. If Colon can pitch as well as he did prior to his pulled hammy and Hughes can bounce back to be the starter he was last year, then the Yankee starting rotation gets a huge upgrade and relieves the pressure to trade for a starter at the end of the month.
Another key to this resurgence has been the hitting of Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada. Both have really picked it up since the Red Sox Massacre and once again relieves the need to pick up another bat. As a result, Brian Cashman can be very selective about making a deal as suddenly the Yanks look to be in a position of strength.
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Since interleague play started AL teams have had to forego using the designated hitter in NL parks. A week or so ago when the Red Sox were heading out for a road trip to NL parks, Terry Francona said that he may consider putting Adrian Gonzalez in right field and David Ortiz at 1st base. There was all kinds of discussion about this since it involved the Media's Team. Interestingly enough, I have come across plenty of articles saying that both leagues should have the DH. Coincidence??? Hardly. Connect the dots: why now all the discussion about the DH in the NL??? Why not eliminate the DH?? Oh that would mean no place for Big Papi. Give me a break. I'm sure the lack of the DH is the reason why the Sox went 2-4 in their trip to the state of Pennsylvania.
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Today is Canada Day and while our friends across the border celebrate their country, its also the first day of free agency in the NHL. Believe me the rumors have been hot and heavy as it seems 8 teams are in on the Brad Richards sweepstakes and speculation as to whether an offer sheet will be presented to Tampa Bay's young star, Steven Stamkos. There have been plenty of signings before today and the one that has drawn my attention is the signing of Christian Ernhoff by the Buffalo Sabres.
If I remember correctly, when Gary Bettman was justifying the shutdown of the 2004-2005 season, he said it was to protect small market teams like Buffalo because they were not able to compete with the large contracts that were being given out by the big market teams. Yesterday, the Sabres signed Ernhoff to a 10 year deal, front-loading it with $18 million dollars in signing bonuses over the 1st 2 years. Ernhoff will be 29 on Wednesday which means he will be under contract until he is 39. Amazing. While the numbers are not as large, how is this contract any different than the one signed by Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils?? It isn't. The whole small market argument is baloney. And Monopoly Man Terry Pegula is planning on spending more today. He's going to get Brad Richards, Steven Stamkos, Jaromir Jagr and Carlton the Bear!!!
Enjoy Canada Day!!!
College Football vs NFL: Not Even Close!!!
As news continues to leak out that the NFL lock out is heading toward an end, there was a great article (check it out above) comparing the NFL and college football. Let me start out by saying that I have followed the NFL and particularly the Cleveland Browns for 50 years. On fall Sundays as a child, I would want my parents to schedule our weekly visits to both of my grandparents houses around halftime of the Browns game so I wouldn't miss anything when we went from one house to the other. So as you can see the NFL has been a part of my sports life for a long time. That being said, today. I'll take college football over the NFL anyday.
Gregg Doyell is right on the money in his article. But beyond his point, I think the actual game itself is better in college football. There's more excitement. Teams are willing to gamble. There's more scoring. I don't have to see some defensive lineman after a sack get up and do a jig because he sacked the quarterback even though his team is down by two touchdowns. I can't tell you how much that bugs me.
When it comes to overtime, I love the college format. Each team has a shot to win as opposed to a possible coin toss deciding the game and multiple punts resulting in a field goal to decide the game. The college game is much more wide open. The atmosphere is better. I've never been to a college game where I've seen fights in the crowd or drunken stupidness as I have at pro games. And while alcohol is not sold in college stadiums, there is plenty of tailgating that goes on before the college game.
If the NCAA ever woke up and established a playoff system to determine the national championship, the college football championship game would rival the Super Bowl in popularity. For me if the NFL canceled the season, I wouldn't miss it for the world and this from a kid who's grandparents knew that the Browns game needed to be on when I came over to visit on Sunday.
HHOF Selections/ Wimbledon/ Yankees
Yesterday's announcement of the new inductees into hockey's hall of fame were positively received in most quarters throughout the hockey world. I would fall into that category as Doug Gilmour, Eddie Belfour, Joe Nieuwendyck and Mark Howe are all deserving. With respect to Gilmour, it was a long time overdue. As a Leaf fan, there is no doubt that Gilmour led a team that provided us with plenty of thrills and but for a blown call by Kerry Fraser, a legitimate chance at the Stanley Cup.
However, I am not happy with the fact that Pat Burns was not selected. Burns coached three Original 6 teams (Montreal, Toronto & Boston) and won a Stanley Cup with New Jersey. Not only did he coach the three Original 6 teams, he instilled a winning attitude and excitement in three proud franchises. With respect to Toronto, Burns was as instrumental as Gilmour and Cliff Fletcher in turning the Maple Leaf franchise around in the early 90's. His numbers speak for themselves. It's a disgrace that he's not in the hall of fame.
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I always equate Wimbledon with the 4th of July as the finals are usually right around the same time. This year on the women's side, the US is shut out as both Serena and Venus Williams had early round exits. In fact, the only American left in the whole tournament is Mardy Fish on the men's side. While its still exciting to watch, there's always a little more to it when an American is in the semi-finals or finals. One also has to wonder what the state of tennis is in the United States as I'm not sure what youngsters are possibly the next generation of American stars. With the current state of affairs we may need some young blood. By the way, here's hoping Maria Sharapova wins.
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The Yankees pounded Zack Greinke last night early and often as they defeated the Brewers 12-2 and upped their lead on Boston to 1 1/2 games as the Red Sox were shut out 5-0 by Cliff Lee and the Phillies. Nick Swisher continued his hot hitting and I couldn't be happier for a guy who truly loves being a Yankee. Mark Texiera has really gotten hot as he hit his 24th home run.
The Yanks received some good news as its possible that Bartolo Colon could be available over the weekend against the Mets. That would allow them to put Brian Gordon in the bullpen. Phil Hughes pitches tonight in his 2nd rehab start in Trenton. Here's hoping we see continued improvement. I almost think that the Yanks should hold him out until after the All-Star break. The same may be the case for Derek Jeter. I'm not sure there is much sense to bring him back for games next weekend against Tampa with the All-Star break starting right after that series.
By the way, last night's YES broadcast illustrated why I think Michael Kay is terrible. Not only did he repeat himself a million times reciting mindless statistics. he went on a 15 minute diatribe about someone living rent free in the left field scoreboard. What added to this ridiculous crap was John Flaherty who played along with the infamous self-promoting Big Headed Kay. It is incredible that the most known sports franchise in the world can't have a first class broadcast team. Where is Ken Singleton when you need him??
Tuesday’s Thoughts
As I consider when's the last time I had steak & eggs while eating my greek yogurt, here's what's on my mind today:
* If you have never been to an Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium you really need to do it. There is nothing like it in all of sports as you get to see so many former stars once again. The ovation for Joe Torre and Bernie Williams was very special and of course its always great to see Whitey and Yogi.
* For those who are a little bit younger than me, at one time Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium had Yankee Old Timer's and Major League Baseball Old Timer's. The old Yanks would play the old major league players seeing the likes of Detroit's Al Kaline, Baltimore's Frank Robinson play against Mickey Mantle and Moose Skowron.
* Speaking of those days, as a kid seeing Mantle with Joe Di Maggio on the same field was really special. Joe D didn't play in the game it was just something to see. Phil Rizzuto who was on the Yankee broadcast team was also involved and always had great stories to tell during the regularly played game. And you could only imagine the ovations that Mickey and Joe Di received.
* By the way the Yankees are the only team in the majors that does old timer's day. That wasn't always the case as I remember it being done by other teams. Not sure why the other clubs stopped.
* Great piece today in the NY Post by Joel Sherman examining the trade market as we head toward the July 31st trade deadline. It doesn't appear on the surface that there is a lot out there and according to Sherman the Yankees may feel that if Colon, Hughes and Chavez can come back ready to play that they may be better than anything the Yankees can get in a trade. If you get a chance check out the article.
* Frank McCourt is filing for bankruptcy and the iconic Los Angeles Dodgers franchise takes another hit. Bud Selig continues to take the lead in the dumbest dope for a commissioner of any major sport (and that's hard to do since the other 3 are morons) as he now has been placed in a difficult position as a result. What's more ridiculous and illustrates Selig's utter incompetence is that Mark Cuban is definitely interested in owning an MLB team and Selig reportedly would never allow that to happen. Selig talks about how McCourt's deal with Fox is not in the best interest of the Dodgers because some of the proceeds would be going to pay off his wife in the divorce, yet he is putting the kibosh to someone who has demonstrated the desire to invest in his team to make it a champion (The Mavericks).
* There are conflicting reports coming out of Tampa pertaining to the Lightning's ability to sign restricted free agent Steven Stamkos. Some are saying a deal will get done others are saying it won't. One thing is clear, after Brad Richards, the unrestricted free agent market does not have a lot of top line players making it a good possibility that offer sheets will be flying around to RFA's.
* If you haven't seen Mariano Rivera bust Michael Kay's chops in his interview with Kim Jones you need to see it. Mo calls Kay a big head because Rivera wanted Kay to introduce him during the Old Timer's Day pre game because he is older than some of the guys that were out there. Its funny though the good natured Rivera at the end says that he still loves Michael. I'm glad Mo does because I surely don't.
* The ESPN Sunday Night baseball experience is totally annoying. Baseball Tonight is nothing more than a group of opinionated wind bags who really know nothing with John Kruk leading the way. This past Sunday I was really surprised at how bad Barry Larkin was as he seemed to have a difficult time making a clear and concise point. And the woman who was filling in for Karl Ravitch was terrible. The other thing that irritated me was that during the play-by-play there was the constant repeating of the same thing over and over again. If I heard it once I heard a 100 times that Fausto Carmona was pitching for his job and how Madison Baumgartner didn't make it out of the first inning in his last start.
* And finally, the Red Sox play the Phillies tonight in what many are considering to be a preview of this year's World Series. I'm saying right here on June 28th that the Red Sox are not in the World Series. And as for the Phillies, don't count the Brewers or Giants out just yet.
NHL News & Yanks Win On Old Timer’s Day
As we head toward July 1, there has been plenty of activity in the NHL prior to free agency kicking in. The Buffalo Sabres picked up Robyn Regher and Ales Kotalik for 2 young players which allowed the Flames to sign Alex Tanguay to a 5 year contract extension. Ryan Smyth, Captain Canada, has gone back to his roots as he has been traded back to the Edmonton Oilers. And Brian Campbell was traded from the Chicago Black Hawks to the Florida Panthers. Why all the activity??? Well part of it has to do with the fact that the new salary cap figures are out and there is a $48 million floor that each team must spend to. As a result, teams are willing to take on big salaries of players who may not be living up to expectations. This could make for more moves prior to July 1 and throughout the summer.
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Rumors are flying about where Brad Richards and Steven Stamkos may end up. The reported favorites to land Richards are the NY Rangers. However, the Philadelphia Flyers are now being reported as extremely interested with the Maple Leafs and LA Kings also in the mix. It does not surprise me that the Flyers are now in the Richards sweepstakes with the blockbuster trades that they made moving Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. I really do think this will come down to the Rangers and Flyers. At one point it was suggested that Richards would give the Lightning a discount because that is where he started his career but I don't see that being the case now.
Speaking of Tampa Bay, there are reports that the Lightning may not be willing to pay Steven Stamkos what the market would bear for a player of his caliber: $8.5-9 million a year for 5 years. Stamkos is a restricted free agent so the Lightning would be compensated if Stamkos signs with another team and it is being reported that several teams are looking into the possibility of submitting an offer sheet for the young superstar center. The Maple Leafs, Red Wings and Flyers are all teams that have been associated with this possibility. If the Lightning, (who reportedly lost $20 million dollars last year) do not sign Stamkos by July 1st, I can see the Maple Leafs making a move to get the Toronto-area center man. This would be a dream come true for the Blue and White.
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Realignment seems to be all the rage these days and the NHL is in on the act as a result of the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg. For this season, the Jets will be playing in the Southeast Division with Florida, Tampa, Carolina, and Washington. Initially it was reported that either Detroit, Columbus or Nashville would be moved to the Eastern Conference with Detroit being the favorite. The problem with this is that the remaining Western teams were not happy with the thought of losing the Red Wings from visiting their arenas 3 or 4 times a year.
So a report is out that the league is considering a complete realignment with the Eastern Conference consisting of 2-eight team divisions and the Western Conference consisting of 2-seven team divisions. The unbalanced schedule would be thrown away and each team would play every other team at least twice a year.
2 problems with this proposal as I see it. First, four teams in each division would make the playoffs with the first round being divisional and the second round would be reseeded with the other division in the conference. This means that there is greater opportunity for teams to make the playoffs in the West because there are 2 less teams. Second, with 2 less teams in the West there will be a push for 2 expansion teams which would be a disaster.
Bettman should just have the guts to swap a team with Winnipeg and throw out this crazy realignment proposal.
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Yesterday was Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees did not disappoint the big crowd with a come from behind 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher continued their hot hitting with back to back home runs that tied the game for the Pinstripers. It is really important for these two to continue to provide some offense to extend this lineup. Mark Texiera hit his 23rd home run of the year as the Yanks go into an off day still one-half game ahead of the Red Sox.
It was great to see Joe Torre back at the Stadium and he received quite the ovation. It was also great to see Bernie Williams back. Check out Tuesday's Thoughts for more on Old Timer's Day!!
Yanks Hop Into 1st
Unbelievably, the Yankees in spite of injuries and a weakened, duct taped pitching staff is one half game in first place this morning as a result of their 8-3 win Saturday and Boston's 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. Despite Boston's torrid June prior to hitting the Steel City, the Yankees have been able to keep up with their arch rivals. Not to mention the fact that the Red Sox hold an 8-1 series lead this season over the Pinstripers. If the Yanks had won 4 of the 9 games they would be 3 1/2 games up.
When you look at the season so far, both teams have flaws and injuries to deal with. The flaws are in both of their pitching staffs. Whichever team is able to stabilize their rotation and bullpen will probably win the division with the loser being the wild card. But one has to wonder what would happen in October when you will be facing another team whose pitching staff may be more consistent. Just look at what happened last year with Texas. And while we focus on what Boston and New York will do at the trade deadline, what happens if a Detroit for example is able to get a top pitcher to team up with Justin Verlander similar to what Texas did last year with Cliff Lee?? Verlander, Felix Hernandez and Max Scherzer.....mmmmm. I'm not suggesting Hernandez is available, particularly with the Mariners in the hunt for the AL West crown but you get where I'm going with this.
Time will tell and as we head into July things will certainly heat up.
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