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

Leadership In Pro Sports: All 4 Are Not Fan-Friendly

If I was in charge of a multi-million dollar corporation, I can honestly say that I wouldn't hire Bud Selig, Roger Goodell, Gary Bettman or David Stern to manage it.  Look at all four leagues that they supposedly lead.  Major League Baseball has two franchises in major markets (Mets, Dodgers) who are in financial disarray and is still trying to recover from the steroid era.  The NFL has locked out the players in spite of the mega-billions of dollars that is split up between the owners and players not to mention the criminal activity that seems to plague NFL players.  The NHL has franchises struggling in spite of a shutdown of the 04-05 season which was suppose to cure all ills and a franchise moving with another one possibly on the way.  Not to mention all of the controversy over concussions, etc.  The NBA has a majority of its franchises losing money and players basically playing general manager by constructing their own fantasy teams.

Who gets hurt the most in all of the above is the fan.  The fan is the one who supports all of these leagues yet they must endure higher ticket prices, threats of their team moving, players up and leaving when they can and the turning of the sports page into the police blotter and gossip column.  Can you remember when the sports page was only about the game???

All four of the Commissioners could give a damn less about the fan.  They owe their allegiances to their bosses who are the owners.  The phrase, "doing what's in the best interest of the game " has been replaced by "doing what's in the best interest of my bosses."  The last commissioners who gave a damn were Pete Rozelle, Clarence Campbell, Bart Giamatti and Larry O'Brien.  Of course, the owners were different too.  They understood that if the whole wasn't doing well it didn't matter how well your team was doing individually.  This was particularly true in the NFL.

But that is all gone now.  It's all about making sure I have enough luxury boxes, personal seating licenses and a fat bottom line.  Each league would do well if they reduced the number of teams as the talent is really watered down as evidenced by the number of late 30 & early 40-somethings playing.  Of course that would effect the bottom line as expansion fattened the league and team coffers.

Television dictates when games are played.  Do you remember when the Super Bowl was played on Sunday afternoon??  When weekend World Series games were played at 4pm?? When NBA and NHL playoffs were done by the end of May???  Not now.  Have to be on prime time and not interfere with existing programming. 

The sports fan is used and abused and the four dopes leading their leagues could give a damn less.

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Tomorrow more on Ohio State, the Knick debacle, Game 2 of Stanley Cup and of course the Yankees.

Red Sox Mistakes Get A Pass

Yesterday I read a report that Dice-K was facing Tommy John surgery in effect shutting him down for the next year and a half and possibly ending his career here in the U.S.  The Red Sox will not feel the effects because they have not really counted on him at all this year.  In fact, Dice-K has not really been someone the Bosox could count on since his first 2 seasons.  So for $103 million, the Red Sox received a decent 2007, a very good 2008 and  and then garbage.  Remember the Red Sox paid $51 million just to have the right to talk to Dice-K and then signed him to a 6 year deal for $52 million.  Hmmm, nice move by the young wizard Theo Epstein.

There's a trade back in 2005 that gets very little scrutiny: Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell for Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez.  I'm not going to argue that Lowell was not productive and that Beckett has not been an asset for the Red Sox.  But Hanley Ramirez???  Despite his poor start this year, it is acknowledged that he is one of the top 3 players in major league baseball.  And by the way he is a shortstop.  How many shortstops have the Red Sox had since 2005??

Sanchez this year has been a stud for the Marlins, slowly achieveing elite starter status.  Who would you rather have Sanchez or John Lackey??  Oh and how did you make out with the Lackey free agent signing???  There's also Justin Masterson who they traded to the Indians for Victor Martinez, who now is playing for the Tigers.

Am I going to say that the Yankees have never made mistakes with trades and free agent signings??  Absolutely not!!!  In fact, I can recite them going back 35 years.  But the difference is that the Yankees and their fans continually here about it.  I never hear anyone mention the money that was wasted on Dice-K.  I never hear anyone bring up the fact that Hanley Ramirez was a top Red Sox shortstop prospect.  I never hear anyone talk about what a bust John Lackey has been since he's come over to the Red Sox.  Instead we hear about what a wunderkind Theo Epstein is and what a great organization the Red Sox are.  The fact is the Red Sox are no different than the Yankees: they both will spend money with the edict to win now.  Would be nice if everyone will recognize that.

Yanks Sweep, Winnipeg & What A Cup Debut!!!

If we could bottle the way the Yankees played yesterday and used it the rest of the season we might be able to plan for a  long trip into October for playoff baseball.  AJ Burnett pitched the way the Yankees would love for him to pitch for the rest of his contract.  After giving up a two-run homer to Josh Willingham in the second inning, Burnett slammed the door and went 7 innings to get his first win on the road since last July in Cleveland.  This was the type of game that Burnett needed to pitch in his last start against Seattle after the Yankees had staked him to a lead.  I kept on waiting for the bottom to fall out, especially after Coco Crisp's 2-out triple in the 5th but Burnett ended the inning quickly.

The other cause for optimism is the continued hitting of Nick Swisher.  Swisher's 3-run homer was the winning margin for the Yanks as it put them ahead 4-2.  Swisher seems to have awoken from his early season slumber and it would be a tremendous boost to the Yankee offense if he can keep this up.  Before the start of the series with the A's there was plenty of concern as the Yanks were going to face three good young pitchers.  The Yanks took it to them and have received outstanding starting pitching of their own.

The Yankees have now won 4 in a row (the first time this year) and find themselves two games in first place in the AL East over their blood rivals, who were swept at Fenway Park by the White Sox.  The Yankees move down to Anaheim to take on the Angels before heading home to face Boston who lead the season series 5-1 over the Yankees.

Friday will be a big night for Ivan Nova as he may be pitching for his spot in the starting rotation.

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I think its great news that Winnipeg is getting a hockey team back.  Hopefully, Mr. Bettman will mark Atlanta off the list for good as this is the second time a team will leave that city.  It was laughable that for the last week and a half  the denials of a move after it had been first reported by a Canadian media outlet.

Two issues that will be interesting to watch: 1.) which team will move to the Eastern Conference to allow Winnipeg back into the West and 2.) whether the NHL will impose some type of criteria for the new franchise as it relates to the number of season tickets that need to be sold.  Stay tuned.

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If last night's Game 1 between the Canucks and Bruins is any indication of what we have to look for in the rest of this series we are in for a treat.  The game was filled with outstanding goaltending and tough physical play.  I certainly thought we were heading to overtime until unlikely hero Raffi Torres put one past Tim Thomas to give the Canucks the Game one victory. 

Both teams power play came up empty and both had 5 on 3 opportunities.  Claude Julien's move to have Zdeno Chara in front of the net on the power play was a good one as this caused problems for the Canucks but the B's still couldn't get one past Luongo.  I'm not sure if Chara will be able to do this throughout the series while playing mega-minutes against the Sedin line.

  I thought Tim Thomas had to make more difficult saves than Roberto Luongo but both showed why they are Vezina Trophy candidates.  The intensity and animosity between the two teams was really evident and has me wishing Game 2 was tonight.  Of course we have to wait until Saturday which is totally ridiculous.  The NHL Playoffs this year have been awesome and Game One of the Finals lived up to the excitement of the early rounds.

Tressel’s Gone But Only Tip Of Iceberg

On Monday Jim Tressel resigned as football coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.  It had to happen and probably should have happened months ago.  Before I go on, I have read numerous articles about the situation and I want to start out by saying that Jim Tressel has accomplished many great things.  His record as a football coach, both at Youngstown State and Ohio State, is one of success.  In reading what plenty of former players had to say it was clear that Tressel was well respected and has had a positive impact for many of them.  These achievements cannot be taken away from him.

However, what is hard to reconcile is why a man who obviously understood the importance for these young men to be prepared to do things the right way in their lives would knowingly allow and in some instances assist in the violation of NCAA rules which specifically dealt with trading memorabilia for various items.  Those items ranged from tattoos to cars.  You can argue about the ridiculous premise for this rule but the fact remains that they are there and should be abided by and I think Coach Tressel would agree.

While Tressel bears responsibility for this so does the University.  Remember when he was asked whether he would remove Tressel, OSU President Gordon Gee said that he hoped that Tressel wouldn't fire him??  What a message!!!  It basically was saying to the world that football is king in Columbus.  It's one thing for some southern Ohio yahoo to be saying that it's another thing for the University president to say it.

The University has had several opportunities to get out in front of this situation.  Reports are coming out of Columbus that the University forced or urged Tressel to resign.  They could have done this in January after the Sugar Bowl.  One has to wonder if the reason for the change in direction had to do with the knowledge of the SI investigative report and the hope that by Tressel being out of the picture that the NCAA will go easy on the OSU football program.  Hopefully, OSU will have guessed wrong.

The other person who should also be shown the door is OSU Athletic Director Gene Smith.  Obviously Smith was asleep at the switch.  He would have to be blind not to see what was going on yet he decided to let it all happen as Tressel was beating Michigan, winning Big Ten Championships and a national championship.

One of the most telling comments made by a former player was that of Craig Krenzel, the quarterback of the national championship team Tressel coached at OSU.  As indicated in an article in the Columbus Dispatch, Krenzel expressed his utmost respect and admiration for his former coach.  However, he did express his disappointment in the current athletes on the OSU football team.  "There's been a culture change that I've seen over the last five, six years in terms of guys coming in with a sense of entitlement," he said. "It's no longer good enough just to have a chance of being a Buckeye - as an opportunity and a gift. They look at it (today) as, 'Hey, it should be more.' I couldn't fathom selling my Big Ten ring or gold pants."

That might be an indictment on modern day athletes in general which is a topic for another day.  But the fact remains that Tressel and Smith allowed this culture change to happen and for that Tressel has lost his job and the OSU football program should be punished.

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Tomorrow, check in for comments on the new Winnipeg NHL team, Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals and the Yanks series ending game against the A's.

Bruins Advance/Anniversary of Misery

In an exciting Game 7 Final, the Boston Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.  Dwayne Roloson was outstanding in the Lightning net robbing multiple Bruins to keep the game scoreless for over two and a half periods.  In a game that was penalty free, the Lightning high powered trio of Lecavalier, St.Louis and Stamkos were unable to solve Tim Thomas.  What can you say about the courage of Steven Stamkos.  After taking a deflected shot off the nose, Stamkos came back to play a regular shift throughout the balance of the second period and all of the third.  With an obvious broken nose and cotton used to prevent blood from oozing out, Stamkos was still a threat throughout the game.

With the Bruins victory, an interesting Stanley Cup Finals develops.  The Canucks, in their 40 year history, have never won a Stanley Cup.  The Bruins have been Cup-less since 1972.  One drought will end.  What will be exciting to watch is the match-up between the Sedins and the lock down defense pair of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.  The two goalies, Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo, have been outstanding and I would expect both to perform well on the big stage.  Both teams can play physical so it should really be a lot of fun to watch.

The key could be special teams.  The Canucks power play has been very good, seeming to get better as the playoffs went on.  The Bruins power play has been putrid throughout the playoffs.  In fact, the Bruins power play has been a problem for most of the regular season which led to the trade that brought Tomas Kaberle to Beantown.  The acquisition of Kaberle has not been successful in jump starting the power play.  As an aside, despite Kaberle not working out the way the Bruins envisioned, as part of the trade the Bruins will now have to give the Leafs their 2nd round pick in 2012 as a result of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

I'll have my Stanley Cup prediction in the Tuesday's Thoughts column as the series doesn't open until Wednesday.

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Yesterday marked the 28 year anniversary of Kerry Fraser's blown high sticking call committed by Wayne Gretzky in Game 6 of the Leafs-Kings Western Conference Final.  For those of you who don't remember, the Leafs had stormed back on the efforts of Wendel Clark to send Game 6 into overtime.  A Leaf victory would have moved the Leafs into the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1967.

In overtime, Gretzky clipped Doug Gilmour with a high stick drawing blood which was evident to all watching.  All except referee Kerry Fraser.  Moments later, Gretzky scored a power play goal propelling the Kings to a Game 7 which they won at Maple Leaf Gardens.  Many will say the Leafs still had Game 7 to win the series.  While that is true, the Leafs had all the momentum at the end of Game 6 as a result of Clark's hat trick which brought the Leafs back to tie the game.  The Kings were on their heels and the Forum crowd knew it.  There is no doubt in my mind that the Leafs would have scored with the man advantage, particularly if it was for four minutes and the NHL's best player being in the penalty box.  But it was not to be thanks to Kerry Fraser and the misery of Leaf fans such as myself continues.  Thanks Kerry.

Jeanneret, Wilson, Game 7 & the Mets

Yesterday in Western New York, it was announced that Rick "Pork Chop" Jeanneret was going to scale back his announcing duties with the Buffalo Sabres to only home games and about 10 road games.  This was such big news in Fire City that its been on all the local television networks.  To me, its great news.  The only thing better would be if he was retiring.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a Sabres fan and so I have no particular affection for Jeanneret.  In fact, I can't watch a Sabres game when he broadcasts them.  His ridiculous screaming and big time homerism is beyond disgusting.  And I can honestly say I have never heard him be critical of the Sabres.  With Center Ice you are able to get many different NHL feeds.  Jeanneret is not alone.  Jack Edwards (Boston), Howie Rose (Islanders) and the "Chief" Bobby Taylor (Tampa Bay) are right up there with Pork Chop for being flat out terrible.  And just to be clear, Sam Rosen & Joe Michaletti (Rangers), Paul Steigerwald (Pittsburgh), Ken Daniels (Detroit) and John Forslund (Carolina) do a great job and are a pleasure to listen to even when they are playing the Leafs.  By the way, the first Sabres play-by-play man, Ted Darling was a consummate pro as opposed to the ridiculous Jeanneret.

In case you are wondering why I call Jeanneret Pork Chop its because it sounds like he has one stuck in his throat when he's screaming one of his ridiculous goal calls.

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An interesting column this morning in the Toronto Star by Damien Cox pertaining to the contract status of Ron Wilson.  I truly believed that Wilson would have been given a one year extension with the understanding that if the team started off badly Wilson would be replaced since MLSE would have no trouble eating a year of the extension.  But as Cox points out,  apparently ownership is not willing to do that and Brian Burke is reading the tea leaves after seeing what happened with the Raptors and Bryan Colangelo.

MLSE it seems is looking for results and Burke has done a very good job of turning the hockey team's roster over big time.  It's now going to be up to Wilson to get things going right from the start.  If the Leafs make the playoffs, Wilson will remain.  A slow start or failure to make the playoffs will mean a new man behind the Leafs bench.  Stay tuned.

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Tonight's Game 7 between Tampa Bay and Boston has all the makings of a classic.  I'm really looking forward to it as it will be interesting to see whether the Bruins will take advantage of home ice.  Tim Thomas could be the key to this game as he certainly has the ability to steal one for the Bruins.  The Lightning will be a challenge for the Bruin netminder in that Tampa has the better offensive talent.  Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis have been there before.  Must see TV tonight on Versus.  Thank God we don't have to put up with Jack Edwards.

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Finally, New York's other baseball team, the Mets, have become the latest baseball franchise that's turned into a circus as ownership has gone off the rails (Dodgers the other one. Nice job Mr. Selig).  The Wilpons have been treading water as they took a big hit financially when their buddy Bernie Madoff got pinched.  With financial troubles, the Mets have gone about the business of decimating the franchise.  Fred Wilpon has come out blasting Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and David Wright signaling that the fire sale could begin as early as July at the trade deadline.  There's no question Jose Reyes will no longer be a Met.  Beltran could be moved in July and Wright could also be traded.  If I were him, I would be hoping so.

As you know I am not a Met fan.  However, no fan should have to pay to watch the current edition of the New York Mets.  By the way, tickets to Citi Field are not cheap.  I envision plenty of empty seats throughout the summer.  If I said I was feeling sorry for them I'd be lying.  You reap what you sow.  Good luck Mr. Met!!!!

Yanks, NFL, & Game 7

The Yankees closed out their homestand with a 7-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.  Andruw Jones broke out with 2 two-run homers and Mark Texiera chipped in with a homer.  Curtis Granderson continued his hot hitting and certainly making a case for being the team's MVP in the early going this season.

Freddy Garcia pitched a solid game yesterday providing the Yankees with another quality start.  They now will embark on an 11-day 9 game West Coast trip beginning Friday night in Seattle.  It won't be easy as they will face rookie phenom Michael Pineda and on Saturday Felix Hernandez.  The Yanks will counter with AJ Burnett on Friday and Ivan Nova on Saturday. 

This West Coast trip will be a big test.  The Yanks have had a very favorable schedule, playing the most home games in the majors up to this point.  The Mariners have won 8 out of their last 10, while the Yanks have won 7 of their last 9.  They'll be playing in ball parks not necessarily homer happy.  Big test for the Pinstripers.

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Read an article yesterday about the National Football League Coaches Association (NFLCA).  I didn't know such an organization existed.  Apparently, it is comprised of all coaches who work in the NFL.  What was most interesting is the fact that they have come out against the NFL lockout.  In fact they have filed a brief with 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the players. 

The NFLCA cites in the brief that the NFL has been negotiating contracts with coaches with a stipulation that they will not get paid if league operations were suspended.  In addition, they point out that several coaches who are on the hot seat entering the 2011 season will be at a disadvantage in securing their current jobs because of the limited amount of time they will have to prepare for the upcoming season.

So let's see, the league has its two key employee groups, the players and the coaches, in oppostion to the ridiculously contrived labor situation that has been created by the NFL and its owners.  When will Roger Goodell show some stones and bring the hard line owners to the realization that they are killing the golden goose?  Goodell acknowledged that the League is losing fan interest.  Ratings were down for viewing the NFL Draft.  Goodell was obviously disturbed by the negative fan reaction toward him at the Draft.  Whatever happened to a Commissioner taking action "in the best interest of the game."  He will do nothing because he's nothing more than a lackey for the owners.

The talk now is of eliminating pre-season games, the elimination of the Rookie Symposium and the contemplation of expanding rosters because teams will not have enough time to evaluate rookies.  The NFL needs to get sent a strong message:  if a portion of the season is canceled or the season altered in any way, fans should boycott games.

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Friday night has all the makings of must see TV as the Boston Bruins will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Game 7 for the right to represent the Eastern Conference against the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Last night, the Lightning showed their offensive firepower by scoring 2 power play goals and quickly responding to a 3rd period Bruin goal to win Game 6 5-4.

TD Bank Garden will be rocking.  It will be interesting to see how this one unfolds.  Will Tim Thomas be able to save the day for the Bruins??  Will Dwayne Roloson hold up in net for the Lightning??  Will the Boston power play show up when it counts??  Can Tampa's big 3 lead the way offensively???  Time will tell and I can't wait!!!!