Tag Archives: New York

February 16, 2011 · 12:55 am

2011 Spring Training questions

With today being another one of those unofficial national holidays according ONLY to us warped, out-of-touch sports fans, I thought it would be helpful to address five concerns our local ballclubs have going into this season.

This isn’t a final list of problems or some list meant to read into the future of the two teams, but let’s just say there is a lot of unresolved business heading into the 2011 season for BOTH the Yankees and Mets.

Because the Yankees face a helluva lot less drama I’m going to start with them.

Also, understand that the order is NOT based on importance.

1. Core Four being…replaced?
Yankee fans have long dreaded the day that this would happen but more than any season it has become crystalized:  replacements for the Core Four are here.  Well, technically its three now that Andy Pettite has retired.  But the Yankees have two young pitchers who are capable of replacing the wily veteran though I wonder how effective they will be in the immediate future.

Jesus Montero, is somewhere in every Top 5 prospect list.  He’s projected to be a 30 homer, 100 RBI guy that hits for average but can’t play defense which was Posada’s flaw.  But already the Yankees have told Posada that he should concentrate on being a DH.  The Yankees have a good supply of defensive catchers they can use if they need someone back there.

Speaking of changing positions, the Yankees have already begun discussions on moving Derek Jeter to centerfield to make room for Eduardo Nunes.  Nunes is the shortstop the Yankees wouldn’t part with in their failed attempt at trading for Cliff Lee.  I wonder how insane all those defensive stat geeks will get when they bring out their plus/minus projections for Derek Jeter the centerfielder?

One doesn’t give out $30 something million to a set up man unless its a clear indication that a succession plan has been put into place.  Mariano Rivera however is the ultimate pro so I see no chance of him causing problems with Rafael Soriano.  Though I can’t imagine they were thrilled to hear Mariano having contract talks with the Red Sox.

Seems to me the Yankees have made it a priority to spell out the next group of stars that will replace the legends of yet another great Yankee generation.  I just wonder if these guys will appreciate being shown the door before they have decided its time to leave.

2. No Cliff Lee.  No Andy Pettite.  No problem?
No matter what the spin is during introductory press conferences let’s be real: its spring training its all peachy keen.  But this will be a big issue as the season plays itself out especially if the rotation stays as presently constructed.  Who knows what to expect from A.J. Burnett?  Phil Hughes doesn’t have a long enough resume to just assume that he will keep pitching at the level he did last year.  There’s a chance that Bartolo Colon will make this rotation which would be incredible when considering that he essentially is plan B for not getting Cliff Lee.  Then there’s Joba Chamberlain who has had his growth as a pitcher permanently stunted by his constant movement from the bullpen to the rotation.

The only person you can rely on to have a big year is C.C. Sabathia who now has back tracked his previous comments of playing out his 7 year $161 million deal and may opt out of the deal and force the Yankees into paying him even more money in a deal that would keep him in pinstripes for “8 to 10 more years” as he has been quoted as saying he would like to pitch.

The rotation will be a concern if C.C. leaves which brings us to…

3. Jesus Montero: future Yankee star or trade bait?
After losing out on Cliff Lee, the Yankees may end up ace-less after 2012 when, if every reporter is reading the signals right, C.C. Sabathia will opt out of his contract and perhaps leave to play elsewhere.  Sabathia was probably the only person in the Bronx who rejoiced when Lee didn’t sign with the Yankees because it now gives him leverage to ask for more money.  Add into the fact that the best free agent pitcher in next years market will be Mark Buerhle, the Yankees will be hard pressed to find solutions there unless they explore the trade market where a potential ace may be available.

According to rumors coming from Minneapolis, Francisco Liriano may become available, and I have a feeling (note sarcasm) they will approach this a bit differently than the Johan Santana trade.  It will most certainly cost Jesus Montero and who knows what else.  Will the rotation issues force the Yankees into using their best prospect in a deal to plug a major hole?  Should be interesting.

4. Who are Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances?
If the Yankees are correct, they are future aces in the Yankee system honing their craft just in time.  Three of the top 5 prospects in the system are catchers but the other two are these young guns who could be the key to how they approach their pitching problems.  If they show a continuing trend upward I wonder how Cashman will respond to CC’s contract opt out.  Their progress this season will go a long way in future organizational decisions.

5.  A-Rod.
Either he needs to get back with Kate Hudson who apparently also helped Muse win a Grammy (why havent the Mets made David Wright go after her? Seriously?), or he just needs to have a bounceback year.  I think the latter is the liklier outcome but remember that he’s on the wrong side of 30 and coming off a hip condition which will make his range progressively worse at 3B.  Eventually he will be a full time DH but this year his health will be monitored closely.  If he continues trending downward it will be interesting to see how they approach him about full time DH’ing once Posada’s contract ends.  Boy that 10 year contract will feel like a prison sentence.

Now that we are done with the Nickelodeon type drama of the Yankees its time to move on to the TNT of drama filled teams: the New York Mets.  Here are 5 questions heading into next season for the Metropolitans in no particular order:

1.  Beltran and Reyes’ future-

This is a case of long term and short term futures.  The first half will be crucial for both of these players.

Beltran will likely have to take a huge paycut to stay in New York in light of recent events.  If he plays well, the Mets will like to trade him but I doubt they will find a team willing to pay the price in prospects for what will likely be a half year rental.  I see the Mets holding on to Beltran and recouping 2 first round picks from him.

Reyes on the other hand is the one I see getting dealt.  He is the biggest chip the Mets have and its more than likely that this front office will look to deal him away because of the prospects he will be able to land them.  The scarcity of elite shortstops with the tools Reyes has will make him a commodity and I can’t see this front office’s unwillingness to sign Reyes to a long term contract now (when his value would be lower due to some down years) as anything other than a sign that they will look to deal him for the best possible haul.

If they do trade him, the hope is that the front office knows what its getting in return.  This year will be interesting- especially the first half.  There are several reasons to hope these two get off to strong starts.

2. Madoff-
So many questions remain since the contents of the Madoff trust’s lawsuit against the Wilpon’s were revealed.  One thing is clear for me: the Wilpons knew something was up with this guy.  I’m not implying they were in on it, but to plead ignorance is stupid and won’t hold up.  The Mets will eventually be up for sale and its anyone’s guess who will wind up with them.

What we do know is that next years financial flexibility that Sandy Alderson pointed to may not be there thanks to the mess they are currently in.  What I do know is that the Mets will have to find a way to play through the distraction and it leads me to the next concern/question for 2011

3. How will the new manager and GM handle their roles?

Terry Collins was hired over Wally Backman who was the clear cut fan favorite and remains in the system eager for an opportunity to succeed Collins should he slip.  The big worry about Collins was his temperment and ability to relate to players and it will be interesting to see if he’s lost touch with that after being out of the major league coaching ranks for a decade.

Sandy Alderson was brought in, in hindsight I suppose, as a cleaner of messes.  He did so in San Diego with the Padres and in Dominican Republic with the corruption of the academies there.  He now faces his most high profile mess to clean up and its unclear whether he was sent with a specific directive from the Commissioner’s office or he actually thought he would get to play GM with a bigger bank account.  Whatever the case is, his skills will be put to the test.

Every move will be crucial as the Mets now seemingly will have very little of the $60 million coming off the books to reinvest.  So the Mets will have to be smart with how they spend their payroll as long as the drama with the Wilpons is unresolved.  If the Mets dont resolve this ownership issue expect more Chris Capuano and Chris Young signings.  Lucky for Met fans Sandy Alderson has plenty of experience dealing with limited resources.

4. When Opening Day comes who will be on the team?

Its a natural question to ponder since there are two names that Met fans won’t miss all that much if they were left without a roster spot come Opening Day.  Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo are approaching epic levels of disdain and do you blame them?  These were two guys who received contracts that were universally hated the moment it was announced and basically the worst case scenario played out.  Every four pitch walk and every weak grounder resulting in a double play built the vitriol that exists today.

If they were not to come to camp, they would fall under the “addition by subtraction” principle.

But there is one other figure that looms large and that is Johan Santana who for the third consecutive year had offseason surgery to repair something in his throwing arm.  When he will come back.  What condition he will come back in.  How long it will take for him to get into competitive shape are all questions that have yet to be answered and the longer it takes to get a timetable for these things, the worse it will be for Met fans who already have such little to look forward to this year.

If I had to guess right now, I’d say Santana comes back in August.  Gets into playing shape in September and hopefully pitches in some very meaningful games during that month.  Best case scenario for the Mets?  They are by some miracle in contention in August and instead of making the major deal to swing for a pitcher they will be getting their ace back in time for the stretch run which would be great.  Of course that’s absolutely best case scenario.

5.  Will young guys step up?

Jon Niese, Josh Thole, Ike Davis, Dillon Gee, Bobby Parnell, are all pretty much guaranteed roster spots and will be counted on to take that next step in their development.  Niese I think has the opportunity to be a good number 2 starter thanks to that curveball which he rarely uses.  Pitching coach Dan Warthen got his contract renewed because of the pitching staff’s success last season despite a dismal overall record.   Dillon Gee won’t blow anyone away with his stuff but his guile and toughness will be needed to navigate out of that 5 hole.  Bobby Parnell’s success will be counted upon greatly next season when you remember that a $17.5 million option for next year in K-Rod’s contract automatically kicks in if he appears in 55 games.  If Parnell takes that next step then the Mets will have a legitimate  reason for keeping K-Rod on the bench so that option doesn’t kick in.  In fact, thanks to Madoff, it may not even matter if Parnell is good or not- he will definitely see more action as the year moves along.

Ike Davis was the breakout rookie for the Mets and depending on how well Bay snaps out of last year’s funk and Wright comes back and Beltran returns to form, the Mets could have a formidable heart of the line up rife with power.  Davis suffered through the usual rookie spell where he wasn’t lining up the breaking balls.  He made adjustments at the end of the season to bump his average up from .246 to .264.  Hopefully Davis keeps trending upwards.

Five rookies who are probably going to see the light of day during September call ups:

Jenrry Mejia- Dan Warthen believes that Mejia could be an elite closer.  Scouts think that Mejia projects as a front line starter.  Either way, the hope here is that he doesn’t get screwed up like this guy.

Lucas Duda & Kirk Nieuwenheis-  I would love for Captain Kirk to make it to the majors if for nothing other than his nickname but here’s what I know about this guy: he’s a winner.  His entire life he’s won.  He was a former football quarterback which tells me that the mental aspect of the game won’t be a problem.  He plays hard but because of his lack of range and mobility most people find it difficult to put him at one position.  He deserves a legitimate shot at the majors.  Duda played well for the Mets during his call up and will probably see some time again.  He even has the opportunity to break camp with the Mets and come up north but it depends on how he plays during Spring Training.
I grouped them together because they feel and look like the same player.

Reese Havens-  He’s got a plus bat but he’s average in the field.  Frankly I could care less.  I need him to stay healthy.  He’s the classic what if proposition for Met prospects “what if he were healthy?”  Most would agree that he would be the starting 2b for the Mets come opening day.  That’s how good people think he can be but unfortunately at bats are hard to come by when you’re injured all the time.

Fernando Martinez- Listen, he’s 22 so its not out of the realm of possibility that the guy could make 2011 his coming out party.  Well let’s face it, at some point he’ll be 25 and he’ll be old news and not worth all the hassle.  Maybe its the pressure of living up to all the high standards that were put on him from the moment he hit homeruns in Shea Stadium when he was 16.

The Mets youngsters will play a major role in shaping how this year plays out.  There are a lot of what ifs but if you can’t be optimistic during Spring Training, when can you?
I’m ready for baseball.

1 Comment

Filed under Spring Training 2011

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 30, 2011 · 5:51 pm

Meet the Mess part 5020304?

Consider Friday’s news about the Mets as a good thing.  A sign that things are finally improving for the better.

A year ago, I may not have been so forgiving but at this point, who really cares?  At this point, the Mets are so far along in the punchline scale that its very difficult to see them recovering.

As a Met fan, I must admit the next few hundred or maybe thousand words (who knows where this will go and it may be fragmented arguments and a lot of run on thoughts about the Mets) may sound very redundant on the point I’ve been making about the Mets: the ownership situation has been the liability.

I”ve been pretty much anti-Coupon* family for a long time.  After 2006 in which everything went right for the Mets and there was actual hope within the organization the Mets began basically deconstructing a very good team in hopes that they could strike lightning in a bottle again.  For some time I, like many Met fans began putting it all on the lap of the General Manager Omar Minaya.  Usually the GM is the first people blame.

*= Coupon= Wilpons

But as I began reading more and more reports it became obvious that there was a higher power involved in personnel decisions.  Rumblings of GM’s complaining about Jeff Wilpon’s inclusion in the decision making process led many to believe that Minaya was more of a worker bee- given instructions by the Queen Bee and ordered to make it happen.

Many of the decisions that followed were done to improve the bottom line more so than the actual product on the field.  Many of their decisions had very little on building a good team as much as it had to do with building a good product.  The Mets became obsessed with big ticket items surrounded by middling salaried players.

I always felt that the Mets, in their minds, were competing with the Yankees.  They defended their decisions and poor results by saying that they were one of the Top 5 payrolls cluelessly not realizing that it was in that very argument that they were being made to look like fools.  A top 5 payroll and these are the results?

But nothing made me more aware of their absolute lack of common sense than when the Madoff Ponzi scheme came to light and rumors began swirling about the Coupon family’s involvement.  They weren’t in collusion with Bernie Madoff- they too were swindled for sums of cash.  That figure was kept under wraps but became fodder for writers to discuss and ponder over.

I would never suggest that the Coupons actually reveal the figure they lost, but their continued refusal to accept that it would affect the day to day operations for the Mets was comical.  How in the world could you stand to lose anywhere between $250-$700 million and insist to the fan base that this would NOT affect payroll?

It was then that the $145 million payroll became a burden than a badge of honor for the Wilpons.  The situation became even more dire when according to multiple reports Bud Selig, the Commissioner of baseball, had to get hands and “suggest”* that the Coupons hire Sandy Alderson who was at the time working for MLB in the Commissioner’s office coincidentally cleaning up another mess- the baseball academies in the Dominican Republic

*= read demand

The thing that always irked me about the Coupons was their insistence in pushing this myth of fiscal security down our throats.  While the Madoff scandal was breaking before our very eyes, it became clear that Sterling Equities, the Coupon family owned corporation and majority holder of the Mets, had taken a dent thanks to Bernie and Co.

They continued to insist to the fans that nothing would change and repeated so everyone could hear, that the Mets had one of the highest payrolls in baseball which to them may have sounded great but to me or any other fan with a clue sounded like a cop out.  An excuse that a major corporate CEO should never have to use to justify anything.  That’s like Terrell Owens’ financial adviser saying that he had $25 million reasons to live in response to allegations that he tried to take his own life.

Are you serious?  That’s what you’re going to say?  The Jason Bay signing was a mirage.  A move intended to shift the focus off of darker days ahead.  The day when the lie was no longer going to work.  That day came Friday.

Friday, like a kid who had no excuse left, tried one last ploy to ease concern.  Except like every move since 2006- it only created a bigger sense of worry.  The Mets announced Friday that they would look to sell 20-25% of minority stake in the Mets.  Which naturally begs the question: why would anyone go through such a risk?  They’d be paying to help ease the cost of bills when the truth behind the Madoff scandal comes out.

And this decision can make one assume that there is more revelations to come.  The Mets were seen as winners in the Madoff scandal when it was revealed that they had withdrawn somewhere between 40-50 million dollars.  Irving Picard, the man in charge with collecting money to pay back investors burned by Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, is going after the Wilpons and truth is no one really knows what he does.  In fact, it stands to reason that one should only assume the worst: that the Mets will owe between $700 million to $1 billion when all is said and done which will lead to the greatest thing this Met fan can ever hope to hear:  The Coupon family must sell the Mets.

To say that someone wouldn’t be interested in minority stake would be foolish.  If there is more bad news, whoever buys the 25% would stand to gain from the windfall as only Sterling Equities would be held accountable for the Madoff mess and would automatically give the minority owner exclusive rights to negotiate a purchase which is very appealing.

Let’s not forget that the Mets have several things going for them.  They are located in the world’s number one market, they have their own television network which is a cash cow.  They have a brand new stadium which, under the right ownership group and situation could make it a very lucrative building.  Also, more importantly, baseball will not allow the Mets to fold.  They have the might and backing of the league office which always helps.

Organizationally the Mets are headed in the right direction.  They are trimming payroll and refusing to get involved in long term contracts that make no sense.  Its incredible that GM’s get paid ridiculous sums to go out there and sign free agents to ridiculous deals but if there is ONE thing that’s very clear nowadays its this: most sports franchise owners have Jerry Jones syndrome.

They’d rather spend more time figuring out how to maximize their profit potential by building these crazy state of the art stadiums than actually go the time-tested formula of building a perennial contender that will actually draw fans into said building.  How is that such a difficult formula to go by?

The gift and curse of today’s society is technology.  Now that we’ve been given all this technology and ability to have all this information at our finger tips we’re now complaining that we have TOO much information as if that’s a bad thing.

Nowadays, you can Google anyone and find something about them that five years ago may not have been possible.  The biggest problem, the fastest rising tech company today (Facebook) faces is privacy concerns.  People are so scared that they will be found out on the internet for their weird tendencies that they don’t want anyone to know about.  Of course, that information ends up on the internet and it is very difficult to keep that from happening unless you’re like Mikhail Prokhorov and hate technology and computers and don’t believe in them like they are some myth concocted by teenage geeks who made everyone believe their fantasy world of Warcraft was some realistic universe that somehow NORMAL people are slowly becoming a part of.*

*= I have  very good excuse for that weird run on sentence.  A few days ago I had a conversation with a tech friend.  I’ve recently been on Engadget, CNet and other techy blogs and like any person who found this vast amount of information I naturally brought it up to friends who I felt would be versed in such things so I could know even more.  Needless to say, telling tech geeks about their own world is somehow insulting to them and they make this very earnest attempt to make you feel and sound stupid.  Its in the looks of bewilderment like for instance bringing up IPAD 2 and Iphone 5 rumors.  I read up on what NFC is and as a sports geek myself I made the joke about how before two weeks the only NFC I knew was in football.  There were crickets at night that were louder than the silence that I got on that joke.  He went on to tell me that this technology is the future but that word has been floating around for the last couple of years and most new products will include this technology which by the way is basically a way for you to pay for your Starbucks treinte with your cell phone.  But you get what I’m saying.  And before anyone makes the counter argument that sports geeks are the same way let me remind you that the stereotype is that we’re stupid morons with pot bellies and we’re in the beer and wings crowd and not the wine and cheese.  We don’t snub our noses at the novices, we merely detest people with ten thousand questions while the biggest game in the universe (that being whatever we’re presently watching) is going on.  Please don’t do that, there is a time and place for such things and THAT is not it.

But the idea that TOO much information is somehow bad is not true in every sector of society which includes sports management.  I’ve long been a fan of learning how championship teams are built.  There isn’t a formula involved that is true but there are a few maxims that General Managers hold on to: you need guys who keep the clubhouse loose- because when the going gets tough, they are the ones that will calm your superstars down by coming into the clubhouse and farting real loud.  They are as important to a team as the superstar.

A few years ago I wrote an article about what I felt was missing from the Mets and what changed in the locker room dynamic between 2006 and 2007.  How could the Mets go from being a dominant contender in 06 to a bunch of choke artists in 2007?  For one, David Wright who was their cornerstone player, did not have Cliff Floyd who was both mentor and best friend on the team.  He played a valuable role in teaching Wright, then a novice, on all things baseball related and always kept him comfortable even under the duress of the media maelstorm that is New York.  Most notably I remember a TRL appearance by David Wright where he brought along Cliff Floyd.  For some the guessture was nice but many stories after that intimated that Wright needed Floyd there to get over the nerves of being on national TV because he was only now coming into his own.

Missing players like that have been the Mets problem.  Which of course makes the entirety of the Mets product look shoddy.  Reyes, Wright, etc are not built to be leaders who can motivate a group and get them out of the doldrums of a losing season.  That attitude needs to be built in and come from somewhere which is why the Mets needed a Terry Collins type.

But that we’ll get to.  The Mets need more than just a fiery manager.  They need a culture shift which is what Sandy Alderson and staff hope to do.  They’ve spent pennies in comparison to the old regime and it doesn’t automatically invite parades but its nice to see business done in other ways.  That throwing money at a situation doesn’t make it ok.  That telling everyone about how much money you are spending isn’t going to make anyone respect you anymore.  That its about how you spend that money and not how much.

If this episode has taught us anything its this: the Coupons lie is finally coming to bite them where it hurts.  It is no longer a secret.  The Mets ownership group has to continue their coming clean act.  They have to be forthcoming in the next few months in order to put any rumors to rest.

What does that entail?  If the situation is as bad as everyone’s assuming, cut the crap Coupon family.  Just sell.  Don’t sell minority stakes and stave off the eventual: cut your losses and let go.  Their stubborn refusal is still evident when they made it a point to emphasize that this is NOT about them selling the team.

Its clear they know more than they are letting on and will allow the system to leak the information.  That eventually we will learn what they already know.  But here’s what I’ve known for a while now: the Wilpons are what’s wrong with the Mets.  They have never been completely honest about anything.  Its all coming back to haunt the Mets and honestly its about time.  The Mets ownership group needs new blood and not a moment sooner.

The front office looks solid and sounds like they know what they are doing, but given the Coupons history of being honest maybe they had no idea what they were getting into and the promise of reinvesting that 50-70 million that will come off the books may not be realistic.  We will get into that in part two of this.  But for now the message is clear: Sell Coupons.  Save yourselves and just sell the Mets and be on your way.  You’ve done more harm than good.  If you love the Mets as much as you say you do then just sell the team to people who will do something with them.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 22, 2010 · 5:04 am

Steel Reserve

Thoughts and observations on the Jets Week 15 victory:

-If you had to pick a team that absolutely needed a victory and some semblance of offense you had to put the Jets at the top of the list in the NFL.  So of course Brad Smith returning the opening kick off was HUGE for the Jets.  Brad Smith has the most deceptive speed in the NFL.  Long strides and he just seems like he’s going in slow motion.  In comparison I would say that he reminds me of Usain Bolt.  Not as fast but really really fast guys don’t look like they are going fast because its just easy long strides they take and they don’t exert much effort when they are running fast.  Amazing.

Just look at the Jet sideline when they scored on that opening kick off.  A HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF.  It seemed all the pressure of scoring a touchdown had gone off their shoulders and they could focus on the game plan.

– the Steelers on the Jets first drive were very apparent in what they wanted to do.  First down- blitz.  Second down- blitz.  Third down- blitz.  Never played coverage.   Even on 3rd and 8.  They applied the pressure and made Mark Sanchez beat them.  Do you blame them?

– The Jets were very apparent in what they wanted to do:  Quick passes.  Very easy throws.  Short throws.  Get his confidence up.  Probably not the best team to do it against when you need to get your confidence up against the Steelers but the Jets had this going for them: Troy Polamalu was out, so the safety net for their secondary was out.  Smart game planning by a guy who was absolutely roasted for having two awful game plans the last two weeks, Mr. Brian Schottenheimer.

–  At some point the Jets will HAVE to do something else with the Brad Smith running the wildcat offense….right? I mean at some point the Jets will utilize the first QB to pass for 8,000 yards and run for 4,000 yards in his collegiate career.  That would help, right?

–  Much has been made about Rex Ryan and clock management and it was on full display right before the end of the half.  The Jets take over with :29 left in the first half. They are on their own 37 yard line after it was line drived and Robert Turner picked it up and ran with it for about three seconds.  First of all they took off two extra seconds on the clock.  He went down at :31 but that’s merely semantics.  They have two timeouts.  The score is tied at 10.  The Steelers will take the ball in the second half so its imperative that the Jets do what they can to get into field goal range.

:29 seconds left-  Pass to Braylon Edwards over the middle for five yards.  Phil Simms is dead on with his analysis: YOU HAVE TO CALL A TIMEOUT HERE if you are trying to score, which the Jets clearly are because if they weren’t, then why not just take a knee and go to the locker room.  Right?

He was downed at :25.  So from here on out they are just wasting precious time on the clock.  They have two timeouts, NOT one.  They snap the ball for the 2nd and 5 play with :09 seconds left.  Which means they wasted :16 seconds of clock time JUST trying to get the playoff.

The next play goes to LaDanian Tomlinson, AGAIN over the middle of the field.  LDT is downed at :05 and they call a timeout with :03 left. Its a first down at the 49 yard line.

So in my estimation if they called a timeout at :25 they get to the 49 yard line with :17 seconds left and then they can spike the ball to stop the clock and now they have a timeout in their pocket and perhaps :13 seconds left.  That’s enough time for one or two shots down the field.  Instead they have :03 seconds left and Sanchize throws a ball out of bounds and lets the time run out.

This isn’t the first time that time management has been an issue for this team.  They have consistently made these types of mental mistakes that show the lack of knowledge of situational football which is dangerous ESPECIALLY when playing a team that is as cerebral as the Patriots or any other well coached team.  In a game where every point is crucial, why wouldn’t you play for the field goal to end the half?  Either the Jets never planned on it- which I dont believe for a second- or they just completely screwed the pooch on that.  That has to scare Jet fans for sure.  That falls squarely on coaching- its clear that situational football is not being stressed during practice.

– Real wiseguys those CBS stat geeks are.  In a graphic about how inept the Jet offense has been, they mentioned that since the last Jet offensive TD, the Patriots scored 9 TD’s.  I’m sure Jet fans appreciated that CBS.

– Braylon Edwards had one of those games that made you realize that this guy is one talented guy.  his catch in the third quarter where he was up in the air and took a vicious hit from safety Ryan Clark.  How he kept the football is beyond me.  Also in the first quarter Sanchez lofted a beautiful pass that fell right into his lap and he made a beautiful over the head grab which was equal parts good catch as it was great pass.

– On that third quarter drive, the Jets had a beautiful response to yet ANOTHER long drive by the Steelers.  So lets set it up.  Its 4th and 1.  The Jets get a measurement which we all know is just a diversion to give the coaches extra time to set up the perfect play.  The Steelers have just put yet another 7 minute drive on the Jet defense.  The defense is clearly reeling and the Jet offense is matching Steeler touchdowns with field goals and as we all know, that kind of math won’t lead to any kind of W’s.

So THIS is the Jet season.  4th and 1 and you are deep into Steeler territory and you NEED to convert on this play or else you kick another field goal.  Go down 17-13 and send the frustrated, and more importantly exhausted defense out there to stop the Steelers who consistently have driven against the Jet defense on long methodical drives.  That’s torture.  If they don’t convert here, you can forget this game and now its absolute panic mode.

So Brian Schottenheimer calls a bootleg.  The Jets line up in the I-Formation and fake the handoff to Shonn Greene.  Knowing the linebackers would get sucked in, Mark Sanchez who I have to admit has the absolute BEST fake in the game today completely fools the Steeler front line and runs to the left side for 7 yards and the touchdown.

Now, they have answered the Steeler touchdown with a long drive of their own.  They have ended their string of quarters of no offensive TD’s.  They have tied the game and suddenly the momentum is shifting.  The Jets are starting to gain some confidence.   8 plays- 66 yards and they do it in 3:49.  The Steelers had scored on drives of 16 plays and 96 yards in 8:12 which included a 4/4 on third down conversions on that drive.  Then there’s a 74 yard drive in 6:57.  That’s huge.  Suddenly the rift between offense and defense is not so bad and you add some rejuvenation to the Jet sideline.

Huge TD.

– The next offensive drive for Pittsburgh what happens?  Our old friend Flozell Adams who I maintain is the dirtiest player in the game helps the Jets cause by hitting Darrelle Revis in the face and negating a first down by backing them up 15 yards after an unnecessary roughness call.

– Key play of the next Jet offensive drive:  3rd and 9 and the Steelers showing blitz.  Sanchize slips away from one would be sacker and fires a strike and hits a stretching Braylon Edwards who then gets walloped by James Harrison and somehow holds on to the ball.  I’m telling you, watching this game you would think Braylon Edwards was one of the elite receivers in the NFL or something.  The guy had velcro on his hands in snowy Pittsburgh.  It was an impressive game for him.  He got up and showed off the swagger that the Jets had throughout the first 11 games of the season.  Don’t sleep on the throw which was the definition of threading the needle in there.

That drive might have only netted them 3 points to make it 20-17, but it chewed up 6:47 and took 13 plays to get them 50 yards.  The kind of drives that the Steelers were killing the Jets with.  The momentum had shifted.  Answered the Steelers second half opening drive TD with one of their own, then got them to punt and drove the football for almost 7 minutes and got points at the end.

– The biggest knock has been the Jets inability to get pressure from their front three.  The next Steeler offensive drive, Drew Coleman is able to knock the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hand and make it a 2nd and 19.  On third down, the Jets bring pressure and almost give up a first down which would’ve been devastating, but the Jets hold them and force a punt.  That’s two consecutive drives that they’ve made the Steelers stall.

– Want another huge call by Brian Schottenheimer?  How about the 3rd and 6 with 3:50 left.  They direct snap to Tomlinson who gets a first down which is huge because that’s NOT an easy conversion.  Now its 1st down.  And its a good thing too as we get to the final Steeler drive later in the game which we will get to.

– Huge game for the Jet offensive line.  One sack allowed against a very aggressive Steeler D that brought a lot of pressure.

-Here is a critical decision: the Jets bypass the 50 yard field goal by Nick Folk which might have been a disaster if he had missed and let’s be honest there are very few believers in the coaching staff that he can make that kick.  So the Jets chose to kick the ball off and the special teams for the second time in the game pinned them within the five yard line.

First play, Jason Taylor comes unblocked and hits Mewelde Moore in the endzone and the Jets get a safety.  HUGE play.

Not only does it now make it a 5 point Jet advantage thereby forcing the Steelers to have to score a touchdown to win the game and eliminating the field goal drive to tie which, the Steelers showed they can drive on the Jets, but the spot of the tackle COULD have been reviewed by the Steelers though subsequent reviews show it was a safety and wouldn’t have been overturned.  Reviews are handled by the officials under two minutes but since the play was prior to the two minute warning the Steelers couldn’t risk losing a time out and so no challenge.  The rule is that the entire football has to come out of the end zone and it did but not all of it.  Taylor throwing Moore back into the end zone wouldn’t have counted as a safety had the entire football been ruled as leaving the end zone.  So that play was closer than most figured.

– Now the Steelers punt it and the Jets go 3 and out but another great Weatherford punt puts the Steelers back inside their own 10.  But they have 2:08 which means the two minute warning and one timeout left.

2:08- 1st and 10- 7 guys on the line for the Jets as they show blitz.  Rushes Big Ben’s throw.  Incomplete.

What this does of course is give them an extra play before the two minute warning which helps the Steelers in a way.

2:04 – 2nd and 10- Jets show 5 rushers this time overloading on the left side where Ben has Moore protecting.  I’ve noticed that the Steelers don’t really trust Mendenhall to block and thus they lose that big play potential he has for Moore who is a decent second option but not the kind of back who will have defenses respecting the run.  Ben escapes pressure and rushes for 19 yards and a first down.  Huge first down because the Jets had wore down that offensive line for the Steelers by then.

1:56- 1st and 10 at Steeler 29- Standard four man rush.  The Jets are playing coverage at this point.  Completed pass to Emmanuel Sanders for 10 yards and a first down but he’s in the field of play and thus the clock continues to move.

1:30- 1st and 10 at Steeler 40- They rush to the line to get the play off.  The Jets are rushing 3 and Revis knocks down a pass intended for Emmanuel Sanders.  Excellent play.

1:23- 2nd and 10 at Steeler 40- Jets show 4, but Drew Coleman is coming in from Roethlisberger’s right side which is clearly intended to get his attention.  Coleman comes unblocked, Roethlisberger tries to get an inside step but Coleman gets his hand in there and he knocks the ball loose.  Ben tries to recover and make a play but its too late, by the time he picks up the ball after fumbling it twice, Ben is back by the 25 and now its 3rd and 24.  It also forces the Steelers to use their final timeout.

Remember, thanks to the safety, they have to score a touchdown.  They can’t settle for a field goal here.  Which is crucial.

1:12- 3rd and 24 at the Steeler 25- Roethlisberger makes a HUGE conversion when Sanders catches the football, slips by a Revis tackle (when I say Revis NEVER misses a tackle, he NEVER misses a tackle.  He’s as sure a tackler as there is at the cornerback position), and Brodney Pool tackle and gets 5 extra yards picking up 29 in the process.  It should’ve been a 4th and 4 had Revis tackled him where he caught the football or even a 4th and 2 had Pool tackled him.  Instead its a first down and Ben and Co. rush to the line and spike the football to stop the clock and bring up 2nd down and 10.

:52- 2nd and 10 at the Jet 47. Steelers commit an illegal formation but the play goes off and so the Jets wisely decline setting up 3rd and 10.  Costly mistakes like that lengthened the drive and also took off :05 of precious clock time.

:47- 3rd and 10 at the Jet 47- The Jets still playing vanilla coverage send 3 while having one deep safety and 3 guys playing intermediate.  That’s a zone and Ben drops it right into the empty area of the zone to Mike Wallace who slips while trying to make a cut (credit the slippery field for that). That’s a gain of 18 yards.  They have to rush to the line and spike it to stop the clock.

:29- 2nd and 10 at the Jet 26- Jets show 5 for the first time in a long time during this drive. Big Ben throws to Emmanuel Sanders who ends up getting held by Dwight Lowery.  That was a no-call but definitely a game saver because Sanders is going right by Lowery and in for the touchdown.

:24- 3rd and 10 at the Jet 26- Nice throw by Big Ben to Antonio Brown who’s hit immediately at the 10 yard line.  They have to run to the line and stop the clock.

:09 left and that means 3 plays to the endzone from that distance.  10 yards out.  Three quick plays.  But two plays with some bit of shuffling by Roethlisberger so lets say he has two plays left.

Here’s what kills me.  The Jets call a timeout.  They normally attribute that to letting the offense cool down and give them something to think about because theoretically they’ve been on a roll and you need to give them time to overanalyze and over think themselves whereas up until this point, they have been executing the play drawn up.  But I think it does just as much good to the offense.  The defense is clearly gassed and showing it.  Its on its heels.  They’ve been playing vanilla defense and now the timeout reeks of panic by the defense that knows that they have let the offense get too far down the field.  All the momentum is on the side of the offense.  Now its all about giving yourself more time to assess the situation and talk things through and ensure you have the right play called.  Timeout gives the OFFENSE time to get themselves together, regroup and catch their own breath because they’ve been running down the field up until that point during the drive.

Here’s Phil Simms advice: “Whatever you do, you can not let the quarterback move.”  I saw this play and said to myself if this were Michael Vick, its game over.  He’s definitely doing a QB draw and running it in.  But in some respect that’s what you want for Big Ben.  You want him to run and shuffle his feet and try to make it on his own.  Ben’s not as fast as Vick, but he’s almost as elusive as Vick in one sense: he’s huge and he’s tough to tackle.  But you’d rather have a big guy that you can hit below the knees to get him down than a fast guy you can’t catch.

:09 left 2nd and Goal- empty backfield for the Steelers, two receivers on either side.  Ben looks left, looks right, looks left and tries to hit Spaeth in the back of the endzone and just misses him.  But his shuffling left him with :02 left.

:02 left 3rd and goal-  Here’s the thing.  Ben can try to run it in but this is a play being run with absolutely no time left on the clock so he can do what he wants here.  What he wants to do is throw the ball to an open receiver, not try and run it in for the score.

Another time out by Rex.  This is a move to get the Steelers to over think it.

Ben moves around the pocket evades a sack, has David Harris headed for him on a beeline but he pumps his brake to avoid a roughing the passer penalty which would’ve killed them.  Ben throws it into the corner of the endzone, and its incomplete.
Game over.

Don’t tell me the Steelers didn’t need this win.  Baltimore had just beaten a hot Saints team and gained a ton of confidence.  A loss meant that the Steelers would tie with them record wise, though the Steelers held the advantage on head to head match ups. The Steelers would’ve locked up a playoff berth.  So the Steelers were playing for something in this game.

The Jets pulled it off but its that 3rd quarter touchdown drive that was the key.  That fourth down conversion which netted them their first offensive touchdown in 11 quarters.

The Jets head to Chicago in a little less of a predicament than they entered and suddenly the Bears are division champs which means they’ve locked up their playoff berth.  They won’t have much riding on the line Sunday so technically the Jets will have a  repeat of last year’s match up with teams sleep walking into the playoffs.  It could be huge for this squad to enter the playoffs with a few wins and their offense coming around.

The Jets will have to tighten somethings up.  They still aren’t getting much from a 3 man rush.  Their situational football is bad.   Their running game has been disappearing as the weather has gotten worse which is the exact opposite of what everyone expected.

The game plan for the Jets was excellent though.  It was a simpler game plan for Mark Sanchez to manage the game.  Quick slants and smart reads and not turning the ball over was key to this victory.  This is the Mark Sanchez that the Jets need moving forward.  There’s not much thinking there.  The Jets have a great offensive line- they need to take advantage of it.   They have playmakers on offense.

Defensively, they’ve struggled.  This is not the same defense as last year.  Maybe its the league figuring Rex out.  Who knows.  Teams have put together long drives on the Jets D and their third down stoppage rate hasn’t been good.  They need to make adjustments.  Are they turning into a bend but don’t break defense?  Who knows.  What we do know is that the defense will need to take a step up- they have the talent to do so.

Huge victory for the Jets.  Nothing else to say.  Funny, a Jet victory that leaves you speechless.  Doesn’t happen much with Rex’s group does it?

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

November 28, 2010 · 3:43 pm

Thoughts on Jeter

So let me get this straight. The Yankees, the team with an endless supply of money, no budget and a team that goes shopping during the offseason like teenage girls who get daddys credit card are now strong arming the most famous homegrown* Yankee since Mickey Mantle?
*= I think he’s the most famous Yankee since Mantle only because I can’t stand Reggie Jackson. Not like I know his career like the back of my hand, but for what its worth, Jeter is a much better clutch guy and a much better teammate than Mr October ever was. Plus, Jeter’s nickname is Mr November so he’s one upped him already.

Huh? Wasn’t this supposed to be a done deal? Jeter is supposed to be a Yankee and the Yankees always takes care of their own. Right?

For what its worth, I think Jeter isn’t the player he once was regardless of what award he gets.*
*= haters like me discount the fact that he had the highest fielding percentage for his position in the majors. The majority of people blasting the decision are stat geeks who swear by the “fielding bible” and other statistical measures and who have never liked Jeters defense in the first place. But we can’t even say that stat geeks are taking over due to Jeter getting the gold glove. This award was the old guard’s last stand against these stat geeks who won a major victory when a guy who won 13 games and lost 12 and never pitched a single game under the bright lights of a pennant chase won THE Cy Young award.

But the discussion isn’t about Jeters defense, its about how much he’s worth to a team that prints money for a living. Who takes on the $250 million contract of A-Rod’s because its their back up plan and then, bidding against the mirror gives him a deal that could potentially reach $300 million.

And that’s where I think the communication gap lies. That one contract is coming back to haunt the Yankees as it should. When Texas originally gave A-Rod the $250 million contract and made him the highest paid player in all of sports, they were destroyed in the media for ruining sports basically. When the Yankees gave A-Rod his contract, one that runs through age 42, it was a reminder that the Yankees can do what they want. The difference is HUGE and plays into present day negotiations.

The factor here shows that Jeter

So what does Jeter want exactly? That’s hard to say. Jeter’s agent Casey Close* wanted only two things from these negotiations: that the Yankees recognize Jeter’s value to the organization and that these proceedings be done privately minus the media.
*= people always assume that when negotiations are tough with a star player that it automatically means the player’s agent must be Scott Boras. He’s only the standard bearer of drawn out negotiations.

Unfortunately that isn’t the case. In fact the Yankees have gone beyond that. They have leaked” Jeter’s demands” (6 Years/$150 million?)and the biggest blow: tell Jeter that if he didn’t think the Yankee offer would suffice to test the free agent market and see what he could get.

These negotiations are completely about pride. The Yankees know they are going to overpay for Jeter. Jeter realizes that despite his want to play till 42 like A-Rod (if you think the fued is over because they won a championship then you don’t know anything), he won’t get the chance. So somewhere there is a middle ground to be reached.

The most sensible* is 4 year $80 million with escalator clauses that can push the total value of this deal to $90 million.**
*=and I use the word sensible VERY loosely.
**= Jeter is almost 90 hits shy of 3,000 which would remarkably make him the first Yankee to have that many hits as a Yankee. Then there’s 4,000 hits which Jeter certainly wants to reach but won’t in 4 years and perhaps another for reaching a certain number of AB’s.

Yet, the Yankees and Jeter are stuck playing the staring game waiting for the first person to blink. History tells us that it won’t be Jeter. Before signing his just expired contract, Jeter rejected arbitration efforts and strong armed the Yankees into buying out his final year of arbitration and give him a huge deal. Jeter and company are dangerous for one reason: he has an advanced business sense that allows him to see past the crap that the Yankees will throw his way about being selfish and trying to save the Yankees money for other free agents and will ask for what he’s due. For Jeter this is about back pay. Backpay for a guy who just came off a contract that paid him $189 million. Back pay for a guy who over the last 15 years helped rebuild a brand that Steinbrenner almost destroyed with his constant meddling.* Backpay for a guy who played in the midst of the Yankees most lucrative years as a franchise. For a guy who symbolizes the Yankee way and the guy who wears a captain symbol that isn’t given to just anybody wearing pinstripes.
*=isn’t it weird that only at his death that he received the criticism for the way he did things? Even till the day he died, George was feared.

No, it would be foolish to undermine all of that. To risk the future relationship that the Yankees are so good at keeping with their alumni. The Yankees will pay.

What will be the price is the question. What will the Yankees do to honor Jeter? Or has enough damage been done to Jeter for him to take their money yet never trust the franchise he grew up rooting for? He will take the money undoubtedly.

But what will they give up? That is the question. Who will give up what? The Yankees are betrothed to Jeter and vice versa, but the Yankees have the weight of one big contract that Jeter looks at and pridefully is telling himself that he too can do it. He can play till 42. If A-Rod the mercinary for hire is worth $300 million, what is the captain, the face of the franchise worth?

These are the obstacles. Want to know why these negotiations are taking so long? Easy. Its not about numbers or money. Its about pride and that is a part of the equation that has no price. The Yankees are clearly in negotiations that they are uncomfortable with.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

October 27, 2010 · 12:05 pm

Giants Wrap-Up

Huge win Monday night over the Cowboys and here’s a few thoughts, and observations on the Giants game:

– Notice I didn’t say win.  It was yet another ugly win and the feeling hasn’t disappeared yet about this team.  Its a very odd season where no team has separated itself from the pack in the NFC and as much as I hated hearing that the Cowboys and Vikings were still in it (mathematically of course they were), it was accurate.  No one was so dominant where you could see them emerging to beat anyone of the top teams in the AFC.  If you HAD to pick a team today from among the NFC as the best, I suppose the Giants would be that team, but no one could say it with much conviction.

– The game played out in 3 parts:

1st Part- Cowboy Pride, 2nd part- Giants step up, 3rd part- Giants let up.

– Out of Manning’s first four passes in two drives 2 of his passes were picked off and before his first pass, it should’ve been picked off.  Even on his 3rd possession, the first completion to Hakeem Nicks was tipped but completed.  Manning has been guilty of high passes all season long and some of those tipped interceptions have been a result of those high passes.  Those have led to his 11 interceptions which at this point of the season is a very high number.  While it may not affect them early on in the season, later on those things catch up to a team that turns the ball over.

– Coming into this game it was the ballyhooed group in Dallas that got all the pub: Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Jason Witten, and Dez Bryant.  Here were there numbers:

Cowboys Receivers

NAME RECEPTIONS YARDS TD’s
Dez Bryant 4 54 2
Jason Witten 9 95 1
Miles Austin 3 38 0
Roy Williams 0 0 0
Totals 16 187 3

Giants Receivers

NAME RECEPTIONS YARDS TD’s
Hakeem Nicks 9 108 2
Steve Smith 9 101 1
Mario Manningham 3 40 1
Kevin Boss 1 23 0
TOTALS 22 272 4

Clearly the production shows you who was the better group on this night.  On Dallas’ side, only Dez Bryant was really a force and Witten was his usual dependable self.  Witten was more a safety valve in the second half where Kitna was just trying to dump the ball before he became another QB the Giants defense laid out.  I came out of this game truly impressed NOT by Dez Bryant’s athleticism which I didn’t find that tremendous, it was his constant motor and inability to stop on any play.  He just seemed to have a motor that kept going and even when he was wrapped up he tried to make extra yards happen.  He knew what this game meant for the Cowboys and despite only having 4 receptions his influence came on the return game where he returned one for a TD.  All is not lost here in Big D especially if Bryant begins to emerge here with Romo gone as a dependable option.  He’s a playmaker, plain and simple and deserves to wear that number.

– As for the Giants receivers, while Hakeem Nicks gets the stats, look at some of the catches Steve Smith made.  Look at the blocks he was making in the running game.  Make no mistake, while Nicks has the higher ceiling and many are predicting huge things for Nicks development wise, Smith IS the better receiver now and the more dependable option.  That’s what made the 07 team so good.  As good as Plaxico Burress was and his ability to take over games, Amani Toomer was the yard stick mover and the consummate professional and stalwart.  Steve Smith emerged later in the season and that’s the kind of development you want to see from Mario Manningham who I was excited about when the Giants initially drafted him.  He was the kind of athlete that fell due to emotional issues he had, but his talent was obvious.  He showed glimpses, but that’s all he’s shown.  Glimpses.  He’s never been a dependable option like Smith.  That third option has to emerge from the group of Manningham, Victor Cruz (who has yet to take the field) and Ramses Barden.

– It was written in yesterday’s Post, but its worth repeating: want to know what the difference is between this year’s running game and last year’s?  Bear Pascoe.  His shift from TE to full back has been a revelation and has made them so much better and he can remain on the field as a blocking TE or even a pass catching option as he emerges.  Fact is, the guy is a football player and one of the cuts from the Giants camp who decided to stay with the team despite having options on other teams but only as a practice squad player.  This game saw the Giants get back to the run.  Bradshaw with 126 yards on 24 carries and Jacobs with 75 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown (a touchdown I will get to).  I usually look at ypc (yards per carry) when I look at running stats and Bradshaw averaged 5.3 and Jacobs averaged 6.3.  Bradshaw didn’t have to bob and weave tonight, it was all downhill and making a cut.  He usually has to work for his yards but not tonight and that was telling about the Cowboys more than anything.

– Heres my thoughts on the Cowboys: they are poorly coached.  I hate to blame the coaches, but the culture in Big D is a relaxed atmosphere and for what?  They havent accomplished anything.  Ever.  You can count their playoff wins since 1996 on one hand.  This is a franchise living off the past that passed a while ago and it comes from the top.  Jerry Jones is an attention hog.  A guy who needs the credit and needs a coach who doesn’t need it.  Even when Bill Parcells came in and helped draft the core of the defense they have today (I’m not foolish enough to give him all the credit for the drafts), Jerry basically showed Bill the door (though I’m sure it wasn’t easy to work with Parcells either) and Bill returned the favor by stealing one of his better executives Jeff Ireland and a head coach as well, in Tony Sparano.  Jerry needs to relax and take a step back.  This team does not need to be rebuilt.  He needs to bring in a disciplinarian with some credibility.  You can take your chances with an unknown, but you’d be better off going with someone that you do know.  This was a game in which they were handed 2 possessions to open the game in Giants territory and a third in which they started at their own 40, and they got 13 points.  Even when Dez Bryant got that punt return TD, it wasn’t until the fourth quarter when the rust began to come off for Kitna that they even mustered some kind of effort.  That Brandon Jacobs run was a play that needs to be played over and over again in the defensive play room if only for the fact that the point needs to be made: you can’t be soft in this league.  Blown coverages get your quarterback taken out.  Blown tackles get running backs dancing on the star.  Bad coverage gets receivers open in the end zone.  That first TD by Eli Manning was one of the ugliest plays ever (on both sides) and Eli pumped to that side and that was just Nicks boxing out.  Touchdowns dont’ come that easy and they were coming pretty easy.

– Warning to the NFL: if Tom Coughlin throws the challenge flag, chances are, the Giants are winning it.

– Warning to the NFL: The Giants defense is coming for your QB.  I hope Matt Hasselback is getting prepared and that guy gets injured often.  Do I think the Giants defense is dirty?  No.  Look at all the hits, its classic blindside hits or in Romo’s case: a beautiful tackle.  Romo’s arm was wrapped up by Michael Boley when he came in which forced the injury more than anything.  Nothing dirty about this defense, they just hit you hard.  Interesting point made last night while driving by the Schmooz, Steve Somers on WFAN: Should the Giants be worried that teams are taking note of the 5 QB’s the Giants D have laid out and are putting a bounty on Eli?  It can get interesting when the Cowboys come to the new Meadowlands 3 weeks from now if they look for some revenge.

– Biggest difference this Giants team has: their run D has been exponentially better.  Canty is healthy, Cofield is healthy, Rocky Bernard is healthy and finally that depth on the defensive line is showing.

– This is why you’d much rather have Eli Manning than most QB’s in the league.  Two interceptions on his first four passes?  Who cares.  Comes back and on their next 7 possesions: 5 TD’s, and a FG.  The guy shakes off the bad as quickly as anyone I’ve ever seen.  I’d say this game was the mark of a champion but Eli is just built this way.  While we want to see an emotional QB, I think Monday’s game showed why we’d much rather have a calm cool guy who doesn’t get overly emotional.

– The Fourth quarter was as troubling as I’ve seen.  The long and short of it: Wade helped by going for it instead of going for a field goal and ended up giving the ball back on downs.  But the Giants let the Boys back in it when they threw when they clearly should’ve been passing.  Bad Eli emerged when he threw just a stupid INT (I really have no other words to describe it).  And the Boys came within a leg short of recovering an onside kick to make the last 44 seconds meaningful.  It should NEVER have came to this.

– Again, the Giants are lucky to have faced the Cowboys in their present condition.  Five turnovers (3 by INT, and 2 fumbles, one recovered by the Cowboys.) should’ve done them in but the Giants faced a team even dumber than them this night.  Tom Coughlin is just a much smarter coach but that fourth quarter was brutal and he seemingly dropped to Wade’s level.  But there is good news that came from this: they won and they made enough mistakes that the taskmaster can crack the whip.

Enjoy the bye week folks.  Be back later on with the Power Rankings and thoughts on the league.

 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

September 20, 2010 · 2:06 am

Short sTorre: We don’t need ya in Flushing Joe.

On Friday, Joe Torre decided to take a break from coaching and announced that this would be his final season with the Dodgers and effective at the end of the season, Don Mattingly would take over as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The moment that happened the natural progression of events happened in a New York minute: Torre was listed as a managerial candidate for the New York Mets.

Thanks Joe, don’t call us, we’ll call you.

I watched Torre during his Yankee years and one thing he did better than anyone is understand that if you made friends with the media you could lay an egg and they would still call it gold.

Torre’s greatest trait is his demeanor.  Joe Cool.  Always dignified in his responses, it seems almost wrong to attack him like most reporters in New York love to do.

His media savvy is unquestionably good and he knows his way around an interview.  He’s handled the New York press better than anyone in the history of managers and he’s smart.

Torre landed the Yankee gig as guys named Jeter, Mariano, Pettite, Bernie and Posada were beginning to stake their claims to Yankee immortality.  He rode them to 4 World Series titles and the respect among the managerial greats.

I’ve always had a problem giving props to guys like him and Phil Jackson who himself had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in his first run of 6 titles and then Kobe and Shaq and later Gasol in his next run of 5.  Its easy to win when you have all-time players like that.  But I’ve grown to appreciate their style and success over time since the job title expands to ego shrinker and team organizer.

But Torre often got too much credit for the Yankees success.  His best asset was his persona: the unflinching, steady, even keeled approach to every situation.  Act like you’ve been there before and you plan on going back.  Quiet confidence and a professional attitude that became the Yankee way.  He taught them how to behave NOT how to play.  He’s a good manager, not a great one.

People may disagree with that but Lee Jenkins in yesterday’s SI.com article wrote about how Torre grew tired of waiting for his young players to grow up and cited a comment that Torre made saying that during one of his team meetings he made them talk their problems out to each other because perhaps a younger voice was needed.  Also with his leaving he was removing the last shred of dignity the Dodger organization had as ownership is going through a nasty divorce.

The Mets are a lost franchise, necessary of some of Joe Torre’s personality.  Necessary of his professionalism.  I don’t doubt that he could infuse the team with that, but the Mets need more, much much more to be relevant again.

As a Met fan I’m tired of the calm, good media people kind of managers this team has had.  They need a guy to come in and shift the attitude.  To change the way things are done.  A guy who has a track record of salvaging horrible wrecks.  A person who can put his foot down and get his point across to a generation that Torre feels he can’t relate with.

I’ve been on the Bobby Valentine bandwagon for quite some time.  Who knows if he’s the answer.  What I do know is that he’d fill the job description.  He’s a recognizable persona.  A character of interest.  An individual oozing confidence.  A guy who has had a history of turning water into wine.  Miraculously returning to the dugout in costume, unafraid of the consequences and willing to speak his mind to whomever when he feels its necessary.

The Mets need a guy to bench David Wright in the midst of one of his bad streaks.  A guy to get Jose Reyes back to hustling.  Someone who won’t be chicken to tell Carlos Beltran coming off knee surgery that he’s playing right field: end of discussion because we have a good young centerfielder.  Because Angel Pagan is our best player and moving your best player around the diamond is about as dumb as firing your manager on the first game of a west coast road trip at 3 am local time.

A guy that wouldve forced management to cut ties with Oliver Perez the moment he showed up to spring training out of shape.  Somebody who wouldve pulled Luis Castillo aside after he made comments voicing his displeasure playing on the Mets and then undressed him as a player in front of his teammates: to send a message that if you don’t want to be here, no ones keeping you here.

Jerry Manuel used to toss around the word “Gangsta” but he forgot what that meant.  He turned into 90% of rappers who also use that phrase to describe themselves.  Bobby Valentine is gangsta.  He took a team not nearly as talented to the World series in 2000.  I know he can do the same to this Mets team.

Despite everything the Mets have been through, a majority of these wounds are self inflicted.  My vote is for a team of Kevin Towers and Bobby Valentine to restore credibility to the Mets.  Let’s ignore the pull of another soft spoken media savvy manager, let’s go for a guy who can, not a guy who talks about what he can’t.  Its time for a change.

Don’t call us Joe, we’ll call you.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

July 19, 2010 · 6:43 pm

Owning Up

He was safe.

Even Henry Blanco, the man who made the tag said he was safe but Phil Cuzzi, the only voice that matters, said he was out. And the Mets were granted the second life and the kind of opportunity that had been far and few between.

Don’t get me wrong, the Mets aren’t unlucky. I used to think so. I thought last year’s team was so destroyed by injuries that nobody could have ever managed to win under those circumstances. Its hard to win when all your stars are either on the DL or headed there or out having the worst year of their career.

But then I began to take notice of some teams this year and that kind of excuse filled rhetoric was exactly the kind of nonsense that the Mets had fed its fans every year.

I’m convinced that the Wilpons think Met fans are stupid or don’t care enough. Maybe he’s under the delusion that we don’t notice little things that he does or we don’t pay attention when the team makes an official statement.

For example: Jeff Wilpon is quick to bring up the fact that his team has the National League’s highest payroll whenever someone suggests that he doesn’t spend money. Of course spending money doesn’t matter if it never nets you anything in return and as we’ve seen over the last few seasons having the highest payroll is more of a burden than something to amp yourself up by.

Or, when the Wilpons insist that their team will make case by case considerations for adding payroll and will tell whoever’s around that they didn’t lose as much money as everyone insists they had.

Well here’s a sobering fact: Bernie Madoff screwed a lot of people and if it makes the Wilpons feel better they weren’t the only ones to get duped. Sadly, like a compulsive liar backed into a corner, the Mets refuse to give a number.

Even more sad than all that is this: Mets fans would back off. They would understand. In this harsh economic climate we can understand someone coming out and saying we don’t have the money now and promising to spend more as they get more money in.

Issuing a public statement to that effect from the beginning would have made a huge difference in how the team was percieved. The fans would have given them a bit more slack to operate with, and in NY, the media can become a distraction as much as personal effects can.

Yet the Mets never took that route and refused to see what fans assume: that they have no money. The one thing the Wilpons have proven over the years is that they have a limit. That winning under their budget is how they go about things. The late George Steimbrenner never had such a hard figure to deal with. Many times you get the feeling that the other team in New York operates like a small market franchise and under a salary cap which creates this even bigger line between the Yankees and the rest of baseball: the Yankees even play by rules that their in state rivals don’t play by.

So clearly its not New York, its ownership that sets the Yankees apart.

And yet as a Met fan our teams own one of the top 5 payrolls in the sport and can only muster 70 wins. The Yankees on the other hand go out and win 100 and continue to replenish.

The ownership for years have failed to understand what the fans have wanted for years: a winner. An owner as relentless as the former owner of the other team was. An ownership group that will be up front about what’s going on.

Yet it treats us like children. It gives us excuses instead of solutions. It talks about what it does have instead of identifying what it needs to improve. In the end, if the Mets owners were honest from the beginning maybe the media wouldn’t roast them everytime they had a losing streak.

Maybe if they had owned up to everything like adults, the media wouldn’t play child like games in the press poking fun at them and using the Mets as a punchline and maybe they get a few breaks off the field on the back pages like they did yesterday in San Fran.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

July 13, 2010 · 11:01 pm

New York and the NBA after “The Decision”

New Yorkers are incredibly resillient.  That much I’m sure of.  So recovering from the mess that was Lebron took only a few hours.  We’re a city that moves so quick that tourists complain about our rudeness.

We’re not walking fast, you’re just walking slow.

So no wonder that yesterdays press conference to announce 4 new players to the Knicks roster was met more with answers of what was to come than what wasn’t.

Allan Houston, the Knicks GM-in-training, knows about defeating the Miami Heat.  He lives on in New Yorkers hearts for his teardrop shot to shock the Heat during the 99 season. A season where an 8th seed like them beat a 1 seed like the Heat, a scenario that the Knicks could find themselves in this season.

Projected records so far have the Knicks winning between 38-42 games which would be, at best, a 12 game turnaround.  Its entirely possible that the Knicks could be the surprise team if you buy into all the doomsday theories of the Knicks going back to irrelevance now that Le-Bum spurned New York’s advances.  If we had anything over the past two years, it was hope that Lebron was on his way like a knight in shining armor to save the day.

But that prince turned into a frog instead.  He became Hollywood Hogan and went AWOL on the good guy list.  Now he’s the villain universally.

My question is..was that…a good thing?  Hear me out Knick fans.  Maybe I’m just sipping from the kool aid a bit too much but I’m thinking pretty clear, I promise.

My points are all purely circumstantial so I have nothing to stand behind but a hunch.  What if Chris Paul’s reported announcement of his own big 3 wasn’t all talk?

If you haven’t read the newest rumor to drive Knick fans crazy, here it is.  Marc Berman, the Knicks beatwriter for the New York Post, said that in a speech during friend Carmello Anthony’s wedding, which James was also in attendance for, said he, Melo, and Amare would form their own Big 3 in New York to challenge the one in South Beach.

How much truth lies in that statement remains in question.  Remember Knick fans, Lebron started flirting with coming to New York two years ago too.  So let’s hold our horses and not get set up again.

Ok, so let’s start imagining a scenario I’ve been thinking about since this newstory leaked.  What if this Big 3 forming in Miami sparked an idea in the minds of all free agents to be that the only way to assure yourself of greatness is to be teamed with a really good squad and form your own super team?  What if guys like Chris Paul and Deron Williams (both free agents in 2012) want a championship badly enough that they would let statistics be damned and join forces to make it happen?

It makes sense now that the discussion on the superstars are changing.  If stars no longer care about competing against each other then expect more super teams to come together.

So now the only relevant topic left is to scout potential landing spots for that kind of star power and all signs point to New York being the last glamour spot left in the NBA for stars to really shine on a huge stage.  The Knicks and Nets can basically play up the image part of being a champion in New York now that its become clear what this generations stars are after.  Its not about individual glory.

Which brings us to David Stern’s comments regarding Lebron’s exit strategy.  He said his decision making was poor and he wished he had informed Dan Gilbert, the crazy owner of the Cavs, sooner than he had about him leaving as opposed to a nationally televised audience.  The interesting part is how Stern views this shift.  Its bigger than you think.

Stern’s marketing made his stars huge.  In the early 80’s basketballs ratings were so poor that the Finals were shown on tape delay on CBS.  Magic and Bird brought the NBA back with their rivalry and MJ took it to a whole other level.  Basketballs popularity skyrocketed with MJ’s emergence.  The marketing job they did on Jordan and helping take his accomplishments and multiply its importance was and remains why we view Jordan the way we do.  Stern always had a star to build around.  Like the sun to the rest of the planets orbiting around it.

Its why when Jordan left, the discussion was where the NBA would find its next Jordan.  How could you follow that act up?  It took years and years before fans were able to accept that there was no next Jordan.  Remember Harold Miner? T-Mac? Vince Carter?*  All good players but never nearly as great as we as fans thought they’d be.
*= I especially hate Vince Carter because I was almost positive he was the next best thing.  He came from Jordan’s alma mater, North Carolina, and he had all the easy athleticism that made Jordan so enjoyable to watch even though he was beating my franchise down.  But his injuries never seemed genuine and he quit on the franchise that invested in him.  I just had very little respect for a man who I felt was wasting his talent and not using it which is why I suppose this Lebron “Decision” irks me too.

If championships are the only category to worship then Russell is the champ.  If its scoring ability its Kareem.  But because of his flair and the commercials and the aura he built with the marketing dollars, we all ceded that it was Jordan.  I believe Jordan was the greatest because you just knew when you were watching him that you were going to be treated.  A singular talent like him shined brightest on the bright stage as if he did it without a supporting cast, as if there was no Pippen.

Need a more contemporary example?  Everyone that watched the Finals know that Gasol outplayed Kobe in game 7, but Kobe, with a 6/24 shooting performance won the series MVP.  Why?  Because Kobe is the biggest star.  Kobe basically had to show up in order to win the MVP.

The NBA is a star’s business and Stern was a master in pushing his sports top athletes.  He understood that and he made it profitable.  So when he sees Lebron make a business decision personal to join friends in search of championships, he’s seeing his biggest meal ticket ruin what could be millions more in branding and other things.

Now Stern has to sell the team to fans as opposed to two separate entities.  He can’t just market Lebron by himself.  He has to market him with Wade.  Wade and Lebron are close enough to assume sporting headlines in matchups against each other.  Remember the NBA on NBC ads? “Jordan and the Bulls vs Ewing and the Knicks.” Who but the Lakers can match in star power?

Stern’s anguish was evident during the press conference.  He looked like he went to happy hour a few hours prior to the presser.  He looked tired and stressed like he’d been on multiple conference calls to sort out the mess that he knew he was in.  Imagine having crafted your business one way and now having to change it even slightly not because of your customer base but because of your employees.

Stern doesn’t have his heir apparent to Kobe.  It could be Wade but he had Lebron fitted for that crown.  Now its up in the air and Stern has to wonder what it means for the future of his stumbling league if stars are leaving smaller market teams to join together and form super teams then Stern will have an even bigger problem.

Guys talking about joining together publically?  The biggest star in the game coming out of this with more trash flying at him than Hulk Hogan when he made the heel turnV  Stern now has a PR and business problem at hand.

But Stern’s loss may end up being New York’s gain.  What if the summer of 2010 ended up shifting the thinking among young stars.  If a guy like Lebron cedes he can’t lead a team by himself then everyone may begin feeling the same and by the time your done in a few years you have 5 or 6 really really good teams and a bunch of bad ones.  Its natural to assume that the NBA will be in trouble and Stern should be worried about how this summer has gone but you think Miami Heat fans are worried about the state of the NBA?  Well if it benefits New York then neither should we.  New York is resillient, we will get through the hate.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 9, 2010 · 11:52 pm

Lebron’s decision: the day after.

The one thing that I knew going into last night’s announcement was this: no matter what happened, Lebron James was now going to be universally disliked.  The last few months were unlike the NBA has ever seen or ever will see.  His “Decision” special was filled with as much drama as a Yankees/Twins series.  The outcome had been there for days and this growing sentiment that the three men had arranged this together seemed fitting.  But still, it was something that came off as unsettling and almost pitiful even as a fan of one of the hopeful teams.

As a Knicks fan after much sulking, I looked at it from a rational standpoint and I understand why he did it.  Lebron did it to win championships and nothing else.  At the end of the day that’s what this game is about and for the winners go the spoils and for losers go nothing.  There’s no such thing as second place.  Lebron understood that better than anyone.  As a man expected to carry his team to the championship these last two years it was a colossal disappointment that he never accomplished that goal for his home state.  Despite all the rumblings the fact was this, Lebron wanted the championships and naturally one would expect the glory that comes with it.

I get it.  I even get the need to have two very talented men to support you and help shoulder the burden of bringing a title to the resume.  Even as he’s teaming up to become part of this (un) holy triumvirate, make no mistake this is all about Lebron which explains why he didn’t go the simple route and join Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade at the podium for their announcements (which of course makes the cry of ego maniac ring truer but we’ll get to that.).  I get why he would want to play with his friends and build a dynasty with them.  I get all of that.  In fact, me and my buddies from high school always joke about each getting a place on the same block and growing old together.

Even then you didn’t expect it.  Even then you held out hope that perhaps this whole Lebron to the Heat was just smoke screen for either his eventual return to Cleveland or escape to Chicago or New York which both wouldn’t be as universally destroyed like this move is.  Don’t get me wrong, leaving the Cavs makes him look like a jerk.  Leaving the Cavs for South Beach makes him look like a doubting-his-own-talent jerk.

I don’t buy that this is bad for the NBA.  In fact, all this Lebron speculation cost ESPN a lot of its credibility and almost destroyed Twitter.  It was THE TALK of the internet and everyone and I mean even the President had an opinion on the matter.  This is fantastic for the NBA in a time in which ticket sales are down and the league is losing money in the hundreds of millions.  All this hype over the super team will draw huge ratings.  Quick prediction about how many Heat games will be shown on national television?

I don’t even buy the talk that this immediately vaults them to the top of the pack in the NBA.  The Lakers still have Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Odom and a very good supporting cast which the Heat will have to address in the coming days.

But there are some negatives here in the immediate future that must be discussed, and other points but before I do that I just want to throw one last conspiracy theory because these Lebron rumors have been so fun:  David Stern facing sagging sales and a tough economic future, send an email to every big name free agent over the next two seasons to begin forming super teams.  The NBA will push through outlandish trades and create 6 or 7 elite teams filled with two or three top 20 players in the league and approve an unbalanced schedule where these teams will meet once a week on TNT and ESPN.  Don’t put anything past Stern.

First negative: Immediate fall out in Cleveland was bad.  So bad that all you saw were Lebron jerseys being burned, young white women crying, and empty bars perhaps symbolizing Cleveland’s economy now that Lebron isn’t there.  But the icing on the cake was a half drunk/half crazed letter by super fan/owner Dan Gilbert destroying Lebron’s reputation and basically saying everything that any Cleveland fan would.  In all of this, Cleveland is the biggest victim, but are they?  If the fix was in from jump street and Lebron, Wade and Bosh had planned this all along, then yes Cleveland is victim.  But if not, if this were an actual decision and Lebron heard out every camp’s proposal how could New York be bashed for its proposal and not Cleveland?  Everyone’s biggest complaint about New York’s presentation was that it was all about New York and very little about the roster and about the players it would surround him with.  Well, Cleveland had a 60 win team with no cap flexibility to add pieces unless it had a sign and trade set with a player but Chris Bosh, the player that many had earmarked as Lebron’s pick to roll with him, refused to play in Cleveland (I don’t blame him).  Other than that, Cleveland did nothing else to show Lebron that they were serious suitors other than to play on his emotions of staying at home.  While the Cleveland roster was better than the Knick roster, in time we’ll see how much Lebron elevated that roster to a 60 win team.  Lebron on last year’s Knicks could’ve made them at least a 50 something win team in the East if they were capable of winning 29 on their own.  The point is that Cleveland made nothing more than a half hearted attempt at keeping their star player on their roster.

Which brings us to the Heat’s first game at Cleveland which should bring more than just fireworks.  I legitimately am worried for Lebron’s life.  What he did by screwing them over and doing it on national television was embarrass a town that didn’t need another reminder of how sports-cursed they are.  He gave them 7 years of his heart and yet in the end, all anyone will remember is Dan Gilbert’s assertion that he quit on the team in his final 4 games and took the cowardly way out.  That will lead to bitter resentment.  I was listening to talk radio this morning and they were trying to find a perfect comparison of how he would be greeted by fans in Cleveland and the best they came up with was Vince Carter who’s every shot for years was met with resounding boos.  This was for years and he’s not even from Toronto.  Lebron’s exit is a little more personal and he’s already eclipsed Art Modell as the most vile sports figure in the Cleveland area.  That’s no easy task but Lebron found a way to do it.  Also, the poetry in the fact that every cruel Cleveland loss is just one word: the Fumble, the Drive, the Shot and now, the Decision.    Lebron couldn’t have been that cruel could he?

Second Negative: It sets precedents on several levels.  What does it tell small market teams like Cleveland that they can’t even keep one of their home grown stars?  Sure, on the same day Kevin Durant resigned with the Thunder quietly via Twitter, but he’s a shy kid who’s on a pretty loaded roster.  There will be more guys that go the Lebron route and leave for flashier pastures and it sets a precedent on another note as well.  Lebron’s one of the biggest basketball stars on the planet and his decision became a nationally televised event.  What will the next super talent do to upstage the self titled King?  How will technology affect this change and how much has unbridled access destroyed the mystique of star players?  Imagine we hadn’t been put through this charade?  If Lebron knew where he was going all along it seems rather selfish and egotistical to do something like this and stretch this out for his own sense of self worth doesn’t it?  What was he promised?  How hard was he laughing inside while Mikhail Prokhorov made his business pitch?  What does Jay-Z think of him now that he made his choice to join D-Wade and Bosh?  I’m sure he won’t be thrilled if he finds out that he had made up his mind a long time ago.  Point is, our society seeks answers and requires access at all times and doesn’t seem to have a sense of boundary to them.  If Princess Di’s death marked the explosion of the term paparazzi, then what will Lebronapalooza be the start of?  Technically Lebron gave us what we now crave.  Everything.  We want to be the fly on the wall.  I wouldn’t be surprised if a documentary detailing everything will be released with extra footage of them discussing this plan months in advance giving us the answer we pretty much know.  They planned this and they strung us along for the ride.  Whatever new era in media we are entering its uncharted waters and Lebron is making history.

Third negative and I can’t come to call this a negative, because its more selfish on my part.  The biggest question mark coming into this whole thing was motivation:  What was Lebron really after?  Was he out to be the greatest of all time?  Was he out to be the home town kid makes good storyline play out?  Was he out to be the kid from the sticks makes it big in the Big City?  Was it legacy?  Was it about pride?  What was it?  Selfishly all the hype about Lebron had made us come to expect something uniquely incredible.  We were all convinced that he would do something that had never been done before on an NBA court before all was said and done and that may still be the case but its a very long shot now.  By taking his services to South Beach he’s joining Wade’s team.  He’s now fully inserted himself into shot gun mode and decided to lower his game and his possible stature as the game’s greatest to help Wade become a multiple time champion.  Sure Lebron stands to gain but not as much as previously thought.  Forget his brand and what it will do to it financially by becoming just another piece.  His legacy is lessened by joining forces.

I’m sure Lebron will tell you a good story about sacrificing for the greater good of championships and all that and frankly I’ll believe him.  At the end of the day he couldn’t deal with the weight and burden of being THE MAN at one spot.  He couldn’t imagine failing in New York or Cleveland or Chicago because in those three places he would’ve certainly been the undisputed number one.  He goes to one of three places where he’s the undisputed number two.  It was a tough choice and one made with the understanding that he will be seen as a lesser player but with the knowledge that that sacrifice will be forgotten in the stream of championships this Heat team will compete for.

We all want to compare players to Jordan and I’ve never thought that it was a fair comparison but I get why people do it.  We all need a reference point, something to judge another person by and the only way to do that is by comparing that person to one of equal talent.  The fact that Lebron was continuously compared to Jordan without any rings tells you what people see in his potential but now, in my opinion, he has to go above and beyond to jump back into the conversation.  Say what you will about Jordan and how he played in a different era, but even if Jordan, Bird, or Magic were in the place of Lebron they would’ve never joined forces.  They had too much hubris and pride to do that.  They all wanted the recognition and worked hard to get it and they could never handle being upstaged by their own teammates.  Jordan would’ve went to a place that he could own or stayed in Cleveland to finish the job.  They had a certain pride that kept them from walking away.  You knew those guys would eventually get rings because that’s all they wanted.  But talk of being a billionaire clouded Lebron’s head and clearly his mind.  He was busier setting up his post-basketball life than focusing on the task at hand.

I guess its selfish on our part to see a person not see his potential reached.  I would’ve rooted for Lebron had he stayed in Cleveland.  I would’ve understood had he went to Chicago and I would’ve been positively thrilled had he come to New York.  But Miami still makes no sense to me from one stand point: Why not do it unless you wanted no parts of the responsibility?  If we had billed you as our best player how come you weren’t ready to accept that responsibility?  I guess that’s the main word: responsibility.  Is it his responsibility to us as fans or to himself that he should pay attention to?  We were told that we were witnesses, but what are we witness to now?

Just like last night, he’s taking much of the mystery of the next few seasons out of it.  Its almost expected that the Heat will win the title for the next few seasons.  They will be the biggest attraction the NBA has ever seen since they broadcast the original Dream Team’s games back in 1992.  Nobody can deny the talent level oozing from this team but one can imagine the blame that will fall on the Heat if they dont fullfill the prophecy.

Maybe Lebron walked into an even greater challenge than he left.  I mean, to lift Cleveland to a championship filled city was tough enough but to do so on a team where everyone will watch with a microscope and wait for failure could be even more trying.  Maybe the thrill of being the team with the big target on their back, a traveling team of all-stars will motivate them to show up on every single night.  The need for fans to be treated to a show will make them work harder to give them one.

But let’s step back and take a breath for what last night was: a self centered 25 year old embarking on the next chapter in his not so secretive life.  A guy who couldn’t handle the big city lights of New York, or walking in the shadow of MJ, or lifting his home town team to championship glory, but rather chose a path less traveled with two of his close friends.  I’m not saying that he made the wrong decision, that answer will reveal itself with time.  I’m saying that his decision could’ve been handled better by a kid we all thought knew how to handle it.  But maybe we don’t know a thing.  Maybe Lebron will win and we’ll eventually forget and Cleveland will get another superstar to bring them that elusive championship that city seeks.

But one thing will always bug me:: how on earth did Chris Bosh’s insignificant ass convince both Lebron and D-Wade that he was the key in all of this?

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,