 Monday, September 17, 2007
Weekend Baseball Rivalry Wrap
Linda and Steve's concern about the Mets bullpen was unfortunately confirmed on Saturday as the bullpen wasted Pedro's great start. Though the Mets have lost eight straight to the Phillies, the Amazings still lead the Phillies by 3.5 games.
On the bright side, congratulations to Steve's favorite player, David Wright for joining the 30/30 Club. According to Sunday's WFAN's radio broadcast, he was congratulated by his "baseball father" and 30/30 Club Member, HoJo - Howard Johnson, who managed DW in the minor leagues. Darryl Strawberry is the third Met member of the club.
The Yankees didn't sweep the Red Sox but won two out of three even though Pettitte and Wang had subpar performances. The Red Sox didn't have Many but the Yankees won the season series 10-8 and five out of the last six. This bodes well for the ALCS if both teams advance that far. Captain Clutch Derek Jeter came through with a three run home run in the eighth inning on Sunday. Though Jeter's home run was more dramatic, Friday may have been a slightly better because the Yankees rallied from a 7-2 deficit in the eighth inning to win 8-7. "Winners never quit and quitters never win!" I am very proud of the Yankees.
Bottom Line: The Mets are going to be fine, touch wood, and the Yankees are making the playoffs barring a collapse, God Forbid. The best hope for the Mets is NOT to play against the Padres in the first round and for the Yankees NOT to play against the Angels in the first round. OK, the Yankees are 4.5 games behind the Red Sox for the division BUT 2.5 games ahead of the Tigers for the Wild Card. The Indians must win the series from the Tigers starting tonight to improve their record, knock the Tigers out of contention, and have a better record than the Angels so the Yankees don't have to play them in the first round. This presumes that the Yankees are the Wild Card.
Posted by the Tank "Keepin' the faith, yeah, yeah, keepin' the faith" (Billy Joel lyric) for a Subway Series in NY.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Local NFL Team Week #2 Picks
Jets lose at Ravens: I'm not sure who will start. Even if Pennington plays, he won't be 100% and Clements has potential to be good but how will he react to the hungry Ravens defense. Neither scenario is good for the Jets.
Giants beat the Packers at home: Eli Manning isn't 100% but the Giants have just enough to beat Brett Favre.
Bills lose at the Steelers: The Bills will be playing for Kevin Everett but it won't be enough against the Steelers at home. That said, my thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin and his family. May he walk again, God Willing. I've said it numerous times, the NFL needs to get back to the leather helmets like rugby and Australian Rules Football. Yes, players get injured those sports but not like in the NFL. Metal helmets on bone or on other metal helmets hurts and even paralyzes. It's time for the NFL to act.
Posted by an emotional Tank in NY.
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Patriots are lucky NOT to be in Formula 1
The New England Patriots got a slap on the wrist by only paying a total of $750,000 in personal and team fines. They lost a first round draft pick if they make the playoffs but they already have San Francisco's pick. Big deal. If the NFL really wanted to come down on the Patriots (which they don't), they would have fined them like the Formula One McLaren Team had to pay $100 million and loss of constructors' (or manufacturers') points after they were caught spying. Constructors' points are a big deal with the bragging rights and sponsorship gravitas that accompanies it.
If the NFL wants to stomp out cheating, they need to come down even harder on the Patriots. Give the big money fine to charity and award the Jets a victory or at least a tie. If they don't, the appeals process is a joke and will only encourage future cheating. Why are the Europeans taking the lead sports in cracking down on cheating in Formula One and the Why Barry Bonds is Lucky Not to Be in the Tour de France? Are Americans sports federations whimps? Or, does money trump everything including integrity in sports? Probably a little of both.
That said, I don't condone cheating. I suspect that Eric Mangini has known about this for years and possibly even participated it when he a Patriot assistant. I don't have any evidence of this yet but how would he known had he not done it himself?
For a Boston - New York rivalry that is already pretty fierce, this adds fuel to the flames. Bill Belichick is way over qualified to coach in the NFL; he should be Secretary of Defense. SecDef (Secretary of Defense) Belichick would find Bin Laden in a week and the War on Terror would be won in a month.
Posted by the Tank in NY.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
College Football Week #3
College Football really kicks into gear this weekend as most of the "cupcake" games are behind us. Michigan thought Appalachian State was going to be easy but they were beaten a couple of weeks ago at the Big House.
Fearless Predictions:
I normally pick games where Top 25 teams face each other. Come on, what's the fun in picking #20 Clemson over Furman? OK, that was fun, but seriously, here goes:
# 5 Florida hosts and beats #22 Tennnessee. It can't get any closer than last year but should be entertaining.
#15 Georgia Tech hosts and beats #21 Boston College. Southern hospitality will be served up cold in a good game.
#1 USC beats #14 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have a new quarterback who will make it more interesting than you think.
Local:
Illinois wins at Syracuse: The Orange's woes continue as the Illini try to avenge last year's lost.
Norfolk State loses at Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights should roll easily here.
Of Interest:
Notre Dame loses at Michigan: Both teams are 0-2 but the Irish are young and the Wolverines need to save Lloyd Carr's job. The Wolverines can salvage their season starting with a victory in this game. JH, I'll buy you a beer if I am wrong.
Posted by the Tank in NY.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Remembering September 11
Yesterday marked the sixth annual observance of the terrorist attacks of September 11. I hadn't called out sick from my past or current job in over four years since May 10, 2003, but a cold and some food poisoning (possibly the buffalo from last Thursday's Shackleton lecture) put me under the weather.
After getting some much needed rest and food, I went downtown to pay my respects to Chappelle and others who lost their lives that tragic day. I walked around in a daze of disbelief even six years on and amid the cacophony of other mourners, tourists, police, and conspiracy theorists. As I was walked back to the Subway, I recognized former NYSE Chairman Dick Grasso from TV and he had a comforting word. A classy gentleman. We may all come from different walks of life but united in this tragedy. May God bless those who lost their lives on that fateful day and watch over us in the days and years to come.
Posted by a grieving Tank from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
A tale of two New York would be 3rd base MVPs
Think about this, two third basemen, both batting around .315 and each a legitimate shot at getting their leagues MVP award this year. One is young (24) and is on track to hit about 30 home runs and steal 30 bases. The other is young as well (32) and on track to hit 60 home runs and steal close to 30 bases. The problem is that New York is about to run the second MVP out of town. David Wright, the Mets 3rd baseman, is about to enter the 30-30 club and is on a tear, he is a legitimate MVP candidate. He is the natural leader of the Mets and a crowd favorite, the #1 selling jersey in all of New York City, beating out Jeter. His leadership means he will probably be made the captain of the Mets in a year or two. His popularity means that he will be a team spokesperson for a long time to come. When he has a down year, the media will be hard on him, but he will say the right things and all will be forgiven. Alex Rodriguez, is one of the best players in baseball. At 32 years old he has over 500 career home runs and in the steroid era, he is on track to hit close to 60 home runs this year. You can start to use his name in the same sentence with some of the all time greats. In his second year with the New York Yankees he won the MVP award, only the 8th player to win it multiple times and is on track to win it again this year. The problem is that the New York media and fans have crucified A-Rod. His marital problems, sun tanning in Central Park, even his visits to the US Open are all in question. A-Rod may not have responded all that great, but it was no Randy Johnson beating up reporters. I can't blame A-Rod if he decides to opt out of his contract, test free agency and moves to Boston for a little more money. They will love him up there, they will realize what they have, one of the best players of all time. It will be Babe Ruth in reverse. But this time it can't be blamed on management, it can be blamed on us, the citizens of New York. Posted By Steve in New York
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