Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2009
Pettitte Returning To Yankees
Multiple sources are reporting that Andy Pettitte is returning to the Yankees for the 2010 season!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Canyon of Heroes, Part 2
Two more videos from the Championship parade. First one is of Andy Pettitte:
Andy pitched the clinching game of all 3 series in this year's playoffs. He has more postseason wins than any other pitcher in history. He's in the twilight of his career, and he'll be sorely missed when he goes. Here's hoping for one more year.
Second video is of the greatest closer in baseball history, Mariano Rivera. Let's hope he was serious when he said he wanted to pitch for another 5 years!
Andy pitched the clinching game of all 3 series in this year's playoffs. He has more postseason wins than any other pitcher in history. He's in the twilight of his career, and he'll be sorely missed when he goes. Here's hoping for one more year.
Second video is of the greatest closer in baseball history, Mariano Rivera. Let's hope he was serious when he said he wanted to pitch for another 5 years!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Yankees are Champions! Canyon of Heroes Part 1
So, I made it up for the parade. While it was a bit cold, it was one hell of an experience. I spent a little over five hours there, and got some good pictures, along with lots of bad ones. With the tremendous crowds, it was tough to get good pictures, but I did manage a few. My apologies for the quality. Here's just a few for starters. More to follow:
The stage at city hall:
The championship trophy. Although hard to see, Joe Girardi is to the right of the trophy in a beige suede jacket with his family.
Confetti in the canyon of heroes:
Yes, you need to look closely, but that's Joba Chamberlain's head poking up at the back of the float.
The stage at city hall:
The championship trophy. Although hard to see, Joe Girardi is to the right of the trophy in a beige suede jacket with his family.
Confetti in the canyon of heroes:
Yes, you need to look closely, but that's Joba Chamberlain's head poking up at the back of the float.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Canyon of Heroes
The Yankees celebrated their 27th World Series last night. While it's only been 9 years, it seems like an eternity since we were able to stand as champions.
This marked the first year where I had the means (translated: cash) to attend a World Series game. But a combination of travel for work and the desire to actually see what my wife and daughter looked like, I wasn't able to get to a game.
I quickly ruled out going to the championship parade this morning in favor of spending time with family, which is by all measures the right decision.
But my wife encouraged me to go. My wheels started turning, and I ended up changing my mind. So, tomorrow morning, I'll wake up at 3am, and board a train to NYC at 5am.
My father brought me to my first sporting event ever when I was a young boy. Obviously, it was a Yankees game. We sat in the second deck, under the overhang. It rained the entire game. The Yankees lost 14-2 to the Kansas City Royals (back when the Royals still played professional baseball). This little boy couldn't have been happier.
We went to the concession stand to get a souvenir. My father pointed to a pencil with the Yankees logo on it. I pointed at the baseball with signatures of all the current players. We weren't a wealthy family, and obviously couldn't afford the baseball. But I kept pointing at it. And my father kept telling me how great the pencil was. I didn't believe him, but that's where we ended up. My father motioned the clerk over, "See that pencil there?" he said.
"Well, we want the baseball next to it." Boy, you've never seen a kid's eyes light up like mine did. Roughly 30 years later, I can remember that day vividly. I only hope I can share a moment like that with Catherine (my 3 1/2 year old daughter) someday soon, who told my wife last night before the game, "Mommy, you need to tell Daddy the Yankees are playing tonight. They're going to win everything!"
I started rooting for the Yankees in earnest right around the time they started getting good again. It was painful to watch them lose to Seattle in '95. But then, a core group of young players meshed with a group of veterans, and the Yankees were back in control.
I grew to love baseball in the days of Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, Posada and Williams. While Bernie's gone, the rest are still there. I'll always love the Yankees. But the chances that *this* group wins again are slim. They're all in the 8th or 9th inning of their careers.
I suspect tomorrow will be a very special day in the Canyon of Heroes. Millions of fans have cheered hundreds of Yankees there. I'll proudly add my name to that list, and possibly even say goodbye to some of the greatest to play the game. Because some day they'll be gone. And while I'll always love the Yankees, I doubt any group will feel more like my Yankees than these.
The only thing that would make the day more special would be to have my wife, who's grown into an unabashed Yankees fan, along with me to share the day. I love you, Michelle. Thanks for always making my life special.
As an aside, I spoke with my cousin's husband (cousin-in-law???) this evening to see if he wanted to join me. I was shocked to hear that his friend, best man at his wedding, is in a coma after a heart attack at the age of 27. So, Ron won't be joining me tomorrow. Here's hoping he has better things to celebrate by the time the day ends.
This marked the first year where I had the means (translated: cash) to attend a World Series game. But a combination of travel for work and the desire to actually see what my wife and daughter looked like, I wasn't able to get to a game.
I quickly ruled out going to the championship parade this morning in favor of spending time with family, which is by all measures the right decision.
But my wife encouraged me to go. My wheels started turning, and I ended up changing my mind. So, tomorrow morning, I'll wake up at 3am, and board a train to NYC at 5am.
My father brought me to my first sporting event ever when I was a young boy. Obviously, it was a Yankees game. We sat in the second deck, under the overhang. It rained the entire game. The Yankees lost 14-2 to the Kansas City Royals (back when the Royals still played professional baseball). This little boy couldn't have been happier.
We went to the concession stand to get a souvenir. My father pointed to a pencil with the Yankees logo on it. I pointed at the baseball with signatures of all the current players. We weren't a wealthy family, and obviously couldn't afford the baseball. But I kept pointing at it. And my father kept telling me how great the pencil was. I didn't believe him, but that's where we ended up. My father motioned the clerk over, "See that pencil there?" he said.
"Well, we want the baseball next to it." Boy, you've never seen a kid's eyes light up like mine did. Roughly 30 years later, I can remember that day vividly. I only hope I can share a moment like that with Catherine (my 3 1/2 year old daughter) someday soon, who told my wife last night before the game, "Mommy, you need to tell Daddy the Yankees are playing tonight. They're going to win everything!"
I started rooting for the Yankees in earnest right around the time they started getting good again. It was painful to watch them lose to Seattle in '95. But then, a core group of young players meshed with a group of veterans, and the Yankees were back in control.
I grew to love baseball in the days of Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, Posada and Williams. While Bernie's gone, the rest are still there. I'll always love the Yankees. But the chances that *this* group wins again are slim. They're all in the 8th or 9th inning of their careers.
I suspect tomorrow will be a very special day in the Canyon of Heroes. Millions of fans have cheered hundreds of Yankees there. I'll proudly add my name to that list, and possibly even say goodbye to some of the greatest to play the game. Because some day they'll be gone. And while I'll always love the Yankees, I doubt any group will feel more like my Yankees than these.
The only thing that would make the day more special would be to have my wife, who's grown into an unabashed Yankees fan, along with me to share the day. I love you, Michelle. Thanks for always making my life special.
As an aside, I spoke with my cousin's husband (cousin-in-law???) this evening to see if he wanted to join me. I was shocked to hear that his friend, best man at his wedding, is in a coma after a heart attack at the age of 27. So, Ron won't be joining me tomorrow. Here's hoping he has better things to celebrate by the time the day ends.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Yankees Dominate Angels
I've been running behind on my blog posts, missing one for the trip we took to the new Yankees stadium to see them bash the Red Sox back in September. But, after tonight's game, I couldn't resist throwing a quick post together.
CC Sabathia came back on short rest in a very important game for the Yankees. In LA, they were up 2-1 in the series. Bringing back a pitcher on short rest in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster. Historically, it never works. Enter CC. What did he do?
He just pitched 8 innings of 1 run ball. 8 innings. 5 hits. 5 strikeouts.
Oh, and the Yankees dominated the Angels for 13 hits and 10 runs.
We need 5 more wins to accomplish our goal.
Oh, and for all the people questioning Joe Girardi's decision making last night, where were you when he made all the right decisions against the Twins? And made a great decision to save Game 2 against the Angels.
CC Sabathia came back on short rest in a very important game for the Yankees. In LA, they were up 2-1 in the series. Bringing back a pitcher on short rest in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster. Historically, it never works. Enter CC. What did he do?
He just pitched 8 innings of 1 run ball. 8 innings. 5 hits. 5 strikeouts.
Oh, and the Yankees dominated the Angels for 13 hits and 10 runs.
We need 5 more wins to accomplish our goal.
Oh, and for all the people questioning Joe Girardi's decision making last night, where were you when he made all the right decisions against the Twins? And made a great decision to save Game 2 against the Angels.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Derek Jeter: Greatest Yankee Ever?
Derek Jeter broke Lou Gehrig's record for most hits by a Yankee tonight. Lou Gehrig had 2,721 hits as a Yankee. Jeter now sits at 2,722.
So, it seemed like a good time to analyze where Jeter sits in Yankee history, even though he's not done writing his story. First, let's look at the top 5 Yankee hitters of all time:
1. Derek Jeter
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Babe Ruth
4. Mickey Mantle
5. Bernie Williams
Wow. That's one heck of a list. Is Derek Jeter really a better player than the guys on this list? Well, he played with Bernie Williams. Gehrig, Ruth and Mantle all won more World Series' rings.
Jeter has the second most all-star selections (10). Not sure which number is more incredible. 16 all-star selections for Mickey Mantle, or only 2 for Babe Ruth.
Jeter's in his 15th season, at the age of 35. Mantle was 37 when he retired, Babe Ruth was 40, Gehrig was 36.
We know Jeter still has some years left in those legs. He might not be the best Yankee ever today. I never had the pleasure of watching Gehrig, Mantle, or Ruth. As a Yankee fan, I feel pretty lucky to have seen Jeter's entire career thus far. I hope to be having the argument for a number of years while he continues to rack up stats as a Yankee.
And, just maybe, a couple more rings.
So, it seemed like a good time to analyze where Jeter sits in Yankee history, even though he's not done writing his story. First, let's look at the top 5 Yankee hitters of all time:
1. Derek Jeter
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Babe Ruth
4. Mickey Mantle
5. Bernie Williams
Wow. That's one heck of a list. Is Derek Jeter really a better player than the guys on this list? Well, he played with Bernie Williams. Gehrig, Ruth and Mantle all won more World Series' rings.
Jeter has the second most all-star selections (10). Not sure which number is more incredible. 16 all-star selections for Mickey Mantle, or only 2 for Babe Ruth.
Jeter's in his 15th season, at the age of 35. Mantle was 37 when he retired, Babe Ruth was 40, Gehrig was 36.
We know Jeter still has some years left in those legs. He might not be the best Yankee ever today. I never had the pleasure of watching Gehrig, Mantle, or Ruth. As a Yankee fan, I feel pretty lucky to have seen Jeter's entire career thus far. I hope to be having the argument for a number of years while he continues to rack up stats as a Yankee.
And, just maybe, a couple more rings.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Tour de France
I have developed a passion for the Tour de France over the last 10 years. It started with Lance, but now extends to 30 or 40 riders in the field.
I sometimes listen to David talk about horse racing in a way that shows me how much I don't understand about the intricacies of that sport. I suspect that's the way I sound talking about bicycle racing.
I was all set for today's post to be titled "Tour de Lance". After the first week of racing, Lance Armstrong was .22 seconds behind the leader heading into the Pyrenees. That's TWENTY-TWO ONE HUNDRETHS of a second. This from a man who hadn't raced professionally for four years.
The leader, Fabian Cancellara, is not a climber. So, entering the first mountain stage, it was only a matter of time before he would crack, and Lance would inherit the yellow jersey. On the final climb of the day (an uncategorized climb, which means it's so difficult it exceeds categorization), he broke. Team Astana (the team Lance rides for) controlled the front of the peloton and also had 3 riders in the top 10.
That's where the story changes. With 1km to go, Alberto Contador (who also rides for Team Astana) broke from the pack and took a decent lead. Lance did what he was supposed to, and blocked for Contador. One of the members of an earlier breakaway took the lead, but Alberto made up 21 seconds on Lance after trailing him by 19 seconds.
Was this the way it was supposed to happen? Well, Alberto's supposed to be the team leader, especially after winning the 2007 Tour.
But in my world, Lance is still #1. And I expected to see him in yellow.
I sometimes listen to David talk about horse racing in a way that shows me how much I don't understand about the intricacies of that sport. I suspect that's the way I sound talking about bicycle racing.
I was all set for today's post to be titled "Tour de Lance". After the first week of racing, Lance Armstrong was .22 seconds behind the leader heading into the Pyrenees. That's TWENTY-TWO ONE HUNDRETHS of a second. This from a man who hadn't raced professionally for four years.
The leader, Fabian Cancellara, is not a climber. So, entering the first mountain stage, it was only a matter of time before he would crack, and Lance would inherit the yellow jersey. On the final climb of the day (an uncategorized climb, which means it's so difficult it exceeds categorization), he broke. Team Astana (the team Lance rides for) controlled the front of the peloton and also had 3 riders in the top 10.
That's where the story changes. With 1km to go, Alberto Contador (who also rides for Team Astana) broke from the pack and took a decent lead. Lance did what he was supposed to, and blocked for Contador. One of the members of an earlier breakaway took the lead, but Alberto made up 21 seconds on Lance after trailing him by 19 seconds.
Was this the way it was supposed to happen? Well, Alberto's supposed to be the team leader, especially after winning the 2007 Tour.
But in my world, Lance is still #1. And I expected to see him in yellow.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Pistons: Lots of Movement
I'm not sure if I've ever discussed the fact that I'm a lifelong Detroit Pistons fan. This has been an incredibly hectic week for the Pistons.
1. The Pistons drafted Austin Daye from Gonzaga in the first round of the NBA draft. First 6'11" "small forward" I've ever seen.
2. We fired our coach, Michael Curry. Michael lost the team in the latter part of the season, so he probably needed to go.
3. We signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva as free agents. Both great signings.
4. Rasheed Wallace is being seriously courted by the Boston Celtics.
5. We're seriously considering Avery Johnson as our next coach.
So, what does all this mean? It's time to admit that, as much as I loved Joe Dumars as a player, he's not a capable GM. After botching the Darko Milicic draft thing, we've had bad decisions about coaching (see Flip Saunders), bad draft decisions (Ty Lawson was a much better pick in this spot, IMO), and now we're courting a coach who lost the last team he coached while letting a guy who epitomizes Pistons basketball (Rasheed Wallace) leave the team. Oh, almost forgot. We traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson because Joe thought he was over the hill. Did anyone watch the NBA Conference Championships?
All of these comments come without me having read one bit of opinion from the news media about our moves. I just think we're squandering a lot of opportunities.
Say it ain't so, Joe.
1. The Pistons drafted Austin Daye from Gonzaga in the first round of the NBA draft. First 6'11" "small forward" I've ever seen.
2. We fired our coach, Michael Curry. Michael lost the team in the latter part of the season, so he probably needed to go.
3. We signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva as free agents. Both great signings.
4. Rasheed Wallace is being seriously courted by the Boston Celtics.
5. We're seriously considering Avery Johnson as our next coach.
So, what does all this mean? It's time to admit that, as much as I loved Joe Dumars as a player, he's not a capable GM. After botching the Darko Milicic draft thing, we've had bad decisions about coaching (see Flip Saunders), bad draft decisions (Ty Lawson was a much better pick in this spot, IMO), and now we're courting a coach who lost the last team he coached while letting a guy who epitomizes Pistons basketball (Rasheed Wallace) leave the team. Oh, almost forgot. We traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson because Joe thought he was over the hill. Did anyone watch the NBA Conference Championships?
All of these comments come without me having read one bit of opinion from the news media about our moves. I just think we're squandering a lot of opportunities.
Say it ain't so, Joe.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Seth Curry Coming To Duke
It's been a busy couple of weeks, so I haven't had much time to post. But tonight, there's potentially great news for Duke.
Seth Curry, brother of star Stephen and son of superstar Dell, will be attending Duke university next year.
With our untimely exit from this year's NCAA tournament, good news like this is always welcome. Seth led all freshmen in scoring this year. He'll have to sit out a year, but we'll have him for the 2010-11 season.
Seth Curry, brother of star Stephen and son of superstar Dell, will be attending Duke university next year.
With our untimely exit from this year's NCAA tournament, good news like this is always welcome. Seth led all freshmen in scoring this year. He'll have to sit out a year, but we'll have him for the 2010-11 season.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Champs!!!
What a great day yesterday!! Duke had a healthy lead most of the game in what was never much of a contest. Getting to watch the celebration afterward was great. I only wish we had a bit more time to spend watching it before heading to the airport. Watching an entire ACC tournament was definitely on my list of things to do before I die. To have Duke come out victorious makes it all the more special.
What was even more enjoyable was watching David transform into a boisterous Duke fan for 4 days, rooting our team on to victory. It was definitely a lot more fun with the two of us cheering them on to victory!
Late in the game, Jon Scheyer knocking down free throws
And the winner is.....
The crowd stands and applauds the team.
Gerald Henderson, cutting down the nets.
Mike Krzyzewski, cutting down the nets with his two boys.
What was even more enjoyable was watching David transform into a boisterous Duke fan for 4 days, rooting our team on to victory. It was definitely a lot more fun with the two of us cheering them on to victory!
Late in the game, Jon Scheyer knocking down free throws
And the winner is.....
The crowd stands and applauds the team.
Gerald Henderson, cutting down the nets.
Mike Krzyzewski, cutting down the nets with his two boys.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
ACC Semifinals
Forgot to post last night! UNC *LOST* in the first semifinal. I was surprised at how many UNC fans actually stuck around for our game. I guess they really do hate Duke enough to want to see us lose.
Anyway, the first half was tight against Maryland. Then, we came out and played our game in the second half. Enjoying a comfortable lead through most of the second half, we made it a bit tighter than we needed to, but now we're in the ACC championship!
Duke plays Florida State at 1:00pm EST today. We beat them twice this year. One game wasn't close. The other one, on our home floor, was very close near the end of the season. Their star player, Toney Douglas, was very hot against UNC. Let's go Duke!
Here's some pics from yesterday's session:
Two of our stars, Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer
Gerald Henderson, our most dynamic player:
Go Duke!!!
Anyway, the first half was tight against Maryland. Then, we came out and played our game in the second half. Enjoying a comfortable lead through most of the second half, we made it a bit tighter than we needed to, but now we're in the ACC championship!
Duke plays Florida State at 1:00pm EST today. We beat them twice this year. One game wasn't close. The other one, on our home floor, was very close near the end of the season. Their star player, Toney Douglas, was very hot against UNC. Let's go Duke!
Here's some pics from yesterday's session:
Two of our stars, Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer
Gerald Henderson, our most dynamic player:
Go Duke!!!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
ACC Quarterfinals-Night Session
After watching Maryland beat Wake, Duke took the floor to play Boston College. Gerald Henderson, one of our stars, picked up two fouls in less than a minute. We played pretty bad offensively in the first half, kept only alive by good defense.
Down 7 coming out of halftime, we fought and quickly took the lead. We lead the entire second half until the very end, when we were down one. Gerald Henderson hit a huge bucket with 35 seconds to go. Then, we played great defense, and BC was forced to foul, putting one of our best free throw shooters, Jon Scheyer, on the line for a one-and-one, with Duke up by 1. He missed the first one, and BC had the rebound.
They had 3 more attempts at the basked over a frenetic 17 seconds that involved multiple timeouts. In the end, Duke held on when BC missed a last second shot. Whew!
We play Maryland tomorrow, who we should beat handily. I was a lot more worried about BC and their size. Maryland is a much smaller team with only one really good player (Grevis Vasquez). Some fun pictures from tonight:
Down 7 coming out of halftime, we fought and quickly took the lead. We lead the entire second half until the very end, when we were down one. Gerald Henderson hit a huge bucket with 35 seconds to go. Then, we played great defense, and BC was forced to foul, putting one of our best free throw shooters, Jon Scheyer, on the line for a one-and-one, with Duke up by 1. He missed the first one, and BC had the rebound.
They had 3 more attempts at the basked over a frenetic 17 seconds that involved multiple timeouts. In the end, Duke held on when BC missed a last second shot. Whew!
We play Maryland tomorrow, who we should beat handily. I was a lot more worried about BC and their size. Maryland is a much smaller team with only one really good player (Grevis Vasquez). Some fun pictures from tonight:
Friday, March 13, 2009
ACC Tournament-End of Day One
We watched Maryland pull away from NC State, and then the first half of a thoroughly uninspiring game that pitted Boston College against Virginia. Boston College won, so the Dukies know who we play tomorrow night. A pic of David and I, followed by a pic from the upper deck.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Boxing: James Kirkland vs. Joel Julio
To my knowledge, this is my first blog post on boxing. I've been an avid boxing fan for a number of years, even as the sport has suffered from a lack of true superstars.
As usual, I recorded the Saturday night fight on HBO. There were 3 fights on the card, with the top of the card pitting two light middleweights against each other, James Kirkland and Joel Julio.
Max Kellerman, one of the HBO commentators that I'm not usually wild about, said, "If you know someone who used to be a boxing fan, hit pause and go get them."
I had no idea what to expect, as I had never seen either fighter in action before.
Joel Julio threw 30 power punches in the first round, landing 10 of them. Throwing 30 power punches in a round is a pretty high number by boxing standards, though not a record. But, all in all, a great output by Joel Julio. Which paled in comparison to the 76 power punches James Kirkland threw in the first round.
For comparison, Floyd Mayweather threw 241 power punches against Oscar de la Hoya....in 12 rounds. James Kirkland passed that number early in round 5. Now, he didn't land at as good a rate as Floyd, but boy did this make for an interesting boxing match. These guys swung for the fences for 6 rounds straight before a cut over Julio's eye stopped the fight, which he was definitely losing.
Still a long way to go for boxing to return to it's heyday from the 80s and 90s, but what a great fight.
As usual, I recorded the Saturday night fight on HBO. There were 3 fights on the card, with the top of the card pitting two light middleweights against each other, James Kirkland and Joel Julio.
Max Kellerman, one of the HBO commentators that I'm not usually wild about, said, "If you know someone who used to be a boxing fan, hit pause and go get them."
I had no idea what to expect, as I had never seen either fighter in action before.
Joel Julio threw 30 power punches in the first round, landing 10 of them. Throwing 30 power punches in a round is a pretty high number by boxing standards, though not a record. But, all in all, a great output by Joel Julio. Which paled in comparison to the 76 power punches James Kirkland threw in the first round.
For comparison, Floyd Mayweather threw 241 power punches against Oscar de la Hoya....in 12 rounds. James Kirkland passed that number early in round 5. Now, he didn't land at as good a rate as Floyd, but boy did this make for an interesting boxing match. These guys swung for the fences for 6 rounds straight before a cut over Julio's eye stopped the fight, which he was definitely losing.
Still a long way to go for boxing to return to it's heyday from the 80s and 90s, but what a great fight.
Duke vs. North Carolina
The final score won't tell the story of this game. The largest lead prior to the final minute was 7. There were two things that cost Duke this game.
First, Gerald Henderson was completely ineffective the entire game. He went over 20 minutes without scoring a basket. For a guy as vital to our success as Henderson, this was the softest 14 point performance I've ever seen.
Second, the referees definitely did not call the game in our favor. I don't want to make this sound like sour grapes. They let a lot slide, which meant when our guys were driving to the basket, we weren't getting foul calls. Couple that with a couple of offensive fouls we got called for that were very borderline, and you have a loss instead of a photo finish.
All that being said, we played the type of game we needed to in order to beat NC. It just didn't work out in our favor. This gives me a lot of confidence going into the ACC tournament, where I'll be in attendance starting Thursday. Look for updates each night from the ACC tournament in Atlanta.
First, Gerald Henderson was completely ineffective the entire game. He went over 20 minutes without scoring a basket. For a guy as vital to our success as Henderson, this was the softest 14 point performance I've ever seen.
Second, the referees definitely did not call the game in our favor. I don't want to make this sound like sour grapes. They let a lot slide, which meant when our guys were driving to the basket, we weren't getting foul calls. Couple that with a couple of offensive fouls we got called for that were very borderline, and you have a loss instead of a photo finish.
All that being said, we played the type of game we needed to in order to beat NC. It just didn't work out in our favor. This gives me a lot of confidence going into the ACC tournament, where I'll be in attendance starting Thursday. Look for updates each night from the ACC tournament in Atlanta.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Rodney Harrison is a Punk
Watching the Super Bowl pregame show. Rodney Harrison, who plays safety for the New England Patriots, was asked on the sideline who was going to win this year's Super Bowl.
He said, "Unlike last year, I think the best team will win. The Pittsburgh Steelers."
Maybe he forgets not being able to disrupt the catch (and play) of the game when David Tyree caught the pass that helped the Giants win the Super Bowl.
Sore loser. Congratulations on going 18-1, Rodney.
You must be proud.
He said, "Unlike last year, I think the best team will win. The Pittsburgh Steelers."
Maybe he forgets not being able to disrupt the catch (and play) of the game when David Tyree caught the pass that helped the Giants win the Super Bowl.
Sore loser. Congratulations on going 18-1, Rodney.
You must be proud.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Toomer Leaving Giants?
The Daily News is reporting that Amani Toomer is leaving the Giants.
This comes as something of a surprise. I was honestly surprised he wasn't getting more catches down the stretch, but I chalked it up to defenses scheming on him in the absence of Burress. It seemed the young guys were getting the catches. There was no real way for me to know they weren't calling pays for him.
Now, maybe they were calling plays for him and he wasn't getting open. Hard to say.
What is apparent is that we're losing a Giants legend.
This comes as something of a surprise. I was honestly surprised he wasn't getting more catches down the stretch, but I chalked it up to defenses scheming on him in the absence of Burress. It seemed the young guys were getting the catches. There was no real way for me to know they weren't calling pays for him.
Now, maybe they were calling plays for him and he wasn't getting open. Hard to say.
What is apparent is that we're losing a Giants legend.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Yankees Sign Pettitte
Andy Pettitte turned down a $10 million, 1-year guaranteed contract in November. In December, when the Yankees signed Mark Teixera, they took this deal of the table. Nobody was really sure if we'd seen the last of Pettitte, and I hoped we hadn't.
Yesterday, the Yankees got their man. Andy signed a 1-year deal that guarantees him $5.5 million, but is heavy with incentives. He can earn up to $15.5 million if he has a good year.
Here's my prediction. Knowing that we've got some great arms in the bullpen now, I predict that if Andy Pettitte makes more than $10 million this year, the Yankees will make the ALCS. Any support from Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes or Phil Coke means we can win the ALCS.
Oh, and we need to stay healthy.
My prediction? Yankees win 95 games and make the playoffs. Is that enough to win the division? We'll have to see.
Yesterday, the Yankees got their man. Andy signed a 1-year deal that guarantees him $5.5 million, but is heavy with incentives. He can earn up to $15.5 million if he has a good year.
Here's my prediction. Knowing that we've got some great arms in the bullpen now, I predict that if Andy Pettitte makes more than $10 million this year, the Yankees will make the ALCS. Any support from Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes or Phil Coke means we can win the ALCS.
Oh, and we need to stay healthy.
My prediction? Yankees win 95 games and make the playoffs. Is that enough to win the division? We'll have to see.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Spagnuolo to Coach Rams
Not much else to say here. Being widely reported that Spagnuolo is gone. Once we know a bit more about the Giants of 2009, I'll comment some more.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Fire Coughlin (Subtitle:Or Hope He Retires)
So, the title of this post will sound like I'm bitter from today's loss. No question, I'm very bitter about today's loss. But I see very little to blame on Coughlin. Eli really looked horrible all day. The defense was playing great. But how good do you expect the defense to look when they are on the field for 10 minutes out of 15 in the 3rd quarter?
No, my reason for Coughlin's departure came to me just now as I was watching one of the Steelers players talk in a very friendly manner, hugging his coach Mike Tomlin. This was during the 3rd quarter, not after the game. The thought that went through my head was, "Gee. We need a coach like that." My mind then turned to young coaches we might get. It was at this point that I finally came to the realization that we're losing Steve Spagnuolo this offseason. 5 hours ago, this didn't matter, because we had a legitimate chance to make it back to, and win, the Super Bowl.
Now, we're faced with the fact that were losing a great defensive coordinator. But wait, if Coughlin leaves, we can keep Spagnuolo. I haven't heard anyone say this, it's my own thinking. Why would anybody have suggested this before today? All the pundits had us in the Super Bowl.
It took a long time, but I've come to begrudgingly respect Coughlin. He won us a Super Bowl after all. But for the good of the current team, his time has come.
No, my reason for Coughlin's departure came to me just now as I was watching one of the Steelers players talk in a very friendly manner, hugging his coach Mike Tomlin. This was during the 3rd quarter, not after the game. The thought that went through my head was, "Gee. We need a coach like that." My mind then turned to young coaches we might get. It was at this point that I finally came to the realization that we're losing Steve Spagnuolo this offseason. 5 hours ago, this didn't matter, because we had a legitimate chance to make it back to, and win, the Super Bowl.
Now, we're faced with the fact that were losing a great defensive coordinator. But wait, if Coughlin leaves, we can keep Spagnuolo. I haven't heard anyone say this, it's my own thinking. Why would anybody have suggested this before today? All the pundits had us in the Super Bowl.
It took a long time, but I've come to begrudgingly respect Coughlin. He won us a Super Bowl after all. But for the good of the current team, his time has come.
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