Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio?

This is the time of year we reflect on the past year and ponder what the future will bring for us all, its a time to be grateful for ones good fortune and keep charity in our hearts for the less fortunate, to remember the good and try to change the bad. It's also a time many of us sit inside and watch a lot of sports. While I was doing that a little Elf kept whispering in my ear why do some athletes have to be such jerks.In this day and age it sometimes appears that classlessness seems to be an end game for some sports franchises and athletes alike. Many of today's athletes seem much more concerned with their individual highlights rather than whether their team wins or loses. "How many points, goals or hits did I get and will it be on ESPN?" How often do we see an NFL player make a tackle, get a pick or sack the quarterback in a game where they are losing by 25 or 30 points and celebrate like they just won the Superbowl. When did performing like a professional and doing your job as expected become a special reason for a world-class celebration.There used to be a time when putting yourself before the team or acting like a Prima Dona got you traded or benched, or possibly and emotional "Code Red" from your teammates. We constantly hold up our past heroes, coaches and players alike as role models for our children to learn from. People with character, class and professionalism that did their jobs with discipline and distinction. Like Red Auerbach, Vince Lombardi, Scotty Bowman, Derek Jeter, Carl Yaztremski, just to name a few. Then we proceed to market and sell the biggest mouthed, most poorly behaved, self centered modern day athletes we can find. For whatever reason it seems they are more abundant in football - Keyshawn Johnson, Terrell Owens, Dion Sanders, Warren Sapp, etc. These people are responsible for their behavior, but they are not to blame alone. The TV Networks, radio, and newspapers are possibly even more responsible for encouraging flamboyant and loudmouth behavior. The media doesn't condemn or criticize this behavior, they market it, highlight it and in essence promote it with their coverage. If you are an obnoxious big mouth player in your career, many times you will end up on some NFL pre-game show as a reward after your playing days are over. They are all there, just look around. This dynamic is not unique to Sports, it's really a sign of the times and shows how much our society has changed. The more outrageous a celebrity's behavior the more coverage they get - Lindsey Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, et al. It works in every arena just look at politics. The rub here is that we all watch sports to generally get away from all the crazy inappropriate things we deal with in our lives everyday. The sports arena has been invaded, its often been said that sports imitates life, so in this case we all would be better off still living in a fantasy.

Fantasy or Reality?

In baseball signing free agents has become an accepted way to either rebuild your team or add to a nucleus to help you stay on top. More and more teams are  now willing to spend big money in the off season to build their brands and increase the value of their franchises. The luckiest owners in Major League Baseball have to be the Wilpon 's because even with all of their failure in recent years the Mets still are the 3rd highest valued franchise in the league. I wrote in an earlier blog that the Mets continually try to sell an inferior product to their fan base and convince them that they really care about the success of their franchise . The bottom line is based on recent acquisitions and money spent they don't care about their fans or winning a championship. They have been terrible owners ; but the fans don't get a pass because they continue to acccept this lack of commitment and continue to support an ownership  that doesn't really seem to care about the future of the team .  2014 may actually be different. The recent acquisition and signing of Curtis Granderson  shows at least a minimal effort on the part of ownership to give the fans a better team.  But one has to wonder if this was done simply to placate the fans, who would have no reason to go to the ballpark without serious upgrades this year ,  or are they really trying  to build a winner in New York . If they are really committed  they certainly have a lot more work to do regarding trades , free agency signings , and player development . Granderson is a class act , an upgrade and should help the team even if  his power will be discounted hitting in homerun challenged Citi Field. The Mets got good value for their signing and did not overpay , the coffers should have plenty of money left let's see how serious the Wilpon 's are about winning . Money talks or fans should walk.

When Men Were Men

I always find it interesting when societal issues arise to watch the hysteria and the lack of clarity in analyzing what's appropriate for our culture. The most recent bullying issue involving the Miami Dolphins is just the most recent example of this. It is very clear what happened and very obvious that the infractions that occurred were culturally, personally, and professionally unacceptable. As a society we are constantly struggling to rise above are lowest common denominator and exhibit behavior reminiscent of a more intellectually advanced society. We are constantly condemning gay bashing abuse towards women and racial profiling as unethical and unacceptable in our society, yet somehow when this abuse occurs in a professional football locker room it's somehow less than terrible. The talking heads on the radio and television have actually raised the question as to whether the simple solution would have been for the victim to punch the other person in the mouth as the proper way of correcting this injustice. Better yet I would prefer a dual at Dawn with pistols at 10 yards. Martin the victim, tried to be a good soldier and work through this abuse and when he couldn't take it anymore he did the appropriate thing, and went to his superiors and the powers to be to correct the situation that had gotten out of control. When people start making death threats and threatening your family, ignoring the situation is impossible. Rather than respecting Martin's professionalism and class in some circles he has somehow been cast as a snitch and male content because he tried to take care of the situation by taking the high road. It's amazing to me that this is the kind of message some of these talking heads are trying to send. If this situation had occurred at a high school a workplace environment a private office or anywhere else there would be no question about how to handle it and the solution would not be to have a mud wrestling match in the middle of the office or hospital or school room; but because it's football we have to solve this man to man. I'm all for being tough, defending yourself, taking responsibility for your actions, and not letting people intimidate you, but going to superiors rather than using a gun, smashing someone in the face, or killing a person does not mean you did the wrong thing. Crosby Stills Nash and & Young have a song called "Teach Your Children Well ". We are taught our society is only evolved if we are able to gain justice for all, how we do this also speaks to our character and our commitment to that idea. Martin is trying to do it the right way. He should be supported not criticized...

Locked And Loaded

Professional sports has always been an  escape for all of us, its been an arena for all of us to forget our daily troubles and fantasize about being the hero of the day. As as we have seen Sports has become more and more about drug use, gun violence, assault charges, broken contracts, trash talking, and other illegal activities making it more about our society's problems then actual wins and losses. The topic of the day and what seems to be a perpetual obsession with this subject is steroids in baseball, we have been talking about it for a number of years at this point, but there are actually bigger problems than that in sports. The NFL the originators of steroid use, and who have managed beautifully to erase that fact from their history, have a much bigger and more deadly problem than any sport has ever faced. GUN USE...Gun violence in the NFL has become epidemic. It seems that having a gun is a must in the NFL...A right of  passage. No gun no fun. Most of the time the players guns are not even legally owned. The violence and deaths caused by these gun owning players and other arrests for assault, rape etc. have made the NFL's logo in some circles stand for National Felony League. Aaron Hernandez's arrest for murder is just the latest example of violent crimes committed by  NFL players. Not long ago the Cincinnati Bengals in one season had 11 players arrested on felony charges. Since the end of the 2013 season 28 NFL players have been charged with felonies. Unfortunately many of the crimes that these players commit are murder. Just ask OJ, Ray Lewis or Jason Williams to name a few. Wife beatings, assaults and rapes only add to the problem. The problem may start as early as when these players hang out with gang members while playing in the league, or come from that background originally. Maybe it is the steroids kicking in over time. It really doesn't matter how the problem started the issue at hand is that these players are literally locked and loaded and ready to rock n roll is always a bad combination. Mix in a street gang mentality and it's only a matter of time until someone's laying stiff and cold on the ground. Guns are a problem in our everyday society, in the NFL they have become a way of life.  What's the most remarkable thing about this is that the league has been able to continue to wave a flag of marketing heroism, ignoring this problem and avoiding the reality that the victims lives have made so apparent. Steroid use in baseball and other sports is a terrible thing for the integrity of the games, but it's not a life and death result when things go wrong. I'd rather have steroids running through my veins then lead running through my body. The NFL cannot hide anymore. Criminal records and gun possession should not be part of a prospects resume, the NFL needs to enforce stricter background checks and personal interviews to eliminate some of these issues before other people die. Coaches, General Managers, and owners need to take responsibility for this epidemic. Gifted athletes have always been given a pass, passing on this issue now, only means more funerals.

The Blind Reality

When did our society begin to lose its grip on common sense and start to let reality become a secondary factor in our lives. That specific date could be hard to pinpoint but it's clearly on exhibit at Wimbledon with its current tournament seedings on display. As a society we have become dependent on computers for information , data and other technological information that helps us  evolve technologically to a supposed better place. That is all fine and good to a point  but when we allow  computers to make  the decisions strictly on binary numbers in their database as a society we are in big trouble. The movie "Fail Safe " was a example how life threatening letting computers make our decisions and run our lives can be. I understand a tennis tournaments seedings is not a life or death situation or even something that people should possibly stress over but it still is an example of have ludicrous computers can make our reality.  Rafael Nadal just won the French Open  by beating the top player in the world Djokovic. He is clearly one of the top two players in the world and has been for a number of years but because he hasn't played a full schedule  because of injury and his point total in the computer is not at the top level he was seeded 5th in the tournament. Two of the people he beat in the French Open to win the title  are seeded  ahead of him, in particular the person he beat in the semi's and in the finals. The best match of the tournament and in  essence what could be considered the finals very likely could be played as a quarter final match. This does a disservice to the players  , the patrons, the sponsors  ,  and the tournament in general. It also represents and un even playing field and ultimately makes the credibility of the tournament  a joke.. Computers are our friends they are not supposed to be our masters. The tail is not supposed to wag the dog. Not to digress too far but maybe the BCS National Championship game would have been competitive and not a joke competitively if the people in charge were not controlled by the computer rankings.. Enough said now I have to let my computer help me send this to you.

The False Truth

Being a sports fan is a constant challenge and a relationship that can be a love affair or drive someone crazy. If you are a Met fan this dichotomy is always in play. Let's be clear about the New York Mets, they are clearly a very poorly run franchise, they are a big market team that never seems willing to dig into their pockets to provide talent on the field or for the fans. The front office doesn't seem to have a plan in place or a direction that is consistent for winning over time. They ask their fans to be loyal which they are even when the results on the field are never positive for very long. Met fans are constantly waiting for their next minor leaguer to be a star or the next win streak however short it may be. Last year their season revolved around RA Dicky, this year this season so far has revolved around Matt Harvey and the sweep of the Yankees. It was a wonderful weekend for the Mets as they established themselves as a real team at least for 4 days against the Yankees. Then, unfortunately, they went to Miami and got swept by the worst team in baseball, once again reminding Met fans of the reality of their team. For the Mets 50+ years of existence and the overall winning % is .478. and therein lies the rub. Met fans level of expectation is never high enough or demanding enough. Unfortunately over the years their season revolves around a couple of good players, one good week, one big series win over the season and that seems to be enough to placate the owners and many of their fans. It's not that their fans don't want more they just don't expect it because of the history of the team and it's front office. The bar is raised too low and the Mets are given a pass by the media, the newspapers and everyone else who does not demand this large market franchise with deep pockets provide a better product for the fans. If this was the Red Sox or the Yankees or the Dodgers or even the Cubs there would be revolution in the streets, but the local media and other major outlets never criticize the Mets for there ineptness. What other franchise with their own cable network would have the nerve to provide as bad a product as the Mets do on a nightly basis? Met fans, and God bless them, are always sold the idea that next year will be better and it never is. After coming off a terrible year in 2012 the Mets off season plans and subsequent talent acquisition amounted to nothing. But that's okay because they don't have to answer questions to the general public about their unwillingness to try and improve the team. Maybe the owners really do care, but if you continue to show a total lack of effort to improve your product you either don't care or you're clueless about how to do it, either way you are selling a flea circus to the public and asking them to care.
Mets fans deserve better.

The Need For Change

As a life long Ranger fan it was very difficult to watch the slow death the Rangers experienced at the hands of the Boston Bruins. There are many questions surrounding the Rangers moving forward. Maybe they just weren't good enough to advance past the Bruins or maybe their mistakes finally caught up to them against a better team then Washington. Staal and Clowe being out certainty didn't help. And of course their power play speaks for itself. Obviously these are some of the issues that jump out at you, but I think the problems go deeper. I think the issues with this team are also systematic and have to fall on the doorstep of the head coach John Tortorella.  He is a taxing coach to play for and his system leaves virtually no room for error. His defense minded strategies leave his goalie alone and a target for teams to virtually tee off on while his other players try to block shots and defend the shooting lanes. This might be viable at the end of the game while trying to protect a lead but as a game in game out strategy it puts tremendous pressure on the goalie and exhausts the defense. It can win games but never allows your team to get a big lead and close out games early by scoring multiple goals. His team's margin for error is virtually non-existent. Maybe that's the reason John Tortorella has never won a playoff series in less than seven games. Good teams have the ability to step up the level of play and distance themselves during the course of the game so that they have some breathing room , and  can make a mistake without  it costing  them the game. Tortorella's conservative restrictive game also limits his more creative players, Gabrek, Richards, Nash, etc. The Rangers pay huge money for these players and then they are forced to fit into a system that limits their creativity and therefore their ability to score. Once again systematic limitations. Their power play is also systematically inept , they try to shoot from the point, other teams get better angles and more open ice moving side to side and not front to back. Teams know how to defend the Rangers because their power play is unimaginative. How can a coach go this far into a season and fail at this aspect of the game and not make adjustments. That is one of John Tortorella's problems, he is also arrogant stubborn and spiteful... His teams play hard for him but I'm not sure whether it's out of respect or fear. I find it interesting that John Tortorella  has problems coaching the biggest stars on the team, maybe it's not their problem maybe it's his, or more to the point his system. Great coaches succeed overtime because of their ability to adjust to game situations and change their philosophies based on their talent and depth. Tortorella has left a path of destruction in his wake. He has a resume, Conference Finals last year Final 8 this year, a past Stanley Cup championship in Tampa. But it's always with a price. In addition, he is poisonous to the media as well, why? The biggest problem now is the best player on the team King Henrik doesn't seem to want to play for him or the Ranger's anymore, maybe it's because they are too systematically challenged !!!

An Important Non-Event

Jason Collins did it, he "came out " and in doing so dragged the professional Sports community (kicking and Screaming) into the 21st Century. Thank you Jason . Thank G-d that's finally over. For many of us in the world this is no big deal , long over due , and a great step forward for human decency and equality..Collins should be respected and congratulated and the world should just move on. Unfortunately there still lots of Neanderthals and bigots still in the world. Their continued ignorance will become apparent but hopefully not affect the progress our society is making regarding this issue.The ironic part of this is that there are still many gays existing in locker rooms and have been all along , so their existence  in locker rooms has already been a non event. It's like sports writers saying they won't vote for steroid users for the Hall of Fame. Of course they will , they just won't know it because the player wasn't outed. Our society is complex and varied , we can split the atom. , send data around the world in mili seconds , put up with Dictators , ignore wars , etc. Maybe its time we put being Gay in its proper place , as a non event.

Our Heroes Last Forever

In this day and age the word " Hero " is a word that should be carefully used. Heroess can come in all shapes and sizes and can be found in all arenas of life. People's hero's are different for different people, they can be a teacher, a soldier, a father, mother, brother or sister, just to name a few. Every crisis we deal with as a Society always identifies new ones. One of our great escapes as a Society is sports, and there are hero's there as well. Where ever they are found hero's all fit the same definition. Simply put,  they go the extra mile, they make the great sacrifice for the greater good. Our hero's in sports are a reference point " for all that is good and can be again " ( Field of Dreams ), their deeds stay with us forever. Some athletes are embraced by everyone no matter who there home team is, Michael Jordan, Lou Gehrig, Jim Brown, Arnold Palmer, etc. Please add to that list Derek Jeter. No one is respected more by friend or foe than Derek Jeter. The biggest Sawx fan I know likes DJ. It's hard not to, no one sets a standard higher than Jeter on how to play the game, how to handle the press, how to respect your opponent, and how to carry yourself both professionally and personally. But his biggest and best character trait is his commitment to the greater good, his team, his organization, and to winning in general. He doesn't know the word I he only knows the word we. All throughout his career he has been known as someone who will sacrifice anything and do whatever it takes to win. That's why Derek Jeter is in his current situation, he played on a bad ankle he should have been healing for the future. There's no question he was putting his career at risk knowing his ankle at the very least was terribly fragile and at the very worst fractured, but he did what heroes always do, they sacrifice themselves for the greater good and unfortunately he's paying the price for that now. Jeter had an opportunity to possibly set all time records in baseball history for hits and other statistics, but that meant nothing to him, sacrificing to help his team win did. His Hall of Fame career speaks for itself, the sad thing is, his career will be shortened, but as Hero's so often do they save their best for last. Let's hope there is a last hurrah.  Here's to our hero's ...

An Unfamiliar Outlook

Well it's that time of year again and we've all heard the phrase "Hope Springs Eternal " and for Yankee fans who are used to good things that phrase  truly falls on deaf ears. The Yankees fell on hard times following the 1964 World Series with the Cardinals and again in 1981 after the loss to the Dodgers; but since 1996 it's been one hell of a ride. Maybe this year is the pay back. There's no question the Yankees  are not the same team they have been for the last decade. This Yankee team maybe the weakest opening day lineup they have ever had.
     There are many reasons for this. Obviously one reason is the obscene amount of injuries they have had to their star players, but there are other reasons as well. The Yankees have decided to go on an austerity kick. There are actually solid reasons for this strategy, not the least of which would put $50,000,000 dollars in their pockets if their budgets stays at $189,000,000 dollars or less for the next 2 years..not to mention the luxury tax they won't have to pay for spending all that extra money. In addition their farm system has failed to produce any significant players for easily more than a decade. What happened to the killer B' s, then add in the trade of Jose Montero for an injured overweight Pineda, just to name few. Other teams manage to develop good young players just ask Tampa Bay or Washington or Oakland. The Yankees have been used to filling  their holes by paying lucrative contracts to establish stars. That continues to work only if you continue to spend. Eventually something's gotta give which is what the Yankees are experiencing now. Unfortunately all of these factors have come together to create the perfect storm for the Yankees. It will be a very difficu
lt year for the Yankee organization who very possibly will miss the playoffs this season. Fortunately for the Yankees they represent the biggest and best brand in all of sports. This is not an opinion it's a fact. The Yankees are worth over $2.3 billion dollars.. the closest franchise to them is the Dodgers @ $1.6 billion..As Annie in Bull Durham said.." you can look it up"...  As I said the Yankees will have a difficult time making the playoffs this year and may have some lean years ahead while they rebuild their team  but nobody's going to have to hold a Charity Event for them..

Out of Bounds

No sport is more strictly governed by rules and regulations than the sport of golf. Because of that it's totally hypocritical and dysfunctional that the PGA has not ruled on VJ Sings admitted use of ( Deer Antler ) spray..It has been roughly 6 weeks since his disclosure  Enough time to investigate anything much less someone who has already admitted using the spray. The PGA has remained mysteriously silent after promising a speedy resolution to this violation. They constantly talk about the integrity of their sport,  and have proved that nobody is above rules with their constant stroke penalty enforcement for rules violations on the course, tee time DQ's, etc. But so far VJ is skating. Why? Maybe they really don't believe in their drug policy , or don't know how to enforce it. Maybe VJ 's too big to fail (not). Whatever the reason the tour is running scared and proving they do not have the conviction of their rules . Whether they give him a pass or fine or suspend him they need to make a decision for the integrity of the game..To allow him to continue to play with no formal statement or explanation from the PGA OF AMERICA... It's more than a penalty shot... It's out of bounds.

Border Wars

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Every sport has it’s special rivalries and big games, sometimes the sport itself is identified by it's match ups and final results. Red Sox-Yankees, Cardinals -Cubs, Giants-Cowboys, Celtics-Lakers, Palmer-Nicklaus. Federer-Nadal, etc. In a sport always struggling for attention and clearly not the main attraction for the majority of the sporting world, there is still a matchup that compares to all the rest, and thank goodness for that, the other sports have their rivalries, this sport has it's Border Wars...The best thing that could have happened for the NHL lies ahead of us Rangers vs Devils. I probably could just leave it at that but who can resist. Forget all the previous match ups and 7^th game heroics, forget all the stars that have done the dance already Messier, Gretzky, Graves, Danyko, Broduer, and so on. Forget that the Devils won cups when the Rangers were a struggling franchise, and still didn't really compare to the Broadway Blues. Forget everything. What makes this so dramatic is that these Teams really don't like each other, because these teams are neighbors at perpetual war, because New York and New Jersey really are different. Maybe instead of the new Series Hatfields and McCoy’s the network should just show the Rangers and Devils. Any way you slice it is as Charles Dickens said “it will be the best of times and the worst of times for all the fans on both sides . Lace em up boys....

The Thin Line

Professional Sports is a wonderful thing. It is the ultimate (and only real) reality show. The different sports serve our needs for friendship, competition, justice, violence, and validation just to name a few. It’s the great escape and who doesn’t need some of that in the crazy world we live in. But for the athletes it’s very different, to them it’s job first and a game second. Hopefully the little boy in all of them, the thing that made them play to begin with, never leaves their side.

Ultimately professional sports come down to one’s performance and how much someone is willing to pay for it. A player is always one bad year, or one bad injury, from being let go. That scenario is a cruel and hard fact of all professional sports and there in lies the rub for all pro athletes. How far do I go in risking my career for one game?  How far do I push an injury?  How much pain makes sense? In the movie “North Dallas 40” there is a scene which encompasses a pro player’s duality of existence. The player says to his coach when management wants us to go the extra mile or play hurt, you tell us we should do it for the team and the love of the game, but when we are hurt or used up, you tell us sorry we have to let you go but I’m sure you understand it’s a business….

     The New York Giants just released Ahmad Bradshaw . . . a true warrior who played hurt and gave his all every week and made the Giants a lot better. He truly went above and beyond the normal sacrifice, in pain and commitment.  The Giants had to make a decision about his future and decided his price tag was too high to take the risk for next year, so they released him. Bradshaw brought class, guts and heart to the team. He could have protected his future and not play hurt, but true heroes don’t do that. Are the Giants wrong?  Not really but it doesn’t really make them right, either,

Over The Edge

Has Boston totally lost their minds?  I guess the worst September collapse in baseball history might do that to you. The one thing that is guaranteed when you hire Bobby V is that it will never be dull. Controversial, obnoxious, contentous, carnival-like, and yes, sometimes entertaining, but never dull. If Valentine is such a baseball Genius, how come he has been basically blackballed from MLB for so long?  Simple . . . he's an A--hole.  Nobody can be that good a manager and interview for as many jobs as he has, but not be hired.  Nobody wants to take the risk.  And here come the Red Sox, desperate to take the limelight off their September collapse and away from the frat house that substituted for their clubhouse.   And what better way to do it than start a new Circus?  That's what they've done . . . Of all places to insert a dysfunctional and controversial sports figure, Boston's dysfunctional circus like locker room would have to be the worst place.  One thing's for sure, it won't be boring, and Boston is always a threat to win it all as they have enough talent (maybe) and usually they are tough to beat.   Maybe the V man is the answer . . . he can manage well when he's not being crazy and maybe the players will respond to him.  But if you ask me, it's like putting Nitro Glycerin on a roller coaster . . . it's just a matter of time.

Time For PGA Players To Belly Up To Rule

As everyone has said this is a complicated issue and certainly a slippery slope for the PGA R&A and USGA. Be that as it may, the fact is that although these putters have been in place for a long time they definitely represent a change in the way people are allowed to play the game. The old guard in general was not allowed to use long putters and therefore competed in a way that current players are not required to adhere to, making the dynamics that are necessary to win a tournament different today than they were in the past. We have all missed our share of 2 and 3 footers and if we think about it more often then not the reason is nerves. There is no question that in every sport that is part of the game that players have to master to lessen that demand lessens the game and the accomplishment itself. The fact that the putters have been integrated into the game to this degree is unfortunate, the issue in my opinion should have been dealt with long before today. If the purity of the game and the traditional way of playing it is based in part on a free swinging club, then that's the way the game should be enforced, if for no other reason than to keep the structure and format uniform moving forward. There are other issues and concerns for the governing bodies of golf to address such as driving distance, restricted flight balls etc. For better or worse this is the hot topic of moment and the reality is the lag time until 2016 should give all those afflicted more than enough time to adjust to a normal conventional putter. Golf is a great game and it's experiencing the most popularity and worldwide growth in it's history, hopefully this controversy will not derail that growth so here's hoping for the best...

And The Beat Goes On...

Once again the general public is being asked to tolerate another offensive ignorant slur upon the innocent. This time it comes in the form of a baseball manager who in the past has already shown his propensity to not only exacerbate a situation but create his own controversy just because he's Ossie. He has mentioned Castro before, and his famous tirade against a Chicago reporter is legendary. Between using every gay slur he could use against the reporter and using the F word, constantly he shows a complete lack of class and integrity. He was required by MLB to complete sensitivity training after his gay bashing incident, obviously it didn't take. Ossie identifies with Castro because he views himself in the same manner. A controversial leader who has a me against the world mentality, How else could one identify with a despot like Castro who has been killing, executing, imprisoning and excelling Cubans for 50 years. The only difference between the truly horrific dictators like Hitler, Kohmeni etc. is he managed to survive for all this time. Ossie looks at that as some sort of great achievement. A very twisted analysis of those 50 years.

For all those who think this is a freedom of speech issue, wake up. Gullin exercised his freedom of speech rights in spades, if he was in Cuba he would have been executed by his idol. Freedom of speech exercised does not guarantee favorable results.

Firing or not firing Gullin will be a result of how badly the Marlins are affected at the gate. The sad thing is that a man with such limited emotional capabilities has been given this position of authority and is being paid so much money for his ignorance. If one was to consider the source of these comments it would be easy to chalk it off to a complete lack of education, intelligence and sensitivity. That's who Ozzie is and has been forever..A carnival barker who keeps your team in the limelight (Rex Ryan anyone). Unfortunately when Ozzie speaks people get hurt. The Marlins may be stuck with him due to their financial guarantees of his contract, which is their penance for hiring him to begin with. As usual the pain incidents like these cause don't really go away they just leave scars. Ozzie has scarred the Miami community, the Marlins His Family, Baseball, and Himself, but the enablers will give him a pass (Mike Lupica) because he said he's sorry. Sorry only works when you learn from your past mistakes, sorry Ozzie you haven't learned....

Hail Brittanica

Isn’t the BritishOpen supposed to be the Holy Grail of Golf? Isn’t it supposed to be the romantic history of this silly game we all wish we could play? Well I used to believe that, but now I’m not so sure. Yes the Scots invented the game and yes they should be given credit, but now the Open championship seems to be determined more by the weather than the competition... I’ve always enjoyed the fact that a little wind and rain presented a challenge and made golf more romantic in its endeavor. The Open was different for that reason and therefore truly unique and storied. That’s fine, but where do you draw the line. 40 mph winds and torrential rains is not romantic or competitive.

Player’s scores are determined more by their tee times than how they play. I’ve watched Tom Watson play in a monsoon in the morning and Mickelson play in 60 degree sunshine in the afternoon. That certainly is not a level playing field. How sad it was to watch Sandy Lyle a past Champion walk of the course a few years ago because the conditions were so severe. Basically he said playing in those conditions was ridiculous.

Most recently Rory McElroy had similar comments. It’s not that weather can never come into play as I said weather is part of the Open, but the R&A needs to know where to draw the line. They seemed obsessed with never halting play no matter how bad the conditions. The biggest problem is the credibility of the tournament. You can’t have people playing 2 extremely different weather related courses, and consider it a fair and level playing field. The winner of the “Holy Grail” should not be decided by his Tee Time

The Long And Winding Road

AJ, AJ, AJ…..The time has come. AJ Burnett’s most recent performance has made it abundantly clear it’s time for the Yankees to move on and make any decision that’s necessary to sever their ties with Mr. Burnett. This isn’t personal or reactionary; I have been a supporter up until now and believe Burnett has actually pitched more consistently this year, until his most recent meltdowns. The issue for the Yankees is to evaluate what to do now. Burnett’s recent implosion against what amounts to be a minor league roster (Twins) was completely unprofessional. There is really no excuse to go out and pitch without any focus, and have no ability to throw strikes at all. What this proves to me is that after all the cajoling from the coaching staff, all the support from his manager and teammates, and the patience that has been shown to him, AJ Burnett is incapable of performing at the major league level for any consistent period. of time. Like Forrest Gump said about his famous Box of Chocolates “You never know what you’re gonna get”. Forget about the fact that that the Yankees are more than 100 games over .500 during Burnett’s tenure and he is under .500 with wins and losses, or that he hasn’t won a game in the month of August for 2 years. The basic definition of a professional athlete is his ability to perform regularly at the same high level from day to day. That’s what separates them from the rest of us wanna-bees. Burnett has proven over time that he cannot do that. That’s why the Yankees need to somehow get rid of him, Maybe a trade where they absorb some of his contract, maybe an outright release, and eat the contract, They are better off bringing up one of the Killer B’s from their farm system and giving them some experience. Like Michael said to Sonny, "It’s not personal it’s strictly business"…