So the Red Sox just won the World Series again. I didn't think this day could get any worse. Then there's the breaking news that Alex Rodriguez, the man that had finally won over the fans of New York and proclaimed his love of playing in New York, has decided to opt out of the final three years of his contract.
As a diehard Yankee fan, I was devestated when I first saw the A-Rod news. Then I read the reported reasons. My mood changed to 'to hell with A-Rod.'
The article on ESPN.com says that A-Rod opted out because of the uncertainty of the free agents of the Yankees. The players he's all of a sudden concerned about are Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte.
So logically, to show your concern, the best thing to do is to bail on them?
Listen Alex (and Mr. Boras, if you'd like, you can listen to), if you were really concerned about whether the Yankees brought those players back, you should have called all three of them up and said "if you come back, I will come back. We have something good here, so let's keep it together."
You're not fooling anybody. You don't give a hoot about Jorge, Mo or Andy. All you and Scott care about is having the biggest contract in sports. Now that David Beckham has a $250 million contract, you feel the need to top that, even though technically, your current contract was worth more when you signed it.
You're not fooling us. You never cared about any of the players on the Yankees.
This is a perfect example of why Derek Jeter will always be twice the man you'll ever hope to be. Derek will go to Jorge, Mo and Andy and tell them the right move is to come back. He's not going to go to Cashman and say "I'm worried about Jorge, Mo and Andy not coming back, so before you attempt to re-sign them, I want to be traded." Derek would go on recruiting trips for Cashman if he was asked to.
Alex, I hope you find happiness in whichever city you decide to go to. But remember, for as long as you live, you will be remembered as a loser and a quitter in New York. That's something nobody can live down, even if you hit 800 home runs.
Take it easy,
Ali
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
There is Hope after all
A little over three weeks ago, I called for the firing of Greg Ryan, the coach of the U.S. Women's soccer team, after he benched the current and unscored upon goalie, Hope Solo, for the grizzlie veteran, Briana Scurry. I wonder if someone read that posting.
If only I had that kind of influence.
Either way, come January 1st, Ryan wont have to decide between Solo and Scurry.
When the goal of the team is to win every game, and a decision made by the coach costs his team a chance to win, the coach has to go. It was the right move, and I commend U.S. soccer president Sunil Gulati for doing what was right for the team.
I defended Solo and her comments, and by firing Ryan, Gulati backed up his goalie. Most people in the media ripped Solo for speaking out, but she was right, and this move proves it.
Take It Easy,
Ali
If only I had that kind of influence.
Either way, come January 1st, Ryan wont have to decide between Solo and Scurry.
When the goal of the team is to win every game, and a decision made by the coach costs his team a chance to win, the coach has to go. It was the right move, and I commend U.S. soccer president Sunil Gulati for doing what was right for the team.
I defended Solo and her comments, and by firing Ryan, Gulati backed up his goalie. Most people in the media ripped Solo for speaking out, but she was right, and this move proves it.
Take It Easy,
Ali
Sunday, October 7, 2007
George, back from the dead...
BREAKING NEWS: George Steinbrenner is, somehow, still alive!
Yes folks, The Boss, is still here. And today, he announced his resurrection with a profound bang.
If the Yankees don't win the next three game, start with the game starting momentarily, Joe Torre will be looking for a new job, just like Jim Tracy and possibly Tony La Russa.
I've been a huge supporter of The Boss over the years. I think he has been unfairly criticized by the media and fans of other teams for his spending. It's his money, there is no salary cap in baseball, so stop whining.
I've loved just about everything about George. The win-or-else mentality. The spend-at-all-costs way of doing business.
But I hate how he puts all the blame on Joe Torre. No other manager would be able to do the job that Torre does. No other manager, not even Sweet Lou Pinella, would have been able to get this year's Yankees out of the rut they were in at the end of May. Torre stayed calm, knowing that eventually the stockpile of talent on the team would wake up.
Torre has the respect of these Yankees. They trust him. He has a bond with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera that a new manager will not have, and probably will never have. The other veterans are comfortable with Torre, and firing him would be a colossal mistake.
Hopefully, this is just a scare tactic in an attempt to light a fire under the Yankees, who are on the brink of elimination. With the hole the Yankees have dug themselves, it probably wont work, and George will have put himself into a position where he has to fire Torre.
Yankees fans need to hope for one of three things to happen:
1. The Yankees stage a miracle comeback by winning three straight, including a Game 5 in Gnat-Land.
2. Brian Cashman grows a set of onions, and publicly backs Torre, stating that Torre isn't going anywhere. And lastly...
3. Before he has a chance to hand Torre his pink slip, Steinbrenner dies, thus bringing sanity back to the Bronx Bombers.
Sadly, I don't think either of those three things will happen, and a combination of Steinbrenner sticking by his words and Torre finally being fed up with having his job dangled in front of the Yankees playoff success, will part ways.
The Yankees will then bring back Torre on Opening Day 2008, where he will get the longest standing ovation in recent memory. Following that, there will be a long chant of "Fuck You George" by the Yankee faithful, showing their support for Torre.
Yes folks, The Boss, is still here. And today, he announced his resurrection with a profound bang.
If the Yankees don't win the next three game, start with the game starting momentarily, Joe Torre will be looking for a new job, just like Jim Tracy and possibly Tony La Russa.
I've been a huge supporter of The Boss over the years. I think he has been unfairly criticized by the media and fans of other teams for his spending. It's his money, there is no salary cap in baseball, so stop whining.
I've loved just about everything about George. The win-or-else mentality. The spend-at-all-costs way of doing business.
But I hate how he puts all the blame on Joe Torre. No other manager would be able to do the job that Torre does. No other manager, not even Sweet Lou Pinella, would have been able to get this year's Yankees out of the rut they were in at the end of May. Torre stayed calm, knowing that eventually the stockpile of talent on the team would wake up.
Torre has the respect of these Yankees. They trust him. He has a bond with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera that a new manager will not have, and probably will never have. The other veterans are comfortable with Torre, and firing him would be a colossal mistake.
Hopefully, this is just a scare tactic in an attempt to light a fire under the Yankees, who are on the brink of elimination. With the hole the Yankees have dug themselves, it probably wont work, and George will have put himself into a position where he has to fire Torre.
Yankees fans need to hope for one of three things to happen:
1. The Yankees stage a miracle comeback by winning three straight, including a Game 5 in Gnat-Land.
2. Brian Cashman grows a set of onions, and publicly backs Torre, stating that Torre isn't going anywhere. And lastly...
3. Before he has a chance to hand Torre his pink slip, Steinbrenner dies, thus bringing sanity back to the Bronx Bombers.
Sadly, I don't think either of those three things will happen, and a combination of Steinbrenner sticking by his words and Torre finally being fed up with having his job dangled in front of the Yankees playoff success, will part ways.
The Yankees will then bring back Torre on Opening Day 2008, where he will get the longest standing ovation in recent memory. Following that, there will be a long chant of "Fuck You George" by the Yankee faithful, showing their support for Torre.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
I saw the future of the Warriors flash before my eyes late last night...
...Thankfully, the future remains bright.
Last night, the top headline on ESPN.com was a breaking news story from Hawaii, where the Warriors are holding their training camp. The story said that Monta Ellis, the 21-year-old diamond in the rough, had hurt his neck during a drill, and lay prone on the ground for over 20 minutes. Reports from eye witnesses said that he had no movement in his arms and legs.
It took a while, but the Chronicle finally put something up on SFGate. Janny Hu, who was at the practice, said that Monta fell and hit his head on the hip of Brendan Wright.
The news left me with a heavy heart. Anytime we see a player suffer an injury involving the neck, we instantly think the worst. My first thought when I saw that he had hurt his neck and had no movement was that at 21, his career was over.
I'm not a religious man, but I was praying for him as I went to bed.
When I woke up, and turned on ESPN, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was the scroll on the bottom of the screen. I managed to read the last part which read something along the lines of "left hospital under own power." I didn't have to see the rest of the scroll. I knew it was about Monta. The biggest sense of relief came over me.
When it comes to sports, neck injuries terrify me. Torn tendons in a players elbow or knee can heal with surgery and inactivity. Concussions take time, but the player gets over it (until he gets hit hard again...see Steve Young) and broken bones mend themselves. But serious neck injuries can be life changing injuries. Players may walk again, but it can take years, and usually, the effects are noticable. Think Kyle Brady, Adam Taliaferro, and now, Kevin Everett. Time will tell what kind of effects Everett's injury will have on him. Doctor's think he'll walk again, but the chances are slim as to whether he'll ever play again.
Monta Ellis should be saying a million prayers, and thanking his lucky stars he doesn't have to start planning rehab assignments in order to walk again.
Last night, the top headline on ESPN.com was a breaking news story from Hawaii, where the Warriors are holding their training camp. The story said that Monta Ellis, the 21-year-old diamond in the rough, had hurt his neck during a drill, and lay prone on the ground for over 20 minutes. Reports from eye witnesses said that he had no movement in his arms and legs.
It took a while, but the Chronicle finally put something up on SFGate. Janny Hu, who was at the practice, said that Monta fell and hit his head on the hip of Brendan Wright.
The news left me with a heavy heart. Anytime we see a player suffer an injury involving the neck, we instantly think the worst. My first thought when I saw that he had hurt his neck and had no movement was that at 21, his career was over.
I'm not a religious man, but I was praying for him as I went to bed.
When I woke up, and turned on ESPN, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was the scroll on the bottom of the screen. I managed to read the last part which read something along the lines of "left hospital under own power." I didn't have to see the rest of the scroll. I knew it was about Monta. The biggest sense of relief came over me.
When it comes to sports, neck injuries terrify me. Torn tendons in a players elbow or knee can heal with surgery and inactivity. Concussions take time, but the player gets over it (until he gets hit hard again...see Steve Young) and broken bones mend themselves. But serious neck injuries can be life changing injuries. Players may walk again, but it can take years, and usually, the effects are noticable. Think Kyle Brady, Adam Taliaferro, and now, Kevin Everett. Time will tell what kind of effects Everett's injury will have on him. Doctor's think he'll walk again, but the chances are slim as to whether he'll ever play again.
Monta Ellis should be saying a million prayers, and thanking his lucky stars he doesn't have to start planning rehab assignments in order to walk again.
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