Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Joe Girardi Becomes Yankee Manager

I grew up with Don Mattingly as my idol. I own 813 single Don Mattingly cards. I'm a Mattingly fanatic; probably bordering on the stalker level.

But still, I think the hiring of Joe Girardi was the right choice for the Yankees. The team needs someone to shake them up. There's a bunch of young players who are going to be the core of the team this year and it needs someone to kick them in the ass. I'm not sure if Don Mattingly could do that.

I do think that Joe Girardi is the right person to lead the Yankees in 2008 and beyond. We'll see how it goes. It's been a weird off-season already in just a few short weeks and is only going to get much crazier.

Monday, October 29, 2007

A-Rod Opts Out

You have to question Alex Rodriguez's timing when he's announcing that he's opting out of his current contract with the Yankees on the same day that the Red Sox are sweeping the Rockies in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series. It's truly stunning timing.

Is he trying to rub salt in the wound? Does he not care about Yankees fans and did he not care about the ton of good will that he generated with Yankees fans this season?

Does he honestly believe that we believe his money grubbing agent Scott Boras when Boras says: ""Essentially Alex just didn't feel he could make any decision in the short period of time because he wanted to know the composition of the team," Boras said. "He wanted to know what Rivera and Posada and Andy Pettitte were going to do."

That's the biggest amount of bullshit I've ever heard.

If he did care about that, he would have let the Yankees select their manager (probably tomorrow) and then work to sign Posada and Rivera in the coming days. Instead, he didn't even sit down with the Yankees to discuss a contract extension. He just opted out hoping for another record contract.

In response, the new Boss Hank Steinbrenner said to the Daily News: "It's clear he didn't want to be a Yankee. He doesn't understand the privilege of being a Yankee on a team where the owners are willing to pay $200 million to put a winning product on the field. I don't want anybody on my team that doesn't want to be a Yankee."

Sounds like a gigantic line in the sand to me.

And it sounds like he certainly won't be back as a Yankee.

Congrats

I met my best friend in 1996 when we both attended the University of Maryland.

Despite the fact that I was a Yankees fan and he was a Red Sox fan, we became best friends and ended up living together for the next 7 years. ... And through those 7 years, he lived with me as the Yankees won 4 World Series.

In 1996, we lived in the same dorm room when the Yankees came back from a 2 game deficit against the Braves to win their first World Series in 15 years.

In 1998, we lived in a college suite when the 125 win Yankees swept the Braves.

Nothing changed in 1999 when the Yankees swept the Padres.

In 2000, we had graduated from college and moved onto an apartment in Arlington in time to watch the Yankees defeat their cross-town rival Mets in the World Series.

He lived through 14 straight Yankee World Series victories.

He lived through all of my gloating.

Even though we no longer live together, I had to live with it in 2004 and now I have to live with it again.

Congrats to the 2007 World Series Champion Red Sox.

Finally, the 26 Time World Series Champion Yankees have a worthy rival.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

What the Hell?

I was flipping through the channels tonight and saw that there was a game between the Red Sox and Rockies being played. I didn't realize that baseball season was still going on... Weird, huh?

Entertain Me with....Twin Peaks


I always heard a lot about Twin Peaks, but never watched it.

Whenever there's a strange movie or show on TV, it's always compared to Twin Peaks, the penultimate of weird entertainment. Even though it's a show that's right in my wheelhouse - because I love shows and movies like Push Nevada, Memento, Mulholland Drive, etc - I never watched the show. Maybe it's because it was on in 1990 when I was 13 years old and my parents wouldn't allow me to watch it....there's definitely evidence in favor of this as I mentioned to my Dad the other day that I was watching Twin Peaks and he told me that it was a messed up weird show.

Anyway, Smelmooo let me borrow the 2 hour pilot of Twin Peaks and Seasons 1 and 2 a few weeks ago and I tore through the pilot and Season 1 like the murderer who tore through Laura Palmer. The wife had initially started watching the pilot with me and soon left the room as it was just a little too weird for her as well.
Despite moments that would appear to make more sense if you were stoned, I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1. While it became quickly apparent -- at least to me -- who the killer of Laura Palmer was, the producers did a wonderful job of peeling back the layers of all of the characters to reveal their true selfs and motives.
Season 1 was really great and Smelmooo tells me that the show gets progressingly more boring as Season 2 progresses, but I am still looking forward to starting Season 2. I throughly recommend Twin Peaks to anyone looking for a murder-mystery that is slightly out of the ordinary.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Brain Buster

I normally hate forwards, but I thought this was great and wanted to share. I didn't get one of these right. How did you do?

Your Yearly Dementia Test
It's that time of year to take our annual senior citizen test. Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to gauge your loss or non-loss of intelligence. Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not. The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer. OK, relax, clear your mind and......


START......
1. What do you put in a toaster?



Answer: "bread." If you said "toast," give up now and do something else. Try not to hurt yourself.

If you said, bread, go to Question 2.

2. Say "silk" five times.
Now spell "silk."


What do cows drink?
Answer: Cows drink water.


If you said "milk," don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World. However, if you said "water", proceed to question 3.

3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a greenhouse made from?

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass.

If you said "green bricks," why are you still reading these??? If you said "glass," go on to Question 4.


4. It's twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany. (If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany.) Anyway, during the flight, two engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately the engine fails before he can do so and the plane fatally crashes smack in the middle of "no man's land" between East Germany and West Germany. Where would you bury the survivors? East Germany,West Germany, or no man's land"?

Answer: You don't bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you're a dunce and you must stop. If you said, "You don't bury survivors", proceed to the next question. 5. Without using a calculator -

You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales.
In London, 17 people get on the bus. In Reading, six people get off the bus and nine people get on.
In Swindon, two people get off and four get on.
In Cardiff, 1 1 people get off and 16 people get on.
In Swansea, three people get off and five people get on.
In Carmathen, six people get off and three get on.
You then arrive at Milford Haven.
What was the name of the bus driver?


Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own name? It was YOU!! Now pass this along to all your friends and pray they do better than you.
PS: 95% of people fail most of the questions

Monday, October 22, 2007

Pumpkin Carving



Prior to yesterday's Giants game, the wife and I carved our Halloween pumpkins. I thought both turned out great!!



Sunday, October 21, 2007

Big Blue Defense Rules Again in 33-15 Victory

It sure has been a different Giants defense since Week 2 of the NFL season.

Today against the San Francisco 49ers, the Giants defense gave up 15 points. They racked up another 6 sacks. And they terrorized backup QB Trent Dilfer all day long.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Osi Umeniyora made the play of the game forcing Niners QB Trent Dilfer to fumble. Osi then returned the ball 77 yards for a TD. At the time, the Niners were trailing by 12, but were putting together an early 2nd half scoring drive before Dilfer fumbled at the Giants 15 yard line. It was definitely the play the shored up the game for the Giants.

The Giants offense played well enough to stay ahead of the Niners inept offense the whole day. It all added up to a solid, convincing 33-15 win for the Giants against the Niners. All week long -- and probably for the last 2 weeks - the NYC media has talked about potential trap games prior to the Giants Week 9 bye.

Last week they talked about a possible loss to the Falcons in Atlanta. Didn't happen. ...

This week, the NYC media talked about how this was exactly the type of trap game that the Giants usually lose. Didn't happen this time either.

The team, lead by their stellar defense certainly has been a breath of fresh air. I've mentioned it before and I'll say it again. In the first two games, the defense gave up a ridiculous 80 points. During the Giants 5-game winning streak, the team defense has given up 53 points - not counting the 17 points the Giants gave up on special teams and blunders on offense. That's solid.

Next week, the Giants head to jolly old England to face the winless Miami Dolphins (0-7) at the new Wembley Stadium in London. Is this another potential trap game before the bye? We'll see.

I'm definitely excited about how this season is going so far for the Giants.

Friday, October 19, 2007

What I Think ...

I definitely think that the Yankees brass knew that Torre would reject the contract offer and they offered it to him to save face with Yankees fans and players so they could say that they tried to bring the manager back and Torre rejected their offer. Of course it's now backfiring on the Yankees in the eyes of the media, who are calling team officials a bunch of scumbags, but it is interesting how it turned out.

It's kinda like in High School, when you heard through the grapevine that your girlfriend was going to break up with you, so to save face you went ahead and broke up with her before she had the chance to break up with you...Not like that ever happened to me or anything ...

Thursday, October 18, 2007

I'm in Shock Right Now

I am in an utter state of shock, right now. As I do on most days, I listened to WFAN in NYC all day in the hopes of hearing some news about the Joe Torre situation. Around 3 p.m., WFAN started reporting that The Newark Star Ledger was reporting that Torre was in Tampa ready to re-sign with the team. Mike and the Mad Dog talked about it for a full hour about how great it was that Torre was back. I too, was excited about it as I wanted Torre to re-sign with the team.

WFAN informed its listening audience that the Yankees had planned a conference call at 4 p.m. today and the station would play excerpts of the call after it happened. Figuing that it was a foregone conclusion, I started letting my friends, neighbors and Dad know that the Yankees were about the announce that Torre was returning.

Well, the Yankees shocked the world by announcing on the call that Torre had rejected the Yankees 1 year offer at a reduced salary. I'm sure taking a pay cut was a kick in the face for Torre and he decided to tell the Yankees to fuck off. In a way, I think it was the right move for him. The Yankees shouldn't have treated a manager that led them to 12 straight postseasons like that.
While I'm upset that he's not coming back as manager, I hope that this doesn't hurt Torre's relationship with the Yankees long term. I would really like to see them retire his No. 6 in Monument Park and have a Joe Torre Day at the Stadium, when the hubbub from this shocking announcement today dies down.

Maybe it was time for a change...but I surely wasn't ready for it.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

What Yankee Brass Had for Dinner

I'm refreshing ESPN.com, NYPost.com, NYDailyNews.com every minute or so, while at the same time watching WFAN on the YES network...all while doing real work, mind you.... so I guess I'm partly to blame for the crazy coverage that this Joe Torre situation is getting the last couple days.

Member of the NY media are huddled outside the homes of Joe Torre and George Steinbrenner. They are camped out at Legends Field where internal Yankee meetings are being held to decide what the 2008 Yankees look like.

And since there hasn't been much news the last couple of days on the subject, media members have now resorted to reporting who they saw walk into the meetings, what the exact time was, who went to dinner with who the night before, what they might have discussed, what they might have worn to the dinner and if Anna Nicole Smith's ghost joined them for dessert....okay, I made that last one up.

Bottom line is that the coverage of the Torre situation this last week has been downright ridiculous. ...and no doubt due to the insatiable thirst for news on the Torre situation by millions of Yankees fans, including yours truly.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Four Years Since Boone's Historic Home Run


Four years ago today, Aaron Boone hit one of the biggest homeruns in Yankee history in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. I was at the game. And I remember that moment like it was yesterday.

I found out about going to the game the day before, took off early from work and paid $50 to attend the greatest game that I will ever attend in my life...I just didn't know it at the time.
I remember vividly that a pipe burst in NYC that day and caused tremendous backups on roads into the City. A trip that would usually have taken 1 1/2 hours tops, took 3 hours. Once we finally got into the Stadium, there was a ridiculous buzz in the air. Future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens was facing Future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in the game and we were sure that it was going to be a pitchers duel.

By the second inning though, Clemens was knocked out of the game - sound familiar? - and Mike Mussina came in to save the series for the Yankees.
Down by five early in the game, the Yankees started to come back led by two homeruns by Jason Giambi. The Yankees finally tied the game in the 8th inning off a bloop single by Jorge Posada and the Stadium was buzzing again.

The game didn't end until the bottom of the 11th inning when Boone took the first pitch from knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and blasted it into the night. As the pitch was leaving Wakefield's hand, I remember telling my friend Chris how much Boone sucked. The words had barely left my mouth before Boone connected with the pitch. What followed was complete and utter madness.

I have never before been in a brighter or louder place in my life. It was a truly ridiculous moment that I'll never forget. And I can't believe it's already been four years.

Giants Beat Vick-Less Falcons, 31-10


Nice 31-10 win by the Giants last night against the Michael Vick-less Falcons. It was a game thast we were supposed to win and we won it. Still though, it didn't leave a good taste in my mouth because the Giants didn't play a full 60 minutes again.

The defense played like ferocious pit bulls last night, giving up only 10 points, sacking Falcons QB Joey Harrington 4 times and pressuring him multiple times. After giving up 80 points in the first two games of the year, the defense has given up 54 points in the last four games.
On the offensive side of the ball though, the Giants offense didn't play a full 60 minutes. Eli was really great in the first half, throwing 12 consecutive completions. On the night, he threw 2 TDs and 300+ yards. He did though make 2 dumb interceptions and fumbled the ball once. For 75% of the game, he looked like his brother Peyton Manning. For the other 25%, he looked like Joey Harrington.

Plaxico had another great game scoring his league leading 8 TD on the season. Amani Toomer broke out last night with 7 catches for 89 yards and 1 TD. This though did not make me happy since my fantasy football opponent had Toomer on his roster this weekend. It's weird when I'm rooting against Giants players to score because I'm facing him in fantasy football that weekend.

You might notice that my blog is definitely is on the negative side this morning, because I'm pretty pissed after losing in fantasy this week. I was up by 31 points going into the Monday night's game with my opponent having Toomer and Norwood with me having Crumpler. Well, I ended up losing by 7 points.
I hate fantasy football. ... but at least the Giants have won 4 straight.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Question

Chosen One,

Since I know you respond to my blogs and not my emails, I figured I would post a blog to ask if you were planning to come up to my place on November 17th for my 30th Birthday celebration. Celebration starts at 6:30 p.m. and we'll be having a keg, catered food and lots of other types of drinks. Cocoa butter will be provided at the door for party attendees. (inside joke for those in the know)

Let me know this week.
-Paperboy (soon to be Paperman)

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Keep A-Rod

I normally don't sign petitions, because, well, I don't really believe that they do anything. But I felt that I needed to sign an online petition today on KeepARod.com to encourage A-Rod to stay with the Yankees....again, this petition probably won't keep A-Rod from booking from the Yankees if he gets a $35 million/year contract from the Angels or Cubs, but I figured what the hell.

I encourage you to join the ranks and sign the Keep A-Rod petition at: http://www.keeparod.com/. Over 10,000 people have already signed it, so I'm not the only lame one out there.

Friday, October 12, 2007

iBOT Appears on ABC's Ugly Betty

First off, let me say that I normally do not watch ABC's Ugly Betty. I did last night though, as my client's product, the iBOT 4000 Mobility System was on the show.

While, I can't take credit for actually getting the placement, my firm did help execute on various items around this opportunity.

I've been in PR for 7 years and I can honestly say that I've never, ever before seen a placement that put my client is such a shining, gigantic nationwide light.

It was literally an hour long commercial on the iBOT. And that never, ever happens when you are in PR, unless you pay big bucks for it. How much was this opportunity? Zilch, zero, nada. But I guarantee that it will definitely help increase exposure and awareness of the iBOT.

If you don't know about it, the iBOT is a wheelchair that can climb stairs and curbs. It can raise up onto two wheels so the user can look into the eye of a standing person. It's available for people with spinal cord injury, MS, MD, CP and other various disabilities. I can surely say that working with the company that develops the iBOT and talking to the people with disabilities who use it has surely changed my life.

Hopefully, now that the iBOT has been on a big stage like ABC's Ugly Betty, more people will learn about just want it can do for people with disabilities.


If you want to see the iBOT in action on Ugly Betty, go to: http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing. Click on Ugly Betty and when the screen loads, click on the 10/11/07 episode. It's literally awesome.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Bring Back Joe Torre


Last year, I remember watching Mike’d Up with Mike Francesca, NYC's late Sunday night sports news show, and hearing that Joe Torre was set to be fired after the Yankees' embarrassment to the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 American League Division Series.
He was going to be replaced by Lou Pinella and at the time, I thought that while Pinella was the wrong choice for the Yankees, but that it might be time for Torre to go. While the Yankees had their struggles throughout the 2006 season, I thought that Torre hadn’t done a good job with the team’s pitching staff and had performed very poorly in the playoffs. Maybe after 11 seasons, I thought, it was time to go for the manager who brought the Yankees 4 World Championships in 5 years.
But to my surprise, the Yankees kept Torre around, re-signing him to a 1-year deal.

This time around after the Yankees first round exit to the Cleveland Indians in the 2007 ALDS, I don’t think that Torre should be fired. You all know that the Yankees were 21-29 at the end of May. They were in trouble. Torre’s job was in jeopardy. There were whispers at the time that he might be fired right there and then. But he gave a speech when the Yankees were in Toronto at the end of May and after that the Yankees went on to win .650 of their remaining games giving the team an amazing 94 wins on the season.

During Torre’s 12 year regime, the team has made the playoffs all 12 years, never won less than 92 games in a season, and finished in first place 10 of the 12 years. They’ve won 4 World Series and lost in two others in 2001 and 2003.

Joe Torre should not be fired. Change for change sake should not be made. The team needs to strengthen its pitching staff, give Hughes and Kennedy a chance to have spot in the starting rotation, get rid of Damon, Mussina and Farnsworth, keep Joba in the bullpen and re-sign A-Rod, Posada, Rivera and exercise the option on Abreu.

It’s not Joe Torre’s fault that the Yankees failed in the first round of the postseason. It’s the fault of the weak starting pitching and the lack of hitting by the team in the clutch.

For the past 12 seasons, the Yankees season have been judged with how they perform in October. What everyone seems to forget is the lean years between 1982 and 1994 when the Yankees wasn’t in the playoffs once. We've become shortsighted and cocky and ridiculous in thinking that the playoffs are a guarantee every year. The playoffs aren't a guarantee every year. And all Yankees fans need to realize that.

I'm a Sucker for Skylines


Maybe I'm a sucker for skylines and history, but it never gets old when I travel to New York or Washington, DC.

I drove to Jersey City today for a client meeting and when I saw the New York City skyline, it was like I was seeing it for the first time. I think I took my eyes off the road for 5 minutes just to stare at it. I don't know what it is about the skyline, but it always leaves me in awe at the true magnitude of all of the high rise buildings in the City.


I used to live in the Washington DC area and always felt the same awestruckness when I traveled up 395 North. Since many of the monuments are located in the same general area of the City, I always drove up 395 with one eye on the road and the other on starting at the Pentagon, the Capitol Dome, and the Jefferson Memorial. That too, never got old.
When I travel to Philadelphia or other cities throughout the country like Denver or Phoenix or Chicago, I always look at those skylines and instinctly try to compare them to NYC and Washington DC. There really is no comparison though.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Yankees Season Ends in 6-4 Loss to Tribe

I don't feel like writing.

I had considered just writing a profanity laced headline with no text, but I promised my loyal readers that if I was wrong I would own up to the bullshit predictions that I made at the beginning of the series. So, here I am.

First off, let me say that Alex Rodriguez didn't lose this series for the Yankees. The Yankees lost this series for a myriad of reasons, starting with the ineptness of their offense -- which A-Rod's 4 for 15 batting statistics was a part of -- to the fact that team leader Derek Jeter grounded into 3 double plays with men in scoring position to the fact that they couldn't get it done at all with runners in scoring positions to the fact that the Indians scored an amazing 15 runs with 2 outs and runners in scoring position to the fact that Chien Ming Wang didn't come up with good pitching performances like he did all season long. I know, that's a long sentence, but I don't feel like re-writing it or editing it. And if you ask me to, I'll block your access to this blog for the rest of eternity.

It's going to be a long offseason and I think an entirely different Yankees team when the team opens spring training next March.

Will Torre be back? I think he should be, but don't think that he will be.
Will A-Rod be back? He was a different player this season and I think he was really accepted by New York this year. Does he mean it when he says that he wants to win a World Championship here, or is he just bullshitting all of us?
Will Posada, Mo and Andy be back? I would hope so, but have no idea.
As far as the other free agents: I think Rocket's done. And I think Abreu's gone as well.

It sucks when you invest so much time into a team and a season. You live and die each day with how your team performed the previous night. You root for the players. You spend your money on games. And then it ends like this.

I guess life goes on though. ...

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Hughes Saves Yanks Season


Phil Hughes saved the Yankees season tonight.
Tonight, Hughes found himself in the same win or go home spot that Mike Mussina did when he relieved Roger Clemens in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. And like Mussina, Hughes came in and helped the Yankees win...8-3 tonight against the Indians in Game 3 of the ALDS.
When the Yankees needed their $25 million man to come through in the clutch, Roger Clemens did not come through. In tonight's game, Clemens pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs before leaving with a strained hamstring. From the start, Clemens didn't look comfortable tonight. So it was up to young Phil Hughes -- or Pip, as my wife calls him -- to take over for the old Rocket.
Hughes came in and pitched lights out shutting down the Indians through 3 2/3 scoreless innings with six K's, no walks and 2 hits. What a huge, gutty performance from the kid.

Phil Hughes' contributions helped keep the game close until the Yankees bats came alive.
Finally.
Johnny Damon had a huge night going 3 for 4 with a 3 run homerun and 4 RBIs. His homerun in the 5th inning was huge and put the Yankees ahead for good. A bunch of other Yankees also came up huge tonight. A-Rod got two hits and Matsui and Cano made great contributions to the team. Posada and Jeter were still subpar, but at least this is a start.

Tonight's win cuts the series deficit to 2-1 and means the Yankees live to fight another day. ... Thanks to rookie Phil Hughes.

Has the momentum swung in the Yanks favor?

... Stay tuned.

Giants Win Battle of New Jersey, 35-24


It was a tale of two Giants teams in today's 35-24 win against the New York Jets. In the first half, Eli Manning was 3 for 10 with 22 yards and 1 Interception. The defense, which had 12 sacks the previous week against the Eagles, had none in the first half and were playing completely average football.

In the second half, the team came in and it was a different story. Led by a more confident Manning (13 for 25 for 186 yards, 2 TDs and 1 Int on the day), the return of Brandon Jacobs (100 yards and 1 TD on the day) from injury and two interceptions and a TD return by rookie CB Aaron Ross, the Giants racked up 28 second half points to beat the Jets.

Aaron Ross was really, really impressive today. On top of his two picks (one of which was returned for a 43 yard TD), he was in the right spot at the right time on numerous occassions to tip balls away from Jets receivers. He stole the starting CB spot away from disappointing 2 year veteran Corey Webster two weeks ago and it looks like we finally have found a shutdown corner.

Let's see if the Yankees can keep my Sunday positive. ...

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Doldrum Days

Doldrum Days
What are you doing?
Will you be happy in your ruin?
Will you be happy when the walls fall down?
And will you realize that you made them?
What will you be doing when it happens?
Probably the same as before, right?
Or will you make an attempt to make the change?
Or will you just stay the same?
When before have we heard this refrain?
When will you just stop for a second
to turn around and realize
Where you've been...
What you've seen...
and who you are deep inside
Will thinking change it?
And if it won't, what will need to be done
to make you stop self destructing
to make you stop and realize.

My Words Have Been Eaten

I'm fucking disgusted. Get your kicks now Yankee haters.

Pettitte pitched lights out tonight. It was Game 5 of 1996 World Series all over again when Pettitte led the Yankees to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Tonight, Pettitte gave up 6 hits over 6+ innings and pitched his heart out. Then the bugs came and screwed with the invincible Joba Chamberlain. I'm not going to blame the bugs though.

I'll just blame the lack of hitting in the last two games. It starts with A-Rod and it ends with the ineptness of Posada, Matsui and the rest of the Yankees lineup. What an embarrassment. For the past 4 or 5 years, the Yankees haven't been successful in the playoffs because their lineup disappeared in the playoffs. That's exactly what's happening again this year.

I did have a good night playing poker after the game though. I played with 15 guys and chopped the $280 pot with two other players in the first $20 tourney and then finished just out of the money in the second tourney. Plus, Under Siege is on TBS HD now. Great flick.

Fucking Yankees. ..

Thursday, October 4, 2007

A Horrible 12-3 Loss to the Indians

Jesus. What an ass whupping.

Wang pitched horrible, but so did Sabathia.

The Yankees didn't capitalize when they had men in scoring position.

Overall, it wasn't a good night for the Yanks.

In some ways, I'm happy that they got the first game out of the way. Since 2000, the Yankees have had a pretty good knack of winning the first game of the series and then losing the overall series, so maybe they are breaking out of that trend. Facts back it up: In the last 7 division series involving the Yankees, the team that won the first game of the series went on to lose the series. Sounds like a good gambling statistic to me. ...

And an extremely optimistic spin from your favorite PR junkie ...

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

A Huge Postseason in Store for A-Rod

Do me a favor and write this down....

Alex Rodriguez is going to have HUUUUUGE postseason.
The past few days there was a slew of articles in the New York media talking about how Rodriguez had a tremendous regular season, but still had to prove himself to New York fans in the postseason - when it really counts. While it's true that the team and its player have been truly measured by their October record during the past dozen years -- 4 World Championships by the way -- I think that Rodriguez proved himself tremendously during the regular season and doesn't have anything to prove to anyone.

During the regular season, A-Rod had a run away MVP season. He was on a different level than any other player in baseball hitting a league leading 54 homeruns, driving in a league leading 156 RBIs, and scoring a league leading 143 runs. See a trend forming here?
When he wasn't racking up league leading numbers, he was driving in game winning RBIs to single handily win games for the Yankees and keep the team afloat when it was struggling in April and May. If the Yankees didn't have A-Rod this season, they wouldn't be in the playoffs. It's plain and simple.

Still, most of New York -- mainly the blow everything out of proportion New York media -- believe that he still needs to prove himself in the postseason. It's true that A-Rod hasn't done anything in the past postseasons, but he was clearly a different player and person in New York this season.
So, I'm telling you right now to write this down.
A-Rod is going to have a huge postseason.
Finally.
I'm going to write about it everytime he gets a big hit. I'm going to gloat about it when he wins a postseason game(s) for the Yankees. You are going to want to punch me in the face and tell me to shut the hell up because I'm going to be talking about it so much. That's how much I believe in this statement. A-Rod is going to be the reason the Yankees win the World Series this year.
Mark it down.
And I promise that I'll be a man about it and admit that I was wrong if he doesn't have a big postseason. But I guarantee I won't have to.

I just have a feeling this year.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Giants Down Eagles, 16-3, Behind 12 Sacks From Defense

I've got to hand it to the Giants defense after last night's 16-3 thrashing of the Philadelphia Eagles. They were completely and utterly ferocious last night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

I bashed the hell out of the defense after they gave up 80 points in the first two games of the year. I wasn't alone in bashing the complete ineptness of the Giants defense. Since then though, the team has really turned it around. They replaced 2nd year CB Corey Webster with rookie Aaron Ross. They moved Mathias Kiwanuka back to the defensive line - while still not admitting that their LB experiment with Key was the wrong thing to do. And they finally got a pass rush on the opposing team's QB. They definitely had a pass rush last night against the Eagles.

While losing Brian Westbrook for the game certainly hurt the Eagles, the Giants defense completely dominated the game allowing 190 yards to the Eagles offense. From the start, they pressured Eagles QB Donovan McNabb the entire night, sacking the once mobile QB an NFL tying record 12 times.

12 Times!!!

Defense End Osi Umenyiora had 6 sacks by himself - a season for many defensive ends in the NFL. Since giving up 80 points in the first two games of the year, the defense has given up just 20 points in two games to the Eagles and Redskins.

Last night wasn't the greatest night for the Giants offense, as the team just managed to best the Eagles with 212 yards of total offense. Eli Manning went 14 for 26 for 135 yards with 1 Td and 1 Interception. It was clearly one of his worst nights of the season, but the ineptness of the offense was covered up by the complete domination of the Giants defense.

Next Sunday can't come soon enough for me. Giants vs. Jets at 1 p.m. and Game 3 of the Yankees-Indians ALDS. Stay tuned that day for my running blog from 1-7 p.m. Yes, I stole that idea from ESPN's Sports Guy.