Good morning. It has been exactly three weeks since my last blogpost, and, my goodness, a lot has happened in the world of sports since then. Brett Favre ended his record streak of starts at 298, started a week later, got hurt again, and is likely on his way to an actual retirement. The Yankees retained shortstop and team captain Derek Jeter, the Phillies snagged pitching prize Cliff Lee (giving them a mind-boggling rotation of Roy Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels), the Red Sox got Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the two best position players on the free-agent market, while the Yankees have made no significant acquisitions. The overhyped, over-rated Cincinnati Bengals won a game. Tim Tebow has had some significant touchdown runs as an NFL QB. Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy. The 'overrated' Miami Heat have turned into one of the NBA's best teams, at one point winning 12 games in a row and, on Christmas Day, embarrassing the Los Angeles Lakers, 86-70, on their home court.
The reason for this post was a match-up for the ages on the last Monday Night Football of the 2010 season. The defending-champion New Orleans Saints (10-4 entering the game, following a Week 15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens) visited their division leaders, the #1 team in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons (12-2 entering the game), for an encore of a Week 3 matchup in which Atlanta prevailed. Since then, the Falcons, star running back Michael Turner, star wide receiver Roddy White, and, especially, star QB Matt Ryan ("Matty Ice") have been hailed as some of the best offensive players in the game.
Somebody forgot to tell the Saints about the best offensive players in the game thing. All three major Atlanta weapons were smothered by the Who Dat defense, and the Saints, led by Super Bowl 44 MVP QB Drew Brees, overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win 17-14 in front of some 60,000 Atlanta fans to clinch an automatic playoff berth.
Even after the Falcons' loss (and a number of Saints players rubbed salt in the wound by posing for a picture on the Falcon emblem at midfield after the game), the road to the Super Bowl in Dallas still goes through the Georgia Dome, as the now 12-3 Falcons are still the top team in their conference, but now just a game over the Saints. They also still hold possession of the division title the Saints hope to snag. But, in this game, the Falcons, who have been the best team that doesn't have a guy named Tom Brady all year, and were getting their first major exposure as a serious contender, stumbled.
Turner had 17 carries, and 27 of his 48 total yards came on one run. Otherwise, he was usually grabbed around the legs or ankles within a few steps of the handoff. White, who was usually well-covered by a speedy Saints' secondary best known for taking some of the punch out of Peyton Manning's passing game in the Super Bowl, had 43 yards on three catches, one of them for 18. And Matty Ice, easily one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in a year that has had many a great performance from the guys under center (Brady, Vick, Rodgers, Kitna...) was subpar, completing just 15 of 29 passes for 148 yards and one TD, an average of 5.1 yards per pass.
Another big problem was that, while the Falcons sent a lot of men after the Saints' best player, Brees, and even sacked him once, the star signal-caller ducked, side-stepped and spun away from tacklers multiple times, often completing first down passes shortly afterward. True, Brees proved mortal in a five-minute fourth quarter span in which he threw two interceptions, one of them returned 26 yards for a touchdown by Atlanta defender Chauncey Davis. While the other was a brilliant defensive play by Jonathan Abraham, who rushed Brees, in space, deflected the pass into the air and caught it himself, the first was all Brees' mistake. While being sacked, Brees made a backhanded flip in the general direction of RB Reggie Bush, but Davis stepped in the way, and caught the ball like a gift, with a wide open lane to the end zone in front of him.
The Saints took a 10-0 lead early in the game, with kicker Garrett Hartley nailing a 52-yard field goal in the first quarter, and RB Pierre Thomas scooted into the end zone for a 2-yard score early in the second. The latter was set up by a botched snap from Atlanta center Todd McClure, which became a fumble recovered by New Orleans. Not long after, though, Matty Ice hit White for a 7-yard score that made it 10-7 at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Davis made the big pick six that brought it to 14-10, and the Saints did nothing on their next possession, and so this columnist went to bed. I didn't figure that the Falcons, at home, with their fabled ice-in-his-veins quarterback would lose, but it turns out Brees had some stone-hardness about him, too. Brees led the Saints 90 yards for the go-ahead touchdown (a 6-yard pass to Jimmy Graham with 3:24 left), and the defense held off Atlanta for the win.
"It feels good," Brees said afterward. "You just want to punch your ticket to the big show, and we've done that."
He also commented on how Atlanta's only hurdle left for clinching the #1 seed is beating two-win Carolina next week.
Ryan, though, didn't mention that upcoming predicted-win in his post-game comments. "We don't want to feel this way the rest of the season. We're going to work hard to make sure we don't."
"In the end," Brees said, "we found a way to win."
The Saints play the 9-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week for their regular season finale.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Heisman Hopefuls, December 7, 2010
One big event happening this coming weekend will be the announcement of the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner. The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the best player in college football, who is elected by a committee of voters. Last year, Alabama running back Mark Ingram beat out fellow RB Toby Gerhart, QBs Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, and DT Ndamukong Suh. All four of the runners-up are now in the NFL.
Well, the first Heisman Trophy was given out in 1935, and they've been given out every year since (including 2005, when Reggie Bush won, but he has since given it back since he was paid and offered other benefits, to attend USC). Some of the winners have gone on to illustrious careers in pro football: Roger Staubach (1963), O.J. Simpson (yes, THAT O.J., 1969), Tony Dorsett (1976), Herschel Walker (1982), Bo Jackson (1985), Barry Sanders (1988), Ricky Williams (1998). Others, like 2008 winner Sam Bradford (who now starts as QB for the St. Louis Rams), are currently tearing the NFL apart. A few of the winners of recent years have proven to be professional busts (like 2004 winner Matt Leinart), and some others ('02's Carson Palmer, '06's Troy Smith, '07's Tim Tebow) are still trying to figure things out.
Well, this year's candidates are Auburn QB Cam Newton (still in the hunt despite all the controversy over whether or not he received benefits to attend Auburn), Oregon RB LaMichael James (who will face off against Newton in the BCS National Championship Game in January), Stanford QB Andrew Luck, and Boise State QB Kellen Moore.
Newton, who led Auburn to a 59-17 punishing of South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game, has passed for 2,589 yards and 28 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,409 yards and 20 TDs. He has thrown just 6 interceptions.
James has rushed for 1,682 yards on 281 carries, and scored 21 touchdowns.
Luck has passed for 3,051 yards and 28 touchdowns, and has rushed for 438 yards, while throwing just 7 interceptions.
Moore has passed for 3,506 yards and 33 touchdowns, throwing just 5 interceptions.
This award has, especially of late, been primarily given to quarterbacks, and, of them, Newton has been the biggest game-changer and make-maker for his team, so, unless all the bad press really haunts voters, he should be the clear winner. True, he is a more run-oriented quarterback than Luck or Moore, but his eye-popping stats give him the edge. Moore, who is not a runner, has eye-popping stats for a passer as well, but the strength-of-schedule argument will hurt his chances just as it hurt his team's chances to make a major Bowl game before they lost their undefeated season at Nevada last week.
The announcement is going to be made Saturday at 8 p.m.
Well, the first Heisman Trophy was given out in 1935, and they've been given out every year since (including 2005, when Reggie Bush won, but he has since given it back since he was paid and offered other benefits, to attend USC). Some of the winners have gone on to illustrious careers in pro football: Roger Staubach (1963), O.J. Simpson (yes, THAT O.J., 1969), Tony Dorsett (1976), Herschel Walker (1982), Bo Jackson (1985), Barry Sanders (1988), Ricky Williams (1998). Others, like 2008 winner Sam Bradford (who now starts as QB for the St. Louis Rams), are currently tearing the NFL apart. A few of the winners of recent years have proven to be professional busts (like 2004 winner Matt Leinart), and some others ('02's Carson Palmer, '06's Troy Smith, '07's Tim Tebow) are still trying to figure things out.
Well, this year's candidates are Auburn QB Cam Newton (still in the hunt despite all the controversy over whether or not he received benefits to attend Auburn), Oregon RB LaMichael James (who will face off against Newton in the BCS National Championship Game in January), Stanford QB Andrew Luck, and Boise State QB Kellen Moore.
Newton, who led Auburn to a 59-17 punishing of South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game, has passed for 2,589 yards and 28 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,409 yards and 20 TDs. He has thrown just 6 interceptions.
James has rushed for 1,682 yards on 281 carries, and scored 21 touchdowns.
Luck has passed for 3,051 yards and 28 touchdowns, and has rushed for 438 yards, while throwing just 7 interceptions.
Moore has passed for 3,506 yards and 33 touchdowns, throwing just 5 interceptions.
This award has, especially of late, been primarily given to quarterbacks, and, of them, Newton has been the biggest game-changer and make-maker for his team, so, unless all the bad press really haunts voters, he should be the clear winner. True, he is a more run-oriented quarterback than Luck or Moore, but his eye-popping stats give him the edge. Moore, who is not a runner, has eye-popping stats for a passer as well, but the strength-of-schedule argument will hurt his chances just as it hurt his team's chances to make a major Bowl game before they lost their undefeated season at Nevada last week.
The announcement is going to be made Saturday at 8 p.m.
What are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning Werth? December 7, 2010
Well, it was a head-spinning week (and weekend) in sports. 'The Boss' didn't get elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try, Oregon and Auburn each won to ensure a spot in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena (their other undefeated friend, TCU, gets high-powered Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl), Duke stayed atop the basketball world, Tiger Woods finished 2010 without a victory, and Ben Roethlisberger had his nose bent sideways on national TV.
Oh yeah, and Derek Jeter is still a Yankee. He got $51 million for four years, with an option for a fourth year (which he will probably take).
Well, after twelve weeks of professional football, the two teams with the best record (10-2) are the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. Raise your hand if you had those two picked as preseason bets as number ones this far into the season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers stole a victory from the Baltimore Ravens when All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu sacked Joe Flacco and forced, and recovered, a fumble, leading to a game-winning score. Flacco threw one at the feet of a receiver on a 4th & 2 with 33 seconds left to end the game later. As mentioned, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who came into the game nursing a bad right foot that limited the famously-mobile quarterback's mobility, took a hand to the face from Ravens lineman Haloti Ngata on one of the game's first plays, ending up with his nose squashed and leaking blood. But Big Ben recovered, and led the team to the key victory, setting them up with a 9-3 record, while the Ravens sank to 8-4.
Anyway, about the title of this post. For YEARS, the debate has been raging: Who's the better quarterback, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Manning is a four-time NFL MVP. Brady a one-time. Manning has thrown for 53,837 yards and 390 touchdowns in his career; Brady, 33,873 and 252. Manning held the single-season record for touchdowns with 49, until Brady broke it, with 50, three years later. Brady has won three Super Bowls and lost one; Manning has won one and lost one. 4
Bottom line, the debate has always been: Manning's stats versus Brady's titles.
Well, suddenly, Manning's stats are on the downhill. Against the 3-7 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Manning had his second-consecutive game with four interceptions, third-straight with three-plus, and had two of them returned for touchdowns, just like the week before. The result was a 38-35 loss to the 'Boys in overtime, and Manning is suddenly a) nowhere on the 2010 MVP radar, and b) being seriously questioned and agonized over for the first time in his career. The Colts are now 6-6 (the 'Boys, 4-7).
Meanwhile, Brady played in the much-hyped 'Game of the Year', a Monday Night Football contest between his 9-2 Patriots and the 9-2 New York Jets. Remember, back in week 3, the Patriots played so poorly in the second half of a game they once led, and went on to lose, against the Jets, that Brady declared "we just sucked" afterwards. Well, the MNF contest was no contest after all. Brady threw for four touchdowns and 326 yards, the Pats led 17-0 after the first quarter, and, ultimately, the Pats blew away the Jets for bragging rights to the #1 seed in the AFC with a 45-3 mauling. His counterpart, Jets QB Mark Sanchez, threw 3 interceptions in arguably his worst effort of his sophomore season. Loudmouthed Jets coach Rex Ryan declared after the game that his team wasn't up to the task. HIS counterpart, New England coach Bill Belichick, declared that it was the best his Patriots had played all year.
What's the shape of the Manning/Brady debate now?
Okay, so one bad stretch shouldn't break any great athlete's reputation. I mean, Derek Jeter hit .270 last year (oh my gosh, he did? Why didn't somebody say something!?), but, once he's retired, and in the Hall of Fame with a .300-plus lifetime average, and well over 3,000 career hits, no one's going to care about the 'eyesore' '10 season. Manning could throw four interceptions again this week (it would have to be Thursday night against the lowly Tennessee Titans) and then retire and he would still be a near-unanimous Hall-of-Famer. Again, he's a Super Bowl-winning, record-setting, four-time MVP-winning quarterback, one of the most dependable winners of all time.
Except now, he's not winning, right?
Yeah, it's unfair of me to center my review of the NFL week just in terms of Brady and Manning, but both are the talk of the sports world right now. Brady has won 26 straight regular-season home games and is the MVP favorite (sorry, Mike Vick), and his team is now the indisupted #1 team in the conference, and Manning's Colts are slipping, and doing so because of the poor play of their best player (#18 himself).
>>>Oh yeah, the Washington Capitals have lost three games in a row after being embarrassed last night in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who recovered from a 4-1 deficit in the third period. Tough times for Ovechkin and company. Ouch.
>>>Oh wow, I was going to talk about the last week in sports without even mentioning the 'Homecoming' of LeBron James. He humiliated and infuriated Cleveland and all its people last July when he declared that he was taking his talents to South Beach. Well, the talents hadn't really shown up in South Beach until his game Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, his old team. There, James showed some of the form that made him a two-time MVP there, blazing past all the boos and chants and shunnings with a season-high 38 points. He played so well, and helped his new team, the Miami Heat, so much, that he sat out the entire fourth quarter.
The San Diego Padres' slugging first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez (their only major offensive weapon of last season, when they nearly made the playoffs with a pitching-rich team) signed an eight-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, which means the Sox gain another big left-handed bat (to join David "Big Papi" Ortiz) and move Kevin Youkilis to third. Gonzalez touched the hearts of Bostonians everywhere when he mentioned his hero, Ted Williams (a fellow San Diego native and former Boston Red Sox player) in his press conference.
And, just days after their premiere slugger of the past four years, outfielder Adam Dunn, signed with the Chicago White Sox, the Washington Nationals signed Philadelphia Phillies' outfielder Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract, shocking the baseball world. Werth, 32, has a history of injuries, and will be joining a fairly-weak ballclub that finished last in the NL East last year (Werth's Phillies finished first, obviously), but he is one of the better all-around outfielders in the NL if he continues to play like he has the last few years. He's a 25-30-home run guy with good speed and a good outfield defender. The Nationals needed a boost after their fan base reacted angrily to the loss of favorite Dunn, and anticipating a 2011 without Tommy John surgery recoveree Stephen Strasburg.
Now, the two biggest cards on the free-agent table are pitcher Cliff Lee (lately of the World Series-losing Texas Rangers) and All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford (who has played his entire career to date with the Tampa Bay Rays). Lee is already in talks with the Rangers and the New York Yankees, and, rumor has it, the Nationals have joined the fray. Lee has pitched with four different teams over the last two years (Indians, Phillies, Mariners, Rangers) and has pitched in the World Series in both of them. Crawford, the 2009 All-Star Game MVP, is a premiere stolen-base threat with excellent defensive skills and 15-20 home run power.
>>>Finally, I have to mention Mark Reynolds, the former Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman who just signed with my family's favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles. Reynolds hit 44 home runs in 2009, but his a strikeout machine, having whiffed 200-plus times each of the past three years. While the Orioles would love a 30-35, let alone 40, home run bat, the last thing they need is a free-swinging, can't-do-a-thing-in-the-clutch-type hitter. Nor do they need a poor defender. I'm hoping Reynolds' best friend for the next four months is the O's' hitting coach.
Oh yeah, and Derek Jeter is still a Yankee. He got $51 million for four years, with an option for a fourth year (which he will probably take).
Well, after twelve weeks of professional football, the two teams with the best record (10-2) are the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. Raise your hand if you had those two picked as preseason bets as number ones this far into the season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers stole a victory from the Baltimore Ravens when All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu sacked Joe Flacco and forced, and recovered, a fumble, leading to a game-winning score. Flacco threw one at the feet of a receiver on a 4th & 2 with 33 seconds left to end the game later. As mentioned, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who came into the game nursing a bad right foot that limited the famously-mobile quarterback's mobility, took a hand to the face from Ravens lineman Haloti Ngata on one of the game's first plays, ending up with his nose squashed and leaking blood. But Big Ben recovered, and led the team to the key victory, setting them up with a 9-3 record, while the Ravens sank to 8-4.
Anyway, about the title of this post. For YEARS, the debate has been raging: Who's the better quarterback, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Manning is a four-time NFL MVP. Brady a one-time. Manning has thrown for 53,837 yards and 390 touchdowns in his career; Brady, 33,873 and 252. Manning held the single-season record for touchdowns with 49, until Brady broke it, with 50, three years later. Brady has won three Super Bowls and lost one; Manning has won one and lost one. 4
Bottom line, the debate has always been: Manning's stats versus Brady's titles.
Well, suddenly, Manning's stats are on the downhill. Against the 3-7 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Manning had his second-consecutive game with four interceptions, third-straight with three-plus, and had two of them returned for touchdowns, just like the week before. The result was a 38-35 loss to the 'Boys in overtime, and Manning is suddenly a) nowhere on the 2010 MVP radar, and b) being seriously questioned and agonized over for the first time in his career. The Colts are now 6-6 (the 'Boys, 4-7).
Meanwhile, Brady played in the much-hyped 'Game of the Year', a Monday Night Football contest between his 9-2 Patriots and the 9-2 New York Jets. Remember, back in week 3, the Patriots played so poorly in the second half of a game they once led, and went on to lose, against the Jets, that Brady declared "we just sucked" afterwards. Well, the MNF contest was no contest after all. Brady threw for four touchdowns and 326 yards, the Pats led 17-0 after the first quarter, and, ultimately, the Pats blew away the Jets for bragging rights to the #1 seed in the AFC with a 45-3 mauling. His counterpart, Jets QB Mark Sanchez, threw 3 interceptions in arguably his worst effort of his sophomore season. Loudmouthed Jets coach Rex Ryan declared after the game that his team wasn't up to the task. HIS counterpart, New England coach Bill Belichick, declared that it was the best his Patriots had played all year.
What's the shape of the Manning/Brady debate now?
Okay, so one bad stretch shouldn't break any great athlete's reputation. I mean, Derek Jeter hit .270 last year (oh my gosh, he did? Why didn't somebody say something!?), but, once he's retired, and in the Hall of Fame with a .300-plus lifetime average, and well over 3,000 career hits, no one's going to care about the 'eyesore' '10 season. Manning could throw four interceptions again this week (it would have to be Thursday night against the lowly Tennessee Titans) and then retire and he would still be a near-unanimous Hall-of-Famer. Again, he's a Super Bowl-winning, record-setting, four-time MVP-winning quarterback, one of the most dependable winners of all time.
Except now, he's not winning, right?
Yeah, it's unfair of me to center my review of the NFL week just in terms of Brady and Manning, but both are the talk of the sports world right now. Brady has won 26 straight regular-season home games and is the MVP favorite (sorry, Mike Vick), and his team is now the indisupted #1 team in the conference, and Manning's Colts are slipping, and doing so because of the poor play of their best player (#18 himself).
>>>Oh yeah, the Washington Capitals have lost three games in a row after being embarrassed last night in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who recovered from a 4-1 deficit in the third period. Tough times for Ovechkin and company. Ouch.
>>>Oh wow, I was going to talk about the last week in sports without even mentioning the 'Homecoming' of LeBron James. He humiliated and infuriated Cleveland and all its people last July when he declared that he was taking his talents to South Beach. Well, the talents hadn't really shown up in South Beach until his game Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, his old team. There, James showed some of the form that made him a two-time MVP there, blazing past all the boos and chants and shunnings with a season-high 38 points. He played so well, and helped his new team, the Miami Heat, so much, that he sat out the entire fourth quarter.
The San Diego Padres' slugging first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez (their only major offensive weapon of last season, when they nearly made the playoffs with a pitching-rich team) signed an eight-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, which means the Sox gain another big left-handed bat (to join David "Big Papi" Ortiz) and move Kevin Youkilis to third. Gonzalez touched the hearts of Bostonians everywhere when he mentioned his hero, Ted Williams (a fellow San Diego native and former Boston Red Sox player) in his press conference.
And, just days after their premiere slugger of the past four years, outfielder Adam Dunn, signed with the Chicago White Sox, the Washington Nationals signed Philadelphia Phillies' outfielder Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract, shocking the baseball world. Werth, 32, has a history of injuries, and will be joining a fairly-weak ballclub that finished last in the NL East last year (Werth's Phillies finished first, obviously), but he is one of the better all-around outfielders in the NL if he continues to play like he has the last few years. He's a 25-30-home run guy with good speed and a good outfield defender. The Nationals needed a boost after their fan base reacted angrily to the loss of favorite Dunn, and anticipating a 2011 without Tommy John surgery recoveree Stephen Strasburg.
Now, the two biggest cards on the free-agent table are pitcher Cliff Lee (lately of the World Series-losing Texas Rangers) and All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford (who has played his entire career to date with the Tampa Bay Rays). Lee is already in talks with the Rangers and the New York Yankees, and, rumor has it, the Nationals have joined the fray. Lee has pitched with four different teams over the last two years (Indians, Phillies, Mariners, Rangers) and has pitched in the World Series in both of them. Crawford, the 2009 All-Star Game MVP, is a premiere stolen-base threat with excellent defensive skills and 15-20 home run power.
>>>Finally, I have to mention Mark Reynolds, the former Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman who just signed with my family's favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles. Reynolds hit 44 home runs in 2009, but his a strikeout machine, having whiffed 200-plus times each of the past three years. While the Orioles would love a 30-35, let alone 40, home run bat, the last thing they need is a free-swinging, can't-do-a-thing-in-the-clutch-type hitter. Nor do they need a poor defender. I'm hoping Reynolds' best friend for the next four months is the O's' hitting coach.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Jesting with Jeter, December 1, 2010
At 36, Derek Jeter has won five Gold Gloves. He has finished in the top three in the AL MVP balloting twice (2006, 2009), won an AL Rookie of the Year Award (1996), has been a part of 5 World Series-winning teams ('96, '98, '99, '00, '09), once proved his commitment to the game of baseball by diving into the stands to catch a foul pop-up ('04), and has yet to do anything extremely dumb to soil his image (a la Woods, Vick, Roethlisberger, Rodriguez, Clemens, James, etc..).
He has been called the greatest and most-beloved Yankee of the last half-century. He has been called the most iconic Yankee since Mickey Mantle. The new Yankee Stadium has been nicknamed "The House that Jeter Built." Jeter is the all-time team-leader in hits, having passed Lou Gehrig last year.
In 2010, Jeter hit .27o (a much-ballyhooed-in a bad way-number), with 179 hits, 30 doubles, 111 runs scored, 10 home runs, 67 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, and 106 strikeouts.
Are those BAD numbers? Well, for starters, that .270 average? He has hit better than that in every previous season of his career. In 2009, when he was third in the AL MVP voting: he hit 64 points higher (.334). In '09, he had 212 hits, third-most in a single season in his career, and the seventh time he has eclipsed 200 in a season. The 10 home runs were tied with the lowest he's had in a single season, which he had done three other times. The 106 strikeouts were the most since 2005, and the 111 runs were the most since 2006 (though this probably has more to do with the people hitting behind him in the Yankee batting order: guys named Swisher, Texeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Posada, then Jeter's greatness).
Basically, the .270 average was a black eye to a guy with a career average well over .300. He got to score a ton of runs by virtue of batting 1st or 2nd on an amazing team of sluggers. The home runs were down, but the RBIs were actually up (by one), over his "revolutionary" 2009 season. He had 3 more doubles, two more triples, score five more runs, than '09.
I bring this up because Jeter is currently in a war of words/actions with the Yankees over a new contract. The Yankees have offered him 3 years at $15 million a year, and he turned it down, insisting he wants more. The contract that just expired, which he got in 2000, was 10 years for $189 million. He is 36, coming off one of his more disappointing seasons (I'll have to agree, though, as I just assessed, it's not as bad as you think), his defensive range is slipping, and, as many have said, despite his fame and his iconic image, he is not bigger than the team.
One of the great things about Jeter is that, unlike almost every other star athlete of the modern era, his image is not tainted or hindered by anything other than a thorough desire to win. The most scandalous thing Jeter has done is date Mariah Carey (way back in 1998)-and they didn't even have a very public relationship or break-up-or frown at gaudy, spotlight-hogging teammate Alex Rodriguez. However, in this age of giant contracts, Jeter is clearly antsy to belong.
I'm with the average citizen, who says, of course, $15 million is a huge amount of money, let alone for someone to make in one year playing baseball, but this is 2010, and this is professional baseball. Guys like Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, A-Rod, Texeira, C.C. Sabathia, Johan Santana, and others are swimming in dough thanks to obscenely large contracts. Oh, and Jeter wants a contract for more years-he has said he plans to play until age 43, seven years down the road (by which time, given his current pace, he could have around 3,400 career hits).
Derek Jeter is one of the biggest stars I've seen in my lifetime who's reputation is not dampened by anything other than his being affiliated with the New York Yankees and their reputation for greed. But they're looking ungreedy as they try to stick to their guns (the guns being that 3-year, $45 million contract). They're looking sensible. And Jeter, some are saying, is starting to look like the bad guy.
Yes, Jeter has been one of the better professional baseball players of the last decade. He doesn't have monster power numbers, or speed numbers, and never has, but he has been solid all-around, and consistent, and been a great team captain. But I don't think he is worth more than $15 million a year. Of course, I don't think anyone is. I think he should take this contract and see what he gets. The idea of his going to another team is somewhat intriguing (though I agree with the Yankees in their assertion that he would not get anything close to $15 mil a year from some other team), but I would like to see another (in the Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn mold) franchise player.
He has been called the greatest and most-beloved Yankee of the last half-century. He has been called the most iconic Yankee since Mickey Mantle. The new Yankee Stadium has been nicknamed "The House that Jeter Built." Jeter is the all-time team-leader in hits, having passed Lou Gehrig last year.
In 2010, Jeter hit .27o (a much-ballyhooed-in a bad way-number), with 179 hits, 30 doubles, 111 runs scored, 10 home runs, 67 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, and 106 strikeouts.
Are those BAD numbers? Well, for starters, that .270 average? He has hit better than that in every previous season of his career. In 2009, when he was third in the AL MVP voting: he hit 64 points higher (.334). In '09, he had 212 hits, third-most in a single season in his career, and the seventh time he has eclipsed 200 in a season. The 10 home runs were tied with the lowest he's had in a single season, which he had done three other times. The 106 strikeouts were the most since 2005, and the 111 runs were the most since 2006 (though this probably has more to do with the people hitting behind him in the Yankee batting order: guys named Swisher, Texeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Posada, then Jeter's greatness).
Basically, the .270 average was a black eye to a guy with a career average well over .300. He got to score a ton of runs by virtue of batting 1st or 2nd on an amazing team of sluggers. The home runs were down, but the RBIs were actually up (by one), over his "revolutionary" 2009 season. He had 3 more doubles, two more triples, score five more runs, than '09.
I bring this up because Jeter is currently in a war of words/actions with the Yankees over a new contract. The Yankees have offered him 3 years at $15 million a year, and he turned it down, insisting he wants more. The contract that just expired, which he got in 2000, was 10 years for $189 million. He is 36, coming off one of his more disappointing seasons (I'll have to agree, though, as I just assessed, it's not as bad as you think), his defensive range is slipping, and, as many have said, despite his fame and his iconic image, he is not bigger than the team.
One of the great things about Jeter is that, unlike almost every other star athlete of the modern era, his image is not tainted or hindered by anything other than a thorough desire to win. The most scandalous thing Jeter has done is date Mariah Carey (way back in 1998)-and they didn't even have a very public relationship or break-up-or frown at gaudy, spotlight-hogging teammate Alex Rodriguez. However, in this age of giant contracts, Jeter is clearly antsy to belong.
I'm with the average citizen, who says, of course, $15 million is a huge amount of money, let alone for someone to make in one year playing baseball, but this is 2010, and this is professional baseball. Guys like Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, A-Rod, Texeira, C.C. Sabathia, Johan Santana, and others are swimming in dough thanks to obscenely large contracts. Oh, and Jeter wants a contract for more years-he has said he plans to play until age 43, seven years down the road (by which time, given his current pace, he could have around 3,400 career hits).
Derek Jeter is one of the biggest stars I've seen in my lifetime who's reputation is not dampened by anything other than his being affiliated with the New York Yankees and their reputation for greed. But they're looking ungreedy as they try to stick to their guns (the guns being that 3-year, $45 million contract). They're looking sensible. And Jeter, some are saying, is starting to look like the bad guy.
Yes, Jeter has been one of the better professional baseball players of the last decade. He doesn't have monster power numbers, or speed numbers, and never has, but he has been solid all-around, and consistent, and been a great team captain. But I don't think he is worth more than $15 million a year. Of course, I don't think anyone is. I think he should take this contract and see what he gets. The idea of his going to another team is somewhat intriguing (though I agree with the Yankees in their assertion that he would not get anything close to $15 mil a year from some other team), but I would like to see another (in the Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn mold) franchise player.
Brawls, and Tirades, December 1, 2010
Well, it was a treat of a weekend in the NFL. Da Bears brought Michael Vick back to earth, Brett Favre ran 10 yards for a key first down to help the Vikings win their first game under interim coach Leslie Frazier, Peyton Manning threw four interceptions in an ugly loss to the Chargers, and Steve Johnson blamed God for dropping a would-be game-winner of a touchdown bomb against the Steelers.
However, there is some heightened drama this week that doesn't involve football itself, which has been getting a lot of ink and air-time, that I have some thoughts on, so here goes:
Derek Anderson's Rant
This week's Monday Night Football was one for the ages; a match-up between a pair of 3-7 teams that technically still have the chance to make the playoffs, because their division leader, the St. Louis Rams, are only 5-6. And, so, the Arizona Cardinals hosted the San Francisco 49ers. Arizona, who made the Super Bowl two years ago and beat the Green Bay Packers in a classic first-round playoff match-up last year, flatlined early, their porous defense letting 49ers' backup back Bryan Westbrook run all over them.
By the 4th quarter, the game had reached its eventual final 27-6 score, with the Cardinals playing feebly, and Cardinals' much-maligned QB Derek Anderson (who went 16 of 35 for 196 yards and an interception) was shown-on National TV-sitting on a bench on the sideline, smiling with guard Deuce Lutui about something.
After the game, reporters asked him about it, and, originally, Anderson said Deuce had told him to stay positive, to stay upbeat. But reporter Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic kept after the subject, asking why they were laughing. At first, Anderson just said, "What Deuce and I talk about is our business." When Somers repeated the question, about why they were laughing, Anderson blew his top, flat-out yelling:
"You think I was laughing about something? I take this s---seriously! Real serious! I put my freakin' heart and soul into this s--- every single week! I'm telling you right now what I do every single week! Every single week I put my heart and soul into this! I study my ass off; I don't go out there and laugh! It's not funny. Nothing's funny to me! I don't want to go out there and get embarrassed on Monday Night Football in front of everybody!"
After that, ignoring Somers' mutters of "Sorry, sorry", Anderson said "I'm done" and stormed out of the room.
Understandably, there has been a lot of talk about this, even talk of Anderson potentially being fined. What everyone's saying is that they were down by 18, in the fourth quarter, they should not have been laughing, and Somers was just asking a question.
I was a journalism major, and I've interviewed people before. The fact that the MNF cameras showed Anderson and Lutui smiling is an unfortunate coincidence. I seriously doubt two professional athletes were laughing along the lines of: "dude, we are sucking!" I doubt that. I mean, after losses, don't players and coaches always say things like "we just gotta stay positive, not let it get us down, and come back here next week." If those guys were shown crying on the sidelines, or looking hopeless, they'd be branded losers with defeatist attitudes. Now, it's true that Arizona, at 3-8, is in the pits, will not make the playoffs, and is one of the league's worst teams. It's also likely true that Anderson has heard all of that. So, of course he's on edge. I think two guys trying to stay positive during a tough game was the right thing to do; it's unfortunate that the camera caught them smiling.
Finnegan/Thompson Fined for Fight
On Sunday, the Houston Texans beat the tumbling Tennessee Titans 20-0. During the fourth quarter, on two consecutive plays, Houston corner Cortland Finnegan tore off Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson's helmet. The second time he did it was after hitting him in the throat, and Johnson lost his cool. At which point, the 6'3, 225-pound Johnson tore off the 5-11, 188-pound Finnegan's helmet. Finnegan swiped at Johnson, was thrown on the ground, and promptly put his face to the ground while Johnson punched him, hard, twice, on the back of the head. A ref jumped between them, and Johnson drilled Finnegan in the jaw with an uppercut before being pushed away. Both were ejected from the game, and given $25,000 fines, but neither was suspended.
Finnegan has a reputation as one of the league's dirtiest players, and he brags about said reputation. He did not speak to the media after the game, while Johnson apologized for what happened.
There has been talk since as to why neither was suspended. The question has arisen "what do you have to do to get suspended?" Another question that has risen is that Steelers' famously hard-hitting linebacker James Harrison has been fined three times this season for head-to-head hits, two of which, in the same quarter against the Cleveland Browns, knocked Browns' receivers out of the game. The third was a hard hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Harrison has been fined $25K for each hit, which amounted to $75K over the first three instances.
Now, I never appreciated Harrison's head-t0-head hits, especially not the way, afterward, he said "he was all right; he just went to sleep for a little bit". That was an ignorant and stupid thing to say, in my opinion. But Harrison was trying to make tackles; he was not throwing people on the ground and punching them in the head as hard as he could (and, make no mistake, Johnson was throwing haymakers). I mean, both Johnson and Finnegan were ejected from the game; Harrison hasn't been ejected yet, because, of course, he's only tackling.
I may write something else later. But these are the two big stories I've been wanting to comment on.
However, there is some heightened drama this week that doesn't involve football itself, which has been getting a lot of ink and air-time, that I have some thoughts on, so here goes:
Derek Anderson's Rant
This week's Monday Night Football was one for the ages; a match-up between a pair of 3-7 teams that technically still have the chance to make the playoffs, because their division leader, the St. Louis Rams, are only 5-6. And, so, the Arizona Cardinals hosted the San Francisco 49ers. Arizona, who made the Super Bowl two years ago and beat the Green Bay Packers in a classic first-round playoff match-up last year, flatlined early, their porous defense letting 49ers' backup back Bryan Westbrook run all over them.
By the 4th quarter, the game had reached its eventual final 27-6 score, with the Cardinals playing feebly, and Cardinals' much-maligned QB Derek Anderson (who went 16 of 35 for 196 yards and an interception) was shown-on National TV-sitting on a bench on the sideline, smiling with guard Deuce Lutui about something.
After the game, reporters asked him about it, and, originally, Anderson said Deuce had told him to stay positive, to stay upbeat. But reporter Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic kept after the subject, asking why they were laughing. At first, Anderson just said, "What Deuce and I talk about is our business." When Somers repeated the question, about why they were laughing, Anderson blew his top, flat-out yelling:
"You think I was laughing about something? I take this s---seriously! Real serious! I put my freakin' heart and soul into this s--- every single week! I'm telling you right now what I do every single week! Every single week I put my heart and soul into this! I study my ass off; I don't go out there and laugh! It's not funny. Nothing's funny to me! I don't want to go out there and get embarrassed on Monday Night Football in front of everybody!"
After that, ignoring Somers' mutters of "Sorry, sorry", Anderson said "I'm done" and stormed out of the room.
Understandably, there has been a lot of talk about this, even talk of Anderson potentially being fined. What everyone's saying is that they were down by 18, in the fourth quarter, they should not have been laughing, and Somers was just asking a question.
I was a journalism major, and I've interviewed people before. The fact that the MNF cameras showed Anderson and Lutui smiling is an unfortunate coincidence. I seriously doubt two professional athletes were laughing along the lines of: "dude, we are sucking!" I doubt that. I mean, after losses, don't players and coaches always say things like "we just gotta stay positive, not let it get us down, and come back here next week." If those guys were shown crying on the sidelines, or looking hopeless, they'd be branded losers with defeatist attitudes. Now, it's true that Arizona, at 3-8, is in the pits, will not make the playoffs, and is one of the league's worst teams. It's also likely true that Anderson has heard all of that. So, of course he's on edge. I think two guys trying to stay positive during a tough game was the right thing to do; it's unfortunate that the camera caught them smiling.
Finnegan/Thompson Fined for Fight
On Sunday, the Houston Texans beat the tumbling Tennessee Titans 20-0. During the fourth quarter, on two consecutive plays, Houston corner Cortland Finnegan tore off Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson's helmet. The second time he did it was after hitting him in the throat, and Johnson lost his cool. At which point, the 6'3, 225-pound Johnson tore off the 5-11, 188-pound Finnegan's helmet. Finnegan swiped at Johnson, was thrown on the ground, and promptly put his face to the ground while Johnson punched him, hard, twice, on the back of the head. A ref jumped between them, and Johnson drilled Finnegan in the jaw with an uppercut before being pushed away. Both were ejected from the game, and given $25,000 fines, but neither was suspended.
Finnegan has a reputation as one of the league's dirtiest players, and he brags about said reputation. He did not speak to the media after the game, while Johnson apologized for what happened.
There has been talk since as to why neither was suspended. The question has arisen "what do you have to do to get suspended?" Another question that has risen is that Steelers' famously hard-hitting linebacker James Harrison has been fined three times this season for head-to-head hits, two of which, in the same quarter against the Cleveland Browns, knocked Browns' receivers out of the game. The third was a hard hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Harrison has been fined $25K for each hit, which amounted to $75K over the first three instances.
Now, I never appreciated Harrison's head-t0-head hits, especially not the way, afterward, he said "he was all right; he just went to sleep for a little bit". That was an ignorant and stupid thing to say, in my opinion. But Harrison was trying to make tackles; he was not throwing people on the ground and punching them in the head as hard as he could (and, make no mistake, Johnson was throwing haymakers). I mean, both Johnson and Finnegan were ejected from the game; Harrison hasn't been ejected yet, because, of course, he's only tackling.
I may write something else later. But these are the two big stories I've been wanting to comment on.
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