The Sports Section

On Sunday night during NBC's coverage of the night football game, the commentators were discussing the big upsets of that day; Oakland over Pittsburgh and Jacksonville over Philadelphia and how the two favored teams just didn't seem to show up.

Terry Bradshaw offered a hypothesis that they went out too cocky and didn't have their egos in check. It's like these players forget that bad teams are still made up of professional athletes, and that nothing is sweeter than an upset. It's not as if there has ever been a football season where every game was predictable and it's not as if the team that looks best on paper will always win.

I can just picture the locker rooms before the game, with Pittsburgh writing it off as a sure win while the Raiders were pumping the hell out of each other. They Raiders had the opportunity to humiliate the defending champs. It's almost sweeter that they did it with their own offense playing like dirt, and by taking advantage of Roethlisberger's mistakes.

As I mentioned, the commentators chalked these games up to who wanted it more. If that's the case, then what needs to happen for Roethlisberger and McNabb to want it? Winning a Super Bowl matters, but it's not enough to win once. Maybe it would have been for Dan Marino, but it's the legacy that impresses. Watching last year's champs go to 2 - 5 is sad, even for a Steelers hater like me. And McNabb is a fool if he thinks that he doesn't still need to redeem himself for two years ago.

There are so many people itching to get into this sport, and there are people who work their asses off to prove their worth. Jake Plummer will never be John Elway and he is reminded of that all the time at Mile High Stadium. Tony Romo won his first start as a Cowboy and that's all it takes for fans in Dallas to forget all about Drew Bledsoe. Everyone wants to be the next great guy so to watch two superstars suck at it week after week is just dissapointing.

On the other side of this you have Peyton Manning, often considered the best QB right now, unafraid to give it up to Viniateri for saving the game and the Colts' undefeated status. You have Rex Grossman, who is bringing a football renaissance to Chicago and rejecting the super star status he deserves. You have Steve McNair who gets kicked out of the Titans' locker room, gets berated for his poor offense, and answers with an inspired performance and a huge win for Baltimore.

I look forward to the eventual upsets of the Colts and the Bears because I don't want the same teams to win every week. I love when Pro-Bowlers sit out and watch rookies rush for 100 yards in their places. That is what makes good football and I would never argue that it would be better if the "best teams" were always winning. But football season is 16 games short and every single one matters. I don't care if the best team is playing the worst team, because these athletes are being paid to try, they should check their egos, and they should always show up.

Posted by Snugget at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

An article on foxsports claims that Nelson De La Rosa, the 2 foot 4 inch actor, and Boston Red Sox "good luck charm" has died. According to his agent, his body may be on display in a museum, presumably because he is one of the world's smallest men.

First of all, is there a height limit for when a person is small enough to also be a good luck charm? Does he have to fit on a very large bracelet?

Second of all, where is this sick museum that displays dead little people? Someone please make sure I never go there.

Posted by Snugget at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

Sometime between the moment that Yadier Molina's home run clinched the NLCS for the Cardinals and the moment when Anthony Reyes released the first pitch of game one, the Detroit Tigers won the World Series. They are still three games away from an actual victory, they still have to face Suppan and Carpenter, and they still have to see how Robertson and Bonderman will hold up in these high pressure games. But before any player had even stepped on to the field at Comerica Park, the Tigers were already winners; not because they have better pitchers (although they do), or because they are a better team (though they are), but because they have a better story.

Looking at the St. Louis Cardinals, it doesn't take long to see why they are not the story of this year's fall classic. People love to see an underdog, but not one that doesn't really deserve to be where it is. To me, it's not magical that a team that only won 87 games is in the World Series. To me, this means that the level of competition in the National League is not where it should be.

It's also not a shock to see St. Louis in the post-season. They were there in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and this year won their second pennant in three years. In 2004, their last trip to the World Series, they were also playing against a team with a better story; The Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals are a good team and I could wax nostalgic about seeing Mookie Wilson's step son, Preston, win a World Series. But we all know that Preston will never hit a slow grounder through Carlos Guillen's legs to win it all; the Cardinals are far from Amazin'.

Speaking of amazin', if the Mets had won the National League like they were supposed to, this really would be a battle of two storied franchises. Of two sports crazed cities and two oft-forgotten teams. It would be Minaya and Randolph, a Queens native and a Yankees hero, vs. Illich and Leyland, a Detroit native, and a grizzly shrunken man, who promised a run down city that they could have a championship team, and made good on that promise.

If the Mets had won, it would be the battle of the resurrected careers. It would be Floyd, Delgado and Franco, vs. Pudge and Ordonez. If the Mets had won it would be a battle of a remarkable but young pitching staff with Bonderman and Verlander vs. a remarkable but young infield with Reyes and Wright. If the Mets had won it would be the battle of the inextinguishable veterans; Glavine and Rogers.

If the Mets had won it would be their chance to exert dominance over New York sports vs. the Tigers chance to silence the Twins and the White Sox, the egocentric powerhouses of mid-west American League baseball.

If the Mets had won, I would lose sleep over who I wanted to win the World Series more, which manager I liked better, which rookie was headed to Cooperstown faster, which aging pitcher had just enough gas.

But the Mets didn't win. So, instead the Tigers face the Cardinals. They head to Busch stadium, in its third incarnation, to its stands populated by the western half of the city it represents, to a team that discovered and pampered Albert Pujols, the only beefy slugger in the game who does not get questioned about steroids. Instead it's Leyland vs. LaRussa, the guy no one has heard of against the guy everyone has heard of. Instead, it's the team that defied everyone's expectations to dominate a difficult division vs. the team that defied everyone's expectations of how badly you could play all year to still end up in the World Series.

I am thrilled that this year won't be a sweep, and that the two teams are hitting well and pitching better. I like late inning scares like Todd Jones supplied last night, provided that they end right, as it did last night. But, I also like a good story. The Red Sox were the story of 2004; the White Sox were the story of 2005. Here's hoping the Tigers will be the story of 2006.

Posted by Snugget at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments

I had a fleeting moment of recosideration at the start of last night's game. I was nervous, I could tell Weaver was poised for a good start, and I thought, maybe the red birds will take this one. Game one is important in every series, but for the Mets, after the cancellation of the actual first game, and considering their pitcing woes, this game was even more important. They cannot waste a Glavine start.

They might have done just that, had it not been for the usual suspect, Carlos Beltran, who has cemented himself as an ultra reliable post season slugger. Just like he did with Houston in 2004, Beltran provided all the offense the Mets needed, smashing a two-run home run in the sixth inning.

Glavine pitched seven innings of scoreless baseball, throwing only 89 pitches, giving up four hits and simultaneously putting himself in a good position to pitch on three days rest, should the Mets need him again.

The Mets however should not get ahead of themselves. Last night the following Cardinals starers went hitless: Eckstein, Encarnacion, Pujols, Rolen and Belliard. These are all excellent ball players, they all want to win, and the Mets can bet that they will start hitting. Controlling the heart of the St. Louis line-up is key for the Mets, and with less experienced and less consistent pitchers starting the next three games, they will have to play even tougher defense.

Tonight is a must-win for the Cardinals. They cannot afford to blow a Chris Carpenter start, and should the Mets take a 2-0 lead in the series, they will be very difficult to shut down for four of the remaining six games.

Speaking of must-win, the same is true for the A's. They play this afternoon in Detroit and the pitching match up is Harden v. Rogers. No doubt, the Gambler is itching to prove that he can throw more than one gem in the post season.

Posted by Snugget at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

There was no doubt in my mind that a picture of the damaged building on East 72nd Street would occupy the front page of the New York Times this morning. I was not surprised to see an array of articles about Cory Lidle, the man, Cory Lidle the pitcher and even Cory Lidle the pilot. As expected there were the comments from his teammates, from Damon, Giambi and Jeter, from former teammates, from coaches and from friends. They also all said what I expected, how suddenly things can change, what a great competitor he was, how sorry they are for his wife and young son.

Everything I read was exactly what I had anticipated, except for one thing. In his column, "New York Baseball, Upside Down," in the New York Times sports section, Dave Anderson printed this quote from Rick Peterson, one of Lidle's coaches in Oakland.

"It's like a surreal moment, I think it just goes to show how insignificant some of the things that we think are significant really are when this comes down to the fact that we're about to play a baseball game and how important is that, really?"

For those who don't know, Rick Peterson is the pitching coach for the New York Mets, who are about to play in the first game of the NLCS tonight, and who are in contention to win their first World Series in twenty years. For Mets fans and baseball fans around the country Lidle's death is a tragedy and yet these same fans would not hesitate to answer Peterson's question; this game is still very important.

I don't mean that this one game is important, although it is, just ask Tom Glavine, who, under Anderson's tutelage, is about to start tonight's game. I mean that sports are worthwhile and important to this country, particularly baseball, and they are important all the time. Their importance should not be qualified by how recently a local or even national tragedy took place, and their ability to heal should not be overlooked.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt helped convince commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis that baseball should be played during WWII. When Phillip Wrigley, namesake of the field and the gum, realized that baseball players would be called on to fight, he helped found the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, so that people would still have games to attend.

Jackie Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. That was seven years before Brown v. The Board of Education struck down 'separate but equal.' By that baseball season, 1954, ten other teams had drafted African American players.

Five years ago, on September 17, 2001, baseball resumed, despite the fact that the US had suffered a national tragedy only six days before. There were hundreds of articles written about this issue, many suggesting that the season should be canceled. Commissioner Bud Selig's motivation for continuing play? "We wanted to be not only sensitive, but we wanted to play our small role in the recovery process."

To contend that when priorities are adjusted we might reconsider the importance of baseball and sports more generally does a disservice the the ways in which team sports have helped bring people together and countries back to life. It's what the Olympics can do for a city's economy. It's watching a World Cup team win over the team of its former colonial ruler.

I seriously doubt that Rick Peterson meant anything by his statement, which was undoubtedly just his emotional reaction to the loss of a friend. Still, if Cory Lidle was truly as passionate about baseball as his teammates say he was, I doubt that he would have wanted anything except for the game to go on.

Posted by Snugget at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Last night game two of the ALCS featured what we can now call the typical Tigers. Their pitching was dominant as usual but when Verlander did falter and only slightly, his offense perfectly exectued run-scoring plays to stay neck and neck with the A's before taking a lead in the fouth inning. It was a lead they would never lose.

Aside from wondering if Verlander would continue to impress many also wondered if Sean Casey's injury would significantly effect the game's outcome. Casey tore his calf muscle in game one against the A's and will likely be out for the rest of the post season. Tigers' manager Jim Leyland made a surprising move, starting third-baseman Guillen at first, putting Neifi Perez at third, and starting Alexis Gomez at DH.

Though Rodriguez and Monroe once again proved themselved dependable, the Tigers relied heavily on an unexpected hero. Gomez hit a two-run single in the fourth inning to give Detroit the lead, and a two-run homer, the second of his career, in the seventh, which all but sealed the deal. Granderson also homered, but by then it was just gravy. The Tigers had a bit of scare in the bottom of the ninth, but Todd Jones pitched out of a bases loaded jam to get the save.

The A's were plagued defensively once more, and when needed, starter Esteban Loaiza could not come through with the big pitches. Frank Thomas flied out to end the ninth inning, and the A's hopes of evening out the seven game series. The teams next face off Friday night in Detroit, where temperatures are expected to be in the 40s. A circumstance that, along with the Tigers' pitching, does not bode well for the Athletics.

Posted by Snugget at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

The New York Yankee's mid-season acquisition, right-handed pitcher Cory Lidle, died today when his Cirrus SR20 plane crashed into a residential building on East 72nd Street in Manhattan.

Lidle joined the Yankees in the same trade in which they received Bobby Abreu, both from the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the fifth member of their starting rotation, presumably brought in to fill in for the injured Carl Pavano.

Lidle was moved to the bullpen when the Yankees switched to a four-man rotation in the post-season, and he pitched 1 and 2/3 innings in game four of the ALDS, giving up three runs to the Detroit Tigers.

Lidle's best start with the Yankees came against the Baltimore Orioles on September 26, when he pitched 6 2/3 innings and helped the Yankees finish with a 5-4 win.

Lidle's rookie season came in 1997 with the New York Mets when he notched a 7-2 record with an era of 3.53. He moved around a great deal in his career and his best season came in 2001 when he finished with 13-6 record and a 3.59 era with the Oakland Athletics.

He was a career 4.57 pitcher, with 838 strike outs in 1,322 innings pitched.

Posted by Snugget at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

The most popular team in baseball, with the most World Series wins chokes in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row, and as expected there has been an array of columns suggesting what Steinbrenner and Cashman need to do to change the course of the last six seasons.

First there was the rally to fire Torre, which lasted two days and left people wondering what happened to the Steinbrenner of old. (Just call him the Steinbrenner that got old). At the same time was the obvious anti A-Rod cry; that he's too much of a superstar, there's too much pressure, his ego is too big.

All of this is accurate, but not limited to A-Rod. The Yankees have never been evasive in stating their goal: they wanted to win it all, and each season they lured in another big name. Not just Rodriguez, but also, Mussina, Pavano, Giambi, Matsui, Johnson, Abreu and of course Damon. And just today, Joe Palladino writes that Mr. Yankee himself, Derek Jeter is the one who should go, allowing Rodriguez to take over short stop and establish himself as the new Yankee leader. Everyone is willing to identify the biggest Yankee shortcoming and how to solve it.

Everyone that is, except the people who should be. Steinbrenner's statement at the end of this season is just like his from last season. He is disappointed, they want to win and they will do whatever it takes to bring a championship to the Bronx next season. But that's where it ends. Yankees fans are demanding big changes, but they should not expect much. Steinbrenner says Torre is back, so it's not his fault. Torre says A-Rod will be back, so it's not his fault. Cashman is ready for another off season, presumably this is not his fault either. He even went to far as to say “I honestly can say I don’t have any would’ve, could’ve, should’ves." That's interesting because I can think of a few.

1. You should have traded for a first baseman instead of another lazy, aging outfielder mid-season. Abreu may be a power hitter, but he has no hustle.

2. You should have known that Lidle was going to pitch one gem to prove his worth and then suck in NY just like he did in Philly.

3. You could have given some more young players a chance, especially in game 4 when it became obvious to anyone with eyes that Gary Sheffield couldn't have hit a Bonderman pitch if it was glued to his bat.

4. You could have trusted your excellent farm system at the end of last season, one that was responsible for Jeter and Cano, and spent your millions on pitchers instead of on Johnny Damon.

5. You would have beaten the Tigers if you had good pitchers.

I am sick of hearing about the best line-up in baseball, I am sick of the Yankees all-star status, and of their cocky attitude toward to post-season. I am happy they lost. But, they are so obsessed with keeping their secrets, with planning their next big move in some secret lair and in maintaining the magical mystique that has unfairly followed them since the days of Ruth and Gehrig.

Other teams are more than happy to share the reasons behind their successes (Tigers) and failures (Royals, Orioles). They are open about what they need, who is in their way (often it is the Yankees), and they make changes when necessary (Phillies, Marlins). But not the Bronx Bombers (who by the way are getting better and better at bombing).

No matter how elusive they all are, someone is to blame for this mess--in fact--a bunch of people are, including Steinbrenner, Torre and the entire team and someone should step up and accept responsibility. Corey Lidle made the only comments that could be construed as blaming someone, when he said that the Yankees might not have been as prepared as the Tigers. Not as prepared? 162 games and the best record in the AL? How much more prepared do you need to be. And then of course, when he was asked if he was blaming Torre by making these comments, he said he was misquoted.

Again, it's no one's fault.

Posted by Snugget at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Tigers topped the Athletics last night in the first game of the ALCS. The score was 5 - 1 but those are the least important numbers. The A's were great at getting runners on base and terrible at hitting them home. They went 0 - 13 with runners in scoring position and grounded into four double plays. Zito was outpitched by Robertson, lasting only 3 2/3 innings and assuming all five of the Tigers' runs for earned runs. Tonight's pitching matchup features Verlander for the Tigers and Loaiza for the A's. Though Loaiza has more post season experience Verlander certainly has the edge here.

The best part about watching the Tigers play is that it seems like in each game a different member of the team pulls through and has a big night. Last night it was Brandon Inge who had three hits, including a solo home run to get the scoring started. Regularly called the most athletic third baseman in the AL, Inge is oft overlooked, but is a team leader and as a member of the Tigers in their 119 loss season, he is deserving of a great game and a great series.

There are two playoff games on tonight, unless the Mets/Cards game is rained out. Both are on at 8 PM, on Fox/FX, and where you see which game depends on location.

Posted by Snugget at 6:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

Oakland native, and Athletics great Rickey Henderson was the victim of an annoyingly long zoom to the stands during tonight's boring and obvious Tigers/A's game.

The announcers talked up Rickey's careers, his stolen bases, his uncanny ability to read a pitcher and his leadoff homeruns.

They left out this little gem that can be found in Rickey's wikipedia entry:

Henderson has also been reported to take practice swings in the locker room in front of a mirror completely naked while repeatedly saying "Rickey's the best! You tha man, Rickey!"

If the A's keep stranding runners the way they have tonight, they might want to replicate any of the pre-game shenanigans that worked for Henderson.

Posted by Snugget at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

I completely agree with Times' columnist Harvey Araton's comments about Alex Rodriguez.

The “greatest lineup ever” wasn’t enough to get the Yankees out of the first round, the starting pitching is a mess, and the time has come to level with A-Rod because he is their most tradable asset, their surest way to acquire young pitching, if he will allow it.

It's been said a million times, good pitching beats great hitting, every time. Still, I will be surprised if Alex Rodriguez is not a Yankee next season, and I actually think that A-Rod is poised to have another MVP caliber season next year. Aside from his horrid October play, the question has never been A-Rod's skills. He hit .290 this seasons, with 35 HR and 121 RBI, a fanstastic set of numbers by any standards. The question has been pitching, and the answer has not been Mussina (6 seasons with New York, no championships) the answer has not been Johnson, and obviously, the answer has not been Jaret Wright. The Yankee formula of buying big names who come with big salaries and big eogs is ineffective but enticing.

I think the real shame is that players like Miguel Cairo and Andy Phillips did not get a chance to play in the ALDS while A-Rod, Sheffield, Giambi and Matsui had all the time in the world to prove their worth and did not. Steinbrenner is right to demand a team with chemistry and with passion, and this team is not it, and next year's Yankees, nearly identical to this year's, will not be it either. I am thrilled to see the new stars of the post-season, I am thrilled for Ordonez and Pudge, for Thomas, for Wright and Reyes and for Pujols. These are baseball players who play like they want it on teams who play with heart, and when the Yankees management begins to emulate this recipe, they will, to the dismay of Yankee haters everywhere, get their rings.

Posted by Snugget at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments

Football season is the only thing Monday has going for it. It is probably why football is played during Winter, because without it, Mondays in January would be a total nightmare. On Tuesday you finally get to look at the week's worth of action, you check out the numbers, and then you realize that Tuesadays suck. So, here it is, the first installment of "A Case of the Tuesdays."

The Best of Week 5 Football:

Reggie Bush finally puts it in gear and returns a punt for a touchdown that will eventually be the game winner. The boy is looking good in gold. (The 4-1 Saints are the feelgood story of the season)

The Colts (we ask yet again "is it Peyton's year?") go to 5-0 but just barely, sqeuaking a 14-13 win over the Titans. The who? Yes, the 0-5 Titans. (For the record, I say, no, this is not, yet, Peyton's year)

Leinart (ARZ) and Smith (SF) have good games. If there is one thing football nerds love its the next crop of hall of fame QBs. These guys have had so much talk surrounding them, and while their teams won't contend this season its nice to see them have 100+ yard games.

Philly DOMINATES Dallas. The hype about T.O. is ridiculous, and it's not what football is about, but when there is more coverage of Mr. Owens screaming at his offensive coordinator then of him catching passes, you gotta smile just a little. On a sidenote that should not be a sidenote, McNabb is playing like a goddamn MVP.

Da Bears. Best Offense. Best Defense. The only team that could go 16-0 this season. The Bears can, and I think will, win the superbowl, and Rex Grossman will be the sleeper QB of the season.

Roethlisberger has a great game (20-31, 220) and still loses. Roethlisberger is outplayed again, and will be consistently this season. The Steelers will not be a new Superbowl dynasty.

And finally, the Ravens accept their first loss at Mile High Stadium. Jake Plummer was clutch, Steve McNair was...asleep? The Ravens needed a loss to get their egos in check. If they step it back up, they could be major contenders, and though I don't think it will happen, a Bears v. Ravens Superbowl would be fantastic.

Posted by Snugget at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

I would just like to note the entry I posted on August 24 where I announced that the New York Yankees would NOT be in the World Series. I watched dozens of talking heads tell me that they would do it, in a Subway series in four. But I knew and I am taking this moment to boast. I've been calling Tigers v. Mets since the All-Star break, and I still stand by this.

Immediately upon winning the NLDS the Cardinals have become the underdogs on 2006. I think this is a misnomer. You can't argue that it's bizarre that they won fewer then 90 games and are one series away from the Fall Classic, but the Cards are strong defenders, their pitchers are hitable, but also controlling, and they have a team with a lot of post-season experience. And then there is the Pujols factor. I'm still calling the Mets to win this, I could see it taking 6 or 7 games but I think they'll take it. Still I don't think that the Cards deserve the underdog reputation.

I think it's a bit more locked up in the AL. If the 2005 Red Sox taught us one thing, it's there is no momentum like that of crushing the Yankees. The Sox were absolutely dreadful in the first three games of the ALCS in '04, but the last 4 games they played like the scrappy team they were all season, and they were obliterating in the World Series. It was borderline boring. I don't think the A's stand a chance against the Tigers who I think will ultimately win the World Series this year, and I believe that a large portion of this country's baseball fans will be happy to see them win.

Posted by Snugget at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments