Sports Then and Now

Derek Jeter has struggled with injuries and inconsistency so far this season for the Yankees.

At the risk of sounding like a New York Mets homer and an unabashed hater of the New York Yankees, I must tell you, that I am a New York Mets homer and an unabashed hater of the New York Yankees. I know, my subtlety and boldness is overwhelming, but all jokes aside, there are a multitude of reasons why the 2011 installment of the Yankees will miss the playoffs altogether, despite the fact they currently sit atop the American League East division. So, my heartfelt apologies, Mr. Bloomberg, but there will be no American League East championship, no wildcard, nothing, just the stench of another failed run at a World Series crown, for a team whose success is unequivocally defined by championship rings, not playoff berths.

Red Sox Nation
Despite a recent four-game losing streak, the Sox have a record of 20-10 over their last 30 games. Stop right here. I already know that you’re going to rebut my point with the fact that the Yankees are also 20-10 over their last 30 ball games. You see, records can be deceiving, much like the looks of that blonde you chatted up at the club over the weekend after you enjoyed a few beers. During this stretch, the Sox took two of three from Cleveland, three of four from Detroit, and they ripped off a nine-game winning streak, including a sweep of the Yankees in the Bronx. Boston also impressively won series versus Tampa Bay and Milwaukee. All told, that is five series wins against five of the top ten teams in the league in terms of overall record. Sure, the Yankees did take three of four from Cleveland and swept a Texas Rangers squad who sits atop the AL West. Let’s be honest though, The Rangers pitching staff has the consistency of bleu cheese crumbles.

Oh, did I mention the Red Sox own an 8-1 record against the Yankees in 2011? The Sox have outscored the Yanks 60-37 in the nine games this year and have swept them twice in the Bronx. With nine games remaining between the two teams, it is hard for me to envision the Yankees enjoying any success against a team that has dominated them in every facet of the game.

Stingray Alert
Not convinced the nine matchups against Boston over the final 86 games should be cause for concern? Fine, how about 16 more games against the pesky and very dangerous Tampa Bay Rays? The Yankees will close out the first half of the season with four games versus Tampa in the Bronx and will also face the upstart Rays in five of the last eight games of the season.

The Rays, fueled by consistent pitching, have benefited greatly from the impressive numbers put up by James Shields, who is once again living up to the “Big Game” moniker he was noted for in the Rays 2008 AL pennant run. Thus far in 2011, Shields has outpitched David Price, posting an impressive 8-4 record with a staggeringly low ERA of 2.29.

Speaking of impressive, it would be an egregious oversight if I overlooked what Evan Longoria did to the Houston Astros over the weekend. Longo was a beast at the plate, posting a .571 average with 3 HR’s and 10 RBI. If Longoria can continue to rake and post numbers like he did in Houston, the Rays offense will become one of the most balanced attacks in the American League.

Nobody could have envisioned the Rays sitting two games back in the AL East, especially after their abysmal start to the 2011 campaign. They are a young, hungry and well-managed team, and they have the best road record in the league at 26-16. Read the rest of this entry →

Manny Ramirez is retiring after a week in the lineup of the Tampa Bay Rays.

On some fronts the news that Manny Ramirez is retiring from baseball to avoid his second suspension under the banned substance policy is shocking. However, given the combustible nature of his personality, you had to know that he wouldn’t exit baseball in a conventional manner.

Now, with the reality that this player with unquestioned Hall of Fame credentials has failed not one (during the 2003 anonymous testing), not twice (50-game suspension in 2009), but now three tests for using a substance related to performance enhancing drugs, the debate begins about whether he is indeed worthy of being in the Hall of Fame.

In some ways, the case of Manny Ramirez is going to be significantly more difficult to judge than that of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens.

In the cases of all four of these players you have a significant body of work before you know that they started taking steroids that either shows that using steroids took them from being pretty good to great (McGwire, Sosa and Palmeiro) or from great to immortal (Bonds and Clemens).

Because Manny Ramirez was great from the day he got to the minors (.315 batting average in three minor league seasons with 31 home runs and 115 RBI in 1993) and his numbers were remarkably consistent for his first 14 full seasons in the league, it is much more difficult to get an understanding of when Manny started using steroids than it is for any of the players I just mentioned.

In many ways, Manny’s situation is most similar to Alex Rodriguez, who also was a superstar from the day he got to the majors.

When he was confronted with his own steroid use two years ago, Rodriguez attempted to mitigate the damages by putting a defined period around his steroid use. Even though are enough irregularities to believe that his steroid use went beyond the years he has admitted to, for the most part Rodriguez has put the situation behind him and the belief is that he will eventually get in the Hall of Fame. Read the rest of this entry →

The New York Yankees hope that Andruw Jones can return to the form that saw him finish second in the 2005 NL MVP Award.

With the recent signings by the New York Yankees of Bartolo Colon and Andruw Jones, the Tampa Bay Rays of Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez and the Baltimore Orioles of Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero you have to wonder if these teams realize that it is 2011 and not 2005.

If it were 2005, the impact of these signings would without question make these three contenders the top teams in the division and favorites for the World Series.

In 2005, Bartolo Colon won 21 games for the Anaheim Angels and was named the American League Cy Young Award winner.

In the 2005 American League MVP race, Vladimir Guerrero finished third, Manny Ramirez was fourth and Johnny Damon placed 13th.

On the National League side, Andruw Jones placed second while Derrek Lee was third.

Unfortunately as the Yankees, Rays and Orioles look toward 2011, most of these former superstars are years removed from performing at that high level. Read the rest of this entry →

Carlton Fisk's dramatic home run in game six is the most vivid memory of the 1975 World Series.

It was 35 years ago today on October 22, 1975 that one of the most exciting World Series of all-time ended with a game seven that would propel the Big Red Machine to immortality while adding another tale of woe for fans of the Boston Red Sox.

From the very beginning, there was something about the 1975 World Series that brought it to the national forefront like no other World Series since the hey days of the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers.

With superstars Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, the Cincinnati Reds were baseball’s best known team, but two previous trips to the World Series had resulted in a pair of defeats and questions as to whether the Reds could win the big one.

The Boston Red Sox were back in the spotlight buoyed by the play of flashy young outfielder Fred Lynn, who would become the first rookie in baseball history to be names American League MVP. He was joined on the roster by future Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk as well as charismatic pitcher Luis Tiant.

With weekday World Series games now being played primarily at night, it provided fans (both young and old) who in the past had needed to play hooky from work or school to watch the World Series to now be able to enjoy the games from the comfort of home. Read the rest of this entry →

George Steinbrenner changed the role of ownership across all sports.

As a Boston Red Sox fan, I have never been fond of the New York Yankees Organization. Growing up in Buffalo, NY, I was surrounded by Yankees fans all the time.

Before I even began to get interested in baseball, my good friend, Frank Bundy, brain washed me into becoming a Sox fan.

I’ve always been sick of the Yankees winning.

After all, the Yankees 2010 payroll is over $206 million, so shouldn’t they be winning the World Series every year? That’s over $40 million more than any other team.

But when I heard the news that George Steinbrenner passed away, being a Red Sox fan didn’t matter.

It was immediately a sad day for baseball fans and beyond. What George Steinbrenner had accomplished and done within the Yankees organization can only be looked at with appreciation and respect.

The death of Steinbrenner is a huge loss, not only for Major League Baseball, but for all of sports. Steinbrenner built the Yankees empire, and was willing to win, no matter what the cost.

In his 37 years as owner, Steinbrenner led the Yankees to seven World Series Championships, 11 American League Pennants, and 16 Division Titles. Read the rest of this entry →

David Ortiz captured the Home Run Derby title last night in a thrilling performance. The left-handed slugger came out hungry and while he was all smiles he had his eyes on the prize.

Papi did it with a smile per usual.

Coming out hitting sixth out of eight batters, Papi put up an eight spot which was good enough to move him onto the second round.

Then Papi got HOT.

He blasted 13 dingers in the second round which comfortably sent him to the finals where Ortiz met former Sox prospect Hanley Ramirez. Big Papi went first and set the tone with 11 bombs as he spread them between center, right center, and right field. Hanley could not come close to match his output and Papi claimed his first ever Home Run Derby Championship. David hit 32 homers over three rounds measuring in at over seven miles with the farthest going 478 feet.

This was Ortiz’s first appearance in the Derby since 2006 (he participated 2004-06) and he made it count. He was a class act all night cheering on his competition and his classic smile was ear to ear. A true ambassador to the game and a face of the Red Sox organization, Ortiz did good work for baseball on this evening.

The most consistent cog in this patched up Red Sox line up since May 1 (17 HRs), hopefully Papi saved some umph for the second half and doesn’t melt down like former champs (ie Bobby Abreau and Josh Hamilton).

Rather, perhaps this performance can spark his game like the Three Point Contest did for Paul Pierce and propel him and the team toward a run at the pennant.