Like the day fighting the night or the river battling the land, great rivalries continue throughout time. One of the greatest rivalries is the Yankees and Red Sox. Like the Hatfields and McCoys the feud between the giants of the American League East continues.
The temperature of the rivalry may have simmered down from it's red hot intensity since the Red Sox came back from three games down to vanquish the Yankees in the ALCS and then went on to win two World Series titles. However, the fiery nature of the rivalry, much like a dormant volcano has been bubbling below the surface waiting for just such a moment as this. Waiting for the moment when the games would once again matter. The die hard fan may say every game against the Sox or Evil Empire matters. However, the truth is that the games that occur outside of a meaningful division race or the playoffs are certainly not as meaningful as those that determine who advances toward the ultimate goal.
While the Sox have owned the Yanks so far this year going 8-0 against them those games don't mean nearly as much as the next ten. It will be during these next ten that we find out who will win the division, who will likely have home field advantage in the playoffs, and the loser will likely get the wild card birth.
So here we are on the precipice sports fans, the first game of what I am calling the Rebirth Series happens tonight. So no matter which team you root for or against, I encourage you to clear your schedules, turn off your phones, chill your beverage of choice, make your popcorn, and get ready for a series that I predict will be more intensely battled than any Red Sox v. Yankees series in the last 5 years.
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
A Poke at Bill Belichick
Something I've been saying for years about the slovenly Bill Belichick is finally echoed in an SI.com article titled, "25 Things We Miss About Football" here.
Well-dressed coaches:
Well-dressed coaches:
When Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram roamed the sidelines in a black suit jacket and tie, along with a matching red vest and handkerchief, his players took notice. So did fans and opponents. Quite simply, the man looked like he was going to work. In 1990, after the NFL mandated that coaches don officially licensed NFL gear instead of blazers, the sport lost the couture classiness of men like Stram and Tom Landry. (We also long for the days of smartly-dressed college coaches such as Paul (Bear) Bryant.) San Francisco coach Mike Nolan had to negotiate with the league for three years before it finally allowed him to sport a suit on the sideline in 2007. If only Stram were around to admire Nolan's perseverance -- and to tell hoodie-wearing Patriots coach Bill Belichick he ought to draft a tailor.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A Tribute to Jim Johnson, RIP
Jim Johnson made a career out of believing that the best defense was one that was offensive minded and attacked the opposition. In his personal life there was one opponent he could not attack enough to stop and that was cancer. Jim Johnson's personal defense finally broke and he passed away at age 68 succumbing to a tumor on his spine that eventually spread throughout his body. However, throughout his life he was a consummate winner. Johnson was born in 1941 in Maywood, IL. and played quarterback for legendary coach Dan Devine at the University of Missouri. Devine in a 1999 interview said of Johnson, "Jim was one of our best players. After being a defensive halfback his junior year, he was our starting quarterback his senior year."
Following college Jim went on to spend 22 years in NFL as an assistant coach. During his latest stint as the Defensive Coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles Johnson's defense lead the team to five NFC title game appearances and one Superbowl appearance.
An innovator and a genius when it came to defense crafting some of the most complex schemes in league, Jim's defenses were know for blitzing constantly. His players flew around the line of scrimmage keeping even the most potent offenses off balance and in check. Johnson's style was aggressive. He was intent on forcing the offense into mistakes by coming with pressure from every angle at every level of the defense. Many considered him to be one of the sharpest minds in the NFL.
Players, coaches, fans, and everyone who knew him will remember him as a man of utmost integrity and honesty. Johnson was a straight shooter and paid due respect to everyone. Coach Reid said, "He really represented everything this city is all about, with his toughness and grit,that’s the way he fought this cancer."
Johnson tended to face the worst disappointments with humor and quiet dignity. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said on hearing the news, "There has been no finer coach or man than Jim Johnson, it doesn't get much sadder."
Jim Johnson is survived by his mourning wife Vicky, two children, four grand children and a multitude of NFL coaches who owe their jobs to all that Jim taught them. Jim Johnson, we will miss you dearly.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Validation!
About a year ago I wrote a post titled, "It's the Suit Stupid". See it here. The main point was to question the hype that everyone the world over was heaping onto Michael Phelps. My point was that while Phelps is clearly this era's greatest swimmer, to call him the greatest of all time was presumptuous at best because of the newly devised suits that he and others were using to break record after record.
Well apparently someone finally agrees with me. The governing body of swimming has outright banned 10 suits and is requiring modifications of 136 others. This comes after more than 100 records were broken in the last year and a half.
Not to diminish the athletic prowess and hard work of all the athletes, but it was obvious that the new suit design and materials were aiding the swimmers in breaking long standing records. Some of those records are now in question. You can read more about it here.
Well apparently someone finally agrees with me. The governing body of swimming has outright banned 10 suits and is requiring modifications of 136 others. This comes after more than 100 records were broken in the last year and a half.
Not to diminish the athletic prowess and hard work of all the athletes, but it was obvious that the new suit design and materials were aiding the swimmers in breaking long standing records. Some of those records are now in question. You can read more about it here.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Celtics vs Lakers Presents Interesting Match Ups
In what is a dream come true finals match up for the NBA and fans everywhere, there exists a certain cosmic irony or perhaps fateful justice that after a 21 year absence from the NBA finals the Boston Celtics are back facing their storied rival the Los Angeles Lakers. Anyone who knows anything about the NBA knows the lore and mythology of the Celtics vs. Lakers rivalry. If there was a basketball rivalry to challenge the Yankees vs. Red Sox baseball rivalry it would certainly be this one.
Over the course of NBA history, the Celtics amassed 16 championships, with the Lakers closely behind and chomping at their heels thanks to a three-peat title run from 2000 to 2002, resulting in a total of 14 championships. During the course of collecting those 14 and 16 titles respectively, the Lakers and Celtics faced off nine times with each contest featuring interesting and unique match ups to entertain and delight fans.
From the Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain struggles down low in the 60's, to Dave Cowens against Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Pat Riley against Jo Jo White in the 70's, to Magic versus Bird in the 80's, the Celtics and the Lakers always seemed to pit not just two storied franchises against each other, not just two polar opposite cities against each other, but individual players as well. Everyone can think of and name the battles or their favorite moments in the individual chess matches that the players above waged against each other, but how many people 20 years from now are going to remember Tim Duncan against Rasheed Wallace or Dwayne Wade against Jason Stackhouse? (Don't answer that it was rhetorical.) More than any other rivalry in the history of the game, the Celtics and Lakers seem to pit players who are at the top of their position in the game against each other in a way that is more intense than any other match up.
This current series is no different. Arguably, the best player in the game today, Kobe Bryant, is matched up against the Celtics’ best player since Larry Bird, Paul Pierce. While they may not spend much time guarding each other, clearly they are the captains and leaders of their respective clubs. Whoever comes out ahead in that contest may decide who the winner of the series will be. The match ups down low present problems for each team as well, versatile forwards Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol take on Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and his fellow straight out of high school big man Kendrick Perkins. Even role players and second tier stars are pitted against each other perfectly. The aging Sam Cassel backup point guard for the Celtics against veteran Lakers point Derrick Fisher. Add to the mix second year players Jordan Farmar against Celtics starting point guard Rajon Rondo, and the match up game with in the game gets all the more exciting.
Farmar and Rondo both present interesting stories in this finals series. Farmar, a hometown hero, grew up in the Los Angeles area and stayed close to home, opting to play for the UCLA Bruins in college. To his fortune and credit, in 2007 the Lakers sought him out, drafting him to their famed franchise. During his first two NBA seasons, Farmar has shown flashes of brilliance and proved himself an incredible savant in the dribble penetration arena. On the opposite side is Rondo, a McDonald's All American and prized recruit coming out of Louisville where he shunned the hometown Cardinals, opting instead to play down the road for the Kentucky Wildcats. In high school Rondo showed offensive brilliance averaging 21 points and 12 assists per game. In college Rondo averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.1 steals a game. Although he is not known as a shooter; he is an outstanding shut-down defender and rebounder for a small guard.
Ultimately this series will rest on the larger version of that match up. Can the Lakers’ high-powered triangle offense be contained by the Celtics’ equally intense defensive prowess? Will one team’s strength bend to the will of the opponent’s strength?
The second tier match ups in this much anticipated finals series may be the most important. The direct conflict between the two captains on each team, Pierce and Bryant respectively, will certainly be important, but whoever wins the second and third option battles and whichever teams bench provides more productive minutes will likely end up winning the series. Who will have more of an impact, the high motor Luke Walton or the struggling sharp shooter Ray Allen? Will Rondo be able to shine and out duel Farmar and Fisher or will the Lakers duo overpower the young point guard? Can Perkins contend with Gasol in the paint? Which team wants it more?
Your guess is as good as mine at this point, but one thing is certain, starting with game 1 on Thursday night, this series should be very exciting to watch.
Over the course of NBA history, the Celtics amassed 16 championships, with the Lakers closely behind and chomping at their heels thanks to a three-peat title run from 2000 to 2002, resulting in a total of 14 championships. During the course of collecting those 14 and 16 titles respectively, the Lakers and Celtics faced off nine times with each contest featuring interesting and unique match ups to entertain and delight fans.
From the Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain struggles down low in the 60's, to Dave Cowens against Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Pat Riley against Jo Jo White in the 70's, to Magic versus Bird in the 80's, the Celtics and the Lakers always seemed to pit not just two storied franchises against each other, not just two polar opposite cities against each other, but individual players as well. Everyone can think of and name the battles or their favorite moments in the individual chess matches that the players above waged against each other, but how many people 20 years from now are going to remember Tim Duncan against Rasheed Wallace or Dwayne Wade against Jason Stackhouse? (Don't answer that it was rhetorical.) More than any other rivalry in the history of the game, the Celtics and Lakers seem to pit players who are at the top of their position in the game against each other in a way that is more intense than any other match up.
This current series is no different. Arguably, the best player in the game today, Kobe Bryant, is matched up against the Celtics’ best player since Larry Bird, Paul Pierce. While they may not spend much time guarding each other, clearly they are the captains and leaders of their respective clubs. Whoever comes out ahead in that contest may decide who the winner of the series will be. The match ups down low present problems for each team as well, versatile forwards Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol take on Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and his fellow straight out of high school big man Kendrick Perkins. Even role players and second tier stars are pitted against each other perfectly. The aging Sam Cassel backup point guard for the Celtics against veteran Lakers point Derrick Fisher. Add to the mix second year players Jordan Farmar against Celtics starting point guard Rajon Rondo, and the match up game with in the game gets all the more exciting.
Farmar and Rondo both present interesting stories in this finals series. Farmar, a hometown hero, grew up in the Los Angeles area and stayed close to home, opting to play for the UCLA Bruins in college. To his fortune and credit, in 2007 the Lakers sought him out, drafting him to their famed franchise. During his first two NBA seasons, Farmar has shown flashes of brilliance and proved himself an incredible savant in the dribble penetration arena. On the opposite side is Rondo, a McDonald's All American and prized recruit coming out of Louisville where he shunned the hometown Cardinals, opting instead to play down the road for the Kentucky Wildcats. In high school Rondo showed offensive brilliance averaging 21 points and 12 assists per game. In college Rondo averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.1 steals a game. Although he is not known as a shooter; he is an outstanding shut-down defender and rebounder for a small guard.
Ultimately this series will rest on the larger version of that match up. Can the Lakers’ high-powered triangle offense be contained by the Celtics’ equally intense defensive prowess? Will one team’s strength bend to the will of the opponent’s strength?
The second tier match ups in this much anticipated finals series may be the most important. The direct conflict between the two captains on each team, Pierce and Bryant respectively, will certainly be important, but whoever wins the second and third option battles and whichever teams bench provides more productive minutes will likely end up winning the series. Who will have more of an impact, the high motor Luke Walton or the struggling sharp shooter Ray Allen? Will Rondo be able to shine and out duel Farmar and Fisher or will the Lakers duo overpower the young point guard? Can Perkins contend with Gasol in the paint? Which team wants it more?
Your guess is as good as mine at this point, but one thing is certain, starting with game 1 on Thursday night, this series should be very exciting to watch.
Friday, May 30, 2008
NBA Officials Muck It Up
If you've watched the NBA playoffs this year or any of the last three years for that matter, you will hopefully agree with me when I say the officiating is horrible. Whether it stems from pure and simple incompetence or the vague rules of the NBA that frequently rely on judgement calls, there is no doubt that poor officiating and inconsistent enforcement of the rules have impacted the outcomes of games during this current installment of the NBA playoffs.
From the non-call at the end of game 4 in the Spurs vs Lakers series to several poor calls in the Celtics vs Pistons series and what I can only assume were many others in games I didn't see, officials are deciding outcomes of games. They may not completely override the players abilities and talents, but they have nudged results one way or another. A major part of the problem is inconsistencies in how the game is called by the officials in the same game. What is a foul on one end of the court is simply hard nose defense on the other.
The second major problem is that a majority of the calls are judgement calls. There is a certain amount of uncertainty in how the call will be made from one official to the next. Charging, moving screens, goal tending, flagrant fouls, it is all discretionary. It's at the discretion and the judgement of the referee. Like no other sport, the officials can influence the outcome of the games.
Don't get me started on personal bias either. Superstar players get preferential calls and non-calls while hardworking second tier players don't catch any breaks. Additionally, players like Rasheed Wallace, love him or hate him, get a reputation and then officials are quick on the technical whistle because of it, whether the particular incident is worthy of a T or not. From Jordan to Kobe to Lebron star players are pampered and given white glove preferences.
This week the NBA came out and admitted that the end of game 4 of the Spurs and Lakers game was officiated poorly and the call that could have sent the game into over time was blown. What did they do to rectify the situation, nothing. They issued an apology. Additionally, the NBA came out and said they are going to start fining and penalizing players who flop. Their is a certain subset of players who could win academy awards and Oscars for their performances and the stunt work they do in flopping and flailing to the floor. This is another area where poor officiating has allowed blatant cheaters and actors to influence the outcome of contests by taking "fouls" that were non-existent at best.
Until the NBA can get it's officials to call the game consistently and enforce the rules across the board, the game and most importantly the fans will continue to suffer.
From the non-call at the end of game 4 in the Spurs vs Lakers series to several poor calls in the Celtics vs Pistons series and what I can only assume were many others in games I didn't see, officials are deciding outcomes of games. They may not completely override the players abilities and talents, but they have nudged results one way or another. A major part of the problem is inconsistencies in how the game is called by the officials in the same game. What is a foul on one end of the court is simply hard nose defense on the other.
The second major problem is that a majority of the calls are judgement calls. There is a certain amount of uncertainty in how the call will be made from one official to the next. Charging, moving screens, goal tending, flagrant fouls, it is all discretionary. It's at the discretion and the judgement of the referee. Like no other sport, the officials can influence the outcome of the games.
Don't get me started on personal bias either. Superstar players get preferential calls and non-calls while hardworking second tier players don't catch any breaks. Additionally, players like Rasheed Wallace, love him or hate him, get a reputation and then officials are quick on the technical whistle because of it, whether the particular incident is worthy of a T or not. From Jordan to Kobe to Lebron star players are pampered and given white glove preferences.
This week the NBA came out and admitted that the end of game 4 of the Spurs and Lakers game was officiated poorly and the call that could have sent the game into over time was blown. What did they do to rectify the situation, nothing. They issued an apology. Additionally, the NBA came out and said they are going to start fining and penalizing players who flop. Their is a certain subset of players who could win academy awards and Oscars for their performances and the stunt work they do in flopping and flailing to the floor. This is another area where poor officiating has allowed blatant cheaters and actors to influence the outcome of contests by taking "fouls" that were non-existent at best.
Until the NBA can get it's officials to call the game consistently and enforce the rules across the board, the game and most importantly the fans will continue to suffer.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Cellar Dwellers?
While the 2008 Major League Baseball season is still in it's infancy stage, we may be getting a real time preview of what Yankee fans with gloom and Yankee haters with glee have to look forward to this season. Thirteen games into the young season the Yankees are sitting in the cellar looking up at their AL East rivals. Although they are only a game and a half out of first place, the early results do not bode well for the infantile and aging Yankees.
With the Yankee elder statesmen like Jorge Posada and Derrick Jeter sitting due to nagging injuries and back-up catcher Jose Melina going down to another hamstring pull on Sunday it is eerily similar to how the Yankees started last season. Factor in the hitting woes of young stars like Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano while having youthful pitchers Ian Kennedy and Phillip Hughes getting roughed up and you have a recipe for disaster. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, dessert for this horrendous dinner party arrived with news that phenom Joba Chamberlain's father (diagnosed with polio as a child) had fallen gravely ill and Chaberlain was leaving the team to be with his father in the hospital. No word to date on how long he'll be away from the team.
The question I pose 13 games into a very young 2008 season is this, are the Yankees cellar dwellers to stay or are they the team that stormed back from the edge last year to secure a wild card spot? More importantly, if they can come back from the earthen floored stone walled wine cellar of the American League East, can they with this hodgepodge cast of aging veterans hobbling into the sunsets of their careers and the fresh faced youngsters staring into the uncertain sunrise of their own careers make it out of the first round for the first time in years?
With the Yankee elder statesmen like Jorge Posada and Derrick Jeter sitting due to nagging injuries and back-up catcher Jose Melina going down to another hamstring pull on Sunday it is eerily similar to how the Yankees started last season. Factor in the hitting woes of young stars like Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano while having youthful pitchers Ian Kennedy and Phillip Hughes getting roughed up and you have a recipe for disaster. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, dessert for this horrendous dinner party arrived with news that phenom Joba Chamberlain's father (diagnosed with polio as a child) had fallen gravely ill and Chaberlain was leaving the team to be with his father in the hospital. No word to date on how long he'll be away from the team.
The question I pose 13 games into a very young 2008 season is this, are the Yankees cellar dwellers to stay or are they the team that stormed back from the edge last year to secure a wild card spot? More importantly, if they can come back from the earthen floored stone walled wine cellar of the American League East, can they with this hodgepodge cast of aging veterans hobbling into the sunsets of their careers and the fresh faced youngsters staring into the uncertain sunrise of their own careers make it out of the first round for the first time in years?
Friday, April 11, 2008
End of an era?
So tonight it begins anew. Another series in the oft times heated, sometimes un-believable, and always intense rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. In years past this rivalry has produced many memorable moments, from Bucky "bleeping" Dent to Aaron "bleeping" Boone to Pedro and Zimmer to "THE" Collapse (emphasis intended). Today is different though, the Red Sox are no longer the bastard step children of the American League East with an 86 year gap between titles. They are far from it, winning the World Series twice in 4 years. The Yankee dynasty that ruled the American League for much of the late 1990's and into the early millennium, seems to be falling into a perennial also ran status; having a huge payroll and immensely talented team that gets close, but fails to bring home the bacon. Is this the end of the storied and impassioned rivalry that is Yankees-Red Sox? Have we hit a code blue moment in the life of our treasured past time's greatest duel?
The two teams that spawned a "Red Sox Nation" and the "Evil Empire" (Steve Verges, "It's like Star Wars. The Yankees are like Imperial Stormtroopers, under the white armor they may be a bunch of great guys, but, once you put that armor on you are the evil enemy.") are closing in on what may be for a nation a rivalry of a bygone era. Sure in New York and Boston fans will still shout expletives at one another and carry on like always, but now that the Red Sox have tasted victory, does the rest of the country care?
I suppose we'll know the truth when we can get our hands on the TV rankings from ESPN and Fox's coverage of the weekend series. Perhaps that won't be a true indicator as it is still the opening weeks of a very long season and both teams are mired in the middle of the AL East right now and plagued with injuries. Numbers can always be used and twisted to prove whatever position the user is trying to make, so perhaps we should wait and see what the numbers are like across the scope of the season to be sure. Either way, my gut is telling me that even though there will always be Yankee haters, in a season of transition when the Yankees are in third place (although we're still only 10 games in) and breaking in a young and inexperienced pitching staff the rest of the country won't really care much about this series.
Sure the die hard Bean Town and Bronx Bomber fans may care, but even that may be a pushing it. In the ever bleak and doomsday world of the New York Yankees media followers and fans, the team is off to yet another slow start with bats not performing, players breaking down (Jeter/Posada) and our expectations of running the table dashed as quickly as a candle in a hurricane. Is pride still enough, are we as die hard as Michigan fans who say it's ok to go 1 and 10 as long as we beat Ohio State? Are we witnessing before our ESPN glued eyes the end of an era? Is the preeminent rivalry in all of sports over or is it just an early season malaise that will rise again after a late season defibrillator jolt?
The two teams that spawned a "Red Sox Nation" and the "Evil Empire" (Steve Verges, "It's like Star Wars. The Yankees are like Imperial Stormtroopers, under the white armor they may be a bunch of great guys, but, once you put that armor on you are the evil enemy.") are closing in on what may be for a nation a rivalry of a bygone era. Sure in New York and Boston fans will still shout expletives at one another and carry on like always, but now that the Red Sox have tasted victory, does the rest of the country care?
I suppose we'll know the truth when we can get our hands on the TV rankings from ESPN and Fox's coverage of the weekend series. Perhaps that won't be a true indicator as it is still the opening weeks of a very long season and both teams are mired in the middle of the AL East right now and plagued with injuries. Numbers can always be used and twisted to prove whatever position the user is trying to make, so perhaps we should wait and see what the numbers are like across the scope of the season to be sure. Either way, my gut is telling me that even though there will always be Yankee haters, in a season of transition when the Yankees are in third place (although we're still only 10 games in) and breaking in a young and inexperienced pitching staff the rest of the country won't really care much about this series.
Sure the die hard Bean Town and Bronx Bomber fans may care, but even that may be a pushing it. In the ever bleak and doomsday world of the New York Yankees media followers and fans, the team is off to yet another slow start with bats not performing, players breaking down (Jeter/Posada) and our expectations of running the table dashed as quickly as a candle in a hurricane. Is pride still enough, are we as die hard as Michigan fans who say it's ok to go 1 and 10 as long as we beat Ohio State? Are we witnessing before our ESPN glued eyes the end of an era? Is the preeminent rivalry in all of sports over or is it just an early season malaise that will rise again after a late season defibrillator jolt?
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