Bleacher Report - Articles by Teddy Mitrosilis

No Bowl Could Be Blessing In Disguise For Notre Dame Football

Teddy Mitrosilis — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:09:32 -0500

The Fighting Irish officially pulled the plug on all bowl consideration Friday, announced athletic director Jack Swarbrick, and that’s the best news that can come out of South Bend if you care about Notre Dame.

“After meetings involving our coaching staff as well as the leadership group representing our football team, we have made the decision to remove ourselves from consideration for any postseason bowl game this year,” Swarbrick said in a statement.

The Chicago Tribune first reported the story Friday morning, and when confirmation came from Swarbrick in the afternoon, it hardly surprised.

Notre Dame had a possible opportunity to participate in a bowl game later this month, but, really, what was the point? At 6-6, the Irish had to wait for all of the teams with seven victories to finalize their bowl plans before Notre Dame could circle their date.

At that rate, Notre Dame would be picking from the bowl game scraps. Golden Domers, how does the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit sound to you? Or, Touchdown Jesus, can we interest you in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.? Those were the two most likely options for Notre Dame if they were to accept a bowl bid. I’d rather stay home for winter break, too.

Bowl games offer additional revenues and exposure for the programs that participate, but neither of those factors are enough to entice the Irish. They don’t need more national attention, and with an unparalleled TV deal, they certainly don’t need to be chasing pennies.

For some programs, any bowl game is progress. For Notre Dame, the only positive that could have come from heading to Detroit on Dec. 26 is a locker room full of free pepperoni pizzas after the game. That’s it. If they win, who cares? They are “Notre Dame,” they are supposed to win. If they lose, it only confirms how far this program has seemingly fallen from national prominence.

It was a lose-lose for a program, and university, that carries itself with pride and incessantly works to uphold history and tradition. Give credit to Swarbrick for making the best decision for the program during a time when one of the most immaculate logos in college sports isn’t gleaming in its custom gold.

If Charlie Weis had not been canned following a fifth season, then Notre Dame probably would have remained in consideration for a bowl game. But after the circus that followed Weis around from the start of training camp in August to the end of another uninspiring season in late November, Swarbrick had no other choice to make.

It would have been too difficult to get the team ready to compete in a only a few weeks after Weis cleaned out his office. Prolonging the firing and allowing Weis to coach one last bowl game in South Bend would have been irresponsible.

“The unique circumstances surrounding our program at the current time prevent us from making the commitment required to compete in a bowl game,” said Swarbrick. “If the landscape had been different, we would have been thrilled to take part.”

With those last words, Notre Dame football will hibernate until next fall, but Swarbrick needs to remain front and center this winter. As ugly as things have looked at Notre Dame in recent seasons—and losses to the likes of Navy and Connecticut will stink for a while—I’m one of the few people who believe that Notre Dame isn’t as far away from regaining national prominence as it seems.

Yes, the program that is supposed to be competing with USC and going to BCS bowls is coachless. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen is all but headed to the NFL Draft come April (with only a senior season left and a new coach on the horizon, what incentive is there for Clausen to return?). Golden Tate, Clausen’s best receiving target, may take the pro plunge, too.

But these are holes that can be filled rather quickly if the right foundation is in place. That foundation is in the hands of Swarbrick. Notre Dame doesn’t need to find Weis’ replacement by tomorrow, but they need to find the right guy this time around. Forget the “sexy” name. Swarbrick needs to get in touch with what makes Notre Dame football unique, and then he needs to find a coach that is cut from the same cloth.

Swarbrick needs a guy that is tough, can coach defense, can put the right coordinators in place to complement his own football philosophies, and can recruit. These are essentials. But most importantly, Swarbrick needs to find a guy that is drunk on the South Bend mystique and is courageous enough to implement his own values in a program that has lost itself.

For the right guy, Notre Dame is still a dream job. The academic tradition is rich, the campus is pristine, the alumni are passionate, and, oh yeah, the Fighting Irish and NBC are tied at the hip. Notre Dame shouldn’t be a tough sell for potential recruits. If a kid is worried about the expectations and the pressures of turning this ship around, then he probably isn’t the type of player the Irish need, anyway.

Notre Dame isn’t USC, Florida, or Texas. They have a hole to dig out of before they can even sniff that level of national competence. But Notre Dame doesn’t need a coaching bigwig to get there.

Brian Kelly has sworn by his Cincinnati Bearcats in recent weeks, and Jim Harbaugh has repeated how much he loves Stanford. Maybe one of those tunes will change by the time the holidays pass, but it doesn’t much matter. Those two names aren’t the only shows in Notre Dame’s bag of tricks.

Notre Dame has simply gotten soft since the days of Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, and Tom Zbikowski. The Irish don’t need players who enter boxing matches in their spare time, as Zbikowski once did, but they absolutely need to regain some of that attitude.

No bowl this year is a blessing in disguise for Notre Dame if Swarbrick uses his time wisely. He ought to take the next week or two to flip through the Notre Dame history books in an attempt to reconnect with what once made this place a podium for national recognition.

If Swarbrick can find the right coach to return the football program to its roots, then there won’t be any Domers complaining about no bowl game in 2009 in the years to come. Why?

Because Notre Dame is still a university and program that, if done right, can become inundated with postseason games in a hurry.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

In This World, Don't Blame Tiger Woods for Being a Closed Book

Teddy Mitrosilis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:35:40 -0500

I’ve heard it all, folks, everything that you have. I’ve read the statements, listened to the voice messages, seen the photos. Some of it is peculiar, some of it is meaningless. I’ve heard of secret phone calls to an estranged lover, crafted ploys to keep it all from the wifey.

I’ve heard the word “transgressions” thrown around in Starbucks and restaurants in the last 12 hours more than “espresso” and “flank steak.” Tiger let his family down, strayed from his values, is deeply sorry—I get it.

I’ve consumed the 24-hour media monsoon like we all have. It can be fascinating stuff. The words that trickle from tabloid ink are tantalizing even if they oftentimes are meant to be nothing more than mere attention-grabbers.

The statement that Tiger Woods posted on his Web site was much more than I ever thought the public would get, and it still wasn’t all that much. Woods didn’t necessarily admit to anything, so by definition all claims still remain alleged. But what we know is that he apologized for something.

Something that has caused his family a great deal of pain and grief, and something that could irreparably damage his reputation and Windex-clean image. There could be some news under the surface that would greatly embarrass Tiger Words.

Or not.

We don’t know for sure.

Plenty of questions remain as our minds are still bewildered by how the scratches and lacerations got on his face, how and why his wife took a club to his Escalade to “rescue” him, and how his name got tossed around with women from New York City to Australia. Round and round the merry-go-round goes. Gossip is born into eternal life.

Don’t expect Woods to come out with more than he already has.

Don’t expect there to be some press conference in which he cries in front of his wife after admitting to relentless claims of infidelity.

Don’t expect him to hold interviews at future PGA tournaments longer than the minute the first what-happened-on-that-night grenade is launched at him.

But most of all, don’t expect to find yourself on the inside of the Woods’ family diary. It won’t happen.

And you know what? I don’t blame him.

If I were Tiger, I wouldn’t say a damn word about anything other than the pressures of Sunday at Augusta or my new lob wedge, if only out of spite to media outlets such as TMZ, the National Enquirer, and US Weekly.

Look, I’m not saying that the stories that have been printed in recent days about Woods are false. I don’t know any more truth than you do. But that’s not the point.

The point is that society has become a gossip-hungry lunatic on speed, and millions and millions of dollars are poured into the simple practice of putting divots into the personal lives of the famous.

Celebrities shouldn’t have to pour out the gory details of their relationships simply because they can hit a golf ball unbelievably well, kill the lead role in a blockbuster film, or are worth more than the GDP of Djibouti. It’s ridiculous and it’s frightening.

I understand the fun in knowing how rich stars spend their time, but why do we take satisfaction in watching—even helping—their family foundations crumble like ancient ruins?

With the news of “Tiger’s affair” making its rapid ascent through hundreds of blogs, newspapers, and magazines, we are quick to judge and condemn, like we have that power or that right. We will spend countless hours ripping through the layers that make up Tiger Woods, hoping to come across the next juicy gem that is saturated in lies.

Society will latch on to a rumor and we’ll be quick to say, “Look, the perfect family man ain’t so perfect anymore, is he?”

To be honest, I don’t really care about that. That’s Tiger’s problem. When many people are wondering what these alleged stories say about Tiger, I am wondering what this constant pursuit of sullied personal matters says about us.

Is this really what our days have come down to?

Many people get frustrated with athletes like Woods because they don’t say enough, don’t show us enough emotion or personality, don’t truly let us in.

I understand that, and that’s a legitimate frustration. We all have a real desire to truly know the superstars that capitalize on incredible talents. We want to be able to relate to those who make us say, “Wow!” time and time again. We want to feel like we are a part of their success, and that they are a part of our lives.

The problem is, the moments that captivate us come from the professional lives of such stars, not their personal lives. But we don’t know where to draw the line.

Knowing Woods as one of the greatest golfers (and maybe at some point, the greatest) ever to hunt flagsticks is simply not enough. We demand to know the man, too.

And maybe we would if we as a whole didn’t come off as such frauds. We can’t ask to know our athletes personally and then turn around and profit off of their transgressions. (There’s that word again.)

We can’t ask Tiger to show us what he is like at a Fourth of July cookout with his buddies and then rapidly spread his name across the Internet while connecting him to some unknown woman who (more times than not) is trying to parlay a potential scandal into instant fame and wealth.

And don’t say it is “reporting the news.” It’s not.

The Simpson murder trial was news. Plaxico Burress breaking New York’s gun laws and shooting himself in the leg in the middle of a club was news. Pete Rose admitting to betting on baseball was news.

This is blog fodder and national gossip. Big difference.

I’m not above juicy headlines, trust me. If Woods speaks, I’ll sit right next to you on the sofa and tune in. But I don’t have that burning desire to know what happens after he sinks a putt to win the U.S. Open.

What happens inside his mansion isn’t my business and, frankly, I don’t want it to be.

By not allowing celebrities to acknowledge or dismiss rumors—or say anything at all—before we scarf it down like pumpkin pie, we only have ourselves to blame for not knowing more details.

If respecting the privacy of Woods ever crossed our minds, Woods would probably be more apt to speak out about his personal life. He would know that the world isn’t waiting at his doorstep to paint him as a clown and a liar.

But he’s too smart for that.

He knows how we do our business, and therefore he is going to continue to snub the public on any significant news. The only thing Tiger owes us is to commit himself to playing the best golf he is capable of.

Outside of “work,” he owes us nothing and that is most likely what he will give us. He shouldn’t voluntarily help sell the next tabloid when said publication isn’t out to do him nor his family any favors.

As a husband and a father, Woods’ main priority is to protect his family, regardless of what that entails. Unfortunately, the public has become one of the biggest home wreckers there is, and we will continue to pay the price of silence and robotic Web site posts until we are humbled.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Twins Can't Sleep on Joe Mauer Deadline

Teddy Mitrosilis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:46:58 -0500

Some things are so right, so true, so meant to be, that there is no conceivable way they can play out other than expected.

Warm chocolate chip cookies go with milk.

Sunflower seeds cater to the word "spit."

City-defining athletes should remain home.

For our purposes here, that last one is the most important. Without living in Minneapolis or having any connection to the Minnesota Twins or their fans, I'm going to say that Joe Mauer should retire as a Twin. He is Mr. Minnesota. If there's a superstar that shouldn't be gobbled up by the powers in the East, it's Mauer.

With one year remaining on Mauer's current contract, the catcher has set a spring training deadline to discuss an extension with the Twins, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. As soon as Opening Day 2010 strikes, Mauer will either be a Twin for the coming years, or he will be the tastiest name to hit the free-agent market next winter.

Good for Mauer to set this deadline. It is in the best interest of Mauer and the Twins to get a deal done as soon as possible, and I'm all for keeping contract negotiations relegated to the months from November through March. Once the games begin, it's time to prepare and it's time to win. It ain't time for business.

I suppose there is nothing easy about locking up one of the five best players in the sport to a long-term deal when he sits in line to cash in on some ungodly figure that only Alex Rodriguez can fathom, but this should be one of the easier negotiations.

If you're Minnesota, there is no reason to wait. Give me one good reason why these talks should even last until Christmas. You can't.

Mauer is the best catcher in all of baseball and has defined the Twins organization in the 21st century. The fact that he is a hometown boy, represents the city with class, keeps his private life out of the news, and so on, is all peaches and cream. The bare bottom of the issue is that Mauer is one hell of a player, a guy that is irreplaceable in Minneapolis.

I could reel off a bunch of statistics to prove to you how good Mauer is, but the fact remains that Mauer is so good, such a thing would almost be insulting. You watch the games. Mauer is 26-years-old, has won consecutive Gold Gloves, owns three batting titles since 2006 (at a position that is traditionally allergic to such offensive prowess), and is the type of hitter that should age well.

Twins GM Bill Smith knows what kind of gold he has on his hands. We all do. He would be a fool to let that slip away.

Would the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, et al, be waiting to pounce on Mauer next winter? You bet, but it shouldn't get there. Mauer is going to make huge money—after all, he deserves a fair market price—but he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who will chase every last dollar. And the fact that Mauer is represented by Ron Shapiro (or anyone other than Scott Boras) is promising for a club like the Twins that can't afford to rumble with the rich.

But, in order to avoid that nightmare, the Twins must act now. This is their opportunity to make their guy feel wanted and comfortable. If they let this go to next winter, the odds of the Twins resigning Mauer are cut in half, at least. Not that their pitch would change. It's just that $190 M Yankee dollars and life atop Manhattan will seriously tempt any man, regardless of how much love he has for his childhood playground.

Realistically, it wouldn't be out of line if Mauer commanded a six-year, $150 M deal. Can Minnesota fork over $25 M a year to one player? I doubt it. But they are going to have to swallow hard and allocate a large portion of their payroll to this one guy. I think $20 M per year would get it done with Mauer because I think he truly wants to remain a Twin for the rest of his career. Minnesota is all he has ever known, why would he want to leave?

The Twins have to be more creative than the giants that annually record the highest payrolls—you know who you are—but with manager Ron Gardenhire in place, the Twins will always be competitive.

Rebuilding through the draft is imperative for them, but Minnesota is a club that always seems to get the most out of their young pitching, and they play a relentless style of ball that keeps them clawing until the final day of September.

Forget for a moment about the heartache that would be caused throughout greater Minneapolis if Mauer were to jet for one of the coasts next winter, and all the Twins were left with are a couple of draft picks.

Smith understands that Mauer is not only an imperative part of the future success on the field, but he is also an imperative part of the future success at the turnstiles.

The Twins have that nice new jewel named Target Field ready to open next spring, and it is already going to be hard enough to get enough fans donning blankets and sipping coffees to fill the seats in the blustery Aprils to come.

If Mr. Twin himself isn't part of the future plan, Smith may as well crawl up in the baggie in the Metrodome and stay there. The welcoming won't be so pretty when the snow melts next spring and the Twins set out on another quest to capture the American League Central.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Minnesota Has Favre Fever, but Adrian Peterson Still Vikings' Backbone

Teddy Mitrosilis — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:00:30 -0500

Another Sunday in Minneapolis, another dreamland victory for the Minnesota Vikings. So life goes nowadays for the Vikes, led by a magical man who refuses to fade.

After Sunday’s 36-10 thrashing of the Chicago Bears, the Vikings are slowly building momentum to January and are making their case to be called the NFC’s best team. I know, the boys in the bayou have the most explosive offense in the NFL to go along with that sparkling 10-0 record, but take one peek north and you may find the surest brand of football today.

It never was supposed to be like this. Tavaris Jackson was supposed to be the guy under center, Adrian Peterson was supposed to handle an unprecedented amount of carries, and the Vikings were supposed to be clawing with the Bears and Green Bay Packers over the NFC North title.

What a difference a little persistence makes. When Vikings head coach Brad Childress refused to give up on bringing Favre to Minnesota until the day he picked him up from the airport, fate changed in the land of the lakes. Favre threw for 392 yards (10 shy of his career high) and three touchdowns Sunday adding to his MVP season, and further caressed the hearts of Vikings lifers.

No longer do you think Minneapolis and immediately begin pondering the possibilities of an afternoon spent in Mall of America. No longer do you think Metrodome and begin plugging your ears to escape the deafening sound of the blaring horns that accompany autumns spent inside one of the country’s loudest stadiums.

We think about Minnesota, we think about the Vikings, and now we think about how Favre has transformed a team with talent into a team with conviction. By simply donning a purple No. 4, Favre gave this city and this franchise hope. By merely stepping on the field, he gave this team leadership and confidence. That’s what a Hall of Fame presence will do.

Problem is, that nostalgia only lasts so long if it isn’t compounded with something of substance. Hype fades faster than morning dew if it isn’t worked with and molded into production. This party train that is steamrolling through Minnesota would have been off the tracks weeks ago if the New York Jets version of Favre showed up to complement the game’s best running back and a championship-caliber defense.

With the comfort of some new Wranglers and the blessing Dr. James Andrews put on his right arm, Favre is playing the best football of his career. With Sunday’s performance, Favre eclipsed the 2,850-yard mark for the season while sporting a 24/3 TD/INT ratio. Completing just about 70 percent of his passes for the 10-1 Vikes, Favre is grabbing all the headlines. The resurgence is well underway, or some say.

Lets not make any mistake about it. The Vikings wouldn’t be half the team they are today without Brett Favre. They wouldn’t be looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders without the ol’ gunslinger whizzing passes around the field while maximizing the talents around him, such as targets Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. And I wonder if the defense would be as good as they are if they knew they had to hold the opponent to two scores in order to win a game. With Favre, mental burdens have been purged.

There is no doubt Favre is the MVP of the Vikings and could even make a strong case for being the MVP of the league. But there’s one thing we must not forget. While Favre directs this magnificent orchestra of speed and power, it is Adrian Peterson that makes it possible.

Nobody needs to be reminded of the wizardry of Peterson. His fluorescent purple Nikes can be seen slashing and dashing across the turf on his way to another six points often. But it is in times like these, with heightened celebrity and attention flocking to the organization, when we say hell with the foundation.

If Favre is the slick speedboat gliding across the lake in sheer beauty, Peterson is the relentless engine that keeps on churning water underneath the surface without poking up for some sun.

Early in the season, nobody expected Favre to play at this level, and therefore teams stacked the box against the Vikings, essentially saying, “Beat us, old man.” And he did. The game plan was to take away the Vikings greatest threat, Peterson, and force relatively unknown receiving targets to elevate their games. And they have.

While defenses are beginning to adjust—i.e. remain confused on how to attack the Vikings—Peterson is quietly putting together one of his finest seasons yet. He passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark during Sunday’s game, and already has rushed for two more touchdowns this season than he did in all of 2008. Peterson is on the cusp of averaging five yards per carry, right on par with last year’s rate.

Peterson has doubled his 125 receiving yards from a year ago, averaging almost nine yards per catch. The two-time Pro Bowler has done all of this while seeing his carries decline about two per game compared to last season. Childress would be smart to continue to ease the workload on Peterson as Minnesota wraps up the division and sets its sights on the playoffs.

A fresh Peterson in January means the opportunity to utterly obliterate opposing defenses, and the continued presence of Peterson allows Favre to succeed and remain healthy. Favre deserves credit for allowing the Vikings to back off Peterson slightly, but without “All Day,” would Favre even be standing heading into Week 13? It’s a question worth asking.

This story has grown almost too good to be true. Favre wasn’t supposed to come back at all, but when he did, it was clear he was as motivated as ever (for some possible reasons that could be painted in green and yellow). Favre wanted to make this thing work more than anybody, and he’s succeeding in style. Favre has almost become young again in the process.

And while I join many of you and dream up possible fairytale endings to this season—my favorite is a Vikings-Colts Super Bowl with a Favre-Manning showdown for the ages—remember one thing. While Favre dances up and down after scores, enjoying what has been his finest season, it’s the guy lining up in the backfield that keeps this dream alive.

Favre may hold the key to the city, but Peterson still holds the key to the title.

The NFC East Can't Be This Fraudulent, Can It?

Teddy Mitrosilis — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:14:14 -0500

For a division that perennially defines tough, power football, this year’s version of the NFC East is softer than a feather pillow.

With the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles all playing like they’d rather auction off their potential playoff berth on eBay, there’s no other way to say it.

Maybe we’ve become spoiled with a division that typically gives us three solid football teams that grind each other into pulp well into December before sending at least one legit Super Bowl contender into the playoffs.

But count all of that as irrelevant now.

As we set our sights and stomachs on Thanksgiving, we don’t know what we have in the NFC other than the fact that the New Orleans Saints, at 9-0, are assembling their outfit for their looming date with perfection, and the Minnesota Vikings don’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

The Cowboys woke up Sunday leading the East at 6-2, and drawing rave reviews from the masses after going into Philly last week and beating the Eagles.

We thought Tony Romo was finally starting to become the type of quarterback that is capable of leading a Super Bowl contender. He is done with his former costly error-ridden ways, isn’t he?

Miles Austin had emerged as a quality go-to target for Romo, and helped the Cowboys move into the top-10 in passing in the NFL.

Marion Barber is still a tough load to bring down, Jason Witten creates mismatches at tight end, and the Dallas defense uses a daunting pass rush to rank seventh in total defense.

All of that was last week.

Once Dallas walked into Lambeau Field to play the Packers Sunday, they were a different team.

The 'Boys couldn’t run the football. Multiple drives were mitigated by costly holding penalties. When Romo had his chance to pick up the offense, to show that he is indeed for real and determined to leap to the next level of efficient quarterback play, he got choked up. With a 78.0 passer rating, consider the opportunity to make a statement missed.

A touchdown pass to Roy Williams in the final minute was the only thing that kept Dallas from being shutout, but the 17-7 Green Bay victory had already been sealed.

When the game hung in the balance, Romo did what he has become known for. He turned the ball over.

Romo tried to force a throw—not surprising given that Dallas couldn’t muster anything on offense through the first three quarters—Charles Woodson picked Romo off in the end zone and the cheeseheads celebrated.

This was a chance for Dallas to build on their momentum, take a tiny bit of control over the division, and begin formulating a game plan for the Redskins. But a loss to a Green Bay team that can’t protect their quarterback and failed to beat the 1-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week puts Dallas right back on the bottom of the trust totem pole.

Next week's game against Washington—which beat the Broncos Sunday, but is nothing more than a spoiler in their own division—would have been a lock if the Cowboys handled their business at Green Bay.

Now? It’s a trap game, as the Redskins gained some confidence and the wrath of Jerry Jones will be a bit hotter this week.

The Eagles entered Week 10 in second place in the NFC East at 5-3, but you may as well roll dice to determine how they are going to perform from week to week. After beginning the season 4-1 with their only loss coming against the Saints, the Eagles were a popular pick to play deep into January.

Donovan McNabb was back after suffering a cracked rib against Carolina in the season-opener, Brian Westbrook was as healthy as he will ever be, and rookie Jeremy Maclin joined DeSean Jackson to form one of the most potent receiving duos in the league.

Things were looking up for Philly, and any preconceived notions that Michael Vick would be a distraction were proven to be false.

Then came a 13-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Banging on the Eagles after losing to the Raiders is a waste of time. The game was so bad we didn’t need to drill it any deeper; we got the picture. I even wrote it off as a fluke.

And I felt good about that proclamation after the Eagles beat the Redskins the following week and then turned the G-Men into a laundry basket of grass stains and blue welts. The 40-17 shellacking dropped on New York signified Philly’s arrival as NFC heavy hitters.

After the aforementioned loss to Dallas, the Eagles met the Chargers in San Diego this Sunday, and Philip Rivers out-dueled an NFC QB for the second week in a row.

San Diego was favored in the game, and now appears to be gearing up to snatch the AFC West title from Denver, but these spurts of mediocrity don’t blanket championship teams.

Philly has scored the fourth most points in the NFL, and that is without a major contribution from Westbrook. They have a top-10 defense. They should be better than this.

The Giants, enjoying a timely Week 10 bye, are like a drunk man stumbling down Broadway. Sway right, sway left, purge ahead, trip.

New York gets immediate respect because they have a quality coach who is coarser than sand paper, a quarterback in Eli Manning that has already won a Super Bowl, and a defense that lives to draw blood. But perhaps it’s time we scale back that instant respect.

The Giants looked good through the first five weeks of the season, posting a 5-1 record as Manning broke in new receivers such as Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks to help Steve Smith make up for the loss of Plaxico Burress. The problem is, four of those victories came against Washington, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Oakland.

That was the cream puff part of the schedule.

Enter New Orleans, Arizona, Philly, and San Diego, and the Giants have lost four in a row. I assume that New York will come out rejuvenated against Atlanta next week, but assumptions are precisely what got us here in the first place.

The NFC East has far too much talent to play like the NFC West, but at some point we need to see it.

At some point we need to see the Giants get back to pounding the football and winning close games (Bengals, anyone?).

At some point we need to see Romo spend more time in the end zone than eating sod.

At some point we need to see the Eagles open up their offense and utilize the speed they have.

If not, it’s going to be Favre and Brees gliding to the NFC Championship Game and playing for the right to face the AFC’s best in Miami come February.

That would be a phenomenal show, but it will leave us all wondering what could have been.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

No Mumbling, Mark: McGwire Must Open Up During Cardinals Introduction

Teddy Mitrosilis — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:45:14 -0500

None of us are fans of harping on the past, but when the past collides with the present, well, then we have an issue.

It’s been four years now since Mark McGwire plopped down in a congressional hearing and stated that he was not there to “talk about the past,” but more specifically, his alleged steroid use and connection to the Steroid Era.

Gee, Mark, what do you think we’ve all gathered around here for?

McGwire evaded Washington in 2005 with the truth still buried deep down in his dark treasure chest of shoddy answers. McGwire had the opportunity to rid himself of the same dirty laundry that has plagued Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and others, but he didn’t take advantage of it.

Why not? Well, we can only use our imaginations.

But when the St. Louis Cardinals hired McGwire as their hitting coach last month, everything that had been left unanswered suddenly became relevant again. Did McGwire use steroids? If so, what did he use? How did he use it? How often? On and on and on.

Why McGwire choked on his microphone on Capitol Hill is mystifying. The guy had it easy.

After Steve Wilstein of the Associated Press wrote an article in 1998 detailing McGwire’s use of androstenedione, an over-the-counter muscle enhancer, McGwire admitted using “andro.” During the ’98 season, andro was considered legal by U.S. law and Major League Baseball, although it had been banned the NFL, International Olympics Committee, and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

In 2004, the product was defined by Congress as an anabolic steroid.

It wasn’t even Wilstein’s intention to dig up a steroids-related issue regarding the Cardinals’ famous slugger. Wilstein was in St. Louis to cover the epic home run chase that summer between McGwire and Sosa, and only became aware of the andro when a bottle of it was sitting in plain view in McGwire’s locker as Wilstein perused the clubhouse.

Wilstein, believing to be doing his job as a journalist, reported what he saw, and poof…his words were the first needle to puncture baseball’s steroid balloon.

But all McGwire had to do in front of Congress was recount exactly what happened in ’98, and he would have walked out of that court room and enjoyed lunch.

McGwire could have gone before Congress and said the following: “In 1998, I was using a muscle-enhancer called androstenedione. At that time it was legal by MLB and U.S. law. In 2004, androstenedione was determined to be an anabolic steroid by Congress.

"However, at the time of my use, I was not aware that andro was anything more than an enhancer. I am sorry that my era left a blotch on the game of baseball, but as a player I was only doing everything that I could, within the rules, to prepare my body to play every day for an entire season.”

That’s it. If McGwire would have said that then he would have been free. Sure, there would have been subsequent questions, but as long as he didn’t contradict his previous statement, he would have been out of there in no time.

Given the simple fact that andro was considered legal to use at that time, the problem wouldn’t have been McGwire’s any longer. All the public scorn and media fuss would have been directed at MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig for not having stricter policies. A statement like that would have taken McGwire all of what, 30 seconds? How did his lawyer not direct him to do this?

McGwire found the only possible way to hang himself. Say absolutely nothing at all while even projecting a sense of fraudulence and suspicion. But, as McGwire could conveniently say, that’s all in the past. His infamous days in front of Congress are gone.

His re-acquaintance with the trauma that is the public microscope is just beginning.

McGwire could have lived in the shadows for the rest of his life and he wouldn’t have been bothered much. I was happy to let Big Mac be in peace at his home as long as he wasn’t involved in baseball.

McGwire has no place in baseball, and we don’t waste any time remembering his career or speaking of his name .

Sounded pretty fair to me at the time.

As Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak is now learning, that’s fantasyland. With McGwire back in a major league dugout next spring, the Cardinals are trying to come up with a plan to introduce their new hitting coach and deal with all the questions in one big swoop.

“I don’t have a timetable yet on when we’re going to do things or how we’re going to do them,” said Mozeliak. “But it’s not something we’re ignoring or hoping will go away.”

McGwire did not attend a news conference last month to announce his hiring, but Mozeliak wants to introduce him to the fans and media in a way that will let him properly answer all the necessary questions.

“There is going to be a wide range of what people are hoping to hear,” said Mozeliak. “We’re not there yet as far as what it’s going to look like…hopefully in the next week or so we can work through that.”

It shouldn’t take that long to figure out because it’s not that complicated. There are going to be a lot of cameras, a lot of microphones, a lot of steaming pens and clicking keyboards, and a lot of commotion. It is going to be uncomfortable and it is going to be awkward.

But McGwire needs to wear it like a pink bouquet because he earned it.

I’m sure there are some people who don’t want McGwire remotely close to another Major League stadium. There may be some that think it’s preposterous that he could be employed by MLB after being one of the prize horses that helped pull the steroid buggy.

While those judgments are fair, I am not in that camp. I have no problem with welcoming McGwire back to the game. I think he could be very beneficial to young players and, most importantly, many communities across America.

Is there anyone in baseball that could have a wider impact than McGwire at this point in time? Think about it; it’s a question worth asking.

McGwire could not only share his wealth of baseball and hitting knowledge—knowledge that Matt Holliday has already dug into—but he could also be a monumental proponent of the fight against steroids. That’s an issue that isn’t left only for the professionals. Steroid abuse ruins the lives of college and high school athletes, too.

Could Big Mac do wonders to turn that train around? Absolutely. He has that power. But if we wants to regain a piece of the game that belongs to the fans, not him, then there is only one way he can do it.

He needs to reveal the truth and provide the answers that America has been waiting four years to hear.

If I’m Mozeliak, I get it done before Christmas so the dust can settle by the time the Cardinals report to spring training next February. McGwire may be able to sidestep Congress, but he can’t sidestep the pestering demands of the public.

McGwire needs to report to Busch Stadium, pick out a comfortable chair, sit down in it at about 1 p.m., and remain there until all the questions have been answered.

If that means going through dinnertime, the pizza will be on us.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

For Yankees, 27th Title Is Something Entirely Different

Teddy Mitrosilis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:43:18 -0500

You could see it in their faces, you could read it on their lips, you could hear it in their roars.

This may have been a nostalgic taste of history for many donning Yankees caps and jackets across New York, a remembrance of what was thought to be routine only a decade ago. But for the men donning the pinstripes, this was fresh. This was extraordinary.

This was the first mark of the new generation.

Robinson Cano scooped up Shane Victorino’s soft dribbler late Wednesday night, turned and fired it to Mark Teixeira at first, and then sprinted. He sprinted to the center of the diamond where the rest of his teammates convened for their celebration. He sprinted to the stage where a few of his teammates have already been. He was part of the new crowd painting old memories.

As the Yankees sealed their 27th World Series title with a Game Six victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, all you had to do was look around. Look around and see the jubilance that accompanies that first-ever glass of championship bubbly. Look around and see the relief that comes from years of expectations unlatched and ditched deep into the blustery November night.

Most evidently, look around and realize that this isn’t 1998 anymore.

There was a sense of similarity, if not comfort, about having four of the Yankees' most prominent postseason figures at the heart of a new title. Derek Jeter has been around for all five of them during his career, roaming the middle of the diamond and ending the season in his patented two-arms-to-the-sky leap that will forever be remembered in the Bronx long after his plaque makes its way to Cooperstown.

Mariano Rivera spits out cutters like other players spit seeds. One after another after another. An endless display of routine efficiency. Rivera got the final five outs of this title only to show people that nothing has changed since he leapt into the arms of Jorge Posada on that autumn night in Shea Stadium nine seasons ago.

As long as Rivera has been breaking bats and accumulating saves, Posada has been guiding him. A little older, knees a little more brittle, Posada still looks like the backdrop of perfection as he squats and waits for Rivera to fire another bullet.

The man behind the mask doesn’t get nearly the attention that the golden boys in the center of the diamond do, but Posada is one of the originals that now has a ring for his thumb.

And, of course, there’s Pettitte, the man who owns the most postseason wins in history. The guy who sits atop the most Yankees' pitching records that matter—the ones in October (and November). Not Roger Clemens, not David Cone, not David Wells. Sorry, Whitey. Ford isn’t the most decorated southpaw in franchise history.

It’s Pettitte, the one who bolted from New York after their run of titles because he wanted to pitch closer to his Texas home. After witnessing that the comforts of Houston couldn’t trump the thrills of Manhattan, Pettitte came back. On fumes, Pettitte pitched the Yankees to another ring and notched one more postseason victory onto his postseason résumé.

But that’s it. That’s all that’s left from the days of Scott Brosius and Tino Martinez. Those teams won with two men at the corners of the diamond that embraced Yankee tradition and only asked to be part of it. This team won with Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, glittery free-agent acquisitions that are talented enough to take that tradition, flip over a new page, and begin rewriting it.

The “dynasty” teams won with a hyper-intense Paul O’Neill in right field, a fireplug of emotion and competitiveness that rose to the occasion because he didn’t fear the spotlight. This team won with Nick Swisher in right, a personality looser than a XXXL t-shirt.

As Swisher caught the second out of the ninth inning, he turned to his boys in the stands beyond the fence in right and held up his index finger. One more out to go. One more out until the trophy is back in New York, until Swisher tastes the sweet fruits of victory that he has been grinding for ever since he made his way into the big leagues as a tough kid in Oakland.

In 30 years, Swisher’s mother may be the only person who remembers his name as part of the ’09 Yankees title, but his place in the clubhouse is clear. What effect Swisher had on transforming this team from tight and businesslike to relaxed and endearing we may never know, but you can bet that Swisher played a huge part in bringing guys like Rodriguez out of their shells.

Swisher dreams of having the talent that A-Rod has, but he showed the former enigma how to have fun playing this game. What a concept, I know, but it’s one that led Rodriguez to his greatest postseason barrage yet.

For Hideki Matsui, this is his first championship since coming to America after becoming a legend in Japan. “Godzilla” made sure Game Six is where this series stopped as his six-RBI night, which included a two-run homer off Pedro Martinez, ended with him hoisting the World Series MVP trophy.

Matsui will become a free agent this winter, and nobody knows what’s left in his tank. He is aging and is little more than a designated hitter at this stage in his career. This could very well be his only ring, and if these are his last days in New York, what a way to go out.

We know that pitching wins championships, and the Yankees restocked their barn with thoroughbreds for this one. CC Sabathia came over in the winter and was immediately labeled as a savior in New York. That’s what happens when you sign for $161 million.

Sabathia has tasted postseason success before, but nothing like this. His ’07 season in Cleveland ended after the Boston Red Sox stormed back from a 3-1 ALCS deficit to move on to the World Series. That loss devastated Sabathia.

We knew he wasn’t going to let that happen again. Sabathia pitched well in Game One of this series but lost to a better Cliff Lee. He then came back on three days' rest and won Game Four. If we went to a Game Seven, it was Sabathia who was taking the ball.

A.J. Burnett joined Sabathia for his first trip in pinstripes. Some may remember Burnett’s Game Five debacle where he couldn’t make it out of the third inning in Philly, but don’t forget his Game Two masterpiece that allowed the Yankees to go to Philadelphia with the series even at 1-1.

Beyond the big names and exorbitant dollars are the “glue” guys, the guys who fit superstars together and finalize championship teams.

Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Melky Cabrera, et al., all got their first look at a World Series celebration. They rushed the field a little quicker than the veterans did, eager to embrace the first championship banner of their careers. For many, this will be their defining moment.

But for this club, it isn’t just all the new faces that make this title unlike all the rest. This one has everything to do with the four guys that helped make the previous four titles possible. Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and Pettitte have all reached the seventh-inning stretch of their careers, at least, and not even The Boss, Mr. George Steinbrenner, himself can purchase a clock that rewinds time.

Jeter and Rivera will be around for a few more years. Posada should be too. Pettitte? Wait and see. This roster is talented enough to defend their title next season if healthy, but we have all learned that sports are a fickle and funny business, a trade that guarantees nothing.

So, as the Bronx Bombers parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Friday morning, it’s very possible that this will be the last time these four guys do it all together. It’s also possible that this is the last time these four guys ever do it again at all. If Jeter retires without a sixth ring, it would be a failure in Yankee Land, assuming he has another four or five seasons left.

But it’s reality, and it wouldn’t take away from anything that this club has become. We may see a couple more of these with this group. But this 27th one is special to the players and the fans because they all know that these parades don’t last long into your 40s.

If this is the last patented Jeter leap, the final series-clinching out for Rivera or win for Pettitte, or the final ring Posada will slip onto the fingers that only a catcher could admire, we know it has been one hell of a ride.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

UConn-West Virginia Is Why We Watch Sports

Teddy Mitrosilis — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:10:44 -0400

Somewhere deep inside the heart of Morgantown, W.Va., amidst the ribbons and the pins and the armbands and the commemorative signs, there was a football game Saturday afternoon.

And it was a good one, too. The 4-2 Connecticut Huskies visited the 5-1 West Virginia Mountaineers in a Big East game that would have been hyped for all the right reasons only a week ago. Except that come this Saturday, it wasn’t. It grabbed the headlines because of the unfortunate and tragic loss of UConn cornerback Jasper Howard.

Howard was stabbed to death on campus early last Sunday, leaving investigators to piece together the homicide, his teammates to piece together their battered and trembling hearts, and Huskies head coach Randy Edsall to piece together the remnants of what began as a season with promise.

Police arrested a man and placed him on $100,000 bail after lying to authorities and using a fake name while being questioned about the events that took place the evening Howard died. What we know is that an altercation took place and Howard was stabbed in the stomach. What we don’t know is who did it and what caused it.

Not that it really matters. Justice will be served, but pick any young man wearing a Huskies jersey today and he will tell you the only absolute in any of this is that Howard isn’t coming back.

Nobody would have blamed the university or the UConn football team if they told West Virginia thanks, but no thanks; we don’t need to be playing football this weekend. We would have understood, and we would have prayed and grieved with our boys in UConn blue.

But the Huskies did show up, and the people of Morgantown turned into one collective host family. What transpired is the unequivocal reason why we watch sports.

Hundreds of pins and armbands with Howard’s ‘6’ on them were handed out at the entrances to Mountaineer Field. Must have been a determined UConn mother who put all of those together to remember Howard, right? Wrong. Try Kacy Korczyk, a student at West Virginia.

“It means so much,” Korczyk told the Associated Press. “Just by [Howard] being a college student, I know he relates to a lot of us. This being their first game [since Howard’s death], we needed to do something for it.”

A big banner hung in the UConn tunnel entrance to the field and read, “Today we are all Huskies.” The banner donned the signatures of West Virginia fans.

Everyone in attendance honored Howard with a pre-game moment of silence, and the Mountaineer faithful gave the Huskies a long, warm standing ovation as they took the field. Players and coaches from both teams exchanged handshakes and hugs on the field prior to the game.

The UConn players brought Howard’s jersey and helmet with them on the road, and his locker will be kept intact for the next two years, or the time when Howard would have been expected to graduate from the university.

But Howard would be happy to know that not everything was sentimental. The Huskies battled the Mountaineers for four quarters, gaining almost 120 more yards on offense then West Virginia (who is ranked No. 23 in the BCS and No. 22 in the AP poll).

Down 21-17 late in the fourth quarter, UConn quarterback Cody Endres found Marcus Easley for an 88-yard touchdown pass, giving the Huskies a three-point lead with 3:50 remaining in the game. It had the full look of a storybook ending. It was scripted to perfection, a team rallying around the tears to trump the type of devastation that young lives aren’t supposed to know. It also wasn’t meant to be.

Noel Devine tiptoed down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown only minutes after Easley’s score to give West Virginia a 28-24 victory. It was the last hurrah of Devine’s 178-yard day, an effort that will keep the Mountaineers atop the Big East and climbing up the BCS poll. But in no way did it diminish what UConn did on a day when their minds were probably focused on Howard’s Monday funeral in Miami.

“I just feel empty,” said Edsall. “The kids played their hearts out and did what we asked them to do. This is a special group of kids.”

There were meatier matchups on Saturday’s slate, games that involved big horses such as Florida, Alabama, Penn State and USC. But good luck finding a game that embodies the true spirit of sportsmanship, competition, unity, brotherhood, compassion, triumph and honor more than this one did. In fact you can’t. It’s impossible.

The SEC Championship, Rose Bowl and that ballyhooed game that awards the winner a sparkling crystal ball are great games for college football fans. They are entertaining contests that are worth watching. But they aren’t the things that drive us to watch sports, to love sports.

That crystal ball that everybody is after shatters the moment it hits the ground. But the blue and white UConn pride that was trampled on last week picked itself up on Saturday and didn’t even suffer a blemish. We forget that trophies and rings and rivalry fodder have a shelf life.

But the innate feeling that would make a Mountaineer wrap his arm around a Husky today and say, “Welcome to Morgantown. Enjoy the game.” is what keeps us coming back for more. The people, the stories, the memories, aren’t those the best?

You couldn’t help but raise your arms and cheer when Easley sliced through West Virginia’s secondary en route to that long score that maybe, just maybe, would have given UConn an improbable victory. It gave me chills. This couldn’t be happening.

Mountaineer Field wasn’t doused in pity because you can bet many of those fans were smiling. How could you not? In the end, what really is a Big East Championship quest compared to the life experience that took place on the same field, only on a different sideline?

I have absolutely no ties to UConn or West Virginia. My hometown of Los Angeles is about as far as you can get away from both of them. But as I flipped on ESPNU for the game and followed along, I was sucked in. I had to cheer for UConn on every down. Oddly enough, after the graciousness that West Virginia displayed when they could have easily looked at the Huskies as just another notch on their BCS-resume belt, I felt the need to cheer for the Mountaineers on every down, too.

I felt proud to be not only a football fan or a college sports fan, but simply a sports fan in general. There are many weekends full of games that we get excited for during the fall, games with title implications and all of that.

But occasionally we are lucky enough to be blessed with a weekend and a story so pure that we immediately remember, with such clarity, the reason why we watch and follow sports: Everybody wants to be involved in a moment that tickles down the spine and is much bigger than you are.

On this day, Morgantown, W.Va., was Exhibit A.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Angels Take Swagger, Then Series From Red Sox

Teddy Mitrosilis — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:44:01 -0400

It took one hit to validate everything that we knew nights ago. It took one pitch to cripple something that was born years ago.

Vladimir Guerrero dumped a first-pitch fastball from Jonathan Papelbon into centerfield with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, knocking in two runs to give the Angels a 7-6 lead, and knocking out the Boston Red Sox for good.

All of the mystique, the aura, the mental edge, gone. The hex that the Red Sox supposedly held over the Angels after making them their personal October stepping stone in recent years? That went up in smoke, too.

It wasn’t so much that the Angels won this series that was surprising. The Angels are a resilient club that won 97 games in the regular season, endured more than any other team when you combine their injuries with the jolting death of Nick Adenhart, and build their identity around selflessness and belief. They had every reason to be here, and had every reason to move onto the ALCS.

It was the way the Angels beat the Red Sox that was surprising. They beat Boston at their own game. They were triumphant in a fashion that the Red Sox have nearly trademarked.

Great pitching, power, clutch hitting, and a nagging persistence that never dies. Those traits are accustomed to being donned in red come playoff time, but it just happened to be the wrong red this time around.

The shocker wasn’t Dustin Pedroia’s feeble pop-up falling softly into the glove of Erick Aybar to record the game’s final out. The shocker was a bullpen that crinkled, and balled up easier than tin foil. The shocker was Papelbon looking like a long, tiring season got the best of him at a time of year when he has never let anything get the best of him.

Coming into Sunday’s game, Papelbon hadn’t allowed a single run in 27 career postseason innings. When it was all over, the invincibility had showered, dressed, and left for winter as Papelbon allowed a run for every out he recorded.

It’s not as if the Red Sox took the beating and liked it, though. They had jumped out to a 5-2 lead after seven innings behind a solid effort from starter Clay Buchholz, and two wonderful innings of damage control and clean up from Daniel Bard.

Heck, Boston was leading 6-4 after Papelbon recorded two outs in the ninth. Things were looking up. Things were looking toward tomorrow. Those ordeals have always been done deals with Papelbon.

Call it the law of averages, or simply a desire to win that boiled like molten lava, but the Angels had finally had enough. On this day, the only thing that mattered was that Aybar, Chone Figgins, Bobby Abreu, and Guerrero had something to say about it.

The Red Sox were one strike away from suiting up again on Monday, but Aybar singled on a two-strike pitch to start the rally. Figgins worked the count to full before walking. Abreu fought off fastball after fastball before getting one he liked out over the plate, and spraying it off the Green Monster in left, to drive in Aybar to make it a 6-5 game.

After intentionally walking Torii Hunter to load the bases, it was Guerrero’s time. He didn’t let the hearts of New England rapidly beat for long, taking the first pitch to end the drama and finalize the misery.

“You’re not going to get to [Papelbon] too often, but we did this afternoon,” said Angels' manager Mike Scioscia. “And I felt great for Vlad, hopefully that’s a momentum-builder for him.”

It’s certainly a momentum-builder for the Angels. But that’s how this whole series felt, merely a statement from the Angels that they aren’t the same club that is consumed by errors and late-inning blunders when the bright lights go on. This is a different club that is taking a different approach to pursuing the same goal, and Torii Hunter will be damned if he doesn’t see that through.

“I told you guys earlier: It’s going to be a different scene,” said Hunter, marinating in a celebratory bath of champagne and beer.

It took the Angels three games to take the series from the Red Sox, but it only took them one game to begin pecking at the will of their former kryptonite club.

In Game One, Hunter walloped a Jon Lester fastball into the rock pile beyond centerfield in Anaheim for a three-run homer, an emphatic drive that Hunter celebrated by immediately pumping his fist and nearly sprinting around the bases. He slammed his helmet into the dugout floor amidst a wave of adrenaline and aggression, signifying that this October has nothing to do with the last one.

That was a page taken out of the Boston playbook. It’s always been the Angels who struggle to get a crucial extra-base hit, while David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay, et al, launch pitches into the night, and laugh as they start the merry-go-round.

In Game Two, it was Aybar tripling off Josh Beckett in the seventh inning to provide the go-ahead runs that would lead to a 4-1 victory.

In Game Three, it was a Kendry Morales home run that broke the seal against Buchholz in the fourth inning. Even more so, it was the five two-out RBI recorded off of Papelbon by Juan Rivera, Abreu, and Guerrero (two of those runs were charged to Billy Wagner as they were on base when Papelbon came in with two outs in the eighth).

Even if the offense remains relatively silent, we are used to the Red Sox riding their pitching staff to victories. But that didn’t happen, either. John Lackey tossed seven-and-one-third scoreless innings in Game One to beat Boston in the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Then Jered Weaver showed up the next night and made us forget about Beckett. If this decade has seen a “Mr. October” on the mound, it would be Beckett. But Weaver mixed and matched his pitches while allowing only one run over seven-and-one-third innings, and what do we know, the Red Sox were flying home hoping a kid who needed a strong September to make the postseason roster could save their season.

Of course, it didn’t happen. It was only a matter of time before the Red Sox, a franchise that has enjoyed a glut of playoff riches over the past six seasons, experienced a letdown like this one. They will be back, probably next year, and will have a chance to redeem their reputation as October big shots.

But in the meantime, it’s the Angels who await the winner of the Twins-Yankees series in the next round, ready to build upon their new swagger, and reach a second World Series in the past eight seasons.

Boston was supposed to be "Goliath" against the Angels. But after a change in temperament, and one lasting Papelbon fastball Sunday, the Angels are refusing to play "David".

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Boston We'll-See Party: New England Patriots Deserve Benefit of Doubt for Now

Teddy Mitrosilis — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:50:56 -0400

Ever since Mark Sanchez dinked and dunked New England to death and Rex Ryan’s infectious defense dared Tom Brady to beat the Jets through the air last weekend, we have heard it all. We’ve heard all of the reasons why the Patriots aren’t that good and aren’t nearly the team they were expected to be.

Brady isn’t confident in his knee that was shredded like a pound of hamburger before being rebuilt; the receivers don’t have their timing with Brady; the Pats were so worried about whether or not their all-world quarterback would return to form that they neglected their running game; losing linebacker Jerod Mayo for the next month cripples a defense that is already soft and can’t defend the run; and for good measure, Brady this and Brady that…

The ironic thing about all of this is that those claims are true. Those are all legitimate concerns for a Patriots team that doesn’t really look like they know what to do when they take the field.

The difference is that the way New England has looked so far in this short season shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. If the expectations for this team are those of the 2007 squad, well then everything this season is going to be a disappointment. But given what has happened over the last year to this franchise, New England deserves at least this week against the Falcons before we all start doing cannon bombs off the bandwagon.

The Patriots were stifled on the opening night of their season against the Buffalo Bills, until Brady went, well, Brady on us and found Benjamin Watson twice in the end zone before I could run to the fridge and back. Did they look impressive? No. Buffalo was tough and New England’s defense relaxed.

But the nation proclaimed Brady was back after proving to all of us why the man could retire today and head to the Hall of Fame. But, of course, the shine was wiped off after a visit to the Meadowlands left Pats fans perplexed. The glimpse of greatness that was Brady in the fourth quarter of the Buffalo game wasn’t nearly enough to knock the doubts out for a couple of weeks.

All right, fine. Give it one more week. Let's see what the Patriots do this weekend at home against a Falcons team that plays to the soundtrack of T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us.” Sitting at 1-1, this could very well be a swing game for the Patriots’ season. Which way are they going to go?

The difference between 2-1 and 1-2 at this junction of the season isn’t enormous in the standings, but psychologically it’s big. It’s the difference between confidence and insecurity.

The undefeated Falcons rank 10th in the NFL in total offense, but they play bigger than that. They play in control and it all starts with their sensational second year QB, Matt Ryan.

Ryan currently ranks 16th in the league in passing, just ahead of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, but it has been more than enough for Atlanta. Consider his 5-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and Ryan’s 108.5 QB rating is fourth among all passers (and less than two points behind Brett Favre, whose days consist of short slants and handoffs).

Falcons head coach Mike Smith has done a fabulous job putting Ryan in a position to succeed. Atlanta is riding Michael Turner as much as possible–he is tied for the most rushes in the NFL with 50–and tight end Tony Gonzalez has quickly become Ryan’s favorite target in the red zone.

Even though Atlanta lost defensive tackle Peria Jerry for the season with a left knee injury, they still boast a defense that is big up front, tough, and has underperformed. Heading to Foxborough is almost like a homecoming for Ryan, who played his college ball at Boston College. Will he be comfortable in Bill Belichick’s home? I doubt it, but it’s not exactly foreign turf to him, either.

As for the Patriots, they are dangerous because of all the things I said about the Falcons. They know that the Falcons are a very good team, one that has aspirations involving January football. If New England falls to 1-2 after this Sunday, they will have to grind out the next month.

The Pats' next four games are against Baltimore, at Denver, against Tennessee, and at Tampa Bay. At worst, we would think that would be a 2-2 month for New England, which would put them at 3-4 (assuming a loss to Atlanta this week) and hanging out with the AFC’s bottom feeders.

All things considered, this is a statement game for Brady and for the Patriots. What are they? More importantly, who are they? We can crunch the numbers and pull up many reasons to convince us that the Pats aren’t working at the same speed or efficiency as in years past. But that’s unnecessary. We already know that by watching.

But Randy Moss still lines up out wide, and he is one of the most difficult covers in the league. Wes Welker, who didn’t play against the Jets, can slip comfortably back into the slot and use his slashing style to churn out crucial first downs.

Benjamin Watson isn’t your typical tight end. He is versatile and athletic enough to split out wide like a receiver, making him a mismatch against a linebacker or a corner.

Belichick could help Brady by giving more of the workload to Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris, but I don’t see Atlanta’s defense getting pummeled by the run. They may bend, but they won’t break. The knockout punch must come from Brady.

And that’s the point of all of this. There are reasons to be concerned, but when the crowd is on its feet bouncing and yelling with the kickoff, and the Patriots offense jogs onto the field, it’s still THAT guy under center.

I’m not saying the Patriots are going to win this week, and I’m not saying they are going to lose. It should be a fascinating game, one where New England, as 4.5-point favorites, could struggle to cover the spread.

But with three minutes to go, Patriots down one, and Brady with the ball, are you betting the house against him? Are you willing to unequivocally say that this offense just isn’t the same, that Brady just can’t find a rhythm with his receivers when it counts, that his knee just won’t let him do that? Are you comfortable with those words?

When Brady has three fingers that sparkle as much as that new stadium in Dallas, I can’t say that I am.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Jets-Patriots Doesn't Need Rex Ryan's Words to Be Worthy

Teddy Mitrosilis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:01:07 -0400

The first arrow launched at the behemoth of the East that is the New England Patriots came three months ago from a rookie head coach who hadn’t even blown his first whistle of fall training camp. Or something like that.

When Rex Ryan, the talkative fresh face of the New York Jets, went on the New York radio station WFAN in June to answer some questions about the upcoming season, he was honest, sincere, and brash. He wanted the people of the Big Apple to know that his boys weren’t going to be simply served up as clam chowder to their AFC East rivals.

“I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings,” Ryan said on the air. “I came here to win. Let's just put it that way.... And when they come here that second week of the season, we’ll see.”

Ryan set the tone for his team on that early summer day, a tone that he hopes will carry over to this Sunday when the two teams meet in the Meadowlands for the first time in the 2009 season.

Ryan’s words are being magnified this week, naturally, in an attempt to create some bulletin board material for Belichick and the Patriots. Belichick is the master of using press clippings as motivation for his staff and his players—except that those tactics don’t apply here.

No vendetta needs to be pulled out of Ryan’s words in order to crank up the intensity for this weekend’s game. This meeting already looks too good for that. If we need to rely on verbal sparring to get excited about this one, then we are missing something.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady delivered the final line on Wednesday when he spoke to the media. “Talk is cheap,” Brady said with a wry smile.

See, Brady is too smart for these mind games. The man has three Super Bowls while the Jets are mostly known for the rambunctious hecklers that don green and white regalia and fill Radio City Music Hall on draft day.

The Patriots have been to February and walked away sipping champagne. Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins said New York is going to play this game like it’s the Super Bowl, hoping that the elevated adrenaline will culminate in a Rex Ryan Gatorade bath come Sunday afternoon.

“They can treat it however they want to treat it,” said Brady. “We’re going to treat it like we treat every game, and we’re going to put everything we have into it. It’s not the Super Bowl...but it’s as important as they come, in terms of our division and what that means in our place in our division.”

You won’t see New England being more outspoken about this contest than they were for the Buffalo Bills in Monday night’s season opener because they know there is plenty to worry about on the field. There is plenty to enjoy on the field, and that is what has me giddy about this game.

We know the Pats can score with the best of them. Brady threw for 378 yards and two TDs in a 25-24 win over the Bills, with 141 of those yards finding the supple palms of Randy Moss. With Wes Welker in the slot and the versatile Benjamin Watson at tight end, Brady doesn’t lack targets.

But we also know there are some concerns. It took the Pats three-and-a-half quarters to break through against a Bills D that ranked 14th in the NFL last season in total defense. If it wasn’t for two lightning-quick Brady TDs to Watson in the final three minutes of the game against the Bills, New England would still be searching for its first win of the season.

Were those inefficiencies due to normal first-game inconsistencies? Were they due to the fact that Brady was playing his first regular season game since Bernard Pollard attacked his left knee like a barbecued rib in the first quarter of Week One last year? Probably both.

This week would be a fine time for the offense to get rolling early as they are facing a much tougher defense in the Jets. With Ryan coming over from Baltimore, New York will be a defensive-minded football team. Heck, they went into Houston last Sunday and completely shut down the dynamic duo that is Steve Slaton and Andre Johnson.

What should scare the Patriots is their defense, particularly against the run. New England ranked 15th in the league in run defense in ’08 before watching Fred Jackson rush for nearly four yards per carry in the season opener this year and soften up the D just enough for Trent Edwards to do enough to give the Bills a chance to win.

The Jets will feature Thomas Jones, a more physical runner who enjoyed two touchdowns to go along with 107 yards rushing against Houston. Was that game a fluke for Jones? He won’t play like that every week, but I don’t know if I would call it a fluke. We will find out right away as the Jets will probably look to pound the ball on the ground to take some pressure off Mark Sanchez.

Which brings us to the biggest question of all: How is the rookie passer going to fare in his first real "Welcome to the NFL" moment? Nobody thought Sanchez was going to lead the Jets to victory last week. Nobody. You just don’t bet the family farm on a QB making his first professional start on the road.

But Sanchez showed guts, guile, and confidence. His charisma that was so prevalent in his short time at the University of Southern California made the trip with him to Houston.

As tough as that task was, I am going to say that this week will be even tougher.

Sanchez will be playing his first home game in one of the world’s most energetic cities in front of a sold-out stadium of football fanatics. New Yorkers think Sanchez can stir up the ghost of Joe Namath.

There is going to be a lot of emotion in the building on Sunday, and I can only imagine Sanchez’s heart will want to burst through his jersey when he runs out of the tunnel at home for the first time. Thinking of that gives me chills.

But, oh, by the way...you are playing Tom Brady, one of the five to eight best quarterbacks ever. You are trying to get to where your rivals have already been. They’ve been there three times this decade. You aren’t lining up against physical therapy majors anymore. These are men paid to bring the Lombardi Trophy to a franchise that covets them.

See, my friends? Nothing needs to be made out of Ryan’s choice of words three months ago. There’s plenty to be excited about, and it all will be settled on Sunday.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

To be "Blount," Oregon Has Worse Things To Worry about From Boise St. Defeat

Teddy Mitrosilis — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:44:13 -0400

If you’re Oregon, I’m not quite sure which is worse waking up this morning: the fact that you played so horrendous in your much-hyped and nationally televised season opener, or that nobody is even talking about how bad you looked thanks to LeGarrette Blount and his right hook.

Seriously. One side of the coin shows that Oregon doesn’t even deserve to sniff the compression shorts of Top 10 teams in the country—at least not right now, anyway—and the other side places an indelible blotch of misconduct and selfishness on the program.

But I’m telling you, as bad as it looked, Blount’s haymaker that put Boise State’s Byron Hout flat on his back isn’t the worst of Oregon’s problems. Not after a 19-8 loss to No. 14 Boise State that left the Ducks heading home to Eugene with one quiet quack and the Broncos saddling up for their journey to a BCS Bowl game.

With Oregon returning Blount, who set a Ducks' record with 17 rushing touchdowns last season, and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, there was enough reason to believe that Oregon could be legitimate Pac-10 Conference contenders and BCS party crashers.

An opening week loss doesn’t do anything to Oregon’s hopes of winning a conference title, but it severely cripples their national reputation, on a night when millions looked in anticipation of what could be one of the country’s best offenses.

Oregon’s offense looked like mere specs of lint on Boise’s blue turf field, getting pushed around repeatedly by the Broncos' offensive and defensive lines. Masoli couldn’t throw the ball and Blount couldn’t run the ball, ultimately culminating in an embarrassing night that saw Oregon record it’s first first down of the game with 7:07 to play in the third quarter.

Oregon rushed for only 31 yards (Blount contributed minus-five yards to that doozy) to Boise’s 164, and only gained 152 total yards to Boise’s 361. If it weren’t for a fourth quarter spark in Oregon’s offense, they wouldn’t have recorded the six first downs that they did.

Masoli was supposed to be the star of the show—the star of the quarterbacks at the very least—but that didn’t happen, either. Masoli was 14-of-27 for 121 yards and one interception, but he did score the Ducks' only touchdown of the game, with a five-yard run with four minutes and change to go in the third quarter.

Boise State’s Kellen Moore, a redshirt freshman, was much more impressive on this night. Moore was 19-of-30, good for 197 yards and a 10-yard TD pass to Austin Pettis. He actually looked the part of a quarterback that you would expect to find on a team with BCS aspirations.

Boise State’s O-Line gave Moore ample time to deliver the football, but the lefty was still impressive with his feet, gliding in and out of the pocket to buy extra time for passing lanes to open up. The kid makes plays and he’s confident.

D.J. Harper carried the ball 19 times for Boise, racking up 88 yards and a touchdown. Harper was a key part of the attack that allowed Boise to keep the football for approximately 35 minutes longer than Oregon.

And, really, this was all on a night when Boise State didn’t even play their best football. The game wasn’t as close as the score would indicate, not when the Broncos missed two field goals, fumbled a field goal snap, and committed three turnovers.

Both teams suffered from the inevitable opening game jitters and early season inconsistencies, but the difference was that Boise looked like they had an idea of what they wanted to do and had confidence in executing. Oregon just looked plain lost.

The menacing blue field that gives Boise State a unique home-field advantage may as well have been the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean for Oregon. There was no life preserver that could pull them out of the blue and orange current that was Boise’s relentless defense.

The Broncos' defense forced two turnovers (one fumble and one pick), but their dominance wasn’t the type that is going to light up the morning box score. It was quick, methodical, and as painless as a lethal injection. There was nothing to it, but before you blinked, Oregon was fast asleep and Boise’s offense was back on the field.

"Hats off to our defense tonight," Moore said. "They made a ton of plays."

But, of course, all of this is going to get lost in the translation of trash talk, punches, and subsequent suspensions. That’s fine for the fans and for the public, because the headlines are simply water cooler talk for the rest of us. But for Oregon, the fighting and severe lack of sportsmanship on the part of Blount should be low on their list of priorities this week.

That’s not to say that what Blount did was acceptable on any level, because it’s not. Blount’s punch was only the beginning, as then he had to be restrained by police and Oregon personnel from going after fans on his way to the locker room. If you are that combustible, I question why you’re playing prime-time athletics to begin with.

Nor were the actions of Hout acceptable, either. After a game or trash talking and trying to knock the head off of your opponent, you don’t need to keep running your mouth after the clock runs out. Does an extra verbal jab deserve a physical KO? No, but Hout knew what he was doing, therefore, he got what he got. You may think that Blount was the bigger idiot here, but he at least did one thing smarter than Hout...he had his helmet on.

Now it’s up to Oregon head coach Chip Kelly to deal with the matter swiftly, preferably today, so that the Ducks can prepare for next weekend’s game against Purdue.

"I did not see anything. I will see it on tape and make a decision on what we need to do with [Blount]," Kelly said. "There is no place for that. I do not condone that. I will make that decision if that is the case."

Oh, it is certainly the case, as Oregon needs to refocus after looking like a rattled club who was out to revenge last year’s loss to Boise State in their own home, rather than move forward and win the first football game of 2009.

Blount’s going to be on the bench for a while, but that’s not the biggest issue here. Blount is only one guy.

Kelly’s biggest issue should be how in the world did Masoli and the rest of the offense spend so much time on the bench? Until he figures that out and gets the Ducks squared away, it will be an ugly scene in Eugene.

At best, for the time being, they are Boise State’s step stool. At worst, they are a team that fights harder after the game than during it.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

For Rockies, Huston Street Is Back to Sweeping

Teddy Mitrosilis — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:24:09 -0400

It wasn’t all that long ago that the eyes of Texas relaxed and the hearts of Austin calmed at the first sight of him.

Is that Huston Street jogging in? Oh, okay, it’s over. Inning over, game over, series over. And eventually, Omaha over.

That was the simple way of life, just a handful of years ago, when Street was living collegiate stardom as the best closer in the country.

If the Texas Longhorns had a lead in the eighth inning, you could fill out the rest of your scorecard in ink and head home. There were no surprises. It was a perch of fame and credibility that Street earned.

Street holds the career saves record at the University of Texas at Austin with 41. He was a four-time All American in burnt orange. Proudly named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2002 College World Series after Texas beat South Carolina in the finals.

But it wasn’t all about the high life for Street. He too, fell victim to the game and was humbled. It just so happened that his moment of truth came in the big leagues.

After closing for the Oakland A’s for three seasons and having success, it looked as if Street would enjoy the long, illustrious career that was so often predicted for him in college.

Make All Star Games, accumulate saves, and enjoy a couple late October wild rides. That was the blueprint for the guy that did everything right on and off the field.

But as Street struggled last summer, the A’s grew impatient and decided that they didn’t have the time to wait around for a guy to work out his mechanical kinks, and regain the command of his fastball while pitching in one-run games. And with Brad Ziegler in the bullpen, they had another option.

That Street lost his closing job with the A’s wasn’t the telltale sign that any of his college dominance had evaporated. For one, A’s GM Billy Beane comes from the school of thought that closers are like strawberries. Plant the seed, add water, sunlight, and time, and voila…fruition.

Beane’s “Moneyball” legacy will be remembered for his preference for high on-base percentage hitters, among other specifics, but he also shed light on his idea of running a bullpen.

If you have a good arm, you can close. Period.

So you can chalk Street’s demotion up to another quick hook on the part of management. But it wasn’t as if Street was some 34-year-old veteran who had grizzled through multiple arm injuries and couldn’t cut it any longer.

It was only Street’s fourth season in the big leagues, and given the fact that he was relatively healthy with the A’s, it’s practically impossible for his stuff to have left him overnight. It couldn’t. He was too good for that to happen.

Of course, that’s where the Colorado Rockies came in, just in time to sweep Street off Oakland’s dump truck and polish him up to be their guy.

When Beane became interested in acquiring then Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, Colorado’s GM Dan O’Dowd knew he wanted Street to be part of the package. Colorado had its own reservations about Manny Corpas, and Beane was happy to oblige.

When Street came to Colorado, his welcome was accompanied by a request for change. Pitching coach Bob Apodaca asked Street if he wanted to try switching from his customary spot on the left edge of the pitching rubber over to the right side. Street’s gut reaction was, “What for?”

After all, Street had been pitching from the left side his entire life, and had had great success. He firmly believed that the rough stretch in Oakland was just that. A slump that everyone needs to work through over the course of a long career. Apodaca didn’t force anything, but he recommended.

Street resented the change and stuck to his usual ways. He pitched well in spring training, won the closing job with the Rockies, and proceeded to the regular season looking to return to his dominant ways.

But as fate would have it, Street got his clock cleaned over his first couple weeks with Colorado. He couldn’t command his fastball and didn’t have much feel for his secondary pitches. His hole was only growing deeper.

On a flight to Arizona, Apodaca dropped in next to Street and proposed the change once more. To Street’s credit, he committed to the idea and got to work. Most adjustments take time to get comfortable. For Street, moving to the other side of the rubber instantly became the most natural thing he has ever done.

By coming at the hitters from a slightly different angle, Street began to look like the guy who the A’s expected they would have for many years. His velocity increased, the hellacious movement on his fastball came back, and his slider swept violently. The only feeble thing about it was the hitters’ pathetic passes at the baseball.

That was about four months ago.

As we talk today, Colorado is leading the NL Wild Card race, while still trying to take aim at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Street has 33 saves to go along with a 2.96 ERA and a 62-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Rockies’ record pace they have been on since Jim Tracy took over as manager isn’t all because of Street, not by any means.

The emergence of Jason Marquis as Mr. Dependable in the starting rotation has been huge. Ubaldo Jimenez has a 3.33 ERA and is pitching like you would expect a man with some of the best pure stuff in baseball to.

Troy Tulowitzki is back from a horrid 2008 and is playing like an elite shortstop again. Dexter Fowler has brought a speed element to the lineup that the charming Rockies of 2007 didn’t have. As a whole, the club ranks second in the N.L. in runs scored.

Like any good club, there’s been a lot of help. Street is just there to finish it all off.

With Brad Lidge’s struggles in Philadelphia and Francisco Rodriguez’s erratic ways in New York, the big name closers of the National League haven’t lived up to the billing. With all due respect to Ryan Franklin in St. Louis and Brian Wilson in San Francisco, that leaves Street as the premier stopper in the league heading into the regular season’s final month.

Oh sure, there are going to be some more rough outings. Street may even meet Chase Utley or Manny Ramirez up close and personal come October. But gone are the days of inconsistency and heartache.

High up in the bedroom of the Rocky Mountains, Street has traded in his burnt orange perch for a new one of pristine purple. One that says again, at first sight, it’s over.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Billy Wagner Could Help Boston Red Sox If It Weren't for the Demands

Teddy Mitrosilis — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:51:43 -0400

As I sat back and watched the slugfest that was the Yankees-Red Sox series this past weekend, I wondered how Billy Wagner might fit into the Boston bullpen.

The bullpen that saw Michael Bowden–who was called up prior to Friday's game only to be shuttled back to the minor league bus stops later that night–contribute to the hailstorm of Yankee runs in Friday’s 20-11 loss by allowing seven earned runs and three walks in two innings of relief.

The bullpen that is using more of Takashi Saito, Manny Delcarmen, and Ramon Ramirez than Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon (or so it seems). And, oddly enough, the bullpen that I still think is pretty formidable.

The Red Sox placed a waiver claim on the recently injured New York Mets hurler last Friday, and the Mets have until Tuesday to trade Wagner to the Red Sox, pull him back off waivers, or send him to Boston for nothing in return (except payroll relief). Wagner is coming back from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, a surgery that was supposed to keep him out for the entire 2009 season.

But after a quick recovery, Wagner made his season debut last Thursday in New York, striking out two Atlanta Braves in one inning of work while reaching 96 mph with his fastball.

Is Wagner really fully healthy? Is he going to be able to pitch on consecutive days for the remainder of the season given the fact that he beat the return time of a major surgery by almost two months?

We’ll have to wait and see, but I would think that Wagner wouldn’t return early if he didn’t feel he was totally ready.

It makes sense for all three parties involved–Wagner, the Mets, and the Red Sox–to get a deal done and send the 38-year-old southpaw to Boston. But only if it were that easy.

The problem is that Wagner is sixth on the career in all time saves list, has appeared in six All-Star Games, and has earned over $75 million in his career for being one of the most menacing and hard-throwing closers of his time. There is a certain level of pride that comes with that.

Knowing that, it’s not all that surprising that Wagner has made a couple demands to the Red Sox, according to this ESPN.com report. According to the report, Wagner has told that Red sox that in order for him to waive his no-trade clause, he would like his 2010 player option to be declined, effectively making him a free agent and therefore a potential suitor for a club looking for a closer.

After accomplishing so much at the end of the game, Wagner doesn’t want to end his career icing in the ninth inning instead of pitching, which is what would happen with Papelbon in Boston.

“I don’t want to end my career as a set up man,” Wagner said. “I’d like to have that option.”

And that’s all good. I think Wagner has deserved that option based on his body of work, and I believe that would be an attractive option for the Red Sox, too. Boston surely wouldn’t want to pick up Wagner’s $8 million 2010 option for him to be a set up guy, right? Of course not. But the demands don’t end there.

Not only did Wagner ask for the option on his current deal to be declined, but also his agent, Bean Stringfellow, asked the Red Sox to “guarantee” they won’t offer Wagner salary arbitration, according to a FOXSports.com report.

By not offering Wagner arbitration, more teams would be interested in Wagner on the free agent market next winter because they wouldn’t have to give up high draft picks as compensation for signing Wagner.

Compensation picks is certainly an appropriate topic for the next collective bargaining meeting, but under the current agreement, those are the rules. Yes, they unfairly handcuff players and limit their opportunities, but that’s not changing in the next year.

After Stringfellow confirmed that the Red Sox rejected both demands, the only thing to be done is to get creative and find a middle ground. It can’t all be peaches and cream for Wagner. The Red Sox have to have some incentive to get this done, too, or else they seem content to go with what they have into the stretch run of the season.

There’s incentive for all sides involved to get this done. By dealing Wagner, the Mets will cut the remaining $3.5 million owed to Wagner for ’09 off their books in addition to the $1 million next year it would take to buy out Wagner’s option.

For the Red Sox, they get a power lefty who, presumably, is healthy and ready to pitch like his old dominant self. The Sox know exactly what they have in Wagner come September and possibly October, but can they say the same thing about Daniel Bard? I don’t think so.

Bard is a great young pitcher, but he just hasn’t been around long enough. Not to mention, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bullpen that would turn down a power lefty.

And for Wagner, he gets an opportunity to go pitch for a contending team, one that is capable of winning a World Series if they put it together. His first option wouldn’t be to set up in Boston, but that’s sure a heck of a lot better than setting up for Francisco Rodriguez and the fourth-place Mets.

And if all goes well, the Red Sox would probably grant him his wish by declining his option, and he’d be on his way to one more season or two as the guy that jogs out to a cool late-night entrance song.

But there needs to be something a little more enticing for the Red Sox. They have no obligations to Wagner, and why would they not offer him arbitration? In the end, they are the ones that would be taking on $3.5 million for a guy who has only pitched once this season.

If they are going to be the Mets’ emergency pocket book, then they will want draft picks to back up the risk. After all, it’s a business they are running, not a twenty-five cent lemonade stand on the way to a farewell tour somewhere else.

Maybe Wagner and the Red Sox can reach some sort of agreement that would void the $1 million buyout on Wagner’s deal in exchange for the Red Sox not offering arbitration? That would be a little sweeter, if you’re Boston.

Then again, the compensation picks have more value than that $1 million. But what about $1 million and another World Series ring, which is what Wagner could possibly help bring to Boston if he’s healthy and firing bullets deep into October? Would that be better than the picks? I’d say so.

See, there’s a plethora of options here, some of which could satisfy everybody. Wagner and the Red Sox simply need to stop talking demands and start talking deals. If they wait too long, they’ll never realize what they may have missed.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Joe Torre's New Tactic Could Bend Baseball's Flawed Logic

Teddy Mitrosilis — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:01:10 -0400

Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager Joe Torre could be on the verge of something so simple, so basic, so right, but I’m not sure whether he knows it or not. He may just be making a move to stabilize the bullpen, but he may be bucking a trend of common, yet flawed, thought throughout baseball that foolishly says your “best” reliever must pitch the ninth inning in a close game.

Your best reliever would be your closer, and your closer would be in the game to get the save, but why? What about those three outs in the eighth inning of a one run game, the outs that allow your club to tack on two more in the bottom of the frame and therefore give your closer a three-run cushion to work with in the ninth? What about that guy? Shouldn’t your best be getting those outs instead? Common sense would say so, and perhaps Torre too.

On Saturday, Torre got closer Jonathan Broxton heating up in the seventh inning instead of his normal routine in the eighth when the Dodgers were hanging onto a 2-0 lead over the Chicago Cubs. Everybody knows Broxton has the ninth and newly acquired George Sherrill has the eighth. Except Saturday. The roles were switched and Sherril was the one shaking hands with catcher Brad Ausmus after the final out was recorded, not Broxton.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times wrote a column in Sunday’s paper talking about this “role reversal” in the bullpen and how it could possibly create a rift between Torre and Broxton, the big guy who has been handed the ball to close games the entire year.

Plaschke went on to say that only a manager with Torre’s pedigree could pull something like that off in this day and age and get the players to buy into it. Now, Torre won’t say exactly why he chose to go with Sherrill in the ninth inning instead of Broxton, but it’s obvious. Broxton has struggled mightily lately.

In the last two weeks, he has blown two saves—against the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks—that have gone from easy Dodger wins to haunting Dodger losses. He has just looked beaten.

Broxton didn’t bring the same swagger and sense of dominance to the mound as he had in the first half of the season. Where has that gone? It’s anyone’s guess, really. Broxton suffered a toe injury in early July, a nagging injury that kept him from pitching from the All Star Game, and it’s possible that he hasn’t fully recovered from that. Besides the toe, Broxton admitted to being a bit worn down from his first half workload, something that most of the bullpen can attest to.

But you’re not going to hear excuses from Broxton, and you’re not going to hear Torre admit that he has lost faith in Broxton, even if that seems to be the case.

“We’re not as concerned about who gets the stat as much as the only stat that is important is that ‘W’ on the left-hand side,” Torre said.

Which brings us to the situation we saw Saturday with Sherrill, the former closer in Baltimore, getting the save. Both players, Sherrill and Broxton, said all the right things after the game, speaking of the team and the pennant race and “all that really matters is that the team won,” but we know there are more feelings than that. But Torre said he doesn’t expect there to be any ill feelings, and here is the money quote that leads to the larger point:

“If somebody gets offended by pitching to the 3-4-5 hitters in the eighth inning, they’re not the person I think they are.”

We don’t need to ring Torre’s house phone to ask him if he was talking about Broxton on that one. That was Torre’s unofficial message to Broxton that it’s about the club, not what inning your pitching.

While this may not be true, it is possible that Torre knows exactly what he is doing in this situation, and it’s not all about giving the ninth inning to Sherrill and taking the pressure of Broxton. The fact that Torre alluded to the importance of pitching to the middle of the order in the eighth inning in a two run game says something.

“After the game, Joe came up to me and said it was an eighth inning save, and I believe him,” Broxton said.

For years, the “save” statistic has defied common logic but continues to define the game plan of the manager. Even the casual fan knows that the save isn’t the most veracious statistic to use when evaluating the performance of a closer, but clubs still pour their dollars into the bank accounts of specific relievers because they happen to pitch the ninth inning more often than others.

I don’t think saves are utterly meaningless, and I’m certainly not trying to downplay the importance of a strong closer. Ask the Yankees what Mariano Rivera means to their franchise. But the fact remains that plenty of baseball games are won or lost in the seventh and eighth innings, while the most powerful of arms are spitting seeds from a bullpen lawn chair. Only in the baseball world would that model of efficiency, or lack thereof, make any sense to even a few minds.

I don’t think there will ever be a time when the ninth inning is treated as a revolving door based on circumstances and matchups until the pitchers with the big money contracts—i.e. presumably the “best” relievers available—are used at the most crucial time of the game, regardless of the inning and the “save” stat.

Does this mean we will have to draw up another stat in order to properly value the work of these relievers? Maybe. I would be open to all proposals, but I’m not sure if that’s necessary. I mean, is it really that difficult for us to determine who the best relievers in the game are? If we could have Joe Nathan or Pat Neshek pitch with two on and no out in the eighth inning of a one-run game, do we really need to think twice about what our choice would be (no disrespect to Neshek)?

Regardless of whether Joe Torre knew exactly what he was doing during Saturday’s game, he is right. If Torre was moving Broxton to the eighth because he felt like he wasn’t earning the job or simply because of matchups, he is right.

And if Torre believed Broxton is his best reliever and therefore wanted him to pitch to the most powerful hitters in the Cubs’ order, regardless of the inning, he is right. It’s time baseball’s askew logic is altered.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Michael Vick Signs with Eagles, Chance for Redemption

Teddy Mitrosilis — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:07:13 -0400

Goodbye Kevin Kolb. Take a seat A.J. Feeley. And hello Michael Vick.

On Thursday evening during ESPN’s telecast of the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers, ESPN’s own Chris Mortensen sat in studio and reported that the Philadelphia Eagles have signed estranged quarterback Michael Vick to a two-year contract.

Vick will be able to attend camp to get in shape before participating in the final two-preseason games. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell still has to make a final ruling on Vick’s eligibility for the opening of the season, but that’s another matter.

Vick to Philly is surprising, but it’s not shocking. Donovan McNabb is obviously the alpha dog in Philadelphia, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. Andy Reid runs a fairly tight ship, is a great leader, and will be a good fit for a man whose transgressions have led to him becoming a national pariah.

Say what you want about Michael Vick, say what you want about how he should or should not be suspended, it doesn’t really matter. Everybody has their own opinion, but the only opinions that matter are those of the court system and Goodell. We have spent months berating Vick for his actions and holding him over a bonfire of scorn and spite.

But this is about Vick the football player, and it’s indeed time to move on. What are we going to see out of Vick? Who knows, all I know is that it will be exciting. We could sit here and list off all of this stats and breathtaking plays that happened seemingly a lifetime ago in Atlanta, but does any of that really matter today?

Vick hasn’t played football, and specifically NFL football, for some time, so as far as I’m concerned, this is a rebirth of his career. He’s probably not the same player, and he’s obviously not the same man. Life’s twists and turns will alter your persona in a hurry.

We will have to wait and see how much Vick is used in the Eagles offense, and how Reid fits him into the game plan. Are we going to see some Wildcat in Philly? We could only hope.

With Vick now coming to an established team like the Eagles, he won’t only be chowing down cheese steaks. Defenses could follow shortly thereafter his first lovely hometown treat.

If Vick is only used sparingly, those legs will be some of the freshest on the field, and he won’t have to drop back and throw the ball all that much. He could, but I would rather see him run.

Philly has all of a sudden become one of the most exciting teams in football. The St. Louis Rams were known as ‘The Greatest Show On Turf’ earlier this decade, and now the Eagles have a chance to take that label and give it an all new meaning.

If you are going to compete with the Eagles this season, you better be a disciplined defense, and you better be fast. Donovan McNabb seems to be as healthy as he has been in years, and some are expecting a resurgence in his game. If that’s the case and he stays healthy, we all know what type of dynamic threat he is at the QB position.

Brian Westbrook seems to be battling injuries every season—the tolls of a long, successful NFL career—but when he is healthy and on the field, he terrorizes defensive coordinators and fantasy owners weep tears of joy. If you own him, that is.

Second round draft pick LeSean McCoy, a running back out of Pittsburgh and Westbrook’s potential back up, has already labeled as guy with the same type of game as Westbrook. That’s to say explosive and versatile. If Westbrook needs a breather, expect McCoy to run loose.

And then there’s two doses of lighting out wide. DeSean Jackson, who had a phenomenal rookie season last year out of California, is a speed demon who is fearless and may bring more swagger to the field than any receiver in football, pound for pound. The Eagles just drafted his equal in Jeremy Maclin, 19^th overall out of Missouri, who can be a game-breaker.

Sure, the Eagles may need more team doctors than your average ER, but if they are at full strength, it will be tough to find good match ups against them. That will work nice when going against the defensive-minded New York Giants, and will give them plenty of options to go to when they finish the regular season at Dallas on January 3, 2010.

How will Vick fit in ? I think he will be fine. I don’t think he’s much of a risk, you just aren’t quite sure what you are going to get from him at first. But a city with a heartbeat like Philadelphia’s is exactly what Vick needs.

He needs to be in the thick of things, and he needs to be demanded. He needs discipline and he needs high expectations to live up to.

That will foster accountability and will stoke his inner fire and thirst to compete, which we know must be white-hot right now. If Vick embraces the team and plays like he is capable of, Philly fans are going to love him. Philadelphia wants hard workers and winners.

Michael Vick finally has his chance to clear his record and prove to the world that he is both.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Darren Evans Goes Down: Virginia Tech's BCS Hopes Next?

Teddy Mitrosilis — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:08:32 -0400

Say it ain’t so, Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech got some of the worst news it could have imagined Tuesday afternoon, the kind of news that pits stomachs, blocks throats, and cripples seasons.

Sophomore running back Darren Evans, Virginia Tech’s leading rusher last season as a true freshman, went down in Tuesday’s practice with a torn left ACL, an injury that will require surgery and most likely keep Evans out for the entire season.

You hate to hear these types of things, especially when training camp is young and hopes are high.

Not only was Evans looking to build on a tremendous freshman season that saw him rush for 1,265 yards, 11 touchdowns, and earn Orange Bowl MVP honors, but the Hokies were looking to build on a 10-4 season, a BCS bowl win over Cincinnati, and a comfortable spot in the upper echelon of all major preseason rankings this year.

Virginia Tech hasn’t seen the National Championship Game since 1999, but head coach Frank Beamer did some of his best work last season, leading a young team to the ACC Title game where they put the hammer on Boston College. Beamer’s boys had lost to BC earlier in the season up in Chestnutt Hill.

With nine starters returning on offense and seven starters returning on defense, this year was supposed to be a step forward for the program, not a step back or a step to the side. Many people believed that Virginia Tech would repeat as ACC Champs—with Georgia Tech coming into the conversation—and even contend for the BCS National Title game by knocking off the big guns on their schedule.

The USA Today’s preseason coaches’ poll had Virginia Tech ranked No. 7 to open the fall, while college football guru Phil Steele, author of philsteele.com and the most comprehensive college football preview magazine on newsstands, Phil Steele’s 2009 College Football Preview, had the Hokies lurking quietly at No. 11 as a potential title contender.

Does Evans’ injury mean all is lost in Blacksburg this season? Of course not, it just makes the future that much murkier. Evans was the star of Va. Tech’s backfield, but he wasn’t the only viable rusher in fall practice.

Redshirt freshman Ryan Williams impressed the coaches in spring practice and was already slotted to get his share of carries this year before Evans got hurt.

But now Williams may be thrust into the starting job and asked to follow the same path as Evans did in ’08, going from fresh meat to alpha dog on the Hokies’ depth chart.

Redshirt sophomore Josh Oglesby was listed second behind Evans on the preseason depth chart and will see some of the workload, but is not a lock to start. And then there’s senior Kenny Williams Jr., the No. 1 running back on last year’s depth chart before going down with a torn Achilles, an injury that is still getting the best of him.

Of course, most college football experts believe that the success of Virginia Tech this season rests on the shoulders of quarterback Tyrod Taylor, anyway. Taylor is enormously talented and physically gifted, eliciting some Michael Vick comparisons when the Hokies signed him in 2007.

Taylor is purely a playmaker, there’s no doubt about that. He is going to drive many ACC student sections crazy this fall with his passing and rushing attack. But the knock on Taylor has been that he is not a refined passer and simply relies on his feet and natural athletic ability to make up for poor reads and poor decisions.

Every analyst is saying that Taylor’s passing game needs to improve if Virginia Tech is going to vault into national title conversations. While that may be true, is there any reason to believe that Taylor won’t improve as a passer? I don’t see one. Last season was his first full-time shot at running the offense, and when in doubt, he went to what got him there in the first place: his feet.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but now is where the maturation as a football player comes in. Coach Beamer doesn’t want to take the playmaker out of Taylor. In fact, he can’t. You’re either a playmaker or you’re not, and there’s not a damn thing any opposing defense or coach can do about it. And that bodes well for the Hokies.

With an extra year under his belt, I expect Taylor to drop back and sling it a little more. Tech allowed 42 sacks last year, but return eight of their top 10 offensive linemen and should be solid up front despite losing ACC Honorable Mention Ryan Shuman at center.

On the other side of the ball, Virginia Tech still looks strong. Their defensive line is usually pretty good, and this year should be no different with defensive tackle John Graves and defensive end Jason Worilds (second team ACC in ’08) leading the pass rush. Combine that with the fact that Beamer typically coaches a great special teams unit, and I see some balance on this roster.

The Hokies will be challenged right away, opening their season on September 5 with Alabama, a nationally televised game that will be played in Atlanta.

The two programs haven’t played each other since the 1998 Music City Bowl, but that’s ancient history in today’s times. Nick Saban has his gang dreaming of a crystal ball down in Tuscaloosa, so this clash should be an epic one for the opening weekend.

Virginia Tech welcomes Marshall to Blacksburg the following week, and the week after that is Nebraska at home, a game that will surely get Lane Stadium rocking at its core.

Tech has Miami, Boston College, North Carolina State, and North Carolina also at home, with the game against the Tar Heels serving as a tasty ACC entrée on a Thursday evening in late October.

Tech will go to Duke, Maryland, and Virginia while facing their toughest road tests at Georgia Tech (possible ACC title game preview) on Oct. 17, and at East Carolina on Nov. 5.

It’s a great schedule, filled with formidable opponents and marquee matchups, and the Hokies will have a chance to do some damage on the national scene. Given the softer schedules of powerhouses such as Texas and Penn State, coupled with the fact that Florida looks better than ever, my gut tells me that Tech would have to go 11-1 (not including ACC title game) to seriously get into the BCS title game discussion. A tough task, but doable.

But there’s always a handful of teams that can play their way into consideration—all of which works itself out later on—and Virginia Tech is certainly one of those teams.

So on a muggy Tuesday when sweat dripped and pads cracked, everything went silent and hands when cold when Evans found himself on his way to Montgomery Regional Hospital for an MRI. The results confirmed some of Tech’s worst fears.

Daunted by the possibility of fighting ACC mediocrity, sure, but simply swept out of their rightful place in preseason title talks? Cue up Corso: “Not so fast, my friend.”

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

L.A. Angels and Tampa Bay Rays Need To Dance With the Guns Who Brung Them

Teddy Mitrosilis — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:31:03 -0400

Sitting at the ballpark on an unusually breezy August night, it was easy to see what exactly makes the Los Angeles Angels and the Tampa Bay Rays playoff contenders and two of the American League’s most dangerous teams. There is size, speed, power, strength, and the glue that holds them all together.

But unfortunately for both clubs, there isn’t all that much substance. Substance, as in what wins in the playoffs. As in what pops champagne bottles and schedules victory parades. The Angels and Rays have become two of baseball’s premier teams because of the arms they roll out on any given night. Who toes the rubber determines the backbone, and destiny, of a ball club.

Sure, it was a great night at the park, a lot of fun. Old men to the left yuck it up with their cronies. Old women to the right coax their grandkids into indulging in an ice cream cone with them. Mothers and fathers enjoy a night of hot dogs rather than steaming over that pot of boiling linguine. Kids turn their tongues into distorted colors of sugar while racing up to the dugout in between innings in hopes of snagging a ball. Truly a night of family fun.

But I couldn’t have been the only one sitting there thinking, “Geez, since when did the identity of these two teams change so much. Where did the pitching go?” And that has been the problem with both the Angels and Rays this year, a year that could still be turned to gold for either franchise if they got back to their roots.

It was weird watching Mike Scioscia’s club take on his protégé’s boys, that being Joe Maddon’s Rays. It was like these two teams both changed alike with the times. They were two dogs showing off the same tricks, except the tricks aren’t theirs. The Angels don’t live and die with the long ball. They thrive and survive with quality arms and a conveyor belt offense that would make any Ford assembly line blush.

The Rays, all one season of the current franchise*, didn’t tangle with the Phillies last October by relying on Ben Zobrist’s bat and a newfound difference maker at the top of the order in Jason Bartlett.

*I view the Tampa Bay franchise as two different parts. Part one is from inception through the 2007 season. Part two is from the ’08 season to the present. After new management had a couple years to draft and establish some of their own players, we saw what this talented roster could do, beginning last season. This isn’t the same organization as the one Lou Piniella mangled, so I don’t consider them as such. Back to the column.

They represented the American League in the Fall Classic by riding the power arms of Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and an intimidating bullpen. So I ask on behalf of both teams, where in the world did those types of guys go?

Monday night gave us offense and a snail-paced game courtesy of walks and escalating pitch counts. Vladimir Guerrero cranked two homers, his first one coming off of Garza, and the second—the 400th of his career—coming off of Russ Springer. Kendry Morales, the bright young hitter who has quietly made Angels fans forget about losing out on the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes last winter, also added his 24th and 25th bombs of the season.

Evan Longoria took a Sean O’Sullivan fastball and turned it around real quick in the top of the first inning, crushing a double off the top of the left centerfield wall, scoring Carl Crawford. Zobrist followed with a single that plated Longoria. After flying out to center in his first at-bat of the evening, Bartlett followed with a homer, double, and triple in his next three. A single shy of the cycle, Kevin Jepsen caught him looking in the top of the eighth on a cutter that shaved the outside corner.

In the end, Brian Fuentes saved an 8-7 win for the Angels—just barely, as Juan Rivera caught Zobrist’s fly ball for the final out while leaning over the short wall down the left field line—and Orange County slept easy and happily. For one night at least.

The Angels hold a four game lead over the Texas Rangers, but only because they rank second in the A.L. in runs scored. How long is that going to last, this run scoring binge? It’s gotten them this far, but I wonder. I wonder only because we’ve all seen powerful lineups fizzle at the sight of hot pitching in a short playoff series (the ’08 Chicago Cubs, anyone?)

The Angels are 12th in earned runs in the league, and that isn’t the recipe that has brought them a surfeit of division titles and a world championship during Scioscia’s tenure as manager. There used to be intimidating arms at the back of the bullpen, guys with big fastballs and personas that would strike some semblance of fear and presence when they jogged in from beyond the outfield fence.

Now? The bullpen is full of youngsters and Darren Oliver and Brian Fuentes, two vets that are much better suited for carving up lefties but not carrying the bulk of high-leverage innings.

Jered Weaver has quietly put together a great season, and John Lackey has been pitching like an ace that is headed for free agency—which is to say dominant—but that’s it. Those two guys better not lose in the playoffs. Joe Saunders is on the DL now, and Ervin Santana hasn’t been seen since he went home on vacation last winter.

As for the Rays? I don’t see the intimidation they had last year.

Kazmir and his 6.50 ERA look wounded on the mound. I fully expect “Have you seen him? Please call!” ads with Andy Sonnastine’s mug on them to be popping up on light poles around my neighborhood any day now. David Price still oozes potential, but his development didn’t accelerate as quickly in the big league rotation as the Rays thought it would. Garza and Shields sport respectable ERA’s, but they get so amped and out of control at times that they make me want to sit with an oxygen mask on.

I still like J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour at the back of the bullpen, but only Howell has built on last season’s success and is currently closing. But the good thing for both of these teams is that they have the horses to win the race, and they’ve done it before. They know they have it in them.

The Angels will most likely get to the playoffs, but the Rays, while playing in a much tougher division, are currently two-and-a-half games behind Boston in the wild-card standings. Tampa Bay could overcome the Red Sox and the Rangers and get to October, but they need to be the Rays, not the Phillies.

The Angels could go deep into October, but they need to be the Angels, not their version of the ’27 Yankees. There are always those few bookworms in high school who want so badly to hang out with the jocks and fit in, but at some point they realize that they just don’t quite cut it. It’s not in their genes to act like idiots on Friday night and try to act tough to impress the girls.

But then they get a little older and they realize that it’s perfectly OK to be themselves. They meet their own friends, go to college, get A’s, get great jobs, and the world is forever at their fingertips.

The Angels and Rays want good offenses, for sure, but they will run into problems when they look to the lineup to define them. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of what stands at your core.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Monday Quick Hits: Red Sox, Yankees, Hamilton

Teddy Mitrosilis — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:04:35 -0400

*Note: Posting something a little different this morning. I write for Around The Majors, an MLB blog at mvn.com, and often do a morning links post in addition to columns and other articles. The links posts just offer a few quick headlines from around the league, and provide a few good reads from other web sites and newspapers in the process. Obviously I can't get to every team every morning, so I apologize if your team isn't included this morning. Just read what you like, skip what you don't, check the links out, or not, it's all good. Just figured I'd share with my B/R brothers (and sisters) since it was already written. If you like the idea of getting some links to other writers (and a simply platform for a variety of discussions) let me know and I'll keep posting them here. If you hate it, let me know and this will be the last! Thanks!

As you can expect after being swept in the Bronx, there is a firestorm in Boston regarding the Red Sox. The Boston Globe troika weighed in on the weekend: Tony Massarotti wonders if the Red Sox simply have enough talent to keep up with the Yankees? Esteemed columnist Bob Ryan thinks back to when the Red Sox last held a lead and looked like they were going to win (it's been about a week). And, of course, when it seems like the play on the field is bad enough for the Red Sox, Dan Shaughnessy reminds us that there's still that David Ortiz thing lingering.

I'm just going to comment quickly from the beginning. I know Massarotti's column is more of a Monday Morning Quarterback thing, a harsh emotion amidst an ugly slide. But, even as this morning's paper tells us the Yankees grew their lead to 6 1/2 games in the A.L. East, these slumps happen. The Red Sox are still a great club and absolutely have the talent to hang with anybody in the A.L. They have just hit a rough stretch. It happens.

Granted, this is a bad time for it to happen, but I'm not selling out the Red Sox. No way. As Ryan points out in his column, Victor Martinez's two-run, eighth-inning homer snapped a 31-inning scoreless streak for Boston. What has happened? Well a lot of things have gone bad at once. Dustin Pedroia is playing like, well, a five-foot-nothing second baseman normally would. Jason Bay has been fighting to stay on the field. Varitek is about 20 points above the Mendoza Line. Ellsbury steals a lot of bags, but funny thing about those. You need to get on to steal 'em. Ortiz is lifeless, especially after the recent news.

There's just a whole lot going wrong at one time. It doesn't mean it's going to stay like this for the rest of the season. And remember, the pitching has actually done a very good job. The Red Sox should have won two of the four games this weekend, based solely on how their starters did. They should have won Beckett's game Friday night, and Lesters Sunday night. Just so happens that they ran into a Yankees team that rolled out Burnett, Sabathia, and a streaking Pettitte after Thursday's game when nobody pitched well.

And, yes, I'm sure some people are down on Daniel Bard today, but don't be. It was one rough night on the path of a rising star. Bard's been great and will continue to be a big piece of the puzzle in the bullpen. So, please, take a deep breath Boston and get ready for the final six weeks of play. You wake up today, things are as bad as they can get, and you are still tied with the Texas Rangers for the wild card. That you should be thankful for.

(As for Shaughnessy's column, it's a solid one, like usual, but I'm just tired of talking Ortiz/steroids. I just linked to it so you can give it a read.)

Where are the New York papers, you ask? Got 'em. Jack Curry of the New York Times is cautiously optimistic in this column, knowing the Yankees had a great weekend while trying to remind everyone that the division has not—I repeat, has NOT—been locked up.

Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes that A-Rod is finally feeling the love in the Bronx. Seems to me everyone is feeling the love, but I couldn't agree more about A-Rod. After his walk-off homer in Friday's marathon, and his tie-breaking bomb last night, Rodriguez has had some big hits for the Yankees, the type of hits that will keep the fans happy and the words off of his contract. Of course, these same fans will expect these hits from A-Rod in October, too, but that's for another day ...

John Harper of the New York Daily News is reminiscing about the great Yankee teams of the '90s. Harper says in his column that there's something special about this current club, and we are finally getting a taste of what October could be like. It sure feels that way.

For the first time this season, the new Yankee Stadium actually felt like the old one. Or, should we say, how any Yankee Stadium is supposed to feel. It was a weekend where the fans let loose and were deeply-rooted in the drama of the game. I think they can feel how talented this club is and what possibly lies ahead in October. The Bronx is starving for another World Series, as weird as it seems to say that a ten-year championship drought is a "long one" for the Yanks.

You have probably heard about the Josh Hamilton news by now, but if you haven't, Jeff Passan ofYahoo! Sports has you covered, as does Jay Mariotti of FanHouse.

I'm not going to link directly to the photos that surfaced on Saturday, but you can find them in the links. There isn't too much to say about what happened, and I don't really want to delve into or judge Hamilton's personal life, but I wanted to get one quick point across about Hamilton.

What happened on that night in January doesn't take away from what his return to baseball has meant to the sport; it doesn't take away from what his magical performance in last summer's home run derby meant to the fans; and it doesn't take away from what his triumphant tale meant to drug and alcohol addicts everywhere.

We knew coming in that Hamilton has battled severe demons in his young life, demons that hopefully you or I will never come face to face with. And what we need to realize now is how real those struggles are, and how everlasting they always are for an addict. There is "improvement" for an addict, but there never is "full recovery." They are always one shot or one puff or one needle away from cold despair.

But, what I'm saying is, that's okay. I cringed like most of you when I heard the news and saw the photos. It looked bad, it sounded bad, it was bad. But it also is a semblance of reality, something that is rarely seen in sports. You could argue that steroids (there's that damn word) is a personal struggle, but I don't really buy it. These guys cheat, and then they quit when caught. I have a hard time feeling sympathy for them.

But with Hamilton, we for once have a man who is real, who is troubled, and who is trying like hell to make a difference. Does it excuse what he did? No. It doesn't make it disappear, either. But Hamilton needs a hand on his shoulder, not a lash on his back. As weak as Hamilton appears to be in the public eye, I always come back to how strong he must be to make an example of himself, to set aside the enormous amounts of humiliation, in an attempt to encourage users in the other direction.

Most addicts probably run for dark corners to recover because they are embarrassed to be seen in such a state. But Hamilton bears that cross with honor, and he's trying to make good on where he has gone so wrong. Would you be willing to carry that burden, the burden of an entire nation of addicts? Think about it for a moment.

Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News says Shane Victornio's wild ejection from center field was exactly how the Phillies looked this weekend as they were swept at home by the Florida Marlins. Victorino was out of control as he sprinted in from the outfield to argue after being ejected, putting on quite the show, but all it did was open the floodgates some more.

Florida is now four games back of the Phillies, and within striking distance. It seems every year the Marlins are on the verge of doing something, and this year is no different. They have more pitching than ever before, and they have Hanley Ramirez in the middle of the lineup. That's a good start to the final month and a half of play.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Cardinals find themselves in a brawl or two down the stretch. Albert Pujols seems to be getting plunked by the day now, and manager Tony La Russa thinks the latest by Pirates' reliever Matt Capps was intentional. In this notebook by Dejan Kovacevic of thePittsburgh Post-Gazette, Capps says it wasn't (as does Pujols), but understands how bad it looked. Just a little extra fuel on this N.L. Central race ...

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Mental Mastery: Evan Longoria's Leap To Stardom

Teddy Mitrosilis — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:00:57 -0400

It’s the little things you don’t see.

He stands a few feet behind the bag at third, spikes lazily grooming the dirt beneath his Nikes, and exhales. A slap of the glove combined with two steps forward, and he’s in the “circle.” Just as quickly—as soon as the pitch reaches the catcher’s mitt – he’s out of it.

It’s the little things that aren’t spoken.

Remember your breathing. Don’t worry about the results. Stay in the moment. Prepare to get a hit.

It’s the little things that made all the difference for Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. You’ve heard of him. He’s the kid who broke onto the big league scene last May, immediately signed a nine-year deal worth up to $44 million to become the face of the franchise, and then went on to crush 27 homers and win the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award.

The same kid that was taunted relentlessly last October, as chants of “Eeeevvaaaa” sprinkled down from the cold Philadelphia sky.

It’s been quite a rush for Longoria. Mere months after being called up, he found himself at Yankee Stadium competing in the home run derby and All Star Game. Not even two full seasons into his bright big league career, Longoria has been to two Mid Summer Classics, donned ‘USA’ across his chest in the World Baseball Classic, and experienced the Fall Classic.

Some may not be surprised by the accomplishments of the burgeoning superstar, but for a guy as gifted as Longoria, it never had the makings of a classic beginning.

Jeremy Schaap of E:60, the ESPN prime-time news magazine program, did a feature on Longoria this week that was far superior to anything we have seen thus far on the ballplayer (E:60 airs Tuesday’s at 7:00 PM EST, and is a must-Tivo for anybody who loves sports or investigative journalism. Pound for pound, E:60 is the best show ESPN has on its docket, outside of live broadcasts).

Even Schaap was baffled by how a kid could go that unnoticed, only to be tearing up the big leagues six years later.

“I wasn’t good,” Longoria said about graduating from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, CA, without being drafted or offered a single Division 1 scholarship. “I mean, I knew the game. I enjoyed playing the game. But as far as ability and talent, I wasn’t a professional player at that time.”

Without many options, Longoria took his supreme desire and work ethic to Rio Hondo, a junior college not far in Whittier, CA. After hitting .430 as a freshman at Rio Hondo, Mike Weathers, the head coach at Long Beach State, offered Longoria a scholarship, and he became a Dirtbag.

Longoria was moved to third base as a sophomore at Long Beach State, not because he couldn’t handle shortstop, but because Weathers already had his starter at there. That guy was junior Troy Tulowitzki, now with the Colorado Rockies.

Longoria went on to hit .320 that year and earn All-Big West Conference honors, but nothing that happened on the field was as important as what happened off of it.

Longoria was introduced to kinesiology professor Ken Ravizza. Ravizza is an author of sports psychology books and is a sports psychology consultant who has been hired to work with numerous Division 1 programs and professional organizations.

Ravizza preaches mental preparation and structure, and teaches athletes how to deal with, and not dwell on, failure. Failure is unavoidable, says Ravizza, so he prefers to use it as a teaching tool.

“The essence is the idea of learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and having something to go to when the garbage hits the fan,” Ravizza said. “The garbage will hit the fan and lets be ready for it.”

If it sounds that simple, well, it’s not. Ravizza speaks to hundreds and hundreds of ballplayers every year, and it takes a special and intuitive kid to believe in Ravizza’s methods and consciously apply them. Many youngsters don’t quite get the impact that an improved mental outlook can have on their careers, or they simply don’t want to, and therefore never benefit from it.

But Longoria was different from the moment Ravizza began speaking, and Ravizza believes his acceptance of the mental side of competition is what has allowed him to grow so much so quickly.

“I think his openness, that it didn’t come easy, that he went through the rejection,” Ravizza said, referring to the difference between Longoria and other players. “He was willing to take the risk to grow versus playing it safe all the time.”

It’s not as if Longoria never had his doubts or never asked the proverbial question, “How can this really help me?” At times, Ravizza’s sound bites can seem rather obvious and simplistic:

When you are putting on your batting gloves, put on your batting gloves. When you step into the box, step into the box. Be where you need to be when you need to be there.

But once Longoria moved past that doubt, he realized the beauty in Ravizza’s direct thought.

“We started playing in a lot of stadiums [in college] with a packed house and the pressure was on,” Longoria said. “That’s when I realized the game becomes more of a mental grind, and I needed something to go to.”

That was the birth of the routine that has carried Longoria all the way to Tampa Bay. Ravizza spoke to Longoria about establishing a “focal point,” a point of reference around the stadium he can look at to refocus his mind during a game.

“Ken talks a lot about the focal point. If I make an error in the field, or swing at a pitch in the dirt at the plate, and I really feel like I’ve lost control of either my emotions or the at-bat, that’s when I step out and look at the top of the left field foul pole.”

Longoria’s focal point is the top of the left field foul pole “just because I know there is always going to be a top of the left field foul pole.” At the plate, Longoria will step out of the batter’s box and undo his batting gloves to “release” a pitch that he felt he should have hit but missed.

In the field, the imaginary “circle” is a way of intently focusing the mind for a couple seconds at a time while the pitch is being thrown. If Longoria isn’t playing that day, he will periodically put on his batting gloves in the dugout and visualize himself hitting.

All of this is meant to give Longoria his best chance at success, but also a vehicle for controlling his emotions and frustrations when he doesn’t succeed. Some players scoff at such practices, but this inner strength became pivotal when Longoria saw himself go 1-for-20 in the World Series last year, admitting that “the game kind of sped up on me and I let some outside distractions in.” Some players break bats, helmets, walls, and fists because they don’t understand to deal with the natural feeling of disappointment.

“Evan gets upset but what’s important is that he has some tools to use and he knows that’s part of the game,” Ravizza said. “This goes back to his background where it didn’t come easy. He had to struggle at times.”

From afar, it appears that the game comes easy for Longoria, like he was born to play it. And he was, but it’s the intangibles that allow him to do so. “His ability to be in the present moment makes him one of the best,” Carlos Pena said about his teammate.

If you would have asked Longoria six years ago if he would be play in the big leagues, there’s no way he would have admitted to believing so. Not many even thought quite a notion.

As scouts began to drool over his physical tools when he spent the summer of 2005 earning the Cape Cod League MVP Award, Longoria continued to hone the inside. While the rest of us see the polish and the shine that comes with Longoria’s game, the slugger keeps it simple.

If it weren’t for Ravizza and the little things, there may not have ever been a big league circle for Longoria to step into.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Chomp Change: Why Are Florida Haters Blasting Urban Meyer's Pay?

Teddy Mitrosilis — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:08:49 -0400

For those of you perched atop The Swamp screaming down about the perils of the economy, I hear you.

For those of you proclaiming the indignities of watching state budgets decrease while sports revenues (in some places) increase, I feel you.

And for those of you riding the ever-present point of reality that loudly states there are more appropriate ways to allocate funds than to shell out more money to a football coach, I’m with you.

But hear me out for a second before you all line up to take a big, forceful Gator Chomp to my jugular.

Urban Meyer’s six-year, $24 million contract extension that will raise his annual salary to $4 M per year is a lot of money to give a coach that works for a state-funded school that is fighting, like many others, to stay above water financially.

But it is a contract that Meyer deserves, for reasons that go far beyond the proverbial gut reaction of, “A football coach is making what?!?!?”

Meyer’s impact is more profound than his sparking 44-9 record at Florida. Yes, it goes deeper than the era that has won two National Championships in the last three seasons; turned Chris Leak into an exceptional college quarterback; morphed Tim Tebow into God’s swingman; and operates a well-oiled assembly line of NFL prospects.

This is not to minimize the impact that the recession has had on the university. UF has been patching holes and cutting costs like everybody else. The University of Florida is planning to make $30.6 million worth of specific cuts for the ’09-10 fiscal year. They hope to reach a budget reduction of $42.2 million next year.

Where are the budget cuts coming from? The university is sniffing through a variety of dark corners, including layoffs of nine faculty and 49 staff members. The Educational Psychology program is getting the ax. The Internationally Educated Dentist Program is being transitioned to non-state funds.

The Documentary Film Institute in the College of Journalism and Communications is closing. UF is merging the Mental Health Center and Counseling Center within Student Affairs. And that’s only a sample.

There’s no denying the fact that the university needs help wherever it can find it. But that’s the point that is being missed. Urban Meyer is a big part of providing help to the university through his program, his identity, and his own pocket.

Where would the school be without Meyer’s powerful and influential mug being spread across the elite land of college football year after year? In even deeper trouble, that’s where.

The university doesn’t pay Meyer’s salary. The backbone of the athletic department, the University Athletic Association (UAA) does. Meyer could turn his shoulder to the troubles of the university since they don’t feed him, but he’s not doing that. He does the opposite.

In fact, the entire athletic department does the opposite. Athletics Director Jeremy Foley isn’t in a pinch, but he knows that the university is and is looking for ways to help University of Florida President Bernie Machen, who told Foley he expects the UAA to help the university where possible.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, with a $84.5 million budget for ’09, a $100 million marketing package with Sun Sports, and big TV deals with ESPN and CBS, the UAA does what it can. Since 1990, the UAA has contributed approximately $45 million to academics, an average of about $2.4 million per year.

UF brings in huge revenues due to the success of their sports programs. Two recent National Championships in men’s basketball contributed heavily to the final tally, but there is no mistaken that it is Meyer and his football program driving the revenue bus.

In a recent SportsBusiness Journal study, UF generated the third-highest revenues in college football and overall earnings. In ’07-’08 alone, the football program reportedly made $66.1 million in revenues, behind only the University of Texas and the University of Georgia. Florida’s overall earnings checked in at $106 million for the year.

Providing that extra cash via donations through the UAA should be enough support from the athletic department in order for the university to hold their ground until more prosperous times return. But Meyer doesn’t stop there.

In October, 2008, Meyer and men’s basketball coach Billy Donovan were named co-chairmen of the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program. Machen created the program to assist first-generation, financially disadvantaged students who are working hard towards earning their bachelor degrees.

The initial goal of the program is to raise $50 million. Meyer has committed to adding $1 million to the program from his own pocket over the course of his contract.

Not that UF or Gator supporters will care (because this money doesn’t go to UF), but in December, 2008, Meyer gave thanks to his prior employer by joining Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham as the first people to donate money to the Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Family Scholarship.

The scholarship will help fund the Utah’s football program, a university that isn’t nearly as lucky to have the resources, or power, to generate the same revenues as an institution such as Florida.

That all goes with ignoring one of the basic roles a college coach performs: an establishment of authority and leadership for young men and women. That’s a role that Meyer fulfills unfailingly.

With huge advertising and TV dollars in place, college sports have become big business. As much as some want to imply that these are “kids” playing kids’ games, that isn’t the truth. Kids don’t play on ESPN with thousands and thousands of fans wearing their jerseys, praising them, or, at times, mercilessly taunting them.

Lost in the shuffle is the parent figure that a coaching job entails. College coaches don’t get to choose whether or not they want to raise young adults to be successful citizens that contribute to society. It comes with the gig.

Eighteen-22 years old is a period of maturation and growth for all, not just athletes. It’s a time to grow up. If a coach doesn’t ask that of their players—ask them to better themselves as people as much as athletes—then he or she is failing their university and position.

Are programs still going to have stains? Are players of great coaches still going to have run-ins with the law? Of course. People of all ages make irrational choices when faced with temptation. But by all accounts, Meyer excels at his job as football coach and example.

It’s not all about the dollars, but when you add up the revenues that Meyer’s program generates, the financial relief that comes from the UF athletic department, the time and money that Meyer gives to various programs, and the job he does with grooming young men, does he deserve that $4 million to per year? I say yes.

There’s much more to a man than merely his salary.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

The Almost Seattle-Boston (and Possibly San Diego) Trade for the Ages

Teddy Mitrosilis — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:08:28 -0400

If you haven't heard about this yet, follow the link to the Seattle Mariners' blog written by Geoff Baker (The Seattle Times) and be fascinated.

We knew the Boston Red Sox wanted to add a big bat at the trade deadline, but we also knew they wanted to add a front line starting pitcher. Whatever it was, Boston wanted a big prize, a guy who would steal all the headlines and proclaim them the team to beat in the American League East. GM Theo Epstein inquired about Roy Halladay, but that prize was deemed much too exorbitant, considering the Toronto Blue Jays would be trading the best pitcher in baseball to their division rival.

I always thought the Red Sox were the best trade partner for the Blue Jays because, in my opinion, they had the most high-end prospects in their farm system to trade. Digging through Boston’s farm system is like sifting through the rubies to try to come up with some diamonds.

But once that didn’t happen, it was time to move onto the bat.

There were some discussions with the San Diego Padres about bringing first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to Boston, but those never materialized. Not initially, anyway. Then on deadline day, Epstein packaged up Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price and sent them to Cleveland in exchange for Victor Martinez.

All was well in Boston.

But as it turns out, the Red Sox had their hand in more pools than we knew about. This is where Baker and his sources come in. According to Baker’s blog post at The Seattle Times, the Red Sox approached the Mariners about acquiring pitcher Felix Hernandez. Here’s what happened: the Red Sox told the Mariners, "Look, we will assemble a list of prospects in exchange for Hernandez, and you can choose any five from the list."

The list assembled by Boston included: Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, Michael Bowden, Felix Doubront, Josh Reddick, Yamaico Navarro. Pick any five Seattle, and simply send King Felix on the next plane to Fenway Park.

The Mariners, understandably stuck up on the enormous talent of Hernandez, turned that deal down, if only because you never trade away young pitchers that are as good—and controllable—as Hernandez.

Good, young pitching is such a commodity in baseball that you do whatever you can to horde it, and once you have it, you cling to those puppies like you are clinging to the edge of the Grand Canyon. As an organization, young pitching is indeed your life.

Once Seattle turned down Boston, Epstein got on the phone with Kevin Towers, GM of the Padres, and talked about a possible three-team trade between the Padres, Red Sox, and Mariners. Towers initially thought that he would be getting Hernandez in return for Gonzalez, but Epstein made it clear that he actually wanted Hernandez more than Gonzalez.

The three clubs talked for a while, but with that much substance and that much talent involved, it’s not surprising that nothing could be agreed upon. I mean that’s a ton of talent.

The proposed three-team trade would have sent Hernandez to Boston, Gonzalez to Seattle, and a bunch of prospects to San Diego. The package going to the Padres would have included a couple of prospects from the Red Sox along with Brandon Morrow, Phillippe Aumont, and Carlos Triunfel from the Mariners.

Whew...

That would have been a great deal for the Red Sox (Hernandez for a few prospects). That would have been a stellar deal for the Padres (a load of high-quality prospects for Gonzalez). But it wouldn’t have worked out so well for the Mariners (Gonzalez for Hernandez and three premium prospects).

Now, this isn’t the deal exactly.

I know you’re looking at that and saying, "Why the hell would anyone propose a deal that includes the Mariners trading Felix Hernandez and three great prospects, and only getting one bat (as good as Gonzalez may be) in return?"

I know. I was thinking the same thing.

But this deal didn’t get too far so the details weren’t worked out; that’s why it looks so lopsided as reported. There’s just way too much talent shifting hands for that deal to go down. And I would think Seattle would be a bit hesitant after the debacle of a deal that sent Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and George Sherrill to Baltimore for Erik "DL" Bedard.

But I had to go back and look at that initial proposal between the Red Sox and Mariners, and rethink the theory that you "Never" trade away young pitching that is as good and controllable as Hernandez. When I thought about what the Mariners would be getting in return, I started thinking, "Why wouldn’t they make this trade?"

The question is, does Seattle currently have enough to compete next season with the Angels and Rangers?

I say no. Not enough offense, not enough health.

Now, the Mariners have Hernandez under team control through the 2011 season, although his arbitration years are going to begin coming at a steep price. I would assume that they won’t be able to resign him, and therefore, will be looking to trade him at next year’s deadline, or the subsequent offseason (the Halladay proceedings may act as a precedent).

So now the question becomes, since the Mariners won’t be contending while Hernandez is there, will the package they get a year from now be better than what Boston offered? Possibly. But maybe not. Maybe they eat the two draft picks instead.

Of course, that list presented by the Red Sox didn’t offer every top prospect they have—they left off Ryan Westmoreland, Casey Kelly, and Lars Anderson—but it was still pretty darn good. If I’m Seattle, give me those first five: Buchholz, Bard, Masterson, Hagadone, and Bowden.

Think about that haul.

The Mariners get three solid starters in Buchholz, Masterson, and Bowden. They get a future stud closer in Bard. And they get another power left-handed bullpen arm in Hagadone. That would allow them to fully, and properly, develop Morrow as a starter. Wait another couple of years when some other prospects come up and you are looking at a rotation of Buchholz, Morrow, Masterson, Bowden, and Aumont, with Triunfel in the lineup and two power arms at the back of the bullpen in Bard and Hagadone.

Maybe you have an aging Ichiro in the lineup, but add a couple of other bats through free agency or the draft (they have a great one coming in Dustin Ackley who the M's took with the second pick in June from the University of North Carolina; Ackley projects to be an All-Star center fielder) in the next couple of years, and you’re telling me that’s not a great young foundation for a contending team?

Seems like it could have been the future of Seattle to me.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

American League: Welcome to the Two-Month Sprint

Teddy Mitrosilis — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:40:54 -0400

My apologies go out to the Cubs and Cardinals, who are set up for one of the most fascinating races of the summer in the NL Central. Also, we can’t forget about the Florida Marlins or Atlanta Braves, two clubs fighting to clip the coattails of the Phillies.

But as the dog days of summer suffocate us and wear down bodies, this is all about the AL races, and there are more than a couple of teams barking.

The long, arduous grind that is the 162-game baseball season has always been more about August and September than April and May, but that is truer than ever this season.

There is typically one division that is all but decided by the final few weeks of play, but it doesn’t look like that will be the case here; there are eight teams legitimately in playoff contention.

In the West, the Los Angeles Angels have held the throne for the better part of this decade, but they are as vulnerable as ever as they sit four games ahead of the Texas Rangers. The Angels should still be the pick to win it, but even they don’t quite know what they are going to get in the final two months.

The pitching staff has John Lackey at the forefront, who is 5-1 with a 2.32 ERA in his last seven starts, but what else?

Joe Saunders was dangled as a nice prize for Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, but he has had a down year and some talent evaluators don’t believe he is fully healthy. Jered Weaver’s 11-3 record sure is nice, but he gives up too many long balls (19 so far) and is susceptible to self implosion.

In other words, you may get an All Star-caliber guy or you may get an early shower, depending on the evening.

Ervin Santana? Yeah, I haven’t seen that guy, either.

The Angels have improved on offense, and that is what has kept them afloat while trying to stabilize the rotation and bullpen. Los Angeles ranks first in the league in runs scored despite ranking 10th in homers.

Kendry Morales enjoyed a huge series against the Minnesota Twins last weekend—a series in which the Angels outscored the Twins 35-15—and has 23 bombs on the year. The Angels are still waiting for a healthy Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero to return.

The Rangers may be playing a little bit above themselves, but it's no surprise to see them contending. They have loads of talent, and there's even more to come in the near future from their farm system.

2010 or 2011 may be the year Texas becomes an elite team, but that day is coming. In Arlington, it’s usually all about the hitting and hardly about the pitching, and therefore there's been no mystery as to why they haven’t seen the postseason since 1999.

This year has been different. Slugger Chris Davis disappointed in the first half, and with 114 strikeouts in 258 at-bats, it seems like he steps into the batter’s box with an 0-2 count. Texas is eighth in the AL in runs scored, but ranks fourth in the league in earned runs.

The improvement with the pitchers began with team president Nolan Ryan changing the attitude around town. We’ll see if the staff can hold up through the summer heat, but they play the Angels nine more times this season, and will have their chances to make a run.

The trade deadline has certainly made the competition in the AL Central more interesting. The Tigers acquired Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners in return for two prospects, and Chicago GM Kenny Williams countered by pulling off a four prospects-for-one star pitcher deal minutes before the deadline to bring Jake Peavy to the South Side.

Chicago trails Detroit by 1.5 games (three in the loss column), and the two clubs only play each other three more times this season, September 25-27 in Chicago. Neither team's offense has lived up to expectations, but there are plenty of arms to go around, making that late-September series possibly a classic.

Peavy has missed more than a month with an injured tendon in his ankle, but he threw a 50-pitch bullpen Sunday and says he will pitch this month. Assuming he’s healthy, the White Sox can roll out Peavy, Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks, while the Tigers can send Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Washburn, and rookie Rick Porcello to the mound.

If you like pitching, this is your race.

Oh, and of course, we have the beasts in the East who never seem to disappoint. The New York Yankees are in first place, according to the standings, but they have their own work to do after dropping three of four this past weekend to the White Sox. None of their starters were superb in the Windy City, and the bullpen, which has been magnificent, let them down.

So here we are, the Yanks, half-a-game ahead of the Red Sox, and many folks in the Northeast are beginning to sweat.

GM Brian Cashman seems to be pretty satisfied with the club on the field, as the Yankees didn’t do anything significant at the trading deadline.

A tough week has made this race closer than it was only a few days ago, but the Yankees absolutely have to address their fifth starter shortly. The big starters will pitch and the lineup will produce enough runs to remain near the top.

One of the most active teams in the last couple days has been Boston, as they shipped a quality package of prospects built around Justin Masterson to Cleveland in exchange for catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez. Martinez gave an immediate boost to the Red Sox by going 5-for-6 in Sunday’s 18-10 romp over the Baltimore Orioles.

Clay Buchholz, the prize that would have been sent to Toronto in exchange for Roy Halladay, couldn’t hold a big lead early on Sunday, but he’s had a stellar season in Triple A and has the stuff to succeed.

We know Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are going to take the mound and pitch well on a consistent basis, so the tipping point for the Red Sox comes at the back of the rotation. As is, they are solid. If one more guy steps up, they are great.

Will it be Brad Penny? John Smoltz? Daisuke Matsuzaka, if he returns from the DL? We’ll find out.

Then there’s the Tampa Bay Rays at six games back and probably a long shot from making the postseason since two of the best teams in baseball are in their own division.

If the Rays are going to make a run at the playoffs this year, they are going to need some serious hot streaks by Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton, and they must get much more from Scott Kazmir and David Price than they have thus far.

I wouldn’t count the Rays out just yet. It’s a steep hill to climb, but that’s the story of the American League with two months to play.

There are eight teams competing for four playoff spots, and all of them are within an extra-base hit of each other. With head-to-head play providing crucial opportunities to pick up games, a six-month journey has suddenly morphed into a two-month whirlwind. What a great finish it ought to be.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

David Ortiz: No Surprises, Only Disappointment

Teddy Mitrosilis — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:06:07 -0400

Apparently, Curt Schilling’s sock has company, as it no longer is the only famous entity to turn out bloody in Boston. David Ortiz’s legacy and the Red Sox 2004 World Series title that meant so much to so many has suddenly cuddled up in the same red-stained bed of adulteration.

Chew on these highlights for a few minutes: five-time All Star; five top-five MVP finishes; four-time Silver Slugger Award winner; 2004 ALCS MVP; five straight seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs; first player ever in Red Sox history to hit 40 homers in three consecutive seasons; two-time World Series champion; one of three players ever to record 85 or more extra-base hits for four consecutive seasons (Lou Gehrig and Sammy Sosa are others).

Get a good long whiff of that nice list there? Okay, now find the closest fire pit, douse that baby in kerosene, and set a match to it. It no longer means anything. That’s what happens after a storied slugger turns out to be just another sad name in a long line of steroid users.

With the New York Times reporting on Thursday that David Ortiz tested positive for steroids in 2003 with then-teammate Manny Ramirez, the cult that his sweet swing and gregarious personality built up so high in Boston has all but crumbled. According to Michael Schmidt’s report in the Times , Ortiz’s name is on the list of the 100 or so players that tested positive for steroids in ’03, a list that was supposed to remain anonymous.

Surprising? Not at all. Not with the way the game has taken shape in the last 15 years, and not when it seems like a new potential Hall of Famer is coming up dirty every week now. We have Roger, Barry, Sosa, A-Rod, Big Mac, Palmeiro, Manny, and now Ortiz. Oh, I’m sure more will follow.

But this isn’t about steroids in baseball, because that topic has been beaten to death. We know the drill, we know how muddy things have gotten, and now everybody has to deal with it a way that they deem fit. You ask 100 different baseball fans how they feel about steroids and their current place in the game, and you will get 100 different answers. That’s how this thing works.

Ortiz’s positive test is something a little bigger because it reflects on a part of history that is astronomically larger than his own name. You can count his former teammate Ramirez in this group, too. Ortiz not only tarnished his own name and legacy, but he also added his own sour flavor to the most beloved piece of Red Sox history: the ’04 title that officially broke the “Curse of the Bambino.” It took 86 years for the Red Sox to win that damn thing, and it took one (two, if we count Manny) tests for me to see it differently.

The story is sad enough when it is only about Ortiz himself. Here is a guy who was hard to dislike. It was hard to dislike him because of his huge smile, happy-go-lucky ways of life, and his rags-to-riches story. He became a larger-than-life hero to the people of Boston and a testament of hope to young players facing steep uphill climbs to big league success. He became Big Papi.

If you don’t already know Ortiz’s full story, it’s a good one. He was signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1992 as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Known as "David Arias" at the time, Ortiz was shipped to the Minnesota Twins as the player to be named later in a deal that brought Dave Hollins to the Northwest.

He made his big league debut in September ’97, but bounced back and forth between the big leagues and the minors. His best season with the Twins was in 2002 when Ortiz hit .272 with 20 homers, but much of his time in Minneapolis was spent battling injuries. Wrist injuries in ’98 and ’01 haunted him, and knee problems began early in the ’02 season, and that was that. The Twins brass gave up on Ortiz’s career and future, and released him in December 2002.

The Red Sox jumped at the chance of signing him in January of the following year, and the legend of Big Papi was born. After signing with Boston, Ortiz quickly saw his home run totals jump from 20 in ’02 to 31, 41, 47, 54, and 35 in the next five seasons. In ’03, he just got his playoff feet wet, as Boston was bounced from the ALCS by the Yankees thanks to Aaron Boone and one hanging knuckleball from Tim Wakefield.

The following season was the coming out party, capped by the magnificent postseason run. It was the peak for Ortiz and the Red Sox, a time when everyone got drunk on his late-night heroics and Boston’s October glory. That October was a glorious one in Boston, and you know the story. Down 3-0 to the hated Yankees in the ALCS, only to pull off the single greatest playoff series comeback in sports history.

That was the series that Ortiz etched his name in the annals of Red Sox lore and the same series that the air of invincibility surrounding Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera was wiped out by the big slugger himself. Ortiz had a walk-off hit against Rivera in Boston to go along with a walk-off homer in the same series, and was named the ALCS MVP after hitting .545 with a 1.688 OPS.

A swift sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals later, and life was different in Boston. Life was different in the entire baseball world. The Red Sox were no longer October’s stepchild. If Luis Gonzalez’s Game 7 single to win the ’01 World Series was deemed a fluke, and Josh Beckett’s series-clinching complete game in Game 6 of the ’03 World Series didn’t officially end the Yankee dynasty, this October certainly did. That’s how huge all of this was.

You had a sea change in New England. You had the elderly kissing their grand children and telling them that the thought they would never, ever, ever see the Red Sox win a title in their life times. You had adults with lots of life left to live proclaiming that they could now die and they would be in peace because their Sox won it all. And Big Papi was at the epicenter of that madness and the transformation of Boston’s psyche from haunted losers to "there is a God" believers.

But, as we look back today, at what cost? It was obvious that Ortiz felt his time with Boston was his last chance to make something of his big league career. It all adds up perfectly. Released from the Twins in ’02, signed with the Red Sox in January 2003, and then tests positive that same year. He was a lost man fighting the burning urgency that is desperation.

"I know that if I test positive by using any kind of substance, I know that I'm going to disrespect my family, the game, the fans and everybody, and I don't want to be facing that situation,” Ortiz said earlier this year. That situation is here, David.

I would like to think back to 2004 and remember Schilling, Pedro, and Keith Foulke gloving that comebacker that was one toss to first away from being the play in Red Sox history. But now we have to fight a little bit harder—or a lot harder—to do that.

We could quickly write Ortiz off as just another cheater, which many fans will do. And that’s fine. But in the larger picture, it’s not that simple because it’s not just one man’s name on the line. Ask any Bostonian, any Red Sox lifer, and they will probably tell you that this one means so much more.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

The Americanizing of Dice-K: Cultural Differences Fuel Matsuzaka-Red Sox Feud

Teddy Mitrosilis — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:46:05 -0400

It was apparent that there were going to be some social and cultural differences when the Boston Red Sox signed Daisuke Matsuzaka out of Japan three years ago and shipped him over to the United States.

You know, different country, different language, and forks instead of chopsticks. Such things can be difficult.

But did we ever guess those differences would come down to the performance and maintenance of New England’s favorite $103 million (and change) man? Not that I remember.

There’s no nuclear war about to commence in the Red Sox clubhouse between Matsuzaka and staff, but let's just say that Dice-K hasn’t been the yin to Boston’s yang.

With Matsuzaka spending much of the 2009 season thus far on the disabled list, the Red Sox have not been happy with Matsuzaka’s preparation—and his decision to pitch in the World Baseball Classic this past spring—and in return, Dice-K hasn’t been happy with how the Red Sox management has forced him into their own training and conditioning methods.

Earlier this week, in a move that disgruntled and angered the Boston brass, Matsuzaka decided to take his displeasing thoughts to the Japanese media.

"If I'm forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be able to pitch like I did in Japan,” Matsuzaka said. “The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and second years [with Boston] was because I used the savings of the shoulder I built up in Japan. Since I came to the Major Leagues, I couldn't train in my own way, so now I've lost all those savings."

This got the pundits stirring in Boston, and in turn they took a black light to Matsuzaka’s attitude and alibi. Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe wrote a column Tuesday evening for the Globe’s online site, boston.com, and ripped into Matsuzaka.

“They have multimillion-dollar athletes who take all of the credit and none of the blame, and they have overpaid excuse-makers just as proficient at passing the buck,” Massarotti wrote.

“Apparently, at least in Daisuke Matsuzaka's house, they just don't have mirrors ... what Matsuzaka did not say, of course, was that he showed up in camp this year looking like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.”

Columnist Dan Shaughnessy, one of the Globe’s big hitters, put his take in print in Wednesday’s paper, and he too backed the Red Sox on this one. Manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell were both upset when they heard about Matsuzaka’s outburst.

They weren’t surprised about what Matsuzaka said, because they already knew he had those feelings. Francona and Farrell were upset that Matsuzaka went public when the Red Sox have their own qualms with Matsuzaka but have had enough restraint to keep the differences in house.

“To hear him say that is disappointing,” Francona said. “At times he’s been his own pitching coach.”

Francona made his weekly appearance Wednesday afternoon on “The Dale and Holley Show” on WEEI radio in Boston and said that he was frustrated about Matsuzaka’s comments, but that he also understood the frustrations of the player.

"There's been a lot of give and take,” the skipper said. “There's been a lot of difference of opinions. And certainly we can understand that. I don't think you can expect a guy from a completely different culture, different learning methods, to completely buy into it because we say it. But at the same time, when you come to the United States and play baseball here, there are different rigors, from the schedule to when you're pitching, and we want this guy to hold up over the course of his career."

The problem is that both Matsuzaka and Red Sox management are at fault here, but for different reasons. Matsuzaka can’t use Boston’s different training philosophies as an excuse for his poor performance. When you sign a contract for over $50 million, nobody wants to hear why you aren’t performing—they just want you to get it done.

Injuries are one thing, but acting irresponsibly to your professional duties is quite another. The fact that Matsuzaka has not taken his physical conditioning seriously has been a main concern with the Red Sox. By showing up to spring training out of shape, Matsuzaka is already setting up a trap for failure.

"It's not just the shoulder," Farrell said. "When the overall body is not in the condition necessary to support that, there has to be some responsibility taken [on the part of Matsuzaka]."

Besides being as mentally and physically prepared as possible, Matsuzaka needs to show where his loyalty lies. We know that he has great pride in his heritage and his native Japan, but it’s a problem when it seems like the WBC is more important to Matsuzaka than the MLB season.

Matsuzaka was stellar in the WBC, earning the MVP award for the champions, but then fell flat on his face once the real bell rung in April. Do we need to remind Dice-K that it’s the Red Sox who are currently paying his bills and providing financial security for his family, not Japan?

So, yeah, the Red Sox have their reasons to be upset with what they have gotten from Matsuzaka. Have they gotten what they deserve, which is his full and honest effort to become the best pitcher he can be?

It doesn’t seem like it.

But they sure aren’t doing themselves any favors by trying to alter the way Matsuzaka likes to work and prepare. There is an ongoing rift between American baseball theories and those of the rest of the world, and that is what the conflict is here.

We Americans are stubborn in our ways, and the Red Sox think they know what’s best in terms of the health and future of Dice-K and his arm.

“We have a responsibility for the size of the investment,” Farrell said. “It’s unfortunate that he feels that way. It’s disappointing. This is where two baseball worlds somewhat collide.”

I’m not saying the philosophies of training and developing ballplayers that the Red Sox employ are wrong. In fairness, Japan uses a six-man rotation, so Boston probably was worried about that adjustment for Dice-K. I’m just wondering why they ever tried to force them on Matsuzaka.

Furthermore, now that they have seen that it’s not working like they hoped, why wouldn’t they let go of the reins and allow Matsuzaka to go back to what worked?

It’s not as if Matsuzaka is some 16-year-old prospect that they just signed from a foreign country and want to protect. This guy was an established pro who was dominant and durable, the two qualities the Red Sox paid so lavishly for. Boston obviously liked what Matsuzaka was doing in Japan, or else they wouldn’t have signed him.

Matsuzaka wants to return to his ways in Japan of throwing more bullpens between starts and more pitches during starts. Some guys simply need to throw more than others. Matsuzaka wasn’t broke in Japan, yet the Red Sox tried to fix him anyway.

By “Americanizing” Matsuzaka, this is what we have seen over the course of two-plus seasons in Boston: Dice-K’s velocity is down, his stuff isn’t as polished, his command isn’t as sharp, his control isn’t as good, he walks more hitters, he doesn’t go nearly as deep in games, and now he is hurt.

I can’t be the only one out there who thinks this is odd and doesn’t add up. The Red Sox aren’t trading him, not with an 8.53 ERA, a cranky shoulder, and that contract. So they better get to figuring out how to fix him. The answer is to let him return to the way that worked for him.

The Red Sox owe Matsuzaka, and themselves, the opportunity to get the pitcher they paid for. In return, Matsuzaka owes them a professional attitude and effort. If they can agree on that, this whole situation will indeed “blow over,” as Francona put it. But being too hardheaded to see the light isn’t helping anybody.

Now That Cliff Lee Has Joined the Phillies, Rest of NL Heads for the Hills

Teddy Mitrosilis — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:35:41 -0400

There won’t be any Roy Halladay parade in the streets of Philadelphia, as it turns out, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a World Series parade in the coming months.

The Phillies' hopes for defending their crown are alive and well after the team agreed in principle to a trade that would send Cleveland left-hander Cliff Lee to the Phillies, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

The deal is still pending physicals, but it looks like a four-for-two swap, with the Phillies getting Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco in exchange for pitchers Jason Knapp and Carlos Carrasco, infielder Jason Donald, and catcher Lou Marson.

With the deal, the Indians sell on a sinking season and get out from under Lee’s 2010 contract, while continuing to stockpile their farm system with high-end prospects. This gives the Indians tremendous value for the short and long term.

For the Phillies, this deal is obviously all about winning now, which is the right move. Lee isn’t Roy Halladay, but let's face it, nobody is. Lee is still darn good, though, and is the power arm that the Phils desperately needed at the front of their rotation heading into October.

Some people may think Lee is only a one-year wonder with his remarkable ’08 Cy Young campaign, but he is actually pitching quite well this season despite his 7-9 record with the morbid Indians. Lee has a 3.14 ERA in 152 innings and 107 strikeouts to only 33 walks.

Francisco is a fourth outfielder in Philadelphia and only a side note in this blockbuster deal, but he has a little bit of pop and can be an adequate bench player.

I was in the camp that thought Phillies GM Ruben Amaro should have offered whatever it would take to the Blue Jays to bring in Halladay because their window to win championships is clearly now. But if we size up both prospective deals, this one may be a better all-around fit for the Phillies in terms of impact on their big league club now and on their farm system in the future.

In acquiring Lee, the Phillies did not have to give up prize pitcher Kyle Drabek, the guy that almost had to be included in any Halladay deal; they didn’t have to give up their top hitting prospect in outfielder Dominic Brown; and they didn’t have to ship off any parts of their big league club, namely rookie pitcher J.A. Happ, who has garnered interest by going 7-1 with a 2.97 ERA in 12 starts.

But more importantly than saving a couple pieces of their farm system, this trade now swings the balance of power in the National League back over to the Phillies, in my opinion. I thought the Dodgers were the strongest team for October due to their depth in pitching relative to the Phillies' thin batch of arms.

But now that Lee is in Philly to take some pressure off of Cole Hamels, all bets are off.

No, Hamels hasn’t pitched like the Hamels of ’08, but he has been pitching in uncharted territory for most of the season. He experienced the heaviest workload of his career last season as the Phillies won it all, and he has also had the pressures of upholding a rotation this season that hasn’t had much from Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer.

Joe Blanton has been the only other regular guy to take the ball, and that simply isn’t enough.

But now that Happ has surfaced and is thriving in the big leagues, the Phillies have three arms that they would be comfortable rolling out come October. You may notice that the three aforementioned starting pitchers are all left-handed, but I wouldn’t be too concerned about that because Hamels and Lee aren’t your typical southpaws.

It’s great to match up well against your opponent, but I’ve always stuck to the philosophy that superior talent wins out—and that’s exactly what the Phillies are now equipped with.

They are going to face a strong Dodgers team in the postseason, in all likelihood, but the Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and Hiroki Kuroda/Randy Wolf trio doesn’t seem much better than what the Phillies have to offer. In fact, it’s not anymore with the addition of Lee.

Kershaw has taken huge strides towards being considered one of the top starters in all of baseball, and he has been the true rock of a Dodgers pitching staff that hasn’t gotten by so easily now that we are in the thick of summer. Billingsley has had more than his share of struggles recently, and of course there are still plenty of doubts about whether or not he can step up to answer the bell and spotlight of October.

I don’t have those same doubts about Billingsley because I think his one poor showing last fall isn’t enough to completely judge the mental fortitude of a 24-year-old kid, but hey, the ball is now in the Dodgers' dugout in terms of improving their roster.

They are going to ride easily to a National League West crown, but that is no longer enough for the fans in Los Angeles. They want to see a winner, something that hasn’t graced Chavez Ravine since ’88, and there will be a much tougher road ahead once they can’t feast on the likes of the Diamondbacks and Padres.

Maybe the Dodgers now make a play for Seattle’s Jarrod Washburn. Are they in the Halladay sweepstakes or out? Tough to tell, but I would say out as long as Kershaw or Billingsley is being asked for.

Whatever it is, there will be more moves made, because the Phillies have now knocked over that first big domino on their way to playoff power, and they have made it clear that they want a second consecutive crack at a World Series title.

Halladay won’t be throwing their first pitch of October, but Lee will, and that’s not a bad alternative at all.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Goodell's Good Ol' Mess Mars Annual NFL Excitement

Teddy Mitrosilis — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:09:07 -0400

It’s rare that I am this excited for football season before preseason games are being played, fantasy drafts are being planned, and full, lazy Sunday’s are being dreamed about. But for some reason I haven’t fully been able to explain, I am itching for football and training camps aren’t even in full swing yet.

My summers belong to baseball, so this never happens. But in the last couple weeks, you haven’t been the only one wondering what kind of impact Favre will have in Viking purple (I’m 99.99 percent sure he’s playing); how vaunted the Patriots are going to be with a healthy and motivated Tom Brady; the T.O. tour in Buffalo; Pittsburgh’s title defense; Mark Sanchez in New York; Romo’s needed rebound in Dallas; and everything in between.

It’s one of the best times to be a football fan. Unfortunately, it also happens to be one of the worst times to be a football fan.

Those of you who crave rainy winter days and a full slate of great games, raise your hand—okay, that’s a lot of hands. Now those of you who adore month-long trials and year-long suspensions, raise your hand—yeah, not so much.

We have been bombarded by coverage of the negative side of the NFL, and that is all but inescapable. I’m not yelling for silence when it comes to the current problem children of the league, because the news is important and we must be up to date on the news. That’s part of following the game and being a knowledgeable fan.

So I’ve followed Donte Stallworth’s ugly incident thoroughly, as I have with Michael Vick’s plethora of horrifying press clips and the all-but-forgotten failures of Plaxico Burress. I’ve read countless columns and reports stating the same things and the same opinions, and many people have done a great job on the coverage.

Stallworth should have spent more time in jail? I agree. Vick’s dealings are more complicated and he has therefore already suffered a much greater penalty? I agree. Plaxico is facing, and deserves, serious time for his nightclub wardrobe malfunction? I agree.

It seems pretty simple on the surface. I keep mulling over these issues and trying to decide just exactly how I feel about them, if I feel any different than the majority of the public, if I have anything to say that hasn’t been beaten to death by the mainstream pundits, and I come up rather empty.

Except for the one true, straight-from-my-heart displeasure about all of this: This news needs to be settled if only so the fans can get back to loving, needing, and more or less craving the NFL product.

Stallworth’s drunk driving mistake is an indelible blotch that he will never remove from his psyche. It was an accident, as I believe he didn’t intend to kill a man, but when it comes to drinking and driving, among other transgressions, no amount of whiteout will make everything all right again.

My dad used to tell me, “A mistake is a mistake, but there’s just some mistakes that you can’t afford to make,” and he was right.

In return, Goodell has suspended Stallworth “indefinitely,” and I wouldn’t be surprised if that means no football for at least this season. Goodell is going to swing a heavy hammer with Stallworth and I’m sure he is going to use him as an example of the stricter alcohol-related penalties he wants to enforce.

Vick’s reputation has been tied to the back of a trailer and carted to hell and back over the course of the last two years. But with news coming yesterday that Goodell has partially reinstated Vick—which will allow him to participate in training camp and play in the final two preseason games but not play in Week One—it appears as if we are making progress on his case.

Goodell’s answer appears to be a five-game suspension for Vick, assuming he signs with an NFL team. Say it’s right, say it’s wrong, say whatever you want, but at least we have this sullied steamboat pointed to the future with a light foot on the gas pedal.

Goodell’s got one more fallen hero to deal with, and that’s Burress. Burress is reportedly planning to testify before a grand jury on Wednesday. Burress will hear arguments on his gun charges and is expected to ask the grand jury not to indict him, according to Laura Italiano of the New York Post.

Burress was in negotiations regarding his gun possession charge earlier this year, but those talks disintegrated when prosecutor’s demanded he do two years in state prison on a plea to a lesser gun charge. According to Burress’s attorney Ben Brafman, Burress was willing to do up to one year in jail for his crime.

It appears all but likely that Burress is going to serve jail time, we just don’t know how much. That will be the court’s punishment, but that will not be Goodell’s punishment. We can be sure that upon Burress’ release, Goodell will ask to have the same sitdown as he did with Vick, and then will hand out his own ban based on what he deems appropriate.

I’m not going to say what exactly Goodell should do in regards to Stallworth, Vick, and Burress. That’s his job, not mine. And I’m not going to use these incidents to pen opinions on the names of these men, either.

I don’t own the right to judge their actions. I hope they serve a just penalty, and then I hope they get their lives right. That’s all I believe in. The fine print won’t come from my fingertips.

But if I had anything to say to Goodell, it would be to act swiftly and permanently. Make a decision, one that is within the confines of proper moral and societal judgment, and stand by it. Then move on.

Move on because these guys need that for the betterment of their futures, which should be a main priority of a commissioner. And move on because fans of the NFL deserve that.

I didn’t want to add to the pity party by repeating the common opinion, and acting like I know what is the absolute right thing to do in any of these circumstances, because I don’t. Do you? I doubt it. I don’t think any of us do.

The only feeling I have when it comes to the issues at hand is that the mess needs to be cleaned up so we can simply watch football again. There are millions of us begging for the horn to blow on the season with cookouts and tailgate parties to follow. That’s a beautiful thing.

The NFL has such a great thing going that I would hate to see it interrupted once the race to the Super Bowl begins. And, fellas, we are only a little more than a month away.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Wise In The Sky And Mark Buehrle's Sublime South Side Perfection

Teddy Mitrosilis — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:12:30 -0400

It was 27 Rays up, and 27 Rays stung.

The Cell on the south side of Chicago was rocking on a muggy Thursday afternoon, white and black shirts standing and cheering the pandemonium, black jerseys loitering in the dugout with their caps pulled to their brow and business at the forefront. The business happened to be a bit bigger than Chicago’s 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, though.

If you would have told the thousands of men and women who took a day off work to enjoy some day baseball that they would come to the ballpark and see the White Sox win—a win that would pull them into first place after hearing that the Seattle Mariners toppled the Detroit Tigers only an hour earlier—they would have been ecstatic.

But I wonder what their reaction would have been if you told them they would grab their dogs and sodas and beers and take a seat in U.S. Cellular Field to witness perfection. Would they have believed it?

You might not have believed it as Mark Buehrle climbed atop the mound hoping to simply win his 11th game and send his ball club to Detroit to begin their weekend series with the Tigers on a high note, only because who (besides me) goes to a game daring the baseball gods to give them 27 consecutive outs?

And you might not have believed it as Evan Longoria smashed a line drive in the fourth inning, only for it to find its way into shortstop Alexei Ramirez’s glove. And you probably would have doubted it when Pat Burrell put together one of the game’s toughest at bats in the eighth inning, smashing a pitch down the line that landed inches foul before hitting a line drive off the end of the bat that nestled into Gordon Beckham’s glove at third.

It’s only a matter of time before one of those bleeders finds a comfy patch of outfield grass, right?

But perfection has an odd quality about it, one that wouldn’t agree with a thief in the night.

Perfection makes its presence known before being bestowed upon you. Perfection is Brock Lesnar landing a right hook, begging for you to get up, waiting for you to come to become just coherent enough so you can recognize him, and then finishing the pulverization of your face. Perfection is a bell and you are just another one of Pavlov’s dogs. It’s tangible, it’s scintillating, and it’s polarizing in nature. Perfection doesn’t try to hide.

With eight full innings in the books, the Cell’s Crazies were beginning to believe the magic that was brewing. Do you know who Dewayne Wise is? No? Well now you will. After what Wise did to open up the top of the ninth inning, Chicago didn’t just believe the impossible, they expected it. We all did.

Wise was entered as a defensive replacement in center field to begin the ninth inning, with Scott Podsednik moving over to left field, giving the White Sox their optimal amount of speed in the outfield to secure the final three outs.

Gabe Kapler strolled to the plate to leadoff, and a palpable buzz of energy hovered over the stadium. This wasn’t just about Buehrle. This was about the people. The players were giddy, the fans were hopeful, and Buehrle came out aggressive.

How do you know something special is about to happen? The young men and women who provide in-seat service to certain sections behind home plate stopped working. White Sox employees suddenly became baseball fans, if not the heartbeat of Chicago. Everyone wanted to pull up a chair and experience this.

With Buehrle working at the pace of a steaming sewing machine, the count to Kapler quickly went to 2-2. Buehrle delivered a change up, an 81 mile per hour treat over the heart of the plate and Kapler dropped the barrel on it.

As the ball took a soaring ascent to left center, the breath was vacuumed out of the ballpark. Three outs away, and the ultimate kick in Chicago’s collective groin. I was sitting two time zones away and even I felt the subsequent queasiness in the lower abdomen of such a kick.

But if there was anyone in the vicinity of the moment that was determined not to let it be ruined, it was Wise. Wise dropped his head and took off for the outfield wall. In a full sprint and about 20 feet from the wall, he looked up to locate the ball, found it, then found the wall, and elevated.

The rest will forever be in White Sox history and Buehrle’s memory.

Somehow, someway, by the grace of God or Ozzie Guillen—I’m still not quite sure which —Wise got his elbow to the top of the outfield wall as the ball found the webbing of his glove. The ball almost popped out on the way down after Wise crashed into the wall, but he had the wherewithal to cradle it back in with his bare hand.

“It was kind of crazy, man, because when I jumped, the ball hit my glove at the same time I was hitting the wall,” said Wise after the game, still euphoric. “So I didn’t realize I had caught it until I fell down and the ball was coming out of my glove, so I reached out and grabbed it … it was probably the best catch I’ve ever made because of the circumstances.”

Buehrle followed up Wise’s catch by striking out Hernandez on a yo-yo 3-2 change up and then getting Jason Bartlett to pound a 2-1 change up into the ground to Ramirez at short who scooped it up, darted it over to first base, and that was that. It’s time to party, Chicago.

Buehrle put both his hands on his head as his teammates mobbed him by the first base line. Fireworks exploded in the sky and cameras popped as Buehrle embraced his shaky wife and child. You would expect a guy who already has thrown a no-hitter to know how to handle such a downpour of joy and breathless emotion, but these things never get old. Each one marks a rebirth of a ballplayer.

As teammate Jermaine Dye snuck up behind and rubbed a towel full of shaving cream on his slicked back hair, Buehrle didn’t quite know what to feel. “I don’t know if it’s really sunk in yet,” Buehrle said. “We have a short flight to Detroit. I’m sure it will be a little hectic later.”

Sooner or later it will become real, somewhat at least, that Buehrle was indeed perfect.

So would those people who trekked down to The Cell have believed it if we told them Buehrle would be perfect?

Thanks in part to Dewayne Wise, they have to now.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

Clayton Kershaw Could Curtail Philadelphia Phillies' Hopes of Repeating

Teddy Mitrosilis — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:30:39 -0400

It was a moment that called for an ace, a stopgap to a roaring faucet of losing. There are certain times throughout a season where small slides entertain the possibility of becoming somber slumps. It’s those times when a team needs its best to fulfill the appropriate title and shift the streak in the other direction.

It was one of those times for the Dodgers, albeit a small sample in what has been a fruitful season, as they had just dropped the first two games after the All-Star break to the Houston Astros.

It’s not the division that worries the Dodgers, as that is all but wrapped up. It’s playing consistent baseball and riding a strong tide of momentum into the playoffs.

With the reality of dropping their first three games of the second half at home one loss away, Joe Torre sent his best to the mound.

The kid took the mound in the first, young gaze directed to the plate, crisp white jersey cascading down shoulders that have yet to be braced with the burdens of the world, a wild mind being tutored on the spot, and he delivered. Oh, boy, did he deliver.

Was it a surprise? No. But nothing seems to surprise anyone anymore when Clayton Kershaw takes his regular turn in the Dodgers rotation. If we had said in March that the Dodgers needed their best pitcher to turn around a losing streak in late July, we would have pointed the lineup card to Chad Billingsley or Hiroki Kuroda.

But here we are stranded in the simmering depths of summer, and Chad Billingsley has been wildly inconsistent of late, and Kuroda still looks like he’s getting through the growing pains that accompany a long stint on the disabled list. What has Kershaw done?

Nothing other than become the rock of the rotation; take the pressure of being labeled an ace off of Billingsley; begin to flash his brilliant potential faster than the Dodgers could have imagined; and set the stage for Los Angeles to be October’s alpha dog in the National League.

Since the beginning of June, Kershaw has a 1.42 ERA while striking out 49 in just over 50 innings. On the season, Kershaw’s ERA is 2.95, but the 21-year-old southpaw has only been getting better as he continues to understand the importance of pounding the strike zone early and often.

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and catchers Russell Martin and Brad Ausmus continuously talk about to Kershaw about pitching to contact, especially considering his stuff. The one thing that haunts Kershaw is walks and high pitch counts, but let's be honest, laying it in there over and over is a mental challenge for a young flame thrower.

It’s not uncommon for young pitchers to want to strike out everybody, and that’s what oftentimes delays their arrival in the big leagues. Kershaw is no different. He is a big kid with big stuff and big swagger, and he doesn’t want anybody touching him.

We must remember that we are talking about a kid who averaged more than two strikeouts per inning during his senior year of high school, and also pitched a playoff game where he struck out every hitter (it was a five inning game).

But that’s the difference between the Kershaw of last year and the Kershaw of this year. He is getting it. He is realizing that with a mid-90s fastball, paralyzing curveball, and an improving change up that he can challenge hitters in the zone in order to get early outs, all while going for the punch out when he gets two strikes. He even has added a slider to the mix this season, and nobody is hitting him.

It’s scary to think that this is the first full season in the big leagues for Kershaw, and he is beginning to be known as the guy that the Dodgers want to have the ball in a meaningful game.

With the Phillies winning their 10th straight game Tuesday evening, many folks are jumping on that bandwagon in hopes of riding it to a second consecutive World Series title.

But as good as the Phillies are, they don’t have what the Dodgers have if this is the new Kershaw—i.e. two legit power arms at the front of the rotation. That would only change if the Phllies acquired Roy Halladay.

Any team would have to face Billingsley and Kershaw four times in a seven game playoff series, and that’s four guarantees of big heaters and plenty of strikeouts. The Phillies will have to hit their way to another title, but the Dodgers are close to their offensive equal while playing in a home park that is much more conducive for pitching. Philadelphia and Los Angeles rank first and third in the N.L. in runs scored, respectively.

As my dad and I sat a handful of rows behind the Astros dugout Saturday evening to watch Kershaw work, there was a family of Houston fans sitting directly in front of us. One middle-aged man was connected to the Astros organization in some fashion, as he was dressed sharply in slacks, a collard shirt, and an Astros sweater vest.

He was showing his friends pictures he had on his iPhone of Michael Bourn, Lance Berkman, and others, in Houston’s clubhouse. That was before he handed one of his guests an engraved 2005 National League Champions coin (I guess the good people of Houston are really clinging to that World Series berth).

As Kershaw blew away Miguel Tejada, Hunter Pence, and Ivan Rodriguez, all in one twisted assembly line of torture, I wondered how any team will be able to derail the Dodgers if they remain healthy and Kershaw joins Billingsley at the top of the rotation. When those guys are on, you can forget about it.

The gray haired man in the Astros sweater vest looked as another 95 mph fastball whizzed by a Houston bat, shook his head, and muttered to his neighbor, “Man, this kid Kershaw is getting some kind of good.”

If the road indeed is going where we think it is, nothing is going to stop Kershaw from obtaining playoff stardom and the Dodgers from tasting October glory. Not even the slugging Fightin’ Phils. Yeah, Kershaw really is some kind of good.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

With Manny Ramirez, Fans Forced to Toe Line Between Integrity and Entertainment

Teddy Mitrosilis — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:09:03 -0400

I used to be a fan of the purest ilk, one who would like to believe in honest competition and the mysterious allure that creates a social divide between our favorite athletes and us.

I’ve always liked to think these phenomenal athletes making millions of dollars got to that level by doing some of the same exercises you or I do in the gym each morning before dressing, grabbing a coffee, and commuting to work. That way, we can marvel in what is done on the field.

But in reality, it has never been that way, because we can dig up any era in sports and shine a floodlight on an appropriate root canal that is as sensitive as it is ugly.

This creates a fascinating dynamic amongst sports fans, one that feeds on the desire to uphold the good in sports and the nagging need to be entertained. There is still room for both, but we are reminded over and over that we can’t be so stubborn to expect both integrity and entertainment to tango together at their highest levels.

This was evident Thursday evening as the Los Angeles Dodgers opened up their second half of play at home against the Houston Astros, marking the first home game for Manny Ramirez since he was suspended 50 games for violating MLB’s drug policy. The outpouring of national attention for Ramirez continues to sing the same tune of pity and condemnation.

Reporters and columnists across the country express their distaste for Ramirez’s shortcomings, but also for the fans that welcome these steroid users and social villains back into their entertainment homes like they never left. The pundits puree the conscience of the country while the fans continue to buy tickets, jerseys, and wigs while bellowing out calls of love and affection.

"Mannywood" was filled to the brim like a ballpark brew for Manny’s arrival and rose in ovation as their guy jogged out to left field in the top of the first and walked up to the plate in the bottom of the inning. Babies were draped in wigs and shirts, while mothers and fathers already made plans to name their first son after the Dreadlock Dandy.

I just don’t quite get it. No, not the reaction of the fans; I completely understand that.

I don’t get the reason for all the spoken and written words wasted on trying to deep-fry the paying customer who chooses to cheer for a guy who was caught cheating.

Maybe those cheering fans understand the nature of this era better than those of us who are relentlessly trying to shame them into acting betrayed.

I’m not condoning cheaters, liars, or looking past all moral flaws for the sake of a couple hours of fun. I’m not saying that these people who cheer Manny Ramirez are right. I’m just not saying they are wrong either, regardless of how hard we want to paint the canvas that way.

If it was up to me, stadiums would just go silent when their guys come back from drug suspensions. That would sting the player much more than being booed in their home ballpark, but more than that, it would say, “Hey, there’s been baseball since you’ve been gone and we’ve enjoyed it... Now what have you done for us lately?”

It would just be emotionless. If you get a hit, we will cheer. If not, just get back in the dugout so we can move on.

But the real point is that all of us as sports fans have to choose what we want out of the game. Do we want honest men, or do we want entertainers? Some provide both, but that’s the minority.

It seems foolish to me, though, to treat athletes any different than we treat actors, actresses, and musicians. Musicians are notorious for taking the stage in a not-so-sober state, but do we care as long as they put on a show and kill us with the encore? Of course not.

All we want from them is to perform and allow us to sing along for a couple hours and go home with our ears ringing. If Snoop Dogg was asked to rap without the ganja, he would just stay home. But that didn’t stop him from selling out the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, Calif. last week.

You could write an encyclopedia on all of the actors and actresses that produced great movies while dealing with a myriad of drug, alcohol, and depression problems. If anything, we give them a pass as tortured souls who are sinking knee-deep into the life of their current character.

Did Heath Ledger’s death hurt the success of The Dark Knight, the entertaining film in which Ledger played the role of Joker? Nope. We applauded and remembered the man when he was found dead in his apartment with six prescription drugs in his body.

The film became only the second movie ever to earn more than $500 million at the North American box office and the fourth ever to earn more than $1 billion worldwide. The film also won two Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Ledger’s performance. I saw it, thoroughly enjoyed it, and Ledger was indeed brilliant.

In the end, that’s all that athletes are to society—strictly entertainment. To the diehard fan who wants to uphold honesty and values, there’s a place for you. You just are going to be more dissatisfied than the rest of us.

See, we try to make this out to be a baseball problem, or a basketball or football problem, two other sports that have their own issues but don’t get bombarded like MLB does. But that’s where we are wrong.

Through baseball and steroid users, we have uncovered the entertainment itch of America, nothing more and nothing less. Our society rarely takes the time to see the human being underneath the makeup, inside the jersey, or behind the microphone. We largely don’t care, as long as the service provided justifies our dollars spent.

So I see a group getting angry with those cheering for Ramirez and the rest of our flawed athletes, and I just ask, “Why?” It’s not personal; it’s business. Sports are an integral part of the entertainment industry. It’s not right and it’s not wrong, but society as a whole will always be drunk on a stellar performance—and all of us fall victim to that in one form or another.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.