Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael McMaster

NFC East Preview: Why the Eagles and Giants Will be Teams to Beat

Michael McMaster — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:02:56 -0400

Last year, teams in the NFC East won a combined 38 games. Tied for second best in the NFL, the NFC East was also one of only two divisions not to feature a team with a losing record.

Just like the competitive NFC South, the NFC East worked to pummel itself all season long—with no team leaving the fray with a better than a 4-2 record.

The NFC East was the only division in football in which every team in the division had a winning record outside of the division.

And this year, the most interesting division in football just became more interesting. After the Giants shot themselves in the foot (pun intended), Dan Snyder started spending like Mike Tyson, Jerry Jones purged Dallas like Sodom and Gomorrah, and Philadelphia collectively pleaded with and apologized to their franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb.

The 2009 offseason has shaken the NFC East like a Pierce Brosnan martini, and it will be served up like this:

1. The Philadelphia Eagles

Donovan McNabb is the best quarterback in the NFL without a Super Bowl ring. And this year, Philadelphia may have surrounded the 10-year veteran with the best offense he has ever had.

In his 10 years in an Eagle uniform, McNabb has appeared in the NFC Championship game five times. While he has only won one of those games, he is still widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the game today.

Including postseason play, the Eagles finished the season 6-2 last year, defeating divisional rivals the Cowboys and the Giants along the way to a 32-25 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game.

After losing in the NFC Championship game once again, NFL front offices speculated that McNabb, who had been benched earlier in the season, might want a more appreciative city which would give him a chance to win a Super Bowl ring.

In response, the Eagles gave McNabb a reason to stay. The Eagles offense may be the most improved in the NFL this season, and Donovan McNabb will have more weapons to work with than ever before.

First and foremost, the Eagles offensive line will be even stronger than last year.

New right guard Stacy Andrews will join his brother—Shawn Andrews—to anchor the right side of the Eagles offensive line. Playing alongside his brother, the sixth year veteran who the Bengals had tried to put a franchise tag on, will strengthen an already formidable Eagle’s offensive line.

The Eagles also added 6’4”, 340 lb. left tackle Jason Peters to stabilize the left side of the Eagles line. The six year vet was acquired in a trade with Buffalo in the offseason this year.

The best part? The Eagles only had to give up three late draft picks to get him.

That offensive line will offer McNabb the best protection he's had in years. But the Eagle’s improvements do not stop there.

In the first round of the draft this year, the Eagles picked up Jeremy Maclin, a highly coveted receiver out of Missouri.

In 2008, Maclin caught 102 passes for 1,260 yards, reaching the endzone 13 times. The elusive six foot receiver also scored two touchdowns on the ground, offering the Eagles the possibility of running that ever dangerous and always interesting wildcat offense.

Maclin will join Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson, and Reggie Brown in the Ealges wide receiving core, and for the first time in recent memory, McNabb will have some real targets to throw to down-field.

Also, joining Brian Westbrook in the backfield will be LeSean McCoy.

The 53rd overall pick in the NFL draft, McCoy will act as an excellent compliment to one of the greatest all-purpose backs in the NFL. In two seasons at Pittsburgh, McCoy scored 36 touchdowns, and amassed 3,365 yards.

The Eagle’s offensive has the potential to be a juggernaut in the NFL this season, but their weakness may come in their front eight on defense.

A respectable secondary led by Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel might be enough to hold the Giant’s and Cowboy’s average wide receiving cores at bay, but their no-name defensive line may experience difficulty against the likes of Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Brandon Jacobs.

The Eagles may be the favorite in the NFC East this year, but opponents will have a chance to beat them if they are able to control the ground game and run the clock.

2. The New York Giants

The Giants may have lost more than they thought when they cut Plaxico Burress in the offseason this year. After losing Plaxico Burress before their November 30th game against the Washington Redskins, the Giants went 2-4, losing once to the Cowboys, and twice to the Eagles.

However, the Giants do have reasons to be excited for the 2009 season.

Despite losing running back Derrick Ward to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Giants returned both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, and running back Danny Ware may be asked to play a role this season this well.

But more importantly, the New York Giants returned the best offensive line in football, and they added Will Beatty to play understudy to Kareem Mackenzie in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Do not be surprised if Bradshaw is able to step into his role effectively this season. Derrick Ward’s success last season was due in large part to the fact that Brandon Jacobs was able to tire out opponent defenses before Ward hit the field.

In the three games, where Jacobs did not play last year, Ward failed to rush for over 75 yards.

In week 12, Jacobs sat out, and Ward carried the ball 20 times for a mere 69 yards.

In week 15 against Dallas, Jacobs was again sidelined and Ward rushed for only 64 yards.

Ward fed off of Jacobs success, and Ahmad Bradshaw will have the opportunity to do the same this year, using his speed to act as a great change of pace back for the New York Giants.

And while the Giants failed to acquire Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals, they still worked to improve their wide receiving core this season.

In the absence of Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress, the Giants picked up Hakeem Nicks with their first round pick in the NFL Draft. Nicks, a 6’0” wide receiver out of North Carolina caught 68 passes for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2008.

The Giants will also depend more heavily on Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon, and Mario Manningham this season.

All three are competent receivers, but the none of them have the size of Burress. The Giants offense will not have a serious down field threat this year, and that is why they will fail to repeat as divisional champs.

However, with the return of Osi Umenyiora to the defense, the Giants will not need to score many points to win games this year, and they should still earn a playoff berth in 2009.

3. The Washington Redskins

Call me crazy, but I think maybe, just maybe, this could be the Redskins year. The Redskins have the weakest schedule of any of their divisional opponents this year, with opponents posting a combined .492 winning percentage last year.

But more importantly, the Redskins had the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL last year, allowing only 274.3 yards per game, and 18.5 points per game. That 274.3 yards per game ranks behind only the Ravens, Eagles, and Steelers. But this year, the Redskins have made two key additions which have made that defense even better.

Adding Albert Haynesworth might have been the biggest move of the offseason this year. The 6’6”, 320 lb. defensive tackle is without a doubt the best tackle in the game, and his rush defense can be game changing.

The Redskins will also have a much improved secondary with the addition of cornerback DeAngelo Hall. With Haynesworth in the center, the Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants will be forced to throw the ball, neutralizing Jacobs, Westbrook, and Barber.

With that kind of a defense, Jason Campbell will not have to be a hero. Instead, the second year starter will be the ultimate game manager, putting the ball into the capable hands of Clinton Portis and completing a few passes to Santana Moss each game.

If Campbell can avoid turning the ball over, the Redskins will have a chance to make some noise in the NFC East this year.

4. The Dallas Cowboys

It’s make it or break it year for Tony Romo. Losing badly for the third consecutive year in a do-or-die situation, the Cowboy’s rock-star quarterback will be on the hot seat this year.

But playing without Terrell Owens may not be as much of a relief as Romo might think. Last year, mid-season acquisition Roy Williams caught only two touchdown passes for America’s team, while the always controversial Terrell Owens pulled in 69 receptions for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Cowboys may find that while Owens was certainly a headache, he was also a 1000-yard receiver, and they have failed to make any substantial offseason moves to replace him. Instead, Jerry Jones has become Bruce Wayne in the 2009 offseason.

Lavished owner of the Dallas Cowboys by day, living the luxurious life of one of America’s most renowned business men. But by night, Jones becomes a vigilante—ridding the Cowboys of the thugs and villains of the grid-iron. Jones rid the team of stars Tank Johnson, Pacman (Adam) Jones, and of course, Terrell Owens.

But wait, don’t forget that the Cowboys also lost five-time Pro Bowler Roy Williams (safety) this offseason as well.

The Cowboys have worked towards addition by subtraction this offseason, but it seems that there has been far more subtraction than addition. The Cowboys also released linebacker Gregg Ellis this offseason, and while Ellis’ time may have been up, the Cowboys have failed to add competent players to fill the void he has made.

Dallas’s defense ranked behind all of its divisional rivals last year, expect it to be even worse this season.

In what can only be described as a rebuilding year for the Cowboys, look for Dallas to struggle.

Colgate Maoron-News Interviews NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer

Michael McMaster — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:36:00 -0400

This article was originally published in the Colgate Maroon-News in December 2008.

Last spring, Ken Schanzer ’66 was invited to come back to campus and speak to Colgate seniors as a part of Colgate’s “Real World” program. For weeks before his speech, Schanzer agonized over why Colgate had wanted him to speak to seniors. But suddenly, it struck him. He decided that Colgate was interested in something other than his position as President of NBC Sports for the last ten years.

“I am here to give you hope,” he told the seniors. “Because 44 years ago I graduated from Colgate with a 2.2 average, and I’m here giving this speech today.”

This week, Mr. Schanzer spoke to the Maroon-News about that speech and his career with NBC Sports.

Recalling his opening lines, Schanzer laughed and remembered, “I had a great time. Colgate is a great place to go to school.”

While at Colgate, Schanzer was a Political Science major and a member of the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi, and he described his participation in the Greek system as a “terrific experience.”

Phi Kappa Psi is no longer a registered fraternity on campus, but Mr. Schanzer did not feel strongly about its absence at Colgate. He described himself as, “ambivalent about it,” and admitted that while he understands some alumni are upset about the number of houses on campus, he does not know enough about the situation to be affected by it.

And although Colgate had fifteen registered fraternities on campus in 1966 compared to today’s six, Schanzer was quick to point out that the largest difference between then and now is much more obvious.

“I am on the cultural divide because I graduated in ’66,” he said, “For people on that side of the divide the starkest difference is the addition of women.”

However, while Colgate has changed over the years, Schanzer stressed that all Colgate alumni share a unique relationship, regardless of what year they graduated.

“The thing that is interesting about Colgate is that you know that someone went to Colgate very early in your relationship with them,” he said. “Some schools are schools that people wear on their sleeves, others are places that simply become a part of the mosaic that it is their lives. Colgate is the kind of place that people wear on their sleeves.”

Mr. Schanzer went on to say that his connections to Colgate have followed him throughout his career. From the time that he graduated from law school at Columbia in 1970, he has worked with fellow Colgate alums to the present day. He mentioned one alumnus in particular, United States Golf Association Executive Director, David Fay.

Fay works with NBC Sports during the USGA championships, and they have developed a close friendship over the years. Schanzer and Fay keep a close correspondence, and on the morning of his interview with the Maroon-News Schanzer e-mailed Fay to express his excitement about contributing to his alma mater’s publication.

Colgate has followed Mr. Schanzer to what he believes is the “greatest job in the world.” For Schanzer, there really are no average days. For the last ten years, he has worked closely with his associate Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Universal Sports and Olympics, solving problems and making deals at NBC.

He struggled to describe an average day, but said, “The bottom line is this. I get up in the morning, I get on a train, I buy a couple of papers, and I turn to the sports section and I am working. Most of the other guys on the train flip to the sports section because they can’t wait to get there, but I am working.”

Of course there are things about the job that he doesn’t like. Schanzer was quick to point out that he runs a business just like any other business, and for that reason there are parts of the job that he sometimes doesn’t enjoy. “But it just so happens that my business is sports,” he said. “So it’s pretty cool.”

Schanzer admitted that he knows plenty of men who make more money than he does. He recalled a particular golf tournament that he plays in every year.

The tournament has 88 players, and he supposed that he was, “the poorest guy in this tournament by a factor of ten.” But, he said, “I don’t think there is a guy in this tournament who wouldn’t give his right arm to do what I do for a living.”

The evidence for this comes to Schanzer every year after the tournament when men call him asking for things that they cannot buy that he earns by virtue of his job.

Schanzer loves his job, and by virtue of his work with NBC Sports, business meetings have become sporting events that he dreamed of attending as a child. His job has allowed him to meet people and do things he could only dream of.

He recalled one story in particular from several years ago. He was skiing with several associates, and one afternoon they brought along world-famous Austrian skier, Franz Klammer, who won a gold medal in the downhill at the 1976 Winter Olympics.

After four or five runs, Schanzer found himself sitting on a chairlift next to one of the single greatest alpine skiers of all time, and he sighed and said, “I’ve now skied with Franz Klammer and played golf with Jack Nicklaus. I could die now and it would be okay.” Klammer then turned to him and said incredulously, “You played golf with Jack Nicklaus?”

But Schanzer’s career didn’t start on the eighteenth green with golf’s greatest player. After getting his law degree, Schanzer began a career in politics working on campaigns in Washington.

For years before he began his career at NBC, Schanzer worked on campaigns and as a lobbyist. His career as a lobbyist led to him to NBC, and he was offered the position of Vice President of Negotiations. When he retires, Schanzer will be the longest serving executive member at NBC Sports.

“I’m one of the lucky people on the face of the earth,” Schanzer said, “When I was growing up, I had two passions, politics and sports.” In his professional life, Schanzer has had the opportunity to work on both.

His recent work at NBC brought Sunday Night Football to his network in 2006. Hosted by John Madden and Al Michaels, Sunday Night Football on NBC is the beneficiary of much-needed “flexible scheduling,” which allows the NFL to move attractive match-ups into the coveted Sunday night prime time slot.

While Michaels and Madden are responsible for calling the games, Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann are two of the co-hosts for Football Night in America, the 75-minute pre-game show before Sunday Night Football.

Patrick and Olbermann famously worked together on SportsCenter in the 1990s, and Schanzer worked hard to get them back on the set together. Of the reunion, Schanzer commented, “We thought the idea of pairing the two of them would be magic. They’re the original deal. And that will be on display.”

While Sunday Night Football has been a huge success, Super Bowl XLIII will be NBC’s largest event this year. This year the halftime show is featuring Bruce Springsteen, and while the NBC Sports President admitted he has no idea what the Boss is going to play, and said that he would not speculate on that topic, but he did concede that he’s hoping for “Thunder Road.”

And for the main event? Schanzer said the Giants look tough to stop, but that there are no clear favorites in the AFC. “It’s a dartboard,” he said. And when he threw the dart, it arrived in Pittsburgh. Schanzer expressed no confidence in Tennessee, and predicted a Giants-Steelers Super Bowl.

Schanzer says that his story is one of hope. Some parts of his career were more difficult than others, and he admitted that when he arrived at NBC as Vice President of Negotiations, he had never negotiated a deal before in his life.

“For the first three to five years, I felt like I was faking it,” he said. But Schanzer was working in an industry he loved, and his perseverance ultimately paid off. At the end of the day, Schanzer said, “I spent my life in politics and sports, and that’s a pretty good run.”

Colgate Maroon-News Interviews GB Packers President Mark Murphy

Michael McMaster — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:19:31 -0400

This article was originally published in the Colgate Maroon-News on Feb. 2, 2007.

In 1977, current Green Bay Packers President and Chief Executive Office Mark Murphy graduated from Colgate and headed to our nation's capital to play safety for the Washington Redskins, but he was unsure of what lay ahead. While at Colgate, Murphy had been a star football player. However, Colgate was a small school and while football was a Division I program at the time, Murphy was still uncertain about how long or successful his NFL career would be.

While in Washington, Murphy enrolled in night classes at the Kogod School of Business at American University. The former economics major attempted to juggle an NFL career and his education. As it turned out, Murphy was able to put both his education and his athletic ability to good use. After an eight-year NFL career, which included a stint as the co-captain of Joe Gibbs' Super Bowl XVIII-winning Washington Redskins, Murphy worked for the NFL Players Union, the United States Justice Department, Colgate University and Northwestern University. This year, Murphy was named President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers. Last Tuesday, I had a chance to speak with Mr. Murphy about his endeavors.

As a player, Murphy was a serious threat to NFL quarterbacks in his eight years in the league. He has been named one of the 70 greatest Redskin players of all time by the team's website, and was also a two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XVIII champion. He made an interception in that Super Bowl and grabbed nine more in 1983 to lead the NFL. But of all his accomplishments in the pros, Murphy said that winning the Super Bowl was "clearly the highlight."

"That was the strike year," he said. "So it was kind of a whirlwind. We were on strike for nine weeks and we came back and got on a roll. It was kind of like the Giants this year. We peaked at the right time and got on a roll."

But NFL players take a beating and even the best athletes cannot play forever. Eventually, the night school classes that Murphy had been taking as a young athlete paid off.

"I think I was the only guy on my team that was taking classes at the time," Murphy said. "It was kind of a nice break from football 24-hours a day."

After his playing career was over, Mr. Murphy used his degree to get a job with the NFL Players Union. At the same time, Murphy began pursuing a law degree at Georgetown University, which he earned in 1988. The following year, he started a career with the Justice Department. But after four years there, Mr. Murphy had a decision to make.

"I was in my mid-1930s, I had four young children and I didn't think the lifestyle of being an attorney in D.C. would be great in terms of raising a family," Murphy said.

So when the Athletic Director position opened up at Colgate, Murphy and his wife Laurie (who is also a Colgate graduate) moved to the Hamilton area so that he could take the job. Murphy was the Colgate Athletic Director until 2003, when he left to take the same position at Northwestern. In his time as Colgate athletic director, he accomplished many things and was an active member of the Hamilton community. In 1993, Murphy started the Hamilton Youth Basketball league, which still exists today.

After being involved in athletic administration for more than 15 years, Murphy was offered a job as the President of the Green Bay Packers organization in 2007. He is now in the first year of his new job as President of the Green Bay Packers, and is humbled by the opportunity that he has.

"The Packers job represented a unique and special opportunity to get back into the NFL," Murphy said. "And the Packers have such a great reputation. I am really honored to hold his position."

Murphy spoke briefly about his involvement with the team, saying that there are about 150 employees of the team excluding players. Although Murphy believes he could never own an NFL team, the Packers afford him the opportunity to represent the ownership of the team at board meetings.

"To be involved in the NFL at a high level, to be able to shape policy and to be able to make positive changes for the game is pretty exciting," Murphy said.

This offseason the Packers will look to put an NFC Championship overtime loss against the Giants behind them and prepare for the 2008 season. At the end of the interview, I asked Mark Murphy the only question that still remains in the minds of most Packers fans.

"Mr. Murphy," I said, "can you tell us one last thing? The only thing still left on Packer fans' minds is what Brett Favre is thinking about doing right now."

Murphy laughed, and responded, "Most people think he is going to come back. We are very close (to getting him back) and he is still playing at a very high level. I would be surprised if he doesn't come back."

Sports have always been a part of Murphy's life. From his start at Colgate, Murphy was a star at Andy Kerr Stadium and then he moved on to dominate the backfield at RFK. But next season will be slightly different. Once again, Murphy will be with an NFL team, but this time around, instead of watching the offense from the sidelines, he will watch from the President's Box.

Randy Johnson: The Greatest Left Hander Of All Time?

Michael McMaster — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:11:08 -0400

On Thursday, Randy Johnson won his 300th game, placing him in an elite category with 23 of baseball’s greatest players.

It took the Big Unit 22 seasons to reach this incredible milestone, and he is likely the last pitcher who will reach 300 wins for quite sometime. Among active pitchers, only Jamie Moyer (age 46, 250 wins), and Andy Pettite (age 37, 220 wins), are anywhere near 300 wins, and it is unlikely that either pitcher will have the longevity to reach that mark.

A sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, Johnson spent his career with six different ball clubs, amassing a staggering 4,845 strikeouts while posting a career 3.28 ERA. His accomplishments have put him in an elite group of 24 of baseball’s greatest players, but Johnson is also part of another club that is even more exclusive.

Of the 24 players on that list, only six are left handed (Warren Spahn, Steve Carlton, Eddie Plank, Tom Glavine, Lefty Grove, Randy Johnson), and a compelling argument could be made that Johnson may be the cream of the crop. So, as the 45-year-old Johnson sails through the twilight of his illustrious career, the question must be asked: Is Randy Johnson the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time?

The answer: maybe.

In addition to his 300 wins, the 6’10” left-hander boasts 4,845 strikeouts, a career .647 winning percentage, and one World Series title, with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. The dominant left-hander has an impressive 3.28 career ERA, and he lasted for 22 seasons in the major leagues.

But, is he the best of all time?

Warren Spahn (363 wins) and Eddie Plank (wins) both finished with more career wins than Johnson, but both finished with significantly lower winning percentages. Over his 21 year career, Spahn lost 245 games and left his winning percentage just short of .600, at .597 percent.

His 2,583 career strikeouts do not compare with Johnson, and his high number of wins is due to his ability to go late in games. Spahn averaged 252 innings per season, which accounts for his high number of wins and losses. Spahn rarely had no-decisions.

A better argument could be made for Plank, whose career win percentage (.627) and career 2.35 ERA seems extremely impressive on the surface. However, Plank played in 623 games in only 17 seasons between 1901 and 1917.

Plank had more opportunities in the years he played, and he also played in a “dead-ball” era, in which pitching was far more dominant in the sport than it is today. In essence, comparing Johnson with Plank would be like comparing Floyd Mayweather with Joe Louis; it’s almost impossible.

Despite winning 300 games, Johnson’s winning percentage is only .647, which would land him behind seven retired greats, including five Hall of Famers and one likely future Hall of Famer, Ron Guidry (Babe Ruth is among those five pitchers, posting a .671 winning % in 163 career games). Johnson’s .647 winning percentage also puts him behind active ace Johan Santana (.682 percent).

Whitey Ford has the best winning percentage of any left-handed pitcher in the history of the game, but his 498 career appearances is far smaller than Johnson’s 607 trips to the hill. In his career, Johnson lost 164 games, while Ford lost only 106. Ford also went out on top, posting a 1.64 ERA in his final season in the major leagues.

Meanwhile, Johnson has a 4.32 ERA in his last five seasons, and he has only won 15 games in his last two seasons. However, Ford was not a strikeout pitcher. The Hall of Famer and career Yankee pitched to contact. With only 1,956 career strikeouts, Ford struck out 5.6 batters per nine innings and had a career 1.21 WHIP.

Ford allowed base runners, but he rarely allowed them to scamper past third. Finally, Ford was a winner. He led the Yankees to six World Series Championships in his career and he posted a career 2.71 ERA.

Steve Carlton won 329 games in his career, yielding a 3.22 ERA while striking out 4,136 batters. However, Carlton had only a .574 winning percentage, and he started in 709 games. Carlton also lost 80 more games than Johnson in his career (Johnson: 164, Carlton: 244). Carlton may have more wins, but Johnson’s 24 seasons were more valuable than Carlton’s.

That leaves only one pitcher who has as many wins as Johnson and an even higher winning percentage: Lefty Grove. Grove finished his career with 300 wins and boasted a dominant .680 winning percentage.

Grove was able to win 300 games in only 17 seasons, and he quit right after number 300. However, Grove also pitched in another time, finishing his career in 1941 with the Boston Red Sox. He struck out 2,266 batters and lost only 141 games in his career.

Tom Glavine has more wins than Johnson, and Johnson is unlikely to pass Glavine, because both are active and Glavine currently leads Johnson by five wins. But, Glavine has lost over 200 games, and his .600 winning percentage is not on par with Johnson.

Is greatness really measured by wins? It is unlikely that this generation will see another left-handed pitcher reach 300 wins any time soon, but there are several left-handed pitchers, retired and active, who have better winning percentages than Johnson.

Sandy Koufax, Ron Guidry, and Johan Santana (age 30) all have significantly higher winning percentages, but their win counts are unlikely to ever reach 300.

Koufax won 53 games in his last two seasons, leaving on top. This year, Johnson will be lucky if he wins ten. So is he the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time, or did he just last the longest?

Only one thing can be for sure: Johnson has to be in the conversation.

Why Joba Chamberlain Belongs In the Yankees' Starting Rotation

Michael McMaster — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:11:59 -0400

With springtime waning, baseball is quickly rounding the corner into the long summer months, and New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi is now faced with a difficult decision.

Chien Ming Wang, who struggled mightily in the Yankees' rotation early this season, has returned to the team and looked strong in the Yankees' bullpen.

The two-time 19 game winner had surrendered more than 20 earned runs in just three painfully short starts, but his stint on the disabled list seems to have remedied his problem.

But Wang’s well deserved spot in the Yankees' rotation has been jeopardized by a pleasant, but perhaps problematic, surprise: The exceptional play of 23-year-old right hander Phil Hughes.

Hughes has pitched 34.2 innings over seven starts, posting a 3-2 record and a 5.22 ERA. His high ERA can be credited to two poor starts, but Hughes has looked extremely promising at times, and many believe that it would be inappropriate to send Hughes back to the minor leagues at this point in his career.

Hughes dominated in the minor leagues last year, posting a stellar 2.19 ERA, and many believe that another stretch in the minors would do little to develop him as a pitcher.

A desire to bring Wang back into the rotation left fans screaming for Girardi to put Joba Chamberlain back in the bullpen.

In 2007, Chamberlain pitched 24 innings for the Yankees, posting a minuscule 0.38 ERA and serving as a dominant set-up man for Mariano Rivera.

But despite his dominance out of the pen, Chamberlain has made it clear to the Yankees organization that he wants to be a starting pitcher. This year, in 10 starts, Chamberlain has posted a respectable 3.71 ERA, but his longevity has been called into question, as he has only stretched those 10 appearances into 53.1 innings.

Perhaps one reason that Yankees fans feel so strongly about the necessity of having Chamberlain in the bullpen is the prominent role that relief pitching played in the dynastic years between 1996-2000.

In 1998, the Yankees won 114 games, and their bullpen posted an impressive 3.218 ERA. In the playoffs, that bullpen was virtually unstoppable, surrendering only six runs in 30.2 innings. Ramiro Mendoza, Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson, and Graeme Lloyd made the best bullpen in the major leagues.

In addition, Mariano Rivera made the ninth inning practically automatic for the Yankees. With a 1.060 ERA on the season, Rivera pitched 13.1 innings in the postseason, allowing only one run.

Yankees fans understand the importance of a strong bullpen, and with five competent starting pitchers rounding out the 2009 rotation and no heir apparent to Mariano Rivera looming in the bullpen, fans in the Bronx were becoming restless with Girardi’s indecisiveness about putting the 24-year-old right hander back in the bullpen.

On Sunday, Chien Ming Wang gave the Yankees even more reason to ship Chamberlain back to the bullpen, posting three scoreless innings in a 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

With reason to believe that Wang had returned to his old form, the pressure was mounting on Girardi to make a decision.

Then last night, Chamberlain made a statement. In eight innings of work, Chamberlain allowed only two runs on four hits, while striking out five Indians. The young right hander was fighting for his spot in the rotation last night, and he turned out his best performance as a starting pitcher so far.

Joe Girardi has a problem that any manager in baseball would love to have. He has six capable starting pitchers and only five spots in the rotation. However, Girardi must understand that he has six starting pitchers, because Joba does not belong in the bullpen.

Chamberlain has shown Yankees fans that even at the young age of 24, he is capable of being a starting pitcher in the Bronx. And he is more valuable to the Yankees as a starter than he is as a reliever.

In 2007, Chamberlain pitched only 24 innings for the New York Yankees out of the bullpen in 19 games. In 2009, he has already pitched 53.1 innings in only 10 games. If the Yankees believe that Chamberlain has the stuff to get hitters out consistently (as he has this season with a 3.71 ERA), then they want him on the hill for more innings.

The principle is simple: The more innings an excellent pitcher pitches, the better chance he gives his team to win. That is why excellent starters are paid considerably more money than excellent relievers. They are more valuable to the team.

Also, Chamberlain is a starter. At no point in his career other than the summer months of 2007 has he ever been a reliever.

When Joba played in the minor leagues in 2007, he posted a 2.45 ERA as a starter. And in two seasons at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Chamberlain had a 3.37 ERA and 232 strikeouts.

Chamberlain is an above average starting pitcher, and that will be more valuable to the Yankees in the long run than a bullpen guy.

Chamberlain will be a huge help to the Yankees down the stretch in August and September, as they will inevitably battle the Red Sox for a playoff spot.

Despite Joba’s above average ability as a starting pitcher, some believe that he will be more valuable to the team as a setup man. However, it is important to note that Chamberlain has 24 career innings as a setup man; that is hardly a large enough sample size to judge him on.

Also, if Chamberlain could help the Yankees in a setup role, he could do that in the postseason. It is not uncommon for starting pitchers to make appearances out of the bullpen in a short series.

Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, and Pedro Martinez have all made postseason appearances out of the bullpen themselves. If Burnett, Pettitte, and Sabbathia prove to be enough firepower for the Yankees' starting pitching, the Yankees could use Chamberlain in a setup role in the postseason, after they have gotten quality innings out of him as a starter.

Chamberlain may have struggled at times so far this season, but the Yankees must remember that their young star is only 24 years old, and over the long run, he will be more valuable to them as a dominant starting pitcher than as a setup man or closer.

Interview with Sports Illustrated Senior Writer, Peter King

Michael McMaster — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:42:10 -0400

This article was originally published in the Colgate Maroon-News on Nov. 29, 2007.

Peter King's last football season was in the fifth grade. From that point forward, he stuck to two-hand touch games with his family on Thanksgiving. King loved football, but as soon as his hometown started making cuts, he was forced to play soccer.

King did not complain; he actually began to like soccer. But it was obvious that he still had a passion for football.

Today, Mr. King is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and he works on the sets of HBO's Inside the NFL and NBC's Football Night in America. Also, his weekly "Monday Morning Quarterback" column for SI.com is one of the most renowned and respected football columns in America.

On any given day, Mr. King can be hard to track down. Last Tuesday, he spoke with Cleveland Browns' wide receiver Braylon Edwards and then quickly hopped on a plane to Dallas so that he could interview quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten for Dallas's big game against Green Bay tonight.

After that interview, King rushed back to his hotel room so that he could make phone calls and investigate the inside story on the death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor. King works where the action is. He has no office, apart from a desk in a quiet corner of his Montclair, New Jersey home, but there is never any shortage of work.

I had a fortunate chance to speak with Mr. King this week. When asked what one of those typical days flying around the country and interviewing stars was like, he responded, "There really is no such thing as a typical day."

In King's life, there really never has been. After graduating from Ohio University, Mr. King had still never written a sports article for a newspaper.

"After college, I still wanted to be a sports writer, but I just didn't think that's where the opportunity would be," King said.

King took a job as a journalist and eventually, a job in sports opened up.

"I have never been actively looking for a job," King said, "I have always thought that the people who want to hire people will find the good people."

After writing about sports for the Cincinnati Enquirer, King found a job at Newsday and covered the Giants for several years. Finally, in 1989, King was offered a job at Sports Illustrated and his writing has grown in popularity since.

Over the years, King's articles have covered a variety of topics ranging from football, his two girls' youth sports and Starbucks. While he loves writing and working on television, the freedom he has in his column is the reason why King says writing is "his thing."

When asked why he preferred writing over television, King replied, "It's an interesting thing. We've gotten into an era in journalism where if you work for a company that has a prominent website, you are not only asked to be a reporter for that website, you are also asked to be a columnist and an opinion setter."

In all his time as a columnist and opinion setter, King has interviewed hundreds of prominent athletes and written several ground-breaking articles. These include one about Ben Johnson's 1988 stripped Olympic Gold Medal and one about Lawrence Taylor's cocaine abuse.

But despite all of his interesting encounters, King didn't hesitate to say which ones were the most interesting.

"If I did a top ten," King said, "five of them would be with Brett Favre."

Over the years, King and Favre have developed a great rapport. King would sit down with Favre for a conversation, they would go their separate ways and Favre would wake up in the morning and read King singing his praises in Sports Illustrated.

Favre never had a shortage of time for King and they got to know each other well.

The weekend before Super Bowl XXXI, Favre went out to dinner with his family. His daughter Brittany wanted someone her age to sit with since many of Favre's teammates did not have daughters her age.

So King called one of his friends from college because he knew that it was his friend's daughter Brooke's birthday and she would love to go. Brooke cancelled her birthday party so that she could eat dinner with Brett Favre. At the end of the meal, Brooke reached up to the 6'2", 220-pound QB and handed him her lucky penny.

"Take this, and you'll definitely win," she said. Brett Favre and the Packers went on to defeat the Patriots, 35-21. Forty-eight hours later, King found himself wandering through a ballroom in New Orleans looking around for the Super Bowl champion quarterback.

From somewhere in the middle of the room, Brett caught King looking at him and nodded in his direction. They retreated to one of the stairwells where they could escape the noise and celebration of the Super Bowl victory.

Favre took a half hour to explain his day to King. Through the whole story, Favre was still wearing his uniform, and when he was done, he reached down into his sweaty sock and pulled something out. When he uncurled his massive hand, a penny was resting in his palm.

"Give this back to Brooke," he said, "tell her it didn't work." Favre got up and returned to the party, and Peter King had just finished the greatest interview of his career.

Because King has been writing about the NFL for so long, he has an interesting perspective on the league. He is able to offer incredible insight into past games, like Super Bowl XXXI, but he is also one of the most informed and passionate football writers in the present.

This season he has covered the New England Patriots closely, and he is interested in the prospect of a 16-0 team. But King still thinks the Patriots will not become the second undefeated and untied team in NFL history.

"I have thought all along that they are going to lose at least one game and if you asked me right now, I think I would say they are still going to lose one," King said.

King maintains that he is not sure which team is going to be the one to knock off the undefeated Patriots, but that he thinks someone will beat them. He also noted that he thinks the Patriots cheating scandal at the beginning of this season should matter, but he does not believe Spygate is the reason they have won three Super Bowls.

The big story in the NFL this week was the death of Sean Taylor. When asked Tuesday evening about what he thought of the 24-year old defensive-back, he said, "I don't think this was at all a happenstance. I think that Sean Taylor had some people after him. This was no random act of senseless violence."

Many officials at this point believe that Taylor was shot by a man trying to rob his house, although other details have not been released yet. King pointed to Taylor's "checkered past," and noted that Taylor had probably gotten himself involved with some bad people prior to the time that he was murdered.

Finally, Mr. King spoke briefly about his predictions for the playoffs. For his early Super Bowl prediction, King picked New England and Green Bay, "although I've got a feeling we haven't seen the last of the Colts."

King also expects a few sleeper teams to make some noise. While King acknowledged that it is much more likely for a sleeper to come out of the NFC, he believes that the Jacksonville Jaguars are a team to be wary of in the playoffs.

"I like Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew a whole lot," he said. In the NFC, King picked Seattle as the sleeper team. Now that Matt Hasselbeck is throwing the ball forty times a game, the Seahawks really seem to have found their stride, and King expects a Seattle vs. Dallas or a Seattle vs. Green Bay matchup to be one of the best games of the postseason.

Mr. King concluded by adding that he often tells high school and college kids to "just love what you do." King gets out of bed each morning, excited about the work that he gets to do. Speaking about his column, King said, "some people like it, some people dislike it and some people detest it."

But that has never discouraged him, for he's just doing what he loves.

The Globalization of Baseball

Michael McMaster — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:26:59 -0400

In the United States, baseball is much more than a sport. It is a tradition, passed down from generations, woven into the beautiful fabric of American society.

Although the origins of America’s game are unknown, Americans cling to the unlikely belief that our great game was created by a Union soldier, Abner Doubleday, in Cooperstown, N.Y., back in 1839.

Over the next two centuries, baseball evolved into a national phenomenon, making stars and heroes out of household names like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson.

Baseball became a cultural staple of the United States, and regardless of who invented it, baseball became America’s game.

But not anymore. Baseball is no longer America’s pastime, nor is it America’s game. Not because of the surge in popularity of lacrosse, or the new American love for football, but because we couldn’t keep it to ourselves.

Once America’s best kept secret, baseball has become an international phenomenon, gaining popularity in all of the world’s major continents.

The globalization of what was once America’s pastime seems now to dwarf the narrow scope of Major League Baseball.

And while the MLB may be the most competitive baseball league in the world, hundreds of capable and gifted athletes choose (or are forced) to play abroad in countries like Japan and Cuba.

Baseball can no longer be contained within the borders of America’s 50 states. In March, 16 nations will competed in cities around the globe to prove their nation’s skill in an ever-growing sport. In the first round of competition, teams played in Mexico City; San Juan, P.R.; Tokyo; and Toronto.

However, while international competition is often met with intense rivalry and avid support from patriots, the World Baseball Classic seems to have been met with little enthusiasm in the United States.

There are several reasons that Americans seem uninterested in the World Baseball Classic. First, some of America’s best athletes have not been present. Among pitchers, such stars as C.C. Sabathia, Roy Halladay, and Jon Lester (all top five in ERA last season) were missing from Team USA’s lineup this year.

Among hitters, there were also many prominent names missing from the list, and many athletes seemed eager to back out due to the slightest injuries.

Also, Americans have a baseball superiority complex. And even though Japan handily defeated Cuba, 10-6 in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, long after the stars and stripes had been sent back to the land of the free and home of the brave, Americans still inexplicably believed in their own unchallenged baseball superiority.

But despite American ignorance, the World Baseball Classic is unlikely to ever be as lopsided as Olympic basketball, no matter who is playing.

Derek Jeter and the rest of the American squad are far from favorites, and the competition will always be a challenge for Team USA.

However, for whatever reason, Americans seem to continue to assume that the Classic will be analogous to Beijing 2008, where Kobe and LeBron humored Albania before going out for drinks on their three-week vacation to China. Of course, they came home adorned in red, white, blue, and gold.

The World Baseball Classic has effectively replaced baseball in the Olympics, and while Canadian shuffle-board on ice can still be rewarded with gold, baseball now has its own international competition.

Baseball is no longer America’s sport; now, it belongs to the world. The World Baseball Classic provides a stage for the world to compete. As nations compete, the world will look on, and hopefully, America will too.

Role Models and Villains: Walking a Tight Rope

Michael McMaster — Sun, 17 May 2009 19:58:49 -0400

One Tuesday afternoon, Alex Rodriguez sat in front of a curtain adorned with New York Yankees emblems in Tampa Bay as he answered questions from reporters from across the country.

Just one week earlier, the star third baseman sat with ESPN’s Peter Gammons for 45 minutes answering questions about his recently released positive steroid test from 2003.

The usually confident hitter was clearly out of his element. Watching A-Rod answer questions was like watching Dick Cheyney fire birdshot. He was confused and disoriented, and he looked unsure of which prying reporter he would prefer to shoot next.

Reporters asked the 33 year-old athlete why he took the steroids, how it would affect his reputation and whether he had tarnished the name of baseball. And all Rodriguez could do was repeat over and over again that he was young, naïve and stupid.

It seemed almost as if A-Rod was on public trial. Accusatory questions were shouted from every corner of the room, and on a number of occasions Alex was moved to tears. He knew that the proverbial court had made its decision. He was guilty, and the jury wanted to enforce the harshest penalty.

But before we hang A-Rod from the foul pole, let’s remember, he’s human, and he’s not the only one with blood on his hands.

Major League Baseball’s commissioner Bud Selig has said that when he looks for someone to blame for the steroid era, he will avoid the mirror. But Selig, who looked the other way and neglected the drug problem in baseball, is as much to blame as anyone.

Countless other athletes were taking steroids at the same time as Rodriguez. After Alex was caught, he had the courage to stand before reporters and answer any questions they had for him. That’s more than Barry Bonds, Miguel Tejada, and Roger Clemens can say, and all three may be facing jail time as a result.

Many asked Alex what parents are supposed to tell their children. Of course, thousands of Americans have purchased Rodriguez jerseys for their children, and offered the Yankees superstar up as a role model. To this question Rodriguez could only fight back tears and pathetically repeat his apologies.

Unfortunately, Alex Rodriguez is not a role model for children. He is a man who got caught up in his own fame and success, and he let his ambition get the better of him. He was not honest, and he may not even be a good guy.

But A-Rod is far from the first bad guy to play baseball. And decades away from the first bad guy that the media molded into a baseball hero.

In 1964, Mickey Mantle published a book that he co-wrote with Robert W. Creamer entitled, “The Quality of Courage: Heroes In and Out of Baseball.” In the book, Mantle writes about comebacks, quiet courage, sportsmanship, being a good teammate, and a profound respect for the game of baseball.

Growing up in East Rutherford New Jersey, it was one of my dad’s favorite books. And when it was passed down to me, the spine of the book was only held together by the “if duct tape doesn’t work then you’re not using enough,” philosophy.

I read it myself, and it is an inspiring book, written by one of the greatest baseball players who ever played the game. In his time, Mantle was held up as a champion and a hero, one of the greatest who ever lived.

Mickey could have been the greatest player who ever lived, but his personal life held him back. He was a drunk and an adulterer, who during his career showed an utter disregard for his own body.

He was infamous for showing up to the ballpark drunk or hung-over, and he was unabashed about his extramarital sexual encounters. Once even daring his wife to leave him after she discovered one of his many affairs.

Mantle underwent treatment for his alcoholism many years later, after his retirement from baseball. Crippling physical illness from alcohol forced him to make a recovery, and eventually complications from his liver killed him in 1995.

In his final days, Mantle stated that he was only a role model in that he was an example of what not to be like. But for years, Mantle had been the envy and the role model of millions. Why? Because fans could only see what the media allowed them to see.

The fact is that there have been cheaters in baseball before. Gaylord Perry, Joe Niekro, Whitey Ford, and Don Sutton all doctored baseballs, but it never drew media attention.

Today, athletes in America are under a microscope, and few athletes can withstand the scrutiny. Everyone makes mistakes, but celebrities make them publicly.

The media covered up for Mickey. When he stumbled into the clubhouse hung-over, they put down their cameras and went to grab him a cup of coffee.

Today, the sounds of flashing cameras almost drown out the voice of a contrite and apologetic A-Rod, while a gossip hungry beat writer counts his newly found fortune after releasing a picture of Michael Phelps hitting a bong.

Athletes are not role models. They are entertainers with an exceptional ability to perform in athletic competition. A-Rod’s job is to hit a baseball, not be a model citizen. Athletes are mortal, and they make mistakes. And this time, Alex made a colossal mistake.

Today, he needs to stand before a jury of reporters with condemning looks and damning questions, and his career will be forever tainted. That is the world we live in today. But forty years ago, A-Rod would be stepping to a batter’s box instead of a podium, while quiet and forgiving reporters would have made sure we never knew the difference.

Subway Series: A Test for the New York Yankees' Rotation

Michael McMaster — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:32:25 -0400

After a 10-0 win against the Pirates on Wednesday, in which Joba Chamberlain lasted six-and-two-thirds, allowing no runs and striking out seven, the Yanks look to finish their first series in Pittsburgh since the 1960 World Series.

Mike Mussina will take the hill Thursday against the 28-year-old left-hander, Paul Malholm.

But the real test for the Bombers will not be in Pittsburgh on Thursday. This weekend, the Yankees will be forced to stretch their young rotation to four games over three days in two ballparks.

Perhaps the most interesting day this weekend will be this Friday, as the Yankees throw their two most inexperienced starters. In the first game, the Yankees will throw Dan Geise, one of the new additions to the Yankee pitching staff.

Geise may be inexperienced at the major-league level, but he is not a young pitcher. At 31-years old, Geise has bounced between the majors and AAA-ball several times, but he has never had as much success as he has had with the Yankees.

In his young career with New York, Geise has thrown 14 innings, allowing just 10 hits and four runs, while boasting a 0.64 ERA. In his only start with the Yankees, Geise lasted into the seventh inning and was handed a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds.

In the second game of the day-night, two ballpark doubleheader, the Yankees will hand the ball to the veteran, and newly acquired, Sidney Ponson. The right-hander has had a career of ups and downs, but this season, he has posted a 4-1 record with a 3.88 ERA.

If things do not go well on Friday for the Yankees, it is likely that the bullpen will be depleted and Joe Girardi will be counting on his veteran Andy Pettitte to take the team late into the game on Saturday.

Finally, on Sunday, the struggling Darrell Rasner will be trusted with the final game of the Subway Series. After getting off to a hot start with the Yankees, Rasner has taken a step backwards in his last five starts. In those last five starts, Rasner’s ERA has been over seven.

For the Yankees to make the playoffs, they are going to need wins and longevity out of their injury ridden and inexperienced pitching-staff. Therefore, this weekend will be a test for the Bombers’, and Yankee fans may be able to see what the Yankees really have on their staff.

And for that test, the Yankees will be facing a challenging opponent. While the Mets’ 38-39 record is certainly unimpressive, the Mets have always played the Yankees tough in the Subway Series. Also, with new management in Jerry Manuel, many of the players feel that their team has been given new life.

And the Mets also have several extremely dangerous hitters. Last night, David Wright showed just how dangerous he is after hitting two tape-measurer home runs against the Seattle Mariners.

With the stage set for the final meeting of the Yankees and the Mets this season, the pressure is on the Yankees' pitching staff. As the young starters go, so go the Yankees.

Terry Bradshaw's Steroid Admission Causes Unfounded Controversy

Michael McMaster — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:37:52 -0400

Terry Bradshaw isn’t very good with predictions. Last year, he picked against the New York Giants in each and every one of their playoff victories. But people don’t watch Bradshaw because they think he is some kind of football guru. People watch him because he is entertaining.

On Tuesday, Terry’s predictions failed him once again. He told ESPN that he did not expect the kind of uproar that was caused by his predictions on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday, when he admitted that he used steroids.

In an effort to explain himself, Bradshaw commented, “My use of steroids from a doctor was to speed up an injury, and I thought nothing of it.” He went on to note, “It was not to get bigger and stronger and faster.”

Unfortunately for Bradshaw, that excuse sounds awfully familiar. Andy Pettitte also claimed that he used performance enhancers to recover from an injury, so the public has not been unforgiving to Bradshaw. But at least he didn’t misremember like Roger Clemens.

Bradshaw may not be the brightest light that ever shined, but he is not a bad guy. The four-time Super Bowl winner had a magnificent career, and his accomplishments should not be diminished because he took medications that team doctors prescribed to him.

In the time that Bradshaw played, doctors would do anything to keep their players on the field. There was no such thing as a concussion. If a guy came off the field and didn’t know where he was, he “got his bell rung.” He would walk over to the water cooler, grab something to drink, and get back into the huddle.

Likewise, if a player injured himself, he was not coddled by doctors. He was rushed back to the playing field with shots and medications.

When Bradshaw injured his elbow, doctors wanted to get him back onto the field. And in an effort to do so, he was given steroids by team doctors. The extent of his steroid use was to recover from an injury.

In 2008, steroids and HGH have turned professional sports into a witch-hunt, in which no athlete is safe.

Anytime Alex Rodriguez sends a ball into the upper-deck, eyebrows are raised. Anytime a wide receiver comes back from the offseason with ten more pounds of muscle, people begin to whisper.

Steroids have done horrible things to sports. They have hurt athletes, ruined reputations, destroyed role models, and shattered hallowed records. But worst of all, they have caused fans to become skeptics. They have turned accusations into condemnations. And they have given innocent men like Terry Bradshaw a bad name.

Johan Santana, Mets Play the Blame Game in New York

Michael McMaster — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:14:06 -0400

Top of the second inning. Bases loaded. Two outs. The American League pitcher, Felix Hernandez, steps into the batter's box.

Mets fans across the country got off of their couches to grab a snack from the fridge or use the bathroom. In Shea Stadium, onlookers scurried to the concession stands, trying to beat the hot dog lines before the beginning of the third inning.

Of course, the inning was over. Johan Santana, the $140 million man, was on the mound, and the man holding the lumber only had nine career at bats. In a moment it would be time for a commercial, and Hernandez would be on the mound once again warming up to take on the heart of the Mets order.

That was what was supposed to happen. But a lot of things were supposed to happen for the New York Metropolitans in the last year. They were supposed to make the playoffs last year. Willie Randolph was supposed to manage the team in 2008. And they were supposed to be well above 500.

So instead of retiring the AL pitcher, Santana wound up, delivered, and immediately averted his gaze to the dirt in disgust. He didn’t even watch the baseball travel over the right field wall off the bat of Hernandez. First pitch. Grand slam.

The Mets would go on to lose the game to the last place Seattle Mariners.

After the game, Santana’s comments epitomized the Mets' season. When asked about that second inning grand slam, Santana told the media that the team was not making its “routine plays.”

Santana was referring to an error made by Mets third baseman David Wright earlier in the inning. He also told media, “he closed his eyes when he swung.” And, “I could throw that pitch 250 times, and you know he wouldn’t do it again.”

Well guess what, Johan? He did. And Wright is not the one who threw the pitch.

For the Mets the 2008 season has been characterized by finding a scapegoat. Last week, Randolph was chosen to shoulder the blame for the Mets' epic collapse at the end of last season. Omar Minaya chose to replace him with Jerry Manuel, but the blame game continues.

For the hype that he attracted, and the money that he demanded, Santana has been nothing short of a disappointment for the Mets this season. An “ace,” with a record of 7-6, stood in the clubhouse Monday night with microphones in front of his face. Instead of owning up to his own errors, he tried to pass the blame to his teammates.

An ace does not give up a grand slam to an American League Pitcher. And a good teammate does not point the finger at his own team. So what does that make Johan?

Just another member of the New York Mess of 2008.

Red Sox Jersey Unearthed in Yankee Stadium

Michael McMaster — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:58:19 -0400

On Saturday, New York Yankees President Randy Levine was forced to face the media. When he approached the microphone with a cold demeanor, the stern look on his face illustrated the seriousness of the situation. “Why reward someone who had really bad motives and was trying to do a really bad thing?” He asked. “We’ll take appropriate action since we do know the name of the individual,” he remarked. He referred to the crime as a “very, very bad act.”

With comments like that, a passerby might have thought that Levine was talking about a murder investigation. For Yankee fans, it was not far from it.

On Saturday, construction workers at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx unearthed a David Ortiz jersey, buried in the concrete of the new Stadium. A rumor had surfaced that die-hard Red Sox fan and construction worker, Gino Castignoli had mixed the Ortiz jersey in with concrete that was laid for the new stadium. When New York Yankee officials heard of the jersey hidden within the stadium, a search was set out.

Construction workers on the site had a suspicion as to where the jersey was, and on a hunch they used jackhammers to dig for five hours to look for the vexing garment. At long last, Ortiz’s white and red jersey was found and removed from the stadium.

Castignoli is 46 years old, and has been a Red Sox fan his entire life. He had never wanted to work on the Bronx site, but after he and his friends hatched his master-plot to curse the stadium, he signed on to work for one day. “I would not go near Yankee Stadium, not for all the hot dogs in the world.” Castignoli told the Boston Herald. But the die-hard swallowed his pride for one day so he could attempt to curse the stadium for-ever.

Yankee fans and officials alike were outraged. Owner Hank Steinbrenner commented that he hoped Castignoli’s co-workers, “kicked the shit out of him.” And the Bronx district attorney has been contacted on matters of criminal charges. In the coming weeks, Castignoli may be faced with criminal charges such as trespassing and defacing private property.

In his defense, Castignoli remarked, “Anyone with half a brain knows it was all in fun. I didn’t hurt nobody.”

Of course, it is unlikely that Castignoli himself has half a brain. All he needed to do was to keep his mouth shut in the bars in Boston for a few months, and his curse may have had a chance. Instead, he was too excited by his own feat to keep the secret from his fellow fans.

That being said, the Yankees are going way overboard. Castignoli is by no means a criminal mastermind, and he’s not really even a criminal. The jersey is now being sold by the Jimmy Fund in Boston, and it is going to make great money for charity. This was a foiled plot of an enthralled fan, and all it does is demonstrate how great the Yankee, Red Sox rivalry really is.

Red Sox fans hate Yankee fans. The sky is blue. The grass is green. It’s that simple. Call it a crime of passion, call it whatever you call it, but there has to be some kind of legal defense for Gino Castignoli.

AFC Championship Game: How to Beat the Patriots

Michael McMaster — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:31:27 -0500

The offense really wasn’t the problem for the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend.

Running the ball looked easy, and when their 240-pound quarterback needed to make plays, he used his surprising speed and his cannon for an arm to convert first downs and scamper into the end zone.

David Garrard was everything the Jaguars could have asked him to be. Jacksonville’s receivers played as well as they have all year, and Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew did exactly what they were asked to, controlling the clock and running the ball effectively.

The undefeated Patriots have had three close calls this year, but their playoff game against the Jaguars was not one of them.

Offensively, the Jaguars did everything they needed to do. They made their possessions long, and they made the most of their scoring opportunities.

But with the game plan that head coach Jack Del Rio and defensive coordinator Mike Smith put together, the Jaguars never had a chance.

Granted, game planning to defend one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the NFL is a daunting task, but in the three games where the Patriots were nearly beaten this year, there was one thing in common: The defensive line put pressure on Tom Brady to throw the football.

On their first defensive play of the game, Jacksonville’s defensive tackle John Henderson ripped Brady down to the turf, and already up 7-0, it seemed that the Jaguars might have unlocked the secret to beating the Patriots. But as the game wore on, the Jaguars ignored their early success and did not pressure Tom Brady.

Against one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, the Jaguars only brought a three man rush. A three man rush against Tom Brady is practically an invitation to take a first down.

After the first play, Brady was never sacked again.

After taking the snap, Brady had time to look down field for the covered Randy Moss, smoke a cigarette, check his hair, pay his child support, and then finally check down to Wes Welker for a 10-yard gain.

The Jaguars defensive line tried desperately to get to Brady, but with no help, their chances were worse than a puppy going for a weekend stay with Mike Vick.

In order to beat the unbeaten, a lot of things need to happen. Brady needs to be pressured, the offense needs to put up points, and the challengers need to have luck on their side.

The Patriots are now two games away from perfection, and now that Peyton Manning is not standing in their way, they have to like their chances.

Unfortunately, if anyone is going to beat the Patriots, it’s not going to be the Chargers. In Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, the Chargers defense allowed Peyton Manning to throw the ball at will. Manning rifled the ball around the field for 402 yards and three touchdowns, and he was never sacked once. Although the Colt’s Pro Bowl quarterback did throw two interceptions, both were tipped passes that should have been caught.

The San Diego pass rush did not get to Manning, and it will not get to Brady.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the overconfident, cocky, and arrogant Philip Rivers will receive a rude awakening from a seasoned New England defense, posed for another Super Bowl victory.

As the final seconds ticked away from the game clock on Sunday and Rivers ran to the stands to taunt several Colts fans, all I could think was that I hoped he got hit by a bus on his way home from the stadium. But, I took solace in the fact that running into the New England defense is pretty much the same thing.

So when it comes right down to it, it is going to be up to the Packers or the Giants to tackle the machine in New England. Pay careful attention to the Giants and the Packers this Sunday, because this weekend, it’s the only game that matters.