Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Pallas

Longshot: Mine That Bird Wins Derby Despite 50-1 0dds

Michael Pallas — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:42:26 -0400

Long odds mean nothing at the Kentucky Derby. Despite being a 50-1 underdog, Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby.

Mine That Bird had the second-longest odds of any winner in the history of the Derby. The only horse with longer odds was Donerail (90-1).

At the midstretch, Mine That Bird was in last place. He burst out from there, past Pioneer of the Nile, to win. He finished with the win in 2:02 3/5.

Join the Dance broke off times of :22 4/5, :47 1/5 and 1:12. At the home stretch, with 1/4 of a mile left, Pioneer of the Nile appeared to be approaching Join the Dance.

At that point, Calvin Borel had Mine That Bird riding the rail all ready to take the lead, and he ultimately won by 6 3/4 lengths.

Mine That Bird became the first Canadian juvenile champion to win Derby since 1998 (Sunny's Halo). He paid out $103.20, $54, $25.80.

Now everyone is going to start the Triple Crown talk. Triple Crown is highly unlikely, but I would not be surprised if it happens with the way sports has been going for the last few years.

Post Position: Derby Time Again

Michael Pallas — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:02:29 -0400

It is Triple Crown time again. The three biggest thoroughbred races of the season are about to begin. The Kentucky Derby is Saturday and the anticipation will begin to build as the winner will have the pressure of being the first horse since Affirmed to win the Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown is one of the most exciting and anticipated goals for all sports fans, whether it be baseball or horse racing. We will watch with anticipation to see which horse will glide to the finish line.

We are currently in the longest Triple Crown drought in history. It has been 31 years since Affirmed won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. This might finally be the year.

There are horses that can win, and the one the best chance in I Want Revenge. He is the morning line favorite at 3-1. In each of his last 3 races he has finished 3rd, 1st and 1st respectively.

Another that can win is Dunkirk. He comes in at 4-1. In each of his last 3 races he has finished first, first, and second respectively.

Will there be a Triple Crown winner this year? I hope so.

Ticket Prices Slashed: Yankees Cut Prices, But Is It Enough?

Michael Pallas — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:45:08 -0400

The New York Yankees have done the right thing. They cut ticket prices for the premium seats in the new Yankee Stadium.

The areas of the Stadium where the price "slashing" will take effect are the Legends Suite (was $2500, now $1250), the seats on the outer half of the dugouts and the photo cages, and the first-row seats (was $1000, now $650), the final three sections down each foul line.

There will be adjustments to other sections of the stadium also. In the first-row, for season tickets, the price will be $2500, but they will be giving free tickets for the remainder of the season. First-row individual seats will be free for the first 24 games.

Finally, in the Legends section, the $850 seats will be free for eight games, the $500 section will be free for four games, and the $600 ticket-holders will receive $500 seats for free for 10 games. The $500 seat individual tickets will be free for eight games.

The Yankees are trying to get the numbers they had for the old Yankee stadium. During the previous five years they averaged 53,069 (2008), 52,279 (2007), 52,392 (2006), 50,502 (2005), and 47,788 (2004). In 2009 however, they are averaging 44,343. That's their forth lowest total of the decade.

The numbers show, based on percentage, that the Yankees are sixth in the Major Leagues in attendance. They are behind the Red Sox (101.6%), Phillies (95.9%), Cubs (95.8%), Angels (92.9%) and local market competitor the Mets (91%). The Yankees currently stand at 84.7%.

The Yankees did not cut the prices enough however. They should cut the prices more. In these tough economic times, fans cannot afford those prices. Furthermore, the fans are paying for your stadium. So they deserve a bigger break.

Sanchez: Fool's Gold

Michael Pallas — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:26:49 -0400

All the experts agree: his has shown he will be able to play at the next level. He has a great arm, he is an accurate passer, he can read defenses well, and he can look defenders off coverage. He also makes good decisions...on the field.

He has a lot of raw talent. He has shown improvement in his game over the last college football season, but I don't think Mark Sanchez is ready for the NFL.

Many experts say that his abilities on the field outweigh his inexperience. I believe that is not the case. I do not think Sanchez will make it in the NFL.

When I look at an athlete, the talent of the athlete is important to the "grade" of the athlete. However, the most important thing to the "grade" of the athlete is experience. With the lack of experience, Sanchez will have a huge mountain to climb.

I hope for Sanchez's sake that he proves me wrong. So far, Sanchez has shown he can work the New York market. He has gotten the fans on his side. Now it's his job to keep them there.

The Jets have not been successful in the playoffs since 1998, when they lost to the Denver Broncos, 13-10. They advanced to the AFC Championship Game and had a halftime lead of 10-0.

Unfortunately, with the success of the Giants, whom the Jets share a stadium with, it's now Super Bowl or bust for Jets fans. I am not saying he has to win immediately, but in New York, the expectations are already high for him.

The Jets have the pieces in place. They have a solid running game and a top-five defense, they just needed a quarterback. Now, Mark Sanchez is the man, and the weight of New York will be on his shoulders until his time in New York is finished.

The "normal" expectation are already high to begin with in New York, but now they will be unreasonably high next season. The price the Jets paid was high, which will lead to the unreasonable expectations. They traded two players (Kenyon Coleman and Abram Elam), their second round pick this year, and their first pick this year.

I believe it's time for a quarterback to step up. Hopefully, Sanchez will step up; he probably will not.

New York Jets: Destination January

Michael Pallas — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:03:52 -0400

When was the last time the New York Jets had a great quarterback?

Well—1969.

Yes, it really has been that long.

Brett Favre arrives with a lot of well deserved hype, both for his performances throughout his career and for the season he had last year.

Favre is expected to be the "savior" of the New York Jets and fans can only hope he meets those expectations with similar numbers to last year. He produced 4155 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.

If Brett Favre can produce such numbers again, two particular players will benefit from his performances and all of the offseason moves the Jets made.

The first is Thomas Jones. With the beefed up offensive line, Jones should produce more yards and touchdowns. With a much better QB behind center he should also become a target in the receiving game.

The other player I expect to perform much better this year is Jerricho Cotchery.

Cotchery has been in the league since 2004, when the Jets drafted him in the third round. His total numbers have steadily improved, with a career high of six touchdowns in 2006.

Although he had only two touchdowns last season, Cotchery should continue to progress with Brett Favre throwing to him.

Last season the defense spent an average of 31:59 on the field. That number must improve as well.

The Jets' new offense must control the clock and maintain possessions to keep the defense off the field.

My prediction for this season is a second place finish in the division, and a Wild Card playoff berth with an 11-5 record.

I expect the AFC East to send three teams to the playoffs: Patriots, Jets and Bills. But the Jets must begin the season with a win against a much weaker Dolphins team.