Today, in lieu of having any good topics to talk about (I've already had a Rockets post, and college basketball tournaments don't appeal to me) I've decided to debut a new feature on my blog. I call it the Kilpatrick award, in honor of Detroit's mayor, and it's premise is simple. I'm going to nominate sports figures who have said or done something they wish they hadn't, and then it's up to you who wishes they could have a mulligan. Without delay, here are this week's nominees:
Butch Harmon and John Daly: For having a nasty public divorce after Daly's recent behavior which included having Jon Gruden caddy for him. Harmon said the most important thing in Daly's life was getting drunk, and then Daly was DQed for missing his tee time at the recent tournament.
Joe Girardi: For compalining about how hard the Tampa Bay Rays players came at his Yankee catchers (which, in fairness, cause an injury) despite making a career out of such hustle, then allowing Shelley Duncan to morph into Ty Cobb and slide spikes first into the second baseman, starting a fight.
David Stern: For saying many NBA owners had lost money even though league profits exceeded $3 billion; and for allowing the theft of the SuperSonics by 'conspiring' with Clay Bennett to move them to Oklahoma City. (just my opinion)
Stephen A. Smith: Sorry, the list just felt devoid without him. Although he could win a lifetime achievement award (lol)!
My choice would be Stern, if you can believe it. Daly's life has been a mess for years, and no one should be surprised to see this happen. Girardi is new to the Yank's post, and as tempting as it would be to choose him, after 12 years of the stoic Joe Torre, maybe the Yanks need a swift kick in the pants to spark them. That leaves Stern, who keeps talking about image, then backstabs Seattle fans by holding their team for ransom while Bennett puts a noncompetitive product on the court to force a move (did you see ESPN's NBA FastBreak last night? They commented that the Sonics looked like a sorry product on the floor). Stern has spent 24 years as commish of the NBA, and in the last decade has seen a strike, the brawl at the Palace, the lowest rated Finals in history, etc. He's looking alot like Pete Rozelle did at the end of his tenure, and Pete was smart enough to get out of there. Stern might wan't to think about doing the same.
What do you think? Is there a candidate you think should win the Kilpatrick award for this week (keep that in mind; this isn't about the enitre career, just this week)? Look for this post again next week, either Thursday or Friday.
In case you're confused, I'm talking about them d*** Yankees (a little self-edit). This weekend was a complete disaster as they were swept by Oakland in an unwatchable series. The off-field antics were more entertaining here. First, Scott Proctor set his equipment on fire in front of the dugout on Saturday. Then, later that night, Jorge Posada questioned his team's passion. Then, on Sunday, Alex Rodriguez's wife wears a shirt to the stadium with 'F*** YOU' on it. What has happened to the most admired (and hated) team in America?
There are many problems here, so let's start with this one; Joe Torre no longer inspires players like he once did. I'm not saying he's a bad coach now, but there comes a point where your message gets old. Coaches/managers don't have a long shelf life like they used to. That's why we marveled at Bill Cowher all those years, and why we marvel at Torre lasting as long as he has with Steinbrenner, who at one time wasn't afraid to fire guys (just remember Billy Martin). But it's time for Torre to gracefully exit this mess.
A mess, mind you, not of his making. Like Ozzie Guillen said, you're only a great manager if you have great players. Aside from A-Rod and Derek Jeter, the other Yankee hitters haven't produced (unless you call Jaosn Giambi's doing that 'stuff' producing). Giambi, Bobby Abreu, et al, haven't been hitting consistently, and if the Yanks don't hit, they don't win (true of all teams). You expect more of a team with ten players making at least $10 million (no other team has more than five).
What has killed the Yanks, more than anything, has been their inability to aquire good YOUNG starting pitching. Sure Clemens was great, but he's not been worth the money and perks so far, and Mussina and Pettite have stunk, as has Chieng Meng-Wang. The fact that none can pitch more than six innings leave a stressed bullpen doing too much, and the whole team sags. Look at the last five champs: all had either great pitching or got hot late and sizzled in the playoffs. The Yanks haven't had that, or a title, since 2000.
So, where does the lion's share of blame go? That's right; on GM Brian Cashman! Since he got carte blanche to construct this team, he has focused on mostly hitting, which is great for show, but won't win titles. Is it a coincidence that the Yankee teams that won World Series weren't necessarily the most talented? Sure, there were stars aplenty, but there were also role-players who did the little things to win games. On this star-ladened team, there aren't many guys willing to do that. Cahsman put this team together, and should go down with his ship.
How do you correct this? It sounds drastic to Yankee fans, but they need to develop good young players of their own. Sign some players to keep you competitve in the short term (with their money, that's the least you could do) and draft pitchers to develop. Within a few years, you should have the kind of aces needed to be elite again. Simple enough.
As for the F-Rod shirt; if you can't stand the heat, as Harry Truman said, get out of the kitchen! You have to expect the New York fans to get on your case when your husband makes $27 million a year. You've just made his job a lot harder because now he's a bigger target (as if he isn't already). Just stay home, enjoy his money, and use it to get a better shirt! Until tomorrow, that's it for now.
