Celebrations

There has been a great deal of talk the past couple of weeks about Joba Chamberlain and his antics on the mound, particularly his celebrations. David Dellucci called them "bush league," Goose Gossage said there is no place for that type of action in baseball especially with the Yankees, and many well-respected writers across the country have agreed. I, however, disagree with those people.

If Chamberlain pumped his fist after every strikeout, or yelled and screamed each time he did something positive, then yes, it would be too much and definitely "bush league." But he doesn't do it after every performance, or even every other. When Chamberlain pumped his fist after striking out Delucci, he did so because it was a big out for him. After giving up a pinch-hit three-run home run to Dellucci just two nights earlier, Chamberlain faced his "demons" and got the out. In all honesty, if it were me, I think I would have done the same thing.

Now for those of you who say he was showing up Delucci, and a pitcher should not do that, then I ask you why is it ok for a hitter to stop and stare at his home run ball, and that's not considered "bush?" How come Manny Ramirez can stand at home plate for three seconds while watching his ball sail over the fence and people excuse it as "Manny being Manny?" Or how about when a batter flicks the bat and "pimps" it? This is not showing up the pitcher?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that two wrongs make a right, but I am saying that if Chamberlain or other pitchers show some emotion on the mound, it's not always a bad thing.

 Yankees Regret Not Trading For Santana

I know I write about this fairfly frequently, but I just can't stand how people continue to say the Yankees regret not making the trade for Johan Santana. Obviously Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are not pitching the way people had hoped, but no offense, neither is Santana! The guy has a 3.00 ERA in the NATIONAL LEAGUE! If he's in the American League, that's more like a 4.00, and he's making how much money??? On top of that, if the ace is all you need to win, how come the Mets are only a game above .500? I cannot stress this enough: do not look at the immediate results, but think about the future. Keeping Hughes, Kennedy, AND Melky Cabrera was the right move for the Yankees, regardless of how Santana does against the Yankees today.

The Mets in Disarray

Speaking of the Mets, it turns out their problems from last September did not end when the season ended. Rather, many of the same problems exist today including the clubhouse dissention. On Thursday Billy Wagner lashed out to reporters saying how ridiculous it was that he had to sit there and answer questions on a day in which he didn't even pitch because the "other" guys got up and left. The "other" guys he was referring to were the Hispanic players, more specifically Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran. If you remember correctly, this was a similar issue last year with Paul Lo Duca.

On Friday, this issue was discussed on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, and Michael Wilbon, who I respect a great deal, made a statement that really upset me. He essentially made excuses for the "other" players by saying that maybe it's time for the newspapers to start hiring bi-lingual writers in order to help the Spanish speaking players communicate to the media. What?!?!

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to go to Beijing, China for work, and I remember getting frustrated the first couple of days I was there because many people didn't understand what I was saying. I found myself getting angry that people didn't speak English. Then I thought to myself, "Wait a minute. I'm in their country. It's not their responsibility to know MY language, it's my responsibility to know THEIR language. The same is true here. If these players come to the United States to earn millions and millions of dollars, then it's their responsibility to learn the language of the country. No more excuses!

Bizarro World

Over the past couple of weeks we've seen small-market teams sign young stars to contract extensions years before they become free agents. The Marlins shelled out $70 million for Hanley Ramirez, the Brewers gave Ryan Braun $45 million, and the Rays gave Scott Kazmir $28.5 million only a couple of weeks after giving Evan Longoria an extension. While this is a great trend, and something I hope continues, it now poses another problem for baseball.

For several years now the large-market clubs have essentially used teams like the Marlins and Rays as another minor league team. When the players became too expensive, the large market teams either traded for them, or signed them as free agents. Now that those players will no longer be available, it's going to put even more importance on developing one's own talent, even for the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, etc.

So how exactly is this a problem you ask? Well as much as revenue sharing and luxury tax have allowed these clubs to lock up their own players, it hasn't solved the problem of the draft. While there are numbers slotted for each draft position, teams do not necessarily  have to abide by those numbers leaving players like Rick Porcello for the Tigers, and Andrew Brackman for the Yankees late in the first round last year. Therefore, the next step in creating a more level-playing field would be to incorporate a system like the NBA has for its draft, otherwise this trend will only continue...

NBA Playoffs

Has anybody else been as disappointed in the NBA Playoffs, specifically this second round, as I have? For so many intriguing matchups, the games have been, for the most part, awful. It's amazing to think that two of the four series are going seven games, and none of the previous 12 has even been close as the home team has won each game. I have never seen anything like this before, and truly hope I don't see anything like it again for a loooong time.

Kobe Bryant is the NBA's Alex Rodriguez

Before you go crazy on me, let me preface this by saying that Kobe is an extremely clutch player, has three rings, and very well could get his fourth this year. So in that way right there he is nothing like A-Rod. Now that that's out of the way, hear me out...

Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez have the talent and work ethic to be among the top players to ever play their respective sprts. They are players who are so good that you want to cheer for them. You want to marvel at what they do, and think that you're lucky to see them play each and every night. Yet something continues to hold you back from accepting them, and I think it's their lack of authenticity.

When watching the two, you can't help but think that their actions are phony. Whether it's their interactions with teammates on the bench, or interviews they give, everything seems rehearsed. Maybe this is completely unfair for me to say, but it's one of those gut instincts I get when watching them, and I don't think I'm alone.