The Sports Truth

In a recent interview with The New York Post, Hank Steinbrenner spoke on various topics. Including his favorite actresses. Take a look:

Q: How do you think you’re like your father?
A: Someone once said in one of the articles I tend to shoot from the hip like my dad. I’ll analyze things as well, just like he did at times. You don’t get to be as successful as he’s been without analyzing things. He was always thinking.

Q: What was it like working for your father?
A: He was a difficult Boss. As a dad, he’s a great dad, but a very, very difficult Boss. A pain in the (butt).

Q: Favorite actor?
A: Steve McQueen.

Q: Favorite actress?
A: Jennifer Love Hewitt.

On a day when Hell reported a record low of 85 degrees, the NHL accomplished a rare feat by defeating the NFL for the first time in 64 years.

Not since the NFL had it’s last 0-0 tie in 1963 has the NHL ever had all of its scheduled games score more goals than points scored in an NFL game. The Steelers and Dolphins could only muster three points on a rain soaked Monday evening, but Buffalo defeated Washington 3-1 and Edmonton defeated Columbus 3-1 to go along with Boston over Philadelphia 6-3 and Dallas over the New York Islanders 3-2.

“Ice Hockey” for Nintendo; a legendary game in the late ’80s.

While many of the whiny NFLers will claim they didn’t know there was a competition going on, they’re lying. The loss is so devastating to the NFL, Roger Goodell is rumored to have convened an emergency meeting of the NFL owners to talk about how such an embarrassing situation could be avoided in the future. Meanwhile, Gary Bettman was heard telling friends and family that the upset win assures him at least two more years as the NHLs top man.

MACAU - Pete Sampras still contends that Roger Federer will surpass his all-time record of 14 major championships. In his third exhibition match with Federer, the former top ranked played in the world defeated the younger and widely considered better Swiss star 7-6 (8), 6-4 proving that his assertion is something he’s choosing not to do anything about.

The obviously older Pete Sampras went 1-2 in exhibition matches vs. Roger Federer.

Sampras continued to echo his stance that his time was in the 90s and he will not come out of retirement. Too bad. It’s obvious the seven time Wimbledon winner could compete with today’s players and probably pick up another Wimbledon title to add to his record. Federer did not help quell any wishful thinking from Sampras backers by saying he felt Sampras could beat the top five players in the world on a fast surface.

Simply beating a player as talented as Federer is amazing enough at 36 years old. In their third match, Sampras was able to borrow a page out of the seemingly unbeatable Federer’s tennis play book by not even facing a break point in the straight set win. Or maybe it is Federer who is borrowing a strategy out of Sampras’ arsenal.

It is hard to think that Federer was playing at 100 percent against the man he proclaimed was his idol growing up, especially after winning their first two exhibitions in straight sets. Federer fueled the fire by saying “It’s been tough beating my idol the last two times. I’m happy that he got me at least once.” Not exactly the killer instinct you’d expect from someone trying to win.

A dramatic win over the Longhorns couldn’t save Dennis Franchione’s job.

Texas A&M defeated #13 Texas on Saturday, 38-30 on senior day at College Station, but that couldn’t save the job for the head coach. In a move that is not surprising, ESPN is reporting that Dennis Franchione will step down as head coach of the Aggies on Sunday and is not expected to coach the team’s bowl game.

Dennis Franchione’s days as the Texas A&M head football coach are over.

This just in: Michael Beasley is a large man.

Ok, he’s actually “only” 6′9″ and 235 lbs, nothing like some of the behemoths that patrol the paint in the NBA, but his game belilies his size. Beasley plays like his 7′0″ and 270 lbs.

Michael Beasley, center for Kansas State, puts up a shot over Vlad Moldoveanu from George Mason.

Going into last night’s match up with unranked George Mason, Michael Beasley was the first player in Big 12 history to have 20 points and 20 rebounds in 2 games. Any two games in any year. Mr. Beasley accomplished that feat in just his first three games of his Big 12 career.

Beasley didn’t continue his run of 20/20 as Kansas State fell to the Patriots, but had 30 of his team’s 77 points along with 10 rebounds. The freshman center also added a 3-pointer, just to show he has some range.

Lost amongst the star power of Michael Beasley and George Mason’s Will Thomas was George Mason freshman Vlad Moldoveanu. The 6′10, 206 lbs freshamn from Romania had his coming out party for the Patriots, filling up the stat sheet with 11 points including a cool 6 for 6 from the free throw line. Moldoveanu also added two rebounds, two steals, a block, and a clutch three late in the game to put the Wildcats away.

Much has been made of the tumultuous off season for the New York Yankees. Certainly we’re all aware of the A-Rod saga, but catcher Jorge Posada filed for free agency and returned, same for closer Mariano Rivera. Roger Clemens is expected to retire (again) and starting pitcher Andy Pettitte declined his option to stay with the Yankees for another year as he contemplates retirement.

Andy Pettitte keeps the Yankees in limbo as he decides his future.

Certainly not the best of off-season’s for the Bronx Bombers a sentiment Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown talks about in his column on November 19th, 2007.

Tim’s point is that the Yankees are not addressing their most pressing need: pitching. While he’s right, what do you want them to do, Tim? Sign Kyle Lohse (another Boras client, by the way)? Trade away every rookie for Johan Santana? Demand that Andy Pettitte not retire and stay with New York another year? Frankly, one of the best things they could have done for their pitching was make sure Rivera returned. Tim thinks the pitching is poor now, imagine if Rivera didn’t come back.

In typical terrible reporting fashion, Tim talks only about the problem and blames the Yankees for not addressing it without coming up with a solution of his own. The reason is, of course, there is not solution. In my opinion, the Yankees have two options. Either move one or more of the kids (Philip Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, or Ian Kennedy) with Melky Cabrera for Johan Santana or stick with the aforementioned kids. The rest of the free agent pitchers out there aren’t worth paying for.

Unless you’re a Chicago Cubs fan or a die hard fantasy baseball enthusiast, most people don’t even know who Carlos Marmol is. For the record, he was/is the set up guy for Ryan Dempster in the Cubs bullpen. He actually had a great year, going 5-1 in 69.1 IP with a 1.43 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP along with 96 Ks and only 36 BBs. He even managed to throw in a save for good measure. But, a candidate for NL MVP?

Carlos Marmol had great year in relative obscurity.

Unless you live in a cave, you probably know who Frank Thomas is. However, unless you live in a cave, you’d never say that he is a MVP candidate. At least not in 2007. Thomas’ splits for the Toronto Blue Jays were 277/377/480 with 26 HRs and 95 RBIs in 531 at-bats. Probably better than most people realized, but how would that ever qualify someone for the MVP?

Ok, realistically no one called them MVP candidates and they were not. However, they each had the distinction of receiving one 10th place vote in the MVP voting from some bird brained baseball writer (likely from Chicago and Toronto, respectively) in each of their respective leagues. Obviously there’s little harm in sticking these guys on a ballot in 10th place, but when Jimmy Rollins beats out Matt Holliday by 17 points, maybe the whole process needs some rectifying.

How silly is this points system and the fact that it is pushed out to 10th place in MVP voting and a player can even get points that far down? What’s the point of voting for 2nd place, isn’t all anyone cares about who’s first? If a few more writers put Holliday into 2nd on their ballot instead of third, Holliday would have won the MVP despite having five fewer first place votes than Rollins. For the record, I think Holliday deserved the MVP over Rollins (and would argue that David Wright was really the best player in the NL this year, more on that later), but I don’t think he should have won it with 2nd place votes. Is there anything wrong with having Rollins win the award with 16 votes over Holliday’s 11?

The 2007 NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins.

One of the “comments” posted for the Jimmy Rollins NL MVP article on espn.com was the following:

“there is no stat to explain what jroll did. the last month of the season, there were a few times he hit a standard double in the gap, but when he left the box, you could just see that he was thinking triple all the way, and he never slowed down, or thought twice about it.”

First of all, there is a stat for it, they’re called triples. Second of all, if this absurd logic were true, Curtis Granderson should be the AL MVP.

Look, Rollins is a great player, had a phenomenal year and was deserving of MVP candidacy, just not the MVP. People make the absurd argument that because Rollins said the Phillies would finish first and they did, he gets bonus points. Really? I’m the biggest fan of speed there is, but we can’t throw out the MVP to a fast player who happens to hit home runs. I also despise the argument that SS is a “premier defensive position” and a player who excels there should get extra consideration.

The case for Rollins is that he did everything well, hit, run, throw, play defense, etc. Well, so did David Wright, only better. Anyone who’s watched Colorado SS Troy Tulowitzki knows who should have won the NL gold glove at short stop and it wasn’t Rollins. These people also know Wright was hands down the best defensive 3B in the NL this year. Wright had a higher batting average, much higher on base percentage (Rollins’ was the lowest of any MVP winner of all time), same number of HRs, more RBIs, fewer R and a few less SBs.

The best thing about Rollins MVP is that he’s now going to disappoint someone as a first round draft pick in next year’s fantasy draft.

Watching every and any college basketball game is pure joy, here are some of the best games of the 07-08 season you won’t want to miss.

Maui Invitational (Nov. 19–21): If rooting for tiny Chaminade to repeat their magical upset of #1 Virginia in the 1987 Maui Tourney isn’t enough for you, then performances like the Adam Morrison/Maurice Ager slugfest in 2005 should be. Morrison set a tourney record with 43 points and Ager wasn’t far behind with 36 of his own as Gonzaga took home a thriller 109-106. This tourney is filled with moments just like that and the 2007 version should be no different. A potential final of Marquette vs. Duke is one filled with lightning quick athletes. Dominic James is back at Marquette and, coupled with Jerel McNeal, they could pose a serious challenge for the young Blue Devils. Greg Paulus seems to be controlling the rock much better in his junior season and the talent around him just keeps getting better.

You may not have heard of him, but Jerel McNeal can light it up for the Golden Eagles.

NIT Preseason Tip – Off (Nov. 21-23): Johnny Flynn. If you haven’t seen this kid play, you’re missing out. Couple him with Donte Green and Arinze Onuaku (who I’m pretty sure is playing D-Line for the Jets on Sundays), and the Syracuse “worst mascot ever” Orange should be fun to watch.

Davidson @ Duke (Dec 1): Stephen Curry & Co. almost knocked off Hansbrough and the Tar Heels and are fully capable of playing with any team in the country. This game is slated to be televised on ESPN so you should probably clear your Saturday schedule (let’s be honest, you had nothing going on anyway), and tune in to the 2007-2008 Cinderella story.

UNC @ Duke: You could point to the February 6th match up between these 2 powerhouses, but playing at UNC just doesn’t have the same atmosphere as Cameron. They stuff 5,000+ rowdy, hammered, and obnoxious students/townies into one tiny building and scream their heads off for 40 minutes. Not to mention there’s a phenomenal chance that these 2 teams could both be ranked in the top 5 for this match up.

Memphis v. Gonzaga (Jan 26): Cincinnati, Marquette, and Louisville did us, the fans, a big favor when they 1) made the Big East incredibly competitive and fun to watch, and 2) forced national powerhouse Memphis to play in a weak conference, and subsequently be forced to schedule the most ridiculous non–conference schedule year in and year out. I don’t care what the rankings say, Memphis is the best team in the country. When they’re on, they could beat the Sonics, and probably the Knicks. Gonzaga will have their hands full, but figures to have freshman phenom Austin Daye, and drug rehabber Josh Heytvelt to provide America’s “Cinderella” with a dress to take down Memphis. If you don’t watch this game, you’re not American. I said it.

Josh may have some difficulty staying away from illicit substances, but the boy can play some basketball.

In honor of everyone’s favorite college basketball analyst, Dick Vitale, our senior college basketball writer, Colin Dwyer, will be chronicling the “are you serious?!?” moments of the 2007-2008 basketball season.

Dick Vitale and his unforgettable enthusiasm.

Gardner – Webb went into Rupp Arena, shot 53% from the floor, embarrassed the ‘Cats into a 35% field goal percentage, and pushed around the most successful college basketball program in NCAA history for 40 minutes, coming away with a 84 – 68 dubya.

Mercer went ahead and spoiled O.J. Mayo’s debut by thumping the Trojans in USC by 15. The Bears forced Mayo into 8 turnovers, 4 fouls, and very mediocre 42% from the floor.

How ‘bout the tourney regulars from Belmont? Knock off Cincy (on the road, obviously)? No problem. Then you’ve got the Bear”k”ats (yeah, that’s a “k”) from Sam Houston State pullin’ off the upset at Texas Tech and making Bobby Knight’s face turn yet another shade of red. Of course, there was the North Texas Mean Green makin’ Oklahoma State look like their…well, you know.

Why is it that mid–majors have the coolest nicknames while the major conferences are so boring? Kentucky Wildcats. UConn Huskies. UCLA Bruins. Yawn. I’d rather root for the Stetson Hatters or the “Tribe” of William & Mary any day of the week.

All of these upsets were topped off by the stunner Siena College pulled off in front of 6,200+ screaming Saints fans Saturday night. After attending the game, my buddies Tex, Gaff and I shuffled down to the hole–in–the wall bar across the street, drank our faces off, and were convinced Siena was goin’ to the sweet 16.

If Dicky V had been calling the Davidson/North Carolina game, there’s a 67% chance two things would have happened: 1) Dicky V would need an oxygen tank halfway through the 2nd half and 2) he may create the single greatest word of all time, “superschintillatingsensationalamazing,” after watching Stephen Curry and Tyler Hansbrough butt heads. Speaking of awesome broadcasters, why are Dicky V and Gus Johnson not broadcasting games together? This is such a slam-dunk. They could have been calling the New England Revolution/Houston Dynamo MLS final on Sunday and I would have watched every second.

What does all of this mean? Simple. It means College Basketball is back, and Cinderella is ready to get her party on. Seriously, you can almost feel March Madness…and it’s only November. We’re in for a season long symphony of Dickie V’s raspy, hoarse voice calling out, “ARE YOU SERIOUS AMERICA???” We’re in for Gus Johnson having multiple heart attacks during the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Tournament. We’re in for college kids storming courts, and for the most insane season in all of sports to get rollin’.

As a Patriot fan, I have been accused of many things and called many names since 2001. The most common theme is that us Patriot fans do not have any perspective when it comes to evaluating the ability of our favorite team. Critics say that we blindly drink the Bill Belichick kool-aid without being objective. Excuse us, but the man does have three Super Bowl titles and the most wins of any franchise since 2001 (with 85. Indy is second with 83).

Nevertheless, the irony of such accusations is that these same people can’t see the forest for the trees when it comes to the Indianapolis Colts. Stories of the Colts demise is 1) funny and 2) obviously unobservant of the conditions with which they lost their last two games.

The first loss is to one of the best teams in history (there’s my unobjectiveness coming out). Whether you think the Patriots could go 19-0 or are just a bunch of bullies waiting to get punched in the mouth, there’s little you can extrapolate about a team losing to them by just four points. The Colts played the Patriots tougher than anyone else all season, by a wide margin. That’s saying something.

Certainly very few people were condemning the Colts after losing to the Patriots. All the talk was about how the AFC Championship will simply be in Foxboro as a result of the game. The Colts then had the nerve to lose to San Diego, in San Diego. The same team who went 14-2 last year and brought every major piece of their team back (except for their head coach. That’s a whole other article). Oh yea, this game was in the pouring rain. And they were missing Harrison, Clark, and a number of other starters. Six interceptions later, the Steelers are hosting the divisional playoff game and beating the mighty Colts.

Darren Sproles jukes Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinateri en route to a 1st quarter touchdown return. A fitting beginning to a tough day for Vinateri.

Easy now. Remember that part about perspective? Patriots fans know about playing short handed. Missing more than a handful of starters. Playing with a D-1AA receiving core. It sucks, but it’s not representative of your team. Patriots fans know that the team we played in Week 9 and the team that lost to the Chargers is not the same team that’s going to show up in January.

Maybe I see too many roses when I watch the Patriots. But, I also know that the rain clouds around the Colts were only in San Diego.