Ya Gotta Believe

Is there a crisis of faith in sports today? It seems that almost everyday we are hit with new allegations of wrong doing by athletes and even officials. Has sports, which used to be viewed as a distraction to day to day problems, simply become another one of the things in life which we all view with a somewhat jaundiced eye? The NBA last week revealed that one of their referee's was under investigation by the FBI for allegedly trying to influence the outcome of games that he was officiating. The NFL has the Michael Vick-Dog fighting scandal to deal with. Major League Baseball has the ongoing tainted Barry Bonds home run record chase to handle and the recently completed Tour de France saw the leader of the race actually disqualified for failing a drug test.

All of these problems come at a time when sports are more frequently coming under increasing scrutiny. The days of viewing athletes and the games they play as simple distractions are in the past. Athletes have always looked for ways to find an edge against their competition. Whether it was Gaylord Perry allegedly doctoring baseballs or baserunners sharpening their spikes or cornerbacks applying various sticky substances to their hands or NHL sharpshooters applying a little more curve to their stick, athletes have always looked for a way to better their chances at success. These were all seen as fairly harmless by the general public. Gaylord Perry even made light of his transgressions in his book called, "Me and My Spitter". The issues of today make those actions seem frivolous.

While there were gambling scandals in the past (specifically in the NFL and NCAA), I think the single event that led to the end of the "age of innocence" in sports was the Ben Johnson steroids scandal at the 1988 Olympics. That event was met with absolute shock and disbelief by most sports fans. The Olympics were the last bastion of "amateurism" (even though most of the top athletes were well paid by through endorsement contracts and appearance fees) and was still viewed by most as just athletes competing for the glory of the sport. The fact that even something perceived to be as pure as the Olympics could be would change that view. Of course during the Cold war period the "Soviet Bloc" countries were often suspected of using drugs to enhance the performance of their athletes (After the fall of the Soviet Union, a few scientists came forward and admitted that they had given their athletes steroids during the 70's).

Now it seems almost a daily occurrence to hear of some transgression by an athlete. A lot of that has to do with the increased coverage of athletes. There are many stories of alcoholism and spouse abuse that were simply not reported in previous decades. Reporters mainly stuck to covering athletes on the field and felt that their off the field activities were private. Can you imagine what kind of scandals Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle would have been subjected to if they were followed as today's athletes are? Today there are no such boundaries. The press feels justified in reporting on illegitimate children or late night trips to strip clubs or marriage infidelities or drinking problems or divorces or porn collections. It seems there is almost nothing that is considered off limits for the press.

The press had played a big part in removing athletes from the mantle that they once stood on, but the biggest culprit in this seed change has been the athletes themselves. Once upon a time, athletes were just working stiffs like the rest of us. Up until the 70's most professional athletes, had jobs in the offseason. They were well paid, but it certainly wasn't anywhere close to the kind of money today's athletes see. Today's athlete not only has vast wealth, but they were also brought up to believe that they were special and not really subject to the rules and regulations that the rest of us have to live by. Teachers, school officials, friends, parents, hangers on and society in general are all willing to mostly turn a blind eye to wrong doing by a young gifted athlete. Rules are bent and sometimes broken in order to accommodate an athlete. Combine a sense of entitlement with a seemingly unlimited bankroll and you get a person who doesn't think that they have to live by the same rules as the rest of society.

You may ask why an athlete as famous and as rich as Michael Vick would allegedly be a major player in a barbaric activity such as dog fighting? The simple answer is because he can. Professional Sports in America have become a multi billion dollar industry. The people who are paid to play are just part of a huge money making machine. The people who make their living off of sports are no different than the businessmen who make their living on Wall street. People who make their living dealing in money have a well earned reputation as sharks. Most of them play within the boundaries of the law, but there are a certain percentage who will do anything to beat the guy next to them. Sports are even more competitive because an athlete has a very limited amount of time to make their money. If the Wall Street crowd only had an average of five years to make as much as they could, it would be a blood bath down there. The notion of a dog-eat-dog world is taken to an extreme when it comes to athletes. The "work hard, play hard" moto can be a dangerous one in the wrong hands.

So are athletes any worse today than they were in the past? Well, the sports world has been populated by racists, murderers, rapists, wife beaters, alcoholics, dead beat dads, gamblers, cheaters, etc, for years. I don't believe that today's athletes are any worse than those that came before them. I do believe that the coverage of athletes has increased to a point where they now have to answer for on and off the field problems. Was Pete Rose any worse than Hal Chase? Was Sammy Sosa any worse than Gaylord Perry? Gambling is gambling and cheating is cheating. Michael Vick is the new poster boy for all that is wrong with sports today, but is he any worse than any of the other thousands of people who are involved in animal cruelty? Is he any worse than an avowed racist like Kenesaw Mountain Landis who was the commissioner of baseball? Is he worse than the NFL players who were suspended in the 60's for betting on the game? Is he any worse than the hundreds of players who beat their wives or slapped their kids? Is he any worse than the thousands of athletes who have cheated or lied to get ahead? Is he?

Sports has always been a fairly accurate reflection of society. And just as in the real world, there are saints and there are sinners. Sports and the people who play them haven't really changed much over the decades. What has changed is our perception of them. We are now just much more aware of the sinners than we have ever been before.

The Once and Future King

Alex Rodriquez currently sits one home run away from joining the elite club of players who have hit 500 in their career. Jimmy Foxx currently holds the record for being the youngest to get to 500 home runs, but Arod will shatter that mark by almost 11 months (he was also the youngest to 400 home runs). All the talk this week has been about Barry Bonds and his impending replacement of Hank Aaron at the top of the home run list, but even Barry has said on various occasions that he's just holding the spot for Arod. The press has often mentioned the on his current pace, Arod will become the all time home run king by the time he retires. Of course a lot can happen between home run #500 and home run #800.

Before the start of the century it was Ken Griffey Jr. who was most often mentioned as the heir apparent to Aaron on the all time home run list, but injuries derailed his march to the top. Griffey was the previous youngest to 400 home runs but he has had a string of injuries that have slowed his progress significantly. He currently stands at 588 home runs and given his age (37) and his history of injuries, it seems unlikely that he will reach Aaron, much less Bonds, by the time he retires. Of course it could be pointed out that this is the age when Bonds turned into the second coming of Babe Ruth (from the ages of 35-38, he averaged 52 home runs a year). Griffey averaged 50 home runs a year for the four years leading up to his 30th birthday. From the ages of 31-34 he averaged only 16 home runs a year. He seemed to be constantly on the disabled list during those years. Without those injuries he would perhaps be 100 home runs further along and in prime position to challenge for the record. However, barring a Bonds like renaissance (nudge, nudge, wink, wink), it seems that Griffey will not end up as the all time home run king.

The problem with career projections is that they do not take things like injuries into consideration. When Arod was a free agent, his agent sent along a package to his perspective suitors that included a career projection in which Arod ended up with over 800 home runs. It all looks good on paper, but baseball is not played on paper or in a computer simulation. We have already seen the effects of the pressure of playing in New York take their toll on Arod. If he were to have a significant injury, his march toward the record could be slowed considerably.

I have already stated enough times on this blog that my feelings toward Bonds are less than positive, but he will, in fact be the all-time home run leader in a few days. I can't say that I'll be happy about it but it is inevitable. And while a lot of fans around baseball may look to Arod as their hope that the record will soon be reclaimed by a "clean" player, they should beware of thinking of it as a foregone conclusion. Just remember that 300 home runs is a lot of balls flying out of the park. Only 114 hitters in the history of the game have managed to reach that total (Roger Maris, the former single season record holder ended his career with 275, Bernie Williams ended his career with 287, David Ortiz has 247). Even at his current rate, it will still take Arod over seven seasons to get there. Seven seasons ago, it seemed a cinch that Griffey would be the one chasing Aaron today. Clearly that is not the case.

Bombs Away!

The Yankees put on a offensive show for the ages over the weekend against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They put up 45 runs over three games. In the last two that had back to back 20 hit games for the first time in Yankees history. They were clicking on all cylinders as every starter had at least one hit, drove in at least one run and scored at least one. Shelley Duncan is doing his best Shane Spencer impersonation and Arod continued his march towards 500 home runs. It was the kind of offensive show that the Yankees were supposed to be capable of coming out of spring training. The injury to Jason Giambi and the subpar performances of Cano, Matsui, Damon and Abreu had led to the offense being inconsistent at best. Arod, Posada and Jeter had carry the load for the first three months of the season and the Yankees record was a result of that. Damon still isn't doing much but with Cano pushing his average over .290 and Matsui's recent power surge, the offense is starting produce like a well oiled machine.

The Yankees currently sit 7.5 games behind the Red Sox in the east. The Sox started out the season 35-15 and have been at .500 since then. They had the opportunity to bury the Yankees but did not take advantage. They still currently posses the largest divisional lead in all of baseball so there is no real reason for panic in Red Sox nation, but they have given the Yankees and their fans some reason for hope. The Yankees currently have about a 9% chance of winning the division. In fact, if the Sox were to play .600 ball or something close to that, the Yankees would have absolutely no shot of winning the division. As it stands now, the Yankees have to play close to .700 ball just to have a shot at winning 95 games, which is about what it has taken on average to win the AL east.

The Yankees have painted themselves into a very tight corner. They cannot afford a streak, of any length, of poor play. If they were to lose seven out of ten at any point over the next two months, their playoff chances will be finished. Are they capable of a three month streak of excellence? The short answer is yes, but the odds, much like their playoff chances, are very slim. It's still fun to watch Arod put up a season for the ages, but in the Bronx, the only thing that matters is winning. A team with a $200 million payroll isn't supposed to flounder for half the season as they have done. While the pitching injuries have been many, the rest of league isn't exactly crying over the Yankees misfortune. The Yankees still have the talent and desire to get back to the playoffs, but everything, and I mean everything, has to go their way from here on out. They need every bad hop, blown call, misjudged fly ball and act of God to go their way. That along with excellent, consistent play will give them a chance (just a chance) to make the playoffs. Beating the hell out of Tampa Bay is nice, but they've got a long hard road ahead of them if they are to make the post season for the 13th straight year.

Playing the Wrong Card

Gary Sheffield made statements recently in which he accused Joe Torre of treating black players different from white players. He said that black players were singled out in team meetings while white players were spoken to in private. He also said that Kenny Lofton would back up his claims. Lofton was quick to add that Sheffield "knew what he was talking about". I have no personal knowledge of these claims, but based on Torre's long tenure in baseball (40 years), It seems that if this were actually the case, this sort of accusation would have come up before. And Kenny Lofton, who was brought to the Yankees against the wishes of Joe Torre, is probably not the best person to ask. Lofton was benched by Torre in favor of Bernie Williams and I'm sure that he hasn't forgotten that. Daryl Strawberry has had nothing but good things to say about Torre and Willie Randolph, who was Joe's long time coach with the Yankees before becoming manager of the Mets, has also come out in support of Torre.

Gary Sheffield has had a problem with almost every team he has played with. For some reason he plays with a huge chip on his shoulder. He is always on the lookout for the next perceived slight that might come his way. Gary Sheffield has been traded five times in his career and for a player who is now approaching 500 home runs and is building a very credible Hall of Fame case, that seems an inordinate amount. He was traded by his first team at 22 years old even though he had been touted as one of the best hitting prospects in all of baseball. His second team traded him at the age of 24 in the season after he made a run at the triple crown and finished 3rd in the MVP voting. The Dodgers, his fifth team, traded him after a season in which he hit 39 home runs, drove in 132 and again finished 3rd in the MVP voting. Sheffield will tell you that the problem isn't with him, but with the teams that traded him. But there is a very clear pattern. Sheffield gets to a new team, bad mouths his previous team (he claimed the Dodgers were racists when they wouldn't sign him to a contract extension in 2001), and says how wonderful his new team is. In a couple of years, his new team trades and he starts the cycle all over again. He has bent over backwards to praise the Tigers manager, Jim Leyland (who was his manager at one of his previous stops), and once again he has decided to bash his old team.

Accusing an individual of being a racist is a very powerful thing in America today. At a time when political correctness abounds (I have my own thoughts about that, but that is an article for another day and another place), even an unproven accusation of racism can haunt an individual forever. I don't know Joe Torre, but my general sense of the man tells me that he is not a racist. The Hall of Fame right hander Bob Gibson came to Torre's defense recently. He and Torre were teammates for six years with the Cardinals in the 60's and 70's. He stated simply that Torre is one of the best friends that he's ever had in his life. I am more willing to take the word of someone such as Gibson, who grew up in the face of segregation, when he vouches for the character of Joe Torre. I'm sure in Gary's mind Torre did treat him differently when he was with the Yankees. I'm sure he's felt mistreated wherever he has been. I'm not sure why that is, but hopefully the approximately $180 million that he will leave baseball with will make up for that somehow. I'm not sure that there's enough money to make up for the potential damage that he's done to Joe Torre's image with a few thoughtless words.

Waiting Game

The Yankees changed their position of not negotiating with players during the season as they looked to ink Alex Rodriquez to a contract extension. Before the start of the season, the Yankees stated publicly that they would not negotiate with players during the season, but would wait until after the season to decide what the needs of the team where and whether it made sense to resign the players. Both Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada can be free agents at the end of the season. The Yankees position on Arod was that he was already under contract so there was no reason to even discuss negotiating even though they were well aware of the opt out clause in his contract.

Arod is currently in the midst of what may very well turn out to be his finest season. In fact, if he continues at his current pace, he will finish with numbers that haven't been seen in the bronx since the days of the M&M boys in 1961 (Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris both made runs at the single season home run record that year with Mantle ending up at 54 and Roger breaking the record with 61) . It is very clear that Arod is going to opt out of his contract at the end of year. He would be 35 at the end of his current contract and a 32 year old free agent is a much more attractive target. Although he is currently the highest paid athlete in the history of North American sports, he will be in line for an even bigger contract at the end of the season. His agent, the reviled (by management) Scott boras, has already stated that Arod will be paid over $30 million a season in the last two years of his current contract and so it seems certain that the bidding for Arod's services will start somewhere in that neighborhood.

Arod certainly hasn't been treated particularly well during his time in New York. The fans and the press have been particularly hard on him. He changed positions when he came to the Yankees and while he struggled in '06, his defense for the most part has bordered on spectacular. He was seemingly never given credit for having made that concession in order to play here. He currently sits one home run away from the record for most home runs hit by a shortstop. I'm not sure that he is overly concerned with it, but I'm sure the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox or Angels would be happy to have him man that position for them. There are very few clubs that are in a financial position to sign Arod, but the the four or five clubs that are, will put on the full court press in order to get him on their side.

The Yankees will have 10 days after the end of the World Series to have exclusive negotiating rights with Arod. They are still in the best position to sign Arod to a contract. The Yankees will look to sign him to an extension because if he plays under his current deal for the next three years, the Texas Rangers would be on the hook for a significant portion of $81 million that would be remaining on his contract at the end of this year. Given his current position, Arod would probably be able to extract a 5 year extension in the neighborhood of $125- $150 million. That would bring his total baseball earnings to a staggering $400 million. Of course he could opt out of his deal and then look for an 8 year contract in the $240 million range. At this point, the ball is totally in Arod's court. He has reestablished himself as the best player in baseball and he is clearly the most indispensable player in the Yankees lineup.

I'm not really sure what Arod is going to do. He has of course stated publicly that he wants to stay in New York, but he couldn't really say anything else without incurring the wrath of the fans and the media. His legacy would certainly be cemented if he were to win a World Series or two in the Bronx. There would be a plaque in monument park, a retired number hanging on the wall, he would go in to the hall of fame wearing a Yankees cap and he would forever be linked to the Yankee greats of the past. I have no idea if this means anything at all to him though. The prospects of a new start might be more appealing to him. If he signed with the Angels, the press would be too busy following the hijinks's of Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton to worry about what strip club Arod was visiting or what woman he was seen with. Signing with the Red Sox would put him in another baseball obsessed town, but he could be a constant thorn in the side of the Yankees. Even signing with the Mets might be an option if he really wanted to get back at the Yankees.

The bottom line is that this was a major blunder by the Yankees front office. While Arod said before the season that he was not planning to opt out of his contract, you, me and the American people all knew that he would. The Yankees were under some sort of group self delusion that Arod wouldn't at least test the free agent waters at the end of the season. I don't know if they could have gotten an extension done in the pre-season, but at least they could have gotten the wheels in motion. Perhaps they were hoping that Arod would have a sub par year and would decide to honor his contract. That mistake is about to cost the team a lot of money. They have been down this road before however. When Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra were the hot young shortstops in the American League, Nomar signed a 4 year deal that paid him an average of about $10 million a year. The Yankees should have followed suit with Jeter, but instead went the arbitration route with him every year until they had to sign him to a contract. By waiting two extra years, they were forced to give him a contract that averaged $20 million a year. They were shortsighted then and they are now. They have the money to get it done, but it remains to be seen whether Arod has the will to get it done.

And That's The Way It Is

Dan Patrick announced recently that he is leaving ESPN. Now I'm not sure if this is really a sports story, but I felt like I had to say a few words about the end of the "Patrick era" at ESPN. He became the lead anchor of Sportscenter in 1989, which was just about the time that ESPN became my number one destination on my TV dial. To me, Dan Patrick was Sportscenter, so it feels a little like Walter Cronkite leaving the evening news.

Dan gave us the sports news in a very understated manner. He didn't go in for the screaming over the top hyperbole that many of his contemporaries seemed to favor. Where others would scream, Dan would whisper. His home run call was a simple, "gone", and the only catch phrase that he used was his "en fuego" reference to basketball players on a roll. Dan always let the sports do the entertaining. He never fell into the trap that anchors such as Chris Berman and Stuart Scott have. They seem to have forgotten that the teams and the players are the reason that people tune in. If I never hear another home run call by Berman, I'll be a happy man.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of having lunch with Dan and few of the other ESPN personalities at a family style Italian restaurant. While I won't mention names (Sean Salisbury, Rob Dibble), it was pretty fair to say that Dan was the most dignified and friendly of the group. He was, just as he appeared to be on Television. I don't really watch Sportscenter much anymore, but it was always a pleasure when I happened upon Dan Patrick sitting in the anchor's chair. He still remained a breath of fresh air on a network filled with ex-jocks and indistinguishable talking heads.

Sportscenter is still an occasional destination for me, but it won't be the same for me knowing that Dan Patrick will not be returning. I guess after being a Sportscenter anchor for 17 years it is time for him to, as he put it, try something different. I wish him luck in whatever his next endeavour may be. It is sad to see him leave ESPN however. Quiet and understated are not really the things that they are looking for these days in Bristol. It may be a long time before we see his like again on that network.

Prediction

I read this story on ESPN the other day:

The Angels waived infielder-designated hitter Shea Hillenbrand on Monday, a disappointment for Los Angeles after signing him to a $6.5 million, one-year contract in December.

I can almost guarantee that he will be in a Yankee uniform before the end of the week. And remember you heard it here first.

Stars on Parade

The All-Star game was actually quite entertaining last night. While it's always fun to the see the greatest stars in baseball on the same field, it seldom makes for great games. Usually the games are dominated by pitching. Starting pitchers, who are used to pitching 6 or 7 innings are asked to go only one and therefore don't have to worry about conserving energy. Closers usually dominate for the one inning that they pitch in the regular season and they usually do the same in the All-Star game. This game was different as the closers gave up five of the nine total runs scored in the game. The game ended on a fly out with the bases loaded in a one run game after the NL had scored two runs off of the AL's best reliever in the first half of the season (J.J. Putz of Seattle).

The game started with a tribute to San Francisco's greatest player, Willie Mays. The reception he received, while it was quite warm, was nothing compared to the outpouring of emotion that accompanied Ted Williams as he made an appearance before the 1999 All-Star game in Boston. I'm sure they were trying to recapture the magic of that moment, but it was just not quite the same. The fans saved their biggest ovation for Barry Bonds who gave them a thrill when he drove a pitch to the base of the left field wall that was caught by Magglio Ordonez. Barry, who was quite vocal during the All-Star festivities about Bud Selig and the question of whether he will be at the park when Barry breaks the home run record, seemed to really savor the overwhelming support of his hometown fans.

Ichiro Suzuki won the MVP award after a 3 for 3 night that included the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history. Ichiro turned on the jets after his fly ball bounded away from Ken Griffey Jr. in right field. He made it home easily and scored standing up. His home run also gave the AL a lead which they would never relinquish. Ichiro is in the last year of his contract with Seattle and can test the free agent waters at the end of the season. There are reports, however that he has almost reached an agreement with Seattle that would pay him close to $100 million over the next five seasons. Personally, I think that's an awful lot of money for a singles hitter, but he is the "face" of baseball in Seattle and they really can't afford to lose him. In the past Seattle has traded future hall-of-famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson and allowed Alex Rodriquez to leave via free agency, rather than pay them fair market value. Given their current resurgence (they are only 2.5 games behind the Angels in the west), I don't think that their fans would have been too happy with the prospect of the club letting another potential hall-of-famer walk away.

Back the game itself, it was actually quite shocking to see the relievers fail as they did last night. The NL relievers gave up two home runs and the AL's best first half reliever also gave one up. It's not unprecedented however. In last year's game, Trevor Hoffman (the all time saves leader), gave up a game winning home run to Michael Young. And in 2003 Eric Gagne, who was in the midst of converting a still record 84 consecutive save chances, gave up a game winning home run to Hank Blalock. Poor performances in the All-Star game seldom have any real carry over though. I'm sure that the relievers will be back to being their old dominating selves starting tomorrow. Also, they are not usually forced to contend with an All-Star lineup every night.

This brings us to the interesting case of Atlee Hammaker. He was a 24 year old first time All-Star in 1983 when he faced Fred Lynn with the bases loaded. The National League had dominated the All-Star game over the previous 20 years. In fact the American League had only one victory (in 1971) since 1963. Hammaker came into the game with a 9-4 record and a 1.70 ERA. It appeared that he was just at the beginning of a very productive and perhaps exceptional career. All that changed with one pitch. He gave up the first and still to this day, the only grand slam in All-Star history (The AL has since gone 17-5 in All-Star play, including winning the last 10 in a row). And after that moment, he was never quite the same. He finished the season going 1-5 in his games after the All-Star game and never posted a winning record again (except for the following season when he went 2-0 in an injury shortened season). Now some will point to the arm injury that he suffered the following year as the reason that he failed to live up the potential that he showed in the first half of '83, but I'll forever be convinced that the grand slam that he gave up to Fred Lynn was the beginning of the end. He looked absolutely crushed after giving up that home run.

There are a couple of other examples of the All-Star game ruining careers but both of those instances involved injuries. Dizzy Dean had his toe broken by a line drive in the 1937 game. He tried to return too soon from the injury and changed his pitching motion and destroyed his arm. In the 1970 game Pete Rose ran into catcher Ray Fosse during a close play at home plate. Fosse suffered an undiagnosed separated shoulder and was never the same player again. I do enjoy the All-Star game, and for the most part, I think the players do to, but for me the first thing I always think of is the look on Atlee Hammaker's face after giving up that home run to Fred Lynn. Watching the game on TV: Free. Buying a ticket to All-Star game: $200. Watching someone have their hopes and dreams crushed right in front of your eyes: Priceless.

Much Adu About Nothing

David Beckham is set to make his MLS debut shortly for the LA Galaxy. The collective yawn you hear is from most of the sports fans in America. The MLS is trying to play this up for all it's worth, but the truth of the matter is that this is a bigger story in England that it is here. Beckham and his imaginary $250 million contract is supposed to be the savior of the league. He is single handedly supposed to push the league from a niche sport into the big time. I have my doubts about exactly how a past-his-prime midfielder with limited scoring skills is going to do that, but I'll leave that to the marketing geniuses at MLS.

The last time the MLS paid big money for a savior was when they threw a then record salary of $1 million a year to a 14 year old soccer prodigy from Ghana named Freddy Adu. Freddy has scored a total of 12 goals and has amassed only 18 assists in his 3 plus years in the MLS. While it is clear that Freddy has amazing skills (check out his goal he scored in the Under-20 World Cup, http://youtube.com/watch?v=-i0IZZ-yaUU), it's also clear that he's not really physically ready to compete against men twice his age. The MLS was so desperate for a gate attraction that they rushed him into the league before he was ready. Freddy made his MLS debut with DC United as a 15 year old, but after three seasons in the nations capital, he was traded before the current season began to Real Salt Lake (not exactly the high profile market that the leagues signature player should be toiling in) . Freddy has been nothing short of amazing in the age group games, but has yet to be a consistent threat at the major league level. He may very well become the first real MLS star, but he's still a developing player. There is some interest from Manchester United in England and it may be best for all parties involved if Freddy were allowed to play in one of the European youth leagues for a couple of years.

The MLS was shortsighted in it's handling of the Adu affair and they are probably being shortsighted in the case of David Beckham as well. I guess adding a matinee idol was deemed more important than adding a player who would actually make a real impact on the field. I'm sure that the MLS is thinking that adding Beckham will probably give them a chance to lure some of the other aging starts in Europe as well. And while that may sound good in theory, I have doubts about the long term survival of the league if they continue to throw big money contracts at these players. I'm sure that Ronaldo would not come over to the MLS without a contract equal to or greater than the one that Beckham signed. I'm not sure that the league would be able to support more than one of these mega contracts at a time. The Beckham contract is not worth the initially reported $50 million a year, but it is worth somewhere in the $5-10 million a year range. The league doesn't have revenue to support that kind of outlay. They are clearly banking on a huge return on this investment.

The MLS would be better served by developing it's younger talent in the same way that most of the top leagues in the world do and in the way that baseball does. A minor league that funnels talent to the big leagues would be an ideal way to bring along young players and also build up some interest in first year players. Of course this would involve a significant investment from the MLS ownership, but I think their money would be better spent on development as opposed to aging, overpaid "stars", that will have little impact on general sports fans. There's nothing Americans love more than seeing Americans doing well. The goal of the league should be to find and develop home grown talent. That's really the only way the sport is going to flourish long term.

Down the Backstretch

The All-Star game is almost upon us and as we hit the mid-way point of the MLB season, it's time for the annual review of my preseason picks. Here were my picks for the AL division winners:

Boston, Cleveland, Angels

Hey, so far so good. I'm batting 1.000 for the the AL. The Red Sox have a double digit lead and appear to be a lock to win the division. The Angels should win the west, but the Indians are in a dogfight with the Tigers for the division lead. In fact, they may not even be in the lead by the All-star game since they only hold a one game lead.

The NL picture isn't quite so rosy. My picks were:

Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers

Only the Brewers lead their division right now. The Dodgers are only one game out and have been in first for a good part of the season. The Phillies got off to a horrendous start and have only come back into the race because the Mets have faltered. They are currently 4-1/2 games out of first. It's certainly not inconceivable that they will overtake the Mets, but that remains to be seen.

My Wildcard picks were the Mets and the Yankees. The Mets are currently in first in the East and I'm not sure that either the Braves or the Phillies have enough to catch them. In theory they will get Pedro back in the second half and so they should get stronger over the final three months of the season. They Yankees have been an up and down team all year. They currently sit two games below .500 and 8-1/2 games out of the wildcard spot. Can they make up the difference? That remains to be seen. They were certainly counted out last year by a lot of pundits and they have the talent to make a run, but they haven't shown the consistency that would lead anyone to the conclusion that they will make up the deficit. I still have faith, even though my friend Robb Henick has been trying to give up on the team since April.

My picks for the AL Awards were Arod and Rich Harden. Arod has certainly done his part. He's on pace for close to 60 home runs and 150 rbi's along with a .330 average. In picking Rich Harden, I said that he had the best stuff in the league and he just had to stay healthy. Well, he may have the best stuff in the league (although I now think that King Felix probably does), but he hasn't stayed healthy. It's a shame really. It would be interesting to see what he could do in a full season.

In the NL I picked Albert Pujols and Roy Oswalt. Pujols got off to a very slow start but has turned it on of late. He isn't in a position to contend for MVP just yet, but I'm pretty sure that by the end of the season his numbers will be MVP worthy. Oswalt was just added to the All-Star team and has had a decent first half, but he'll have to turn it on to catch up to the Padres Chris Young and Jake Peavy and the Dodgers Brad Penny in the Cy Young race.

That's about it for the recap of my predictions. I'm looking forward to an exciting second half of the season. Hopefully the Yankees can make this an interesting summer and fall.

I also just wanted to say good luck to Craig as he heads down south to the paradise that is Chapel Hill. I'm sure the Doc will make it very comfortable for him. Say hi to Franklin Street for me.