Happy Hour!

We haven’t filmed one in just about a year, but this week’s addition of Happy Hour features our annual baseball preview. Feel free to agree – or disagree – and let us know!

The Price You Pay

At Winter Meetings

by Zach Speers

It’s been a little over a month since the Yankees won their 27^th World Series but baseball isn’t sleeping. Although most of the talk on ESPN is now about basketball and Tiger Woods’ personal life, Major League Baseball has just finished up its winter meetings. All the teams come together to discuss and rule changes as well as talk with each other over offers for players they are eager to get.

Last year’s winter meetings included big names like Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia. This year, however, this isn’t the case. Other than Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays, who are asking way too much for him, there are no big name players up for grabs. Interestingly enough the only teams to make any significant moves so far have been the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Yankees were in desperate need of a bona fide centerfielder. Nick Swisher has talent but when his bat cools off he’s just dead weight. The Yankees recently signed Curtis Granderson in a three-way deal involving the Tigers and Arizona. Granderson is a more consistent hitter than Swisher and has a better career batting average which is exactly what the Yankees were looking for. Detroit, meanwhile, made out on the deal getting Phil Coke, Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth, all budding pitchers with talent. Arizona received Tigers right-hander Edwin Jackson and Yankees right-hander Ian Kennedy in the deal.

The Phillies knew they needed solid pitching from their bullpen and that’s what they are looking for from the winter meetings. Although no deal was made they still have time and could go after Halladay if the Blue Jays lower their asking price. Meanwhile, they declined the option on Pedro Feliz and instead signed Placido Polanco. Feliz had a solid glove at 3^rd but his bat wasn’t always there. In Polanco the Phillies have a career .300 hitter that can hit at the top of the lineup and breakup the lefty trio of Utley, Howard, and Ibanez.

Other teams that have been making some noise at the meetings have included the Texas Rangers, who are in talks with the Florida Marlins for pitcher Josh Johnson, and the White Sox who are invested in trying to get Matsui away from the Yankees. Over the next few weeks things could get interesting with teams working on 3 and even 4-way trades and as always keep an eye on Halladay. If his asking price drops you could see a battle royale between teams such as the Phillies and Angels.

Bad, bad Rick Reilly

Parade Concept is Old, Experience is New

by Matt Shanley

I idolize Rick Reilly. I, Matt Shanley, as an aspiring sports journalist, worship the works of Reilly. He’s the man who once wrote the most-read portion of Sports Illustrated. He’s that guy with his own monologues on Sportscenter. But now, for the first time in my twenty years, I disagree with him.

In the “Too Short for a Column” portion of his “Go Fish” blog on ESPN.com, Mr. Reilly wrote the following:
“Oh — and the next Yankees fan who looks to the heavens and sighs happily, “It’s been nine long years!” gets tied to the front of the 4 train and run into a wall. Nine years? Nine years is a cigarette break to most teams in MLB. There are people in swine flu lines longer than nine years. I hope your parade takes a wrong turn off the pier.”

Now, it’s no secret that I’m a fan of the New York Yankees. I was born to don the pinstripes. I’ve applauded the Bronx Bombers year in and year out, and I’ve supported the likes of players such as Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, and Scott Brosius. I’ve even unwillingly cheered names like Bubba Crosby, Hideki Irabu, and Tanyon Sturtz. The point is that Yankees fans deserve to rejoice this particular title just as much as, or possibly even more so, than the last 26.

For starters, it’s no secret that this is an aging Yankees franchise. This may have very-well been the last title for guys such as Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, or even – GASP – Derek Jeter. Who knows what the future holds?
There are plenty of question marks surrounding the team at hand. Outfielder Johnny Damon and World Series MVP Hideki Matsui are both free agents this winter. It is very unlikely that the team signs both of them, or even one of them. Damon signed for big dollars in 2004 after a storied career in Boston. There was almost a sense of satisfaction seeing the former “Idiot” help his former rival win a championship. Matsui has been a loyal Yankee since ’01. Throughout his tenure in pinstripes, he has been known as reliable, powerful, and even clutch. He deserved this ring.

Last but not least, whether you love him or hate him, Alex Rodriguez needed this championship. He needed this postseason. He needed to get the King Kong-sized monkey off of his back. Regardless of any past allegations, he is now a surefire hall-of-famer in most people’s eyes. Yankee fans can only hope his interviews will be slightly less awkward now that he can finally be viewed as a winner.

So the parade last Friday wasn’t just a “one-in-twenty seven” thing, Mr. Reilly. It had several meanings to several players. It had a special significance to some of the game’s most special fans. The New York Yankees have every right to celebrate this world championship, and celebrate they will.

Searching For Meaning…

All Time: Five Games That Meant More Than Just Sports

We were so inspired by the ESPY’s last night and their presentation to Nelson Mandela that we decided to make our inaugural “All Time” list about moments in sports history that meant more than just a win or a loss. These are games that changed history, changed attitudes, and changed life as we know it.

5. The Game After Pelle Lindburgh’s Death:

In the Philadelphia area, there are plenty of games that meant a lot, but when the Flyers took to the ice after their star player was killed in a car accident, everything in the city stopped. The NHL’s top young goalie was killed in a crash after he was killed in a car accident in 1985. Before that moment, the Flyers were playing strong and could have perhaps brought the city another Stanley Cup in that season. The first game back on the ice was a Stanley Cup Finals rematch with Edmonton, and the Flyers stuck it out to win with three incredible third period goals. They went on to win three more games, but the hockey world knows that if Lindburgh had survived, the record books would never have been the same.

4. Jesse Owens Wins In Berlin:

Because of the sheer amount of publicity that the Olympics get, the world’s issues tend to take center stage. In 1936, a Hitler-led Germany hosted the Games, and it was clear Hitler had one message: the white, Aryan race was supreme in his land. Long before the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement, Jesse Owens was tackling that idea on the track. Owens scored one for black athletes, and for democracy, by winning four gold medals, beating the German athletes that were supposed to sweep those categories. He was also the first black athlete to be endorsed by a major company when he signed with Adidas to wear their shoes.

3. Yankees Play After 9/11

September 11, 2001 is a day that will live forever in our minds. The pictures, videos, and news clips have been documented and the efforts to build a memorial are on going. Every year on that date, Americans everywhere pause to remember the horror of watching over 2700 of our brothers and sisters die in the most horrible ways. The Yankees were New York’s team that year, getting all the way to the World Series, but the healing began on September 25^th, the first game back to New York after the attack. With the entire world watching, the Yankees went onto a field and began to help their fans cope. They lost the game 4-0, but the sheer fact that they went out to do their jobs showed Americans that it was alright to heal.

2. The 1980 “Miracle” Game

“Do you believe in miracles? YES!” Those words will always be remembered as the words that made Al Michaels a household name, but the game between the United States and Russia meant way more than just a big upset. With the Cold War on the brink of erupting, and predictions of World War III looming over both countries, the countries met on the ice in Lake Placid. While the US was in no way a dream team, their ability to overcome differences and solidify themselves as a team showed the world exactly what America was all about. They beat the Russians, and Finland to win the gold medal, a surprising feat for a team that many people wrote off. Their victory was seen as symbolic, and in the next ten years the Soviet Union collapsed in on itself, just like the team did that day on the ice in New York.

1. Nelson Mandela’s Rugby Championship

ESPN’s wonderful piece last night on the game that brought two radically different sets of people together says it all. In one of the most brilliant political moves, Mandela rallied for the Rugby World Cup to come to South Africa. Rugby, at that time, symbolized white power in the South, and the hate that grew between white and black people in Africa. Mandela used the national team, the Springboks, to unite his country. As they won game after game, fans of every color filtered into the stadium to support their country. People who were shooting at each other just weeks before were holding hands chanting for their team. The Springboks won the championship against rival New Zealand, and within a year, the segregation and apartheid was on it’s way to an end.

— Corianne Egan

The Yankees and the Red Sox are…

…Lopsided?

By Corianne Egan

162 games in the Major League season, but to Red Sox and Yankees fans, only 18 really matter.

Eighteen games, spread over a long six months, connecting the dots of the long summer season… eighteen games that often mean more than just bragging rights, matching up two of baseball’s most powerful teams in a hundred-year-old rivalry. While, historically, these series are long, strenuous, season-long battles and are often split even, 2009 has been a completely different animal.

The Red Sox have swept the Yankees in three of the first series’, leading to an unprecedented 8-0 record against the boys in blue. They’ve outscored the Yanks 55-31, with four of the five Sox starters getting at least one win.

That’s not to say these games have been one sided. Three of them have been decided by one run, showing clutch closer Jonathan Papelbon is in true rivalry form. Mariano Rivera, however, hasn’t been a factor. In  his only appearance, the former Red-Sox-killer gave up two runs to tie the game before he was pulled. Joe Girardi hasn’t used Rivera against Boston since.

What’s even better than all of that? Alex Rodriguez is 1-9.

The most exciting of the eight wins came in late April, when a rough start for ace Josh Becket translated into the a six run hole for Boston by only the fourth inning. Six Mike Lowell RBIs later (including a homer that gave the Sox the lead for good) and a Jason Varitek grand slam later, the Red Soc were on their way to a 16-11 victory. It took six pitchers three innings to stop the bleeding and end the game.

Last night’s game was equally as nail-biting. Down by two, Boston staged a seventh inning comeback to win 4-3. It was the third come-from-behind win for the Red Sox in the season series.

It’s June, and by all standards, the season series isn’t close to over. But Boston’s dominance is turning  heads. It is, in fact, the first time in 76 years the Sox have won as many to open a season.

For the Red Sox Nation, this is enough to quiet their rivals to the south. For the team, it’s good enough for a two game cushion for first place.

You just never know…

Why Sports Are Needed in Today’s Society

by Matt Shanley

 

I was sitting comfortably in my bedroom tonight.

The New York Yankees were fighting for a lead against the Red Sox in the top of the seventh inning at Fenway Park in Boston.  Alex Rodriguez BLASTED a two-RBI double off of the “Green Monster” in left field to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead, and what looked like their first win against the Sox since last September.

CC Sabathia was pitching a gem for the Bombers, and it seemed as though nothing would go the way of the Sawks.  So I left.  I went to my friend’s.  We played video games.  We went outside and smacked a few balls around.  We did nothing that concerned the New York Yankees.  And then it came.

I recieved a text.

“Sorry about the Yankees.”

Really?  Sorry that the Yankees took so long to defeat their nemesis of ninety-plus years?  Sorry that the Yankees are going to have momentum going into their series with the Mets this weekend?  Oh.  Sorry that the Yankees lost in the bottom of the ninth inning.  Yeah.  Sorry about the Yankees.

Because this, losing to the Red Sox, that is, has become such a routine occurence for Yankee fans as of late, I shut my phone without a care in the world, and said to my friend, “Game four is on tonight.”

We went to a nearby bar, ordered a plate of nachos, and watched as the Orlando Magic found their stride against the Los Angeles Lakers for the second consecutive game.  Shot after shot, rebound after rebound, Kobe snarl after Kobe snarl, the Magic were hot, and few things can stop a shooter when he’s hot, let alone three (Turkoglu, Lewis, Pietrus) of them.  The young team had an upbeat demeanor about them, and with a three point advantage, 4.6 on the clock, and their understood leader, Dwight Howard, at the foul line, the series was destined to be tied at two games apiece.  So we paid the tab and left.

My friend dropped me off at my house, and I took my time in finding my way to my bedroom.  I searched the fridge and, thinking that I had a chance, I attempted to answer the life mystery of “What flavor Gatorade do I want right now?”  (I chose lemon-lime, although I’m still second-guessing myself.)  Regardless, I changed out of my clothes, grabbed two Tylonol PM’s and headed straight for the computer.  After a quick rundown of Yahoo! and Facebook, I finally went to ESPN.com.

“Fisher King.”

Seriously?  What could have possibly happened in 4.6 seconds?  Well apparently, that’s plenty of time for Howard to miss both free throws and veteran Laker Derek Fisher to nail a desperation three pointer to force overtime. Above all else, it’s enough time for Kobe Bryant, the one athlete I HATE to see win, come within a game of his first Shaq Daddy-less NBA title.

See what happens when you assume?  Yeah, yeah.  You make an expletive out of you and me, but more importantly, you miss out.

There’s no telling what sports can bring.  That’s the beauty of it.  You can take the same classes day after day knowing what assignments will come with it.  You can work the same monotonous job for fifty years and have your life feel like you’re stuck in Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.  You can have the same car, the same woman, and the same LIFE every day, but with sports, you can sit down, grab a beer, sigh, and say “I have no idea what is going to happen tonight.”

That’s why we need sports.  We need to hate athletes and teams just as much as we need to love them, because no good can come out of openly hating someone you actually know.  As I said earlier in this post, if I were to create a list of the five things I hate most in the world, watching Kobe Bryant win would easily crack the top three.  That’d without a doubt be joined by Kevin Youkilis’ batting stance and listening to Philadelphia sports media.  Three of my top five undying hatreds come from sports.

And, you know what?  If I was to make a list of top five childhood memories, I bet some form of sport would be involved in four out of the five items.  Same goes for a list of moments I’ve gotten the chills, or a list including the five people I would most like to invite to dinner.  People live vicariously through sports.  We need to.

Because you just never know.