CSI: Citi Field

Okay, we all know Omar Minaya shouldn't have said it, but what everyone is overlooking is that whether it was Minaya's intention or not, what he did to Adam Rubin was exactly what Rubin and the rest of the New York sports media does all the time. They stir up trouble. There's absolutely no denying it. It's their job, it's what they do, it's been going on for time immemorial and most fans eat it up like feeding time at the animal shelter. And as much as the media dishes it out, if you give it back to them they turn into whining crybabies, as their onslaught the day after can attest. They're mighty brave and courageous when they're hiding behind their keyboards, aren't they? That's why as ill-advised as Minaya's call-out was, I have no sympathy for Rubin.

Remember, Minya is not a stupid person. He's may not be the best public speaker, but he is one of the savvier GMs in the game. Chances are there's something to what he said. Rubin had been asking Minaya and Mets ownership for advice on getting into the baseball business for a while now. Was the fact that Rubin was reporting the Bernazard mess related to his inquiries? Only Rubin knows the answer and knowing how members of the media act, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he was "working."

It's not as if Tony Bernazard wasn't going to get canned at season's end anyway. His irrational behavior was an issue before he joined the Mets, and even without this fracas, Bernazard's term as vice president of player development has seen the Mets' Triple-A and Double-A minor league teams languishing in last place in their respective leagues this year, so it stands to reason that he was toast regardless.

Memo to Omar Minaya: No matter how right you may be, never tangle with people who buy their ink by the barrel.

Memo to any baseball franchise: You get what you deserve if you hire a beat writer straight out of the press room because you're asking for the same trouble.

Memo to Adam Rubin: Instead of abusing your credentials and leeching off Minaya and the Mets' owners and shortcutting your foot in the door via your media connections, you should smarten your ass up and contact the University of Michigan and enroll in their sports management course. But being of the media mentality, you'll never go that way and here's what's going to happen as a result: I know somebody who's taking that course and I'll bet house money that within ten years he'll be running the Mets and you'll still be a lowly beat writer asking him how to get into the business. And the loudest laughter you'll hear is from me because I'll be blasting your predicament all over the Internet - media style!!

See you then.

What If...

The general public opinion on Michael Vick is ongoing outrage.What kind of a deviate loves dogfighting? Vick is wired wrong. He's sick, he's twisted, he's off. It's almost beyond reprehensible. That said, doesn't this whole thing conjure O.J. Simpson more than a little? First of all, as a player, Simpson was parallel to Vick in that he put up great numbers but never got close to the Super Bowl. Now think of this: If the O.J. trial had played out exactly the same way at the height of his playing career, would his acquittal have meant no disciplinary action by the NFL commissioner? Would the Bills have cut him loose? And if they did, would other teams be interested in bringing him in? The way I see it, even with his acquittal, signing O.J. Simpson would have been P.R. suicide for any franchise. His career would have been over and out, and there would be nothing his agent, his lawyers, the players association or Jesse Jackson could do about it. On that basis, I believe that even if/when Michael Vick is reinstated and despite having served punishment that Simpson avoided, he will never play in the NFL again, nor should he. His sentence should be life in the rat race.
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...Wishful thinking, at best. Some idiot will sign him. These days, so much money and pressure is at stake in sports that they sign anyone no matter what.

"Steroids? No problem. Get us some wins now. We'll make ourselves look good and punish you later by denying you Hall of Fame membership."

"Arrested? Fear not. As soon as you get out, the job is yours."

"Can he hit the fastball? Throw for touchdowns? Hit the jumper? Sign him up! I don't care if he's on parole for rape. That guy can play! He's up on DWI-homicide charges? Drug possession? Weapons charges? So what? He's got talent! He'll put fannies in the seats! He can help us win!"

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That's precisely the sports mentality that allows athletes' behavior to fester and foment. Character doesn't matter. These guys make more money in a day then many of us see in a year but the rest of us are still held to a much higher standard by society, and yet, the fans who are held to this standard are still rooting for these players - as long as they play for their team. It's sickening. And the already substantial risk of the player flaming out and getting in trouble and costing his team (paging Plaxico Burress!) is only considered after the fact. As I've said before, the business of sports is driven by the same mentality that fuels gambling - except for when it comes to gambling itself.

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Even Pete Rose thinks the hypocrisy is criminal.

The Sports Media and Credibility

Sports fans are saps. At least most of them are. I'm not being snooty about it, I'm just pointing out an unmitigated fact that the sports media depends on. An equally obvious and related fact is that the sports media is as unreliable a source for facts as Pravda. Does the sports media give a damn? Of course not. The New York Post, the original poster parchment for making up headlines to sell a fishwrap, has been doing it for decades. Now, everyone in the sports media does it and the fans soak it all up like sponges.


I'd like to think that at least some of you don't like being lied to. Blatant sensationalism is the sports media's modus operandi. That the radio talking heads will say literally anything to get you to call in is bad enough, but when it comes to rumors - well, let's just call it extreme irresponsibility.You know the drill: Every day somebody reports about a rumor from "unnamed sources" (a term that has long since eroded into nothing more than a licence to lie). More than 90% of the time the rumor doesn't pan out, the person (or people) who originally reported the rumor never refer to it again, and the fan is left to get angry, call the local sports radio station and yell and scream along with the host(s) who, instead of being accountable for making up the story, is now prodding the listeners to whine the same tired, old, "this guy's gotta go!" "fire that guy" "trade this guy" "get rid of him!" "this guy sucks" "that guy's a joke" garbage as if any of us really know exactly what's transpiring behind the scenes.

Lesson One: None of us know. None of us! Not you, not me, not the sofa, and not the sports media.

Lesson Two: Yes, many reporters have inside connections and occasionally something good comes out of it, but considering how many rumors are stillborn, if somebody claims to have an inside track on some juicy information without an official party of some sort available to corroborate the info at hand, and if the story doesn't appear in any other market, refer to Lesson One.





Instead of lighting into everyone in sight after a another stupid rumor, fans should start sending the message to the right party: Call in and blister the sports media for manipulating you in the first place. They know that as long as there are so many weak-minded fans ready to eat up everything they say, they'll happily keep shoveling the manure in the fans' direction. And those fans will always accept it as gospel in the same method as those lazy-thinking followers of reality TV, televangelists, the National Enquirer, Entertainment Tonight, Jerry Springer, Jesse Jackson and Rush Limbaugh.

"The rumors are flying that Brett Favre can write the Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin!"

"Oh my God, it must be TRUE!!"





I remember two things the sports media did that offended me enough to take the only action I could: Drop them right in the grease.

1) Whenever a local team made it to the World Series the New York Post had a gimmick of having celebrity guest write a column during the Series. The Yankees were playing in 1977 and the Post had Joe DiMaggio reporting, which was fantastic. Who wouldn't want to know what one of the greatest players of all time had to say? It was a great coup for the Post, which, other than Dick Young, had an excellent sports section back then because it was packed with all kinds of information. But by 1986 the Post's sports section had been pared of most of it's statistical appeal, and when the Mets made it to the Series, the Post had the audacity to bring in George Steinbrenner, of all people, as their celebrity guest-writer. Why the hell would they believe that even the most casual Met fan would want to read what the owner of the Yankees has to say? If he was a respected individual, that would be one thing. But Steinbrenner is every single thing the media lives for, and he knows squat about the game on the field. It was a major-league slap in the face to every Met fan. In a bit of car-accident curiosity, I read a little of his first article, and it was more nauseating than I expected. I threw the paper in the garbage and swore off the Post forever.

2) In the middle of the 1996 NHL season, the Los Angeles Kings were trying to trade Wayne Gretzky and the scuttlebut was that the New York Rangers were interested. After a while the Rangers backed out, stating several reasons at the time. After their announcement, WFAN's Mike Francesa, in his typically arrogant, sing-song "I know something you don't know" tone of voice, suggested to his sidekick Chris " The Spayed Poodle" Russo that the Rangers were going to acquire Gretzky the next day. "I have a feeling something's gonna happen tomorrow."
Russo asked, "What do you mean, Mikey?"
Mikey said smugly, "Oh, I just have a feeling. You'll see." Russo went along with it because other than being the Jerry Lewis of sports radio, that's what he does best. Of course, the next day nothing happened. Gretzky was eventually traded to St. Louis and Francesa never said another word about it. What little respect I even thought I had for him vaporized right then and there.







I've taught myself how to get through at least some of these murky waters. First of all, I don't read the local media reports of how my teams do. Even in the best of times they always put a negative spin on everything. The local team can win a game by a huge margin, but the radio and the press is always, "Well, they did this wrong, and this player didn't do that right and somebody screwed this up and the coach made some bad decisions..." Shoulda, shoulda, shoulda. And if the team is going really well, count on somebody to stir up trouble to keep things "interesting." The problem is that's it's too easy for them to sit their fat butts behind the microphone or the keyboard and sound off as if they're some kind of Einsteins of sports. Sadly, a lot of the fans are just as bad, and many times far worse. It's abominable what they'll let on the airwaves. I'm far less offended by any profanity then I am of complete incompetence. If the sports media and their loyal subjects are really as knowledgeable as they want everyone to believe, then why don't they quit their jobs and apply for a general manager's position? A case can be made that if one of those know-it-all sports media hounds like GM-wannabe Adam Rubin were to actually take over a team, you'd instantly have a new Steinbrenner in town (without the billion$), and again, we all know about the Boss's total lack of baseball knowledge (The game. Not the money the Yankees use to buy everything they need). The media would have a field day with the new GM on the block, especially if he's a know-nothing loudmouth - be it a fan or a ex-scribe - and the fans would be screaming left and right about how great or bad he is... ...oh man, this is making me dizzy...






Anyway, my method of following my teams is simple: If I can't watch the game, I get my info from the box scores and the recaps. The rest I pick off the wire reports because they report the facts without a personal opinion. As for rumors, even in a national venue like Yahoo or USA Today, 99.9% of the time it's local. A rumor about the Mets or Yankees will be New York-based. Same for teams in every other city. However, if the rumor from one market is being reported in other markets, especially a market that has nothing to do with the story, then it could have some substance. Rumors are fun, but not if it's an abject, sleazy way to sell papers and get ratings at my expense. I don't like being lied to at any time, let alone day after week after month after year. That's why I stopped letting the media do my thinking for me. Sports fans think it's fun to bitch and moan about every single thing no matter what, but what they don't realize is that it's an insult to their own intelligence. Too many sports fans are not even intelligent enough to recognize it or they're just lazy. Or both. Those are the ones who are permanently ensnared in the sports media's web.







Just because the sports media is in print or on your TV and radio doesn't automatically mean that they know what they're talking about and, for the most part, they don't. Most of them are a bunch of pathetic, phony cartoon characters with no credibility. For whatever reasons, the stuffed suits in the network offices are obsessed with this type of loudmouthed style and as a result the airwaves are jammed with ex-athletes and amateurish excuses for talent all trying to make a name for themselves by seeing who can yell the loudest, be the most "outrageous," and gain the most notoriety and publicity no matter how stupid or dishonest they are. I recently came across one overnight radio host who obnoxiously claimed that anything in sports that took place before 1950 doesn't count. The "click" my radio made when I shut it off had more integrity than that load. There are a few exceptions who are really good at what they do - Jim Rome is one example - but otherwise all these newbies keep popping up like weeds and they all sound the same (which doesn't rhyme with "lame" for no reason here). They all have to have their unique "edge." Compounding the hysteria overload is the fact that many sports franchises around the country put their announcers under strict guidelines to openly root root root for the home team which makes any game virtually unlistenable. Right Mr. Sterling?

Olde School Solution: Winning (or at least making a sincere effort on and off the field) solves everything...unless your the Atlanta Braves playing in front of 15,000 empty seats in a playoff game, but that's another story for another time.









There's nothing wrong with emotion in sports media and fans. It's basically the name of the game. However, it's gotten way out of hand and it projects to get worse because integrity is going the way of the dodo because of all the yelling. I could never get a job as a TV/radio host or columnist because I prefer to use integrity, common sense, and (hang on to your jockstraps) the facts, instead of fiction, emotional outbursts and juvenile name-calling in a dopey attempt to prove how "tough" I am. In the sports media's eyes (and ears) the truth is boring and as they say, "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story." Why the hell not? That concept would be really controversial! Go ahead, sports media! Show some guts!

Yeah, right.

2009 First Half Award Winners

With the first half of the baseball season in the books it's time for the first half awards:

[All stats are through July 4th]

Americal League

MVP: Jason Bay, Boston.

His batting average is so-so, but his production has been top shelf and absolutely vital in light of Davis Ortiz's monumental struggles.

Runner up: Mark Teixeira, New York

Unlike Bay, who's been slugging from the start, Texeira didn't heat up until Alex Rodriguez returned.

Cy Young Award: Zack Greinke, Kansas City.

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He's been the proverbial

story of the year so far and hasn't slowed up much since his blazing start.

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Runner up: Roy Halladay, Toronto.

Greinke gets the nod, albeit barely, because of his ERA (2.00 - 2.56).

Rookie of the Half: Rick Porcello, Detroit.

On pace for 16 wins, and a big part of the Tigers success so far.

Runner up: Andrew Bailey, Oakland.

Only eight saves on a team going absolutely nowhere, but check these numbers: 47.1 innings: 57 Ks, 2.09 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a .173 opponents BA. A bright light in a dismal season for the A's.

Biggest Surprise: The Texas Rangers.

Damned if they're 12th in team batting. Damned if they're 10th in team pitching. Damned if they have a winning record and damned if they're battling for first place in the AL West. Baseball. Damndest game I ever saw.

Biggest disappointment: The Cleveland Indians.

They were supposed to take the next step this season, at least according to the "experts." Grady Sizemore is having a rotten year and the rest

of the team seems to have abandoned ship.

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Runner up: David Ortiz, Boston.

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He's picked it up a little, but his staggering dropoff has become one of the biggest mysteries in years.

National League

MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis.

He is, without any doubt now, the best hitter since Ted Williams and has entered the top ten all-time players list with a bullet. The early choice for the best player of the 21st Century. He'll be one hell of a tough act to top.

Runner up: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee.

With J.J Hardy and Cory Hart in the tank, Fielder has risen to the task by becoming a much more dangerous overall hitter and as a result, the Brewers are right in the mix.

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Cy Young Award: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco

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After a rough start, he's rounding into form and is the cornerstone of the Giants becoming a winning team for the first time in what seems like forever.

Runner up: Matt Cain, San Francisco.

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He and Lincecum are the best tandem in baseball right now.

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Rookie of the Half: Tommy

Hanson, Atlanta.

Late call-up was 4-0, 2.48 in his first five starts.

Runner up: Colby Rasmus, St. Louis.

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Holding up fairly well under the hype so far, mainly thanks to the giga-shadow of Pujols.

Biggest Surprise: The Los Angeles Dodgers.

They didn't lose a step without Manny which proves that either he's not that important or the entire sports universe owes Juan Pierre a major league apology.

Biggest Disappointment: Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles.

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The whole thing's almost as ridiculous as his friggin' hair.

Runner up: The Chicago Cubs.

The New York Mets have been laid to waste by injuries, but other than losing Aramis Ramirez, the Cubbies don't have many excuses for being a .500 team. The surprising lack of an explosion by Mt. Piniella to this point adds to disappointment at Wrigley.

Random Thoughts

The Time has Come: Recently, a member of the media (naturally) asked this pretty naive question, "Since when do the Red Sox own the Yankees?" I'll tell you since when: Since 2004, when the Red Sox came back from 0-3 to beat the Yankees in the ALCS and went on to end the Curse of the Bambino. Before the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees, Boston was a championship team and the Yankees/Highlanders were chronic losers. We all know how things went for the next 86 years. However, the '04 comeback/choke may have set the pattern for the next 86 years and beyond. That's how huge it was. Since the new "Curse of '04," the Red Sox and Yankees have switched identities and the slave has become the master.

GirlRam. Red Sox manager Terry Francona recently said on The Jim Rome Show that he's not sure what the deal was with Manny Ramirez and his use of PEDs and female fertility drugs before he was traded to L.A. [Female fertility drugs?! That's bad enough no matter what the alleged reasons are for using them ("ManRam?" Hah!!). But the apparent overall reaction of shrugs from all concerned and knowing Dodger fans will stand and cheer when Ramirez returns is proof that the apocolypse is in plain sight.] I believe Francona, mostly because Ramirez doesn't say much and anything he does say isn't worth hearing anyway. However, I'm thoroughly convinced that the Red Sox management knew all along that something wasn't kosher. How else do you explain the defending world champions trading away their best player and one of the best hitters of our time in the middle of a pennant race and even cancelling the remaining two options years on his contract to get the deal done? The last time something like that happened was on August 31 1992, when the first-place Oakland A's suddenly traded away their best player. That player was none other than Jose Canseco.

Gentlemen, Start Your Amplifiers: The trophy given to the winner of the annual NASCAR Federated Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race in Gladevill Tennessee is a brand new, custom-made, hand-painted Gibson Les Paul guitar. That's a pretty damn nice piece of machinery. After winning the race on Saturday, Kyle Busch capped his victory celebration by grabbing the guitar by the neck and smashing it onto the Victory Lane concrete three times before tossing it aside.

"It didn't break according to plan," Busch said. "We'll go back to the shop and cut it up into smooth pieces so everyone on the team can have one. Then I'm going to order two more for me and (crew chief) Jason Ratcliff."

Sam Bass, the longtime NASCAR artist who painted the Gibson guitar, said he was “stunned and heartbroken” to see his work destroyed. Even though Busch told Bass he “meant no disrespect” to anyone – the artist, Gibson or the track – Bass said Monday he’s struggled to accept the incident.

Okay, I'm not even going to try and figure this one out. It's Busch's trophy and he can do what he wants with it...I suppose. But in the future Mr. Busch, stick to auto racing and leave the guitar-smashing to Pete Townshend and the memory of Jimi Hendrix. After all, how would you like it if Jimmy Page took a $500,000 racing car and spun donuts in the winners circle at Daytona until the wheels caught fire, then cut the car up to share with his roadies and then bought two more for his bandmates? You'd be among the first ones to bitch about it.

Calling all Freuds. Former Orlando Magic Center Shaquille O'Neal used to be idolized by current Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, but all Howard has gotten from O'Neal in return are insults and disrespect. People are puzzled by this but the reason for O'Neal's behavior is actually quite understandable: At 37, Shaquille O'Neal is finally entering those rebellious years of puberty.

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Days of Whine and Roses. I'm so sick and tired of hearing everyone whining about the Mets lack of home runs. "Wahhh!! They don't hit enough homers! Wahhh!! Citi Field is too big!! Wahhhhhh!!" And it's not just Chipper Jones and his mourning the demise of Shea Stadium, his home-away-from-home. I'm talking about the lame-ass media and the fans that gobble up everything they say like barbecued kielbasa at a tailgate party. Anyone who buys into this garbage about the importance of home runs clearly doesn't get it and probably never will at this point. But read on anyway: In spite of the fact that the Mets are playing without their leadoff and cleanup hitters (Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado, who are among the best in the game at what they do), they're still right in the race. Carlos Beltran and David Wright are showing outstanding overall hitting prowess because even though they have a combined 12 homers to date, they're hitting well over .300 and are both on pace for their usual 100+ RBI seasons.

As of June 10th, the Mets are:
- Third in baseball in team batting (.279)

- First in on-base-percentage (.361)

- Tied for second in triples (16)

- Third in stolen bases (59)

- 28th in homers, but 14th in slugging percentage.

And despite the fact that the Florida Marlins have outhomered the Mets 58-37 the Mets have a better slugging percentage, .410 to .384. Now, just in case you blew that info off and are still weeping about homers, go back and read those stats again. Go ahead, I'll wait.

[Tum dee de da, dee dee do...]

Okay, you're back. Now what should all this tell you? Pay attention now: The word of the day is "Fundamentals." The Mets' oversized yard is making them into a much more versatile offensive team because instead of waiting around for the three-run homer to bail them out, as in past years, now they're forced to do their scoring in other ways and that accounts for the improved concentration and more aggressive play this season, particularly in light of the injuries they've had.

But noooo, people still whine all day and all night about the low homer output. God, it's exhausting. So, as a public service, I'm posting this reminder:

http://sportsmy2cents.blogspot.com/2008/06/home-runs-are-overrated.html

Your assignment is to read it, then read it again. And again, until it penetrates!! Got that?

Thank you, and good night.