Related Links

Featured Links





Recommended Products



 

 
Featured Articles

Boston Red Sox - The best of the best
Boston is having another very good year. Even though they fell to second place when they lost to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3-1 victory and sent Boston to its sixth loss in seven games. When New York beat Texas later Monday night, the Yankees moved into ...

Check Out the Teva Mountain Games
Televised sporting events have been common place for sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. However, other lesser known competitive sports are making their mark on cable television. Cable television networks such as the OLN are a welcome sight ...

Is A Treadmill The Right Exercise Equipment For You?
The #1 fear people have when buying a treadmill is that they won't use it. (That's the #1 fear when buying any piece of exercise equipment). They know that a treadmill can help them lose weight, get fit, burn extra calories and reach their fitness goals. ...


Custom Search
3 - Pointer by Gary Whittaker
 

Point 1 - Red Sox Win! Red Sox Win!

There will NOT be a bigger sporting event this year than the saga that was the 200 ALCS between the little Red Sox team defeating the big bad Yankees. The stories involve Pedro Martinez calling the whole damn Yankees as his "Daddy", to Mariano Rivera coming back to pitch in game 4 after 2 "shocking" deaths in his wife's family. From Schilling making baseball a MAN'S sport by pitching off a bleeding ankle, to the Red Sox making HISTORY with the 1st EVER come from behind 0 games to 3 to win the best of 7 game series. If it took a home run race between McGuire and Sosa to break the all-time record to bring life back to baseball, the 2004 ALCS will be known for bringing excitement back to a nation that was in dire need of a diversion from 9/11, Presidential debates, and war. Although this battle was a far cry from a David vs. Goliath, people still tried to make it seem as though it was. New York had history, tradition, and the Curse of the Bambino on their side, not to mention a 182 MILLION dollar payroll (that's in 1 baseball season folks!). The little old Red Sox had only 125 Million dollar payroll (number 2 after the Yankees, and another 24 million ahead of the number 3 Angels), an almost 9 decade drought, and that big curse against them. It will be interesting to now see what comparisons are drawn to a Cardinal team that is near the middle of the pack (11th overall) with a whopping 50 million dollars less than the Red Sox. I think this one will be over when the fat lady sings, as the Sox will be the Fat Lady making fried chicken out of the Cardinals.

Point 2 - Big Cecil, Big Debts

Detroit loved Cecil Fielder, who made over 47 million dollars during his career as a major leaguer. Cecil "Big Daddy" Fielder was one of the first in the modern day era to bring Home Run hitting over the 50 mark in 1990, something that had not been done in the American League for almost 30 years. 13 seasons, 319 Home Runs, 1 World Series ring, and 47 million dollars later, Big Daddy is in hiding over debts owed to various groups or


people. For the average man, it is unfathomable that someone who can own a 50 bedroom house, purchased for only 3.7 million (less than 10% of his career earnings), can now be over 9 million dollars in debt...and in hiding. With Cecil in the midst of a divorce, we can only hope that Cecil gets the help he needs, declares bankruptcy, and moves on. The life of luxury may be over for him, but that does not mean he needs to ruin the rest of it.

Point 3 - Hockey has now become a game of Chicken

Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow are playing the most expensive game of chicken profesionnal sports has ever seen. Bettman is out to break the union, and Goodenow will not go back to the table, if the offer resembles anything like the latest proposal put forth by the owners. The problem for Goodenow right now is that his players are starting to talk. While some players are making fairly controversial statements (look up Chelios on this lock-out), players for the most part, just want at least the semblance of an effort made by their player association. To the majority of the players making the league average or less, the only thing they see out of this waiting game is diminishing support capacity for their current lifestyle. Sure, over 200 players have gone to Europe, but that also in not a real option for a lot of players, that have family commitments or other that keep them in North America. They are beginning to realize that in the end, the outcome of these negotiations will not favor them. Both the owners and union admit that salaries will decrease in the next collective bargaining agreement. So why should they have to get NO money, when at least SOME money can go to paying their mortgage? A Union is supposed to represent the best interests of all its players. Sure, the owners did cause this problem. It is not a player's fault if he accepts a 10 million dollar a year deal. Would YOU turn down that kind of money? I think not.a


About the Author
Gary Whittaker is the editor of T.E.N Magazine, a social commentary webzine with balls! You can check out more articles at http://www.tenwebzine.com

News



Reuters

Players vow to support Washington
SI.com
This was only one year after the infamous Pittsburgh cocaine trials and just days before baseball's commissioner, Peter Ueberroth, would order the ...
Rangers had every right to fire managerESPN
Report: Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine in ...New York Daily News
Ron Washington: 'I fully expected them to fire me'Dallas Morning News
HardBallTalk (blog) -USA Today -The Canadian Press
all 684 news articles »

CBC.ca

Mariners' Cliff Lee suspended five games, will appeal
USA Today
Seattle Mariners starter Cliff Lee received a five-game suspension Wednesday from Major League Baseball, jeopardizing his first start of the season. ...
Mariners pitcher Lee suspended for five gamesReuters
Mariners pitcher Lee disciplinedMLB.com
Cliff Lee suspended for 1st 5 games of seasonThe Associated Press
MiamiHerald.com -BetFirms -TheNewsTribune.com
all 213 news articles »

msnbc.com

Puerto Rico expected to host Mets, Marlins
MLB.com
Neither team has confirmed the story yet, but both will be on a group conference call organized by the Major League Baseball for Thursday afternoon. ...
Mets, Marlins to formally announce Puerto Rico seriesThe Star-Ledger - NJ.com
AP source: Mets-Marlins moved to San JuanThe Associated Press
Braves top Marlins with four unearned runsSun-Sentinel
Miami New Times (blog)
all 162 news articles »

Just in Time for 'Play Ball,' Apps for the Baseball Afflicted
New York Times
Remember how information technology administrators blocked all the fantasy-baseball Web sites in years past? As it has with so many other addictions, ...

and more »

MiamiHerald.com

Baseball: Smoltz headed to TV booth for now
San Jose Mercury News
AP John Smoltz is embarking on a career as an analyst for Turner Broadcasting and the MLB Network, although he's not quite ready to say he's thrown his ...
Smoltz latest to move from field to boothMLB.com
John Smoltz Makes A Move To The Broadcast BoothSportsbook Gurus
Now that John Smoltz has retired, can Tigers fans retire their lament?MLive.com (blog)
The Associated Press -ESPN (blog) -New York Times (blog)
all 325 news articles »