The AL East

Yesterday, after a late night party and a missed train, I finally made it into New York City to meet my friend Marc for the Yankees-Red Sox game at 4. We wandered the city before taking the subway to the new park. Over the course of this week, I plan to make a few posts about the teams, the game, and some interesting questions Marc and I came up with.

The Red Sox are first in line. And they have a lot of problems. 

Through three games in this series, the offense has gone 16-111 (.140). That's WELL below the Mendoza Line and just an awful showing for one of the best teams in baseball. With that kind of performance, aging former star John Smoltz and resident head case Clay Bucholz could not be confident on the mound.

Smoltz needed to be moved to the pen or designated a long time ago. He doesn't have what it takes to pitch five innings effectively anymore. The Sox either felt bad for him or respected what he used to be too much. It cost them. Lesson learned.

Bucholz is astounding because his career may only be at the AAA level. He pitches like an ace, a future number 1 on any team when he's down there. Bring him up, and he crumbles like a stale cookie. He got lucky with a lot of double plays on Saturday, but you can't give up five walks and expect to hold a team like the Yankees down.

That being said, the Red Sox are pretty much out of the race in the AL East. The Yankees now own the best record in baseball and I'm fully expecting them to complete the sweep tonight at 8.

Speaking of the Yankees, it's all coming together for them.

Of the two teams, the Red Sox were supposed to be the ones with abundant depth in the rotation. And yet, the Sox clammer to even get 5 innings out of their starters. 

Burnett has been lights out and shows no signs of slowing down. Shutout baseball is more than you can ask of a starter. And he did it, for 7.2 innings. He simply shut the Sox down.

Sabathia is showing why he is the highest paid pitcher in baseball. The Yankees seem pretty brilliant in buying him. After watching him down the stretch last year, everyone believed he was being abused and would certainly have a down year, get hurt, or worse. Apparently, clutch pitching is his forte and he just likes to save his best stuff for August and September.

Watching him in person yesterday, the Sox just looked baffled and confused. It was an ugly day at the plate with 9 strikeouts and only two Sox hitters getting on base more than once. With Sabathia on the mound, ONE Sox baserunner reached second base. One. Not a single other time did the Sox have someone in scoring position with Sabathia out there. He got a standing ovation when he left in the 8th and he deserved it.

The end of the whole matter is that tonight, the series will be over and the Yankees will hold a commanding lead over the Red Sox in the division. The Sox are playing for the wild card and even that is almost hopeless with the way they're playing. 

If these two miraculously make the ALCS, I'll be excited because I'm up in Boston for school. But unfortunately I don't think Fenway will be seeing any baseball after October 4. The Yankees, on the other hand, should expect to be 2-0 in any series with Burnett/Sabathia the way they are. I fully expect to see New York going apeshit come World Series time.

More to come about the Stadium as well as some game time musings later this week.

-TSI 

The Next American Hope

Sam Querrey is knocking on the door. In his fourth year as a professional tennis player, the young American is finally garnering the attention he deserves. After amassing an 85-77 singles record, breaking into the top 100 players in the world after just his third year, and now attaining his career's highest rank of 26, Querrey is set to be the next American hope for tennis fans.

Born in San Francisco, CA, Querrey is not the typical young tennis player. He attended public school and did not follow the typically strict scheduling of rising tennis players. Nor did he attend a tennis academy or hire a private trainer in his youth. In a recent interview with Kevin Armstrong of Sports Illustrated, Querrey shared his thoughts on youth tennis:

I played all different sports coming up. Some kids play six hours a day since they were eight years old. When I see 11-year-olds in the gym training for tennis, that's too much. You have to keep things fun. When you're that age, you should just do what you want.

Querrey is often attributed with this laid back attitude. In big matches, he seems to be relaxed and unconcerned with the result. And yet, he has the tools to be the next major star on the ATP tour. His Roddick-like game combines a big serve and a powerful forehand, often putting his opponents on their heels. His height, at 6-foot-6, no doubt benefits his service game. In fact, Querrey presently holds the Open Era record for most consecutive aces in a match after smashing 10 in a row against James Blake at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in 2007.

Querrey's attitude and size can be benefits, but they are often the characteristics critiqued most by tennis experts. Many of those who have hopes for the American question whether his attitude is one of a true champion. In an interview after playing in Cincinnati in 2008, Querrey talked about his calm demeanor:

I'm going to just try to have fun. That's the only purpose of playing every match. Yeah, I mean, I don't really feel pressure. I'm just kind of going out there and doing whatever.

Whether or not he has the drive to win tournaments and beat the best is questionable to many. He seems to be more set on enjoying himself than anything else. In my opinion, however, the drive is there.

I had a chance to watch Querrey play in 2006 at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island. In a match against a young Andy Murray, an even younger Querrey sacrificed his body for the chance to save a set point. Murray hit a hard, cross-court forehand out wait toward the stadium seating alongside the court. My family and I watched as the ball hit the grass court, then rose up and flew toward us.

Out of nowhere, thundering footsteps drew our attention to the left as we watched the tall, 200-pound Querrey lunge after the shot, running into the 3-foot wall dividing our seats and the court and nearly falling into my lap. He dumped the shot into the net, but he clearly wanted it. That was enough for me.

As for his size, Querrey is tall and has a big frame. That means he needs to do a lot of conditioning to keep up with the best in the world. It takes good footwork and a lot of training to move at high speeds with a body like his. This step will take work, but after a questionable decision to turn down training with former Andre Agassi coach Gil Reyes, Querrey has come around and spent time with the gifted trainer.

In fact, in the same Cincinnati post-match interview, Querrey noted a lot of the benefits he was seeing:

It's great. He's got a great gym. I think it's really beneficial. I definitely got a lot stronger in my upper body. You know, we'll work on strength from the feet all the way up to the shoulder and back. I feel like everything is a little bit stronger.

His fitness and hopefully it's improvement will play a crucial role in his future performances. We all saw what losing 15 pounds and training more can do for a player after Andy Roddick's performance in the Wimbledon final.

There is high hope for the young Californian. In my opinion, he has the hunger and the drive. He has a lot of dangerous weapons. He is training hard with one of the best coaches in the world. And he is very likely on his way to being the next American superstar.

-TSI

The New American Sport Finds Competition

After centuries of baseball holding strong as the true American pastime, it has been clear for nearly a decade now that a new sport is in town: football.

While the NFL is something I consider to be the pinnacle of entertainment, it does have its flaws. Games take too long, officiating can be spotty, and a fair share of our beloved players spend years in jail. But thank goodness for capitalism!

The NFL should surely fix up its poor flaws and its foibles once another league starts showing it up, right? Right?

Oh, never mind. I've just been informed the NFL has a pretty tight stranglehold on the football market in America (and London, kind of). And perfect, the word has come down that the Arena Football League will fold and declare bankruptcy, leaving the NFL alone as the only nationally televised football league in the United States.

Hopefully that won't be true for long. As much as I love my New England Patriots and the NFL, I'm also a big fan of competition (I like sports, who would've guessed). Thankfully, a new show is set to be in town this fall with its very own start up, 8 game season. That's right, folks! The UFL is in town!

This tiny league is near and dear to my heart thanks to the possibility of a team set in my state's capital of Hartford. But in all seriousness, the ramifications of another football league could do great things for football in America.

In baseball, we have a minor league system in which players develop their skills until they can perform at a higher level. The UFL, in the very least, can operate as a form of skill development for players who cannot find jobs at the NFL level. Overall, we could see a high level of talent develop in the NFL as more and more players compete at the professional level, developing their skills, and pushing one another to be better.

I have high hopes for the league and encourage everyone at their to attend a game if one is taking place in their city this season. If you love sports, I know you love competition, and who knows what could happen if the UFL and NFL compete. Personally, I only see good things and hope you all get a chance to enjoy more football than ever this year.

-TSI

The Summer Delay

Hey Folks,

Sorry about the week off. I have been in contact with the senior editor over at sportsfanlive.com about joining on with them in addition to writing here. So I've been a tad busy with my regular work schedule and organizing that. My apologies for the missed post last Friday.

Lucky for you, I'll be posting today! One of my middle of the week mini-posts will be up shortly, so be sure to check it out. Also, go pay a visit to my new friends as sportsfanlive.com and sign up. It's gonna be the next big thing, I promise.

-TSI

The 72 Hour Rule

Every now and again I want to just throw in a shorter post to share a thought or two. I like the idea of a weekly topic and hopefully subsequent discussion, but a blurb here and there never hurt anyone.

With the reports of Brett Favre being conflicted over his 75th annual unretirement and Michael Vick's unknown suspension, news outlets have taken it upon themselves to use vastly inadequate, if not non-existent, evidence to speculate and prognosticate on the futures of these two once fine athletes. Sadly, the viewers, readers, and sports fans out there have been saddled with the unfortunate responsibility of listening to the inanity coming out of their mouths or keyboards.

Bill Simmons (somewhat an idol of mine) recently responded to an e-mail from one of his readers with this brilliant idea: 

What if we tried out an embargo policy for all sports "news" for one year? Everything gets a 72-hour window; after that, we can't mention it again until it happens. Like the Brett Favre/Vikings thing: Once it became a possibility, we would have had 72 hours from that point forward to break it down. After that? Embargoed until we get proof of life (in this case, a Favre news conference in Minnesota).

I understand the media has a job to do. I also understand that with the advent of CNN and ESPNEWS, 24 hours, seven days a week needs to be filled with news, regardless of how tedious and rehashed it is. Nevertheless, would it be so painful for them to come up with twists on current ideas that allow for more discussion?

Take highlights for instance. SportsCenter gives us a baseball highlight and maybe a box score at the end. That tells the basic story of the game and some details on who contributed to the win/was responsible for the loss. How about telling me something I can't discern from the highlight? Talk to me about what the pitchers were using most frequently, what was working. Or how a player was taking advantage of mistakes by his opponents. Hell, show me some press conference coverage or interview footage.

I'm not saying it's ESPN'S fault or anything. They've become larger than life in covering sports news. With their own enormous shoes to fill, they have to cover their time. I'm just worried, and annoyed as a fan, that it's going to continue in a downward spiral. Already I find so much of the information they provide me to be pointless. Who cares who votes for Tim Tebow in an irrelevant preseason poll? How about what Tebow's doing in training to improve for this year and become the second man to win two Heisman trophies? Huh? Isn't that important? Yeah, thought so. Let me know when there's a story about that. I'll pay attention then, because that's when my attention will be on something relevant and important.

I appreciate ESPN having an ombudsman and kind of taking the concerns of their viewers into consideration. I just wish it would show a little bit. It's a product of the industry they've built and an unfortunate consequence. But given the media giant they are, they also have the power to change it. They almost dictate what is and what isn't important. By making the Favre insanity and similarly stagnant and dull stories the important news, they hurt themselves and the others who try to compete with them (because they inevitably follow suit). 

I propose Simmons' idea or something similar to it be instituted until ESPN can control and monitor themselves. Otherwise, they'll become the next Favre. A story that's frustrating and annoying that hasn't developed or changed in too long. I guess that would make me the ESPN to their Favre. I really don't want that. Please hear out your fans and change something.

-TSI