Time To Get Rid of A-Rod

As a die-hard New York Yankees fan, I am ready to see Alex Rodriguez get his walking papers for another town. As an expensive commodity, have we really gotten our money’s worth?

 A-Rod will give you solid puffed up regular season numbers. If you add up his career numbers, you see why he is deemed one of the most talented players of all time. He will get you .300 for a batting average. Mix in his 40+ homers. He was also pretty quick as a base runner. But, there was always something missing.

 If you want to be a Yankee legend, it takes much more. You need to be the heartbeat of the team. Your teammates know you have left everything on the field when everything is said and done. They look at you as their Colonel leading them to battle on the baseball diamond. Recently, Derek Jeter has gone down with a fractured ankle. He has played months with various ailments knowing that if his teammates know he is in the lineup they will feel they have a fighting chance to win every time. Imagine the Yankee ship losing its sail when Captain Lou Gehrig missed his first game in over 2,000 outings and his eventual retirement because his ailment had taken his ability to perform. Can A-Rod say he has the same effect on his teammates? His childish antics do not help either. Rumor has it that when A-Rod was taken out because of lack of performance, he threw a baseball up to a female fan and asked her to write down her number for him. I can tell you what his number is …….. 0. I’m so glad he was trying to figure out what he can do to improve his game.  Maybe he could have tried to think about how he can help his teammates out in the tightly contested playoff game.

 A-Rod has shown he isn't a leader and doesn't care to be either. Derek Jeter has slumped off and on over the past few years. His numbers are not as impressive as they were in his younger years. He learned though, that you can control a game in many different ways. If the bat wasn’t working, Derek would make an unbelievable play that would fire up his team and everyone in the crowd. He would somehow hit that game tying home run to help his team move out of playoff elimination. Catching an errant pass and tossing it to home plate to get a base runner out is all in a day’s work for the J Man. Have we ever received anything remotely like that from him? During the Yankees 2004 colossal 3-0 collapse to eventual World Champion Red Sox, Rodriguez climbed into his little shell instead of throwing his team on his back. In the 13 playoff series that A-Rod has played in with the Yankees, he’s only hit over .300 three times! That is anemic. In 59 Yankee playoff games Alex has driven in only 33 runs.

So, in the final synopsis, can somebody tell me what we are getting from Alex Rodriguez that warrant’s us to pay him almost $30 Million dollars? I’m willing to hear a case in favor of A-Rod if there is one. However the defense would have more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

NFL Replacement Referee Fiasco

Controversial call during the Packers-Seahawks game

The runaway train known as the "NFL Replacement Refs" has wrecked, and the cleanup will be impossible if not tended to soon. Sure I get it, I am down with the referees going on strike to get the their due compensation for the thankless job that they do on a weekly basis. However, this is creating a black eye for the entire league. We have people speaking about how much money these mistakes are going to cost the bookies.We have Presidential Candidates expressing their disapproval of the job the new refs are doing. Players are going as far as to say they will not play this week if the "first string" refs don't officiate the upcoming games. Come on...... Really!

First of all the players need to just focus on executing their plays and leave it at that. The referees union did not speak out when the players took their leave of absence. Secondly, some one please tell the coaches to keep their hands off of the refs. The coach may just get what he is looking for if he messes with the wrong person. Third, the machine known as the NFL is raking in so much money, they probably don't know what to do with it besides stick it into the owners "Fat Pockets." You see how valuable quality refs are to the game. I think they have proved their worth.

Finally, the best referees try to make themselves invisible in the game, meaning they keep out of the spotlight and try not to affect the outcome of the games. A great ref is one who prides himself on making sure he/she gets the call right, not worrying about how they look when reversing a blown call. That seems like the total opposite with the current staff. Did you see how fast the referees ran off the field after botched call (my opinion) on the field goal that gave the Ravens the victory over the Patriots. And what were the referees looking at under the hood (instant replay) during the Packers/Sea hawks game. Were they looking at a 3-D view without using the accompanying glasses? If all of America can see indisputable evidence that the Packer's defender was the one who caught the ball, why can't they see it?

Memo to the NFL, do not take to long in getting resolution in this situation. You may lose the many fans that you have gained in the last few years. And that's a blow that you cannot afford.

Sports Jedi

Dream Team 1992 vs. Dream Team 2012 (No Comparison)

It is unfortunate that members of this year's Dream Team (2012) are already popping off at the mouth; they haven't even played a game yet. The 1992 team played the game and let their results do the talking for them. It is foolish for players to make claims (Kobe) that their team may not be able to back up.

I'm not going to bore you by comparing stat after stat, and  player by player because the scale would be lop-sided. To put it like this: The 1992 Dream Team had 11 future Hall of Famers, some of the greatest to ever play the game. The current team may have 4 players that you can hold in the same breath.

Kobe has become a throwback player who could have blended in with the '92 team. Many may ask "Does the '92 team have an answer for Lebron James?" The answer is simple....Scottie Pippen.Scottie was an eight time First Team All-Defensive Team. He had the athleticism and agility to cover him. Plus, he had arms as long as Stretch Armstrong. Many of the other players on this years team are very athletic with a good amount of skill. However, they average player on the team is very green compared to the experience of the '92 team. The older team would have Pick and Rolled them to death (Who could ever stop Stockton and Malone?).

Taking a look at the 1992 Dream Team, most of the players were specialists and one of the best at what they did.

Larry Bird - one of the greatest shooters ever and excellent passer.
Magic Johnson - Did things like no other with the ball and played all 5 positions well
John Stockton - All time leader in assists
Charles Barkley - One of the greatest rebounders
Patrick Ewing - One of the greatest jump shooting centers
Michael Jordan - Mike was Mike

As the newer NBA elite players progress, they need to continue to create their own identity.

And if there are any arguments about putting numbers into the computer and spitting out results (interpolating points, margin of victory, etc.), please squash it. It's a stinking computer. It isn't human. It cannot account for the human element.

In the end synopsis, there is no comparison. Dream Team '92 wins decisively.