The Post waited an extra day and its double-byline item from Joel Sherman and George King today says Steinbrenner is “leaning toward firing” Joe according to “sources.”
The Yanks and Steinbrenner have said no decision has been made. Heck, given the current physical/mental state of Steinbrenner, it may not even be the Boss that truly makes the final call.
Six playoff failures the last six years with the highest payroll in baseball might be starting to offset Torre’s four World Series wins in his first five years at the Yankee helm. But the Yankee brass needs to consider whether the post-season meltdowns ought to be blamed on the sure-fire Hall of Fame manager. And the Yankee brass, apparently led these days by Steinbrenner’s son-in-law, should deliberate whether a hot head like Lou can handle the day-to-day glare in New York as well as the cucumber-cool Joe.
Torre has a year left on his deal, and he’s been through this wind-twisting with George before. He must alternately chuckle and groan at the hub-ub. Even his old ally Mike Francesca was green-lighting his firing on the air yesterday morning.
But is there a better guy to preside over a dysfunctional stable of over-paid stars? For eleven years, Torre has calmly juggled egos and watched as his best friends and coaches have been pushed out the door by an unstable owner. Torre never flies into a rage or betrays the guys in his clubhouse. Maybe it’ll be a relief for Torre to see the end. His legacy is cemented and he’ll be a hero in this town no matter what happens going forward. The decision for the Yankees is whether they truly believe anybody can do it better than Joe.
In the end, perhaps the best way to go is to let Sheffield and Mussina walk. Find a different shrink for A-Rod and deny all trade offers for him. Sign a Zito or a Schmidt and let Hughes step into the rotation. Keep the payroll high and get younger incrementally with the knowledge that shakeups are impossible with the current collection of bad contracts.
Our sports book has made the Tigers a slight favorite to beat the A’s in the ALCS. To win a hundo, one would have to lay down 115 mussels on Detroit.
-We don’t find the Mellencamp “sellout” troubling because his spot for Chevy is actually pretty good. I mean, we know where the Indiana boy stands on most things and the commercial doesn’t really do anything to remove legitimacy from his body of work. Not sure he really needs the cash knowing he’d take a hit, but it must be a ton of dough.
10-9-06 1046
Tommy was terrific, Chavie stepped up, and old man Franco legged out what looked like a double-play ball in a neat and easy 4-1 win for the Mets in game two of their division series with Dodger Blue. Now up two games to none, the Mets are on the brink of advancing to the LCS just 48 hours after the team was racked by doom and gloom.
With El Duque and Pedro out for the season, Met fans were in a panic about how the rotation would hold up minus its two key pieces. John Maine was adequate in game one, and Tommy Glavine was excellent last night giving the Mets a cushion headed to the left coast. It’s a cushion the Mets may need. Trax is coming off a long layoff and an undisclosed personal issue when he goes tomorrow night against Maddux. After that, the starters for games four and five (if necessary) are up in the air.
With a brisk Northeast wind at a packed Shea last night, you had a feeling that small-ball was in order. Endy Chavez – starting in right in place of the less-energetic Shawn Green – reached on a bunt in the third, and then took second on a wild pitch elicited through the patience of Glavine at the plate. Glavine then got Chavie over to third on a swinging bunt that turned the ball into a dead-mouse in front of the plate. Jose Reyes then did his job with a ground out to score Chavez.
More small ball in the fifth when two sacrifices scored Jose Valentin. And then the key play in the sixth came with one out and the bases loaded with Mets. 48-year-old Julio Franco pinch-hit for Glavine and hit what looked like a sure double-play ball to short. Furcal to Lugo to Kent that came up a split second late because Franco was flying down the line. One run scored on the play and it allowed Reyes to drive in another right after. It was a 4-0 lead that held up except for Heilman’s no-harm gopher ball to Wilson Betemit.
Furcal, Lofton and Nomar have gone 3 for 23 in the series and now Garciaparra is limping. He was lifted in the sixth after re-injuring his left quad. You’d expect the gamer would play tomorrow, but he’s really limited with his movement.
There was 57,029 in the house and the upper deck was bouncing at times. The Yankee loss earlier in the afternoon added to the glee. The crowd was loud although it’s clear that many of those who are along for the post-season ride have crawled out of the woodwork and did some recent shopping at the Mets clubhouse shop. One fan near us in the upper deck boxes last night said he had never known about the existence of Cowbell Man.
The line to get on the subway was slow going, so our pal Mike recommended that we re-enter the ballpark and hit the Diamond Club for a couple rounds. On the way in, we walked right past Jerry Seinfeld and his pal Matthew Broderick. Without seeking permission, we snapped a photo. The flash caught Jerry’s eye and he threw a glance of annoyance in the direction of TSR. Unfortunately, in our haste to take a quick picture, the auto-focus failed to kick in.
Nearing 1 AM, they cleared us out of the Diamond Club and as we walked out of the main exit gate Cowbell Man greeted our departure with a few taps of his brass. The subway station desolate at this point, we got on the 7 and made one last stop at Saints and Sinners in Woodside to raise and clink a celebratory pint glass.
10-6-06 1241
Japanese horse racing fans stormed the legendary Longchamp Racecourse in Paris this past weekend to see Japan’s star equine Deep Impact come up short in the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe. Roughly one of every four in the crowd of fifty-thousand-plus that packed Longchamp on Sunday was waving a Japanese flag, cheering for Deep Impact and wagering big money on the superhorse from Japan. Wagering numbers on-site smashed the all-time record. As the field of eight left the gate, Deep Impact was bet down to 2-5 and the more accomplished Hurricane Run and Shirocco were off at 4-1 and 6-1 respectively. We liked the three-year-old son of Galileo- Sixties Icon- who had the benefit of wise veteran jockey Frankie Dettori as his pilot. The owners of Sixties Icon paid sixty-thousand Euros to get into the Arc, and he was coming off a nice win in Britain three weeks earlier. His win price was hovering in the 30-1 range as we plunked down a hundred Euros on Sixties Icon about a half-hour before the race.
But to the surprise of many, it was French trainer’s Andre Fabre third-stringer Rail Link who made a big late move with a furlong and a half to go to win at about 25-1. Another longshot – Pride - also had late run to finish second as the top two’s tactics left Deep Impact short a length and a half in third. It caused a large portion of the crowd on a beautiful late afternoon to groan. But credit goes to the Japanese fans who took the defeat without a ruckus. Sixties Icon finished seventh.
Deep Impact will now go back to Japan to prepare for another high stakes race against weaker competition on his home turf late this year. Fabre says Rail Link will pass on the Breeder’s Cup turf and sit out the rest of the season. But he says Shirocco will end up in Louisville the first Saturday in November to defend his Cup Turf title.
Deep Impact’s strong support from Japanese fans was great to see. He is truly loved by the country he runs in and a large contingent made what you’d think is a long and difficult trip to Paris to see him run in the Arc. We saw that kind of star treatment with Smarty Jones and to a lesser extent Funny Cide and Cigar in the US and it shows that horse racing fans can get attached to a winning race horse.
Deep Impact’s Japanese fans skewed the on-track betting pool so disproportionate to his true chance of winning, it made for an excellent wagering opportunity. TSR didn’t capitalize, although my cousin’s boyfriend had ten Euros on the winner and walked away with a smile.
Longchamp was beautiful. Free shuttle buses from three Paris Metro stops seemed to work well. We took the one from Porte D’Auteuil. It was just eight Euros to get in to the track and large stretches of marble steps were available to sit on as part of the general admission. The steps got crowded and uncomfortable as the day went on, so we wandered and inspected the facility. We purchased a Racing Post which is the British equivalent of the Daily Racing Form. The Racing Post has a confusing past performance presentation that annoyingly cross references horses that appear in identical prior races. We had been told by some racing fans that the Racing Post was superior to the Racing Form, but our first impression had us thinking the opposite.
Even so, the Racing Post was a lifesaver on a day when use of the French language was mandatory and at times, suffocating. Betting was a bit tricky. Luckily, the Racing Post had a little guidance box that told English speakers how to phrase their bet requests in French. Betting machines appeared to take action only on the exotics and there were no pick threes or fours. So we would get in line before each race and then place win bets (gagnant) on a single horse with a human teller. Aside from Sixties Icon, our other big play came in the Prix de l’Opera, a Group 1 for the world’s best grass fillies. We bet big on short-priced three-year-old Alexandrova, a pretty Irish daughter of the great Sadler’s Wells. She must have wanted more distance, because she never really threatened, finishing third. Mandesha won.
Behind the main grandstand, a beautiful backyard (pictured above) included numerous stands selling champagne/beer, sandwiches, waffles and strange-looking orange-colored frankfurters. The paddock/saddling area was easily accessible to all customers and the grounds were perfectly kept. Aside from the large Japanese contingent, there were large numbers of fans from the UK. The beer stands sold 1664, a product from the Kronenbourg Brewery in France. It had a sharp, pleasant taste.
Overall, we’re more comfortable betting on horses at facilities in which we can lay down money using the native tongue with a wagering menu that includes multi-race props. But the beauty of Longchamp and the enthusiasm of the international crowd made it a memorable experience.
The same can be said about Paris. We stumbled our way through parts of the city with an extremely limited ability to communicate with the natives. Luckily, our cousin led the way on most transactions including several wonderful meals at neighborhood brasseries which dominate the dining landscape. The Paris Metro system offers frequent service and takes you quickly to most parts of the city. The trains were crowded, in part due to a seating configuration which wastes space and sacrifices comfort. But public transit is the way to go in a city with high energy and architecture that dazzles from its age, uniformity and upkeep. Many of the residents’ living quarters include fresh flowers on narrow ledges and large windows which open inward. The river Seine winds through the city which creates a huge set of natural spots for romantics to gather and sip wine.
Our side trip to Brussels to eat mussels was a success. A high-speed train on the rail carrier Thayls took us from Paris to Brussels in 85 minutes. An eight-hour flight from Brussels to New York went off without a hitch.
Nice to be back on home soil and tonight we head to Shea to see if the Mets can hit a lefty and retain the home field advantage.
10-5-06 1800
What to make of the Mets right now? They’ve lost seven of the last eight, look listless at the plate and their crying ace has declared himself unfit for the role envisioned for him when he was made the cornerstone of the franchise. Pedro got rocked last night as his floating off-speed pitches lounged over the middle of the plate. He kept looking to the upper deck – and then to the sky for help. But his trunk (the parts of his lower body critical for push-off) is failing him. He’s not the same Pedro and he’s crushed. It is overwhelming him emotionally and perhaps it is impacting the psyche of the whole team.
Pedro’s post-game comments included bitterness and deep frustration that make you wonder what happens with him the rest of the way. If his performance wasn’t enough evidence, he flat-out said he wouldn’t be ready to go in game one but lobbied to stay on the post-season roster. He offered his services as a reliever. But what was a little disconcerting was a verbal shot at the team’s effort to get him ready for the post-season. Said Pedro: “At this point, I should probably be pitching a rehab game somewhere, and I’m doing it in the big leagues and putting my numbers in jeopardy, putting everything in jeopardy, putting myself in jeopardy by doing it this way.” It’s five days from the start of the post-season and Pedro is worried about his “numbers.”
What needs to happen is for this team to finish out the regular season with passion and effort before returning to a packed Shea Stadium to do battle with whichever team in a tussle makes it to the post-season and draws New York in the first round. You go El Duque, Glavine, Trax and Maine and you take your best shot. It’s not going to be easy, but this is a team that showed great toughness for long stretches.
-TSR has its suitcase packed and is getting on a bird to Paris tonight for this weekend’s big gathering of the world’s thoroughbred racing community at Hippodrome de Longchamp. On Sunday, they will run the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe and several other high-stakes grass races on the banks of the Seine.
The Arc is considered by many to be the biggest, most important horse race in the world. You may get an argument on that point from horse racing fans in this country who gather annually the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Either way, TSR eagerly anticipates its first ever visit to a European race track for what should be a spectacular afternoon of gambling on foreign soil.
Defending Arc champ Hurricane Run is the likely post-time favorite for the featured event. His presence and current form has scared away several potential challengers with a short roster of eight expected. The field will include Japanese super-horse Deep Impact and last year’s Breeder’s Cup turf winner Shirocco. The connections of Ouija Board, among the greatest female horses of all time, have decided to pass on the Arc Ouija Board’s trainer Ed Dunlop said he was concerned about what could be a very soft turf course with lots of rain forecast for Paris the next few days.
TSR will be joined on the big trip by the man and woman who raised the TSR publisher along with a fun and favorite European-based cousin and her boyfriend. We’ll have a day or two to see the sights in Paris, and then TSR will join Mom and Pops for a side trip to Brussels to eat mussels before returning a day or two after baseball’s post-season gets underway. Perhaps by the time we return, the Mets will have a playoff win under their belts. A full report on the big trip when we get back. Au Revoir.
9-28-06 1000
It’s hard to make a definitive judgment on this latest Terrell Owens fiasco, but after watching the coverage throughout the afternoon, a few comments:
-The fact that Owens went into the Cowboys media room after practicing with the team and said with a straight face that the police report was a mistake is a strong defense, even though the statement came from the crackpot himself. Somehow, he presented himself as credible. Not only did he appear fine physically, he worked out on the practice field. Painkillers can do funny stuff. When taken with other natural concoctions, who knows. You’d think the attending physician can clear this up - and it’s surprising somebody who treated Owens has not stepped up yet.
-Cowboys coach Bill Parcells doesn’t do the Dallas organization any good when he publicly expresses exasperation for several minutes on live national TV before waiting until this whole thing sorts itself out. As highly entertaining as the Parcells news conference was, it only added fuel to the incident’s fire. His intense display of frustration also added to the theory that Parcells never wanted any part of Owens and his constant circus act despite owner Jerry Jones’ belief that T-O could be a positive contributor to the team.
-It’s not unusual for some people who attempt suicide to fail, and fail miserably. There are plenty of sure-fire ways to pull it off, but some of those who fail are seeking attention. Some who fail have a change of heart. Some of those folks may not even be trying to off themselves but are surrounded by people who think they’re at risk. Owens’ publicist may have overreacted to the scene, and perhaps law enforcement did the same. You’d think at some point very soon, if allowed to speak, a medical doctor who made contact with T-O at the hospital can reveal exactly what was in the receiver’s system when he arrived. Police claim Owens says he was depressed. T-O says he isn’t. Maybe the truth never comes out. Despite a broken bone in his right hand, and a day’s worth of hoopla questioning his mental fitness, Owens says he wants to play on Sunday. It’s hard to picture that happening. It’s very difficult really to predict where this story goes. And whether T-O asked for this chaos or not, he sure got it.
9-27-06 1905
TSR’s final regular season Met game of the year lacked importance, but produced a milestone from free-agent-to-be Alfonso Soriano. The Dominican second-baseman forced to start the season in left field to accommodate Jose Vidro hit a double in the fifth inning, his 40th two-bagger of the season. Soriano had already come to New York with 40 steals and 45 home runs.
His 40th double made him the first player in history to put up 40’s in all three of those categories. With an off night Thursday for the Nationals, Soriano was fittingly honored for his feat that evening by Jay Z at his “40-40” nightclub in Manhattan.
Back in March, Soriano initially resisted the move to left field, but he has actually played the position ok. Playing every day, Soriano committed just nine errors and threw out 21 baserunners, many who tested him early in the season. His amazing offensive stats have come playing in a home ballpark not known for yielding easy offense.
The conventional wisdom had Soriano being dealt prior to the trading deadline to help a contender down the stretch. He could have brought the Nationals young players to rebuild with. But when the Nationals failed to trade him, it made you wonder whether they’ll make a run at him this off-season.
What is more definitive is that Nationals manager Frank Robinson is about to be handed his walking papers. Working under a one-year deal, Robinson’s Nats are headed for a third straight last-place finish in the NL East. Robinson has been classy during his stewardship of a team that made a move from Montreal to Washington with few resources along the way. But various reports say that Nationals GM Jim Bowden has refused to discuss plans for the future with Robinson, and that’s not a good sign.
The Nationals won the game last night 3-2 before a happy-to-be-there crowd of 42,788. El Duque pitched a solid seven, striking out eight. Reyes, LoDuca and Beltran watched the game from the bench. Ricky Ledee hit a 435-foot home run that sailed past the loge seats in right field. According to ESPN.com’s impressive “home run tracker,” it was the longest homer hit in the major league’s on Friday night.
After a quick ride on the 7 and a stop for Korean noodles, we got home in time to see Joe Randa break up Chris Young’s no-no with a pinch-hit home run with one out in the ninth. We then flipped over to see Vin Scully guide us through the end of a Dodger nail-biter which included a JD Drew homer and another big hit from Marlon Anderson.
As expected, Fox Sports made the purely ratings-driven decision to move Mets/Nats up to 1 PM today and leave both the Dodger and Padre games in their late slots out of reach of a broad audience. Phils/Marlins is a Fox game, but won’t be seen here in New York despite a much greater weight in terms of importance. We’ll cheer for rain in New York so we can get that game. If not, there’s always the audio feed on XM.
9-23-06 1229
If Florida Marlins owner Jeff Loria had any smarts, he’d put a stop to his organization’s trashing of a guy who could be NL manager of the year. The report of Joe Girardi’s imminent termination in today’s Florida Sun-Sentinel contains multiple criticisms of the rookie manager from an unnamed source with connections to the front office. Written by the Sun-Sentinel’s Mike Berardino, the story relies on a source who says Girardi is “introverted” and lacks “people skills.” The source reels off specific in-game moves that bothered the front office including a recent decision to continue the outing of rookie Josh Johnson after an 82-minute rain delay. Johnson went on the shelf after the game in question with arm trouble.
Girardi has two years and $1.5-million left on his deal - and the Marlins won’t have to pick up that tab if as expected he gets hired by the Cubs. But if people in the Marlin front office keep bad-mouthing him, Girardi could make Florida pay him to sit at home. You’d think Girardi is an automatic to get the Cubs job soon to be vacated by Dusty. But then again, from a distance, you also thought Girardi was a lock to continue what’s been a pretty incredible job of re-building oversight with a roster of young players in Miami.
9-22-06 1432
What a disappointment to discover this morning that US golf fans who turn on the Ryder Cup are watching tape-delayed coverage. Radio and internet outlets are bombarding you with information. Darren Clarke off the death of his wife gets hugs from Mickelson and DeMarco. Furyk makes a big putt on nine. Controversy is brewing about the pace of play. Yet the USA network is turning the clock back four or five hours and running tape for its 8 AM start on the East Coast. We live in an era that demands live coverage. Even if it means a 3 AM start that ends at noon. It’s not clear whether live action will be mixed in later in the day, but if memory serves NBC gave us live coverage of the singles matches on Sunday four years back.
The Ryder Cup web site offers a live video feed. But you’re staring at this little box on your computer rather than the big box you’re used to looking at while watching a top sporting event.
The European team has won the fashion matchup on day one, unveiling beautiful green sweaters over tan golf shirts and tan slacks. The US team has decided to wear grey and white argyle sweaters with black pants, a misguided and drab get-up on a day when the sun is shining on the emerald isle.
The next Ryder Cup in two years will be played at Valhalla in Louisville and then Medinah four years after that.
9-22-06 0842
College football writer Pete Thamel of the Times suggests in an item printed today that USC could escape any heavy-duty sanction despite serious allegations linking sports agents and cash with Reggie Bush. Thamel quotes an unnamed veteran compliance officer at an unnamed university who says the NCAA doesn’t appear to be interested in punishing athletic programs outside of the south. Thamel says the NCAA has a history of leniency with its “hallmark programs.” Ohio State escaped punishment for serious claims associated with Maurice Clarett. Thamel says the NCAA is virtually powerless to investigate players who have already left college because it has no subpoena power.
The internet sports site run by Yahoo has driven the Bush story with a jaw-dropping series of allegations with multiple sources detailed in a story still up on the web. Mainstream media has lagged far behind. But Yahoo has documentation and witness statements that reel off an itemized list of money and benefits that went directly from guys interested in making money off Bush as a pro to Bush as an undergraduate. In other words, Bush and his family got much-needed short-term financial relief knowing he would break the bank once he entered the NFL - allowing him to pay back his up-front backers in the form of employing them as agents. Along the way, one agent got jilted and assisted in the Yahoo report.
No matter how one feels about college athletes generating huge sums of money for university athletic departments all the while forced to live like a pauper, the bottom line is that the NCAA chooses to operate this way. And for that reason, it’ll be interesting to see whether USC gets cooked from what appears to be a gun with a lot of smoke coming out of it.
-Our favored sports book has the European team at 4-5 to win its fifth Ryder Cup title in the last six tries. The US was crushed in Bloomfield Hills two years ago. New captain Tom Lehman has sought guidance from John Wooden and scheduled a charter outing to Ireland a month ago to build US team camaraderie – but the moves sound a bit forced and don’t exactly inspire confidence. What’s needed in part is for Tiger to step up. The greatest individual player in the world has a 7-11-2 Ryder Cup record.
It’s easy to see that members of the European team really like one another. Monte, Paddy, Luke and Sergio display a proper mix of intensity, spirit and boosterism that is conducive to this event. They’ve artfully mastered the fantastic concept of team golf and have made the Ryder Cup something to be treasured by the sports fan.
We’ll predict another European rout this time around.
9-18-06 1711
TSR went to Pittsburgh Friday to celebrate a division title, but returned to New York with the magic number still stuck on one. The Pirates knocked around Pedro in his return from a month-long stint on the DL. Pirate starter Paul Maholm, a left-handed first-round pick out of Mississippi State, stymied the Met offense. He gave up just two hits in seven innings to lead the no-quit Bucs to a 5-3 victory. The Mets have had trouble hitting lefties, batting just .255 against southpaws compared to .269 vs. righties. Luckily, most potential playoff foes aren’t stacked with left-handed starters, but you gotta believe opposing managers have spotted the Met weakness.
When Pedro was removed from the game after 68 pitches and just three innings, he was seen in the Met dugout with his head in his hands and a concerned Willie Randolph trying to console him. Met fans briefly wondered if their ace had re-injured his hip or calf. Pedro appeared to be fighting back tears and then glumly slipped back to the clubhouse. After the game, Pedro revealed that he was simply frustrated by the performance after working hard to return. But one must understand that as bad as Pedro looked last night, the outing has to be considered in context. It was essentially a rehab start that the Mets could afford to schedule in a big league contest because their lead is so large. Pitching coach Rick Peterson had mapped out a three start progression leading up to Pedro’s first post-season outing - and while Pedro had major control issues last night, he reported no flare-up of any of his pains. His widely-reported and televised drama on the bench and in the clubhouse afterwards is typical Pedro. This is an extremely sensitive man who badly wants to perform at a high level in the postseason and he sees the regular season slipping away. He internalizes the huge pressure and it seeped out a little last night.
Luckily, Randolph (pictured above reacting to Met fans chanting his name) has displayed great skill in handling the various complexities of his players’ personalities. When you saw the tape of Willie putting his arm around Martinez at the end of the bench last night, you had a hard time picturing a guy like Art Howe or Bobby V. ever pulling off something like that.
The turning point of the loss came in the fifth inning when home plate ump Jeff Kellogg rung up Paul LoDuca on a pitch that was at least eight inches off the inside edge of the strike zone. It was 4-1 Pirates at the time with Met runners on the corners. LoDuca went nuts and got booted. Kellogg called it wide all night, although it seemed like he especially called it wide on Met hitters.
At least one-third of the 24,410 in attendance were cheering for the Mets. Many drove in from great distances east and it’s too bad the Mets didn’t win, because it would have been a fun party in and outside of the ballpark. We couldn’t stay for the rest of the series, but our first-ever visit to PNC Park was enjoyable regardless. Opened in 2001, the park seats 38,496 and is filled with fantastic quirks. The mighty Alleghany River flows just past right field and your view in center is dominated by the beautiful Roberto Clemente Bridge. The Alleghany separates PNC and neighboring Heinz Field from downtown Pittsburgh and its impressive skyline.
We stayed at the Hyatt adjoining the airport and took the public 28X bus downtown for $2.25. The 45-minute ride ends with a drop-off near the city’s Golden Triangle – a park that sits at the intersection of the Alleghany and Monongahela Rivers. A safe and scenic pedestrian walkway on the Fort Duquesne bridge offers a breathtaking view of Heinz Field and lush hills to the west, and the rushing, muddy Alleghany below you. Once across the river, PNC Park is just two blocks to your right. An impressive statue of Clemente is located near the right field entrance. He is also paid respect by the height of the right-field wall, which stands at 21 feet (Clemente wore #21).
A half-dozen or so sports bars are located within a block of the park. We downed a few at Hi-Tops, which must have some connection to the sports bar popular near Wrigley. The wings were solid. Twelve-ounce beers were four bucks. After the game, the same tavern had changed personas with a decidedly different vibe that seemed less accommodating to the sports fan. When we asked a burly bouncer if they were showing the Phillies/Astros game, he brushed the query aside with a thoughtless “don’t think so.”
Turns out the Phils won that game to keep the magic number at one. So, it’ll be up to El Duque (pictured above – always with a smile and gleaming eyes) tonight to get that champagne out of the boxes and the Cubans out of the humidor.
-The big story dominating discussion in the city of Pittsburgh during our visit was the unlikely ascension of a 26-year-old city councilman to the position of mayor. Luke Ravenstahl is the youngest mayor in the history of any major American city. He got the job a few weeks back after the sudden brain cancer death of first-term mayor Bob O’Connor.
-The other big item making news during our visit was the misdemeanor conviction of an area T-ball coach for ordering one of his young players to throw at and injure an autistic teammate. Nine-year-old T-ball team member Keith Reese Jr. told a jury that his 29-year-old coach, Mark Downs of Dunbar offered him 25 bucks to hurt 11-year-old Harry Bowers Jr.
Before a T-ball playoff game a year ago June, Reese says he threw a baseball that hit Bowers in the groin. Not content with the damage it had done, Downs ordered Reese to “hit him harder,” which he did. The second throw hit the mildly retarded child in the left side of the face and effectively knocked him out of the playoff game. After seven hours of deliberations on Thursday, a jury convicted Downs of conspiracy to commit simple assault. When Downs is sentenced on October 12, the judge should make sure that a prohibition on any kind of youth sports oversight is included in the punishment.
-High school football clearly dominates the sports scene. More than a dozen Friday night games were carried on local radio stations. Three full pages in the Saturday Post-Gazette recapped the action including news that Bill Bair of the Mars High School Fightin’ Planets ran for 300 yards in a 41-35 loss to Shenango.
9-16-06 1442
The Met magic number has finally reached a point that is easy to understand – and it has prompted TSR to make the rash decision to find an airplane that will take us to Pittsburgh on Friday. So, TSR is again hitting the road for a first-ever visit to another ballpark. We’ll file a full report about Pedro’s first start in a month, PNC Park and what could be a division clincher upon return on Saturday. Hey, we gotta make it back in time to watch Louisville/Miami on the tube.
9-13-06 1819
Chicago mayor Richie Daley made a big mistake this week when he vetoed an ordinance that would force Wal-Mart to pay its workers ten bucks an hour and another three bucks in benefits by mid-2010. Dubbed the “big-box” ordinance, the measure contained provisions that targets retail giants famous for exploiting its workforces and putting mom and pop stores out of business. Wal-Mart’s formula is simple: use vast purchasing power and a massive distribution network to sell goods on low-margin, hire cheap labor and thrive on its ability to handle large volume of customers hungry for simplicity and oblivious to the destruction of small business in their community.
When Chicago’s City Council passed its “big-box” ordinance they were saying to Wal-Mart: yeah, you can do business here – and we acknowledge your popularity – but we’re gonna impose a different standard on you because of your history of ruthlessness and hostility toward small business and indifference to your workforce. Call it a “greed-tax,” if you will - with all the proceeds going directly into the pocket of the low-paid worker.
Really, what makes any city or community great? It’s a network of businesses owned and operated by the people who live there. There’s greater accountability between business, citizen, and community when all are one and the same. In Wal-Mart’s case, profits earned at the individual store get sucked out of the community to a large degree and perpetuate the Wal-Martization of this country. Here, you have a city taking a stand, and the supposed blue-collar mayor blocks the move.
Today, the city council failed to muster enough votes for a veto over-ride. Bad job by Daley.
-In the cruel world of NFL kickers, one bad week can mean career trouble. After missing two short field goals and an extra-point in the season opener, Jets kicker Mike Nugent is on the ropes. Rich Cimini of the Daily News reported today that the Jets brought in Paul Edinger, Owen Pochman and Tyler Jones for looksies at practice yesterday. Edinger is a side-winder who can really boot it, although he couldn’t stick with the Vikes after a so-so season in the dome last year.
-We watched the opening couple of segments of the Today show this morning to see how Meredith Vieira would perform on her first day. Two impressions: First, it appears she brought her confident, blurt-it-before-thinking-it-through approach with her. And that’ll get her into trouble at times. But that’s cool, because it’ll make for good morning fare. And second, Matt Lauer appears to genuinely like her and seems to be glad to have a partner with a sharp wit. Allesandra Staley is sure to have a lot to say when she pens a piece to appear in the Times tomorrow on the Vieria debut.
9-13-06 1822
New Yorkers went to the polls today and found a Democratic ballot loaded with lopsided races. Here in Jackson Heights, we hit our polling place on the way home from work and climbed the two flights at a neighborhood K through 12 charter school to cast our ballot. At about 3:15 PM, a poll worker said we were voter #123 to visit the machine which tabulates the votes for election district #116. “Is that considered a good turnout?,” TSR asked as we signed a book containing the names and addresses of registered voters. “It’s Ok,” said the poll worker.
No identification is required. You simply state your name and then sign the book. If you need any help knowing what your signature ought to look like, it’s right there in the book for you to look at. Then they hand you a card which is your ticket into this contraption that appears to be a hundred-years old.
New York has long neglected its voting machinery – and currently it is failing to meet federal mandates to update its system. So, you walk into this booth with a big red handle, pull it to your right, and then begin turning knobs next to your favored candidates. Often times, the handle to submit your selections is bent and as you exit the booth, you have doubts about whether your important effort and duty has been properly recorded. Why not an ATM machine that records your votes – asks if you’re sure about them – and then spits out a receipt? As long as the machines are free of outside interference and the tabulation data is verified independently? All this talk about Diebold’s political alignments scares people, but there has to be a better way than these crazy antiques that we use to vote here in New York.
In addition to the concern about the voting machines, today’s ballot was loaded with blowouts because well-financed candidates are trouncing their primary rivals in the polls. It’s no wonder the voter feels disenfranchised.
At least we had a hot local state senate race here to weigh in on. Incumbent state senator John Sabini has faced a strong challenge from rising political star and city councilman Hiram Monserrate. Sabini is a party activist popular within the organization. He flooded TSR with taxpayer-funded mailings in recent months to boost his case outside of his own campaign efforts – a questionable tactic. Monserrate comes off more as a regular guy – a Hispanic ex-cop, ex-marine who is visible in the community. We turned the knob for Monserrate although we wouldn’t be surprised to wake up tomorrow to see the machine-backed incumbent with a bigger total.
We also lodged a protest vote against Hillary who has shamelessly pitched a tent on middle-ground to boost her ’08 shot at the big prize. She’s turned her back on New York Democrats who despite that will vote for her in droves as she seeks another six-year term in the US Senate. We voted for her primary opponent, Jonathan Tasini – a capable fellow who mounted a serious campaign within a tight budget and clearly articulated his position on Iraq. His motto was a “REAL Democrat for US Senate.”
-The announcement that the Chicago Wolves have snared Pat Foley to do its TV play-by-play is a major coup for the American Hockey League franchise. Foley will join his old broadcast partner Billy Gardner to team on the Wolves’ telecasts. It’s a surprising development for Foley - a guy who called NHL games for 25 years and seemingly could have named his next gig. Instead of another NHL job, Foley will stay in Chicago to call minor-league games for a franchise that will no doubt benefit from the prestige that comes with a broadcaster that is considered among the best in the history of the sport.
Every single Wolves game is televised and while attendance dipped to about 8000 a game last season, this is a high-level minor league franchise. Their aggressive marketing efforts have always made the Blackhawks uncomfortable and hiring Foley will add to that friction. You wonder if that wasn’t a factor in Foley’s decision since he was unceremoniously dumped by the Hawks over money.
The reports on Foley’s hiring today didn’t indicate the terms of Foley’s arrangement with the Wolves.
9-12-06 1707
A hand-written poster-board hanging outside one of the neighborhood churches today said: “Come in and join us to pray for peace.” It was not a message that this church normally promotes but today it was one of several reminders in this city that it was no ordinary, sunny, late-summer day.
It seems like most people in this city know either somebody who evacuated from of the Trade Center five years ago to the day or failed to make it out. Naturally, one’s thoughts turned to 9-11 from all the reminders of the anniversary on television, at the airport and as one circulated in a city that has struggled to bounce back.
For all the big talk of resilience and toughness, the city really hasn’t bounced back completely. Polls show that many citizens here since the attack are still impacted emotionally. There’s growing evidence of horrible respiratory illnesses appearing in the men and women who worked at the site in the days and months of the dusty recovery effort. And perhaps the worst symbol of the failure to rebound is inaction at the site itself. It’s still little more than a concrete pit surrounded by chain-link fence to separate the gawkers and hawkers from a place that should already be booming again.
New York’s do-nothing Governor George Pataki has presided over five years of squabbling and zero building on a piece of prime real estate just a few blocks from Wall Street.
The Times today had an excellent special section devoted to a lengthy analysis and recap of the horribly botched handling of the rebuilding effort. A cross-section of key players agrees it is Pataki who bears the bulk of the blame for inaction at the site.
When we watched the bagpipers on the local TV station walk down a concrete ramp into the undeveloped pit to launch the memorial service this morning, we wondered if the perpetrators and planners of the attack could have imagined their target’s slow and divisive pace to recover from their wicked act.
Living in this city, many citizens also wonder what those terror planners next have up their sleeve. I mean, you don’t obsess about it – but when is the encore coming?
We’ve been basically terror-free on home soil since 9-11 and it’s sure not vigilance and increased safeguards from the Department of Homeland Security that keeps us going day to day. There are holes in our security system all over the place. Why no exploding back-pack at Grand Central Station during morning rush? There’s nothing to stop it, really.
Some theorize the terror planners won’t execute a plan until they feel it can top 9-11. Who knows. But thinking about it – and worrying about it - brings us back to that sign outside the church. It probably falls on deaf or non-existent ears, but perhaps a request for imposed peace from a higher power is the best way to go.
9-11-06 1824
The problem with Greg Maddux these days is his endurance. The guy can’t go deep in a ballgame any more.
So, in Saturday’s 3-2 Dodger loss to the Mets, Maddux can’t complain about the questionable moves of his manager – or a bad ball/strike call by the home plate umpire if all the ex-Cub and ex-Brave can do is bring 72 pitches. If Maddux toughs it out and stays in the game, the Dodgers probably would have won a crucial stretch-drive game.
With the knowledge that his week ahead included an extra day’s rest, Maddux took a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning and appeared to be cruising. But with one out, Maddux yielded a well-hit double to Jose Valentin and summoned Dodger skipper Grady Little to yank him despite the low pitch count. Maddux says he was fatigued in part because of a run-down he got in the top half of that same inning. So, Little had Maddux intentionally walk Carlos Beltran (mistake number one because you’re putting the go-ahead run on) and then replaced him with lefty reliever Tim Hamulack to face Carlos Delgado.
Delgado hit a deep fly to center, and both Valentin and Beltran advanced a base. So, now you’ve got David Wright coming up with first base open and runners at second and third with two out. Baseball logic says you must walk Wright, who bats .380 with runners in scoring position. It’s clear as day. You walk Wright and let Hamulack face Shawn Green who is still feeling his way around in a Met uniform. Little had already ordered the intentional walk putting on the lead run, but for some reason, Little brought in Brett Tomko and decided to have him face Wright straight up.
What does Wright do? He rips a single to score Valentin and Beltran and give the Mets a 3-2 lead. Home plate umpire Gerry Davis appeared to blow what should have been strike three on a two-two Tomko slider right down central. The next pitch was a 96-mph fastball that Wright cracked. Green then came up and struck out.
El Duque pitched a solid seven for the Mets and got it to Heilman and Wags for a Met victory that lowered the magic number to six. Attendance was announced at 47062 on a perfect day up in the green seats.
Part of what makes Dodger/Met games in New York so fun are all the Brooklyn Dodger fans who come to see their old team come back home. There’s a large number of men in their 60’s and up who come to Shea with Brooklyn Dodger hats (like the one pictured above). Many of them have become Met fans. Some remain loyal to the Dodgers. But either way, you