Tiger Mania and some other stuff....

Kind of a boring Friday night for me. Everyone is asleep, and I just watched the Dateline special on Tiger. I find this whole thing to be really fascinating on so many levels, but out of everything that's come from this spectacle, I have to be completely honest in that the crapiest part of this whole mess for me is that he's walking away from Golf. I'm pretty sure that his "indefinite" leave won't be a permanent one, but this guy is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete in his prime, and the greatest player (IMO) in the history of the game. There is no single athlete that I enjoy watching more than Tiger. Golf without Tiger becomes somewhat ordinary. People will think that this is absurd, and I would especially expect for women to be the most outraged, but let's put this into perspective a bit. Tiger cheated on his wife, PERIOD! The details that continue to leak are outrageous, and what he did was obviously wrong, but at the end of the day......He cheated on his wife and that's really it. I don't think he did anything that should cast him as a villain in the public eye, and I don't think that his sponsors should drop him. Tiger's sponsors pay him because he is a winner on the golf course and a dominant one at that. He's never sold anyone with his bubbly personality or likability as an individual. People love his greatness, his work ethic, and his insatiable hunger to always win. Does cheating on his spouse impact any of this? I don't think it does. Tiger made a mistake, but it wasn't cheating on his wife. Tiger's mistake was getting married. Many people are going to cast him as a deviant and be disgusted by the utter mention of his name, but those who love Tiger love the guy on the golf course, and I don't think cheating on his wife is an adequate reason to no longer support him as a fan. I know it's selfish, but I hope he's at Augusta in April above everything else. As curious as I may be about new details of his story, I think it's equally cool that he's giving the scummy media nothing directly.

Underrated, Overrated and Random Thoughts....

Just thought I'd post a few thoughts on some NFL and MLB things I've noticed:

I know he doesn't go under the radar from a "Fantasy" perspective, but why do I feel like nobody talks about just how good of an offensive threat Hanley Ramirez is? Look at what this guy has done in his 4 years in the Bigs http://hosted.stats.com/mlb/playerstats.asp?id=7488. Amazing!!!

Reggie Bush - He is without argument the 3rd best RB, only we aren't talking about the NFL as a whole here. We are talking about the New Orleans Saints. He was surpassed by Pierre Thomas last year, and after one game this year former 3rd stringer, Mike Bell has proven to be more effective. Has there been a more highly touted NFL prospect in the draft in the past 10 years than Bush? The Texans management was villified for passing on this guy for Mario Williams, yet I don't quite understand why he isn't getting the Ryan Leaf treatment at this point. He is deserving of it.

NFL Officiating - I was tied up for most of Week 1 in the NFL so I didn't get to watch a whole lot of it. So, how is it that in the small sampling I did actually see that I saw as many officiating screw ups as I did? Between the ridiculous personal fouls and phantom illegal contacts it's gotten out of control. These guys are a bunch of old man who clearly aren't sharp enough to be counted on to officiate properly. Isn't it time for the NFL to tighten this up?

Kanye - Obviously this has been beaten to death, and like me I'm sure most people are sick of hearing about it. Kanye is and always has been an attention seeking child who loves to make a spectacle of himself, so nothing he did at the MTV Awards was surprising. Some people are just a**holes and that's the way it is. Having said all that.....Can we PLEASE stop making it as if Taylor Swift was humiliated and beaten down so badly to the point that there is a public outcry of support for her? There is no need for a candlelight ceremony. I think she's going to be just fine. MTV hasn't aired a video in 15 years. Why they give out awards for them at this point is beyond me.

Serena Williams - Awful choice of words towards the Line-judge, but I have no issue whatsoever with her saying her piece in that situation. There is absolutely no excuse for that line-judge calling a foot fault that infact wasn't a foot fault at the most important juncture of the that match. The outcome like any other sports should be determined by the players, not the officials. Everyone got cheated by that call.....Serena, the paying fans, and Clijsters who completely outplayed Serena got cheated of the celebration she deserved.

This coming Monday - Week 2 in the NFL has the Giants playing the hated Cowboys and the Jets playing the hated Patriots. From what we saw in Week 1, there is a more than reasonable chance that both the NY teams prevail in these match-ups. If this ends up being the case, brace yourselves for the completely over-the-top media frenzy about the Giants-Jets Superbowl two weeks into the season.

This Yankee Fan is NOT sold on the 2009 team.....

One of these guys is not getting it done.

It's been a while since I've been able to find the time to post a blog, but let's just say 2009 has been filled with all types of crazy shit that I don't wish upon anyone. It's been a year that started off with word of my son's brain tumor which obviously supercedes any of the other stuff that took place this year. My son is doing great, and quite frankly that's all that really matters, but it's been a year of turmoil to say the least. In most instances I found myself turning to athletics and/or exercise and watching the 2009 New York Yankees as my break from the everyday stress. Needless to say when I heard that all too familiar sound of an ACL going "pop", I knew that for the most part, I was headed another long stint on the IR, and headed for that miserable rehab that comes with it. The worst part is that I have to put off surgery for another month due to work obligations that have me traveling in late September and early October. I suppose if there is ever a time for a sports fan to be on the shelf, mid-October is pretty much where you want to be. MLB Playoffs are in full swing, NFL is in it's second month, and NBA and NHL are about to start up (although neither is of great interest to me). So let's move on to the Yankees now.......Specifically AJ Burnett.

So back when the Yankees signed AJ I was very outspoken about how much I hated the idea of having him for the next 6 years to the tune of 82.5 million. There was never a question about his arm. The guy has undeniable velocity, so why did I hate the Burnett signing so much??? There were several things about his track record which made this signing completely illogical in my eyes. It seemed like a desparate move. Along with his huge strikeout potential comes a guy who even in his best years never posted an ERA under 4, and was always been amongst the league leaders in Walks, HRs allowed, Wild Pitches, and Failure to Hold Runners on Base.

I took a good amount of flack from some of my friends who were pro-AJ as he looked great and even spectacular in some of the early parts of the season. I was really close to accepting that I was wrong about him and that maybe he just needed to be on a good team to really standout and shine. Not so fast though!!!! Since August AJ has one ONCE and has an ERA over 6 in that span. I repeat....He's one 1 time on a team that is 40 games over .500 and has been tearing up the AL since the All-Star break.

My point in all of this rambling is that I've come across far too many Yankee fans who think the Yankees are a lock to take it all this year. I've heard way to many people suggesting that the Red Sox aren't even a threat, and that they aren't even remotely concerned about playing Boston. Yankee fans.....You should be very concerned, because let's face it, outside of CC the Yankees don't have a singe starter who you can say without question will give a solid effort. Sure, AJ and Pettitte are capable of throwing gems, but aren't they just as capable of getting lit up at the same time? It's a certainty that Round 1 is going to be against Detroit, and while I think Detroit stinks overall, I can't rule out Verlander or Edwin Jackson doing enough to steal one of the first two games forcing the Yankees to win at least one in Detroit just to force a game 5. Now if Game 4 takes place and the Yanks are down, we are certain to see CC on short rest which certainly makes things interesting if/when the Yanks get to the second round against Anaheim or Boston.

Speaking of those two teams......How foolish can any Yankees fan be to look past either of those teams?!!!! Sure, they both have weaknesses with Anaheim's spotty bullpen, and the Red Sox struggles at times with starting pitching and offensive. Having said that, Anaheim has a lineup where EVERYONE is hitting around .300, Lackey is looking like the real Lackey, and under the radar is the Scott Kazmir acquisiton. Kazmir has shown new life since joining the Angels, and I don't even need to discuss the matchup history of the Yanks and Angels. As far as Boston goes, Lester is locked in at the right time, and while Beckett has been struggling, can anyone name me 2 better Post-season pitchers in the history of MLB that are better than Josh Beckett? In a Best-of 7 series, who are the Yankees throwing out as their 4th starter? Do they just continue to go with a 3 man rotation of CC-Burnett-Pettitte, and hope they can pull through? What other option do they have......Joba??? Gaudin??? Mitre??? They don't have a viable 4th starter.

I don't want to come off as a complete pessimist, because I do feel that the Yankees are the best team in baseball right now. They have are tremendous offensively, have a fantastic bench, and most pleasantly surprising, a rock-solid bullpen. They are definitely the "team to beat" in October.

My point is that one would be a complete fool to write off teams as talented as Boston and Anaheim in October just because the Yankees are putting together a fantastic regular season.

I REALLY hope that I'm worng about Burnett, and he can put it together in October. I just have my doubts.

Where is the Swagger??????.........Manny and the Dodgers have it.

It's been a really long time since I've jumped on here, so to my 3 loyal readers I apologize for leaving a void in your lives for all this time.

I have watched a ridiculous amount of baseball in the early part of this season largely in part because a) I got roped back into Fantasy Baseball this year and b) watching baseball on a 58" screen in Hi-Def is fantastic.

Aside from the Yankees of course, the team I fing myself watching the most is the Dodgers. I know they aren't exactly a "sleeper", but this team has the makings of one that can go the distance this year. They have good young pitchers, a deep lineup with a great combination of speed and steals, a horse of a closer who is unbelievably overpowering, and good coaching with "you know who" pulling the strings. However, the most important thing they have is the "glue guy" hitting 3rd. I swear it kills me every time I see Manny play for LA, because the guy is EVERYTHING for this team. Not only is he the toughest out in baseball (along with Pujols), but he is making every guy around him perform at a ridiculously high level. You can see that his teammates love him, and the have a "swagger" about them. They look like they're happy to be there, and exude a confidence that they can beat anyone. Of course being in a division with 3 awful teams doesn't hurt. I said it form the start of free agency, and it's even more true than ever now......The Yankees made a HUGE mistake but not signing this guy.

Can someone please remind me what exactly the downside was to the Yankees adding Manny????

Best right-handed hitter in Baseball......Short-term contract..........No worries about future negotions on a new deal (he'll be 40).........19 games of Manny versus the Red Sox......

So what was the issue? His defense? The money? His impact on the clubhouse? I'll never understand because none of them justify passing on him.

There wouldn't have been a better fit in the new ballpark than Manny. He would have been happy, beloved by the fans, and unlike the bulk of the Yankees previous "high priced" acquisitions.......impervious to the pressure of being a Yankee.

Surviving the Worst Day of My Life.......

December 31st will forever be etched in my brain, not for the joy and celebration that comes with the festivities of New Year's Eve, but rather for the specific moment at around 2:00 this past Wednesday that ripped my heart out.

For the past few months my wife and I had seen changes in our son, Marcus. The once firey 2 year old who ran and climbed wherever possible was suddenly unable to do so for one simple reason.........He couldn't. Marcus' coordination and balnace was that of someone who just celebrated their 21st birthday with their college buddies. He was stumbling and falling and nobdody knew why, except for one person. My wife.

Marcus' problems were thought to have been due to fluid in his ears or perhaps some form of condition that may be dectectable in some blood tests. Once each of these were eliminated, we took him to a Neurologist who recommended him for an MRI on his brain.

On Wednesday, December 31st we left at 5:45 AM for the hospital where Marcus was sedated and given an MRI. We returned home at around noon and a couple hours later he was just about recovered from the anaestesia. I was unpacking the groceries when the phone rang and my wife answered.........."Mrs. Kutzin, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Marcus has a tumor on his brain. I suggest you go to the Emergency Room right away and get him admitted."

The shock of hearing that my son of 30 months has a freaking brain tumor will resonate with me until the day I die. My body went limp, and my brain was like a scrambled egg. My son who I love more than anything in the whole world was about to be thrusted into a fight for his life, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

We raced to NYC and checked into the ER at NYU Hospital. For the next 6 hours I had to help pin my 2 year old son down as nurses stuck needles in his arm in effort to find a tiny little vein to draw blood from. I watched my poor little boy scream in agony as the tried and failed and tried and failed again to get the blood they needed. By nightfall Marcus' arm was so bruised and swollen that the Anaestesiologist who put him down for surgery the next morning couldn't even use the IV that was finally set in there. My wife and I spent the night with a screaming child tryng to pull wires and tubes off of him as he screamed "Take it off........Go home now, Mommy/Daddy." as he looked to us to save him. This was a night that will stay with me forever. A rough 2008 finished up with the worst news possible.

The following morning we met with a man who I will forever call my hero. Dr. David Harter was part of the Pediatric Neurology team that was referred to us during our rush to get to NYU. He sat with us prior to the surgery and told us that what he sees on the MRI scan is a tumor with a cyst attached to it that is slightlylarger than a golf ball. It was located in the cerebellum which is the part of the brain that affects balance. The mass was blocking spinal fluid from getting to Marcus' brain and needed to come out immediately.

Within 24 hours of getting to the ER, Marcus at the ripe age age of 30 months had brain surgery to remove his tumor. After 4 LONG days in recovery, I am thrilled to say that Marcus is home safe and sound and his post-op MRI came back clear. While we aren't out of the woods yet, te doctor speculates that the Pathology report will come to show that the tumor was benign, and the Marcus will make a full recovery. We certainly have our fingers crossed.

I know every parent out there will gush about how amazing their children are if given the opportunity. At this point in time, I want to do just that. My son Marcus took everything that was thrown at him in terms of mental and physical pain, and was nothing short of amazing. He is as special as they come, and I sit here feeling like I'm the luckiest persn in the wolrd to be able to call him my son. I love you to death, Marcus. Like Dr. Harter, you too are my hero.

I am in awe of the way my wife Sheila handled herself during this stretch. On about a thousand different occasions over the past 5 days, she had every reason in the world to breakdown, and she NEVER once did. Sheila was a rock, and handled herself incredibly. She further proved that she is the amazing mother she's been since our kids were born. Sheila, your maternal instinct and persistence saved our little boy. Just another things to add to the list of reasons I love you.

For all of my friends, family, co-workers, and especially Marcus' brother Nicholas.........THANK YOU for being yourselves. Your support and sacrifice were invaluable and I am so lucky to have all of you in my life. I will be forever grateful.

Just 5 days into it, 2009 is without question THE best year of my life.

To all of you who are parents....Give your kids an extra kiss and tighter hug today.

Thanks for reading.
E