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

What Have My Beloved Yankees Come To????..........

So the Winter meetings started on Sunday and are on the verge of wrapping up, yet little closure seems to have taken place. I've sat and watched what has become of the Yankees over the past few years, and there seems to be a simply reality that this team needs to accept. There are players that belongin NY and WANT to be in NY, and there are players who don't. The Yankees need to wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to the Jake Peavy's and (more importantly) the CC Sabathia's of the world. Guys like these have zero appreciation for what it meansto pitch for the New York Yankees. They have no appreciation for the history of the organization and for the players that emerged here. This is not by any means meant to be a diatribe about how great the New York Yankees franchise is and how everyone should want to be a part of it. The same thing I'm saying here can be applied to the Mets, Cubs, Angels, and even the hated Red Sox. What this comes down to is very simple. People are cut from a different mold. Guys like Sabathia and Peavy value there own agenda first and opt to take the safe option where failure in big spots matters little in the eyes of the general public and in the eyes of their fans. Sabathia has been sitting on a 140 million dollar offer from the Yankees for 24 days now. The next closest bid for his services is $40 million less. By not accepting the Yankee offer at this point, he has made it abundantly clear that he has little desire to be a part of the Yankee organization and that the laid back West Coast is better suited for his style. In one regard I can't fault CC for feeling this way. L.A. is a fantastic place, making a 100 million over 5 years pitching for the Dodgers or Angels is a pretty sweet gig. On the other hand, I'm having a tough time understanding something. My question to CC is....."At what point did you lose your passion for winning?" Love em or hate em the Yankees are 1000% committed to putting forth all measures to win championships every year. As a life-long competitor, I can't fathom how a player of CC's stature can pass up the privledge of playing for this franchise. I love this sport, and at one time felt that I was good enough to have a career in it. Throughout time the one thing that has never changed is my desire to win. Certain franchises stand for winning and I simply can't understand how any professional can not have the passion and desire for success that I do. CC is embarassing the Yankees at this point, and they really need to move on. The guy doesn't want to pitch in NY and the fans know it. For him to begrudgingly accept the deal would be a disaster, because the second he struggles the fans will be all over him. CC has missed the window of opportunity to sell people that he wants to pitch for the Yankees. Nobody is fooled at this point, and ithas all of the makings of a bad marriage. Here's what I think the Yankees should do at this point:

Take the CC proposal off the table and bring in Ben Sheets for 2 years, Derek Lowe for 3 Years, and yes.....I'm going to say it........Manny Ramirez for 3 years.

Sheets is loaded with potential, but is a clear injury risk. The upside is well worth the 2 year risk since no 2-year deal can hurt a team with the spending power of the Yankees.

Derek Lowe is onthe older side and from a talent standpoint isn't the greatest, but the one thing I will say about him is that he has some passion and really wants to win. The Yankees are in dire need for a guy with Lowe's character. His sinker-ball style also leads me to believe that age is not quite the factor that it would be otherwise. He's a gritty, gutsy guy who's won before. I'll take him in a heartbeat.

Manny deserves his own blog, but let's be honest here. The guy is a hitting machine and everwhere he plays teamates seem to love him. He may drive me crazy with his antics, but nobody in all of baseball can protect A-Rod tin the order the way Manny can. Plus.....How great would it be to head into Fenway with this guy on OUR side for once? There is always room for the best Right-handed hitter I've ever seen on the Yankees.

The best part of all these deals is that none of them should require more than a 3-year commitment. This free agency class is terrible and the Yankees would drastically improve their team whill not locking in to any crippling long-term contracts. Make it happen, Cashman!

Honoring the Dead in the World of Sports

As I settled in for some Sunday Football yesterday I read up on the Plaxico self-inflicted gun wound, and once again shook my head as I tried to understand how guys with such talent and all the fame and fortune in the world continuously perform acts of stupidity that jeopordize everything they've earned (or been given). Shortly after, I flipped on the Giants game and watched as the Redskins honored the tragic death of Sean Taylor by inducting him into their "Ring of Fame". Prior to this ceremony, players in the league wore #21 patches on their jersies and the Skins went out on the field with 10 players in honor of Taylor. As Taylor' latest honor was taking place I started thinking......"Am I missing something here????" The Sean Taylor I remembered throughout his college and pro career was an exceptional talent overshadowed by on AND off-field incidents again and again. So why is he being honored once more? Let's recap some of Taylor's "non-football" accomplishments over his 24 years of life:

In October of 2004 Taylor was pulled over for doing 82 in a 55 and subsequently refused to take a Blood-Alcohol Test resulting in his immediate arrest for suspicion of DUI.

In June of 2005 Taylor was named as a "person of interest" in a Miami assault case involving fire arms. He was ultimately charged with Assault with a fire arm (a felony) and misdemeanor battery. Shortly after the incident, Taylor's SUV was sprayed with bullets in a drive-by-shooting. He was released on a bond of $16,500.

In 2006 new charges were filed against Taylor that put him in position to receive a jail setence for up to 46 years!!! The case was plea bargained and Taylor served the community and made donations to locals schools.

In his first 2 years in the NFL Taylor was fined several times by the league for illegal hits and fined $17,000 for spitting in Michael Pittman's face on the field of play.

Quite a resume for Taylor in such a short career.......

Make no mistake about it, Taylor's death was an awful tragedy, and he was taken from his family and friends far too soon. The issue I have here is more along the lines of the way people of fame get treated by society. Taylor's death was ackowledged by the league and the fans shortly after it occured, but isn't that good enough for a 24-year old who in the minds of many will be known for his reputation as a talented yet dirty player who always seemd to find trouble off the field?

Maybe I'm being insensitive here (opinions will vary), but let's put things in perspective a bit. This guy's contribution to society was as a football player and quite frankly.....not much else. If you eliminate the football part from Taylor's lifetime list of life events I guarantee that every fan who paid tribute to him yesterday would have glanced over to a story about a 24 year-old trouble maker who got murdered in his home right before skipping over to the latest story on Lindsay Lohan's latest alcoholic binge or ARod's latest rendezvous with Madonna.

As a St. Louis Rams fan I can't help but wonder what type of ceremony and honoring would be done if Rams linebacker, Leonard Little was tragically killed in an awful turn of events. Little who is currently ACTIVE and earning a 7-figure salary was behind the wheel in 1998 with a .19 BAC when he crashed his car and killed Susan Gutweiler who was a wife and mother. Little served 90 days in jail and performed community service for this incident. Pretty awful right???? Well guess what......6 years later Little was caught doing 78 in a 55 and failed 3 field sobriety tests before being charged with another DUI.

Did I mention he's currently playing for the Rams? Hey...Little has 80 career sacks though, so let's make sure that if anything tragic happens to him that we honor him again and again and again. Afterall, he's a great football player!!!!