Come on people, do you think I've lost my mind? Of course that first paragraph was bullshit. Do you really think I'd suddenly start praising the former editor-in-chief of the Williams Record just because he acquired the best player in baseball? Hell no! Steinbrenner did what he always does-he bought a great player. He buys players and buys championships without any regard for the game of baseball. Does anyone else see a problem with this?
I find it amazing and ironic how Yankees fans everywhere criticized the Red Sox for trying to acquire A-Rod, claiming that the Red Sox couldn't rely on home-grown players like the Yankees do, to win a championship. Now, however, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera are the only significant Yankees who have grown up as Yankees. With their acquisition of A-Rod, the Yankees have admitted once again that they will spend as much as it takes to win. And best of all, they have finally admitted that they are scared of the Red Sox.
Call me hypocritical, but at this point, I'm glad that A-Rod will be playing for the Yankees. It will make it all the more sweet when the Red Sox win the pennant without him. Sure, I would have loved to see A-Rod and Magglio Ordonez as Red Sox, but I'll take Nomar and Manny in a heartbeat.
The Yankees organization is a joke. I really hope they realize that everyone outside of New York thinks of the Yankees as a joke. Even if they have arguably the best left side of the infield in baseball history, I still think they're a joke.
The baseball implications of this trade are simple: The Yankees have quite possibly the greatest assembly of offensive talent ever. However, a huge question mark looms in the form of their pitching staff. The Red Sox clearly have a better starting rotation, and in a short playoff series, good pitching always beats good hitting. With that said, if the Boss opens up the wallet once again and buys Greg Maddux, the balance of power may be readjusted once again.
Baseball has become a greedy man's game. I'm not saying the Red Sox are innocent-because they are far from innocent-I'm just saying that the Yankees are more guilty than anyone else. And who better to lead the most greedy, hated franchise in baseball than the man who embodies the term "power trip," George Steinbrenner, Williams College class of 1952.
The NBA had its All-Star festivities over the weekend, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't very exciting. The NBA All-Star game used to be the most exciting weekend of the NBA season, but now it's hardly worth watching. It's unfortunate, because the slam-dunk contest could be one of the most watched events of the year if LeBron, Kobe, Tracy, Vince and Ricky were in it. Instead, the NBA trots out young benchwarmers that no one has heard of. And the three-point contest is just as bad, with guys like Kyle Korver competing. Korver is averaging 4.0 points per game. And, and, and, get this, he is a whopping 13 for 58 on non-three-point shots on the season. That's 22 percent from the field on two-point shots. Wow.
Anyways, enough complaints about All-Star weekend. Here are my midseason awards:
MVP: Kevin Garnett. This is a no-brainer. Garnett is putting up HUGE numbers for the T-Wolves; they are winning, and playing great basketball. The 'Wolves finally have support for KG, with two other solid scorers in Spree and Sam-I-am, and KG is finally showing what he can do. He has all the physical tools, plays unselfishly and does all the little things that make his team better. Not only does he create impossible matchups for his defenders, but he is quick enough to D-up shooting guards and big enough to check centers.
Rookie of the Year: LeBron James. Wow. I don't even know why I picked 'Bron over 'Melo, but it just felt right. 'Melo's team is winning and having possibly the best season in franchise history, but James is just putting up RIDICULOUS numbers. Both of these guys got snubbed for the All-Star game, but both will be superstars in the very near future.
Most Improved Player: Michael Redd. Redd might have the ugliest jump shot this side of Shawn Marion, but he is putting up big numbers this season. And the biggest shocker is that his team is winning! Granted they are 7-16 on the road, but still, who would have thought that getting rid of Sam Cassell, Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson would actually improve the Bucks?
Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan. I don't care that the Jazz are in last place in the Midwest Division. The fact that they are only one game under .500 for the season is a testament to Sloan's coaching abilities. This is the first year he has been without either John Stockton or Karl Malone, and he is putting on a coaching exhibition. Andrei Kirilenko is having a terrific season, as is Matt Harpring, but neither has much experience and no one else has any experience at all besides Greg Ostertag. Six players on their roster were born in the 1980s.
Most Underrated and Underappreciated Team: Memphis Grizzlies. Who the hell would have predicted that the Grizz would be sittin' pretty in sixth place in the Western Conference? Not me! But behind Hubie Brown and Pau Gasol, the Grizz are playing great team basketball, with only one player (Gasol) averaging more than 13 ppg.