Dave G's Dugout

Amazing Article about the Yankees, the Economy, and Greed

This piece by Wright Thompson is among the three best articles I've ever read and covers so much about the county, sports, the economy, greed, and of course the Yankees. My Yankees, who don't care much about me. Read why.

Where Amazing Happens

Courtesy of Deadspin

Deshawn Stevenson, Ladies and Gents!

Even if you're a casual NBA fan, you may remember Deshawn Stevenson as the guy who provoked LeBron James in the playoffs a few years ago, then enlisted Soldier Boy (hey, remember that dude?) to help him psyche out The King. No? Oh well. Today, Stevenson gave Wizards fans something new to cheer about: facial tattoos. Everyone's getting them! And by everyone, I mean Deshawn Stephenson, Mike Tyson, and um, John Boehner. Deshawn also got a tattoo on his neck of Abraham Lincoln's face and a couple of 5's, I guess because he thinks Lincolns are better than Benjamins? After all, this is the guy who thought he was better than LeBron.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2009-10 Washington Wizards:

Maybe the Best Article Ever?

Check out this brilliant piece on Pete Carroll. It's a little old but last night's 60 Minutes feature on him reminded me of it.

Dave G's Random Thoughts

On Sabathia Joining the Yankees:

    I have been lukewarm about this for years. The guy is young and is already a very large man. It is not too far a stretch to think he will one day weigh 400 pounds. But here's the thing: he's the best RIGHT NOW and the Yankees can afford the risk. Even if in four years Sabathia blows up to 400 and can't climb the mound, the second half of his contract will hopefully pay for the championships won during the first half. Bottom line is that we just snatched the best pitcher in the game. In a month when one of the best athletes in New York shot himself and another was sent away from his basketball team, this is certainly cause to rejoice.

On Plaxico Burress:

    At first, I was actually in his corner. I had just read ESPN's great article about player security in the wake of Sean Taylor's death and I understand the importance of protection and the reasoning behind players wanting to carry a gun. I can support that decision, I suppose, if the player takes the responsibility seriously. Plax did not take it seriously. He brought a loaded weapon into a public place and used only the band of his sweatpants to protect the world from a bullet. He's lucky it landed in his thigh. It could just as easily have severed an artery or - infinitely worse - struck a bystander. I understand why a multimillion dollar athlete would carry a gun, but I have no earthly idea why he didn't understand the pretty simple idea that guns can shoot and require a greater holster than one's sweatpants.

On Sean Avery:

    Really? We're suspending a guy for talking about his ex-girlfriend? Really? Should we put him on the blacklist while we're at it?

On Stephon Marbury:

    Look, Marbury might have been a model citizen this year. He might have shown up in top shape, kept his mouth shut, and might genuinely have been a mature guy. But this is STEPHON MARBURY. He's not exactly the model of credibility, folks. If anyone has earned his own banishment, it's Steph.

Knicks fans are so despondent from the Isiah era that we're clinging to hope for the future and ready to shed the baggage of the past. Steph is a huge part of that baggage. Yeah, Steph's probably right when he says Mike D treated him unfairly and that his teammates turned their back on him this year. But even if he did genuinely want to turn things around, it was just too late. The bridge had been burned. Marbury has absolutely no credibility in New York. He has been a cancer on this team since he got here and has helped destroy a once proud franchise. Walsh and D'Antoni have been working to restore what Isiah (and the evil Mr. Dolan) lost and Marbury rightfully fits nowhere in that plan.

    And if you don't agree with me, I have just two words for you: truck party.

On Lebron and Free Agency:

    I have a problem when an entire city (NY) bases it's happiness on the whims of a 23-year old kid. Maybe LeBron will come to New York. Maybe not. Either way, we have two years to worry about it. Right now, the Knicks are putting themselves in the best position to contend for free agents in 2010. That's all we can ask. Even if we don't nail LeBron, there's a great chance we'll sign at least one big free agent. Combine that chance with two more lottery picks and things look a lot brighter, with or without LeBron.

    And by the way, this kid is handling it pretty maturely. Yes, he might have gone a little overboard strutting into New York like the great savior, but he is doing what we can expect of someone with his intelligence and savvy: he's putting himself in the best possible bargaining position. LeBron is a phenomenal athlete, but we forget that he is also a superb businessman. He's getting New York excited and Cleveland nervous, all the while playing the best he ever has and turning the Cavs into legitimate contenders.

    The only bit of criticism I have for the kid is that Charles Barkley is a giant of the game and someone who deserves more respect than to be called "stupid".

Wizards Foolishly Fire Jordan

    For reasons that defy logic, Eddie Jordan was fired today from his position as head coach of the Washington Wizards. Yes, the Wizards started this season 1-10 and look to be falling out of playoff contention...but it is hardly Jordan's fault. Truth be told, Jordan was a bright spot in an otherwise hapless management system and his firing is only the most recent in a series of managerial miscues.

    At first glance, the Wizards look like a good team. Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler are a great core around which to build. Arenas is a dynamic scorer, Jamison a 20-10 guy, and Butler one of the most underrated talents in the game. But someone forgot to tell the Wizards' management that teams are usually comprised of more than three guys.

    When the Wiz sunk $111 million in to Arenas' contract, they put all their eggs in the basket of a 26 year old with a rebuilt knee. He signed in July. In September, he had a third knee surgery, potentially costing his team the season. My aim here is not to blame Gil for his injury, but rather to question the idea of tying up a great deal of your salary in a guy who has a history of knee issues.

    The fact of the matter is that part of Arenas' $111m should have been used to secure a big man. The Wizards' centers include untested rookie Javale McGee (who has been surprisingly good), untested Andray Blatche, Etan Thomas, a 30-year old returning from open heart surgery, and blockhead Brendan Haywood. Haywood promptly tore a ligament in his wrist. The Wizards are effectively playing without a competent center, without a competent point guard, and with a bench that is shaky at best. Their team is built around one guy, who is hurt, and their reliance on untalented, unhealthy, and untested inside scorers is irresponsible at best.

    The team, in short, is poorly run and it is unreasonable to expect to win with the guys they have on the floor. That's why firing Eddie Jordan makes no sense.

    Eddie Jordan's coaching is one of the team's few bright spots. His leadership and basketball knowledge is excellent and he has consistently helped the Wiz live up to their potential. Last season, the Wizards secured the sixth seed in the East and it's fair to say that they were the sixth best team. Their consecutive playoff losses to the Cavs do not indicate any shortcomings on Jordans' part. The Cavs are simply a better team. Two years ago, the Cavs beat the Wizards en route to the conference championship. They also knocked off the Pistons in the process. Last year, the Cavs pushed even the Celtics to the brink of elimination. The Wizards accomplished all they could accomplish with the level of talent they put on the court. This year, with a lot of that talent missing, Jordan was placed in an impossible position. Rather than wait for its star to return, the team fired a great coach for what was really its own failure. They didn't give him the talent to win.

The Realignment of the NBA

    We are two years away from the possible realignment of the National Basketball Association. Whatever happens in the 2010 free agency cycle will shape the league for the next decade. Imagine Lebron James lighting up the crowd at Madison Square Garden, Chris Bosh returning the title to the Palace, or Dwyane Wade's #3 hanging next to Jordan's #23 in the rafters of the United Center. Imagine...

    But none of it will happen. For all the talk of how the 2010 free agency market will reshape the league, Lebron, Wade, and Bosh are all likely to stay where they are. After all, these are some loyal and boring young men.

    I would love nothing more than to see any of these guys in a Knicks uniform, but the reality is that these guys all have close ties to their current communities. LeBron wasn't some prisoner whisked away to Cleveland. He's from Akron. This is his hometown. And it's not like he's struggling for media attention where he has to run to New York. Wade has already won a championship in Miami. He's beloved there. He says he wants to stick around and I believe him. The only way I could see him leaving is if Chicago makes him an offer, since he's a Chicago kid and he grew up a Bulls fan. Otherwise, I see him sticking around...and even if the Bulls call, it would be a tough choice for him to make. Bosh has the most to gain by fleeing Toronto. He's a superstar but will never garner enough attention or credit playing so far from the media centers of the U.S. But according to Bosh, he loves it there. He's the Raptors' franchise player and, really, the only basketball superstar in the entire country. He might just stay. 

    I hope I'm wrong. I hope LeBron, D-Wade, or CB4 end up finding their way onto the Knicks. But early indications are that all the hoopla is for nothing. While the media and fans will spend the next two years dissecting every comment these three guys make and talking endlessly about the league's realignment, it looks like everyone will stay put and the pecking order will remain the same. Still, it's fun to wonder...

You betcha!

Sarah Palin and an avian execution: 

Yes, Seriously, a Blog Post About a Commercial

Greatest commercial of all time? Four of our greatest athletes, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps, A-Rod, and Tony Hawk, all in the same commercial. I don't get excited about commercials, but it is damn impressive that the folks over at Guitar Hero got all these guys. 

Later, Moose!

Mike Mussina retired from baseball tonight after a distinguished 18-season career. The obvious debate over the next few days - and maybe over the next few decades - will be whether Moose is worthy of being  inducted into the Hall of Fame. Mussina is definitely a borderline case, deserving of much praise and serious Cooperstown consideration. But at the end of the day, I'm afraid Moose falls just short.

Before we get into it, here's my blog post (expert analysis) on what I think makes a HOFer.

In Moose's case, a few big things hold him back. First, he falls short of 300 wins. Second, he only won 20 games once (in his last year, on a 3rd place team), never won a Cy Young award, and never won a championship. 

Most importantly, he wasn't in the top 5 starting pitchers of his era and might not have been in the top ten. Clemens, Maddux, Glavine, Pedro, Randy, Schilling, and Smoltz were all probably better than Mussina. If nothing else, every one of those guys has won at least one Cy Young and at least one World Series. Do you really belong in the Hall when you're the eighth best guy of your era? 

The answer, I'm sorry to say, is no.