Life and Stuff

It's been a sad week in New York City. One of the most beloved figures in the lexicon of New York sports has decided to walk away. Conventional sports fan wisdom says that if you make yourself a beloved figure in New York, you can make yourself a beloved figure anywhere. Joe Torre, with his calm demeanor and friendly attitude passed the likeness test with flying colors. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I, even as a devoted and true Red Sox fan, am outraged at the amount of respect that one of the true nice guys in Major League Baseball received from his team. However, I must take a look at this issue from both sides of the coin to create a fair and balanced argument as to why Joe Torre chose to walk away from what was at one time the most secure job in New York sports.

From the Yankee perspective, it is pertinent to look at the following intangibles. Joe Torre is no spring chicken. He's 67 years old and has a history of health problems. Yankee executives probably felt that it was unwise to give a man of his age a long term deal. What if Torre has a re-occurrence of the prostrate cancer the sidelined him for over twenty games in 1999? What if Torre, God forbid, breaks his hip or dies. Do you really think that the Yankees would want to eat the rest of an expensive contract if Joe Torre has to retire suddenly? In that regard, you would most likely believe that the Yankees were right in doing what they did. Of course for you to take the Yankees side, you would either be a staunch Joe Torre hater or be totally unaware of what he's accomplished. Taking that into perspective, it's almost certain that Joe got the shaft from the Yankee organization.

The ball got rolling when Yankee principal owner George Steinbrenner gave Torre an ultimatum during the division series against the Cleveland Indians, win or you're fired. It seems to me like this was a pretty unfair position to put Joe Torre in after he had done so much for the team over the years. To keep him in limbo for ten days was even more disrespectful to him. It was as if a great salesman for a Fortune 500 company could do no wrong in his first 5 years. Then, during the next five years, his sales are very lean and the company is unsure on keeping him or dumping him. Finally, the Yankees gave him an offer they thought he wouldn't refuse, 1 year at five million dollars with potential performance bonuses added, and Joe said no. To give Joe Torre only half his salary for only one year was silly, and what about those performance bonuses? Torre has won 11 division titles, 6 pennants, and 4 World Series in his time with the Yankees, he also boosted fan morale when it was at an all-time low. In my humble opinion, he has earned those bonuses and the Yankees had no right to withhold his pay because he did not live up to the standard that they have expected in the last few years. Kudos to you Joe, may you find respect and happiness in whatever you do.

Although I am happy to admit the Patriots won, I must say that I was disappointed in the highly anticipated game they had with the Cowboys on Sunday. "Texas Stadium" was packed, there was enough barbecue to feed an army, and it was the first star-studded sporting event that I had seen in a long time that did not take place in New York or Los Angeles. The quarterback comparison between Tom Brady and Tony Romo wasn't even close. Brady, as he has done many times, methodically led his team down the field time after time. In fairness, Romo did too, but he did not almost always find the end zone. This was not any fault of his own mind you, it was the fault of the constant barrage of penalties called against the Cowboys. The constant penalties continually killed any momentum that Dallas had gained throughout the game. Everything was called on them, from holding to illegal blocks in the back. So many penalties were called that I half expected the Cowboys to bring that kid with the lasso from the second "Mighty Ducks" movie onto to the field to get penalized for trying to rope Wes Welker. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, stupid penalties always come back to haunt you if they are consistently called against you for the duration of the game. I admit that I was a little nervous once the so called "America's Team" cut the lead to 7 in the third quarter, but on a day in which Tom Brady threw 5 TD passes, I need not have worried. All in all it was a good effort by the Cowboys, but their lack of depth and constant penalties did them in. Now, to other random thoughts concerning the NFL and maybe, just maybe, I'll start with a couple leftover observations from Irving vs. Foxboro.

• Why was Kate Hudson in the Patriots private box? As far as I know, she has no connection to the team or the Kraft family. She must have won a contest in which famous celebrities who do not have New England Roots vied for the opportunity to sit in the owner's box.

• I swear Wade Phillips was my mailman at one time or another. He looks like a disgruntled postman.

• Congratulations to KC Chiefs Tight End Tony Gonzalez, who broke Shannon Sharpe's career record for touchdown receptions by a tight end. Now if only the Chiefs had a complete team to help get him a ring.

• Now that the Dolphins are 0-6, do you think Nick Saban knew something about the team that the administration and the fans didn't?

• When life gives you a lemon you're supposed to make lemonade, but Cleo Lemon can't even get past the powdered drink mix phase. Maybe that's why the Dolphins are struggling. I hope Lemon doesn't go into the used car business once his playing days are over.
  

• Tampa Bay RB Ernest Graham did not generate much offense in his first NFL start on Sunday. He looked like he was hit hard too, I guess you could say he was turned into a graham cracker by the end of the day.

• How about that Jeff Garcia? He has not thrown an interception all year and his team in 4-2, when a lot of observers had them bringing up the rear in the NFC.

• Perhaps Gus Ferotte is seen as a guy who has a strong leadership presence on young quarterbacks. That's the only reason I can think of to explain why this guy still has steady employment in the NFL. In two starts since taking over for the injured Marc Bulger, Ferotte has thrown 8 picks. With a record of 0-6, the Rams are now the official laughingstock of the NFC.

• I'm all in favor for teams wearing throwback uniforms once in a while. It's a nice way to relive the past if only for a day. However, if you have to wear duds as gaudy as Jets wore on Sunday, why bother?

• Memo to Chad Pennington, the footsteps you hear are the footsteps of Kellen Clemens taking snaps under center.

• Commenting on the Jets 1-5 start, coach Eric Mangini said "It makes you angry, and it makes you frustrated, that's how people feel." This has been another obvious statement from the people who brought you duh.

• Moron of the week goes to a fan that was seen wearing a Rex Grossman jersey at "Solider Field." Unless this man is a relative of Mr. Grossman's, he should be met with loud boos every time he walks down the street with that piece of clothing on.

• Why did I score the most points in my fantasy league last weekend? Five words, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew!

• Hustler of the week goes to Jaguars kicker John Carney, who not only attempted an onside kick, but recovered it himself, that's hustle.

• Brett Favre now owns the NFL record for career interceptions thrown With all that he's accomplished in his great career, its unlikely that anyone will remember him for holding this dubious record.

• Separated at birth, NBC football reporter Marty Snider and Dilbert.

• Vinny Testaverde provided inspiration for the AARP crowd when he became the oldest quarterback to win a game. Testaverde celebrated his victory by drinking an "Ensure" shake and having a sensible dinner which consisted of him parading around an Arizona "Sam's Club" and helping himself to all the free samples.

• It just can't get any worse for the Redbirds, now Kurt Warner is hurt and the team is so desperate to find a quarterback that they hired the kid from "Friday Night Lights."

• Memo to Norv Turner, maybe LT can do it all against a pathetic defense like the Raiders, but if he doesn't get help soon, you're going to be swinging a golf club come January.

• Hey Terrell Owens, I want you to know that I got my popcorn ready. After watching Tom Brady torch your defense it tasted sweet, like sweet wine. Enjoy the crow you're now eating.

• Until next week, good night and have a pleasant tomorrow!