Big Names in Sports Make Big News in 2010

(Originally published 12/8/10 in "The Montclarion")

2010 has brought us another exciting, drama-filled year in sports. Locally, the Jets are running their mouths as the best team in sports and hold a 9-3 record, yet they have only beaten one team with a record above .500.

The Giants were outmatched by a quarterback who hasn’t started since 2006 and has served jail time in between.

Oakland pitcher Dallas Braden and his catcher, Landon Powell, share a hug after Braden’s perfect game in April. It was the first of two perfect games during the 2010 baseball season.

The Yankees just ended the circus free agency signing with Derek Jeter that was about as exciting as Ben Stein’s voice.


The Mets have added a Terry and a Sandy to their front office; and I don’t mean the ladies that appeared in Grease.

The Islanders and the Nets seem a little lost, which isn’t a surprise.

The Devils sit just above the Islanders, which is a surprise.

The only team that hasn’t given us anything to talk about are the New York Rangers … and that’s probably a good thing.

This year brought us a lot of positive things as well. The New Orleans ‘Aints helped a city stand on its feet with an unlikely victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The San Francisco Giants won their first World Series since they departed New York. The LA Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in a rematch similar to the days of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The Red Bulls came close to winning the MLS championship, but fell in the semi-finals to the San Jose Earthquakes. In an attempt to bring some excitement to the MLS the Red Bulls signed international French star Thierry Henry, a contract that cost less and provided a better turnout than the David Beckham signing that happened a few years back. Beckham’s career to Americans can be compared to Carmen San Diego or Waldo; where has it gone?

Baseball saw three perfect games in a season. Well, technically, there were only two: Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics and Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies. Armando Galarraga came close to being the third, but was denied a chance at history by umpire Jim Joyce. It was a game that’s sure to live in infamy with not only the players involved, but fans of the sport as well. It was a game that’s sure to lead to further use of instant replay in baseball, another thing that will be remembered by sports fans for years to come.

USC seemed on top of the college football world, but their coach bolted to the NFL and joined the Seattle Seahawks, and their starting player during that era was revoked of his Heisman Trophy. This led to the likes of Auburn, Oregon and TCU rounding out the top three teams respectively. The only classic powerhouse college team in the top ten is Ohio State.

What we didn’t see this year was the implementation of a playoff system for college football. But when every college football team plays in a bowl game there probably isn’t a need for a playoff system.

2010 also saw the rise of MMA, a fiercer form of boxing that lets fighters use every part of their body that isn’t just below the belt. Boxing’s biggest headline is their loss of fans and funds — the people that decided MMA was more exciting to watch. Maybe it’s because the most exciting thing to happen in boxing this year was the Manny Pacquiao/Floyd Mayweather fight that never happened.

2011 is sure to be as exciting as 2010 and the drama that will ensue will surpass that of all the MTV “reality” shows. Maybe Jimmie Johnson will win his sixth straight NASCAR title, or Tiger Woods will regain his number one ranking. Maybe Roger Federer will retake the number one tennis ranking from Rafael Nadal. At this point, everything is just speculation. There is always uncertainty heading into a new year. Something new and exciting is bound to happen soon after the ball drops. Until then, we still have the rest of 2010.

An Inside Look at the MLB Postseason

(Originally published 10/6/10 in "The Montclarion"; this isn't a column but a special for that week's specific issue on the MLB postseason)

The 2010 MLB season is over and the playoffs are about to begin. The Pittsburgh Pirates sit at their rightful place at the bottom of the league, next to the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners. But at the other end of the spectrum we have the Philadelphia Phillies posting the best record in the major leagues, the New York Yankees returning (yet again) to the playoffs and the 20-year-old Bobby Cox bringing his Atlanta Braves to a familiar place, squeezing in with a Wild Card birth on the last day of the season.

Yankee’s third baseman Alex Rodriguez hopes to lead his team back to the World Series in the 2010 playoffs.

Since removing the ‘devil’ from their name, the Tampa Bay Rays have been impressing everyone. They’ve been a team for only a dozen years, but find themselves atop the monstrous AL East with the best record in the American League.

They’re hosting the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series, opening with Cliff Lee for the Rangers and David Price for the Rays. Lee is a more established pitcher and will demand millions this off season for his services, but he’s been struggling mightily since joining the Rangers, while David Price has been stellar for the Rays.

The jovial Rays have been limping recently, but should pose a huge threat for the Rangers. The Rays pitching outmatches the Rangers, and although Texas has Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz in their lineup, the Rays have Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Evan Longoria to name a few. The edge in every aspect points towards the Rays. If the series reaches four games, it’s a disappointment for them. They should take this series easily.

The Minnesota Twins are back in the postseason, and they find themselves in an unfortunate yet familiar situation as well, playing the Yankees. They haven’t fared well in the past, and that trend doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

Yankee castoff Carl Pavano will be pitching the first game of the series; that alone should highlight the way this series will go, but Pavano hasn’t been having too bad of a year. That being said, the Yankees have CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and many more. The Twins have Joe Mauer but are playing without Justin Morneau who’s out of the series recovering from a concussion. The Yankees are most likely going to be meeting the Rays in the American League Championship Series, winning this series against the Twins as easily as the Rays are going to beat the Rangers.

From there it becomes a dog fight. If the Championship series does end up being the Rays versus the Yankees, it’ll be a showdown to the final game. The Rays outdid the Yankees in the regular season, winning 10 out of 18 games, but the Yankees are a more established team. When it comes down to the wire there is a much greater chance for the Yankees to be clutch than the Rays, but anything is possible. Neither the Twins nor the Braves will be able to beat both powerhouses in the American League. Getting to the World Series for them is going to be a huge uphill climb.

The Braves reach the playoffs for Bobby Cox’s last year before retiring as manager. They face a tough task against the San Francisco Giants, and sit as a weak team coming into the playoffs. Their lineup is average and their pitching is good, but the Giants are throwing Tim Lincicum and Matt Cain on the hill for the first two games. Derick Lowe and Tim Hudson have to be just as good as the Giants rotation to keep the Braves in the series. Splitting one of the first two games would be an advantage to the Braves, who would then bring it back to Atlanta to possibly close out. But being as the Divisional Series is a best-of-five format, they don’t have much breathing room if they can’t win one against the Giants pitching staff. This series will feature a lot of low scoring games. If it does go to five games, expect one of the premiere pitchers for both clubs to return, possibly for game four as well.

The feel-good story of this season belongs to the Cinncinatti Reds. Led by Joey Votto, the Reds surprised almost everyone by taking the National League Central Division that most figured would easily belong to the St. Louis Cardinals. But they open on the road against the powerhouse Phillies. This series is going to run pretty similar to the Rays/Rangers series. The Phillies have Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and a rotation that can feature three aces. Regardless of which game it is, the Phillies are going to have either Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt or Cole Hamels on the mound. It may not be luck that got the Reds to the playoffs, but they’ll need some to get past Philadelphia.

The winner of the Braves/Giants series will most likely go against the Phillies, which is a scary thought. The Phillies shouldn’t waste much energy and should be more refreshed than either of the other teams. Though the National League Championship series will be more competitive, they will still be the overwhelming favorite to reach the World Series for the third straight year. If the Reds manage to win against the Phillies, the Championship Series will be an even match. The Giants or Braves will be favored over the Reds, and will probably beat them if they get through, but any of those three teams will be less than likely to take down the team representing the American League in the World Series. The National League may have home field advantage (courtesy of winning the All-Star Game for the first time in 13 years) but the National League’s best shot at winning lies with the Phillies, and even they will have a close match with what will be the Yankees or the Rays.

The playoffs bring high adrenaline and a nostalgia for teams that’s unlike anything during the regular season. Though certain teams should win easily, it’s anybody’s game.