Tiger Woods Dealing With Unplayable Lie
Is it possible to blow a billion bucks in just two weeks? Tiger Woods may be in the process of answering that very question right now. 
Since driving into a fire hydrant on Thanksgiving night, we’ve found out a lot about how Tiger may have been entertaining himself off the course. True or not, you can bet that those sponsors that originally stood behind him are having second thoughts as each alleged dalliance is revealed. As it is, not one commercial featuring Woods has appeared in prime time since the story began. If he can’t stop the bleeding somehow, his wife and family may not be the only things he loses.
New York Knicks Sit Nate And Go On Tear
If Knicks’ head coach Mike D’Antoni does nothing else during the regular season, he’s already won me over with his benching of Nate Robinson; his super-talented and super-childish guard. Robinson is a classic case of a player that just doesn’t get it. He defended his role in a brawl with the Nuggets as a reaction to the fact that Denver was, essentially, running up the score and seeking to embarrass New York. Then, after that philosophy earned him a ten game suspension, he was lambasted by Knicks’ coach Isiah Thomas for a ridiculously comical dunk attempt in a close game that resulted in a traveling violation. Contradicting his earlier stance and showing no remorse, he claimed that, net time, he’d wait until the Knicks were up twenty before he tried it.
This season, his second under D’Antoni, Nate finally pushed too hard when he intentionally shot the ball at the wrong basket against New Jersey and spent most of the pre game warmups vs. Orlando fraternizing with his buddy, Dwight Howard. D’Antoni, having seen enough, banished Robinson to the bench and sent the 4-14 Knicks into their hottest streak of the season.
Robinson has no idea how to play a winning brand of basketball. He’s a player that thinks the outcome of a game is incidental to the way he plays, not a direct result. As such, he’s as unwatchable as any player in the league and the first guy that should be shown the door when the housecleaning begins next summer.
New York Yankees Trade for Granderson
About a year ago, the Yankees made what looked to be a safety-net type of trade with the White Sox in acquiring Nick Swisher. Swisher, who can play all three outfield positions as well as first base, provided the Bombers some protection in case they couldn’t sign Mark Teixeira. More than that, however, they’d acquired a player with a team-first mentality whose personality would be an asset to the team in the clubhouse as well as on the field. Swisher quickly became a fan favorite and flourished at the bottom of New York’s order. He was a huge part of their World Championship; a throwback who’d have been just as comfortable with Joe Torre’s Yanks as he was with Joe Girardi’s. Swisher debunked the “rotisserie baseball” style of filling out a roster that had been employed by the Yankees over the last decade and brought back some of the grinding temperament that hadn’t been seen since Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez left town. Perhaps realizing the secret of his success, GM Brian Cashman made a similar move this week in grabbing Curtis Granderson from the Tigers. He comes to the Bronx with a better resume than Swisher but is a very similar player. Young, handsome and quick witted, he’ll be the object of fan affection the moment he steps on the field and should be equally as popular in the clubhouse. Looks like Cashman has finally realized the value of good chemistry.
Fordham Basketball Coach Whittenburg Fired
Just five games into the season, Fordham University decided to dismiss men’s basketball coach, Dereck Whittenburg. Coming off a disastrous 3-25 campaign, school athletic officials were hoping for a much better start from their Rams than four losses in the first five games. So, after a twenty four point loss to neighborhood rival, Manhattan College, Whittenburg was shown the door. Fordham announced that a national search would commence immediately.
They can look all they want, even bring back Digger Phelps; it won’t solve the biggest problem facing their basketball program. Fordham, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, is in way over its head; a point driven home on Sunday by its former MAAC opponent, Manhattan. In the world of big-time college hoops, Fordham is a relatively small school with very little success as part of its history. They have no geographic rivals within the conference and generate little or no interest among fans in New York City. As part of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, however, they enjoyed rivalries with the aforementioned Jaspers and Iona while receiving infinitely more local coverage. You won’t see too many fans or reporters headed to Rose Hill on a cold February night for a Fordham-Saint Louis matchup. Though, on the same night, Draddy Gym will have twice as many people for a Manhattan-Iona clash. For some reason,(money), Fordham officials decided to leave the MAAC and signed on to be sacrificial lambs to the likes of A-10 powers Xavier, Dayton, St. Joseph’s, LaSalle and Temple; all programs with national reputations. To expect a head coach to compete with those teams while also fighting a recruiting war at home with six other Division I programs is asking for too much. That’s if he even chooses to fight that war in the first place.
While any coach would be behind the eight ball at Fordham, Whittenburg did have a hand in his own undoing. A perusal of the Rams’ roster shows only one player from New York City; Alberto Estwick of Brooklyn. Despite the fact that the New York Catholic High School League is considered the best in the nation, not one grad from among its members plays at Fordham. Even Estwick played in New Jersey. Legendary St. John’s coach, Lou Carnesecca, used to joke that his recruiting budget was a handful of subway tokens as his roster was made up mostly of city kids. How’d he do with that strategy? Current Johnnies’ head man, Norm Roberts, has struggled almost as much as Whittenburg in his tenure; mainly due to his inability to recruit in his own backyard. Ironically, Whittenburg’s last defeat came at the hands of Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen, formerly Pitt’s chief recruiter who made a living bringing New York players to Pittsburgh after they were ignored by their hometown colleges. I’ve attended better than a hundred CHSAA games over the last eight years. Rohrssen is a fixture. I’ve never seen Whittenburg.
Fordham’s got a long road ahead on its way to hoop respectability; something it may never accomplish no matter how earnest the effort. The first step taken should be toward a head coach with a New York reputation who’ll bring city players to Rose Hill and start to generate interest among Big Apple hoop fans. A few regular season games at The Garden wouldn’t hurt either. Until then, however, they’re just boys among men. No matter who’s running the program.
New York Giants Owner Mara Upset About Travel
Came out this week that Giants’ owner John Mara is upset that his squad must make the two thousand mile 
trek to Denver for its Thanksgiving clash with the Broncos. “I don’t mind playing on Thanksgiving,” Mara said. “My complaint is sending us all the way to Denver on a short week.” In fact, he was so irked by the scheduling that he filed a complaint with the NFL; which made me wonder. Is that complaint hotline for the exclusive use of petty, carpetbagging owners that were born on third and thought they hit a triple? Or can it be used by life long season ticket holders being screwed out of their seats by Mara’s Personal Seat Licensing extortion? Sorry, Johnny, if you’re looking for sympathy, you came to the wrong place.
NFL Football Serves Its Biggest Turkeys On Thanksgiving
Football and Thanksgiving are synonymous in the minds of many sports fans. Can’t see that continuing into the next generation with an annual NFL slate featuring terrible matchups. This year, Bruce Goodell’s boys serve up two of their worst; The Raiders and Lions. Thanks, guys. If you need me, I’ll be watching the Godfather marathon on AMC.
Nets Basketball Fans Don’t Grow In Brooklyn
So, now Nets’ owner Bruce Ratner wins his eminent domain battle to evict homeowners and build his Atlantic Yards empire in Brooklyn. Got news for you, Brucie. Brooklynites aren’t dummies and won’t soon be drawn to that mess you call a basketball team. If you build it, they won’t come unless you can play.
New York Jets Get Defensive With QB Sanchez
If you’re scoring at home, now that Derek Anderson and JaMarcus Russell have been benched, Jets’ QB Mark Sanchez is, officially, the worst starter in the league. And how does Gang Green plan to address this? With Head Coach Rex Ryan, hired on the strength of his defensive expertise, taking a more active role in the rookie’s development. Who knows, maybe Sanchez will be more receptive to a defensive guy seeing as how receptive defenders have been of his passes. However it works out, it’s another example of the Jets not getting it right. Last off season, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was a candidate for the head job that eventually went to Ryan. Amazingly, they decided to retain Schottenheimer. No team but the Jets would then force an offensive coordinator on a new coach; he’d hire his own guy. That Sanchez has gotten worse as the season has progressed is an indictment of both the Jets and Schottenheimer but, at least, an indication that they got one right in not hiring him to lead the team. Hey, when you’re a Jets fan, you have to take your victories where you can find them.
Notre Dame Football Coach On Way Out
After last week’s loss to Connecticut, it’s a foregone conclusion that Notre Dame will pull the plug on the Charlie Weis era. As they start their search for a replacement, one criterion is more important than any other. They must sign their first choice for the spot. The Notre Dame job was once thought of as the greatest in sports. So much so that Lou Holtz, who coached at a number of schools, always had a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave if the Irish came calling. But, in recent years, that perception has been diminished; much to Notre Dame’s detriment. Bob Davie got the job back in 1996 after Gary Barnett thumbed his nose and headed to Colorado. Before Ty Willingham was brought in, George O’Leary was hired then dismissed due to inaccuracies on his resume. Then, when Willingham flopped, Urban Meyer was thought to be on his way, only to take the job at Florida and leave Notre Dame with second prize once again. Given the fact that Weis is due $18 million on his way out the door, I’m wondering if it isn’t a better idea to keep him on until that Dream Coach is available. It’d certainly be a more productive solution than settling once again.
“Christopher is Well”
About nine years ago, I first met a young man named Chris; at the time, all of eleven years old. He was a quiet, private kid and remains so to this day which is why I’m only using his first name. His dad and I worked together on Wall Street and I convinced John to send Chris to the week long basketball camp upstate where I was a coach. Every day, during each meal and then again before lights out, I’d check on the kid to make sure things were going well. Always got the same answer. “Yeah, fine.” Nothing more. By the end of the week, one that saw him take home an All Star trophy, I told John that I wasn’t sure Chris had enjoyed the camp. “Of course he did”, John said, “he’s just quiet.”
Chris went on to become a classmate of my son in high school. They were very much alike in many ways and became friends and teammates. They played for a JV coach who worked them hard and challenged them every day and they both responded. Each came out of his shell and emerged as a productive player; feeding off the confidence of their coach and their faith in all of their teammates. It was one of those seasons where the record didn’t matter as all of the young men improved as players and people. They were each given a nickname by the coach as well, and one look at Christopher’s winter-white, freckled face instantly gave him away as the one they called, “Irish.”
About a year after Chris left high school as the captain of the varsity basketball team, we learned that doctors had found a mass in his chest. Chris would undergo chemotherapy treatment with an uncertain prognosis. His incredible physical condition, one that had actually masked some symptoms, would allow doctors to aggressively attack the tumor and they started almost immediately. I remember being terrified for Chris, my friend John, their family and even of telling my own son what had happened. I’ll never forget the night we went to visit. Chris was wiped out from a treatment and was actually too weak to even speak. When I entered the room shortly after my son, I was struck to see these two strong young men, silently holding each other’s hands. I won’t ever forget that image.
Six months later, Chris finished his last treatment and was told there were no longer any signs of the tumor. He showed up at a basketball game at his old school and was mobbed by the many coaches and former classmates so happy that their good friend was doing better. Given his quiet demeanor, it had to be one of the worst moments of his journey. But he tolerated it very well.
It’s been a tough five years or so for a lot of us. I’ve been struggling over the last few weeks to find the spirit of the season and avoid being dragged down emotionally by the difficult times in which I find myself while drawing very little consolation from the fact that I am but one of many going through the same thing. Then I saw the envelope on the table. It was big, like a wedding invitation and my first reaction was dread as an expensive gift is certainly not in the budget. When I opened it, however, my heart was suddenly filled with the happiness of the holiday. It was a little note from Chris and his family; updating his condition and thanking all for their support. I had to read it a few times, however, as my eyes instantly filled up after seeing the first three words, ”Christopher is Well.” Happy Thanksgiving.
By Eddie Mayrose
Jeter Chases Gehrig
Anytime a Major League player is mentioned in the same sentence as Lou Gehrig, he’s accomplished something significant. In Derek Jeter’s case, passing Gehrig as the all-time hits leader of the New York Yankees is an achievement that should be listed somewhere near the top of his Cooperstown resume. For this record, or any like it, to stand for seventy years and survive the many, great players that have been part of Yankee history makes it that much more special when it finally falls. To have it eclipsed by the team’s most popular player is simply an added gift for the fans as they get to share the moment with their hero; something apparently lost on Yankee broadcasters convinced that the attraction is not Jeter’s assault on the record but their description of it, instead.
The pre-game soliloquies, (Whatever happened to, “Hi, this is Frank Messer and welcome to Yankee baseball.”?), the silly stats and the wink-wink, “I spoke to Derek”, nonsense that seems to have become a competition among the broadcast crew, has grown more and more tiresome as the shortstop has struggled to get the last few hits he needs. And can you imagine the over-the-top silliness that Sterling has already come up with for the record breaker? How about just letting the fans enjoy Jeter without getting in the way?
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Missing Mangini
Read this week that Eric Mangini still hadn’t announced his starting QB for the Browns’ opener on Sunday and started to respect Rex Ryan a whole lot more.
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Dedicated Superstars
Next time you hear someone start whining about how today’s athletes just don’t care, that money is everything and team loyalty is a thing of the past, mention Carlos Beltran. Out three months with a bone bruise that hasn’t completely healed, Beltran came back to a Mets’ squad so devastated by injuries that many advised the center fielder to shut it down for the year.
Or Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford; reigning Heisman Trophy winner. He spurned the millions that awaited him in the NFL in order to return to school and join his teammates in their quest to win the National Championship that they just missed last season. Pundits were criticizing Bradford’s decision this week after he sustained a shoulder injury in Oklahoma’s opener. As if a guy who thinks team first isn’t already above their criticism.
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Denver Broncos: Tough Love?
Strange coincidence in Denver where WR Brandon Marshall, suspended indefinitely for insubordination, redeemed himself in his coach’s eyes just in time for the season opener.
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September Yawn
It’s a sorry September in Major League Baseball as only one of the six divisions has even a sniff of a pennant race. Despite Bud Selig trying to sell me on the Wild Card, I’m not exactly flipping to Sportscenter to find out how the Red Sox and Rangers did.
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September 11, 2009
Eight years ago, just prior to the kickoff of a freshman football game between Xaverian High School and Xavier High School, the captains from each team proceeded to midfield. The pregame ritual seemed as mundane as every other coin toss; eight kids who’d never met greeting officials and opponents they probably wouldn’t recognize an hour later. Until one of the Xaverian captains, the smallest actually, reached across to the Xavier side. “We’re really sorry about your coach”, he said. “Thanks, man” came the reply, “thanks a lot.”
Almost two months earlier, on September 10th, a whole new world opened up for those kids as they started their high school careers. The next day brought a whole new world for all of us. While football became a refuge for the Xaverian freshmen; their safe haven from the sadness and fear, it was a daily reminder of both for the Xavier kids who’d lost their coach in the World Trade Center attacks. And now, just before a game that was as much a neighborhood rivalry as any they would ever play, these young boys took a second away from the sport to address their grief.
I thought about that game when I saw that the two schools would open their Varsity seasons against each other tomorrow night, September 11th, at Aviator Field in Brooklyn. I remembered how I felt back then; that there would never be a time that I’d enjoy anything on that day. I thought about those high school freshmen; college grads now, and how they managed to find their way through those terrible times. Finally, I thought of how often since that horrible Tuesday morning I’d been told that the loved ones we lost would want us to enjoy our lives. That, to do so, would honor the rescuers whose sacrifice was made to preserve that freedom. Maybe, after eight years, it’s time to let that advice sink in.
So, I’ll be there tomorrow night because, after all this time, it’s where I think I should be. It’ll be my tribute to those we lost, those we didn’t and those overseas fighting to prevent such an atrocity from ever happening again. And I’ll carry those eight young football players in my heart; grateful for the example they set on that autumn afternoon. Thoreau once wrote “All men are children”. But, on that day, children were men.
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Happy 19th Birthday to one of LaSalle University’s finest, Ryan Mayrose.
I won’t go so far as to say Brett Favre lied to the Jets about his plans for retirement. Not because I think Favre had a 
legitimate change of heart or that no one in his right mind would turn down twelve million dollars. I just don’t care.
Through all of the gnashing of teeth by indignant members of the media inexplicably insulted by the quarterback’s decision and fans with jilted feelings over his flip flopping, one point seems to be lost: Favre is done.
Didn’t anyone else notice that the aging QB was the biggest contributor to the Jets’ late season collapse? His performance over the last four games was abysmal, as was his failure to beat a number of the weak sisters on the Jets’ schedule. Despite less than stellar seasons, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver all handled the Jets in a season where just one more win could’ve meant a playoff berth.
P.T. Barnum famously stated that there’s a sucker born every minute. Seems like this minute’s sucker is Vikings’ owner Zygi Wilf, who’ll soon find out that the increased ticket sales and apparel revenue will contribute nothing to Minnesota’s playoff effort. The same will likely be true of Favre.
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The pitch count police had a great week. Last Wednesday, Staten Island Yankees hurler Sean Black held the Auburn Doubledays hitless through six innings. However, he was lifted after the sixth because he was over his allotted pitch total. This on the heels of a report that the New York City Council is considering imposing a pitch limit in the city’s high school leagues. Yes, the same uninformed City Council that removed metal bats from high school but ignored the infinitely more dangerous situation created by the same bats in Little League.
Dennis Canale, head baseball coach at Xaverian High School, a perennial city power, had his own views on the idea. “First of all, we’ve always used a pitch count here. I keep my Varsity guys to around 95 pitches. Freshman and JV get 90 pitches a week but won’t appear a second time if they go more than 50 in their first appearance.” “However, I think these decisions should be left to the individual coaches. I’ll let one of my kids get up to 100-110 if it means closing out a game and that decision should be mine.”
He went on to share a terrific idea, one too logical to gain any support within the city’s bureaucracy. “If the City Council is really concerned about the welfare of these kids, they should mandate that all coaches be certified. All coaches. Create a program where coaches learn the value of stretching, hydration and proper technique. That way, you’ll have them making informed decisions.” A great thought, but since it’s one that won’t generate headlines that turn into votes, it’ll never happen.
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“Please rise and remove your caps for the playing of our National Anthem.” It’s an announcement we hear before every ballgame and I’m wondering when it became necessary to remind people to remove their caps. I also can’t decide which is more embarrassing: That we now need to be prompted to do it or that, despite the advisory, so many fail to do so, anyway.
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Done much traveling this summer? Not as much as Quentin Richardson, I’d imagine. The former Knick guard, traded to the Grizzlies on draft night, has subsequently been sent to the Clippers, who dispatched him to the Timberwolves, who then traded him to the Heat. He’s still in Miami as of this writing but has no guarantees regarding training camp. He’s keeping his bags packed.
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Danny McCarthy was a Bay Ridge guy who brought a sweet swing to both the baseball field and the golf course. He was part of one of those special families that seem to exist in most neighborhoods; the one whose every member serves the community. In McCarthy’s case, it was the local little league, where his father served as commissioner while his mom repaired uniforms and raised funds. Dan and his two brothers played in the league through elementary school and then became coaches, volunteer positions they held well into adulthood. There were very few kids in and around our corner of Brooklyn that didn’t benefit from the generosity of Danny and his family.
We lost Danny on December 21st, 1988, when he became one of the 270 victims on Pan Am flight 103 that were murdered over Lockerbie, Scotland. I thought of him today as I learned that Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi, serving a life sentence after being tried and convicted for the attacks, was to be released by the Scottish government on “compassionate grounds” due to the fact that his prostate cancer is terminal. Apparently, his sentence was for all but the last three months of his life. I also wondered about the “compassionate grounds” that might have been exercised by Al-Megrahi when he, instead, made the decision to murder so many innocent people.
Danny McCarthy was a good son, brother and friend. He was a young man about whom no one ever had a bad thing to say. Everyone he dealt with was better for having known him, especially those kids that were fortunate enough to have him as a coach. It’s comforting to know that there are now young husbands and fathers that were influenced by Danny’s kindness and dignity. Comforting enough, that is, to overcome yet another tragedy in Scotland.
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Happy Birthday, Gin.
