A few thoughts on the New York Yankees
May 18, 2007
What to say about the Yankees’ performance this year? Well, the words that come to mouth are not all praises.
Last year the Yankees began the season 11-19 before rallying to their millionth consecutive AL East crown. This year though things are considerably different. Even the most rose-colored-glasses-wearing Yankee fan must admit to the fact that they Yankees will have a hard time repeating last year’s performance.
In the first week of the season Mike Mussina and Chien-Ming Wang hurt their hamstrings, which means they will out of the game for at least a month, the month of April. Mariano Rivera finished the month of April with exactly one save after blowing his first two save chances. Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano are both lousy players. Jeff Karstens fractured his leg after getting drilled by a line drive against the Red Sox and Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon are always out of the game due to heath related issues.
Philip Hughes, the Yankees wunderkind rookie really blew it. He was called to fill in for the decimated rotation, pitches over six innings of no-hit ball against Texas, and then pulls a hamstring. He had to leave a no-hitter because he hurt himself. He too will be out of the game for at least a month.
Despite all these misfortunes the Yankees are still a strong team and have one of the best lineups in baseball. There is no doubt about it; they are going to score loads of runs. But what about getting anyone out? Is the team going to be able to keep this up for the entire season? It is going to be a rough year and I seriously doubt that six-inning maestro Roger Clemens is going to be able to help them all that much. Hughes was the embodiment of hope, so his injury was a devastating blow to the Yankees and to Yankee fans.
The Yankees are good enough to give any team a run for their money, but I do not think they have what it takes to be the best. They will not finish last, but they won’t finish first either.
The NFL Draft took place this weekend, so which teams impressed you? And which teams turned out to be a bad choice for you?
The bookmakers from BoDog.com had this to say: “The Browns passed on Brady Quinn in the #3 spot only to trade next year’s pick to Dallas for the right to take Quinn at #22. This also saves the Browns $33 million in guarantees that Quinn would have been due. Joe Thomas was the best offensive lineman in the country and will provide top-notch blocking to Quinn and recently-acquired Jamal Lewis. The Raiders made a nice pick in the fourth round by selecting Michael Bush. Bush might be the steal of the draft if he adequately recovers from his broken leg. The Dolphins made a surprising move by selecting Ted Ginn Jr. Sure, he’s an exciting player, but when they had so many more glaring needs it makes you wonder what some GMs are thinking. With all that said, the New England Patriots are the big winners so far in this year’s off-season, simply based on the moves they made”.
Randy Moss recently went to the Patriots. What are your opinions on his joining the Patriots? Do you think New England has better chances of getting to the Super Bowl in 2008? What are your thoughts about Moss flaming out?
The bookmakers from BoDog.com had this to say: “It goes without saying Randy Moss can be the best receiver in the game when he’s motivated. Moss plays better when his team is winning, which is a catch-22 because his recent teams couldn’t win unless he was playing well. This is the perfect situation for him to come back at re-establish himself as the league’s best WR. It’s unlikely that Belichick and Brady will take any sulking from Moss, and I predict we will see a Cory-Dillon-like turnaround in Moss’s attitude, where Randy just comes to work and puts up big numbers. The change is already apparent, with Moss agreeing to renegotiate his contract to come to the Patriots. Hey, Tom Brady was one drive away from the Super Bowl last year and he did it without a 1,000-yard receiver. The Pats have bolstered their receiving crew to the point where Brady could and should have multiple 1,000-yarders in the 2007 season”.
The Kentucky Derby is quickly approaching. What are your personal favorites?
The bookmakers from BoDog.com had this to say: “My personal favorite is Street Sense. I think this is the year where history is made with Street Sense winning both the Breeders Cup Juvenile back in November and the Kentucky Derby on May 5th. Although he came in second in the Blue Grass Stakes, this horse is worth his Eclipse Award. Curlin, most likely to go off as the post time favorite, is also among my top picks. He’s the only horse who’s currently unbeaten, but with only three lifetime starts, and no two-year-old races under his belt, I’m not totally convinced this horse can win the big race. I think Nobiz Like Shobiz has a chance if he can keep his cool. Although he had new equipment his last prep, he was able to pull out the win”.
The Heat being defeated by the Bulls in the playoffs came as a surprise to everyone. What are your thoughts on the Chicago Bulls? Are they a better-than-even bet to make it to the finals? Are the Pistons going to be a problem for the Bulls?
The bookmakers from BoDog.com had this to say: “The sweep was definitely unexpected, but the Bulls taking the series wasn’t a huge surprise to me. Wade was less than extraordinary after returning from his shoulder injury. The Bulls are a good team and with their combination of shooters, Ben Wallace playing well inside and Luol Deng’s coming-out party this year, they stand a better chance of beating the Pistons than their Eastern Conference counterparts. Coach Skiles has his team playing their best, and as a result they’re definitely a good pick to come out of the East.”
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