30 Teams In 30 Days

New York Yankees: The Billion Dollar Bombers

(Over the next 30 days, BERNing on Sports will be previewing every team in the Majors, yes, even the Royals. Only one a day, every day, so try not to get too hooked)

Keeping It Real

The Yankees dumped a disgusting amount of money (recession or not) on three of the best free agent available this off-season. It came to a whopping 423.5 million. But, the reality is they actually trimmed payroll from last year (amazing as that sounds, it's true). Gone are heavy burdens like Jason Giambi (back to the Bay), Mike Mussina (retired), Bobby Abreu (allowed to avoid walls in Anaheim now), Carl Pavano (allowed to quit for another franchise), and Kyle Farnsworth (allowed to flex his muscles in purgatory...err, Kansas City). They added serious rotation depth, not just in A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia, but also in the form of former ace, Chien-Ming Wang, who is healthy after missing most of last season with a freak ankle injury. Mark Teixeira may have seemed like a greedy pick up, but they needed him for a) his defense, and b) his bat (Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano aren't likely to get either younger or more consistent).

Alex Rodriguez Plays Baseball (among other things)

What can be said about this guy that hasn't been said? What more can he say or do wrong? Just a few days ago he said he wished he could play with Jose Reyes all the time. I guess Derek Jeter and Cano don't do it for ya? I can't say the steroids won't distract him, but, it won't be the first time (or last) he'll be bombarded with media coverage. My advice to Rodriguez? Take your time recovering from surgery, keep your mouth shut, and hit a home run or two when you come back.

And The Award For Most Time Spent On The DL Goes To...

With the types of players on the Yankees, the amount of money invested in them, and the history the Yankees have had with the DL, it's not a matter of who, but how often and how long. If I was running Vegas, the odds on favorite would be A.J. Burnett, and that's hard to argue with. But, to keep it interesting and because he's already starting the season on the DL, Alex Rodriguez has to make the list.

Running Proof the ROY Means Nothing

Just in case you hadn't noticed, Angel Berroa, AL ROY in 2003, is battling Cody Ransom (who at least can do this) for the back-up infielder spot. Apparently, striking out at a rate four times more frequently than walking is detrimental to your career success. Who'd have thought?

Bold Predictions

Robinson Cano will start (and finish) strong, bouncing back from a poor 2008. People have compared him to Rod Carew (easy with that) and while he's no where near that now, he'll finally have a complete season. I'll say a steady .295/20/95.

Phil Hughes in another attempt to distract people from the fact that his fastball tops out at 92 MPH, will try glasses again while pitching. When that doesn't work, he'll wear the same mask that Rip Hamilton wears.

Up Next...Friday, Atlanta Braves

My Mt. Rushmore

On Saturday, Jordan's post about what his sports Mt. Rushmore would be got me thinking. He wanted to know who other people would choose for their mountains, but, since I write for the site and can do basically whatever I want, I decided, the hell with it. I'm making my own post. None of this comment section business for me.

Without further delay...

1. David Robinson - One of the all-time "good guys" in sports. Not to mention, the soon-to-be Hall of Famer could play ball. Would've been even better, far as championships are concerned, if it wasn't for some doofus named Mike.
2. Tim Duncan - Another one of the "good guys", but I love him because he dominates, and doesn't need to shout to do it. Excited when he needs to be, funny in private quarters, Duncan's boring as all hell, but he's the ideal athletic role model on the court, though maybe not the ideal personality off it for the media.
3. Derek Jeter - Come on. How could any Yankee fan near my age not put him here?
4. Warrick Dunn - Another "good guy", catching a theme here? Dunn's always been a favorite of mine as a Buccaneers fan. The fact that he's such a little guy that's had such a good career (one that will almost definitely be overlooked by future NFL fans) really stands out.

The Bigger Problem

I can't help but look at this whole situation with Alex Rodriguez and think, maybe it's not his fault.  Maybe, it's ours.  

Not for doing steroids.  No, that's certainly his fault.  Not for the "pressure" to do steroids, because I don't buy any of that garbage.  No one had a gun to his head, he decided to ruin his legacy, not us. 

What I mean to say is, maybe it's our fault for even taking him (and other celebrities and athletes, for that matter) so seriously.  What makes Alex Rodriguez a role model?  The fact that he can hit a baseball a long way, the fact that he can range to his left and has a cannon for an arm?  I understand how society is set up, and that as a guy in the public eye, making as much money as he does, there are expectations people like he and Michael Phelps need to live up to.  But, maybe that's the problem.

We seem to be constantly in shock and surprise when our favorite athletes and musicians and actors/actresses get caught for doing the wrong things.  Whether it's domestic abuse, or cheating in the sport they play in, or drug possession, or saying racist things, these guys aren't perfect.  In fact, they're just like us.  Some of them are good guys, some aren't.  Some you'd be friends with, others you'd never want to even talk to.  So why, because they play basketball or can rap or play a guitar should that elevate them so?

I happen to be a fairly fortunate sports fan.  Growing up, my favorite player was David Robinson, whose only crime was that he was a bit too religious early on in his career.  Following Robinson, I idolized Tim Duncan and Warrick Dunn and Derek Jeter, all players that have (thus far, fingers crossed) stayed far away from negative press and quite in the positive realm.  That's just one person's experience.

Yet, there has to be at least one Albert Belle fan out there.  One Vince Coleman fan.  One Rae Carruth fan.  One Notorious B.I.G. fan (guilty).  Point is, we've all liked celebrities that we may not have liked personally.

But, that's OK and that's how it should be.  What we pay to see is what they do in between the lines, on the CDs, in the movies.  That should be it.

Don't you think it's a bit odd that even President Obama commented about A-Rod?  Or that the government seems to be knee deep in this whole investigation?  Shouldn't we have more pressing issues to concern ourselves with (ahem, government)?

In no way am I excusing A-Rod of what he did.  It bothers me to no end, as a Yankee fan and as an idealistic fan of baseball.  But, if I stopped rooting for players or musicians based on what they did in their personal lives, I'd really be at a loss.  I couldn't listen to any Kanye West songs, three quarters of the NFL and NBA I'd have to ignore.  It would be awful. 

Would it be great if every player was like Tim Duncan (OK, more exciting than TD, but you get the point)?  Sure.  But, that ain't the way it goes.  

Some are jerks, some are not.  If anything, this whole episode should prove that we need to stop putting these athletes and stars on such pedestals.  All they seem to do is let us down.  

Who Would You Be Most Angry About If He Was On Steroids?

Now that A-Roid has been fingered for steroid use, I've been thinking about something all day:

Which players, if it came out that they were using steroids, would I be most disappointed with? Which players would I be most upset to see were on steroids?

(Disclaimer: By posting this, I am in no way trying to say that these players are or were on steroids. These are players that we have no evidence of them being on steroids to date.)

Here's my top five list:

5. Mark Grace
4. Tom Glavine
3. Ryne Sandberg
2. Derek Jeter
1. Greg Maddux

I'm pretty sure that most if not all the guys on my list did not use steroids. But it's naive to say that we know for sure, and it would be false to claim unequivocally that they never used. That said, it would shock me if any of these guys except Derek Jeter did steroids, but who knows? I would really be upset if these five were on roids.

Who would make your top five list? Comment below.

Hall of Fame Personality? No. Hall of Famer? Yes.

Jeff Kent is planning to retire Thursday afternoon.  The all-time home run leader among second basemen hit seventy-four more home runs (351 as a second baseman, 377 overall) than the previous record holder, hall of famer Ryne Sandberg (282 career home runs, 277 at second base).

He was the MVP of the National League in 2000, and was a five time all-star.  Kent was the most feared hitter among second basemen once Sandberg retired, and he put together some fantastic years for San Francisco during the peak of Barry Bonds steroid induced run.

There's no question that he should get into the hall of fame one day.  After all, how could a guy that holds the record for most home runs at his predominant position not get a call to Cooperstown?  

Kent was a great hitter who hit more than twenty home runs in nine straight seasons (1997-2005).   But his surly personality and his unwillingness to back down to teammates is what he might be remembered for most.  If there's anything that keeps him out of the hall on the first few ballots, it will be his tumultuous relationship with the media.

Is it fair?  Maybe not.  Though the fact remains that the way a player is perceived by the Baseball Writers of America, those who vote for him, is immensely critical to his potential enshrinement.

Jeff Kent had his famous shouting match with Barry Bonds in the dugout, which made him look good to people that knew Bonds was a terrible clubhouse influence at times.  But it didn't help his image in the media.

Nor did his lie to media that his 2002 motorcycle crash happened because he 'fell while washing it'.  When San Francisco Chronicle writer Henry Schulman found later that he fell off his bike while doing a wheelie, when the Giants had distinctly told him and Bonds not to, he became much less friendly to the writers in which he had previously confided.

Jeff Kent was never considered one of the good guys.  And he never had enough clout to be so surly.  While former teammate Barry Bonds was smashing the single season home run record in 2001 with 73 round trippers, (granted, we now know he did that using steroids, [allegedly, ha!]) Bonds could afford to act the way he wanted around the media because at the time he wielded such immense power in the game.  Kent was softer spoken, but while he quietly racked up quality season after quality season, he never let the media in, and consequently never received any positive publicity.

Media darlings like Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and LeBron James can do no wrong in the press.  As a result, one day their careers will be revered and celebrated, then validated by trips to the hall of fame.  In the case of Kent, he'll never have the fan fare.  He'll never have the appreciation associated with what was a great career.  Sure, he's not at the level of the three players mentioned above, but because he was never thought of as a good person, he'll never be recognized for a superb and steady seventeen year career.

So if Kent was smart, he'd smile and be cheerful in announcing his retirement.  Because if that's the last image we have of Kent as a baseball player, for his sake, it better be a positive one. 

Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow.....

I don't have a DVR at my house.  Otherwise I'd go back and count the number of times FOX broadcasters Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Chris Myers mentioned Tim Tebow in the three hours they called the BCS national championship game.

Honestly, I'd guess his name was mentioned a few hundred times.  And not just when he dropped back to pass or took off to run.

They mentioned him literally every play of the game.  They showed him on the sideline after every play.  It was almost as bad as the camera devoted to Derek Jeter's every move on national telecasts of Yankee games.

This was the best comment of the night:  when Tebow was given an unsportsman-like conduct penalty in the waning moments of the game, Thom Brennaman remarked, "That was the worst thing Tim Tebow has ever done in his life."

My friends and I watching the game together broke into laughter.  What about the two interceptions he threw in this game?  Weren't those worse?  I'm just going to go out on a limb here and suggest Tebow has gotten into trouble worse than an unsportsman-like penalty at some point in his perfect life.  It's not like he's an angel from heaven.  Although I felt like the FOX BCS crew was trying to convince me otherwise.

Listen, I understand Tim Tebow is a great player.  He won the Heisman Trophy a year ago and he has now won two national titles with the Florida Gators.  He's an outstanding runner and a decent passer, and he's got a lot of heart.  But he's not a saint.  Let's relax.

They made this speech seem like the Gettysburg Address:

It was a theatrical speech that showed a lot of passion.  That's something you have to like about Tebow.  He does play with tremendous passion that makes him a likable player in college football.  He's so religiously devout, he's not getting into trouble like other college athletes.   But still, let's take it easy with the Tim Tebow love.

After all, if he decides to go pro, ESPN's Todd McShay says he probably wouldn't be drafted in the first couple of rounds, or maybe even the first day.  He's a nice story of a good looking guy who has a squeaky clean image and has had great success playing college football.

But how is his story that different from other great college quarterbacks of the past?

FOX had a football game that lacked tremendous intrigue, so they used Tebow as their lead story throughout the broadcast.  But at some point, you have to call the game and stop making love to a player on the air.  

We get it.  He's good.  Call the action.

At least the college football season is over.  Now I can stop hearing about Tim Tebow.