Mon 25 Jul 2011
A Welcome Back
Posted by Derek Felix under NBA , NFL , NY Giants , NY Mets , NY Yankees , Random Thoughts , Soccer , Trade DeadlineComments Off
A Welcome Back to a place where fun can be had. Whether it’s old or new, we’re going to try to make it different than other blogs. Congrats to Roberto Alomar,Bert Blyleven and Pat Gillick on making Cooperstown. Well deserved for the trio even if Mike Francesa believes Blyleven was more of a compiler. I can see rewarding longevity. The Hall Of Fame isn’t exactly easy to figure out in any sport. There will always be omissions and curious inclusions.
We’ve had an eventful summer thus far with our women falling just short against a determined underdog. Kudos to Japan for showing true heart in upsetting three favorites in a row in one of the more improbable runs to the Women’s World Cup. If Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and favorite playmaker Megan Rapinoe got this country excited about soccer, then what of heroic performances from Homare Sawa and Ayumi Kaihori, who combined to stun the USA in a compelling final full of twists and turns? Sometimes, you get beat. Japan did it in miraculous fashion tying it late in regulation and then forcing it to kicks thanks to a remarkable deflection from Sawa. Credit a nation for coming together in the face of real adversity with what’s going on at home. Prayers go out to Japan after the latest natural disaster. They deserved something good, which wasn’t lost on our American women who were good sports. That should count for something too in today’s me-first world. They gave us a fun ride starting with Wambach’s own miraculous late heroics versus Brazil before Solo did the rest in kicks. Thank you for making this a better summer.
Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran deserve all the accolades for the years they’ve had. Who knows what’ll happen with Reyes past this weekend’s trade deadline but the electrifying All-Star shortstop finally showed what he can do when healthy. Whether he’s worth a long-term investment between 6-7 years remains to be seen. Beltran is a better story due to what he came back from. It’s not easy to make it back from chronic knees. To achieve All-Star status and lead the Mets in homers and RBI’s when many expected little and wanted to run him out of town, is a credit to his dedication. Assuming he moves on this week, enjoy his last game.
Congrats to Derek Jeter for reaching 3,000 career hits the only way he could. By doing the unthinkable with a home run putting an exclamation on a five hit day with our favorite Yankee also in the middle of delivering in the clutch for a win, which is what he’s always been about. Still, he probably should’ve let Christian Lopez have the ball even if the diehard Jetorian gave it to him. Francesa might be wrong about a lot of things but he’s dead on about all the money Jeter, Steiner Sports and the Yankees are making off that big hit. Sure. Tix the rest of the year, including playoffs are nice. But he could’ve kept the ball and paid off college tuition. No easy task today.
So, the NFL is Back! Hip hip hooray unless you’re a Big Blue supporter, who can’t wait to see what the Giants drop in our Christmas stocking for their latest collapse. Get the coal ready!
We could be looking at no NBA for a while. That one looks a long way off. Will it reach a boiling point? Are they really going to emulate the NHL lockout or will something change by say January ’12 like it did in ’99 during what turned out to be a wild ride for Knick fans. And of course Dolan is still asking Knicks subscribers to pay up for a season that has no chance of starting. What a jacka$$!
We’ll have a lot more in store. So tune in!




Today is the wake for my good friend Lyndzay. I haven’t slept at all. I keep asking myself why and wind up dumbfounded. The Jamaican King is watching over us right now probably kicking it with the same spirit he owned our place with.