Why Major League Baseball Might Need a Salary Cap

It should take a look at the English Premiership, where most teams (of the 20 in the league) are happy to be there and have absolutely no chance of winning the title. The ones who win the title are perennial contenders Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea (a relative newcomer) and Liverpool. Yes, Manchester City has a lot of money now, but they're not usually in the conversation. Others in the Premiership -- such as Aston Villa, Bolton, Everton, Fulham, Tottenham -- have little chance in winning it all. Check out the odds that the bookmakers put out at the beginning of a season, and there are more teams at 1,000 to 1 or higher than there are fewer. Or at least it's very close.

If the wealthy teams in Major League Baseball continue their spending ways, the stats have shown over the years that while excellence cannot be bought (translated: the Yankees don't win it every year despite spending the most money, it must be paid for (translated: you cannot contend for the World Series for the most part unless you're in the top 10 in payroll). So, many of the teams have little or no chance of winning a division let alone a World Series. And that means that at some point it might not be economically feasible for teams in places like Kansas City and Pittsburgh to exist, let alone play .500 baseball (17 straight losing seasons and counting in Pittsburgh) or contend.

Is that what Major League Baseball wants to be? Look, I know that the players' union wants to maximize the money that players make, but does it want to do so at the expense of most players' having a chance to play for a contender? Because that seems to be the path that Major League Baseball is on, that is, so long as fans of the teams with no chance continue to show up in reasonable enough numbers for the also-rans to sustain themselves. But if they continue to sustain themselves, then they're probably merely providing entertainment, as the home fans will get to say that they saw the stars for the visiting teams. And that trend has started -- this season, both the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates advertised in Philadelphia to induce Philadelphia fans to travel to their ballparks. A friend did just that for a Pirates' game and said that it seemed more like a home game for the Phillies, because Phillies' fans predominated.

Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, Angels, Cardinals and perhaps a few more. Without a salary cap and with an economy that has its aches and pains right now, how healthy is Major League Baseball for the long run?

Scouting Them Young

Much has been made in the U.S. of the basketball recruiting gurus who scout elementary school and middle school kids, all with an eye to predict who will be the next big thing. The problem, of course, is that early perception seldom meets up with reality. Sure, Tyson Chandler and Sebastian Telfair are in the NBA, but we had heard about them for so long that it would have been impossible for them to become the next, say, Wilt Chamberlain and Earl Monroe. And they're not even close anyway.

I'm overseas, and I was talking with a colleague who lives in Ireland about his 11 year-old nephew, who made his town's team. He's a starter, and in the finals of a big tournament, scouts from English Premiership teams were there. The goal of many an Irish kid is to play for Manchester United, and Man U was represented, as were Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, among others.

So, looking at the (very) youngsters is not only the franchise of self-appointed recruiting gurus in the United States. It's a very big business in Europe.

Who Do Cal Fans Root for When Stanford Plays USC?

Just askin'.

A Cal alum friend said she rooted for USC because she went to graduate school there. She didn't respond when I asked what she would have done had she not. Is it a tough choice, or does USC win because a Cal alum simply cannnot root for its arch-rival Stanford in anything?

Princeton 71 Central Michigan 68

Last year, the Princeton Tigers hosted Central Michigan in the season opener at Jadwin Gym and lost a close one. Yet, for Tiger fans, that game gave them hope that Coach Sydney Johnson had the team playing with a vigor that it hadn't for several seasons. While the Tigers didn't win the Ivy League or get a post-season berth, they enjoyed a winning season and finished second in the Ivies.

This year, the Tigers traveled to Central Michigan, had the lead late, lost it, and then rallied to prevail. You can read about the game here and check out the box score. Okay, so it's not as a remarkable an accomplishment as Princeton's neighbor to the south, Rider, enjoyed this week, as the Broncos upset #18 Mississippi State in Starkville, or the win that Ivy rival and favorite Cornell had, beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Nonetheless, the Tigers beat a decent opponent on the road, showing that the nucleus of players that meshed last season is trying to step up their game this year. And for close Tiger watchers, it looks like two freshmen -- Ian Hummer and Will Barrett, both touted recruits, are in the rotation.

As always, for the best coverage of Princeton basketball, go to the Princeton Basketball blog. Great stuff there from Jon Solomon, so please check it out.

Rocky Wins the Title For Real: Stanford Football

Stanford beat USC yesterday.

In football.

At USC.

56-21.

That is not a misprint.

Somewhere, the collective fandom of the Pac-10 is rejoicing. Okay, maybe not Cal fans (who have their own celebrating to do, as their Bears beat #17 Arizona yesterday 24-17), but everyone else. Having lived in California for a time, I recall seeing bumper stickers saying "My favorite team is ______ [the alma mater of the owner of the car] and whoever is playing USC."

Stanford football had fallen on hard times before Jim Harbaugh arrived in Palo Alto. Now, Stanford is a formidable force in the Pac-10. RB Toby Gerhart is a bona fide Heisman candidate, and if he doesn't get serious consideration it's because a) he plays in the wrong time zone or b) Big 12 and SEC beat writers, among others, don't look west of Nebraska most of the time for their football news (heck, they probably don't look much further north of Knoxville or Columbus these days, either). So successful is Stanford (as The Sporting News predicted it would be), that The Sporting News predicted in its pre-season football guide that the Pac-10 coach most likely not to keep his job would be none other than Harbaugh. Most of the time this prediction is predicated on a team's playing poorly enough and its coach's going into the season on the hot seat. This predication, of course, was predicated on the editors' optimism that Jim Harbaugh would continue to demonstrate what an outstanding coach he is.

Which means, of course, that NFL teams and "bigger time" teams (whoever they are, wherever they are, and whatever their (lesser) academic standards are) might come a-calling. Now, the conventional wisdom these days is that college coaches cannot make the transition to the NFL. Dennis Erickson was one of the latest examples of a coach who just didn't get it done. But Harbaugh played in the NFL, is the son of a college coach, the brother of an NFL head coach and has achieved mightily -- think Sisyphus actually getting the rock to the top of the hill. He'll certainly be on the "A" list.

But let's not detract from Stanford's accomplishments and its right to celebrate an all-time victory. They'll be talking about this trouncing of the mighty Trojan empire for decades to come -- both in Palo Alto and in Los Angeles.

Stanford football is the best story of the 2009 college football season.

Princeton 24 Yale 17

The SportsProf family tailgated at a nicely appointed tailgate party on a field near Princeton Stadium. Put it this way -- the spread was much more intricate than a variety of grilled, shredded meats. Hoagies, crudite, salsa, guacamole dip, great corn chips, crab dip, wine, beer, Philadelphia soft pretzels and cookies constituted the spread. The food was great, the company better, and then we bought our $7 dollar seats and sat in the end zone, as over the years most of our friends have.

The questionable weather -- overcast, making noon look like 5 p.m. -- the proximity to Thanksgiving (meaning that many would-be attendees perhaps passed because of the travel they'll end up doing in 1 1/2 weeks) and the Tigers' overall record (bad) probably kept many of the orange-and-black faithful away. They missed a good game.

The game started out awkwardly for both teams. The Princeton kicker sent the opening kickoff out of bounds, and then a Yale special teamer made a dirty hit away from the ball on a Princeton player. The result -- Yale had the ball, and a sophomore special teamer was ejected and sent to the locker room. Yale's sophomore QB Patrick Witt -- a Nebraska transfer whose bio indicates that many big-time scholarship schools offered him full rides -- then tried to go to work. Witt's a good passer who will give the rest of the Ivies fits in the next two years, but this day would belong to the Tigers.

Witt threw a few picks, the Tigers coughed up the ball on several occasions, including once at the Yale 6, the Tigers failed to sense a Yale onside kick after the Elis made it 21-10 and then failed to guess that on fourth and short inside Princeton territory Yale would fake a punt and get a first down. Still, the Tigers bent but did not break, and they beat Yale for the first time in 3 years, 24-17.

So much for what I had speculated. I told my group before the game that given the way Penn pasted Princeton last week, I expected Yale to win by a few touchdowns. Okay, I was wrong -- Princeton showed that it could play well -- so to speak -- for more than a half and they beat their longstanding Ivy rival.

As with Ivy football, there were many parts of brilliance. The Princeton play calling was for the most part innovative, although they might need three back-up quarterbacks because they expose their QB when he runs the option. The running game was deceptive, but the passing plays were not all that creative. The offensive coordinator kept on calling for flanker screens, overloading the receivers on one side of the field and then throwing the ball quickly to the furthest receiver, who then would try to pick up blockers. On occasion, the play worked, but on other occasions, it didn't. On one play, a Yale defender blasted a Princeton receiver so hard after catch that the ball went backwards to the Tiger 7 from about the 17, but fortunately for the Tigers a running back fell on the ball. Princeton needs more vertical and crossing patterns to complement the flanker screens and occasional slants in order to deceive opposing defenses more.

On defense, the Tigers defensive tackles had their moments but on many occasions were moved out of the way on running plays. One Tiger defensive end excelled in pursuit, in blocking a pass and in making a menace of himself. The linebackers were good, but why is it that on many if not most occasions the Tiger defensive backs don't go for the ball. They were content to fall in behind Yale receivers and tackle them after they made catches. As I said to a friend, in the NFL, the defensive backs are hungrier and are draped all over the receivers. In this particular Ivy game, the cushion was too big, as though the defensive backs would sacrifice on each play a contained gain rather than to anticipate, step up and make the big play.

All in all, though, the Tigers came out organized and more driven than Yale, and led 14 to 3 at the half. It should have been 17-3 or 21-3, but a fumble deep in Yale territory late in the first half negated what could have been a bigger advantage. Yale woke up in the second half and played more aggressively on defense and offense, but in the end it was too little to late. With less than 2 minutes to go the Tiger defense rose to the occasion and obliterated any chance of a 2-minute drive for the Bulldogs.

It was a nice win for Princeton in an otherwise disappointing season, with losses to Penn on the road (42-7) and Columbia at home (38-0).

Free Agency: Charlie Finley's Suggestion May Take Root

Do you remember Charlie Finley? Charles O. Finley, the insurance magnate who owned the Oakland A's. Do you remember the Oakland A's of the early 1970's? They wore mustaches, garish combinations of green and gold, and they won three straight World Series, from 1972-1974. Among the players on the A's were Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Jim "Catfish" Hunter. Those teams defended well, pitched awesome, hit solidly, and generally beat the stuffing out the their opponents when they weren't picking on each other.

This, of course, was the same Finley who tried to sell his stars to the Yankees and the Red Sox a few seasons later, only to have Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn void the transactions under the "best interests of baseball clause." Kuhn's moves prompted Finley to dub Kuhn "the village idiot."

When Marvin Miller became head of the players' union, he helped transform the players' bargaining power and the sport. Put simply, the Major League Baseball Players Association is the most successful union in the history of organized labor. I won't go into the details here, but the average player's salary has gone up dramatically over the past three decades.

One of the things that players battled for (among them, Curt Flood and Andy Messersmith) was free agency. They hated the "reserve clause", which, until free agency came about, meant that once a player was in a team's organization the team had the right to keep that player forever. Put differently, the team had all of the leverage over a player who's contract was up -- it was either sign or hold out and then try to work something out; the player couldn't offer his services to another team. Miller and the players changed all that.

Naturally, most owners were horrified at the concept of free agency. I don't know whether any predicted that without a salary cap the wealthiest teams would end up signing the best free agents, but to a degree today that's what's happened, and the numbers show that it's hard to make the playoffs unless your team is in the top third of payroll. In any event, Finley had a much different take on free agency. It didn't scare him at all. In fact, he was ready to give in -- totally.

Said Finley: "Let Them All Become Free Agents." What Finley proposed was that after each season every player would become a free agent, free to sign with whatever team wanted his services.

Think about that. Talk about a dynamic market reflective of a player's previous performance. Talk about "pay for performance." Talk about not crippling your payroll with a long-term contract for a player who would be likely not to perform well at the end of the contract (the Mets suffered three such fates with four-year deals for Pedro Martinez, Tommy Glavine and Billy Wagner) or who just wouldn't perform well (Exhibit A: Barry Zito). Talk about giving a good raise, though, to the 22 year-old rookie who hit .325 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs (here Pablo Sandoval would be making about $5 million now instead of the hundreds of thousands he'll earn because of his youth and lack of Major League service). So, year to year, players would get what the market will bear.

The possibilities are mind-boggling. How much would Cliff Lee earn after his wonderful performance with the Philadelphia Phillies? Certainly more than the $9 million he's scheduled to earn; Lee would probably be making about $17 million this season. In stark contrast, Jamie Moyer, who is scheduled to earn about $8 million this season because of incentives he achieved in his 2009 contract, but who after mid-season struggled mightily, might only be making $750,000.

It's hard to say how competitiveness would be affected, but my guess is that the competitive landscape wouldn't be a lot different -- the teams with the money would still excel, and it could be the case that the teams without money would get worse. The smaller-market and poorer teams would lose the right to keep a young player through his first year of eligibility for free agency; they probably would lose him after his first good season. Finley probably didn't care -- he probably worked on commissions, and how well he and his businesses did had to depend on how well they performed and not necessarily locking in long-term deals for themselves.

Why is Finley relevant now? Because for baseball players what might well be an unintended consequence of their very successful efforts at collective bargaining will take roost by December 12. Click on this link for a list of players who are arbitration eligible. It's a long list, and if teams don't offer their players arbitration they will become free agents. The bet here is that most of these players won't be offered arbitration, which means that there will be a glut of free agents on the market.

And that's bad for baseball players.

Here's why. Attendance was down 7% this past season. Many teams are not doing well. Unemployment lingers at 10.2%, so fans who might have stretched to hold onto their tickets for 2009 might not be able to afford the luxury in 2010. But much more important than that, arbitration has served as a way to get more money for players year after year. Arbitration meant that there was a floor under whatever the player was making, and if a team opted not to sign him to a long-term deal and keep him in arbitration-eligible mode the likelihood is that he would continue to get raises (usually double-digit) until he became eligible for free agency (where, assuming good performance, he could get a much bigger increase and a longer-term deal). Most people get 0-3% raises; baseball players, because of their unique talent and their collective bargaining agreement, get much higher ones on average.

But without arbitration, the player who made $1.5 million in 2009 (Chad Durbin) and had a decent year but is in his early 30's and was on the DL in 2009 might find himself in a cattle call of other middle relievers. Some baseball observers believe that betting on middle relievers for consistent long-term performance is an iffy proposition because if they're overused in a season they might not be able to perform at the same level the next season. At any rate, the bet here is that no one will offer Durbin a multi-year deal and that he and others like him will take significant pay cuts. The bet here is that if Durbin returns to the Phillies or signs elsewhere, it's perhaps for $1 million with a club option for the following season.

Back to Charlie Finley. This "let them all become free agents" mentality will not take over baseball but will find a test lab in the subset of arbitration-eligible players. And, rather than help equalize the potential of all Major League teams, the best-financed ones will be able to find bargains to populate slots #17-#25 on their Major League rosters, making them even tougher to beat. Why? Because the best will get caught up in small bidding wars that will get them what they want, and the good ones, even if they take less, will still get more from a New York, Boston or Philadelphia than they will from a Pittsburgh or Kansas City.

And then the rub continues -- the elite teams will remain as popular as ever, while the worst ones will continue to wilt. And then all of baseball -- owners and players alike -- will have to ask themselves this question: will baseball be able to continue without a salary cap if the marginal teams have little chance of winning a World Series and, as a result, continue to see their attendance and merchandise sales dwindle? How many teams will be able to remain if only 8-12 of them will be able to contend meaningfully for the World Series year after year?

Temple Wins Its Eighth in a Row!

Temple's football team trounced Akron in Akron last night to win its eighth straight game, the first time the Owls have won eight straight since 1973 (and I think I was at every home game that season). This is a great story -- an amazing turnaround, so much so that head coach Al Golden had a feature written about him in this week's Sports Illustrated.

Whether or not the Owls' 8 wins will garner them enough respect to earn a bowl invitation remains to be seen. After all, this outstanding achievement only got the 11th priority headline in the on-line version of the sports section of the Philadelphia Daily News, behind stories about the woeful 76ers and LeBron James' suggestion that all teams should retire Michael Jordan's #23. Sure, the combined record of the teams the Owls have beaten is below .500, but as players are wont to say, "you play who you play," you have no control over that, and the Owls are 6-0 in their division within the Mid-American Conference. This is a great story.

Temple has two games left -- it would be hard to see the Owls not getting a bowl bid if they finish the regular season 10-2.

How Battered is Your Favorite NFL Team?

The Philadelphia Eagles are beaten up, and their roster has taken some big hits.

For example:

Going into the season, here is what their offensive line was projected to look like:

RT Stacy Andrews
RG Shawn Andrews
C Jamal Jackson
LG Todd Herremans
LT Jason Peters.

But Stacy Andrews, a somewhat big free-agent signing, hasn't materialized. Shawn Andrews went on injured reserve with a bad back, and some surmised that he wasn't fully recovered from the bout he had with depression last season. Herremans missed about 5-6 games recovering from foot surgery, and Peters has been banged up here and there.

RB Brian Westbrook hasn't fully recovered from his bad ankle, and he's missed a few games because of a concussion. MLB Stewart Bradley had a bad knee going into training camp and then blew it out in a pre-season practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Starting LB Chris Gocong missed last game with leg injuries. The injuries at LB were bad enough, but then neither Joe Mays nor Omar Gaither established himself in the middle, and then Gaither suffered a Lisfranc sprain to his foot (a very painful injury that requires surgery), so he's on the injured reserved list and out for the season. The team then traded for career outside linebacker Will Witherspoon, who's a bit undersized for the middle, to play the middle (this after former MLB Jeremiah Trotter, out of football for 2 years, came back and proved that he's a few steps too slow to play regularly). So, with Gocong hurt, you saw backups Tracy White and Mose Fokou get more playing time. Fokou had two huge penalties against Dallas last week -- one on an interception return and one on a kickoff (the latter negated a TD runback by Ellis Hobbs).

So now we get to the secondary, where Joselio Hanson is on the shelf for four games for taking a diuretic that's on a banned list as a steroid. That's bad enough, but Hobbs just went onto the injured reserve list, as he'll need neck surgery. Those two develops prompted the signing of a free-agent cornerback and the elevation of a cornerback from the practice squad.

And, of course, QB Donovan McNabb got hurt in the first game of the season and then missed the next two games. WR Kevin Curtis has missed the entire season with injuries (fortunately for the Eagles, rookie Jeremy Maclin has made the team all but forget Curtis).

All of the above, of course, are only the publicized injuries. You can only imagine what "smaller" injuries -- contusions, bone bruises, sprains, lacerations -- that each player is dealing with to some degree.

Got all that?

And the team has only played half of its games. When the Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2004, I recall that only two players went on the injured reserve and that the team was very healthy for the entire season. A season or two later, 11 players ended up on the I.R.

So, as you watch the NFL during the second half of the season, look for a correlation between a team's health and happiness. The healthier the team, the happier it's players and fans will be with its results.

Rafael Palmeiro to Become the Rangers' Hitting Coach

Not.

Just wanted to get your attention.

How is it that Mark McGwire can come back to Major League Baseball and Pete Rose cannot become eligible for the Hall of Fame? Why is there no pushback from the Commissioner's office on McGwire? Why should he be allowed back?

The simple answer is that while he all but lied during his Congressional testimony he wasn't found guilty of anything, wasn't (really) the subject of MLB's investigation and most certainly wasn't suspended by Major League Baseball. In contrast, Rose committed a host of transgressions for which he wasn't fully remorseful or apologetic, at least for a long while.

McGwire benefits, in part, from the "everyone else did it" defense, one which, under most circumstances, prosecutors would have their mouths watering. The reason? Because if everyone did it, there are more people to prosecute. Instead, baseball prefers to want to have its performance-enhancing-drugs era vanish as quickly as it can, almost as though the Commissioner's office wishes it could place a Harry Potter-like memory charm on the entire population of baseball fans to make them forget -- forever -- that some of the stats and results were as pumped full of crap as the players themselves were. So, the logic must be, pay attention to McGwire and make a stink out of his hiring, and then baseball (whose attendance was down about 7% this season) opens up the entire can of worms again -- steroids, HGH, who are among the 204 or so players who tested positive but weren't named -- and all of that.

At a time when attenance is down, baseball thinks it's cleared that mess, and that there are lingering concerns that without a salary cap teams like Pittsburgh and Kansas City are forever doomed to be at the bottom looking up. While there is a saying that any publicity -- good or bad -- is good publicity, naturally the Lords of Baseball do not think so.

But the amusing part of this is that the writers -- who themselves whiffed on the story for years -- won't forgive McGwire and won't vote him into the Hall of Fame. Or so many say. So, on the one hand, they won't anoint him, but, on the other hand, they're not pressing MLB for the reason why it's giving McGwire a pass.

Gambling, we all should surmise, is worse than performance-enhancing drugs.

An Early Halladay Season in Philadelphia?

There's a report in this morning's Philadelphia Inquirer that the Phillies are going to pursue Roy Halladay. Halladay, you'll recall, was the most sought after prize at last year's trade deadline. The Phillies,though, opted to spend less, trading a prospect of good but less-valued prospects to the Indians for Cliff Lee. That deal worked out pretty well for them.

Now the report is that the Phillies want to "win now", which presumably is a good thing, inasmuch as most teams are supposed to want to win in the present day. After all, perhaps I'm silly, but most fans purchase their tickets hoping to see victories. Dispensing with that slam at trite comments, the Phillies are faced with offering Joe Blanton arbitration. It would appear that if the Phillies can land Halladay quickly and before they have to decide on whether to offer Blanton arbitration, that they'd part with Blanton (who stands to get a big raise) and get Halladay.

So, here's what the rotation would look like on opening day:

Cliff Lee
Roy Halladay
Cole Hamels
J.A. Happ
Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez or Kyle Kendrick

Untouchable prospect Kyle Drabek is ticketed for AAA for at least half a season.

Yes, that means they'd have an iffy fifth starter situation (not to mention a reconstituted bullpen with perhaps as many as 3 newcomers). That also would mean that they'd have two starting pitchers -- Lee and Halladay -- eligible to become free agents after the 2010 season. It would stand to reason that the Phillies also would want to ink one of those two pitchers to a longer-term deal at the time of the Halladay trade (if they were to give Halladay an extension) or before it (in the case of Lee). Otherwise, they're putting all of their eggs -- pitching-wise -- into the 2010 season. That said, apparently the crop of free-agent starters after the 2010 is bountiful, which is good for the wealthy teams but perhaps not as good for the free agents, as the more they're are the more options teams might have, thereby driving down the price of the incremental individual free-agent pitcher.

Watch the Phillies' payroll -- and their commitment to expanding it -- closely. Yes, only Chase Utley is signed beyond the 2011 season. Yes, they'll have to give raises to Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz, and they'd be wise to sign both to three-year deals. The bigger questions -- long-term -- are Jayson Werth (signed through 2010), Ryan Howard (signed through 2011) and Jimmy Rollins (signed, I believe, through 2010, although I am unsure of option status after that). In other words, the Phillies need to do some good work to stagger the expiration dates of the contracts of key players so as to avoid a mass exodus or a significantly depleted roster of position players after next season or, if not that, the 2011 season.

But, for right now, if the team can a) sign a third baseman who can achieve an OBP of .350, b) improve the bullpen, c) upgrade the bench and d) wow, sign Roy Halladay, they'll be the solid frontrunners in the National League and return to the post-season better fortified against the Yankees.

NFL Prognosticators are Wrong So Far

If it were so easy, the teams wouldn't have to play any games. Suffice it to say that few expected the Saints, Bengals and Broncos to be this good, and few expecte the giants, Packers, Panthers and Titans to be this disappointing. They play the games for a reason, and it's not good enough to be good on paper. So, go back and review your favorite publication and see how it's doing against its predictions.

The Phillies Say Goodbye (for now) to Pedro Feliz

This was pretty predictable. The guy is a great fielder, but he'll be 35, didn't hit for power in Citizens Bank Park, didn't hit all that well against lefties (and he's righthanded; the other guys in the lineup have a better excuse -- most of them are lefthanded), and had a terrible on-base percentage. A .306 OBP just can't continue to cut it for a team that expects to contend again for the World Series.

The Phillies made a similar move last year with Pat Burrell. Burrell cannot run, his range is limited, and he hit woefully last August and September and then in the post-season (in contrast, after the All-Star break in '07, he had a great OBP -- one of the best in the NL -- until mid-September, when his numbers plummeted). Burrell was only 32, but his best days were behind him, and the Phillies released him despite some significant fan sentiment not to do so. Feliz doesn't enjoy similar fan sentiment (he didn't do anything wrong, but it says something when he was the only starter not to have a "jersey t-shirt" with his name and number on it available for sale). Feliz knocked in the winning run in Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, but he hit woefully this post-season. In order for the Phillies to beat the Yankees (or anyone else, for that matter) in the 2010 World Series, they'll need an upgrade at third.

Now, that doesn't mean that Feliz won't be back. It just means that the Phillies declined to exercise a $5 million option for him to return. Right now, they'll explore the likes of Chone Figgins, Troy Glaus, Placido Polanco, Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa, and in the papers this morning GM Ruben Amaro said that other teams had approached the Phillies about trading their third baseman to them. I'd be interested in seeing who the other teams are.

At any rate, thus far the Phillies are making sensible moves. The big question is what they've determined their payroll to be for the 2010 season.

Golden Opportunity for the Eagles Tonight

The Chargers stunned the Giants in the Meadowlands, giving the Giants their fourth straight loss. The Eagles are coming off a big win over the Giants last week, and now they host the Cowboys tonight. For the Cowboys, this is a revenge game -- the Eagles crushed them, 44-6, on the last day of the season, helping pave the way for the Eagles to make the playoffs (two other teams who were between the Eagles and a playoff berth lost, one inexplicably). Both teams see that a victory tonight will show the rest of the NFC that the winner is the top dog in the conference.

Stanford Beats #7 Oregon

This a week after Mike Greenberg of ESPN Radio offered that he thought that the Ducks were one of the best teams in the country. The truth of the matter is that Stanford's head coach Jim Harbaugh (whose brother, John, coaches the Baltimore Ravens) is one of the best college coaches in the country. The Sporting News predicted at the outset of the season that he's the Pac-10 coach most likely not to return -- because an NFL team might scoop him up.

For all those teams intersted in Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden, remember this -- there are almost no second acts in the NFL (with the exception of Don Shula). Even the much-lauded Bill Parcells couldn't win the Super Bowl anywhere else after leaving the New York Giants. George Seifert bombed in Carolina. Joe Gibbs couldn't re-kindle the magic after his return to the Redskins. Jimmy Johnson didn't win the Super Bowl in Miami. And so forth.

Look, Duke didn't know it was hiring one of the best college coaches of all time when it hired Coach K in 1980. After all, in 7 seasons at Army he had won only one more game than he had lost. If an NFL team were to apply similar logic, it might look to the next great one before hiring for someone looking to win a Super Bowl with a second team. It just hasn't happened much, and I think that a team with an opening would be wise to look at Jim Harbaugh.

Watch Navy Football!

Great game yesterday against Notre Dame in South Bend, with the Middies wining 23-21 and becoming bowl eligible in the process. Navy plays great football -- watch them.

Is Allen Iverson's Career Over?

It looks like it is in the NBA.

The guy who disdained practice and doesn't like the bench has left the Memphis Grizzlies.

Could Olympiakos come calling?

Because it sounds like no NBA team is interested in him.

Questions Regarding Social Networking Websites

What am I missing?

I hear colleagues at work talking about their Facebook pages (no one "Tweets" yet), and my wife has mentioned that friends in our community are on Facebook. Last night I was at a function and ran into a friend from high school who told me that there are facebook groups both for my high school and my junior high school.

"Really?" was all I could muster in response. "Why?"

He responded with the typical, "well, it's always good to see how people are doing." I thought at the moment that too many people use the words "always" and "never" too frequently. He saw that I looked skeptical.

"Look," I said, "I lived with those people for years in school. I keep up with a few. I figure that if anyone really wanted to find me, they could Google me and figure out where I am." (I also figure that having gone to school 12 years straight with some of those people, I had plenty of time way back when to determine for how long I'd stay in touch). Besides, I wanted to add, I like living in the present, interacting with colleagues, friends and neighbors. I try not to look back too much except to draw fondly on positive experiences and recall not-so-positive ones so as not to repeat them. Spencer Johnson would be proud of me.

He shrugged. "It's fun," was all he could muster.

I'll allow for that. Perhaps his high school and junior high school days were the best times of his life. I doubt that; he has a lovely wife and two nice sons and a nice life.

"Okay," I responded.

"Besides," he offered, "you can check out your old girlfriends."

The conversation left me curious -- what compels people to spend a lot of time on these sites?

I don't need to know with whom Joe had dinner, with whom Morris went to the Eagles' game and where Jamie had her mani/pedi and with whom. I don't necessarily want to hear one-dimensional opinions on sensitive subjects in my community; somehow, discussions are the best way to vette problems. At least that's what I've learned.

Please advise me what I'm missing. Does online social networking fill a meaningful void in people's lives, or is it another form of distraction (okay, like blogging) that keeps people away from reading a good book, exercising, planning for retirement, planning a party or great meal, visiting with a friend, etc.?

The friend I saw last night seemed to appreciate Facebook for its ability to enable him to connect with people he hasn't seen for decades. Other friends seem to appreciate Facebook for their ability to keep up with friends in real time. As for the former, we call can differ on how necessary, desirable or interesting that activity is. As for the latter, how meaningful are the interactions? Or, do they have to be?

At any rate, call me a Luddite (or worse) for challenging the utility and desirability of social networking. Let my friends think I'm boring (which they might already) because I refuse to engage in one of the newest trends (then again, has social networking been around for long enough that it's no longer a trend?). But register your opinions and convince me that social networking websites are not a waste of time.

Thank you.

More on the Phillies

Two excellent writers from the Bucks County Courier Times offer their take on what the Phillies need to do to stay on top. You should read the columns of Mike Sielski and Randy Miller to get a sense of how the Phillies may struggle to remain a dominant team after the 2011 season. Sielski's prescriptions seem more within the realm of the possible; Miller calls for significant increased spending for the Phillies to ensure an era of predominance. It's a novel thought, and one which, if the Phillies embark upon it, could have them keep their relatively young nucleus (especially when compared to the Yankees) intact well into when players like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are in their mid-30's. (I tried to find links to the columns, but, alas, they're not posted on the paper's website today).

Also, for what it's worth, The Sporting News' power poll for the 2010 season has the Yankees first and the Phillies second. The worst team? Cleveland.

Former Trail Blazer and Yale Bulldog Chris Dudley to Run for Governor of Oregon

Here's the AP story.

While the incumbent Democrat is favored to win reelection and with Oregon having trended blue more recently, the Republican frontrunner faces an uphill battle. But local observers say that the 44 year-old investment manager would put a new face on Republican politics in Oregon and give the Republicans a good chance.

Given what happened Tuesday in the bluest of the blue states, New Jersey, and, also, in Virginia, where independents returned in large numbers to the GOP, I don't think that many Democrats will now think their seats are as safe as they were in November of 2008. As a result, Dudley probably will have more than a puncher's chance.

On a different note, former UNLV point guard Danny Tarkanian is priming for a challenge to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. As a lightning rod for national politics, Reid is seen as vulnerable to a challenge. Tarkanian is the son of former Fresno State, UNLV and Long Beach State coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Update on Princeton Alums Playing Professional Baseball

Pretty impressive list for a school that doesn't give athletic scholarships and doesn't have the weather that schools in Texas, Florida and California have.

Phillies Update -- New Developments

Here goes:

1. Brett Myers will not be back with the team. According to this report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the never-dull righty will not be offered a contract. There could be many reasons for this -- that the Phillies have doubts about his health, his maturity, clubhouse chemistry, or his ability to pitch consistently. This would have been more of a surprise had Myers not had a dust up with Cole Hamels after Game 3.

2. The Daily News' Rich Hoffman Wants the Phillies to Trade for Roy Halladay. It's not as far-fetched as it seems, but Hoffman seems to think that the Phillies could do so and end up with a rotation of Lee, Halladay, Hamels, Blanton and Happ. A friend ran by a scenario the other day where the Phillies would peddle the somewhat damaged (at least in the clubhouse) Hamels to Toronto in a trade for Halladay. The odds of this happening would appear to be small.

3. The Phillies Might Have Trouble Signing the "Super-Sub" Back-Up. According to this report in the Daily News, GM Ruben Amaro ran into a problem trying to upgrade his bench after last season because that type of free agent wants more playing time. So, the Jays' Mario Scutaro might want to go where he can play more, as would the Cards' Mark DeRosa. DeRosa poses something of a risk because he just underwent wrist surgery.

4. It's Unclear How Much the Phillies Will Spend for the 2010 Roster. According to the prior linked article, they already have about $94 million allocated to 11 players. The 2009 payroll was about $130 million, with $20 million allocated to players who weren't on the team -- Adam Eaton, Geoff Jenkins and, yes, Jim Thome. They also free up $10 million, because that's what Brett Myers made in 2009. They'll end up giving raises to Joe Blanton and Shane Victorino, both of whom are arbitration eligible. Where it gets interesting is that Eric Bruntlett, Clay Condrey, Chad Durbin, Jack Taschner and Tyler Walker all are arbitration eligible. Given how many clubs might not offer arbitration to middle-of-the-roster players, it would stand to reason that the Phillies might decline to arbitrate with this five-some and upgrade at each position through a glut of good free agents. While Condrey pitched well two years ago, Durbin has been solid if not spectacular and Walker filled in well this year, the Phillies might be better off by getting better and younger arms to supplement the top four of Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and now Chan Ho Park.

5. The Phillies' Hot Stove. Great stuff from the High Cheese Blog of the Daily News about all things Phillies. Yes, the Phillies exercised their $9 million option for Cliff Lee for 2010. Could Chone Figgins or Mark DeRosa be the next third baseman of the Phillies? Will the Phillies offer arbitration to Joe Blanton, who might get an award of as high as $7 million? What was the actual 2009 payroll? And much more.

Should Michael Jordan's Son Be Bigger Than the University of Central Florida Athletic Program?

Apparently he thinks so.

But adidas has the last word.

I get the fact that Marcus Jordan has an affinity for Nike sneakers because of his father's affiliation with the shoe company. But, by the same token, Marcus opted to join a college basketball program that had adidas as a sponsor. The last time I (perhaps naively) checked, no player should be bigger than a school or its contractual commitment. It's a shame that young Jordan couldn't see fit to honor his school's commitment and wear adidas, which has cancelled its sponsorship.

Who does he think he is, his father? Sure, he's a DI player, but UCF isn't Carolina and he isn't an all-American. So why should he get to act differently?

UCF should have stopped this before it became a national story. And while it would appear that Marcus Jordan thinks he took a stand, he looks to the outside world as an entitled young man who doesn't think that the rules apply to him.

And let's see if they do -- when he takes off from the foul line in a game, will the officials call traveling?

Doesn't Allen Iverson Realize He's Now Living Off the Fat of the League?

Poor Lionel Hollins. He has a well past his prime short shooting guard who doesn't really understand the purpose of passing or practice, and the guy is complaining about not starting.

His name: Allen Iverson.

If I were the Grizzlies, I'd trade him to the Iranian League.

Yes, AI plays hard, plays with passion, gives his all, but. . . and we all know the buts. He doesn't make his teammates better, his shooting percentage is low, he's not a good defender, and now he's in the twilight of his NBA career. He should be happy he's on a team where he can contribute, and while docile people don't make good soldiers, he should realize that he's more of a role player now than ever before. In other words, he should embrace his role and relish it.

But that's not AI. What made him great at times is that he didn't listen to naysayers. But the same thing makes him frustrating to coaches -- that he doesn't listen, because it would appear that he knows better and that coaches who don't see his brilliance have prevented and will prevent his teams from winning.

Enough already. The Grizzlies will either rectify this situation or let Allen Iverson go. And then AI might be left wondering when no team expresses an interest in his services any more.

I can hear the protests now. "Sixth man. There aren't any good players who play the role of sixth man."

Questions for the Phillies Next Year

Here goes:

1. Did Cole Hamels Lose The Clubhouse with His Remarks in the World Series? Don't know how big an issue this is. Despite Charlie Manuel's closing of the ranks, I'm sure that Hamels did damage with his "I can't wait for this to be over" line. Baseball players are among the most competitive people on the planet, and I can't believe that guys who push themselves hard for a long haul can be happy with Hamels diva-like behavior. Then again, he's only a young kid, kids make mistakes, and most 25 year-olds can't hold up to that type of pressure. Prediction: things will be okay by the middle of spring training.

2. Who Will Be the Phillies' Starting Pitchers Next Year? Tougher question. Cliff Lee, for starters. He's the ace. Hamels, presumably, although a friend suggested that they package him and his attitudes to Toronto for a year of Roy Halladay (and then try to sign either Lee or Halladay to a long-term deal). That's intriguing, but unlikely. After Hamels, Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ, although I think that Charlie Manuel has some patching up to do. Blanton got relegated to also-ran status at the expense of Pedro Martinez, who fizzled out like outdated fireworks on the Fourth of July. Happ pitched poorly in relief in the post-season, and despite a probable win for N.L. Rookie of the Year, his confidence may be a little down and he may be a little miffed at his manager. Both of these perceived slights are small beer -- it happens when you make a deep post-season run, but Manuel will be sensitive to the feelings of these players. So that leaves one spot for, among others, Jamie Moyer and Pedro Martinez, with Kyle Kendrick and Brett Myers long shots. I'd have the first two retire, have Kendrick in long relief and try to rehab Myers as a starting pitcher. Presumably, phenom Kyle Drabek needs half a season at AAA before being ready for the big leagues.

3. Who Will be in the Bullpen? I think that you'd need a PhD dissertation for this one. Brad Lidge is on a precipice, J.C. Romero was a non-factor, Ryan Madson was gassed, Scott Eyre will retire and iffy-winged Clay Condrey will be 34. Jack Taschner will vanish, and Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona are question marks. Chan Ho Park should be back, Tyler Walker could be back, and you would think that Chad Durbin will be back. The lefty side needs fortification; look for the Phils to go after a premiere lefty reliever this off-season.

4. Who Will be on the Phillies' Bench? Matt Stairs is probably gone. So is Eric Bruntlett. So is Paul Bako. Greg Dobbs has a year left on his contract, and Ben Francisco probably is back as the fourth or fifth outfielder. The Phillies can use a better utility infielder who can spell Rollins and Utley on occasion (it's not Miguel Cairo; the Cards' Mark DeRosa has been mentioned, but he can't play SS). Because of the earlier post about non-tendered players, I would bet that the Phillies can upgrade their bench significantly for next season.

5. How Many Phillies Won't Be Back Next Season? Eyre (retiring), Stairs (probably retiring), Bruntlett (didn't hit), Bako (no compelling reason to keep him). I would bet that the pitching staff will have one or two other new faces. The big question is 3B, where Pedro Feliz fields like Brooks Robinson but has bad plate discipline and has one of the worst on-base percentages of starting players in the Majors. It's hard to see who's available right now, but Feliz will be 35, and if the Phillies can upgrade and get slighly younger, they'll do so.

6. How Much Money Will the Phillies Spend on Payroll for 2010? They have a unique nucleus that they won't be able to keep together for more than a few more seasons. They won't be contributing to Jim Thome's salary anymore, and they won't be paying either Geoff Jenkins' or Adam Eaton's salary in 2010. That's a total of about $20 million. They also won't be paying Brett Myers $10 million, but I believe that Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton are arbitration eligible. Also, Jayson Werth, Cliff Lee and (I think) Jimmy Rollins only have a year left on their deals. So, the front office will be busy again, but they should strongly consider stretching their budgets given how popular the team is and given that Ryan Howard, Rollins, Utley and Lee won't be around together forever (read: when Howard is a free agent in two years, the Phillies will have a big decision to make).

None of these are particularly troubling or awful decisions. The front office appears to be in good shape, and with the right tweaking and trading, the Phillies should be primed to win the NL East again and make a deep playoff run. But they won't win the World Series unless a) they get more pitching or b) the Yankees' suffer serious injuries to their pitching staff. So, fortifying their pitching is a must.

Can't wait for next year.

So Baseball Prospectus Isn't Always Right

Read the 2009 edition and see what they had to say about the Yankees and Phillies. It wasn't exactly death by a thousand cuts, but it wasn't an elegy as to what they were doing right. The overall summaries suggested that neither would win the World Series -- that the Phillies somewhat were in the right place at the right time last season and that the Yankees wouldn't have enough offense and defense to win it all. Read the incremental player blurbs, and you would have sworn that Derek Jeter is a glue horse who is almost through.

I know I'm being a bit critical, as I am a big fan of the stats and the writing generally (even though it can be kind of snarky and harsh at times). Still, it just goes to show you that despite all of the statistical analyses and data available, it's still hard to measure what a player has left in him or what a team can do collectively.

Buster Olney on Future Separation of Baseball Teams

Apparently the haves are going to have some more bounty to plunder -- and soon.

According to Buster Olney this morning on ESPN Radio, many big-league clubs are going to non-tender players who are arbitration eligible and let them become free agents. The reason -- the economy and their own economics. Smaller market teams probably won't be patient for a potential star to emerge and might cut him loose rather than take risks that through escalating salaries through arbitration the player might not turn out to be that good and then they're stuck with him for a season. Apparently, the Rockies might not tender 3B Garrett Atkins (who could reunite with his college buddy Chase Utley in Philadelphia if the Phillies were to let Pedro Feliz go), and the Marlins might not tender Jeremy Hermida. According to Olney, this means that the gap between the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies -- on the one hand -- and possibly most other teams -- could widen (the Dodgers might be included in the former group, but the potential divorce of the McCourts suggests that they won't be that active in adding players or salaries).

An acquaintance who belongs to an ownership group in the NHL suggested to me a month ago that MLB needs a salary cap, that it's worked for the NHL and the NFL, and that to maximize fan interest all fans need to know that their team has a reasonable chance to win a title. In Major League Baseball, is it realistic to think that Pittsburgh or Cincinnati or Washington or Baltimore can win a title any time soon?

At any rate, look out for the non-tendering of arbitration eligible players -- and a swooping in of the big-market teams to further fortify their rosters. All of this should take place, according to Buster Olney, in the next 37 days.

Congratulations to the New York Yankees

The Yankees proved that they were the best team in baseball last night. They hit well enough to win a World Series, and their pitching made the difference. Last season, their starting pitching let them down, and they went out and solved their problem by signing CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett as free agents. Their middle relief was strong enough, and they have the best closer in history in Mariano Rivera. Their nucleus of players provided great leadership and timely hitting. They are to be congratulated for a job well done.

The Phillies likewise had a great season. It's hard to repeat, and they returned to the World Series despite some limitations that I discussed in the previous post and won't repeat here. Suffice it to say that to get to Game 6 of the World Series with the bullpen they had this year was a great accomplishment. Last year, the bullpen -- and the season -- were perfect. This year, the bullpen was flawed, at times significantly so -- and they overcame those flaws to push a better team to Game 6.

Only about 4 months now to spring training!

If You Would Have Told Me Before the Season . . (Phillies Musings)

that. . .

Brad Lidge would blow about 30% of his saves and have an ERA over 7.00; and

Brett Myers would miss most of the season; and

Jamie Moyer would lose his effectiveness; and

J.C. Romero would get suspended and contribute almost nothing to the team; and

All members of the bullpen save Ryan Madson would spend time on the disabled list; and

Carlos Ruiz would only get 322 at-bats; and

Raul Ibanez would get hurt mid-year and not be nearly as effective as he was before the injury; and

the Phillies bench would produce very little; and

Eric Bruntlett would hit so far below the Mendoza Line as to require a search party of miners to look for his batting average; and

Matt Stairs would have a huge oh-fer as a pinch hitter during the season and hit for very little power; and

the Phillies would make it to (at least) Game 6 of the World Series. . .

I would have signed up for that result in a heartbeat.

So now the Phillies find themselves about 2 1/2 hours away from Game 6, in a classic match-up between Andy Pettitte, the leader in all-time post-season wins and Pedro Martinez, a future Hall of Famer. The Phillies and Yankees are both known for their comebacks. The Phillies were baseball's best road team; the Yankees baseball's best home team.

Anything can happen. Let's hope that both teams provide great theater tonight.

Short Rest

According to Mike Golic this morning on ESPN Radio (quoting from the Elias Sports Bureau), since 1999 pitchers throwing on short rest in the post-season are 9-28. Since 2004, they are 0-7.

Joe Girardi went to Northwestern and majored in engineering. He's a better math guy than I am.

And Yankees fans are certainly hoping that he knows more than they do.

The Beirut Browns

You just can't make up some of this stuff.

Does this mean that the Raiders should move to Baghdad?

And the Redskins to Tikrit?

Sheesh.

When the wheels fall off the bus, they really create quite the mess.

Phillies 8 Yankees 6

Observations:

1. So now the Series goes back to New York, with the Yankees leading 8-6. Unless Joe Girardi summons Chad Gaudin to the mound, the Yankees' starters both will be working on short rest. Since the 2004 NLDS (when Roy Oswalt beat Jaret Wright), starters in the post-season working on short rest are 0 and 7. The record for starters working on short rest since 1999 is 9-28. The edge on this stat goes to the Phillies, although it's not as though they'll be trotting out Cy Young and Lefty Grove to defeat the Yankees. This is probably the big story now.

2. The Phillies' bullpen doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Ryan Madson didn't look all that steady out there, and I wondered why Charlie Manuel didn't leave Chan Ho Park in the game. He pitched well, and he, as well as Matt Stairs, could have grounded into a double play in the bottom of the eighth. Seriously, the choice to pinch-hit Stairs in that situation was almost as curious as the choice to replace Shane Victorino with Ben Francisco in the field. As to the former, well, the Phillies really don't have anyone else. As to the latter, both Raul Ibanez's frightful attempt on a fly ball and Francisco's lame throw home on a short fly to center field underscored most Phillies' fans frustration with this defensive substitution.

3. Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs, Paul Bako, Eric Bruntlett, Ben Francisco. Only the latter is a lock to be back on the Phillies' bench next season. Dobbs has a year left on his contract, so it's possible he'll return. The Phillies need some more mojo off their bench. Not a fatal flaw, per se, but the bench isn't helping them this year the way it did last season.

4. Okay, so if the Phillies win Game 6 behind Pedro Martinez, who gets the nod in Game 7? My vote is for J.A. Happ. Why? He won in Yankee Stadium earlier this season, he pitched well for most of the year, he's more confident than Cole Hamels (so is your average Babe Ruth League high schooler at the moment), and you don't need him to go 7 -- a good 5 gets you to Joe Blanton, Cliff Lee, Tug McGraw, Al Holland, Jim Konstanty and anyone else the Phillies want to throw at the Yankees in Game 7.

5. The two-game Series has perhaps the best road team in baseball going against the best team at home. That should make for good theater.

6. Bobby Valentine is very blunt in his analysis, but he's right -- the Yankees shouldn't pitch to Chase Utley anymore. They should let Ryan Howard try to beat them. As a Phillies fan, you take the bad with the good with Howard. For every torrid run there can be a terrible drought. What you hope for -- as we did with Mike Schmidt decades ago -- is that other players pick the team up when he is down. Utley is doing just that, and Raul Ibanez's blast gives the Phillies' faithful hope that some other big hitter is getting hot at the right time. One of the reasons, I think, that the team let Pat Burrell go is that Burrell likewise was a streaky hitter, and the team, if it wanted to evolve, couldn't continue to endure big droughts from its four and five hitters at the same time (Burrell also was becoming injury prone).

7. Chase Utley's post-season performance belies a plum-awful September where he couldn't hit (with men on base or otherwise). Utley's average for September was below .200. Now, he's being compared to Reggie Jackson. Less electric, but much lower maintenance.

8. The Yankees continued to show grit last night and fought back hard. That bodes well for Game 6. They'll be up for the challenge and wanting to end it quickly. The big issue is how much Andy Pettitte has left in the tank. I say he could well have enough -- he's a big-game pitcher and excels on a big stage.

9. It should be a good show on Wednesday night. These are the two best teams in baseball, and they're battling hard.

At Citizens Bank Park Last Night -- Phillies/Yankees

1. The Yankees deserve a lot of credit for what they did in the off-season. They knew that they had to upgrade their starting pitching, and by doing so they put themselves in a position to win it all. CC Sabathia did a great job on short rest -- he's a war horse.

2. Once again, a team's weakness gets magnified in the post-season. Phillies' fans would have been devastated had Brad Lidge performed last year in the World Series the way he did last night. Last night, Phillies' fans were simply resigned after the game -- after all, Lidge has pitched that way for much of the season.

3. Wily old foxes can kill you in the post-season. Johnny Damon's at-bat in the top of the ninth and his baserunning were terrific -- guys like that -- even past their prime -- are great to have in the post-season.

4. If you had told me that after four games A-Rod and Mark Teixeira were going to be hitting a combined .100 after four games, I would have told you that the Phillies would be tied at 2 or up 3-1. Instead, a good team has other players step up, and the Yankees had plenty on offense to mask overall poor performances of the guys who helped get them there all year (and, yes, A-Rod did have a huge hit in the top of the ninth).

5. I don't think that Carlos Ruiz should have made the throw on Damon's steal of second. Lidge has no pickoff move, so to speak, and there's a risk that the ball goes into center field. Instead, the Phillies' "Teixeira shift" left third base uncovered, and Damon made a heads up play.

6. For Yankees' fans who are asking "what's with Ryan Howard", the Phillies' titanic slugger goes through periods of drought. Unfortunately for the Phillies, he's in one now.

7. At one point last night Phillies' fans could feel the tide of the Series turning -- right after Pedro Feliz's home run off Joba Chamberlain. We were thinking, "Okay, if Lidge can hold in the top of the ninth, we can win in extra innings and have Cliff Lee beat A.J. Burnett on short rest to go back to New York up 3-2." I'm sure that Yankees' fans were fearing the same thing. That's how close a World Series can be.

8. The Phillies have had trouble in this Series honoring their good offensive efforts. Against the Dodgers, they followed good offensive innings with shutdown innings from their pitching and defense. They had taken away the Yankees' mojo with Feliz's home run, only to have Lidge give it back.

9. Phillies' fans aren't shocked, though. Cole Hamels has pitched in the post-season the way he's pitched all year, and Lidge pitched last night the way he did for most of the year. To beat a team like the Yankees, they need a better effort from both.

10. I look for Cliff Lee to beat Burnett today. Burnett's a righty on short rest against a lefty lineup. Lee has been on fire in the post-season. If the Phillies can come through, they'll head to New York with a crafty Pedro Martinez on full rest against Andy Pettitte on short rest. The odds for winning it all are very long, but the Phillies can make a Series out of it if these two pitchers can come through.

11. Raul Ibanez continues to look bad at the plate. He's a far cry from the guy who crushed the ball in the first two months of the season. He seems to be rising up on his toes and then trying to chop down on the ball hard, as opposed to turning more evenly through the strike zone. The result -- he's making a lot of outs.

12. Last night's crowd at CBP didn't get off to a good start, and the Yankees helped take them out of the game by getting two off Joe Blanton in the first. Blanton pitched okay if not great. It wasn't that the Yankees hit the ball hard off him (the way they did off Lidge) by any stretch, but the Yankees placed the ball well and made their own breaks. Blanton did enough to keep the Phillies in the game.

13. Parking near CBP was interesting because of the post-game hangover of the Eagles' crowd (which was giddy at the Birds' trashing of the Giants). You walked thrown garbage-strewn lots with RVs blasting loud music and people partying to get to CBP. Thankfully, after such a disappointing ending, there were so many open exit gates that you could leave the lots quickly and get home as soon as possible (which most of us needed to do). The traffic experience was fine; the post-game exit very silent.

14. Going into the post-season, I thought that with their pitching the Phillies would win one Series; they've won two, but the road could end today at CBP. The Yankees' pitching has been better, and their hitting has been good enough to prevail. For the Phillies to come back, two of Rollins, Victorino, Ibanez and Howard have to get hot -- and in a hurry. That's a tall order.

Giants at Eagles -- Some Thoughts

1. What was Tom Coughlin thinking by keeping Eli Manning in near the end of the game? The game was over with at least 8 minutes to go. If Eli gets hurt, there goes your season.

2. What was Tom Coughlin thinking by calling timeouts with less than 2 minutes to go? Does he dislike Philadelphia fans so much that he wanted to screw up the post-game traffic pattern to delay Phillies' fans from getting to the game?

3. The Fox commentators kept on pointing out, especially in the second half, that the Giants' offense lacked a sense of urgency, both in terms of being slow coming out of the huddle and then in running the ball, almost to excess. It didn't seem that the Giants were missing any players on offense, but now, after 8 games, has the league figured out that perhaps without explosive weapons on the receiving end, it's easier to stop the Giants' running game and, therefore, the Giants?

4. The Giants' defense didn't play well today, but that's what happens when you have injured cover corners and defensive ends. The former didn't play; the latter didn't play well. It's hard to read too much into the Giants' defensive lapses unless the team fails to get healthier. If the team fails to get healthier, then the Giants will be exposed in certain passing situations.

5. Why did Aaron "Steel Hands" Babin try to tackle Eli Manning when he was going out of bounds in the fourth quarter? The officials flagged Babin for a "horse collar" tackle that wasn't (he grabbed and then let go of Manning's shirt), but the commentators were right to point out that the chance of the flag was great enough that Babin should have eased up. My bet is that in five years defensive players will have computer chips/sensors in their gloves and quarterbacks will have them on their uniforms, so that once a QB is touched with two hands his shirt will light up and the play will be over (with continuation within reason permitted). Right now, the rules about hitting quarterbacks are a bit much.

6. The Giants special teams didn't cover kickoffs well today. Their defense was having enough trouble, and then the Eagles got great field position to boot.

7. Necessity is the mother of invention. The absence of Brian Westbrook caused Andy Reid to innovate, and that's what he did with giving the ball more to Leonard Weaver. I'm surprised more teams don't run their fullbacks more. My argument: otherwise, you have one more player in addition to the offensive linemen who you know won't touch the ball. Since the fullback is eligible to touch it, deploy him with it. Weaver rewarded the Eagles with a great game, and now opponents will have to watch out for him, too.

8. The Eagles' young tandem of Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson is very exciting. If the Birds' offensive line can jell and Westbrook can get healthier, the offense will be in very good shape. Maclin had a spectacular catch for a TD today, while Jackson ran right by a defense for his long score.

9. How much does that loss to the Oakland Raiders hurt now? How good is it to have Todd Herremans back on the offensive line? Who is the DL Dixon for the Eagles? He looked tough today, as did Will Witherspoon, who was all over the place at middle linebacker. And did you see the hit Asante Samuel put on Hakeem Nicks in the second half? Who says that the former NE DB can't hit? That was a great shot.

10. Did you hear the Eagles' fans yelling "Let's go Phillies!" I don't believe in omens, but I'm much more looking forward to Game 4 of the World Series knowing that Philadelphia prevailed in the football rivarly this afternoon.

Temple is Bowl Eligible!

For the first time since 1990, Temple will not have a losing season.

And it looks like the Owls could go to a bowl game for the first time since 1979.

The Owls beat Navy at Navy on a late score, 27-24, to give them their sixth victory of the season. They've won six in a row after losing to Villanova and Penn State in their first two games.

Read here for the entire story.

Okay, so the Owls aren't the Phillies, aren't the Eagles, aren't Penn State and have trouble drawing attention to themselves in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a pro football town now (that wasn't always the case; Penn, until the mid-1950's or so, played big-time football and routinely put about 70,000 people into Franklin Field), and if there is a college football allegiance, it's to Penn State. All of that background underscores the significance of Al Golden's success at Temple. Somehow, some way, he's re-built a program that was in bad shape -- methodically and with great attention to detail.

This is a great story -- for the Temple football program and for Al Golden and his coaching staff.

The Owls still have several games to play, and the more games they win the better the chance they'll have to get a bowl invitation. Their next 2 games -- against Miami (Ohio) and Akron -- should be wins, as those two teams have two wins between them. They then end Kent State and Ohio, and both of those schools are having good seasons. Win out and the team finishes 10-2 and should guarantee itself a bowl invitation. Going 3-1 also should do the trick.

Again, a great, great story.

Al Golden and his Owls are having a great season so far.

Reflections on the Phillies-Yankees Game Last Night

1. As a Phillies' fan, it's hard to say that Cole Hamels disappointed me. How he pitched last night has pretty much been the way he's worked all year. He can go 4, 5 innings and pitch well, only to have the floor come out from under him thereafter. There are a few reasons for this. First, he was a three-pitch pitcher last year, and all of those pitches worked well for him. This year, his curveball has gone AWOL, and most Major League lineups will feast on a two-pitch starting pitcher after they go through the lineup once or at most twice. The Yankees aren't like most Major League teams -- they're better. As I've said before, the post-season magnifies a team's weaknesses, and this post-season has magnified the struggles that Hamels has had this year. Second, Hamels pitched many more innings in 2008 than he did in 2007. According to experts (such as Buck Showalter), history has demonstrated that a pitcher in Hamels circumstances would not have a good season the following year. That's happened. If the Series were to go to a Game 7, you have to wonder what Phillies' skipper Charlie Manuel would do. That game sets up as a start for Hamels, but you'd have to wonder if Manuel believes he has any other options out there. It may be that he doesn't.

2. Andy Pettitte is an all-timer. He was wild early and got it, but he settled down and pitched a masterful game. You have to give the Yankees an awful lot of credit. After last season, their rotation would have led the pundits to predict that they'd finish out of the playoffs. By re-upping Pettitte and going out and getting CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett (okay and Mark Teixeira), they are now 2 games away from winning the World Series.

3. You have to wonder what Shane Victorino was thinking with the bases loaded in the second inning. Pettitte was wild, very wild in fact, missing the strike zone somewhat significantly. So what did Victorino do? He came up and swung at the first two pitches -- both of which were out of the strike zone (and perhaps not even close). That set up an 0-2 count, and you don't usually like your chances on an 0-2 count against a skilled Major League pitcher. Fortunately for the Phillies, he hit a sacrifice fly to make the game 3-0, but you do have to wonder how the rest of the game had fared had Victorino taken those pitches and had a 2-0 count with the bases loaded and only one out. Had that meant another two runs for the Phillies, the tide of the game might have been different. Sure, given the way that Hamels combusted a Phillies' fan couldn't be so sure, but Victorino's lack of patience at the plate hurt the Phillies last night.

4. As has the overall hitting of the foursome of Victorino, Utley, Howard and Ibanez. Victorino's lack of production is the hardest to understand, as he's not been that streaky during the year. Utley had a bad September, leading some observers to conclude that either his surgically repaired hip isn't right or that he hasn't fully recovered from a bad bruise to his foot (that resulted from a foul ball). Utley has denied any injury, and he's also denied that he'd tell anyone if he had an injury. Those are explanations, not excuses, and in the past two games Chase Utley has not fared well. Howard's struggles are the most understandable. He's streaky. He's usually very good late in the season, but if you were to watch Howard every day you would understand why Cardinals' fans would win the argument (hands down) as to why Albert Pujols is better. Sure, the Phillies could lose Howard to a team like the Red Sox two years down the road when his contract is up because his power numbers are so awesome, but he hit .207 with 6 homers against lefties this year. That he didn't hit Pettitte wasn't the biggest surprise; that he didn't hit Burnett was. As for Ibanez, he's not the same guy that he was before he got hurt. Since he's returned from his injury, his swing looks different. Instead of turning on the ball methodically, he seems to rise up on his toes and try to turn at the same time. The result is that he has to adjust the plane of his swing as he's turning (because not only is he turning, he now needs to lower himself to hit the ball on the appropriate plane), and he's been missing more than before or pounding the ball into the ground to the right side of the infield. Not a good time for four of your hitters to be slumping.

5. I had thought before the playoffs that the Phillies probably had a shot at winning an NLDS Series and then would have trouble in the NLCS. Not because I thought that the Dodgers were better, but because I thought that the Phillies' inconsistent and beat-up bullpen wasn't strong enough for the team to leverage the way it did in 2008. In 2008, everything went right in that bullpen. Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey had almost career years in long relief. Scott Eyre bounced right off the Cubs' scrap heap and did a great job as the #2 lefty reliever. J.C. Romero had an awesome year as the lefty set-up man. Ryan Madson grew up as a reliever, found 5 miles per hour on his fastball and was one of the best righty set-up men in baseball. And Brad Lidge was perfect. In 2009, Durbin and Condrey had long stints on the DL. Eyre was on the DL twice. Romero had a 50-game suspension for banned substances and wasn't right the whole year. Madson lost some confidence when he failed in his bid as substitute closer when Lidge was on the DL. Lidge pitched poorly for most of the year. Chan Ho Park bailed the team out with outstanding relief during a big run the team made after the All-Star break, only to land on the DL himself. Only Madson didn't end up on the DL. Lefty Jack Taschner, filling in for Romero, failed, and rookie Sergio Escalano did nothing memorable. Kyle Kendrick, up from AAA where he was starting, had one moment during the stretch to clinch the pennant, and Tyler Walker filled in admirably for many of the injured righties. But on balance, a bad year.

And that results in a lack of managerial confidence in the post-season. Charlie Manuel doesn't know who will perform at what level in the post-season. J.A. Happ started all year, so Manuel's logic about having more confidence in others because they have more experience as starters is puzzling because a) Happ at times was his most effective starter (and will probably be named N.L. Rookie of the year) and b) he hasn't had experience as a reliever, so what makes Manuel think he'll excel in that role (and he's struggled in the post-season). Brett Myers was hurt for much of the year and yielded a home run last night. And Joe Blanton has been a lost soldier.

In short, the front office and Manuel knew going into the playoffs that they'll have to reconstrucct the bullpen for 2010. This World Series confirms that sentiment. That's not to say that there's not enough gas left in the tank for the Phillies' bullpen to hold on and help save 3 games in this World Series, but given all of the goings on during the season, that would be a major achievement and somewhat of a surprise.

5. Another magnified weakness is the Phillies' bench. It's bad enough that Greg Dobbs, who didn't have that good a year, has been weakened with the flu. But Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs and Paul Bako (not to mention others such as John Mayberry, Jr. and Miguel Cairo) don't frighten anyone. Ben Francisco is a good fourth outfielder, but the Phillies will need to fortify their bench (and provide some meaningful relief for players who are used to playing 152 games a year but who will need more rest as they age) in the off-season. Bruntlett flied out feebly in a pinch-hit role last night, and Stairs, while he provides excitement every time he is up, misses much more than he connects. I wouldn't expect either Stairs or Bruntlett to return to the team next year.

6. Positives for the Phillies: Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz have performed well, and Utley was spectacular in Game 1. Cliff Lee excelled in Game 1, and if somehow the team can beat CC Sabathia tonight, they go into Game 5 at home with Cliff Lee on full rest primed to help the team take a 3-2 lead back to Yankee Stadium (still a tall order). On paper, the Blanton-Sabathia matchup doesn't look great for the Phillies, but Blanton's been steady for much of the year and he is a different pitcher from the guy who pitched several seasons in Oakland. Then again, Sabathia is a much better playoff pitcher than he was before this post-season began. Finally, the Phillies have a particular amount of grit, and they're bound to keep fighting. They were one of the least talked about teams going into last season, and they won it all. This margin -- down 2-1 -- isn't insurmountable. Down 3-1 is another story, but if somehow they can knock out the Yankees' ace and take Game 3, it will perhaps be the Yankee fans who wake up with the glum feeling the morning after, feeling similar to the way most Phillies' fans are feeling now.

7. Positives for the Yankees: the veteran nucleus is well-primed for a last hurrah (or even another next year). It's going to be hard to sustain repeat World Series performances when Rivera is 40, Pettitte and Posada 37, Jeter, Damon and Matsui 35, but this group has played great as a whole. Yes, Sabathaia, Teixeira, Burnett and Cano (not to mention Chamberlain and Hughes) are younger, but this particular group is pretty special. I don't know whether Rivera, Pettitte, Posada and Jeter all will go into the Hall (Rivera and Jeter are locks), but they are a special foursome. In addition, they're getting very timely hitting, their starting pitching has been awesome, Rivera is his usual post-season self, Nick Swisher has woken up and A-Rod, despite strikeouts and miscues in the field, is more than holding his own -- his home run last night was a game changer. And, they have Sabathia going tonight. Those are a lot of positives, and, after Game 3, there aren't many negatives.

But tides can turn in the World Series, and sure things don't always turn out to be so sure. Given the groundswell of confidence in Sabathia going into Game 4, the Yankees have to be very confident. But if somehow the Phillies were to get to Sabathia, get good pitching from Blanton and have the bullpen hold the lead, the tide can turn back to the Phillies in a hurry.

Is Princeton Women's Basketball Team Ready to Challenge for the Ivy Title?

The Trenton Times thinks so.

The team finished third in the Ivies last year and has perhaps its most talented core of players in some time. Last year's team was exciting, and you could see from watching it near season's end that it has significant upside. This program has had its fits and starts over the years, but it could well be that third-year coach Courtney Banghart is on the cusp of establishing the program as a perennial contender in the Ivies.

For those who live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania or central New Jersey, check out Princeton sports for some good, earnest entertainment. As an event-oriented society we might get more stoked by going to a professional event, but these kids play for the love of the game -- and it shows.

How Much Will the Recession Affect Ticket Sales in the NBA and NHL?

Was it me, but when I saw the highlights on television, there appeared to be many good seats open?

Or, was there a Halloween giveaway, and did 10,000 people opt to go to the game dressed as empty seats?

I was wondering about the effect on the recession on hockey and pro basketball, particularly because ticketholders already had committed in 2008 before the recession hit. I do wonder how serious a drop these sports will suffer. Baseball, which you have to believe is more popular, suffered a 6% drop over last season. Given that baseball tickets generally are a better bargain, you'd have to believe that the NHL and NBA will suffer more considerably (as most certainly the NBA did last season).

The Dynamics of the StubHub Market for World Series Tickets in Philadelphia

Sounds like the title for an article in an academic journal, doesn't it?

StubHub fascinates me. Yes, they get their poundage out of every sale, but they also have created a very efficient (and safe) marketplace. I've used StubHub to buy and sell tickets, and I've found the site to be very easy to deal with. My great curiosity is how StubHub and the leagues with whom they have affiliations will use the data that they're accumulating to price tickets/make them available in the future. Especially the outstanding teams with the most demand.

I've noticed one thing about StubHub, which is that if you have tickets to a "hot" game or event, if you have four (instead of two), you're more likely to draw a higher price per ticket for the group. The reason is fairly simple -- many people are looking for four seats together if they can find them, but most people seemingly only have two tickets to sell. It stands to reason that more people purchase season- or partial season-ticket plans for two tickets and not four. As a result, groups of four are more scarce and, therefore, in the right circumstances, more valuable. Of course, if the team isn't a stalwart or the game isn't a "hot" one, the owner of four tickets always can sell his block of four tickets in two-ticket increments.

Now, if you're looking for an odd number of tickets, good luck (although I once bought three to a Phillies game a few years ago). So, if you're a family of four, you're in decent shape, but if you're a family of three or five, well, the dynamics are more challenging.

This article discusses the prices for tickets at Citizens Bank Park for Games 3, 4 and 5 and how the average asking price has dropped over the past day or so. Here's my thinking as to why: the number of available tickets this close to the time of the game (approximately 4,500 or so) is not a "scarce enough" number. That is to day, about 10% of the tickets are available for sale. Why? Because as die-hard as any team's fans can be, the economy isn't great, and many are thinking that if they can take a ticket that cost them $150 and parlay it into, say $1,000 twice over, they'll take the profit, watch from the comfort of their family rooms, not have to deal with traffic should public transportation go on strike (which it might) and run. After all, many of these same fans witnessed Series bliss last season (albeit on rainy nights) and the novelty has worn off -- they won't be missing the experience, in a sense, because they've been there and done that. Okay, so speculating about the reasons for the relatively large number of tickets available this close to game time might not be that accurate, but were the number of available tickets to be, say, 1,500, the average price per ticket, it stands to reason, would be higher (unless the remaining available ticket population is comprised mostly of standing room only tickets).

See what someone who likes stats and data can get totally intrigued by a site like StubHub? You see an efficient marketplace unfold before your eyes. Right now, that marketplace says that the profiteers will have to adjust their expectations accordingly in order to make a deal.

A friend at work came to me on Wednesday. He's a Yankee fan, he had a chance to buy a ticket at Citizens Bank Park, to go with a friend who is a rabid Phillies' fan. He asked me what I'd pay for a ticket, to get into the park. He knows I'm a huge Phillies' fan, but he also knows that I wouldn't pay a king's ransome for a ticket. So, I said "$500." After all, it is the World Series, he hasn't been, and, perhaps, every now and then you have to splurge (Phillies' fans know this well; they hadn't been to the Series for 15 years before 1998, it was 15 years before then, and who knows when this group of stars starts to show their age when they'll get back to the Series). His friend got the tickets through a connection , they're in the nosebleed section (but still a decent place to watch the game), and he paid $350. Good deal, I think.

Another colleague said that her son, who is in his mid-20's, bought a ticket for about $600 -- standing room only. Clearly, the Generation Whatever group wants to be at the game for the baseball but also for the party-like experience. That's a lot of money for that young man, because his income isn't what my collegue's is.

Then, another friend from work relayed a story about someone ponying up what seemed to be a huge amount for four tickets in the Diamond Club right behind home plate -- enough money to pay for a substantial portion of next year's season tickets. Those are good seats, but paying a couple thousand apiece seemed to be a bit much. So, the secondary market differs all over the stadium -- depending on who you know, where you want to sit, and whether friends have a connection.

So check out StubHub -- if for nothing other than the dynamics of markets for tickets to championship games.

Congress, the NFL, Head Injuries and the Antitrust Exemption

All of these came up at a Congressional hearing, with one lawmaker threatening to have the NFL's antitrust exemption revoked.

You just cannot make up some of this stuff.

Look, the issue of head injuries is serious. The Players' Association's leadership would be failing its membership if it didn't advocate for more resources and attention to this issue. You're not only talking about players' livelihoods, you're also talking about life after football -- which begins for many in the mid-20's and shouldn't render some former players disabled or with serious brain damage. I get all that.

What I don't get is where certain members of Congress get off using their positions to bully and threaten. What they should do -- assuming the expenditure of time on this particular issue is warranted given all of th other problems the country has -- is to work to get all of the facts out and then press for a solution. Most assuredly, there is a public health aspect to all of this, as many young boys start playing the game as early as 6 -- we need all players to be as safe as possible. But let's not make threats on a grand scale.

I also get that the NFL's and NFLPA's track record on this issue isn't perfect. The league -- with all its money -- is a day late and many dollars short. The union doesn't seem to be focused on anything more than the here and now given how short players' careers are. Let's hope that something good can happen from a public spotlight -- that the league and union come together with a solution before an unfortunate one gets legislated for them.

World Series Prediction: Phillies in 6

Here's the reasoning:

1. The Phillies are defending champions. That means something.
2. The Yankees are an excellent team, but so are the Phillies.
3. Yes, I'd rather have Mariano Rivera over Brad Lidge, but a) I'm not so sure about the rest of the Yankees' bullpen and b) Lidge has looked better of late. In other words, I don't think that the difference between bullpens is as pronounced as some say.
4. Could this be a "last hurrah" for the Yankees' core of Posada, Jeter, Rivera and Pettitte? All are outstanding, at least two are Hall of Famers? Jeter, at 35, is the youngest of the four. This intangible bodes well for the Yankees.
5. There's just something about the Phillies that has them keep on coming back. They have the best record in baseball from September 1 on of any team in the majors. In the past two seasons, they keep on finding an extra gear. They, too, have an excellent nucleus.
6. It will take a great effort from either team to beat the other. Each is the best in its league.
7. Am I making a predictable pick in that I'm a Phillies' fan and that it's easy to say "don't bet against the defending champions?" Perhaps, but the Yankees have a lot of talent and are worthy of considerable respect.
8. In other words, my reasoning is pretty thin, perhaps based on a hunch that the lineup still has enough hits left in its bats and that the bullpen has enough resilience, with Brett Myers now back, and with Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ available. Somehow, I think that the Phillies' bullpen has enough left in it to get the job done. And, because of that, I think that they'll win the Series.
9. But not without many anxious moments.
10. Here's to hoping for a memorable Series.

World Series Is Hell for Mets' Fans -- Here's the Case for Supporting the Phillies

At least that's what you might infer from A.G. Sulzberger's piece in the New York Times.

It basically boils down to this -- root for the Yankees, and you're rooting for the team whose fans look down upon your team, whose team tries to buy a pennant all the time, whose fans are Cinderella's wicked stepsisters. You'd be selling out, giving in, succumbing, even if you're going to take the side of the other team from your area. Or, root for the Phillies, and you're rooting for your bitter rival in the National League East, the team that helped cause the Mets' disastrous slides at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and for a team whose fans you hold in utter contempt and whose city you view as a wannabe, the pesty kid who always wants in, is insecure, and, in your mind, is nothing more than a glorified outpost. You'd be lowering your standards, giving credence to a town and its fans whom you abhor, if only because you dislike your step-siblings more than your rivals.

Heckuva choice.

So here's the sales pitch for Philadelphia:

1. Many New Yorkers go to college there, particularly Villanova and Penn. Have the ardent Yankee fans who are Penn alums so forgetful of their time in University City that they cannot muster up some affinity for the City of Brotherly Love?

Big 5 Basketball.

Chubby Checker.

Bobby Rydell.

Boyz II Men.

Patti LaBelle.

Ed Rendell.

2. Cheese steaks. Whether it's Pat's, Geno's, John's Roast Pork, Steve's Prince of Steaks, Jim's, Tony Luke's, they're all good. Perhaps you could even strike a deal -- a frequent eater deal with the first sandwich free -- if you'd switch your allegiance -- however temporarily -- to the Phillies.

3. Rocky. It was a great movie, it took place in Philadelphia, and even New Yorkers deep down like to root for the underdog. Given how much money the Yankees have spent for their players, perhaps you can see the Phillies in that role and root for them. Again, temporarily. Different stadiums play different music to charge up their teams, but the theme from Rocky in the late innings along with exhortations on the scoreboard from the likes of Mick do stir up the crowd. Be a part of it -- temporarily.

4. Football as a Metaphor. Sure, the Eagles and the Giants are a strong rivalry, but did you get a load of the Cowboys this weekend? Their defensive backs were primping more after big hits than the Pussycat Dolls after an encore. Sure, both teams have their hardcore fans, but neither has that over-the-top new building, the Hollywood quarterback who blows a gasket in the clutch and the prepossessing owner who is as annoying as can be. So, if you can unite in the dislike of Dallas, perhaps in a moment of transferance you can unite with Phillies' fans and root against the Yankees.

5. We Grow Our Own. Mostly, and especially when compared to the Yankees. In this age of organics and "green", the nucleus of the Phillies -- Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley -- came up through the farm system. The team hasn't spend big on free agents, rebuilt its farm system after disastrous yields in the late 1980's and most of the 1990's, traded some of the yield for important players (traded Michael Bourn for Brad Lidge in a trade that involved other players) and recycled others not thought to be Major League material (nabbing Shane Victorino in the Rule 5 draft from the Dodgers, signing Jayson Werth as a free agent, ditto for Pedro Martinez). When you compare that type of game plan to that of the Yankees, well, the Phillies win out clearly. And. . .

6. One of Our Megastars Wasn't Implicated with either Steroids or Madonna. We're getting to the part where we almost have to invoke the "mercy rule". How can you possibly tilt toward the Yankees now?

7. We Also Play Exciting Baseball. You have to give the Phillies that. They come from behind, they made it to the World Series despite a bullpen that at times resembled that of the Nationals, and the players are pretty much likable (okay, you cannot stand Jimmy Rollins, but he's irked his own fans at times too).

8. We Have a Good Uncle Managing the Club. And, in times like these, we all need a good uncle who believes in us. He's warm and welcoming, is Charlie Manuel.

So. . . the choice appears to be clear. Don't worry, both the Yankees and Phillies have plenty of fans -- but the Phillies would more than welcome all Mets' fans to support their NL East 'mates and defeat the "varsity", as Mike Francesa once called his beloved Yankees. Don't you want to contribute to the defeat of the "varsity" too?

The Young Man Who Brought Bill Bradley to Tears

Meet Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle, the one-time Florida State defensive back who passed up entry into the NFL last year to accept his Rhodes scholarship and a two-year stint in Oxford (England, that is, for those SEC fans whose thinking doesn't appear to run north of Lexington, Kentucky), is featured in this New York Times article. Rolle apparently brought former U.S. Senator, New York Knick and Princeton Tiger Bill Bradley to tears when he told Bradley that Bradley helped inspire him to want to become a Rhodes Scholar.

Read the whole article, as it touches upon not only Rolle's broad view of the world and his potential role in it but also his preparations for the upcoming NFL draft. Good piece.

The Quarterback Maker

Steve Clarkson, one-time starting quarterback for San Jose State in the early 1980's, is one of the premier quarterback tutors in the country. He coaches kids as early as the seventh grade, and he picks who he coaches. His client list is impressive; his fees, prodigious.