My4Albany

A rookie salary cap in the NFL is long, looooong overdue. For years, kids who haven't played a down in the league have been cashing checks twice, often 3-times larger than the veteran they're lining-up alongside. And that's just not right.

Now, I've never been one of those fans who begrudge athletes for the amount of money they make. Everyone in this country has the right to make as much as they can for the talents they have. If you are bitter over the fact that pro athletes make millions while school teachers only make 5-figures, well, you know what, you should have become a pro athlete.

However, within each profession there often are injustices, and the rookie salary cap proposal seeks to eliminate one. Yes, rookies are paid on potential, and potential is tough to quantify. All the more reason to take the guess work out, set-up a salary structure, and abide by it. It has worked very well in the NBA, where rookie contracts were once out of control.

And, frankly, as a rookie, I would want to earn my big pay day, not simply have the money handed to me before I even play a down. Where's the incentive to work hard when you've got $25-million in the bank before your first training camp?

I like that commissioner Goodell is behind the cap. If it gets Player's Association support it will become a reality. And as much as the union (and all unions) hate "givebacks", this is one that would benefit the majority of the players in the league. 

"I just want to win!"

I always love hearing that from a pro athlete who's just signed a $50-million deal with a crappy team. If he just wanted to win...he'd have taken less money and signed with a much better team.

Latest example: Baron Davis, who has verbally committed to a 5-year, $65-million dollar contract with the L.A. Clippers, leaving the Golden State Warriors. Yes, from the Warriors to the Clippers. Not exactly a step up. And sure, for Davis, an LA and UCLA guy, this is a "homecoming", but how can you justify this move if Davis is serious about playing for a championship? You can't. Even with Elton Brand apparently returning to the Clippers this franchise will never become serious and consistent contenders. They will always be second class citizens in that city much like the Mets are to the Yankees in NY.

Sure, there will be the occassional "Cinderella Story", such as last season. But the Clippers will always be the Clippers.

 So, as always, it's not about winning. It's all about the money. And that's fine. Just don't give us the "I just want to win" line. Instead, the next Baron Davis, and he's right around the corner, should say "I'm going to do my best to win...but if we don't...man that paycheck is going to soften the blow."  

Brett Favre: Future Hall of Fame Quarterback. Sincere and effective pitchman. Apparently a nice husband and father. And...above all else...AN EGOMANIAC. And...in fact...the worst kind of egomanic. The one disguised as humble and unassuming.

One of the topics that I've received the most heat over from listeners and viewers has been my take on Brett Favre...and the way he's treated his employer - the Green Bay Packers - every since he began talking retirement (which seems like 10 years ago). Favre has been holding this franchise captive - first by being unable to decide whether or not he was going to retire (that went on for several seasons...and hurt the team in it's plans to build for the future) and now by hinting that he may come out of retirement and play this season.

Enough already. While Favre has been one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, he is clearly the most over-rated player in the history of the NFL...if you compare his talent and achievements to the amount of media attention he's gotten and continue to get.

And this, the attention, is apparently what drives Favre...still. Why else begin this drama of a possible return to the field? The guy can't live without the spotlight. It's pathetic. And, once again, he's on the verge of putting the Packers on the spot. Do they allow Favre to rejoin the team, perpetuating the franchise's inability to move foreward. Or, do they release his rights and allow another team to sign him...which many would see as a p.r. disaster.

As you might guess, I think the Pack should let Favre go. Let him go play for another team, tarnishing his reputation and legacy. The Packers need to move forward, parlay last year's surprising success into another solid season...and having Favre around will only hamper that plan.

For years no one believed me when I pointed out that the iconic Favre, this media darling, was really a selfish, me-first egomanic. Seeing him this fall in a Kansa City Chiefs uniform may finally  get my point across once and for all.

Why do they say Wimbledon is played "on grass"? By the second week the surface has no grass...so it's closer to clay than turf and it's so hard that it's almost like playing on a hardcourt. They should come to my backyard and play of REAL grass (and thenh mow it when they're done).

ARod hittin' homers and losing a wife. All in a days work. I credit his wife for finally saying "enough". Madonna? I'd divorce him just for hanging out nwith her...even if there was no hanky-panky going on. This guy continues to show that, with all of that natural baseball talent, he still lacks in one important catagory: taste.

Huge win by the Yankees Sunday night. Even though it's only early July there's a huge dofference between being 4-games and 6-games out of the Wild Card spot.

C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers. In 3-months will look back and realize that Sabathia did little to help the Brewers, who won't make the playoffs. In 3-years we'll look back and realize that the Indians made a killing in this deal.

Hats off to the ValleyCats, who broke their all-time attendance record Friday night. Once against this organization proves that what happens on the field in minor league baseball means little when it comes to success at the turnstiles. It's all about promtion and marketing...and the 'Cats do it better than any sports team - pro or college - in the history of Capital Region sports.

Brett Favre is still retired.  Somehow ESPN thinks that that's news. Where would that network be without Favre to gush over when he was playing...and now talk about non-stop when he's not.

I'm amazed by the number of people who believe that the Tampa Bay Rays are for real. Yes they're 22-games over .500 as we near the All-Star break, but this team is too young and inexperienced to continue this pace.

Don't get me wrong...this is a great story. And everyone tends to get caught-up in these "worst to first" scenarios in sports. Hey, I'm no different. I like to see longshots succeed...underdogs have their day in the sun.

But the baseball season is long...very long. And over time...Cinderella tends to show here age. And in the case of the Rays...it's a young age...too young to have this incredible run that they're on last for an entire season.

Could they hold-on and win the AL East? They could...but only if the Red Sox and Yankees stay inconsistent...and you've got to think that isn;t going to happen. Could they hang-on and make the playoffs as the Wild Card? Sure...but I can't see these young players being able to handle the pressure of must-win games in September.

It would bode well for the Yankees to start planting the seed of doubt in the Rays by sweeping this week's 2-game series. Anything less and the legion of Rays bandwagon jumpers will continue to grow.  If you're one of those who believe that this team is "for real"...I hope you're sitting near an exit.

When...when will they learn.

I've never been a baseball pitcher at any time, at any level. Let's make that clear. However, after having worked, called and watched thousands of baseball games during my career as a sportscaster and my life as a sports fan I do think I'm qualified to comment on pitching...and in particular pitching to lefthanded powerhitters.

And there's just one rule: DON'T THROWN THEM ANYTHING DOWN AND IN. It's that simple. No need for the Elias Sports Bureau or Sabermetrics. You simply can't...at any point in the at-bat...try to beat a good lefthanded hitter with anything down and in.

Why this is I do not know. If all thing were equal...the strategy for pitching to left-handed and right-handed hitters would be the same. All it is is a guy facing the mounf from a different direction...different top hand on the bat...but other than that there shouldn't be much of a difference.

But anyone who watched baseball at even the casual level knows that...in general...trying to get righthanded hitters and left handed hitters out takes two entirely separate approaches. And the #1 rule against lefties: don't go down and in.

And yet, in the past few days alone...all we've seen is Bobby Abreu, Ryan Howard, Justin Morneau, Ken Griffey, Jr., getting pitches right in their wheel house...down and in...and crushing them.

I know sometimes even major league pitchers can't control when their pitches go. The catcher may be setting up outside corner...and the ball still ends-up down and in. But on a daily basis I continue to see catchers calling for that low and inside pitch against lefthanded hitters...and most times you know what's coming next: CRUSH! Amazing.

Speaking of knowing what was coming next...I told you last week...when discussing the Baron Davis signing...that the L.A. Clippers would still be the L.A. Clippers...meaning they'd still be pathetic losers. Apparently Elton Brand read that blog. His decision to turn his back on that organization...after apparently being "dissed" by ownership...more proof that I was right. 

The MLB All-Star game had everything...and plenty of it. Home runs, strike-outs, good defensive plays, bad defensive plays, good strategy and bad strategy.

But, once again, from what should have been nothing but a positive experience for everyone involved, and great PR for the game comes controversy. And. once again, it isn't as if commissioner Bud and his cronies in the league officie couldn't have seen this coming.

By making what should be simply an exhibition involving the best players in the sport into a game to decide home-field advantage in the World Series, baseball has created a problem: a meaningless game that has meaning. And so, instead of playing the game hard, but for fun, the two managers and all the players have to play this game to win. That means using players who had no business being in that game. And using them for extended periods of time.

As a Phillies fan, I was not happy seeing Brad Lidge, first warm-up about 6-times in the bullpen, and then finally enter the game in the 15th inning. Those counting say Lidge threw about 100 pitches in the pen throughout the evening before he took the mound. Thank god he allowed that winning run in the bottom of the 15th or NL Manager Clint Hurdle probably would have sent him back out there for the 16th.

If MLB is going to insist on making this game count - which is ridiculous (I've been saying that for years) the All-Star rosters need to be expanded, especially the pitching staffs. This game couldn have gone 20 innings last night, and heaven knows you ccouldn't have stopped it and called it a tie...thanks to the home-field advantage prize.

I just hope Lidge and the other pitchers who shouldn't have been pressed into action last night don't experience any negative reactions due to the game. And don't be surprised, if changes aren't made, if pitchers start coming-up with mysterious "injuries" so they can pull themselves out of the game.

Teams have to think "big picture" here. Home field advantage in the World Series means nothing if your best players get hurt in the All-Star game, preventing your team from even making it into the post-season.

 When we look back at the 2008 season this game may be one of the highlights. Which is a shame

I can't let the week go by without touching on my 'ol buddy, Brett Favre.

NOW...FINALLY...DO YOU ALL BELIEVE ME?

I've been saying ans writing since he began holding the Packers hostage over 3-years ago that Favre was the most selffish and ego-driven player in the league. But, did you believe "Murphy's Law"? No. Most of you believed that Favre was this great guy, who only cared about the team and winning. And that he earned the right to put himself ahead of the good of the franchise...year after year after year.

I can't believe, in the wake of what's happening now, that anyone still thinks that Favre is this idolic figure that the media once made him out to be. What he is doing to the Green Bay organization - his employer - is borderline criminal. And if any of us treated our employer this way we'd be out of work faster than you can say "pink slip."

All I'm hoping for now is that the Packers make him pay: don't give him what he wants, which is a release or trade. Make him come to training camp and fight for a job on the team. And no matter how well he performs, make him sit the bench as Aaron Rodgers back-up.

Is that the best thing for the Packers? Of course now. It will cause chaos, desention, and a circus atmosphere at camp. But sometimes...for the overall good and Big Picture...you have to draw the line in the sand and take a stand. And that's what I'm hoping the Pack will do.

They can't simply release Favre...because he'll go to the Vikings or Bears...and face Green Bay twice next season. That is the definition of a PR nightmare. A trade? If it was a "normal" situation that's what you'd do. But what is Green Bay going to get back for Favre? A 4th round pick?

I hope they hold on to him, make him come to camp, and see how this all plays out. Favre won't be happy. But you know what?: After all the unhappiness he cast upon the Packers organization Favre deserves to experience some of his own. 

The NFL used to be the league where hardly any good trades ever took place. Sure, you might get a few draft day deals, but they would normally involve marginally talented players or teams swapping picks and rounds.

But times have changed. Already this week we've seen deals involving former Defensive MVP Jason Taylor and Mr. Overrated Jeremey Shockey. And chances are there will be more "name" players moved before the season opens in September.

Why the change? Because teams, now more than ever, want to win NOW!  In the past, NFL organiztions had a "build for the future" mentality, lay the groundwork for a 5-10 year run. And that strategy worked for organizations such as the Cowboys, 49ers, Redskins, and most recently, the Patriots. But in recent years that's all gone out the window. And by winning the Super Bowl last year with borderline talent at best, the Giants shot and locked that window forever.

All 32 teams now believe, and rightfully so, that they can win it all this season. And so they are all now in the mindset of doing anything thet can (within reason and the salary cap) to put themselves in the best possible position to make a run NOW, TODAY, not next year.

That's why the Redskins, after losing two DE's to injury on the first day of camp, gave-up two draft picks to get Taylor, who may jusy be acting when he says he may actually play for more than one season.

And it's why the Saints gave-up a 2nd and 5th round picks...both who, in theory, should be starters in a few years, for Shockey, who drops more balls than he catches and can't stay on the field due to injury.

Both the 'Skins and the Saints think: "This is OUR year", and these moves will only help to support that belief in the minds of the organization. Of course, the Giants and Dolphins also think "This is our year" (o.k., maybe not the Dolphins. But if they win their first two games that will change quickly).

As for the trades, both guys are past their prime. It'll be interesting to see if pretty-boy Taylor still has the fire to dominate, even for short periods, for Washington. As for Shockey, getting back to working with a guy he likes, Saints coach Sean Payton, might help his attitude, but history had proven that he won't live-up to expectations in New Orleans, as he didn't in N.Y.

The big winner here is the Giants, who get two nice draft picks for a guy who they won it all WITHOUT last year. Though you've got to wonder why they didn't make this deal back on draft day (it was out there) and then they could have drafted one of the nice TE's available in the early rounds. 

Wow, I didn't even realize that the WNBA season was underway.

There's a sure-fire way for any sports league (or anyone else for that matter) to get headlines and the lead story in all the highlight shows: brawl.  The WNBA found that out this week. The fight between Detroit and LA on Tuesday night put the basketball chicks on the map...at least for a night.

The league office announced today that 10 players...and Detroit coach Rick Mahorn...have eebn suspended for their part in the melee. Now, Mahorn's a big dude, but I don't believe he intentionally puched Lisa Leslie to the floor. It only looked that way. Mahorn was being a peacemaker...it's just that he flahed back to the days when he would get into brawls as a player for the Pistons. A little shove like that to Patrick Ewing doesn't even cause a dent. But it put Leslie to the floor.

To me...no harm...no foul (no suspension). But it looked bad...and so the league had to sit Mahorn for a few games. So he doesn't get to watch WNBA basketball for a few nights. There are worse things. In fact, not getting to do just about anything would be worse than that. 

Didn't you just love all the hype surrounding this week's Mets-Phillies series? Two division rivals battling it out for first place. Important...huge...crucial series for both teams.

Here's the problem: it wasn't any of that. I had to keep checking my calendar all week to make sure I hadn't slept through the last two months and it was actually September instead of July. Yes, it's always fun and exciting when two rivals meet in a series, especially with the recent history between these two teams. But "crucial"? Please.

The Mets won the last two games after the Phillies amazing comeback in the series opener. And so, here we are on July 25th (July 25th!!!) and the Mets have one game lead on the Phils in the NL East. There are 9 weeks to go in the season. Need I remind everyone of the epci collapse of the Mets last September. And we still have 5-weeks till we get to Septmeber!

It was a fun series to watch, but when two teams are this close, there's no such thing as a Crucial series in the month of July.

This weekend's Yankees-Red Sox series carries a little more weight, in that the Yankees can't afford to be swept and fall 5-games back of Boston. But even this one isn't "crucial" for either team.

And now that NFL training camps are open, and games are about to begin, you'll likely be hearing less irrational hype involving MLB, because sportscasters and writers will be more focussed on the sport where every game is "crucial" - football. 

Nice Sprint Cup race on Sunday, huh? It reminded me of a Flintstones episode when Fred stone tires kept chipping away and getting smaller and smaller as he approached the finish line.

But that was funny. What happened at the Brickyard was a debacle. Goodyear, NASCAR, everyone who played any role in the situation should be throughly embarrassed.

And now they're going to run test to find out where the right side tires couldn't keep their tread. Nice. Don't be afraid to have something as basic as tire-testing done BEFORE a major race.

Is it just me. or is NASCAR finally falling victim to what has hurt most of the other major sports in recent years: stupidity. The only thing that will keep racing afloat is the passion of it's fan base. But if there are enough screw-ups...even the diehards will start to go away.

Hey...we always have the Olympics ever two years to look forward to. Frankly, I couldn't care less. Ever second of media coverage given to the Olympics is a second misused, that should be going to the NFL.

As much as I love everything about the NFL and believe that it's head and shoulders above every other sports league on the planet, I've got to hand it to Major League Baseball for the one thing it can deliver that the NFL has never been able to: unbelievable excitement leading-up to the trade deadline.

Just over the past 24-hours three future Hall of Famers: Ivan Rodriquez, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Manny Ramerez all get traded.  Add to these the Xavier Nady and Mark Texeria deals and this has been the wildest July for trades in baseball history. 

The winners? I like what the Yankees and done. I think Nady could turn out to be the best of all of their recent aquisitions, though if Pudge has anything left, he'll be the most valuable.

I can't believe that the Red Sox couldn't tollerate Manny for two more months. The deal is also a winner for the Yankees, because as good of a player as Jason Bay is, he's no Manny. Having Ramerez' bat out of the middle of that line-up can't be a good thing for Boston. And anything that's NOT a good thing for the Sox IS a good thing for the Yankees.

I still would have liked to have seen the Yankees get another starter. They apparently feel that the possible return of Hughes and/or Pavano (?) was a better gamble than dealing for Washburn.

And the Mets did nothing (at least as of this writing). I'm not sure they've got enough to hold-off the Fightin' Phils, who could have used another arm themselves.

In a few weeks, when football season starts, all this will be forgotten. But I've got to tip my cap to MLB for...once again...delivering to the fans a trade dealine rush that no other sport can provide.