All Sports Everything is on a Break!

 
Hey Sports Heads!!

I'm heading out of the country which means All Sports Everything won't be making any noise while I'm away.

I admit, it's pretty poor planning on my part.  Missing the Final Four and the NCAA Championship is a rookie move and I know better.  Thank God for the March Madness iPad app!  I will definitely be putting it to use while vacationing. 

Also, as I mentioned before, be on the lookout for some dope changes to the site.  This will happen within the next couple of weeks.  As always, thanks for the support!

Enjoy the busy sports weeks ahead!

S. Renee

P.S. Let's Go UCONN, men AND women!!
P.P.S. Let's go Yankees!  MLB Opening Day is Thursday!   

HBO To Premiere Curt Flood Documentary on July 13

The 1960s was a period when racial tension in the United States boiled over.  American history books were forever rewritten as Civil Rights Leaders Malcolm X and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated in 1965 and 1968, respectively.  Sports legend Muhammad Ali stirred the pot when he refused to report for duty and fight in the Vietnam War upon being drafted; rationalizing that since Black Americans were denied civil rights he could not and would not fight to protect those without rights in another country, in 1967. And, Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith made headlines during the 1968 Olympic Games when they displayed their solidarity to the Civil Rights Movement, performing the "black power salute" standing tall atop the podium with Olympic medals hanging around their necks, wearing black socks and shoeless.

John Carlos and Tommie Smith

These, and many other, powerful stories have been recounted time and time again.  However, the contribution of notable athlete and history maker, former MLB player Curt Flood is lesser known by many; and perhaps overlooked by others.

In a move that's long overdue, HBO is stepping up to the plate to share Curt Flood's story in a documentary set to air July 13, one day after MLB's All-Star Game.  The documentary will chronicle details surrounding the famous Supreme Court case, Flood v. Kuhn.

Flood is widely credited with introducing the concept of Free Agency after refusing a trade and challenging the Reserve Clause which stated that upon the expiration of a contract, players did not have the right to enter into a new contract with another team. Instead, the team retained the player's rights and could either resign or release/trade the player without the player's consent.  Taking a stand for what he believed to be right, Flood sacrificed money and his career in exchange for freedom and the power to choose the outcome of his future.  In a letter to MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Flood compared the reserve clause to slavery, stating, "I am not a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes." 

Despite the support of the MLB union, Flood ultimately lost the case.  However, the former St. Louis Cardinal center fielder's impact on the sports world continues to reverberate more than four decades later; as seen last summer with then free agent Lebron James and the media circus surrounding his "decision".

HBO's choice to tell this story at a time when the futures of the NFL and NBA are unknown, due to labor disputes, will allow the cable network to ride the wave of the current sports climate and tell a story within a story; spurring interesting commentary and generating high ratings.  HBO's solid reputation of delivering compelling and thoughtful content will also give viewers more than enough reasons to tune in.  But if you remain unconvinced that this story is necessary and important, I encourage you to watch because Curt Flood's sacrifices were an integral part of not only sports history or Black history, but most importantly, American history.

NY Yankees Pop Champagne! and more

I'm baaa-aaack and so are the Yankees!  But, before I get into that I have a short PSA:  Sports heads, please know that I've missed delivering the goods.  I've been a busy little bee the past month.  However, I'm finally getting a grasp on things (I think) and can return to blogging with some type of regularity (I hope).  

With that said, there's no better time to jump back in than the present!

My beloved NY Yankees are in the playoffs...AGAIN!!!  There was never a doubt in my mind that I'd see Yankees Stadium open for business in October.  Despite injuries to Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, we managed to keep it together.  Our ace CC Sabathia reached 21 wins for the first time in his career (congrats!) and Robinson Cano is making a strong bid for MVP.  Nick Swisher has also been pretty consistent all year.  Newbie Curtis Granderson got off to a slow start, but was finally able to locate his swing.  And although Captain Derek Jeter's batting average isn't where we're used to seeing it, you know he'll step up when needed i.e. now.  So, expect Mr. November to produce like he usually does.

But I must admit, I'm not as confident as I was last year this time.  Last year, the Yankees were so dominant that it was a no-brainer that we'd get our 27th World Championship.  However, this year's suspect pitching rotation makes me slightly nervous.  I just hope that Joe Girardi makes the right decisions, the team starts hitting again, and our defense is on point.  Since our pitching is the biggest question mark (including Mariano Rivera's ability to get four outs), we need to make sure we're gelling everywhere else.

The other thing that makes me nervous is the possibility of facing the Texas Rangers.  Dare I say that I'm quietly hoping the Yankees land the wild card spot because I like our chances against the Twins more? The Rangers seem to have our number this season.  Plus, it's such a slap in the face to see us struggle against Cliff Lee when we were rumored to get him before the trade deadline.  I hope that doesn't come back to bite us!  No matter what though, I'll be focused during the postseason.  Go Yankees!  Let's win it for the Boss!

Another thing that I love about this time of year is the overlap between the NFL, NBA, and Yankees Postseason. Forget Christmas, for me, this is the most wonderful time of the year!  The NFL is always enjoyable, but when your team is playing well, that feeling is multiplied by 100.  With my Jets scheduled to face the Bills, Vikings, and Broncos before their bye week, I expect this blissful feeling to continue for a while.

Now the Knicks are a different story. Tonight my Dad and I talked about the Knicks and I'll tell y'all like I told him, don't believe the hype.  Knicks fans have suffered too long and I'm not convinced that the dark days are behind us.  In the past, I devoured reading material about the Knicks early in the season, but this year, I've decided it's not worth it.  I can't even tell you who their starting 5 is.  Admittedly, it's pretty pathetic, especially since I consider myself a ride or die fan.  But recent history has proven that I shouldn't invest too much time and energy in them this early in the season.  Yes the Knicks made some moves, but is it really enough to make a push toward the playoffs? I'm not sure.  And, my uncertainty is causing me to be proceed with caution.  I'd be more hopeful if I knew Carmelo Anthony or Chris Paul were on their way to form the NYC version of "Superfriends" with Amar'e Stoudemire, but that doesn't seem likely.  Now don't get me wrong, Amar'e Stoudemire is a good player, but he's injury prone and I just have nightmares of our other $100 million man, Allan Houston.  I'm definitely not wishing that on Stoudemire, but it's real.  Microscopic knee surgery is a beast.  Just ask Allan Houston, Grant Hill, Chris Webber, and Tracy McGrady.

Since my Yankees and Jets are still holding me down, I prefer to ride that wave for as long as possible.  Truthfully, last season when the Jets lost to the Colts in the AFC Championship game, I wasn't only disappointed because the Jets' season was over.  The most painful part was facing the harsh reality of giving the Knicks 100% of my attention.  Since I've finally learned the hard way, I'm going to let the Knicks' regular season record do the talking. Show and prove Knicks.  Show. And. Prove.

P.S.  Yes, I'm aware that when referencing the Yankees and Jets it's all about "my", "we", and "us", but when referencing the Knicks, it's all about "them".  The Knicks will get back to "my", "we", and "us" status when they earn it.

NY Yankees: The Sweet Taste of Victory!

When the Yankees and the Red Sox play each other, you're always in for a treat.  It's probably the most hyped matchup in all of American sports, but it always lives up to the hype and is filled with lots o' drama!  Marathon games with multiple lead changes, back to back homeruns, players getting hit by a pitch, while their teammates try to restrain themselves from clearing the dugout and starting a brawl.  I love it!!

Last night was no different.  At one point, the Yankees had a commanding 6-1 lead over the Red Sox. Now, I've convinced myself that Red Sox aren't a threat to us like they've been in the past.  I don't get nervous when I watch these games anymore because I really truly believe that the Yankees are the superior team and will continue to dominate the Red Sox.  Until the Red Sox start playing some real baseball, I'll continue to think this way.

At about 9PM/ET last night, the Yankees were up 6-2.  The TV cutoff the game and switched to Gossip Girl because I DVR Gossip Girl and 24 at that hour. You know, if you DVR two shows at once, your TV has to be tuned into one of the channels that's being recorded.  Ugh!  So annoying. Anyway,  I was actually more upset that I couldn't watch the start of the Suns v. Lakers than missing part of the Yankees game because I'm that confident.  However, confidence doesn't = neglect.  I was still checking the score of the game...not because I was nervous the Yankees would blow their lead, but because I care. Surprise!  Surprise!  When I checked in, the score was now 7-6 Yankees.  WTH!!!  The Red Sox were making a comeback?!?!  Oh hell no!!!! Now, I'm anxious to get back to the game and am wishing what seemed like the longest episode in Gossip Girl history would hurry up and end.  It finally did.  Thank goodness!  I turn back to the game and Boston is now leading the Yankees 9-7 in the top of the 8th.  I can't believe this ish.  I'm so thankful I didn't see Chan Ho Park get tagged up for back-to-back HRs.  I would've lost it.  ATTENTION:  Cool, confident S. Renee has left the building!

At the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees had a chance to tie the game, but we left a man on base.  Sigh... After Sunday's blown save by Mariano Rivera, I knew we had to win this game because we needed to get our momentum back.  A blown save followed by a blown lead is not good.

At the end of the 8th, I briefly turned away from the game to see what was happening with the Lakers/Suns and got caught up.  Next thing, I get a call from my Dad asking me if I'm watching the game.  I assume he means Lakers/Suns and I say yes.  Then I realized he was excited and he wouldn't be excited about the Lakers/Suns, so I say oh, you mean the Yankees/Red Sox?  He said, YES!!  I asked him what happened. He says, "An A-bomb from AROD!!!" He tied up the game in the bottom of the 9th.  I started cheering and beating myself up at the same time because I couldn't believe I missed that moment!  Well, I redeemed myself and immediately turned back to the game.  Next up, Francisco Cervelli.  I love this kid. I feel good having him as the our future catcher once Jorge Posada retires.  What happens? Papelbon hits him...hard.  Man on first.  Next up is Marcus Thames.  The result?  He blasts  Jonathon Papelbon's fastball out of the park! You know what's next.  Pie in the face!  The first of the season.  Such a beautiful thing to win our first game in walk-off homerun fashion against the Red Sox.  Take that, Red Sux Sox Nation!

The Bombers Are Back!

I'll keep this short and sweet.  Tonight, the Yankees' quest for World Series domination continues as they take on the Boston Red Sux Sox in Beantown.  Yep, the offseason has come and gone. Over time,  we've said sayonara to Hideki Matsui, adios to Melky Cabrera, and goodbye to Johnny Damon. We embraced the return of a couple of familiar faces -- Nick Johnson and Javier Vazquez, and welcomed Curtis Granderson to the team, all in the name of claiming what's ours, No. 28. 

New season.  New faces.  Same goal.  Let's get it!!  No. 28 is ours.  Quote me on that.

Not This Again...

Before I dive in, let me just say that part of me hates that I'm even drawing attention to this topic, but for some reason I felt like I needed to say something.  It could be because of the reaction I had when I read the comments related to Torii Hunter's recent quote at USA Today's roundtable discussions on ways to improve Major League Baseball.  I reflected on my own reaction for a minute and felt like I should share.

Torii Hunter, of the Anaheim Angels, was criticized for saying that Latino MLB players are "imposters", and not to be confused with Black American players.  For example, because Dominican and Black players are similar in complexion, fans often mistake a Dominican player for a Black player.  MLB lets this confusion ride because they've been criticized for the lack of Black Americans in the league.  Torii also went on to say that Latino players will accept less money than Black players.  Actually, he said they'll accept a bag of chips, which was completely inappropriate, offensive, and in poor taste.  Horrible choice of words.  Let the media frenzy ensue!

But first, let me ask this.  Is it just me or have we discussed this in the past?  Remember Gary Sheffield's GQ article from 2007?  Does the comment, "the MLB is filled with more Latino players because they're easier to control", sound familiar?  Yes, they're two different comments, but both raise the issue of race in MLB...more specifically, the reason the league is only filled with 10% of Black American players compared to almost 3 times that of "foreign" players. 

It's no secret that unlike the NFL and NBA, MLB has issues with recruiting African American players.   There are so many contributing factors, but one of the main reasons is because baseball is a more popular sport in the Caribbean. When scouts are searching for new talent, they go to the Caribbean due to a deeper pool to choose from.  No big deal.  If you want the best business minds, go to Harvard Business School.  Fish where the fish are.  Same principle.

I don't necessarily have an issue with that.  Although, in reading a lot of the comments in response to Torii's statement, I suddenly realized that many people don't think like me, which isn't totally surprising, lol.  I've always kind of done my own thing.  Regardless, I was still shocked by the amount of people that reacted negatively and suggested Torii was ignorant because he made a distinction between Latino and Black American players.

In a few weeks, you are all going to receive a 2010 census form that does the same thing.  In fact, when you fill out any type of application or form, you're requested to provide your race.  There's one box for Black Americans, another box for Latinos, and additional boxes for other races.  It's called labeling.  That's how we do things in America...single/married + gay/straight + male/female + employed/unemployed and so on and so forth.  So, I find it pretty hilarious (read: ridiculous) that all of a sudden people are so self-righteous and react in a way that suggests differentiating a Black person from a Latino person is somehow racist.  Give me a break.  They even went so far as providing a history lesson and sharing that Blacks and Latinos both came from Africa so there's no need to differentiate between the two.  Really?  Thanks for clearing that up for Torii and anyone else who was uninformed.  However, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Torii is very aware that both Latinos and Black Americans share roots that originated in Africa.

Let's give him a little more credit.  In fact, Torii agreed to participate in this roundtable discussion conducted by USA Today, a national newspaper.  Something that I'm sure a lot of other players declined to do.  He had to know that his comments would be shared with the public.  I commend Torii for agreeing to participate.  Too often, players are consumed with thoughts of how their peers will react.  They shy away from being vocal and expressing their thoughts on controversial subjects.  The only way we're going to move beyond these race issues is to have an open dialogue about it.  Fact.

I admit, Torii's comments will probably add fuel to the fire and heighten existing tensions (if there are any) among players, but at least he's speaking HIS truth.  If that's his reality, who's to judge?  And,  exposing the truth is the only way to get to the root of an issue before a resolution can be found.  Now that step one is taken care of, I expect Bud Selig and MLB execs to get busy.  Become more focused on solutions, rather than talk in circles about issues that have plagued the league for years. Oh right, this is MLB we're talking about.  Nevermind.