Gettin' Miggy With It

Good thing Miguel Cabrera can hit a baseball over 400 feet because the guy does not have a clue.  Judging by the smile on his face, you would think that he just won the lottery, not arrested for driving while drinking a bottle of scotch.  The best part of the story is that even after an officer arrived on the scene, Cabrera decided to take another swig from his bottle.  Maybe he wanted to get one more good sip in for old time sake before he starts rehab.

I understand that alcoholism is a disease, but it is as if he intentionally wants to self-destruct and throw away his incredible talent.  Hearing a story like this gives you the impression that he doesn't even need to work that hard to hit near .340 and belt close to 40 long balls.   At  least when other players, such as Strawberry or Josh Hamilton, battled alcohol and drug addiction, they were only harming themselves.  By getting behind the wheel, Cabrera put a lot of people in jeopardy.  Is he aware that there are individuals who get paid to drive others around?  With a contract that pays him north of $100 million, it's time he stops being so cheap and pays for a taxi when he decides to drink like Frank the Tank.

Collins Drinking the Mets Kool-Aid

Terry Collins is already fired up and its only the first week of spring training.  According to Collins, Jose Reyes looks "terrific" and Johan Santana's "presence in the clubhouse will send shock waves."  This guy is so optimistic that it's killing me.  Has he seen this team play the last three years?  Jose always looks terrific until he breaks down.  Johan's presence isn't going to turn Big Pelf into a legitimate front of the rotation starting pitcher or allow Chris Young and Chris Capuano to find their old form.  The only time I will get excited about Johan's presence is when he can actually take the mound every five days.

And can someone please explain to me why everybody is so optimistic when spring training comes around?  It's as if everybody tosses out reality and puts on their rosy colored glasses.  I remember hearing back in 2003 how Mo Vaughn was going to have a monster year after spending all winter shedding pounds.  Yet, he still managed to show up to camp overweight.  Or what about last year - wasn't a main story how Luis Castillo was poised for a bounce back year?  How did that turn out?  And then I believe the discussion was how Frenchy was going to turn back into the player who initially came up to the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves.  At season end, Frenchy ended up with a batting average similar to Rey Ordonez, although you would never know it by the smile that was permanently on his face from ear to ear.

Well, I'm sick of drinking the Mets Kool-Aid during spring training. I can't read one more article about how Daniel Murphy is finally going to find a position and prove to be an everyday big leaguer.  The kid is everything you want in a ballplayer - he's smart, works hard, and says all the right things, but he can't field a position to save his life and he doesn't hit well enough to validate his pathetic defense.  The Mets need to put an end to the Daniel Murphy experiment.  I could see if he had as much potential as Ryan Thompson, Alex Ochoa, or Butch Huskey, but Murph isn't even that talented.

Early Grumblings from Port St. Lucie

Photo by Adam Rubin

Jose Reyes rolled into Port St. Lucie pimped out like Timo Perez.  I wonder if Jose can rock that space age vest when the Mercury Mets take the field this year? 

Frankie Rodriguez's white lamborghini was towed into camp.  I'm glad Frankie has decided to take a low profile after his assault charge last year.  I'm sure he won't stick out driving around Port St. Lucie in an Italian sports car.

 

In other news at Mets camp, Bill Pulsipher is thinking about a Generation K reunion at Citi Field after learning of the Jason Isringhausen signing.  It's a shame that nobody else other than Pulse, Izzy and Wilson would want to see that reunion.  How about a Rey Ordonez - Luis Lopez reunion?  That reunion is bound to have much more fireworks.

On the Rocks

Mayor Bloomberg prefers his beer on the rocks.  Is he aware that Coors has a cold activated can? You don't need to add any ice when your beer is as cold as the Rockies.  I guess when you're as wealthy as Mayor Bloomberg, you can request your beer any way you want it.  For the rest of us, even a warm beer is delicious, especially if it is the last one left at a tailgate.

Where Have You Gone John Stockton?

The NBA has gone into the toilet.  It's no longer about great coaches, systems, and defense. It's about individual stars and egos. If you're a fan of the Denver Nuggets, how can you possibly root for Carmelo Anthony knowing that he is already searching for a penthouse apartment in Manhattan?  It's the same story with Chris Paul in New Orleans.  He has no intention of resigning with the Hornets when he becomes a free agent in 2012.  Free agency is a right that players have earned, but they seem to be wielding that power over teams like never before.

In an ongoing personality clash between Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan, the Jazz decided to side with their disgruntled superstar or risk losing him to free agency next summer.  Jerry Sloan was one of the best coaches in the history of the NBA and has an enshrinement in Springfield to prove it. Deron Williams hasn't done it long enough to push one of the greats out the door.  It's a sad day when a great coach has to end his career without even being able to finish the season because he can no longer put up with the ego of one player.  This fiasco probably makes Jerry Sloan appreciate John Stockton that much more. You wouldn't even know if Stockton was ever a free agent during his nineteen year NBA career because he never used the back pages to leverage his position of strength.  

Mets Need a Gamer

Michael Young wants out of Texas and there is a great landing spot for him in Queens.  I'm surprised more people have not recommended a Michael Young trade to the Mets. It makes perfect sense for a number of reasons. First, the Mets have been missing a leadership presence in the clubhouse since the departure of Cliff Floyd. Michael Young has been an anchor in the Rangers clubhouse since Arod left and has been nothing less than a consummate pro and a proven winner. The Mets desperately need a Kevin Millar type hard-nose gamer who can be a vocal leader and provide the team with some character and backbone. Michael Young would be that type of player. Second, the Mets have an opening at second base, as Luis Castillo is expected to be released before the Mets head north from Port St. Lucie to begin the season. Young could also easily slide into the number two spot in the order between Reyes and Beltran and help energize the top of the Mets order. Third, and most importantly, it will show that the Mets can win with the current core players of Wright, Reyes, and Beltran. The problem has not been the performance of the Mets core, but the performance of the supporting cast. Neither Wright, Reyes, or Beltran is a vocal leader and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. What is wrong is that the Mets have not brought in a player who can fill that void.  Michael Young can be that player.

We Have a Situation

I understand that Mark Sanchez lives in Jersey and has washboard abs, but does that mean that he has to creep on the ladies like Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino?  Mark Sanchez makes Tiki Barber look classy by hooking up with a 17 year old girl. At least when Broadway Joe posed with his shirt off, he could get any girl he wanted in the Big Apple. Sanchez has to settle for teenie boppers. Next, we will hear that Sanchez is carousing the town with Justin Bieber as his wingman.    

The Lombardi Trophy Returns Home

If Aaron Rodgers was on cloud nine yesterday evening then Brett Favre must have been the saddest guy in America.  Brett's known more for his text messaging ability these days than his football ability while Aaron Rodgers has accomplished something that Brett Favre never did - winning a Super Bowl MVP award. Aaron Rodgers stepped up on the world's biggest  stage and acted as if he always belonged there.  Meanwhile, Big Ben played small in the first half, and couldn't conjure up any magic on the game's final drive.  In some respects, the game had a fitting ending. as Rodgers got to hoist the Lombardi trophy and be celebrated as one of the game's elite passers after spending three humble years sitting on the sidelines in the shadow of Favre. Rodgers is respectful, a student of the game, a hard worker, and beloved by his teammates. In short, he is everything that Ben Roethlisberger is not.  Heck, Ben could not even play nice with the greatest quarterback in the history of the Steelers. He got into public spats with Terry Bradshaw over his off the field issues ranging from his motorcycle accident to his sexual assault incident.

Despite all the drama surrounding Roethlisberger this season and the week leading up to Super Bowl, he actually settled down nicely after his early two picks and played a decent game. But, Aaron Rodgers was great throughout the game, and Mike McCarthy was going to win or lose with the ball in the hands of his best player.  The Packers had only thirteen handoffs in the entire game, which might be plausible if they were down double digits early, but they were the team that jumped out to the early 21-3 lead.  After getting out of the gate early, Mike McCarthy never took his foot off the the throttle.  With Green Bay up 28-25 in the fourth quarter and starting their drive with slightly more than seven minutes on the clock, McCarthy choose to run the ball only twice out of nine plays to eat up the clock. He played to win the game, as Herm Edwards would say, and it paid off.  Fortunately, Aaron Rosgers, unlike Brett Favre, does not make many mistakes.

Mets Need Some Money

Fred Wilpon, the Mets owner, announced today that the Mets will put a minority stake in the baseball organization up for sale. In particular, Wilpon stated that he is looking for a strategic partner, but that is just a euphemism for a capital infusion. You would think that with the expanding cable network, SNY, and the new stadium driving larger revenues, Freddy Wilpon would be financially sound.  But, it seems that Freddy Coupons has become Freddy Food Stamps. Even Fred can no longer afford the Shake Shack burgers or Blue Smoke bbq being offered at Citi Field. He'll probably be sneaking food into the stadium like everybody else this season.

Fred may claim that the Mets are not downsizing and will remain competitive in 2011, but the reality is that the team is looking to shrink payroll. However, Mets fans can find some solace in knowing that the team has not been competitive in the past nine years while spending big, so maybe they can't get any worse while spending less.

A Donation with Strings Attached

UConn fans are passionate about more than just basketball.  Judging by this scalding letter by a booster to the AD, UConn also supports its rising football program. The booster, Robert Burton, must have thought that he would receive an outpouring of fan support by taking his displeasure public. But, he just highlighted the problems with college athletics in the process. By donating a large sum of money to a college athletic department, Burton thought he had the right to be intricately involved in the school's coaching search. Does he also expect to tell the school what recruits to accept?  Or tell the coach which quarterback to play? This guy is out of control.  Three million dollars did not make him the president of The University of Connecticut, it just provided him with better access to the administration. The Huskies are building something special in Storrs, and may eclipse Boston College as the dominant FBS program in New England in the near future with or without Burton's sizeable checks.