Guest Post: Mets and Madoff

As football season draws to a close, Drawing Contact looks forward to the rest of basketball season and, of course, that magical summer of baseball coming up. Let's be honest, there are few things better on a weekend afternoon in the summer than being at the ballpark with friends, enjoying some over-priced food and really over-priced beers watching America's favorite past-time: greed.


*vinyl scratch*


Yeah, I said it. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love baseball. However, there is positively no country for franchises to profit from maintaining the streak for most consecutive losing seasons. Baseball financials have always been a bit shady, from top to bottom, and no where is this more the case than with the New York Mets. Below are some thoughts from good friend, loyal reader and suffering Mets fan, @JasonIsaacs1.

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Recently, it was reported that Fred Wilpon, Chairman and CEO of the New York Mets was close friends with Ponzi scheme artist, Bernie Madoff. Madoff played a large role in big free agent deals during the last 15 years and was usually present during contract negotiations. Today, Mets owner’s Wilpon and President Saul Katz denied any allegations that they knew about the scheme and the $300 million profit the Mets somehow were able to make from it prior to Madoff’s arrest in late 2008.

It is time for a change. Wilpon’s access to the Mets should be revoked. Granted Enron had issues of its own but haven’t we learned from that already?? Seriously, dude.

The Mets are now looking to sell 25% of their shares (shout out to Mark Cuban). And until the time they settle this debacle I can only imagine what it will mean for the fans: higher ticket prices, $7.50 hot dogs and (dare I say) $11 Bud Lights. This does not bode well for me as a poor pseudo-college student who will be even poorer come baseball season when I do not have a job at all. So I say this, and I would like all Mets fans join in (all 3 of us):

Dear Mets:

Why do you build me up? Buttercup just to let me down….and make me pay more? And the worst of all, you never come through when you say you will. But I love you still.

Love,

A Once Again Disappointed Mets Fan

Unsportsmanlike Conduct?

I was looking forward to Sunday's Miami Heat/Oklahoma City Thunder game not only with fingers crossed for an OKC victory, but also for the display of raw basketball talent that would be on the court: Durant, LeBron, Westbrook and Wade on the floor at any given time as well as some guy named Bosh that everyone keeps talking about. Epic Game Potential (EGP) was sitting at about 60-70%.

And it was quite the game - hotly contested down to the end with Durant hitting some clutch shots down the stretch, but at the end of the day it was all for naught. With about 25 seconds left in the game, there was an interesting moment on the Miami offensive side of the ball.

After Wade missed a well contested 19-footer, Heat down 102-103, Mike Miller corralled a crucial offensive rebound and dished out to a completely open LeBron James - I mean COMPLETELY open, as in no OKC Thunder player was within 8-10 feet of LBJ. What happened next was fascinating: James started to go up with the shot, stopped, then dished to Eddie House who hadn't taken a single shot all game.

For you numbers people, LBJ for the game: 23pts on 7-14 shooting, and 2-5 from 3pt range - not too shabby, which makes his decision to pass even more interesting.

However, I don't find much use in speculating on what was going through LeBron's head at the time of the shot. I will point out that Eddie House drilled that shot, took a page out of Sam Cassell's celebration book, and was promptly fined $25,000 by the NBA. Check out the footage below:



Final score: MIA 108 - OKC 103.

Celtics v. Lakers

At some point in the halftime report of Sunday's Celtics/Lakers game, Mike Wilbon said something along the lines of the following:

"I hate the term 'statement game' - it's very cliche - but in the case
of this game, Celtics/Lakers, I think it's very appropriate."

But as the game went on, I had less and less to take away from it. In the first half, both teams played well at different times, the Celtics would take a sizeable lead then give up some ground to the Lakers as the 1st and 2nd quarters wound down. The game was shaping up to be a hotly contested battle with a lot of players playing truly incredible basketball, especially Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant.

Something happened late in the 3rd quarter and into the 4th with the Lakers that I can't really explain. It looked like Pau Gasol simply stopped trying. Andrew Bynum forgot that he was bigger than everyone else on the floor and decided to start giving up rebounds to Big Baby. Steve Blake simply forgot that he was guarding a guy named Ray Allen. Staples Center Security is still looking for Ron Artest.

There was a truly telling moment with around 7:20 left in the 4th quarter - Pau Gasol missed his second lazy 11-foot jumper in 30 seconds and apparently Kobe/Phil Jackson had had enough. The Lakers proceeded to run ELEVEN straight plays for Bryant, mostly just isolation drives and fade-aways that Allen guarded very well.

During this stretch, the score went from 89-80 Celtics to 105-91 Celtics; the clock went from 7:20 to about 1:29. Celtics players that scored in this span: Garnett, Ray Allen, Rondo and Big Baby - only one of these was unassisted. In other words, while Kobe was stutter-step, spin move, juke/shake and fade-away jumpshotting to keep his team in it, the Lakers defense was just downright lazy on the other end. Note that Paul Pierce didn't score during this stretch - he was guarded by Kobe Bryant.

For the record: Paul Pierce: 11-18, 32pts; Ray Allen: 8-12, 21pts; Kevin Garnett: 9-12, 18pts, 13reb; Rajon Rondo: 5-9, 10pts, 16ast. In other words, the "big four" shot 65% from the floor - sweet defense, LA.

Back to Wilbon's comment at half-time: what do we take away from this "statement" game? That Kobe Bryant is really good? That team basketball beats individual basketball 99.99999% of the time? That the Lakers look just like the Celtics did this time last year when they coasted the rest of the regular season? I don't really know.

I do know that the Lakers will not get far in the playoffs if Kobe is putting up 41pt losing efforts.

Brett Favre: Rise Up

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our long national nightmare is finally ending. Brett Favre recently filed retirement papers with the NFL. There are articles saying silly things like "Favre's legacy still intact" etc. that I will not dignify with a link because the four people that read this blog might actually click it.

The man singlehandedly ruined unquantifiable hours of my SportsCenter viewing over the past few years. The man has sent pictures of his penis to women that aren't his wife, and more accusations are coming out. He is not a "warrior" and I'm completely exhausted of the entire Monday Night Football crew worshipping the ground he walks on.

And now, here we are, basically where we started, except this time (fingers crossed, because with this loon, you never really know) it's finally over. As a parting shot, I give you Brett Favre, asking you a bunch of questions:



Thanks to @PhilJKowalski for the video.

Pats/Jets/Feet

My two roommates are both die hard Patriots fans, and as such they are quite excited for this game on Sunday. The trash talking from the Jets sideline has been constant, but the Patriots have remained a bit quiet.

That is until yesterday when Wes Welker (intentionally or not) dropped double-digit references to feet and toes in a mere nine minutes of press conference. Rex Ryan's foot fetish is hysterical - there's really no way around it. I mean, think about it - the guy hasn't seen his own feet not in a mirror in years. Kudos, Wes, you've added a hearty chuckle to my Friday morning.

The full video is below, but if you have the attention span of a goldfish, a 20 second version is on DeadSpin.

There's Not Much to Say Here...

... except just watch this video. Blake Griffin would be proud.

Tim Tebow

All hail and bow down before the great might and wonder of Tim Tebow! The most amazing person of all time has taken his talents (this phrase will never get old) to Denver after setting records and winning Heisman trophies at Florida. He will continue to show everyone that he is the best human being in the history of human beings.

Or at least that's what ESPN would have you think. On the home page this morning there was this weird advertisement on the right consisting of three different panels, announcing some new show that will air on the network tonight called "Tim Tebow: Everything in Between."

I haven't heard anything about this show. I don't know what the premise is. I don't know what it will be covering. However, I know for a fact that I could not begin to care less. Sure, I could try, but I know I couldn't. Tebow had a phenomenal college career, no doubt about it. But, news flash! It's OVER.

There's also no doubting that Tebow is a phenomenal athlete, but call me when he's done something. He played in nine games this year, attempting 82 passes and completing exactly 50% of them. For those of you counting at home, that's a lower percentage than Derek Anderson, Jimmy Clausen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brett Favre and Carson Palmer. Those QB's had 327, 299, 441, 358 and 586 attempts respectively.

But the guy can run! He had 6 rushing touchdowns! Michael Vick completed 62.6% of his passes for 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while rushing for 676 yards and 9 touchdowns - make a TV show about this man's comeback.

I realize the show is likely about a college player transitioning to the NFL and especially the pressures of a QB in that situation, but Tebow? Come on! There are much better options out there. Until Tebow is putting a ring on his finger, or at least leading his floundering team to the playoffs (*cough* Matt Ryan *cough*), save the melodramatic advertisements for people who deserve the laurels.

I'm thinking of a number...

... and it's your weekly salary. Now I'm thinking of how much LeBron James' birthday cake cost. If you're my age, the latter is probably larger.

The Miami Heat have been ripping through their opponents recently, winning 20 of their last 22 games. LBJ and and especially D. Wade have found their groove and their place for now - this team can score frighteningly fast. Can they sustain it through June? We'll see...

... for now, let them eat cake.

On and Off the Field

So remember when that Sal Alosi, New York Jets strength and conditioning coach, decided it would be funny to trip the Miami Dolphins player near the sideline? That was pretty cool. Alosi earned himself a suspension for the rest of the year and a $25,000 fine. In case you were wondering, strength and conditioning coaches make a regular salary, not the millions the players make, but so be it - pay the price for your actions, no?

Fast forward to last Friday when the NFL quietly issued a $15,000 find to Tyler Brayton of the Carolina Panthers for this move here:



$15,000!?! Brayton makes $2.2 million dollars a year, plus this one looks much worse and just dirty - he has to move pretty quickly to get to the scene of the crime in time to drop a people's elbow on a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Here's the catch: the fine wasn't made public.

So let's get this straight: Roger Goodell will sit with Bob Costas before Sunday Night Football and assure everyone that every single measure is being taken regarding player safety, that the "new" rules about hard hits and other safety measures are being put in place because that's what the league really cares about, but then when a player does something this egregious, there's a line item in the news bullets and a nominal fine? By the way, this isn't exactly Brayton's first offense either.

Hey Alosi, enjoy sitting on your couch for the rest of the year, while Brayton makes it rain elbows down in Carolina on the sidelines. Fair? I think not.

Source: Yahoo!Sports: Shutdown Corner blog

Truth at the Garden

What a game. I hope you didn't miss the incredible matchup last night between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. Let it be known that Amar'e Stoudemire has been unleashed - the man is an absolute machine... against Semih Erden.

The Celtics are easily one of the deepest teams in the league, especially when it comes to big men, and they were missing three of them last night. What they weren't missing was 3pt shots. The C's shot 50% from downtown and 100% from the charity stripe, including 10/10 from Paul Pierce.

Speaking of The Truth, you should probably check out these highlights. I'd be lying to you if I said that my heart didn't leap into my throat when the shot from Amar'e went in. Alas, Knicks fans, too late.

Side note: I wonder how many of the people at MSG last night had ever been there for a Knicks game before... or even watched a Knicks game before. The arena was essentially silent until the 3rd quarter when the beers had started to kick in. A good friend and stalwart Knicks fan's away message said it all: "I will SLANDER all these bandwagon Knicks fans tho." Preach, my man.

While The Truth may have spent his last few moments on the court bowing to the home crowd (hilarious, by the way), even he went back on his trash talking from earlier this week. As Pierce said in his post-game interview, "The Knicks have arrived."

Amateur Videos: Where Amazing Happens

Amazing things happen every day - luckily, now we have Flip cameras, smart phones and other devices that allow us to capture the mundane becoming ridiculous right before our eyes. And with the invention of YouTube, we've been able to mass share these moments with everyone we don't know.It's great when a home video beats everything on SportsCenter, taking the #1 spot and changing someone's life forever. Don't act like if you were the kid who hit a full court toss and landed that spot it wouldn't be your tag line for the rest of your life. It would go something like this:

Girl: "Hey, what's your name?"

Guy: "Hey, I'm Mike - I got number one on SportsCenter once."

Girl: "Take me home."

Anyway, check out this video of a very clever hockey goal and remember, risk is its own reward.

Deep Pockets

If you haven't heard, the Red Sox just signed a guy named Carl Crawford from the Rays to a 7-year, $142 million dollar contract to play left field. The deal comes shortly after signing Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez as well - i.e. it looks like the Sox are out for blood, Yankee blood?

After going through what some Sox fans call a "re-building" year last year (and what several other teams in the MLB would call a very successful season), Theo Epstein and management's patience has apparently worn thin. These two signings are definitely upgrades for the Red Sox who were short-handed at the plate last year.

From my perspective, living in Boston and hearing anti-Yankee arguments for the past six years from friends and passers-by, it will be interesting to see how Sox fans react to the backlash from fans around the league regarding "buying" their way to success. For as long as I can remember, the Yankees were portrayed as the bad guys, the evil empire who went out and bought the best player every off-season. Even though the Red Sox payroll is one of the highest in the Major Leagues, Sox fans were some of the loudest proclaimers of the Yankee strategy.

Now, as the team prepares to hand over somewhere in the range of $300 million dollars to two players over the next 7 years, it will be interesting to see how Sox fans react. In the meantime, you can find me on StubHub looking for Sox tickets for Opening Day.

For more, we go to John Buccigross at ESPN - John?

Manning Face

What on Earth has happened to Peyton Manning? He's thrown 11 interceptions in the past 3 weeks. Huh!? I am by no means a Manning fan, but it's hard to say he isn't one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, among the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Brees... except this year.

Now with a 6-6 record after losing to the Cowboys (?!?) in OT at home yesterday, the Colts hold sole possession of second place (!?!) in their division to the Jacksonville Jaguars (?!?!?!?!?!?!).

Whenever we have the pleasure of a Manning interception, fumble, sack or loss, we are treated to a rare spectacle that has captivated the nation. We look for it, we sit on the edge of our seats waiting, and then, it happens. The Manning Face. The song below is a awful quality spoof of "Poker Face," but hey, a little remixing never hurt anybody.

The Return

I would be rather remiss in my blogging duties if I didn't provide some comment on one of the most anticipated NBA games of the season. My Twitter feed today was absolutely filled with articles, jokes, comments, thoughts, insults, speculation and more. There were of course highlights, so in anticipation for 8PM tonight I give you a short list of the best of the day. I'll see you on the other side.

PS - I've never once in my life wanted Cleveland to win anything. People who aren't from Ohio don't understand this. Tonight, however, we stand united. I'm even cheering for Andersen Varejao. And I can file that under "Things I Will Never Say Again."

Notable Chris Bosh quotes this week:

1. On the Decision: "I think they took it quite hard when he left. So some people -- I don't know why -- but in sports, some people take it personal." (He must not know what a "fan" is.)


2. On spending less than 24 hours in Cleveland: "Sometimes when you have an extra day to hang around, it's no telling what -- you want to feel safer... Just get in, play our game and get out of there." (And they're not going to be intimidated by this crowd?)


3. On the crowd at the game tonight: "I'm sure it's people that have malcontent on their mind." (Malcontent: n. a person who is discontented or disgusted, the condition of being discontented or disgusted... The prosecution rests.)

These hilarious T-shirts:

To which a "malcontent" Cavaliers-fan friend commented, "But it still says 'King' - he's a queen now."

If you're interested in purchasing one, go HERE.

Barstool Sports - NYC:

These guys always have hysterical articles, but the one today about the game, the hype and related NBA news was one of the funnier that I've ever read. You can read the full text HERE - some strong language, but it's hilarious.

Bill Simmons on the Atmosphere:

I make no excuses for being a big Bill Simmons fan - I like the guy's writing and I think he's hysterical. Nothing hysterical here, but some interesting insightHe had this to say about the game tonight:

Standing Your Ground

Thanks to this morning's Google Doodle, millions in America will find out that today is the 55th anniversary of Rosa Parks standing (sitting?) her ground on a bus in Alabama. When we reflect on the Civil Rights Movement, this example of bravery and principle is always mentioned with the "Mt. Rushmore" of American civil disobedience. It was on the shoulders of courageous people like Parks that the Civil Rights Movement took shape and gained strength.

On a completely unrelated and insignificant note, Big Baby Davis of the Boston Celtics has been a stud coming off the bench, especially on the defensive end of the floor. One of his most important contributions on that half of the court is his ability to stand his ground (see where I'm going with this?) and take a charge. By my unofficial count and a quick Google search, Davis leads the league in charges taken and has no problem sacrificing for the greater good of the team.

Below is a compilation of the 14 charges that Baby took through the first 8 games of the season.

Yes, I just used a Rosa Parks Google Doodle to talk about Big Baby and the Celtics defense. Happy Wednesday!

Excuses

Some of you may remember the Cleveland response video to LeBron's Nike ad, the commercial where he repeatedly asks the camera, "What should I do?" Whether you loved the commercial or hated it, you have to admit that it does raise some interesting questions about the psyche of the King.

I wrote two extended posts on "The Decision" back before and after it happened. In the second, and also during a post from way back during the NBA Playoffs, I referenced several writers and my own personal opinion on LBJ's lack of a "killer" gene, that Michael Jordan X-Factor. Where am I going with this?

Someone decided to mash-up an old MJ commercial with the newer LBJ commercial creating the video below. Maybe, you should listen up, LBJ.

Joey Votto

A warm congratulations goes out to Joey Votto, 1B of the Cincinnati Reds who yesterday nearly swept the 1st place votes for National League MVP. I'll let the Associated Press tell the rest of the story.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!



The full ESPN story can be found here with an interview with the MVP himself.

'Bout Time

Richard Seymour did something yesterday that I (and countless other people across this great nation of ours) have been wanting to do for a long time. Check out the video below. Replay it a few times. Bookmark it. Smile.

Happy Monday.

Effort

It's always nice to hear positive feedback at your job or in school. Words of encouragement and reinforcement give someone incentive to try harder and do better moving forward, because they know their efforts are being appreciated.

Now imagine you're Flip Saunders. Your Washington Wizards are playing the Boston Celtics last night. You have a guy named Andray Blatche as your starting power forward. In the offseason you signed a contract that pays him $35 million over the next 5 years. That seems like a nice pat on that back if you ask me. In the 1st quarter of the game, Andray decided to display some truly fantastic defense that he's known for (read: sarcasm).



He's pretty luck Shaq wasn't expecting that at all. The NBA - where caring happens.

Like a Bosh

Since Chris Bosh put up 35pts in a Miami win against the Phoenix Suns last night, this doesn't seem quite as appropriate anymore, but the proof is in consistency, something the 7 year NBA veteran hasn't necessarily convinced me of yet.

Case in point: Bosh is the Raptors franchise leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double-doubles, free throws made and attempted, and minutes played. During the '06-'07 season, he led the team to their first playoff berth in 5 years in the '06-'07 season... with a 47 win team that won the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. 47 wins in an 82 game season wins the division?! Welcome to the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors then lost in the first round of the '07 playoffs to the New Jersey Nets. Regardless, below is a hilarious video that "raps" up all things Chris Bosh, pun absolutely intended.




UPDATE: Just noticed this gem on today's Daily Dime article:

"[Spoelstra] knows he has to meet us halfway. He wants to work; we want to chill." - Chris Bosh. Now that's a champion's work ethic if you ask me.