Put Me In Coach…

I just put my 2 year old Jack to bed. As usual, we closed out the day with the two songs I’ve been singing to him since he was a baby. “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, and the slightly less popular “Meet the Mets” are staples in my toddler’s winding down portion of the bedtime process.

Whether it’s at the ballpark, or cruising with the top down on a brisk afternoon, certain baseball songs send chills down our spines. There’s something special about music that celebrates our National Pastime. Many songs were written about the game itself, and others simply reference players of yesteryear. Some “sports anthems” have nothing to do with baseball, yet have become synonymous with baseball moments. I highly doubt that Freddy Mercury ever imagined that “We Are the Champions” would become the theme of Bronx, NY in late October.

As far as I’m concerned, the first spring day I hear John Fogerty’s “Centerfield”, baseball is officially underway. When the crack of the bat is sounded in that song, it’s as if Winter has magically turned to Spring. There are few tunes that capture the anticipation of the coming season as this Fogerty classic.

In addition to Fogerty’s salute to Mays, Cobb, and DiMaggio, many other tunes reach back to pay homage and celebrate baseball’s legendary players and personalities.

“Talkin’ Baseball” in its original “Willie, Mickey & "The Duke" format, as well as later adaptations, is pure baseball bliss. Here in the Southeast, Alabama’s 1993 “The Cheap Seats” is a fan favorite, capturing the essence of paparazzi-less baseball. Back in the 1980’s, legendary rockers Don Henley and Bruce Springsteen chimed in, recording “Boys of Summer” and “Glory Days” respectively. Even the great Bob Dylan got into the act, when he penned “Catfish”, a bluesy number about the late Jim “Catfish” Hunter.

Odes to loyal fan followings such as “Tessie”, most recently recorded by the Dropkick Murphy’s, became a fan favorite in Boston. The song was written as a dedication to the “Royal Rooters”, a Red Sox fan club in the early 20th century. “Tessie” was borrowed from the Broadway musical “The Silver Slipper”. The song was originally sung at Fenway, not only to encourage Red Sox players, but also to distract the opposing team. The first time I heard the song was while playing a Sony Playstation 2 video game, which featured the song on its baseball simulation game soundtrack. “Sweet Caroline”, which singer-songwriter Neil Diamond recently revealed was inspired by Caroline Kennedy, has been played at every Red Sox home game since 2003. The song was first played at Fenway Park in 1998, as a tribute to a Red Sox employee who had named her newborn Caroline.

Paul Simon wrote a pair of baseball-referenced songs, “Mrs. Robinson“ from the film “The Graduate”, and lesser known “Night Game”, off “Still Crazy After All These Years”. Just prior to the release of “Still Crazy…” in 1969, Simon threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the soon-to-be Miracle New York Mets.

As the 20th century drew to a close and the New Millennium began, a number of hard-driving crowd-pleasers were adopted by individual players as entrance themes. Trevor Hoffman would enter late-inning San Diego Padre games to the echoes of AC-DC’s “Hells Bells”. A pair of stoppers, Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner chose Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” as their personal musical introductions…..a topic that was hotly debated in New York City when Wagner pitched for the Mets.

(It was later determined that Wagner was a long-time Metallica fan, and had been using the song for about three years prior to Rivera’s use of the metal band’s hit single).

I still prefer Charlie Sheen trotting out from the bullpen to “Wild Thing” in the film “Major League”.

Defenseless

In a strikingly similar meltdown to that of two weeks ago in Cincinnati, the Bears were again pummeled, this time at home to the tune of 41-21.

The lifeless Bears were manhandled by Kurt Warner’s right-arm and the suddenly explosive running game of the Cardinals. Warner fired five touchdown passes on the day, four in the first half alone.

From the opening whistle, the Bears couldn’t get out of their own way. Following the fourth play of the game, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, was ejected, for delivering an unnecessary blow to the face of Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui. The incident was a sign of things to come for Chicago.

The Bears would later lose both cornerback Charles Tillman and safety Al Afalava to shoulder injuries, as Arizona launched its offensive onslaught.

By halftime, the Cardinals were already up 31-7, the Bears’ lone score coming on a Jay Cutler to Greg Olsen 33 yard pass play. Unfortunately, for Olsen, his career three TD performance would be clouded by a Bears defensive no-show.

The 369 yards and there TD’s thrown by Jay Cutler yesterday, were deceptive, as Chicago was in catch-up mode all day. Turnovers were not the culprit this time around, rather the shorthanded Bears defense’s inability to slow down the Arizona offensive attack.

A Kurt Warner led onslaught produced 27 first downs, 8-14 coming on third down. Warner was not picked off all day, throwing for 262 yards on 22 of 32 passes. It was vintage Kurt throughout.

Perhaps the most surprising statistic of the game, was the 182 yards that Cardinal RB’s were able to tally. Prior to yesterday’s game, the Arizona rushing “attack” was registering just 64.9 yards per game. Tim Hightower and rookie Beanie Wells combined for 149 yards on 28 carries to lead the ground game.

Life will not get any easier for the Bears in Week 10, as a short week has Chicago travelling out to San Francisco to tangle with Mike Singletary’s 3-5 49ers on Thursday. If the Bears do not find a way to heal quickly and scratch out a road win in the most difficult of circumstances, Bears faithful might as well pack it in.

By the way, the Cubs open up in Atlanta on April 5.

Building Momentum

Fresh off a convincing, albeit expected victory over the Browns, the Bears welcome Kurt Warner and the 4-3 Arizona Cardinals to Chicago this week. The Cards have shown the same types of up-and-down tendencies that the Bears have displayed through the first half of the 2009-10 NFL season.

Weather will not be a factor on Sunday, as the forecast calls for unseasonably mild temperatures in the 60’s. More good news for the visiting Cardinals is the health of explosive wideout Anquan Boldin, who has looked sharp in practice all week, and should be ready to roll on Sunday afternoon.

Perhaps the x-factor in this game, however, is the familiarity that Lovie Smith has with Kurt Warner’s game. Coach Smith was the defensive coordinator in St. Louis, when Warner ran the “Greatest Show on Turf”. If any coach knows Kurt’s tendencies, it would be Lovie, as he had the opportunity to lead a defense that practiced against Warner each week when they were both in St. Louis.

If the Bears offense expects to ride the resurgent Matt Forte to a second straight victory, it will have to get it done against a defense that yields less than 100 yards rushing per game. Of course Forte and the Bears offense line probably won’t be too concerned, as last week, the Panthers RB tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart torched the Cardinals for 270 yards on the ground.

On the defense side of the ball, the Bears should have no trouble handling the worst running game in the NFL. The combination of rookie Beanie Wells and goal line specialist Tim Hightower bring a measly 64.9 yards per game average into Week 9’s game. If the Cardinals have any chance to snag a road victory from the Bears, they will need a mistake-free performance from Kurt Warner.

The Bears were opportunistic last week against Cleveland and may have more game-changing chances this week, as Kurt Warner is heading into the game with a putrid 5 interception performance against Carolina still on his mind.

Expect a ball-control type effort from the Bears, building on last week’s strong performance from Matt Forte. The Cardinals remain dangerous, with one of the league’s most prolific receiving duos in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. The key to containing these two elite weapons on Sunday, is the ability of the Bears defense to prevent the Cards from establishing any semblance of a running attack. If the Bears defensive line can hold the Arizona rushing attack to short first and second down ground gains, the pressure will fall squarely on the aging shoulders of Kurt Warner. Should Warner be forced into a number of third and long situations, the Bears secondary will have plenty of help defending Arizona’s talented receiving corps.

Chicago may not abuse the Cardinals as badly they did the Browns last week, but the defending NFC Champions should return to the desert 4-4.

Bears 24 Cardinals 14

WEEK 9 START EM AND SIT EM

Start em

QB’s:

Matt Hasselbeck: Coming off a strong Week 8 performance, Hasselbeck and the “Hawks welcome the Lions to Seattle this Sunday. Matt was quite efficient last week, as he threw 2 touchdowns for 249 yards and no interceptions. The “Twelfth Man” will only make life easier for the banged-up, but ready-to-go Hasselbeck. After folding to then-winless St. Louis at home last week, the 1-6 Lions can’t be thrilled with having to trek up to the state of Washington in Week 9. Look for Hasselbeck to cross the 300 yard threshold and add a trio of TD passes.

Alex Smith: The former number one overall pick pilots his third game as “new” starting QB of the Niners, in Week 9 in San Francisco. Smith has regained the starting gig, and should post his best statistical performance to date. Tennessee brings the NFL’s worst passing defense to town, along with their incredibly disappointing 1-6 record. This week will likely be Michael Crabtree’s coming out party, with a 100 plus yard day in store for the tardy rookie. Smith will tally over 200 yards passing and a pair of TD’s, one to the talented Texas Tech alum. Welcome to the NFL Mr. Crabtree….just 196 more TD’s to catch Jerry Rice.

RB’s

Pierre Thomas: Thomas was able to get back on track last Monday Night, in a win against division rival Atlanta. The Carolina Panthers, another NFC South foe, come calling this week, hoping to be the team to hand the red-hot Saints their first defeat of the season. Pierre will be facing the NFL’s 24^th ranked rushing defense in Carolina, so another strong performance is likely. The Panthers are tops in the league against the passing game, so the Saints will no doubt throw a healthy dose of Pierre Thomas at Carolina all day. Thomas will record his best rushing day of the season, and second 100 plus rushing effort of the year.

Ryan Grant: After a very disappointing defeat at the hands of Brett Favre and the Vikings, Grant and his Packers fly down to Tampa, hoping to rebound against the still-winless Bucs. Ryan’s totals have been decent this year, but he has yet to deliver that breakout game. The schedulers may have handed the Packers and Grant just what they need in Week 9….an opportunity to put Favre’s return behind them, and a tasty 30^th ranked run defense to feast on all afternoon.

WR’s

Mike Sims-Walker: Following a week where Walker recorded just two receptions, a bounce-back against the dreadful Chiefs seems obvious. MSW has been a bit of an enigma this season, but I am banking on the athletic young Jag to take advantage of a Kansas City team that has yielded an average of 252 yards passing per game. Jump back on the Sims-Walker train in Week 9.

Hakeem Nicks: Nicks had a hiccup in Week 8 in Philadelphia, but he and the Giants will be desperate to snap a three-game losing streak when they host the Chargers in Week 9. Hakeem is healthy, and beginning to flaunt his big-play ability. The up-and-down Chargers are looking at a cross-country trip against a hungry bunch, so Eli should have the San Diego defense on its heels all day. Nicks will get back into the endzone this week, as the Giants return to their winning ways.

TE’s

Greg Olsen: Olsen and the Bears took care of Cleveland last week, and now move on to another home contest, this time against the inconsistent Cardinals. A trip to Chicago in November should be a tough task for Warner and the Cards. Olsen is still seeking that elusive 100 yard day, and could earn it on Sunday in Chicago. Cutler spreads it out amongst his stable of young WR’s, but there should be enough left for Olsen to gain 80-100 yards on 6-8 catches.

Fred Davis: The season-ending injury to Chris Cooley opened the door for second year USC product Fred Davis. The Skins are indeed a horrible team; however, they will likely be playing from behind all day, forcing Jason Campbell to go to the air often. Campbell and Davis connected for eight catches two weeks ago against Philadelphia, before heading into the Wee 8 bye. The Falcons have the ability to light up the scoreboard on offense, but when it comes to defending the passing attack, “The Birds” fall short. Davis is a sneaky option against the team that is next-to-last in the NFL in passing defense.

Sit em

QB’s:

Kyle Orton: For the second straight week, I recommend benching Kyle Orton. As expected, Orton was a non-factor in Baltimore last week, and shouldn’t be much more effective in Week 9 at home versus the Steelers. The Broncos may have been exposed a bit last week against the Ravens, which will give the Steel Curtain even more swagger than they normally bring. The Broncos running game is not a reliable as it once was, resulting in added pressure at the QB position. Kyle may surpass 200 yards this week, with a single TD pass, but no more than that.

Kurt Warner: A meeting in chilly Chicago in Week 9 does not bode well for Kurt Warner. The greybeard has some gas left in the tank, but will be hard pressed to work his magic this time. Chicago bounced back against Cleveland last week, and likely will not have to deal with Anquan Boldin, who should miss this one. Larry Fitzgerald will be smothered, making it difficult for Warner to get going. It looks like back-to-back clunkers for the two-time former NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion.

RB’s:

Cedric Benson: The resurgent Benson and his Bengal mates return from a Week 8 bye, for a divisional tilt against the Baltimore Ravens. Benson has been stellar for Cincinnati this season, most recently in a grudge match with the team that drafted him in the first round, the Chicago Bears. As well as Cedric has played, he is going up against a stoked Raven D that is coming off a huge win against the previously undefeated Broncos. There aren’t many NFL backs that I would recommend starting against Baltimore. CB isn’t one of them.

Marion Barber: MBIII’s fantasy value has taken a huge hit this season. The combination of early-season injuries, and a shared workload with Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, has crushed Barber’s status as a fantasy stud. Marion did get into the endzone against Seattle last week, but he still only managed 53 yards on the ground and a lone reception for two yards. In a Monday night matchup with the Eagles in Philadelphia, Barber is not going to get much room to run. Dallas RB’s are not strong plays this week.

WR’s:

Brandon Marshall: Nobody doubts the ability of Brandon Marshall. He has proven that he has the skills to be an elite NFL receiver and fantasy beast. His off-the-field problems are well-documented, and so far in 2009, his on-the-filed performance has left much to be desired. A guy like Marshall is tough to sit, but the reeling Broncos travel to the Steel City in Week 9. If weather doesn’t play a factor, Polamalu and the Steelers D certainly will.

Dwayne Bowe: No matter how talented a receiver may be, if the players around him aren’t competent, his value will be limited. Such is the case with Dwayne Bowe, who finds himself in an ugly situation in Kansas City. The Chiefs are playing a miserable Jaguar team in Week 9, but the Larry Johnson-Chiefs will struggle to put points on the board against anyone. Free agent acquisition Matt Cassel has struggled mightily of late, which makes Bowe a risky play this week and weeks ahead.

TE’s

Todd Heap: The former All-Pro has vanished. After scoring a TD in each of the first two weeks of the season, Heap has failed to find the endzone again, and surpassed 50 yards receiving just once since Week 2. The Ravens remain a defensive minded team. Unless he gets on a roll, and has a favorable matchup, Todd Heap will not be a viable fantasy starter this season.

Kellen Winslow: KW Jr. has delivered a couple of outstanding performances this season. The other five weeks’ lines have been mediocre at best. Do we really expect any consistency from the 2009-10 Bucs offense? The win may come for Tampa Bay (not this week against the Packers), but Winslow or any other Buc player should not be relied on as fantasy assets.

Rounding Third

As the 2009 Major League Baseball season comes to a close, it’s difficult to avoid drifting back to past seasons that have come and gone. Some of our most vivid childhood and adolescent memories are tied to the game that we cherish. Growing up in the outer boroughs of New York City, my memories of early fall are full of baseball.

A nine year old in 1977, I witnessed the return of the New York Yankees to prominence, and so many other memorable events that remain with me today. The wonderful world of baseball was exploding for this Jewish kid from Fresh Meadows, as I became completely immersed in the game. The thrill of leading off and playing shortstop in the Fresh Meadows Athletic League was my true passion.

It’s amazing which baseball memories maintain their vividness over time. Although we recall which players dominated past eras and the teams that triumphed each year, it’s the personal events that shaped us that continue to resonate decades later.

The prominent players of my youth were guys like Rod Carew, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, and Dave Parker. In the seventies, there were a small number of teams that dominated the Wild Card-less playoffs. Much as today, the Yankees, Dodgers, and Phillies were frequent visitors to the post-season party. Many of us remember the players, teams, and the statistics that were on the back of the Topps baseball cards we devoured. I remember so much more.

On a Sunday morning in 1978, at Temple Israel in Jamaica Estates, I recall Matthew Benson running up a flight of stairs as he delivered the news that California Angels star outfielder Lyman Bostock had been killed by a bullet to the head.

The following summer, as I stood behind the backstop of the Rufus King Public School baseball field, watching the men play arch-pitch softball, the news came that Yankee captain Thurman Munson had perished in a plane crash. In less than five minutes, I was home in front of my television eager to see if the horrible news was true.

There are however, many more pleasant memories for me, than those of the tragic events that involved two of the seventies biggest baseball stars.

I had the good fortune of growing up in a neighborhood loaded with both fenced and make-shift ball fields to play on. When we weren’t playing organized baseball, we were choosing sides for pick-up games, or playing stickball on the Public School handball courts. Of course we all did our best to imitate the unconventional batting stances of some of the game’s best including Joe Morgan and Carl Yastrzemski. My younger brother Darren and I would frequently play head-to-head at P.S. 26, each of us choosing a lineup of our favorites MLB stars. Naturally we were required to stand in the box and swing exactly as those players did on the Big League diamond.

In those days, baseball card collecting was affordable for kids. It was also done primarily for the thrill of ripping open a fresh package of Topps, which included a rock-solid stick of gum, covered with powdered sugar. One of those pieces of gum found its way onto a 1978 Pete Rose card, which became known as the Pete Rose “gummy” card.

Perhaps the most valued memories that I have were shared with my father Richard, who moved on to the great diamond in the sky, a hard-to-believe 22 years ago. As millions of American fathers and sons do, we spent countless hours tossing the ball back-and–forth, and working on the fundamentals of the game. What separated my Dad from many others, I believe, was his dedication to consistently manning the bleachers, as I played my heart out each season. My father was at all of my Little League games, and even volunteered to forgo that joy one season, to manage another team as I had wanted him to represent our family in a coaching capacity.

(In our local league, fathers were not permitted to coach their own kids, as favoritism was a problem at the time)

Although I will never forget that I destroyed a Hank Aaron autographed baseball that my Dad let me play with (against his better judgment), and in later years, proceeded to lose the Wilson A2000 glove that he gave me, these and other not-so-tragic baseball memories and life-lessons are priceless.

In 2009, my son Jack is two years old, and swinging away at Wiffle balls in our backyard in of all places, Atlanta, GA. While I never envisioned a life in the Southeast, I have no doubt that as the time goes by, Jack and I will enjoy season after season of baseball together, and create countless memories to reminisce about.

Jack is just a few years away from mastering a perfect Tommy Hanson style fastball delivery that he will never forget working on.

Early Returns

The 2009-10 Fantasy Basketball season is underway, and just a week and a half into the new campaign, there are some early indicators of what to expect going forward.

One of the mysteries heading into the new season, was the health of Gilbert Arenas. Through his first three games, Gil has posted impressive lines, culminating in per game averages of 28 points, and almost seven assists, on 50% shooting. During the off-season, Arenas pledged to transform himself into a better leader, distributing the ball to his teammates more frequently, hence passing up the tempting three-point shot. To date, Arenas has not displayed a significant effort to do so, but it is extremely early in the season.

On the rookie radar, the absence of Blake Griffin has redirected the focus to other freshman ballers such asTyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, and Brandon Jennings. Of these three, Jennings has shined brightest, bolting out of the gate with two straight impressive performances, including a 24 point effort in just his second game in the NBA.

A few surprises thus far include the stellar play of New York Knick Danilo Galinari. After four games, the Italian product has averaged just under 20 points per game, including a league leading 19 three-point conversions. Consistency may be a short-term issue for Danilo, but he certainly has the potential to develop into one of the NBA's premier sharp-shooters.

The usual suspects have, for the most part, gotten off to quick starts.LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant are lighting it up nightly. On the other hand, former fantasy studs such as Shaquille O'Neal, Rasheed Wallace, and Richard Jefferson have had to adjust to new surroundings and fewer fantasy scoring opportunities in crowded rotations.

In terms of early-season injuries, with the exception of Blake Griffin the bug hasn't bit anyone too hard yet, rather the typical day-to-day bumps and bruises that come with an 82 game NBA regular season.

Strap yourselves in folks, as this time next week, a new series of trends will have begun to take shape.

Brown Out!

A return home and a date with the hapless Cleveland Browns was just what the doctor ordered for the Bears yesterday.

The Bears took care of business by executing on both sides of the ball, as the offense committed just one turnover, and the defense forced five against the Browns.

A solid ground game, coupled with ball-hawking defense by the Bears secondary, led to a convincing 30-6 victory over a 1-7 Browns team. Chicago moves to 4-3, and is now tied with the Packers for second place in the NFC “Norris” division, as Brett and the Vikes downed Green Bay at Lambeau in a late afternoon affair yesterday.

Defensive backs Charles Tillman and Danieal Manning combined to snag three of the five turnovers committed by Cleveland, one of them, a fourth quarter 21 yard interception return for a touchdown by Tillman.

Although Jay Cutler did not figure prominently in the victory, he did limit his mistakes this week, throwing just one interception on 17 of 30 for 225 yards and no touchdowns. When the Bears took possession on offense in this one, they held on to the rock, as Matt Forte finally broke out of his slump, rushing for 90 yards on 26 carries, and two TD’s. Forte did not fumble.

The Bears were able to make quick work out of the sinking Browns with three first half Robbie Gould field goals and a late second quarter Matt Forte one yard plunge. At 16-0 at the half, Chicago had made a statement that they were not going to allow Cleveland any breathing room in this contest.

With the exception of a third quarter Derek Anderson TD run, the Bears proceeded to close out the Browns in the second half, capped off by Tillman’s pick and score with 3:14 remaining in the game.

The 30 points the Bears put up on the scoreboard can be largely attributed to the suffocating defense employed all day. In addition to the five turnovers, Chicago’s D batted down four passes and held the Browns to a measly 1 for 11 on third down. The Cleveland passing game was pathetic, at 7 for 20 for 85 yards. No Brown receiver hauled in more than two catches. The Bears D showed up when it needed to. Chicago can now look towards the back-end of the current homestand, with Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals coming to town.

Arizona came down to Earth yesterday, as they were manhandled by Carolina’s rushing tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The Panthers rushing attack punished the Cards all day, totaling 270 yards on the ground. Matt Forte must have started salivating when he saw the box score from this game. The Bears defense should have high hopes for next week as well, with an opportunity to continue its fine play against a shaky Kurt Warner who threw five picks to Carolina’s D yesterday.

A playoff run just may be in the “The Cards” for the 2009-10 Bears.