You may have heard that Sony Pictures “dropped the ball” or “struck out” (depending on which baseball cliché jumped into a writer’s head) on a film version of Michael Lewis’ best-seller, Moneyball. The film was set to star Brad Pitt with Steven Soderbergh directing.
The reasons behind Sony’s decision appear to be Read More
As I write this, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hasn’t announced his decision on Plaxico Burress’s suspension. Let’s hope Goodell shows the kind of common sense that most football writers have not and chooses to be lenient. The penalty should be reasonable—does four games sound about right? It should, considering Burress was already docked the Read More
Memo to Major League Baseball: Next season, if you want to put the Yankees-Mets series center stage, don’t schedule the games immediately after the Yankees play the Red Sox and the Mets play the Phillies. No Yankees-Mets series could ever be meaningless, but the one that starts tonight comes as close to feeling anticlimactic as Read More
In terms of Read More
It’s a truism in professional sports that a good player in New York is an automatic celebrity. Not only is he guaranteed more high-priced endorsement deals, but he has a big edge over players in the suburbs when it comes to All-Star and MVP support. It comes as something of a surprise, then, to Read More
“The best pitcher in baseball,” according to Sports Illustrated’s May 4 cover story, is Kansas City’s Zack Greinke, who is 6-0 and leading the major leagues with a 0.40 ERA.
SI is wrong. They might have changed their minds had they been at the game last night, where Johan Santana threw seven Read More
Jacoby Ellsbury’s steal of home in Sunday night’s game – with New York third baseman Cody Ransom standing so far away from Ellsbury that he couldn’t have identified him in a police lineup -- didn’t end the season for the New York Yankees, but if things continue like this for much longer, Yankee fans Read More
Jose Reyes, running off the field after a great play with a grin on his face that makes Tom Sawyer look like Mickey Rourke, seems to have no idea of the burden he carries around.
Major League Baseball has become, largely, a Latin game. Other great Latin players came here after All-Star careers Read More
It's time to be honest about what Derek Jeter can do for the Yankees at this Read More
Though it’s still selling like beer in the bottom of the sixth, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci has just about vanished in the mainstream sports press. For all intents and purposes, analysis of the book ended with the revelation that Alex Rodriguez was on steroids when he was with the Texas Rangers. Read More
Who’s the most despised player in baseball history? Ty Cobb was a virulent racist who sharpened his spikes to slash the shins of infielders who got in his way. The 1919 Chicago Black Sox took money to throw the World Series. There’s Barry Bonds, of course, but at least Bonds wasn’t booed—much—in his own home Read More
Brett Favre retired yesterday for the second time in 11 months, and if the New York Jets are lucky, this one will stick.
The decision to sign Favre last August was an unmitigated disaster, typical of the Jets' blundering over the last quarter century. Stripped of the illusions the New York media wrapped it Read More
No matter what the outcome of the tests now being conducted on the Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee syringes and no matter what the outcome of the anti-defamation suits Clemens and McNamee have filed against each other and no matter whether the government finds grounds to indict Clemens on perjury, there's one issue that no one is Read More
For everyone making Super Bowl predictions, I have a couple of questions: What exactly are your predictions based on? Is there any logic or analysis behind them? Or is it all just hunch?
I'm asking because I've been doing Super Bowl predictions for 20 years and have written three books on professional football and countless Read More
"Why do the Eagles eat their cereal from the box?"
Answer: "Because they choke when they get close to the bowl."
It does seem that way, doesn't it? Analysts argue endlessly about whether clutch performance actually exists in baseball, but it's kind Read More
