How To Spice Up The All-Star Game

With the Melodrama that is the Carmelo Anthony saga, and the slam dunk contest featuring Blake Griffin the NBA's 2011 All-Star game certainly has everyone talking, except about the All Star Game itself. While most enjoy the high flying dunks and the skills competition the game, featuring the best in the world not playing any defense, scoring a million points, and making stupid plays, is merely an afterthought. But there are many things that the NBA can do to change this, however unrealistic they may seem, to bring the attention back to the All-Star game, and away from the parties, contests, and boardroom negotiating sessions between two desperate teams and a star player. Here they are...


Refs??? Who Needs Them

Because it is common knowledge that the All-Star game is merely the greatest collection of talent to play a pick-up game, the game should be rid of referees and the players should make their own calls. It always seemed silly to me after say Shaq took a free throw in Las Vegas bounced it on the court, had it go off the backboard, and dunked it, to have to see Steve Javie whistling him for a violation. The fact that there are ref's actually takes away from the seriousness of the game. Their laissez-faire officiating styles in the game can lead to blatant travels becoming layups. It also would be interesting to see some of the most serial complainers, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant come to mind, arguing with each other about a call. It would make the game more enjoyable, but also a bit more serious.

Play Half Court

While this may seem illogical, if the All-Star Game was played half-court it would greatly benefit the game. So many of the games points come on plays where the defense doesn't get back and the offense just throws it deep and gets easy layups. Well playing on one side of the court puts an end to this by forcing all players to play defense. Without idiotic fast-break points the games would be much tougher defensively. Every player knows who they are guarding, and if they decided not to play defense it would be abundantly clear when there man embarrasses them in a half court setting and scores easily. This essentially forces teams to play D and would lead to more intense competitive games.

Automatic Sub's If A Player Is Slacking Off, Or Not Caring

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Will Donald Trump buy the Mets and tell the Wilpons they're fired?

The Donald

I wouldn't expect to see Donald Trump wearing a Mets hat on his infamous comb-over anytime soon, but he does seem to have an interest in the Mets. On Tuesday, Mets owner Fred Wilpon called Trump to set up a face-to-face to discuss the possibility of selling Trump 20-25% of the team. The Wilpons are hoping that the cash generated from selling a portion of the Mets will help cover their liabilities stemming from the impending settlement of the Bernie Madoff lawsuit.

Trump has given mixed signals on whether he would be willing to own a non-controlling share of the team. Trump told the New York Post, "Fred Wilpon is a good friend of mine. Anything I can do to help Fred, I'd love to do." However, Trump has also been quoted as saying, "If you look at Trump's record, he is only interested in things he can control," referring to himself in the third person. Although Trump appears to be interested in the team, it's doubtful that he would want to buy a piece of the Mets without the ability to impact their day-to-day operations.

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Hot or Not: Devils vs. Rangers Edition

Ilya Kovalchuk (Credit: NJ.com)

To paraphrase the inimitable Harry Doyle: in case you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven't, the New Jersey Devils have managed to win a few here and there, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.

Actually, the Devils have done more than win a few here and there.  Once left for dead in the East, they are 12-1-2 in their last 15 games.  Former punch line Ilya Kovalchuk has netted the game winning goal in their last two wins (at Toronto and home vs. San Jose).  Johan Hedberg has done a nice job of spelling Martin Brodeur (7 goals in 4 starts).  And new-ish coach Jaques "Been Here Done That" Lemaire has breathed new life into a team that started the season under John MacLean worse than any Devils team in the past 20 years.  Oh, and even though New Jersey has played 7 games in the past 11 days, they have gone 6-1 in those contests, including 3 overtime wins.  So the Devils are, as their name suggests, hot.

But what about those New York Rangers on the other side of the Hudson River?  Well, not so hot.  The Blueshirts have dropped their last 6 games, and are 4-10 in their last 14 overall.  They also can't catch a break, having to face Pittsburgh, LA, the red-hot Devils, and Philadelphia in their next four games.  Perhaps they are feeling the impact of losing team captain Chris Drury to knee surgery for the next six weeks.  Nevertheless, they are still clinging onto a playoff spot, currently two points ahead of 8th-seeded Atlanta, but Carolina (one point out of 8th) and Buffalo (three points out of 8th) are breathing down their necks.

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Alfredo Aceves Continues To Do His Best Ramiro Mendoza Impression

The hope among Yankee fans was that Alfredo Aceves would turn into what Ramiro Mendoza was for the Yankees--a jack-of-all-trades swingman who could excel at any part of the game from starter to closer and every place in between. Mendoza has a certain place in Yankee lore from the late 90s as "El Brujo" worked his magic for four championship teams. For about 2 years, that's exactly what Aceves was as he went 14-1 with a 3.21 ERA (142 ERA+) in 59 games. Those 59 games spanned 126 innings and included 5 starts and 2 saves. His only full season was 2009 and he was certainly one of the reasons the Yankees won the World Series as his 4.31 SO/BB ratio helped to solidify the bullpen for the Yankees.

Yankees fans are hoping that Alfredo Aceves is the new Mole in Boston

But after getting shut down in early May due to back pain and then breaking his collarbone in a bicycle accident during the off-season, the Yankees decided to non-tender Aceves and take a chance that they could resign him on a minor-league contract due to his injury timetable. But instead the Boston Red Sox swept in yesterday and signed Aceves to a major-league contract with the desire to make him a starter--and with an improved injury timetable. At first glance, many wondered whether the Yankees had made a mistake non-tendering Aceves, especially judging by the gaping holes at the back of their rotation.

The Yankees have to hope that Aceves turns into Mendoza one more time, but this time for the Red Sox. The toll on Mendoza's arm from the workload the Yankees gave him worried the Yankees and in 2003 Mendoza signed with the Red Sox. The 31-year-old Mendoza stuck up the join in 2003 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.770 WHIP. When the Red Sox lost to the Yankees in that year's ALCS, Mendoza became known in Boston (especially on sports talk radio station, WEEI) as "The Mole".

Mendoza would improve his numbers greatly in 2004 and got a World Series ring for his efforts but the Red Sox fans would never forgive him. When he came out of the dugout to get his World Series ring on opening day of 2005, he was the only player to get booed. Some of that probably had to do with the fact he had resigned with the Yankees, but the memory of the Yankees dropping off damaged goods in Beantown has not been lost on Red Sox fans.

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Hot Stove Coal: Let's Debate Joba Some More

Our own Jay Hyne became the second writer from NYaT to be featured in the LoHud Yankees Blog Pitch Hitter series when he wrote his blog post this morning. He wrote about Joba Chamberlain and Jay believes he should stay in the bullpen. It may all be a moot point at this juncture since Brian Cashman agrees with Jay, but I've stated more than once on this blog I think the Yankees have been making a huge mistake by pigeon-holing Joba into the 'pen. And since Jay did reference our WBRS arguments in his bio, I figured that it was more than appropriate to give some contradiction to his post.

Joba's role has been a debate on NYaT from the beginning (Star-Ledger)

The issue is that while the Yankees seemed to have handled Phil Hughes' transisition to the Majors well (though the jury is still out on that--we'll see after an increased workload this year), they totally bungled Joba. I don't think Jay or anyone would disagree with me on that. He was a reliever, then a starter, then they had him start the first 3 innings of a game, then the shut him down, then he was a reliever, and now he's sort of in limbo. It's tough to be that age and be jerked around like that. I also think that people look poorly upon the season Joba was truly given a chance to start because of how the season ended. Look at his starts before they started skipping him and he was a different pitcher.

Unfortunately, it looks like we'll never know if Joba could have been another Roy Halladay, Zack Greinke or Johan Santana--three pitchers who started as relievers and after a rough start in the rotation, made the transition work. I don't know if it's truly that arm injury or just an organizational-wide mental block against Joba after he burst onto the scene as a dominant bullpen arm. Maybe he'll have to be traded to realize that potential or maybe he's just another Aaron Heilman.

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A Standing O: The Real President's Day

Most of us suffered from some sort of Super Bowl hangover this morning, but Alex O got up and banged out this blog post. I'm sorry I haven't posted it until now, but Alex is right, this should be a holiday. I'll let him give the argument...and maybe a little trivia too:

The day after Lombardi is raised should be a National holiday (LA Times)

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Today February 7th, 2011 should be a national holiday in the United States of America. It is the day after Super Bowl XLV. Every year the day after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. As a nation we need a day to digest the big day. I mean this literally. We need a day to digest all the food and beverages consumed. The amount of calories we devoured, mostly derived from meat and cheese--sometimes meat covered in melted cheese, or meat dipped into cheese, we as a nation need a holiday.

This will never happen because it makes too much sense. Next Monday I have President’s Day off (Monday February 21st). Why not just make President’s Day observed on the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday. I don’t think this would be disrespectful to Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln etc. It actually would be perfect, because President’s Day would still be President’s Day since the game is already over. It might actually be beneficial to the economy if people plan get a ways for the 3 day SuperBowl/Prez Day weekend?

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Random Thoughts: Super Bowl, 'Melo, Yankees' Signings, and Cano

I had my first experience taking transportation other than a car to or from Boston this weekend and I can tell you it's not so much fun. But while I flew there, I'm taking Megabus on my way back and being blessed with spotty WiFi, I felt it a good time to blog. I know I've been absent from the blog for a while but I've been transitioning to a new [day] job and haven't had the time I would like to pump out great blog posts for the NYaT audience. So here's a bunch of random sports thoughts as I figure out how to get this guy's job as a ticket broker (H/T Zack):

I'm rooting with the rest of the Cheeseheads for Aaron Rodgers (NYP)

My Super Bowl Team

I don't think I'm alone rooting for the Packers tonight in the Super Bowl. I think while most of the time people root for a team, this battle is a battle of quarterback personalities. While Big Ben has become a hard-to-root-for quarterback with his off-the-field issues, Aaron Rodgers is about as easy to root for as a QB can be. He sat on the bench and didn't complain while Brett Favre did his annual retirement dance and the year that Favre had his personal downfall as a person and player, Rodgers is about to assert himself among the best QBs in the NFL. And if you look at the past 5 Super Bowls, the better story always won, though none will top the Drew Brees taking the post-Katrina Saints all the way last year. I think the Packers are going to win but I'm truly just rooting for an entertaining game.

Carmelo Anthony

I've been pretty adamantly against the Knicks double paying for 'Melo (in prospects and then in money) knowing that he's probably going to sign with the Knicks no matter what in the off-season. But after the Cliff Lee saga, I know that something like that is never certain and if the latest rumored offer (Knicks only giving up Wilson Chandler, Anthony Randolph, and Eddy Curry's obese corpse) is really true, I say go for it. They could go small and have a starting 5 of Amare, Raymond Felton, Landry Fields, Gallo, and 'Melo or move Fields to a super 6th man and start Ronny Turiaf or The Mozgov Cocktail in his place. Carmelo may not make the Knicks that much better (he plays even less defense), but for three players who won't be here next year, I think it's a steal. 'Melo has used his leverage and now the Knickerbockers need to take advantage of it.

Yankees' Latest Signings

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Dallas Too Cold? Let's Do New York!

The Super Bowl is on the line. The kicker stands ready to kick the field goal to either win the game or lose it. The crowd stands breathless, waiting to see if the Super Bowl will end 5-3 or 6-5. It's snowing again at New Meadowlands Stadium, more than a foot now, and the temperature has dipped below 15 degrees. The snap, spot, and the hold is botched in the snow, game over. While this is the NFL's worst nightmare it could very well be a reality since the 2014 Super Bowl will be played in East Rutherford New Jersey, in February, at night. Considering the Winter that the tri-state area has had this year, it is mind boggling to consider that a Super Bowl will be played here. Here's why this is a bad idea...

It Is Bone Chillingly Cold At New Meadowlands Stadium In February

The weather tonight at 6 p.m. at the home of Super Bowl 48 is a balmy 38 degrees, windchill 33, with a 90% chance of rain. Are you ready for some football!?!? While the organizers of Super Bowl 48 will tell fans to "Bring your coats" they are dreaming. Having been to dozens of Jets games in January they should be telling fans "Bring your under armour, turtleneck, long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, winter coat, ski mask, winter hat, 2 pairs of gloves, long johns, sweatpants, winter pants, 2 pairs of wool socks, and winter boots. Considering what it costs to go to the Super Bowl it is ridiculous to pay that money and freeze, outside.

The Weather, And The Stadium Will Affect Play

Even if it doesn't snow the elements will still have a major role in the game. Just as the old stadium was New Meadowlands Stadium is a proverbial wind tunnel. At times kicking and punting can be downright impossible, I wouldn't feel confident in any kick over 45 yards. This isn't what the Super Bowl should be about. It should be two great teams, with an even playing field playing for the Lombardi trophy. Playing at New Meadowlands Stadium is advantageous to teams with strong running games, as throwing can be very difficult with the intense cold and wind. The team that wins the coin toss will have a huge advantage since they could possibly determine whether the kick to win the Super Bowl will be going into a 25 MPH wind, or against it. That's unfair.

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Andy Won't Be Dandy in 2011

In the last hour, reports have surfaced that Andy Pettitte will officially announce his retirement tomorrow at Yankee Stadium.  The loss of Pettitte now officially adds more serious question marks to the Yankees' starting rotation entering the 2010 season.  As The LoHud Yankee Blog reports, here is the rotation entering the season:

CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and pick two from Sergio Mitre/Bartolo Colon/Freddy Garcia/Ivan Nova/Anyone Else You Can Think Of.

Despite the fact that Cashman had stated he was already under the impression that Pettitte was set to retire, I think it is fair to say that when Cashman stated that he had to be patient, part of that had to do with waiting for an official decision from Pettitte.  Now that it is going to be official, Cashman's options have certainly been made clearer.  It doesn't mean that he's going to start scrambling to make a deal, but it will certainly make it easier to evaluate his options.

As for Pettitte retiring, it will mark the end of a great Yankee career.  A product of Gene Michael's strong scouting and farm system put in place during the early 1990's, Pettitte was as consistent of a pitcher that there could be.  From 1995-2010, Pettitte compiled a 240-138 record, making for a .638 winning percentage.  That's better than Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Curt Schilling.  It is often thought that wins and losses are a relatively meaningless statistic, especially on a good offensive team.  Yet somehow, he stands out for his reliable and ability to pitch a big game.

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A Standing O: Knicks and Links

Greetings from down in The Big Easy. I'm down here for the week for work so I haven't gotten much blogging done this week. But Alex O is back with another great guest post, talking about Timofey Mozgov, the Russian center who I personally saw electrify Madison Square Garden on Sunday night (and thank you to Doug for those tickets). But enough about me, let's get to Alex O with his update on the Knickerbockers:

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Link #1 and Link #2

I saw this tweet which gives some metrics to the quality of D that Toney Douglas provides for the Knicks. @kevinarnovitz NBA's Top 5 unadj Defensive +/- : Toney Douglas (former ACC Def POY), Shaun Livingston, D. Arthur, KG, Ronnie Brewejavascript:void(0)r. about 2 hours ago

This is just a statistical reaffirmation of my belief that the Knicks do not need a back-up point guard. I would rather get a wide body if they add anyone to the roster…..

Which leads me to the play of Timofey Mozgov Sunday night. 23 pts, 14 boards, 40 minutes and a garden crowd chanting his name at the end of the game vs. the Pistons. I know, I know, big freakin deal it was vs. the Pistons. It is a positive especially when every game matters and the Knicks were without Shawne Williams (suspension for throwin’ hands in Hotlanta), and Will Chandler (out with a calf), Turiaf in foul trouble, and Amare with a tweaked knee. It is also a positive because it shows he is capable, and has been working hard even though he had not played as much as 10 minutes in 26 games (12/5).

It was nice for the Knicks to get the win Sunday following through on the mojo left by St. John’s who “shellacked” Duke on the same court a few hours earlier. It helps them and their fans forget the bad loss at Atlanta, and get them back on track after a great win vs. the Heat last week. A game where Knicks fans booed LeBron regularly and he responded by putting on a shooting performance reminiscent of the John Starks 1994 Game 7 NBA finals debacle. That game always makes me wonder if at least some coaches will tell guys not to shoot? If any one were to do it, you would think Pat Riley would do it. I would have thought that Pat Ewing would do it. Maybe they just kept hoping the next one would go in?

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