NO LONGER NEEDED?  BY ST

I was filling out my MLB All Star game ballot online.  Began with Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers.  Then it hit me.  Why?  It might be a generational thing but before we had unlimited access and could see every player's every move it was a pleasure to get a rare glimpse of Clemente or Brooks Robinson in action.  Now it just seems forced.  I understand that the host city can generate some revenue and dough might be raised for a worthy cause, but can't that happen without this ridiculous exhibition.  If I'm a fan of a team do I want our 15 million dollar ace out there or home resting for the 2nd half pennant chase?  This can carry over to the NBA or NHL.  The NFL's Pro Bowl has become a knee slapper of a joke.  Is it time for a historical tweak?
I have been interested to get fans angle on their All Time Fantasy Team.  Let me know your age group and who makes the cut.  Add in a starting pitcher and a closer.
Mine:
1b-Lou Gehrig
2b-Joe Morgan
SS-Robin Yount
3b-Michael Jack Schmidt
C-Johnny Bench
OF:  Ruth, Ted Williams and Willie Mays
SP:  Bob Gibson
CL:  Mariano Rivera

AS GOOD AS IT GETS by Steve Tannen

Think about the last decade following sports.  Pro or college.  Franchise or program.  Name your Top 5 as far as well run, good reputation & successful.  Who pops?  Alabama football.  Duke hoops.  Yankees?  Spurs?  Lakers?  Red Wings?  NY Giants?  Patriots?  I'll throw in the St. Louis Cardinals.  They currently lead the NL Central with the best record in baseball.  After winning the 2011 World Series their long time manager Tony LaRussa retired and they lost bopper Albert Pujols to free agency.  Guided by 1st year skipper Mike Matheny they made Game 7 of the NL Championship series.  While making his bones with the Bash Brother A's, LaRussa made a major impact on the game with his bullpen use.  Then it was get 7 from your starter, lean on Rick Hunnycut in the 8th and Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersly to close the door.  With the Cards it was about volume.  Lot of quality arms.  That tradition continues.  Remember the name Trevor Rosenthal.  He throws about 100 mph and has a freaky good slider.  Edward Mujica is the closer.  Had some decent seasons with the Marlins and Padres in relative obscuring, but never held this role until this year and he's been terrific.  Their top pick in the 2009 draft Shelby Miller was a late season call up last year and flashed some serious stuff.  Now his 1st season in the rotation he's 7 & 1 with an NL best 1.91 era.  Incredible control works well with his more than a strikeout an inning mastery.  Then you have the elite Adam Wainright who never gets enough credit for how great he is.  Lance Lynn is proving his 18 wins 2012 is no fluke.  I can go on but I'll just say this is the best top to bottom roster in the majors.
On today's show I'll be asking you to evaluate the best organizations and programs we follow.

THE PASSING OF DEACON by ST

Not sure how to properly explain what Deacon Jones was to my generation of NFL Fans.  The Hall of Fame D-Line terror passed at age 74 last night.  I think most are initially lured to sports by scoring.  The QB, home run hitter, goal scorer, ect.  Later Lawrence Taylor would ignite interest in a stellar defensive player, but prior to his arrival there was Jones.  Certainly the growth of the league and the magnificence of the Sabol's and NFL Films played a role.  We got to see and just as entertaining, hear what Deacon had to say about the havoc he wreaked on a regular basis.  In a special called "The Ultimate Defenders of Sport" he talked about his primary job being to put as much fear in the quarterbacks heart and pain in his back.  He was a terrific guy who stood up for Civil Rights and a talented, charismatic character who had turns in TV series like "The Brady Bunch" & "The Odd Coup" playing himself.  He also appeared in a great Warren Beatty movie "Heaven Can Wait" as a defensive lineman.  Hysterical and engaging in each case.  You will hear about his numbers, the sacks, the head slap and it's all impressive.  None of the above approaches his impact on those who followed the league and understand his place in the game among the elite pioneers who was worth the price of admission.  RIP Deek!
I was reading about the conviction of former MLB'er Milton Bradley.  Guilty of abusing his estranged wife and looking at 7 1/2 years in prison.  Wonder who he'll blame for this cause none of his missteps or failures or complete wasting of his talent has never been his fault.  The team, the league, the fans, the umps and of course the women.  Choked his pregnant wife but got off with that.  Then in 2011 arrested for trying to strike her with a baseball bat!  Enjoy your state sponsored vacation dirt bag!
On today's show we talk about how the anticipation of a Game 7 doesn't usually live up, the end of the Duck baseball season, the above issues, the NHL playoffs, more MLB and of course your calls and our digression!

IS IT REAL? By ST

Was perusing the MLB Standings and came across teams like the Pirates, Indians, Yankees, Rockies and Diamondbacks.  Doing well.  Right in the thick of things.  Nice Springs.  One question:  are they legit?  A year ago Cleveland was leading the Central with a nearly identical record.  They ended up losing 94 games and were a memory when the playoffs approached.  New York was just 2 games over  .500 before a strong finish pushed them all the way to the ALCS.  None of the others was even in consideration.  It's great for baseball from my chair cause I love the fresh face angle which usually takes place in the NFL.  The fact we still have more than 100 games left means this could mostly be fraudulent but for those fans, hope has surfaced.  A lot of folks penciled in the Tribe as contenders with new manager Terry Francona.  I thought the Red Sox were incompetent letting him go.  He had a perfect demeanor to handle the Boston heat and of course guided them to ending the Curse and another World Series victory.  Love Tito but he can't pitch and they have 2 legit starters.  Former Bosox property Justin Masterson who is throwing well and 25 year old Zach McAllister.  He was originally a 3rd round pick of the Yankees back in 2006 but was part of the Austin Kearns trade in 2010.  He showed signs last season, his 1st real stretch in the bigs making 22 starts and posting a decent era just above 4.  That's it.  Ubaldo Jimenez was once on the cusp of becoming a legit front liner in the NL with Colorado but has gone bust huge in the American League.  Scott Kazmir is failing in his effort to resurrect a once promising career when he was the Mets 1st round pick in 2002.  Brett Meyers has an era over 8.  This team can hit and are well up the charts in every substantial lumber category but with no legit 3-4 or 5 starter I don't buy it.  Just as distressing is what's taking place in Cleveland.  They are last in the AL in attendance despite being 1st in the division.  The days of The Jake rocking with Alomar, Belle, Thome, Manny and Lofton in the mid 90's seem a distant memory!
Have a terrific holiday weekend as we take a moment to thank those who have served.  I look forward to returning from NYC and being back on the air 3pm on Tuesday!

VIEW FROM THE EAST by Steve Tannen

It took me my first football season as a West Coast guy, 1990, to really understand the difference.  For NFL Sundays it meant a quick cup of coffee and off to the sports bar to watch the Jets or Giants.  No more dilly dallying around for a couple of hours before kickoff.  Monday Night Football starts at dinner time instead of 9pm.  I also discovered it left less down time which for me and my then 20-something friends meant less time for "trouble".  Now 23+ years later I'm vacationing with my old buddies & family in Jersey and it's an adjustment.  Got to where I'm staying in West Orange, New Jersey around 5:30 last night and started flipping around for games.  Then it hit me!  Duh.  Nothing begins until 7pm local time.  And if it's a West Coast game, as late as 10:30pm.  When I hooked up with some of my peeps on Friday morning bleary eyed, they inquired as to my condition.  I got some strange looks explaining I'd been up late the night before catching the end of Sharks/Kings and Spurs/Warriors which ended past 1am local time.  I've noticed most who grew up in pro sports cities don't seem to care much when their team is either eliminated or not involved.  Being a nut and doing the type of show we put on, I dive in for it all.  I've found the conversations surrounding this issue interesting.
This past Sunday we headed to Yankees Stadium for Bombers/Jays.  Got rained out.  We learned of this after trekking in from Jersey, then jumping 2 subways from midtown towards the Bronx.  I went to about 8-trillion games when I lived in these parts for nearly 30 years. I recall one rainout.  1986, Mets/Cubs.  In the past 7 years my wife and I have experienced two.  Considering we get to 1 game every 2 years, that's an annoying percentage.  I got 10 tickets for the game.  I hope my dad, sister, brother in law and their pals enjoy a game sometime later this year.  I'm not speaking to Mother Nature!

JUST DO IT!  NO SERIOUSLY BUD...DO IT NOW!  By ST

Down a run in the 9th at Cleveland, A's shortstop Adam Rosales goes yard.  Tie game!  He hit the ball over the wall which according to the rules of baseball is a home run.  One glitch.  MLB as usual is behind the technological times.  The buffoons in blue looked at their 15 inch monitor stolen from Bill Gates garage sometime around 1983 and did not find sufficient evidence to make the correction. Oakland gets screwed.  Hey, they still could have lost in the home 9th or extra innings, but we'd rather settle things on the field than idiotville!  2 things drive me nuts about this.  The media reports the Tribe victory is controversial.  No it's not!  Controversy is when you are torn about a decision.  An investigation is needed.  Coming up with the proper answer tears away at the parties involved.  This was simple.  Homer!  Then you have MLB this morning admit the umps blew it.  Awesome!  So we get to go back, award Rosales his bomb, and pick up the game all tied up in the 9th from that point right?  Wrong!  There is no reason Bud Selig and his knucklehead patrol can't provide the proper equipment and implement a commons sense replay manual quickly.  There is no other side to this debate. 

ALL IN...WELL SORT OF....MAYBE NOT SO MUCH by ST

So the Knicks open 2nd round play in the post season for the 1st time since game one vs the Heat on May 7th, 2000.  Long time.  This was once a model franchise before many of you were old enough to follow the NBA or even born.  The group who from 1969 through 1974 made at least the East Finals and captured the only titles in it's history.  It was a very charismatic group that won the hearts of the Big Apple fans with their cerebral approach and heart.  The leader was the Captain, Willis Reed.  Walt Frazier was Clyde, among the greatest all around points guards ever, a defensive genius and a killer in the clutch.  I've enjoyed watching this group most of the season as they can sting it from outside which can be entertaining.  They lost me a bit when some showed up wearing black prior to Game 5 at Boston last week.  It was classless and a punk move considering the horror of the Marathon and Newtown are still fresh in people's memories.  Should be a great series with the Pacers for sure.
One must doff the cap to the Bulls.  This team is banged up and battling illness yet they can win a game 7 on the road against a higher seed.  Of course it's the Nets, one of the most brutal, failure of a sports franchise in the history of American team sports, especially when you consider the size of the market.  Leading scorer Luol Deng and top assist man Kirk Hinrich were out and big fella Joakim Noah is playing a one and a half good feet.  Smart money says the Coach of the Year will be Erik Spoelstra of Miami, but serious consideration must be given to Chicago's Tom Thibodeau.  Sure, the ballots are in at the end of the regular season, but now you look back and admire the work he did without Derrick Rose all year to win 45 games.  He's a defensive guru who worked along side another great coach Doc Rivers in Boston helping the Celtics win their championship in 2008 ending what was by far the longest title drought in it's history at 22 years. 
Of course the key question is, does any of this matter?  Do you see the Knicks or Pacers giving Miami a legit run for their money?  With the Russell Westbrook injury is Oklahoma City a true threat?  I think the Spurs and Grizzlies can give the champs a run for their money.  Memphis is physical and really good defensively.  San Antonio can "D" up and has transformed into a more athletic, dangerous offensive team as well.  Game time!