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!

STEP ONE by ST

So Jason Collins becomes the first active team athlete to come out.  In a perfect world the reaction would be, oh!  Then we'd move on.  Considering it's the off season and lot's is happening with the recently completed NFL Draft, NBA playoffs rolling, NHL post season about to start, MLB off and running the true test has yet to begin.  For openers, Collins is a free agent who played a mere 38 games this season for Boston & Washington.  Over the last 6 years he's been an end of the bench center averaging about 15 minutes per game.  It's no lock he's on a roster next season.  Then I suspect we'd see the vile and ignorance from fans.  Another key question is will this open the door for those closeted who are truly active, well known players?  I've heard and read about fans who say "I'd never root for a gay athlete".  You already do!  I was encouraged by the support via twitter sent Collins way by Kobe, Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Kurt Rambis and Martina Navratilova.  Martina came out in 1981.  She never landed those endorsement deals or benefits worthy of perhaps the greatest the game has known because of the gutlessness of corporate America at the time.  We shall see how much has changed or if we've evolved as a society!

Can I get a "HALLELUJAH"!  2 annoying items that ESPN has repeatedly crammed down our throats are gone for now.  The 2013 Lakers and Tim Tebow.  Jets cut the QB.  The proof jumps off the page.  I thought Jim Rome nailed it.  When a player or coach is asked about Tebow, you NEVER EVER hear what a great or even good quarterback he is.  It's always about his work ethic or the type of teammate he is which has never been a debate.  The harsh fact is he's completely incapable of being a successful NFL quarterback.  End of story.

I SEE YOU BARRY SANDERS by ST

Somehow another high level celeb has skated away from facts and history.  Every I see Barry Sanders recently, he is being revered.  What a joke.  Make no mistake, the dude was as electrifying.  Sweep to the right side for a 4 yard loss..no wait...it's a 66 yard TD.  Granted.  Now he's making the rounds pitching the new Madden game.  This is the same guy who toured schools and did public service ads preaching abstinence to kids.  Was the A.C Green of football.  Except Green is a high character guy and honest.  When it was discovered Sanders had a child out of wedlock in 1994 he was confronted.  His response?  "I don't talk about that subject any more".  Then we focus on his retirement.  If you can call it that.  In 1998 he rushed for more than 14-hundred yards and the talk was perhaps he could be the all time leader in rush yards.  The franchise was expecting their superstar back for the 1999 season.  He did not announce his retirement before the free agent period, or the draft.  They were awaiting his arrival at camp in July when he disappeared.  The backs available in the draft that year were Edgerrin James, Ricky Williams or even Kevin Faulk had Sanders clued them in on his plans.  Instead he hung it up with no warning.  So this Saint Barry routine is garbage.
Really disappointed in the Russell Westbrook injury.  I thought the Thunder had a real chance to give the Heat a run for their championship money.  This guy is unique and from my chair, one of the true elite players in the NBA.  Been in the league 5 years.  This will be the 1st game he's missed.  He is a lethal 1-2 punch with Kevin Durant.  It's possible he could return of OKC reaches the finals, but with a knee injury like this, it's not logical he would simply return at the level we've grown accustomed to watching him operate. 
Lot of NFL draft talk and coverage today.  Look forward to your input as always.

THE HORROR AND THE CLUELESS by Steve Tannen

We did 3 hours of radio from 3-6pm on the West Coast.  Felt obligated in and out each break to say it's our job to bring Crunchtime & SportsTalk but don't mistake it for thinking The Masters, Kobe, NBA playoffs and the rest was important after the news from Boston.  I appreciate those of you who took part and got what we were trying to do.  It's a cliche, but I've gone on the air in the wake of Columbine, 911, Virginia Tech and most recently Newtown and tried to provide that much needed diversion or distraction.  After 24 hours the level of disgust and that awful feeling in the pit of one's stomach hasn't altered much. 
Late last night the investigation into the Oregon/Will Lyles/recruiting mess got some run which carried into today.  Here's my take.  Deluded Duck fans are trying to blow it off to validate this incredible 4 year run.  Duck haters are trying to draw a parallel between this and the SMU scandal or some of the renegade programs like Miami.  Wrong & Wrong!  I've always felt this money for recruiting services was a large gray area & hopefully the rocket scientists at the NCAA will offer some clarity for the future.  My question will always be about the level of competitive edge Oregon might have gained.  We know Lache Seastrunk never saw the field, but if he ended in Eugene outside the rules, there should be a punishment.  I don't want to delve into the details of the 515 page report or speculate on how heavy the hammer will be.  Another question is to Oregon fans.  Does this put a taint on the accomplishments of the Kelly era?
No shows today due to Oregon baseball.  Catch up with you tomorrow.