Daily Fail: The New Jersey Nets

Charlie Klein

The New Jersey Nets have been awful this season. Absolutely atrocious. The pride of New Jersey are 0-15 and show few signs of righting the ship. The Nets have been so bad that Jay-Z ought to re-consider his attempt to move the franchise to Brooklyn.

With all of that being said, the Nets have been without their star Devin Harris for most of the season and is just getting back into the Nets rotation. But, one would think that a team that also has Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts, etc. would be able to scratch a win out somehow.

The Nets are not the only team struggling to find a win this season. The Minnesota Timberwolves, rightfully spurned by Ricky Rubio have only managed to defeat one team this season, and that team being the Nets.

Losing seems to be endemic to playing basketball in the New York City area. The Knickerbockers, still waiting to hit the 2010 NBA Free Agency lottery, are a pathetic 3-12.

But as far as failing goes, not one team has done a better job than the New Jersey Nets.

East Rutherford, New Jersey: where amazing doesn't happen.

For video proof, watch the highlights from last night's snoozefest against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Good Night & Good Luck: Thank You Bob Sheppard

Charlie Klein

Bob Sheppard, once called the 'Voice of God' by Reggie Jackson, turned off the microphone today announcing that he will not attempt to come back to the Yankee Stadium speakers after announcing lineups in the Bronx for the last 50 years.

"It's time to accept the fact that I had a great run," said Sheppard. "A great run. And I only made a few mistakes along the way."

Sheppard, 99, has been the public address announcer at the Stadium for more years than my father has been alive. He has been present for 14 of the franchise's 27 World Series Championships and had his own unique announcing style that was just one of the many unique attractions to any baseball fan visiting Yankee Stadium for the first time.

I hope that Bob Sheppard and his voice find a way into Cooperstown.

Gabriel Obertan: The Next Ronaldo?

Charlie Klein

As anyone who follows world football by now knows, Manchester United sold the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a record 80 million pounds last summer. With the 'Ronaldo Money' United bought Luis Antonio Valencia (17m), Gabriel Obertan (3m) and Michael Owen (free). While most (including yours truly) rushed to anoint Valencia as Ronaldo's replacement, perhaps such an assessment was a bit rushed. Valencia does play the right midfield position that Ronaldo occupied for most of his United tenure, but truth be told Ronaldo was more of a forward in a 4-3-3 that United played with last season.

While Valencia has taken all of the pressure of 'replacing' Ronaldo, 20 year-old Gabriel Obertan has begun to show flashes of Ronaldo-like potential. In his handful of appearances this season, Obertan has provided a spark on the wings that his Portuguese counterpart Luis Nani has been unable to contribute. His elegant step overs and blistering pace, especially when United counterattack, are a joy to watch. Every time he enters the game the commentators say that they have heard nothing but great things from their French counterparts about the potential of Obertan.

It may be a bit too soon to label Obertan as 'The Next Ronaldo.' He is only 20 and has much to do in order to live up to that potential. And I personally am not a fan of calling players the next so and so, but I thought that this may spark some debate. If there was anything good about United's performance yesterday in the Champions League it was that Obertan played a full 90 minutes.

This is a video of one of Obertan's reserves appearances, notice especially what number he is wearing.

Orlando, Florida: Where Amazing Happened

Charlie Klein

Sometimes I wish I had a stronger capacity to stick with games that appear to be uninteresting and already decided in the third quarter. Last night I opted for watching the Dallas Stars St. Louis Blues game, which was great in its own right, but I probably should have watched the game between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat instead. As Juelz Santana put it, don't watch me, watch tv. So check out these highlights from last night's best game.

Why I Love Shootouts

Charlie Klein

The NHL has made some great changes over the past few seasons to make their games more exciting for the casual viewer. While this blog has criticized the commissioner for many things, the shootouts which decide games have been entertaining to watch and a great solution to the tie game problem. Last night there were two great shootouts between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers, and the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues. Enjoy these videos.

New York Rangers vs. Florida Panthers

Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues

Daily Fail: Nate Robinson

Charlie Klein

There is one thing that may never be taken away from Nate Robinson, he is one of the most exciting little guys in the Association. Surely the man who famously dunked over Dwight Howard would be smart enough to know at which basket he ought to be shooting, right?

Wrong. In last night's Knickerbockers win over the still winless New Jersey Nets, Kryptonate was almost Kryptonite for his New York Knicks after he almost hit a buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter. Ultimately I think that Robinson knew what he was doing and was aware that time had already expired, but when one watches the replay it's clear that the shot were it attempted mere milliseconds earlier could have resulted in an extra three points for the Nets, who probably could use a bit of charity like that this season.

Here is that dunk over Dwight Howard, just because I love watching it, and I imagine that you do too.

Around the Bases: Cy Youngs and Big Contracts

Charlie Klein

Now that the Yankees have celebrated all that there is to celebrate after winning another World Championship with another overly-inflated, impossible to compete with payroll, we may now focus our collective attentions on end of the season awards and free agency.

Cy Young

Zack Greinke fully deserved to win in the American League. As much as I did campaign for Felix Hernandez, Greinke's ERA of 2.16 in the DH era is unfathomable. Combine that ERA with a WHIP of 1.07 and one has the most dominant pitcher in the American League. And for a team like the Kansas City Royals, who never receive much media attention, they finally have a pitcher who is worthy of all the buzz.

In the National League there was much more controversy. Tim Lincecum won his second consecutive Cy Young Award in his first two seasons in the Major Leagues. And yet no one is talking about the emergence of one of the most dominant pitchers of a generation. In two seasons Lincecum has cemented his name in the MLB record books with names like Maddux, Johnson, and Koufax. Instead all of the talk is about Keith Law who put Javier Vazquez second to Lincecum on his ballot. That decision just makes me lose quite a bit of respect for Law. Comparing Vazquez's numbers with Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter's, there is no doubt in my mind that the pair of Cardinals aces deserve the award over Vazquez. This year's NL Cy Young was the tightest that it has been for a few years, when at least three players deserved to win the award. In the end, these awards almost become more of a popularity contest than anything else. But Lincecum definitely deserved the award and should feel no misgivings in accepting it.

"We're goin' fishin'"

It is now officially time for MLB Free Agency, and with it, the speculation over which big name is going where and for how much. The two biggest names in the market are Matt Holliday and John Lackey. Holliday, who hit .324 for 24 HRs and 109 RBIs playing for Oakland and St. Louis, is expected to sign a mammoth deal with any of the big market clubs. The New York Mets, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, or the Los Angeles Dodgers all appear to be popular destinations for Holliday. John Lackey, 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA and a WHIP of 1.27 in an injury shortened '09 figures to be the best pitcher on the market. And it figures that all of the usual suspects are involved in the Lackey sweepstakes.

Some of the other less marquee names on the market have been catching my interest. Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels is one such player. The pocket rocket, sorry Maurice Richard, can play almost any position on the field and is incredibly quick. Given my disdain for him, it would not surprise me at all if the Phillies were to sign him to at least platoon with if not start over Pedro Feliz at 3B. Mark DeRosa is another player who can play multiple positions that can also swing a decent bat, in whom many teams ought to be interested this winter. Neither Figgins nor DeRosa will land A-Rod money, but ought to do their new clubs a whole lot of good in the 2010 MLB season.

Daily Fail: Mark Mangino & The Kansas University Football Team

Charlie Klein

Now I am not the biggest fan of Mark Mangino. Every time I see video of him I feel like if he ate just one more five dollar footlong meatball sandwich from subway that his incredibly inflated body might finally explode out of his quadruple XL Kansas letterman jacket and onto the field. But, I do have to come to his defense on the current criticism that he is receiving for being a "hard ass" on his players.

The idea that he poked one of his players in the chest should not be so alarming that overly-protective parents get involved and cry for his resignation. If Kansas' record was 8-2 instead of 5-5 I doubt this story would have even come out. No college coach treats his players like royalty. As I heard on ESPN yesterday, I am sure that Nick Saban is not baking cookies for his players down in Alabama.

The quotations by former players about the manner in which Mangino coached them during their time in Lawrence are dismaying. Former Kansas wide receiver Marcus Herford said, "He'd say things like 'I'll send you back to the street corner where you came from.' " It hurts to have one's coach say things like that, but at the same time one has to man up if he wants to play football for Kansas. These players act like they had no idea what they were getting into, when Mangino had a reputation for this sort of coaching style, and yet all of them agreed to play football for him.

This story reminds me of the Michigan over-practicing controversy of the summer. If the harms were as egregious as the player claimed, then such information would have been leaked at an earlier time and corrected by the NCAA. The story basically became some players being too lazy and dissatisfied with their coach, enough so to tell the media about it.

Mangino certainly has said things to his players that may curdle some parent's cream. But I'd say shame on them for not realizing what they were getting their children into when they signed a letter of intent to play for their 300 pound ball coach.

Rock Chalk.

Dunks of the Week

Charlie Klein

Dear God I am so happy that the NBA has returned so that I can see smaller men dunk over taller men! This week had some pretty fantastic dunkalicious dunks including two each from Richard Jefferson of the Spurs and Andre Igoudala of the 76ers. The one dunk I want a poster of is D-Wade throwing it down over Anderson Varejao who is one my least favourite NBA players. Enjoy the beauty that is the NBA.

Veterans Day in Sports

Charlie Klein

Days like Veteran's Day, you know, days on which we are supposed to reflect on those who have experienced things beyond what we have done in our lives, are sometimes difficult to relate to one's own life. I am sitting here at my computer wondering how best to honour those who have made incredible sacrifices in order for me to enjoy the life that I have.

Sports is probably the biggest contributor to my upbringing, more so than for many others whose livelihoods were not dependent upon a sports team. Therefore, I view most things through the lens of sports and how it impacts the world and myself. There are always stories within sports that relate to issues of greater importance. On a day like Veteran's Day, where we honour those who serve or have served in the United States Armed Forces, it would only be natural for me to reflect upon my experiences with the Naval Academy football team.

When my family and I lived in Annapolis, Maryland we sponsored a Midshipman. For those who are not familiar with how this works, it is basically when a family who lives within a certain mile radius of the Academy decides that they would like to "adopt" a Middie to take them out to dinner or invite them over to their house. The Midshipman that we received from the Academy was Lenter Thomas, a safety in the USNA football programme (bear in mind that I was about 10 years-old). My family and I would take him out to dinner in Annapolis or have him over to our house, where Lenter and I would play Madden until it was time for him to return.

It was Lenter who got my father and I field passes to an Army vs. Navy game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. It was my first time attending one of these games, and as a sports fan it is an occasion that ought to make every sports fan's bucket list. I remember walking on that old astro-turf field and thinking how cool it was to be there. Navy won the game and my father and I met up with Lenter before we returned to Annapolis.

My father used to also work at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. My family and I would attend Naval Academy games and watch them, for the most part, lose to mid-major teams. It was, however, an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

As I reflect upon Veterans Day and my experiences with those who have served, I cannot thank those who have given everything to ensure that I can enjoy the freedoms that I have. I may not agree with the causes that force such men and women into harm's way, but I will always support our troops.

Let us sports geeks not forget, especially today, what brave sacrifices our athletes made to preserve our freedoms.

Empire State of Mind: New York Yankees Get No. 27

Charlie Klein

Start overturning cars in the Bronx, the New York Yankees have won the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series 4-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies last night in the Bronx.

Number 27 took what must have felt like decades in New York minutes. Hideki Matsui provided all of the offense needed by the Bronx Bombers driving in six runs tying a World Series record and received the World Series MVP Award. Andy Pettite threw 5.2 innings giving up three earned runs, but it is the Yankees bullpen that deserves all of the credit for winning this game. Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte stepped up and got some incredibly clutch outs.

For the Philadelphia Phillies, there is not much of which to be ashamed. For a team with relatively little history of success, to make two consecutive World Series is a major accomplishment for the Phightin' Phils. They just did not have the starting pitching necessary to beat the Yankees over a seven game series.

Personally if a team were to have a 200 million dollar payroll it had damn well better win a World Series every year. So while it is an accomplishment to win it, it is not much of a shock.

As Alex Rodriguez said, "We're gonna party!" Enjoy Kate A-Rod, you're a lucky man. Good luck finding that soul of yours you lost when you left Seattle.

Debate: 2009 World Series Best in Last Five Years?

Charlie Klein

The 2009 Major League Baseball World Series is the best World Series for a neutral fan to watch since the 2002 World Series in which the Los Angeles Angels defeated the San Francisco Giants in seven games. This statement is unquestionable given a simple glance at the World Series of the past seven years. No World Series has gone seven games since 2002. No Series has gone more than five games since 2003.

Game Six of the 2009 Fall Classic is tonight in the Bronx at the Stadium. Personally, I despise both of the participants this season and yet I have not been able to take my eyes away from any of the games thus far. All of my gripes about exorbitant payrolls aside, these two teams are a match made in heaven. Both teams are very similar as much as their fans would prefer to think otherwise.

The New York Yankees led MLB in homeruns with 244 and Philadelphia led the National League with 224 bombs. The two teams have the best lineups top to bottom in the AL and NL. Both teams have two Cy Young Award winners from the Cleveland Indians. Both have first baseman that were in the top ten in MLB in homeruns who also are candidates for a Gold Glove in the field.

This World Series has also had better story lines than any in recent memory. Tonight's pitching match up (Pedro Martinez vs. Andy Pettite) is a throwback to all of those classic Red Sox Yankees games in years-gone-by. As a baseball fan I enjoyed Game Two just so that I could hear the reaction of Yankee fans to Pedro's return to the Stadium in a World Series game. Could Chase Utley win the World Series MVP even if the Phillies lose tonight? While I despise Chase Utley and wonder how he can ever take off his hat without it getting stuck to all of that hair gel, I have to respect his incredible power numbers in this series. Is Joe Girardi good enough to manage a team like the New York Yankees? My thing with Girardi is that sometimes he is guilty of overmanaging, but that is not unique to him. Seeing my Yankee fan friends joining facebook groups calling for his dismissal seem ludicrous considering how close the Bronx Bombers are to claiming No. 27.

I do think that this World Series will go seven games. Andy Pettite has not pitched on three days rest after throwing 100 pitches since 2001 and has not thrown on three days rest period since 2006. I feel like Pedro will have learned from his last start in Yankee Stadium and will show the crowd who their Papi is this time around. What will be interesting to watch in this game is whether or not Mark Texeira and Ryan Howard can break out of their slumps and give their teams some much needed power.

Daily Fail: Syracuse University Men's Basketball

Charlie Klein

The Most Poorly Managed Franchise in the NFL: Washington Redskins

Charlie Klein

The Washington Redskins are without equivocation the most poorly managed franchise in professional sports. According to Forbes the franchise is worth about $1 billion and has one of the largest fan bases of any team in the NFL. Fedex Field's capacity is second only to the new Cowboys Stadium holding 91,704 persons at capacity. The Redskins are the team in the District of Columbia and for much of the surrounding area.

All of these basic fundamentals would lead one to believe that the Redskins are a recession-proof outfit. That statement could not be any more fallacious even if it was uttered by Rush Limbaugh. Ever since Daniel Snyder purchased the Redskins in 1999 for $800 million from the Cooke family, the team has continued to spend money in the free agent market and has seen the team fail to achieve much postseason success under the reign of Snyder. The Redskins have had six coaches at the helm since Snyder purchased the team. Norv Turner, Terry Robiskie, Marty Shottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Joe Gibbs, and Jim Zorn have all coached the team, and only Shottenheimer left the team with a .500 or better win percentage.

This video parodies Dan Snyder's inability to find a coach for the future.

Many Redskins fans attribute the team's lack of success this season to head coach Jim Zorn. And yet, he is only a symptom of the much larger sickness that plagues the once proud franchise. The corporate atmosphere that Daniel Snyder has brought to the Redskins was meant to be similar to the style in which the Steinbrenner family runs the New York Yankees. Unlike the Steinbrenners, Snyder has not hired the right people to manage the talent on the field. As Colin Cowherd explained at the end of 2008, the 'Skins pale in comparison to the Baltimore Ravens in terms of putting a good product out onto the field.

Vinny Cerrato, the Executive Vice President of Football Operations, has signed players to ridiculous contracts (Albert Haynesworth, 7 years, 100 million) and has drafted poorly (three pass catchers in the second round) and somehow still has a job. The man he replaced, Charley Casserly, during his years in the NFL has been proven to have a better eye for talent, drafting Champ Bailey and Mario Williams instead of two over-hyped running backs (Ricky Williams and Reggie Bush). Cerrato's inability to find proper talent to put on the playing field in addition to his poor head coaching hires are a main reason for why the Redskins continue to disappoint every season.

The organisation is not doing a good job of maintaining positive relations with fans. The Redskins have banned all signs at Fed Ex Field following the popular anti-Snyder signs that were showing up at games in the arms of dissatisfied fans. The club released a statement that explained the sign ban as being a measure to ensure that a fan's view of the field is not blocked by some obnoxious sign. What such a rule fails to recognize is that: A) most fans do not have their signs up for an entire game B) signs have never been so numerous that such a ban was necessary in the past and C) fans probably do not even want to watch what is happening on the field anyway, such is the form the team has found itself mired in.

This YouTube clip was forwarded to me by an employee at Fed Ex Field which just exemplifies everything that has been the Washington Redskins for the past nine years.

The Redskins are the makers of their own misery. With such a profitable franchise, in a good media market and a solid fan base, the 'Skins ought to be one of the best organisations in the NFL. And yet every season they continue to push the team into further states of mediocrity. Their fans every preseason drink the sports radio 980AM Kool-Aid that tells them things like "This defense could be the best we've had in YEARS." And by week eight every Redskins fan finds themselves saying "Oh no!" instead of "Oh yeah."