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."

Game of the Weekend: Manchester United v. Liverpool

Charlie Klein

Liverpool versus Manchester United is the best rivalry is professional sports. It is more passionate than Yankees Red Sox, matches more evenly based on history than Celtics Lakers, and is more regionally defined than Ohio State Michigan.

For all of you new European football fans, I will break it down like this. Manchester United and Liverpool are the two most successful teams in the history of English football. Liverpool has won five European Championships and has appeared in the final of the Champions League twice in the past five years. Liverpool has also won the English League 18 times. Manchester United has won three European Championships and has appeared in the final of the Champions league twice in the past two years. United has also won 18 League titles, including three straight Barclays Premier League championships. Liverpool has not won a league title since the introduction of the English Premier League in 1992.

This weekend the enemies face each other for the first time this season in the dreary town of Liverpool. Neither team enters this game in spectacular form, although it is clear which team would rather this game come at a later date on the fixture list. Liverpool have lost their last four matches in all competitions and looked completely uninspiring in every game. Manchester United come into Anfield unbeaten in their last 11 matches. While United have not looked great doing it, they have managed to grind out the results and sit atop the Premier League whilst Liverpool sulk in eighth.

Anfield has been in shambles this season with the level of criticism of all things Liverpool has reached unprecedented levels. The team's lack of success has led to criticism of everyone from the stewards to the American owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks. Manager Rafa Benitez is received some due criticism about his transfer signings following the Merseysiders' inability to win matches without their two world class players, Steven Gerrard (C) and Fernando Torres. His most expensive signing from the last window has yet to feature in a Liverpool shirt due to injury and his other big buy Glen Johnson has not been a consistent fixture in the Liverpool defense. Additionally, Benitez's rotation policy is beginning to be recognized as fallacious based on the fact that Liverpool do not have the squad depth to effectively carry out the strategy. The Scousers have also been victims of rotten luck, suffering defeat to Sunderland at the weekend from a beach ball thrown onto the pitch by a young Liverpool fan which caused Darren Bent's shot to ricochet away from Pepe Reina and into the goal.

Liverpool have been given a ray of hope coming into the biggest game of the season for them as Fernando Torres is expected to start. Torres owned Nemanja Vidic last season in the second fixture of the United Liverpool derby and ultimately brought about Vidic's sending off. The Scousers are still expected to be without captain Steven Gerrard in midfield which will definitely weaken their chances.

Meanwhile 34 miles to the northwest, Manchester United find themselves in the utter opposite position of their bitterest rivals. Unbeaten in 11 with matchless squad depth, Sir Alex Ferguson has a bevy of options available to him before Sunday's clash. Wayne Rooney remains a major doubt following the calf injury he suffered during England's World Cup Qualifier versus the Ukraine. Darren Fletcher is also an injury concern for Sir Alex as he could miss this fixture due to a groin injury. United this season have been the epitome of the phrase 'gritty champion' having been able to grind out results in spite of their form not being optimal. Such a derby match could bring out the best in United, and I fully expect them to take their chance on Sunday to knock Liverpool out of the title race.

Luis Antonio Valencia has been in stunning form of late, having scored two goals in his last two games.

His goal against Bolton is the pick of the two, and definitely merits a watch. Valencia appears to be settling into life at United after a few shaky performances to start the season. While I do not think he is 'the next Ronaldo' because no one could be that good, he offers some similar qualities and adds a serious commitment to playing on both sides of the midfield line that Ronaldo never did.

As a United fan it is my hope that we thrash Liverpool 5-0 and send them to the depths of the Premier League title race. However, my wishes as a fan are rarely carried out exactly like how I envision them. This match ought to be close, although I expect United to eventually pull away and win 3-1.

Probable Starting XI

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Insua, Babel, Benayoun, Lucas, Mascherano, Kuyt, Torres

Manchester United: Van Der Sar, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Neville, Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Owen, Berbatov.

And who scores the winner, this little girl has the answer.

Why Manchester United Will Lift The EPL Trophy in 2010

Charlie Klein

Round nine of the Barclay's English Premier League brought into sharp reality the nature of the title race this term. Liverpool, robbed of their only world class players, lost to a red balloon at Sunderland and were thoroughly outclassed by a team that finished 16th in the table last season. Chelsea lost it's second consecutive away fixture to Aston Villa on two poorly defended corner kicks. Manchester United won 2-1 on an own goal from Bolton's Zat Knight and Luis Antonio Valencia's first goal in the red of Manchester. Thus, the top four in the EPL are Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal. Liverpool currently sit in eighth.

While I do not think that Liverpool will finish eighth, their stranglehold on a top four position seems to be in major doubt. Gaffer Rafa Benitez has been horribly out of touch tactically this season and again picked a dysfunctional side for a tough away fixture. His inability to sign squad players to provide adequate cover for Gerrard and Torres' absences combined with his rotation policy has led to increased frustration on the part of many Liverpool fans. What's more, Liverpool have already lost twice as many games as they did last season, where they failed to collect a point on only two occasions. Liverpool are not winning the league this season. If anything can be learned from the first nine rounds of 09/10, it is that the top four teams are no longer safe bets to comfortably win 80 percent of their games.

Chelsea began the season in similar to form to the likes of which Luis Felipe Scolari was able to inspire from the Pensioners at the start of 08/09. And yet their past two games have revealed obvious chinks in the armour of what many believed to be a bulletproof outfit. Chelsea's age is beginning to show in addition to their less than impressive defensive form. Chelsea will still challenge for all honours this season, but the loss to Aston Villa is indicative of their inability to win 'ugly.'

This season is not going to be about 6-1 thrashings of relegation fodder. That is why I still do not view Arsenal as a serious title contender. Their 3-1 win over Birmingham at home, while a good result, still does not identify the Gunners as major threats to United's crown. Champions are often defined and made by their capability to win under any circumstances. Manchester United's history is defined by such moments, whether they be the famous 2-1 1999 Champions League Final win over Bayern Munich or defeating Manchester City in the 96th minute on a goal from Michael Owen in the last Manchester derby.

Manchester United's ability to grind out results that they may or may not deserve is unquestioned. The match at home versus Sunderland is a perfect example of this unique capability. Down 2-1 in stoppage time, Patrice Evra bursts into the box and haphazardly fires a horrid shot into the box, which is deflected by Anton Ferdinand into the back of the net to save a key point from the jaws of defeat. Another example of this is the match at home to Arsenal. United turned in one of their worst performances in recent memory and yet still managed to snatch the all-important three points. It is this intangible concept that pushes United on to a fourth consecutive EPL title.

The boys in red have all of the necessary qualities to repeat as champions for the fourth consecutive season. The amount of squad depth that Sir Alex Ferguson has available to him is truly ridiculous. One only needs to look at the possible starting central midfield options to come to the same conclusion. Ferguson's first choice central midfield pairing so far this season has been Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes, and yet the pairing that started versus Bolton of Anderson and Michael Carrick did a fantastic job in their stead. Add returning midfield dynamo Owen Hargreaves to the mix and Sir Alex has quite a selection headache. All of those five central midfielders could be considered world class or to have that potential.

Many people inside and outside the game of football said that United would struggle to score goals without Crisitiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez leaving the club in the summer window. Thus far, how clear for all to see is the fact that United are again top of the table without either. The goals continue to come from a diverse group of men. Dimitar Berbatov has settled into life at United and his goal versus Sunderland was absolutely brilliant. People thought United would fall without old buddy (Ronaldo), but they just keep scoring.

Do not be surprised at all if when you see Manchester United at the top of the table come the business end of the season. Of the top four sides, United has played the most difficult schedule and has managed to simultaneously keep up with the sides at the top. The defining fixtures are still to come, as United visit Anfield next weekend and then go to Stamford Bridge on November 8th. And yet with the return of Owen Hargreaves thinks look to be getting better for the Red Devils of Manchester.

The Best Team In The NHL Is... The New York Rangers

Charlie Klein

As of October 14, 2009, at 10:22 pm the New York Rangers are the best team in hockey. The Rangers are 6-1 and are firing on all cylinders. Not only is this team playing well, every one of their seven games have been exciting and driven by offense.

Over the past ten seasons the Rangers have lacked a team identity. Around the league they had become known as the team that attempted quick fixes for all of their problems. The signings of Eric Lindros, Theoren Fleury, Pavel Bure, Alexei Kovalev, Jaromir Jagr, and Bobby Holik were all indications of GM Glen Sather's misguided philosophy. It was not until the hiring of Tom Renney did the Rangers begin to develop younger talent and ship away their expensive stars. And yet Renney was unable to get the best out of his team, leaving many Rangers fans wanting so much more than they were getting. Enter John Tortorella.

John Tortorella, known as Torts around the Garden these days, has brought new life and true identity to a New York Rangers team that sorely needed both. Much in the way that Sean Avery's introduction to the team in the 2006-2007 season energized the rest of the team, Tortorella has managed to spark even the likes of Wade Redden and Michael Rozsival into at least average performances.

And yet the Rangers disappointed once again in 2008-2009. After going up three games to one on the Washington Capitals, the Blue Shirts proceeded to lose the rest of the games en route to another early exit from the playoffs. Many pointed out that the Rangers just needed more offensive firepower to seriously challenge the likes of the Capitals and the Penguins for the top spots in the Eastern Conference. And GM Glen Sather listened.

During the offseason the Rangers employed an old stand by and dipped their hand into the Dolan family wallet by signing free agent winger Marian Gaborik from the Minnesota Wild. Gaborik, incredibly talented, but oft-injured, has been a force for the Rangers this season with 10 points from seven games. Also brought in were defenseman Matt Gilroy, Vinny Prospal, Donald Brashear, Ales Kotalik, and Brian Boyle, all in an effort to make the Rangers more efficient in the offensive zone. The biggest trade made by the Rangers was the Scott Gomez for Christopher Higgins deal with the Montreal Canadiens. I always liked Gomez as a person, but frankly, he was not producing enough and was rightfully sent away. Higgins has yet to settle in for New York, but has shown flashes of what he can do this season.

So why are the Rangers the best team in the league? All of the pieces are starting to come together. The defensive quartet of Marc Staal, Daniel Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, and Matt Gilroy are coming together perfectly for Glen Sather and John Tortorella, and their average age is 23 years old. Brandon Dubinsky centres one of the best lines in the Eastern Conference, providing the much needed grit and puck-handling ability to meld perfectly with Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik. And the Rangers No. 2 line of Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, and Christopher Higgins has also been strong this season. Then there is always the strong play of the best dressed man in Sweden, King Henrik Lundqvist. The King had another great game tonight at the Garden making key save after key save earning the First Star of the game versus the Kings.

The Rangers started the 2008-2009 season in similar form. What makes this year different? It the new identity forged by coach John Tortorella. Having watched them defeat the Washington Capitals here in D.C. last week, I can personally attest to the fact that this year's Rangers team is much improved, and I expect big things from them this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers NLCS Bound

Charlie Klein

The Los Angeles Dodgers advance to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row following a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals last night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Dodgers dominated the Cardinals in every way imaginable, making it look all too easy in their march to the league championship, holding the Cardinals to six runs over three games.

The most surprising element of the series is the Cardinals' inability to score runs on a Dodgers pitching staff that was drawing much criticism going into the playoffs. A lineup with a 3-4-5 of Ryan Ludwick, Albert Pujols, and Matt Holliday was thought to be a major driving force to the Cardinals playoff run in October. And yet the trio combined for only three runs batted in and a combined average of .266. How did the Dodgers manage to hold them so easily? Great pitching.

Starters Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw (who we highlighted earlier this year, article done by Puneet Singh), and Vicente Padilla combined for 17.1 innings at a 2.54 ERA. The Dodgers bullpen also contributed with great performances by closer Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, and Ronald Belisario shutting down the anemic Red Birds offense.

The Dodgers look poised for a World Series appearance this fall. They match up well with either the Colorado Rockies or Philadelphia Phillies. Either opponent would be welcome for the Dodgers, who would love to exact revenge on the Phillies or face a familiar opponent in the Rockies. If, and this is a big if, the Dodgers manage to maintain their strong pitching and hitting, look out for them in a few weeks. The Lakers could have company in LA as world champions.