Spring Semester Check-In

It has been far too long since I've last posted, so I wanted to check in and drop a few thoughts (and hopefully, some knowledge). Due to the end of the fall semester (and the various stresses that come up at that time of the year), along with the holiday season and winter recess, the time has been flying by.
Despite the culmination of the football season with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning their NFL-record sixth world championship, there is much to look forward to as we move deeper into the new year. Football will be reappearing in the headlines before we can even fully digest this past season, with free agency beginning on Feb. 27 and some major names possibly being on the move. And we will surely see hundreds of mock drafts come and go as we approach the combine, and eventually, the draft in April.
Both the NBA and NHL are cruising past their seasons halfway points, and have trade deadlines coming up which should provide some intriguing storylines heading down the stretch. The teams at the top of the Eastern Conference have clearly caught up to the best of the West, and we should have some great matchups come Conference Finals time (and don't forget about March Madness for all of you college basketball fans, or of course, bracket-loving gamblers).
And believe it or not, we are less than a week away from pitchers and catchers reporting and the beginning of spring training. To wet our appetites, the World Baseball Classic will give Team USA a chance for redemption after a poor showing in the inaugural WBC two years ago.
I've got a few thoughts I'd like to share, so we'll give this a go in a footnote sort-of style (with some links attached). And to to start, we're going to keep running with the MLB/Spring Training theme.

• A-Roid?

The most scrutinized athlete in New York can expect the same treatment, and much worse, this upcoming season thanks to a Sports Illustrated report that was released on Saturday claiming that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steriods in 2003. The test was supposed to be used as an anonymous survey in order to determine if it was necessary to implement mandatory random drug testing throughout the league. SI has reported that there were 104 players (over five percent of the league) who tested positive, but only A-Rod's name has been leaked. The results of the tests are supposed to be kept confidential, making it extremely difficult to track down whoever decided to tarnish A-Rod, and only A-Rod.
There is a very good chance that Rodriguez has grounds for legal action based on the fact that there are court orders that forbid releasing any information from those tests publicly, but ultimately, that won't matter. It may not be fair that A-Rod alone was singled out and targeted for defamation, but in the court of public opinion the bottomline will remain that the three-time MVP's name will now forever be linked to the likes of Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire.
As ESPN's Buster Olney astutely points out, "this is a scarlet letter that really will never go away." Despite the fact that there is surely more information that should surface before A-Rod is left for dead, this story will not be one that is easily forgotten. Now that fans have heard his named linked to steroids, there is really no way for him to get rid of the stink. A sure-fire Hall of Famer's career has now been put in jeopardy, and it doesn't seem like there is any way for Rodriguez to avoid the storm heading his way.
If the report isn't true, or somehow we have been fed misinformation, then I feel sorry for A-Rod. The man who hasn't been able to catch a break since he's come to New York (despite two MVP awards in five seasons) will be forced to carry an unwarranted burden for the rest of his life. And unless he can come up with some concrete, extremely convincing evidence, him denying the report simply won't be enough.
If it is true, then there is really only one logical path for A-Rod to follow. Admit it. As daunting a task as it may seem to be, the often criticized star could do no better for himself than if he fesses up. He'll still have to answer all the questions, and deal with all of the controversy, but at least he can hope that eventually he may be able to move past it. Look at the cases of Bonds, McGwire, Roger Clemens, etc. They lied and denied, resulting in being labeled not only as cheaters, but also as liars. A-Rod should take a lesson from his teammate Andy Pettitte, who admitted his wrongdoing, and has largely been forgiven in the eyes of the public. Everybody makes mistakes, but not everyone is humble enough to say, "I'm sorry, I screwed up."
Of course, with A-Rod on his way to surpassing Bonds as the all-time home run king, his star shines significantly brighter than Pettitte's. So he must expect much brighter spotlights than that which Pettitte had to deal with. But if he's smart (and presummably guilty), he should admit his wrong and do his best to make this distraction as minimal as possible, for the sake of his teammates.
Heading into a spring training where the Yankees expected their brand-spanking-new signees to steal most of the attention away from A-Rod, he has now catapulted to the forefront once again. This is a sad saga that unfortunately is more likely to get worse before it gets better. A-Rod's legacy will probably never be the same, and the least he can do now for his team is to man up, and bite the bullet. It could make a major difference in how the 2009 season turns out for the Yankees.

• Let's get something straight...
  

Any of you who think it's even a remote possibility that Derek Jeter retires anything but a Yankee are crazy.
The New York Post's Joel Sherman claims that the Yankees are dreading the day The Captain's current contract expires (after the 2010 season), and would be wise to let him go rather than resign him. Meanwhile, ESPN's Christina Kahrl writes that the Yankees should move Jeter to centerfield, and do it now. I have to say that I take issue with both claims, and feel the need to step in and set the record straight.
It is realistic to claim that after 2010 Jeter will no longer be playing shortstop, and will inevitably be replaced by a younger, more defensively capable player. But, also consider this: by then none of the Yankees current outfielders will be under contract (Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera, Xavier Nady, etc.). If Nady has a good year this upcoming season you can expect the Yanks to lock him up as their rightfielder for the immediate future, but Damon and Matsui will almost surely be gone. The organization clearly hopes by 2010 Austin Jackson will emerge as a starting-caliber centerfielder, and the talk of Jeter moving there even if A-Jax doesn't pan out would never work. But, reserving a spot in leftfield would require less speed and range on the part of Jeter, while keeping his bat in the lineup on his march to 3,000 hits.
It's ridiculous to talk as if his offense would be a burden within two years - last year, which many considered a down year, he still hit .300. His power might be diminishing, but that was never his game in the first place. He's still good for around 200 hits per season, and you can't replace his intangibles or leadership. It's not a matter of resigning him for any sentimental reasons, its matter of recognizing what he still means to the team and making the proper adjustments to ensure his influence remains intact in the clubhouse.
The man is a Hall of Famer (and he's not that old, yet). Show some respect.

• The Knicks: No Longer a Laughingstock (and much sooner than we expected)!

When Donnie Walsh took over the Knicks and promptly replaced the incompetent Isiah Thomas with Mike D'Antoni, you knew things were heading in the right direction. When Walsh was able to dump the oversized contracts of the likes of Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, setting the organization up to be a major player come the Summer of LeBron, even more hope was restored. But the fact that they are playing decent basketball, and (gulp) in the playoff hunt now has to be the most surprising thing that has happened since the Walsh/D'Antoni era has begun.
I know they just lost three straight to the Lakers, Cavs and Celtics (in that order), but that would be a brutal stretch for any team. Plus, consider this: they played both Boston and Cleveland in December and lost those games by 19 and 36, respectively. Since then, the Knicks have beaten Boston once, and this week they lost to them by 10, and lost to Cleveland by only five. The improvement may be slow and steady, but at least it exists.
One must also consider that the Knicks do not have any resemblance of what you would consider to be a star player, or even a Mo Williams-type (meaning, a complimentary star). They traded away their two best scorers (Randolph and Crawford), for a player who hadn't played all season (Al Harrington), an aging bench player (Tim Thomas) and a guy who was forced to retire for health reasons before ever even putting on a Knicks uniform (Cuttino Mobley). And with an eight (sometimes nine) man rotation of essential castaways, the Knicks have still been playing high-energy, fun-to-watch basketball. And despite their lack of talent, it has been extremely refreshing. After years of embarassment, I find myself tuning into the games much more often.
A playoff berth would inevitably lead to a first round loss to the likes of Boston or Cleveland. But, it would also serve as a huge step for a franchise that wasn't expected to even sniff the playoffs for at least another two years. It would also send a message to the LeBron-types that the culture is changing.
Currently, the Knicks have four players who will be under contract through 2010: Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Jared Jefferies and Eddy Curry. Chandler and Gallinari are keepers. Chandler has been very impressive in his second year, and is probably the Knicks best perimeter defender. He's also shown a much better shooting touch than expected.
Gallinari, who is the first major piece that Walsh has brought in, had a discouraging start to his career due to back issues, but he has come back sooner than expected and played surprisingly well. He has shown good energy, solid court-vision and the type of scoring instincts we were told to expect. It's really a matter of gaining experience and staying healthy, but it appears the 20-year-old Italian has the tools.
If Walsh could find a way to unload Curry or Jefferies (or better yet, both), the Knicks will have the ability to offer big contracts to the free agents of their choice come 2010. Curry will be particularly tough to move, mainly because right now he holds no value whatsoever for other teams. He's overpaid, overweight and now viewed as damaged goods. But at this point I'm sure Walsh would be willing to give him up for a bag of balls.
Assuming Walsh somehow unloads one of the two, they stand to have only about three players on their current roster under contract (plus any draft picks, but Utah gets the Knicks 2010 first round pick if it's in the lottery). While this presents many options, it also is a risky position to be in. It would be tough to shell out max contracts to the likes of a LeBron James or a Chris Bosh, while still being able to build a decent supporting cast around them. This is why the Knicks will need to decide on who they have that they want to keep, and try to lock them up before their price tags get too high.
ESPN's Chad Ford wrote about the Phoenix Suns, who are shopping All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire. He drew up trade scenarios for the Suns, including an offer the Knicks could possibly make to reunite Stoudemire with his old coach, D'Antoni. He said a trade in which the Knicks send Nate Robinson, David Lee and Stephon Marbury's expiring contract could bring back both Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa. This would be an extremely tempting deal for Walsh, and one he would have to consider because it would make the Knicks better immediately, while creating more excitement among the fan base. But as Ford points out, Stoudemire's contract would create much less cap flexibility for the Knicks down the road. Also, by adding Stoudemire and subtracting Lee and Robinson, you are losing the all-out hustle approach that has be evident thus far for the Knicks. Don't forget, the reason the Suns are considering trading Stoudemire is because of his lack of production on the defensive end of the floor. The Suns might also be reluctant to include Barbosa in the deal.
If the Knicks save the money, they have more flexibility to weigh out options over the course of the next year and a half. They also maintain the ability to extend the contracts of the likes of Lee, Robinson, Chris Duhon and possibly even Harrington, who has flourished under D'Antoni and become the Knicks leading scorer. If they can draft well, add a few complimentary pieces (perhaps Steve Nash with a D'Antoni discount after being quoted calling this season, "...the toughest year of my career. By far."), then they stand a good chance of landing LeBron, who clearly has a soft spot for NYC. And that man is a beast.
Regardless of what happens between now and 2010, the Knicks find themselves in a much more positive situation than they were at this time last year. Even if they don't land LeBron (which would be a major disappointment in the eyes of New Yorkers, fair or not), they will surely be able to bring in some significant talent.
There is still plenty of work to be done, but you can finally sense some optimism. Knicks fans, it may be OK to remove the brown paper bags from your heads.

Stay tuned. I'll be periodically updating the blog when motivation strikes...