Ballgame’s Points

There’s always a large swath of the American public that takes little interest in the Olympic Games. Some haven’t the time to follow them; others are irked because “30 Rock” and “The Office” go on a two-week hiatus. Many simply don’t care. For those who do give a hoot, the 21st Olympiad was pretty [Read More...]

Let’s get this straight.  The Angels are the only team with a winning record in the regular season (56-44) against the Yankees over the last decade.  They are the one club that has bumped New York from the playoffs twice in that same time period. Individually and collectively, they’ve gotten to the Yanks one [Read More...]

With exactly one week before the MLB Trade Deadline, Roy Halladay — the biggest prize available — remains a Blue Jay, and general manager J.P. Ricciardi indicated Tuesday the club is unlikely to deal the ace. Naturally, that statement can be chalked up as GM jockeying, and Ricciardi is one of the best in the business [Read More...]

Bill O’Reilly was standing next to third base as the Mets were taking batting practice before Thursday’s game vs. the Dodgers at Citi Field. The real “no spin zone”, however, was a few paces away over in the visitors dugout, where manager Joe Torre was engaging a group of reporters — a handful of whom he [Read More...]

I know, it doesn’t look good. Manny tested positive for a banned substance and is not appealing the automatic 50-game suspension he received as a result. The statement he issued was opaque and dodgy, which is not a surprise considering it was likely penned by Scott Boras. The media response has been ferocious, with everyone from hot air [Read More...]

Heady times in Boston once again. The Red Sox and Yankees are set to tango at Fenway in their inaugural ‘09 series beginning Friday. The Patriots will be on the clock Saturday, as the 2009 NFL Draft fires up. And once the Celtics take care of the Bulls, both the Green and Bruins will [Read More...]

Teams that win national championships are talented, well-coached, deep, resilient … and exceptionally lucky somewhere along the way. Alas, no would-be champion navigates the madness of March without the aid of a rabbit’s foot stashed somewhere precious. What this tournament has taught us is that it’s folly to try and predict bounces of the ball.  Once the [Read More...]

I remember being at the semifinals of the 2003 Big East Championship.  Sitting about 20 rows back of where the baseline meets the sideline at Madison Square Garden, I watched Connecticut and Syracuse go at it. Carmelo Anthony had been the story of the year but on that March night it was Ben Gordon who put [Read More...]

With the Pittsburgh Steelers having just captured their second Super Bowl in four years and sixth overall, it seems like a good time to tackle one of the most subjective and contested concepts in sport, “the dynasty”. How does one define a sports dynasty? Who has rightly deserved the title of dynasty throughout sports history? [Read More...]

Anyone who doesn’t pay for Showtime is sleeping on — hands down — the best football show out there: Inside the NFL. Each week James Brown hosts (and mediates) a forum of Phil Simms, Chris Collinsworth and the inimitable Warren Sapp. The show, formerly of HBO, accomplishes everything NFL fans are looking for on a [Read More...]