Ballgame’s Points

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...]

Anyone who watched Kobe Bryant get thoroughly handled by Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals knew the other shoe would drop soon enough. The guy has never been able to stomach losing — from growing up in Italy challenging his dad’s teammates to games of one-on-one as a tyke to rounding [Read More...]

National pride is a sensation that — for most of us — rarely manifests itself in a profound way. As Americans, the concept of nationalism is more or less implicit. We’re intrinsically proud to be American (with caveats) but rarely wake up with a burning desire to be closer to Uncle Sam. It’s for [Read More...]

I received a text from a friend the night before the trade deadline when it looked like Manny Ramirez was headed to South Florida to join the Marlins. The text read: “Worried yet?” My response: “They won’t do it. Not with a dynasty on the line.” (One of the great sports debates is what constitutes [Read More...]

With another MLB trade deadline upon us and most fantasy deadlines looming soon thereafter, it’s time to start dealing. Now is it always imperative to make a move just because some predetermined date in time says you must? No, I’ve never been a proponent of dealing for the sake of dealing. However… Unless your team [Read More...]