Category: External Sports (Page 139 of 821)

Report: Posada told Yankees that he wanted out

May 17, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

According to a report by Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, designated hitter Jorge Posada told GM Brian Cashman that he wanted off the Yankees when he found out that he was hitting ninth against the Red Sox last Saturday. But a friend of Posada’s says the former catcher was just speaking out of frustration.

In the heat of his anger and frustration Saturday night, Yankee icon Jorge Posada told general manager Brian Cashman amid a flood of F-bombs that he not only wanted out of the No. 9 spot in the Yankee batting order – he wanted out of the Yankees, too, according to team sources.
“It was just something said in the heat of anger and frustration,” a close friend of Posada’s said of the former catcher’s angry comments to Cashman and manager Joe Girardi in which he took himself out of the lineup an hour before Saturday’s game against the Red Sox.
“What happened had nothing to do with being dropped to ninth in the batting order. It was just the combination of everything building up in him – his frustration at not helping the team and the feeling that, right now, he sucks, and that everything in his world is pretty (expletive).
“He didn’t want out, and doesn’t want out,” the friend added. “He was just frustrated and said a lot of things.”

Posada is currently hitting .165 as the Bombers’ DH and is going through some personal issues as well. His son, Jorge Luis, is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct craniosynostosis, which is a condition in which normal brain and skull growth are affected. The procedure, which will take place on June 8, is hoped to be his last surgery to correct the problem.

There have been many fans on the internet boards that are screaming for the Yankees to cut ties with Posada and move on. But nobody knows what this guy is going through and he has already apologized to the team for his immaturity over the weekend. He was in the wrong and he apologized. If he doesn’t start hitting then Cashman and Joe Girardi can figure out what’s best for the team and go from there.

But how many of us get so tired of our situations that we burst out in frustration and say things we don’t mean? Hell, I think I do it on a weekly basis. Let’s cut Posada some slack and see how the situation plays out. He’s a four-time World Series champion and a five-time All-Star. If he’s done, the Yankees will make that decision when the time comes. For now, let’s give the man a little time.

External Sports, MLB

Brian Cashman Jorge Posada jorge posada lineup New York Yankees

Western Conference Finals Commentary

May 17, 2011 / John Paulsen

Sekou Smith, NBA.com: This matchup between these two outfits in the Western Conference finals provides a unique glimpse of the past (Mavericks), present (whoever wins this series) and perhaps the future (Thunder) of the elite in the West. … So instead of Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan waging a battle of seasoned champions to reach yet another NBA Finals, twin freaks of nature and dueling superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant are left to fight it out for the right to face either the Bulls or Heat for that coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. Had either one of their teams made it this far and faced the Lakers or Spurs to get to the championship round, it wouldn’t have been much of a shock. But now that they’re here facing one another, this clash between these two would-be rivals can take its place among the many interstate showdowns folks in Texas and Oklahoma have enjoyed over the years.

J. Michael Falgoust, USA Today: This is the Mavs’ first trip back to the conference finals, and they — like their star — are fighting the label that still defines them from their three first-round exits since. In 2007, they became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 after the NBA switched to a seven-game series format. Even after winning 57 games this season and entering the playoffs as the West’s No. 3 seed, the Mavericks appeared to be heading down a familiar path. They lost a 23-point lead in the second half of a first-round game against the Portland Trail Blazers and fell into a 2-2 tie in the series. But they closed out the Blazers by winning the next two, the finale coming on the road, then made the NBA take notice by sweeping the Lakers. It was a big step for Nowitzki and the Mavericks toward getting that first ring.

Barry Tramel, The Oklahoman: Old means wise. Old means experienced. Old means skilled, since one thing the NBA doesn’t tolerate is old and bad. Young means fresh. Young means fast. Young means never having to say you’re tired. The Western Conference Finals begin Tuesday night at American Airlines Center, and it’s a classic matchup. Can the Mavs make the Thunder pay for youthful mistakes? Not finding Terry on the wing. Leaping to block a Dirk Nowitzki shot that has yet to be launched. Can the Thunder make the Mavs pay for old joints? Not having anyone with a prayer of guarding Russell Westbrook. Not getting back quickly when the Thunder seizes possession and takes off like the Oklahoma Land Run. … If the Thunder pushes the ball, turns this series into a sprint relay, the Thunder is NBA Finals bound. But if the Mavericks control tempo, if this series becomes a game of halfcourt offense, Dallas will win and probably easily.

Jennifer Floyd Engel, Dallas Star-Telegram: And all of this happy-happy, joy-joy local May basketball fun is brought to you by the Mavs’ good friend and frequent companion in recent postseason, sports disappointment. I submit the catalyst for all this happiness was the ugly Game 4 meltdown in Portland on April 23. Every long playoff run has a seminal moment, a point in hindsight that you look back upon and go, “Aha — that is where this run started.” Dallas’ seminal moment, for me at least, was the immediate aftermath of that Game 4 choke as well as the team’s Game 5 reaction a couple of days later. The Mavs took it in, sucked it up and punched back hard. They have been whaling on opponents ever since.

External Sports, NBA

2011 Playoffs

Appeals court sides with NFL, lockout remains

May 17, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The owners received a major victory on Monday night when the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NFL’s stay, meaning the lockout is no longer temporary.

While this may not be good news for fans in the short term (because the lockout continues), it should force the players and owners to head back to the negotiating table. The owners want to stay out of court and have blamed the players for preferring litigation. The owners are now expected to draw up a new CBA proposal soon, which could be viewed as a positive sign.

The owners are in a great position here because the same panel that sided with the league to keep the lockout in place will also hear arguments next month on the legality of the NFL’s work stoppage. Thus, it could be assumed that the owners would win their appeal on June 3 if the two sides can’t come to an agreement before then.

The most frustrating part about this labor dispute is that the answer to the lockout has been in front of the owners and players’ faces this entire time: Negotiation. Way back in February and March when the old CBA was still in place, observers kept commenting on how the best course of action was for the two sides to come to an agreement and stay out of the courts. But the players seemingly made up their minds that they wanted litigation when they decided to decertify, which made it hard for the two sides to come to an agreement at the start.

Now we’re right back where we started from, and negotiation is the best way to end the madness. Maybe this time the two sides will get it right and actually hammer out a new CBA deal before even more damage is done.

External Sports, NFL

2011 NFL lockout NFL lockout nfl owners vs players nfl stay granted