Class

“I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can…”

Jay-Z – Empire State of Mind (ft Alicia Keys)

On the same night when Michael Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame…sports history was being made in a place just as hallowed as Springfield, MA. The Bronx, NY is as synonymous with legends, and lore as the Olympics…the main reason is because of the team and players that compete at 161st Street and River Avenue…The New York Yankees.

It is in my opinion appropriate that the Captain, Derek Jeter breaks the all-time hitting record, once held by the “Iron Horse” Lou Gehrig on September 11th. Jeter is accustomed to winning, as he opened the 3rd -inning with a single down the right field line for career hit number 2,722.

It was 8-years ago when the tragic events unfolded in the city that never sleeps, and one of the factors that helped NYC heal was the play of the Yanks as they came within a few moments of the 9th inning from winning their 27th championship. However even in defeat, their resolve and grit did more for the spirt of Gotham than one could dream. They were led by Jeter, the passionate mainstay at shortstop…who several years later is still leading by example, both on and off the diamond.

]]> http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/derek-jeter-immortal/feed/ 4 http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/leave-our-president-alone/ http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/leave-our-president-alone/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:09:19 +0000 Marcus Vanderberg http://blogs.bet.com/news/playahater/?p=1471

I’m on the Disabled List and haven’t had a chance to update the last few days but I did manage to catch our President throw out the first pitch at the MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis.

Barack can’t even throw a first pitch without their being controversy and people questioning his every move.

OK, so maybe his pitch was 59 feet instead of 60-feet, 6-inches.

Who cares.

Leave the man alone.

He got the pitch to Albert Pujols in a straight line and that’s all that matters … right?

Performance-enhancing drugs were very, very good for Sammy Sosa.

Sosa tested positive for a PED in 2003 according to a story published by the New York Times.

The ex-Chicago Cubs star is the latest high profile player to be linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

And like others who have been caught, Sosa denied that he used illegal substances.

During a Congressional Hearing in 2005, Sosa said the following to the House Government Reform Committee:

“To be clear, I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs. I have never injected myself or had anyone inject me with anything. I have not broken the laws of the United States or the laws of the Dominican Republic. I have been tested as recently as 2004, and I am clean.”

Sosa has been out of baseball since 2007 and earlier this year announced he was going to retire from baseball and wait for his call to Cooperstown.

I hope you gave them your cell, Sammy, because you’re going to be waiting for a long time for that phone call.

Alex Rodriguez can breath a sigh of relief.

The new face of banned substances in Major League Baseball is Manny Ramirez.

The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder was suspended 50 games on Thursday after testing positive for a banned substance.

No, this isn’t Manny just being Manny.

This is Manny being a bad teammate after his Dodgers got off to a 21-8 start including a 13-0 record at home.

Ramirez claims the following:

“Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me,” Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players’ union.

“Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”

When will players just confess to their sins and take responsibility for their actions instead of throwing others under the bus?

See ya July 3, Manny.

On Jackie Robinson Day, some good news on the number of Black players in Major League Baseball.

Black players accounted for 10.2 percent of all Major League Players in 2008, the most since 1995.

This comes one season after the percentage was at an all-time low at 8.2 percent.

April 15 marks the 62nd anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier as everyone across the Majors wore #42 on Wednesday in honor of the late Robinson.

The study is conducted by Richard Lapchick, the director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports.

“I think it’s depressing news on top of what’s been a flurry of depressing items when it comes to major league baseball. And if you’re a fan of major league baseball, I think it tarnishes an entire era, to some degree. And it’s unfortunate, because I think there are a lot of ballplayers who played it straight.”

- President Barack Obama on New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitting to using steroids between 2001-2003.

Dang, A-Fraud.

Way to disappoint our new President.

One can only imagine what kind of Bronx welcome Yankee fans will have in store come April.

If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out a special edition of “CostasNOW” with arguably the two greatest baseball stars ever in Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

I was fortunate enough to attend the taping of this historic conversation in July and baseball fans won’t want to miss it.

“CostasNOW” airs Tuesday night at 9pm.

Boston Red Sox fans waking up this morning are probably still hung over from the fact that Manny Ramirez, the face of the franchise for the last eight years, was traded away.

In a three-way deal, Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Red Sox landing outfielder Jason Bay from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yesterday’s trade continues a trend with the Red Sox organization doing whatever it takes to get outspoken players of color out of Boston.

Rewind to 2004 when popular shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was in the middle of a contract dispute with the Red Sox.

Garciaparra turned down a 4-year, $60 million deal and wanted to be paid equivalent to his peers in Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.

Next thing you know, Garciaparra was sent packing, leaving Red Sox fans wondering why did they get rid of “NO-mah.”

“Manny said he didn’t want to leave there,” Garciaparra said. “I didn’t want to leave there. . . . Were we the only ones that have gone through it? There’s a track record.

During the last couple of weeks, Ramirez has become more outspoken, taking direct shots at Red Sox management for not appreciating his talent on the field.

 ”The Red Sox don’t deserve a player like me,” Ramirez told ESPN the other day. “During my years here, I’ve seen how they have mistreated other great players when they didn’t want them, to try to turn the fans against them.

“The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy.”

This wasn’t just “Manny being Manny” in the eyes of Red Sox management.

They were so desperate to trade Ramirez that they are paying the rest of the $7 million on his contract for this season.

Let this be a warning to David Ortiz.

Keep your mouth shut … or else you can join Nomah and Manny out in Hollywood.

Ken Griffey Jr. might finally get his chance for that elusive World Series ring.

The 38-year-old outfielder waived his no-trade clause and accepted a deal that will send him to the Chicago White Sox from the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar.

It’s hard to root against such a class act like Junior, who has managed to stay healthy this season but has struggled at the plate. (.245, 15 HRs, 53 RBIs)

Finding playing time in a crowded White Sox lineup might be a challenge, but he’s a good clubhouse guy and another left-handed bat for the postseason.

(Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

Barry Bonds is still unemployed as the Major League Baseball trade deadline is approaching at the end of the month, naturally stirring up the rumors that one of the 30 MLB teams will pursue the home run king.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets were two teams mentioned but both organizations denied it.

According to Borris, Bonds could be ready for action in just 10 days.

Too bad NOBODY is interested though:

“I am not talking to any club about Barry Bonds,” Borris said, “because they all made it very clear to me they are not interested in him. Every club.

“I can’t believe he doesn’t have a job. No one has offered even the minimum salary. He made the All-Star team last year, and there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t have a repeat performance in 2008, except for the conspiracy against him.”

In 126 games last season, Bonds hit .276 with 28 home runs and 66RBIs with a .480 OBP.

Forget about the legal trouble and steroid allegations for a second – you’re telling me there is not a single team that couldn’t use an extra left-handed bat in the lineup?

Smells like collusion to me.