It's Been A While...MayPac

The fight that's taken 5 years to make is finally here. Both fighters are ready and primed to step in the ring and deliver,  but not in their respective primes. The public, journalists and fighters wanted it. Did I expect it to finally happen? A prosounding YES. Was it now? No.

But the lights will be bright tomorrow night in Las Vegas. The cameras will be flashing and all the celebrities, boxing pundits and anybody who is anybody (whatever that means) will be there to watch these gladiators engage in battle. Some of us will be sitting on our couches, at a sports bar or at a steak house. Regardless of the fact...everyone is talking about and wants to watch this fight. Whether it's the guy at the newsstand, the old lady at the bus stop, the random "fan" who just wants to know who won so they talk about it the next day or at work that Monday. This is what big fights do. They pull everyone together for a simple goal. To watch two men step in the ring and do what most people avoid...physical combat. Anyone who's been ever called out to fight after school dreaded it. Fighters or rather boxers know it's part of life and they're built with a certain fortitude within. It's part of the job. It's what you were built for. It's LIFE for them. Respect it. Suit and ties get traded in for gloves and trunks. You can "play" basketball, you can "play" baseball, you can "tennis" but you cannot "play" boxing. Guts and glory or defeat. Regardless it's who's will is stronger. No teammates to pull you through. Just me and you.

    So who am I picking to win the fight? 

I was interviewed yesterday at the gym and was asked the $300 million question. By the way that's being modest because it will gross a lot more than that. I simply replied "I just want to watch the fight". That's it. No predictions, no betting, just sit down and watch a great fight that we all have been waited for.

   It's here folks. The big fight. It doesn't happen often in boxing but when it does, everyone is talking about it and waiting for it. 

   Enjoy because these fights only come around like Haley's Comet. So look, watch and listen. You're in for a treat. 

That's why I love boxing. 

-Hiram A Perez II

Lend Me Your Year....

   
- It's been a year since I've written an article, let alone a check. In that same year alot has happened in the sports world. Sports have always been reality TV before "Reality TV". So, while I watch people get engufled in the "reality" of TV shows that put "real" people in situations of conflict for the their audiences to watch I'd rather watch ummm a football, baseball or basketball game. How's that for reality TV?
Here's my quick rundown on what has happened since I last wrote something on my blog.......

1 - As I predicted back in October 2010 Carmelo Anthony would join the New York Knicks. Now, I know what your saying. " We all knew it would happen"......yeah right! At the time I wrote the article it was a mere pipe dream and wishful thinking. It was October and Denver had no reason to trade him.
Why would you trade the face of a franchise located in the Rocky Mountains? You had tanned skiers going to watch basketball games.

                         Signs were showing that Carmelo Anthony wanted out of the mountains and into New York


-My article  http://sports-imjustsaying.blogspot.com/2010/10/carmelo-anthony-what-if.html

By the time the trade deadline came around the Knicks unloaded all their chips to bring Melo back to NYC. We parted ways with Wilson Chandler, Danilo Galinari, Raymond Felton  and the 7 footer not named Frank Weis. I will not mention his name because he might never make it past his 3rd season in the league. However, the Knicks got Melo and Chauncey Billups in the trade and became a legitiamte threat in the East. Billups was supposed to be a :throw in" but soon garnered the respect he had earned in Detroit and Denver as their floor general and gave the Knicks a poised and veteran PG presence they lacked since the days of Derek Harper and Charlie Ward...yes...Charlie Ward.

A grand homecoming was followed and so was a first round exit to the Boston Celtics. The Knicks made the playoffs for the first time in a while. It brought back the excitement to New York and I guarantee you it will continue.

Payback's a Cliff

 - Cliff Lee might have etched himself in New York and Philadelphia lore for opposing reasons. It was not a matter of if, but when. That's what Yankees fans thought. Well, "IF" became "NOT". Cliff Lee decided to to head back and rekindle some brotherly love. The second he rejoined the Phillies they had duplicated what the Atlanta Braves had when they showcased what at the time was thought to be the beginning of a pitching and championship dynasty.
   Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Steve Avery were the most dominant foursome ever assembled in the modern era. What happened afterwards was history.
  

Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury pose serious problems for all teams.


The Yankees have been at the short end of the free agency stick for the past 3 weeks. Adrian Gonzalez finally joined the Red Sox. A move no one was surprised by. The true surprise came in Carl Crawford joining them [Red Sox]. Everyone figured the Anaheim Angels and Yanks were the front runners in the Crawford sweepstakes. The thought of Crawford and Ellsbury on the base paths is a scary notion.

   Did the Yankees contract negotiations with Jeter affect their progress with Cliff Lee?


So the Yankees re-signed Derek Jeter which was a little more drawn out than it should've been. Perhaps that affected the Yankees persuit of one Clifford Lee. Who knows, but at the end of the day the Yankees got their man. They re-signed Mariano Rivera which was a given, even though Boston made a serious pitch (pun intended) to him. The Yankees will have to rely on their bullpen and the big guy. Losing Kerry Wood is a big lost. Joba Chamberlain will be "the guy". CC Sabathia will have ot carry the load once again. Andy Pettite seems like a huge question mark and Phil Hughes will have to show reliance for a full season. The staff is questionable and AJ Burnett now seems like an expensive mistress. The offense is going to be put on full display this season because the pitching is suspect.

CC Sabathia will be asked again to anchor and carry the Yankees rotation after the Cliff Lee debacle.
The Red Sox are the favorites to win the division...............but something tells me the YAnkees won't lay down. I'm just saying.

PICKS & THINGS - WEEK 11

Mutual respect from both quarterback is undeniable. Both will battle this weekend in a highly anticipated matchup betweem the two AFC powerhouses.

Well, here we are in week 11 and there are several great dog fights (sorry Vick) lined up for us to watch. The NY Giants go into Philly to take on their NFC East longtime rivals with a rejuvinated Mike  Vick and Eagles squad who deconstructed Mike Shanahan's hapless Redskins. We also have a battle between the two premiere quarterbacks and franchises in not just this season but in the decade in Indy versus New England. That being said here are my picks for this weeks Pu Pu Platter.

*****DISCLAMER - Do not bet your kid's college tuition, Target money, Christmas shopping money or grocery money. My picks are only for entertainment and for showing off at a bar to impress a girl or pretending you know what you're talking about.

 

CHICAGO @ MIAMI - PICK - CHICAGO

 

BUFFALO @ CINCINATTI  - PICK - CINCINATTI

 

DETROIT @ DALLAS - PICK -DALLAS

 

WASHINGTON @ TENNESSEE -PICK - TENNESEE

 

ARIZONA @ KANSAS CITY  PICK - ARIZONA(UPSET)

 

GREEN BAY @ MINNESOTA - PICK - GREEN BAY

 

HOUSTON @ JETS - PICK - NY JETS

 

OAKLAND @ PITTSBURGH - PICK - OAKLAND(UPSET)

 

BALTIMORE @ CAROLINA - PICK - BALTIMORE

 

CLEVELAND @ JACKSONVILLE - PICK - CLEVELAND

 

TAMPA BAY @ SAN FRANCISCO - PICK - SAN FRANCISCO

 

SEATTLE @ NEW ORLEANS - PICK - NEW ORLEANS

 

ATLANTA @ ST.LOUIS - PICK - ATLANTA

 

INDIANAPOLIS @ NEW ENGLAND - PICK - NEW ENGLAND

 

NY GIANTS @ PHILADELPHIA - PICK - GIANTS

 

DENVER @ SAND DIEGO - PICK - SAN DIEGO

 

*****DISCLAMER - Do not bet your kid's college tuition, Target money, Christmas shopping money or grocery money. My picks are only for entertainment and for showing off at a bar to impress a girl or pretending you know what you're talking about.

 

 

So.......What's he worth?

-- So what is he worth? ... Are we talking batting average? CAREER .314 - Or are we talking hits?  CAREER 2,926 and ALL-TIME Yankees hits leader passing Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio - Maybe we're talking runs scored  -1,685 .... Hey? How about runs batted in - 1,356....sacrifice bunts and flies? ...WHO KNOWS.....the list goes on and on.

Who is Derek Jeter? And what's he worth? To who?

For Yankees fans he was a reason to cheer. He was a reason to have faith. He was the reason you thought you had a chance to comeback from a 5 run deficit and tag on a win. He was the only guy Yankee haters "kinda liked".

For 16 years the "DE-REK JE-TER"!!! chants resounded throughout Yankee Stadium. He gave the final speech to send off the House that Ruth Built. A huge honor in itself. He was the face of the Yankees when many and still hate the pinstripes. Still in all, Derek Jeter was the guy you wanted on your team. Whether it was the Yankees, the Dodgers, the Cardinals or the Tampa Bay Rays.  D.J was the guy. Love him or hate him. You respected number 2.

B.J. Upton and Hanley Ramirez both wear the number 2 because of Jeter. That's high praise when both players are regarded as one of the best at their respective positions.

Jeter's heroics in the late 90's and early 2000s have landed him in baseball royalty. He's also influenced alot of present stars.


So when it's all said and done it will be Yankees fans who win. Not because of the money or the specifics of the contract but because the fans actually matter in this drawn out chess match. Yankee fans get to see a rarity in sports. A guy who's "home grown" and not only a fixture but a player who's a throwback.

I listen to my dad and grandfather talk about Mantle, Clemente and Mays...Bob Gibson, Koufax and Walter Johnson.....what do they have in common?
They played the game "the right way". That term or phrase gets thrown around(I just did it) alot nowadays. But it's true.

Jeter is of that ilk. He doesn't hit the most homeruns or drive in the most runs but he's at the ball park day in and day out.
The biggest compliment I heard from baseball legend Peter Gammon was "Derek Jeter is the guy you want your kid to watch warming up and play the game" ...nuff said.
I've been to roughly 20 Yankee games in my lifetime and the two guys I watched were Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter.
Both will be Yankees forever..I hope.

Number 2 is a Yankee staple ... and the face of the world's most renowned franchise.


Sure his range has diminished even though he never had much to begin with. He can't hit 30 homeruns as a DH because heck, he never did. What Derek Jeter brings to the Yankees is incomparable and immeasurable by any single stat. The guy is the face of the world's most renowned franchise. He's respected by his peers and managers. A former Blue Jays first base coach once said "You can hear Jeter running down the first bas line after every groundball hit and I expect the same from our guys". He has led by example.

It's not a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN. Hopefully this gets resolved sooner rather than later because the last thing the Yankees' brass, Jeter and most importantly their fans wants is a bitter shortstop. The whole Yankee dynamic will change for the worst. They need to hold on to the guy that is the one player that everyone regardless if you're in Kansas, North Dakota, LA or New York can agree on. It makes all the dollars and sense in the world.

NFL SUNDAY PICKS & THINGS - WEEK 10

Ben Roethlisberer and the Steelers will try to slay the New England Patriots and plant their feet as AFC North big dogs.

ATL @ BAL - For some reason Baltimore has not looked like Baltimore this season. Maybe they're going from Ravens to Orioles. Atlanta has a better squad and Matt Ryan is becoming upper tier material.
  PICK - ATL

DET @ BUF - Guess what folks? Detroit is pretty good. Their defense is stopping teams and is gaining confidence. I have Detroit in a close one.
PICK - DET

MIN @ CHI - NFC North matchup and Brett Favre is feeling at home. That being said. I have da Bears winning this one.
PICK - BEARS

NY JETS @ CLE - PICK NYJETS

CAR @ TB - PICK - TB

HOU @ JAX - PICK - HOU

CIN @ IND - PICK - IND

TEN @ MIA - PICK - MIA

KC @ DEN - PICK - KC

DAL @ NYG - DAL - PICK GIANTS

SEA @ ARZ - PICK - ARZ

STL @ SF - PICK - STL

NEW ENGLAND @ PTTSBURGH - PICK - PITT - HOME TEAM RULES

MNF - PHI @ WASH - PICK - PHI EAGLES

WE'LL SEE!
I'm just saying"

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