sheffield of dreams

The day after Gary Sheffield hit his 500th home run is the when the debate begins. Should Sheffield be inducted in the Hall of Fame after he retires? There are 25 players in the history of major league baseball who have hit 500 or more home runs. Ten of those players do not have plaques hanging in Cooperstown, but eight are still active and thus not eligible, and the other two are Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. Both McGwire and Palmeiro have been embroiled in steroid controversy and that may keep them out of the Hall. 500 home runs almost amounts to a ticket to Cooperstown.

Sheffield has 500 home runs, but that is not the only statistic in his favor. He also has over 1,500 RBI and runs scored. Out of the 25 players to have all of these numbers 19 are in the Hall of Fame. Sheffield is also a member of an even more select statistical group. He has stolen 251 bases. There are only four players with 500 home runs and 251 stolen bases: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, and Sheffield. Sheffield's statistical case is very solid. But as Tim Kurkjian, of ESPN, says "Sheffield's candidacy for Cooperstown has several issues -- some character and behavioral -- that could keep him out of the Hall in his first year of eligibility. Maybe his first five years. Maybe forever. But the statistics, the raw numbers, aren't an issue."

Those character issues are not minute, but are they condemning? They include: throwing a live ball into the stands during a game to garner a trade when he was a young player and a small involvement in the 2003 BALCO steroids case that has tarnished Barry Bonds' historic career and may keep him from the Hall of Fame.

Gary Sheffield's case for inclusion in baseball's greatest distinction is strong, but so is the case against him. Major League Baseball doesn't look highly upon the players who have done anything to damage the image of the game. Just ask Pete Rose! Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro may find this out soon as well. But has Gary Sheffield, himself, disgraced the game? No. Is he as great a hitter as Joe DiMaggio, Frank Robinson, or even Ken Griffey Jr.? No. But is he, however, a Hall of Famer? Yes he is.

citi field: san diego padres 6, new york mets 5

As I walked into Citi Field for the first time, the first thing that came to my mind was "history." I thought of my personal history and the histories of Jackie Robinson, the Mets, and the game itself.

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is the first gate fans see when they exit the 7 train on their way to Citi Field. The Ebbets Field inspired architecture is apparent, which leads fans' attention to a beautiful rotunda, the fantastic tribute to a great man. A friend recently said to me, "Its just luck that Jackie Robinson was the first black major leaguer, but he earned respect by being the man who endured being the first black major leaguer." This is so true. Robinson was one of many great Negro League ballplayers of the time, but he was the one man who crossed the barrier and faced the hatred and prejudice that resulted from his historic signing.

The Mets history is engrained in Citi Field because it is a new generation for the team. Citi Field is a beautiful new ballpark, which represents a higher class of baseball and the players can only benefit from its grandeur.

Citi Field represents baseball history for two reasons. First, because of its homage to Jackie Robinson. Second, for its architectural tribute to a revered ballpark of the past. Ebbets Field was the historic home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and was where Robinson broke into the big leagues. The loss of Ebbets Field was the inspiration for Frank Sinatra's song, "There Used To Be a Ballpark."

Lastly, my history is there, because this is my baseball stadium. I was at Citi Field's opening series versus the San Diego Padres April 13th-16th. It will forever hold a special place in my memory for that reason. It also represents a change for the Mets. Many Mets fans hope it is a change of fortune as the last two seasons have ended in disaster for the franchise. Citi Field is now a part of my history and hopefully later this season, so will a New York Mets' World Series championship.

scully on adenhart

If I may speak for every member of the Dodger organization, our heartfelt and deepest sympathies to the mother and family of Nick Adenhart, and to every member in the Angels organization, for the untimely accident and death of young Nick last night at the tender age of twenty-two. Nick, from Maryland, had pitched six scoreless innings and was in a car with three friends, and a driver apparently went through a red light and T-boned the car, killing thee of the four, including Nick, and one other member is in critical condition. And if there is one thing I’ve learned in all my years — and I haven’t learned much — but the one thing I’ve learned: Don’t even waste your time trying to figure out life.

Ground ball through for Andre Ethier, and life continues for those who still have it. And with a leadoff single, Russell Martin will be coming up.

But I would say, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a moment and say a prayer in memory of Nick, especially for his parents. What a shock to lose a twenty-two-year-old.

Andre Ethier at first base, Russell Martin the batter, James Loney on deck, and the Dodgers try to strike in the second inning against Kevin Correia…

- VIN SCULLY (4.9.09)


One man at the pinnacle of his profession commenting on the loss of another man just reaching his potential. This is what sports broadcasting can and should be. Legendary Vin Scully has done play-by-play for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers since 1950.

african-americans on the pga tour (or tiger woods)

With the Masters Golf Tournament highlighting this weekend's sports news, I think it is worth looking at the game itself and how far it has truly come from the elitist country club mentality it has adopted here on American greens.

Gary Player, one of the most successful golfers of all time and a South African, made a ceremonial putt when this year's Masters began. He was greeted on the green by several other South African golfers, as he has naturally become a role model among young South African golfers. The striking thing about this nice moment was that each of the younger South African golfers was white. Player has done a lot to develop youth golf in South Africa. In 1983, his foundation established Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg which has facilities for youth between K-8 grades.

But even though Player has hosted the Nelson Mandela invitational since 2000, how much have black golfers really gained over the years?

"Tiger [Woods] was the greatest gift ever for the PGA Tour," said Orin Starn, who heads the cultural anthropology program at Duke University. "With him as its face, the PGA Tour didn't have to deal with issues of diversity, or worrying about the tour looking like the rest of America. They could say, 'See, the problem is fixed. We have an African-American who is No. 1 in the world.'

"But the problem still exists," he said. "If anything, it's gotten worse."

In 1997, Tiger Woods became the first African-American to put on the green jacket, which represents winning the Masters Tournament. According to a timeline of African-American involvement in golf by Black Golfer Online, Woods' victory was 22 years after Lee Elder became the first black golfer to play in the Masters. In 1975, when Elder played in the Masters for the first time, there were eight black players on the tour. Now Woods stands alone, not only as the face of the PGA, but also its only African-American one.

David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan and Louisiana State Representative, has this to say about Woods' accomplishments:

Because of the emphasis many put on sports heroes, Woods ascendancy in the golf realm will simply add to myth that most Blacks are just like us. Given a certain set of circumstances, individual Blacks can excel. But society is made up not just individuals, but also of groups. The quality of the group as a whole ultimately determines the quality of the nation. A number of White men will be suckered in by a wave of admiration and emotion for one Black golf player into believing that the Black race can fit in and do well among the White race. That is simply untrue. Some individual Blacks obviously can. But, as a whole, the race cannot. For the mental abilities that go into the making and maintaining a civilization are not the same as the requirements for a great golf player. The qualities that account for the advancing and maintaining of a scientific and civilized society are simply not the same as the qualities to run a 100 meters under 10 seconds or dunk a basketball, or for that matter, break the Masters record as a rookie.

While Duke, an admitted racist, has ulterior motives to knock Woods as a racial pioneer in the sport, Woods himself has shied away from the claim as well:

Woods has coined the term "Cablanasian" to explain his racial heritage which includes African-American, Native-American, Asian and Caucasian ancestry. Duke University professor Orin Starn, who has written extensively about golf and race, calls Woods a racial visionary. "For Tiger to call himself 'Cablanasian,' he's not saying that he's not black," says Starn, who teaches cultural anthropology. "What he's saying is, 'Yes I am black and I'm proud to be the honorary grandson of Charlie Sifford, the Jackie Robinson of golf, but I'm not just black. I'm also white, and I'm also Asian, I'm also Native-American. All of these different things are a part of my ancestry.'"

Eddie Payton, Hall of Fame football player Walter Payton's older brother, has led the Jackson State University golf team for the past quarter of a century. ESPN refers to him as the Eddie Robinson of golf. Payton has had this message for Woods and his racial identity, "It would help any aspiring African-American golfer who has had to deal with stuff Tiger hasn't had to deal with. And he doesn't need to say he's proud to be an African-American golfer. What he needs to say is 'I am an African-American golfer.'"

Payton goes on to say, "It's a shame that the person who can do the most to bridge the gap says, 'I made it. Now you make it,' Instead he could say, 'Well this is what my daddy taught me. These are the drills.' I can't make him do what I feel I would do, but at some point he'll look and see no other blacks out there."

Woods' response is veiled in political correctness, "I reach out each and every day with my foundation," Woods said. "We don't focus on golf, because that's not the sole purpose of life. Life is not about hitting a high draw and a high fade. It's about being a better person each and every day and helping others. That's what life is all about. Is golf a part of people's lives? Yes, it's part of my life. But it's not the end of all things in my life."

While Woods may not be what Starn calls the "Magic Negro," a term that has also been attributed to President Barack Obama:

People have talked about this idea of Barack Obama as the so-called 'Magic Negro,' as a sort of black man who's expected to fix everything and to make everybody feel good about themselves with a magic wand to eliminate and make disappear the problems of racism, and poverty and conflict in America. And I think there's been this idea that Tiger should somehow be a kind of 'Magic Negro' for the PGA Tour, and that he should lift up his wand and somehow make golf into a more diverse and inclusive sport. I don't think this should be on him, at least exclusively.

But if Tiger Woods is not the man who is going to lead the way for African-Americans to be more involved in the game he has dominated, then there will remain the same amount of African-Americans in golf as there are in the Oval Office, one.

nick adenhart

Angel on the mound
A passenger on the road
Too young to be

driving while black

In our society, professional athletes get breaks. From OJ Simpson to Ray Lewis, and now Plaxico Burress, NFL players seem to believe they have a different law to live by. Then there are times when this belief works against an athlete, a man. This stereotype of professional athletes, fairly perpetuated by some, can cloud a police officer's view of a seemingly routine traffic stop. It shadows a truly tragic moment in someone's life to be just another athlete trying to run a red light. Sometimes we need to see professional athletes as people too. Sometimes its just not about sports.

Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats was driving to the Baylor Regional Medical Center. Hazard lights flashing Moats rushed to get his family to his wife, Tamishia's mother's deathbed. Joanetta Collinsworth was dying from advanced breast cancer. Moats probably didn't even notice that he had rolled through a red light in the middle of his dash to get Tamishia to be with her mother at the end.

Officer Robert Powell noticed, though. He pulled Moats over in the hospital parking lot and proceeded to issue Moats a ticket. Moats, through his grief, tried to get the officer to understand the severity of this situation, the following is sportswriter Dave Zirin's report of the encounter:

Tamishia jumped out of the car to rush to her mother , and Powell drew his gun, yelling, “Get in there! Let me see your hands!”

“My mom is dying,” she shouted back.

“I saw in his eyes that he really did not care,” Tamishia Moats said. Ms. Moats and her great-aunt ignored the officer and headed into the hospital. (Powell says he “merely” drew his gun, while Ms. Moats says it was pointed at her as she rushed in the facility. Ryan Moats has said that he feared for her life.)

Ryan Moats and his grandfather in law – the father of the dying Ms. Collinsworth, were then kept for 13 minutes. “You really want to go through this right now?” Moats pleaded. “My mother-in-law is dying. Right now!"

In that thirteen minutes Joanetta Collinsworth passed away. Ryan Moats tries to escape from the grasp of defenders every game. If only that night had been like a football game. Maybe he would have had an answer. Instead, Moats and Mrs. Collinsworth's father would not reach her bedside in time to say goodbye.

This story might have just fallen into obscurity if it weren't for Officer Powell's dashboard camera, meant to protect the police from false accusations. In this instance it would do the opposite.

"I am embarrassed and disappointed by the behavior of one of our police officers. His behavior, in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit." responded Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle at a press conference in the wake of the release of the dashboard video of the incident. "When we in the command staff reviewed the tapes," he went on to say, "we were embarrassed, disappointed – it's hard to find the right words and still be professional in my role as a police chief."

Police Chief Kunkle went on to commend Moats and his handling of the conflict with Officer Powell, "They exercised extraordinary patience, restraint, dealing with the behavior of our officer," he said. "At no time did Mr. Moats identify himself as an NFL football player or expect any kind of special consideration. He handled himself very, very well."

In a society where NFL players routinely expect that carrying an unregistered gun into a nightclub or not calling out of work one day is acceptable, Moats' behavior was out of the box. Ryan Moats was not a professional football player that night. He was a man trying his best to care for his wife. He was a man doing the best he could. Officer Powell, confused and wrong, was not.

Dave Zirin warns both sides in the wake of this tragedy, "This is also the latest of a series of high profile confrontations between cops and jocks. When you layer the 'driving while black' pandemic on top of the dynamic of pro athletes more comfortable on a pedestal than in a police car, you have a recipe for future tragedies. Let the Moats’ ordeal serve as a warning and not a harbinger. And let Officer Powell be compelled to find another line of work."

Powell has since apologized and been dismissed from the Dallas Police Department. Keeping a man, or anyone outside a hospital for 13 minutes while you write a traffic ticket is unforgivable. Especially after they have identified why the transgression took place and have accepted the ticket's validity. No one can answer why Officer Powell didn't let Moats into the hospital. Not even Powell, himself, "I don't know why I didn't," he said. "I should have."

I just hope that Moats' race was not it.

bye bye burress

Jerry Reese:
“I am an optimist, and I believe most situations can be worked out, we hung in there as long as we could in hopes that there could be a resolution to this situation other than the decision we made today to release Plaxico. It wasn’t to be, so now we have to move on. Like everybody else here, we want nothing but the best for Plaxico, and we are appreciative of the contributions he made to this franchise.”

Tom Coughlin:
“Plaxico’s contribution to our championship season in 2007 can never be underestimated or undervalued, he displayed tremendous determination throughout that season. Having said that, I have always been as concerned about Plaxico as a man as I have been about him as a player, and my hope is that everything that has happened over the past several months represents a turning point. He is a young man with a family who has a whole lifetime ahead of him, and I personally wish him and his family well.”

citi field

drew carey is not as dumb as he looks

In an article for ESPN the Magazine, Austin Kelley wrote "Drew Carey, part comedian, part owner of the Seattle Sounders, said recently that his team would like to emulate FC Barcelona. As the MLS season starts tomorrow, with the Sounders hosting Red Bulls New York, American soccer fans must smile at such sentiments. Imagine the attacking panache of the Catalan side -- Messi's dazzling runs, Xavi's ingenious passing, Eto'o's sneaky finishing -- taking root in the Pacific Northwest.

But Carey wasn't talking about Barca's style of play. Nor was he talking about their commitment to charity (FC Barcelona's shirt sponsor is UNICEF. Sounders FC's is X-Box). Carey wants to copy the Spanish club's system of fan participation -- sort of. Sounders fans won't actually own the club like the Catalan fans (Carey & co. are taking care of that), but they will get to vote the general managers in and out, like Barca fans do."

Drew Carey's idea of having the leadership of a sports team in the hands of the fans who support the club is not an original one. Not only does FC Barcelona involve its fans, but Real Madrid, another world class Spanish league team, has also elected their team President in this fashion for years.

What if, the Detroit Lions fans got to elect who would take over their team? What if the millions and millions of Yankees fans got to elect who would control the future of the squad? It only takes a yearly fee to be a member of the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid election process. Drew Carey is looking to bring this interesting concept to American soccer with the Seattle Sounders.

Whats next? An American team paying a charity, like Unicef, to wear its logo on their shirts like FC Barcelona did in 2006.

this is pretty awesome...

This is a handmade lego figurine of Keith Hernandez from the 1986 Championship team by Mike at Planet of the Geeks.

He has also made Boston Red Sox Kevin Youkilis and Jonathan Papelbon, New York Ranger Brandon Dubinsky, Jason Giambi as a Yankee, New York Mets David Wright and Carlos Delgado, and Former Green Bay Packer Brett Favre.