How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New York Yankees
I hate(d) the Yankees, beginning with their corners, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, two self absorbed cancers, linked by a common agent, Scott Boras, and committed only to him and their bank accounts. My hatred doesn’t stop there. This is an organization that has won 26 World Series, put over 30 players into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and has millions of fans worldwide. Of course, there’s also my beloved Texas Rangers and their three first round playoff losses–their only playoff appearances–to the Yankees.
Over the past few seasons, I’ve enjoyed watching the Yankees’ post-season futility, but realize that the streak is probably about to end. The Yankees currently hold a 3-2 game lead in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and need only one win to advance to the World Series. I thought about boycotting the World Series entirely if the Yankees advance, but then I had an epiphany. I hated the Yankees for the same reason so many people hate the Dallas Cowboys–success. The New York Yankees franchise is the best franchise in their business. Instead of hating the Yankees, I should be in love with the Yankees. Indeed, the Yankees are free market capitalism at its best.
At a time when capitalism faces daily attacks from the Federal government, the media, the entertainment industry and disillusioned Millennials across the nation, the Yankees stand as a monument to the beauty of capitalism. Compared to other leagues, Major League Baseball is very loosely regulated. No salary cap and a very weak revenue sharing policy, allow owners to spend as much money as they want to improve their product–their team. The system engenders a sense of personal responsibility among owners, rewarding the franchises willing to spend and the franchises with the best front offices and punishing those with frugal owners or those who make bad business decisions.
Throughout his career, George Steinbrenner has experienced success. He’s made a ton of money, a lot of sound investments and has spent that money wisely to add to the Yankee legacy. The Yankees spend almost $60 million more on payroll than any other team in the Majors. Alex Rodriguez’s salary alone is more than the entire payroll for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Every year, the Yankees go out, find the best talent and offer that talent more money than anyone else. Every year, the Yankees field one of the most competitive teams in the League. Their success generates more revenue, which the front office uses to improve their product/team. This is capitalism in its purest form.
Other teams complain about the unfair advantages caused by the discrepancies in capital between the Yankees and the rest of the league, just as other nations complain about the “unfair advantages” the American economy created during the 20th Century. Instead of complaining, these teams should learn from the Yankees, take their capital and create greatness. The system rewards hard work and creativity.
One giant mistake…
The day Bill Parcells stepped down as coach of the Dallas Cowboys, I celebrated. In my mind, Parcells’ departure represented the end of a bitter reconstruction era for this franchise and the beginnings of a new Cowboys’ dynasty. Parcells served his purpose in rebuilding the roster, but he never embraced the star. The Cowboys ended the 2006 season with a heart breaking first round playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. In spite of yet another early playoff exit, the pieces appeared to be in place for a championship contender for years to come. All the Cowboys needed now was a coach to guide them to the “promised land.”
Parcells’ fast-talking, Jersey boy ways never meshed with the Cowboys. The arrogance of the man to replace the 4-3 defense, a defense that the legendary Tom Landry perfected, with the 3-4, a system he preferred and the audacity to invite former New York Giants greats, bitter enemies of the star, to practices rubbed many fans the wrong way. The Cowboys franchise needed another Texan at the helm, one who would embrace the legacy of this great franchise and write a new chapter in the Cowboys’ history book.
Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, interviewed 10 candidates to replace Parcells. On January 30, 2007, he interviewed Mike Singletary, a Hall of Fame linebacker from Houston who grew up a Cowboys’ fan. Since his playing days ended, Singletary had made a name for himself as a well respected defensive coach in the NFL. Though he had no head coaching experience, everyone felt he had a very bright coaching future ahead of him. In the end, Jones opted for a Texas born coach with head coaching experience, Wade Phillips, son of the legendary, “Bum” Phillips. Looking back, it’s clear to see that Jones made the wrong decision.
The Wade Phillips’ era began with a bang, a 13-3 season, the NFC East title and the number one overall seed in the playoffs. However, from the beginning, it was obvious Phillips lacked the leadership necessary to lead a team to the ultimate prize. The 2007 season ended the same as the seasons of the past decade, with the Cowboys falling short of their goal and a first-round, home playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants, but the teams actions leading up to the game were more troubling than the game itself.
By virtue of having the best record in the NFC, the Cowboys earned a bye during the first round of the playoffs. Instead of using that time to rest and prepare for their next opponent, many players treated the time as a mini-vacation. Tabloids ran wild with coverage of Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson jetting off to Cancun with Jason Witten, Bobby Carpenter and their significant others. Other players traveled to their alma mater’s bowl games to partake in the revelry. Clearly, this team was not focused on their job at the time. Since that time, the team has experienced several embarrassing incidents both on and off the field–the T.O. fiasco, Pac-Man Jones’ brawl at a local hotel, and games like last December in Philadelphia when it appeared that the team quit on their coach.
Wade Phillips will point to his 24-12 record as head coach of the Cowboys, but the only record that matters is his 0-1 record in the playoffs with this franchise. As coach of the Dallas Cowboys, fans expect you to win championships. Though not the most talented team in the league, the Cowboys’ roster contains enough talent to compete for championships year in and year out. A good coach bridges the gap of talent between teams, this coach has failed to do that.
What has Mike Singletary done during this time period? On October 20, 2008, Singletary took over head coaching duties for the San Francisco 49ers, a team with a 2-5 record and a perennial cellar dweller . Singletary made clear from the beginning the way things would work with him in charge. In his first game at the helm, Singletary sent star tight end Vernon Davis, arguably the best player on the team, to the locker room during the game because of the player’s attitude. After the game, Singletary issued a passionate response to the press where he said, “I will not tolerate players who think it’s about them, when it’s about team.” Makes you wonder how many players he would send to the showers early if he was coaching the Cowboys.
Shocked with his move and his speech, critics began to question how long Singletary would last as a coach. He ignored the critics and led his teams to a 5-4 record to finish out the season. During that time, the 49ers played an inspired brand of football rarely seen in the NFL. While the Cowboys led the league in penalties last year with almost 60 yards a game, Singletary’s team averaged a mere 36 yards a game in penalties. Defensively, the 49ers looked impressive as well, especially against the run, given up only 94 yards a game on the ground. The Cowboys, on the other hand, gave up 106 yards a game on the ground, and it was the lack of a rushing defense that led to collapses against Baltimore and Philadelphia in the final two games of the season, eliminating the Cowboys from the playoffs.
Then you see video clips like this, and you see how Singletary deals with adversity during the course of a game. Is there any doubt that the mentality of the Cowboys team would different under Singletary? What would the Cowboys look like without the mental errors?
In the book The Catch, author Gary Myers explains in detail how the Dallas Cowboys almost drafted Joe Montana. Coming out of college, not many NFL teams placed a very high value on Montana. However, Tom Landry loved the kid, as did Gil Brandt. However, the Cowboys thought they had their quarterback of the future in Danny White and felt taking Montana would be wasting a draft pick. They passed and the 49ers took Joe Montana. In 1982, Joe Montana would lead the 49ers to a victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game, with a play that has become known simply as “the catch.” The 49ers would go on to win the Super Bowl that season and three more times under Montana’s leadership. Danny White never won a Super Bowl and the Cowboys sank into the futility. As a Cowboys fan, I can only hope that this odd connection between the Cowboys and 49ers repeat itself with Mike Singletary.
New blog to check out
I recently launched a new blog with my sister, www.cocktailsports.com, geared towards the non-traditional or nominal sports fan who doesn’t want to feel left out during cocktail chatter involving sports with clients, co-workers, family members or friends. The sports information contained on the new blog is very basic and very informal. I’ll continue to post more detailed sports items on Geoauach.com.
I invite all of you to come over to the new blog for a visit and I hope that you will recommend it to friends, family or co-workers who may find it useful.
Five college football questions the other guys are afraid to ask…
We at Geoausch.Com feel that “sports experts” do not exist! However, every blogger, every writer, every loud mouth radio guy feels like they can accurately pick the winner of every FBS conference and accurately predict the winner of every game on the 2009 schedule. We’re not that generic. Sure, we could predict Texas to win the national championship and for Colt McCoy to win the Heisman, but if those scenarios were to come to fruition it wouldn’t make us experts, nor would it make us original. Instead, I thought it would be interesting to examine five questions I haven’t seen asked about the upcoming college football season.
1. Will teams finally figure out Florida the third time through? Everyone, from USA Today to the Cass County Sun predicts that Florida will repeat as national champions. This seems like a logical decision, especially with Tim Tebow leading the offensive attack for a third straight year. However, what people have failed to discuss is the gimmicky nature of the Florida offensive scheme. The reason gimmick offenses work is that they keep the defense guessing. The Wishbone was successful because the defense had three different backs to constantly key on, eventually defensive coordinators developed schemes to shut the offense down and teams stopped using it. I think after three years of watching Tebow run this offense, defensive coordinators SEC will figure out a way to shut down the Florida attack. I don’t think the Gators will have a losing season, but is a 3 loss season out of the question?
2. Will anyone emerge to join the Heisman race? Please? It’s hard not like Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow, all three are upstanding young men with bright futures. However, it’s getting really old to see the same three faces on the cover of every magazine and college football website.
West Virginia running back, Noel Devine, was more visible in the media as a high school phenom than he has been in college. He put up solid numbers last year and could run his way into Heisman talk by season’s end, especially considering that he will be the Mountaineers primary offensive threat this season.
A lot of attention was placed on the bevy of quarterbacks in the Big XII last season: Graham Harrell, Chase Daniel, McCoy and Bradford wowed viewers and pundits from coast-to-coast. With so many great quarterbacks in one conference, it’s no wonder that Kansas’ Todd Reesing slipped under the radar for most of the season. While McCoy and Bradord are back for another season, Harrell and Daniel have moved on, clearing room on the big stage for Reesing to show he belongs with the big boys.
Another Big XII offensive firecracker who should make a splash on the nation stage is Oklahoma State receiver, Dez Bryant. The Cowboys could probably win a couple of the other BCS conferences, but in the Big XII they are the third best team in their division. However, they feature an explosive offense and Bryant is the leader. He could be this year’s Michael Crabtree.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least one defensive player. They don’t get much better than USC safety, Taylor Mays. Mays led the Trojans last year with 53 tackles and should be even better this year. The Trojan defense will depend on Mays to be a leader for some of their youth and if this defense puts up some numbers, Mays deserves to be in the talks for player of the year.
3. Will Rich Rodriguez or Charlie Weis be fired first? Notre Dame and Michigan are both learning that finesse football isn’t as valuable as it once was. Scandals have rocked the Michigan program and Notre Dame simply lacks athletes. As a result, neither fan base is too happy with their current coaching situation and both coaches enter the season on the hot seat. The Irish have a relatively easy schedule this season and anything less than a 9 win season will probably result in Weiss’ early dismissal. If the Irish struggle early, lose a couple early, Weiss might not be around for the USC game in October.
Michigan opens with a favorable schedule early, but there is no room for hiccups. If they lose more than one game to another team from Michigan, Rodriguez is gone. Other wise, Rodriguez should make it to at least November and needs a 9 win season himself to save his job.
4. Will Texas A&M win a conference game this season? Throughout the 80’s and 90’s the Aggies were a perennial Top 10 team and for a short period of time were the premier college football program in the state. The last decade has been one of mediocrity for the Aggies and this year things could hit an all time low. Entering the season, the Aggies will be favored to win only one conference game, a Halloween home game against Iowa State. If the Aggies lose that one, there is not another favorable game on their schedule. If that happens, look for Mike Sherman to join Charlie Weis and Rich Rodriguez in the unemployment lines.
5. Will this be the season that the Big XII passes the SEC? Several experts feel that the Big XII may be a better conference than the SEC, from top to bottom, this season. Big XII fans have felt this for years, even though head-to-head results (see last year’s bowl games) seem to prove otherwise. It comes down to the age old adage, “offense wins games, but defense wins championship.” Simply put, they do not play defense like they do in the SEC anywhere else in the country. Combine that with explosive athleticism and you have the recipe for the best college football conference in the land. The Big XII is good, but at the end of the season, SEC will still be the king.
November Spawned a Monster
I just recently purchased a new laptop and I’m the process of transferring all of my files from my old laptop to an external hard drive for easier access. I found some of my old poetry I hadn’t read in a while, especially a poem I’ve had a couple of requests for….
Looking back, it’s clearly a cheap attempt at “Howl” and I realize that I fell well short of that mark, but it still carries a lot of emotional value for me. Feel free to comment and/or critique:
“November Spawned a Monster”
Cold blue smoke floats on a Wednesday afternoon
angst, the breakfast of champions, fuels me to
press on through the monotony of life.
Trapped in the glass globe of “southern living.”
Malnourished! Left to starve and choke on the
recycled Puritanical lies they
feed me. People shuffle in and out, blind
to the rape which is occurring daily.
They rape me too, for years violated
by their calls for hate, while they paint it love.
Like a scared turtle I took shelter from
my fears in them, a product of my guilt.
Guilt, the crutch they use to beat dissenters.
No longer can I follow their trademark
recipe for hate. Free thought my only
vehicle out of this holy shit-hole.
A 21st century digital
boy, a 21st century gad fly
America my Athens, but will my
idle words pack a sting or will hemlock
be my next entrée. Pop radio the death
of life, sadly I silently hide the fact
I know the words, the headlines read the same
another nazi in Austin a pawn
to King George, a cog in the machine that’s
becoming the new evil empire
nicotine my friend on this bittersweet
morning. A peace settles in as I am
reminded of words I read many years
ago, the only thing constant is change.
But what has changed? An epic sense of hate
and fear disguised in an artificial
sense of nationalism—Bush-leaguers—
black blood blinds bastard men obligated
to contractual obligations and
the divine sovereignty of Enron.
Rummy, The Cardiac Kid and Bushels
the cowboy clown bravely leading us on the
imperialistic charge through Babylon.
Illegitimacy abounds in an
illegitimate government. They
hate Mohamed—Mohamed sure loves them.
They remind us of that “Day”—a day I
remember all too well.
The incessant drone of the alarm clock
I tunneled in my sheets; sunlight seeped in
A confused voice stirred me, I sat up
“What are the chances this is an accident?”
I ran to the TV…Explosion #2!
I drive to work…Explosion #3!
Work, how can I work at a time like this?
I walked outside and lit a cigarette
the sun vibrantly shone casting shadows
upon the corridor I walked.
I heard the clanking of the flagpoles blowing in the distance
I reached for my phone; hoping for a connection out there
Busy. I looked up, clear blue sky not a single cloud.
I walk on, heading towards a skyscraper.
Again, I dialed a number, hoping for a voice
Line down. I looked up, how and why
I sat alone on the curve, lighting another cigarette
the nicotine my only comforter.
“Three down and one aloof”
What the fuck was happening?
It’s 9:30 A.M. and single yellow cab pulls into the bus station
$59 or less to anywhere? How far is anywhere?
Not far enough.
I look down College, the city bus putts along as
Though it too has been affected.
My phone rings, I answer
Static. God Damnit, it might have been her
I look up, a family of pigeons dives towards our building
Never before had this scared me
Men with purple hearts, Carry silver guns hidden behind their sports coat
They stand on the street corners and watch.
I walk out of the shadows and into the sun.
Fall is approaching and a crisp breeze begins to blow down the street
I look around and all is at peace.
Does nature know something I don’t?
One more cigarette before Reba kills me
“Imagine there’s no heaven”
You got that right John.
No countries, no wars, and no religion
Right on, the words ring through my head
As if someone is positioned on the Bank of America building
Blaring the song throughout all of downtown.
All I ever need to know I learned from the Beatles
And Dylan, Dylan was good to
They warned us…they all warned us
Hell Sophocles and Aeschlyus warned us
But did we listen, too much fucking hubris for that.
Now 4,000 gone and counting
Will we learn now?
Or are we all still black and white?
Gay and straight? Christian and Muslim?
When will we see that it’s all shit? We are merely human.
What’s she doing? I bet she can see the shit from her window?
Better than Brokaw, better than Rather
She’s got the birdeyes view. If I could only reach her.
Suddenly, I am once again paralyzed by the words of Lennon
Perhaps this will help us do away with the Puritanical myths
Maybe, we can live as one.
Teary eyed women come out of the building
And my dream is soon crushed.
I hear their rhetoric but I don’t comprehend
What is a “towel head”?
And how are they all responsible for this?
It’s a chance for the cowboy president
To gallop in the sunset
Showing that he is not just a daddies boy
Come on W give me direction
A lady from the TV station next door
Sticks her microphone in my face
Like some modern day phallic symbol
She asks me how it feels to be American
The only reply I can muster is:
“I am HUMAN and I need to be loved
Just like everyone else does.”
This monster was spawned in November
Our Supreme Court nurtured it
Our voters robbed…American voices muted
The legacy lives on.
Commercialism
Capitalism
Montheism—only if his name is Jesus though
These are the drugs that get pricks high.
Not in our names, the victims say
Fuck the victims our monster says.
Our generation, sold out
to the lies of AOL-Time Warner
To Viacom
To Turner Broadcasting
To Rupert Murdock
We gather together to discuss our
favorite Fox Anchor.
Our generation, desperately searching
We are the muted generation
Silenced by lusts, lies, lunacy
We desperately search for our voice
For our Ginsberg
For our Kerouac
For our Burroughs
I have no Carl Solomon to dedicate my words to,
Though I have seen “the best minds of my generation
Destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical, naked.”
American boys bleeding in Baghdad
I see it every night
It’s the worlds greatest reality TV show
Who needs Simon…who needs Trista?
We only need War!
We only need Peter Arnette and Geraldo.
Aren’t these GI’s the ultimate American Idols?
Isn’t this the ultimate Fear Factor?
Survivor:Baghdad; churning out more widows
To replace Trista on the Bacherlotte
ABC must be thrilled
Reality for a reality starved nation
Reality void in our schools, our government
Our culture, our country
Somehow I know there’s more than a flag and a crown.
My dissent indicts me, fettered by the chains of fascism
Repressed
Oppressed
And Suppressed!
I press on, searching for an end to the apathetic, plastic smiles
Bitchy, little Bible beaters, beating down your back.
Fear and insecurity drive these animals
To make a misery out of humans life.
My soul polluted by their racist, homophobic, misogynic manifesto
The theatre, my sanctuary…I go there to cleanse myself
To expunge the evils they have tainted me with
They tell me of the American Dream
Even more lies to complicate a convoluted life
Fables of success and prosperity
Promised as inherent, intrinsic rewards
For those who devote their life to hard work, liberty, justice and ever important pursuit of happiness
Happiness? HA!
What do they know of happiness?
Happiness is not obedience
But now, thanks to the November’s monster
These people control my life
Filling our court’s, our congress
Their pockets
We live in an age where progress is equated with evil
Regression is the goal of our generals
They tell us not to forget
And we won’t
For just as November spawned the monster
November can slay it as well.
This cheered me up…
Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It’s the type of day when you search for any sort of news story that will bring a smile to your face. I stumbled upon this story on the Tyler Morning Telegraph’s website. Initially, I was struck by the by-line that mentioned something about a homeowner holding a robber at gun point with his pants around his ankles. Once I got into the story, I learned that it was actually members of Earl Campbell’s family. I applaud the Campbell family for their heroic stand against this criminal low life.
New political blog!
I would like to announce the official launch of my political blog, CapitalistHipster.Com.
If you’re in the mood for some great political discussions, I invite you to drop by and share your thoughts. Enjoy!
Geoausch
The audacity of cyclists!
The Dallas Morning News ran an interesting story in their “East Dallas blog” regarding a cyclist running over a runner involved in a race a White Rock Lake. If you have ever been to White Rock Lake on a Saturday, you know that it is full of Lance Armstrong wannabes, so the story doesn’t surprise me at all.
What did surprise me was the response to the blog post. It generated a spirited debate regarding who should have the right of way at White Rock Lake–runners or bikers?
To me, it illustrates the audacity of cyclists. I’m sure there are many “good” cyclists in the D/FW Metroplex, but the “bad” cyclists are far more visible, especially in my neighborhood.
The cyclists I see riding through my neighborhood appear to be caught up in their own world, totally oblivious to their surrondings. If I get behind one of them in my car, they make no attempt to get over. What’s worse, they turn without signaling. Everyone learns the proper hand signals to use for turning when they first learn to ride a bike and you are reminded of them when you get your driver’s license, so I see no reason why these cyclists do not signal except for bravado and arrogance. Further, these cyclists seem to feel that the rules of the road do not belong to them. I don’t think I have ever seen one cyclist stop at a stop sign.
Yes, cyclists annoy me. These “bad” cyclists ruin the name of all cyclists. Perhaps the “good” cyclists out there should take upon themselves to hold the “bad” cyclists accountable for their actions or, in the alternative, our communities should look into placing stricter restrictions on cycling.
What’s your problem with Jerry?
First, I’d like to apologize to my loyal readers. I’m using August as a vacation of sorts, to regroup and reset my blog. I’ll have some very exciting news to share regarding a new blog I’m launching within the next few weeks, so stayed tune.
Until then, football season is upon us and we need to talk some football. A couple of quick questions I thought about over my lunch break:
1.) I’m a life long Dallas Cowboys fan. I was 11 years old when Jerry Jones bought this team and fired my childhood hero, Tom Landry. During the past 20 years, I’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows with my team. Through it all, I’ve remembered not to give Jerry too much credit for the glory days and not to throw too much blame his way for the lean years.
I realize that Jerry’s personality rubs some people the wrong way, but I also realize that many of those same personality traits are traits necessary to building a winner. Jerry wants to win and will spare no cost in the attempt to reach his ultimate goal.
Why then do so many Cowboys fans despise Jerry so much? Do they not realize that the Cowboys owner wants to win more than any other owner in the NFL?
Does he make some bone headed decisions? Yes, but we all make mistakes.
2.) There is a small, but vocal, contingency of Rangers fans out there who complain about the amount of attention being placed on the Rangers wild card chase compared to Cowboys preseason action. They seem to be offended that more people want to watch a Cowboys preseason game than a Rangers regular season game. At this point, ”baseball hubris” kicks in.
“Baseball hubris” is a trait possessed by some hardcore baseball fans who feel that baseball is the only true sports and all others should be ignored. They’ll berate the other leagues and belittle the fans of sports.
I love baseball, but I don’t get “baseball hubris”. I think football, basketball and golf all have something to offer as well. In the professional ranks, my love for the Cowboys has never caused me to hate the Rangers or Mavericks. In fact, I find that my love for these teams compliment one another.
Why is it that some Rangers fans HATE the Cowboys (and the NFL) so much?
