March Madness, Hemingway Style

photos courtesy vapnet and ianblue

As you know, Spring Break is drawing to a close, which means that The Observer Blog’s hiatus must come to an end, as well. And what better way to return than with a link to this gloriously funny post on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency?

Say what you will about Dave Eggers and his literati cohorts over at McS’s, but the idea of Papa giving his two cents on the NCAA tourney’s top contenders leaves us yearning for more fictional coverage of America’s greatest sporting event. What would Joyce have to say about the chances of The Fightin’ Irish making it to Sweet Sixteen? For now, we can only guess.

Mets Land Johan!

 
photo courtesy twinsgirl733

Good news, Mets fans! The Amazins have acquired the holy grail of this year’s offseason prospects. Today, the USA Today broke the news that the Mets and Twins agreed to a trade that will send ace lefty Johan Santana to Queens, while outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey will be settling down in Minnesota. The only other serious candidates in the Santana bonanza had been the Yankees and the Red Sox, but the latter team appeared to be out of the race some time ago. The deal seems to be a great pickup for the Mets, who had been in somewhat desperate need of a premiere starter. In addition, Santana has a .60 ERA in Shea Stadium, a fact that seems to point to a high level of comfort pitching in the Big Apple. The only downside: Santana, whose no-trade clause can only be waived at his request, will most likely ask for contract in the range of $150 million for six years. All things considered, though, this may be a small price to pay for the chance to put the final piece into the World Series-winning puzzle that has evaded the Mets for so long.

New York Post: Brady a “Girlie Man”

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was photographed wearing an open-toed brace on his right foot one day after leading his team to a bid in Super Bowl XLII. Brady, who photographers captured carrying flowers to girlfriend-supermodel Gisele Bundchen’s West Village apartment, is set to face off against Eli Manning’s New York Giants on Feb. 3 for the NFL title.

This guy must love answering questions from needling journalists. Blatantly wearing a cast the day after getting knocked around by the Chargers, in the hometown of his Super Bowl opponent, while bringing his supermodel girlfriend flowers? Brady better not act surprised that this stuff was front-page fare for both the Boston Herald and New York Post.

New Yorkers say Brady is just soft. Up I-95, some speculate it’s all just another Bellichick-instrumented ruse.

Whatever, the game is 12 days away. But if No. 12 and his walking publicity stunt girlfriend turn up on a beach in Mexico, alert the National Guard.

Giants and Pats to Square Off in Super Bowl XLII

The match-up for Super Bowl XLII is set following wins by the New England Patriots and New York Giants on Jan. 20.

The mythical powers of the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field turned out to be a bust for the Green Bay Packers, who dropped a 23-20 overtime contest to the Giants in freezing conditions. New York kicker Lawrence Tynes overcame two earlier missed field goals, including one at the end of regulation, to put a 47 yard attempt through the uprights on the Giants first possession in OT and clinch the NFC title.

Clemens Denies Steroid Use

photo courtesy Jory’z Shotz

Yesterday, in the wake of Senator George Mitchell’s steroid report, the accused Roger Clemens released a statement through his agent, Randy Hendricks, denying any current or past steroid use. The statement reads as follows:

“I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life. Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take.”

Do you buy Clemens’ innocence? Perhaps more importantly, do you think the MLB will be able to recover from this latest blow in the ongoing steroids saga?

Bonds Indicted

After a four-year investigation into the usage of steroids by athletes in Major League Baseball, Barry Bonds was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to a federal grand jury about knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds’s 10-page indictment cites 19 instances during the slugger’s 2003 federal grand jury testimony in which it is believed Bonds lied under oath about his relationship with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), a supplements lab whose owner (Victor Conte), vice president (James Valente), and client (Bonds’s trainer Greg Anderson) were all handed prison sentences on charges of distributing steroids.

In what has seemed like a single continuous and never-ending season of baseball revolving around steroids, the federal government can finally fry its biggest fish. Though such high-profile athletes as Rafael Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield have been exposed as steroids users, definitive proof of the game’s most notorious cheater had yet to be collected. Now, with an official knock on Bonds, and the home run record few consider truly his despite this summer’s events, perhaps the baseball world will finally be able to lay the subject of steroids to rest and get on with the game.

Only time will tell if steroids will ever be successfully weeded out and whether fans, who turned out in record numbers to make this past baseball season the most lucrative in history, even care, enough to tune out until equality is restored anyway. Regardless, Bonds’s indictment provides the closure many have been seeking throughout these witch hunts; with the game’s greatest suspected villain on his way out, the subject of steroids should follow suit shortly.

A-Rod’s back?

After New York Yankees’ third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, opted out of his contract on Oct. 28, the Yankees and Yankees’ fans around the world thought they had washed their hands of him. But now, he might be back.

According to an article in The New York Times, Rodriguez and his wife, Cynthia, met with Hank and Hal Steinbrenner on Wednesday to discuss a 10-year $270 million to $275 million contract that would include a $25 million bonus if he surpasses Barry Bond’s homerun record as a Yankee. The Times article said that after the meeting, Rodriguez told his agent, Scott Boras, to sort out the verbiage of the contract. Looks likes the Central Park tanning, canoodling with strippers A-Rod will be back in the Bronx come April.

As a lifelong Yankees’ fan, I think it’s ridiculous that the Yankees would even consider a new contract with A-Rod. Even though he had a superb season as a Yankee, he has yet to help the team win another World Series, which was one of the main reasons for bringing him to the team in the first place.

Rejecting the Yankees and then asking the organization to take him back shows that he realizes that no other team would offer to him a contract like the one he is negotiating right now. He is clearly thinking about himself and only himself; he doesn’t care about what is in the best interest of the Yankees. He just wants more money.

Plus, A-Rod’s potential new contract makes the Yankees look like all they care about is the publicity that comes with A-Rod breaking the homerun record. Are they even concerned about A-Rod’s abilities to help the Yankees win number 27? Have they forgotten that they desperately need solid starting pitchers who aren’t approaching the mid-life crisis stage of life?

I want to live during an era when the Yankees dominate baseball. 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 were great. I want more tickertape parades to celebrate Yankees’ World Series Championships. The last thing I want are contracts such as A-Rod’s to ruin the Yankees.

nuns: marathon fans?

Nuns watch marathon runners on 1st Avenue and 117th Street in Manhattan. Craig Calefate/The Observer

As I was shooting the marathon for The Observer, I noticed these nuns across the street. They had their chairs set up and were cheering on the runners; one even had a camcorder and was filming it!

Maybe next year they’ll run.

Fordham Beats Holy Cross, Claims Patriot League Title

Fordham University’s Nov. 3 game against the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders had all the makings of a high-scoring shootout, featuring the top two offenses in the Patriot League battling to preserve their undefeated records and claim a share of the conference championship. Although it initially appeared the sellout crowd of 8,300 at Jack Coffey Field would get the offensive fireworks most observers expected, the game was ultimately decided by defense and ball control down the stretch. By the time the final whistle sounded on that cold and windy afternoon at Rose Hill, Fordham escaped with a 24-21 victory, preserving their unblemished record and winning a guaranteed share of the Patriot League title.