The Wizard of Oz, Starring the New York Yankees

The Wizard of Oz, Starring the New York Yankees

From: gothamist.com

The Wizard of Oz has really been updated for current times. Now, in addition to Toto, Dorothy carries a bag from the 5th Avenue Apple Store with her. At least that's what Dorothy, played by Ian Kennedy, did as part of the Yankees' rookie hazing tradition where green players dress up in crazy outfits.

We expect this version of The Wizard of Oz to come to an off, off, off Broadway location in the post-season. Should we be reading into the outfits at all? Does Joba Chamberlain have no courage? Does Phil Hughes have no heart? Does Shelley Duncan have no brain? And if Ian Kennedy taps his heals together three times and says "There's no place like the playoffs," will the Yankees magically awake in the post-season?

Not pictured are Edwar Ramirez (Wicked Witch), Matt DeSalvo (Lollipop Kid), Tyler Clippard (Monkey), Bronson Sardinha (Guard), and Alberto Gonzalez (Munchkin).

Photos of Joba Chamberlain (the lion), Chase Wright (the Good Witch), Phil Hughes (Tin Man)

From Their Lips...

One of the amazing things going on in sports today is the number of athletes who are being candid with the media. Gone are the Bull Durham-esque cliches of the past quarter century that "we take it one day at a time" and that "we are just happy to be here." Today, athletes are speaking their minds. Here are some of the interesting comments they had to say:

Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles: "Black quarterbacks have to deal with different things than white quarterbacks. If you don't think that's true than you are naïve. Peyton, Tom and Carson to name a few, have never been asked what it's like to be a white quarterback. They probably have not been told that they should have scrambled more. I bet Fran Tarkenton, Steve Young, Jake Plummer, and Doug Flutie have never been told by a member of any racial consciousness organization that they don't play the quarterback position white enough."

Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers: "A lot of people know about teams hazing their rookies and younger players. The vets had us do a little costume party after we finished the Chicago series. I was Robin Hood...no tights...got lucky. Other guys had it way worse, like Snow White, Popeye, a barely dressed fat woman, and others. When we got to San Fran. that night, the bus dropped us off about 6 blocks from the hotel, so we could show off our lovely outfits. It was quite entertaining."

Isaac Bruce, St. Louis Rams: "I sit here 0-2 smart enough to go back in NFL history to focus on the many teams that started 0-2 and finished in the playoffs. That's my focus. You may be reading this piece and your job, marriage, finances, or some other relationship is under attack. Take a stand. There is hope and when faith is added to that hope, "No one can stop you but you." We have to be active participants in our own rescue. Continue to call things which be not as though they were! Remember, PS 34:19, "many are the affliction (test, trials, and storms) of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Ending, give praise where it is due, to all of the defensive coordinators in the NFL, Randy Moss is still explosive!!! P.S. This is my MVP season."

Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants: "I would have loved nothing more than to retire as a Giant in the place where I call home and have shared so many momentous moments with all of you, but there is more baseball in me and I plan on continuing my career. My quest for a World Series ring continues."

Should Willie get Crazy?

The Mets are spiralling out of control. Fans are calling for Manager Willie Randolph to reincarnate Bobby V and to fire up his team. Should Willie get Crazy??

To answer, let's take a look at the other New York baseball club. During the 2007 season, Joe Torre and the Yankees faced a similar dilemma. They were below .500 and Boston was running away with the lead. Today, the Yankes have a better record than the Mets.

Why has and is Torre successful? Clearly, he had the talent. The Yankees consistently had one of the highest, if not the highest, payroll in the league. But other teams had similar payrolls and never came close to the playoffs. Torre also has not been known as a statistician and also has a reputation for burning out his bullpen (See Tom Gordon and Scott Proctor). Yet, 11 playoff finishes and 4 titles later, Torre is still the skipper for one of the most heralded franchises in sports.

The reason Torre was successful is because he had the right temperament for New York. There would be no "Bronx Zoo" under Torre. Torre was confronted with the largest media circus of any other team. In New York, there are 3 daily newspapers compared to other cities, which have just one. Yet, Torre never lost his cool. Win or lose, the man displays no emotion (except, of course, when he starts crying like a baby when they win the title). But, a 162 game season is grueling and is prone to slumps. Yet, you never see Torre charging at an umpire to kick dirt or throwing bases around the diamond. He sits quietly in his dugout and keeps everyone calm. In other cities, this quality may be unappreciated and even considered lazy. But, in New York, it is essential.

As the Mets continue to slump, fans are calling for Manager Willie Randolph to fire up his team. But, Randolph, like Torre, has the same emotion throughout. His stoic expression never changes and provides a calm to his team in New York. Although Bobby Valentine's antics were legendary, he wore out his welcome after a few seasons because players got tired of listening. Perhaps Willie should display some Bobby V in the next few games? Maybe even bring out the ol' glasses and moustache disguise? But that wouldn't be Willie, and would only be taken by the players as a sign of panic. Willie is the right man for New York. Too bad the Mets fans don't appreciate him the way the Yankees appreciate Torre.

Insights from Week 2 in the NFL

Week 2 of the NFL season provided a bit more insight into the progress of some teams, while offering little on others. We learned that the Colts can sleepwalk their way to victory while teams like the Saints have lost their magic. We learned that the Giants officially have no D, and that its going to be a long season for the Falcons.

Here are my other insights on Week 2:

• The Bengals Defense is horrendous. The Bengals gave up 51 points this weekend to the hapless Browns. Wasn't Marvin Lewis called a 'Defensive guru' some time ago for the Baltimore Ravens? Clearly, he is not working the same magic in Cincy. Cincy lacks the go-to defensive player that Lewis had in Baltimore with Ray Lewis. They've drafted some players on the defensive side of the ball the last few years, but those players made Jamal Lewis look like Carl Lewis! 215 yards rushing out of a broken-down back like Lewis is a game that gets people fired. Start all offensive players against the Bengals defenses for the forseeable future.

• Derek Anderson is NOT the real deal. The guy has a great arm and a gunslinger's mentality, but he was a former 6th round pick that was released by the Ravens because he could not beat out Kyle Boller. Anderson is a capable backup but, as his preseasons stats showed, he does not have the tools to succeed on a weekly basis. Last year, he also threw 4 TD's in his first game of action. That was followed by a game a few weeks later of 4 INT's. Anderson is keeping the seat warm for Brady Quinn to start after the bye week.

• The Patriots are scary good. The Chargers were considered by most to be a Super Bowl contender, but looked like the Browns should have looked like over the weekend. Randy Moss has another big game. Don't sell high. Ride him out as long as you can.

• If this were Argentina or one of those other crazy soccer countries, Justin McCareins would've been led to a punishable death by the Jets faithful after costly drops in the 4th quarter against the Ravens.

• The Texans are 2-0. Wait, repeat that again so I don't have an aneurysm. The Texans are 2-0. Ok, now I can breathe a little better. The Matt Schaub experiment is taking full flight. He is leading this team and capitalizing on opportunities. Look for Schaub to continue the run.

• Buy low on Steven Jackson. The guy is a consensus first round fantasy pick and has failed to reach 100 yards in the last 2 games. Although the loss of Orlando Pace hurts, Jackson is too good to falter for this long. Buy now while there are suckers out there.

• Mike Shannahan has no soul, but he got a win against Oakland by waiting until the last possible second to call a time-out in OT. The players continued the play as if nothing was called. Janikowski kicked a game-winning 52-yard field goal, only for the officials to call off the play since one official heard Shannahan's time-out call. Naturally, Janikowski missed the 2nd opportunity and the Broncos charged down the field for the 23-20 win. But, don't miss Lamont Jordan's 159 yards of rushing in the contest. Jordan may be a top 10 runner this season once again.

Insights from Week 1 in the NFL

Week 1 in the NFL was exciting for some and anti-climatic for others. Especially troubling was the number of grave injuries that occurred in first week of the NFL season. NY Giants RB Brandon Jacobs sprained his MCL only 6 plays into the season and will be lost for 3-5 weeks. Rams OT Orlando Pace is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Dolphins SS Yeremiah Bell suffered a season-ending achilles injury. And, most scary of all, Bills TE Kevin Everett dislocated his neck and may never walk again! In training camp, there had been an emphasis on reducing playing time to avoid injuries. Well, having a player get injured in the first game of the season doesn't appear to be much better. Perhaps some of the injuries may have been avoided with more game-time preparation? Unfortunately for those players, there is no way to know....

Here are the rest of my insights on Week 1 in the NFL:

• The Chicago Bears Defense is a mauling, indestructable force that has all-star defenders at every position. Had it not been for a trick play by LaDanian Tomlinson and an inopportune fumble by Bears RB Adrian Peterson, the Bears would have blanked the high-powered offense of the San Diego Chargers. The Bears defense punished the Chargers and had 3 men tackling anyone who had the ball. It was remeniscient of John Thompson's Georgetown basketball defense of the 1980's where Patrick Ewing and others would punish anyone who entered the lane with three tacklers because the official could only call a foul on one player. Look for low scoring Bears games the rest of the season.

• Randy Moss is back, but without the ratio. With 9 catches and 183 yards, Randy Moss returned triumphantly to the NFL scene. However, unlike Moss' earlier stints in Minnesota and Oakland, he is not expected to be the star. Tom Brady completed passes to 7 different receivers. Apparently, Moss seems content in his new role and may indeed have an incredible comeback season

• The Cleveland Browns are, once again, a mess. They do not have a QB, and the only one with potential is the rookie Quinn who management intends to ease into the lineup. Alot of puff pieces on Jamal Lewis and the new O-Line did not help matters much. After a 34-7 shellacking by the Steelers, the Browns will be lucky to match their win total of 5 from last season

• The Kansas City Chiefs are the Cleveland Browns, but in a nicer city.

• Adrian Peterson: Hello, Mr. Rookie of the Year.

• The Detroit Lions' offense is so good that their #4 receiver, Shaun McDonald, led the team in receptions and yards. With their 4 wide receiver sets, it's anyone's guess who will be the top receiver from week to week.

• The New York Giants will not have a problem putting up points this season. Manning seems like he can throw a TD pass to Plaxico Burress any time he wants. The problem is that the Giants defense gave up 45 points last night. With Strahan missing training camp and Kiwanuka playing out of position, the Giants will likely need to score at least 30 points every game this season just to break even.

• Chad Pennington is a warrior. The man hobbled his way around the field to complete as many passes as he could. Nevertheless, the Jets fans cheered when his backup entered the game. New York usually lauds its warriors. Sorry Chad, no Willis Reed treatment for you.

Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2007

Picking a fantasy sleeper is no easy task. It is largely based on the offensive system, depth chart, and ability--usually in that order. Often, it will not matter how talented a player is if he is in the wrong offensive system or is buried in the depth chart.

Below is my sleepers list for fantasty football in 2007:

1) DJ Hackett, WR, Seattle--The third-year wideout has played under Mike Holmgren's system the past 3 seasons and is now starting opposite Deion Branch. The loss of Darrell Jackson and Jerramy Stevens leaves All-Pro Matt Hassellbeck with few other options to amass his consistent 3000+ passing yards and 20+ TD's. In 2006, Hackett had 610 yards and 4 scores as a thrid receiver. Now as a starter, look for his numbers to improve.

2) Ladell Betts, RB, Washington--This resourceful took a few years to find his place and offensive system. Now, he's the backup in Washington in Al Saunders' high powered offense. This offense produced fantasy monsters Priest Holmes and Trent Green in Kansas City. Expect Clinton Portis to be unable to solve his injury troubles, and for the young Betts to carry the load.

3) Matt Schaub, QB, Houston--Schaub has never started more than two NFL games, much less played a full season. Yet, he'd the new starter for the Texans in Gary Kubiak's offense. Kubiak was the architect behind the high-powered offense in Denver and looks to establish that presence in Houston. Many critics point out that the Texans offense line is abysmal and that until they upgrade at that position, no QB can succeed. But, these critics fail to learn from the Bledsoe-Tom Brady Lesson in New England. Before Brady took over, Bledsoe was the franchise QB, but could not win with a poor offensive line. Brady took over and took the team to the championship. The O-Line did not change, but Brady's quick release enabled the offense to succeed. Look for Schaub to pull a Brady in 2007.

4) Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh--I know. Holmes is only in his second year and most star wideouts burst out in their third campaign. Well, Holmes just couldn't wait. Holmes had 824 yards and 2 TD's last year, and is now ready to breakout since Coach Cowher's conservative offensive style is gone and replaced by Bruce Arian's high powered offense. Pittsburgh will now be throwing first and running second. Expect Holmes to catch most of those passes.

5) Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco--Davis was injured last year, but is now completely healthy and looked unstoppable in camp. At 6'3'' and 263 lbs., the man is still the force that lead the Niners to select him as the 6th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. With Darrell Jackson already nursing injuries in San Fran., look for Davis to step up as Alex Smith's only reliable receiver.

Fantasy Five

Here are my top 5 stories affecting the world of roto in my eyes:

5: Brandon Jacobs

All hail the new Brandozer in New York. At 6'4'' 260 pounds, Jacobs is learger than most linebackers and defensive ends. How are they to stop Jacobs once he starts barrelling into the line at full speed? According to Wikipedia, Jacobs has garnered several nicknames such as "The Beast", "The Monster", "Little Peanut", "The Bulldozer", "The Semi", "J-Truck", "J-Train", "Mr. Hightower", "The Juggernaut" and is often referred to as the "Biggest Running Back in Captivity". With nickname in hand, all Jacobs needs now are the results. Although the G-Men have an average offensive line in 2007, Jacobs is likely to make a huge impact. After his success in 2007, look for other teams to draft larger running backs like than Brandozer.


4: Team USA

The faux Dream Team just won first place in the FIBA qualifyer and seems pretty please with itself. Why not? Afterall, the team comprised of a starting five of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, and Dwight Howard demolished its competition by an average of over 20 points a game. They must have felt like Billy Madison destoying the 3rd grade kids in dodgeball! But, it will take a lot more than this effort to compete in the Olympics. The USA team is still lacking in shooters and lacks the fundamentals to break down the international zone defense. The team does not fight for rebounds and plays more like an All-Star team than as a championship team.

Rather than this collection of All-Stars, the NBA would be better off sending the 2007 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. The players that make championship teams are composed of the likes of Bruce Bowen, Tayshawn Prince, and Chauncy Billups. These are players that play within a team concept and focus on defense. Yet, none of these players are likely to make the team. Unless Team USA starts embracing this idea and learn there is no "me" in Krzyzewski, it will be another embarrassing Olympics for the Americans.

3: Joba Chamberlain

This just in via smoke signal, "Chief" Chamberlain is the new Mariano Rivera. The Native American hurler with a 100 mph fastball has arrived in NYC and is a fan-favorite. Like Rivera, Chamberlain worked as a starter in the minors and began working the 8th inning for the 1996 World Championship team. Similarly, Chamberlain has taken over 8th inning duties for the Yankees in 2007 with the same fanfare. Although Chamberlain's workload is restricted by the "Joba Rules" where he is permitted to throw only every other day, his impact on the club has been immense.

Chamberlain is the new bridge to Mariano Rivera and thereby shortens the game to only 7 innings against Yankee opponents. Although the Yankee front office insists that Chamberlain will return as a starter in 2008, no one can deny that Rivera is 38 years young and will be a free agent after this season. Much like how Rivera took over for John Wettland, the "Chief" may be the next heir to closing duties in New York.


2: Byron Leftwich

In an incredible end to the journey of this former first round draft pick out of Marshall, Lord Byron has been given his walking papers by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In an era where offensive lineman do not use proper technique and teams value quarterback mobility more than ever before, Leftwich became the statuesque black Drew Bledsoe.

Leftwich, although claiming to have fully recovered from the leg problems that plagued him ever since his famous injury at Marshall, still could not move in the pocket. And now, after an entire offseason and preseason, where Leftwich was the annointed starter, he has now been treated as if his value is less than the prize in a crackerjack box. In a stunning move, the Jaguars released Leftwich and received absolutely nothing in return other than wasted years and a confused franchise...

Why would Jack Del Rio announce that an injured Leftwich would be the starter in 2008 without a competition? Why would he waste giving Leftwich all the first-team reps in practice? Well, we don't have time to wait for rational explanations especially considering that Del Rio is the same genius who asked his players to literally "chop wood" in the locker room and then learned that one of his players was injured by a stray ax. Nevermind the fact that the closest thing the Jags had to a proven receiver for Leftwich to work with is named Dennis Northcutt, a cast-off from the 5-11 Cleveland Browns. Frankly, Lord Byron was in a no-win situation and he promptly did just that. My bet: Garrard takes over and is an average QB. The Jags go 8-8, again, miss the playoffs, and, after the season, Del Rio joins Leftwich in the trash heap...


1: Alex Rodriguez

As of September 1, 2007, there is exactly one player in major league baseball with over 40 homeruns. His name is Alex Rodriguez. In an era of rampant steriod allegations, his name has managed to remain clean. While other sluggers have demonstrated clearly reduced levels of production since full steroid testing went into effect in 2006 (See Adrian Beltre, Aramis Ramirez, Travis Hafner), A-Rod has improved.

Not surprisingly, Rodriguez has an "out clause" in his contract that permit him to walk away from the remaining $75 million on his deal with Texas and the Yankees, and become a Free Agent. Will he cash in? Well, he's not hitting 40 homeruns and stealing 20 bases for nothing, folks! As soon as this season ends, he'll be out like a fat kid in dodgeball. The man is extremely motivated and looking to receive a contract from the highest bidder. Potential suiters include: LA Angels, LA Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, and even the Boston Red Sox. A-Rod can play 3B and can even return to SS. If Barry Zito and Alfonso Soriano are getting $120 to $140 million, A-rod should break the bank at $250 million (again).

Even if the Yanks decide to put up the money, A-Rod's not coming back. Would you want to return to a place where the media watches you like a hawk, and, in their spare time, comes up with nicknames for you that derive off your name?? (Although, I have to admit, calling Rodriguez "Stray-Rod" after a picture of him with another woman landed on the front page of the Post was pretty funny). As much as Yankee fans hated A-rod during his tenure in NY, he's the best player in baseball and the fans will miss him incredibly next year when the Yanks have to turn to the likes of Wilson Betemit to replace the future Hall of Famer. In the meantime, watch him with amazement and laugh at those who actually passed over him during their fantasy drafts in April.