Curses of the Sports World

curse (n.) : the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, or doom befall a person or a group.

Whether you believe in superstitions or not, a great many organizations and players (not to mention game personnel) have endured a curse long enough that this doom encapsulates their very being. Observe the course of sports history and how curses have affected its timeline.

5. 1940!

Upon winning the Stanley Cup to cap the 1939-1940 season, the New York Rangers would fail to hoist the Cup again for a record 54 years thereafter. As is customary for winners of Lord Stanley's trophy, various players, coaches, and personnel within the organization toted the the prize to numerous hot spots within the city, only to have it stolen, marking the first and only time this has happened in the Cup's history (mind you, the Cup has been used as an ashtray, a champagne flute, and has been dinged up countless times; the Cup itself annually goes through more cosmetic maintenance than the King of Pop). During one sixteen year stretch starting in 1951, the squad would fail to make the playoffs twelve times. The Rangers even lost a contest in the mid-1940's by a score of 15-0 and even started a goaltender who maintained an unheard of 6.20 goals-against-average. Everywhere the Rangers went (especially Nassau Coliseum, where the rival Islanders play), the team was chided with the abhorrent chant of "1940!" Under the helm of Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter and coach Mike Keenan, the Rangers would outlast the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to win the Stanley Cup in 1994, a moment in New York sports to recall forever. Curse ended, a miracle 54 years in the making.

4. The Madden Curse

Every August brings the promise of the monumental release of Madden, a title that has redefined sports role-playing on gaming consoles across the nation. Unfortunately, athletes appearing on the cover of these annual installments have either endured a serious injury or failed to live up to expectations. For some, the 'Madden Curse' has seemingly destroyed careers. Here is the list of the players who have been eerily victimized by the publicity stunt: Daunte Culpepper (banished to the Oakland Raider bench), Marshall Faulk (the one-time answer to Barry Sanders who now calls games on the laughable NFL Network), Shaun Alexander (one of the NFL's most prolific MVP's who has sustained a decline ever since the cover appearance) Donovan McNabb (does the man even have a functioning lower half to his body?), and the notorious Michael Vick (Atlanta's one time Messiah; he ended up breaking his leg in the 2004 preseason and endured, you know, that whole dog-fighting scandal, for which he is serving three-years' jail time). The men listed here weren't mere NFL mortals; they were bonafide superstars. Luckily, the next cover athlete (Brett Favre) has retired, so the curse cannot wholly affect him...unless his ego goes the way of Roger Clemens.

3. The Sports Illustrated Cover Curse

Unless your name is Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan, who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated a combined 86 times, countless teams and individuals have succumbed to the dreaded SI Cover Curse. The upstart 2005 Cleveland Indians were 15.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the standings in July, battling to within 1.5 games in September. Sports Illustrated opted to cover the resurgence prior to the 2005 playoffs. The Indians would then go on to lose six of their next seven games and miss the playoffs by a mere two games in the standings. Need more proof? The 2008 NCAA championship season: March Madness. North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough was featured on the cover TWICE during the Tarheels' prospective championship run. North Carolina, arguably the deepest and most talented team in the tourney, would lose an ugly contest in the Final Four to eventual champion Kansas, a loss that prompted the exodus of countless stars. Hansbrough, the epitome of dignity, has opted to stay at Chapel Hill for his senior season, but would later be shown on Sportscenter jumping off a frat house roof into a pool. If your team is in the midst of a hot streak, let us hope they don't make a doom-impending cover of Sports Illustrated to foil it all.

2. The Chicago Cubs and the Curse of the Goat

During Game 4 of the 1945 World Series, Cub fan Billy Sianis purchased two tickets: one for himself and one for his goat. By the fourth inning, after proudly parading his goat around the park, Sianis was personally ejected by owner P.K. Wrigley in lieu of the foul odor emanating from the farm animal. Upon leaving, Sianis infamously remarked,"The Cubs ain't gonna win no more." Ever since, the Cubs have not appeared in a single World Series. This may not explain the Cubs' prior futility (after all, they hadn't won a World Series since 1908 to that point), but the Cubs have been terrible ever since 1945, even despite having rosters amassed with the likes of Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Sammy Sosa, Ron Santo, and Mark Grace. And if that doesn't grind your gears, Cub fans, Chicago's 2008 season was commemorated with a Sports Illustrated cover featuring Kosuke Fukudome. How's that for celebrating 100 years since your last World Series victory?

1. The Curse of the Bambino

In the 1919 season, Red Sox ownership was fed up with star pitcher George Herman Ruth, who openly requested that the team double his salary. In need of a way to finance a potential Broadway smash entitled No, No Nanette (which would not grace the stage until 1925), Sox owner Harry Frazee, after turning down the tempting offer to bring Shoeless Joe Jackson to Fenway, sold Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees for a whopping $100,000. Ruth's homerun prowess emphatically ended the Dead Ball era (he hit 60 homeruns in 1927), gave the Yankees their first championship (1923, the same year Yankee Stadium,"The House that Ruth Built," was constructed) and singlehandedly made fans forget about the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 as baseball entered the high times of the Roaring Twenties. Although Nanette was a success (more so in the the way of a London production than the New York production), Frazee and the Sox would endure 86 years of futility. For every Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk, and Wade Boggs that went through the organization, the Sox were thwarted by the likes of their own (Bill Buckner) and the likes of the Yankees (Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, and Mariano Rivera). Never has a single transaction in the sports world done so much for the respective success (Yankees) and failure (Red Sox) of two organizations. The mantra of the 2004 Red Sox may have been 'Reverse the Curse,' but not before the Yankees would win 26 championships of their own since the trade of Ruth to the Bombers.

Policy Thought Crossover: Top Five Reasons we tune in to the election

This election cycle has proven to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. The drama and headlines, some natural, some manufactured have kept the public unusually interested in the reality TV show we call the presidential election of 2008. However, there five reasons above all that keep this one interesting...folks if you enjoy this list head over to Policythought, where we delve into Policy and Politics every day...

#5. The first open source campaign

We saw inklings of it in 2004 for the Howard Dean Campaign, and some of the mechanics of the machinery for the Kerry Campaign, but the online juggernaut that has exploded in political coverage since both of those campaigns is astounding. The blogs are a whole new level of political importance-the third leg of media checks and balances. There's the official line of the politician, the media's spin, and the the blogosphere hyper-spin or counter spin. Convince the MSM of your point is one thing, read the blogs the next hour, did you convince Kos?

#4. It's Reality TV

Hillary Clinton's quest to break the highest and hardest glass ceiling, Bill Clinton's obsessive desire to regain the White House by proxy, the public break up between Senator Obama and his off-the-wall pastor, Ron Paul's never ending crusade. This political season has become the best reality show on television.

#3. Bill Clinton

Just when you thought the story line might get boring. Bill pops back up like the plastic dad in Don't Wake Daddy, wide eyed and pissed that some 2 year Senator woke him from his dream of he and his wife going round #2 at the White House. In his agitation he might compare Obama to Jesse Jackson, or maybe he'll claim Hillary's faced brutal sexism, or maybe he'll say that the race card was played against him. Sometimes he just wants to scream at people at campaign rallies. Whatever it is, Bill's always there as ex-presid

ent combatant in chief.

#2 Yes We Can!

I know its a simplistic and some would say lame campaign slogan. Some would say that the hope Obama promises is hype. But whatever way you slice it, Senator Obama has generated a new an very exciting interest in politics. He has turned the youngest voters on to the process. His charisma, his political skill, his oratory and his thoughtfulness have turned him into the Vin Diesel of politics. I bet he hopes he has a longer shelf life.

#1 President Bush

Let's face it-we all wouldn't care who was going to be the next president so much if not for the fact that we all disapprove of President Bush so much. Mr. 28% per cent approval has given all of us a reason to be interested in who replaces him. Maybe you hate the war in Iraq, or his administration's abuses of power, maybe you think negotiating with enemies is intelligent, maybe you like a President that can string together a sentence with more than 3 multi-syllabic words in it without getting that dim sort of glazed over look is appealing. Maybe you don't want a vice president that reminds you so much of Darth Vader. Whatever your particular beef it's reason enough to want someone new, desperately. And so we all watch with great intent the buffon reality play that is our current presidential cycle.

The Top 5 Tips of Movie Advice to Follow

There comes a time when certain bits of dialogue should be heeded at all costs. For instance, observe Bruce Banner's plea. "Don't get me angry. You wouldn't like to see me when I'm angry." Imagine not listening to that. BAM! You've just become a statistic, because a 10-foot, hulking green freak just went medieval on your ass by tossing you through the window of a twelve-story building. For many, listening to certain bits of advice will only do its part to save the only life you have. Observe these moments in film when heeding dialogue was the difference between life and death (or perhaps, a better understanding of how life works).


5. “Step into the light, Carol Anne.” - the creepy ghost whisperer in The
Poltergeist

Unless eternity in a fourth-dimension of ghouls and ghosts is your idea of a good time, step into the light and free yourself from the clutches of a cult-driven, maniacal preacher. Mind you, Carol Anne got herself in grave danger by passing through a television screen in the first place. If bizarre images percolating from a television set have taught us anything (see The Ring), it's that you don't, under any circumstances, answer the beckoning of a spirit-driven entertainment box that wants you dead.

4. “You [just] dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a f----n' education you coulda' got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library.” - Will
Hunting in Good Will Hunting

Here's the scene. Pompous ass walks into a bar. This tool of textbook regurgitation pawns off ideas on colonial American economic systems as pick-up lines used so uncouthly on unsuspecting chicks. A wise, albeit cocky, prodigy intercedes, dropping serious knowledge on finances that could have been better spent elsewhere. There you have it, uninspired Harvard grad: you just got served by a 40 oz.-toting orphan from Southie; how you like THEM apples?

3. “Leave the guns. Take the canolis.” - Clemenza in The Godfather

You've just committed homicide in cold blood (that wise guy had it coming, though!). Now, you have a predicament on your hands: the murder devices used to whack Paulie remain in your possession. Here's the answer: dump them off in Paulie's car and take some desserts to fill your belly on the way back to meet the Don. Problem solved; the heat is completely off you, allowing for the enjoyment of some Italian-pastry goodness. Bellissimo!

2. “If you only knew the power of the Dark Side of the Force.” - The Emperor in Return of the Jedi

Consider this, Luke Skywalker. Your father is a cyborg and Emperor Palpatine's face looks like moldy coffee cake. All of this transpired in the name of the "Dark Side." That is no life for you. Now wield that green lightsaber of yours and take these bitches OUT!

1. “Don’t cross the streams.” - Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters

Chances are, you'll never don a 125,000 BTU-pumping proton pack. In the event you do, never allow the streams that pulse from your proton gun to come in contact with the frantic stream from another gun. The results could be disastrous. Consider, also, this dialogue's real world application. Two guys walk into a bar bathroom, both of whom must break the seal. Of the three stalls in the lavatory, two are out of order, leaving one toilet to pee in. Does one gentleman risk internal damage by allowing the other dude to go in front of him or does this said customer suggest to the other , "Let's cross the streams?" The answer to this tricky scenario is a resounding "NO!" to the latter. If wetting your pants comes at the expense of not 'crossing swords,' then so be it. Large pee spots are easier to cover up ("I drunkenly spilled water from the sink on my pants" is a plausible excuse) than sharing embarrassing stories on how you once reluctantly shared the stall with somebody. Save that sort of bathroom etiquette for the female populous. (Which prompts the mystery all men wish to have answered: why is it apropos for females to engage in a pee party at the bar or frat house?).

Top 5 Things to Do with your Memorial Day Weekend

Is it me, or is anybody else enjoying the media silence of the past few days? As James mentioned in his Policythought post, there will be a lull in media coverage over the course of the next few months, however I view this as a good thing. The media's coverage has been like a feeding frenzy lately, rather than objective, accurate journalism. I've grown tired of the manufactured headlines and drama. I'm sick of Reverend Wright and Bittergate. I can't stomach anymore talk of racism in this election or the voting tendencies white, blue-collar workers. While the media is certainly still trying to convince you of the hype and controversy (see Hillary Clinton's remarks on RFK) I'm not biting anymore. I've come up with a brief list of things of family friendly activities to occupy this beautiful Memorial Day weekend, so forget your troubles and enjoy life.


5. BBQ

Nothing says summer like a nice day in the yard / or on the deck like a good ol' Barbecue with your friends. Open a few beers, kick back and talk about better times. Get some fresh air and take in all natures wonders in the waning days of spring.

4. Catch a Flick!

The spring / summer box office line-up is chock-full of goodness this year with films like Batmans Returns, Ironman, Kung-Fu Panda, Indiana Jones, and the Hulk. Enjoy a film with the family and suspend your disbelief for two hours. Forget all the rising gasoline prices and political infighting and feel like a kid again watching your old big screen faves return to a new generation of moviegoers.


3. Play catch...

Dust off your old Baseball mit and throw the baseball around for a little bit with a family member. There's nothing like a talk over a game of catch. I don't know what it is about this activity that is totally Zen. You'll feel so good that all your problems will melt away.


2. Ice Cream and a Walk


Nothing says summer and beautiful weather more than a nice ice cream sundae. Get a gigantic ice cream cone and take a nice walk around the neighborhood. If you neighborhood is skanky, go visit somebody else's. Bring some friends along. Much like there's always room for Jello-O, I would argue that there's always room for ice cream.


1. Hit the open road


Get a handful of your summer music collection, open every window in your car, and start to drive. You don't need a particular destination, just drive. Put on your sunglasses, blast your music, and sing at the top of your lungs. Take a navigator with you. Don't be afraid to pack a little overnight bag, just in case you don't want the journey to end. You don't need an expensive Carribean vacation or flight to gain some peace of mind. Travel to small towns that are not in a brochure. Sample some local customs on this low budget vacation. You don't have to go far (it can only be a weekend) to feel like you've taken a break from your life. Get away from all the negative and break the monotany of the Monday to Friday grind. Don't worry the political infighting and career will still be there when you get back. Take a break from them for a while, I guarantee that you will feel better for it.

Top 5 Reasons You Must See Indiana Jones

If you've spent the last week scouring the net looking for critics opinions on Indiana Jones, then you might be worried about the mixed reviews the film has been getting. While I did not get in on the midnight show, I did have an opportunity to watch the film Friday night with a packed house. The film ended with audience applause, a rarity in the movie theatre nowadays. I promise not to spoil the ending of the film or reveal major plot developments in this list. And, while some people will give you wishy-washy reviews, the "V" List is going out on a limb by saying that there are five reasons you simply must see this movie.

5. Commies!

Nazism is getting old, so let's bring back a group of people that we haven't hated on since Rocky IV, the Russians. Nothing rekindles old hatreds like a good history lesson on the Cold War. It would be anachronistic to employ the services of our typical bad guys the Arabs for this film, so Spielberg returned to the time tested formula of hating on the Reds. Much like other films, the accents are in and out, but after all that's what makes a good Russian portrayal in film. Even Russian actors make the accent sound contrived, so give Cate Blanchett a pass on her Germanic, Russian vibrato.

4. Big Damn Ants:

I love creative deathtraps involving carnivorous insects. The environmental dangers are so much fun in this film and watching our Communist bad guys get eaten alive and dragged back into giant earthen mounds is simply priceless. The only time that insect deaths were done better was in King Kong when the dude got his head eaten by a giant earthworm-centipede hybrid. Big ups to Spielberg for thinking outside the box on this one.

3. Worst Case Scenario: Atomic Blast

How do you survive Nuclear Holocaust? Spielberg provides the answer with the new Indy flick. I must admit, I was sitting in my seat saying, "Oh man these guys are f-ed now." And yet, our writers provided us with a fun, and strangely plausible escape strategy. Nice mushroom cloud, but the fallout rain will be a bitch.

2. The Fedora is BACK!

I will admit that I got goosebumps the first time Indiana Jones' appeared on the screen with a hint of John Williams magic. I felt like a kid again, and regardless of how the movie panned out, I felt like I had been reunited with a long lost friend.

1. Nostalgia and One liners

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will not disappoint hardcore fans, because it ties us many loose ends from previous films. Almost every question that lingered following Raiders, Temple, and Last Crusade was answered. Character stories (save for Sullah) were tied together neatly and you felt like this story had progressed. My greatest fear was that Harrison Ford would be playing a character too young (given the fact that Last Crusade was made in 89) but about 16 years has elapsed since the last movie. Audience members believe that Indiana is feeling his age, both mentally and physically. This is not another "Rocky Balboa" where clearly the main character is trying to accomplish something that is virtually impossible. While you can never compare this film with its predecessors, I promise that the latest Indiana Jones will leave you feeling good about your moviegoing experience. Crystal Skull compliments the series, and will not leave you feeling like this film was a major Hollywood mistake. You will not be blown away, but it's worth the price of admission, and besides there is another Dark Night trailer. What else could you ask for?

Manly Maness

Growing up I was surrounded by a loving mother and three younger sisters. While I consider myself the manliest of manly men, there have been times where my possession of the man-card was threatened. Before the list...a caveat there are countless reasons why a man card my get rejected. I invite all of you to post your own reasons in the comment section, but first. Check out this definitive list of reasons for revocation of the man-card.
#5. You have ever enjoyed Sex in the City.

The show that is all things un-man. Prada, tampons, strappy sandals and women catevching because too many sucessful, good looking men are interested in them. If you have ever sat on the couch with a glass of wine enjoying an episode of this woman-infested informercial for over-priced crap people can't afford...you're man card goes to the shredder.



#4. You Can't Accurately and briefly explain the infield fly rule.

I know its a tough one...but want to keep the man card...the comment section awaits...

#3. You own more than one Alanis Morisette CD

We were all curious back in the 90's about the crazy Canadian we saw get slimed as a teenager, ranting and raving about her bad breakup and having 2000 spoons...blah blah. Well you might have bought her more recent CDs-curious about your sensitive, feminine side...wait you did? Man-card BURNED!

#2- You're cup size is greater than AA.

Listen boys, if you're checking out your significant other's bra collection not because you like to imagine your girl in her lacy's but because you think you might need some extra support up top- You have exactly 45 seconds to get in the gym lift some iron and run the treadmill, otherwise...man card revoked.

#1-You can't tell the difference between a lager, a pilsner, and a stout.


Listen man-children. It's one thing not to be able to explain the complex inner workings of a V-8 hemi, maybe you have the woodworking skills of a small dutch woman, maybe you have the athletic prowess of Bryant Gumble (who's man card was reject a number of years ago) but some knowledge you must possess if you wish to possess your man-card. If you don't know...you better get on it.

Why the New York Yankees Will Remain 26-Time Champs for a Long Time Coming

Complaining about the New York Yankees' most recent strife is rather unfair when you consider I have witnessed four splendid World Series championships in my 27 years of existence. In fact, from 1996 to 2000, the Joe Torre-led squad maintained a dynasty not seen since the Big Red Machine of the late 1970's. In light of the Yankees' late 90's dominance, baseball has had its share of futility. There are three generations of Chicago Cubs fans that have NEVER seen their ballclub revel in the glory of a championship. Furthermore, not since the double-play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance has Chicago even sniffed the possibility of bringing home a World Series, their last title coming in 1908. Since then, our country has endured 18 presidential administrations, involvement in four major wars, a Great Depression, the rise of commercial airline travel, the addition of four states to the Union, the use of automobiles as an acceptable mode of transportation, and six World Series for the Boston Red Sox, the team that once personified losing (although two of those titles were amassed in 2004 and 2007, but what Yankee fan pays attention to THAT?). The New York Yankees of the 1980's were just as pitiful, seeing as the pinstripes of those years were limited by the obsession of signing players to exorbitant contracts (see Rickey Henderson and Dave Winfield). Baseball, like life itself, is dictated by the ebb and flow of cycles. The Yankees of today are beginning to revert to a cycle that doomed them twenty years ago, and it all has to do with five moments that sum up their current string of Atlanta Braves-esque performances (remarkable regular seasons tainted by poor playoff production. Here's looking at you, A-Rod and Giambi).

5. Overvaluing Prospects

The 2008 rendition of the New York Yankees vested a tremendous amount in the likes of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy to lead them to glory. Two moments in Hughes's first year implied success on a monumental level: (1) through seven innings of a contest against the Texas Rangers, Hughes sustained a no-hitter, only to go down with a hamstring injury that kept him out of action until August; (2) Hughes garnered the only victory (in relief for bust Roger Clemens) the Yankees compiled in the 2007 postseason against the Cleveland Indians. Drooling over such potential, the Yankees all but pencilled him in as a number two starter behind ace Chien-Ming Wang in 2008. Ian Kennedy, on the other hand, had a much smaller body of work: his sparkling 1.89 ERA came in a late-September call-up that lasted for three measly starts. And Kennedy was the answer to an eventual Andy Pettitte or Mike Mussina departure. Now look at them. In twelve starts, the two are a combined 0-7 with an 8.73 ERA. Sure, teams taking a risk on young pitchers will endure growing pains, but consider: Johan Santana could have been had in a package deal for either of these two pitching studs. The only prospect worth such hype is the electric Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera's heir apparent until....

4. Ruining a Good Thing (i.e. The Role of Joba Chamberlain)

Set-up extraordinaire Joba Chamberlain has conveyed such moxie, confidence, and flair that he is all but destined for greatness of epic proportions. In only his second game at Yankee Stadium, Joba threw at Boston third baseman Kevin Youkilis in retaliation for a dirty play he committed innings before. Not only was Joba proving himself as a Yankee, he was doing it on the big stage in the middle of the most heated rivalry in all of sports. This was the start of a career that saw Joba compile a minuscule 0.38 ERA over 24 innings of work in 2007. As baseball's most prolific set-up man, Joba was grooming himself as Rivera's replacement when Mo's contract expires in 2010. And yet, Joba will abandon a role he so magnificently lived up to (as per Yankee brass, who made the decision last night) in order to become a starter. Joba appears to have the mindset to dominate on the major-league level as a starter, but what happens when the likes of Kyle Farnsworth, LaTroy Hawkins, and Russ Ohlendorf are blowing the leads that Chamberlain himself hands to these bums? Relief man Hideki Okajima was the X-factor that led the Red Sox to their 2007 title. The Yankees have now sacrificed their own intangible force by toying with Joba's tenure in pinstripes.

3. Constructing the Star-Studded Roster

In 2001, when the Yankees succumbed to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven brutal games, the Bombers simply could not hit. In Game 7, when the unbeatable Mariano Rivera was thwarted by a bloop single off the bat of Luis Gonzalez, I was granted a haunting moment no different from a Bill Buckner-like blunder, one that has intruded my sweetest dreams on countless occasions. Rather than attribute this paltry hitting to the sheer brilliance of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, the Yankees organization blamed the lineup for its inability to perform in the clutch. This mentality resulted in the Jason Giambi signing, the lead domino in a series of botched acquisitions that were dictated by panic and financial clout. For every transaction that worked in the Yankees' favor (Hideki Matsui and Mike Mussina), the organization was strapped by many others that failed (Jose Contreras, Kyle Farnsworth, Kei Igawa, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, to name but a few). The Yankees compiled their World Series titles due in part to the play of consummate ball players (Paul O'Neill, David Cone, Bernie Williams, Scott Brosius, Jim Leyritz, Joe Girardi), not superstars. The need to fill each position with an All-Star is what has killed the Yankees over the years, especially when you consider the Alex Rodriguez signing....

2. Getting Bullied by Scott Boras

Hear me out: I am an enormous Alex Rodriguez fan. I am rooting extremely hard for him to overtake Barry Bonds's grasp on the homerun title. But trading for, and eventually signing, Alex Rodriguez has defined the Yankees and their egocentric methods, even if he delivered two MVP's during his tenure with the team. Hell, Bonds won FIVE MVP's while with San Francisco, amounting to ZERO rings for the Giants. Signing A-Rod to a ludicrous contract would suggest that he, not Derek Jeter, should be considered the face of the franchise. And if that is the case, the Yankees will (1) sell a kajillion tickets for the life of A-Rod's contract (which appears to be all the organization cares about anymore) and (2) allow Jeter's professionalism and hustle take a backseat to this superstar craze. Although A-Rod cleaved his association with agent Scott Boras, Rodriguez found himself distracted by Boras's constant push for opting out of his contract with the Yankees, even going so far as to let the story seep into Fox's coverage of the 2007 World Series, an incident that was despicable on Boras's (and partly A-Rod's) behalf. You would think that the young George Steinbrenner was at the helm behind such decisions, but think again.

1. Granting the Keys of the Kingdom to Mr. Hank Steinbrenner

Although this is the first season in which George Steinbrenner has little to no say in the operations of the team he still owns, you would imagine that his poor health allowed for the likes of his sons Hank and Hal to pull the strings long before the 2008 campaign. The man behind the curtain of Oz is now Hank Steinbrenner himself, a man whose decisions and choice of words echo the Big Stein of old. Under his watch, the likes of Joe Torre and Don Mattingly were screwed out of managerial candidacy, paving the way for the Joe Girardi show (a man, unlike Torre, who is ensconcing himself in the spotlight with his own weekly show on the YES Network. Yes, those egomaniacal days are here again!). With Hank running the show, the Yankees are on the fast road toward the laughingstock the organization was in the 1980's, much to the delight of Red Sox Nation, more so to the chagrin of us Yankee fans.

Guinness is Good for You

I couldn't resist on the beer aficionado front. A tribute to the lovely stout: the one, the only, GUINNESS Draught. P.S. Something has to be said for three like-minded individuals considering Guinness in the echelon of amazing beer ads.