Quarter I: This Stadium Financing Business is Getting Ridiculous
As a Red Sox fan this past week was a hard one to swallow. The hated Yankees dropped upwards of 250 million dollars on two of the better pitchers in baseball. That was aggravating enough but what went under the radar in all of this is even more disturbing. The Yankees are set to earn 750 million dollars in revenue next year. However, despite this incredibly high amount of revenue, the Yankees’s new stadium is nearly completely publicly financed. What makes this worse is the fact that the Yankees after handing over this incredible amount of money had the courage to as the city of New York for more money to cover some of the rising expenses with their stadium. What does the city of New York get for its investment? Higher ticket prices as well as higher rates for all concessions at the ballpark. Now some may say that I am envious or bias because I am a Red Sox fan but the reality is that almost every city in America is getting screwed by their professional sports teams. Exceptions exist of course but cities today are forced to pay for unnecessary new stadiums and in return the teams price most fans of attending the games. If the cities don’t do as the teams say then the teams are allowed to simply pack their bags and leave to screw over some other group of taxpayers (a.k.a. pull a Clay Bennett). Look I’m not saying we shouldn’t support these teams if they wish to build a new stadium. However, it’s not up to the taxpayer to provide the funds to build the ballpark. In no other private industry in this country is the taxpayer billed to provide the building for a company. Sports should be no different.
Quarter II: Steve Williams Tops This Week's Worst Persons
3. Sondro Fortunato, fan New York Giants for getting kicked out of a Giants game for wearing questionable attire. Look it’s a football game not a pageant show so really there’s no need for any questionable clothing to be seen at the ballpark.
2. Oakland Raiders football team for their inexcusable lack of effort against the Patriots. Look I know you guys are having a rough season and your owner is a wacko but at least put the effort in for the fans in stands.
1. Steve Williams, Caddie for Tiger Woods for his comments about Phil Mickelson. At an event in New Zealand Mr. Williams said: ”I wouldn’t call Mickelson a great player, cause I hate the (expletive).” Steve, Phil has won multiple major titles and is clearly one of the top golfers in the world if not the second best in the world. To say otherwise is a discredit to your golf knowledge and to the man you represent. Shame on you! Steve Williams, this week’s worst person in the world.
Quarter III: Sam Bradford Tops This Week’s Best Persons
3. Matt Cassel, New England Patriots for his play this weekend against the Raiders. For those who are unaware, Matt lost his father last week and despite the loss was able to lead his team to victory with four touchdown passes. This performance not only shows Matt’s strength but also his commitment to his team.
2. Jamie Moyer for his commitment to play two more seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies. Its amazing that Jamie at the age of forty six with a fastball slower then most high school pitchers is still able to get out Major League hitters with the success that he does. .
1. Sam Bradford Oklahoma for winning the Heisman trophy. To win college football’s most prestigious award is one thing but to do it the way Sam Bradford did is another. Oklahoma’s offense has scored sixty plus points in five straight games led by Bradford’s NCAA leading forty-eight touchdown passes. Now it’s on to the BCS championship where Bradford can win another trophy: the National Championship. Sam Bradford, this week’s best person in the world.
Quarter IV: Game of the Week: Pittsburgh - Baltimore
Yet another big football game with playoff implications. Baltimore needed this game to help seal its playoff hopes and to keep its small hopes of winning the AFC North alive. For Pittsburgh, a win meant at least one home playoff game and a first round bye. This was a defensive game with only one touchdown scored by either team. Pittsburgh was able to pull it out with some solid play by Ben Roethlisberger and the continued dominance of the newest generation of the steel curtain. Baltimore held the late lead but could not hang on. A well-played game by both sides but for Baltimore it was an opportunity lost.
Overtime: 10 Random Pieces of Sports Knowledge
10. The hiring of Gene Chizik has provided much controversy for Auburn fans.
9. Reggie Theus is the fifth NBA coach to be fired this season.
8. Dustin Pedroia will play for the United States in next spring’s World Baseball Classic.
7. Phil Kessel has scored a point in 15 straight games.
6. The Yankees spent nearly 250 million dollars on two players last week.
5. Jerry Sloan has been coaching the Utah Jazz for twenty seasons.
4. Antoine Walker is in the process of negotiating a buyout from the Memphis Grizzles.
3. Utah is the lone non-BCS conference representative in the BCS bowl games.
2. Speaking of the BCS there is action on Congress to introduce a bill banning it.
1. The Celtics have won 14 straight games.
Double Overtime: Shoe Throwing Incident Shows How Far Bush Has Fallen.
This week a rather amusing story occurred when an Iraqi reporter took off his shoe and hurled it at President Bush during a news conference in Iraq. Iraqis are demanding this man’s release while the government has denounced this reporter’s act as barbaric. This action was inappropriate regardless of culture or customs; however, it is another bad reflection on the Bush administration. President Bush argued for the invasion of Iraq based on the belief that we would be welcomed as liberators. However, five years later is apparent that this is not the case. The people who Mr. Bush thought would welcome our presence the most are turning on us. Mr. Bush, your Iraq strategy was and still is a failure. Its time to start scaling back our involvement and allowing the Iraqis to take control of their own country.
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