Marcus Jordan debuts Air Jordan Kicks, UCF Loses Sponsorship

 

Patent Leather White on White 12's

 

Marcus Jordan the son of hall of famer Michal Jordan played his 1st college game yesterday at the University of Central Florida. His stat line, 1 point, 1 assist and 3 steals. I guess the apple does fall far from the tree. To his credit, he’s got some huge shoes to fill and he’s stirred quite a bit of controversy when he advised UCF that during games he will be wearing his fathers and Nike’s Air Jordan Brand shoes.

Well.. what’s the big deal? The deal is that UCF and all of  its athletes are sponsored by Adidas. As of today that contract has been for lack of a better term, terminated. Adidas spokeswoman Andrea Corso released this statement via email to the Orlando Sentinel.

“The University of Central Florida has chosen not to deliver on their contractual commitment to Adidas. As a result we have chosen not to continue our relationship with them moving forward.”

Talk about sleeping with the enemy. I’m sure Marcus and the school knew what they were getting into and at the end of the day who would you rather have endorsing your school and its athletics, the 3 stripes or a logo and last name synonymous with basketball worldwide?

 

 

A-Rod solidifies legacy

Redemption

Heavy hangs the head that wears the crown.

Not for Alex Rodriguez.

No longer will the $3oo million man have to answer questions about his postseason failures. 

With the weight of the world on his shoulders, and a below .200 batting average going into the start of this year’s playoffs, A-Rod has expelled the demons. He has gotten something that  his annual paycheck can’t buy. 

A ring.

It’s been 15 ring-less years for Alex. But with the help of a steroid-use admission, a hip surgery, and the addition of Kate Hudson, A-Rod has transformed himself. No longer is he the goat of Yankee failures. He put aside the egoistic, me-first attitude that has characterized him his entire career. This time,the team came first.

A-rod has secured his legend. He batted a robust .365 (19-for-52) with six homers and a franchise-record 18 RBIs in the 2009 playoffs. Think they were meaningless RBIs? Not quite. Eight of them tied a game or gave the Yankees the lead.

He was clutch. He was Jeter-esque. He was everything Yankee fans wanted him to be when we signed him 5 years ago. I don’t know what Kevin Long said to him, but his approach at the plate, along with his demeanor, is completely different. He had a career high in walks this year. He bought into the Yankee concept of being patient, taking your walks and passing the baton.

This was the MO of the late 90s teams. Grind out at bats. Take walks. Let your teammate pick you up. And that’s exactly what A-Rod did. When Pedro pitched around him, he let Matsui pick up the slack. And oh, how he picked it up.

And when the team needed him most, he delivered. Game-tying jacks in Game 2 and 3 of the ALDS, one off Joe Nathan in the bottom of the 9th. The game tying jack off MLB save leader Brian Fuentes in Game 2 of the ALCS. He ravaged Phillies closer Brad Lidge for the go-ahead RBI double in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the World Series.

And oh yeah, A-Rod also hit the first video-reviewed HR in the WS, which also was a game-changer, cutting the Phillies lead to 3-2 in Game 3 of the WS.

A-Rod has shaken off the criticism. He has reinvented himself. As Dennis Green once said — though slightly tailored — He is who we thought he was.

It just took five years to find out.

Who do you keep?

Godzilla put the Yanks on his back in Game 6, but will that be enough to keep him in Pinstripes?

 

Now that the Yankees have won their 27th World Championship, General Manager Brian Cashman has some tough decisions ahead of him.

Damon, Pettitte and Matsui are all free agents, and most likely, the Yankees can only keep two of them. So who do you choose?

Damon had a career year in his final year with the Pinstripes. He had 24 homeruns –tying a career high –, a .280 batting average and drove in more than 80 RBIs. Matsui batted around .290, had 25-plus jacks and damn near drove in 100 RBIs. Pettitte was good ol’ reliable, being the second-half dominant pitcher the Yanks have come to expect from him. Oh yeah, he also closed out every playoff series this year.

I think that even though Matsui is the WS MVP, Game 6 was his swan song. The Yankees, who are moving more toward a younger, mobile group, rather than a bunch of power hitters, don’t have the space to have a full-time DH who can’t field. With aging players like Arod, Jeter and Posada, they need days off from the field, and having a permanent DH would leave them out of the lineup. 

So who’s more important? Posada, Jeter and Arod…or Matsui?

Easy answer.

Damon had a monster year. But will that earn him another Steinbrenner check?

Damon may have swung himself into a one-year $8 million contract by batting .380 in the WS, but Matsui batted in 6 RBIs in one WS game! I think Damon gets the contract because he still has some life in his legs and he and Jeter have formed a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. He can still play the outfield — barely — but that’s more than Matsui can. 

Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye to old friends. It’s even harder to watch them detiororate in front of your own eyes. I think this is the best we’ll see of Matsui, and I’d rather see him go out on top, than struggling to stay in the lineup.

I wouldn’t keep Damon for more than a year or two, and I would definitely DH him if the Yanks choose to bring up Austin Jackson to play left field.

The question with Andy is easy though. Bring him back. Period. The crafty left-hander baffled the Phillies left-handed bats, and he provided a steady, veteran voice in the clubhouse. All the young pitchers love Andy. He teaches them. Directs them. And he leads by example.

He gobbled up 200 plus innings, again, and when it mattered most, he pitched great. He doesn’t let the moment faze him. He excels in the spotlight. He devours pressure. That was a key component to this club, and Pettitte epitomized it.

The Yankees can’t get caught up in the moment. We are building a dynasty, and though Matsui’s Game 6 was epic, he just doesn’t fit into the plans for 2010.

My idea: Damon, 2-year $16 million.

Pettitte: One year deal, $8 million with incentives to take it up to $13 mill.

Matsui: It’s been great old friend. Thanks for the memories. You’ll always be No. 55 to me.

Core 4 at it again

20 Rings Combined

27.

In 1996, four young, aspiring athletes came up from the minor league depths together, itching to put their mark on a storied franchise and end the Yankees 18 year World Series drought. 13 years later, those same four celebrate again, this time having collected  20 rings among them.

Posada. Jeter. Mariano. Pettitte. Four players who have etched their names into Yankee lore and will forever be remembered with the likes of Mantle, DiMaggio and Berra.

Did anybody think that Andy wouldn’t be up to the challenge? Well, there were some detractors — ESPN for one — but Andy proved it doesn’t matter how many days rest one has, just how much heart.

He pitched with guile and strategy while maneuvering through a dangerous Phillies lineup. He gave the Yankees damn near six good innings. And that’s all he needed to. This championship was won before Game 6 started. Pettitte or Pedro? I’ll take the guy with 18 postseason wins, the most all-time, for the biggest game of the year.

The irony in WS ring No. 27  were the catalysts in  Game 6. Pettitte closed out every playoff series this year. The first three playoff series in the new stadium’s history, matter of fact. The Great Mariano closed them all out. Posada caught both pitchers, and Jeter contributed an above .350 batting average for the playoffs.

The old guys are at it again. And I bet this one was just as sweet.

Posada. Pettitte. Mariano. Jeter.

Official Yankee legends.

Knicks Off Pace as they Fall to Indiana

Same ol' story from the Knicks

Pacers 101 – Knicks 89

1st and foremost is there a possibility of the Steinbrenner’s buying the Knicks? As the Yankees were cruising to number 27 the Knicks were crumbling back down to earth after a shattering loss to the Pacers last night at MSG.

For 3 quarters this team played swarming defense, drove to the basket and made smart decisions with the ball. However, a disastrous 4th quarter ended all hopes of putting a team away that had yet to win a game this year and give the Knicks 2 in a row at the Garden. Just like Mike D’antonis face at the post game conference, this paltry display of basketball was simply disgusting.

The Knicks missed 15 of it’s last 17 shots even when the Pacer’s best player Danny Granger fouled out of the game with just under 4 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. The defense for once wasn’t a major problem but the Knicks shot 39.6% for the game they could not get any buckets in the 4th quarter as Indiana rallied behind Dahntay Jones 19 pts/12 reb and T.J. Ford who had 16 points in the final 3:12. Granger the Pacers best player had and off offensive evening shooting 7 for 18 en route to 21 points.

Al Harrington who was playing well of the bench since being demoted from the starting lineup was back to his old self taking terrible shots and holding the ball for way too long. He finished the game with 22 points and only made 2 out of 17 shots in the decisive 4th. D Lee added 22 points and 19 rebounds for the game but he also went cold like the rest of his teammates in the final period.

The 4th quarter collapse came after the Knicks averaged 40.5 points in the previous 2 games 4th quarters, they only managed to put up 33 last night. “For whatever reason, it seems every time we get stuck or whatever, instead of having a little more determination or patience, we just jack one up and that kind of got us in trouble in the second half,” a frustrated Mike D’antoni said.

Dahntay Jones who heckled with court side fans and burned the Knicks all game started for Troy Murphy who injured his lower back on Tuesday. A.J. Price a Amityville, Long Island native made his 1st trip to Garden last night as a pro, the Pacers selected the point guard from UCONN in the 2nd round last July. Yankee fan Lebron James and his Cavaliers make their only trip to the Garden tomorrow as the Knicks resume their home stand.

In the words of Marv Albert: “Yesssss!!!!”

For The Champs

Don’t even know who this is.  But she’s in Yankee gear, so yea, approved.

Godzilla Goes In!!!!!

A Thrilla By Godzilla!

If this was the last game for Hideki Matsui in Pinstripes, then the Sayonara Kid went out with a bang!  Matsui was locked in last night, owning Pedro Martinez all over the plate.  He started with a 2-run second-deck bomb to put the Yankees ahead 2-0 in the 2nd.   In the 3rd inning it was the same, as Matsui slipped behind 0-2, he bounces back with a 2-run rope to centerfield making it a 4-1 Yankee lead.

And that was that for Peter Martinez, who came into the game immediately throwing junk and looking vulnerable.  Charlie Manuel thought he could cool the flame by inserting the left handed J.A Happ to counter Matsui.  But it didn’t matter. Matsui crushed a 1-and-1 pitch into the right-center gap for a 2-run double that gave the Yankees a 7-1 lead, put the stamp on the MVP, and ultimately the World Series.

Sayonara Kid

Matsui became the first full-time DH to win the MVP.  Considering he didn’t even start Game 3-5 in Philly, that is remarkable.  After last night’s thriller, Matsui finished with a playoff resume of .314 avg., 10 HR’s and 39 RBI’s.

 

My best memories of Matsui were his debut grand slam off the Twins in 2003.  His hit off of Pedro in the 2003 ALCS to start the unbelievable rally.  And now a 6-RBI World Series performance for the ages.

 

If this was indeed his last game as a Yankee, then all we as fans can say is thank you.  He has cemented his legacy and earned a well deserved championship ring.

CHAMPS!!!!!!

#27 is ours!!!!

 

THEEEEEEE YANKEEEEESSSSSSSS WINNNNN!!!!!!!