YEA OR NAY FOR JULY 24TH

I know this might come across wrong since it is being written by someone who despises the New York Yankees, but can the media please drop all this final year of Yankee Stadium hullabaloo?

It’s nothing but another baseball stadium and the fact that I have to hear about it every single night while watching ESPN makes me sick.

So it’s got a cemetery in centerfield…BIG DEAL. I’ve been to Yankee Stadium and there really isn’t anything special about it.

I can understand Yankee fans wanting all this coverage, but isn’t that what YES is for?

Where’s all the coverage on the last season at Shea? Don’t Mets fans watch ESPN too?

There is still three months worth of baseball to be played in the old house in the Bronx. You want to talk about it over the last couple of weeks? Fine with me.

But it’s only JULY! I may have to chop off my own ears by the time September rolls around if they keep going at their current rate of discussion.

I can see the Sporscenter lead on September 17th….’Who was the greatest groundskeeper in Yankee Stadium history? The PTI guys will debate that in just a few minutes.’

Get over yourselves, Yankee fans. If your stadium was so great, why are they tearing it down?

It reminds me of the old adage…if enough people say something is true, than it must be. There are more Yankee fans than any other team and they are all saying how stupefying this place is. So then everybody else seems to think that must be true and so on.

Well, I’m here to tell you it ain’t. Deal with it.

YEA: To the fact that we can legitimately start to talk football once again. Hallelujah!

YEA: To NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I know Pete Rozelle was the guy who made the league what it is today, but Goodell is easily the best current commissioner in all the four major sports. He’s tough, decisive, and won’t take any bull. Goodell knows that this whole Brett Favre fiasco needs to be taken care of immediately, so he told the Packers to somehow, make it right, thus leading the Pack to start pursuing trades. Goodell pushes all the right buttons and will only make the NFL better.

NAY: To the NL West. Remember how terrible the Rockies were earlier this year? Well, they are still in it, thanks to the D-Backs and Dodgers sucking the life out of the sport.

NAY: To the revolting slob that is Andruw Jones. A lot of his struggles were blamed on a bum wheel, which landed him on the DL for a month and a half. July saw his return to action and voila! He still blows: 7 for 42, 0 homers, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, 19 punch-outs.

YEA: From the in case you missed it file…The Rockies have recalled prospect Ian Stewart and have given him the full time gig at third base. And so far, he’s rocking it. Throw in the fact that in many leagues he also qualifies at second base and you’ve got a jewel in the making. Get on board.

YEA: To Robinson Cano. We’ve waited and waited and it seems the All-Star break might have woken his ass up: 12 for 23 since with five straight multi-hit games and two homers. Welcome.

NAY: To the Joe Blanton trade. I know Adrian Cardenas was never going to play in Philly thanks to Chase Utley blocking his way, but how was Blanton the best they could come up with? Is he that much better than JA Happ? Not from the looks of his first start in the NL. It’s nice to see them making an effort to win, but just once, I’d like to see them try to land the real big fish.

YEA: To the Rangers for making the wise decision and not benching rookie Chris Davis. Hank Blalock’s return meant the Rangers had to do something and instead of shipping Davis back to AAA, they told Blalock that he is going to play third base and like it. Davis already has 8 bombs and now knows it’s his job to lose.

YEA: On selling high on Chris Davis; just my opinion.

YEA: To Willie Bloomquist. Every year, Willie plays well in a part time role, never getting a shot to start. By the time the year is up, he ends up stealing a dozen bases, scoring a decent number of runs, based on his limited at-bats. Well, Seattle has decided to start Willie and he’s rewarding fantasy owners. Check this out: since he started playing regularly on June 15th, Willie is 28 for 82 (.341), with 6 steals and 15 runs scored. Sure he doesn’t drive in any runs, but the bonus is he is eligible at 2nd, 3rd, SS and OF. It’s guys like these that help you win in the end.

NAY: To Gary Matthews Jr. Another example of money not well spent. The Angels are stuck with him for a couple more years, but that doesn’t mean they are making the same mistake the Dodgers are with Andruw. Matthews is benched and won’t be starting anytime soon.

YEA: To Juan Rivera, the guy who has taken Matthews’ job. Rivera has always hit when healthy, so he’s worth a look in AL only for sure.

NAY: To Jon Rauch. There has been a lot of talk of current closers who might get traded, but Rauch wasn’t one of them. Surprise! Rauch is pretty much a waste right now, back to being a setup man, unless the wheels come off of Brandon Lyon. Joel Hanrahan has been named Rauch’s replacement in DC, but he has never closed before and he’s on a terrible team. Saves are saves, but caution: flammable.

YEA: To Blue Jays outfielder Adam Lind. He’s been on the radar for a long time now. He tears up AAA and then flames out in the majors. He’s been given another chance and this time he might actually stick. He’s 22 for 58 (.379) in July with 3 homers and 17 RBI.

NAY: While the entire world was out seeing The Dark Knight this past weekend, I was taking in Space Chimps. Kids suck.

YEA: To the WNBA. Did you know that there is a professional basketball league made up entirely of ‘women’? A one on one catfight is awesome. A five on five catfight would be a ratings bonanza. I think the Palace at Auburn Hills must have been built on an ancient Indian burial ground, because it brings out the worst in people.

NAY: To Jose Reyes. The dude is a scumbag and one day, somebody will have the balls to drill him in the head. When it happens, I will be happy.

YEA: To Jorge Posada putting off surgery and coming back to the Yankees. Because god knows, what the Yankees need right now is a beat up, broken down catcher who can only DH and when he does, won’t produce anyway. Good use of a roster spot.

YEA: To those of you who like independent films, check out one called ‘George Washington’. Made in 2000, it has nothing to do with our first President. Airing on IFC this month.

NAY: To draft day dilemmas. I’ll never understand how people can have problems with scheduling when it comes to drafts. It’s three hours of your life, yet it always causes drama. Mainly because guys don’t have the guts to stand up to their wives and tell them they won’t be home to watch the ‘Scrubs’ marathon.

With that being said, my first round of my fantasy football draft would look like this:

1. LaDanian Tomlinson
2. Joseph Addai
3. Brian Westbrook
4. Steven Jackson
5. Tom Brady
6. Adrian Peterson
7. Marion Barber III
8. Randy Moss
9. Ryan Grant
10. Marshawn Lynch