The Senior Circuit Anything But Old

**SPECIAL**
National League Season Preview

Necessary Roughness
by Aaron Isaac Feldstein



Unless you’re watching a replay on ESPN Classic or highlights from the day before, it is very rare that when watching a baseball game, the sun comes up behind you.

For me, it was two days in a row I woke up early and donned the green and yellow hoodie.

For a while now, the National League has been playing second fiddle to the AL.

The All Star game has been dominated by the American League. If you don’t count the debacle of the 2002 All Star game that ended in a tie, the AL has won 10 straight All Star games and 16 of the last 19 dating back to 1988. But that doesn’t always result in World Series wins.

In the last seven World Series’, the Senior Circuit has won three of them. And it made the moves that could easily bring them their fourth.

NL East

There were two dominant stories in the National League last season -- the Colorado Rockies amazing run to the World Series, and the collapse of the New York Mets.

As the 2008 season begins, the Philadelphia Phillies have all the bragging rights. They were the beneficiaries of the Mets’ collapse and are the current NL East Champions. Their players won back-to-back National League MVP honors (Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins), and they have two of the better younger pitchers in the NL (Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick).



But what they don’t have is Johan Santana.

Santana has been the best pitcher in baseball over the past five years. The Venezuelan is coming off the worst of those five years, but he still won 15 games and had an ERA of 3.33. It is the first time in four years his ERA has been over three. Since 2003, Santana has a record of 82-35. That’s a winning percentage of .700. The two-time Cy Young award winner will also benefit by jumping leagues where many of the hitters haven’t seen his circle change that much.

Plus, Santana is going to have quite a bit of run support. A lineup that rivals the Yankees and Tigers as one of the best in baseball is led by the firecracker shortstop Jose Reyes. Although many don’t even think he is the best shortstop in his division, he changes the aspect of the game when he is on base and makes the pitcher worry whether or not he is going to stay at first. Last season, Reyes had 78 stolen bases in 99 attempts. That kind of ability to turn a single into a double can make a pitcher change his game. Having a hitter like that get on base in front of David Wright and Carlos Beltran can only mean one thing: Run support for Mets pitchers.

The Phillies made a couple of less hyped acquisitions, adding veteran outfielder Geoff Jenkins and third baseman Pedro Feliz to go along with the big bats of Howard, Rollins, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell. But the back of the rotation isn’t as strong as the Mets, and that will be the Phillies downfall throughout the year.

In the NL East, it is hard not to mention the Braves. After all, they did win 14 straight NL East titles. However, the last two years they’ve finished as the bronze medalist of the East, and despite the addition of Mark Kotsay and the return of Tom Glavine, the Braves will put up a fight but won’t have enough in the tank to finish out the season.

That’s why I agree with Beltran, who teased the Phillies by saying, “So this year, Jimmy Rollins – we are the team to beat.”

NL Central

It was a century ago. There were only seven teams in the National League; the average team ERA was under three and the Chicago Cubs were world champions for the second straight year.

It was also the last time they held that coveted title.

But this team continues to make the big money moves that always have the fans saying, “Hey, this could be the year.”

This past off-season, GM Jim Hendry went out and got the most sought after foreign hitter on the market, importing right fielder Kosuke Fukudome from the Chunichi Dragons. The two-time Central League batting champion brings a career batting average of .305 to an already potent lineup that consists of Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. For the last four years, Fukudome has had 20-plus home run seasons, including 34 in 2003. Although he is coming off a right elbow injury, the four-time Gold Glover should make an immediate impact at the plate, in the field and on the morale of Chicago fans.



Kerry Wood looks to take over the closer role, but the bullpen and starting rotation continues to be a question for the Cubs. Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly are a wonderful 1-2 punch, but the rest of the staff will have to step it up if they don’t want to get swept again in the first round of the playoffs.

But lucky for the Cubs, no one in the division made that big move to consider them a favorite over the defending champions. The Cardinals, except for Albert Pujols, are old, injured or unproven. The Brewers starting rotation has numerous pitchers who need to prove their worth. The Reds big addition was pitcher Josh Fogg, and the Astros are praying shortstop Miguel Tejada will not only return to MVP form, but stay out of drug trouble as well.

The Cubs should win their second straight NL Central title, but that’s about it.

NL West

The division that was once considered a joke is now the toughest in all of baseball. It was only three years ago that the San Diego Padres won the division with a record of 82-80. Last year, four of the five teams had records over .500.

In a division filed with pitchers’ parks, except for Colorado, the starting rotation will be the major factor in who brings home the NL West crown and who brings home the wild card.

All eyes will be on the Rockies after their magical run to the World Series in 2007, but the focus should be on the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres.

Both teams have pitchers in the 1-2 spots who would be an ace on any other team. The Diamondbacks have Cy Young winner Brandon Webb and his 3.01 ERA to go along with Dan Haren, who came over from Oakland, where he posted a 3.07..



The Padres counter the D-Backs with their own Cy Young winner, Jake Peavy. Last season, Peavy led the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts, the pitchers triple crown. His sidekick is 6-foot-10 Chris Young. A strained oblique sidelined Young for a few weeks and he was never the same when he came back. He did finish the season with an ERA of 3.12 and should be back to normal at the beginning of the 2008 season.

Finally, Arizona and San Diego both have reclamation projects. The Diamondbacks are looking for Randy Johnson to get back into the form that got the franchise its first World Series win, while the Padres hope the Mark Prior of 2003 who won 18 games will walk into PETCO Park healthy and able to finish an entire season.

Two teams that will give the Padres and Diamondbacks fits are the Dodgers and Rockies. The Rockies return an amazing lineup that won 14 of their last 15 games. Young star pitchers in Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales should make the Rockies contenders. The Dodgers have a plethora of veterans that have the experience to make a run at the division crown under new manager Joe Torre. Much of the Blue Crew’s success will depend on the durability of their pitching staff and if Andruw Jones can be the player that had 51 home runs in 2005 instead of the one that had a .222 batting average in 2007.

I’m picking the Padres and second year manager Bud Black to put it together and take this division, but any combination of the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies is possible for the division title and the Wild Card.

In a league that has everything to do with pitching, the Cubs are the obvious losers in the four playoff teams. With them out, the bats will have to make some kind of impact for its team to make it to the World Series. In the end, when the Mets and the Padres face off for the NL Championship, the Mets lineup will just be too much even for the amazing Peavy.

The Battle for AL Supremacy

**SPECIAL**
American League Season Preview



Necessary Roughness
By Aaron Isaac Feldstein

On Tuesday morning, I laid in bed in awe of all the amazing sports I’ve watched in the 25 days of March.

I watched the Houston Rockets go on one of the most amazing runs in NBA history, winning 22 straight games and, pardon the pun, sky rocketing to the top of the complicated Western Conference.

I enjoyed clicking on ESPN and seeing Tiger Woods win tournament after tournament, before finally losing at the Doral, his first loss in a PGA Event since Sept. 3 of last year.

I also cursed at my television time and time again as the underdogs, the favorites and the nobodies made mince meat out of my Final Four tournament bracket.

But why in the heck was my alarm going off at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning, March 25?

I shot out of my single bed in my closet-sized bedroom, grabbed my green and yellow hoodie and darted toward my television.

It’s the start of the baseball season, that’s why!

For the third time, Major League Baseball opened its season with a game in Japan, with the world champion Boston Red Sox defeat my Oakland Athletics 6-5 in 10 innings. Now that the season has officially started, it is time for me to make my official picks for the upcoming year.

And when it comes to the world of baseball, there is only one place to get started.

AL East

The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees were not the big spenders in the off- season as the fans have come to expect between these two juggernauts.

The Sox are coming off their second world championship in four years. It took them 86 years to win the first time around. What General Manager Theo Epstein did in the off-season was make sure that the core of his championship team was still there.



Epstein did that so well that he didn’t change one thing. His starting rotation is the same; his lineup is the same, all the way down to resigning World Series MVP and 39-year-old veteran Mike Lowell to a three-year deal.

A few bench players aside, there is little change to this team that won 96 games last year, its first AL East title since 1995, and won seven straight games in route to its sixth World Championship.

There was no reason for Epstein to hit the panic button and make the big off-season splash, because GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees kept their payroll spending to a minimum as well.

The Yankees have one of the most potent lineups in the majors. MVP Alex Rodriguez returns to third after having a season where he took the entire team on his back through the first few months and piggy-backed them to its 13th consecutive post season.



The Yankees look to improve in the starting pitching department this year, but instead of paying $1 million a week for the Rocket, they look toward their youth to get them back to the Promised Land. Young arms like Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Chien Ming-Wang will look to improve a rotation that last season had only one regular starter with an ERA under four (Wang 3.70).

They will have to do this without Manager Joe Torre, who has jettisoned to Los Angeles and made way for a new Joe -- Girardi.

In the end, and I hate to disappoint all my New York readers, but it will be the Boston Red Sox bringing home back-to-back AL East Crowns.

AL East Champions: Boston Red Sox

AL Central

The Detroit Tigers became the Red Sox and Yankees of the off-season this past year. Tigers GM David Drombrowski went out and made moves to bring veterans like outfielder Jacques Jones and shortstop Edgar Renteria to the Motor City. These two solid players will make an immediate impact for this lineup, but not as immediate as the other move he made.



One trade, and one $150 million contract later, the Tigers have a potential MVP taking over their hot corner. Miguel Cabrera comes from Florida and brings with him a career average of .313, 138 home runs and 523 RBIs. All of that was in his first five seasons in the majors.

The All-Star third baseman also brought with him former Rookie of the Year pitcher Dontrelle Willis. Willis, who in 2005 won 22 games and was second in the Cy Young voting, has had trouble the last two seasons finding that magical form that earned him the nickname D-Train. However, unlike Florida, Willis will not be asked to carry the load of the starting rotation. That position is taken by Detroit’s own former Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander. At best, Willis will be asked to be the fourth starter in what could be one of the strongest rotations in baseball.



Although it looks like Detroit will hit and pitch its way to an AL Central title, they will get all they can handle from last year’s division champions, the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe has the same lineup and rotation that got them within one game of the World Series last year, but didn’t make the big time additions the Tigers did to take that final step. Although they will have another year of experience under their belt, this team can earn the wild card, but nothing more.

AL Central Champions: Detroit Tigers
AL Wild Card: Cleveland Indians

AL West

The West has been a division dominated by Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over the past six years. But with the Athletics looking to rebuild, it gives one of two other teams a chance to step up.

That team is the Seattle Mariners.

A successful ’07 season for Seattle made the fans forget the days of Alex Rodriguez and Randy Johnson and welcome the era of Felix Hernandez and Adrian Beltre. The team battled all season long, getting their first winning season since ’03 and just missing out on the post season.



In hopes to make that run at the division champion Angels, the Mariners added an ace starter to an already decent rotation. Erik Bedard comes from Baltimore and brings with him an ERA of 3.16, 40 career wins in four years as a starter and an arm that was leading the league in strikeouts before ending his season early with an injury.

Unfortunately, along with all the good comes all the bad. Injury problems that have put Bedard on the disabled list numerous times. The most recent was at the end of last year, when he shut down a successful season a month early with a strained muscle near his right rib cage.

All that being said, I just don’t see the Mariners being able to top the Angels, who have also made off-season moves to make sure they keep that top spot out West.



The Angels added All-Stars Torii Hunter and Jon Garland to an already potent team that has the likes of Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey. Guerrero finished last year with 27 home runs, 125 RBIs and was third in the voting for MVP. Lackey is coming off a season where he had the most wins (19) and the lowest ERA (3.01) of his six-year career.

Overall, in what should be a tight battle all season, I believe the Angels have the veterans and the experience to pull out their fourth division title in five years.

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

In the end, the post season will be about the big money spenders as Boston will meet Detroit for the right to represent the American League in the World Series.

For the Tigers, 2006 was a season about finally getting the city of Detroit to care about baseball again by going to their first post season in 19 years and first World Series in 23. The year of 2008 will be about the Tigers bringing home a World Championship.

AL Champions: Detroit Tigers
World Series Champions: Detroit Tigers

Houston, We Have Lift Off

Necessary Roughness
by Aaron Isaac Feldstein

Friday night, the Rockets were able to defeat the Bobcats and win their 21st game in a row. The victory, along with a Lakers loss, has Houston tied for the best record in the West. All this without Yao Ming for the past nine games.



To put this into perspective...

Major League Baseball's Longest Winning Streak:
21 - 1935 Chicago Cubs & the Chicago White Stockings (No, that was their name)

National Football League:
19 - New England Patriots ('03-'04)

National Basketball Association:
33 - Los Angeles Lakers ('71-'72)

National Hockey League:
17 - Pittsburgh Penguins ('92-'93)

What the Rockets have been able to do is amazing. Plus, the streak has brought the finger wave back to the NBA fans!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9--It’s The Top Ten Brett Favre Moments

Those Who Can’t Play, Write

By Chad Brown

One thought came to mind repeatedly this week and manifested itself during a pair of press conferences at Lambeau Field. No Green Bay Packers fan or Wisconsin resident can look forward to any calendar year ending in the number 8. In 1958 The Packers, in the words of one legendary sports writer, “Overwhelmed one team, under whelmed ten teams, and merely whelmed another team”. In January ‘68, Vince Lombardi’s Packers won Super Bowl II but lost their legendary coach a few weeks later. Just a hunch, but there probably wasn’t anything of note to report during the ’78 and ’88 seasons. Although ’98 started off well—a third consecutive victory in the Bay of Pigs series, a second consecutive NFC title—Mike Holmgren admitted his wanderlust in the week leading up to Super Bowl XXXII, Terrell Davis ran roughshod over the Pack and Reggie White made a bizarre speech on diversity. Now, the winter months of ’08 will forever be associated with three images of Brett Favre; his underhand toss in the snow against Seattle (along with a few decent overhand tosses on the day), his only pass of overtime in the NFC Championship Game, an interception by the Giants, and an emotional retirement press conference where #4 broke into tears 30 seconds in.

But relax, I come here not to rip Favre or mock the Pack’s winters of misfortune in years ending in 8s. I watched Thursday’s press conference transfixed like everybody else, knowing that this was going to be my last time seeing him associated with the Packers. Hopefully, anybody skeptical of his intentions will take him at his word that he just doesn’t want to play anymore. After a stellar season, he doesn’t have to say that he can still play. The film doesn’t lie and ’07 was a great movie that fell apart in the end. For all the streaks, all the team and league records broken, for all the comebacks, for all the “He’s having fun out there”, being Brett Favre was a true grind. He gave everything he had and got everything the game has to offer him, short of a Super Bowl MVP. At his age, he enjoyed the three hours on Sundays—as we all did and do—but fatigue was evident in his description of Mondays through Saturdays these past couple of seasons his voice. Without question, it’ll be strange when Kickoff Weekend ’08 rolls around and #4 isn’t behind center. However, it may better for him to leave on his own terms than be knocked out of the game. By contrast, if Steve Young and Troy Aikman’s departures weren’t concussion related, then the specters of Young as a Bronco or Aikman as a Dolphin wouldn’t be raised. Do I think Favre will second-guess his decision? Possibly. It’s human nature and he’s earned that right as much as he’s earned all the accolades. Is he coming back? Probably for a ceremonial coin toss; otherwise, I doubt it.

Favre’s 17-year career parallels my development and maturation as a football fan. I might not agree that he was the best ever to play the game—Top 5 definitely—and honestly, sometimes the slobberation on the part of the mainstream media towards him bordered on nauseating. But that’s on them, not him. Whether he was the erratic gunman, the three time MVP of the mid ‘90s, the wily veteran in the new century, or the man who made as many passes as he got, you had to watch whenever the Packers played. 275 games, Bears, Vikings, Buccaneers, Cowboys, 49ers, Seahawks, Eagles close win or blowout loss. Whoever said it was about him, he knew it was about the team, as he admitted today. So, thanks for the memories, thanks for being an MVP on and off the field and thanks for showing everybody in and outside of Cheesehead Nation how to play and how not to play. It was fun, without question.

Ok, enough with the platitudes. Aaron covers that much better than I could. Here are my Top Ten Favre Moments/Memories. Diggystyle, of course.

10. Game winning touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe, at Detroit, Wild-Card Playoffs ‘93/’94
#4 and #84 had hooked up twice for touchdowns in the contest and Favre had “unintentionally” fed one to the Lions. 24-21. He’s running around near midfield, then heaves one downfield to Sharpe, who got wide open in the endzone. That ball went so far that Favre wasn’t about to run down there and congratulate his receiver. He just celebrated with whoever was near him. Remember, this was the Packer’s first playoff victory since ’72 and the Lions weren’t the national disgrace that they’ve been as of late. Two NFC Central titles, a trip to the NFC Championship Game after the ’91 season and Barry Sanders was better known than his future co-MVP. Funny how one great pass changes things.

9. Game winning touchdown pass to Kitchrick Taylor, in relief of Don Majkowski, vs. Bengals, ‘92
These were the days waaay before NFL Sunday Ticket or my being of age to go to sports bars. So, I didn’t actually see this one live, but caught a highlight while doing Political Theory homework or struggling with Algebra II or III, whatever (I’m dating myself, my bad). At the time it was, oh, nice play, he looks better than Hostetler or Nagle. Seeing the play many, many times via NFL Films, especially the throw itself, it’s the start of something special.

8. Versus the Cowboys; The Great Times, The Good Times and The Shit Times. Mainly, they were shit times.
Okay, I know the Packers only beat the Cowboys once in the ‘90s and mostly to Barry Switzer coached teams. Basically he was Manning to the Pokes Patriots, if that makes any sense. Still, even when the team couldn’t quite get it done against the Triplets, Favre still had his moments. He connected with Sterling Sharpe for four touchdown passes on Thanksgiving Day in ’04, including one long pass that is a staple in his highlight films (notice a trend here). In the ‘95 NFC Championship Game, he, Robert Brooks and Keith Jackson matched Aikman, Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek td pass for td pass for three quarters. Alas, an ill-timed 4th quarter interception and Emmitt Smith denied Favre a trip to Arizona. Still, when those Cowboys finally came to Lambeau in ‘97, Favre, Antonio Freeman, Dorsey Levens and company paid them back to the score of 45-17. John Madden was the real winner here, since Favre was/is/always will be his quarterback and those Cowboys of the ‘90s were his team.

7. ’95 Divisional Playoff win at San Francisco.
With all due respect to Terrell Owens and co., this first win in the playoffs/regular season series is the most remarkable in my mind. The Niners were the defending Super Bowl Champions, they had the league’s #1 ranked defense, Steve Young was MVP before Favre, and the team hadn’t lost in the divisional round since the strike shortened ’87 season. Holmgren had been the Niners offensive coordinator in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, so he knew how to attack/contain them. LB Wayne Simmons and CB Craig Newsome produced the game’s first touchdown, and the defense held Jerry Rice scoreless. However, Favre more than justified his MVP selection, going 21-of 27 for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 27-17 win. Two memories stand out from that game—apart from Holmgren’s “Kick Ass” speech. 1. The Packers took the opening kickoff and held the ball for almost 8 minutes. Even though Chris Jacke shanked a field goal attempt, one could tell that Favre and co. weren’t intimidated by the Niner mystique. 2. 2nd half, not sure which quarter, #4 drops back, falls on his rear—no slipping—gets up still throws a perfect strike to Jackson. Then he just shrugs in the direction of a Niners defender.

6. Against the Bears in ’95, where one severely sprained ankle meant five touchdown passes.
With the exception of the Lovie Smith regime, Favre’s Packers pretty much owned the Bears. In ’95, he had already connected with Robert Brooks on a 99 yard touchdown pass at Soldier Field. Now, after he and Ty Detmer were banged up in a loss at Minnesota, nobody knew who was going to start. Heck, Ron Wolf signed Jim McMahon off the street. Favre couldn’t walk or practice and the NFC Central was a dogfight then. So the streak was over, right? Wrong. Favre threw for over 300 yards and 5 touchdowns, pretty much clinching the MVP award. The Bears went from 6-3 to 9-7 and wouldn’t beat the Pack until ’99.

5. The Bay of Pigs; Favre, Sapp, Let’s Get It Started. 4 + 99 = Classic Matchups.
Favre’s MVP seasons coincided with the Buccaneer’s rise from sub-mediocrity. The face of the Pewter Pirates was DT Warren Sapp, who coincidentally, announced his retirement on Tuesday. I love seeing the footage from the Bucs-Packers divisional playoff game following the ’97 season (I was en route to DC on that day, so footage is all I had). Sapp had a monster game that day, including three sacks of #4. But the Mouf of the Souf couldn’t completely get into Favre’s head. Seeing them smiling and jawing at each other despite frigid temperatures and an NFC Championship berth at stake is a sight to behold. Oh, the Packers won that game. In ’98 at Lambeau, the QB Killa lost his helmet and still chased down his rival. The Pack won that game, too. Another memorable game happened when Favre led the Packers from behind against the Bucs in ’99 on his 30th B-day with a late TD pass to Freeman. After the game, Bucs QB Trent Dilfer simply stated, “We got Favred!” Still the Bucs got the last laugh that year, winning the now defunct NFC Central.

4. Press conference moments.
The ’96 offseason announcement of Vicodin addiction and subsequent entry into rehab remains poignant as ever. Just saw it on a re-airing of America’s Game. Post-game talks following last minute wins against the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings were extremely emotional. Holmgren was gone to Seattle and the reins had been removed for better or worse (at 8-8, it’s a wash which one it is). Finally, his official retirement press conference, where he wore his shirt untucked, his heart on his sleeves and his emotions for all to see. This last one will be re-aired several times in the weeks to come, that may be the last original airing that we see for sometime.

3. Monday (Sunday and sometimes Thursday) Night Magic.
As Favre mentioned at the aforementioned final press conference, his legacy wasn’t all about statistics and his accomplishments, records and the like were a team effort. Yet, has he ever shone under the lights? Regulation or overtime, it was usually all good for the Packers’ faithful and the viewing audience. Not so good for the opposition. From Freeman’s “He did what????!!!!” catch against the Vikings on a Monday Night in ’00 to his recent overtime bomb to Greg Jennings on the first play of overtime against the Broncos in ’07, he knew how to bring it. However, I think we’re all still in awe of his 399 yards 4 TD performance at Oakland in the wake of his father’s death in December of ’03. Everybody would’ve understood had he taken the night off. But Irv Favre would’ve wanted his son to play, no matter what. So, forty page paper be damned, I sat and watched the television, transfixed like everybody else. It felt like as much as he didn’t want to leave the team down, the team rallied around him, playing a spectacular game of pitch and catch. One week later they won the NFC North and made the playoffs, but that particular performance had as much to do with it.

2. Super Bowl or Bust. Just bet against him.
Okay, in hindsight, this might not have been the best policy, since the Packers were 1-1 in the big game under the Wolf-Holmgren-Favre triumvirate. But his audibles and subsequent touchdown passes to Andre Rison and Freeman (the latter coming when they really, really needed it) showed why he was the best quarterback on the best team in the league in ’96. No quarrel with Desmond Howard being named Super Bowl XXXI’s MVP and Reggie White’s 3 consecutive sacks were crucial. However my signature image from that game came after that first score, when he took off his helmet and held it in the air while sprinting towards the endzone. If he had tried that in SB XXXII, would’ve been a penalty. Speaking of that game, it wasn’t the team’s finest performance, and he was under tremendous pressure thanks to a great Broncos game plan, but #4 did his best to keep his team in it. Who knows what happens if that final 3rd down collision and 4th down deflection don’t happen. Still, he showed an MVP’s heart in one of the Super Bowls ever. And his teams weren’t too shabby in NFC Championship Games, despite a 2-2 record in that round.

1. A Man For All Seasons.
No one particular game or play stands out here, but the man came to play and played well, the elements not withstanding. Now, how is this unique, one might ask? Isn’t that what football players are paid and expected to do? Well, whether it was the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field, which felt absolutely Lombardiesque in the ’96 NFC Championship Game, or the muck of a Northern California monsoon, very few played better as the weather and field conditions turned worse or had more fun than the Packers in general and Favre in particular. Much was made of his record in cold weather games—a Mississippi “boy” having a good time in frigid conditions while another Southern QB named Manning struggled to get the job done in similar “temps” in Foxboro for a couple of years. That’s partly why we’ll remember his final games so starkly; having fun in the snow at Lambeau and beating his old mentor in the process. One week later, he came up short in temperatures where he usually prevailed. But more of the than not, the team didn’t come up short very often during his tenure, whatever the conditions.

There are plenty of moments that either didn’t make the cut or might fall under one of these categories. It doesn’t make them un-noteworthy. His body of work is unlikely to be repeated, although Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are on pace to approach them, should they stick around for another decade. Thanks for the highlights, memories, toughness, fun times, frustration (speaking for pro and anti Packers faithful), side armed passes, rocketballs, interceptions, injury defiance, wisecracks, anecdotes, fart jokes, “wow” plays (these go both ways), picking up of teammates and reminding us that even if things look bad or tough, #4 will find a way to make something good happen, more often than not. In the end, this last one became too much for him to bear, but he bore it longer than any of his contemporaries. So long, Brett, and enjoy doing, in the words of Bum Phillips, a whole lot of nothing and starting whenever you feel like it.

The Birds of Steel Town

Necessary Roughness
by Aaron Isaac Feldstein

It’s March and there is reason to be excited in Pittsburgh.

No, it’s not because the Pirates are currently tied for first. No, ESPN Classic isn’t replaying the Steelers five Super Bowl victories.

The Penguins look to be the legitimate powerhouse of the Eastern Conference.

With less than a month to go, the birds of steeltown are on a role, clawing their way up the standings and battling the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadians for first place. As of Monday morning, there is only one point separating the top three teams. The Devils got to this position thanks to Martin Brodeur, one of the best goalies to ever wear the pads. The Canadians have done it with consistent play, and a little help from the free falling Senators.

The Penguins worked their way into contention without two of their young stars, including the best player currently playing the game.

On Jan. 18, Sidney Crosby went down with a high ankle sprain in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. A month earlier, the same injury took out goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins were leading their division, but were seven points back of the Eastern leading Senators. Hockey fans would’ve understood if the Penguins fell off a little and were battling for the sixth and seventh spot in the final month.

But they didn’t. What Pittsburgh did was continue their pace and go 12-7-5 in the absent of the two No. 1 picks Crosby and Fleury. Thanks in part to two men.

When Crosby went down, someone had to jump up and take the Penguins on his back. That man was Evgeni Malkin. The Russian, who currently sits second in points behind Alexander Ovechkin, had 15 goals and 22 assists in the absence of the “Next Great One.” The 21-year-old showed the NHL why Pittsburgh spent its second pick in the draft on Malkin. In a game against in-state rival Philadelpha, Malkin had a one-goal, three-assist night and proved he could also make the players around him better.

Malkin is among the league leaders in most categories. The center out of Magnitogorsk is fourth in the league in goals (38), second in points (92), third in assists (54) and seventh in power play goals (13).

While Malkin was picking up the slack on the front lines, someone had to man the net and take a little bit of pressure of the Russian.

That man was Ty Conklin.

Conklin didn’t see much action at the beginning of the season, and even when Fleury went down, the Alaskan-born goalie didn’t see significant ice time until Dec. 20 against Boston. In that game he made 37 saves, but gave up four goals. Then, in the shootout, he stopped two Bruins shots and earned his first win of the year.

Since then, he has stopped everything in his path. Conklin has a 17-6-5 record when he guards the goal, is only allowing 2.35 goals against per game and has a save percentage of .928, top in the NHL. This is the most significant ice time that Conklin has seen since the ’03-’04 season with Edmonton. That year he played in 38 games with 17 wins. He has matched that total in 11 fewer games this season.

As well as these two have done, the Penguins couldn’t be happier to have their two stars back in the mix.

Last Sunday, Pittsburgh took to the ice to play the team that will likely be their nemesis for the next decade, Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals. This was the third game that Crosby, Malkin and Fleury have been on the ice at the same time.

Crosby scored 1 1/2 goals on Sunday, getting a little assist on an own-goal by the Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom. This ended up being the game-winning score. In his third game back since the ankle injury, coach Michael Therrien was happy with his star’s performance.

“There’s no athlete that could come back to competition after such a long time being out of the game,” said Therrien. “There’s no doubt tonight that was the best performance I’ve seen since he’s been back.”

In 11 meetings between Ovechkin and Crosby, the man known around the league as “Sid the Kid” has the upper hand winning 10 of 11.

Fleury has a pretty good record against the Capitals as well. In seven games, he has yet to lose one. Since returning from his injury, the No. 1 pick in 2003 has won all three games in which he played goal for the entire game. In those three games, he has averaged 34 saves per game. On March 4 against the Lightning, he earned his third shutout of the season with 35 saves.

All the elements are in place for the Penguins to make a run. But management also knew that if they were going to make a run at the Stanley Cup, they couldn’t just sit on their hands and wait for players to be healthy.

As the trade deadline came to a close, the Penguins made a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers and acquired right wing star Marian Hossa.

Hossa was second on the Thrashers in points, with 26 goals and 30 assists. Although he suffered a sprained knee in his first game with Pittsburgh, the Slovak Republic-born star in only looking at missing up to two weeks and he will be back on the ice to help his team’s march to the playoffs.

It’s a Stanley Cup the Pittsburgh fans have been anticipating for a long time. Penguin fans have sold out their arena. In fact, there is currently a waiting list to get season tickets. The fans of Pittsburgh have been waiting since 1992 to get back to the Stanley Cup finals.

Back then, the Eastern Conference was known as the Prince of Wales conference and Scotty Bowman coached the Penguins.
*****
One final thought:

Injuries are never an excuse for a losing trend, but if the Red Wings want to use it, they certainly can. Dan Cleary went down on Feb. 9 with a broken jaw. Cleary was third on the team in goals. The defense lost three key elements. Chris Chelios went down with a contusion, Nicklas Lidstrom sprained his MCL and will be out three weeks, while Brian Rafalski went on injured reserved for a groin injury. In the month of February, the Wings fell back to the pack, going 4-8-2 with an astonishing 1-8-2 in its final 11 games of the month.

As of Monday, Detroit had won three in a row and look to be back to the form that made it so dominant in the beginning of the season.

Who Needs Boxing, When You Have Hockey

Necessary Roughness
by Aaron Isaac Feldstein

Short, sweet and to the point.

This is why I have a new love for hockey!

You can have boxing, I'll take hockey!

I think it is time for you to start watching. Start today at noon today when the two best match up.

The Lambeau Legend Calls it a Career

Necessary Roughness
by Aaron Isaac Feldstein

For two straight offseasons, Packer fans sat at the edge of their seats wondering if their field general was going to call it quits. Each time, those fans rejoiced as No. 4 chose to don the pads for one more season.

After the ’07-’08 season, the best year Packer fans have watched since their Super Bowl run in 1997, the anxiety Green Bay fans normal felt was subsided with the assumption that the only quarterback they’ve known for the past 16 years was going to return.



But on Tuesday morning, Brett Favre called it a career.

The legendary quarterback phoned Chris Mortensen of ESPN and said that although he was physically able to keep playing, mentally he was done. The expectations were just too high, and if Favre was going to come back, he wanted to live up to all of them. The odds of that are just not in his favor.

With his announcement, Favre ends a career that will go down as one of, if not the, best of all time.

But what will most be remembered is the way the Southern Miss grad played the game.

As someone who watched Favre from the start of his career against the Bengals in ’92 all the way to that devastating final interception on NFL Championship Sunday, I gazed with my jaw on the ground at some of the things this man was able to accomplish.



The one thing that sticks out in my mind is the fun he had playing the game. The image of Favre running around after his first Super Bowl touchdown is the best way to remember the man who holds nearly every passing record. As Favre ran down towards the sidelines, he had a smile normally seen on a child after getting exactly what they wanted for Christmas. That day, Favre did get what he wanted for Christmas, a Super Bowl ring.

Favre finished that Super Bowl with 246 yards and two touchdowns. But despite having numbers comparable to the last two Super Bowl MVPs, he was not given that award. It is the one accolade the only three-time MVP wasn’t given.

Favre was also one of the toughest players to ever put on the pads. I’m not talking about the fact that he played, including the playoffs, in 275 consecutive games. I’m talking about his toughest and ability to take a hit and get back up. For nearly an entire season, he played with a broken thumb, not taking one painkiller due to an addiction he beat years before. Whether it was Minnesota’s Chris Hovan or then-Buccaneer Warren Sapp, Favre would get up from a hit and have fun with his rivals, saying, “I thought you hit harder than that!”

As my father says, “he’s just a tough, good ol’ Mississippi boy.”

Favre’s carefree mentality made him the amazing player he is today. When so many quarterbacks seem robotic and go through the motions, Favre went out there and played the game by the seat of his pants. Although many times that got him in trouble, more often than not, it’s what made him great.



A perfect example is a story he recalls back in Mike Holmgren days of the Packers. In the video room, Coach Holmgren pointed out that the defense went into a nickel formation. Not knowing what his coach meant, Favre just agreed and went about the film study. The next day in practice, the Packers starting quarterback asked then-backup Ty Detmer what his coach meant by nickel. After getting over the shock that Favre didn’t know, Detmer informed Favre that a nickel defense is when the opponent pulls out a linebacker and puts in an extra defensive back. Favre smiled. “That’s it? Who cares?”

It’s that attitude that made the man born in Gulfport, Miss. an easy guy to root for. Favre at points may have seemed inhuman. Whether it was completing an underhanded pass while falling down in the snow, or diving in for the game-winning touchdown to keep the Packers playoffs hopes alive against the Falcons, the man seemed superhuman.

Yet, he was human. An addiction to painkillers and alcohol nearly cost him his career, but more importantly his wife and daughter. A man than seemed immortal on the field, had his flaws off it. But like many strive to do, he was able to overcome those demons and get back to what was right, being a good husband, a good father and a good quarterback.

Favre memories will be recalled by many for years to come, after all, because there are so many of them.



On Dec. 22, 2003, Favre walked into the Coliseum in Oakland to play a Monday Night Football game one day after his father died. There I was in a low-lit, dust-filled dive bar with a few fellow die-hard Packer fans to watch one of the most amazing games ever.

Favre, with a heavy heart, heaved ball after ball into double and sometimes triple coverage. Every time he cocked his arm back to throw a long ball, Packer fans gave that familiar gasp they did every time he rared back to throw. On this night, his receivers weren’t going to let him down. The game ended with the legend throwing for 399 yards and four touchdowns. After the game, as the iron man cried and looked up at his father, we all cried with him. Watching these highlights still bring many a grown man to tears, including the man writing this column.



This past season Favre changed his style of play, shying away from the gunslinger mentality that made him a first ballot Hall of Famer and started to manage the game much better. Although the old Favre showed up from time to time, the new Favre checked down to his receivers and let them make the plays. Years before, he would try to force throws and cause turnovers. Hey, you don’t become the All-Time leader in interceptions without forcing a throw or two.

What also returned this season was that childlike smile that I remember seeing in Super Bowl XXXI. Despite breaking the touchdown record, Favre still ran to the endzone and made sure to put Greg Jennings on his shoulder, in a gesture to carry him off the field, since Jennings did most of the work. When the Packers looked all but dead against the Seahawks in the second round of the playoffs, Favre led the charge and got his team back in the game. And later he threw snowballs at teammate Donald Driver after scoring a touchdown.

Favre was always having fun on the field. In an era where players are more about themselves and rubbing their opponents’ nose in it, Favre was just happy to be playing the game he loved. If coming back next year was going to change that and make it seem more like a job than a game, then now is the right time for No. 4 to walk away.

Favre is first in career passing yards, attempts, completions, touchdown passes, wins and many, many more. But I think what is most important is that he is first in the hearts of his fans.

The latest legend of Lambeau walks into the sunset. In his own words, “put her in the ol’ vise.” It’s been an amazing career.

Milestones, Meltdowns & Match Ups; It's March Madness

Necessary Roughness
by Aaron Isaac Feldstein

Although the weather here in Brooklyn is below 50 degrees, around the country things are about to heat up.

I am not talking about Global Warming. I’m talking about March Madness.

Although some conference tournaments will be starting this weekend, including our own Northeastern Conference, most of the NCAA will be looking to finish its regular season.

And finish it in a big way.

The final week has three match-ups that can easily be previews to their respective conference tournament final.

Those three conferences are the Big East, the Pac 10 and the ACC.

The most talked about game coming up this week will be North Carolina vs. Duke for ACC supremacy. Although these two teams will more than likely meet up on March 16 in the tournament final, getting the advantage going in will be huge for either of these teams.

And right now, that advantage sits in Coach K’s corner.



Mike Krzyzewski is currently coaching his 28th season at Duke, and last week got a milestone win with No. 800. Since becoming the Blue Devils boss, Coach K has three national titles, 12 National Coach of the Year awards, 23 NCAA tournament bids, 10 Final Four appearances and 10 ACC Tournament Championships.

Although Duke overall has one more loss than North Carolina, there is one thing the Blue Devils have that the Tar Heels don’t; a victory over their arch rival.

About a month ago, Coach K took his team into enemy territory and played the type of game that has won him 800 games. With 13 3’s and six guys scoring in double figures, Duke was able to silence the Tar Heels despite UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough getting a double-double with 28 points and 18 boards.

However, since that game with Duke, the Tar Heels have been on the rise thanks in part to guard Wayne Ellington. Ellington has become a nice compliment to Hansbrough, averaging 20 points per game since that miserable night against Duke at Chapel Hill. In that game, the Tar Heel guard shot a miserable 21 percent. In the six games that followed, he is shooting over 50 percent from the field.

Both Duke and North Carolina have four players who average over 10 points a game. However, finding a good big man in the college ranks is like finding a bad sports team in New England. Therefore, Hansbrough averaging a double-double (23 points per game and 10 rebounds per game) leads UNC to back-to-back ACC regular season titles.

The second big match up of the weekend is in the Big East putting John Thompson III’s Georgetown Hoyas versus Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals.

The Hoyas escaped last weekend, defeating Marquette after three clutch free throws by Jonathan Wallace sent the game into overtime. Then, with Georgetown down by three, Wallace shot a 3-pointer with a Marquette player right in his face, banked it off the backboard and tied the game. A few free throws later by DaJuan Summers, and Georgetown went on to win their fourth straight game and their 11th of 13.

Georgetown has practically the same team this year as it did last season, when the Hoyas made it to the Final Four. Replacing Jeff Green hasn’t been easy, but they’ve been successful in trying. Patrick Ewing Jr. came into his own on Saturday, as he made a few clutch plays and decisions that helped the Hoyas move into the lead in the Big East.

The Hoyas go as their defense goes. Thompson’s team has only given up an average of 57.1 points per game, fourth best in Division I play. Georgetown’s opponents are only shooting 36 percent from the field, the lowest in the NCAA.

Unfortunately for Georgetown, a month ago they allowed a then unranked Louisville team shoot 46 percent and hand the Hoyas one of their four losses.

Now, Pitino’s Cardinals are ranked and are tied for first in the conference. They are riding a nine-game winning streak, including big victories over ranked opponents Notre Dame, Marquette and Georgetown. David Padgett is leading the team in scoring, but he is not the only one getting it done. Four games ago, in a match-up against Syracuse, Padgett was only able to get one point, but his Cardinals defeated the bubble dwelling Orange by 11.

Unlike the Hoyas, the Cardinals have four players averaging in double figures, and have the momentum that could bring them the Big East regular season title.

The last big game of the week will happen on Thursday when most of the East Coast will be tucked in bed, getting rest before the final work day of the week.

At 11 p.m. eastern time, the UCLA Bruins will face the Stanford Cardinal in a Pac-10 showdown. Although the conference isn’t as strong as it has been in the past few years, these two teams remain West Coast teams that the entire NCAA should fear.

They are feared because they have three of the better big men in Division I basketball.

The Bruins have one of the few pure centers in college, and certainly the best in Kevin Love. When the freshman out of Oregon is not getting obscenities yelled at him by disgruntled Ducks fans, he is scoring double-double after double-double. In 28 games this season, he has 17 double-doubles, averaging 17 points per game and 11 boards. Love is the type of inside player who can take over a game, and if a coach thinks fouling will help, think again. The freshman center is shooting nearly 75 percent from the charity strip. The best thing to do is try and defend him.

And the Cardinal has the two guys that can do that.

Twins Brook and Robin Lopez are just the two guys that can defend against the UCLA phenom. Brook is averaging 19 points per game and Robin has six games with four blocks or more. The Fresno twins will have to lock up Love and make him a non-factor if they plan on taking down the Bruins, who are looking for their 30th Pac 10 regular season championship.

March Madness is on the horizon and even here at LIU the fever is catching on. After dropping the final game against Robert Morris, it may seem that the Blackbirds are all but dead in their match up Thursday against NEC No. 2 Wagner. But let’s not forget history. Long Island has played Wagner hard, beating the Seahawks by 20 on our court back in January and a few weeks later, battling them to the final seconds on their court, only losing by three. If Eugene Kotorbai plays like he did in that 20-point victory, hitting six of nine including four from behind the arc, the Blackbirds could see second round NEC action for the first time since 1998.

Let the Madness begin!
*****

One final thought...

Press conference outbursts are one of the best things that sports have to offer. Moments like Dennis Green after the Arizona Cardinals loss to the Chicago Bears a couple of years ago are priceless. This past week, there was another one. Kevin Borseth, head coach of Michigan’s women’s basketball team, had one of the classic entrances to a post game press conference. On the video, all you see is a podium and out of nowhere a hand comes from off screen and slams a paper onto the desk. Borseth was upset that his team was out-rebounded, and took out his frustration on the podium. I thank Borseth for giving me a coach tirade that I have been missing since Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy went nuts on a irresponsible reporter.