Fitting Endings

It was fitting, I thought, that the Olympics should end with 400 Chinese shakin' their butts in the air. That's just the way I was feeling about the Olympics as they finally wound down, except my pants would have been at half-mast. While the beginning of these Olympic Games were practically earth-shaking, and the middle was excellent, by the end, I was ready for baseball again, oh, and football too. It was the two concurrent fantasy football drafts though that really did me in.

As I had feared for some time now, the Mets were not able to put away a team with good pitching. Although they hung around for ten innings, it was the middling Astros who took the third game of the series yesterday. And, as expected, the starting pitching was pretty good. That the relief pitching was less good, if not downright awful, had to be expected too, I guess. It had to catch up with my Metsies sometime.

The Giants-Jets game was a real yawner too, I thought, though we did see some pretty good defense, I suppose. That Osi Umenyiora was lost for the season is a real heart-breaker though. We can only hope it's not a forbidding omen, and that albatross I thought I saw flying over the stadium was just a gigantic pigeon, gone crazy from too many hot dogs and beer. Oh well, at least I won't have to spell his name again this season.

The most startling football news though, for fans not interested only in the local teams, was that Kurt Warner may have kept his starting job in Arizona over the bonus-baby heart throb from USC, one Matt Leinart. Kurt has been pretty darned good this exhibition season, but the word was that Leinart would surely be the starter. I'm sure salary negotiations may have played a part, too, in Warner's sudden ascension. When handing out millions to anyone, it's kinda nice to see them on the field, especially in Arizona, a place that has never happily given away anything, just ask Anquan Boldin.

In fact, if salary negotiations thrill you, this is your season. (Turn, turn, turn). Plaxico Burress may get some kind of extension and Antonio Pierce has had his hands out too, we are led to believe. At least the Jets seem a lot more settled right now, having already doled out multi-million dollar contracts to quite a few newcomers, such as Faneca and Pace. They may even be able to protect what's-his-name althoughthat wasn;t much in evidence on Friday night.

That the football season starts on a Thursday night thrills me not. What a stupid way to start a season. I know. I have to learn to adapt to change, Olympics in China, Jamaicans winning all the sprints, and making a big deal about the Redeem-Team beating friggin' Spain in basketball. Ho-friggin-hum. Kobe-Kobe-Kobe, WOOHOO.

But this piece is supposed to be about fitting endings, right? Well, based on this beginning, I'd have to say it would be entirely fitting if the Jets made the playoffs, what with about five rather extreme additions to both offense and defense. But for the Giants, alas, it doesn't look good. To lose Osi after losing Strahan is taking two big hits right off the bat. The rest of the league wasn't standing still, you know. I expect both the Eagles and the Skins to be more formidable this year. You can be sure Donovan McNabb will be singing no sad songs for the G-Men.

But now I must turn to the most fitting ending of all, the end of yesterday’s Mets game. I guess Mr. Manuel can’t spin a miracle every time out after all. Finding the right combination of mediocre relief had been a Manuel specialty as of late, but yesterday wasn’t one of those days. Well, actually, it did look as if he’d pull it off one more time, but he ran out of options at the end.

Pedro Feliciano gave up two, two, two big home runs in the top of the tenth to pretty much seal the Mets fate Sunday afternoon. And I say it was fitting only because the Mets have not been able to secure a top reliever after losing Billy Wagner. They did secure a pretty fair holder, if you will, but he had been used up in the ninth.

I suppose the real story of the game was that Oliver Perez could only put in 6 1/3 yesterday. Heilman relieved Perez in he seventh but couldn’t hold the lead for the southpaw starter, giving up two hits while retiring only one batter. Schoeneweis and Smith finished out the seventh and eighth very nicely too

Luis Ayala, the reliever they did acquire, has been very good, and he continued to be, pitching the ninth inning to a very good effect. But in the 10^th, Manuel was running out of options; there were only two relievers left.

Manuel opted for the lefty Feliciano. It was not his day. And it was very quickly not his day; no infuriating walks or seeing-eye base hits yesterday that in the past had brought Jerry out to the mound for a magic pitching change. No, yesterday, it was all over very quickly. Boom. Boom. Down two.

Duaner Sanchez, the last reliever, did finish out the tenth with no further damage but the Mets didn’t show much in their half of that 10^th inning and it was all over. The Astros closer, Jose Valverde, handled the top of the Mets lineup pretty handily yesterday.

But all is not lost. The Mets still retain their first place position in the NL East. They can tie the Astros series 2-2 with a win tomorrow and, as Mike Pelfrey takes the mound, things look pretty good, especially if he can give them seven or eight good innings. Then it’s the Phillies for two and Florida for three.

I sure hope the starters can keep on keeping on. Otherwise, there may be more fitting endings to come.

So Low and Solo - Kudos to Good Coaches

Never did a coach in ANYTHING have it so wrong. Former U.S. soccer Coach Greg Ryan last year removed the goalie who got them to the 2007 World Cup semifinal and replaced her for some ridiculous technical reason with Briana Scurry, a good player too, but one who had pretty much rode the pines throughout the entire U.S. run.

Of course, Scurry gave up four goals and the U.S. lost their World Cup semifinal to Brazil, but that was the least of the damage. The decision ultimately resulted in bad feelings all around for the team as Solo understandably voiced her strong opinion that she would have stopped those goals.

Virtually the entire team turned against Solo. Only a few stayed in Solo’s corner, one of whom was the woman who scored the winning goal in overtime against Brazil in the Olympic gold medal matchup. She is none other than New Jersey’s own Carli Lloyd from Delran.

The score was 1-0. That it went that far and that long was due almost entirely to Hope Solo, whose save after save after save turned back the athletic Brazilians. After the match, even the Brazilian soccer coach lauded Ms. Solo. And her U.S. teammates finally relented in their sworn enmity to her as they all celebrated their gold medal.

I’ve read that Solo’s fine performance was her redemption. I don’t think so. Was it her vindication? Yes. Absolutely. But she needed no redemption in my eyes. She had always been the hero of the melodrama, she and the young women like Carli Lloyd who stayed with her.

If one had said it was the U.S. soccer team’s redemption, I could have gone along with that, if only it hadn’t taken them so long to see the light. Too many of them, in siding with a coach, initially no doubt to save their own skins, and then staying with their petty convictions all the way to the Olympics final, earned my total disrespect, and their victory really does very little towards earning my understanding, never mind forgiveness. In a way, they didn’t deserve such a positive result.

But I am extremely happy for Hope Solo and her compatriot, Carli Lloyd. They both came up big when they had to. And although the rest of them obviously played a large part in that great U.S. victory, I can’t help feeling that some of them just went along for the ride. Most of them just did what was easiest.

Too much is made of team unity, especially in the light of ridiculously harsh circumstances. A young woman who had just lost her father and who had to give up her conviction to win one for her homeless Dad, had to watch hopelessly as her replacement allowed ball after ball into the net. How many of us in those same shoes could have held their tongues?

There should have been some glimmer of understanding for Hope Solo, the best goalkeeper in the world. And the people who run the Olympic programs should have some recourse in the event that a coach seems to lose all perspective.

Sometimes a coach loses the forest for the trees. In a sport such as soccer in which every game means so much, there should be the ability for the Olympic organizers to rescind an awful decision before it can impact the big game. Ryan’s hopelessly misguided decision impacted the entire women’s soccer program for a full year.

One coach with a surprisingly good grasp of the forest is Jerry Manuel. Mr. Manuel proved that again Thursday night with his handling of Pedro Martinez. Pedro had pitched well for 5 full innings before getting knocked around a bit in the 6^th. But Manuel had Pedro pitch the 7^th as well, and Pedro obligingly retired the three batters he faced.

And in the 8^th, Manuel had Pedro face the first batter with the intention of replacing him whether or not Pedro retired that hitter. Done to eliminate any need to have to play the righty, lefty game with relievers down the stretch, it is the kind of thing Manuel has done over and over since he took the reins from Willie Randolph.

It’s the simplest of things yet proves to the players that the manager’s head is always in the game; that it has a very good chance to win as long as that guy is at the helm. It’s the kind of thing Willie seemingly never thought of, or perhaps the kind of thing he thought would have been over-managing a situation.

Willie always seemed to think his guys would win the game, that all things considered, in the end, the best players would prevail, and he had the best players. Such a strategy may have worked for those strong Yankees teams of yesteryear but it never seemed to suit these Mets, either the 2007 or 2008 variety at any rate.

And, after the game, Jerry went out of his way to praise the efforts of David Wright, for his great plays in the field, not just his formidable bat. And, rather than harp on the mistake David made on the basepaths, Manuel just joked that he had been in no-man’s land; that he wanted so badly to score.

Coaches and managers mean so much in sports. And not just for their tactical moves either. It’s way more than that. Every player has to believe in the manager’s concern for the outcome, his ability to make it so, and for his genuine humanity.

So kudos this evening for the 2008 U.S. soccer coach, who had the foresight to convince his team that Hope Solo should be one of them. His name is Pia Sundhage. Don’t ask me to pronounce it.

And the same for Jerry Manuel, who makes all the right moves, or most of them anyway. (Just today I heard John Heymann say that Manuel wasn’t a LaRussa or a Scoscia. Maybe it’ll take a World Series to change his mind).

It's The Journey - Really !

While everyone else in Beijing seems to be focusing on Michael Phelps, the swimmer who, miraculously, STILL has a chance at winning eight gold medals, this writer and erstwhile weightlifter will be focusing on Olympic weightlifting, or, at least what little of it can be captured among NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, and USA. (I still can't find Telemundo).

Most impressive of all to me is the story of Melanie Roach, who took 6th in the Women's 58 kg. division. for the U.S. What's amazing to me about Melanie is that she equaled her amazing performance of April, 1998 in Flagstaff at the American Weightlifting Championships, totaling 193 kg. At 33 years of age, after a back injury, after marriage and kids and ten more years of life, Melanie took center-stage in Beijing, China. And, from the looks of things, she's still flashing that radiant smile.

I personally witnessed that Flagstaff, AZ meet. In fact, I still have the videotape. At that time, I was a master lifter, who, at a bodyweight of 77 kg, could snatch about 80 kg and clean and jerk about 110 kg. On that day, I witnessed a young woman surpassing my totals at a bodyweight of 19 kg. less (that's about 40 pounds less) and SMILING while she did it.

That day Melanie became the first American woman to clean and jerk double her bodyweight. I went home to Jersey with a renewed sense of determination and, thoroughly inspired by Melanie, who was a Pritchard-Kosoff at the time, eventually snatched and jerked about 15 kilos more in both lifts combined after another year or so of training.

Ms Roach hurt her back shortly thereafter, apparently, and had to quit the sport. Then there was marriage and children, and, by accounts I have read, she didn't lift a weight again until 2005, when she awakened one morning with a hankerin' to make the Olympics team of 2008!

Well, make it she did, and did herself and her country proud. Here is a person who perhaps most spectacularly embodies the notion that… it’s all in the journey. For, although her results have been spectacular enough, they are nothing compared to the trials and tribulations and life experience that took that sweet face to Beijing, China to finish 6^th in the entire world.

That’s the reason for my frustration with the news coverage of these (and every) Olympics. The focus is always on the results only and Americans only and the beautiful only; no one else need apply. We’ll cover the ridiculous sport of beach volleyball more than any other. And why? Because gigantic string-beans run around in bikinis!

We covered the heck out of the “Dream Team” in basketball four years ago and finished third. This year, all we hear is about Michael Phelps’s hopes for breaking Mark Spitz’s record of 7 swimming gold medals.

Well, Phelps was VERY lucky to win his second yesterday, and not for his efforts so much as for the effort of his teammate, Jason Lezak, who swam the fastest 100 meter leg in history to touch that wall a millisecond in front of the French anchorman. Instead of marveling that Phelps has now won two golds, we focus on the fact that he needs six more for eight. Ridiculous.

I still haven’t seen Melanie on TV; why should we see her? She only took 6^th. That the U.S. usually can’t compete internationally with the rest of the world goes unnoticed, that a 33-year old woman accomplished the feat is lost, that she did it despite injuries and all the rest-who cares? She finished 6^th. She doesn’t wear a bikini. She’s not a gymnast. She’s not a swimmer. She doesn’t compete in a sport in which we excel every four years.

Perhaps I’m taking a cock-eyed look at this whole thing. After all, I did get to see the magnificent Chinese 17-year old Quong in the 56 kg men’s competition and the 62’s were televised as well. And there is the companion web page. It’s the most extensive and comprehensive Olympics coverage ever.

So why am I so irritated? It’s the focus. The focus is always on the medal count. How important is that really when half the sports are those we don’t play at all? Badminton, beach volleyball, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, trampoline and water polo are sports, sure they are, but when was the last time you played badminton competitively? Or even SEEN it played seriously? Besides you and cousin Jackie beating Uncle Harry and little Jimmy on the 4^th of July?

The medal count is ridiculous. China, you got it. Meanwhile, I’ll have fun watching the sports we play in the summer… baseball, basketball, soccer, and, for me, weightlifting, although it’s more of a year-round activity and almost always done indoors, so why it shouldn’t be a Winter Olympics thing is beyond me.

But the whole thing is larger than life, I have to admit, especially as staged by China. That opening ceremony was, by all accounts, the single most memorable experience in their lifetimes. This reporter missed it, but I did manage to see a lot of people walking.

But, if this extravaganza is all about promoting peace and harmony, why do I have to see the single worst President of the U.S. on TV discussing his chastising of his buddy Putin for attacking Georgia? And why focus on Iran’s dissing the swimming heat because Israel had a participant?

So, all in all, like most people I guess, I have mixed feelings about these Olympics, at least the coverage of it. And, after all, there’s always the remote control. Push a button and it’s gone, as it is now, as I watch the Mets try to hang on against the Pirates, and win one for Pedro.

But as soon as Heilman turns my stomach over one more time, I’ll turn back to the Olympics, I’m sure, or maybe I’ll get to the gym and do a couple of snatches. For Melanie Roach.

Dog Days All Around

The Mets have taken it on the chin so often lately that it was almost shocking that they actually managed to win a game last night. Not that they made it easy on themselves. Fernando Tatis had the game-winner once again, but it almost wasn't. A 9th inning rally by the Padres fell one run short and the Mets finally won a game. And they did it without their closer, Billy Wagner.

Up and down relief pitcher Aaron Heilman was on a down cycle last night and tried his best to give the lead back to the Padres in the ninth but Jerry Manuel wouldn't let it happen. After giving up a run, a hit and a 3-run homer, Manuel had seen enough. He brought in Joe Smith and Scott Schoenweis to get one out apiece and the Mets hung on.

The Yankees didn't do nearly as well against a Texas team that seems like a Murderer's Row. Young phenom Josh Hamilton greeted Yanks starter Andy Pettite with a 2-run homer and it was all down hill from there. A rookie named Matt Harrison went 7 innings for the Rangers, while Ranger sluggers Chris Davis and David Murphy ensured the win despite some late-game heroics from another Yanks new guy, Richie Sexson, who banged a grand slam to deep centerfield in the 8th.

They don't call these the "dog days of August" for nothing. Major league players have all withstood the rigors of playing about 115 games and they're not that close to the end. Players start getting really tired. The weather is really hot, especially if you're playing in sun-baked Texas. And players start going down.

The Yankees have to hope Joba's shoulder is ok, because if it's not, they're in pretty bad shape overall, what with a 6 1/2 game deficit to the Rays and quite a few games on the road staring them right in the face. While all their trading deadline pickups are working out for them, Nady and now Sexson and Pudge Rodriguez, they never did get the pitcher they coveted, and now they may have lost another starter, maybe their best one.

And, of course, the Mets are going to have to tough it out without their closer. Billy Wagner has some forearm problems for which there was no forewarning. (Sorry). They surely missed him last night. No lead seems secure enough these days for the Mets as all their relievers seem worn out.

Manuel has had to abandon his plans for defining bullpen roles as one after another of them has failed him in big spots, Duaner Sanchez, Aaron Heilman, well, you get the idea. The Mets starting pitching will have to go deep into games for the next week anyway, or until Wagner returns. Hopefully, he'll be able to return.

The Mets seem to enjoy their position just short of the division lead. Much as Big Brown, that magnificent thoroughbred of Derby and Preakness fame, who won the Haskell Stakes Sunday, likes to just hover on the outside shoulder of whatever nag happens to take the lead, so the Mets seem to be just hanging around.

But will the Mets have anywhere near the finishing kick needed to outlast the Phillies or Marlins? I guess we’ll see, but they surely haven’t gone out of their way to improve their situation.

While the Yankees and other teams such as the Dodgers and Brewers made some moves, the Mets have stayed pat. One wonders whether Minaya is on a strong hold from the ownership, once again, much as Big Brown’s jockey practically strangled his mount in the Belmont.

It’ll be nice to get a reprieve from baseball for a while, as the Olympics will take center stage for a couple of weeks. The Games should also give us all a break from the baloney Bret Favre has been dishing out. Can there be a “dog days” of football’s exhibition season? If I read one more thing about the phony “quarterback battle” between Pennington, the clear starter and leader of the Jets, and second-year guy Clemens, I think I’ll be sick.

There is no joy from this corner of the world as this football season kicks off. I cringe at the piracy being foisted on Giants and Jets fans as the Maras and Woody’s of the world cry the blues as to the cost of building a new stadium, THEIR new stadium.

Oh well, at least the taxpayers of New Jersey will be getting a break. The stadium costs will be borne directly by the users. Although there is justice in that, I do hate to see football becoming only a rich man’s game. And, how near is the day when professional football becomes pay-per-view only?

It’s ironic that all this spending on stadiums is happening precisely at the juncture of what may become a very serious recession. And maybe a long-lived one. While I can see the Super Bowl Champion Giants surviving while the rest of the world goes to hell, it’s a little more difficult to say the same about that team with the ugly green uniforms.

Will the Jets be playing before a crowd of 25,000 a year from now? It’s possible. While I can see that a Giants season ticket could be considered an asset, the cost of which could later be transferred to a new owner, will Jets fans feel the same way about their ducats? How much risk will they be willing to assume? Isn’t it easier to just watch from home?

But enough doom and gloom. I guess these really are dog days. I should be looking forward to finally being able to watch Olympic weightlifting on TV, or, at the very least, on my PC. I love all the track and field events. Gymnastics can be interesting, and then there will be soccer and basketball. And, of course, the whole extravaganza of the opening ceremonies coming to us from Beijing.

But will anybody be able to breathe?