Boomer's Back

May 17th will mark the ten year anniversary of David Wells' perfect game in Yankee Stadium, the second in Yankee history. Now, the past seems to be seeping into the present. Yesterday, David Wells said that he wanted to return to pinstripes. 

When asked what he thought of the 45-year-old lefty, who was 9-9 with a 5.43 ERA combined for the Dodgers and Padres last season, Hank Steinbrenner responded, "I've thought about it. You never know." Steinbrenner went on to say that he has not spoken about this idea with General Manager Brian Cashman, yet.

The Yankees rotation has been spotty at best. Aside from Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte, no one has been consistent. Mike Mussina has actually been decent of late, however, he has trouble going more than six, and sometimes five innings. Hughes is injured, Kennedy might as well be. The Yankees' four and five starters right now are Darrell Rasner and Kei Igawa. They are desperate to find more starting pitching, however, they should never be so rash to sign David Wells.

When Wells said that he would want to return to New York, that he thinks he could still have a positive impact on the Yankees' staff, he was asked what kind of shape he is in. My favorite part of this piece by the New York Post is that it quotes Wells as saying, 

"I'm in shape, I'd just have to fine-tune a couple of things. I'd need a little bit of time, but not much. Physically I feel fine, real good."

By a couple of things, I hope he is referring to his gargantuan belly, which files out his prominent 300-pound, cough, I mean 248-pound frame. (Did he actually say he was 248 pounds? Does he think he's fooling people?) He already has back problems from the wear and tear of a long career. His extra weight will be an issue more so than ever, now that he is a middle-aged man. 

He had a 5.43 ERA pitching in the National League last year. Let's not forget that. If Roger Clemens' ERA sky-rocketed two runs in his league-switch last season, think about how much the change would affect Wells, a pitcher of similar age, but not similar ability of physical shape.

Wells in a return to the Bronx would be a disaster. I will remember one thing about David Wells' legacy in New York. It's not the perfect game. It's not the 18-4 '98 season. It's not the 19 win season only a few years ago. It was when he screamed at a teammate for making an error behind him allowing for the only time I have ever seen Derek Jeter lose his temper on the baseball field. The Captain put Wells in his place. You don't slight another teammate on the field because of a physical error. 

To me, Wells' character will always be in question. He drinks nights before he pitches, he does not hold his teammates to a top priority. It's not worth it to bring a guy like that into your clubhouse, especially when he will contribute with an ERA of 5.50 at best.

- D. Spell

D'Antoni May Be Coming To New York

Knicks' fans, I give you a premature congratulations on your new head coach, Mike D'Antoni. ESPN is reporting that the Knicks have outlined a deal for the Suns' head coach, who is now their number one priority this off-season. The deal is five-years and an estimated $30 million, a contract that would make the Phoenix coach the highest paid coach in the league next to the Lakers' Phil Jackson.

It seems like for the first time since the Jeff Van Gundy days, the Knicks have done something right. Donnie Walsh seems to have handled the coaching situation quite well. The Knicks have made it public that D'Antoni is far and away their first choice, letting him know that they are willing to put other coaching jobs on the line for him. 

Although it has been reported ever since D'Antoni was given permission by the Suns to talk to other teams that his top choice is Chicago (understandably so), Ric Bucher of ESPN the Magazine is now saying that D'Antoni's interests have changed. His first choice seems to have shifted to New York. Although the Knicks are now his top pick, D'Antoni says he will wait for a Bulls offer before he commits to anything. The Bulls are expected to offer him a contract by Sunday at the latest, however, they have said that they will not get involved in a bidding war. They still owe Scott Skiles $4 million after firing him (even though he has already signed a deal to coach the Bucks). Bulls' management has made it public that they don't want to add on too much more salary to their coaching staff.

According to Donnie Walsh, the Knicks have not made any formal offer to D'Antoni. However, this may simply be a technicality, a ploy to the media in order to avoid any sort of tampering violations - which happen in sports all the time without the media finding out. He seems to know what he's doing. Or maybe I've just been around Isaiah Thomas for too long.

- D. Spell

TODAY IN SPORTS (FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2008)

• Yankees at Tigers 7:05 p.m. (MY9) - The Yanks try to tie the Devil Rays for second place...I can't believe I just uttered that sentence. 
• Reds at Mets 7:10 p.m. (SNY) - Mike Pelfrey allowed only two runs in six innings in his only career start against the Reds. 

- D. Spell

The Patriots Are Bigger Cheaters Than We Thought

We know this is a New York sports blog, but this story has encompassed every city in the country. The Patriots are even bigger cheaters than we thought they were. 

Yesterday, Matt Walsh handed the NFL eight video tapes of his stealing signs for New England. Although it was reported by the Boston Herald before this year's Super Bowl that the Patriots had stolen defensive signals from the St. Louis Rams in a walk-through before the 2002 Super Bowl, there was no evidence of this in Walsh's tapes. The initial reaction of the media and presumably of the NFL was that "Spygate" was not as drastic as it seemed. 

However, it is being reported now that the Patriots were stealing not only defensive signals with their video tapes, but also offensive signals. As part of a pact that he accepted with the league, the former Patriots' video assistant agreed to hand over all tapes that he had filmed in his years in New England. Tape number three was labeled "OFF signals" and contained footage of the Miami Dolphins' calling their offensive signals in a 2002 game. It is assumed that although those eight games are the only that Walsh still has possession of, that they are not the only ones that were filmed by New England. In fact, one of the eight tapes turned in by the former Patriots' employee was not even filmed by him and was taped after he was promoted from the video department. 

The questions that this leaves me asking is what should the punishment be for the New England Patriots and how will their affect their and Bill Belichick's legacy? After not being completely truthful about video taping this season - they were taping offensive signals, also - I would once again take away their first round pick in the draft. In fact, they, in effect, still had a first round pick this season. (They drafted seventh overall, taking the 49ers spot in the NFL Draft.) I would also fine Belichick another $250,000 to bring his total Spygate fine to a clean $1 million. He knew what he was doing was wrong and, yet, continued to film opposing coaches. He then lied to the media, the fans and most importantly, the NFL about who he was filming and how often he was filming them. 

The Patriots will always have their three Super Bowls from this era - there may be more to come - but there will always be an air of skepticism surrounding them. Would they have been a great team without the video taping? Absolutely. Did they need to tape opposing coordinators? Probably not. This entire situation could've been avoided in New England by some simple common sense and ethics. 

- D. Spell

New Background

We were a bit worried from the beginning about the background, so we have decided to change it after a few wise words from our friend Jonah Keri over at ESPN. I must admit, I liked the black background with white writing, but when I first mentioned it to Jim, he said to me, "Don't you think it might be stressful for the eyes?" Of course it wouldn't. What's the difference between black on white and white on black? Then, a friend called me emo for having a black background on my blog. I didn't appreciate his comment, but realized his right to the First Amendment and backed off.

After receiving an email from Jonah Keri, an ESPN baseball columnist, we have decided to change our background after four days of experimentation. Jim left the decision up to me, so we will now have the yellow background that you see. If we get the same complaints about this, then screw everyone. I'm not going through this process again. 

"Seems like white writing on black background might be hard on the eyes," Jonah said via email. Well, here's your gift Mr. Keri: a new background. 

- D. Spell

Last Night in New York Sports

Yankees-6 Indians-3

The Yankees finished off their series against the Indians with a solid 3 run victory. Thanks to home runs by Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano, and Wilson Betemit the Yankees powered their way to victory. The Bombers went up 3-0 in the 4th after Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi hit their home runs, but Mike Mussina gave the lead right back in the 5th, in part due to Bobby Abreu's terrible fielding effort. Yet the Yankees answered right back with a Damon RBI double and they did not look back. The bullpen pitched very well, combining for 4 innings of 2 hit ball, including a solid inning from Joba Chamberlain, who struck out his tormentor from earlier in the week, David Delluci, to end the 8th. This was a very positive game for the Yankees offensively as Giambi hit two shots, one caught near the warning track, and Robinson Cano went 2 for 3 which could potentially signal the end of his cold start to the season.

-Mose

We Remember - Chris Childs

We will be running a segment called "We Remember" in an effort to honor old New York players, who may not have been the best, but were able to help their teams in different ways. Today, we remember Chris Childs.

He didn't go straight to the NBA. After going undrafted in 1989, point guard Chris Childs graduated from Boise State and left to play in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) hoping to be signed by an NBA team, eventually. Childs dedicated himself to the CBA from the '89-'90 season to the '93-'94 season, when finally made his mark averaging 17.9 points-per-game, 7.6 assists-per-game and winning the league MVP. He was signed by the Nets at the end of the season and was finally given his first shot at an NBA career. 

As a 27-year-old rookie, Childs started 11 games in New Jersey, averaging 5.8 points-per-game and dishing off 4.1 assists-per-game. In his second season, a contract year, Childs started 54 games at point guard for New Jersey, averaging 12.8 points and 7.0 assists, both career highs. He had a 17-assist game against the Lakers in February. 

At the end of the season, he signed with the Knicks, the team he will always be most associated with. In '96-'97 Childs helped the team to 57 victories and a playoff appearance. In '98-'99, he helped them win 27 games in a strike-shortened season and become the first number eight seed to power its way to the NBA finals. That same year, he was named to the All-NBA Interview Second-Team as one of the most likable and intelligent basketball players. A team leader, Childs continued to help the Knicks win until he was traded to the Raptors for Mark Jackson and Muggsy Bogues in 2001. It was the last time the Knicks have finished over .500.

After spending one and a half years in Toronto and 12 games in a return to New Jersey, Childs was released by the Nets and decided to call it quits. Childs' Knicks legacy: leader. His career points-per-game and three-point-percentage both climbed higher in the playoffs. We remember Childs as s big game player with a character that can't be questioned.

- D. Spell