Don Mattingly Returns To Yankee Stadium As Manager Of Dodgers, Which Still Hurts Since He Should Be Managing The Yankees Right Now

Don Mattingly returns to Yankee Stadium this week. (AP photo)

  By Brad Carroll  

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After the 2007 season, the New York Yankees finally made the correct and long-awaited decision to get rid of manager Joe Torre. Falling more in love with becoming a celebrity rather than developing a baseball team, Torre had to go and the Yankees desperately needed a new direction.

The Yankees hierarchy, led by Hank Steinbrenner, who had taken over the lead role from his father George, and general manager Brian Cashman, opened the job to three candidates. There was former Marlins manager Joe Girardi, Yankees bench coach Tony Pena and the odds-on-favorite, former Yankees great Don Mattingly.

Mattingly was the fan's choice to be the next manager. It wasn't even close. True Yankees fans not only wanted Mattingly to be the team's manager, but couldn't imagine it not happening. There was no way the Yankees could screw this up. Of course, the Yankees went ahead and screwed it up anyway.

NBA Finals Game 5 Winners & Losers: Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, Danny Green, Tim Duncan, Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller, Eric Spoelstra

Danny Green, Tony Park and Tim Duncan celebrate. (AP photo)

  By Danny Atkinson  
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The Miami defense ran into a buzz-saw in Game 5, losing 114-104 in a contest that was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated. The Heat head home down 3-2 and are on the brink of losing in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. Meanwhile, San Antonio is playing offense at an exceptional level, and has all the momentum as it tries to capture its fourth title in the last decade. Game 6 is sure to be a doozy.

  Winners  

Manu Ginobli: For one night, Ginobli recaptured the creativity and energy that has always made him such a joy to watch. He found great scoring opportunities in San Antonio’s imaginative offense and made the most of them, ending the game with 24 points and 10 assists. Ginobli did an excellent job attacking the basket off the dribble, especially when being defended by Miami’s bigs. Even when he was being closely defended, Ginobli found ways to score on shots that could only be described as artistic. No matter how Ginobli plays the remainder of the series, his Game 5 performance will stand as one of the most memorable of his career.

Yankees 3 Up & 3 Down Week 11: Robinson Cano, Adam Warren, CC Sabathia Are Up, Kevin Youkilis, Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay Down

  By Brad Carroll  

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Robinson Cano and the pitching staff can't do it all for the New York Yankees. That much was determined this past week, when the Yankees went 1-5 against the Athletics and Angels. The pitchers did their part in keeping the team in games during the stretch. The offense, on the other hand, did not, putting together one of the worst stretches of the entire season. Kevin Youkilis, Travis Hafner and Lyle Overbay combined for three hits - in six games, including one that went 18 innings. It's been that bad for the Yankees at the plate. It makes for a difficult job coming up with three players to highlight. But for the dimmest stars of the week, the challenge was just picking three.

  3 Up  

Robinson Cano: While everyone struggles, Cano continues to come through at the plate. It's just too bad he didn't have many chances to drive in runs. Cano went 8-for-24 (.333) with four doubles, a home run and two RBI. In the Thursday embarrassment of a loss to the Athletics, Cano went 3-for-6 with two doubles, a home run and two RBI. Hafner, Youkilis, Wells and Mark Teixeira went a combined 0-for-28 Thursday. Again, Cano can't be expected to do it all.

State Of The Yankees Week 11: Offensive Woes Only Get Worse As Yankees Finish Off Terrible Stretch Against Athletics And Angels

  By Brad Carroll  

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If Mariano Rivera doesn't strike out Albert Pujols with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Sunday, this would have been the worst week of the season for the Yankees. Yes, even worse than getting swept by the lowly Mets. Having already lost the first five games, three against the Athletics and two against the Angels, the Yankees appeared on their way to an easy win Sunday. But the bullpen let a 6-0 lead slip to a 6-5 game with the bases loaded and two outs. Luckily, Rivera struck out Pujols to end the game and save what would have been a humiliating stretch of baseball. Maybe the victory sets in motion a string of wins going forward. More likely, however, is the Yankees could be coming apart before our very eyes.

  Opening Statement  

Remember when the talk of the town in the Bronx was the rejuvenation of Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Travis Hafner and Kevin Youkilis, players thought to have long ago passed their prime, but were hitting the stuffing out of the ball early on? Well, all of those hits, home runs and RBI have become almost non existent since. Wells hasn't homered since May 15 and has no extra base hits and just a single RBI in the month of June. He's batting just .230 overall, .109 this month, and has become the player everyone thought he would be at the start of the season. Actually, he's slightly worse now than he was with the Angels last season. And that's saying something. Overbay hasn't homered since May 25 and is batting just .167 with a double and no RBI this month. Before hitting a three-run home run Sunday, Hafner struggled just as much this month as his teammates. He was 0-for-23 before Sunday's game, including an 0-for-8 day at the plate Thursday against Oakland. Hafner is batting just .221 this season. Youkilis went 0-for-7 Thursday and then was put on the disabled list Friday, proving he was a complete waste of money. He was batting .219 with two home runs and eight RBI in 28 games before landing on the DL for the second time this season.

State Of The Red Sox Week 11: Boston Remains Consistent As It Continues To Lead AL East After Battling Rival Rays And Orioles This Week

  By Matt Straub  

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This was an important week for the Boston Red Sox. A big road trip against division rivals Tampa Bay and Baltimore would give them a chance to show who the true beasts of the American League East were. Maybe I got overly excited looking for the Red Sox to make a statement. What I should have counted on was this team doing what is always does: hanging around and figuring out a way to barely stay in first place.

  Opening Statement  
For those of you who watch golf and enjoyed the U.S. Open this week, let me put it to you this way: There are golfers who hit 300 yard drives and win by making eagles. Then there are golfers who put the ball in the fairway all the time and give themselves a chance to make enough birdies to end up with a good score. Consistency and the ability to avoid hitting the ball into a bunker is their way to the top. The Red Sox are that second golfer. They might not do too many spectacular things, but they avoid trouble well enough to keep themselves hanging around the leaderboard. And so, while this week’s 3-4 mark isn’t what they were hoping for, the Red Sox managed to avoid letting anyone make a big run at them this week. When it ended, the Sox were still in first place because they stayed out of the bunker, which isn’t easy to do on the kind of course they faced this week.

Red Sox 3 Up & 3 Down Week 11: Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Carp, Craig Breslow Are Up, Jon Lester, Andrew Bailey, Will Middlebrooks Down

  By Matt Straub  

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It certainly wasn’t a boring week in Red Sox Nation. John Lackey helped rekindle the decade-long bad blood between Boston and Tampa (which is quietly a much more heated rivalry these days than Sox-Yankees is), the Red Sox won two of the goofier games of the year, including one they gave away, and saw a few weaknesses get exposed again. There were some players who helped keep the week somewhat on track, however, which is the mark of a good team. If the Red Sox can keep things from getting out of hand each week, they can use the cushion they’ve built to put themselves in contention come the fall. Let’s look at who cost the Sox some games and who helped keep Boston in first place.

  3 Up  

Mike Carp: Soon I’ll be looking at the first half leaders for three up and three down, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Mike Carp is going to be among the players who have been “up” most often. He had a hit in five of the six games he played, hit a big game-tying home run in Boston’s win in Baltimore, and his departure from Sunday’s game with a hamstring pull actually gave the Red Sox cause for concern. He has made the losses of Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli hurt less this season and has been an unsung hero for this team everywhere except in this blog.

Mets 3 Up & 3 Down Week 11: David Wright, Dillon Gee, Zack Wheeler Are Up, Ike Davis, John Buck, Bobby Parnell Are Down For Week

  By Brad Carroll  
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It's too bad the New York Mets put the spotlight on their star, David Wright, for all the wrong reasons this week, especially considering the third baseman is the only hitter on the roster doing anything at the plate. Actually, Wright has been on a tear, raising his batting average 24 points over the past eight games. But the fact the Mets went to an online dating website for 'Cougars' to pick up extra votes to get Wright ahead in the All-Star Game voting leaked and took the attention away from Wright's play on the field. Luckily, if Wright does win the vote, he will do so because of what he's done actually playing the game. He's certainly doing his part in that regard.

  3 Up  

David Wright: The Mets third baseman went 10-for-21 this week with three doubles, a home run and four RBI. He's raised his season average to .297. But it may be as a leader where Wright is shining brightest right now. "Guys need to dig down deep and go one of two ways," Wright said Saturday. "Either just go through the motions and play things out or get motivated by whatever means necessary and finish this thing strong. A lot of these guys are going to be part of the future." Wright tied a career-high in Saturday's game by reaching base for the ninth consecutive time at bat.

State Of The Mets Week 11: Mets Sink To 15 Games Under For Season, Going 2-10 Since 4-Game Sweep Of Yankees

  By Brad Carroll  
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Remember when the New York Mets had won five straight games, including going 4-for-4 against the hated Yankees? It seems almost unreal now that the Mets were actually playing good baseball at a time, making their way back from a bad start to begin to put together a season that could actually turn into a wild card chase. But since that sweep of the Yankees, the Mets have gone 2-10 to drop 15 games under .500 and all but end the season before it even reaches the All-Star break.

  Opening Statement  

Maybe the Mets should go to Cougar Life to sell tickets instead of solicit All-Star votes for David Wright from here on out, because any fan that chooses to attend a game at Citi Field this season is either among the most die-hard fans, or just wants to enjoy the great weather at the stadium. It's certainly not to enjoy the baseball, unless you're interested in the visitors. The Mets are a team in shambles, both on and off the field, as they embarrassed themselves by going to an online dating service for older women to get votes for their third baseman. The All-Star Game is at Citi Field this year, so the Mets are obviously pulling out all the stops trying to get one of their own players in the starting lineup. They would be better off hyping pitcher Matt Harvey for the start, which would actually make the most sense. Of course, let's stay away from dating websites with that one as well. The worst part about the swoon the last two weeks was it came against teams that are the bottom-feeders of the National League, the Marlins and Cubs. The Mets  who have the second worst record in the NL, ahead of just Miami, have to be considered the new bottom-feeder with the way things have gone recently. They are 0-7 against Miami and Chicago the last two weeks. Even Harvey lost for the first time this season, a 2-1 defeat to the Cardinals Thursday. Interestingly enough, the last two weeks have seen Dillon Gee pitch his way to both victories the Mets had. He's won three straight starts. Wright, a Cougar heartthrob apparently, is the only player on the Mets to hit over .250 this week. He's actually on fire, going 9-for-14 (.643) over the past four games. Too bad the rest of the team can't hit. Or win games.

NBA Finals Game 4 Winners & Losers: Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Heat Defense, Manu Ginobli, Tiago Splitter, Tim Duncan

Dwayne Wade and LeBron James shine in Game 4. (AP photo)

  By Danny Atkinson  
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Who had Miami’s Big Three combining to score 85 points in Game 4? I certainly didn’t, and neither apparently did San Antonio. In an NBA Finals where role players have shined just as much as the stars, some semblance of order was restored Thursday. It should be fun to see if the Spurs' Big Three can respond with a memorable performance of their own in Game 5.

  Winners  

Dwayne Wade: Wade gave his best performance of the playoffs, and showed why he is considered one of the best two-guards of all time. Wade had mostly taken jump shots in the previous three games, but was unstoppable inside Thursday, going 10-for-12 in the restricted area on his way to 32 points. He constantly attacked mismatches when San Antonio went big, and was too quick and athletic for Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw to handle. Wade was every bit as good on defense as he was on offense. He did an excellent job defending Tony Parker and making him confused and hesitant about where to go with the ball, and caused havoc in the passing lanes, finishing with six steals. If Wade can continue to play at or near this level going forward, I guarantee Miami is going to win the title.

Pimp My Wright? Mets Contact Dating Website For 'Cougars' To Boost All-Star Game Votes For David Wright

David Wright was let down by the Mets' PR department. (AP photo)

  By Jenni Mennella  
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“The Mets have shown me more ways to lose than I even knew existed.” Me too, Casey. Me too.

Just when you think the Mets can’t sink any lower, think again. This time, however, it’s not about the slumping Ike Davis, useless bullpen or piss-poor decisions being made lately. This time rests solely with the one group that’s supposed to represent the Mets with the best of intentions regardless of what happens. This time it’s the marketing department who should get designated for assignment, placed on waivers or shipped off to some god-forsaken place that’s never even heard of baseball.

In what might be the worst possible idea of the century, some nimrod in the Mets marketing department contacted a dating website to boost David Wright’s chances of starting the MLB All-Star Game. Not just any dating website, mind you. They could have contacted the ever-popular Match.com or crunchy granola eHarmony, with their annoying commercials. Or maybe even Christian Mingle or J-Date to appeal to Wright’s religious fans. No, this bottom-feeding, scumbag opportunist contacted Cougar Life, known as "the cougar dating site for younger hot men to meet sexy older professional women."

Ireland Vs Spain At Yankee Stadium: An Experience, And Moment, To Remember As I Get To Watch Ireland Play In Person For First Time Ever

Sean St. Ledger "scores" against Spain Tuesday night. (AP photo)

  By Brad Carroll  

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The trip to Yankee Stadium Tuesday night was different than any other time I've ventured to the Bronx. Unlike the typical Yankees games, where the large majority of fans would be hoping for the same result, a victory for the home team, this was for a completely different experience. The Stadium played host on this night to an international soccer friendly featuring the best team in the world, Spain, against the squad that holds my allegiance, Ireland.

This wasn't the first time I attended a world-class soccer match, but it was by far the most anticipated, and would ultimately prove to contain one of the most exhilarating moments in all of my live sporting event fandom experiences. It would also prove to be one of the most disappointing, incredulous and downright infuriating moments as well. And did I mention both of these emotional mood swings took place in a matter seconds?

NBA Finals Winners And Losers: Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal, LeBron James, Miami Defense, Mario Chalmers, Eric Sproelstra

Danny Green and Gary Neal celebrate during Game 3. (AP photo)

  By Danny Atkinson  

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A weird series only got weirder with San Antonio’s 113-77 beatdown of Miami in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. We saw the emergence of a new Big Three for the Spurs (Danny Green, Gary Neal and Kawhi Leonard) and LeBron James in a role he hasn’t occupied for a long time: goat. Hopefully, Game 4 will again be filled with surprises. Before we get there, let’s look back at the winners and losers of Game 3.

  Winners  

Danny Green: How long can Green keep his torrid shooting up? Who knows. But he deserves all the credit in the world for making the most of his opportunities again and again Tuesday night. Green scored 27 points and was 7-of-9 from 3 by doing an outstanding job of finding open space on the floor and being very aggressive when he got the ball. The former Tar Heel's passing also set up his teammates for similar high percentage shots. Green isn’t going to shoot at this high of a level going forward, but if he continues to be aggressive, we can expect to see more gorgeous treys throughout the rest of the series.