ESPN's "Ethics" Trump Objectivity

One of the most important lessons in journalism I was ever taught was not to befriend those you cover. The reasons aren't outlandish, or even difficult to understand.

What would happen say if you were out drinking with your best friend, married with kids, and he negotiated his way back to a Motel 6 with a woman half his age. Your friend doubled as the Mayor you cover. It's a fine line, but an important one.

That is why ESPN's new "decision" is disturbing. On Wednesday, the "world wide leader" published a report detailing an under cover reporter's observations of LeBron James' adventurous night on the town. According to a New York Daily News article, James and his friends were depicted in the ESPN article to be drinking and hanging around with scantily clad women. James was presented a cake by go-go dancers and his sky high ego was on full display.

It's not shocking that after 15 minutes, ESPN took this article down, saying that the article had not gone through the proper editorial process, but with James and ESPN virtually tied at the hip these days, I suspect there was a little more than a red pen.

The following is taken from the Daily News article:

"Digital media editor Rob King said in a statement Thursday that the author of the article, Arash Markazi, "did not properly identify himself" and "we are not comfortable with the content because of the manner in which it was reported.""

In other words, ESPN wasn't "comfortable" with disparaging their number one ratings producer, shocking.

I don't expect this story would have been taken down if Randy Moss was the perpetrator. Or Ron Artest. Or even Kobe Bryant. After all, none of those guys chose ESPN to do a self-serving one hour TV special on where they would play next.

Quite frankly it's a cover up and it should deeply disturb professionals in the media the world over. ESPN wants to protect their brand, that's fine, but their brand shouldn't be the same as the one they are covering. It's unethical.

Tabloids Pulling for Darrelle

If Darrelle Revis reads the papers he'd be pretty upset if he read this, so would Mike Tannenbaum. Click the link and you will see that no less than 7 defensive backs on THE JETS ROSTER are set to earn more than Darrelle Revis this season, unbelievable.

This is the latest in a series of columns aimed to get the Jets to put up the money for their all-pro cornerback who is demanding to be the highest paid corner in the league, which he should be.

I get the sense in the media that this is less about the actual decision making of Tannenbaum than the longing of beat reporters to see the Jets be good again, after all its been over 40 years.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: Chris Paul and others...

Just a few thoughts as I sit and wait for something to do at work....

1) Don't read too much into Chris Paul's meeting with the Hornets owner yesterday. He may say he wants to be in New Orleans for years to come, but realistically he HAS to say that. The trade market isn't good enough for the Hornets to get much return, and lets face it, the Hornets don't have the goods to create a winner around him, save the draft. Expect Paul to play nice for now. If he proves his knee is healthy, his trade value will skyrocket at the deadline and then again around draft time.

2) Last season the Nets avoided setting the record for the NBA's worst record in a season, but rest assured all of you who root for failure, check out the Timberwolves roster, they in theory could shatter the record. Keep in mind, their oldest player is Luke Ridnour at 29 and there highest paid player is Michael Beasley, yes the pothead Michael Beasley.

3) Despite the fact that the Jets have brought in guys with "bad 'tudes" all off season, that does not mean bring in TO is a good idea.

That's all for now!

Yankee Midseason Report

Below I'll give you some grades and explanations about the working parts of the Yankees so far this season.

Jorge Posada- Grade- C: Jorge got off to a hot start, but really has been plagued by injury ever since. I think he can still hit, and having him as a switch hitter in the lineup is crucial for the Yankees success. That being said, it's time for him to transition into being a full time DH because his days behind the plate at age 38 are numbered. Defensively he's never been great anyway, and with mounting injuries and growing age, it's only going to get worse.

Mark Texeira- Grade- C: I "wasn't worried" about Tex all the way through June, but when he still wasn't hitting, I must say I was perplexed. Still he picked it up in July, leads the team in homers and is on pace to knock in over 100 runs. His defense is the best the league has to offer at first base and if July was any indication, Mark could improve himself to a B+ by the end of the year.

Robinson Cano- Grade A: Sure he had a late slump, but he's still hitting over .330 and given how bad his first halves usually are, there is plenty to be happy about with Robby. He's having his biggest power year and if he hits in the second half the way he has in the past, he may just add an MVP trophy to the World Series ring he got last year. Also of note is how good of a defender this guy has become–should win a gold glove.

Derek Jeter- Grade B: It hasn't been a great year for Jeter, but remember, he's 36 years old now. You'll notice how cautious the writers are being about his lack of production, and that's partly because he's a legend, and partly because I think we all expect him to snap out of it. My guess is that he ends up over .300 like he does every year, no big deal.

Alex Rodriguez- Grade B+: What is it with this guy? He's leading the team in RBI, has a number of big hits, and is till under fire for not having the same HR totals as before. He's had some injury problems that have probably limited the HRs, but he seems to be getting healthier and that could help.

Brett Gardner- Grade A+: Best defensive player on the team, leads the team in steals and OBP, is hitting over .300 and managed 5 homers in the first half. Best part about it? NOBODY KNEW.

Curtis Granderson- Grade C-: I thought about going with the D+ on this one, but he has been injured and still has managed some big hits. His problems against lefties are well documented and he's going to have to start hitting.

Nick Swisher- Grade A-: He's flamboyant, the ladies love him and finally, he can hit. Swisher has revamped his swing and actually is having a consistent year. He can hit out of any spot in the order and basically has. Flexibility in the lineup is something the Yankees have had this year that they didn't have much of last year and Swish and Gardner are the reasons why.

CC Sabathia- Grade A: He started rounding into his second half form a little early this year and went from looking like he was having a down year to being in Cy Young contention pretty quickly. He's a big dude, but he's a GREAT pitcher.

AJ Burnett- Grade C: If C really is average, than he's been a C his whole career. Sometimes he looks like an ace, sometimes he looks like a scrub. Remember those grit it out performances that Clemens used to have? AJ doesn't have those. It's dominance or futility and nothing in between. Still, as long as Dave Eiland has been around AJ has pitched well this year, hopefully he can keep it up the rest of the season, but don't count on it.

Andy Pettitte- Grade A+: At this point all you can be is amused when Andy talks about retirement come the conclusion of EVERY season. He's been the best and most consistent pitcher on the team and clearly the fans have forgiven Andy for his HGH use. Andy COULD win a Cy Young award this year, that would be his first.

Phil Hughes- Grade A-: We may have gotten a little ahead of ourselves when we had Hughes winning the Cy Young award after May, but he really has been good. The big question for the second half is going to be how he holds up since he has not thrown this many innings in any season in his life.

Javier Vazquez- Grade B-: He started off the season as bad as Yankees fans remembered him from the first go around, but after Girardi skipped his spot in the rotation, he's been brilliant. Hats off to Girardi, though Vazquez still worries me in a big spot.

Joba Chamberlain- Grade D: The honeymoon is over and the divorce papers are filed. Inconsistent stuff mixed with an inconsistent head have plagued Joba since his return to the bullpen. I mostly blame the Yankees for this, but Joba is no longer a kid and he has to pitch better. Kind of reminds you of Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn does it not?

Mariano Rivera- Grade A+: He's 40 and he's pitching like it's 1998. In fact he's been pitching like that the whole time. Quite simply he's STILL the best closer in the game and that in fact makes him the best closer ever. Much like George Steinbrenner, Yankees fans will miss what they never knew they had if he ever stops pitching, maybe he will in 10 years, we'll see.

Joe Girardi- Grade A-: He's guided the ship through a number of injuries and the defending World Champs have the best record in baseball. He has to figure out his bullpen still, but that's really been his strength in his first two years as Yankees skipper.

Overall- Grade A-: People may say I should give them an A for having baseball's best record, but in all honesty, the Yankees can play better. The bullpen sans Rivera has been a mess and the offense, though oft-injured has struggled at times. The Yankees starting rotation is the best it has been, maybe ever and the team is strong defensively as well. While Tampa and the Red Sox have had more dominating stretches than the Yankees, its the bombers that have played most consistently, and that's why they're in first.

Thoughts on Mr. Steinbrenner

I never had the chance to meet the Boss and for me to write an obituary on him would be counterproductive, perhaps he himself would even fire me for it. But what I can do is comment on the thoughts of others, trying in some ways to construct the legacy of a man who changed baseball perhaps more than any other.

When reading the memories of those who knew him what strikes me most is quite simply the one thing that always surrounded George Steinbrenner: controversy.

Few have ever had the unique ability to alienate someone, chastise them for failure and run them out of town the way that Mr. Steinbrenner did. But maybe fewer had the ability to come full circle and make things right again.

As much as seven championships defined the Boss on the baseball diamond, so did his relationships with Dave Winfield, Mel Stottlemyre, Yogi Berra, Billy Martin and of course, the Yankee fans. All of these people admittedly despised Mr. Steinbrenner at one time, but by the time each saw their days with him come to an end, they all loved George.

In a day and age where good and evil are so starkly divided in sports, Mr. Steinbrenner had the rare distinction of being both. Compassionate, caring, charitable; ruthless, demeaning and hot-tempered, the Boss fit them all.

Fans and owners of every team loathed the man who once discouraged free agency in baseball, and then wrote the book on how to use it. While he was blasted for using is vast resources to assemble a baseball dynasty, much to the detriment of other small market teams, not a single person would have complained if he had owned their team.

The man who saved the Yankees also saved the lives of so many through scholarships and donations, the construction of schools and baseball diamonds alike. And yet he helped create an economic situation in baseball so divisive that small market cities throughout the country hated him, but he certainly did not hate them.

Mr. Steinbrenner evolved from a rash abrasive owner, so hell bent on winning that he even ran his Yankees into the ground in the 1980s, only to reemerge from suspension smarter, stronger and more meticulous than ever. A man so determined saw that the best way to improve the team was by changing himself, and it worked.

Mother Theresa will be remembered after her passing for all the good she did. Hitler was remembered for the bad. But, George Steinbrenner will be remembered for both and it is because of that, that he may be the most influential man the game has ever seen.

No King, but New York Still in Better Place

Donnie Walsh spent two long seasons steering the New York Knicks in the direction of intended failure waiting for his opportunity to bring LeBron James to New York, thus saving the Knicks, restoring basketball relevance to a city that pined for it. While part B of that plan failed, Walsh has still won.

The idea of having James (who I will no longer refer to as LeBron) had Knicks fans salivating and while some may see Walsh's salary purge and subsequent tenure of losing as a failure, the Knicks now have something they have not had since the 1990s: the ability to operate.

With the ridiculous contracts of Jared Jeffries, Zach Randolph, Cuttino Mobley and Stephon Marbury off the books and Eddy Curry's big gut soon on the move, the Knicks have gained the financial flexibility needed to operate a basketball team, and that goes beyond signing free agents.

Now, the Knicks can make trades that don't require them taking back burdensome contracts and old washed up players. They have useful, youthful pieces that can both help the team win now and be part of a trade for a bigger name down the road. They have an enticing star in Amare Stoudemire, a young shooter with length in Danilo Gallinari, a traditional and useful point guard in Ray Felton and finally, a team ready to compete.

Let me put it this way. I believe that the Knicks will be in the playoffs this coming season. But if they don't they can add pieces. That has never been the case before, and for Knicks fans, that is a reality not seen in a while.

From Cleveland to Greenwich to Orange and Blue

Sources have now confirmed that "Decision 2010" will take place at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, CT, a suburb of NYC. Jared Dudley, of the Suns, has said that sources inside the Knicks have told his own sources that LeBron has informed the Knicks that he will in fact team with Amare Stoudemire come 9pm eastern tomorrow.

Believe what you want, but I have said from day one that New York would end up being the best fit for LeBron and I still believe that to be true.

At some point, King James has to decide what his best chance to win a championship is, what is best for him and his family, and what is best for his brand. The way the dominoes have fallen thus far, the Knicks look like an intriguing landing spot.

Speculation remains that LeBron may team with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade in Miami and take a pay cut to play with the superstar duo, but I find it hard to believe that LeBron is going to share the spotlight with Wade, who is already revered as a hero in Miami. If he wants his legacy to be mentioned in the same discussion as Michael Jordan, he has to be the lead dog on several championship teams. Ask Kobe Bryant about the difference in perception between being the alpha dog versus second fiddle.

If indeed Miami is out of the running, LeBron will have to decide what is the best situation to compete with the two-headed monster forming in Miami. While most believe the Cavaliers are still the front runners, they return virtually the same supporting cast that failed to reach the Eastern Conference finals the last two years. Couple that with the idea that Miami will be much improved, Orlando and Boston appear to be going nowhere and teams like the Nets, Knicks and Bulls (even without LeBron) are improving, the Cavaliers ability to compete at the level may be waning.

Teaming with Amare Stoudemire, the LeBron and the Knicks would instantly have the front two to compete with Miami and with their added cap flexibility once Eddy Curry's contract comes off the books, the Knicks look pretty formidable. Add roll players like Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, plus whatever appeal of NYC that attracts the King, the Garden's atmosphere is much more appealing than ever before.

I will admit my bias as a Knicks fan, however it is possible. The Chicago Bulls, apparently have agreed to terms with Carlos Boozer and presumably in their estimation are still alive in the race for LeBron. However while many may take that as a last ditch effort to lure him, the move could also be an indication that the Bulls don't expect LeBron to head to Chicago. Boozer makes sense for them without adding LeBron as the team has needed a low post scorer for years. This gives them a formidible front court with Joakim Noah to balance with Derek Rose in the back court.

Regardless of what happens, tomorrow night stands be an interesting evening, and I'll be sure to watch.

****

Please let us not discount the idea that James is a bright man, would he really leave Cleveland, bring himself into the New York fire minutes from the Knick practice facility and announce he was signing with Cleveland, Chicago or Miami? That would be a disaster not fit for a King.

Competitive Imbalance: Bringing the DH to the National League

In all honesty one of my favorite parts of interleague play has always been watching American League pitchers take their hacks in National League ballparks. Seeing AL managers cringe as prized commodity's of their ball clubs rip away at 92 mph fastballs, reaching on a bloop single over the shortstops head and watching their over sized legs tread around the base paths like molasses climbing Everest is for lack of a better word, enjoyable. Sad as I'll be to see it go, the time has come.

The Designated Hitter is a rules anomaly, as much responsible for saving the sport as it soon will be for ruining it and as I rack my brain for similar situations to compare it to in other sports, none exist. What if AFC roster sizes were different than the NFC, forcing some players to play offense and defense? Or if a possession arrow was used for jump balls only in Western Conference NBA games? Just proposals of these would bring uproar to their respective sports, which is why I propose baseball change their DH policy.

The DH was enacted in 1973, with the hope of spurring some offense in an era dictated by pitching. The AL tried it as an experiment, and the National League took on the persona of the traditionalist. Thirty-seven years have passed since Ron Bloomberg became the first DH and the decline of the National League has never been more apparent.

From 1973-1980, each league won 4 World Series, the NL won 24 WS games while the AL won 23. From 1981-1989 the AL claimed 6 WS titles, winning 27 games with the NL winning 24. I understand at this point that my argument holds no credence, but it was the past two decades that are worth an examination.

From 1990-1999, the AL won another 6 WS with the National League claiming 3 (no world series in 1994). During this decade the AL had 29 wins compared to the NL's 20. From 2000-2009, the AL won 6 WS with the NL capturing 4. The AL's record in those games- 31-19. Here's how the final stats add up:

WS Won:

AL- 22

NL- 15

Records in WS Games:

AL-110-87

NL-87-110

Each decade since the DH was enacted saw the American League get progressively more dominant. Consider that since 1990, the AL has had 5 WS sweeps, compared to the NL's 1. Since 1973 the AL has had 6 sweeps, compared to the NL's 2. In the last 7 years, the AL has had more sweeps (3) than the NL has had since 1973 (2).

The discrepancy is a bi-product of deeper lineups, better hitters and more seasoned pitchers, but it has been the AL's ability to manipulate the DH that has widened the gap in recent years. Originally used for big bat, little leather stars, the focus has now shifted to using the spot as rest stop for players throughout the season. Team's can keep a player's strong bat in the lineup and give him a "half day off." They can use a player with an injury at DH while he recovers, so long as the injury is only related to his fielding, but the DH also has other advantages.

The AL can accommodate aging stars, no longer fit for the field who still can produce at the plate, but more importantly in the team's revenue. How much would the Marlins want an iconic player like Vladimir Guerrero to DH for them, if for nothing more than to put some fannies in the seats? How long can St. Louis reasonably expect to keep Albert Pujols at first base? Same thing for the Phillies and Ryan Howard. Would the Red Sox have won a championship without the DH rule? After all, the beloved Big Papi would have no position. These kind of players can be revenue boosters well into their late 30's and the National League stands to miss out on all of them and the money they bring, unless they adopt the DH.

It is for the reasons I just mentioned that the NL should add the DH, and while some argue that the AL drop the DH, that isn't a reality. After all it was offense (albeit tainted) that won back the fans following the 1994 strike and it is offense that sells tickets now.

While fun for me, watching pitchers hit has become detrimental to the game, especially given pitchers high priced, longstanding guaranteed contracts and the increased ability of getting injured while batting or running the base paths (Let's remember that Chien Ming Wang may have had his career upended by a foot injury while scoring a run for the Yankees two years ago).

Baseball's traditions are glorious, but let us not use that as an excuse to look past an evolving game. Pitchers need to pitch, hitters need to hit, and let's face it, the rules need to be the same....after all, it is tradition.