Author Danny Vinik

LeBron Should Not Have Been Fined

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NBA Commissioner David Stern fined LeBron James 25 thousand dollars after he refused to talk to the media after losing game six and the series to the Orlando Magic. James certainly made a mistake in blowing off the media, but he does not deserve to be punished. The Cavs were expected to reach the NBA Finals easily and losing the series to Orlando must have stunk immensely, specifically for LeBron who’s individual skill level is one of the greatest of all-time, but has yet to reach the Finals.

I can understand that LeBron would not want to talk after the game. I think anyone who has ever played sports can understand that. As a fan, you want to see the players rise above their anger and embarrassment at defeat and show their character by speaking with class, but you can’t expect that.

LeBron made a mistake, but not one worth 25k. I certainly wouldn’t want to face the media after a loss like that, but I’m not LeBron James. With such high expectations for the Cavs, LeBron would have been sliced up by a media eager to criticizetheir stars. I understand why he didn’t talk afterwards. David Stern has no right to dictate whether players speak to the media after the game. LeBron hurts his own image by not speaking. He doesn’t tarnish the game. Stern, butt out. Continue reading “LeBron Should Not Have Been Fined” →

Praying for Papi

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Now, I’m a Red Sox fan so of course I’m rooting for David Ortiz to come around at the plate, but I keep asking myself, who doesn’t want Ortiz to find an end to his struggles?

Yankee fans? Probably as well as the rest of the teams’ fans in the AL East, but watching the lovable giant groan and pout after each at bat is grueling to watch. Listening to his sad comments after the game makes it even more painful. After the worst game of his career where Papi went 0-for-7 with 12 men left on base, he commented to reporters “Sorry guys, I don’t feel like talking today. Just put down, ‘Papi Stinks’ “.

Who doesn’t hear that quotation and just feel bad for the guy? If you’re a reporter dying to get a remark from Ortiz, you hear that and you walk away. Who is going to annoy Papi when he is just depressed? Anger is one thing, but once that anger turns into just sadness, human sympathy takes over.

The smile of David Ortiz is one of the most recognizable things in sports. He’s the happy, smiling, always-there-for-you big man who eats opposing pitchers alive. Well the latter part of that statement is already gone, but amazingly enough, that smile has endured.

Ortiz has remained engaged. He still views video of himself between at-bats in the clubhouse. He hugged Manny Delcarmen after his two scoreless innings, and after Mike Lowell crunched a double, his third hit of the day, off the Wall in the eighth inning, Ortiz was the first Red Sox player to greet him in the dugout (Boston.com – Extra Bases Red Sox Blog)

His personality is amazing that even in the worst of times, he is still the biggest cheerleader on the team. Just look at the reaction when Papifinally hit his first home run of the year. The dugout erupted. The fans erupted. He was mobbed by teammates and hugged by everyone who could get to him. This team loves and needs Big Papi. Continue reading “Praying for Papi” →

The AL East is Too Good

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Go check out the AL East division and look at who is leading it.

Tampa? Nope
Boston? Nope
New York? Nope

It’s the Toronto Blue Jays. They are 27-19, even though they have lost five in a row. They are a half game ahead of both the Yankees and Red Soxwho are both 25-18. Meanwhile, the Rays are 22-23 and sit 3.5 games back. Sound like a stacked division? It is.

Let’s look a little deeper into the AL East’s dominance:

The Blue Jays, Rays, and Yankees are 1, 2, and 3 respectively in runs scored while the Red Sox are 8th amongst all of Major League Baseball. All four teams are in the top 6 in team OPS in baseball. Without a doubt, these are four of the top offenses in baseball and they are all in the same division, facing each other day in and day out. Continue reading “The AL East is Too Good” →