Saints Payton Suspended for Year
Sean Payton and Greg Williams
The NFL handed down sweeping and unprecedented punishment Wednesday for bounties paid out on big hits, suspending New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton without pay for next season and indefinitely banning the team’s former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, who now works for the St. Louis Rams.
Payton is the first head coach suspended by the league for any reason. He is accused of trying to cover up a system of extra cash payouts that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called “particularly unusual and egregious” and “totally unacceptable.”
“We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game. We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities,” said Goodell, whose league faces more than 20 concussion-related lawsuits brought by hundreds of former players. “No one is above the game or the rules that govern it.”
Saints coach, GM take hit for bounties
NFL bounties amount to incentive system run amok
According to the league, Payton ignored instructions from the NFL and Saints ownership to make sure bounties weren’t being paid. The league also chastised him for choosing to “falsely deny that the program existed,” and for attempting to “encourage the false denials by instructing assistants to `make sure our ducks are in a row.”‘
CBSSports.com’s Mike Freeman says the NFL’s punishment fits not just the crime but the culprit.
“A variety of league sources say the phasering of the Saints franchise by Goodell is as much about Payton and the Saints as it is about Goodell attempting to change the NFL’s brutal culture, and they’re correct,” Freeman writes. “Payton has long been on the league’s radar, and not in a good way.”
Goodell also banned Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games next season, and assistant coach Joe Vitt for the first six games.
In addition, Goodell fined the Saints $500,000 and took away their second-round draft picks this year and next.
After the NFL first made its investigation public on March 2, Williams admitted to — and apologized for — running the program while in charge of the Saints’ defense from 2009-11. He was hired by the Rams in January.
Goodell will review Williams’ status after the upcoming season and decide whether he can return to the league.
The Saints now must decide who will coach the team while Payton is barred, his suspension is effective April 1, and who will make roster moves while Loomis is out.
After the NFL made clear that punishments were looming, Payton and Loomis took the blame for violations that they acknowledged “happened under our watch” and said Saints owner Tom Benson “had nothing to do” with the bounty pool, which reached as much as $50,000 in 2009, the season the Saints won the Super Bowl.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees reacted quickly to the news on Twitter, writing: “I am speechless. Sean Payton is a great man, coach, and mentor … I need to hear an explanation for this punishment.”
The NFL said the scheme involved 22 to 27 defensive players; targeted opponents included quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. “Knockouts” were worth $1,500 and “cart-offs” $1,000, with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs.
According to the league, Saints defensive captain Jonathan Vilma offered $10,000 to any player who knocked then-Vikings QB Favre out of the 2010 NFC championship game.
Earlier this month, former all-pro defensive tackle Warren Sapp told “CBS This Morning” that he was dismayed at the bounty scandal.
“There’s no reason to go out there and go after (the quarterback). He’s a father, a husband,” Sapp said. “There’s so many other things that go into this other than a football game.” (See interview at left).
All payouts for specific performances in a game, including interceptions or causing fumbles, are against NFL rules. The NFL warns teams against such practices before each season, although in the aftermath of the revelations about the Saints, current and former players from various teams talked about that sort of thing happening frequently — although not on the same scale as the NFL found in New Orleans.
In a memo sent out to the NFL’s 32 teams, Goodell ordered owners to make sure their clubs are not offering bounties now. Each club’s principal owner and head coach must certify in writing by March 30 that no pay-for-performance system exists.
Punishment for any Saints players involved will be determined later, because the league is still reviewing the case with the NFL Players Association.
“While I will not address player conduct at this time, I am profoundly troubled by the fact that players — including leaders among the defensive players — embraced this program so enthusiastically and participated with what appears to have been a deliberate lack of concern for the well-being of their fellow players,” Goodell said.
The discipline for the Saints’ involvement in the bounty scheme is more far-reaching than what Goodell did in 2007, when the NFL came down on the New England Patriots for illegally videotaping an opponent. Goodell fined the Patriots $250,000, stripped a first-round draft pick, and docked their coach, Bill Belichick, $500,000 for what was known as “Spygate.”
As recently as this year, Payton said he was entirely unaware of the bounties — “a claim contradicted by others,” the league said. And according to the investigation, Payton received an email before the Saints’ first game in 2011 that read, “PS Greg Williams put me down for $5000 on Rogers (sic).” When Payton was shown that email by NFL investigators, he acknowledged it referred to a bounty on Rodgers, whose Packers beat the Saints in Week 1.
The league said that in addition to contributing money to the bounty fund, Williams oversaw record-keeping, determined payout amounts and who got cash, and handed out envelopes with money to players. The NFL said Williams acknowledged he intentionally misled NFL investigators when first questioned in 2010, and didn’t try to stop the bounties.
Vitt was aware of the bounties and, according to the league, later admitted he had “fabricated the truth” when interviewed in 2010.
Loomis knew of the bounty allegations at least by February 2010, when he was told by the league to end the practice. But the NFL said he later admitted he didn’t do enough to determine if there were bounties or to try to stop them.
PATERNO, ESPN, AND PENN STATE ARE A HEINOUS TRIO…
A heinous individual...
Joe Paterno’s funeral was today and Penn State and ESPN continued with their selective memory when it comes to the football coach who was at Penn State for over 4 decades. I will say it once again, Joe Paterno is a despicable human being. He put the Penn State brand, as did others, above the lives of young boys who were being raped by former assistant Jerry Sandusky, and Penn State continues to slap these victims in the face by honoring Joe in grand fashion. ESPN covered the event, which again is a slap in the face of all the kids that Joe could have prevented from becoming Sandusky’s future victims after 2002. ESPN analysts also continue to say Joe made a “mistake”. Are you kidding me, someone tells you that he witnessed a grown man anally raping a 10 year old boy and you not going to the police is a “mistake”??? Hitting the delete key when you wanted to hit the enter key is a “mistake”, not reporting child rape to the police to protect the football brand you built at Penn State is the act of gutless coward who valued himself and his football program over the lives of children. Joe has to take responsibility for all of Sandusky’s victims after that 2002 incident when he failed to act. He is just as culpable.
For 46 years, Joe Paterno has embodied everything about Penn State football. He’s been its face, its spirit, and its conscience. Hell, he’s been the de facto moral leader for all of college football. But as the Jerry Sandusky scandal continued to unfold, and horrifying detail after horrifying detail emerged, it’s becoming clear that Paterno was negligent in failing to do much at all about a sexual predator wandering around his campus, and guilty of putting his program and himself above the lives of who knows how many young boys.
Shocked” is a word that has been thrown around a lot since the story broke over the weekend that Sandusky, Penn State’s defensive coordinator from 1977 thru 1999, was arrested for the sexual assault of at least eight young boys dating back as early as 1994. It’s the word that Paterno himself used in a statement released to the press on Sunday, in which he said, “If this is true we were all fooled, along with scores of professionals trained in such things, and we grieve for the victims and their families. They are in our prayers.”
A nice sentiment, Joe, but way too late. Where the hell were those thoughts for the victims over the past decade, when you failed time and time again to protect past and future abuse victims from Sandusky?
Sandusky is a full-fledged predator, and one who was incredibly shrewd about how he selected and intimidated his victims. His “charity” is called Second Mile, a foundation designed to give guidance to young boys from absent or dysfunctional families. You couldn’t possibly think of a more diabolical way for a deviant to have access to children. And even though Paterno and others told people about the reports, they never made sure the that the authorities were made aware of them, and never made any attempts to follow up on them. Instead they wiped their hands of his crimes, knowing full well that Sandusky was still a constant presence in the lives of numerous young and vulnerable boys.
After reading the Grand Jury’s statement — a document that is more disturbing than any horror movie I’ve ever seen — what we know is that Paterno was told by then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary (a former Penn State quarterback and current assistant coach) that McQueary had walked in on Sandusky anally raping a boy of about 10 years old in the shower of the Penn State locker room. After reporting the incident to Paterno, a series of meetings between McQueary, Paterno, athletic director Tim Curley, and vice president Gary Schultz occurred, the ultimate result of which was that Sandusky’s keys to the locker room were taken away, he was barred from bringing young children to campus, and the charity that Sandusky founded was supposedly made aware of the situation.
Read that again. After an eye witness caught him anally raping a child, Sandusky had his keys taken away. Since then, rather than rotting in prison, Sandusky has had nearly unfettered access to the Penn State facilities, maintained an office on campus, and attended practice as a friend of the program. One time in 2007, he even brought a little boy to practice with him. Of course, nothing was done about it.
Much like the Catholic Church abuse scandal, Paterno and Penn State had ample opportunities to expose this monster to the world and save God knows how many more boys from unspeakable horrors. But instead, they chose to sweep it under the rug, seemingly to save the program the embarrassment. What other reason could there have been to not report such a despicable series of crimes to the authorities? If they had done so when they first knew — whether that was in 1998 when Sandusky was first investigated, or in 2002 when McQueary caught him in the act — then it would have been a terrible story for a short time, but ultimately the program would have been respected for doing the right thing.
The mentality of covering up something like this is too absurd for me to wrap my mind around it. It almost seems like a Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme. No matter how ridiculous the original reasoning behind it may have been, the longer it went on the worse it got, and eventually they were in too deep. But did they really think that it would never come out? How can anyone be that stupid, that callous, or that negligent?
There are absolutely no redeeming characters in this tragedy, and no sympathetic figures aside from the victims. Curley and Schultz are facing perjury charges for lying to the grand jury about McQueary’s report. McQueary himself not only failed to stop a 10-year old boy from being raped, but continued to work there after Sandusky had no ramifications brought upon him. (And seriously, how is that not a bigger deal in all this? How is McQueary not being utterly vilified for witnessing that and just walking away and letting it continue to happen?)
I also want to take this opportunity to state that Franco Harris and all those former players that are more worried about the Penn State football program than the victims are also in this group. I wonder how they would feel if it was their son who was anally raped and found out Joe Paterno could have prevented it. All those that speak out on Joe’s behalf show how ignorant and selfish they are every time they open their mouths.
Which gets me to people like ESPN’s Colin Cowherd is also a compltete idiot? He actually staed that Joe was in his 70′s and didn’t know how to handle the situation. I have uncles in their 80′s and they know if someone tells them they saw a 10 year old boy being anally raped that the ONLY right decision is to go to the police.
If Penn State wants to do the right thing they need to take down his statue outside the football stadium, and start stating the facts. Joe Paterno covered up anal rape of a 10 year old boy, and allowed countless future victims by his inaction??? Sounds like a man of integrity and honor, and remember, what if it was your kid…..
SANDUSKY, PATERNO, PENN STATE DESPICABLE
Sandusky and Paterno from 1999, Joe knew here there were problems...
The situation at Penn State is despicable, AND IT’S GOING TO GET WORSE. I have been waiting on writing about this to see what other information would come out, but I feel there is more than enough out there to draw your own conclusion. Sandusky is a monster who should spend the rest of his life in jail, but those that enabled him since 1998 are just as culpable. ”The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing”, Edmund Burke. This quote was never more applicable than in this situation. Let’s look at the timeline,
(CNN) — 1977 — Penn State football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky founds the Second Mile, a charity to help troubled youths.
1994-97 — According to the grand jury report, Sandusky allegedly engages in inappropriate conduct with three different boys he met separately through the Second Mile program. One boy was 7 or 8, another was 10, and the third was 12 or 13 at the time. According to the grand jury report, the now-adult men said Sandusky engaged in inappropriate conduct ranging from touching to outright sexual encounters, including several incidents during the nights before Penn State football home games, when the team, staff and boys Sandusky had allegedly invited were staying at a hotel.
1998 — Penn State police and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare investigate an incident in which the mother of an 11-year-old boy reported that Sandusky had showered with her son and may have had inappropriate conduct with him. In a June 1, 1998, interview with investigators from both agencies, Sandusky admits showering naked with the boy, admitting that it was wrong and promising not to do it again, according to the grand jury report. The district attorney advises investigators that no charges will be filed and the university police chief instructs that the case be closed, according to the testimony included in the grand jury report from the police detective who investigated the incident.
This is where the cover up began. The Uneversity generated a 30 page report on Sandusky, and if anyone believes Joe Paterno didn’t know about a 30 page report on his star defensive coordinator then you have your head in the sand. Joe Paterno ran Penn State, and he certainly would know if his right hand man was being investigated.
1999 – Sandusky retires from Penn State after coaching there for 32 years but stays on as a volunteer and retains full access to the campus and football facilities.
2000 – Sandusky allegedly showers with a young boy and tries to touch his genitals during overnight stays at the coach’s house, according to the now 24-year-old man’s testimony included in the grand jury report.
2000 — Tim Calhoun, a janitor at the Lasch Football Building on the Penn State campus, tells his supervisor and another janitor that he saw Sandusky performing oral sex on a young boy, according to the grand jury report. A second janitor reports that he saw Sandusky and a boy leave a shower room and walk out of the building hand in hand. No one reports the alleged incidents to university officials or law enforcement, according to the grand jury report.
Why wasn’t there a call to the police? Again three adults who were aware of the abuse and were too cowardly to come forward. I don’t understand the confusion here, if you see an adult engaging in a sex act with a minor is there really a decision to be made.
March 2, 2002 – According to the grand jury report, a graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, allegedly tells Head Coach Joe Paterno that he saw Sandusky in the locker room shower the night before, performing anal sex on a young boy he estimated to be 10 years old.
March 3, 2002 — Paterno reports the incident to Athletic Director Tim Curley, saying the graduate assistant had seen Sandusky “fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy,” according to the grand jury. Later, the assistant is summoned to a meeting with Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz..
While the assistant later insisted to the grand jury that he told Curley and Schultz that he saw Sandusky and the boy engaged in anal sex, Curley and Schultz told the grand jury they had not been told of such an allegation. Instead, Curley said he had the impression the conduct amounted to nonsexual “horsing around.” Schultz said he couldn’t remember details but seemed to recall that “Sandusky might have inappropriately grabbed the young boy’s genitals while wrestling,” according to the grand jury. Sandusky’s locker-room keys are confiscated, he is told not to bring his Second Mile participants to campus, and the incident is reported to the charity, but no law enforcement investigation is launched, according to the grand jury.
So in other words Sandusky was told he could continue to abuse kids, just not on Penn State’s campus. Curley and Schultz join the cover up, and I hope they both go to jail for perjury. These are our educators, and this is how they behave. At every turn there was no one there to protect these kids. Joe Paterno never followed up, never lifted a finger. What happened to doing the right thing Joe? I guess it was do the right thing as long as it doesn’t tarnish the great Joe Paterno and Penn State’s legacy.
2002 — The Second Mile learns of the alleged shower incident. Curley tells the charity that “the information had been internally reviewed and that there was no finding of wrongdoing,” the group said in a statement Monday.
Curley didn’t view anal rape of a child as “wrongdoing”. This as a so bizarre, you couldn’t make this stuff up. Again an adult failed to protect a child.
2005 or 2006 – Sandusky allegedly befriends another Second Mile participant, whose allegations would form the foundation of the multiyear grand jury investigation.
2006 or 2007 – A wrestling coach at the high school where Sandusky is volunteering allegedly surprises Sandusky and a boy “lying on their sides, in physical contact, face to face on a mat” in a cramped weight room. Sandusky jumps to his feet and tells the coach the two were just working on wrestling moves, the coach later recalls in grand jury testimony. As time goes on, Sandusky allegedly begins to spend more time with the boy, taking him to sporting events and giving him gifts, including golf clubs, a computer, cash and clothes. During this period, according to the grand jury report, Sandusky allegedly performs oral sex on the boy more than 20 times, and the boy performs oral sex on him once.
2008 – The boy breaks off contact with Sandusky. Later, his mother calls the high school to report her son had been sexually assaulted, and the principal bars Sandusky from campus and reports the incident to police. In grand jury testimony, the principal, Steven Turchetta, recalls Sandusky’s behavior as suspicious and says Sandusky was often “clingy” and “needy” when a student no longer wanted to spend time with him. The ensuing investigation reveals 118 calls from Sandusky’s home and cell phone numbers to the boy’s home.
November 2008 — Sandusky informs the Second Mile that he is under investigation, and he is removed from all program activities involving children, according to the group.
September 2010 — Sandusky retires from the Second Mile, according to the grand jury.
November 4, 2011 — The grand jury report is released.
November 5 — Authorities arrest Sandusky on seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and numerous other charges, including aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of a child. He is freed on $100,000 unsecured bail. Curley, 57, and Schultz, 62, are each charged with one count of felony perjury and one count of failure to report abuse allegations.
November 6 – Curley asks for and is granted administrative leave to deal with the charges, while Schultz steps down from his post to retire.
November 7 — Penn State students rally outside Paterno’s home.
November 9 — Paterno issues a statement saying he will retire at the end of the 2011 football season, adding, “I wish I had done more.” The U.S. Department of Education says it will launch an investigation into whether Penn State failed to comply with an act requiring colleges and universities to disclose the number of reported criminal incidents on campus each year. University trustees announce that night that Paterno and University President Graham Spanier have been removed, effective immediately. Angry students riot in State College, Pennsylvania.
November 10 – Sandusky’s attorney, Joseph Amendola, tells CNN his client disputes the grand jury report and is “destroyed” over what happened to Paterno. Penn State says Mike McQueary, the graduate assistant who saw the alleged 2002 incident involving Sandusky and a young boy, will not be at Saturday’s football game because of “multiple threats.”
November 11 — Penn State officials say they will create a special panel to investigate the allegations. The university announces McQueary has been placed on “indefinite” leave. Students hold a candlelight vigil to honor the alleged victims.
Authorities in San Antonio say they are investigating the possibility that Sandusky might have committed sex crimes there in 1999 when Penn State played in the Alamo Bowl, CNN affiliates report. Victim 4 in the Pennsylvania grand jury report had been listed as a member of Sandusky’s family party for the bowl game.
November 12 – Fans hold a moment of silence before Penn State’s football team plays Nebraska. The Nittany Lions lose, 17-13.
November 13 – Pennsylvania needs to change its law in the wake of the scandal over alleged child sexual abuse by a then-member of Penn State’s football coaching team, Gov. Tom Corbett says on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
November 14 — Questions arise regarding Judge Leslie Dutchot, who released Sandusky on $100,000 bail. The judge’s former law firm listed her as a volunteer for The Second Mile. The Second Mile’s CEO, Jack Raykovitz, resigns.
November 14 — In an interview with NBC’s Bob Costas, Sandusky maintains he is innocent and denies he is a pedophile. Sandusky admits he has “horsed around” and “done some of the things” in the grand jury report, but says the only thing he did wrong was having “showered with kids.” Amendola calls Sandusky “a big, overgrown kid.”
This was a very disturbing interview. Sandusky comes across as creepy, and I honestly think he does not believe he has done anything wrong. As I said earlier, he is a monster.
November 16 – The Morning Call newspaper of Allentown, Pennsylvania, reports that McQueary wrote in an e-mail to a former classmate that he helped stop the 2002 assault and talked with police about it. “I did stop it, not physically, but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room,” McQueary wrote.
As I wrote when I started this piece, despicable, all the way around. I don’t want to hear any more excuses for Joe Paterno. Here is a man who preached his whole career about integrity and honesty, and when his beliefs were put to the test, it was all lip service. Joe Paterno is sorry excuse for a man. That statue of him needs to removed form the campus. He stands for nothing now, and I never thought I would be writing this about him.
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TEBOW AWFUL, AS IS FLACCO…
Tebow and that awful throwing motion...
Tim Tebow showed everyone why he isn’t an NFL quarterback on Sunday in Miami. He had minus 3 yards passing thru the first 3 quarters plus, if you subtract the yardage lost from the seven sacks he took. He threw the football everywhere but to his receivers for the first 55 minutes of the game. His throwing mechanics remain terrible, as they have always been. It is an embarrassment to the league that he garners so much attention, when he has done nothing. He won one National Championship in college when he was the starting quartterback, ONE!!! Lots of quarterbacks have done that. Matt Leinhart won two!!! He is a creation of the media, that is all he is. He was a good college player on a great team. Percy Harvin was the best offensive player on the National Championship team. The Dolphins lost the game, Tebow and the Broncos didn’t win it. The white Christian media should be writing about Cam Newton and the amazing rookie season he is having. See my prior posts, as this was something I predicted, about Newton and Tebow. Chris Carter said it best, we shouldn’t have to adjust our criticism of the quarterback position because the name of the quarterback is Tebow. He is a backup quarterback at best, and I’m being generous.
Joe Flacco is a completely different story, as he is a 4th year starter and taken his team to the playoffs in each of his first 3 seasons. he is not showing the progress you would expect from a 4 year starter. He is only completing 52% of his passes, and has 8 TD’s, with 5 INT’s. He was terrible Monday night against the Jaguars, as his team only scored 7 points. He was also missing receivers all over the field. Colin Cowherd stated on his show that after speaking with some opposing defensive players that Flacco struggles if you take away his first and second options. That tells me he isn’t as prepared as he should be, or there is a lack of coaching. The Ravens have the best defense in the NFL, a good running game, but Flacco is holding this team back. He must play better.
While I’m on the topic of the NFL, did I hear right this weekend that the Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman were mad at Ndamukong Suh for being mean to their quarterback??? Are you kidding me??? Their own lineman stepped on Matt Ryan’s ankle and Suh and a fellow defensive lineman said get the stretcher. So what??? This is the NFL, stop acting like little girls Atlanta, and Ndamukong Suh, you keep right on playing the way you are!!!
RED SOX, BRAVES, PHILLIES, AND YANKS ALL DONE…
Carl Crawford signing didn't work out as planned...
Well I’m back and better than ever. Where to begin…Let’s start with a recap of where we are in the baseball season and my end of season awards. All baseball conversation regarding the 2011 season will be centered around the collapse of the Boston Red Sox, as well as that of the Atlanta Braves. In Boston this Red Sox team was heralded as being better than the 1998 Yankees…Are you kidding me??? I know this Red Sox team had injuries, but the 1998 Yankees went 125-50. That is not a misprint, 125 wins and 50 losses. Not only was this not the 1998 Yankees they weren’t even a playoff team. How do you blow a 9 game lead in September, the biggest collapse in baseball history. So much for Adrian Gonzalez as MVP, his next big hit will be his first. Then he made up excuses as to why they lost. They were tired and had a lot of injuries. As if no other teams were tired or had injuries after a 162 game season. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett were terrible down the stretch, and on the last day of the season Jonathan Papelbon choked away a shot at a one game playoff. I guess he isn’t Mariano after all…The Braves were no better squandering an 8 1/2 game lead to the Cardinals. The Braves rookie closer, and probable Rookie of the Year, Craig Kimbrel couldn’t get the job done in the last game either. Hats off to the Rays and Cardinals for never giving up and playing some great baseball.
The playoffs got off to a great start, if you are not a fan of the Yankees or the Phillies. The Yankees lost in 5 games to the Tigers because A-Rod, Teixeira, and Swisher couldn’t hit when it mattered. Teixeira has been terrible at the plate in the playoffs since the Yankees got him. He needs to start producing in the big games. I don’t know why he gets a pass, but he is not getting one from me. The Phillies had the same problem as the Yankees in that they couldn’t hit, and lost to the Cardinals in 5 games. Chris Carpenter outdueled Roy Halladay 1-0 in a fantastic finish to the series. The Rangers now meet the Tigers, and the Cardinals will square off against the Brewers. It should be fun…
As far as the end of the year awards go, the American League MVP should be Curtis Granderson, with the Cy Young going to Justin Verlander, and the Rookie of the Year to Ivan Nova. The NL MVP should be Ryan Braun, with the Cy Young going to Clayton Kershaw, and the Rookie of the Year going to Craig Kimbrel. Well that’s all I got for now…I’ll be back soon…
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DEREK JETER NOT WASHED UP, WHO NEW…
Jeter's not done yet...
I’ve been quietly waiting for all the sports writers and ESPN analysts to issue their apologies and admit they were wrong about his decline, both in the field and at the plate, but the so called experts appear to be a little slow on the uptake. As of August 25th he was hitting .353, with a .405 on base percentage, and a .468 slugging percentage since coming off the DL on July 4th. Jeter used his time on the DL to work with instructor Gary Denbo down in Tampa. As Jeter’s first pro manager back in 1993, Denbo has nearly 20 years of experience working with Jeter, and he knows the 12-time All-Star’s swing as well, if not better, than anyone in the Yankees organization. Before going on the disabled list, Jeter was hitting .260, with a .324 on-base percentage and a .324 slugging percentage. He had only 12 extra-base hits and 23 RBIs through 62 games. Denbo and Jeter worked on staying back on the ball as a potential solution to his struggles. “You do a lot of tee work, break things down. It’s more of a feel thing,” Jeter said. “Most guys struggle, regardless of who it is, because you’re not staying back. It sounds easy: ‘Why don’t you just stay back?’ It’s not that easy. You try, but you don’t.” Derek was hitting .260, with a .324 on base and slugging percentage. With his current hot streak he has raised his average to .296. Not bad for a guy everyone had washed up.
Jeter has also been as steady as ever in the field. He has only 8 errors in 345 chances. We saw what the Yankees options were when he was on the DL and you see why Derek is still a top shortstop. Last year he was even better as he only made 6 errors all year. SIX!!! That is incredible, 6 errors in 553 chances!!! I’ll take that every time. Again we had to hear about this mythical range factor. I don’t need some made up number to tell me who is playing a good shortstop and who isn’t. Those numbers are for those that don’t have the baseball acumen to assess talent!!!
So to the Bob Ryan’s of the world, and all the other sports writers I will patiently wait for your articles to admit you were wrong, but I won’t hold my breath. This is a heck of a way for the greatest shortstop since Honus Wagner to be treated, and if you don’t believe me look up the stats or search my site for prior articles on him. He was even attacked by his hometown media. He is the example we should hold up on how to carry yourself both on and off the field, and the media can’t wait to tear him down. It will be a long time before we see another player like him come along, so we should appreciate his talents as he nears the end of his career, and not be so quick to write him off, hasn’t he at least earned that!!! But what do I know…
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JETER ENTITLED TO TAKE ALL STAR GAME OFF…
Jeter crosses home plate after hit #3,000...
Derek Jeter took the baseball world by storm over the weekend, his 3,000th hit representing the highlight of the first half, but when baseball’s best gathered for the All-Star Game, the Yankees‘ captain was nowhere to be found. And not everyone was happy about it.
“Derek Jeter has done everything right during his whole career,” a major-league official said. ”He was wrong on this one.” Really, this is a guy who has done everything right throughout his 16 year career and he doesn’t get to decide if he’s ready to play in an All Star game? His responsibility is to the NY Yankees. He is coming off a calf injury, and if he feels he needs the time off, then he has earned the right to take it. He The official said MLB was hoping Jeter would fly out Tuesday, appear on the field during player introductions, tip his cap and then return to New York. “This could have been a celebration of his 3,000th hit,” the official said. “He didn’t have to play.”
Several players – including a former teammate of Jeter’s – disagreed with the Yankee captain’s decision to skip the Midsummer Classic. “I don’t think it’s my place to speak for others,” said Lance Berkman, Jeter’s teammate last season. “But for me, personally, if you get selected to be here you have an obligation. You gotta be here. If you can go, you gotta go.” Added Carlos Beltran: “I do believe, as a ballplayer, if you have no injuries, you should be here. The fans are the ones that vote for you and want to see you here.” Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran open their mouths to criticize Jeter??? Are you kidding me??? These two have no right to question him, about anything. Beltran is considered as soft as they come, and Berkman certainly hasn’t done anything to suddenly become the voice for MLB on who should and shouldn’t be there. They both need to shut their mouths, and worry about themselves. According to a major-league source, not even Joe Torre could talk Jeter into showing up to the All-Star Game, as the Captain opted to take three days to himself after his emotional week.
Michael Weiner, the executive director of the Players’ Association, was shocked to hear Jeter’s loyalty to the game being questioned. “I don’t think anybody can seriously question Derek Jeter’s commitment to promoting the game and being an ambassador for the game,” Weiner said. “He’s been as good an ambassador for the game as anybody for the past 16 years. I don’t think that’s a fair criticism.” Unlike fellow All-Stars such as Jose Reyes, who is on the disabled list, and Alex Rodriguez, who had knee surgery Monday, Jeter played the entire week leading up to the break, his calf seemingly presenting no problem. Phillies chairman Bill Giles, the honorary president of the NL, said, “I think it’s too bad that Jeter in particular is not here, because of what he accomplished over the weekend. I think it is a bit of a problem and baseball should study it.” Study what??? What a class guy and model player and citizen he’s been throughout his career??? I guess Mr. Giles is still upset over the 2009 World Series. Youy lost, get over it!!!
Russell Martin said he understood why his teammate bailed on the All-Star Game, having watched Jeter go through an intense week after coming back from his calf strain. “He’s just coming off the DL, he played a bunch of games in a row,” Martin said. “I’m sure the fans wanted to see him here, he just got his 3,000th hit – and the way he did it was incredible – but he’s got to take care of himself, and make sure that he’s healthy. You have to respect that.”
Jeter can’t win with the media these days. He’s constantly being told how bad he is, yet in the next breath the media is celebrating his great career. Jeter is not the player he was 5 years ago, but he is still a very good major league player, and will go down as the BEST SHORTSTOP SINCE HONUS WAGNER!!! He should be treated with a lot more respect than he is by both the media and baseball fans. I will say it once again, he is the best shortstop since 1917!!!
ALL STAR TEAMS ANNOUNCED, AND WHO GOT SNUBBED
C.C. at 11-4, not an All Star???
Every year, after the MLB All-Star Game rosters are announced, fans and baseball writers across the nation lament the players who were left off, the “snubs.” It’s easy to throw names out of players who seem to be All Star-worthy, but didn’t make this year’s Midsummer Classic in Phoenix. You have to hand it to the Major League Baseball fans. For the most part they got it right with the All-Star voting. The fan voting has actually gotten better the last couple of years. I guess you have to credit the Internet for that. Players stats are so readily available these days, fans stay away from just voting for their hometown players. That’s not to say there aren’t any mistakes, but they seem to have done a good job this year. Sure Derek Jeter probably does not deserve to be on the American League team, but really, are you going to nitpick about him, MLB’s poster child since the day he became a regular player 15 years ago? He’s an icon and should he get hit No. 3,000 before next Tuesday’s Mid-Summer Classic it will be a terrific celebration for him in Arizona. He will also go down as the 2nd greatest shortstop ever, only behind Honus Wagner. There were however a few major oversights.
The full rosters can be found here.
American League| Pos | Player | ||||||
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| C | Alex Avila, DET | ||||||
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| 1B | Adrian Gonzalez, BOS | ||||||
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| 2B | Robinson Cano, NYY | ||||||
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| 3B | Alex Rodriguez, NYY | ||||||
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| SS | Derek Jeter, NYY | ||||||
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| OF | Jose Bautista, TOR | ||||||
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| OF | Curtis Granderson, NYY | ||||||
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| OF | Josh Hamilton, TEX | ||||||
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| DH | David Ortiz, BOS | ||||||
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| C | Russell Martin, NYY | ||||||
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| C | Matt Wieters, BAL | ||||||
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| 1B | Miguel Cabrera, DET | ||||||
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| 2B | Howard Kendrick, LAA | ||||||
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| 3B | Adrian Beltre, TEX | ||||||
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| SS | Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE | ||||||
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| OF | Michael Cuddyer, MIN | ||||||
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| OF | Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS | ||||||
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| OF | Matt Joyce, TB | ||||||
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| OF | Carlos Quentin, CWS | ||||||
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| DH | Michael Young, TEX | ||||||
National League| Pos | Player | ||||||
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| C | Brian McCann, ATL | ||||||
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| 1B | Prince Fielder, MIL | ||||||
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| 2B | Rickie Weeks, MIL | ||||||
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| 3B | Placido Polanco, PHI | ||||||
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| SS | Jose Reyes, NYM | ||||||
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| OF | Ryan Braun, MIL | ||||||
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| OF | Lance Berkman, STL | ||||||
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| OF | Matt Kemp, LAD | ||||||
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| C | Yadier Molina, STL | ||||||
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| 1B | Gaby Sanchez, FLA | ||||||
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| 1B | Joey Votto, CIN | ||||||
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| 2B | Brandon Phillips, CIN | ||||||
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| 3B | Chipper Jones, ATL | ||||||
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| SS | Starlin Castro, CHC | ||||||
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| SS | Troy Tulowitzki, COL | ||||||
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| OF | Carlos Beltran, NYM | ||||||
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| OF | Jay Bruce, CIN | ||||||
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| OF | Matt Holliday, STL | ||||||
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| OF | Hunter Pence, HOU | ||||||
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| OF | Justin Upton, ARI | ||||||
The big issues here is C.C. Sabathia, who is tied for the ML lead in wins with 11, and has a 3.05 ERA. I know he pitches Sunday and would have to be replaced on the team, but he still deserved to be named to the team, and then would have been replaced by someone who would have been able to pitch. The other oversight was Paul Konerko. He is 4th in OPS, with a .319 average, 21 home runs and 62 RBI’s. How is he not on the team, yet Russell Martin, who is hitting .222, makes it as a third catcher??? These picks leave you scratching your head. I thought all in all the NL picks were good, so really not a lot to complain about as in years past. We’ll have planty more baseball to talk about as the second half heats up…