Fantasy Baseball: Don’t neglect gems you’ve already got (sleepers who are keepers)

Tuesday February 24, 2009 11:12 AM By Max J. Dickstein

Jay Bruce (Getty Images)

By Kyle Stack

Special to amNewYork

As February turns into March, most keeper-league fantasy baseball owners are facing deadlines for their lists of retained players. It's not necessarily an easy process, but owners can often overthink their choices.

There are plenty of fringe players to keep your mind racing back and forth between keeping or purging. Here are five under-the-radar sleeper picks who could be much more popular this time next year.

Chris Davis, Texas Rangers (1B/3B)

Age: 22 (Turns 23 on March 17)

Meet the majors’ next 40-home run hitter.

Davis swatted 17 homers and 23 doubles in just 295 at-bats last season, and he posted a fantastic 14.1 HR/AB ratio in over 1,000 minor league at-bats. His combined career 29.8 strikeout percentage in the minors and majors is nearly Ryan Howard-like, but his combined .285 batting average has proven he can overcome that weakness.

Throw in third-base eligibility and ample playing time in a homer-friendly park, and you have a fantastic power bat waiting to be kept.

Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds (OF)

Age: 21 (Turns 22 on April 3)

Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks — another much-hyped young outfielder — has received more adoration in many fantasy baseball circles, but Bruce will outproduce him this season.

His 21 homers in 413 at-bats last season were more than Upton has hit in any professional season, and Bruce can push that total to more than 30 in a full year. He is Cincy’s uncontested right fielder, so all that’s left for Bruce to show is that he can be as much an offensive force on the road (.636 on-base plus slugging percentage in ’08) as at home (.892).

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (SP)

Age: 25 (Turns 26 on Oct. 21)

I don’t typically advocate using keeper selections on pitchers (injuries have greater effects on their performance, making their statistics more unpredictable), but Greinke is an exception.

Most casual MLB fans haven’t heard of him for one glaring reason: he’s a Royal. Nevertheless, Greinke is poised to become an elite starter. He’s a growing strikeout monster (9.1 K/9 rate post-All Star last season) who peeled 2.33 runs off his ERA and 0.28 off his WHIP from 2005-08. He’s on the verge of combining 200 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP this year.

Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox (2B/SS)

Age: 27 (Turns 28 on Sept. 22)

Ramirez is at the age when most players reach their power ceiling, so he lacks the statistical upside of others on this list. The rewarding aspect of owning Ramirez, though, is that he is eligible at the two middle infield positions, both of which lack significant depth. It’s usually more sensible to retain your best players, regardless of positional scarcity, but Ramirez is a 20 homer/15 steal player who will hit for a respectable average.

He batted .290 last year, and his .294 bases on balls in play average suggests a tad more luck could lead to a .300-plus mark.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox (OF)

Age: 25 (Turns 26 on Sept. 11)

Outfielders are sometimes viewed as a dime a dozen, especially if they aren’t locks for 25-plus homers. Ellsbury won’t go deep 20 times, but the center fielder will give owners loads of his best fantasy-related asset: steals.

What separates Ellsbury, a good bet for 50-plus stolen bases, from other speedsters like Juan Pierre or Willy Taveras is that he isn’t one-dimensional. Ellsbury hit with enough pop last year (22 doubles, .729 OPS) to make him somewhat of a poor man’s Jose Reyes.

And as Boston’s leadoff hitter, Ellsbury should easily surpass 100 runs scored with Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and crew hitting behind him.Five more fantasy prospects to appreciate:

• David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays. Strong-armed phenom seems primed for No. 5 starter role.

• Jose Lopez, 2B, Seattle Mariners. 20 homers/80 RBIs are plausible at a depleted position.

• Stephen Drew, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks. Quickly approaching second tier at his position.

• Lastings Milledge, OF, Washington Nationals. Has 25 homer/35 steal potential in improving offense.

• Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles. Rookie’s likely May call-up will be worth the wait.

Rangers in talks with Tortorella

Monday February 23, 2009 9:24 AM By Pete Catapano

By Pete Catapano

Now that the sliding Rangers have fired coach Tom Renney, the team is apparently in talks with former Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella, according to several sources, including Newsday's Steve Zipay

From Zipay's post:

"The Boston-born Tortorella was fired by Tampa in June. The Lightning were 239-222-36-38 and made the playoffs four times in 6½ seasons on his watch."

Rangers coach Tom Renney fired

Monday February 23, 2009 8:47 AM By Scott A. Rosenberg

By Scott A. Rosenberg

It was only a matter of time.

Unfortunately for the now former Rangers coach Tom Renney, the Rangers players seem to have had given up on him, and spiraled into a rut, winning only twice in their last 10 games. And that includes the embarrassing 10-2 loss to Dallas on Feb. 6.

In his five seasons behind the bench, Renny has guided the team to three post-season appearances, though the team has consistently ended up in third place in the Atlantic Division. And the team got off to a great start this season with the team winning its first five games.It’s hard to completely blame Renney for the team’s woes.

This season, he faced losing three of his best players - Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka and Brendan Shanahan - and general manager Glen Sather failed to aptly replenish the offense. Markus Naslund, one of the off-season acquisitions and the team’s leading goal scorer, with 18, isn’t even one of the top 50 goal scorers this season. They also don’t have a top 50 point scorer.

The Rangers have yet to announce a replacement for coach, though it was Sather that Renney replaced, and the GM could potentially return to that role for the remainder of the season.

Despite the team’s currently losing ways – it lost to Toronto in overtime last night – the Rangers are still in third place and the team’s 69 points is enough for the No. 6 seed for the playoffs. So it’s not too late to turn this season around and make a surge.

But if the team fails to find someone to put some pucks in the net, it won’t matter who is coaching the team.

Column: Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh make Knicks trimmer and better

Thursday February 19, 2009 2:22 PM By Max J. Dickstein

(Getty Images)

By Max J. Dickstein

The San Antonio Spurs, perennial title contenders, learned Tuesday that this season’s lean, invigorated Knicks are capable of toppling foes who overmatch them in talent but not in zest.

Desperate to end a six-game skid, Nate Robinson, the explosive guard whom team president Donnie Walsh blessedly kept past the trade deadline Thursday, carved out 32 points, and the kinetic Knicks beat the steady Spurs in overtime, 112-107.

Isiah Thomas is history, and under Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni (like amNew­York, the Knicks are owned by Cablevision), a sense of excited urgency has set in.

Fit enough for the fast pace of D’Antoni, the Knicks average 105.2 points, No. 4 in the NBA. Gone are the walk-up, half-court doldrums of Thomas’ Knicks, who nevertheless benefited occasionally from fine evaluation of draft talent from 2003-08.

Walsh seems to recognize that young talents such as Robinson and forwards David Lee (a league-leading 42 double-doubles) and Wilson Chandler are worth keeping. Meanwhile, he continues to undo Thomas’ mistakes by trading away valueless, long-term loafers. Budding stars join hungry vets anxious at the ends of their deals; this could be a playoff team already, with salary cap space ahead.Knicks swing two deadline deals

Two swaps before the NBA trade deadline Thursday upgraded the Knicks’ talent level without roiling the team’s bright salary cap picture.

Knicks get Hughes ...

Chicago sent 30-year-old Larry Hughes to the Knicks for forwards Tim Thomas and Jerome James and guard Anthony Roberson. All four players have deals that expire by 2010. Hughes, a proven scorer and defender, fills a void at shooting guard for the Knicks.

... and Thunder’s Wilcox

Oklahoma City dealt center Chris Wilcox, a 26-year-old, 6-foot-10 banger, to the Knicks for aging forward Malik Rose and cash. Wilcox, with career averages of 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, is owed $6.75 million in his deal’s final year.

Q&A: Knicks forward Al Harrington discusses his new shoe line and his latest tattoo

Wednesday February 18, 2009 1:00 PM By Max J. Dickstein

Al Harrington (Getty Images)

By Max J. Dickstein

Al Harrington has played so well for the Knicks this season that MSG Network announcer Gus Johnson, watching Harrington pour in points, was recently moved to shout over the airwaves: "My name's Al Harrington! I get buckets!"

On the heels of his popularity as the Knicks leading scorer (21.0 points per game through 40 contests), the star forward Harrington is pushing his Protege line of basketball shoes. Sold exclusively at Kmart for $34.99, the A3H is Harrington's answer to both the Air Jordan and the Starbury. He says it's a high-quality shoe at an affordable price. And, Harrington says, they're the shoes the 260-pounder locks into on game night.

We spoke with him Wednesday at the Bryant Park Hotel.

Tell me how convenient it was that the Warriors' colors are pretty close to the Knicks' colors. So you can use that this season, at least, before you redesign it.

Obviously, I couldn't change the name. My shoe is the A3H (Harrington wore No. 3 with Golden State before the Warriors traded him to the Knicks five games into the season). Our next ones, we're going to change it to the "Lucky Mes." I'm No. 7 now, lucky No. 7. Lucky me, yeah. But that was very convenient. We got lucky with that, for real.

It's got a lot of straps.

Yeah well, obviously, my shoe has a lot of straps. That's pretty much to lock your foot into the shoe. Me being 260 playing out there, I need as much support as I can get.

You've got a lot of tattoos. What's your latest?

My latest tattoo ... was my ring finger. I got married, so I got the "MH," my wife's initials, on my hand. So that's my last tattoo.

When was that?

Oct. 6.

Congratulations

Thanks, man.You're having the best scoring season in the 40 games you've played as a Knick. What's the secret to scoring the ball?

Man, just being confident. You got to be confident in yourself every time you step on the floor. I think that's why I get so upset every time I shoot, because every time I shoot I expect to make it. And then you have to prepare also. You have to realize how certain teams are going to play you. Some teams are going to double you, some teams are going to force you into certain areas where they feel you're going to be uncomfortable. So you have to go into a game sometimes with a game plan.

At the same time, it seems like Mike D'Antoni just says, "Whatever happens, keep shooting, keep going."

Yeah, when you get open shots, he wants you to take the open shot every single time. With this offense, it seems like we're just running around crazy, but it's not. We have more structure to it than that. The biggest thing is that we just try to move the ball and let it find the open man. And then, when the open man gets it, just shoot the ball. When we play that way we're usually very successful. You know, we score like 110, 115 points a night.

You've had a number of stops along your career coming out of high school, but you're playing with a lot of joy it seems right now. Can you tell me about that?

Yeah, I mean I'm happy on all fronts. It seems like my life is really coming together at the right time. I'm married, I have my beautiful line out. As far as on the court, I finally got a coach that's allowing me to play my game, you know, let me be who I am. What more can you ask for? You know what I'm saying? The only thing I'm waiting on is some kids. [Laughs.]

Do you have a kid on the way?

No, not yet. I'm working on it.

CORRECTION: This post initially identified the MSG announcer in the first paragraph as Mike Crispino, which was incorrect.

The Equalizer: The Red Bulls' Juan Pablo Angel is the anti-Beckham

Wednesday February 18, 2009 12:30 PM By Max J. Dickstein

Photo by Getty

By Andrew Keh

The Red Bulls must be counting their blessings while they watch an unbridled stream of transfer speculation roil the preseason preparations of their Major League Soccer colleagues in Los Angeles.

As David Beckham, the soccer player with the big-screen looks, dragged the Galaxy deeper into his personal offseason soap opera, the Red Bulls announced Monday that they had signed their own Designated Player, Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel, to a multiyear contract extension. (Each MLS team can sign one designated player whose annual salary is unrestricted by the normal $400,000 cap.)

Other teams should be green with envy.

Angel is an anomaly in a league that has struggled to attract big-name players looking for more than just a paycheck. By now, the league could field a full squad of international stars who, upon arriving here, seemingly lost their will to run.

Even Beckham — whose effort, despite all else, is rarely questioned — allowed indifference to contaminate his play toward the end of last season, when the Galaxy was far out of the title hunt. Beckham’s public change of heart — a desire to return to Europe and play for AC Milan — has lent a new level of absurdity to all of the ballyhoo and expressions of mutual adoration that marked his MLS entry in 2007.

Angel arrived that same season with much less fanfare, but he has since attacked the American game with twice the ferocity. While stars before him have sulked at the sight of inferior teammates, Angel seemed to grab them by their shirts and lift them to his standard.

In the 2007 playoffs, Angel took a gruesome knock to the head in a match against New England. Though he begged to stay in the game, he was taken off with a concussion and the Red Bulls lost the game. Still, the moment made plain the resilience of his heart, and last year, Angel helped lead the club to its first appearance in the league’s championship match, the MLS Cup.

In a conference call Monday, Angel said all of the right things, and reiterated, over and again, his motivation for the coming season and his long-term commitment to the team.

“I’m excited that a couple of years into this organization, we were able just to get something going and to achieve something,” he said. “The future looks bright for us.”

With Angel on board, in body and, more important, in spirit, it surely does for the Red Bulls.

Quick Thought: Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees open and shut the door on steroid questions in 35 minutes

Tuesday February 17, 2009 7:00 PM By Max J. Dickstein

Getty Images

By Max J. Dickstein

Alex Rodriguez’s news conference yesterday was not just the tainted slugger’s best chance to come clean about his steroid adventures — a chance he approached with more guile than sincerity. It was also probably the media’s last chance to collectively grill an all-time great player to clarify his place in the sordid steroid era. Further juicing-related queries will likely be deflected with a “no comment” or “I’m here to talk about baseball.” And that will be as as empty as the unenlightening regret A-Rod was selling yesterday.

Yankees and Mets spring training: Weaknesses? Not this year

Thursday February 12, 2009 3:23 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

For the Mets and Yankees, last year’s 89-73 records — and postseason misses — spurred offseason action to shore up the weaknesses that produced the twin disappointment.

Several acute changes during this winter of discontent could usher in a contented spring, summer and fall.

Yankees

The Bronx Bombers shook the earth beneath Major League Baseball with their $423.5 million free agency outlay to first baseman Mark Teixeira (eight years, $180 million) and starters CC Sabathia (seven years, $161 million) and A.J. Burnett (five years, $82.5 million).

These bold new faces join a club already stocked with franchise cornerstones.

Shortstop Derek Jeter, third baseman Alex Rodriguez and catcher Jorge Posada, on restricted duty with a surgically repaired throwing shoulder, are in their mid-30s, just exiting their considerable primes. Along with the adept glove of Teixeira, they will hold down the infield and juice the offense.

Sabathia and Burnett top off a pitching rotation that already features formidable lefty sinkerballer Chien-Ming Wang and right-handed flamethrower Joba Chamberlain, opening his first season as a full-time starter.

Baseball’s pre-eminent closer, Mariano Rivera (39 saves, 1.40 ERA last season), insures the steady bullpen.

With so many reliable elements in the fold, second-year manager Joe Girardi’s top roster concerns will be the question marks dotting the outfield — with a jumble of starting candidates — and second base, where Robinson Cano regressed badly last year.

Mets

Philadelphia eclipsed the Mets again in the NL East because of last season’s September collapse — the team’s second consecutive choke job.

Signing single-season saves leader Francisco Rodriguez to a three-year, $37 million deal, trading for Seattle reliever J.J. Putz as K-Rod’s eighth-inning man and reconstituting the rest of the bullpen, general manager Omar Minaya provided the antidote.

As has been the case for three seasons — before each of which the Mets were a World Series favorite — the rest of the roster, including a star-filled offense to rival any other big-league team’s, is mostly unchanged.

Ace Johan Santana, arguably the game’s best pitcher, leads a familiar staff that features several 15-win-type starters: re-signed righty Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine.

Yankees and Mets spring training: Optimism mingles with a few concerns

Thursday February 12, 2009 3:14 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Ryan Chatelain

Reasons for excitement abound, but so do causes for caution this season for the Mets and Yankees.

3 reasons to be excited about the Yankees:

• Mark Teixeira brings another powerful, consistent bat to the lineup, and don’t overlook last year’s midseason acquisition Xavier Nady, who hit .305 with 25 HRs in 2008.

• CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, who combined to win 35 games last season, could make the rotation the Yankees’ strongest in a decade.

• Fan favorite Joba Chamberlain is in his first full season as a starter. He started 12 games last year with an impressive 2.60 ERA overall.

3 reasons to be concerned about the Yankees:

• Questions about A-Rod’s admitted steroid use may distract the team and result in boos from the stands when the new Yankee Stadium opens April 16.

• Age may catch up with a star or two. Six key players (Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter) will be at least 35 in 2009.

• The AL East is a bear. The Red Sox are tough each year, and there is no reason to believe 2008 pennant winner Tampa Bay will return to the cellar.

3 reasons to be excited about the Mets:

• No more leaky bullpen. Newly acquired Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz are All-Star relievers who should protect leads.

• The heart of the lineup — David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran — is together for a fourth straight season. That familiarity could pay dividends in a tight playoff race.

• The free-agent signing of Freddy Garcia could be one of the steals of the offseason if the two-time All-Star can return to the winning form he hadwith the White Sox in 2005 and ’06, when he went 31-17.

3 reasons to be concerned about the Mets:

• The Mets should have lobbied the Gregorian calendar to have September removed. They might not want to admit it, but you’d better believe the last two seasons’ collapses will weigh on players’ minds if they drop three straight at crunch time.

• He might have belted 38 homers in 2008, but Delgado has a .265 batting average in three seasons as a Met, a sign that his career may be on the downward slope. The Mets cannot afford for their first baseman, who will turn 37 in June, to take another step backward.

• The world champion Phillies remain in the Mets’ division, and Philadelphia’s strong nucleus is back.

Column: Yankees manager Joe Girardi has to make it all work

Thursday February 12, 2009 2:59 PM By Max J. Dickstein

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, third from right, answers questions as he sits in the dugout at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training baseball home of the Yankees, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. The team's pitchers and catchers are scheduled to arrive Friday. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

By Max J. Dickstein

Yankees manager Joe Girardi faced the media’s microphone phalanx for the first time this season in Tampa, Fla., following a staff meeting on Thursday.

One reporter suggested that Girardi, approaching the middle of a three-year, $7.8 million contract to hold perhaps the premier job in American sports, might be fired if the reloaded Yankees miss the postseason for the second straight year.

“I don’t necessarily think about those things,” said Girardi, according to Newsday reporter Ken Davidoff. “But as you stated the question, you’re probably right.”

Girardi probably doesn’t receive enough credit for leading the Yankees to an 89-72 record last year despite major injuries to ace Chien-Ming Wang and inspirational leader Jorge Posada, as well as Phil Hughes and Hideki Matsui. Still, the Yankees’ record left them dragging eight games back in the AL East.

Girardi is a strong tactician whose ego management is improving (he helped convince Alex Rodriguez to come clean about steroid use).

While much is new in the Bronx mix, Girardi need not reinvent himself to make it all work. Soft-spoken and reasonable, he can absorb the pressure and lead from the dugout.

NFL legend Brett Favre retires after one season with the Jets, blaming shoulder trouble

Wednesday February 11, 2009 3:06 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

Brett Favre wasn’t sure if he wanted to retire or return to the Jets. His ailing throwing arm made up his mind for him.

Blaming a torn tendon in his right shoulder that requires surgery the 39-year-old is not willing to undergo, Favre retired for the second time in 11 months on Wednesday. The decision followed a season that began with 8-3 success and ended bitterly, with no postseason appearance.

“I didn’t think it would be one year and done based on something physical, but that’s the case,” said Favre, who for 16 years was the iconic quarterback of the Green Bay Packers and set numerous NFL records, including 253 straight starts at quarterback. “I’m very thankful and blessed that I withstood so much for so much time.”

Favre’s legendary arm began to fail him during the latter part of last season, he said, when he felt he was not placing his throws where he aimed them. Favre received a cortisone shot in his right arm after a 24-14 loss at San Francisco on Dec. 7, he said, but the problems persisted.

“It’s nothing I would second-guess,” Favre said of retiring. “I don’t think I was nearly as productive as the season went on.”

Conference calls with the Jets’ owner, general manager, coach Rex Ryan, presumptive No. 1 quarterback, Kellen Clemens, and Favre replaced the tearful retirement conference Favre held last spring in Green Bay, Wis., before his New York comeback.

“I think we made him feel that this is a good place for him,” said owner Woody Johnson. “For the first 11 games, it looked pretty good.”

Favre and the Jets said they anticipated no reversals. “We’re not shocked by this,” said GM Mike Tannenbaum, who placed Favre on the reserve/retired list. “He said that he was done playing. We’re taking him at his word on that.”

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: 10-year-old Stump, a Sussex Spaniel, wins Best in Show

Tuesday February 10, 2009 3:07 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

Stump, a Sussex Spaniel who wowed the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show crowd with his cascade of hazel hair and tail-wagging plod, won Best in Show Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Houston-based dog turned 10 on Dec. 1, making him the oldest dog to win the annual title by almost exactly two years. (In 1999, the Papillon champion was 8 years, 1 month, 10 days.)

Stump's victory registered high in a long life of highs and lows.

The dog also won Best of Sporting Group in 2004, and Stump already has two sons (Root and Forest) and a daughter (Myrtle). He fell ill in 2005 and retired from competition, spending 19 days under veterinary care on the campus of Texas A&M. Since he recovered from that unidentified illness, Stump (full name: Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee) has been a house dog in Houston, sharing a bed each night with a former Best in Show (JR, Bijon Frise, 2001) raised by the same Texas/Connecticut team.

Stump, with his tail wagging eternally side to side, earned loud reactions from the adoring crowd as he proceeded to victory Tuesday night. He outshowed a strong field, said Westminster Best in Show judge Sari Brewster Tietjen.

His competitors were: a jet-black standard poodle; a well-mannered Giant Schnauzer; a docile Scottish Deerhound with a bouncing, graceful gait; a tiny herder Pulik hidden under wavy dreadlocks; an adorable Scottish terrier with a flouncy, busy legs; and Brussels griffon with a proud snoot.

But Stump, Tietjen determined in the final minute, was the winner. She said she had no idea how old the winning dog was at the time of judging.

Scott Sommer, Stump's handler, said he was unsure whether to even fly Stump from Texas to New York for showing this year, and only decided last Wednesday.

"If you think about it now," Tietjen said, "he was insane to do this."

But Sommer liked his chances with the aging, 50-pound champion.

"He looked great and it's a rare bred," Sommer said as the top dog, having just won his 51st title, sat mellowly at his feet. "This was just like going for a walk with my pet."

Stump's reign figures to be lower-key than that of the dynamic beagle Uno, who, like Stump, won the first Best in Show for his breed last year. Sommer said extensive travel is out of the question for Stump, adding that Stump had officially retired from competition with this victory.

A spike in popularity is now inevitable for the Sussex Spaniel, but the breed is rare.

"There are not enough of them around to be bred," Sommer said, addressing whether Stump's breed will soon be ubiquitous.Some other notes from closing night at the Westminster:

Sporting group

• No kidding: I wrote this around 9:15 p.m., before Stump was anything more than Best of Breed. "The hazel cascade of the Sussex Spaniel's hair makes it a lovely choice for best of breed, sporting group winner and perhaps best in show."

Toy Group

• The crowd cheers the bashful affenpinscher

• The Italian greyhound has a tensile elegance

• The maltese resembles nothing so much as a cascade of sea foam. This

one's pinched ears gave it a darker, perhaps even evil appearance.

• The affenpinscher looks like a leader. Pomeranian, too, after it scrapes its hind legs backward for the cheering crowd. The chihuahua has a great gait.

• The Brussels griffon wins the toy group. He's a cute little gentleman.

Working Group

• The akita and Alaskan malamute are very similar in their wolfenness.

• This black Russian terrier has a fun spirit.

• The dogue de Bordeaux wins some cheers.

• The German pinscher showed poorly. he looked nervous, shaky and difficult.

• Look at the rippling muscles on this black-and-white, cow-spotted Great Dane.

• Wow. The Neapolitan mastiff, or "mastino," is the most shaggy-skinned mastiff imaginable.

• Whether the samoyed wins or not, his is a charming breed.

• The Siberian husky has a low, slinky, horizontal quality to his movement.

• The Tibetan mastiff has a thick, billowy main.

• Suddenly, I like the poised doberman pinscher to win the working group.

• The Giant Schnauzer wins with black, flaxen hair. Second is the boxer, third malamute and fourth the Tibetan mastiff.

Q&A: Former New York Times columnist Ira Berkow says he'll still cast a Hall of Fame vote for admitted steroid user A-Rod

Tuesday February 10, 2009 10:48 AM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

Some baseball minds say that the best players of the Steroid Era should not be denied enshrinement in Cooperstown based on alleged or admitted doping.

That point of view has a strong advocate in Ira Berkow, the author and retired New York Times sports columnist, who casts a Hall of Fame ballot each year. Berkow's latest book, "The Corporal Was a Pitcher: The Courage of Lou Brissie," was published by Triumph Books this month. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer spoke to amNewYork on Monday afternoon.

What do you think about A-Rod’s admission?

So many players were doing it — pitchers and batters — that in my view, the playing field, to a great extent, was level. If you have [accused user Roger] Clemens pitching to A-Rod, who has the advantage?

So you don’t take a moralistic point of view?

Not in the slightest. I played high school and semipro baseball; I know how hard it is to hit a baseball. Beyond steroids, it takes incredible ability to succeed in the major leagues.

Will you vote for A-Rod when he becomes eligible?

I voted for Mark McGwire. I will vote for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, and I will vote for Alex Rodriguez. Unless we’re wearing blinders, it was part of the culture of baseball for that era.

Is A-Rod already a Hall of Fame-level player?

Is there a question, really? Excluding some critical moments in playoff

series, for 162 games a season and for 14 or 15 years, he has been arguably the premier player in baseball — pitcher or hitter. He and Bonds. I also believe that Pete Rose should be in the Hall because there’s not a shred of evidence that he bet on baseball as a player. His record on the field apparently is pristine.

Column: Westminster show dogs aren’t all show; they're athletes, not just furballs

Thursday February 5, 2009 3:14 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

Brendan, a 3-year-old purebred Border Collie, is an athlete.

Rehabilitated after a rough start under his previous owner in New York, where he was almost put down for being “people- and dog-vicious” before being rescued last January, Brendan, in more caring hands, became an exemplary champion and a fine extension of his German-born herding pedigree.

“He’s now an athlete, and ready to compete,” said his co-owner and handler, Julie Lacey-Black, who will show Brendan at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Monday. “He’s also a much happier dog because, as you know, healthy people, like healthy dogs, are happier.”

His is a one-year comeback story. A better diet helped Brendan shed the extra 20 pounds he was carrying. Exercise — lake-swimming, forest-running and baseball-fetching at Lacey-Black’s residence in Maine — toned Brendan’s muscles and enriched his lustrous coat.

“This is the first dog I’ve rehabbed and taken to Westminster within a year,” Lacey-Black said. “It speaks for Brendan and it speaks for the quality of his pedigree.”

This elite Border Collie is a determined athlete, much like a basketball player who worked his way back from injury — though this athlete likes to nose the pocket where his owner keeps treats.

Underlining the reality of dog-show-as-sport is the presence this year of sportscaster Mary Carillo as Westminster co-host on USA Network and CNBC.

“They’re not just puff balls,” said Carillo, known for Olympics and tennis coverage, as she surveyed a group of show dogs at a news conference Thursday. “They were designed and bred to do jobs. They really know what they’re doing.”

She pointed to Uno, who last year became the first beagle to become Westminster’s Best in Show. He retired from competition a month later, at age 2.

“You’ve got to get everything you can out of that small window of time. I’ve met a lot of athletes. This dog is remarkably uncynical,” Carillo said.

David Frei, Carillo’s broadcast partner, agreed that show dogs are athletes, but maybe not “professional” athletes.

“They never hold out,” he said. “They never ask to renegotiate. But they are definitely athletes.”

James to Knicks: I’d hold out hope for LeBron, too

Wednesday February 4, 2009 3:56 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

LeBron James took off his red personalized headphones before the Cavaliers-Knicks game long enough to hold court at a 10-minute press conference.

One reporter asked James if the Knicks’ plan to create cap space for the summer of 2010 — when a fine crop of free agents, perhaps including James, is expected — made sense.

“A lot of teams are getting ready to put themselves in position when 17 months come up,” said James, doing what would have been a fine impression of Knicks president Donnie Walsh. “If I was in that position where I felt like our team was geared toward the future and not the present, then I would try to put myself in a position where at least I had a chance to maybe get a big-market player. But at the same time, you still want to win games.”

Former NBAer Duane Causwell opens door to hoops glory with "America's Top Baller" reality TV show

Tuesday February 3, 2009 2:39 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

For Queens-born 7-footer Duane Causwell, entry into an 11-year NBA career was relatively easy.

Causwell only began to play organized basketball when he was a senior at Benjamin N. Cardozo in Bayside, but his skills in college, at Temple, encouraged Sacramento to select the center 18th overall in the 1990 NBA draft.

Now, Causwell wants to identify the world’s best weekend warrior with a reality TV show he has co-created, “America’s Top Baller”; there is no network attached yet, but the show is expected to premiere this summer.

We reached Causwell in Atlanta yesterday:

So you’re looking for someone who may seem washed up but is in fact NBA-ready.

You have guys that had to go to work, became a parent, had a sickness in the family, but that person never lost his love for the game. So that person still goes out every Saturday, Sunday, and whatever league that’s around, still plays in it. There was a guy in our park, we used to call him “Goose.” He was in his 30s. He had a nice turnaround that, regardless of who it was, he was getting it off. We’re looking for those guys who kept their games regardless of what they went on and did.

What’s the next step?

We’re going to have tryouts from all around the four corners of the world.

Sounds expensive.

Mm-hm. But it’s got a great aspect to it. Right now with the economy and everything like it is, it’s like being in the lottery. You give someone a chance to come up in something that they love to do.

How was it to be caught up in the Knicks-Heat rivalry of the late 1990s?

[Laughs]. That was a hard one to be a part of. But I made my alliance with Miami at that time. It was a good rivalry; I think right now that’s what the NBA needs. I’m still a Knick fan at heart.

In Australian Open final, Rafael Nadal triumps over Roger Federer, leaving the 13-time Grand Slam champion in emotional shambles

Sunday February 1, 2009 10:04 AM By Max J. Dickstein

(Photos by Getty Images)

By Max J. Dickstein

The numbers tell the tale best. Rafael Nadal has won three of the past four Grand Slam events. Roger Federer, the 13-time major winner, owns just one of the past five titles.

What’s more, Nadal has won six of eight major finals at the same age (22) when Federer had won two of two. If Federer is to add more Grand Slam titles, he must do so against Nadal, a possibly historic young force with a 13-6 career edge over the 27-year-old Federer.

Federer fans will find no consolation in the loss in balmy Melbourne on Sunday; their champion, seemingly playing from behind all evening, dropped serve at 15-40 in the first game. Something — perhaps a nagging fear of the unsolvable Spaniard — was amiss with the Swiss. Federer landed only 51 percent of his first serves, robbing himself of a weapon he uses customarily to erase break points; one of his six key double faults cost him the third-set tiebreaker.

Federer truly cowered in the 34-minute fifth set. As Federer shanked through the final games (he finished with 64 errors), Nadal moved swiftly toward a new championship.

But why did Federer break down and cry bitterly during the ceremony? He has done so as a winner before — offering the crowd his tears of overwhelmed joy. On Sunday, I think his tears flowed out of recognition that he had not only contributed mightily to his own defeat in this match, but also to future meetings with Nadal. Indomitable as a front-runner but less steely in his seesaw battles against Nadal, Federer's spirit broke like a leaking dam.

"I wasn't able to enjoy this win too much after seeing Federer in the state that he was in after losing the final. It leaves you a little shaken," Nadal said later. "I think that mentally he made such a mountain of it that he came crashing down, but that can happen to anybody."

Here is a sharp and notable perspective.