Game Face

Cristiano Ronaldo (Getty Images)

By Andrew Keh

On Tuesday morning, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United’s electric Portuguese winger, was awarded the Ballon d’Or as Europe’s top player in 2008.
Disregarding the plain fact that awards such as the “Golden Ball,” awarded by France Football magazine, are inherently a bit ridiculous, this one happens to be quite prestigious. Ronaldo’s central role in United’s dreamlike 2008 campaign made the Ballon D’Or announcement a mere formality, but the honor still occasioned a predictable backlash from the grumpy men who help comprise the game’s punditry.
Ronaldo, who led United to Champions League and Premier League titles this season, is a polarizing figure, criticized for diving and favoring extraneous trickery over team play.
Ever since “Crash” won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2005, I’ve learned not to take industry awards so seriously. And while “Crash” was an utter fiasco, Ronaldo is a joy to watch. His 42 goals last season, moreover, were hardly extraneous; soccer goals are precious.
Having recently rewatched Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno’s excellent 2006 film, “Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait,” my mind is quick to make associations between Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, perhaps the greatest player of his era.
The retired Frenchman, Zidane, seemed to play the game at his own leisurely speed, shifting himself and the ball past players who lacked his skills in spatial reasoning.
Viewing Ronaldo is a wholly different experience. His pace is exhilarating, leaving his audience gasping for air, to say nothing for his opponents. Ronaldo has little of Zidane’s seductive smoothness. The winger’s movements — his awkward, upright gait and even his most playful tricks — appear as acts of great exertion.
As a reverent Frenchman at a soccer pub in Manhattan once told me, “Zidane is the teacher.” Ronaldo, then, is the petulant child. The 23-year-old seems never to have matured beyond the self-centered, winning-is-everything mentality that plagues some pampered children.
Were he not an athlete, Ronaldo might be deemed a sociopath. But on a soccer field, this can be a virtue. What is so infuriating to Ronaldo’s critics, perhaps, is that he generally gets his way.
Ronaldo is denigrated for falling easily, but his resilience is even more remarkable considering that his dribbling elicits more trips and takedowns than a judo tournament. Each time Ronaldo charges into a pack a defenders, I hold my breath, knowing that were he to get chopped down and injured, I’d lose a valuable source of entertainment for some indeterminable amount of time.
But Ronaldo seems to have no such concerns, and for this he will surely continue to collect goals, and prizes, with a maddeningly childish singularity of mind.

The Saints' Lance Moore is the eight-best fantasy receiver this season. (Photo by Getty Images)

You can read all the magazines and Web sites, crunch statistics and stress over questions like “L.T. or A.P.?” But every year, there’s a batch of fantasy studs who few had on their draft-day radar.

As the fantasy season winds down, here is my annual All-Surprise Team.

Quarterback
Following early-season growing pains, the Patriots’ Matt Cassel developed into a quality fantasy starter in the injured Tom Brady’s absence. Cassel’s stats — 2,784 passing yards, 13 TDs and 10 interceptions — won’t wow anyone. But thanks in part to his rushing numbers (200 yards, two TDs), Cassel has been the eighth-best fantasy quarterback in standard scoring leagues.

Continue reading "Fantasy football: All-Surprise Team" »

If your team is in the middle of the pack of your fantasy football league’s standings at this point, it’s time to shake up your lineup to have any shot at the playoffs.

Luckily, there may be some potential difference makers still available. Not only should these players be owned in every league of 12 teams or more, they should probably be in someone’s starting lineup.

Tyler Thigpen, QB, Kansas City
Thigpen has thrown for eight touchdowns and averaged 247 yards in his last three games, placing him in the top three of all fantasy quarterbacks during that span.

And Thigpen’s remaining schedule is soft. After this week’s tough game against Oakland
(10th against the pass), Thigpen faces Denver, San Diego and Miami; all have pass defenses ranked in the bottom eight of the league. Somehow, Thigpen is owned in just 45 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Continue reading "Fantasy football: 4 difference makers in a pinch" »

by Pete Catapano
The Yanks aren’t budging on giving free agent AJ Burnett the five-year deal he wants. And nor should they.

Fine, he's coming off a solid 18-10 year with a 4.07 ERA, which is best season, coincidentally in his walk year.

However, in his prior four seasons - the first two in Florida — Burnett posted the following records: 7-6. 12-12 and then going 10-8 each of the next two years. And in only one season in that stretch did he post an ERA below 3.50.

Just above mediocre now, so how will the Yanks feel when the righty hits 35 in the fourth year of his contract?

Leon Washington scored two touchdowns yesterday in the Jets’ 34-13 blowout win over the Titans. (Photo by Getty Images)

By Ryan Chatelain and Aline E. Reynolds

The Jets yesterday did what no team in the NFL has been able to do since the start of the football season nearly three months ago: They handily beat the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans, leaving no doubt in the minds of New Yorkers that they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

And with Gotham’s two football teams on a roll, New Yorkers are buzzing about the possibility of a Big Blue-Gang Green matchup in Super Bowl XLIII.

“It would be great for the city,” said Ian Wallach, 26, of Murray Hill, a Jets fan watching the game at Stout, a sports bar in midtown. “You’re guaranteed a huge party, whoever wins.”

Continue reading "New Yorkers buzzing about a possible Giants-Jets Super Bowl" »

By Max J. Dickstein

Say what you like, but Brett Favre’s career was not supposed to end in New York.
The unretired quarterback’s Jets (7-3) have played their way into first place in the AFC East, and a showdown looms against undefeated Tennessee on Sunday to help determine if his new team can really contend for a title.
And yet even though Favre has become the grizzled face of the resurgent Jets just over three months after he was traded here, the 39-year-old continues to look odd — unnatural even — in a white and hunter-green uniform.
The feeling persists: why is Brett Favre in anything but Packers green and gold? The sight of “Brett the Jet” must be despicable to a Packers fan, I thought.
So I asked one.
It does look “a little odd,” said Patrick Daley, a Wauwatosa, Wisc., native whose West Village bar, Kettle of Fish, is the Manhattan home of Packers fans in exile.
“It should have never happened. I wish it hadn’t have happened,” Daley said of Favre’s bitter divorce from Green Bay. “Did I want Brett to die a Packer? Definitely. But hey, things happen, and I’ve been rooting for him since he came out here.”
Really?
“I am Packers first,” the 53-year-old Daley explained. He is a shareholder in the fan-owned team, and his father used to sell programs at Lambeau Field as a high-schooler. “But the Jets are now my second team. I hope he gets another Super Bowl — as long as it’s not against the Packers.”
That February matchup appears highly improbable, with the Packers (5-5) playing well only in spurts behind Favre’s capable young replacement, Aaron Rodgers. More probable, apparently, is continued loyalty to Favre, the man whose arm, instincts and passion restored Green Bay to prominence, and won Wisconsin a Super Bowl in 1997.
“I’ve always been a Brett Favre guy. I’ve been in his corner,” said Daley, noting the quarter-century of mediocrity that followed Green Bay’s glory years in the 1960s and preceded Favre’s arrival in 1992. “Come on, Brett gave us Sundays.”
In Wisconsin, support for Favre transcends, but does not replace, support for Green Bay.
Reached by telephone Thursday, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel news reporter Tom Kertscher pointed out that the CBS affiliate in Milwaukee signed on to show as many Jets games as possible this season.
“All in all, he’s still got the majority of fans here,” said Kertscher, whose third edition of “Brett Favre: A Packer Fan’s Tribute” was issued by Cumberland House Publishing in September. “Even the fans who are still upset will come around. He really played the game like we in Wisconsin would play if we ever had the chance.”
Newly adored here and still adored in Green Bay, Favre has a lot to give thanks for next week.

By Ryan Chatelain

The matchup was unfavorable to say the least: Brandon Jacobs vs. the Ravens, the NFL’s second-stingiest team against the run.

Owners of Jacobs who had another strong running back option likely benched the Giants standout. Those who started him hoped he could grind out at least a touchdown.

Here is Jacobs’ surprising stat line after the first quarter on Sunday: eight rushes, 70 yards and two scores. (With a large lead and an ailing knee, Jacobs only carried the ball once more during Big Blue’s 30-10 rout of Baltimore.)

Sometimes fantasy footballers pay too much attention to matchups. Yes, they are a vital tool for setting your lineup, but there are times when it’s best to look the other way.

Continue reading "Sit these studs? Only at your peril" »

The Yankees have an offer of $140 million on the table for 290-pound CC Sabathia. (Getty Images)

By Kyle Stack
Special to amNewYork
The Mets and the Yankees entered the off-season in search of solutions to the problems that denied them postseason appearances in 2008.
Each team went a respectable 89-73 last season, but injuries, overpriced veterans and depleted farm systems created nightmarish problems for squads with title aspirations.
Both clubs need major roster adjustments to remain contenders next year, and their deep-pocketed owners intend to make most of those upgrades through free agency. Here are some players each team could target:

Mets seek No. 2 starter and closer
Even after the trade for Johan Santana last winter shored up the top of the Mets’ starting rotation, other roster areas sprung leaks, including left field, second base and, yet again, the bullpen.
With Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez hitting free agency, starting pitching depth could be another glaring hole for the Mets.
Fortunately for the Mets, starters such as Derek Lowe, A.J. Burnett and even Ben Sheets would serve as outstanding No. 2 or No. 3 pitchers behind Santana. Lowe is the most reliable option among the three, both durable (seven straight seasons of at least 182 innings) and accustomed to high-pressure environments (seven seasons in Boston). Burnett and Sheets are near-dominant when healthy, but both have been wracked with injury concerns throughout their careers.
Perez and Martinez (whose agent has said Martinez wants to play for the Mets next year) are possibilities to return.
Francisco Rodriguez, who saved a record 62 games in 2008, has been the popular choice to become the Mets’ closer now that Billy Wagner is likely out for all next year after elbow surgery.
However, a deal with K-Rod would probably require $10-$12 million per year. More pressing concerns revolve around the Venezuelan’s decreased velocity last season, evidenced by his 10.14 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate in 2008 following a 12.4 K/9 figure from 2004-07.
Another option is Brian Fuentes, whose asking price could be more reasonable. The three-time All-Star posted a career-best 1.10 WHIP last season and posted his third 30-save season in four years.
Left field, second base and bullpen depth are also question marks, although the bullpen probably draws top priority after two disastrous seasons. Jeremy Affeldt already signed with the Giants, but the Mets could target relievers Juan Cruz, David Weather and Brandon Lyon as valuable seventh- and eighth-inning options.

Yankees go all-out for starters, big bat
Much like the Mets, the Yankees are prioritizing starting pitching. Last week, the team offered a six-year, $140 million deal to CC Sabathia, perhaps the biggest free-agent prize on this market.
That signing would give the Yankees a true No. 1 starter, pushing Chien-Ming Wang to the No. 2 role — or possibly lower if the Yanks also sign Lowe or Burnett (the Yankees are reportedly preparing a five-year, $80 million offer for Burnett).
Both starters loom large on the Yanks’ radar, although Lowe seems again to be the safer option given Burnett’s health risk and his questionable temperament in pressure-packed games. San Diego ace Jake Peavy is also a trade option, but the Yanks would need to give up at least two of their few remaining big-time prospects.
Damaso Marte, signed to a three-year, $12 million deal, provides a steady, if unspectacular, left-handed option in the ’pen. If the Yanks do sign two of the Sabathia/Lowe/Burnett triumvirate, they could have enough starting depth to use Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes in the bullpen.
Nick Swisher’s acquisition from the White Sox last week cost little, and his defensive versatility and outstanding ability to reach base are valuable. With Bobby Abreu expected to go unsigned, Swisher can play all three outfield spots and serves as first-base insurance in case superstar free agent Mark Teixeira remains an Angel or signs elsewhere.
The 28-year-old Teixeira is a true No. 3 batter who offers stellar defense and a powerful bat that the Yankees could combine with Alex Rodriguez to form a devastating 3-4 combo. However, Teixeira’s price tag of $150-$200 million may be too high for a team looking to invest so much in starting pitching.
Catcher and center field are other question marks, but Jorge Posada’s healthy return to the backstop and a Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera center-field duo might have to suffice.
The Yankees, like the Mets, ultimately view upgrading their starting rotation as their best shot at returning to the playoffs.

By Pete Catapano
The Yankees are throwing a ton of money at CC Sabathia to be the next ace of their rotation. It's still too early to tell if he'll accept the offer.

However, if the Yanks are really dying to have someone with the name "CC" on the team, here's another, not so viable, option:

C.C. Deville, guitarist from hair band Poison.
So, yeah he was in a cheesy 80s band, and played out-of-tune crazy guitar solos that didn't fit the song - he'll fit the team just fine. Also. he's a local boy from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. (Yeah, surprised us too)
Here's some stats:
First band was called Lace
First guitar cost him $27
Hair stands about 10 inches high, requiring a can of aqua-net per day
Possible position on Yankees: First base. (he's 46 and not very mobile)

By Max J. Dickstein

Everyone’s favorite British superspy has always been an accomplished martial artist, marksman, skiier, fencer and scuba diver. In Daniel Craig’s 2006 debut as James Bond, “Casino Royale,” the actor added parkour, the sport of free running that originated in the concrete landscapes of suburban Paris.
In action scenes that pulsate with climbing and scaling of rooftops, Craig’s Bond proves to be an exceptional athlete — and believably so, since Craig, the youngest actor to play the classic role, does many of his own stunts. As of this writing, I anticipated reconfirming this view by watching “Quantum of Solace” early Friday morning — at 12:01 a.m.
What I mean to suggest is that James Bond, a 40-something spy, could be a winning addition to any professional roster. While his efforts are truly best left to the realm of espionage, this character might be equally effective as a lethal Rangers defenseman, or as the hard-nosed point guard for whom Knicks fans have long pined.
At the same time, Bond is a loner, a prowling assassin who works best solo. Perhaps Bond would be better at an individual sport, such as tennis, rifling groundstrokes croos-court and bringing Britain its first Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry in 1932.
Chemistry would also be a consideration when mixing a world-class assassin onto a roster of millionaires athletes. But winning is the bottom line in any sport, and Bond is certainly well-adjusted to a bottom-line business: Kill or be killed.
Excellent as they are this season, the Giants could use Bond to The British superagent is well known for his card-playing prowess and his skiing ability, and he dabbled in parkour, or free running, in his last film, “Casino Royale,”

Juan Carlos Osorio (Getty Images)

By Andrew Keh
Special to amNewYork

Somewhere along the line, probably about the time it appeared the Red Bulls would miss the playoffs and spend another off-season pondering their chronic mediocrity, the image we had of Juan Carlos Osorio, the cerebral tactician, transmogrified into Juan Carlos Osorio, the over-thinking tinkerer.
But over the course of two weeks and one playoff series win — only the second in team history — the Red Bulls coach has once again revealed the magic touch that made him so coveted by management last winter. He has his team on the doorstep of its first-ever trip to an MLS Cup final.
This week, much of the credit for Sunday’s gigantic 3-0 upset over the Houston Dynamo justifiably went to midfielder Dane Richards, who spent his 84 minutes on the field buzzing up and down the right wing, weaving and accelerating like a motorbike in traffic. He had a hand in every goal: scoring the first himself on a seam-splitting solo run, forcing a hand ball from Houston’s Ricardo Clark that resulted in a penalty kick for the second, and assisting John Wolyniec on the third after humiliating the entire left side of the Dynamo defense by dribbling 60 yards down the length of the field.
But Richards’ theatrics barely overshadowed the brave moves from Osorio that have helped earn the Red Bulls a date with Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference championship game on Saturday night (9:30 p.m. on FSC and HDNet).
Osorio swallowed his pride and benched the trio of Gabriel Cichero, Juan Pietravallo and Jorge Rojas — the mid-season pickups who were so highly touted over the summer but so ineffective during the team’s unlikely run to the playoffs — for both games of the series.
In their stead, Osorio opted for Luke Sassano, a rookie out of University of California, Berkley, and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, a second-year player. The two combined for only 20 starts this regular season, but both were rock-solid in central midfield over 180 minutes of play.
Then there was Wolyniec, the journeyman striker from Staten Island, currently in the midst of his third stint with the Red Bulls, who earned starts from Osorio in both matches despite going scoreless in 19 regular-season appearances. There is a reason, it seems, that the playoffs are called the “second season,” and it was Wolyniec, as if on cue, who provided the final dagger in Sunday’s match.
In celebration, Wolyniec did a horrifying rendition of Michael Jackson’s famous “Thriller” dance. But it was an appropriate choice, in a way, considering how Osorio has revived a team previously left for dead.

Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons (Photo by Getty Images)

By Ryan Chatelain

No one wants to see their fantasy football team cruise through the regular season only to bow out in the first round of the playoffs.

To avoid going one-and-done in the postseason, it’s important to look ahead to your players’ matchups in weeks 15 and 16, the fantasy playoffs in most leagues.

If any of your players have especially brutal games those weeks, you might want to think of a Plan B -- either trade him for someone with a more promising postseason slate or make sure you have a reliable option on your bench.

Here are five players with particularly unfavorable matchups in the fantasy playoffs:

Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta
The Falcons’ breakout star will meet Tampa Bay (11th in the NFL against the run) in Week 15 and Minnesota (third) in Week 16. That’s particularly bad news for Turner owners considering he has been superb against poor defenses but unimpressive against quality defenses. The Buccaneers, for example, held Turner to 42 yards rushing earlier this season.

Continue reading "Look ahead to fantasy playoff matchups" »

By Pete Catapano

Former Met Mike Piazza, the face of the team from 1998-05, is penning a still-unnamed autobiography that will give some insight on his days at Shea, Newsday's Jim Baumbach reports.

"He will also talk about the personalities and players from his days with the Mets, including Bobby Valentine, Pedro Martinez, and Rickey Henderson and many others," a news release for the book said.

Bobby V in disguise

Here's some other books by sports athletes that have made headlines in the past:

Jim Bouton – “Ball Four” (1970)
One of the first tell-all baseball books, Bouton was blacklisted after he wrote of drinking and drug use in the sport. It was the first to reveal Mickey Mantle’s alcohol abuse.

Jose Canseco – “Juiced” (2005)
Canseco gave specifics on steroid use in baseball and named names, including Jason Giambi and Mark McGwire.

Wilt Chamberlain “A View From Above” (1991)
The NBA star confessed to having sex with more than 20,000 women.

Sparky Lyle “The Bronx Zoo” (1979)
The Yankees pitcher gives day-to-day detail of the chaos of the team’s 1978 season, including commentary on Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson.

There's a some high-priced talent out there for the taking this winter, whether it be CC Sabathia, Mark Teixiera or Francisco Rodriguez.
While it's unclear which pricey free agent the Yanks will target (although we know there's no need to go after K-Rod with Mariano Rivera in the pen), co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner reaffirmed to fans today that the team is ready to spend bucks.

Steinbrenner told MLB.com: "We know that we've got some weaknesses, and we're going to fix the problems as best we can. If that means spending money, obviously that means spending money. The philosophy has not changed."

— Pete Catapano

"Three flies." The Berkshires of Massachussetts, Nov. 23, 2007

By Max J. DIckstein

Call me a sentimental softie, but this chilly New York evening has stirred the coals of autumn meaning in me. The summer months, plus mild parts of October and November, call for the NBA Finals and other meaningless frivolity. In the winter, life out-of-doors is colder and more meaningful. Ask the Phillies.

And I didn't mean to disparage the NBA's championship series in June, but that league should cut its playoff bracket back down to 8 teams. I mean, 16 teams make the postseason in a league of 30? That's more than half the teams. This gives teams like the Knicks playoff hopes at 4-2 and creates holding patterns of mediocrity.

Anyway, with temperatures declining as they are, I offer this paean to the fall season:

Fall's bite
By Your O. Paean

You rise from nature's hearth,
Overhead shining our way over ice,
Dear season of fall.

Your divinity inspires the zealous vigor of champions.
Sister Winter blessed the New York Giants, let them laugh sleeveless
at Lambeau Field hypothermia last February,
champions a game later.

Sweet goodness
!!!
Kindle your Thanksgiving fires, but let them toss their football,
warm their arms, and maybe catch the thing if they dare play.

By Max J. Dickstein

Roger Federer (Getty)

A fabulous men’s tennis season is heading toward an inconclusive end.

The Tennis Masters Cup, a season-ending round-robin tournament among the world’s top eight men, begins Sunday in Shanghai. When the top eight are intact, this event offers the year’s best performers the chance to fight for the best finish.
But top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who won Wimbledon, the French Open and Olympic gold this year, has bowed out of this ranking-points-rich event with knee tendonitis.

Roger Federer, who lost his top ranking to Nadal in August but went on to win his fifth straight U.S. Open, took over Nadal’s top seed at the circuit finale, where the 27-year-old has won five times. Federer, too, has been feeling the effects of a long season and the increased competitiveness of the game’s second tier of top players.

The other defending Grand Slam winner, third-ranked Novak Djokovic, has played well but not superbly since he won the Australian Open, his first major, in January.
That leaves the door open next week for the most in-form player in the Masters Cup draw, fourth-ranked Andy Murray, who beat Nadal in Flushing to reach his first major final and has won two tournaments since.

Continue reading "Tennis season's end incomplete" »

By Pete Catapano

Maybe this is a good thing.
It was rumored that the Yanks were interested in signing veteran Mike Cameron to fill their void in centerfield. But, that option is off the table now, the he's be resigned by the Brewers, who picked up his $10 million option for 2009.

Gameface thinks in the long run that the Yanks are better off without another underachieving, overpaid, aging player taking a roster spot.