New Meadowlands Stadium Wins 2014 Super Bowl Honors

"All World All Sports"
-Digger's Daily-
NFL Commissioner Goodell officially announced the New Meadowlands Stadium has been selected as host venue for Super Bowl XLVIII. The 2014 will be the league's first Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium in a cold weather city. There were four rounds of secret balloting before the hosting city was selected. New Jersey beat out Tampa Bay and Miami.
Let the debate rage. Critics and supporters have begun feasting on today's news. There's good and shady swirling around the 2014 game. Time to take a look at all sides. First up, there's a standing NFL 50 degree rule stating no Super Bowl will be awarded to a city averaging colder than 50 degree winter temperatures (unless indoors). So why the exception? It's been reported often, except in the official SB award press releases, Commissioner Goodell has lobbied for the NY/NJ venue. No direct finger pointing has come from Tampa owners but it's very clear Goodell's influence played a role in the final decision. Perhaps even a little arm twisting. Why? For generations both Giants and Jets season tickets had been sold out. There were thousands of names on season ticket waiting lists. Often times, season ticket holders assigned (gifted) their seats in last will and testaments. A not so funny thing happened when Giants and Jets team owners announced building the New Meadowlands Stadium. PSL's were put into place. PSL stands for "personal seat license" which is a one time purchase which gives the fan a right to buy season tickets (plus, season ticket costs). For Giants fans PSL's range from $1,000 to $20,000. Jets fans have to fork over $4,000 to $30,000. Both teams are experiencing extreme difficulty selling season tickets (especially in today's economy). Rumor has it Goodell's intervention is an attempt to help the Giants and Jets sell remaining PSL's & season tickets. How much of a consideration this had on awarding SB XLVII the public will probably never know.

"Under normal circumstances, we probably would have walked away with the trophy," said Sandy MacKinnon of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl bid committee. "But the NFL was interested in making history with New York City and a new stadium. I think the odds were stacked against the traditional sunshine climate."

On the upside. Is it really a big deal if two teams compete for the NFL Championship in less than optimal weather conditions? No. Afterall, this is the NFL. The battle of the gridiron. Sports biggest stage. It's disconcerting hearing NFL guru's complaining of potentially cold or wet game conditions. This is the NFL. Previous Super Bowls have been predicated around warm or perfect weather conditions. Many seem to forget, before Super Bowls, Championship games were played in many less than perfect settings. That's football. Brutal cold Championships hosted in Green Bay, Chicago, Baltimore & New York. It's only fitting football's grand game is played on the world's biggest stage. Projected revenues for the New York, New Jersey area expected to exceed $550 million for the local economy represent a shot in the arm for a city in steep economic turmoil. It's high time the Super Bowl could be played in less than perfect weather conditions. Bringing the game to a new venue is a great move. SB XLVIII in 2014 will be played in the backyard of the world's media capital.

Football Teams Getting Ready for 2009 Season...

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-Digger's Daily-

There's been plenty of NFL activity in recent weeks. Mini-camps have generated quite a bit of news. Highlights and lowlights caught my eye. Everything from the disaster in Dallas to Tom Brady's return. It's still too early for concrete predictions so lets take a look at some of what's been happening this off-season.

Brett Favre... decision to play again this year will be announced soon. Minnesota has shown great interest in Favre. Vikes are a young talented squad in desperate need of a field general and efficient QB. Favre got a bad rap in NY largely due to terrible play calling and Brett's risky passing attempts. If he feels healthy enough for another season... then the Vikings will challenge in NFC Central.

Terrell Owens... will this full of himself star ever shut up and put up??? His former QB's and coaches are all glad he's gone to play for other teams. His latest outburst was to diss Dallas players. I laugh whenever I hear Terrell the "Drop-a-holic" Owens complain. I think he complains much more consistently than he catches footballs. He's a major distraction. In his San Francisco days he was all over QB Garcia in the press. It got much worse with his public fued against McNabb in Philly. Now, as a new member of Buffalo's Bills, he's taking cheap shots at Tony Romo and Cowboys Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett. Throughout 2008, TO was very critical of playcalling. He often sounded paranoid accussing Romo and Witten of conspiring against him. Cried foul claiming Romo & Witten conspired to call plays meant for them and not him. Poor baby. If T.O. was a true play maker than he'd be an impact player. He's not. On paper, his stats usually seem outstanding. He's approaching 1,000 career catches and 15,000 receiving yards. But, I wonder... how many career drops? Last year, in between his constant complaining of not getting the ball often enough, TO dropped 10. Owens also gave up on running routes hard during games frustrating players, coaches & fans. Worse yet, he shows off his pearly whites after most blunders. He's never been a team player. Now he's in Buffalo. The Bills didn't win one single game vs AFC East rivals in '08. They're not looking much better getting ready for '09. TO has already missed voluntary workouts & team meetings. How long to you think it is before TO rips apart clubhouse continuity in Buffalo? I give it until loss number 3.

Dallas Cowboys... training facility blew apart in heavy winds a few weeks ago. 12 people were injured including a team scout who was left paralyzed from the waste down. Recent news broke claiming one of the contractor's employees consulted for strengthening the complex wasn't licensed. It gets worse... he's an ex-con who falsified his employment and education records. Somehow he managed to dupe everyone. His credentials were only checked out after the mishap.

Tom Brady... is back on the practice field after sitting out 99% of 2008. New England is hoping he bounces back quickly. Pats played fairly well without him (11-5) but failed to qualify for the playoffs. Brady is a leader and proven winner on the field. New England quickly becomes favorites to win AFC East again in hopes of returning to top dog in AFC. If he's healthy and ready to go... they're the best.

New York, New York... Favre is gone and the future is in. Mark Sanchez was selected by the Jets as their QB of the future. Heavy hype is surrounding this kid and the Jets wasted no time promoting their young star to be. He just finished up a GQ swimsuit shoot surrounded by stunning models. Rumors swirling he's hot and heavy with Hilary Rhoda. I hope this guy isn't burnt out by first snap.On the Giants side of town they're still looking for game breaking wide receivers to replace veteran fan favorite Amani Toomer & troubled gun toting Plaxico Burress. Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina) was their first draft pick. Rumors of Cleveland's Edwards and a few others have made local headlines but no deals have been finalized. Manning's offense needs a playmaker before NY can make a legit run for the title.

Detroit Lions... their biggest decision heading into this years draft was whether or not to trade away NFL's #1 pick. They opted to sign top rated QB Matt Stafford (Georgia). Their 2nd first round pick was TE Brandon Pettigrew. As a matter of fact, I believe their top four picks in this years draft could pay immediate dividends. Detroit can only go up after a record setting 0-16 season. Or will they repeat? Don't look now, but the Lions could be sitting pretty reshaping the lowliest franchise in the NFL. It's all on the coaching staff to teach these guys how to play NFL football.

Stay tuned in the coming days for periodic NFL updates, news, chatter and predictions.

SportsRagePage.com

(www.allworldallsports.com)

In A New York Minute...

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-Digger's Daily-

Baseball's 2009 regular season is one game old. In a New York minute, sportswriters have lambasted the Yankees and declared the Mets champions.

"BirdBathia"; "Dreadful Debuts"; "New Stars Fizzle as Yanks Absorb a Beating"; "CC Struggles an Eye-Opener".. were just some of the headlines in New York sports sections after Baltimore ripped the Yanks. Talk radio was all over CC & Teixeira. Blogs clucking of how the Yanks wasted $400M via free agency.

CC did stink it up yesterday in Baltimore. But give the guy a break. His first game as a Yankee. It's time for reporters to take a breath and give their keyboards a rest. It's one game. The Yankees are one of baseball's best. Yesterday was a bump in the road. Nothing more. Yanks will win over 100 games in '09 unless injuries rip apart their roster.

Now, on the other side of town headlines paid tribute to the new look Mets bullpen. Mets relievers were pounded in back to back September debacles. Newbies Sean Green, JJ Putz and single season save record holder (62) Francisco Rodriguez fired blanks to protect Santana's opening day win. Mets had a few struggles at the plate but a win is a great way to wash over any opening day short comings. World Series chatter is already brewing out of Flushing. I'd feel better about a WS appearance if Santana could start all 162 games. Mets starting staff could be 2009's problem. After Santana, consistency might tough to find.

New York is a funny town. Things change on a dime. If the Yanks beat up Baltimore by 5 tomorrow... reporters will be star struck all over again. If the Mets lose one, they'll be in the sniper's eye. It's a tough city if you're crazy enough believe what you read.

(www.allworldallsports.com)

Baseball's Opening Day.. Creating New Memories, Reliving Times Past!

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-Digger's Daily-

Major League Baseball's 2009 Opening Day is finally here!

Opening day has different meanings to millions of fans and players everywhere. New seasons intensify many emotions from pennant dreams to memories of times past on and off the field. Moments defined by "where were you when....?" events that changed or highlighted America's favorite pastime. Some of these historical "Where were you when's...?" include: Jackie Robinson's first game; Lou Gehrig's final game; Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard Around the World"; 1969 Mets World Series; 1986 Mets Game 6 victory over Boston? Bucky "(expletive)" Dent? Roger Maris' 61st home run? 2004 Boston "Reverse the Curse" Red Sox stunning come from behind 4 games to 3 ALCS win over Yankees on their way to World Series Championship fame and glory. The list is endless.

In days of old, fans huddled around the nearest radio listening to their home team's opening game. Some kids ditching a school day to buy bleacher tickets. Even grown adults calling into work sick.

Today's technologies afford fans diverse opportunities to catch games from local and satellite radio, ESPN, MLBTV, podcasts, local tv etc. Fans no longer need to miss school or work for a front row seat to watch the action.

My all time favorite moment used to be having a catch with my dad. Every opening day we would either stand in our yard or head to local park and play catch. Sometimes it was early in the morning before school or after he returned home from a long day of work... there was rarely a moment either one of us passed up an opportunity to burn a few fastballs at each other.

Those days are long gone. 2009 is a new year, a new season. New memories will be made for millions of fans and players. So go ahead parents... have a catch with your kid(s). In years to come today's memories will become new "where were you when...?" questions.

An exciting season for New Yorkers. Both teams have tremendous brand new state of the art stadiums. Yankee Stadium and Citi Field will be the talk of the town for a new generation of baseball in the Big Apple.

Old Time Hockey

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by Digger

NHL '08-09 has been an action packed season. Three teams have dominated rinks from city to city (Boston, San Jose, Detroit). The Boston Bruins are back. I used to be a big Bruins and Rangers fan growing up (odd combo... rival teams).

The game has changed from generation to generation. Back in the late 60's early 70's pounding physical play dominated games. Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Rangers, Chicago, Buffalo, Vancouver, and probably a few others left off, were the rough house teams. After the Bobby Orr/Phil Esposito era in Boston things shifted to the Terry O'Reilly, Peter McNabb, Rick Middleton, Ray Bourque era. Great teams, hard hitting play but slow. Slow skating skills doomed them during playoff finals vs speedskating Montreal and later on in the 90's vs Gretzky's Oilers. Classic Bruins Playoff fights included a Terry O'Reilly triple header vs Islanders. He fought Gillies twice (draw) and then was induced into a 3rd by Garry Howatt (auto game ejection).
Rangers vs Islanders always seem to play classic games. Late 70's, early 80's were tops. Many of hockey's greats skated in these matchups. New York vs Philadelphia left plenty of rinks discolored. Chicago vs Vancouver were known to set a few penalty records.

Hockey has produced many mini-dynasties. Montreal Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups than any other. Their successes began back in 1918. Detroit is another super organization fielding Championship calibur teams and Hall of Famers.

Baseball does a great job replaying old classic games. Not enough old NHL games are rebroadcast. There were some great Finals and even better early round matches. Toronto vs Islanders quarters in '78 was one of my all time favorites. 1979 it was Montreal in game 7 OT vs Boston (Semi's). 1994 Rangers/Devils epic 7 game thriller (3 OT's including 7th). 1979 Challenge Cup Series (NHL All Stars vs USSR). Washington vs Islanders kept many fans awake during wee hours watching double and triple OT thillers. Plenty of others series which would be too cumbersome to list here.

This season, Boston vs Detroit for all the marbles would make a great Finals. Two storied franchises going toe to toe. Bruins have two great goalies in Thomas and Fernandez. Offense and defense have been firing on all cylinders. Detroit keeps cranking out great team after great team. Wings D is a bit shaky this year but they keep winning. San Jose is probably the only NHL team capable of taking Boston in a deep series. Only 8 losses and won't lose many more.

Hockey is one sport which hasn't had too many Hollywood hits. Miracle (USA Olympic story) and Slap Shot (comedy) are the only two coming to mind. Mystery, Alaska was a good movie but far from a box office hit. There's plenty of untold old time hockey stories which could make great sports flicks. Maybe in years to come?

Resurrecting the Knickerbockers

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by Digger

2000-01 was the last winning basketball season in New York (team history). Six Head Coaches endured losing seasons as Knicks teams disgraced one of the leagues most famous franchises. GM/Coach Isiah Thomas was finally driven out amid swirling controversies on and off the court.

New York's resurrection began with the firing of Thomas and hiring of two key cogs for years to come. New President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh (former Indiana Pacers Prez) impact has already been felt. He's slashed payroll and improved team cohesiveness. After a couple of key early season trades NY finds itself sitting pretty well below the salary cap. NY papers and Garden faithful quickly started cheering for LeBron James. Speculation ran amuck suggesting Walsh's deals were aimed at better positioning NY to sign James when he becomes a free agent. Garden fans will be howling for him tonight when Cleveland squares off vs NY.

New Coach Mike D'Antoni has reshaped how the Knicks play ball. Early results are already paying huge dividends with his team challenging for post-season play. NY closed out January 9-7, their first winning month in a long time. Even with Kobe setting a new MSG scoring record (61 points)... the Knicks are playing tough hoops. Big challenge #2 is Cleveland. James is probably dreaming of winning over New Yorkers by smashing Bryant's 61.

My guess is it'll be a different superstar, not LeBron, wearing Knicks colors after this year. Cavs would be absolutely insane not to keep the leagues best player. Anything short of pulling off a Hershal Walker type trade would doom them for years to come.

D'Antoni's Knick resurrection is a work in progress. It's amazing how quickly two people who actually know something about the game can turn around a struggling organization. The past seven years were wasted on overpriced underachieving brick tossers making headlines for misconduct more often than wins. This is a young team with a bright future playing inspired basketball game in and game out.

Go Knicks!

"The Yankee Years" - Joe Torre Swings Away!

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The SportsRagePage (www.sportsragepage.com)
Sports Sections of the World

by Digger

Joe Torre comes out swinging in his new book about turmoil within the Yankees. Sunday's online edition of the New York Post (01/25/09) suggests Torre's "explosive" book gets a bit personal in attacks against Alex Rodriguez and GM Brian Cashman.

Leave it to the New York media types to create another controversy. NY reporting all state Torre's book is seems revenge filled. Interesting to then read ESPN excerpts stating:"... it's "inaccurate'' to suggest that Torre used it (book) as a forum to get even with the Yankees or settle old scores. The source said some of the controversial angles being reported in the New York tabloids have been taken out of context or "overblown."

According to ESPN, The Yankee Years, "... is a third-person narrative by Verducci (Sports Illustrated), who interviewed dozens of players and team personnel while researching for the book..."

As for the juicy tidbits, expect more and more as the book release date nears (February 3). Some of the highlights:-Alex "ARod" Rodriguez was called "A-Fraud" by teammates because of a "Single White female" obsession filled rivalry with team captain Derek Jeter. -GM Cashman criticized for not being supportive during contract negotiations just before Torre rejected a lame Yankees offer. -Team doctors informed owner George Steinbrenner of Torre's cancer diagnosis before telling Torre.

Anyone who remembers the Yankees-Torre relationship in the closing days knows it wasn't pretty. NY media hounded Torre and Yankees players. Often calling for Torre to be fired and replaced by Joe Girardi, Lou Piniella, Don Mattingly or Bobby Valentine. Yanks began 2007 slowly as the headlines roared before turning it on in mid-July. Their failure to win another World Series irked the Boss. They continued player shopping and handing out whopping contracts to players who turned to mud in October (ARod, Giambi, Randy Johnson). Outspoken Boss had publicly cut down coaches, most notably Don Zimmer and Mel Stottlemyre. The Yanks haven't been the same since their departure.

Before Joe took the helm, George Steinbrenner made 18 managerial changes since the Yanks last one a World Series (1978). In his first 5 seasons, Torre's Yankees won 4 Championships and were a perfect 12 for 12 qualifying for post-season play. Joe's best revenge, as the 2nd winningest manager in team history, was watching the 2008 Yankees fail to make the playoffs... and Torre's new team (LA Dodgers) won the National League West.

Torre had every legitimate reason to be disgruntled when regecting the Yankees lame one year incentive driven contract offer before agreeing to a multi-year deal to manage Los Angeles. 10 American League East Titles, 2 Wild Cards, 4 World Series Championships, 5 American League Championships. Results created Yankee Stadium attendance records, new television contracts and birth of YES Network, record mechandising sales, licensing fees, price increases etc. Guess what else his tutelage brought to NY? Millions of dollars in public financing for the "New" Yankee Stadium.

Torre's guidance resurrected a flailing Yankees Dynasty.

Until I get my hands on a copy of this book I'll choose to stay with my current impressions of Joe Torre no matter how the spin reads before release date. Don't forget, publishers are looking to sell books so don't get lost in the self created pre-release firestorm via juicy headlines. Joe deserves all the respect he's earned. He stayed relatively silent in public affording the Boss, fans, players and coaches all due respects. He guided a team surrounded by a media circus for over a decade. He was an inspiration during the aftermath of September 11. A cancer survivor. Philanthropist. Winner!

So, if Joe let off a little steam in a book... good for him. He lived through many New York storms. I'm certain "The Yankee Years" doesn't focus on negative chastising. At the same time, it'll be fun reading the behind the scenes stuff he never spoke of publicly while it was happening. A must read for Yankee fans. Intriguing read for millions of Yankees haters.