In the Clutch with Artem Altman
The New Year Sports Inauguration
Artem Altman
Issue date: 2/4/09 Section: Sports
After sitting idly for the last two months, I could not wait to discuss some of the things that have happened in the sports world since my last column. While there is a lot of ground to cover in a limited amount of space, I will start with this:
What could be more important than the inauguration of Barack Obama? "This is not sports news," you might say. Aha! I beg to differ! Not only is the inauguration of Barack Obama a pivotal point in our nation's history, it also introduces a true hoops enthusiast to the White House.
I am not going to say that basketball will leapfrog football and baseball as the number one sport in the nation, but it will surely bring about more enthusiasm to the game. Could you imagine the possibility of a foreign policy dispute being decided during the Olympics? Wouldn't it be easier to decide wars not on the battlefield but on the court? How about arranging a friendly game of b-ball between Palestine and Israel? Will that happen? Moving on!
For the second year in a row, Mark McGuire has been denied entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. While McGuire denies allegations that he used steroids, his reputation appears to be tainted until it is proven that he did not. Or would it be more palatable to find him unquestionably guilty?
While it is certainly up to each person to make up their own mind about whether or not McGuire used steroids, the contentious topic seems to be the reason behind the Baseball Writers Association of America decision to punish McGuire. Moving on! \
This time last year, the NY Giants were making their improbable run at the Super Bowl. Last season's success, however, appears to have quenched the team's thirst and led to some questionable decisions on the part of some players. And by "some" players, I obviously mean one particular player: Plaxico Burress (In the Clutch: No Time to Relax for Plax. 12/10/2008).
In an age when athlete's salaries are expanding exponentially and teams playing at a consistent championship level is considered a rarity (with the exception of the San Antonio Spurs and New England Patriots), franchises are now settling for one and done when it comes to winning championships.
After an improbable win over the Patriots, the Giants came into the season as one of the favorites to win it all again. However, by the season's end one piece was missing from the team- Burress: the main factor in the Giants' Super Bowl win over the Patriots. Was Burress being greedy? No. What crystallizes the situation is the sense of invincibility that Burress must have felt by having a gun with him in public. Thus, Burress not only shot himself in the leg, but also shot down any hopes the Giants had in repeating as champs. Moving on!
The NY Jets entered the current season with as much promise as the neighboring Giants. The gun slinging Bret Favre was supposed to bring the much-needed fervor to Gang Green, but things turned out very differently than planned.
Running out of steam at season's end, Favre was not able to push forth the Jets towards the playoffs. Would Chad Pennington have done a better job? Probably not. As things turned out, it was in the best interest of Pennington to move on. The Jets appeared to be rejuvenated by Favre's arrival, but not for long. Age catches up with everyone and not even the great Michael Jordan was able to force the Washington Wizards to win. Moving on!
I would like to end the first column of the New Year on a happy note, but baseball season is still months away and the Knicks don't really have anything noteworthy to talk about. Therefore, I would like to usher in the New Year with a promise that things will get better because we do still have the Rangers.
What could be more important than the inauguration of Barack Obama? "This is not sports news," you might say. Aha! I beg to differ! Not only is the inauguration of Barack Obama a pivotal point in our nation's history, it also introduces a true hoops enthusiast to the White House.
I am not going to say that basketball will leapfrog football and baseball as the number one sport in the nation, but it will surely bring about more enthusiasm to the game. Could you imagine the possibility of a foreign policy dispute being decided during the Olympics? Wouldn't it be easier to decide wars not on the battlefield but on the court? How about arranging a friendly game of b-ball between Palestine and Israel? Will that happen? Moving on!
For the second year in a row, Mark McGuire has been denied entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. While McGuire denies allegations that he used steroids, his reputation appears to be tainted until it is proven that he did not. Or would it be more palatable to find him unquestionably guilty?
While it is certainly up to each person to make up their own mind about whether or not McGuire used steroids, the contentious topic seems to be the reason behind the Baseball Writers Association of America decision to punish McGuire. Moving on! \
This time last year, the NY Giants were making their improbable run at the Super Bowl. Last season's success, however, appears to have quenched the team's thirst and led to some questionable decisions on the part of some players. And by "some" players, I obviously mean one particular player: Plaxico Burress (In the Clutch: No Time to Relax for Plax. 12/10/2008).
In an age when athlete's salaries are expanding exponentially and teams playing at a consistent championship level is considered a rarity (with the exception of the San Antonio Spurs and New England Patriots), franchises are now settling for one and done when it comes to winning championships.
After an improbable win over the Patriots, the Giants came into the season as one of the favorites to win it all again. However, by the season's end one piece was missing from the team- Burress: the main factor in the Giants' Super Bowl win over the Patriots. Was Burress being greedy? No. What crystallizes the situation is the sense of invincibility that Burress must have felt by having a gun with him in public. Thus, Burress not only shot himself in the leg, but also shot down any hopes the Giants had in repeating as champs. Moving on!
The NY Jets entered the current season with as much promise as the neighboring Giants. The gun slinging Bret Favre was supposed to bring the much-needed fervor to Gang Green, but things turned out very differently than planned.
Running out of steam at season's end, Favre was not able to push forth the Jets towards the playoffs. Would Chad Pennington have done a better job? Probably not. As things turned out, it was in the best interest of Pennington to move on. The Jets appeared to be rejuvenated by Favre's arrival, but not for long. Age catches up with everyone and not even the great Michael Jordan was able to force the Washington Wizards to win. Moving on!
I would like to end the first column of the New Year on a happy note, but baseball season is still months away and the Knicks don't really have anything noteworthy to talk about. Therefore, I would like to usher in the New Year with a promise that things will get better because we do still have the Rangers.
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