On the Jets and whether the Steelers are the Yankees of the NFL

I watched the AFC Championship Game with Squawker Jon on Sunday, and I felt like somebody punched me in the stomach during the first half. So that's what it means to root for the Jets? Yikes!

At least the Jets showed some real fight after getting knocked down, the way the Yankees really didn't in last year's ALCS, so they've got that going for them.

But so much for my great "Jets are gonna win the Super Bowl" prediction. Grrrrrr. It figures that the Rex Ryan tribute t-shirt I ordered didn't arrive until Monday, just in time for me to miss wearing it during the game. Kind of like how the Jets' offense got there a little too late for them to win. Anyhow, Jon noted that at least I only had a day pass for the Jets' bandwagon! Heh.

I cannot claim to be a "long-suffering Jets fan," but I do have experience, though, waiting for a long time for a team I root for to win. It was 18 years between championships for the Yankees. And it was over 35 years between Texas Longhorns football titles, and given that the previous one happened when I was in the playpen, I basically waited my entire life for that championship.

Anyhow, I griped to Squawker Jon Sunday that I couldn't possibly root for Pittsburgh, as I was sick of seeing them over and over in the Super Bowl. He noted that some baseball fans felt the same way about seeing the Yankees in the World Series. To which my brother later noted, the Yanks have only been in one WS since 2003!

So, despite whatever parallels there are between the Steelers and the Yankees, I will be rooting for Green Bay -- what better way to stick it to Brett Favre than to have them win it all without him! 

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Brett Favre, Derek Jeter, and why the whole "Face of the Franchise" concept is way overrated

It's hard to think of Brett Favre these days in a positive way, but there was a time, not all that long ago, when Favre actually used to be arguably the most admired and respected players in football. He had a humble, aw-shucks persona the media and fans loved.

Then he started believing all the hype, and started thinking he was bigger than whatever team he's on. Now Favre, once known as a team-first athlete, has become shorthand for describing the me-first type of player who puts himself above the team. My brother derisively refers to the Vikings as the Minnesota Favres, because everything is all about making Brett happy.

I can't help but look at how much Derek Jeter wants in these contract negotiations, and hear how his agent Casey Close is baffled by the Yankees' stance here, and wonder that Jeter is becoming the new Favre. I've heard some fans say that the Yanks have to give Jeter whatever he wants because he's the face of the franchise. Because it's "his team." Because Jeter will be unhappy if they don't give him $25 million a year for as long as he wants to play. Because fans will stop rooting for the team if Jeter is gone.

Excuse me? I root for the New York Yankees, not the New York Jeters. When A-Rod opted out, I didn't walk out with him, even though I was a big fan of his. Just the opposite -- I was furious that he cost the Yankees money, and said "good riddance."

What does this whole "face of the franchise" thing mean, anyway? It seems to be incongruous to what Jeter is supposed to represent. One of the few things I like about Red Sox fans is the way they refer to the 2004 Boston team as "the 25." Not just Curt Schilling, or David Ortiz, or Manny Ramirez, but the entire team as the whole.

But calling Jeter the "face of the franchise" that the media and some fans are pushing elevates Jeter as being bigger than the team. Very strange, especially since the captain has defined himself, and his supporters have defined him, as being the team-first guy. The opposite of the 24-and-1 player. The lifelong Yankee fan whose dream from childhood was to wear the pinstripes. The gutty, gritty player who will do whatever it takes to win. He never was as good a player as A-Rod, but he was supposed to be a better person. A better leader. Somebody who put the Yankees above himself. What are all those intangibles about, after all?

Now we're seeing a different side of Jeter than the media has shown us for the past 15 years. And now we're hearing about how the Yankees have to give an aging shortstop with a .710 OPS whatever he wants, or he'll pout. I keep on coming back to this, when I hear about Jeter's ridiculous contract demands -- he wanted as much as a six-year, $150 million deal after the worst year of his career. Imagine how much he'd be asking for if he had had a good season!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Jet fans should chant "Pants on the Ground" to Brett Favre

Longtime Squawker readers know that Brett Favre is my least favorite NFL player. So I've been gleeful to hear about him being accused of "sexting," as the kids call it. And I think I have the perfect chant for Jets Nation to do at the New Meadowlands Stadium Monday night in honor of Favre -- "Pants on the Ground!"

Remember last winter, when Favre and the Vikings won a playoff game, and he led the team in a rousing rendition of the "Pants on the Ground" song from "American Idol"? (See video below.) Well, given those nude photos Favre allegedly sent Jets employee Jenn Sterger, that phrase has a whole new meaning! "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!"



Look, I pretty much expect most athletes to cheat on their spouses. But to reportedly hit on an employee of the Jets' organization -- and to get somebody in the Jets to get contact info for her to do so -- is a bit much.

Not to mention those X-rated photos. Favre is one of the most famous athletes in America; how reckless is it to allegedly send at least three different shots of his genitals to somebody who wasn't interested? What a creep.

Anyhow, I hope Jets fans sing "Pants on the Ground" back at Favre. And maybe a J-E-R-K JERK JERK JERK chant, too! What fun!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Brett Favre and Roger Clemens: Are they the same person?

I was watching last night's New Orleans Saints-Minnesota Vikings game, and the media's Brett Favre worship drove me to write this on Facebook (click here to friend me): "Is there anybody more insufferable, more self-aggrandizing in the NFL than Brett Favre? That is all."

I got a lot of positive responses to that status update, and I also got people "liking" this subsequent comment on Favre: "He's like Roger Clemens with a Mississippi drawl, instead of a Texas accent."

Anyhow, I expanded my rant into this article for The Faster Times, "Do Brett Favre and Roger Clemens Share the Same Brain?" Check it out. And while you're there, also check out my article about the three Mets who skipped out on going to Walter Reed.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

How I ticked off an entire state with my craven desire for Joe Mauer

Minnesota Twins fans aren't taking too kindly to my column yesterday about how I think Joe Mauer will be a Yankee in 2011. In fact, they're up in arms over my shameless coveting of their team's best player. Imagine that.

Here's the story. In "AL MVP Joe Mauer - A Future Yankee," I wrote, "Why wouldn't he want to be a Yankee? Playing for the Bombers is the stuff dreams are made of!"

For some strange reason, Twins fans weren't exactly pleased over this post. Twin Cities fan Two Seam Fastblog was not amused, writing this in our comments section:

This needs to stop. Because you know what, Yankee fans, Mauer's not coming to you. You can't have him, because the Twins can afford him, and since they CAN afford him, they will retain him. Check back in 7 years, then maybe you can try a 33 year old Mauer. That seems fair. But if the Twins can offer 120M to Santana, they can offer 140M to Mauer. We have a new stadium. We have payroll room. We're not THAT small market, despite what a lot of Twins fans will lead you to believe.

Speaking of that new stadium, what's the over/under for snowouts? Ten?

TwoSeam continues:

Do you realize that every move the Twins' front office makes has to be passively approved by Mauer? He wanted the team to do something in terms of trades this past season. I give you, Carl Pavano, Orlando Cabrera, Jon Rauch, Ron Mahay, JJ Hardy. We locked up his best friend, Justin Morneau. He was asked for input on our new uniforms, for gods sake.

I'm snickering over how much former Yankee Carl Pavano has turned his career around in that he was actually a hot property for a playoff race this year. And yes, he did bring his A-game to the postseason. Too bad A-Rod beat him with his own A-game!

Yeah, you joyless bastards can dream, but I suppose you'll just have to rely on one of the most catching rich farm systems in baseball for 7 more years. Or for Brian McCann. Whatever. I'm just sick of you trivializing breaking the collective hearts of an entire region of the country. Because that's what losing Mauer would do to us. He isn't important to just Minnesota, but parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas. We kept Kirby Puckett on one of the biggest contracts in history (WOW SAME AGENT AS MAUER), and we'll keep Joe. Screw you guys.

So if Mauer becomes a Yankee, we'll have broken the hearts of not just a state, but a whole region of the U.S.? Cool!

C'mon, TwoSeam. Do you think this shameless play to my emotions will sway me? Remember, I'm a Yankee fan. I have no heart!

The commenter continued this argument at the blog Two Seam Fastblog.  Go there to read more of the case against this Squawker, in a post entitled "Thy Heartless New Yorkers shalt no longer Covet our Dear Mauer." I love it!


The Over The Baggy Twins fan site linked to my column as well; they were also not thrilled with Yankee fans drooling over Mauer.

And other Minnesota fans wrote into Subway Squawkers to give me grief. Myjah said:

Mauer isn't going to become a Yankee. Want to know why?

"I've had a chance to go up in the deer stand a few times, and everyone here knows that when you're up in the deer stand you think about a lot of different things," Mauer quipped. "Just about the type of year we had as a team, the run that we had. I think coming into the season, my goal personally was just to stay on the field. To be here sitting today and being the MVP is more than I could have ever imagined."

Yeah--up in his DEER STAND, probably by his log cabin in the middle of nowhere where he does things like mow his own lawn.

Do you really think Joe is aching to live/play in New York City so he can make even more millions of dollars?

The Twins will offer him the biggest contract in Twins history. With their new stadium, they can afford Joe. He'll stay in Minnesota by his grandparents (who come to every Twins game) and his deer stand. That's just the type of guy he is.

I used to live in Texas, where the opening day of deer season is as highly anticipated an event among hunters as the opening of the new "Twilight" movie is among teenagers. And this deer-hunting event happens everywhere in November. So Mauer could be a Yankee, and still come home to Minnesota and shoot to his heart's content in the offseason. Come to think of it, we have deer-hunting in the tri-state area as well. And with all the money Mauer could make as a Yankee, he could build the most souped-up deer stand ever, and wear an NY camouflage hat to boot!


John from Minneapolis did not think the possibility of endorsement money would not be what might sway Mauer to become a Yankee. He suggested a different reason:

I think that the lure of the pinstripes, in the sense of being part of a historic, championship organization, will be more of an enticement for Mauer than money. I think he really does want to play on a World Series team, and that will decide whether he stays in Minny or not.

I'm just waiting for when Mauer claims he grew up idolizing Don Mattingly, the way Mark Teixeira claimed in his first Yankee press conference.

By the way, Minnesota fans, I despise Brett Favre. My hatred for the Minnesota Vikings quarterback is long-standing and deep. I look forward to when he turns into a pumpkin again, the way Roger Clemens did in the 2007 ALDS. So there!


Photo by Keith Allison

What do you think? Vote in our Joe Mauer poll at the top of the page, and leave us a comment!

Who's more annoying? Brett Tomko or Brett Favre?

As if I weren't in a bad enough mood over Monday night's Yankee loss to Brett Tomko (!), Brett Favre is deciding to unretire. Sheesh.

First, the Yanks. What a nightmare Monday's game was. It's one thing to have a stinker of a game like Sunday's, but Monday's was much worse. Brett Tomko seemed to have channeled Carl Pavano's vengeance model. And for the A's to shut out the Yankees in only the Bombers' fourth shutout of  the year is just plain wrong. I got angrier as the game went on.

Then there's the other Brett getting on my nerves. Please excuse me for this non-baseball rant, but Favre is sucking up all the sports media oxygen right now. He's going to hold the media hostage - again- with the "all Brettt Favre all the time" coverage, now that he's about to be a Minnesota Viking. Talk about somebody who doesn't know when to give it up. And in going to the Vikings, he isn't just burn that bridge with Green Bay - he's napalming it.

Aside from the fact that I find Favre overrated (for one thing, he has as many rings as Trent Dilfer does), I also find him completely insufferable. He's as obnoxious and as self-serving as Roger Clemens is. Good grief.

It also annoys me how ESPN and others always say his full name. It's never "Favre" or "Brett" but "Brett Favre." Why is that, anyway?

Rant over. But who do you find more annoying - Brett Favre or Brett Tomko? Vote in our poll, and leave us a comment!

What are your favorite - and least favorite - 2008 baseball moments?

Happy New Year. Hope everybody is enjoying 2009. Since the baseball hot stove is not exactly simmering right now, I thought now would be a good time to ask readers about their favorite and least favorite baseball moments of 2008.

Wondering what Squawker Jon will pick for his favorite Met moments. I know what mine is - them blowing the last game of the year, for the second year in a row, and missing the playoffs, for the second game in a row. And then having their farewell to Shea ceremonies after that game. Nice!

And how about this - the Mets' Mike Pelfrey, who played Santa Claus for the team this year, showed he was woefully unqualified for the position. In an interview with MLB.com, Pelfrey could only name three of Santa's reindeer. Three! It's not like there was a song or anything about them - oh, wait.

Forget about Anna Benson as Mrs. Claus - Pelfrey's stunning lack of knowledge of the holiday classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," when he was set to play Kris Kringle for the kids, is the real Santa sacrilege.

I don't really have any on-the field fave Yankee picks from last year - that's what happens when the Yanks have a third-place finish - but my favorite Yankee moments of 2008 are Derek Jeter's speech at the final Stadium game, and the Yanks snatching Mark Teixeira from the Red Sox. (Update: I'm smacking myself upside the head for not writing about Mike Mussina getting 20 wins. Not exactly a good start to the year!)

My two least favorite Yankee moments for last year are the Yanks missing the playoffs, of course, and them re-signing Brian Cashman However, I do have to give him tons of credit for the Mark Teixeira deal, and for wooing CC Cabathia. And if Cash can re-sign Andy Pettitte, I will be even more pleased.

As for the Red Sox, my least favorite 2008 moment was Dustin Pedroia winning the AL MVP. My favorite moment would be any part of the delicious Manny Ramirez drama.

And on a football-related but Squawker-centric note, I did have to say that I am really enjoying seeing Brett Favre finally get his comeuppance a little this week. Guess he's not "Broadway Brett" any more. Jon, I told you this summer he was bad news for your Jets, and I was right. Favre shows up when he wants, thinks he's bigger than the team, and he makes his retirement decision into a drawn-out drama. He's your very own Roger Clemens!

Tell us your 2008 favorite and least favorite MLB moments! Leave us a comment.

Brett Favre triggers Tom Glavine flashback

At the end of the 2007, the Mets' late-season choke culminated with future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine closing out his New York career on the lowest of notes at home against a team from Miami.

This afternoon, future Hall of Famer Brett Favre most likely closed out his New York career (and his career overall) on the lowest of notes at home against a team from Miami.

At least Glavine and the Mets weren't defeated by a pitcher the team had released to make room for Glavine.

Though, come to think of it, a year later, the Marlins did close out the Mets with New York discard Matt Lindstrom on the mound.

The real pain of the Jets' season came last week when the Jets lost to Seattle, making their playoff chances a real longshot. But today the ugliness is starting to set in. Last week, I was comparing Favre to Pedro Martinez. This week, it's the unlamented Glavine.

It's probably just as well the season is over - if the Jets were playing next week, I'd probably end up comparing Favre to another great thrower who didn't know when to stay retired - Roger Clemens.

I still think the Jets had to make the move to get Favre. But the current Jets management is too quick to devalue players that don't fit into Eric Mangini's plans. Players such as Kevin Mawae, who made the Pro Bowl this year, Pete Kendall and Jonathan Vilma. At least the Jets got a top draft choice for John Abraham.

But not only did the Jets give away Chad Pennington for nothing, they let him go to a division rival. Compare that behavior to the Packers, who made sure Favre didn't end up on the Minnesota Vikings.

And to make Favre's day - and year - even worse, the Vikings also made the playoffs today behind mediocre quarterback Tavaris Jackson, whose QB rating today of 88.5 was almost double Favre's horrific 45.1 against the Dolphins.

If you add Jackson's and Favre's ratings together, the total is only slightly higher than Chad's division-clinching 113.2.

At least the Patriots missed the playoffs.

*

Aside from that, the only bright spot from today came when I looked at the box score from Glavine's last Met game and saw that of the eight pitchers the Mets used that day: Glavine, Jorge Sosa, El Duque, Scott Schoeneweis, Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano, Guillermo Mota and Aaron Heilman, only one of them, Feliciano, will still be with the Mets next year.

Is Brett Favre the Jets' Pedro Martinez?

Sorry, Squawker Lisa, I know this is a baseball blog, but on the day when the Jets season goes down in flames, I need to go off-topic.

I was even more excited about the Brett Favre deal than I was about the Pedro Martinez signing. And both moves got off to great starts. A month ago, there was even talk of a Subway Super Bowl.

But now the Jets are very likely out of the playoffs, since the Patriots and Ravens will almost certainly win their games next week against the sub-.500 Bills and Jaguars.

Assuming next Sunday's Jets-Dolphins game is moved to prime time, think of what the shivering fans will have to look forward to. The Jets, already eliminated, will be playing to prevent none other than Chad Pennington from marching over their carcasses to the playoffs.

And if the Jets manage to prevent Chad and the rest of the team put together by Bill Parcells from making the playoffs, they will only open the postseason door for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

I'm glad the Jets decided to go for it with Favre, but now it looks like he is out of gas. Maybe Favre has reached the age where he doesn't have a full season in him. Unfortunately, quarterbacks can't pull a Roger Clemens and show up in the middle of the year.

On the play that should be the final nail in Eric Mangini's coffin, going for it on fourth and four from his own 20 with under 2:30 to go and the Jets down, 10-3, Favre threw downfield into double coverage yet again.

Had the ball been intercepted, it would have been summed up the Jets' season, and Favre's likely only season with the Jets. And Favre did end up throwing another interception on the final drive.

But the fact that Favre actually hit Coles in double coverage, and that Coles briefly had the ball before it was knocked away, is what sums up being a Jet fan.