SCOTT JACOBS

Sports are our escape.  They give us hope, they allow us to dream, and they give us that something special to latch on to, good times and bad.  It’s like that line in Fever Pitch, where Ben proclaims that the Red Sox are his family.  If a game gets rained out, they make it up to you.  How many other people in your life do that?

But our escape from the real world, is quickly escaping through the back door.  Sports teams are not bullet proof.  Contrary to their staggeringly large and expensive stadiums, and their wildly rich owners, and plethora of team employees, sports teams are not recession proof.  They have the potential of falling, just like any of us.  They have the potential of going under just like any small business.  Only they don’t make a cartoon sounding splat as they crumble.  They leave their city shaking from sadness.

After 9/11 happened I remember them cancelling all sports events.  I didn’t understand it.  Why in this time of horror and despair, would we cancel the entertainment that allows us to escape?  I couldn’t make sense that these larger than life franchises were comprised of people, even some regular people at that.  And so they stopped playing.  For almost a week.  When they took the field, I felt that everything could move forward again.  Shallow thinking, but who could blame me, for wanting to get immersed in something that wasn’t life or death?

Fast forward to the present day.  The economy is drowning in it’s own misery, and small businesses, just like big businesses are going down the tubes left and right.  Circuit City, previously that well known company that competed with Best Buy for television ad supremacy has now stooped to a level of selling broken TV’s and making all sales final.  NBA teams are taking loans.  Eleven of them in fact.

The whole country is in shambles.  Some people are worse than others.  The Phoenix Coyotes are losing their shirts, and apparently since 2003 they’ve lost upwards of $200 million.  But it’s only getting worse.  Despite huge, lavish contracts that stars like C.C. Sabathia and Albert Haynesworth are getting, all is not well in our favorite entertainment field.

Being a sports fan is tough. When you commit to a team, they become part of you.  A friend of mine is a diehard Eagles fan, and considered Brian Dawkins a part of his family (they weren’t related), so it had to of killed him when the longest tenured Eagle signed with Denver on Saturday.

But it goes beyond that.  The econony is a joke.  The people paying for tickets to watch their favorite teams play are losing their shirts.  Their teams are trying not to lose money.  “You play to win the game,” has turned into, “You play not to go under.”

In the NFL the average price for Super Bowl XLIII was the cheapest in years, even though it still hovered around the $2000 line.  In the NBA expiring contracts are more popular than popular players.  Get me the guy who can’t play, but is soon going to expire, and I’ll trade you my in his prime super star.

The NBA in particular has become really hard to watch.  How can you root for a team when its owner is pinching pennies, and has been for a few years now, even when they had the opportunity to truly do something special?  Yes, I’m talking about the Suns.  Even when they thought Amar’e Stoudemire would be healthy, they still tried to deal him.  Don’t want Amar’e?  How about Shaq?

Once upon a time teams tried to get better.  Now it seems, they’re trying to get worse.  Because to lose less money they have to get rid of salary.  It’s tough to watch during a time where hope is at a premium, and gas prices are a solid two dollars less than what they were over the summer.

Sports is supposed to be our escape.  But in Freemont, they don’t want the A’s.  Reportedly, the Kings are losing tons of money in Sacramento.  Even winning teams like the Heat with a star atraction like D-Wade can’t fill up the first few rows of their relatively new arenas.

They say that everyone is priming themselves for the 2010 offseason when LeBron and Wade will become free agents, but I’m starting to believe that less and less.  Is it possible that teams don’t know what the future holds, and want as few obligations as possible as they navigate themselves through this rough financial time?

Is it possible that winning is not everything?

Teams aren’t doing everything possible to win anymore.  Fans are too broke to witness it in person.

Sponsors are pulling out left and right.  Suddenly, a team like the Florida Marlins, who’ve been penny pinching for years, look like the trendsetters.  They spend nothing, and somehow every now and then they get something.  But even their future is uncertain, for no one wants to give them that dream stadium of their’s in Miami.  At this point can you blame ‘em?  They don’t draw fans, they don’t have a good owner, so who’s to think that a stadium would be a wise financial investment at this juncture?

Guys like Jerry Jones are few and far between.  The Cowboys will open up their brand new palace of a stadium this coming season, and Jones paid for it himself.

But it sucks.  It truly does.  I wrote that a few months ago, when the Knicks and other teams were trading good players for garbage cap space.  No one pays to watch cap space.  They pay to see the best teams that their owner can put on the floor.

But there is no true escape anymore.  Because our problems can’t be solved by turning to their franchises. Their franchises are suffering in the same way that we are.  Sports teams are laying off employees left and right.  A Secure job?  That’s a thing of the past.

Some say a lockout in 2011 in the NBA is inevitable.  Others point to the NFL as a league also heading towards a lockout.

I like to think that sports will go on forever.  That the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL could never die.  They could never just shut down.  But that reality seems murkier now than ever.  The solid ground those sports once built their success on is now shaky.  The uncertainty in the air is much scarier than its been in a long time.

Maybe I’m just over-reacting, and getting caught up in the scary idea that sports, our escape, are having trouble alluding their own Shaquille O’Neal shoe sized problems.  Maybe I’m jumping the gun here.

And maybe everything will sort itself out.  Because in times like these we need sports.  Never underestimate the power of escape.

Photo: AP by Eric Risberg

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SCOTT JACOBS

You can’t help but wonder what is in the water in Florida. Or what they’re feeding these guys in Florida. Or something, anything at all, to explain the state that just refuses to lose. We’re talking about Florida. The same state that decided the 2000 election, is also the same state that just refuses to lose when October comes around. What am I talking about? Well, after Tampa Bay won today, the Sunshine State improved to 27-13 in the playoffs, and a perfect (make that sterling) seven for seven in playoff series.

The Marlins won the World Series in both 1997 and 2003, and have made the playoffs twice since their inception in 1993. They’ve had just five winning seasons, and every time they break 90 wins, they win the Wild Card and take home the World Series. Tampa Bay’s story is just as amazing. Sure, they haven’t won anything — yet– besides a huge fanbase cheering on the underdogs, but after nine years in the basement and one year in fourth, this year’s first place Rays are two wins away from the Fall Classic, and six away from another Sunshine State post-season romp.

The moral here: it’s a bad idea to bet against Florida. You don’t mess with Florida. The Marlins were underdogs in every series they played, and they won ‘em all. The Rays were given some chance to beat the Red Sox, but most people weren’t going to go against the defending champs. Well, how about now?

And it would be a shame to forget about Philadelphia’s stunning come from behind win over the Dodgers on Monday. With their 7-5 win, the Phils took a commanding 3-1 series lead in this best of seven NLCS, and took one step closer to advancing to their first World Series since 1993. But this is bigger then just the pennant. The Phillies are closing in on a chance to end a long string of Liberty Bell sports infamy, 25 years without a NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL championship.

And wouldn’t it be ironic? The Phillies have been around for 125 years, and have one World title. The Rays, in their eleventh season of play, are six wins away from tying them.

There’s a lot of baseball left to play, but it looks like that Dodgers-Red Sox series that so many of you predicted last week, is growing more unlikely by the day.

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SCOTT JACOBS

So this just in: the Mets did it! They won. They finally won. The Mets won their coin flip determining the tie breaker between them and the Brewers in terms of who would play where if the two tied to end the regular season. O, you thought I meant they clinched something of relevance? Ha!

This just in too: Pat White probably regrets his decision to come back for his senior year. Look, school and graduation is all fine and dandy, but c’mon, two losses in the first three games? It’s not like West Virginia is playing USC and Texas. No, they’re playing (and losing) to the likes of East Carolina and Colorado. What’s a matter? North Dakota was taken?

The Marlins are pulling a Will Ferrel and they’re going streaking! They’ve won nine in a row and have crept slowly back into the “they actually still have a mathematical shot if they basically win the rest of their games” discussion. Not on the list: Detroit. And you thought the third highest payroll in baseball bought you the post-season? Yeah, right, you can’t even buy the post-season with the highest. Back to the drawing board in Detroit.

Interesting news out of New York where the Yankees have announced they will allow fans onto the field for the final home game at Yankee Stadium. It’s a fascinating idea given the nature of pro sports’ “look don’t touch” mantra, and I think it’s great. Allowing the fans access to the field and monument park one last time before the tare the whole kitten cabodle down is nothing short of brilliant. It’s a throwback to Yankee Stadium’s earlier years where running onto the field during a game wasn’t that unheard of.

Auburn plays LSU in a top 10 match-up Saturday. What’s missing? The “these truly are two top 10 teams part.” I certainly don’t feel like the Tigers (of Auburn) are top 10 caliber. Three points? Three points in a 3-2 win over Mississippi State is top notch? Uh, no. Which is why the Tigers (who I think are also over-rated) will trounce the Tigers this weekend, before falling out of the top 10 shortly thereafter. Did you get that? Tigers over Tigers. It’s a bold pick, but I feel good about it happening.

Kansas State running back Leon Patton was dismissed from the team yesterday after get this- he abused a baby. You know the stupid line, “I’m so angry I could kick a baby.” Well, Patton took the idea pretty literally. He shook a two month old boy. And Riley County Police charged the running back with child abuse. Not surprisingly Patton was already on you guessed it- probation- after the former Wildcat was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license and it was discovered he stole two video games from Walmart. And people wonder where the idiot-jock stereotype comes from.

Joey Harrington has found a new gig. In the Crescent City. Yup, Harrington signed with the Saints yesterday, and is now their number three backup. So let’s summarize Harrington’s once promising career.

2002: Number three pick in the draft to Detroit. Epic failure as Lion.
2006: Traded to Dolphins
2007: Cut by Dolphins, Falcons sign him, and after Mike Vick saga he becomes the starter.
2008: Harrington fails horribly as the starter in Hot ‘Lanta and is released. Now he’s with the Saints.

I think it’s finally safe to say: Joey Harrington was a major draft bust!

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SCOTT JACOBS

If you follow baseball, you’ve heard the rumor. The Marlins, Red Sox, and Pirates are talking a blockbuster three team swap that would net Florida Manny Ramirez.

I’m going to say something that might surprise a lot of people: I don’t think Florida should do it.

Forget the fact that Manny is a head-case and he doesn’t run out ground balls or play even a solid outfield. Forget that you never know from one day to the next what Manny will bring to your team, that is, if he tries. Put aside the fact that Ramirez is getting older and finishing up an eight year deal he signed back in 2000 that made him one of the highest paid players in pro sports. Forget that all.

The Marlins should NOT trade for Ramirez. Why you ask? I have my reasons, o I have my reasons.

Reason #1:When you have no expectations it’s a lot easier to play loose and relaxed (especially for a young team)
The Marlins know this better then anyone. Even though they play in South Florida the Marlins regularly finish in the bottom pits of the baseball attendance standings, and their payroll rarely dips above $60 million (this year it’s $21 million, lowest in baseball). The Marlins are the best bang for your buck team in the sport. With the $21 million they are loaded with young arms, and quality hitters. And they lead the league (all of baseball that is) in home runs. So just how are they doing it? Lack of pressure.

Tell me the last time the Marlins were on a national broadcast on ESPN. Can you do it? I can’t. You know why that is? It’s not because the Marlins always stink. In fact, in 2006 the Marlins were in the wild card race much of the year and that was with relocation looming over them. This year they’re the surprise of baseball. They have taken guys like Jorge Cantu and Alfredo Amezega, and have turned them into key contributors. The Marlins get their guys on the cheap, and they have a sensational eye for young talent.

And because the Marlins do things so shrewdly (you can call them cheap if you wish) they avoid the spot-light, because they never seem to have major egos or high paid players on their team (Hanley Ramirez’s deal doesn’t kick in until 2009).

Thus, they are unattractive to ESPN and other national media because they’re not fueled by any one guy.

They play loose and relaxed, because let’s face it: no one expects anything of them. All of a sudden you put a Manny on that team, and the media is all over you. All of a sudden the free-flowing, over-achieving, no pressure Marlins run into a media feeding frenzy. The Marlins are at their best when they do things their way: a few very good players, and a cast of quality guys around them. They have never been known as a dysfunctional group or a divided clubhouse. The guys like each other. They get along. That is a major team dynamic in this day and age. Adding Manny could completely change that.

Reason #2: They can’t resign him after the season is over. If the Marlins picked up Manny’s option for next year (no way in hell that would ever happen if they did acquire him), then he would be making just a million dollars less then Florida’s entire team this year. Even if he settled for a hometown discount (he does have a house in Fort Lauderdale) the Marlins would still be looking at probably $15-17 million a year, and they’re not going to pay that. If a guy like Outfielder Jeremy Hermida is part of the package to get Manny, all of a sudden you’re trading a young number two guy, who’s under contract at a bargain basement price, for a two month rental. Throw in the fact that you know what you’re getting with Hermida (decent batting average, above average power, quality fielding) and you have no idea what Ramirez will choose to bring, and it makes the trade a little dicey for Florida.

Reason #3: The Marlins may not need Manny. They’re in the thick of things in the NL East, just a game and a half back of the Phillies, and they’ve done it with horrendous defense, shaky starting pitching (though it’s been great of late) and a bullpen that is incredibly inconsistent. But here’s the thing. The Marlins have heart. And they’re on a mission: to prove all the doubters wrong. Starting Monday the Marlins take on the Phillies for three games in Philly, and may have a shot at first place by then. And they’ve done it with a superstar who bats less then .200 with RISP (Hanley) and a lot of young guys with a nice mix of veterans.

Florida gets back Anibal Sanchez tomorrow for the first time since 2006, and their starting pitching has dramatically improved of late. Ricky Nolasco has been great, Scott Olsen has been solid, Josh Johnson has been superb since coming back a few weeks ago, and even rookie Chris Volstad has performed admirably.

What the Marlins really need is a catcher that can hit. John Baker and Paul Hoover are probably the worst catching duo in baseball right now, and starter Matt Treanor (who is hurt right now) is far from a consistent threat. Thus, the Marlins should be looking at a quality, on the cheap catcher that can hit, and throw out some runners. Maybe even a lefty setup guy too.

But an outfielder for two months that can hit great, but is the biggest enigma in his sport: that’s not what they need.

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