The time was right to replace Amaker

Tommy Amaker came to Ann Arbor in 2001 from Seton Hall....there was much promise and hope for the Michigan basketball program after being mired by allegations, violations, and sanctions....

Amaker was a young refreshing leader with a good pedigree from Duke's Coach K....during Amaker's six years as head coach, he ran a clean program.....he seemed like a nice person who cared about his players....he helped stabilize the basketball program and brought it back to respectability.....but in the end, he could not win on a consistent basis to lead Michigan back into the NCAA tournament or to a Big Ten title....

In 6 years he posted a 109-83 record and 3 NIT bids including the 2004 NIT championship....

However, when you are the head basketball coach of a program the size of Michigan’s you are hired to win Big Ten and NCAA titles, not NIT banners....

People within the coaching brethren will bemoan the fact that Amaker was a good man who did all the right things, but ultimately was fired because he could not win....

Right or wrong, that is the nature of the beast....

The time was right for Michigan to move in another direction....the athletic department has been more than patient with Amaker....as Michigan received annual invitations to the NIT, their Big Ten opponents continued to move forward.....

During the last 6 years Illinois came close to a perfect season and lost in the title game....Michigan State made another Final Four appearance....Wisconsin rose to number 1 in the nation....and even hated rival Ohio State has become a national power in basketball as they somehow snatched Greg Oden from the state of Indiana to help the Buckeyes win back-to-back Big Ten titles and possibly a national title....

During the last six years, even the Purdue basketball program fell to the basketball dungeon only to rise again within 2 years.....In 2005 the Boilermakers finished 7-21 and was 10th in the Big Ten under legendary head coach Gene Keady....in just 2 short seasons, new head coach Matt Painter has the Boilermakers back in the Big Dance as they will play defending champion Florida on Sunday in the tournament's second round....

The time was right for Michigan to make the move because too many teams have passed them by over the last six years....it is now time for Michigan to put the pedal to the metal.....

Officials lack guts to call intentional foul on Oden!!

No guts....

That is what the officials in the Ohio State-Xavier game had - no guts....with less than 10 seconds remaining and the Buckeyes fighting the strains of defeat, Greg Oden clearly and intentionally fouled Xavier’s Justin Cage after Cage grabbed a rebound under the Ohio State basket....

Oden did not try to strip the ball or steal the ball....it was clearly a malicious shove of frustration....it clearly fit into the parameters of an intentional four....the Xavier bench also was making the hand motion of an intentional foul....instead an intentional foul was not called....

This was a poor call by the officials which helped lead to Xavier's loss....

It a shame that Xavier’s gallant effort was thwarted by game officials who lacked the guts to make the correct call of an intentional foul which would have given Xavier two foul shots and the ball with 9.6 second left....

Saturday's Tournament Predictions

Here is look at Saturday’s key games....
Ohio State -8 vs. Xavier (1:10 pm) - Xavier has not played the Buckeyes since 1984 and they would love nothing more than to beat their former coach Thad "Mr. Good" Matta....X is led by former Pitt hotshot guard Sean Miller....X is a team with balanced scoring....look for them to give Mr. Good a hard time, but in the end, Ohio State wins by 9....

Texas A&M - 2.5 vs. Louisville (3:40 pm) - this was the one game that screwed up my brackets because I was wanting them to face-off later instead of in round 2....this will be one of the best games of the tourney....the Aggies have the best 3-point shooter in the tourney in Josh Carter and stud leader in Acie Law.....but The ‘Ville is my team in this region......The ‘Ville wins by 2 because of their experience at coaching.....

Pitt - 7 vs. Virginia Commonwealth (5:50 pm) - a win here by VCU and the Rams officially get sized for the Cinderella show....something tells me the Rams are going to win this game.....VCU wins by 5...

UCLA -8 vs. Indiana (8:05 pm) - these are traditional NCAA basketball powers....this is a classic match-up - in name only.....Bruins win by 12....

North Carolina -10 vs. Michigan State (8:15 pm) - everything favors Carolina in this game....except the coaching match-up where it is even between Tom Izzo and Roy Williams....Sparty must hit the 3 ball if they want to pull the upset....they led the Big 10 in 3 point shooting....look for Sparty to hang around, but Carolina wins by 8....

Other games
Maryland -6 vs. Butler (3:20 pm) - Maryland wins by 10
Georgetown -8.5 vs. Boston College (5:45 pm) - this is like old times when BC used to be in the Big East.....Georgetown wins by 12
Washington State -2.5 vs. Vanderbilt (5:40 pm) - Vanderbilt wins by 7

The Big Dance - early thoughts

Here are quick hits after the first day of the tourney....

Those who cried that Drexel should have been in the tournament - SHUT UP!!!....Drexel got bounced at home in the first round of the NIT against N.C. State....

Stanford did not belong in The Big Dance....that was a pathetic effort the Cardinal displayed against Louisville....

I like Rick Pitino because he goes into the streets of New York City to get his players....freshman point guard Edgar Sosa (photo) learned the game while playing at famous Rucker Park.....these NYC kids are tough and do not get rattled.....this is where Michigan coach Tommy Amaker should be recruiting....recruit the NYC kid!!!....

Just think Blue fans....Pitino could have been coaching in Ann Arbor if the Michigan athletic department would have put out the money for him....

Bob Knight will never make it to the Final Four while at Texas Tech....

By the way, if anyone cares, Michigan got smoked by Florida State in the second round of the NIT....

If Florida is going to get tripped up anywhere, I just have a feeling it may happen in the Sweet 16 if they have to play Maryland....

I had Virginia Commonwealth in my bracket.....but I also had Oral Roberts....

I would rather have the grapefruits and make some bold picks than have BB’s and play it safe...

Butler survived the dreaded 5-12 match-up.....three other 5-12s go today....#5 USC vs Arkansas.....#5 Tennessee vs. Long Beach State......#5 Va. Tech vs. Illinois.....history shows that at least one, if not two, number fives will fall....I think Va. Tech has to worry....

All the so-called "experts" are calling for Notre Dame to lose to Winthrop today....the only reason I don’t see it happening is that too many people are expecting it....the Irish know that people are calling for them to lose so expect Notre Dame to play well and win a tough contest....

More Sterger

For more about Jen Sterger, here is a link to her latest S.I. posting

Sterger S.I.

Here is another shot of the lovely Jen

The Big Picture Interviews Jen Sterger

Check out The Big Picture's interview with Sports Illustrated.com's Advice Babe - Jenn Sterger....click on The Big Picture link on the right

By the way, Sterger is the one on the left

Long live Chief Illiniwek

Tuesday was a sad day for longtime Illinois fans as The Chief was officially chopped....

The University officially voted to end all ties with Chief Illiniwek, their longtime mascot....
Chalk one up for the Political Correctness Police....now the Chief’s scalp hangs in their offices....

Long Live The Chief....may his memory be eternal!!!

Talkin women's hoops

Good news Steel City people....it looks like the Penguins are not moving....ESPN reports that inside sources state there will be a news conference today announcing that a deal has been struck to build the Penguins a new arena in the city of Pittsburgh....
The women’s bracket was announced last night.....Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, and U. Conn are the number 1 seeds...
An interesting possible Sweet 16 match-up would pit Tennessee vs. Ohio State which would be played at Dayton....
First, OSU will have to get through a tough second round match-up against Middle Tennessee State who has a 26 game winning streak....
Duke is the top overall seed with a 30-1 record....but they too may have an interesting Sweet 16 match-up if they have to play Michigan State.....Lady Sparty is a quiet #5 seed....
I will give my women’s picks on Wednesday....
Can someone please tell me why Akron, Washington, and U.Conn did not make the NIT???...
What about the Golden State Warriors ending Dallas’ 17-game winning streak....on Sunday I took the Lakers, at home, and with seven points against the Mavs....the Lakers lost by 35!!!....

Bracket Thoughts

Before the pairings were announced on Sunday evening, my Final Four choices were Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Georgetown....

Well, that changed after everything was announced because Carolina, Texas, and Georgetown are all in the same bracket....let’s breakdown the brackets....

East
This is a very tough bracket with Carolina and Georgetown as the 1-2 seeds....Texas has the talent and the one player in Kevin Durant to win this bracket....Carolina has a tricky second round match-up against either Marquette or Michigan State....you can never discount Tom Izzo during this time of the year....
Doesn’t belong - Arkansas....I believe that spot should have went to Syracuse.....
Don’t sleep on - Oral Roberts - they winnable games in the first two rounds
Who will win this bracket - Georgetown - the Hoyas gained valuable experience last season by making the Sweet 16....Jeff Green is hot for the D.C.. crew...

South
Thad Matta has a possible second round match-up against his former team, Xavier who could give OSU some trouble....BYU has an RPI of 18....a possible Sweet 16 match-up for is OSU vs. Tennessee....these two played earlier this season in Columbus with OSU winning by 1 point....I was surprised that Louisville was a number 6 seed....I think the Cardinals are better than that....Memphis has to be the quietest team all year....the Tigers are 30-3 and not talked about... .a possible second round match-up between Louisville-Texas A&M will be a good one...
Don’t sleep on - Tennessee - they have the talent to win this bracket because they can shoot the 3 ball....they got shocked in the first round of the SEC tourney, so they will be ready for a run....
Who will win this bracket - Louisville - if the Cards can get by Texas A&M in the second round, they should win this bracket....Ohio State will have a hard time with Tennessee in the Sweet 16....my second choice is Texas A&M.....

Midwest
It all comes down to Florida, Florida, Florida.....say what you will, the fact remains they are the team to beat....they are the defending champs and Joakim Noah has elevated his game.....however, the Gators possible second round game against Arizona could be interesting....the Cats had the second toughest schedule in the nation this year and never underestimate Lute Olsen....this wily coach may have the ability to pull off an upset....many people are calling for Winthrop to upset Notre Dame....I don’t see it happening....Wisconsin is fortunate to be a #2 seed with their dismal performance over the past two weeks...
Don’t sleep on - Maryland - the Terps got bounced early in the ACC....but they may have the freshest legs.....
Who will win this bracket - gotta go with Florida....

West
UCLA is not the #1 seed - big deal....they are still seeded out west.....Kansas’ second round match could be Kentucky or Villanova.....I could see Villanova beating Kansas....Kentucky cannot hit the three-point shot this year....Duke has been playing poorly as they are 4-6 in their last 10 games....look for VCU to win....a nice Sweet 16 game is Pitt vs. UCLA....Ben Holland goes against his former Steel City team....
Don’t sleep on - Pitt - they are battle tested by playing in the Big East
Who will win this bracket - Kansas - they are due to make the Final 4 again, but really, don't sleep on Pitt - they are my "ghetto" pick...
Overall - Look for Georgetown to beat Florida and cut down the nets in Atlanta...

Saturday Morning Tourney Thoughts

What has happened to the ACC tournament?....Maryland - gone, Duke - gone; Virginia - gone....and what about N.C. State and their two impressive wins....the Pack was down by 14 last night to Virginia but came back and won by 8....

The Georgetown-Notre Dame semi-final game in the Big East tourney was one of the best games of the year....Big East Player of the Year Jeff Green had a monster game with his silky smooth game that reminded me of James Worthy....the spark for the Hoyas was the play of Patrick Ewing, Jr off the bench (photo)...

The Hoyas take on Pitt tonight for the Big East title....boy does time go by fast....1989 was the last time Georgetown won this tournament.....Hoyas win tonight....

Don’t look now, but the Holy Cross Crusaders are dancing....

When will the Michigan administration wake up and smell the coffee after its third loss this season to Ohio State?....

Looks like we are looking at an Ohio State-Wisconsin title game....

Bubble teams that I would put in - Kansas State and Texas Tech......bubble teams that are out - Florida State, Iowa, and Stanford

Finally, I just saw one of the sickest things on television.....the Today Show was showing a video of Rose O’Donnell hanging upside.....the dingbat supposedly does this for 15 minutes each day to help with her depression.....just the site of her hanging upside down was gross....

Random Thoughts

This Pittsburgh Penguins saga about possible relocation needs to get resolved now....

The New York Jets got a steal in Thomas Jones at running back....the Jets have a young upcoming offensive line anchored by Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson....Jones should do well especially since he probably will not be sharing time in the backfield.....

The Chicago Bears are taking a risk with just Cedric Benson as their number 1 back....Benson is a load, but he has not proven he could carry the ball 20-25 time a game....plus he has a history of nagging injuries....

Cleveland finally got a big name back in Jamal Lewis....Lewis is a definite upgrade from what garbage Cleveland has back there now....but the fact remains that Lewis is getting up in age and has seen his better days as a workhorse....the Browns would have been better to trade for Thomas Jones....

Looks like the Raiders are a lock for Jamarcus Russell....

Just when it looked like Mike Shanahan was going to commit to Mike Bell as his running back, the team went out and got Travis Henry....

With Detroit picking up Tatum Bell from Denver two things can be assumed: 1. the team has lost faith in Kevin Jones; and 2. Adrian Peterson will not be drafted by Detroit....

What is up with Kobe Bryant slyly giving a cheap shot to opponents?....

Did anyone notice Hillary Clinton’s fake drawl this past weekend when she was campaigning in Alabama?.....she is a piece of work....

What’s up with this story about John Rocker allegedly using HGH when he played baseball?.....who cares....the guy is out of baseball and is a whack job....

It’s almost 7:30 a.m. on the east coast, does anyone know where Barry Bonds is?.....

What is up with Tommy Lasorda and his alleged visits to prostitutes?....he allegedly liked watching some girl-on-girl action....Tommy is our boy!!!....so maybe it wasn’t the Slim-fast diet that helped him lose weight years ago....

PAC 10 Tournament Overview

The PAC-10 tournament begins today ta the Staples Center in Los Angeles....UCLA is the top seed and the team to beat....

The Wednesday match-ups are actually play-in games for the four bottom teams.....if Washington wins tonight, they get to play in-state rival Washington State (#2 seed) on Thursday....State is higher ranked, but watch the Huskies in this game....Washington is a deceiving 18-12 as UCLA found out this past Saturday when they lost up in Seattle....the Huskies are led by freshman guard Spencer Hawes....

Another good match-up on Thursday is #4 Oregon vs. #5 Arizona....the 20-9 Cats have been an inconsistent team of late even though they have an RPI rating of 13.....the Ducks are 5-6 in their last 11 games but are 23-7 overall....take the Cats here....

This could set up a possible Arizona-UCLA semi-final....the kitties have lost twice to UCLA so don’t expect an upset here either....it should be a good game, but UCLA wins...

In January, this may have been the best conference in the nation....but the top teams have faded over the last month....UCLA is the clear cut best team in the conference and will win the league tournament....I could see Washington beating Arizona State, Washington State, and even USC to make the conference finals....but the luster has faded from this conference....

Big XII Tournament Overview

The Big XII tournament begins on Thursday in Oklahoma City with the top four seeds getting a first round bye....the top seeds are: #1 Kansas, #2 Texas A&M; #3 Texas, and #4 Kansas State....

Without a doubt, the team to beat is Kansas....but there are some other loaded guns ready to explode in this conference....

Bob Huggins makes a difference....in just his second year at the helm at Kansas State, Huggins has the Wildcats a #4 seed with a 21-10 record....their second round match-up should be a doozy against Texas Tech....after a mid-season slump, The General has Tech back on track with a 20-11 mark and three straight wins to close out the regular season....

An interesting first round game is #7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Nebraska....Okie State is 20-11 but surprisingly they are 0-8 on the road in conference games this year....they have a tremendous player in Keith Boggan who can take over a game....I believe Okie State needs to prove to the committee that they can win on the road if they want to go dancing....they need to win at least 2 games in this tournament....I don’t see it happening....the children of the corn will rise and pull the upset here...

If everything pans out right, the big match-up in this tournament will occur on Saturday in the semi-final game between Texas A&M and Texas....they split the season series....Acie Law vs. Kevin Durant....this will be a great game....I’ll say this, if Durant surprises everyone and does not go to the NBA after this season, look for Texas to win the NCAA title next year....this team is loaded with young talent, and Durant is a special special player.....if he gets blazing hot, he is the type of kid who can carry the Longhorns on his back....

Anyway, I will have to go with the Aggies if there is a rematch....that would set up a Kansas-Texas A&M title game...the Aggies have beaten the 27-4 Jayhawks already this year in Lawrence, Kansas....but that was back in early February....as much as I think there are many quality teams in this conference, right now I have to take Kansas to win the conference tournament....they are playing too well of late....

Here are a couple of interesting Big XII facts....the Jayhawks have held every opponent under 50 percent shooting this year....Kevin Durant has nine 30-point games this season.....

SEC Tournament Overview

The Southeastern Conference tournament begins in Atlanta on Thursday with the top four seeds getting a first round bye....the top seeds are: Mississippi State, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss...

When you think of the SEC tourney only 1 team comes to mind - Kentucky - as the Wildcats have won the title 25 times during its 47 year history....this year it will take a big effort for Kentucky to get number 26.....they open up tomorrow against an up-and-down Alabama team....Kentucky is rated 11th in the RPI and is #1 in strength-of-schedule....the Tide is # 44 in the RPI.....look for Kentucky to win in a very close game....the Achilles heel for Tubby’s boys this year has been their inability to hit the three-pointer....

Other first round winners are Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee....

On the top half of the bracket, if Kentucky gets by Alabama, I could see them upsetting Miss. State in the quarterfinals and even sneaking into the title game....on the bottom half, everyone is wanting to see the semi-final match-up of Florida vs. Tennessee....the Vols are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have the 4th toughest schedule in the country....if these teams hook up, I am calling for an upset win by Rocky Top.....the key for the Vols is their 3-point shooting by Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith....if they can consistently shoot the 3 ball, the Vols will win....

In the end, look for a Kentucky-Tennessee title game with the Vols winning.....Lofton is the engine of this team....earlier this season when he was out with an injury, Tennessee went 1-3....but since his return, they have posted a 7-1 mark....

ACC Tournament Overview

The ACC tournament begins on Thursday in Tampa....the top four seeds get a first round bye: #1 UNC, #2 Va Tech, #3 Virginia, and #4 Boston College....

Asides from Carolina, the top seeds are a tad different than usual....no Duke, Maryland, N.C. State, nor Ga. Tech as one of the top seeds....I guess some things are changing in ACC Country....

Three of the four first round games are intriguing....#8 Clemson vs. #9 Florida State....both teams are on the bubble and probably have to win at least two games in the tournament to make The Big Dance.....

#7 Duke vs. #10 NC State.....the Pack stands at 15-14, but they are very capable of pulling the upset.....

#6 Georgia Tech vs. #11 Wake Forest.....don’t sleep on Wake....just ask Virginia who lost to the Deacs on Saturday....also, the Jackets posted a dismal 1-8 record on the road this year and are 2-1 at a neutral site.....also, Tech has never won an ACC first round game....they are 0-3 lifetime....

The hottest team in the conference is #5 Maryland....they should breeze by the Canes of Miami and set-up a nice match-up on Friday against Boston College....the Terps have won 7 in a row and are 24-7.....

Because there are so many quality first round games, I am unable to give an accurate pick on second round games.....so I will update those later in the week....

I have to say, my money is on North Carolina to win the tournament....Tyler Hansbrough was a freakin beast on Sunday against Duke....and I loved how he was ready to "throw down" after getting a cheap shot from the angelic Dukie....I am hoping for a Carolina-Maryland semi-final game on Saturday.....by rights, that should be the title game....

As far as the hot chick goes....I came across her while looking for the ACC logo....don’t ask me who she is or what she has to do with the ACC....and who cares!!

Big Ten Tournament Outlook

The Big Ten tournament starts on Thursday in Chicago....the top five seeds received a bye: #1 Ohio State, #2 Wisconsin; #3 Indiana; #4 Iowa, and #5 Purdue....

First off, at the beginning of the season who would have thought that Purdue would have a 20-10 record and a first round bye....on Friday, the Boilermakers take on Iowa, a team who came on late in the season to secure a #4 seed....Iowa is ranked 84th in the RPI while Purdue is 45th....even though Purdue head coach Matt Painter has to be the Big 10 Coach of the Year, look for Iowa to win this game....

In Thursday’s opening round, the chalk will talk....look for Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois to win which will set up some nice match-ups on Friday.....

In addition to the Friday’s Purdue-Iowa game, it is quite possible that Michigan will get their third shot at Ohio State this season....the Wolverines have the talent to pull the upset, but in the end, they lack the heart....if the Blue is going to pull the upset, they must contain Mike Conley while Dion Harris must score at least 25 points....

The second round game between Michigan State and Wisky should be a donnybrook....this will be their third match-up in just over 2 weeks...Sparty took the first game, but Wisky came back and beat MSU this past Saturday on a last second shot....Wisky is ripe to get dumped here...

The Indiana-Illinois game is a toss-up....both should make it to The Big Dance though....

Ultimately, I could see a Michigan State-Ohio State championship game with Sparty pulling the upset....a team like Iowa could make some noise because they have a 3-point sharpshooter in Adam Haluska...

Big East Tournament Outlook

The Big East tournament starts on Wednesday in New York City.....the top four seeds are: #1 Georgetown, #2 Louisville, #3 Pitt, and #4 Notre Dame....
The one first round game that catches my eye is #5 Syracuse vs. #12 U.Conn.....Syracuse needed a win on Saturday at Villanova to guarantee them a first-round bye....this is a reversal of last year when the Orange was on the bubble to upset top-ranked Connecticut in the conference tournament...even with a first-round loss, Syracuse should still make the tournament, but they will be sweating bullets until Selection Sunday....the Huskies are headed to the NIT unless they make it to the conference finals....these two teams usually play tough games as they split the season series this year.....watch U.Conn in the upset....

Another possible upset is #10 Providence over #7 West Virginia....the Mountaineers need to win at least one, possibly two games, in the tournament to guarantee a spot in The Big Dance....and Providence is one of those teams who could catch you with your hand in the cookie jar....

A possible second round match-up of #9 Villanova vs. #1 Georgetown is intriguing....as is a #6 Marquette vs. #3 Pitt....Marquette has beaten Pitt twice this year including this past Saturday night....

My call for championship game on Saturday night is for a Louisville-Villanova or Louisville-Georgetown match-up.....one team that could surprise is U.Conn....they might not win the tournament, but they could possibly spoil a few teams season....

Saturday Night Thoughts

Even though Michigan put forth a valiant effort, the Wolverines fell short of beating the top ranked Buckeyes, which could be the last game in Ann Arbor for head coach Tommy Amaker....six seasons at the helm and he has yet to take Michigan to The Big Dance...Amaker needs to be fired after this season....

The Kentucky Derby is wide open again after favorite Nobiz Like Shobiz came in third in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes race at Gulfstream Park....two other Derby contenders, Scat Daddy and Stormello, took the top two spots....

Greg Oden may get all the headlines at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are only going to go as far as point guard Mike Conley takes them.....he is the engine of that team....

Penn is the first team to get their ticket punched for the tournament...

Could the Big Ten get 2 top seeds in Ohio State and Wisconsin?....

Will someone explain to me why Tampa Bay now has three viable starting quarterbacks: Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia, and Jake Plummer?.....

All year long, people in Ohio heard about the burner speed of Ted Ginn Jr.....at the Combine last week, Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson showed that Ginn may not be the fastest player in this draft....

The Cleveland Browns should go all out and sign former Steeler Joey Porter....they need a vocal team leader who can create a swagger...

All I know, the 2007 Steelers will not be team of Bill Cowher’s....

Duke at North Carolina on Sunday.....gotta go with the Tar Heels at home after they have lost their last two games....

Kentucky Derby favorite gets another test today

It’s not to early to start talking about the Kentucky Derby....eight more weeks will be the Run for the Roses in Louisville.....and today, the early favorite will get another test....

According to all reports, Nobiz Like Shobiz is the horse to beat.....the trainer is Barclay Tagg and the jockey is Cornelio Valasquez ......

A few weeks back, The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Railbird Roberts quoted Tagg of saying this is "the most magnificent horse I’ve ever seen"....now remember, Tagg knows a few things about horses as he was the trainer for 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide....

Nobiz gets another test today when he runs in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.....it’s a mile and an eighth race....Nobiz will face off against other Derby contenders Stormello, Drums of Thunder, and Scat Daddy....

Tagg chose to run Nobiz in the Fountain of Youth instead of next week’s Louisiana Derby....

What is a "relationship"?

What is up with the word "relationship" when it involves Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter?....this week A. Rod said that their "relationship" is not the same....the next day Jeter commented that he had no problem with their "relationship"....

I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t have a "relationship" with any of my buddies....a friendship - YES.....a relationship - NO.....I am in no way starting any rumors, but I think they both could have used a better word than "relationship" when discussing this saga....

I’m a little disappointed that Bernie Williams has not taken the time to return Joe Torre’s phone calls....supposedly, over the last two weeks Torre left two messages for Williams but as of Wednesday, he has yet to hear back from the former centerfielder.....there is no doubt that Williams has to be a bit upset by not making the 40 man roster, but he needs to talk to Torre who is very loyal to his "original" Yankee players....

Whatever happened to Chuck Knoblauch?.....

Mel Stottlemyre has a book coming out on April 10th called "Pride and Pinstripes: The Yankees, Mets, and Surviving Life’s Challenges".....I miss seeing Mel in the Yankee dugout....