As the MLB season quickly approaches, what's the most pressing question facing the New York Yankees?

Well, according to CBS radio this morning, the most important thing the Yanks must deal with is, now that A.J. Burnett has been traded, who will take over doling out the all important walk-off win whipped cream pie-in-the-face?

I kid you not.

Now, to be fair, I loved that about A.J. Burnett. I thought it brought a levity and lightheartedness to a clubhouse that can often come across as all-business and no-nonsense. Whenever a Yankee was responsible for a walk-off win, A.J. would smash him in the face with a pie - originally shaving cream, I believe, but eventually whipped cream. Didn't matter if he was in the dugout or giving a live television interview, A.J. would find him. I always enjoyed watching for it.

Unfortunately, A.J.'s pie antics did not translate to doing well on the mound and seeing as I had started to dread the games that he started, I'm not sorry to see him go. But the newscasters today on the radio were all a-twitter, not about who would replace him in the starting rotation, but who would replace him with the pie plate?

I mean, ladies and gentleman, this is what baseball is all about.

Their unanimous choice, not surprisingly, at least not to me, was rightfielder Nick Swisher. Why? "Because he always looks like he's having fun anyway." That's what I'm talking about. That's what I liked about the pie antics, that for at least a few seconds after the game, it didn't look like it was all about winning - it kinda looked like playing baseball was sort of about having fun. And that's one of the main reasons - and those of you who read this blog regularly know this - that I love Nick Swisher. He just always looks like he's having fun. He just always looks like he loves everything about the game, including probably most importantly in my humble opinion, the fans.

So while the rest of the next couple of months will be spent debating starting lineups, trades, new players, health and fitness reports, stats, predictions, etc. etc., I think we're all relieved to know that at least the most important question, the pie question, has been settled.

Hell hath frozen over...I'm watching the Knicks

...that's right. You heard it here first. For the first time in about 15 years, this fan girl is watching the New York Knicks. Voluntarily. They are on, right now, playing the Miami Heat, and I want to see if they have it in them to beat those ol' so-and-sos...well, let's just say I don't like the Heat and I want them to lose. And I want the Knicks to beat them. And I want to see the Knicks beat them. I haven't felt this way in years and it feels both bizarre and....comforting.

The Knicks are losing right now. But not by much. I'm excited to finally see Jeremy Lin in action. And I would really love it if they could just stick it to LeBron James. That would totally make my day. Bitter much? Well, yes...I used to be a Knicks fan after all. But in a part of me that I thought was long dead...there is a fluttering, a faint sign of life.  So for the first time in over a decade, let's here it...

Lets go Knicks!!

It's Linsane!...

...but this Jeremy Lin fellow is coming close to working a miracle. No, not the last second game-winning shots he's making. No, not all the assists he has. No, not his part in creating the seven-game winning streak the New York Knicks are now on. Well, yes, all that put together and more...as a Christian, I'm sure he'll appreciate the miraculous nature of what is happening here. The miracle that Lin has (very nearly) wrought is that for the first time in about 15 years, he's making me care about basketball. He's making me pay attention to basketball headlines in the morning. He's making me actively seek out news about how the Knicks are doing. He's making me want to be a part of the Lin-sanity. He's making me write about *basketball* in my blog. He is - ::gasp:: - almost kinda sorta making me want to turn on a Knicks game and actually see this guy in action.

I don't think I've voluntarily watched a Knicks game since the late 1990s...it's been a mild winter here in New York, but maybe Hell really *has* frozen over!

Not to harp, because I like Victor Cruz, but...

...on the MSNBC.com sports page here, Victor Cruz, who had a beyond amazing year with the New York Giants and made a whole fanbase, including this fan girl, fall in love with him and his salsa-dancing and game-winning receiving ways, talks about how he deserves a raise. I totally get that. He was paid what he was deemed worth at the start of the season and he's proven that if he keeps up this performance, he should be along side the guys in the big leagues who get paid big-league salaries.

But you know what? I don't get paid what I'm worth either. Neither do a lot of Americans. Most of us *deserve* to make more. Welcome to the imperfect world! And forget about those who don't get paid at all because they can't find jobs. So, while I agree that he should get paid at least the same amount as the guys he's, in a lot of cases, out-performing who make way more than him, it's kind of in poor taste to complain about what he DID make, when it's more than 10 times the amount I got paid this past year, and 4 times the amount my "rich" friends make annually.

I like you, Victor Cruz, I know you're young and still learning the ropes of being a sports mega-superstar, and I like that you're standing up for yourself, because you can't let the powers-that-be take advantage of you, BUT please don't let this new fame go to your head. It's unlikeable when people who make a ton of money complain that they don't make enough money AND it makes them unrelatable...and I want to still like you! Yours is the jersey I'm considering buying next...don't make me regret that!

Fan girl, out... :)

Rant of the day: the Yankees are at it again...and not in a good way

I read an article at Newsday.com today that the New York Yankees are looking for a hitter, preferably a leftie, and their top candidates are, drumroll please...Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui, and Johnny Damon.

Wtf?

Raul Ibanez is 39 years old. Hideki Matsui will be 38 this year. Johnny Damon just turned 38 a few months ago. Now, in Real Life, 38-39 is nothing to look twice at. It's not old. In fact, many 38-39 year old men still act like children. Just ask my almost-41-year-old boyfriend, who constantly makes me feel like I'm babysitting a 12-year-old. But in The Sports World? 38 years old is ANCIENT....why why WHY WHY do the Yankees insist on doing this and pissing me off in the process? Why do they think that spending their money on an aging, fading former superstar for one or two years is a better investment than scouting and cultivating young talent via the homegrown farm system, which could reap young up-and-coming future superstars??? Where do they think the likes of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera came from? Yes, it takes time, but if you get another Mo out of it, isn't it worth it?

I had started to think the Yankees were changing their thought process on this when they were patient with a young, unseasoned, immature Robinson Cano, who - guess what! - is turning out to be a phenomenal YOUNG player, but I guess my elation was premature. And maybe I'm wrong, but weren't both Matsui and Damon ALREADY on the Yankees and let go because they were getting too old and slow and losing power in their bats and their throwing arms? Am I wrong? Did I hallucinate that?

I wish they would realize the worth in investing in players like Cano and Nick Swisher and even Mark Texeira, who is still in his early 30s. Nobody wants to see a team of old men get their butts kicked on the field by teams that realize the importance of giving young players - the FUTURE of baseball - a shot.

::Sigh::

I love them, I bleed pinstripes, I really do, but they really make it very difficult for me sometimes to stand by my fandom.

Here endeth the rant. Fan girl, out.

From Zap2It.com: CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball Boyfriend: To simplify things for girls - Pop2it - Zap2it

You go, girl! Andrea Reiher stands up for female sports fans everywhere...and just as a personal note, Joe Mauer IS my fantasy baseball boyfriend, but when I play in a fantasy baseball league, I'm choosing him - just like I choose all my other players - because he rocks the game, not because I think he's cute. Read more about it here:

CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball Boyfriend: To simplify things for girls - Pop2it - Zap2it

My two cents on Gisele Bundchen's two cents...

So, I'm a little late to the game when it comes to the comments Gisele made following the Pats' Super Bowl loss blaming the New England receivers, but it's everywhere...EVERYONE is talking about it. And since I'm a girl which means I must love tabloid fodder and love to gossip, here's my two cents...

I am not a Tom Brady fan...but I'm also not a Gisele fan. I think she is a large reason that people don't like Brady, that they find him unrelatable. And - shocker - I'm about to say something nice about Tom Brady; I think Gisele could take a page out of her husband's playbook when it comes to being gracious about losing and not throwing anyone under the bus. It doesn't do anybody any good to lay blame to the media and to the public, and while Gisele was not giving an interview, she was in a public place surrounded by, well, the public.

I liked very much what Herm Edwards said on Sports Center yesterday when he was asked about whether or not Gisele was right in what she said - he noted that emotions run high after a game, and negative emotions run extremely high after such a devastating loss. Edwards noted that Gisele was venting, which is fair enough, but when he was coaching and his teams lost, he would meet with his wife privately and allow her to vent for five minutes, which made her feel better and better able to be stoic and more importantly, QUIET, in public afterward, whether giving an interview or not. I thought that was a smart and understanding solution to that kind of scenario. Gisele's behavior just made her - and by association, her husband, who defended Wes Welker like a good teammate and captain should while at the podium - look like a sore loser and it made her look classless.

Here endeth the rant.

The calm after the storm

If Tuesdays weren't deadline day at work and super busy as a result, this fan girl would've been up at the crack of dawn to see the Giants' championship parade in New York City this morning. I have fond memories of attending the New York Yankees parade in 2009 with my brother, almost being crushed by a wave of rabid fans. Of course, this is my favorite photo of that day:

Nick Swisher greets Yankees fans at the championship parade in 2009.

It's just so apparent how excited Nick Swisher is to be there with his fans. His love of the game and of the fans is contagious. I could get used to this championship parade thing happening every few years. I am resolved to go to the next one, which hopefully won't be too far off!

Anywho...football season is officially over. Baseball doesn't start until the spring. And so begins the sports lull in my life, the void I have to try to fill every single year. Sometimes I have a winter Olympics to watch. Sometimes I give the Knicks a go. I tried college basketball for awhile. I still don't understand hockey. So I hope the Giants are enjoying the celebration of their victory today, and until MLB's opening day 2012, I am open to suggestions on how to get my sports fix until then!

New York Giants, Super Bowl champs!

There's no need for me to rehash all the ins and outs of last night's game. Sports Illustrated's website provides some great analysis and commentary if you're online, and ESPN is talking it to death if you're watching tv. All I will say is that I love my team, I love that they wanted to win, and I kinda love that it was the Patriots that they stuck it to. I will proudly rock both my Eli Manning jerseys for many years to come. I think this picture, from the New York Post homepage, says it all:

In honor of the Super Bowl: Tim Gorry makes a touchdown

My dad loves football. He played football in high school for Chaminade High School in Mineola and in college for St. John's University. He's an avid Jets fan and passed that love of his team down to my brother, Denis. I'm more of a Giants fan, but I think I've started to inherit that love of the sport and I know that when we're watching a team together, I can always depend on my dad to explain things to me and answer all my questions. This is a newspaper article from 1970, I think, my dad's senior year of high school, in which he made a defensive touchdown. Go, Dad! And go Giants! :)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers named MVP - NFL - SI.com

Good for Aaron Rodgers. I was semi-rooting for the Green Bay Packers solely because I like Rodgers. When they met the Giants in the playoffs, I had to go with my home team but I felt bad that Rodgers had such an unbelievable season that would end prematurely and disappointingly for him. I'm not a cheesehead, but I like Rodgers. Unlike Tom Brady, he seems personable and friendly and down-to-earth. He's very likeable as well as extremely talented. So while I'm super psyched my Giants are the ones playing in the Super Bowl today and not the Packers, I'm very happy for Rodgers for his deserved MVP win.


Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers named MVP - NFL - SI.com

Super Bowl Rewind: ways you can tell whether you're at a boys' Super Bowl party or a girls' one

This was a post I wrote last year at this time, which can be found here.


Just to amend that post, in which I was rooting for the Packers to beat the snot out of the Steelers, I'd just like to say that whether you go to a boy's or a girl's Super Bowl party this year, have a great time! Boo Patriots! Go Giants! :)

The Super Bowl will be on NBC tpnight, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m.

Any given Sunday: Super Bowl final thoughts

I'm going to be too excited, tense, and stressed out later hoping my team, the New York Giants, wants this Super Bowl win more than the New England Patriots. I have a feeling they're going to be pretty evenly matched in that department - the Patriots, especially Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, have something to prove because of 2007. For that alone, they may want it more. But I look at some of the young Giants, like Victor Cruz and Jason Pierre-Paul, who have made such an impression this season and who must be hungry for this final win. I see all the critics saying that as amazing as the Giants have played this postseason, they were only a 9-7 team during the regular season. So, maybe the team, once again, will have something to prove to their detractors, that they belong here. Eli Manning is having a great season. He's finally being talked about as being an elite quarterback. So maybe that will be motivation for him. I don't know. There are so many variables. Gronkowski is looking better but his ankle will still be a variable. Wind is a variable. The crowd is a variable. Anything can happen, which I guess is part of the excitement of the game. As they say, any given Sunday, anything can happen. All I can say with certainty is that this should be a great game between two teams that are going to give it their all. So good luck to all the players, and everyone else, have fun at your parties, with your friends and families, and everyone make it home safe! It's been a fun season - let's all end it on a good note, no matter what happens in today's game!

Super Bowl XLVI Picks, Crystal Ball by SI.com NFL contributors - NFL - SI.com

This is okay. While a lot of "lay" people see the Giants winning, the fact that the experts are picking the Patriots is actually, in my humble opinion, a good thing. I think the Giants do better when they are viewed as and feel like the underdogs, when they feel like people are rooting against them, when they feel like people are underestimating them and not giving them any credit. As long as people are still picking the Patriots to win, I feel good about the Giants chances. Weird, right? Women don't rely on logic. Not even women sports fan.

Super Bowl XLVI Picks, Crystal Ball by SI.com NFL contributors - NFL - SI.com

If you're going to the Super Bowl AND you're a fan of Cougar Town, keep reading!

Ok, if you don't watch this show, you should. Guy or girl, there's humor for everyone! And I'm just doing my part to help promote it as much as one person can. Soooo...if you're a rabid football fan who will be at the Super Bowl AND you want to do me a favor and help keep my show on the air, read here.

Nick Swisher and Joanna Garcia: too cute for words

So we're going to take a break from football talk today to mention how I am right at this moment catching up on Royal Pains, one of my guilty pleasure tv shows (and boy, do I have a lot of them!) Joanna Garcia is guess starring in this episode from last night - she is just too adorable. I hated her in Reba but I've liked her in just about everything else she's ever done. Which is why I was totally on board when she and New York Yankee Nick Swisher (one of my favorites for just being so obvious that he loves the sport he plays and he loves the fans he plays for) not only started dating, but a little over a year ago got married. I didn't even notice her names in the credits, but as soon as I saw her on screen, I realized I HAD seen her name in the credits but that it had an extra word in it - apparently, now she's going professionally by the name Joanna Garcia Swisher. How cute is that? Guys may think us girls can be catty about other girls, especially when said females are dating athletes we're crushing on, but when you like the player AND you like the woman, you just can't help but be happy for them. I hope those two make it!

Here endeth our football break. :)