Great pick-up or disastrous deal?

ESPN.com article link


For the first time this decade, this century, in this country, since he has been playing professional baseball, since he has been playing organized baseball, in his entire life, Ichiro Suzuki is not hitting the ball well. I've heard fans make the argument that it's a huge waste of money to sign a 38 year old .261 hitter. Really? Your worried about the YANKEES overpaying? Why does money even cross your mind? Is it coming out of your pocket? The Yankees will raise, maintain, or lower ticket prices whether they sign Ichiro or not, believe that, it's the equivalent of you deciding to buy that doublemint .25 pack of gun at the gas station and your wife yelling because rent is due next week, it's OK guys, I promise.


Not that the New York Yankees need it or anything but the added viewers that an international icon like Ichiro could bring to their own YES network is HUGE. They already have a big advantage by creating it to begin with, just a genius move on their part, but the type of pull that some of these stars from other counties have in both the US and in their own homeland is massive, especially with a player like Ichiro who became the star he was while playing back in Japan. If you combine the hits he had while playing professionally in Japan with the ones in MLB he could possibly achieve the all-time record which is a record that is probably never going to be broken.


From everything being reported it seems like the sometimes selfish, arrogant, loner that played for the Seattle Mariners since coming to the US is ready to make the necessary changes to just fit in with a new team, putting his stats aside in order to complete his amazing career with a MLB World Series Championship.
If we concede the facts that have been reported such as, he made concessions in regards to his contract in order to get the deal done, he has made it clear that he is willing to bat wherever and play whenever necessary to help the team win and truly wants to be on a team playing into October....I think this was a GREAT pick-up by the Yankees.


Let's try and keep in mind a few possible scenarios.

• He comes in to play a corner outfield until Nick Swisher is back from the DL and then is a backup that is not only a veteran but still has great speed and a good glove.
• Used as a pinch runner late in games and as an insurance policy for their thin outfield now that the playoffs are nearing.
• Management thinks his drop in production has more to do with the tole of constant losing and once on a winning team he will be energized and rejuvenated enough to bring a solid bat to the playoffs.
• Management this he needs to get out of the spotlight and get back to just playing baseball and by playing with so many superstars in New York some of the pressure will ease.....(it won't ease much i'd imagine playing in front of a packed house nightly though)

Pass it on, something all of us should think about a little more.....

Motorauthority.com Article Link


Ray Horton did something I thought was very very generous. Before moving on to Arizona and the Cardinals to take over as the new defensive coordinator he stopped by the Pittsburgh Steelers facility one more time. When you work somewhere for around 20 years of your life you happen to make more then a few friends along the way. Just like when your packing up your house to move and realize you had about 10 times more shit then you ever dreamed you had, and with a team like the Steelers that are drenched in a proud family tradition, these friendships are closer then people can imagine. 


Just ask Maurice Matthews, the cafeteria worker who had been serving meals to Ray and the other coaches for decades. On his last visit before heading out of town presumably on an airplane and with a hefty raise waiting when he lands coach Horton asked a simple question, got a simple answer and i'm pretty damn sure, made it one hell of a day for one man named Maurice Matthews. After Ray asked how much money Maurice had in his pocket and Maurice answered $20, Ray spoke 1 simple word that probably sounded like a dream...."SOLD" and threw his ol buddy the keys to his 1999 Mercedes Benz SL 500 which still is selling for around $17,000.


How great of a story is that? Why can't we hear more about the great things people do to help one another instead of news filled with so much violence, political feuding, dangerous cartels entering through a border will far too little policing and too little resources to add more? The saddest thing is even when it does get reported about, it's in MotorAuthority.com and not somewhere like Sportscenter or ESPN.com. By now maybe it has been put into the news cycles for those networks and websites but my point is we hear about a DUI arrest by the time one of our millionaire hero's posts their bail money./ How about the same kind of coverage when our hometown team has players with free camps, or donates money to a local charity but doesn't want the press there, etc.

It's like we are supposed to believe that all athletes are either perfect robots and can do no wrong or they are career mastermind criminals. They are people too. They can make mistakes. They should pay the price just like any of us would, but they also should get the forgiveness just as anyone of us would want. 


I just wanted to say, hearing stories like this really makes me proud to be an american, and proud to be a fan of the NFL and the other sports available.


What's your opinion? Feel free to share, All comments are appreciated.