Humble Pie

I didn't want to write this post. For years, hockey has provided me with a multitude of jokes. Not just about the sport, but the hyperbole that ensues when comparing it to anything I didn't care about. I grew up not giving hockey the time of day. Then the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins moved to my hometown and I started to kind of like it. I used how great live hockey is as an excuse to go the games, but I never cared about the NHL.

Then I moved to Philadelphia.

I've only gone to a handful of Flyers games, but the ones I have were incredible. The atmosphere beats every other sport hands down. I think its because hockey is such an exclusive club. You have to really be a fan to know the players and all the rules. So if the guy next to you knows what he's talking about then you immediately respect him and have a bond. I started last year just following the Flyers and fell in love with many of the players. Miraculously, the Broad Street Bullies made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. This year, however, I find myself paying attention to more than just the Fly Guys. It culminated about two weeks ago when HBO kicked off its 24/7 series following the Penguins and Capitals as they lead up to their New Year's Day Winter Classic match-up at Heinz Field.

Simply put: It's AWESOME.

You learn all about the protocols that take effect when it comes to fighting and the preparation. It follows players to their home lives and you see them off the ice. I'm sure that's exactly what Gary Bettman wanted when he OK'd the show, but I've got to tell you, it definitely worked. Between Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, I can't stop watching. The coaches are enthralling and I find myself watching more and more hockey, even when Philly isn't playing. Not only are these guys superb athletes, they are tough as nails. Myself, standing at a mere 5'10'', always find myself rooting for the little guy. While most of these hockey guys could double as NFL linebackers, there are the occasional 'little guy' who gets the snot kicked out of him nightly and keeps coming back for more.

I can't pretend to be a loyal hockey fan. But I'm trying. I regret the years I spent bashing the NHL and now truly appreciate its place in sports culture and everything it provides to a city. My name is KC Jordan and I'm a hockey fan. It's been two days since my last game. And I can't wait to fall off the wagon.

Guess Who's Back?

It may be 20 degrees in Philadelphia today, but you'd never know it. For the second time in 18-months, the Phillies acquired stud left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee. It came out of nowhere. Somewhere around 6 p.m. last night word started to spread that the Phils were the mystery team still involved in the negotiations for Lee's services. But they were up against the Yankees unlimited budget and the fact that they scorned Lee by shipping him to Seattle this time last year to make room for Roy Halladay. Everyone wanted him back but in the eyes' of the fan base it was more that a million-to-one shot. Then the news came down just after midnight, Lee accepted the Phillies offer and would be teaming up to form the greatest rotation in the history of baseball.

After the initial exuberance subsided and more details began to emerge, it became even more unbelievable that the reports were true. He left $50 million on the table from New York and $30 million from Texas. He signed for less guaranteed years (5) then the Yankees and Rangers offered (6). This marks the third time in the last year that a coveted pitcher has asked to go to Philadelphia. First it was Roy Halladay, who went on to win the Cy Young this year and then it was Roy Oswalt at the deadline. Both players were acquired via trade, but both had no-trade clauses and could have easily nixed the deal. Halladay took much less than he would have commanded had he reached free agency because he wanted to go to Philly. This just doesn't happen. It's too good to be true. Based on the trade that brought Halladay in and sent Lee out last year, I fully expected Amaro to trade Hamels to the Rockies by lunch today. But it didn't happen and now the Phils will have Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels leading the way to October next season.

For all of you loyal Phils fans who kept your Lee #34 jerseys, don't fret. Lee will wear #33 but no one will chastise you for rocking last years uni. Personally, I couldn't be happier. I've followed Lee since his younger days in Cleveland where he quickly became one of my favorite players and the fact that he spurned the Yanks makes me love him even more. My only wish now was that I could fast forward time to Opening Day 2012 because this season will be more fun to watch than any other in the sport's history. Eight weeks til pitchers and catchers. Until then, it's the Mike Vick show in Philly.

The Hot Stove Just Got a Little Hotter

I have tremendous respect for baseball journalists. In fact, when I was little, instead of wanting to play baseball, I wanted to cover it. The offseason has to be difficult when it comes to finding enough content to fill the pages, but I had to laugh at an ESPN.com article that reported the Red Sox were willing to non-tender Jonathan Papelbon had Mariano Rivera accepted their two year/$30 million offer.

I understand where they're coming from but does anyone in the baseball world think the Red Sox had more than a 0.0001% chance of landing Mo? Not only is he the greatest closer who ever picked up a baseball, he's done it for the most historic and legendary team in baseball. Why on Earth would he ever pick-up and leave for the one team he's automatically programmed to hate with the fire of a thousand burning suns? I don't think there's any amount of money that could have taken Rivera out of the Bronx. At some point, you have to just sit back and say, "we might not want to even bother posting this article".

Of course Rivera was going to re-sign. Of course Jeter was going to re-sign. And of course Andy Pettitte is going to re-sign. Tomorrow I'll have a blog post about Christmas coming and it being cold in Alaska. Or I'll do what ESPN should have done and just assume everyone knows that in the first place.

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the Derek Jeter negotiations. Here you have your captain and face of the franchise. He's the most beloved athlete since, actually I can't think of anyone more beloved than Jeter. Even if you hate him, you secretly love him. His skills obviously are declining as is to be expected by any athlete approaching 40 not named Barry Bonds. I wouldn't have budged from my initial offer if I was the Yanks. What's Jeter going to do? Go play for the Minnesota Twins because they might have offered him more. No way! In all seriousness, the Yankees were generous at 3 yrs/$45 mil. If I'm running that team I offer him 2 yrs for $20 million and make him decide not be the short stop of the Yankees anymore.

Some argue that he should get paid for his past accomplishments. Not only is that horrible business sense, last I checked Jeter just finished a 10 year contract that paid him $189 million. Not exactly underpaid, especially for a guy that doesn't steal bases or hit for much power. I'd argue they won that World Series in 2009 in spite of Jeter and not because of him. Robinson Cano is clearly the best player on that team and yet is making money comparable to Juan Uribe. Have we heard a peep out of Cano? I didn't think so.

Unless the Yankees sign Cliff Lee, which I bet dollars to donuts doesn't happen, they're going to struggle this year. Oh they'll win their division and cruise into the second round of the playoffs, but there is no reason to believe their pitching we'll get them another World Series. Lee doesn't strike me as a New York guy and I think if Texas offers anything close to what New York offers, he'll stay with the state you don't mess with. I have the same feeling with Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth. Werth is going to get ridiculously overpaid and the only place where he can put up stats close to what he's going to earn is Boston. With that heavy uppercut swing, I can't think of a park more suited for his services than Fenway. Crawford is most certainly on his way to Anaheim and I think it's because of his hatred for New York after all those years in Tampa.

With Lance Berkman signing in St. Louis, that leaves the Yankees with some definite holes. A-Rod can't catch up to the inside heat anymore, Jeter is losing range at a higher rate than the ozone layer and Mark Teixeira's April slumps are turning into May and June slumps as well. Cano's a beast but Posada is older than any catcher should be. Granderson is erratic and while I love Brett Gardner, he just doesn't fit the make up of the club. Guys who play small ball need to play a role in a team dedicated to manufacturing runs. The Yankees are a wait for three-run homer kind of club. And if I'm right and Crawford and Werth sign elsewhere, that leaves Swisher in right (ouch) and no solid DH.

The rotation is a mess. After Sabathia, who obviously isn't sticking to that Subway diet he endorses in the commercials, you have the head-case AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes who has been pushed past his innings limit in past seasons and will undoubtedly show it in 2011. Vazquez left for Florida and that leaves two spots to fill. There's help on the farm but no matter how good you look in Triple-A, the Major Leagues are a different beast and there's no way to tell how playing in the Big Apple will affect a guy.

Maybe its more wishful thinking than fact, but the Yanks have a lot of work to do if they want to get back to the promise land. The Red Sox just acquired Adrian Gonzalez, Tampa's going to lose Crawford but they've got Desmond Jennings ready to step in. The Blue Jays have a tremendous pitching staff and the Orioles played like a team possessed under Buck Showalter down the stretch. The AL East is once again the best division in baseball and it's going to be a 162-game knock down, drag-out fight. How long 'til pitchers and catchers report?