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Steve R.

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  1. Steve R.
    "And I *think* you're also saying it should be allowed, but that it's rarely or never justified - am I reading you correctly?" Yep. There is no basis to exclude pitchers from the award, but it'd be hard for me to agree with the choice of a pitcher for the award. As for your example, Kershaw might be the most valuable player on the Dodgers, but the most valuable players on several other teams have an edge in my mind.
  2. Steve R.
    It stands for "Most Valuable Player", doesn't it? Well, if you can make the argument that the innings pitched made him more valuable than any other player (which your "impact" argument hits on the head), then I guess its okay. I just don't see how any pitcher (& I'd say that Mariano Rivera would also be a good argument"¦ more impact in positive game outcomes than most) could be more valuable than a gold glover who hit over 300, had over 100 RBIs and came thru in clutch situations throughout the year. Not only does a pitcher only get into 27 games, he's only in a part of 27 games. I'd have to hear a real good explanation for such a vote.
  3. Steve R.
    Watched the whole game. From his 1st inning hit to his 9th inning hit, it could hardly have been a better scripted game for him. Well, except for his repeated fielding jitters"¦. those were 3 or 4 of the most terrible throws to first I've seen from him. Great game to watch. End of an era. Glad he's only DH'ing a couple of the last away games.
  4. Steve R.
    Yankee fans, myself included, will really miss his presence. Of course, it'll be offset by the return of A-Rod to save the team.
  5. Steve R.
    I don't have a link.... definitely take the time to find one, you'll appreciate it. We're in agreement on the general context (I bolded that part of your post above) Initially, Peng collapsed in pain during a game, after being in less acute distress for awhile. Bent over, unable to stand, let alone play points. Trainers, medical personnel, officials... all made it over to her on the back line & this continued for 10 minutes or more. Then they took her off for "evaluation" for another 15 minutes or more. Then she returned and play resumed without a single penalty point being applied, let alone a game. Wozniacki, who had just been standing around for the 20 minutes, waiting for some word, then was told to continue her service game from where it left off, served & I believe Peng won a point or two of the 4-6 played before she collapsed again, writhing in pain and eventually taken off in a wheelchair. Weird & totally unacceptable.
  6. Steve R.
    No comments on the way the US Open folks handled the Peng injury? I've never seen anything quite like it & the "explanations" clearly showed that they had no idea what to do. After hearing, before this match, so much about the "rules" concerning bringing trainers out, getting medical time-outs, etc it was surreal to watch them contradict every previous statement. As much as it would've been heartbreaking (& been criticized), they should have ended the match when Peng was initially unable to continue within the established time for return of serve. Or, if they wanted to go thru the motions, they could've had W. serve out the game, most likely without Peng's participation, then allow the legit. time until Peng had to serve, then give points when she couldn't until the game (and, therefore, the match) was over. Imagine if Peng had come back on the court those 15-20 minutes later, after the medical "evaluation" (it was treatment), with no penalty points given, and played well enough to continue. Imagine if Wozniacki lost the game. How about maybe then the set. I'd almost guess that the results would've had to be overturned later on. As it is, I can foresee a flurry of similar situations coming up if they don't clarify quickly and admit a mistake. I know its jaded of me, but there are more than a couple of players who would take advantage of a hole in the rules this big. And imagine if, after being medically seen ("evaluated" or treated) off the court, she would've come back and had a stroke (or worse). I haven't heard anything about her condition today and I really hope she's okay and will recover. No thanks to the Open or, possibly more importantly, her coach, who should've come out and thrown in the towel for her. If she doesn't fire him (if she can, that is), she's a fool.
  7. Steve R.
    You should have stayed awake. The 3rd and 4th sets were great tennis & the 5th, unfortunately for Monfils, showed the difference between them.
  8. Steve R.
    We'll be at the Open on Monday as well &, if you're interested, drop me a pm beforehand and we'll talk at the Tennis Center. The Flushing places listed above are fine but there are some other interesting choices just as available on the same streets (Fu Run, Spicy & Tasty, the Golden Mall's stalls"¦). In the other direction along Roosevelt Ave are tons of Mexican, Central and South American places, one of the best Thai places (Sripraphai) and several Indian (well, Pakistanian/Bengladeshian) places. There's also another exit out of the Flushing Meadows Park that leads to 111th St, only blocks from some old line Italian American places like Park Side (& the Lemon Ice King of Corona). As I said, drop me a pm if interested. In Manhattan, Louro is a good choice"¦ the chef/co-owner (David Santos) is a friend to many of us on several food boards and he's putting out some excellent stuff in a nice, informal W.Village location.
  9. Steve R.
    Tangential comment (gee, what a surprise): I still get a little twinge every time I see charts like this, that break things down into "pre-Open" and "Open" eras. I don't feel like I'm really that old, to have lived (and played) in 2 tennis eras. Of course, I do have my Tad Davis Imperial and my Wilson T2000 rackets (both strung and ready) hanging just behind me as I type this but...
  10. Steve R.
    well"¦. ok then. Nice job.
  11. Steve R.
    I know you said that you already have a hotel in San Luis Obispo but The Madonna Inn is a riot. We haven't been there in many years but the rooms have themes and many are built into the mountain, resulting in in-room waterfalls, showers that are rock walled, etc. If nothing else, you have to look at the website and check out some of the rooms. If I remember right, the dining area is a kitch filled (dolls on swings hanging from the ceiling"¦ well, you get the idea) hallucination. And that drive from LA to SF is fantastic on the PCH.
  12. Steve R.
    "Jersey" (think shirts) sales, not N.J. If that's what you were referring to.
  13. Steve R.
    Just catching up on this thread: add The Incredible String Band & The Electric Flag to that. ("A Long Tome Comin'", their 1st album, had Mike Bloomfield, Buddy Miles, Nick Gravenites, Harvey Brooks"¦ & had sitar. Anyone wanna guess who the sitarist was? ok: Richie Havens
  14. Steve R.
    Re: the Brooklyn Nets question. I want to be a fan. I live walking distance from the arena. And I haven't been in love with the Knicks since Isiah was hired. But I grew up a Knick fan and, with Jackson in the front office, I'd find it hard to walk away now. Also, it would've been pretty hard for me to couple my respect for Kidd with rooting for a team with Garnett and Pierce. I mean, I had trouble integrating Boggs, Clemons & Damon into the Yankee fold and that's baseball, where its less grating. Boston is the enemy"¦ period.
  15. Steve R.
    You may well be correct about the influence of one player on the game. I really don't know soccer well enough to even have a clue how much the big guns mean to a team. I would guess that the lack of scoring lessened my education on that"¦. it's just more obvious how a Michael Jordan or a Lebron James means to a team, since it can be more easily quantified in the scoresheet.
  16. Steve R.
    Although its probably true that an individual of great talent exerts more influence on every game in basketball than in soccer, I think the basic premise of knowing how to work together on both offense and defense is true in both sports to a very high degree. I'm no expert on soccer, but the best teams (especially Germany) in the World Cup looked much like what I expect of a great basketball team. All too often, other teams in the tournament seemed to have imperfect knowledge of where their teammates were & where they were expected to go and weren't sure of who to pass to and when. There was also a certain amount of "gotta do it myself" observable. I think that the US Olympic basketball teams have looked like this as well, while the best teams in the NBA look more that the organized group that Germany seemed to be & that folks are saying that the better professional soccer league teams seem to be as well. So I'd guess the parallel is close enough.
  17. Steve R.
    More similar to basketball? Spurs (or Heat?) vs. the Olympic team.
  18. Steve R.
    We're pretty much in agreement. Except I'm not too sure about how the dominoes wound up falling (at least so far). Bosh re-signed with the Heat? Didn't see that coming. He might've underestimated his own game and the impact he'd have on some major players. And Carmelo back to the Knicks? I don't know what they said to him but I just don't get how this fits into his goal of being on a championship team in the next year or two. I can't wait to see him try to learn and utilize the triangle offense. Personally, I think the world of his ability &, if he buys into it, I think he'll be a great part of the rebuilding Knicks. So, we apparently disagree on him. Cant wait to see if Jackson pulls in another solid player or two"¦ the current bunch is under-rated and Hardaway's gonna develop. They need some help this year to make sure of that. And, yes, the Spurs game reminded me of the old Knicks. Only better. They surprised me"¦ in a good way. As much as folks give it lip service, Duncan is woefully under-rated in his ability, his ongoing intensity/desire and his leadership skills.
  19. Steve R.
    Lost in all this feel good "back to Cleveland 'cause I care" story is that LeBron bailed as soon as Wade showed age/injury & that he no longer would be part of a superstar trio. He does not want to carry a team alone"¦ I don't think he thinks that he can do it. And Cleveland has the better team going into this year, with better young legs and even the potential to trade their #1 for someone in his prime. I recognize LeBron's immense talent but give him little respect.
  20. Steve R.
    I saw this played many years ago at NY's Racquet & Tennis Club and even went down onto a court to look around. Too crazy...even for me.
  21. Steve R.
    We can agree about the prettiness of McEnroe's serve. But it's not diving and there aren't style points. So, let's talk about the main point & here, once again, I think you conveniently leave out context and ascribe motivations that may or may not be there with the current players. I don't think that McEnroe would deny his own pursuit of money. However, in his time, the money came with playing as many events as he could. Today's players have a much harder grind with many more tournaments needed, 12months/year to get the computer points needed to earn a living. There's no way that McEnroe would have played as many doubles tournaments if he had to be on the current men's tour. That Serena & Venus (& several other top women players) do it is a mystery to me and probably also puts a hole in your argument about them chasing the big bucks. Nothing diminishes what McEnroe accomplished and I recognize it. But nothing should diminish Laver or others' accomplishments either. We build on history but don't try to argue, without context, that life was better in the old days"¦ the life span difference alone makes me appreciate living in this day and age. Not to mention the internet Federer would kick Johnny Mack's ass"¦ case closed!
  22. Steve R.
    Well, I took it all in & it looks like you were wrong about the energy & recovery time - he looked great, right to the end. This guy looked like the younger of the two. What a comeback in the 4th set. Unfortunately, however, you got the result right. I gotta give Djokovic credit for regrouping in the 5th and playing his game. I thought Roger might have had him. Oh well. Great match.
  23. Steve R.
    No offense, but yours are exactly the arguments that I couldn't disagree with more. To think that everything that came after McEnroe is "cheating" just disregards all the advantages that he had over those before him. Do you think that playing in shorts gave an unfair advantage? How about the sneakers that he had"¦ not significantly better than those a generation before him? How about those real wood racquets he used"¦ you don't think that they held the string pressure better than the ones used by Kramer et al? Or that they were lighter? Or that the strings were made of a better material? Or that the racquet was strung by a machine that did a better job? Really? He played in a context just like everyone before and after him. Simple as that. And, let's go to your last point. Granted, McEnroe's serve was a thing of beauty. Still is (I saw him play sets during the last few years, one against Borg, another against Agassi"¦ part of a pro league benefit at the club I played at (Sportime, which he co-owns)). But he combined that finesse with the power that his advanced equipment gave him"¦ he was a product of his environment & times. But let's compare apples to apples here and not compare his finesse serve with cannonball servers of the current time. There were hard serving non-finesse players during his time and there are finesse players now. You think Federer isn't every bit as smooth & is a cannonballer? Just because his racquet gives him more power than McEnroe had (as McEnroe's racquet did compared to previous generations) doesn't make Federer a Roddick. We'll never know if McEnroe would be as good as Federer if he grew up now, just as we'll never know if Federer would've been able to use his talents to equal or surpass McEnroe back then. But to dismiss Federer's talent as due to improvements in the equipment and not the athlete is disrespectful & just plain wrong. I love Martina & would never deny her greatness. But the argument is the same. Let her, as she actually was in her 20s, try to win a set from any of the top 10 women players of today. There's just no comparison in strength, agility, conditioning, power and maybe even precision. Even she'd admit that. Bottom line: you can argue that you enjoyed the old game you knew better than the current game. It's a statement I make all the time vis a vis basketball & I appreciate the part of your post that says "I'd rather see." But trotting out the same "they don't make 'em like they used to" argument that every older generation makes about "the kids today" misses the reality that they really are better. It pisses me off, but its true.
  24. Steve R.
    Unless Nadal picks up the pace over the next several years, I fully believe that Federer has to be considered the better all time player. It will be hard for me to think of Djokovic as a potential #1 of all time but, as you say, the book's still open. The players just keep getting better and better and it becomes unfair to compare one generation against another. As someone old enough to have seen Laver et al play (in person), then to continue thru the Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Sampras, Agassi eras, I am continuously amazed at how each "new" great player is so much better than the ones before them. And I expect this to continue. I have some perspective on this issue. Having converted from tennis to squash in college & graduating in '74, I played NYC league squash in '81-'83 while I was ranked in the top 100 (amateurs) nationally. I played on a co-ed team and played #1 for a season, with the #2 player being the #2 women's pro. in the country. I could beat her in a match, barely, but I could (the #1 woman's player at the time could roll over me like I was hit by a train, but that's another story). At any rate, a # of years later, by the time Venus was coming up in the tennis ranks and I was playing tennis again (at a much lower pedestrian level), I remember standing court side and having a revelation that, in my prime, I wouldn't stand a chance against the then current top 50 women squash players and would be lucky to win a game (okay, 2 points) against a top woman's tennis player. Not even a tough analysis. They were just that much better. I cannot fathom how good these current players are. Yes, as you (Don) say, the training is better, the equipment much better and everything else is a better environment to produce better athletes. But, the bottom line remains -- these are the best ever. And soon there'll be better. By the way, I still have my Tad Davis Imperial wood racquet & the "new" racquet I replaced it with"¦ the Wilson T-2000. Both are strung and usable. Neither can be used effectively & I'll stick with my current Head Radical. Too bad I didn't keep a container of white balls.
  25. Steve R.
    Sitting here in our Paris hotel room waiting to see if we can get into Fish La Boissonnerie for our last dinner here before flying home to Brooklyn, I find I have enough time to note which places we really liked while here in Paris on both ends of our 5+ weeks in France trip (3 weeks in Provence & 1 in Lyon made up the bulk of it). At any rate, a small plates dinner at the bar at Le Bat was excellent, Chateaubriand hit all the right notes (2nd seating, waited on line till 10:30pm & closed the place down at 1am), Ze Kitchen Gallerie was fantastic, lunch at Buvette (hey, had to patronize my home town chef) was lovely & Chez George (the old line one, on rue du Mail) would be my neighborhood go to place if I could live in a neighborhood like that - wow. Should probably write up Lyon as well...the food there was incredible. Are there any real Bouchons anywhere within the NYC/D.C. Corridor? Eta: almost forgot to mention that we would have hit up Comptoir &/or Spring if there was more than a snowball's chance in hell at getting into either in my lifetime.
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