Written By: Matt Vereb

Major League Baseball reported their collective earnings for the 2009 season. Major League Baseball collected $6.6 billion dollars, a 1.5% increase from their 2008 total of $6.5 billion. Major League Baseball was able to earn a higher revenue even though ticket sales were down 6.5% compared to 2008.

So how were they able to earn more money by selling less seats?

Both the Mets and Yankees opened new stadiums and charged premium prices for seats. Leases at Yankee Stadium started at $250,000 for the season. ‘Legend Seating’ would cost fans $1,250 per game. The average ticket price at Yankee Stadium was a staggering $72.97(It was $41.40 in 2008). The Mets’ average ticket price came to $36.99. The averages between to the two clubs are a bit drastic because the Mets offer more premium seating than the Yankees do.

Here are just some fun statistics concerning concessions at ballparks across the country. (All information is property of bizofbaseball.com)

League Average for Smallest Beer: $5.86

Cheapest Beer (smallest size available)

• $4.00 (Royals and Diamondbacks)
• $4.50 (Angels)
• $4.75 (Pirates)
• $5.00 (Reds, Astros, Orioles, Brewers, Rangers)

Most Expensive Beer (smallest size available)

• Giants ($8.75)
• Rays ($8.00)

League Avg. For Hot Dog: $3.70

Least Expensive Hot Dog

• $1.00 (Reds)
• $2.50 (Pirates, Orioles)
• $2.75 (Diamondbacks, Brewers, Rangers)

Most Expensive Hot Dog:

• $5.00 (Dodgers, Marlins)
• $4.75 (Astros)

Baseball’s revenues prove that the game, as a whole, is recession-proof. Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets financially skew league averages, but their profits and luxury tax additions help all of the less fortunate teams. No more snow, bring on April.

Photo Credit: virtualclub.com; metslifer.blogspot.com

Information Credit: bizofbaseball.com

Rookie Hazing 2007

**Pictured Left to Right: Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, Shelley Duncan, Phil Hughes**

Written By: Matt Vereb

During Spring Training, Yankee pitching coach, Dave Eiland, is holding an open competition for the 5th starter. Earlier, we covered that Eiland wants all five of his starters to be able to throw 200+ innings. Only Sabathia and Burnett posted 200+ IP(Pettitte had 194; Vazquez threw 249 for Atlanta). According to Eiland and Girardi, Joba Rules are over. So who is in the competition for the 5th starter spot?

The Contenders:

1. Joba Chamberlain

Joba struggled last year as a starter. In 32 starts, he was 9-6 posting a 4.75 ERA. Even though Joba struck out 133 batters in 157 innings, he walked 76. This translates into a staggering 2.4 walks/game.

During his short career, Joba has made 43 starts. He has a 12-7 lifetime record as a starter. Chamberlain has struck out 206 hitters in 221 innings. Joba has also walked 101 hitters. Joba’s strikeout to walk ratio is roughly 2:1, a figure he hopes to improve upon in 2010.

As a reliever, Joba has been dominant. In 60 innings, Joba has recorded 79 strikeouts and allowed only 20 walks and 39 hits. He has a 1.50 ERA as a reliever.

Since 2007, Joba has been the most priced Yankee rookie. Management has done everything in their power to protect his arm. We have all seen flashes of greatness from Joba. He just needs to get his walks under control.

2. Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes spent the majority of his 2009 season setting the table for Closer, Mariano Rivera. The 23-year-old righty recorded 65 strikeouts in 51 innings out of the bullpen. Opposing hitters only hit .172 off Hughes. Hughes 3.03 overall ERA was 2nd lowest on the team(Rivera).

Going into this season, Hughes has never been ‘stretched out’ meaning he is not physically ready to handle a 200 inning season. During his three year career in the Majors, Hughes has totaled only 192 innings.

As a starter in 2007 and 2008, Hughes made 21 starts. He was 5-7 with a 5 ERA in 106 innings. Hughes allowed 107 hits and 65 runs!

3. Others

Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre, and Alfredo Aceves figured to be in the mix for the 5th starter spot.

Chad Gaudin was acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline in 2009. Gaudin made 11 appareances(6 starts) for the Yankees in 2009. Gaudin was 2-0, posting a 3.43 ERA in 42 innings.

Mitre made 12 appearances for the Yankees in 2009. He was 3-3, posting a 6.75 ERA.

Aceves was a bullpen specialist for the Yankees last season. Aceves posted a 10-1 record with a 3.54 ERA.

All three of these pitchers figure to play long relief roles for the team this year. I can see Gaudin and Mitre pitching occasionally to rest starters or cover for injuries. Aceves is great in the bullpen.

Joba or Hughes??

If it were up to me, I would roll with Joba. Joba deserves another chance as a starter. He has shown flashes of dominance in the past. Hughes has great in the bullpen, but I expect him to be in the rotation in 2011. The 5th starter does not really make or break a team, but this is an important long-term decision for the Yankees. If Joba struggles, the team could go with another arm. But the set up worked last season. The offseason addition of pitcher Javy Vazquez further relieves the burden on Joba/Phil. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

Who do you want to see as the 5th starter?

Photo Credit: nj.com

Written by: Adam Poedubicky

With the NFL Draft slowly but surely approaching, one of the key steps to the process is finally here: the NFL Combine. In short, the NFL Combine is where teams send representatives (coaches, general managers, owners, etc.) who look at the talent on display for April’s draft. Imagine how terrified you were when you had an interview for your job; this is worse. The results are posted on the Internet, criticized by TV pundits, and can ultimately cost a player millions.

Although the Combine can make or break the beginning of a career, there is no direct correlation between Combine and NFL performance. In 2008, little known running back Chris Johnson out of East Carolina was projected as a middle round draft pick until he posted a 4.24 40-time at the Combine. All that led to was Johnson being selected 24^th overall, and two years later becoming the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

However, on the other end of the spectrum was the original Combine all-star, pro failure in Boston College DE Mike Mamula. Mamula measured out to 6’4, 250 pounds, ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, and bench pressed 225 pounds 26 times. He also scored a 49 on the Wonderlic test, which is about the equivalent to scoring a 1590 on the SATs. Seeing these great numbers, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Mamula 7^th overall in 1995, picking him over Warren Sapp, Ty Law, Derrick Brooks, and Terrell Davis. There were a few details that these numbers don’t clearly state: 1. Mike Mamula was riddled with injury issues at BC and 2. He truly was never that good of a football player. He was out of the league in 5 years, registering only 31.5 sacks.

Although the effectiveness of the Combine can be debated, it is a fact that a good performance at the Combine will increase a player’s chances of getting drafted higher. Keeping this in mind, let’s see which players need to have a good Combine to keep themselves in the first few rounds.

Key Prospects

QB: Colt McCoy, Texas. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma. McCoy and Bradford both injured their throwing shoulders in their senior seasons, so the better they throw, the higher they’ll go. Expect Bradford to have a better Combine, being as how he had almost all of the regular season to recover and McCoy’s injury happened in the national championship game.

RB: Jahvid Best, Cal. Best suffered two horrifying concussions in two consecutive weeks to end his 2009 campaign early. At the time, he was not only a Heisman candidate, but also probably the front-runner. A sub 4.5 40-time and a decent number of reps on the bench press could make GMs forget about that.

WR: Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State. Bryant missed most of last year as result of an NCAA suspension. Regardless of this, he still looks like a top-15 pick. He’s expected to turn in one of the fasted 40 times for WRs, and if he does, expect him to go top 10 come April.

TE: Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma. Gresham would have easily been a first rounder and the first tight end picked in last year’s draft. However, he came back to OU and tore his ACL. He has torn ligaments in both of his knees throughout his career, so not only will his 40-time be important, but also how well he gets in and out of cuts running passing routes.

DE: Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida. Although I personally have never seen Jason play and I don’t want to rush to judgment, it seems like he might be the most over-hyped player coming into this year’s draft based on numbers. Here comes a guy most people never have heard of, but he’s 6’6, 260, and can run a 4.6. If these prove to be true at the Combine, he will certainly go in the top 10. From what I’ve heard/read about him so far, he eerily reminds me of a certain defensive end out of Boston College.

DT: Terrence Cody, Alabama. With Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy cemented as top 3 picks, it’s a mad dash to see what other defensive tackles will get drafted in the first round. Terrence Cody has shown that he is a playmaker on the defensive line, and is the mass of a body that a team with a 3-4 defense is looking for in the middle. However, there has been speculation that the mass has been too high, ballooning to close to 370 at the Senior Bowl. He needs to show that he’s serious about working out, or he will fall to the second or third round.

S: Taylor Mays, Southern Cal. Mays would have been a top 10 pick had he entered the draft a year ago. Now, he has slipped as he has visible weaknesses in pass coverage. Also, it isn’t known whether or not he can run the 40 in under 4.4 as advertised. Also, the emergence of Eric Berry (Tennessee) and Earl Thomas (Texas) illuminate that there are other options available to teams needing help in the defensive backfield. If Mays is unable to field a great 40-time, expect that he may have to attempt the switch from safety to OLB.

Obviously, every player needs a great combine, but these are the ones with the most to gain or lose. Expect a recap from the Combine to discuss the winners and losers as it commences next week.

Photo Credit: 49ers.com

Written By: Matt Vereb

Derek Jeter addressed the media yesterday. Today, it was Alex Rodriguez’s turn to step to the ‘proverbial plate’. Before getting to the press conference, let’s take a walk down memory lane. 2009 was season filled with peaks and valleys for Rodriguez’s careers.

The Lows:
During Spring Training last year, a news story broke about Rodriguez’s Steroid use. Rodriguez came clean about his steroid problem with MLB Network’s, Peter Gammons. Rodriguez missed the first month of the season due to a hip injury.

The Highs:
During his first at-bat coming off the injury, Rodriguez homered off Orioles’ starter, Jeremy Guthrie. Rodriguez hit a memorable ‘Walk-Off’ Home Run off Junichi Tazawa in the 16th inning to defeat the Red Sox. Alex finished the regular season with 30 HRs and 100 RBIs, marking the 12th straight season he has obtained those numbers.

Rodriguez easily had the best postseason of his career in 2009. Rodriguez won his World Series ring while posting a .365 batting average to go along with 6 HRs and a .507 OBP. He had key hits against Twins closer, Joe Nathan and Angels’ closer, Brian Fuentes. A-Rod also dated Kate Hudson and rode on a float with rapper, Jay-Z. (Someone tell A-Rod to never wear that hat again) But, talk about a bounce back performance!

So what can we expect in 2010?

Chad Jennings is in Tampa covering Spring Training. Here’s a key summary of A-Rod’s Press Conference

1.      He was hoping Johnny Damon would come back.
2.      He’s not worried about the all-time Home Run total.
3.      Derek Jeter isn’t going anywhere.

Think whatever you want about A-Rod, but the guy has grown up a lot since last season. Winning has humbling, maturing factor on all people. Let’s hope this continues in 2010.

Photo Credit: news.yahoo.com

**Mets Shortstop Jose Reyes**

Written By: Alex Lowenthal

Photo Credit: news.yahoo.com; media.silive.com

**David Wright Taking BP at Spring Training**

Written By: Matt Vereb

So far in our series, we have covered New York Pitchers and the Yankees two best hitters. Today, we focus on the big bats from Queens.

In 2009, the Mets compiled a laundry list of injuries to key players. Notables Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado spent extended time on the Disabled List. The 2009 Mets finished with an embarassing 70-92 record.

So how do the Mets bounce back this season? Offense. A lot of offense.

Jason Bay

The Mets signed Outfielder, Jason Bay this off-season to provide more power to the middle of the lineup. Last season, Bay hit 36 Home Runs and drove in 119 RBIs for the Red Sox. Bay has hit 30 Home Runs in four of his last five seasons. Bay should have a lot of RBI opportunities this year with Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, and David Wright hitting in front of him. Fenway Park suited Bay’s power better than Citi Park, but expect Bay to have a good season overall. His HR total will be down, but he should still drive in plenty of runs.

Fantasy Owners will probably have to decide between Bay, Phillies Outfielder Jason Werth, and Toronto Outfielder/DH Adam Lind on draft day. They are projected to be the 8th-10th OF to come off the board. Werth and Lind will out-homered Bay, but Bay should drive in more runs and yield a higher batting average. Owners will likely consider draft Bay in Rounds 3,4.

Projection: .280, 27 HRs, 115 RBIs

Jose Reyes

Reyes only recorded 148 At-Bats during the 2009 season. Going into 2010, however, Reyes is apparently 100% and that ispositive news for fantasy owners and Met fans alike. Pre-injury, Reyes was a lock for 60+ SBs and 105+ Runs. Fantasy owners can not go into the 2010 season thinking Reyes will automatically resume those impressive numbers. Reyes will have a cast of great hitters behind him, but the success of the offense hinges on his ability to get on base.

The ‘Big 4′ at Shortstop(Hanley Ramirez, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, and Troy Tulowitzki) are safer draft picks on Draft Day. However, if I needed steals in Round 4-5, I’d gamble on Reyes over Rollins and Tulo.

Projection: .290, 100 Runs, 10 HRs, 52 SBs.

David Wright

What happened to Wright’s power? After seasons of averaging 30 HRs, 100 RBI, .300, Wright’s power numbers fell to only 10 HRs, 72 RBIs, and .307. Was this a product of no-lineup protection? Maybe. But given Citi field’s pitcher dimensions, Wright’s drop off is a very alarming. Do I think Wright will regain his 30 HR power? No. But I think he’ll be closer to 30 HRs than 10 this season. Wright offers great speed too for fantasy owners by stealing 27 bases in 2009. Wright is an overall five-category(Runs, HRs, Batting Avg, RBIs, SB) producer, a very valuable asset for fantasy teams.

Alex Rodriguez will be the first Third Baseman off the board. Wright and the Rays Evan Longoria will be jocking during Spring Training to become the second Third Baseman to come off the board. Longoria boasts better power numbers, but Wright gives you overall production. I’d go with Wright over Longoria in the 2nd Round.

Projection: .310, 100 Runs, 22 HRs, 100 RBIs, 22 SBs.

What do you think Met Fans?

Photo Credit: news.yahoo.com

Written By: Mike Ulatoski

United States (3-0-0-0, 9 points) vs. Switzerland (0-2-1-1, 5 points)

NOTE: records are presented as: three-point wins (regulation win), two-point wins (OT or shootout win), one-point losses (OT or shootout loss), zero-point losses (regulation loss).

What to Watch
On the line is a berth into Friday’s semifinals. The U.S. last medaled in Olympic hockey in 2002, winning silver. Switzerland hasn’t been on the podium since 1948, when they won bronze. These teams have met in the Olympics eight previous times, resulting in seven wins for the U.S.

Having already met in the first game of the tournament last week, it will be interesting to see if either team takes a different approach in this rematch. Obviously, both squads have had the opportunity to forge better chemistry and a lot has changed since meeting just 8 days ago. In that contest, the U.S. took a 3-0 lead after two periods and coasted to a 3-1 victory. Bobby Ryan, “Real American” David Backes, and Ryan Malone scored, and the U.S. held a 24-15 advantage in shots. Goaltender Ryan Miller made 14 saves and came within 10 minutes of posting a shutout in his Olympic debut.

“This was a very good opening game for the whole team,” said U.S. coach Ron Wilson. “It was the first Olympic experience for a lot of our players and I loved our discipline. We’re learning more about each other every day and we want to get better with each game.”

Since then, the Americans have built incredible momentum heading into the single-elimination portion of the tournament. Confidence is sky-high after knocking off arch-rival Canada and getting the #1 seed for the rest of the Olympics. Their two highest scorers are defensemen, Brian Rafalski (4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points) and Ryan Suter (0-4-4).  Out of the 20 U.S. skaters, 15 of them have recorded at least one point. Miller has the third-best save percentage (.929) after the preliminary round and has played every second in net.  He may be the MVP of the tournament after his performance against Canada.

Switzerland has produced 10 regulation goals in four games. They have received workmanlike goaltending from Jonas Hiller (.896 save percentage in preliminary round), who also has played every second for his team.

Watch for the U.S. to come out aggressive, as they did against Canada, and for the defensive game to be improved.  After surrendering 45 shots against Canada, positioning and backchecking were certainly some things Ron Wilson’s club worked on over the last 3 days.  Look for the U.S. to be aggressive again but this time a little more relaxed and composed.  Also, look for the defense to control the tempo of the Swiss attack, and play their best game of the tournament.

Last game - United States defeated Canada, 5-3, on Sunday in the preliminary round. Switzerland defeated Belarus, 3-2, in a shootout on Tuesday in the qualification round.

Team Reports

United States - After defeating Switzerland in the preliminary round, Backes said, “A win’s a win, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to be where we want to be.”  There’s no better place to be now than the No. 1 seed in the tournament. But that’s not the ultimate goal of this team.  The pressure is on, and some of it is coming from within.  Despite beating Canada on its own turf Sunday, GM Brian Burke said his team was fortunate to escape with a win. Burke said the U.S. was outplayed for two periods and was bailed out by a heroic effort from Ryan Miller.

“You guys are probably going to be shocked by this, but I’m not happy with the way we’ve played to this point,” Burke said the day after the game. “If that’s how we play, we’re going to have a hard time getting to where we want to get here and medaling.”

Typical Burke. The U.S. was outshot 19-6 in first period and 14-4 in the third. Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur faced only 22 shots and the U.S. was fortunate to capitalize on his poor puckhandling, which may have made all the difference in the final outcome.

“We got out-chanced 2-1,” Burke said. “Our goaltender stole us a game. That’s what happened. People can say that Canada didn’t play well. I don’t agree with that. Except for the goaltending position, we didn’t deserve to win that game.”

Miller was spectacular, and the U.S. might not have had more chances but they were the ones that capitalized. However you look at it, this team is here to win and has done nothing but win so far.  They aren’t here just to say they played in the Olympics; they’re here to take home a medal, and they realize just beating Canada does not get you a medal. These players realize their work is not done yet.

On a side note, the U.S. was the least-penalized team in the preliminary round, as they played shorthanded for only 14 minutes (seven minor penalties) in three games.

Switzerland - Since the 3-1 loss to the U.S., the Swiss have regrouped nicely and have not been easy to play against. A 3-2 shootout loss to Canada, a 5-4 overtime win against Norway, and the 3-2 shootout victory against Belarus have taken this team on a wild roller-coaster ride. They should be ready for anything that comes their way in a rematch against the U.S.

After the back-and-forth victory against Norway, captain Mark Streit (defenseman for the Islanders) admitted his squad plays its best as underdogs. Streit will be a central figure and has to play better Wednesday if the Swiss have any chance at an upset. He has 3 assists in four games while averaging a team-high 26:26 of ice time per game. He played over 30 minutes against Belarus and might not be fully recovered in 24 hours to play a much faster U.S. side.  Goalie Jonas Hiller will have to stand on his head to give the Swiss a chance, but he is more than capable of doing so.

Puck Drop
You can argue that both teams have momentum heading into this quarterfinal match. Switzerland is bringing momentum from Tuesday’s nail-biter win against Belarus. The U.S. is coming off an emotional win – some might say its biggest and best Olympic win since 1980.

“Thank God there are some guys pulling on the rope, but we need everyone pulling on the rope,” Burke said. “… They don’t hand out any medals for finishing first in the preliminary round.”

“I would still say we would be the underdogs on our lack of experience, certainly now that the tournament takes on a whole new meaning with single elimination. We do need to get a lot better,” said Chris Drury.

Prediction
You can call the USA’s victory over Canada lucky, but thanks to their tough-love GM there is no mistaking that this team is focused on the big prize, which is only three wins away. If the U.S. plays a tighter defensive game and shows a better killer instinct, Switzerland will have little to no chance of moving on. Depth of their forwards, size, speed, goaltending … the U.S. holds every clear advantage. I see a 4-0 win for the Red, White, and Blue.

Shot Calling – goal today for Zach Parise.

Articles about the NY Devils.

Written By: Matt Vereb

The NBA trade deadline is behind us. Team rosters, for the most part, are set for the rest of the season. For the past few weeks, the Knicks have spent a majority of their time seeking trade partners. They were able to obtain financial relief. They were able to to find suitors as they unloaded Jordan Hill, Nate Robinson, and Jared Jefferies among other stipulations.

So where does this leave the Knicks for next season?

Here is a financial breakdown of the committments for the 2010-2011 NY Knicks:

Eddy Curry’s deal is a player option, which he will pick up. All the others have guaranteed salaries for 2011. So what can the Knicks do, financially? The current NBA Salary Cap stands at $57.7 million per team after tax. The before tax figure stands at $69.9 million per team. If teams exceed this amount, they will pay $1 for every dollar over the cap. The salary cap tends to fluctuate based on overall NBA revenues. The NBA operates under a ‘soft cap’ which essentially means the league will give each team a little financial leeway in order to retain a player. While we do not know what the exact cap will be for the 2010-11 season, the Knicks will roughly have $50 million to spend on next year’s team.

What is the NBA Max Contract?

A ‘Max Offer’ depends on how long a player has been in the NBA. Teams can offer an individual player up to 35% of the team’s yearly salary cap per year if that player has been in the league for 10+ seasons(Dirk Nowitzki and Joe Johnson apply here). For the basis of this article, the Knicks are targetting players in Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, who are completing their 7th season in the league. Players who have played for 7-9 seasons, can be offered a maximum of 30% of a team’s annual salary allowance. Based off this year’s numbers, the max contract these players can receive is $20.97 million per year. All three of these young Superstars will receive multipe offers of the exact same amount from different teams. The Curve Ball? The Knicks can offer 2 Max Contracts. They will be the only team in the league that will be able to do this. If the Knicks can get two of these players to agree(Hello Dwayne and LeBron), they will have roughly $10 million left to fill out their roster. Bringing back David Lee should also be a priority for the team.

Financially, the Knicks have positioned themselves for this Summer. The books have been cleared. The financial overhaul of the NY Knicks has been successful. It’s time to catch the big fish(es) and bring them to the big pond(NY). Hopefully, we’ll be bullish on the Knicks heading into the 2010-11 season.