Could it really be true? Could the prince of Hell, once he’s inherited the keys to the castle, be looking to sell?

If some fast swirling rumors are to believed, that could indeed be the case, as the New York Daily News is reporting that multiple “insiders” are saying that the Steinbrenner boys are shopping the Yankees.

Yeah, those New York Yankees.

The Daily News piece is saying that the Steinbrenner boys do not share the same interest in the game as their father George, who bought the team in 1973 for $8.8 million. They cite the infamous “inside sources” as saying the boys are viewing the sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for upwards of $2 billion, as a sign that now is the time to move the team, and early estimate are that they could fetch a cool $3 billion or more in a deal.

The Steinbrenners were quite to issue a rebuttal to the story, with Hal Steinbrenner taking to Twitter to issue his statement, saying “I just read the daily news story. It is complete fiction. Me and my family have no intention of selling the Yankees and expect it to be in the family for years to come.”

Unfortunately, the media has already run with it, and I myself couldn’t pass up the opportunity to discuss it. Just think about it for a moment; this could be a landscape changer for Major League Baseball as a whole.

For as a big of an iconic franchise as the Dodgers were, they don’t even hold a candle to the Yankees. Selling the Yankees is akin to the United States selling a stake in the government. The sale of the Yankees, if it comes to pass, would take years to complete. Bud Selig and his cronies would have to make sure they take every step imaginable to make sure that the bidders are thoroughly investigated and there are assurances that the team can stay afloat. The Yankees are a money making machine, but they do so under the “you have to spend money to make money” mantra. Any new ownership group would have to be able to do so.

What kind of bidding frenzy would this create? And I’m not just talking about new owners looking to get into the game and do so with the most iconic franchise in all of sports. I’m talking about current ownership groups looking to upgrade to a bigger piece of the puzzle. Look at the Red Sox sale for instance. It involved John Henry selling his stake in the Marlins to Jeffrey Loria, who in turn sold his team to Major League Baseball. Baseball ownership is an insider organization, and you have to bet your bottom dollar that the good old boys will want to keep the Yankees under the umbrella.

Then there is the economic landscape to consider. The Yankees have contributed $206.27 million in luxury tax payments since 2003, or 95% of total luxury tax funds. You can bet your bottom dollar that Major League Baseball, who splits the money between players’ benefits, development of the game in underdeveloped countries, and an Industry Growth Fund, counts on the Yankees going over that cap. I can almost guarantee that a new ownership group would do everything in there power to get the Yankees under that cap. Hell, the Steinbrenner regime is doing what it can do get under the cap by next season.

In the end, it comes down to passion. If the Yankees do sell, could they find an owner that was as passionate and no-holds-barred as George Steinbrenner was? Say what you want about George, and I have, but he was as much a part of the Yankee show as the team on the field was and without him, you can see that in the product the Yankees currently have on the field and in the seats. This is a team that needs a passionate owner willing to take risks and spend money.

So we get to sit back and play the waiting game, reading the speculation and denials as they come and go. But I guarantee you that once this comes to pass, and it inevitably will, the circus will come to town.

George would be proud of that.

Hello Gabbers andGabettes once again it’s Thursday and it’s time to talk sports

I'm finding it difficult to watch the NBA playoffs even the Celtics . I find myself flipping the stations and watching baseball or hockey for long periods of time before checking back with the basketball game. I don’t know if the game is too choppy and there is no flow to it but I just find it difficult to watch.  That being said I did watch most of the Celtics last night and they just looked awful. That is often the case with this team. They jus get into some games and they can’t seem to get it going as was the case last night. This younger Sixer team just seems to know when to run and when to speed up the game and when to take their foot of the gas.

So what’s up with baseball players lashing out this past week.David Ortiz feels disrespected by Red Sox management. Those 14 million schrods say there is no disrespect from the Red Sox because I would have cut ties before the season. It also would have been a mistake to do so. He has been a bright spot for the Red Sox  this season. He came out of the gate strong and has stayed hot. However, he has no right to complain he is well liked in the city and pretty much isn’t criticized in the media he usually gets a pass.

Then there is Chris Perez of the Indians calling out the fans. The Indians are in first place but they aren’t selling out. Perez called the fans out for not showing up. It’s pretty simple Chris give some salary back cut some ticket prices and make it affordable for families an they will come. Otherwise it’s an expensive night out.

These guys really need to keep their mouths shut because  we basically don’yt care what they have to say. We leave are lives and yeah we may complain but we do so to close friends or close co workers the ones we trust. But we just go on and do what we need to do without being a distraction. So really you guys a playing a game that many of us would have love to have that talent. So just do your jobs stop using the media as a sounding board because you know it will be over magnified, in main stream media and the social media as well.

Some good stuff off the small diamond this week. My sons blue Jays took on the Orioles played a 6 inning game in 53 minutes, It was awesome all 3 kids that pitched two for the O’s one for the jays just dominated. A Home run a few hits and a 2-1 win for the Jays.

53 minutes was awesome.

It was funny because Major League son was at that game on one Diamond , Minor League son was on the Diamond behind it. I coach minor league son and help as the 4^th guy on makjor league sons team, I was called up to  help with the major league son.. I was back on the minor league diamond by the 2^nd inning.

Classy turned classless.

I was umpiring a High School game last week. The Catcher for the visitors hit a blast to centerfield cleared everything. The Centerfielder jumped the ence retrieved the ball. The pitcher for the home team yelled in hey 12 you want your home run ball. The kid says yeah. The pitcher walks off the mound gives the kid the ball shakes his hand. The kid puts the ball away in his bag. Pretty good for a bunch 14, 15 year old kids, The home coach who didn’t stick around for the whole game. Says hey that ball is 6 bucks and it was new and he makes the visiting coach get out of the kids bag and give it back. I’m kind of in disbelief at this point. He runs by me and says here is another ball.

I take it stick in the bottom back of my pouch so I wouldn’t use it. At the end of the game . I said to the catcher . hey kid take this it’s your home tun ball. .

Huge smile as he ran off in a slaughter run victory.

That’s all for today.

The circus over in Orlando, maybe not?? Bodemeister?? Umpire’s going wild?? All this and more in this weeks edition of…

Yesterday, Scottjax was coughing up a storm at work. I am usually a very, very talkative person at work, but I wasn’t talking too much yesterday and everyone new I was coming down with something. Well that something is Bronchitis.

Doctor was going to give me one day off, but since I had Saturday off (my weekends are Sunday and Monday) I asked for two additional days off. There is a United States versus Scotland friendly game at Everbank Field and I want to make sure I am good to go.

Here is my take on the college football playoff system. There should be 10 conferences with 12 schools in each conference. Each conference has 2 six team divisions. Then there can be a conference championship. The 10 conference champions play in a playoff and the winner is the national champs. What’s so difficult?

Wow, a MLB umpire suspended. Yep you read that right. Umpire Bob Davidson was suspended for one game for repeated violations of the standards for situation handling. What's that? Did MLB make that up?

Bodemeister might just be the most over-rated horse ever.

So Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claiming he made false statements that tarnished Vilma’s reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football. Really..Really. Opps starting to sound like The Miz.

Saturday Night Live did a skit on their evening news with a take-off on Stephen A. Smith

Is it dangerous to go to a Los Angeles Dodgers game? After Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, a fan was beaten up in a minor fender bender in the parking lot. 4 people were arrested as three of them held the man down while another kicked him in the face and head.

Orlando did what they had to do to make Dwight Howard happy, they fired Stan Van Gundy and parted ways with General Manager Otis Smith.

Now for a shocker. The new GM of the Orlando Magic is…..

Shaquille O'Neal

That is a rumor that just started. The first thing he would do is trade Howard for Andrew Bynum. Shaq is a big fan of Bynum and he feels that Andrew is better than Dwight.

Former West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart died of a heart attack at the age of 59.. He had a record of 28-12 in three seasons with the University. 

Is Lin-sanity over?? It might be for the Knicks. Lin’s agent say there is no guarantee Lin will stay with the Knicks. Jeremy is a restricted free agent this summer.

What’s with all this violence during celebrations? Is it a mandatory thing for someone to get hurt when their team wins? 8 people were hurt after the Thunder beat the Lakers 4 games to 1.

How can you be the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and yet be left off the first-team all-defensive squad?? Tyson Chandler the Defensive Player of the Year was beaten out by Dwight Howard. Tyson was named to the second team. Gee thanks. What a sham.

In case you missed it, Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton’s grand slam homerun broke the scoreboard in left field. In this fan’s you tube clip you can see a bank of lights out.

Til next time

Scott

TNA Knockout Tara is appearing in Penthouse. She does not disrobe as it is more of an interview feature. Boo Hoo.

Ric Flair’s daughter, Ashley Fliehr Johnson, will be working for the WWE’s Florida Championship Wrestling starting this summer.

TNA Knockout Traci Brooks has been released.

July 23^rd will mark the 1,000 episode of Monday Night Raw. On this date Raw will be airing regularly for 3 hours.

Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke signs with TNA as an executive.

TNA’s Matt Morgan, Alex Shelly and Ric Flair are reportedly going to WWE.

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. Do you remember what this time of year was like when you were a kid? Waiting for the end of school was more agonizingly slow that waiting for Christmas. Summer is almost here…I know this because the official start of summer is Memorial Day. Grab your swim suit and towel; it is time to hit the pool!

Hamilton Pool near Austin...I know a guy that jumped off. 80 feet is quite a drop.

Krause Springs

Barton Creek

Barton Springs Pool - a spring fed pool that remains a chilly 68 year round...

 Find a pool near you and enjoy the summer!

Did you hear that sound last week? It was the sound of the Big East and ACC shitting their pants. The elax in this story is the Big 12 and SEC agreeing to create a new bowl for 2014. Speculation is rampant with regards to what this means. Is this the beginning of four super conferences? Could it even be the end of the NCAA as we know it? This may not be the giant step many think it to be, but it is a step nonetheless. Here is a thought…why would the ACC and Big East agree to a four team playoff? If you do the math…6 will not go into four. But wait, you say…the four team format is only a beginning. We will eventually end up with an expanded playoff, right? Of course we will. When the big boys realize how much more money can be made, the playoffs will undoubtedly be expanded…but what changes will occur in the meantime? We have seen just how quickly things can change. All it will take is one shoe to drop and the scrambling will begin. Do the universities of the ACC and Big East really want to wait around to see how things work out? The implications are huge as are the stakes. If the Big East and ACC had held out against the four team playoff format, they might have ended up with a bid to an 8 team playoff. There would be much less incentive for a Florida State to join the Big 12, if they had an easier road to playoff nirvana. What about Notre Dame? Will they be content to watch a playoff with little chance of participating in the sharing of playoff spoils?

Many do not see the playoff system for what it really is…a lifeline. There is stability in having access to the pile of money that a playoff affords. The playoff money is the single largest pile of money available to schools. Without access to this pot of gold, a conference will have a difficult time preventing their member schools from looking for a better option. While I am certainly in favor of a playoff, I see much pain and unhappiness ahead for many college football fans. Rivalries and traditions will be forgotten in favor of more money. Money…it is always about the money. How much of this money will go to student athletes? Nada is what I expect to be funneled to athletes. The NCAA will continue to try to tell us that the student athletes are getting a deal, while building bigger stadiums and buying bigger jets to fly AD’s around the country. I guess you can file this under progress…

Were you surprised that Lawrie only got a four game suspension for his childish blowup at MLB umpire Bill Miller? I read a tremendous article by Jeff Passan last week that discusses the deteriorating relationship between MLB players and MLB umpires. Passan acknowledges Lawrie’s idiotic behavior and the incompetence of Miller, but he raises a very interesting point. Umpires see players as prima donnas and players think umpires are jerks…yet MLB expects the two to coexist. The Umpires were stunned that Lawrie only got a four game suspension for going Johnny Monkey on Miller. The players snickered at the ridiculously wide strike zone of Miller, but knew not a word would come from MLB regarding his work. What is left is mistrust…

 Baseball is unique in that it allows players to question umpires without recourse. Players tend be rude toward Blue. The history of the game almost promotes belligerence with the men in blue. You can jaw and encroach all you want, as long as you do not touch the umpire. As Passan says, “that millimeter is the difference between a suspendable offense and just another argument, and it invites a culture in which the millionaires can belittle the plebeians.”

It is no wonder that some umpires are arrogant toward players and coaches. What must be remembered is that men that don the blue take on a difficult task. “Umpiring a baseball game, from Little League to the major leagues, is an eminently difficult endeavor. A man must stand at an angle toward home plate – look at the umps; none stands directly over the catcher – and judge whether a projectile hurled upward of 100 mph crossed at any point horizontally over a 17-inch-wide plate and vertically in between the knees and letters. Or whatever he wants his strike zone to be so long as it's consistent. Players want competence, sure. In lieu of that, they accept consistency. ”

 Did you see Bob Davidson toss Charlie Manuel last week? As a result of this dust up, an unusual event occurred. Bob Davidson was suspended one game. This is a very rare event as typically, umpire discipline is handled behind the scenes. Why is that? Why aren't umpires held to a similar public standard as players, whose performance is an open book? It's a fair question. “Accountability remains something to which they refuse to agree because it would open them up for even more criticism. It's bad enough to take it from those at MLB; umpiring reports given out to the public would be like catnip for heckling fans. The argument is backed, of course, by the World Umpires Association, the union that continues to protect bad umps. MLB does what it can to keep the worst out of the playoff rotation, but continued substandard umpiring, even if it comes in fits and starts and represents less than 1 percent of calls, lends credence to those who argue in favor of a robot or the PITCHf/x system calling balls and strikes.” A stirring question is this…is the reputation of the umpires more important than the integrity of the game? Many players say they prefer umpires over a robot. But, one thing that comes with this is human error. Most umpires are honest and hardworking and are mortified at the thought of blowing a call. 

Passan has a few suggestions to improve umpire/players relations. Several times each year, there should be a scheduled meeting with umpires and players. Have a few veterans and rookies from each team gather during the winter meeting, spring training and during the playoffs with a group of umpires. Take a few hours to discuss the game and what troubles they see. Before each series, the manager should take a few of his players by the umpire’s office to say hello. Ask about their kids and get to know them as individuals. “The umpires are owed to feel like contemporaries rather than subservients or enemies.”

“These are easy, practical solutions to a problem that festers and will not abate without intervention. Brett Lawrie is a brilliant ballplayer, one of the game's best young talents, and now he is widely regarded as a jerk because of an incendiary concoction of his own anger and a widespread disrespect for umpires. And those same umpires do their job on the offensive, lest they be the umpteenth one of their kind who gets dressed down by a player and has nothing but a thumb to fight back.”

It has often been discussed here that sports writers do a poor job of deciding which players deserve HOF entry. This is not a new problem and I was astounded to that writers have been doing a bad job for many years. Look at the stats of two players from 1962: 

AB    R        H       2B    3B     HR      RBI      SB     CS     BB      Ks      BA    OBP      SLG    TB

621  130    189     36     5       49      141        18       2      78     85    .304   .384    .615     382   (A)

 695  130  208     13     10       6        48      104     13      51      57    .299   .347    .373     259   (B)

One of these players was the NL MVP and one was runner up. Which player would you choose? Player A was Willie Mays and Player B was Maury Wills. Before you think that the Dodgers edged out the Giants for the playoffs, the reverse was true. The Giants lost to the Yankees in the WS. Why was Mays overlooked? Because SF writers felt that he was not a “west coast” guy. Having begun his career in New York, many west coast writers did not take to Willie. A few even voted him 4^th in the MVP vote. It is proof that there is more to the voting than just who the best player is. Things have not changed that much…

That is all I have for this week, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey:

One good thing about Hell, at least, is you can probably pee wherever you want to.

Love is not something that you can put chains on and throw into a lake. That's called Houdini. Love is liking someone a lot.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own...