Joe Torre has survived again. Every time the Yankees have a rough time (and oh is it ever so rough right now), all the rumors start circulating that George Steinbrenner is going to fire Torre, but just like all the other times Torre is still standing. Steinbrenner did release a statement today saying his was behind Torre and GM Brian Cashman, but he challenged the team to "show him and the fans what they're made of".

I want to see what this cellar dwelling team is made of. They sure haven't shown me anything yet. For the record, I am glad that Torre is still here. Firing him is not going to accomplish anything. It is not going to change the fact that they have had most of their starting pitchers on the disabled list, the bullpen is atrocious, and Bobby Abreu is in the worst slump of his career. Now that doesn't mean that I agree with everything Torre has done. I think he has pulled starters too early and has pinch run for Jason Giambi too early meaning his bat is out of the game at some key times.

Plus, who are the alternatives out there to replace Torre? The names you hear are Don Mattingly, Larry Bowa, and Joe Girardi. With all due respect to Donnie Baseball, Bowa, and Joltin' Joe Girardi-o, none of these guys are going to turn this team around right now. Their biggest problem is they have a pitching staff that can't pitch past the 5th inning and an overworked bullpen whose flaws have all been seen. My feeling is if Steinbrenner is going to make an example of someone, it should be General Manager Brian Cashman. This is the guy that is responsible for bringing in Kyle Farnsworth (who is worthless), Kei Igawa (who ironically may have saved Torre's job on Saturday), and Carl Pavano (who I don't even want to talk about because he frustrates me so much!).

I honestly don't know if this team is done. They have been 6 1/2 behind the Red Sox before, but I don't see that heart of a lion in this team right now. In addition, the Sox are playing like the best team in baseball. The starting pitching and bullpen is phenomenal. Their lineup is as usual tough, despite a light hitting Manny Ramirez so far. I am not throwing in the towel yet, and I am not completely in a panic, but I don't have the same confidence I have had in years past. It is never fun to look up in the standings and see the Red Sox ahead of you...but it is even worse to see the Devil Rays and Orioles in front as well.

And on a personal note I would like to thank my friend Richie for hosting poker night this past Friday in his cellar, as I once again got to clean out the wallets of my good friends from Ansonia High School's Class of 1993. My pancakes were extra tasty the next day at IHOP. Oh yes, and congrats to my soon-to-be-leaving-bachelorhood friend Charles for getting on a "roll" and winning the "dice game"...the change in my pocket was getting a little heavy anyway!

Once again no Dickinson College Football players were drafted by the NFL. Shocker. One of these years my former Dickinson teammate Scott Cohen (Director or Pro Personnel for the Eagles) should waste a pick on one of the guys from the almer mater. He wouldn't be doing much worse than the Dolphins. How can you pass on Brady Quinn for Tedd Ginn Junior? The Dolphins need a franchise quarterback and they had one with all the tools and poise (on and off the field) and instead they take an undersized receiver who can't go over the middle and who is hurt. Where have you gone Don Shula and Dan Marino.

Meantime, the Patriots should book their flight to the Super Bowl right now. Randy Moss for a fourth round draft pick...are you kidding me? I know the history on Randy Moss. I also know his talent. I was a 25 year old reporter covering his high school games in West Virginia. I saw the best of Randy and the worst. Here's the bottom line now: He still is (when he wants to be) the most dynamic player in the NFL. He knows he will get no second chances with Bill Belichick. This unwritten double secret probation code, plus the addition of Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker, plus some quarterback with three rings named Brady, should make Moss unstoppable again.

A close friend of mine from West Virginia, who covered Moss in high school and at Marshall, made a good point to me today on the phone. The biggest issue Randy Moss has ever had is that he wants to win. He will win big with the Pats. And even if he "only" catches 60 or 70 passes, if the Pats get back to the Super Bowl, the pride of Rand, West Virginia (where he once teamed with Jason Williams in hoops and youth football) will still be happy.

Finally, I am thrilled for the two local running backs who were drafted Sunday. UConn's Deon Anderson went in the 6th round to the Cowboys and Central's Justise Hairston also was picked in the 6th round by the Patriots. Both have overcome a lot of adversity and have a great opportunity ahead. Deon will be a maniac on special teams and Hairston could get some carries backing up Maroney. Not bad for a kid who was a backup at Rutgers before transferring to Central for his senior year.

Now let me try to convince Scott Cohen to take a Dickinson Red Devil next year, but never ahead of anyone named Brady or a quarterback from Notre Dame.

Curt Schilling to the rescue again. If any of us can prove that there was actually something else (crayon, marker, magnum marker, water colors, ketchup, makeup) on his legendary blood stained sock in game 6 of the '04 ALCS, then he will donate one million dollars to the charity of our choice. Don't bother going to Dick's sporting goods for baseball socks, I already cleaned them out. And oh by the way, as I was leaving I accidentally blotted one of the socks with my 6 year old daughter's marker. Oops.

I don't blame Schilling for being angry. Gary Thorne's comments, albeit retracted, call into question the legitimacy of one of the most incredible sports feats of all time. As Gerry Brooks said, and I agree, I want to believe the romantic version of the bloody sock story. And I do. I'm pretty certain that Doug Mirabelli was in fact kidding when he told Thorne a couple of years ago that it was paint not blood on Schilling's sock.

The controversy of course continued today on Schilling's blog. As usual, he attempts to sound more like a defense attorney than a major league pitcher. Schilling writes: "If you have ... the guts, grab an orthopedic surgeon, have them suture your ankle skin down to the tissue covering the bone in your ankle joint, then walk around for 4 hours," Schilling wrote on his Web site www.38pitches.com. "After that go find a mound, throw a hundred or so pitches, run over, cover first a few times. When you're done check that ankle and see if it bleeds." Well said, Curt. I feel your pain. I really do.

Time for my high heat. Here is where I take exception to number 38. Schilling blasted the media for exaggerating stories and for "rolling their eyes" when he talks about his faith in God. Schilling even recommends that certain media members should be "put on an island somewhere. He goes on to write "if you haven't figured it out by now, working in the media is a pretty nice gig, barring outright plagiarism or committing a crime, you don't have to be accountable if you don't want to." Are you kidding me Curt? That shows that you are not as smart as you want all of us to think you are. You and your major league buddies get guaranteed contracts. If you stink, you still get paid. Curt, have you ever heard of a deadline? Not the trade deadline. A real deadline. If I'm not ready to go every night at 6:20 or 11:20, if a columnist doesn't file their story in time, we're done. And read this news flash Curt: we don't have millions in the bank to fall back on.

Schilling's comments come across as self-serving (as usual) and insulting. Playing major league baseball is a privilege not a right. Remember that. Curt, if you want to go play ball on a farm field in Nebraska with a bloody sock that no one can see, go ahead. No one will write about you. No one will broadcast your games. No one will watch you. And most importantly, no one will pay you! But if you want to stand in the spotlight, (and we know you do), then leave the media out of it. They've treated you pretty well over the years acting as a liaison between you and your constituents (the fans). Please Curt, I beg you, just pitch every fifth day. You are a hall of famer when you have a baseball at your fingertips. You are not a hall of famer when you have a computer at your fingertips. But if you want to pay me a million bucks for my own charity (my kids college education) I will find a baseball sock with something other than blood on it. Can you ask Doug Mirabelli to tell me where to look?

Barry Bonds can go ahead and break Hank Aaron's home run record. Just get it over with Barry. You won't be heading the list forever.

Alex Rodriguez is already closing in on 500 homers . 800 homers seems to me like a layup for A-R0d, especially if keeps hitting likes it's April. His 14 homers in the first 18 games do not surprise me. Nor will it surprise me when he finally does come through in the clutch in October. Criticize A-Rod all you want. For my money or even the 252 million he'll make in his ridiculous contract, he's the best ballplayer I've ever seen. In his first full season he hit .358! And in his "terrible" season last year he still batted .290 with 35 homers and 121 rbi's. Give the man a break.

A-Rod's biggest problem is that he makes ALL that money. As a result, every swing, every at bat, and every game is hyper-analyzed. What's not to like about this guy? Yes, he makes too much money. No, he's not necessarily one of the guys. But when was the last time he got into any trouble? Never. And I can tell you from first hand experience, he's not Barry Bonds. He's a pleasant interview, albeit a bit corporate, but pleasant. Barry Bonds is the most arrogant, rude person I have ever talked to in my life!

So keep these things in mind beyond A-Rod's historic April. Someday he, not Bonds, will be the home run king. Until of course Albert Pujols surpasses him.

In case you haven't heard, the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez is having a monster month. He has tied the record set by Albert Pujols for home runs in April with 14 and he still has 6 games to go this month. He is batting .400 and has 34 RBI. He not only is leading those three Triple Crown categories in the American League, but in all of baseball (note: he is tied with Joe Mauer and Matt Holiday for batting average). A-Rod has two walk-off home runs already this year and has gotten a hit in all 18 of the Yankees games. There is only one problem with this, the Yankees are not winning.

Let me just say right off the bat, that I am not an Alex Rodriguez fan. This goes back to when he was with the Mariners. I just couldn't like anyone on that team because of the great rivalry they had with New York. Then he signed the huge contract with Texas and made the negative comments about Derek Jeter, and that was it. I admit, I have been someone who has not given him a break. I have doubted him every time he has come up in a big spot (and I have usually been right), but this year it has been different. Nobody can get him out, and when he hits the ball it leaves the yard.

A-Rod is answering all his critics (including me), and yet the Yankees find themselves in 4th place with an 8-10 record. I actually feel bad for Rodriguez now. He is having one of the all-time great stretches in the history of the game, and he and the team truly cannot enjoy it because they keep losing. You can see it in his face, even after hitting these long blasts, he can't believe they aren't winning.

The funny thing is, even though the Yanks number one problem is their pitching, if A-Rod was not having this kind of month, we as fans would somehow find a way to blame it on him. I guess that's not fair, but we keep thinking to his past post-season failures.

All I know is, I hope he keeps up this ridiculous performance, and I hope the pitching comes around so it matters. The last thing I want is A-Rod becoming the first Yankee since Mickey Mantle to win the Triple Crown and the Yanks are sitting at home in October.

My wife and I had just come back from a nice relaxing vacation in the Bahamas on Friday and I was looking forward to sitting back and watching game 1 of the Yankees-Red Sox series. Little did I know that these past 3 games would leave me so frustrated and discouraged by late last night.

Friday, Red Sox 7 Yankees 6
This game started out great. Red-hot Alex Rodriguez hits 2 monster blasts off Curt Schilling to up his home run total to 12 and Andy Pettitte was great going 6 plus innings and only giving up 2 runs. I felt real confident when the Yanks had a 6-2 lead in the 8th and felt even better when Mariano Rivera was called in to pitch when the bullpen got into trouble. But Mo gave up 3 consecutive hits and just like that the Sox had tied the game and then taken the lead 7-6. I was completely shocked at what I had just seen. It happened so fast I didn't even have a reaction. My buddy Mike immediately called me and was ranting (note, he was definitely under the influence of a few too many Coors Lights!) and going nuts. He was a lot harsher on Rivera than I was. Rivera has not looked sharp this season at all. He has no saves and 2 losses. He was coming off a spring where he didn't allow a run, but it seems as if there is some velocity missing his fastballs and cutters. But let's not worry yet about the great Rivera, he did the same thing 2 seasons ago and he rebounded just fine.

Saturday, Red Sox 7 Yankees 5
Well the Sox definitely had the pitching advantage going into this one sending in Josh Beckett against Jeff Karstens, but right away in the first inning the Yanks grabbed a 2-0 lead. I thought this was promising like they are rebounding from the heart-breaking loss from the night before. But David Ortiz (of course) tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. The Yanks then got 2 more runs right away in the second, only to have the Sox tie it again in their half of the inning. Karstens was ineffective and gave up a home run later in the game to Big Papi. The Yanks cut it to 7-5 and in the 9th, Jonathan Papelbon came in for the save. The Yanks actually had the tieing run up at the plate, but Papelbon completely overpowered Derek Jeter. It looked like Jeter had absolutely no chance in making contact. His swing was very late. Papelbon looked and was untouchable.

Sunday, Red Sox 7 Yankees 6
The Yanks scored first again in this game, but then the nightmarish 3rd inning happened. Chase Wright (who is this guy!) became only the second pitcher in Major League history to give up four straight home runs! (How do I know this fact? Well ESPN's Jon Miller only said it 100 times during the broadcast!) Manny-Drew-Lowell-Varitek is now an answer to a trivia question that I would like to forget. It looked like Wright was one of those pitchers at the All-Star game during Home Run Derby because the Sox were hitting rockets off of him. They weren't just clearing the fence, they were all leaving the Stadium. I would say that kid's confidence is shot for a while. He was wild and his batting practice pitches were very unimpressive. I sure don't want to see him on the mound again. But with all this drama, the Yanks fought back against Daisuke Matsuzaka. Jeter homered for the first time this season and the Yanks scored another run to make it 5-4 in their favor. But Scott Proctor comes in and gives up another moonshot to Lowell and the Sox have the lead for good. Papelbon pitched the 9th again and totally over matched Jeter...AGAIN! This is a concern for me. I have never seen Jeter look this beaten facing any pitcher before. They did get A-rod up with a man on, but he ended the game by hitting into a fielder's choice.

This was a lost weekend for the Yankees and me. It was a lost opportunity for them. They could have won all three of the games despite the pitching heavily favoring the Sox. They absolutely should have won on Friday and had leads in both Saturday and Sunday as well. The Sox have put 4 games between themselves and the Bombers, and get this...the Orioles are in seconds place!

It was also a lost weekend for me because I wasted too much time watching and listening to these frustrating games! Well at least we get a chance at redemption when the Sox come to the Stadium for this weekend. Come on Yanks, don't let me lose another weekend!

Watch out Miss Pacman. You could be next. The NFL suspended Adam Pacman Jones for the season for a series of off the field transgressions. New NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got it right. The Commissioner said today that playing in the NFL is a privilege not a right. Well put. The only way to make these guys learn accountability is to hit them in the wallet. By suspending Pacman Jones and the Bengals Chris Henry (for 8 games) the league is sending a message to other potential rule breakers to think twice. You watch. The off the field nonsense will come to a screeching halt. No one should be happier than Bengals coach Marvin Lewis who had 9 player arrests in an ugly 9 month span.

On a happier note, it is good to see A-Rod playing so well. He is the best baseball player I've ever seen. But he has struggled in the clutch with the Yankees. This amazing start (5 homers in 4 games as this is written) should give him confidence and allow him to ignore his critics. Baseball needs A-Rod to keeping hitting homers. 10 years from now you, me and baseball would much rather have A-Rod as the all-time home run king than Barry Bonds. I have interviewed Bonds. I am not a fan. No person has ever been any more rude to me than the future home run king. More on that when he breaks Hank Aaron's record (a man who is a true class act).

Lastly, can Yaz smile. He was many favorite player as a kid. As a fellow lefty and outfielder I imitated Yaz all the time (or at least tried to). I loved his intensity. I only wish he could show a little lighter side now. But I guess this son of a Long Island potato farmer will always be set in his ways.

11 more days to my son's little league season opener. Coach Nathan can't wait. There will be a lot of smiles that day, no one paid like A-Rod and no need to suspend players for the season like the NFL. It doesn't get any better than that.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter and Passover holidays. One of the best parts of being married is having two dinners on holidays. I still feel full today!

One week into the baseball season and one thing is for certain, the Yankees starting pitching has been pathetic so far. Only one pitcher, Kei Igawa, has last 5 innings, and he gave up 7 runs. I know the weather was brutal in the Bronx for their first 6 games, but they have guys who are supposed to be "big game" pitchers in Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina and those guys did nothing. I'm not going to make excuses for them, but you can bet that Mussina is probably still whining about the cold weather.

On the other hand, the Red Sox starters have been good. Outside of Curt Schilling's first start and the start by Julian Tavarez, they have been really solid. Schilling pitched well last night and Daisuke Matsuzaka was phenomenal in his major league debut. And how about Jonathan Papelbon's save last night. He came in the 8th inning leading 3-2 with a runner on third and got the Sox out of the jam. I am sure Terry Francona is happy that Joel Pineiro wasn't called upon for that situation (he actually started the problems).

I am not at all in panic mode, despite going 2-4 at home against the Devil Rays and Orioles, but it's time for Carl Pavano to show something tonight when he pitches in Minnesota against the Twins. The bullpen has worked too much already, and is it really asking a lot of Pavano to throw 7 solid innings. It would be nice to use Mariano Rivera again who has only pitched 2 innings.

Phil Mickelson is coming back to the TPC at River Highlands. Can I just scream. I love Phil Mickelson. No athlete in sports gets me more pumped up to watch a sporting event than lefty. For me, it all starts with how he addresses the ball and the game: From the left side...aggressively. That is how I play. The only differences between me and Phil are the following: He's won three majors. I have beaten my one-armed stepfather twice. He "makes" millions playing golf. I "spend" a few hundred bucks playing golf. He chokes once in a while. I choke all the time. He hits it over the tree's. I hit it into the tree's.

Seriously, I do feel a connection with Mickelson. He's a family man. I love that his wife and kids are always around. And what other pro athlete signs every single last autograph? He is simply a good guy and watching him win in Cromwell twice solidified my passion for watching him play.

But my love for watching Mickelson play golf went to an entirely different level when he won the 2004 Masters. My wife and I had just arrived home that Sunday from the hospital with our third child Katie. She was born on Good Friday three years ago and we brought here home on Easter Sunday. Somehow she survived her Dad's screams as Mickelson won the Masters. Watching him overcome countless years of frustration in Majors was something I'll never forget. It was almost as good as having little Katie home with her brother and sister.

Lastly, I've got to mention Florida basketball and Billy Donovan...masters of their universe after a second straight national title. I covered Billy Donovan's press conference in 1994 when he was introduced as a 28 year old head coach at Marshall.
It also turns out that our grandparents were best friends on Long Island many years ago. So it has been fun for me, albeit from a distance, to watch his career grow. Two titles at Florida at the age of 41 is amazing. Billy Donovan deserves it. No one in college basketball works any harder.

Now I have to go. I need to figure out how to beat my stepfather for a third time. I need to keep up with that other lefty.

Opening Day has come and gone and for me, it could not have been any sweeter with the Yankees winning and the Red Sox losing. So with one game in the books for each of our 3 local teams, I have some observations I made in watching these 3 games.

Yankees 9, Devil Rays 5
- Right off the bat I was a little disappointed with the YES broadcast of the Yankee game. It was an emotional day with Cory Lidle's widow and son to throw out the first pitch, but YES did not show it happen live. Right before Carl Pavano threw his first pitch they showed it "as it happened a few moments ago". In my opinion, I just felt that this was a great tribute that the Yankees were doing and should have been treated as such for the television audience. I was still choked up, but I guess I just was looking for it treated as a priority.
- On the other hand, I could not have been more excited to see Bobby Murcer make an appearance in the broadcast booth. Murcer has been battling brain cancer and he made an appearance for a few innings and it was a good lift for everybody. Even the Yankees in the dugout acknowledged Murcer when they saw him in the booth. Murcer is one of the all-time fan favorites (especially to the generation right before me) and I hope is was as good a moment for him as he battles this awful disease.
- I thought it was amazing that in the first inning Alex Rodriguez missed a pop-up and struck out with 2 men on base. The boos started immediately for him. I was even on my couch yelling at him so early in the season. It may be ridiculous, but I am sure he wasn't surprised about the fans reaction either. Of course in the 8th inning, he did hit a homer and the fans got a curtain call.
- The one thing missing from the day was Bernie Williams, but during the first inning the Bleacher Creatures did chant "We want Bernie!". If Bernie was watching the game, I am sure he heard how much the Bronx misses him.

Red Sox 1, Royals 7
- First inning, a man on base, and David Ortiz was at the plate. No doubt in my mind that he was doing to do something right away. Sure enough, Big Papi drives a bomb into the gap for an RBI double. I thought, "here we go again". Ortiz is just an RBI machine. What was surprising however, is that this was the only run the Sox would score. I don't think this will be a trend for the entire season.
- The "biggest" thing I noticed though was just how "big" Schilling is this year. His waistline has definitely grown a few sizes since last season. I wonder if he is not in shape yet and it could that have contributed to his poor outing today. Maybe Schilling should get up from his computer when he is working on his blog and hit the gym instead.

Mets 6, Cardinals 1 - last night
- This Mets team can hit. They are going to score a lot of runs, especially in the National League. Delgado-Beltran-Wright is as good a 3-4-5 as any line-up in baseball. Plus they have what some are calling the "most exciting player in the game" in Jose Reyes batting lead-off. The kid can run, hit for power, and plays a good shortstop. He is even fighting for the title of "best shortstop in New York"...we'll see about that!
- Tom Glavine is one win closer to 300 (he has 291 right now). While he doesn't have the dominating stuff he did in the mid 90's, he can still pitch. Kevin and I commented that it looked like even his fastball was a change-up, but he is a winner and as long as he stays healthy I think he can match his win total of last year (15).

The day has finally come. My favorite American holiday....baseball's Opening Day! Its the day I look forward to the second the last out of the World Series is made. Now I love football and I love college hoops, but there is nothing like the start of baseball season.

This morning, my daughter (who is only a year and a half and has no choice!) and I got up and both put on our Yankee jerseys to take a picture together, a tradition we started last year for her first opening day. I doubt she will agree to this when she's 15, but right not she is still too young to talk back!

Today at 1:00 the Yankees open up their season against Tampa Bay. Despite the fact that Southington's Carl Pavano will be pitching, I can't wait. Once spring training starts I just count down the days until the real games start. It not only kicks off the baseball season, but in the horizon you can see the good weather, picnics, and days at the beach all coming too.

So as the season starts today (well it really started last night with the Mets winning in St. Louis), I will give you my predictions:

In the American League, the Yankees, Twins, and Angels will all be division winners with the Red Sox picking up the Wild Card again. I just think the Yankees are built to win over the long season, but of course I see another epic collision between the Bombers and Sawx in the ALCS.

In the National League, I see the Mets, Cardinals, and Padres winning their divisions with the Atlanta Braves making a return to the post season as the Wild Card.

I will predict that it will be another Subway Series, Yankees and Mets in October. Yankees beat Pedro Martinez in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium when Willie Randolph leaves Pedro in too long and Derek Jeter starts a big rally as the Yankees win their 27th title.

But we are months away from that, so I am just going to enjoy game number 1. Hey Pavano, let's see something out of you today!

Enjoy the games.