Reilly’s Rants: Mid-May Mashup
The world of sports never sleeps. Unfortunately, the rest of us must. With multiple sports going on all of the time, I feel as if I missed some headlines during the first half of this hectic month. These are some stories that you might have missed:
Mushnick Not a Fan of Jay-Z’s Blueprint: On May 4th, writer for the New York Post, Phil Mushnick, wrote an editorial column in his “Equal Time” section criticizing the new logo, jerseys, and overall feel of the new Jay-Z owned Brooklyn Nets. He felt as if the transformation influenced by Jay-Z to fit the team’s new “urban” home was ridiculous. In a sarcastic approach Mushnick wrote: “Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N——s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—-hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!” Personally, I can’t believe what this idiot wrote. Apparently Mushnick does not understand that Brooklyn is an urban area. I am sure that Brooklyn residents are more than happy to welcome Jay-Z as their owner because he is one of the most famous celebrities to ever come out of Brooklyn. Mushnick is a prime example of a middle- aged man who can’t deal with the fact that he can’t relate to Jay-Z’s music. Either that or he just really hates the new jerseys.
Hamels Welcomes Harper to the Old School: On May 6th, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels plunked Nationals rookie phenom Bryce Harper in the back with a 93-mile per hour fastball. Like any other player, Harper grimaced in pain before jogging down to first. The headline came hours after the play, when Cole Hamels claimed he hit Harper with the pitch intentionally in order to give him a taste of the “old school.” Hamels was later suspended for 5 games, as well as scolded by Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo for putting his top prospect in danger. I must admit I laughed out loud when I first heard Hamel’s comments. The string of events is comparable to bumping into someone in a hallway, and later admitting that you did it on purpose for no reason. No one suspected Hamels of throwing at Harper when he did it. Everyone thought it was simply a pitch that got away. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Even his teammates were absolutely dumbfounded after the game. Some believe that it was an attempt to create a rivalry between Philadelphia and nWashington, but all it really created was a 5-game suspension and a lot of confusion. Ironically, Harper had the last laugh when he stole home during Hamels pick-off attempt to first.
Money Buys Happiness, or at Least Trophies, for Manchester City: Although it is many miles away, the multi-billion dollar (or euro) industry of soccer thrives in the heart of England. And on May 13th, the Barclays Premier League came to an intense conclusion withManchesterCity finally taking the championship from cross-town rivals Manchester United. After two late goals, City completed the comeback that allowed them to win their first league championship in 44 years. This whole event proved one thing to sports fans world wide; money can buy happiness. That is, if you associate trophies with happiness. In fact, the Abu Dhabi United Group (the team’s owners) spent over $1 billion U.S. dollars (£900million) creating a squad of all-star players in order to bring silverware back to the blue part ofManchester. Being aManchesterCity fan myself, I can’t say that I’m not impressed. Beating teams like Manchester United and Arsenal is not easy, but I can’t help but wonder at the thought of such a rich team actually losing a single game. On the other hand, I have no problem with the kind of money they spend. After all, money is power, and being a fan of the New York Yankees, I know what money can do (I’m looking at you, A-Rod). Although salary caps do exist for some sports, sports such as baseball and soccer have remained salary cap-free, much to the dismay of the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates.
