Here’s a random look around the sports world during this refreshing Christmas season:
NEW MILLIONAIRE’S CLUB: The New York Yankees reached into their deep pocketbooks and plucked ace free agent starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia, formerly of the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers, to a seven-year, $161 million contract. That’s about $23 million a year, so Sabathia is pretty well set for life. And, if the going gets too tough in New York, he can opt out of his contract after just three seasons and become a free agent once again.
Since the Yankees lost more than $88 million dollars off last season’s payroll, they continued their Christmas buying spree, inking starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, former property of the Toronto Blue Jays, to a $82 million, five-year deal. Burnett has had arm troubles over the past few years, but when he’s healthy, he is definitely one of the filthiest pitchers in the game. The Yankees still aren’t done yet with their Christmas shopping, and with players like Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and Derek Lowe still on the market, they could be in business again sometime soon.
RED SOX NATION: The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were, as of press time, battling it out to sign Mark Teixeira to what could be a 10-year, $250 million contract. I don’t know if any player is worth that kind of money, but some owners must think so. Makes you wonder what players like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron would fetch if they were still in their prime today.
CELTICS ON A ROLL: The Boston Celtics are off to their best start in years with a sterling record of 26-2 after beating the tough Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta this past Wednesday night. The defending World Champions appear to be the class of the NBA again this season, as they are currently on an 18-game winning streak. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be tested come playoff time. You can attribute much of Boston’s success to playing unselfishly on offense, rebounding the basketball at both ends of the court, and playing tenacious team defense. Other professional teams with outstanding records thus far are the Cleveland Cavaliers (22-4), the Los Angeles Lakers (21-5), and the surprising Orlando Magic (21-6).
SAME OLD SAINTS: The New Orleans Saints did a disappearing act that would have made any magician proud this past season, vanishing from the playoff hunt before fans could really get their hopes up. New Orleans could easily be in first place in the NFC South had they made a couple of crucial field goals earlier this season, but they didn’t. The Saints have a good deal of money to sign free agents next season and need to upgrade their defense, especially at the cornerback, safety, and linebacker positions. Their offense is strong enough to win games, but special teams play and defense stunk up the joint all season long, leaving diehard Saints fans all over Louisiana and Mississippi in a deep depression.
But hey, let’s give the boys from the Black and Gold their props for this week. They managed to thrash the lowly Detroit Lions 42-7 on the road in Detroit this past Sunday afternoon. That means that New Orleans is 8-7 on the season and the poor Lions are an unbelievable 0-15 for the year.
IN THE HUNT: NFL teams that are in the hunt with the best records include the Tennessee Titans (12-2), the New York Giants (11-3), the Carolina Panthers (11-3), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3). A host of teams are 9-5, so it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be meeting up in next year’s Super Bowl. All of the successful teams have one thing in common--a great defense--so maybe the Saints can learn a lesson from their success.
--Learn what the heck a “resolution” means.
--I will never again take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
--Start buying lottery tickets at a luckier store.
--Remember to brush teeth with bristly end of toothbrush.
--Don’t eat medicine just because it looks like candy.
--I will balance my checkbook (on my nose).
--I resolve to work with neglected children -- my own.
Famous New Year’s Day quotes
--Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to. ~Bill Vaughn
--An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan
--Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits. ~Author Unknown
--A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. ~Author Unknown
--The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year’s Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you’re married to. ~P.J. O’Rourke
--People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. ~Author Unknown
--Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. ~Oscar Wilde
--New Year’s Eve, where auld acquaintance be forgot. Unless, of course, those tests come back positive. ~Jay Leno
--One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things. ~John Burroughs
--It wouldn’t be New Year’s if I didn’t have regrets. ~William Thomas
--May your troubles last as long as your resolutions. ~Joey Adams
--He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool. ~F.M. Knowles
--The only way to spend New Year’s Eve is either quietly with friends or in a brothel. Otherwise when the evening ends and people pair off, someone is bound to be left in tears. ~W.H. Auden
--I’m a little bit older, a little bit wiser, a little bit rounder, but still none the wiser. Robert Paul
And perhaps the most sobering quote:
--The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. Unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. G. K. Chesterton
Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions
--Spend more time with the family.
--Take more exercise - Get fit.
--Lose (loose!) weight.
--Give up smoking (again).
--Get out of dept.
--Learn a new skill, take up a new hobby.
--Put something into the community -help others.
--Get organized. Else buy shares in diary, or companies selling electronic planners!
--Become more security conscious.
--Give up drinking, at least for the first week of January!
Have a great and Happy New Year!
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