Cliff Lee (and more) Smorgasbord!

There has been a ton going on in the sports world over the past week or so and it seems like I have done nothing but write about the NFL lately. What better way to cover a bunch of topics around the sports world than a smorgasbord!

· I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning on my drive in to work and many of their listeners were criticizing Cliff Lee for his decision to join the Phillies rather than the Yankees or Rangers who were offering more money and/or the potential to be “the man”. For what it’s worth, I think Lee made a fabulous decision for himself. He gets to pitch in the National League for the next five or six years, something that could allow him to go down as an all-time great while prolonging his career, he’ll join a Philadelphia team that now has to be the favorite for AT LEAST the next three World Series Championships, he obviously enjoyed his time in Philadelphia previously and it is reported that his wife really enjoyed their time, and in the end the difference in money really isn’t all that great when you factor in cost of living, etc. Lee made an informed decision that will make him and his family happy, kudos to him.

· I picked Philadelphia to win the World Series last year and they let me down when they ran into the Giants’ pitching buzz saw. I got a pretty good suspicion this morning that I will be picking the Phillies again next year.

· As a friend said to me earlier today, “I think these guys getting to pick where they live is a quite underrated part of the FA process. “ I couldn’t agree more.

· Another friend of mine is a die-hard Yankee fan and it sounds like New Yorkers are getting just a little bit worried with their inability to sign Lee and the Red Sox’ additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. The Yankees would be foolish to make a panic decision and sign Carl Pavano for too much money or anything of that sort. The Yanks are still the clear favorite for the AL Wild Card and a rotation of CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettite and I’m guessing the rookie Nova or whomever (I still think they should give Joba Chamberlain another shot) will be fine for the first half of the season. The Yankees should wait until the trade deadline and see what's available then.

· I am longing for the days when we can talk about the Pirates big off-season moves! No disrespect to Scott Olsen, Kevin Correia and Matt Diaz, of course.

· Those comparing Lee’s situation to LeBron James’ “decision” are crazy. Lee didn’t pass up a chance to be “the man” in Texas or was scared off by the pressure in New York. Baseball is a totally different sport where very rarely can a player carry his team individually for an extended stretch and especially as a pitcher who can only win the game he pitches every four or five days. Lee’s legacy can perhaps be enhanced by his decision to join the Phillies where LeBron’s will never be the same.

· Speaking of James, I am not hearing much from the Heat bashers these days after LeBron and company won their ninth straight game last night, all by double digits. Those that were jumping on Miami earlier in the season for their lack of a point guard and/or center and saying that LeBron and Dwayne Wade could not play together just do not understand basketball. The Big Three (including Chris Bosh) were simply playing well below their usual greatness. Things are slowly rounding into form and I have never wavered from my stance that this team will be there in the end. I did underestimate how deep and talented Boston is this year, especially with Kevin Garnett looking like he has found the fountain of youth, but I am sticking by my prediction that the Heat are the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals.

· I am sure everyone has heard by now about the New York Jets strength coach Sal Alosi tripping a Miami Dolphins player trying to cover a punt on Sunday and being subsequently suspended for the remainder of the season and fined 25k by the Jets. I think this story is getting a little too much coverage to be honest. For one, it is being reported that teams purposely position these coaches on the sidelines to be in the way of gunners if they happen to be pushed out of bounds. If teams are instilling this mentality, something that I had never thought about before but it says a whole lot about what a cutthroat business the NFL is, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The guy has apologized, let’s let him take his punishment and move on from the story.

· The coaching dominoes in the college ranks are beginning to fall with Al Golden heading to Miami, Will Muschamp to Florida and Jerry Kill to Minnesota. I do not mind that Pitt is taking its time with this decision, it is an awfully important time and hire for this program. As of yesterday it sounded like Oklahoma State Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen was the front-runner for the job but he has since pulled himself from consideration. Holgorsen is now being linked to West Virginia if Bill Stewart is let go. Some of the names being circulated now, including Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood, are not exactly the most inspiring names out there.

· That being said, Pitt should not be trying to find the “most inspiring name” if you don’t mind me quoting myself. Steve Pederson’s job is to find the best man for this job, no matter if he is a current head coach, coordinator or a certain sports blog writer if anyone feels like passing my name on to him.

· Lastly, you may have thought that I forgot about a certain team in Pittsburgh that has won a few games in a row. I have not forgotten about them but I do not want to be the jinx that halts this winning streak by mentioning them in the blog…(damn, I hope this doesn’t count!) I will have plenty to say about the streak and their star player’s own little streak when they come to an end.