NEVER HAS THERE BEEN A MAN ON THE METS CLASSIER THAN RA DICKEY

There are some who will say Gary Carter was the classiest man to ever put on a Mets uniform. Others might even say George Thomas Seaver. But having read this letter penned by RA Dickey, it confirmed it for me -- the guy is just a wonderful human being. And with that said, it should be no surprise the clueless powers-that-be who run this organization would just trade him away. I understand the Mets got a great package in return -- but it'll be another 4 years before any of that matters. In the interim, a good man heads north -- and I hope he's pitching in the World Series in 2013.

Click here to read RA Dickey's letter to Mets fans.

Pat Summitt in For Fight of Her Life

By Kevin Canessa Jr.

Founder & Publisher 

If there's anything I dislike in sports more than the game of basketball, it's women's basketball. The game is intensely slower — and those screeches from the crowd go through my like long fingernails on a chalkboard. And though I have a dislike for the sport, I've always had great admiration for the athletes and the coaches who persist in women's basketball, despite its second-class citizenry. 

One of those coaches I've always admired is Pat Summitt. This woman is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible sports stories in a generation. What she's done with the Lady Vols of the University of Tennessee is nothing short of amazing. She has consistently won — and in doing so, has demonstrated a love not just for the game, but for the women she's coached over the years.

She truly is a rare breed in a time where coaches seem more absorbed with the spotlight than they do caring for the kids they coach.

Canessa

And so it was with great shock and sadness that we all learned yesterday that Summitt has early-onset dementia — a form of Alzheimer's. Pat Summitt is 59, and at such an incredibly young age, is faced with a disease that often hits the elderly.

But not always.

Think about what Alzheimer's can do to a human being. Though physically all there, the mind begins to deteriorate. The patient could be in a room with a spouse, children, grandchildren and a slew of other relatives and have absolutely no idea who one of them would be.

The mind forgets every good memory. Every bad memory. Every iota of information that once helped life be more meaningful.

Though it's in its early stages, Summitt will, admittedly, need the help of her core of assistant coaches. As the disease progresses, she, too, will begin to forget all those fundamentals she's drilled into countless young basketball players. She won't be able to remember their names. She may not even be able to recall she was the coach of one of the most prestigious women's basketball programs ever.

No one deserves this fate. But for some reason, it seems all the more unfair when it happens to someone who had yet to hit 60. She could live many more years, could Summitt, and yet in just a few short years, it's possible she won't remember anything that happened to her before she was 60. 

It is very cruel. Extremely unsettling. Yet if there's anyone who could battle this and come out a victor, it's Pat Summitt.

She'll coach this year — and beyond that, nothing in her life will be very clear.

But one thing IS clear, and that one of the nation's greatest coaches is in for the fight of her life. 

The best thing we can all do, now, is pray for her. And hope that somehow, she gets through this.

God willing, for Summitt and all who suffer from Alzheimer's, one day soon, there will be some sort of cure, and we could all look back at this with a smile.

Until then, God bless you, Pat Summitt. God bless you!

Jeter's a Rival, so Why Should I Be Happy For His 3,000th?

The scene was absolutely perfect. 

There was barely a cloud in the sky. Yankee stadium had more than 48,000 people in seats (and not in some exclusive indoor, air-conditioned club). And heck, even Joe Torre came back to the Bronx for the festive occasion. 

It didn't take long at all before Derek Jeter got hit 2,999 -- and it didn't take long, thereafter, for him to smack a ball into the left-field seats for hit 3,000. And let's face it, he hit to the perhaps the dumbest 23-year-old on the planet (more on that kid later).

There he was -- on top of the world again -- this time for a personal accomplishment, something he often ignores in favour of team accomplishments. But this was to be special, said the media and fans of the New York Yankees. Because of all the greatness the franchise has experienced, no former Yankee, dead or alive, had ever had 3,000 hits in a Yankees uniform. Not Joe DiMaggio. Not Lou Gehrig. Not Yogi Berra. Not Mickey Mantle. No one.

Except now, for Jeter.

I can't tell you how many times I was told, over the weeks this chase was on-going, how it was wrong for me, a fan of the "other team" in New York, not to care about Derek's chase. I was told it was wrong not to be happy for him. I was told it was bitter NOT to love everything Derek Jeter has done not just for baseball, but for New York and society as a whole.

Let me tell you this -- these assertions bugged me, because for the life of me, I've detested Derek Jeter since 1996 and grew to despise him in 2000 when he celebrated his fourth World-Series Championship on our Shea Stadium field. I can still see him jumping high into the Queens air. I can still see him, just one night earlier, smacking the first pitch of a World Series game into the far skyline of body shops and chop shops of Flushing, Queens.

I mean, the guy broke Mets fans' hearts one stinking pitch into that game. One pitch -- a homer. How could I not grow to detest the guy?

And not only that, in Interleague play, the guy totally destroyed the Mets in the 2000s. Like totally.

And yet I'm supposed to treasure this man's accomplishment yesterday afternoon? 

A couple of NHL seasons ago, Martin Brodeur, of the New Jersey Devils, won his 552nd regular-season hockey game to surpass Patrick Roy as the all-time wins leader in the league. Brodeur, mind you, is enemy Number 1 at Madison Square Garden, where these days, his name is chanted there more than Denis Potvin's is. 

When that great feat happened a few years ago, far be it for me to tell any Rangers fan that they were wrong NOT to celebrate in Brodeur's new record. I enjoyed it because he's been my team's goalie since October 1993 -- even longer than Jeter's term -- and as a fan of the team, like Yanks fans and Derek, I celebrated what happened.

But do you think for a second there was a Ranger fan alive who was in awe of Brodeur's mark?

Hardly.

They hate the guy.

Not because he's a prick (Jeter isn't either).

Not because he doesn't give back to the community (Jeter does, too).

But because he's on a team you've loved to hate forever. 

Make no mistake about it though -- he has done something very special, has Jeter.

But excuse me if I'm not thrilled to death that for weeks, all we heard on the radio and TV was about his pursuit of 3,000 hits. He's burned me too many times to forget that in celebration of all the good he's done.

The 23-Year-Old Dope Who Caught Hit 3,000

Christian Lopez, the man
who caught Derek Jeter's
3,000th hit -- a homerun.

His name is Christian Lopez, and he's a 23-year-old salesman, and perhaps his first name caused him to lose out on a great opportunity. 

Some had estimated whomever caught or got Jeter's 3,000th hit, were it to be a homerun, would net about $150,000. 

But Lopez, a big-time Yankees fan, gave the ball back to Jeter, no questions asked.

He was rewarded with a suite for today's game, excellent season tickets for the rest of this season and the playoffs and a ton of Derek Jeter memorabilia. 

Perhaps it's just me, but with all the cash Jeter has, this writer feels the kid got royally robbed. 

Sure, the touch the Yankees made was nice. And wouldn't you, as a die-hard fan, love to sit in those cushioned seats for the next two months for free? And wouldn't a Jeter-signed bat look great on your wall? 

Jeter needs to whip out his checkbook and write this kid one for something substantial. Today, on Ed Randall's "Talkin' Baseball" on WFAN, Lopez reminded Randall that he had substantial student loans to pay off. 

Jeter should be paying them off for the kid's kindness. 

Tell ya' what -- if he does, it might just sway me to enjoy his 3,000th hit a lot more than I already have.

Think about it.

Yanks Rebound to Take Game 2 at Wrigley

If the Mets Played Like Their Broadcasters Broadcast, They'd Be a Superior Baseball Team

Gary, Keith and Ron

FLUSHING, Queens — Futility.

Year after year, it's the same ole' story for the New York Metropolitans Baseball Club, Inc. With the exception of 1969, 1973, 1986, 1999, 2000 and 2006 — six rather exceptional seasons — the Mets have otherwise spent 43 years on the outside of the Major League Baseball playoffs, watching, through many of those years, as their local counterparts, the Evil Bronx Empire, not only made the playoffs, but won World Series Championships.

Consider this. Since 1962, the Mets' first year in existence, the Yankees have been in the post-season in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. They won World Championships in 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009 — and they have a realistic chance at winning yet another in 2010.

Could there be a more stark difference in two organizations separated by 10 geographic miles?

Sid Rosenberg Signs Two-Year Deal With WQAM, Will Host Dolphins' Radio Post-Game Show

See www.SidRosenberg.com. Our guy Sid Rosenberg has inked a two-year deal to host the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. show on 560 WQAM Miami, beginning Sept. 7. In addition, he will host the radio post-game show for the Miami Dolphins on the WQAM Dolphins Radio Network.

More to come.

Pedro Martinez Delivers Yet Another Reason Why Omar Minaya Should Be Fired

Painful.

That's how it was to watch Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Pedro Martinez throw 5 solid innings tonight, having given up 3 runs on 7 hits, while striking out 5. This is the kind of proverbial shot-in-the-arm the Mets needed all season long — yet for some reason, Omar Minaya decided it was better for the Mets to not sign Pedro.

Let's just look at it this way — could he have been any worse than any of the starters, Johan Santana notwithstanding, than the Mets have used all season long? And all he's earning is $1 million!

Watch him go throw a no-hitter or perfect game for the Phils and go 7-0 in the coming weeks. Unreal.

Yet another brilliant move by your Mets GM Omar "He Lobby for the Job" Minaya.

Mets Should Fire Omar and Manuel, Hire Bobby Valentine, Kill the Black Uniforms and Thensome

In no way do I claim to be a baseball expert. However, in my own way, I need to vent a little — as a very frustrated Mets fan. It's been years of futility, actually — not just 2009 — that have caused this immense frustration. It was the 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 teams that have contributed to the frustration, too. It was the 1998 team that barely missed the playoffs. It was the 2001 team that barely missed the playoffs. If was the 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 teams that were geared and prepared for a dynasty — didn't actually happen did it? — that have caused this frustration.

So here, then, are some simple things I'd like to see happen to clean house within the organization. And this is just a start. I won't even begin to tackle the players in this column. Instead, here are some steps I firmly believe will bring this organization back to respectability — and that's an important place to start.

1. Dismiss Omar Minaya. This man has caused so much organizational damage it isn't even funny. From the Tony Bernazard mess to signing Oliver Perez to a three-year, $36 million contract, his tenure as general manager has led to one disappointing playoff appearance — and a lot of hellish events before and after that.

2. Dismiss Jerry Manuel: He's funny. He's great with the media. But he has no command over this team.

3. Hire Bobby Valentine to be the manager. Bobby is the only manager to bring the Mets to the post-season two-straight years (1999 and 2000), brought them to within three wins of a World Championship, was the face of the Mets for many years, especially after 9/11 — and has the fire Manuel, Willie Randolph and Art Howe never had after V was dismissed.

4. Be cautious before hiring a GM: No rush. At least for the moment. A big name is a must here. Rushing is not. Hiring from within will just bring more of the same nonsense. As long as it's not Steve Phillips, that's fine.

5. Strip the organization of the color "black." Since the Mets added black to their uniforms in 1998, something of a "black cloud" has cursed this organization. Instead of playing daily "Guess the Uniform," they should wear pinstripes and blue caps at home — and grey road uniforms with blue caps. Get the names off the back of the home uniforms. It's not the names. It's playing as a team. Yes, there will be a need for some new "names" to be brought in to erase the horror that was 2009, but showing a little tradition can go a long way. Enough of the stupid musical uniforms — especially between games of a double-header.

6. Offer season-ticket holders from 2009 a steep discount in 2010. If fans wanted to see minor-league baseball, they could have saved a lot of money by buying season tickets to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Newark Bears, the Somerset Patriots or the Lakewood Blueclaws. Fans deserve better than what they got — especially the season-ticket holders who got nothing for their dollars. Additionally, the team should not raise prices on a single ticket next season and, in some cases, should drop the prices in 2010 (see the empty seats behind home plate and on the lower first- and third-base lines).

What Should the 2009 New York Mets Slogan Be?

As most Mets fans know, for many years, the Mets marketing department always loved to come up with silly, one-line slogans for each season. For example, in 2007, it was "Your Season Has Come." I'm still waiting for it, actually. In 2002, "Always Believe." In 1986, "Baseball Like it Oughta Be." Well, thankfully, they didn't come up with one for 2009 — yet.

Click here to visit a Mets-related blog for a humorous look at what the slogan could be, based on this horrendous season.

Thanks for Nothing, Omar!

It's really been a crazy week in Metsland. From Omar, to Bernazard to Adam Rubin, to nearly sweeping the Colorado Rockies, the gamut of emotions for Mets fans have been all over the place.

So enter the non-waiver trade deadline -- today at 4 p.m. With a chance to redeem himself incredibly, after a year of more downs that ups, Omar came through -- by trading for no one.

I thought I'd give ole' Omar a chance this week by waiting until today before making a serious judgment. Now I've made up my mind.

It's time for him to go.

Thanks for a week of laughs and heartbreaks, Omar.

Thanks for absolutely nothing. It's time for you to go.

Update: Omar just said he had opportunities to make trades, but didn't want to trade prospects. Who the hell is he talking about? What prospects? The Mets don't have any prospects. What is wrong with this man? He's lost it!

Should the Red Sox Retire Wade Boggs' Number?

It’s been said that the best stories on the Web are the shortest ones. So, for the return of “The Canessa Corner,” here’s a short list of “Yes,” “No” and short-answer questions that are often bantered about on talk shows [both sports and non-sports] these days.

•Should the Boston Red Sox retire Wade Boggs’ number? No.

•Should Pete Rose be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Yes.

•Should steroid-era baseball players be banned from the Hall of Fame? No.

•Should Omar Minaya be fired by the Mets? Yes.

•Should Adam Rubin have accepted Minaya’s “apology?” No.

•Will the Mets make a serious run at the N.L. Wild Card? Yes.

•Will the Mets get the Wild Card? Probably not.

•What about the Marlins? Nope.

•How many true Marlins fans are there? 4,212.

•Will the Mets make a big deadline-day trade? Yes.

•Will anyone catch the Yankees for the A.L. East lead? Yes.

•Is the Shake Shack the best eatery at CitiField? Yes.

•Whose numbers should be retired by the Mets that aren’t? Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and yes, Daryl Strawberry.

•Are the Red Sox’s championships tainted now that we know Manny and Papi did roids in 2003? Yes.

•How much longer before newspapers are totally dead? 5 years.

•Will any newspapers survive on the Web? Yes. Newsday is one, for sure. And The Times, too.

•Is John Sterling’s style annoying? Yes.

•Should Suzyn Waldman be on the air? No.

•Should Craig Carton have a job? No.

•Whose afternoon radio show do I listen to these days? Michael Kay’s.

•What about later on at night? That’s the Seth Everett Show.

•Who’ll have a better season? The Rangers or The Devils? Devils.

•Will Jacques Lemaire bring boring hockey back to Newark? No.

•Will the Panthers make the playoffs in ’10? Yes.

•Will the Islanders make the playoffs in ’10? Yes -- Tavares is that good.

•Does Sarah Palin have a political future? Did she have notable political past?

Be sure to comment. Be back soon with another corner.

Tiki Barber's [lack of a] Super Bowl ring gets him mad—kinda

Well it looks like Tiki Barber wasn't too happy a week and a half ago while he was on the air. Check out this slip of the tongue. [Some foul language used here].

Part of my childhood ended yesterday when Dog got out

Yesterday, part of my childhood died.

On a September day in 1989, like may others who fell quickly in love with sports radio, I was tuned into WFAN to listen to the first-ever Mike & The Mad Dog program. I had usually tuned into the Fan at that time slot because I always enjoyed Mike Francesa and Chris Russo's predecessor, Pete Franklin. But even when Pete unceremoniously left WFAN, I was still going to listen after school—to Mike, who had been in an earlier timeslot with Eddie Coleman, and Mad Dog, who was a weekend favorite of everyone who listened to the station.

So yesterday morning, when I received a text message from a buddy of mine that it was official that Mike and Chris were no more, I honestly felt like part of my childhood died. From age 14 to now 33, Mike and Chris were always a part of my life—they were always part of my daily routine. I even made a habit of listening to them when I lived in Newport, R.I., though the signal wasn't as good. 

Still—from 9th grade to this very day, two people came into my living room, car, bathroom ... wherever. They were always on. 

I have been critical of Mike often. Heck, even yesterday, as people called to say their farewells to Chris, Francesa took time to demonstrate his usual arrogance, by adamantly assuring us there would be no new partner for him on the radio. But that was inconsequential.

The bottom line is that something that had been a staple of this area for a few weeks short of 19 years was gone—never to return.

It wasn't hard to see Mike and Chris were not the same pair they once were earlier this year, when it was obvious they were angry with each other. That "chat" about whether the Yankees needed a new stadium [see Youtube] demonstrated a lot of anger on both their parts. 

It wasn't hard to see they weren't the same when Neil Best wrote a story about information he knew about Chris leaving.

It wasn't hard to see they weren't the same when in the months leading up to their 19th anniversary, there was little talk about them entering their 20th season.

Yes, it was rather easy to see they were on a path to different places. And boy did it come sooner than most could have dreamed. And, as usual, CBS Radio did a horrendous job by enforcing its rule that an outgoing personality—ask Don Imus about this—doesn't get a last horrah show. Instead, Chris spent seven minutes or so on the air with Mike—from a telephone at his place {or hotel ... wherever it is he's staying] on the Jersey Shore.

Months ago, I took a shot in the dark and wrote a column on this site saying I thought the jingles would have to be changed. But I honestly thought that was because of Mike's arrogance—and I really thought he'd have been the one to go. Instead, it's Chris.

Like many fans of the show, I'll miss the show. I'll miss the malaprops Chris speaks on a regular basis. I'll miss Dog poking fun of the Yankees. I'll miss Mike and Chris screaming at each other. 

I'll miss something that was more a part of my life than almost anything else I can think of. In those 19 years, friends came and go. Relatives died. Friends moved away. Hell, I even lost my cat, Metsy, who was named after—well you get the idea.

But now comes the fun part: Watching whether Mike can handle this show alone. Ask me, the answer is no way in hell. But there's a lot of talent out there—and without writing it, it doesn't take a brilliant person to know who I'd like to see paired up with Mike come September or sometime thereafter. I can hope.

But until that time, I say thank you to Mike and Chris for together being a part of my life for nearly two decades. You set the standard by which every sports talk radio host should follow. You set the format that truly works—and that fans demand. Good luck, Chris Russo. Wherever you go, you will do well.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand WFAN will never, ever be the same without you.

Be sure to post comments about Mike and Dog's split. Have a favorite moment? A favorite Chris Malaprop?  Mine is when Chris would call "Mets Extra With Howie Rose," Mets and Howe Extra....mmmmmmmMets Extra and Howie Rose...

Intriguing day on WFAN with Chris Russo out

No doubt, you know by now Mike and the Mad Dog are no more. Today, Mike Francesa had one of the best shows in his career, fielding calls from listeners for most of the 5 1/2 hour show. The opening from Mike was very nice, too. Here it is below. If you haven't heard it yet, and if you're a fan of the show, you'll definitely want to listen to this.

Mike and the Mad Dog are done

The Mike and the Mad Dog radio program is over.

WFAN radio announced lst night that Christopher "Mad Dog" Russon has been released from his contract at the radio station, which was set to expire in April. As of now, WFAN says Mike Francesa, the other half of the Mike and the Mad Dog Show, will fly solo from 1 to 6:30 p.m.

Of course, it is m hope that Mark Chernoff sees the importance here of losing one big name—and does the right thing by bringing the best sports radio talent out there back to New York in Sid Rosenberg. (Disclosure: I am the Webmaster for Sid Rosenberg, so I do, indeed, have a bias here). We'll see what happens.

In the meantime, our good friend Bob Mantz Jr. has a briefing on this story.  Click here to read it.

Chat room trivia canceled

Well, we had to cancel the chat room trivia on SidRosenberg.com tonight. Something has happened to the main page on the Web site—and we can't fix it for some reason. And, no shock here, GoDaddy has been of little help with the matter (we're likely migrating over to Yahoo hosting over at Sid's site soon). With any luck, the trivia will begin a week from today. Thanks, everyone.

Join me for Sid Rosenberg's first-ever Chat Room Trivia Contest Wednesday night at 8

Hello folks! Hope you'll be able to join Sid Rosenberg and me Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. on Sidrosenberg.com for our first-ever online Chat Room Trivia Contest. Contestants will have a chance to answer trivia questions for great prizes, including an autographed baseball from former New York Met Mike Jacobs (now with the Marlins).  Log on to www.sidrosenberg.com for more details — and hope to see you in the chat room for the contest Wednesday night!

Planning on going to a Giants or Jets game this year? Better memorize all the new rules and regulations first

Fans who attend Jets and Giants games at the Meadowlands will have two hours less to tailgate — and a score of new rules to follow while inside the stadium, The Star-Ledger reports today.

Gates to Giants Stadium will open five hours before gametime, two hours less than in past years. Additionaly, there are several behavior-related rules that will govern fans and their behavior while at the stadium.

Click here for the full story from The Ledger.

U.S. men's basketball team beats China in Olympics opener

The U.S. men's olympic basketball team easily beat China today, 101-70. The crowd delighted each time home town favorite Yao Ming — who played for the host team — controlled the ball or scored. For a full recap of the game, click here.

Did the Jets move back to New York without telling anyone?

Somehow, it seems like the Jets moved back to New York. And it seemed the same a few months ago when the Giants, who haven't played in New York since 1975, paraded their way down the Canyon of Heroes a few days after they won the Super Bowl.

Last week, new Jets quarterback Brett Favre took part in a press conference with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The mayor gave Favre a "Broadway" sign, reminiscent of the days of "Broadway Joe" Namath.

Here's a video of the event from the New York Daily News. Wonder when Brett will be meeting with the mayor of East Rutherford?