The New Youk Yankees -- Former Red Sox legend Kevin Youkilis shaving his goatee off and donning pinstripes for the 2013 MLB season

Former Red Sox legend Kevin Youkilis

Just in case you were hiding under a rock this week, here’s some news for you. Former Red Sox legend (I think it’s safe to say that) Kevin Youkilis will be shaving his goatee off and donning pinstripes for the 2013 MLB season. That’s right. Youkilis is becoming a Yankee.

 Cue the inevitable uproar across the Internet

Bands of angry Red Sox fans roaming the net holding virtual vomiting contests to see who can claim the greatest distaste at the news. Packs of angry Yankee fans flexing their spray tanned muscles roaring at each other in a contest to see who is the most outraged at this signing.

The veritable landslides of virtual ignominy don’t change two simple facts.

Firstly, Kevin Youkilis must be applauded at every at bat in Fenway Park. If any so called Red Sox fan spends a half a second even thinking about booing Youk, that same so called fan should be ejected from the park immediately. Preferably violently, or at least in humiliating fashion. Seriously, if you are at Fenway and you are standing beside someone who boos Kevin Youkilis on his return to Fenway, you have my permission to sucker punch them in the side of the head. There better not be one single solitary ‘boo’ when Youk comes to town. Seriously.

Secondly, on the plus side of the equation, this is the Yankees doing what the Yankees do. Signing high priced, ageing veterans. In this case, they are signing a high priced, ageing veteran to replace (at least temporarily) another high priced, ageing and also breaking-down veteran (Gee, gosh, I wonder, why on earth is A-Fraud breaking down before our very eyes?! What could it be!?).

Until Josh Hamilton signed with Anaheim for eleventy gazillion dollars (and substance abuse rehab centers across Anaheim held wild celebrations) the Youk signing was the big MLB news of the week. In actual fact, it wasn’t that big a deal. For the Sox, nothing should change, Youkilis should always be cheered at every single at bat at Fenway ever. For the Yankees, it’s just Yankees being Yankees, signing old players for a lot of money and then acting shocked when all their hamstrings break and they have no money left to sign more fat old players.

Now, let’s all enjoy some actual real comments from actual real Yankee message boards. Looks like New York will be welcoming Youk to town with open, cuddling, warm, charming and loving arms, as only New York can.

• ''Washed-up third basemen no one wanted to sign are now worth $12/year apparently.''
• ''This made me vomit a bit, but it is the only move out there. Should be a fun season...''
• ''Call me thrifty, but isn't $12 Million a little steep???''
• ''As a Yanks fan I would have rather them use Pena at 3rd and deal with no hits rather then watch his hitting stance all year.''
• ''I think the Yankees would better served lighting $12 million on fire and having no one cover third while taking an out every 9th at bat.''
• ''He hit .233 in Boston and .236 in Chicago, is there something I am missing here? .258 batting average in 2011 as well. Time spent on the DL in both seasons. ''
• ''Yanks need Hamilton. What is wrong with Cashmen WHAT''
• ''at least he wont be allowed to have that awful f#@&*#^ beard''
• ''This is beyond disgusting, the only two Red Sox players or now ex Red Sox players I hate more than Youkilis are Beckett and that $@%!$@% Papelbon. He is on the decline and was never more than a walk machine, he is not enough to replace A-rod for half the season especially since he is also coming off an injury plagued season and is 33.''
• ''Against all odds, the Yankees get even older. With the apparent signing of Ichiro, the Yankees will be better suited for softball in Central Park. Everyone in the division is getting younger and better, except the Yankees who are getting older and worse. COME TO YANKEE STADIUM, WHERE EVERYDAY IS OLD TIMERS DAY.''

 

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Letterman jacket gimmick backfires as Texans taken to school by Patriots

Someone in the Houston Texans coaching or front office planning staff has a few questions to answer today. Earlier this week the Texans gave their players Varsity Letterman style jackets for the trip up to New England. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, however as the Patriots raced to a shockingly easy 21-0 lead, whoever green-lighted that idea must have been considering their future employment options. The Texans, jackets and all, were quite simply taken to school.

The game was to all intents and purposes over before the end of the first quarter. The Patriots offence had its way with the much ballyhooed Texans defence and J.J. Watt (no sacks and no passes batted down) while the defence, led by the incredible Vince Wilfork, destroyed almost everything Houston tried to do. The Texans ran nine plays that went for negative yardage. Nine! Worse yet for Texans fans, their team appeared to raise the white flag very early. Instead of running a hurry up offence or showing any urgency to even cut into the lead, Houston huddled up after every play and ran running plays to backup Ben Tate before bringing on the punting team.

The signature play of the night? There are a few you could choose from, including Brady’s beautiful play action fake, touchdown toss to Brandon Lloyd, however the funniest was J.J. Watt forcing a fumble off Danny Woodhead only for the ball to roll to Lloyd in the end zone for a Patriots touchdown.

Even when Houston did something right, they did it wrong.

They couldn’t even get out of New England without embarrassment. After the game the team’s equipment organisers had issues getting assorted equipment back to their team truck because the cart they drove down a stadium tunnel had a flat tire.

You can’t make this stuff up.

The fact is, this lopsided beat-down was quite easy to predict. Allow me to sit up straight, clear my throat and point you in the direction of what I wrote on my column on the BetDash blog last week (I know, I know, bold move, but, bear with me here);

My point is, if I can dissect a game like that, there has to be a lot of wise-guys driving around in new cars today after taking their bookmakers to the proverbial cleaners last night.  The signs were all there. Houston’s paper tiger 11-1 record was built off the back of results against largely poor teams with few exceptions. On top of that, three MVP type QBs have now surgically dissected the Texans this season. Rodgers, Brady and Manning have all put up gaudy numbers against this supposed Superbowl candidate.

For Houston, they have a straight shot to the playoffs, sure, but they also have a truck load of questions to answer after last night.

For the Patriots? Last night was almost perfect. The home fans were treated to a display any of the three Patriots championship teams would have been proud of. Brady was sharp, Aaron Hernandez offered tantalizing glimpses of potential (and health!) and Brandon Lloyd got more involved than previously, a really good sign for New England. Perhaps most hearteningly for the Patriots was the play of cornerback Aqib Talib. The Tampa cast-off is a sight to behold. A big, fast, muscular corner who looks happy going toe to toe with any number one receiver. He was excellent last night.  His addition has freed Devin McCourty to play safety, a spot he is most comfortable at, as shown by his stylish pickoff ending a Houston drive when the game was still almost competitive.

As dominant as the Patriots offence was last night, this team will go as far as its defence takes it. Right now, the possibilities around that are endless.

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Scooby Doo (Johnny Manziel) wins the Heisman Trophy

And so it has come to this. Scooby Doo has won the Heisman Trophy. By Scooby Doo we of course mean Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, the diminutive QB who will, let's face it, have a very hard time making at the next level. Despite losing twice in the NCAA football season. Despite having been arrested and charged with three misdemeanours -- disorderly conduct, failure to identify, and possession of a fictitious driver's license. Despite dressing up as Scooby Doo for Halloween and allowing himself to be pictured with several scantily clad females (hey, it's a free world, but, do you see more serious football players allowing themselves to be caught in those situations?!).

Looking back, a day after the event, you do of course have to empathize with the Heisman voters. In fairness to them, it is not like they had any alternative in selecting their Heisman winner. Clearly they didn't have anyone else to choose, I mean, it's not like they had the hard working, emotional and football-passionate leader of an unbeaten team with four ranked teams amongst it's scalps.

Read More: Notre Dame defensive coach Bob Diaco said to interview for Boston College job

It's not like they had the fearsome defensive captain of a team that led the entire NCAA in points allowed per game (an almost unbelievable 10). It's not like they had the ferocious leader of a defence that's going to play for the BCS title in January whom they could have selected instead of Johnny Police Record.

All facetiousness and indeed all team allegiances aside, ask yourself a question. Which player is more likely to be a household name in 3-4 years time. Manziel or Te'o? And to stress, we're talking for football reasons. Not because he might be all over the Internet in situations like the below.

I'm going to come out and say it. Very odd choice by the Heisman voters. They had a chance to pick a football player who does nothing but eat, sleep and drink the game. A ferocious, hard nosed tackler who's devotion to football is only second to his family and his studies. Not only that, they had a chance to pick a winner, who has driven his team to a unbeaten season and a chance to play for the title.


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They had a choice between that, and this nincompoop?

Seriously Heisman voters?



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Update! 18th January 2012

Well, well, well. How about that! Thanks to Manti Te'o, Johnny Football all of a sudden looks like a choir boy! You can read my full apology to Johnny in this Manti Te'o article. Is there a lesson in all of this? Perhaps, like the tagline of the movie Traffic, ''No One Gets Away Clean''. 

Hopefully your Texas folk are enjoying the whole Te'o revelation, and judging by the emails and comments, you sure are.

If you have a dictionary somewhere look up the term 'Schadenfreude'. In the meantime, once again, congratulations Johnny, as it turns out, you were not the least worthy character based candidate!

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Comments
We love your comments! The communicative back-and-forth is one of the best parts of sports journalism. A couple of quick notes on same. This is a sports blog, and it deals with both the USA and Ireland, hopefully that answers a few questions! Also, your opinion is greatly valued, strong ones even more so, but if you revert to personal attacks or any kind of hate speech, your comment will be deleted. Repeat offenders will have their IP address banned.Thanks for all the great feedback to date! 

Houston Texans Andre Johnson brings some Christmas cheer to kids in Houston

Tired of grim news clogging up your Internet? How about a little boost? Look no further than Houston Texans superstar Andre Johnson. Johnson really put his money where his charitable mouth is and treated twelve children to an incredible pre-Christmas shopping spree at a Houston area Toys ‘’R’’ Us on Tuesday afternoon.  The shopping spree was funded by Johnson via his foundation, the Andre Johnson Charitable Foundation which he setup in 2003, his rookie season. His foundation and Child Protective Services worked together to select twelve kids for the event.

In an exciting scenario the kids had 80 seconds to fill their carts with toys and other fun things for themselves and their siblings. They were also each given a gaming system and two video games. All of it was paid for by the Andre Johnson Charitable Foundation.

The final tab? $19, 521!

Johnson spoke amiably and in an animated fashion about the terrific event

"You hear a minute and twenty seconds, and you don't think that's a long time, but you'd be surprised by what these kids can put into their buckets,"

In this day of selfish athletes, Johnson’s further comments on the kids fun activity are heartening to say the least,

"Everyday when I wake up, I ask myself, 'Who can I add value to today,' because it's not about me. It's all about helping someone else. And at this time of the year, there are many opportunities to help less fortunate children have a great Christmas,"

Proving he is no one-trick pony,  after the spree, Johnson also joined the Houston Police Department's ‘Blue Santa’ program to surprise 800 students at Houston's Bastian Elementary School with Christmas presents.

"A lot of these kids get discouraged because of where they grew up and things like that. I grew up in a single-parent home and I was fortunate to achieve my goals. So, whatever goals you have, just keep them out in front of you, don't let anybody distract you away from them, because there will be distractions that try to detour you away from your goals. That's the biggest thing."

Absolute class act. Here’s hoping Johnson continues to have a stellar career. Guys like him deserve all the success they have.

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Bob Costas and Jason Whitlock under fire from gun lobbyists in wake of Javon Belcher shooting

Kansas City Chiefs player Javon Belcher

The weekend saw a terrible tragedy unfold with young Kansas City Chiefs player Javon Belcher murdering his girlfriend before taking his own life in front of Chief’s head coach Romeo Crennel. Those words still don’t really make sense, it was such a senseless and tragic loss of life. Furthermore, the tragedy will linger, as Crennel (who it must be noted sounds as if he behaved with extreme bravery, trying to talk sense into a volatile man wielding a hand-gun) and other Chiefs players and staff will never be able to forget what they saw. Finally, Belcher’s baby daughter is now going to grow up without a parent.

The last part perhaps resonates loudest, as you can only imagine the challenges the poor girl faces, her life altered forever by a hand-gun.

Across the sporting media there have been all sorts of responses, coming from different places in the mind and heart. Fascinatingly, the two that most visibly dared to suggest this might be the time to consider a new look at the very least at gun control are the two that are coming under the most derision. Bob Costas and (to a lesser extent) Jason Whitlock are being dragged around the muddy corners of the Internet and verbally lambasted as if they were the mythical love child of Osama Bin Laden and Eva Braun. Costas, in particular, is being torn to shreds by, largely and not surprisingly, the right wing slanted sporting and other media, perhaps because his plea for consideration was witnessed by a larger audience, and, it has to be noted, a Southern audience (it being a Cowboys game).

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You have to wonder, why are Costas and Whitlock being subjected to such hate filled vitriol? All they are doing is offering their opinion, and in same they simply suggest that this horrible tragedy affords a moment where we could look at gun control again, and consider a way forward that doesn’t involve the continued massacre that is being facilitated by the free availability of guns in the United States. How is offering that opinion now an open invitation to ridicule? Surely if people want to make the United States a safer place, that is to be commended, or at very least accepted?

I completely get how gun manufacturing companies, the people who work for them and the politicians who’s pockets are lined by those companies would angrily rebuke the opinions of Costas and Whitlock. You can always expect the angry, bobbing head, cap-typing right wing to get in on the act also. However, what about the rest, why is Costas in particular being carpet bombed like this?

Seriously, the man simply suggested maybe we should consider how easily anyone can get their hands on a gun in the USA. Is that such a bad thing?!

Has the USA become that completely immune to the rampant issue of gun related deaths that if anyone dares challenge the ridiculously powerful gun lobby they get destroyed by the sporting and other media at large? Did Bob Costas and Jason Whitlock really write something that bad that it deserves the derisive assaults they are being subjected to today?

The attacks are pretty much as you would expect them. The usual ‘Guns don’t kill people’ dross, combined with various demands that the constitution remains intact. One that appears to be rearing it’s infantile, ugly head again and again is the ‘He can try and take our guns’ refrain. ‘Our’ guns, really?

To finish, Whitlock hit the nail on the head in a brilliant retort to that final imbecilic mantra spouted by the gun-loving right far too often. As Whitlock smoothly describes;

‘’ How many young people have to die senselessly? How many lives have to be ruined before we realize the right to bear arms doesn't protect us from a government equipped with stealth bombers, predator drones, tanks and nuclear weapons?’’

Maybe that’s what drives the right-wing so crazy. At its heart, the debate isn't even a contest. Only an idiot of the lowest order would agree that the ‘right to bear arms’ is more important than human life and peoples safety. Lacking any sensible argument, the right flips on the caps lock and lets rip. When people point out how simple and ludicrous the whole situation it, people like Costas and Whitlock, they get assaulted by the cowardly mob.

Sadly, that has become the norm, and that appears to be what we are witnessing here, a sad footnote in a terrible tragedy.

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Colin Kaepernick starting for the 49ers is setback for NFL fight against concussion

San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh's most recent decision to start Colin Kaepernick ahead of veteran Alex Smith can be viewed from any number of angles, however one thing it does is set a very dangerous precedent.

How so? Simple. Alex Smith lost his job because his coach took advantage of his injury to cram a rookie in instead of him, and once that injury healed, Smith found the door locked upon his attempted return. Smith was honest and acted in the best interests of the team in saying he had concussion symptoms.

The team in turn should have respected that responsible behaviour and ensured that Smith be allowed keep his job, which he did nothing to lose, on his return. Instead Harbaugh has taken advantage of the situation and handed the job to an untested rookie who has not paid his veteran dues. 

Whatever about the ugly nature of the decision, the dangerous element is easy to spot. In future, players who feel they might have concussion will simply keep their mouth's shut. Why risk losing your starting job, when a coach clearly isn't going to do the right thing?

Whatever about the injury element, the decision itself is questionable on a most basic of levels.

Obviously people who think the decision is correct are going to point to the situation in New England where Tom Brady got the starting job at Drew Bledsoe's endless expense, all because the latter was badly hurt by a cheap hit by a Jets player. The problem with that analogy is that happened in 2000, and there are dozens of 'hot' rookie QBs who have looked like the second coming of Joe Montana one week, only to fade into the woodwork forever, just another failed Ryan Leaf type.

The NFL adjusts. Lost in the hype last week, Kaepernick made a couple of horrible throws that were almost picked off, and one that was. NFL defensive coordinators will adjust and find ways to mess with the young man's head.

Look, Kaepernick may very well be a great player down the line. However, it is not only undignified that he has taken another man's job because of injury, but it also sets a very dangerous precedent. For years players suffered through concussions in silence until recently a new honest approach has meant the issue was being dealt with carefully and responsibly.

Now, with Harbaugh's poor decision, in my view, the risk returns that players will hide concussion symptoms and take the field, a danger to themselves and indeed their team mates, to ensure they too don't lose their starting job through injury.

Harbaugh's ugly decision shows that prospect is a very real possibility.Wouldn't you lie about illness to ensure you 'made it into work' if your job was on the line? You can't blame NFL players from protecting their livelihoods by doing that, and the blame can largely be set on the shoulders of one man.

Jim Harbaugh.

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New York Post and New York Daily News mocks Patriots, Belichick and Gronk ahead of Thanksgiving game

Every now and then you think the sporting media in New York cannot go any lower, and then something comes along that recalibrates your expectations lower still. Today, the New York rags were working in overdrive, The New York Posts’ cover featured New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick Photoshopped onto a turkey, and the New York Daily News also made Belichick its back cover with the headline "Brain Freeze."

Both rags were making clumsy, over dramatized and boneheaded references to Belichick keeping Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in for the final extra point of Sunday's blowout win over the Colts. Gronkowski broke his arm on the play and had surgery Monday.

What they are missing is glaringly obvious. This is professional football. Not college ball. There are smaller squads, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and have your guys on the field. What they are also missing is that no doubt Gronk, who simply loves playing the game of football, probably wanted to be on the field anyway.

Above and beyond those obvious points, their greatest mistake, other than taunting a superior team, other than talking trash when you are trailing badly in the standings and other than making fun of a vastly superior and more decorated coach is their taking the exceptionally slimy path of making jolly of a players injury. That’s just pathetic. Making fun of an injury is one of the last remaining taboos in sports journalism

Most don’t do it. Even the more fringe online entities don’t do it.

The Post and Daily News seems to think it’s ok though, poking fun at a serious injury that stops a man from doing his job. Really base stuff, scraping the bottom of the barrel, but then with the Post in particular, this is basically nothing shocking. This is actually The Post living down to their lowly expectations.

Hopefully the Post and Daily News get their kicks out of their eye catching headlines today. The acid test will come Friday morning, we will see who is laughing then.

Current game handicap?

New England -6 points.

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