Sports this 'n' that

I just don't get it.

Joe Bruno Stadium, home to the NY-Penn League's Tri-City Valleycats, opened its doors for a high school baseball doubleheader on May 10 to benefit Coaches Against Cancer. I had a thought about attending the nightcap, pitting Troy High vs. Christian Brothers Academy in what was technically a CBA home game, even though they were in Troy. But, due to timing issues, I stayed home and channel-flipped between the game and the Mets-Pirates game.

While Troy won the game (and CBA won the return match at THS yesterday), what I couldn't help but notice was the large amount of empty seats in the stands.

SAY WHAT?

The Valleycats routinely will draw anywhere from three to six thousand fans per game, and so, the seats along the base lines are usually filled, especially on fireworks nights. Not so here, even though a high school game ticket is about half the price of a general admission ticket for a Valleycats game. Mix in unsettled weather patterns and the fact that the game was being televised on Time Warner Cable, and, well.........! I find it very hard to believe that CBA, with its ginormous alumni base in the area, and Troy could not sell out "The Joe". Neither could Guilderland and Bethlehem, who played the first half of the doubleheader, also shown on TV.

Look, high school baseball doesn't get the same kind of media exposure as football & basketball do in my home market. Upstate New York isn't that fanatic about high school sports in the spring, unlike the Southern & Western states, which have rabid fan bases year round. It's just a cruel fact of life. Period.

The Mets, meanwhile, need help, not just in the outfield and on offense, both of which were reasons why they signed outfielder Rick Ankiel, late of Houston, on Monday, and plugged him into the lineup against St. Louis.

The biggest problem is pitching. As in, there ain't enough of it in the starting rotation behind 2nd year phenom Matt Harvey. Jonathan Niese reportedly had back issues prior to his start against Pittsburgh on Saturday. He was risking further injury by taking the hill, and if the Mets don't do something now, they run the risk of losing him for the season prematurely. While Jeremy Hefner has started to show some progress after a slow start (ditto for Dillon Gee), in the long term, he's not meant to be a starter, but rather a reliever. The ironic thing is that the Mets' announcers discussed at length on Monday how the Cardinals have successfully nurtured their pitchers, including converting Adam Wainwright and last night's winner, Lance Lynn, from relievers to starters. Both have been All-Stars. Dave Duncan retired after the 2011 season, and ex-Braves hurler Derek Lilliquist (who also marked time in Cleveland, as I recall) has simply followed the formula. Because of the intense, overly obsessive media scrutiny in New York, the Mets can't follow that same formula because the media has convinced the fan base that there's no room for patience.

Never has "win now" been more a nagging buzz word than in New York, and it's been that way because New York is the spoiled brat capital of the world when it comes to sports fans.

All major sports are taking concussions very seriously these days. The WWE has followed suit, concerned more for the long term health of their performers, especially at their young ages.

In the last couple of years, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and Michael "The Miz" Mizanin have all fallen victim to concussions. As of last week, World champion Dolph Ziggler (real name: Nick Nemeth) was added to the list when he suffered a legitimate concussion in a brawl with one of his top challengers, Jack Swagger. As of last night, Ziggler was ruled out of Sunday's Extreme Rules PPV, meaning Swagger & Alberto Del Rio, instead of climbing a ladder, will be in a "I Quit" match to determine who gets next dibs on Ziggler. The smart thing to do is to hold Ziggler out at least another week, maybe two, before letting him return to the road, provided, of course, he passes all of his tests. It's what the NFL, the NHL, & Major League Baseball are all doing, and WWE should be commended for being out front on this matter.

Speaking of the NHL, that brings us to this week's Weasel of the Week. Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was every bit the sore loser no one thought him to be after the Caps were eliminated by the New York Rangers on Monday. Ovechkin has gone so far as to suggest that the Rangers were shown favoritism by the game officials in order to boost ratings.

I'll say it again: SAY WHAT?

I know I've said the same thing about the NBA, but there's a lot more evidence to support the idea that the NBA, which is marketed based on individual stars more than any other league, pays more attention to the needs of its corporate partners on Madison Avenue than legitimately legislating how the game is supposed to be played. You don't see this sort of thing in the NHL. You can count on your hands and still leave room for a finger or two how many "superstar" players are marketed by the NHL, and Ovechkin is one of them. For him to claim that the officials favored the Rangers, just because they're in the biggest media center in the country, is beyond ludicrous, and it will likely cost him endorsement deals here in the US. His best bet would be to do a commercial with 80's star Yakof Smirnoff. Oh, wait.......

I wonder what the going rate is for Weasels in Russia, since Ovechkin is taking home a set of ears.