Weis Planting Himself Back in Hot Seat After Loss to Michigan

(AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Let's play a game I like to call hypotheticals, just for a second. You've got a three-point lead with 2:29 to play in the fourth quarter. You've got the ball. It's 2nd and 10 on your own 29-yard line. You'd really love to force your opponents to use both of their remaining timeouts, if not move the chains once to essentially end the game.

You've got a running back who has been tearing up the opponent's front seven all day, and a one play-making reciever who suddenly couldn't catch a cold (unless he was really, really open I suppose). With your top wideout forced out of the game with an injury, you call a pass play to that speedy wideout with Clifford Franklin-like hands against a cornerback who has been shutting you down all day long.

The pass falls incomplete, and so does the next one on a pivotal 3rd and 10. You punt the ball away and watch the other team's outstanding true freshman quarterback lead a drive down the field to take the lead with just 11 seconds remaining, leaving you powerless and suddenly sweating profusely on a breezy day in Ann Arbor.

Yep, you guessed it. You're Charlie Weis.

In the midst of the best game on a slate of great finishes across the country Saturday, Weis' shotty play-calling was immediately overlooked by the play of Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier.

Forcier, who nearly cost his team the game himself with an interception in the 4th quarter that ultimately gave the Irish the lead back, exceeded even the highest expectations leading his team back from two fourth-quarter deficits.

In only his second collegiate start, he completed nearly 70% of his passes, throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to his yards through the air, Forcier also ran for 70 yards, including a dramatic 31-yard scamper on 4th & 3 to give the Wolverines an 11-point fourth quarter lead. But even the Michigan freshman was confused by Weis' play selection late in the game.

"I think it was a mistake that they were throwing the ball because they let us save our timeouts," said Forcier. "Those timeouts definitely came in handy."

Weis defended his call to air it out, rather than hand off to Armando Allen Jr., who had accumulated 139 yards on the day already, and who ripped off a 13 yard gain just two plays earlier.

"They loaded up the box and made it clear that they weren't going to let us do that, so we had to throw the ball," said the frustrated Irish coach. "On third down, we could've run and made them use a timeout, but we were trying to win the game."

Now, as if the decision to throw the ball wasn't bad enough, he had quarterback Jimmy Clausen air it out to Golden Tate, who had already dropped two huge passes in the fourth quarter, as he was being covered by All-Big Ten cornerback Donovan Warren. Charlie, if you're going to throw the ball, hit the tight end over the middle for five yards.

You can't blame Clausen, though, even if you wanted to for overthrowing an open target on that pivotal third down play. He carved up the Wolverine defense all day throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns. No, this time the blame all goes to the head coach.

This was a game Charlie Weis had to win. After a 35-0 drubbing of Nevada last week, the Irish strolled into Ann Arbor with a sense of confidence they hadn't seen since Brady Quinn & co. led the Golden Domers to back-to-back BCS Bowl games in 2005 and 2006. Ironically, it was like the previous two seasons, where Weis compiled a 10-15 record, never happened. In fact, many believed that a victory over Michigan would springboard the Irish into a run that could end with another BCS bowl berth.

But in a matchup of two head coaches that both desperately needed a W, Weis was simply outdone by Michigan's Rich Rodriguez who, two weeks removed from all kinds of controversy and after a historically bad first year, has come up smelling like roses in Ann Arbor.

Now, the Irish are on the outside looking in at the AP Top 25, and without a win against another rival with an impressive true freshman in USC's Matt Barkley in a month's time, we may look back on yesterday's game and call it the beginning of the end for ol' Charlie.

Party Like It's 1998

(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)


I remember watching games during that magical summer 11 years ago, when the Yankees were a force that couldn't be stopped, not even by their own second baseman.

The greatest team of my generation was fueled by outstanding starting pitching from the likes of Andy Pettitte, David Wells and David Cone, along with the timely hitting of Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neill, and Tino Martinez.

During one weekend day game, Jeter lined a single up the middle to score a runner from second base. As he returned to first base, the late Bobby Murcer, the game's color commentator, made a profound comment that was lost on my spoiled 10-year old mind at the time.

He said, "You know, these are the days we'll look back on years from now and say 'Those were the good ol' days.'"

As the current Yankees continue to surge ahead of both the Red Sox and Rays in the A.L. East division race, I am beginning to think Murcer's statement holds true about the '09 Bronx Bombers, too.

I'm not suggesting the Yankees will win 114 games this year. Hell, I only gave them credit for 94 in my Spring Training prediction. But after witnessing the way in which the Yankees trounced the Red Sox in four games last weekend, you can't help but feel this team is going to do some special things.

The flight back to Massachusetts must have been a tough one for the Sox, knowing they all but lost the division race to their hated rivals after four excruciatingly tough games. They threw their best at the Yankees, and it just wasn't good enough. That's a hard pill to swallow for any team, I'd imagine, especially one with such a lineage of losing like Boston's.

The Yankees have returned to a form that gave the Nation nightmares for 86 years. A 23-6 record since the All-Star break has teams on their upcoming schedule running scared, and their arch nemesis hiding in the bushes.

Robinson Cano's game-winning single on Wednesday gave the Yankees their 11th pie-in-the-sky, walk-off win, which has accounted for more than one-fourth of their home victories this season. Dominant starting pitching from the top of their rotation and timely hitting throughout a circular lineup has this team is running away in the standings, and having a blast doing it.

So let me be the first to welcome you back to the good ol' days, Yankees fans. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.

Youkilis Just the Latest Red Sox' Clown

Stop acting surprised. We are talking about the Red Sox, aren't we?

Yes, we are. Acts of aggression and stupidity are nothing new to Beantown. So refrain from seeming shocked that one of the stars from the most classless organization in Major League Baseball would make a fool of himself, on his home field, no less.

I don't mean that Ortiz guy, either.

It seems as though since the day the Splendid Splinter bit the dust, Boston has become a city ruled not by democracy, but rather idiocracy. Kevin Youkilis is just the latest in a long-standing line of buffoons that continue to question the moral fiber of the once-omniscient Red Sox.

In case you've yet to see it, (in which case, here) during the second inning of a pivotal game between the Sox and A.L. Central division-leading Detroit Tigers, Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch from 20-year old phenom Rick Porcello. Granted, after seeing Miguel Cabrera leave the game after being hit on the hands by a pitch in the first inning, the second time in consecutive days, it's not so farfetched to expect some kind of retaliation from the Tigers.

But upon getting beaned, Youkilis quickly turned and sprinted toward Porcello. The rookie pitcher immediately began to backpedal, wanting no part of the charging slugger. With a swift dodge to the right, Porcello simply used Youkilis' own momentum against him and tossed him to the turf as the benches cleared and all hell broke loose at Fenway Park.

Some may argue that Youkilis' act of aggression can be seen as a good thing in Bostonian circles. They will defend Youkilis, saying he sparked the team to victory, much like captain Varitek's attack on Alex Rodriguez in July of 2004 automatically made them World Series champions. (Right, because it was the midseason brawl, not extra help Ortiz and Ramirez were allegedly receiving.) Boston writers caught lightning in a bottle once, why can't they do it again? After all, this would be the same team who found themselves waking up as self-conscious as they have since October of 2003, thanks to a swift four-game shallacking at the hands of their arch-rivals over the weekend, or "The Boston Massacre, Part III," as I prefer to call it. And sure, for a night that theory almost makes some sense, given the fact that Mike Lowell came off the bench and supplied the power for not one, but two, home runs to pace the Sox to a 7-5 victory. But anyone with any relative knowledge of what a baseball is knows that the commissioner will come down hard and fast on Youkilis, and probably before tomorrow's first pitch, scheduled at 1:35 p.m.

Boston could be without their glorified utilityman for a week, in the heat of a pennant race in which they continue to attempt to fend off the Rangers and Rays, all the while telling themselves they've got a shot at catching the Yankees for the A.L. East division crown. Yeah, way to fire up the troops, Youk. Here's to hoping you can do the same from the bench.

But why does everyone feel the need to act surprised at anything the Red Sox make news for nowadays? This is the same franchise who has celebrated the actions of Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez and Jason Varitek as leaders and champions.

Up until the New York Times' steroid allegations surrounded David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez a few weeks ago, it seemed as though Boston felt they had a moral high ground on the rest of the country, especially New York. But they don't. They never have. In fact, they had more class as an organization when they were losing all the time. Whether it be Manny Ramirez's constant disrespect for the game and his opponents, or Pedro Martinez's all-too-abrupt way of dealing with the elderly, or Youkilis' charge to the mound (or should I say Porcello's takedown), a consistent pattern of behavior has been established in Beantown.

Perhaps it comes from the heads of the organization? After all, you'd be hard-pressed to find seven consecutive seconds where either punk general manager Theo Epstein or owner John Henry aren't shooting their mouths off about the Yankees. Maybe they go out and get players who, well frankly, will embarrass the hell out of them en route to a sustained level of success.

You take the good with the bad, I suppose. I mean, playing the game the right way for 86 years wasn't going so well, so it makes a bit of sense to dirty up one of sports' most respected franchises. The Red Sox sold their soul to the devil. And in return, they were given two tainted championships and a slew of embarrassing moments, like tonight's brawl at Fenway.

Was it worth it? That might just depend on how many games they lose with Youkilis looking on from the top step of the dugout in the coming week.

Labatt Blues (6-1) vs. Fightin' Irish (2-5)

Hauppauge, N.Y. - The Labatt Blues, in only their second season of existence, have a chance to clinch first place in the Suffolk County Hockey League's B division. Standing in their way, a Fightin' Irish squad, playing for pride having already been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Blues (6-1) have been led by star rookie Anthony Salerno, who is tied for the team lead in goals with 7 and leads in assists with 13. He is currently third in all divisions in scoring. Other new additions have made a lasting impact on this summer's team, such as Tommy McAleer, who trails his linemate Salerno by only one assist. Defenseman Nick Cahill, who signed the day before the team's first regular season game, has 11 points-- 2 goals, 9 assists-- in 7 games as well.

Goaltender Steve Pace has exceeded expectations this summer as well. The soft-spoken netminder leads all Suffolk County Hockey divisions in wins, with 6, and is second in shots faced and saves. Pace made a Luongo-esque save on Vinny Granice in the Blues' previous game against Nuckin' Futs in the second period that proved to be a pivotal moment in the game. With the Blues holding a 5-1 advantage, Granice got loose behind the tired Labatt defense. With Pace already out of position, Granice slid the puck along the ice into what seemed to be an open net. The goalie reached back at the last possible second to glove the puck on the goal line, drawin the ire of the entire Lightning team, who looked on in disbelief.

"That save was insane, probably one of the best I've ever seen," said Lightning forward and oft-criticized loser Mike Perillo. "Granice got Paced."

Co-general managers Mike Salerno and Jimmy Sutton devoted themselves in the offseason to building a team that would greatly improve scoring for a team that missed the playoffs last summer due to a three-way tiebreaker.

"We went out and were competing on the market for some top guys, especially with the Lightning," said Salerno. "We managed to get to [Tyler] Kevorkian and [Billy] Bowerman before [Lightning general manager Rob] Derosa. And when Jimmy went out and got McAleer, I said 'We're going to go places this summer.'"

One offseason signing that hasn't panned out as well as management had hoped is forward Billy Bowerman. Bowerman has managed only one goal in three games played. A mild back injury has forced Bowerman out of the lineup for the rest of the summer.

Earlier this morning, the Blues put Bowerman on waivers, according to ESPN, to make room for late-season call up Matt Bobko. With Bowerman only signed through the end of this season and the Blues publicly announcing they are not interested in re-signing him, one wonders where he will end up next season. The injury-prone forward will become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

With a win, the Blues will clinch first place, thus locking in the four playoff spots. If they defeat the lowly Fightin' Irish, they will see the fourth-place Penguins in the first round of the playoffs, while the Cobras will face off with the Lightning in the B division's other semi-final.

A Look Back at the Second Annual ESPNzone Sports Spelling Bee

Thursday night, in conjunction with ESPN’s televising of the 82nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee earlier that day in Washington, D.C., ESPNzones across America hosted the second annual ESPNzone Sports Spelling Bee. Fans were given the chance to sign up and attempt to spell the names of their favorite athletes, coaches and ESPN personalities. I was one of the 35 contestants on hand at the Times Square store, and did some reporting via Twitter in between turns, where I spent most of my time studying how to spell Krzyzewski. Now, I invite you to relive the event through my running diary, along with some commentary to better explain it. After all, Twitter’s 140 character limit doesn’t give you much to work with.

4:48 p.m. – En route to the ESPNzone in NYC to take part in the Sports Spelling Bee! Wish me luck!

6:12 p.m. – Going to participate in my first spelling bee since I was in seventh grade, when I misspelled “melancholy” and stormed off the stage. This should be interesting…
As of yesterday, I still couldn’t spell melancholy. I had to look it up.

7:06 p.m. – Mingling with the rest of the field in the Skybox, the VIP room at the ESPNzone, overlooking the dining room, and the microphone. Pretty cool.
I had a few friends in my “cheering section” to the right side of the Screening Room, relaxing in reclining chairs near the front. I had a considerably smaller amount of fans than most of my competition, but hey, it was pretty short notice so I was happy to have anyone there rooting for me.

7:08 p.m. – Rest of the field, not so cool. A lot of goofy lookin’ people in this room.
Now you’re probably saying, “Mike, what did you expect? It’s a spelling bee.” But I got such a kick out of looking around that room, though. There I stood among 34 other “contestants,” five of which were females. Which means there was me, five decent looking women and surely 29 virgins. My first impression of the room was the gathering in the middle of a few gentlemen, two of which would later face off in the competition’s final round, and one less-than-stellar looking girl, who was absolutely getting more attention from these guys than she’d ever gotten in her life. I was doing everything in my power not to laugh, too hard, that is.
Now, I’m no Brad Pitt. But looking around that room, I would’ve looked an awful lot like Joe Black, with slightly darker hair, to you if you saw what I was up against.

7:12 p.m. – They gave us a free $20 game card for the arcade upstairs. I can’t wait to beat my friends in air hockey later.
For the record, I beat my friend Kristina once in air hockey and once in basketball. She put me to shame in Daytona USA though. I was pretty embarrassed.

7:15 p.m. – 35 contestants, not 50 like I originally thought. Really liking my chances tonight.
First prize was awarded an official ESPNzone private party, $250 Amex Gift Card, and the “coveted” ESPNzone Sports Spelling Bee trophy, which stood roughly six inches, in all its’ glory.

7:17 p.m. – 2nd place prize: Autographed stick by New Jersey Devils’ Zach Parise. Gross.
This was funny, and showed how far hockey really has fallen. The store manager was going over the prizes and she said “second place will receive an autographed hockey stick by number nine, on the New Jersey Devils, who’s name I don’t know, I’ll have to look up.” “Parise,” I chimed in, “Zach Parise.” You know, the Devils’ star forward who had over 40 goals this season? Ugh, I blame you, Gary Bettman.

7:20 p.m. – We’re going to be asked to spell either the first or last name of the athlete, whichever is harder. That answers that question.
I had been studying for most of the day, and had a list of over 100 names, both first and last names, not knowing which they’d ask. ESPN 1050 Radio personality Robin Lundberg was the host for the event, saying the names and choosing whether you’d spell the first or last name. You may know him from Around the Herd with Colin Cowherd, a show I always listen to when I can. Cowherd really got my attention with his mockery of Orioles’ fans following this year’s Opening Day. Either scroll down, or click here, and read about how right I think he was.
Anyways, Lundberg did a pretty solid job navigating through the competition, throwing out tiny jokes every once in a while that few of us would appreciate. My favorite was when a gentleman wearing a Florida Panthers’ jersey under a blue blazer stepped up to spell. “Oh wow I should give you a hockey name, shouldn’t I,” he proclaimed. “Okay, here you go. Spell Joakim Noah.” That got a rise out of the remaining contestants, including myself, catching their breath in the Skybox.

7:23 p.m. – Numbers 1-10 getting ready to begin. I hope nine of them get hockey players.
They gave us cards to pin to our shirts, much like the National Spelling Bee does with their contestants. We were to line up 10 at a time, where we would walk down to the dining room level and sit near the microphone. I was number 26, so I got the advantage of watching 1-20 from the Skybox. I overheard a few different groups of people saying how they had a lot of trouble with hockey players’ names. I was expecting to see quite a few of them such as Zherdev, Sjostrom, Lundqvist, etc., but was sadly disappointed in the lack of NHL names that would surely trip up my competitors. Once again, thanks Gary Bettman.

7:31 p.m. – Girl spells “Arroyo” wrong for the first eliminated of the night.
The second person to go, she couldn’t spell Bronson Arroyo. At this point, I was convinced that I had a very, very good shot at winning this.

7:36 p.m. – BRUNEY was just spelled wrong! Are you kidding me?
That’s right, at the Times Square store, someone spelled the name of Yankees’ reliever Brian Bruney wrong. I was so embarrassed for him. This was the funniest moment of the night by far. I was sitting in the middle of the Skybox, and as soon as the host asked the contestant to spell Bruney, my friends immediately looked up at me. I stopped studying my cheat sheet of over 100 names, and directed all my attention to watching this guy squirm for 30 seconds. He stumbled to his only life line, “Uhm… what team does he play for?”
Lundberg hesitated, as if almost to say, “Really man?” before answering, “the New York Yankees.” Upon spelling it B-R-O-O-N-E-Y. I threw my papers up in disgust and had to walk around for a minute to stop from giggling like a schoolgirl. Why couldn’t you ask me how to spell Bruney?

7:38 p.m. – Four of the first ten contestants go down.
These words were pretty easy. I was shocked. At this point, it got a little hard to continue twitting and getting ready to spell my word. So the timeline got a bit skewed as the night went on.

7:51 p.m. – A guy from numbers 11-20 was just given Chris Drury. Really?

7:54 p.m. – Getting ready to go…
I was getting pretty nervous right about now. You could’ve asked me how to spell anything and it would’ve made me a little nervous. Part of me really wanted to get Tim Couch, the Browns’ former quarterback, so I could recite the line from Billy Madison. “C-O-R……ARE you going to the mall later, that’s what I was asking.” Then, after checking myself and spelling it correctly, I’d proclaim “I am the smartest man alive!”

8:02 p.m. – G-R-I-E-S-E! On to round 2!
Oh what a relief that was. I remember the guy before me got Zach Greinke. As I sat there, I realized that in a rush I would’ve spelled it Grienke. Oddly enough, I got the opposite of the E-I/I-E spectrum. Lucky for me I used to be a Denver Broncos’ fan as a kid. They really tried to pick up the pace shortly, especially with nearly half the field on their way home already. After all, they were trying to get this over with as soon as possible so everyone could enjoy the Cavs-Magic playoff game.

8:18 p.m. – Getting ready to go again…
One of the gentlemen in my second group of ten was given Kosuke Fukudome, the outfield for the Chicago Cubs. A daunting name, because of it’s foreign nature, but all in all, not that hard to spell. Regardless, the man, who went two places in front of me, was flabbergasted by this name. “You’re kidding me,” he said angrily into the microphone. He spelled it F-U-K-O-D-O-M-E, and was dismissed.

8:21 p.m. – Apparently Iannetta has 2 Ns. That does it for me. Damn guy before me got Eric Hinske. That sucks.
Yup, Chris Iannetta, the catcher for the Colorado Rockies, was the name that bounced me. His name wasn’t even on my radar. I rushed a little bit when I was spelling it, but thought I got it right. That was a bummer.

8:23 p.m. – Made it about halfway through the field. Not bad. I need a beer.
My friends and I stuck around to watch the end of the competition. My money was on the reigning champion, Jeffrey Feldman, who had nearly half the Screening Room pulling for him. It was pretty funny, every time he stepped to the mic it was like Derek Jeter walking to the plate in the Bronx.

8:28 p.m. – Last year’s champ, Jeffrey Feldman, bites the dust, failing to reach the final ten.
I was one of many on hand that was shocked, and slightly disappointed to see Feldman lose. He was one of the few people in the room at the beginning of the night that looked close to normal. So this year’s competition was totally up for grabs.

8:42 p.m. – Teixeira spelled wrong. Awful. Just awful. Not many Yankee fans here I guess.
Oh boy was I mad. I told anyone that would listen all day when I was studying that someone would trip on Teix. Just based on the amount of "die-hard” Yankee fans I’m friends with that can’t spell his name, I was kind of hoping someone would. Sadly, seeing someone get it wrong offered me no consolation.

8:49 p.m. – No apostrophe in D’Antoni! See ya! Wow, this is harsh!
The rules were made clear to us in the Skybox that though we were not responsible for capitalization of letters in the name, all apostrophes had to be accounted for. So when a contestant in the final ten got Knicks’ head coach Mike D’Antoni, he didn’t spell it incorrectly, technically. But he didn’t include the apostrophe. This was an interesting minute in the competition, because it was clear that neither the store manager nor Lundberg was paying much attention to a detail like that, despite it being in the rules. In fact, the crowd in the dining room recognized it, and began to let out a displeased groan, which ultimately forced the manager’s hand. She disqualified him from the competition, as a roar went up from the overzealous and mostly inebriated crowd. That’s tough.

8:56 p.m. – Down to the final two…words are getting intense. Samardzija, Saltalamacchia, Krzyzewski, this should be over quickly.
As far as spelling bees go, the final round was extremely entertaining. It featured a middle aged man named Kenny Eisenman, from Bellmore, NY, who was overly cocky, motioning to tap the bell after every answer he knew was correct like some kind of trademark celebration, and a slightly younger, much more reserved Dan Sulzer from Long Beach, NY. I had overheard Eisenman talking about hockey players before we had gotten started in the Skybox.
“All you need to know is the Russians,” he said, as if to dismiss the sport I have an undying passion for. “Yeah, they’re tough,” I chimed in. “Don’t forget the Swedes, pal. One of those will probably trip you up.” **cough FORESHADOWING cough**

9:05 p.m. – BOTH MISSPELL THEIR WORDS! SUDDEN DEATH CONTINUES!
Watching this was very much like watching last year’s epic UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea. You know, John Terry misses the winning kick in the rain, blah blah Cristiano Ronaldo blah blah, United wins. God, I hate Manchester United. But I digress. These two went back and forth for about ten minutes spelling pretty difficult names ranging from Yastremski to Umenyiora to Szczerbiak. Eisenman missed his word, and all Sulzer had to do was spell Tom Thibodeau, the Celtics’ assistant coach, correctly to win. But he missed it too! The crowd was shocked, I was shocked, the store manager was pissed because she was losing NBA playoff business, but we had more spelling to do!
See, I told you. Pretty damn exciting for a spelling bee.

9:12 p.m. – Dan Sulzer from Long Beach is the winner after his competitor misspells Khabibulin! Shoulda watched more hockey!
I was so excited that Eisenman missed Nikolai Khabibulin, after him saying how he’s not that worried about hockey players’ names. Like thrilled. Then, for all the marbles, Sulzer stepped to the mic and correctly spelled the name of Bills’ linebacker Paul Posluszny for the win. Good for him, though. I was so happy that Eisenman didn’t win. He was entirely too cocky. I’m such a bitter person. Oh well, score one for hockey.
I went up to Sulzer after he received his trophy and shook his hand, congratulating him on a trophy he certainly earned. “Nice job buddy. I’ll be back for that next year,” I said as I let him go on his merry way and enjoy the moment.
I headed upstairs to the arcade floor, where I would go on to drink and enjoy playing games with my friends until the double consonants in Iannetta no longer bothered me.

An Expose on the New Yankee Stadium

Mike Salerno takes you on a brief tour of the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and gets some fan feedback on the new home of the Yankees.

Bronx, N.Y. - The Yankees' $1.3 billion new home, located conveniently next door to the old Stadium, has all the bells and whistles you'd expect in a modern-day ballpark, and then some. One of the criticisms of the Stadium, just over a month after it first opened its' doors to the public for a pair of exhibition games against the Chicago Cubs on April 3rd and 4th was that there's so much going on, it was easy to forget there was a game being played.

Despite the Yankees' lack of recent success in recent years, the minute you enter the Stadium, you're bombarded with a nostalgic feeling of winning. Whether it be the enormous banners in the Great Hall, the New York Yankees' Museumor any of the countless massive team stores showcasing memorabilia and apparel of players from throughout history, the Stadium doesn't allow you to forget the 26 world championships the Yankees have amassed over time.

Upon reaching the field, the first thing you can't help but notice is the 5,925 square foot high definintion Mitsubishi scoreboard in center field, nearly six times bigger than its' counterpart at the old Stadium. Sight lines have been drastically improved from nearly every seat, with the exception of those with an obstructed view in the bleachers, a casualty of the Yankees' Mohegan Sun Sports Bar located under the scoreboard.

Fans that have been able to afford tickets, for the most part, have been pleasantly surprised with their first experiences with the new Yankee Stadium, like Bob Chinery, 42, of Syosset, New York.

"The rotunda you walk around on, there's plenty of room. It's fantastic."

The openness and ability to see the field from anywhere is a hit for fans of any team. It caught the eye of Mike Kaneris, 27, of White Plains, New York. "If you're getting a beer, you can see the game. It's the whole atmosphere. It's just awesome."

Despite a lower number of total fan capacity, an large increase in luxury boxes and suites located near the press box is expected to generate even more revenue than the old Stadium did in previous years. These tickets, which were recently reduced in face value, come with free food and drink throughout the game. Also, on Yankees' off days, the Stadium plays host to many business meetings in a number of conference rooms located on the suite level.

The new Yankee Stadium has a long way to go before players and fans alike begin to call it home, but given all the amenities it shouldn't take too long.

To see more about this piece:

To view a slideshow on the new Stadium, click here.

To see a "How I Did This" production memo, click here.

To see a social media plan, click here.

To see interview transcripts for this story, click here.

Where Do Orioles Fans Get Off?

There was a storyline at play in the Yankees' season-opening loss in Baltimore Monday afternoon that was greatly overshadowed by the immediate failures of big-ticket free agents CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. Orioles fans came out in full force for the 2009 season opener, but for the wrong reasons.

Though there were a fair amount of pinstriped supporters that made up the 48,607 on hand, it was impossible to ignore the droves of O's fans booing, hissing and yelling obscenities at Teixeira, which started in warm-ups.

According to the Lower Hudson Journal News, a fan from Teixeira's Maryland hometown held a sign behind the visitors' dugout that read "Severna Park hates you Tex," during an on-field interview with YES Network's Kim Jones.

I mean, realistically speaking, I doubt his family that still lives there hates him. I actually am positive that they're enjoying his new contract quite a bit.

These fans showed up to the first game of the year rooting more against the away team than for their hometown heroes, the true mark of a fan that has hit rock bottom.

How do I know this? Well, it's a pretty good indicator when the boos Teixeira received were twice as loud as the cheers star outfielder Nick Markakis got when he was introduced.

These people don't care about this Orioles' team. Granted, there's not a whole lot to root for, especially in the A.L. East. But to come out and put on a display like that—jeering Teixeira like it's a pivotal game between two bitter rivals on Opening Day—only made a mockery of themselves.

It seems as though Teixeira's "betrayal" of the team that grew up playing in his own backyard for the hated Yankees has rejuvenated a fan base that has been left-for-dead since the team last played a meaningful game, way back in 1997.

See, I didn't even have to bring up that Jeffrey kid to get your blood boiling, eh Baltimore?
The thing that is most hysterical about the whole situation, though, is that these poor little Orioles fans actually think their team had a shot at the gold glove first baseman. Oh boy, that is rich.

Teixeira's free agency, coupled with his union with agent Scott Boras meant he was about to take the next step into baseball's elite by signing a contract with a team from a large market. Teams in bigger markets don't just have bigger payrolls. They have a relentless demand, and the highest of expectations. Failure is not an option in places like the Bronx, Queens and Boston, but it's become second nature at Camden Yards.

That's why Teixeira was never going to end up in Baltimore, or Washington for that matter. He's done his fair share of losing in his career.

And as if starting in miserable Texas wasn't bad enough, he was given a small taste of what a pennant race feels like after being dealt first to Atlanta and then to Los Angeles. He wants to win, now.

Yeah sure, he was raised in Maryland. Big deal. He grew up a Yankees fan. Do you think he wore 23 in college and the beginning of his pro career as an homage to Tippy Martinez? What could've possibly sold Teixeira on Baltimore? A solid NFL franchise to watch? The crab cakes? Don't forget the astronomical crime rate!

"Oriole fans are a symbol of what's wrong with America," said ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd on his show yesterday. "Jealously, anger and resentment toward the successful people."

"Oriole fans, you think you won last night," he said. "But you came across as small, petty, clueless and phony. Because you would've taken that contract, too."

The plain truth is that Orioles fans are downright jealous of the Yankees for landing Teixeira. After this week's series, the Yankees will leave the city for a few months and there will be no more crying over spilled millions. Sadly, so will the majority of these so-called "fans."