More than just a Baseball Story

This summer is being treated to a slew of new movies and TV shows for people to keep them away from the deadly mixture of heat and humidity. I have already caught the sequels to Spider-man, Fantastic Four, Pirates of the Caribbean and Die Hard, not to mention the action-packed Transformers film. USA is offering a great new summer spy dramedy, Burn Notice, that stars Jeffery Donovan and the comical Bruce Campbell to accompany summer series like Monk and Psych. ESPN is taking the biggest leap with a show that not only revolves around sports, but examines society as well.

After watching the first episode of The Bronx is Burning, I am not sure where ESPN is going to take this completely. The show is about the 1977 New York Yankees attempts to recover from a devastating World Series loss, swept by the Big Red Machine the year before, by bringing in flamboyant star outfielder Reggie Jackson. We, as baseball fans, are sucked in to see the drama unfold between Jackson, Yankees manager Billy Martin, owner George Steinbrenner and the rest of the men in pinstripes.

But this isn't the only angle ESPN is taking with the miniseries. Director Jeremiah Checic said that he wanted to create an atmosphere that brings you back to New York in 1977, experiencing what the players go through with everything that is troubling the city. Episode one introduced us to the Yankees and an apparent serial killer (the Son of Sam if anyone is not too keen on their history). We are also going to be introduced to New York's Mayoral race, the massive blackouts that occurred, and the city going bankrupt.

There is one issue that I'm curious if the producers will introduce us to. Even though its' beginning dates decades before 1977, New York had a massive economic problem and the Bronx was being torn apart by greedy business men and an ignorant vision. After WWII, the New York Regional Plan Association envisioned Manhattan as a center for future business and wealth. The plan was to establish an immediate connection between the island with suburbs in New York and New Jersey by way of highways, something that President Eisenhower wanted to establish in America after our engineers observed and envied Adolf Hitler's creation in Germany.

Historian Robert Caro described the project massive as it covered "113 streets, avenues, and boulevards; sewers and water and utility mains numbering in the hundreds; one subway and three railroads; five elevated rapid transit lines, and seven other expressways or parkways, some of which were being built by [Robert] Moses simultaneously." The "Moses" he refers to is Robert Moses, a powerful urban planner who was given the power to construct this monstrosity.

In the process, the production of the Cross-Bronx Expressway supplanted the South Bronx of its businesses, giving Moses reason to usher many of the Irish and Jewish families out of the area and resulted in most of the white population to flee from the South Bronx by the end of the '60s. Left behind were Black and Latino families who took over the slums that occupied the torn-up neighborhoods. The South Bronx saw declining property values, increases in crime and more businesses escaping the area. The worst had yet to come.

Over 600,000 jobs were gone and housing was in the hands of men who were more eager to exploit their tenants than provide a roof for them. First by withholding heat and water to save money and then ultimately burning down the buildings to collect on insurance money. The practice grew into a vicious cycle of insurance companies selling more policies and more apartment buildings going up in smoke. This resulted in 43,000 housing units lost in the South Bronx. Upon his retirement in 1973, Moses pronounced the South Bronx and many other areas in New York "unreparable" and suggested leveling the areas to the ground.

These events led to the social and economic problems that the Bronx faced from the moment Moses dug his shovels in the ground that last to this day. The arson problems were present all through the '70s and were witnessed when the Yankees were trailing in Game 2 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. NBC cut to a five-alarm fire in a nearby neighborhood to which broadcaster Howard Cosell proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, there is it. The Bronx is burning."

(Moses is believed to also have helped chase New York's other baseball teams, the Dodgers and Giants, to the west coast. Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley had selected a site he envisioned for his team's new stadium and was denied by Moses. O'Malley later spoke to representatives in Los Angeles and needed a second team to commit to the west coast, thus convincing Giants' owner Horace Stoneham to relocate as well.)

Leading us back to the series, this is the material that Checik is interested in capturing. During an interview with ESPN, he said that in 1977 "New York is breaking down politically" and economically. Erik Jenson, who plays Yankee captain Thurman Munson, described that the "social fabric of the city was disintegrating. That reflected in the team and when the team started to find itself, thats when the city came together."

Reggie Jackson, the man and not the actor playing him, may have been the catalyst who was the missing piece of the puzzle (not necessarily "the straw that stirred the drink"). Jackson may have had the best look on his situation. With so much pressure on him to perform, he hit three home runs in the decisive Game 6 of the '77 World Series and was quoted saying that his play gave him the advantage where he "always had the last word."

Our 42 of the Day


Jackson requested number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson
However, Billy Martin brought in friend and
Pitching Coach Art Fowler and gave him the number
Jackson choose number 44 in honor of Hank Aaron

The $120 Million Dollar Man

The Seattle Supersonics just drafted two up and comers in the June draft and have a great foundation to build their future. The best news for them came when Rashard Lewis opted out of his deal and decided to retire in Florida.

Lewis is a unique talent in the NBA and many people are measuring up new Sonic Kevin Durant to be a long lost twin of his as they both have similar size, frame and game. But the Orlando Magic, who have not been making smart trades since Tracy McGrady's departure (bringing in Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, then separating the two love birds when Mobley was traded for aging guard Doug Christie), are hoping Lewis is a move in the right direction.

Now the Magic opened up their purse for Lewis, but it wasn't enough for the 6'10 tweener. Lewis' agent somehow convinced the Magic to give up a conditional 2nd round pick to add another year and higher annual pay increases (10% versus 8%) . Let's examine what the Magic are receiving.

The Good
Before anyone blasts me, I think Lewis is a remarkable NBA player. Instantly, Lewis makes the Magic a contender in the Eastern Conference and, if they add more bulk to their front court, they could be serious favorites to win the East.

What Lewis gives the Magic are match-up problems across the board. With his height, he can shoot over most perimeter defenders and has the quickness to drive past bigger forwards to collect his points in the paint. With the young core in Orlando, Lewis will only be 28 at the season's start and can grow with the Magic.

Lewis is also a great athlete and can fit into a running offense if new coach Stan Van Gundy chooses to unleash his hounds. His athleticism and the range on his jump shot allows him to play the three in most offenses, while his height can allow Orlando to go big and play him down low at the four. He could even run at center if Howard is on the bench and Van Gundy goes with a quick line-up.

The most promising aspect is giving the Magic a devastating line-up with Howard dominating the paint. Lewis should draw more attention away from Howard and this could help Howard develop his offensive game. Orlando also has some great shooters on the team and they have the potential to be a top scoring team in the East.

The Bad
There are several aspects about Rashard Lewis that would scare off a few suitors. For one, he is a one-tool player. He does one thing well and everything else is somewhat mediocre. Lewis will score 20+ points per game but he'll still have problems matching-up with premier defensive players. Long, quick guards can give Lewis problems because he has a tendency to take what the defense is giving him. If there isn't much room to create, he takes a bad shot.

The most troubling aspect is that for a 6'10 forward who played several years on a Seattle team with no dominant big man, he only pulled down about six rebounds per game. He isn't a good rebounder on either end of the floor and his defense is non-existent. When you are labeled as a tweener, it may be attractive for the offensive end, but it could kill you defensively. Lewis is an athletic forward but isn't quick enough to guard most small forwards and, while Lewis is a long forward as well, he is not capable of being immovable on the block against big bangers playing the four.

He is not a shotblocker, he is not a player who roams the passing lanes and he is not a presence of the defensive end. Whether he will be a player to be reckoned with in Orlando remains to be seen.

The Ugly
The last time a contract like this was made, Kevin Garnett received $126 million and the league's owners forced a lockout. Since then, there have been several $100 million dollar deals for some of the league's best and brightest stars. But Lewis is, as some would put it, a "Robin" type player and not "Batman." The best he has shown is playing second fiddle to more prominent stars like Ray Allen and Gary Payton.

Lewis is a nice player who was already making a sum of money that defines his worth, but for him to be given max money like he was a top-10 player in the league is ridiculous. If Orlando would have gone through with their original 5-year, $75 million dollar deal, there would not be as much criticism. The sign-and-trade
nearly destroyed their cap status and will hinder them from getting involved with next season's free agency period, that promises to be a beauty.

In the short term, Orlando will threaten for the Southeast division title and hope to make headlines in the playoffs. And they should, this is a team that can compete to make the finals and that is whats important in the NBA. The long term implications are troublesome and Magic GM Otis Smith better hope he didn't strike enough fear into the NBA's league of owners to cause an uproar with the same impact as Garnett's mega deal years ago.

A bit of New Magic and Old Magic

Darko going to Graceland

Darko Milicic is moving in with Elvis and Pau Gasol after agreeing to a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Basketball wise, this is a smart decision for both parties because Darko has the ability to shoot, block shots and run the floor for new coach Marc Iavaroni, a disciple of Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni's run and gun offense the Suns execute. You know the Grizzlies with Mike Conley Jr., Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick are going to sprint on every possession and Darko fits in with that.

The southpaw is still an enigma as a ball player in the NBA and has made strides since getting out of Detroit. But his price tag, reportedly more than the $5.3 mid-level exception tag, is a bit high for a player who has yet to prove he can grow to even be a valuable role player in the league.

If Darko excels in Memphis, he will have come relatively cheap in the process but that is a question that can only be answered on the basketball court.

Our 42 of the DayMavericks held onto the only player who showed up
in last season's first round flop to the Warriors