COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

Well, Red Sox Nation, I hope you are happy. The two centerpieces of the Red Sox World Championship runs in 2004 and 2007 have been revealed for taking steroids. Both players were two of the one hundred players listed in the Mitchell Report that was released during the winter of 2008 that had tested postive for steroid use during the 2003 season. For Ramirez, this just confirms that his recent bout with steroids was no fantasy. Ramirez was caught in April for taking a female steroid and had to serve a 50 game suspension because of it. As for Ortiz, this story is all about him. Ortiz has consistently denied ever having used steroids and has been very critical of any baseball player who had ever taken the cheating drug. Now, he has to eat his own words; oops. Story . Who will be next? Curt Shilling? He has denied steroid use. Albert Pujols? He has denied steroid use. Mike Piazza? Ken Griffey Jr.? Ricky Henderson, who was just inducted into the Hall of Fame this past weekend? The merry-go...

METS 7 ROCKIES 0 Hey, National Leauge! Here come the Mets! That's right the New York Metropolitans. The New York Mets pounded the Colorado Rockies in game one of a day/night double header, 7-0 behind ace Johan Santana. For one of a few times this season, Santana had a lot of run support with which to work. For most of the season, Santana has had to pitch near perfect games because the Mets struggled to score runs when he pitched. Not today. In the second inning with two runners on, Corey Sullivan lined a single to shallow center field to drive in Dan Murphy to make it 1-0. Next, Omar Santos singled to drive in Jeff Francoeur. The hit parade of the unknowns continued as Angel Berroa (ANGEL BERROA!?!?!?!) doubled into the right center field gap to drive in Sullivan and Santos to make it 4-0. David Wright continues to heat up. He had an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fifth and an RBI double to deep right to drive in Alex Cora to make it 7-0. Box Score . Santana was brilliant. He pitc...

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, Omar Minaya's job status is up in the air ever since the general manager went on an uncalled for rant about New York Daily News reporter Adam Rubin. Tuesday night, owner Jeff Wilpon gave his support behind Minaya saying that he "was his GM." That is the ultimate kiss of death. Remember last year when Minaya told reporters that Willie Randolph "was his manager"? Wilpon went on to say that Minaya had "embarrassed" the organization with his blow up on Monday, but he felt the GM has learned from his mistakes and felt sorry for lashing out at Rubin. Stay tuned. If Minaya wants to keep his job, he may have to swing a big trade in the next couple of days, or do something to earn the trust of ownership back. He is on thin ice!!

It's over! It's over! Thank the gods of football; it's over! The Brett Favre Saga which has gone on and on and on and on for sixteen months is finally over!!!! Brett Favre announced that he will remain retired from football FOREVER! ESPN release . Favre told ESPN that he is not physically cabable of playing this season; he complained of nagging knee, ankle and shoulder pain during his workouts with high school students in Mississippi. This should serve as a big relief to Vikings fans and the Vikings ogainization. They will not have to be surprised, like the Jets were last fall, when they traded for Vengeful Favre last August 7. Still, the Vikings might suffer a bit from the Favre fiasco. They had to wait in suspended animation for months until Favre came to this obvious decision. Now, they can focus on training camp and their 2009 season. More important, all of us can actually focus on the other interesting stories that emerge over the next five weeks before the start of t...

With three days left until the non-wavier trade deadline, the Yankees are rumored to be interested in adding another starting pitcher after it came down today that Chien Ming Wang is out for the season with shoulder trouble. The Yankees are rumored to be in discussions with the Cincinnati Reds for Bronson Arroyo , who is having a weird season in Cincinnati. He is 10-10 with a 5.17 ERA. At times, he has been as good as any pitcher in the big leagues, and then there are days that he will give up 9 runs in one inning. Arroyo is a former Red Sox and knows a little bit about pitching in Ocotober, and, with the Yankees powerful offense, it won't matter how badly Arroyo pitches. However, if the Bombers want a more stable option, there are rumors that the Seattle Mariners would be willing to send Jared Washburn to the Yankees. Washburn is having a great year. He is 8-6 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. It would be a boon for the Yankees to land Washburn since he is a ground ball pitcher, s...

RAYS 6 YANKEES 2 When a team is supposed to face a struggling pitcher whose ERA is 6.69, they are supposed to win the game. When this same team is countering with their ace, they are most definitely are supposed to win the game. Well, that is why the play the game, n'est pas? The New York Yankees, winners of 10 of their last 11 games, were dominated by struggling Scott Kazmir through seven innings, in which he gave up only five hits and one run, while striking out four. Only Hideki Matsui and A-Rod could do any damage on the Rays young lefty. Mastui had two hits and two RBI, while A-Rod had two hits. That was really it for the Yankees all night long. As for C.C. Sabathia, he really struggled. Sabathia gave up six runs, five earned, in 5 and 2/3 innings. He just didn't have it last night; in this fashion,so has the season gone for C.C.. There are days that Sabathia looks dominant, yet there are others in which he looks completely lost on the hill. Not exactly what one wants fro...

METS 4 ROCKIES 0 Stop the presses. The Mets are hot. For the first time since late May, the New York Mets have won four straight games to pull within 5 1/2 games of the wild card leading Rockies and Giants. Usually, momentum is as good as the next day's pitcher, so there had to be some concern that the Mets would have a letdown after last night's emotional victory with the inconsistent Mike Pelfery on the mound for the Metropolitans. Instead, Pelfrey was solid. He pitched six innings, scattering seven hits, while striking out five. He even induced a double play in the fourth inning to get out of a bases loaded jam to end the game. It was the kind of performance the Mets needed from their number two pitcher, a performance that he has not delivered this season on a consistent basis. Offensively, Daniel Murphy continues to show signs that he is coming out of his funk. Murphy led off the second inning with a double to right to set the table for a scoring opportunity. Next, Jeff Fr...

METS 7 ROCKIES 3 This is the time of the year that makes a team or breaks a team. For the past two months, the Mets have been riding the train to nowheresville ever since their lineup became depleted by costly injuries, and the team suffered the most crippling loss of the year when Luis Castillo dropped a sure pop out on one fateful Friday night in the Bronx. Now ... after watching the Metropolitans stagger through the month of July playing error filled, listless and careless baseball the team may be marching to a different drummer. Too little, too late? That remains to be seen; there are several scenes to witness in this drama that has become the 2009 season. The Mets entered Monday's first of four games against the wild card leading Rockies trailing 7 1/2 games. The Mets needed a miracle to become even a part of the conversation for the rest of the season. Fernando Tatis may have provided that stirring oratorical flourish. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Mets showed rare...

Why do the Mets have to take something so easy and make it into the most bizarre story of the day? Today, the Mets did two things: one, they got right: the other was totally uncalled for. What the Mets got right: They fired disgraced VP of Baseball Operations Tony Bernazard after more than a week of turmoil when it was revealed that Bernazard ripped off his shirt in front of the Mets double-A affiliate and challenged the team to a fist fight. Okay, that is the good news. Then, the news conference took a very twisted turn: Minaya went on a rant about how Daily News reporter Adam Rubin apparently tired to lobby for executive position within the Mets organization. "You got to understand this. Adam, for the past couple of years, has lobbied for a player development position. He has lobbied myself; he has lobbied Tony," Minaya said. Rubin was seated near the back of the room and buried his face in his hands after hearing his name come up. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, ...

The game's most prized free agent-to-be is now a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. Matt Holliday , around whom, for months, speculation has swirled as the subject of a big mid-season trade by Oakland A's was sent to St. Louis for minor league third baseman Brett Wallace, outfielder Shane Peterson, and pitcher Clayton Mortensen. Read Story . After being dealt from the Colorado Rockies, the team he led to the World Series in 2007, Holliday struggled in his first couple months in Oakland. By the end of April, he was batting .240 with only one home run, and by May 4, he was batting a season low .223. Holliday just didn't like his short time in Oak Town. Now he won't even have to finish what was likely to be his only season there. He goes from the terrible A's to the first place Cardinals, who already have the best player in baseball in Albert Pujols . Pujols, in case you were not paying attention, leads the world with 34 homers and 90 RBI so far this season. This figur...

YANKEES 6 ATHLETICS 3 Not even a two hour rain delay could stop the Yankee Express. The Yankees continue to dominate the American League this month with, yet again, another come from behind victory. Tonight, the Bronx Bombers were up against a kid from Jersey, Vin Mazzaro, who was looking to beat his home town team in the new Yankee Stadium. Mazzaro got off to a solid start, shutting out the Yankees through the game's first three innings, but he soon fell victim to the mighty Yankees offense in the fourth and fifth innings. With the Yankees down 3-0, Mark Teixeira blasted a two run home run into the second deck in right field to cut the A's lead to 3-2. After Alex Rodriguez singled and stole second base, Jorge Posada drilled a double into the left center gap to drive in Rodriguez with the tying run. Eric Hinske soon followed with a single to right to bring home Posada to give the Yankees a stunning 4-3 lead. Mazzaro never recovered and neither did the A's. Box Score . After...

Maybe Omar Minaya better think again if he believes his job is safe. According to SNY and WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman, the New York Mets rejected a possible trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that would have required the Mets to send only, ONLY Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese, Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell to the Blue Jays for staff ace Roy Hallada y . In other words, the Blue Jays were willing to take the Mets junk minor league prospects for one of the greatest pitchers in the game not named Johan Santana. The Mets could have had a whirlwind top two starting rotation with Santana and Halladay. Those two at the top would have made the Mets almost unbeatable when they are completely healthy on the offensive side of the game, of course. Trading for Halladay would be a move for not this year, but for the next two years at least, but that appears to be as dead as a doornail. This is a horrible mistake by the Mets. It is not like the Blue Jays were asking for David Wright and Carlos B...

YANKEES 2 ORIOLES 1 The Yankee express keeps on rolling, rolling, and rolling to October baseball. Once again the long ball, and a late inning walk off win did it for the Yankees; for the ninth time this season at new Yankee Stadium the Bombers found a way to turn the lights out and send the faithful home happy. After falling behind early, the Yankees threatened to blow the game wide open in the bottom of the first inning. Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeria singled to start the inning, and Hideki Matsui drew a walk to load the bases. However, Robinson Cano popped out to end the Yankees threat and keep Baltimore in front 1-0. The Orioles momentum didn't last long. Recently acquired Eric Hinske led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run to tie the game at one. The two teams would remain deadlocked at one until the bottom of the ninth inning. Alex Rodriguez, typically, choked in the spotlight, grounding out to second to lead off the inning. Next, Matsui blasted a solo h...

Chien Ming Wang must hate the year 2009 at this point. After getting off to a horrific 0-4 start with a 34 ERA, only to return and not pitch any better, Chein Ming Wang's season is in jeopardy. Wang has been suffering from a strained right shoulder for most of the season, and while playing catch today before the Yankees game against the Baltimore Orioles, felt "tender" in that troubled shoulder. “We’re going to give him a few more days and some more strengthening before he goes back out,” Girardi said. “I think anything you’re dealing with cuff issues or shoulder tendinitis or whatever you want to describe it as, I mean, there’s concern. And whatever he’s able to do, we would love to have. But I think any time someone is injured and you’re not sure when they’re exactly going to be back, you can’t really count on them in a sense.” ( Yahoo Sport s) Wang is 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA this year, with his only win coming against the lousy Mets back on June 28. The Yankees have been t...

METS 6 NATIONALS 2 There is little consolation in beating the worst team in baseball, especially when the one team is struggling to beat anybody this season. Yet, the Mets found a way to punch out enough offense to give the struggling Livan Hernandez enough support to get the victory. The Mets jumped all over rookie pitcher J.D. Martin, tagging him for five runs on eight hits in just four innings of work. In the top of the first inning, Angel Pagan singled to lead off the game, setting the tone for a rare offensive outburst for the Mets. Two batters later, Dan Murphy drilled a double to right to drive in Pagan to make it 1-0 Mets. Later, newcomer Jeff Francoeur drove home Murphy with a double down the left field line to make it 2-0 Metroplitans. In the second, the Mets put this baby away. Pagan singled to center to drive in Alex Cora with the game's third run. Luis Castillo drove home Pagan with a single of his own, and Murphy brought home the speedy second baseman with a single t...

According to some sources, Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya will be back with the New York Mets in 2010. Owner Fred Wilpon has pinned blame for this disastrous season on the injuries that have riddled this club all season, and he assured both Manuel and Minaya that their jobs were safe in a private meeting a few weeks ago. However, when questioned about his job security tonight, Manuel told reporters that he never heard from ownership that his job was secure for next season. The team has played considerably worse over the past three weeks, but according to Mets blog, the Wilpons have not reversed their decision to keep both Manuel and Minaya. "Yet Wilpon has continued to insist internally that there will be no major changes in management for the rest of this season and maybe not even for next season. However," the source said, "nothing has been assured for 2010." The source said Wilpon would be hesitant to fire Minaya because the GM's three-year contract extension ...

I am a Met fan. Yet, I am a Met fan who has tremendous respect for the history of the game, and the Mets many rivals including the crosstown Yankees. No team knows how to represent its franchise's history better than the Bronx Bombers; 26 championships would do that I venture to guess. But that doesn't give the other team in New York any excuse not to honor their own history, which, even though it's not the Yankee history, it is nothing to sneeze at. Today, the Yankees held their traditional Old Timer's Day festivities in the Bronx. There was Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Mickey Rivers, Reggie Jackson, Graig Nettles, Goose Gossage, Don Zimmer and even former Mets Lee Mazzili, Doc Gooden, and David Cone, along with many more current, and former Yankee players and coaches sharing the stage to give back to their loyal fan base. Call it team spirit. The Yankees are a fraternity of players and coaches and a sorority of their wives, all of whom made appearances today, a special g...

Billy Wagner had some choice things to say on Wednesday about his status with the Mets for the rest of this season. Wagner, who is rehabbing from Tommy John's surgery, is expected to return to the Mets bullpen by late August, but the vocal lefty is in no hurry. Wagner, who was interviewed by New York Post writer Mark Hale , didn't sound optimistic that he would have a big role on the team when he returns. "No. Not at all. I can't see it. I think that would be foolhardy to ever insinuate something like that," Wagner said in reference to the possiblity of pitching late in games. "I think what I would be is a Brain Stokes-type of player." You have to appreciate Wagner's honesty here. He is right; if he should return to the Mets this season, he will likely be reduced to lefty-lefty matchup, and maybe, maybe, seventh inning duty, that is if J.J. Putz returns at the same time to reclaim his job as K-Rod's set up man. However, some other comments that W...

During their heydays in the late 1990's, the Yankees made a pitch for a young man who defected for Cuba. That young man was named Orlando "el Duque" Hernandez; the reliable right hander with his trademark high leg kick became a key element in the Yankees run at four world championships in five years from 1996 to 2000. Now, it appears, the Bronx Bombers are on the verge of signing yet another Cuban defector. On the 4th of July, Aroldis Chapman left the Cuban national team; nobody had any idea as to his whereabouts. As it turned out, some 10 days after his disappearance, Chapman was discovered, incommunicado in Europe with his agent, Leonel Majia. What makes Chapman so special are three things: 1) he is a left- handed pitcher, 2) he is a left-handed pitcher who can throw a baseball up to 100 mph. 3) he is a young left-handed pitcher who is only 21-years-old. How many 21 year old, left handed pitchers can you think of that can throw a baseball in the high 90's? Johan Sa...

Take that Met fans! Take that Omar Minaya! Take that Fred Wilpon! Pedro Martinez is ready for vengence on his former team, as he is prepared to ink a contract with the Mets most hated rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. Who's your daddy, now? Today, Martinez passed his physical with the Phils and could sign on the dotted line by tomorrow morning, if not sooner. The press conference annoucing the signing of Martinez is slated for tomrrow. Adding Martinez is the Phillies way of sticking it to the Mets. Martinez spent much of February and March trying to convince anyone, including the Mets, that he still had something left in the tank. Martinez was impressive in two starts with the Dominican Republic during the World Baseball Classic, but it was not enough to convince Omar Minaya to re-sign his former ace, mostly because of money. Martinez was asking for a contract that would pay him between $5 to $8 million dollars, way too much for a pitcher who was producing minimal returns over the...

METS 9 REDS 7 So the Mets do know how to hit a baseball!?!?!?! Wow, the Mets 16 hit, 9 run performance on Sunday was reminiscent of mankind discovering fire Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb. The Mets knocked around Red ace Aaron Harang for five runs on eight hits in a mere three innings of work. It was the most aggressive the Mets have played offensively in more than two months. With the Mets up 1-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning, the offense exploded. Luis Castillo and David Wright got things going with back-to-back singles to set the table for Gary Sheffield. Sheffield then lined a single to center to drive in both Castillo and Wright to make it 3-0 Mets. Dan Murphy showed signs of coming out of his two and a half months long slump when he doubled to drive in Sheffield to make it 4-0. Murphy went 2 for 5 with two RBI on the day. Murphy is hitting .333 (4 for 12) in his last three games. In the bottom of the fourth, it appeared the Mets were putting this baby away;...

The New York Mets have made a trade! No they didn't get Matt Holiday, nor did they get Roy Halladay. The Mets got Jeff Francoeur formally of the Atlanta Braves. The Mets sent Ryan Church in a one-for-one swap with their division rival for an outfielder who is hitting only .250 with five homers and 35 RBI. Francoeur is only 25 but had developed the reputation as an all or nothing type of player. Francoeur struck out 129 times while batting .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBI in 2007, and struck out 111 times while batting .239 last season. He has yet to really become the great power hitter that the Braves thought he could be. As for Church, the Mets have had something against Church since he arrived in Queens last season. Last summer the Mets botched the handle on Church's concussions, forcing the outfielder to make several cross country flights with the team when he clearly never felt well. This year, Mets manager Jerry Manuel proclaimed that Church would have to earn a starting sp...

At 51-34 the New York Yankees stand tied with the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East. With just three games to play before the All Star break, the Yankees are well on their way to securing a playoff spot holding a four game lead on the L.A. Angels, and a four and a half game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Bombers have had a special season for sure. They have eight players with double digits in home runs totals, 79 of which have come inside the bandbox that is the new Yankee Stadium. They have received superb performances from their top free agent pitchers, C.C. Sabathia (8-5, 3.70 ERA) and A. J. Burnett (8-4, 3.77 ERA), yet this weekend will be a true test of the Yankees mettle. They have taken full advantage of the less superior teams on their schedule: 7-0 vs. the .500 Twins; 5-1 vs. the fumbling Mets; 5-3 vs. the horrible Indians. But the concern remains about how good the Yankees fare against stiffer competition. They are 0-8 against the Boston Red Sox this year. The ...

YANKEES 4 TWINS 3  Life is good in the Bronx. Really good. The Yankees stomped past the Minnesota Twins for the second straight night, to earn their 50th win of the season, keeping them just one game behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East.  Anthony Swarzak made the start for the Twins tonight, as a late substitution for Glen Perkins, who was skipping the game due to illness. Maybe Perkins was aware of his 1-3 record with a 7.71 ERA against the Yankees lifetime, good reason to feel ill I guess.  It didn't bother the Bombers, as the torched Swarzak early and often. In the second inning, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano all singled in succession to load up the bases. Nick Swisher grounded right to the pitcher, who threw to first for the easy out, allowing Matsui to score the games first run.  Next, Brett Gardner singled up the middle to bring home both Posada and Cano to make it 3-0 Yankees.  But, the Twins would not go away. In the bottom of the third, Denard ...

METS 5 DODGERS 3 Met fans can exhale for at least one night.  With the Mets struggling to find any consistency at the plate or on the mound, the Mets finally put together an improbable effort against the Dodgers on Wednesday night to earn their 40th victory of the year.  The lead: Oliver Perez. Perez made his first start since landing on the DL May 2 with arm trouble, and put together his most impressive start of the year. Even though he walked seven batters, Perez worked in and out of trouble all night long, getting the big outs when he needed them. In the third inning, Perez walked the bases loaded for the Dodgers most potent hitter this year, Andre Ethier. The Mets had the bullpen warming up, just in case Ethier took the usually wild Perez deep, but Perez bared down. He was able to get Ethier to line out to David Wright at third to end the Dodgers threat and keep the game tied at one.  In the bottom of the third, the Mets offense woke up. Dan Murphy doubled over the head of Manny Ra...

Last night, before the Mets got blasted to smithereens by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 8-0 loss, Mets GM Omar Minaya addressed the media, again, about the Mets current injury status and its affect on the club for the rest of the season and beyond.  "There is not a deal out there where I can bring in a player better than what we have," Minaya explained. "I am not going to find a shortstop better than Jose Reyes. I have to not only keep an eye on '09, but on '10, '11, and '12."  This is not exactly what Met fans want to hear from their GM, especially one who has never met a big name that he didn't like: Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana, and Francisco Rodriguez to name a few of the star-quality players Minaya has brought to the organization over the past four years. In a year when the Toronto Blue Jays are rumored to dangle their ace Roy Halladay in front of Minaya and every other GM in baseball in a prover...