On the Yankees beat

So Andy took HGH...I personally don't give flying rats patoot.

Oh wait, he lied about how many times....and how or who he got it from too???

BAH I STILL COULDN'T CARE LESS.

This charade has been an embarrassment since it began with Mr. Mitchell's "report." Continuing to focus solely on 2 players and their mutual "Trainer" when we all know that the full extent of this of this "epidemic" is being in large part ignored is shameful and insulting.

The talk of Andy being potentially suspended is absolutely infuriating and absurd.

Selig is joke and I hope his gold fish dies.

In the meantime I think Cashman should try and get Joe Blanton for no other reason than we may have nothing else but more specifically...

1. Hughes is only gonna go 170 INN (MAX) and whether we like it or not he's still a bit of an unproven MLB entity.

2. Ian can only go 190 (Max) and again is unproven and could spend some time in Scranton.

3. Joba has been banished to the "dungeon" for '08 and if you believe he'll be released to join the rotation I have a bridge yada blah blah...

4. Mike Mussina is a year older and last year he was a year younger....Last year he sucked.

5. Andy could be distracted or otherwise adversely affected by recent events and his performance may suffer.
(Personally I'll think he'll be fine but I'm just putting it out there...)

Finally...

6. God forbid Wang or any of them get injured OR SELIG UNFAIRLY SUSPENDS ANDY AND SUDDENLY WE'RE WATCHING KEI IGAWA'S NEW MECHANICS.

I watched most of the press conference and I thought Andy did a good job.

He was contrite and apologetic and should be able to move on. I thought the one reporter really had him trapped when he asked if he knew about being in the Mitchell Report when he signed his contract for this season. I thought he might have trouble w/ that question but he was honest and there's really not much you can say when a guy is forthcoming like that.

I will be interested to read not Kat's, but Wally Matthews' take on this in tomorrow's paper. Wally was the only one who brought up the word "cheater" at least while I was watching and I'm not sure Andy gave him the answer he wanted, which we all know what that was so Wally could run off into the corner and snicker.
I think Wally needs to get a knock in the nose from Kat. Maybe even cut him up a bit so he suffers from a little "Kat Scratch Fever" because the guy can't see the positive in anything. It's funny how a guy who seems to hate sports, writes about them for a living.

I know Andy will have to deal w/ the folks on the road, especially Fenway, but I think he'll get big ovations at home.

Now I'd like the Steinbrenner's to hire a former Senator to investigate PED's in baseball and they can start in any other city except NY. That would be fun. Screw Selig....

I just saw something that made me gag....it was a picture of Don Mattingly at Dodgers camp with a Dodgers uniform on.

Once the season starts we can forget this off field distraction, the ciminality and disgrace and just concentrate on baseball.

That will be a great thing!

Hey ...

What do Anonymous, Larry Craig, Pee Wee Herman and George Michael all have in common?

Answer: they all live in a toilet stall!

Jim, based on your comments about Pettitte, I think you're wrong. I think you will like Wally's column. I, of course, did not write a column, but two news stories.

I think this will be quite a pleasant season with the Mets turning the tables on both the Phillies and the Steinburner Brothers across town. Can't wait till Johan is 15-5 and Hughes is on the DL again. That should make for some great theater reminiscient of the early 90's

Ant Colony,

They could probably all pitch for the Yanks this year too. Nice pitching staff there!! Ha hahahahahahahaha.

I thought I saw one of the Steinburner Brothers out there the other day....Im not sure which one it was..I think it was Dumb but it may have been dumber, well anyway he was talking all this jibberish about some fat pitcher who was going to train to start so he can relieve and then start to re-train to start so he can build up innings so that unlike some other 22-23 YO's who get injured are different than him because of this great plan or something like that jibberish.

Well after 5 minutes of this my head exploded like on that scanners movie. So I think thats what he was talking about. Since they have no pitchers that are worth anything, Dumb(or Dumber) is going to go on and on in the hopes that the other teams heads explode.

Pretty tough talk from a fan whose team ended last season with the biggest collapse in MLB history.

Last time I checked, Johan can't pitch everyday.

Kat,
I hope Wally surprises me but I've been a Newsday reader for over 30 years and as long as I can remember his columns have a negative streak to them I have never seen from another Newsday writer. Life is full of surprises though, so I hope you're right.

You're a pro and he's a co-worker so I don't expect you to agree with me.

Kat,
Well I just read Wally Matthews' article and I can't say I am the least bit surprised, especially by the headline.

I'm looking forward to reading your work in the future, but I'm going to take a break from Wally for a bit.

I wrote this in response to the Matthew's article: If every team in baseball was scrutinized in the same way in which the Yankees have been, I'm sure that Clemens, Pettitte, Knoublauch, Giambi and ????? would have plenty of company. It has to be pretty obvious to anyone who has been following these proceedings that PED have been rife and out of control in baseball for the past 15 years. It's up to the commissioners office to come up with worthwhile testing procedures and then have the guts to pull the plug on the careers of players who still take the PED road to success. Pettitte obviously should not have done what he did, but why wasn't baseball testing for this stuff at the time that he took it and why wasn't it on the list of baseball's banned substances if it was illegal? Baseball has turned the other way for too long for the sake of the almighty $$$$$$$. Pettitte should not be made a scapegoat. Relatively speaking, his offence was minor...in fact a non-offence in the eyes of the people responsible for running baseball at that time. Baseball now needs to wake up, put better testing procedures in place and then kick out the cheats, even if they turn out to be the "star" players.

The Yankee focus is complete BS - I don't blame Clemens or Pettitte for taking HGH since 90% of the batters they faced were probably doing it to.

blahblahblah

I don't appreciate the fact so much attention has been given to the Yanks on this - and the fact Pettitte had to blow a full hour on it on his first day back to Spring Training is another anti-Yank bias.

May the team go 120-42 and sweep the postseason.

Bat Rastards.

Aussie Gary,

Let me catch you up with the events of the past 40 years. MLB and the commissioners office can't do anything without the full approval of the players association. In fact the only thing that made the penalties as strict as they currently are was the threat from John McCain and his co-horts in 2005 that they would impose their own system if the players association didn't agree to harsher penalties.

So no its not up to the commissioners office. BTW the players association just happens to represent the people who are being named and tested. Think they want tougher testing and penalties? Its the damn players taking it and fighting it and the union helping them get away with it.

No one said only Yankees were involved. Look at the list of names that resulted from only 2 contacts. Almost every team has players on it. Its just that the one Big Head from your team has made a personal crusade out of this and now it will continue for the rest of the year. But you probably think Clemens was truthful, huh?

sevrox,

Then tell your pitcher(ex) to shut up!

Hey,

I just read another gem of a comment from the Head Idiot In Charge. Does this guys ever talk about any subject that he has done any kind of research on. Footballs Steroid testing has been the model of professional sports where as baseballs has been non-existant. But since those guys are big and fast the new genius deduces that they if fact have a bigger problem.

One thing they don't have is a Big Head running around the country, getting face time on national TV and testifying before congress on a daily basis. Why? Because their plan is credible and the league and unionare on the same page.

Also read WAlly Matthews article and was shocked to see a writer actually having a clue about the world and not get totally wrapped up in the sports mentality. Nice job!

I am a bigtime dumbbell. Don't listen to what I say. I have no life

Sorry, that last post was mine!

Andy *still* hasn't been caught yet. He continues to use an explanation that contradicts what he's claiming.

Here's more detail of what I'm talking about:

http://dugoutdaily.com/?p=24

"I don't think they would want to be hollering too loud at Andy up in Fenway," Steinbrenner told The Post. "They had plenty of players doing this stuff, too. It's just that those players weren't mentioned in the Mitchell Report.

"That's my biggest problem with the Mitchell Report. We'll make sure we give Andy all the support he needs in Fenway and other ballparks."

Poor Andy needs to be protected from the other teams fans. Is he planning on wearing a diaper on the mound too? Another Steinburner Gem!

I imagine no Yankee could have felt anything more positive than dread about yesterday's press conference, but it seems they gritted their teeth, held their noses, choreographed it out, closed ranks, and did it.

Mo, Jorge and Jeter looked thoughtful, sad and worried. But as the only other remaining members of the 'great' teams they showed up and saw it through.

I felt that the Yankees as a team came through a humiliating day with as much dignity, grace, and organizational competence as anyone could ask for, and I hope that by doing that and doing it at length and thoroughly they have laid the groundwork for leaving it in the past.

Its true, I am a sorry loser who has no friends and not a clue about sports. Why listen to me?

Hey gang, long time no chat.

I've gotten a little fed up with the hiccups the new security proceedures here are having and so I started my own blog. It's going to have all sorts of sports and not strictly be all Yankees all the time, though I'll try to guide it in a way that answers the flow of the readers.

Right now I've got up a fantasy baseball primer and over the next couple of days I'm going to write up previews of all the baseball teams. It's through foxsports.com and is pretty easy to sign up for to post on. Hope to see many of you there. Here's the link:
http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/ChipS

fourth try

Can I post my stupid comments there too why I poke myself in the butt?

Diane,

Yeah, the players did about as much as they could. But then Junior had to open his mouth again and all the good that was done to make this an issue of the past was totally undone. Isn't it great to have involved ownership?

Nudge ole buddy, you can do whatever you want.

Chip, I've missed you.

The security procedures here are in a whole different world of incompetence by the staff and inconvenience for the reader than I have ever seen anywhere. Attempting to post my 9:29 message I got a response that included 'FORBIDDEN' in large type and said I didn't have permission to accesss ... blah, blah, blah ...

As more and more regulars post less and less here, the motivation to try and try again drops lower.

I wish you great good fortune in your new endeavor! I'll drop by, but hope you'll drop by here occasionally in the hope that this mess will eventually be cleared up.

football players is caught 3 in every 10 yearly pal.

What Andy did was actually HELP rocket if you look at it closely.

1st - Cannot remember who introduced you to the drug.
2. could not remember whne he signed the extension.

and this right here would defend a clemens

If you did not use it for better performance and saw nothing then explain the increase in Velocity?? Are you really saying that Clemens workouts REALLY help and if so then that helps CLemens claim of natural gain through workouts. hahaaha

BB,

Key word is CAUGHT! Testing that catches no-one is like no testing at all. And is you claim that 3 of 10 players are caught then there aren't enough players to field a team every year so the 3 of 10 means what?

BB, from 2004:

It is one of the few admitted fears of NFL players. Fear of randomness. Fear of an ever-growing list of banned substances. Fear of a 25-percent pay cut.

If Major League Baseball can take anything from the NFL's steroid policy, these are the things on which it might want to focus.

Ask NFL players what they fear most about steroids, and they'll probably give you a multitude of answers. There's the public humiliation and loss of trust. If they are old enough, they might mention Lyle Alzado's brain tumor. But if Major League Baseball really wants to know what scares NFL players about steroids, it might consider cancer of the checkbook first.

"The four games, when we only play 16 – that's four checks, a whole bunch of money, man," Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Dewayne Washington said. "Guys can't take that. That's too much of a hit to your pocket. You might think about (taking steroids), but then you see the four games, and that's just too much."

Indeed, the NFL's steroid testing policy looks more credible when held up against the mess baseball is going through. And whether or not you believe in the pristine, clean image that the league proudly champions, there's little denying the NFL as the current testing pace-setter.

Football players actually are afraid to get caught. Baseball players shrug it off and make half hearted apologies that the fans say....he was a stand up guy and said he was sorry for something. Thats a pretty low standard of adoration.

How about we admire the guy who passed all the tests and never did anything wrong that he had to publicly apologize for! Now thats a stand up guy.

More on the NFL testing that Hank think needs more scrutiny:

Each week, a computer randomly selects seven players to be tested for each team in the NFL. The seven players will be split into two groups, each to be tested on different days. A league-paid employee then arrives on site and notifies players they have been selected, often by leaving a sticker on their locker. Once the players have been told face-to-face they are being tested, they have four hours to produce a urine sample.

And that sample will be subject to a wide net – only the International Olympic Committee has a larger list of banned substances than the NFL. Through this season, the league tests for 60 substances that fall into three categories: 35 anabolic agents (steroids), 20 masking agents (diuretics) and five stimulants (such as Ephedrine, Methylephedrine, etc.). It's a list so deep that players often complain they can't buy cold medicine without fearing some type of banned derivative will be detected.

......Oh and BTW there were 44 suspensions between 1990 and 2004 and in 2005 the league TRIPLED the number of off-season tests and made the standards for failure tougher. So not only did they start with a higher standard, they....on their own....toughened in considerably.

For those who aren't familiar with MLB testing.....once a year and they are notified in advance what day. Not monitored during the test period and initially recieved a 10 DAY suspension for first offense as opposed to 1/4 of the season for football.

What was Hanks point again?

There are not a lot of players in the NFL or College football on steroids and not a lot have taken HGH. The game is not physically demanding. What I can tell you, is that my hemmorhoids really are hurting me. I am a bleeding one.

And for the 2007 testing improvements that the NFL added....voluntarily....not under threat of congressional action....go to this link..

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/sports/football/25steroids.html?th&emc=th

Some one has to teach Hank how to Google a subject before he spouts off about it.

So far on this thread Nudge has posted one third of the comments (that's not counting the ones by 'Nudge imposter').

You add in those from Say Hey and we've got what? Around 40% from Mets fans?

Can that be another reason our regulars go elsewhere when they want to communicate with other NYY fans?

Diane,

Maybe no one has anything to say because there is nothing happening?

Nudge,

I think the problem Hank has is that the public (in general) wants MLB players who are caught users to be kicked out of the game and have their numbers erased. That's not the case with the NFL player. Two prime examples are Shawne Merriman whose suspension for steroids was an afterthought as he was named to the pro-bowl and selected defensive player of the year, and Rodney Harrison.

I might be wrong, but what I took from Hank's comments was that he was more confused with why the public, not the league, the public, give steroid abusers in the NFL a free pass compared to baseball. The answers, in my opinion, are pretty obvious:

1. People aren't actually football fans for the most part. There are a few of us, but the vast majority of the viewing public are either gamblers or fantasy football freaks who don't really care what the players are doing.

2. Given the collision nature of the sport it is assumed that the players are using something. For example, when I hear about the superhuman recouperative abilities of T.O. and I look at his combination of size and speed, and read and hear about his violent mood swings on the side lines, I find it hard to swallow the notion that it is the result of nights spent in a hyperbaric chamber and situps done on his driveway.

third try

Diane,

I'll summarize the news out of ST as reported by the beat reporters and you tell me what we missed to talk about...

Every player that reported was asked their opinion of the Clemens Pettitte saga

Pettitte had a press conference about the Clemens Pettitte saga.

Hank made a host of stupid statements.

The ball came out of Pavano's hand really good.

Great Point CHip!!!!!

Chip,,
I disagree that the genearl public wants BB players kicked out of the game. They just want baseball to put in a logical system that works as best as possible. Even when everyone suspected the use of steroids, as players suddenly got bigger and better with age, baeball did nothing. Then they finally did a teeny weeny bit because thats all the players association would allow. Finally when congress called Donald Fehr on the carpet and he had to face some one who he couldn't beat up......theeeeeennnnn we got some real penalties.

NFL has Olympic standard testing.They did it in response to players like Lyle Alzado coming out about the health ramifications, not because the were forced.

As for football fans.....its not even close to baseball. Baseball couldn't draw a TV audience like football in a months worth of games. And it has nothing to do with gambling. People bet on all sports and they still don't draw what football does. Maybe there a bigger interest in betting on football....but maybe thats because theres a bigger interest in football.

Maybe you missed it but sometime around 1980 Football became Americas sport!

Chip,
If it is taking you more than two tries at getting your thoughts posted, you are doing something wrong. We've found a way to post that is pretty sure to get you rejected only one time.

I've posted the procedure a few times but let me know if you need me to do it again.

Nudge,
Is it true that there is currently no test to detect HGH? If that's true, you can bet football players are using it like mad. In my opinion pro sports are full of PED's, it's not just baseball.
I know for a fact that PED's are rampant in hockey as the owner of a company I used to work for wanted to buy the Islanders at one point but backed out after his investigators told him hockey was full of PED users, along with other drugs.

Nudge,

'Nothing is happening' from the perspective of those who are not Yankees fans, but for those of us who are there are matters you may find trivial that actual Yankees fans find significant.

(Example: that Duncan is working long and hard on his footwork around first and may actually be able to become a passable 1B if he keeps it up.)

But the 'happenings' are only a small part of the pleasures of blogging among those of similar interests -- if they were all that mattered we would sign off after we got the data.

The main pleasure of blogging is communicating *about* those happenings and what they may mean for the team with others who share your passion.

A blog may be spiced with a smattering of other viewpoints and be all the more piquant. But when it is flooded with posters who are indifferent or contrarian in this respect, it's like having more pepper than eggs in your omelet.

A lot of people will find someplace else to have breakfast.

I think the government should investigate the criminality of NBA players. They all do drugs (pot is prevalent) , listen to rap music, and commit crimes. Again, I feel the NFL players are cleaner than MLB players. I don't know jack about the NHL so don't bring up that point and I don't know much at all really.

Diane,

Those items have really stirred the interests of Yankee fans here I can see.

Jim A,

True there is no reliable test for HGH, but if you talk to anyone who is involved with the use of both HGH and Steroids, they will tell you that if you are doing HGH you need the addition of steroids to benefit. HGH may be beneficial on its own in the healing process that Pettitte used it but as for building strength and condition it is a steroid amplifying to use a term. So those NFL players who are using HGH without steroids would be flushing money down the toilet.

And I reiterate, not many NFL players have used or use HGH or steriods. There is no need for them to do so.

Jim A,

Was Gluckstern the guy?

Nudge,

In a collision sport like the NFL where contracts are not guaranteed there is huge incentive to get back on the field as soon as possible. So HGH is a big help in the recovery process. As I said before, if T.O.'s remarkable recoveries could be attributed to hyperbaric chambers, don't you think every team would have them in their clubhouses?

I'm not arguing the popularity of NFL vs. Baseball - I am simply stating that the popularity of the sport is a lot less tied to the players than the financial implications of it. And that comes from a season ticket holder of the Giants.

Nudge,
No, it was a guy named Garofalo, he was one of those internet-rich CEO's who bottomed out a while back.

New "army-like" manager + no pitching + same old lineup+ Steriods scandel = 4th place in 2008 for Yanks

Sox REPEAT in '08!!!!!!

Chip,

I will boil it down to the base level. Go to Texas during football season and see what happens in those small towns when the high school has a football game. Same in Florida, MS, AL, OK,NB,LA etc etc etc.

Now do the same thing when the High school has a baseball game.

There are few areas in this country that are still baseball dominated. Here in NY is one, Los Angeles, some areas in AZ but the entire south is dominated by footbal right from Pop Warner up through the NFL. I don't think the "financial" interest is there for those Pop Warner and high school games.

One of the reasons for the Luxury Tax that the Yanks are so generous to pay every year is to build back up the interest in baseball at the community level. Why? Because baseball was no longer the sport that kids chose to play.

Now what TO does....I dont know. But he gets tested and tested and tested every year. During the season,in training camp, in the off-season. Baseball players get a weeks notice in spring training and they are done!

Like anything else, you test, people adapt. So you change to catch the new stuff and people continue to adapt. Its a cat and mouse game. But with baseball its more like try once then hope nobody asks many questions or asks for data and maybe we won't have to do anything different.

Jim A,

I guess his investigators weren't looking at the right stuff. Islanders are still around!

Keep telling yourself that Calculator, cross your fingers and click your heels together three times while saying it over and over again and maybe, just maybe it will come true. That, or your house will fall on your head.

Nudge,
His investigators didn't tell him the Islanders were going anywhere, he just didn't want to be involved in hockey when all the drug use became public knowledge.

The Islanders still being around is debatable however....and I say this as a lifetime Islander fan.

I am big dumbass but I would love to party it up with pro athletes in their clubs after hours.

Nudge,

You can't compare the fan bases of a sport at the High School level to the one at the pro level. If one was an indication of the other then soccer would be the number two sport in the country.

All I am pointing out is that fans in general care less about what football players do because they don't identify with them. Marcellus Wiley called it "The Curse and Blessing of the Helmet." To the average fan a football player is a faceless cog that just goes out hitting things. Baseball is a game where you're right up close to the players, you see them, you recognize them. The records are deeply historical. Thus the players get held to a higher standard than football players by the fans.

If anyone is interested, I just finished writing up a preview for the NL and AL East teams. Here's the link:
http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/ChipS

Hope to see some familiar names there.

Chip, I can do whatever I want to do, because I am right and I question where you all get your facts from. There are no drugs in hockey, that is for sure, and there are too many non red sox players on drugs in MLB. I personally want to see an investigation into PGA Golfers. Have you seen Tiger lately?

Chip -

As a NY'kr who frequents the south FOOTBALL rules, in Georgia alone if there was a choice of the Braves or the Bull Dogs , Bull Dogs win and minor league games well lets say that their advertisment is limited. SOuth and west roots hard for contact sports. and college sports as well

Chip,

I think that is by far a minority opinion. In fact one that I have never heard to this day. Football jersey with athletes names on them far outsell baseball. In fact merchandising of NFL products is number one.

As far as soccer, who goes to soccer games? Pro plus amateur combined the entire fan base or soccer is less than pro tennis for petes sake.

As for anecdotal evidence, you hear more kids talking about Basketball and Football players than baseball players. The Athlete drain on baseball is well documented. Remember this past year when the story was ...Whats happened to the Black Baseball Player?

Explaining away the rabid fans of the top sport is just silly.

BTW Nascar out does baseball now too.

Who is the pick of the fans from these cities

Tampa Rays or Bucaneers
Pittsburgh Pirates or Steelers
Philadelphia Phillies or Eagles
Cleveland Indians or Browns
Baltimore Orioles or Ravens
Texas Rangers/Astros or Cowboys
Oakland A's or Raiders
San Fran Giants or 49ers
Florida Marlins or Dolphins or UM or FSU or UCF
Washington Nats or Redskins
Cincy Reds or Bengals
Minnesota Twins or Vikings

You have to go to LA to get a city that prefers BB to football. And thats a statement in itself.

I know, I interviewed all fans to give you that expertise

I also know for a fact that kids talk more about basketball and football players than baseball players. Don't question how I know, but I do.

hahahaaha

I think the orioles still have the ravens beat in Baltimore and when you venture out into the Burbs then it's football country but REDSKIN country.

football rules due to the primary locations of baseball teams. in the south there is hardly any near by teams but tons of colleges etc that fill the gap

Again Pettite states that nothing came from his usage of HGH , so can some one on here EXPLAIN his increase in VELOCITY?????

And again he can remember a convo with rodger 10 years ago but cannot remember situations in december of who introduce him to HGH. This man is not CREDIBLE and actually HELPS Rodger Clemens

A. For his lack of memory

B. His Increase on Velocity with no explanation would lead to the beleif that maybe just maybe Rodgers Excercise routing was the aid for higher velocity since he cannot pin point Hgh and his velocity. You do not gain increased velocity over night

boring comment

Bomber-
During his press conference, Pettitte said he asked about HGH and McNamee explained to him what it was all about, but urged him not to do it because he might regret it. He didn't forget who told him about it, it was McNamee.

When did his velocity increase? If you're talking about an increase in velocity a year after surgery and rehabilitation, you don't think that's possible. I'm not sure what time frame you are talking about and I don't really ever recall an increase in Pettitte's velocity.
If you look at his body though, his shoulders and legs have gotten bigger since he started working out seriously about 8 years ago. Before then, he was a bit of a twig.

Anonymous: I live in the DC area and the Redskins absolutely rule the land in pro sports around here. There is not even a close second.

I'd have to agree w/ Nudge's assessment that football is more popular. We've become an instant gratification society and we get bored easily so baseball loses the casual fan and since a lot of African American kids aren't playing baseball, they lose that fan base as well. However, football appeals to just about everybody: Men like the action and hitting, casual fans like the high scoring games, women like the studley QB's etc.
Kids today gravitate toward soccer and lacrosse more than baseball it seems as they want to run the whole game instead of standing in the OF picking daisies.
It's a shame but baseball has lost the casual fan, the African Amer. fan base and some older fans who never came back from the strike(s).
I remember several years ago I was near Atlanta on business and I decided to try to go to a Braves playoff game so I started asking around to see if anyone knew where I could get tickets. People looked at me like I was nuts and said "They sell 'em right at the stadium". I got great seats about an hour before the game and the place never even sold out which is pretty sad.

With only a few exceptions this entire thread was really a bore. Thankfully the season isn't far off.

Diane how great would it be if Duncan could master 1B and hit with some power.

Peter,

Yes, it was a bore, I tuned out and didn't return until now so I missed your question.

I will be thrilled if Tino can drill 1B into Shelley's head (and feet!), --first base is my worry this year in the way that backup catcher was for a large part of last year. And Duncan is apparently well liked by teammates as well as fans. I am hoping...