Edwards making strides; C.J.'s looking like O.J.

I like the way Trent Edwards has been playing the past two exhibition games. He seems more confident, more decisive. There’s no question that new Bills coach Chan Gailey has had a positive impact on him. That said, it would be foolhardy to rush to judgment and say Edwards has turned the corner and is ready to become the quarterback the Bills have been looking for since Jim Kelly retired 13 years ago. It’s difficult to assess the exhibition game performances of quarterbacks because the defenses they face tend to be quite vanilla and personnel is being shuffled in and out. And the other factor with Trent is his durability. Still, these appear to be steps in the right direction.
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Here’s one assessment I’m not afraid to make based on preseason observations: C.J. Spiller is the real deal. He clearly has the speed and instincts to become a dynamic playmaker right away for this team. He might be the most electrifying running back the Bills have had since O.J. in the 1970s.
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Speaking of electrifying performers, it’s great to see the Bills finally getting the ball into the hands of Roscoe Parrish. Gailey clearly has figured out something that his predecessors couldn’t. Roscoe in the slot creates mismatches because the guy’s too quick and shifty to cover. Look for a big year from him if the 5-foot-9, 175-pounder can stay in one piece.
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Rookie wide receiver David Nelson continues to show a knack for getting open. Not only has he apparently secured a roster spot, but he could be pushing for that No. 2 wideout spot, behind Lee Evans, if he keeps progressing at this pace. While Nelson’s stock continues to rise, James Hardy’s continues to plummet. He had one nice catch, but also some costly drops. I wouldn’t be shocked if he doesn’t survive the cuts over the next eight days.

Opining on Strasburg, an 18-game NFL sked and advice from Pete Rose

Spraying opinions to all fields . . .
• I was saddened to hear that Stephen Strasburg’s arm injury apparently is serious enough to warrant Tommy John surgery. This is a terrible blow for him and for baseball. The Washington Nationals pitching phenom had captivated even casual fans with his 100 mph heater, nasty curveball and fearlessness on the mound. Those of us privileged to have watched him pitch at Frontier Field in Rochester a few months back could tell that the kid was something special. Many pitchers have made successful comebacks from this type of elbow injury, but few have been as good as they were before their setbacks. Let’s hope this young man is one of the few who comes back even stronger.
• Speaking of injuries, I think the proposal to expand the NFL regular season to 18 games will wind up hurting the sport by shortening the careers of numerous players. As it is, few players – particularly at the star positions of quarterback and running back – make it through an entire season healthy. And given the size and speed of the modern athlete injuries are sure to mount with the addition of two more games-worth of car-like collisions. Hey, I, too, hate having to endure four- to five-exhibition games each summer, but this isn’t the solution. I say cut the preseason to two or three games and keep a 16-game slate. The human body wasn’t designed to play 18 regular-season NFL games, plus playoffs.
• Got a kick out of Pete Rose saying that Roger Clemens would have received more lenient treatment had he just fessed up in the beginning. Yeah, Pete, just like you did with your situation, right? If I recall correctly, you vehemently denied you bet on baseball for years, and only came clean so you could sell more copies of your book.
• So how is it that Clemens is indicted for perjury, but Rafael Palmiero isn’t? If I’m not mistaken, didn’t Raf test positive for performance-enhancing drugs after pointing his finger in defiance at that Congressional hearing?
• And, while we’re on the subject of cheaters, have you heard how Sammy Sosa is upset that the Chicago Cubs haven’t retired his number? Ah, Sammy, I think they’ll put your jersey in mothballs on the same day you get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Which will be the day after never.
• I believe Carmelo Anthony would look pretty spiffy in a New York Knicks uniform.
• I could be wrong, but I think Chan Gailey has more important issues to worry about than some knucklehead twentysomethings heckling his quarterback at Bills training camp.
* Just when we New Yorkers think our state government can't be any more dysfunctional, we learn about a law on the books where there's a tax on sliced bagels.

A bonding experience at the new Yankee Stadium

I greeted my son’s request to attend a game at the new Yankee Stadium with mixed emotions. Don’t get me wrong. I always enjoy going to ballgames with him because it’s an experience we’ve shared since he was a wee lad. And I knew the drive to and from New York would be a good bonding opportunity for father and son before he returned to the University at Buffalo this week for his junior year.

But I also knew that it meant I would have to see the old ballpark – the one where both he and I had witnessed our first major-league games – reduced to rubble.

A few weeks ago, I had attended a lecture by documentarian Ken Burns about sacred places. Well, for me the original Yankee Stadium was a sacred place, not merely because this was where the Babe, Joe D, Mickey and Jeter had performed their baseball heroics. But also because this was the place where I had spent memorable moments with my dad and later my son and daughter.

Pulling off the Major Deegan onto 161st Street last Thursday morning, I saw the blue, wooden construction boards surrounding the demolition site where the ballpark of my youth had once stood. After we parked, Chris and I walked around and were able to peek in at various spots and see bulldozers leveling ground and cranes loading huge chunks of concrete onto dump trucks. The sights and sounds of the heavy equipment were unnerving to me, but most fans heading across the street to the The House That George and The Taxpayers Built seemed oblivious. A painful reminder to this aging baby boomer that time marches on.

It still, though, bothers me that at least a section of the most famous ballpark in the world wasn’t retained as a historical landmark. Yes, it’s nice that they are going to build two youth baseball diamonds in a park-like setting on the old grounds, but why couldn’t they have preserved a small section of the bleachers and Gate 2 as a reminder that there used to be a ballpark here? I suppose they’ll erect a plaque denoting the old place, but there should have been a much bigger reminder of what a historical landmark the old Stadium was.

I had closed the old place and opened the new one, and I must grudgingly admit that the architects did a wonderful job of being true to the original Yankee Stadium design while building the new one. The outside walls and the return of the façade around the roof of the upper deck are nice, nostalgic touches, harkening back to the Stadium before the mid-1970 renovations. Nice, too, are the enromous pictures of legendary Yankee players in the massive Great Hall, which greets you as you enter the park. Another wonderful feature is the museum, which features World Series trophies, bats from Ruth, DiMag and The Mick, and Thurman Munson’s old locker, which was brought over from the old place.

As expected, the new park boasts all the modern conveniences – diverse concessions, palatial luxury suites, wide concourses and clean bathrooms. But progress comes with a steep price. Tickets for ordinary seats at the new stadium are ridiculously high – I mean, 90 freaking dollars to sit several rows up behind the leftfield wall is absurd. As is $9 a beer. No wonder the Yankees have only sold out three or four times this season, despite a seating capacity of about 50,000 – roughly 8,000 fewer seats than the old place.

Despite the exorbitant prices, father and son managed to have a great time. The Yankees rallied for 9 runs in the sixth as Derek Jeter tripled and Robbie Cano homered to beat the visiting Detroit Tigers handily. The experience cost an arm and a leg, but the bonding experience was once again priceless.

Ken Burns, Batavia's baseball future and the Bills exhibition opener

I've always been in awe of Ken Burns' work because the famed documentarian has a way of putting a human face on history.

I was reminded of his brilliance the other night when Beth and I heard him speak at the Chautauqua Institution, an idyllic setting in the Southern Tier. Burns showed excerpts from his documentaries on the Civil War and World War II, then spoke passionately about battlefields as sacred places.

Those who will see him and writer Geoffrey Ward tonight at the George Eastman House in Rochester are in for a real treat.

And I can't wait to see Burns' addendum to his critically acclaimed documentary series about baseball next month. I'm particularly interested to see how he will treat the impact of performance-enhancing drugs on the game.

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I was saddenned to hear that the Red Wings are severing ties with the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League. But I understand the reasons. Rochester's minor-league ballclub had given its all in attempting to revive and save professional baseball in that tired Genesee County city, but the community and corporate support just wasn't there.

Sadly, this is probably the death knell for professional baseball in Batavia. And, on a personal level, that pains me because I always loved the fact that pro ball was still being played in small communities like Batavia.

I began my journalism career covering NY-P baseball in Little Falls way back in 1977, riding the Mets team bus across the state to places such as Newark, Oneonta, Niagara Falls and Jamestown. There is something more intimate - not to mention much more affordable - about the game at that low rung of the pro ladder. But things change. Little Falls, Utica, Oneonta, Newark, Niagara Falls no longer have teams. And, I'm afraid, Batavia will soon be joining that list of the dearly departed.

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It's sure going to be strange tonight seeing Donovan McNabb wearing that Washington Redskins uniform after more than a decade in Philadelphia Eagles' garb.

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I don't know how much we'll really learn about the Bills from tonight's preseason opener because three of their projected starters along the offensive line won't be playing. I'll still be keeping an eye on Trent Edwards to see if he's more decisive than the QB who completely lost his confidence last season. I'm also interested to see how new coach Chan Gailey utilizes Roscoe Parrish and rookie running back C.J. Spiller. Defensively, keep an eye on Aaron Maybin. He needs to show that he can put some pressure on the quarterback.

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SHAMELESS PLUG DEPARTMENT: I'll be giving a talk and signing copies of my new book, Buffalo Bills Football Vault: The First 50 Seasons, at the Pittsford Barnes & Noble, Saturday night from 7-9. So please stop by. And remember, it's never too soon to stock up on those holiday gifts. ;-)