Lay Off of Omar

Will Mets' fans please get off Omar Minaya's back. I'm not the biggest Omar supporter, but to make it seem like Minaya is a do-nothing General Manager is just not fair.

Minaya brought the best center fielder in the league today, Carlos Beltran, to Queens. He also orchestrated the trade to bring Johan Santana to the Mets, even though there was heavy competition from both the Yankees and Red Sox -- two teams who usually get what they want.

At the end of last year, by far the most glaring need of the organization was the bullpen. Omar signed Francisco Rodriguez and traded for J.J. Putz. As the season was about to get under way, the Mets realized they can use a corner outfielder with some pop in his bat. Sure enough Gary Sheffield was on his way to CitiField and is currently leading the club with nine home runs. Try and imagine where the team would be without Shef.

Results are the only things that matter in sports, both for an athlete and management, good intentions won't get anyone a contract. And Minaya has some positives --K-rod, Sheffield-- and some negatives -- Putz, Oliver Perez.

Sure the Mets need to go out and get a bat for the middle of the line-up, Omar would be the first to admit that. However, it's not as simple as it may seem. Every team in the league knows the Mets are desperate and will do everything to fleece the Mets of top tier prospects. It is still early and the G.M.s who are looking to dump players still have a month to play hard-ball. Plus, figuring out what position to fill is no simple matter.

If a first baseman is brought in , what happens when Carlos Delgado returns from injury? Want to bring in Adam Dunn because he can move to the outfield? Sure, but if you thought Daniel Murphy was an adventure in left, wait until you see this guy stumble around cavernous Citifield on an every day basis.

The Mets are one game above .500 but just two games behind division leading Philadelphia. Sure, they're a little lucky the Phillies have not been able to find any consistent pitching. But, the Phills are fortunate the Mets haven't been healthy. If not for the injury bug it's possible it would be the Mets who would have been able to run and hide.

Any evaluating of Minaya will have to include the collapses of the past two years. The injuries of this year will also be considered. Not many (if any) teams can survive losing three of their top four hitters, two starting pitchers and an eight inning set-up man.

If the Mets end the season without partaking in October baseball, both Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel should be on the way out the door -- despite the overcrowded DL. Three consecutive years with no playoffs is just too much in this city.

It's the result that should ultimately decide Minaya's fate, the pro-active approach is already there.

Baseball in the City

Memorial Day has come and gone, summer is underway. The baseball season is moving in on 50 games played, a nice size sample that can be fairly assessed.

With that said, it's time for a Yankees update. The Yanks are seven games over .500 and a single game out of first place in the overcrowded American League East.

Yet the season to this point has not exactly been a joy ride. There have been plenty of ups and downs.

ROTATION:

The most obvious disappointment being Chien-Ming Wang, although not a great pitcher – his numbers against quality teams and in the postseason prove that – he was consistent in the regular season, someone who can go out there every fifth day and, usually, get the job done. The team concocted an injury to give him time to straighten it all out. It will be something to watch as the season goes on.

CC Sabathia has been what we SHOULD have expected, just because an athlete gets overpaid doesn’t mean he will live up to it. Sabathia got Santana and Halladay money, well guess what, he’s not Johan or “Doc”. He is a very good pitcher who gets better as the weather warms-up; he should start being more reliable from here on. But he will not be on the level of the two best pitchers in the majors today.

The other free agent import in the rotation, A.J. Burnett, has been sliding downhill lately. The positive is that he has avoided the DL thus far. Now, if only he can get back to pitching the way he was earlier in the season.

The veteran of the rotation, Andy Pettitte, has been fairly reliable, doing what it takes to put the team in a position to win. Joba Chamberlain has shown from time to time why management insists on keeping him as a starter. The righty is still learning to be more economical with his pitches so that he is not hitting the showers by the fifth inning every time out.

Staying in the Bronx will be a challenge for Phil Hughes. Young pitchers need time to develop, and what better place to grow up than in the majors. Eight innings and no runs against a good hitting team in the bandbox in Arlington will make it difficult to send the youngster back to the minors. Keep in mind he will not turn 23 for another month, baseball has few joys like watching homegrown talent mature before your eyes.

If Wang can work his way back into the rotation, Joe Girardi and Co. will have an interesting decision to make with six starters on their hands. Joba to the bullpen is still the best answer.

LINEUP:

The lineup has been a roller coaster ride. As an example, Robinson Cano began the season scorching the ball, hitting well above .350 for April. May has not been as kind as Robbie slumped and briefly fell below .300 before recently getting it back up to .315.

After an awful start Mark Teixeira has really turned it around, the protection of A-Rod batting clean-up has helped. However, to say the reason Tex has been hitting is Rodriguez’s return is absurd, that would imply that without A-Rod, Teixeira is a .215 hitter.

A-Rod’s healing has stabilized the top four spots in the order. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Teixeira and Alex will be there on just about every night, barring a major injury, a scary thought if you’re an opposing pitcher. A-Rod’s comeback has also gotten rid of the outs the other third basemen have been contributing.

Jeter has not gone on a tear to this point, and has been stuck below his usual average of .300. The Captain is on the downside of his career and it’s noticeable with his bat and range. At some point he will have to move from shortstop. As sad as that is, it is nice to see a player’s career progress normally, getting older and slower as he ages. Not getting bigger and stronger while his head explodes.

At the corners of the outfield, Damon has taken advantage of the balls flying out to right in a big way. Defense and throwing arm are always the things to watch with Johnny, along with the health of those aging knees. Nick Swisher is not an everyday player and that has shown with Xavier Nady injured. Swish is great to have in the clubhouse and will be fine so long as he doesn’t have to get out there on a everyday basis.

Centerfield has been juggled all season by Girardi. At the end of Spring Training, Brett Gardner was said to be the starter, and the speedster has had his share of playing time, especially lately when he has started to hit a little. It was unclear where exactly Melky Cabrera would be playing when the club headed north at the end of spring, but he has hit well including several big hits late in games. The platoon has been working and if it’s not broken don’t fix.

The injuries to Jorge Posada and backup Jose Molina have put a big dent at catcher. Francisco Cervelli has come up and played well but he has played just over 100 innings, not quite time to call him an everyday backstop. Kevin Cash is not a starter but will have to do until one of the regulars is ready to go.

BULLPEN:

Hysteria hit the Yanks when Mariano Rivera appeared shaky for a couple of games earlier in season, but has calmed over the last couple of weeks as Mo has returned to form. Eventually The Greatest Reliever of All Time will become hittable. The only way it goes down well for the Yankees is if he hangs up the cleats while still pitching fairly well. There is no backup plan if Mariano starts getting rocked in middle of a season, nor should there be, if it happens that is something the team and the fans will have to deal with.

The eighth inning spot has been a problem all year. Brian Bruney showed some promise before going on the DL, briefly returning and now going back on the shelf. It’s possible, if not likely, he’s done for the season.

Phil Coke has been decent at times; however the lefty is not the long term answer. Alfredo Aceves has been good lately, but with only 14 innings pitched there is not enough to call him consistent just yet.

Going to anybody else out of the pen is what keeps Girardi up at night. Jonathan Albaladejo, Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez all have ERA’s over five, certainly not what you want in relief.

CONCLUSION:

Although the club got off to a rough start, they have been playing well since four straight losses to Boston and Tampa Bay. The way the Red Sox have knocked around the Bombers in the five games they’ve played this season is reason for concern. The Yanks and Bosox are going to be in the battle for the division in September. If Boston continues its dominance in the head to head matchups that may very well be the difference in making the playoffs and Joe Girardi looking for a job.

The walk-off hits and Nick Swisher have brought some excitement to the new stadium -- where homers are flying out at a record pace.

Consistency is the biggest issue facing the team. The talent is there at every position, outside of the bridge to Mariano. The only question is if the ability will show itself on a regular basis.

If Hughes and Wang push their way into the rotation, Joba may be pressed into the set-up role.

Outside of the Dodgers, who are a completely different team without Manny Ramirez, no team in either league has gotten off to a great start. Every good team has run into some problems that make you question how good they really are. The title of Best in Baseball is out there to be had, if the Yankees start playing up to their ability the title is well within grasp in the Bronx.

NOTE ON THE METS: Has anyone seen a team that is four games over .500 and a half game out of first place and yet its fans are so upset.

Sure there have been some ugly moments, including: Not knowing when to slide, the inability to catch routine fly balls and missing third base while on the way home for what would have been the go-ahead run in the eleventh. And sure the handling of certain injuries would leave you scratching your head.

However, considering losing Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes to injuries, the Oliver Perez disaster and Daniel Murphy batting .246 the Mets are still in good position to contend for the division. David Wright, who seemed like he was going to be driven out of town in April, and Carlos Beltran have carried the club offensively. Johan Santana has been brilliant, same for Francisco Rodriguez. The Phillies have had struggles of their own, specifically with their pitching staff.

Omar Minaya will be on the lookout for a bat, and if he comes through with something decent the Mets will be in fine shape. Why Mets fans are so down on this team seems very strange.

My Two Cents Worth III

As far as I'm concerned this year's NBA playoffs are very similar to College Football's Bowl games. While an individual series may have some excitement and drama, there are only two teams who have a chance at winning a championship. If the Lakers and Cavaliers are not there when the conferences are decided it will be a major upset.

Give the Jets and Mike Tannenbaum credit for getting Mark Sanchez. They wanted Sanchez from the start, and had the conviction to do whatever it takes to bring him in. Now, they have to hope they turn out to be right about the Q.B. or Tannenbaum will be looking for a job.

I'm a bit disappointed that the Giants didn't end up with Anquan Boldin. I hope the reason they didn't pull the trigger has to do with the salary cap and not the Draft picks. Receiver is the only glaring weakness on the team, a third round pick wouldn't mean a whole lot for a team with that much talent.

With that said the first pick of WR Hakeem Nicks is a good one. Eli Manning is not exactly the most accurate thrower, and needs someone who can catch the ball even if it's not between the numbers. Hicks has huge hands - glove size of 4XL - so he can reach out and catch anything in the vicinity.

Apparently the Mets' issues from last year had nothing to do with the Manager or Stadium. As a club they still can't hit with runners-in-scoring position, and the starting rotation has one reliable pitcher in Johan Santana.

There have been an unusual amount of home runs hit to right field in the new Yankees stadium, and many people have been screaming and yelling "how could the Yankees let this happen." Will everyone please calm down. Number one we only have a week to judge by. Two if it is a long term issue don't you think the team will do something to cut down on the wind in that direction. What does need to be fixed is the fact that the fans sit right up on the wall and can easily interfere with a ball still in play.

As far as the Yankees on the field are concerned, the team will go as far as the pitching carries them - A-Rod or no A-Rod. Both the starting and relief pitching have been terribly inconsistent. Brian Bruney going on the DL is going to hurt. And no, there is still no reason to be worried about Mariano.

The Devils and Hurricanes are going to Game 7 which is exactly where the series belongs. It has been such an even match-up and both goalies have been so good, it would have been a shame had this series not gone the distance.

However, Game 7 is not where the Rangers should be. With a 3 games to 1 lead, the team has been flat for games five and six. This has been a one man team all year, if Henrik Lundqvist is on top of his game there is a chance otherwise it is all but an automatic L.

Is John Tortorella the epitome of do what I say not what I do? Torts benches Sean Avery for Friday night's game for being undisciplined, sure enough in the third period of that game the coach squirts a fan with water and then throws a bottle into the stands. The NHL suspended him for game 6 and rightly so, no league can afford its players, coaches etc. to interact with fans that way. We have all seen what happens when it gets out of hand.

Why We Love Baseball

After the longest Spring Training in history opening day has arrived. At last meaningful baseball, no more exhibition games, no WBC, finally baseball that counts, games and stats that will be looked at throughout the summer and beyond.

It's on days like this that baseball is on our mind, and when we think baseball we think of...

...Fastballs, sliders, curve balls and beanballs.
...Turning two, tagging up, pick offs and the squeeze play.
...Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Enter Sandman, Hells Bells and chin music.
...Hank Greenberg, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente.
...No-Hitters, hitting for the cycle and the perfect game.
...Batting gloves, pine tar, eye black and the rosin bags.
...Stan "The Man", Teddy Ballgame, The Mick and Donny Baseball.
...The Bleacher Creatures, the Bleacher Bums and 'Dem Bums.
...The Homer in the Gloamin, Slaughters mad Dash and The Shot Heard 'round the World
...Wrigley field, Fenway park, Ebbets field, the Polo grounds and the only real Yankee Stadium.
...Opening day, the All-star break and the Fall Classic
... The Sultan of Swat, Big Train, Pee Wee, Three Finger Brown and Doug "Eyechart"Gwosdz,
...61, 755, 511 and 4,256. (No we don't think of 73 or 762)
...Murderers Row, The Big Red Machine, the Gashouse Gang, and the Miracle Mets.
...Jim Abbott, Pete Gray and Bert Shepard.
...The Mazeroski game, The Carter game, The Gibson game, The Fisk game and Larsen's Perfect game.
...Connie Mack, John McGraw, Sparky Anderson, Walter Alston and Casey Stengel.
...The Natural, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams and A League of Their Own.
...Yankees - Red Sox, Cubs - Cardinals and Dodgers - Giants.
...Rawlings, Louisville Slugger and New Era.
...Diving stops, leaping catches and outfielders crashing into walls.
...Jeter's backhand flip, Mays' catch and Endy's leap.
...The crack of the bat, pop of the glove, clack of the cleats and roar of the crowd.
...The ivy on the wall at Wrigley, Tal's Hill at Minute maid and the Green Monster.
...D.P.'s, K's, R.B.I.'s and 6-4-3's.
...The Baltimore chop, screaming liners, Texas Leaguers and Uncle Charlies.
...Pinstripes, stirrups and shin guards.
...Yogi-isms, Stengelese and the Who's on first routine.
...You're safe, you're out and play ball.
...Spring Training, the All-star game and the home-run derby.
...Cy Youngs, Gold Gloves, Silver sluggers, MVP's and Rookies of the Year.
...Mel Allen, Red Barber, Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully.
..."Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.
...Blazing fastballs, tape measure shots and bunt singles.
...Aces, set-up men, closers and clean-up hitters.
...Steinbrenner, Turner, Veeck and Charlie O.
...Vida Blue, Shawn Green and Red Schoendienst.
...Beer, peanuts and hot dogs.
...Eddie Gaedel, Sid Finch and the Philly Phanatic.
...Cans of corn, seeing eye singles and grounds rule double.
...Infield dirt, foul lines and the patterned grass.
...Cooperstown and Monument Park.
...D.S., C.S. and W.S.
...Klem, Hubbard and McClelland.
...Gehrig's Luckiest Man, Ripken's trot and induction speeches.

But most of all we love baseball because it's our sport. It was there for us through two World wars, the Great Depression and 9/11. It is not ours to keep but only to cherish and pass along to future generations. It is our National Pastime.
Enjoy the Season.

Joba Belongs in the 'Pen

Spring Training is coming to an end and the Yankees are getting ready to head north for the start of the regular season, which will begin April 6th in Baltimore. Over the next few days there will be much discussion of roster spots, rotation, position battles and batting order.

Some of these issues have already been settled- Joe Girardi has named Xavier Nady as the starting right fielder, some will be decided in the next couple of days - an announcement is expected in the near future on who will get one of the most coveted positions in all of sport, the starting center fielder for the New York Yankees. And still other ideas have only recently been brought up, like Girardi's thought of moving Derek Jeter to the lead off spot and having Johny Damon bat second.

However the largest weakness on this much improved squad will go on with no significant change since last season, there is still no strong eighth inning set-up man, also known as "The all-important bridge to Mariano". And the strangest part of it all is that the solution to the problem is on the roster. If the Yankees were to announce tomorrow that Joba Chamberlain is moving to the bullpen, they go from having an average group of relievers to, quite possibly the best in baseball, while only sacrificing their current fourth or fifth starter who would be limited by a season long inning count.

The argument against moving the hulking right-hander is that a big time ace is more important to a team than a relief pitcher, a front line starter will pitch upwards of 200 innings, while a set-up man will pitch in the area of 70, as well as the effect a number one starter brings to a playoff series.

However, these arguments just don't add up with what the Yankees have done over the last few months. In December they went out and got CC Sabathia, who - they're hoping - will be the opening day starter for the next seven years. As well as A.J. Burnett, who will be a very strong number two for the next five years, health permitting. Along with Chien-Ming Wang, it would seem the top three rotation spots in the Bronx are filled quite nicely for some time.

The same however, cannot be said of the Bullpen, sure at the moment the closer position is taken by the greatest reliever of all-time, Mariano Rivera, but he's going to be forty by next opening day. And Damaso Marte and Brian Bruney, who are going to be the set-up men this season, don't exactly inspire fear in opposing managers hearts, nor are they what would be considered closer-in-training material, Joba would fill both those roles immediately.

While it is true that a starter does pitch considerably more innings than bullpen dwellers, Yankee management has said there would be an inning cap on Joba of about 150, and this for a guy who is not very economical with his pitch count all leads to the fact that the average start for the Lincoln Nebraska native will be approximately five innings, just barely enough to have a significant impact on a game and qualify for the win.

If in the 'pen he will be used late in close games and as a "fireman", coming in with runners aboard and the contest on the line, which would be considerably more important outs than the first half of a game. This would insure that the limited amount of pitches available in that right arm are only used in key situations, maximizing the use of the youngster.

The fifth starter spot would go to Phil Hughes who, along with Andy Pettitte, would fill out the back half of a strong rotation. This would put minimal pressure on the man the Yankees refused to trade for Johan Santana last year, while allowing him to show what he has on the big league level.

Chamberlain as a reliever and Hughes as a starter is the best way for the bombers to get the most out of this season, and set themselves up for the future. Yet, for some reason they seem reluctant to take this route, saying that Joba will remain in the rotation. One can only wonder if they will be singing the same tune if by the end of April there is an obvious middle relief issue.

My Two Cents Worth II

March Madness may very well be the best sports tournament we have in this country. 65 teams insure that big parts of America are involved, it's win or go home so there's drama in every game, and when it's all over there won't be any debate as to whether there should be a shared championship.

The six overtime game between Syracuse and UConn was an all time classic. It was not a "great game" because after the third extra session the teams were so drained that the quality of play fell off, but as far as effort is concerned, we may never see a game where so much was left out on the court. Special mention to Jonny Flynn who played an incredible 67 out of 70 minutes.

As a die hard Yankee fan who can't stand A-Rod, the dream for this season is that the hip doesn't heal properly and he's out for the season. With a replacement third baseman the Yankees get back to their old ways of playing baseball, winning with pitching, defense and timely hitting. And when the team celebrates the first World Series title in the new stadium, A-Rod is left watching it on TV somewhere.

For those of you who only follow the N.H.L. once the playoffs start, you can start a little earlier this season. There are so many teams who still have a shot at making the postseason, and so much riding on each game, that it's hard to tell that it's still the regular season. Emotions are at playoff levels, so should your interest.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the N.B.A., while there is a race for the eighth spot in the eastern conference, it's more of a battle of futility, as all the teams battling for the final seed are well under .500. And to be honest you can probably tune out pro basketball for quite some time, as there shouldn't be a whole lot of doubt in the western conference as Kobe and the Lakers run away with it. And in the East the drama will begin in the conference finals as the Celtics go up against the Cavaliers.

Does anyone really care about the World Baseball Classic. Let's be fair any sporting event that has a mercy rule is a joke. The teams get together about a week before they start playing games, the players are not in game shape and there is a pitch count that pitchers cannot cross. The problem is that there is no better time to have it, pitchers log too many innings during the course of a season to play it in November.

The thing that upsets me most about the current President is not his policies per se, it's the fact that most of his idea's were tried before and have proven to be ineffective. What kind of arrogance does it take to see something fail time and time again but still believe that you can do it the right way. Government run health care, and significant government involvement in the economy has been a major disappointment wherever it was tried, I'm not ready to say that Mr. Obama has the special formula to make them work.

An Inconvenient Truth?

The calender says March, but it's a cold, snowy day here in the northeast, and I can't think of a better time to discuss Global Warming, and some of it's surrounding issues.

We have all heard a lot about the subject, and probably formed a fairly strong opinion on the issue, and your view is usually based on your political affiliation, as well as your choice of news medium, if you are a CNN watcher, it's likely you're a strong believer that man made global warming is a serious problem, and we need to stop putting all that CO2 into the atmosphere as soon as possible. If on the other hand, you watch Fox News on a regular basis and listen to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on the radio, you're probably not all that alarmed, and may even believe the whole global warming thing is a hoax.

I am not a scientist and will not pretend to be one here, and I will not give an opinion on the matter one way or the other. I will tell you that there is a tremendous amount of information out there on the subject, and will give my thoughts on some of the things I have learned in my journey into this fascinating subject.

First off, if you doubt global warming at all, don't waste your time watching An Inconvenient Truth, this is not to say that what Al Gore has to say isn't true, but if you are skeptical going in, he doesn't do a very good job of convincing you, he spends a small amount of time explaining the science of how carbon dioxide warms the earth, but most of the film is the affects and possible future affects if the warming continues, if your not buying into the "cause", the "effects" seem rather meaningless.

Global warming doubters have a documentary of their own, The Great Global Warming Swindle was first aired by British TVs Channel 4, and parts of it are available on YouTube and other similar websites, this film does a far better job explaining the science, showing why they don't believe it and giving an alternative theory. They reason that the sun and sun spots are the greatest contributor to climate change, and show some graphs backing up their point. The second half of the presentation deals with how such a controversial scientific theory is so widely accepted in the mainstream as fact, how it became a political topic and some of the affects that global warming alarmist have on the developing world.

Following up on this seemingly far more convincing documentary, I have found that many scientists find the evidence put forth in the film to be questionable at best, including one who was featured in the documentary, saying that his opinion was misrepresented and would like all his parts removed before the film is shown again.

An interesting thing about the subject is the incredibly wide range of opinions that are out there, with just about everyone showing how the science proves their theory to be correct. There is the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who strongly believe in man made global warming. There are deniers some even claiming that over the past decade the world has cooled. And another group of people have decided that they cannot decide, and will err on the side of caution. One of the more interesting views I came across is that of the late Michael Crichton, who wrote the novel Jurassic Park that was later turned into a blockbuster movie, he says that while the world is getting warmer, and humans are contributing to it, the affect is minimal, so there is no serious immediate threat and there are other more important thing to worry about.

The IPCC says that CO2 is causing warming by trapping heat, almost like a blanket around earth. The deniers say that the warming which occurs naturally, causes more CO2 to be taken from earth and put in the atmosphere. The deniers claim that, we have had warmer temperature not all that long ago. The believers say that is faulty information, and temperature going back quite some time would look like a hockey stick, minor fluctuations over a long period representing the stick, and the sudden rise being the blade shooting straight up. Each side would have you believe that the other has ulterior motives, either being controlled by environmentalist or being paid off by major oil companies.

One non science question that still remained is, that with all the skepticism out there, and many reputable scientist denying it, why has global warming been reported as a fact in the news media, and accepted by so many as the truth. Everyone from politicians to major companies have spoken about our carbon footprint and going green as if it is an uncontested fact.

The answer as far as I can tell is that human nature is to look for a story, the next time someone comes up to you and asks "what's up?" simply respond "not much" and see how long the conversation goes. The news media has a vested interest in making things into major stories, more people watch TV, listen to radio and read newspapers if there is a major story going on. Climatologist have jobs because we think studying these things are important, if they were to come out and say there isn't much going on as far as climate is concerned, no one would pay any attention to them, and in time they may end up losing their job, that doesn't mean their studies are wrong but we can't forget who the studiers are. Businesses are about making money by keeping people happy, and if a decent number of their costumers demand something, they understand that they cannot afford to lose them and will therefore oblige, regardless of what they think of the science, plus you will not get a major objection from the deniers if your business does go green.

One of the reasons it has become so popular among the people, who may only like to hear one side of the story, is that many people like to get back at "the man". Some of us like to believe that the big important people are scheming against the average guy in a dark shady room somewhere. Many of the so called important people are the rich business owners, and global warming activists like to pick on big business as one of the main causes of climate change, so this becomes another avenue to fight them, and who could argue when we're talking about saving our planet.

For some of the above reasons many people conclude the science of global warming guilty by association, claiming the only people who believe it are loony lefties and wacko environmentalists, which would just be unfair to the many credible people who have studied and have reason to believe it.

There is so much information out there, on both sides of the ball, that each topic touched on can really be a full post by itself, I decided to condense it all into one post and give a bit on each part. As I said I'm not a scientist and will therefore not give an opinion one way or the other, but I do recommend that you look into the subject and give both sides a fair chance, and I hope you enjoy learning about this topic, I certainly did.