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July 31, 2004

A Brief History of BaseBrawls

There have only been two truly memorable, brutal, violent, why-aren't-these-guys-locked-up baseball fights.

The first was named one of the top-five most unusual moments in baseball history by The Sporting News: Juan Marichal going all Captain Caveman-like on John Roseboro in 1965. The Giants' Marichal sent the Dodgers' Maury Wills and Ron Fairly diving for dirt with two pitches early in the game. When Juan stepped up to the plate to bat in the third at Candlestick, Los Angeles catcher Roseboro decided on a novel attempt at revenge: a brushback from behind the plate.

He tossed the ball close to Marichal's face on his throws back to Sandy Koufax. Roseboro would say after the game that he expected some retaliation from Marichal, but wasn't afraid because he had "studied karate" -- proving once and for all that a Major League catcher and a skinny white nerd from the suburbs getting harassed by jocks have more in common than previously thought.

Faced with both balls flying past his chin and an amateur ninja crouched behind him, Marichal did what any rational individual would do in his situation ... and clubbed Roseboro on the melon with his bat. He opened a wound that would require 14 stitches to close; more importantly, he set off a glorious 14-minute bench-clearing brawl that makes the hug-fests of today's BaseBrawls seem like Promise Keepers meetings by comparison.

Marichal got eight games and a $1,750 fine which, adjusted for inflation, would be about $10 billion today.

The second greatest baseball fight of all-time occurred during a 1988 game between the Seattle Mariners and the California Angels. After the Angels' catcher failed to put away an easy pop-up by Seattle shortstop Armando Criscione, he caught the light-hitting Mariner in a rundown at second base.

Then, for some reason, the home plate umpire came out and intercepted a throw by the second baseman to first. The ump then throws the ball to Criscione (who should have been out right then and there), and Criscione throws it back. Then the home plate ump and the second base ump begin throwing balls at each other, leading announcer Curt Gowdy to exclaim, "I know this is going to sound hard to believe, but the UMPIRES have Criscione in a rundown..."

Long story short, Criscione slides back into first, the home plate umpire calls him safe, and then begins bumping and kicking dirt on another umpire calling him out for running out of the baseline. Tempers flared, and the scoreboard operator decided to take matters into his own hands, calling it the third out of the top of the seventh.

Then all hell broke loose. The home plate umpire runs across the field and tackles Angels rightfielder Reggie Jackson, who was walking slowly over to introduce himself to the Queen of England in her field box. This brings every single player out of the California and Seattle dugouts for a massive brawl that included broken bottles, flying bodies and at least one chair shot.

Meanwhile, Jackson -- in what was later determined to be an elaborate assassination attempt -- is crushed when the home plate umpire hits a rather large female fan with a tranquilizer dart and she falls on Reggie from the upper deck. But this was no mere umpire; it was actually international opera star Enrico Pallazzo in disguise!

The brawl ended when, on the Jumbotron, Pallazzo later tells Priscilla Presley that "the love of a man and a woman doesn't amount to a hill of beans ... but this is our hill, and these are our beans."

As you can see, skirmishes like last weekend's Yankees/Red Sox melee have a pretty high standard to reach. And it didn't even get close to hitting it.

(And why are the Yankees fighting the Red Sox, anyway? Why does the team of 26 world championships bother with the team that hasn't won one since the Wilson Administration? Isn't this like Hulk Hogan, circa 1987, giving Moondog Spot a title shot?)

Talk about much ado about nothing. The worst injury to come out of the fight was a cut on the ear of New York pitcher Tanyon Sturtze, who also suffered -- get ready -- a bruised right pinky finger. What a warrior!

(Keep in mind that 18 years ago, these two franchises had a fight that left Boston's Bill Lee with a broken collarbone.)

Baseball fights are, of course, the biggest joke in professional sports not named Bruce Ratner. Nothing ever happens besides a lot of hugging and posing and tough guy stances ... which means there's not much difference between a BaseBrawl and the majority of Tom Cruise's movies.

Think of a real brawl, in the parking lot of biker bar or something. Then think of a BaseBrawl. And then read the following:

IN A REAL BRAWL: You fight over a girl.
IN A BASEBRAWL: You fight ... like a girl.

IN A REAL BRAWL: Using your mind is as important as using your fists.
IN A BASEBRAWL: Robin Ventura loses his mind and runs into Nolan Ryan's Hall of Fame hamhock. (Seriously, Peter McNeely put up a better fight in 11 seconds against Tyson.)

IN A REAL BRAWL: Cops swarm the area to break up the fight.
IN A BASEBRAWL: Umpires spring into action ... before tiring about five feet from the mound, dropping to their knees, and imagining a giant triple-cheeseburger is hovering over them like the spaceship from ID4.

IN A REAL BRAWL: You always have to watch out for the "old school" guys, who'll go for your eyes first and then beat you down with their designer shoes.
IN A BASEBRAWL: The "old school" guy is an 80-year-old bench coach that looks like the Crank Yankers' version of Popeye, and whose main plan of attack is to pick the skinniest Dominican on the field and bull-rush him like Rhino from the "Spider-Man" comics.

IN A REAL BRAWL: Worst Case Scenario -- you're name will appear in the local weekly paper's Police Beat.
IN A BASEBRAWL: Worst Case Scenario -- you'll be the fifth highlight on the 1 AM SportsCenter, as some overeager "Dream Job" winner likens your fight to "Ja Rule and DMX's possees having a throw-down. BOO-YAAAAA!"

The only purpose BaseBrawls serve is as a marketing tool for Major League Baseball and its dependants. That's why you'll never see a 20-game suspension for leaving the dugout. Because then players wouldn't, ya dig?

It's the same argument people have about hockey fights. If the league wanted to eradicate them, it could levy huge suspensions on players that fight.

The difference is, of course, that hockey is a contact sport and fights serve their purpose (no specifics ... that's an entirely different column). Baseball fights seem to exist because a pitcher has the nerve to throw inside, and the players need an excuse to adjust another guy's cup for 10 minutes.

The bottom line is that the majority of the media labels a hockey fight as barbarian, and a baseball fight as another chapter in the storied history of an intense rivalry. But that's typical of a media that'll do anything to see hockey eliminated from the American sports landscape, but will ignore nearly every cancerous ill affecting baseball just so they can satisfy their inner child.

One more difference: unlike Jason Varitek, hockey players drop their gloves...

ESPN GETS DIRRRRRRRTY

Two actual headlines from ESPN.com this week:

"DNA evidence on table for Kobe hearing Friday"

"Rangers take whiff of Angels' Colon"

So, is this just the work of clever, yet horny, summer interns, or has Chris Berman officially given up the nickname schtick in favor of overt sexual double entendres? (In which case, we sure do wish Marion Butts was still active in the NFL...)

WE GET HATE MAIL

Well, the 'ol inbox has been full of feedback for "Gold Medal Mess," my column on Olympic security. Most have called me an idiot, an asshole or, worse yet, "an Albanian." This one is at least semiliterate. It's a bit long, but impassioned. I'll respond to the personal attacks at the end...

Mr Wyshynski,

It is truly disturbing, deeply problematic for someone to see your deliberate and malicious attempt to badmouth Greece in your "Gold Medal Mess" article of yours, of July 17, 2004 on the issue of Olympic safety.

It is a collection of manipulated facts and perspectives, negative only info-items, all put together so to create a frightening, a terror hyped atmosphere to your readers. In fact its your messy article that should take a gold medal, gold for miserable negativity, cruel bias towards Greece, and for journalistic incompetence.

You argue in your dramatic Lead, that American athletes are facing the very real, very dangerous threat of local and national (meaning probably international) terrorists but also from criminals! in Greece but sir, don't you know that Greece has no enemies, and that Athens is THE safest capital in the whole of Europe! (just read the statistics) that since of summer 2002 its home grown terror group is dismantled ?! Where exactly do you see the very dangerous threat sir?

You mislead your readers by focusing only on the security measures taken - or not taken yet - by the Greeks, refusing to explore the geopolitical position of that country vis-a-vis the rest of the world, and on the issue of terrorism. So you ignore to mention that Greece is a country that: a) does not have problems with Islamic separatism (like the Russians do) b) does not have militaristic or political proximity to Israel (the Jewish targets in Turkey) c) did not participate in the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq (the bombings in Madrid, Spain) d) does not have any al Qaeda cells on its soil.

You ignore to mention the June statement of Interpol's Secretary General Ronald Noble from Helsinki, that talked of no known threats to the August Games, between many other such statements even from US officials! Why sir?

Why the malicious propaganda against Greece?

You talk about personal backround check that "thousands of workers who constructed Olympic facilities in Athens never passed" but sir such measures were never planned by Greek authorities for the simple reason that only the last two years the issue of safety became such a priority (because of 9-11).

It is very disingenuous and unfair to blame the Greeks, when these people are paying ENORMOUS sums of money - money they didn't have to pay when they took the Games in 1997 - to protect primarily American but also British and Israeli athletes and in addition for dangers they, the Greeks, did not create! So you are disrespectful, super-arrogant and biased when you comment ironically on the efforts of the Greeks on security ( 3rd & 8th paragraphs ). You shouldn't.

You are false when you say in your 10th paragraph that geography and history play a role on the probability of a terror threat. Recent history proves exactly the opposite! (Oklahoma, Atlanta, New York, Bali etc)

You are false when you quote the AP that the Olympic Stadium will be completed on August 11, 2004, since the Greek Olympic trials took place there a month and a half ago, a fact that anyone who covers the Olympics know. Strangely you don't.

You are a racist when you say in your 23rd paragraph that we should blame the French if an attack occurs in Greece.

You lie in your 5th paragraph when you say that immigrants coming from Albania and FYROM are not checked, since the Greek state has agreed with all of its neighbors, including Turkey, to patrol more attentively their respected borders.

Continuing with your miserable negativity you involve, in your 22nd paragraph, the four-hour blackout in Athens with the ability of the Greek special forces to deal with potential terrorists although the link between them is hard to comprehend. Are you arguing that potential terrorists will wait until a new blackout so to attack or that the blackout will affect the performance of the seven nation secret agents or the Greek security forces ?! Sir, even to laugh is difficult.

You are an hypocrite to talk about low ticket sales, since it is biased articles like this one the threat that make people in the Anglo-American world avoiding a trip to Greece and to the Games. This fact was actually reported recently in a UK media outlet. You ignore also to mention that the majority of the unsold tickets are of average or low price, and most of them will be bought more likely right before or during the Games.

Finally your kicker - as with your title and Lead - take as a given your "passionate agenda " but an agenda that is not journalism sir. Strangely Mr Jewell, the security guard from Atlanta gives an appropriate spin, a spin your article fairly deserves: Leave the security forces alone to do their job Mr Wyshynski and get a life!

Maybe then you will understand the importance of doing fair and responsible journalism away of nationalistic hysterias and you
will stop abusing your privileged position to attack the CHARACTER of Greece, France or any other country your biased agenda yearns for.

Nico Paul Nicolaides

This guy made one great point: being a sports columnist is a privileged position, because otherwise you're just some guy writing 907-word e-mails to a sports columnist you disagree with; I'll take the former every time.

While it's true that Greek officials have made strides against domestic terrorism, it's still as much an issue as international terror. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, for example, has this advisory for travelers to the Summer Games:

"Domestic anarchist groups remain active. So far their actions have primarily been directed against the Greek state, Greek institutions and commercial and diplomatic interests. Incidents have often involved the use of improvised explosive devices aimed at causing material damage. Two recent incidents have targeted UK commercial interests."

At one point, I think this guy called me a racist for saying if there's an attack at the Games, we should try to "pin it all on the French."

Yes, I'm a racist, just like you have an incredible aptitude for detecting sarcasm, Nic...

My new friend must have been all worn out when he skipped over an entire section in my column about Amnesty International slamming the Greek government for multiple human rights violations, racial profiling, and for not defining what "terror acts" are in its legal language. In case you're interested, it's paragraph 13, Nic...

Look, I don't have the time or the interest to do a point-by-point rebuttal of this letter. But since the column was published, we've seen:

1. American, Israeli, and British security officers and over 400 U.S. special forces granted permission to be armed and present around their respective athletes at the Games. This comes after Greek officials originally objected their initial request, citing "Greek law."

2. Australian Prime Minister Michael Howard say he is worried about the safety of his country's athletes: "I cannot honestly say to you that I am certain that they are going to be fully protected." (Reuters)

3. A sudden failure of almost 50,000 phone lines in northern Athens, which left key Olympic venues without connections for hours. (Reuters ... but then again, the phones won't matter in a blackout, anyway.)

Look, Greece should be applauded for spending as much as it has on security, and for bringing in NATO and international military experts to assist. But to completely dismiss charges that Athens was behind on its construction and, therefore, its security measures, is asinine. But no more so than claiming that most of the tickets still available for events "will be bought more likely right before or during the Games."

That's 3.1 million tickets, according to the Associated Press.

Hope you have a big family, Nic. Thanks for reading...

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

Fifty Ways to Leave Your Team

During NFL training camps, the majority of the news concentrates on position battles and the impact that incoming free agents and rookies will have on the team. Most teams would like to think that after free agency, the draft, and contract signings that once camps open, the only players to leave the team are the ones who are cut by the coaching staff.

This is not always the case and every year several players do not get cut by their team and yet still do not end up finishing training camp. In fact, there are many ways that players leave teams.

During a 16-game NFL season, injuries are the X-factor. Any team can see their fortunes go downhill if enough or key players get injured. This is a known hazard in the NFL during the season, but is not expected in the offseason.

However, the offseason now is filled with mini-camps, organized team activities and even "optional" training sessions. The San Francisco 49ers received a big scare this offseason when QB Tim Rattay was injured during a mini-camp in May. While the injury did not end Rattay's career, the 49ers' season depends upon how well Rattay recovers.

Some preseason injuries can have devastating effects. Ki-Jana Carter, a number one overall draft pick in 1995 of the Cincinnati Bengals, injured his knee in his first preseason. Carter missed his entire first season because of the injury. After returning, Carter never lived up to his billing and became just another name in a line of busts picked at number one by the Bengals.

Last season, the Atlanta Falcons were anticipating an exciting year. Every game was sold out and the team and its fans were ready to watch the Falcons take the next step and build upon their playoff appearance from the season before. All those expectations came crashing down when QB Michael Vick broke his leg in the first quarter in the first preseason game.

Instead of a dream season, the Falcons watched their team struggle mightily without their star. By the time Vick returned, the Falcons were far out of playoff contention.

Some players begin training camp with their team only to fall prey to injury. Other players never even get to take the field before injury sidelines them. Oakland Raider safety Rod Woodson was released because he failed his physical. Woodson was a big part of the Raider team that went to the Super Bowl just two years ago. However, injury problems from last season put Woodson on the bench for several games and, obviously, his health has not improved.

Another Woodson, Darren in Dallas, had back surgery on a herniated disc and will be out eight weeks. It is hoped he will return for the second game of the season. The frustrating aspect for the team is why players do not address injury problems in the offseason. The Super Bowl is over by February and training camps open in August. That is a great deal of time to get to the doctor. Yet every year, some player has a major surgery in August that could have been completed in February.

While a player's off-field activities should not impact on his play, a number of players will see their playing time diminished because of their life outside of football.

Several players in the NFL find themselves suspended for various off-field issues. The vast majority of these suspensions will last for only a few games.

Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman will not play in the first three games this season due to his ongoing off-field problems. Pittman will be able to return. The same cannot be said for defensive tackle Darrell Russell, a player with a long history of off-field troubles. Russell has seen his share of suspensions for many reasons during his time with the Raiders. The Bucs decided to take a chance on him and signed him for a cheap price for a proven defensive lineman.

Russell did not see this as a last chance to stay in the NFL and the Bucs released him before training camp even began and the NFL has suspended him indefinitely for violations of the drug abuse policy.

Of course, no preseason would be complete without the inevitable holdouts.

Players will not attend training camp for several contractual reasons. Charles Woodson in Oakland will protest being named the franchise player and skip training camp until he gets a better deal. Apparently $8 million a year is well below Woodson's expectations.

Ty Law in New England has made a great deal of noise this offseason with respect to the disrespect he says he is receiving from the Patriots. Law has also stated he will not report to camp. Woodson and Law are not alone in this tactic as Julian Petersen in San Francisco is also stating he is going to holdout.

Most of these hold-outs will sort themselves out sometime over the pre-season and at least these players have played for the team they are now negotiating with.

While obtaining draft choices is a building block for teams, signing all these rookies can be block all on its own. The San Diego Chargers had Eli Manning on their team for about an hour before dealing him to the New York Giants for Phillip Rivers and a bunch of draft picks. The Chargers were told by Manning that he would sit out the entire year and re-enter the draft if San Diego chose him with the number one pick.

Manning has signed with his new team, the New York Giants, and other top draft picks have also signed with their teams. But, is there a 2004 draft pick who will be like Bo Jackson and never sign with the team that drafted him? Jackson sat out the entire season after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in 1986 with the first overall pick and re-entered the draft the next year and the Raiders took him. Of course, John Elway also never played a down with the team that selected him, either. It took four days after the draft for the Baltimore Colts to get a deal done with the Denver Broncos.

Cleveland Brown rookie TE Kellen Winslow, Jr. could be on that path after his agents, the infamous Poston brothers, rejected a deal that reportedly matches the deal reached with the No. 5 pick in the draft (Winslow was No. 6) in Washington and exceeds the money Kansas City guaranteed Tony Gonzalez, the premier TE in the game.

Not only can injuries and contracts prevent players from playing, the salary cap also plays a part. The rules of the cap allow for players to be released after June 1 and let the team spread the salary cap hit, if any, over two seasons.

Normally, players who are to be released for salary cap purposes are released on June 1st as it is evident that there is no way that a contract can be done. These players are also normally picked up by another team fairly quickly. By the time late July comes around, teams are fairly set with their rosters and know what positions will have a healthy competition and what positions are set.

RB Eddie George was released in late July by the Tennessee Titans after the two sides could not come up with a deal. George did not want to take a pay cut and still thought he had the step that he did earlier in this career. As a result, the Titans released George. The Dallas Cowboys picked him up the same week.

The interesting thing is that George signed for exactly the same base salary as Tennessee was offering. Eddie George has been a great back for a number of years, but he is not the player he was three years ago and everyone but George knows it. Even the Cowboys have only offered George incentives to boost his salary and it remains to be seen if he can make those incentives. In Nashville, the running back competition is pretty open, but it must throw a bit of a wrench in plans to have George released so late.

Eddie George is not the only player who is looking at his career backwards in time. Jason Gildon, a Pro Bowl selection the last three years, also had a salary figure in his mind during contract negotiations. The trouble is, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have the same number in mind. As a result, the Steelers released Gildon and he signed with the Buffalo Bills for a very cheap salary for a Pro Bowl linebacker.

Whether the Steelers, Bills, Titans, or Cowboys made the right choice will be known later this season.

The NFL is a business with millions of dollars in play. Decisions about players are made by owners, general managers and coaches. Although there is one decision that a player can make and that is when to retire. There are also a few ways to do this.

John Elway retired shortly after his second Super Bowl title in 1999. The timing of Elway's announcement left lots of opportunity for the Denver Broncos to develop their plan for replacing him. (Although that plan is still being developed five years later.)

Bronco backup QB Steve Beuerlein signed with the Carolina Panthers for the sole purpose of retiring as a Panther. Neither the Broncos nor the Panthers had Beuerlein in their plans this season and, as a result, had little effect on either team.

However, Ricky Williams retired his own way. After attending all the mini-camps and training sessions, Williams waited to announce his retirement at the worst possible time for the Miami Dolphins. With the draft over and all free agent signings complete, Williams' stunning decision has left the Dolphins with a huge hole in their team that they will most likely not recover from.

Coach Dave Wannstedt is all but fired this year as the running game for the Dolphins will be non-existent and the passing game will rely on either inconsistent Jay Fiedler or unproven A.J. Feeley.

This preseason, there will be more injuries, holdouts, and retirements. There may be some other way we have yet to hear of that a player will stumble upon and find his way out of football. Hopefully, whoever he is, he hasn't produced 3,200 yards and 25 touchdowns for his team over the last two years.

Posted by Jeff Moore at 11:29 PM | Comments (0)

Dealing at the Deadline

The Dodgers showed something at the trade deadline they had lacked for some time ... aggression. New General Manager Paul DePodesta pulled the trigger on a deal that sent fan favorite and clubhouse leader Paul Lo Duca, along with Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion, to the Florida Marlins for Hee Seop Choi and the real prize, Brad Penny.

Los Angeles has been outstanding over the past month, but DePodesta was realistic, rationalizing that his team could only go so far with a starting rotation featuring Kaz Ishii, Jeff Weaver, Wilson Alvarez, and Jose Lima. It's a miracle the Dodgers have maintained their current lead.

Brad Penny is a front-line starter. He will supply a much-needed power arm to the staff. There are no doubts about Penny's ability, exemplified by his postseason outings from a year ago.

The issue, though, is did the Dodgers give up too much? If Lo Duca was the heart of the club, Mota was the soul. Eric Gagne only has to get three outs because of how effective Mota has been all season.

Last year, the bridge to Gagne was Mota and Paul Quantrill. Quantrill joined the Yankees in the winter, leaving Mota to shoulder much of the burden alone, which he has done all year. Mota was in high demand, and now Gagne could be asked to get more than his standard three outs with regularity.

Lo Duca isn't just one of the best catchers in the game, he is also the clubhouse leader. Losing him is certainly a risk, but one DePodesta had to make if his club was to have any aspirations come October.

As for the Marlins, they filled every hole they had. Ivan Rodriguez has been an enormous loss for the champs, and Lo Duca brings the same kind of veteran leadership Pudge had with the squad last year.

Billy Koch was brought in to further the rejuvenation project that has existed in Florida over the past few years. Armando Benitez, who nobody wanted, has become one of the top closers in the game. Billy Koch though, remains an enigma.

The problem for the Marlins has been getting the ball to Benitez. Mota offers the middle relief help Koch couldn't provide, and bringing back Encarnacion allows Jeff Conine to move to first, minimizing the loss of Choi.

This is the kind of proactive move that help teams advance to the postseason. With so few sellers on the market, it's extraordinary to see to buyers dealing with each other. Usually, the Royals, Diamondbacks, Pirates, (fill in the blank team who has no shot of the playoffs) selling their best player to the team that can afford him.

It's nice to see a trade not predicated on money, but one that is done in mutual interest. This is what baseball used to be about. Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. That was a trade. Carlos Beltran for A's prospects, not so much of a trade.

And Randy Johnson looks as if he'll stay in Arizona. How refreshing it is not to see the Yankees, who have spent $180 million, send their payroll further in the stratosphere by obtaining the five-time Cy Young winner. If that deal had been agreed upon, Bud Selig might have had no choice but to intervene and utilize the best interests in the game clause.

If the Yanks had obtained the big lefty, there is no way they would have been stopped en route to their 27th championship. I don't care how many years the Yankees had gone without winning it all ... the Big Unit would have sealed the deal for the Bronx Bombers.

Finally, being forced to live in the New York area and listening to sports radio incessantly, the one prospect it seemed the Mets would never depart with was Scott Kazmir, until they traded him for Zambrano ... Victor Zambrano.

No, not Carlos, the oft sought-after Zambrano, but the wild and crazy Victor from Tampa Bay. Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson claims he sees a flaw that's easily correctable that will control the hard-throwing Zambrano's wild side.

I don't know much about pitching, but I know Lou Piniella is a pretty smart manager. And something tells me that if the problem was as correctable as Peterson makes it sound, Lou would have stumbled upon it.

Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano? The media made it sound as if the Mets wouldn't trade Kazmir for Randy Johnson ... and he turns into Victor Zambrano? I hope Mets General Manager Jim Duquette knows what he's doing, or it could be another long decade in Queens.

Posted by Piet Van Leer at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2004

Ricky Williams in Perspective

Five Quick Hits

* My computer was down for most of June, and I somehow missed Bill Parcells' reference to "Jap plays," which most of us just call "trick plays" or "surprise plays". Classy. But invoking an attack in which many people died, and the era of racially-motivated hatred that followed it, strikes me as less than hilarious.

* Parcells also prefaced his remark with, "No offense to the Orientals." Aside from the outdated term for Asians, doesn't saying that indicate that Parcells realized he was probably going to offend some people? It's probably better to keep your funny joke to yourself in situations like that.

* I'll have a revised number when I do my preseason power rankings at the beginning of September, but for now, I see the Dolphins at 7-9 or so.

* I'm not sold on the Patriots.

* The Raiders cut Rod Woodson. If no one else signs him, we'll see Rod in Canton in five years.

When it comes to the Ricky Williams drama, talk is cheap. I'm ready for someone to tell me TBS is making a mini-series about the whole thing. Speculation, opinions, exaggerations, accusations ... the whole thing is being blown out of proportion.

It's been very popular this week to compare Williams' early retirement to those of Barry Sanders and Robert Smith. Sanders, on the eve of both training camp and Walter Payton's all-time rushing record, announced his retirement. Smith, coming off the best season of his successful, but injury-plagued career, retired after the 2000 season. I'd say the Smith comparison has more merit, for several reasons.

First of all, Sanders is a Hall of Famer. He made 10 All-Pro teams and 10 Pro Bowls in a 10-year career. He retired with the fourth-highest average per carry in NFL history, and second-highest marks in career rushing yards, single-season rushing yards, and single-season average per carry (min. 150 att.).

Smith and Williams made a combined two All-Pro teams and three Pro Bowls. You mention Sanders' early retirement in the same sentence as Jim Brown's. You mention Williams with Smith and Napoleon Kaufman.

Smith has expressed empathy for Williams this week, and the two seem to share many ideas about the importance or unimportance of playing professional football. "Football was what I did, but it was not who I was," Smith said. "I think [Williams] feels the same way." Sanders, in contrast, doesn't appear to view Williams as a kindred spirit. "I'm as surprised as anyone. Even for me, it seems very strange."

But I'm not interested in examining Ricky's motives for retiring, or in speculating on whether he'll be back. I'm in this for the football. That means brass tacks consist of two things: Williams' legacy, and the 2005 Dolphins. Let's start with Miami.

If Ricky Williams ever had a grudge against the Dolphins, he's paid it back. That's the one way in which a comparison to Sanders is valid: both he and Williams screwed their teams over by retiring shortly before an upcoming season. What Williams did was unfair to everyone in the Dolphins organization (including his presumed replacement, Travis Minor).

As a team with a mediocre passing game and a strong defense, it's natural for Miami to rely on a powerful running game, and Williams was supposed to be the core of that. As everyone has already pointed out, James Stewart and Stacey Mack are available, and I think it would be a mistake for the Dolphins not to sign one of them. Stewart is an underrated back who can probably be had for something near the veteran minimum since he missed all of last season with an injury. Mack is an effective situational runner who's strong between the tackles. Although signing Mack or Stewart should help, whatever they do, Miami's season is shot.

Not, however, because Williams was a dominating force. People have been writing that Williams may have thrown away a Hall of Fame career. And I guess that's possible, but it sure seems unlikely. He had one great season, very similar to Jamal Anderson's 1998 campaign. Williams had seven more rushing yards, 44 more receiving yards, one more TD, and two more fumbles than Anderson. Both led the league in carries, and it was the third 1000-yard season for both. Williams, in his other four seasons, was solid but unremarkable. Never averaged four yards a carry. Never ran for 10 TDs. Rushed for 14 yards on six carries in his only playoff game, a blowout loss.

Ricky appeared a little worn-down last year, with a combined 775 carries in his two seasons in Miami. That's an NFL record; no one else has ever had so many rushing attempts in consecutive years. He was still carrying the ball, still getting yards, but the energy he showed in 2002 was gone. His 3.5 average per carry tied the career-low he set as a rookie and was nearly a yard and a half worse than his 4.84 average the previous season.

Peter Schaffer, an agent whose clients include Sanders, says, "Everybody wants to group all of these running backs together -- Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Robert Smith, Ricky Williams -- but I think it's just coincidental that they all play the same position." Well, I don't. Running backs take the hardest beating of any players in the game. They get hit on almost every play, and usually by someone running at full speed. Their careers are, on average, the shortest of any position.

There is a laundry list of great running backs who were forced to retire early because of injury. In the last 25 years, you have Billy Sims, William Andrews, Earl Campbell, Bo Jackson, and Terrell Davis.

Great players -- especially RBs -- used to retire early all the time, and they weren't treated like headcases because of it. Hall of Famer Doak Walker played for only six seasons. Brown, with nine years experience and having never missed a game, retired after a season in which he was named league MVP. Deacon Dan Towler probably would have made the Hall of Fame if he hadn't quit football to join the ministry after only six seasons in the pros. Terry Metcalf, a Herschel Walker-type triple threat in the mid-'70s, retired after five productive seasons with the Cardinals before an aborted one-year comeback attempt with Washington four years later. The list goes on.

There's nothing wrong with leaving the game before your skills deteriorate so much that you're no good any more. And people are making it seem as though Williams has thrown away his life's pursuit. "He might have gone to the Hall of Fame!" If Peyton Manning or Richard Seymour retired tomorrow, you say that. If Williams hadn't been so exceptional in college, there would be much less fuss. Ricky Williams didn't walk away from his passion. He was just being Ricky Williams.

The shame of this all is the timing. If Williams had announced his decision in February, like Smith did, I wouldn't have a bad word to say about him. But that's the problem. Football wasn't his top priority, and now he's acting like it isn't anyone else's, either. That's the kind of attitude that caused Ricky himself so much trouble when he first entered the league: assuming that everyone is the same.

Now, we all know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Williams is different. Good for him. It's refreshing to see a professional athlete with other interests and priorities.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 4:00 PM | Comments (0)

Mixed Soup: Around the Tennis World

While the after-Wimbledon minor clay court tournaments are winding down in Europe and the hard-court season is in full-gear in preparation for the U.S. Open, let's take a closer look at what is happening in and around the ATP and WTA tours.

Following her loss to Lindsay Davenport in the finals of JP Morgan Classic, Serena Williams gave all the credit to Davenport by saying, "Lindsay played a great match." Venus Williams could learn a thing or two from her younger sister about giving credit to others.

She claimed that her sister, Serena, did not even play at 50-percent against young Russian Maria Sharapova in the finals of Wimbledon, or she would have won. Equally, following her loss to Lindsay Davenport in the finals of Bank of the West Tournament, Venus again claimed, this time for herself, that if she would have been completely healthy, she would have "won the match for sure." Dear Venus, you know how that saying goes: "You fool me once, shame on you. You fool me twice, shame on me"?

Marcelo Rios officially retired from professional tennis earlier in July. The word official is the key in this sentence. He was already retired in the eyes of many tennis lovers due to his numerous blunders. English and grass-court fans retired him long ago when he repeatedly refused to play Wimbledon and grass court tournaments citing that, "Grass courts are for cows."

Female fans retired him when he made obscene remarks few years back about the size of a prominent WTA player. Fans who appreciate the notion of "100-percent hustle" retired him when he showed up in the finals of the Australian Open and put forth a dismal effort against Petr Korda and retired of numerous other matches, some questionably, citing various injuries. ATP officials and referees wished him retired for a long time due to his many verbal scuffles with them. Official? It's just a word.

Jelena Dokic finally admitted that she basically has no contact anymore with her psycho dad. The latest page in this soap opera turned when Damir Dokic claimed that Jelena was using performance-enhancing drugs. Jelena said that he was trying to "screw her up, and that is sad." I beg to disagree.

What is pretty sad is that for years everyone knew how unbalanced this guy was, except Jelena herself. She even defended him when he physically assaulted people at Wimbledon one year. Then she followed his every word as he made her switch nationalities like changing wristbands. It's never too late to see the light, but one can't help but ask what planet has Jelena been all this time.

By the way, if Damir is correct about his allegation, Jelena's performance certainly does not show it. Her record stands at 6-14 and is ranked 27th, the lowest since 1999.

The tennis world is congratulating Pam Shriver on her newborn son, Georgie. After all, she deserves applause since she is 42-years-old. Yet, I still feel that I should intervene here. How about a round of hands for her husband, the ex-James Bond, George Lazenby? The guy is 65-years-old, for crying out loud!

I appreciate the efforts of the powers that be in creating what is called the "U.S. Open Series." ESPN pushes the idea, showing nine tournaments on TV, ultimately leading to the U.S. Open. What is the best thing about this concept? Well, most matches are live! Ratings are up in the first two weeks compared to last year. Hopefully, ESPN will learn a lesson and chuck the idea of taped matches away, eliminating the squeezing of matches into a time slot, or the rush by fans to not look at the Internet in fear of seeing the score of a match that will be on the tube later.

What is the worst part? Clearly, the answer is the U.S. Open Series rankings. Who needs an extra set of rankings when we already have two on the men's side? Currently, Nicolas Kiefer is number one in the U.S. Open Series Rankings. Let's get real, how much interest does that name generate around this continent?

Nevertheless, the rest of the season on both tours should be terrific as new rivalries flourish on men's side, and rankings get deeper on the women's side.

Until next time, I am looking forward to enjoying the countless hours of tennis on the tube. I can't wait until the U.S. Open!

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 3:31 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2004

Giambi Concerns Loom Over Yankees

It's been a long season for New York Yankee slugger Jason Giambi. First, he was mentioned in the steroid scandal and then his strength was sapped by an intestinal parasite. Can the Yankees survive without their cleanup hitter?

The Evil Empire, which is formally known as the New York Yankees, has been able to weather injuries to Kevin Brown, Mike Mussina, Bernie Williams, and now Jason Giambi to lead the Red Sox in the American League East race. However, the latest setback to perennial 100-RBI-man Giambi has raised eyebrows about the future health of the former Oakland A's star.

The Yankees appear so concerned about Giambi that they had Fred McGriff, the aged Crime Dog, in for a workout this week. A potential Tony Clarke/McGriff platoon would do little to strike fear in the Yankees opponents. Who knows, maybe the Yanks will look acquire a first baseman before the trade deadline at the end of the month.

The press was a little suspect this past spring when Giambi came into spring training looking a lot thinner than in previous years. It was as if somebody had taken the spinach away from the left-handed hitting Popeye.

Maybe it was a foreshadowing of things to come; after all, his .221 average with 11 homeruns and 36 RBIs in 70 games this season are well below his career averages. Heck, those homerun numbers are even below former Baltimore Oriole shortstop Mark Belanger's career total of 20.

So, can the Yankees win without Giambi? Part of me says, "Who cares!" but the rational portion of my brain believes that anything is possible. The Florida Marlins proved last year that a hot team is a dangerous team. The Yankees expend so much energy on the Boston Red Sox that they rarely have anything left for other teams. I must admit that those Yankee/Red Sox games are the most entertaining I've seen since the Yankees/Mets Subway Series.

Baseball aside, we all hope that any news that Jason Giambi gets this week is anything but life-threatening. The Yankees slugger should know that health is much more important than hitting homeruns into the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will continue winning games, and hopefully Giambi will be wearing his familiar number 25 again real soon!

Posted by Marc James at 9:43 PM | Comments (0)

Ricky Deserves Praise, Not Criticism

Ricky Williams has single-handedly ruined the Miami Dolphins' season. Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're going to stink. But any criticism laid Ricky's way is a sad reflection of the importance we place on sports.

If people were as emotionally involved and informed about how multi-national corporations are employing children to make their clothes at insanely low wages, more people would be tipping their hats to Williams. Ricky bought his freedom; instead of being up in arms, we should cheer him for his courage to do it.

I understand -- I love football, too, more than I like to admit. These guys are my winter. They give me a chance to see things done I could never (but more importantly, wish I could) do with my body. So I know what this means to die-hard Dolphins fans. It is important for fans to understand Williams must live the life he wants to, not what we wanted.

This has nothing to do with the fan, and it shouldn't. If you want to get mad at someone for giving your life an unfair kick in the ass, then look into the practices of Wal-Mart.

Williams never had a problem showing up to camp, he even lost a few pound this offseason. Obviously, Ricky was not taking his team for granted. Ricky Williams is not a coward or a quitter, either. Quitters and cowards are afraid to stop doing things they don't want to and Ricky simply didn't want to play football anymore.

Who are we to begrudge him that? Perhaps some are a little jealous, I know I am. What a life this guy has now, a little grass and a world to travel without money worries. He can still walk, too, that's always a bonus in life.

For once, it isn't about money, either. Not only did Williams walk out on three-plus million this year, but there is still a chance the Dolphins will sue him. If they succeed, the Dolphins would get over three million for the next three years.

Because of the high-profile of an NFL star, people expect him to be loyal and consider everyone that relies on him. What loyalty? There's loyalty in the NFL? If you are that worried about loyalty, interview the common man who just lost his job after five years of service and has a pregnant wife, two sons, three cats, and house and car payments. Oh, by the way, this man's family doesn't have any health insurance, either.

Consider this, how many of us wish we could save enough money to pursue other undisciplined interests we never tried before? We would be considered gutsy, lucky, and brave to have made such a radical change. It took me three weeks to decide to order cable TV and still, after shuffling long distance carriers and only expanding my monthly budget by $13, I feel like there is some impeding doom about to pounce on me and add getting cable to a list of dumb things I have done in my life.

Athletes always say that if your heart is not in it, you need to get out. Would Dolphin fans rather have Ricky in camp doing a half-hearted job? Wouldn't that be letting his and fans down? Let's remember that it is just a sport and our lives haven't really changed.

Posted by Gary Geffen at 9:05 PM | Comments (2)

July 28, 2004

What's So Wrong With the Right Decision?

Many people would have you believe that Carlos Delgado is a coward, a baseball player who refuses to strive for true greatness, who is content to wallow away with a mediocre team rather than succeed on a higher level in a tight pennant race.

When Delgado, the Toronto Blue Jays' slugging first baseman, made it known that he would not waive his no-trade clause so that the Jays could ship him off to a contender, he was roundly and swiftly criticized.

In many people's eyes, his refusal amounted to waving a white flag. He was giving up on a chance to reach new heights. He was giving up on a chance to make a real difference in a run to the World Series. Most of all, he was giving up on being competitive.

And in sports, that's a cardinal sin. If you don't want to compete, you might as well pack up your locker and hit the road.

Naturally, then, Delgado was accused of being a less than fierce competitor, someone who doesn't really care about winning. Some took it a step further and suggested that Delgado was actually afraid of stepping up and contributing to a team gunning for the playoffs. To them, it was a show of cowardice, pure and simple.

But it can't be that simple. Maybe in the back of his mind, Delgado is a little bit afraid of jumping in head-first to a pennant race. But more likely, he's just afraid of leaving the place he's called home for his entire career.

He's afraid of destroying the life he's built in Toronto, afraid of losing the level of comfort he's reached there. And as surprising as it is in this day and age, he might even feel some loyalty to the organization.

Is that so wrong? Is he a coward because he wants to do what's best for him in a personal rather than professional sense? In any other walk of life, the answer would be no. But in sports, where a strong sense of machismo always bubbles right below the surface, the answer is yes.

We've seen the criticism before.

Last season, Rafael Palmeiro vetoed a trade to the Cubs because he didn't want to leave his family and his home in Texas. Matt Williams refused trades from the Diamondbacks because he wanted to stay at home in Arizona.

And we'll certainly see the criticism boil over again. If Randy Johnson is still in Arizona after the trade deadline, many will wonder if it was Johnson or the Diamondbacks who made the decision to keep him there. As it stands now, Johnson will only agree to a trade if he gets sent to a team that is guaranteed to make the playoffs. The reason is simple -- he doesn't want to leave his home without getting a pretty big payoff.

That's the same logic Seattle's John Olerud used when he refused to waive his no-trade clause earlier this month. He said he didn't want to up and leave his family just to play on a contending team for a few months. Now, Olerud may not be playing on any team. The Mariners released him after his refusal.

That Seattle was willing to part ways with Olerud so quickly and unceremoniously is disturbing. But in a way, that's just business.

The really disturbing thing is the criticism he's sure to hear. Like Delgado, Olerud is doing what's best for him and his family. There's no reason he should be vilified.

But there are reasons in the world of sports. Maybe it's the competition. We expect our professional athletes to always be the best they can be, to always rise to the challenge.

Or maybe it's the singular focus we've seen in the most elite of athletes, the ability to put aside everything else and concentrate only on the task at hand.

But perhaps the biggest reason is that we almost expect athletes to be robots. When we go to games, we watch the players do their jobs and cheer them on. When it's over, though, we go back to our lives and our families. The players just go back to playing another day.

At least, that's what a lot of sports fans may think. It's obviously not true, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. Athletes put on super-human displays on the field, so how can they be human off it?

The athletes find a way, whether their fans realize it or not. They have wives and kids. They have homes. They have dogs to walk and cats to feed.

It's only when an athlete like Delgado decides to move that personal life to the top of the priority list that people see the human side.

And that's a shame because we need to see more of that human side. It's a shame, too, because a shift in priorities always leads to the aforementioned criticism. In reality, it should lead to celebration, or at the very least, respect

Yes, some people would have you believe that Carlos Delgado and others like him are showing nothing but cowardice for putting their families or their homes before their careers.

But I think bravery might be a better word.

Posted by William Geoghegan at 1:31 AM | Comments (3)

July 27, 2004

Williams Retires to Tin Shack

Everyone who played sports as a child remembers the one kid who would always quit in the middle of a game to go inside and play Magic the Gathering. The teams would be messed up and the game would be over. No amount of coercion could get the kid back on the playing field where he belonged. He would just whine about how he didn't want to play anymore, and it just didn't make sense. Ricky Williams is that kid.

"I don't want to be in this business anymore," Ricky Williams told the Miami Herald. It was that simple for him. Just like that, in the mind of Ricky Williams, he was free from his obligations to the Dolphins. A few days after it happened, it still hasn't sunk in for most people.

"I'm finally free," Williams said. This all seems like some bad dream (maybe Williams thinks he is in Martin Luther King's dream, and that is he is "free at last"). I keep thinking that Ricky is going to wake up, take off his wedding dress (it was Williams who posed on an ESPN The Magazine cover in a wedding dress) and get back to work.

This makes about as much sense as Red Sox fan and Presidential hopeful John Kerry being interviewed by ESPN and saying that if he is elected, he will try to abolish the Yankees (it's only fitting that John Kerry associates himself with a perennial loser).

Apparently, Ricky has been thinking about this for awhile, but he neglected to tell anyone. One week before camp starts, he leaves his team high and dry. That's it. His teammates deserved better, the fans deserved better. They have backed him for so long, and the fans are the ones that pay his salary. How does he repay them? Packs up his wedding dress and heads overseas.

"I never remember being this happy," Williams said. That doesn't come as a surprise. I bet Williams doesn't remember what he had for breakfast, or even if he is wearing pants. While Williams tested positive for marijuana in the spring, I think that was just the beginning of his extra curricular activities.

"The people in Jamaica, living in these little tin shacks, they were the happiest people I've ever seen," Williams said.

"This is an opportunity to be a real role model," Williams said. "Everyone wants freedom. Human beings aren't supposed to be controlled and told what to do."

Ricky Williams will definitely go down in history as one of freedom's greatest champions. William Wallace, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King can't compare to what Ricky Williams did for mankind. He taught them to be free. Free from a tough life of millions of dollars, a lavish lifestyle, and the slight restrictions of drug use, all things no man should ever have to endure.

There is definitely no question that he is a role model. He showed kids that the real way to succeed in life is to just quit when you don't like something and then do a lot of drugs. Forget the DARE program, and enroll in Ricky's Double Dog Dare program, where he encourages youths to experiment with what the man has been holding back from him.

Ricky is portraying himself as a man who thinks the best course of action when things get tough is to quit and as a man who enjoys occasionally donning a wedding dress. If he stopped bathing for awhile, one would get the impression that he was trying to make a run at being the spokesperson for the entire country of France.

Williams does know he needs to be a man with a plan to be a good role model. "I have no idea what I'm going to do," Williams said. "I'm halfway intelligent, I'll figure something out."

I consider Hollywood Harlot and famed druggie Courtney Love to be halfway intelligent, so I have no problem granting Williams the same title.

Williams doesn't know where his travels will take him or what he will do, but he knows he will enjoy it. The Miami Dolphins certainly won't enjoy it, but I don't think this is the last we will hear from Ricky. If the Dolphins get in a crunch next year, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone search overseas to bring Ricky back in.

He shouldn't be hard to find, he'll be the one in the tin shack with the wedding dress drying outside.

Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 11:37 PM | Comments (3)

An Open Letter to Kobe Bryant

Dear Kobe,

How are you? How is your summer coming along so far? I know that last season was a trying one for you, what with your on-going feud with a certain 7-1, 340-pound teammate, the shoulder injuries, the loss to the Pistons, and, oh, by the way, that legal problem in Colorado. But, you've had all summer to put all of that stuff behind you and start fresh.

And, to this point, you've done pretty well for yourself. You told everyone that you would file for free agency at the conclusion of the season ... and you did. You were the most highly sought-after free agent on the market, which must have been great for your ego. You were able to hold at least two teams, the Lakers and Clippers, hostage until you finally came to a decision. And when you finally did make your decision, choosing to return to the Lakers, you did so after the team had undergone a stunning transformation, one that many claim you helped orchestrate.

Fairly or not, you are now viewed as the puppet master, the one pulling all the strings of owner Jerry Buss, forcing him to make one of the most difficult decisions in the history of team sports: Kobe or Shaq?

So, I guess congratulations are in order. You won. You got what you've wanted all along. You got your max contract and Shaq got shown the door. You are now the unquestioned leader of this new-look Laker team, while Shaq has been shipped off to South Beach and Pat Riley. No longer do you have to argue with him over whose team it is. You don't ever have to worry about dumping the ball inside to the "Big Soundbyte" again. You don't have to worry about whether or not he's in shape. The fate of the Lakers now rests on your twice-separated shoulders. Just what you've always wanted.

However, there is a problem with all that. Although often out-of-shape and seemingly disinterested in playing defense or playing hard in the regular season, Shaq is, and has been for many years, the unquestioned "most dominant player" in the league. He is a beast, a freak of nature. And his presence on the court always made your job that much easier. Without him in the paint and drawing multiple defenders, the defensive focus of all the Lakers' opponents from here on out shifts almost entirely to you. Not exactly a comforting thought, is it?

Do you remember the NBA Finals against Detroit last month? Do you remember how they keyed their whole defense to you and how tough it was to get quality shots? Do you remember how they kept running different defenders at you, forcing you to take difficult, and often impossible, shots? Do you remember how badly you played? More importantly, do you remember the feeling you had after the last buzzer sounded in Game 5?

Hopefully you do. Hopefully you realize how easy you've had it for the last five years. Three championship rings. Four trips to the Finals in five years. Comparisons, legitimate or not, to the new Basketball Jesus, Michael Jordan. Things were great. But, apparently, that wasn't good enough for you. You were determined to do things by yourself. And now, your wish has been granted. The most dynamic big man/guard tandem the league has seen since Magic Johnson was feeding the ball inside to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, is now no more.

Now Kobe, I don't want it to seem as though I'm blaming you for the breakup of the closest thing the NBA has had to a dynasty since the Bulls, because I'm not. But, you should understand the perception of the average fan. This whole situation has made you appear selfish and self-absorbed, more concerned with your stats and your eventual place among the NBA greats, than keeping a team intact that would be favored to win the NBA championship every season until one of you left. You appear more concerned with the comparisons to Jordan than getting along with a teammate that makes your job a whole lot easier and gives you the best chance at winning more rings.

Unfortunately, there's just one little thing: for all your wondrous talents, you are not Michael Jordan. You cannot do it alone, no matter what you think. No matter how much confidence you have in yourself and your own abilities. You may indeed be the closest thing we have seen to Jordan since No. 23 retired, but what you must realize is that not even Jordan himself could win championships alone.

Sure, he was the straw that stirred the drink, to borrow a phrase from Reggie Jackson, but he had help. This is in no way an indictment of the talents of Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant, your new teammates via the trade that sent Shaq packing, but they won't give you the same amount of support that the big man provided.

Contrary to what you might think, one-man teams rarely win anything in the NBA. Even Jordan, the best player the league has ever seen, needed Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and your old coach, Phil Jackson, before he won anything.

If you need more recent proof, you need look no further than Kevin Garnett. Garnett may be the most physically gifted player in the NBA, a seven-foot power forward with the skills of a 6-6 wing forward. Garnett may also be the most difficult player in the league, not named Shaquille O'Neal, with which to matchup with, yet he had been unable to lead his team past the first-round of the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons.

That all changed, however, when the cavalry arrived this past offseason in the form of Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. Almost immediately, the T-Wolves were transformed into championship contenders, Garnett was named league MVP, and they made it all the way to the conference finals, where they lost to you and your Lakers. For all of K.G.'s skills, last season would never have happened had he not gotten the support he needed from Cassell and Sprewell.

Need more proof? Ask Tracy McGrady, the player who most clearly challenges your title as the best perimeter player in the game. Last season with Orlando was a mess. He won the scoring title again, but his back literally, and figuratively, buckled under the weight of carrying an entire franchise.

McGrady said as much earlier in the season, when in an interview, he basically stated that if he didn't bring his "A-game" nightly, the Magic had no shot of winning. Period. And although your Lakers will have more talent this year than McGrady's Magic team had, the Lakers will find it more difficult than ever to win now, even more so when you struggle.

Kobe, I know that there are more pressing concerns in your life right now, especially with your trial beginning soon and with the prospect of life in prison looming overhead. However, if you are eventually cleared of all charges and allowed to resume your basketball career, you will be stuck with a team that is no longer the juggernaut it had been over the last five years.

You may be happy with the amount of shots you'll be able to put up without recourse, but how soon will your desire to win another championship outweigh your urge to put up numbers? And how soon before you realize how much of a mistake you made by your inability to peacefully co-exist with Shaq and Phil Jackson?

I hope you have a wonderful summer, Kobe. I hope that you are found innocent of all charges and allowed to continue playing the phenomenal brand of basketball that you play. I just hope that you don't live to regret all of the moves made by the Lakers to appease you. Your job has just become infinitely tougher and I hope you're up to the challenge. You're going to need all of the help you can get. Unfortunately, your biggest ace in the hole now plays in Miami. Good luck, Kobe ... and have a great summer.

Signed,

A Concerned Fan

Posted by Eric Williams at 3:01 AM | Comments (1)

July 26, 2004

Ricky Takes Off Running

If Ricky Williams didn't shock the football nation and a ton of fantasy football players late Saturday night into the early hours, you would not be reading these words right now.

Sure, the name "Ricky Williams" might have come up in the course of the column, but now, well, he can only be the focus. See, everyone knew Ricky didn't want to play football. You could see it in how he played the game. A boatload of talent, but when you force your talent out to the masses, it can get very excruciating.

And the dam just broke on Ricky.

He has a taste for marijuana.

He has a taste for living a lifestyle without structure.

The National Football League is without a doubt one of the most structured environments you can enter into. From your first scouting combine, to the pre-game meal. He has a taste for making himself happy, but only a quick taste. Now, he can sit down and make himself happy for the rest of his life.

No longer will he have to worry about some columnist in South Beach writing about how it was a damn shame he didn't rush for 160 yards and three scores as opposed to 125 and that lone touchdown. No longer will he have to do something that others wanted for him.

Sure, a lot of people hate Ricky Williams right now. Teammates must feel abandoned. They can't really feel anything else right now. Williams is their offense. There is no other way around that. A.J. Feeley looked solid for a couple games in 2002, but can he lead a team that now asks Travis Minor to carry the load at halfback?

And they say this doesn't change much. Dave Wannstedt says that their offense will remain balance. Which is a good thing. Balance does happen to be a crucial element to success in the NFL. It's just that balance is a little more to their liking when you happen to chew up four or more yards a carry instead of two or three.

The Dolphins obviously hope that Williams is "pulling a Seth Joyner" and just trying to find a way out of the early days of training camp. Too bad for the Dolphins that Williams happens to be slightly in a different World, while Joyner was simply a pro at making up excuses to skip out of the first few days of training camp. The practice of the veteran ducking the training camp is about as old as training itself.

You usually stay in the states, though. So chalk Ricky up in the "not coming back anytime soon" column, along with Robert Smith and Barry Sanders.

The big question now happens to revolve around where the Dolphins wind up. With balance within the AFC East just about peaking as is (except for the Patriots, who have already hung the 2004 and 2005 Division Championship banners), you have to think that this drops the Dolphins to the bottom of the barrel. This team was not a playoff team with Ricky Williams, how do they expect to be one this season?

With Travis Minor.

The Dolphins need to make up 392 carries.

With Travis Minor.

Who has carried the ball 144 times in three seasons.

There is talk about the Dolphins making a move, but making a move likely involves giving up a defensive piece. A defense that they have worked very hard to get to where they are. Sure, they could make a move and inject Anthony Thomas into the offense in a deal with the Chicago Bears, but that is only a band-aid.

The Dolphins need to take the departure of Williams and run with it. In the opposite direction of where everyone else is heading. Save as many pieces to the defense as you possibly can. Fight your way to the bottom of the barrel. Make a deal on draft day to trade your now coveted possession and get yourselves a team worthy of being placed on the same field as the New England Patriots. Because this team just isn't going to be one that contends.

If you swing for a replacement and miss, you miss big. The last thing you want is to make a drastic decision for the present, that you know won't play down the line, that winds up not doing much for you in the here and now. Making a move to replace Williams, no doubt under fan pressure that Williams sought to avoid, better be the right one.

Does anyone else picture Wannstedt on a telephone, draft day style, leaving voice messages for Ricky while Ricky just laughs, whilst asking the stewardess in a flight (now heading to Bora Bora) for another Long Island Ice Tea? He doesn't have to worry about the Jets playing to win the games. He doesn't have to worry about the Bills being a dominant force once they get their act together. He doesn't have to worry about the Patriots being, well, the Patriots.

He just has to worry about what he's doing next. And he doesn't even have to worry about that. He can just float, rather aimlessly, and apparently Ricky is just fine with that.

So be happy for Ricky.

Unless, of course, you happen to root for the Miami Dolphins.

Or hate him for leaving a game that he no longer found fun. Sounds kind of childish, but on which end?

Posted by Doug Graham at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)

Standup Delivery for Dennis the Menace

"I feel like the kid that didn't study for his test until the last night. I'm so uptight about this. It's going to be difficult because when you revere something like this, it's emotional, and I'm a very emotional guy. But I'm going to try to keep it together. It's amazing what a speech will do to you. I'd better get it done so I can have fun."
- Dennis Eckersley, preparing his Hall of Fame induction speech, to SI.

The closer we come to Sunday, the more we hear strains of a sublanguage that some think as familiar, or at least as unforgettable, as Stengelese. But DialEck did not mean tripletalk, whether its inventor stood on the mountaintop or had taken a swift kick to the bottom. When Dennis Eckersley showed them the high cheese before punching out them with the yakker, he was being just as straightforward as he was when he barked at reporters to lay off Frank Duffy or told the world the lesson Kirk Gibson taught him in 1988.

September 9, 1978. A pop fly drops among five Boston Red Sox including second baseman Duffy, handing the Yankees a five-run inning and handing Eckersley a 7-1 loss, bringing the Yankees to within a game of the Red Sox, after the Empire was once as down as 14. Eckersley showered while the rest of the team disappeared deep in the clubhouse. Except Duffy. Then Eckersley popped out of the shower, bailing out Duffy without a syllable of DialEck.

"Frank Duffy's not the reason we lost this game," he hollered. "Leave him alone. I pitched (expletive) and we didn't hit (Ron) Guidry. Frank Duffy didn't put the three guys on base before that popup, I did. Frank Duffy didn't hang the 0-2 slider that Bucky Dent hit for two more runs. I'm the one who should face the music, not him. The L goes next to my name."

That was one thing that never changed about the man no matter how many other changes -- from starter to closer, from partyboy alcoholic to sober gunslinger -- he made, survived, and transcended. The 1990 Oakland Athletics got rolled by the Cincinnati Reds in maybe the single greatest World Series flop since a Cleveland Indians team that won 111 -- and left the Yankees in second place with 103 wins -- got rolled in four straight by the New York Giants.

Only a couple of the 1990 A's were willing to stand up and admit what everyone with eyes had just seen: the A's were a lot more error-prone than their swagger let on, and the Reds were about as shy about exploiting such D.A. attacks as a mongoose exploiting a cobra.

You almost didn't need your hand to count how many of those A's were willing to stand up and be counted out. Dennis the Menace, what a surprise, was one of them. "I said before in September if we didn't win the whole thing, we choked," he said, after the Reds finished what the A's let them start.

"So we choked. Now that it's over, I'm relieved because it was killing us. It was killing me. I felt responsible and I feel embarrassed. Nobody wants to feel like that. It's a bomb in the first inning of Game One and it was domination in every game. They crushed us twice and they beat us at our own game twice."

Except that it wasn't exactly his fault. It wasn't Eckersley's idea to take a lead into the eighth inning twice and not bring him in. It wasn't his idea to blow both those eighth-inning leads. And it wasn't his idea to warm himself up, sit himself down, warm himself up again, sit himself down again, then warm himself up again, come in for the 10th inning of Game 2, and lose when a .231 hitter with a .304 on-base percentage during the season grounds one that nicks the foul line edge.

But you don't expect an incredible shrinking man act from a fellow who got hit, two years earlier, for one of the most indelible walkoff homeruns in World Series history and proclaimed the lesson he'd just been taught: "Never throw a strike to a cripple."

Eckersley today looks ... about the same as he looked all those years on the mound, the lithe winger who adapted boyhood idol Juan Marichal's high kick to a sidearmer's use, and who liked to fan an imaginary pistol hammer after punching a strikeout card. The slim, tapered face; the trimmed outlaw mustache; the look that says six parts pistols at sundown, and half a dozen parts Gerald S. Kookson III, minus the constant comb in the forelock, in the event anyone is fool enough to think of cutting a film version of 77 Sunset Strip. (And why the hell not? They cut film revivals of just about any lamebrain faux crime drama from the past, why not go for the great-grandpops of them all?)

Which makes some wonder, surely, just what is liable to rock and roll through his lips come Sunday, whether in pigeon English or DialEck, or both, when he stands at Cooperstown as one of two new Hall of Famers, with an old occasional nemesis named Paul Molitor joining him.

"I know he pointed at me at least a dozen times," said Molitor, who actually struck-out 11 times at Eckersley's hands -- when he wasn't hitting .333 with three dongs and nine ribs off The Eckermaster, that is. One of them was a ninth-inning double to blow what might have been Eckersley's 52nd save at the end of 1992. "I also know," Molitor said, "that there were a couple of days when I got mine off on him, too."

Especially the last time they squared off, when Molitor (playing with the Twins) measured Eckersley (finishing off with the Red Sox) , with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth ... and dropped a bunt.

"He's probably still mad at me," laughed Molitor when he learned the pair would land in Cooperstown together. "He was profane with me as he left the field."

"I'm 43-years-old, they're 25 games out of first place," remembered Eckersley, "and he drops down a bunt. But guess what? It worked. What Molitor is, is a little weasel."

Molitor's self-resurrection is almost obscure by comparison to Eckersley's. As composed and as unspectacular as Eckersley was shake-'em-on-down jive, Molitor overcame his own early cocaine addiction. Analogise them to cars and Molitor would be a 1949 stock Hudson to Eckersley's chopped and hopped 1966 GTO.

They swapped addictions to oil (DialEck for brewski and booze) and candy (okay, I have no idea what might be the DialEck for cocaine) for addictions to getting into and staying in shape, but Eckersley's was practically a mania. You can see it now. He's still in shape enough that, watching him on television (he's a Red Sox game analyst for New England Sports Network), ignoring the still-stylish suits he wears on the air, you might expect him, still, to just go from there to the ballpark, swagger out to the mound, then show a hitter or three the cheese before punching them out with the yakker.

Unless The Weasel drops one down with the pads padded.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 4:57 AM | Comments (0)

Curious About George

Five Quick Hits

* The Jaguars are getting a lot of hype right now, but don't buy into it too heavily. The team could do well, but it's not going to the Super Bowl.

* I'm beginning to question Sean Taylor's desire to play professional football. The Washington first-round pick (fifth overall) left the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium -- for which the league fined him $25,000 -- and was the last first-round draft pick to choose an agent. Demitrius Underwood he probably isn't, but does it sound like Taylor is real committed to being in the NFL?

* I like the Antowain Smith signing in Tennessee. Smith reportedly signed for the minimum, which is a small risk to take on a veteran who plays his best when the stakes are highest.

* Looking for a team on the rebound? Pittsburgh has a shot at the AFC North title.

* If you scramble to SI.com, you can probably still find their excellent series on announcers in sports. It's worth your time.

The biggest news in the NFL this week (prior to Ricky Williams' retirement, after this column was written - ed) was Eddie George's release from the Tennessee Titans, with whom he had spent his whole career (including one season when the team was the Houston Oilers), and his subsequent signing with the Dallas Cowboys.

The four-time Pro Bowler has slowed noticeably since his career-best 2000 season, logging the three lowest yardage totals of his eight-year career, a miserable 3.2 average per carry, and a respectable but not overwhelming 24 total TDs (22 rushing, 2 receiving). Nonetheless, the Titans will miss his leadership, and he can probably help Dallas.

The nature of that help may be different than George expects, though. His diminishing effectiveness and advancing age mean George probably can't be an every-down back for a team that expects to be a playoff contender. At this point in his career, I see George as sort of a late-career Marcus Allen, and I suspect the Cowboys do, too.

Allen's career got a sort of second wind when he signed with the Chiefs before the 1993 season. Used primarily in short-yardage situations, Allen ran for 3,698 yards and 44 TDs in five seasons. Allen made his career in the early '80s, rivaling Eric Dickerson and Walter Payton as the most dominant running back of the era, but it probably was his renaissance in Kansas City which cemented Allen's place in the Hall of Fame.

The comparison to Allen, however, also raises questions about how useful George can be. At 31-years-old, and with 2,733 carries under his belt, the former Ohio State star probably can't take too many more years as his team's primary ball-carrier, so Cowboys coach Bill Parcells is likely to use George situationally, pulling him out on third-and-long and even occasional first- and second-downs. The problem with putting George in Allen's old role is that Allen was supremely good at the things George is worst at: scoring and receiving.

Eddie George is a workhorse. But he's football equivalent of an innings-eater, and Allen was a star. Allen always found an extra something when he was near the goal-line or, to a lesser extent, the first-down marker. George, in contrast, seems to struggle in the same situation. Of the 20 players with the most rushing yardage in NFL history, only Jerome Bettis has scored fewer touchdowns than George, and only O.J. Simpson has fewer rushing TDs. In his eight seasons in the NFL, George has ranked in the NFL's top five in rushing TDs only once; Allen did so nine times.

That's not exactly a glowing recommendation for making George a goal-line specialist, especially considering that his Titans scored a lot of touchdowns: Tennessee has ranked in the top-half of the league in scoring every year of George's career. Last season, when Tennessee scored 41 TDs on offense, George accounted for only five of them. Put Corey Dillon on a team that actually got near the endzone once in a while and he would have scored just as often as the larger (6-3, 235) George.

In 2000, when George scored 14 rushing TDs on 403 carries, with 1,509 yards and a 3.7 average, Tennessee scored nearly twice as many points (346) as Dillon's Bengals (185). Dillon scored only seven rushing TDs that season, but his 1,435 yards and 4.6 rushing average imply that he was a more effective runner than George, just in a worse situation.

Given George's size and power, people expect him to be a powerful goal-line runner; it's kind of assumed that he's a good guy for third-and-short. But touchdown-scorers come in all shapes and sizes. Allen was 6-2, but only 210 pounds. Earl Campbell, at only 5-11, was a beefy 232. Emmitt Smith weighs just over 200. Size is no guarantee of success. 260-pound Craig Heyward averaged less than three rushing TDs per year. Bettis, big enough at 252 pounds to be nicknamed "The Bus," isn't much of a scorer. The point is this: for whatever reason, Eddie George is only a decent goal-line runner.

Expecting George to become Marcus Allen clearly isn't fair, but it also puts George's new situation in context. Eddie George is not going to be an automatic six any time you have first-and-goal, and he definitely isn't Emmitt Smith in the '90s. Can Dallas make the playoffs -- or maybe even win the Super Bowl -- with George as its leading rusher? Absolutely. But only if all the other pieces are there. George is a role player now, not the driving force on offense as he was in Tennessee in 1999 and 2000.

The slow nature of this offseason, combined with his past accomplishments, has made the George signing big news right now, but we should all try to avoid blowing its significance out of proportion. A new start in Dallas could be the beginning of an Allen-like rebirth, but it's much more likely that George's new career as a Cowboy will mirror O.J. Anderson's switch from the Cardinals to the Giants ... only without the Super Bowl ring.

In fact, the best comparison might even be Emmitt Smith's signing with those same Cardinals, from the Cowboys: an aging star struggling for one last gasp of greatness.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 3:04 AM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2004

New England Patriots: Dynasty or Die-Nasty?

Parity.

There's that word again. It's the same word that keeps us guessing who will win the title every season. In fact, the rosters in the National Football League are on such an even playing field, that it's hard to predict who will win any game, much less a Super Bowl. In week 10 of last season, few expected the Cincinnati Bengals to snap the then 9-0 Kansas City Chiefs' bid for an undefeated season. You didn't really think the Chiefs would go 16-0, did you?

Parity.

The salary cap and free agency make it difficult to maintain a powerful team for any extended amount of time. The Super Bowl winners since 2000 are the greatest examples of how not to become a dynasty. Parity is not a bad thing, however. It keeps bad teams from remaining bad. The Arizona Cardinals could be Super Bowl champions this year, all because another team couldn't hold on to it's star players.

"According to the parameters of the game, the nature of the game as it's played today, you can't keep a team together," said Bill Walsh, former coach, general manager and now a consultant for the San Francisco 49ers. "The Yankees can do it with money and tradition, but it's truly tough in football because of the numbers you need."

The latest potential dynasty candidates have been the St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What happened to these teams? They all won the Big Dance and none were able to come back and defend their titles. Why?

Parity.

When a team begins to excel, other teams stand up and take notice. Once that season comes to an end, the stars of the winning team are bombarded with lucrative offers. Often, it is more money than the player's current team is willing to pay or is unable to pay because of salary cap restrictions. Because of this, no one team can stay dominant.

But, even with the positive effect parity has had on the NFL, a little part of me missed the teams of the '70s like the Pittsburgh Steelers, or how the San Francisco 49ers dominated the '80s and even more recently the Dallas Cowboys of the '90s.

The jury is still out on the Buffalo Bills, who amassed four-straight Super Bowl appearances, but winner of none. ESPN included the Bills in their top-25 series, with the "Biggest Sports Flops" installment. Whether you consider the Bills a flop or a dynasty, all of these teams kept returning for more championships and did what teams simply cannot do today.

Stay together.

I fell victim to believing that we were on the verge of witnessing a dynasty for the 2000s. The Ravens and Buccaneers were two of the most suffocating defenses the NFL has ever seen. The Rams had an offense that could score, almost, at will. Now, most of the players who were a part of those dynasty-in-the-making teams all play elsewhere.

It's a shame, to a certain extent.

Fortunately, there is hope. Yes, let us bow our heads and give thanks to the New England Patriots. One does not have to be a fan of the Patriots to appreciate the determination and willpower to keep a championship NFL team together these days. Somehow, the Patriots managed it. They lost no key members from the Super Bowl team of last season.

In fact, they may have gotten better.

Running back Corey Dillon, acquired via trade, for a second-round draft pick, was riddled with a groin injury last year, as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, back at full strength, Dillon has the ability to rush for more yards on his own than Kevin Faulk and former Patriot Antowain Smith combined for last season. Faulk and Smith rushed for 1,280 yards, while as recently as 2002, Dillon rushed for 1,311 yards.

The Patriots have made four Super Bowl appearances in the last 20 years. Most recently, they did away with the Carolina Panthers and the highly-favored St. Louis Rams. In turn, they suffered defeat from the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. The Patriots, who beat the Carolina Panthers last year, are only one year removed from their first-ever Super Bowl championship.

Can the Patriots win a third Super Bowl within one decade?

Can they finally become an actual NFL dynasty?

Carpe diem, New England.

The laws of parity won't allow you to keep it together much longer.

As for this year, in sizing up the rest of the competition around the league, it appears that the only team that could beat the New England Patriots is the New England Patriots.

Posted by Damian Greene at 9:27 PM | Comments (0)

How Small-Market Teams Can Compete

As we have now crossed the threshold of the first-half of the 2004 Major League Baseball season, we will begin to see the races tighten up amongst the contenders for the various leagues' division titles and the wildcards. This will also include teams making an assessment of what they need to remain competitive for the remainder of this year, while some decide to think about 2005 instead.

Along with that, comes the trading deadline of July 31st, and the rigors GMs will go through to make deals and/or trade players. Since before and after this year’s All-Star Break, most of the chatter from the press and baseball gurus alike has been about the "Randy Watch," better known as speculation that the Diamondbacks have asked pitcher Randy Johnson to drop the "no trade" clause in his contract so they can move him.

Unfortunately, this has overshadowed other players' feats on the field this week, as well as other players deserving of media attention. But primarily the reason this leads the headlines and on sports TV is because it involves the Yankees, and is just one more opportunity for non-Yankee fans to dump on them once again.

The difference this year is that all of a sudden, George Steinbrenner's cash dole may not be nearly enough. The luxury tax has kicked in a couple of times now for George, which has not even caused him to blink, but what is becoming evident this time around is that the small-market teams may have finally leveled the playing field, so to speak, when it comes to dealing this season.

What they have and what George hasn't got is farm prospects or up-and-coming players. The thought of trading established veteran commodities for a 41-year-old Randy Johnson with $24 million left on his contract through next year, borders on insanity. (The Diamondbacks supposedly pitched the idea of acquiring Yankee catcher Jorge Posada as part of a deal for Johnson.)

What has not been given enough attention until maybe this year is that many of these small-market clubs have learned to develop their farm systems and have learned how to make deals with other teams by trading players, rather than laying out cash, which they don't have. And the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, and even the Detroit Tigers are just some of those teams now enjoying the fruit of those efforts.

While the big guys were busy buying up the smaller teams' remaining big stars, which some smaller owners felt they could not unload soon enough, these previously losing teams were left with a well of up-and-coming talent, which they were forced to develop. It will serve them well for the future, too.

Clubs with large payrolls have aged and have run out of reserves to trade or to develop. That is going to become a different kind of problem, which MLB will have to address as a whole. Player development will have to be a high priority for the likes of N.Y., L.A., and Boston. Baseball owners need to appreciate this, and continue to build upon their teams for more than one season at a time.

More specifically as concerns Randy Johnson, let's get serious. Even though he has had a wonderful 2004 season despite playing for the last-place Diamondbacks, who are going to need to rebuild from scratch, and even though there are no apparent remnants of problems from his 2003 knee surgery, he's 41! And all it takes is a tweak here or there and he lands on the DL.

Haven't the Yankees gotten it yet? Note Kevin Brown, who has been on the DL for six weeks at the age of 38. Acquiring Brown was even more ludicrous as he had been on the DL more often in the past few years than he had been on the field. When he performed, he was great, but that was not very often.

Additionally, the Yankee roster is aged and they must start developing their system again. So the only option now available to George Steinbrenner and his serfs is to start trading his active players on the field! This is wasteful and sets a bad precedent for all of baseball.

Finally, we have more parity in baseball, but through one way or another, we will soon be entering another phase of the haves and have-nots. George will have his pile of cash with teams reminiscent of the 1980s when the Yankees never won any championships after winning the AL pennant in 1981.

And, more importantly, there is some incredible baseball being played out there this season. We no longer need to be inundated with what Randy Johnson will or will not do. The game is bigger than any one player or any one owner. That is precisely what explains baseball's longevity. It is a team sport, made up of a collaboration of individual talents, unique in both respects.

Nevertheless, baseball is primarily played as a team and in order for its legacy to remain, its Commissioner, owners, players, and their union must continue to be reminded that the good of the game of baseball should always come first.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 7:31 PM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2004

The Special People Club

Remember back in high school, when every senior class had to come up with their "theme" for the year? You know, like "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road" or "3-2-1, Liftoff!" or some other lame-ass slogan cooked by those popularity contest winners on the student council?

Well, allow me to save the Baseball Hall of Fame some trouble, and propose a theme for the Class of 2004:

"The Special People Club."

No, Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley aren't retarded. I'm talking about specialization. Eckersley is entering the Hall of Fame not because of his 197-171 record as a starter, but for his 390 saves from 1987-'97. In his first 12 years in the league, he pitched roughly 2,492 innings; in his final 11, he pitched around 790. Clearly, those 790 innings with 390 saves got him a plaque. Poor Don Sutton (5,282.3 innings pitched), Gaylord Perry (5,350.3) and Nolan Ryan (5,386.0) ... all they really needed to do was pitch two good innings every other game to make the Hall.

Molitor is the first true designated hitter to make the Hall of Fame. Eddie Murray only served four years as primary DH. Dave Winfield also only had four years of heavy DH service. George Brett and Reggie Jackson both DH'ed for three good years.

Not only was Molitor primarily a designated hitter for eight years (and 1,174 games over his career), but it could be successfully argued that without DH years in 1993 (.332, World Series MVP), 1994 (.341), and 1996 (.341), Molitor's got as much of a chance at the Hall as Dale Sveum does.

So the question is how do you compare position players and career starting pitchers, with glamorous stats, against players that excelled in more specialized roles?

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has dealt with specialization since its first class in 1963, which featured both superstars like Jim Thorpe and Red Grange as well as unglamorous grunts like Mel Hein and Pete Henry.

Canton has to annually weigh offensive lineman and defensive backs with touchdown kings and yardage hogs.

Now, Cooperstown appears ready to weigh Gaylord with Gossage, and the Babe with the Baines.

(Let me stop here for a moment to say that the rest of this column goes against everything I believe the Baseball Hall of Fame should be. Let me be clear: I am the Cooperstown Nazi. I take the top five or six players of each generation, and that's it. "Are you number seven? NO PLAQUE FOR YOU!" My Hall of Fame is reserved for legends; everyone else can buy a ticket, just like me and Steve Jeltz. We continue...)

Putting relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame means that Cooperstown is establishing a different (and forever changing) set of statistical standards by which to measure them. Eckersley cleared the unofficial standard of 300 saves, but so have 15 other players, from Lee Smith (478) to Doug Jones (303). Eck currently ranks third on the career saves list, behind Smith and John Franco.

Perhaps voters were impressed with his 3.50 career ERA. But then wouldn't they also be impressed with Smith (3.03), Franco (2.74), and Jeff Reardon (3.16)?

Eckersley will be in the Hall of Fame not because of his numbers, but because of his intangibles. He's pitched in three World Series, and won one of them. He's captured a MVP award and a Cy Young Award, both in the same year (1992). But most of all, he, without question, was the best at his specialization for six years (1988-1993).

Statistics for closers can often be deceiving (an earned run or two can make havoc with an ERA) or subjective (the standard for saves changes about as often as the strikezone does). But being the best at what you do ... no stat can trump that argument.

Which brings us to the argument of this little dissertation, one that has about five years to be fleshed out:

Jesse Orosco belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Stop laughing.

No, seriously, stop laughing.

SHUT THE $@#$ UP, CHUCKLE-HEAD, AND READ THE REST OF THE #@#$ COLUMN!!!

(And yes, just like "Spider-Man," "Chuckle-Head" is hyphenated because it is the head that is chuckling.)

(God, I hate my student loans...)

Jesse Orosco belongs in Cooperstown because he has the numbers --when examined in context – as well as the intangibles; and for the simple fact that he is the best at what he did in the history of baseball.

Orosco, of course, is mostly known for holding the Major League records for games pitched (1,252) and relief appearances (1,248), and for being older than Jessica Tandy's great-grandmother.

But put those numbers in the context of his specialization (relief pitcher), and you realize the enormity of his achievement. Only eight pitchers have appeared in over 1,000 games in their careers: Orosco, Eckersley (HOF), Hoyt Wilhelm (HOF), Dan Plesac, Kent Tekulve, John Franco, Lee Smith, and Goose Gossage. After them, the closest active player is Mike Stanton, who had 885 appearances entering the season. The youngest player on the active games-pitched list is Paul Quantrill (34), and he entered the season over 500 games away from Orosco.

This record of durability and consistency is the relief pitcher's version of Ripken's 2,632; and it could be as unbreakable.

The rest of his statistics are solid: an ERA of 3.16, an 87-80 record with 144 saves -- most of them coming when Orosco spent five years as a closer in the mid-1980s.

After going from the New York Mets to the Dodgers in 1988, Orosco's days as a closer were over. He spent the next 15 (!) seasons as a setup man or middle reliever. There's no real statistical measure of his achievements, as the "hold" category only began officially in 1999. And really, who cares about holds? Tell someone you're the holds leader, and they think you're a Greco-Roman wrestler.

The bottom line is that Orosco is the best to ever fill that pitching role, both by the numbers and the fact that he lasted so damn long.

(Truth be told, there are going to be few players to ever fill that role again. Pitching has become such a joke, that the guys in the middle are the fourth and fifth starters, and the guys who should be setting up are more likely now the closers.)

Think of Orosco's "contemporaries" who have come and gone during his time as a middle reliever. Guys like Paul Assenmacher (1986-99), Mike Jackson (1986-2002), Rick Honeycutt (1977-1997), and his old Mets bullpen-mate Roger McDowell (1985-96). Orosco pitched well enough to keep finding work long after each of them was on the scrap heap.

Of course, his left arm may have had something to do with that, as a few more employers used him in "lefty vs. lefty" matchups. In that regard, Plesac (1986-2003) may have been his closest competition for top set-up man in baseball after his last year as a legitimate closer (24 saves in 1990 with the Brewers). If that's the case, Orosco blows him away in wins (87-65), ERA (3.16 to 3.64), innings pitched (1295.0- 1072.0) and, of course, games pitched.

So Orosco, within the context of his specialization as a middle reliever, has the best numbers perhaps in the history of the game. But what about those intangibles? That extra little something that elevates a player from the crowd and into the Hall?

Well, he was third in the Cy Young voting in 1983. And he is a two-time all-star selection. But, of course, the most lasting image of Orosco came on the sport's grandest stage: the World Series.

We're talking about the guy who threw the final strike to the final batter in the final game of the '86 Series. We're talking about the guy who threw his hat into the air and pounded the dirt in celebration. We're talking about the guy who had the postseason moment that year, had it not been for Bill Buckner's gimpy wickets in Game 6.

(By the way, in the NLCS against Houston, Orosco set a record for most wins (3) by a pitcher in a championship series.)

If we're going to start playing around with the standards for enshrinement -- like letting in players who appear for an inning or two a game, or players too brittle to succeed on the field and who need the DH to juice their numbers -- why not consider a middle reliever for the Baseball Hall of Fame? Especially when you consider he:

Holds two nearly unbreakable records.

Has a World Series ring.

Pitched through four decades, until he was 46-years-old. (Going for the Nolan Ryan/Carlton Fisk AARP appreciation vote here.)

And was, without question, the best player at his "position" during his career.

So please consider Jesse Orosco on your ballots in 2009.

Because after all, if Bill Mazeroski can get in ...

Random Thoughts

Lance Armstrong is closing in on his record sixth Tour de France cycling championship.

In a related story, noted sports columnist Greg Wyshynski tumbled off his stationary exercise bike after eight minutes in a pathetic heap, and then spent the next half-an-hour trying to climb into a box of warm Krispy Kremes ...

Shaq quote of the week: "I think Miami is the best fit for me. They have young, energetic, hungry guys."

Uh, yeah ... whatever fuels your diesel, big guy ...

Okay, Shaq quote of the week, Part Deux: "If you take pictures of me walking naked on the beach, don't sell them to the [National] Enquirer unless I get 15 percent."

Suddenly, "Kazaam 2" is no longer Shaq's most frightening future film project ...

Andre 3000 of OutKast has been named sexiest male vegetarian by PETA, beating out John Cleese, Prince, and Weird Al Yankovic for the honor. Had Yankovic won the title, the consolation prize for the other three finalists would have been a legally viable excuse for assisted suicide ...

And finally, if a new labor agreement is not in place by Sept. 16, the NHL will lay off more than half of the 300 employees in its New York, New Jersey, Montreal, and Toronto offices.

Great ... just what the sport needs: a few more bitter ex-fans ...

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 7:45 AM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2004

Three Cities, Three Candidates

I was in line at a Baltimore bar last year on a day when the Red Sox were playing the Yankees in Boston late in the season. A middle-aged Orioles fan saw me staring intently at ESPNews on a television above the bar during the highlight of the game.

"Who won?" he asked, politely.

"Sox. [Armando] Benitez blew his first game as a Yankee," I replied, flashing a sinister smile.

"Great!" was his response. "I'm an O's fan from birth, but now that we're out of it, I root for the Sox since they have the best chance of beating New York."

Some Boston fans might appreciate this unsolicited, allied support. Some, like my buddy Rob, who wished for a meteor to land on Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of last year's World Series, would not. Others, like my Bostonian friend Sav, would rather berate such flip-flopping fans for supporting another team. Die-hards have a motto: us, or no one.

But Baltimore is not Boston. Baltimore fans understand how fortunate they are. Since 1966, they lay claim to six American League titles, three World Series championships, and one national icon, Cal Ripken, Jr. Baltimore is the embodiment of baseball's middle class: satiated, and while more success would be nice, it's not imperative. If the team misses the playoffs, Baltimore fans have a contingency plan: root against New York.

The derivation of Baltimore's loathing of New York was born on October 9, 1996 in the Bronx. A 12-year-old named Jeffrey Maier stole a Derek Jeter fly ball from the glove of Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. The play was mistakenly ruled a homerun, sending the game into extra innings. The Yankees eventually won the game and the series, and Maier has since remained the most divisive figure in an otherwise uninteresting Orioles/Yankees history.

Baltimore just wants to be recognized as a contender. They have no chief rival, the way Boston has New York, and St. Louis has Chicago. They also have a recent history of welcoming high-priced, former stars (e.g., Albert Belle, Pat Hentgen, Rafael Palmeiro, etc.) and missing the playoffs. If the Orioles and their fans were signified by a politician, Ralph Nader would be the only choice.

Why Nader? Consider: Nader scraped his way onto as many ballots as possible in 2000, and is duplicating the act this year. No one believes he really has a chance at contending in even one state, let alone the entire election. Still, he insists upon turning the limelight on himself, consequences be damned.

Similarly, the Orioles maintain that they should be considered a contender each year following their inevitable and aforementioned high-priced signings. Palmeiro, Javy Lopez, and Miguel Tejada, with their 108 homeruns from 2003, were supposed to resurrect the Orioles. But their 42-50 record is hardly indicative of a turnaround. Tampa Bay has been more threatening than Baltimore this season.

In recent years, people who have any baseball knowledge, but not a life-sized poster of Baltimore idol Cal Ripken, Jr. displayed on their bedroom wall, dismiss the Orioles' playoff chances immediately every season. Lately, the Orioles have lacked the front office to compete, and this season, the names on their pitching staff read like a "Who's Who?" of AAA ball.

But Baltimore is like Nader in one other very important way. Insignificant, they are not: Nader took vital votes away from Al Gore in 2000, possibly costing him the election. Baltimore, meanwhile, has already affected the outcome of the AL East race, and will continue to do so.

In 2003, Baltimore helped New York clinch the East by scoring more runs against Boston than any other team all season. They won three more games against Boston than against New York, and thanks to a 10-run eruption against Pedro Martinez in April, they cost Boston's ace pitcher the Cy Young Award.

Yet, when Boston and New York squared off in the ALCS, the city donned its Sox cap.

2004 has been even worse. Baltimore has taken four out of six this season from Boston, including two high-scoring wins against Martinez. Yet against New York, Baltimore is 1-8 and allowing a shade under 10 runs a game.

And who will Baltimore's legion of loyal fans back in a Boston/New York showdown in October? Guess.

Nader, in his crusade for the presidency, will once again take votes away from Democratic candidate John Kerry. But he has been quoted on ABC's "This Week" as saying that in the likely event of his presidential bid falling short once again, he'd back anybody but George W. Bush. That's a de facto endorsement of Kerry.

But Kerry, who is preparing for the Democratic National Convention in Boston (fitting), would rather see Nader drop out of the race. A posthumous endorsement from the Nader ticket does Kerry far less good than the damage he'll sustain from Nader's presence on the ballot. And Bush, who is also preparing for his party's convention in New York City (also fitting), can't help but smile knowing that Nader, though one of Bush's biggest critics, will displace some of the Kerry vote in Nader's direction.

See the connection? Kerry represents Boston, the only team with enough resources to oust the incumbent, Bush and New York. Baltimore is Nader, publicly decrying their biggest adversary, but directly harming Boston, New York's only viable opponent.

Like the Orioles fans, Nader tells Kerry to blame himself if Kerry loses the election. Nader considers himself a foe of the Republican party, but a challenger to the Democrats. He sees himself as a catalyst, encouraging Democrats to reform their own policies and give forth a stronger campaign effort.

The Orioles, while padding the Yankees' lead in the AL East, will point to the Red Sox as failures. Fans will say, for better or worse, that Boston should simply have played better baseball if they wanted to usurp the AL East crown from New York.

And perhaps rightfully so. But, like Kerry's shunning of a de facto backing from Nader, Boston fans should not happily accept any support they receive from Baltimore. For today's ally was yesterday's enemy.

Posted by Vincent Musco at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)

Slant Pattern's Big East Preview

I hate to start the column off with a cliché, but the Big East is at, yes, a crossroads. This marks the first year of a sort of amputated Big East, with another appendage, Boston College, setting itself free after this season. What's left of the leprosy should make for a tight but uninspiring race.

Teams that one might expect to rise to the top have big questions to answer, and several of the bottom-feeders return a lot of talent. It's not difficult to imagine many Big East teams sort of staggering through the year, cursing the ACC for emasculating their conference, but one team won't have any reason to feel that way at all, and while other teams are looking at the sunset of respectability, one team is entering their dawn: Connecticut.

T1. Connecticut (Predicted Finish: 5-1 Conf., 9-2 Overall)

Anyone remember when Marshall joined the ranks of Division 1A by tearing the MAC apart in their debut season? Coming off nine wins and entering a moribund conference, complete with a favorable schedule, there's reason to believe UConn will do the same ... and the rewards for doing so will be to go from 1-AA to a BCS bowl in just three years. Take that, Middle Tennessee State!

The Huskies may be able to pull off a first-place finish without him, but they can turn it into a slam dunk if running back Terry Caulley is able to return from a devastating knee injury. For now, the starting tailback is Chris Bellamy, who managed 5.4 yards per carry last year in his own right. He'll be taking the ball from Dan Orlovski, who is the preseason Big East first team quarterback in most publications. He threw for 3,485 yards and 33 touchdowns a year ago.

Defensively, the Huskies return seven starters, including linebacker Maurice Lloyd, the team's leading tackler each of the last two seasons. Cornerback Justin Perkins and defensive end Tyler King will also receive all-Big East consideration.

T1. Pittsburgh (5-1, 8-3)

This is the end of the road for Pitt. No way do they have any shot at competing after losing a star quarterback and a superstar wide receiver.

Yep, that's what the pundits said about Pittsburgh when they lost quarterback David Priestley and wide receiver Antonio Bryant a couple of years ago.

Turns out, head coach Walt Harris was a more talented coach and recruiter than he was given credit for. Yet the consensus on the Panthers is that with Rod Rutherford and Larry Fitzgerald gone, Pitt will plunge to mediocrity, or worse. I don't buy it, not only because of their coach, but they have yet another prince of a receiver.

Well, not a prince, but a Princell. Princell Brockenbrough was still able to make a name for himself, despite being in Fitzgerald's shadow (616 receiving yards, despite missing time with a foot injury). He's can stretch the field, and so can Greg Lee, who figures to start opposite Brockenbrough.

If All-American tackle Rob Petitti can rub off a bit on the rest of the offensive line, which is deep, but unproven, it shouldn't matter much that Pittsburgh is starting the year with a new quarterback, either Luke Getsy or Tyler Palko.

The front four of the defense may be the best in the Big East, but the back seven return only two starters, and must step up if Pittsburgh's streak of surprising recoveries from devastating personnel losses continue. The schedule is favorable, with Boston College, Rutgers and West Virginia all at home.

3. West Virginia (4-2, 7-4)

If Miami and Virginia Tech had left for the ACC in 2002 instead of now, then West Virginia would be coming off of back-to-back undefeated conference seasons. Instead, the Mountaineers are coming off of a pair of bridesmaid's seasons and, with only nine starters returning and Pittsburgh, UConn, and an improved Rutgers squad all on the road, it looks like it's taffeta again for WVU.

Like their archrivals, Pittsburgh, West Virginia has a well-earned reputation for taking lemons and making lemonade. Rasheed Marshall is the best returning quarterback in the Big East, and he has weapons in Chris Henry, who is coming off a 1,000-yard receiving year, and Miquelle Henderson, a veteran due for a big year of his own.

Seven starters return on the defense, but to be blunt, they need to get better. The Mountaineers gave up 28, 31, 23, 28, and 41 points in their last five games a year ago.

4. Rutgers (3-3, 6-5)

Look who's not a doormat anymore! Rutgers had a 2003 campaign with some surprising numbers: a touchdown pass in every game. An 100-yard rusher in 10 of 12 games. Twenty-two points or more in 10 of 12 games. Quite an offensive turnaround for the Scarlet Knights, and eight of those offensive starters return.

The workhorses of the offense are veteran quarterback Ryan Hart and fullback Brian Leonard. Leonard is sort of a Mike Alstott with hands. He led the Knights in both rushing and receiving last year, and should have a bright future as a pro. Safety Jarvis Johnson is a stud, but he's the only returning defensive back. The schedule is favorable, with Michigan State the only non-conference toughie.

5. Boston College (6-5, 2-4)

Boston College has sure played some great ball when it doesn't really matter lately. They're good for pulling off a great non-conference upset, winning their minor bowl game (they are the only Division 1A team to win a bowl game each year since 2000) and choking when they have the chance to do something really great.

Last year, for example, the Eagles had a chance to avenge the previous year's nail-biting loss in Coral Gables to Miami, and to do it on a chilly autumn New England evening perfectly suited for them. We learned later how vulnerable Miami was, but not on this night, as the Hurricanes throttled Boston College 33-14.

Besides that, you may have the program playing with one eye looking ahead to 2005, when they join the ACC. Besides that, they will be playing with a big target on their backs, as this will most Big East teams' last chance to swipe at one of those scoundrel conference-hopping squads. It all adds up to a disappointing year for the Eagles.

They do return 16 starters, but no one except for tackle Jeremy Trueblood jumps out at you on offense, and depth figures to be a problem on defense, with 10 sophomores and freshman making up the two-deep depth chart. Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and linebacker Ray Henderson are all-conference caliber.

T6. Syracuse (1-5, 2-9)

I keep waiting to hear about Syracuse football on VH1's "I Love the '90s." Remember when Syracuse was good? Remember names like Rob Konrad, Adrian McPherson and, of course, Donovan McNabb?

Seems like 100 years ago. You have to wonder how long Paul Pasqualoni, now in his 14th year as top dog in the Carrier Dome, will last. With just 10 starters returning and a cover-your-eyes monstrous non-conference schedule which includes Purdue, Virginia, and Florida State, this may be the year Pasqualoni turns in his keys to the city.

One bright spot for the Orangemen is Heisman hopeful Walter Reyes, who may well be the best Syracuse running back since Larry Csonka. The line protecting him this time around needs to stay strong, with just two starters returning.

A word about the projected quarterback. Say you want to name your child Xavier, and your spouse prefers the more obscure, but more phonetically-friendly spelling of Zavier. What do you do? Compromise! That's the only explanation I can think of for signal caller Xzavier Gaines' name.

T6. Temple (1-5, 2-9)

The Temple Owls have become the Montreal Expos of college football ... banished long ago, but still not quite gone, and still without a new home (or in this case, conference) to be decided.

After several stays of execution, this really, really, is Temple's last year in the Big East, if we can really, really believe Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese. Expect the Owls to also resemble the Expos in terms of on-the-field incompetence, as well.

I haven't watched wrestling since I was a kid, but I do remember when a superstar was wrestling a nobody, the nobody would actually look sort of impressive in the first 20 seconds before getting creamed.

Yet another metaphor befitting Temple. Walter Washington is one of the best two or three quarterbacks in the Big East, and certainly the best runner.

Double-threat that Washington is, expect Temple to drive for a few first downs and even get the early field goal or touchdown, driving the dozens of diehards at Lincoln Financial Field (where the Philadelphia Eagles play; capacity 68,000) into a frenzy. That's before a turnover and a porous defense turn the 3-0 lead into a 21-3 deficit. But, seven starters do return on that side of the ball, led by linebacker Rian Wallace, and Temple may be motivated after getting kicked out of the Big East. But I wouldn't count on it.

Stay tuned for previews of other major conferences!

Posted by Kevin Beane at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

What's the Deal With Darko?

Is Darko Milicic, the second pick in the 2003 NBA draft, a developing superstar or the second coming of Sam Bowie? You know, Sam Bowie, the guy who was picked ahead of Michael Jordan and once broke his foot on the lay-up line before a game.

There is no doubt that Pistons GM Joe Dumars is a great evaluator of talent. His trades for super-fro-wearing Ben Wallce and his partner under the boards, Rasheed Wallace, have lifted him in the Jerry West category of great hoops executives. He also stole "Rip" Hamilton for the selfish Jerry Stackhouse and gave Chauncey Billups a permanent home for the first time in his short career.

Many NBA lovers scratched their heads when the Pistons passed over the braided wonder, Carmelo Anthony, in favor of Mr. Milicic. Anthony went on to average 21 points a game, lead the Denver Nuggets to the playoffs, and was selected to play on the U.S. Olympic team (although almost every decent player decided to stay home).

I used the Michael Jordan comparison all year in telling Detroit fans that Joe D. made a mistake in passing over Carmelo. Portland picked Kentucky center Sam Bowie over "His Airness" because the Blazers already had a two-guard in Clyde "The Glide" Drexler.

Note to GMs: DRAFT THE BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE! Can you imagine Jordan and Drexler on the same team? Boy, that would have been a real nightmare for the rest of the league trying to matchup with that aerial assault. To his credit, Sam Bowie was a nice guy, though, and injuries weren't his fault.

So, is Darko Milicic today's answer to Sam Bowie? I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's not a bust. First of all, he was severely hamstrung by Larry Brown's old-school stance against playing rookies. Darko grew a few inches and gained the weight of a half-a-model during his rookie year The lanky lefty reminds me of Tony Kukoc, who won a few championships with the Chicago Bulls and is still playing with the Milwaukee Bucks.

While I will never suggest that Darko will be a better player than Carmelo, he will most likely become a productive force this year for the defending champion Pistons. With Mehmet Okur signing with the Utah Jazz, the door is open for Darko to get some major minutes this year. I watched him played last year and was impressed with his game. He could probably develop into a poor man's Dirk Nowitzki with time.

Now that it appears that the Pistons will resign Rasheed Wallace, the Pistons will need additional help in trying to hold the Heat's Shaquille O'Neal under 30 points and 20 rebounds. Who knows, the 19-year-old Milicic might still be growing and by the time the season starts, he could be the size of Shawn Bradley.

The final analysis is that Darko Milicic will have an impact in his second season in the league. I wouldn't select him for my fantasy hoop team, but he will make a great backup center for Ben Wallace. Nonetheless, I still can't help but imagine Carmelo wearing a number 15 Pistons jersey.

Posted by Marc James at 10:01 PM | Comments (3)

July 22, 2004

Supply and Demand at the Trading Deadline

I'm haunted by ghosts.

Fortunately, it's not like you see in the movies. In fact, ghostly apparitions aren't bad once you get used to it.

When I was younger, it was pretty cool getting visitations from dead rock stars, politicians, and polar explorers (Me: So what was it like on the South Pole? Roald Amundsen, in a thick Norwegian accent: Cold.).

Lately, however, I've been seeing dead economists. How pathetic is that?

Recently, John Maynard Keynes dropped by with a challenge for Milton Friedman in a best-of-five-falls cage match to settle the whole social-welfare-vs.-supply-side debate once and for all.

And last week, I woke from an absolutely scrummy dream about an all-you-can-eat buffet to find Adam Smith sitting at the foot of my bed.

Smith -- author of "The Wealth of Nations," regarded as the seminal work in the capitalist philosophy -- wanted to discuss his economic theories as they applied to the Major League Baseball trading deadline.

"Look," said Smith, waving a copy of the July 19 daily newspaper. "There are 21 teams within five games of a playoff berth one week beyond the All-Star Break. That hasn't happened since, well, ever."

"So what's your point?" I said.

"Did you sleep through economics?" Smith yelled, flecks of powder falling from his wig. "More than two-thirds of Major League Baseball is still in the playoff chase, convinced that they are one left-handed pitcher, one power hitter, one slick-fielding shortstop away from the playoffs."

Once there, I told Smith, anyone can win the World Series, as Arizona, Anaheim, and Florida have so aptly shown over the last three years.

"Exactly," he said. "But there are only nine teams demonstrably out of the playoff race. That means there is a lot of demand for talented players on non-contending teams..."

"...but a shortage of supply," I finished.

"And that means..."

"The price for those players increases."

"Actually, that's already been happening," I said. Pittsburgh general manager David Littlefield announced that he won't trade Kris Benson for anything less than at least one minor leaguer who is ready to play in the majors now.

That's Kris Benson, a right-handed pitcher who has had an injury-plagued career, a 7-7 record this year with an ERA in the mid-fours, and is six games under .500 lifetime.

But over the last six weeks, Benson's been hotter than the videos he told Penthouse magazine he made with his wife and, as a result, Littlefield just might get what he's asking for, I told Smith.

Except for the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson, Benson is the most sought-after player at this year's trading deadline. And the Big Unit might not even be available for trade -- even if he is, he is probably going only to the Yankees, St. Louis, or Anaheim.

For everyone else, Benson is the top-shelf acquisition. Among those teams still in the race, pitching help is at the top of the wish list, especially for Texas, Atlanta, Cincinnati, San Diego, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and, who am I kidding, everybody except for Chicago.

That, according to Smith’s theories, makes every pitcher a more precious commodity. It's a different story with hitters.

The list of teams looking for offense is more limited -- everybody with a realistic playoff hope already has some punch at the plate. But the supply there is smaller, too.

Teams with good young hitters want to keep them in order to build for next year. And, these days, 32-year-old Danny Bautista of the Diamondbacks qualifies as a good young hitter.

A more intriguing possibility is that contenders looking for offense should check out the bargain bin. That's where they might find two injury-riddled veterans.

"It's definitely a buyers market for Larry Walker and Carlos Delgado," said Smith.

Six years ago, Walker appeared to be a shoo-in Hall-of-Famer. Now, thanks to a near-unbroken string of injuries, he's a 38-year-old playing out the string. Due to various injuries, Walker has appeared in only about two dozen games this year. But he has hit well when he has played.

Colorado's one-time superstar is looking for a ring and might just have enough left under the hood to lift a team into the playoffs.

Delgado, 32, who is only two years removed from a triple crown run, has seen his batting average mired in the low .200s this year because of injuries. But if the Blue Jays' star gets healthy late in the season, he could still be the kind of player who can affect a playoff race.

That approach has already worked for the White Sox, who pried Carl Everett from Montreal last week. The former Boston and Houston slugger, hampered with injuries this season in Montreal, has displayed an improved stroke in Chicago.

"And they got him rock cheap -- two minor-league pitchers," said Smith, as he got up from his seat on my bed.

"Gotta go," he said, tipping his three-corner hat.

"One more thing before you leave," I said. "How do you know so much about baseball?"

"Baseball, it seems, is the favorite sport in heaven," Smith said.

"It's a matter of demographics," he said. "We've got a lot of former senior citizens up there."

"Well then, who's going to win the World Series?"

Smith stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Well," he said. "The big guy doesn't tell us these things, but there are indications."

"While we watch baseball, they have to watch figure skating in hell. Until recently, it was available only on TV, but last spring, in preparation for Tonya Harding's arrival, Satan finally installed a working ice rink down there."

I blinked.

"So hell has frozen over, which means..."

The father of modern capitalism finished my sentence.

"...It's gotta be the Cubs or the Red Sox."

Posted by Eric Poole at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)

Bobby Hull's Pipe Dream

Bobby Hull must be out of his Golden Mind. The Golden Jet, World Hockey Association commissioner, still believes that the reborn WHA will be a viable threat to the NHL. In fact, if there is indeed an NHL lockout, Hull believes the WHA is poised to thrive. He cites cheaper ticket prices, shootouts to decide tied games, and rules meant to emphasize the speed of hockey.

Well, gee Bobby, that's all well and good. But are you guys actually going to play? Or are you there to be an unintentional bargaining chip in the NHL/NHLPA war?

Teams in Toronto and Hamilton don't have a home as of mid-July. The owner of prospective teams in Orlando and Jacksonville cancelled a sale to a Calgary businessman. The WHA boasted that they would have 10-12 teams by the start of their season; right now, the number is looking closer to seven or eight.

Assuming everything works out for the teams and the league, the puck will drop in October for Bobby Hull's baby. Each team will have a $15 million salary cap, with a $5 million "franchise" player. It is ironic that NHL superstars will be willing to withstand pay cuts and a salary cup in a start-up league, but not the top league in the world.

Hockey minds have already started to crunch numbers. The Toronto Star estimated that WHA teams will need to draw 10,000 fans regularly at an average of $50 (Canadian) a ticket to meet their payroll. That's to break even, folks, we're not even talking about a profit here. And without a profit, there's no way a start-up league can thrive.

The big question remains as to whether the general hockey loving public will put forward that kind of money to see a league essentially made up of minor league players sprinkled with a few superstars -- remember, just because the Toronto Toros drafted Joe Thornton and the Quebec Nordiks (that's no spelling error) selected Simon Gagne, doesn't mean they'll actually show up.

The league claims it will enforce obstruction and have a better tempo to its game. Saying that is all well and good, but what's to prevent the level of play from slipping to the NHL's clutch and grab machine? The WHA will have a majority of players versed in this style of obstructive defense. Playing in a different league won't change that mentality.

The WHA hopes that the NHL lockout lasts for months, possibly years. Hull and his crew believe that Gary Bettman's Armageddon could be the lifeblood for the new league. The WHA's success could lead to its own demise. Nothing could turn up the pressure cooker faster for NHL/NHLPA negotiations than an upstart league that manages to deliver everything that it says.

If and when the NHL resumes its schedule, it is most certainly going to take back any players who have been biding their time in the WHA. That's a goodbye to Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Todd Bertuzzi, Simon Gagne, Brad Richards, and more players who have most likely had the easiest time since their days of juniors. It won't be men against boys, but it will be a handful of NHL superstars sliding and skating through groups of AHL and European league grinders.

Gary Bettman, for all the criticism that he faces, is not a stupid man. If the WHA manages to keep clutching and grabbing out of the game, if they find their shootout system successful, if they somehow make the game more appealing for the potential mainstream suitor, Bettman will take those ideas and run with them. He has already tried -- the radical proposed rule changes for the upcoming season were tabled by the player's association, not the league.

And if the WHA shows signs of league weakness -- something already hinted at -- it's just another place that the players will not be able to turn to for ice time. Sure, they have European leagues, but how many of the good Canadian lads want to leave their families for an undetermined period of time -- especially those with small children?

Conversely, Bob Goodenow, the NHLPA president, could also use the WHA as a bargaining chip. If the league draws fans, players could thumb their proverbial noses at Gary Bettman and say, "Give us what we want or we never play for you again."

In the end, the chances that the WHA will be a long-term success are slim-to-none. The league's decision to start in the middle of the NHL's CBA negotiations could easily turn the dream of a few optimists into a chess piece between the NHL and the NHLPA. The only win-win situation coming out of this is if the NHL starts on time, the league and PA are happy, and the WHA becomes a successful minor league that pushes the NHL to have a better product.

Is there a chance that could happen? Don't bet on it.

Posted by Mike Chen at 12:30 AM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2004

Knicks: Championship Team or Pointless Dream?

It's been over 30 years since the New York Knicks hoisted the NBA championship trophy. With Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Dave Debusschere, and Red Holtzman merely memories with banners hanging from "The World's Most Famous Arena," championship aspirations have always become pointless dreams.

The drafting of Patrick Ewing only served to torture Knick fans because management refused to surround him with anything more talented than glorified CBA players. Thanks to Michael Jordan's baseball dreams, the team snuck in the NBA Finals only to subject fans to watch John "My Arm Never Gets Tired" Starks unsuccessfully trying to hit the ocean with shots after shot.

Years of being strangled by the salary cap turned into second-round exit after second-round exit in the playoffs during the Jeff Van Gundy era. Van Gundy threw the NBA in reverse for years with his "let's throw the ball in the post and stand around" offense. This offensive scheme made it easy to defend the Knicks and kept scores at pre-shot clock lows.

The Stephon Marbury era started in earnest last year and gave hope to a generation of fans that were as deprived as New York Ranger fans. New Yorkers always complain about not winning, but I'd rather be a Knick fan than a cursed Red Sox or Cubs mental patient.

A look at NBA history reveals a startling trend: teams with selfish point guards never win! By selfish, I mean they look to shoot before they look to pass. The Knicks' GM, Isiah Thomas, knows this better than anyone else -- he looked to shoot first most of his career – when, and only when, he decided to sacrifice himself for the team, that's when the "Bad Boys" won a few championships.

Can the great Isiah convince his young disciple to move the rock around and shoot the open shot to keep the defense honest? It's possible if they can surround with un-Gerald Wilkins-like talent. Big whispers about a sign-and-trade deal for the Warriors' Eric Dampier are promising. The other rumor has the Knicks acquiring point guard Jamal Crawford from the Bulls.

The Knicks need another point guard like Michael Jordan needs to make another comeback. The team has a history of playing people out of position, and sticking Crawford at shooting guard as Allen Houston insurance is a bit dicey. Watching the skillful, 6-11 Charles Smith playing small forward for a few years was painful enough.

The Knicks are probably a few years away from talking about a championship. With the Pistons keeping together their determined championship team and Miami turning up the heat with Shaq, the New Yorkers will be strained to impress their Woody Allen-led fan base. After all, there's no place better than New York ... just ask the people who live there.

Posted by Marc James at 9:26 PM | Comments (1)

State of the Big Four

Updated through the British Open, the top four players in the World Golf Ranking (WGR) are: 1. Tiger Woods, 2. Ernie Els, 3. Vijay Singh, 4. Phil Mickelson. Ladies and gentlemen, the Big Four.

Unnecessary ink has been spilled in refuting the WGR's ultimate conclusion, that is, that Tiger Woods is still the world's best golfer. The WGR was setup to answer this question: as of recent history -- recent meaning the last two years, with an emphasis on the past 13 weeks -- who has been the best?

While Woods' lead over his chief rivals has undeniably shrunk, still it remains. He will continue to be introduced as the world's number one until Els, or one of the others, finally displaces him. Right now, that seems inevitable. Woods' game has suffered a very public fall from invincibility, while Els, Singh, and Mickelson have noticeably improved their own standing in relativity to Tiger.

That may mean that the WGR is flawed, since Woods is no longer the favorite heading into major championships. Els and Mickelson now hold that honor. But the WGR system was designed to be a composite sketch of the last two seasons in golf, not an odds book for the PGA Championship. The WGR is a conservative measure, slowly adjusting a player's rank, especially near the top.

Think about it this way. Coming into the 2004 season, Tiger had not won a major since the 2002 U.S. Open. Still, Woods was the most popular pick among experts and fans alike in both the Masters and U.S. Open. But his errant tee game, cryptic interviews -- think his feud with Butch Harmon and his denial about the state of his game -- and disappointing finishes have deconstructed his uber-façade.

Such deconstruction has melted the fear associated with seeing his name on the leaderboard, at least for his competitors. In fact, it is far from a given that Woods' moniker will even grace the leaderboard anymore.

Tiger's 2004 follies culminated in the ultimate insult: he was not the odds-on favorite to win the British Open. Still, would you bet against him? Maybe, but you will think hard before you do.

Meanwhile, it has been Els, Singh, and Mickelson that have outperformed Tiger this season in all aspects.

Singh has produced three wins this season and is second on the money list. His numbers are better than Woods' this year, and only his lackluster weekend play at the U.S. and British Opens have tainted his record (77-78 at Shinnecock, 76-71 at Troon).

Els' season has been paradoxical. While it has undoubtedly been one of the best seasons of his career (three worldwide wins, seven top-10s in 11 PGA Tour events), Els will probably remember 2004 for squandered opportunities in the major championships. In April, Els shot a final round 67 to grab the clubhouse lead with only one group left on the course. He was nearby when Phil Mickelson holed his now infamous 20-footer for birdie to best Els by one.

In June, Els played himself into the final group on Sunday at the U.S. Open, only to shoot a whopping 80, dropping him to ninth place. And last Sunday, Ernie missed two key putts on the 18th hole at Royal Troon: the first would have won him the Claret Jug outright; the second, in the final hole of his playoff with Todd Hamilton, would have extended the drama to a fifth hole. On the whole, Els came sickeningly close to a legitimate shot at the Grand Slam, though he has not yet won a major in 2004.

For Mickelson, 2004 has been a rebirth. The old Phil -- hardheaded, foolish, risky, and more mistake-prone than a 15-year-old -- perished last year after Mickelson went 0-5 in the President's Cup, capping his worst season on Tour. Mickelson compiled zero wins, finished 189th in driving accuracy, and placed 38th on the money list, missing the Tour Championship for the first time since his rookie year. And other than his third place finish at the Masters, he had only one top three finish, at the Skins game. The Skins game, in case you didn't know, features four players.

Mickeslon's dreadful play and ballooning figure made him an increasingly easy target for every pundit, commentator, and fan. He was dismissed as stupid, stubborn, and too shaky to win a major.

But just listen to the lot now -- Peter Kostis, Gary Van Sickle, Johnny Miller -- and you'd think that Phil crafted the proverbial method on how to play golf. He's smarter now, he drives the ball in the fairway more often by sacrificing distance, and he's confident enough to win multiple majors.

His preparation for the majors, which includes visiting the major venue two weeks in advance with his teacher Rick Smith and short-game wizard Dave Pelz, is now called the most intelligent on Tour. That development has occurred thanks to Mickeslon's win at the Masters.

Mickelson's season has been remarkable: two wins, 12 top-10s, and $5.4 million dollars in earnings. The biggest critique one can muster right now against Phil is that following the Masters, his finishes in major championships get progressively worse (first at the Masters, second at the U.S. Open, third at the British Open).

Mickelson was on the downside of his career a season ago. He was cast aside by all relevant minds in golf, and his game was at a low point. Nine months later, a reborn Mickelson is in the middle of his best season on Tour, having discarded the Major-less Monkey that haunted his career, and has come even closer than Els to contending for the Grand Slam. A better turnaround in sports, you are not likely to see.

And so that brings us back to Woods, who is at his own similar low point. Rock bottom, as with Mickelson? Perhaps. 0-9 since June of 2002 in the majors. Zero stroke play wins since last October. 163rd in driving accuracy. And soon to be displaced as the number one player in the world thanks to the coup-de-Els.

The important question, then, is not whether the World Golf Rankings are an accurate measure of who is the best player in the world. No, because most of us agree that Tiger is ready to fall from that perch. No, the important question is this: does Tiger Woods buy stock in the WGR? In other words, does Tiger still consider himself the best in the world, or does he see the flaw, as well?

Mickelson, long-heralded as one of the dumbest, most obstinate players on Tour, was able to restore himself and his career over a gestation process that began the moment he flew home from South Africa after going 0-5 in the Presidents' Cup and ending when he slipped on the Green Jacket for the first time.

Woods, the most accomplished golfer for his age of all-time, stands to benefit from a similar restoration. Will he respond to the challenge? If he does, he could make the World Golf Ranking as obsolete and unmentioned as it was in 2000, when he was twice as good as any other player on Tour.

Posted by Vincent Musco at 2:56 PM

July 20, 2004

Lakers Backed the Wrong Guy

Dr. Jerry Buss is making Celtics fans and other Western Conference teams extremely happy these days. The Lakers' majority owner has decided to turn his back on one of the greatest and most dominant centers of all-time in favor of a spoiled brat who basically quit in the Finals.

How do you tell the most powerful force in the basketball universe that you no longer need his services? Very gently, I guess. That's probably why Dr. Buss hired Mitch Kupchak to do his dirty work. In a Jerry Krausian move, Trader Mitch has decided to move Shaquille O'Neal and effectively break up the dynasty known as the Lakers.

Stupid move for a franchise that has made so many great decisions over the years. This Shaq trade will probably go down as a blunder only equaled by Kraus breaking up the Bulls, Joe Barry Carroll essentially being swapped for Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish, and Julius "Dr. J" Erving being sold by the Nets to the 76ers.

The other trade that makes no sense this offseason is Tracey McGrady to the Rockets. McGrady's open-court aerial show should fit in as well with Jeff Van Gundy's walk-up style as Kelly Tripuka teaching a defensive clinic. Put that in the category of "beware of what you ask for."

While Shaq has now returned to Florida as a member of the Heat, this will definitely not be addition by subtraction for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant showed the whole world that he is no Michael Jordan this June by quitting on his teammates against the Pistons. Yeah, that's the kind of guy who I want on my team.

While Shaq was busting his butt, the whiny look on Kobe's face told me all I needed to know about the future of the Lakers. Kobe will become the Tracey McGrady of the 2004-'05 season. When Kobe is double- and triple-teamed every game, he will be wishing that the "Daddy" was along side him.

What the Lakers needed to do was jettison over-the-hill point guard Gary Payton and tell the great Karl Malone to come back if his knee healed. With Luke Walton and Deavon George becoming extremely productive players, the Lakers could have made another run at the title. Without Shaq, the Lakers will be watching the playoffs and pulling ping pong balls with their Staples Center neighbors, the Clippers.

I see Shaq winning a few more non-Laker championships before his great career comes to a close. As for Kobe, if he survives his impending trial, that could be one of the few victories he should savor for some time.

Posted by Marc James at 2:41 PM | Comments (3)

McCool McRules

In 1980, the Miracle on Ice captured America's heart. It was a rough time for the U.S. during those Olympics, but the hockey fever that swept the nation was able to give the hopeless hope, to give the unpatriotic a reason to buy a flag, and was able to bring a nation together. African-Americans, whites, democrats, republicans, geniuses, morons, the cool, and the losers were all under one banner while following the U.S. hockey team: Americans.

Flash forward to 2004. War in Iraq, the very real threat of terrorism, and a poor economy has hampered the patriotism and pride of Americans. Reality TV has dominated the airwaves (we can thank FOX for bringing civilization down a peg) and Michael Jackson is now a child-molester, not a musician.

An upcoming presidential election has the nation divided, viciously at times. We can no longer look to hockey for a savior, as the sport is in shambles with a lockout, a player is going to prison for trying to hire a hit man to kill his agent, another player is on trial for a cheap shot, and it is simply not hockey season. But, to borrow a phrase from the major motion picture Miracle, "American needs something to believe in."

Americans would naturally look to the upcoming Olympics to find someone to believe in. Naturally, most people would look to the most famous people wearing the red, white, and blue: the basketball Dream Team. Unfortunately, many of America's top ballers are fleeing from the games. Kobe Bryant has a trial to attend to, other athletes are tired, and some are plain scared. These actions seem typical for another nation that sports the red, white, and blue, but not America.

Basketball isn't the only sport with a black eye, as the steroid issue has spread from America's pastime to sports' pastime. The Magnificent Sevens of years past have been replaced by the BALCO six. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm not the only one who has seen it. While grown men are making excuses to avoid representing the stars and stripes, pre-teen girls and young women are boldly taking up the banner for America. I think America has an athlete to believe in and to bring back patriotism, and that athlete is a gymnast.

I'm not the only one who thinks this way, as Pamela Anderson has bankrolled the training of 25-year-old Mohini Bhardwaj, who grew up in Cincinnati. The former Baywatch star believes Mo' is the best out there. McDonald's, however, is throwing their money behind another gymnast, Carly Patterson, the girl who is claimed to be the "next Mary Lou Retton." McDonald's produced 70 million bags that feature the face of Patterson.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice that these big names are supporting gymnasts, but they are supporting the supporting cast to the superstar. I know who will bring pride back to America, and it's now time to get on her bandwagon. I think she is the best of the best, has the best attitude, and well, she is just cool. In fact, she is Courtney McCool.

McCool was the runner-up at last year's junior U.S. Championships and took the silver on the vault at the Pan American Games. She placed second overall at the Olympic Trials, and is one of the elite gymnasts on this year's squad.

I don't really know how McDonald's messed this up, as Courtney McCool sounds like a fictional McDonald's character that should be teaching Grimace how to do a handstand. She sounds like a girl who would teach the Hamburglar to do a somersault (instead of living his life of a rebel by stealing hamburgers for Bartolo Colon). At the very least, she sounds like a former girlfriend of Snoopy's alter ego, Joe Cool, not like an Olympic gymnast.

Courtney is even proud to be representing her country at Greece.

"To be at this high level ... it's so intense, so exciting, to the point that there are just no words for it," she said.

Kobe Bryant didn't have words to describe playing on an Olympic team either, but that's mainly because he is slightly less educated than the 16-year-old McCool. Think of the message Courtney could send to her many adoring fans, "Be McCool, stay in school." This is a much better message than Bryant's "do what's best for you and don't sleep around in Colorado ... too much."

"I pray my actions are a good example for other girls in life as well as gymnastics," Courtney said. Hopefully girls will look up to her and not other female figures, such as noted stock market expert Martha Stewart (how does she always get it right?) or former porn star Cameron Diaz.

"I won't say that Courtney McCool will be the Olympic champion," gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi said, "but I will say that it's going to be an American, period."

Thanks for nothing, Bela. I will say that Courtney McCool will be the Olympic champion, period.

Courtney's biggest asset is her attitude. She has battled back from a few foot injuries to reach the pinnacle of her sport. "It's slowed me down, but nothing is going to stop me," McCool said. It's that spirit that will take her far. I am predicting that come the Olympics, she will be hotter than a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. practice lap. Now is the time to get on her bandwagon. I'm there, and "I'm lovin' it."

Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 10:43 AM | Comments (1)

July 19, 2004

Statistically Significant

At around the same time the MLB all-star festivities happen each year, fans often turn their eyes to changes the league ought to make. This year, however, the time has come to give the league a year off from our complaints and instead go after the sports media.

The change I propose is a major one, but easily implemented: the media should stop focusing on the Triple Crown statistics, especially for hitters. When baseball took its place as the national pastime of the United States, it made sense to focus on obvious numbers like batting average, homeruns, and runs batted in. It still makes sense to appreciate those statistics -- RBIs, in particular -- but we also know now that on-base percentage and slugging percentage tell us far more about a batter than his number of homeruns and his batting average do.

On-base percentage, or OBP, is just what's its name implies: how often the batter gets on base when he makes a plate appearance. To calculate it, take the numbers of hits and walks and divide it by the number of at-bats and walks. Players with high on-base percentages make fewer outs and score more runs. Slugging percentage measures how often a player puts the ball into play and what happens when he does. It is calculated by dividing the batter's total bases by his number of at-bats.

If John and Joe are both batting .300, but John slugs .400 and Joe slugs .550, John is mostly a singles hitter; Joe probably puts most of his shots in the outfield, producing homeruns and doubles. Numerous studies have shown that OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) or SLOP (Slugging percentage times On-base Percentage) is the most accurate and effective way to measure hitters.

For instance, if you read that Barry Bonds is hitting .350, you know that he's doing very well at the plate, but if you see that his on-base percentage is over .600, you realize that nearly two-thirds of the time he makes a plate appearance, he puts himself in position to score and his team doesn't get an out.

When you see that Bonds has 20 homers, it's clear that he's not just hitting for average, either. But looking at batting average and homeruns doesn't differentiate Barry very strongly from, say, Manny Ramirez. The Boston slugger is batting .340 and has 20 HRs -- almost the same as Bonds. In fact, Ramirez has 60 RBIs to Barry's 40, so going on the Triple Crown statistics, you'd say that Ramirez is the more dangerous hitter. You'd be very wrong.

When I was young, my father told me about a Yankees game he'd seen many years before. Mickey Mantle was at the plate, and the pitcher was being cautious not to leave anything up for him to hit. In fact, one of his pitches bounced off the dirt before it even hit the plate. Mick, my dad told me, caught the pitch on the bounce and knocked it over the wall. I don't know if the story's true, but that's the way pitchers play Bonds, too. That he has a batting average at all is remarkable.

Bonds, as of June 29, had 165 at-bats and 109 walks, 57 of them intentional. Ramirez had 268 at-bats and 48 walks, including 10 intentional passes. Bonds had 16 strikeouts -- three fewer than his 19 homeruns -- and Ramirez had 56. Barry had grounded into three double plays; Ramirez, into 10. Bonds, with 126 total bases, 109 walks, two hit-by-pitch and three stolen bases, had made his way over 240 bases less than halfway through the season. Ramirez, in the same time, had 177 total bases, 48 walks, 2 HBP, and a stolen base, for a total of 228.

240-228 isn't a big difference, but Bonds only had 276 total plate appearances; Ramirez had 321. That's a long way of saying that Bonds was slugging .764 and had an OBP of .612; Ramirez was slugging .660 and had a .442 OBP. If you give Bonds pitches to hit, he's more likely to knock one into McCovey Cove -- more than 11.5% of his at-bats produce homeruns -- than he is to strike out. Bonds, with 58 hits and 109 walks, had gotten on base more often than Ramirez -- in fewer plate appearances -- and had scored 59 runs, third-best in the major leagues (Ramirez, with 46 runs, was tied for 37th).

Ramirez is an extremely good hitter and my purpose here isn't to insult him or imply that he's overrated. If you look at the Triple Crown statistics, Ramirez seems to be having a better season than Bonds, but if you examine more meaningful statistics -- OBP, slugging percentage, runs, and RBIs -- then it becomes clear that Bonds is having another legendary season while Ramirez is "only" having an excellent one.

Casual fans have gotten used to the Triple Crown numbers -- 100 years of tradition will do that -- but emphasizing OBP and slugging percentage instead of batting average and homeruns will give fans a deeper appreciation of the game. That isn't to say the other statistics should go away, but if the newspaper or television report is only going to give me one or two statistics, I'd rather see slugging percentage than batting average.

The pitching Triple Crown -- wins, ERA, and strikeouts -- receives far less attention, but I wouldn't be the first to suggest that wins have more to do with what team you play for than how good you are. Just ask Freddy Garcia. WHIP -- Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched -- on the other hand, is arguably the best tool we have for measuring a pitcher's effectiveness.

With the rise of fantasy sports, we pay more attention to statistics than ever before. Doesn't it make sense to focus on the ones that matter?

Posted by Brad Oremland at 1:12 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2004

Gold Medal Mess

I really don't know another way to put this, so I'll just say it:

Isn't there anyone else concerned that American athletes, participating in the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, could be coming home in body bags?

We're less than a month away from the Summer Olympics in Athens, and I've heard more about the rings of Saturn this summer than I have about the very real, very dangerous threat facing Americans in Greece from local and national terrorists and criminals.

Athens is basically like that kid who buys the Cliffs Notes the night before the test, and then waits until he's walking to class to actually read them. Money is being thrown left and right to fix disturbing gaps in Greek security for the Games. But unless national or foreign terrorists have been waiting until they could get a good price break on nitro, it's certainly a case of too much, too late.

Consider:

Thousands of workers who constructed Olympic facilities in Athens never passed through a personal background check, a senior U.S. law enforcement official told USA Today. That means everything from detailed blueprints to cracks in the foundation of stadiums could have been leaked.

But hey, why scrutinize workers when you're already not checking immigrants coming through the borders from Albania and Macedonia?

Also, a $300 million communications/surveillance network was completed just two months ago. It will be used to monitor facilities like the main Olympic stadium, which is scheduled to be completed two days before Opening Ceremonies, according to the Associated Press.

Whoa! Slow down, boys ... you'll have a good 48 hours before people will actually expect the thing to be finished!

Greek officials proudly boast a total of 70,000 police, soldiers, and other forces that have been assigned to prevent a terrorist attack, at a cost of least $1.2 billion -- hey, look ... an Olympic record broken before the Games began!

But what will all these preparations mean if attacks have already been financed and planned? It was reported this week, partially by the Chicago Tribune, that some criminal operations planned for the Olympics had been "thwarted" thanks to intelligence gathered from Guantanamo Bay detainees. All this tells me is that the plan of attack for these Games is much older and more established than the security measures taken to stop it.

The unbelievable headaches of the Summer Olympics aren't limited to a terror threat, which based on geography and history could be greater for the Games than for either the presidential conventions or the election itself.

Amnesty International reported this week that the Greek government has violated multiple human rights in rounding-up migrants and homeless in Athens as part of its "security" measures. Athens authorities have also racially profiled Muslims "in the name of security," according to Amnesty. And on what grounds, you ask? Tough to say: Amnesty reports that Greek legislation on terrorism does not guarantee a fair trial, nor does it define what "terrorist acts" are. (Gee, where have I heard that before?)

It's amazing that the Greeks are cracking down on their own citizens. Keep this up, and who's going to buy tickets to the Games?

This week, Olympic officials are making it known that tickets "at fair prices" are still available for the locals to snatch up. How many? At the end of June, officials revealed that just 1.95 million of 5.3 million seats had been sold, according to Reuters. That's a gap larger than the total regular season attendance of the New York Yankees last season.

I know WNBA players are used to playing in front of empty seats, but this is ridiculous.

And what about those American athletes? Many prominent jocks have already stated, for one reason or another, that they don't want to represent their county on the world's greatest stage -- including Lance Armstrong, Ray Allen, Shaq, Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Elton Brand, Kenyon Martin, and Tracy McGrady.

The athletes who will compete in the Games still don't have any guarantees about their personal protections. While armed American security personnel will oversee a brief training camp before the Opening Ceremonies, Athens officials continue to claim that armed foreign security detail protecting athletes during the Games would undermine Greek authority.

(Safety shouldn't be a concern for the NBA players who choose to go. They'll be staying on a cruise ship six miles from Athens, and according to the AP, will be protected by thousands of special forces, gunboats, choppers, barbed wire fences fitted with motion sensors, surveillance cameras, X-ray machines, and detectors for radiological, chemical and biological materials. I'm sure that makes the 12th guy on the water polo roster feel a lot better.)

Maybe, in lieu of real security solutions, our athletes will simply dress in potato sacks and keep their American flags back at the Olympic village. That was (paraphrased) the famous advice dispensed by former USOC spokesman Mike Moran, who was quoted in the London Sunday Telegraph as having instructed athletes to keep a low profile and refrain from traditions like the victory lap. The USOC -- after bi-partisan backlash -- later released a statement claiming it would never instruct an athlete not to wave the flag.

But perhaps those running its pre-Games seminars, like Moran, would.

Of course, NBC wouldn't stand for platitudinous displays of muted patriotism. Its coverage stretches over seven channels, 1,200 hours, and a $793 million investment. By the Opening Ceremonies on Aug. 13, we'll all know the hometown, shoe size, and favorite "Friends" character for Michael Phelps, Jenny Thompson, Courtney Kupets, Jennie Finch, and Paul Hamm.

The question is whether we'll know how safe they are.

The terror threat at the Games is as real, frightening, and dangerous as the ineptitude of the Greek officials attempting to thwart it. Hell, judging from last week's massive blackout, all the terrorists will need is a good flashlight and they'll be two steps ahead of the law.

If an attack occurs, and American lives are threatened or lost, what will our response be? Do we pull our athletes from Athens? Do we declare martial law and send in Special Forces? Do we pin it all on the French?

There's no clear answer, no obvious strategy, save for one course of action:

Let's rule Richard Jewell out as a suspect right now, shall we?

Random Thoughts

Does anyone else find irony in the fact that Shaquille O'Neal is now playing for the city that gave us the South Beach Diet?

The Heat are, naturally, elated. They now have a 7-foot-1, 340-pound center in a conference where there are a hell of a lot more Tim McCormicks than Tim Duncans. Just listen to Miami forward Eddie Jones: "I never imagined that we would acquire Shaquille O'Neal. It's once-in-a-lifetime trying to get a player like this guy. It's an unbelievable, unbelievable move."

To which Shaq replied, "Eddie who?" ...

Almost-Senator Mike Ditka on gay marriage: "I'm not going to change, and you're not going to change me, no matter if some judge in the state of Massachusetts or the Supreme Court says it's right. It's not right. Wrong is wrong."

Wrong

Muhammad Ali was scheduled to toss the ceremonial first pitch of the 2004 Major League All-Star Game, but wisely deferred to two young fans. Pretty smart decision, based on his health. As a pitcher, Ali would make Steve Blass look like Greg Maddux ...

My favorite part of the All-Star Game pregame ceremonies was the way they had the players walk down through the crowd, slapping fans' hands as they walked down over the dugout onto the field. Even Barry Bonds pressed the flesh during his intro ... although I suspect this might have just been an elaborate new way to get someone to slip him his "meds" ...

My least favorite part of the pregame festivities involved "lucky fan" Tom Gray. This portly gentleman, randomly selected from the stands before the game, was given 30 seconds to throw one strike for free food for a year, three strikes for $10,000, or five strikes for $1 million, all courtesy of Taco Bell.

(Which, for some reason, has decided to add potatoes to some of its burritos. Every single fast food joint in America is getting on the No-Carb bandwagon, and Taco Bell is actually adding starch to its meals. I am now standing up at my computer and applauding the Bell. It's about time someone gave the finger to these Atkins pricks that are making it harder and harder for fat guys like me to get a decent, calorie-filled meal anymore. Now, if they'd only bring back Super Sizing...)

Anyhoo, this Gray guy gets to the mound, and has Nolan Ryan up there as his coach. In front of the plate is this large cartoon billboard of a batter and a catcher, with a hole cut through it to represent a strike zone. I say "represent" because if it were a scale replica of the current Major League Strike zone, it would have been 10 feet wide and about two inches high.

So Gray has 30 seconds to throw as many balls as he can, only needing five strikes. Normally, I'm not one to question anyone's patriotism, but there are a few things any American should be able to do:

1. Catch a football.
2. Dribble a basketball.
3. Throw a strike from the mound.

Of course, the Third Directive is difficult if you're like Tom Gray, and you throw like a girl. This guy has been a season ticket-holder since 1989, and he's tossing lollipops. I've seen more velocity in a 90-and-over senior league softball game.

So Gray is throwing balls consistently about four feet left of the strike zone. He's throwing pitches that seem to leave his hand and then never actually re-enter the television picture, like a bandito shooting his pistol in the air. Eventually, he sunk two soft tosses into the hole, and then actually banked home two more -- throws so horrible, they wouldn't even earn you a prize at the Boardwalk, but perfect for this event.

With about three seconds left, the thought crossed my mind that this guy might actually fail to get five balls over the plate in 30 seconds.

Coming from Mel Rojas or Mitch Williams, this might be expected. But not from "lucky fan" Tom Gray!

Then Gray loaded up and lobbed another one ... and it goes in. Gray starts running around the mound, pumping his fist like an "athlete" would. Nolan Ryan jumps for joy, perhaps realizing that Bobby Witt no longer has the worst control he's ever seen.

My only question: does Gray get $1,010,000 and free food for a year?

If so, he's richer than the Jeopardy guy'll ever be ...

And finally, the NHL released its 2004-05 schedule on Wednesday.

Word is it was printed with disappearing ink ...

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 8:31 AM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2004

Comforts of Home or College Atmosphere?

It will not be long now. The time is near. Yes, the time is near for no-names to prove they got game, for aging veterans preparing for that one last push, and for all 32 teams having aspirations of holding the Lombardi trophy in Jacksonville in February. With training camps beginning in about two weeks, every team has a set plan on what they want to see happen in camp and how they want it to look.

Speaking of looks, most teams are choosing to hold training camp in different cities (with the exception of the Patriots, Jaguars, Texans, and Titans). Twelve teams will hold training camps at the team facilities, a far cry from the old days when teams would hold training camps at small colleges.

Which begs the question. Where is it better to hold training camp?

At team facilities, where the players will be allowed to come and go as they please after two-a-days?
Or is it better to round up the players at a college for a few weeks, having a curfew so early it makes one think they are back in high school again? The answer is a pretty simple one, actually.

Training camps should be at colleges, and it should always be that way. Now I am sure some players (like Edgerrin James for instance) would prefer to not have it in a college so that they won't be tied down to a secluded area for a few weeks.

However, from personal experience, I have seen the way teams come together while training at a college. As a student at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, where the Pittsburgh Steelers hold training camp, I have noticed the amount of focus that the players have while practicing. Sure, they can be loose and funny when the situation calls for it, but when it is time for the pads to go on, its all business.

Another reason why it is better to hold it at a college than at a training facility is that the fans can be allowed to see their team practice. What one needs to think about is that the fans, like the players, wait for this time of year, as well, because they miss football. Some people who might not be able to go to a game to watch their team play during the season can come to the team's camp to watch them practice. If they are lucky enough, they can get a player's autograph.

This is the only time of the year that the public can have a huge access to the players, so that is why thousands of people make the trek to watch their team practice. I can vouch for that because I was fortunate enough to meet a few of the Steelers.

The next reason that it is better to hold training camp at a college is that teammates can bond together while on a college campus. At a training facility, after practice is over, people go their separate ways to the comforts of their own bed, instead of being able to bond with other teammates, especially the rookies. On campus, players can get familiar with other players that they see even when they are not practicing, since they are around campus somewhere. It makes some players feel as if they are in college again. They can do a lot of things together that would help forge a trust that can benefit them during the season.

While being a student at St. Vincent College during my junior year, I was lucky enough to be given a free wrist band to go watch the Steelers practice. Mind you, I am a New England Patriots fan, but being able to go see an NFL team practicing at my college was just too good to pass up. The experience was gratifying in so many ways, especially with the fans getting into it when the Steelers ran their two-minute offense.

The scenery surrounding the practice field was beautiful. Even ESPN noted that it is the best place to come watch training camp. Now can one say that about a practice facility? Not very likely.

The last reason that training camp should be held at colleges is control. At colleges, coaches can enforce a curfew to make sure that their player is ready to go for the next day of practice. At a practice facility, coaches do not have that luxury. They can only hope that one of their players can behave themselves at a bar or another public place.

Coaches that thrived on controlling things, like the late Vince Lombardi, know that training camp is the only opportunity that they have before the season starts where they can set the schedule on how things will be ran. They make the rules, and the players have to follow them, or suffer the consequences. For teams to play well during the season, they need to bond, and training camp provides them the opportunity to do that.

I am not saying that anything is wrong with holding training camp at practice facilities. However, for teams like the 49ers and the Detroit Lions who deny fan access to their training camp at their practice facility, it can be a huge problem. To the fans, training camp is like an event. They want to go see their favorite players, and if they are not allowed to get that chance, it is a huge letdown for them.

All of this is just my opinion. But ask the fans that can't go see their team practice, like the Lions and the Niners. They want to see their favorite team. Not that they are worth seeing anyway. But the true fan of a team won't care.

Posted by Marc James at 9:06 AM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2004

Triple Crown Immune to Offensive Inflation

Over the past few years, as baseball's offensive numbers have reached mind-boggling levels, purists have decried the dilution of certain standards of greatness. The 50-homerun season has become commonplace, dozens of players top the century mark in RBIs each year, and the 500 Homerun Club has welcomed one fourth of its 20 members in the past five years.

But as today's sluggers continue their onslaught on the record book, one exclusive club remains beyond their reach. In the history of Major League Baseball, only 17 times has a player won his league's Triple Crown, a remarkable feat that is accomplished by leading the league in batting average, homeruns, and RBIs.

This 15-player club (Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby turned the trick twice each) hasn't inducted a new member since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, and there are no signs that it will be opening its doors any time soon.

A quick perusal of the top ten in the three Triple Crown categories in each of the past nine years reveals that few players have even come close to this elusive goal. (Ten years would've been a good sample size, but it didn't seem right to include the strike-shortened 1994 campaign.)

Only 48 times has a hitter appeared in the top-10 of all three leaderboards in the same year, 24 times in each league. While this might seem like a high number, it's important to look at just how high these players ranked on each list.

By assigning points to the league rankings in descending order (10 points for first place, nine for second, etc., similar to the MVP voting), we can separate the great years from the good ones. Take a look at the top seasons below, and remember that a Triple Crown season would earn 30 points.

Player Year Total
1. Dante Bichette 1995 28
2. Larry Walker 1997 27
3. Albert Belle 1998 26
4. Todd Helton 2001 25
5. Manny Ramirez 1999 24
5. Todd Helton 2000 24
5. Barry Bonds 2002 24
8. Albert Belle 1995 23
9. Luis Pujols 2003 23
10. Andres Galarraga 1997 22
10. Sammy Sosa 2001 22
10. Alex Rodríguez 2001 22

Some of the above players earned their points without winning any of the individual categories. Four times in the past nine years, however, a player has actually led his league in two of the three Triple Crown categories while remaining in the top-10 in the third. Albert Belle (.317/50/126) and Dante Bichette (.340/40/128) in 1995, and Todd Helton (.372/42/147) in 2000.

Belle, however, finished 39 points behind Edgar Martinez in the American League batting race, and Bichette trailed Tony Gwynn by 28 points in the National League. Helton easily won the batting and RBI titles in 2000, but hit eight fewer homeruns than Sammy Sosa.

Timing plays a critical part in a hitter's pursuit of the Triple Crown. Not only does a hitter have to have a great season in all three categories (the average leaders over the past nine years have finished at .350/51/146 in the AL and .365/54/143 in the NL), he can't afford to have any other hitter put up big numbers. If Barry Bonds hits 73 homers or Nomar Garciaparra hits .372, the Triple Crown is almost impossible.

In fact, look at the lowest totals for the leaders over the past decade. The AL lows are .326 (Bill Mueller, 2003), 47 homeruns (Alex Rodriguez, 2003, and Troy Glaus, 2000), and 126 RBIs (Belle and Mo Vaughn, 1995). The NL leaders bottom out at .350 (Larry Walker, 2001), 40 (Bichette, 1995), and 128 (Lance Berkman, 2002).

Putting those together into two hypothetical seasons (.326/47/126 and .350/40/128) allows for an interesting comparison with the Triple Crown contenders over the past nine years. Only three players have had seasons that would top those numbers: Belle in 1998 (.328/49/152) in the American League, and Walker in 1995 (.366/49/130), and Helton in 2000 (.372/42/147) in the National League.

While it may seem that some of today's best hitters might have a shot at winning the Triple Crown, the proliferation of sluggers actually decreases the chances that any single player will top his league in batting average, homeruns, and RBIs. At the 2004 All-Star Break, for example, there are only two players (Manny Ramírez and Vladimir Guerrero) in the top-10 of all three categories.

And so who among today's players have the best chance of Triple Crowning? There are only four hitters, two in each league.

Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox: He consistently hits for high average, the Green Monster beckons in left field, and Boston's explosive lineup gives him plenty of RBI opportunities.

Vladimir Guerrero, Anaheim Angels: Pitchers can't pitch around Guerrero, because he swings at (and hits) everything. He also benefits from a high-scoring offense.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals: This young hitter seems to get better each year. His average still hasn't recovered from an early-season slump, but his power numbers are as solid as ever.

Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies: Two words: Coors Field. In the past nine years, five different Colorado players (Helton, Walker, Bichette, Andres Galarraga, and Preston Wilson) have led the National League in at least one of the three Triple Crown categories, accounting for 12 of the 27 individual championships. 2002 was the only year without a Rockie atop any of the leader boards. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see Helton parlay this advantage into a Triple Crown.

But even as these four players and others strive towards the hitter’s holy grail, the current members of baseball's most distinguished club can rest easily. Long after the 500 Homerun Club has swollen into irrelevance, the Triple Crown Club's exclusivity will set it apart.

Posted by Hank Waddles at 5:03 AM | Comments (0)

An Unusual Influence at Duke

The proliferation of players from high school straight to the NBA, sponsorships, street agents, and AAU coaches dictating where star players attend college, and alumni who use any influence they can to help produce winning programs have many followers of college basketball longing for the golden years of the 1970's and '80s.

Innocence returned to college basketball if only for a fleeting moment last week. Mike Krzyzewski's decision to spurn the Lakers' $40 million, five-year offer to become their head coach was influenced in large part by Duke junior biology major Andrew Humphries. Humphries' small part in Krzyzewski's decision should make every college basketball fan feel like they can be at least a small part of their favorite program.

"In the tiniest way, I was able to become a part of that history and lore that is Duke basketball," Humphries said. He wrote Krzyzewski an e-mail asking him to, "please still be my coach."

Humphries grew up a Duke fan in Waynesboro, VA dreaming of wearing the blue and white of the Blue Devils and playing in the Final Four. He realized at a young age that that dream would not be reality. He had to settle for what most students in the Duke general student population do, camp out in Krzyzewskiville to attend games as a Cameron Crazy.

"I got to Duke and discovered that, yes, I am going to play for Coach K. I am going to be his sixth man." Humphries said. He also said that although he is not directly associated with the team in any way, he feels like he is a part of the team.

In a time of big sponsorship and players more concerned about their stock in the draft than their team's success, Humphries' influence was refreshing. This direct impact harbored back to the old days in an age of nasty message boards and weblogs.

Humphries asked Krzyzewski to stay at Duke as "our coach." It's the family atmosphere at Duke that also played a large part in Krzyzewski's decision. His coaching staff is comprised entirely of former Blue Devil players. Krzyzewski emphasized he feels like all the relationships at Duke are different. The e-mail from Humphries brought Coach K to tears.

The way it is at Duke is that, "It's been our team, with everybody involved," Krzyzewski said. His goal is to keep that atmosphere going.

Krzyzewski paid tribute to Humphries in his press conference to announce that he was staying. "If Andrew is listening, thanks a lot, you never know what's read." Krzyzewski's wife, Mickie, took the thank you a step further when she left a message on Humphries' cell phone. She thanked him for his e-mail and invited him to the press conference, he was unable to attend, but will attend a fantasy camp that includes former Duke players later this summer.

In a day and age when the small guy seems to keep getting pushed out of sports in a variety of ways, one very small voice helped to alter the landscape of college basketball, and particularly Duke basketball, forever. Love or hate Duke, this gives all college basketball crazies a reason to dream.

Posted by Alan Rubenstein at 2:54 AM | Comments (0)

"Brew Crew" No Longer a Sideshow

The Milwaukee Brewers have moved America's favorite sausages to the back burner.

After years and years of futility that saw a between-innings race between four giant sausages become the main attraction at Miller Park, the scrappy, gritty, never-say-die Brewers of 2004 have displaced those quasi-mascots as the big draw.

And they haven't had to don goofy costumes to do it; they've just won baseball games.

The Brewers were 45-41 at the All-Star Break. And while they're 8.5 games behind the Cardinals in the National League Central, they're in the thick of the wildcard race, just 2.5 games behind the Giants.

For some franchises, a slightly better than .500 record wouldn't mean much. Not so for the success-starved Brewers.

Milwaukee hasn't had a winning season since 1992. Even then, they were on the outside looking in and because the wildcard had not been instituted, they failed to make the playoffs. The postseason baseball caravan hasn't made a stop in Milwaukee since 1982.

In that time, the Brewers have been afterthoughts in pennant races, one of those teams that's practically eliminated before the season begins.

And some thought real elimination might be the best option. When commissioner Bud Selig's ill-advised contraction plan didn't include the Brewers, most speculated that his ties to the Milwaukee organization kept the Brewers off the list (he was the owner until becoming commissioner, and then his daughter took over).

Luckily, no teams were contracted, but the Brewers still struggled. Management finally fired long-time manager Phil Garner in 1997, replacing him with Davey Lopes. The Brewers moved into a new stadium in 2001, but the excitement generated by the state-of-the-art Miller Park didn't trickle down to the field. Lopes lost his job in 2002.

In the meantime, as the novelty of a new stadium wore off and the reality of a bad team set in, fans stopped showing up. After finishing seventh in the NL in attendance in 2001, the Brewers dropped to 13th last year. They averaged just 20,992 fans per game, less than half of Miller Park's capacity.

And the fans that were there didn't get to see much excitement, save the sausage races. The Brewers finished last year with a 68-94 record, and a dismal 31-50 mark at home.

But just when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse, GM Doug Melvin did the unthinkable and shipped Richie Sexson -- Milwaukee's only bona-fide star -- off to Arizona in a blockbuster nine-player deal.

Sexson had hit .272 with 45 homeruns in 2003 and had been considered the cornerstone of the franchise. The six players they got in return looked more like ordinary building blocks.

Many Milwaukee fans probably saw the deal as the beginning of the end -- the end of any hopes of competing. When the trade went through on Dec. 2, 2003, they couldn't know that it was actually the beginning of a new beginning.

Sexson was the cornerstone, but without much talent around him, not even he could hold up the crumbling foundation of the franchise.

But those ordinary building blocks have been that foundation.

Lyle Overbay replaced Sexson at first base and has been nothing short of spectacular. At the break, he was fourth in the league with a .344 batting average and fourth in RBIs with 62. He was also one of the biggest all-star snubs.

Utilityman Craig Counsell is playing every day at shortstop and hitting .259 with a .357 on-base percentage. Second baseman Junior Spivey has missed time with injuries, but when he has played, he's hit .272 with 7 homeruns. Catcher Chad Moeller is hitting only .239, but did show a flash of brilliance when he hit for the cycle April 27. And Chris Capuano has been a mainstay in the Brewers' rotation, going 3-5 with a 3.69 ERA.

Sexson, meanwhile, is out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.

It's safe to say, then, that the Brewers got the better end of the deal. Melvin, who took loads of criticism when the trade went down, can smile. He got five regular contributors in exchange for one star.

But those five contributors are not the only reasons for the Brewers' success.

There's manager Ned Yost, a Bobby Cox disciple, who always seemed to get the most out of his players, even when they struggled last season. Now that the talent is there, he's still getting the most.

There's right-hander Ben Sheets, who is quietly becoming one of the best pitchers in the league. He was named to the all-star team after leading the league in ERA and posting a 9-5 record.

There's closer Danny Kolb, another all-star. He's saved 26 games and blown just one.

And then there's Geoff Jenkins, a mainstay in left field since 1999, who's hitting .251 with 12 homeruns and finally tasting success.

The fans are taking notice. Attendance is up and while the per-game average of 23,415 is still well below capacity, it's a sign of progress.

That the fans are there to watch a good team play hard and not to watch a bunch of sausages means even more.

The Brewers have won mostly with pitching -- their 3.89 team ERA is fifth in the league. The offense has not been great, but it's been good enough to win.

And a little bit of luck has also come into play. The Brewers have actually allowed three more runs than they've scored, which means they play a ton of close games. But with a great closer like Kolb and timely hitting, they've been able to win more than their fair share.

But maybe the most impressive number surrounding the Brewers is 30. That's where their payroll ranks -- last. The Brewers have the smallest payroll in all of baseball, but thanks to a solid plan of action, they're still winning.

Of course, reality may set in soon. Last season, the Kansas City Royals, also a small-market team, got off to a hot start and became the feel-good story of the year. They didn't make the playoffs, but finished above .500 and were riding high coming into this season.

They quickly fell back to earth, though, and entered the break with the worst record in the American League.

The same thing could conceivably happen to the Brewers, but there's reason to hope it won't.

For one, there's a precedent. The Minnesota Twins have done what the Royals couldn't. The Twins were the feel-good story in 2001, and they still haven't fallen back to earth, winning the division title in 2002 and 2003.

But the real reason to hope lies in the Brewer's farm system. Baseball America ranked it as the best in all of baseball, with tremendous depth and plenty of star power. Second baseman Rickie Weeks and first baseman Prince Fielder -- Cecil's son -- are consensus top-10 prospects in all of baseball and should be wearing Brewers uniforms in the not-too-distant future.

The fact that the Brewers are winning now -- before they're supposed to -- is a huge bonus. It means that when the youngsters make a splash, they'll be joining an already-successful team and won't be asked to play the role of saviors.

The sausages, of course, cannot be forgotten in all this. It's been a rough time for them. Randall Simon's unprovoked attack on the Italian Sausage took its toll. And having to play second fiddle to a real baseball team this season has undoubtedly bruised some egos.

But if they can just accept their roles and realize that they're still the most popular sausages in America, they'll quickly see that, as native Milwaukeeans themselves, they have a lot to be proud of -- a team built for the future that just happens to be winning now.

Posted by William Geoghegan at 1:27 AM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2004

The Oracle at Troon

The British Open is this week over at Royal Troon in southern Scotland. It last held the Open seven years ago, when Justin Leonard emerged as the champion golfer of the year. It was and remains as Leonard's only major championship victory. The one-shot-wonder victory by Leonard is a stark contrast to the champions in the majors in this 2004 season.

I know, I know. You're shouting that Phil Mickelson's Masters title is his first major. And you are right. But, by comparison to the five major champions before him, Mickelson's victory was almost inevitable. Recall the names of the five major champions since the 2003 British Open, when Ernie Els prevailed. Rich Beem, Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis, and Shaun Micheel, in order, are the names. With the exception of Furyk, who really expected any of those four men to win a major? I'd be willing to guess that even their mothers did not expect them to pull off the feat.

So far this season, though, the majors have been dominated by world-class players. The aforementioned Mickelson is the winningest left-handed golfer in the world and we all knew he would win a major ... someday. Retief Goosen, in an amazing showdown with Mickelson, established himself as a name for the ages in U.S. Open lore.

The regular tour, too, has seen the re-emergence of the veteran golfer in the past season and a half, following the record setting 2002 campaign. Trophies are predominantly going out to golfers in the top-30 in the world rankings.

The dominance exhibited by the best golfers in the world over the rest of the best leads me to believe that there will be no change this week at Troon. Sure, the Open Championship does lend itself to first (and only) time winners. But I have a feeling that will not be the case this year.

Royal Troon has a very exposed front nine and will give up a large number of birdies and eagles. But the backside is probably the strongest test in Open links golf. Almost entirely against the wind, a player making a Sunday charge will have to humble himself to steady pars on the way to the house. Most young, inexperienced golfers will be unable to quell their aggression from the front side and will pay in black figures.

Meanwhile, those who have been down the stretch of a major before know to temper their demeanors and can prepare to withstand the pressure from themselves and the competition. It is a skill that requires the experience of success at the highest level, the experience of winning a major championship.

This is all beside the fact that there are not many world-class golfers left without a major championship. Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, and Adam Scott are the scarce names that come to mind.

So, then, who is my pick for the Open Championship this year? I knew you were going to ask that eventually. For the first time since 1997, Tiger Woods is not the gambling houses' favorite to win a major. And he's not my favorite, either. Ernie Els had a final round of 80 at Shinnecock, which is deceiving. Phil Mickelson will never win the Open Championship because he is a high-ball player who cannot alter his game long enough to be a legit links champion.

But after going on this entire tirade regarding veteran success over the last 18 months, my pick for the British Open is Adam Scott. He has three wins in nine months on the tour, including two loaded field events. He is one step away from a major, and I think that he may take that step this week, toward the Clarett Jug.

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 3:37 AM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2004

NL MVP Race Breakdown: Rolen vs. Bonds

When viewing the statistics, even at the halfway point, of one Barry Lamar Bonds, it might be better to assume that .628 (thru 7/11) represents his season SLG or perhaps his batting average in the last five or ten days; either of which stand as very impressive.

Scott Rolen's SLG is just a shade under .600, one of the better efforts on the Senior Circuit. As for getting on base, the Cardinal batsman is scheduled to collect about 200 hits and earn a respectable 71 free passes.

Many people around the league, some for obvious reasons, are pulling for Rolen to keep up his near-prodigious pace -- and take the trophy away from Bonds.

I'm terribly sorry to report ... it is not happening. At least not this year.

In the all-important on-base percentage plus slugging (OPS) category, which is not adjusted for home park, Bonds leads Rolen 1.421 to 1.013. True, Rolen is a far superior defensive player and his team has a better record, but if the Gold Glove recipient cannot cut into a 408-point deficit in this crucial category -- then there is no argument. 1.421, it might go without saying, would set a new league record, owing mostly to the outlandish OBP of the most feared batter since George Herman Ruth.

Everyone knows how great a player Bonds was during the 1990s, winning three MVPs, averaging 30 HR/30 SB a season, and leading all participants in runs-scored. Yet, in the last three or four seasons, he has gone beyond even that Hall of Fame level to become Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio rolled into one.

Until 2001, only Ruth had slugged .800 -- Bonds went for an .863 clip during his 73 HR campaign. Until 2002, Williams' ungodly .554 OBP (1941) stood as a marvel; a more impressive achievement than even hitting .406 -- Bonds promptly erased that mark, as well, en route to his second-straight 1.300 OPS season.

Over a magnificent 13-year career, DiMaggio connected for 361 homeruns at the expense of only 369 strikeouts. Since 2002, Bonds has accumulated a 114-124 mark, having not struck out 30 more times than he homered since 1998. Of course, none of these prior exploits should have anything to do with the 2004 season, but if Bonds manages to post 85% of his scheduled pace, then there is little to discuss.

In the past week, Bonds romped through Rickey Henderson's career walks record, and although he will likely not catch Williams in OBP (No. 9=.483, No. 25=.439), he's increased his total by 24 points since 2000 -- all after playing in his 2,000th career game.

My larger point is this: should Bonds reach 200 walks, slug somewhere around .775, and break his own single-season OBP mark, the title has to remain his for at least 2004. Rolen is having a tremendous season, but much like his teammate Albert Pujols (2001-2003), it should not be enough to dethrone the second greatest player in major league history.

Through the halfway point, without any doubt, Barry Bonds deserves his seventh National League MVP Award.

Posted by at 10:23 AM | Comments (4)

The Topsy-Turvey NBA (As We Know It)

To start, it looks like the Eastern Conference may get stronger.

Wait. The East getting stronger? Is that a misprint?

With a tall, 7-1 center possibly being traded from the West to the East, it does not sound so crazy.

The rumored talks of Shaquille O'Neal getting traded took an interesting twist when it was reported in the San Jose Mercury News that the Miami Heat were in serious talks with the Lakers about trading for Shaq in exchange for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and Caron Butler. There are also reports that Shaq has agreed to go to Miami.

Miami giving up a prized player like Caron Butler is a very big price to pay, but when a team has a chance to acquire the best center in the NBA, very few teams would not make that deal.

Shaq, along with Dwayne Wade, would form an enticing one-two combo that could have a chance to win the Atlantic Division. The only question with the Heat is surrounding good players around Shaq and Wade that can challenge Detroit as the best team in the East. Rasheed Wallace is still available, but look for Detroit to push hard to resign him.

Speaking of signings, not many people know what to make of the outlandish offer sheets that have been signed by Carlos Boozer and Melmet Okur, both by the Utah Jazz. This not only states that there is no chance for Detroit and the Cleveland Cavaliers will not match these contracts, it also puts the rest of the Western Conference on notice that Utah is ready to compete next season. They finished a few games over .500 last season, but missed the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. These two signings should push them in there.

As for the other Western Conference teams making a lot of noise: hint ... two of them are from Texas, and one team is in the hunt to sign Kenyon Martin.

The Houston Rockets, with the acquisition of Tracy McGrady from the Orlando Magic, have established themselves as contenders for the NBA title. The one-two punch of McGrady and Yao Ming will cause a lot of coaches to have sleepless nights. They had to give up Cuttino Mobley and all-star Steve Francis to complete the deal, but if they can sign a point guard, say a Derek Fisher, that can give the ball to Yao and McGrady, then they can be in pretty good shape.

The Dallas Mavericks are still not out of the Shaq sweepstakes after trading away Antwain Jamison to acquire some talent that they could trade to get Shaq. However, the Lakers want Dirk Nowitzki as part of the deal, but Dallas owner Mark Cuban is unwilling to do that. That is what makes the Shaq deal to Miami seem more likely. Replacing steve Nash will not be easy, but getting rid of the scorers that could not play defense was a new start for the Mavericks.

The Denver Nuggets look like a team that can really contend in the Western Conference, since it looks like they are the frontrunners in the Kenyon Martin shopping spree. As a restricted free agent, the New Jersey Nets can match any offer, but the Nuggets want to put out an offer that will make it impossible for the Nets to match. After resigning Marcus Camby, they have the money to sign Martin to a lucrative deal. With the emergence of Carmelo Anthony after his rookie campaign, the Nuggets could be a force to be reckoned with next season after making the playoffs this season.

Lastly, one has to be wondering what has become of the Sacramento Kings. They were an overtime away from reaching the NBA finals back in 2002 and have gone backwards since. Considering that coach Rick Adleman does not get fired before the season starts, this could be the Kings' last chance at making it to the Finals before management decides to implode the team. They are getting old real fast and cannot get over the hump, not to mention that they still cannot play defense.

All of this means nothing until next season, but it is not bad to think about during the hot summer days.

It is time to bid adieu, and before going, watch out for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic next season. Yes. The Magic. That is not a misprint, either. They will scare teams next season.

Posted by Marc James at 9:08 AM | Comments (0)

Gearing Up For "Lockout-Proof" Hockey

Frank Calder was the first president of the National Hockey in 1917. He helped grow the sport through the early years and into expansion. The NHL has named its Rookie of the Year after him in his memory, the Calder Memorial Trophy.

Beginning this October, the 28 teams that comprise the American Hockey League will chase after another piece of hardware named after this pioneer of hockey. It's called the Calder Cup, and is awarded to the champions of the AHL.

Hockey fans, it's beginning to look a lot like nuclear winter for the sport. So, for those that will be in need of their fix for the puck (especially when football ends), I present as a public service to you a thumbnail's view of the AHL. There are four divisions. What follow is a breakdown of each division, with the seven teams that comprise each division, and the abbreviation of the NHL team (or teams) they are affiliated with.

The Atlantic Division includes the Hartford Wolfpack (NYR), Lowell Lock Monsters (CGY/CAR), Manchester Monarchs (LA), Portland Pirates (WAS), Providence Bruins (BOS), Springfield Falcons (TB), and Worcester Icecats (STL). The East Division is made up of the Albany River Rats (NJ), Binghamton Senators (OTT), Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI), Hershey Bears (COL), Norfolk Admirals (CHI), Philadelphia Phantoms (PHI), and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT).

The North Division teams are the Cleveland Barons (SJ), Hamilton Bulldogs (MTL), Manitoba Moose (VAN), Rochester Americans (BUF), St. John's Maple Leafs (TOR), Syracuse Crunch (CMB), and Toronto Roadrunners (EDM). Finally, the West Division includes the Chicago Wolves (ATL), Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (ANA), Grand Rapids Griffins (DET), Houston Aeros (DAL/MIN), Milwaukee Admirals (NSH), San Antonio Rampage (FLA), and Utah Grizzles (PHX).

Now that you know the teams, some tidbits about the AHL to get you prepared for the upcoming season. The league recently adopted a rule change for this season, in which there will be a shootout to determine a winner in each contest if the scored is tied at the end of a five-minute overtime period. This will only be utilized for the regular season. The postseason will be reduced in the number of teams involved from 20 to 16. Each team plays an 80-game schedule, mostly against teams from within their own division.

Now for a few fun facts:

* Two of the last four coaches to win the Stanley Cup have also won a Calder Cup. Bob Hartley lead Hershey to the AHL title in 1997, and then coached Colorado to an NHL title in 2001, while John Tortorella, coach of this year's Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, guided Rochester to the 1996 Calder Cup.

* Only three times has an NHL franchise won the Stanley Cup and had its affiliate team win the Calder Cup in the same season. The Nova Scotia Voyageurs won the 1976 and 1977 title in the AHL, while its parent club, the Montreal Canadiens, was winning the Stanley Cup. The only other time this double-dip has happened was in 1995, when the New Jersey Devils and their minor league partner, the Albany River Rats, won simultaneous championships.

* Since 1970, only five goaltenders have been part of both a Calder Cup championship team, and later a Stanley Cup championship team. They are: Billy Smith, a four-time Stanley Cup winner for the New York Islanders, with the 1971 Springfield Kings; Patrick Roy, a four-time Stanley Cup winner for Montreal and Colorado, with the 1985 Sherbrooke Canadiens; Wendell Young, a member of Pittsburgh's consecutive titles in the 1990s, with the 1988 Hershey Bears; Corey Schwab, who backed up Martin Brodeur for New Jersey in last year's title run, with Albany in 1995; and John Grahame, who will have his name etched on the Stanley Cup as a result of this year's win by the Lightning, with the 1999 Providence Bruins.

* Don Cherry was a member of the 1960 Calder Cup champion Springfield Indians.

* The Milwaukee Admirals are the defending league champions, having defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

* Manchester will host the 2005 AHL All-Star Game.

Posted by Jonathan Moncrief at 8:55 AM | Comments (3)

July 11, 2004

Pity of the Yankees

Eighty-percent of New York Yankees fans have either jumped on the bandwagon within the last decade or root for the team because they want to have sex with Derek Jeter.

I saw both virtues embodied in the same "fan" last weekend at Shea Stadium, where the Yankees were visiting the Mets in the second stanza of their annual Interleague series.

She was a rather large woman, maybe early 30s, looking very much like a cross between Janice Soprano and Gary Glitter. As she walked to her seat -- two innings late -- she discovered her oversized foam platform shoes were too large for the stairs down to the mezzanine.

She realized this the hard way: falling first into her own row, and then a second time, in the same stumble, on her ass in the row across the aisle, spilling half a bottle of water on a group of fans who had the nerve to show up on time.

This is what happens when the only thing larger than your heels is your hair.

How did I know this woman was a Yankees fan? She didn't have on any Bombers gear. She was there with a girlfriend rather than some pumped-up lugnut with a Hideki Matsui jersey.

But I rationalized she was a Yankee newbie when Jeter stepped up for his second at-bat. All of a sudden, out comes the camera. Out come the catcalls, the "Go Jeet-uh!" squeals. This woman had been acting like she was in a public library, and now it was like George Clooney was standing in front of her chopping wood.

She was so infected with Jeter Fever, I thought she might faint out of her seat (although I figured she had already hit her daily quota for slovenly somersaults a bit earlier).

This is what it's come to for Yankees fans: Jenny-come-latelys, who spend more time on their cell phone than scoring the game, and who buy tickets in leftfield just so they can get a better view of the shortstop's moneymaker.

Don't think I'm one of these people who blindly hates the Yankees. Oh, I hate them with every fiber of my fan-being. But I respect them, too. I don't think they've "purchased" their pennants; not with a homegrown core of players like the aforementioned Mr. Jeter, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and former Yankees like Andy Pettitte and Ramiro Mendoza.

Not with a manager like Joe Torre, who like Scotty Bowman and Phil Jackson, has the uncommon capacity for utilizing talent and understanding the clubhouse politics of ego -- although winning makes that pretty damn easy.

But no amount of respect for the 26-time World Series champions can do anything to dull the odious impact of one of those "Yankee Moments" -- those detestable occurrences that remind you why you hate, hate, hate, hate, hate the Yankees, and then hate them a little more than that.

I had a "Yankee Moment" moment at Shea last weekend. Jason Giambi (who left small-market Oakland for the Bronx for over $11 million per season) stroked a double to rightfield. Torre then sent in a pinch runner…

... named Kenny Lofton.

Yes, the same Kenny Lofton with the five stolen-base titles and the 541 career swipes, which have him near the top-25 base-stealers of all time.

What ... was Lou Brock busy or something?

Sure he's been hurt, and sure he's 36. But he's Kenny Lofton, and he's what passes for a pinch runner on a George Steinbrenner team. Other teams have their long relievers running wind sprints to see if any of them are faster than a snail with a broken foot ... but the Yankees call on Kenny Lofton.

His substitution produced the same kind of loathsome mixture of disgust and jealously you'd feel when the Yankees would send up Jose Canseco or Cecil Fielder as a pinch hitter.

If Lofton had scored the winning run against the Mets last Saturday, it would have been another star play by a star player. It would have been the fulfillment of a contract, the realizing of lofty (Lofton?) expectations. Just another triumph for a franchise that has over 9,000 of them in the regular season.

But Lofton didn't score. The Mets' Kaz Matsui did, in the bottom of the ninth, on a RBI by Shane Spencer. The win was, like the Flushing team's nickname says, simply Amazin' -- reliever John Franco rallied from a 3-0 count to strikeout Posada with the bases loaded in the top of the frame, and Spencer's 40-foot infield roller was bobbled and then thrown high to home plate by somebody named Tanyon Sturtze, who apparently has a Major League contract.

Game over. Mets win.

Spencer was drafted by the Yankees in 1990, and eventually made the show in 1998 as a 26-year-old rookie. He was a postseason hero that year, hitting two homeruns in only six at-bats in the divisional series against Texas. New York went on to win the World Series over San Diego.

But was Shane Spencer ever really a Yankee? He didn't have the blue-chip talent of homegrown stars like Jeter and Posada, and he certainly didn't have the wattage of the imports on New York's roster. Quick --which one of these is not like the other: Darryl Strawberry, Paul O'Neill, Tim Raines, Chili Davis, or Shane Spencer?

Truth be told, Spencer always seemed more like a Met: scrappy, opportunistic, makes the most out of what God gave 'em, like Lenny Dykstra or Wally Backman or Ron Swoboda. (You know, before the Mets became the team of Roberto "Show Me Da Money" Alomar and Mo "Why Yes, That is My Fat Ass on the DL ... AGAIN!" Vaughn.)

But for one afternoon, those words found all over Shea -- "Amazin'," "Miracle," "Believe" -- they all seemed relevant again.

And that's got to kill Yankees fans. Not the fact that the Mets won. (The Subway Series will be eternally tipped to the Bronx after 2000.) But because the Yankees will never be the underdog. They'll never be the Bad News Bears. There's nothing miraculous and amazin' about them, unless you're talking about their payroll.

Take Aaron Boone's series-clinching homerun against Boston last year. Will that be remembered as Yankee Magic, or Red Sox Misery? The latter, of course, because all it did for the Bombers was secure their 39th pennant in team history. That's as many as the White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Phillies, Orioles, Astros, Expos, Rangers, and Mariners have won combined from 1901-2004.

My best friend is a Yankees fan, and I feel for him. His team will never be expected to lose a World Series. He'll never begin to understand the elation when the Red Sox or Cubs finally win one again. He'll never understand the postseason legerdemain generated by teams like the '91 Twins or the '88 Dodgers.

It's like sleeping with 26 different women, and never getting to experience one "first time."

Of course, don't shed any tears for the kid. When the Mets won in '86, my buddy had to settle for second place in the AL East, a .352 batting average from Don Mattingly, 104 RBI from Dave Winfield, and 87 stolen bases from Rickey Henderson. Seven seasons later, the Yankees would begin their streak of nine consecutive postseason appearances and four World Series championships.

This season, the Yankees will again trade for a big-name starting pitcher (like Randy Johnson), finish in first place, and advance to the ALCS.

From there, it goes one of two ways for Yankees fans:

Another winning footnote added to 91 years of mystique, or acting as the catalyst for someone else's "miracle."

But either way, at least Derek still has his looks, right?

We Get Love Mail

"I enjoyed your breakdown of the present state of hockey in your June 6th article, along with the well-deserved shots you took at misinformed media types like Boswell, who should just stick to baseball. As the author of a book on hockey and an avid historian of the sport, however, I must say I am deeply concerned about the NHL's future given the CBA's expiration in just over two months. Owners like Jeremy Jacobs in Boston have been preparing for this work stoppage for nine years now (and its no coincidence the Bruins have won merely a single playoff series in that time period), and I don't think they'll be caving in to the players' demands as they did in January 1995. We'll have to wait and see."
-- Brian S., Boston, MA

No worries. Theoff-season activity in the NHL has been brisker than expected. The GMs aren't acting as if they expect the entire season will be wiped out; maybe half, if that.

"I read your article about "The Naked Truth About Women's Hoops" and it's a good article. WNBA president Val Ackerman is not doing a very good job with the league and I have a feeling that WNBA will become the next WUSA women's soccer. They can barely draw out 8,000 to 10,000 fans into the arena and now women are going out posing topless or nude in magazines. You wonder why WNBA is in a bad shape right now. If women want to go nude or topless in a magazine book, so be it. But they better be ready to pay a heavy price 80% of men don't have a problem with that. But, 90% of women WILL find it as insult and a slap in the face. I thought women like Lauren Jackson is supposed to be role models for younger girls in middle and high school. I've a 7-month-old niece and I don't want her to be exposed because women who can't respect their bodies that god has given them and keep their clothes on. Thank you."
-- Anthony Bryant, Jr., Sumter, SC

While I have no, zero, nada, zip problems with any athlete, male or female, posing in the buff, I think the WNBA has a real headache on its hands. A league playing the "role model" card as a selling point is begging for its paragons of virtue to be corrupted. It's no different than a politician who tried to claim the moral high ground -- he's begging to get knocked off his perch.

Keep all the love (and hate) mail coming to [email protected]. Thanks for reading...

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 9:02 PM | Comments (0)

The Expectations Game

July is an awkward month for football fans. The offseason is almost over, but preseason is not quite here yet. It doesn't feel like football season yet, but you know it's coming. In this lull before the excitement begins to build, I thought I would offer a quick rundown of some of the expectations I have of coaches and teams this year.

On the Hot Seat?

Let me start with my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. I am not sure if Bill Cowher is in danger of losing his job, as his relationship with the Rooney family seems solid, but he is certainly under some pressure to win. Last season was a major disappointment and not just because they had a losing record and missed the playoffs. Instead, what seemed most disappointing was their lack of success on practically any level.

Although the special teams units did seem to improve, neither offense nor defense seemed to come up with the big play when they needed to. Fans can often stomach tough loses when a team has an exciting offense or a dominating defense; they can often handle shootouts or even heartbreakers (although that gets old quickly). But a sort of bland mediocrity is infuriating and that is what the Steelers resembled all too often last year.

With the addition of Duce Staley, and hopes that the offensive line will stay healthy, Steelers fans are looking for an improved running game. Plus, having drafted Ben Roethlisberger, fans will have little patience with Tommy Maddox. It is aggravating to watch Plaxico Burress angle for a bigger contract when he hasn't even lived up to his expectations on the field.

Put all this together and new offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt will be under some pressure to get this unit to perform and to score points. It may not be fair, but Steelers fans expect more out of the offense these days.

The defensive side of the ball is, if anything, more worrisome. For salary cap reasons, the Steelers had to release Jason Gildon, a crucial part of their success in recent years. The result of the poor secondary play for the last couple of years is them having mostly role players and young draft picks to rely on. If the defensive line and linebackers don't step up and create some pressure, something sorely lacking the last few years, this secondary may panic.

On paper, the Steelers don't have a great deal of standout talent. This team will need to gel and minimize mistakes in order to win. But given their weak division, Cowher will be expected to win 9 or 10 games and make the playoffs. It will take all of his coaching skills to do that. If he fails, don't be surprised if ownership starts thinking about a "new direction."

Another coach in the division who should be on the hot seat, if he isn't already, is Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis. This team is simply not getting any better. They have failed to find a running game despite a regular rotation of different running backs. The offense simply doesn't click. And the defense seems to get rebuilt every year. In a weak division, the Browns have gone nowhere.

The Brownies brought in Jeff Garcia and drafted Kellen Winslow II to try and jump-start things, but I am not convinced that these two can make a big difference. If the offensive line can't protect the injury-prone Garcia, the offense is likely to struggle. Davis has to hope that Lee Suggs can create a running game that can take some heat off of Garcia and that Winslow will avoid attitude problems and contribute on the field right away.

The defense will have to play tough as a unit as they lack a star player who can impact a game. They must put pressure on opposing QBs and create some turnovers because it is unlikely the offense will be scoring a lot of points out of the box. Losing punter Chris Gardowki to the Steelers didn't help, either.

If Butch Davis can't get to .500 playing the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers twice, the Dog Pound is going to get mighty restless. You have to wonder how long before the owners do the same?

Take it to The Next Level

Nothing burns quite like a late-season swoon. No recent team has suffered this problem as regularly as the Miami Dolphins (except perhaps the New Orleans Saints), a perennial playoff contender who nevertheless regularly fails to live up to expectations.

With a, at times, dominant defense and a solid running game, one wonders how this team fails to make a Super Bowl run. Playing in a very tough division doesn't help. Neither does a streaky, injury-prone QB. But heck, the Steelers once made it to the Super Bowl with Neal O'Donnell. Okay? (I know he chocked when he got there, but still...)

It seems to me that Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt needs to take it to the next level, or hit the road. Every year, there is a couple of crucial games that the 'Fins manage to lose and thus miss the playoffs. A better coach would get his team to win some of these important games.

Are the Dolphins ready to break through? Tough call. They still don't have a true star at QB (A.J. Freely? Pah-leese!) and they are counting on David Boston to help the offense. Boston has a lot of potentia, but he is unstable, to put it mildly.

In general, they have had a horrible offseason filled with controversy and holdouts (see here), but they still have the talent to win.

The Patriots, Bills, and Jets will play a large roll in how things unfold, but I have a feeling that Wannstedt's job is not so secure, contract extension not withstanding.

Put Up or Shut Up

There are a number of teams who have been playing well, but who nevertheless will enter the season with some pressure.

* The Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs better find some defense to go with their explosive offenses or their fans are going to get restless. After awhile, all that close, but no cigar stuff gets old. Oddly enough, I am not sure either team did much to help their defense during the offseason. Kansas City brought in former head coach Gunther Cunningham to toughen things up, but was the problem really motivation?

* Speaking of close, but no cigar, the Philadelphia Eagles fans are getting tired of losing in the championship game. I don't know if Terrell Owens can take Donovan McNabb to the nest level, but it cant hurt. Their receiving corps stunk last year. I would be worried about the defense, though. That defense is getting old and I am not sure Jevon Kearse can sustain an injury-free season.

* Mike Martz better find a way to get some more hardware with the talent he has because age and the salary cap is going to hit that team sooner than later. Now that the Kurt Warner debacle is behind him, Martz needs to find away to get Marc Bulger, Marshall Faulk, and Isaac Bruce to revive the Greatest Show on Turf. Maybe then the pain of last year's playoff loss to the Panthers (and the Super Bowl loss to New England) will begin to recede.

* The Vikings started out 6-0, only to be knocked out of the playoffs by the Arizona Cardinals! Coach Mike Tice is praying for healthy left feet for Randy Moss and Michael Bennett and he's looking to motivate his team to play a whole season this year. They may have to win a number of shootouts, but I think the Vikes could be dangerous, baring major injuries.

Teams to Watch

Keep your eye on these teams:

* Can a healthy Mike Vick plus Peerless Price mean a winning team in Atlanta? Do they need a running game besides Vick? Heck, I don't know, but it should be fun to watch!

* Can the hapless Detroit Lions find enough success to take the heat off their GM, Matt Millen? Hard to say, but with a growing list of young offensive talent coming off a solid draft, I think the Motor City might have another successful professional sports team in the near future. Even if they don't win double-digit games this season, I expect serious improvement. Mooch, plus young talent, equals wins in my book.

Let's face it. Every NFL coach is under enormous pressure. From teams that stink to Super Bowl champions, football owners and fans always expect improvement. When asked what wealthy people wanted, John D. Rockefeller once responded, "more." In many ways, that's life in the NFL. But then again, that is what makes the game so exciting.

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)

Who's Really the Best?

Regular readers of this column know that, although I try to stay at at least a competent level of punditry in most sports, two sports in particular capture my affinity: golf and college football.

College football season is just around the corner and, like last year, I will provide an in-depth preview for every BCS conference. While Thongchai Jaidee watch and other golf news will still occasionally appear, It is more or less time to say goodbye to golf in favor of college football. So consider this my goodbye-to-golf-for-now column ... that's right, nothing but wall-to-wall golf! Please try to contain your excitement.

But first, a small matter of business to take care of. A few columns back, I derided the new, generic logo of Syracuse University, or more specifically, SU's spokesman's claim that the logo implies speed and aggressiveness. I invited readers to explain how the logo demonstrates speed and aggressiveness, and the best response would appear in this space.

Well, I received three responses, one of which from a person I actually did not already know! Unfortunately, that one was the least funny and the most vulgar. My real life coworker, T.J. Lo ... wait, I never asked him if I could use his name, came up with this:

"In many metaphysical/religious circles (New Age, for instance), color holds a great deal of meaning and influence. To the best of my knowledge, orange is associated with a strong 'life force' and 'energy.' One source I found indicated an attribute of orange is 'electro-magnetic.' It further asserted its helpfulness in that it 'strengthens the will.'

One could argue that "life force" and "energy" are essential components of speed. One could further argue that "electromagnetism" is an aggressive force, and who would refute that "strong-willed" people often come across as aggressive?"

I enjoyed the mock studiousness T.J. put into his answer, which sharply contrasts the minimalist approach of my Sports Central colleague, Eric Poole, whose entry I also enjoyed. He stated simply, "It just moved! Didja see it? There, it just moved again!"

You're both winners, guys. Just like in life.

Lots of guys are winners on the PGA Tour, and it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff in the world of golf. There are five guys who could make a strong case for being No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). As there is no shortage of debate over the accuracy and validity of the college football polls, the OWGR is a constant subject of debate and controversy.

The methodology the OWGR uses is complicated and cryptic. I don't find the OWGR as fraudulent or as flawed as others do, but my main beef with it is that too much weight is given to a golfer's career accomplishments, or at least accomplishments going back several years. I'm more interested in what you've done for me lately.

In my own top-10, I don't ignore what a player has done over his career completely, but the vast majority of weight is given to a golfer's accomplishments in 2004.

The top four or five are virtually interchangeable; you could make a strong case for each of them to be number one. So who is my No. 1?

1. Ernie Els (South Africa): My bottom line: if you come up to me at gunpoint, and say, "Pick the winner of this week's tournament, or you will die." I'm going with Els. Quite simply, he never seems to phone it in. He doesn't seem flirt with the cut line often, like Tiger does, and his -8 at the Masters would win it more years than not.

I know he sputtered in the final round of the U.S. Open, but he's third on the PGA Tour money list ... and second on the European Tour money list! That's just sick (it is worth counterpointing that some events, like majors, count towards both tours). He takes as much time off as anyone, and he's still in the top-three of two different tours. Ernie Els is, by a hair, the best golfer on planet Earth right now, says I.

2. Tiger Woods (USA): It's hard not to allow Tiger's unbelievable run of seven major win in 11 tries a couple of years ago into consideration. Obviously, he hasn't matched that, and he hasn't won a major since 2002. Still, this has what he's done accomplished during his 2004 "slump:" 11 events, 7 top-10s, three top-threes, a win, and fourth on the money list.

When he says he is "close," it's because he is. If he can straighten out his swing, he's simply going to make the "who is number one?" argument as moot as it was a couple of years ago. I wouldn't bet against that happening.

3. Phil Mickelson (USA): First on the money list, and the best showing, by far, of anyone when you combine the two majors played thus far. By all rights, he should be No. 1. And yet, something in me resists Mickelson, perhaps doesn't give him enough credit. Since finishing tied for fifth at the Wachovia Championship in mid-May, he has played uninspiring golf with the exception of the U.S. Open.

It seems like when he plays in non-majors, it's more of an extended Masters victory parade (no one is loved the way Phil is loved) than golf. I sort of feel like he should play all tournaments with the intensity he does the majors, and I don't think he does. Hell, he missed the freaking cut at the Byron Nelson Classic. You have to go back to March to find the last time anyone else in my top-four missed a cut.

4. Vijay Singh (Fiji): Has one more times (three) than anyone else in the PGA Tour, and second on the money list. But what have you, Vijay, done for me lately? Here are his results since winning the HP Classic of New Orleans: T10, T59, T24, T3, T28, T17. Perhaps you can say he is in a mini-slump.

5. Retief Goosen (South Africa): Like Els, Goosen divides his time between the European and PGA Tours. After winning the U.S. Open over Mickelson, he takes a week off, plays in the European Open, and rips up the tournament, winning by five against a strong field. He is out-of-this-world-hot right now.

6. Stephen Ames (Trinidad/Tobago): The dropoff after Goosen is pretty steep, but Ames can make a claim that no one above him on the list can make: he has been in the top-10 in seven of his last eight tournaments. A lot of us golf nuts would see that he simply always seemed to be in contention, and we wondered, "When is he finally going to win?" Last week, he finally did, and until he cools off, he deserves a spot this high.

7. Adam Scott (Australia): If there is a fifth major, it is the Tournament Players Championship, which Scott won. Then he went into a prolonged slump, and the golf world wondered, "He's only 23. Can he really take the pressure of the PGA Tour?" He answered by cruising to a four-stroke victory -- the lead was seven at one point -- in the Booz Allen Classic. He's fifth on the PGA Tour money list, and I would be shocked if he isn't in the top-three by the time he reaches 30.

8. Sergio Garcia (Spain): The final 2004 U.S. Tour multiple-victor to make my top-10. Hasn't been quite as awe-inspiring as the seven in front of him, but those two wins plus an outstanding final round of the Masters earns him this spot.

9. Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain): What a crock that he's ranked 34th in the OWGR. He's far and away the best golfer who plays exclusively on the European PGA Tour, winning three times thus far this year. I'm not trying to say the European Tour is anywhere close to the U.S. Tour, but Els, Goosen, Padraig Harrington, and other heavies play more than an occasional tournament in Europe. Random trivia: Jimenez looks frighteningly like my dad. They are pretty much doubles, except for hair length and color.

10. Padraig Harrington (Ireland): He's said to be the hardest worker in golf, along with Vijay Singh. Doesn't have a whole lot to crow about this year, but always seems to find his way into contention in the semi-majors. I feel safe predicting he will win a major before he hangs 'em up.

So, how does the OWGR stack up the top-10?

1. Woods
2. Els
3. Singh
4. Mickelson (I ripped Mickelson in my top-10, yet I still apparently hold him in higher esteem than the OWGR.)
5. Davis Love III (This is the biggest travesty of the OWGR. Is there a human alive not related to Love that feels he is a better golfer right now than Retief Goosen? At least Jim Furyk and Mike Weir won majors last year ... or ever.)
6. Goosen
7. Mike Weir (Has been downright mediocre since winning the 2003 Masters.)
8. Harrington
9. Jim Furyk (He's played in two tournaments this year! This tells you all you need to know about the OWGR places way too much emphasis on the last few years.)
10. Garcia

Of the guys who made my top-10, but not that of the OWGR, Scott is 13th, Ames is 17th, and Jimenez, as stated before, is 34th.

Periodically, I will update my top-10 list in this space.

Thongchai Jaidee Watch: He's back! After a longish hiatus, Jaidee has come back roaring, posting his first top-10 (specifically, tied for tenth) in Europe proper at the European Open. He is also in action in this week's Scottish Open. His OWGR ranking? 79th. His ranking on the European Tour money list (aka the Volvo Order of Merit)? 25th.

One last word on the OWGR. I give it this much, it's very comprehensive. See, it's not a ranking of the world's best 100 players or even 500 players. It ranks players from 1 to 4,218! So who is 4,218th best golfer in the world, according to the OWGR? Chris Campbell of Australia (well, officially, he's in a huge tie for 1,210th, but for whatever reason, his name is listed last). Another gyp. He's easily in the top 1,100!

Posted by Kevin Beane at 3:03 AM | Comments (0)

Garcia's Signing Only a Start for ChiSox

The general idea in Major League Baseball is, whatever or whomever the New York Yankees want, they get. Apparently, someone forgot to inform Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams of that notion.

With not many pitchers set to be traded prior to the trading deadline, Freddy Garcia was coveted by several teams, most noticeable the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. However, it has been the White Sox in recent weeks that have continued to communicate with the Seattle Mariners in hopes of working out a trade, and it was the White Sox that successfully completed the trade and acquired Garcia.

Just over a week later, on the night that Garcia was to make his home debut at U.S. Cellular Field, Garcia signed an extension that will keep him in Chicago for another three years.

To the not so humble White Sox fans of Chicago, the Garcia trade and extension could not have come at a better time. Two main issues have surrounded the White Sox this season thus far: Magglio Ordonez and his apparent departure from the team, and the dire need for a fifth starter. While the signing of Garcia is a great move for the White Sox, it has not solved the rest of the questions and problems with the team.

In order to acquire Garcia, Williams sent three players, starting catcher Miguel Olivo, minor league outfielder Jeremy Reed, and minor league infielder Michael Morse to Seattle. At the present time, none of these three individuals are household names, yet all three are expected in some capacity, to blossom into good players. The White Sox also received catcher Ben Davis from Seattle.

"I'm really glad to have him, but we are going to lose one of my favorite players in Olivo," says manager Ozzie Guillen.

While White Sox fans and the organization are sad to see Olivo, Reed, and Morse leave town, one cannot stay down long once realizing how much Garcia will mean to the Southsiders.

Just how important is the acquiring of Garcia to the White Sox? Through this season, the White Sox have rotated the fifth starter position among minor league potential, which brought no success, considering they started the season 0-8 whenever the fifth guy did start.

The situation got worse as their forth starter, Scott Schoeneweis, has been on the disabled lis with a sore elbow. The White Sox now should have a solid five-man rotation, when all are healthy, that will include last year's 21-game winner, Esteban Loaiza, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garlund, Schoeneweis, and Garcia.

Garcia's numbers in Seattle this season are not great, yet when you consider the poor run support he has had, you have to assume he will prosper with the White Sox. Having said that, the White Sox have a strong lineup when everyone is playing to their full potential, and General Manager Williams is taking the stance that his team needs to win now, not later.

Following the Garcia trade, Williams appeared on several talk radio shows, including ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning, ESPN Radio's GameNight, Sporting News Radio, and ESPN Radio 1000's (WMVP-AM Chicago) Mac, Jurko, & Harry.

With every radio appearance, Williams repeatedly stated that it has been too long since the White Sox have won a World Series, and his ultimate goal is to bring one to the fans of Chicago. Williams wants to win now. Williams needs to win now.

With contract talks rumored to be going sour between the White Sox and rightfielder Magglio Ordonez, White Sox fans have at least a little something to feel good about, when the team announced earlier this week that they had reached an extension with Garcia. Williams knows that he needs to do anything he can do to win now.

With a cheap owner in Jerry Reinsdorf, who never has been one to pay the highest mighty dollar to keep his star players, Williams realizes he needs to make the best of what he has now. The White Sox are in a weak American League Central division, with only the Minnesota Twins likely to be contenders along with Chicago. Having Garcia may be just enough to give the White Sox a slight edge over the Twins.

Two weeks ago, after the White Sox took two out of three games from the Chicago Cubs, and the White Sox acquired Garcia, the White Sox then swept three games from the Minnesota Twins. While Chicago has had poor luck in the postseason, most recently in 2000 while being swept by Seattle, maybe, just maybe, this year can be different.

The White Sox are now concerned with Frank Thomas, and his sore ankle which he re-aggravated last week. The general concern is that Thomas will need surgery, which would force him to sit out for approximately six weeks. Surgery will depend if the cortisone shot that Thomas received on Wednesday will have any effect on his ankle. At the time of this writing, the effect of the cortisone shot is not yet known. This situation comes just as the White Sox have re-activated Ordonez from the DL, who is set to play as the DH this weekend.

The White Sox and their fans also are worried about how much longer closer Shingo Takatsu will be effective. Signed from Japan during the offseason, many major league players are unfamiliar with him, and yet have been unable to really hit off of him. Takatsu does not have a fast speed. The general concern is what happens once other teams are able to figure him out?

Acquiring Garcia is indeed a great move for the White Sox. But it certainly is not the final solution to a team that still raises many question marks. Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who also owns a share of the Chicago Bulls, has stated in the past that he would trade all six NBA championships for one World Series championship. Reinsdorf, however, has not exactly shown the amount of dedication to his baseball team, as he claims to have.

In the early 1990s, the White Sox had a strong lineup from the likes of Tim Raines, Joey Cora, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Albert Belle, Ozzie Guillen, Lance Johnson, Steve Sax, and Frank Thomas. In 1994, the White Sox had a great team and were poised to make the playoffs and had potential to go far. However, according to who you talk to in the city of Chicago, it was Jerry Reinsdorf who adopted the attitude that he was going to be a "hawk" in relations to the labor situation between the players and owners.

One of Reinsdorf's biggest critics, Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times, claims it was Reinsdorf who sided with Bud Selig, and pushed for a work stoppage. Now I necessarily don't believe everything Mariotti claims, but I have to believe him to a certain extent. It has not only been Mariotti since 1994 that has claimed Reinsdorf played a small role in the work stoppage that took place.

How nice is that? His team is poised to go far in 1994 and the owner is more worried about the labor situation in the league, more so because that will effect how much money he makes long-term.

The situation proved to hurt the public relations of the White Sox in a bad way. In the early 1990s, the new Comiskey Park (now U.S. Cellular Field) was booming and the White Sox were the number one baseball team in the city. The 1997 season didn't help the White Sox, as that will forever be remembered as the year the White Sox "gave up" with plenty of time left in the season. The Sox only trailed the Cleveland Indians by three and a half games.

Prior to the trading deadline, the White Sox out of nowhere traded away Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin, and Roberto Hernandez, all impact players on the team. The White Sox, in return, received from the San Francisco Giants four pitchers and two position players, all of whom were minor leaguers. That will forever be remembered as the infamous "white flag trade." No excuses for that move.

While 2004 has potential to be a promising year for the Southsiders, the future remains in question, if the White Sox are unable to pull off anything special this year.

Reinsdorf is continuing to play games with star rightfielder, Magglio Ordonez, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Ordonez, a home-grown talent of the White Sox, wants to stay in Chicago, yet is demanding top dollar for his services.

Cutting to the chase, "Mags" is worth the money. Magglio apparently wants a five-year deal, approximately worth $70 million. The White Sox, according to various reports, offered him that kind of deal. The catch is, any typical Reinsdorf contract always includes hidden clauses, meaning Ordonez won't receive the $70 million straight up.

If the White Sox lose Ordonez in free agency, what kind of message does that send to the fans? The White Sox are not the Oakland A's or the Kansas City Royals. The White Sox, for years now, have acted like a small market team, while crying poor. Reality is, the White Sox are in a big market, the third largest, I may add, so they should start acting like it.

If winning is what Reinsdorf really wants, then signing Ordonez should not be such a big issue. Reinsdorf can easily afford to pay Magglio the money he deserves. Unfortunately for the White Sox, if Ordonez doesn't get what he wants in Chicago, he will certainly receive it elsewhere.

Esteban Loaiza is a free agent at the end of this season. While Loaiza hasn't been throwing his best lately, assuming he doesn't suffer a huge downfall, he is going to demand at least $8 million a season, if not more. A 21-game winner and two consecutive years on the all-star team will raise one's value. The White Sox will have to debate whether or not Loaiza is worth the money.

So while the signing of Freddy Garcia is a great move for the White Sox, it does not solve every situation that has evolved with the team. The impact of Magglio Ordonez leaving town has the potential to leave a devastating effect on the team, with the players, and the fans. The White Sox are not the favorite team in town. That honor belongs to the Chicago Cubs.

The White Sox have all the potential to be a winning franchise and bring a World Series to Chicago. As long as Jerry Reinsdorf continues his wacky tactics, the White Sox will continue to play second fiddle to the Chicago Cubs. The future of the Chicago White Sox will show little promise, and in two or three years, the White Sox will be back to square one, and that will be to rebuild.

As the White Sox slogan back in 2000 claimed, "the kids can play." While the kids can play, it generally is solid veterans and star players who not only play ... but win.

Any questions or feedback may be e-mailed to [email protected], or using the comments section below. For more about Martin, please visit his personal website.

Posted by Martin Hawrysko at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)

July 7, 2004

The Importance of Closing Time

They are charged with a simple task -- get three outs in the ninth inning. If they do it successfully on a regular basis, they become highly-sought after, well-compensated superstars. If they don't, they fall back into the purgatory of the anonymous middle reliever.

They are the closers, and they get a heck of a lot of attention.

Managers with struggling bullpens offer daily reports on closer situations, general managers lust after the relatively few lights-out game-enders, SportsCenter makes a big deal of Eric Gagne's consecutive saves streak, and fantasy baseball fanatics search their league's waiver wire every day to scrounge up a few more saves.

Much ado about nothing? Sometimes it seems that way.

Yes, closers have a tough job. And yes, the pressure of holding a one-run lead in the ninth can be overwhelming, so much so that many a talented hurler has cracked under its weight.

But ultimately, that pressure is the only thing that separates closers from run-of-the-mill relievers.

So why do they generate so much buzz?

It's not because they work a lot. Let's say that a good team wins about 60 percent of its games. That's roughly four wins a week so that's four opportunities for a closer to get a save, assuming every game is close. And since he normally pitches only one inning, that's four innings a week. It makes for a pretty high hullabaloo-to-work ratio.

The buzz, then, must come from that ninth-inning pressure. It's the only thing that can make a relatively ordinary job seem extraordinarily important.

But just how important is that closer? An integral part of a successful team, or just a guy who can get an easy job done?

My crack research team -- that's me and my cat, who offers occasional feedback, but usually just sleeps -- set out to find the answer.

We began, not surprisingly, at the beginning. Sportswriter Jerome Holtzman came up with the idea of the save in 1959 while covering the Cubs. Hoping to create a stat that would accurately measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers, Holtzman devised a set of criteria for a relief appearance to be deemed a save -- a reliever had to enter the game with the tying or winning run on base or at the plate and finish the game with the lead.

But saves didn't find their way out of the sports pages and into the record books until 1969 when Major League Baseball finally made saves an official statistic. Through a series of alterations, the criteria evolved into what stands today: a reliever gets a save if he enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches at least one inning, if he enters the game with at least the tying run on base, at the plate or in the on-deck circle and finishes it off, or if he works three innings with the lead.

But even then, when the rule became official, starters who finished games were still the norm, so saves and the men who earned them didn't become an obsession until indigestion got involved.

Let me explain.

In 1976, Rolaids, an antacid manufacturer, came up with its famous slogan -- "Rolaids spells relief" -- and, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, launched the Rolaids Relief Man Awards to honor the most effective closer in each league.

Rawley Eastwick of the Reds and Bill Campbell of the Twins won the first two awards with 26 and 20 saves, respectively. Since then, save numbers have skyrocketed.

Only one closer since 1995 has won the award with fewer than 40 saves -- Billy Wagner with 39 in 1999. Nine times, the winner recorded at least 45 saves.

Not bad for a stat category that didn't even exist until 1969.

So back to the original question -- is a closer's job that important?

As strange as it sounds, a tiny little antacid pill has a lot to do with it. Not only did the award give relievers something to shoot for, it also increased people's awareness of saves. Look at it this way -- if you give an award for something, whatever you honor has to be considered important.

And I'm guessing things just snowballed from there.

Guys who could regularly seal games in the ninth became hot commodities. Managers who didn't have closers envied those who did. Fans wanted a character to latch onto, and since pitching one inning of high-pressure baseball every day can make you a little crazy, they usually found their guy. And eventually, every team in baseball had to have a closer.

But just because a job is important doesn't mean it's vital. So the research team delved a little deeper and asked another question: is a dominant closer a necessary piece of a successful team's puzzle?

Tough question, but we can try.

Let's start with a negative response. By all accounts, there are people in baseball who sense that closers are a tad bit overrated. The baseball purists, certainly, would rather see a starter finish a game than rely on an overpaid, overhyped one-inning wonder to close the deal. But the purists generally don't run teams.

Billy Beane does. The Oakland A's general manager, made famous by the bestselling book "Moneyball," seems to side with those purists.

Starting in 2000, his A's went through three closers in four seasons. Jason Isringhausen, Billy Koch, and Keith Foulke all put up big save numbers in Oakland. But the big save numbers weren't enough for Beane to justify the big money numbers that the market dictated -- Isringhausen is making $7.75 million in St. Louis, Koch is pulling in $6.4 million in Florida (after losing the closer's job with the White Sox), and Foulke is making $3.5 million in Boston.

According to the book, Beane felt that a majority of save chances were as simple as possible -- coming into the game to start the ninth with a three-run lead and getting three guys out. Sure, Beane thought closers were an important piece of the puzzle, but an unwillingness to dish out large sums of money shows that his idea of how important falls somewhere short of crucial.

Obviously, Beane understood the importance of having one guy do the job, though, something Theo Epstein apparently didn't grasp.

The young GM of the Boston Red Sox decided before the 2003 season that, since he couldn't acquire a proven closer, he wanted the Sox to use a bullpen by committee.

If you're a Red Sox fan, you might be cringing right now because the now-infamous committee failed miserably. Chad Fox, Mike Timlin, and Alan Embree -- all previously successful relievers -- just couldn't make the jump to the big-time, and eventually Epstein made deals to get Byung-Hyun Kim and Scott Williamson, two proven closers. The consensus was that a closer served as a kind of anchor for the whole bullpen, and without him at the back end, carefully-molded and clearly-understood roles were muddied.

Epstein learned his lesson -- you need one guy.

But what if that guy is unproven? Is it worth the risk to try to make any old reliever into a closer?

Of course, somewhere along the line, almost every closer was just a reliever or a starter. Often they were ineffective in those roles. Gagne, for instance, was terrible as a member of the Dodgers' rotation.

But clearly, some players take to the role of closer like a duck to water while others don't. Joe Nathan, a middle reliever with the Giants until this year, is now a successful closer in Minnesota.

But our old friend Billy Beane saw the other side this year. After he parted with Foulke, a man who got 44 saves last season for Oakland, Beane turned Arthur Rhodes, a setup man for his entire career, into a closer.

The experiment didn't go so well. Rhodes did notch nine saves, but also blew five and posted a 5.28 ERA.

Rhodes' struggles prompted Beane to make a trade for Houston's Octavio Dotel -- himself, a recently-converted setup man -- and may have had something to do with the A's decision to take University of Texas closer Huston Street in the June draft. Even if it didn't, it's clear that Beane knows the importance of an effective closer.

So do the 2004 Cleveland Indians. Since Cleveland lost closer Bob Wickman to an injury before the season, the position has been a revolving door, and as of Sunday, Indians relievers had blown 17 saves. Many have tried to fill the position, most have failed, and in the process, the lack of a quality closer has undermined an otherwise successful team. Suffice it to say, if the Indians had Gagne, they would be in first place.

And speaking of Gagne, his consecutive saves streak stands at 82 (That ended Monday, after this was written. Sorry, Eric, I think we jinxed you!). That's an impressive number, one that probably makes opposing teams quiver when they see the be-goggled Canadian trotting in from the bullpen. So we can throw something else into the mix -- a lights-out closer can have quite the psychological effect on the opposition.

So what do we know?

Not much, really. The bottom line is this: starters no longer routinely finish games so you need a solid bullpen for the late innings. Whether the best pitcher in that bullpen is the closer or the setup man who gets the tough outs with guys on base doesn't matter. The closer garners the most attention because the ninth inning is somehow different, making his job the most high-pressure.

It's important to have a solid closer because not everyone can handle that pressure. The ones that can don't single-handedly win games for you, but they do just what they're supposed to do -- they save those games that your offense and your starting pitcher won.

The research team isn't quite ready to say a great closer is an absolutely necessary part of a championship team. And I'm still not sure why these one inning-and-done pitchers get so much attention.

But I do know this: when my team has the lead in the ninth inning, I want a good pitcher on the mound. Whether he's a bona fide closer or just an anonymous reliever, I don't care. I just want a guy who can get three outs.

And if I can't have that guy, well then, pass the Rolaids.

Posted by William Geoghegan at 11:39 PM

July 6, 2004

Rolling the Dice

With NFL camps due to open in the next month, most teams have completed their offseason moves. The available free agents were evaluated and signed. The college draft prospects were interviewed and selected.

Although there will be competition for jobs, the salary cap restricts the moves teams can make. Many positions can be written in ink instead of pencil before the first training camp.

Given the huge money at stake in the NFL and the science of evaluating free agents and draft prospects, it is surprising how many teams will hang their entire season on just a few key moves. While some teams drive their fans crazy by ignoring what appear to be glaring weaknesses, other teams go get the missing piece and hope he doesn't suffer an ACL injury in training camp.

Surprises can happen, just look at Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers last season, but often the "franchise player" is aptly named and as his fortunes go, so does the team.

The Philadelphia Eagles ventured into the free agent market this season and landed two of the top names available. With back-to-back-to-back NFC Championship Game losses, only a Super Bowl will do in Philly.

The Eagles obtained Terrell Owens (eventually) and now have a big-play receiver for Donovan McNabb. Jevon Kearse was lured away from the Tennessee Titans and hopefully will mean just as much to the team as Hugh Douglas did.

Does the season of the Eagles depend on these two guys? You bet. Look at the players the Eagles lost: LB Carlos Emmons, both corners Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent, and DE Brandon Whiting.

The Eagles won games with a smothering defense. Period. McNabb has his critics and rightly so. He will all of a sudden have trouble hitting the out pattern for a number of possessions before he settles down again. Often, the defense kept the Eagles in the game until McNabb found his stride. How understanding will Owens be?

If McNabb can't get Owens the ball enough to keep him happy and Kearse experiences some injury trouble like he has the past two seasons, the Eagles will not have to worry about losing a fourth Championship Game because they won't be there.

In the same division, the Washington Redskins have also placed a great deal of money and hope on one or two players.

While the Redskins will likely have the highest payroll in NFL history, somewhere between $110-120 million, the success of Joe Gibbs' return to coaching rests on the arm of QB Mark Brunell.

It will be up to Brunell to get the ball to WR Lavernues Coles and keep defenses from stacking the box in order to stop Clinton Portis, the other big name that landed in D.C. during the offseason.

Redskin owner Dan Snyder continues to believe that a Super Bowl Championship has a price tag stuck to the bottom of the Lombardi Trophy. By the time all the offseason deals were made, the Redskins had only one selection on the first day of the draft.

However, the hopes of success for the 15 or so free agent additions will fade away if Brunell gets injured or fails to live up to his billing and maybe the roar of NASCAR will once again appeal to Joe Gibbs.

In Washington, if Brunell doesn't work out, at least the Redskins have one of the best backs in the game. Some teams simply are not the same without their man under center and don't have a chance without him.

The Atlanta Falcons found out that they really are a one-man team when Mike Vick was lost for several games last season. The Falcons were horrible without Vick and the best they were able to do this season for a backup QB is Ty Detmer.

The running game in Atlanta has been unspectacular with the tandem of T.J. Duckett and Warrick Dunn, but both return this season. Apparently, the plan in Atlanta is hope that Vick doesn't get hurt.

In Atlanta, fans saw how bad their team is without their star. The Tennessee Titans had best hope that they never see what would happen without QB Steve McNair.

RB Eddie George has nothing left in the tank after a great career that simply had him carry the ball too much. While he was able to avoid being released, he isn't the same back and there is no replacement.

While WR Derrick Mason is a star, the Titans lost reliable TE Frank Wycheck to retirement and WR Justin McCareins to free agency.

McNair is a warrior and at times last year was playing on guts and painkillers. Without him, the Titans would struggle to get eight wins. For all of the 13 draft picks of the Titans this April, exactly none were for a QB and their backup Billy Volek almost left in free agency.

While some teams may depend on one player too much for success, there are other teams in the league that keep searching for the "difference maker" and for some reason can never seem to land him.

The Miami Dolphins should have been looking for Dan Marino's replacement high and low. The Dolphin defense has been one of the best in the league and Ricky Williams is the best running back that Marino never had.

All the Fish lack is a QB, but they won't get one. They have stubbornly kept with Jay Fiedler and every year collapse late in the season. This season the best the Dolphins could come up with for an option at QB is A.J. Feely whose only four NFL starts came in 2002.

The frustration in Miami must be mounting as a great defense and running game are wasted without the QB. After four Fiedler seasons, you would think that the Dolphin front office would get it by now.

If you owned an NFL team and had the best QB in the game, the best WR in the game, and a premier back, but no defense, what would you do? Hire a defensive coach? Good start. But what if you never got any better on defense?

The Indianapolis Colts are arguably the best team in the NFL as long as they have the ball. When their defense takes the field, another story.

Once again, the Colts have disappointed over the offseason in addressing their defense. There were no free agent signings that can help the defense. Sure, six out of their nine draft picks were for defense, but what about now?

Talk about wasting talent. If the Colts could put together even a mediocre defense, there may be talk about a dynasty further south than New England. But it doesn't happen. In fact, the Colts lost some key defensive players in DE Chad Bratzke, LB Marcus Washington, and CB Walt Harris and David Macklin.

Some teams never seem to get the QB. Some teams don't play good defense and some teams never get the running game.

The city of Cleveland was certainly happy to see NFL football come back to town. They are happy as long as they don't want to see a running attack.

Jamel White, William Green, James Jackson, Lee Suggs. All of these players have carried the ball for the Browns over the last few seasons with promises of 1,000-yard seasons and memories of Earnest Byner, minus the playoff fumbles.

But season after season sees the expectations of a running game evaporate.

Instead of bringing in an established back, Coach Butch Davis keeps bringing in young players with a great deal of promise and not much else. You would expect more from someone who coached the Miami Hurricanes and who appeared to have more backs than he needed: Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee.

The Browns have nine backs on their roster, including their seventh-round draft pick. Think one of these guys has 1,000 yards in him? Don't count on it.

Sometime this season, perhaps even in training camp, some team's star is going to suffer a serious injury. In that split second that it takes for the injury to occur, all the work and planning will go down the drain for the teams that don't have a Plan B. Pray it isn't your team.

Posted by Jeff Moore at 12:49 AM | Comments (0)

Predicting the NBA's Future

It's official: playing all four years in college as an NBA prospect just isn't that smart. The Felipe Lopezs and Jameer Nelsons of the world feel great on graduation day and lousy on draft day. If you're a top college player and you stay all four years and graduate, you simply haven't learned as much as you think.

The youth movement in the NBA -- Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler are veterans at the ripe old age of 21 -- is just one example of the dramatic changes the league has gone through in the last 10 years. If you're looking for another example, simply spin a globe around and stop it almost anywhere and you'll land on a country that is either home to a current NBA player or is developing the next three-point shooting, soft as tissue big man.

But what will the league look like in 2014?

Here are some storylines that might dominate the NBA in 10 years. The ones that come true -- you heard it here first. The ones that don't -- I was kidding.

-- In an attempt to reach more intellectual fans, the NBA has partnered with The E.W. Scripps Company to co-sponsor the annual national spelling bee. Spellers reaching the final round will be asked to spell the last names of NBA all-stars, who last year were 95% foreign. Since many of the league's top players are from Uganda, China, and Uzbekistan, the nation's best spellers are sure to be challenged.

-- In only their fourth year in the league, the Las Vegas Aces can lock down a playoff spot tonight with a win at home against the Clippers. Minority stake owners Pete Rose and Chris Moneymaker will be on hand, as will league Commissioner Mark Cuban. If the Aces win, they will face the Celtics in a best-of-nine first round series, with games played every four days and televised on Verizon cell phones.

-- This year's All-Star Game will take place in Split, Croatia and will feature a special ball with the Spider-Man 8 logo on it.

-- Larry Brown will leave the Cavaliers to coach the Bulls, the only team in the NBA he has not coached. After leading the 2003-'04 Pistons to a championship, Brown promptly departed to coach the Lakers. He then proceeded to coach eight teams in six years, all of which made the playoffs and none of which averaged more than 75 points per game.

-- USA Basketball qualified for the 2016 Olympics with a 65-64 win over Ethiopia. The Dream Team VIII placed 12th in the 2012 Olympics after sending an all-high school team to New York City. NBA players stopped competing after the 2008 Olympics because of security concerns and a scheduling conflict with the NBA's annual lockout party.

-- In a move that might very well start a trend in NBA drafting, the Bulls selected Yura Bust of Yugoslavia with the third pick of the draft and then promptly traded up to pick Yura's interpreter fourth. The Bulls are in their seventh rebuilding effort in nine years.

-- In conjunction with yet another comeback, Michael Jordan will put out Air Jordan XXX. When asked if this will be his final comeback, Jordan said, "As most of you know, I never say never." A 51-year old Jordan sees his latest comeback as good for the league. "I want to help the young guys. It can't be easy being 15 and in the NBA. These kids will be playing with grown men who are as old as 22 or 23."

-- The NBA launched a new initiative that aims at helping rookies deal with the pressures of drugs. "This program does not focus on the dangers of drugs, but rather on how to effectively manage your drug use," said program spokesperson Damon Stoudamire. "Had I known the things the we are teaching now -- like how to beat a drug test or how to play on marijuana -- I would have only been busted two or three times at most."

-- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski rejected the Suns offer to coach in the NBA and has decided to stay at Duke. Coach K cited the special relationships he has with his players and recruits as the main reason for staying. "I cherish the 15 minutes I spend with a recruit on the phone before he tells me he's going pro," said Coach K, winner of eight national titles.

-- In a related note, former Duke standout Grant Hill signed a four-year, $69 million deal with the Orlando Magic. Despite over 10 years of rehab, Hill says the ankle feels good and should be ready for training camp.

Posted by Danny Sternfield at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)

July 3, 2004

The Naked Truth on Women's Hoops

When is a woman posing topless not a woman posing topless?

When she's doing it for art, of course.

That's why thousands of men who can't even draw a stick figure on a bar napkin signup for painting classes every semester: to see women who won't doff their tops at a keg party, but who will stand in front of a room for three hours for the sake of "art."

Here's another question: has WNBA President Val Ackerman ever actually seen an issue of Playboy?

In response to Seattle Storm player Lauren Jackson's nude photos in an Australian "art" magazine, Ackerman basically defined art as anything millions of American husbands would not sneak into the bathroom with them.

"What Lauren did seems somewhat different from something like Playboy," Ackerman told The Washington Post. "As we understand it, this book celebrates a multitude of athletes, and it was an honor for her to be included. She did it herself. It didn't involve the WNBA."

Hmmm ... "celebrates a multitude of athletes?" Playboy has featured a volleyball player (Gabrielle Reece), a figure skater (Katarina Witt), and a boxer (Mia St. John).

Hmmm ... "was an honor for her to be included?" Walk into any pub in the United States, tell the barkeep the month and year of your Playboy spread, and you and your posse (that's posse, people) are swimming in free booze until last call. Now THAT'S an honor.

Hmmm ... "She did it herself. It didn't involve the WNBA." Wonder if Ackerman would have said the same thing if Jackson went the Paris Hilton route?

This endorsement of Jackson's nude modeling is a reversal from Ackerman's previous statements about WNBA players not being viewed as "sex objects."

Ackerman, during the 2003 controversy over Playboy.com's "Sexiest Babe of the WNBA" poll, said that "there is a difference between celebrating the athletic attributes of the female athlete and objectifying her."

So if the same black-and-white nude shots of Jackson that were in the Australian art magazine appeared in Hef's magazine, it goes from celebration to objectification, right?

C'mon, Val ... I've seen more "celebrating the athletic attributes of the female athlete" at Mardi Gras.

But you can't blame Ackerman for this idiotic flip-flop. She's got to be under an inordinateness of duress, positively stressed out every time she walks into the front office. This isn't exactly the Golden Age of WNBA basketball. At this point, any publicity -- even the soft-core, Skinamax kind -- is badly-needed publicity.

The eight-year-old league has seen its league-wide attendance (8,070 friends and family per game) drop eight percent from last season. Even Phoenix, which drafted UConn star Diana Taurasi in the off-season, has seen an 18-percent dip at the gate. Television ratings and exposure are in a holding pattern. Teams in Cleveland, Miami, and Portland have folded in the last two years. Another team in Orlando relocated to a casino. (And what better way to showcase positive role models for today's young women than on a hardwood financed by 6,300 Mohegan Sun slot machines?)

The league is expecting a boost from the Summer Olympics this year, but so what? The United States has medaled in six of the seven Olympics that have featured women's basketball. Winning a fifth gold in six years would be met with a shrug; anything less would be considered a choke job. It's a lose-lose situation.

And what sort of promotion can the Games in Athens offer the WNBA? There will be no new stars born. A look at the Women's National Team roster offers names that grew to prominence during their college days (Lisa Leslie, Sue Bird, Sheryl Swoopes, Tamika Catchings) and have since toiled in anonymity in the women's pro league.

New professional sports leagues are a lot like sketch comedy television shows: if you can't develop your own stars, you're screwed. No one's watching "In Living Color" if Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans don't break out. "Saturday Night Live" is at its best when new talent rises from the cast, instead of established talent being added to it. (Does anyone recall the great Michael McKean/Janeane Garofalo disaster?) The WNBA hasn't produced one household name of its own. Every star in the league is a star because of what they accomplished on Tennessee, UConn or any other elite college team.

This is a league that can't produce household names, and can't get people out of their homes to watch its product.

Having the marketing might of the NBA has been both a blessing and a curse for the WNBA. With it, the league was able to crush a competitor (the American Basketball League) and sustain itself for eight years. (And just how dumb do you have to be -- and I'm looking at you, ABL -- to spend all of that money on a SECOND women's basketball league, NOT run by the NBA? This might be the most egregious case of fiscal irresponsibility since my grandfather accidentally used his social security check as toilet paper.)

But with the NBA's backing, the WNBA is also a case of too much, too soon. Call it the "XFL theorem," which states that "leagues are built, not created."

The ABL was actually establishing itself as a grassroots phenomenon before the NBA's McLeague crushed it. Major League Soccer has thrived, with a sport many fans feel is about as American as Al Jazeera, because it started as a regional league catering to a niche market; the Women's United Soccer Association, by comparison, thought its sponsorship dollars warranted a home in MLS venues. And now it's gone.

Both the WUSA and WNBA share the same fatal flaw: a sense of entitlement.

In the WNBA's case, it's the stubborn refusal to believe that the league needs to change to survive. Attendance, word-of-mouth ... that's the lifeblood of a fledgling organization. Ackerman and the WNBA's leadership have an easy way to boost both, but refuse to.

When the league first started, it placed its college stars near the regions where they played in the NCAA. Now, Ackerman claims preserving the league's "competitive balance" is more important than giving local fans a reason to come to the arena. The way she talks, you'd think the WNBA had a prestigious obsolescence dating back to Reconstruction, instead of the Clinton Administration.

Another easy fix for the WNBA is the league's schedule. The regular season began on May 20 this year. That's during the conference finals for both the NBA and NHL. The end of its regular season is Sept. 19 this year (because of the Olympics), and last season's WNBA Finals ended on Sept. 16. In both cases, the league is reaching its crescendo during the last stages of the baseball pennant chase and Week 2 of the NFL juggernaut.

Shorten the season, and end it in August.

Despite its operational flaws, the WNBA does have a noteworthy history, being the only professional women's league to come close to a decade of continuous operation.

Its future doesn't depend on whether players opt to pose for Miss January or Miss October.

Miss Management will determine the WNBA's fate.

Random Thoughts

As I write this column, rumors are flying that Duke's Mike Krzyzewski may take over for Phil Jackson as coach of Los Angeles. It's a move that makes completely perfect sense -- after Kobe bolts and Shaq's traded, the Lakers will be just good enough to make the Final Four ...

Pardon my Vice Presidential vernacular, but who the f--k trades Tracy McGrady at this point in his career?

Don't tell me about how the Magic made out well in this deal. First in the NBA in scoring, ninth in minutes, and 25-years old. That's T-Mac. You don't trade that.

Magic GM John Weisbrod was under the impression that McGrady would leave after next season with no compensation. So rather than try to keep him by building a winner around T-Mac, he deals him and then blames the Magic's losing ways on him.

"I think a superstar is defined by wins, by making the players around him better and by making the team better. On that part, my perception is a little different than most," he told the AP.

Classy. Now should I tell him, or should you tell him, that Stevie "Franchise" has gone 101-139 without Yao in the post ...

Look, I have no problem with ESPN's masturbatory celebration of its 25th year on the air. But "ESPN25: The Best 25 Sports Movies" is pushing it waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too far. Seriously, just cancel the damn list if you have to:

1. Put an undeniable piece of dog poo like "Cobb" at No. 23. Seeing that movie made me want to catch the next bus to Cooperstown so I could slap his plaque.

2. Put a chess movie (25. "Searching for Bobby Fischer") and a pool movie (18. "The Color of Money") on the list, but leave off "Rounders" and "Kingpin."

3. Leave off 1996's "When We Were Kings," but put on "Ali."

4. Put "Raging Bull" anywhere but at the top. (It was No. 2, behind "Hoosiers.")

The NFL and the Canadian Football League have extended their working agreement through the 2006 season. The CFL agreed to continue to run its nine-team league and the annual Grey Cup championship game, and the NFL agreed not to point and laugh ...

And finally, Florida middle school teacher Debra Beasley LaFave, 23, is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student.

Now, I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure "look, she's a hot blonde" isn't going to cut it as a plea bargain.

The real shame in this sex scandal is that she was a newlywed. What the hell is this guy thinking right about now?

I'm guessing a red flag should have gone up on their wedding night, when she asked her husband to pretend he just got back from Little League practice ...

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 8:11 PM | Comments (0)

Federer is One of a Kind

If you like watching a hard-hitting, aggressive player like Andy Roddick, chances are you did not enjoy the Roland Garros final two weeks earlier. If you did enjoy that match, well, then you probably have not enjoyed watching Wimbledon where sometimes rallies last shorter than a regular breath taken during rest.

If you are a serve and volley fan, your choices are limited to Tim Henman and a few others on a very short list. One single tennis player can't possibly quench the various thirsts of all tennis fans for high-quality performance, right? Actually, one person can!

Whether you are a fan of baseliners, serve-and-volley style, or an all-court style of tennis, one thing is certain: you will enjoy watching Roger Federer.

Pete Sampras is arguably the best player in the history of tennis. The word "arguably" would be taken out of that sentence in a heartbeat had Sampras proved a little more resourceful on clay courts. Not only did he fail miserably at Roland Garros each year, but also has fewer clay court titles to account for in an otherwise splendid career, than the fingers on one hand.

Most players can dominate on one surface and unlike Sampras, can even win a title here and there on even their disliked surfaces. But certainly no player can dominate on all surfaces, right? Actually, Federer can!

The man has "Federer expressed" his way to an Australian Open title on hard, only losing two sets. Then he conquered the Masters Series title in Hamburg on clay, outwitting from the baseline opponents like Carlos Moya, Gaston Gaudio, and Guillermo Coria whose careers mostly depend on clay court tournament results. Oh, and as far as grass court goes, Federer has won his last three grass court tournaments, prior to Wimbledon.

Speaking of the best player of all times, Rod Laver accomplished winning the Grand Slam twice during his career. Don Budge was the only other man to complete the Grand Slam, back in 1938.

Winning all four majors is next to impossible. It is the ultimate achievement in tennis, one that even "big-time" champions such as Pete Sampras keep on their wish list forever and ever. Some have come close in the past, Jimmy Connors won three of them in 1974, but was not allowed to compete in Roland Garros, Mats Wilander won three of them in 1988, but failed in Wimbledon. Andre Agassi has won them all, but not in the same year.

Especially now that all four majors are on a wide variety of surfaces, it seems that no player can win all four majors. Actually, Federer can!

He has not done it as of now. But he has several more "good" years left. Furthermore, if anyone has the goods to reach this so-called "pinnacle" of tennis, Federer is that man. Of course, he will need the right breaks at the right time. For example, he will have to stay injury-free, or he will have to have a good draw in one or two of the Slams, or even get lucky and perform at peak levels during those eight weeks out of the year.

Nevertheless, no single player since Laver (apologies to John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and Sampras) has shown this much potential in terms of winning on all surfaces and all different conditions.

Most critics claim that tennis players need to be more outward with their emotions on the court to gain popularity. They must donate their tennis game with a "colorful" personality, so to speak. Most tennis watchers find tennis players boring because they do not yell enough, or pump their fists with more flare, etc. Basically, their argument is a tennis player can't rise to the peak of popularity unless they display some sort of gorish behavior, a la John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors. Actually, Federer can!

While players like Marat Safin and Goran Ivanisevic have grown in popularity due to their outbursts and severe racket abuse on the court accompanied with brilliant display of tennis skills occasionally, Roger Federer has managed to tweak the interest of all tennis fans across the globe solely with sheer brilliance in creativity, blissful movement, and extraordinary array of strokes at his disposition. No tennis player this quiet on the court has created this much fandom since Bjorn Borg, otherwise known as "IceBorg."

So next time you turn on your television set and see Federer display his talent, sit back and enjoy because I guarantee that you will enjoy the show. How can I guarantee this? Because Federer can!

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 1:00 AM | Comments (1)