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July 31, 2006

2006 NFL Preview: Chicago Bears

Last Year

It was supposed to be another down season in Chicago, but head coach Lovie Smith wasn't listening to all that jazz. While Minnesota succumbed to injuries and division mates Detroit and Green Bay did their cellar block tango, the Bears won 11 games on the strength of their defense and made their ascent to the top of the division.

After neglecting the laggard offense in the draft and free agency, the Bears will bank on the development of quarterback Rex Grossman and running back Cedric Benson to put them over the top.

What We Learned From Last Year

Trauma struck early for the Bears — again — targeting a position that has haunted them for so many years — again.

Top quarterback Rex Grossman broke his ankle in the preseason as a couple of St. Louis Rams defenders took him down.

The Bears had used at least three quarterbacks in six of the previous seven seasons and Chad Hutchinson/Henry Burris flashbacks were conjured as Grossman was carted off the field.

Then came the downpour of "I told you so" from fans and experts towards general manager Jerry Angelo, in regards to his decision not to incorporate a veteran quarterback on the roster.

But he would have the last laugh as a fourth-round rookie would help him out. At one point, quarterback Kyle Orton looked like a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and first-round pick during his senior season at Purdue until a season-altering fumble and lingering hip injury dropped him a few rounds.

He stepped into the Bears' starting lineup from Week 1 and granted it took him about a month to figure things out, he did a commendable job leading the Bears to success.

Let's face it, nobody really cares about the backup quarterback when making preseason predictions, but they come into play every year, and for some teams, they make or break a season. No one knows that better than the Bears.

After finding his feet, Orton limited his mistakes. With support from an outstanding defense and a career year from running back Thomas Jones, Orton and the Bears ripped off an eight-game winning streak.

Jones, who was softer than a Sara Lee sponge cake in his first couple of season in Arizona, had now fully morphed into a compact, power runner. Ironically, first-round pick Cedric Benson was drafted to add that dimension, but because of his holdout and because Jones brought pretty much everything to the table, Benson didn't see much of the field.

While the running game flourished, the passing game was dormant. It was pretty clear that aerial attack was dumbed down for Orton, which lessened the impact of prize free agent wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. Outside of him, though, the Bears drastically lacked receiving options.

Lovie Smith's formula was clear: run the ball and stop the run. As the calendar turned to the colder months, running on the Bears' defense was like trying to teach Paris Hilton Sudoku.

The Atlanta Falcons found out first hand how devastating the Bears' front four was and it was clear that they emanated an intimidating presence.

Alex Brown's continued development alongside Adewale Ogunleye at the end positions was instrumental to complement the league's deepest rotation of tackles.

Tommie Harris was a force inside, consistently breaking down double teams. With three sacks and an excellent season, he earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Ian Scott was a steady run stuffer, while Tank Johnson was a lovely surprise, with five sacks. On the other hand, Michael Haynes, a 2003 first-round pick, continued to disappoint the Bears.

The play of the secondary was up and down and eventually ended on a low, as Carolina Panthers wideout Steve Smith shredded them for 218 yards in the playoffs. Jerry Azumah was hampered by a neck injury and grew more unproductive as the season wore on. Nathan Vasher made the Pro Bowl based on 8 interceptions, but he is more qualified as a number two corner. The same can be said about Charles Tillman, who was expected to be their number one guy.

At safety, Lovie Smith was frustrated with Mike Green throughout the season and rookie Chris Harris eventually took over for him. The Bears' real standout in the secondary is Mike Brown and they are not the same team when he is not on the field.

For a team that fell only two games short of the Super Bowl, it was surprising to see them neglect a passing offense averaged a measly 125 yards per game. The perplexing question is why? And it is a question we may be asking again come January.

This Year

Well, no one can complain about the Bears not having a competent veteran quarterback this time around.

Jerry Angelo signed Brian Griese to a five-year pact. In all honesty, it is an unfortunate signing because you don't want to invest so much time or money into a backup quarterback, especially when you hope that he doesn't see the field.

On the other hand, the player that you do want to be the quarterback of the future, Rex Grossman, has started only four regular season games in the last two seasons.

The only way this signing can be a success is if Grossman is absent for a long period of time and Griese fills in.

Although Grossman hasn't seen the field much during his three seasons, he has good vision, confidence, and arm strength. As long as he stays healthy, there is no reason why he would not provide security at the position. With Kyle Orton as the third-string backup, the Bears are fairly set at quarterback.

At the running back position, it seems like there has been a bit of a role reversal between Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson this offseason. Jones, who is fresh off a career-high 1,335 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, held out through organized team activities and voluntary camps this summer while Benson, who was a holdout well into training camp last year, benefited from Jones' absence and prepared well for the upcoming season.

Jones has a strong grasp of the offense and is known for being in tip-top shape, so don't expect him to miss a beat in training camp. But Benson will steal plenty more than 67 carries this season and likely push Jones out of a job in Chicago (eventually). Jones has done everything he has been asked of in his two seasons as a Bear, but Benson just fits the mold of the power running back that offensive coordinator Ron Turner is looking for.

The offensive line remains strong, but is aging. It's a unit that is better at run blocking, but they are capable in pass protection.

While there was a thin crop of wide receivers in free agency and the draft who could have provided marginal help, the Bears decided to bank on their in-house crop instead.

Muhsin Muhammad is entering his 11th season and is nearing the top of the hill. He will still draw most of the defensive coverage in the secondary since the Bears lack a trustworthy second option. Bernard Berrian is a speedy slot receiver, but is not good enough to be a number two guy. Mark Bradley has that potential, but he is recovering from his second ACL injury in four years.

The offense did not get any help in the draft, which was somewhat puzzling. The Bears passed on Marcedes Lewis, who would have filled a huge void as a pass catching tight-end, as well as Sinorice Moss.

Instead, they opted to add a few more cogs to the defense, which should ensure that they won't be any less ferocious this season.

Second-round pick Danieal Manning will have a pretty good shot at unseating the unspectacular Chris Harris in training camp. This position has seemingly irked Lovie Smith for a couple of seasons.

The team's other second-round pick, Devin Hester, is a bit of project as a cornerback but he should give the return game a shot in the arm. Third-round pick Dusty Dvoracek will contribute right off the bat, since his former team, the Okalahoma Sooners, implement a similar defense to the one of defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

The linebacking corps rivals any grouping in the NFL. The Brian Urlacher critics were nowhere to be found last season and he has Tommie Harris to thank for that. Urlacher is fun to watch, since he plays with uncanny intensity and with Lance Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer to his sides, not many running backs get to the third level. Hillenmeyer is a reliable, heady player, while Briggs is an outstanding playmaker, whom the Bears are trying to retain with a contract extension.

The cornerbacks unit is a bit of a concern for the Bears, even though they get a helping hand from the front four. Ricky Manning, Jr. signed from Carolina, but he will only fill the nickel role. Vasher and Tillman have to be more consistent and one of them has to fill the top spot. Many teams will be looking back to Steve Smith's performance and will try to use that as a blueprint to expose this defense.

With two years under his belt, Lovie Smith is the most experienced coach in the NFC North. He has the best team in the division to work with and although they don't appear to be significantly better than last season, they shouldn't have much trouble getting to the playoffs.

Over/Under: 9

The Vikings, Packers, and Lions are all turning a new leaf with untested head coaches, which indicates that the Bears division rivals are all under construction. Barring injuries, nothing will stop the Bears from winning the NFC North. They play: @GB, DET, @MIN, SEA, BUF, @ARI, SF, MIA, @NYG, @NYJ, @NE, MIN, @STL, TB, @DET, and GB.

Fantasy Sleeper

Mark Bradley was developing into a dependable number two wide receiver before he tore his ACL last season but now that he just about fully recovered, he is worth a shot as a late round selection on your fantasy team. Since Muhsin Muhammad is past his prime and Bernard Berrian is only a solution for the slot, Bradley is the only undervalued fantasy wideout with upside on this team. Keep in mind that this is a run oriented, low-scoring offense.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 10:28 PM | Comments (2)

Colleges Escaping Early Defections

Many college coaches across the country spend the spring and the early part of summer having to reshape their rosters after early defections to the NBA. Coaches who didn't lose as many players as originally thought, or whose programs were able to dodge early entries all together, were able to breathe a sigh of relief. Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA and Arizona lost only one early entry to the draft combined. All five schools return their core for next season and appear to be teams that will challenge for a spot in Atlanta.

The Gators were a surprise last season after losing David Lee, Anthony Roberson, and Matt Walsh at the end of the 2005 season. Roberson and Walsh were early entrants to the '05 draft. After losing 58% of their scoring at the end of 2005, not much was expected from UF in 2006. All the Gators did was capture the school's first national championship with four sophomores and a junior. Just as amazing is that all five will return for 2007.

Billy Donovan was able to put a better defensive team on the floor. They ran their way to their first national championship with superior athleticism and pressure defense. The combination of Joakim Noah and Al Horford upfront gave UF a strong inside game. Corey Brewer became the team's shutdown defensive player, Taurean Green stabilized the offense at the point, and Lee Humphrey was deadly from three-point range.

With the starting unit returning intact and incoming recruits such as forwards Jonathan Mitchell and Dan Werner and wings Brandon Powell and Doneal Mack, the Gators are a near lock to be number one in November. Next spring, Donovan might not be so lucky. Noah is likely to become a lottery pick, and Horford and Green are possibly early entrants and likely first-round picks.

Out in Lawrence, meanwhile, Kansas had a disappointing March for the second straight year. Back-to-back first-round losses in the NCAA tournament might have the faithful in Lawrence doubting Bill Self's ability to coach in big games. He has already taken Tulsa and Illinois to the Elite Eight, however. Fortunately, returning its top seven scorers and welcoming elite freshman Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur should have Kansas ranked in the top five when Midnight Madness commences in October.

Last season's freshmen class was crucial to the Jayhawks' success. Brandon Rush led KU in scoring and rebounding, Mario Chalmers was second in scoring, and Julian Wright was a key contributor with his vision and all-court game. Without a strong senior class in 2007, juniors-to-be Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun, CJ Giles, and Darnell Jackson will be counted on in leadership roles.

Back in Chapel Hill, a year after losing four players early to the draft and his top seven scorers overall, North Carolina's Roy Williams has to be looking forward to returning his core for 2007. Tyler Hansbrough (18.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg in 2006) played more mature than a freshman, forward Rayshawn Terry (14.3 ppg), who stepped up after being used little as a sophomore reserve in 2005, will be counted on as a senior leader in 2007. Danny Green, Bobby Frasor, and Marcus Ginyard were key contributors as freshmen in '06. Incoming freshmen Twyon Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Brandan Wright considered part of one of the top two recruiting classes will challenge for starting spots in 2007.

Coming off its most successful season since winning the 1995 national championship, UCLA lost only point guard Jordan Farmar as an early entrant to the NBA. Seniors Ryan Hollins, Cedric Bozeman, and Michael Fey also finished their eligibility. The loss of Farmar as the 26th pick shouldn't be devastating. Darren Collison (5.5 ppg. 2.3 apg) seems ready to assume the reigns of running the show for Ben Howland.

Aaron Afflalo has the potential to become an All-American in 2007 if he heals well from a stress fracture in his left foot. The injury is expected to keep him off the court until early or mid September.

The return of swingman Josh Shipp will be a big boost the Bruins' erratic-at-times offense. Shipp returns after sitting out 2006 as a medical redshirt. Also, deadly three-point shooter Michael Roll provides depth on the perimeter. The prince, Luc-Richard Mbah-a-Moute, exploded on to the scene as a freshman. If he increases his offensive productivity, he can become a nationally-known player. Ryan Wright, Alfred Aboya, and Lorenzo Mata give the Bruins a deep front court. Highly-touted power forward James Keefe will have to battle for minutes as a freshman.

Staying in the Pac-10, we move to Arizona, who despite losing Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye at the end of 2005, was still expected to be a top-10 team in 2006. Injuries, suspensions, poor team chemistry, and players not living up to their potential relegated the Wildcats to a 20-13 finish and a second round loss to Villanova in the NCAA tournament.

It appeared that Lute Olson was going to be stung by early entrants. Marcus Williams withdrew his name shortly after entering. Mustafa Shakur tested the water by attending draft camps. The 6'3" point guard ultimately decided returning to school was in his best interest. With Williams, swingman Jawaan McClellan, and incoming freshman Chase Budinger on the wings, Shakur shouldn't regret his decision. Upfront, Kirk Walters is reliable and Ivan Radenovic has had the biggest two and half year improvement during his tenure according to Olson. Fendi Onobun, Mohamed Tangara, and Bret Brielmaier will be counted on for depth.

Olson always like to push the tempo and 2007 should become one of his best offensive teams. JP Prince, Nic Wise, and Daniel Dillon provide the Wildcats with many options in the backcourt. Losing Hassan Adams and Chris Rodgers will hurt defensively. But despite his talents, Rodgers was a hindrance to team chemistry with a me-first attitude and Adams never seemed comfortable having to carry the load. Arizona is fortunate returning everyone with eligibility left and should return to nation's elite in 2007.

In past eras, recruiting high school and junior college players was difficult enough. But in this ever-changing landscape, coaches must now re-recruit their own players who flirt with the NBA. Because they were able to dodge multiple early defections, Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA, and Arizona should be at or near the top of the rankings in November.

Posted by Alan Rubenstein at 10:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 29, 2006

Seattle's Sonic Bust

It's as stereotypical as rain-soaked months and flannel shirts tied around the waistbands of jean shorts, but the fact remains that the good people of Seattle consume an absurd amount of coffee.

Coffee bars, coffee shops, coffee in the hotel lobby, coffee at the gas station — and all of it good. I'm not even sure they sell instant coffee at the supermarket — it'd be like stacking cans of Chef Boyardee in Sicily. There are even these bizarre little huts in strip mall parking lots that sell grab-and-go espresso. Until I visited the city recently, I had no idea how much coffee there actually was in Seattle. I haven't seen this many beans in one place since I went to Lilith Fair with my ex-wife.

Seriously, coffee in Seattle is as prevalent as crack here in DC, if crack were made of guns.

Coffee comes in different styles, different concentrations. Take, for example, the news that the Seattle SuperSonics have been sold to an ownership group headed by Clay Bennett, who is president of the Oklahoma City-based investment firm Dorchester Capital. The espresso — quick, blunt, and effective — version of the story is "SONICS SOLD, WILL MOVE TO OKC IN 2 YEARS." The latte version of the story, however, is a drink of a different texture:

The Java

The crux of this crisis for Sonics fans is KeyArena, a rusty '62 Chevy that was given a fresh coat of paint in 1995. Howard Schultz, the venerable Starbucks chairman-turned-Sonics owner who just stabbed his hometown franchise in the back for $350 million, claimed the arena needed $200 million in upgrades in order for the debt of that previous renovation to be eased and for the Sonics to eradicate some of their annual loses. "Upgrades" of course meaning the kind of high-price amenities that will lure new-money techies into luxury boxes while the plebeians fight over $7 hot dogs.

There's no question the Sonics get killed on their lease, having to split suite and concession revenue with the city. Schultz claims his ownership group has lost more than $60 million since purchasing the Sonics and the WNBA's Seattle Storm for $200 million in 2001.

But what he really lost was the bet he made with the city: that Seattle taxpayers would pony up for arena renovations like they did for a new baseball stadium and a new football stadium. That keeping the Sonics in Seattle was as vital to the community as securing the future of the Seahawks and Mariners. It was a major miscalculation, further intensified by a change in political climate. You know you're fighting an uphill battle when the president of your city council tells Sports Illustrated that the Sonics' cultural value was "close to zero."

But what drove the Sonics to Oklahoma City ownership might actually keep them from moving to OKC. The scenario is clear, if a bit danced around, by the new owners: settle on a new lease with a renovated arena in 12 months, or the team relocates to cowboy country. Bennett and his group are businessmen. If the city antes up a sweet deal that knocks down debt and increases team revenues, there's a chance the Bennett group might take it, especially if the New Orleans Hornets somehow end up permanently staying in OKC (not likely, but more on that later). Even if the owners turn down a sweetheart deal, the NBA could step in and reject relocating the 39-year-old franchise (again, not likely, but possible).

Oh, and forget this whiff of a column by Gregg Doyel of CBS Sportsline, arguing that Oklahoma City is just a bargaining chip in an arena negotiation. He uses arcane examples from Tampa Bay's and D.C.'s frustrating history of near-misses with MLB franchises but completely misses the undeniable differences here: that the Sonics have actually been sold to a local owner from Oklahoma City, and that OKC has proven — unlike Tampa Bay when it headhunted any ball club that would fit its boondoggle stadium — that it can enthusiastically support an NBA franchise.

The Milk

This is no bargaining ploy: the Sonics should work on their lassoing skills because they're headed to the ranch, son.

I've been told Clay Bennett is a man of his word, which is pretty easy when your words sound like this: "We intend to honor the lease. We just need to work through that as part of a global solution to the overall effort."

A quick spin of the Okie decoder ring, and that's translated as "just be happy we're not taking the Space Needle with us."

Oklahoma City is going to have an NBA franchise in two years, and it's either going to be the Seattle SuperSonics or the New Orleans Hornets. The former is a slam dunk: owned locally, stuck in an antiquated arena with an unfavorable lease and a hostile political environment.

The latter is a bit trickier: the Hornets have already been embraced by Okies, will play part of their home schedule there next year, and weren't exactly "Les Mis" when it came to moving tickets at the box office in the Big Easy. David Stern has said they'll return to New Orleans because he has to say things like that when Hornets fans are still rebuilding their Katrina-ravaged lives. But tragedies pass and institutional guilt subsides ... or am I the only one waiting for the New York Super Bowl Tagliabue spoke about post-9/11?

There is another scenario, however: the Sonics go to OKC, and the Hornets relocate to KC for the 2008-09 season. Kansas City's Sprint Center is scheduled to open in Fall 2007. Like the arena in Oklahoma City, it's part of a multi-million dollar revitalization campaign that's missing just one thing: a team of its own. If the NBA decides the local owners should be able to lay claim on OKC, and New Orleans is deemed unsuitable for the transient Hornets, Kansas City could be an NBA city following the NBA's all-star swan song in New Orleans in 2008.

These two Midwestern cities are the epicenter of the next great pro sports revolution. They are starving for teams like California and Florida were 15 years ago, and are willing to make concessions and guarantees other cities aren't willing to make to land them. They're the ugly girls who have to put out to land a prom date. (Of course, when you're talking about the Sonics and Hornets, maybe it's the captain of the bowling team rather than the football team.)

A quick aside: the above scenario just underlines what you, dear readers, have known for years, which is that Gary Bettman is a jackass. Could have had Oklahoma City in the late-'90s, opted for Columbus (yawn) instead. Could have Sidney Crosby in Kansas City, but will allow a bunch of blue-haired slot addicts to bail out the Penguins in Pittsburgh. I fully expect that within 10 years, the NBA will be selling out in OKC and KC while Bettman's giving a lecture about the "cost certainty" needed to keep the Seattle Panthers afloat...

The Vanilla

I was only in Seattle for a few days, and I'm not about to draw conclusions about a population based on that visit. But I did find Shane Day's letter to the Seattle Times on Sunday interesting in the context of this debate:

"I always think it's interesting how people in Seattle have negative attitudes toward basketball, which is dominated by black players and appeals more to the black community, while we look kindly on the Mariners and Seahawks, which draw more of a white audience. Yet another example of institutional racism, don't you think? [City Council President] Nick Licata should think about that."

Like I said, I'll let that comment stand, only to add that there are three professional teams in Seattle: two with brand new stadiums, and one headed for Oklahoma City.

The Foam

What's clear about the Sonics is that they are the third team in that three-team town. Seahawks gear is everywhere, from the racks in tourist clothing stores to the backs of local fans. Mariners baseball is treated with a reverence and fervor I didn't anticipate, until I thought about all of those hours logged watching the Griffey teams and the Ichiro teams. There's a generation that grew up with this franchise, and a generation behind that one that still supports it.

Then there are the Sonics. I didn't see a single person walking around in a Seattle jersey while I was there, and it was about 90 degrees outside. I didn't even see one at the NBA Experience fair held last weekend in the shadow of the Space Needle — save for the prop jersey the NBA provided to the carnival barker/DJ at the event. Another telltale signal: the bars don't have Sonics signs in their windows, next to the neon ones for football and baseball.

"Fan Enthusiasm" is a tricky factor in determining whether it's time for a franchise to move on because so much of it has to do with management and on-court success. The team drew over 17,000 fans a game from 1995-99, with an NBA Finals appearance sandwiched in there. From 2000-04, the team couldn't crack an average of 15,700 because it stunk like week-old Seattle salmon. But for close to 40 years, Seattle has been a basketball town, or at least a town with basketball.

Oklahoma City has been one for one season, and a partial one at that. When the Sonics move — okay, for the sake of those poor caffeinated souls in the Northwest, if they move — there will be years of prosperity and years where there are more bulls at the rodeo than fans at the arena.

Basketball's a lot like coffee that way: a good cup is addictive, but enough bad ones and you'll break the habit.

Just ask the Sonics.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)

NBA Offseason Winners and Losers

Loser: Atlanta Hawks

Was there any doubt? In recent years, the Hawks have become as synonymous with losing as George W. Bush and bad diplomacy. In a draft that most experts believed had six players standing above the rest, the Hawks decided to guarantee Shelden Williams, a player definitely outside this top six, that they would choose him with the fifth pick.

I understand the thinking. The Hawks could definitely use some more help up front and they really liked Shelden Williams. General managers don't get paid to listen to the pundits. They get paid to make sound basketball decisions. With that said, the Houston Rockets were desperate to move into the draft's top six and had the eighth pick. The Hawks could have traded down and still got their man, plus some.

Furthermore, it strikes me as odd as to why the Hawks were so transparent throughout the draft process. It was hypothesized by all the talking heads in the media that the only lock in the draft was that the Hawks would take Williams. Why show your hand? In a draft where player evaluations varied greatly depending on who you talked to, there was no reason to make it known that your organization fancied one of the guys nobody was even talking about. There was even less reason to guarantee the choice.

Seriously, I would like to play fantasy sports with Atlanta general manager Billy Knight. He doesn't understand the concept of "leverage."

Maybe the biggest reason, however, that the Hawks are on the "loser" list again is their inability to add a primary ball-handler. Sure, they added Craig "Speedy" Claxton, but Claxton is best suited for a team that is already good or, at least, on the upswing. Atlanta looks to improve with Claxton running the point, but much of that is due to guys like Royal Ivey and Tyronn Lue being the incumbents at the position.

With the amount of athleticism and talent that Atlanta has at the wings, a ball-handling playmaker could really make the Hawks a good young team. There is still hope that they can bring one aboard by signing and trading Al Harrington. As it stands now, however, Atlanta's primary point guard is a perfect complementary player on a team that instead needs a difference maker.

Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin McHale keeps finding different ways to screw up. In the past, the Timberwolves' general manager has given an illegal contract to a player, resulting in the forfeiture of numerous draft picks and a lot of money. For the most part, he's done a poor job when he actually does have draft picks. Does anybody remember Paul Grant, William Avery, and Ndudi Ebi? Yeah, me neither.

Well, this year, McHale was able to find yet another unconventional way to screw something up. With the sixth pick, the Timberwolves drafted Brandon Roy when they really wanted Randy Foye, who, incidentally, was still available. Their goal was to trade Roy to Houston for Foye and someone else. Portland had traded into the seventh slot and was enamored with Roy. Knowing Minnesota's preference for Foye, Portland drafted him after Minnesota grabbed Brandon Roy and subsequently traded Foye to Minnesota for Roy. (Trust me, if the names didn't rhyme, this wouldn't seem so confusing.)

To sum up, Minnesota traded its sixth pick for the seventh pick without getting anything extra in return. Sure, it's the difference of one pick, but Portland traded into that slot with the intention of getting Roy. It seems to me that the Trail Blazers had a lot to lose if they didn't get him. Minnesota was not in such a desperate situation. Minnesota should have dictated the terms of that deal, not Portland.

Despite all of this, Minnesota got who it wanted and that's why the team is in the "winner" column. I just couldn't let another McHale slip-up go unmentioned. For his part, however, McHale has identified his team's biggest weakness and acquired the best fit in an attempt to address it. For years, Minnesota has relied on the jump shot to win games. Exclusively jump-shooting teams have seen success in the playoffs, but few, if any, have won it all. Of course, shooting is a key, but the common denominator for the elite teams has been an ability to get to the line.

To this end, there is no doubt in my mind that Kevin McHale watched the phenomenal Dwayne Wade show off his unstoppable game in the Finals and a light went off. In today's NBA, the rules have made it so the teams that have quick, penetrating guards who are able to get to the line are at a distinct advantage over the teams without. These quick guards now draw hand check fouls at the slightest contact and when the defenders back off they draw fouls on the big men.

It's completely changed the game as a whole and it changes every individual game, as well. Guys like Wade, Kobe, and LeBron can get easy points at the line while putting their respective defenders in foul trouble, and forcing the opposition to accumulate team fouls, placing them in the penalty earlier in the game. The Dallas Mavericks got on board with this philosophy last season and ended up in the Finals.

This is what Randy Foye brings to the table. He is the college player most compared to the aforementioned Wade. In the summer league, he was so unstoppable that scouts had a hard time critiquing his jumper because it was rare when he had to settle for one. On top of that, he's a great ball-handler and would seem to be a perfect complement to the league's most unselfish superstar, Kevin Garnett. Randy Foye is the remedy to what ails the Wolves.

Although Foye could end up being the player with the biggest impact, the acquisition that has brought the most fanfare is that of point guard Mike James. Another great addition, James brings a very good jump-shot to a team that is suddenly lacking pure jump-shooters after last season's trade of Wally Szczerbiak to the Celtics. He is an excellent perimeter defender — a commodity in today's NBA, can score, and doesn't mind taking big shots. Additionally, James has worked for everything he's received in the NBA, so he's tenacious, scrappy, and let's not forget that he's been on a championship squad (2004 Detroit Pistons).

The T-Wolves have offense. They have defense. They have shooting and athleticism. They have a superstar. They have veteran leadership. With Ricky Davis, Trenton Hassell, Mark Blount, Rashad McCants, Eddie Griffin, Marko Jaric, and Troy Hudson still on board, they have plenty of depth and versatility. If they can build chemistry together, they could end up with a lot more.

Loser: Detroit Pistons

Several months back, I wrote that we would be talking about the Pistons as one of the best teams in NBA history. Whoops! Never underestimate the importance of team chemistry. It was team chemistry that brought the Pistons a title in 2004. It was chemistry that allowed them to play like a well-oiled machine for most of last year.

Then, it got interesting. It seemed like the players got a little too cocky, and a little too vocal for their own good. A group that had personified "team" was griping about the offense, the defense, the coach — you name it. Before they knew it, the season was over. Ask the Timberwolves of 2005 what happens when you mess with team chemistry. It takes so long to build, that it's very hard to regain once it's lost.

Perhaps the single most significant player to the Detroit team chemistry was Ben Wallace. Ben Wallace, the ultimate team player, was focused on the dirty work. He got rebounds, blocked shots, and was spectacular in team defense. Ironically, he's at his best playing "help" defense. Because he was so key in helping team chemistry, it should be of no surprise that he could be so instrumental in tearing it apart. Remember, it was Wallace who, at one point, totally disregarded his coach and refused to go back into a game and it was also Big Ben Wallace who complained most vehemently about Flip Saunders' coaching in general.

Ben Wallace was supposed to be an integral component in re-establishing the lost chemistry. Instead, he's the biggest free-agency defector this offseason and will try to forge a brand new chemistry with his new Chicago Bulls teammates. What's made it worse for the Pistons is that Darko Milicic, the second overall pick in the draft that included LeBron, Carmelo, Wade, and Bosh, was sent packing last year in order for the Pistons to free up money to be able to re-sign Ben Wallace. Now, Big Ben is helping a division rival while Darko Milicic looks to be one of the key young building blocks on an emerging Orlando ballclub — a team in Detroit's conference.

To be honest, I don't think Wallace is the player that most make him out to be. Although he is good at what he does, he's completely obsolete on one side of the ball and is not the best individual defender in the world. He is a role player, albeit an exceptional one and this is precisely why his loss hurts so much. He's an exceptional role player because he takes on so many of the "non-skilled" basketball roles like rebounding and help defense, as well as the non-basketball roles pertaining to toughness, heart, and leadership.

The open question for the Pistons is "who can play his role?" Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace were able to stick tight to their men because they knew that if they got burned, Ben Wallace had the mindset and the quickness to be there to help. Richard Hamilton can't guard anyone at all, so having Big Ben there to help clean up his messes was close to necessary. Ben Wallace defined the toughness of the Pistons. Without him, they don't seem so tough. He's a guy that's nearly impossible to replace because he was responsible for doing all the little things that allowed the others to focus on doing what they do best.

On the plus side, the Pistons gained Nazr Mohammed to help compensate for Ben Wallace's departure. Although he's a good player, it remains unseen as to whether he can do what the Pistons need him to do. The Pistons are also hoping that their sixth man from last year, big man Antonio McDyess, can take on some extra work.

The team also added guard, Ronald "Flip" Murray, an offensive mastermind with no ability to play defense whatsoever. He is there to replace Maurice Evans, who was curiously traded away for a second-rounder Cheick Samb. Murray's addition gives them an intriguing scoring option off the bench and maybe, just maybe, Joe Dumars is getting the offensive players that his coach likes. This team, however, didn't lose much offense. Instead, with the departure of Ben Wallace, it lost team leadership, team defense, team chemistry, and consequently, any real shot of winning another championship any time soon.

Winner: San Antonio

On paper, it seems the Spurs lost more than they gained this season. Both of their on-again, off-again starting centers, Rasho Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed, have left the building. In their place come an array of role players who may not seem exciting to Spurs fans, but may end up being exactly what their team needs to get back on top.

Gregg Popovich and RC Buford, the two guys in charge of personnel for the team get it. As a matter of fact, they've shown from day one that they know what to do to build a championship-caliber team. The Spurs have never been the team to make a big splash, yet have won a few titles and contended for many more. If something isn't working, the personnel department adjusts accordingly with a tweak here and a tweak there. This offseason has just been more of the same.

During the playoffs, both Mohammed and Nesterovic were essentially forced to the bench for long stretches due to the faster pace of play that has become so vogue in the league. For the same reasons that rendered Chris Kaman largely ineffective for the Clippers in the playoffs, Rasho and Nazr were almost irrelevant. The faster pace rewards the athletes. Although both of the former Spurs were very skilled big men, they left a lot to be desired in athleticism. San Antonio has replaced them with younger, more athletic types who are already developing legitimate big man skills.

Nazr Mohammed departed to Detroit as a free agent and Nesterovic was traded to Toronto for forwards Matt Bonner and Eric Williams. After failing in its attempt to bring in Alonzo Mourning, San Antonio made two very shrewd moves. The Spurs signed both Jackie Butler of the Knicks and Francisco Elson of the Nuggets, two young, athletic big men, to offer sheets. Both players were restricted free agents on teams that each already had a plethora of signed players and more specifically, a plethora of signed big men. So, the Spurs swooped in, offering each more than what he was previously earning, knowing that New York and Denver, respectively, would each be reluctant to match. By no means, however, did the Spurs have to break the bank.

Elson has shown that he can be both tough and nasty — two huge pluses for a team in search of a title. Moreover, he's already seen substantial minutes in the NBA as a fill-in starter and is playoff-tested, as well. Butler, on the other hand, is still very young. He was a player that came out of high school only to not hear his name called during the draft. He played well in his limited time in New York and could flourish in the right environment and, of course, under the tutelage of Popovich and Tim Duncan. In the end, these new Spurs could end up matching or even exceeding the production of their predecessors for a fraction of the cost.

The team also signed Jacque Vaughn as a third point guard. He's a great insurance policy considering it's still unknown as to whether Nick Van Exel will retire and whether Beno Udrih can start showing some of the consistency Greg Popovich wants out of a point guard. Like Vaughn, Eric Williams, acquired in the Nesterovic deal is a good team player who can defend and usually be counted on to play smart-another must for a contending team.

The diamond in the rough in the Toronto deal, however, is Bonner. "The Red Rocket" was a fan favorite in Toronto for his ability to just help his team. Although he's not great at anything, he's skilled at many things ranging from rebounding to busting threes. To top it off, he's a hustler — in a good way. He dives on the floor, seems to come up with all the loose balls, and hits big shots. In short, he just gets it done. Perfect for a team that's all about just getting it done.

Posted by Kiarash Banisadre at 10:08 PM | Comments (6)

July 28, 2006

Time For Billy Beane to Move On

I've been hanging around FireJoeMorgan.com lately. It's got some truly funny stuff on it, ripping Joe Morgan (obviously) and other knuckle-headed analysts that infest the sport.

Now, Joe seems like an amiable enough guy, but as an analyst, he stinks. He never misses a chance to blow his own trumpet, or one of his old buddies' trumpets. He never seems to watch baseball outside of work, he loves Barry Bonds, he refuses to acknowledge that his friend Dusty Baker is even partly responsible for the Cubs' demise, and he's stuck in the past.

That wouldn't be so bad if he was even remotely modest. See, Joe's won Emmy's and it's gone to his head. He makes Peter King look shy and retiring about his talents. So the guys at FireJoeMorgan.com ride him remorselessly with added humor.

The only trouble is the contributors are patently Billy Beane's guys. Or Bill James's guys. Or Rob Neyer's, Paul DePodesta's — take your pick. FireJoeMorgan.com is the cult of sabermetrics, OPS, OBP, and all the rest of that spreadsheet-inspired stuff that Uncle Joe hates.

The ripping may be funny, but it also opens your eyes to the type of person that gravitates to sabermetrics, moneyball — whatever you want to call it.

These guys are a cult in the true sense of the word. There is absolutely no room for compromise or debate. You either accept their opinion or you're castigated as an idiot. They are truly baseball fascists.

Now, in principle, I've got no problem with black and white distinctions between fact and fiction, or right and wrong. Some things are so self-evident that they are beyond dispute and if you disagree then clearly you deserve idiot status. For example, the earth is clearly flat, root beer is made from skunks' urine, and The Best Damn Sports Show was The Worst Damn Sports Show.

Baseball, as a sport played by humans that evolves gradually to changing circumstances, obviously has more wiggle-room, but the cultist followers of Beane and James refuse to acknowledge the fact.

To try and get a better take on these guys, I re-read Moneyball. It doesn't start well for Beane and Paul DePodesta, his then-assistant. Beane throws a temper tantrum when Grady Fuson, the A's former head of scouting, takes high-schooler Jeremy Bonderman with a first-round pick. We all know how Bonderman turned out.

We've only got to page 16 and already Beane's weaknesses are on show. Fuson has a track record of producing decent drafts, yet Beane thinks DePodesta's laptop knows better. Beane later sent Bonderman, Carlos Pena, and Franklyn German to Detroit for Jeff Weaver, who he immediately sent to New York for Ted Lilly. We're in Scott Kazmir for Carlos Zambrano territory here, folks.

Taking high-schoolers with high draft picks is a Beane no-no. There's too much that can go wrong and (most of all) there's no stats to go on. It's an expensive gamble and the draft is about risk reduction, to Billy Beane.

The problem with that is that Alex Rodriguez was drafted as a high-schooler. So was Ken Griffey, Jr., Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and numerous others. Ignoring potential high school talent is no different to ignoring black or Latin players — it limits your talent pool.

Relying on stats compiled by athletic directors or even students on far away campuses hardly seems like science either. This isn't the Elias Sports Bureau — it's Morehead State on a Tuesday afternoon where it's 250 down right-field and the guy with the pencil is trying to catch the eye of Laura, who's an economics major from Pensacola.

Surely, there's a place for scouting in baseball talent evaluation, as well as computers? If you don't trust your scouts, fire them and get some you do. Relying on spreadsheets isn't scouting — it's fantasy baseball.

Moneyball's big first-round draft pick topic was Jeremy Brown, the fat catcher from Alabama. He's still stuck in the minors four years on and (at best) is projected as a low-power DH/1B type. There's hardly a shortage of those.

Not that Beane's drafts have sucked. Beane finds decent pitchers and the occasional useful bat, but he's hardly embarrassing his peers on draft day.

What Beane has never explained, to my knowledge, is why he doesn't draft high-schoolers with the relevant tools that have a high upside and trade them for cheapish veterans that fit his criteria (walks, OBP, and a bit of power). There's always a market for young players with speed, athleticism, and power and the A's are missing an opportunity to pick up useful veterans. He'll probably counter that it costs too much to sign them, but isn't that worth it compared to wasting picks on the likes of Brown, who come cheap to sign, but languish in the minors forever?

Beane also loves walks, OBP, and OPS. Nothing wrong with that, but there's also a place for moving runners across with "productive outs" (a term cultists despise) and steals.

Some hailed the Red Sox championship in 2004 as vindication of the value of OBP, walks, OPS, and the home run. In some senses it was, as Boston put men on base and wait for the sluggers like Ortiz and Ramirez to bring them home. But the signature play of that championship was Dave Roberts stealing second off Manny Rivera. A stolen base is heresy in the world of Billy Beane.

Without the Dave Roberts' steal Boston loses the ALCS and potentially endures more years of purgatory to the Evil Empire. All the walks, 12-pitch ABs and homers over the monster count for nothing without Roberts snagging second.

In actual fact, Oakland isn't a team that does OBP or OPS very well. It's all hype and smoke and mirrors. The roster may come cheap, but statistically they don't get on base and they don't slug all that well.

Oakland A's MLB rankings:

	OBP	OPS	RUNS 	TEAM ERA

2006	27	30	28	  4

2005	14	20	9	  6

2004	10	15	15	  10

2003	21	20	14	  2

2002	7	7	9	  3

Since 2002, the A's have relied almost exclusively on pitching to keep them in ball games. They are contending in the AL West this year despite being an awful offensive team, their worst offensive performance under Beane.

JP Ricciardi, the Toronto GM, is trumpeted as an admirer of Beane, which he undoubtedly is. He began his reign in true Beane-style, firing scouts, dumping high-priced veterans, and signing cheap ones.

He didn't win enough ball games because Toronto plays in the ultra-competitive AL East, not the AL West. So last season, he changed tack. Winning ball games as cheaply as possible — the Beane mantra — was out. Winning ball games at any cost was in. The Jays went out and spent huge bucks on Troy Glaus, AJ Burnett, and BJ Ryan. They won more ball games and are in the hunt for the postseason for the first time in years.

Toronto's example is not to say that Beane is wrong. Clearly, the A's win ball games, as their excellent record indicates. They also do it on a shoestring budget. But so do the Minnesota Twins, yet nobody's eulogizing Terry Ryan, the GM, on FireJoeMorgan.com. They should as Ryan is one of the top-three GMs in the game.

Billy Beane has revolutionized baseball thinking and deserves all the plaudits he gets for his work in Oakland. Paul DePodesta, to my mind, did a solid job in Los Angeles and deserved a longer crack of the whip from the insane McCourts. But Beane should have taken the Boston job, though his personal life dictated he didn't want to. It would have been interesting to see how things would have transpired in Boston with Beane in command of the show. Professionally, he missed the boat.

Posted by Mike Round at 4:33 PM | Comments (1)

Rethinking the Fundamentals

Have you ever tried to watch a game (any sport) with a complete neophyte who wants you explain the game to them? Usually, it will be a little kid, or perhaps a new girlfriend who hates sports, but you two are in the infatuated, I-want-to-share-everything-with-you phase of the relationship.

Too often, the neophytes have the nerve to ask difficult questions without clear cut answers, involving the sports culture ("Why do baseball players fidget and adjust their cups so much, but football and basketball players don't?") that earn the reply, "That's just the way they do it." "It's tradition. "Just ... 'cause."

I am all for maintaining the culture of any given sport, but sometimes the neophyte will ask a level-two question about strategy. And this is where I have a hard time defending the game. Each of the three U.S major sports has its share of conventional strategy that needs to start being questioned.

It's the bottom of the fifth of a tie game. Runner on second and third, no outs. The batter hits a high fly ball deep to right field, but although it's clearly going to stay in the field of play, it's also clearly going to land foul (so you see this scenario most often in ballparks with a lot of foul area). The right-fielder camps under the ball, catches it, and throws it back to the infield. The runner on third is able to tag and score easily.

We've seen it happen tons of times. What's askew in the above scenario? I'll let you try to figure it out. I'll wait.

Time's up. Unless, perhaps, the outcome of the game is no longer in doubt, I think the fielding team can be said to have blundered whenever there's a successful sacrifice fly caught in foul territory. Why don't the outfielders JUST LET THE BALL GO? It makes no sense in any situation except a blowout for the fielding team to take the "trading a run for an out" route as opposed to the "take a strike for free" route. I don't care if you are facing the laboratory born-and bred science child of Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, and Albert Pujols, you still have a better-than-even chance of retiring the batter anyway regardless of the situation, and the odds of retiring him improve with each strike. Take the strike!

Maybe I'm missing something. I admit to watching less baseball, much less baseball, than football and basketball. But I must stick to my grounds, because there have been two situations, both when I was a kid, where I actually saw the outfielder let the ball go in that situation as I've been clamoring for. In both cases, the commentators praised the quick, smart thinking of the outfielder (one of them I remember was, believe it or not, Jose Canseco). This should not be a novel idea.

On to basketball. Man, do I see a lot of clock mismanagement in basketball. I take that back. I see a lot of possession mismanagement in basketball when a team is down by three or more with time running out. I can only imagine what the coach says during those timeouts:

"Okay, boys, we are down by six with 18 seconds left. We need points in a big way. Three points would be nice, but if they give you the paint for free, take it. Instead of trying to get points in as large bunches as possible, we will play tit-for-tat and just hope they miss free throws. Granted, this ultimately works so infrequently that it's precisely why the other team is giving us the paint, but I guess this is one of those rare times in sports where both teams want the same thing."

If you need three points very late, TAKE A THREE! If you need four or more points very late, TAKE A THREE! You can't count on the other team to miss free throws. You can't count on your team being able to foul as quickly as you need. The only thing that's in your hands is the rock and the shooting stroke of your guards. Take control of your own destiny and TAKE A THREE!

That's an example of basketball coaches not being greedy enough. Football coaches, on the other hand, get too greedy when they are down by multiple possessions late in the game.

Your team is down by nine with 45 seconds left. You have the ball at your opponents 30, 1st-and-10, but you just spent your last timeout. Things are looking bleak.

Can I make a suggestion to you? It's radical, I don't think I've seen everyone do this, but I'm gonna suggest it anyway: Attempt the field goal now.

You need a TD and a field goal anyway, it doesn't matter which order you get them in. What you need to conserve most of all is time. If you kick the field goal now and make it, and the gods smile on you and recover the onside kick, you will have almost 40 seconds to travel about 60 yards to get the winning touchdown. That's five or six plays. You might not even need to try a hail mary.

But no, instead what coaches typically do is try to move the ball and will only attempt the field goal on fourth down (but when time is so short that an onside kick is inevitable, downs do not matter much) or they have no problem getting first downs, but by the time they score the TD, there's only a few seconds left.

And that's the other reason it's smart to take the field goal attempt as soon as feasible if you are down by 9, 10, or 11 and it's late enough that you will need to recover an onside kick regardless — because there's no such thing as a hail mary field goal.

The longest field goal made in NFL history is 63 yards. To attempt a 63-yarder means the line of scrimmage is your opponent's 46 (adding 10 yards for the end zone and seven yards for the hold). If, instead, you have the ball at your own 46, where you might be a play or two after a successful onside kick, you have no chance of hitting a 71-yard field goal. Most quarterbacks can, however, launch the ball 60 yards into the end zone, and we all know of hail marys that have been answered so ... take the field goal first. Please.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 4:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 20

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson finished sixth at Pocono for his 16th top-10 finish of the year. Johnson now leads Matt Kenseth by 97, and leads his next closest pursuer, Jeff Burton, by 318.

"I thought the Lowe's versus Home Depot feud way back in February at Daytona was a great storyline," says Johnson. "But it doesn't even compare to the Depot versus Depot war that is currently brewing between Tony Stewart and Carl Edward's Office Depot team. The fence climber versus the back flipper. Personally, I want to see some blood."

2. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth was first at Pocono — the first Ford across the finish line. But that was only good enough for 14th in the Pennsylvania 500. That left Kenseth 97 points behind Johnson in the Nextel Cup points standings.

"That can't be good for sales of the Fusion," Kenseth comments. "I think it's time Ford brought back the Galaxy 500. What a car! Anyway, it was good to see my teammate Carl Edwards retaliate immediately when he felt he was wronged by Tony Stewart. That's more than I can say for myself. I still plan to avenge myself in the Jeff Gordon incident. Of course, when I do, people may forget what I'm avenging in the first place."

3. Jeff Burton — If NASCAR gave an award for consistency, Burton would surely be in the running. With his ninth in the Pennsylvania 500, he currently holds a streak of 14 straight results inside the top 20. Burton remains third in the points, 318 out of first and a virtual lock for the Chase.

"There's so many drivers out there changing teams and looking for new rides," says Burton. "Not me. I'm happy here with Richard Childress Racing. However, I do covet the Wonder Bread sponsorship that is sure to follow on the heels of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

4. Kevin Harvick — Harvick collected his third-straight top-five finish with a fifth at Pocono, and won the Busch series Goody's 250 a day earlier in Martinsville, where he held off teammate Clint Bowyer for the win.

"Poor Clint," says Harvick. "First, Richard Childress calls during Saturday's Busch race and tells Clint not to pass me. Then, on Sunday, he's wrecked by that ornery Tony Stewart. I'm sure he wanted to whip Richard's tail as much as he did Tony's. Of course, Tony's backed down and taken responsibility for the entire wreck. Or, at least his public relations people did so by issuing a statement on his behalf. Who in their right mind would believe that Stewart would apologize for anything? Not me."

5. Jeff Gordon — Gordon ran among the leaders at Pocono Raceway last Sunday, and used shrewd pit strategy to overcame a setback caused by a lugnut to finish third. He holds on to number nine in the points, and is enjoying a bit a momentum heading into the Brickyard 400 on August 7th.

"Can't we all just get along?" asks Gordon. "I think I saw more black flags on Sunday than yellow. Even when Carl Edwards is angry, he's still smiling. He's got teeth to spare. Next time Carl feels the need to do a back flip, he should land on Tony. I think they call that a 'moonsault' in the world of professional wrestling. You know, Tony kind of favors the 'Big Show,' only much smaller."

6. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin completed the season double sweep at Pocono, duplicating his pole-to-checkered win last month in the Pocono 500. Hamlin led 151 of 200 laps, and jumped four places into the points to eighth, 425 out of first.

"Gosh, it seems like only a month ago I was winning the first time in Pennsylvania," says Hamlin. "Wait a minute, it was only a month ago. I don't know what's easier: lapping the field at Pocono on my Play Station or sweeping both races at the track in a real car. Those video games are so realistic it's like really driving the car. It's lacking one thing, though: drivers fighting. Maybe they'll add that feature to the next game."

7. Tony Stewart — Stewart provided nearly all of the drama in an otherwise boring race with his run-in with Clint Bowyer that collected Carl Edwards. Bowyer slid up the track and bumped Stewart (or did he?), and Stewart retaliated by bumping Bowyer, who spun and was hit by Edwards.

"I understand I have a few guys looking for me," says Stewart. "Well, I drive an orange car, I'm somewhat chubby, and I climb fences. In other words, I'm not hard to find. Just look for the guy in the top 10."

Just a word of advice, Tony. If you find yourself in a fistfight with Edwards, aim for the teeth. You can't miss.

8. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 12th at Pocono, and, unlike some other drivers, has learned to control his emotions after some early season flare-ups. He maintains fourth in the points, 357 behind teammate Jimmi Johnson's lead.

"Now for a much needed week off," says Busch. "Rest, relaxation, and the chance to see a young lady make the biggest mistake of her life by marrying my brother Kurt. I'm really looking forward to the wedding, though. I get to throw rice at them. Anytime I get the chance to throw something at someone, I take it."

9. Kasey Kahne: Kahne was in 13th place and charging when engine problems surfaced on lap 190 and turned a potential top-ten finish into a disappointing 31st. Kahne has only finished inside the top 10 on one occasion in the last five races, and now sits in seventh in the points, 424 out of first.

"It's a good thing you don't have to be in the top 10 in points and within 400 points of the leader to make the Chase," says Kahne. "Otherwise, there'd only be about four or five guys in the Chase. Personally, I think NASCAR should adjust the format to reverse the order of Chase qualifiers when the Chase starts. For example, whomever finishes 10th would start the Chase with a points lead over everyone else. The top qualifier for the Chase would start 10th. The battle for that tenth position is already quite interesting; this new format would make it even better."

10. Mark Martin — On a difficult day for Roush Racing, Martin was the second-highest finisher on the team, coming home 19th. The result dropped him one place in the points to sixth, where he trails Jimmie Johnson by 382 points.

"And now for my take on the Tony Stewart situation," says Martin. "Tony says that all these rookie drivers need to know their place. What a week to make such a statement. A rookie, Denny Hamlin, won the race, and also won at Pocono back in June. Tony's right, though. If Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was still around, he would straighten out these rogue drivers. And Tony would be the first one he put over his knee for a good spanking."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 3:56 PM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2006

Secrets of the 2006 NFL Season

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

■ Prior to ESPN's first Monday Night Football broadcast, former Jets quarterback Joe Namath, in a state of merry inebriation, asks announcer Tony Kornheiser for a kiss. Surprisingly, Kornheiser obliges, and plants one on Joe Willie.

"Take that, Suzy Kolber!" Kornheiser exclaims.

"Take that, Michael Wilbon!" adds Namath.

■ Bolstered by the success of his Inta Juice franchise in Charleston, West Virginia, Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss decides to expand to the coffee business as well. He opens a Starbucks in Oakland, where he offers twists on the usual Starbucks fare, such as the "Latte Datte (We Like to Party)," the "Mad Skillz Mocha," the "Pop-A-Capacinno," and the house specialty, the "Ghetto Blaster," black coffee topped with a shot of Olde English 800 malt liquor.

■ Denver quarterback Jake Plummer, on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Baltimore, flies into a fit of air rage when his request for Snakes on a Plane as his in-flight movie is denied by a stewardess, who tells him that the movie is still out in theaters and not available. An irate Plummer gives her the finger, and later apologizes when he realizes that he mistakingly requested Snakes on a Plane instead of Snake's on a Plane, the story of Jake Plummer on a plane.

■ On a sweltering 115-degree day in the Arizona Cardinals' home-opener on September 10th, the air conditioning in the Cards' brand new stadium malfunctions. Newly-acquired running back Edgerrin James rushes for 124 yards and a touchdown in the Cards' 26-17 win over San Francisco. However, the extreme heat causes James' gold teeth to melt, necessitating the running back to apply an ice pack to his mouth.

■ Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry is told to run an out-and-up in a seven-on-seven drill in training camp. Then, to the surprise of, well, no one, Henry pulls a .40 caliber handgun from his waistband and waves it in the air. Henry then spikes the team's Gatorade with Bacardi 151 and offers drinks to a group of middle school cheerleaders visiting practice.

■ In the Cowboys weight room early in training camp, new Dallas wide receiver Terrell Owens, preparing to bench press 350 pounds, jokingly asks coach Bill Parcells to "spot me." Parcells, who up until then had never seen the inside of a weight room, points at Owens and says, "There you are. See, I just spotted you."

■ After practice one day in August, Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner asks rookie quarterback Matt Leinart about the intricacies of the naked bootleg and the deep ball. Giggling like a schoolgirl, Leinart, with photos of Paris Hilton and assorted other floozies, explains the ins and outs to an attentive Warner, who blushes a deep shade of red and then asks the Lord for forgiveness.

■ At an NFL awards ceremony in February, Baltimore running back Jamal Lewis walks away with the 2006 NFL Most Valuable Player Trophy, but he is stopped by police and charged with larceny, and the trophy is given to its intended recipient, Peyton Manning.

■ Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, exploiting a loophole in the NFL's new and more stringent rules on celebration, scores in Cincinnati's home-opener against the Browns, then points to the stadium video screen. The big screen plays back a pre-recorded video, rated R (parents strongly cautioned), featuring Johnson and several Bengals cheerleaders. The video features full-frontal nudity, an end zone pylon, one marriage proposal, and multiple indecent proposals.

■ In his return to New England, this time as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, kicker Adam Vinatieri nails a 51-yard game-winner as time expires. For the first time in his life, Peyton Manning hugs a kicker, then asks Vinatieri, "You're not Canadian, are you?"

■ On November 19th in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the Toronto Argonauts win the 94th CFL Championship. Running back Ricky Williams, serving a one-year drug suspension from the NFL, proudly hoists the Grey Cup, and comments that "this is the first time in about four years that I've held a cup that didn't contain my urine."

■ New Raiders head coach Art Shell, intent on instilling much-needed discipline in Oakland, names Randy Moss and Warren Sapp co-captains. Then after both Moss and Sapp arrive two hours late for a meeting/domino tournament they scheduled, a fed-up Shell strips them of their captainships, and names Sebastian Janikowski captain.

■ On their way to make separate public service announcements on motorcycle safety, the limousines transporting Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow III collide at an intersection in New York City. With their limousines disabled, Roethlisberger and Winslow are forced to hitchhike. Luckily, two mail couriers on mopeds offer rides, and the two football stars accept. When one of the mopeds reaches 15 mph on a downhill, Roethlisberger begs the driver to slow down.

■ The California-based rock band POD's song Lights Out, featuring the line, "Lights out, game over, if you want to, you can check my stats" becomes the unofficial theme song of fantasy football. Then, just as sudden as the song's rise to fame, it becomes uncool when ESPN broadcaster Stuart Scott uses that line 78 times in a single one-hour Monday Night Football pre-game broadcast.

■ After Dallas kicker Mike Vanderjagt shanks a 28-yard field goal as time expires in a 23-21 loss to the Giants on October 23rd, Cowboys coach Bill parcells presents the former Indianapolis kicker with a tiara, evening gown, a scepter, and a sash, thereby crowning Vanderjagt "Miss Field Goal."

■ The Colts beat the Dolphins to win the AFC Championship, and face the Panthers in the Super Bowl. With 11:29 left in the first quarter, Indy quarterback Peyton Manning realizes he has met his season goal: to spend more time in the Super Bowl than he has in commercials for DirectTV's Sunday Ticket.

■ In what is possibly the greatest rookie prank ever perpetrated, several Steeler veterans hire actors to portray FBI agents, who then pretend to arrest rookie Santonio Holmes on a variety of charges. Holmes spends three days in jail before he realizes it's just a prank.

■ At half-time of Super Bowl XLI at Miami's Dolphin Stadium, Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards falls uninjured out of a palm tree in front of the stadium, then joins Fall Out Boy on stage at midfield for a rollicking two-tune set.

■ Delanie Walker, the sixth pick of the sixth round in the 2006 NFL draft, catches six passes for 66 yards in San Francisco's 24-14 loss to the Bears in their first preseason game. Walker is then suspended for the regular season's first four games as a result of violating the league's anti-christing policy.

■ After five years, Michael Vick finally fully grasps the West Coast offense, and he credits Falcons coach Jim Mora, quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, and himself, for ultimately realizing that "you can be on the East Coast and still run the West Coast offense."

■ A Carolina Panthers fan from Fuquay-Varina, NC sues the NFL Network for extreme mental distress after he becomes stuck in his couch on Thanksgiving night. It seems the fan was not accustomed to watching 11 straight hours of football, during which he consumed two turkey dinners. He blamed the NFL Network's airing of the Denver/Kansas City game for his dilemma, as he was used to watching only two games on Thanksgiving. The NFL Network settles in court by issuing an apology and giving the man a signed Rich Eisen coffee mug.

■ Carolina receivers Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson host a game show called Give Me the Damn Ball!. On the show, two contestants try, by any means necessary, to convince a quarterback to throw them the ball, as well as piss as many people off as possible.

■ Cincinnati wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh, in the middle of his best season ever, has his numerous bank accounts frozen in October when the Department of Homeland Security finds his last name on a watch list for terrorist activity.

■ New NBC studio analyst Jerome Bettis joins Sunday Night Football announce team members Al Michaels and John Madden in the booth at half-time of the October 8th Pittsburgh at San Diego game. After a spell of labored breathing, Michaels uses a five gallon bucket of lard to grease up and extract himself from the booth.

■ Former professional figure skater Tonya Harding, working on behalf of Cincinnati backup quarterback Anthony Wright, tries to take a steel pipe to the injured left knee of Carson Palmer. Harding never even gets near Palmer, as her ploy fails miserably when she attempts to pose as a Bengals' cheerleader to gain entry into the stadium. A security guard stops Harding and denies her entry when she fails an "ugly" test.

■ Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot, not ready to give up chartered sex cruises, organizes another excursion. This time, however, he wisely charters a boat that employs only blind people.

■ All four teams in the NFC North finish with 8-8 records. After several tie-breaking procedures are exhausted, the Vikings are awarded the division crown by virtue of a "Paper-Rock-Scissors Battle Royale," the NFL's 23rd four-way tiebreaker.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:35 PM | Comments (1)

Re-Draft, Playball in Five Years

While reading through the ancient baseball scrolls hidden away between the steroid testing results of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, Bud Selig makes a discovery.

The baseball forefathers had issued a commandment which states the following:

Every six score and six years, all teams must place all thou player in a pool. From that point, thou must taketh the players and hold a draft to fill the teams. After the passing of a five-year hiatus, a time when teams will train, a team tournament will taketh place to decide a champion. Thou will callest this the "Universe Series."

— Doubleday 3:19

Selig freaks out because he does not want to be remembered as the commissioner who forgot the legendary Universe Series. The last one took place 126 years ago, in 1880, so it is time for the next series. Therefore, he immediately announces that the remaining games in the season will be cancelled and that the MLB Universe Draft will take place.

It was said that the winner of the series would gain good fortune tenfold of every other opposing team. In addition, the winner of the previous series picks first in the following draft.

Of course, the New York Yankees have the first pick.

George Steinbrenner is livid. His collection of players will all go into a pool. Yet in talking with George, he tells me that he's going to move on and focus on the pick.

For the longest time, he seemed ever-so-interested in Hideki Irabu. Luckily for Yankees fans, Irabu was not eligible for the draft. Yankees GM Brian Cashman sweet talks George and convinces him to take a young pitcher. "He can anchor a staff in the series," Cashman says to George.

Cashman suggests Francisco Liriano. George says no. He doesn't want Liriano, "I want that one lefty from the Twins ... err ... Francisco Liriano."

The stats are there to back up his stuff. He's 12-2 with an ERA under 2.00, and he's only 22, which means he'll be 27 by the time the series comes around.

George has second thoughts.

"What about Albert Pujols?" George says. "He's young and he's the most dominant hitter in the game. Imagine him in his late-20s — in his prime!"

"Well, it's up to you, Mr. Boss," Cashman says.

As the clock runs down to zero, George buys more time — no really, he bought it with American money.

"I want Pujols. I've made my decision and it's final," George finally says.

So Selig goes up to the podium and announces the pick.

"Welcome to the Universe Draft," he says to a packed crowd at Madison Square Garden. "With the first pick, the New York Yankees select ... Renaldo Balkman."

Nah, I'm just messing with you. The Yankees take Pujols.

The rest of the draft order is decided by ping pong balls. Selig goes up to the podium with a bag full of balls, reaches in and grabs one. As soon as the top of a red sock pops out, Madison Square Garden starts booing.

Naturally, it's the Red Sox picking second.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein wants a stud pitcher — someone who will go out on the mound with a bloody sock and pitch a gem. He thinks it through and finds three viable candidates for the pick: Liriano, Seattle's Felix Hernandez, and Tampa Bay's Scott Kazmir.

Karl Ravech, Steve Phillips, and Joe Morgan analyze the possible picks for ESPN as millions of viewers watch.

"If I were the GM, I'd pick Liriano. He's a proven young pitcher with electric stuff," Phillips says.

"Steve, there's a reason you're not a GM anymore. If you ask any AL batter who they never want to face again, they'll say King Felix," Morgan says.

"Steve, you say Liriano has 'electric stuff.' What's that means?" Ravech asks.

"I'm not sure, but my scouts would use that word all the time to describe pitchers who were good," Phillips says.

Morgan, being the guy who acts like he knows it all, answers the question for Phillips.

"Actually, Karl, when I was in the league, players would call pitchers electric when they threw hard with great movement. Pitching coaches always stress that control is the most important aspect of pitching, but when I'm in the batters box, I always did worst against the guys that seemed a little crazy."

Ravech interrupts as Selig is walking out onto the podium.

"Well, we're about to find out who the Red Sox will pick here — down to the commissioner."

"With the second pick in the Universe Draft, the Boston Red Sox select Felix Hernandez," Selig says, monotone.

Immediately, Phillips jumps in.

"They're going to regret this one in a couple of years. Liriano's a proven thing! How can they take a risk on a guy who has an ERA close to 5.00?"

"Steve, King Felix is 20-years-old, he's got three plus-plus pitches, and he's got a clean bill of health," Morgan says. "What more can you want? They say he's the next Doc Gooden, had Gooden not been hurt. And the Mariners have used him so carefully that if his arm were made out of glass, it would still be in one piece."

Ravech gets a bit anxious in his seat as Selig comes out from his lair behind the backdrop.

"Well, we're down to the commissioner again for the next pick," he says.

The camera pans down to the podium.

"We have a trade," Selig announces. "The New York Yankees send George Steinbrenner's grandkids and cash considerations to the Boston Red Sox for Felix Hernandez."

Yankees fans go crazy. They start chanting, "Curse of Felix!"

Meanwhile, Selig announces that the Chicago Cubs will have the next pick.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry is still in shock from the trade. He thinks he could have gotten Hernandez from the Red Sox for offering to take on Steve Bartman, a goat and a corked bat from Sammy Sosa.

Nevertheless, it makes this pick easy.

"With the third pick in the Universe Draft, the Chicago Cubs select Francisco Liriano," Selig announces.

Liriano would go on to hurt his elbow multiple times, reminding Cubs fans of some guys named Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.

Selig comes out to the podium and says, "I'm tired of pulling ping-pong balls. I'm going to pull two at a time from here on out."

So he pulls out a Devil Rays logo and a Marlins logo.

Rays GM Andrew Friedman is ecstatic. He gets to keep his pitcher, Scott Kazmir. He sends a lackey to run up to the podium with the note card that has Kazmir's name on it, but ESPN producers stop him and make sure their analysts get in a word.

"Well, guys, we've seen a Prince and a King taken in the first three picks. And the third guy isn't too shabby, either. Steve, who do you think the Rays will take here?" Ravech says.

"Karl, this is am easy pick. Loyalty is the name of the game here and the only thing stopping Scott Kazmir and the Rays from being reunited is time," Phillips says.

"Well, guys, I actually think the pick should be Joe Mauer. It's not often that you find a young catcher who can hit, field, and throw. And Mauer was near .400 for most of this season, which is very impressive considering he has to catch everyday," Morgan says.

Ravech then takes the TV audience to Rick Sutcliffe, who is with Friedman in the Rays' war room.

"Who are you going to take?"

"We can't say right now. We're just very excited to be in this position."

"Is it going to be Kazmir?"

"We'd love to have him, but it could be him or anyone else."

"It's Kazmir, isn't it?"

"Aw, man, how'd you know?"

The cameras go back to the podium for the pick. It's Kazmir. Big surprise — whoop-dee-doo.

When Selig announced the Universe Series, the Marlins decided they were going to win it with relievers. In other words, they wanted to pitch four relievers 2-3 innings each, every game.

They figured it'd be cheaper to keep eight or nine good relievers than five good starting pitchers.

Marlins GM Larry Beinfest has to go through his owner, Jeffrey Loria, for every pick he makes.

Loria says he wants Miguel Cabrera back. He says something about how he has a bet with former Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga about how long he can keep Cabrera.

"Screw the bet, Jeff. We need pitchers. I want that Papelbon kid from Boston," Beinfest says.

"You're fired, Larry," Loria says.

Loria then earns the nickname, "George, Jr."

Loria then sends the note card up with his pick.

"With the fifth pick in the draft, the Florida Marlins select Jonathan Papelbon," Selig says.

Beinfest files a lawsuit for firing him without cause, and in fear that he might lose money, Loria gives Beinfest his job back.

In the next five years, Beinfest would get fired and hired six times.

After deciding to do this broadcast "soccer-style" — where there are no commercials for the first five picks — ESPN takes one long commercial break.

In the meantime, George Steinbrenner is trying to work out another trade for Francisco Liriano — but this time, he's offering the Cubs one of his World Series rings. The trade is currently at a deadlock because the Cubs are demanding that the Yankees put names on the back of their jerseys. The Yankees refuse.

They counter by offering to un-retire the number three — Babe Ruth's number.

David Wells comes running back because he's always wanted to wear the number three on a Yankees uniform. The Yankees sign Wells and try to include him in the deal to Chicago. The deal is rejected by Chicago when the Yankees refuge to pay the extra money for the additional weight Wells will carry on the flight.

Note: five more picks in the Universe Draft will be unveiled next week. Stay tuned!

Posted by Alvin Chang at 7:17 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2006

Christmas in July

It was 9:30 PM when my cell phone started buzzing. It didn't ring (I understand the silent function), but that slight buzz was enough to distract me for half a second. That nuisance was enough to turn Brady Quinn's sharp pass from a sure-fire third down conversion into a dropped ball by the tight end. Naturally, the blame and my consequent fury were directed fully at whoever had the audacity to call me at such a pivotal point in the game.

I paused EA Sports NCAA Football '07, angrily picked up the phone and grumbled a more-pissed-off-than-it-should-have-been "What?!" to the person on the other line. It was my girlfriend. My girlfriend that recently took a job in another city (one I won't be in for another month), which means most of our verbal interaction happens during these once-a-day phone calls. It's one of those things that most guys in relationships are used to — she calls and talks about boring stories about work, what she ate for lunch, why her friends are crazy, and a whole bunch of other stuff that logically wouldn't interest me in the least and then I pretend to like it.

Basically, the girl spends anywhere from 20-40 minutes blabbing about stuff that has no connection to the guys at all, but the men have to pretend to care in order to appear "interested." The real goal of the call is to establish that the female has lived another day and isn't hooking up with someone else — anything after that first 30 seconds is something guys just have to put up with it. This time was different, though, and I think she picked up on it between the hurried "yeah, yep" I replied to every statement with and the Notre Dame fight song being played in the background.

While she blabbed about some hispanic girl that showed up at her office begging for gas money in Spanish, I couldn't help replaying that third down over and over in my mind. A mixture of emotions came over me and the disinterest gave way first to a feeling of sympathy towards Brady Quinn because I ruined his drive. The second emotion was the most powerful one, and it was the one that left me stunned- anger.

I was legitimately upset that she called. How she was supposed to know not to call without any prior warning or acknowledgment is beyond me. She didn't have a clue that I was in the middle of an epic matchup with Ohio State on national — in fact, I don't even think she knew I had the game yet. She was even courteous enough not to call during the first five hours of game play that day. None of that matters, though. All I care about is that she ruined the play.

It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Who could temporarily place more importance on a video game than on a relationship that's been years in the making? I'm sure you are starting to question the point of the story. Maybe you are already anticipating some sort of profound meaning or resolution that video games are useless or that there are things in life more important than sports. Maybe you think I'm going to come out with an apology and make this a "how do girls put up with us" piece. After reflecting on the situation, though, I did come to a conclusion.

This game really freaking rules.

I'm not big on fantasy sports (I was scarred for life in my first year as a fantasy owner when the first overall pick of our draft was Jeremy Shockey in his rookie year), so EA Sports NCAA football '07 fills that void for me. We have a group of friends that come together every summer and create dynasties that will last for at least four or five seasons. The trash-talking is more entertaining in person (rather via e-mails in fantasy football) and the experience is much more memorable when you aren't the only person in the room impressed when someone has a player on the Heisman watch list.

The gameplay is fairly simple, running the ball is a lot easier, and I'm a big fan of the momentum meters (a new addition that gives your team momentum after big plays and hits), even if I'm not entirely sure how they work yet. Defense is hard, but that only serves to make the game more interesting. Some of the off-the-field stuff is perplexing, such as, why does the NCAA care if I don't suspend a lineman who got into a scuffle during practice? Maybe I like the fire, the passion. Maybe it's something our team needed. Screw you, big brother! If you can't tell, I'm taking that one a little personally. And I'm not a huge fan of in-season recruiting, but I like the expanded playbooks.

All in all, anything that means the college football season is a little closer is something I'm going to fully embrace. When it's something that is as great as this game, I'm going to do it in grander style. If there's one thing this world needs, it's more Notre Dame dominance of college football (for the record, I'm grand-fathered into the Irish right now, helping save me from our group's "no picking a top-10 team" rule). And I'll be damned if I'm going to let a few ill-timed phone calls keep me from the national title. Next call goes straight to voice mail, meaning Brady Quinn's next pass is heading straight for the end zone.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. All readers get a 10% signup bonus at BetOnSports by entering "Sports Gospel Promo" as the promo code. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on SC. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 5:44 PM | Comments (0)

'Brand of the Giants

It may or may not be a surprise, but Shea Hillenbrand is a San Francisco Giant now. The Toronto Blue Jays pulled the proverbial trigger on a Friday night deal sending Hillenbrand and relief pitcher Vinnie Chulk for reliever Jeremy Accardo. And, according to Giants general manager Brian Sabean, the Giants were interested in Hillenbrand even before he did or didn't scrawl (he has since denied it) about sinking ships on the Blue Jays' clubhouse blackboard.

Hillenbrand was fool enough to define Theo Epstein in terms later deployed by Ozzie Guillen toward Jay Mariotti, while being fool enough concurrently to proclaim the Boston Red Sox didn't know what they had in him when signing Bill Mueller to hold down third base. Something about knowing what they have only when they got rid of him. "You've heard of Jeff Bagwell?"

Well, yes, we've heard of Jeff Bagwell. We'll be seeing him in the Hall of Fame in due course. What we won't be seeing is Shea Hillenbrand in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform as of weekend past. If I'm assembling the sequence correctly, from the shards and shreds I've picked up since Hillenbrand was designated for assignment, it came to this after:

■ Hillenbrand complained during the interleague play rounds that he wasn't getting enough playing time even as a designated hitter.

■ Hillenbrand either did or didn't become disgruntled enough to think the Blue Jays' clubhouse had become something short of a war zone and something beyond a family atmosphere, speaking of which...

■ Hillenbrand requested time off to secure the adoption of a baby for which he and his wife had planned, an adoption speeded when a pregnant woman whose consent was given and for whose match the Hillenbrands were made went into labor two Fridays ago. Except that he made the request through his agent — relations between himself, manager John Gibbons, and the Blue Jays' front office deteriorating that badly.

■ Hillenbrand's status went from bad to worse to don't even think about it, depending upon whom you asked, after he didn't return to the Blue Jays for three days. The cause, apparently, was a delay in the adoption papers requiring him to be with his wife in California as late as last Monday.

■ Hillenbrand's reportedly scribbling on the team blackboard where batting practice instructions are posted, "The ship is sinking," among other things rumored to have been written, things Hillenbrand and perhaps one or another teammate said were meant to be kidding around, all things considered.

■ Except that Gibbons was in no more mood for clowning around. To him, Hillenbrand had become a malcontent with no team concept. Especially after he broke into a team meeting before game time Wednesday last and, according to numerous reports, ripped Hillenbrand a new one in front of his teammates, even to the point (it came forth later) of challenging Hillenbrand to a fight.

■ Hillenbrand was humiliated enough, apparently, that he saw and raised his previous day's questioning of the team's attitude, if not style, for sending him not a word of congratulations upon the adoption of his new daughter. He refused to dress and sit in the dugout with the Blue Jays and answered a Toronto Star reporter's query during the game:

"I appreciate the Jays for giving me an opportunity, but this unfortunately is just something with Gibby. From the beginning of the season, there were times when I wasn't playing and there would be no justifiable excuse. He said that if I had a problem with the team or what was going on, I should come into the manager's office and talk to him. But then, he would get mad at me when I did that and accuse me of being a selfish player."

If Hillenbrand is right about that, then Gibbons can be questioned for mishandling a situation into a place from which Hillenbrand committed something inexcusable enough to provoke his manager to doing the likewise difficult to excuse. Sometimes the better part of valor is to discipline your charge behind closed doors. The better part of authority, too.

■ At first, general manager J.P. Ricciardi called it "irreconcilable differences" and Gibbons declined discussing the final dustup in detail. Only Thursday last did Gibbons admit that he had it out with his unhappy corner infielder/DH.

"That's a fact. That's how the whole thing got started. I told him he won't see the field as long as I'm here. He had a chance yesterday to defend himself in front of his coaches and his teammates. He chose not to. If the front office felt differently than he wins and I lose, and I would be one out of here. I mean it. It was either him or me."

And Ricciardi stood by his man. Gibbons, that is: "We are a better team without him. I would rather lose than sell myself out to have someone play here that says those type of things about organization. ... He made some pretty disparaging remarks when he left Boston. I don't think people forgot that."

Gibbons may or may not be lucky that Hillenbrand was hot enough to wire his own electric chair. "Him or Me — Who's It Gonna Be?" usually works for Pacific Northwestern rock and roll bands (Paul Revere and the Raiders, specifically), not baseball managers unless a player has gone beyond the edge and over the canyon river.

For every Blue Jay who seemed to like Hillenbrand — Vernon Wells, for one, said he thought it was simple enough to take much of Hillenbrand's commentary the wrong way — there was, apparently, another who seemed to think chemotherapy was simpler. "He was a cancer in this clubhouse," said one unnamed Blue Jay to the Sun. "Shea's day went the way the lineup card went. If he was in the lineup, everything was fine. If he wasn't he'd sulk. Sometimes he wouldn't even come out to hit."

What remains to be seen, though, is whether the Blue Jays really will settle down and continue their pennant race stand in the wake of the Hillenbrand putsch. Oh, they looked as if they'd flicked it off like the proverbial gnats on the beach against the New York Yankees, of all people, right off — and against The Mariano, of all people especially, Vernon Wells (who mostly stood by Hillenbrand, as it happens) unloading an extra-inning walk-off bomb against the Hall of Famer in waiting.

But let's remember, too, that whatever you think of Gibbons having to make his stand to secure his respect once and for all, he did all but smash his way into a players'-only pre-game meeting to ream Hillenbrand a new one. That kind of thing isn't usually forgotten once it vaporizes in the wind, not even among those who came to see Hillenbrand a clubhouse cancer.

And let's not dismiss the possibility that there might be some Blue Jays — whether pro or con Hillenbrand individually — who come to think that a) it wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas for Gibbons to play "Him or Me — Who's It Gonna Be?" by blasting it into a players'-only meeting; and, b) that if Gibbons could do that to Shea Hillenbrand, however profoundly Hillenbrand had wired his own electric chair through that point, he could, and might, do it to any one of them, whether or not the point of contention deserves to exist in the first place.

Gibbons could have waited until that meeting ended before ordering Hillenbrand into his office and delivering any message about not seeing the field so long as he, Gibbons, was the manager. All he did reaming his now-former man in front of his now-former teammates was make himself look the way Hillenbrand may have made himself look: insanity passing off as intensity.

That can be said about Ozzie Guillen, too, in some ways. Except that Ozzie Guillen is the incumbent World Series-winning manager, and John Gibbons has been no closer to the Promised Land than eight games with a runaway train named the 1986 Mets before injuries punched the ticket on his playing career.

At about the time Hillenbrand became disgruntled this season, if you take May as the line of demarcation, there was speculation enough that his next stop would be the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Adam Kennedy. Hillenbrand is known now to have had concurrent interest from the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins, not to mention the Phillies, before the Giants jumped right in.

That was then, this is now, and all three of those teams have managers different in comportment, but with one thing in common between them: they have reputations for rousting malcontents the hell out of town post haste. You can ask, for openers, Jose Guillen (rousted by Angels manager Mike Scioscia after an on-field fly act following a pinch-running move) and JC Romero (who had his rounds with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and is now, apparently, a contented Scioscia Angel). Part of those reputations may well include doing their best to keep them from coming to town in the first place.

The Giants, very much in the National League West race, needed a first baseman (which Hillenbrand can play without being mistaken for a butcher) with power. Maybe the better way to phrase it is, they needed a bat who could play first base without impersonating Edward Scissorhands.

And at least one respected Giant — Steve Finley, outfielder and leader ("He was a gamer. He wanted to play every frickin' day.") — was quoted as saying Hillenbrand would be "a good fit" in the Giants' clubhouse. That could be a very left-handed compliment as if to say Hillenbrand's brand of actual or alleged boorish sulkiness is nothing compared to what they've had to put up with for a number of years, from a certain aging left fielder in particular.

Said one radio commentator (name escapes, I was dial-twiddling in the car), more or less: Hillenbrand's kind of fly act wouldn't even be a blip on the proverbial radar compared to a lot of what the Giants have learned how to live with since, oh, 1993. (Wink wink, nudge nudge...)

Hillenbrand has a reputation for giga-intensity as a player, but he doesn't exactly have a reputation as the kind of player who's going to remind you of Jeff Bagwell after you deal him away. He played well enough when he did play as a Blue Jay this season, carrying a .342 on-base percentage and a .480 slugging percentage to match his .301 batting average, his 79 runs produced, his 12 bombs, and his 39 RBI. But in his last 10 games with the Jays, he had four runs batted in for 10 hits in 41 at-bats, and his lifetime totals are 168 runs produced per 162 games, a .327 on-base percentage, and a .448 slugging percentage.

That ain't Bagwell.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2006

Can Revamped Dolphins Make a Splash?

Miami ran off six straight wins to end their 9-7 season last year. Momentum? Apparently not — the Dolphins have turned over approximately one-third of their roster in an attempt to mix things up and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

The Miami Dolphins enter training camp on July 28th with new potential — potential for greatness or disaster. The Dolphins arguably made more dramatic offseason moves than any other NFL team.

Not settling for mediocrity, head coach Nick Saban showed his willingness to take some risks by making big changes in the pursuit of improving Miami's chances of getting to the Super Bowl. The jury is out on how those moves will work out for them. At the top of the list of those roster moves is the quarterback position.

So often in the NFL, as the quarterback goes, so goes the team. Poor play at the quarterback position is a recipe for mediocrity.

The acquisition of Daunte Culpepper from Minnesota was a bold move indeed. Costing Miami a paltry second-round draft choice, fans expectations are high for the standout quarterback. However, the harsh reality is that Culpepper is rehabilitating from a major injury of three torn knee ligaments sustained October 30th of last year against Carolina.

Recovery for this injury typically takes at least 12 months, but Culpepper seems bent on beating that timetable. All reports thus far have been positive. A workmanlike approach to his rehab have many speculating that Culpepper will be ready for the season opener against Pittsburgh September 7th. His progress in mini-camp was evidenced by several impromptu scrambles that showed the extra dimension that Culpepper's game brings to the team.

Miami released last year's starter, Gus Frerotte, and in addition to Culpepper, they acquired Joey Harrington. Harrington has never proven himself in Detroit, but he does have NFL starting experience. The combination of the recovering Culpepper and the unproven Harrington provides one of the most interesting quarterback storylines in the NFL.

Even if Culpepper fully recovers from his serious injury, greatness is not assured. Prior to the injury in 2005, Culpepper's stats were unimpressive. He posted 6 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in Minnesota's two wins and five losses. The departure of Randy Moss to Oakland may have revealed Culpepper's reliance on Moss to elevate his game. Chris Chambers has potential to provide a big-play threat for Culpepper, but that chemistry may take time to develop.

And if Culpepper is unable to start the season, what are the Vegas odds on Harrington leading the team to a great start? Slim to none. Harrington showed flashes of brilliance while with the Detroit Lions, but his erratic play resulted in being benched for four games in 2005. His career touchdown to interception ratio of 60:62 is not the stuff legends are made of.

A chance at a fresh start has Harrington motivated to prove that he was worthy of the third overall pick in the 2002 draft. If needed to start the season, he does bring NFL starting quarterback experience to the table. A more run-oriented offense featuring Ronnie Brown could give Harrington a chance to keep things afloat while Culpepper completes his rehab.

Training camp will shed more light on whether Miami's gamble will result in postseason glory or another frustrating season for the Dolphins. Many will be rooting for the successful comebacks of two quarterbacks attempting to overcome the odds against them.

Todd Beckstead is founder of MonsterDraft.com, a fantasy football draft resource.

Posted by Todd Beckstead at 5:03 PM | Comments (5)

Bringing New Meaning to Free Trade

America's national pastime has continued to rake in record high revenues in the past few years, yet it continues to remain deaf to its critics concerning the manufacture of its equipment and uniforms with regard to unfair labor practices in the third world. Specifically, for example, Major League Baseball has an exclusive licensing agreement with Rawlings Sporting Goods, a subsidiary of K2, Inc. since 2003, to produce all of its major leagues' and minor leagues' baseballs.

In 2004, a 60-page report produced by the National Labor Committee (NLC), an international labor rights organization entitled "Foul Ball," shed light on the poor working conditions of the Rawlings baseball factory in the remote city of Turrialba, Costa Rica. MLB had a tepid response to such claims. Following the report, life-long consumer advocate Ralph Nader wrote a letter to both MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and the Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Donald Fehr to address Rawlings' labor practices. Selig referred Nader's letter to his legal department and Donald Fehr said he was unaware of such claims.

In 2005, the United States government entered into the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), allowing for further tax breaks for U.S. corporations doing business in Central America and without providing for genuine policing of unfair labor practices in offshore U.S. manufacturing. And instead of MLB taking the lead and coming out a winner in addressing a worldwide problem, which continues to fester in such U.S. based multi-national corporations throughout the third world, it remains silent some two years later.

The facts are quite striking as to what goes into the manufacture of a major league baseball and the sometimes physically debilitating human labor required to produce some 2.2 million balls utilized each baseball season, with MLB using 1.8 million of them, in addition to the minor leagues and the NCAA College World Series with which Rawlings also exclusively contracts.

Rawlings has been operating its baseball factory out of Costa Rica since 1988 as it gradually transitioned its factories from the country of Haiti during its period of government unrest in the late 1980s. Since 1990, Rawlings has produced all of MLB's baseballs in Costa Rica. It manufactures apparel and other equipment there as well. Its low-end baseballs are manufactured in China. And although Rawlings also contracts with the National Football League and the National Basketball Association in producing some of their equipment and balls, the baseball itself perhaps best symbolizes all-things-American and therefore is worthy of the attention it garners.

The approximate 600 workers at the baseball factory in Turrialba are either "sewers" who stitch the cowhide covers onto the baseball's sphere, or they are assemblers and winders who are responsible for assembling the core's parts, made of two kinds of rubber and cork, and the winding of the ball's four different grades of yarn. Those who stitch are required to complete 108 stitches into the cowhide leather of each ball by hand.

Each sewer must complete one ball every 15 minutes. They are required to reach a minimum quota of 156 balls a week in a factory without air conditioning, in temperatures exceeding 90°, requiring permission to use bathrooms, and denying speaking between workers on the factory floor. The hours that workers put in average 11 per day and they must always reserve their Saturdays for the factory in the event an "emergency order" comes through. If not available on Saturday, they are terminated.

The gross wages per worker average $1.15 per hour. Workers can earn an additional $7.42 per week if they reach the threshold of completing 180 baseballs in one week. Baseball factory workers earn more than the country's minimum wage, but have not gotten an increase in the amount they are paid for each ball completed for 15 years. Provided they reach the minimum weekly ball quota each week, they are compensated an additional 25-30 cents per baseball. Should they not reach the minimum quota, they risk being fired.

The physical impact endured by the sewers has left one-third with carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive stress injuries, including permanent disability after just two or three years of stitching. And sadly, most MLB players have no knowledge that every baseball is made solely by hand under such conditions. Should a worker miss any length of time greater than a couple of days for illness or injury, they are easily replaced.

Costa Rica always relied upon its agriculture to sustain its people and provide jobs. Coffee and sugar cane were its main exports. Yet, in the past few years as prices in coffee rose, a good part of its business was lost to Nicaragua as labor was cheaper there. And due to cheaper labor costs, sugar cane soon followed. Because of the loss of jobs, the baseball factory is now what sustains the city of Turrialba with a population of 30,000. Rawlings has its workers over a barrel, as they know jobs are scarce with many more willing to endure their tough and pressurized working environment.

Ralph Nader's letter in 2004 to both Bud Selig and Donald Fehr was in his capacity as President of his non-profit organization, League of Fans. In it, he says, "We cannot tell you that it comes as a shock to us that MLB properties do not have any workers' rights guidelines in their licensing agreements. ... Nor are we surprised by the irony of the Players Associations' Strike Fund being supported by royalties from products which might be made by third world workers stripped of their own rights. The irony is bitter."

Basically, it comes down to three areas which the NLC has called upon Rawlings of Costa Rica, S.A. to change. They have asked that Rawlings provide ergonomics training for workers in order to reduce repetitive stress injuries, and to provide workers with a better wage and increase the amount of incentives based upon levels of production. And the NLC emphasizes the need to allow the workers the right to organize in order to regulate problem issues, without fear of being fired, such as forced overtime and layoffs after three months before workers earn any legal rights. Currently, the workers are well aware that any talk of labor unions will get them dismissed and fear that the factory will go the way of its agricultural industry and relocate to a country where labor is cheaper.

But Ralph Nader is far more direct in his demand that MLB and the MLBPA "adopt internationally recognized worker rights standards and effective enforcement mechanisms, as a core condition governing all of its product sourcing and license agreements."

Few working for or playing in MLB or for that matter most living in the U.S., realize that Free Trade Zones are nothing but a win for U.S.-based corporations operating offshore. They are not required to pay taxes or tariffs, allowed to import their supplies duty-free, their electricity and water usage is subsidized and they are not responsible for enforcing labor and environmental policies which would be required in the U.S.

In February of 2004, Robert Manfred, Jr., the Executive VP of Labor and Human Resources for MLB, responded to Ralph Nader on behalf of the Commissioner. His response says it all. "Our agreements routinely include provisions that require our partners to comply with applicable laws including those related to employment and workplace safety. At the same time, I am sure you understand that we are not in a position to actively regulate the practices of each and every separate company with which we do business." No, but they could start with the ball, the centerpiece of America's pastime.

It is not too late for MLB and its superstars to take a stand on workers' rights, regardless of lax U.S. laws in the world of free trade and its agreements' legal loopholes. Bud Selig, when interviewed at the 2006 All-Star Game, stated that, "I really believe this is the Golden Era of baseball." Many have scratched their heads since that remark but he followed up to say, "Do you know we will have $5.2 billion in revenue this year? I feel good about where we are." It is quite clear about what he means by the golden era. Sadly, however, some of that gold has come at the cost of others' basic rights and human decency.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 4:57 PM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2006

The Best Team Money Could Ruin

At the dawn of the 21st century, the New York Yankees stood atop the baseball world. Sporting an 87-74 record, the team bested the crosstown Mets in a four-games-to-one World Series rout.

The roster was liberally sprinkled with names such as Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jose Canseco, David Cone, Orlando Hernandez, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettite. Yeah, let that sink in. Doc Gooden, Alfonso Soriano, and David Justice performed as "role players." The team had eliminated a talent-laden Seattle club in the playoffs. Times weren't just good, they were golden (the 1998 club went 114-48, after finishing in a late-season tailspin).

But what has gone wrong since?

Strong Yankee role players have come and gone, from Ruben Sierra to Chad Curtis to John Olerud. The Jeter/Posada/Bernie nucleus remained intact. Jason Giambi is back to form. Nevertheless, the Bronx Bombers made a fatal mistake letting Andy Petttite and Roger Clemens slip away the same season. Losing two 20-game winners was something the Pinstripers could ill afford after parting with the pair of setup men who made Mariano Rivera's job easier — Jeff Nelson and Ramiro Mendoza. Remember them? With that great Yankee defense, these late relievers put out potential fires so that Rivera could bask in his "lights-out" prime.

No one has fulfilled that role since. In recent years, when a Mike Mussina, "El Duque," David Wells, Jared Wright, or Randy Johnson has hit a bad spell, there was no short reliever to get the team to Mariano-land. Thus, the back-to-back World Series failures and the 2004 collapse at the hands of the cursed Red Sox.

Hall of Fame hitters are great to have, and Alex Rodriguez, Gary Shefffield, and the juiced-down Giambi were fine pickups. Unfortunately, none of them can come in and pitch the seventh inning of a close game. Add to this the fact the club soured on both "El Duque" and his compatriot, Jose Contreras. Bad moves. When you've just lost a Clemens and a Pettite, you need the Cuban bookends to see you through, no matter, their flaws. Both may face each other as 2006 World Series hurlers. Ouch!

George Steinbrenner is to be admired for giving Raul Mondesi, Ruben Sierra, Tim Raines, Gooden, Wade Boggs, and several others the opportunity to exit the game they loved with dignity and a ring. He gave Darryl Strawberry and Chuck Knoblauch chances when few would. No baseball owner, past or current, can say the same. Only Al Davis of Raider fame has reclaimed more distresses athletic "properties." "The Boss" has also stood by skipper Joe Torre and his staff.

But the inability to foresee the disastrous results of the losses of Mendoza/Nelson and then Clemens/Pettite call all else into question. The dismantling of said talented arms, and of the aforementioned Cubans, rivals the breakup of the late 1990s Chicago Bulls in the annals of sports management ineptitude. It has cost the club three World Series titles, minimum.

I know, I know — many reading this shed no tears for King George and his merrily-paid men. Do not miss the point. It is the baseball observer who has been robbed of the opportunity to see (much as in the case of the Michael Jordan Bulls) what level of sustained excellence the Jeter/Jorge Posada/Bernie triumvirate may have achieved with full arm strength. How many flags? Whither Jeter's place alongside Joe Montana, Joe DiMaggio, and Shaq? The legacy of Joe Torre? The BoSox' supposed jinx? It is one thing to go down fighting, ravaged by age or competition, quite another to mismanage one's way to third-best. I would be similarly miffed should the Mets squander Jose Reyes and David Wright, or Jennifer Lopez bow to anorexia.

Things could have been so different, so much more interesting. For one, we'd be headed toward a Subway Series this year. Worst of all, what has become of the trend of signing players such as Paul O'Neill, Tino, Scott Brosius, and Aaron Boone, who were class, all class? Not long ago, A-Rod predicted that the American League wildcard winner would not emerge from the American League Eastern Division. Why, who ever heard of such a thing? Damned Yankees!

Posted by Bijan C. Bayne at 11:58 PM | Comments (1)

The Carolina Railhawks Are Born

In 1897, a small meeting at a pub in England's industrial heartland heralded the inception of one of soccer's most historic teams. Having maintained their footing in the upper echelons of the professional game for over a century, Sheffield Wednesday FC arrived in North Carolina this week to witness a modern day sporting birth in stark contrast to their humble beginnings.

Welcomed warmly to Cary's SAS Park, the touring English Championship team, who once played against an XI that included Oliver Cromwell, earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw with the United Soccer Leagues (USL) all-stars before a crowd of over 5,000 fans. It was at half-time, however, that the real excitement took hold, as the league's newest expansion team was introduced to the triangle.

In a tone reminiscent of the most epic blockbuster movie trailers, a pre-recorded public address delivered the news with breathtaking fanfare. "Over 150 years ago, steel struck iron and the railroad system across North Carolina was cast, " began the voiceover. "The tireless and dedicated work of our forefathers would form the original infrastructure of this great state."

As the dramatic message reached its crescendo, the moment arrived for the highly anticipated unveiling of the team's name. Chosen by a panel of team officials and representatives of the local media, the winning entry was selected from over 1,000 entries, in a competition offering two lifetime season tickets to the winner.

Celebrating the pivotal role of the railway in the economic development of North Carolina, along with the predatory bird that roams the expansive horizons of its big blue skies, Jarrett Campbell's entry was said to reflect both the unique heritage of Cary and the masterful physical attributes of the new team.

As heavy metal guitar riffs whipped the crowd into frenzy, the moment had finally arrived. "Tonight, here at SAS soccer stadium, we honor two powerful and meaningful icons of the great state of North Carolina, by giving you your Carolina Railhawks!"

Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," an ode to disaffected hedonism, seems an unlikely choice, but looks set to musically marry the franchise for the foreseeable future. It's hardly "Carolina in my mind," and James Taylor has probably never bitten the head off a bat, but the innate excitement of the record is clever branding. A fresh approach to soccer could well boost its appeal in the triangle area.

The Railhawks will enter USL Division One competition next April, with the impressive SAS Park as their home base. Facing competition from the likes of Miami FC, Toronto Lynx and Atlanta Silverbacks, elite soccer will make a welcome return to the triangle area and feed a growing interest in the sport from grass roots level.

As fireworks illuminated the Carolina skies to celebrate the birth of soccer's youngest team, the presence of Sheffield Wednesday seemed particularly apt. Although the circumstances were very different, their beginnings helped spark the burgeoning popularity of soccer in England. The Railhawks will hope they can do the same for the sport in North Carolina.

Posted by Will Tidey at 11:04 PM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2006

Sports Q&A: Fantasy Football Sleepers

Hector from Bristol, CT writes, "I'm a beginner to fantasy football. What advice can you give so to make myself appear like an expert? And who are some underrated picks at key positions?"

Want to look and sound like an expert? Then, wear a football jersey, show up with at least three fantasy magazines, and mention the word "value" several times at your draft. And, when it's your pick, have a representative dressed in coat and tie stand at the front of the room and announce "With the sixth pick in the draft..."

A phone also adds authenticity, as well. Not a cell phone, but a rotary phone, preferably a red one. Pick the phone up at random intervals and pretend you're talking to someone important. And boo unmercifully whenever your opponents make a pick. Don't drink coffee, drink beer. Lot's of it.

If you can show your opponents that you are confident in your picks even in a state of extreme inebriation, then you have intimidated them. And threats of physical violence will never hurt your case. If you really want to look like a pro, arrive at your draft wearing an orange jump suit and handcuffs, and draft all Cincinnati Bengals players.

As far as underrated picks, here is my assessment of this year's fantasy crop. Keep in mind, though, I'm not wearing a jersey, I haven't read any fantasy magazines, and I use the word “value” only when buying toilet paper in massive bulk quantities. However, I am fairly liquored up, which always seems to give me a sense of credibility.

Quarterbacks

Two quarterbacks with new teams immediately come to mind, Oakland's Aaron Brooks and Detroit's Jon Kitna. If Brooks can manage to thrown the ball downfield, and not backwards (as he's been known to do), he could have a big year. If a decent NFL quarterback like Brooks can't have a big year throwing to wide receivers Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, and Doug Gabriel, as well as running back Lamont Jordan, then he should be disposed of down a black hole. Brooks should have 25 touchdowns, and as many interceptions.

Like Brooks, Kitna has targets at the wide receiver position. Unfortunately for Kitna, only one of those targets, Roy Williams, can reliably catch the ball. Charles Rogers and Mike Williams have yet to even remotely live up to their No. 1 pick potential. New offensive coordinator Mike Martz loves himself and the pass, so Kitna will have opportunities to throw downfield. Kitna is under pressure, but only to outdo former Lion quarterback Joey Harrington. In other words, Kitna is under no pressure.

Tennessee quarterback Billy Volek may have much-hyped rookie Vince Young looking over his shoulder (actually, Young is tall enough to look over Volek's head), but Volek's passed the Wonderlic test. Until Volek gets hurt or plays horribly, he is a better-than-decent fantasy QB. He's got no superstars at receiver, but he does have Drew Bennett, Tyrone Calico (if he's healthy), and newcomer David Givens. Also, running back Chris Brown has the speed to take a short pass all the way.

Running Backs

Minnesota's Chester Taylor spent the last few years in the shadow of Jamal Lewis in Baltimore (only on the football field, not in a criminal sense). Taylor will be the No. 1 back in Minnesota, and should be productive assuming he stays focused and doesn't recreate on a charter boat with Fred Smoot. The Vikings signed All-Pro left guard Steve Hutchinson in the offseason, so, if nothing else, Taylor should be able to run left.

Saints running back Deuce McAllister may not seem like an underrated pick, but you know some clown will pick Reggie Bush way too early. Even if that clown doesn't pick Bush, McAllister is still a somewhat forgotten man. He's been injured in the last two seasons, so an injury-free season has to be on his mind. And, with Aaron Brooks in Oakland and the accurate Drew Brees at the helm, the Saints should have more possession time, which means more carries for McAllister, who is a solid workhorse when healthy.

Will Fred Taylor be the starter in Jacksonville? If he is, his backup is the underrated back. Is that backup Greg Jones or LaBrandon Toefield, or someone else? Jones filled in last year and posted decent numbers, and probably holds the backup role this year. Taylor will injure his knee. The question is: when?

Wide Receivers

With the departure of Brandon Lloyd, Antonio Bryant assumes the role of big-play wideout in San Francisco. Sure, it's a risky pick, but you'll be making it in the later rounds. What's really risky is picking Bryant with the knowledge that Alex Smith will be throwing to him, or at least trying to throw to him. But with the 49ers (4-12 last year) likely playing from behind often in 2006, Smith will be throwing, and Bryant should be the downfield target.

Was Michael Clayton's 2004 rookie year in Tampa a fluke? He came nowhere close to duplicating those numbers last year, but injuries played a role. Playing opposite burner Joey Galloway, who had a big 2005 season, a healthy Clayton could take advantage of double-teams on Galloway and produce.

In Baltimore, wide receiver Derrick Mason is reunited with quarterback Steve McNair. That's good news for Mason and the Ravens' passing game. The aging McNair will be more of a pocket passer now — he can't take the hits he used to. So McNair will throw more and Mason will be his No. 1 target.

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or comment? Do you need a good kick in the pants? Are you down with OPP? Looking to cure that flesh-eating disease? Need a discreet steroid distributor? Then send your question/medical records/dilemna along with your name and hometown to [email protected]. You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, August 4th.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:40 PM | Comments (1)

July 20, 2006

2006 NFL Preview: Carolina Panthers

Last Year

After a season off from contention, mostly because of injury impediments, the Carolina Panthers reclaimed their NFC contender status in 2005. The Panthers cruised to a 9-3 start, thanks to a facile schedule, and continued to exude characteristics that their head coach John Fox preaches: play smart and play hard. The wily Fox always gets the most out of his talent and now that the Panthers have added more pieces to the puzzle, they are heralded as one of the NFC's top teams.

What We Learned From Last Year

One year after the Panthers were forced to go six-deep into their running back rotation, the depth of their halfbacks was once again tested early on in the 2005 season.

Stephen Davis started off handling the load, but clearly did not have the same pace as he offered in 2003. He wore down as the season continued, which is when DeShaun Foster stepped into the limelight. He was up and down and about the only time he was reliable was when facing a beaten up Atlanta Falcons defense, racking up 282 of his 879 rushing yards against them. Cut those two games out and Foster only averaged 3.6 yards-per-carry the rest of the way.

Nick Goings was no longer an option and highly touted second-round pick Eric Shelton was of no use in his rookie season.

The struggles of the running back ensemble had little to do with the offensive line. The front five may have lacked some power, but overall, they were a very competent unit. The Green Bay Packers sorely missed guard Mike Wahle last year, but the Panthers loved him, as he earned an invite to the Pro Bowl. Third-year tackle Jordan Gross continued his development, and is one of the league's underrated tackles. Left tackle Travelle Wharton, who played well for the most part, was noticeably abused in pass protection a few times.

Without a consistent running attack and no production from the tight-end position, virtually all of the offense went through MVP candidate Steve Smith. The NFL's 2006 co-Comeback Player of the Year was the team's only weapon, catching 78 more passes, 1,122 more yards, and 8 more touchdowns than the second-closest receiver in each of those categories.

Double and triple teams didn't matter and corner-safety brackets had no effect. The Panthers got the ball in the hands of Smith at every level of the field, allowing him to rack up a league-leading 810 yards after the catch.

There are many offensive coordinators who get a lot of airtime, but Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning is not one of them. He may not have the best weapons to work with from week-to-week, but he does one heck of a job game planning.

On defense, the Panthers were dealt a big blow once again as Kris Jenkins succumbed to his second season-ending injury in as many seasons. Prior to the injuries, he was the NFL's top defensive tackle and his loss has been felt everywhere on the Panthers' defense.

End Mike Rucker can vouch for that, as he has played two muted seasons without Jenkins. Rucker was teamed with a premier defensive end in Julius Peppers, but even so, the Panthers were clearly weak up the middle. Twelve-year veteran Brenston Buckner showed his age while Jordan Carstens was asked to play a role that exceeded his abilities.

Linebacker Dan Morgan was healthy enough to play in 13 games, but still has yet to participate in every game in his five NFL seasons. Pundits close to the organization were well aware of Will Witherspoon's capabilities prior to the season and hence there was little surprise when he performed as the Panthers' top linebacker.

In the secondary, the signing of Ken Lucas, along with Chris Gamble, provided two stellar cornerbacks and more importantly, pushed Ricky Manning, Jr. to a nickelback role. The team tried to groom Thomas Davis for a safety position, but to no avail. Marlon McCree fended him off from the strong safety position and ended up leading the defense in tackles.

The defense finished with the third-best ranking and the team as a whole finished with 11 wins, but both statistics make the Panthers sounds better than what they were.

The Panthers were 8-1 versus teams with a record of .500 or worse and were only 3-4 against winning teams.

In the grand scheme of things, the Panthers were a solid team, but were not as scary as some might have you believe. They are a tough opponent who is always well prepared. They don't lose to bad teams and they always put their best foot forward against winning teams. Now that they have added a couple of key pieces, they can be fully considered armed and dangerous.

This Year

For a coach who focuses on running the ball and stopping the run, not boasting a 1,000-yard running back since the 2003 season was an ailment.

Hence the drafting of DeAngelo Williams, one of the most productive NCAA running backs ever. Although the ceiling on this kid may not be as high as Reggie Bush, he is as close to a "can't miss" prospect as you can get. And for a team who missed on almost all of their 2005 draft, they needed to reap more certainties out of this class.

Between Williams and Foster, the Panthers should find a level of consistency. Should Foster's fragile figure endure anymore nicks and bruises, he may not recover his starting spot as Williams has all he tools to be a successful back in the NFL. Eric Shelton is still on the roster, albeit barely, but has added some muscle mass in the offseason and should stick as the team's bruising back.

The Panthers addressed their desperate need for a second pair of reliable hands outside of Steve Smith's by signing on Keyshawn Johnson. He's in his twilight years now, but is a steep upgrade over Kerry Colbert and Rod Gardner, both of whom failed at this role last season. Johnson is sturdy and durable, and will make tough catches in the middle of the field. Without a serviceable catching tight end, that is an added value. Drew Carter should take on the responsibilities of the third receiver, although his skills mimic Johnson's with some more speed.

With Jake Delhomme in place at quarterback and improvements to skill players around him, the offensive line will feel some heat not to drop the ball. They will incorporate a couple of new starters in center Justin Hartwig and right guard Evan Mathis, both of whom figure to be upgrades. Some continuity would be nice, especially if they plan on making a serious run.

The Panthers have more depth than the average team, but do not have many long term solutions should they be forced to use an alternate plan. Steve Smith's speed is critical to an otherwise sluggish offense and he needs to be healthy for all 16 games, as well as the playoffs.

On defense, the Panthers will entail the NFL's top defensive line should "Big Kid" Kris Jenkins fully recover from a torn ACL. Even without him, they figure to be a top-10 unit with the additions of tackles Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis. Kemoeatu is about as stout against the run as it gets and is impossible to move out of the way with one blocker. Lewis, a first-round pick gone awry from St. Louis, flashed potential in spurts, but never fully developed. His failures, though, may be attested to poor coaching and a change of scenery in Carolina could see him emerge as a viable contributor.

The front four is dangerous, but the Panthers need to get pressure on the quarterback from other areas, as well. Kemoeatu's bulk should open up some lanes.

With more mass up front, not only will Peppers and Rucker have an easy time of things, field general Dan Morgan will stay free of blockers. With his health being a perennial concern, there are no certainties among the linebackers as Thomas Davis gets his first try at the strong side, while the weak side is an open competition. Na'il Diggs, Keith Adams, and 2006 third-round pick James Anderson will vie for the opening.

The secondary returns strong, but a new face will start at the nickel cornerback position. Reggie Howard, a smart, non-flashy defensive back, will start at the spot, but second-rounder Richard Marshall could take over midseason.

At safety, Mike Minter will be joined by Shaun Williams, the third different strong safety to start for the Panthers in three seasons. Fourth-round pick Nate Salley will be developed slowly to eventually take over for Minter down the road.

The strength of this team still lies on the defensive side of the ball and with the infusion of DeAngelo Williams and Keyshawn Johnson, the Panthers have an above average offense for accompaniment.

They are the New England Patriots of the NFC in the sense that they don't beat themselves, they have tight team chemistry, they are well-coached, they are stronger as an underdog, and they overachieve every year. This version is very balanced and it will take an opponent's A+ game to eliminate the Panthers from the playoffs.

Over/Under: 10

The Panthers have a relatively easy first five weeks to the season in which they should be able to gel and gain some confidence. While they are the class of the division, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rival them stride-for-stride for the top spot in the NFC South. They play: ATL, @MIN, @TB, NO, CLE, @BAL, @CIN, DAL, TB, STL, @WAS, @PHI, @WAS, NYG, PIT, @ATL, and @NO.

Fantasy Sleeper

While DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams are not likely to last very long in the draft, Keyshawn Johnson should and will be able to fill as a number two or number three wideout. Last season, he tallied 839 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Cowboys' top wide receiver and he should have enough space to match those numbers with defenses focusing in on Steve Smith.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 7:28 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 19

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson finished ninth in New Hampshire, recording his 15th top-10 result of the year. He increased his lead in the points over Matt Kenseth from 51 to 68 points.

"I'm so consistent it sickens me," says Johnson. "Much like Danica Patrick. She's consistent — she's never won a race, yet she expects to get a ride with a contending team. This is NASCAR, Danica. You start at the bottom and work your way up. I hear Michael Watrip is looking for drivers."

2. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth hung tough on a hot day in Loudon, overcoming handling issues and a late brake problem to squeeze out of 14th-place finish. Kenseth now trails Jimmie Johnson in the points by 68, and leads third-place Jeff Burton by 243.

"It's a miracle I was able to finish that well," says Kenseth. "And it has nothing to do with handling or brakes. Jeff Gordon finished right behind me. I thought for sure I was going to get rear-ended. I guess 14th-place isn't as important as first-place to Gordon."

3. Jeff Burton — Burton moved to third in the points with his 13th consecutive top-15 finish, a seventh in the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at Loudon. He now stands 311 points out of first, and 2,390 ahead of Brandon Ash in 54th-place.

"As you know," says Burton, "I'm driving the No. 31 Cingular Wireless car made infamous by Robbie Gordon. And speaking of Gordon's, if one of them is not hitting someone from behind, as Jeff did at Chicagoland, then one of them is causing someone to hit them from behind, as Robbie did to Michael Waltrip. Not that Waltrip needs any help hitting someone."

4. Kyle Busch — Starting fourth, Busch led a race-high 107 laps in winning in New Hampshire in a double-overtime dogfight that saw fuel mileage play a huge role. Busch made the largest forward leap in the points, moving from eighth to fourth, and sits 334 out of the lead. Busch celebrated with the usual burnouts, but surprised everyone in Victory Circle by dousing himself in Frosted Flakes.

"They're great! Is it any surprise that fuel mileage was an issue?" asks Busch. "The race went eight laps longer than scheduled, for Mike Helton's sake! There was a wreck during a caution, as well, involving Robbie Gordon of all people. NASCAR's lucky that any cars finished that race with gas in the tank."

5. Mark Martin — Martin was on the tail end of of 2-3-4 Roush Racing finish at Loudon, following teammates Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle across the line. It was Martin's 600th consecutive start for Roush, and a testament to his longevity as a competitive driver on the circuit.

"Wow! I'm old as dirt," says Martin. "I can remember racing on sand at Daytona. And I remember when drivers disagreed, they didn't just talk about it to the media, they fought about it. And not by throwing things at each other, like a Busch brothers fight would be. They actually hit each other with their fists."

6. Kevin Harvick — Harvick followed a Saturday win in the Busch Series New England 200 with a fifth in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 300. On Sunday, he passed three cars that ran out of gas to penetrate the top 10. Harvick moves up one spot to eighth in the Nextel Cup points standings, 381 out of first.

"Does the Busch series work on the Chase format?" asks Harvick. "If so, I'm building an insurmountable lead for nothing. And speaking of 'Chase." How many couples do you think have conceived while watching a race and decided to name their potential son 'Chase?' That's so white trash."

7. Jeff Gordon — Gordon qualified seventh for Sunday's race, but a meeting with Robbie Gordon's rear bumper left Jeff with handling issues. Still, Gordon managed to finish 15th, and remained in the top 10 in points, in ninth, 447 out of first.

"I just can't seem to stay off of rear bumpers lately," says Gordon. "In my defense, I did try to apologize, albeit insincerely, to Matt Kenseth. But he would have none of it. I though maybe we could take a drive and talk things over. I guess asking Matt to 'take a spin' with me wasn't a good idea."

8. Tony Stewart — While leading in New Hampshire, Stewart was taken out by pole-sitter Ryan Newman, who was running two laps down at the time. Newman tried to pass on the inside, but pushed Stewart up the track, where the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy spun and hit the wall. After a lengthy repair session, Stewart returned and finished 37th and fell to 11th in the points, 458 from the top.

"Newman Bristoled my ride," complains Stewart, "while I was leading. And it knocked me out of Chase contention, for the time being. If Newman had a neck, I would choke him by it. On the positive side, this gives me the opportunity to do my Jerry Seinfeld impression. Newman!!!"

9. Kasey Kahne — Kahne broke a string of three-straight finishes outside the top 20 with an eighth at Loudon. Kahne survived a skirmish on lap 97 when he hit Ryan Newman's spinning No. 12, then was hit in the rear bumper himself by another car.

"So Elliott Sadler is taking over in the No. 19 for Jeremy Mayfield?" asks Kahne. "I think Jeremy pretty much dug his own grave in that deal. But I'm glad to have Elliott as a teammate. With my looks and his accent, we should get all the ladies."

10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt took a tumble in the points by finishing last in New Hampshire as a result of an engine failure that ended his day early on lap 134. It was Earnhardt's second "did not finish" of the year, and he dropped from third to seventh in the points.

"Hey, all you guys at the engine shop," says Earnhardt, "this Bud's not for you. The guys in the decal shop would never make a mistake that would result in an engine failure."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:14 PM | Comments (6)

July 19, 2006

A Revealing Look at Broncos Minicamp

For most NFL teams, the minicamp is a forgettable prelude to training camp. For this year's Denver Broncos, however, the three-day event in Englewood was a revealing look into the team's future.

Familiar faces, such as WR Rod Smith and head coach Mike Shanahan, were there as a reminder of the successful 13-3 team that made it to the AFC title game last year. With them there, another season of excellence looks promising.

The new faces, however — and the absent one — gathered all of the attention. Not even QB Jake Plummer's transition from a long-haired mountain man to a clean-shaven, short-haired crew cut compared in the headlines.

Most notable was Broncos' top draft pick Jay Cutler. His presence was hyped by the press, who hounded him from the moment he arrived at minicamp. When it was Cutler's turn to speak to the media, he was asked when he would be taking the No. 1 quarterback spot on the roster. "You guys are persistent," Cutler said to the reporters. "I don't know. I'm just going to compete and do what I do on the field."

Despite the grandiose predictions by the press, the rookie himself had a more humble view of where he stood after day one. "I didn't have a clue what was going on," Cutler said. "I'm playing catch-up with [Plummer and Bradlee Van Pelt] right now."

Head coach Mike Shanahan had a realistic view of Cutler's performance, saying, "He's done a good job (but) there's a big learning curve ... He's just got to get better every day, and he's working extremely hard."

Jake Plummer, currently the Broncos' starting quarterback, is in no danger of losing his position. However, minicamp performances by Cutler as well as current backup Bradlee Van Pelt indicated that the second string position won't be earned without a fight.

Shanahan had much praise for Van Pelt, calling his first day's practice the best of his career. "He's a worker," Shanahan said. "He works on doing the little things the right way."

Former Packer Javon Walker donned a Bronco uniform for the first time and participated in the practice, despite a knee injury that wasn't fully healed. "I wanted to jump into one-on-ones," said an eager Walker, "but they said they didn't want to rush anything."

"We have a plan over the next three weeks to keep working him like he's working now," added Shanahan. "Hopefully, by the first day of camp, he's ready to go full speed."

A full recovery and a strong effort in training camp will earn Walker a starting position on the Broncos' roster, no questions asked. What is in question is whether or not WR Ashlie Lelie will start — and for which team?

Trade rumors of sending Lelie to New England sparked when it was reported that Lelie was unhappy with his position on the Broncos and wanted to be the No. 1 starter for the Patriots. Head coach Bill Belichick tore down the rumors in mid-June, ending speculation that TE Daniel Graham was being traded to the Broncos for Lelie.

Lelie's no-show at the Broncos' minicamp sparked an emotional response from WR Rod Smith, who expressed concern about his teammate's absence — not just as a football player, but as a friend. He had some advice for Lelie:

"The advice I'm going to give is that I'm going to kick his ass because he hasn't called me back. He's in town; I called him and we were supposed to have lunch, and it wasn't about football. I just wanted to see how he was doing, and for some reason, we didn't connect ... I care about him as a person."

Head coach Mike Shanahan's words to Lelie were straightforward and all-business. "If you want to compete to be the No. 1 guy, why not be here? Why not come in here and try to do what you can do and make a name for yourself at a place that drafted you No. 1?"

Shanahan remarked that he would still like to have Lelie on the Broncos roster, but his absence at minicamp may have cost him the top slot he desires. If Lelie doesn't stay in Denver, the team will adapt. "It's just like a guy coming in here and spraining an ankle," Shanahan explained. "We have a lot of depth in a lot of different positions."

A trade for Lelie is not out of the question, but not likely. "It would be different if people were beating down the walls to get him, but they're not," Shanahan said.

Lelie's fate will depend first and foremost on whether or not he shows up at training camp on July 28. If he does, he will have a lot to prove.

(Marc - this is my original story. The direction I wanted to use more in the rewrite (analysis) will be done on a recap of training camp. Sorry about the delay!)

Posted by Charlynn Smith at 5:24 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2006

Sports GOSPY Award Winners

There are many important, pressing issues in the world of sports to tackle. Yet, I would be remiss if I didn't pay off a weeks-old tease, and present to you the 2006 GOSPY award winners. For those of you not familiar with the concept, here's an excerpt from the nominations column:

People know about the ESPYs. I'm not sure how many people know, or how many important people know, but those are the awards given out by ESPN for the best of whatever in sports for the past year. I wholly appreciate honoring the year's bests, but the ESPYS leave out so many potential great categories. After all, Mark Cuban is going to stop talking about his dick size unless he can win an award for doing so. Enter the GOSPYs.

The GOSPYs pickup where the ESPYs left off. This is the debut year for the award, but I think it's going to catch-on in less time than it takes Chris Berman to pickup a leather-clad girl in a bar.

Best Scandal

WINNER: Barry Bonds — The Loveboat and Lax scandals were entertaining, but neither football nor lacrosse is truly hurt by them. Barry Bonds, as the face of the steroid scandal, is the tip of the iceberg for what's to come for MLB. We are heading down an ugly path for the game and there will be dark times. While John Daly's gambling losses were impressive, no scandal shook its sport like Barry Bonds. Books, testimonies, federal agents, snitches, grand juries, and indictments are all part of this gongshow known as the Barry Bonds witchunt.

Best Pickup Line

WINNER: Chris Berman — Cuban's is funny, but doesn't have near the efficiency of Berman's. Especially since Berman's escapades don't involve him explaining why the girl should be with him. In Cuban's case, he's practically offering the girls a few grand, at least that's what I'm assuming with a pickup line like that. He's essentially saying what he has to offer is his pocketbook and nothing else.

The only disappointing part is that Berman shuns the whole concept and refuses to accept the credit for such an ingenious play. Still, when your phrase has its own t-shirt and it gets some decent air time on a show for pre-teen girls (a TRL host wore one a few weeks back), you will win this category every time.

This award wins even with a bevy of unanswered questions. Honestly, how does this even work? Shouldn't girls be turned off by the fact that they are addressed by the fabric of their pants as if nothing else matters about them? Does this work with anything or just with leather? Could he have a similar effect with, "You're with me, denim?"

Best Couple

WINNER: Brett Myers and wife — Not only can he get away with his crazy "shenanigans," but his wife actually put up the money for his bail. I can't think of any other couple in sports that works so efficiently together.

Mitts and Feely were a strong possibility here, but they are just two entities tied together — there's no semblance of that teamwork that couples need.

That's the same reason Eva Longoria and Mr. Longoria were left off the list — the only project they work on together was the PR spin after a tame run-in with police. That's not going to cut it. Now, on the other hand, Brett and wife can captivate a sports nation with their violent act and still combine forces to evade any legal repercussions.

Hottest Female in Sports

WINNER: Maria Sharapova — This really should become an ESPY award. Forget only nominating the attractive girls that have done something in sports or the non-attractive girls that are so good they cannot be left off the list (you're welcome, Ms. Sorenstam). I'm not going to drag on this because it's done a lot, and I don't have any pictures. But let's be honest here, it's Sharapova and it will continue to be. Although I think Mitts is pretty close, I still give the nod to Maria.

Best Juicer

WINNER: Jose Canseco — Jason Grimsley's story is sad, the Barry Bonds story just isn't right, and Jason Giambi's makes no sense. Grimsley got jobbed, Bonds is on the hot end of a witch hunt, and Giambi is the only known juicer to come out of this successfully. It's nice that users everywhere can have a role model in Giambi, so they can know that you can still overcome scandal to be one of the better players in baseball. It should be a strong deterrent for the youth of America to blindly accept the "say no to drugs" campaign.

Why not use the drugs, get successful, and if you get caught then just try to pull a Giambi? That's the American way. In fact, it will only make the youth of today that much stronger if they have to deal with one good controversy in their lives. As I've said for a long time, damage control and crisis management are the two biggest things these young players lack. So kids, take those steroids early and often. As far as I know, there's no medical drawbacks whatsoever...

Best Sports Gospel

WINNER: Anna Benson vs. PETA — Ultimate Fighter is probably the best piece I've done, but it's not the typical "Sports Gospel" style. The Benson piece was enjoyable by all, as I was merely a reporter in the epic war of words. Not to pat myself on the back too much, but it was overwhelmingly brilliant.

Best Cross-Over Star

WINNER: Jeff Samardzija — I'm running out of space here, but the guy is either going to be a first-round draft pick in the NFL or a big-time, multi-million dollar pitcher in MLB. That's freaking talented.

Best Chris Henry Arrest

WINNER — Gun charge. I mean he got out of the limo, wearing his own jersey, and then threw the gun back in the limo after he saw a cop. Like maybe he was quick enough that the cop didn't see the gun. I like this charge for two reasons.

First, he was wearing his own jersey, which sort of makes it like his Superman cape. It's bigger than his football career, now it spans to his crime career, as well. It's now his uniform in life.

The second reason I like this is because, if you've ever seen a movie or cartoon, you know that the moment you throw a gun that it fires whenever it lands. He ran the risk of shooting himself by throwing it in the limo, but he did it anyway.

This is the point in the award show that you would start tuning out and since I'm already pushing 1,800 words, here's the sprint to the finish.

Best Coach

WINNER: Ozzie Guillen

Best Sports Website

(outside of any that carry this column, of course)

WINNER: Deadspin.com

Best Sports Video Game

WINNER: Madden 2006

Most Annoying Person Ever

WINNER: Jay Mariotti

Best Sports Talk Radio Host

WINNER: Mark Chalifoux, Cincinnati ESPN Radio

Best E-Mail

WINNER: Re: JJ Redick vs. Adam Morrison

Redick is the BEST! He's a good guy and the AWESOMEST basketball dude I know of! Oh, and my freinds and I were making a chart of physical attractions AND JJ Redick FIT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!!!!!!!! He is such a hottie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Superman in Sports Award

WINNER: Lance Armstrong — It's still his time, but this award get's a little more interesting next year with LeBron gaining ground. Still, it's Lance's for life if he pulls off the upset and cures cancer.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. All readers get a 10% signup bonus at BetOnSports by entering "Sports Gospel Promo" as the promo code. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on SC. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2006

Can Peyton Manning Win the Big One?

Five Quick Hits

* Italy has won the world's biggest sporting event. If you're going through withdrawal and need a soccer fix, try MLS. But don't watch on television — go to a match. You can get a single-game ticket for under $20.

* MLS still isn't the most competitive league in the world, but it's no joke. On Wednesday, DC United drubbed Celtic FC, 4-0.

* Big kudos to Amelie Mauresmo and Roger Federer for their Wimbledon victories. Likewise for the Bryan Brothers, who completed a career grand slam in doubles.

* Only slightly smaller kudos to Rafael Nadal, who proved that he's more than a clay-court specialist.

* For all the justified criticism of the US men's soccer team, it was the only group in this year's Cup to play Italy and escape without a loss.

***

The question has dogged him since college. Can Peyton Manning win the big one? Some people didn't think so when Manning was a star at the University of Tennessee in the mid-1990s. Today, with Manning about to begin his ninth season in the NFL, he is established as one of the league's greatest players, and he is widely considered the best quarterback in the game. But the "big game" question continues to follow him.

Manning has been named to the Associated Press all-pro team five times, including first-team for each of the past three seasons. Since 1978, when significant rules changes were made to open up the passing game, no quarterback has more first-team selections, and only Dan Marino and Steve Young have more total selections.

Manning has made six Pro Bowls in his eight seasons and has never thrown for less than 3,700 yards. His six seasons with over 4,000 yards are tied with Marino for the most in history. He already has more career passing yards and touchdowns than Troy Aikman or Young. Manning has completed over 66% of his passes for four consecutive years and has never completed fewer than 300 passes in a season. He has averaged over 7.0 yards per attempt every season since his rookie year, and in 2004 he broke Marino's record for TDs in a season and shattered Young's single-season mark for passer rating. Manning's career passer rating (93.5) is the third-highest in history, well ahead of legends like Marino (86.4) and Brett Favre (86.0).

The numbers are only a shadow of the whole story. At the top of his game, Manning is a joy to watch, reminiscent of Marino in his prime. His play-fakes may be the best in the history of the sport, and he looks opponents off the ball better than anyone else in the game. His control of the Colts' offense from the line of scrimmage is, at times, literally awesome. And despite an almost mesmerizing lack of speed, Manning takes fewer sacks than any other starting quarterback in the NFL. The physical skills, of course, have always been there: Manning has arm strength and a quick release, and his timing and accuracy may be the best in the history of the game.

No one disputes Manning's greatness. But many fans still wonder if Manning can hold it together when the stakes are highest. Even critics concede at this point that Peyton can come through in the clutch; the evidence is overwhelming, from the historic comeback against Tampa Bay in Week 5 of the 2003 season to his outstanding performance at New England in last season's 40-21 Week 9 win. But the Colts have struggled in the postseason, and Manning has saved some of his worst moments for the game's biggest stage.

I won't hold Manning's early-career playoff losses against him. His team was outmatched and he was a different player than he is today. This part of Manning's career began in 2003, when he won his initial first-team all-pro honors and the Colts became legitimate Super Bowl contenders. That postseason began in historic fashion. Manning massacred the Broncos, going 22-for-26 with 377 yards, five TDs, and no interceptions. The next week, when Indianapolis beat the 13-3 Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, Manning was 22-for-30 with 304 yards, 3 TDs, and no interceptions. He was so efficient that some fans thought the Colts might actually beat New England in the AFC Championship Game.

The Patriots won 24-14, and the game probably wasn't as close as the score makes it seem. Manning completed fewer than half his passes and threw four interceptions. His fans pointed to the brilliance Manning displayed in the previous two games, and noted New England's exceptional defense, while detractors called it a choke. The loss dropped Manning to 2-4 in his postseason career.

The NFL's schedule-makers put together a beauty of a season-opener in 2004, pitting the Pats against the Colts in a rematch of the previous AFC Championship battle. Manning was inconsistent, and the Colts lost 27-24. The team and its quarterback both rebounded, however, with the Colts winning their division and Manning being named league MVP. The Colts again met Denver in the first round of the playoffs and once again won in a rout. Manning completed 82% of his passes and threw for 457 yards and four TDs, running for another.

The next week, the Colts traveled to Foxboro to face the Patriots. Indianapolis was badly outmatched, Manning was mediocre, and the Pats won 20-3. The verdict was in: the Colts can't beat New England. Or, as many fans saw it: Manning can't beat Tom Brady. Bad coaching and poor defense undoubtedly played a role in Indy's defeats, but Manning seemed puzzled and frustrated by Bill Belichick's defensive schemes.

Last season, the Colts were a juggernaut, winning their first 13 games and easily clinching the top seed in the AFC playoffs. They conquered their demons with a regular-season win at New England and looked ready to take the next step. In their first playoff game, against Pittsburgh, the Colts lost by a field goal. Manning was respectable, throwing for almost 300 yards without an interception, but he wasn't his usual dominant self, controlling the game from the line of scrimmage and threading perfect passers to receivers downfield. Most fans blamed the coaching staff for the Colts' choke job, but others continued to cite Manning's pattern of failure in the postseason, where his record is now 3-6.

With the 2006 season approaching, oddsmakers have made Indianapolis favorites to win the Super Bowl. So once again, the question arises: can Manning win the big one? I believe he can. Manning has proved he can come through in the clutch, and even if he doesn't, sometimes luck can take care of things. Ben Roethlisberger didn't play much better in last year's postseason than Manning did, and he has a ring.

That said, I've lost faith in the Colts. I don't know yet who I'll pick to win the Super Bowl, but it won't be Indianapolis. Some of the problem probably does lie with Manning, who tries too hard and makes mistakes when things don't go well early. Some of the problem lies with his coaching staff, especially Tony Dungy (which hurts to admit, since Dungy is a good coach and may be the single most likable person in the NFL). There's blame to go around, but it's reasonable to question whether the Colts, in their current form, can string together enough victories in big games to win a Super Bowl.

Can Peyton Manning win the big one? Yes, he can. But I don't think he will.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 5:34 PM | Comments (5)

July 15, 2006

A Penalty Kick in the Pants

What a tiresome debate we've had in the aftermath of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Somehow, an entire tournament of great soccer has been encapsulated into a few harsh words, a head to the sternum, and a seemingly endless back-and-forth about it. Obviously, you can't spell Zinedine Zidane without zzzzzzz...

The most famous head-butt since the Junkyard Dog hung up his WWF wrestling tights has obscured the real tragedy, the true outrage of this near-classic match: the way it ended.

French captain Zidane's wicked, ill-advised head-butt into the chest of Italian defender Marco Materazzi earned him a red card and an automatic ejection from what he had indicated would be his final World Cup match. Until his Mike Tyson moment of sportsmanship in the 110th minute, Zidane (the eerie doppelganger of Jason Kidd, by the way) had led France within a whisker of breaking the 1-1 tie on several occasions. Without their unquestioned leader, the team's chances to win were thrown into doubt.

(Gotta love those crusaders who jumped the gun and labeled the Zidane incident as a racial attack by Materazzi. Turns out the guy talked smack about the Frenchy's mother and his sister, which makes it less an international hate crime and more like a typical day on a New Jersey elementary school playground.)

On the other side of the pitch, the Italians were staggering around, making short passes and even shorter runs, their energy completely drained. I've seen quicker reflexes from a zombie in a George Romero film. It was just a matter of time until they'd make a key mistake, allowing the French to storm through for a golden offensive opportunity.

The seconds ticked away, and the 120th minute ended with the match deadlocked. Could the suddenly rudderless French find victory without their field general? Could the Italians last another overtime without simultaneously collapsing, like Transylvanians at the end of "The Time Warp?"

With two hours in the books, which team deserved the chance to kiss the ugliest trophy in international sports?

All of those questions remained unanswered, because the World Cup was decided on the basis of a skills competition — a cheap gimmick that pathetically punctuated Sunday's grand game, a match which captivated fans from Berlin to Boston. Italy won the penalty-kicks shootout, 5-3, proving its players had better blind luck and speculative ability than their opponents ... which means everything at the craps table, but sure as hell should never determine the winner of the most popular team sports tournament on Earth.

It's sickening to think that 120 minutes of what's been referred to as "the ultimate team sport," both for its athletic skill and its lack of selfish individuality, was decided without a single pass having to be completed or a single defender playing his position on the pitch. It's insulting to imagine how this match could have ended — considering the decimated state of both sides in the second overtime — when you realize the anti-climatic reality of its finale. It's like M. Night Shyamalan flashing a title card that read "he's a ghost and they all lived happily ever after..." 15 minutes before the end of "The Sixth Sense."

Since the first shootout in 1982, there have been 20 World Cup championship round matches decided on "penalties," including four in this tournament. Seventeen of them were either tied at one goal apiece or were scoreless entering the shootout.

Before Sunday's final, the two most significant soccer matches to end with a shootout were the 1994 Final between Brazil and Italy, where the Azzurri fell 3-2, and the 1999 Women's World Cup Final between the USA and China, where Brandi Chastain's "Soccer Girls Gone Wild" moment punctuated the 5-4 penalty-kicks victory. Both of the previous finals' shootouts occurred at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena - an appropriate venue, considering the American obsession with offense and cookie-cutter synchronicity in our sporting events.

In my book "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History," the overtime shootout was crowned as the single most ill-conceived and retched invention on a list that included Disco Demolition Night, instant replay abuse and Hulk Hogan's acting career. I attacked both soccer's penalty-kick and ice hockey's penalty-shot shootout for many of the same reasons: that they remove every iota of team play from the game's most critical moment, and that they are artificial mechanisms put in place to end games prematurely.

The National Hockey League instituted the overtime shootout in its 2005-06 post-lockout regular season after the method had been thoroughly tested in international play and on minor league levels for years. Commissioner Gary Bettman's logic was two-fold: the old harangue that fans hate ties, and to generate the kind of highlights that might trick some of the basketball fans watching SportsCenter into watching a hockey game for three minutes before they keep flipping over to the World Series of Darts.

What the shootout ended up doing was distorting the regular-season standings: a team winning the shootout earned the same number of points (two) as a team winning 5-on-5 in regulation or 4-on-4 in overtime. The NHL actually did the impossible: it found a way to further devalue a regular season the majority of the sports media already reviles as being irrelevant.

Thus, shootout-proficient teams like the New Jersey Devils used the gimmick as a crutch when they couldn't win a team hockey game. In the Devils' case, their nine shootout victories elevated them to an Atlantic Division title; the Dallas Stars won 12 shootouts and won the Pacific Division title, before leaving the postseason with a first-round whimper. (The way the gimmick warped the standings was almost as absurd as having a team from Dallas in the "Pacific Division.")

The difference between the NHL and FIFA is that hockey still considers its championship tournament sacred: I've asked Bettman point-blank if fans will ever see a shootout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he stridently stated that it was strictly a regular-season invention. (Of course, as the glow puck proved long ago, hockey's willing to bastardize itself for television — the NHL would end playoff games with a cock fight if its television partners demanded it.)

FIFA, meanwhile, uses an overtime gimmick to qualify teams for the World Cup, advance teams through group play, eliminate teams in the championship rounds and, for the second time in four tournaments, select an overall victor. It cheapens the entire four-year process to have the trophy handed to an entire team when it's individuals who actually determine the winner.

Since I placed the shootout at the top of the 101 worst ideas in sports history, its defenders have vehemently argued its necessity. It's like when ABC Sports announcer Dave O'Brien lamented during the France/Italy final that "at some point a match has to end, and a champion must be determined." What the shootout does is artificially expedite that process: instead of waiting for one team to win a war of attrition, it lines up the soldiers in a shooting gallery.

If time, and the well-being of the exhausted players, is the greatest concern, there are overtime options that can include elements of team play. What about alternating corner kicks? Go one-for-one for five rounds, like in the shootout, only this time there are two teams on the field playing offense and defense. One team's chance ends when the ball is cleared a certain length downfield, or it's knocked out of play, or into the goalkeeper's hands. (There's a similar alternative for hockey: each team trades 1-minute, 4-on-3 power plays. It would be more thrilling, and more like the previous 65 minutes of hockey, than a shootout will ever be.)

One of the weakest arguments for the shootout is that it's somehow an organic part of the game — the "but it's just a penalty shot" defense. The PK or PS are the neutron bomb of penalty calls, and for good reason. They take every ounce of team defense out of the equation and give the shooter the ultimate advantage for having his or her scoring chance stolen away illegally — the equivalent of a defenseless free-throw in basketball. They occur within the context of a play, and also can be called in overtime. To mandate that the game end with a series of penalty shots is to ignore why they're so rarely called to begin with.

The other defense I've often received is that the shootout is, above all else, entertaining. I'm not going to argue its theatrical thrill: I've been in soccer stadiums and hockey arenas that rocked to their foundations during the fan frenzy of a shootout. But that's more about finality than any intense drama the gimmick artificially creates; tell a stadium full of fans that an overtime game is going to end in under a minute, and see how they react.

What the shootout actually does is drain sports of one of their most addictive qualities: spontaneity. Every offensive chance in an overtime soccer match feels do-or-die — no two matches end in exactly the same way, at exactly the same moment. In a shootout, "when" and "how" are practically afterthoughts — it's only "who" that remains in question.

How ironic that two of the most cerebral sports in the world find it necessary to artificially dumb down and homogenize their most vital moments, like a chess match that begins with every piece off the board except for the two kings. American football doesn't insult four quarters of team play by having a running back battle a linebacker at the two-yard line to determine a winner. Major League Baseball doesn't end its wearisome extra-inning contests with a home run derby. And while basketball usually ends with an egomaniacal one-on-one battle, at least there are eight other bodies on the floor playing the game. Soccer and hockey end their contests with something that looks neither like soccer nor hockey.

The late Scot Bill Shankly, a soccer manager in the English Football Hall of Fame, famously borrowed Vince Lombardi's quip that "football is more important than life and death."

In that sense, penalty kicks are the sports equivalent of euthanasia.

Random Thoughts

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game? Didn't watch it, didn't care. I used to get relied up by those debates about who did or did not belong on the all-star team, but that ship has sailed. In fact, allow me to be the first to suggest that any player added to the all-star team as an injury replacement should not be considered an all-star at all. On his next baseball card, he should be listed as an understudy, not a star...

Best Move of the NHL Offseason: the Rangers signing Brendan Shanahan from Detroit. A savvy, veteran winger who can still put up great numbers, but most importantly a guy who's been there before on a team that for the most part hasn't. The Rag$ have coveted Shanny for a long time — this is the kind of move that elevates a good team into a championship contender. I'm guessing Brian Leetch is next, by the way...

Finally...look, I know sportswriters need something to write about, and Lord knows I've written my fair share of awful prose. But I don't think I've ever written anything quite as bad as this by Roger Rotter of FOXSports.com. It's a fantasy football "myths and facts" article that's either for lobotomy patients or was originally written in 1995. Do people outside of fantasy sports really think they are the "football version of Dungeon and Dragons?" Does anyone actually believe that "fantasy football is make-believe football, with players made of cardboard cutouts that you move around on a board game based on the roll of a dice?"

Sample prose:

"Myth No. 8: A football draft happens when a gust of wind nearly knocks you off your seat at a football game, an especially painful fate if you happen to be sitting in frigid Green Bay in December.

Truth: A fantasy football draft is when everyone in your league gathers together and picks players for your team before the NFL season starts on Sept. 7. You can get together and do it in person (chips and soda are often involved), or you can all get together online and do it via cyberspace in an online virtual draft room (chips and soda can still be involved, just not as communally)."

Wow ... can I find one of these here "fantasy" games on the internets? And what in tarnation is a cyberspace, anyhoo?

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 6:33 PM | Comments (8)

Feeding the Frenzy in Red Sox Nation

The stretch sedan plodded along the bumpy dirt road leading down to the South Boston waterfront, then came to rest in a wide clearing that doubled as a parking lot. The three occupants looked out smoked windows onto the urban wilderness and the harbor beyond, each eerily still in these hours past midnight. The driver walked around and let the front passenger out.

"Heya, boss, you want I should drop him in the harbor when he gets out?"

The object of discussion was the narrow-shouldered man with long but graying blond hair in the rear seat who at present was frantically fingering one last e-mail into his Blackberry.

"No, not yet," answered Boss, as he adjusted the knot of his tie.

"I'll cut him into little squares I will, so's we can feed him to the fishes."

"Just call back to the restaurant and make sure they burned our tablecloth, then wait here at the car."

"Boss?"

"Let me explain to you how these things work. First, he signs over the controlling interest to me. Then, we chop him up. If we chop him up first, he can't very well sign anything, now can he?"

The underling saw Boss's point. He opened the rear door and waited nearby as the narrow-shouldered man got out.

"Come on, Mr. Henry," Boss instructed. "Let's take a walk over here."

There were plenty of things John Henry, the current high bidder for the Boston Red Sox, would rather be doing at one o'clock in the morning, but Joe O'Donnell was a man you obeyed. After all, he controlled everything in The Hub — the Mayor's Office; the sports media; hell, even cystic fibrosis research. Now he wanted to control the Red Sox.

The two men walked into the clearing where a mound of freshly disturbed soil marked by a stake soon occupied Henry's attention. He drew his overcoat tighter and could feel the Blackberry press against his breast. It was perhaps his last remaining lifeline. Boss O'Donnell took a moment to savor his guest's apparent discomfort before explaining, "You're standing on home plate." Mr. Henry exhaled with some relief.

For as far as Henry's eye could see, this surrounding desolation was titled to the evening's host. And one day soon, fifty thousand spectators singing Sweet Caroline in unison would surround the site on which they now stood. It was to be their imminent partnership's first major acquisition.

"You're a good friggin' guy," O'Donnell continued. "Let's make this work. I want to do this deal. I want to be the control guy and I want to be your partner."

"Gee, Joe, I'm just not sure. We're already giving you 50%. Mr. Werner and I want the tie-breaking vote. I really need to talk to my partner." He reached for the Blackberry in his breast pocket, but the Boss's powerful right arm intercepted.

"Mr. Henry, I think maybe you should make me Managing General Partner. You know, in case something should happen to you." O'Donnell reached into his pocket. The eager underling by the car drew a step closer.

Henry closed his eyes. The next sound he heard was the clicking ... of Joe O'Donnell's ballpoint pen.

Abandoned waterfront lots, late-night e-mails, graves delineated by home plate tombstones: the stuff of wise guy movies. Or the surreal visual of how a Big League ownership syndicate gets formed — at least the visual conjured in Seth Mnookin's newest creation, Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top (Simon & Schuster), which went on sale this past Tuesday.

For Mnookin, it is a writer's dream: unfettered access to one of sport's most treasured franchises. Somewhere between left fielders that step behind the Green Monster during games and general managers who don gorilla suits to escape the media lies a team that branded itself a band of idiots and fulfilled their 86-year quest for the most coveted trophy in all of New England.

Yet, Mnookin disregards all the folklore and pageantry at his disposal, preferring sensationalism to turn a quick sale, this according to some supporting actors in his story, most notably Joe O'Donnell.

O'Donnell, a food service contractor and co-owner of the land abutting Boston Harbor widely regarded as the primary site for a successor to Fenway Park, is best known in this community for his fight against cystic fibrosis, the disease that claimed his son. In 1986, O'Donnell established the Joey Fund in memory of his son, an organization that has raised more than $25 million to fund research and assist victims of the disease. Not exactly the type of guy that slips severed horse heads under an adversary's sheets.

Although O'Donnell acknowledges the Joey Fund as the most important of his life's missions, he also admits a desire to own the Red Sox that dates back to his youth in a Boston suburb. And late one night in 2001 as two men gathered at the prospective site of a new home plate for Fenway Park, that dream nearly came to fruition — albeit without the dramatics portrayed in Feeding the Monster.

In an interview on Boston's WEEI-AM this past Monday, O'Donnell refuted much — but not all — of Mnookin's account of the 2001 failed negotiations for controlling interest within the syndicate that had just tendered the highest bid for the Boston Red Sox, calling many of the author's suggestions "farcical."

Mnookin was quick to his own defense, posting a rebuttal on his website the same day, then participating in an online chat and appearing on WEEI Wednesday. His efforts may not have earned him an acquittal from Yawkey Way, but early returns suggest he has captured the imagination of New Englanders whose appetite for all things Red Sox remains insatiable.

It also helps that the rank-and-file voice no sympathies for John Henry and his decision to allow a Vanity Fair editor full access to Fenway Park and all its personnel. Reportedly, Mnookin was given his own office, door card, and a daily agenda of events from which he could search out his next chapter of material. And what editorial ground rules did Henry exact of Mnookin for his privileges? Absolutely none.

For Mnookin, it was simply an offer he couldn't refuse.

Yet, with so much demand for a straight glimpse into the locker rooms and front offices of a professional sports franchise, it is quizzical that Mnookin opts for a Desperate Housewives flavor. Interpersonal relationships — such as those between Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez and Manager Terry Francona, and GM Theo Epstein and CEO Larry Lucchino — are exploited with every turn of the page. Regarding one innocuous exchange between Schilling and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, Francona claimed Mnookin "hasn't done the best job conveying the hard-core truth" in his embellished account.

Sometime in the weeks ahead, I see myself succumbing to Seth Mnookin's story-telling abilities. And unlike most reads, I probably won't sit out until my name hits the top of the waiting list at the local library. This is simply a summer must for any self-respecting sports fan who wants to keep up with conversation in this land where baseball never sleeps. For me, Mnookin's is an offer I can't refuse.

Besides, Desperate Housewives is in reruns.

Posted by Bob Ekstrom at 5:56 PM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2006

2006 NFL Preview: Buffalo Bills

Last Year

It was supposed to be a smooth transition from the Drew Bledsoe era to the JP Losman era, especially since the Buffalo Bills ended 2004 on such a high. But as the new season started, there was no sign of the secure bunch that won eight of the final 10 games the previous season. Losman was erratic and the team was frequently unprepared and out-coached every Sunday. Owner Ralph Wilson has introduced a fresh front office and a new coaching staff in order to change the franchise's direction. The question is: which direction are they headed?

What We Learned From Last Year

The 2005 season started well for the Bills with an important, confidence-building win against Houston.

After head coach Mike Mularkey named JP Losman the starter what seemed like three seasons ago, it was important for the young buck to achieve a win in Week 1.

But even with a drubbing of Texans, who would become the NFL's worst team, reality would set in during the coming weeks for the Bills.

Surprisingly, their biggest failure during the season was simply poor coaching.

In five of their first six losses, the Bills would be the first team to score — typically on an opening drive or very early in the game — but would not be able to react when their opponent made adjustments.

Losman really labored with his mechanics and delivery throughout the season, completing only 49.6% of his passes. As buoyant as his personality is, his squad simply did not believe that they had much of a chance to win when he was under center.

On the other hand, veteran Kelly Holcomb provided a steady hand, compiling a 4-4 record in eight starts.

The dilemma for the coaching staff was that although the team was more competitive under Holcomb, Losman was undeniably the quarterback of the future and required the playing time to develop.

With little consistency at the quarterback position, the statistics of wide receivers Eric Moulds and Lee Evans suffered. Moulds, although providing a reliable pair of hands, looked more and more like a possession receiver with diminishing deep speed.

Running back Willis McGahee, who was highly-touted in the fantasy world, stumbled and finished with only 5 TDs. In his defense, though, the offensive line in front of him was about as supportive as a wet paper towel.

Guard Bennie Anderson was mistake-prone, center Trey Teague was often overpowered and tackle Mike Gandy was nothing more than an average starter. Much was expected out of tackle Mike Williams, who was selected fourth overall in the 2002 draft, but he never provided commensurate value. The Bills thought so highly of him last season that they moved him to guard and placed undrafted tight end Jason Peters in his starter's spot.

The defensive line performed at virtually the same dreadful level, which started with the lackadaisical efforts of tackle Sam Adams. His discouraging work landed him on the bench and left the Bills significantly undersized in the heart of their line. The pain was doubly felt as space-eater Pat Williams departed to Minnesota as a free agent in the offseason, and his replacement, Ron Edwards, was lost for the season in Week 3.

The linebackers were frequently harassed with blockers and once Pro Bowler Takeo Spikes succumbed to season-ending injury, the corps was overmatched on a weekly basis. Rookie Angelo Crowell, who was a standout on special teams and replaced Spikes in the starting lineup, labored mightily with gap assignments.

Needless to say, the Bills were gashed by the run, allowing 2,205 yards (31st in NFL), 22 rushing touchdowns (32nd), 19 rushes of 20 yards or more (31st), 4.5 yards per carry average (29th), and 146 rushing first downs (32nd). Those statistics all add up to being the worst red zone and third-down defense.

Strong safety Lawyer Milloy wasn't so strong, as a cast over his broken thumb made tackling a tough task for him. Also, both Milloy and safety partner Troy Vincent looked like they lost some speed in between seasons.

Overall, the Bills were a lazy team and an on-the-ball coaching staff could have milked at least two more wins out of this group. With losses in eight of the final 10 games, the Bills finished 2005 the exact opposite way they finished 2004. Maybe that bodes well for their regular season record in the coming season.

This Year

When your offense only accumulates 4,122 yards — the lowest total in a 16-game, non-strike season — and your defense is penetrated for 5,496 yards, you have some work to do.

Clearly, the fragile psyche of Mike Mularkey was not up to the chore and the burden falls on the shoulders of Dick Jauron and a familiar face of success, Marv Levy.

It was clear right from the get-go that lethargic players were not going to last long on this roster and that the Bills planned to infuse hard-working bodies.

This strategy was implemented emphatically along the offensive line, where Williams, Anderson, and Teague were given the boot. The replacements are Melvin Fowler and Tutan Reyes, and although they don't overwhelm, the Bills were obviously tired of employing linemen who underwhelmed. There have been no constants among this unit and the Bills seemingly introduce a couple of new starters every year.

Offensive line coach Jim McNally may be one of the best in the business, but he has his work cut out for him with this very average grouping.

While questions revolve around the front five, it is unclear to this point who they will be protecting.

The three candidates are JP Losman, Kelly Holcomb, and Craig Nall. Since the new regime owes nothing to Losman, he is on his last chance in Buffalo, should he fail to impress in training camp. Holcomb is the most capable starter at this point, but he is only a stop-gap at best. Nall is the long shot and he'll have to show some real promise if he is to get the reigns.

Although the Bills traded away the face of their franchise, Eric Moulds, in the offseason, their wide receiving corps should offer more speed. Lee Evans is not capable of handling the pressures of being a number one wideout and he will need the help of Peerless Price, who failed to keep a roster spot in Atlanta or Dallas after leaving the Bills in 2003 as one of the most sought-after free agents. Although he was likely wearing a ski mask when he signed this ludicrously lucrative contact from the Bills, Price was hindered by a run-first offense with an inaccurate quarterback in Atlanta. His jettisoning from Dallas does wave a red flag, though.

Two second-year pass catchers, tight end Kevin Everett and wide receiver Roscoe Parrish, who were mired with injury during their rookie season, must contribute to this offense for it to be successful. Parrish's short and speedy blend of wide receiver is de rigueur right now in the NFL and with Everett's explosiveness, the duo could provide excellent receiving support. Tight end Robert Royal was signed as a free agent from Washington, but his strong suit is blocking.

While the Bills used free agency to address offensive needs, they engineered a stellar draft to replenish their defense.

While some speculate that first-rounders Donte Whitner and John McCargo were pulled off the board too early, the Bills' following three selections in Ashton Youbouty, Ko Simpson, and Kyle Williams were steals.

By switching to the cover-two defense — or a scheme that will look very similar to it — defensive coordinator Perry Fewell required smaller, faster defensive tackles who are able to shoot gaps and penetrate.

Bulky tackles like Sam Adams and Ron Edwards no longer had a home here while leaner tackles like McCargo and free agent signing Larry Triplett are ideal.

If you examine Monte Kiffin's Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, which is the template for the cover-two, you would notice that their starting tackles weigh in at around 300lbs. The Bills are following that pattern.

Blue collar workers like Tim Anderson and Kyle Williams should also fit much better into this scheme.

If the Bills can generate some pressure up the middle and underrated defensive end Aaron Schobel continues to wreak havoc on the end, maybe he can finally get some league-wide attention.

Although the linebacking depth was not addressed through the draft, the Bills are optimistic about Angelo Crowell's future and also acquired Courtney Watson, who might thrive in a change of environment. As long as Spikes returns healthy and London Fletcher is right beside him, the Bills will entail one of the better trios in the league.

Rookies Ashton Youboty, Ko Simpson, and Donte Whitner have now become the secondary of the future. Youboty has a sturdy frame and is solid against the run, while his weakness of gambling on the ball should be shielded with consistent help from a safety, which he will get in a cover-two scheme. That is why he is a really good pick up in the third-round. Teamed with Nate Clements and Terrence McGee, the cornerbacks unit is likely the strongest position on the team.

Whitner will be depended on to start right off the bat. He should add some pop to the run defense and will immediately offer more range than an aging and overpaid Lawyer Milloy. He will be a solid safety for years to come.

Ko Simpson will likely be second on the depth chart behind incumbent Troy Vincent but he will get a lot of wisdom from the veteran and might have the job by season's end.

Although the Bills have a lot of promise on defense, they have a ton of questions on offense and the general feeling of the team is that there is a very low ceiling for this season. If Holcomb is the starter and Jauron can extract a top-notch effort from this team, eight wins is possible — but there is really no scenario where they can top that number.

Over/Under: 6.5

With the New England Patriots taking a step back in the offseason, the New York Jets in rebuilding mode, and with Miami on the schedule early, the Bills don't have an impossible division schedule. The Bills figure to be a much more consistent team if Holcomb wins the starting job and should get to seven wins if he's the quarterback. The play: @NE, @MIA, NYJ, MIN, @CHI, @DET, NE, GB, @IND, @HOU, JAC, SD, @NYJ, MIA, TEN, and @BAL.

Fantasy Sleeper

With a quarterback competition, it may be best to stay away from any receivers on this team. Lee Evans has fantasy bust written all over him, while Willis McGahee will likely have a strong rebound year if he wants a lavish new contract. The Bills defense should provide some good value as a secondary defense and should be starter-worthy once they fully grasp their new scheme.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 10:45 PM | Comments (6)

Awarding the MLB Break's Best

Everybody can take a breather during the All-Star Break. Players get some deserved time off, and fans receive a few days away from their team's marathon season. Over the course of 81-plus games, though, things seem to shake themselves out. We get frontrunners for all the big time awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie and Manager of the Year, and World Series champion).

As we celebrate the all-star festivities, it's time to recognize some of those top talents with our break's Best. And why not start at the top of the mountain?

Best Team: Chicago White Sox

This team doesn't have the best record in baseball. Heck, they're not even leading their own division. But low and behold, the defending World Series champs are more loaded than they were last year. And it shows.

The squad only trails Toronto in team batting average (.288), while topping the majors in home runs (133), RBIs (499), and runs scored (520). Surprisingly, their pitching (their strength) is mediocre 11th in ERA (4.44). Fortunately, tall and wide Bobby Jenks has helped from the back end, helping the Sox to a league second in saves (29).

Best Manager: Jim Leyland

Who said a National League burnout can't teach an American League seal new tricks? The skipper somehow squeezed the young talent on a team many thought were a couple of years away and found lemonade. His pitchers lead the professional ranks in ERA (3.46), shutouts (11), and saves (32).

Yeah, we all knew he could coach. He went to the NLCS twice in Pittsburgh before holding the ship steady for the world champion Florida Marlins of 1997. But after an unflattering stint in Denver, ending with a parting of the ways seven years ago, many eyebrows were raised when he re-entered the main dugout seat at 60. After leading a 90-loss team the last two years to 59 wins at the break, no one's questioning the decision.

Best Player: Albert Pujols

Hey, Hey, Hey! All I can say is that the dude is P-H-A-T. The Cardinal All-Star bats .316 (superb). He's smashed 29 home runs and driven in 76 runs (outstanding). The first baseman has committed only three errors all season (a .996 fielding percentage). Simply put, the man is in the discussion for a triple crown and a Gold Glove. There's nobody else that comes close to his wholeness.

Best Surprise Team: Detroit Tigers

I tried to find another team that was a nice shock to the system for the first half-plus. Squads in Cincinnati, Colorado, Arizona, and Milwaukee all faded in the last weeks, so that puts us back at baseball's obvious choice.

People knew that D-town was seriously building when they swiped up Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez a couple of offseasons ago. Come on, though. Did you think Kenny Rogers was the missing piece to calm down that young pitching staff? Me neither, but The Gambler is providing us with another stellar "over-the-hill" season.

Best Surprise Player: Alfonso Soriano

There are a lot of stories that fit into this category. I might have saluted Twins catcher Joe Mauer for his emergence into the spotlight of AL hitting. Or I very well could have chosen his teammate, Francisco Liriano. With a 10-1 record and scantily-clad 1.83 ERA, he's been the pitching phenom of '06. Then again, who would have thought the broomstick we affectionately call Bronson Arroyo (9-6, 3.12 ERA, 130.0 IP) could be anybody's ace pitcher?

In the end, I went with the National slugger. Sure, the offense hasn't gone anywhere (.272, 27 HR, 20 2B, 20 SB). The thing is, he's been a serviceable left fielder, especially after his episode of whining back in spring training. You know, maybe I should give this award to Frank Robison and the Nats management. After all, they are the inspiration.

Best Chances of Worst Record: Kansas City Royals

What would any awards show be without taking a look at the wrong side of the seams. This has turned into a two-horse race between the Royals and Pirates, although the Cubs are starting to edge their nose in. KC and Pittsburgh are pretty neck and neck to this point.

These teams are very tight in the major categories, including:

			Kansas City	Pittsburgh
Home Record		19-23		20-24
Road Record		12-33		10-36
vs. own division	12-22		13-21
Overall Record		31-56		30-60

Plainly put, both teams stink. However, the Royals will win this dead heat simply by playing in a division with the White Sox, Tigers, and Twins. It will be too much to handle.

Best Chances of Winning it All: Chicago White Sox

Detroit has a better record and ERA. Boston is more offensively potent from top to bottom. The Yankees are all-powerful and a year hungrier. Even the Mets and Cardinals have enough talent to challenge from the opposing league. But, as much as it pains me to say this, the champs are better. They will be dangerous come September and, more likely, October. In my mind, put 60% of the house money on a defense, but keep that other 40% open for the field.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)

The NBA's Summer of 2006

It has been a busy summer for the members of the NBA draft class of 2003. Four of the top five picks have signed extensions with their original teams, the lone exception being Darko Milicic. Chris Bosh was the first to sign, followed by Carmelo Anthony and the NBA Finals MVP, Dwyane Wade.

Of course, the last to sign was LeBron James. Not only did he wait a week before agreeing to an extension, he also came back with a deal that sets himself up very well financially.

Early Wednesday morning, LeBron signed a three-year contract extension. This extension is two less years than the maximum extension, which is for five years. So how does this deal set up well for LeBron, you may ask? Well, the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires after the 2010-2011 season. There is an option that the league can exercise to extend the CBA one more year.

This means that after this extension, LeBron can re-negotiate for a new maximum deal. Early reports have the new maximum being close to $150 million. I guess those questions about LeBron's management team's experience should be answered as they have put their client in a great position for the future.

One person who has noticed the brilliance of this deal is LeBron's close friend and NBA champion Dwyane Wade. After agreeing to the maximum deal, Ric Bucher from ESPN The Magazine has reported the Wade will actually end up signing a similar deal to James' deal.

Both players have enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom. Only in their third season, these players continue to do things that show maturity far beyond their years. James just finished averaging 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game during the regular season.

Making his first appearance in the playoffs, James again did not disappoint as he had triple-double in his playoff debut. He didn't stop there as he made two game-winning shots, and pushed the defending Eastern Conference champions Detroit Pistons to seven games.

Although, he and the Cavaliers would eventually be defeated by the Pistons, James put the rest of the league on notice that he and the Cavaliers are on their way to contending in the Eastern Conference. This made getting this extension signed the number one priority for the Cavaliers.

Dwyane Wade also has just finished reaching new heights in his NBA career. This past season, he averaged a career-high in points, averaging 27.2 points, while also contributing 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Wade was also able to step his game up in the playoffs, raising his scoring average to 28.4 points per game. He was definitely the driving force behind the Heat championship run as he poured in 34.7 points per game against the Mavericks, including 42 in the series-changing game, Game 3.

Though separated by four picks in the actual draft, Wade and James seem to waging a personal war against each other. Wade has been to the playoffs all three of his years in the NBA and now has a NBA ring and a Finals MVP trophy, as well. James just had his first taste of the NBA playoff life, but he seems to enjoy the experience. Now with their similar deals in place, what will these two players do for an encore for the 2006-2007 season? I don't know about you, but I am anxious to see.

Posted by Alfons Prince at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2006

All-Star Game Random Deep Thoughts

The Midsummer Classic certainly lived up to its name on Tuesday night. Although everyone probably predicted the outcome, no one could have predicted how it finished. Paul Konerko singled, Troy Glaus doubled, and Michael Young drove them in to win it all with two outs, off of Trevor Hoffman who had only blown one save all year.

While enjoying the game Tuesday night at my local watering hole, I couldn't help taking down a mental log of the night's happenings. The following is a stream of consciousness discourse, full of various insights and random rantings about Major League Baseball's big night. In honor of SNL's "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy," I'm entitling it "Random Deep Thoughts."

First off, the true star of the whole weekend was Pittsburgh's PNC Park. The place is absolutely breathtaking and a perfect backdrop for baseball's new "clean" and modern image. Pittsburgh's skyline, the Allegheny river with its own version of San Francisco's splash zone, and the Clemente Bridge were just perfect for the venue.

It was also very classy by MLB and the Pirates to pay tribute to a true baseball legend, Roberto Clemente. We all know the story by now of the circumstances of his tragic death, dying in a plane crash carrying relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. What is sometimes lost is the racial struggles he and hundreds of Latino and African-American athletes endured in those days. He was a great man, both on and off the field, and it's good to see baseball still remembers him and his widow.

How awesome was it that Ryan Howard hit that sign and got that person 500 free flights? Where would I go if I had 500 flights? More importantly, where wouldn't I go? I know one place: any where close to the guy who has to tell Barry Bonds he might be indicted for perjury and tax evasion next week.

Carrie Underwood belts out the National Anthem. Not an American Idol fan, but good god she is some kind of gorgeous.

TV listings had the game slated to start at 8:00 PM, after all of FOX's lead-up, seemingly 20 minutes worth of commercials, and introductions of every single player; the first pitch didn't take place until roughly around 8:40. You'd think it was the Super Bowl, or the Finals, or any prime time show on TV these days.

Look at all the White Sox! It looks like they got their whole team out there. Coaches Joey Cora, Harold Baines, and Ozzie Guillen and then Jermaine Dye, AJ Pierzynski, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and pitchers Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, and Bobby Jenks.

Why don't you throw their GM Kenny Williams in there, too, he's an all-star for bringing in Thome. I think that's the solution to the all-star selection process, just select all-star GMs to construct the teams. Then we can blame them instead of fan voting.

I have to admit I was a skeptic of Phil Garner's decision to start Brad Penny, but he shut me up quickly. Brad Penny proceeds to strike out the side on nothing but fastballs. Looking like Chet Steadman from Rookie of the Year, he didn't throw a pitch under 95 mph while striking out Ichiro, Derek Jeter, and Big Papi in succession.

In his scouting report before the game, FOX's former catcher-turned-brilliant-analyst, Tim McCarver, tells us that Penny has a heavy, boring fastball. He proceeds to repeat the phrase at least 25 times during the first inning when Penny throws nothing but fastballs.

This leads me to an exciting development ... FOX announced its new deal with MLB to cover Saturday games, the All-Star Game, an alternating LCS each year, and the World Series for the next seven years. Get ready for seven more years of Tim McCarver, folks. I know you're all excited.

Speaking of TV...

Worst Commercials

Flomax — It's just plain awkward to hear about middle-age men having trouble controlling their pee. I also don't need to hear that one of the side effects of the pill is that it reduces the amount of semen you can produce. Janet Jackson can't take her boob out, but we can hear a voice discuss the size of a baby boomer's ejaculation, and the pill he uses to attain it? That's not right.

Moving on…

Trailer for Snakes on a Plane — Are you kidding me? How would you like to have been the guy that had to pitch this one to the production company? What we're gonna do is, we're gonna put Samuel L. Jackson on a plane and we're gonna throw a bunch of animatronic deadly snakes on him and see how loud he yells at 'em. Great idea, guys! I'll be first in line.

Jon Lovitz Subway commercials — Lovitz, you can't need money that badly. You did High School High, you're better than this.

Best Commercials

Michael Strahan's Right Guard commercial — It's been running for two years, what is it even doing on? When the squirrel squirms on the ground, I lose it every time ... it's sad, I know.

EA Sports' NCAA Football '07 — And the GPA of male college students across the country already begins to recede.

Burger King stacking meat commercial — Anybody else catch Mickey, the little person from Seinfeld, in this one. Fantastic. Doesn't beat "Big Buckin' Chicken", but it gets the job done.

The Adam Sandler "Psychotic Legend of Uncle Donny" Shot of the Day goes to Big Bad Vlad Guerrero, who crushed a Brad Penny eye-high fastball to the opposite field. Quickest and most deadly bat in baseball. Take another shot of Bacardi for Vlad the Impaler. Schwancha!

After the home run, the FOX production truck plays the Wiggles "Knees, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in the background while they show Vladdy-Daddy's highlights. Wow, simply stunning!

David Wright answers right back with a homer to left in the bottom of the second. What home run derby jinx? Wait, don't tell Ryan Howard I said that.

How about Albert Pujols? Five years in the league, five all-star appearances. How about this for the beginning of a career: .331 batting average, 230 homers, 697 RBI, 2,014 total bases, and a .418 on base percentage, if you're into that sort of thing. Three names: Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Frank Robinson.

Speaking of great starts to a career, didn't Peter Gammons hit the nail right on the head with Joe Mauer? Gammons predicted him to be the AL MVP. Mauer went into the break leading the major leagues with a .378 batting average. He has 45 RBI and 108 hits as a catcher. He'll be hard-pressed to top David Ortiz and Jim Thome in the AL, but it's still a heck of a start for a second-year player.

Pujols shows why so many people have picked him to win this year's Gold Glove at first as he robs a base hit to his right side with his bare hand, off the bounce.

Lots of good defense in this game: Vernon Wells guns down Alfonso Soriano at the plate with what would have been the go-ahead run. Freddy Sanchez, of the host Pirates, was all over the field, leaping and diving. And the American League turned three double plays.

The National League returned to its roots, the Whitey Herzog mentality of beating the other team on the base paths. Carlos Beltran stole third and Alfonso Soriano stole second on the best defensive catcher in baseball, Pudge Rodriguez. The aggressive base-running eventually lead to a Beltran run on a Roy Halladay wild pitch.

Two words: MINI SARG! Gary Matthews, Jr. delivers a meaningless one-out single in the eighth to little fanfare, except in my household.

Finally, the inevitable downfall begins. Hoffman starts strong with two easy dribblers back to the mound, but it doesn't last.

Paul Konerko singles. Troy Glaus doubles. You can hear Metallica's "Enter Sandman" starting up in basements everywhere in New York and New Jersey. Then sure enough, down to their last strike, Michael Young triples home two and extends the AL's domination to a 10-year unbeaten streak.

I didn't even need to see the rest, I knew what was to come. Four batters later, Mariano Rivera pumps his fist in triumph for the millionth time in his career, and etches his name into the major league history books a little deeper.

Hoffman's 460 saves be damned, the game was still blown, and the NL still doesn't host the World Series. Since MLB switched over to the current format, the NL has been defeated in two straight World Series.

Michael Young gets the Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP trophy, which resembles an iceberg of some sort or shape. He also is given the keys to a 2007 Chevy Avalanche, which the sleazy Chevy CEO (who strangely resembles Russell from Wayne's World), claims is "The Most Flexible Vehicle Ever". I was almost expecting an "I love you, man" afterwards.

Is it funny to anyone else that the only person that didn't play for the AL that was available was AJ Pierzynski?

I leave you with one of my favorite SNL "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy":

"If you're ever stuck in some thick undergrowth, in your underwear, don't stop and think of what other words have "under" in them, because that's probably the first sign of jungle madness."

Posted by Chris Cornell at 5:53 PM | Comments (2)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 18

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson was in danger of losing his points lead as the laps wound down at Chicagoland Speedway, but a sudden change atop the race leaderboard kept his points lead intact. That would have been Jeff Gordon's bump of Matt Kenseth that sent the No. 17 car spinning out of contention.

"So that was the car that I saw sliding by me?" asks Johnson. "I really feel for Matt. I'm downright teary-eyed. For 264 laps, that had to be the most boring race of the year. Thanks to Gordon, we'll be talking about this one for a long time. Or at least until next week, when some other driver gets bumped out of the way by some other driver. What was Kenseth thinking? If he really thought Gordon was retaliating for the Bristol incident, then why didn't he accost Gordon in Victory Lane and shove him. Or better yet, give him a headbutt to the chest like soccer great Zinedine Zidane did it the World Cup final? Not that I watched it."

2. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth led 112 laps, including 61 of the final 65, before abruptly losing the lead when Jeff Gordon intentionally or unintentionally, depending on your allengience and/or level of inebriation, hit Kenseth and went on to win the USG Sheetrock 400.

"It was clearly intentional," says Kenseth. "Just listen to the audio from Gordon's radio communication right before he rear-ended me. His spotter said, 'Watch the No. 17 car right in front of you,' and Gordon responded 'What No. 17 car?' Then, after he spun me, Gordon even called 911 to report an accident he witnessed. You're telling me that bump wasn't intentional?"

Who am I to judge, Matt? All I know is that had the late Dale Earnhardt done the same thing to you, fans would have cheered wildly as opposed to tossing trash on the track, as they did at Gordon.

Kenseth ended up 22nd, and now trails Johnson by 51 points.

3. Jeff Burton — Burton won his second Bud Pole of the year, topping Friday's qualifying, then scored his best finish of the year, a second. Burton moved up three spots to fourth in the points, his highest position of the year.

"So the Brian Vickers to Toyota, Casey Mearns to Hendrick, Juan Pablo Montoya to Ganassi cycle is complete," says Burton. "I wonder who got the better end of that deal. Toyota and Hendrick get mediocre drivers, while Ganassi gets the third-most famous Columbian, right behind that coffee bean-picking Juan Valdez and his trusty donkey."

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt started 25th on Sunday and steadily improved, leading 27 laps and finishing fifth. He maintained third in the points, and trails Johnson by 257. Junior also picked up the "Bank Of America Card Services Mid-Race Leader Award," apparently for leading the race at the midway point.

"If I can't win the race," says Earnhardt, "then winning the 'Bank of America Card Services Mid-Race Leader Award' is the next best thing. Actually, these contingency awards mean very little to drivers. I think most of the awards end up in thrift shops or flea markets. From what I've heard, they make great lightning rods."

5. Kyle Busch — Busch followed up his second-place finish in Daytona with a third at Chicagoland, the second of three Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the top five. Busch maintained his position of eighth in the points after jumping four spots after his success at Daytona.

"I guarantee that if I made the same move that Jeff Gordon made on Matt Kenseth," explains Busch, "then I would be black flagged, put on probation, and criticized by all. Veterans are allowed to do things that young guns like me would be penalized for. It's not fair. What's different between what Gordon did to Kenseth and me ramming Casey Mears at Phoenix?"

Well, for one thing, Kyle, you hit him while the cars were parked due to a red flag. I don't think even Jeff Gordon would get away with that.

6. Tony Stewart — Stewart was running third when he ran out of gas as the green flag was about to drop for a green-white-checkered finish brought on by Matt Kenseth's spin on lap 264. The No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet dove into the pits for a splash of gas and as a result, lost a lap and finished 32nd.

"Hey, at least I didn't have to fill up," says Stewart. "When my fuel gauge reads 'E' for 'empty', my attitude is 'P' for 'pissed.' The I have to hear Jeff Gordon all but threaten me with retaliation for me spinning him last year. Do I look worried? Hey, Jeff, you can threaten me with on-the-track retaliation and you'll get no reaction from me. Threaten to take food away from me and you will likely get my attention."

7. Jeff Gordon — Round two to Gordon. Gordon won his second of the last three races with a controversial "pass" of Matt Kenseth late in the race. Earlier this year in Bristol, Kenseth bumped and spun Gordon. This time, Gordon refused to acknowledge or deny that Sunday's incident had anything to with retaliation. Kenseth felt otherwise, as did several fans who bombed the No. 24 car with trash as Gordon celebrated his 75th career win.

"It's not the first time I've had trash thrown at me," says Gordon. "Are those drunk, obnoxious fans ruining NASCAR crowds' reputations, or just reinforcing them? Anyway, Matt got into the act, as well. He tossed a piece of his car at me. Unlike me, he missed. Besides, Matt was almost out of gas. He would have had to pit under green. Because of me, he was able to pit under caution. Also, recent evidence suggests Matt was at fault. On Monday, he was bumped from behind by a student driver while Matt was in a rental car. That's two instances in two days in which Matt was hit from behind, once by a professional and once by a beginner. Is that simply a coincidence? I think not. Matt just doesn't know how to handle traffic behind him."

8. Kevin Harvick — Harvick picked up his sixth top-five finish of the year with a fourth in the USG Sheetrock 400. Starting fourth on the grid, Harvick led 40 laps before Dale Earnhardt, Jr. picked him off on lap 109. After falling to sixth, he was able to pass Matt Kenseth, who spun, and Tony Stewart, who ran out of gas three laps from the end. Harvick holds on to eighth in the points, 398 behind Jimmie Johnson.

"All this controversy," says Harvick, "and me not in it. That's no fun. I promise to create a stir in New Hampshire this Sunday. And speaking of 'creating a stir,' Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya is coming to NASCAR. This guy is disliked almost as much as Michael Schumacher. He should be a perfect fit in NASCAR. He's from the country of Columbia, right? Is he going to be sponsored by Coke?"

9. Kasey Kahne —After starting third, Kahne found the aerodynamics in traffic at Chicagoland not suitable to his car's liking. The Evernham Motorsports Dodge, sporting a McDonald's paint scheme, steadily fell down the leaderboard, making clean air hard to come by. Kahne eventually finished 23rd and dropped one place to fifth in the points, 348 behind Johnson.

"Not a great day for me," says Kahne, "but my luck is about to change. Rumor has it that Indy car beauty Danica Patrick is coming to NASCAR. I wouldn't mind seeing Danica in my rear-view mirror. I would like nothing more than to see her behind. Me."

10. Mark Martin — Martin battled a loose race car all day, unable to capitalize on a qualifying effort of ninth. Falling as low as 28th during the race, Martin mounted a late-race surge that allowed him to finish 18th and hold on to sixth in the points, 360 off the lead.

"I've just got one piece of advice for my teammate, Matt Kenseth," says Martin. "In a situation like this, you've got to ask yourself, ‘WWRBD?' That is. ‘What Would Ricky Bobby Do?' If one can't find the answers to life's toughest questions within the acting roles of Will Ferrell, then where can one find them?"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 5:22 PM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2006

Who Were the Ad Wizards?

The Western Open is officially dead and Trevor Immelman is its last champion. It was announced this week that BMW has ponied up approximately $12-14 million for the next several years to sponsor this event. This coincides with the formality of making this event part of the three event "playoff series" for the new FedEx Cup that begins next season.

With BMW dumping so much money into sponsorship of this marquee event, the Western Open will no longer be open or run by the Western Golf Association. So, the Tour has changed the name of the event to the BMW Championship. (Although, in a way, that new title still better than the current title — the Penis Pill, er, Cialis Western Open.)

As if changing the name of this historic event were not enough to piss on its tradition, the PGA Tour's marketing geniuses went one step further to make sure they alienated the maximum number of fans possible. The PGA Tour has decided that the new BMW Championship will only be staged in Chicago every other year. That means that the Chicagoland area will host a PGA Tour stop in 2007, 2009, 2011, and so forth.

In the alternating years, the PGA Tour will seek to play other noteworthy Midwestern courses. Bellerive in St. Louis is on board for 2008 and Crooked Stick in Indiana appears to be the site for the 2010 event. Hazeltine has been thrown out as a possibility for 2012 — assuming the FedEx Cup makes it that far.

Now, I have nothing against St. Louis, Indianapolis, or the Quad Cities areas or the aforementioned golf courses. They are all American treasures and would make fine host sites. But, they make fine host sites for other tournaments. Chicago is arguably the third biggest urban market in the country and certainly one of the best parts of the country in terms of golf courses and fan base. The Western Open has a great history in the city and is very well supported by the community.

It only makes sense that the PGA Tour has an annual, not biannual, event in Chicago. Even if all of the Tour's MBA marketing executives disagree with my assessment of Chicago as a fine market for this tournament (in whatever form it takes), the Tour should not have made this move out of respect for the support shown to this event over the years. Good sports entrepreneurs reward and respect their fans for their loyalty and support by making a strong commitment to presenting a great product with the resources they have. Chicago deserves that from the Tour, but instead is getting slapped in the face for some reason unbeknownst to me.

What further befuddles me is that this event is the only one of the final four events that comprise the FedEx Cup playoff series that changes locales. The other tournaments — the Deutsch Bank in Boston, the Barclay's Classic outside of NYC, and the Tour Championship in Atlanta — are firmly planted for years to come.

How did Chicago draw the short straw out of those four events and become the PGA Tour's Midwest Traveling Show? Of all of those events, the Western Open/BMW Championship has the best history and a list of champions that rivals the majors themselves. In fact, people used to consider the Western Open on the level of a major championship.

Perhaps it is this elite status that the Western Open had earned over its life that drew the ire of Commissioner Tim Finchem. After all, for years he has been trying to get us golf fans to buy into the notion that the PGA Tour's Players Championship is worthy of major consideration. If you were to compare the champions list of the two events, though, you would find that there is no comparison. I'll bet that the Tour knows that as well as you or I do and they were incredibly envious. The FedEx Cup presented an opportunity to kill off an event that is historically more significant and relevant than the Players and do it under the guise of "upgrading" the event and the Tour. (How's that for a conspiracy theory?)

Regardless of the motivation, this decision is an absurd miscalculation by the Tour. Tiger Woods even acknowledged this in his post-round press conference on Sunday. Unfortunately, this is just another blunder by the Tour in a recent string that is just indefensible. Though not nearly as relevant as the Western Open, the news that the event in Washington, DC, has also officially been scrapped is disconcerting. Again, the Tour shuts the door to a major market because of hubris and marketing problems.

The Quest for the Card series also appears to be in significant jeopardy given the recent rumors that the Tour is having a tough time in securing sponsors for the events. It appears that the Tour may have overlooked that title sponsors may not be willing to invest significant marketing dollars into tournaments that will essentially be a continuation of the Nationwide Tour season, appear only on cable, and have no proven history.

Even further than that, the Tour's ego was even shown in how it revealed the FedEx Cup during the US Women's Open — the most important and prestigious event on the LPGA schedule. Either someone forgot to check their calendar at the home office, or the Tour sincerely believed that their announcement would make a huge splash in the golf world despite (a) the obvious distraction in Rhode Island and (b) the total lack of interest shown to date in the FedEx Cup.

For an organization that produces more biz speak than any Fortune 500 company, the decisions that have come out of Ponte Vedra Beach lately leave a lot to be questioned. The Tour needs to right this ship quickly from a marketing perspective. While the product on the course has picked up during majors season, the Tour is still dragging its feet when it comes to marketing and scheduling. If the Tour is not more careful, they will find themselves with a thinning fan base and a schedule with stops in only half of the country's major cities.

Perhaps all of the MBAs at the Tour could use a course in geography?

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

Bryan Brothers Shine On and Off Court

With all the glamour and glitz surrounding the dreamlike Rafael Nadal/Roger Federer championship match, it seemed as if absolutely nothing else was going on the last few days of Wimbledon. But now that the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled in the aftermath of Nadal/Federer VIII, it's clear that other substantial developments took place during the second weekend at the All England Club.

No, I'm not talking about Amelie Mauresmo's second major title, although her victory over the same woman (Justine Henin-Hardenne) who had robbed her the joy of winning a championship point at this year's Australian Open is a great story in its own right.

I'm not even talking about Jonas Bjorkman's Cinderella ride to the semifinals, or Rafael Nadal's shockingly swift ascension from clueless to second-best on grass, or Pete Sampras having nightmares about how miniscule his Wimbledon accomplishments will look by the time Roger Federer graces the lawns of London with one final stroke.

No, I'm talking about the Bryan Brothers.

Who?

You heard me: Bob and Mike Bryan, the high-flying, chest-bumping twins who, with their title last week, now own a career Grand Slam in doubles. The Bryan Brothers have now won the Australian Open, French Open, U.S. Open, and Wimbledon in doubles, a part of professional tennis of whose existence most sports fans — and even some tennis fans — are probably unaware.

Let them be unaware no more. As the summer season takes a momentary siesta in between Wimbledon and the outrageously entertaining series of U.S. hard-court tournaments that concludes with the U.S. Open, what better time than now to take a look at an oft-unrecognized duo that has done so much for the game both on and off the court?

Doubles, as you can guess from the woeful publicity it gets (Andre Agassi had hair the last time — until the Bryans' win on Sunday — a doubles match was shown on national television), is on the precipice of a steep decline. What is most ironic, however, is that the ATP instituted a new "Doubles Revolution" earlier this year. The new rules changes may very well be revolutionizing doubles, but certainly not for the better.

In most non-Grand Slam tournaments now, a super-tiebreaker is used to decide the third and decisive set. At other doubles events, sets are now first team to five games instead of six, with a tiebreaker contested at five-all instead of six-all.

In the words of John McEnroe, you cannot be serious! If eight games is a pro-set, then I guess what doubles teams are now relegated to are amateur-sets.

Furthermore, this "doubles revolution" has also proposed no-add scoring. In other words, a "sudden death" point at deuce determines that game's outcome.

In actuality, the only thing the rules are determining is the Sudden Death of doubles as we used to know it. The "revolution" aims to attract more singles players to the doubles circuit, as the new scoring changes make it easy for singles players to see that they will not be spending too many extra hours on the tennis court if they participate in doubles. The ATP has also eliminated doubles qualifying at tournaments and changed the doubles tournament entry system to favor singles players who want to play doubles.

"Once we retire, the doubles (only) players will pretty much be gone," Mike said earlier in the year. "They have to take a look at the system," he added, "if they want the guys who show the art of doubles with volleying, instead of everyone just pounding away at the baseline."

The Bryan Brothers, thank goodness, are leading the charge to change all this nonsense.

Their personal website is speckled with all sorts of petitions that viewers can sign in support of reinvigorating doubles on the ATP Tour. The Bryans also spearheaded this year's SaveDoubles.com ProAm in Houston and have launched a campaign called "Doubles Alley" for the cause.

Despite the Bryans' best efforts, questions abound concerning the fate of doubles on tour.

Those questions are for another place and another time, but I must pose one potentially unanswerable question now. Who needs the Bryan Brothers more: anyone and everyone involved in doubles, or the American Davis Cup team?

The Bryans are heating up at exactly the right moment for the USA. At a time when the American singles hopes are floundering on the ATP Tour (most notably Andy Roddick, Robby Ginepri, and to some extent, James Blake), the Bryans present our best — and only — hope of advancing to the Davis Cup final. Considering the state of our singles players, we cannot go into a Davis Cup tie expecting anything more than a split of the four singles matches. I mean, we could be playing some country like Brazil at home on hard courts and I would anticipate nothing more than a 2-2 score in the singles.

In this year's semifinals, the USA will take on Russia at Russia on clay. Needless to say, if the Bryans somehow fail to win the doubles point, Patrick McEnroe and company will be on vacation when the Davis Cup final is contested December 1-3.

That's some kind of pressure to put on the duo, but also the kind of pressure with which they are unflappably comfortable. After all, when they're not hard at work saving the fate of doubles, the brothers are busy competing in seven consecutive Grand Slam finals and counting. No big deal.

If you've ever had the opportunity to watch the Bryan Brothers in person, then I'm sure you would be first in line to join their fight to save doubles. Not only are they far-and-away the most exciting tandem on the tour, but they are also the best, as the brothers validated their No. 1 ranking last weekend at Wimbledon. If you're surprise at their ascension to the top of the doubles world, don't be. The brothers are no strangers to winning.

Bob and Mike have been on the fast track to success ever since enrolling at Stanford University in 1996.

They led the Cardinal to the national championship in 1997 and 1998, and also won the NCAA doubles title as sophomores. Having accomplished everything they possibly could through their first two years at Stanford, the brothers bolted for the pros.

In 2000, the Bryans reached their first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the U.S. Open. The team really took off the following year, as Bob and Mike won four titles, reached their first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, and finished the year ranked No. 7 in the world.

As 2002 came and went with no Grand Slam titles, but also no finishes worse than the quarterfinals at the four slams, it seemed as if the Bryan Brothers were on the verge of a major breakthrough.

They were. At Roland Garros in 2003, the Bryans captured the title with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Paul Haarhuis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. As of last week, the brothers have now won each of the four Grand Slams. They conquered the U.S. Open last year with a 6-1, 6-4 dismantling of Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi, the team currently ranked right behind the Bryans at No. 2 in the world. Earlier this year, the Bryans completed the third leg of the career Grand Slam with a victory Down Under, defeating Leander Paes and Martin Damm in three sets. And of course, Bob and Mike wasted no time in adding the final piece to their Grand Slam puzzle.

Let's hope the Bryan Brothers don't stop now. As a tennis fan, I need them to restore dignity to the beautiful game that is doubles. As an American, I need them to give me hope that our country can still win the sport's grandest team-oriented prize even when our "biggest" stars are stinking up the court. And selfishly, I need them at any and all tournaments I am lucky enough to attend, so that when the tournament directors pack the singles stars on the stadium courts, I'll be able to watch two of the most exciting players in the game from some criminally-good seat on some criminally-obscure court.

If it were completely up to Bob and Mike, I'm confident all of those needs would be realized.

After all, considering the pair's currently sizzling pace, it seems that the only thing that can stop the brothers is the game itself.

Posted by Ricky Dimon at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)

Barbaro Craves the Spotlight

Barbaro is in the news again, this time for complications to a recent surgery. This is the most recent of many "setbacks" the 3-year-old colt has dealt with since shattering his leg during the Preakness. This latest story though has helped me to open my eyes and see Barbaro for what he truly is — an attention whore.

Barbaro refuses to shrink from the public eye after his career was ended as he's clinging to the spotlight with any good leg left in him. It started with the "friskiness" after his first surgery, a move that failed to captivate the public. Being frisky with the females was enough to get Bengal draft pick Frostee Rucker his own episode of "Outside the Lines," but it drew nothing more than polite chuckles in Barbaro's case. It took a quick trip back to the drawing board before he discovered the only way he could stay relevant was by playing the same card that won over the public the first time, "potentially fatal health complications."

Props to Barbaro, though, because it worked. He managed to leap over LeBron James contract speculation and the World Cup final in the headlines and grabbed some good press along the way. More importantly, he was able to get another group of fans to start babying him again. I expect it's only a matter of time before he gets more letters, both the type drawn in crayon with the "R" spelled backwards and a picture of "Barbaro" that looks like a mud puddle with a smiley face and the type stained with the tears of middle-aged housewives who love animals like people.

Shortly after the news broke, thousands of people left messages on his message board praising him for setting an "example of toughness all humans could follow" and claiming that he dominates their daily prayers and thoughts. Some even went as far as to call him a hero and the savior that our nation needs.

After reading those messages and hundreds more like it, I realized there had to be more to Barbaro than what meets the eye. There's nothing heroic or inspiring about winning a race, getting hurt, and narrowly avoiding death thanks to the wealthy owners controlling your fate. I figured he must've done something to warrant this effusive praise — maybe he did a tour or two of service in Iraq or hauled the poor from New Orleans moments before Katrina broke the levees. Nope, turns out he's just a horse. A horse that gets fatally injured and miraculously healed so much that even soccer players are tired of his act.

There are some people who appreciate his act though and you can count Dani from Pennsylvania one of them:

Barbaro, I am sending you a thousand healing angels to carry away the infection and stimulate healing in your leg, Keep up the good attitude Love and hugs...Dani

— Barbaro message board

Does anyone else get the feeling that she may be going just a little bit overboard here? I mean, honestly, is it really going to take 1,000 angels to heal an animal? It's not something two or three could knock out before helping California win the pennant? It seems like overkill and that maybe those angels would be better served, I don't know, feeding the hungry or helping the millions of dying people in the world.

I don't know how "Danni" rose to her current position, where she is in charge of a multitude of angels, but it's clear that she's doing a terrible job. When you make Isiah Thomas look like a smart and sensible manager, then you know you're in trouble. I just hope she's fired before she sends 4,000 angels to help convicts pick up trash on the side of the highway during the midst of a natural disaster several hundred miles away.

It's inevitable that Barbaro's "health complications" will be a thing of the past after 1,000 angels have their way with him. This means he'll have to face his worst nightmare, as no health issues means no media spotlight. Most importantly, it means no more hero worship. He'll probably try to stay in the spotlight with an ill-advised head-butt of a doctor or by releasing a tell-all book. I'm just hoping he doesn't go the Paris Hilton route to stardom, as I don't think Barbaro's home-made video would have the same appeal to the masses.

He can avoid the humiliating fall from grace by coming to terms with the fact that he is an attention whore. Once he learns to accept it, he can use it to his advantage. Plenty of former sports stars go on to other lucrative careers and Barbaro could be next in line. In the '60s, technology allowed a horse to talk, fly an airplane, throw a birthday party, drive a delivery truck, and even surf. With the technology of today, I see no reason why Barbaro couldn't honor Mr. Ed's legacy by singing and dancing his way to becoming the new American Idol. Even if that technology isn't available yet, he could still race out-of-shape wannabes on Spike TV's Pros vs. Joes.

If that doesn't work out, surely he could have a career as an odds maker. Barbaro wouldn't even have to deal with the pressure of being the first animal in the field, as Inji the Orangutan has been picking Super Bowl winners for years from the comfort of her habitat at the Oregon Zoo. I know it's not as great as being honored as a champion, but at least he will still be in the spotlight. And it's better than the alternatives — existing in stick form and making a career out of holding pieces of construction paper together, or dedicating his life to keeping "Spot" from going hungry.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. All readers get a 10% signup bonus at BetOnSports by entering "Sports Gospel Promo" as the promo code. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on SC. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 1:52 PM | Comments (17)

July 11, 2006

Making a Pledge to Baseball

The national pastime is a wonderful game. I truly appreciate many of its nuances and will spend every October much like the one before it — glued to my TV screen with the green grass and the brown dirt on it. However, in many cases, I tend to neglect this game at certain points throughout the year. I hear it cry out to me sometimes in the form of my friends who are more faithful to the game than me.

They say to me during these past months, "how could you have not seen that nine-run comeback by the Yankees, or "how did you not know who Francisco Liriano was? He's tearing up the league!" I still follow the game. but not with the same rigid 162-game vigilance I once did.

The problem is this: the season begins on the first few days in April, when I have clearly contracted March Madness. This highly contagious seasonal flu ravages my body and makes me too physically weak to watch anything other than college hoops as the Final Four and national championship usually wind down around opening day time.

The tournament itself often calls to me more so than any excitement for the upcoming spring training. I know what the tournament will bring to me, all sorts of frantic, incredible, and incredibly important and memorable buzzer-beaters all within a short, condensed time. The baseball season, I have no idea what will bring, and it won't conclude for another six months.

Then college basketball ends. Time for baseball? Not quite. The NHL playoffs begin, then the NBA right after it. Every night there is another big game, a Game 7, an overtime, a poster dunk by Kobe Bryant over Steve Nash that immediately meant more than it should, then a Kobe buzzer-beater two games later that ultimately meant less than it should, or a hockey sudden-death, triple-OT special that has you captivated for hours because every shot could be the end of the world as we know it.

Then these playoffs drag on and on, through late April, through all of May, and then through most of June. Meanwhile, entertaining, sometimes exciting, but hardly critical baseball games are being played every day throughout. Some involving your team, some not, but it has never been easy for me to keep the same passion for a team sport whenever a more team important sport was going on at the same time. To add to this, when you are early into the baseball season and you stop to think about just how insignificant the fraction 1/162 really is, well you may tend to find other options here and there.

Finally, late June comes, the NHL and NBA champions are crowned, and we are done with the distractions and can finally rejoin the national pastime, but not this year. No, now once the NBA playoffs are ending, it's World Cup time. That meant all kinds of new playoff games and systems, it meant three games for Team USA to perhaps show their stuff to the world, and it meant 16 single-elimination games in what they call the "knockout stages" of the tourney. Soccer may not have a lot of scoring, but as a result it sure has a lot of overtime, and every goal scored seems to be an important one, especially with the true championship of the world on the line.

Now the World Cup has ended, along with baseball's first half. It was a first half I did not see all of, or even half of. In fact, most of it I heard about or saw on sports highlight shows while I was waiting to see more NCAA tournament or NBA or NHL playoffs or World Cup. But now, with the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game standing alone on the horizon and the second half stretching out before me, I plan to once again be nothing less than a baseball junkie. While I have a decent outline of many of the game's ongoing subplots, I now look forward to coloring it all in and making the picture complete.

After all, as a Yankee fan, with my team trailing the Red Sox in the standings and struggling with injury after injury, and looking to the sky and praying for not just one but in fact a small army of quality pitchers to make up this small-but-respectable deficit, it's time I started caring again. Time I started to pump my fist and fill my mind with delusions of grandeur when Randy Johnson has a solid start and appears to be heading on the right track again. Time I started throwing the less useful faction of our household appliances and terrorizing my family with anguished cries when A-Rod hits into yet another double play with the bases loaded.

Because now, the margin for error grows thinner with the passing months, and the finish line may still be off in the distance, but it is visible, and there is excitement in the air. There is excitement I feel not just for the Yankees either, as I ponder aloud the rest of the state of baseball for this second half.

Is the Braves' regular-season dynasty coming to a halt?

I think we all know the answer to this, I just can't wait to see what it will look like because it is just that unfathomable not to have the Braves winning the division and in the postseason. Really, it's been this same way since 1991.

Are Mets really better than the Bronx Bombers?

Possibly. However, it's also possible that they benefit from playing in an overall weaker division in an overall weaker league that regularly gets manhandled by the AL in every head-to-head competition since 2003 and every All-Star Game since 1997. They may just have to settle for the New York team most likely to succeed.

When is the real last time we see Roger Clemens pitch?

Just how many mulligans do you give a legend contemplating his last ever start? Are he and Brett Favre trying to make a contest of this? Is Michael Jordan in on it, too?

No more Barry Bonds?

That's right, no making national headlines by going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Not really even making headlines when he hits a home run anymore. Some writers and commentators see this as a void. It was a controversy they could always rely on to scream about, and now that Bonds has passed Aaron and is wandering through the 41 HR desert on bulging knees and varicose veins (okay, so maybe I made that part up, or maybe I'm right, who knows?). Yes, it does leave us with a void, one which can now be filled with actual baseball-related content. Wow, what a concept!

How much longer can Brad Lidge continue his meltdown?

This guy was the baddest man in the 'pen back in the 2004 playoffs. He made a Yankee fan green with envy despite having relied on the comforts of Mariano Rivera over the past 10 years. What has happened to him is on one level sad, yet on another, morbidly spectacular (am I just a sick person or what?). How can a closer with this much talent, that many nasty sliders and heaters, blow it in the big game again and again?

Just in the past month, we have seen him, in a sense, revisit his past playoff failures by blowing an interleague game against the White Sox with a two-out ninth-inning game-tying grand slam to Tadahito Iguchi, and giving up the go-ahead run to the Cardinals' Scott Rolen at home in the last Astro game of the first half. Is Lidge destined to become another Mark Wohlers or Byung-Hyun Kim, a formerly great closer psychologically ruined by a scarring postseason blown save and who never again returns to form?

Can the Tigers be this year's White Sox?

Why not? They have the pitching, they showed signs of coming on strong with tough victories against the pennant-contending White Sox and Indians in September when they had nothing to play for, and they have a revitalized Jim Leyland running the ship. Pudge Rodriguez is their starting catcher. Notice each of the last two guys were single-handedly capable of resurrecting the floundering Marlins, albeit for just a year, and not at the same time. My point is, they could very well do it again. The Detroit Tigers do have — and I can't believe I'm typing this — the best record in all of baseball: 59 wins, 29 losses. How big a collapse would it take for them to blow it? You do the math.

I eagerly look forward to watching all of these unfold without distraction from any more playoffs, just as I look forward to watching my Yankees fight the good fight for that AL East crown once again. And when football season comes in September, well, I may watch those on Sundays, too, if and when it does not conflict with crucial pennant-race and playoff baseball games that I will not and cannot miss. Football will just have to wait its turn like all the other sports did.

I'm just a man with his sports priorities straight. Is that so bad?

Posted by Bill Hazell at 8:00 PM | Comments (0)

2006 NFL Preview: Baltimore Ravens

Last Year

After hovering around the 10-win mark for a couple of seasons, the Baltimore Ravens expected at least the status quo in 2005, especially with the return of a rehabilitated Jamal Lewis. But Lewis was hobbled by an ankle pains and the theme of injuries surfaced on defense as well, nipping key defenders Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Finally equipped with a competent quarterback, the Ravens will look to regain their stride in the coming season, but an aging roster means that there has to be a sense of urgency to win now.

What We Learned From Last Year

Signing a free agent to fill a need is a smart decision. Signing a free agent away from a division rival to fill a need and simultaneously weaken a close opponent is a better decision.

Or at least so the Ravens thought when they signed guard Keydrick Vincent away from the 15-1 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Vincent was supposed to solidify the right guard position, vacated by the departure of Bennie Anderson, but he became the reason for many leaks.

The bulk of the Ravens' offensive failures can be traced to poor performances on the offensive line, which stemmed from questionable offseason decisions in regards to that unit.

Another problematic personnel distinction the Ravens made on their offensive line was to keep Mike Flynn and allow center Casey Rabach, the only offensive lineman to start all 16 games in 2004, to sign with the Redskins. Essentially, the Ravens didn't have much of a choice in the matter after signing Flynn to a five-year contract in 2004, but his play dropped off significantly last year, while Rabach performed admirably in Washington.

But Flynn wasn't the only one to disappoint. Tackle Jonathan Ogden and guard Edwin Mulitalo functioned far below expectations while right tackle Orlando Brown simply looked old.

Needless to say, pass protection suffered greatly and blitzes guided at the center of the line gave the Ravens fits.

Kyle Boller had another garbage season, with the exception of two good outings, both of which were conveniently on national television and against terrible defenses. A toe injury kept him out of seven games, but the team was only 4-5 in games that he started.

With a weak offensive line and spectral production from the passing game, Jamal Lewis could not carry the burden of the offense by himself. He output his worst season as a pro, but I'm willing to give him a mulligan — unlike Boller — because he has proven himself before.

With the signing of Derrick Mason and the emergence of rookie Mark Clayton, the Ravens did finally unearth a capable tandem of wide receivers and their first 1,000-yard man since Qadry Ismail.

On defense, the Ravens were snake-bitten by injuries to key contributors, namely the NFL's two previous defensive players of the year. Ray Lewis, the heart and soul of the Ravens, missed the final 10 games of the season with a torn hamstring, while stalwart safety Ed Reed missed six games with an ankle injury.

On top of the critical wounds to the former MVP's, Chris McAllister had a subpar year and the team was not impressed with what Will Demps brought to the table.

Even so, with so many underachievements, injuries and inefficiencies, the Ravens still won six games and were within four points of winning four more.

For all of their failures, they still remained somewhat competitive and credit is due to a much-maligned coaching staff.

Although the Ravens are aging at several vital positions, with Steve McNair at the helm, at last they can expect steady production out of the offense to support what has perennially been one of the NFL's stingiest defenses.

This Year

Cue the Queen and David Bowie duet, head coach Brian Billick and offensive coordinator Jim Fassel are under pressure.

The type of pressure that burns buildings down, splits a family in two, or puts people like Billick and Fassel in the streets.

And that is where they will find themselves, looking for a new job, should they not produce at least nine or 10 wins.

If Fassel ever wants to find another head coaching gig, he will have to improve the Ravens' 24th-ranked offense, which has not finished higher than 21st since 2001.

One-time NFL co-MVP Steve McNair will be of great assistance. In his 11 NFL seasons, his lowest quarterback rating (70.3) rivals Kyle Boller's best (71.8), which means the Ravens should be able to reincarnate some form of a passing game.

He has a great on-field rapport with Derrick Mason and he has always given his tight ends love. See: Frank Wychek.

The Ravens will likely still be a run-first team, but expect the individual statistics of Todd Heap, Mason, and Clayton to expand in addition to team statistics, such as their paltry 39.1 third-down conversion percentage.

McNair's ability to scramble wanes with age, but he still has decent legs under him. Even so, he will need better protection than the 42 sacks permitted up front last season. What is essential to note is that Kyle Boller has been a poor leader for the Ravens in which nobody really believed in. Now the Ravens find themselves with a true quarterback, one who they will be confident in every week.

It is unlikely Ogden, Mulitalo, or Flynn will duplicate their porous work from last year. All three have rededicated their commitment to hard work in the offseason and there should be some sanctuary going forward. Orlando Brown was released and Tony Pashos will fill his void.

There isn't much depth at the tackle positions, but the Ravens do have a solid interior prospect in Chris Chester, the team's 2006 second-round pick.

If the line cooperates, expect Jamal Lewis to bounce back with a 1,500-yard season. As long as he is healthy, he is still one of the premiere running backs in the league and with the security of a new contract, he won't hibernate like he did last season.

On defense, although it is unclear how many different formations defensive coordinator Rex Ryan plans to install, their 3-4 look should be stouter at the point of attack with first-round pick Haloti Ngata. This space-eater is pretty much what Ray Lewis asked for and he will keep the linebackers clean of blockers when he is on the field.

The Ravens forked over a lot of coin to sign defensive end Trevor Pryce to a five-year contract, who will be 31-years-old come August. The move was puzzling, considering their own free agent, Anthony Weaver, signed with Houston for similar figures and is on the way up instead of on the way down.

Nonetheless, the Ravens should get at least a couple of solid seasons out of Pryce and coupled with Terrell Suggs at the other end, the Ravens should produce more pressure on opposing tackles.

With Adalius Thomas, Suggs, and Dan Cody, Ryan is outfitted with a number of versatile players that can help him show many different formations. He also has the peace of mind knowing that he can blitz more than the average defensive coordinator because he has two of the best cornerbacks in the game.

Samari Rolle and Chris McAllister will take the lead roles while rookie David Pittman, Evan Oglesby, and Corey Ivy will vie for the nickel role. Without Deion Sanders and Dale Carter this season, this is an opening that needs to be filled.

The only real glaring hole in the Ravens defense is the free safety position. They traded for Gerome Sapp, who was previously drafted by the Ravens, but his range is limited in pass coverage. While he may be a liability in pass defense, he is adept at filling and supporting in run defense.

Billick is supposed to be an offense-minded coach but during his tenure in Baltimore, it is the defense that has been the strength. This year, the Ravens have an offense that will alleviate some of the pressure off of the defense and should give Ryan enough time to experiment with formations.

The window of opportunity is still open for the Ravens, but with the coaching staff on their last chance and players like Ogden, McNair, and Ray Lewis past their prime years, this team is a candidate to be blown up should they falter once again.

The bottom line is the Ravens have the talent to make the postseason and do some damage in the playoffs, but how far they go depends on the amount of on-field urgency displayed as a team.

Over/Under: 7.5

This looks like an over, especially when you consider they won six games with a completely inept offense last season. One would have to think that McNair and a healthy Jamal and Ray Lewis are worth at least two more wins. To get to 10 or 11 wins, the Ravens do not have a wide margin of error and that includes injuries. They play: @TB, OAK, @CLE, SD, @DEN, CAR, @NO, CIN, @TEN, ATL, PIT, @CIN, @KC, CLE, @PIT, and BUF.

Fantasy Sleeper

Typically, he's not exactly a sleeper, but he is dozing this year. Jamal Lewis is ranked in the 20s among top-tier of running backs and many pundits are concerned about the signing of Mike Anderson. For the first time ever, Lewis won't be bogged down with eight defenders in the box and as for Anderson, just remember that Broncos running backs typically don't fare very well after leaving Denver.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 6:06 PM | Comments (1)

July 10, 2006

World Cup: Italy Are World Champions

It should have been the curtain call to end all curtain calls. Zinedine Zidane, universally considered one of the greatest players ever to grace the game, was to conduct France's footballing orchestra for the last time in the World Cup Final. The sporting gods of destiny had shined, and it seemed Disney's next movie had been all but written for them. Even in defeat, surely Zidane's epic journey would find a fitting end on the grandest stage of all.

For the Italians, a stuttering campaign had finally caught fire in their thrilling defeat of Germany in the semifinals. Far from the dour, defensive unit which struggled to a 1-1 draw with the USA in the group stage, Italy had begun to exhibit the kind of verve and movement with which we associate the top teams in Serie A. With Juventus' Fabio Cannavaro in peerless form and the influence of Andrea Pirlo growing game by game, the Italians came into last night's final with confidence soaring.

Before an estimated television audience of one billion people, the game took less than 10 minutes to explode into life. Bursting into the Italian area, Florent Malouda was clipped by Marco Materazzi and tumbled to the ground. Replays indicated there was contact between the players, but the referee's decision to award France a penalty seemed harsh on the Italian defender, who appeared to be withdrawing from the challenge.

Cue Zidane. Swaggering calmly forward, the French captain sent Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way and impudently chipped his spot kick in off the crossbar. In do doing, he became only the fourth player in history to score in two World Cup finals, having headed home twice in France's 1998 defeat of Brazil. The grandstand finale beckoned and Zidane looked on imperious form.

Swarming forward, the French smelled blood and immediately hunted a second goal, releasing Frank Ribery and Thierry Henry to carry the ball into the opposing half at pace. Having resisted a spell of intense pressure, however, Italy's pairing of Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso gradually took hold of the midfield and before long the Azurri had drawn level.

Predictably, Pirlo was involved, whipping in a vicious corner, which Materazzi headed firmly past Fabian Barthez in the French goal. It was a moment of sweet redemption for the big Italian defender, and he wheeled away in wild celebration. Moments later, an almost identical chance fell to striker Luca Toni, but he crashed his header against the crossbar. Suddenly, Italy were on top. Materazzi had now been involved in the two major incidents of the match, but his impact on the evening was far from over.

The second half saw the game open up, and both sides had chances to win the game. Buffon saved well from Henry, and then spectacularly from Zidane, whose well-directed header looked destined to provide the fairytale finish. Extra-time beckoned, however, and the game's biggest talking point with it.

With the additional 30 minutes providing little in the way of goal scoring opportunity, and just 10 minutes remaining before a penalty shoot-out, Zidane became involved in a verbal exchange with Materazzi on the edge of the Italian area. Having at first walked away, the French captain turned back towards Materazzi before violently and inexplicably headbutting him in the chest, knocking the Italian defender to the ground. It was unfathomable act of recklessness and one that earned him a straight red card.

Leaving the field to the bemusement of his fellow players, Zidane had forever tarnished his legacy with a moment of unbelievable naivety. Equally, he had left the French team without their captain and one of their first choice penalty takers, as they headed into the tense last throws of a World Cup final, with a penalty shoot-out looming.

Ten-man France managed to hold out, but entered the shoot-out without Zidane, Viera, and Henry, all of whom would have been first choice takers. Ultimately, it was a miss from substitute David Trezeguet that proved the decisive moment of the penalty shoot-out. Materazzi again loomed large — he scored, as did all other four Italian penalty takers, and Marcelo Lippi's expertly coached squad were world champions.

With the national game in the midst of damaging match-fixing allegations back home, this was a triumphant show of defiance by the Italian team and one that will surely lift the spirits of an entire nation. They have proved worthy champions, through clever tactical deployment and moments of technical brilliance. Though Zidane will likely steal many of headlines, this Italy team should be rightly honored as one that conquered adversity and deservedly won the World Cup for the fourth time in their nation's history.

Posted by Will Tidey at 5:48 PM | Comments (7)

Changing of the Guard in LA

With the tentative agreement between Sam Cassell and the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling and Elgin Baylor have shown the NBA that "the other team" in Los Angeles is no longer Clipping costs for wins.

The NBA's 2005-06 season should be here-in dubbed "The Year of the Clipper." There was no more a dramatic turn-around from a historical perspective than what was done last year. For the entire season, the Clippers were in the hunt, made key midseason acquisitions, and showed the West there was a new gunslinger in town. Everybody started to listen, even the media.

Especially in the playoffs, almost everything that was written about the playoffs concerning the Los Angeles Clippers has had to do with their emergence as a contender. Doug Collins praised the efforts of Mike Dunleavy, saying that the make-over for this team started when Dunleavy was brought in (some, however, would opine that Dunleavy's choice to bring in Daniel Ewing in Game 5 cost the Clippers their season). Others looked to Elton Brand, the horse that led Los Angeles to the playoffs for the first time since 1997. I, on the other hand, have a different thought.

In October, during training camp, most of the media had the Clippers towards the bottom of the barrel. They had the horses, but years of Clipper futility had trained the media not to expect much from the Staples Center basement-dwellers. Sometimes when everyone expects so little of you, you start to believe it yourself. Cassell and Cuttino Mobley didn't.

From the first practice of the '05-'06 season, Cassell and Mobley orchestrated a plan to make sure this year's team knew what was at stake, an actual shot at a championship. When Dunleavy called water breaks in the middle of practice, everyone scurried over to the coolers for some mid-practice relief. Cassell and Mobley? They practiced free-throws. Every practice, every water break, there was Cassell and Mobley shooting free-throws during the break. By the end of training camp, it wasn't just Cassell and Mobley bypassing the hydration, everyone did.

Cassell brought an attitude. He came in with the mindset, you're either with making it to the playoffs, or you're not going to make it through the season (see: Chris Wilcox). He did it in Houston as a rookie. He did it in Milwaukee with Ray Allen. Cassell helped Minnesota out of the first round. But his biggest resume filler is what went on in Hollywood last year.

That's what makes this re-signing so special. Elton Brand may be the future of the franchise, its best player, the face of this basketball team — but Cassell, he's the engine.

In the first game of the 2005-06 season, Cassell made it clear what he was bringing to the table, a winner. He scored 35 points in his debut, including three three-pointers in the final five minutes, leading the Clippers' 37-point fourth-quarter charge and a 13-point comeback. He did it again a few games later against his old team Minnesota. During it all, he continued to tell everyone, this is not the old Clippers team. Yet still no one believed him.

It took a first round demolishment of a befuddled Denver team to get everyone's attention, the first playoff series win in California, and the first for the franchise since 1976. Thirty years! Then the acknowledgments started to come. The Clipper bandwagon became a Hummer limo. Even Jack Nicholson showed up at a Clipper game. Clipper Nation was in a state of flux. And after every clutch shot Sam I Am would do his gesticulator dance to show everyone that this team has marbles.

This wasn't a quagmire. Everyone in the NBA knew that the reason for the 10-game turn-around, and the deep run in the playoffs had a lot to do with Cassell being in red and blue. The big question was, would Sterling and Co. put up the money to see 'ol No. 19 back? As little as a week ago, when asked how important the Cassell signing was to the Clippers, Baylor said, "How important is breathing?"

He also said Vladamir Radmanovic and Cassell were the organization's top priority. On July 1st, the first day teams could negotiate with free agents, Radmanovic took the quick stroll across the hall to the Lakers. Clipper pessimists started to worry. Walking around Los Angeles, and talking to Clipper fans this summer, "The Nation" spoke like there was a perfect game in progress, no one wanted to speak about Cassell, no one wanted to jinx it.

The thing was, no one west of the Rockies saw this as an important signing. It was the Ben Wallace sweepstakes. Who would get the best one-sided player in the NBA? Can you tell me how a player who is the second coming of Dennis Rodman gets this much pub? But I digress. Clippers with Cassell, playoffs. Los Angeles with out the veteran point, lottery. That's what it comes down to and that's what everyone knew. What other player carries that much cred? Even in Michael Jordan's prime, the Bulls still made the playoffs the year after his first retirement. Now don't get me wrong, Cassell isn't in the same area code as Jordan, but in terms of winning, they share the same zip code.

So when Sunday came and this flashed across my screen: Cassell reportedly agrees to re-sign with Clippers for two years $13 million. My first thought was that Baylor and Sterling showed the NBA this team is for real, and the Western Conference better watch out. L.A. brings almost the same team to the table next year, barring something drastic in the offseason or regular season, and a Finals appearance isn't completely out of the question.

They have the experience of last year, they have the talent, the depth, the length, size, speed, and shooting to do it, and they're getting better. It's just a matter of believing. And as long as Sam Cassell is leading the offense, Donald Sterling, Elgin Baylor, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sprit Dancers, the media, and all of Clipper Nation are able to believe, and finally after years of torment, breathe.

Posted by Wailele Sallas at 5:01 PM | Comments (33)

July 8, 2006

Bronx Bleacher Bummer

"How am I supposed to let Jeter know how much he sucks with these baby feet on my friggin' back?"

It was a legitimate question. As a Mets fan sitting in the packed bleachers at the House That Ruth Built When He Wasn't Goofy-Faced Drunk, it was my God-given right to be rowdy on a hot New York summer afternoon. After several years of getting dragged to these "Subway Series" interleague games, and after several years of the Yankees corn-holing my team time and time again, the Mets had a lead. A big lead. It was time to be lewd, crude, and an awful guest in someone else's stadium.

Until that damn baby showed up.

The mother and father — early 30s, desperately pretending their social lives weren't over the minute that bundle of joy was delivered — arrived in the bleacher behind me around the fourth inning. Before that, the seats were occupied by a delightful young white teenager who dropped more N-bombs during his 18-outs of cell phone conversations than Jay-Z does in a double album. I was happy to see him move on to a better section, though I wonder if his bitch really is that crazy or if, as was his friend's suspicion, she was just frontin'.

I caught mom, dad, and baby approaching out of the corner of my eye and let out an audible grown. I like to have fun at sporting events, and fun for me involves shouting a few words that I really don't feel comfortable letting fly in front of a 2-year-old girl, let alone her mother (unless she cuts me off in traffic). So I was already feeling muzzled when I felt something on my lower back. I turned to my girlfriend and asked her to identify the object; she replied that the child was on her mother's lap, and had decided to use my spine as a footrest.

"How am I supposed to let [Derek] Jeter know how much he sucks with these baby feet on my friggin' back?"

I didn't intend to say it loud enough for the couple to hear me, but being from Jersey there's really no physical way for me to deliver that line any other way. Within moments, the toddler was done tap-dancing on my kidneys. Within an inning or two, the family had left the bleachers, and I was able to converse like a drunken longshoreman for the rest of the game.

If I did indeed chase them away, should I feel awful? Of course not, because I'm not the one who brought a baby into the bleachers at Yankee Stadium, where jerk-offs like me burn their behinds on metal seats and wait for the right moment to say something smart just to get a rise out of the other team's fans. It's a rule my father made very clear when I was a kid: if you want the family experience, you pay for the lower bowl; if you want the real fan experience, you sit in the cheap seats.

And being that my father was rather ... uh ... "frugal," I spent more time sitting upstairs than Anne Frank.

When I become a father, I'm going to have choices to make when it comes to bringing my kid to a game. Like, for example, would I even bring him or her to a Mets/Yankees or Devils/Rangers game, where passion can quickly turn into punches in the stands? If I did, would I have to sit with the suits to avoid the hooligans? What about if it's a game without that adverse foreign element in the stands, like a Devils/Panthers game? Would I still have to pay to sit downstairs to ensure some family friendliness? Is there even such a thing at a hockey game? How old does a kid have to be to introduce him or her to the glory of the cheap seats?

Looking back on it, my father made the right decision in exposing me to the "real" fans at a young age. It's a different vibe upstairs, and it's a vibe that's directly affected my dedication as a fan. There were situations, during those rivalry games, where I felt a twinge of danger when the guys around us would start going back and forth in a vulgar, aggressive way. But you know what? There actually was a time when there was some legitimate danger and unpredictability in attending a sporting event. But that was before pulsating hip-hop music drowned out the fans during time outs, and before a giant mosquito net prevented fans from catching pucks that went out of play.

You know, the funny part is that the little girl and her parents might have been in the safest part of Yankee Stadium that day: plenty of cops, and outside of my loud mouth there really wasn't a lot of taunting and strident debate between the fan bases. There wasn't even a single fight in the bleachers during what was a dominating win for the hated Mets.

The reason? No more beer.

Either I had forgotten or I just plain missed it, but Yankee Stadium stopped selling beer in the bleachers back in 2000. First the beer vendors stopped coming through the cheap seats, and then all of the concession stands stopped selling brew in the concourse. I imagine local hospitals just got tired of treating bloody Red Sox fans every homestand, so something had to give.

(I always have to chuckle when these stadiums play hardball with beer sales, yet tailgate parties are held unchecked and there's a mile of bars and pubs surrounding the grounds. Talk about passing the buck...)

My best bleacher creature story involves what's now a banned substance in Yankee Stadium's cheap seats. It was 1998 and the Yankees were playing the Padres in the World Series. My friend scored bleacher seats, and I tagged along (without a hint of Mets garb, mind you). Before the game, a woman with a San Diego hat and a cell phone stood up. Raising the phone above her head, she loudly asked the bleacher creatures to say hello to her friend back in San Diego. I'm pretty sure the first thing that hit her was a hot dog. After that, it was anything that wasn't bolted down, including a couple of large $7 cups of beer that saturated her from Padres cap to open-toed shoes. It was the last I saw of her for the rest of the game.

That's what the bleachers, or any other cheap seat, used to be. A place where you wouldn't bring a baby. A place where some dope with a cell phone is going to get more beer thrown her way than a Playmate at a frat party. A place where a loud-mouthed fan of the opposing team doesn't get to say the things this loud-mouthed fan of the opposing team said without at least one threat of physical harm after the game.

On that sunny afternoon in the Bronx, the bleachers had become something I never thought they'd be: safe, sound, and more than a little boring.

Maybe I just need to go back for a Red Sox game.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)

One Amazin' Debacle

As Mondays go, this past one was quite busy around Major League Baseball. Half the schedule pulsed with all the excitement of a collegiate return from summer break as American Leaguers looked to show off their new tans and fattened won-lost records. The other half stirred with the nervous commotion of a support group reuniting to discuss the failures of a fortnight in the real world.

Those would be the National Leaguers.

Among the 14-game slate marking the resumption of intraleague play, one seemed endemic of the National League plight these days. The Pittsburgh Pirates had just shelled the New York Mets, 11-1. It was the Mets' sixth loss in seven games.

On second thought, it shouldn't be surprising that the NL's best team was easily manhandled by its worst. Considering their league's efforts over the past two weeks, it is hard to tell one from the other. The Mets were once the clipper ship of baseball, but a demoralizing 4-8 run against the American League East has left them adrift in the horse latitudes stripped of their wind.

Two weeks ago, Mets fans were primarily concerned with their team's playoff rotation and who among them would be voted MVP. They embraced interleague play as validation of their aspirations for another 1986. National League competition had already told them they were better this year after adding the bat of Carlos Delgado and the arm of Billy Wagner. Now, the American League would tell them that they had improved enough to pose a threat in October. And what better testimony than that of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Instead, the American League had a different message for the Mets, the same one it has been sending the National League for two and one-half years: sail now in your safe harbors of summer, because the seas are rough beyond the breakwaters of September.

The Amazin's got a little surprise when interleague play reconvened back on June 16th. After a 9-1 cross-country road trip, they came home to host the perennially underachieving Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles promptly took the first two.

No matter. The Mets ultimately salvaged, then took a series in Toronto against the AL's newest darlings. Manager Willie Randolph's wetted index finger found wind.

With sails full, they made for Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, only to have the wind knocked right back out of them. Before long, there weren't any more horses to jettison. Willie's crew reached shore in lifeboats, just in time for their aforementioned drubbing at the hands of the Pirates. It was a search for validation gone horribly wrong. But how?

On Wednesday, the world learned of one cause: Pedro Martinez's undershirt.

When you are aware that your team's ace is 2-3 with a 4.76 ERA after changing undershirts, you are no longer in position to debate playoff rotations and MVPs. And when you hold umpires accountable for a grown man's failure to remain upright while walking into a clubhouse to change clothes, it may be too early to start speed-dialing 1-800-OUR-METS for World Series tickets.

Met fans, you know the tape on Martinez. He's competitive, he's masterful, but he's frail and there is nothing $53 million can do to change that. In between seemingly frivolous toe and t-shirt injuries, you will get your money's worth. You can revel in the larceny that brought Pedro to Shea, but you may not decry the gods on those days he breaks down.

Console yourselves in the misery of your league-mates as you go forth into the second half. Twelve others had losing records against the AL, and nine faired worse than the Mets at 6-9. Only two clubs — Colorado and San Francisco — had winning records, while Florida split its schedule.

But there are realizations of the fortnight passed that are not consoling. For instance, the National League finished 98-154 in interleague play, a .389 winning percentage. That's down from last year's .460, which in turn was down from 2004's .496. Monday's schedule featured three AL eight- and nine-hitters that had as many or more home runs than the top power hitters of seven NL clubs. And, worst yet, the last National League pitcher to win a World Series game was Josh Beckett back in 2003. The American League has gone 8-0 since and Beckett has moved over to Boston.

For now, October is as distant to anticipate as it is to fear. The second half offers a steady diet of National Leaguers that will make Flushing forget about the American League for a while. Sometimes, it's nice to know that an ebbing tide sinks all boats.

Posted by Bob Ekstrom at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)

Nadal Sets Up Federer Showdown

Wimbledon had been waiting for a match-up like this for a long time. Marcos Baghdatis, the flamboyant Cypriot who reached the final of this year's Australian Open, has bought much-needed color to proceedings and in so doing has become the darling of the strawberry-munching SW19 crowds.

Standing between Baghdatis and an appointment with Roger Federer in the final was Rafael Nadal, the 20-year-old French Open champion, who few fancied had the grass-court game to reach the later stages when the tournament began. Growing in confidence with each match, Nadal came of age on the surface when he ended Andre Agassi's Wimbledon odyssey with brutal efficiency on Saturday. Suddenly, he appeared a bonefide contender.

Following Federer's sublime, but virtually untroubled defeat of doubles specialist Jonas Bjorkman, centre court desperately needed a genuine contest from the second semi-final, but initially it looked as though they would be disappointed. Nadal blew Baghdatis away in the first set, taking it 6-1 with complete authority.

Sensing a potential humiliation, Baghdatis came out firing in the second set. His trademark drop shots and wonderfully deft net-play suddenly started to click, and a truly magnificent set unfolded. Suddenly, the match that everybody wanted had arrived. "I don't want it end," said Jimmy Connors in the BBC commentary box, lavishing praise upon both players' fearless approach to vitally important points.

Reaching what Andrew Castle billed the "business end of the set," it was Baghdatis who appeared to have the edge. Pushing Nadal's service games, he moved inside the baseline and began to dictate rallies for the first time in the match.

Despite a host of opportunities, however, the charismatic 21-year-old repeatly failed to secure an elusive break and found himself serving at 6-5 down to force the tie-break. Having battled so hard to stay in the set and with nothing to lose, Nadal grasped his opportunity, breaking serve to take a 2-0 lead.

From that moment on, the Spaniard seemed to slip into an extra gear. With Baghdatis unable to shake the disappointment of letting the second set slip away, Nadal grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck and convincingly won the third set 6-3, closing out the contest and securing his first ever appearance in a Wimbledon final.

Watching on, Federer will be extremely wary of Nadal's aggressive approach going into Sunday's showdown. He's failed to beat the Spaniard this year, and having faced little in the way of serious competition thus far, the reigning champion will need to fight hard to secure his fourth straight Wimbledon title.

As for Baghdatis, he has captured the hearts of the British public with some truly captivating play during his run in the tournament. Brimmiing with passion and flair, both he and Nadal are glowing advertisements for the sport of tennis and point towards an exciting decade ahead.

Posted by Will Tidey at 4:50 AM | Comments (0)

World Cup: Italy vs. France

Man, that was a fast 30 days, but the World Cup final is here. Italy and France will vie for global supremacy in the world's most popular sport.

Few would have predicted this final. True, both are soccer powers with long, distinguished histories. Both are strong in all the important departments — depth, defense, and the ability to score. And both possess the necessary experience required to navigate through a treacherous six games to the final.

France started slowly, but found their stride at the most opportune time, against the Spanish. That momentum carried right through to their next game, their best game, when they eliminated prohibitive favorite Brazil. France was in cruise control in the semis against Portugal, but it was good enough to get here.

By contrast, Italy has had several peaks and valleys as opposed to the elliptical ride France took. The Italians were average against the United States and Australia, good against Ghana, the Czechs and Ukraine, but saved their best for last as they ousted the seemingly unstoppable host nation Germany.

Despite their different form, the two teams are remarkably similar. Both are more defensive oriented teams that are comfortable sitting back, relying on their outstanding defenses. And they mirror each other on offense as well, as they prefer to play a counter-attacking style rather than possession oriented buildup.

Each is stable in the middle of the field. Central defense is a strong point for both. Both teams possess quality defensive midfielders as well as attacking ones. And both play with solitary strikers that are capable of finishing.

One main difference between the two is in goal. Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon is an absolute rock, while Frenchman Fabien Barthez is anything but. Any time there is a shot on goal, Les Bleus fans hold their breath, and rightly so. Barthez has looked every bit his inconsistent self, but fortunately for France it has not caught up with them ... yet.

For the most part, every single game in the knockout rounds has been close, and I wouldn't expect anything different now. It will probably be a tight game with few chances, and odds are one goal will probably win it. I think Zinedine Zidane's hollywood ending is trumped by Italy's quality, and the Azzurri get their fourth World Cup title.

Posted by Piet Van Leer at 4:44 AM | Comments (1)

July 7, 2006

2006 NFL Preview: Atlanta Falcons

Last Year

Following up stratospheric success is not simple scutwork. Just ask the Atlanta-based rap group D4L, who dropped off after their hit single "Laffy Taffy," or the Atlanta Falcons, who faltered in 2005 after appearing in the penultimate game of 2004. While the offense remained status quo, it was the defense that wilted as the season wore on, mostly because of injuries and shortages. The coming season poses several questions that will only be answered on the field, none more pressing than if Vick is capable of leading the Falcons to a Championship?

What We Learned From Last Year

A common myth about the 2005 Falcons was that Michael Vick regressed as a passer. If you examine his statistics from the previous two seasons, that is simply not the case.

2004: 15 GP, 56.4 completion %, 2,313 passing yards, 14 TD, 12 INT, 78.1 QB rating

2005: 15 GP, 55.3 completion %, 2,412 passing yards, 15 TD, 13 INT, 73.1 QB rating

Quite frankly, from a passing perspective, his performance last year did not deviate very far from his norm. Sure, his ability to run was severely limited by a knee injury after a Minnesota Vikings delivered a late hit in Week 4, but the meat of this issue here is his inability to pass the football.

Never mind his selection to the Pro Bowl, which was the subject of endless derision by those who know anything about the NFL, to this point, Vick has been a disappointment as a pocket-passer.

The facts are clear: he has completed less than 57% of his passes in each of his five seasons and in only one season has he has thrown significantly more touchdowns, than interceptions. Among the 26 quarterbacks who topped 2,000 passing yards last season, Vick had the fourth-worst completion percentage.

This begs the question: is Vick good enough to take a team to the Super Bowl?

The last quarterback to carry a team to the final game with a completion percentage below 57% was Steve McNair in 1999.

At first glance, taking the Falcons to the NFC Championship game seems like an admirable achievement for Vick, but keep in mind there were only three other teams in the conference with winning records that year.

While completion percentage may prove to be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, as long as the turnovers are limited, one disturbing note about Vick's porous statistics in this offense is that the Falcons' passing game is pretty much elementary. The routes are as basic as it gets, but he still has trouble with reads.

The excuse that Vick had little help around him began to dwindle last season, as the Falcons spent another high draft pick on a wide receiver, Roddy White. With Michael Jenkins, Roddy White, and a stellar season from Brian Finneran, Vick connected a little more with his receivers than in previous years.

While offensive line wizard Alex Gibbs has vastly improved the front five's performance in the running game, the pass protection has been another story. This was a real let down last year, especially how badly guard Kynan Forney and tackle Todd Weiner slumped down the stretch last season.

There is not much to say about the running game, outside the fact that it is one of the best in the business. Warrick Dunn, like wine, gets better with age and TJ Duckett brings the power. Duckett would probably have liked more than 121 carries, but the Falcons stuck with Dunn's hot hand.

With an offense that was in and out, the Falcons needed a reliable defense to remain competitive. An early season-ending injury to defensive back Kevin Mathis immediately tested the depth in the secondary, while further wounds to middle linebacker Ed Hartwell and defensive end Brady Smith would further thin out the roster.

The losses up front were insurmountable, as the Falcons were forced to plug in a rookie Chauncey Davis on the line. Blockers focused in on Patrick Kerney and Rod Coleman, and were getting to the second level with ease by the time the season finished. Without Hartwell, the Falcons moved Keith Brooking into the middle, a position he is not well-suited to play and inserted undersized sophomore Demorrio Williams on the outside.

In the secondary, DeAngelo Hall had a breakout season, but consistently lacked an equal partner at the other starting cornerback position. Bryan Scott, who previously had a stellar at free safety, was moved over to the strong spot in 2005 and was not nearly as effective.

The Falcons have replenished an emaciated defense with several playmakers and should the offense find some consistency in the passing game, they will once again be poised to make a run for the playoffs.

This Year

Blackbirds singing in the dead of night, they will try to take the advice of The Beatles and Sarah McLaughlin, and try to fix their proverbial broken wings and learn to fly.

With the offseason improvements to the defense, they should be able to take flight somewhat — or at least glide out of the 22nd total defense ranking.

The acquisition of John Abraham was a shrewd one, as he adds an explosive element on the defensive line which was not present. Patrick Kerney is the little engine that can, but he does not have the same burst in his first step. With Rod Coleman in the middle — when he fully exerts himself, unlike last year — this front four is going to be a handful in pass protection. However, one concern is how this line will react to the run. Coleman is more adept at pressuring the quarterback than run awareness, Abraham is often overaggressive and can be neutralized by bigger tackles, while Kerney wears down if a team constantly runs at him.

They will need much support from the second level, whose function will bank on the return of Ed Hartwell. He is their most physical presence and is anxious to prove that he is worth the $8 million signing bonus he received last year. Brooking will move back to the outside while Michael Boley will likely round out the three starters.

Continuing the theme of strengthening the middle, the Falcons signed sure-tackler Lawyer Milloy to fortify the 26th-ranked run defense. Keion Carpenter and Bryan Scott played like they had butter on their gloves last year as many tackles slipped their grasp. Milloy is still a premium tackler, but his range in coverage shortens by the season. The team acquired Chris Crocker from the Cleveland Browns, who will start at free safety, but he is a very average player. A better move would have been to shift Scott back to free safety.

The secondary got the biggest boost in the draft with Jimmy Williams, who could very well be a mirror image of DeAngelo Hall. The Virginia Tech standout was a steal in the second round of the draft and is a confident shutdown corner. With Jason Webster manning the nickel role once Williams gets into starting shape, this grouping of defensive backs will be quite strong.

On offense, the heavy burden falls on the shoulders of Michael Vick, once again. Defensive coordinators have spent the past couple of seasons tailoring game plans to curtail his effectiveness, and it has worked. The tight man coverage forces him to fit the ball in small windows, but he has not been able to do so.

There is hope, though, for a number of reasons. For starters, the Falcons hired a new tutor for Vick in quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave. He learned behind Joe Montana and Steve Young as a player, and coached Steve Beuerlein and Mark Brunell to successful seasons.

Secondly, Roddy White has been working out with Vick over the summer and is poised for a breakout season. He came on strong at the end of last season with 162 yards and two touchdowns in the last four games.

During Vick's tenure as the Falcons' quarterback, he has never had a dominant go-to wideout. Tight end Alge Crumpler has been his main man, but an influential receiver could possibly be the missing key to Vick's success. Think about where Donovan McNabb was as a passer prior to the arrival of Terrell Owens.

One of White's strengths is his ability to adjust to the football. That is a skill that will give Vick an error buffer that he has never had. With more than one reliable target, Vick may finally learn to trust his receivers and trust his arm.

The offensive line took a hit when tackle Kevin Shaffer departed for the Cleveland Browns in free agency, but even with Wayne Gandy in his spot, expect the typical solid run protection and average pass protection.

Speaking of status quo, the running game is expected to continue its dominance and considering the Falcons do have the constituents of a Super Bowl contender, they should quell TJ Duckett-to-Pittsburgh trade rumors and keep all their pieces intact. Rookie Jerious Norwood can not fill his role as a bruiser.

Whether the Blackbirds learn to fly or not depends on the Vick chess game: coordinators have figured him out and it is time for him to mature, to grow and to add another wrinkle to his game. If he can, the Falcons and their improved defense are poised for a playoff run. If the same one-trick pony returns, Vick must reduce turnovers to a minimum should they hope to accomplish a winning season.

Over/Under: 8

The NFC is no longer significantly weaker than the AFC and entails several borderline contenders, one of which will likely emerge. I do not believe that team will be the Falcons, especially since their three division mates have all replenished their rosters and they have to square off with the NFC East and AFC North. They may be a better team, but their record may not eventually dictate that. They play: @CAR, TB, @NO, ARZ, NYG, PIT, @CIN, @DET, CLE, @BAL, NO, @WAS, @TB, DAL, CAR, and @PHI.

Fantasy Sleeper

Although it is a bit of stretch to expect top flight receiving numbers from Roddy White, he's worth taking a close look at in the later rounds of the draft. He averaged 15.4 yards per catch last season and has worked hard with Michael Vick to establish a better connection. Michael Jenkins will likely be drafted ahead of him in most pools, but White has more value going forward. One caveat: this is a run-first offense.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 7:54 PM | Comments (1)

Redman Deserves to Be An All-Star

There are a few very special MLB all-stars in the history of the game — players so special that your mind gets tripped up reading their name on the all-star roster.

But this year's American League all-star team has someone truly special — Mark Redman.

You say he's not all that special? Well, my friends, which all-star has received the most attention from the media? The answer is a 32-year-old Kansas City Royal who is 5-4 with a 5.51 ERA as of this writing.

I know what you're thinking.

"Oh great, here's another piece about why the all-star process is flawed and so-and-so got snubbed," you say to yourself while thinking of a dozen players on your favorite team who could been an all-star over Redman.

If you're a Yankees or Red Sox fan, you're probably thinking, "I thought I cast enough write-in votes for our pitchers to get one of them in before this Redman dude."

Well, folks, I'm not here to tell you that he doesn't deserve to sit next to Mariano Rivera or Johan Santana. I'm here to tell you why Mark Redman should be a 2006 American League all-star.

Why Defend Redman?

Journalists are taught to look at every side of a story. In sports journalism, there are always times of the year when the negativity plays out much more elaborately than the positive side of things.

During all-star coverage, we all notice what gets the most pub: snubs. Analysts talk about who should have gotten in, and naturally, the conversation heads toward who shouldn't have gotten in.

No one has even tried to justify the Redman selection. We all know Ozzie Guillen, the guy who selected Redman, can't justify himself. Guillen may be a baseball genius but the things he says to the media never seem to come out right, and it has nothing to do with a language barrier.

So with that, I take on this mission with valiance.

All-Star Criteria

We must first agree on what criteria all-stars are chosen on.

Firstly, and most importantly, is performance. All-Stars are players who have put up better statistics than most of their peers. We can only measure statistics, so all the things a player does that isn't a statistic are often left on the wayside. We'll call this factor "measurable performance."

The second category is "immeasurable performance." For example, Gary Matthews, Jr. made the team and Raul Ibanez was not even considered for the team. Matthews is having a good season (.330/8/43), but so is Ibanez (.286/19/68). Yet Matthews made the catch of the century — it's certainly the greatest play I've seen on the diamond. So that catch counts as something that can't be measured on paper, but is definitely affecting the mind of the managers and players who choose the reserves.

The third factor is fan appeal. The Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox feed off of fan appeal because they play in huge baseball towns. Also, players like Ichiro have entire nations that support them. But unless you're a player who is in the running for a starting spot in the field, this has minimal effect.

The last and probably smallest factor is the "good-guy appeal." It's pretty simple: everyone wants the good guy before the guy with an attitude problem.

Measurable Performance

At first, Redman's numbers are quite horrifying. He's 5-4 with a 5.51 ERA. Even scarier are Redman's stats from the beginning of the season until the end of May: 0-4, 6.92 ERA.

It almost seems like Guillen, the White Sox manager, played a cruel joke on a division rival by picking a player Royals' fans would simply be ashamed of. Then you look into the numbers and realized Redman hasn't been all that bad.

In fact, take out his three worst outings and he's 5-1 with a 4.35 ERA. Remember that he plays with the Kansas City Royals behind him, so you can shave his ERA to at least under 4.00.

But there's a more intriguing argument: left-handed batters are hitting just .176 against him. So when there's a crucial spot in the game and Ryan Howard (or any other lefty) is up to bat, Redman could come in and be a specialist.

One last factor in Redman's favor is the month of June, where he was 5-0 with a 3.74 ERA. Five wins in a month for any pitcher is impressive — for the Royals, it's miraculous.

Immeasurable Performance

Simply put, he is the ace of a staff that is on life-support. It's tough to get knocked around as a pitcher, but it's even tougher when the harsh beatings are relentless.

As a pitcher, you need some time to recover and Redman has had none of that. Just ask Rick Ankiel how hard it is to get back into rhythm once you're off a little bit. The guy simply overcame whatever problems he had at the beginning of the season and is now pitching very well.

In addition, he has done his job very well. He's kept his team in the game nearly every time he has made a start, which is all you can really ask of a pitcher.

Fan Appeal

Let's write out a little equation here: Kansas City + quiet journeyman = no fan appeal.

This is sad, but true. Can you name the last few Royals' all-stars? Ken Harvey, Mike Sweeney ... uh ... Jose Rosado?

All of those players made the team without a big fuss from the mainstream media. We can't say the same about Redman.

This is partially because Redman made it over Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander. Both are young, dominant players who play for contenders — fan favorites, if you will. If Ozzie had any sense of fairness in him, he would have taken those two over two of his own players, Mark Buehrle and Bobby Jenks.

Good-Guy Appeal

Redman's five-game winning streak started when he learned his dad would have to go through a 12½-hour heart procedure.

"He just asked me to win one game for him, and (we knew) that might be the last game that he ever watched me," he told Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star.

In an era where money, greed and steroids have dominated the game, we finally have a good story here — a story we can all relate to. We know the feeling of trying to do well to make dad happy. And even at 32-years-old, Redman reminds us that Major League Baseball is still the same ballgame we played when we were little.

What a thrill it will be for Redman to participate in the All-Star Game knowing his father's watching. It's the kind of thing that makes me, the fan, happy.

Jayson Stark of ESPN wrote that Redman "represented what's wrong with the dumbest rules in baseball," and he may be right.

But I tend to think Redman represents the best rules in baseball — try hard, have fun, and carpe diem. And to me, we need someone who represents that at the highest stage of the game.

Posted by Alvin Chang at 7:03 PM | Comments (3)

Sports Q&A: Real Deal, Please Sit Down

Bert from Washington, DC writes, "Evander Holyfield is set to return to the ring on August 19th after a 21-month layoff. What is the former heavyweight champion's motivation for doing this?"

You have to understand: this is boxing. The word "retirement" is used about as often as the word "punch," or the phrase, "Don King screwed me." So, it's no surprise that Holyfield is coming out of retirement, again, to face journeyman Jeremy Bates in a scheduled 10-round bout. Obviously, Holyfield is motivated to win this fight, because, should he lose, he would face the ignominy of being labeled a "journeyman" himself.

Bates, who last fought in April, sports a record of 21-11-1, with 18 knockouts. Throw in his age, 32, and guess what you've got: not much of a fighter, but a potentially lucrative set of lottery numbers. All you need now is a Powerball number. My advice: use Holyfield's age, 43, or the number of children he has sired, 10.

It wasn't that long ago that Holyfield was fighting in Las Vegas, often for eight-digit paydays in front of thousands of fans and millions watching on pay-per-view. On August 19th, he'll be in Dallas for a heretofore untelevised bout for a five-digit payday, and that's counting the decimals. Once a main-eventer, Holyfield will now be on the undercard of a local cockfighting match, but he has been promised a chicken dinner by the event's promoter. No belt is on the line in the Bates/Holyfield contest, but the match will carry a "Loser Must Leave Boxing For Good" tag, with the victor getting a shot at the winner of the Ed "Too Tall" Jones-Marc Gastineau clash at the North Dakota State Fair in September.

In Holyfield's defense, he has been hindered in his most recent fights by bad shoulders, most likely caused by punching and missing other fighters. Thanks to some intense training, including water aerobics with a Houston senior group, Holyfield is ready for a successful return to the ring. Holyfield is confident that he can beat Bates, and has publicly taunted the Ashland, Kentucky native, claiming that he can beat him "with just one ear." Bates, for his part, is training like never before, trying to erase the memory of six of his 11 losses. He doesn't remember the other five losses.

Holyfield (38-8-2 with 25 knockouts) is 2-5-1 in his last eight fights, and has lost three in a row. The phrase "quit while you're ahead" is not in his vocabulary. Nor is the phrase "quit while you were 2-5-1 in your last eight bouts." Possibly, Holyfield's failure on Dancing With The Stars contributed to his desire to return to the ring. After all, he didn't take a single punch on that show, although his dance partner, Edyta Sliwinska, wanted to slug him several times for his lack of footwork.

Holyfield's last fight, a unanimous decision loss to Larry Donald in November of 2004 in New York, resulted in his suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission for "poor performance." Holyfield protested the suspension, and it was changed from a "medical" suspension to an "administrative" one. In layman's terms, the commission said, "Evander, you can fight, but not here. Another beating like that, and we'll have to charge your opponent with assault."

Holyfield says he wants to be heavyweight champion of the world. It's an admirable, yet lofty goal, and one that is reachable if all the chips fall his way. However, at such as advanced age, the chips aren't likely to fall, nor are any of his opponents. Win or lose, Holyfield should retire for good before he's retired for good by someone else. Holyfield definitely has the heart and chin of a champion, but he needs to hang up the gloves for good. No man who's had his ear bitten off by Mike Tyson has anything left to prove.

Orville from Dayton, OH asks, "A major doping scandal has rocked the 2006 Tour de France. Is the presence of banned drugs in cycling as widespread as that in baseball, and will this hurt the spectacle and grandeur of cycling's greatest event, as well as other sports?"

Not surprisingly, Barry Bonds' name turned up in the drug report that led to the dismissal of several Tour favorites, including Germany's Jan Ullrich, Italy's Ivan Basso, and American hopeful Paul Reubens. Drug scandals have haunted the Tour in the last few years, and urine tests are becoming an integral part of the race. In fact, race organizers have decided to award the yellow jersey, normally worn by the overall race leader, to the cyclist who successfully passes the most urine tests.

The French certainly aren't concerned with personal cleanliness, but when it comes to drug cleanliness in their beloved Tour de France, they don't mess around. Are the French behind the investigation in this latest drug scandal? Maybe, maybe not. The probe took place in Spain, but the French newspaper L'Equipe probably had something to do with it, and probably ratted out several cyclists.

After all, L'Equipe publishes an article every six months or so accusing seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong of performance-enhancing drug use during his reign. As usual, Armstrong denies the charges and the allegations fade when no proof is presented.

The French are obviously upset that an American has dominated their national treasure for seven years, and will do anything to tarnish Armstrong's image as a clean cyclist. And the French have a right to be upset. I think all of America would be equally upset if a team of Frenchmen won the Super Bowl seven-straight years. That will never happen, but if it did, I know one thing: the French would wear white.

This cycling scandal proves that the drug problem in the sport is as notorious as baseball's problem with banned substances. The only difference is that cycling's icon, Armstrong, has escaped relatively unscathed, while baseball's current icon, Bonds, is considered anything but clean. Maybe Armstrong is simply a better liar. Or maybe he's clean of drugs, like he says. If Bonds was a cyclist, he would have a peloton of suspicion hot on his tail. And his support vehicle wouldn't be carrying his cycling team officials — it would be carrying his team of lawyers. And there's no way Bonds would even fit into a cyclist jersey.

What does all this say about drugs in the sports? Well, the drugs are there, and both baseball and cycling seem intent on finding them. But cycling's governing body is a bit more swift in taking action since several top riders were banned just days before the start. In baseball, it seems, a player's name can appear on a drug report and nothing is done, even when a highly-credible source like Jose Canseco implicates said player. In a related story, Jose Canseco was seen pedaling furiously through France offering cyclists free injections and autographed photos for ten francs.

Can the popularity of the Tour de France survive despite this drug scandal, and others that are sure to follow? Of course it can. Have drugs spoiled the popularity of baseball? Not at all. Sports fans have a short attention span. Is anyone booing Bonds now? Maybe fans are watching to see him fail in his attempt to catch Henry Aaron's home run record. The point is, they are watching. And the Tour de France's drug scandal won't hurt its popularity at all. Thousands of fans will still line the stage route, no matter the cyclists that have been suspended or those under suspicion.

Cyclists could be carrying drugs across the Alps for delivery to some drug lord and fans will still come out to see. Drugs or no drugs, fans want to see athletic performance. And, as a result of Armstrong's performance in the Tour, a surge of American fans are watching, even though Armstrong is not racing. Do you want to pique Americans' interest in the race even more? Then start televising the administration of drug tests. And have the athletes take a polygraph test before they receive their drug test results. If an athlete fails a drug test, a gong would be the perfect indicator. That's high drama. I know it doesn't beat the excitement of televised blackjack, but what does?

The suspicion of performance-enhancing drugs, if not the drugs themselves, will always be a part of athletics. No sport will be totally clean. Just wait, somewhere down the line, drugs will turn up in the bloodstream of an Olympic curler, or a world-class table tennis player, or Tiger Woods' caddie. Do athletes need drugs to be successful? No. Do athletes need drugs to think they'll be successful. Many do. Will any amount of drug activity keep fans from watching a sport? I think it's been proven that fans will watch, no matter what.

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or comment? Need a babysitter? Do you need a good defense lawyer recommended? Need those nude photos of your lady friend authenticated? Then send the pictures along with your question, your name, and hometown to [email protected]. You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, July 21st.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 6:25 PM | Comments (0)

July 6, 2006

Five NFL QBs to Watch in 2006

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. What does the Fourth of July mean? Well, besides flags, parades, fireworks, and backyard barbecues, it means we are another holiday down and that much closer to the start of the pro football season. The question fans are asking themselves as we get ready for training camps: will my team have the talent to produce some fireworks on the field this year?

If there is one position that is key to this question, it is the quarterback. Not to knock the other positions, but if the QB struggles, odds are the team will struggle. So I thought I would share with you five quarterbacks worth watching in the coming season. I believe that these players will make or break their team's chances of success in a significant way. If they shine, their team could be a playoff contender. If they struggle, the team could be at home come the post-season.

Ben Roethlisberger

Let's start with my favorite team, and the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. It hasn't been a real good offseason for the men in black and gold. They lost Super Bowl star Antwan Randall El to free agency and Jerome Bettis to retirement. Rumors were swirling around that head coach Bill Cowher was also mulling retirement. Number one pick Antonio Holmes has been arrested twice. To top it all off, franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a nasty motorcycle accident while riding without a helmet. Suddenly, it felt like the Steelers' chance of a Super Bowl repeat was slipping away even before the season began.

After a few tension-filled days, however, Ben seems to be making a quick recovery and the Steelers still have the talent to regroup and make a run for the postseason. But Roethlisberger is critical component of that run. Backup QB Charlie Batch is a capable and veteran player, but he is injury-prone and doesn't have all the tools that Roethlisberger does. Rookie Omar Jacobs has a lot of potential, but will need time to develop. No, if the Steelers are going to build on the success they had last year and attempt to build another dynasty, they are going to do it with Ben at the helm.

Besides the obvious issue of his overall health, and his ability to recover from his injuries, what am I looking for from Ben? Two things: leadership and play-making. The first issues is important with the retirement of Jerome Bettis. Bettis was a motivating presence on last year's team. With his absence, Roethlisberger will need to continue to take on more of a leadership role — he'll have to make this his team. In big games and during tough times, the team will look to him and he needs to provide the stability and presence that will make those around him perform at the highest level.

One way to inspire your team mates is to make plays in key situations. Roethlisberger is clearly capable of doing exactly that. During last year's playoffs, particularly in games against Indianapolis and Denver, Ben was in the groove from the start and helped get the Steelers out to an early lead. The success of the passing game seemed to get opponents back on their heels and allowed the Steelers to play with confidence and discipline. Despite making some gutsy plays, Roethlisberger's Super Bowl performance didn't match the expectations of the previous couple of games. He seemed out of sync for much of the game and made a couple of critical mistakes that gave the Seahawks a chance to get back in the game.

Taken together, leadership and play-making abilities is what separates good QBs from great ones. When you think about quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Brett Favre, John Elway, and Joe Montana you think about how they were the unquestioned leader of their teams and how they made the big plays when the game was on the line.

Roethlisberger certainly has had an amazing start to his career. He was thrust into the starting role and took a veteran team on an amazing 15 game winning streak. In only his second season, he was able to reach the Super Bowl and win. He has shown flashes of brilliance and clearly has loads of potential. The question is whether he is going to continue on from good to great. For that, and other obvious reasons, I will be watching Ben Roethlisberger this year.

Steve McNair

Steve McNair is one tough hombre and a dangerous one at that. If he can get his body on the field of play, you can't count him out. On many occasions in the last few years, he has seemingly single-handedly willed the Tennessee Titans to a win. The problem has been keeping that body in one piece so he can lead his team.

So the question is whether his new team, the Baltimore Ravens, will be able to protect him and keep him on the field. If he can stay healthy, the question becomes does he have enough weapons to jump-start an often anemic offense? On paper, things look intriguing. Jamal Lewis is back after a sub-par season and they have added Mike Anderson to add depth at the running back position or alternatively to challenge Lewis.

The receiving corps has some potential. McNair is reuniting with former Titans teammate Derrick Mason who should be his go-to guy. The Ravens are looking to second-year receiver Mark Clayton to continue to develop as a threat opposite Mason. And the excellent pass-catching TE Todd Heap provides another great target.

But can the Ravens put it all together in a tough division? Can the offensive line protect McNair and keep him healthy? Will the defense be porous and force the offense into shootouts? The Ravens seem like a big question mark to me. I wouldn't be surprised if they were highly competitive, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they really struggled. I will be watching to see how a competitor like Steve McNair impacts this organization.

Donovan McNabb

Another tough QB coming off an injury-plagued season is Donovan McNabb. McNabb also plays in a tough division and carries the weight of his team on his shoulders. The question is does he have enough talent around him? I am not so sure. Losing Terrell Owens to Dallas was probably good for the locker room but it will hurt on the field. I am not sure Brian Westerbrook is an every down running back who will keep defenses honest. TJ Smith is a solid TE, but who is the real threat at WR? Reggie Brown? Just to rub salt in the wounds, not only do the Eagles lack a play-maker, but they will have to face T.O. twice during the season.

I think it will be fascinating to see how McNabb responds both physically and mentally to last year's disastrous season. For this reason, and some great divisional rivalries, I will be keeping my eyes on the Eagles this year.

Phillip Rivers

Talk about pressure. Phillip Rivers was a number one draft pick and viewed as a potential franchise QB. And yet he hasn't played more than a couple of regular season games the last two seasons. Now he is thrust into the starting role with Drew Brees' move to New Orleans. The Charger fans were heartbroken about missing the playoffs last year and now are relying on Rivers to get them back to the postseason. I am sure Rivers is excited about finally being the starter, but that is a lot of pressure.

Luckily for him, he has LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield and that should help take off some pressure. But he will be playing in a very competitive division and lacks a real go-to receiver. Keenan McCardel, Eric Parker, and Rashaun Woods won't scare anyone. I am sure TE Antonio Gates will be a frequent target, but one of the other wideouts will need to step up if Rivers is to be successful.

After the whole Ryan Leaf fiasco, it should be interesting to seem how the Chargers' latest first-round draft pick develops.

Drew Brees

Speaking of Drew Brees, he is another QB I will be watching in 2006. Brews struggled at first, but eventually developed into a Pro Bowl QB at San Diego. He cashed in on that success and is now the go-to guy in New Orleans. The question is can he bring success to the struggling Saints franchise?

Obviously, the people of New Orleans have bigger things to worry about than football. But they have to be excited about the potential of first-round draft pick and Heisman winner, Reggie Bush. Brees also has to be excited about having that type of weapon around him. After all, he was used to having LaDainian Tomlinson around. If Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth can stay healthy and put up consistent numbers, then Brees might have a formidable offense. But the offensive line has to be a concern. Brees will need time to throw if he is to succeed and stay healthy. And that front line doesn't look all that stable or deep.

Rookie head coach Sean Payton will have to try and put the ugly past few seasons behind him and start developing a winning team. With all of the heartache and trouble that town has seen, it would be nice to see him succeed.

***

The above list just scratches the surface of the interesting QB story lines in the NFL. You have Daunte Culpepper in Miami and Carson Palmer in Cincinnati seeking to return from serious injuries and lead their team to the playoffs. You have Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells trying to use Terrell Owens to make one more playoff run. You have Jake Plummer looking to redeem himself after a lackluster playoff performance and after his team moved up to take a QB in the draft. You have Brett Favre hoping to end his career on a positive note after last year's debacle. Practically every team in the league has questions at the QB position in the immediate or near future. It is a position in almost constant flux and yet critical to a team's success.

This is yet another reason why I can't wait for football season. How about you?

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry at 6:44 PM | Comments (2)

Wimbledon and All Else

Unfortunately for Wimbledon, the World Cup has taken center stage in the world of sports, despite some of the best weather the courts at SW19 have seen in years, the existence of some high-quality tennis, topped with contested matches.

The biggest sporting event in sports, the World Cup, has overshadowed Wimbledon, just as it did Roland Garros two weeks earlier. Well, of course, that is unless you are an American. Other than the Americans who think it's "cool" to make fun of World Cup and the crazy soccer fans, or even dare to call soccer "boring" (while calling the slowest sport of all-time, baseball "the national sport," go figure!), tennis fans around the world have made Wimbledon their second choice these last two weeks.

There is something to be said when Andy Murray is playing against Andy Roddick on Centre Court and the majority of the spectators had earphones on, making "ooh" and "aah" sounds every time England missed a penalty against their World Cup quarterfinal match against Portugal.

In fact, there is a lot going on at Wimbledon. France's Zinedine Zidane is not the only 34-year-old athlete in the spotlight. Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden, out of nowhere, has come and captured the hearts of many by reaching the semis against Roger Federer. At the time of this article, the match has not taken place yet. I must confess, however, that somehow it feels like Zidane has a better chance for a happy ending than does Bjorkman.

There is also Rafael Nadal, who is trying to prove that what Bjorn Borg did at his time is indeed possible and not superhuman. So far so good for Rafa! Only two sets lost in the second round and nine sets in a row won since then, without facing a break point. He has Jarkko Nieminen and Marcos Baghdatis standing on his way before facing most likely Roger Federer for another edition of the "critically-acclaimed" rivalry. Unless a serious mental block is in question, Federer should come out on top of this "grassy" edition.

There is also an exciting set of players who will be facing each other during the semifinals. You will not find a better final four than Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Maria Sharapova, and Amelie Mauresmo on the WTA tour currently. The first clash of the Belgian ladies on the grass courts of Wimbledon promises to be especially intriguing considering how one-sided their rivalry has been in favor of Henin-Hardenne when facing each other in the Slams.

Of course, there is the depressing fact that there are no Americans left in the quarterfinals. Same can be said for the British. On the lighter side, there is once again crazy people running into the court to voice their agenda, this time two father's rights activists entering the court during Federer/Mario Ancic quarterfinal match. There is also Martina Navratilova, who said for the umpteenth time that she will retire. I wonder how long it will take this time around for her "spotlight" addiction to kick in again.

After a climactic Sunday which features both Wimbledon men's finals and World Cup final match, it will be all over. For soccer fans for about a month there will be nothing but useless transfer talk. For tennis fans during that same period, there will be some ATP International Series tournaments, a group of tournaments in Europe that are on clay, kind of lost between the Slam-oriented summer season and the beginning of U.S. Open series.

If you have not followed my advice from my previous article and planned to go to one of these fantastic locations as your planned vacation, fret not, my friends! You can always pick up a tennis book and entertain or educate yourself, depending on your perspective. Here two book reviews for those interested:

1) The Agassi Story, Written By Mike Agassi

If you are reading this because you want to read about Andre Agassi's life, you may be disappointed. About a third of the book is solely on Mike Agassi's life before Andre, and the kids before Andre. It all written from Mike Agassi's point of view. I sensed a little bit of the same apprehension that I had when I read John McEnroe's You Cannot Be Serious in that Mike Agassi is still in touch with the people in his life and he is still active in his worklife. It's too bad because like McEnroe, Mike Agassi has to hold back with his comments about certain people, remains too diplomatic at times, is protective of the people that he favors, all of which contribute to a bit of a shadow when rating the candidness of the book.

However, the book is still a fantastic story of a man who made a colorful life for himself out of nothing during his childhood. I found that the description of the intriguing childhood of Mike Agassi coupled with the part of the book not involving Andre Agassi was the best of what this book has to offer. Because his life in Iran and the first part of his life in U.S. immediately following his immigration to the U.S. happen to be the periods that he can talk about freely, he didn't worry about consequences of his thoughts and words. Overall, this book remains above average, but probably should not be a priority on your list of "tennis books to read."

2) Big Bill Tilden, Written By Frank Deford

This was the second time that I read this fascinating book. The first time was about 12 years ago, which was why I did not include it in my first article that contained book reviews.

Before I write a review about it, I wanted it to be fresh in my mind. This is masterful book written by one of the best in the business of sports. The second time around, it was even a better experience, as this book remains one of the very few books to give detailed facts not only about Big Bill Tilden himself, but is filled with fascinating anecdotes about the time period and where tennis stood with the culture of the society back in the beginning of the century.

The reader starts the book to learn about Bill Tilden, and goes through the book wondering at the complexity of the tennis world in that era, finished the book finally still wondering about the complexity of this man's persona and character.

This book would make a great biographical movie, except that any producer would have a hard time finding an actor to play the role of Bill Tilden, meaning he must fit the profile of a tall lanky man, a man who can hit a decent tennis ball, and who can successfully profile a pedophile with homosexual tendencies. Overall, a must read, I would place it in my top five tennis books to read.

Until next time, take care, everyone.

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 5:27 PM | Comments (2)

World Cup: Zidane Bows Out on Top

Zinedine Zidane, arguably the most extravagantly-gifted player of his generation, will showcase his mesmeric skills for the last time in Sunday's World Cup Final. The 34-year-old French captain has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance at this year's tournament, rolling back the years to earn himself a fitting last dance in Berlin's Olympiastadium.

In the historic arena where Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics, France will face Italy with Zizou hoping to lift the World Cup for the second time in his illustrious career. The three-time FIFA World Player of the Year scored twice in the 1998 final, leading Les Blues to their first ever title and confirming his place among the all-time greats of the game.

Born in Marseille, Zidane began his professional career at AS Cannes before moving to Bordeaux in 1992. An elegant midfielder with the ability to create space and ghost past opponents with ease, he accelerated his rise to worldwide superstardom with a move to Italian giants Juventus in 1996. Scoring breathtaking goals and leading the club to two successive Serie A titles, Zizou enjoyed the halcyon period of his career in the late 1990s.

In 2001, the French captain became the most expensive player in history when he joined the galacticos of Real Madrid in a deal worth 66 million Euros. Packed with world famous players such as Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, and Raul Gonsalez, Madrid won the Uefa Champions League in his first season with the mercurial Frenchman scoring the winning goal.

On an international level, the Zidane-inspired French followed their 1998 World Cup triumph with victory in the European Championships of 2000. With huge expectancy preceding their 2002 World Cup campaign, however, Les Blues crashed dramatically from brilliance to mediocrity, losing to Senegal in their opening game and leaving Korea/Japan without scoring a single goal.

After a similarly disappointing outing at the 2004 European Championships, Zinedine Zidane announced his decision to retire from the national side. For a moment, it looked as though his pirouetting footwork and visionary ball distribution had left the world stage forever.

To the huge relief of fans all over the world, however, Zizou decided to come out of retirement in 2005 and help a struggling French side qualify for Germany. "I have gone back on my decision," he said, "one year after I said it was categorical." Everything was in place for the old master to sign off in glorious fashion.

As the French arrived at the finals, expectation levels were low — the team had done little to impress en route to Germany and signs pointed towards an aging squad resting on the laurels of past achievements. Two lackluster draws against Switzerland and South Korea did little to silence the doubters, but the team scraped through to the round of 16 with a 2-0 defeat of Togo.

Having appeared a shadow of his former self in the opening round, Zidane exploded to life as the knock-out stages began. With his swaggering brilliance returned to the French midfield, they stormed past Spain and the old master capped a superb display with a typically subtle strike in injury time.

In the quarter final against favorites Brazil, Zizou gave a virtuoso performance to be ranked among the best in his long career. Controlling the midfield with effortless panache, he managed to overshadow Brazil's host of stars and led France to the semiFinals with a deserved 1-0 victory. Back to their best, the revitalized French had little trouble dispatching Portugal in the semiFinals. Naturally, it was a penalty from Zidane that sealed their deserved 1-0 win.

With Sunday's mouthwatering final approaching, it would take a brave man to predict anything other than a champagne performance from the French captain. Ultimately, an encore on the grandest stage of all would prove a fitting climax to a sparkling career, but whatever the outcome, Zidedine Zidane has long sealed his place among the true footballing greats.

Posted by Will Tidey at 5:23 PM | Comments (5)

Joe Torre Not Just a Baseball Great

When people hear the name Joe Torre, they immediately think of what a great manager he has been for the New York Yankees. Of course, that is true. But to take all of his other accomplishments and "back seat" them would be unfair just because the man has excelled at this point of his career even higher than before.

Born July 18, 1940 in Brooklyn, Joe grew up a New York Giants fan in a Brooklyn Dodger part of town. His first big league season as a player was 1960 with the Milwaukee Braves. The following season, he played in 113 games and hit .278 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. He played with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves until he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for 1B Orlando Cepeda on March 17, 1969. He was acquired by the New York Mets on October 13, 1974 for Ray Sadecki and Tommy Moore. He was named player-manager on May 31, 1977 and took over full-time manager status on June 18, 1977.

His record as Mets manager is not a true reflection of his skills. The team was downright terrible and did not spend any money on players. Perhaps a good note on his Met managerial tenure was that the team avoided 100 losses in his five seasons at the helm.

He took over the job in Atlanta in 1982 and promptly delivered a National League East division crown to a franchise that had been struggling for a long time. His three seasons at Fulton County Stadium produced a first- and two second-place finishes. He went on to manage the St. Louis Cardinals from 1990 to 1995, finishing as high as second.

When Yankees owner George Steinbrenner made a manager change after the 1995 season, people looked at it as another time he was budding in for the worse. Buck Showalter had just led the team to a wildcard playoff appearance and seemed to have them going in the right direction. Torre was not a very successful manager, and struggled in his stay in St. Louis. Why would the Yankees make this change?

Call it a hunch, or intuition. Torre became the first native New Yorker to manage the Yanks and promptly won the World Series in 1996. No need to go into all his other accomplishments with the Yankees, as I'm sure all of you are well aware of them.

But off the field, Joe really shines. He survived prostate cancer in 1999 and missed the team's first 36 games that season while recovering from successful surgery in St. Louis. Along with his wife Ali, he started the Joe Torre "Safe At Home" Foundation in 2003 to aid in the prevention and awareness of domestic violence. He made the public aware of his story growing up in that environment and is using it as a tool to help others.

In addition to his on the field awards, he has also won the Milton Richman "Gotta Have Heart" Award by the NY Chapter of the Baseball Writers of America Association, the Joan Payson Community Service Award by the BBWAA at their 2005 awards banquet, and carried the Olympic Torch in both the 2002 Games in Utah and the 2005 Games Torino, Italy.

Torre is one special person, and a heck of a baseball manger, too.

Posted by Joe Pietaro at 4:36 PM | Comments (1)

July 5, 2006

2006 NFL Preview: Arizona Cardinals

Last Year

Followers of the Arizona Cardinals were as optimistic as the makers of the Da Vinci Code movie heading into the 2005 season, but then similarly fell way short of expectations. Dennis Green's Mona Lisa smile was quickly wiped off his face as his team was bludgeoned by a score of 96-43 in the first three weeks. After another losing season, an impressive draft, and a decent showing in free agency, the Cardinals are once again being lauded as an up-and-comer, but if the praises are not accurate, this may be Dennis Green's last supper in the desert.

What We Learned From Last Year

There is a reason why the Arizona Cardinals have had the lowest attendance since the start of the new millennium: they have only produced one winning season in the last 21 years.

2005 was no different — attendance or record wise — and an offseason of positive indoctrination and Anthony Robbins tapes were tossed out the window after week one.

Dennis Green did not have much trouble rewiring a young team and convincing them that their direction was up. The problem with such an inexperienced group is that if early wins don't accompany the optimism, then buying into that rosy outlook becomes an arduous task.

Finally equipped with a competent quarterback, Kurt Warner's Cards were high on life heading into Giant Stadium to face his former team in Week 1. They carried the momentum through to half-time, along with a six-point lead, but then, in typical lovable-loser fashion, allowed the Giants to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown (first time in 50 years that has happened) en route to a 42-19 loss.

From there, a fickle team's confidence only decreased as they trudged into their bye week with a 1-4 record.

One of the team's biggest failures was their inability to run the ball with any sort of consistency. Marcel Shipp, who was on the mend from a leg injury, and highly-touted rookie JJ Arrington were the ineffective culprits. Shipp's typical blue collar-like performances were nowhere to be found while Arrington, the 2004 NCAA rushing leader, struggled to adjust to the professional game. The tandem combined for a measly 821 yards and two touchdowns. As a team, the Cards racked up the second-worst NFL rushing total since the 1970 merger.

While the rushing game labored, the passing game did not reciprocate. Anquan Boldin thanked the team for his contract extension by catching 102 passes in 14 games and his tag-team partner Larry Fitzgerald, although overshadowed by breakout seasons from Santana Moss and Steve Smith, blossomed among the NFL's elite wide receivers with 1,409 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns, and a Pro Bowl appearance.

The success of the passing game further perplexed pundits as to why the running game was stuck in first gear.

The blame fell squarely on the shoulder of an offensive line that was ravaged by injuries and chemistry problems. Guard Reggie Wells and center Alex Stepanovich only started nine games while tackle Oliver Ross only appeared in 12. With so many personnel shortages on the line, the Cardinals seemingly had more starting front fives than Larry Brown's New York Knicks.

Without a cohesive unit up front, the Cardinals were atrocious in short-yardage situations, particularly on third-down and in the red-zone, where they tallied the second-worst scoring efficiency.

The lack of punch inside the opponent's 20-yard-line benefited the emergence of kicker Neil Rackers, who was simply outstanding last year and deservedly received an extension.

The defensive line also succumbed to an exorbitant amount of injuries, as well, helping the Cardinals lead the league in "the players placed on injured reserve" category (with 15).

The front four lacked depth to begin with, so it wasn't a surprise that the Cardinals wore down as games progressed. The middle of the line lacked bulk and was consistently exploited. It was not a surprise that the rushing defense allowed a league-worst 22 rushing touchdowns.

Furthermore, long-term injuries to vital contributors such as defensive end Bertrand Berry and cornerback Antrel Rolle crippled an already shorthanded defense. Even so, outside linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Adrian Wilson were consistently shining and borderline Pro Bowl selections.

The bottom line was that without any semblance of a rushing attack, the Cardinals were unable to keep possession of the football and limit the amount of time a developing defensive unit had to spend on the field.

The signing of running back Edgerrin James is projected to address exactly that, which, once again, is raising expectations for a talented offense and a growing defense.

This Year

If there is one lesson the Cards took forward into their 2006 offseason, it is that you can't build a house on a shaky foundation. Credit VP of Football Operations Rod Graves for coordinating a strong offseason where he diagnosed and addressed team needs at several positions, including the offensive line.

The Redbirds enhanced the depth chart with guards Milford Brown (free agency) and Deuce Lutui (draft), but they are banking on intangibles such as chemistry, cohesiveness, and health to be the real difference on this year's front five.

Legitimate starters are present at both tackle positions with Leonard Davis and Oliver Ross. Guard Reggie Wells, when healthy, was very steady last seasons and Alex Stepanovich, who is an adequate starter right now, can develop into a premier center if he improves on his power. The right guard position will be filled by Milford Brown, but don't expect Will Shields. He was one of the reasons why the Houston Texans line consistently crumbled like a stale cookie last year.

With second-year guard Elton Brown, who had the opportunity to seize a starting job last season, but failed, and the rookie Lutui, there is depth at the interior positions, but the same cannot be said on the ends.

While there is speculation as to how the line will hold up, there should be no concerns about the skill players on the offense. Boldin and Fitzgerald can rival the best starting wideout tandems and Warner still has the outstanding accuracy that earned him two MVP awards.

The addition of Edgerrin James to the backfield should fix the bulk of the short-yardage difficulties from a season ago and will unquestionable provide the team with a proven pony. Marcel Shipp, JJ Arrington, and NFL Europe's rushing leader, Roger Robinson, will duke it out for the backup duties.

If rookie tight end Leonard Pope can contribute right away, it will be a nice touch to an offense that has sorely missed production from the position for a long time. One thing to note is that with James' sticky hands out of the backfield along with Pope and possibly an improved Bryant Johnson in the slot, Warner will not only have more options to pick out, but he will have the added feature of more short routes and more check downs in case of emergency.

On defense, the Cardinals have added a lot of bulk to a defensive line that sorely lacked it, but the question is how good is the quality?

Tackle Kendrick Clancy got a big payday after a career year in a contract year and he will have to duplicate his production to prove his worth. Fourth-round pick Gabe Watson has boundless potential as a space-eater, but his laziness dropped him three rounds because of it. Regardless, young stud Darnell Dockett should face less opposing attention, and so will the linebackers.

Rounding out the front seven, Karlos Dansby highlights the linebacking unit. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast is experimenting with former first-rounder Calvin Pace at linebacker after he busted as a defensive end. If the move works out, Dansby will move into the middle. On the weak side, the defense will need much better production out of Orlando Huff this time around. He is entering the final year of his contract, which might help.

The secondary is steady at the back with Pro Bowl snub Adrian Wilson at strong safety and savvy vet Robert Griffith at free safety. Much of the cornerback play will bank on the return of 2005 first-round selection Antrel Rolle, who is still enduring lingering knee pains. Even with reliable play from sophomore Eric Green and David Macklin, the corners will need a lot of help from the defensive line. The team has flirted with the idea of injecting a veteran presence like Ty Law, but bad memories of Duane Starks and Dexter Jackson serve as a deterrent.

The Cardinals have been known as an NFL nobody for years, but the times are a changing. For starters, they are moving into a $455 million retractable roof stadium — its playing field will be moved outdoors for exposure to sunlight and rain and is the only American building to be named in BusinessWeek's top 10 sporting structures. More importantly, it is completely sold out for the 2006 season. The perception of the team has changed, and so has the roster and so have the goals.

They are now being talked about as somebody, now they just have to prove it.

Over/Under: 8

Injuries hampered what should have been a decent offensive line and they should prove that this year. As long as Warner and James stay healthy, expect the Cards to be quite competitive simply because of their offense. Even though the cornerbacks and the linebackers should be viewed with some trepidation, the Cards have the talent to be the second-best team in the NFC West. They play: SF, @SEA, STL, @ATL, KC, CHI, @OAK, @GB, DAL, DET, @MIN, @STL, SEA, DEN, @SF, and @SD.

Fantasy Sleeper

Amongst the many high fantasy draft picks on the Cardinals offense, leader Kurt Warner is likely the one who likely will be drafted in most fantasy leagues. He passed for 2,713 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games last season, but the offensive line was deplorable. Opposing defense's can no longer disrespect the rushing attack, which should translate into many more clear passing lanes. This has the makings of an explosive offense and everything will go through the quarterback.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

To Have and to Chokehold

In the far corner, weighing in at 238 pounds, hailing from Jacksonville, Florida by way of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, the golden arm of Philadelphia's beloved Phillies and yooooour defending champion, Number 39, Brett Myers.

And in the near corner, weighing in at 120 pounds, coming to you direct from Jacksonville, tonight's challenger and Brett's beloved missus, Kim Myers.

Doesn't exactly sound like a Thrilla in Manila. Just an Accostin' in Boston, and one still receiving a bit more notoriety than Major League Baseball or Commissioner Bud Selig would prefer. Indeed, last week's first-round TKO of Kim Myers by husband Brett was merely an undercard as baseball issues go. June's main event, of course, was Ozzie Guillen's latest epithet that so offended the humanitarian sensitivities of MLB and homosexual baseball fans everywhere.

When news of the altercation involving their star pitcher reached them, the Phillies organization must have breathed a collective sigh of relief. A man's clenched fist landing twice in his wife's face was certainly a regrettable occurrence, but at least he didn't call her a "fag" in the process. And, yes, pulling her along by her hair was inappropriate, but he's white and she's white, so there are no minority interests to placate. The Commissioner's Office will distance itself from the whole affair.

By all means, hand that man the ball.

Lacking any higher authority in the Phillies' organization with enough moxie to intervene, the decision to let Myers make his appointed start against former idol Curt Schilling the next day vested entirely with Manager Charlie Manuel. "He was gonna pitch," the skipper decided of his 5-3 ace, who carried a 3.77 ERA into the game. For his part, Manuel applauded his decision. "I thought he could handle it. He did handle it. I thought he handled it pretty good."

But did Manuel? Or the Phillies organization?

The manager drew parallels between Myers' obligation to take the ball and his own days back in the sawmill when he was expected to show up for his shift. "Brett has a job to do," he pointed out, "so why wouldn't he be able to do his job?"

For GM Pat Gillick, it was less about the sense of duty than about the winning. "I think it's [starting Myers] in the best interest of the club," he asserted in a rare breach of political decorum. "He's our best pitcher."

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian also seemed to agree, reportedly defending Myers' right to earn his living during a radio interview earlier in the week. Of course, no one is pointing out that Kim had the right to eat solid food. She's just a bit incapacitated at present to exercise that right.

Maybe it was the cascade of boos from 35,564 fans greeting Myers each time he took the mound during the nationally televised game that first rippled the surface of popular opinion. Perhaps grassroots vigilante efforts of the Boston and Philadelphia media in the ensuing days magnified those ripples into waves. In any event, the National Organization of Women and Women Against Abuse finally felt their own boats pitch and added their voices early last week. Better late than never.

Phillies president David Montgomery could no longer pretend a tempest wasn't brewing. He broke his silence with a carefully crafted statement last Tuesday, the same day Brett Myers announced a voluntary leave. A day later, the Phillies optioned him to Class-A Clearwater. Meanwhile, Bud Selig prefers to wait for a conviction before deciding what should be done. After all, those purple spots on the left side of Mrs. Myers' face may just be the latest summer colors by Revlon.

Baseball apologists, this is the queue for your grand entrance. You know who you are but in case you forgot, your hearts will remind you as they break beneath your breast and bleed through your shirts over the very mention of misfortune involving one of your stars.

You are ones who would separate Pete Rose the player from Pete Rose the manager so that the former may cross the thresholds of Cooperstown. You are the ones who pity Sammy Sosa for accidentally grabbing a practice bat. You acquit Barry Bonds of any illegal activity and even applaud his resourcefulness in gaining an edge on his competition. Worst of all, you accuse me of being a racist because I don't ascribe to him the same place of honor afforded Babe Ruth who, of course, illegally consumed beer during Prohibition.

Apologists: you are legion, you are enablers, and your arms-wide-open embrace of the game's most despicable players is the main reason I will always have to search out that asterisk key every time I comment on the so-called greatest.

I'm sure it was for your inevitable suffering that Brett Myers felt most contrite in his last post-game interview when he said, "I'm sorry it had to get public."

Posted by Bob Ekstrom at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 17

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson nearly lost his points lead with a 32nd-place finish at Daytona, due to a crash on lap 142. Johnson was battling between the No. 43 car of Bobby Labonte and Kurt Busch's No. 2 when he got loose, lost control, and pinned the No. 43 to the wall. Johnson's 93-point lead is now down to a mere eight.

"My apologies to Bobby Labonte," says Johnson. "I saw the No. 43 car and expected to see the 'STP' logo on the hood. Much to my surprise, I saw the 'Cheerios' cereal logo instead. Can you imagine 'The King,' Richard Petty, driving a car with 'Cheerios' on it? I can't, either. The shock of it all caused me to lose control. Chalk it up to a racing incident."

"And when I push Jimmie off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic," replies Labonte, "you can chalk it up as a 'walking incident.''

2. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth's fifth-pace finish, coupled with Jimmie Johnson's troubles, left him only eight points out of the points lead. Kenseth overcame a potentially-troublesome pit road bump-up with Dave Blaney's No. 22 car, and avoided accidents that plagued his teammates.

"The secret to restrictor-plate racing," says Kenseth, "is having your accidents on pit road at 20 miles per hour instead of on the track at 180. And steering clear of runaway beachballs on the track doesn't hurt, either. Do you know the damage a beachball can do to a car traveling at 180 mph? Absolutely none. What's the deal? Doesn't NASCAR have enough reasons already to fly a caution flag? What's next? Caution flags for a swarm of gnats?"

3. Tony Stewart — Stewart captured his second consecutive Pepsi 400 with a late pass of pole sitter Boris Said and held on to win under caution for his second win of the year. Stewart then performed his familiar victory routine of climbing the catch-fence, but this time added a twist: climbing down the other side into a sea of adoring fans.

"Man, I thought I stunk after a race," says Stewart. "Those fans are rank, and I think there's a few pickpockets in the bunch. But it was cool to have a few bras thrown at me. I felt like Elvis out there. I just hope those bras were worn by women. This is NASCAR, after all. Fans tend to be a little chubby, as well as drivers, for that matter. Anyway, for my next victory, I plan on doing a stage dive from atop the flag stand. Hopefully, there will be fans brave and/or foolish enough to catch me. But let's not discount Boris Said's performance. And I'm not talking about his driving; I'm impressed that he can get a helmet over all that hair."

With the victory, Stewart advances two spots in the points to fifth, where he is 299 out of first.

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt's fortunes at Daytona were much better in his Busch car, which dominated Friday's Winn-Dixie 250. Earnhardt led 88 of 103 laps en route to a commanding victory. In Saturday's Pepsi 400, starting 35th, the No. 8 Budweiser led eight laps and finished thirteenth. Still, Earnhardt moved up two spots to third in the points, 267 out of first.

"I guess Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated in no longer the king of the restrictor plate race," says Earnhardt, "but Budweiser is still King of Beers, and Michael Waltrip is still the clown prince of NASCAR. I enjoy watching Michael every week on Speed Channel's Nextel Cup Live. Not necessarily to hear what he says, but to see what type of open-toed footwear he'll be wearing."

5. Kasey Kahne — Kahne followed his 31st-place finish at Sonoma with a 25th at Daytona, which cooled off NASCAR's hottest driver after two wins and two sevenths in his previous four races. Kahne is now fourth in the points, 292 behind Jimmie Johnson.

"I lead the Nextel Cup series in wins, poles, and number of teeny-bopper fans," says Kahne, rubbing his chin while contemplating when he'll be able to shave. "And I lead quite handily in all those categories. And since Brian Vickers is leaving the No. 25 car, it would make perfect sense for my No. 9 car to have that Garnier Fructis hair product sponsorship."

6. Kyle Busch — Busch chased Tony Stewart across the line to finish second at Daytona, and brother Kurt followed to make it a 2-3 Busch finish. Kurt was then issued a traffic citation by local Daytona police for following too closely. An enraged Kyle then tossed his HANS device at the officer, then left in a huff, spinning his tires. He was subsequently ticketed with a wreckless driving violation. When all was said and done, Kyle improved four places in the points standings, and now sits in eighth, 406 out of first.

"In all of NASCAR's glamorous history," explains Kyle, "no other brother combination, not the Allison's, not the Burton's, not even the Bodine's, have ever finished a race back-to-back, although Dick Trickle and his brother Pete finished 39th and 41st in the 1992 Duke's Mayonnaise 400 in North Wilkesboro."

7. Jeff Burton — Burton blew a tire in Thursday's Happy Hour session and wrecked his primary car, requiring him to resort to his backup for qualifying and Saturday's race. With set-up time limited, he could only manage to qualify the No. 31 Cingular car 39th, but with 400 miles on Saturday night to work out the kinks, Burton brought home a 15th-place finish.

"I'm still searching for that elusive win," says Burton. "Unfortunately, I didn't get it, but I was inspired by the presence of Vice President Dick Cheney. His never-ending quest to find those weapons of mass destruction has brought him to Daytona. I think NASCAR wanted VP Cheney to wave the green flag to start the race. He politely declined under the mistaken assumption that the starter begins the race with a starter's pistol, like in track and field races. The last time Cheney handled a gun, someone got shot in the face."

8. Mark Martin — Martin was collected in a late crash triggered by teammate Greg Biffle when Biffle's No. 16 car was upset by turbulent air. Biffle came down into JJ Yeley, and Martin slammed Biffle while Yeley wiped out Jeff Gordon. Martin eventually limped home in 33rd and fell two spots in the points to sixth, 324 out of the lead.

"It certainly was a disappointment to get caught up in a wreck when a top-10 was a sure thing," says Martin. "And it's even more upsetting that Greg Biffle was responsible for wrecking half of the Roush Racing squad. But all of that disappointment is tempered by the news that female rap impresario Lil' Kim is getting her freedom after a year in the slammer. As a fellow rapper, it does my heart good to know that skeezer can get her life back. Now, maybe we can do that duet she's been promising me. I think we'll call it 'Your Bump Draft Makes My Heart Race.'"

9. Kevin Harvick — After a poor qualifying effort of 32nd, Harvick charged to a ninth-place finish in the Pepsi 400, giving him two top-10 results for the weekend. On Friday night, Harvick finished third in the Busch Series Winn-Dixie 250, and increased his points lead to 388 over Carl Edwards. In the Nextel Cup standings, Harvick is in ninth, 413 out of first.

"At this rate," says Harvick, "I should be able to concentrate solely on the final ten races of the Nextel season. I should have the Busch title cliched by then. And since 1995 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve might be coming to NASCAR, I might just decide to take his place in Formula 1. That's exactly what F1 needs: an American hard-ass."

10. (tie) Jeff Gordon/Greg Biffle — Gordon followed his best finish of the year, a win at Sonoma, with his worst, a 40th at Daytona. Not that it was his fault. Gordon was primed for a run for the checkered flag when he was victimized in a crash started when Greg Biffle bumped JJ Yeley into Gordon. Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet suffered inoperable damage, and he was done. Biffle was able to continue, and finished 31st. Both drivers dropped out of the top 10 in points. Biffle is now 11th and Gordon is 12th.

"Biffle must have seen the 'Superman' logo on my hood," says Gordon, "and assumed that my car could survive being slammed into the wall, much like Superman himself can survive bullets to the chest. He was wrong."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

July 4, 2006

Sports GOSPY Award Nominations

People know about the ESPYs. I'm not sure how many people know, or how many important people know, but those are the awards given out by ESPN for the best of whatever in sports for the past year. I wholly appreciate honoring the year's bests, but the ESPYS leave out so many potential great categories. After all, Mark Cuban is going to stop talking about his dick size unless he can win an award for doing so. Enter the GOSPYs.

The GOSPYs pickup where the ESPYs left off. This is the debut year for the award, but I think it's going to catch-on in less time than it takes Chris Berman to pickup a leather-clad girl in a bar. Without much more adieu (there will be a little more), here is the unveiling of the categories and nominations for this year's GOSPY awards.

A little adieu — there was a great deal of deliberation for these awards, but the list isn't final. I will unveil the winners in about 10 days time, so if I've left out some deserving individuals or if you have an idea for guest presenters, drop me an e-mail at [email protected].

Best Scandal

This is the big award. It's an honor to even be nominated, but the winner of this has taken scandal to an entirely new level. These nominees have disgusted, delighted, and generally entertained the nation through sex, arrogance, destruction, and losing. The nominees for Best Scandal are:

Terrell Owens — From the pushups on the driveway, the whole training camp debacle, to the circus that constantly followed him, T.O. set a new standard for divas in the NFL.

John Daly — His colossal gambling losses, numbering into the millions, set off a few solid weeks of discussion on gambling overall, including the not-so-major revelation from Charles Barkley. Still, Daly deserves a nomination, even if he's a long-shot to win it all.

The Vikings' Loveboat — Anytime you get strippers, hookers, and football players together, you know you will have a memorable time. Throw in a double-pronged sex toy and put it all on the water, well, then you have a decent scandal. If it's the thing that turns around a season, then you get a GOSPY nomination. Seriously, though, I still think this "sex party on a boat" thing is revolutionary, it's just the tip of the iceberg and it will forever change slumps and how athletes deal with them.

Barry Bonds — I can't remember why he's on this list. Hmm. Maybe it will hit me later.

Duke Lacrosse — This is the rich, white kid version of the Vikings party. No hookers and the only sex toy was the stripper that was allegedly "raped." And I use the "" only because it's not settled yet and it's much simpler than saying "the stripper that claims she was raped" or that the Lacrosse players "allegedly raped her."

No matter how you score it, it's a major scandal. It was front and center of our airwaves for too long to be ignored. Like most scandals involving rich people, though, it boils down to jealousy. When you are a superstar you can buy as many sex toys as you want. When you are born into your wealth, strippers are your sex toys.

Best Pickup Line

"You're with me, leather." — Chris Berman

"For every billion dollars I have, my dick gets 10 inches longer." — Mark Cuban

"Honey, there's a fly on under your eye. Hold still while I get it..." — Brett Myers

Best Couple

Brett Myers and wife

Santonio Holmes and girlfriend

Chris Henry and 18-year-old hooker

Heather Mitts and AJ Feely

Hottest Female in Sports

(let's be honest, this is pretty much a "best female athlete" award)

Heather Mitts

Maria Sharapova

Jenny Finch

Tanith Belbin

Erin Andrews

Danica Patrick

Best Juicer

Barry Bonds

Jason Grimsley

Jason Giambi

Jose Canseco

Best Sports Gospel

Anna Benson vs. PETA

Barry Bonds, Ultimate Underdog

Why God Hates the Colts

Making The Fan Cut

Ultimate Fighter
(I know that isn't a Sports Gospel, but it is a brilliant piece written by me)

Best Cross-Over Star

Carson Palmer, Cornhole

Jerry Rice, Dancer

Ben Roethlisburger, Demoliton Derby

Brett Myers, Ultimate Fighting

Tommy Zbikowski, Boxing

Jeff Samardzija, Football/Baseball

Best Chris Henry Arrest

Marijuana in his shoe

Giving underage girls booze before screwing one of them

DUI

Pointing a gun at a group of people, then throwing the gun into a limo

Best Coach

Ozzie Guillen

Pat Riley

Stan Van Gundy

Bill Cowher

Best Sports Website

(outside of any that carry this column, of course)

Deadspin.com

SportsByBrooks.com

ESPN.com

SI.com

Best Sports Video Game

Madden 2006

FIFA World Cup '06

College Hoops 2K6

College Baseball

Most Annoying Person Ever

Dick Vitale

Jay Mariotti

Stephen A Smith

Jay Mariotti

Best Sports Talk Radio Host

Colin Cowherd, ESPN Radio

Jim Rome, Premier Radio networks

Dan Patrick, ESPN Radio

Mark Chalifoux, Cincinnati ESPN Radio

Best E-Mail

Re: "Why God Hates the Colts"

Mark, Shame on you for attempting to mock Jesus Christ. This can't be good for your career.-Tom

Re: Anna "The Animal Murderer" Benson in a TKO against PETA?

If TKO stands for "Trapping, Killing Ogre." Well, at least an ogre only eats other humans. I'd pay good money to see an ogre eat Benson from furry head to toe. And I'll save Mark Chalifoux the inane post comment by saying, "Yes, I will enjoy my new position at PETA." I'll enjoy it as much as your new position in HELL.

-Tim

Re: Anna Benson vs. PETA

I do not know you, but I am not quite sure why you, as a sports journalist, would defend Anna Benson's rant against PETA? Regardless of my personal opinion of Anna or PETA, I find her to be inarticulate and comical. Why take her seriously enough to write an entire column dedicated to one of her childish rants? The woman is obviously stupid, why dedicate a column to her? There are so many beautiful wives in professional sports, why do you have to pick the trailer park trash to write about? You are adding fuel to her fire, and goodness, the world does not need to hear anymore of her opinions regardless of what they are. You just lost a reader.

allyson

Re: JJ Redick vs. Adam Morrison

Redick is the BEST! He's a good guy and the AWESOMEST basketball dude I know of! Oh, and my freinds and I were making a chart of physical attractions AND JJ Redick FIT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!!!!!!!! He is such a hottie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Superman in Sports Award

In honor of the recently-released movie, "Superman Returns," this award goes to the player who is closest to superhero status in sports. Too often big stars are involved in scandals or are torn down by other means, so this award goes to the player who can rise above it all to be a role model for everyone. A lot of pressure, yes, but that's why this is such a big award.

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat

Lance Armstrong, Team LiveStrong

Tiger Woods, Team Tiger

***

There are your categories and nominees, let me know if I left someone deserving off the list or missed a potentially great category.

The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. All readers get a 10% signup bonus at BetOnSports by entering "Sports Gospel Promo" as the promo code. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on SC. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 7:06 PM

Cinderella and Cinderfella at Wimbledon

While the story of the 2006 All England Lawn Tennis Club Championships (that's Wimbledon, if you don't know) is the announcement of Andre Agassi's impending retirement following the U.S. Open, there are some very special stories still in play. One of the best things about the stop in merry old England is that without fail there is always a Cinderella/Cinderfella story. This year is no exception.

I'm sitting here watching Severine Bremond take on Justine Henin-Hardenne in one women's quarterfinal. If there was ever a Cinderella story, this one is it. Bremond has been around the tour for a few years, but has never done better then the second round in any of the major tournaments, and hasn't really distinguished herself on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Hovering around a ranking of 100, Bremond entered the tournament through the qualifiers. Then, amazingly, took out three top seeds to reach this pinnacle. Swiss Miss number two, Patty Schnyder, Gisela Dulko (interviewed here last year), and Ai Sugiyama all fell to her aggressive style.

If there was ever a tournament or surface suited to her game, the grass here is it. Severine is not shy when she says that her early hero was Boris Becker and that she tries to play in his style. Becker had his penultimate success at SW19, so it would follow that Bremond would do best here. The interesting thing is that her record on grass isn't overall better then her record on any other surface. Her serve is one of the better ones on the WTA Tour, and works well on the grass, at least this year.

Today's match is close, and I have to admit that Bremond looks very good. Henin-Hardenne will probably prevail, but Bremond is not going down without a fight. Six-four in the first. I wonder, how many of her French compatriots took the Chunnel today to see her play.

The other Cinderella story is Na Li. Coming out of China, Li has done extremely well this year, starting with a great showing at the Hobart, Australia tournament. Seeded 27th here, it would not seem unlikely that she would not have gone a few rounds. But she has been almost more amazing then Bremond. Starting with tough tour veteran Virginie Razzano, Li has also taken down three great players in succession. Probably a tougher draw than Bremond, as Li had to make it through Razzano, Meilen Tu, French Open finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova, and re-hot teen Nicole Vaidisova to make it to her appearance today against reigning U.S. Open champion (and soon to be Jersey Girl) Kim Clijsters.

The appearance of the Chinese on the women's tour has been a good story all year, with the doubles team of Yan Zi/Zheng Jie taking the Australian Open doubles and making it to the French Open semis. Na Li has not truly distinguished herself on tour, but has played strong and up to her potential. Li will fall today (it's 4-3 Clijsters right now), but has had a great showing.

The Cinderfella story here is the same one from the Australian Open, Marcus Baghdatis. Baghdatis took out Brit via Scotland Andy Murray to reach the men's quarterfinals. Murray had dispatched number two American Andy Roddick in the previous round, and looked like a contender on home soil. But Marcus and the pressure of the Queen was too much for Murray. Baghdatis has the pixie dust this year, and at the Big W it seems likely that he might even make it past Lleyton Hewitt to make it to the semis, where he will find Rafael Nadal waiting for him. Either way, it has been a great run for him here in 2006.

I'm sure you noticed that I haven't commented on the fact that there were no Americans left in the singles draws after Monday, and that only one made it to the second week. There are still Americans playing, only you have to look to the doubles and mixed doubles to find them. Let's just leave it for now that there will be a future column on the state of American tennis and what I feel needs to be done to fix it.

So that's it, I'm off to have some more strawberries and crème, with a flute or two of champagne. Wimbledon is just like a fairy tale. I really love this tournament.

Posted by Tom Kosinski at 6:30 PM | Comments (0)

World Cup: France vs. Portugal

The second semifinal of the World Cup features a resilient Portugal squad against a surprising French team that has overcome a slow start and ferocious competition to advance this far.

After winning their group, Portugal immediately ran into stern competition in the form of the Netherlands. The Dutch made life difficult for Portugal, but the hotly-contested match ended with 20 cards, including a World Cup record four red ones, but eventually with the Portuguese on the winning side, 1-0.

They moved on without their suspended star midfielder Deco and faced mighty England, who they dispatched with in another tight contest that also had its share of controversy.

They might be cunning. They might be deemed less than savory. The majority of soccer fans view Portugal in a more cynical light — cheats. Even Valentin Ivanov admitted after refereeing the Portugal/Netherlands debacle "You would expect some dirty tricks from the Portuguese. They are known for time-wasting or hitting from behind."

All that said, Portugal still has to be given credit for their survival until now. They have conceded a solitary goal to Mexico in what was more or less a meaningless group game, and battled their way through two of Europe's most established powers.

If Portugal though can be hailed for their difficult road to the semis, France should be given a medal of valor. They barely survived their group before running into tournament darlings Spain, who they dispatched in a brilliant display of high-level football.

Up next were tournament favorites Brazil. Again, France put on a clinic, displaying their competence with the utmost of professionalism. Les Bleus dominated the possession. They dominated scoring opportunities. They dominated the much-ballyhooed Brazilian attack. France just plain dominated Brazil, and quite justifiably emerged with a 1-0 victory.

Much of the recent French success can be attributed to the re-emergence of Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman who has looked ordinary for the last year and a half at Real Madrid has suddenly rekindled his magic of years ago. And much of that credit goes to the rest of France's hard-working midfield.

Frank Ribery and Patrick Vieira have been exceptional, while Claude Makelele has been at his workmanlike best. The three have given Zidane the space and time necessary to demonstrate that he can still be included with the world's best.

I doubt Portugal will allow Zidane to enjoy the freedom he has been experiencing in the middle of the field. Phil Scolari hasn't won 12 consecutive World Cup games without knowing what he's doing. And with Deco back, Portugal should be more lethal than ever.

France though has gone through too many obstacles, overcome too many barriers to let Portugal get in their way. It will be another strong defensive performance by France and Thierry Henry will solve the defensive Portuguese riddle and their fans will be singing Allez Les Bleus to the final.

Posted by Piet Van Leer at 6:19 PM | Comments (0)

World Cup: Germany vs. Italy

Gary Lineker's famous quote that "football is a simple game — 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win" usually is right on point, except for one notable exception. And that team happens to be the roadblock between Germany and the final.

Italy has never lost to Germany in the World Cup. In fact, the last time Italy took home the title, it was Germany they beat, in the 1982 final.

Germany and Italy have some recent history, as well. On March 1st earlier this year, the Azzurri ran rupshot over the Germans, thrashing the World Cup hosts by a 4-1 count. This humiliating loss brought much skepticism to the Juergen Klinsmann regime, including several higher ups that called for the German coaches' resignation.

Klinsmann though was quick to note that that game was in Florence. Tuesday's match is in Dortmund, and as Klinsmann likes to point out, he has yet to lose a game in the friendly confines of Germany.

If styles do indeed make for great matchups, this game promises to be an absolute delight. Germany will be at their enthusiastic best, wanting to play an up-tempo game to satisfy the demands of their fans. They will feed off that energy to push the Italians all game long.

Surprisingly, in their last game against Argentina, Germany chose to sit back and let the South Americans dominate possession, as long as the bulk of it didn't take place in the German end of the field.

Much of that philosophy was based on the notion that Argentina was technically superior to Germany, and as long as the men in blue were content to knock it around amongst themselves in a non-threatening manner, the hosts were more than willing to let them do it.

The Italians though are almost the complete opposite of the Argentines. The Azzurri continue to implore the catenaccio, as evidenced by every game in this tournament with the possible exception of their last match.

Catenaccio, or "door-bolt," emphasizes a tight defense and carefully selected counter-attacks. Therefore, the bulk of the game should be played in the Italian end of the field.

Italy manager Marcello Lippi might decide to make a change though. He could opt to surprise everyone and take the game to the Germans, much as Mexico did to Argentina in the Round of 16. Italy has the personnel to do it, which they proved in Florence last March.

Another thing working in Italy's favor is the absence of Torsten Frings. The defensive midfielder is expected to be replaced by the more offensive-minded Tim Borowski, making Francesco Totti the beneficiary. The Italian midfield maestro will look to expose the weakness Frings leaves in the midfield, and Totti is a dangerous man when given space, something Germany will have to be aware of.

Lippi though will probably stick with his conservative ways and try to use the Germans' aggressiveness against them. This strategy could backfire, though, and with the way Germany is playing, coupled with their home crowd advantage and their strikers' form, it will be too much for Italy to overcome.

Posted by Piet Van Leer at 3:11 AM | Comments (1)

July 3, 2006

A Major League All-Star "B" Squad

Remember the old days when Major League Baseball used to hold two all-star games? Or how about when the NFL would have a "playoff bowl" between the two teams that lost the conference championships? Both of those occurred back in the 1960s and gave fans a chance to see a handful of baseball players play in the second game who didn't get selected for the first one, or to see a "what if" game that could have been the NFL championship.

Those brought to mind a "what if" all-star team for this baseball season — if the guys who have been voted in or selected by the managers couldn't or wouldn't play, who would? Besides, many writers fall back on the cushion of ranting about who shouldn't have been picked and who's getting ripped off. So, rather than taking that angle, how about this: what if ESPN2 decided to stage a game with players who won't be playing next Tuesday? Taking a quick peek at the stats to this point, here's who I would vote for to fill the rosters.

Before I get to that, though, I do have one thing to say about this year's voting and managerial selections. How do the Detroit Tigers, owners of the best record in baseball, only have two guys on the American League roster? But I digress. Here are the starters for each league, by position, with a handful of pitchers tossed in for good measure. By the way, these rosters also do not include the 10 players involved in the "final vote" coming up this week.

American League

C Victor Martinez, Cleveland — Hitting a respectable .296 with 10 HR and 50 RBI, both second best among AL catchers.

1B Justin Morneau, Minnesota — Leads AL first-basement with 66 RBI and is second with 20 HR; also hit's a decent .288 with a .562 slugging average.

2B Tadahito Iguchi, Chicago — A decent power hitter for a second baseman with 8 HR and 37 RBI, both third in the league at that position; also bats .290.

3B Joe Crede, Chicago — Batting .302 with 15 HR and 55 RBI, one of just three AL third-basement with more than 50 ribbies (the other two are all-stars).

SS Carlos Guillen, Detroit — Has more HRs than all-star reserve Michael Young (9 to 5) and RBI than starter Derek Jeter (47-46), and hits .298; also has stolen 10 bags and legged out two triples.

OF Shea Hillenbrand, Toronto — Batting .310 with 11 HR and 35 RBI; also has a dozen doubles.

OF Trot Nixon, Boston — Only has six HR, but has clobbered 20 doubles and driven in 42 runs while hitting at a smoking .332 pace.

OF Marcus Thames, Detroit — Has a .652 slugging average thanks to 16 HR and 15 doubles; also has 32 RBI with a .310 average.

SP Mike Mussina, New York — Has 104 strikeouts with only 22 walks, a 9-3 record and a 3.17 ERA.

SP Curt Schilling, Boston — A 10-game winner (10-2) with a 3.54 ERA, 102 strikeouts, and only 14 walks.

RP Anikori Otsuka, Texas — Has 16 saves to go along with a 2.31 ERA; also has 28 Ks and only five walks in 35 innings pitched.

RP Joe Nathan, Minnesota — Has struck out 47 and walked just four in 34 innings of work; also has 14 saves with a 1.85 ERA.

National League

C Johnny Estrada, Arizona — Has a .317 batting average with 6 HR, and leads the NL's catchers with 20 doubles and 44 RBI.

1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee — Sports a .519 slugging average along with a .283 batting average, 20 doubles, 16 HR, and 43 RBI.

2B Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati — Hitting .320 (second-best among NL second basemen) with 7 HR and 44 RBI (also second-best in the league at that position); also has swiped 16 bags without being caught.

3B Garrett Atkins, Colorado — Has a .308 average with 10 HR and 53 RBI; also has 23 doubles, second-best among NL third basemen.

SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida — Only hitting .270 with three HR and 20 RBI, but has 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts and five triples, both second among NL shortstops.

OF Jacque Jones, Chicago — Hitting .306 with 14 HR and 42 RBI; also has 16 doubles and a .525 slugging average.

OF Brad Hawpe, Colorado — Has a .309 batting average with 15 HR and 46 RBI; his slugging average is a stellar .569 thanks to 15 doubles and four triples.

OF Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati Only hitting .260, but has been on fire of late with 17 HR and 47 RBI (his potential power display is always worth a look).

SP Brandon Webb, Arizona — 8-3 with a 2.85 ERA, 90 strikeout,s and two complete-game shutouts.

Aaron Harang, Cincinnati — Has 109 Ks in 112.1 innings pitched with a 3.45 ERA; also has a 9-5 record with three complete games (two shutouts).

RP Chad Cordero, Washington — Has 13 saves with a 3.16 ERA.

RP Mike Gonzalez, Pittsburgh — Has a dozen saves with a 2.76 ERA.

Posted by Adam Russell at 8:25 PM | Comments (2)

NFL Rookies Enter Fishbowl Existence

The NFL Rookie Symposium was held in San Diego last week. Representatives from the league office and the NFL Players Association educated every single player that was drafted this year on life in the National Football League. Every player must be in attendance as the program is mandatory or the non-participant is subject to a hefty fine.

Players have missed the program before, just ask Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins. Mr. Taylor missed the mandatory program although he could have benefited from the sound advice given. Over the course of two years, he has been arrested for a DWI (which was later dropped), a felony count of aggravated assault with a firearm, and one misdemeanor count of simple battery (which he settled for a lesser charge involving a punishment of community service). You see, Sean Taylor got real lucky as the prime of his career could have been spent behind bars.

Staying behind bars isn't the only way to potentially end a career — it could result by essentially flipping over them. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to ever lead his team to a Super Bowl trophy, faced more than just a potential career ending motorcycle accident three weeks ago. The man could have died. You better believe riding motorcycles and other dangerous activities were discussed at some point this week. Helmet or no helmet, riding a motorcycle substantially increases the likelihood of a player being injured.

Some players are not nearly as lucky as Big Ben and Sean Taylor. This decade-old program for NFL rookies plays a vital role in preparing these young men for the challenges they will face as their professional career just begins to take off. They will be presented with many temptations on and off the field.

Former USC linebacker Lofa Tatupu, now of the Seattle Seahawks, was there this week to offer his experience after just completing his rookie season. Tatupu joked how "your family suddenly gets a lot bigger when you're in the NFL," pointing to the growing number of people asking him for financial help. These players will be enticed by the many individuals that want a "piece of the pie" on that big contract they just signed.

Most players experience a lottery-like feeling, going from broke to rich in a matter of days. They have friends, family, financial advisors, agents, and corporate organizations that are all looking to profit from their new-found fame and fortune. The symposium prepares these guys on how to handle potential bad advice they may be receiving.

For example, the players know not to hand over power of attorney to their agents. The program itself started off with a series of skits simulating life as rookie in the NFL and included questions such as, "Have you been asked for money since joining the league?"

Considering that the average NFL career is around three years, the money can be very misleading. In order to make the player's pension plan requirements, they must play four years in the league. But even that is money that will have to last them from their mid-20s/early-30s. Most often, it is not nearly enough to support themselves and a family.

In comes the NFL Rookie Symposium. In addition to the league and players association, many others involved with the NFL are present throughout the week. The itinerary for the four-day gathering, which wrapped up last Wednesday, focused on financial education, but even included topics that weren't necessarily designed to protect their pocket books. The seminar also included a HIV/STD overview, and a substance-abuse dialogue.

The variety of information received is beneficial, especially when some of it is coming from future Hall of Fame veterans. New York Jets running back Curtis Martin and Cleveland Browns defensive end Willie McGinest (a three-time Super bowl champion) are two voices the rookies certainly took seriously. Both men lectured to the rookies about the decisions they make and the consequences that will inevitably follow. Curtis Martin, who ranks fourth in the history of the NFL for rushing yards, summed up his message in one profound statement. He told the rookies "Don't sacrifice what you wish for most for what you wish for right now."

On an interesting note, the league that does not have one openly-gay player brought in Esera Tuaolo, a former Green Bay Packer, who after retiring, made public that he is a homosexual. He has a book discussing the anxiety he faced as a player in the closet. A clear statement brought to the rookie class that the league is open to all players based on talent and character alone. Having Mr. Tuaolo speak at the symposium was a great move by the league as there are bound to be other men that face the same hardships that Tuaolo once did.

Players that should have paid attention more than anyone else this week:

Receiver Santonio Holmes has been arrested twice in two months since the Steelers traded up in the first round to take him.

Bengal Frostee Rucker was recently charged with spousal battery and vandalism.

Jaguar Maurice Drew just had assault charges against him dropped.

Bottom line, fellas, with 24-hour NFL network coverage, the Internet, and local/national media coverage, your lives are like living in a fish in a bowl the size of a Dixie cup.

Enjoy your time under water, even if it's just for the next three years. Because in the Fishbowl, we are all watching and waiting to see who will sink and who will swim.

Posted by Kevin Ferra at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2006

My Favorite Sports Stars

When people ask me if I've always been a sportswriter, I tell them the ugly truth: that my first jobs out of college were, in fact, in the wicked world of public relations.

(And then I tell them that I got out of PR because I grew tired of coming home with bullshit on my breath...)

I spent plenty of time performing the various functions of market research. The debilitating rejection of walk-up surveys in public places. The hilarious reactions to on-spot product testing in local supermarkets. ("It says sample ... is it free?" "I know this is supposed to be ice cream, but it tastes like chlorine. Write that on your little pad, idiot...") The voyeuristic pleasures of focus group research, in which a room of 8-12 people talk amongst themselves while trying to ignore the 12-foot-long mirror they just know is hiding about 25 people recording every word.

In the end, every survey or group study boiled down to one thing: context. Ask a question as open-ended as possible, and allow the respondent to provide their own context for the answer. Narrow the focus too much, and it pollutes the sample.

Harris Interactive is one of the most well-known and well-respected opinion research organizations in America. Every year, it asks thousands of sports fans one question, and the fans provide their own context. The question: "Who is your favorite sports star?"

Some interpret the question to mean "currently." Others see it as "all-time." It's a bit like "who is your favorite President?" Of all-time? William Howard Taft, because I love any President who couldn't beat David Wells in a foot race. Currently? Rod Thorn of the Nets, for taking Marcus Williams 22nd overall in the NBA Draft.

"Who is your favorite sports star?" Harris asked 2,085 adults, 18-years-old and older, and for the first time since 1993, the No. 1 answer wasn't "Michael Jordan." He dropped to the second spot, with last year's No. 3 athlete, Tiger Woods, now claiming the crown as the most popular male athlete.

The rest of the list featured Brett Favre (No. 3), Derek Jeter (No. 4), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (No. 5), Shaquille O'Neal (No. 6), Kobe Bryant (No. 7), LeBron James (No. 8), Jeff Gordon (tied, No. 9) and Barry Bonds (tied, No. 9). The poll was conducted between May 9 and 16, 2006; Peyton Manning (last year's No. 2), Tom Brady (No. 7), Donovan McNabb (No. 9), and Ben Rothlisberger (No. 10) all dropped off the list this year, proving once and for all that the NFL really shouldn't coddle quarterbacks because we all really don't care about them anyway.

The survey goes on to break down the sample in geographical (Jeter's huge in the East, Jordan in the South) and demographic (Baby Boomers love MJ, while seniors love Tiger) terms. And the paucity of female sports stars on an accompanying list was pretty hilarious — before Danica Patrick and Sasha Cohen made the top 10 this year, Mary Lou Retton was still being ranked as one of the most popular female sports stars in the nation. I wonder how close Babe Didrikson was to making the cut?

What the survey does not do is explain the reasoning for these rankings, which in its defense is not something it set out to accomplish. But if someone asked me "who is your favorite sports star?" my immediate response would be to name an athlete I'd either pay to see or make time to watch compete. That's my context. I'd also not mention Michael Jordan, because if I want to pay to see him compete today, I'd have to rent "Space Jam."

With that criteria set, here are "my favorite sports stars":

10) Ray Lewis, Football

Simply the most dominant defensive player in the NFL since Lawrence Taylor, in the sense that opposing teams game-plan around him. The dynamic nature of his game fuels the fire of the entire Ravens defense, and as a hockey guy who appreciated Scott Stevens for that very reason, I'll watch Lewis every chance I get. In fact, I want to watch a game with a camera solely on Ray so I can see every single time he blows up a running back with a hit or makes a subtle play to kill an offensive drive. I might be the only one watching, but I'd be watching.

9) Steve Nash, Basketball

I marvel at Nash's ability to run a game while also acting as the Suns' top offensive threat. I also marvel at the kind of respect he's given by opponents off the dribble, because his speed to the basket is just as good as his outside shot. And I really, really marvel at the fact that it's a guy who looks like he should be tailgating before a Phish show that's doing it all.

8) Terrell Owens, Football

How can you not watch him? On a good day, he can take over a game at a position where you really aren't supposed to be able to take over a game on your own. On a bad day, there's going to be at least one classic T.O. temper tantrum on the sideline. That fact that he's on America's Most Hated Team only makes him more compelling.

7) Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Boxing

Pound for pound, the best around, and seriously one of the only boxers worth a second of your time. The IBF welterweight champ will make you believe in the sport again, even after watching lumbering dolts like Hasim Rahman turn the heavyweight division into the tomato can aisle at the supermarket.

6) Sidney Crosby, Hockey

He had 102 points as a teenage rookie, and I'm convinced he lost the Calder because he simply didn't have the "wow" factor that Ovechkin did this season. Eventually, he's going to score a goal or make a pass that's going to make every highlight reel in the world. Too bad for Penguins fans that he'll be playing Kansas City when he does it.

5) Kobe Bryant, Basketball

One of the only true villains left in professional sports. What makes him so compelling is what makes him so loathsome: that he's that good, and that he knows it. In that regard, he's more like Jordan than this next guy is. But...

4) LeBron James, Basketball

The single most exciting player in the NBA since Michael retired. Anyone who watched his series against the Wizards saw a player come into his own, not only as a shoe commercial-worthy star, but as a clutch player who demands your attention every time he touches the ball. He'll look great in a Knicks uniform a few years from now.

3) Pedro Martinez, Baseball

Offense in baseball has gotten to the point of self-parody — give me defense and pitching. Specifically, give me Pedro, whose unpredictability lends it to repeat viewing. He's a Cy Young candidate one day, and the Red Sox's personal batting practice machine the next. He's the most exciting pitcher the Mets have had since Dwight Gooden in 1985.

2) Michael Vick, Football

Don't tell me how he'll never win or how overrated he is: when Michael Vick steps onto an NFL field, there isn't a player in the league that can hold his jock when it comes to the sheer thrill of watching him play the game. Favre used to be this fun, simply because with the ball in his hand, anything could happen. Vick has the same ability, but takes it further: his jimmy legs paint him into so many corners and it's nearly worth to the price of admission to see how he escapes his own mistakes.

1) Alexander Ovechkin, Hockey

Of modern athletes, Vick comes the closest to creating a new prototype for his position and his sport. But Ovechkin, in one season, rewrote the rules in a season where his league had already rewritten the rules. I've been watching hockey all my life: I've never seen a combination of speed, physicality, offense, and velocity like this before. Does he hang at the blue line when he should be deep in his own defensive zone? Of course, but I'm not paying to watch him play defense — I'm paying to watch the kid snap the twine with a shot I've never seen delivered quite like he does.

But beyond his talent, there's something else Ovechkin has that many of the athletes on my list and the Harris list lack: joy. A palpable, honest-to-God delight for playing the game he loves. He may never live up to the legend we've already written for him ... but what a pleasure it will be to watch him try.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History" will be published in spring 2006. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

NHL Games Far From Only Excitement

The NHL season is finally over! After an 82-game regular season, plus eight arduous playoff series, one might suspect that the culmination of the 2005-2006 season would be eagerly anticipated, if not a welcomed relief. However, this season was filled with pure, electric excitement.

From the increase in offensive production to the off-ice deals, the playoff quarrels between coaches to the surprise run of the Edmonton Oilers, 2005-2006 was the comeback season the NHL needed to help restore its image and make amends with its alienated fans with a supremely-enhanced product.

The games were fast-paced and kept that way with adherence to the time restraints imposed by the NHL on face-offs and prohibiting line changes by teams that rely on icing the puck as a way out of a tough defensive struggle. Officiating was consistent from the drop of the first puck last October to the final buzzer of Game 7 at RBC Center.

In its initial planning stages and rule changing discussions, it's unlikely that the NHL's owners and front office big wigs had expected the season to be such a success, regardless of their intention. The reality that hockey was — and still is in some markets — the least popular of the unpopular sports, could not have provided a copious supply of optimism at the onset of this past season. Now that it has, the challenge becomes figuring out the appropriate steps to make sure it remains at a high level, ensuring that its first post-lockout year was not a fluke and that skillful displays of hockey excellence are now the norm.

Considering that most fans and analysts conclude that this season was successful beyond expectations, there will be great speculation during the summer about how teams will revamp for next year.

Just over a week removed from the Finals and a few days from the entry draft in the beacon of British Columbia, let's take a look at some of the interesting goings on in the NHL:

First and Foremost: The Stanley Cup Finals

The completion of the first round of the playoffs made for an interesting remainder. In the East, the top four teams in the conference moved onto their respective semifinal matchups. In the West, it was the bottom four. Out of those eight teams, the rankings indicated that Carolina, then number two in the East, would be a reasonable prediction to reach the Cup Finals.

Conversely, out of the Western Conference's basement, Edmonton was surely not. But when the teams lined up in Game 1, there was the Oil, refusing to allow their eighth seed to imply immediate defeat at the hands of the second.

And what a series it was. It appeared as though the morning after a 5-4 loss to Carolina and an even bigger loss of goalie Dwayne Roloson to a stomach turning knee injury, everyone in the hockey world had written off Edmonton. However, Edmonton failed to get the memo — although the shellacking Carolina gave them in Game 2 did nothing to smother the naysayers.

But amid the uncertainty and constant scrutiny, the Oilers played with an unrelenting sense of urgency after their Game 2 disaster. They made it a series in which both teams had a chance with no discernible "better" team.

That being said, though both teams were often evenly matched in skill, the level of experience in the Hurricanes' locker room was unparalleled. Rod Brind'Amour, Cory Stillman, Glen Wesley, and Marc Recchi — read those names again. There is an invaluable wealth of postseason wisdom that was served buffet-style to the entire Hurricanes roster. And lest readers not look any deeper, don't forget Bret Hedican and Mike Commodore (who each lost in previous Cup finals) and the gritty, shoulder-battered Doug Weight. The Oilers' inexperience made them vulnerable.

The composure and focus that was evidently on tap for Carolina helped shutdown the Oilers' barrage of shots in the third period of Game 7 when Cam Ward wasn't standing on his head or Edmonton wasn't busy missing the net.

Bottom line: great series! Edmonton battled back and made it close. Had they converted on any number of the plethora of power-plays they had, this column might have a different tone. Each team bounced back from its losses with determination. It just so happened that Carolina had more bounces (and leading playoff scorer Eric Staal) go its way.

But as ESPN hockey columnist Terry Frei recently wrote, "It was the NHL's fourth finals Game 7 in five seasons, and all four have ended with the home team hoisting the Stanley Cup, so this should have been familiar." The Carolina Hurricanes are no doubt enjoying the familiar.

Canadian Teams Carrying the West

The last two Stanley Cup Final losing teams have been Canadian — the previous being Calgary in 2003-2004, who went down in seven to Tampa Bay. Aside from the outcomes of both series, the emergence of Canadian NHL teams from the Western Conference (Northwest Division, more specifically) can only revitalize hockey in the sport's native land. With constant speculation about the financial stability of the NHL in Canada — and a source of the hotly-debated concept of revenue sharing — having Edmonton and Calgary make it all the way to the final game of the post-season shows that hockey can still work in Canada.

The accomplishments of those teams also help keep players on the team and entice others who may be floating in free-agency limbo. That's not to ignore the financial implications that come along with making to the Stanley Cup finals. Win or lose, it's a good thing for Canada- and Alberta especially.

On the Flip Side

Although Edmonton's run was nothing short of stellar, if unexpected, it was not enough to keep Chris Pronger from leaving. Equally as unexpected was Pronger's request to be traded after only one season with the Oilers, its amazing playoff run, and four years left on his $6.25 million per season contract. This revelation came last Friday night and seemed to loom over Edmonton's table in Vancouver at this year's draft.

Rumored to have requested the trade because of his wife's discontent with the Alberta capitol, Pronger's demand becomes problematic for Edmonton for a few reasons.

First, Oilers GM Kevin Lowe now has to shop around, bargain-hunting for the best deal on Pronger. Compounding matters further, Lowe also has nine unrestricted free agents to negotiate with this summer. No easy task.

Secondly, replacing a defenseman the caliber of Pronger is tantamount to finding someone to replace your starting goaltender in the third period of the Stanley Cup Finals.

But not all hope is lost with the development. Pronger came off a terrific performance in the playoffs and logged more ice time than most players. What does that mean? It means his stock has sky rocketed. The fact that he's still under contract, as opposed to a free agent, means Lowe and Oiler coach Craig MacTavish can study all their options and get premium value for Pronger.

Whether it's spreading around Pronger's team high salary to add greater depth or to acquire another big name to fill the 6'6", 220 lb. void, the front office of Edmonton appears to have the advantage in this scenario. And looking on the bright side, Jussi Markkanen almost worked out, replacing Pronger just might, too.

(Trading) Block Party

Saturday was a day of big moves — jockeying for potential draft pick positioning — draft day always is. The biggest trade of the day belonged to the host club, Vancouver, which sent a vilified Todd Bertuzzi to the Florida Panthers for number one netminder and 2006 Canadian Olympian, Roberto Luongo. Each team parted ways with a few insignificants when they dealt away their stars.

Luongo is coming off of a sub-par season in which he was only five games over .500 (35-30-9), but he did post more than mediocre stats with a 2.97 goals against average and a .914 save percentage — pretty good for someone who played in 74 games and the most famed hockey team at the Olympics.

Bertuzzi, Luongo's Team Canada teammate, also had a less desirable year with 25 goals and 46 assists in 82 games. The Canucks failed to make the playoffs. And Bertuzzi, fresh from his 18-month suspension for literally breaking Colorado Avalanche centerman Steve Moore's neck, Bertuzzi seemed as though the constant demonizing of the assault was constantly haunting him. It may have been due to the press's inability to question Bertuzzi on any other topics. Still, at $5.2 million, players can't afford to be scared by ghosts.

Regardless, both teams come out of this deal with positives. Florida gets a big power forward still in his prime that will intensify its offense lead by Olli Jokinen (38 g, 51 a, 89 p). Bertuzzi gets a fresh start in a new franchise that will hopefully allow him to rid his devils and regain the dominant stature he once held when playing next to Marcus Nasland.

Luongo gets a fresh start in the contract department. Panthers GM Mike Keenan said the team had failed to reach a deal in negotiations with Luongo, who "wanted the team to make a public statement they would not trade him, [they] would hire Francois Allaire as his goaltender coach, and [they] would sign goaltender Jamie McLennan as his backup," according to Jim Morris of the Canadian Press. Luongo has commented that he thought both sides were close to an agreement.

Keenan's explanation was simple: Luongo wanted too much money. "He did ask for significantly more money than what we had offered," said Keenan. "We at that point decided we're now going to make a hockey deal that we feel will make our team better."

The Canucks must take the good with the bad. In finally acquiring a number one goaltender, they now must figure out what to do with Dan Cloutier. His playoff struggles and proneness to injury aside, dealing him elsewhere seems a more viable option for Vancouver now the Luongo is on board.

On a side note, the Colorado Avalanche made news by trading the team's 2005-2006 second leading scorer to the Calgary Flames. Alex Tanguay had 78 points last year and scored 400 points in 450 games with the Avalanche since first entering the league back in 1999. This is a big pickup for the Flames who may see its offense increase if Tanguay is paired up with sniper Jerome Iginla.

The Flames might now consider focusing on replacing the solid Jordan Leopold, who anchored their defense for past three NHL seasons. They also relinquished two second round picks for Tanguay which may have hindered their chances of importing young defensemen in hopes of replacing Leopold. But that may all take a back seat until Calgary actually signs Tanguay, a restricted free agent who made $3.2 million last year.

The Wrap-Up

There were countless events that occurred this year that warrant further elaboration — the outstanding rookie class; Joe Thornton's breakout year; Carolina rightfully signing Captain Rod Brind'Amour, head coach Peter Laviolette and his staff to five-year contract extensions; Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff's banter with coaches throughout the playoffs; the recognition of the spectacular achievements at the NHL awards ceremony last Friday evening. The list could go on and on.

Suffice it to say that this year was a great success for the NHL. Despite abysmal TV ratings — something that hockey has suffered for quite sometime — the new style that evolved from the rule changes and their subsequent implementation has turned a once sluggish game of immobile tree choppers to a work of art composed of speed, agility, great offense, and equally remarkable defense.

The NHL's goal must now be to maintain this high quality product and hope that maybe, one day, sports fans in the U.S. will start to care.

***

Author's side note: This year's draft weekend was interesting from my perspective for two reasons:

1). Alex Tanguay and I worked together in the summer of 1999 as camp counselors for current Atlanta Thrashers coach, then Colorado skipper, Bob Hartley in Hershey, PA (home of the American Hockey League 2005-2006 Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears). To see his name on the headlines was surreal. All the best to him in Calgary.

2). The Ottawa Senators drafted the son of Mike Foligno, an NHL veteran, former Hershey Bear Coach, and current GM of the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves. Foligno's son Nick went 28th overall.

The relevance? In his post draft remarks, the young Foligno referenced his "youth" years playing for the Hershey Jr. Bears and the Central Penn Panthers Junior B teams and under coaches Mike Cleveland and former NHLer Tim Tookey — a pair of teams and coaches for whom the author played during his "youth" years.

Seeing those you know make it to the pros relegates writing about them undeniably bittersweet.

Posted by Jeff DiNunzio at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)