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June 30, 2007

Is Chris Benoit Really Sports News?

You may read the headline on this column and then double-check what site you're reading it on. At first, it may seem hypocritical to torch the media for covering a pro wrestling tragedy on its sports pages, and then write about that issue in my own sports column. But it's not the first time professional wrestling has graced this space, and it's not the last time, either.

I'm a casual fan who has written about "sports entertainment" dozens of times in the 10 years of this column, and not just if the feces hits the oscillator. When Chris Benoit goes nutso and kills himself and his family, I'm not a Johnny-come-lately sportswriter jumping on top of the pile.

Bu haven't there been a few of those in the past week, since this horrific story broke? Every major sports news outlet has assigned a columnist to opine about Benoit, the murders, the steroids, and, of course, the long sad history of tragedy in professional wrestling. It's like everyone who ever aspired to grow up to be Frank Deford decided to become Phil Mushnick for a day.

In an ever-tightening world of journalism, where newsworthy events like the NHL Draft are ignored out of cost or a perceived issue with relevance, why is Chris Benoit a sports story? Do we hear "steroid testing" and immediately file the story next to Jason Giambi's? If so, would a similar story about overly-muscled extras from the movie "300" fit in the same space? Because, you know, just like wrestling, it's scripted fiction.

Is it because wrestling takes place in a boxing ring, inside sports arenas? Is it because the word "wrestling" indicates some similarity to a sport, despite the fact that neither the Greeks nor the Romans probably ever envisioned anything like Doink the Clown and The Honky Tonk Man?

Is it because the WWE uses the term "sports entertainment"; if so, did I miss the sports coverage of the "Major League" and "Mighty Ducks" films?

Is it because children watch wrestling, which means each and every one of our impressionable young boys and girls will now want to get drugged up and kill their families; because, you know, they saw it on "Law and Order" the other night?

To quote Bill Maher, "new rule": if a columnist wants to write about professional wrestling in the same space he or she uses to bash the NFL pension plan or Kobe Bryant's attitude, they must write at least one column a year that covers its soap opera storylines. That means when Jemele Hill of ESPN.com decides from her throne that a scripted television program shouldn't kill off a character because there is already an "appalling number of real wrestling deaths," she'll quickly understand the subtle differences between fiction and reality — because she'll have previously written about Papa Shango making the Ultimate Warrior sweat green goo with a voodoo curse.

You know, because that happens in every other "sport"...

The screed above comes from a place of utter frustration with the sports media echo chamber and the things it loathes. Wrestling deaths equals hockey violence equals no scoring in soccer equals women can't play basketball. It's the same damn tunes sung by the same damn people whenever there's something to sing about. They have no fresh take on the matter, and they sure as hell don't dare take their valuable time away from the Tank Johnson affair to gain some context by exploring the subject.

To read someone like Hill — whose writing usually comes from an informed, off-the-radar place that I appreciate — suggest that Congress grill the WWE for steroids like it has Major League Baseball is laughable. Comparing a professional sports organization whose buildings are constructed with public money and which has a government anti-trust exemption to what amounts to a traveling circus? Please.

Should we get Cirque du Soleil in front of the House and Senate for a stricter policy on mixing amphetamines and light fabrics next? (Not that they're using amphetamines ... but are they even testing for them? What about the kids!)

Do wrestlers take steroids? Of course. Does the WWE test for them? Yes, but so does Major League Baseball and ... well, we can still both do the math on that.

The most important question: Why do so many wrestlers die tragically? I think it's because there are two types of people attracted to the profession of sports entertainment: physical freaks and off-kilter, mentally unstable stunt men who are willing to pay an amazing physical price for fame.

Sometimes the physical freaks die young: Andre the Giant and Big John Studd went at 46, Bam Bam Bigelow at 45, Earthquake at 42, and Yokozuna at 34; none were models of health, and all of them lived the grueling life on the circuit for years.

But so many other deaths fall into that latter category. Brian Pillman died at 35 because he was addicted to prescription drugs for years before a heart condition claimed his life. "Crash Holly" OD'd on painkillers at 32. Eddie Guerrero died at 38 due to past excesses of drugs and alcohol. For every Davey Boy Smith — the British Bulldog whose death was linked to steroid abuse — there are a dozen other wrestlers whose lives ended the same way so many young actors' or musicians' lives ended: having lived a reckless life of excess.

The horrible, criminal end of Chris Benoit's life has been used by many writers as just another piece of evidence in the case against professional wrestling and, more to the point, Vince McMahon. The problem, as usual, being that they have no use for context. I'm sorry to continue picking on Hill, because she's not the only one to use this analogy, but can there be any link established at all between a deranged Chris Benoit snuffing out his family and Owen Hart's harness malfunctioning in the rafters of the Kemper Arena in 1999, sending him to his death 78 feet below in the ring? Besides the company they both from which they both collected a check?

What are sportswriters trying to say about professional wrestling when the murder-suicides are lumped in with the drug abusers, the cognitive heart failures, the car accidents, and the fat guys who died because they were fat? That wrestling's full of tragic ends? Gee, when's the column about the "Poltergeist" trilogy?

Perhaps these columnists should just stick to sports, and leave the scripted television to the entertainment writers.

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 12:12 PM | Comments (5)

June 29, 2007

NBA Draft '07 Diary

I know draft diaries are a Sports Guy thing, especially since I'm a Celtics fan. I'm not trying to rip anybody off. But it's like practicing a jump shot in your driveway. You've got to keep shooting to get better. Kids in the driveway try to emulate Larry Bird or Michael Jordan. I try to emulate Bill Simmons and Charles Bukowski. There's no shame in that.

And after making it through all 60 picks in over four hours, and reading Simmons' diary on ESPN.com, I'm happy with the results. I put out my A game. Bill put out a C+. If nothing else, I competed well. For the first time out, that's enough for me.

Anyway, here's how it went down.

6:17: Fifteen minutes to the draft. My wife is taking my daughter to buy school supplies, leaving me with my 8-month-old son, Adam. It should still be just us guys by the time the Celts come up in roughly an hour. Will the first Celtics' first draft pick of his young life be a Chinese guy? God, I hope not. Come onnnnnn, Mike Conley!

6:20: Joakim Noah is wearing the most incredible bow tie in NBA draft history. He looks like Krusty the Clown crossed with Craig Sager's gay brother.

6:32: Go time. David Stern comes to the podium in a Barney-purple tie, says the countdown to the 2007-2008 season has begun and it promises to be one of the best ever. I'm not sure what he's basing that on, but okay, I'll go with that. Best season ever, coming up.

6:33: Damn crying baby! This might be a problem.

6:35: The Trailblazers are going to win multiple titles with Greg Oden. How do I know? Jay Bilas says so, that's how.

6:35: God damned Stephen A. Smith. I'm already sick of that bastard and Portland still has three minutes left on the clock. Damn the man who put him on this show. Damn him to hell.

6:36: And Oden it is. Let the dynasty begin.

6:38: You want to know why this is the most hyped draft in years? It's because of the NBA age limit. Without it, Oden and Durant came in last year with talent and potential, but not much of a public profile. After a year of the NCAA marketing machine, they're household names before they even step on an NBA court. Don't think this didn't occur to Stern when he made the rule.

6:41: Andy Katz reports the Celts are getting Jesus Shuttlesworth! Hallelujah! I swear I'm going to church this Sunday. Not only that, but the Celts get out from under Wally's contract. Giving up Delonte West hurts, but it opens minutes for Rajon Rondo, plus I bet they take a guard at 32. And best of all — no Chinese guy! My son is spared!

(I knew I could count on you, Danny. I just knew it.)

6:43: Durant to Seattle. I'm stoked about Ray Allen, but how about the Sonics getting Durant and Jeff Green? Great night for Seattle fans. Too bad their franchise is moving to St. Louis in two years. (Hey, we're better than Vegas or Oklahoma City.)

6:45: Durant is going to lead the league in scoring. Jay Bilas says so.

6:50: Babies and running diaries just don't go well together. A few thoughts from the past 10 minutes:

I still think Atlanta should have taken Conley, but I can't argue with Horford. When you only have four first-round forwards on your team, you have to act, plain and simple.

I just agreed with Stephen A. I don't like it. Let's make sure it doesn't happen again.

I like those Atlanta hats. Are those new?

Memphis takes Conley. I guess Jerry West hasn't handed the keys to Chris Wallace quite yet. This would have devastated me if not for news of the Ray Allen trade. Now I can wait my five minutes in complete peace. Thank you, Danny. Thank you.

7:05: Fran Fraschilla: Yi "is hip-hop. He's 50 Cent. He loves to dunk on you." Sounds perfect for Milwaukee.

7:06: Andy Katz says the Bucks are keeping the Chinese 50 Cent. Ric Bucher doesn't seem so sure.

7:12: From Florida to Minnesota. Good luck, Corey Brewer.

7:13: Dick Vitale: "Seattle out-foxed Boston." I disagree.

7:14: Most people forget Gilbert Arenas went to Arizona. It's true. He did. Look it up.

7:19: First lame pick of the night — Brandan Wright to Charlotte. Bilas calls it the steal of the draft, compares him to Chris Bosh. Whatever.

7:25: Noah to Chicago. Perfect. The Bulls are the favorites in the East for the next five years.

7:29: Does anybody really care about the ESPYs? I mean, really care?

7:30: Hibachi!

7:32: Spencer Hawes to the Kings. Brad Miller, pack your bags.

7:33: Atlanta on the clock. Take Acie Law, Billy. For once, do the right thing.

7:33: Hawes has a "God Bless George Bush" bumper sticker. He should get along swimmingly with Ron Artest.

7:37: Atlanta takes...

7:38: Acie Law! Holy Cow! Atlanta did the right thing! I can't believe it!

7:40: I really do like those new Hawks hats. Maybe things are really changing in the ATL.

7:48: Thaddeus Young to the Sixers. Julian Wright and Al Thornton begin the slide.

7:49: Hibachi!

7:50-8:30: You know what I love? Baby puke. It's fantastic. Also, my wife and daughter came home.

You know what else I love? TiVo. Let's pretend that last 40 minutes didn't happen, shall we?

Rewinding...

7:52: Hornets take Wright. The Pistons are one L.A. Clippers pick from getting the steal in the draft in Thornton.

7:53: Dickie V. says at least 10 rookies will average double-digits in scoring this year. I'm not sure. Oden and Durant for sure. Horford probably, Conley maybe. Yi and Noah, no way. Same on Hawes. I think 10 is a stretch. Put the over/under at 7.5.

7:59: Thorton to the Clips. First Billy King and now Elgin Baylor. Can't we depend on anybody anymore? The Knicks need to come through on Wilson Chandler to re-validate my faith in eternal incompetence.

8:00: The new Clips hats are cool, too. I wonder what the new St. Louis Sonics hats are going to look like.

8:04: $30 for Holyfield/Savarese? That's like five Jack and Cokes. No way.

8:06: Ringing endorsement from Rodney Stuckey on Eastern Washington: "Coming out of high school, I didn't qualify, so Eastern Washington was the school I had to go to and I had to work with what I had in front of me."

8:07: I like the pace here. The NFL should go to five minutes per pick.

8:08: Nick Young to the Wiz. Best player on the board and fits what they do. Good pick.

8:14: Knicks get Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau and Fred Jones for Channing Frye and Steve Francis. Good move for both teams. (Stephen A just pooped his pants.) Frye is going to be the perfect compliment to Oden.

8:16: Sean Williams to the Nets.

(Wait ... what?)

8:20: Fireworks out the window. Pretty.

8:22: Marco Belinelli to the Warriors. Fran seems to like it. I trust Fran. He gave us the Chinese 50 Cent.

8:24: If the Lakers take the big white kid from Colorado State, Kobe's in a white Bronco within 48 hours.

8:29: Mark Jackson is right. Force Kobe to stay. You don't trade the best player in the world.

8:29: Give the Lakers credit for taking Javaris Crittenton. If he stays in school another year, he's top 10, maybe top five. If they could just get Kobe to stop being such a prick and teach the kids to play, they might have something.

8:31: Can you imagine having to wait a table with Stephen A and Dickie V? They're like SNL's "Ambiguously Gay Duo" with the volume turned way up.

8:35: Heat take Jason Smith, the aforementioned big white kid from Colorado State.

8:37: God, the Lakers are a mess. The Jim Gray-Mitch Kupchak interview couldn't have been more awkward if Vince McMahon was in the background shooting up steroids while wearing a Chris Benoit t-shirt. It's painful to watch.

8:41: Philly takes Daequan Cook, trade him to Miami for Smith. I don't like it for either team. Philly should have taken Derrick Byers instead. And what the hell do the Heat want with Cook? I don't get it.

8:48: Jared Dudley to Charlotte. That's higher than I thought, but I love the pick. The guy's a winner and Charlotte didn't need another 19-year-old.

8:49: Spike Lee hears the Knicks are taking "the brother from DePaul." They should take "the brother from Westwood" instead.

8:52: The brother from DePaul it is. Isiah is going to get the benefit of the doubt because Renaldo Balkman got booed, then turned out to be good, but I don't like it. DePaul had no heart last year, and Chandler was a big reason.

8:56: Portland buys No. 24 from Phoenix. It's good for Portland, but you shouldn't be able to sell draft picks. Bad first move for Steve Kerr.

8:57: Blazers get Rudy Fernandez. Nobody is having a better night than Kevin Pritchard.

9:01: Hibachi!

9:05: Morris Almond to Utah. I can dig it.

9:07: Hibachi!

9:09: Hibachi!

9:11: Aaron Brooks to Houston. I like him, but not for a team with Yao Ming. He's not nearly as good in the half-court as he is in the open floor. Plus, they don't need a point guard. Wonder if this is a trade.

9:15: C's get No. 35, too. Nice. There are going to be some good players at 32 and 35.

9:19: Arron Afflalo to the Pistons. Quality. There are some great Bulls/Pistons playoff series in our future.

9:25: Spurs take Tiago Splitter. Great value at 28. Nobody does it better than the Spurs.

9:31: Kerr redeems himself by taking Alando Tucker. More than anything else, this is a draft of college production. Brooks, Afflalo, Tucker, Dudley — these guys would have been second-rounders the past few years.

9:37: The Sixers take the Fin! I have to be the only guy on the planet to get that right on my mock draft. His team in Finland was called the Playboys. This is awesome. I can't wait to see Stephen A's reaction. Even Fran doesn't like him.

9:41: Stephen A takes a pass on the Playboy. That's disappointing.

9:41: I hope Seattle takes Josh McRoberts so I don't have to worry about the Celtics taking him. Right now, I'd be ecstatic with Gabe Pruitt at 32 and Derrick Byers at 35.

9:45: Seattle nails another one with Carl Landry. I am going to love this team when they move to St. Louis.

9:48: Pruitt to the Celtics!

9:52: Marcus Williams to the Spurs. That's probably best-case for him. He'll be playing for Quin Snyder on the Spurs' NBDL team this season.

9:53: Nick Fazekas to the Mavs. Whatever.

9:53: Come on, Derrick Byers!

9:55: Big Baby. I guess that's okay. Byers would have been better, and I worry this will push Leon Powe out the door, but Davis is a worker on the court. You can't have enough of those.

9:57: Trailblazers back on the clock. Josh McRoberts. Also, they bought the Playboy from Philly.

9:58: McRoberts and Oden played on the same AAU team. Interesting.

10:05: Philly replaces the Fin with a Ukrainian with some bad habits.

10:06: Did Derrick Byers rape a chicken or something? What the hell? Somebody is going to get a steal.

10:09: Miami takes a Croatian guy named Stanko. (And later trades him to Indiana.)

10:13: And now Sun Yue to the Lakers. Fran says he's a Chinese Tony Kukoc. Is that better or worse than being the Chinese 50 Cent?

10:14: T-Wolves take Chris Richard, the next Udanis Haslem. Nice pick.

10:15: And back to Portland, picking for Philly.

10:16: Philly gets Byers. Finally. Even Billy King is scoring in this draft.

10:20: Adam Haluska to New Orleans. Good for him. I thought he was going undrafted. Tough guy. He'll play in the league this year.

10:23: Reyshawn Terry to the Magic. Don't care.

10:26: Clips take Jared Jordan. Excellent, excellent pick. People aren't going to come out of this draft talking about Elgin Baylor, but Al Thornton and Jared Jordan is an extremely respectable duo.

10:29: My last favorite player on the board, Stephane Lasme from UMass, goes to Golden State. With the addition of Brandan Wright in the Jason Richardson trade, the Warriors have had a good night, too.

10:30: Four hour mark. Only reason to care now is to see if Mustafa Shakur and Ivan Radenovic get the call. Need a smoke break.

10:43: We're back. Wiz took Dominic McGuire from Fresno. Lakers took Pau Gasol's beard. Bulls took Aaron Gray, a respectable pick at 49. Mavs took Seymour Butts.

10:44: Bulls take JamesOn Curry, a pot dealer-turned-second banana at Oklahoma State. He'll never make it.

10:45: Taurean Green to Portland. Could turn into something in a year or two.

10:46: And now Portland gets Demetris Nichols, who actually has an NBA shot. There aren't many sure things in life, but the Trailblazers' summer league team is going to be the tits.

10:48: Houston takes Crocodile Dundee. Utah on the clock.

10:50: Jazz take Herbert Hill from PC. Not terrible. Milwaukee on the clock.

10:52: Bucks take Ramon Sessions. B+ at 56. Detroit on the clock.

10:54: Pistons take Sammy Mejia, another mental warrior from DePaul. I know he's got talent, just like Wilson Chandler has talent, but they lost too many damn easy games. I hold that against them. San Antonio on the clock.

10:56: Giorgos Printezis! Fran says he's a "rough customer." Somebody should take D.J. Strawberry or Jamaal Tatum. Nate Funk maybe. Phoenix on the clock.

10:58: My TiVo recording cut off without the final two picks. I suppose that's okay. Celts got Jesus. That's all that matters.

12:12: Checked online. Suns took Strawberry. Mavs took Slobodan Milosevic. Look for Mustafa Shakur in Poland next year.

***

8:10 the next morning: I'm driving to work and I end up behind a pick-up truck. And it's green. And in the back windshield, a bumper sticker: "JESUS." I kid you not.

Seth Doria is a freelance writer in St. Louis. For more, including his mock draft with the Finnish Playboy at 30 to Philly (just in case you don't believe him), visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 3:38 PM | Comments (1)

Sports Q&A: Is Eating a Legitimate Sport?

Morgan from Beckley, WV writes, "Hot dog-eating black belt Takeru Kobayashi is listed as 'day-to-day' with a jaw injury for the annual Nathan's Famous July 4th International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Does the fact that the competitive eating circuit has an injury list legitimize it as a 'real' sport?"

Does competitive eating even need legitimizing as a sport? Classifying a sport as a "legitimate" sport has nothing to do with athletic ability or physical prowess; it's got everything to do with whether or not people will watch it on television. Kobayashi's exploits have piqued the public's interest in competitive eating, and the circuit has risen from the realm of mere cult status to an endeavor in which injury reports are a staple. Sounds like a sport to me.

If you don't believe competitive eating is a sport, then surf over to IFOCE.com, the web site of the sport's governing body, the International Federation of Competitive Eating. Here you'll find links to rankings, eater profiles, records, a schedule of eating contests, and how to host an event. The federation even has an official shield, in which two winged lions appear to be eating a hot dog above a flaming torch that mysteriously resembles an ice cream cone. It also appears that the lions are dueling with mustard and ketchup bottles. What other sports can boast such an iconic and regal coat of arms? Even the House of Windsor shield is no match in importance.

There is also a store, where you are invited to "wear the gear the pros wear," which, one would think, would be a t-shirt and a loose-fitting pair of pants. Oddly, though, Kobayashi's famous yellow Nathan's headband is not one of the selections. The I.F.O.C.E. even has oficial sponsors, including Pizza Hut, Heinz Ketchup, and Nathan's. All of these factors don't ask for legitimacy, they demand it.

Kobayashi's injury adds some intrigue to the Nathan's contest. And what more could an eating contest need than intrigue. The Japanese eating machine, who hails from the 'Land of the Rising Sun' by way of 'Land of the Gobbled Weiner,' is the six-time defending champion of the event, and set the world record by consuming 53¾ hot dogs against a world-class field last year. His chief rival, American Joey Chestnut, trumped that record earlier this month by eating 59½ dogs at a qualifying tournament in Tempe, Arizona.

After his victory, Chestnut chased his meals with a shot of sake, which obviously was a challenge to Kobayashi. Kobayashi countered by saying when the two meet in New York, Chestnut would go down faster than Morris Chestnut in Boyz in the Hood. The comments only fueled what is already a strained Japanese/American competitive eating relationship, and enhanced what is already the most publicized rivalry on the circuit. Legitimate sports need rivalries. The NBA had Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson. Boxing had Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Baseball had the Yankees and the Dodgers. Add the Kobayashi/Chestnut saga to that list.

Chestnut's new record, coupled with Kobayashi's jaw injury, places the hot dog kamikaze in the unfamiliar position of underdog. Reports indicate that Kobayashi can only open his mouth enough to insert one finger, which wouldn't be a problem were he in a spaghetti-eating contest. But, as any competitive eating color commentator, analyst, play-by-play man, or sideline reporter would tell you, it's virtually impossible to shovel 50+ franks into one's mouth through an opening that small. And pureeing is strictly forbidden on the competitive eating circuit.

Insiders say that Kobayashi has dedicated himself to healing and competing on July 4th, although reports of Kobayashi training with Pat Morita and planning to compete blindfolded are false. Chestnut, ironically nicknamed "Jaws," is confident as the favorite. Expect Kobayashi to deal with the pain and compete. True Japanese heroes never cower from a fight. Just ask Godzilla. Whatever the circumstances, the anticipation of the Kobayashi/Chestnut showdown has created a circus-like atmosphere on the competitive eating circuit, among fans and eaters alike.

Publicity alone does not fully legitimize a sport. Poker, billiards, bowling, and the WNBA are regularly televised on various channels, but are not necessarily legitimate sports. That point is arguable, but this one is not: those sports have reached their pinnacles. Does poker get any better than the 2005 World Series of Poker? Obviously not, since that tournament has been televised about 200 times. Once competitive eating gets a regular television deal, then the sport will explode.

If the Food Network wants to grab the sports fan demographic, then they should jump on this opportunity. The sport of competitive eating is ready to expand, and with just the right push, it can align itself on par with the other major sports. When that happens, expect the usual to follow. That includes video games, fantasy eating leagues, steroid and gun controversies, reality shows, the admiration of Jim Rome, and a hard-hitting, investigative book by John Feinstein called Gluttony on the Bounty.

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or comment? Are you a jack of all trades, master of none? Do you find yourself in strip clubs frequented by Pacman Jones? Do you long for the days when only baseballs were accused of being "juiced?" Then send your question/comment along with your name and hometown to [email protected]. You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, July 13th.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2007

MLB Bats Whittled Down to Uneven Playing Field

As Barry Bonds comes ever closer to breaking the National Pastime's hallowed home run record, currently held by Hank Aaron at 755, the controversy regarding illicit performance-enhancing drug use, which may forever taint Bond's entire career, does accomplish taking the focus off of MLB and its own shortcomings.

The scrutiny which has been paid, in only just the past two years, upon drug use among MLB players, while having been a black eye for MLB, is also convenient as Commissioner Bud Selig need not address myriad other issues which also play their part in preserving the integrity of the game.

For example, MLB has done little exploration into the variations in equipment over just the past 10 years or so and more specifically the wooden bat itself. A number of questions come to mind. Is it just coincidence that Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in 2001 after he switched his bat's wood from that of ash to a hand-lathed maple? Is the accelerated breakage of bats over the past five-plus years due to an acutely thinning bat handle with a larger barrel and lighter weight or is it the non-discriminate MLB approval process of the making and even storage of bats that makes them more vulnerable?

Is it a coincidence that prior to 2003, MLB welcomed smaller bat makers as suppliers to MLB players, but suddenly instituted an exorbitant certification fee with nearly impossible to acquire insurance liability policies for smaller operations, costing thousands upon thousands of dollars? And is it not worth taking a look at why there is such a difference in the quality of bats Hillerich & Bradsby Co., the manufacturer of Louisville Sluggers, provides only specific big leaguers, but does not do so for others? In fact, the company proudly admits it.

Preserving the sanctity of the game is multi-faceted. Although technology and safety standards over time have essentially been a beneficial reward for players, it is hard to measure the consistency of the game of MLB if issues such as bat manufacture and its own baseball operations are done on a selective and arbitrary basis. And when it ultimately impacts the way the game is played and its future records, it should be routinely examined.

Hillerich & Bradsby, although deemed the official bat of MLB, is not the exclusive supplier of bats for its players. However, it is still the number one provider to MLB with about a 60% share of its bats supply and curries favor and power, due to its longevity and stature in the history of the game, not to mention the power which is bestowed upon it by MLB, which few other manufacturers enjoy.

In 2002, there were 48 MLB bat manufacturers, and surprisingly little thought was put into the verification process in order to become a bat maker supplier of MLB bats other than for the supplier to provide a sample bat made out of a single piece of wood. But in 2003, MLB went to the other extreme. In a form letter sent to all bat makers in December 2002, MLB stated it would start requiring that they carry $10 million worth of liability insurance, and indemnify MLB, its shareholders, directors, officers, employees, and agents attached to various product liability issues.

In addition, the certification fee was increased to $10,000.00 per year, necessary to provide bat makers with the privilege of selling their bats to MLB players. Since that time, although the liability coverage has been reduced to $5 million per year, it still remains prohibitively expensive for boutique manufacturers, or most other domestic suppliers other than Hillerich and Bradsby, to do business with MLB.

MLB also requires that the insurance carrier providing coverage to bat makers must have a "best rating of A-8 or better." Carolina Clubs, a MLB certified bat maker from Florida, was nearly pushed out of doing business with MLB, as to find a guaranteed insurance carrier of any kind in the hurricane-ridden state of Florida in the post-Katrina era is nearly impossible. However, virtually overnight in 2003, bat suppliers were whittled down to a mere 14 for that season. In 2007, there are supposedly 20-25 suppliers, although MLB makes it difficult to even corroborate such information.

According to the head of MLB Baseball Operations at the time in 2003, Sandy Alderson, "The administrative fee was originally intended to help us defray the costs of inspecting bats, approving bats and for all administrative work and testing." MLB needed $140,000.00 to approve the bats of 14 companies?

In 1862, MLB first restricted the diameter of the barrel, requiring it not exceed 2.5 inches. It was increased in 1895 to 2.75 inches in diameter, as it remains today. 1868 saw the limit put on a length of 42 inches, as it also remains today. No weight requirements, either minimum or maximum have ever been required. With those parameters, combined with improvements in technology and players' bat speeds, it could be argued that it is a far different game than even Babe Ruth played. For example, the Babe used a 42-ounce bat as opposed to the average weight of 32 ounces used by today's MLB players.

Ash bats were exclusively used for decades, after hickory was phased out, until 1997 when Sam Holman of Ottawa, Canada and his Sam Bat caught the attention of then Blue Jays star player, Joe Carter. He then supposedly talked up Holman's bats which eventually in 1999 found their way into the hands of Barry Bonds. Bonds went on a tear hitting 374 of his total home runs with the sugar maple bats from Sam Holman and broke Mark McGwire's 1998 home run season record of 70 by besting him with his 73 in 2001.

Holman's bats have been used by over 500 MLB players and he is expected to furnish Bonds with the bat used for his number 756. Given the proximity of Holman to some of the best maple tree forests in North America in Ottawa, Holman's business has thrived over the past 10 years, although he is selling his business in order to retire. Ash trees also hail from a northern climate, and are harvested primarily from the New York-Pennsylvania area.

The arguments over the consistency and flight of the ball with either wood are never-ending, but there are distinct differences between the two woods. Ash supposedly has more flex, but is not as heavy a wood as maple, producing a bit less flight of the ball upon impact. Additionally, ash bats have less longevity than maple bats and break more frequently and are more apt to shatter, flake, and splinter upon breaking.

Sugar or rock maple, considered the finest maple for bats, are more expensive, and range in price from $70.00-$130.00 while ash bats range between $50.00 and $75.00, yet need to be replaced more frequently than maple. Most players using maple claim that the ball travels farther off of the barrel's "sweet spot" as opposed to ash. But because the wood itself is a heavier grade, the barrels are made slightly narrower than the ash bats in order to accommodate a lighter weight comparable to ash. And when maple bats do eventually break, they do so in large pieces as opposed to splinters.

The lack of restrictions on weight or the lack of prescribed storage care of bats by MLB, could have a profound impact on whether or not a bat breaks or explodes upon impact. Such endangers its players and spectators. Players go through an average of 60-70 bats a season. But the moisture content of the wood upon manufacture as well as in storage, whether the bat is hand-lathed or completely machine made, as well as the bat's weight and handle diameter, could all alter the bat's ultimate performance and longevity. Seattle Mariner, Ichiro Suzuki, for example, has his own humidor for his entire bat supply.

And why should a bat maker, such as Sam Holman, who produces several thousand bats each season to MLB as opposed to Hillerich and Bradsby's 750,000, foot a bill of $65,000.00 per year for liability insurance? The supposed interest in increasing liability insurance fees by MLB for bat makers is an easy way for MLB not to address the incessant breakage of its bats. Perhaps it is the quality of MLB bat inspectors, or a lack of a minimum quality standard of wood or the non-requirement of prescribed weight ratio of bat barrels to handles. But instead of MLB looking for a better standardization process for its bats, it would rather thrust the responsibility onto the bat makers, and thereby still leaving players and spectators at risk.

Also of note, according to Hillerich and Bradsby's Chuck Schupp, head of its professional division, "We have a priority list of players. A lot of it is based on a personal relationship. If someone is loyal to us, we'll take care of them." And although players are not required to sign exclusivity contracts with bat makers, as individual teams assume all costs for players' bats, Schupp says there is a "Louisville Slugger 'A' list." It includes Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, Carlos Delgado, and Ken Griffey, Jr., among select others.

If star players are treated preferably by Schupp for their Louisville Slugger bats, does that mean that average or up-and-coming players are at a distinct disadvantage while not getting the best product from the same manufacturer? Should not MLB perhaps look into that?

And finally, unless MLB and its Commissioner is willing to look at all matters of inequity in its sport, whether it be an issue between players, between equipment manufacturers and its players, between baseball operations and its suppliers or a lack of standardization when it comes to equipment, MLB should not be permitted to point the finger exclusively at the use of performance enhancing drugs as the sole threat to the sanctity of the game. For that is far from the only difference-maker in varying performance results in the game of MLB today.

And if MLB wants to be taken seriously in preserving the integrity of the game, it must do a far better job of it rather than its present lethargic effort. For certainly they are not fooling the fans and the fans and the players deserve better.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 16

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — After his car failed a qualifying inspection on Friday, Gordon was barred from qualifying and practice, and forced to start at the back of the field for Sunday's race. Putting all that behind him, and buoyed by the birth of his daughter on Wednesday, Gordon pulled out a seventh-place finish Sunday. His points lead stands at 171 after NASCAR penalized him 100 points on Tuesday.

"It certainly was an up-and-down week," says Gordon, "but I'm happy to finish with a positive. It's always nice to come to Sonoma. It's a great facility, I love road racing, and it gives me an opportunity to visit my winery in the Napa Valley. People normally don't associate NASCAR drivers with fine wine, so it's always a bit risky to put your name on a bottle and expect it to sell. Sometimes it doesn't. Just look at Dick Trickle Wineries. They couldn't sell a single bottle, for whatever reason. Anyway, it's great to be in the wine business; before, I defined the word 'winery' as 'what Tony Stewart does when he's upset.'"

2. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin rallied from the 36th starting position to capture 10th in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. When it became clear late in the race that he could not win the race, Hamlin called in to the pits to see if Joe Gibbs Busch driver Aric Almirola wanted to relieve him and finish the race. Unfortunately, no one was able to locate Almirola.

"Maybe he was out looking for the 'E' that should be used to spell his first name," says Hamlin. "Anyway, I figured I owed Aric for allowing me to take over mid-race. I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like he had won the pole and was leading the race at the time. Oh, that is what happened? Yeah, I guess that does suck. Well, at least I didn't take over for Eric in the middle of a date."

3. Jimmie Johnson — Like the car of teammate Jeff Gordon, Johnson's No. 48 Chevy failed a pre-qualifying inspection, with NASCAR claiming that the front fender had been altered from Car of Tomorrow specifications. Johnson started at the back with Gordon, and nearly made his way to the top 10, but a slow exit from his pits on his last stop cost him. He finished 17th, and is fifth in the points, 366 behind Gordon, after being docked 100 points.

"I guess this is NASCAR's way of throwing a debris caution on Hendrick Motorsports dominance," says Johnson. "How do only two of four Hendrick cars fail inspection when we're all using the same template? I can't even remember the last time I got busted for a rules infraction. Wait. Yes I can. It was last year, when we failed a post-race inspection at Daytona. How'd our year turn out after that?"

4. Tony Stewart — Stewart relinquished the lead with 35 laps remaining in Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 for fuel and finished sixth, while the five cars ahead of him were able to stretch their fuel mileage to the checkered flag. Stewart was upset with the outcome, bitter that once again, a race was won in the gas tank and not on the track.

"I can't explain why my car does not get the mileage that others do," says Stewart. "My car must be carrying some mysterious weight that we don't know about, or maybe that's just me. Damn that Subway! Anyway, it would be nice if a car's speed and not a car's fuel mileage dictated the outcome of a race. Unless I win it; then I don't care who or what gets credit."

5. Kevin Harvick — Harvick seemed poised for the win while running third late, with the knowledge that frontrunners Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray would run out of gas before the finish. McMurray did, Montoya didn't, and Harvick settled for second place.

"Who were the idiots were that kept telling everyone that Montoya would run out of gas?" asks a fuming Harvick. "I'll tell you who. It was those TNT announcers and their 'expert' analysis. They weren't even close. They thought Montoya would run out well before the finish; I think Juan actually drove his car home, and did some burnouts on the interstate. Is the No. 42 Ganassi a hybrid?"

6. Jeff Burton — Burton finished third, sandwiched between teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, to give Richard Childress Racing positions 2-4. Burton collected his first top-five finish since winning at Texas, and moved up a place to fourth in the points, 354 behind Jeff Gordon.

"Let me get this straight," says Burton. "The Nextel Cup will be called the Sprint Cup next year? That's going to cause some serious confusion with the American Sprint Car Series and 'sprint cars,' won't it? But I know NASCAR's got a foolproof solution: to sue the ASCS."

7. Matt Kenseth — Not known as a road-course specialist, Kenseth had a rough day at Infineon Raceway, finishing a lap down in 34th place after a first lap spin caused by Kyle Petty put him to the back of the field. Kenseth recovered, but was spun again later, and had to make a late pit stop for gas. He now sits third in the points, 333 out of first.

"Hey, I bet Kyle Petty had some fantastic running commentary when he wrecked me," says Kenseth. "If that microphone would have been in my car, you would have heard some entirely different language."

8. Carl Edwards — Edwards led 12 laps, and was running fifth on lap 107 when he had to pit for fuel for the remaining three laps. His sure top-five turned into an 18th, and Edwards fell one spot to seventh in the points.

"Short on fuel," says Edwards, "but not on teeth. I can still smile about this. Congratulations to Juan Montoya on winning, and congratulations to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for his new Sony endorsement deal. Just what we needed: Dale, Jr. to help the Japanese sell us more of their electronics."

9. Clint Bowyer — After a shaky start, Bowyer rounded out a big day for Richard Childress Racing, finishing fourth to give RCR three top-five finishes. Bowyer is ninth in the points, a comfy 119 ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 12th.

"As you may have noticed," says Bowyer, "there was no 'Jack Daniels' on the hood of my No. 07 Chevrolet. Instead, we featured the DirecTV paint scheme. Which is sad, because I wanted to show these wine-drinking yuppies what a real man's alcoholic beverage looks like. Heck, I figure if Jeff Gordon has his own wine, I could have my own whiskey. There's the Jack Daniels, Evan Williams, and George Dickel brands; why not a 'Clint Bowyer?' I'm 50%, or 100 proof, sure that drinkers would buy that."

10. Juan Pablo Montoya — Montoya chased down Jamie McMurray late in the race, passing him with seven laps remaining while miraculously conserving enough fuel to reach the finish. The win was Montoya's first Nextel Cup triumph, and further validated his talent on road courses. Earlier this year, Montoya won the Busch race on Mexico City's circuit. The Colombian also became the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR race since Canadian Earl Ross won at Martinsville in 1974.

"I rate this win ahead of my wins in the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco," says Montoya, known for his passionate will to win, and his short memory. "That's got to be the first time Earl Ross' name has been mentioned since he won that race. He was a great man, and might still be. Anyway, it feels great to beat every single NASCAR star. I hear that Tony Stewart was upset about losing this race. I don't know if he's upset about losing to me, or losing in general. Don't be discouraged, Tony. You've 'smoked' me plenty of times before. This time, you got 'angel dusted.'"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 12:00 PM | Comments (2)

The Gold Cup is Golden (Pt. 2)

I make a conscious effort not to write about the same sport, to say nothing of the same event, for two consecutive columns. I don't want to become a one-note whistle and I don't want to bore or alienate the segments of my readers who don't care about that sport.

But as I'm sure the title tipped you off, I'm breaking that rule this time around.

I've written quite a few soccer columns for Slant Pattern now, and I always take the same angle: I'm an American neophyte giving this sport a chance, I'm liking it, and I think you should give it a chance, too.

But what I've come to understand over time is that, rather than finding a fairly cool sport to watch and write about during the summer months, my feelings for soccer steadily change each month.

What I mean to say is, my earlier enthusiastic endorsements pale in comparison to how I feel about soccer now. Quite simply, I love it. I love it more than I did before the Gold Cup, which is more than I loved it six months ago, which was more than I loved it (if I can even be said to have loved it) a year ago. I'm still growing in the game, but honestly, it has surpassed all but college football in my sports consciousness. I understand more and more after each game, and by reading more and talking about it more. I'm no soccer professor, but I can no longer call myself a neophyte.

Whereas hearing Americans casually bash soccer never fazed me before, it has awakened the snob in me now, and it strikes me as silly, ignorant, and limiting, like only every eating at 2-3 restaurants and avoiding the most popular restaurant in the city.

If you read my last column, and it didn't prompt you to watch the Gold Cup playoffs, then you really missed something. Taking off where my last column left off...

Mexico did beat Panama, and results in other games pushed them up to second in the group and away from the American side of the knockout grid. But Mexico's win over Panama wasn't convincing, and they needed a 30-minute extra time period to put away Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.

The scrappy underdogs Guadeloupe, not even autonomous enough to be eligible for the World Cup, emphatically kept the dream alive by holding off a blazing Honduras in their quarterfinal match.

I was looking forward to laying some coin on Guatemala to beat Canada. I thought Canada had benefited from a weak group, and I waxed poetic about Guatemala's success against a strong U.S. Team last column. But I overslept, missed the first 10 minutes of the game, and missed any opportunity to place my bet. Good thing, too, since Canada wasted the Guates 3-0 and announced they were For Real.

In the last column, I mentioned that the U.S. improved in each game in the group stage, but this was not the case in the knockout stage. Their quarterfinal match had Panama score the first goal against the Yankees in the tournament, but the U.S. hung on, 2-1.

In the semifinals, Guadeloupe did indeed manage to keep it respectable against Mexico, but the dream ended there like you would expect. The final score was just 1-0. For all of Mexico's problems throughout the whole tournament, the were still headed for the finals.

Though the Americans took a 2-0 lead into half-time, Canada looked an equal, if not better, team throughout. In the second half, they cut the led in half. In the 86th minute, Michael Bradley, the U.S. 19-year-old phenom and coach's son, earned a red card and the U.S. found themselves a man down. This set up the tournament's marquee controversy in the very final moments of injury time: Canada scored, the ref waved it off based on an offside flag, and the U.S. hung on. Replays shows the Canadian striker was onside. Had it counted, they would have played a 30-minute overtime period where Canada would have all the momentum and, more importantly, a one-man advantage.

Canada instantly became tournament martyrs, with even the American press conceding that they wuz robbed. But (...and I seem to be alone here, but it's true) they weren't.

Four minutes of injury time were declared, and the waved-off call came just after the four minute mark. Why was that much stoppage time declared?

There is no reason. There were no goal celebrations (when Canada scored, they rushed the ball back to the center line to give themselves as much time as possible to tie). There were no injuries to speak of. There was the red card and five substitutions, but two of those substitutions happened simultaneously, and a third happened simultaneously with the red card. The U.S. did very little dead ball time wasting. By my estimate, about two and a half minutes would've been right, three would have been acceptable.

In the Final three days later, four minutes of extra time was also given, and that was after a second half featuring a penalty kick, two goal celebrations, and a gruesome, time-consuming injury when two players knocked heads ... and the ref whistled game over right at the stroke of four minutes. It made accusations that the ref blew the call against the Canadians purposefully to help the Americans hard to tolerate.

So, the U.S. and Mexico would meet in the final after all. While Mexico looked shaky all tournament, they were still Mexico, and if the U.S. looked better each game in the group stage, they looked worse each game in the knockout stage.

The final was a blur. Mexico broke a 789-minute scoreless streak against the Americans on U.S. soil in the first half and took a 1-0 lead in the locker room. Not long after half-time, however, the Americans equalized on a penalty kick. 1-1.

My growing passion for soccer was assisted greatly by having a team to care about. I cut my teeth on Portsmouth in the English Premier League, and I still love 'em. But at the end of the day, my team is the United States Men's National Team. They represent me, and they aren't supposed to either boringly dominate or complacently flame out like they do in basketball.

I couldn't watch the rest of the second half sitting down. I paced like a lion in the cage. And then >this happened and I ran, I ran so far away. I ran all around the house, shouting, emoting, reacting. It was simply glorious.

Mexico didn't answer. The United States, the team representing most of those reading this, are champions of the confederation. They won each knockout game 2-1. For the first time, a team ran the table in the Gold Cup without even being forced to play an extra stanza, and now the United States is 10-0-1 in their last 11 games. You should have watched.

That said ... I'm not going to write about soccer next time.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 11:47 AM | Comments (1)

June 27, 2007

NBA Draft '07: Lead Pipe Lock?

It is a little after 7 PM on June 28th at Madison Square Garden, the Portland Trail Blazers are on the clock to start the 2007 NBA draft, and it is a given that they will select Greg Oden with the No. 1 pick, right? In the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend.

Greg Oden has been destined to be the top pick since he was 14-years-old and conventional wisdom says you always draft the big man. There is only one problem with that logic.

Kevin Durant is a better basketball player than Oden, and the margin between them will continue to widen as they develop their games in the NBA.

I know what most of you are saying right now. How could you not draft a 19-year-old, 7'1", 280-pound center who can rebound and block shots with the frequency that Oden does? Isn't that what you are supposed to be able to do when you are that size?

The reason you pass on a player like that is because of the chance to draft a once in a lifetime type talent with unlimited potential. Durant is a matchup nightmare on both ends of the court, given his 6'10", 215-pound body with a 7'5" wingspan.

What sets him apart is that he already has a stellar offensive game, can play three positions, and most importantly he seems to have that "it" factor that defines true superstar athletes. With the game on the line, he wants the ball in his hands and he fully expects that he will deliver every time.

If Oden was being drafted by an Eastern Conference team with the No. 1 pick, I would be more apt to agree with taking him ahead of Durant. However, both Portland and Seattle are in the West, where the top six scoring teams in the NBA reside. The entire conference plays up-tempo basketball, which means Oden will be required to run on both ends of the court for 48 minutes. Anyone who has seen him play knows that is definitely not one of his strong points.

Don't get me wrong, I think Oden will be an excellent defensive center in the NBA from day one, and over time he could become dominant on the offensive end, as well. The fact that he used the injury to his right hand to greatly improve his left shows that he has the desire to get better.

The problem with Oden is that neither his words nor his actions thus far show that he wants to be a great player, to be the face of a team. He has talked many times about wanting to be a dentist and only getting involved in playing basketball because of his size. In almost every game he played in college, he was bigger and stronger than the man guarding him, yet he rarely dominated a game to lead his team to the win.

Many people will point out that he had 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the championship game against Florida, but that was mainly because the Gators' strategy was to play Oden one-on-one and shutdown Ohio State's outside shooters. The strategy worked, as the Buckeyes went 4-of-23 (17%) from three-point land and the 85-74 final score led you to believe the game was closer than it actually was.

On the other hand, Durant repeatedly showed the ability and willingness to take over games. You can look to the 25-point first half he had against a very good Kansas team in Phog Allen Fieldhouse or him putting up 37 points and 23 rebounds to beat Texas Tech as examples. He proved to be extremely consistent, as well, scoring more than 20 points in 30 of 35 games and recording 20 double-doubles as a freshman.

He can also play defense, even though you rarely ever hear about it. Despite not having Oden's height and physique, Durant still out-rebounded him 11.1 rpg to 9.6 while playing away from the basket for the most part. He also made the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, averaging 2 blocks and 2 steals per game.

In order to be a dominant player in the NBA, you have to have the mindset that you are the best player on the court and the other team simply can't stop you. This is where Oden and Durant seem to be polar opposites, and they both voiced that recently.

"I consider myself a role player. I understand people are projecting me to be a top pick, and those guys are supposed to be franchise guys. But I'm not the kind of guy who needs to come in and take over." Oden had this to say recently when asked about his game by L.Z. Granderson of ESPN.

Is that really the attitude you want your best player to have? If I am going to pay the kind of money that Oden will receive and make him the face of my franchise, I want him to have the confidence in his game and the killer instinct to put a team away in the fourth quarter. I don't want a passive player who will look to defer to his teammates when the game is on the line.

Durant's perspective of his game is at the opposite end of the spectrum, as evidenced when he made these comments to ESPN's Elena Bergeron recently.

"I've been training to be a franchise player since I was 9."

"I wasn't training just to make an NBA team, though. I don't want to be a role player. I want to be the guy a team depends on."

It is that kind of statement that makes NBA execs have second thoughts about selecting Oden even at a time when there are so few dominant centers.

That is what happens when confronted with a player like Durant, who some have said is a M.J./K.G./T-Mac hybrid. NBA teams love to draft players on potential, and with Oden, you know what to expect. With Durant, there is no ceiling to what type of player he could become, because a player with his skill set has never come along before.

The most important part of the decision Portland makes is how Oden or Durant will fit in with their current roster. It would seem like that should make this an easy decision for them.

The Trail Blazers already have two quality inside players in Zach Randolph (as long as he stays out of trouble) and LaMarcus Aldridge. If they draft Oden, it means they most likely trade Randolph, and I seriously doubt they get good value back for him given his contract and off the-court incidents.

They also have a star in the making in ROY Brandon Roy. What they are lacking is someone who can score and defend on the outside, which Durant could come in and immediately provide.

This would also make it much easier for Seattle. They already have Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, so they don't have the need for a player who will play the two or the three like Durant would, but boy could they sure use Oden in the middle. They played last season with Nick Collison at center, averaging 9 points and 8 rebounds, and don't have a single player who averaged more than a block per game.

The fact is that Portland will probably choose to go the safe route and take Oden, then blow up half of their team trying to bring in the right guys to complement him. Seattle will then take Durant and likely have to do the same thing. Such is life in the NBA these days.

When I think of this comparison, I can't help but think back to the 1984 draft when Hakeem Olajuwon was considered the best prospect and was chosen No. 1 overall. He went on to win two NBA titles and had a Hall of Fame career. You can't really argue with that pick, unless the following happens.

Michael Jordan, who was selected No. 3, goes on to win six NBA titles and is considered the greatest player ever. Something tells me if they had a do-over that Houston probably wouldn't select Olajuwon again.

Will Portland and Seattle be that fortunate with Oden and Durant? Time will tell if that is true, but the scenario could play out the same. The big man may be the safe pick, but can the Blazers buck conventional wisdom and simply choose the best basketball player?

Kevin Durant is really that good, and the scary thing is that he is only going to get better. The sky is the limit.

Posted by Jeff Levers at 1:06 PM | Comments (3)

Mocking it All, NBA Style

While Michael Jordan may have been the best thing ever to happen to the NBA, he's probably the worst thing ever to happen to the NBA draft.

Think about it: who do people think of first when they think of draft blunders? It's not Detroit blowing a No. 2 on Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony or a point-guard starved Atlanta team passing on Chris Paul for Marvin Williams. It's former Portland GM Stu Inman passing on Michael Jordan for Sam Bowie. Nobody wants to be the guy who passes Inman on that list. We all could live with passing on 100 Carmelos in favor or Darko; we just couldn't take being the numbskull who let the game's greatest performer get away, irrevocably changing the space-time continuum (or something like that).

The NBA draft is a freak show; we all know that. It has become a bizarre pageant of potential over performance, expectation over experience, and tomorrow over today. But the draft shows so much more than that. It shows just how crazy and, sometimes, inept these front offices can be. More than its more famous pigskin cousin, the NBA's draft has the ability to impact teams in a franchise-changing way. Just ask the 1985 Knicks, the 1997 Spurs, the 2003 Cavaliers, or, yes, the 1984 Bulls. Plucking a gem out of the lottery can set an organization up for a decade or more.

And that is exactly why teams think, rethink, and over-think these picks. Greg Oden vs. Kevin Durant could change the face of basketball in the Pacific Northwest for a long time. With so much scrutiny and so many voices screaming for influence combined with the constant fear of letting a guy with upside get away, front offices find themselves handcuffed by over-analysis. With this in mind, I decided to blow past the mock drafts and common sense drafts. Here's how I see the hours of Thursday night (and, in some cases, well beyond that) playing out for the draft's lottery teams:

1./2. Portland/Seattle — As part of a continued effort to convince everyone they didn't decide to use this pick on Greg Oden the instant they won the draft lottery, the Blazers' front office comes dressed in "I heart K.D." t-shirts. Then, when the pick finally goes on the clock, Portland lets the time run out and Seattle becomes simultaneously on the clock. A camera in Portland's war room shows GM Kevin Pritchard completely soaked in sweat as he and his staff animatedly debate Oden vs. Durant.

Simultaneously, Seattle's war room camera shows GM Sam Presti smoking a cigar and playing "Halo III" (this is Seattle, Microsoft sent them an advance copy) against interns at $20 per kill. As the last 10 seconds of Seattle's clock roll off, Portland hurriedly runs its card to David Stern to announce Oden as their pick, while Seattle's noticeably unkempt representative casually walks the card for Durant up at the last second. Pritchard later says, "We did all of our homework on this. We literally didn't know until the last second. Our guy had both an Oden and Durant card, and we gave him an earpiece so we could get in every last ounce of research. Whew, we feel like we needed all of that time to decide we would take Oden over Durant."

Meanwhile, the Sonics' GM had a different take on it. "Yeah, I was in San Antonio still when Seattle won the lottery. I was in an Applebee's and I saw it on TV, so I wrote down 'Kevin Durant, forward, University of Texas' on a napkin. Once I got the Sonics' job, I dropped the napkin off with a homeless guy and paid him $20 bucks to come to New York and give it to Commissioner Stern. I sent my scouting department home for the summer four weeks ago. It seemed like a pretty obvious decision."

3. Atlanta — With the Portland/Seattle wildness finally under control, the Hawks bring a noticeably thick set of selection cards to the podium. Commissioner Stern rifles through them until he comes to the last one, announcing Brandan Wright from North Carolina as the pick. Later, Stern tells Stuart Scott the stack of cards included Hawks' draft snubs of previous years, including Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Jameer Nelson. Atlanta GM Billy Knight eventually admits "trying to get a do-over" on a few of the past picks, but with that out of the question, he decided to add some length to his frontcourt. "We also talked to Brandan about bringing the ball up the floor and defending other point guards," Knight says. "He seemed really receptive to it. When I asked him about it, he laughed and said he didn't think I was serious. That's how excited he is about being filling our need at point guard."

4. Memphis — While it's not surprising, the Grizzlies are devastated by the selection of Durant by Seattle. "We're following in the path of Jerry West," new GM Chris Wallace tells the team's draft party. "Jerry was the only one who knew his strategy for the draft, but we think we have it figured out. See, Memphis is the home of great barbeque. Therefore, we need really, really skinny guys who either hate barbeque or have superhuman metabolisms and don't gain weight from it. Look at who we have: Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Hakeem Warrick, Stromile Swift. All of these guys would topple over in a light breeze. That's why Durant would have been perfect for us." Instead, Memphis has to settle for Corey Brewer. "Hmmm, 6'8", 185 pounds ... we can work with that," Wallace says.

5. Boston — Still convinced his roster is talented enough to win with the expert coaching of Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge trades this pick to the Knicks for David Lee. When asked why he made such an underwhelming trade, Ainge maintains that the Celtics "really needed a veteran to pair with Paul Pierce" and this draft "really isn't that deep. I don't see Kedrick Perkins walking through that door. I don't see Delonte West walking through that door. I don't see Marcus Banks walking through that door. Besides, we need to put ourselves in the best possible position to win next year's lottery and have a shot at our point guard of the future, Greg Paulus."

6. Milwaukee — The Bucks instantly trade this pick to Houston for Mike James in hopes of tricking guard Michael Redd into thinking he's playing with LeBron James, whom he could be playing with had he signed with Cleveland instead of taking more money from Milwaukee in free agency two years ago. Houston drafts Yi Jianlian in the spot, as GM Daryl Morey says, "It seems pretty self-explanatory. The Chinese outnumber us four-to-one and even kidnapped Jack Bauer. The writing is on the wall, so we want to be the preferred NBA team of the Chinese regime when they invade."

7. Minnesota — Facing the pending departure of franchise player Kevin Garnett, the T-Wolves go off the board and take recently born Bryce Maximus James, son of LeBron James. When asked why he would take a player unavailable to play for 19 more years, Minnesota GM Kevin McHale says, "We're not close. Not at all. Plus, if Danny Ainge is going to start the tanking for the 2008 lottery already, we can't let them get ahead. At least they got a player who will play next season. We were able to make a pick that won't help us at all next year."

8. Charlotte — Fully in control of his team's draft, owner Michael Jordan goes off the board and selects soon-to-be Illinois freshman walk-on Jeffrey Jordan. Jordan (the elder) justifies the pick to ESPN, saying, "Everyone knows I mentally abuse young players. I figured I might as well take a guy that has experience getting berated by me for more than a decade."

9. Chicago — Bulls' GM Jim Paxson should be much more upset about this pick. After stealing it from the Knicks in the Eddy Curry trade, the Bulls had visions of Oden and Durant to add to their collection of young talent during the season. But once the lottery bricked out for Chicago and their ideal player, Roy Hibbert from Georgetown, went back to school for another year, the Bulls should have been nonplussed by this pick. But GM Jim Paxson cheerfully nabs University of Washington big man Spencer Hawes. "I know I can just trade him to Isiah for another lottery pick in a few years. If I can find a ball-hogging point guard to package with Spencer in the next two years, we should be fine."

10. Sacramento — Facing a rapidly crumbling roster, the Kings take Florida center/forward Joakim Noah. Many draftniks question this pick with so many talented players on the board (including Noah's teammate Al Horford), but owners Joe and Gavin Maloof shed a little light on their strategy. "Yeah, we know we have tons of holes," one of the Maloofs (does it matter which one?) said. "But think about this: We own the Palms in Vegas. It's way more competitive there than it is in the NBA. So we really have no other choice than to create the ultimate basketball rap tag team, Ron Artest and Joakim Noah, headlining at the Palms for the next three years. We'll basically be printing money."

11. Atlanta — With their second lottery pick, the Hawks seemingly are set to take any of the point guards left on the board. ESPN shows a double-box screen with Stern announcing the pick on one side and earlier Atlanta selection Brandan Wright on the other. To everyone's amazement, Stern reads "With the 11th selection, Atlanta takes (pausing and shaking head), Kansas forward Julian Wright." An otherwise sterling telecast has its rockiest moment here, as ESPN's director immediately cuts back to the studio analysts still in shock. Still, it seemed like a better option than keeping the camera on Brandan Wright as he plunged a fork into his eyeball. Hawks' GM Knight sheepishly tells Stephen A. Smith the next day, "I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but we actually wanted Julian Wright to be our 6'8" future point guard. It's really confusing in there sometimes. I just wish someone would have said something earlier. Who would be crazy enough to try to force a 6'9" forward into the one-spot?"

12. Philadelphia — In the draft's most confusing moment, Commissioner Stern approaches the podium to announce the 76ers' pick (we later learn it is Florida forward Al Horford). However, as soon Stern says, "With the 12th pick in the draft, Philadelphia selects..." the raucous booing of the Philly fans in attendance drowns out the announcement. Michelle Tafoya, placed in the stands to get immediate reaction on the pick from fans, asks a few what they don't like about the pick. "He's a bust, Michelle," one says. "An overpaid whiner," another opines. "We should have taken Ricky Williams," the last concludes.

13. L.A. Clippers (via New Orleans) — After the Saints rejuvenated the city and their franchise by signing Drew Brees and drafting Reggie Bush, the Hornets decide to copy that model. With few free agents available coming off of major injuries, however, the Hornets trade down one spot with the Clippers, getting Shaun Livingston and his ravaged knee in return. With this pick, the Clippers act on a lightning bolt of inspiration. After being spurned by Kobe Bryant, a premier scoring guard who lit up the league for another L.A. team in free agency three years ago, the Clips take Nick Young, a premier scoring guard who lit up the league (the Pac-10, that is) for another L.A. team (USC). "Plus, he's kind of a reach here," Clippers' owner Donald Sterling points out. "We can try to pay him way less than market value."

14. New Orleans (via L.A. Clippers) — Having picked up their veteran with a severe injury to play the Drew Brees role, the Hornets move on to find their Reggie Bush-like young star who may have taken illegal payments under the table. However, New Orleans' brass is stumped when they find that pretty much every college athlete is on the take. Panicking, the Hornets write "Bush" on the card and turn it in, later suggesting that they'll take the next Bush available, whenever that happens. However, in January 2009, the Hornets are mortified when a 62-year-old guard from Texas shows up fulfilling that pick. Fan attendance immediately drops by 70 percent. It turns out the Hornets' new benchwarmer, George W. Bush, isn't very popular in the Big Easy.

Posted by Corrie Trouw at 12:25 PM | Comments (3)

2007 U.S. Women's Open Preview

For the first time since the initial release back in February 2006, Annika Sorenstam heads into play in a LPGA major not ranked No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings. That honor goes to Lorena Ochoa, who took over the top spot on April 23rd and shows no signs of giving it back, including getting her first playoff win last week at the Wegman's LPGA event in Rochester, New York.

So does that mean you should not consider Sorenstam one of the favorites to win the 62nd U.S. Women's Open when it begins on Thursday at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, NC? History will tell you that would be making a big mistake, as she thrives on challenges just like this.

That is why she isn't afraid to say she wants to shoot 59 again, that she wants to win all four majors in one season, and why she chose to play against the men in The Memorial back in 2003. After being so dominant for so long on tour, she looks for new goals to keep her focused. This might be the toughest challenge for her yet.

This will be only the sixth tournament out of a possible 13 for Annika so far this season. She missed more than a month after suffering a ruptured disc and bulging disc, which forced her to withdraw from the Ginn Open in April. She has played in three tournaments since then, including a tie for 15th at the McDonald's LPGA Championship two weeks ago.

If you asked golf experts for their pick to win this week, almost all would tell you it has to be Lorena Ochoa.

In addition to being ranked No. 1, she has been consistent and dominant this season. In 13 tournaments played, she has 11 top-10 finishes, including three wins and three runner-up finishes. She comes in on a hot streak, as well, finishing sixth or better in her last four tournaments with 14 of 16 rounds under par.

Ochoa also leads the tour in eight of 13 statistical categories, emphasizing her dominance this year. She is still searching for her first major and this could be the week she breaks through, as she is far too talented to have not won a major yet.

Other top contenders include 2007 major winners Suzann Pettersen and Morgan Pressel, as well as youngsters Brittany Lincicome and Paula Creamer, who stand third and fourth respectively on the money list.

Pettersen is experiencing a breakthrough season, capturing her first win at the Michelob Ultra Open and following that up with her first major at the McDonald's LPGA Championship to push her past $1 million in season earnings for the first time in her career. She also finished tied for second at Kraft Nabisco and could have won, but finished with a bogey-double bogey-bogey string on holes 15 through 17 in the final round to lose by one shot to Pressel.

Pressel is returning to the site of her first taste of LPGA tournament play. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club is where she became the youngest player ever to qualify for a U.S. Women's Open back in 2001 at 12 years and 11 months old. Earlier this year, she became the youngest player in LPGA Tour history to win a major championship by winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship at 18 years, 10 months, and nine days.

It's a good thing she became the youngest to win a LPGA major as she is no longer the youngest to play in a U.S. Women's Open. That honor now belongs to 12-year-old Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, FL, who broke Pressel's record last month and became the youngest to qualify at 12 years, four months, and one day.

Despite all the distractions she has caused on tour this year, Michelle Wie's performance in majors brings her into the discussion, as well. It remains to be seen what effect the wrist injury she suffered will have on her game, or how she will be affected by the controversy her recent comments and actions have caused.

Former money title winners Se Ri Pak and Karrie Webb have regained their form recently and could also be factors this week. Another veteran who seems poised for a major win is Cristie Kerr, who has top 20 finishes in both majors this year and the game to win an Open title. There is also the distinct possibility we could see a first-time winner, as has been the case in six of the 13 events so far this season.

The last time the tournament was held at Pine Needles in 2001, Karrie Webb lapped the field, finishing as the only player under par at -7 and winning by 8 shots over Pak. If those scores were any indication, the leaderboard this year could look very similar to the men's Open at Oakmont, with lots of black numbers showing up.

The level of talent in the LPGA is at an all-time high, with numerous young players stepping up their game and many veterans regaining past form. It sets up for an exciting week of play on a difficult course that will test players shot making and patience in rounds that typically run more than five hours long.

Last year, the four majors were won by Hall of Famers Pak, Webb, Sorenstam, and veteran Sherri Steinhauer. This year has seen two of the next generation of LPGA players win their first majors in Pettersen and Pressel.

Will this weekend continue the trend of young players establishing themselves, or will one of the veterans recapture their youth and claim another major championship?

We won't know the answer to that question until about 6 PM on Sunday night, but we do know this: we are witnessing the greatest period of women's golf ever. The depth of talent is undeniable, and it is only going to continue to get better.

The next generation of LPGA stars are here and they are ready to take their place at the head table.

Posted by Jeff Levers at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007

Five Young NFL Players to Watch in '07

Jason Campbell — The Washington Redskins starting quarterback, preparing to enter his first year as the full-time starter, has earned rave reviews this offseason. Noted by all coaches around Redskins Park has been Campbell's perfect attendance, almost religious work in the film room, and growth on the field in OTAs. Campbell showed promise in 2006, completing 110-of-207 pass attempts (53.1 percent) for 1,297 yards with 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

While the numbers aren't staggering, it was Campbell's poise in the pocket and arm strength that wowed scouts and led to speculation that he may be worthy of the picks the 'Skins traded to move into the first-round to get him three years ago. With a top tandem of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts in the backfield and the deep threat of Santana Moss complemented by TE Chris Cooley's ability to get open across the middle, Campbell will have plenty of options to make his job easier.

Jay Cutler — Cutler stepped up into the starting role in Week 12, displacing QB Jake Plummer amid some controversy. Despite completing nearly 60 percent of his passes, Cutler failed to get the Broncos into the playoffs. But he flashed the talent that made him such a hot commodity coming into the NFL. He has one of the strongest arms in the NFL and is surrounded by a team talented enough to challenge for the Super Bowl title. You can be sure the experience Cutler picked up at the end of the year will have him ready for this year's season and with the addition of RB Travis Henry the running game should again be strong enough to take some pressure off of the young quarterback.

Laurence Maroney — Maroney made an impact with the Patriots last year, splitting duties with RB Corey Dillon. This year, Maroney will be carrying the whole load and will look to improve upon his 175 carries, 745 yards, and 6 touchdowns. There are concerns, however, as Maroney is coming off of shoulder surgery, but Maroney told the Boston Globe that he feels that he will be ready to take the full brunt of the running game without a problem. Luckily for him, Maroney has QB Tom Brady in front of him, which will force defenses to play it safe, especially with WR Randy Moss in the fold as a deep threat now (not to mention the Pats other additions at WR). Keep an eye on Maroney's shoulder, but with the Pats offensive capabilities in the passing game, you have to expect Maroney to succeed if he stays healthy.

Cadillac Williams — Campbell's teammate at Auburn, Williams went through a bit of a sophomore slump after a tremendous rookie campaign. In his first year, Williams rushed for 1,178 yards and 6 touchdowns, but that dropped to just 798 yards and 1 touchdown last year. The reason? Well you'd have to look at the Bucs quarterback problems last year, with Bruce Gradkowski stepping up for the injured Chris Simms in Week 3. But this year, with veteran QB Jeff Garcia likely the starter, Williams shouldn't be facing nearly as many eight-man fronts and will have more room to work his magic. Expect the Cadillac to return to his rookie year form and then some in 2007.

Vince Young — This one's easy. He's the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year, he single-handedly led the Titans to the brink of the playoffs, and he is on the cover of "Madden '07." The point is, Vince Young can be expected to continue his success at the NFL level in 2007. Young went 184-of-357 with 2,199 yards, 12 TDs, and 13 INTs in '06 to go along with 552 yards rushing and 7 (yes, SEVEN!) touchdowns.

But those numbers don't do Young justice. As a rookie QB, Young seemed to know exactly when to make a big play to lift his team, always seemed to come through in the clutch, and forced defenses to play differently anytime his legs started moving. This year, defenses will attempt to key in on Young to keep him from beating them with his legs, but Young has shown he knows how to win at every level he's ever played at and I expect the winning ways to continue now that he's had almost a full year of experience in the NFL.

Posted by Paul Tenorio at 4:30 PM | Comments (3)

2007 NBA Mock Draft (II)

Want more draft coverage? Also see Chad Kettner's 2007 NBA mock draft!

I can't remember a time when there's been more hype surrounding a draft than this year. I was too young to remember the 1984 draft. The 1996 draft turned out to be a juggernaut, but the best player from that draft, Kobe Bryant, went 13th, hardly sound scouting. Finally, I don't think anyone expected the 2003 draft to be as stacked as it has turned out to be.

The 2007 NBA draft is getting '84-type hype. Ohio State's Greg Oden and Texas' Kevin Durant are sure to be the top two picks in the draft. I must admit, I am quite giddy with the idea of a Portland team featuring Jarret Jack, Brandan Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, and player to be named in the eventual Zach Randoloph trade. Here's to the Sonics and Blazers pulling a sign-and-trade swapping Randolph and Rashard Lewis, a deal that makes sense for both sides, which is probably why it won't happen.

But I digress.

At the NBA lottery designation, you could see the disdain on Jerry West and Tommy Heinshon's face as Roy held up the number one Portland jersey. The upside is this draft is loaded, and if everyone holds position and does not trade spots, which will happen, here's one man's take on where everyone should go.

1) Portland - Greg Oden — Obvious choice. Franchise center. In the last 27 years. there have been two determining factors in a team winning an NBA championship. A franchise center, or two Hall of Fame players. Look it up, it's all there.

2) Seattle - Kevin Durant — Obvious choice No. 2. I like him better than Greg Oden, and I can't wait to finally see him play live. He has a bigger upside than Oden, but let the stat above speak for itself.

3) Atlanta - Al Horford — This is where it gets dicey. In the last two drafts, the Hawks have needed a point guard. They have passed on Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Raymond Felton, and Rajon Rondo. Atlanta has five players who play the same position, and in last year's draft, with superior talent ahead of him, the Hawks took Shelden Williams, who is a poor man's Jason Collins at best. There are a couple of good point guards on the list, but please take Al Horford. He will sure up your front court and give you a beast to make up for the bust from last year's draft.

4) Memphis - Joakim Noah — Here's the thing, does Memphis pick the next best player in the draft in Brandan Wright or does it go for what it really needs, a guy who will give you a little bit of everything. With new head coach Marc Lavaroni coming in, you can bet the Grizz will be moving. They have three point guards, Kyle Lowry, Damon Stoudamire, and Chucky Atkins, so there's no need for Michael Conley, Jr. They have two players, Hakim Warrick and Stromile Swift, who fit the mold of Wright, long players with a lot of talent, but no hunger. Take the sure thing, and get yourself a winner.

5) Boston - Corey Brewer — The third straight Gator from the back-to-back national champions is a no-brainer for the Celts. With Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer will be just what the doctor ordered, a small forward slasher who will take away heat from Pierce on the offensive end, as well as add support on the defensive end.

6) Milwaukee - Brandan Wright — The guy has a chance to be something special. He can defend, rebound, and has an upside offensively to create havoc down low. Only problem ... does he want to? Add Wright to Charlie Villanueva, Andrew Bogut, Mo Williams, and Michael Redd, and that has the makings of a playoff team.

7) Minnesota - Jeff Green — If Kevin Garnett is going to stay in Minnesota, he needs immediate help. Jeff Green out of Georgetown can provide that. He can defend, shoot, and is old enough to come in right away and not miss a beat. The Big East Player of the Year has all the tools to help K.G. get back to the playoffs.

8) Charlotte - Julian Wright — With Michael Jordan calling the shots, I can assure you that's he not going to go for another one-dimensional player like he did with Adam Morrision last year. I also don't believe M.J. has the gall to go for a Chinese prospect. With that in mind, Charlotte will take the most versatile player with a lot of potential. Wright can play four different positions, which means a lot for a team that is stacked at the four, but is lacking everywhere else.

9) Chicago - Yi Jianlian — Chicago learned in the playoffs that an offensive post player is a must. I've never seen Yi play, but people are touting him as the second coming. So with this in mind, it seems logical that Chicago, needing a low-post scorer, would go after the most polished post player in the draft.

10) Sacramento - Al Thorton — This is the toughest pick. The Kings are in a dilemma because of the poor showing Brad Miller produced this past year. He looked like an impostor. I believe the Kings keep the faith in their star and go after some much-needed scoring. Thorton is 23-years-old, which means he's ready to go right now. With Reggie Theus' approach to coaching from New Mexico State — shoot-no-shame — he'll drool over Thorton's ability to fill it up.

11) Atlanta-Michael Conley — Would you look at who's still available ... Atlanta kills two birds with one draft. If Conley's not available, look for Acie Law to head south.

12) Philadelphia - Spencer Hawes — The Sixers are in need for some major post play. The nucleus of the two Andres, Iguodala and Miller, are all fine and good, but what is there after that. Samuel Dalembert is a good defender and rebounder, but lacks an offensive punch. Kyle Korver is a three-point specialist. Look for Philly to go offensive and grab Spencer Hawes and fill its post problems quickly.

13) New Orleans - Nick Young — With CP3 at the helm, all you need are spot up shooters and lane fillers. The Hornets have Peja Stojakovic to shoot and Tyson Chandler to board. Desmond Mason is hitting the market. Add USC's Young, and you got yourself a nice little foursome, including a tremendous backcourt that will compete for years to come.

14) Los Angeles Clippers - Acie Law — The problem for Los Angeles' other team is the unknown of Shaun Livingston. The franchise's future took an ugly spill last season, and blew out everything that is possible in his knee. Will he come back full strength, who knows? What is known is Acie Law can come in and start right away. It can be extra special to have him learning under Sam Cassell, two guys whose play is eerily similar. If Livingston comes back full strength, even better, if not, you're set.

15) Detroit - Rodney Stuckey — If Detroit learned anything last year, it's that you can't win it with you starting five alone. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton are near the best at their positions, but the Pistons have no reliable backups. Lindsey Hunter is already collecting pension, Flip Murray is a streaky player, and Carlos Delfino hasn't been seen since 2004. Stuckey can play either the point or the two, and can succeed at both.

16) Washington - Jason Smith — Washington comes to the table with the Hibachi, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and DeShawn Stevenson. Brenden Haywood and Etan Thomas split time at center. Smith gives the Wiz a more gifted post player and one that can give Washington a much needed post option to go along with the perimeter foursome.

17) New Jersey - Sean Williams — Williams may have only played half a season last year, which means he's rested, but he's what the Nets need, a post player with some attitude. Jason Kidd, Vince Carter (if he stays), and Richard Jefferson are the big three and with Nenad Kristic coming back, hopefully, the Nets are one post player from returning to Eastern Conference contender.

18) Golden State - Tiago Splitter — He's big, athletic, defensive, something Golden State desperately needs if they want to go from miracle team to serious contender. Splitter can run the floor and gives the Warriors an inside presence to go with their chaotic pace that stifled the Mavs in last season's playoffs.

19) Los Angeles Lakers - Javaris Crittenton — The Lakers are ultimately up a certain creek without a paddle. There are so many holes on this team that there's not one true pick that can help right the ship. Los Angeles is full of projects, and with the impending Kobe trade, or god-help-us miserable Laker-Kobe, there is no great pick. So why not pick up Crittenton, a great defender, something the Lakers desperately need; unselfish, works well with Kobe, and he's big.

20) Miami - Gabe Pruitt — Right now, the Heat rotate Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and Dwyane Wade at the point. Needless to say, fresh blood is needed. Pruitt showed in the tournament that he can run an offense and play good D.

21) Philadelphia - Thaddeus Young — Along with Spencer Hawes, the addition of Young immediately jumps the Sixers back into Philly prominence. Add his athleticism with Miller's playmaking ability, and Iguodala's all-around game and they will definitely make the playoffs next year in a weak East.

22) Charlotte - Morris Almond — What Charlotte really needs is someone to take the heat off of Gerald Wallace, one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Almond can straight up shoot the lights out, and at 22, will be one of the veterans, age-wise, on a team that is starting to come into focus.

23) New York - Marco Belineli — I'll be honest with you: Isiah Thomas scares me. He is an absolute genius at scouting talent — I mean, did you see Renaldo Balkman being a player? — neither did I. He's brought in the goods year after year during the draft, so as much as I think Belineli can be an asset to a team that is full of drivers and post up players, who truly knows?

24) Phoenix - Rudy Fernandez — As everyone found out in this year's playoffs, after the Suns starting six, who else is there? Kurt Thomas is a good defender and an excellent mid-range game, but that's about it. Fernandez can offer assistance at both shooting guard and small forward, allowing D'Antoni to expand the rotation and give guys like Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, and Shawn Marion a little more rest.

25) Utah - Arron Afflalo — Utah is one perimeter shot away from taking the next step to challenge the top three. Although Afflalo is not up there on the depth chart, you have to respect his shooting, and I think for this reason, Jazz grab him with the 25th pick. If not Afflalo, look for another sharp shooter to go here.

26) Houston - Glen Davis — The Rockets have an endless supply of backcourt players, but lack a true consistent big man to aid Yao Ming. Big Baby, if he stays in shape, can provide a myriad of offensive weaponry to a team that should be much better than they have been the past few years.

27) Detroit - Josh McRoberts — I really don't like McRoberts. I think he's soft, lacks heart, and who can forget him crying during the Duke/Carolina game? At the same time, he was a potential lottery pick last year. Detroit needs help down low and McRoberts can be a nice supporting cast member to a good Detroit team.

28) San Antonio - Petteri Kopenen — The champs need to address the backcourt. Tony Parker's game is in the paint, and constantly getting banged around sooner or later will catch up to him. Jacque Vaughn and Beno Udrih are not reliable backups. Kopenen is a better talent than both, and will provide exactly what the Spurs are looking for, keeping their international relations above par with the rest of the league.

29) Phoenix - Kyrylo Fesenko — It's hard to believe Phoenix will keep all their picks this year as they got rid of all their picks last year. Fesenko, however, can be an asset to a team in need of some frontcourt help. He's big and can run the field, cut right out of the Phoenix mold.

30) Philadelphia - Taurean Green — The last of the Gator top prospects, Green can truly be helpful for the Sixers to backup Andre Miller. He's a better option than Kevin Ollie at least.

Posted by Wailele Sallas at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2007

2007 NBA Mock Draft

Well, it's that time of the year again. Everybody who's a nobody goes out and tries to act like an NBA scout by predicting the NBA draft.

The fact is that we, as fans, often do have as good of a guess as to who's going to be successful as anybody else does, because the future is always uncertain. Sam Bowie was taken before Michael Jordan because even M.J. wasn't a sure-shot No. 1. Nobody is.

I've often felt that I am quite knowledgeable around picks — seeing Darko Milicic and Rafael Araujo as the busts they were while seeing Amare Stoudemire and Marcus Williams as pure steals (the latter still has to pan out). However, with mock drafts, it really doesn't matter how well one can foresee talent. All that matters is whether I can guess the thoughts of each GM, some having logical patterns, while others are simply crazy.

Therefore, this mock draft is as big of a crapshoot as any other, but I'm going forward with it nonetheless.

Here is my first round mock NBA draft (I would do a second round, but I'm sure I've made enough mistakes as it is):

1. Portland - Greg Oden (7'0" C - Ohio State)
He's the league-wide favorite to be taken number one and GM Kevin Pritchard isn't about to take a risk on anything else. If he takes Oden and it doesn't work out: everybody was wrong. If he passes on Oden and he turns into the best center in the league: only he was wrong.

2. Seattle - Kevin Durant (6'10" SF - Texas)
In my opinion, Durant is the best player in the draft and Seattle strikes it just as rich as or richer than Portland. They get the player they want without having the pressure of picking the wrong guy.

3. Atlanta - Brandan Wright (6'10" PF - North Carolina)
The Hawks need a lot of things and there are a lot of things available. It's "too early" to pick Mike Conley and the Hawks really should fill a big-man position first and get the guard at 11. The only problem is that there is probably no chance Conley slides to 11, since everybody knows the Hawks would take him there or be willing to trade up a couple spots to secure him.

Nonetheless, I think the Hawks should take Brandan Wright from North Carolina. Al Horford is more ready, but that doesn't matter — the Hawks aren't "ready" to contend, so there is no hurry. Wright has a higher ceiling, is more athletic, and would make the Hawks a dangerous run-and-gun (or run-and-dunk) team. Well, maybe not dangerous, but they'd still be fun to watch.

4. Memphis - Al Horford (6'10" PF - Florida)
While Joakim Noah would certainly make sense, I've got a feeling the Grizzlies won't be able to pass on Al Horford. They need another big man to relieve the pressure off of Gasol and the big Floridian (as opposed to the skinny one) would give them the body they need.

5. Boston - Yi Jianlian (7'0" PF - China)
They will try their best to trade this pick and get Garnett. However, assuming that doesn't happen — they'll be happy to settle for Yi Jianlian, who not only helps them out significantly on the court, but also in jersey sales (thanks to the Chinese market). True story: I saw a Team China Jianlian jersey at a Footlocker ... in Alberta, Canada. Okay, to help explain why this is so crazy, I have to add in the fact that you can barely even find LeBron jersey's in Alberta.

6. Milwaukee - Mike Conley, Jr. (6'1" PG - Ohio State)
This pick could go two ways: either they take Mike Conley depending on the free agent situation with Mo Williams or they pick Corey Brewer to add depth to an awkward small forward position (with Bobby Simmons and Ruben Patterson). I'll go with Mike Conley and the hope that Simmons is healthy.

7. Minnesota - Corey Brewer (6'8" SF - Florida)
The T-Wolves should be ecstatic if Corey Brewer falls this far. So ecstatic that there would simply be no way they would pass on him. They've needed someone to add significant scoring alongside Garnett for quite a while. Sure, they've got Ricky Davis, but that might be more of a problem than a commodity.

8. Charlotte - Joakim Noah (6'11" PF - Florida)
Noah may not fall this far based on late reactions derived from older performances. Based on this year, he really doesn't deserve to go top-10, but he will. The Bobcats need a versatile player like Noah and they likely won't let him fall beyond eight.

9. Chicago - Jeff Green (6'9" SF - Georgetown)
While Chicago is already doing fine at small forward, they tend to stockpile depth anyways. Jeff Green is arguably the best player available here and is versatile enough to get playing time somewhere or another.

10. Sacramento - Spencer Hawes (7'0" C - Washington)
Whatever happened to Sacramento? Petrie may turn towards a young player to build the team around for the future, but I'd say he'd rather go for current need. They need a big man to back up Miller and grab boards. Hawes is the answer.

11. Atlanta - Acie Law (6'3" PG - Texas A&M)
The Hawks need a point-guard and Javaris Crittenton, though tempting, isn't the one they end up going with.

12. Philadelphia - Nick Young (6'6" SG - USC)
This USC product is enough of a reason to pass on filling their PF needs. Young will give them a legitimate two-guard who can excite. They can pick up a big man at 21 if they want.

13. New Orleans - Rodney Stuckney (6'5" SG - E. Wash)
The Hornets don't get the guy they want in Nick Young, but Stuckney still fits the bill as a guy who can produce as a shooting guard.

14. LA Clippers - Javaris Crittenton (6'4" PG - G-Tech)
With Shaun Livingston on the shelf, the Clips are in need of a point guard.

15. Detroit - Julian Wright (6'8" SF - Kansas)
With Chris Webber being injury prone and Rasheed Wallace being technical-foul prone, Julian Wright would be a solid addition to the Pistons' front court.

16. Washington - Al Thornton (6'7" F - Florida State)
Washington has holes. Regardless of where they are, they can't afford to pass on the best player available.

17. New Jersey - Jason Smith (7'0" C - Colorado St.)
The Nets could use another big man. Jason Smith provides a big body that can run the court well and would add a lot to the post for a team that has nearly no inside presence.

18. Golden State - Petteri Koponen (6'4" PG - Finland)
The Warriors make a big splash by taking this recently hyped floor-leader from Finland. While he isn't the most NBA ready player available, he does provide depth for a position in need (with B-Diddy's injury history).

19. L.A. Lakers - Josh McRoberts (6'10" PF - Duke)
Most believe the Lakers are going to go for a big man. With Jason Smith gone, McRoberts is the likely candidate.

20. Miami - Thaddeus Young (6'7" SF - G-Tech)
The Heat could use a SF with James Posey being a FA. And even with Posey, it's arguably their weakest position. With that said, either Derrick Byars or Thaddeus Young will be snagged here. I'm going with the more athletic Young.

21. Philadelphia - Derrick Byars (6'7" SG/SF - Vanderbilt)
By taking Nick Young earlier, the 76ers pressured themselves to use this pick on a big man. With Smith and McRoberts off the board the pick ends up being between Tiago Splitter, Sean Williams, and Marc Gasol. With nine picks to go until they choose again, the 76ers take a risk in believing that one of these players will still be around at 30.

22. Charlotte - Tiago Splitter (6'11" PF - Brazil)
Splitter may not come into the NBA right way, but that's okay with Charlotte. They've already got the guy they need for this year earlier on in the draft. Splitter makes the future a safer place for this organization.

23. New York - Glen Davis (6'8" PF - LSU)
I put a bunch of names in a hat, and out came Big Baby's name. Isiah Thomas is probably the most unpredictable person to draft for and I believe that this system is as accurate as any other.

24. Phoenix - Marco Belinelli (6'6" SG - Italy)
I saw somebody else put this in their mock draft and it made perfect sense. He's a great shooter with a quick release — the perfect player for the Phoenix system. Not to mention he's Italian (Coach Mike D'Antoni played ball in Italy).

25. Utah - Morris Almond (6'6" SG - Rice)
While the Jazz had a great year, they sure could have used some scoring against the Spurs. Almond averaged 26.4 ppg in college while shooting over 45% from behind the arc. If he can pull down 15 rebounds a game as well they might actually be able to contend with the Spurs.

26. Houston - Sean Williams (6'10" PF - Boston College)
The Rockets are in need of a big man after trading Juwan Howard for Mike James last week. Dikembo Mutombo is aging, Yao is injury-prone, and Chuck Hayes isn't enough to not need a big man with this pick.

27. Detroit - Aaron Brooks (5'11" PG - Oregon)
They need a backup point guard for Billups. There are a few options out there, but the way this kid shoots the ball is awfully attractive to the Pistons.

28. San Antonio - Rudy Fernandez (6'6" SG - Spain)
Fernandez is a lottery-talent player who I see falling quite a bit. The great thing about drafting late in the first round is that there are always a few players you had in mind still available. With San Antonio aging, Fernandez brings in some young talent that can play a role on the team almost immediately.

29. Phoenix - Gabe Pruitt (6'4" PG - USC)
Marcus Banks didn't work out as a backup. Pruitt, or whatever point guard they select here, will hopefully mold into the player that can carry over for Nash down the road.

30. Philadelphia - Marc Gasol (7'1" C - Spain)
Finally, the 76ers get a big man to provide some sort of hope for the future. Gasol has upside, but is a definite work-in-progress.

Posted by Chad Kettner at 12:30 PM | Comments (4)

ADHD Power Hour 5: It's Hot Outside

Hello. It's hot, and it rains sometimes, especially when I'm in the pool, and the only sport on right now is baseball and my team stinks. Even my fantasy team stinks. Both of them. They stink.

But there are bright spots, too. The NBA draft is this week. The Celtics will pass on a future Hall of Fame point guard, and that will make me mad. We're a week closer to NFL training camps than we were at this time last week. And we don't live in the Gaza Strip. That's definitely a bonus.

So as I try to hold off on starting my fantasy football draft prep (can't risk burnout), here are some thoughts on the current state of affairs:

19. There are a lot of NBA mock drafts. I'll just say this:

Kevin Durant is better.

Mike Conley will be better than Corey Brewer, Al Horford, or Joakim Noah.

There are going to be a lot of really good players chosen in the second round.

18. I love the fact that Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg are going to get to call a "Monday Night Football" game (Arizona/San Francisco, September 10, ESPN).

I hate the fact Mike Ditka is going to ruin it.

17. Note from the World Bowl half-time show: has Meat Loaf always looked this much like Jerry Lewis?

16. Brilliant move by Joe Girardi turning down the Orioles. This is just like Sean Payton turning down Al Davis and the Raiders before getting the Saints job. Wait for your pitch, Joe.

15. Scary news courtesy Andy Katz: USC's Taj Gibson has already added 16 pounds of muscle since last season. If this O.J. Mayo kid is legit (talent and ability to play the college game, including defense, within a team concept), the Trojans could be contenders for April basketball.

14. Speaking of April basketball, Tennessee just got a huge boost on Friday when the NCAA granted a hardship waiver to former Iowa forward Tyler Smith, making him eligible to play this year. Smith, who is from Tennessee, averaged 15 ppg last year as a freshman and was going to be the man for the Hawkeyes this season with the departure of Adam Haluska, but wanted to be closer to his father, who has lung cancer, and his baby son.

13. The Vols were already SEC favorites. Now they're Final Four favorites.

12. You know who's had a bad offseason? The Cincinnati Bengals. And it doesn't have anything to do with their status as poster boys for the league's new discipline policy. Vastly underrated center Rich Braham got hurt early last year, and the average per rush was down by half a yard. The rush yards per game were down by about 20. Their time of possession was down by more than two minutes per game.

Perhaps all that isn't the direct result of Braham's injury and the inconsistency of his replacement, Eric Ghiaciuc, a 2004 fourth-rounder from Central Michigan with one start to his name prior to last season. But now Eric Steinbach has gone to Cleveland for crazy cash, and all Cincinnati has done to replenish the cupboard is re-sign restricted free agent Stacy Andrews and draft Dan Santucci of Notre Dame in the seventh round.

Also, Carson Palmer does hot dog commercials.

11. So much for the "at least he's never been charged" argument for Pacman Jones. Guy has himself a one-way ticket to Lawrence Phillipsville.

10. Download of the Day: Miles Behind, Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood

9. Letters From Iwo Jima is ten times the movie as Flags of Our Fathers. Maybe twenty.

(And I liked Flags. But Letters is a top-five all-timer.)

8. I'm just going to go ahead and say it: screw space stations.

7. Tiger Woods' baby has already made more money than I ever will.

6. Fred Thompson has the perfect blend of local folksy and elderly statesman, with the southern (but not too southern) gentleman finish. It feels like he's the first adult to get in the race, like everybody else is running for senior class president and he's running for leader of the free world. If he gets into the race, and I'd put the chances at about 90 percent now that he's started up the exploratory committee, he is going to walk to the nomination.

5. Of all the places I wish I could be right now, the Gaza Strip is ahead of very few places. Definitely bottom 10. Bad deal.

4. The Colts got their rings on a sliver platter. And who did they get to host the fancy affair? Sinbad. That's right. Sinbad.

3. This year's baseball trade market is going to be the most influential in years. Only the AL East and West look like possible run-away divisions. The other four are ripe for the taking by any one of a dozen teams who has the brain and the gonads to go out and take it.

2. Jack Del Rio needs to get rid of Mike Tice before he actually talks him into the Jaguars signing Daunte Culpepper. If they bring him in, they will be forced to at some point give him a chance. Everybody will know it, including starter Byron Leftwich. And as soon as the offense puts up a clunker, reporters, columnists, and radio voices will start hammering the question. "When will the change be made?" "What the hell is taking so god damned long?" The team will split. And no matter who takes over, the season will fall apart. This kind of situation never works, and it won't here, either.

Also, they shouldn't have released Donovan Darius. He's going to end up being a big get for somebody.

1. God, I can't wait for training camps.

Seth Doria is a writer in St. Louis. Several of the notes above are from his blog, The Left Calf. It's okay, though, because they were new to you.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 10:49 AM | Comments (3)

June 23, 2007

The Myth of the Hometown Hero

For all the various verbiage that's spewed forth by a sportswriter, there are two genres of articles that are, by far, the most insipid and lazy.

The first is the "crystal ball" satire, in which the author will predict the next season or year for a particular sport or franchise; the insights are shallow, the jokes either forced, repetitious, or omitted. You could fill the same space with WNBA preseason box scores and it would be a better use of real estate.

The second is the "mock draft," especially ones that exhibit an elementary level of reporting that trades accuracy for piss-poor prognostication. Mel Kiper gets to have a mock draft because he spends every waking moment studying everyone from the top pick to Mr. Irrelevant. The beat writer for the local football team shouldn't write a mock draft because he hasn't.

At least those publications that traffic in amateur prospects have some base knowledge and context when they unleash a mock draft. Take the "Red Line Report" in hockey, billed as a scouting newsletter. Its 2007 NHL Entry Draft predictions were published recently on USAToday.com, and offered a glimpse at this weekend's two-day affair in Columbus. (An event that I will be attending on behalf of The Fourth Period Radio Show and NHL FanHouse on AOL Sports.) It's solid, save for two pet peeves; the most prominent being that the author predicted a draft-day trade involving the No. 1 pick. That's like calling the winner of the Super Bowl based on whether or not you think it might rain.

The other pet peeve is found within the summary of the No. 2 pick:

2. Philadelphia Flyers — James vanRiemsdyk. Makes perfect sense from a marketing standpoint as he's from just up the road in New Jersey. Plus, he fits what the Flyers are looking for better than anyone as a big, rugged power forward.

First of all, do the Flyers really need a local hook to generate interest in the team? Last season Philadelphia was — as the kids say — "teh suck," yet they drew to a 98.9% capacity. The Flyers could send out alumni from the 1985 Philadelphia 76ers on skates and would still draw over 19,000 a game.

Beyond that: does this guy own an atlas? VanRiemsdyk is from Middletown, NJ — a.k.a. two towns over from where I grew up. It's roughly 25 minutes away from the Outerbridge Crossing into New York, and about two hours away from Philly. Saying vanRiemsdyk would have an impact as a "local boy makes good" is like saying the Dallas Stars would get a boost at the gate from someone born in Tulsa.

Forgetting about this geographic blunder, let's focus on the real question here: can a locally-born athlete really make an impact on a team's popularity?

No, sir, I don't believe he can.

How many tickets did Jim Dowd sell as the first New Jersey-born member of the Devils? How many tickets did Jeff Halpern sell for the Washington Capitals because he was from suburban Potomac, Maryland? To be honest, in the conversations I've had with Caps fans, he might have sold more because he was Jewish.

How many people come to Shea because Damion Easley of the Mets was born in New York City? How many new fans came to the Dodgers because Mike Lieberthal is from Glendale? I know a lot was made about Stephon Marbury becoming a New York Knick because he was born in Brooklyn; besides his immediate family and homeboys, did MSG pack a single extra fan in the joint because of that fact?

Or did they come because he was Stephon Marbury? The "local hero" angle is more important for someone like Marbury than it is for the Knicks. He grew up cheering for the team, and I imagine it's a thrill for him to wear the uniform and play in the Garden.

The only place where the "local hero" thing is a factor is in a city like Montreal. Every season, there's a rumor about Vinny Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning "going home" and playing for the Canadiens one day, and it would be a big deal for Habs fans — not only because he's an all-star, but because of his heritage. Please recall the riotous outrage when the Habs selected Doug Wickenheiser instead of Denis Savard in the 1980 NHL draft...

I don't think, in professional sports, where an athlete was born matters all that much. If there's a palpable impact from anything in a player's background, it's where he played his college ball. The Detroit Lions drafting a University of Michigan player is a big deal. The Charlotte Bobcats grabbing a Tar Heel could help at the gate. Down here in D.C., several University of Maryland players have eventually hooked up with the Washington Wizards, and each time it seemed like the acquisition was based more on marketing than on the player's impact on the court. It could happen again with D.J. Strawberry this year.

Collegiate allegiance can make a difference at the gate. The impact of "local heroes," however, is limited to an occasional piece of trivia traded between fans, an annual feature story in the community weekly or a reason why he gives the home team a discount when he becomes a free agent.

Any perceived significance beyond that is, for the most part, mythology.

In the case of James vanRiemsdyk, it shouldn't mean anything to the Flyers that he's from Central New Jersey, just like it shouldn't mean anything to James vanRiemsdyk if he becomes a Flyer...

... after all, he grew up rooting for the Rangers.

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 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007

Five Truths About the '07 MLB Season

For everything, it is said, there is a season. June is the season for the NBA Finals, the PGA's U.S. Open, tennis' French Open, and summer vacation. It also marks the unofficial start of the baseball season.

I know, I know ... baseball's Opening Day festivities come long before the ivy thickens on the Wrigleyville walls and the t-shirts come off in the Fenway bleachers. But my point is things aren't what they seem in baseball until at least June 1.

Yankees 15 games out of first ... doesn't matter, it's only May. They'll be within a half dozen by the All-Star Game. Lance Berkman with one measly double through the season's first two months ... just an anomaly. He'll hit his 30-40 by September, you can bank on that. Kansas City with one of the five worst records in baseball ... well, I suppose that one will hold true through September.

A large part of the beauty of baseball is its reliability. What you think you know is what you know, and there is a certain bit of comfort that one can draw from such stability that is unavailable in the other major North American sports.

In the spirit of this vein of reason, wouldn't it be great to be able to sort through the early season trends to determine which are reversible and which are not? Will the Brewers actually win their division? Is it possible that the aforementioned Yanks are doomed to watch the playoffs for the first time in 13 years?

Fortunately, there are some time-tested indicators that can be used to divine the future. I've chosen five such points of interest on which I will impart my wisdom onto the masses. The good news is, if you are so impressed you want more of my ultra-scientific precursors, you can always buy my book. The bad news is I don't really have a book, just a vivid imagination that has created an imaginary tome that won't be hitting stores anytime soon.

With that, read on...

Will the Yankees miss the playoffs?

In a word, no. I hate the Yankees and their overspending, overbearing, overhyped tendencies as much as the next guy and would love nothing more than to hear the brooding press conferences from A-Rod, Joe Torre, and the Boss recapping a miserably disappointing season come early October.

Unfortunately, the Bronx Bombers snagged one Roger Clemens over the offseason, and this is where the history really begins to lean in the Yankees' favor. In post-strike MLB ('95-present), teams with the Rocket on board have a winning percentage of .590 after June compared to a .533 pace before July 1. Remarkably, only twice in this span has one of Roger's teams not won at least 45 games after June and nine times those same teams have won at least 49 games in the season's second half. If you take New York's record as it stands today and project them to win that same 59% of their remaining games, you're looking at about 90 team wins, which should be plenty to cinch their playoff berth.

How many homers will Alex Rodriguez hit?

Fifty-four (54). Using simple math, A-Rod is on pace to hit 63 HRs in 2007. As we all know, such "flat" projections rarely bear themselves out over time. Taking the projection a bit further, then, and basing that projection on the more realistic concept of past production, that number is modified considerably. Over his career (excluding 2007 and his first two seasons, during which he totaled only 205 plate appearances), Rodriguez has homered in 7% of his plate appearances. So far in '07, that percentage has jumped to 9.1%.

Using my earlier premise of baseball's statistical consistency, one can assume that A-Rod's season averages represent a firm baseline for performance; Alex has averaged 41.7 HRs per full season over his career. In order to quantify his improvement in long ball efficiency we are seeing this season, you can figure out relatively simply (again through that pesky "math" thing) that A-Rod is hitting the bomb 30% more frequently so far this season than his usual rate (9.1% - 7% = 2.1%; 2.1%/7% = 30%). Now that the specifics have been figured, you can comfortably calculate that the Yankee third bagger will hit 30% more homers in 2007 than his usual average (41.7 x 1.30 = 54). Take it to the bank.

Who will win the NL Central division?

Before the question is dismissed with a nonchalant "who cares," be mindful of this: the NL Central has been the regular season home to the last three National League World Series combatants and has had at least one team in the League Championship Series in every year beginning in 2002. No other division in baseball comes close to this streak, not even the mighty AL East, which has failed to have a representative in their league's championship series three times over that same span. The NL's Central division champion may well be the team to beat come playoff time, so maybe we all should pay attention after all.

There are two trends that have consistently proven to be true almost across the board for the division winner in the NL Central. The first is run differential. Granted, it stands to reason that run differential would indicate the best team in any division, but only the NL East has a more consistent track record since 2001 of having their top team in this category take home the division pennant. Looking even deeper, you find an even more remarkable consistency. Only once since 2000 has a team won the Central without featuring the best road winning percentage (that once was last season, when St. Louis limped home over the final two weeks and wound up behind the Astros in this regard). No other division compares in consistency when reviewing this single indicator of success. So there it is, the clear requirements for Central division glory.

Looking at the standings as they are on June 15, one single team boasts the best road record and the greatest difference in runs scored versus runs against. That team is your 2007 NL Central projected champion: the Chicago Cubs. I guess this means the asteroid will hit the planet sooner than we all thought, eh?!

How many no-hitters will be thrown in MLB this season?

Seven (7). This one is simple. The last time an outgoing U.S. President named George Bush was in his next-to-last year of office was 1991. This is the new last time an outgoing U.S. President named George Bush will be in his next-to-last year of office. Okay, so this is a stretch, but at least I didn't just make something up.

Which team will win the 2007 World Series?

Quick, can anyone name the last team to win the Series and have the best regular season record in baseball? How about the 1998 New York Yankees? Almost a decade has past since the team we all expected to win heading in to the playoffs has actually won a title. This does not bode well for Red Sox Nation and the L.A. Angels of Anaheim via Hollywood by way of La Jolla (both tied at 42 wins at the time of writing). Since we've already established the NL Central winner will be playing in the World Series and we are equally sure that the Cubs (who were given this honor a few paragraphs up) have as much shot at winning a title as I do of winning Miss America, this leaves only American League teams to choose from, less the two already mentioned.

One more noteworthy factor is that item number one (also a few paragraphs up) includes the Yankees as the AL wildcard team ... but the "Roger Clemens effect" works both ways, and while the Rocket's presence all but guarantees a playoff spot, it also pretty much guarantees a playoff series loss (I'm pretty sure he sold his soul in 1998 in return for two and only two World Championship rings; two wins, 11 postseason series losses in 13 tries). So there stands only one logical choice as the eventual 2007 world champ — the winner of the AL Central. Now all we have to do is figure out that team, and you have yourself a lock you can take to Vegas.

Detroit and the White Sox are out, as no team has had a pitcher throw a no-no and won a championship in the same season this decade. K.C. is out because, well, they're the Royals. This leaves the Twins and the Indians to battle it out. Frankly, I have no magic formula for either of these teams, so I'll just flip a coin ... literally. Indians are heads, Twins are tails ... the coin is up ... to the floor ... heads it is. Congrats to the Cleveland Indians, 2007 World Series champions!

Posted by Matt Thomas at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2007

Step Down, King James

LeBron James should retire. Immediately.

Before my friends in the 216, 440, and 330 disown me (those would be the area codes for Cleveland, its suburbs, and Akron, respectively, for those of you who aren't familiar with our country's beautiful North Coast), let me first point out how much it pained me to come to that conclusion. I'm from Cleveland. My softball jersey is No. 19, the same digits I sported on my 1988 Bernie Kosar Halloween costume. I'm very touchy about discussing the Cuyahoga River catching on fire. And like my fellow Northeast Ohioans, I pronounce my short-o sounds through my nostrils, so I would tell you that at Christmas I drink egg naaahg and the once and future king of the NBA that you call King James, we call LeBraahn. As much as anybody, I have placed a messianic level of faith in a 22-year-old sports savior.

And that, sadly, is exactly why he needs to get out.

We often throw out the abbreviation "phenom" to describe LeBron. After all, he took the NBA, a man's league, by storm at the wise, old age of 18. He won the All-Star Game MVP less than two months after he turned 21. His combination of skill and maturity, which fly directly against his youth, truly are the phenomenon that we suggest.

However, there is also a LeBron James Phenomenon. This is a far darker fluke of reality. No player has come into the league with such expectations. No player has heard, and answered, his critics at such an early point in his career. Quite simply, no player has been charged with satisfying a league, a city, media, and fans with so much invested in him at such an early point.

Nearly four years ago, Jack McCallum wrote a cover story for Sports Illustrated precociously titled "The Importance of Being LeBron." A few angles in the story haven't exactly held up (including a ridiculous quote from LeBron about acquiescing to Ricky Davis as the leader of the Cavs), but many of McCallum's points remain relevant. More people have a stake invested in LeBron than any other star in American sports history.

The League

The whispers of the NBA's imminent death are hardly new. TV ratings are in the toilet, they say. Corporate sponsors don't want to roll the dice and associate with these players that turn off mainstream America, they say. And then this league, suffocated by the ghost of one No. 23, finds this diamond of youth, a new No. 23, who rises from the ashes.

Between Jordan's last shot in Salt Lake City in June 1998 (and the push-off on Bryon Russell that helped, and no, that whole Washington thing never happened) and LeBron's debut in late 2003, the NBA searched near and far for a partner to marry its product to. There was an ill-fated relationship with Allen Iverson. Vince Carter soared through the air, but eventually flew far too close to the sun on wings (and knees) made of wax and easily-damaged cartilage. And Shaq, well, continued to be Shaq, but that doesn't sell tickets and sneakers, does it?

The league needed something new, something fresh. And then came this great young hope. With all of the eyes of the world on him, LeBron smoothly dropped 25 points, 9 assists, 6 boards, and 4 steals in Sacramento on his career's opening night. And just like that, a star was born.

Fast-forward to today. D-Wade has a championship, but most people acknowledge with a wink and a nod that Shaq may have had something to do with that. Kobe has shined brighter on single nights, such as his 81-pointer, but has struggled to reach any status beyond side-show act. And LeBron's supposed peer in the class of 2003, Carmelo Anthony, has meandered though a maddeningly above-average career marked more by sucker punches and gang-propaganda videos than basketball excellence. For better or worse, this is LeBron's league.

The City

In a small side street off of Ontario Avenue, the giant screen seared the images into the retinas of thousands of fans, but they didn't seem to mind. Cavs fans, all dressed in LeBron jerseys and other wine-and-gold paraphernalia that devoured their disposable income, celebrated the Game 6 win over Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. But when the rabid suburban fans finally exited the party scene, the real Cleveland emerged. Only a dozen or so blocks away from the glittering palace of white-collar entertainment known as "The Q," the less glamorous side of Cleveland won't be hopping into sedans and SUVs and leaving the area on I-77 or I-90. Here, in places like East 13th and Chester Avenue, is where Clevelanders who actually have "Cleveland" in their return addresses survive.

Much of Cleveland lies in economic ruin, a glass desert left in the fallout of a breaking, if not broken, rust-belt economy. For the true residents of Cleveland, it's nights like June 2nd that serve as a welcome respite from daily life. True, they might not have been able to scrape together $80 bucks to scale the reaches of Quicken Loans Arena's upper bowl (face value: $10). But they congregated around TVs in apartments and bars, knowing that something special was about to happen. And as roars of jubilation oozed out of every door and window into otherwise barren streets, these people found the kind of panacea that Karl Marx said came through religion. But Mr. Marx wasn't around for the night LeBron dropped 48 on the Pistons. No, these Clevelanders inject, ingest, and inhale their opiate in the form of a basketball superstar coming of age.

The Media

The Greatest. The Most Overhyped. The Chosen One. By his own choice, LeBron sits directly under the hottest light that has ever burned down on an American athlete.

Before Michael Jordan was a silhouette on a $200 pair of sneakers, he was the lanky, budding star for the Bulls in the '80s. Sure, Jordan ascended to his throne and only relinquished it once to go to the bathroom (or was that to play baseball for the Birmingham Barons) once he announced himself with a championship in 1991. But don't forget about the other Jordan.

For LeBron, there never has been a period for blooming. At least in terms of hype, he emerged in full blossom, petals-and-all, the instant he entered the NBA. The kid gloves were mostly off because, after all, even a kid couldn't deserve this kind of adulation. And ever since that day, you would think LeBron had wrapped himself in Republican Red or Democrat Blue given the way admirers and haters have taken their angles.

While the LeBron Phenomenon certainly has a polarizing effect, James has also been thrust into an environment that makes such hysteria the norm. A writer who merely says LeBron is a rapidly developing young star with an unthinkably broad base of skills won't get his face on TV. No, today it is far more important to capture the essence of a complex human being in one fell swoop, both smugly glorious in its comprehensiveness and self-congratulatingly simple (not to mention media-friendly) in its brevity. After all, how else will you make your point before Jay Mariotti talks over you?

So as this new star rises, it's simultaneously maddening, disappointing, and, most of all, predictable that the media has already sunk its fangs into LeBron and injected its digestive venom. And why would we be surprised; isn't that what our society has come to do best? The sports media has fallen into the lazy habit of building stars based on hype, feigning frustration when they decide the hype is unwarranted, and finally bringing out the wrecking ball to take down their unworthy idol. After all, what's the point of being a mediocre sportswriter if you don't get to take shots at the genetically elite from your self-constructed perch of intellectual supremacy?

The Fans

We've already met the fourth planet that Atlas James has been asked to carry on his shoulders. These are the wine-and-gold clad faithful who are at the base of the economic LeBron Pyramid. They (make that "We") are the minions who buy the jerseys, shoes, and tickets that make LeBron, Inc. a successful venture. But don't pity them (us). The relationship between Cleveland fans and LeBron is mutually parasitic. For every gushing claim by both camps about the hometown hero's torrid love affair with Northeast Ohio, there lies one unspoken reality. More than the fans of any city in the country, Cleveland fans are slaves to past failure. And with their latest and best hope in the fold, it's quite clear that Cleveland fans will consider a LeBron era without a championship the latest in a series of sports failures.

The problem for both LeBron and his fans is that they both know he is special. He's not, as Sam Smith moronically said a few weeks ago on Tony Kornheiser's radio show, closer to Vince Carter than he is to Jordan. Sure, we'd all like to see explosions of greatness like Game 5 in Detroit a little more often, but at this point the question is no longer if he can back up the hype, it's how often.

And this is where Cleveland fans can't help but retrace the failures of their sports past. Fans in L.A., Miami, Portland, and, heck, even Boston, would be excitedly waiting for the continued ascension of the King. But not here. Not in a city that has these traumatic milestones of misery. Not as the 10-year anniversary of Jose Mesa approaches this October. Not when the ghosts (yeah, I know they're still alive) of Art Modell and John Elway haunt all things brown and orange. Not when the very organization LeBron is rallying was stunted into irrelevance by a famous shot from another No. 23 (we call it "The Shot"). Not here.

And hanging over all of this is the potential that LeBron could leave for flashier pastures. Why would the league's brightest star toil in the commercially barren wasteland of Cleveland? And while LeBron has never been publicly caught philandering with the Knicks or Lakers, he hasn't exactly embraced his King-for-life potential in Cleveland. The jubilation over his re-signing last year was quickly tempered by the revelation that LeBron only re-upped for three years instead of the full five he could have. So Clevelanders, already showing fifth-latte level jitters after four decades of sports pain, can already feel the impending doom. LeBron is only 22 and should, by any reasonable measure, have at least a dozen more seasons to try to win a title. But how many of those will play out on the banks of Lake Erie?

So why, with all these people, all this hope invested, should LeBron walk away from it all? Precisely because of them. Having fully announced his talents to the basketball nation this spring, LeBron is now on notice. We all have something at stake in him. For the fans, it's emotional. For most everyone else, it's money. But the consequences are clear: if LeBron doesn't accomplish the world — which is exactly what his expectations are — the spiteful acid pool of disappointment will eat him alive. David Stern, civically hopeful Clevelanders, sportswriters, marketing execs, and Cavs fans will storm the gates of LeBron's iconic fortress, pitchforks and torches in hand.

And for what? LeBron has all the money he could need. Sure, the money itself is nothing more than a measuring stick of business success for LeBron, just as the points in his box scores are only a way for us mere hardwood mortals to comprehend his basketball genius. But James has already realized levels of success from his talent that defy the demographic odds. For a kid from Akron raised by a single mother, wealth and fame are as likely as divining the winning numbers for the Mega-Millions lottery. The bottom line is the next five to 10 years for LeBron will be as thankless and potentially pulverizing a period as any faced by any superstar of the past. Walking on water won't be enough; we'll need to see him fashion that water into merlot before we're impressed.

But LeBron has vanquished the impossible before. He did it on opening night in Sacramento with flashbulbs popping and critics scowling. He did it in that All-Star Game, when many stars would have mentally checked out in the third quarter. And most recently, he did it on that night in the Palace of Auburn Hills, single-handedly disemboweling the Pistons five-at-a-time with his own playoff life and stardom in the balance. These mountains, impossible to ascend in even the most wildly optimistic of imaginations, have been merely hurdles to line up and clear so far for LeBron.

And that is why now, at this point in his career, LeBron has nothing more to gain. To bridge the distance between here and what everyone needs him to achieve is unfathomable. He'll take on the challenge because, honestly, what else is there for a superstar in full bloom to do? But 20 years from now, when we've all had our turn to vent about how our investment in LeBron just hasn't panned out to the ridiculous heights we expected, we should remember this point on the LeBron timeline. When the career of a bona fide sports savior hangs prematurely lifeless on a cross, tortured and ravaged by inconceivably unrealistic expectations, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.

Posted by Corrie Trouw at 1:05 PM | Comments (2)

2007 NHL Mock Draft

1. Chicago Blackhawks — Patrick Kane, RW, London Knights (OHL)

Kane came into this season relatively low on most scouts' prospect charts, but with a 145-point regular season, he established himself as a legitimate first overall pick. Chicago has the opportunity to pick this slick right winger and combined with last year's first round pick Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks should have a lethal one-two punch to build their team around.

2. Philadelphia Flyers — Kyle Turris, C, Burnaby Express (BCHL)

Despite Philadelphia's disastrous season, there is a silver lining. They get a chance to select the BCHL's MVP and second-leading scorer. With 121 points in 53 games, Turris has displayed an uncanny ability to find holes and make defensemen look silly. Although he needs to bulk up his skinny frame, a year or two at the University of Wisconsin will give him time to get stronger and he could prove to be the most dynamic player to emerge from this draft.

3. Phoenix Coyotes — James Vanriemsdyk, LW, USA NTDP (U18)

Vanriemsdyk rounds out the consensus top three players in this year's draft. The Coyotes need to improve all aspects of their club and in a couple years Vanriemsdyk could be an offensive cornerstone in the desert. The unassuming New Jersey native has the right attitude and work ethic to become a dominant pro. He led the U18 World Championship in scoring with 12 points in seven games. Like Turris, he needs some seasoning at the university level, but after some time at the University of New Hampshire, his size and strength will make him an intimidating NHL presence.

4. Los Angeles Kings — Alexei Cherepanov, RW, Avangard Omsk (Rus)

The Kings have a nice array of budding stars in defenseman Jack Johnson, goaltender Jonathan Bernier and centre Patrick O'Sullivan, so they likely won't be zeroing in on a specific position. Cherepanov is a risk and reward player. He showed his hockey brilliance at the World Junior Championship by collecting 8 points in six games and being voted the best forward in the tournament. He also had 29 points as a rookie playing for Omsk which was more than Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, or Evgeni Malkin had in their first years in the league. Despite these performances, he has looked lackadaisical in other international events and scouts are yet to be sold on his consistency. But if he can perform at his highest potential in the NHL, he might be the star of the draft.

5. Washington Capitals — Jakub Voracek, RW, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

Voracek started the season with many expecting him to take a run at the first overall pick in the draft. Although his early transition from Europe will help his progress, his consistency has been questioned. His skating and ability to make plays at high speeds are not an issue, but he needs to learn to do this every game. He managed 86 points in 59 games and if selected by the Capitals, he will complement the young offensive duo of Ovechkin and highly-touted prospect Nicklas Backstrom.

6. Edmonton Oilers — Karl Alzner, D, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)

The Oilers are cleary in need of defensemen and a lot of them. The Edmonton blueline is thin and Alzner is the best defenseman available in the draft. At 6-foot-2, 206 pounds, he backs away from nobody. He, and possibly Kane, are the most NHL-ready players in this draft. Playing in Calgary, he logged 30 minutes a night and showed an ability to contribute at both ends of the ice.

7. Columbus Blue Jackets — Sam Gagner, C, London Knights (OHL)

Sam Gagner, son of retired NHLer Dave Gagner, is a safe pick for the Blue Jackets. Columbus needs depth up the middle and this playmaking center is a perfect fit. He can play both ends of the ice and has an innate ability to see the ice and dish the puck to the open man. Playing alongside Patrick Kane, he had 35 goals and 83 assists in 53 games. He's not going to light the league on fire, but he's reliable, will put up points and won't be a liability defensively.

8. Boston Bruins — Angelo Esposito, C, Quebec Remparts, (QMJHL)

Esposito received a lot of negative reports after initially being a potential first overall pick. Despite the critics, he still has all the skill and tools to be an effective player in the NHL. Boston's future looks solid on defense and in goal, but they need to add to their forward prospects. Esposito is a bit of a gamble, but if he's paired with the right wingers, (like he was last year with Alexandre Radulov) he could be a steal with the eighth pick.

9. St. Louis Blues — Keaton Ellerby, D, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

After Erik Johnson, the Blues defense prospects are slim. Ellerby has the size, skill, and a powerful shot to be a productive NHL defenseman. The problem is his mental game. He's a good skater, but scouts are concerned he's not tough enough between the ears to carve an NHL career. If he manages to find consistency, the Blues will have a towering defenseman for years to come.

10. Florida Panthers — Nick Patrecki, D, Omaha Lancers (USHL)

Patrecki, at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, is a large defenseman who was dominant in the USHL. He looked powerful playing for Omaha, but scouts are concerned about what he can do against better competition. He has the size and skill to be a potential star, but his full potential will be determined when he plays against stronger competition.

11. Carolina Panthers — Zach Hamill, C, Everett Silvertips (WHL)

In the defense minded WHL, Zach Hamill led the league in scoring with 93 points in 69 games. Scouts question his size and speed, but he has shown his hockey sense can overcome a lot of drawbacks. The WHL is the junior league closest to the NHL and Hamill was a success, so scouts might kick themselves for letting him fall so far.

12. Montreal Canadiens — Jonathon Blum, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

Blum has displayed a knack for knowing when to jump into the rush, zip into an opening and complete and offensive play. He has good quickness and plays both ends of the ice efficiently. His small frame is the only thing that has NHL GMs nervous.

13. Toronto Maple Leafs — Maxim Mayorov, LW, Leninogorsk (Rus2)

The Maple Leafs need to take a gamble and take a player with the potential for offensive wizardry. Although Mayorov is strictly an offensive specialist, Toronto could use that pure scoring up front to help revive a consistently mediocre franchise.

14. Colorado Avalanche — Kevin Shattenkirk, D, USA NTDP (U18)

The Avalanche is need of defense. Colorado has become remarkably shallow on the back end and Shattenkirk would be a solid addition. Captaining the USA U18 team, he has the skating ability to make offensive rushes and still retreat to play defense. He's an aggressive leader that any team would want.

15. Edmonton Oilers — Ryan McDonagh, D, Cretin-Derham Hall (USHS)

The Oilers are going to continue to go after defensemen in this draft and Minnesota's Mr. Hockey (the top high school player in the state) is an exciting prospect. He'll need a couple years to blossom but when he does, he has the potential to be a solid two-way defenseman.

16. Anaheim Ducks — Logan Couture, C, Ottawa 67's (OHL)

The 2007 prospects were once led by Couture. But since being ranked first overall, he has fallen far on scouts charts. He missed a lot of games because of injuries and mononucleosis which hindered his rank. Some scouts don't think he will be a star, but he could be a safe pick who will become a serviceable NHL centre.

17. New York Rangers — Brandon Sutter, C, Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

Being the son of former NHLer Brent Sutter makes Brandon an attractive pick. Although he only garnered 57 points in 71 games, he has the classic Sutter work ethic which will likely land him an NHL career.

18. Calgary Flames — Oscar Moller, RW, Chilliwack Bruins (WHL)

The Flames still need more scoring from their forward lines and Moller is an exact fit in Calgary. Although he's a smaller player, his offensive skills, grit, and work ethic are exactly what the Flames look for.

19. Minnesota Wild — Colton Gillies, C, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

Gillies, nephew of the great Clark Gillies, is a big, strong kid with really good speed for his size, but scouts question why he only had 13 goals this year. Minnesota needs some grit up front and Gillies should provide it.

20. Pittsburgh Penguins — Thomas Hickey, D, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

The Penguins, blessed with plenty of young offensive stars, should be looking for a defenseman to help fill out the team's weakest link. Hickey was under the radar for much of the season but has an edge to his game. At 5-foot-10, he's not big but the rest of his game makes up the difference.

21. Phoenix Coyotes — David Perron, RW, Lewiston MAINEiacs (QMJHL)

Perron played high school hockey until last season, so he is relatively an unknown. He had 83 points in 70 games this year and has good skating and stickhandling abilities. If he can improve his strength, he could be a dangerous NHLer.

22. Montreal Canadiens — Mikael Backlund, C, Vasteras (Swe)

If the Canadiens are looking for a good skater with offensive touch, Backlund is a solid pick. He missed four months because of a knee injury, so he has slipped in the rankings, but he's still very smooth and very skilled. Could be a steal.

23. Nashville Predators — Bill Sweat, LW, Colorado College (WCHA)

Bill Sweat is fast. He doesn't have a great deal of scoring ability but with the Predators stocked with defensemen, a speedy forward is exactly what they are looking for in the quicker NHL.

24. St. Louis Blues — Joakim Andersson, C, Frolunda (Swe.Jr)

Andersson isn't going to come across the pond and set the NHL on fire, but what he will do is provide a team with good two-way abilities and a determined work ethic. He's not a good skater, but his hockey sense and effort can overcome his lack of speed.

25. Vancouver Canucks — Brett MacLean, LW, Oshawa Generals (OHL)

The Canucks need offense. They clearly lack depth when it comes to scoring and that was obvious in the playoffs. MacLean hasn't been given the respect because he played with OHL star John Tavares, but he still had 100 points in 68 games, including 47 goals.

26. St. Louis Blues — Max Pacioretty, LW, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)

Pacioretty racked up 55 points in 52 games in the USHL. The problem is he hasn't played at the higher levels. He's a big, strong kid who can fill the power forward role, but it has yet to be seen if he can put up the offensive numbers at higher levels.

27. Detroit Red Wings — Tommy Cross, D, Westminster (USHS)

Cross is very confident in his abilities and felt choosing to play high school hockey rather than play with the USA NTDP would not hinder his ability to make the NHL. If he had played at a higher level, he may have been projected closer to the top of the draft, but if Detroit gets him this late, he may be yet another Red Wings find.

28. Washington Capitals — Alex Plante, D, Calgary Hitmen, (WHL)

To balance a young group of talented forwards, the Capitals would do well to select the rugged Plante. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he plays a physical game while still managing 38 points in 58 games. He likely won't be a top-two defenseman but will provide solid depth.

29. Ottawa Senators — Jim O'Brien, C, University of Minnesota (WCHA)

Although Ottawa has arguably the best line in hockey, their offensive depth was exposed in the playoffs. O'Brien is the type of player who could help fill the void. Because he played at the University of Minnesota, he got limited ice time and it was hard to get a good judgment. He has good skill, but is notably weak and will need to get stronger before he can take a crack at the NHL.

30. Edmonton Oilers — Dana Tyrell, C, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

The Oilers are always looking for hard-working, blue-collar players and Tyrell fits that mold. He's a competitive leader and someone every team would love to have. He doesn't have the skills to put up big numbers, but his work ethic is tops in the draft.

Posted by Mark Janzen at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2007

Giambi Shouldn't Be the MLB Scapegoat

While everyone in Major League Baseball remains quiet on the steroid issue, Jason Giambi is speaking. He may have opened his mouth too much this time on the issue that is a pebble in the shoe of Bud Selig and contributing to the decline of America's Pastime. In everyone's eyes, Giambi is becoming the scapegoat for Major League Baseball.

While being interviewed by USA Today, Giambi acknowledged that he "shouldn't have done that stuff." It was that quote in which Selig is now pressuring Giambi to meet with former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, who is investigating the steroid issue in baseball, or face being suspended and fined a large amount of money.

"What we should have done a long time ago is stand up — players, owners, everybody — and said we made a mistake," Giambi said to USA Today. "We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and moved forward."

Giambi is not to blame here, but Selig and all the other key people in baseball — owners, GMs, etc. — who turned the other way on this issue and did nothing about it. While Jose Canseco (the most outspoken), Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and others were smashing home runs to oblivion, the leadership in baseball sat back and enjoyed the show.

They did nothing. They said nothing. They let it happen.

Michael Weiner, general counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPAA), responded to Giambi's remarks:

"Jason will determine how to respond to the commissioner's request that he meet with Senator Mitchell after consulting with MLBPA counsel and his own lawyer. Such decisions are for the individual player to make, after receiving appropriate legal advice. We do not believe that grounds exist for disciplining Jason Giambi upon the newspaper article, anything which sprang from it, or his decision whether he will meet with Senator Mitchell."

Now that George Mitchell is not getting cooperation from players on being interviewed because of the union, Selig has fingered Giambi to talk to Mitchell and has made him the scapegoat for the players. The Yankees are already talking about voiding his contract, which has about $40 million left on it with a buyout option for 2009.

"Any admission regarding the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances, no matter how casual, must be taken seriously," Selig said in a statement to the media. "Discipline for wrongdoing is important ... cooperation is important."

Giambi shouldn't be the one pressured to talk for telling the truth. He came forward early on about this whole issue and told the truth while other players lied. They don't want to talk about the past, but look ahead to the future or something along those lines. They want to be the best, but not naturally. This whole issue gave baseball a black eye and tarnished the reputation of many. What baseball has to do is just face the facts and tell the truth, like Giambi did. All Gaimbi did was speak his mind and that of Selig's. At least someone knows what's going on.

Shame on everyone else who didn't speak the truth.

***

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig's comments on performing-enhancing substances, which was circulated to media and posted on MLB.com last season:

Dear Baseball Fans:

Major League Baseball has had record attendance for two years running and may set another record this year. It's early, but pennant and wild-card races are competitive throughout our divisions. Baseball is enjoying a golden age of fan support and excitement. Our great game has never been more popular.

Yet, despite the good news in Baseball, there are problems. I was disappointed and angered by revelations that a Major League player had acknowledged using human growth hormone (HGH); a performance-enhancing substance banned by Major League Baseball, and had said that others were using HGH as well.

Seven-hundred-fifty great athletes play Major League Baseball. The overwhelming majority are hard-working, honorable individuals who play to win the right way. But among the seven-hundred-fifty, there have been and still are those who would cheat the game to gain an advantage. They hurt not only themselves, but they unfairly raise questions about the integrity of their teammates who play by the rules and they violate the trust placed in them by you, the fans. These players who use performing-enhancing substances offend all of us who care for the game and I will not tolerate their actions.

These individuals break the rules of baseball. But the use of steroids, human growth hormone, and other performance-enhancing drugs in this manner is also against the law. The investigative abilities of the FBI are powerful and baseball players are no different than anyone else in our society. If you break the law, you put yourself at risk.

I am committed to protecting our game. The Office of Commissioner of Baseball was created nearly 86 years ago to ensure the integrity of America's pastime. I know my duty is to uphold that great tradition.

Last year, Major League Baseball and its players agreed to the toughest drug testing and penalty program for steroids in all of professional sports. We are proud of what we have accomplished. We ban and test for amphetamines. And, human growth hormone is banned, as well. We have cracked down and will continue to crack down on steroid users, but the use of HGH represents a threat to all sports everywhere.

Christiane Ayotte, the head of the Montreal Olympic testing lab, acknowledged this in an interview with USA Today last week. She said: "We know growth hormone is a problem. No sport is testing currently for HGH because (the test) is not available. If the test kit was available, it would only be effective for out-of-competition testing."

The writers of the USA Today story added that while there is a blood test for HGH, "...because antibodies necessary for the process are in such short supply, virtually no HGH testing is conducted. In addition, the test only detects HGH right after injection so it's impractical for in-competition testing. As a result, there never has been an HGH positive."

As Commissioner, I won't be deterred and will do everything I can to try to keep up with or even stay ahead of those who break the law and break our rules. But I suspect there will always be a few players who seek new ways to violate the rules, no matter how many we have and how often we toughen them. I also know that science can provide new ways to combat them and I will rely on our experts to keep on top of the science as it develops.

In the meantime, I want you to know that Major League Baseball is taking steps to address the issue. We are committed to funding a study of HGH and how to detect it. The study will be conducted by Dr. Don Catlin, a leading expert in the medical testing field.

Also, we are willing to make additional contributions to fund other studies to determine how to detect HGH and are currently reaching out to experts in the field to ascertain what other studies can immediately begin. We invite other foundations, unions, sports, and the Congress of the United States to join us in pursuing the detection and deterrence of HGH use.

The goal of baseball is simple. It's a game that is to be won or lost on the field as a result of the natural talents of the game's remarkable athletes. I will do everything possible to make sure that this one goal can always be met.

Allan H. (Bud) Selig
Commissioner of Baseball

Posted by Joe Boesch at 12:12 PM | Comments (1)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 15

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — Despite race-long handling issues, Gordon still produced his 13th top-10 finish of the year with a ninth in the Citizens Bank 400 in Michigan. Gordon solidified his lead in the points to 264 over Denny Hamlin, and will head to Sonoma confident in the knowledge that his points lead is safe, and Mark Martin is set to drive the No. 24 should Gordon miss a race due to the upcoming birth of his daughter.

"It's an exciting yet scary time for me," says Gordon. "Kind of like riding shotgun with a Busch brother down a one way street, the wrong way. Anyway, all this talk of labor and contractions has me longing for a Major League Baseball strike. And I appreciate everyone's suggestions on what to name our baby girl. I like the name 'Sedan de Ville Gordon,' but my obligations to Chevrolet prevent me from naming her that. So, I'm left with either 'Monte Carlo Gordon' or 'Camaro Gordon.'"

2. Jimmie Johnson — Running third with seven laps left at Michigan, Johnson saw his hopes of a ninth top-five finish turn to fumes when he ran out of gas. The resulting pit stop for a splash of fuel dropped him back, and he finished 19th, one lap down, but moved up to third in the points, where he is 337 out of first.

"I don't know who's responsible for calculating my fuel mileage," says Johnson, "but whomever it is, they'll be walking the last 14 miles home tonight. Last time I checked, you can't coast the last seven laps to finish a race."

3. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin finished 14th on the two-mile oval in Brooklyn, Michigan, his first result out of the top 10 in four races. Hamlin was the middle man in a bittersweet day for Joe Gibbs drivers, as Tony Stewart started 41st and finished third, and J.J. Yeley started on the pole, but finished 28th.

"Once again, miscues on pit lane cost us," says a disappointed Hamlin. "It's time for drastic measures. Since no one on my crew seems to know how to correctly handle a tire iron, I'm left with no other alternative but to hire the guy who nailed figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in the knee. Not as a member of my crew, but to whack whomever makes a mistake during a pit stop."

4. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth's streak of completing every lap this season ended at Michigan International Speedway on lap 76, when he was sucked in to a multi-car crash. He completed only 78 laps, and finished 42nd, which dropped him two places in the points to fourth.

"Well, I did finish ahead of NASCAR's only South American, Juan Pablo Montoya," says Kenseth, "who, unlike his fellow South American, golfer Angel Cabrera, has never started on his second pack of cigarettes before making the turn at No. 10. Anyway, what's the big deal about a professional golfer smoking while on the course? Bermuda grass isn't flammable, is it? Is a smoking professional golfer a bad role model for our youth? Come on, look at John Daly. He's a smoking professional golfer, right? He turned out okay. Well, that is if you take away the alcohol, domestic issues, and knife wounds to his face."

5. Carl Edwards — Since winning four times in 2005, Edwards had gone winless in the Nextel Cup series, but his win Sunday in Michigan changed that. Edwards led 63 laps and held off Martin Truex, Jr. for the win, then did his trademark back flip. Edwards then completed the celebration by trimming the beard of Tom Giacchi, his motor home driver, who vowed back in 2005 not to shave his beard until Edwards won again.

"That probably would be a 15-yard penalty in the National Football League for excessive celebration," says Edwards, "and would inevitably lead to a member of Pacman Jones' entourage shooting someone. Nevertheless, I can see this shaving thing being the next big thing in celebrations. In fact, the next time I win a Cup race, the beard or mustache of one lucky fan will be shaven in Victory Circle. The contest is open to anyone with facial hair, which, judging by a quick scan of the infield at any race, would include most women. Guitarists from ZZ Top, as well as werewolves, are not eligible."

6. Tony Stewart — After a horrible qualifying effort of 41st, Stewart's luck got even worse in Saturday's final practice session when he bounced off the Ford of David Gilliland, who had failed to signal that he was slowing to turn into pit road. Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet was banged up, but was hammered back in to shape, for the most part, by Joe Gibbs crewmen.

"You can be sure that Gilliland will be the first topic of discussion on my Sirius radio show," says Stewart, "followed by my diatribe on why I hate M&Ms and Miller Lite. Then, just for kicks, I might compare NASCAR to professional wrestling."

7. Martin Truex, Jr. — Truex scraped the wall late in pursuit of race leader and eventual winner Carl Edwards, but the driver of the No. 1 DEI machine recovered and held on for second in Michigan. The runner-up finish gave Truex a first, a second, and a third in the last three races, all coming after Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s announcement that he was leaving DEI.

"Win, place, and show, baby!" exclaims Truex. "Obviously, I'm no No. 1-trick pony, though. I can carry this team by myself. I guess Teresa Earnhardt is looking like a genius now. I expect here to call me into her office any day now and thank me for a job well done. Actually, I've never seen the woman, but I hear she wears all black, peers into a crystal ball, and has a squad of flying monkeys to do her dirty work."

8. Jeff Burton — Burton finished two laps off the pace, coming home 24th in Michigan after qualifying ninth. After starting the season with seven top-10 finishes in the first eight races, Burton has seen the top 10 only twice since then. He is fifth in the points, 473 out of first.

"Give me a break," says Burton, "It's hard to keep my mind on racing when my sponsor, AT&T, is being sued for $100 million by NASCAR. I'd sue us, too, for having the gall to put the blue and white AT&T logo on an orange car. That goes together about as well as Michael Waltrip and speed. But I shouldn't be so hard on Waltrip. He just scored his first top-10 finish. I guess Toyota has truly turned the corner. Which is fitting, because Waltrip just turned the corner into turn 1 for the first time a few weeks ago after finally qualifying for a race."

9. Kevin Harvick — Harvick's No. 29 Chevrolet suffered minor front-end damage when he was collected on a lap 74 incident when Ryan Newman, clipped by Jeff Green, spun ahead of him. Harvick recovered and picked up his sixth top-10 finish of the year with a seventh.

"I'm taking my seventh-place finish with a grain of salt," says Harvick. "After all, Michael Waltrip finished tenth at Michigan, and Bill Elliott came home right behind him. Wild Bill from Dawsonville was so surprised to be there, he demanded that someone hand him a check for the Winston Million."

10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — It was a busy week for Earnhardt. Earlier, the much-awaited blockbuster announcement was made that Earnhardt had signed to drive for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. Then, on Sunday, Little E finished fifth in the Citizens Bank 400, which matched his season-best from Martinsville.

"I look forward to driving for HMS," says Earnhardt. "Sadly, though, Rick Hendrick has denied my request for 51% ownership of the company. In fact, he denied my request for 1% ownership. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep the No. 8 and Budweiser's sponsorship, but I'm praying, just like my fans. I know Kyle Busch is leaving, but I'm not sure No. 5 and Corn Flakes has the same appeal as No. 8 and Budweiser. I've just got one thing to say: 'Hooray beer!'"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Wimbledon, Save Us!

Dull, ingenuous, mundane? Call this 2007 tennis season as you see fit, but you can't escape the "nothing original" theme.

During the first half of the season where everything has been "more of the same," a flip of a coin would have been more exciting than guessing the outcomes of tournaments and matches so far. The French even dared calling their own Roland Garros "morose" (same word in French, by the way), a term that could just as well be applied to the whole season so far.

Most people, including myself, were fooled into thinking that this could be one of the finest years of the open era. The elements were in place. On the men's side, you had the best rivalry brewing since Bjorn Borg vs. John McEnroe. The depth of the rankings on the women's side was unmatched in recent history. Television contracts assured that this was likely to be the most widely watched season around the world.

Unfortunately, reality has yet to live up to expectations. 2007 is slowly but surely turning into one of the most torpid seasons in memory. Seemingly, Roland Garros was a perfect fit to this season. As expected, Justine Henin won the women's draw. As expected, Rafael Nadal won the men's draw. As expected, the Americans continued their misery on the red clay court. From the French's side, Richard Gasquet's lack of mental toughness in big moments was confirmed, Amelie Mauresmo's restiveness under the "home-crowd pressure" was sealed and stamped, the decline of French tennis overall was obvious, all as expected, though not hoped.

Even the players' behaviors were exactly as expected. Usually a picture of equanimity, Roger Federer seemed once again lost against Nadal's ferocious topspin. He played the same way that he did the last two times in Paris, Nadal followed suit, and the score even turned out to be similar. Andy Roddick was once again laughing and having fun while winning for a set and a half, then once again looking like he did not care when losing.

On the women's side, Henin once again beat Serena Williams on clay. Once again, Serena could not acknowledge the opponent's superiority on that day. She said, "all she had to do was show up." Henin, as usual, did not care and simply said, "it's her opinion, I thought I just did good job," which was a polite way of saying "I kicked her butt." Ana Ivanovic defeating Maria Sharapova and reaching the finals was the main highlight of the women's event, but not enough to save the tournament because it ultimately resulted in an uncontested, brief final.

Behaviors, results were nothing new, all as expected...

Not unique to Roland Garros, this season lacks flavor all around. The only major highlight of the season so far has been Serena's impressive victory at the Australian Open. Honorable mention goes to Federer's improbable win on red clay over Nadal at Hamburg, despite his slump following the Australian Open, the worst since he became number one in the world in the beginning of 2004.

This season needs an exciting turnaround, a climactic final, an improbable rise to prominence from an unexpected player, before even the most zealous fans begin to lose interest. The good news is that this scenario is not brand new. The tennis fan can find solace in the fact that in 2001, we were in the same situation as now. Andre Agassi has repeated as the winner at the Australian Open, Gustavo Kuerten did the same at the French Open; no big upsets anywhere. The usual names were winning tournaments, except in Milan where a guy with a pony tail named Roger Federer won his first ATP title at the age of 20, but it did not attract much attention. Then, Wimbledon came to the rescue.

Entering only as a wildcard, the crowd-favorite Goran Ivanisevic, ranked outside the top 100, made a run that mesmerized not only tennis fans, but the whole world of sports. The atmosphere of the flag-filled stadium on the Monday of the finals was fantastic. Sunday tickets sold to corporations were cancelled and people formed ticket lines from the night before, sleeping overnight with their Croatian or Australian flags in support of Ivanisevic or his opponent in the finals, Patrick Rafter. Wimbledon has not seen that kind of electricity in the stands since the famous Borg/McEnroe final in 1980. The match lived up to expectations and Goran won 9-7 in the fifth.

The season all of a sudden took a dramatic turn; interest was back in the sport. Venus Williams emerged as the winner of the last two Slams, splitting the Slam titles with Capriati. Women came to the forefront in the tennis world with all the drama on and off the court. So much that a book entitled "Venus Envy" was written by Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim on the 2001 women's tour. Men did not slack far behind. Following the momentum of Wimbledon, Lleyton Hewitt won the U.S. Open by beating Pete Sampras in the finals, making it four different winners for the slams and showcasing a never-before-seen depth in the men's rankings.

The only difference between the two years is that at least in 2001, the women's side was exciting from the start with Jennifer Capriati's comeback in the first two Slams of the year. This season, both women and men are having a stagnant season. Yet, here we are again, one week away from the most revered tournament of the tennis world.

Wimbledon could be the last hope to save this season. Most casual fans have lost interest and "more of the same" could mean disaster for this season. Maybe an improbable player could make a run to the title. Maybe a British player could upset a big name following a dramatic five-set match, after saving seven match points. Maybe a full two weeks of Wimbledon with no rainfall? Okay, maybe not! A streaker during the trophy presentations? Definitely not! In any case, the need for a turnaround is urgent. The "who" or "what" factors are not important. What matters is "now!"

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 11:25 AM | Comments (4)

June 19, 2007

Baseball's Voting Propaganda

It sneaks up on you, staying out of mind long enough that you forget about it. Then it pounces on you at the most vulnerable moment, leaving you embarrassingly unprepared.

No, not an anniversary. I'm talking about MLB all-star voting.

The problem is that as our significant other (you know, baseball) catches you with your pants down, tosses you a ballot, and you fill it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you end up like those guys in the ESPN commercials talking sports out of the wrong orifice.

Carlos Beltran over Matt Holliday? Really? Are you purposefully abstaining from looking at stats all year, or just until football season? A knowledgeable friend who found out about the ballot would give you a confused, hurt, angry look, like you just punched a small child in the head.

The all-star team should be about who is having the best season this year, who the fans want to see, and who has accomplished more in their career, in that order. And the first one is so far in front of the other two, Prince Fielder couldn't hit a baseball from one to the other. And so managers end up cleaning up the fans' mess.

To their credit, the fans get it right. Occasionally. But usually it takes several pieces on 'Baseball Tonight" and columns online to point out where fans are going astray before even the more egregious mistakes are rectified. But this is fan voting. It will always be imperfect, often reflecting the size of a player's fan base or his historical value, rather than his performance in the season at hand. People like recognizable players, but they shouldn't want to keep watching lineups representing just three markets, or repeats of the 2002 all-star team year after year. (Enjoy starters Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa, Jason Giambi, Shea Hillenbrand, and Derek Lowe. Don't ask about the reserves, but Randy Winn was involved.)

Here are the 2007 starters as they should be:

National League

Catcher — Russell Martin

He trailed Paul LoDuca and Brian McCann a couple weeks ago, but fans woke up and smelled the pine tar, putting the second year catcher in the lead. Even with pure hitting stats, he is by far the premier catcher in the NL. Throw on top of that his 11 steals (no other NL catcher has more than two) and cannon for an arm (35 percent of base stealers hosed, third in NL), and the case is closed.

First Base — Prince Fielder

Nearly right off the bat, prime example of a name carrying a player. Albert Pujols is in the lead in the fan voting as one of the most recognizable figures of the game. He is putting up all-star type numbers again. He also trails Fielder's 25 jacks by nine, and Fielder's .637 slugging percentage by almost 90 points. This vote is within 50,000, a very surmountable number. And at least in this case you can actually make an argument (albeit a weak one) for Pujols. Better overall hitter with half the strikeouts, better fielder, etc. Pujols remains the most feared hitter in the NL. But Fielder has had a better '07, and should get the nod at first.

Either way, both will be in San Francisco. And I do worry more about whether the right players get there than whether the right ones start.

Second Base — Chase Utley

His cover is blown. No baseball fan with a pulse remains unaware of him. And he pretty much leads all MLB two-baggers in every major category including average (.320), OBP (.397), homers (12), and RBI (54). If you put any other name down, surrender your ballot and exit stage right.

Third Base — Miguel Cabrera

Another pick a mildly-retarded chimpanzee could make. Leads the NL (and trailing only the obvious AL starter) among third basemen in those same four stats (.332, .400, 16, 51). Of course, David Wright leads the voting. Granted, there are more people in New York aware of its National League team than in Florida. (Then again, more people in Nairobi are aware of the Marlins than in Miami.) And no other voters looked at a stat. Wright's a great player, but his sluggish start leaves him trailing notably (.280, .370, 12, 37), not to mention a 121-point lag behind Cabrera in slugging. His stellar defense and 16 steals can only go so far. Cabrera is the clear choice; the fans take their first embarrassing defeat.

Shortstop — Jose Reyes

The debate between the value of a power hitter and a leadoff hitter will rage for a long time. But this case it's a non-issue, because no team likes dealing with a leadoff hitter that gets on 40 percent of the time and is on pace to steal, oh, about 89 bases. But the choice for NL reserve shortstop is closer than you think. Stay tuned.

Outfield — Matt Holliday, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr.

Vote leader Carlos Beltran and his .266 average needs to be weeded from your ballot. Fast. His best stat is 36 runs, which places him 10th. In the NL. Among outfielders. And it's a tie with Juan Pierre and Willy Taveras. Not even good enough stats for a reserve. Also, Alfonso Soriano, third in the fan voting, simply doesn't compare with the three top guns. So the fans have made a mess.

The three that should be in are pretty clear cut, despite fan confusion. Holliday has been one of the best hitters in the league at any position, leading the NL with a .360 average ... by a 32-point margin. And his 11 homers and 53 RBI are nothing to spit at. (Unless you are the fans putting him eighth among NL outfielders in votes.)

Meanwhile, say what you want, Bonds gets on nearly half the time (.492, a slow pitch softball number) and even while walking 67 times, finds time to hit 14 homers. This is all-star voting, not a steroid tribunal, and Bonds is still one of the best hitters in the game. Meanwhile Griffey is quietly hitting like it's 1999, and this year actually deserves his fan vote, which is usually way too high. Only Bonds and Holliday have better OPS among outfielders, and his 18 homers trail only Fielder and teammate Adam Dunn (whose 90 strikeouts put him into the reserve pile) in the NL.

American League

Catcher — Victor Martinez

Ivan Rodriguez is winning the fan vote. Jorge Posada is having the best offensive year. Neither should be the AL's starting backstop. Martinez is the most complete catcher in the league. This is one position where defense counts for more than the others. Martinez throws out 29 percent of base-stealers, better than Rodriguez (who is completely outclassed offensively). Posada, however, may as well be an accomplice, stopping just 18.5 percent of thieves, worst in the AL among qualified catchers. Martinez also has Posada beat in homers (13-9) and RBI (57-43), nearly negating Posada's edges in average (.345-.323) and OBP (.404-.381).

And with two catchers so similar offensively, who do you want behind the dish when Jose Reyes reaches in the first? If it's Posada, may as well bust out crime tape around second base. At fifth, Martinez won't take the fan vote, so it could get hairy if I-Rod does, leaving the other two in the reserve pool.

First Base — David Ortiz

Papi will win the vote. Boston votes like New York. Early and often. But he sure doesn't double up Justin Morneau in offense the way he is in votes right now. The reigning AL MVP (yes, Morneau, strange as it sounds) leads AL players not named A-Rod in homers with 20 (nearly doubling up Papi's 11), and leads all first basemen with 54 RBI. But, despite a decent .355 mark, he trails Ortiz in OBP by 95 points. So popular consensus leads us true in this case; Ortiz is a better hitter. Seeing him play defense at the NL park should be fun, too, for completely different reasons.

Second Base — Brian Roberts

No where on either squad is there a bigger black hole. Ten days ago, B.J. Upton would have been the choice, but he hasn't played since June 8 and just went on the DL. No other options even have sac fly power (except Ian Kinsler and his .231 average). Placido Polanco leads fan voting, and with a .338 average and .380 OBP, he's not a bad choice. Better than Robinson Cano (.313 OBP), who's in second, riding the New York effect. But it's Roberts, with his .392 OBP (Upton the only 2B higher, at .396), and 22 steals (Upton second with 13) that makes the best choice. But Roberts is not even in the top five in voting. Swing and a miss, fans.

Third Base — Alex Rodriguez

What, you were expecting Mike Lowell?

Shortstop — Derek Jeter

Orlando Cabrera makes a strong case, with his .342 average, .383 OBP, 38 RBI, and 48 runs. And he will be in the Bay Area for the game ... watching Jeter start (.346, .422, 50 runs, as many steals, and two more homers).

Outfield — Magglio Ordonez, Vladamir Guerrero, Ichiro Suzuki

The fans have Manny Ramirez in position to start the game, presumably because they like the dreads. I cannot think of another reason. Vlad and Ichiro deserve their places in the top three in the voting. But leaving out a guy like Ordonez is mystifying. Ordonez has Man-Ram beat by (inhale...) 78 average points, 52 OBP points, 174 slugging points, 19 runs scored, 3 homers, 25 RBI, and 1 steal. Those are serious margins. Although Ramirez is a much more awkward defender, so he has that going for him.

Starting Pitchers — Jake Peavy vs. Dan Haren

Even though the coaches decide this, I will pick those two now, as well. Mainly because it's too damn easy; it's not close. The league's only two ERAs below two and lowest two opponent batting averages (neither higher than .201) alone make a compelling case for the most dominant pitchers in the majors. They are each in the top five in almost every major pitching category.

Barring a blowup in the next couple weeks, if either doesn't start, then Tony LaRussa is back on the sauce and Jim Leyland has begun the onset of Alzheimer's.

That was the easy part. Next week: the reserves.

By the beard of Kevin Youkilis, help me.

Posted by Kyle Jahner at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

Patriots Mixing, Matching to Get By

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."
— "Cool Hand Luke"

The New England Patriots have been in well-publicized negotiations with disgruntled cornerback Asante Samuel, and so far, very little progress has been made. With Samuel threatening to skip mini-camp and sit out the first 10 games of the season, the Pats suddenly have a monstrous hole in their secondary, and if there is any weakness on this team, it has to be in the defensive backfield. So what are the Pats going to do in order to keep their title hopes alive?

Ellis Hobbs seems to have the inside track to the No. 1 corner spot coming into the season. Hobbs will be entering his third season, and since being drafted in the third round of the '05 draft, Hobbs as shown that he has the ability to play very well when playing in pass defenses, and has also been able to be a reliable cover man when matched up one-on-one with outside receivers.

However, it will be a tall task to cover the No. 1 receivers the Pats will be playing, particularly in their own division, with Lee Evans, Laveranues Coles, and Chris Chambers all being exceptional wide-outs and Pro Bowl candidates each year. Hobbs is also fairly undersized for his position, measuring in at 5'9, 190 pounds, so will trading bumps with a receiver like Chambers faze him? What is known is the fact that Hobbs has been trusted on in the past, and for the most part, he has been able to hold his own.

All along, the Patriots' brass has felt that Samuel is somewhat a "product of the system," and that paying him Nate Clements or Champ Bailey money simply would be too much a player to man a position that could be filled by someone else, again, because their system is so good that the Pats can put anyone in that opening and will be able to not only survive, but prosper. However, think back to the receiver position last year, and the personnel that were plugged in to replace the voids left by Deion Branch and David Givens. Although their plan worked out for the most part, in big games it ended up being the difference between a win and a loss, especially true in the AFC Championship Game.

Over the offseason, the Pats spent a ton of money to correct their receiver problem, but it seemed like the reinforcements came too late, and the damage was already done. So with all that being said, how can it be assumed that this won't happen again this year at the corner position? Sure, Samuel could very well be a "product," but even if he is, he has played so outstanding in the Pats' defensive scheme that he has almost become an irreplaceable commodity. So although the Pats are unwilling to pay Samuel's asking price (reportedly in the $10 million a year range), the cost that they may be taking on by letting him walk could grow exponentially by the week. So that's just something to keep in mind when looking at Hobbs, or whoever else could be replacing Samuel as their best shut-down corner.

In one of the more unheralded moves of this offseason for any team in the league, the Pats were able to go out and sign Tory James, who is two years removed from his Pro Bowl appearance with Cincinnati. Although the team claims that this was purely to add depth to the team, clearly there was a big gap between Samuel and the Patriots in terms of the contract talks, so the James move feels like a bit of an "insurance policy" to an outsider.

In any event, what James brings to the table is someone who will, at the very least, compete for the opening that will likely be left by Samuel. James has recorded at least four interceptions in six straight seasons while playing for Oakland and the Bengals. In 2004, his Pro Bowl season, James had the best year of his career, recording 56 tackles and 8 interceptions.

However, something that may be overlooked is the fact that James has played on artificial turf for at least half of his games. When you consider that Gillette Stadium's grass conditions are not always "pristine," and that James will be entering his 11th season in the league, there will probably be some concerns that James may not have the kind of pace needed to stay with the burners of the AFC East. However, throughout the Pats' opening mini-camp, James has shown encouraging signs, so the grass may not be a factor. Still, it's something to think about, and it will be interesting to see if James can adjust to the field, particularly when the track is slow.

Competing with James to line up opposite Hobbs will be Chad Scott and Randall Gay. Scott is the more experienced of the two, and like James, will be entering his 11th season. Scott, unlike Hobbs, has the prototypical size of a shut-down corner, coming in at 6'1, 205 pounds. Scott ideally would be used in the slot to cover bigger receivers going over the middle, but because of the lack of corner depth, Scott could be used on the outside.

Gay is entering his fourth season, but in his last two, he has played just eight games combined, being put on injured reserve twice for various leg injuries. Gay seems to be playing with a chip on his shoulder, as he was quoted as saying, "I can say this, I'm the most anxious person for training camp. I'm about the only one here that's ready for it to come." Even though the depth is short, it's likely Gay will only be used in nickel and dime passing formations in order to slowly get Gay back to "game speed."

When talking about the safeties, the biggest question has to be the health of Rodney Harrison, who is coming off of a horrific leg injury that he suffered in the regular season finale against Tennessee, was unable to play in any of the three postseason games, and whose initial diagnosis had him missing a portion of the 2007 season.

However, Harrison made a faster recovery than what was expected, and showed up to mini-camp close to full-strength. Clearly, this is a completely different defense without Harrison in the lineup, and although the Pats made it to the AFC Championship Game, Peyton Manning and the Colts' passing offense carved up the Pats' secondary, particularly in the second half en route to their dramatic comeback victory. Harrison's presence over the middle brings an intimidation factor that few defenders on New England, let alone the entire league, can bring to the table.

The other possible safety lining up with Harrison could be Eugene Wilson. Wilson, who is coming off a season where he missed the final 10 games of the regular season and the playoffs with a hamstring injury, has been able to make a sizable impact in his first three full seasons, recording four interceptions in both '03 and '04 when Wilson was used at both safety and corner.

Because of his versatility, there stands a chance that, if needed, he could be moved over to the cornerback position, making him an invaluable commodity given the current state of the backfield. While at Illinois, Wilson, who was used primarily at Illinois as a corner, still needs to grow into lining up on the outside in the NFL. Wilson is another guy who will need to be nurtured back into actual "game speed" slowly, and whether that means lining up at safety, or being used primarily in multiple corner sets remains to be seen.

While Rodney's health is still somewhat in question, and Eugene still trying to get up to speed, the Pats were able to go out and get the talented Brandon Meriweather in the first round of the '07 draft. Sure, the former Miami Hurricane standout comes to the Patriots with a troubled past of off-the-field incidents, but what is not in question is his ability to produce on the football field.

When mini-camp opened, Meriweather was not present, and reports indicated that he was suffering from a minor hamstring injury. Judging from the past, the extent of the injury may never be known, as the Pats are excellent at keeping their injury report under tight wraps until the season rolls around. If he comes into the season at full strength, and is able to show the kind of play-making ability that made him the 24th overall selection this year, then there stands a chance that he could possibly replace Wilson as the starting free safety, or, if Harrison is unable to go, it will be a sure thing that Meriweather would be lining up in the strong safety position opposite Wilson for their opening game against the Jets.

With a lot of question marks entering the season, there is something that cannot be disputed. Having Asante Samuel on the field makes this unit, and the defense on a whole, better. However, the Pats are not going to break from their notion that the idea of giving Samuel a long-term deal, for the kind of money given to an elite corner, is going to put the total compensation of the contract at a much higher level than they are willing to go. It seems as though there is no resolution to this story in sight, and as long as Samuel and the Pats continue to remain true to their beliefs, then expect some of the names mentioned above to be called on to make a large contribution to the Pats' run at a fourth title in seven years.

Posted by Rich Lyons at 11:21 AM | Comments (4)

June 18, 2007

Are the Spurs a Dynasty?

Last week, the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Finals. It was their third title in the last five years, and their fourth in the nine seasons since Michael Jordan left the Bulls. For emphasis, the Spurs shut down LeBron James and swept the series, 4-0. In light of San Antonio's dominance, there's been a lot of discussion about whether the Spurs are a dynasty. To help answer that question, I examined the NBA's most dynastic teams ever.

The George Mikan Lakers

1947 - 1954 Minneapolis Lakers

George Mikan was the NBA's first true all-star, and unquestionably reigned as the greatest player in league history until Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain dominated the game years after his retirement.

During Mikan's first season with the Lakers, the team played in the National Basketball League, going 43-17 and coasting to a league championship. The next season, playing in the Basketball Association of America, Minneapolis won another title. Beginning in the 1949-50 season, the Lakers were a part of the newly-born National Basketball Association (NBA).

In the NBA's first year, the Lakers tied for the best regular-season record, swept their first three playoff opponents, and won the league title. After losing in the Western Division Finals the next season, the Lakers reeled off three straight championship wins, giving them four of the first five NBA titles, plus two league titles in the NBL and BAA before the NBA existed.

From 1947 - 1954, the Lakers went 316-148 (.681) in the regular season and won six titles in seven seasons. They never finished under .600, and ranked first or second in their division every season.

The Bill Russell Celtics

1956 - 1969 Boston Celtics

The greatest dynasty in NBA history, Russell's Celtics won 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons. In the two seasons they did not win it all, the Celtics lost in the NBA Finals (1958) or lost in the Division Finals to the eventual league champion (1967). Their regular-season record was 716-299 (.705), and for the first nine seasons of Russell's career, the Celtics had the best record in the NBA every year.

Competing against other great teams — Bob Pettit's St. Louis Hawks, Wilt Chamberlain's 76ers, and the great Laker teams with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor — the Celtics nonetheless dominated the league, capturing eight straight titles, and nearly winning 13 in a row. No other NBA team — indeed, no other major North American professional sports team — has ever had such a long-lasting, truly dominant reign. Russell's Celtics are unquestionably the greatest dynasty professional basketball has seen.

The Showtime Lakers

1979 - 1991 Los Angeles Lakers

With three Hall of Fame players, the NBA's most legendary rivalry, nine Western Conference titles, and five NBA titles, the Showtime Lakers were basketball royalty. When Magic Johnson was a rookie in 1979-80, the Lakers finished 60-22, the best record in the Western Conference, and beat the 76ers 4-2 to win the first title in the Showtime dynasty. After a down season the next year, the Lakers won the next four Western Conference titles, winning championships against the Sixers in 1981-82 and against the Celtics in 1984-85.

Although Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy were only together from 1982-89, Magic played with either Abdul-Jabbar or Worthy throughout the Showtime dynasty. During those years, the Lakers' regular-season record was 712-272 (.724), and they won the Western Conference nine out of 12 times, winning five championships. The four NBA Finals they lost were to legendary opponents: the 76ers with both Julius Erving and Moses Malone, Larry Bird's Celtics, the Bad Boy Pistons, and — in the Lakers' last Finals appearance until the Shaq and Kobe years — to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

The Larry Bird Celtics

1979 - 1988 Boston Celtics

During the nine seasons included here, Boston posted a regular-season record of 550-188 (.745) and finished with the best record in the NBA six times, plus the best record in the Eastern Conference an additional two seasons. During the 1980s, the Celtics were Eastern Conference champions five times and won three NBA titles.

It was during this decade that the Celtics/Lakers rivalry — already intense from the Bill Russell era, when Boston won six Finals series against the Lakers — became truly legendary. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the best players in the game, and their teams were consistently at the top of the league, meeting in the Finals three times. Either the Celtics or the Lakers made the NBA Finals every year from 1980 to 1989.

If there's an argument against including the Celtics on this list, it's that they never won back-to-back championships, with titles in 1981, '84, and '86. Of course, every serious basketball fan recognizes Bird's Celtics as an important NBA dynasty. These Boston teams even earned the grudging respect of many Laker fans — they may not have liked the Celtics, but you had to respect them. Naturally, the reverse applied as well. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were friends off the court, and most fans believe that the rivalry made both teams better.

Aside from common sense, what cements the Celtics as a dynasty aren't the three championships — normally the primary measure of a dynasty — but the fact that Boston was a consistent contender and was always the Eastern Conference favorite, with the Finals against the Lakers basically a coin flip. During these nine seasons, Boston had the best record in its conference eight times, had the best record in the NBA six times, went to the NBA finals five times, and won three NBA championships. Only dynasties do that.

The Michael Jordan Bulls

1990 - 1998 Chicago Bulls

When Michael Jordan joined the Bulls as a rookie in 1984, he was already an exceptional talent, but the Bulls couldn't win. They became playoff regulars, but it wasn't until the 1990-91 season that Chicago reached the NBA Finals. The Bulls won the first of three consecutive championships that year, and Jordan was named Finals MVP in all three. Then, Jordan announced his retirement, and the Houston Rockets won the next two championships. Jordan returned to Chicago, however, and the Bulls won another three championships with No. 23 back on the floor. Once again, Jordan was named Finals MVP each time.

During the eight seasons included here, the Bulls compiled a regular-season record of 490-166 (.747) and played in six NBA Finals, winning all six. If you omit the seasons in which Jordan didn't suit up, that mark rises to an incredible 388-104 (.789), with six championships in six seasons.

The main objection sometimes raised against this dynasty is a perceived lack of competition. Other than a Finals win over the Showtime Lakers, when Abdul-Jabbar was already retired and Magic was about to, the Bulls never went up against another team that had proven itself. The question is whether Jordan played in a weak era, when quality competition was scarce, or whether the Bulls were simply so dominant that they made good opponents look weak.

Regardless of the answer, everyone would agree that the Bulls established a dynasty in the 1990s.

***

Those are five dynasties no one should argue with, but there are other teams that should be mentioned as well. Bob Pettit's St. Louis Hawks won the Western Division four times in five years, beating Russell's Celtics for the league title in 1958. From 1961-1973, the Lakers won the Western Conference nine times. Los Angeles won a league title only once, however. They played second fiddle to the Celtics, but the 1980s Philadelphia 76ers were consistently a top team, finishing first or second in the Atlantic Division for eight straight seasons, winning the Eastern Conference three times, and sweeping the Lakers in the 1982-83 NBA Finals. With only one championship apiece, however, only the most liberal of observers would grant these teams dynasty status.

Other great teams won multiple titles, but lacked the sustained dominance that distinguished the teams mentioned above. In the early 1970s, the New York Knicks won two championships in four seasons, losing a third. They weren't a dominant team, however, finishing .700 only once. The Bad Boy Pistons played in three straight NBA Finals, winning back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. Their dominance was restricted to those three seasons, though. They had a couple of other 50-win seasons in the late '80s and early '90s, but they weren't serious championship contenders. The Houston Rockets, powered by Hakeem Olajuwon, won both NBA championships during Michael Jordan's first retirement. Those Houston teams never played in another Finals series, however, and never proved themselves against the Bulls.

Two potential dynasties remain to be mentioned. One is the Spurs team whose recent championship has made this topic an item of conversation. The other is the Lakers teams with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. At the conclusion of the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers won their first NBA title in over a decade. They won each of the next two as well, giving them three straight NBA championships, a feat equaled only by Mikan's Lakers, Russell's Celtics (who won eight in a row), and Jordan's Bulls (who did it twice).

Most fans consider a three-peat to equal an automatic dynasty, nothing else needed. But true dynasties have staying power, and the Lakers' dominance was short-lived. After a decent 2002-03 season and a Finals loss to Detroit the next year, Shaq went to Miami, coach Phil Jackson left the team, and the Lakers fell apart. That leaves the Lakers with a five-year run, during which they went 287-123 (.700), made four NBA Finals, and won three championships. That's probably a dynasty, but it doesn't seem like it belongs in the same category as Mikan or Magic.

The Tim Duncan Spurs

1998 - present San Antonio Spurs

We've now discussed six NBA dynasties: the '50s Lakers, the '60s Celtics, the '80s Lakers, the '80s Celtics, the '90s Bulls, and the early-'00s Lakers. What ties them together? The most obvious similarity is multiple championships, but even when they weren't winning, those teams were competitive. They all had regular-season winning percentages over .667, and they were usually favored in the playoffs. Good, gritty teams can pull things together in the postseason and rise to the occasion, but dynasties dominate from Day One.

The Spurs seem to fit those similarities. Starting in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season, the Spurs have gone 503-203 (.712) and won four NBA championships in nine years. Every year, the Spurs are a contender, and when they lose in the playoffs, it's usually an upset. San Antonio is a team that you expect to get a high playoff seed every year, and that you expect to perform at the highest level when it counts.

Beyond winning, another characteristic of dynasties is star power. Mikan dominated the NBA. Russell was a five-time NBA MVP. The argument can be made that Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the best ever at their respective positions. Larry Bird was a legend in his own time. Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player ever. Shaquille O'Neal, in his prime, was clearly the best player in the league.

The Spurs' Tim Duncan is of that caliber. Still at or near his prime, Duncan has already established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Since an official Finals MVP was established in 1969, five players have won multiple regular-season MVPs and multiple Finals MVPs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Tim Duncan. That places Duncan in very select company.

What separates the Spurs is Duncan's supporting cast. Mikan's Lakers had three other Hall of Famers. Russell played with Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, and John Havlicek. Magic and Abdul-Jabbar had each other, plus fellow Hall of Famer James Worthy. Bird had a fine supporting cast, most notably Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish. Jordan had Scottie Pippen. Shaq and Kobe had each other.

David Robinson was still playing when the Spurs won their first two championships, in 1999 and 2003. But in 2002-03, Robinson was past his prime and more of a role player than a star; since his retirement, the Spurs have won two more titles without any obvious Hall of Fame talent aside from Duncan. That isn't to say that San Antonio doesn't have other good players — it obviously does — but since 1998, Duncan and Robinson are the only Spurs to be named all-NBA, and only Duncan has been first-team.

Let's take one last look at the Spurs' numbers, stacked up against our other dynasties. The categories are regular-season winning percentage, conference titles, and NBA championships.

			RS win%		NBA CS		Conf CS

Mikan Lakers		.681		6*		6*

Russell Celtics		.705		11		12

Showtime Lakers		.724		5		9

Bird Celtics		.745		3		5

Jordan Bulls		.747		6		6

Shaq/Kobe Lakers	.700		3		4

Duncan Spurs		.712		4		4

*Two of six titles were before NBA existed.

The primary argument against the Spurs is that they have not won consecutive titles. San Antonio has captured league championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. The counterpoint is that the Spurs have won three titles in five seasons. The only other teams to accomplish that are those I have already classified as dynasties. The Spurs have won four titles in nine seasons; I am positive that if you win half the championships in a decade, you're a dynasty, and San Antonio has nearly accomplished that. And of course, the 1980s Celtics never won back-to-back. If that's a rule, you have to throw out Larry Legend. Even the Showtime Lakers never won more than two in a row.

Common sense says that just as Bird's Celtics (who ruled the Eastern Conference for a decade) were more dynastic than the Bad Boy Pistons (who did win back-to-back), the Spurs, with their sustained dominance, are a greater dynasty than the Phil Jackson Lakers of 1999-2004. I certainly consider San Antonio to be a dynasty. They aren't yet at the level of Russell's Celtics or Jordan's Bulls, but with another title next season — and the Spurs have as good a chance as anyone — they could reach the level of the 1980s Lakers and Celtics.

In this column, I've addressed every NBA team that won back-to-back titles, as well as any that won three championships or made at least four Finals appearances in fewer than eight seasons. There are two more teams I feel should be mentioned, although I don't believe either can be classified as a dynasty. In the early 1950s, the New York Knicks went to three straight NBA Finals. They lost all three, and no team without a title can really be a dynasty, but the only other teams with three consecutive Finals appearances have all been mentioned.

The Bullets may have been the team of the '70s. They won the Central Division five times in a row, finished one game back twice, and won the Atlantic Division after they moved to Washington. During that time, they played in four NBA Finals, winning in 1978. A dynasty? No. But a fine team that few people remember.

Below is a personal ranking of what I believe to be the 10 greatest dynasties in NBA history.

1] 1956 - 1969 Boston Celtics
2] 1979 - 1991 Los Angeles Lakers
3] 1990 - 1998 Chicago Bulls
4] 1947 - 1954 Minneapolis Lakers
5] 1979 - 1988 Boston Celtics
6] 1998 - present San Antonio Spurs
7] 1999 - 2004 Los Angeles Lakers
8] 1961 - 1973 Los Angeles Lakers
9] 1976 - 1986 Philadelphia 76ers
10] 1987 - 1990 Detroit Pistons

Have fun destroying that list.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 12:08 PM | Comments (1)

June 16, 2007

NASCAR's Regrettable Second Gear

Calling me a NASCAR fan would be an insult to anyone that's ever hauled his camper to the parking lot of a speedway and chugged a 30 pack of Bud while waiting for the gentlemen to start their engines.

At best, I'm a racing detester that's come around to begrudging admiration; a blue-state heathen who needed some contemplation before taking NASCAR off of his "not a sport" list, leaving golf all by its lonesome.

I dig the competition, especially the way it's presented on television. As a hockey fan, I'm insanely jealous of the ways in which televised racing conveys the sport's velocity and danger, while at the same time providing detailed information — concise and understandable, even for the newbies — about every facet of the event. No other sport has utilized digital technology better than NASCAR, from the graphics that identify drivers around the track to the dozen audio feeds that enable fans to witness conversations between the cars and their crews. It's extraordinary stuff, to the point where a guy who hears "lap 100" and thinks "c'mon, already" actually is drawn into the action.

Here's what I don't dig about NASCAR: nearly everything that doesn't happen on the track.

I was reminded of that during this Dale Earnhardt, Jr. soap opera that has infiltrated the mainstream sports media over the last two weeks. Evidently, racing is a team sport and Dale Jr. was the biggest "free agent" in the history of NASCAR. I'm sure someone a bit more schooled in the ways of auto racing can name 10,000 reasons why his joining Hendrick Motorsports is important for his career from a competitive aspect. I've no doubt this move means a different caliber of car or crew or spark plugs.

Yet most of the attention surrounding this titanic shift of power within the racing community has been placed on the ancillary melodrama. At first, I was interested in the Freudian tension when Dale, Jr. left Dale Earnhardt Inc. and his own stepmother in his rearview mirror; but that storyline has degenerated into endless speculation about the most mundane of racing topics: colors, sponsors, and numbers.

Will Dale be able to buy back his No. 8? Will Dale still have a relationship with the King of Beers? God, who cares? Okay, millions of NASCAR fans do. But an extraordinarily casual fan like myself is just repulsed by it.

Can you imagine if the headlines about every free agent signing in the NBA centered around what it meant for NIKE or Adidas? Or if every big-time trade in the NFL was eclipsed by endless speculation on whether a stud running back would stay with Gatorade or move over to Powerade? When a superstar player in baseball comes to a new city, the drama over his uniform number lasts about two sentences in a spring training notebook; entire articles have been dedicated to Dale, Jr.'s numerical dilemma.

It gets worse: what about these stories that predict whether or not Dale, Jr.'s "rebel attitude" will blend with the clean-cut Hendrick image? Ooooh, he drinks Budweiser, sleeps late, wears t-shirts, doesn't shave, and curses in public ... but Hendrick likes dress slacks! How ever will they cope?

What manufactured nonsense. Suddenly, Shaq vs. Kobe looks like a mature debate about the Palestinian conflict by comparison.

Not to pigeonhole a fan base here, but all of this off-the-track stuff fits right into both the country music and pro wrestling aesthetic. Dale Jr.'s about as rebellious as Big and Rich — only he doesn't have a black cowboy rapping in the passenger's seat — and knows how to use that image to his advantage. This "can the All-American champion co-exist with the villainous superstar?" routine was played out after Hulk Hogan and Macho Man pulled it off in 1987. (Memo to Jeff Gordon: please don't make it seem like you're interested in Miss Elizabeth, or Dale will drop a top-rope elbow on your ass.)

I know these alleged personality conflicts, sponsorship quandaries, and fashion follies are as much a part of NASCAR as spectacular crashes and awful-looking hats. I know they're the reason why car flags and those stickers with the little boy taking a piss on a Chevy logo exist. I know they're the fuel that drives sales of merchandise with specific colors, numbers, and logos associated with a certain movement, as millions of fans strut around like redneck Crips. Playing up these rivalries and indulging in the melodramas of the racing is good and vital for business.

But speaking as an ultra-casual, still-being-wooed fan — so casual that I have trouble changing my own flat tire, let alone understanding the intricacies of the pit — it's a part of the sport that does nothing for me. The attention it receives makes me wonder whether the races themselves have been eclipsed by the drivers competing in them.

Ask an NBA fan whether that's a good thing or not...

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 9:39 AM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2007

The Uprising of the Yankees

Going into their series with the Red Sox on June 1, the Yankees were 13 1/2 games back behind Boston in the AL East, and another seven games behind the Tigers in the AL wildcard. Now, after one series and one fateful home run by Alex Rodriguez, it appears as though the Yankees have begun to make their inevitable climb towards the top of the division. Everyone in Red Sox Nation now has to adjust their rear-view mirrors because the once-dead Bombers are starting to win again, which is something that everyone, especially the first-place Sox, have begun to take notice.

After splitting the first two games of the Boston series, the Yankees were at the crossroads of their season. Sure, it's only June, but still, there are certain holes that some teams, even the mighty Yankees, cannot dig themselves out of. If New York had lost on that Sunday night, they would have found themselves down 14 1/2, and although the season is early, their ambitions of winning their 10th consecutive division title would have been all but lost, and probably would have seen them be relegated to contending for the wildcard against about six other teams. But then the Yankee magic once again found its way to the diamond, and from that home run, those "dead" Yankees have found new life.

Since their win last Sunday, New York has been on a tear. After their improbable comeback against two of the Sox's best relievers (Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon), the Yankees continued on their road trip, and promptly beat the White Sox in three out of four games at U.S. Cellular. Upon returning home, their schedule eased up considerably by facing the lowly Pirates at Yankee Stadium. The Yanks outscored the Bucs 27-13 in their three-game sweep, which added onto their season-high nine-game winning streak. Along with this, the deficit is now at 7½ in the East, the first time Boston's lead in the East has been under double-digits since May 17.

There are a few factors that have lead to the Yankees' sudden transformation. The most striking has to be that the Yanks have been able to stay away from their biggest weakness, the bullpen, and instead have relied on their offense to carry the bulk of the load. When you think about salary allocation, it makes sense that the focus of the last couple of offseasons has been on acquiring offense, and trying to rely on applying a patchwork starting rotation and bullpen as an attempt to try and keep them in the game for as long as possible. Here is a look at the 2007 salary figures for both the starting lineup and their pitching staff for this season:

Starting lineup:
1	Johnny Damon		$13,000,000
2	Derek Jeter		$21,600,000
3	Bobby Abreu		$13,000,000
4	Alex Rodriguez		$27,708,525
5	Jason Giambi		$23,428,571
6	Hideki Matsui		$13,000,000
7	Jorge Posada		$12,000,000
8	Robinson Cano		$490,800
9	Josh Phelps		$600,000
	Total:			$124,827,896
			
Starting pitching:	
1	Mike Mussina		$11,070,423
2	Carl Pavano		$10,000,000
3	Andy Pettitte		$16,000,000
4	Chien-Ming Wang		$489,500
5	Kei Igawa		$4,000,000
6	Darrell Rasner		$384,523
7	Jeff Karstens		$389,495
8	Tyler Clippard*		$380,0001
9	Phillip Hughes*		$380,0001
10	Roger Clemens		$17,629,6302
	Total:			$62,989,554
			
Bullpen:		
MR	Scott Proctor		$445,923
MR	Kyle Farnsworth		$5,666,667
MR	Luis Viscaino		$3,000,000
MR	Brian Bruney		$395,545
MR	Mike Myers		$1,250,000
CL	Mariano Rivera		$10,500,000
	Total:			$21,258,135
			
	Total Pitching Salaries: $84,247,689

*Because Clippard and Hughes both came up through the minors, and their salaries are unknown, I simply put the player minimum as their salary.

Note: Salary is pro-rated from $28,000,000; the amount of games calculated is 102.

So, after this analysis, I calculated that the Yankees have allocated 60% of their total 2007 payroll to their starting lineup, which does not even account for any bench players they have. Also, I included every pitcher who has started for the Yankees this year and their bullpen, yet those numbers still come up short in comparison to just their starting nine. Now, here are the numbers for the division-leading Red Sox:

Starting lineup:		
1	Julio Lugo		$8,250,000
2	Kevin Youkilis		$424,500
3	David Ortiz		$13,250,000
4	Manny Ramirez		$17,016,381
5	J.D. Drew		$14,400,000
6	Mike Lowell		$9,000,000
7	Jason Varitek		$11,000,000
8	Coco Crisp		$3,833,333
9	Dustin Pedroia		$380,000
	Total:			$77,554,214
			
Starting pitching:		
1	Curt Schilling		$13,000,000
2	Josh Beckett		$6,666,667
3	Daisuke Matsuzaka	$6,333,333
4	Tim Wakefield		$4,000,000
5	Julian Tavarez		$3,350,000
6	Matt Clement		$9,500,000
	Total:			$42,850,000
			
Bullpen:		
MR	Joel Piniero		$4,000,000
MR	Mike Timlin		$2,800,000
MR	Brendan Donnelly	$1,400,000
MR 	Hideki Okajima		$1,225,000
MR	Kyle Snyder		$535,000
MR	Javier Lopez		$402,500
CL	Jonathan Papelbon	$425,500
	Total:			$10,788,000
			
	Total Pitching Salaries: $53,638,000

Despite the Sox paying little-to-nothing for their bullpen help, and grossly underpaying for the services of Papelbon, arguably the game's best closer, percentage-wise, the Red Sox spend more on pitching than the Yankees do (40.88% to 40.30%). This all means that the Yankees rely heavily on their bats, even more so than the Red Sox, so when their bats were running cold, it's a fair indicator of how the team will fare.

From May 10th to May 30th, the Yankees went 6-12, and their bats cooled considerably. In that time, the team average dropped by nine points (.281 to .272), their on base percentage dropped by 12 points (.361 to .349), and their OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) dropped 20 points (.795 to .775). This translated into a drastic change in the amount of runs produced. Going into May 10th, the Yanks were averaging 5.8 runs per game, but in those 18 games, the Yankees only averaged 4.2 runs, and saw their season mark fall to 5.2 runs an outing. In mentioning this, it also can be noted that the Yankees' pitching actually improved over this same length of time. The team ERA dropped from 4.80 to 4.62.

It's an easy thing to say that the Yankees had a "grueling" schedule over that stretch, and you would be right in assuming so (the opposition they faced in that period are a combined 45 games over .500 compared to the teams they played before, who are just 14 games over .500), but in saying that, there is no way of justifying why their hitting went down and their pitching improved. Over that stretch, they had all of their most talented hitters in the lineup, with the exception of Jason Giambi, who sat out a few games because of his on-going heel problem, and yet their ERA went down even when they were pitching with spare parts (Wang, Pavano, and Mussina were all on the DL at this time).

Now let's further break down the problems of the offense and how they have been able to right the ship after the Red Sox series. There is no way of getting around it, Alex Rodriguez is the best player in baseball, and when he does not show up, the Yankees are going to be in for some serious trouble. Here are some of the splits he has this season:

Period			AVG	HR	RBI	OBP	OPS
April 1-May 9		.352	15	39	.428	1.212
May 10-May 30		.186	4	6	.313	.699
June 1-June 10		.371	5	18	.511	1.368

Granted, A-Rod got off to one of the best starts in major league history, but he is still the game's highest paid player, so he should probably play like he doesn't have an equal. A-Rod, like him or not, is the catalyst of the Yankee offense. Sure, they did great things without him, but this is now his fourth season with New York, believe it or not, and he has become engraved into the cleanup spot, and the Yankees go if A-Rod goes. It's as simple as that.

Guys like Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter are having career years at the plate so far, but the Yankees were not winning, and in my approximation, it was not due to the fact that the schedule was difficult. These are the Yankees, the supposed best team in baseball, with the highest payroll, and, basically, unlimited sources to get the best players in the game. So if the schedule is tough at certain points, it is still no excuse for a team to play six games under .500 for 18 games.

Another reason that the Yankees could possibly be turning the corner this year is their bullpen. Take a look at the relievers on the roster and what their numbers have been like over the past few months:

		IP	ERA		WHIP 		OBA

Scott Proctor

April:		14	5.14		1.43		0.235

May-June:	18.2	2.41		1.22		0.194

Kyle Farnsworth

April:		9.1	5.79		1.71		0.270

May-June:	16	4.50		1.56		0.266

Brian Bruney

April:		13.1	2.70		1.05		0.170

May-June:	14.2	1.84		1.50		0.224

Luis Viscaino

April:		14	5.79		1.57		0.196

May-June:	16	7.31		1.88		0.300

Mike Myers

April:		10.2	1.69		1.13		0.162

May-June:	15.2	3.45		1.34		0.300

Mariano Rivera

April:		7.2	10.57		1.94		0.333

May-June:	16.1	1.10		0.81		0.193

You have to appreciate the differences in the numbers, especially of those of their best relievers: Proctor, Bruney, and Rivera. This is especially true about Rivera. Here is my opinion on why he has become so effective: at the beginning of the season, the Yankees were so scared about overworking Rivera that they did not use him unless it was absolutely necessary. It has to be tough for a guy to go that many innings in between appearances to really get into any kind of groove, and so, his work suffered.

Now that Mo has been able to get some work in, he has been lights out over the past month and a half. Rivera had just one save in April, and blew two others. That has to get to someone's confidence, even if he is one of the best of all time. Since then, he has gone 1-1, and in save opportunities, is six-for-six.

Bruney has become increasingly reliable over the same time, and has really taken some of the load off of Proctor, whose 33 appearances is just one behind the league leaders (Chad Bradford and Shawn Camp). So what was once the biggest weakness has become a strength, especially when taking leads into the late innings.

However, this only deals with the best arms the Yanks have. When you look at the others, Myers, Viscaino, and Farnsworth, you're talking about guys who come in early when the starters can't go deep into games. A complimentary item to the bullpen will be the amount of innings that the starters can give them before they have to start digging into the bullpen. With Roger Clemens now on board, the Yankees trot out a rotation comprised of Clemens, Mussina, Pettitte, Wang, and Clippard, or whoever will be able to fill-in the fifth starter's role.

The Yankees are now attempting to make a surge, and in doing so, they are hoping they won't relapse into what was one of the worst stretches in recent history for the Bombers. The keys are Alex Rodriguez and the bullpen. If these one of the two, or both, start to deteriorate as the season goes on, the Yankees will have no chance to make the postseason. Although this team is full of talented guys, it all comes down to those two key items for the Yankees to make a serious run.

Posted by Rich Lyons at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2007

The Gold Cup is Golden

Before I became one myself, I used to pity soccer fans because their signature event only occurs once every four years. I couldn't imagine having to wait four years between Super Bowls.

Now that I am a soccer devotee myself, I have discovered that there is plenty of meaningful, enjoyable soccer played in-between World Cups at the international level: every region of the world has its own soccer confederation under the FIFA (who administers the World Cup and is the final authority in the soccer world) umbrella, and each of these confederations has their own championship. And to my surprise they are, in the words of Ron Burgundy, kind of a big deal.

Each confederation's geographical boundaries are not perfect. CONCACAF, which you can think of as the North American confederation, includes Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana from South America. Asia's confederation recently took Australia into their fold. Israel competes in Europe's confederation, UEFA, because too many of their geographical neighbors refuse to play them.

What makes the confederation championships special in a way that not even the World Cup can boast is that they present the best opportunity for bitter rivals to square off on the pitch with something on the line. While USA and Mexico would have to be very lucky to get drawn together in the World Cup (although they did clash in the second round in 2002), they can almost count on meeting in the CONCACAF Championship, the Gold Cup. Japan gets a chance to play Korea, Brazil gets a chance to play Argentina.

This summer, three such confederation championships (also generally held every four years or so, although each confederation may vary), occur back-to-back to back: CONCACAF, CONMEBOL (South America), and AFC (Asia). UEFA's championship is next year.

The Gold Cup is ongoing now, and it's a treat. CONCACAF may not be the strongest confederation, but it might be the most competitive.

A word on qualification for the Gold Cup: two sub-regional tournaments, the Caribbean Cup and the UNCAF (Central American) Cup, give us most of the field. The top five Central American countries (out of just seven) qualify for the Gold Cup from the UNCAF competition, and four (out of a lot) qualify from the weaker Caribbean Cup zone.

That leaves Mexico, the United States, and Canada. It's easy to grant Mexico and the U.S. byes straight into the Gold Cup, as they are clearly the class of the region and head-and-shoulders above the competition. Canada's a bit different, though. They probably don't deserve a ticket straight to the Gold Cup on merit, but they are obviously an awkward candidate for the Caribbean or Central American Championship. Luckily for them (and for the bigwigs of CONCACAF), the Canadians went on a magical run in 2000 to win the Gold Cup after only getting out of the group stage by winning a coin toss against teams that they were tied with, including every tiebreaker.

Hence, CONCACAF grants them entry straight into the Gold Cup by virtue of being "former Champions," something only the United States and Mexico can also claim (although other countries have won the Gold Cup's predecessor, the CONCACAF Championship). It will be interesting to see what CONCACAF does if and when a country other than those three wins the Cup at some point.

This year's Cup competition had a group stage consisting of three groups of four countries each. Let's have a look at each one.

Group A is Costa Rica, Canada, Guadeloupe, and Haiti.

Costa Rica consistently demonstrates that it is the third best team in the region behind the U.S. and Mexico, and the conventional wisdom going into the tournament was that Costa Rica was given a ridiculously easy draw into the knockout stage (read: playoffs) of the tournament. Canada's ranked 90th in the world. Guadeloupe, which is essentially a province of France, is thusly not even eligible for the World Cup and is not a FIFA member. Haiti is a bit of an unknown quantity, having upset Costa Rica to win the Caribbean Cup, but having nothing of note on their resume for the prior two decades.

The first surprise, however, came on the opening game of the competition, where Canada beat Costa Rica 2-1, but it wasn't really as close as the score indicated. Canadian soccer fans on the forums I prowl were euphoric, and excitedly wondered if they were on track to displace Costa Rica as the third-best team in the region.

Two days later, however, they came crashing back to earth after losing to Guadeloupe. To me, Guadeloupe is the most interesting, enigmatic, divisive team in this competition. On one level, it's sort of embarrassing to have a non-FIFA member in the competition at all. What does it say about us North Americans if they do well, or win? That we can't even beat what amounts to a small province of France?

On the other hand, who doesn't love an upset, and a Cinderella story? Plus, the presumptions about their talent level isn't really accurate. Guadeloupe has more players playing their club football in Europe than any other team in the competition.

Ultimately, the group turned out to be evenly matched to the extreme. The last game of the Group A action was Canada/Haiti, and were that to end in a 0-0 draw, then once again we'd see three teams (all in the group except Haiti) tied even after tiebreakers, and the final order of the group would need to be determined by flipping coins or drawing lots.

Instead, Canada won the match 2-0 and won the group. Costa Rica rebounded from their opening loss to finish second. Guadeloupe qualified for the knockout stage, as well. The Cinderella/embarrassment story continues.

Group B is the United States, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and El Salvador.

On paper, this too seemed like an unbalanced group that the U.S. should dominate. Guatemala is decent, but Trinidad's best players (all but one from their 2006 World Cup team) are not playing due to a salary dispute, and El Salvador was the last team to qualify from the UNCAF competition.

The tough part of being the big fish in the small pond of CONCACAF, as the U.S. and Mexico are, is that you get everybody's best shot. The other teams eagerly await their chance to slay the dragon and come home heroes. No one throws parades for teams that beat Nicaragua.

Since the 2006 World Cup, the United States has not lost a match. Each match that they have won came from by at least two goals, and most were against higher-ranked European and South American teams (albeit on American soil). The lone exception was a 0-0 draw in March against Guatemala. The Guates dug in, played great defense, made it clear their goal was a tie, and they got it. It was impressive performance.

So who should the U.S. draw first in the Gold Cup but Guatemala. This time, the United States managed to break through in the first half and take a 1-0 lead into half-time. But Guatemala came out chomping at the bit in the second half and put the U.S. on their heels for the first time I have seen since ... well, the last time they played Guatemala. The Guatemalans played better defense and created more scoring opportunities. The U.S. started to play flustered and frustrated. I started yelling at the refs on TV, whom I felt where allowing the Guates to play more physically with the U.S. than the other way around (must be my bias: the consensus after the game was that it was well-officiated). The Americans were getting whistled for fouls and drawing yellow cards left and right, and the game was being played more and more in their half of the field.

When the final whistle blew, however, Guatemala had not managed to cross the U.S. goal line; the Americans had hung on for the 1-0 win. It's been a very long time since I saw the U.S. players celebrate as they did when it was over. To say the Guatemalans had earned their respect would be an understatement. The texture of the second half made it feel, to the American players and fans, like the U.S. just won a big game. And the Guatemala coach Hernan Dario Gomez, when asked about the American's rough play in the second half, responded with a comment that made me want to fly to L.A. to shake his hand: "I like it when they lose their composure. It means they don't want to lose. And I want to see the Americans do well."

After that, things got easier for the Americans. They beat Trinidad 2-0, but Trinidad was never able to mount much of a threat the way Guatemala did. The Americans' opus was a 4-0 annihilation of El Salvador, where they were just able to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. They seemed to get markedly better from their first game to their second game to their third game ... although the impressiveness of the third game may have partially been a result of the team feeling emboldened by the happenings of Group C.

Group C was easily the toughest group: Mexico, Panama, Honduras and Cuba.

Cuba's nothing to write home about, but Honduras is basically on par with Guatemala and Panama consistently challenges Costa Rica for the title of best Central American team.

The third group turned out to be just as tight as the first two, and the parity in the entire tournament has been remarkable. With just Panama/Cuba and Mexico/Panama left in the group state at this writing, everyone except the U.S. and Panama have tasted defeat, but no one has gone without at least a tie. Save America's games, and Canada's 2-0 win over Haiti, every single game to this point was either a tie or was settled by the margin of a single goal.

Like you would expect, Cuba gave Mexico everything they had, even scoring first, but were ultimately defeated 2-1. Then it was Honduras' turn against Mexico. Like Guatemala against the U.S., Honduras tried to be aggressive, assertive, and frustrate their opponent. Unlike Guatemala, Honduras went for a particular edge that was strictly mental.

All game long, Honduras back Jorge Caballeros had been harassing Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco with ... wait for it ... kisses. Not literally planting one on him, but making little kissy noises in his face, by his ear, with an accompanying derisive facial expression that even made this Mexican-soccer-team-hater want to punch him. Early in the second half, with Mexico up 1-0 thanks in part to a Honduras missed penalty kick, Blanco finally snapped early in the second half, elbowed Caballeros in the gut, and earned a red card for it.

Mexico hence played the rest of the half a man down, creating a dream opportunity for Honduras, and they grabbed the brass ring. Carlos Costly scored both goals for Honduras, the second coming late in extra time on a spectacular header. If I was naming a group stage MVP, it would be Costly, who has been amazing from start to finish. Honduras 2, Mexico 1. It's the first game that Mexico has ever lost to a CONCACAF team in the group stage of the Gold Cup era.

As I write this (and it will have happened by the time you read this), Mexico has one group game left, against Panama, who leads the group after a win over Honduras and a tie against Cuba. If Panama beats Mexico, too, which would really only be a mild upset, and Cuba defeats Honduras, also only a mild upset, Mexico is, unthinkably, out. As it stands, Mexico is in third in the group and hanging on to the last knockout stage spot.

For this first time perhaps in history, in the horse race for CONCACAF superiority, the U.S. has pulled a full length ahead of Mexico. The U.S. is playing with near video-game-like efficiency, complete with a full quotient of stamina and momentum points. They are the only team in the group stage to go undefeated and untied. With two games left yet, America has the most goals and have surrendered the fewest (none). Mexico, on the other hand, is reeling, and it's not just because of the Honduras loss: most of their recent results have been suspect, most notably a 1-0 loss to Paraguay in Mexico City, where the Mexicans never lose.

It can only take one game, though, to turn everything around, and if things stay the way they are at the time of this writing, the U.S.' quarterfinal opponent will be Mexico. They win that one, and their semifinal opponent, should they get past Canada as expected will be, for the third time in four months, Guatemala.

***

Postscript: Two days after the Gold Cup ends, Copa America, the South American Confederation tournament, begins in Venezuela. Why should you care? Because CONMEBOL invites two teams each year from outside the confederation to participate (as did the Gold Cup organizers until this year), to achieve an even number of teams in the group stages. This year, those two are Mexico and the U.S. The Americans' first game is against Argentina, followed by a game against that Paraguay team that beat Mexico in Mexico, and wrapping up against Colombia, who will basically be at home, with the game being a short hop from the border. Making matters still tougher, the U.S. Soccer Federation has decided to devote their strongest team to the Gold Cup, so it will also be a less battle-tested U.S. team playing there.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 11:52 AM | Comments (2)

Week in Baseball: A-Rod, Dunn, Ozzie

We're rapidly approaching midseason and to be brutal, it hasn't been a vintage year on the diamond so far. Boston and Los Angeles look the class of the AL and in the NL mediocrity abounds. That said, there's still plenty of storylines to keep Karl Ravech staring incredulously at John Kruk and Steve Phillips. Here's a few that have caught my eye this week.

The hyped event of the weekend was the return of Roger Clemens to the scuffling Yankees. Pravda ... sorry, The YES Network was so excited a strand of Michael Kay's hair briefly strayed from its position and Al Leiter almost said something vaguely controversial.

As season openers go, Clemens was functional rather than spectacular. His outing of 108 pitches, 69 strikes, and 7 KOs wasn't bad, but he didn't look free-flowing in the mound and seemed to be wary of the groin. A less anemic team than Pittsburgh (13th in the NL in runs scored and 16th in OPS) might have got to him. That said, if he can keep the team in the game against the likes of the Angels, Detroit, Boston, and Cleveland, his signing was worth the outlay.

As recently as five years ago a Clemens/Andy Pettitte/Mike Mussina trifecta would have been the rock equivalent of Linkin Park headlining Woodstock. Nowadays, they're more of a Steely Dan reunion tour. Mussina looks as good as finished and Pettitte, though he sports a healthy 3.11 ERA, isn't striking enough out to make anybody other than Mrs. Pettitte confident that he can maintain it until September.

The Yankees will hit without Giambi, but if they can't pitch, they won't make the play-offs. Chien-Ming Wang and (hopefully) Philip Hughes will be just as important as the $46 million headliners.

Finally, on the subject of the Yankees, let's hear it for Mr. Alex Rodriguez, surely the most flogged whipping boy of all-time. I was guilty of some A-Rod baiting myself, but despite all the criticism, off-field garbage, and having a somewhat odd demeanor, the guy can rake and it's time to tip our collective hats to him.

The much-maligned Rodriguez has a line of .304/.407/.674, yet still he's hearing how he should be allowed to walk this offseason. Newsday says $25m could buy lots of arms. I haven't read a more stupid article since the last one by the same idiot, Soaring with Giambi on DL, that was written the previous day. Back-to-back drivel and this guy still has a job — there's hope for Jerry Narron.

***

Speaking of Jerry (King of the Lineup Card) Narron, here's another smart move by the Cincinnati Reds, the team that traded for an injured reliever and paid bucket loads of money to Eric Milton. This week, the front office let it be known they'd take offers for Adam Dunn to "shake up the roster."

Is that what's known as smart-ball? Maybe the Devil Rays, stuck in last place in the AL East, should go the same route by trading Carl Crawford for Henry Blanco to "shake up the roster?" Or the Red Sox, mired in a one-game slump, should move struggling import Dice-K to Pittsburgh for red-hot Xavier Nady?

Dunn is apparently totally hopeless because he strikes out a lot. Dunn has also hit 40 or more home runs for the past three seasons, walked more than 100 times a season for the past three seasons, and has a career OPS of .891. All this despite the fact that his manager often sits him against lefties (his BA is a huge six points lower against lefties), pencils his name in at sixth on the lineup card (must be that awful career OBP of .377), and even as low as seventh on occasions.

The Reds have some truly mediocre players (Milton is earning $10,333,333 this year), but Dunn isn't one of them, despite his defense. He can't walk until the end of 2009, so there's absolutely no reason to dump him for bits-and-pieces and a rookie or two. Dumping injury-prone Ken Griffey, Jr. makes more sense while he has value, though they'd have to eat some of the $8.5 million per year he earns.

The NL Central is a poor division and, as the Brewers can testify, a small improvement in the roster can result in a jump up the standings. The Reds stayed in contention for a playoff spot to the final week of last season, so adding a couple of $4-5 million-a-year starters by GM Wayne Krivsky (the team is 11th in the NL in quality starts) might have pushed the team over the hump. Instead, Krivsky stood pat and it might cost him and Narron their jobs.

***

With the evidence available so far, who's the worst free agent signing of the off season? J.D. Drew? Nomar Garciaparra? Jason Schmidt or Mark Mulder? No, for sheer pedestrian, one-dimensional ineptitude it has to be that out-making machine Juan Pierre.

Pierre is 30-years-old and has one positive in his repertoire. He can run quickly. He steals bases, though he often gets caught, and he can turn a double into a triple occasionally. So Dodger GM Ned Colletti saw fit to hand him a $44 million over five years contract, even though he already has a fine lead-off hitter in Rafael Furcal on the roster and the team needed somebody who could slug.

Pierre made a staggering 492 outs last year with the Cubs, who couldn't wait to run him out of town. If he has the same number of ABs he had last year (unlikely as he managed 699), he's on pace to record a truly mind-boggling 529 outs. His OBP is a paltry .305 and he's slugging at about the rate you'd expect from Niles Crane (.319). The 20 steals he's amassed have come at a hefty price.

***

Sam Perlozzo is apparently a dead-man walking in Baltimore. Ho-hum — managing in the AL isn't rocket science. If Ozzie Guillen can manage a team to a World Series ring, then there must be hundreds of candidates out there who could do the job — if there's anybody left who'd work for Peter Angelos.

The interesting thing about Baltimore is that their pitching, despite the loss of three of their planned rotation (Kris Benson, Jaret Wright, and Adam Loewen) is second in the AL in starters ERA (3.73) and starters BAA (.240). The work Leo Mazzone is putting in with Erik Bedard and Daniel Cabrera is beginning to pay off. Former first-round pick (by the Indians) Jeremy Guthrie, a $380,000 re-tread, is sporting a 2.70 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP, statistics Kris Benson can only dream of.

The relief core, which had an expensive overall last season, hasn't been as effective. The team is 11th and 10th in the same categories. But the real problem is the offense, which has been nothing short of disastrous. 11th in runs and OBP and 12th in SLG won't cut it in the AL East. Jay Gibbons, Corey Patterson, Jay Payton, and Aubrey Huff represent $17.8 million of payroll, but have produced almost nothing. Melvin Mora and Ramon Hernandez aren't earning their combined $14.5 million, either.

The team is making noises about bidding for Mark Teixeira (a Maryland native), who would be a serious upgrade over Kevin Millar or Jay Gibbons, but who comes at a hefty price, being a Scott Boras client. If Baltimore is to take advantage of an improved rotation, the $95 million payroll will have to be jacked-up next year.

Finally, isn't it fun to watch Ozzie Guillen self-destruct in Chicago? Unless you're a White Sox fan of course, in which case you won't be reading this (or anything) because you'll be drinking beer at breakfast with Mom and Dad while watching wrestling. Last in the AL in BA, OBP and SLG, 49 different lineups, Joe Crede on the DL (is that an advantage?), Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye in a slump — it's a long way from the heady days of 2005. Things have got so bad Guillen has been bemoaning the loss of Darin Erstad. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Posted by Mike Round at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2007

Can Pitching Really Win the AL Pennant?

On paper, theirs are the two best pitching staffs in the American League through Sunday, and both hope to ride this strength all the way to October.

In one corner are the Oakland A's, topping everyone with a 3.11 team ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and .233 BAA. They've also turned in 41 quality starts through their first 62 outings, a MLB high. In the other corner, the Boston Red Sox are right behind, second in team ERA, WHIP, and BAA. The Sox are a league best in strikeouts per walks and in strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Their bullpen has converted 87% of save opportunities, far outpacing Oakland's 61%.

So, what happens when paper meets turf?

For the time being, that question was answered last week in Oakland, where the two squared off in a four-game series trimmed in autumnesque intensity. The A's came away with three narrow wins of one, two, and one runs, respectively. But Boston's Curt Schilling turned in the gem of the week with his near-perfect one-hitter on Thursday afternoon as the Red Sox salvaged the finale, 1-0.

In nearly 74 innings of play, the two staffs allowed a total of 16 earned runs, equating to a 1.95 ERA. Compare that to this past Sunday's effort by Tom Glavine and assorted New York Mets mop-up men, who surrendered 15 earned runs in eight innings of work. A's pitchers allowed only 7 earned runs, 25 hits, and 14 walks, while Boston ceded 9 earned runs, 28 hits, and 12 walks. That works out to a little more than one base runner per inning, or a 1.07 WHIP.

If the old baseball adage holds, these two teams should be locking horns in the ALCS come October, right? Maybe not.

Oakland will first have to contend with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, whom they currently trail by five games. Not much of a deficit to overcome for Athletics teams of the past that historically dominated the post-All-Star Break American League. But those A's weren't chasing these Angels who are the AL's best-balanced club, ranking third in both hitting and pitching through Sunday's action.

And Boston has its perennial nemesis. The New York Yankees have the most loaded lineup in baseball, a better-than-average starting rotation, and are now beginning to stretch after a long winter's nap. In 12 days' time, they have whittled away five of Boston's 14½-game lead that once seemed insurmountable, notwithstanding the dubious track record of the frontrunners and the fact that we have yet to reach Father's Day.

There's one more thing going against both. The Athletics and Red Sox are arguably the biggest underachievers in Major League Baseball today.

Oakland is as always rich in young talent supplied by the quirky Moneyball principles of General Manager Billy Beane. But it's a talent that never seems to age. As Billy himself admits, his system doesn't work in the playoffs. That has proven an understatement as the A's have lost five of the six postseason series they've played during Beane's nine-year administration.

The Red Sox, on the other hand, are rich in rich, bankrolling MLB's second-highest payroll in six of the past seven seasons. Yes, they do have one World Series ring to show for it and that is one more than the team with the highest payroll, but unlike the Yankees, the Red Sox have missed the postseason three times in that span.

Last year, the A's finally resuscitated themselves and escaped the ALDS for the first time under Beane. Their sweep of the Twins snapped a nine-game losing streak in playoff series clinchers dating back to 2000. The Red Sox didn't fare as well, turning a 4-game lead on July 4th into a 6½-game deficit by August 22nd. They went on to finish 12 behind the Yankees. Nonetheless, that 16-game U-turn has not affected the naiveté of Red Sox Nation, which once again flexes its collective muscles as if spring should never give way to summer.

With 100 games remaining on most schedules, there is little certainty in baseball at the moment, least of all whether good pitching will beat out good hitting over the homestretch. If it does, we may see a rematch of these same Athletics and Red Sox.

Of course, Boston has hedged their bet with the bats of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, but GM Theo Epstein has created a desolate region in his lineup as wide as the Sahara Desert with his acquisitions of Julio Lugo (.213), Coco Crisp (.224), and J.D. Drew (.244). Oakland, on the other hand, is a woeful producer at the plate from top to bottom, with a batting average ranking 12th among 14 AL teams. The A's have been held to three or fewer runs nearly as often as not, going 8-22 in those games. That they are even in striking distance is perhaps the greatest tribute to the staff that Billy built.

In the end, both these teams are going to find it an arduous grind to reach the playoffs. One has to wonder who has the tougher road ahead. Is it the Oakland Athletics at five back, or the Boston Red Sox at nine and a-half up?

Posted by Bob Ekstrom at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2007

NBA Finals: Three's the New Thing

The summer blockbuster season has already begun for 2007. And while the most anticipated picture of the year is probably the live action version of the 1980s Transformers cartoon, it will have plenty of jostling for dollars with more recent flashbacks.

Hollywood seems to have a love affair with the number three this year. Over the span of May to August, we'll have the continuation of several major picture franchises released for our viewing pleasure. As the NBA Finals continue to get revved up (Have we started yet? Seems to me like we're watching Finals practice sessions), the public has been exposed to the third installments of Spiderman, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Ocean's Eleven franchise. These will be joined later this summer the third films in the Bourne Identity and Rush Hour series, as well as the Resident Evil franchise in September.

It seems like everyone is "three"-crazy these days. It might not be that much of a stretch when you look at the year. 2007 (divisible by three) begins and ends with 2 and 7 (27 = 3 to the third power). Adding up the digits gives you 9 (3 times 3).

And when it comes to the Association's "big stage" series, there is still a connection. The San Antonio Spurs are making a run at their third championship this decade, which would tie them with the L.A. Lakers for the most by any team. The Cleveland Cavaliers' organization is enjoying their first Finals soiree after winning the conference title in their third attempt.

Sure, this is basically me grasping at any straws I can get my hands on (and that's different from any of my other articles because...?). However, get a look at this trio of plot summaries that could show up on the NBA's doorstep. You know, in case they think about making a movie based on this year's Finals participants.

The Shooter Always Rings Twice 3

For the man who's only had fleeting moments in the spotlight, he's made the most of his opportunities. After appearing in the background for repeat and three-peat champions, the man known for being clutch has almost come full circle. Now, back in the state where it all began, Robert Horry can add to his half-dozen titles.

However, this challenge is a different animal. Battles against other well-built teams ... disappointments along the playoff road ... and the constant battle of defensive stalwart versus offensive machine. It will take a new attitude for him to overcome all of the obstacles in his path. But will this new "Mr. Clutch" turn from "Big Shot" to "Cheap Shot"? And can he get a chance to reclaim his old form to show that no matter where he stands, the shooter always rings twice.

The Triumvirate 3

Four years ago, a small conglomeration of undervalued men melded their worldly powers together to frustrate, intimidate, and dominate other basketball powers ever since. Their powers unique, their goals the same, they've formed an identity that has grown in both stature and legend.

They've used a piece French leadership, a part Argentine bravado, and a pinch of intense focus from the Virgin Islands to conquer their foes west of the Mississippi. A sense of speed, fundamentalism, and teamwork has been on display when vanquishing their opponents from the East. Now, already in the company of the Bird-McHale-Parrish and Magic-Kareem-Worthy supremacies, this new Triumvirate looks to continue their stranglehold over the world of professional basketball. Can they do it?

Attack of the Least 3

It's been years since the Eastern Conference has been equal to its counterpart from the West. Every season, the team that fights its way to the conference championship would be led to slaughter, compliments of the Big Boys of the left side of the country. But in 2004, a scrappy group of youngsters from blue-collar Detroit chopped down the giants from Laker Land.

In 2006, it was more than a Flash in the pan when the bright lights of Miami blinded Western champion Dallas. Even down in an 0-2 hole, the Heat melted away their insurmountable blockade of challenges to capture their first-ever basketball crown.

Now, enter the newest collection of Finals rookies. A group led by an emerging superstar and comprising his band of basketball bandits and journeymen. They upset the system already by getting this far. But can a King, a rookie guard, two Eastern European national team players, and a Brazilian who has an uncanny resemblance to a cartoon villain find a way to topple the championship-experienced, team-oriented, and heavily-favored San Antonio Spurs? Or will this Attack of the Least be turned away yet again?

Fantastic, no? Now tell me you wouldn't spend nine dollars to see any of those flicks. How about a six-dollar matinee? Not even a three-buck rental? Well, back to the drawing board, I guess. Just thought I'd let your minds wander before getting focused on the city of Cleveland for ... well, who'd of thunk it ... Game 3.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)

Wie's Future Has Plenty of Questions

Michelle Wie withdrew from the Ginn Tribute on Thursday in South Carolina 16 holes into her first professional round since dual wrist injuries sidelined her after the Sony Open in Hawaii. There, she missed the two round cut by 14 shots and later cited the wrist problem as the main cause for her poor performance. Reports from her camp — albeit rare — in the winter indicated that Wie would be looking to make a return to golf in time for the LPGA Tour's second major championship, the McDonald's LPGA Championship, which begins on Thursday in Maryland.

Her handlers (and presumably Wie) made some scheduling decisions in March and April that seemed to indicate that Wie would focus more on the LPGA Tour for the remainder of 2007 in an effort to regain confidence and become more tournament tested before she headed to Stanford in the fall. Wie committed to play in the Ginn Tribute and LPGA Championship. Her coach, David Leadbetter, publicly said that Wie was looking to focus on winning on the LPGA Tour. (That statement was later questioned, refuted, denied, and accepted.)

Although getting information from the Wie camp was difficult and sometimes cryptic, every indication given to the public was that Wie had finally heard her critics. She would stop making forays into the gender-bending experiment that had consumed her early professional career. She would use this time to learn to win like her rival Morgan Pressel had, and then return to her higher aspirations when she had learned to dominate on the LPGA Tour. It sounded great.

Things seemed to change just a few short weeks ago, though. The message had changed from the Wie team and they announced that Michelle had accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in the PGA Tour John Deere Classic in July in Illinois. There went the idea that Wie would avoid the PGA Tour spotlight for a season. She was still going to make her now annual trek to TPC Deere Run to try to make a PGA Tour cut.

That should have been an indication that the priorities for Michelle Wie and her handlers were not as clear as David Leadbetter may have led us to believe. It was not as clear of a sign, though, because Wie has somewhat of a relationship with the Deere event and the Sony Open. Wie's acceptance of the exemption may simply have been a continuation of this symbiotic relationship with the Deere — she gets a crack at history on a course she seems to like and the Deere becomes especially relevant for the third straight year. It was not like she was agreeing to play a six tournament PGA Tour schedule, right?

Then this week came and the buildup for the return of Wie began. It was billed as the biggest story of the week — even above the much more important story of Lorena Ochoa's first showdown with Annika Sorenstam since overtaking the number one ranking in women's golf.

Wie was saying all of the right things leading up to the Ginn Tribute. She missed playing and was looking forward to getting back on track. She thought the Tribute was more important than attending her high school graduation. The wrist was doing better, the training and practice were paying off, and she would be back in form soon (she hoped). We all bought it — even Michelle.

Then she showed up on Thursday to the golf course. Her wrists were bandaged. She apparently looked exhausted and distant on the practice range. It was almost as though she was trying to let everyone know that she really was not feeling this. Perhaps it was a way of subtly rebelling against her camp. Maybe it was because she wanted to provide a built in excuse for what followed — something I'm not sure even she could have predicted.

The round itself has been documented very well. Dispatches from Ron Green, Jr. and Eric Adelson of ESPN discussed the borderline illegal influence from B.J. Wie on club selection, hazard options, and other golf advice.

Chris Higgs, LPGA COO, apparently approached Wie's agent Greg Nared for "no particular reason" and not too long thereafter, Wie withdrew likely upon the suggestion of her parents and agent. Wie apparently wanted to finish out the round, probably not aware of the Rule of 88, which is now in the vocabulary of every golf fan.

In the post-round press conference, LPGA media officials basically told everyone, including Wie, that she withdrew because of her wrist not quite having healed. Wie agreed with the assessment, but then said that she would ice down her wrists, get back to practicing, and try to work on some things in preparation for the LPGA Championship. It was a boggling plan of action for someone suffering from a wrist injury.

The reasons for the withdrawal and the injury Wie recovered from are especially confusing considering the prominence of the story of Denis Watson, the newly-crowned Senior PGA Champion. In a tournament in 1985, Watson struck a covered tree root while playing and it caused a wrist injury. That injury then proved to be much worse, resulting in nerve damage, years of rehab, nearly 10 surgeries, and a 23-year drought in winning. Watson, though many years Wie's elder, proved that rehabbing an injury fully would be a much better decision than toiling for two decades in a desperate effort to recover for lost time.

Wie and her handlers apparently disregarded that example and medical advice and entered into the Ginn Tribute because of the machine that is Michelle Wie. She is a multi-millionaire teenager without a single professional win. The most important thing about her professional career right now is maintaining the hype surrounding her fantastic abilities until she actually is given a trophy that validates them at the professional level. The only way to do that is for Michelle to play — for better or worse — in order to keep her name on our tongues.

That's where this whole thing makes me sick. We are on the verge of seeing the demise of a tremendous talent before that talent ever begins to peak. Michelle Wie's parents, her sponsors, and agent entered her into this event. They all prepped her to say the right things and present the media-warming image. They probably knew she was not 100% recovered, or at least were willing to make us wonder that just in case there was some rust on the ol' clubs. Then, they — along with the LPGA Tour — may have suggested to her that it was a good idea to quit because otherwise the machine would have to be shut down for a year. She was then told by all parties to over exaggerate the state of her injury as a poor excuse for either her play, coming back too soon, or any number of other things.

Do not think for a single moment, though, that Wie does not own some responsibility for what happened this week. She could have said no. She could have said she was not ready, took the week off to rest and prepare, and then show up at Bulle Rock with the same level of expectations she had this week — tepid excitement. No one would have judged her if she had missed the cut in Maryland with that extra week to heal out of the spotlight. In fact, we all probably would have been pretty sympathetic. But she was convinced that she should play and take whatever comes with her performance.

Now the Wie reputation is further damaged. The Wie family and her handlers look like a group of greedy people that are pushing a 17-year-old girl too far. The LPGA looks like they are at least somewhat complicit in making too much effort to ensure that Wie could still compete on their Tour this year. All in all, a lot of people look bad because of this situation.

We've seen parents take their child prodigies too far before, though. That story, while sad every time, has been told several times. Jennifer Capriati. Ty Tryon. Sean O'Hair — although he has risen above his Draconian father — is an example.

The real story here should be the actions of the LPGA Tour. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Tour's role in Wie withdrawing from the Ginn Tribute. How much information did COO Chris Higgs provide to agent Greg Nared? Was the Wie camp aware of the Rule of 88 before Higgs have a conversation with the Wies for "no particular reason?" Even further, did the LPGA join the Wie camp in gently suggesting that Wie withdraw? We don't have answers to these questions, but they are ones that should be asked and the public should receive a response from the LPGA Tour here.

It would not come as a surprise that the LPGA made some kind of effort to make the Wie group aware of the situation on Thursday. They have gone out of their way to change exemption rules so that Wie can play in various tournaments and qualify for the ADT Playoffs. They know Wie being successful on the LPGA Tour would do wonders for ratings, attendance, and interest. It is one thing to make exemptions and special rules for a potential phenom. If complicit in any fashion in the Wie WD, it would be entirely another thing to subvert their own competition rules for her benefit.

I remain without judgment on this issue and I hope a lot of fans will hold back, too, until the LPGA Tour can explain its involvement in this very odd day for the Tour. Still, the LPGA Tour cannot be silent on this story. It has to issue a quick, forthright, and honest response to the questions being raised. If it does not, they invite criticism and controversy that will only prove to be a sideshow to a Tour that has some amazing storylines and fantastic competition. The Tour should cause us to focus on what is happening inside of the ropes, not any potential dealings just outside of them.

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 11:23 AM | Comments (1)

June 11, 2007

The (Consummate) Professional

Tony Parker. He raps in French, leads the league in scoring in the paint, leads the world in scoring with Eva Longoria, and is locked down by a perennial contender until 2011 for around $13 million a year. Oh, and he's 25. Damn.

Still, all shallow-as-a-culture-dish envy aside, there's something so simultaneously likeable and detestable about Parker. T.P. is a classic case of guy that you can rip from a hundred different angles, but almost every time you do, what follows is "...but damn, he's good."

Yeah, the coy smile, scarred face, and garbled accent plant him on the cover of magazines and facilitate brutal Frap videos featuring Fabolous, but then he comes out in Game 1 of the NBA finals and drops 27 like he's the Belgian LeBron. Come to think of it, LeBron actually sounds a little Belgian.

But Parker never waffles (gulp), and that's why if he wasn't already considered as such, the 2007 finals will establish him as one of the top three point guards in the NBA. True, rookie Daniel Gibson and veteran rapper Keith Murray, er, veteran bricklayer Eric Snow don't provide a level of competition commensurate with Parker's skill, but the way he and the Spurs will likely slice through what's left of the Cleveland Cavaliers is both a testament to how he runs the team and a credit to James for even getting so many average stiffs so far. But that's for another article.

The point is that as much about Parker as there is to dislike (or at least spitefully make fun of) his hard-nosed-right-at-the-basket play and soft-as-a-white-cotton-suit celebrity are at the very least impressive in combination. Somehow, with his debut album Tony Parker just hitting the shelves, his NBA "Wedding of the Decade" set for July in Paris and his third NBA title in the works, he could be way more obnoxious or erratic than he is, or at least way more French.

Yes, there are some pretty borderline glamour shots floating around the Internet, but even with them in the mix it seems like he's just the right amount of French for right now, and it's all damn entertaining to watch.

Because come on, if you took in even 10 minutes of the first half of Game 2, you saw at least one physics-defying bank shot lay-up in traffic worthy of a sacre bleu! that would make Johan Petro weep.

And maybe that's why Tony's, um, hit single, was called "Balance-Toi." Or maybe not, who really cares?

In truth it makes no difference, because either way Parker is certain to be one of the most talked about, watched, and Googled NBA players this offseason, and before he jumps the proverbial shark, we should all enjoy watching him chop up one last defense, because it's definitely better than Anderson Varejao's hair or watching Tim Duncan quietly collect another Finals MVP to mount next to his Hootie and the Blowfish paraphernalia.

N'est pas?

Posted by Aaron Miller at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

The Curse of Signability

Now that baseball's draft is on TV and being exposed to the light of public attention, they need to do something about the agent/signability issue.

By all accounts, Seton Hall Prep High (West Orange, N.J.) righty Rick Porcello was the top high school pitcher in the draft. According to St. Louis Cardinals vice president Jeff Luhnow, who runs the team's draft and farm system, the 6-foot-5 hard-throwing Porcello is one of the top high school pitchers over the past several years.

"We know that he has special talent," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

ESPN's Keith Law: "He has the potential to be a front-of-the-rotation pitcher with a few minor tweaks needed in his delivery so he can maximize his stuff. His calling card is a mid-90s fastball with good, late tailing action."

He was Baseball America's fourth best prospect in the draft — at any position.

By contrast, the Cardinals are starting Brad Thompson and Todd Wellemeyer right now. Anthony Reyes was demoted back to the minors and Adam Wainwright is having some serious consistency issues as a starter. Seems like a top-of-the-rotation flame-thrower might be a good thing to have in the pipeline, even if it took three or four years for him to contribute in St. Louis.

But when the Cards had the chance at the "special talent" at pick 18, they passed, instead choosing solid-if-unspectacular shortstop Peter Kozma from Oklahoma. Why? Because Porcello is a Scott Boras client and, in the words of Luhnow, "Porcello is tough to sign."

A bunch of other teams thought the same thing. Porcello didn't go until pick 27 to Detroit. The best high school pitcher, No. 4 at any position, fell to 27, the 16th pitcher overall and fifth high school pitcher selected.

Can you imagine if that scenario played out in this year's NBA draft? What if Seattle, picking second, passed up Kevin Durant because his agent, Aaron Goodwin, was going to want some crazy amount of money? Can you imagine how livid you would be as a Sonics fan?

I'm all for baseball taking its draft mainstream. Through the Rick Ankiel Update of the Day on my blog, I've started to get more and more into minor league baseball. I'm getting into the total organization instead of just the majors. And, once that happens, the draft becomes an integral part of being a fan. It's the lifeblood of the organization, and you want to think your team is going after the best talent available to build as strong an organization as possible.

But that's not the case right now. In the current state, signability can be a deal breaker just like an injury history or bad character. "He can throw 99 mph. Great. Who's his agent?"

It's easy to scapegoat owners as being cheap, especially here in St. Louis where you would hope the suits would kick in a couple extra million to land one of the best pitching prospects in years. But it's not entirely ownership's fault. The blame lies as much with the system itself as it does with the participants involved.

Baseball needs a hard slotting system — not just the "recommendations" currently in use. They need to get the draft to the point where talent trumps signability. Teams shouldn't be worried about, in essence, "drafting" agents. You get paid based on where you were drafted, just like the NBA and, to a certain extent, the NFL.

Unfortunately, guys like Boras aren't going to go along with the hard slot system. And why would they? Even though Porcello dropped to 27, he's still probably going to get a lot more (bonus reportedly in the neighborhood of $10 million) than Kozma at 18 (probably more in the $4-5 million range, if that). Boras is doing what agents are supposed to do — put money in his clients' pockets. And he's good at it. You can't begrudge the guy his success.

But if baseball really wants to regain its role as "America's Pastime," agents have to stop being the draft headliners.

The draft should be about the players, their potential and the hope/devastation the fans of each franchise feel with every selection. The signing bonus talk should be relegated to the background, something to be dealt with later. Sure JaMarcus Russell might hold out, but that's okay. Raiders fans know he'll sign eventually. It doesn't take away from the excitement of knowing your team took the best guy out there.

Can Cardinals fans say the same thing?

No disrespect to Kozma, who seems like a swell guy and a solid prospect at a need position, but the answer is no.

Seth Doria is a freelance writer, columnist and blogger in St. Louis. For more news, notes and commentary, go to the The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

June 9, 2007

An Offer Mangini Couldn't Refuse

I have two families that currently reside in suburban New Jersey. I'm losing one of them on Sunday night.

Like my parents in Central Jersey — and millions elsewhere — I'll be glued to the flat screen for final episode of "The Sopranos," the single greatest artistic success in the history of television. I laugh when this Mafia serial gets thrown into the same category as completely inferior "high art" on television; nothing comes close to its narrative complexity, its cinematic scope, or the emotional impact. And yes, I have seen "The Wire."

The end of original episodes of "The Sopranos" marks the end of an era — not just for HBO, but for TV. I loved the first season of "Heroes," but put it up against this show and it's like comparing a bucket of movie popcorn against a seven-course tasting menu from a master chef. "Lost" should be re-titled "Making This $@#$ Up As We Go Along." Ditto "Battlestar Galactica," which used to come close to a "Sopranos"-level of achievement before the wheels fell off last season.

Perhaps my attachment to the show can be chalked up to my roots in the Garden State. I had friends who were Meadow Sopranos, and had Carmela Sopranos for mothers. Their fathers weren't Tony Sopranos — usually more like Bobby Baccalieris, to be honest. Italians in Jersey are a lot of things, and "hungry" is most of them.

If you grew up in Jersey or over in the City or even down in Philly, chances are you heard whispers about some kid with a lot of vowels in his last name having a "connected" family. Chances are there were some bars and restaurants in your town that only seemed to serve a particular clientele, or seemed to stay in business without ever doing much business.

It was all around us in Jersey, but it was hard to separate the myth from the fact. That's one of the reasons the show worked: it took a cartoonish premise from a Billy Crystal comedy and created something organic. The characters themselves were aware of the glamorization and mythology of gangsters; Christopher's adventures in Hollywood both acknowledged and parodied them, while creator David Chase preyed on his viewers' institutional knowledge of the genre to tease, taunt and titillate us.

"The Sopranos" has been called a television program that's about redefining family. While I agree with that notion, I believe it's also one of the most in-depth and thorough explorations of addiction I've ever seen. I've heard criticisms that these characters don't change throughout the series, but that's the point: like a junkie, for every step forward, it's two steps back. Sometimes it's literal addiction, like with Christopher's drug abuse. In Tony's case, it's an addiction to women, past and present. Mostly, these characters are addicted to the lifestyle — think of gay Vito leaving his homo-Valhalla to return to his certain demise — and the money, misery and meaning it gives them.

I'm going to miss this show like a painter misses his favorite vista. It was a beautiful moment; thank god DVD and A&E have captured it.

Now, in celebration of the finale of "The Sopranos," I give you a Jester's Quart exclusive. In the penultimate episode of the series, there was an amazing moment in which Tony Soprano's friend and restaurateur Artie Bucco brought him over to meet New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini, who was dining at Bucco's Nuovo Vesuvio eatery. Turns out the original scene was much longer than the one that made the final cut. Here, dear readers, is an exclusive look at that deleted scene from "The Blue Comet," the 85th episode of the series:

[INT - Nuovo Vesuvio. ARTIE BUCCO and TONY SOPRANO walk over to a schlub dining with his wife. It is ERIC MANGINI, the 36-year-old head coach of the New York Jets.]

ARTIE: Ah, good — glad to see the Vongole en Brodo arrived on time. Coach Man-genius, I give you Mr. Anthony Soprano.

TONY: Uh, Tony's fine. (Extends his hand.) How you do'in, coach?

MANGINI: Uh, Eric's fine. Listen, Artie, can I get a minute here? (Tony takes two steps away as Artie and Mangini confer.) Are you out of your $@#$ mind? I know who that is and you know who that is. The wrong person sees me in here with him and I'm toast.

ARTIE: Like who?

MANGINI: Does the name Roger Goodell ring a bell? How about "No Fun League?" Where do you think commiserating with a known felon in the Mafia ranks compared to dog fighting or failing a drug test or attacking a stripper? I run a clean operation, Artie; I can't have that image corrupted.

ARTIE: So Justin Miller won't be returning kicks for the Jets next season?

MANGINI: Are you kidding me? The kid was in the Pro Bowl.

ARTIE: Look, I'm not sure what you've heard about my friend, but all I know about his business pursuits is that he's a waste management consultant to Barone Sanitation.

MANGINI: Oh, my mistake. I can't see the league having a problem with a waste management consultant, unless he's trying to tailgate in two parking spaces before the game. Invite him back, please.

TONY: You ladies done with your coffee clash?

ARTIE: I was just telling Coach that this wasn't the first time I've had New York Football Jets celebrities in my establishment. My old restaurant, Vesuvio...

MANGINI: The one that accidentally burned down?

ARTIE: (Shooting a sheepish look at Tony) ... yeah, that one. Anyways, we're about to close up, and who comes walking in? Emerson Boozer and Don Maynard. Epitome of class. Maynard had the Spaghetti Della Casa. I made Cannelloni alla Romana special for Boozer.

MANGINI: I'm sorry, I was born a year after The Beatles broke up. Emerson what and who Maynard?

TONY: Never mind. You ever talk to your friend on da udder side, Coach Coughlin?

MANGINI: Nah, he's scary. Yells a lot. I asked him if he wanted to grab a cup of coffee one day and he screamed back, "Caffeine impairs the senses, Chubs!" and told me to drop and give him 20.

TONY: Well, he's a boss. And sometimes bosses gotta do things they regret. Like killing your best friend 'cause he's weak. Or killing your cousin 'cause he's weak. Or killing your nephew 'cause he's weak. Or wasting everyone's time by slipping into a coma and having two episodes full of hallucinations about being an insurance salesman. Those kinds of things...

ARTIE: You worried about the Patriots this season, Coach?

MANGINI: I think you always have to be worried when you've got Belichick on the other sideline. We don't exactly see eye-to-eye, but he's a hell of a coach and I hope we can find a way to get by him.

TONY: This Belly Chick seems to be a problem for you. Causing you undue stress. My therapist ... former therapist ... said that which causes undue stress can be alleviated through patience and understanding. But I think she's a crazy @#$#$%. Some of the boys at the Bing have been waitin' since [Joe] Namath for your team to get back to the Big Game. So dis Belly Chick ... you want I should...?

MANGINI: No, that's okay.

TONY: I mean, we could easily rent a boat and...

MANGINI: Again, please don't.

TONY: Look, all I sayin' is dat the guy has to start his car sometime...

MANGINI: NO! THANK! YOU! Listen, I'd really like to just get back to this veal whatever.

ARTIE: (Clears throat) I believe you mean your Osso Bucco alla Milanese...

TONY: I don't think I care for dis tone you're takin'. Dis attitude. With dis level of disrespect you're showing here, no wonder you're coaching da Jets instead of Big Blue! I mean, all due respect, but you don't know $#$%@ nuthin' about $@#!$ nuthin'!

MANGINI: You know what I know, Tony? That your son is a physical manifestation of your own clinical depression, from the temporary happiness women, drugs, and violence provided him to the sniveling adolescent tirade he unleashes when he's told he needs to "be a man" but would prefer to wallow in his psychotic mire. I know that there was a time when you projected your love for your family onto the family of ducks that lived in your swimming pool. When you drained that pool after the near-suicide of your rapidly decomposing super-ego, e.g. your son, you've effectively eliminated any semblance of familial connectivity in your life, leading one to believe that your existence will be one of increasing isolation and loneliness. And as simplistically Freudian as it may seem, the overall intensity of your emotions toward women comes from a deep-seeded and unfulfilled desire to have intercourse with your domineering mother. (Takes a bite of the veal.) Now how about them apples?

TONY: (Standing there, mouth agape.) Normally, you'd be chewing on a curb with my foot on da back of your head. But I gotta say you were right, Artie: he's a freakin' Man-genius...

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 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

June 8, 2007

Trading Value of NFL Veterans in Decline?

Maybe it's a trend, or maybe it's what the NFL has become, but lately, it seems as though talented veterans who still have plenty left in the tank are getting moved pretty inexpensively to their new teams. This week's trade of Trent Green is just another example of a team getting a former Pro Bowler for relatively modest price

Trent Green finally got traded to the Dolphins. I can't even begin to fathom why it took this long for the Chiefs to pull this trade off. Look, if you know a guy is not happy with where he's at, and probably won't play any of the season because the organization has basically moved on to the future (whether that's Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle remains to be seen), why continue to hold on to him? It's not as though his trade value was going up and down because it was public knowledge the Chiefs weren't going to start him. Basically, the teams that were going to trade for him had a good amount of leverage in the dealings for Green.

Also, it's June, meaning that everyone's QB situation is basically accounted for. Miami had already made this trade declaration back in March, and yet, the Chiefs thought they could get a third-rounder for Green, knowing that there were literally no buyers out there. Sure, Cleveland was in the running for a little while, but now, with Brady Quinn, Charlie Frye, and Derek Anderson on the roster, there was clearly no room for him there. Minnesota? Well, apparently they never really were interested. So the only takers all along were Miami and yet the Chiefs wanted more. Well, finally, they were tossed back to reality, and settled for a fifth-rounder.

What I find fascinating is that unproven commodities seem to be worth more, in terms of draft picks, than proven talent. I think that Deion Branch will perhaps be the last vet to ever be traded for a first-round pick. Look at what happened over this past offseason. You have the aforementioned Green going for a fifth-rounder, the Pats trading a fourth-rounder to Oakland for Randy Moss, the Niners also swapped a fourth-rounder for Darnell Jackson, and the Bills got two threes and a seventh for Willis McGahee, a guy who, had it not been for 10 yards, would have joined an exclusive list of players who rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. Only five players who have started their careers in the last 10 years have accomplished that: Shaun Alexander, Corey Dillon, Eddie George, Clinton Portis, and LaDainian Tomlinson.

That's a pretty select group, and for the Ravens to only give up two threes and a seventh for a guy who is entering just his fourth year in the league seems a little low to me. Sure, the average career for an NFL running back is short, but this guy is an All-Pro talent. Another way of looking at is through how many Pro Bowlers have been produced from 2000 to 2005 in the first round, and how many have been produced in the third and seventh rounds:

First Round:

2000: 11
2001: 14
2002: 8
2003: 7
2004: 10
2005: 3
Total: 53

Third Round:

2000: 1 (Laverneus Coles)
2001: 3
2002: 1 (Brian Westbrook)
2003: 2
2004: 2
2005: 1 (Frank Gore)
2006: 0
Total: 11

Seventh Round:

2000: 0
2001: 0
2002: 0
2003: 0
2004: 0
2005: 0
2006: 0
Total: 0

So why is it that McGahee, who was drafted in the first round, went for so little? Perhaps it was due to a couple of injuries McGahee had over the past year, but still, even if those players they end up drafting end up doing great things, will they ever account for the value of a franchise back? It just seems crazy to me that teams are able to pry away veteran talent, some of whom are in their prime, like McGahee, for relatively little value.

Now, look at some of the trades involving picks for picks in this year's draft:

Jets trade 25, 59, and 164 to Panthers for 14 and 191
Broncos trade 21, 86, and 198 to Jaguars for 17

It's clear that certain teams put a big premium on young guys that probably won't be able to contribute for a few years. Another interesting move was by Houston, who traded two second rounders to the Falcons, as well as swapping first rounders this year, to get Matt Schaub, who has only thrown 161 passes in the NFL in his three years with Atlanta. Then, the Texans promptly signed Schaub to a six-year, $48 million deal that includes $7 million in guaranteed money. Schaub has basically no track record other than the fact that he has "franchise potential." So, Houston decided to mortgage a huge part of its future, both in terms of draft picks and money, to get Schaub, a guy they are hoping will turn their fortunes around.

Meanwhile, here is Trent Green, a guy who had thrown for 4,000 yards in three consecutive seasons before suffering a concussion stemming from a hit in Week 1 of the '06 season, who just went for a fifth-round pick, and will probably end up signing a deal worth about $3-4 million over two years. Personally, I think Schaub will be a good quarterback in this league, but if you really wanted to make an immediate impact, a guy like Green would have been perfect, especially when you consider the Texans did relatively little to upgrade its o-line, meaning a guy like Schaub, who has little experience, will have that much less time to get adjusted to the flow of the offensive, than Green, who, although passing behind one of the better lines in the league, still would probably have a much smoother transition into making split-second decisions.

Even though he missed almost half of last season, Green still had a 61.1% completion rate. Yes, he had more INTs than TDs (7 to 9), but the Chiefs' receivers are garbage, and if Green had guys like Andre Johnson and Eric Moulds to pass to, I would think that the numbers would have been a lot better in comparison to throwing to Eddie Kennison and Sammie Parker. Perhaps this move will work out for the Texans, but don't expect an immediate turnaround, the kind that a veteran like Trent Green would have had a better chance to provide.

Posted by Rich Lyons at 11:59 AM | Comments (1)

Clete Boyer, RIP: The Alba Acrobat

Clete Boyer, who died Monday (complications of a brain hemorrhage, age 70), grew up in the southwest corner of Missouri, in a hamlet known as Alba. It was only a short hop to Mickey Mantle's Commerce, Oklahoma and comparably rent by the price of the mining life. The good news was that his father, Vern, was a carpenter. The bad news was that carpenters rarely if ever had to fear an excess of work in Alba, compelling the father to double as a marble cutter.

The Boyer siblings numbered 16. Their mother, according to David Halberstam (in October 1964), decided to have one of her final children in a hospital because "I just wanted to see what it was like." She wasn't too impressed, and had her final children at home, too. The Boyers seem to have been a hearty bunch in spite of the crushing poverty. If you were five minutes late for dinner, you earned a date with the strap, Halberstam noted, but father and sons were baseball mad enough to plant, roll, and manicure their own full-size baseball field. Complete with a sort of lighting system.

Three Boyer sons became Major League Baseball players, two (Clete and Ken) became third basemen, one (Cloyd, a decade older) was turned into a pitcher (the family objected), and one (Wayne) reversed Casey Stengel's pattern — he decided dentistry was a little more his speed than baseball. Vern Boyer, Halberstam recorded, refused to speak to this wayward son for several years.

Between the two third basemen, Ken (a Cardinal for the most part) was the better all around player, a good fielder in his own right, and could have outhit Clete (a Yankee for the most part) with a blindfold, but in the field, Clete made Ken resemble Felix Mantilla. He made a lot of men resemble Felix Mantilla. And a few other things. Once upon a time, Joe Pepitone, the Yankees' talented but troubled first baseman, tossed out a runner while down on the ground, eyes facing the sky. Pepitone quipped to reporters: "Clete Boyer's famous for throwing people out on his knees. I showed I could throw them out on my back."

That's one way you compared fielders in the early 1960s: if you could do it even once from positions less sane than Boyer's ability to throw from his knees. Thanks to five World Series from 1960-64, Boyer was known for acrobatic work at third a few years before the rest of the country figured out the equivalent thrill to which Baltimore had been treated for about as long. (Boyer and Robinson became regulars at their positions at about the same time.)

Like Brooks Robinson, he was far more than a third base contortionist. Unlike Brooks Robinson, and in due course Bill Mazeroski, Boyer wasn't going to get much if any look from Cooperstown. Robinson and Mazeroski at least could hit a bit. Boyer, by comparison, couldn't hit with a telephone pole. Most of the time. And he was comfortable with it.

"Brooks beat me out of about seven Gold Gloves," he told Baseball Digest, "but God gave me a lot of ability. I felt like Houdini out there. I loved defense and I had a great arm and I was quick with it. I had a lot of ability and I won't deny that. I used to tell people I was Ted Williams at third base. Defense is reflexes and instinct and I had it."

He had it, all right. Boyer's lifetime range factor at third base is — count carefully — 51 points better than his league. Brooks Robinson's lifetime range factor at third base is 36 points better than his league. And while Robinson led his league's third basemen in assists eight times to Boyer's three, in double plays three times to Boyer's one, and in fielding average 11 times to Boyer's twice, Boyer led his league's third basemen in putouts once and Robinson, never. It is absolutely right and fair to say that Brooks Robinson had a defensive equivalent at third base and his name was Clete Boyer.

Was he really that lame at the plate? He's remembered offensively for two things: teaming opposite brother Ken (who died of cancer in 1982, notwithstanding brother Clete's gallant fundraising for his special treatment options) to become the first siblings to clear the fence in a World Series game (Game 7, 1964: Ken adjusted to Al Downing's change-up and grand salamied in the second inning; Clete — of all people — ripped one off Bob Gibson in the ninth; the Cardinals won the game, 7-5), and his 1967 season in Atlanta: 26 bombs and 96 runs batted in.

The bad news: he also hit .245 with an on-base percentage of .292 against a respectable .423 slugging percentage in 1967. Lifetime, he finished with a .242 batting average, a .299 on-base percentage, and a .372 slugging percentage. He never hit above .251 in his career; he had six seasons out of 16 in which his on-base percentage went above .300 and in none of those did it go higher than .331; he produced 122 runs per 162 games lifetime but created only 3.75 runs per 27 outs.

So how did he become a regular third baseman for so long? Perhaps Total Baseball has your answer: Boyer is credited with having saved 201 runs. The only man ahead of him on that list is Mike Schmidt, with 265. He also had the record for World Series assists (65) until Graig Nettles broke it. (Nettles's lifetime range factor at third, by the way, equals Robinson's: 36 points above his league.) Boyer was simply too valuable in the field to hold his lack of hitting against him.

He died precisely 50 years to the day after he became a Yankee the hard way: one of two players (the other: second baseman Curt Roberts) sent from the Kansas City Athletics (their most frequent trading partner) June 4, 1957, to finish the following deal: pitchers Art Ditmar, Bobby Shantz, and Jack McMahan, first baseman Wayne Belardi, and two players to be named later, to the Yankees, for outfielder/first baseman Irv Noren, second baseman Milt Graff, pitchers Mickey McDermott, Tom Morgan, and Rip Coleman, shortstop Billy Hunter, and a player to be named later. (Jack Urban, pitcher, turned out to be that player.)

Boyer is also remembered as a fun lover who sometimes got into the wrong side of fun, though nothing compared to what athletes nowadays get. "The only time I hated to be around Roger Maris," Joe Pepitone remembered (in his self-lacerating memoir, Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud), "was when he was with Clete Boyer and [relief pitcher] Hal Reniff and they were out drinking. Individually, and out of a bar, they were three of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet."

Sometimes the funnier side of fun got to Boyer first. She's been in retirement for a long enough time, but Morganna the infamous Kissing Bandit once nailed Boyer in the field. Maybe she should have made him her full-time target: Boyer went 8-for-15 (including a prompt RBI single) after she planted one on his kisser.

Later, a respected third base and fielding coach (Derek Jeter credits him with teaching the right ways to turn and throw across the infield from most angles), Boyer also roomed with one of baseball's two incumbent home run kings and competed with dignity against another. As a Brave, he roomed at one time with Henry Aaron; when he played in Japan to finish his career, the competition included Sadaharu Oh. Future Yokohama Bay Stars manager Daisuke Yamashita credited Boyer with making his own career viable, from their days as teammates on the Stars, known in those earlier days as the Taiyo Whales.

Boyer also made the effort in Japan to learn the native language and culture, and comported himself accordingly. The Japanese may remember that just a little bit better than they remember his rooming arrangements.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 11:35 AM | Comments (2)

June 7, 2007

NBA Finals Are a Slam Duncan

No matter how much fun you had watching that classic Eastern Conference Finals with that feel-good story of a long-heartbroken sports town and its emerging superstar, it doesn't change one simple fact: the Spurs are not losing.

San Antonio will have the series wrapped up in six games or less and Tim Duncan will have his fourth Finals MVP award. This is fact. The Cavs had a great run and we will always remember how LeBron James overcame the (maybe not so) mighty Pistons all by himself in Game 5. They will fall under the "happy to be here" category aside from the King himself. Clearly, the Global Icon has his work cut out for him.

While the three-time champion Spurs are feared and respected first for their defense, it's their offense that separates them from the Cavaliers. While Cleveland has just finished slugging it out strip for strip and block for block with the rough and physical Pistons, once the ball is in their hands, they have only one surefire option.

Even worse, that one option has an admirable misperception that his lesser options will come through for him if he just set them up with the right pass in the right spot. This strategy worked great for Magic Johnson, but perhaps even the Magic man might have wizened up if his best bet to win game one was a pass to the corner to Donyell Marshall, or if the spectacularly bad Sasha Pavlovic was trying to pass for a point guard on the Lakers.

The Cavs are going to have to hope that rookie Daniel "Boobie" Gibson's 31-point performance in Game 6 was more than a one-time peep show. Especially when the only other player that has ever given the appearance of being reliable over the years besides James is Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who may very well be entirely shut down by the long arms of Duncan in the low-post on both ends of the floor. Even without the defense of Duncan, Big Z has never shown the assertiveness necessary to establish himself as a regular threat, despite having a respectable and accurate array of veteran moves inside the paint.

Now look over at the other side. The defensive-minded Spurs simply have too many weapons even with the ball. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can disappear for stretches, but can also break out for 30-point games at any given time. Both can be spectacular and unstoppable when given enough touches. Then beyond that, there are the quiet reliables. Michael Finley and Robert Horry have proven deadly from beyond the three-point arc and have the size and strength to do damage elsewhere on the court, as well. (Remember Horry's gutsy one-armed drive and dunk with a bad shoulder in Game 5 of the '05 Finals? He can do more than make threes, people.)

Even the shady Bruce Bowen, who has made his living with the questionable defensive tactics that have given Amare Stoudemire and Allen Iverson fits, has also been known to make big three-point shots, as well. This is all without the mere mention of soon-to-be four-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan. Put simply, San Antonio has too many weapons.

Yet inexplicably, the Cavaliers managed to earn two of their 50 regular season wins at the expense of the Spurs. But with the Larry O'Brien championship trophy on the line, this should not be a Golden State/Dallas situation. The Spurs have the veterans and championship poise needed to overcome any weaker team that may have had their number in the regular season. If James' goal this year was, in fact, to become a global icon as he claimed, here is his chance. Simply slay the lean goliath wearing No. 21 in front of the rim, and the resourceful men in black surrounding him, and the King's dream is realized. Yet much like that surreal ending of Game 5, this may well also be a solo mission for the new No. 23.

Even if the Cavaliers cannot win the first championship for the city of Cleveland in 43 years, the longest streak in sports for a city with more than two pro teams, they have at least made the Finals fun for all who watch. LeBron James instantly gives the Finals some desperately needed entertainment value, and even makes Duncan more of an intriguing figure as he now has a worthy opponent to battle in the paint where they will inevitably collide at some point as LeBron explodes to the hoop and Duncan quickly slides over on the help defense with arms outstretched.

The Cavs gave us a great story to appreciate, even in their impending defeat, they have breathed life into a city and franchise that knows very little of success, and have done so in spectacular and overachieving fashion. King James' solo performance in Game 5 against the Pistons will almost undoubtedly go down as the top warm and fuzzy memory of these 2007 playoffs, as it essentially took the Cavaliers where they have never gone in over three decades of futility.

Just make sure you Cavaliers bandwagoners keep these happy thoughts fresh in your mind when Duncan and Co. are hoisting that coveted golden hardware in the center of your living rooms. At the end of the season, James may very well have achieved his goal of being a global icon. Tim Duncan won't mind, though, he'll be one level above that: the level known as world champion.

Posted by Bill Hazell at 4:50 PM | Comments (0)

Game On! It's Federer/Nadal at French

It all changed three weeks ago at the championship match of the Masters Series Hamburg tournament.

After one set, it looked like the same old story in the Rafael Nadal/Roger Federer rivalry would unfold. Nadal was six games away from his 82nd straight win on clay, his seventh victory in eight tries over Federer, and most notably his sixth triumph over Federer on the red stuff without a loss.

Would all of that have sent people diving for their snooze buttons in the early hours of Championship Sunday 2007 at Roland Garros? Well, not exactly, but plenty of flavor would have been sucked out of the Nadal/Federer final. Let's be honest, Federer would have close to zero chance in this match if he was coming into it having never conquered Nadal on clay. If his confidence against less-imposing foes was already wavering (from a loss to Fillipo Volandri in Rome and several shouldn't-have-been-that-close encounters with guys like Carlos Moya and David Ferrer), his confidence with Nadal on the other side of the net was nonexistent. Another loss to the Spaniard would have devastated and destroyed any hope of a Federer breakthrough at the French.

As good as Federer is, he would be going into this match convinced of yet another unfortunate outcome. If you've never gotten the best of Nadal on this surface, Roland Garros is not the place to start. He has never lost a match at the French Open. That's right, not one. As the two-time defending champion, Nadal will be taking a perfect 20-0 record into Sunday's final match.

It looked like Nadal would also be taking a perfect 2007 clay-court record into the French Open after the first set of the Nadal/Federer showdown in Hamburg. It looked like on clay, there was still Nadal, and then there was everyone else. It looked like same ol' Nadal domination.

It looked a lot different than it does now. The stakes will be the same, but the hype will different.

Federer stormed from one set down to end Nadal's 82-match winning streak on clay with an emphatic yet dramatic win. The Swiss rolled to 6-2 win in the second set to set up what viewers surely thought would be an epic third and final frame. Instead, what we got was a bagel: 6-0, Federer.

Just like that, a potential Federer/Nadal French rematch went from something that would have registered, say, a 5.0 on the Richter Scale to an event that would read nothing short of a 10.0.

(In case you're wondering, 5.0 is defined as "moderate," while 10.0 is "meteoric; never recorded." Yep, that sounds just about right.)

This one is going to be huge, for so many reasons. First, the stakes are remarkably high. For mere mortals, simply winning the French Open itself is a prize that makes knees buckle at the baseline. For Federer and Nadal, the stakes are so much more, to the extent that it's almost impossible to remember that the sole thing they are really playing for is the 2007 French Open title.

The focus will not be on the capturing of that single entity, but on what the triumph will mean in historical context. For Federer, it would finalize the career Grand Slam (winning all four Grand Slam tournament at least once at any point in time), a feat that has not been accomplished since Andre Agassi completed his at Roland Garros in 1999. Federer would also hold all four Grand Slam trophies at the same time. It would no doubt be hailed as the "Federer Slam," but much more importantly, it would put him in prime position to capture the true Grand Slam — winning all four majors in a calendar year.

If Federer wins the French, nobody can bet against him not winning the Grand Slam. I really don’t see anyone right now who can challenge him on grass, and the second best player on hard courts right now is arguably Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is clearly on fire at the moment, but would he be ready to deny Roger Federer of the Grand Slam at the U.S. Open? I think not. And Guillermo Canas can’t beat Federer three straight times in 2007, can he? Nadal can never be discounted anywhere he plays, but if Federer has already evened things on the clay, it’s hard to imagine Nadal getting the best of him on any other surface right now.

Federer would become the third player to win the Grand Slam and first since Rod Laver did it in 1969. If Federer triumphs on Sunday, that’s all tennis aficionados will be talking about until September.

Nadal will not be playing for that kind of history, but at 21-years-old, he's already making his own history. With two French Opens already secured, Nadal is bidding to become the fifth man since the Open Era began in 1968 to win at least three French Open titles. Bjorn Borg has a record six, and a trio of players has three: Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, and Gustavo Kuerten. Nadal would also be the second man to win three in-a-row, the first since Bjorg won four between 1978 and 1981.

What does each man need to do to cement his place in history even more? Federer, of course, must do exactly what he did in the last two sets of his victory in Hamburg. After letting Nadal dictate play in the first set, Federer was the clear aggressor in sets two and three. Instead of allowing Nadal's heavy groundstrokes to overcome him, he started taking balls early and taking control of points right from the start.

Just as he did in Hamburg, Federer needs to make Nadal play from both well behind the baseline and all the way up at net. When Federer is serving, Nadal routinely stands ridiculously far back. That means any decent serve will give Federer immediate control of the point. He can pin Nadal in that same spot behind the baseline and then use his backhand slice or drop shot to either win points, or at the very least, bring Nadal to the net, where the Spaniard is much less comfortable.

When Federer is dictating play, he can work Nadal's forehand all day long. While that side is not exactly a weakness of the Spaniard, it should certainly be targeted more than his backhand. Nadal's two-hander from the right side is a polished force that has only gotten better throughout the French Open. Federer especially needs to avoid Nadal's backhand when he's hitting approach shots, because Nadal's backhand pass is second to none.

Nadal, meanwhile, wants to get into grinding backhand-to-backhand rallies. The key for Nadal will be to open up the court, at which point he can go down the line and force Federer to hit an on-the-run forehand. When Federer is off, his running forehand is the first to go.

Nadal is content to play all day long and will attempt to wear Federer down until he can deliver a knockout blow in the late stages of the match. Federer, on the other hand, wants to play shorter points; another reason why he needs to be the one dictating play and gaining the upper hand early on in rallies.

All in all, I think the match is in Federer's hands. That does not necessarily mean I think that he will win, and not even that I think he should win. The bottom line is Federer is the best and most talented player in the world, and on any day on any surface, his best will beat anyone else's best.

Federer played his best in two of three sets in Hamburg, and we all saw what happened. The question is can Federer reproduce that kind of play for no less than three sets on Sunday? He certainly can, but I just don't see it happening. Nadal will be too physically imposing and I anticipate Federer wearing down as his opponent's grueling play takes its toll.

I'm taking Nadal in five, but it is anyone's match. I really have no idea.

All I know if that the only way Federer/Nadal can live up to the hype is if it turns out to be a four-hour, five-set, one-for-the-ages classic.

Posted by Ricky Dimon at 12:22 PM | Comments (6)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 13

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — Starting sixth on the grid, Gordon fought a loose-handling car for the first half of the race, causing him to fall one lap down at one point. However, after numerous adjustments, including track bar, spring rubber, and installation of a child safety seat, Gordon charged to the front and finished ninth. His points lead over second-place Jimmie Johnson is now 152 points.

"With a baby on the way," says Gordon, "racing is secondary right now. Wins don't matter, points don't matter. All that matters is that we get in an out of that delivery room with mother and daughter healthy, in 14.6 seconds or less."

2. Jimmie Johnson — After a mishap on pit row with Kyle Petty, Johnson fell back to 36th while ongoing repairs were being made to his fender. By lap 174, Johnson was in the top 10, and on lap 370, moved into second behind Martin Truex, Jr. But a flat tire 18 laps from the end stopped Johnson's chances of catching Truex, and also ended Hendrick Motorsports' undefeated record in Car of Tomorrow races.

"I would have caught the Bass Pro Shops Chevy had my tire not given way," says Johnson. "Truex or false? Everybody knows it's true. Anyway, congratulations to Truex for not only winning the race, but for collecting the bounty put up by Teresa Earnardt, given to the first DEI driver other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win a race. I already foresee a problem if Truex is DEI's No. 1 driver next year: what will his fans throw when Jeff Gordon wins a race? Bait and tackle?"

3. Matt Kenseth — Starting 17th, Kenseth and crew used timely adjustments and quick work in the pits to improve to fifth by the time the checkered flag fell. It was the sixth top-five and ninth top-10 finish for the No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford, reasserting Kenseth's claim as one of the most consistent drivers on the circuit, and a regular staple at the front.

"Consistent? Regular?" says Kenseth. "You make me sound like an ad for a laxative. Do we have a new sponsor that I'm not aware of? Next I guess you'll be telling me I made a run from the back."

4. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin's fourth at Dover salvaged what was a disastrous day for his teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. A broken shock led to a 37th for J.J. Yeley, while Tony Stewart suffered damage in a lap 271 crash with Kurt Busch that eventually relegated Stewart to 40th. Hamlin held on to fourth in the points, 217 behind Jeff Gordon.

"Yeley's not the only one with 'suspension' problems," says Hamlin. "I think Busch will face a suspension, probation, fines, and the infamy that goes along with hearing Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" played whenever that incident is replayed. I think all drivers, as well as pit crew members, can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Busch's reign of insanity won't extend to the Poconos. But I guess we all will have to listen to Stewart strategically accept no blame whatsoever for the incident. But he's my teammate. I love him no matter what."

5. Carl Edwards — A successful weekend in Dover was capped on Sunday by a strong third-place finish in the Autism Speaks 400 for Edwards, who spent much of Monday chasing Martin Truex and Ryan Newman. On Saturday, Edwards led 122 of 200 laps on his way to victory in the Busch Series' Dover 200, which he topped off with his customary victory back flip.

"Yeah, and I also won the Nextel Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice dirt late-model race on Wednesday at Eldora Speedway," says Edwards. "The track is owned by Tony Stewart, which would explain the Kurt Busch cardboard cut-outs serving as bathroom attendants in the restrooms."

6. Tony Stewart — Stewart started 30th and had worked his way into the top 10 when contact with one of his nemeses, Kurt Busch, sent both spinning. Stewart hit the wall, then, while in the pits for repairs, was confronted by the No. 2 Penske Dodge and Busch, who nearly hit one of the No. 20 car's crew members.

"Only when talking of Kurt Busch," says Stewart, "or myself, would you use the plural of 'nemesis.' I guess we both have a right to be upset. I think Kurt wrecked me, and Kurt thinks I wrecked him. I could tell he was upset when he pulled along side my pit stall. Like an angry dog ready to strike, he had his ears pinned back. Wait a minute. That wasn't anger. He had his ears fixed like that by a doctor."

7. Jeff Burton — Like many others, Burton had to deal with handling issues for much of Monday's race, but sorted them out and used a timely "Lucky Dog" pass to record a respectable twelfth-place finish. He holds on to the fifth spot in the points, 355 out of first.

"I don't expect anyone to come running to Kurt Busch's defense right now," says Burton. "But what he needs right now is a friend. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not that person. But while we're on the subject of driver confrontations, let's talk about the incident between Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon. I could be wrong, but is Danica's little shove of Wheldon getting more air time than Busch nearly running over a pit crewman? I think so. It's a double-standard. If a male driver does the same thing Danica did, he would be called 'feisty,' 'driven,' or 'Tony Stewart.' Danica does it and she's labeled a spoiled brat. Seriously, I think Danica could take that little English tart Wheldon any day, on the track or off."

8. Clint Bowyer — Bowyer's decision not to pit on lap 350's caution cost him a few spots, but his eighth led the Richard Childress Racing charge and was his sixth top-10 finish of the year. Bowyer moves up two spots in the points, from tenth to eighth, where he trails Jeff Gordon by 534 points.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who moved up two spots in the points," says Bowyer. "Michael Waltrip did the same. He went from 57th to 55th, and from minus 27 to positive 52 in points. That's called scoring points at a snail's pace, which is fitting, because that's exactly how Waltrip qualifies."

9. Kurt Busch — Busch's battle with Tony Stewart came to a head on lap 271 when the two made contact, sending both spinning. Stewart dove into the pits for repairs, and Busch pulled wrecklessly alongside Stewart's pit stall, nearly hitting a crew member. NASCAR parked Busch, while somewhere, Jimmie Spencer's right hand was itching to slap someone. Busch finished 42nd and fell to 11th in the points, 620 out of first.

"I can't be the only driver that was confused about the location of his pit stall," says Busch. "I guess I saw the '2' on the sign, but not the '0.' And nobody, and I mean nobody, not even Stewart, challenges me to a parallel parking contest and gets away with it. Call me crazy, and I'm sure you have, but I take my racing seriously, sometimes too seriously. By the way, the new 'Kurt Busch Miller Lite' limited edition straight jacket is now available."

10. Martin Truex, Jr. — Truex dominated at the "Monster Mile," leading 261 of 400 laps en route to the first Nextel Cup win of his career, giving DEI some positive press for the first time in a while.

"I'm thrilled for myself and this organization," says Truex, "as well as for Teresa Earnhardt. She's finalizing my adoption papers as we speak. Does my win in any way justify her refusal to acquiesce to Dale, Jr.'s request for ownership of DEI? Only in her mind. But it should mean a nice raise for me."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:43 AM | Comments (1)

June 6, 2007

My Baseball Draft Addiction

I watched last year's MLB draft — the entire telecast on MLB.com.

I have a problem.

Being a fan of the baseball draft is like being a drug-addict. You're alone. No one really understands. People think you're crazy. People say you're wasting your life away. And they're probably right.

But I love it.

There were maybe seven people who watched last year's draft. It is likely I was one of about three people — not working for MLB organizations — who researched the players, scouted their video, and created mock drafts.

Some team should hire me. When I take the drug test, I'd probably pee scouting reports on college pitchers.

I wanted to see who my beloved Seattle Mariners would land. I hoped that at No. 5, they would land hard-throwing right-hander Tim Lincecum. Instead, they took Brandon Morrow. Not a bad pick for either of us — the Mariners and I are both very good scouts. Lincecum and Morrow are both are in the majors now.

The thing about the baseball draft is that no one really knows any of the players. And even if you know the players, they most likely won't live up to their potential. And even if they live up to their potential, it takes them a few years to get to the majors. And even if they get to the majors, they will probably leave the team to sign with another team after a few years. And at that point, they will probably retire in a few years.

Like I said, I have a problem.

This year, ESPN is broadcasting the draft. It's this Thursday. It's the first time ever. I'm excited.

My Mariners pick 11th. I'm hoping they land hard-throwing right-hander Jarrod Parker. They probably won't. And even if they do, he'll probably end up being a mediocre middle-reliever.

But once in a while, you get a player who can immediately play in the big leagues. Mark Prior was the last. And this year, there is Vanderbilt left-hander David Price. He'll be a Devil Ray in a few days, and he'll probably throw his first big-league pitch in a couple of months. But being compared to Mark Prior isn't a good thing these days. Plus, going straight to the big leagues is like jumping straight to heroin — it doesn't work.

This is where the drug parallels stop. Not because there aren't more, but because I don't know much about drugs. I never thought I'd see the day I wish I knew more about hard drugs.

But I've never had time for drugs. I was too busy snorting grainy scout videos of high school pitchers.

Once the draft hits ESPN, it will no longer be mine. It is like a high school sweetheart going on to become a movie star. Now, I have to share it with everyone else.

But finally, everyone will understand. They will finally see the beauty I see.

My sweet, sweet baseball draft is growing up now.

How bittersweet it is.

Posted by Alvin Chang at 2:07 PM | Comments (0)

How to Revive U.S. Men's Tennis

This past Tuesday, many of the American tennis writers were lamenting that all of the American men in the main draw of the French Open men's singles were eliminated in the first round. There was an abundance of journalists trying to find some saving grace and many attempts to create some silver lining for what is clearly a very dark cloud. My colleague, Bud Collins, even wrote that Andy Roddick's loss might have been a positive. I love you, Bud, but please!

Lets face it. The American men are mediocre at best. Yes, I said it. Mediocre. All the Americans being out on day one has nothing to do with the red clay. It has nothing to do with Americans not playing enough on clay. A lot of people want to blame it on that. I overheard some prominent professional coaches heralding the move of the USTA training center to Evert Academy because of the additional clay court resources and how that is the answer. Sorry, but more clay courts aren't going to make better individual players. More experience on clay may give the U.S. a second-rounder next time, but that won't put the U.S. over the edge.

None of the U.S. men have complete games. Period. None of the US men have learned how to fight through and stay close and then change their games to take advantage of other players' weaknesses or styles. James Blake has probably the most complete game among the U.S. men, but he has no idea, at least in this writer's opinion, how to use the tools he has effectively. Brad Gilbert would have been a top-three player and won a couple of grand slams if his brain had been hitched to ability like Blake's. Apparently, none of the U.S. players have even bothered to read Brad's book, either. Shame. Oh, and didn't John McEnroe serve-and-volley his way to the French Open final?

If you want to know what is wrong with American men's tennis, and American professional tennis in general, look no further then the Evert Academy. Not Chrissie Evert or her facility in particular, but the thought process that says you must have a Bollettieri-style academy to produce a champion. Nothing is further from the truth, and the USTA and USPTA have succumbed to this incorrect thought process.

The great Russian players all have one thing in common. None of them were developed at a tennis academy. The tennis club where the current crop of Russians came from only had one indoor court. The best professionals, and I mean the true champions (think Lindsay Davenport, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and even Anastasia Myskina during her French Open winning year) have only achieved true greatness when they left the academy atmosphere and the Nick Bollettieri mindset. If America wants great tennis players, then it's time to get back to the basics.

I do not know Robert Lansdorp well, but have had my share of conversations and e-mails with him over the years. Just about every true champion in the past decade or so has passed through his place after leaving the academy playground. Everyone of those players made a great leap in the rankings right after. Why? Well, it's because he stresses fundamentals, teaches players how to refine and use their strengths to the max, and he also helps them become better thinkers on the court.

Robert Lansdorp is a champion maker. He doesn't have an academy. He isn't a cattle herder in the tennis world. He probably would be the richest coach alive if he had an academy like Bollettieri, but he doesn't. He said it best a year ago in a letter to another tennis publication, "Find someone who knows how to identify talent at a young age and who has shown that he/she knows how to develop and I mean develop youngsters. I don't have time now to discuss academies' involvement, but it is probably a conflict of interest, especially where IMG gets involved. Stop throwing your millions in a wishing well and do something about it."

I couldn't agree more. Want to teach every player how to hit strokes the same basic way? Send them to Nick's place. Want to subscribe to the notion that more court time always equals better players? Send them to Evert's place. Want mediocre American tennis? Just keep sending American kids to tennis academies. Want to make a champion? Want to create a perennial line of champions? Find the best individual coaches, find ways to pay them well enough that they can dedicate themselves to coaching, and then give them one or two players to bring along under their wing.

Roger Federer has the most complete game in tennis today. He wins consistently on all surfaces. Yes, he is a great individual talent. Interestingly, he does not spend time hanging out at a tennis academy trying to get better. When he needs help, he hires a great coach or player and they work it out one on one. Championship level tennis has always been that way.

So, to my journalistic friends, and my colleagues at the USTA and USPTA, please stop trying to blame the poor showing of the Americans on the beautiful red clay of Roland Garros on the lack of clay court time and experience. Please stop trying to paint a rosier picture of American tennis than exists. The American men were all gone because none of them has a game good enough nor the innate ability to counter any other player's game. They are all one way streets. They are all products of the academy mindset.

I'll also give a little credit where credit is due. Nick Bollettieri was a leader in his day with his academy concept. That was 20 years ago. Now everyone is a follower. Is there anything done today the same way it was two decades ago that is still relevant in our lives or society? Do we still play pong on our black and white tube TVs? Leaders are winners. Winners are innovative. Academy tennis is a relic. Do the math.

Posted by Tom Kosinski at 1:36 PM | Comments (6)

June 5, 2007

The Maturation of Teen Wolf

I've been having somewhat of an inner conflict regarding the end of the Eastern Conference Finals between Cleveland and Detroit.

This is what I wrote after Game 5, when LeBron James completely took over the game and, as it turned out, the series:

"I watched the Cavs/Pistons game last night. And LeBron was completely carrying the Cavs. They would have been blown out by 20 if he was having even just a good game. He had to be great for them to win it. But, for some reason, it didn't have that "holy f&@#, I need to call somebody" quality like Kevin Durant in the Texas/Oklahoma double-OT game last season. I thought it was the most flat game featuring a great performance of all-time.

"Apparently, though, I'm the only one with this opinion. Everybody else is saying this was a seminal moment in sports history. Bill Simmons came in his pants. Why wasn't I as excited? This is going to bother me. It's like not getting goose bumps during the National Anthem or not getting horny at a strip club. I feel like this says something bad about my status as a sports fan, and, therefore, a man. I'm concerned. Really, really, really concerned."

I thought it about it some more, and I finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't James' performance that bothered me in Game 5, but rather the total ineptitude of everybody else on the court. It wasn't just that nobody else could do anything. Nobody else was even trying to do anything. It was like watching a bad pickup game with nine players who were high school JV and one who used to play pro.

LeBron James had become Teen Wolf.

50 minutes. 18-of-33 from the field. 10-of-14 from the line. 48 points, 9 boards, 7 assists. His team's final 25 and 29 of its last 30.

There's no question he was dominant. He was great. He stepped up to a place where we suspected he could go, but hadn't yet on this grand a stage. In that sense, I was wrong when I wrote that James' performance was undeserving of the "HFS" designation. You can't blame Teen Wolf for his team playing like a bunch of short fat white kids.

But, just as Scott Howard showed us, sometimes the Wolf needs to put away the fur to win the big one.

And that's where we come to Game 6, also known as the happiest day in Cleveland since the hours before the 1989 AFC Championship Game.

Whereas James was Jordan-esque in Game 5, his 3-of-11 shooting stats from Game 6 stats were far more pedestrian.

But of course his game was much more than his shooting percentage. He went to the line 19 times, making 14. He had 14 rebounds and 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He drew the defense and gave up the ball.

And, most importantly, his teammates were finally able to contribute. Six guys not named LeBron scored for Cleveland as they built a 27-21 lead by the end of the first quarter. When the game went into the half tied at 48, James still didn't have a field goal.

By now, you've read about Daniel Gibson's fourth-quarter explosion — 19 points on four three-pointers, a running jumper, and five free throws. James had assists on the jumper and two of the threes.

In a much-less-talked-about performance, Damon Jones (better known for his wardrobe and incessant yapping than his handle) assisted on the other two Gibson threes, plus an Anderson Varejao layup. Jones also hit a layup of his own, with the assist to Gibson. There was also the matter of a 53-33 Cavs rebounding advantage, led by James (14), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12), Varejao (7), and Gibson (6).

In other words, Teen Wolf won Game 5. The Cavs won Game 6.

***

Of course, now comes the hard part. On the other side of Cleveland's rise was Detroit's fall. In simple and easy-to-understand terms, the Pistons played like ass.

Going into Game 5, the series was tied 2-2. Over the next two games, the Pistons combined to shoot 62-of-158 from the floor (39 percent) and 7-of-28 from three (25 percent). Tayshaun Prince followed up his mediocre 4-of-13 from Game 5 with a 1-of-10 Game 6. Chauncey Billups looked more like he did as a rookie with the Celtics than the 2004 Finals MVP.

And, worse than all that, the Pistons played soft at the end of Game 5. How they let James get all the way to the basket for the winning shot in that game I'll never know. And all those open Gibson jumpers ... somewhere, Bill Laimbeer kicked a puppy in disgust.

But that's Detroit. They deserve what they got for signing Chris Webber (and not drafting Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh when they had the chance just to throw in one more low blow).

The San Antonio Spurs are a different story.

I'll leave it to the experts to tell you how Cleveland's Mike Brown matches up against San Antonio's Gregg Popovich like a Chihuahua at Mike Vick's dog fighting ring.

And I'm sure the experts will tell you Tim Duncan is going to beat Zydrunas Ilgauskas like a rented mule (an outdated expression since I'm not sure the mule-renting industry is still thriving, but a fun one nonetheless). And I'm sure some radio voice will tell you that the patch of hair on the back of Drew Gooden's neck has been made a 4-to-1 underdog to Manu Ginobili's bald spot.

The experts are going to call for a sweep or, to hedge their bets, Spurs in five.

But not me. I've learned my lesson. I'm not calling the series for Cleveland, but I'm not writing them off either. The Spurs are the better team with the better coach. But they don't have LeBron James, and that counts for a lot.

Never bet against Teen Wolf.

Seth Doria is a freelance writer and blogger in St. Louis. For more news and notes on sports, politics and world affairs, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 4:00 PM | Comments (1)

Still Talkin' Hockey in June

Anaheim just tied Game 4 at 1-1. When they have scored, the Ducks have exposed Ottawa's bush-league positioning all series. Is there really a reason for three of the Senators' four penalty killers to be strewn about the goal line, intermittently from one corner to the other? Ottawa has been outplayed and those who predicted their victory — including this writer — will likely appear foolish in the coming days.

But the Sens are not the team they were two weeks ago when they disposed of the President's Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres in five games. Ottawa's absence of hockey fundamentals is only surpassed by their eroding confidence. Last year's Edmonton Oilers came back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a Game 7. Perhaps Brian Murray & Co. should meet with Chris Pronger for a video review session of that series.[1] Unfortunately, history has it out for teams in Ottawa's position. Only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs have ever won the Cup after trailing in a series 3-1.

But every hockey writer from D.C. to B.C. is going to analyze Game 4 and prognosticate on Game 5. So let's look at a few other things in the hockey world that don't necessarily involve these Stanley Cup Finals.

1) In the five minutes it took to write two paragraphs, Anahiem's Andy McDonald just abused the Senators for his second goal in 60 seconds. Sorry, Canada, not this year. In the past three consecutive Cup Finals, three of Canada's six remaining NHL teams were in the matchup: Calgary in 2004; Edmonton in 2006; Ottawa in 2007. At this rate, the country's chances of one of its cities winning a championship are fading, fast. The other three — Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal — are almost certifiable guarantees to not even make a run in the next few years.

Ostensibly, the Sens are going to allow the Cup to take up residence in Orange County, California. If this occurs, there is a very real chance Maurice "Rocket" Richard will rise from the dead and zombify NHL Commish Gary Bettman. At any rate, all 37 of America's hockey fans should consider the advice of Tuesday's "A.M. Jump" on ESPN.com's Page2: "If the Ducks win one more, that would mark the third straight Cup finals in which a U.S. sunbelt team had knocked off a Canadian team. Pray for the good folks of Tampa, Raleigh, and Anaheim if [Ottawa loses] — hell hath no fury like two DC-8s carrying a full payload of molten maple syrup."

2) It's been 16 years since the NHL instituted permanent video replay. It has been one of the best additions to the game in recent history. Since 1991, it has cultivated a culture of regulatory accuracy that, although often cause of delay, helps ensure that the right calls are made. Ultimately, that's what counts.

3) At 19 years of age, Sidney Crosby has become the youngest player (19 yrs, 9 mos) to do two incredible things: (1) assassinate the Great One's record as the youngest player to surpass 200 career points; (2) become the player with the fewest days removed from his mother's uterus to don an NHL team's captaincy — it had previously been done by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier (19 yrs, 11 mos, in 2000).

This raises interesting questions about whether "The Kid" is prepared for such a role. At only 19, how will he handle more added pressure, as though being the Pittsburgh Penguins' embodied, deified savior and its primary proprietor of offensive dominance isn't enough? But if history is any indicator, he should do fine. He's already revealed his leadership qualities to teammates and fans both on and off the ice. And he finds himself in good company. Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic, and Lecavalier each wore the "C" as youngsters; there are six Stanley Cup rings among them.

4) The NHL's television ratings have been abysmal, a sore topic for the last decade or more. Currently, the league's ratings are so low that most viewers are probably watching by accident. John Maffei, staff writer for the North County Times in San Diego — the immediate southern county of Orange County's Anaheim — raises a fairly poignant inqury, "Why would both leagues — the NBA and NHL — schedule deciding Game 7s for Monday nights? Those kinds of decisions could be why the NHL is averaging about a 1 rating for the playoffs." Sure, they're not at a Game 7 yet, but you get the point.

Yet, that would seem to imply that the NHL's ratings are noticeably higher on nights that are not Mondays. Sadly, they are not. According to reports, "During the NHL's regular season ... about 200,000 fans [tuned] in to telecasts on Versus. NBC's ratings for Sunday afternoon games were also poor, at just over a 1.0 share for much of the season."[2]

The NHL's TV woes are cyclical — they can't arrange more promising broadcast deals because they're ratings are so low, but poor broadcast deals exacerbate those same poor ratings. Will the NHL ever ascend from the cellar of television's expansive, constantly renovated house?

[1]: Chris Pronger was a staple of the 2006 Oiler team that lost in seven games to the Caroline Hurricanes. That he finds himself in the Finals one year later is a rarity — maybe just as rare as one player receiving two suspensions in the same postseason.

[2]: Throughout the 2006-2007 season, Versus — an extremity of Comcast — aired games mostly on Monday and Tuesday nights, except during the playoffs, when they aired/are airing every night games are scheduled. NBC telecasts are random.

Posted by Jeff DiNunzio at 3:11 PM | Comments (0)

June 4, 2007

Donovan Backs Out of Orlando?

Florida Gator fans, you can put down the Paxil and stop sobbing. The unimaginable has happened: Billy Donovan has had (another) change of heart and wants to return to the Gators. And you know, if this coaching thing doesn't work out, Donovan sure has a bright future in politics because he has flip-flopped more than a politican at a Presidential debate.

Turns out Donovan's tenure with the Orlando Magic was over before it started.

Last Thursday, Donovan accepted the head coaching position with the Magic, a team only 115 miles from his family in Gainesville. $27.5 million over five years. But by Sunday night, sources revealed he was trying to back out of the deal, despite his signed contract with Orlando. And the Magic are apparently going to let him out of his contract, albeit with possible financial repercussions.

This has been a roller-coaster two months for Donovan — and fans of the teams he's flirted with. That's right, flirted. Fact is, through all of this, Donovan has proven himself to not only be a championship basketball coach, but also a whore who can't say no. As a Kentucky basketball fan, I was certain he was going to be our next coach in April when he simply refused to deny interest in the position once held by his mentor, Rick Pitino. The speculation was rampant in the Bluegress State, with thousands of fans unable to sleep or work, all flocked to a popular UK message board, refreshing it repeatedly for the latest insane rumor from "sources." And I was one of the fiends, I'm ashamed to say.

So when Donovan finally did turn Kentucky down, most of Big Blue Nation felt painful heartbreak, but came to the realization that this meant Billy was staying in Florida to build a Coach K-like legacy and dynasty. Fair enough — Florida is a cushy gig with lots going for it (aside from being a permanent second-fiddle to the football team, but I won't go there). But if anything, Donovan's flirtation with Kentucky and subsequent turning down of the position made it seem like he was remaining a Gator for certain. But as it turned out, he was flirting with someone else.

When news came out last week that Donovan was leaving Florida after all of rumors and speculation that had swirled, but been put to rest with his turning down of the Kentucky job, one emotion described it: shock. Had Donovan been holding out all this time for the Orlando position? We will never know, but now even the Orlando position appears to be a moot point with him backing out.

As for Florida, enough with the claims about him not signing a contract extension because Florida couldn't pay him what he wanted. AD Jeremy Foley and Florida have as deep a pockets as any college, and could pay Donovan handsomely. I refuse to believe it is about the money. Fact is, Donovan's flirtation with Kentucky and the NBA had nothing to do with what Florida couldn't offer him financially.

Although this situation is very fluid and unsettled, things point to Donovan returning to coach the Gators. But why did he leave if not for the money? He's no fool. Donovan heard the talking heads on ESPN going on about the repeated list of college coaches jumping to the NBA and failing. Any big-time coach has an ego, whether they admit it or not, and Donovan had to be itching to prove he could be the one who would succeed on the next level. He used the word "challenge," but he really meant he craved the chance to do what others couldn't.

So assuming Donovan doesn't flip-flop again, he will be returning to the Gators. And as a SEC fan, I have to say I am glad. I look forward to years of rivalry between a revitalized Kentucky program and Donovan's Gators. Having a coach of his caliber return to the SEC is only a good thing. And a good thing that Florida gig is. The most unsettling thing Donovan must have realized in leaving Florida was once he left for good, he could likely never come back. That's a scary thought knowing if this Orlando challenge flops, he left the perfect situation behind, unable to ever live that dream again. All that he had built up would never be his again.

Luckily for Gator fans, that won't be a problem because Billy the Kid has come to his senses.

Posted by Marc James at 5:05 PM | Comments (3)

June 2, 2007

Kobe, Hockey, and White Castle

Random thoughts on a random late spring afternoon...

Here's what the Lakers should do with this Kobe situation:trade Bryant, Andrew Bynum, and a No. 1 pick to Miami for Shaq and Dwayne Wade. Even if the Lakers get a maximum of two seasons out of Shaquille, if they win a championship in either of those seasons, it'll drive Kobe into electroshock therapy. Shaq's happy, Phil's happy, Kobe's miserable ... who wouldn't love this? (Well, besides anyone who even remotely calls themselves a fan of the Heat, who'll now have to root for this moody prick instead of D-Wade for the next decade...)

Having the Spurs and the Pistons back in the Finals would be like those days in the elementary school cafeteria when all they were serving for lunch was a choice between Salisbury steak and yesterday's Salisbury steak...

***

I was back in Jersey for a Memorial Day barbeque last weekend, and paid a visit to my old stomping grounds: White Castle hamburger restaurant. We arrived at 1:30 AM; the stoners had already claimed most of the tables, so we ate by our cars in the parking lot, which had a disturbing number of stray cats roaming around. I'm always excited when the Castle ventures away from its traditional wheel house of greasy "slyders"; I can still remember the first time I saw something called "fish nibblers" on the menu.

So a buddy and I tested out the new flavored chicken rings: I had the Hidden Valley Ranch rings, he had the BBQ rings. Basically, the Castle has taken its chicken rings — picture the Burger King onion rings, minus onion, plus what White Castle considers "chicken" — and just dumped a packet of flavoring powder on them. The BBQ rings had that overpowering musk of generic BBQ potato chips; the Hidden Valley Ranch had enough salt in the mix to preserve 80 pounds of raw beef for an oceanic voyage. God, it was wonderful...

***

So A-Rod might be stepping out on his wife and shacking up with a mystery blonde. Yankee fans must be happy; how long have they been waiting for this guy to start hitting something again?

***

All of this nonsense about Michael Vick and dog fighting has finally cleared something up for me. That water bottle with the secret compartment? Obviously built so he could smuggle Kibbles 'N Bits laced with the "28 Days Later" rage virus into the country. (If he got caught, do you think saying "Nah, man, Clinton Portis says it's cool" is a proper legal defense?)...

***

Three hockey thoughts during the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

(1) VERSUS, for all of the flack it gets, can put on a game that's close to what hockey needs to be in order to work on television from a technological standpoint. They've attempted to switch to different ice-level cameras throughout the rink to capture players skating into the zone, which gives the action as sense of speed that the big sweeping pan-and-scan center ice camera cannot.

I've been frequently impressed during this postseason; now all they have to do is sweep out the dead weight on the studio panel, get a nightly highlights show on the air, and revamp the other 20 hours of a network that surrounds NHL hockey with bass fishing, cage fighting, and BBQ competitions. Oh, and about Mark Messier as a studio talking head: next! Every time I've seen him, his preparation and demeanor make it seem like a producer grabbed him two minutes before air time and said, "Yo, Mess, we need one more; you game?"

(2) I had a recent post on the NHL FanHouse blog for AOL Sports that dealt with Ottawa Senators goalie Ray Emery and how the NHL doesn't do a very good job marketing its black and Latino players to mainstream sports fans.

About a week later, Sports Illustrated did a great little two-pager on Emery that hammered home the point, which is that the NHL blew the chance to market the hell out of not only an interesting person, but the first black goaltender to lead his team to the Finals in nearly 20 years.

By the way: on the cover of that issue? Ultimate Fighting Championship. Next time someone asks if the NHL banning fighting will bring more fans to hockey, remind them where the story about the hockey goalie ran vs. the two guys tearing each other's flesh apart on the cover of the magazine.

(3) As expected, there's been a ton of talk about the ratings for hockey and the lack of mainstream media coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals. Let's put this in perspective, shall we? The last four years have given us a team from Florida against a team from Alberta, Canada; a canceled season; a team from North Carolina against a team from Alberta, Canada; and now a team from Southern California not named the L.A. Kings against the capital of Canada.

Celebrate parity, celebrate the fact that these series have produced good hockey, and then remember that any combination of the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, or Buffalo Sabres against the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, or Los Angeles Kings reverses both the ratings and coverage trends. That's our sad reality as U.S. hockey fans in a non-hockey nation.

***

Here's where "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" went wrong. The second film made Capt. Jack Sparrow the pivot, and the rest of the characters revolved around him; the third one puts the onus on Orlando Bore and Keira Nod-off. The second film upped the slapstick action ante, and lowered the ponderous pirate politics that completely bog down the third film. And (spoiler warning), the third film kills the damn Kraken off-screen! What a disgrace! No big fight, no struggle to the death with a giant squid monster; it's like making the climax to "Jaws" a scene in which the shark suddenly goes belly-up like a sickly goldfish and everyone just heads to The Olive Garden to celebrate...

***

Finally, all of this talk about Allison Stokke, the engaging high-school pole vaulter who has become an Internet sensation for males ages 18-35, reminded me of one of the greatest quotes in the history of modern cinema, provided by master thespian Matthew McConaughey in director Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused" in 1993:

"That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age."

Amen...

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 9:27 PM | Comments (1)

Cavs/Pistons Better Than You Think

So the great debate rages on: where does LeBron's game rank all-time? Is it better than M.J.'s flu game? Magic playing center? Bird/'Nique?

It is an argument that could, and most likely will, go on for ages. Everyone has an opinion on where each game ranks, but the argument itself is pointless. Each game was one of a kind; that means none before it, none to come. They can't be compared to one another because nothing like it has ever or will ever happen again. Someone could score 48 next week and it won't matter, it won't be the same.

I kept watching the game expecting him to run out of gas, expecting the Pistons to make adjustments, expecting to see the Pistons throw a counter punch, expecting the other foot to drop. But it never happened. He said after the game that, "he was pleased to be able to will his team to victory."

That is exactly what he did. It was 16 straight minutes of, "give me the ball and get the $%&! out of my way." He made impossible jumpers, improbable lay-ups, and uncontested dunks. He beat Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, Lindsay Hunter, Jason Maxiell, and any other Piston they threw at him. It didn't matter, he willed his team to victory, just like he said he would.

The question now is does he have anything left in the tank? He won Game 5 by himself, but is there going to be a hangover effect in Game 6? If there is and they lose at home, can a young team regain their composure and win on the road in Game 7? It's not like this hasn't happened before. Last year, the Pistons took Games 1 and 2 against Cleveland, lost the next three, and won Games 6 and 7. So for all its greatness, Game 5 didn't clinch the series.

Some other interesting subplots from the Eastern Conference Finals:

The competitiveness of the series.

I'm not sure what everyone is watching, but the Eastern Conference Finals have been great. I've read countless stories over the past week or so about how bad the games have been. One person wrote that every playoff team in the West could beat the best team in the East. That person also picked a Dallas/Phoenix Western Conference Finals, so I guess I should take that with a grain of salt.

What more can you ask for from a series? Every game has been within five points entering the fourth quarter, and every game has come down to the final play. Maybe there has been some lapses in the game where the pace has been brutally slow, and the coaching and officiating have been questionable at best, but when was the last time a series this deep went to the final play five straight times? The Lakers/Kings conference finals that went seven in which Big Shot Bob hit three game-winners comes to mind. Other than that, you've got to go back a long way.

The Pistons' mini-dynasty is all but over if the lose this series.

They've been to the last five Eastern Conference Finals, and each time at some point, they find themselves with their back against the wall. Yet they always came through.

I just don't see it this year. This team doesn't have that certain "it" factor that it used to have. They used to have this ability to play a higher level than their opponents, regardless of who they were playing. Now they can still play at a high level, but they allow their opponents to play there, as well. That never used to happen.

Chauncey Billups' quest to cost himself millions of dollars.

Earlier in the year, Joe Dumars said that the Pistons would max out Chauncey if that's what it took to keep him here. Then he got hurt, missed a bunch of games, and the team was terrible. He had all but locked up the max deal Dumars foolishly said he'd pay. Then this series came along and "Mr. Big Shot" was just brutal. He turned the ball over like five times in the first quarter of game one, and hasn't improved since.

Just when you think he had just had a bad stretch of games and came out on fire in Game 4, scoring 15 in the first half, he completely choked in the second half, capped off by taking maybe the worst shot he's ever taken (the off-balanced three in transition).

Then he hits the huge three-pointer to give them the lead in regulation of Game 5, then the two free throws to force a second OT. He followed that up with two costly turnovers in the second OT.

If the Kobe situation has taught us anything, having a player on your team with a max contract cripples that team from making any necessary roster adjustments to remain competitive. The Pistons are built on a team concept and cannot give one player max money just to keep their core in tact. The window is already closing on this team, and a max deal all but slams it shut.

Antonio McDyess' ejection.

That was just absurd. When I was watching it I joked "watch, he'll probably get tossed for that". Sure enough, the refs got together and decided that hard fouls have no business being a part of a playoff series. Between rewarding the constant flopping and babying anyone who takes a hard foul, the officiating has reached unheard of levels of ridiculousness.

What a time to be a slasher in the NBA. The worst-case scenario now is a bail-out call on a wild shot attempt. The other alternatives are an uncontested dunk because everyone is afraid to touch you, or a flagrant foul where you get two shots and the ball because someone actually does hit you hard enough to make you think twice about attacking the rim. Dwyane Wade has become a superstar for that very reason, and it is pathetic.

LeBron may have sucked the life out of the Pistons in Game 5 and all but ended it, or he may have spent all his energy too early in the series. Who knows? What I do know is that there is at least one game left, maybe two, and if this pattern continues, they should both be worth programming the TiVo for.

Posted by Scott Shepherd at 9:07 PM | Comments (0)

June 1, 2007

Sports Q&A: Boxing Submits to UFC

Kitana from Edenia, IL asks, "How do you explain the booming popularity of mixed martial arts combat sports, and do you think the popularity of boxing is in jeopardy because of it?"

Do you remember when Mortal Kombat arrived on the scene and blew Mike Tyson's Punch-Out right out of the water? We didn't know it at the time, but this was the turning point for mixed martial arts, and the beginning of the decline of professional boxing.

Argue all you want, but from that point, combat sports, like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have been gaining popularity and stealing fans from boxing in large numbers. And, unlike Mortal Kombat, there have been no fatalities in UFC. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if more people viewed some sleazebag beating up a homeless person on BumFights.com than shelled out the $54.95 (about 590 pesos) to watch Floyd Mayweather's and Oscar De La Hoya's Dancing With the Stars pay-per-view special.

Just like the few remaining fans of boxing, most mixed martial arts fans want to see a devastating knockout or a toe-to-toe slugfest. If someone tells you they watch boxing because of the technical skill involved, then they are obviously being paid off, which, in all likelihood, also means they are a boxing judge.

Don't get me wrong. Reality fighting would be nowhere without boxing. It's derivative of boxing. After all, boxing started as bare knuckle bouts. Where would UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer be without his half-brother Michael Buffer? Probably doing intros for paintball tournaments.

Without historic boxing calls like Howard Cosell's "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" would we be treated to such Joe Rogan calls like "Matt Hughes just choked out Georges St. Pierre!" No. Rogan would be commenting on how some contestant choked on a chicken liver in some Fear Factor spinoff.

Without George Foreman selling grills worldwide, would Tito Ortiz be dating Jenna Jameson (favorite position: the rear naked), or would Chuck Liddell be appearing on Entourage? Doubtfully. Had Mike Tyson not bitten off half of Evander Holyfield's ear, would any boxing fan in his or her right mind claim that the UFC-type matches are barbaric? No. The UFC has taken what's wrong with boxing and made their product more appealing, and more accessible, than boxing.

So, what's so great about the UFC? Well, it's a combination of disciplines. There's the takedowns of amateur wrestling, the submissions of professional wrestling, only real (although I really believe that the Figure Four could be a useful leg hold in the UFC), the immediacy of a bar brawl, and the strategy of a chess match. Okay, maybe it's not that cerebral, so let's say the strategy of checkers.

The final product pits two fighters who must be ready not only to attack in a number of ways, but defend against a number of assaults. Anybody can circle to their left to steer clear of a boxer's stiff left jab, but not any boxer can do that while simultaneously preparing for a takedown. UFC fighters can.

Defenders of boxing may claim that too much of UFC matches take place on the mat. That point is arguable, but so what if the action is on the mat. Referees break up clenches in boxing, but in UFC, the clench often leads to an exciting part of the match, submissions. Can you imagine what someone like Tyson would do on his back? Don't answer that. Whatever he did, I'm sure it would be illegal.

Isn't it cool that the UFC fights in an octagon-shaped cage? There's no escape for a fighter, and this also keeps a fighter's team out of the ring at crucial times. Isn't it irritating in boxing when a fight goes haywire and everyone storms the ring, including cornermen, cutmen, handlers, and members of the Nation of Islam? This doesn't happen in UFC, because any clown that wants to get inside can't just slip through the ropes. Besides, most UFC athletes don't have a posse and/or hangers-on, like a lot of boxers.

Another thing that makes the UFC popular is its accessibility. It's regularly on Spike TV, and, most importantly, it's pay-per-views are affordable. Some major cards are shown on Spike, as well as replays of some pay-per-view contests. Can you watch boxing without paying for it? Occasionally on ESPN, but it's a meaningless bout, usually for a belt that's actually used to hold pants up.

If you're old enough to remember, you'll recall a time when boxing was seen on NBC, CBS, and ABC, almost on a weekly basis. And these bouts were major, often for the right to hold a belt from one or more of the big three associations (WBA, WBC, IBF). I'm not even sure these governing bodies still govern the sport. UFC will probably never be on network television, so if boxing wants to counter the sport of ultimate fighting, then this is where they should start. But that will never happen as long as greedy, short-sighted people like Don King and Bob Arum are running the sport.

So what can boxing do to fight it's dwindling popularity? Well, for one thing, there are more rounds in boxing matches, so boxing has a decided advantage in the number of ring girls it can showcase. Promote them, while ridding the sport of the shady and dishonest characters that have left boxing with its bad reputation. If they need a motto to start circulating the message, here it is: "Boxing: More Girls, Less Crooks."

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or comment? Are you willing to trade for Kobe Bryant? Need a discreet steroid distributor? Can you spell "serrefine" and not be a geek? Then send your question/comment along with your name and hometown to [email protected]. You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, June 22nd.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 9:57 PM | Comments (2)

Think About Jack

I am about to say four words I thought I never would say — I feel for Kobe.

But before we get to my heartfelt sentiment to the best player in the NBA right now, I have some issues to get off my chest.

The NBA Brass

I'll admit, I haven't watched a full game since Game 4 of the NBA semifinals, when Robert Horry's bush league foul ended the season for the Suns. I think that about sums it up. How David Stern and company were able to argue with a straight face, and that the suspension of Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire were legitimate is beyond my understanding. Not only did the NBA ruin the only valuable series left after Golden State wilted to Utah (will get to that in a second), it also turned off a lot of fans who are tired to Stern and Co. ruining the NBA with rules that no longer make sense in the NBA.

I, like everybody else reading this, couldn't go anywhere without seeing multiple views of the incident. Robert Horry hip-checking Steve Nash into the boards. Stoudemire, Diaw, and every coach for the Suns running to their star's aid. Stoudemire and Diaw taking a few steps realizing they were teetering on the verge of suspension and returning to the bench. Did they commit any real sin? Do they add gas to flame started by Horry? No. Did they even step onto the court? No.

Please don't mention Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen stepping onto the court earlier in the game. They did, but they were left off the suspension list due rule interpretation, something that should have done for the Suns sake. Robert Horry went from Big Shot Bob to a goon in a mere seconds and it sucks. The NBA could have saved the last good series left, but they decided to play lawman, and the NBA suffered.

NBA Referees

I haven't seen so many officials take over so many games in a playoff series ever. In the conference finals alone, the calls have been so random that no one knows what's going on. Even the referees themselves. In Game 2 of the Cavs/Pistons series, LeBron James was fouled going to the hoop, but no call, yet any where else, any other time, I guarantee they call that. They called it in the Finals last year went Dwyane Wade went to the hoop, and his bucket won the game. In the Utah/Golden State series, they utterly destroyed any chance the Warriors had in Game 5.

I was watching the 1997 NBA Finals the other day, Michael Jordan's first championship against the Jazz. The thing that stood out over everything else was the refs absolutely swallowed their whistles in crunch time, and just let them play. Be it Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Karl Malone, or Jud Buechler. It did not matter. The refs were not going to be the reason for any team winning or losing.

How is this different from the Eastern Conference Finals Game 2? The NBA refs have bailed out numerous star players the past five years, to the point that no one runs plays at the end of games — they crash hard to the hoop and wait for the foul. In fact, the new NBA rule enforced this year regarding technicals and disputing calls is a direct result of shoddy NBA officiating. I guarantee if the NBA officials did their job, there would be no reason for a new rule, or Utah fans screaming "Steve Javie sucks" at the end of Game 4.

Players Flopping

Despite popular opinion, the flop did not emerge from the European ranks. I can remember Dennis Rodman being the king of that during his entire career. What happened after that is all the Euros noticed how Rodman was getting a lot of calls and thought. "hey, I remember that from when I played soccer, it worked then, it has to work now, and the best part is, I can't get a yellow card" (what they do in soccer if it is a blatant flop).

It is one of the main reason I despised the end of the Utah/Golden State series. Andrei Kirilinko's flop off a missed free throw was so blatant and so completely and utterly horrendous that I wanted to throw up that a foul was called thus sealing the game and series for the Jazz.

It has gotten to the point that people are now flopping on offense, defense, in the locker room on free throws, everywhere. I was crossing the street, and a car came racing right next to this guy, and he took a flop, no doubt looking for some extra settlement money. Okay, maybe that may be a bit of a stretch, but my point still stands. Flopping is no longer coy or a cagey move, but rather an absolute disgrace to the game and a technical should be given any time one is caught. That is the only sufficient response to such a disgraceful act.

Regarding Kobe's Antics

It was only a few months ago that I thought Kobe Bryant was a disgraceful act. How he ripped Gilbert Arenas after he burned the "Black Mamba" for 60 was disgraceful, and I had never liked him since everything went public in Colorado and the subsequent dismantling of the Lakers. I didn't like the Lakers, but any player who ripped apart a championship team because of a super-ego was something that could not be respected.

After living in Los Angeles and hearing the constant bickering by fans and pundits about the fate of the Lakers, the recent remarks by Kobe, and the criticism that followed from columnists, the only emotion I have left is compassion.

As the trade deadline loomed near this year, everyone believed the Lakers needed to do something. Get a point guard, a power forward, anything. The Lakers, however, refused to put Andrew Bynum as trade bait, the only respectable asset Los Angeles has. The reason is they could not part ways with what they called the future of the Lakers in Bynum.

I'm sorry, but does it make sense to anybody else when you have the best player in the NBA, you are more concerned about 5-10 years down the line, when you're star is no longer a star? Andrew Bynum is 18-years-old, almost 19. Kobe is 28. Bryant has played for 11 years, logging an ungodly amount of minutes. He has maybe three years of peak play, after that, the free fall begins. He has just put up too many minutes and played in too many games.

Why not build for now, try and compete for a championship, and when Kobe decides to hang it up, start to rebuild? Instead, the Lakers are content with flirting with the last spots in the playoffs. The former dynasty is not building assets and acquiring talent, it just sitting there like a drunken uncle.

At the beginning of the decade, it was written in stone the Lakers were the team of the 2000s. Four Finals appearances in five years. Three NBA championships. Now, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who still believes the Lakers belong in that discussion. San Antonio with two titles and even Detroit with just one are looked to as the cream of the decade. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

So Mitch Kupchak, I know you are inept, I know you don't know how to build a winner, just how to crush one, but I plead with you, for the sake of the game, for the sake of your best player, do something! Resign. Trade somebody. Make a free agent signing. Do something, whether or not you like or dislike Kobe, I lean more to the latter; he deserves to have support. No offense to Lamar Odom, but he is not it.

The Lakers need a post presence. Not in five years. NOW! Someone to necessitate a double team, someone to post and kick, anyone to take the pressure off of Kobe. Instead, he has Odom, a good player who is more a distributor more than an offensive juggernaut who can alleviate some of the pressure on Bryant.

May I make a suggestion? Put Odom, Brown and his expiring contract, Aaron McKie and his expiring contract, and maybe another piece and go get yourself a player. And no, not a role player or a player to play alongside Andrew Bynum in five years.

Earlier this week, Kobe asked for a trade. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Do I despise him for quitting on the Lakers? Absolutely not. Do I think he's selfish? Absolutely. The Lakers drove him to this point, however. No star athlete wants to wade in mediocrity, and the Lakers have been content with .500. Do I think the Lakers should trade Kobe? Absolutely not. Make a trade, do something, and I guarantee Bryant's mood will change. He has just reached the boiling point and I can't blame him.

I know Kobe hasn't been the most karma worthy person for things to turn around for him. He has recently put his General Manager under the bus, but rightfully so. His history of placing blame is also not a short list. But I'm asking you to do this not for Kobe, not for the Lakers, nor their fans. Do it for the fans of basketball, do it for those who revel greatness. Heck, do it for Jack Nicholson.

Posted by Wailele Sallas at 4:04 PM | Comments (0)

Milwaukee's Fine Brew

Back in the old days — you know, 2006 — the Milwaukee Brewers were the miserable company that Pittsburgh Pirates fans could love.

The two cities might as well be cloned, with the Germans in Milwaukee and their beer and bratwurst and Pittsburgh's hunkies and their beer and kielbasa.

The two teams also were linked, both in the past and present. Two of the biggest home runs in major league history, Henry Aaron's 755th and Bill Mazeroski's walk-off dinger in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, are associated, respectively, with the Brewers and Pirates.

Today, they share the commonality of Taj Mahal ballparks, small market challenges and the year 1992, which is the last time both franchises finished a season with a winning record.

This year though, something is different. The Brew Crew started off the season 22-11 — with the last three wins coming in a four-game series against the Pirates.

After that, Milwaukee lost 13 of their next 20 games, but that doesn't really matter, because the Brewers are still the class of the National League Central Division, which admittedly is like being the wealthiest man in the homeless shelter.

And Pittsburgh fans aren't happy, because Milwaukee is succeeding where the Pirates have been failed, and spectacularly so.

Prince Fielder, son of Cecil, has lived up to his billing and is above the league leaders in home runs and on-base plus slugging percentage, and J.J. Hardy, who had 12 home runs in his best season (including the minor leagues) heading into 2007, had 15 by mid-May.

Meanwhile, across the division Jason Bay, the Pirates' all-star outfielder, has gotten off to one of the worst starts of his career.

And Adam LaRoche, acquired in a trade with Atlanta over the winter, has been striking out so much you'd think that the pitchers are treating baseballs with the same wood repellent that Ray Milland used in the movie "It Happens Every Spring."

The question echoing off the riverbanks in western Pennsylvania has been thunderous — how can Milwaukee do it when we can't?

Part of the answer is money. For the last three years, the Pirates have been slashing payroll, while the Brewers have been investing in themselves.

This season, the Pirates have a payroll of $38.5 million, while Milwaukee checks in at $70.9 million, almost double that amount.

But the raw dollar figures are only part of the story. On the rare occasions when Pittsburgh management has spent money, it has done it badly. While settling for second-tier free agents and tying up their own farm products, the Pirates have wasted big money on Pat Meares and Derek Bell while letting Aramis Ramirez slip away.

On this year's roster, Pittsburgh's five highest-paid players are Jack Wilson, a good-field, light-hitting shortstop; Shawn Chacon, who couldn't earn a spot in the starting rotation out of training camp; Bay; LaRoche; and Tony Armas, who pitched himself out of the starting rotation.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, has made a long-term investment in Ben Sheets, who is scheduled to earn more than $11 million this year and has a respectable ERA in the high threes, and didn't settle for a second-tier free agent and signed Jeff Suppan, who also is a high-three ERA man.

The Brewers' three highest-paid players are Sheets, Geoff Jenkins, and Jeff Suppan. Jenkins has a respectable 10 home runs, which puts him third on the team behind Fielder and Hardy, but is more than any of the Pirates.

Admittedly, Milwaukee has fattened up by playing 26 of its first 32 games against the rest of the Comedy Central Division. But there's a good reason the Brewers were able to beat up the rest of that field.

They're spending the money and they're giving it to the right people.

The Brewers might not make waves in the playoffs. They might not even get to the playoffs — does anybody really think the Chicago Cubs and world champion St. Louis Cardinals are going to play this badly this season?

But they have a good young nucleus that stands to improve, which bodes well for 2008, if not 2007.

Posted by Eric Poole at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)