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May 31, 2010

Dream.14 Recap and May 2010 UFC Rankings

It's always a momentous weekend in mixed martial arts when the biggest U.S. promotion and the biggest Japanese promotion hold major events within 24 hours of each other. UFC 114, featuring Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, was hyped as the biggest grudge match in history, and Dream.14 gave us a new chapter in the Sakuraba vs. Gracie rivalry.

In the main event of UFC 114, Evans established the tone early with a punch that staggered Jackson, and controlled the first two rounds by keeping Rampage on the defensive with his wrestling and his speed. Jackson was totally ineffective in striking exchanges, with Evans darting in and out in a way reminiscent of Lyoto Machida's victory against Rashad himself. In the third frame, Jackson had Rashad in trouble, but Evans rebounded to score a pair of late takedowns and secure a unanimous decision.

With Evans back in title contention, I'm really questioning how valuable it is for fighters to cut weight or switch divisions in MMA. Fëdor Emelianenko is the best heavyweight on the planet, but he's tiny for that weight class, and easily could make 205; he's the smaller fighter every time he steps into the ring. Evans wrestled at 174 pounds in college and could almost certainly cut to middleweight, but he's top-three at 205. Jake Shields, a Strikeforce champion at middleweight, will probably be fighting in the UFC's welterweight division by the end of the year. Frankie Edgar could definitely make 145, and has fended off frequent recommendations that he cut to featherweight, but last month he defeated B.J. Penn to capture the UFC's lightweight title.

In nearly every weight division, you can point to the champion of a major organization who is fighting at a heavier weight than he needs to. I wonder if we're witnessing the beginning of a trend: fighters preferring the benefits of not having to cut weight to the advantage gained by being larger than your opponent.

In other action on the UFC card, Michael Bisping easily won a decision over Dan Miller, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won a terrible split decision over Jason Brilz to move one step closer to a title shot at 205. John Hathaway and Dong Hyun Kim scored upsets over Diego Sanchez and Amir Sadollah, respectively, while the Todd Duffee hype machine ended with a single punch, when tubby Mike Russow, way behind on the scorecards, connected to the jaw and knocked him out.

The most disappointing fight, the Nogueira/Brilz decision notwithstanding, was Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon. Escudero, the lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season Eight, won an easy decision, but he looked awful. Lauzon reportedly paid so little attention to his training that his coaches and his brother, fellow UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon, refused to travel with him or corner him. He was visibly tired by the second round, and presumably will now be cut from the UFC. But at no point did Escudero make much effort to finish his outclassed and underprepared opponent, instead dancing around à la Anderson Silva.

Escudero looked like he didn't take his last fight seriously, and he clearly didn't take this one seriously. I don't know if he's bought into his own hype, if he's more interested in showboating than fighting, or if he just went easy on Lauzon because they're friends, but I don't think he can compete with most of the UFC lightweight division. Escudero looked great against Phillipe Nover and Cole Miller, but he's really taken a step backward in 2010.

Big Picture and May Rankings

Evans will now take on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the Light Heavyweight title, and the winner could conceivably face Nogueira in his first title defense. Rampage Jackson's future is less clear. He still has a beef with the UFC, and he should be at least two victories from another title shot. His power demands the respect of any opponent, but Jackson has become a one-dimensional boxer with obvious weaknesses. The rankings below are exclusively for the UFC, so you won't see names like Fëdor Emelianenko or Gilbert Melendez on these lists.

Heavyweight (206-265)

1. Cain Velasquez
2. Shane Carwin
3. Brock Lesnar
4. Junior Dos Santos
5. Roy Nelson
6. Frank Mir
7. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
8. Ben Rothwell
9. Mirko Filipovic
10. Cheick Kongo

Make it Happen: Velasquez vs. Anyone

Cain's last match, in February, lasted 2:20. He could be fighting right now, but instead he'll probably be out of action until at least August (and probably later) because the UFC doesn't want to risk a fluke loss before he takes on the winner of Carwin/Lesnar. As far as Lesnar's third-place ranking, I know he's the champ, but he's been out of action for a year, and I don't see him beating Carwin. Brock is finally fighting someone his own size, with a wrestling pedigree that may be able to keep the fight standing. If their bout turns into a striking war, Carwin is light years ahead of Lesnar. Even if Brock gets past Carwin, I don't see him beating Velasquez.

Thank You, UFC, For: Dos Santos vs. Nelson

At least JDS won't be on the shelf for half a year. This bout is not official yet, but it's rumored for UFC 117.

Light Heavyweight (186-205)

1. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Rashad Evans
4. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
6. Jon Jones
7. Thiago Silva
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Ryan Bader
10. Randy Couture

Make it Happen: Nogueira vs. winner of Rich Franklin/Chuck Liddell

Throw a bone to the old guys and make this a top contender's match. If the winner of Franklin/Liddell gets past Nogueira, give him a title shot. The UFC is bringing Jones and Bader along gradually, which I support. Machida, Jackson, and Silva are all coming off losses and should get a couple wins under their belts before they're back in contention. Griffin was knocked out in two of his last three fights and won a split decision in the third. Couture might die if he faces top-five competition.

Thank You, UFC, For: Couture vs. James Toney

This figures to be a rude introduction to MMA for the former boxing champion.

Middleweight (171-185)

1. Anderson Silva
2. Chael Sonnen
3. Yushin Okami
4. Vitor Belfort
5. Nate Marquardt
6. Demian Maia
7. Yoshihiro Akiyama
8. Wanderlei Silva
9. Alan Belcher
10. Michael Bisping

Make it Happen: Belfort vs. winner of Wanderlei/Akiyama

This is a generous ranking for Anderson Silva. I'm not sure he should be listed at all, because he's not really a fighter any more. I actually felt he should have lost to Maia. I had Silva winning the first two rounds, of course, but I scored the third 10-10, and I had Maia winning the fourth and fifth, including 10-8 in the final round, for a 48-47 victory.

Thank You, UFC, For: Nothing

Why are Marquardt and Okami scheduled to fight middle-of-the-division opponents? They should be facing Belfort, or each other, to set up a top contender. I guess I'm grateful for the rumored Maia/Belcher showdown, at least.

Welterweight (156-170)

1. Georges St-Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Paulo Thiago
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Dan Hardy
7. Matt Hughes
8. Dong Hyun Kim
9. John Hathaway
10. Ricardo Almeida

Make it Happen: Hathaway vs. Kim

An intriguing matchup of undefeated fighters rising in the crowded welterweight division, this would pit 13-0 Hathaway, who is now 4-0 in the UFC, against the 13-0-1 Kim, who is technically undefeated after his 2009 split decision loss to Karo Parisyan was overturned because Parisyan failed a drug test. If the UFC doesn't want a guaranteed derail for one of its rising stars, Mike Swick or Hardy might make sense. This is probably the UFC's deepest division right now.

Thank You, UFC, For: Hughes vs. Almeida

This fight is not official yet, but it has Hughes fighting a legit opponent, and gives Almeida a chance to work his way up in the division by defeating a legend.

Lightweight (146-155)

1. B.J. Penn
2. Frankie Edgar
3. Kenny Florian
4. Gray Maynard
5. Tyson Griffin
6. George Sotiropoulos
7. Kurt Pellegrino
8. Jim Miller
9. Joe Stevenson
10. Takanori Gomi

Make it Happen: Winner of Sotiropoulos/Pellegrino vs. Winner of Griffin/Evan Dunham

Sean Sherk isn't ranked here because he hasn't fought in over a year and isn't scheduled to do so any time soon. If he ever gets back into action, he's presumably top-10.

Thank You, UFC, For: Florian vs. Maynard

This fight is not official yet, but it's going to happen.

UFC 115 is right around the corner, scheduled for June 12. The headlining fight pits UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell (+110) against former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin (-140). The matchup is unlikely to have serious title implications, but it's a nice fight for fans, pitting two legends against one another. Liddell has lost four of his last five and hasn't fought in over a year, so Franklin is rightfully the favorite, but Liddell has one-punch knockout power and can never be counted out. I'm picking Franklin and rooting for a good fight.

Another "for the fans" matchup pits Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic against fellow kickboxer Pat Barry. Neither is a contender at this point, but that's pretty close to guaranteed fireworks, and a head-kick knockout is probably even money. The card also features Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann, which does have ramifications for the welterweight title picture. The winner is probably one more victory away from a title shot. I'll take Thiago in that one, and Cro Cop in a minor upset. If he wins, I'd like to see Mirko fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (they last met in 2003, with Big Nog winning by armbar). If Barry wins, I might give him the loser of Lesnar/Carwin, or the winner of Rothwell/Gilbert Yvel.

Dream.14

Twelve quick thoughts on Dream.14, which aired at 3:00 am Eastern on Saturday morning:

1. For American fans, this is just brutal to watch live. The broadcast began at 3 AM on the East Coast, but the first half hour was spent hyping the card, and the actual fights didn't begin until 3:30. An early finish in the main event brought the card to a merciful end just after 6:30.

2. There's an obvious difference in the approach of American vs. Japanese MMA promotions. In the U.S., they're treated more or less like sporting events, with boxing as a frame of reference. In Japan, they're spectacles, general entertainment more than sports specifically. All the fighters were introduced a minimum of three times.

3. It's worth fighting in a major Japanese promotion at least once just so you can hear Lenne Hardt, better known as Crazy PRIDE Lady, scream your name to an arena.

4. Unlike most Japanese events, Dream.14 was held in a cage. Rather than the UFC's patented Octagon, though, this was a hexagonal white cage. Furthermore, Frank Trigg informed us during the broadcast, the cage was not made of metal. It was made of tuna net. I'm not joking.

5. I enjoyed Ikuhisa Minowa's easy victory over Imani Lee, who outweighed him by over 100 pounds, but I'd like to see Minowaman fighting top competition in his own weight class. Minowa has proven he's no joke, and he should be fighting serious opponents.

6. Very close fight between WEC veterans Yoshiro Maeda and Kenji Osawa. I had Maeda winning the contest, but Osawa took a split decision.

7. Same thing in Kazuyuki Miyata's bout against DEEP champion Takafumi Otsuka: very close contest, ultimately decided in Miyata's favor, by split decision. I might have gone the other way.

8. Joachim Hansen's experiment at featherweight is not going well. He's 0-2 after a definitive knockout loss to Hiroyuki Takaya, who presumably will now get another shot at title-holder Bibiano Fernandes. Hellboy, on the other hand, has lost three in a row and hasn't won in nearly two years. It's tough to regard him as a top fighter in any weight class right now.

9. The shock of the night was how easily 24-year-old Ralek Gracie defeated the legendary "Gracie Hunter" Kazushi Sakuraba. Gracie took a unanimous decision, as Saku looked totally outclassed. Gracie was bigger, stronger, and faster.

10. The weirdest moment of the card also came during Gracie/Sakuraba. The crowd came alive as Sakuraba grabbed a Kimura in the third round and appeared poised to steal a dramatic victory. Unfortunately, the referee inexplicably stepped in and spent an extended period of time moving both fighters' limbs so he could adjust Gracie's pants. By the time the ref was finished, Sakuraba had lost position and couldn't finish the submission.

11. In the main event, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai looked good on the feet, but he was no match for Nick Diaz on the ground, getting caught in an armbar just before the end of the first round. Diaz was uncharacteristically respectful in victory.

12. We all want to see Diaz get his rematch with KJ Noons, but I don't think any welterweight outside the UFC has more than a puncher's chance against Diaz right now. I assume Paul Daley vs. Diaz has to happen eventually.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 4:10 PM | Comments (5)

Venus Williams at the French, Oooh La La!

Bonjour! Nothing like Paris in spring, and especially nothing like the the deep red clay here at Roland Garros. The French Open is one of my favorite of the big four tournaments, as the food and flair are everywhere.

Speaking of flair, of all the four major tournaments that make up the Grand Slam, the French Open is always known as the most colorful. The Australian Open is too early in the year for a lot of new ideas, and it's still winter. The fashion industry doesn't have its first big show until a couple of months later.

The range of color and style here at Roland Garros, especially on the women's side, goes from cute to bizarre. Usually, you find the bizarre on the bodies of players known for a little shock, like Bethany Mattek. Or in this case, Aravane Rezai of France this year. Her gold lame outfit just didn't work for me, but it is clearly in step with what happens here. I'll call it a failed attempt at putting fashion together with function.

You will also find the newest in melding fashion with athletic apparel, like the feminine yet functional top worn by Maria Sharapova. Partnered with a tennis skirt of layers of chiffon, and you have feminine yet functional. Or maybe what I believe is the best women's outfit of the tournament, Jelena Jankovic's yellow tennis dress. A masterpiece, with its lightly pleated and fitted bodice with a softly layered skirt and matching tennis short, looking both classic, feminine, and professional.

Fashion and tennis have been linked since the earliest days of the game. Men wore white cotton dress shirts, ties, and poplin slacks from the beginning, with women wearing long dresses with all the trimmings of the Victorian era. Then men dropped the tie, which was controversial for then, and wore the long sleeve shirt with slacks until a man named Henri Lacoste invented the pique knit polo shirt. Now you can't walk down any street in the world without seeing one. The Lacoste alligator is the most known brand on a polo shirt in the world. Not long after, men started to wear shorts, along with the white t-shirt. Those styles continued until the beginning of open tennis. The advent of open tennis brought the game back to the popular masses, and it was not long after that the fashionistas would come calling.

By now, you all know where I am going with this. I'm sure you have all seen the latest "design" by Venus Williams. And of course, you know that I won't let Venus Williams' outfit pass without comment. I will give Venus this, she did accomplish what she apparently was aiming for: attention and shock value. She got tons of that. But she once again took the game down the wrong path.

As I said, the close relationship of tennis to fashion has always been there, but tennis is and has always been a more genteel sport, a highly professional and classic game. Born on the grass of aristocrats' lawns, the game we know today has always been more of a high society avocation. You would find it very hard to associate anything low brow or gutter snipe with anything about the game. Nurtured in the country clubs of the world, it is a game that grew with pleasantries and manners.

What other sports do you know that when you win a point by accident you are supposed to apologize to your opponent? In what other sport do you know that if you know a call is wrong, you can give the point to your opponent or correct the call in their favor? And in what other sport do you know that at the end of the game the winner runs to shake the hand of the loser and congratulate them for a well-played match? Only tennis.

Venus stated emphatically that "lace has never been done in tennis before." Well, Venus, maybe you should do your research before stating that. I will say that lace has never been done like that in tennis before. The outfit, as one reporter on French television put it, was between flamenco dancer, french maid, and mistress. I'll categorize it more like boudoir lingerie. In many of the pictures here, it looked like she was not wearing any underwear, and from most parts of the court, it was hard to tell if you could detect the flesh colored short underneath or not.

The first use of lace in an athletic way, not counting the Victorian era garb, actually started with French tennis great Suzanne Lenglen. In the roaring '20s, she shocked the world not only with her athletic and graceful style, but also her soft tennis dresses and outfits that combined lace and silk. Yes, Venus, that's in the 1920s.

Then along came famous fashion dress designer Ted Tingling, a former Wimbledon player and long-time Master of Ceremonies at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. He caused a stir in the late 1940s by putting a colored hem on a tennis dress (at that time, tennis clothing was supposed to be all white). His colored hem angered the tennis establishment so much that they banned all color on tennis dresses and clothing.

So in protest, he did the one thing that was up to this week the most famous use of lace in tennis. He designed a pair of delicate purple lace panties that Gertrude "Gorgeous Gussy" Moran wore underneath her all white outfit and that were clear to all whenever Gussy moved across the courts to hit her shots. It was a move that got Tingling removed from the Wimbledon committee for nearly three decades.

If you look at pictures of Moran's outfit today, you see maybe a perfect use of lace. Her tennis dress was feminine yet functional for the times, and the use of lace was fashion-forward for the time, yet not too risque. It was the color more then the material that was at issue.

So Venus, lace has been done in tennis before, in so many ways. Tennis is a sport, and last time I checked, the French Open was an athletic event, not a fashion show runway. In my opinion, this time she line was crossed in a big way, and not in one that is beneficial to the game nor to the reputations of the women who play it at its highest levels. This is tennis, a game played by professionals. This is not the NBA, where tattoos have become more of the uniform and fashion than the actual team uniforms that are supposed to be. One of my friends actually said that Venus' outfit would look more appropriate on Dennis Rodman than on Venus. Ouch!

Women have a hard enough time getting recognition as athletes. Unfortunately, a women's athleticism is always paired with her beauty, especially when it comes to endorsements and the trappings usually associated with world-caliber play. To this day, Anna Kournikova still makes more in tennis related endorsements then Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Navratilova combined, yet was never as accomplished on the court as either of them and didn't play nearly as long. That is truly a shame, as this is not true on the men's side.

The outfit is more appropriate for Playboy magazine then for the tennis court. Heck, the outfit worn by Ashley Harkleroad in Playboy was less risque, at least when she had it on. I am sure that Venus would not wear a similar regular dress to a black tie affair where she was being given a prestigious award. (I might be wrong there, given this event.) Nor would she wear it if she were to meet the Queen of England or the President of the United States. Yes, she might wear it to a nightclub, or to bed, but both of those are not athletic events. The outfit didn't enhance her game, nor did it enhance the women's game. Nor did it really advance tennis fashion.

I am not a prude, and I appreciate good fashion on both men and women. I worry about what comes next, especially given tennis. Video games have gone in just a generation from cute blips on a screen like Pacman to extremely violent like Grand Theft Auto. Music has gone from songs you could actually sing in public with stories to tell to hip-hop beats laced with profanity and vanity. Professional sports, especially the NBA, NFL, and MLB, have gone from contests of skill and class to contests of bravado and thuggery. No, this one outfit of Venus will not take tennis there, but it should start to sound the alarm. It is only a short step from an outfit like this to playing naked, honestly.

Granted, the play here in Paris has been relatively uneventful, with the exception of Jo Wilfried Tsonga's epic first round five-setter and Andy Roddick's three-set fall to Teimuraz Gabashvili. If you are French, then Gael Monfils five set loss to Fabio Fagnini in the second round was heart-wrenching. There have been plenty of good matches, but no big surprises.

So I guess you could say that the most excitement so far is Venus' outfit. No pun intended.

Posted by Tom Kosinski at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)

May 30, 2010

Celtic Surprise? Not Really

Admit it — you're not really that surprised the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years, are you?

Okay, maybe you are. And considering the Celtics' form from Christmas to Easter, that seems pretty understandable. However, think about what you thought before the playoffs began and then apply the following caveats of "LeBron won't make the big leap" and "Vince Carter will be unreformed when it matters most."

The natural order of things would have then morphed your expectations into the Celtics becoming favorites to represent the East in the Finals. By the time Game 5 in the Cleveland series rolled around, the Celtics looked much stronger than they had at a comparable point in their 2008 title run when looking at playoff results only.

Yes, the Celtics were downright awful at points in the regular season. They seemed to not like to play together and had a knack for blowing leads. Yet, they still won 50 games and were on course to be a juggernaut by Christmas. That total is just seven (or four) less than the team they will be playing in the Finals. The 2001 Lakers, who most regard as the best playoff team of the last 10 years, if not the best team overall, were just six wins better that year than the Celtics.

What should make the Celtics' run to the Finals less of a surprise than has been perceived in some circles is that this season has been a more parity-oriented season regarding many playoff teams. Cleveland's 61 wins were the lowest to lead the league since 2004, and in only three of the last 28 full seasons has the best record had as low a win total as in 2010. The top four teams in the East were practically a given from the first month of the season on, with a clear demarcation developing between one-two and three-four later in the season.

The West saw all the playoff teams play with seven games of each other, and all with 50 wins or above. Mind you, one would think that these factors should have led to longer series and more than one overtime game in the entire playoffs, but it helps to explain why conditions may have been better for a four-seed to advance to the Finals this season.

It would be a gross oversimplification to say that regular seasons don't matter at all. But if your core nucleus has had as many recent problems with injuries as the Celtics, and that same group has been to the top of the mountain, that group can be forgiven for not going after the 1996 Bulls if it so chooses.

The Celtics' collective experience is such that of the 12 players who have played playoff minutes this spring, only bit players Marquis Daniels, Nate Robinson and Shelden Williams don't have championship rings. Only two players on the Cavs (one, ironically enough, was former Celtic Leon Powe) and one on the Magic possess the jewelry that nine Celtics have.

One of the players that won a championship in 2008, Rajon Rondo, was, for lack of a better word, green two years ago. The question was asked if then second-year Rondo could possibly distribute the ball to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen well enough to deliver the Celtics a championship. The answer was obviously yes. It would be a better question in 2010 to ask if Garnett, Pierce, and Allen can adequately augment Rondo well enough to give the Celtics four more wins and another Larry O'Brien Trophy.

It's been written and said many times, and will be written and said during the Finals, but it bears reminding that without the Celtics' general acceptance of Rondo being the team leader, the much-predicted second round exit to the Cavs would have surely been a reality. Furthermore, Rondo's 29-18-13 in Game 4 of the Cleveland series was one of the best all-around playoff performances by a point guard in the last 10 years, and maybe even the last 25, since Magic Johnson was at his peak. It's amazing to see Rondo's development from a player that never looked like dominating in college at Kentucky to a top-three point guard in the NBA.

It would be easy to discount the latter part of Boston's series against Orlando after the Celtics lost Games 4 and 5 to let the Magic back into the series after being down 3-0, something that had never been done in Celtics history. However, Orlando being down 3-0 was a product of the Celtics' taking Games 1 and 2 on the road, something that had never been done in Celtics history in a seven-game series.

The Celtics' run to the NBA Finals has not been typical of a conference champion by any means. Once the team found its groove in the Miami and Cleveland series, though, it looked like having every chance of playing into June and coming home with another trophy.

Posted by Ross Lancaster at 2:16 PM | Comments (1)

May 28, 2010

Secrets of the 2010 NFL Season

* After an offseason on the celebrity circuit, Terrell Owens greets August with few teams vying for his services. With last year's successful The T.O. Show under his belt, Owens looks to expand his range and exposure, and wholeheartedly devotes his time studying for the lead role in Tyler Perry's new project, Madea Whore.

* Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, the overall No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, opens the season as the St. Louis Rams starting quarterback against Arizona in week 1. Despite a miserable preseason behind the Rams woeful offensive line, in which he throws nine interceptions and is sacked 12 times in four games. Despite his troubles, Bradford, an official citizen of the Cherokee Nation, exudes confidence, and even asks to be addressed by his Indian name, "Thrown to Wolves."

* Reeling from Ben Roethlisberger's suspension, the Steelers begin the year 2-4 with Byron Leftwich behind center. In Week 8 at New Orleans, a rusty Roethlisberger throws an interception in the end zone, killing a potential game-winning drive. The Saints win 26-21, and Roethlisberger, facing taunts from a raucous Superdome crowd, is escorted to the locker room by police, where he locks himself in the bathroom, albeit alone.

Two weeks later at home against the Patriots, Roethlisberger throws for 401 yards and 5 touchdowns, out-dueling Tom Brady in a 37-35 Steeler win. Pittsburgh goes 9-7 and misses the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

* Minnesota's Jared Allen leads the NFL with 15 sacks, and teammate Ray Edwards records 11½, making the Vikings' end duo the most dangerous, statistically, in the league. Allen's first sack comes in the first quarter of the NFL's Thursday night opener in the Superdome, when he takes down the Saints' Drew Brees. After the sack, Allen debuts his new sack celebration, in which he draws a cigarette lighter from his sock and holds it high in the air, as one would at a rock concert.

Allen is flagged for using a prop in a celebration, and his action lands on the desk of Roger Goodell, and soon finds its way into comedian Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck..." bit.

* After finding success as a reality t.v. personality on Dancing With the Stars, Cincinnati's Chad Ochocinco pushes a new show to producers of VH1. The show, featuring the exploits of Ochocinco and new Bengals teammate Pacman Jones, entitled 'Cinco and the 'Man, is accepted, and episode one debuts on August 1st to a huge audience. In the initial episode, in which Ochocinco accompanies Jones to a Cincinnati strip club, Jones sits quietly at the bar while Ochocinco displays some pole dancing maneuvers that would make a sailor blush.

Jones contributes immediately to the Bengals cause, returning two punts for touchdowns in Cincinnati's first three games, including an 85-yard scoring jaunt against the Ravens in Week 2. "Pacman Fever" grips the city, which, ironically, coincides with a city-wide crime wave.

* Running back LenDale White, lured to the Seahawks by college coach Pete Carroll and the promise of a cheeseburger-flavored mouthpiece, enjoys a fruitful year in Seattle. White rushes for 936 yards and 12 scores, and creates a sensation with his touchdown celebration, a variation of Pee Wee Herman's famous "Tequila!" dance from Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

White credits the reclamation of his previous form to the return of tequila to his diet, a regimen which returned him to his hefty 2008 playing weight of 260 pounds and earned him the nickname "Chunk Wagon."

* After Darnell Dockett's live online shower scene creates a stir in May, Arizona teammate Matt Leinart raises the bar when he broadcasts, live on YouTube, his own shower, where he is joined by 14 gorgeous babes. Leinart casually gives running commentary, and explains that the last time this happened, he "decided to commit to USC."

Soon after, Leinart is summoned to the office of Commissioner Roger Goodell, who admonishes the Arizona quarterback and advises him that such continued behavior could have disastrous consequences. Leinart is suspended for four games, leaving the pass distribution to Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and Early Doucet in the hands of Derek Anderson. Leinart is unapologetic, and claims this is the first step in his goal to "live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking receiving corps."

The Cardinals finish 7-9, third in the NFC West.

* Prior to the Jets' Thanksgiving night matchup with the visiting Bengals, New York cornerback Darrelle Revis baits Chad Ochocinco, calling the Cincy star the holiday-appropriate nickname "Talk Turkey." Revis promises that if he doesn't hold Ochocinco without a reception, he'll drop the final "e" from his first name.

Ochocinco snares a meaningless four-yard reception late in the fourth quarter in a 27-10 Jets win, and Revis follows through on his bet, officially changing his name to "Darrell."

* The Giants, desperate for positive publicity in the wake of Lawrence Taylor's arrest, kick off a flurry of contests and giveaways aimed at improving the Giants' sullied image. One promotion backfires when their offer of free tickets to any 16-year-old runaway causes a public outcry from community leaders.

The situation is exacerbated when 22-year-old wide receiver Hakeem Nicks enters into a relationship with 51-year-old former Runaway Joan Jett.

The G-Men ride a high-powered passing game, led by a blissful Nicks, to a 11-5 record and an NFC wild card berth.

* In the Redskins' season opener against the Cowboys at FedEx Field, Donovan McNabb's first pass as a Redskin finds a streaking Santana Moss down the left sideline. Moss slips one tackle, and dashes untouched for a 75-yard touchdown. As the play unfolds, an excited McNabb races the length of the field to celebrate, but collapses in a heap at the five-yard line, where he vomits.

After a lengthy consultation, officials toss a yellow flag, nullifying the score, and announce a penalty on McNabb, who becomes the first offensive player flagged for violating the five-yard chuck rule.

* Houston linebacker Brian Cushing, suspended for the season's first four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, faces severe backlash when the Texans visit Indianapolis on November 1st on Monday Night Football. There, Colts fans ridicule last year's Rookie of the Year with signs hailing Cushing as the NFL's "R-O-Y-(D)."

One creative third-grader, the winner of a local contest for best sign, proudly displays an image of Cushing adorned with glitter and sparkly jewels with the caption, "Performance Enhanced? No, Performance Bedazzled!"

Cushing survives a tough year, fighting through a slow start to finish strongly, in part due to a powerful spiritual connection with fellow Texan Roger Clemens.

* Tennessee running back Chris Johnson's holdout spans into August, and with a showdown with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt out of the question, the young Titans star, starved for attention, issues a challenge to Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans to see who can run away from a contract the fastest.

* Baltimore running back Ray Rice leads the AFC in rushing with 1,325 yards, and leads all running backs with 70 receptions, further solidifying his status as the team's offensive leader. It's in the AFC championship in which the symbolic "passing of the torch" occurs, when Rice, in the midst of a dominating performance against the Colts, berates the tired Ravens defense, as Ray Lewis listens, just before Peyton Manning directs the game-winning drive, giving the Colts a 41-38 win.

With Rice the team's new "leader," Lewis becomes the "second man in charge," but takes the "demotion" like a true veteran, while head coach John Harbaugh doesn't react as well to becoming "third in charge."

* Detroit rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh takes the league by storm, as his unique combination of size and quickness baffles opposing offensive linemen. In an August 28th preseason game against the Browns, Suh sacks Cleveland reserve quarterback Colt McCoy 4½ times, including one spectacular sack in which Suh tosses McCoy clear over his head, with McCoy landing on his back. Teammates and opponents alike are amazed, and wide receiver Calvin Johnson dubs the move the "Suh-Plex."

The Lions, last in the league in total defense last year, improve to 21st, and Suh easily wins the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

* The Super Bowl XLV halftime extravaganza in Dallas, featuring Lady GaGa and Adam Lambert, becomes the highest-rated Super Bowl halftime show of all-time, and the sexually-charged performances leave censors on high alert. As the two performers unite for the finale, the stage lights go out. When the lights return, viewers are greeted by a totally naked GaGa and a nude Lambert. Viewers are stunned, as the sight of two breasts easily surpasses the controversy of the Janet Jackson fiasco of 2006. But it's the sight of two penises that really sends the moment into the stratosphere of shocking TV moments.

* The Colts beat the Cowboys, 27-24, in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium, as a determined Peyton Manning throws for 285 yards and 3 touchdowns, erasing the memory of 2009's title loss to the Saints. After the game, a humbled Manning thanks his coaches, teammates, and family, and credits off-season neck surgery for alleviating a chronic "choking" problem.

* ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden is secretly filmed naked in a hotel room in New York as he prepares for the Ravens/Jets September 13th MNF opener. The grainy, poorly-lit video is posted on the internet, and is viewed 74 times on YouTube alone. When the culprit is identified in October, Gruden refuses to press charges, and instead opts to sit the amateur auteur down in a dark film room, where he meticulously grills the young man on his video decision-making thought processes, and criticizes his nasally, effeminate voice.

* Former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell finds a home in Atlanta, a spacious, four-bedroom, ranch-style mansion in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood. With his future as a viable NFL player in question, Russell is forced to downsize, and trims his bootlicking posse from 16 to three.

* In early July, Brett Favre hobbles to the podium at the Vikings Eden Prairie training facility, flanked by his wife, children, and grandchild, as well as executives from Hasbro, for two blockbuster announcements. There, he announces his intention to return for his 20th season, and heralds the introduction of Hasbro's "Operation: Favre" game, in which players use tweezers to doctor Favre's damaged body parts while simultaneously trying to read his mind.

When he takes the field on September 9 in New Orleans, Favre becomes the first grandfather to play in an NFL game. The gravity of the accomplishment is not lost on anyone, and even former NFL running back Travis Henry finds inspiration, saying "he'd love to become a grandfather." Henry, already father to 11 children, obviously misinterprets the requirements of grandfatherhood when he tells a friend "I guess I'll have to start seeing older women."

* Mark Sanchez leads the Jets to an 11-5 record and the AFC East title. Sanchez throws for 3,233 yards and doubles 2009's touchdown output from 12 to 24, while slicing his interceptions in half, from 20 to 10. However, it's one bad decision that defines Sanchez's season, a regrettable New Year's Eve sexual rendezvous with Snookie from Jersey Shore.

The hookup ends badly for both parties. Sanchez misses the Jets final regular-season game against the Bills with an undisclosed illness, rumored to be an infection, and plays miserably in their 26-16 first-round loss to San Diego in the first-round of the playoffs. The New York Post headline the following day reads "Cold Sore Leads to Eye Sore."

Tests later reveal Sanchez suffered a severe allergy to penicillin.

Snookie fades into oblivion, never to be heard from again, but gains her place in American folklore when it is rumored that she is buried under the south end zone of the New Meadowlands Stadium.

* Minnesota's Adrian Peterson leads the NFL in rushing yards, with 1,485 yards, but is again plagued by fumbling issues. Peterson's 7 lost fumbles likely cost him the league's MVP trophy, as he is narrowly beaten for the award by Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.

However, Peterson's troubles lead to a major endorsement deal to promote Lay's new entry into the pork rind market. In an offshoot of Lay's "Bet you can't eat just one" campaign, Peterson boasts, after emptying a bag, that "I bet you can't keep your hands on the pigskin."

* Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, in a September interview on The Howard Stern Show, publicly lambastes Miami general manager Jeff Ireland, who asked Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant in a pre-draft interview if his "mother is a prostitute?" Jones says such a question would be a personal affront to any young, soon-to-be-rich athlete, and the question Ireland should have asked is "Was your mother a prostitute?"

Jones continues to predict that Bryant's character issues are a thing of the past, and he foresees Bryant playing a big role in what he sees as a Super Bowl-winning year for the Cowboys. Jones even guarantees that, should the Cowboys advance to the title game, Bryant's mother will join him in his luxury suite. As the interview winds down, Stern's producers go to commercial with Supertramp's "Give aq Little Bit."

* The 49ers defeat the Broncos 23-20 in London's Wembley Stadium on October 31st, powered by receiving touchdowns from Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis.

While in England, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow takes in a cricket match at Lord's Cricket Ground. While there, Tebow is asked to launch the ceremonial first "bowl." Upon doing so, Tebow experiences an unsettling case of déjà vu when his delivery is soundly critiqued, forcing a total revamp of his bowling motion.

* Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe, who expounded in an interview with ESPN the Magazine about the act of "importing" women, follows up in an interview with FOX Sports' Jay Glazer. Bowe defends his actions, and claims most women would love the chance to be an "import-ante."

Bowe's antics off the field, and subpar on-the-field performance, lead to a public argument with head coach Todd Haley. Soon after, Bowe is "exported" to the Bears for a fifth-round pick.

The "importing" situation comes to a head prior to Arizona's November 21st visit to Arrowhead Stadium, when several Cardinals are busted by federal agents, as "importing" is in direct violation of Arizona's immigration laws.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 2:02 PM | Comments (2)

May 27, 2010

The New Rules of Being a Sports Fan

As a sports fan, I root for two schools/sports consistently: Notre Dame football and Xavier basketball. I grew up watching those teams play. Most of my all-time great sports memories are of those two schools. I'll never forget the time I spent with my dad and brothers watching those teams play year in, year out.

But I didn't go to either of those schools. And that causes a problem for dumb people.

I can't tell you how mad people get when they find out I root for other colleges more than the one I went to. They always say "where's your loyalty? You go to School A, not Notre Dame or Xavier!"

But what sort of loyalty is it to turn on a team you've rooted for over the past 18 years and jump on a new bandwagon?

If you aren't an athlete, you pick a school based on factors like atmosphere and academics, not just because they have a team you like to root for. You can root for Notre Dame football for free, you don't have to pay $95,000 a year to root for them. That's just like a really, really expensive season ticket. Similarly, no one should give a damn if you support another sports team just a little bit more than your alma mater.

If you go to a school because of a sports team dumb, you are dumb. It's that easy.

This issue came up again recently when a friend of mine at the University of Cincinnati was kicked out of the school's football stadium last month because he was wearing a shirt of a different school.

He wrote about the incident for the school paper.

If you aren't familiar with college football, UC has gone to a BCS bowl two years in a row after winning the Big East under Brian Kelly. Then, like any real coach would, Kelly left UC for his dream job of Notre Dame.

He went to get paid and UC felt used and abused. They don't get how the system works, fine. But that still doesn't make sense to ban other school's apparel from the stadium.

It's one thing for athletes, who get free gear by the box, but who cares what the students wear? Are they going to start posting a watch and monitoring the stadium 24/7? Aren't they taking that whole "we must protect this house" prophecy the Under Armour guy was talking about a little too seriously?

Or maybe it doesn't go far enough. Maybe the fashionistas at UC should detain anyone wearing another team's colors and beat them viciously with sticks.

Also, I think the football team should force anyone who wants to be in the stadium to get a haircut to look like the new head coach, Butch Jones. Finally, anyone in the stadium named Brian or Kelly should immediately be given a sack of money and transportation to a much, much nicer stadium.

Because that's how champions are made.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 9:50 PM | Comments (1)

May 26, 2010

Cherish the Parity

Imagine an NFL where the only teams to have won the Super Bowl in its 44-year history were the New York Giants (16), New York Jets (16), Buffalo Bills (10), and the Green Bay Packers (4). Would you still watch? How about if the Packers hadn't won in 20 years?

Imagine 28 franchises never having tasted victory at the end of the season. Imagine more than half of those never even really getting close. What would your reaction be if you lived in Chicago, Miami, Denver, Atlanta, or anywhere else? Would you continue cheering for your hometown team or would you give up on it all and just start cheering for somebody who was going to win in New York?

The situation I have described is nearly identical to what has faced soccer fans in Turkey.

Even if you are an extremely interested soccer fan, you probably don't know all that much about Turkey and its current predicament. You've heard of Istanbul and you know it used to be called Constantinople (thank you, They Might Be Giants). If you're a Manchester United Fan, perhaps you recall your team being defeated by the Istanbul-based Beşiktaş in Champions League play this fall.

Istanbul is Turkey's largest city with an estimated population of just under 13 million people. Istanbul is most certainly the most famous city in the country. The city borders touch both Europe and Asia divided by the stunning Bosphorus straight, but no, it is not the capital.

The capital city is Ankara. This governmental center is the second largest city, yet it has little tourism despite nearly 5 million people. It is in north-central Turkey, six hours East of Istanbul. It is the city I am currently living in.

Turkey has 18 cities with populations above 400,000 in every corner of the country, and yet the top-tiered Turkish soccer league, which has existed since 1959, had only ever crowned four champions as of 2009.

Three of the four teams that have claimed titles are Istanbul teams known as the Big Three. Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, and Beşiktaş have won 45 championships. The others had all gone to a team in Trabzon (Trabzonspor) on the Black Sea. Their last championship was won in 1984.

Only three other teams have even been the runners-up in this league.

There is no such thing as parity in Turkish football and everybody knows it. When I arrived here in the summer of 2009, everybody was interested to know who my team was, so I began to ask everyone who they cheered for and the response was always the same. Over 95% of the people I asked said their favorite team was either Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, or Beşiktaş. Not a single person said an Ankara-based team.

Needless to say, I was shocked. It was as though everybody knew these teams were the equivalent of the New York Yankees, paying for talent instead of growing it themselves and spending twice as much money as every other team in the league, but nobody cared. All they knew was that these teams won and they weren't going to waste their time cheering for teams that were inevitably going to lose.

I asked people repeatedly if they cheered for an Ankara team and they said yes, but everybody in the entire country seemed to choose one of the Big Three, then a home city team to declare allegiance to.

I don't know when this massive breach of sports etiquette was broken, but seems to be completely irreparable.

The Turkish "Super League" recently crowned its newest champion, Bursaspor (Bursa is a city of 2.5 million just South and East of Istanbul) and what happened when they ended up one point ahead of Fenerbahçe in the standings was amazing. Ankara fans turned against Fenerbahçe supporting Bursaspor, making flags and scarves that were half Bursaspor, half their favorite Ankara team. I thought perhaps this unexpected champion would help to move things towards parity in Turkish football. I'm not so sure it will.

Despite Bursaspor's victory, everybody is still claiming the Big Three as their favorite team. It is only Galatasaray and Beşiktaş fans who are on the Bursaspor bandwagon and they'll jump off just as quickly as they jumped on, even if they are from Bursa.

It is such an odd cultural shift that team allegiances are not decided by regional proximity. Where you live is by and large irrelevant to which team a person cheers for in this country. Can you imagine less than 90% the city of Green Bay cheering for any team other than the Packers, ever? No. It is unfathomable. Yet, in Ankara, if a poll were taken, Ankara teams would probably rank fourth and fifth, if not lower of which teams people cheer for. The Big Three would suck up more than 90% of the vote.

I hope for the sake of the fans that this situation and their attitudes change. How boring is it to see a league of 18 teams won by the same three teams over and over again? I don't think I could bear it.

Be thankful for the parity in American sports. Be thankful that teams seldom win more than one championship in a row. And most of all, be thankful that you (hopefully) cheer for the teams labeled with your city's name attached, whether in New York, Chicago, Oklahoma City, or Green Bay.

Posted by Andrew Jones at 2:17 PM | Comments (4)

Jose Lima, RIP: The Human Antidepressant

Of anyone who has ever played Major League Baseball, very few, in any era, have looked as though they really did play for the love of the game. We learn only when they are unable to play any longer that they really did love the game for its own sake, no matter the money, no matter the controversies.

Some love it too much to keep themselves steady. Some can't bear to let the world see anything other than the difficulty involved in playing the game, on and off the field, in the inferno of the public eye. Some get slapped down unconscionably, early enough on, that the joy gets driven to places they alone are allowed to visit, when nobody is watching, and the burdens are driven forward enough to wreak havoc more than hits and runs.

And, then there are those who don't let the smugger-than-thou contingencies — in the dugout, on the field, in the press box, in the constellations of baseball government — or their own furies compromise their love of the game. One way or another, they succeed in melting away the iciest blasts fired toward them and leave one and all laughing no matter how well they are or aren't doing on the field.

When you lose someone like that you can't explain the wrench, try though you might, even if you can say without being charged with perjury that baseball really was that much better for having him around. When you lose someone like that who made baseball that way in the middle of some of its most dubious days, someone about whom you could and did say that he was great for your team even when he couldn't hit with a garage door or find the strike zone with a compass and a guide dog, the wrench twists deeper.

Jose Lima, who died Sunday of a massive heart attack at 37, was that kind of man. Forget the birth certificate that said "Dominican Republic" — this guy was on loan from his own planet. In five decades of baseball watching I can remember nobody — not even Willie Mays, before years, betrayals, and age ground away at him — who was that ebullient even in the middle of his worst of times on the field.

It didn't matter whether he was a 20-game winner and all-star for the 1999 Houston Astros or one of the culprits behind the hapless 2005 Kansas City Royals' 19-game losing streak (Lima had lost number 19); whether he was helping to pitch the 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers to a postseason (about which more anon), or keeping it real in the middle of one final major league humiliation (an 0-4/6.00+ ERA for the 2006 New York Mets), before trying again in the Dominican and Mexican leagues until last year). Jose Lima was a human antidepressant.

In his Astros days, Lima was said to have roomed on the road with a fellow Latino who was so homesick he had decided he would play ball just long enough to build a lifetime's security for the wife and family he missed so desperately, and that was that. Then he got Lima for a roommate and cab sharer. Goodbye homesickness; hasta la vista, misery. There really was no crying in baseball when the clock struck Lima Time. Which was about 25 hours a day, eight days a week.

It took the Show long enough to catch on to the idea that Lima wasn't out to show anyone up on the field. Baseball was his party and he wanted one and all in on the fun, even when he was liable to beat you senseless on the mound. Even when he was in the thick of his team's postseason and working his damnedest to get them their first postseason win since they won the 1988 World Series.

The only game the 2004 Dodgers would win in that postseason was Lima's signature pitching performance. Lima may have been the only person in Dodger Stadium and on television who was not surprised that he came out to pitch the ninth, after all, notwithstanding that the intercontinental ballistic wing of the St. Louis Cardinals was due to hit.

"Every time we've needed the big win," Dodger first baseman Shawn Green said after Lima finished his rip-roaring five-hit shutout, "he's given it to us." Which was pretty good for a guy who made that club in the first place, and got tapped at first as one of the bullpen bulls, only because Paul Shuey ruptured a thumb tendon. He shook off a horrible beginning to spend at least a month surrendering no earned runs, pitching his way into the rotation, and helping turn Dodger Stadium into a party house. He made Johnny Damon's Boston Red Sox Idiots resemble a ward of clinical depressives.

Then he gave the Cardinals something to remember him by in the ninth of that division series gem, after stadium audience and television broadcasters alike took bets on whether he'd be pulled for the pen in the sixth, seventh, or eighth innings.

He gave Albert Pujols a strike, something to turn into a foul pop into the stands past first base, a waste pitch away, and something to loft to right center, high and deep enough for Milton Bradley's horse to reach in time for a catch. He gave Scott Rolen two high sliders just outside, then a fastball right down the pipe for a called strike, then nothing better to hit than a meatball with Steve Finley's name on it. And he gave Jim Edmonds a called strike on the top shelf and something worth a mere skyscraper popup to third.

Dodger Stadium itself couldn't have been having more fun than Lima. He kicked into his usual post-game, post-win routine — hugging, high-fiving, fist-pumping, skip-dancing, cheek-smooching (teammates, pitching coach, trainer, manager, whoever was available), windmilling the crowd to ramp up the racket, then crowing into the microphone of field reporter (and former Show manager) Kevin Kennedy like a kid who'd just received the keys to his own chocolate factory and a prom date with the number one dream girl in town — into ludicrous speed.

"The fans deserve this," whooped Lima, the human 'toon who'd just snuck a stick of dynamite into the opposition's evening picnic feed and slipped out of sight two seconds before it went kaboom. "I love everybody. I'm pitching with my heart because I know they deserve it."

That was then. This would have been now: Lima had opened a southern California baseball academy recently and joined the Dodgers' Alumni Association. Two days before his death he basked in a wild ovation from the Dodger Stadium faithful, when he went there with his 11-year-old son to watch a game.

As Dan Evans, the Dodger general manager who took the proverbial flyer on him for 2004, said in the shock of Sunday's news, the biggest part of Jose Lima was the part that killed him too soon. His heart.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 1:28 PM | Comments (0)

May 24, 2010

Rays Quietly Crushing Everyone

Their highest-paid player is hitting .187. Their third highest-paid player just got demoted. They can't even draw 23,000 per game.

Oh, and the cash-minting Yankees and Red Sox just can't keep up with them; they are probably the best team in baseball.

No one writes all that much about the Rays, because, lets face it, there aren't that many Rays fan to read it; kind of a tree-falls-in-the-forest-but-no-one-hears-it conundrum. (Seriously, if you are a Rays fan, post in the comments section to prove your existence ... you currently fall somewhere in between the Loch Ness Monster and intellectually stimulating Jersey Shore characters on my "myth-or-real" spectrum.)

But this team isn't going away. At 20 games over .500, the Rays are tied for the fourth-best start in the AL since the 1961 expansion.

Will they finish the year ahead of the Yankees in the standings? Maybe. Not a lot of offenses can compete with the star power of the Yankees, who lead the league in runs, OBP, and OPS, despite losing their starting CF (and most expensive offensive acquisition this past offseason) and DH to injuries. Nick Swisher (hitting .299 with 7 homers) in the six-hole on a banged up lineup is not too shabby.

But the Rays have found a way to create even more separation between themselves and the Yankees — along with the rest of baseball — on the other side of the equation. An offense doesn't have to be that great to win a lot of games when the other team's offense scores 3.14 runs per game on your pitching staff.

The Rays have gotten outstanding efforts from each starter in its staff and consistent relief pitching. There are zero holes on this staff or bullpen. With Matt Garza and David Price leading the way, the pitchers have a combined 2.80 ERA. Only the Giants can match their opponents batting average (.225). Only the Cardinals have more quality starts (33 to 32).

But the Cardinals still run out Kyle Lohse once every five days, the Giants will at least relent with Todd Wellemeyer. The worst pitcher in the Rays' rotation is 24-year-old Wade Davis, who has the audacity to sport a 3.35 ERA. Sure, peripherals like his 1.38 WHIP belies the fact that he may be getting a bit lucky, but we're nitpicking; he's the five starter. Plus, with 14 career starts to his name, he's unlikely to have peaked. And this means the Rays have a very good chance to win every game they play, no matter who they face.

Meanwhile, somehow the Red Sox are just waking up after shuffling along through April. Apparently replacing an incredibly productive year from Jason Bay with Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre wasn't ideal for a fast start, and building your team around a star-studded pitching staff works poorly when the starters post a staff ERA of 4.84, good for 26th in baseball, just better than Washington, but just worse than Baltimore and Arizona. Paging the corpses of Josh Beckett and John Lackey.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have been good. And they may very well catch the Rays. It is only late May. But keep in mind, each of the other four AL teams that started as well as the Rays won their division. And all but the 2001 Mariners made the World Series.

So his team isn't going anywhere; we're past the fluke stage. To be fair, many predicted this team could get to the playoffs, despite the time-share that the trio of powers in the East must use for the two possible playoff spots available. But few predicted them being up six games just 44 into the season. Few predicted them being able to win just half their games from here on out and still have 92 wins.

Hint: they will win more games than that. Probably substantially more.

Evan Longoria is one of the best five to 10 hitters in the game. Carl Crawford is playing well, but not over his head. Free agent acquisition Rafael Soriano has made last year's void at closer a newfound strength. James Sheilds and Jeff Niemann add crucial starting pitching depth. Ben Zobrist, while the power he displayed last season seems to be overstated, has shown that his ability to get on base was not a mirage. And former all-star Hank Blalock has been added to an offense that could use some depth, after tearing up AAA Durham before last week's call-up.

The scary thing is that, as in their AL title run two years ago, no one on the team is really playing way beyond his potential. In other words, more players numbers (mainly on the offensive side) could easily see stats improve rather than worsen.

This team will never be as sexy as a Yankees team that spends nearly three times the money on players, or a Red Sox team not far behind. But Tampa Bay can thank shrewd use of a limited payroll (yet not quite pitiful at over $75,000,000), and even more thanks to an incredibly productive farm system (and baseball's rules allowing them to hold onto their produce for five years before having to pay market price).

So the Rays are even more attractive in the place that matters most: The W column of the standings.

Hopefully someone in the Tampa-St. Pete metro area (and maybe even a few outside it) takes the time to notice and appreciate it.

Posted by Kyle Jahner at 11:37 AM | Comments (2)

May 23, 2010

Things We've Learned From the NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs are usually generous when it comes to player meltdowns, tearing up age-old adages, and having certain teams rise to the top.

Some examples of this are Portland's team meltdown in their 2000 playoff Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the adage that teams can't win without a dominant big man was blown up by the Chicago Bulls, and the Lakers seem to be in the championship hunt every year. This year's playoffs are no different.

LeBron's Playoff Meltdown

LeBron James had a playoff meltdown on the court against the Celtics, but took it one step further giving Cleveland fans a chance to have one of their own off of the court. James' reputation has suffered as a result of his comments, but in retrospect, what he said is even more outrageous in the context of Cleveland sports history.

James told ESPN.com, "I spoil a lot of people with my play," after being asked about Cleveland fans booing him during the 120-88 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Cavaliers and Celtics series. James went on to say, "When you have a bad game here or there, you've had three bad games in a seven-year career, then it's easy to point that out."

Are Cleveland fans spoiled with regards to LeBron's greatness when compared to other eras of Cleveland teams, or has the ESPN/Nike/James marketing machine pulled one over on Cleveland? The way ESPN/Nike/James would have us understand it, we are "witnessing" not only the next one, but also the greatest one, and certainly the man who has saved Cleveland.

If LeBron leaves Cleveland, he will have contributed zero championships to a city's sports history that hasn't seen a championship since the 1964 Cleveland Browns. The NBA's supposed greatest player on the NBA's best regular season team in 2010 has as many rings as the 1965-2009 Cleveland Browns and 1949-2009 Cleveland Indians. It should be noted, his Cavalier teams have as many rings as every other Cavalier team to ever play. That magical number of rings is zero. Wow, he has spoiled Cleveland fans just like the Browns, Indians, and previous Cavaliers teams have for many years.

If a mere three bad games nets a franchise zero rings in seven years, then Cleveland fans may want to opt for the many bad games Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan have had to go along with their multiple rings.

The Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James have a 61% winning percentage in the regular season and have made the playoffs five of his seven years, with one NBA Finals appearance. The Cleveland Indians from 1995 through 2001 (a seven-year period) made the playoffs six of seven years, with two World Series appearances. The Cleveland Browns from 1946 through 1955 won 83% of their games and seven championships. In the grand scheme of the Cleveland sports scene, LeBron really hasn't spoiled anyone.

If LeBron decides to leave Cleveland, his passage in Cleveland sports history will have the word spoiled in it, but it won't be for spoiling Cavaliers fans with championships.

Coaches Making a Difference

The age-old adage of coaching not making a difference has been blown up this year. Coaching in the NBA can make a difference. For years, it has been thought that the NBA was primarily a players' league. The play on the court just happened and the coaches took their seat and, like the fans, enjoyed the game. Many credited Phil Jackson's rings to having the best players in the league, namely Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Michael Jordan.

The 2009-2010 NBA playoffs have taught fans otherwise. The Denver Nuggets were surging heading into the playoffs and many predicted they would challenge or overcome the Lakers. But George Karl tragically became ill and the Nuggets never recovered.

Gregg Popovich coached a San Antonio Spurs team that looked too old and too tired to compete to a first round win against the Dallas Mavericks. Popovich called his team "dogs" and the Spurs advanced.

The Spurs were then beaten by an Alvin Gentry-coached team. Alvin Gentry, at first glance, may not seem to be a coach who should be mentioned among the game's greats, but his resume says otherwise.

Gentry has been coaching for 30 years, including 21 seasons in the NBA. He was an assistant for 16 years. He spent nine years under Larry Brown, Kevin Loughery, and Doug Collins, who have combined for 1,800 NBA victories. Gentry has added defense to a potent offense and has brought balance to a Suns team that lacked it.

Meanwhile, Phil Jackson is once again going deep into the NBA Finals with a team that was not supposed to be able to overcome Kevin Durant's explosiveness, an aging superstar in Bryant, and a free agent in Ron Artest that hasn't dominated as many thought he might.

But Mike Brown is perhaps the best example of a coach making a difference. Unfortunately for Cleveland Cavaliers fans, he has been out-coached. The Cavaliers' second-round ouster seems to be credited to one of three happenings: LeBron not having a supporting cast, LeBron having one of his three bad games in seven years, or Mike Brown unable to make adjustments as the series progressed.

Business as Usual

Certain teams always seem to be in the playoff hunt. Boston and Los Angeles are once again the center of the basketball universe. Los Angeles was supposed to have a thin bench and Boston was too old. But as it turns out, the Lakers' bench is just fine and Boston is now not old, but a veteran team with championship experience. Boston not only has a little left in the tank, but Rajon Rondo is suddenly an endless supply of Celtic energy.

The Orlando Magic appeared dominant on their way to the conference finals, dispatching Charlotte and Atlanta while winning eight straight. Charlotte and Atlanta apparently weren't as good as they appeared, which doesn't say much, and having an easy path to the conference finals sometimes does more harm than good when trying to win an NBA championship.

The Magic are now down 3-0 after losing two games at home and one at the TD Garden. Paul Pierce has implied he is not making a return reservation to the greater Orlando area and Boston's big three are getting playoff contributions from the largely regular season absent Rasheed Wallace and the newest NBA "it" player, Rajon Rondo.

Phoenix, meanwhile, has had more luck battling Arizona immigration laws with its Los Suns uniforms and Phil Jackson comments about Steve Nash carrying the ball. The Suns wore their Los Suns uniforms to protest Arizona's immigration laws and were supported by many inside and outside the NBA family.

Jackson was asked if it was tough to prepare for Nash and Jackson said, "yeah, because you can't carry the ball like he does in practice." Steve Nash replied, "I've never heard anyone accuse me of carrying it. I mean, the best coach in the league Gregg Popovich (of San Antonio) didn't have a problem with it last week." While Steve Nash was applauded for taking on Phil Jackson, unfortunately Jackson isn't on the floor and, in retrospect, maybe Phil's mind games again worked.

If the Suns want to get back in the series, they will need to battle more on the court than off the court, because Celtics vs. Lakers suddenly looks inevitable. A Magic vs. Suns matchup or any other combination probably doesn't have as much appeal anyway.

The NBA playoffs have yielded many lessons to basketball fans this year. Boston and Los Angeles have franchises that know how to win, coaches can make a difference, and Cleveland sports fans may not be as spoiled as someone thinks they are.

Posted by Vito Curcuru at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2010

A Great Basketball Caper

Danny Wright has a big heart. He believes in helping his students and will go to pretty remarkable lengths to do so.

Wright is the boys' basketball coach at Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. If one of his players finds themselves in an untenable living situation, he will take them in and make them a part of his family. He's done it before, and he'll do it again.

And he did it for Jerry Joseph, a young star on his team. Joseph arrived from Haiti not too long ago, and had been staying with his cousin Jabari Caldwell, a player at the nearby college (Texas-Permian Basin).

But then Caldwell moved to Florida and Joseph wanted to stay with his team at Permian. Wright opened his doors to him.

Joseph's stay with the Wrights was unremarkable. He was not a bad kid and not a disciplinary case.

He was a good basketball player, though, perhaps surprisingly polished for a kid not long removed from Haiti. Just a sophomore, he was a big factor in Permian's run to a fourth-place finish in the district.

These kids live, breathe, and eat basketball. Remember my story last week, with Michael Loyd playing a pickup game on the very campus where he was kicked off the team, the very day after being kicked off?

So it was with Joseph. In the offseason, he found an AAU team to join, the New Mexico Force.

AAU tournaments are a good way for high school students to showcase their skills for recruiters, and so perhaps Joseph, only a sophomore, wanted to put himself on the radar of some college coaches. He accompanied the Force in April to the Real Deal in the Rock, an AAU tournament in Little Rock, Arkansas that draws teams from across the nation.

Another school at the tournament was the South Florida Elite. Some of the South Florida coaches — Louis Vives and Cedric Smith — happened to catch a Force game. Vives did a double take when he saw Joseph, but it wasn't because of his basketball skill.

"It’s been difficult, but I knew what I saw," Vives told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. "I knew I wasn’t going crazy, but everyone had me doubting myself. It’s been difficult, my wife even thought I was going crazy. I was losing sleep, questioning myself, was I right, was I wrong?"

Vives was certain of what he saw. He decided it was only fair, only right, that he do something. He confronted Joseph. Joseph rebuked his accusations.

Officials at Permian High started to receive anonymous e-mails telling them to look closer at this Joseph kid on April 27th. Government agencies got involved.

Finally, on May 11th, Joseph was arrested for presenting false information to a peace officer. He was bonded out anonymously. Two days later, Joseph was back in jail, having turned himself in the more serious charge of tampering with governmental records. Again, he was bonded out by an unknown source.

Joseph is actually Guerdwich Montimere, a 22-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen who graduated from high school in Florida in 2007 and then played some junior college basketball in Illinois. Jabbari Caldwell was his teammate in high school.

Mortimere is now back in jail a third time. Part of pretending you are a high school kid is having a girlfriend. And Mortimere did, a 15-year-old he allegedly had sex with. If the sexual assault charges stick, he will face 30 years in prison.

Impostors in sports are not new. In 1996, Ali Dia, a Senegalese semi-pro soccer player who failed to break into the lower leagues in Europe, had his agent call the manager at Southampthon, Graeme Souness, in England's Premier League pretending to be Liberian soccer great George Weah. The caller said that Dia was his cousin with top-flight experience in France and international appearances for Liberia.

Souness signed Dia and brought him on to play without even seeing him practice. Dia was clearly in way over his head and had to be substituted out after coming in as a substitute himself. As a teammate said, "He was unbelievable. He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice, it was very very embarrassing to watch."

But it's rare for someone would take on an entire new identity, a new life, for this reason. Maybe Mortimere had deeper reasons. Maybe there is some mental illness at play. Whatever motivated him, he has a lot in common with Frederic Bourdin, another person who pretended to be a Texas teenager (note: the article is long, but one of the most memorable pieces of journalism I have ever read).

This is all cold comfort for Danny Wright and his team, who had their wins forfeited through no fault of their own. But it's not going to stop Wright from doing the same thing again.

"I got burnt. I hate that I did, but I will say this. I won’t stop advocating kids or loving kids or believing in kids."

Posted by Kevin Beane at 11:14 AM | Comments (1)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 12

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Busch — Busch won the Autism 400 at Dover, his second win in the last three races, out-dueling Jimmie Johnson with help from a pit road speeding penalty that derailed Johnson's quest for three Diver triumphs in a row. Busch also won Saturday's Nationwide Heluva Good! 200, and only a shortage of fuel prevented him from taking the Camping World Dover 200.

"Call me the 'Triple Threat," Busch said. "Call Denny Hamlin the 'Cripple Threat.' Call Joey Logano 'Joey.'"

"While Johnson was clearly dominating the race, he obviously knew that I had the car to take by force what was rightly his. So, in leaving the pits too fast, he was guilty of 'speeding to elude a wrest.'"

"I realize Johnson is habitually dominant at Dover and has won the last two races there. Months from now, people will look back at this race as the beginning of the end of Johnson's reign, a changing of the guard, if you will. That can't make Johnson happy. As far as I'm concerned, he has no choice but to 'been' Dover and take it."

2. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin continued his hot streak, finishing fourth at Dover for his fifth top-five result in the last seven races. Hamlin and teammate Kyle Busch, who won at Dover, are clicking, and Joe Gibbs Racing has arguably supplanted Hendrick Motorsports as NASCAR's top team.

"There's a new sheriff in town," Hamlin said, "and I believe he just served Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson with papers indicating that the court needs their depositions for the Jeremy Mayfield/NASCAR case. It can't be a coincidence that JGR served notice that it's now the top dog of racing teams. In both cases, the Hendrick boys got 'deposed.'"

"Joe Gibbs Racing has its eyes on the Sprint Cup championship. Between the FedEx car, the Home Depot car, and the M&Ms car, the delivery of the hardware is in the bag."

3. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson, who swept the two Sprint Cup races at Dover last year, led 225 of 401 laps on Sunday, but his drive for three in a row was derailed by a speeding penalty exiting on the race's final pit stops. Johnson was hit with a drive-through penalty, fell a lap down, and finished a disappointing 16th.

"What's the difference in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy and the No. 37 Extenze Ford?" Johnson asked. "One was done in by NASCAR's penal code, while the other carries the banner for a sponsor's penile code. With the penalty, I saw my chance for the win dwindle. Under a strict regimen of Extenze, you may see results. So, in both instances, 'petered out' would describe the outcome."

"How fitting is it that in the same week I'm subpoenaed to give a deposition in Jeremy Mayfield's case against NASCAR, I get busted for 'speed?' And isn't it just as becoming that I appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to highlight the perils of distracted driving, then days later I make a careless error at Dover that may have cost me the win?"

"I knew that beating Busch out of the pits would be critical. My recent slump has left people questioning my greatness, so I wanted this win badly. In my haste, I was too fast leaving. Usually, it's the other way around, but this time, 'hunger' led to 'fasting.'"

"Don't be mistaken. The No. 48 Lowe's team has its mojo back, just in time for the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. If I can mark my territory as well as you can mark my words, then a win in Charlotte can be expected."

4. Kevin Harvick — Harvick posted his series-best ninth top-10 result of the year at Dover, charging from a qualifying effort of 30th to finish seventh in the Autism Speaks 400. Harvick continues to lead the point standings, and now has a 69-point lead on Kyle Busch, who rose from third to second.

"Dover is a lot like Carl Edwards," Harvick said. "It's never been one of my favorites. That's why a seventh there feels almost like a victory. Traditionally, Dover's been a thorn in my side. Personally, 'Miles the Monster' rubs me the wrong way, which goes to show I can dislike fictional characters just as much as real people."

5. Jeff Gordon — Gordon struggled with handling issues all day at Dover, unable to find the necessary balance to successfully navigate the "Monster Mile" with the speed to win. Despite his problems, Gordon managed to finish 11th, but dropped from fourth to sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, where he trails Kevin Harvick by 163.

"I can certainly sympathize with what Jimmie Johnson must be feeling," Gordon said. "I've seen my share of victories slip away, and the frustration of those missed opportunities has me on the verge of 'losing' it."

"That speeding penalty really has to be bothering Johnson, despite his impressive display of composure. He was timed by NASCAR a mere .09 over the limit, an advantage that translates to nothing more than a few yards. There's a fine line between the 'thrill of victory' and the 'agony of 'da feet.'"

6. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth scored his fourth top-five finish of the year, and first since Bristol, with a third in the Autism Speaks 400. Always a force at Dover, Kenseth steadily worked his way from the 21st qualifying position, and led 15 laps as Roush Fenway Racing placed three cars in the top 10. Kenseth moved up two spots in the point standings to third, and trails Kevin Harvick by 126.

"We are well aware that a Ford has yet to visit victory lane this year," Kenseth said. "Our cars may be built 'Ford tough,' but as far as winning a race, it's a case of 'Ford? Tough!'"

"My third place finish ends a run of two-straight disappointing 13th-place finishes, both of which came on a Saturday. The No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford ran solidly all day; Sunday in Dover brought relief, a 'Black Sabbath,' if you will. And speaking of 'Black Sabbath,' let's all pay our respects to Ronnie James Dio, one of Sabbath's former lead singers, who recently passed away. Incidentally, the chances of a Roush Fenway car winning a race are about as good as seeing a 'Rainbow in the Dark.'"

7. Jeff Burton — Burton charged to a second-place finish in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover, chasing Kyle Busch to the line after Jimmie Johnson's bid for the win was squelched by a pit road speeding penalty. Burton grabbed his third-straight top-10 finish and fifth of the year, and improved one spot to eighth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 199 out of first.

"As the saying goes," Burton said, "'One man's misfortune is another man's gain.' In layman's terms, Johnson's mistake allowed the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy to luck into 'sloppy seconds.'"

8. Greg Biffle — Biffle posted his first top-10 finish in six races with a hard-earned sixth in the Autism 400 at Dover. It was his eighth top 10 of the year, second only to Kevin Harvick's nine, and kept him planted firmly at seventh in the point standings, 187 out of first.

"Our consistency should be admired," Biffle said. "We've become a fixture in the Sprint Cup point standings, usually somewhere between the fourth through ninth positions. Of course, I don't have a single victory. So my supporters and my detractors are left with a common refrain: 'Biffle's not going anywhere.'"

9. Carl Edwards — Edwards fell a lap down midway through the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover, but recovered to finish with a solid eighth, joining Roush Fenway teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle in the top 10. Edwards advanced one spot in the points to 10th, and is 53 ahead of 12th.

"As a former winner at Dover," Edwards said, "I know what it takes to conquer the 'Monster Mile.' Unfortunately, this year, I don't have what it takes."

"I can't blame it all on Ford's inferiority; my driving record isn't exactly spotless. I can put a car in the air, but I can't put one in Victory Lane. With Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing monopolizing most of the wins, Jack Roush can't be happy. The No. 99 Aflac Ford promotes the 'KnowQuack.com website, and if Roush fails to win a race, you can expect an even greater number of hits on the site 'NoJack.com.'"

10. Kurt Busch — Busch blew the right front tire of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge on lap 286, and eventually finished 19th at Dover, two laps down. He dropped one spot to ninth in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Kevin Harvick by 237.

"My brother Kyle stared into the eyes of the four-time defending champion," Busch said, "and the champ blinked. Apparently, you can be nailed by NASCAR for speeding in 'the blink of an eye.'"

"Anyway, Kyle has positioned himself as a contender for the Sprint Cup championship. I'm pulling for him. For years, people have questioned our guts. But if Kyle wins, there will be two titles in the Busch family. Then no one will be able to doubt the fortitude of our 'family jewels.'"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2010

Bud Selig Gets it Wrong Again

Major League Baseball's Bud Selig has long been the most tone-deaf commissioner in major North American sports (sorry, Gary Bettman). His reign has been far from a total failure, and he has legitimate successes to point to, but he also has The Steroid Era, contraction, the 1994 player strike, the 2002 All-Star Game, and any number of less serious stains on his résumé.

The latest entry in the log probably belongs in that "less serious" category — at least from a baseball business standpoint — but it's a perfect illustration of all the ways in which Selig is a lousy commissioner. MLB's 2011 All-Star Game is scheduled to be played in Arizona, where a new immigration law that has been widely described as "draconian" (S.B. 1070) has prompted vocal condemnation from players and coaches, including a statement from the players' union condemning the new law.

MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner said Arizona's law "could have a negative impact on hundreds of major league players who are citizens of countries other than the United States." Ozzie Guillen said he wouldn't participate if the game stays in Arizona. So did all-star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Speculation is that other Hispanic players and coaches might do the same. When Dan Patrick asked Angels outfielder Torii Hunter if the All-Star Game might be in jeopardy because of Latin players staying away, Hunter answered, "Spring training could be in jeopardy," since many teams hold spring training in the state.

Players and officials in other leagues have already taken action against the new policy. The NBA Players Association "strongly supports the repeal or immediate modification of [S.B. 1070]." Billy Hunter, the Executive Director of the NBPA, called it "incompatible with basic notions of fairness and equal protection". The World Boxing Council was even more stern in its condemnation of the new legislation, calling it "shameful, inhumane, and discriminatory". The WBC put its money where its mouth is, agreeing unanimously not to authorize Mexican boxers to compete in Arizona.

Perhaps most notably, the NBA's Phoenix Suns wore their "Los Suns" jerseys on Cinco de Mayo to show support for Arizona's hispanic community and to indicate their opposition to S.B. 1070. Two-time league MVP Steve Nash called the law "very misguided," adding, "Our Latino community here is very strong and important to us." The San Antonio Spurs were similarly supportive, and tried to wear their own "Los Spurs" jerseys for the same game, though it proved too late to do so.

Obviously, the new law boasts supporters as well as detractors, but it disproportionately affects athletes and sports fans. Twenty years ago, the NFL moved Super Bowl XXVII from Arizona to California after the state chose not to recognize Martin Luther King Day. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue recognized that more than half of the league was African-American: "Many of our players regard Martin Luther King as a role model. We're encouraging them to be role models, and I think it would be unfair to ask them to go play their championship game in that state."

Nearly a third of MLB rosters are comprised of Hispanics. In the minors, it's closer to half. Selig, unlike Tagliabue, is hoping no one will notice if he does nothing. He even issued a statement that was at once snide, self-righteous, and defensive: "Apparently all the people around and in minority communities think we're doing okay. That's the issue, and that's the answer. I told the clubs today: 'Be proud of what we've done.' They are. We should. And that's our answer. We control our own fate, and we've done very well."

That's classic Bud Selig. You don't have to disagree with Arizona's law to recognize that Selig is falling into the same pattern that's gotten him into trouble so many times before. Keeping the game in Arizona and hoping the problem goes away is the most conservative position he could have taken. I don't mean 'conservative' in the political sense, as contrasted with 'liberal' or 'progressive;' I mean conservative as the opposite of bold, daring, decisive, proactive. Selig isn't a leader; he's a suit. Even from a pure business standpoint, I don't see the logic in Selig's position. He has a better chance of growing the game by reaching out to Hispanics than catering to anti-immigration hard-liners.

Proponents of the Arizona law claim it's inappropriate for a sports league to take sides in a political issue. Nonsense. Sports and politics have a long history: Muhammad Ali, Roberto Clemente, Billie Jean King, South Africa's ban on Olympic participation during apartheid, the boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow ... the list goes on, highlighted by a moment in MLB's own history. In 1947, the Dodgers moved their spring training from Florida because Jackie Robinson faced harassment there.

The Olympic ban on South Africa was an overtly political decision with clear moral high ground. Boycotts and divestment are powerful tools, and played a substantial role in bringing change to South Africa. Arizona voters approved recognition of the MLK holiday almost immediately after Tagliabue and the NFL moved the Super Bowl. Last year's MLB All-Star weekend yielded an estimated $60 million for host city St. Louis. That's the kind of money a state really doesn't want to pass up.

Some opposition to the proposed boycotts comes from people who fail to grasp the most basic tenets of economics, complaining that in a weak economy, a boycott would be too damaging financially. That's a flawed argument on several levels. First of all, we don't do the right thing only when it's convenient. Truth be told, a period of financial instability is the ideal time for a boycott, because that's when it creates the most pressure. And the aggrieved party can end the boycott at any time by changing its behavior.

Furthermore, if MLB takes its multi-million-dollar show to another state, it will boost the economy of California, or Ohio, or Texas instead. Moving the All-Star Game wouldn't remove the boost to economy, it would simply transfer it to another part of the country. Arizona is hardly the only place that could use $60 million.

But that's beside the point. The issue here is Selig: an uninspiring, uninspired, and unfailingly tone-deaf commissioner, who wouldn't recognize an opportunity for bold leadership if it stepped on his foot. When it became obvious that steroid use was a problem in baseball, Selig could've stormed the ramparts to push for changes in the league's policy, or at least made sure people knew where he stood by openly acknowledging the problem. Instead, he spent years denying the obvious and defending MLB's standards. When the '02 All-Star Game ran out of players, Selig could have reacted the same way as his sport's fans, with outrage. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and effectively gave us a "What can you do?" His bold leadership involved tying homefield advantage in the World Series to the All-Star Game.

Today, Selig has an opportunity to not only do the right thing, but also the smart thing. Today, Selig has an opportunity to grow baseball's international popularity, and to recognize that his sport's fan base is increasingly dependent on the group most likely to be negatively affected by the Arizona legislation. Today, Selig has an opportunity to stand with the people from whom he earns his living. Since that '02 All-Star debacle, MLB has named 16 league MVPs, half of them Hispanic.

Instead, he has chosen to do nothing, burying his head in the sand and hoping the issue goes away. It's familiar ground for a man who is so used to not acting that he can't seem to recognize that sometimes risks bring rewards. If ever a languid, unhip sport had a fitting head, surely Selig and baseball fit the bill. The game deserves better, and so do its players and fans.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 3:55 PM | Comments (3)

May 18, 2010

Rise of a New Big Red Machine? Not So Fast

When the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Sunday to push the Cardinals out of first place in the NL Central for the first time since July 31, 2009, it was cause for celebration at Great American Ball Park.

After years of futility, not having won the Central since 1995, it's finally the Reds looking down on the rest of the pack. They've got exciting young stars on offense and on the pitching staff, a general manager who knows what he's doing, and a division lacking a dominant power (as yet).

But does this mean Cincinnati has finally arrived, or are they merely enjoying a vacation in the penthouse while St. Louis figures itself out?

Let's just say Reds fans shouldn't go canceling those October vacation plans just yet.

The Reds do have quite a bit going for them. In Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, and Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati has the core of a pretty good lineup. Add in a resurgent Scott Rolen and the eternally-consistent Orlando Cabrera providing veteran leadership, and this is a team that can swing the bats and play some good defense.

Pitching-wise, GM Walt Jocketty has to be concerned with his two most established starters, Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, carrying 6.02 and 4.78 ERAs, respectively. But 24-year-old Johnny Cueto has allowed just 1 earned run while striking out 15 in his last 15 innings in consecutive wins over the Pirates and Brewers. And there is more help on the way with 2008 all-star Edinson Volquez (serving concurrent terms for Tommy John surgery and a PEDs suspension) and Cuban import Aroldis Chapman both expected to join the club this summer. So there is a lot there to build on with the Reds.

But Cincinnati fans would do well to remember the road to winning a division requires a lot more than touching first by a half game in mid-May.

Now it's anybody's guess why Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday can't hit with runners in scoring position (.170) and why Albert Pujols' strikeout rate has gone from a career 8.9 k/ab to 5.9 k/ab in 2010. (In an effort to jumpstart the two, Tony La Russa flipped them in the order on Monday night.) But it's worth noting that Holliday was only hitting .267 with 4 homers this time last year in Oakland. And Pujols is still hitting .324 with a .427 OBP, 8 home runs, and 29 RBI, not too shabby for a guy in a prolonged slump.

The St. Louis pitching staff has posted a major league-high 31 quality starts and only San Diego and Tampa Bay have lower team ERAs than the Cardinals. Lefty Jaime Garcia is a legitimate candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year Award (which Jason Heyward has not yet won, contrary to what you might have heard). David Freese looks to have been a real find at third (not bad for a washed-up Jim Edmonds). And catcher Yadier Molina is now the unquestioned king of Molinas (take that Jose!).

When you stack the rosters of the Reds and Cardinals, it's no contest. St. Louis has the better lineup (Brendan Ryan notwithstanding) and far better pitching (Kyle Lohse notwithstanding). And anybody who would take Dusty Baker over La Russa is just plain nuts.

Of course, putting it all together is another matter. Holliday needs to get his head straight. Pujols needs to stop expanding the zone. And Brendan Ryan desperately needs to re-grow the mustache from last year.

So it's the Reds' division now. How long they can hold it will largely depend on whether St. Louis ever realizes how good they're supposed to be.

Given the Cardinals' track record of success, Cincinnati fans should enjoy it all now, because this whole "first-place Reds" thing isn't likely to last long.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 1:22 PM | Comments (4)

NHL Playoffs Review and Predictions

The eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens shocked hockey fans throughout the world (even ones in Montreal) by defeating the heavily favored Washington Capitals in a seven-game series that saw the second consecutive Presidents' Trophy winner sent home before May began.

Then the Habs decided that wasn't enough and defeated the not quite as heavily favored, yet defending champion, Pittsburgh Penguins in another seven-game thriller.

Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded Philadelphia Flyers had their own shocking conference quarterfinal, swiftly defeating the New Jersey Devils in five games, then went on to beat the Boston Bruins in seven games and present the NHL with a rather odd conference final pairing.

Both the Flyers and the Canadiens did their best to not make the playoffs. Both teams narrowly made the cut above the New York Rangers and now one of them will play for Lord Stanley's most coveted prize. And it has shown us all that there is certainly parity in the NHL.

At the time this article was written, Philadelphia won the first game of the conference final by destroying the Habs 6-0. However, it appears as though those seven-game series took a toll on them. Expect the Habs to bounce back, but not completely. I think we're in for another long-haul of seven games, but the Flyers will emerge victorious.

On the other side of the continent, the Western Conference's best two teams are battling it out for the same right as the unlikely pair from the Eastern Conference. The top-seeded San Jose Sharks lost the first game of the conference final to the Chicago Blackhawks and you can expect another seven-game series here, ending with the Blackhawks heading to face the Flyers for the chance to have their names engraved into the trophy of trophies.

Expect the West to defeat the East, no matter what the outcome in the conference final matchups and expect it in six games or less.

Currently, there are 18 inter-conference games for each team. Only three teams in the East went above .500 in these matchups (Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders). In the West, only three teams were below .500 in these matchups, and not by much (Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars).

Despite the Capitals' dominance in the regular season, overall, the West is better than the East. The West is in perfect order with number one and number two facing off in the Conference Final. The East is confused with number seven and number eight playing who's the bigger Cinderella.

You may well love Cinderellas, but don't bet on either of them to take home Lord Stanley's Cup in 2010.

Posted by Andrew Jones at 1:00 PM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2010

Much Ado About No-Ring

If this basketball thing doesn't work out for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, they could probably form the world's tallest duo of magicians. How else do two humans make the NBA's conference finals disappear into thin air?

In case you've been too focused on basketball news that actually happens on the court, James and Wade are finally just weeks away from their much hyped free agencies. And with both stars now home for the remainder of the postseason, the media has completely opened the Where-To floodgates. Because after all, who cares about the most important games of this season when we can talk about what might affect next year?

In all seriousness, yes, the free agent class of 2010's final destinations are hugely relevant. The futures of at least a third of the league's franchises will swing violently based on which pieces of paper a few humans autograph. But the current coverage is madness.

The conference finals are rife with great parallel storylines. In the Western Conference, Steve Nash and the Suns, left for dead at the trading deadline, have exorcised demons of their playoffs past. In their path, Kobe Bryant continues to build his post-Shaq legacy. In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are the ones risen from the dead, as most wrote off Boston as a casualty of time's devastating erosion of talent. And like the Lakers, the Magic return to this stage with legacy and rings on their minds.

Yes, we've seen these four teams before, but that's no excuse to take them for granted. Not when the Seven Seconds or Less Era has one last shot at vindication. Not when Kobe and Phil Jackson might be making their last title push together. Not when The Big Three raise their games one last time in their brief but historic Boston run. And not when Vince Carter finds himself in position to erase so many of those doubts. All four of these teams and what their title hopes represent should rivet us as sports fans. But by the level of LeBron/Wade-mania, you wouldn't know it.

Somewhere we lost track of what is important in sports. Consider the popularity of the NFL draft and college recruiting. For all of the attention those feeder processes get, you would think first round draft picks and blue chip recruits are guaranteed success. But many ignore the ugly truth, that for all of our "who's next?" hysteria, we often miss out on the stories at hand.

Remember A-Rod's 2007 resigning during Game 4 of the World Series? Critics skewered Rodriguez for stealing the Fall Classic's thunder, but why? Sure, Rodriguez could have announced it at another time, but he didn't force anyone to care more about next year's games than a championship at hand. He simply took advantage of a situation where we as sports fans simply couldn't help ourselves. In the middle of Thanksgiving dinner, we wanted to know what was for dessert next Turkey Day.

What's especially striking about LeBron and Wade is that neither has had much to do with the NBA title over the last few seasons. For all the hype and all of the Summer of 2010 obsession, you would think we were talking about guaranteed entries to the NBA Finals.

So don't worry, LeBron and Wade will still be there come July 1st to obsess and speculate over. But if this season is any sign, they might not have anything to do with next year's NBA title, either.

Posted by Corrie Trouw at 4:10 PM | Comments (1)

What's Wrong With the Red Sox?

Perhaps for once, the Red Sox are the overlooked team in Boston at the moment. After all, the Celtics are in the Eastern Conference Finals and ahead of the powerful Orlando Magic 1-0 in their series, while the Bruins just gagged on a 3-0 series lead to Philadelphia, sparking outrage among the local hockey nuts. Many New Englanders in a baseball-mad region may not even take notice of the Red Sox' struggles. Thankfully for them, this writer has taken the time to point this out to them.

Meanwhile, the Boston team that once prevailed in a 3-0 series comeback may be an afterthought for the moment, which takes the attention off the fact that they have stumbled into fourth place in the AL East at 19-19.

The problems go back beyond the beginning of this season. Going back to 2009, the team seemed to be falling apart as they let their division lead slip away to the Yankees, along with 9 of the last 10 games against their hated rivals. The Sox had just about run out of steam heading into the playoffs where they got swept by an Angels team that could never beat them in years past.

With the Yanks taking the opening series of the season in Fenway, the Red Sox got off to a shaky 4-9 start, headlined by the Tampa Bay Rays coming into Boston to sweep all four games and establish themselves as the top team in the AL. Now after blowing a 5-run lead in Detroit and losing on a 12th inning bases loaded walk, the Red Sox find themselves behind all but Baltimore in the division. Looming ahead is a 10-game stretch in which they face the gauntlet of the Yankees, Twins, Phillies, and Rays, which threatens to bury them even deeper than the 7.5 games back they currently stand at.

The main problem for Boston is their starting pitching. While the names may be quality, the performances have not been. Most noticeably Josh Beckett, who has been rocked twice by the Yankees en route to a 7.46 ERA (oddly enough, the same figure as his Ks/9 innings). Tim Wakefield's soft-toss act hasn't been much better, sporting an 0-2 record and a 5.63 earned-run mark. Even new acquisition John Lackey has struggled with a 4.86 ERA. This leaves them with Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester as the staff anchors and the only ones with ERAs under 4.

Of course, on the other side of things, it doesn't help that David Ortiz appears to be on his last legs with a .224 average, and Victor Martinez, hired last season for his bat, is right there with him at .226. The offense has been mostly carried by the steady Dustin Pedroia and new acquisition Adrian Beltre.

Aside from the usual concerns, the Red Sox are looking up even at the surprising Toronto Blue Jays, as well. At 23-16, they seem to be doing just fine without ace Roy Halladay, and simply add to the list of roadblocks the Red Sox must cross. In the Central, the Twins and Tigers appear poised to make any kind of wild card run equally as daunting. Minnesota has quietly risen to become one of the best teams in baseball before loudly beating down the Yanks Sunday afternoon in dramatic fashion via a Jason Kubel eighth inning grand slam against closer Mariano Rivera.

But if we know anything about baseball, it's that a quirky first half can often mean little down the stretch of a pennant race. Generally the best teams — the teams everyone expect — rise to the top eventually in the second half, but there are always exceptions. The Red Sox are at a turning point. The old guard of Ortiz, Jason Varitek, and Beckett have faded into near-oblivion, while others like Pedroia, Beltre, and Buchholz are being asked to step up and carry the team. Boston has a daunting road until the end of May, and at 7.5 back in the division, the time to right the ship is now.

Posted by Bill Hazell at 1:37 PM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2010

Sports Q&A: Tased and Defused

In the span of less than a week, two Philadelphia Phillies fans ran onto the field at Citizens Bank Park, with one being subdued by use of a Taser fired by a Philadelphia policeman. Is the Taser a reasonable manner of suppressing runaway fans, or is there a better or safer way to squelch the shenanigans of rogue fans?

Of course there's a better and safer way to manage such situations, but nothing is more entertaining than witnessing the incapacitation, via the Taser, of a stupid fan who dares breach security for a jaunt on the playing field. The novelty of seeing such a fan evade a number of clumsy security guards quickly grows old. When it's time for "relief," nothing beats a Taser-toting, trigger-happy cop eager to squeeze one off. And he usually throws strikes.

The latest fence-hopper to get Tasered was Steve Consalvi, a 17-year-old maniac who, on May 3rd, ran onto the field at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. After a few victory laps, Consalvi felt the stinging wrath of the Taser, and was promptly arrested, thus becoming a hot topic in 'current' events, while earning the nickname "Stunning" Steve Consalvi.

Before his mad dash, Consalvi called his father, asking permission to run onto the field. In a perfect world, the younger Consalvi should have been Tased right then and there. What kind of pansy calls his father for permission before embarking on such a renegade, anti-comforming sprint? Any sensible kid would do that during the act.

Clearly, Consalvi's act was not a spur-of-the-moment idea, and was thoughtfully premeditated. Had he killed somebody running onto the field, he could be facing the death penalty.

What exactly did Consalvi expect his father to say? "By all means, son. Run onto that field. And grab a gallon of milk on your way home."

Of course, Consalvi's father advised him not to do it. Consalvi should have been Tased again for his egregious display of parental disobedience. So he was lucky to escape with a single Tasing, when three would have been more appropriate.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not totally condemning Consalvi's actions. I admire the audacity it takes for a fan to run onto a baseball field. It gives new meaning to the term "ball four."

And I appreciated the nod to Philadelphia Phillies history when Consalvi tasted voltage, yet was able to pull off the Pete Rose headfirst slide as he was going down, the "electric slide," if you will. However, due to the juice surging through his body, Consalvi was unable to place a bet on that night's Cincinnati Reds game.

What I do condemn is the notion that a Taser should not, under any circumstances, be used in such situations, when fans break free of security to frolic on the playing field, whatever the sport. In fact, the Taser should always be used in such situation. By golly, it's only fair to a dissident fan to know the punishment before embarking on his/her scheme. And it's only fair that fans in attendance enjoy a Tasing for having the game interrupted.

What's so great about the Taser? Its immediacy. Problem solved. Once the Taser is deployed, the situation is over, saving one or more athletes the responsibility of pummeling an unruly fan and possibly facing a frivolous lawsuit. And a convulsing, drooling patron serves as a firm reminder to other fans that there are dire consequences to a foray onto the field.

Those who protest the use of the Taser are short-sighted pacifists, too concerned with the rights and feelings of a trespassing fan when the majority of their concern should be directed at the athletes themselves. I find it nearly impossible to feel sympathy for someone who has been Tased. Scientific studies have proven a common link between all people who have ever been Tased—they all deserved it.

Consalvi's father is one of these people. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he didn't think the police should have Tased his son. In their defense, Mr. Consalvi, the police "didn't think" your son should have run onto the field.

In these cases, the safety of the athletes far overrides the safety of the intruder. That's why Tasing in the most sensible option. Why? Because there's the possibility that only one person gets hurt. And that's the person who deserves to be hurt.

Tasing is not an inhumane or cruel act under the circumstances. Compassion for the runaway fan is secondary in these instances; the safety of the athletes takes precedence.

Are you a fan considering a mad dash on the field, and you want compassion? Have your girlfriend make the run. The larger her breasts, the greater the compassion. You can applaud such compassion as she's discreetly fondled from the playing field.

Compassion was the last thing on Consalvi's mind. His concern was becoming a temporary folk hero. He succeeded in that respect. The fact that he was Tased only added to his fame. And Consalvi had to know that he would face some form of physical apprehension. No fan interrupts a sporting event expecting to be escorted politely from the playing area. Ironically, that would likely be more of a deterrent than the threat of physical violence. But we all know physical violence makes the highlight reel.

Historically, the runaway fan seems to strike most often in baseball, football, and tennis. Apparently, grass, natural or otherwise, is like catnip to the chemically imbalanced, temporarily crazed fan. When is the last time a fan veered onto a basketball court, and the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers weren't playing? You never see a fan rush a bowling tournament, or a fishing competition, or a hockey game. But don't think it can't happen. In the realm of fan intrusion, anything is possible. If you believe otherwise, then how do you explain the "fan man's" interference in the 1993 Evander Holyfield/Riddick Bowe boxing match.

It's imperative that all sports organizations embrace the use of the Taser, not only for its practical applications, but for its entertainment and endorsement value, as well. The Taser could be sport's next great marketing gimmick.

How could Amp Energy Drink not want to sponsor the highlights of the latest fan Tasing?

And how about a "Taser-Cam" at stadiums and arenas, in which a lucky fan is randomly selected on camera and given the opportunity to rush the field while being chased by a Taser-wielding law enforcement officer. What does the sporting world need most? Drug reform? Hah! Reasonable ticket prices? Phooey! Likeable role models? Bull! What it needs are sanctioned fan versus Taser events.

Would fans flock to "Taser Night?" Heck yeah. In this promotion, the first 1,000 fans through the gate receive a replica Taser gun, while the first 100 to leave actually get Tasered.

Can you imagine the music blaring from the public address system when a fans nerve receptors feel the Taser's fury? There's Metallica's "Ride the Lighting." And anything by funk pioneers Zapp would fit the mood.

For beach music afficionados, the Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" is perfectly thematic for a good Tasering.

Does anyone remember Johnny Kemp? You will after "Just Got Tased" blares over the speakers after a hoodlum is crippled by a blast from the stun gun.

Why stop there? There's Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Three Steps." The Clash's "Shock The Casbah." Bon Jovi's "Tase of Glory." Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell." Boston's "Don't Look Back." Bruce Springsteen's "I'm Goin' Down." The Beatles "Hello, Goodbye."

Clearly, the Taser is the best option to manage fans on the run, and its use should be recommended, encouraged even, to combat such situations, and provide maximum entertainment. Its advantages easily outweigh its disadvantages, of which there aren't any, save for the few people who have died after being Tased. Usually, good "conduct" gets you off easy.

However, all things considered, the Taser has "shock value."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 3:12 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2010

Green Power Ranger ... MMA Fighter?

The Green Power Ranger is making his debut with a legitimate mixed martial arts organization on May 22 in an amateur bout. Apparently, the Green Power Ranger has had three amateur bouts already and has won all three. Why didn't anyone tell me the Green Power Ranger was a cage fighter? I demand a reality TV show immediately.

In case you are the least cool person ever or grew up poor on a farm, the Power Rangers was a TV show in the early 1990s. A bunch of maladjusted kids dressed in suits and helmets fought a bunch of aliens while also going to high school. They had monster trucks with personalities that form together to make a giant transformer. It was like "Saved by the Bell" with karate.

The Green Ranger has a real name, but it's not important. If you were part of a hit children's television series (he appeared in 243 episodes and two feature length films) and you wanted to be a pro athlete, why would you not embrace that?

TGR goes by the nickname "Fearless Frank." Really? The organization that he's fighting in (the UWC, think of it as a first-class minor league UFC) sent a press release out with the subject "Former Power Ranger makes debut" and he's going to go by "Fearless Frank?"

He's like the annoying guy that gives himself a nickname.

"Hey guys, my name is Bruiser now. Don't call me Jason, my name is Bruiser."

Dude, you're the Green Power Ranger. Get on board already. You should use the "Go, Go, Power Ranger" theme song as your entrance music. You should wear the costume to the cage. You should even have a Zord as one of your corner guys.

If you're not going to make it as a legitimate fighter (and he probably won't, since he's in his late 30s), maximize your earning potential and embrace this whole thing. He stands to make a lot more money as a sideshow and as the Green Power Ranger than he does as "Fearless Frank," the amateur MMA fighter.

We have washed-up celebrities today who are famous for doing far less. Kim Kardashian got like 12 seasons of a reality TV show and she's only famous for fornication skills. Kate Gosselin has reality TV shows lined up and she's only famous for being a bitch who happens to have eight kids. You're telling me someone wouldn't watch a reality TV show about a former Power Ranger making a go of it as a professional athlete?

Who is in his entourage? How much tail can he pull dropping the Power Rangers line in bars? I've been to bars with guys who had a cup of coffee on a pro sports team and they play that to the hilt. I gotta imagine the Green Power Ranger could use his cache to get more than a few coeds on his Dragon Dagger.

How great would this show be? One of his first opponents came to the ring wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume. And the Green Ranger kicked his ass (first-round knockout). This would be the definition of appointment TV.

Even still, he seems to be distancing himself from the whole sideshow thing, which is disappointing.

"I know I have a target on my back. Everyone wants to beat up the Green Ranger. But I am no Kimbo. I've been training for a long time and know how to handle myself in the cage," he said in the press release.

For non-MMA fans, the Kimbo he references is Kimbo Slice, who has had a brief fighting career based on his YouTube videos of street fights. So he's right in that regard, he's not like Kimbo. The people Kimbo fought were real. The comparison to Kimbo Slice would only be applicable if TGR was planning to fight an alien ninja in the cage.

He needs to stop trying to be legit and start putting together the matches we want to see. First, The Green Ranger vs. another '90s TV icon, Screech from "Saved by the Bell." Dustin Diamond is a media whore and has done some celebrity-boxing, so he has a bit of fight training. I would actually pay some money (probably not more than $20, but still) to see The Green Ranger put Screech in a choke hold.

He could have Carmen Sandiego has one of his ring girls. He could set up another match with a guy that could dress like The Tick or with one of the old Gladiators. The nostalgia factor alone would make him a big draw, and thus financially stable.

Instead, he's trying to be legit. He's trying to do it the honorable way. He even has his own Christian-based MMA clothing company called "Jesus Didn't Tap." First, I'm not sure Jesus even knew he was in a match. Second, even if he didn't tap, he still got his ass kicked. I'm not sure what he's going for there. If Jesus' fight went to decision, I'm pretty sure the judges aren't giving him any points. I haven't read my bible in awhile, but I don't remember Jesus getting in a single shot at any point in a physical altercation. Maybe not the best role model for your fighting company.

That's the problem. He just doesn't get it. And that's why he'll never make the Power Coin as an MMA fighter.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 7:23 PM | Comments (1)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 11

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin led 104 laps in Saturday's Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington, and capitalized on mistakes by Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton to close out the win and capture his third triumph of the year. Hamlin also won Friday's Nationwide Royal Purple 200, and he became the first driver to sweep the Darlington races since Mark Martin in 1993. Hamlin is now sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 164 out of first.

"I may need a crutch to walk," Hamlin said, "but not a broom to 'sweep.' Jeff Gordon may be shaky 'in the clutch,' but I'm strong 'on the crutch.'"

"Now, do the trappings of success that apply to Jimmie Johnson apply to me as well? When Johnson strings together a dominating series of races, everyone all but hands him the Sprint Cup trophy, and makes him out to be the bad guy. I believe I'll face a similar situation. Johnson may be 'heeling,' while I'm 'healing.' And when we're on, we both drive with surgical precision."

"That's my third win this year, and coupled with Kyle Busch's win last week at Richmond, that's two in a row for Joe Gibbs Racing. Does this signify a shift in power? Of course, everyone knows the lineup of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is quite formidable, and Rick Hendrick gives the team 'hire' power. Hendrick not only can wade in his talent pool, he could drown in it."

"But JGR can hold its own. While Johnson and Gordon have had their share of disagreements, we here at Gibbs are a cohesive unit. Oftentimes, people speak of the 'glue' that holds a team together. Not here. This team maintains its bond via the use of magnets."

2. Jeff Gordon — Gordon led a race-high 110 laps at Darlington, but a mental error again prevented a potential victory, thus extending his winless streak to 40 races. Looking to pit before the other leaders near race's end, Gordon had to abort the move when he failed to signal drivers closing behind him. When he pitted a lap later, David Reutimann's spin brought out the caution, and Gordon had to rush back onto the truck to avoid losing a lap. With track position lost, Gordon eventually restarted 12th, but dashed to fourth by the end.

"Racing is often a matter of 'give and take,'" Gordon said, "for me especially. Lately, I've been 'giving' away victories, then 'taking' responsibility for it."

"Now, if I was as good at 'manufacturing victories' as I am at 'making excuses,' then I'd have at least five wins this year. As it is, 'another won bites the dust.' It's always convenient to use the music of Queen to explain the unexplainable. Now, if you throw in David Bowie with Queen, then the explanation becomes even more evident — I'm not what I used to be 'Under Pressure.'"

3. Kyle Busch — Busch hit the wall in Friday's qualifying, forcing a change to his backup car and a start at the back of the field for Saturday's Showtime Southern 500. Busch, in the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota, quickly stormed to the front, and led 29 laps on his way to a seventh-place finish, his sixth top-10 of the year. He remained third in the point standings, 113 behind Kevin Harvick.

"It's never a good thing to start at the back of the field," Busch said. "But the new, mature Kyle Busch handled it with grace and aplomb. The old, whiny Kyle would have handled it with disgrace while dropping the 'a-bomb.' Rest assured, a year ago, if the No. 18 Doublemint car would have had to go to the back, somebody would have been 'chew-ed out.'"

"Congratulations are in order for Denny Hamlin. Not everyone is aware that doctors surgically implanted a cadaver's ligament in Denny's injured knee. Since then, he and the FedEx Toyota have nearly been unstoppable. The 'Fed-man winning' owes a lot to a 'dead man walking.'"

4. Kevin Harvick — Harvick posted his series-leading eighth top-10 finish of the year with a sixth in the Showtime Southern 500. Harvick extended his lead in the Sprint Cup point standings from 10 to 110 points over Jimmie Johnson, who finished 36th after a lap 179 crash.

"Again," Harvick said, "we had a mishap on pit road with some dropped lug nuts, and I gave my crew chief Gil Martin an earful. That's called a 'Darlington gripe.'"

"I understand Old Spice won't be renewing it's sponsorship of Tony Stewart's No. 14 car next year. That stinks. I'm completely sympathetic. Although my contract renewal with Richard Childress Racing is scheduled to be signed later this month, I still don't have a sponsor for next year. I don't proclaim to be 'hip,' unless I'm shooting from it, but what I need right now is a sponsor to 'pimp my ride.'"

5. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson suffered his third DNF of the season when he was slammed on lap 179 by A.J. Allmendinger after brake failure sent the No. 43 sliding up the track and hard into the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy. Johnson finished 36th and remained second in the point standings, although he now trails Kevin Harvick by 110 instead of 10.

"As you know," Johnson said, "Allmendinger drives for Richard Petty Motorsports. It's certainly ironic that a car of the 'King' hit that of the 'reigning' champ. I know Petty is long removed from driving the No. 43 car, but that accident was a 'blast from the past' nonetheless. The No. 48 Lowe's car was totaled and nearly beyond repair. Financially, it would take a 'king's ransom' to salvage it."

"Now, everyone is asking 'What's wrong with Jimmie Johnson?' As four consecutive ceremonial crownings of the Sprint Cup champion can attest, I think the more appropriate question is 'What's rite with Jimmie Johnson?'"

"But two DNFs in three races, when I only had one in all of2009, is certainly 'alarming.' But there's 42 other drivers who can expect a serious 'wake-up call' when I win handily at Dover."

6. Kurt Busch — Busch finished third at Darlington, using a quick pit stop during the race's final caution to restart fourth with 20 laps to go. The elder Busch passed younger brother Kyle with 17 laps to go before cruising to his fourth top-five of the year. Busch is eighth in the point standings, 202 behind Kevin Harvick.

"With Brad Keselowski taking over the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge next year," Busch said, "it's apparent that the Miller Brewing Company thinks my ability to sell beer has waned. It seems that a controversial figure such as Keselowski, while he may not appeal to his fellow drivers, appeals well enough to Miller's target market. So, in addition to his ability to push 'buttons,' Brad can push 'product', as well."

"Speaking of 'gimmicks,' have you seen Miller Lite's new vortex bottle? The grooved bottle creates a vortex when it's poured. That sounds like the biggest scam in a bottle since water. I've heard of 'whiskey in a bottle,' but this is a clear case of 'whimsy in a bottle.'"

7. Jeff Burton — After jousting for the lead with Denny Hamlin prior to the race's final caution, Burton's hopes for the win at Darlington were dashed in the pits, when he ran over his air hose. After serving a drive-through penalty, the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy restarted 13th, well out of range of Hamlin in first, and Burton eventually finished eighth.

"That hissing sound is not a busted air hose," Burton said. "It's me addressing my pit crew. At least for this week, I'm calling them the 'CAT-astrophies.' I think that's a more tactful and less hurtful way of criticizing my crew. They are sensitive fellows. In the RCR family, I think you'll see that Clint Bowyer and myself are much more compassionate in that respect than Kevin Harvick. To use a weightlifting analogy, it's a clear case of 'clean and jerk.'"

8. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished 13th for the second straight race, this time in Saturday's Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington. Loose-handling conditions plagued Kenseth, a situation exacerbated by cooling track temperatures. Kenseth fell one spot to fifth in the point standings, and is 150 out of first.

"I had my share of 'Darlington stripes,'" Kenseth said. "The 'Lady in Black' certainly left her mark on the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford. Although I don't condone it, 'black on black' crime is quite commonplace at Darlington."

9. Juan Montoya — Montoya posted his third consecutive top-six finish, racing to a fifth at Darlington as the Colombian continued to erase the impact of four finishes outside the top 34 this season. Montoya had never finished better than 20th at Darlington, and his finish, coupled with teammate Jamie McMurray's runner-up result, gave Earnhardt Ganassi Racing two cars in the top five.

"South Carolina is a lot like South America," Montoya said, "except with slightly more Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans."

"Anyway, after a rough start to the season, we feel we've finally got the No. 42 Target car up to speed, giving us the ability to run with the big dogs. My competitors had grown accustomed to seeing the red No. 42 Dodge behind them. No longer. Now that I'm running up front contending for wins, it's going to make them see 'red in the face.'"

10. Mark Martin — Martin, the defending Darlington champion, finished 16th in the Showtime Southern 500, as an untimely caution caught the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet on pit road. Martin is 10th in the Sprint Cup point standings, 265 out of first.

"As you can see by the right sides of nearly every car," Martin said, "'leaving a mark' is inevitable here at Darlington. And it also seems to be inevitable at Hendrick Motorsports. I'll be gone after the 2011 season to make room for Kasey Kahne. Do I want to leave Hendrick? Maybe. Was I given an ultimatum? Maybe. Let's just say my exit from Hendrick is a case of 'friendly fire.'"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2010

LeBron and the Cavs Check Out

Wow, what in the world happened in Cleveland last night? I have never seen a top seed in the playoffs lay a dud like that at home in a big game. King James was non-existent and Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams were nowhere to be found. The question is where does the blame lie for this disaster?

Do we blame LeBron for not stepping up and imposing his will on this game? Do we blame the role players in Cleveland for not picking LeBron up when he needed them to? Or is this on head coach Mike Brown for not lighting a fire under this team?

LeBron becomes an easy target in this one. He is the reigning two-time MVP and has led the Cavs to the league's best record the last two seasons. Isn't the the "King" of the league supposed to step up and carry his team in games like this? How are we supposed to buy into LeBron as the best in the league when he seemingly cannot be bothered to do whatever it takes to win in the playoffs? For their part, guys like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Kobe Bryant don't go down without a fight in games like this. Sure, there were games when their teams were not in it in the playoffs, but they never let that get in the way of doing whatever they could to keep their team in the hunt. I just did not see that from LeBron last night.

The thing LeBron needs to realize here is that the team is going to feed off of him. If he does not play with any sort of sense of urgency in a playoff series that is tied at two games a piece, then how can one expect that his teammates will? The question is how did this happen?

The primary response that jumps to the forefront from a lot of folks is LeBron is dogging some of these games on purpose. There are those who believe LeBron does not see the Cavs as being capable of winning a championship and is creating a built-in excuse for when he bolts via free agency this summer. Some say he is trying to make a point by showing the world how mediocre the Cavs are when he is not on his "A" game. The thing one has to wonder, though, is LeBron really so great that he can single-handedly carry a team to the best regular season record two years in a row? If the Cavs are able to claim the top record in the league, then there is no reason to think they should not be able to make the league Finals.

I have heard other people say that while LeBron is a supremely talented player, he simply does not have the cajones to win a NBA championship. The game has always come easy to him and he was never really challenged at the high school level, his teams always won, and was never pushed to the limit in high school. He showed up and did his thing while the opposing teams just sort of stood around and watched in awe, much like the first go-around with the Dream Team in the Olympics.

They are saying LeBron has the talent to win games when nothing is on the line, but he lacks that competitive inner fire to be a champion. I mentioned before guys like Kobe, M.J., and Bird. Those guys were stone-cold killers on the court. They elbow their own mothers in the face if it meant grabbing a rebound to secure a win for their team. They do not care whose feelings they hurt in the process they are intent on winning. You are never going to find a game where those guys simply mailed it in during a playoff game, it just never happened. Those guys live and breath winning and LeBron does not seem to. He seems to be more interested in other things off the court, much like Shaq was at one time.

Shaquille O'Neal won because of his immense talent, but he never truly dedicated himself to being an elite player; he was just so naturally big that he never had to work that hard at it. Much like James is so naturally gifted he does not need to work hard at being an elite player. Shaq was always the bully of the playground who simply imposed his will and when he wanted to win, he did. LeBron is much the same way right now. When he wants to win, he simply takes control and wins the game, but when he is disinterested or disengaged, then the Cavs simply fall apart.

Others will say LeBron is dogging it because he does not see this team winning it all with Mike Brown as the head coach. To say the least, Brown has made some dubious coaching moves in the past. He has never struck me as a leader of men, as a guy who is going to kick guys in the pants when they are struggling. He is not a guy who is capable of making the tough decisions that championship coaches are willing to make. Where was Brown's leadership last night?

Brown needed something to shake that team up and get them into the game. If it means sitting LeBron's butt on the bench because he is not engaging himself in the process, then so be it. Championship coaches are the ones willing to make that move if necessary. Mike, you have as much invested in Cleveland winning as anyone. You do realize that your job is on the line here, right? Nobody in Cleveland is going to care that the team has won 127 games, more than any team in the league, the last two years if you have no hardware to show for it.

And Mike, if this team ends up losing to Boston, your tenure in Cleveland is over and done with. Nobody is going to care that you were voted the Coach of the Year last year. The joke on that was he should have just handed that trophy over to LeBron because he was responsible for more of the wins than anything Brown ever did as coach.

Whatever the case may be, unless the Cavs rise from the dead, this will be the end of an era one way or another in Cleveland. At the very least, there will be a new head coach in Cleveland next season. The team is not getting over the hump. They have failed to make the league finals the last two seasons and this would mark the second time in three seasons they failed to reach the conference finals. They have done everything possible to acquire the talent to get to the league finals, so it will be time for a change if the team loses to the Celtics.

Now, I am not sure whether LeBron is going to be skipping town this summer. He is the hometown hero of sorts in Cleveland and I think he relishes that to a certain extent. There are those who think he wants to play in a major market city to further enhance his brand, but I am not sure I buy that one. In the age of the Internet and the NBA league pass package on cable, one does not need to play in a L.A., New York, or Chicago to get their brand out there? LeBron already has all of the plum marketing deals, what else could he possibly get by moving to a bigger market?

LeBron says he wants to win the hardware because that is how the game's greats are judged. The question is what team out there that will have the cash to sign LeBron offers significantly better talent to pair him with than Cleveland does? That will be the $64,000 dollar question this summer. If LeBron is serious about his desire to win championships and be considered one of the games best of all-time, there will not be a lot of options out there for him where the possibility of winning within a year or two exists.

All of this still begs the question: what the heck happened last night? What was going on in LeBron's head as he watched his team completely fall apart in the biggest game of the year for them?

Republished with permission from PopPickle.

Posted by Eric Engberg at 7:30 PM | Comments (0)

Haney/Woods Break-Up Came at Right Time

For Hank Haney, it clearly was not worth it any longer to have skin in the Tiger Woods game in exchange for the pound of flesh that critics of his were seeking to extract. Three tournaments into Woods' comeback bid from the golfing scandal of all golfing scandals, Haney's noose had again been fitted for him. His single-plane method blamed for Woods' errant driving (which has been statistically lower than when Woods was with Butch Harmon), Haney turned into a scapegoat for Woods' poor play.

To the extent that he would, Woods defended Haney in his own way at the Players, saying that Hank and he were still working together — but that there was a lot to do. Not until Woods' neck pain became too unbearable did he explain his latest injury. Not until the rumors were flying about Haney's demise did we learn that something more powerful than swing thoughts was keeping Tiger back. And that was not even the long-rumored dissolution of Woods' marriage.

Haney had to see the writing on the wall. Despite myriad personal problems self-imposed on his highest profile client, Haney could not escape criticism for his swing method. Never mind that Haney's six-year record with Woods is comparable in almost every way to Butch Harmon. Forget that Woods hired Haney in the first place to develop a swing that would place less pressure on his oft-injured knee.

With Hank Haney, or any swing teacher, it is easy to blame them when things go wrong. Haney knew that going into his relationship with Woods in '04, and has become more than aware of it since. Speaking with ESPN's Bob Harig, Haney explained what he knows so well.

"If you have no critics, you have no successes," he said succinctly.

Right now, though, Haney was having no success with Woods. Woods has been having no success with himself, at anything. It may seem kind of cold for the relationship to end at such a low point in Woods' career, but sometimes relationships reach their natural end at that point.

I had quipped last summer that The Barclays would be where Tiger and Haney would break up because New York would be the classy backdrop to end scene on the then-five-year play. Provided how it took nearly a year for anyone to realize that Tiger had stopped working with Butch Harmon, it seems only appropriate that it would be an awkward break-up this time around as well. Though much swifter — probably at Haney's request — it is an equally bizarre situation.

Rumors had been spreading like wildfire at the Players that perhaps Haney and Woods had already called off their relationship. Maybe that was the case, maybe not. It could be that Woods' withdrawing from the Players on Sunday gave Haney a window for both to part ways provided the question marks surrounding every aspect of Woods' life — including when can play next.

The signs should have been apparent, though. Last season was only the second time in Woods' career that he won multiple PGA Tour events and failed to take home a major. The last time that happened? 2003. That was the year-long break-up between Woods and Harmon. 2004 produced a single win during the transition to Haney. Right now, 2004 looks great compared to what has happened so far in 2010. Haney — an ever astute observer of how his record compares to Butch Harmon — probably realized what was unfolding. Tiger did, too, and that likely spurred on the textversation that ended their relationship.

Haney has always been an open book. In that way, he is very much different than Tiger. There are plenty of other differences, too, but like DJ Kool Kat and Paula Abdul, it just worked. It worked well for four full years out of six. Relationships like theirs, though, tend not to survive on the PGA Tour.

Haney is going in a different direction — up — and Woods is sinking. The professional respect that each has for the other likely lead to their joint realization that all good things must come to an end.

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2010

Infotainment Comes to Sports

Which channel is this? What website am I on?

Have you caught yourself asking questions like that recently? It seems like legal experts get more face time on ESPN these days than coaches and GMs do. With each passing year, less and less of SportsCenter is devoted to game highlights, while more and more of it is devoted to off-field transgressions.

Of course, this isn't just ESPN. It's easy to pick on because ESPN is a huge source of sports media, sometimes a news story itself, but it's far from the only guilty party. When did we start being more interested in what athletes do away from the game than what they do in competition?

What were the biggest sports stories of the last 12 months? Alex Rodriguez busted for steroids. Tiger Woods allegedly clubbed with a 9-iron for extra-marital affairs. Ben Roethlisberger suspended for too many off-field troubles. And the Saints won the Super Bowl. It's been hard at times to tell the difference between Sports Illustrated and Us Weekly, ESPN.com from TMZ. Why does it even matter what these guys do in their free time?

First of all, let's recognize that those are three separate incidents. There's a difference between getting busted for marijuana and getting busted for HGH. Rodriguez's use of PEDs is relevant because it was done to affect what happens on the diamond — it relates directly to the game. If Rodriguez were an accountant or a hairdresser instead of a professional athlete, he wouldn't have used PEDs, and it wouldn't matter to the public even if he had. Use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs is, sadly, an important sports issue, because it affects the games themselves, and it perceives how we affect the sport. Public perception of widespread PED-use has harmed baseball, turning fans cynical, and in some cases, turning them against the game altogether.

PEDs, for better or worse, have an obvious link to sports, and while the headlines should probably be a little smaller, it's a relevant, even important story when someone like A-Rod gets caught with a needle in his butt. Roethlisberger's tawdry tales probably aren't a sports story. They're celebrity gossip. However, they became a sports story, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell chose to suspend Roethlisberger for the beginning of the 2010 season. That's a major headline if you follow the NFL: a two-time Super Bowl-winning QB, in his prime, missing six games. If he missed that because of an injury, it would be big news. If he misses it due to a suspension, same thing, maybe even bigger news simply because it's unusual and preventable.

SI.com's Frank Deford recently wrote a brief column questioning why it matters what athletes do in their free time. Deford is a superb writer, whose work I consistently enjoy, but whom I believe is wrong in asserting that Big Ben's suspension was misguided or that athlete's off-field (or off-court, or whatever) transgressions should be ignored.

Behavior like Roethlisberger's damages the game. When athletes are arrested, or repeatedly charged with inappropriate behavior, it affects public perception of the sport. Around the time of Michael Jordan's second retirement, the NBA lost a number of fans who were turned off by the perceived "thuggish" behavior of players. I'm not endorsing that view, but when fans perceive a team (like the Portland Trailblazers or the Cincinnati Bengals) or even an entire sport as being full of miscreants, it harms that league. The Commissioner has a responsibility to protect the owners and grow the league, and to some extent, it's appropriate for someone like Goodell to step in when a player or coach makes negative headlines of a criminal nature. That kind of proactive response helps prevent the sport from becoming marginalized, restricted to the few die-hards who can tolerate its real or perceived tendency to cross social and legal boundaries.

Contrast the NFL's steroid policy with MLB's. This week the NFL announced that the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Brian Cushing, faces a four-game suspension for PEDs. That's an important suspension, and it's generated some headlines, but the league announces it and moves on. For years, MLB didn't even have a steroid policy. A four-game suspension is nothing, but by taking action, the NFL lets fans know that it's addressing the problem. By suspending a Ben Roethlisberger or a Pac-Man Jones, the NFL communicates to fans that only law-abiding — or at least reasonably well-behaved — citizens are welcome in the league. Precisely because these suspensions generate headlines, fans recognize that the league is doing something, and it affects public perception of the sport.

The one huge story that is barely sports, that belongs in the trashy tabloids rather than the sports pages, is the Tiger Woods drama. Yes, if you think golf is a sport, Woods' decision to take some time away from the tour is a legitimate sports story. The rest of it? No. It's celebrity gossip. I have an acquaintance who isn't a big sports fan, but who knows that I am. Every time I've seen him in the last six months, he's asked me what I think about Woods. Every time, I tell him I haven't been following the story. It's not sports. In fact, I think his obsession with the Woods story — and it is an obsession for this guy — is sick. It's unhealthy and weird.

But I'm not here to condemn this person, or the tabloids and the gossip mags. There are people who enjoy them, many more than there are pure sports fans. What's problematic is the blurring between the two arenas. Media organizations in all fields treat celebrity news as a big deal. This is true even of supposedly serious news outlets like CNN and Newsweek. In fact, more troubling than the TMZ-ing of ESPN is the unfortunate trend of treating politicians like celebrities.

Whether it's Barack Obama or Sarah Palin, U.S. political headlines for the last 18 months have been dominated by figures known more for what they've said than what they've done, who are romanticized or villainized with little focus on the issues that actually matter. I find this terrifying. Sports is fundamentally an entertainment business, and if it regularly intersects with the world of celebrity gossip, that's annoying. When we start treating politicians as celebrities, focusing on their personal lives rather than their public ones, that's dangerous.

People delude themselves into believing that by watching the news they're educating themselves, keeping up on current events. But how many people who regularly watch the news could tell you what happened in Madagascar and Sri Lanka last year? How many of them can name all the U.S. Supreme Court justices, or half the members of the Senate, or half a dozen foreign heads of state? Who are you more likely to see on the evening news, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie or Robert Gates and Hillary Clinton?

The same thing is happening in sports. Tiger Woods hasn't won a major in two years, and golf doesn't particularly lend itself to highlights. But who's gotten more time on SportsCenter this year, Tiger or ... hell, pick someone. Drew Brees? Roger Federer? Any basketball player this side of Kobe, LeBron, and maybe Dwight Howard? Any baseball player, period? Flip on ESPN, and you're more likely to learn about Tiger's salacious misdeeds than about the positive accomplishments of athletes who are actually active.

How about Roethlisberger? The Steelers missed the playoffs, so he hasn't played since January 3rd. Has any football player gotten more coverage this year than Big Ben? I guess maybe Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford, maaaybe Ndamukong Suh or Drew Brees. Roethlisberger's former teammate, Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, got traded and suspended, but he hasn't gotten a fraction of the coverage Ben has, because smoking green isn't a tawdry story. If you tuned in to the latest Roethlisberger update because the prospect of a celebrity going to jail is interesting or exciting, you're following a celebrity gossip story, not a sports piece. If you're tuning in for the sexual aspect, you're a very sick person, because this story involves accusations of sexual assault. If you were really just interested in whether or not he got suspended, you wasted an awful lot of time on the days of Big Ben speculation when you could have just waited until the suspension was actually announced.

If none of those apply to you, you were caught in the crossfire. Maybe you're a sports fan, looking for sports stories and highlights, and instead of learning whose power play is falling apart or who's hitting well against lefties, you hear about who's been sleeping around and who hangs out at the wrong clubs. This even applies to former athletes. Lawrence Taylor. Mike Tyson. O.J. Simpson. We're sacrificing NBA and NHL playoff highlights, Indian Wells coverage, Machida vs. Shogun, Opening Day in MLB, the Giro d'Italia ... to find out exactly how skeezy Roethlisberger and Taylor are? To learn about Georgia's sexual assault statutes? To hear how many women Tiger has bedded? Which channel is this? What website am I on?

Posted by Brad Oremland at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)

Ivanovic Makes the Right Call With Günthardt

Back in February of this year, Ana Ivanovic needed some help. A year and a half of misery was enough. Ranked No. 1 back in 2008 and having won Roland Garros, Ana's bright future was the talk of WTA experts. Then everything took a wrong turn. She began to lose match after match; she became the first top seed in the history of U.S. Open to lose in the first round in 2008, and injuries, such as the one that forced her to retire at Wimbledon in 2009, became repetitive.

Whether or not undertaking a modeling career, engaging herself in a highly publicized relationship with another well-known sports figure, and her image as a mentally volatile player all played a role in her downfall is anyone's guess, but at the end of it all, when 2010 began, Ana's confidence was broken and her ranking was somewhere outside the top 20.

Hence, she contacted Heinz Günthardt, the ex-coach of Steffi Graf who retired with her and has not coached a player since. He worked very briefly with Jelena Dokic, but was never her official coach during that period. He has worked some with the Swiss Davis Cup, some behind the camera for Swiss television and Eurosport, acted as a consultant for the Swiss Tennis Federation, and, according to him, enjoyed his free time "surfing and skiing."

Günthardt is known by his peers as gracious and down-to-earth gentleman with an acute sense of observation. He predicted few years back that Stanislas Wawrinka would make it to top 20, and said confidently in 2008 that Roger Federer would be back on top when he lost his No. 1 ranking and was having his worst year since becoming No. 1. To the older generation, he is well-known due to his accomplishments as a player, having had an extremely long and respectable singles career, coupled with a fantastic doubles career, including a couple of Slam titles in the '80s.

Perhaps his practical approach was precisely what Ana needed. Günthardt was realistic, to the point of being dry, in his first interview by Swiss radio three days after beginning to work with Ana. He called it a "big challenge" and when asked about his first impression, he calmly stated that after three days, they were still getting "acquainted." He did not neglect to add that she was "very nice girl." In fact, the initial agreement was just a test phase until the Miami tournament in March.

Evidently, he liked what he saw because for a guy who claimed during an interview with Swiss radio in 2008 that he was no longer interested in coaching because he did "not want to travel every week and was happy with being a consultant and a salary that suffices," he changed his mind quickly and stayed as Ana's coach. Yet the "getting-to-know" stage lasted a while, because Ana's ranking continued to plummet to somewhere outside the top 50 by the time Rome tournament came around.

Then in Rome, Ana did something that she has not done since October 2008 — she defeated a top-10 player, Victoria Azarenka. She topped it with another win over Elena Dementieva, the No. 6 player in the world. With a renewed spirit, she beat a top-20 player, Nadia Petrova, all three matches without losing a set, to reach the semifinals. She finally lost to Jose Maria Martinez Sanchez, who eventually won the tournament. Good results were exactly what she needed, and now she tasted a few good ones in one week.

When talking about her renewed confidence, Ana gave all the credit to Günthardt. She talked about how he helped her with her serve, but the bulk of her praise was about how Günthardt, the realistic gentleman, convinced her to "swing freely" and "have fun" doing it. A "volatile" player with a "down-to-earth" coach partnership seems to work well. Amazingly, Günthardt's approach may have rubbed off on Ana: she said that she has been working hard and feeling good in practice since she started with Günthardt, and she felt confident that the results would follow. A realistic and practical reflection, indeed!

Regarding her new coach, Ivanovic stated that she really hopes "it's going to work out in the long run." That statement may not carry too much weight, considering that she has changed coaches very frequently since her downfall began (examples: Sven Groenefeld, Craig Kardon).

However, this time it seems to be different; largely because Günthardt is a different character. His influence on Ana seems to be in more areas than just her tennis skills. We are nearing the end of the third month in their partnership, and this time around, Ana's getting results. It also helps that they both live in Switzerland and have known each other for a long time. Plus, Ana has not (yet) required Günthardt to travel with her "45 weeks out of the year," something that Günthardt stated openly that he did not desire to do, and finally, she seems to do everything that Günthardt requires of her in the areas of preparation and practice.

Did I mention that she also climbed back into top 50 this week? Don't take that lightly: a 16-spot climb may feel new and refreshing to her since her ranking has gone in the other direction since 2008. Whether it's Ivanovic talking from her heart when she says "I am going out there and trying to have fun, just playing each point the best I can" after reaching the semifinals in Rome, or it's simply Günthardt’s personality finding a voice in Ana, there is no denying that things have taken an upward turn for the Serb, just in time for Roland Garros and Wimbledon, both taking place within the next two months.

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 11:15 AM | Comments (4)

May 10, 2010

It's About All-Star Power

It seems like this weekend went a long way to figuring out who will head on to the NBA's Conference Finals. Los Angeles and Orlando have all forged ahead in their respective series, and Phoenix closed out a sweep of San Antonio Sunday night. Boston was the only team to make their series with Cleveland interesting.

For the sake of argument, let's just say the Lakers and Magic find a way to weave their way past Utah and Atlanta (respectively). Also, I'm going to leap out there and guess that home court will lead the Cavs to best the Celtics. At that time, the focus will shift to whichever team out of the remaining quartet can finish off the run to a title.

In my mind, the Lakers are clearly the favorite of the winning options listed above. But how big of a juggernaut are they? As with every sport from here to eternity, several factors will be dissected to try and find a strength for the underdogs or a weakness against the mighty. I'll start by picking at some of these "normal" characteristics. (All factors are evaluated like any kind of basketball video game, that is, on a scale from 0 to 100.)

Experience

When last year's finalists get this far into the process, you would figure that they dominate this category. The only cog that differs from the defending champion Lakers is Ron Artest. His pseudo-trade for Trevor Ariza marks the only shift L.A. made last summer. There's been a little more fluctuation with the Magic. Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee, and Rafer Alston are not sharing this playoff journey. Vince Carter, though, is helping to make up for those losses.

The Cavs do have a faint memory of their 2007 Finals disaster. Four members currently on the roster (Lebron James, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson) were there for the sweep by the Spurs. But even with that, and Shaquille O'Neal's four rings, this characteristic is lacking. It's really lacking for the Suns, a team with zero games of Finals experience.

Lakers — 95
Magic — 83
Cavs — 27
Suns — 0

Around the Perimeter

This is kind of tricky. Phoenix is probably the most consistent team when it comes to outside shooting. Orlando is by far the most deadly. When the Magic are on, beating them is tougher than a rubbery steak. L.A. is probably the most clutch squad, with Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, and Shannon Brown among those that can put away a game. Cleveland basically lags behind the crowd. They go as much as Mo Williams and Delonte West allow them to (and sometimes, that's at a crawl).

Magic — 82
Suns — 77
Lakers — 61
Cavs — 38

Post Presence

If height is what you desire, then the purple and gold is where to start. The Lakers made their home in the paint late in the series against Oklahoma City and heavily in the early part of their tussle with the Jazz. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum can create havoc inside ... when L.A. wants to use that advantage. The Suns don't have a "classic" post game, but Amar'e Stoudemire will definitely attract attention and be available to defend by the basket.

In the East, it very well may be the Battle of the Supermen. The Smallville version (Dwight Howard) and the Metropolis veteran (O'Neal) will get a lot of the attention. At this point, Howard is by far the bigger defensive presence. However, Shaq knows how to draw a foul, or four. And don't count out Varajao and opponent Marcin Gortat having an impact if this series shapes up.

Lakers — 91
Magic — 86
Cavs — 79
Suns — 68

Coaching

Until further notice, Phil Jackson is head and shoulders above the competition. Both Stan Van Gundy and Mike Brown have Finals experience, but both share a 1:11 ratio with Jackson. Alvin Gentry can't even boast that. While the other three (and six of the final eight head coaches) have gone through their first Finals experience, he's making only his second playoff run at the end of his third full season as a head coach (the other two with the Clippers). There's really not any other evidence to present, Your Honor.

Lakers — 99
Magic — 78
Cavs — 75
Suns — 47

According to the logical, statistical output, L.A.'s got a humungous gap over the competition. But there's always stuff we can't see that makes any contest much more intriguing. In 2006, Dennis Gallagher of 82Games.com did an interesting piece involving how titles were dispersed due to more "awarding" factors. I thought, "Why not look at other criteria to crown a champ?" So I took a slight offshoot of Mr. Gallagher's article and found a couple different things to look at for each team.

"Legends of the Summer" Factor

It's easy to distinguish the leading men in these casts. Kobe Bryant is the most prolific of the four, with an MVP, four titles, and a distinction as the best scorer in Lakers history. LeBron James is making due with shining his second consecutive MVP trophy. Nash's immediate impact in Phoenix earned him back-to-back MVP honors a few years ago. Howard may not have that illustrious hardware to boast about, but he's no slouch as the reigning, two-time, defensive POY.

One thing that most champions have in common is that you can look in the huddle and pick out multiple Hall-of-Famers. Since 1960, it appears that only two teams that won a championship weren't equipped with at least one person enshrined in Springfield. One squad will have their status changed in August (1979 Seattle Supersonic guard Dennis Johnson will be posthumously inducted this year). That leaves the 2004 Detroit Pistons as the only team that may not be shouldered by a future Hall of Fame player.

So how much stock will I put in these last four teams of 2010, based on the leading men and their legend potential?

Lakers (Bryant) — 98
Cavs (James) — 95
Suns (Nash) — 87
Magic (Howard) — 84

The Shining Star Factor

Along with the connection to greatness, these teams have a more instant impact through the form of all-stars. Usually, the cosmos aligns in a way that all-stars congregate to one team like a swarm of bees to a single patch of flowers. This season, both Phoenix and L.A. had two players selected to participate in the mid-February showcase. James and Howard were the only players to represent their teams, but past all-star talent (O'Neal and Carter) was brought in to upgrade championship possibilities. So how do all the teams stack up as far as overall experienced star power?

Lakers — 87
Suns — 85
Cavs — 80
Magic — 72

The "Know Your Role" Factor

Legends and stars may carry the lion share of the work and glory concerning their rings, but even they don't make up a complete team. Where would those embodied in bronze busts be without the Byron Scotts, Jim Paxsons, Robert Horrys, and Bruce Bowens of the world?

It's the players stepping out of the shadows for a game or two that can provide them with a statement for their career and fans with a prideful memory. It was on display Friday night, when Suns backup point guard Goran Dragic went bonkers in the fourth quarter against the Spurs. Through Saturday night's games, here's where those that ride the pine stood:

Magic bench — 24.6 ppg, 12.4 rpg (24.3%, 30.0%)
Lakers bench — 23.0 ppg, 13.1 rpg (23.0%, 29.5%)
Cavs bench — 23.4 ppg, 13.1 rpg (22.8%, 32.8%)
Suns bench — 32.4 ppg, 16.5 rpg (30.8%, 39.0%)

With the numbers out for the perusing, here's how I analyze the information:

Suns — 83
Magic — 72
Cavs — 63
Lakers — 55

Overall

In the end, I think the Lakers are still the overall favorite. But instead of these "normal" numbers telling the story:

Lakers — 87
Magic — 82
Cavs — 55
Suns — 48

These would be the numbers with the inclusion of the "Legendary" quotient:

Lakers — 84
Magic — 80
Cavs — 65
Suns — 64

Those final factors may not flip the script and make the weakest team into the favorites, but it might draw things a little closer overall.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 4:24 PM | Comments (0)

MLB is Gaming the Sale of Texas Rangers

Back in 1989, it was but a no-brainer for George W. Bush to inject himself into the proposed purchase of the then-flailing Major League Baseball Texas Rangers. His goals in mind were to propel himself into the governor's mansion in Austin, TX, and eventually to the presidency of the United States, while even making a little bit of cash along the way. And he succeeded on all fronts.

And just a dozen years after the sale of the Rangers by Bush and his investors in 1998, the Texas Rangers organization is again immersed in financial wheeling and dealing, with an upside-down ledger. For its expected imminent sale by owner, Thomas O. Hicks, has been met by a major snag from both his creditors and Major League Baseball, which has injected itself into the middle, with its purported takeover of the Rangers in the very near future.

Should MLB proceed to seize the club, it could be facing an involuntary bankruptcy by creditors, and tied up in court indefinitely while owners of MLB's 29 other clubs incur the cost of operations of the Rangers. But that prospect does not seem to deter MLB commissioner Bud Allen Selig, as he believes that MLB's taking control of the Rangers will offset any bankruptcy proceedings — yet another gamble.

But in order to fully appreciate the present predicament of a franchise that has mightily underachieved since arriving in Texas in 1972, from Washington as the Senators and reaching the postseason only three times since, it is worth retracing some highlights of how the Rangers wound up in such a mess.

George W. Bush, with the help of then-commissioner of MLB Peter Ueberroth, gathered a group of wealthy Texas investors who had political and business connections to his father, then-president of the U.S., George H.W. Bush.

In 1989, George W. Bush initially invested his $106,302 for a 1.8% stake in the club and later took out a $500,000 loan to up his ante to a total of $606,302, increasing his interest to 11.8% in the Rangers. While the club eventually sold in 1998 for $250 million, Bush and his investors' purchase price was a cool $25 million.

In short order, plans for a new stadium were under way, financed completely by Arlington taxpayers, including a surcharge on game tickets and state tax exemptions, totaling over $200 million. And all profits went directly back to the owners.

Of note, however, this model of commandeering stadium construction on the backs of taxpayers has been replicated over and over again both before and since, throughout cities across the U.S., with no greater beneficiary of such corporate profiteering than the New York Yankees.

By the time the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington was opened in 1994, George W. Bush was nearly governor of Texas, as he put his assets into a blind trust, with his interest in the Rangers being the exception.

The upshot being that for his original $606,302 investment, George W. Bush got a 25-fold return on his original investment, clearing a $15 million profit. And such got him the capital and gravitas he curried for his run to the White House.

Enter billionaire Tom Hicks, co-founder and CEO of Hicks, Muse, Tate, & First, Inc. from 1989 to 2004, a nationally prominent private equity firm specializing in leveraged acquisitions, including multi-media broadcast entities, banks,, and real estate. And it was the Hicks Sports Group, LLC of HMTF that purchased the Texas Rangers Baseball Club in 1998 for that $250 million.

Hicks also purchased the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars Hockey Club in 1996, which went on to win a Stanley Cup championship in 1999. Since then Hicks has been noted for his controversial purchase of a 50% interest in the Liverpool Football Club, an English Premiership League team known as "Britain's Most Successful Football Club," purchased in 2007 and much to the dismay of British fans.

Similarly to the Rangers, Hick's is selling his interest in these other franchises as well. He wants double the price he paid for the Liverpool club and is currently working with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on the sale of the Stars.

But the sale of the Rangers has proven to be far dicier. Bud Selig and MLB have far more to worry about, however, than Tom Hicks at this point, as MLB is now the intermediary in the ongoing negotiations with prospective buyers of as well as the Texas Rangers' creditors. But a $525 million loan default, threats of court decisions from potential litigation, bankruptcy, and the future fiscal health of the team that includes keeping it afloat will rest with MLB.

What's next? MLB taking over the Los Angeles Dodgers, while its owners, Frank and Jamie McCourt duke out their divorce decree?

Yet MLB makes no apology for its policy of sequestering its own books from both the Major League Players Association and the public-at-large. For MLB to hold itself in higher regard than Tom Hicks, an evident capitalist who pushed the envelope only as far as his creditors would allow, and at the time with the blessings of MLB, is but the height of arrogance.

However, MLB has invoked its "not in the best interests of baseball" rule, by virtue of the commissioner's charter, as reason to interfere with the proposed sale of the Texas Rangers. And in that effort, it is willing to accept the least lucrative bid made for the club's purchase. MLB is determined to guarantee that the Greenberg-Ryan Investment Group, which includes Rangers' president Nolan Ryan, will ultimately become the eventual owner, in spite of two legitimate and higher bids that were made.

But the "not in the best interests of baseball" rule is a reach at best, given the challenges that MLB will embark upon such as with Monarch Alternative Capital, which has a 57% interest in the Rangers' debt, along with 40 other creditors' liens against the Rangers, that includes the CIT Group, Inc. They want to make good on the sale of the team in order to recoup their losses and have no fear of tying up the sale in court no matter how long it takes.

And it is there that the rub begins for Bud Selig, who himself appropriated more than $25 million in MLB loans to the Rangers in 2009, $16 million of which went to salaries alone, to keep the Rangers going until June 2010. And since 2009, MLB has embedded itself in Rangers' management decisions. For example, first-round 2009 draft pick starting pitcher Matt Purke declined the Rangers' market value offer and opted to attend Texas Christian University instead, as it was reported that MLB would not permit the Rangers to tender an offer to him for more than the minimum "slot system" specifies in order to sign him.

If there is no resolution by creditors or a closing date set for the sale of the team soon, this June too could put salaries and bonuses for MLB draftees as well as projected trades for the July 31st trade deadline in jeopardy, as well as put the future of the Texas Rangers franchise in peril for years to come.

MLB and Bud Selig calling all of the shots by fiat presents a clear conflict of interest in terms of the free marketplace. And clearly this is but a bailout by MLB with ramifications similar to those of the U.S. federal government in bailing out financial institutions, car manufacturers, and insurance companies. Not only does the government incur a financial stake in these companies, it is purchasing the right to dictate corporate policy. And MLB is no different in that regard in this case.

Yet, on its face, the intricacies are more far reaching than MLB's takeover of the then Montreal Expos in 2004, now the Washington Nationals. In this matter, after the layers are peeled back, we can see that the "not in the best interests of baseball" rule does not necessarily include taking on Wall Street brokerages, the multi-national banking industry. and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, all the while showing favoritism towards a specific group that wishes to purchase the team.

Volumes have thus far been written over the past year concerning an over-leveraged Tom Hicks. Yet the same can be said of the entire U.S. economy and its players from Wall Street to Capitol Hill. While that is no excuse for alleged corporate malfeasance, with respect to MLB, cooler heads should prevail. And sometimes that should actually mean that the integrity of the game stands for something other than its bottom line.

In light of the Rangers' 87-75 2009 win-loss record, far better than in years past, it would be a shame for the hopes and talents of some of its young players to be squandered by reckless decisions on behalf of Bud Selig and MLB. And hopefully the remaining MLB owners will weigh in and fall on the side of common sense. Stay tuned.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 1:50 PM | Comments (0)

May 7, 2010

The NFL's Best Receiving Tandems of the 2000s

This offseason has seen the end of one receiving tandem which has been among the NFL's best for several years — Pittsburgh's Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes — and another which ranks among the best in the history of professional football — Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Holmes was traded to the Jets for almost nothing (a fifth-round draft pick) due to off-field problems, character issues, and an impending suspension. Boldin was dealt to the Ravens for a pair of mid-round picks, due to a combination of age, injuries, and unhappiness with his contract and team officials. Where do these tandems rank among the best in recent memory?

Below, you'll find my list of the 10 greatest receiving pairs in the last decade. It is worth noting that this ranking is comprised exclusively of wide receivers. You won't find tight ends or running backs on this list, even if they were great receivers. Also, I've only included receiving corps that played at least three seasons together, so no Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell or Cris Carter & Randy Moss. Let's begin.

10. Jerry Rice and Tim Brown, Oakland Raiders, 2001-03
462 receptions, 5,881 yards, 31 touchdowns

Brown and Rice were both past their primes by the time they teamed up in Oakland, but it's rare for two receivers of this caliber to line up together, and for a couple of years, the magic was still there. In 2001, Brown and Rice ranked second among all receiving tandems in catches (174), third in yards (over 1,100 each), and second in TDs (9 each). The next season, they combined for over 2,000 yards and helped the Raiders reach Super Bowl XXXVII.

Best season: 2001 — 91 rec, 1,165 yds, 9 TD (Brown); 83 rec, 1,139 yds, 9 TD (Rice)

9. Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina Panthers, 2001-04, 2008-09
679 receptions, 9,753 yards, 52 touchdowns

Their gross numbers are great, but their primes don't really overlap. Muhammad's best seasons were 2000 and 2004, when Smith was in college or injured. Smith's best years were 2005-08, all but one of which Moose spent in Chicago. To some extent, this effect was exaggerated by Jake Delhomme, who tends to focus in on his favorite receiver and ignore secondary targets. Muhammad and Smith both played well in 2003, when Carolina made its unlikely Super Bowl run, but their finest year together was actually Muhammad's first season back after leaving the Bears.

Best season: 2008 — 78 rec, 1,421 yds, 6 TD (Smith); 65 rec, 923 yds, 5 TD (Muhammad)

8. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2006-09
556 receptions, 7,752 yards, 46 touchdowns

Their numbers are depressed because Pittsburgh mostly played a run-first offense until last season. No serious fan questions that Hines Ward was an elite receiver throughout the decade, but from 2004-08, he never had an 1,100-yard season, including three straight years under 1,000. This was a classic receiving tandem, with one possession receiver (Ward) and one deep threat (Holmes). During their four seasons together in Pittsburgh, Ward averaged 12.2 yards per reception, compared to Holmes' 16.3 yds/rec. Both were above-average blockers, and Holmes has to get some extra credit for his MVP performance in Super Bowl XLIII.

Best season: 2009 — 95 rec, 1,167 yds, 6 TD (Ward); 79 rec, 1,248 yds, 5 TD (Holmes)

7. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers, 2006-present
564 receptions, 8,373 yards, 49 touchdowns

I like that this pairing has succeeded with two different quarterbacks. The greater success has come with Aaron Rodgers, but during their last season with Brett Favre, Driver led the team in receptions (82) and yards (1,048), while Jennings led the team in touchdowns (12), tying for fourth in the NFL. Since Jennings has come into his own, the team has presented opponents with a true dual threat. Jennings is the more explosive of the two, but if you slide coverage away from Driver, he destroys you. Early last season, teams were focusing on Jennings, and Driver got off to a hot start. After he torched the Lions for 142 yards and a touchdown on Thanksgiving, defenses turned their attention back to Driver, and Jennings finished the season strong.

Best season: 2008 — 80 rec, 1,292 yds, 9 TD (Jennings); 74 rec, 1,012 yds, 5 TD (Driver)

6. Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2000-04
690 receptions, 9,335 yards, 56 touchdowns

If the Ward/Holmes pairing was held back by a run-oriented offense, this one was positively imprisoned by it. The Steelers were among the top three in rush attempts for four of these five seasons, including two years leading the league ('01 and '04). Ward and Burress, like the Packers' combo, put up good numbers with more than one quarterback. Unlike Driver and Jennings, who played with a future Hall of Famer and a former first-round draft pick who looks destined for greatness, Ward and Burress did their work with Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox. Burress has been criticized for (among other things) his work ethic, but he and Ward were easily the best outside blocking tandem of the decade.

Best season: 2002 — 112 rec, 1,329 yds, 12 TD (Ward); 78 rec, 1,325 yds, 7 TD (Burress)

5. Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals, 2001-08
1,119 receptions, 14,687 yards, 90 touchdowns

There is a substantial gap between fifth and sixth; Ward and Burress was a nice receiving combo, but Sideshow Chad and Houshmandzadeh were great. Chad, incidentally, was named "Johnson" throughout their time together. From 2004-07, this tandem was consistently outstanding, both catching at least 70 passes every year. Johnson was the clear first option until his injury-plagued 2008, but Houshmandzadeh was an important part of the offense from 2004 on. In '07, Johnson led the team by almost 300 yards, but Houshmandzadeh had more catches and more TDs.

Best season: 2007 — 93 rec, 1,440 yds, 8 TD (Johnson); 112 rec, 1,143 yds, 12 TD (Houshmandzadeh)

4. Randy Moss and Wes Welker, New England Patriots, 2007-present
596 receptions, 7,453 yards, 62 touchdowns

Why are they ranked so high after only three seasons together? Because all three have been fantastic seasons, two of them in a historic sense. Moss and Welker were easily the best receiving duo in the league in both 2007 and 2009. Even in 2008, when Tom Brady went down in Week 1 and was replaced by Matt Cassel, Moss and Welker both topped 1,000 yards. Over their three seasons in New England, Welker leads the NFL in catches, Moss leads in receiving touchdowns, and they're both among the top 10 in receiving yards.

Best season: 2007 — 98 rec, 1,493 yds, 23 TD (Moss); 112 rec, 1,175 yds, 8 TD (Welker)

3. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals, 2004-09
1,008 receptions, 13,210 yards, 95 touchdowns

A consistently great pairing, held back only by injuries. Over the last five years, they never failed to total 2,000 yards, combining for eight 1,000-yard seasons and five double-digit-TD campaigns. The last two seasons, Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston made a pretty nice pair as well, and that's what the Cardinals will be counting on in 2010. Fitzgerald gradually emerged as the clear star of the show, but Boldin, who was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and had three 1,200-yard seasons in Arizona, was particularly distinguished by his toughness and consistency. Breaston is a good player, but Boldin will be missed.

Best season: 2005 — 103 rec, 1,409 yds, 10 TD (Fitzgerald); 102 rec, 1,402 yds, 7 TD (Boldin)

2. Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts, 2001-08
1,265 receptions, 17,155 yards, 134 touchdowns

This would be an easy choice for the top position in most decades. I recognized both Harrison and Wayne on my All-2000s Team, naming both among the six best wide receivers of the decade. The problem, to the extent that one exists, is that Harrison was starting to slow down by the time Wayne hit his prime. Their combined numbers are fantastic in 2002, but it's almost all Harrison, who broke the single-season receptions record; he out-gained Wayne by over 1,000 yards that season. Wayne was an elite receiver in '07 and '08, but Harrison was basically done by that point. Their real overlap period, when both were elite receivers, is 2004-06.

Best season: 2006 — 95 rec, 1,366 yds, 12 TD (Harrison); 86 rec, 1,310 yds, 9 TD (Wayne)

1. Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, St. Louis Rams, 2000-06
1,158 receptions, 17,435 yards, 97 touchdowns

Going back to the 1999 Super Bowl year, is this the best receiving duo in history? It's certainly on the short list. Swann and Stallworth, Fears and Hirsch, Air Coryell ... I'd put this up against anyone. In these seven seasons, both receivers went over 1,000 yards every year, except '05, when Bruce was injured. Three times, they combined for over 2,500 yards. They were the best duo in the league with Kurt Warner, and they were the best with Marc Bulger. They were even the best with Trent Green, who played half the season when Warner was injured in 2000. Holt and Bruce excelled with Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, and Scott Linehan.

Best season: 2000 — 82 rec, 1,635 yds, 6 TD (Holt); 87 rec, 1,471 yds, 9 TD (Bruce)

Special Mentions

Best receiving trio: Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Marshall Faulk, STL, 2000-05

Sleeper for 2010: Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, and Owen Daniels, HOU

Best WR-TE Receiving Combinations

1. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark (IND)
2. Terrell Owens and Jason Witten (DAL)
3. Eddie Kennison and Tony Gonzalez (KC)
4. Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey (NYG)
5. Santana Moss and Chris Cooley (WAS)

Best by Year

2000: Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey, DEN
2001: Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, JAC
2002: Ward and Burress
2003: Holt and Bruce
2004: Holt and Bruce
2005: Fitzgerald and Boldin
2006: Harrison and Wayne
2007: Moss and Welker
2008: Fitzgerald and Boldin
2009: Moss and Welker

Honorable Mentions: Holt and Bruce, 2000; Cris Carter and Randy Moss, MIN, 2000; Eric Moulds and Peerless Price, BUF, 2002; Javon Walker and Donald Driver, GB, 2004; Johnson and Houshmandzadeh, 2007

Posted by Brad Oremland at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)

May 6, 2010

The Curious Case of Michael Loyd, Jr.

Michael Loyd, Jr. was a superstar on the Las Vegas high school basketball scene. He was a do-everything type, leading his team to a 21-5 record his senior year and leading his league in assists and steals, finishing second in scoring and three-pointers (total made), and third in blocks (when was the last time you saw one guy in the top three in both blocks and steals, even within a team?).

When colleges came calling, it was mostly mid-majors: Santa Clara, Northern Arizona, Northern Iowa, Idaho. By far the most prestigious school to offer him a scholarship was Brigham Young. Since he had been attending BYU basketballsummer camps since he was in middle school, it was probably a pretty easy decision to make.

He got good minutes right away as a freshman, but the real breakout was in the latter half of his sophomore season, which just concluded. He scored 18 against rival Utah, and then 19 in a heartbreaking loss to regular season conference champs New Mexico. He was starting to show a tendency to come up big in the biggest games.

None bigger, as it turns out, then their NCAA tournament victory over Florida. There, he put up 26 points and 4 steals.

He didn't do much in their second-round loss to Kansas State, however, in what would turn out to be his last game for BYU. In a move that clearly caught the fans and the media off-guard, it was announced he would be transferring out, by "mutual consent" of the player and the BYU coaching staff.

Why? Well, you probably are aware that BYU is a Mormon school with strict standards and a culture that a black, non-Mormon kid from Sin City may have a hard time relating to or immersing himself in. And, it would appear that you would be right. Because, although BYU head coach Dave Rose says Loyd was academically in good standing and that he had not run afoul of the school's honor code, "(Loyd) was given some guidelines in regards to behavior, dress, and appearance that he apparently decided he just couldn’t abide by," according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

He is known to have a tongue ring. He also wore a mohawk late in the season, but so did other players still on the team.

In cases like these, I almost reflexively side with the student and not the institution. The more rigidly a school enforces a template of detailed minutiae of everything a student wears, says, thinks, eats, and so on, the less I probably like that institution. I don't like the sanctimonious, revered schools like Notre Dame and Duke, give me a scrappy school of troubled teens coached by a guy who is trying to turn their life around not by pestering them about the length of their hair or their shorts, but important things like education, self-esteem, kindness to others, and self-expression. That's the model I believe in.

But BYU is a bit of a special case. You'd think if I dislike Notre Dame and Duke, I'd have to just hate a place like BYU. But I don't. And I struggle to explain why. It has something to do with the fact that you know, or should know, exactly what you are getting with Brigham Young University. You know they will be strict even by typical religious-school standards. You know they will be more traditional, with more insistence on respecting the structure, than a typical religious school. I have to wonder if Loyd could not have seen this clash coming.

Another thing that impresses me about BYU is their fans. In researching this story, I made the rounds of their blogs, comments, and message boards to gauge their reaction. I was expecting a lot of "good riddance, inner-city thug" kind of sentiment that is absolutely pervasive among the fans of even the most permissive, secular of schools when they lose a troubled player (and I am not calling Loyd a troubled player).

Instead, I found almost none of that. They are almost universally upset see him go. Virtually no one is scapegoating Loyd, even in the mildest of terms. I was most surprised how willing they were to call out their university on the same grounds I would: arbitrary rigidity, putting pressure on a kid for being merely compliant with the rules rather than a beatific model of them, etc.

I was particularly impressed by the comment of one "Archaea" at CougarGaurd.com:

"BYU is at fault for this, we tend to be so much about conformity and so little about unity. Strict conservatives within our culture mistake one for the other ... (w)e can find a bunch of white CPAs anywhere, but how will we enrich ourselves if that is all that we ever attract and retain ... (i)t is a very disruptive event to attract non-LDS black athletes only to see a disproportionate enough of such athletes not stay at BYU. I wish administration and the culture would strive harder to make it easier to embrace all, especially those who qualify academically and via the Honor Code."

Today, coach Rose basically just repeated what he had already said with more verbosity without relating any specific details: "The situation with Mike basically came down to accountability issues and responsibility issues, and things that we had discussed many times and when it came right down to it, we just felt that the direction that we were going as a team and as a program, and the things that we felt were really, really important ... Mike struggled with some of those issues,” Rose said. “So the best thing for us to do was kinda go in different directions. And that is kind of how it happened."

He also stated that Loyd was academically qualified to play anywhere in the country, but that academics were a "struggle" for him.

So it sounds as if he is making the grade, but only just. It sounds as if he is staying on the right side of the Honor Code, but only just. It sounds like "only just" isn't good enough for BYU, and it's getting to be too much a drag for Loyd to keep trying. It would be for me, too.

The thing about black-and-white standards is, once you lay them on paper, and those conditions are met, I don't really think you have any room to complain, and that's my biggest beef with BYU about all this. I can't really put it better than Jennifer Anniston's character in "Office Space."

So what now for Loyd? If he transfers to a Division I school, he will only have one year of eligibility left. If he drops a division, he retains both remaining years of eligibility and can play right away.

Although he has a brother headed to Oregon on a basketball scholarship, he is said to be leaning towards the Division II route. He wants to play. And play today he did, seen in a pickup game on the BYU campus with players form Utah State and Utah Valley. He's a basketball player. I wish him well. I wish BYU well, too.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 6:39 PM | Comments (5)

May 5, 2010

Ouch, My LeBron Hurts

Certainly, you have heard the tale of Achilles — the legendary Greek warrior whose mother attempted to make immortal by dipping him into the River Styx. As she soaked her son in the immortal waters, she held him by his heel, leaving that as his lone point of vulnerability. As the legend goes, during the Trojan War, a Trojan Prince named Paris slew the great Achilles with an arrow to that very heel. For evermore, that particular part of a human's anatomy was to be known as the Achilles tendon and further, any perceived weakness in an individual or group would come to be called an "Achilles heel."

In modern days, it seems a similar legend is unfolding. Alternating between a site in one of our nation's most storied cities and a location just off the muddy shores of Lake Erie, a great battle is unfolding. Valiant warriors battle for fame, fortune, and victory with little regard for their opponents. Salvos are launched and reciprocated for 48 minutes at a time, but no matter the pace or veracity of the scrum, only one can be declared as the winner in a given night. Further, the first group to claim victory in four of the battles will be anointed as winner of the war, at least for this year.

The skill and passion of the combatants cannot be questioned. Both sides feature individuals who have laid claim to being the best at one point or another over the past 10 years. However, on one side, there is a singular talent; a warrior so bold and larger than life and filled with such a spirit that he could single-handedly sway the outcome of this historic battle. Nearly invincible, this hero has shown his dominance time and time again in the days, weeks, and months leading up to this fray. There has been no man, woman, child, or beast that could affect any manner of control over this fiery champion. Most declare that there is no stopping this force and victory has become inevitability as opposed to merely an option.

But in recent days, things have changed. As it turns out, when the Gods were instilling this legendary figure with his unparalleled athletic resources, his benefactors neglected a single, almost imperceptible area. This one weakness could undo the hero and his followers, and the very fact that it exists seems to have ushered in a sense of woe and uncertainty that otherwise would be considered ridiculous. You can see it in the way the hero carries himself — the constant grasping at the weak-spot almost as if he is resigned to the fact that he is now exposed and therefore ineffective. You can pick up the confidence that is now exuded by the hero's antagonists as they see their improved plight.

The only question that remains is — if indeed the hero is vanquished — will our right elbow evermore by known as our "LeBron" and will a failing be a result of a foe taking advantage of our "LeBron elbow?"

While this all may be much ado about nothing, the more serious take away from the current scenario playing out in the Boston/Cleveland NBA playoff series is that there is clearly something wrong with LeBron James and it is evident, at least for now, that this popular basketball messiah has a failing that is rather unflattering: when the chips are stacked against him, he seems to make excuses and fade to the background.

It is true that the Celtics did little more than win Game 2 on the road, tying up their series, but this topical reality belies the more symptomatic problem that has begun to surface. Being a monumental Michael Jordan fan, I can honestly tell you that never in his career — not once — did I become aware of Jordan uttering a phrase starting with "I'm not making excuses, but..." Isn't the mere utterance of this phrase in and of itself making an excuse?

This isn't to say there isn't a legitimate, maybe even serious issue with James' elbow. In fact, the injury is probably quite troublesome, but these things happen, even to superstars that transcend their sport. When something like this happens, the question is how does one respond? By shooting an ill-advised left-handed free throw in a close game? By stoically becoming a bystander on your home court in a blowout loss? Or does the star step aside temporarily when he realizes he cannot rise above the issue and trust those around him to succeed where he cannot?

I am not about to argue the fact — and it is clearly fact — that James is the most uniquely skilled basketball player of this era. His size/speed combination would make even the most freakishly-gifted NFL player envious. He can jump through the roof, his instincts are sharp and well-honed, and he even has a consistent jump-shot to rely on when his body just doesn't feel right, keeping him relatively grounded. LeBron also features a burning competitiveness that exalts him to excellence, but sometimes doesn't play so well in the public sector (see: reaction after last year's playoff loss to the Orlando Magic). It is hard to find fault and such things, at least on the surface.

Sometimes, ironically, the ego and pride that ultra-competitive athletes develop as the successes pile up become a deterrent to sustained success. In the case of Jordan, a novel titled "The Jordan Rules" cataloged the childish sense of entitlement that the megastar comported himself with. You may find this to contradict the very point of this article, but upon reviewing the book further, you realize that among this immaturity and megalomaniacal behavior, Jordan issued direct, unmistakable challenges to those with whom he ran. They were forced to get better or they were persecuted until they either complied or were run out of town.

While this isn't a virtue, it is the way to make a champion. You see, in issuing such direct challenges to a person's manhood, you provide for them the understanding that you have a specific expectation and further, you feel that they can meet said expectation with the right mix of grit, effort, heart, and sacrifice. This method creates lots of "dead bodies," but it also generates an energy that develops into across-the-board improvement for those that remain.

Conversely, LeBron takes a more hands off, "look at me" approach to leading. He isn't going to insult any of his teammates by demanding they work as hard as him. If you ask him, he'll tell you that they don't share the same gifts that he was blessed with. He would rather try to assemble a group of players around him that already have some skins on the wall, removing the dirty work that is required to convert an average NBA player into a good one.

So, by not trusting in his teammate's ability to develop into something resembling his own excellence, LeBron has created a culture of insecurity and self-doubt. He'll still make the shooters on the team better by getting them more open looks, to be sure, but he will never compel one of those shooters to demand the ball from James with the game on the line as John Paxson, Steve Kerr, and even Bill-freaking-Wennington all did while playing alongside Jordan.

Becoming a true champion is about much more than being the best player on the planet and imposing your will on your opponent. It is about inspiring a lesser to become a peer. It is about instilling the confidence that even though you know your teammates need you and they know they need you, you know they could do it without you if they had to. Reality may tell a completely different story, but often times, reality is little more than perception, so the perception that is created becomes critical.

Love or hate Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and any of their peers, past or present, you cannot deny that they not only inspired their teammates to be better through their play on the court, but they compelled them to be better by making them realize that sometimes they'd have to succeed in their absence. And none of them would have ever intentionally put their team in a more difficult position simply because their pride, competitiveness, and ego would not allow them to admit they may be better off on the bench.

Regardless of how this series or even this season ends for the Cavaliers, I'm going to go on record in saying that LeBron won't be hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy once this all plays out. They are a great team with great stars and a solid game plan. But they have a tragic and ultimately quite devastating weakness.

Let's just call it their "LeBron elbow."

Posted by Matt Thomas at 7:16 PM | Comments (2)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 10

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — For the fourth time this year, Gordon lost a late lead, this time watching as Kyle Busch passed him on the last restart at Richmond and drove away for the win. Gordon led all but five of the race's final 127 laps, his dominance interrupted by three late cautions that set the stage for Busch's comeback.

"If this season has taught me anything," Gordon said, "it's to 'quit while I'm ahead.' And, if there's anything my boss Rick Hendrick could teach me, it's how to 'close the deal.'"

"It's not a conservative estimate to say that untimely yellow flags have cost me four wins this year. It seems that late in races that I'm leading, there's an urge to 'throw caution to the win.'

"But I can't dwell on the 'passed' any more than I can predict the future. There may be crystal meth in NASCAR, but there are no crystal balls."

2. Kyle Busch — Busch, buoyed by several late cautions that bunched the leaders, dove underneath Jeff Gordon on the final restart at Richmond and held on for the win in the Heath Calhoun 400. It was Busch's first win in 21 Sprint Cup races and vaulted him two places in the point standings to third, where he trails Kevin Harvick by 109.

"What's the opposite of being 'behind the eight-ball?'" Busch said. "Being 'behind the 24.' Historically, starting in second on a race's final restart has not been an enviable position. But I had a good feeling about that final restart. I think a lot of that had to do with the good omen I saw that foretold the outcome. What was that omen? Jeff Gordon's rear bumper."

"I think it's safe to say I can be classified as a contender for the Sprint Cup. And many observers think I'm a threat to match Richard Petty's 200 wins in NASCAR. Right now, I'm on 67. The King's 200 is a lofty number, and it really gives new meaning to the term 'his highness.'"

3. Kevin Harvick — Despite an early misplay on pit road, Harvick finished third in the Heath Calhoun 400 at Richmond, grabbing his fourth top-five finish of the year and assuming the Sprint Cup points lead. Harvick now leads Jimmie Johnson, who finished 10th, by 10 points.

"Now, you can add my pit crew to the long list of people I've called 'buffoons,'" Harvick said. "But my crew more than made up for it with good stops the rest of the way, which put me in position to challenge up front. So, that just goes to show that sometimes, it takes 'clowns' to keep me 'Happy.'"

4. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson fought handling conditions throughout the night in Richmond, but was able to battle his way to a 10th in the Heath Calhoun 400, spinning across the line after the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy made contact with Clint Bowyer's No. 33 Chevy. Johnson lost the lead in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now trails Kevin Harvick, who finished third, by 10.

"You probably noticed that Jeff Gordon and I started side-by-side on the second row," Johnson stated. "Our well-publicized disagreements have lately been the leading topic of recent conversation, making it the 'front row.'"

"Jeff and I had a little conference call with Rick Hendrick to discuss our disagreements. The tension is still there, but we'll tell you everything is hunky-dory. That's called a 'unified front.'"

"As my three wins already this year can attest, I don't share Gordon's problem of closing out races. Maybe the pressure of leading a race is too much for him, and mental errors are allowing competitors to snatch the win. That's an affliction known as 'pass tense.'"

5. Denny Hamlin — Starting 30th at Richmond, Hamlin patiently and methodically worked his way to the front, eventually taking 11th in the Heath Calhoun 400, just missing his fourth top-10 finish of the year. Hamlin improved two places to seventh in the point standings, and trails Kevin Harvick by 199.

"After winning at Martinsville," Hamlin said, "I felt confident that I could win at Richmond and complete the Virginia sweep. But it was not to be. In my injured state, that's understandable, because the 'second leg' is a bit more difficult to manage than the first."

"Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his win. That's three this year for Joe Gibbs Racing, which has to make Joe happy. Joe hasn't won a Cup since 2005, and like everyone else, I'm sure he's sick of Jimmie Johnson's reign. Joe may have three Super Bowl championships, but capturing that third Sprint Cup championship has resulted in no 'finger-ringing,' but lots of 'hand-wringing.'"

6. Jeff Burton — Burton finished fourth at Richmond, following Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick, in third, across the line as RCR took three of the top 12 spots. Burton moved up three places in the point standings to ninth, and is 220 out of first.

"The RCR short-track program is making progress," Burton said. "And after our success at Talladega last week, it's apparent that RCR cars can be competitive anywhere, except in negotiations to retain Shell/Pennzoil as sponsors. In that respect, RCR was guilty of an oil 'spill' to rival BP's mess in the Gulf of Mexico."

7. Matt Kenseth — Despite persistent loose conditions that spoiled any chance for victory, Kenseth salvaged a respectable 13th-place finish at Richmond, piloting the No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford from his qualifying start of 21st. Kenseth remained fourth in the point standings, where he trails Kevin Harvick by 119.

"That kind of result is one that is hard to be excited about," Kenseth said. "Of course, who can tell when I'm excited anyway?"

"Many of you probably noticed the special purple camouflage paint scheme courtesy of Crown Royal. I'm not sure of the effectiveness of purple camouflage, but it definitely kept us hidden from the top 10. Our mediocrity proved that you can 'stand out' and not be a 'standout.'"

8. Greg Biffle — Biffle finished a lap down at Richmond, coming home 22nd as ongoing loose handling conditions hindered any progress. After starting the season with six top-10's, Biffle has cracked the top 10 in only one of his last four races. He is now fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 133 out of first.

"The No. 16 3M Ford was unresponsive to our adjustments," Biffle said. "Like Tim Richmond, we tried everything. And we did more 'tweaking' than Jeremy Mayfield."

"It's one thing to win. It's another thing to be in position to win. We can't do either. What I wouldn't give to be Jeff Gordon, or at least Jeff Gordon without the killer instinct. Has Gordon lost his mental edge on late restarts? Instead of 'Boy Wonder,' maybe we should call him 'Boy Wander.'"

9. Carl Edwards — Edwards posted his first top-five finish of the year, leading two laps on his way to a fifth at Richmond, his No. 99 Scotts EZ Seed the only Ford representative in the top 10. Edwards jumped two places in the Sprint Cup point standings to 11th, and trails Kevin Harvick by 240.

"For those of you not familiar with my Richmond car sponsor, 'EZ Seed' is not a fertility clinic. 'EZ Seed' is a turf builder. Here's how it works: just sprinkle it in your garage, and should a rogue driver enter that garage to confront you, 'EZ Seed' will ensure that he's summarily taken care of, say, for example, by being slammed on the hood of a car. Hence, turf builder. Take it from me, it works!"

10. Kurt Busch — Busch and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge struggled to find grip all night on Richmond's tricky surface, with numerous adjustments failing to remedy the situation. Forced to pit under green on lap 141, Busch fell a lap down, but a caution with ten laps to go put him back on the lead lap. He eventually finished 18th, the last car on the lead lap, and dropped one spot in the standings to eighth.

"Sponsor changes have been the talk here at Penske Racing," Busch said. "Shell/Pennzoil will adorn my No. 22 car next year, while Brad Keselowski gets Miller Lite in the No. 2. As of now, no one knows who will be sponsoring Sam Hornish, Jr., because like 'The Who,' Mobil is 'goin' mobile.'"

"But Roger Penske is a master of procuring finances, and if he can't find a sponsor, he'll just steal one. If all else fails, Penske can just field an unsponsored car for Hornish. That way, maybe Sam's performance will improve, seeing that the pressure of racing for a sponsor will be lifted. He'll be racing for himself, in a car emblazoned with the words 'Me So Hornish' on the hood.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)

May 4, 2010

The Letter of the Law, Written and Otherwise

Joe West (umpire, with all the subtlety of a terrorist attack) carps from the proper heart, but in the improper manner, about the unconscionable length of a game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. All of a sudden, everyone is interested in the letter of baseball law.

Alex Rodriguez (infielder, bombardier, and boor, not necessarily in that order) returns to first base after running full out on what proves a foul pop, crossing the pitcher's mound rather than taking the reverse route on the basepath. Dallas Braden (Oakland Athletics pitcher with three lines, a sub-.500 winning percentage, and an ERA at his league's average at best) huffs and puffs about crossing his mound and inspires more talk about the unwritten law than calls to shut his face until he gets more lines on his card and more black or gray ink on his resume.

The problem with West's rant is that he is correct by default, which doesn't appease assorted Yankees and Red Sox alike who rhapsodized in West's wake about the sort of game their fans prefer to see when the two lifelong antagonists square off.

They have a point. I imagine much the same thing goes through players' and fans' minds when, say, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants square off; or, when the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals go at it. Now it seems headed for something very similar between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. To see those contests and expect no hitter to step out of the box to regroup, no pitcher back from the rubber for a quick tip from his catcher or a quick breath while trying to out-think his challenger, is to see contests in which no available weapon or resource is left uncalibrated.

Braden may be a barely-established lack of entity, but he, too, is correct by default, which doesn't appease assorted players (some of them Yankees) and observers who think Rodriguez continues to see himself as a privileged character, his unquestioned (even by his enemies) work ethic notwithstanding, accountable to few beyond the celebrity ladies he seems wont to squire, never mind that it seems an open question as to whether he is accountable even to them. The good news, if we may call it such: Not even his worst enemies have ever accused A-Rod of turning a clubhouse into a singular house of horrors.

But baseball, the thinking person's sport, is the game that is unfettered genetically by the clock. What to do, then, about actual or alleged artificially elongated games, never mind that to a real baseball fan time comes to a stop from the first pitch to the final out?

Heaven forfend the umpires should enforce the written law, as it is written. (Say, the 12-second rule for time between pitches.) Heaven forfend the teams should adhere to it. The former are often accused (with justice) of enforcing or interpreting the written law with their own particular biases. (The forgotten factor in the offense explosion of the 1980s and 1990s: the incredible shrinking strike zone, often determined by an umpire's preferences, not by the written law; and, usually turning the strike zone into a region approximating that of a garrison belt buckle.) The latter are often accused (with like justice) of circumventing the written law by any means necessary. Including but not necessarily limited to treachery, skullduggery, and creative landscaping. Not necessarily in that order.

Three seasons ago, Matt Holliday slid across the back point as Michael Barrett blocked the plate, and a legion of San Diego Padres fans screamed bloody murder that Holliday, whose run merely meant their first postseason for the Colorado Rockies, should have been out. An equivalent legion of Rockies fans screamed bloody murder right back, arguing that Barrett had blocked the plate illegally, the ball not quite having reached his hands as he set himself in the block. Rockies fans were correct. Says who? Says the rules, says who. The catcher is not permitted to block the plate until or unless he has the ball in his hands. In any way, shape, or form.

Catchers have developed myriad techniques for plate blocking without quite crossing into the obvious, but by the letter of the law the baserunner has the right of way on the basepath in question so long as the catcher doesn't have the ball. It was that plus the separation of Ray Fosse from his shoulder which still causes debate over just how far over the line Pete Rose crossed in the 1971 All-Star Game. Technically, Fosse stood athwart the rules: he was blocking the plate. Sort of. He didn't have the ball in hand, but neither did he have his entire form across the third base line as Rose approached and bore down on the plate. (Watch the film. Note the angles. Fosse had only one foot on the line.)

Rose actually had plenty of room to score. It is one thing to knock a plate-blocking catcher off the line, since the catcher is violating the written law. But now we come to the unwritten law, part of which says that you don't scamper like a spoiled brat across the mound when returning to base following a foul, part of which says you don't try dismembering or disemboweling a catcher (or anyone else) in an All-Star Game.

Joe Posnanski, the charming Sports Illustrated columnist, has summarized baseball's unwritten laws rather compactly, and perhaps a little surprisingly. They are worth examining, one by one.

1) You don't step on the foul line. This refers to crossing onto or off the field, customarily. It also refers more to superstitions than to any actual unspoken code. (A Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Mike Cuellar, God rest his soul in peace, was infamous for refusing to get his foot anywhere near the foul line when approaching or leaving the mound.)

2) You don't bunt for a hit with a no-hitter in the works. This is generally considered to be unsportsmanlike conduct. And while a sourpuss could forge a splendid argument that your job — no-hitter or otherwise — is to get your butt on base any way you can, short of pointing a gun at the pitcher and ordering him to throw you something you can hit or to keep the ball out of the zone, there is something tawdry about dropping a bunt to break up the no-no. Unless you're Rickey Henderson, that is.

3) You don't peek back at the catcher to see where he's setting up. Not overtly, anyway. A hitter who can't see slightly behind his eye-skull matching point and have a pretty fair idea where the catcher is setting up, especially if said hitter has a preference for hitting from the back half of the batter's box, is a hitter who probably needs to make a date with his optometrist post haste.

4) You don't aim for the head. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why Manny Ramirez flipped his in the 2003 American League Championship Series, when Roger Clemens threw one straight up, an inch or two from his helmet visor, a half inning after Pedro Martinez (who took a back seat to very few when it came to enforcing the unwritten law) tried to push Karim Garcia back off the plate, but threw a rider that escaped his control and flew behind Garcia's back, rather than across his chest. It was the principle of the thing, especially considering Garcia had also tried to draw and quarter Boston second baseman Todd Walker while trying to break up a double play.

This is also why there was such a ruckus raised, anticipating the confrontation, over the Mets' responsibility — with the Yankees coming to Shea Stadium for an interleague contest — to send Clemens a message even Stevie Wonder couldn't miss, after Clemens had made a mini-career, seemingly, of tattooing Mike Piazza (who owned him at the plate) on any part of the body he could reach. Not to mention the infamous World Series broken-bat javelin throw toward Piazza jogging up the first base line. Which leads to...

5) You don't throw behind the batter. Well, now. Assuming that a message is called for — protecting your teammates, for example — would you rather see a target on a head? When Shawn Estes, then a Mets pitcher, took the mound against Clemens that fateful afternoon, Clemens was in the batter's box and Estes threw one right behind Clemens's knees. Oh, the screaming. (Chicken! and Cop-out! were two of the more benign epithets.) The umpires sent forth the warnings post haste, while Clemens flashed a knowing grin after stepping out of the box. While the world was questioning Estes's intestinal fortitude, he had done precisely as he should have done. He had taken the offensive weapon right out of Clemens's hands. And the Mets took the offensive, period, the absolute highlight of the afternoon coming when Estes himself hit one over the fence at Clemens' expense, a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth. (The Mets went on to win it, 8-0.)

6) You don't charge the mound with your bat in your hands. Sound as a nut.

7) You don't steal bases when your team is up a certain number of runs (the number, Posnanski says, is negotiable). This is one about which I'm not entirely certain. If you consider that Berra's Law is immutable and irrevocable, you consider concurrently that until the final out is secured and recorded the other fellows still have a chance to overtake you. (Darin Erstad, longtime California/Anaheim Angels field sergeant: "As long as we have an out, we have a chance.") Don't think it can't happen. John Smoltz will be happy to disabuse you. In his brief career as a splendid closer otherwise, he was the opening victim when the Mets scored nine in the ninth to overtake and beat the Braves.

Now, if you're talking about a 19-2 blowout with three outs to go, you might have a case on behalf of this rule. Might.

8) You don't swing for the fences 3-0 when your team is up a certain number of runs (this number, Posnanski says, is also negotiable). Refer to No. 7.

9) You don't shout anything racial when you are verbally and viciously taunting your opponent. Sound as a nut. Shouldn't even be a topic. Common decency, you know. (Though of course that doesn't always stay in the memory bank in the heat of the split second. Which reminds me of the single most effective way I ever knew for anyone to tape the racists' mouths shut on a baseball field: Joe Black, Brooklyn Dodgers Rookie of the Year in the making, in due course the first black pitcher to start and win a World Series game, listened to the Cincinnati Reds' bench serenade him with a chorus of "Old Black Joe"... and knocked down the next seven Reds in the lineup.)

10) You don't start walking to first base before the umpire says "ball four." This is an unwritten rule?

11) You don't stand at home plate for too long and watch your home run fly (time is negotiable, Posnanski says). Sound as a nut, and should have these riders attached: a) You don't throw at the next hitter in the lineup merely because your ego was just driven over the fence; b) You don't crowd the plate trying to take the strike zone, which is already being enforced arbitrarily enough, away from the pitcher. If you're pitching and you must send a message to the fellow who just hit your best service into the bullpens, wait until you get a crack at him the next time he comes up to hit. Then just push him off the plate with a well-thrown inside pitch. If you're hitting and you want to take half the already-arbitrary strike zone away from the pitcher, don't be shocked when he comes inside, on the legitimate (or, at least, the established-for-the-day) inside wall of the strike zone. He isn't exactly throwing at you; he's trying to throw an inside strike that he has every right to throw.

Which reminds me: Umpires, knock it off with the warnings just because a pitcher's trying to throw the inside strike and a hitter's fool enough to crowd the plate. You'd have thought baseball would have learned about plate crowding when Ray Chapman took one on the cranium from Carl Mays that meant his life; and, when Tony Conigliaro took one on the crown from Jack Hamilton that ultimately meant his career and, in due course, his life. David Wright, Mets third baseman, took one on the coconut from Matt Cain last season, and there are those who say his plate confidence hasn't recovered completely.

12) You don't shout as you are running by when an opponent is trying to catch a fly ball. I didn't even know this was an issue. But I'm the one who was shocked when Alex Rodriguez tried karate-chopping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove as Arroyo was laying on the tag up the first base line. And you'd have thought I'd seen enough in baseball not to be shocked by just about anything. Even considering what we know now, undiluted and incontrovertible, about A-Rod's self-possession, that was a play to cost you respect in the Little League.

13) You don't spend too much time celebrating strikeouts. This one seems a first cousin to the unwritten law against standing in the box to admire your home run's flight. Though I still think it used to be a hoot when Dennis Eckersley, in his young starting years, would celebrate a punchout by looking as though he were fanning the hammer on a pistol.

14) You don't help an opponent. Unless, of course, the circumstance is extraordinary. Willie Mays pulling the bleeding John Roseboro out of the crowd and into the Dodger clubhouse for medical attention, following the Juan Marichal bat incident (which was provoked by Roseboro in the first place, not that it excuses Marichal, but that's another story), is only the most infamous of such circumstances.

I know of another one. Down the stretch in 1964, Johnny Callison — whose Philadelphia Phillies were knee deep in what proved their infamous collapse — was playing in a game despite a violent case of flu. He reached first base against the Cardinals and the umpire, seeing the shape he was in, allowed the Phillies to bring him a warmup jacket. Callison so struggled to get the jacket on and buttoned that Bill White, the Cardinals' first baseman, stepped over and did the job for him.

Then, of course, there were Dale Murphy and Ryne Sandberg. So respected were they by teammates and opponents alike that, whenever their clubs got into bench-clearing brawls, their opponents made sure neither Murphy nor Sandberg was touched. From the look of it, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins has something of the same reputation today. So far.

15) You don't crash into a catcher in an All-Star Game. See above.

16) You don't rabbit punch someone during a bench-clearing brawl. No problem. But you also don't go rambling across the field looking to paste one into the pan of an enemy pitcher young enough to be your great-grandson (well, that's only a slight exaggeration) and strong enough to take you apart merely by glaring at you. Ask Don Zimmer and Pedro Martinez.

17) You don't spit at an umpire. Assuming the umpire doesn't take a swing at you. (Don't think that's impossible. Ask West, who once incurred a suspension for pulling a Phillies pitcher, Dennis Cook, from amidst a bench-clearing brawl and body slamming Cook to the ground.) And assuming he is behaving in a fashion reasonably called civilized during a dispute. (See the real story behind the Roberto Alomar-John Hirschbeck incident.)

18) You don't slide into second base spikes high. If you can't execute a takeout slide without raising your spikes, you really don't belong in the game.

19) You don't tag somebody hard in the face. Or in the cup, for that matter.

All of which is just one more reason why baseball, for all its controversies and crises, remains so invigorating a game in discourse as it is in play. In baseball, you are inspired to think and discuss the law. In other sports, you are too often inspired to enforce the law. Not the law of the game, written or unwritten, either.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 2:07 PM | Comments (1)

The "Wow, This is Early" Top 25

Spring football has come and gone, and with that, it's time for the first-ever (and hopefully annual) "Wow, this is early" Top 25. I'm going with hunches and just gut feelings, which means that my poll will probably differ a bit from a lot of those out there, but it's always fun to get the debate heated up early, so with that, I'll keep it short and sweet. Here's my poll.

1) Alabama — They have tons of questions defensively, but Nick Saban is doing more of a reloading than a rebuilding. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson will keep the Tide offense rolling along.

2) Ohio State — I really wasn't big on the Big Ten last year, but the Buckeyes were certainly impressive in taking down Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Terrelle Pryor really seems to be coming into his own, and I see yet another Big Ten title for the Buckeyes.

3) Texas — Garrett Gilbert showed already that he's not a slouch. There's some questions on defense, but overall, shouldn't expect much of a drop from the Longhorns.

4) Virginia Tech — Tyrod Taylor will continue to progress, Ryan Williams will give defensive coordinators fits, and yes, I think the Hokies win the ACC and ruin Boise State's title dreams this season.

5) Nebraska — Bo Pelini has brought the Blackshirt legacy back to the Husker D. If the offense shows any glimpse of being solid, Texas might have a serious challenge.

6) Boise State — They have a veteran team, and we all know they rise to the occasion. No doubt, they could make a run at the BCS title game. Paging the Butler Bulldogs, please.

7) Florida — The pressure will be on John Brantley, but the Gators, similar to Alabama, are simply reloading. No one is slipping them out of that favorite role in the SEC East.

8) Pittsburgh — The Panthers will dethrone Cincy as the kings of the Big East. Keep an eye on Dion Lewis, possibly the best tailback most of the nation hasn't heard of.

9) Arkansas — Almost the opposite of Nebraska. Bobby Petrino has a monster offense in Fayetteville. If the defense shows any glimpse of being solid, Alabama better watch out.

10) Oregon — The Pac-10's best this low? For now, yes, Granted, if Masoli was around, I'd have Oregon ranked second, but his loss has a pretty big effect, much more than Blount's last year.

11) Oklahoma — So many players headed to the NFL, but on gut feeling, Bob Stoops will go back to basics, and a nasty defense will guide the Sooners back to their high standards.

12) TCU — Andy Dalton will ensure that the Frogs will have another fantastic year. A big part of me says they should be ranked higher, but I really want to see how that game in Dallas with Oregon State goes first.

13) Iowa — I have the Hawkeyes a little bit lower, mostly because of their inconsistency last year. Iowa played many times to the level of competition. They beat great teams in Penn State and Georgia Tech, and then struggle with Northern Iowa and Arkansas State. Can Stanzi and company be a little more consistent? I'm waiting to see.

14) Wisconsin — The Badgers certainly are hoping that tailback John Clay will be healthy come fall. If Clay is 100 percent, Wisconsin, an old-school, throwback Big Ten team, will once again be in the thick of the BCS picture.

15) Florida State — Bobby Bowden didn't leave the cupboard bare for Jimbo Fisher, and with Christian Ponder returning, the 'Noles should see an upswing next year, and possibly a run at the conference title.

16) Miami — Randy Shannon is no flash-in-the-pan coach. He's building the Hurricane program back brick-by-brick. The health of Jacory Harris is a question, but Miami definitely has a lot of the pieces to make fans remember the days of "The U."

17) LSU — Quarterback issues surround Baton Rouge, otherwise, LSU would be ranked much higher. At least whoever wins the job will get to throw to QB-turned receiver Russell Shepherd.

18) Oregon State — Surprised? The Beavers were just a game away last year from the Rose Bowl, and with Jacquizz Rodgers still haunting the Pac-10, Oregon State is once again a dangerous sleeper team.

19) USC — How the mighty Trojans have fallen. Matt Barkley will still lead a talented group of kids, but the aura of invincibility is gone, and Lane Kiffin has a long way to go to rebuild the Trojan swagger.

20) Georgia Tech — The Jackets lost Jonathan Dwyer, but Paul Johnson's triple option hasn't had much trouble succeeding in the ACC. Look for Georgia Tech to not give up their ACC title without a nasty fight.

21) Stanford — Gerhart is gone, but Andrew Luck is still the real deal at quarterback. The key for the Cardinal is to find enough of a running punch to avoid being one-dimensional, allowing Luck to control the game.

22) Cincinnati — Anyone catch that spring football game? The Bearcats played basketball on grass and tore it up offensively, which means they'll still be a contender in the Big East. The question is will Butch Jones be able to just outscore everyone, or will he need his defense to win a couple of games for him?

23) Texas A&M — The Aggies made significant strides last year, and Jerrod Johnson is still a ery exciting quarterback to watch. The Aggies will need some players to step up and help out defensive beast Von Miller.

24) Houston — Kevin Sumlin's high octane offense returns for more next year. Case Keenum will continue to bomb away at Conference USA defenses, and it'll be no surprise to watch the Cougars knock off some bigger name opponents again this year (I've got the game at UCLA marked down).

25) Connecticut — I never thought I'd be putting UConn in a college football poll. However, Randy Edsall has done an incredible job building this program up. The Huskies are a sleeper in the Big East, and it'll be interesting to see how they've progressed from that stunning bowl rout of South Carolina.

Posted by Jean Neuberger at 1:18 PM | Comments (3)

May 3, 2010

A Tale of Two Presidents' Trophies

This story sounded familiar: a high-flying Presidents' Trophy team roaring into the playoffs all primed and ready to forget the past and make a solid run at Lord Stanley — only to be stymied by an upstart eighth seed with ridiculous goaltending.

It's been two years in a row we've seen this story, last year with the league-leading San Jose Sharks and this year with the Washington Capitals. But did both teams take familiar paths to defeat? Upon closer look, these two teams lost in far different ways.

The Opponent

The San Jose Sharks lost to the eighth-seed Anaheim Ducks — but the eighth seed was a bit misleading, as the Ducks were one of the hottest teams in the second-half of the season. Though they scratched and clawed (erm, quacked) their way back to life in the last spot, no one wanted to play them. And with a recent Stanley Cup win and two Hall of Fame defensemen patrolling their blueline in Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer, it proved to be a difficult battle for any team. This was no typical one-vs.-eight match-up.

The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, were nearly universal favorites, many predicting a quick series that would end in four or five games. The Montreal Canadiens had questionable goaltending, questionable forwards, and questionable defense. The Capitals scored an astonishing 101 more goals than the Canadiens did and were nearly unbeatable at home. This, in fact, was a typical one-vs.-eight match-up.

The Lead

San Jose lost the first two games at home, the first with a listless effort and the second with a barrage on Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller. Hiller played outstanding, but it was the backup efforts of Anaheim's blueline that boxed San Jose out and kept their players from crashing the net or creating screens. After going down three games to one, the Sharks fought back with an overtime winner, but ultimately lost in six — and many didn't call it an upset.

While Montreal took the first game with a strict defensive game, Washington unleashed its weapons in Game 2 by roaring back from a three-goal deficit. After winning that game, the Caps rolled on the next two, and looked to finish strong, needing only one win in their final three games — a win that they never got.

The Defense

The Anaheim Ducks of the 2000s will be remembered for building from the blueline out. With one of Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger on the ice for pretty much the whole game, many teams felt an immediate disadvantage coming in. Skill players were either deftly handled by Niedermayer or simply punished into submission by Pronger. The 2008-09 Ducks also were unique in that Niedermayer didn't come back until halfway through the season, sparking the team towards its playoff run.

While Montreal has its share of quality defensemen, there's no two that can compare with the resume of either Pronger or Niedermayer — heck, Montreal's best defenseman Andrei Markov is skilled but not in the same league as either of those two guys. Instead, Montreal had to rely on a much more systematic approach with all five players committed to defensive responsibilities.

The Stars

The Sharks got their Presidents' Trophy off strong seasons by Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. During that playoff series, Thornton and Marleau got their share of points but they failed to dominate any game. And when the secondary scoring fell off the map for San Jose, it was pretty much lights out.

To say that the Capitals' best players disappeared during the series against Montreal is only a half-truth. While Alexander Semin and Mike Green woefully underperformed, Alex Ovechkin still put up 10 points in seven games, and Nicklas Backstrom was a consistent force on the ice. The blame certainly can't go on those players; in fact, a bigger picture perspective looks at the Capitals' system — both the defensive system that let in key goals at bad times and the overall breakout/entry that wasn't adjusted to negate Montreal's trap.

What was the same between these teams? Last year's San Jose team saw a big goose-egg from secondary players such as Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe, and Devin Setoguchi, and Anaheim's Jonas Hiller nearly stole two series in the playoff run before returning to earth. Similarly, Washington's secondary scoring disappeared, and Jaroslav Halak's contributions couldn't be overstated enough.

But the bottom line was that these were two completely different series. While history judges last year's Sharks squad harshly, many pundits viewed the series as a pick 'em at the time. This year's Capitals/Canadiens series was a true upset, and one that will leave Washington fans scratching their heads all summer long.

Posted by Mike Chen at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

UDFAs Find Life Beyond Irrelevance

By making Weber State's Tim Toone the last of 255 players selected in the 2010 draft, the Detroit Lions left another 1,100 hopefuls looking for work last week as roster building across the National Football League moved off Radio City Music Hall's center stage and into the football community theater of the undrafted free agent — or UDFA — market.

Toone's anointing as this year's Mr. Irrelevant stands at a decided ridge-line in the NFL offseason. On the heels of the veteran free agency period, a record 45.4 million viewers tuned in to the three days of televised draft coverage, and 12,000 more filled Radio City Music Hall for the show. But once the curtains went down and the lights came up Saturday, the vitals of this UDFA class were entrusted to a handful of team websites and hardcore blogs smattered across the Internet.

This is NFL off-roading, as 32 teams race roughshod across the twilight side of the hill — and oftentimes each other — looking for the best of the rest. According to James Christensen of NE Patriots Draft — which, despite its name, is a nationally-acclaimed central repository of all UDFA signings — the first of the undrafteds was snatched amid the Mr. Irrelevant fanfare, as the San Diego Chargers announced the signing of Tulane's Jeremy Williams a mere five minutes after the last pick. NE Patriots Draft went on to report 275 UDFA signings before midnight Saturday. A process requiring three days to place 255 draftees had been surpassed in less than seven hours.

While it can be a whirlwind, this period also offers collateral benefits to the undrafted player, who is given a freedom of choice not enjoyed by his drafted peers. In his senior year at Boston College, Indianapolis Colts safety Jamie Silva earned first-team All-ACC and All-America honors, as well as the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl MVP. Despite a pedestrian 40-yard time at the NFL Combine, his accomplishments should have landed him as a late-rounder in the 2008 draft. Nonetheless, Silva's name was never uttered from the Radio City Music Hall podium.

"It was disappointing the second day of the draft when names were getting called and mine wasn't," admits Silva. "There were guys getting called at the safety position I had never heard of. When you're going into it as a player, you're thinking, okay I'm probably listed as the number whatever safety, and you hope to go higher. I obviously dropped below that. It was kind of a letdown."

His disappointment had a short shelf life, however, as Silva soon became a centerpiece in undrafted free agency. Eight teams immediately called on his services. "Once the last draft pick went, I started to get a lot of phone calls," he recalls. "I'd be on the phone with one team, and they're trying to sell their organization to me as another team is calling. It was pretty hectic for a while."

Silva found himself with the opportunity to decide everything from where he'd work to what he'd be doing, and the chance to play for Tony Dungy in a Tampa-2 defense won the day. By contrast, the Oakland Raiders' Darren McFadden, the fourth player drafted in Silva's 2008 rookie class, had little choice; two years, five touchdowns, and eight fumbles later, he's now cloaked in anonymity in a city and a system that hasn't worked. For Silva, with so much so hastily thrown in his lap and eyes wide with wonder, he had to feel the choice from within. "There were teams putting the pressure on — some teams more so than others. I had to make a quick decision, and I felt that I couldn't really go wrong with choosing the Indianapolis Colts."

Of course, most UDFAs don't have eight teams from which to select an employer. Many will be lucky to have even one. It's not unusual for upfront interest to wither in the fickle suitor's eye, and when it doesn't, the road gets even rougher. Like the mountain banshees of Avatar, a team that has locked in on their UDFA will next try to kill him. There is no guaranteed roster spot accompanying this courtship. Some players will be expected to retool their games considerably, if not change positions altogether. Others will spend training camp as glorified tackling dummies for drafted and established players to demonstrate their worth.

Nor is there a $45 million contract laying in these weeds. Last year, in a CNBC Sports Biz column, Darren Rovell pegged the largest signing bonus among Silva's 2008 UDFA peers at $23,000. As Rovell observed, these bonuses typically don't equate to even a single year's worth of scholarships, making the UDFA the NFL's version of the unpaid intern. But just as legions line Wall Street for these opportunities in the corporate world, so do players in the NFL. Take Brown University's Bobby Sewall.

Despite his blazing 4.4-second 40-yard Pro Day speed, the All-Ivy wide receiver had no misgivings about his draft status, even as sites like NFL Draft Scout projected him with sixth-round upside. "I'd just be happy to get on a team," Sewall admitted in the days leading up to the 2010 draft. "It's a lifelong dream of mine."

Sewall was not invited to the NFL Combine and, as a Rhode Island resident, was limited to the lightly-scouted Pro Day held on Brown University's Providence campus. Many teams never saw him work out. Nevertheless, interest was high, largely due to his athleticism and versatility. "I'm getting tons of calls from teams I didn't work out for," Sewall reported before last week's draft, "Hopefully those numbers — 4.39, 41-inch vertical — show teams that I have the ability to play at this level."

In college, Sewall played quarterback, tailback, and receiver, returned kicks, and even saw a few snaps on defense. "I pride myself in the ability to play multiple positions. I have a good football IQ. The more you can do, [the] more reasons to keep you around."

And Sewall has another key resource in fellow Rhode Islander Jamie Silva, who knows first-hand the difficulty in securing a roster spot as an undrafted free agent, let alone one from his home state — only seven have produced fewer NFL players, and Silva is one of only three Rhode Islanders currently active in the league. It's an albatross that can only be overcome with hard work and determination. That's the message Silva will be spreading to local kids this June when he hosts his first youth football camp and seven-on-seven tournament in hometown East Providence, and it's the same message he has for aspiring NFL players like Sewall. "I tell the younger guys going into camps to have confidence," he says of his role as counselor. "They're getting brought in for a reason. Play like you belong there."

It looks like Sewall will get that chance; he went undrafted last weekend but signed on with the Tennessee Titans early Sunday afternoon. And when he reports to rookie camp in Nashville later this week, he'll bring Silva's advice with him.

"He said to get in there and work as hard as you can," says Sewall. "'You'll realize there's a lot more parity than you think between the big-name guys and small-school guys who may have been overlooked earlier on.'"

At one time, both Silva and Sewall would have preferred the distinction of draftee over UDFA, even if it meant playing for teams and in roles not of their choosing. But with the light of day following the long NFL roster-building process, they can each establish a legacy in what they leave on the field, not on what they didn't take from Radio City Music Hall.

Posted by Bob Ekstrom at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)

May 2, 2010

Why Sam Bradford Was the Right Choice

Let's get this out of the way up front: I don't actually think Sam Bradford was the right choice with the first pick in this year's NFL Draft. I believe Ndamukong Suh is a can't-miss prospect at the pro level, and that's the direction I would have gone.

That said, I understand why the Rams chose Bradford first overall. Quarterback is the most important position in football, and sometimes a good QB can help your team more than a great defensive tackle. Since the AFL merger in 1970, the top pick in the draft has been used on a quarterback 18 times, almost half the time. Is this because NFL general managers are P.R.-obsessed morons, or is it because the best professional talent evaluators believe it's worth rolling the dice on a QB with upside even if that means passing on a safe bet at another position? Deny the fundamental importance of the QB position, and you're basically calling GMs stupid.

This topic has been a particular source of controversy the last few months, with Bradford passing Suh on the Rams' draft board and Titans RB Chris Johnson missing out on the league MVP Award after a historic season. Johnson became only the sixth player in history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season, and he broke Marshall Faulk's single-season record for yards from scrimmage. Johnson averaged 5.6 yards per carry and scored 16 touchdowns. It's one of the greatest seasons any running back has ever had.

Not only did Johnson not win MVP, he didn't get a vote. The 50 votes were split among four quarterbacks: Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Brett Favre. Oddly, Johnson ran away with the Offensive Player of the Year Award, getting 38½ votes — 37 more than Manning. If Johnson was the league's most outstanding offensive player, how could he be so far removed from the MVP discussion?

I don't vote for the Associated Press awards, but I've chosen an MVP and OPOY for Sports Central every year since 2002. In only three of those eight seasons did I select the same person. In '09, I named Johnson OPOY and Brees MVP:

Are the AP voters and I buying into quarterback hype, giving the league's most prestigious individual award to QBs even when other players excel more at their positions? Are there some players who have no chance to win, no matter how well they play?

Yeah. Running backs have an uphill battle, while receivers and defensive players have almost no chance. Offensive linemen and special teamers have none at all, Mark Moseley's 1982 win in a strike-shortened season notwithstanding. That does seem unfair, but ultimately I believe it's appropriate. No matter how well an offensive lineman plays, I don't believe he can have enough individual impact to be the most valuable player in the league. Maybe one season I'll see a player who changes my mind. I doubt it.

I can even prove this, somewhat. Since the 1970 merger, the AP's first-team all-pro QBs have played on teams that posted a combined record of 489-125-2 (.794) and won six Super Bowls. A head-to-head comparison with first-team all-pros at most other positions wouldn't be fair, because AP names two each year, but the other positions don't have anything like the same record.

All-pro centers check in at 420-193-3 (.682). All-pro kickers are at .651. Punters? A lowly .531, 327-287-2. Quarterbacks are way, way ahead here.

Of course, we could argue that the all-pro QB selections are sometimes influenced more by team results than by individual performance. What if we just look at stats? How about each year's leader in passing TDs vs. running TDs? The passers were a combined 440-174.5-1.5 (the halves are from years when two players tied for the league lead). The runners combined to go 422.5-191.5-2. That's .717 for the QBs and .688 for the rushing leaders.

How about a really loaded one? Yardage leaders. Teams that are already winning tend to run the ball, whereas teams that are behind usually pass. The rushing leaders should win this, hands-down. The passers check in at 372-241-3, the rushers at 360-252-4. Even here, the exceptional quarterbacks are ahead.

Why did I name Chris Johnson Offensive Player of the Year, but Drew Brees league MVP? Johnson was the most outstanding at his position. No other running back came close to him last season. But you could probably replace Johnson with an average starter — Fred Jackson or Marion Barber — and it wouldn't cost the Titans more than a couple of games. Replace Brees with an average quarterback, like Jason Campbell or Kyle Orton, and the Saints are in a world of trouble.

Sam Bradford is one player, and I don't know if he was the right pick for St. Louis. But quarterback is a uniquely important position, and if the Rams believe Bradford will be a good one, he was probably the right choice.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 5:56 PM | Comments (0)