When I was a kid, baseball was so big and The Sporting News was so baseball focused that it was automatic for me to subscribe. The publication came out weekly, published the box score of every game, and newspaper writers who covered baseball teams for a living also wrote a weekly piece on their team. If you were a baseball fan, you got this publication.
I graduated, so to speak, to Sports Illustrated as I grew older, perhaps for a few reasons. First, I didn't have the time to follow baseball as closely as The Sporting News offered, and the advent of USA Today enabled me to get enough news on non-local baseball teams without my having to subscribe to TSN. Second, I liked the writing in SI better. TSN was straight reporting, whereas at times SI waxed lyrical and gave more features-oriented, moving portraits of the subjects they covered. Third, SI covered a wider variety of sports, and I believed that I was frequently guaranteed to learn something outside my comfort zone. I couldn't say the same for TSN.
Fast forward to today, and I subscribe to both publications. What I said about SI's writing to a degree holds true, although the publication is thinner than ever and you don't get much day-in, day-out news out of the publication. In fact, the comfort zone of SI is much more narrow, so the articles about fertile fishing grounds are relics of the past. You might, for example, learn more about a high-school basketball program that you didn't know and that SI thinks is setting a (wrong) trend, but the days of going beyond the majors and NASCAR seem to be behind them.
TSN has undergone quite the transformation and is far superior in terms of giving you behind-the-scenes, day-in, day-out news about your favorite sports. The recent issue, for example, puts forth a great effort on the life of, and draft-day activities of, then-Missouri and now Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. It's an article worthy of SI, only it appears in TSN, as do various analyses of NFL team's drafts, the needs of BCS football programs and feature articles on Danica Patrick and Gary Bettman (neither of which I read because I'm not into Indy car racing or the NHL). In contrast, SI's "Inside" features -- which they recently put in the beginning pages of the magazine -- continue to fail. They're small snippets about the major sports, incomplete thoughts, and not all that informative. SI should stop trying to be what it's not in the magazine -- which is TSN -- and focus on what it does best -- which is outstanding writing (it can always put the other stuff on its website, which it does). So. . .
I was pleasantly surprised with the breadth and depth of TSN. It's also far cheaper (about 15 bucks a year, a fraction of SI's cost) and easier to share with a young sports fan, who will grasp the more simplistic framework of the magazine and be able to learn much about his/her favorite sports without having to read a 2,000 word essay. That said, if you're still looking for some of the best sportswriting on the planet, you should continue to get SI.
Right now I'm a new born-again convert to TSN, so I will not suggest any changes, while I have subscribed to SI for decades. I would suggest to SI that it go back almost to its strict essay format and not only cover the major sports, but also give us insights into international soccer and the passions of people about their sports from around the globe. In that regard, SI has lost its edge a bit and should fight to regain it.
Both are good publications, so enjoy!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 08, 2009
If I Won the Powerball Lottery, I'd. . .
Besides making significant charitable donations and gifts to family members, I would:
1. Purchase 4 seasons tickets to the Phillies in the Diamond Club Dugout section right behind home plate.
2. I'd secure the services of a limosine driver to take me to and from the Phillies games I'd attend. (Note: my friends would rejoice because I'd probably share more than a majority of the tickets with them).
3. I'd donate sufficient funds to my local kids' baseball and softball leagues to have them purchase a) automatic tarpaulin machines for all infields, b) the proper equipment to drag infields and fill in the holes on pitchers mounds (to the extent that they don't have it) and c) endow funds for a maintenance crew for several years (within reason). The reason for this particular donation is paramount -- we've had seemingly endless rain in the mid-Atlantic region, so much so that it's hard for the fields to recover after large amounts of rain. While it's not possible (unless you have Bill Gates-like money) to have enough money to donate to your local leagues to enable them to have fields worthy of Major League Baseball teams, donations like this certainly should improve the quality of (sports) life in the town in which I live.
4. Go on an annual fishing trip (fly fishing in a stream).
5. Go to my first (and probably only) Super Bowl.
6. Attend a Masters.
And probably fund many more travel and leisure opportunities.
1. Purchase 4 seasons tickets to the Phillies in the Diamond Club Dugout section right behind home plate.
2. I'd secure the services of a limosine driver to take me to and from the Phillies games I'd attend. (Note: my friends would rejoice because I'd probably share more than a majority of the tickets with them).
3. I'd donate sufficient funds to my local kids' baseball and softball leagues to have them purchase a) automatic tarpaulin machines for all infields, b) the proper equipment to drag infields and fill in the holes on pitchers mounds (to the extent that they don't have it) and c) endow funds for a maintenance crew for several years (within reason). The reason for this particular donation is paramount -- we've had seemingly endless rain in the mid-Atlantic region, so much so that it's hard for the fields to recover after large amounts of rain. While it's not possible (unless you have Bill Gates-like money) to have enough money to donate to your local leagues to enable them to have fields worthy of Major League Baseball teams, donations like this certainly should improve the quality of (sports) life in the town in which I live.
4. Go on an annual fishing trip (fly fishing in a stream).
5. Go to my first (and probably only) Super Bowl.
6. Attend a Masters.
And probably fund many more travel and leisure opportunities.
Dominic DiMaggio is Dead at 92
Click here to read an excellent article from the Associated Press about the former Red Sox' outfielder and brother of Yankees' Hall of Famer Joe.
He was nicknamed the "Little Professor" because he wore glasses and was 5'9". There had been a song in New York with a refrain of "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" that Red Sox' fans adapted for their own benefit, singing: "Who is better than his brother Joe? Dom-in-ic DiMA-gee-o."
They loved Dominic DiMaggio in Boston. He was a great player in his own right, not quite at Hall of Fame level but an outstanding contributor to the Red Sox. If you want to get a good sense of him, read David Halberstam's 2003 book, The Teammates, a great, short read that reflected upon DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky and Ted Williams. Put simply, Dom DiMaggio was a great guy -- as an athlete, as a businessman, as a teammate and as a family man. For all the glory that his brother received, it appeared to me that Dom DiMaggio led the (much) happier life and was a true Renaissance man.
Read the obituary, read the book, and then wonder about how you view the headlines and the big names. Is everyone else in the family lesser because they don't receive the headlines of the (more) famous brother, or is it the case that life isn't always what it seems, and that you don't really know what someone else's life is all about because you don't live in his house? You'll probably learn a lot by going through this exercise.
At any rate, thanks, Dominic DiMaggio, for setting the great example that you did.
Rest in peace.
He was nicknamed the "Little Professor" because he wore glasses and was 5'9". There had been a song in New York with a refrain of "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" that Red Sox' fans adapted for their own benefit, singing: "Who is better than his brother Joe? Dom-in-ic DiMA-gee-o."
They loved Dominic DiMaggio in Boston. He was a great player in his own right, not quite at Hall of Fame level but an outstanding contributor to the Red Sox. If you want to get a good sense of him, read David Halberstam's 2003 book, The Teammates, a great, short read that reflected upon DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky and Ted Williams. Put simply, Dom DiMaggio was a great guy -- as an athlete, as a businessman, as a teammate and as a family man. For all the glory that his brother received, it appeared to me that Dom DiMaggio led the (much) happier life and was a true Renaissance man.
Read the obituary, read the book, and then wonder about how you view the headlines and the big names. Is everyone else in the family lesser because they don't receive the headlines of the (more) famous brother, or is it the case that life isn't always what it seems, and that you don't really know what someone else's life is all about because you don't live in his house? You'll probably learn a lot by going through this exercise.
At any rate, thanks, Dominic DiMaggio, for setting the great example that you did.
Rest in peace.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
A-Rod and Manny
First, Selena Roberts writes that A-Rod tipped pitches to opposing players while on the Texas Rangers in exchange for getting tips about what pitch was coming next. Only in games where the outcome had little doubt, of course.
Next, today MLB suspended Dodgers' outfielder Manny Ramirez 50 games for using a performance-enhancing drug.
As these things usually come in threes, what will come next.
How about:
1) a star player announces that he's been undergoing treatments for a sex change operation;
2) a front office has been laundering money for Al Qaeda;
3) umpires are on the take.
Both stories are, of course, sad events for a great game. People are human, and they are flawed, and, well, what else is there to say other than A-Rod is very complicated and somewhat troubled to say the least, and Manny, well, was being Manny once again, except this time instead of just looking silly he ran into the authorities and got slammed.
Before mid-morning, the headlines were that the Dodgers were enjoying their best start at home for a Major League team in over 100 years. By nightfall, he'll be dissected on national TV, his team left with a big hole in the middle of its lineup, and all of the baseball pundits wondering what else will hurtle forth from those working behind the scenes in baseball to come up with stories about the central figures in the game.
Next, today MLB suspended Dodgers' outfielder Manny Ramirez 50 games for using a performance-enhancing drug.
As these things usually come in threes, what will come next.
How about:
1) a star player announces that he's been undergoing treatments for a sex change operation;
2) a front office has been laundering money for Al Qaeda;
3) umpires are on the take.
Both stories are, of course, sad events for a great game. People are human, and they are flawed, and, well, what else is there to say other than A-Rod is very complicated and somewhat troubled to say the least, and Manny, well, was being Manny once again, except this time instead of just looking silly he ran into the authorities and got slammed.
Before mid-morning, the headlines were that the Dodgers were enjoying their best start at home for a Major League team in over 100 years. By nightfall, he'll be dissected on national TV, his team left with a big hole in the middle of its lineup, and all of the baseball pundits wondering what else will hurtle forth from those working behind the scenes in baseball to come up with stories about the central figures in the game.
Citi Field is a Cavern
And a big one at that.
Last night I watched an aging mere mortal, Chan Ho Park, twirl an excellent game for the Phillies, only to lose to the best pitcher out there, Johan Santana, 1-0. The Mets held the Phillies to 3 hits, and Santana struck out 10 (making Jason Werth looking particularly silly on several occasions; Werth was one of the hitting heroes of the Phillies' previous series in St. Louis).
Last night was my first glimpse at Citi Field. A friend who is a Mets' fan lamented to me over the weekend that the fences were too far back, that fly balls die there, and that the Mets will have to shorten the fences at some point. Otherwise, it will be dubbed "Petco East" in a hurry. (The wags will have a fun time with the analogy of a company that, among other things, sells dog food to a commercial bank, but lest I digress. . .).
The comment piqued my curiosity, because when Citizens' Bank Park was launched about 5 years ago it was dubbed a launching pad, and many fans, writers and pundits publicly worried about the Phillies' future. (Contrary to some popular opinion, CBP is not the best hitters' park in baseball. The last time I checked Baseball Prospectus, it was only the eighth best hitters' park, with Coors Field and the park in Arizona being the best). They worried that good pitchers wouldn't sign as free agents or stay in Philadelphia, that teams built around power haven't been successful all the time (they pointed west to Chicago and Wrigley, and many of their comments were on the eve of the Red Sox' winning two World Series, which, of course, disqualified the lament to a certain degree).
And they worried too much. The Phillies managed to build a solid hitting lineup, fortified their bullpen and had enough starting pitching to stay in the games. They adapted, and they won the World Series last year. Somehow, the concern about the fences at CBP and the carry didn't matter all that much.
And they probably, in the scheme of things, won't matter all that much at Citi Field. The Mets will learn to build a team to their advantage, even if their pitchers will need to be cautious on the road, where balls will carry better (the Mets' pitchers could get a little less careful given that balls don't carry all that well and then learn on the road that a warning-track flyout in Citi will be a home run in Cincy). The Mets have a good core of position players, have money to spend (unless Bernie Madoff's transgressions mortally wounded the Wilpon family's finances), and have a good ability to adapt. Instead of having Citi as a place that kills the home team's bats, opposing teams will come into the stadium overswinging, knowing that runs could be hard to come by.
The reactions to the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are interesting and somewhat predictable. Many will point out what they are not, and fewer will enjoy what they are -- at least if their home teams are struggling and the stadium seemingly is playing a role. But while the ball carries in the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees' pitching hasn't been all that good, either. And while the ball doesn't carry in Citi, the Mets' bats haven't woken up. During the long haul, it seems like the stadium factor evens itself out, while a team's shortcomings become more magnified.
All that said, Citi is a cavern, and the ball hasn't carried so far. Whether that lack of carry gives Mets' pitchers a false sense of security when they go on the road remains to be seen, as does whether the Mets will milk the built-in advantages of their home field for all their worth.
Even if it means fewer home runs from the lumber company of Delgado, Beltran, Wright and Reyes.
Last night I watched an aging mere mortal, Chan Ho Park, twirl an excellent game for the Phillies, only to lose to the best pitcher out there, Johan Santana, 1-0. The Mets held the Phillies to 3 hits, and Santana struck out 10 (making Jason Werth looking particularly silly on several occasions; Werth was one of the hitting heroes of the Phillies' previous series in St. Louis).
Last night was my first glimpse at Citi Field. A friend who is a Mets' fan lamented to me over the weekend that the fences were too far back, that fly balls die there, and that the Mets will have to shorten the fences at some point. Otherwise, it will be dubbed "Petco East" in a hurry. (The wags will have a fun time with the analogy of a company that, among other things, sells dog food to a commercial bank, but lest I digress. . .).
The comment piqued my curiosity, because when Citizens' Bank Park was launched about 5 years ago it was dubbed a launching pad, and many fans, writers and pundits publicly worried about the Phillies' future. (Contrary to some popular opinion, CBP is not the best hitters' park in baseball. The last time I checked Baseball Prospectus, it was only the eighth best hitters' park, with Coors Field and the park in Arizona being the best). They worried that good pitchers wouldn't sign as free agents or stay in Philadelphia, that teams built around power haven't been successful all the time (they pointed west to Chicago and Wrigley, and many of their comments were on the eve of the Red Sox' winning two World Series, which, of course, disqualified the lament to a certain degree).
And they worried too much. The Phillies managed to build a solid hitting lineup, fortified their bullpen and had enough starting pitching to stay in the games. They adapted, and they won the World Series last year. Somehow, the concern about the fences at CBP and the carry didn't matter all that much.
And they probably, in the scheme of things, won't matter all that much at Citi Field. The Mets will learn to build a team to their advantage, even if their pitchers will need to be cautious on the road, where balls will carry better (the Mets' pitchers could get a little less careful given that balls don't carry all that well and then learn on the road that a warning-track flyout in Citi will be a home run in Cincy). The Mets have a good core of position players, have money to spend (unless Bernie Madoff's transgressions mortally wounded the Wilpon family's finances), and have a good ability to adapt. Instead of having Citi as a place that kills the home team's bats, opposing teams will come into the stadium overswinging, knowing that runs could be hard to come by.
The reactions to the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are interesting and somewhat predictable. Many will point out what they are not, and fewer will enjoy what they are -- at least if their home teams are struggling and the stadium seemingly is playing a role. But while the ball carries in the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees' pitching hasn't been all that good, either. And while the ball doesn't carry in Citi, the Mets' bats haven't woken up. During the long haul, it seems like the stadium factor evens itself out, while a team's shortcomings become more magnified.
All that said, Citi is a cavern, and the ball hasn't carried so far. Whether that lack of carry gives Mets' pitchers a false sense of security when they go on the road remains to be seen, as does whether the Mets will milk the built-in advantages of their home field for all their worth.
Even if it means fewer home runs from the lumber company of Delgado, Beltran, Wright and Reyes.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Mock MLB Draft
In case you were looking for a mock Major League Baseball draft, here's Michael Huang's offering from The Sporting News.
It's no surprise that Stephen Strasburg, the smoking throwing starting pitcher from San Diego State, is projected to go to the Nationals at #1. (And speaking of the Nationals, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com joked on ESPN Radio this morning that he was watching as to who will win more games this season, the Royals' Zack Greinke or the Nats).
It's no surprise that Stephen Strasburg, the smoking throwing starting pitcher from San Diego State, is projected to go to the Nationals at #1. (And speaking of the Nationals, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com joked on ESPN Radio this morning that he was watching as to who will win more games this season, the Royals' Zack Greinke or the Nats).
Populating AAA Baseball Rosters
If you click here, you get to a page on Baseball America's wonderful website. The page can be a gateway to reviewing every roster in every organization in Major League Baseball. I'm a stathead, and I'm fascinated with how teams are built, so this page probably interests me more than the average fan. And, over lunch, I clicked onto the rosters of the AAA teams of every Major League team. What I found, generally, was that the rosters are populated with the following types of players: aging vets with Major League experience looking for one last shot, aging vets who might have gotten a cup of coffee in the majors hoping for one more shot (these guys can be younger than the first group, aging minor league vets hoping for their first shot (and the good stories that come with that first shot), and up-and-coming players getting more experience so that perhaps they'll be ready to make a significant impact in the Majors. From my read, the first three groups comprise the bulk of the roster, especially the position players. Pitchers are more of a mixed bag, but suffice it to say that the average age on a minor-league roster appears to be great than 25, which means that these players have been in the minors for a considerable amount of time (whether they came to the minors out of high school after three years of college).
All that said, here's a list of some of the more prominent names, by organization, and their ages (all of the players are at the AAA affiliate):
Arizona Diamondbacks: Ruben Gotay (26)
Atlanta Braves: Vladimir Nunez (34)
Baltimore Orioles: Jolbert Cabrera (36)
Chicago Cubs: Chad Fox (38), So Taguchi (39), Mark Johnson (33)
Chicago White Sox: Keith Ginter (33), Andy Phillips (32), Daryle Ward (33)
Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Gomes (28)
Cleveland Indians: Matt Herges (39), Tomo Ohka (33)
Colorado Rockies: Josh Fogg (32), Sal Fasano (37), Mark Bellhorn (34)
Houston Astros: Brendan Donnelley (37), Matt Kata (31)
Kansas City Royals: Bruce Chen (31)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Shawn Estes (36), Eric Milton (33)
New York Mets: Elmer Dessens (38), Nelson Figueroa (34), Mike Lamb (33), Wily Mo Pena (27) and Bobby Kielty (32)
New York Yankees: Casey Fossum (31), Brett Tomko (36)
Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Koplove (32), David Newhan (35), Pablo Ozuna (34)
San Diego Padres: Emil Brown 34)
San Francisco Giants: Ramon Ortiz (35)
Seattle Mariners: Chris Woodward (32)
Tampa Bay Rays: Randy Choate (33), Adam Kennedy (32)
Texas Rangers: Bryan Corey (35)
Toronto Blue Jays: Wade Miller (35), Jason Lane (32)
Washington Nationals: Ron Villone (39), Josh Bard (31), Ryan Langerhans (29), Corey Patterson (29).
If a team is n't mentioned, it means either that a) they don't have a player over 30 on their AAA roster or (b) they have someone in their early 30's whom you probably wouldn't know.
In any event, take a look at the website and tool around in the rosters and the statistics. You'll learn a lot about the future of your favorite Major League team.
All that said, here's a list of some of the more prominent names, by organization, and their ages (all of the players are at the AAA affiliate):
Arizona Diamondbacks: Ruben Gotay (26)
Atlanta Braves: Vladimir Nunez (34)
Baltimore Orioles: Jolbert Cabrera (36)
Chicago Cubs: Chad Fox (38), So Taguchi (39), Mark Johnson (33)
Chicago White Sox: Keith Ginter (33), Andy Phillips (32), Daryle Ward (33)
Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Gomes (28)
Cleveland Indians: Matt Herges (39), Tomo Ohka (33)
Colorado Rockies: Josh Fogg (32), Sal Fasano (37), Mark Bellhorn (34)
Houston Astros: Brendan Donnelley (37), Matt Kata (31)
Kansas City Royals: Bruce Chen (31)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Shawn Estes (36), Eric Milton (33)
New York Mets: Elmer Dessens (38), Nelson Figueroa (34), Mike Lamb (33), Wily Mo Pena (27) and Bobby Kielty (32)
New York Yankees: Casey Fossum (31), Brett Tomko (36)
Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Koplove (32), David Newhan (35), Pablo Ozuna (34)
San Diego Padres: Emil Brown 34)
San Francisco Giants: Ramon Ortiz (35)
Seattle Mariners: Chris Woodward (32)
Tampa Bay Rays: Randy Choate (33), Adam Kennedy (32)
Texas Rangers: Bryan Corey (35)
Toronto Blue Jays: Wade Miller (35), Jason Lane (32)
Washington Nationals: Ron Villone (39), Josh Bard (31), Ryan Langerhans (29), Corey Patterson (29).
If a team is n't mentioned, it means either that a) they don't have a player over 30 on their AAA roster or (b) they have someone in their early 30's whom you probably wouldn't know.
In any event, take a look at the website and tool around in the rosters and the statistics. You'll learn a lot about the future of your favorite Major League team.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Fantasy Team Blues -- It's Only May 2.
My partner in our Rotisserie League team (the name "Rotisserie" dates us, doesn't it?) had to leave our draft early, and he's usually the better prepared of the two of us. We've been in the same league for about 20 years, won two consecutive titles about 15 years ago, and we didn't seriously contend until last year, when another team that hadn't won it in a while ran out to a big lead, so much so that most of the other teams threw in the towel and didn't pay much attention to them. Except us, of course, as we won an auction for Manny Ramirez, kept on replacing disabled players and had a strong pitching nucleus of Cole Hamels, Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt. To make a long story short, we were up 1/2 point going into the final day of the season. What happened next was that our competition had three starting pitchers going on that day, we had none, two of those guys pitched well (helping ERA and WHIP) and we lost by a point. That hurt.
This year we were able to retain 9 of our 23 players, albeit at higher prices. We also drafted new players who, by and large, have not panned out. Right now, we're in eighth place out of 11 teams, and a whopping 35 points out of first place. The best a team can do is score 88 points, the leader has 75, and we have 40. Thankfully, it's only May 2.
It's not as though our leader has any of the following players: Albert Pujols, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, Manny Ramirez or Ryan Howard. He's more likely at this point to have Brian Giles, Adam Dunn and everyone's favorite second baseman not named Chase Utley, Orlando Hudson. His pitchers are strong, but he doesn't have Hamels, Lincecum, Oswalt, Peavy or Santana, to name a few. Which means, of course, they can start to replicate Billy Champion, who started the season 6-0 in 1974 for the Brewers -- and those were the only games he won all season. Make no mistake, the owner of the first-place team is a formidable opponent, very knowledgeable, and a perennial contender. He's the guy who always seems to pick up the good player off waivers right before you do.
But remember, it's only May 2. Those who are having Hall-of-Fame seasons in May sometimes wilt and have AA seasons by August. We all jokingly remember the case of Tuffy Rhodes, who hit three homers in one of the Cubs' first games about 10-15, years ago. Off to such a good start was this rookie (or perhaps a second-year player) that the bidding on him went out of control, and Rhodes went for prices the likes of the top hitters went. The only problem is that he hit about 3 more home runs during the rest of the season. Thankfully, Rhodes has had a happy ending of sorts -- he's one of the leading home run hitters in the history of the Japanese League, and he recently hit his 450th career home run.
So, my advice to those on top is to enjoy the ride and do the most to continue to fortify your team. If you're like most of the rest of us -- because most of us are not in first place and very far away -- chill, scout players, replace your disabled and demoted players promptly and, if you're allowed a few waiver moves, use them wisely.
But by no means panic or throw in the towel.
It's only May 2.
This year we were able to retain 9 of our 23 players, albeit at higher prices. We also drafted new players who, by and large, have not panned out. Right now, we're in eighth place out of 11 teams, and a whopping 35 points out of first place. The best a team can do is score 88 points, the leader has 75, and we have 40. Thankfully, it's only May 2.
It's not as though our leader has any of the following players: Albert Pujols, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, Manny Ramirez or Ryan Howard. He's more likely at this point to have Brian Giles, Adam Dunn and everyone's favorite second baseman not named Chase Utley, Orlando Hudson. His pitchers are strong, but he doesn't have Hamels, Lincecum, Oswalt, Peavy or Santana, to name a few. Which means, of course, they can start to replicate Billy Champion, who started the season 6-0 in 1974 for the Brewers -- and those were the only games he won all season. Make no mistake, the owner of the first-place team is a formidable opponent, very knowledgeable, and a perennial contender. He's the guy who always seems to pick up the good player off waivers right before you do.
But remember, it's only May 2. Those who are having Hall-of-Fame seasons in May sometimes wilt and have AA seasons by August. We all jokingly remember the case of Tuffy Rhodes, who hit three homers in one of the Cubs' first games about 10-15, years ago. Off to such a good start was this rookie (or perhaps a second-year player) that the bidding on him went out of control, and Rhodes went for prices the likes of the top hitters went. The only problem is that he hit about 3 more home runs during the rest of the season. Thankfully, Rhodes has had a happy ending of sorts -- he's one of the leading home run hitters in the history of the Japanese League, and he recently hit his 450th career home run.
So, my advice to those on top is to enjoy the ride and do the most to continue to fortify your team. If you're like most of the rest of us -- because most of us are not in first place and very far away -- chill, scout players, replace your disabled and demoted players promptly and, if you're allowed a few waiver moves, use them wisely.
But by no means panic or throw in the towel.
It's only May 2.
The Troubling Case of Oliver Perez
Again, the disclaimer: I am a Phillies' fan (you can do a search on Google for SportsProf and Phillies and figure out that there are longstanding, emotional reasons for this). That said, I am not a partisan. I have a great deal of respect for the Mets and for Major Leaguers in general, and while I like to see the Phillies win I derive no joy when the careers of opposing players seem to be (even if temporarily) on a precipice. And that's the case right now with the Mets' Oliver Perez.
He has a 9.97 ERA, had a bad outing yesterday against the Phillies, and now Mets' skipper Jerry Manuel is trying to determine whether to demote Perez to AAA Norfolk to straighten out his problems or to put him on the disabled list. Remember, GM Omar Minaya opted not to pursue sinkerballer Derek Lowe and chose instead to re-sign Perez at 3 years and $36 million (Lowe, in his mid-30's, wanted a fourth year). Perez has great stuff, and when he's on, he's unhittable. When he's not, well, he's wild, in the strike zone and out, gets hit, walks people, and doesn't fare well. And, right now, he's far from the Perez who can baffle hitters and make them wonder if their careers are in jeopardy.
The Mets can hit. The Mets' bullpen is now one of the best in baseball. But the Mets realize that they have to have enough starting pitching behind Johan Santana to get them to that now-vaunted bullpen. They need Oliver Perez, and they're hoping that he can stage a Brett Myers-like turnaround to help fortify their starting pitching staff and be a strong contender for a playoff berth come the fall.
Initially Perez was receptive to a demotion, but he's a five-year man and can decline it. He also said that his knee has been bothering him, so perhaps a stay on the 15-day disabled list and three rehab starts can straighten him out without a blow to an already shaky mindset. It's tough to see pitchers struggle, and while I don't want to see Perez torture the Phillies, I do wonder what he can do if he harnesses his massive talent and puts it all together for the Mets. Mets' fans remain hopeful, as does the Mets' front office.
Omar Minaya dodged a bullet several years ago when he lost out to the Giants in the Barry Zito sweepstakes. Had he won that contest, he problem wouldn't be the GM today because the Zito signing is one of the biggest busts of all-time. In this past off-season, he opted to re-sign Perez. He also made some very good moves in trading for J.J. Putz and signing free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod to the faithful). In doing that, he fortified the bullpen, which was the Mets' achilles heel in 2008, and did an excellent job. Whether he has put together a strong enough team to win it all -- as Baseball Prospectus suggests the Mets can -- remains to be seen.
I feel for Oliver Perez and hope that he finds consistency.
He has a 9.97 ERA, had a bad outing yesterday against the Phillies, and now Mets' skipper Jerry Manuel is trying to determine whether to demote Perez to AAA Norfolk to straighten out his problems or to put him on the disabled list. Remember, GM Omar Minaya opted not to pursue sinkerballer Derek Lowe and chose instead to re-sign Perez at 3 years and $36 million (Lowe, in his mid-30's, wanted a fourth year). Perez has great stuff, and when he's on, he's unhittable. When he's not, well, he's wild, in the strike zone and out, gets hit, walks people, and doesn't fare well. And, right now, he's far from the Perez who can baffle hitters and make them wonder if their careers are in jeopardy.
The Mets can hit. The Mets' bullpen is now one of the best in baseball. But the Mets realize that they have to have enough starting pitching behind Johan Santana to get them to that now-vaunted bullpen. They need Oliver Perez, and they're hoping that he can stage a Brett Myers-like turnaround to help fortify their starting pitching staff and be a strong contender for a playoff berth come the fall.
Initially Perez was receptive to a demotion, but he's a five-year man and can decline it. He also said that his knee has been bothering him, so perhaps a stay on the 15-day disabled list and three rehab starts can straighten him out without a blow to an already shaky mindset. It's tough to see pitchers struggle, and while I don't want to see Perez torture the Phillies, I do wonder what he can do if he harnesses his massive talent and puts it all together for the Mets. Mets' fans remain hopeful, as does the Mets' front office.
Omar Minaya dodged a bullet several years ago when he lost out to the Giants in the Barry Zito sweepstakes. Had he won that contest, he problem wouldn't be the GM today because the Zito signing is one of the biggest busts of all-time. In this past off-season, he opted to re-sign Perez. He also made some very good moves in trading for J.J. Putz and signing free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod to the faithful). In doing that, he fortified the bullpen, which was the Mets' achilles heel in 2008, and did an excellent job. Whether he has put together a strong enough team to win it all -- as Baseball Prospectus suggests the Mets can -- remains to be seen.
I feel for Oliver Perez and hope that he finds consistency.
Book Review: "How Soccer Explains the World"
Of the first American generation to play soccer at the expense of Little League baseball, Franklin Foer is a soccer fan and at the time the book was written, the editor of The New Republic (I don't know whether he still is). His good, short work attempts to relate soccer with the politics of various countries, including many in which intra-country rivalries are intense -- England, Scotland, Spain and Italy -- and he succeeds. What ensues is an outstanding, well-written work that touches upon themes of ethnicity, nationalism, globalization, prejudice and corruption. As I wrote in an earlier post, if you live in the United States and ever question the decisions of the officials, be thankful that you don't live in Italy or Brazil, where corruption can run rampant, referees can make frequent questionable decisions, and where the deck can be stacked against your favorite time.
So, before you think that the Italian team Juventus is a dynasty built on outstanding play in key matches a la epic games between the Yankees and the Red Sox, you might think again (according to Foer, calls and no-calls in favor of the team from Turin, toy of the all-powerfull Agnelli family, contributed to many of the championship wins of Juventus). Brazilian soccer -- not the business of spawning great players but of keeping them in Brazil and having good teams there -- is a mess. Rooting for domestic Iranian soccer teams is a peaceful way for the citizenry to protest against the mullahs. Barcelona, the team now of Thierry Henry, the great French striker, seems to be the fairest of them all, and the Tottenham team, a perennial also-ran in the English Premiership has fans who think they identify with persecuted Jews (according to a legend) only to appear, through their cheers, as rabid anti-Semites. Foer also touches upon the blue-gray type rivarly of the Scottish teams Celtic and Rangers, the former supported by Catholics and the latter Protestants, where both teams foster the hatred of the other in order to enhance their revenues. So, while soccer may be the most popular game in the world, that popularity seems to come at a steep price.
Read the whole book and see what you think. Franlin Foer is thought-provoking in his prose, and you'll be glad that you spent the time to read it.
So, before you think that the Italian team Juventus is a dynasty built on outstanding play in key matches a la epic games between the Yankees and the Red Sox, you might think again (according to Foer, calls and no-calls in favor of the team from Turin, toy of the all-powerfull Agnelli family, contributed to many of the championship wins of Juventus). Brazilian soccer -- not the business of spawning great players but of keeping them in Brazil and having good teams there -- is a mess. Rooting for domestic Iranian soccer teams is a peaceful way for the citizenry to protest against the mullahs. Barcelona, the team now of Thierry Henry, the great French striker, seems to be the fairest of them all, and the Tottenham team, a perennial also-ran in the English Premiership has fans who think they identify with persecuted Jews (according to a legend) only to appear, through their cheers, as rabid anti-Semites. Foer also touches upon the blue-gray type rivarly of the Scottish teams Celtic and Rangers, the former supported by Catholics and the latter Protestants, where both teams foster the hatred of the other in order to enhance their revenues. So, while soccer may be the most popular game in the world, that popularity seems to come at a steep price.
Read the whole book and see what you think. Franlin Foer is thought-provoking in his prose, and you'll be glad that you spent the time to read it.
Hope for All Aspiring Little League Pitchers Out There
It's only May 2, but I saw on ESPN last night that the Phillies have had 11 players walked with the bases loaded. (Yesterday, they beat the Mets in the bottom of the 10th when Sean Green walked Shane Victorino with the bases loaded). So, you have to figure that guys whose average salary exceeds $2 million a year have walked these 11 Phillies.
Which gets me to my next point.
My son had a rough outing late yesterday pitching in Little League (my son walked the 6 batters he faced). He's pretty resilient, but needless to say, he was upset that he had this much trouble (he's had various degree of success in prior outings, and he knows that when you play baseball - where the failure rate can be high -- you have to have a short memory). Still, it's interesting to note that Major League pitchers -- with their high level of skill -- walk players with the bases loaded (something that's really not supposed to be done at that level). I shared that with him -- he was nonchalant about hearing about it becauses that fact couldn't "unwalk" the players. Still, the fact wasn't lost on him that pitching is tough.
Especially when you are 9.
As I tell the kids on occasion, it's easy to take victory laps when you succeed, but it's important that you recover from your disappointments and don't let them define you and make you think that you cannot succeed. My son swung the bat pretty well and made a nice play in the field, and that put a smile on his face. By pizza time late last night, despite the disappointment, he was laughing with a teammate.
Everyone needs to remember that this stuff should be fun -- even me -- but parenting pitchers is not easy. Thankfully, he has nurturing coaches who teach the game well without trying to manage the game like they're Earl Weaver or Lou Piniella (and, trust me, there are those who do that and can take the fun out of it). All I can do is try to provide moral support, say something to get a smile, and, on occasion, promise a post-game ice cream.
I felt for Sean Green of the Mets last night. I doubt he was laughing with a teammate at his post-game meal after the game.
Which gets me to my next point.
My son had a rough outing late yesterday pitching in Little League (my son walked the 6 batters he faced). He's pretty resilient, but needless to say, he was upset that he had this much trouble (he's had various degree of success in prior outings, and he knows that when you play baseball - where the failure rate can be high -- you have to have a short memory). Still, it's interesting to note that Major League pitchers -- with their high level of skill -- walk players with the bases loaded (something that's really not supposed to be done at that level). I shared that with him -- he was nonchalant about hearing about it becauses that fact couldn't "unwalk" the players. Still, the fact wasn't lost on him that pitching is tough.
Especially when you are 9.
As I tell the kids on occasion, it's easy to take victory laps when you succeed, but it's important that you recover from your disappointments and don't let them define you and make you think that you cannot succeed. My son swung the bat pretty well and made a nice play in the field, and that put a smile on his face. By pizza time late last night, despite the disappointment, he was laughing with a teammate.
Everyone needs to remember that this stuff should be fun -- even me -- but parenting pitchers is not easy. Thankfully, he has nurturing coaches who teach the game well without trying to manage the game like they're Earl Weaver or Lou Piniella (and, trust me, there are those who do that and can take the fun out of it). All I can do is try to provide moral support, say something to get a smile, and, on occasion, promise a post-game ice cream.
I felt for Sean Green of the Mets last night. I doubt he was laughing with a teammate at his post-game meal after the game.
No Fan of the Boston Celtics, I, But. . .
Great teams and organizations develop bench strength, in any business.
Brian Scalabrine, Mikki Moore, Eddie House (the latter owned the house last night in Boston with his clutch shooting, scoring 16) and Stephon Marbury combined for 30 of the Celtics' 109 points in the home team's 10-point win of Game 7 of their series. Click here for the box score.
A great, gritty performance from the Celtics. Have bench strength, will be tougher than anyone thinks in preparing for the series. The Celtics' bench made the difference last night.
Brian Scalabrine, Mikki Moore, Eddie House (the latter owned the house last night in Boston with his clutch shooting, scoring 16) and Stephon Marbury combined for 30 of the Celtics' 109 points in the home team's 10-point win of Game 7 of their series. Click here for the box score.
A great, gritty performance from the Celtics. Have bench strength, will be tougher than anyone thinks in preparing for the series. The Celtics' bench made the difference last night.
Friday, May 01, 2009
A Wee k's Worth of Sports-Related Observations
I was traveling in Europe this week, and I have the following observations:
1. Before I left, I watched my son's Little League game. It's neat to see the kids emulate the Major Leaguers as they get older, the way they stand in the field in their "ready" stance and the way my son walked to the mound for a "conference" when the coach came out to settle down the pitcher (the catchers don't know instinctively how to do this yet).
2. It poured all day Sunday where I was in France, so instead of walking around a beautiful area I rested, watched the London Marathon on TV (with the commentary in German) and then watched the Manchester United-Tottenham game. The Spurs, as Tottenham are called (and note I use the British grammar of deploying a plural verb instead of a singular one), were up 2-0, and then the referee made a game changing call, calling a penalty shot for Man U when the Spurs' goalie collided with a Man U player. Man U converted, and ended up scoring five consecutive goals in a 5-2 rout of Tottenham. Needless to say, a ref's call can change the tenor of a game -- and quickly.
3. The French Ligue 1 is undergoing a change at the top. Lyon had won 8 straight years, but now Marseilles (the fourth-largest city in France; Lyon is the second) is in the lead, with Bordeaux (yes, they of the famous wine) in second. Lyon is in third. One of Lyon's best players is Fred, a Brazilian. I offered to my football-mad colleagues in Ireland that if Fred were a star (and a one-named one) in the U.S., the appeal of his name would probably yield him four-fold in endorsements what his salary is. At any rate. . .
4. I ended up watching most of the semifinal of the Champions League between Man U and Arsenal (a team from North London, archrival of Tottenham), nicknamed the Gunners (three of the four semifinalists in the Champions League are from the English Premiership). Either Man U was a step too fast or Arsenal a step too slow, because Man U had tons of chances in the first 25 minutes and ended up prevailing 1-0. Man U's Anderson has one of the best "first touches" (read: he has the breakaway speed of a Ty Lawson) of anyone in soccer. As a friendly commentator mentioned on TigerHawk (quoting me), Man U's jersey reads "AIG", because one of the most lucrative ways for a soccer team to raise monies from sponsors is to sell naming rights to their jerseys (Arsenal dons "Fly Emirates" on their jerseys). Now, given AIG's predicament, I suppose it would be too much to ask that the New York Yankees of world soccer wear "USA" on their jerseys.
But it got me to thinking about how much money U.S. teams (especially in the NFL and MLB) could make if they sold jersey naming rights. The San Francisco Giants could say "Oracle" on the front of their shirts, the Philadelphia Phillies "Comcast", the Dallas Cowboys "Dell" and so forth. The possibilities and dollars could be endless.
5. Irish colleagues regaled me in the country's love for Gaelic football, a combination of soccer and rugby that they say resembles Australian Rules Football. Apparently each county has a team, the players on the teams insult each other mightily, the fans go at each other too, but, get this -- they leave it all on the pitch. They enter the stadiums peacefully, they leave peacefully, and the players enter and walk off together. The players train hard for their sport, but it's hard to discern whether they're full-time players or not. The Dubliners seemed to suggest that fans from Tiperarry are particularly rowdy (and you're now among the cognoscenti if you refer to Tiperarry as "Tip").
6. Sky Sports ran banners beneath their continuous coverage of soccer and cricket for Major League Baseball, and I was happy to see that Jimmy Adams was still doing his thing for the West Indies cricket team (about 10 years ago, while in London, I watched a game in what was tantamount to the World Series of Cricket between Australia and the West Indies in which, by all accounts, the West Indies mounted the best comeback in world cricket history -- led by Brian Lara, one of the best cricketeers of all time, Courtly Ambrose and, yes, the same Jimmy Adams). That's all I remember from watching Sky Sports on cricket.
7. Football teams can get relegated from one division to a lower division (correspondingly, fare well in a lesser division and you can get elevated to the next highest division). So, there was lots of talk about who from the vaunted Premiership could get relegated. Apparently, those in Newcastle and Middlesbrough are worried. Get relegated, lose big dollars, jettison your roster so that you can live within a much lower budget. The Orioles, Pirates and Royals are fortunate that in MLB there is no such thing as relegation.
8. I was waited excitedly to check my Blackberry this morning to see the 76ers-Orlando score, figuring that the 76ers had a great chance to even their series given that in addition to being without Jameer Nelson (who got hurt before the All-Star break), the Magic were without Courtney Lee and Dwight Howard. So what happened? The Magic made the 76ers disappear, winning by 25 (and it wasn't that close). I felt like a kid on Christmas morning who found lumps of coal in his stocking.
That's the week, in a nutshell. More later.
1. Before I left, I watched my son's Little League game. It's neat to see the kids emulate the Major Leaguers as they get older, the way they stand in the field in their "ready" stance and the way my son walked to the mound for a "conference" when the coach came out to settle down the pitcher (the catchers don't know instinctively how to do this yet).
2. It poured all day Sunday where I was in France, so instead of walking around a beautiful area I rested, watched the London Marathon on TV (with the commentary in German) and then watched the Manchester United-Tottenham game. The Spurs, as Tottenham are called (and note I use the British grammar of deploying a plural verb instead of a singular one), were up 2-0, and then the referee made a game changing call, calling a penalty shot for Man U when the Spurs' goalie collided with a Man U player. Man U converted, and ended up scoring five consecutive goals in a 5-2 rout of Tottenham. Needless to say, a ref's call can change the tenor of a game -- and quickly.
3. The French Ligue 1 is undergoing a change at the top. Lyon had won 8 straight years, but now Marseilles (the fourth-largest city in France; Lyon is the second) is in the lead, with Bordeaux (yes, they of the famous wine) in second. Lyon is in third. One of Lyon's best players is Fred, a Brazilian. I offered to my football-mad colleagues in Ireland that if Fred were a star (and a one-named one) in the U.S., the appeal of his name would probably yield him four-fold in endorsements what his salary is. At any rate. . .
4. I ended up watching most of the semifinal of the Champions League between Man U and Arsenal (a team from North London, archrival of Tottenham), nicknamed the Gunners (three of the four semifinalists in the Champions League are from the English Premiership). Either Man U was a step too fast or Arsenal a step too slow, because Man U had tons of chances in the first 25 minutes and ended up prevailing 1-0. Man U's Anderson has one of the best "first touches" (read: he has the breakaway speed of a Ty Lawson) of anyone in soccer. As a friendly commentator mentioned on TigerHawk (quoting me), Man U's jersey reads "AIG", because one of the most lucrative ways for a soccer team to raise monies from sponsors is to sell naming rights to their jerseys (Arsenal dons "Fly Emirates" on their jerseys). Now, given AIG's predicament, I suppose it would be too much to ask that the New York Yankees of world soccer wear "USA" on their jerseys.
But it got me to thinking about how much money U.S. teams (especially in the NFL and MLB) could make if they sold jersey naming rights. The San Francisco Giants could say "Oracle" on the front of their shirts, the Philadelphia Phillies "Comcast", the Dallas Cowboys "Dell" and so forth. The possibilities and dollars could be endless.
5. Irish colleagues regaled me in the country's love for Gaelic football, a combination of soccer and rugby that they say resembles Australian Rules Football. Apparently each county has a team, the players on the teams insult each other mightily, the fans go at each other too, but, get this -- they leave it all on the pitch. They enter the stadiums peacefully, they leave peacefully, and the players enter and walk off together. The players train hard for their sport, but it's hard to discern whether they're full-time players or not. The Dubliners seemed to suggest that fans from Tiperarry are particularly rowdy (and you're now among the cognoscenti if you refer to Tiperarry as "Tip").
6. Sky Sports ran banners beneath their continuous coverage of soccer and cricket for Major League Baseball, and I was happy to see that Jimmy Adams was still doing his thing for the West Indies cricket team (about 10 years ago, while in London, I watched a game in what was tantamount to the World Series of Cricket between Australia and the West Indies in which, by all accounts, the West Indies mounted the best comeback in world cricket history -- led by Brian Lara, one of the best cricketeers of all time, Courtly Ambrose and, yes, the same Jimmy Adams). That's all I remember from watching Sky Sports on cricket.
7. Football teams can get relegated from one division to a lower division (correspondingly, fare well in a lesser division and you can get elevated to the next highest division). So, there was lots of talk about who from the vaunted Premiership could get relegated. Apparently, those in Newcastle and Middlesbrough are worried. Get relegated, lose big dollars, jettison your roster so that you can live within a much lower budget. The Orioles, Pirates and Royals are fortunate that in MLB there is no such thing as relegation.
8. I was waited excitedly to check my Blackberry this morning to see the 76ers-Orlando score, figuring that the 76ers had a great chance to even their series given that in addition to being without Jameer Nelson (who got hurt before the All-Star break), the Magic were without Courtney Lee and Dwight Howard. So what happened? The Magic made the 76ers disappear, winning by 25 (and it wasn't that close). I felt like a kid on Christmas morning who found lumps of coal in his stocking.
That's the week, in a nutshell. More later.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wait Before You Anoint the Florida Marlins
They've just lost 5 in a row, and they've blown two late leads against the (defending World Series champion) Phillies in the past two games. Here's a summary of last night's loss.
What makes the Phillies dangerous is that they come from behind and, when they have a lead, they usually hold it. Yes, they haven't gotten off to a great start, but it hasn't been an awful start either, and this is a team that has the best record in baseball in September and October over the past 5 seasons. Barring significant injuries (and a predicted dropoff, as I heard Buck Showalter say on ESPN Radio that he believes that Cole Hamels could have a dropoff this season because of the number of innings he pitched last season), the Phillies should be in the thick of the hunt for a playoff spot come Labor Day.
Wins in April count every much as wins in October, and the more you have earlier the less you need later in the season when you're in dire need of them to clinch a playoff berth. But remember this: the Marlins beat up on the Nats for much of their fast start, and part of their recent skein involved getting swept in Pittsburgh against a team that has had 16 straight losing seasons. What does it mean? Not a whole lot, as it's only April 26. All I'm point out is that we shouldn't anoint the Marlins the next coming of the 1984 Detroit Tigers.
What makes the Phillies dangerous is that they come from behind and, when they have a lead, they usually hold it. Yes, they haven't gotten off to a great start, but it hasn't been an awful start either, and this is a team that has the best record in baseball in September and October over the past 5 seasons. Barring significant injuries (and a predicted dropoff, as I heard Buck Showalter say on ESPN Radio that he believes that Cole Hamels could have a dropoff this season because of the number of innings he pitched last season), the Phillies should be in the thick of the hunt for a playoff spot come Labor Day.
Wins in April count every much as wins in October, and the more you have earlier the less you need later in the season when you're in dire need of them to clinch a playoff berth. But remember this: the Marlins beat up on the Nats for much of their fast start, and part of their recent skein involved getting swept in Pittsburgh against a team that has had 16 straight losing seasons. What does it mean? Not a whole lot, as it's only April 26. All I'm point out is that we shouldn't anoint the Marlins the next coming of the 1984 Detroit Tigers.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Despair of Met Fans
Yes, I'm a Phillies' fan, I'll admit it, and I laughed aloud this morning when I was watching Sports Center during my workout and saw that Adam Eaton pitched 7 plus shutout innings against the White Sox, striking out 9 (6 on fastballs), to get his first win of the year. Eaton's ERA in his first two starts was over 11 (showing that he was picking up on his terrible season in Philadelphia last year), but he righted the course, relaxed and pitched a great outing -- better, mind you, than any outing the Phillies have gotten from a starting pitcher this season. The Phillies are off to a (typical for them) bad start, manager Charlie Manuel is concerned about their lack of punch, and fans are beginning to get concerned about the quality of the starting pitching. Still, it's early, and this team seems to heat up when the weather does.
Phillies' fans, though, aren't all that concerned, they've seen their team rally from deficits in the past 3 seasons, and most are currently focused on how the Eagles will do at the NFL draft tomorrow. It's not even May 1 yet, and lots can happen.
Mets' fans, though, seem desperate now. I listened to WFAN, the sports' talk station in New York, on my drive home yesterday, and Mike Francesa fielded many calls about the Mets and their lack of oomph. There were two main thrusts from the callers -- first, that the starting pitching after Johan Santana is bad and, second, that the team lacks grit, has no leadership and bad chemistry. A few callers went so far as to suggest that they break up the nucleus, and Francesa was wise to point out a) that it's very early in the season and b) the core of Beltran, Delgade, Reyes and Wright is perhaps the best in baseball and that no team has a core that can rival that foursome except the Phillies, but he did point out that the Phillies have more grit and even their lesser hitters are tough outs. That's as big a concession as you'll get from a New Yorker as to notion that anything in Philadelphia is better than anything in New York.
Here are my thoughts:
1. It is early. Mike Pelphrey pitched well for much of last season, John Maine fared well before he got hurt, and Oliver Perez can be brilliant. Livan Hernandez, the #5 starter, isn't all that good, but Mets' fans shouldn't give up on the other three starters any time soon.
2. Getting Gary Sheffield was a mistake. Fernando Tatis was a good story in 2008, he played well, and he didn't detract from the chemistry. Sheffield doesn't help a team whose chemistry already was in question, and he's taking away playing time from Tatis.
3. The chemistry is an issue, and the team needs leaders to step up and help give the team backbone. Right now, the nucleus is the same nucleus that didn't step up and provide that leadership in each of the last two seasons. And, for that reason, it might be wise for the Mets to trade Carlos Delgado.
Here's why:
Delgado seems to be a good guy, a dangerous hitter, but at the beginning of last season his bat was in question (he turned it on so much that for a while he was a legitmate MVP candidate), and he is a very limited fielder right now. He's the senior statesman in the clubhouse, and the younger players in all likelihood defer to him and haven't stepped up and asserted themselves as leaders. Compare this situation to Philadelphia about three years ago, where the team was stuck in the mud a bit, winning a few more than it lost, but the senior statesman on the team was Bobby Abreu. Abreu is a good guy, a good teammate, and when people look back on baseball stats he'll be viewed as one of those guys who put up great numbers but somehow wasn't as good as the top 10 players in the league. He also was a mellow guy, not a leader, but the younger players deferred to him. The Phillies sensed this, and in a controversial move (Abreu was popular), they traded him to the Yankees for four marginal prospects, one of whom was so good at baseball that he'll now be playing basketball at the University of Kansas (C.J. Henry). At the time, the conventional wisdom was that the Phillies gave away Abreu.
And they did. But, by doing so, they opened the door for the younger personalities to assert themselves in the clubhouse. No longer did they defer to Abreu (I have to check the dates, but it might have been that they had peddled Jim Thome for Aaron Rowand before that season began). Instead, Jimmy Rollins emerged as the team's vocal leader, and he's a tough and gritty guy. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard emerged as stars, and the whole persona of the team changed. Not only were they talented, but they could hit in the clutch, come from behind and win.
Now, I'm not sure who among Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Jose Reyes can be the Mets' Jimmy Rollins, and my guess is that it's not Beltran because he's over 30 and if he were going to assert himself as the vocal leader he would have done so already. Maybe it's Wright, maybe it's Reyes, but the Mets' front office needs to create the opening so that the swagger of Reyes can trickle down to everyone else. But as long as Carlos Delgado is the senior statesman, it seems as though the younger players will continue to defer to him.
Anyway, it's just a thought, and the Mets probably wouldn't think of trading Delgado because they might not have anyone to replace him and he hit at a torrid pace for most of last season. Still, if chemistry is an issue for this team, they don't have to totally break up the core, they just might want to slice away the oldest piece and let the younger players -- who are among the best in the NL -- emerge as leaders and create a new personality for the team.
It worked for the Phillies, and the Mets certainly have enough talent that it can work for them.
And, Mets' fans, lighten up! It's not even May 1. It's a long season, and you have plenty of talent to win it all.
Phillies' fans, though, aren't all that concerned, they've seen their team rally from deficits in the past 3 seasons, and most are currently focused on how the Eagles will do at the NFL draft tomorrow. It's not even May 1 yet, and lots can happen.
Mets' fans, though, seem desperate now. I listened to WFAN, the sports' talk station in New York, on my drive home yesterday, and Mike Francesa fielded many calls about the Mets and their lack of oomph. There were two main thrusts from the callers -- first, that the starting pitching after Johan Santana is bad and, second, that the team lacks grit, has no leadership and bad chemistry. A few callers went so far as to suggest that they break up the nucleus, and Francesa was wise to point out a) that it's very early in the season and b) the core of Beltran, Delgade, Reyes and Wright is perhaps the best in baseball and that no team has a core that can rival that foursome except the Phillies, but he did point out that the Phillies have more grit and even their lesser hitters are tough outs. That's as big a concession as you'll get from a New Yorker as to notion that anything in Philadelphia is better than anything in New York.
Here are my thoughts:
1. It is early. Mike Pelphrey pitched well for much of last season, John Maine fared well before he got hurt, and Oliver Perez can be brilliant. Livan Hernandez, the #5 starter, isn't all that good, but Mets' fans shouldn't give up on the other three starters any time soon.
2. Getting Gary Sheffield was a mistake. Fernando Tatis was a good story in 2008, he played well, and he didn't detract from the chemistry. Sheffield doesn't help a team whose chemistry already was in question, and he's taking away playing time from Tatis.
3. The chemistry is an issue, and the team needs leaders to step up and help give the team backbone. Right now, the nucleus is the same nucleus that didn't step up and provide that leadership in each of the last two seasons. And, for that reason, it might be wise for the Mets to trade Carlos Delgado.
Here's why:
Delgado seems to be a good guy, a dangerous hitter, but at the beginning of last season his bat was in question (he turned it on so much that for a while he was a legitmate MVP candidate), and he is a very limited fielder right now. He's the senior statesman in the clubhouse, and the younger players in all likelihood defer to him and haven't stepped up and asserted themselves as leaders. Compare this situation to Philadelphia about three years ago, where the team was stuck in the mud a bit, winning a few more than it lost, but the senior statesman on the team was Bobby Abreu. Abreu is a good guy, a good teammate, and when people look back on baseball stats he'll be viewed as one of those guys who put up great numbers but somehow wasn't as good as the top 10 players in the league. He also was a mellow guy, not a leader, but the younger players deferred to him. The Phillies sensed this, and in a controversial move (Abreu was popular), they traded him to the Yankees for four marginal prospects, one of whom was so good at baseball that he'll now be playing basketball at the University of Kansas (C.J. Henry). At the time, the conventional wisdom was that the Phillies gave away Abreu.
And they did. But, by doing so, they opened the door for the younger personalities to assert themselves in the clubhouse. No longer did they defer to Abreu (I have to check the dates, but it might have been that they had peddled Jim Thome for Aaron Rowand before that season began). Instead, Jimmy Rollins emerged as the team's vocal leader, and he's a tough and gritty guy. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard emerged as stars, and the whole persona of the team changed. Not only were they talented, but they could hit in the clutch, come from behind and win.
Now, I'm not sure who among Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Jose Reyes can be the Mets' Jimmy Rollins, and my guess is that it's not Beltran because he's over 30 and if he were going to assert himself as the vocal leader he would have done so already. Maybe it's Wright, maybe it's Reyes, but the Mets' front office needs to create the opening so that the swagger of Reyes can trickle down to everyone else. But as long as Carlos Delgado is the senior statesman, it seems as though the younger players will continue to defer to him.
Anyway, it's just a thought, and the Mets probably wouldn't think of trading Delgado because they might not have anyone to replace him and he hit at a torrid pace for most of last season. Still, if chemistry is an issue for this team, they don't have to totally break up the core, they just might want to slice away the oldest piece and let the younger players -- who are among the best in the NL -- emerge as leaders and create a new personality for the team.
It worked for the Phillies, and the Mets certainly have enough talent that it can work for them.
And, Mets' fans, lighten up! It's not even May 1. It's a long season, and you have plenty of talent to win it all.
"Viva Viagra" and Other Sports Ads
This morning, as I was grabbing my briefcase and headed out the door, I heard my son singing "Viva Viagra." He's a huge baseball fan, he watches MLB Network and ESPN, plays Little League and was outside yesterday hitting the ball off a batting tee into a net (his next game is this weekend).
He's also 9.
Which means, of course, that baseball gears its ads to middle-aged men whose only choices for extra curricular sports in the spring were baseball, baseball and baseball and who went to games with their dads, grandfathers and uncles. Besides, 9 year-olds only ask for money, they don't have income, and heck, most advertisers will tell you that the reasons why SI doesn't sell many ads and that the sports pages have very few when compared to other sections (and those other sections are hurting massively because of the advent of Google, Yahoo and Craigslist) is that men don't make many purchasing decisions anyway -- women do. So, one product that can be very attractive to middle-aged men is a performance-enhancing drug, albeit of a different stripe.
And that means that our young kids have to see stuff like this. I chuckled from afar (my wife believes that I'm a perpetual nine year-old), and my wife pointed out that of all the things to sing aloud my son probably shouldn't chant this advertising jingle in his third-grade class. Wise woman, my wife is, given that kids get sent to the principal for less (this is a school where the playing of touch football is banned, albeit because the kids pile onto each other every time there is a fumble).
Now, I did shudder at listening to sports talk radio in the car when the kids were even younger, because, again, stations like WIP in Philadelphia were won't to advertise for the likes of the adult novelty and video shops that sounded salacious over the airwaves. Needless to say, I was quick to change the station to something else, but these sports stations aren't informational, they're opinion-oriented, so why expose your young kids to critical men and women who call up usually to complain about something?
And then there was this morning, where I heard the first ad I ever heard from a licensed proctologist. The gist of the ad was that 80% of men have some type of hemorrhoidal problem, and that the doctor in question could take care of them painlessly and in his office, and, yes, he also does colonoscopies, so, in a way, this cat is a one-stop shop for all of your GI problems. I'm not going to name him or link to him, but the ad did recite that his website is www.fannydoctor.com. I kid you not.
In world where less is sacred by the day and people reveal intimate details on Facebook and MySpace, my susceptibility to being shocked has also diminished. That said, I wonder what sponsors will emerge to support sporting events in the near future, given that the major sports are all hurting for advertising dollars and need them now more than ever.
It's hard to see the sporting world digging deeper, unless they're going to try to lure you to your neighborhood casino (and they're popping up everywhere) that has a shopping mall that offers you all of the stuff I just mentioned.
Because then you'd have true one-stop shopping that appeals to the basest of human wants.
And now that Ultimate Fighting Championships are getting more legitmized by the day, will there be professional Rollerball anytime soon?
He's also 9.
Which means, of course, that baseball gears its ads to middle-aged men whose only choices for extra curricular sports in the spring were baseball, baseball and baseball and who went to games with their dads, grandfathers and uncles. Besides, 9 year-olds only ask for money, they don't have income, and heck, most advertisers will tell you that the reasons why SI doesn't sell many ads and that the sports pages have very few when compared to other sections (and those other sections are hurting massively because of the advent of Google, Yahoo and Craigslist) is that men don't make many purchasing decisions anyway -- women do. So, one product that can be very attractive to middle-aged men is a performance-enhancing drug, albeit of a different stripe.
And that means that our young kids have to see stuff like this. I chuckled from afar (my wife believes that I'm a perpetual nine year-old), and my wife pointed out that of all the things to sing aloud my son probably shouldn't chant this advertising jingle in his third-grade class. Wise woman, my wife is, given that kids get sent to the principal for less (this is a school where the playing of touch football is banned, albeit because the kids pile onto each other every time there is a fumble).
Now, I did shudder at listening to sports talk radio in the car when the kids were even younger, because, again, stations like WIP in Philadelphia were won't to advertise for the likes of the adult novelty and video shops that sounded salacious over the airwaves. Needless to say, I was quick to change the station to something else, but these sports stations aren't informational, they're opinion-oriented, so why expose your young kids to critical men and women who call up usually to complain about something?
And then there was this morning, where I heard the first ad I ever heard from a licensed proctologist. The gist of the ad was that 80% of men have some type of hemorrhoidal problem, and that the doctor in question could take care of them painlessly and in his office, and, yes, he also does colonoscopies, so, in a way, this cat is a one-stop shop for all of your GI problems. I'm not going to name him or link to him, but the ad did recite that his website is www.fannydoctor.com. I kid you not.
In world where less is sacred by the day and people reveal intimate details on Facebook and MySpace, my susceptibility to being shocked has also diminished. That said, I wonder what sponsors will emerge to support sporting events in the near future, given that the major sports are all hurting for advertising dollars and need them now more than ever.
It's hard to see the sporting world digging deeper, unless they're going to try to lure you to your neighborhood casino (and they're popping up everywhere) that has a shopping mall that offers you all of the stuff I just mentioned.
Because then you'd have true one-stop shopping that appeals to the basest of human wants.
And now that Ultimate Fighting Championships are getting more legitmized by the day, will there be professional Rollerball anytime soon?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Mistakes and the NFL Draft
Did you ever wonder how the MLB and NFL drafts differ so much?
In baseball, territorial scouts figure out who the best prospects are in a region and report them up to the front office. The front office then sends out regional cross checkers, and, sometimes, national cross checkers are used. The ultimate goal is to come up with a list of priorities for the Major League Baseball draft. The scouts use all sorts of metrics and gather as much information as they can. And, since the advent of Billy Beane, they are more likely than not to rely upon past performance and the player's current skill set as an indication of future performance (that is to say, it's hard to teach a wild swinger the strike zone, whereas Kevin Youkilis's knowledge of the strike zone propelled him to the majors, even though many old-school scouts would have knocked him because of his physique). Sure, they like upside, but if you haven't produced reasonably well, you're not going to be a high draft pick (even under non-Moneyball theories; to the contrary it's struck me that unless someone ran like a deer, had a rifle for an arm and a powerful bat, you'd get marked down despite your accomplishments because of flaws in your skill set as opposed to upgraded because of hope). Baseball people are funny that way.
Andy Staples' column at SportsIllustrated.com regading overrated and underrated players brought this home for me. Major League Baseball doesn't have pro tryout days at colleges, there isn't a scouting combine, and players don't take Wonderlic tests or other personality compatibility tests. But, in the NFL, there are those front offices who get caught up in the feeding frenzy of mining data other than what the player did on the field to determine who has more of an upside and who will continue to improve and excel as a pro. Unfortunately, these front office folks can be prone to ignoring stellar on-field play as an indicator of future performance. Which means, of course, that there are plenty of opportunities for future Billy Beanes of football.
Read Staples' column, and particularly the reference to linebacker DeMeco Ryans and see what I'm talking about. All Ryans did at Alabama was make plays for four years and establish himself as the best defender in the SEC, yet he didn't go in the first round (he's shined in the NFL). And the conventional wisdom -- shared by every GM despite evidence that Means made the plays -- was that Means lacked the "it" factor to go in the first round. Huh? I also read Mel Kiper's draft guide last year, and the most appealing running back to me was a kid who, while a little bit small and from a school not known for football, had a sub 4.3 time in the 40-yard dash, caught the ball well and had a great writeup as to his makeup. Yet, this kid, despite his production, didn't go in the first-round, either. His name? Chris Johnson (of East Carolina), who starred at RB for the Titans last season. Yet, all GMs passed on Johnson in the first round too.
Why doesn't production at a high level in college suggest future performance? And why do scouts get giddy on guys who haven't had that many starts (such as Mark Sanchez and Aaron Maybin). What's the matter with the standout who started for 28 games at an SEC school, made all-conference twice, got some honorable mention all-American publicity, made the plays and has good size and reasonably good speed? He's a known quantity. Yet, GMs insist upon selected guys with a little more flash and dash because they project better.
But the fact is that it doesn't appear that those high-ceiling guys fare better. At any rate, read Staples' column and decide for yourself whether unrealistic expectations of high picks in the NFL draft reflect the victory of hope over experience.
In baseball, territorial scouts figure out who the best prospects are in a region and report them up to the front office. The front office then sends out regional cross checkers, and, sometimes, national cross checkers are used. The ultimate goal is to come up with a list of priorities for the Major League Baseball draft. The scouts use all sorts of metrics and gather as much information as they can. And, since the advent of Billy Beane, they are more likely than not to rely upon past performance and the player's current skill set as an indication of future performance (that is to say, it's hard to teach a wild swinger the strike zone, whereas Kevin Youkilis's knowledge of the strike zone propelled him to the majors, even though many old-school scouts would have knocked him because of his physique). Sure, they like upside, but if you haven't produced reasonably well, you're not going to be a high draft pick (even under non-Moneyball theories; to the contrary it's struck me that unless someone ran like a deer, had a rifle for an arm and a powerful bat, you'd get marked down despite your accomplishments because of flaws in your skill set as opposed to upgraded because of hope). Baseball people are funny that way.
Andy Staples' column at SportsIllustrated.com regading overrated and underrated players brought this home for me. Major League Baseball doesn't have pro tryout days at colleges, there isn't a scouting combine, and players don't take Wonderlic tests or other personality compatibility tests. But, in the NFL, there are those front offices who get caught up in the feeding frenzy of mining data other than what the player did on the field to determine who has more of an upside and who will continue to improve and excel as a pro. Unfortunately, these front office folks can be prone to ignoring stellar on-field play as an indicator of future performance. Which means, of course, that there are plenty of opportunities for future Billy Beanes of football.
Read Staples' column, and particularly the reference to linebacker DeMeco Ryans and see what I'm talking about. All Ryans did at Alabama was make plays for four years and establish himself as the best defender in the SEC, yet he didn't go in the first round (he's shined in the NFL). And the conventional wisdom -- shared by every GM despite evidence that Means made the plays -- was that Means lacked the "it" factor to go in the first round. Huh? I also read Mel Kiper's draft guide last year, and the most appealing running back to me was a kid who, while a little bit small and from a school not known for football, had a sub 4.3 time in the 40-yard dash, caught the ball well and had a great writeup as to his makeup. Yet, this kid, despite his production, didn't go in the first-round, either. His name? Chris Johnson (of East Carolina), who starred at RB for the Titans last season. Yet, all GMs passed on Johnson in the first round too.
Why doesn't production at a high level in college suggest future performance? And why do scouts get giddy on guys who haven't had that many starts (such as Mark Sanchez and Aaron Maybin). What's the matter with the standout who started for 28 games at an SEC school, made all-conference twice, got some honorable mention all-American publicity, made the plays and has good size and reasonably good speed? He's a known quantity. Yet, GMs insist upon selected guys with a little more flash and dash because they project better.
But the fact is that it doesn't appear that those high-ceiling guys fare better. At any rate, read Staples' column and decide for yourself whether unrealistic expectations of high picks in the NFL draft reflect the victory of hope over experience.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Peter King on the NFL Draft for the Giants, Eagles
I agree with the veteran SI writer -- if either team is looking for a WR to select with its first-round pick. Basically, the advice is -- don't do it. Read the article (it's short) and draw your own conclusion. King presents great evidence that most WRs taken on the first round fail (which is why in previous years the Eagles have avoided taking WRs on the first round, because it's been reported that they believe WR is one of the deepest positions in college football and that they can fare well with lesser picks). King suggests that the teams -- who usually have winning seasons and are never that far from a serious playoff run -- trade their picks for either Braylon Edwards (although he had a lot of drops last year) or Anquan Boldin. It's pretty sound advice.
It will be interesting to see what both teams do, and you'll recall that there was a good article in "ESPN the Magazine" a few years ago that suggested that teams really shouldn't want to select anyone with a high pick because the failure rate was so high (as was the expense of the failures). Don't be surprised that if the Eagles don't see someone they like with the 21st pick that they trade down and out of the first round for the third year in a row. They also need a TE and a running back, and their philosophy also has been that you can get good value from the RB position after the first round.
And despite Philadelphia fans' frustration with the Eagles' not winning the Super Bowl during Andy Reid's tenure, Reid has gotten the Birds to the NFC championship game 5 times (where he's proven to be a poor man's Marv Levy). Reid does know what he's doing (after all, he's not Matt Millen), and one of the best RB's to come out of last year's draft (who had a brilliant writeup in Mel Kiper's draft guide by the way) was Chris Johnson of East Carolina, who was drafted after the first round and starred for Tennessee. And, because of the need for cap management, Johnson cost his team a whole lot less precisely because he didn't go in the first round.
Oh, those general managers in various cities are wily foxes all. John Clayton of ESPN wrote an article the other day about the five best, and he included Reid, Bill Polian and Bill Belichick in the mix. Creative, aggressive, and, yes, their teams win more often than not. Jerry Reese likewise has excelled for the Giants, and this draft day should prove to be a most interesting one.
One aside: In this morning's "Philadelphia Inquirer", Sheldon Brown indicated that there are other Eagles who are unhappy with their contracts. Note to Sheldon: you are pouring gasoline on a fire, and in most NFL locker rooms you'll have guys who are unhappy with their contracts for the same reason you are with yours. But here's the question: what were you thinking when you signed the deal you did early in your career -- didn't it cross your mind that you were trading potentially larger numbers in later years for the guarantee of a big bonus that you earned before you had a chance to get hurt and ruin the opportunity to earn those bigger dollars in later years? Didn't your agent tell you that? Don't you know that the average NFL career is so short that players assess this risk frequently in their careers, and didn't you also know that you were offered this type of deal before anyone else in your draft class. Your a good, decent man and a great player. Please figure out a way to make peace with the situation -- you owe that to yourself above all others.
It will be interesting to see what both teams do, and you'll recall that there was a good article in "ESPN the Magazine" a few years ago that suggested that teams really shouldn't want to select anyone with a high pick because the failure rate was so high (as was the expense of the failures). Don't be surprised that if the Eagles don't see someone they like with the 21st pick that they trade down and out of the first round for the third year in a row. They also need a TE and a running back, and their philosophy also has been that you can get good value from the RB position after the first round.
And despite Philadelphia fans' frustration with the Eagles' not winning the Super Bowl during Andy Reid's tenure, Reid has gotten the Birds to the NFC championship game 5 times (where he's proven to be a poor man's Marv Levy). Reid does know what he's doing (after all, he's not Matt Millen), and one of the best RB's to come out of last year's draft (who had a brilliant writeup in Mel Kiper's draft guide by the way) was Chris Johnson of East Carolina, who was drafted after the first round and starred for Tennessee. And, because of the need for cap management, Johnson cost his team a whole lot less precisely because he didn't go in the first round.
Oh, those general managers in various cities are wily foxes all. John Clayton of ESPN wrote an article the other day about the five best, and he included Reid, Bill Polian and Bill Belichick in the mix. Creative, aggressive, and, yes, their teams win more often than not. Jerry Reese likewise has excelled for the Giants, and this draft day should prove to be a most interesting one.
One aside: In this morning's "Philadelphia Inquirer", Sheldon Brown indicated that there are other Eagles who are unhappy with their contracts. Note to Sheldon: you are pouring gasoline on a fire, and in most NFL locker rooms you'll have guys who are unhappy with their contracts for the same reason you are with yours. But here's the question: what were you thinking when you signed the deal you did early in your career -- didn't it cross your mind that you were trading potentially larger numbers in later years for the guarantee of a big bonus that you earned before you had a chance to get hurt and ruin the opportunity to earn those bigger dollars in later years? Didn't your agent tell you that? Don't you know that the average NFL career is so short that players assess this risk frequently in their careers, and didn't you also know that you were offered this type of deal before anyone else in your draft class. Your a good, decent man and a great player. Please figure out a way to make peace with the situation -- you owe that to yourself above all others.
Pirates Sweep Marlins, are 9-6! Pirates Fans: Go to the Park!
Yes, that's not a misprint, and for all of us Phillies' fans, we had to endure all of the talking heads on ESPN and MLB TV marveling over the glorious 11-1 start of the Marlins, how they were for real, how their hitting will hold up, their pitching staff is excellent, and how the Phillies and Mets will be in a run for their money come September. Memo to talking heads: yes, the fish are talented, but they beat up on the Nats for the most part and it's not even May 1 yet. Let's wait a little bit before the excitement should mount (remember, a Chinese leader once said that even at 200 years, it was too early to tell whether the U.S.A. is a success).
Anyway, the so-called lowly Pirates, they of having 16 straight seasons, swept the front-running Marlins in Pittsburgh, finishing them off today, 7-4. The Pirates are 9-6 and, some would argue, it is they and not the 11-4 Marlins who should be the talk of the National League. If you dig further into the land of the Pirates, you'll note that pitching coach Joe Kerrigan is doing wonders with the young pitching staff, which has given the Buccos five straight strong outings. Kerrigan, you may recall, worked wonders in Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia before flaming out in his hometown City of Brotherly Love and ending up as a bullpen coach in the Bronx. He has had a successful (if tempestuous at times) career (he failed in his stint as the manager in Boston), and might just be the pitch doctor that the Pirates needed to help give some rigor to a staff that, even for the Pirates, disappointed last year.
As someone who fondly recalls the great Pirates teams of the 1960's and 1970's and the great rivalries that they had with everyone, particularly the Phillies in the 1970's and early 1980's (and most certainly before MLB killed the rivalry by putting the Phillies and Pirates in different divisions), I am very happy to see this and hope it lasts for a while. Team president Frank Coonelly and GM Neil Huntington are working hard to undo a decade and a half's worth of damage (perhaps it's the curse of Barry Bonds, given that the Pirates haven't had a winning season since Bonds departed in the early 1990's). This sweep is great news for the Pirates, and their fans should celebrate.
And go to the ball park.
In droves.
Anyway, the so-called lowly Pirates, they of having 16 straight seasons, swept the front-running Marlins in Pittsburgh, finishing them off today, 7-4. The Pirates are 9-6 and, some would argue, it is they and not the 11-4 Marlins who should be the talk of the National League. If you dig further into the land of the Pirates, you'll note that pitching coach Joe Kerrigan is doing wonders with the young pitching staff, which has given the Buccos five straight strong outings. Kerrigan, you may recall, worked wonders in Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia before flaming out in his hometown City of Brotherly Love and ending up as a bullpen coach in the Bronx. He has had a successful (if tempestuous at times) career (he failed in his stint as the manager in Boston), and might just be the pitch doctor that the Pirates needed to help give some rigor to a staff that, even for the Pirates, disappointed last year.
As someone who fondly recalls the great Pirates teams of the 1960's and 1970's and the great rivalries that they had with everyone, particularly the Phillies in the 1970's and early 1980's (and most certainly before MLB killed the rivalry by putting the Phillies and Pirates in different divisions), I am very happy to see this and hope it lasts for a while. Team president Frank Coonelly and GM Neil Huntington are working hard to undo a decade and a half's worth of damage (perhaps it's the curse of Barry Bonds, given that the Pirates haven't had a winning season since Bonds departed in the early 1990's). This sweep is great news for the Pirates, and their fans should celebrate.
And go to the ball park.
In droves.
The Fall of Lenny Dykstra
Mike Fish of espn.com has nailed the player they used to call "Nails." Put simply, Lenny Dykstra's life is one big mess, and reports that he's some genius of a financial guru were greatly exaggerated. I hate to say it, but I hinted at as much about a year ago.
Read the whole thing, but it appears that Lenny Dykstra's life has spun out of control -- fights with family members, a trail of angry investors, employees, third-party contractors, lawsuits, all but criminal investigations and indictments. This is sad to see, but it also was hard to believe about a year ago that Dykstra was the flaming success some had made him out to be (including one fawning Philadelphia-area talk radio show host, who bragged about being invited to a big party introducing Dykstra's "Players' Club" magazine).
The whole thing, as it were, is very sad. It's not necessarily as though Lenny Dykstra's financial empire has crashed. It could be that it never was that good to begin with, with a trail of questionable decisions, but now they're all coming to a head from different vantage points, closing in on the former Major Leaguer and leaving him without any moves -- other than bankruptcy and a serious restructuring of his career ambitions and lifestyle.
And, as I wrote a year ago, the whole story of his glorious financial empire was hard to believe a year ago.
What a mess.
Read the whole thing, but it appears that Lenny Dykstra's life has spun out of control -- fights with family members, a trail of angry investors, employees, third-party contractors, lawsuits, all but criminal investigations and indictments. This is sad to see, but it also was hard to believe about a year ago that Dykstra was the flaming success some had made him out to be (including one fawning Philadelphia-area talk radio show host, who bragged about being invited to a big party introducing Dykstra's "Players' Club" magazine).
The whole thing, as it were, is very sad. It's not necessarily as though Lenny Dykstra's financial empire has crashed. It could be that it never was that good to begin with, with a trail of questionable decisions, but now they're all coming to a head from different vantage points, closing in on the former Major Leaguer and leaving him without any moves -- other than bankruptcy and a serious restructuring of his career ambitions and lifestyle.
And, as I wrote a year ago, the whole story of his glorious financial empire was hard to believe a year ago.
What a mess.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Eagles and Sheldon Brown
Eagles' Pro Bowl cornerback Sheldon Brown wants out of Philadelphia. Apparently he quietly asked for a trade a year ago, and now he is asking for one loudly. Brown has three years left on his contract, but he wants a new one because apparently the market has moved for star corners, and he doesn't believe he's well-compensated. Of course, as the Eagles (curiously) point out in their press release of this afternoon, that thought apparently didn't cross Brown's mind when the Birds offered him a long-term deal, a sizable bonus and the financial security that others in his draft class weren't offered at the time. Now, Brown didn't have to sign that contract, and, had he not, he could have earned a more lucrative payday when he was eligible for free agency. But he also could have suffered a career-ending injury and not cashed in. So, with agent in tow, he signed the long-term deal several years ago.
The Eagles response is curious because they have answered their star corner in a tough manned and continued the dispute in the public's eye. Naturally, they think they're right, and they do have a good argument. The question is whether their being right will benefit the team in the long run, or will they have a demotivated corner back for the second year in a row?
Sheldon Brown seems like a decent guy, but his plight raises a bunch of questions:
1. How flawed is the players' union's contract with the NFL? One, high draft picks who have proven nothing get ridiculously big deals at the expense of star veterans who might never "catch up" because they were low-round picks or free agents, didn't get a signing bonus, and then had to wait for free agency.
2. How selfish are NFL players? Brown had representation, he knew the risks, and he took a lesser deal than he would have gotten had he stayed healthy during the years up to free agency and performed at a high level. So why is he upset?
3. Are the Philadelphia Eagles unique in this predicament? It doesn't seem that they are, and, heck, they just traded for a left tackle who raised a stink in Buffalo, asked out, got his wish, and was traded -- ironically, to Philadelphia. The Bills enabled bad behavior and, tangentially, so did the Eagles.
4. How would you feel? I mean, suppose your a perennial top performer, you ink a deal early in your career, and then the market moves, so much so that your back-up, Joselio Hanson, gets a deal that is close to yours? Now, in the non-football real world, at some point management would realize a talent when it saw one and make sure that its star was paid at the top of the group that does the same job he does. In the football world, it's all about managing the free agency risk. I can see why Brown is ticked -- to him, lesser players are making the same if not more. But Brown seems to have gotten it wrong, hasn't he? After all, the game isn't to get paid more than the next guy, it's to get paid as much as possible before you get injured and get released. He might be measuring his success by the wrong yardstick.
At any rate, the Eagles have yet another unhappy defensive back. They lost Brian Dawkins to Denver and Sean Considine to Jacksonville, and they traded Lito Sheppard to the Jets. Sheldon Brown is no dummy, and he's forcing the Eagles' hand right before draft day because the Birds are somewhat thin in what has been a strong area for them under Andy Reid -- the secondary.
Sheldon Brown drew his line in the sand, and the Eagles have parried his attack and answered.
Stay tuned.
The Eagles response is curious because they have answered their star corner in a tough manned and continued the dispute in the public's eye. Naturally, they think they're right, and they do have a good argument. The question is whether their being right will benefit the team in the long run, or will they have a demotivated corner back for the second year in a row?
Sheldon Brown seems like a decent guy, but his plight raises a bunch of questions:
1. How flawed is the players' union's contract with the NFL? One, high draft picks who have proven nothing get ridiculously big deals at the expense of star veterans who might never "catch up" because they were low-round picks or free agents, didn't get a signing bonus, and then had to wait for free agency.
2. How selfish are NFL players? Brown had representation, he knew the risks, and he took a lesser deal than he would have gotten had he stayed healthy during the years up to free agency and performed at a high level. So why is he upset?
3. Are the Philadelphia Eagles unique in this predicament? It doesn't seem that they are, and, heck, they just traded for a left tackle who raised a stink in Buffalo, asked out, got his wish, and was traded -- ironically, to Philadelphia. The Bills enabled bad behavior and, tangentially, so did the Eagles.
4. How would you feel? I mean, suppose your a perennial top performer, you ink a deal early in your career, and then the market moves, so much so that your back-up, Joselio Hanson, gets a deal that is close to yours? Now, in the non-football real world, at some point management would realize a talent when it saw one and make sure that its star was paid at the top of the group that does the same job he does. In the football world, it's all about managing the free agency risk. I can see why Brown is ticked -- to him, lesser players are making the same if not more. But Brown seems to have gotten it wrong, hasn't he? After all, the game isn't to get paid more than the next guy, it's to get paid as much as possible before you get injured and get released. He might be measuring his success by the wrong yardstick.
At any rate, the Eagles have yet another unhappy defensive back. They lost Brian Dawkins to Denver and Sean Considine to Jacksonville, and they traded Lito Sheppard to the Jets. Sheldon Brown is no dummy, and he's forcing the Eagles' hand right before draft day because the Birds are somewhat thin in what has been a strong area for them under Andy Reid -- the secondary.
Sheldon Brown drew his line in the sand, and the Eagles have parried his attack and answered.
Stay tuned.
76ers-Magic Yesterday
Just one thought:
The 76ers put 37 year-old reserve forward Donyell Marshall into the game late in the fourth quarter. The guy all but has a neon sign on his forehead that exclaims: "I am going to shoot the three."
So what happens? Late in the game, Orlando fails to guard Marshall (well enough), and he hits a three.
NBA teams have something like 5 assistant coaches sitting on the bench. Shouldn't three of them have been screaming to the guy assigned to Marshall that he should stay closer to him than Epcot is to Magic Kingdom?
Dwight Howard might sell tickets, but the Magic have to tighten up their defense to get closer to a championship.
The 76ers put 37 year-old reserve forward Donyell Marshall into the game late in the fourth quarter. The guy all but has a neon sign on his forehead that exclaims: "I am going to shoot the three."
So what happens? Late in the game, Orlando fails to guard Marshall (well enough), and he hits a three.
NBA teams have something like 5 assistant coaches sitting on the bench. Shouldn't three of them have been screaming to the guy assigned to Marshall that he should stay closer to him than Epcot is to Magic Kingdom?
Dwight Howard might sell tickets, but the Magic have to tighten up their defense to get closer to a championship.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Phillies-Padres at Citizens Bank Park Last Night
It was a beautiful day in the Delaware Valley, and we went to the park to see the Phillies (hopefully) rebound from a disappointing loss the night before, where they blew a 7-1 lead to lose to the surprising Padres (none of whose starters, I believe, would beat out a Phillie for a starting position in the everyday lineup). It also was a long day for the Phillies' faithful, as the gates of CBP opened at 8 a.m. to enable fans to pay tributes to Harry Kalas. A memorial service followed.
About 9,000 fans turned out for the service, and many local and baseball luminaries turned out to pay their respects, including Hall of Famers Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt. This again was a touching tribute to a man who had touched the lives of so many during his 38-year tenure with the Phillies.
The Phillies enjoyed another sellout crowd, and we had to endure Brett Myers walking the bases full before getting out of the top of the first. (Note: My son, who is 9, threw fewer pitches in the first inning of his Little League game than Myers did last night against a team not noted for its offense). Memo to Brett: you are in a contract year, so if you want the multi-year deal and want the hometown team not to trade for Jake Peavy in a deadline deal (for those Cubs fans out there who think Peavy is a lock to join you before July 31, while the Phillies don't have tons of minor-league prospects to trade, you have only slightly more than the Astros, which remains at about zero), start pitching the way you did after you came back from AAA with about a third of the season remaining in 2008.
Anyway. . .
The Padres are a plucky lot. 1B Adrian Gonzalez hit a long home run over the center field fence, 2B David Eckstein embodies their grit, and, well, they did it two nights in a row. It was a see-saw game, it saw another bad outing from Phillies' set-up man Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge's first blown save since the end of the 2007 season, when Lidge was toiling for the Houston Astros (and "toil" is probably the appropriate verb, for, if not, the choice would have been "struggle").
Observations:
1. Lidge was bound to blow a save sooner or later. So, he blew one last night. These things happen, but remember that the Phillies' bullpen had an incredible record in games the team was ahead after 8 innings last year, something like 88-1, and their bullpen has blown up two nights in a row. It was this same 'pen that helped propel them to their title in 2008. Yes, of course, the season is early.
2. The Phillies' honoring of Harry Kalas was nice. There is a sign on the left-field wall, his signature with the date of his Hall of Fame induction painted on the first-base line, and we all got to sing "High Hopes" -- his favorite song -- during the 7th inning stretch. All good stuff.
3. Raul Ibanez is a big upgrade over Pat Burrell. What I heard on talk radio the other day confounds me -- that you can't get a fan who calls in to say a bad word about Burrell -- but those fans are engaged in a) revisionist history or b) an ignoring of the facts. Pat the Bat was plum awful from September 15 through the end of the 2007 season and then was AWOL for August and September of 2008. He was a streak hitter, increasingly a liability in left, and as the newspaper industry has learned, if you don't evolve, you can become extinct. The Phillies needed to evolve in left, and while Ibanez is no spring chicken, his bat is showing up in a big and consistent way.
4. Hard to believe that when you get home runs from the 3, 4 and 5 hitters in the same game (Utley, Howard and Ibanez all homered), you'd lose the game. But that's what the Phillies did last night.
5. I like Tom McCarthy a lot, and I think that he'll do a great job as the successor to Harry Kalas. McCarthy is excellent, but Phillies' fans should approach their appreciation of McCarthy by hoping that he can be the best he can be and not be the next Harry Kalas. Harry was an original and a classic, but we can't pin unrealistic expectations on McCarthy. Also, Kalas was blessed with a great partner in Richie Ashburn, and while the insiders sing their praises of Larry Andersen, to me he's part of a baseball insider fraternity that doesn't relate well to the average fan. Put differently, McCarthy's the star of the team, and his remaining teammates are average (although I like Gary Matthews).
6. The Padres' cream road uniforms with blue lettering and trim are quite stylish. They are from southern California, after all, and they do look good. They paint houses with those colors in colonial towns in New England, I think.
7. Another sellout. Lots of red, a great fan base. It's just a shame that they didn't walk away from the park with a W.
About 9,000 fans turned out for the service, and many local and baseball luminaries turned out to pay their respects, including Hall of Famers Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt. This again was a touching tribute to a man who had touched the lives of so many during his 38-year tenure with the Phillies.
The Phillies enjoyed another sellout crowd, and we had to endure Brett Myers walking the bases full before getting out of the top of the first. (Note: My son, who is 9, threw fewer pitches in the first inning of his Little League game than Myers did last night against a team not noted for its offense). Memo to Brett: you are in a contract year, so if you want the multi-year deal and want the hometown team not to trade for Jake Peavy in a deadline deal (for those Cubs fans out there who think Peavy is a lock to join you before July 31, while the Phillies don't have tons of minor-league prospects to trade, you have only slightly more than the Astros, which remains at about zero), start pitching the way you did after you came back from AAA with about a third of the season remaining in 2008.
Anyway. . .
The Padres are a plucky lot. 1B Adrian Gonzalez hit a long home run over the center field fence, 2B David Eckstein embodies their grit, and, well, they did it two nights in a row. It was a see-saw game, it saw another bad outing from Phillies' set-up man Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge's first blown save since the end of the 2007 season, when Lidge was toiling for the Houston Astros (and "toil" is probably the appropriate verb, for, if not, the choice would have been "struggle").
Observations:
1. Lidge was bound to blow a save sooner or later. So, he blew one last night. These things happen, but remember that the Phillies' bullpen had an incredible record in games the team was ahead after 8 innings last year, something like 88-1, and their bullpen has blown up two nights in a row. It was this same 'pen that helped propel them to their title in 2008. Yes, of course, the season is early.
2. The Phillies' honoring of Harry Kalas was nice. There is a sign on the left-field wall, his signature with the date of his Hall of Fame induction painted on the first-base line, and we all got to sing "High Hopes" -- his favorite song -- during the 7th inning stretch. All good stuff.
3. Raul Ibanez is a big upgrade over Pat Burrell. What I heard on talk radio the other day confounds me -- that you can't get a fan who calls in to say a bad word about Burrell -- but those fans are engaged in a) revisionist history or b) an ignoring of the facts. Pat the Bat was plum awful from September 15 through the end of the 2007 season and then was AWOL for August and September of 2008. He was a streak hitter, increasingly a liability in left, and as the newspaper industry has learned, if you don't evolve, you can become extinct. The Phillies needed to evolve in left, and while Ibanez is no spring chicken, his bat is showing up in a big and consistent way.
4. Hard to believe that when you get home runs from the 3, 4 and 5 hitters in the same game (Utley, Howard and Ibanez all homered), you'd lose the game. But that's what the Phillies did last night.
5. I like Tom McCarthy a lot, and I think that he'll do a great job as the successor to Harry Kalas. McCarthy is excellent, but Phillies' fans should approach their appreciation of McCarthy by hoping that he can be the best he can be and not be the next Harry Kalas. Harry was an original and a classic, but we can't pin unrealistic expectations on McCarthy. Also, Kalas was blessed with a great partner in Richie Ashburn, and while the insiders sing their praises of Larry Andersen, to me he's part of a baseball insider fraternity that doesn't relate well to the average fan. Put differently, McCarthy's the star of the team, and his remaining teammates are average (although I like Gary Matthews).
6. The Padres' cream road uniforms with blue lettering and trim are quite stylish. They are from southern California, after all, and they do look good. They paint houses with those colors in colonial towns in New England, I think.
7. Another sellout. Lots of red, a great fan base. It's just a shame that they didn't walk away from the park with a W.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
"Friday Night Lights" is Back for 2 More Seasons
You are missing out on one of the best series EVER to air on television if you haven't watched Friday Night Lights. Buzz Bissinger's book by the same title about high school football in Odessa, Texas was a classic, and the movie that followed was good. This series honors both and is just outstanding. The producers, directors and writers paint a great picture of very human characters in the Texas high school football scene, and the series transcends Texas high school football -- it's about life and how everyday people go through it, with its ups and downs. Sure, it somehow can't get past such TV luminaries as American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, 24 and others in the ratings, but it's an awesome show.
How good? My wife isn't a football fan, but she loves the show and has found it most compelling. So much so that we purchased the first two seasons on DVD and watched as many as three episodes in one evening. Now, I'll submit that it's a stretch to give this gift as a Mother's Day present, but for all of you wives and children out there, the first two seasons will make a great Father's Day Gift for dad. And you'll love watching the series as well.
The third season ended a week ago Friday night with a great episode that focused on the future of some of the main characters -- Coach Eric Taylor and seniors Tim Riggins, Matt Saracen, Lyla Gerrity and Tyra Collette. It did leave us hanging a bit, and I'm happy to report that NBC and DirectTV have re-upped for two more seasons of the show.
That said, the show has not been popular with viewers, and my guess is that it will start out in the fall on DirectTV and then come back to NBC after the New Year (the way it did for Season 3). In addition, each season will be relatively short, 13 episodes apiece. You can read about the details here.
How good? My wife isn't a football fan, but she loves the show and has found it most compelling. So much so that we purchased the first two seasons on DVD and watched as many as three episodes in one evening. Now, I'll submit that it's a stretch to give this gift as a Mother's Day present, but for all of you wives and children out there, the first two seasons will make a great Father's Day Gift for dad. And you'll love watching the series as well.
The third season ended a week ago Friday night with a great episode that focused on the future of some of the main characters -- Coach Eric Taylor and seniors Tim Riggins, Matt Saracen, Lyla Gerrity and Tyra Collette. It did leave us hanging a bit, and I'm happy to report that NBC and DirectTV have re-upped for two more seasons of the show.
That said, the show has not been popular with viewers, and my guess is that it will start out in the fall on DirectTV and then come back to NBC after the New Year (the way it did for Season 3). In addition, each season will be relatively short, 13 episodes apiece. You can read about the details here.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Phillies and Lefty Relievers
Last year, the Phillies went into the season with only 1 lefty reliever, J.C. Romero, whom they picked up off Boston's scrap heap the year before. Romero excelled for the Phillies, but during the 2008 season they realized that they would ruin Romero's outstanding left arm if they pitched him all the time.
During the season, the Cubs weren't happy with lefty Scott Eyre, an end-of-the-bullpen 37 year-old whose possibilities for the Cubs apparently were so remote that skipper Lou Pinella never got his first name right. At the time the Phillies acquired Eyre, his ERA was over 7, but he rebounded nicely for the Phillies, went something like 5-0 with an ERA under 4, and did stellar work en route to the World Series.
Unbenknownst to the Phillies, Romero had to attend a hearing in Tampa during the World Series on charges that he had taken a banned substance. Romero made a GNC-type defense, did something dumb, did ingest a banned substance, and is now serving a 50-game suspension. So, going into the season, the Phillies had one lefty reliever on the Major League roster -- Scott Eyre.
During spring training, starter J.A. Happ lost his competition to Chan Ho Park to be the team's #5 starter (in somewhat of a mystery, because Happ pitched well in the pre-season, as did Park, who got lit up in his Phillies' debut). Instead of farming Happ out, they relegated him to the bullpen, where he'll pitch when the starters get lit up early (unfortunately for Happ, Adam Eaton was released in spring training and Kyle Kendrick is pitching for the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs). So, they had two lefty relievers going into the season, but they weren't sure about Happ's ability to come out of the bullpen, as he had been a starter in college and in the minors.
They waited a bit to make this decision, and, in doing so, lost out on a chance to sign Joe Beimel, who was a workhorse in the Dodgers' bullpen for the past three seasons and who is faring well right now for the Nationals. They also whiffed on Will Ohman, who has excelled in the past for the Cubs and the Braves. Ohman somehow didn't get the three-year, $10 million plus deal that the braniacs in Baseball Prospectus thought he would get and signed a minor-league deal (I apologize for forgetting the name of the team). For what it's worth, Ohman was the premier lefty reliever on the market in the off-season.
Somewhat out of moves, the Phillies traded back-up catcher Ronnie Paulino to the Giants for veteran lefty reliever Jack Taschner, who had gotten lit up in spring training and wouldn't have been mentioned in the same breath with Beimel or Ohman, or even Scott Eyre. Now, in fairness, in the midst of a deep recession the team upped its payroll by almost 30% from last season's. Many teams reduced their payrolls. But still, figuring that the team had spent wisely to improve the roster and try for a repeat, you would have thought they would have spent some incremental extra money to sign a reliever of the caliber of Beimel or Ohman. Sure, you would have had a problem had both Eyre and either Beimel or Ohman pitched well when Romero came back, but presumably you could have traded one for value to an American League team in the hunt. That makes some sense, right?
Last night Jack Taschner relieved and summoned memories of ghosts of Phillies' relievers past by giving up two home runs to the Nationals. Yes, starter Joe Blanton gave up a bomb to Adam Dunn and Chad Durbin also gave up a gopher ball, but giving up two home runs with a chance to keep the game close just wasn't something the Phillies did last year, and championship teams don't do that. It does make you wonder whether the Phillies took a flyer on Taschner just to keep a seat warm for Romero, but after a few good outings the second lefty in the 'pen summoned the reasons why the also-ran Giants decided to part with him.
This situation bears watching. The Phillies jettisoned salaries when they cut Geoff Jenkins and Adam Eaton. They might not have the luxury of being that patient with Jack Taschner, and Phillies' fans hope that they won't regret not signing Ohman or Beimel.
During the season, the Cubs weren't happy with lefty Scott Eyre, an end-of-the-bullpen 37 year-old whose possibilities for the Cubs apparently were so remote that skipper Lou Pinella never got his first name right. At the time the Phillies acquired Eyre, his ERA was over 7, but he rebounded nicely for the Phillies, went something like 5-0 with an ERA under 4, and did stellar work en route to the World Series.
Unbenknownst to the Phillies, Romero had to attend a hearing in Tampa during the World Series on charges that he had taken a banned substance. Romero made a GNC-type defense, did something dumb, did ingest a banned substance, and is now serving a 50-game suspension. So, going into the season, the Phillies had one lefty reliever on the Major League roster -- Scott Eyre.
During spring training, starter J.A. Happ lost his competition to Chan Ho Park to be the team's #5 starter (in somewhat of a mystery, because Happ pitched well in the pre-season, as did Park, who got lit up in his Phillies' debut). Instead of farming Happ out, they relegated him to the bullpen, where he'll pitch when the starters get lit up early (unfortunately for Happ, Adam Eaton was released in spring training and Kyle Kendrick is pitching for the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs). So, they had two lefty relievers going into the season, but they weren't sure about Happ's ability to come out of the bullpen, as he had been a starter in college and in the minors.
They waited a bit to make this decision, and, in doing so, lost out on a chance to sign Joe Beimel, who was a workhorse in the Dodgers' bullpen for the past three seasons and who is faring well right now for the Nationals. They also whiffed on Will Ohman, who has excelled in the past for the Cubs and the Braves. Ohman somehow didn't get the three-year, $10 million plus deal that the braniacs in Baseball Prospectus thought he would get and signed a minor-league deal (I apologize for forgetting the name of the team). For what it's worth, Ohman was the premier lefty reliever on the market in the off-season.
Somewhat out of moves, the Phillies traded back-up catcher Ronnie Paulino to the Giants for veteran lefty reliever Jack Taschner, who had gotten lit up in spring training and wouldn't have been mentioned in the same breath with Beimel or Ohman, or even Scott Eyre. Now, in fairness, in the midst of a deep recession the team upped its payroll by almost 30% from last season's. Many teams reduced their payrolls. But still, figuring that the team had spent wisely to improve the roster and try for a repeat, you would have thought they would have spent some incremental extra money to sign a reliever of the caliber of Beimel or Ohman. Sure, you would have had a problem had both Eyre and either Beimel or Ohman pitched well when Romero came back, but presumably you could have traded one for value to an American League team in the hunt. That makes some sense, right?
Last night Jack Taschner relieved and summoned memories of ghosts of Phillies' relievers past by giving up two home runs to the Nationals. Yes, starter Joe Blanton gave up a bomb to Adam Dunn and Chad Durbin also gave up a gopher ball, but giving up two home runs with a chance to keep the game close just wasn't something the Phillies did last year, and championship teams don't do that. It does make you wonder whether the Phillies took a flyer on Taschner just to keep a seat warm for Romero, but after a few good outings the second lefty in the 'pen summoned the reasons why the also-ran Giants decided to part with him.
This situation bears watching. The Phillies jettisoned salaries when they cut Geoff Jenkins and Adam Eaton. They might not have the luxury of being that patient with Jack Taschner, and Phillies' fans hope that they won't regret not signing Ohman or Beimel.
Is the NFL Screwing the Jets and Some of Its Fans?
So sayeth the Jets' front office and Jewish fans, who are ticked that the NFL elected to schedule home games in New York on the holiest of Jewish holidays -- Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The first game is smack in the middle of the Jewish New Year's holiday, and the latter starts right before the beginning of the Day of Atonement (it's a 4:15 game, and Yom Kippur begins at sundown that night). The Giants, though, are on the road.
This is pretty insensitive of the NFL, as there are lots of Jewish fans in New York. Woody Johnson, the Jets' owner, is trying to reschedule the Jets' game on the eve of Yom Kippur to 1:00 p.m., so that it can end in time for Jewish fans to begin their religious holiday. As for the Rosh Hashanah date, it's unclear what can be done at this point, but the NFL has enough resources and brain power to do the right thing here.
The NFL should be embarrassed by this. It's 2009 already, and the whole world - the working world, the political world, the media world, the sports world -- is sensitized to cultural and religious needs. So why goof in such a blundering way?
The best resolution? Admit your error, reschedule the Yom Kippur game to 1:00 p.m., and juggle the schedule so that the Jets don't have a home game in the middle of Rosh Hashanah. That would be the smart thing to do.
This is pretty insensitive of the NFL, as there are lots of Jewish fans in New York. Woody Johnson, the Jets' owner, is trying to reschedule the Jets' game on the eve of Yom Kippur to 1:00 p.m., so that it can end in time for Jewish fans to begin their religious holiday. As for the Rosh Hashanah date, it's unclear what can be done at this point, but the NFL has enough resources and brain power to do the right thing here.
The NFL should be embarrassed by this. It's 2009 already, and the whole world - the working world, the political world, the media world, the sports world -- is sensitized to cultural and religious needs. So why goof in such a blundering way?
The best resolution? Admit your error, reschedule the Yom Kippur game to 1:00 p.m., and juggle the schedule so that the Jets don't have a home game in the middle of Rosh Hashanah. That would be the smart thing to do.
Is Mark Sanchez a Beanie Baby?
The USC QB is the hottest thing since
a) the tulip bulb craze in Holland in the 1700's;
b) becoming an investment banker in Iceland in 2007;
c) the dot.com run in the late 1990's;
d) the rush to draft Akili Smith after one good season at Oregon about 10 years ago; or
e) lining up at the store to buy the Princess Di Beanie Baby also about 10 years ago.
Reports are that Sanchez is moving fast up the draft charts, possibly to Seattle at #4 (according to what I heard on ESPN Radio this morning). The reasons are not that Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer have become stellar pros. The reasons are that he has a good skill set and has impressed teams who have interviewed him with his football IQ, his intensity and his work ethic. The latter should not be underestimated, because it has often been the case that highly rated QBs who are asked to sit for a few years lose their work ethic or, if they get to play quickly, they don't think that they need to study (support for this contention is that 3 out of 4 QBs drafted in the first round over the past 20 years or so have not been successful). Matt Cassel, for example, who was a back-up his entire college career, wore his helmet on the sidelines to remind him that he had to keep his head in the game in case he was called upon to play. That strategy worked out well for Cassel, who had a good year in N.E. when Tom Brady went down and who inked a huge one-year deal this year after the Patriots tagged him.
Back to Sanchez. Is he the real deal, another Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, or is this merely a feeding frenzy and a team in need of a QB is just as likely to get a good one in the sixth round as it is in the first? How many times have we heard that QBs are must haves, only to see them not play well. Sure, it's easy to point to a Ryan Leaf, but how about Smith, Cade McNown, David Carr (although the lack of a good offensive line on an expansion team limited Carr's potential), Vince Young (although the book on him hasn't been written) and many others. If I am a GM of a team with a first-round pick, I'd question myself as to why Sanchez is such a must have and then consider whom I would have considered had Sanchez not become the subject of such a frenzy.
The herd mentality of NFL drafters also had led the likes of Marcus Allen and Warren Sapp, among many others, to slip, only to have those players excel in the NFL. That's why those in charge of their teams' drafts have to be careful about the criteria they're using to evaluate any prospect. And they also should consider why a guy who wasn't considered a high first-round pick has risen so highly.
While buyers should be wary, why is it the case that NFL GMs make the same mistakes over and over again?
a) the tulip bulb craze in Holland in the 1700's;
b) becoming an investment banker in Iceland in 2007;
c) the dot.com run in the late 1990's;
d) the rush to draft Akili Smith after one good season at Oregon about 10 years ago; or
e) lining up at the store to buy the Princess Di Beanie Baby also about 10 years ago.
Reports are that Sanchez is moving fast up the draft charts, possibly to Seattle at #4 (according to what I heard on ESPN Radio this morning). The reasons are not that Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer have become stellar pros. The reasons are that he has a good skill set and has impressed teams who have interviewed him with his football IQ, his intensity and his work ethic. The latter should not be underestimated, because it has often been the case that highly rated QBs who are asked to sit for a few years lose their work ethic or, if they get to play quickly, they don't think that they need to study (support for this contention is that 3 out of 4 QBs drafted in the first round over the past 20 years or so have not been successful). Matt Cassel, for example, who was a back-up his entire college career, wore his helmet on the sidelines to remind him that he had to keep his head in the game in case he was called upon to play. That strategy worked out well for Cassel, who had a good year in N.E. when Tom Brady went down and who inked a huge one-year deal this year after the Patriots tagged him.
Back to Sanchez. Is he the real deal, another Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, or is this merely a feeding frenzy and a team in need of a QB is just as likely to get a good one in the sixth round as it is in the first? How many times have we heard that QBs are must haves, only to see them not play well. Sure, it's easy to point to a Ryan Leaf, but how about Smith, Cade McNown, David Carr (although the lack of a good offensive line on an expansion team limited Carr's potential), Vince Young (although the book on him hasn't been written) and many others. If I am a GM of a team with a first-round pick, I'd question myself as to why Sanchez is such a must have and then consider whom I would have considered had Sanchez not become the subject of such a frenzy.
The herd mentality of NFL drafters also had led the likes of Marcus Allen and Warren Sapp, among many others, to slip, only to have those players excel in the NFL. That's why those in charge of their teams' drafts have to be careful about the criteria they're using to evaluate any prospect. And they also should consider why a guy who wasn't considered a high first-round pick has risen so highly.
While buyers should be wary, why is it the case that NFL GMs make the same mistakes over and over again?
Broadcasting Mount Rushmore
I listened to Mike Greenberg and Buster Olney this morning on ESPN Radio. They were reflecting upon John Madden's retirement and were talking about who would be on their broadcasting Mount Rushmore. In addition, the Philadelphia Inquirer, in its writing about Harry Kalas, referenced the results of the balloting of the American Sportscasters Association on the top 50 broadcasters of all-time. Vin Scully was #1, Harry Kalas #41. Evidence of how credible this survey was -- Phil Rizzuto was #36 and Bill Walton #39.
Okay, so it's subjective, isn't it. I'm not sure that I have a Final Four, but I'll offer a top 10 (in no particular order of preference).
1. Tie between Red Barber, the voice of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Mel Allen, the voice of the Yankees, when radio was king and the Brooklyn-Yankee rivalry was supreme. Both were master craftsmen.
2. Howard Cosell. No, I didn't particularly like him, but he revolutionized the sports host and paved the way for many others who have distinguished themselves.
3. Ray Scott. Okay, many of you haven't heard of him, but if you saw him on TV doing Green Bay Packers' football, Penn State football, the NFL or anything else, he was great at blending a distinct and dignified play-by-play style with the medium of television. The utmost professional.
4. John Madden. Enough has been written about Madden recently that you can find it on a Google search. Suffice it to say that he made color commentary an art, as he blended solid analysis with affability. Some color commentators are scolds (see: Packer, Billy) and others are affable without enough substance (see Siragusa, Tony), but Madden was top shelf in both departments.
5. Vin Scully. The voice of the Dodgers not only gets a longevity award, he gets another nod for his use of language and his skill. Another master craftsman. By the way, while ESPN's Jon Miller won't make this list, he's another one who is a pleasure to listen to and uses the language very well. It's a shame that his partner is Joe Morgan, who, while a bright baseball guy, can come off too much as an old-school, tough, kill joy baseball guy.
6. Jim McKay. He was a game show host in NYC before being tapped to host tape-delayed highlights of the 1960 Olympics from a studio in New York. That led to his being tapped to host the then-new Wide World of Sports, and that let to his being the perpetual host of the Olympics until his retirement. When you think of Jim McKay, you think of gravitas, grace, thoroughness, compassion and a unique ability to capture the moment. When I think of the best of all time, Jim McKay is right up there.
7. Jack Whitaker. Like McKay, another master who was great at finding and telling a story. He was an excellent reporter, good in the booth and studio. Another one who was a pleasure to listen to.
8. Chick Hearn and Johnny Most. The former broadcast for the Lakers, the latter for the Celtics, and that's a huge concession for me because I am a diehard 76ers fan. But basketball is a big deal in this country, and it's top guys should get recognized.
9. Dave Zinkoff. Now, okay, the Zink wasn't a sportscaster, he was a public address announcer, but he was by far the best at what he did, so much so that he deserves mention in this post.
10. Bob Costas. What a memory, tremendous on the facts, outstanding studio host.
Honorable Mention: Keith Jackson, Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, Chris Berman, Harry Kalas (whom I adored).
That top 10 list, by the way, differs from my personal Mount Rushmore, which I'll get to in another post.
Okay, so it's subjective, isn't it. I'm not sure that I have a Final Four, but I'll offer a top 10 (in no particular order of preference).
1. Tie between Red Barber, the voice of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Mel Allen, the voice of the Yankees, when radio was king and the Brooklyn-Yankee rivalry was supreme. Both were master craftsmen.
2. Howard Cosell. No, I didn't particularly like him, but he revolutionized the sports host and paved the way for many others who have distinguished themselves.
3. Ray Scott. Okay, many of you haven't heard of him, but if you saw him on TV doing Green Bay Packers' football, Penn State football, the NFL or anything else, he was great at blending a distinct and dignified play-by-play style with the medium of television. The utmost professional.
4. John Madden. Enough has been written about Madden recently that you can find it on a Google search. Suffice it to say that he made color commentary an art, as he blended solid analysis with affability. Some color commentators are scolds (see: Packer, Billy) and others are affable without enough substance (see Siragusa, Tony), but Madden was top shelf in both departments.
5. Vin Scully. The voice of the Dodgers not only gets a longevity award, he gets another nod for his use of language and his skill. Another master craftsman. By the way, while ESPN's Jon Miller won't make this list, he's another one who is a pleasure to listen to and uses the language very well. It's a shame that his partner is Joe Morgan, who, while a bright baseball guy, can come off too much as an old-school, tough, kill joy baseball guy.
6. Jim McKay. He was a game show host in NYC before being tapped to host tape-delayed highlights of the 1960 Olympics from a studio in New York. That led to his being tapped to host the then-new Wide World of Sports, and that let to his being the perpetual host of the Olympics until his retirement. When you think of Jim McKay, you think of gravitas, grace, thoroughness, compassion and a unique ability to capture the moment. When I think of the best of all time, Jim McKay is right up there.
7. Jack Whitaker. Like McKay, another master who was great at finding and telling a story. He was an excellent reporter, good in the booth and studio. Another one who was a pleasure to listen to.
8. Chick Hearn and Johnny Most. The former broadcast for the Lakers, the latter for the Celtics, and that's a huge concession for me because I am a diehard 76ers fan. But basketball is a big deal in this country, and it's top guys should get recognized.
9. Dave Zinkoff. Now, okay, the Zink wasn't a sportscaster, he was a public address announcer, but he was by far the best at what he did, so much so that he deserves mention in this post.
10. Bob Costas. What a memory, tremendous on the facts, outstanding studio host.
Honorable Mention: Keith Jackson, Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, Chris Berman, Harry Kalas (whom I adored).
That top 10 list, by the way, differs from my personal Mount Rushmore, which I'll get to in another post.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Book Review: David Maraniss' "Rome 1960"
Maraniss wrote very good biographies of Vince Lombardi and Roberto Clemente, and his addressing of this topic is premised by the subtext "The Olympics That Changed the World."
The book is well-researched and generally well-written. He writes from a number of different perspectives -- the Cold War (where the countries behind the curtain were using sports for propaganda purposes), the end of amateurism (and the hypocrisy and sometimes cruelty of the International Olympic Committee's enforcement of a very pure interpretation of "amateurism"), the juxtaposition of racism in the United States against the preeminence of certain athletes of color (most notably Wilma Rudolph, Rafer Johnson and a boxer named Cassius Clay), the emergence of performance-enhancing drugs (apparently the Soviets were having fun with biochemistry at about that time), and the ultimate realization that the Olympics could make a lot of money by selling TV rights (these Olympics were televised sparsely on tape delay featuring a former game-show host named Jim McKay as the studio host; McKay would go on to be the dean of Olympic sports reporting and a masterful announcer).
Maraniss focuses on the autocracy and hypocrisy of IOC chief Avery Brundage (whom venerated NYT sports columnist Red Smith thought was a jerk), the determination of Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila (who won the marathon running in the city of a country that had conquered his country decades before -- and who ran barefoot), the grace of a cadre of women runners called the Tigerbelles from Tennessee State University, the leadership and sportsmanship of the preeminent U.S. competitor, Rafer Johnson, in the decathlon against his college teammate and buddy C.K. Yang of Taiwan (Red Smith was quoted as denigrating the decathlon, in essence saying that you took a group of guys who could do nothing particularly well and then put them in a competition of 10 events and glorified it over 2 days), the questions about judged sports, the efforts of the Soviet Union, the hard-luck track experience of Duke medical student Dave Sime in the 100-meter dash and 4x100 relay (Sime later became a well-regarded eye doctor in Miami), the domination of the U.S. Olympic basketball team (men's), the end of chauvinism by allowing women to participate more widely, and many more dramas and subdramas.
This is another great book from Marannis, a very good read, and a good mix of political and social issues.
The book is well-researched and generally well-written. He writes from a number of different perspectives -- the Cold War (where the countries behind the curtain were using sports for propaganda purposes), the end of amateurism (and the hypocrisy and sometimes cruelty of the International Olympic Committee's enforcement of a very pure interpretation of "amateurism"), the juxtaposition of racism in the United States against the preeminence of certain athletes of color (most notably Wilma Rudolph, Rafer Johnson and a boxer named Cassius Clay), the emergence of performance-enhancing drugs (apparently the Soviets were having fun with biochemistry at about that time), and the ultimate realization that the Olympics could make a lot of money by selling TV rights (these Olympics were televised sparsely on tape delay featuring a former game-show host named Jim McKay as the studio host; McKay would go on to be the dean of Olympic sports reporting and a masterful announcer).
Maraniss focuses on the autocracy and hypocrisy of IOC chief Avery Brundage (whom venerated NYT sports columnist Red Smith thought was a jerk), the determination of Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila (who won the marathon running in the city of a country that had conquered his country decades before -- and who ran barefoot), the grace of a cadre of women runners called the Tigerbelles from Tennessee State University, the leadership and sportsmanship of the preeminent U.S. competitor, Rafer Johnson, in the decathlon against his college teammate and buddy C.K. Yang of Taiwan (Red Smith was quoted as denigrating the decathlon, in essence saying that you took a group of guys who could do nothing particularly well and then put them in a competition of 10 events and glorified it over 2 days), the questions about judged sports, the efforts of the Soviet Union, the hard-luck track experience of Duke medical student Dave Sime in the 100-meter dash and 4x100 relay (Sime later became a well-regarded eye doctor in Miami), the domination of the U.S. Olympic basketball team (men's), the end of chauvinism by allowing women to participate more widely, and many more dramas and subdramas.
This is another great book from Marannis, a very good read, and a good mix of political and social issues.
John Madden is Retiring
Read about it here.
One of my favorite John Madden moments involved the 1983 NFC championship game between the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams. The Redskins were terrific in that area (Joe Gibbs was their coach), and they were sounding beating the Rams late in the game.
By the fourth quarter, Bob Holly, two years removed from quarterbacking Princeton, was in the game for the Redskins (backing up Joe Thiesmann) and Jeff Kemp, three years removed from quarterbacking Dartmouth, was in for the Rams (John Madden had a son play for Brown and a son play for Harvard).
Madden noticed this and offered: "This is amazing. Who would have thought that in a conference championship game, you'd have quarterbacks from Ivy League schools in the game for both teams?"
The director was masterful. He cut to a shot of Redskins' defensive tackle Dave Butz, one of the league's biggest players, standing on the sidelines. The closeup showed Butz in his helmet, with some paint missing, with a cut at the bridge of his nose.
Madden: "And there's Dave Butz. He didn't go to no Ivy League school."
Perhaps not as good as Alex Karras's famous line from a Monday night game, when the cameras focused on Raiders' defensive tackle Otis Sistrunk (who didn't go to college). Sistrunk, who shaved his head, was sitting on the bench on a chilly night, steam coming from his head. The previous talk was about different players and their colleges. Then the camera found Sistrunk on the sidelines. Said Karras: "And there's Otis Sistrunk, University of Mars."
Most if not all wouldn't remember my Madden vignette, but Madden was great on the air, affable but fair, interesting, didactic, and seemingly an all-around good guy. As Michael Lewis wrote in his book "The Blind Side," about the evolution of the left tackle position in football and the emergence of (now possible first-round draft choice out of Ole Miss) Michael Oher from out of nowhere in Tennessee, the football guys are much easier to talk to than the baseball guys (he knows from experience, because he wrote "The Blind Side" after he wrote "Moneyball").
Madden was an all-timer, and he will be missed.
One of my favorite John Madden moments involved the 1983 NFC championship game between the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams. The Redskins were terrific in that area (Joe Gibbs was their coach), and they were sounding beating the Rams late in the game.
By the fourth quarter, Bob Holly, two years removed from quarterbacking Princeton, was in the game for the Redskins (backing up Joe Thiesmann) and Jeff Kemp, three years removed from quarterbacking Dartmouth, was in for the Rams (John Madden had a son play for Brown and a son play for Harvard).
Madden noticed this and offered: "This is amazing. Who would have thought that in a conference championship game, you'd have quarterbacks from Ivy League schools in the game for both teams?"
The director was masterful. He cut to a shot of Redskins' defensive tackle Dave Butz, one of the league's biggest players, standing on the sidelines. The closeup showed Butz in his helmet, with some paint missing, with a cut at the bridge of his nose.
Madden: "And there's Dave Butz. He didn't go to no Ivy League school."
Perhaps not as good as Alex Karras's famous line from a Monday night game, when the cameras focused on Raiders' defensive tackle Otis Sistrunk (who didn't go to college). Sistrunk, who shaved his head, was sitting on the bench on a chilly night, steam coming from his head. The previous talk was about different players and their colleges. Then the camera found Sistrunk on the sidelines. Said Karras: "And there's Otis Sistrunk, University of Mars."
Most if not all wouldn't remember my Madden vignette, but Madden was great on the air, affable but fair, interesting, didactic, and seemingly an all-around good guy. As Michael Lewis wrote in his book "The Blind Side," about the evolution of the left tackle position in football and the emergence of (now possible first-round draft choice out of Ole Miss) Michael Oher from out of nowhere in Tennessee, the football guys are much easier to talk to than the baseball guys (he knows from experience, because he wrote "The Blind Side" after he wrote "Moneyball").
Madden was an all-timer, and he will be missed.
Greg Paulus Confirms What Michigan Students and Alums Already Know
That Michigan is a better school?
Perhaps, perhaps not.
That Michigan has a better football program?
Absolutely.
Paulus will graduate soon from Duke -- in four years. He didn't redshirt, which means he has a year of eligibility remaining to play football at a Division I-A school, as bizarre as that sounds. Remember, he was a very highly recruited QB out of high school, and his brother is the starter at North Carolina. Paulus started for three years as Duke's point guard and came off the bench last year, drawing high praise for the way he conducted himself. While he didn't elevate his game to NBA status, he said that the opportunity to play basketball at Duke and for Coach K was well worth it.
But competitive athletes continue to have the competitive itch -- it probably remains with them forever. So, Paulus, like many others, was seeking another venue where he can compete on an elite level. And that's football, because he was so good at it years ago.
He ruled out Duke because Duke has a returning upperclassman as a starter, and because he only has one year remaining he'll need to find a place where he can compete for the starting spot. Michigan has a couple of freshmen and a junior coming off an injury. Last year's starter transferred.
This is a fascinating story, to be sure, and one that bears watching. Still, it will be odd watching Greg Paulus competing in anything other than a Duke uniform.
Perhaps, perhaps not.
That Michigan has a better football program?
Absolutely.
Paulus will graduate soon from Duke -- in four years. He didn't redshirt, which means he has a year of eligibility remaining to play football at a Division I-A school, as bizarre as that sounds. Remember, he was a very highly recruited QB out of high school, and his brother is the starter at North Carolina. Paulus started for three years as Duke's point guard and came off the bench last year, drawing high praise for the way he conducted himself. While he didn't elevate his game to NBA status, he said that the opportunity to play basketball at Duke and for Coach K was well worth it.
But competitive athletes continue to have the competitive itch -- it probably remains with them forever. So, Paulus, like many others, was seeking another venue where he can compete on an elite level. And that's football, because he was so good at it years ago.
He ruled out Duke because Duke has a returning upperclassman as a starter, and because he only has one year remaining he'll need to find a place where he can compete for the starting spot. Michigan has a couple of freshmen and a junior coming off an injury. Last year's starter transferred.
This is a fascinating story, to be sure, and one that bears watching. Still, it will be odd watching Greg Paulus competing in anything other than a Duke uniform.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
And We Saw It Here, First, in 2004
In 2004, I wrote about two promising basketball players from Iran, Jabeer Rouzbahani and Hamed Haddadi. You can check those posts out for yourself here and here.
What I am reporting now is not new news, but the other day I was reading up on the NBA and learned that Haddadi is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. Haddadi came of age in the 2008 Olympics, where he was the only player to average a double-double. Before joining the Grizzlies he played for Saba Battery in the Iranian Super League. He's not getting a lot of minutes now, and I doubt that Iran will become to the NBA what the Dominican Republic is to Major League Baseball, but this is an interesting development nonetheless.
That's what can be very unique about professional sports. If you're athletically gifted and over 7 feet tall, the world is small enough that basketball scouts will find you in Iran, Nigeria (Hakeem Olajuwon), Tanzania (Hasheem Thabeet) and the Sudan (Manute Bol, although I'd concede that the likable 7'7" player wasn't that athletically gifted, but he knew how to block shots and change the opposing team's approach to the game). Similarly, if you can throw a baseball over 95 miles per hour, the scouts will find you too (the way they lucked in on the oldest rookie, Jim Morris, who had left the game, became a high school teacher and returned as a reliever in his mid-thirties for the Tampa Bay (then-Devil) Rays in the 1990's.
The NBA is truly and international league, as even the Iranians permit their kids to play a game founded in the land of Satan (and we're not talking about hockey player Miroslav's back yard).
What I am reporting now is not new news, but the other day I was reading up on the NBA and learned that Haddadi is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. Haddadi came of age in the 2008 Olympics, where he was the only player to average a double-double. Before joining the Grizzlies he played for Saba Battery in the Iranian Super League. He's not getting a lot of minutes now, and I doubt that Iran will become to the NBA what the Dominican Republic is to Major League Baseball, but this is an interesting development nonetheless.
That's what can be very unique about professional sports. If you're athletically gifted and over 7 feet tall, the world is small enough that basketball scouts will find you in Iran, Nigeria (Hakeem Olajuwon), Tanzania (Hasheem Thabeet) and the Sudan (Manute Bol, although I'd concede that the likable 7'7" player wasn't that athletically gifted, but he knew how to block shots and change the opposing team's approach to the game). Similarly, if you can throw a baseball over 95 miles per hour, the scouts will find you too (the way they lucked in on the oldest rookie, Jim Morris, who had left the game, became a high school teacher and returned as a reliever in his mid-thirties for the Tampa Bay (then-Devil) Rays in the 1990's.
The NBA is truly and international league, as even the Iranians permit their kids to play a game founded in the land of Satan (and we're not talking about hockey player Miroslav's back yard).
St. Louis Finds Rhthym in Their Blues
A reader with great knowledge of the St. Louis Blues pointed out their remarkable run to a 6th seed in this year's NHL playoffs, worthy of a Disney movie. The Blues lost four of their top players and were running along the bottom of the league at mid-season. Since then, they've been among the NHL's best, finishing with a 9-1-1 run. And they're so hot and so inspiring that they've made a believer of veteran sportswriter Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
I can't say that I'm the biggest hockey fan, and it's not for any particular reason except that I like other sports better, was raised on basketball and baseball and don't have a ton of time for much else. That said, I love good teamwork and good stories, and the Blues have both. It would be fitting for them to continue their run all the way to the Stanley Cup. They had made the playoffs for 25 straight years leading up to 2004, and this marks their first appearance since then. As Cardinalpark posted in a comment to a different post, theirs is a great story.
So much so that I'll spend a little of my "sports time" following their progress during the playoffs, and they're worth a look if you're so inclined.
I can't say that I'm the biggest hockey fan, and it's not for any particular reason except that I like other sports better, was raised on basketball and baseball and don't have a ton of time for much else. That said, I love good teamwork and good stories, and the Blues have both. It would be fitting for them to continue their run all the way to the Stanley Cup. They had made the playoffs for 25 straight years leading up to 2004, and this marks their first appearance since then. As Cardinalpark posted in a comment to a different post, theirs is a great story.
So much so that I'll spend a little of my "sports time" following their progress during the playoffs, and they're worth a look if you're so inclined.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Harry Kalas: The Death of a Good Uncle
I had the day off today and, fitting, was driving my son to our local baseball complex when I heard that Phillies' Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas died before today's game against the Washington Nationals. He was 73.
I grew up listening to Harry Kalas call Phillies games with Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn at his side providing the color commentary. You have to remember that in those days there wasn't cable TV and home games weren't covered, so the radio was all we had. And, in Philadelphia, we were most fortunate to have a harmonious duo that knew their stuff, told great stories, had good senses of humor and knew how to make it sound exciting when it really was. His home run call "that ball is outta here" was something to behold, making great moments all the more enriching because of his cadence and his timing.
I had an old radio on the night table next to my bed, the type that you could set on a timer so that it could shut itself off after a while. On many occasions, I set the radio to the Phillies (and, in the off-season, to a great all-sports show on WCAU Radio hosted, by among others, Bruce Bradley and Don Henderson). I would listen to bad teams (when Kalas first arrived in Philadelphia, in 1971, the team was plum awful) and outstanding ones (the teams in the late 1970's were very good), and I would listen to him describe the pitches of Steve Carlton, the antics of Tug McGraw, the grace of Garry Maddox, the glory of Mike Schmidt and the grit of Larry Bowa. The man had a gift for description and for affability. He was a joy to listen to.
As importantly, it was he and Richie Ashburn who taught many fans -- including me -- the finer points of the game.
He also reminded me of a good uncle, the type that would show up unannounced to visit the family and would leave you feeling like a million bucks. I had a great uncle like that, the husband of a first cousin of my grandmother, and he would stop by and play baseball with us in our small backyard, acting magical because he would insist upon swinging the bat upside down. He would always make contact, to our amazement, even though he was dressed like someone out of central casting -- knit shirt, baby blue pants, white shoes, frequently toting a cigar. I loved that man, whom I called Uncle Eddie, and he would come inside and share stories with my father. Stories about seeing the great ones play, stories about his youth, when the family had nothing and no one seemed to mind because they had each other.
Baseball-wise, that's what many of us had -- each other. The Phillies weren't good when Harry Kalas first got here and they had a dark period from the mid-1980's through 1993, but we always had Harry and Richie. We couldn't measure the enormity of what we had at the time, but over time we knew we were listening to a special duo. They taught many of us the game of baseball, particularly the nuances, and they were good at making us forget about everything other than we were listening to a great game on a warm summer's evening. Harry and Richie were like our good, if sometimes zany, uncles, taking the time to entertain, amaze with their memories and educate us.
Fittingly, Harry's final season ended on top, when the Phillies beat the Rays to win only their second World Series. Today, during the Phillies' broadcast on Comcast, they replayed his final call -- of Brad Lidge striking out the Rays' Eric Hinske to win the game -- several times. I couldn't help but well up and wipe away a few tears, because the last of the trio that made baseball so alive and enriching for me -- Harry, Richie and my father -- is gone.
And how special they all were!
Harry Kalas left a rich legacy of outstanding professionalism and being a great guy. I met him a few times at promotional events, and he was warm, humorous and engaging. He was clearly having the time of his life doing what he did for a living, and, while doing it, helped us have the time of our lives just by being along for the ride.
Harry, we were privileged to have had you as our teacher, our muse, our entertainer, our guide, and, yes, our good uncle. May you rest in peace.
I grew up listening to Harry Kalas call Phillies games with Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn at his side providing the color commentary. You have to remember that in those days there wasn't cable TV and home games weren't covered, so the radio was all we had. And, in Philadelphia, we were most fortunate to have a harmonious duo that knew their stuff, told great stories, had good senses of humor and knew how to make it sound exciting when it really was. His home run call "that ball is outta here" was something to behold, making great moments all the more enriching because of his cadence and his timing.
I had an old radio on the night table next to my bed, the type that you could set on a timer so that it could shut itself off after a while. On many occasions, I set the radio to the Phillies (and, in the off-season, to a great all-sports show on WCAU Radio hosted, by among others, Bruce Bradley and Don Henderson). I would listen to bad teams (when Kalas first arrived in Philadelphia, in 1971, the team was plum awful) and outstanding ones (the teams in the late 1970's were very good), and I would listen to him describe the pitches of Steve Carlton, the antics of Tug McGraw, the grace of Garry Maddox, the glory of Mike Schmidt and the grit of Larry Bowa. The man had a gift for description and for affability. He was a joy to listen to.
As importantly, it was he and Richie Ashburn who taught many fans -- including me -- the finer points of the game.
He also reminded me of a good uncle, the type that would show up unannounced to visit the family and would leave you feeling like a million bucks. I had a great uncle like that, the husband of a first cousin of my grandmother, and he would stop by and play baseball with us in our small backyard, acting magical because he would insist upon swinging the bat upside down. He would always make contact, to our amazement, even though he was dressed like someone out of central casting -- knit shirt, baby blue pants, white shoes, frequently toting a cigar. I loved that man, whom I called Uncle Eddie, and he would come inside and share stories with my father. Stories about seeing the great ones play, stories about his youth, when the family had nothing and no one seemed to mind because they had each other.
Baseball-wise, that's what many of us had -- each other. The Phillies weren't good when Harry Kalas first got here and they had a dark period from the mid-1980's through 1993, but we always had Harry and Richie. We couldn't measure the enormity of what we had at the time, but over time we knew we were listening to a special duo. They taught many of us the game of baseball, particularly the nuances, and they were good at making us forget about everything other than we were listening to a great game on a warm summer's evening. Harry and Richie were like our good, if sometimes zany, uncles, taking the time to entertain, amaze with their memories and educate us.
Fittingly, Harry's final season ended on top, when the Phillies beat the Rays to win only their second World Series. Today, during the Phillies' broadcast on Comcast, they replayed his final call -- of Brad Lidge striking out the Rays' Eric Hinske to win the game -- several times. I couldn't help but well up and wipe away a few tears, because the last of the trio that made baseball so alive and enriching for me -- Harry, Richie and my father -- is gone.
And how special they all were!
Harry Kalas left a rich legacy of outstanding professionalism and being a great guy. I met him a few times at promotional events, and he was warm, humorous and engaging. He was clearly having the time of his life doing what he did for a living, and, while doing it, helped us have the time of our lives just by being along for the ride.
Harry, we were privileged to have had you as our teacher, our muse, our entertainer, our guide, and, yes, our good uncle. May you rest in peace.
Seeing LeBron Up Close and Personal
Thanks to a loyal reader, my son and I had great seats to Friday night's game at the Wachovia Center between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The following are a few observations:
1. The Cavaliers' offense is terrific. I know that there are NBA bashers who contend that the bulk of the plays are clear-outs for the stars, but the Cavs really know how to whip the ball around the perimeter and find the open man. Their quick inside passing was impressive, too, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way they worked with each other. Credit to coach Mike Brown for getting a bunch of high-achievers to blend together for a fluid offense.
2. If the Cavs' Anderson Varejao could shoot the ball just a little bit, he'd probably be called Tim Duncan or at least rank among the elite power forward. The guys is a bit offense-challenged, but on that score the 76ers' center Sam Dalembert outpointed him. Poor Sammy just has a bad b-ball IQ, and while former GM Billy King did some good things on South Broad Street, inking Sammy to a long-term deal was not one of them.
3. That the 76ers got within 2 and kept the game within 10 was a tribute to their sense of teamwork, but they missed second-year forward Thaddeus Young. Put differently, it was painful watching back-ups Reggie Evans and Theo Ratliff trying to play offense. They might be good guys who are good to have on the bench, but they just can't play offense.
4. Signature play of the night was actually that of Sixer swingman Andre Iguodala, who isolated James with about 15 seconds to go before the half and then, as my nine year-old said, "served him" with an in-your-face jam a few seconds before time expired. Iguodala had 26 points to James' 27, but King LeBron rightfully said after the game that while he respects the 76ers' player, he was there to get the win.
5. It was curious to see the Cavs run several offensive plays with James standing idle on the right wing, as a decoy, not doing anything, not even setting a screen. He rests about a quarter of the game, so I don't understand Mike Brown's logic there.
6. I have sometimes postulated that the team that has more assists wins 80% of the time and, as a corollary, the team with the better assist-to-turnover ratio wins about that much of the time. Well, the Cavs had 24 assists to the 76ers' 12, and they had 10 turnovers to the 76ers' 7. Translated, the 76ers had many shots where someone brought the ball up and shot it, particularly Lou Williams and Willie Green.
7. As for Green, just an observation, but it's hard to see how you can go that far with a so-so 6'3" combo guard getting as many minutes as he does.
8. I'd like to see a stat called the "penultimate" pass, as I've always believed that the guy who gets the ball to the guy who gets the assist deserves more credit because he's the first one to catch a defense off guard and, as a result of his heads-up play, helps create a mismatch or overload that enables the guy who scores to get a shot off. The Cavs excelled at this, and that type of passing will bode well for a deep run in the playoffs.
9. The Cavs have a similar version of Theo Ratliff. His name is Ben Wallace.
10. The 76ers' Mareese Speights looked like the most athletic big man on the floor, but he seemed to have lapses on defense that kept him glued to the bench for significant periods. Say what you will about Samuel Dalembert, but he rebounded and defended with authority during some spurts in the game. It's just that he's such an offensive liability that opponents don't have to go full throttle guarding him.
11. The 76ers' public address announcer, Matt Cord, has a great voice, but he does the visitors a disservice by announcing their baskets in a low, almost dismissive voice. He won't make anyone forget Dave Zinkoff, except for the fact that few in the crows probably remember Dave Zinkoff to start with.
12. Why don't they have portable poles to accompany the 76ers' dancers? Seriously, why would your wife or daughter think that job is something to aspire to? While I know that the teams want to fill every free moment with entertainment, the 76ers should re-think the dancing girls.
13. On the other hand, the acrobatic team that dunks off a trampoline is most impressive. Those guys can get up there and tumble, and the dunks were memorable. It's a shame that a few of those guys can't tutor Dalembert on his hops.
14. The Wach Center is a fun place, decent concessions, a nice pavilion to hang out before the game, and, yes, crab fries. I also signed a petition to get the U.S. Post Office to issue a stamp commemorating Wilt Chamberlain. That would be nice to see.
15. The 76ers seem stuck in stasis-land, they'll win about half their games, make the playoffs, go out in the first round and then have a pick in the middle of the first round. Yes, they'll get Young and Elton Brand back, but they're still stuck with Dalembert's contract, might lose Andre Miller, lack a true point guard and project as too small if they go with Brand at center, Young at power forward and Iguodala at small forward. That said, they have some good talent on which to build, and GM Eddie Stefanski will have some decisions to make come this off season.
All in all, a really fun time at the Wachovia Center. The 76ers were entertaining, and LeBron was even better, even if he did miss every underhanded shot from halfcourt that he tried before the game.
He still entered doing the "thing" with the baby powder, but make no mistake, it wasn't magic (and, okay, he's not Magic), but on most nights, he's the King.
1. The Cavaliers' offense is terrific. I know that there are NBA bashers who contend that the bulk of the plays are clear-outs for the stars, but the Cavs really know how to whip the ball around the perimeter and find the open man. Their quick inside passing was impressive, too, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way they worked with each other. Credit to coach Mike Brown for getting a bunch of high-achievers to blend together for a fluid offense.
2. If the Cavs' Anderson Varejao could shoot the ball just a little bit, he'd probably be called Tim Duncan or at least rank among the elite power forward. The guys is a bit offense-challenged, but on that score the 76ers' center Sam Dalembert outpointed him. Poor Sammy just has a bad b-ball IQ, and while former GM Billy King did some good things on South Broad Street, inking Sammy to a long-term deal was not one of them.
3. That the 76ers got within 2 and kept the game within 10 was a tribute to their sense of teamwork, but they missed second-year forward Thaddeus Young. Put differently, it was painful watching back-ups Reggie Evans and Theo Ratliff trying to play offense. They might be good guys who are good to have on the bench, but they just can't play offense.
4. Signature play of the night was actually that of Sixer swingman Andre Iguodala, who isolated James with about 15 seconds to go before the half and then, as my nine year-old said, "served him" with an in-your-face jam a few seconds before time expired. Iguodala had 26 points to James' 27, but King LeBron rightfully said after the game that while he respects the 76ers' player, he was there to get the win.
5. It was curious to see the Cavs run several offensive plays with James standing idle on the right wing, as a decoy, not doing anything, not even setting a screen. He rests about a quarter of the game, so I don't understand Mike Brown's logic there.
6. I have sometimes postulated that the team that has more assists wins 80% of the time and, as a corollary, the team with the better assist-to-turnover ratio wins about that much of the time. Well, the Cavs had 24 assists to the 76ers' 12, and they had 10 turnovers to the 76ers' 7. Translated, the 76ers had many shots where someone brought the ball up and shot it, particularly Lou Williams and Willie Green.
7. As for Green, just an observation, but it's hard to see how you can go that far with a so-so 6'3" combo guard getting as many minutes as he does.
8. I'd like to see a stat called the "penultimate" pass, as I've always believed that the guy who gets the ball to the guy who gets the assist deserves more credit because he's the first one to catch a defense off guard and, as a result of his heads-up play, helps create a mismatch or overload that enables the guy who scores to get a shot off. The Cavs excelled at this, and that type of passing will bode well for a deep run in the playoffs.
9. The Cavs have a similar version of Theo Ratliff. His name is Ben Wallace.
10. The 76ers' Mareese Speights looked like the most athletic big man on the floor, but he seemed to have lapses on defense that kept him glued to the bench for significant periods. Say what you will about Samuel Dalembert, but he rebounded and defended with authority during some spurts in the game. It's just that he's such an offensive liability that opponents don't have to go full throttle guarding him.
11. The 76ers' public address announcer, Matt Cord, has a great voice, but he does the visitors a disservice by announcing their baskets in a low, almost dismissive voice. He won't make anyone forget Dave Zinkoff, except for the fact that few in the crows probably remember Dave Zinkoff to start with.
12. Why don't they have portable poles to accompany the 76ers' dancers? Seriously, why would your wife or daughter think that job is something to aspire to? While I know that the teams want to fill every free moment with entertainment, the 76ers should re-think the dancing girls.
13. On the other hand, the acrobatic team that dunks off a trampoline is most impressive. Those guys can get up there and tumble, and the dunks were memorable. It's a shame that a few of those guys can't tutor Dalembert on his hops.
14. The Wach Center is a fun place, decent concessions, a nice pavilion to hang out before the game, and, yes, crab fries. I also signed a petition to get the U.S. Post Office to issue a stamp commemorating Wilt Chamberlain. That would be nice to see.
15. The 76ers seem stuck in stasis-land, they'll win about half their games, make the playoffs, go out in the first round and then have a pick in the middle of the first round. Yes, they'll get Young and Elton Brand back, but they're still stuck with Dalembert's contract, might lose Andre Miller, lack a true point guard and project as too small if they go with Brand at center, Young at power forward and Iguodala at small forward. That said, they have some good talent on which to build, and GM Eddie Stefanski will have some decisions to make come this off season.
All in all, a really fun time at the Wachovia Center. The 76ers were entertaining, and LeBron was even better, even if he did miss every underhanded shot from halfcourt that he tried before the game.
He still entered doing the "thing" with the baby powder, but make no mistake, it wasn't magic (and, okay, he's not Magic), but on most nights, he's the King.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Time of My Life
There's a lot of negativity in the world and, if you let it, a lot to feel bad or anxious about most of the time. There are leadership vacuums, there's demagoguery, and, yes, there's the feeling that you can be a hamster on a wheel in the working world when your retirement savings have plummeted and there aren't great signs that the markets are going to recover in a big way any time soon.
You have choices, though, as to what you permit to have power over you. No one will argue that these are tough times -- they're tough for people all around us and around the world. But that doesn't mean we should stop living or focus too much of our energy on things we cannot control, such as the whims of politicians or the tides of the financial markets. We also have our friends and our families, and that leads me to a short vignette.
I took a half day off yesterday, and the weather in the mid-Atlantic region was terrific -- sunny, low sixties, not too much wind. After having a long, fun and relaxing lunch with my family, I took my daughter to our local softball fields to practice. We were the only ones there, and I spent about an hour and a half hitting grounders to her, pitching batting practice and helping her get more power into her swing, and catching her pitches. She's eleven, young for her grade in school but big for her age, and she has some physical gifts -- she's strong with a strong arm.
So there we were, just a dad and his daughter, playing catch, fielding grounds and popups, hitting and pitching. It was a great practice session on a beautiful day. We were patient with each other (sometimes parent-child coaching sessions don't go as smoothly as either participant would like), laughed, and worked on improving her game. We talked about situations in the field, we talked about the approach to pitching (read: you want to get everyone out, even if they sit next to you in social studies and are nice), and the approach to hitting (you want to hit the ball with power past the fielders, even if they once were in your Brownie troop).
My daughter is growing up, getting bigger, getting more focused. It was fun to see her reel off a string of solid strikes that wended their way over home plate with authority, although we both acknowledge she has a ways to go in terms of consistency. Likewise, it was fun at the end of our hitting session to see her lash two hard liners right through the pitcher's mound, causing a dancing-challenged middle-aged man to jump quickly to avoid getting hit. Again, there was improvement, with room for more.
At the end of our session, we gathered our belongings, talked about what we accomplished, and then headed to a local ice cream and water ice joint. When we walked in, we heard David Cook's "Time of My Life" on the radio. It's a moving song, Cook sang it on "American Idol", and the Phillies used it to accompany the last part of their 2008 highlight film. And then it hit me.
Right then, right there, that it's moments and sessions like these that we need to strive for more often. Just a dad and his daughter, on a beautiful day, playing softball. No crowds, lines, traffic, bad news, just the outdoors and two people doing something they like with people they love.
Because at that moment, I realized how special that afternoon softball session was to my daughter and me, followed by the reward of a refreshing treat. Right then and there, I was having one of many times of my life.
Remember those moments, look for opportunities to have them, and cherish every one of them. Because it's those moments -- and not measurements caused by factors that we cannot control -- that make life so worth living and so enriching. You can control many of the important things in your life -- just be sure that you take the time to do so.
Because then, not only will you be living your own life, but you'll be deriving much enjoyment from it too.
You have choices, though, as to what you permit to have power over you. No one will argue that these are tough times -- they're tough for people all around us and around the world. But that doesn't mean we should stop living or focus too much of our energy on things we cannot control, such as the whims of politicians or the tides of the financial markets. We also have our friends and our families, and that leads me to a short vignette.
I took a half day off yesterday, and the weather in the mid-Atlantic region was terrific -- sunny, low sixties, not too much wind. After having a long, fun and relaxing lunch with my family, I took my daughter to our local softball fields to practice. We were the only ones there, and I spent about an hour and a half hitting grounders to her, pitching batting practice and helping her get more power into her swing, and catching her pitches. She's eleven, young for her grade in school but big for her age, and she has some physical gifts -- she's strong with a strong arm.
So there we were, just a dad and his daughter, playing catch, fielding grounds and popups, hitting and pitching. It was a great practice session on a beautiful day. We were patient with each other (sometimes parent-child coaching sessions don't go as smoothly as either participant would like), laughed, and worked on improving her game. We talked about situations in the field, we talked about the approach to pitching (read: you want to get everyone out, even if they sit next to you in social studies and are nice), and the approach to hitting (you want to hit the ball with power past the fielders, even if they once were in your Brownie troop).
My daughter is growing up, getting bigger, getting more focused. It was fun to see her reel off a string of solid strikes that wended their way over home plate with authority, although we both acknowledge she has a ways to go in terms of consistency. Likewise, it was fun at the end of our hitting session to see her lash two hard liners right through the pitcher's mound, causing a dancing-challenged middle-aged man to jump quickly to avoid getting hit. Again, there was improvement, with room for more.
At the end of our session, we gathered our belongings, talked about what we accomplished, and then headed to a local ice cream and water ice joint. When we walked in, we heard David Cook's "Time of My Life" on the radio. It's a moving song, Cook sang it on "American Idol", and the Phillies used it to accompany the last part of their 2008 highlight film. And then it hit me.
Right then, right there, that it's moments and sessions like these that we need to strive for more often. Just a dad and his daughter, on a beautiful day, playing softball. No crowds, lines, traffic, bad news, just the outdoors and two people doing something they like with people they love.
Because at that moment, I realized how special that afternoon softball session was to my daughter and me, followed by the reward of a refreshing treat. Right then and there, I was having one of many times of my life.
Remember those moments, look for opportunities to have them, and cherish every one of them. Because it's those moments -- and not measurements caused by factors that we cannot control -- that make life so worth living and so enriching. You can control many of the important things in your life -- just be sure that you take the time to do so.
Because then, not only will you be living your own life, but you'll be deriving much enjoyment from it too.
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