-The Pistons look tough. The Bulls look tough. That is going to be a tough series. I see no way it doesn't go seven games. Those are two proud teams that want it bad. I give the Pistons a slight nod because they've been there before, that's the only reason, they are two evenly matched teams. However, it could be at least a week to ten days before they play. They have to wait for every first round series to wrap up. That shouldn't be a problem in the East, but a few teams in the West could go seven games.
-As I promised, I watched a bit of the Warriors-Mavs series. I was in bed the other night at about 12:45 and remembered they were playing on ESPN. So I rolled out of bed to watch at least a few minutes, I am glad I did. The Warriors were putting a beating on the heavily favored Mavs. I secretly thought the Bulls would dominate the Heat but didn't have the heart to say it. I did not see the Warriors doing what they are doing to the Mavs. The Warriors were hitting everything. Most of the time they were playing at 6'8'' dude at center, they were running up and down the court, beating the Mavs at their own game. It was terrific. I still can't say I see the Warriors pulling this thing off, the Mavs will win, they are much better. But it's really exposing the coaching of Avery Johnson, the Mavs are not doing a good job of adapting to the Warriors game plan.
-The NFL Draft was this weekend (I'm just gonna guess Rob will have more to say about that) and I vowed not to watch much of it. It's just not that exciting. There are 15 minutes between each pick and it just drags on and on and on. I'm glad the Lions nabbed Calvin Johnson, the consensus best player in the draft. I don't have a lot of faith in Drew Stanton but that was an alright pick. Watching Brady Quinn drop was painful but they said that he helped himself by how he handled dropping all the way to the 22nd pick, I agree, that was impressive. The Browns set them self up nicely, unless they continue to suck and have no first round pick next year. Yikes.
-Went to the Tigers game today. Maroth was his usual self, giving up lots of hits and giving up the lead twice. However, he did go over six innings and only gave up 3 runs, if he does that all year long, I'm good with that. Think the Yankees wouldn't want a guy that could do that? The most impressive thing the Tigers did today was work the count on Johan Santana. Santana had 100 pitches after 5 innings, the Tigers never do that. The day was capped off by Brandon Inge hitting a game winning homer in the bottom of the ninth that I called, my friend Kenny can back me up on that, I called it.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Zumaya
It doesn't matter how hard you throw if all you throw is fastballs. If you throw 97-100 on every pitch, the batter will catch up to them eventually. Come on.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Draft Dodgers
If you haven't heard, yet another player is thinking of making the jump from the NCAA to the NBA. Brandon Rush of Kansas went to mull things over with Coach Self about him making the multi million dollar jump to the next level. I see the conversation going like this:
Coach Self: "So, how can I make living in the dorms, eating bad food, and making little to no money seem more appealing than a huge NBA and shoe contract along with other endorsements that will give you financial stability for the rest of your life?"
Rush: : "You can't. But I am going to make a big deal out of talking to you to make it look like I am making an educated decision. This way I will get drafted and I won't have try for the first half of the season. If I get drafted by a garbage team, I won't have to try at all!"
Coach Self: "Ok, good talk. See you out there."
Is this dramatic? Yes. Is this far from the truth? Let's hope so.
The NBA took one step closer to making things right. With the age limit, it forces kids to go to college for a year. Initially, a great step. A closer look reveals its a big marketing scam. Bobby Knight came out and said that it was a terrible rule. He made the point that a kid never has to set foot in a college classroom if he doesn't want to. Look, he enrolls, doesn't go to a single class his first semester...put on academic probation. Then does the same thing the next semester and is academically in eligible. Thus, the player coasts into the NBA draft while his academic advisers are chasing him down.
Am I old fashion and think that every kid should go through all 4 years of college, get a degree, and then go to the NBA? Yes. Would this help them with managing themselves and the huge amounts of money they are about run into? Absolutely. Is this reality? No.
The new NBA rule is simply in place for the NBA to let the NCAA market big name players at no cost to the NBA. Look at how much hype Durant and Oden had! David Stern and the NBA don't care about these kids lives they care about increasing the demand for their product. A product which has been down in the recent past.
Let's look at what my solution would be. We took baby steps and got the age limit in place. Let's get another year out of it. Make kids stay 2 years instead of 1.
Benefits you ask?
1. Increase the popularity and competition in the NCAA game. This will help everyone. It helps the NCAA because now it has a better product.
2. It helps the NBA because the kids are getting better experience before coming to the pros.
3. It helps the kids because they are getting two years of hard work and discipline before going to the morally bankrupt NBA. Ok, that was extreme, but stick with me here.
4. It helps the fans because then we get TWO YEARS of Oden/Durnat hype and you get some legit basketball being played by college teams (i.e. Florida the past two years, can you imagine those guys coming back one more year?!)
How is this not good? Even as I write, it makes more sense. Drawn backs? People could get hurt. This is a problem, but if this is the only problem, why wouldn't we consider this?
Brandon and Bill, if you are reading this out in Kansas, buck the trend. Stick it out Brandon. You will have taken the road less travelled and it will make all the difference.
Coach Self: "So, how can I make living in the dorms, eating bad food, and making little to no money seem more appealing than a huge NBA and shoe contract along with other endorsements that will give you financial stability for the rest of your life?"
Rush: : "You can't. But I am going to make a big deal out of talking to you to make it look like I am making an educated decision. This way I will get drafted and I won't have try for the first half of the season. If I get drafted by a garbage team, I won't have to try at all!"
Coach Self: "Ok, good talk. See you out there."
Is this dramatic? Yes. Is this far from the truth? Let's hope so.
The NBA took one step closer to making things right. With the age limit, it forces kids to go to college for a year. Initially, a great step. A closer look reveals its a big marketing scam. Bobby Knight came out and said that it was a terrible rule. He made the point that a kid never has to set foot in a college classroom if he doesn't want to. Look, he enrolls, doesn't go to a single class his first semester...put on academic probation. Then does the same thing the next semester and is academically in eligible. Thus, the player coasts into the NBA draft while his academic advisers are chasing him down.
Am I old fashion and think that every kid should go through all 4 years of college, get a degree, and then go to the NBA? Yes. Would this help them with managing themselves and the huge amounts of money they are about run into? Absolutely. Is this reality? No.
The new NBA rule is simply in place for the NBA to let the NCAA market big name players at no cost to the NBA. Look at how much hype Durant and Oden had! David Stern and the NBA don't care about these kids lives they care about increasing the demand for their product. A product which has been down in the recent past.
Let's look at what my solution would be. We took baby steps and got the age limit in place. Let's get another year out of it. Make kids stay 2 years instead of 1.
Benefits you ask?
1. Increase the popularity and competition in the NCAA game. This will help everyone. It helps the NCAA because now it has a better product.
2. It helps the NBA because the kids are getting better experience before coming to the pros.
3. It helps the kids because they are getting two years of hard work and discipline before going to the morally bankrupt NBA. Ok, that was extreme, but stick with me here.
4. It helps the fans because then we get TWO YEARS of Oden/Durnat hype and you get some legit basketball being played by college teams (i.e. Florida the past two years, can you imagine those guys coming back one more year?!)
How is this not good? Even as I write, it makes more sense. Drawn backs? People could get hurt. This is a problem, but if this is the only problem, why wouldn't we consider this?
Brandon and Bill, if you are reading this out in Kansas, buck the trend. Stick it out Brandon. You will have taken the road less travelled and it will make all the difference.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Todd Jones: What Can You Say?
I'm sure that when I'm 40 and thinking back on the Tigers during my youth I will think of Todd Jones fondly. Sure he's blown his fair share of saves but he also LOVES the Tigers. When he was traded to the Twins a few years ago by the Tigers he cried. He got the last out at Tiger Stadium and talked about how much that meant to him. He's a class act and probably a terrific guy.
However, I have been to a few games myself where he has blown games. I went to a game a few years ago with my parents and Jones entered the game in the ninth with either a 3 or 4 run lead and I said to my dad, "I can just feel he's going to blow this game for us." He did. It's almost part of his charm. I don't want to rehash yesterday's game agains the Angles too much, but here's a quick run down. Tigers were down 7-0 after 3 innings. Battled back to 7-6. Magglio hits a 2 run homer off the K-Rod giving the Tigers an 8-7 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th only to have Jones blow the game. I got on the phone last night with my dad and right after I said "Hi" he said, "I will never watch Todd Jones pitch again." I believe him. Here's what Jones had to say after the game...
"I screwed the whole game up"
"I knew I didn't want to lead off the inning with that kind of play."
"In retrospect, it would have spun foul."
"I've got to seal the deal."
"Pudge is a great catcher and bails me out all the time on that pitch," admitted Jones, "but I threw it in the dirt, and he wasn't able to come up with it."
"I blew it in the ninth and gave it up in the 10th."
Vintage Jones.
However, I have been to a few games myself where he has blown games. I went to a game a few years ago with my parents and Jones entered the game in the ninth with either a 3 or 4 run lead and I said to my dad, "I can just feel he's going to blow this game for us." He did. It's almost part of his charm. I don't want to rehash yesterday's game agains the Angles too much, but here's a quick run down. Tigers were down 7-0 after 3 innings. Battled back to 7-6. Magglio hits a 2 run homer off the K-Rod giving the Tigers an 8-7 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th only to have Jones blow the game. I got on the phone last night with my dad and right after I said "Hi" he said, "I will never watch Todd Jones pitch again." I believe him. Here's what Jones had to say after the game...
"I screwed the whole game up"
"I knew I didn't want to lead off the inning with that kind of play."
"In retrospect, it would have spun foul."
"I've got to seal the deal."
"Pudge is a great catcher and bails me out all the time on that pitch," admitted Jones, "but I threw it in the dirt, and he wasn't able to come up with it."
"I blew it in the ninth and gave it up in the 10th."
Vintage Jones.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Sizing up the Playoffs
There are three playoffs games happening the NBA tonight. I will take this opportunity to size up the match ups and make some fairly minor predictions.
New Jersey vs. Toronto: Toronto is actually the higher seed here and had a much better record than the Raptors but pretty much every NBA writer is picking the Nets in this series. The main reason? Experience. The Jason Kidd led Nets have been in the playoffs consistently for the last 6 or 7 years which included a couple of trips to the NBA Finals. I don't think anyone has the Nets pegged for the Finals this year, but I'm with everyone else in picking them to at least win this series. Not only have are the Nets playoff tested but the Raptors are not. They are a young team. The only guys in their rotation with big game experience are guys who came to the NBA from Europe and played the big games over there. Making the playoffs is a big deal in itself for the Raptors though, they will pick up experience and move on to next season with bigger expectations. I'm not saying the Raptors can't win this series but I'll go with the Nets in 6 games.
Miami vs. Chicago: Probably the premium series of the first round. You've got the defending champs taking on the young Bulls. However, even though the Bulls are young they've got some playoff experience having made it the past few seasons after some awful years without Michael Jordan. This should be a pretty even series and more than that, it should be really physical. There's a great piece on ESPN.com today about how Bulls coach Scott Skiles and Heat center Shaquille O'Neal were teammates a long time ago in Orlando. The story tells about a young Shaq taking a big swing at the cocky Skiles, I would have love to have seen that. Anyway, the Bulls are feisty just like Skiles was and the Bulls are the team I want the Pistons to play the least. The Bulls play great defense and score in bunches when their guys get going. With Miami you've got the experience factor and the fact the Dwayne Wade will probably take about 15 foul shots per game for the series. In a close, technical filled series I will take the Bulls in 7.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix: This series was great last year, I loved it. It was one that just drew in the casual viewer because it featured a pass first Kobe Bryant that Phoenix could barely handle with the Suns winning that close series. This year is much different. While Phoenix looked bad in game one, they still won. Not a great sign for the Lakers. I figure Kobe and the LA crowd is good for one game in this series. I'll take the Suns in 5 games.
New Jersey vs. Toronto: Toronto is actually the higher seed here and had a much better record than the Raptors but pretty much every NBA writer is picking the Nets in this series. The main reason? Experience. The Jason Kidd led Nets have been in the playoffs consistently for the last 6 or 7 years which included a couple of trips to the NBA Finals. I don't think anyone has the Nets pegged for the Finals this year, but I'm with everyone else in picking them to at least win this series. Not only have are the Nets playoff tested but the Raptors are not. They are a young team. The only guys in their rotation with big game experience are guys who came to the NBA from Europe and played the big games over there. Making the playoffs is a big deal in itself for the Raptors though, they will pick up experience and move on to next season with bigger expectations. I'm not saying the Raptors can't win this series but I'll go with the Nets in 6 games.
Miami vs. Chicago: Probably the premium series of the first round. You've got the defending champs taking on the young Bulls. However, even though the Bulls are young they've got some playoff experience having made it the past few seasons after some awful years without Michael Jordan. This should be a pretty even series and more than that, it should be really physical. There's a great piece on ESPN.com today about how Bulls coach Scott Skiles and Heat center Shaquille O'Neal were teammates a long time ago in Orlando. The story tells about a young Shaq taking a big swing at the cocky Skiles, I would have love to have seen that. Anyway, the Bulls are feisty just like Skiles was and the Bulls are the team I want the Pistons to play the least. The Bulls play great defense and score in bunches when their guys get going. With Miami you've got the experience factor and the fact the Dwayne Wade will probably take about 15 foul shots per game for the series. In a close, technical filled series I will take the Bulls in 7.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix: This series was great last year, I loved it. It was one that just drew in the casual viewer because it featured a pass first Kobe Bryant that Phoenix could barely handle with the Suns winning that close series. This year is much different. While Phoenix looked bad in game one, they still won. Not a great sign for the Lakers. I figure Kobe and the LA crowd is good for one game in this series. I'll take the Suns in 5 games.
2007 NFL Draft
Todd McShay, I am coming for your job.
Every year, the NFL Draft gets more hype than it can handle. I actually heard Mel Kiper on ESPN the other day say that Calvin Johnson's hands were too small. What? I just don't understand. They (don't ask me who "they" is, just read on) put huge amounts of stock into hundredths of seconds in a 40 time and millimeters on a vertical jump when there seems to be enough evidence on tape that they really don't need to do anything else. Further, this year's word is "character". What players stock is sliding because of character? Apparently, Johnson, Amobi Okoye, and another smoke weed AND ADMITTED TO IT. Initially, this was reported as a character flaw, but as our great media always does, they spin it to the fact that "its great that they admitted it!" Next thing you know, Calvin Johnson has his picture taken wearing a white linen suit in Cuba carrying a briefcase full of what looked to be powder sugar.
All jokes aside, character is a great intangible that you cannot quantify. When you have players that resemble Larry Fitzgerald and Peyton Manning, a GM is certainly going to take them over a Terrell Owens or Pacman Jones. Terrell, if you are reading this, I hope you realize the severity of the fact that I put your name next to Pacman Jones. Anyway, if there is some eager-beaver undergraduate student out there looking to do research, do us all a favor and figure out a test that they can include at the combine to measure "character". Possibly have Drew Rosenhaus walking around trying to get players to sign with him...if you do, you fail. If you don't, congrats! You passed!
To the draft, I took a look a the top ten picks of a VERY weak draft. Look for shake ups. Here we go:
1. Oakland-JaMarcus Russell, LSU. This is a no brainer. You can read into the rumors if you want but they are just doing Brady Quinn due diligence.
2. Detroit-Joe Thomas, WIS. See trade notes at the bottom.
3. Cleveland-Adrian Peterson, OK. the next person that tells me he has durability issues, I am going to kick in the head. He is a great back who is going to flourish in a decent system. He is also elusive and will need that with the Browns shotty O-line.
4. Tampa Bay-Calvin Johnson, GT. I think he is overrated. What? I do. When he breaks every receiving record next year you can throw me under the bus, but I would fill me needs before taking the best available on this one. Also, see trade notes.
5. Arizona-Gaines Adams, Clem. The Cardinals would be in love if Joe Thomas was here. Give Edge (in the twilight of his career) and Leinart some protection.
6. Washington- Amobi Okoye, Louis. I love this guy. He is fast, young, works hard and can increase the 'skins AWFUL D-line.
7. Minnesota- Brady Quinn, ND. He is cocky and brash. He did not do well when he was knocked around by Michigan. I think he could fall even to the Dolphins. The farther he drops, the happier he will be because of his situation. He will be able to learn as opposed to perform in a situation like Cleveland or Oakland.
8. Atlanta- Alan Branch, Mich. A lot has been said about his "character" in regards to his work ethic, taking plays off, etc. Some say that he could even drop to the 20's. If he is still there at 20, can you imagine someone like New England picking up this monster? See trade notes.
9. Miami- They will be crying bec Quinn isn't on the board.
10. Houston- "Who is the opposite of David Carr?"
Players of interest: Leon Hall, UM. Aaron Ross, Tex. Levi Brown, Penn St. Marshawn Lynch, Cal. Ted Ginn Jr and Anthony Gonzales, OSU.
Trade Notes: The Lions are looking to move down and with good reason. They picked up Geroge Foster in the offseason, so they don't necessarily need Joe Thomas. Calvin Johnson may be a good fit, but they have a lot of holes to fill. They will be able to trade down, get an extra pick out of the deal and maybe a veteran player or something. Tampa really wants Johnson and will move up to get him. Look for that trade. Also, you have the Atlanta Vicks with 10 picks this year and are looking to give Mike something to throw to. Look for them to make a move as well.
Every year, the NFL Draft gets more hype than it can handle. I actually heard Mel Kiper on ESPN the other day say that Calvin Johnson's hands were too small. What? I just don't understand. They (don't ask me who "they" is, just read on) put huge amounts of stock into hundredths of seconds in a 40 time and millimeters on a vertical jump when there seems to be enough evidence on tape that they really don't need to do anything else. Further, this year's word is "character". What players stock is sliding because of character? Apparently, Johnson, Amobi Okoye, and another smoke weed AND ADMITTED TO IT. Initially, this was reported as a character flaw, but as our great media always does, they spin it to the fact that "its great that they admitted it!" Next thing you know, Calvin Johnson has his picture taken wearing a white linen suit in Cuba carrying a briefcase full of what looked to be powder sugar.
All jokes aside, character is a great intangible that you cannot quantify. When you have players that resemble Larry Fitzgerald and Peyton Manning, a GM is certainly going to take them over a Terrell Owens or Pacman Jones. Terrell, if you are reading this, I hope you realize the severity of the fact that I put your name next to Pacman Jones. Anyway, if there is some eager-beaver undergraduate student out there looking to do research, do us all a favor and figure out a test that they can include at the combine to measure "character". Possibly have Drew Rosenhaus walking around trying to get players to sign with him...if you do, you fail. If you don't, congrats! You passed!
To the draft, I took a look a the top ten picks of a VERY weak draft. Look for shake ups. Here we go:
1. Oakland-JaMarcus Russell, LSU. This is a no brainer. You can read into the rumors if you want but they are just doing Brady Quinn due diligence.
2. Detroit-Joe Thomas, WIS. See trade notes at the bottom.
3. Cleveland-Adrian Peterson, OK. the next person that tells me he has durability issues, I am going to kick in the head. He is a great back who is going to flourish in a decent system. He is also elusive and will need that with the Browns shotty O-line.
4. Tampa Bay-Calvin Johnson, GT. I think he is overrated. What? I do. When he breaks every receiving record next year you can throw me under the bus, but I would fill me needs before taking the best available on this one. Also, see trade notes.
5. Arizona-Gaines Adams, Clem. The Cardinals would be in love if Joe Thomas was here. Give Edge (in the twilight of his career) and Leinart some protection.
6. Washington- Amobi Okoye, Louis. I love this guy. He is fast, young, works hard and can increase the 'skins AWFUL D-line.
7. Minnesota- Brady Quinn, ND. He is cocky and brash. He did not do well when he was knocked around by Michigan. I think he could fall even to the Dolphins. The farther he drops, the happier he will be because of his situation. He will be able to learn as opposed to perform in a situation like Cleveland or Oakland.
8. Atlanta- Alan Branch, Mich. A lot has been said about his "character" in regards to his work ethic, taking plays off, etc. Some say that he could even drop to the 20's. If he is still there at 20, can you imagine someone like New England picking up this monster? See trade notes.
9. Miami- They will be crying bec Quinn isn't on the board.
10. Houston- "Who is the opposite of David Carr?"
Players of interest: Leon Hall, UM. Aaron Ross, Tex. Levi Brown, Penn St. Marshawn Lynch, Cal. Ted Ginn Jr and Anthony Gonzales, OSU.
Trade Notes: The Lions are looking to move down and with good reason. They picked up Geroge Foster in the offseason, so they don't necessarily need Joe Thomas. Calvin Johnson may be a good fit, but they have a lot of holes to fill. They will be able to trade down, get an extra pick out of the deal and maybe a veteran player or something. Tampa really wants Johnson and will move up to get him. Look for that trade. Also, you have the Atlanta Vicks with 10 picks this year and are looking to give Mike something to throw to. Look for them to make a move as well.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Cousin Rob
As you have already noticed my cousin Rob has joined the roster of this blog, he is replacing Travis. Travis will not be missed. I started emailing Rob a week ago and was very surprised by his knowledge of sports. So, enjoy reading Rob's stuff, stick it to him about the Yankees. Good times.
Sticking up for The Empire
Hello. I am Cousin Rob. I was fortunate enough to have a great conversation with Blake on Easter about how great the Yankees really are.
As this is my first post on this glorious blog, I'd better make it exciting.
I love the Yankees. Everything about them. And, unlike Blake, I am a fan. Of course, there are things that they do that I disagree with (read, "I could do Brian Cashmen's job with my eyes closed") but I do love the Yanks.
The history.
The pinstripes.
The payroll.
The press.
Everything that was already cited. But I love them for it. Do I have some great connection to New York? No. For all of you who say that I should be a Tigers fan, why? Because I live here? Because I live in the state the my parents (and yours) choose to live? Hopefully, there are a few non-conformists out there that are reading this who can agree. If not, then refute me. I look forward to blogging with all of you.
As this is my first post on this glorious blog, I'd better make it exciting.
I love the Yankees. Everything about them. And, unlike Blake, I am a fan. Of course, there are things that they do that I disagree with (read, "I could do Brian Cashmen's job with my eyes closed") but I do love the Yanks.
The history.
The pinstripes.
The payroll.
The press.
Everything that was already cited. But I love them for it. Do I have some great connection to New York? No. For all of you who say that I should be a Tigers fan, why? Because I live here? Because I live in the state the my parents (and yours) choose to live? Hopefully, there are a few non-conformists out there that are reading this who can agree. If not, then refute me. I look forward to blogging with all of you.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
NBA Playoffs
So the NBA Playoffs kicked off yesterday with four game going. This year was by far the weakest NBA season in recent memory. There were times where I really followed everything that had to do with the NBA. Not this year. It was a year filled with underachieving teams (Cavs, Lakers, etc.) and underachieving players (LeBron, Kirilenko, etc.). There also weren't any good races or rivalries. In the past the Pistons-Pacers rivalry was pretty fun to watch, not this year, the Pacers were awful. None of the division races were all that close, the only team that was kind of fun was the Raptors, but they're in Canada so they didn't get a lot of coverage.
So now that it's playoff time am I more interested in the NBA? Yeah, mildly. That Bulls-Heat series in the first round is pretty sweet. The Warriors-Mavs match up should be a sweep but hopefully all of the games will be high-scoring and heated. However, there is also the Pistons-Magic series and the Cavs-Wizards series. Blah.
My plan is just to see how things play out. I'll probably stay up late and watch the Warriors-Mavs as long as the games are close, and maybe I'll follow the Pistons a bit in the first round. Last year you had Kobe and the Lakers almost taking out the Suns, now that was exciting. I just don't see that much excitement on the horizon. I hope I'm wrong, David Stern hopes I'm wrong.
So now that it's playoff time am I more interested in the NBA? Yeah, mildly. That Bulls-Heat series in the first round is pretty sweet. The Warriors-Mavs match up should be a sweep but hopefully all of the games will be high-scoring and heated. However, there is also the Pistons-Magic series and the Cavs-Wizards series. Blah.
My plan is just to see how things play out. I'll probably stay up late and watch the Warriors-Mavs as long as the games are close, and maybe I'll follow the Pistons a bit in the first round. Last year you had Kobe and the Lakers almost taking out the Suns, now that was exciting. I just don't see that much excitement on the horizon. I hope I'm wrong, David Stern hopes I'm wrong.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Ahhh!!
Todd Jones is back to sucking. Good to see that all is right in the universe. I mean, he was seven for seven on save opportunities. That's way too many for someone who isn't very good.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Oh, Those Yankees
So on Easter I got into a semi-heated debate with my cousin about the Yanke
es. I am of the opinion that you pull for the teams that are in your area, in good and bad, kind of like marriage. My cousin said you can pull for whoever you want for whatever reason you want. He likes the Yankees because he likes Derek Jeter (right). I on the other hand despise the Yankees and their overrated captain. Anyway, I saw an article in the NY Post the other day about how Jeter has something 6 errors already this year. I felt it was my duty to email this to my cousin. My cousin surprised me by sending me a really long email detailing why the Yankees are so great and what they need to do to improve. I was impressed by his knowledge of "his" team.
I hate Yankees for many reasons, including but not limited too:
-Derek Jeter
-Media's obsession with the team, city, management, etc.
-The Boss
-Their payroll.
-Roger Clemens
-Tim McCarver and Joe Buck saying how great they are every year.
-Yankee Stadium
-Their boring rivalry with Boston
-That they are picked to win it all every year.
-Mr. October, Mr. November, et al.
But you know what? I love all of those things to. It gives me someone to root against every year. Baseball would be significantly less entertaining without them. Who would I have to root against every October? Where would I put my hate and frustration. Maybe the Yankees play an important role in my being able to function in society? The point is, I want them to be good every year. I want them to steal most of the good players from teams who cannot afford to pay them what the Yankees pay them. I want Derek Jeter to be overrated. I want it all. I need it all.
Please, don't confuse me as a fan, it's the opposite. I do despise them. I want their fans to be arrogant and I want them in every city, flapping their mouths. I was at both playoff games against the Yankees at Comerica Park last fall. I shared with those afterwards that that weekend in Detroit was in the top five memories of my entire life. Game three was the first in Detroit, the series was tied at 1 apiece. The first thing I noticed at the ballpark that night was the shear volume of Yankee fans in the ballpark. It was sick. They were all on cellphones talking about the impending Yankee victory, I was seething. That night, the Tigers took it to the Yankees. Did that shut up their fans? Nope. They all were saying, 'wait until tomorrow.' So I waited until tomorrow and you could just feel it in the stadium, they had no chance. They were finis
hed. That was such a great feeling.
I think I read in Bill Simmons' book, "Now I Can Die in Peace" about how when the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the playoffs or in years before when the Yankees would beat the Red Sox in the playoffs, it was like, that was it. It was over. The battle was won (above). Since you got past the enemy your goals were complete. That's how I felt. That's why, despite losing to the Cardinals in the World Series, last year was amazing. It was amazing, in large part, because they beat the Yankees. Beat the Yankees.
es. I am of the opinion that you pull for the teams that are in your area, in good and bad, kind of like marriage. My cousin said you can pull for whoever you want for whatever reason you want. He likes the Yankees because he likes Derek Jeter (right). I on the other hand despise the Yankees and their overrated captain. Anyway, I saw an article in the NY Post the other day about how Jeter has something 6 errors already this year. I felt it was my duty to email this to my cousin. My cousin surprised me by sending me a really long email detailing why the Yankees are so great and what they need to do to improve. I was impressed by his knowledge of "his" team.I hate Yankees for many reasons, including but not limited too:
-Derek Jeter
-Media's obsession with the team, city, management, etc.
-The Boss
-Their payroll.
-Roger Clemens
-Tim McCarver and Joe Buck saying how great they are every year.
-Yankee Stadium
-Their boring rivalry with Boston
-That they are picked to win it all every year.
-Mr. October, Mr. November, et al.
But you know what? I love all of those things to. It gives me someone to root against every year. Baseball would be significantly less entertaining without them. Who would I have to root against every October? Where would I put my hate and frustration. Maybe the Yankees play an important role in my being able to function in society? The point is, I want them to be good every year. I want them to steal most of the good players from teams who cannot afford to pay them what the Yankees pay them. I want Derek Jeter to be overrated. I want it all. I need it all.
Please, don't confuse me as a fan, it's the opposite. I do despise them. I want their fans to be arrogant and I want them in every city, flapping their mouths. I was at both playoff games against the Yankees at Comerica Park last fall. I shared with those afterwards that that weekend in Detroit was in the top five memories of my entire life. Game three was the first in Detroit, the series was tied at 1 apiece. The first thing I noticed at the ballpark that night was the shear volume of Yankee fans in the ballpark. It was sick. They were all on cellphones talking about the impending Yankee victory, I was seething. That night, the Tigers took it to the Yankees. Did that shut up their fans? Nope. They all were saying, 'wait until tomorrow.' So I waited until tomorrow and you could just feel it in the stadium, they had no chance. They were finis
hed. That was such a great feeling.I think I read in Bill Simmons' book, "Now I Can Die in Peace" about how when the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the playoffs or in years before when the Yankees would beat the Red Sox in the playoffs, it was like, that was it. It was over. The battle was won (above). Since you got past the enemy your goals were complete. That's how I felt. That's why, despite losing to the Cardinals in the World Series, last year was amazing. It was amazing, in large part, because they beat the Yankees. Beat the Yankees.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Tigers Start Hitting...A Little
The Tigers put up 10 runs today, 10!! Not only did they score 10 runs but they did so in come-from-behind fashion. Of course this comes less than 24 hours after they scored 1 run in 10 innings in a loss to the Blue Jays. So a few points:
1. The runs will come. They have to. The Tigers lineup is far too good to keep struggling.
2. Guys like Sheffield and Maggs have to start hitting. After calling Brandon Inge out on this very blog (I bet it's what got him going) he's been hitting homers like there's no tomorrow. I guess the point is, they'll come around.
3. Something that has gotten lost a little bit in the shuffle of not scoring is that despite all of it, the Tigers are 7-4. 7-4 is pretty good. But 7-4 starts to look a lot better when you think about the lack of hitting and that of their 11 games, 9 have been on the road. Yes, the Tigers are 6-3 on the road in April. This is no small accomplishment.
4. Jason Grilli was top notch today. Aside from Rodney and Jose Mesa, the Tigers pen has been lights out. Just like last year.
5. Also, just like last year the Tigers are finding ways to win even when they don't have their best stuff. They played from behind all day today and then put up a four spot in the ninth against one of the best closers in baseball (BJ Ryan). They find ways to win on the road and they're finding ways to win even when they can't score.
6. So apparently having Kenny Rogers out is going to be some serious bad news bears. Chad Durbin made his second start today and got rocked again. His ERA is in the double digits. I can't imagine why the team would have a lot of patience with Durbin when there are so many solid replacements available.
1. The runs will come. They have to. The Tigers lineup is far too good to keep struggling.
2. Guys like Sheffield and Maggs have to start hitting. After calling Brandon Inge out on this very blog (I bet it's what got him going) he's been hitting homers like there's no tomorrow. I guess the point is, they'll come around.
3. Something that has gotten lost a little bit in the shuffle of not scoring is that despite all of it, the Tigers are 7-4. 7-4 is pretty good. But 7-4 starts to look a lot better when you think about the lack of hitting and that of their 11 games, 9 have been on the road. Yes, the Tigers are 6-3 on the road in April. This is no small accomplishment.
4. Jason Grilli was top notch today. Aside from Rodney and Jose Mesa, the Tigers pen has been lights out. Just like last year.
5. Also, just like last year the Tigers are finding ways to win even when they don't have their best stuff. They played from behind all day today and then put up a four spot in the ninth against one of the best closers in baseball (BJ Ryan). They find ways to win on the road and they're finding ways to win even when they can't score.
6. So apparently having Kenny Rogers out is going to be some serious bad news bears. Chad Durbin made his second start today and got rocked again. His ERA is in the double digits. I can't imagine why the team would have a lot of patience with Durbin when there are so many solid replacements available.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Tigers Offense is Offensive
Pretty clever title huh, I thought you'd like that. Anyway, I've been reading all season so far about how we shouldn't be worried about the Tigers offense yet. And I agree. However, as I am typing this the Tigers are the 10th inning a game against the Orioles and the score is still 0-0. Sheffield and Maggs are striking out a lot and Inge doesn't have a hit all season. This is a bit concerning to me. But, when you look around the league, most teams are right there in the same boat with the Tigers. Offense is way down, but pitching is obviously way up. Lots of writers and baseball people are saying this is because of the cold, heck, even the players are saying that. So, I'm giving the Tigers another week to get the bats going. If in a week they are still pulling in 3 runs a game, I will be in worry mode.
I mean, you just have to think, with all of the hitters in the Tigers lineup (Guillen, Polanco, Pudge, Maggs, Sheffield) they are all .300 hitters and should return to form. The guys I worry about long term are guys like Inge and Monroe, guys who don't hit for average who had big years last year. With a winter of work, maybe teams around the league figured them out. Inge and Monroe have always struck out a lot, let's hope the league hasn't caught up with them.
I mean, you just have to think, with all of the hitters in the Tigers lineup (Guillen, Polanco, Pudge, Maggs, Sheffield) they are all .300 hitters and should return to form. The guys I worry about long term are guys like Inge and Monroe, guys who don't hit for average who had big years last year. With a winter of work, maybe teams around the league figured them out. Inge and Monroe have always struck out a lot, let's hope the league hasn't caught up with them.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Ultimate NBA Draft
Kevin Durant surprised no one by announcing he will go to the NBA after only one year in college. Durant led Texas to a great season and won all kinds of awards, clearly he's ready for the NBA. NBA Draft experts are calling this summer's draft one of the deepest in a long time. This is good news for everyone. Most years there are a handful of impact players, thus, only a few teams really cash in via the draft. This year teams should be able to pick up impact players into the second round of the draft.
There is always all kinds of movement and trading going on before the draft. Teams will try to move into a position to grab that one player they feel they need. This year will be no different. After the top 2 picks no one is really certain where anyone else will go, a lot of it will depend on a teams particular need. So after Greg Oden and Durant go with the top two picks, who knows what will happen. So with all the talk of how deep this years draft is I will steal an idea that I saw on SI.com today and give you, my loyal 3 readers, the ultimate NBA draft since 1981. So I will list picks 1 through 30 with the all time best number one pick going in the one slot and so on and so forth. Along with listing the best pick at any position, I will also list the worst pick. This is going to take me a really long time so here we go. (I don't have enough time or energy to write something up about each player. I will provide links so you can see how good/bad each player is.
1. Best: Shaquille O'Neal 1992
1. Worst: Michael Olowokandi 1999
2. Best: Isiah Thomas 1981
2. Worst: Len Bias 1986 (Never played in the NBA)
3. Best: Michael Jordan 1984
3. Worst: Chris Washburn 1986
4. Best: Dikembe Mutombo 1991
4. Worst: Marcus Fizer 2000
5. Best: Kevin Garnett 1995
5. Worst: Jon Koncak 1985
6. Best: Antoine Walker 1996 (the sixth pick is cursed)
6. Worst: William Bedford 1986
7. Best: Chris Mullin 1985
7. Worst: Eddie Griffin 2001
8. Best: Tom Chambers 1981
8. Worst: Shawn Respert 1995
9. Best: Tracy McGrady 1997
9. Worst: Ed O'Bannon
10. Best: Paul Pierce 1998
10. Worst: Adam Keefe 1992
11. Best: Reggie Miller 1987
11. Worst: Trajan Langdon 1999
12. Best: Mookie Blaylock 1989 (seriously, another cursed pick)
12. Worst: Khalid Reeves 1994
13. Best: Kobe Bryant 1995
13. Worst: Terry Dehere 1994
14. Best: Clyde Drexler 1983
14. Worst: William Avery 1999
15. Best: Steve Nash 1995
15. Worst: Blair Rasmussen 1985
16. Best: John Stockton 1984
16. Worst: Rex Walters 1993
17. Best: Jermaine O'Neal 1995
17. Worst: Uwe Blab 1985
18. Best: Joe Dumars 1985
18. Worst: Luther Wright 1993
19. Best: Rod Strickland 1988
19. Worst: Acie Earl 1993
20. Best: Larry Nance 1981
20. Worst: BJ Tyler 1994
21. Best: Michael Finley 1995
21. Worst: Greg Kite 1983
22. Best: Scott Skiles 1986
22. Worst: Roy Rogers 1996
23. Best: Tayshaun Prince 2002
23. Worst: Stanley Roberts 1991
24. Best: Terry Porter 1985
24. Worst: Dalibor Bagaric 2000
25. Best: Al Harrington 1998
25. Worst: John Thomas
26. Best: Vlade Divac 1989
26. Worst: Lance Blanks 1990
27. Best: Dennis Rodman 1986
27. Worst: Malcolm Mackey 1993
28. Best: Tony Parker 2001
28. Worst: Priest Lauderdale 1996
29. Best: Josh Howard 2003
29. Worst: Leon Smith 1999
30. Best: Nate McMillan 1986
30. Worst: Fennis Dembo 1988
There is always all kinds of movement and trading going on before the draft. Teams will try to move into a position to grab that one player they feel they need. This year will be no different. After the top 2 picks no one is really certain where anyone else will go, a lot of it will depend on a teams particular need. So after Greg Oden and Durant go with the top two picks, who knows what will happen. So with all the talk of how deep this years draft is I will steal an idea that I saw on SI.com today and give you, my loyal 3 readers, the ultimate NBA draft since 1981. So I will list picks 1 through 30 with the all time best number one pick going in the one slot and so on and so forth. Along with listing the best pick at any position, I will also list the worst pick. This is going to take me a really long time so here we go. (I don't have enough time or energy to write something up about each player. I will provide links so you can see how good/bad each player is.
1. Best: Shaquille O'Neal 1992
1. Worst: Michael Olowokandi 1999
2. Best: Isiah Thomas 1981
2. Worst: Len Bias 1986 (Never played in the NBA)
3. Best: Michael Jordan 1984
3. Worst: Chris Washburn 1986
4. Best: Dikembe Mutombo 1991
4. Worst: Marcus Fizer 2000
5. Best: Kevin Garnett 1995
5. Worst: Jon Koncak 1985
6. Best: Antoine Walker 1996 (the sixth pick is cursed)
6. Worst: William Bedford 1986
7. Best: Chris Mullin 1985
7. Worst: Eddie Griffin 2001
8. Best: Tom Chambers 1981
8. Worst: Shawn Respert 1995
9. Best: Tracy McGrady 1997
9. Worst: Ed O'Bannon
10. Best: Paul Pierce 1998
10. Worst: Adam Keefe 1992
11. Best: Reggie Miller 1987
11. Worst: Trajan Langdon 1999
12. Best: Mookie Blaylock 1989 (seriously, another cursed pick)
12. Worst: Khalid Reeves 1994
13. Best: Kobe Bryant 1995
13. Worst: Terry Dehere 1994
14. Best: Clyde Drexler 1983
14. Worst: William Avery 1999
15. Best: Steve Nash 1995
15. Worst: Blair Rasmussen 1985
16. Best: John Stockton 1984
16. Worst: Rex Walters 1993
17. Best: Jermaine O'Neal 1995
17. Worst: Uwe Blab 1985
18. Best: Joe Dumars 1985
18. Worst: Luther Wright 1993
19. Best: Rod Strickland 1988
19. Worst: Acie Earl 1993
20. Best: Larry Nance 1981
20. Worst: BJ Tyler 1994
21. Best: Michael Finley 1995
21. Worst: Greg Kite 1983
22. Best: Scott Skiles 1986
22. Worst: Roy Rogers 1996
23. Best: Tayshaun Prince 2002
23. Worst: Stanley Roberts 1991
24. Best: Terry Porter 1985
24. Worst: Dalibor Bagaric 2000
25. Best: Al Harrington 1998
25. Worst: John Thomas
26. Best: Vlade Divac 1989
26. Worst: Lance Blanks 1990
27. Best: Dennis Rodman 1986
27. Worst: Malcolm Mackey 1993
28. Best: Tony Parker 2001
28. Worst: Priest Lauderdale 1996
29. Best: Josh Howard 2003
29. Worst: Leon Smith 1999
30. Best: Nate McMillan 1986
30. Worst: Fennis Dembo 1988
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Opening Thoughts
A few thoughts on the opening couple days of the Major League Season:
1. Watched the opening night game between the Mets and Cardinals, a rematch of the NLCS last year. First, the Mets looked awesome. Watching Tom Glavine pitch is a lot like watching Kenny Rogers pitch. Like Rogers, Glavine doesn't throw hard anymore but can hit his spots like nobody's business. It was a piece of art. If Glavine and at least two other guys in that rotation are any good consistently this year, the Mets will be in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Cardinals looked awful. It looked like Tony LaRussa wasn't even trying, Chris Duncan never made it into the game when they needed an offensive jump start. Now that their ace pitcher, Chris Carpenter is out for at least one start, they are in trouble. If this injury lasts more than a handful of starts the Cardinals are in very serious trouble.
2. The Tigers came out a little flat on opening day. However, the fact th
at they rallied from 3 down off of Roy Halladay was pretty great. In the end, the bats went silent and Fernando Rodney (right) couldn't hold the game close. Too bad. In the game today, they started out hot. They were up 10-2 and held on to win 10-9, again, not good. A friend of mine attended the game and said that the Blue Jays comeback was filled with bloop singles and fielding mistakes probably caused by the wind. These are valid reasons, but that's April in the midwest and northeast, and the Blue Jays were playing in the same conditions. It's pretty clear right now that Rodney is really struggling but I like how Leyland had him pitch again today. Rodney is good, he's just off right now. He'll come back around.
3. Made it home on opening day in time to catch quite a bit of the Roylas-Red Sox game. I have made it no secret on here that the Royals are my second favorite team. You may also recall that I stuck up for the Gil Meche signing. Meche and the Royals completely shutdown Curt Schilling and the Red Sox. The crowd in Kansas City was excited, the ovation prospect Alex Gordon got was awesome. I think that Kansas City is a lot like Detroit, in that if there is a reasonably good team on the field people are really going to show up. Of course it's only one game and it's possibly they could still lose 100 games with Meche losing 18 or so. We will see.
4. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are really exciting to watch. I saw a couple of innings of their opener in Yankee Stadium. They really didn't seem intimidated, just a really young, raw team, that won't win much, but will really fun to watch and could be amazing in a couple of years. Leading the way will be Delmon Young (left), Rocco Baldelli, BJ Upton, and Elijah Dukes.
5. A lot of buzz about the Yankees outfield. Word is they are awful defensively. Evidently, Matsui and Damon are getting slower and their arms are getting weaker by the week. This could be bad news for them as the season progresses.
6. To respond to the lone comment on my last post as to why I don't think the Tigers can win it all I will say this: I feel that if Polanco, Guillen, or Pudge get hurt the Tigers will be in serious trouble for the amount of time any of them are out. Also, the Tigers young pitching staff threw a lot of innings last year because of the playoff games and because they had to pitch in big games down the stretch of the regular season. This all adds up to them being a lot more likely to getting tired arms this year, the player most likely to struggle as a result of this is Justin Verlander. If Verlander does indeed go out for a while, that will a lot of time with him and Kenny Rogers. The main reason I didn't pick them to win is because I didn't want to jinx them.
1. Watched the opening night game between the Mets and Cardinals, a rematch of the NLCS last year. First, the Mets looked awesome. Watching Tom Glavine pitch is a lot like watching Kenny Rogers pitch. Like Rogers, Glavine doesn't throw hard anymore but can hit his spots like nobody's business. It was a piece of art. If Glavine and at least two other guys in that rotation are any good consistently this year, the Mets will be in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Cardinals looked awful. It looked like Tony LaRussa wasn't even trying, Chris Duncan never made it into the game when they needed an offensive jump start. Now that their ace pitcher, Chris Carpenter is out for at least one start, they are in trouble. If this injury lasts more than a handful of starts the Cardinals are in very serious trouble.
2. The Tigers came out a little flat on opening day. However, the fact th
at they rallied from 3 down off of Roy Halladay was pretty great. In the end, the bats went silent and Fernando Rodney (right) couldn't hold the game close. Too bad. In the game today, they started out hot. They were up 10-2 and held on to win 10-9, again, not good. A friend of mine attended the game and said that the Blue Jays comeback was filled with bloop singles and fielding mistakes probably caused by the wind. These are valid reasons, but that's April in the midwest and northeast, and the Blue Jays were playing in the same conditions. It's pretty clear right now that Rodney is really struggling but I like how Leyland had him pitch again today. Rodney is good, he's just off right now. He'll come back around.3. Made it home on opening day in time to catch quite a bit of the Roylas-Red Sox game. I have made it no secret on here that the Royals are my second favorite team. You may also recall that I stuck up for the Gil Meche signing. Meche and the Royals completely shutdown Curt Schilling and the Red Sox. The crowd in Kansas City was excited, the ovation prospect Alex Gordon got was awesome. I think that Kansas City is a lot like Detroit, in that if there is a reasonably good team on the field people are really going to show up. Of course it's only one game and it's possibly they could still lose 100 games with Meche losing 18 or so. We will see.
4. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are really exciting to watch. I saw a couple of innings of their opener in Yankee Stadium. They really didn't seem intimidated, just a really young, raw team, that won't win much, but will really fun to watch and could be amazing in a couple of years. Leading the way will be Delmon Young (left), Rocco Baldelli, BJ Upton, and Elijah Dukes.
5. A lot of buzz about the Yankees outfield. Word is they are awful defensively. Evidently, Matsui and Damon are getting slower and their arms are getting weaker by the week. This could be bad news for them as the season progresses.
6. To respond to the lone comment on my last post as to why I don't think the Tigers can win it all I will say this: I feel that if Polanco, Guillen, or Pudge get hurt the Tigers will be in serious trouble for the amount of time any of them are out. Also, the Tigers young pitching staff threw a lot of innings last year because of the playoff games and because they had to pitch in big games down the stretch of the regular season. This all adds up to them being a lot more likely to getting tired arms this year, the player most likely to struggle as a result of this is Justin Verlander. If Verlander does indeed go out for a while, that will a lot of time with him and Kenny Rogers. The main reason I didn't pick them to win is because I didn't want to jinx them.
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