Until last season, I would be hard pressed to identify a single time in my life where I held any pointed opinion on the Padres. They are to me, in a word, beige.
They usually field a good team. They have a pleasant fan base, a nice ball-park and pretty good history. They don't have any big rivalries or arrogant prima donnas on their team that you can love to hate. They're perfectly fine.
But that's just it. The fact that there is nothing wrong with the Padres is, strangely, what is wrong with the Padres. Their only problem is that they have no problems.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Giants' Title Defense Begins *UPDATED*
Play ball.
With Tim Lincecum's first pitch at 12:05 PST this afternoon, the San Francisco Giants' title defense has officially begun.
Dave Flemming's sweet, sweet tenor is currently caressing the radio waves. Jon Miller is waxing poetic about God knows what. Giants baseball is back, and all is right with the world.
For the past four months, we've been stray dogs wandering the cold, mean streets of Winter. We've kept ourselves alive scavenging the scraps of winter meetings, free agent signings and World Series DVDs. But now the gates have been opened to the great smorgasbord of Spring. Come one and all, eat and be merry.
With Tim Lincecum's first pitch at 12:05 PST this afternoon, the San Francisco Giants' title defense has officially begun.
Dave Flemming's sweet, sweet tenor is currently caressing the radio waves. Jon Miller is waxing poetic about God knows what. Giants baseball is back, and all is right with the world.
For the past four months, we've been stray dogs wandering the cold, mean streets of Winter. We've kept ourselves alive scavenging the scraps of winter meetings, free agent signings and World Series DVDs. But now the gates have been opened to the great smorgasbord of Spring. Come one and all, eat and be merry.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays
Well, we've climbed up the ranks to the team drafted 24th overall in the highly contested team preview draft: The Toronto Blue Jays, last bastion of Canadian expansion left over from the War of 1812. Though they may reside in Ontario, these Quebecois mean business. Last year, they finished 85-77 in the highly contested AL East, 4th place and 10 games behind the Yankees. Even with a successful season, our friendly neighbors to the north only placed 26th out of 30 in attendance average. Yes, ahead of the A's.
Unfortunately, the Canucks seem to like this ice game called "Frozen Sticks" or "Puck Slide" or "Ice Canes" or something. All the attention on this game lessens what's going on in the SkyDome or Rogers Centre or however you spell it. It's too bad, because this team was pretty exciting. They hit the most home runs in baseball last year. About 15% more than the next highest total. But then there was the problem, even with all those dingers, they finished ninth in runs, 25th in average, 26th in on base percentage, 28th in stolen bases, and with the 16th most strikeouts. So, some mashing, but not a lot of small ball.
Unfortunately, the pitching was not quite as good without Doc Halladay around. They finished with a 4.22 team ERA, 23rd in the majors. But, after that, the team stats are not too terrible. Four Blue Jays starters had over 10 wins last year.
However, our story takes a drastic turn here. The story of the 2011 Blue Jays is of upheaval. Gone are every day starters Fred Lewis, Lyle Overbay, John Buck, and face of the franchise Vernon Wells along with their 79 home runs. Gone are Shaun Marcum's 13 wins and Kevin Gregg's 37 saves. Gone is the sagely Cito Gaston, in is some guy who still thinks he's a Red Sawk. This is a Blue Jays team that is ready to re-brand themselves, and with a nucleus, a sprinkling of youth, and a few sweet journeymen, the Blue Jays could wind up with another winning season.
They still have some pop in their bats. The outfield is all new with the speedy Rajai Davis (50 SB, .284), first year full-time player Travis Snider (14 HR in 82 games) and Juan Rivera (.252, 15, 52), and they will need to pull some weight in order to make up for the departure of Wells. On the infield, Jose Bautista will have to move back to third base a season after led the majors in home runs with 54, 12 more than second place Pujols. Yunel Escobar had a rough 2010, but is looking to return to his old form. Aaron Hill resides in the elite of slugging second basemen, but he is also looking for a bounceback season after 10 fewer homers and 40 fewer RBIs from an MVP worthy 2009. Adam Lind is the new starting first basemen, and has the same story, ('09 35 HR, 114 RBI; '10 23 HR, 72 RBI). Rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia made enough of a splash last year in 11 games to allow the Jays to let John Buck go, but the kid may indeed be another Buster Posey.
On the pitching side, Ricky Romero (14-9, 3.73) and Brett Cecil (15-7, 4.22) burst on the scene next year and are ready for repeat performances. Brenden Morrow (10-7, 4.49) was one out away from a perfecto and finished with a great year. Probable starters 4 and 5, Jesse Litsch and Kyle Drabek, have 1 win between them over the last two seasons. Drabek was good enough to part with Halladay for, so, here's hoping.
And after that wonderful introduction, your 2011 Toronto Blue Jays
C J.P. Arencibia
1B Adam Lind
2B Aaron Hill
SS Yunel Escobar
3B Jose Bautista
LF Juan Rivera
CF Rajai Davis
RF Travis Snider
DH Edwin Encarnacion
SP Ricky Romero
SP Brett Cecil
SP Brenden Morrow
SP Kyle Drabek
SP Jesse Litsch
CL Frank Francisco
Best Case Scenario:
As implied above, it's kind of all or nothing for the Jays. Bautista picks up right where he left off and drives the potent Jays lineup right alongside the Yankees and Red Sawks over the month of April. Hill and Lind rebound nicely from last season, not returning to 2009, but enough to recover. Arencibia improves enough behind the plate and the pitching staff does enough to place the Jays 5 games behind the division leading Sawks at the break. The Jays trade for Derek Lowe at the deadline to solidify the rotation, and they battle the rest of the way for a Wild Card win.
Worst Case Scenario:
It crumbles like a house of cards made of paper mache under a waterfall. Bautista can't repeat. Hill and Lind regress further. Arencibia can't handle the young pitching staff who also fades away. Snider and Rivera both go down hurt. The bullpen can't find an anchor after Francisco develops control problems. After the first month they are 7-20. At the break, Bautista and Escobar are traded for more young talent. Attendance drops to Florida Marlin levels. At a snap decision, Bud Selig rises from the grave to buy yet another franchise, and moves them to Omaha for 2011. The US foray into Canada ends abruptly, with no more of a trace than Conan O'Brien, who, yes Canada, the US owns now. Eat it.
Unfortunately, the Canucks seem to like this ice game called "Frozen Sticks" or "Puck Slide" or "Ice Canes" or something. All the attention on this game lessens what's going on in the SkyDome or Rogers Centre or however you spell it. It's too bad, because this team was pretty exciting. They hit the most home runs in baseball last year. About 15% more than the next highest total. But then there was the problem, even with all those dingers, they finished ninth in runs, 25th in average, 26th in on base percentage, 28th in stolen bases, and with the 16th most strikeouts. So, some mashing, but not a lot of small ball.
Unfortunately, the pitching was not quite as good without Doc Halladay around. They finished with a 4.22 team ERA, 23rd in the majors. But, after that, the team stats are not too terrible. Four Blue Jays starters had over 10 wins last year.
However, our story takes a drastic turn here. The story of the 2011 Blue Jays is of upheaval. Gone are every day starters Fred Lewis, Lyle Overbay, John Buck, and face of the franchise Vernon Wells along with their 79 home runs. Gone are Shaun Marcum's 13 wins and Kevin Gregg's 37 saves. Gone is the sagely Cito Gaston, in is some guy who still thinks he's a Red Sawk. This is a Blue Jays team that is ready to re-brand themselves, and with a nucleus, a sprinkling of youth, and a few sweet journeymen, the Blue Jays could wind up with another winning season.
They still have some pop in their bats. The outfield is all new with the speedy Rajai Davis (50 SB, .284), first year full-time player Travis Snider (14 HR in 82 games) and Juan Rivera (.252, 15, 52), and they will need to pull some weight in order to make up for the departure of Wells. On the infield, Jose Bautista will have to move back to third base a season after led the majors in home runs with 54, 12 more than second place Pujols. Yunel Escobar had a rough 2010, but is looking to return to his old form. Aaron Hill resides in the elite of slugging second basemen, but he is also looking for a bounceback season after 10 fewer homers and 40 fewer RBIs from an MVP worthy 2009. Adam Lind is the new starting first basemen, and has the same story, ('09 35 HR, 114 RBI; '10 23 HR, 72 RBI). Rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia made enough of a splash last year in 11 games to allow the Jays to let John Buck go, but the kid may indeed be another Buster Posey.
On the pitching side, Ricky Romero (14-9, 3.73) and Brett Cecil (15-7, 4.22) burst on the scene next year and are ready for repeat performances. Brenden Morrow (10-7, 4.49) was one out away from a perfecto and finished with a great year. Probable starters 4 and 5, Jesse Litsch and Kyle Drabek, have 1 win between them over the last two seasons. Drabek was good enough to part with Halladay for, so, here's hoping.
And after that wonderful introduction, your 2011 Toronto Blue Jays
C J.P. Arencibia
1B Adam Lind
2B Aaron Hill
SS Yunel Escobar
3B Jose Bautista
LF Juan Rivera
CF Rajai Davis
RF Travis Snider
DH Edwin Encarnacion
SP Ricky Romero
SP Brett Cecil
SP Brenden Morrow
SP Kyle Drabek
SP Jesse Litsch
CL Frank Francisco
Best Case Scenario:
As implied above, it's kind of all or nothing for the Jays. Bautista picks up right where he left off and drives the potent Jays lineup right alongside the Yankees and Red Sawks over the month of April. Hill and Lind rebound nicely from last season, not returning to 2009, but enough to recover. Arencibia improves enough behind the plate and the pitching staff does enough to place the Jays 5 games behind the division leading Sawks at the break. The Jays trade for Derek Lowe at the deadline to solidify the rotation, and they battle the rest of the way for a Wild Card win.
Worst Case Scenario:
It crumbles like a house of cards made of paper mache under a waterfall. Bautista can't repeat. Hill and Lind regress further. Arencibia can't handle the young pitching staff who also fades away. Snider and Rivera both go down hurt. The bullpen can't find an anchor after Francisco develops control problems. After the first month they are 7-20. At the break, Bautista and Escobar are traded for more young talent. Attendance drops to Florida Marlin levels. At a snap decision, Bud Selig rises from the grave to buy yet another franchise, and moves them to Omaha for 2011. The US foray into Canada ends abruptly, with no more of a trace than Conan O'Brien, who, yes Canada, the US owns now. Eat it.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks
Finally on to my home turf -- the NL West.
At first thought, the Arizona Diamondbacks may be the most desolate franchise in Major League Baseball. For one, they play in Arizona -- the Florida of the West Coast. They've only been in existence in 1998. And while they won a World Series during that time, their colors and logos were so radically different, it's hard to remember it was the same franchise. Seriously, the D-backs have had more costume changes than a 30 minutes episode of Glee. My roommates are currently watching that show.
To add insult to injury, their name sounds remarkably like "D-bags."
Upon closer inspection, however, things might not be completely lost in the Land of the Sun.
Fan support in Phoenix is actually higher than you might think. They ranked 21st in attendance last year. Not great, but above Tampa, a playoff team and only a few hundred tickets behind Cincinnati, another Division winner. They also beat out the 29th ranked Oakland Athletics, who ranked behind both the Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates (just in case you were wondering...).
As for the 2011 outfit, the Diamondbacks will likely fail to challenge for the NL West. They'll battle the San Diego Padres for 4th place assuming the Giants, Dodgers and Rockies don't significantly underachieve.
In spite of a relatively grim outlook heading the into the season, the Diamondbacks have some budding young stars. Assuming they're able to hold on to their current talent, adding a good corner infielder and two good starting pitchers may be all this team needs to contend.
Justin Upton, Chris Young and Stephen Drew are the cornerstones of the offense. All show potential to be good to great Major Leaguers and all are under 27 years old. Upton and Young both had down year last year, but they also combined to hit 44 HRs and drive in 160 runs. Maybe it's just because he murders the Giants, but Stephen Drew seems like he has .300 potential. Catcher Miguel Montero, 28 himself, disappointed many baseball folks with a sub-par 2010, but there are many who still think he can be in the top half of NL Catchers. Kelly Johnson, also 28, had one of the best offensive seasons for a second baseman in the entire league in 2010. There's no telling whether or not he'll replicate that performance in 2011, but should he come close, that's Center, Right, Catcher, Shortstop and Second Base where the Diamondbacks can be above average.
First and Third Base, however, will likely be the downfall of the Diamondbacks offense in 2011. They lost their two best power hitters in Mark Reynolds and Adam LaRoche this off-season and replacements Melvin Mora and Juan Miranda will pale in comparison. Reynolds and LaRoche combined from 57 home runs in 2010. I'm betting Miranda and Mora don't reach half that total.
Like most bad teams, the Diamondbacks biggest problem in 2010 was their pitching. Their rotation is thin and their bullpen just plain bad. Jayson Stark of ESPN provided the mind-blowing stat that the Diamondbacks lost 30 games last season when they led or were tied after the 6th inning. That might not mean a whole lot to non-baseball folks, but that's bad. Like what Quinn did to Finn bad. Sue Sylvester bad. Glee still on...
Luckily, the Diamondbacks new GM Kevin Towers made building a new bullpen his biggest priority. J.J. Putz has the potential to fill the closer's role nicely and David Hernandez and Juan Gutierrez should add some nice depth.
In the Starter's world, I'm calling Ian Kennedy to be the breakout starter in the NL West this season. His 9-10 record and 3.80 ERA might not look like much, but his 1.55 ERA in September and 65 innings in his last 11 starts revealed his potential. Behind him, Daniel Hudson (23) is looking for his own breakout season. In August and September last year, he was 7-1 with an ERA under 2.00. The league will likely adjust to him, but those numbers over two full months are no fluke.
Rounding out the back end of their rotation are Joe Saunders, Zach Duke and Armando Galarraga. Saunders looks to be a solid #3 or #4 starter at best. Galarraga we all know from his near perfect game last season. Zach Duke meanwhile comes to Arizona from Pittsburgh where he has spent the last several years as the Pirates' Ace. Let's dwell on that for a second. The Pirates Ace of the last half decade signs with the Diamondbacks and is their #4 starter.
I'll be in a dark corner somewhere crying -- with Rachel Berry...singing this song...which she just sang on my roommate's laptop.
The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks
C: Miguel Montero
1B: Juan Miranda
2B: Kelly Johnson
SS: Stephen Drew
3B: Melvin Mora
LF: Xavier Nady
CF: Chris Young
RF: Justin Upton
SP: Ian Kennedy
SP: Joe Saunders
SP: Daniel Hudson
SP: Zach Duke
SP: Armando Galarraga
CL: J.J. Putz
Best Case Scenario:
The Diamondbacks become last year's Padres. They race off to a fast start behind strong solid pitching and hang with the Giants, Rockies and Dodgers all the up until the All-Star Break. Kennedy and Hudson explode just as Latos and Richard last season, both earning 15+ wins and an ERA under 3.00. Behind a 30 save season from J.J. Putz, the restructured bullpen blows less than half as many games as in 2010. Zach Duke and Armando Galarraga both enjoy a rebirth in the desert, with Duke finally finding comfort in a #4 spot. Serious about making a run for the West, the Diamonbacks trade to get Michael Young from Texas to play Third Base and acquire Lef Fielder David DeJesus from a disbanding A's team off-loading all talent in anticipation for sale and move to San Jose. After remaining in the hunt through mid-September, both Chris Young and Ian Kennedy go down with minor injuries, effectively eliminating the Diamondbacks from contention. Nonetheless, with Young and DeJesus and an invigorated rotation, the Diamondbacks go into the 2011 offseason as legitimate contenders in 2012.
Worst Case Scenario
The Diamondbacks become last year's Diamondbacks. Kennedy fails to take the next step in his progression, while the league figures out Hudson and tattoos him with a 7.50 ERA in his first month. Justin Upton again under performs and after voicing his displeasure with the Diamondbacks and Arizona in general, demands a trade. Kelly Johnson comes back to Earth and falls of significantly from his 2010 totals. Armando Galaraga leaves the team to begin work on "Imperfection," a highly anticipated major motion picture on the Jim Joyce episode. Zach Duke is Zach Duke. Already 15 games out of the Division by the All-Star Break, first year GM Kevin Towers decides to unload and rebuild his own team from scratch. They trade away Young, Upton and Drew to build up a pool of young prospects. Requesting patience from fans, Towers admits it will likely be 2 or 3 years until the Diamondbacks can feasibly compete for the post-season. They change their logo and colors to Green, Brown and Orange.
At first thought, the Arizona Diamondbacks may be the most desolate franchise in Major League Baseball. For one, they play in Arizona -- the Florida of the West Coast. They've only been in existence in 1998. And while they won a World Series during that time, their colors and logos were so radically different, it's hard to remember it was the same franchise. Seriously, the D-backs have had more costume changes than a 30 minutes episode of Glee. My roommates are currently watching that show.
 |
| The same team? |
To add insult to injury, their name sounds remarkably like "D-bags."
Upon closer inspection, however, things might not be completely lost in the Land of the Sun.
Fan support in Phoenix is actually higher than you might think. They ranked 21st in attendance last year. Not great, but above Tampa, a playoff team and only a few hundred tickets behind Cincinnati, another Division winner. They also beat out the 29th ranked Oakland Athletics, who ranked behind both the Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates (just in case you were wondering...).
As for the 2011 outfit, the Diamondbacks will likely fail to challenge for the NL West. They'll battle the San Diego Padres for 4th place assuming the Giants, Dodgers and Rockies don't significantly underachieve.
In spite of a relatively grim outlook heading the into the season, the Diamondbacks have some budding young stars. Assuming they're able to hold on to their current talent, adding a good corner infielder and two good starting pitchers may be all this team needs to contend.
Justin Upton, Chris Young and Stephen Drew are the cornerstones of the offense. All show potential to be good to great Major Leaguers and all are under 27 years old. Upton and Young both had down year last year, but they also combined to hit 44 HRs and drive in 160 runs. Maybe it's just because he murders the Giants, but Stephen Drew seems like he has .300 potential. Catcher Miguel Montero, 28 himself, disappointed many baseball folks with a sub-par 2010, but there are many who still think he can be in the top half of NL Catchers. Kelly Johnson, also 28, had one of the best offensive seasons for a second baseman in the entire league in 2010. There's no telling whether or not he'll replicate that performance in 2011, but should he come close, that's Center, Right, Catcher, Shortstop and Second Base where the Diamondbacks can be above average.
First and Third Base, however, will likely be the downfall of the Diamondbacks offense in 2011. They lost their two best power hitters in Mark Reynolds and Adam LaRoche this off-season and replacements Melvin Mora and Juan Miranda will pale in comparison. Reynolds and LaRoche combined from 57 home runs in 2010. I'm betting Miranda and Mora don't reach half that total.
Like most bad teams, the Diamondbacks biggest problem in 2010 was their pitching. Their rotation is thin and their bullpen just plain bad. Jayson Stark of ESPN provided the mind-blowing stat that the Diamondbacks lost 30 games last season when they led or were tied after the 6th inning. That might not mean a whole lot to non-baseball folks, but that's bad. Like what Quinn did to Finn bad. Sue Sylvester bad. Glee still on...
Luckily, the Diamondbacks new GM Kevin Towers made building a new bullpen his biggest priority. J.J. Putz has the potential to fill the closer's role nicely and David Hernandez and Juan Gutierrez should add some nice depth.
In the Starter's world, I'm calling Ian Kennedy to be the breakout starter in the NL West this season. His 9-10 record and 3.80 ERA might not look like much, but his 1.55 ERA in September and 65 innings in his last 11 starts revealed his potential. Behind him, Daniel Hudson (23) is looking for his own breakout season. In August and September last year, he was 7-1 with an ERA under 2.00. The league will likely adjust to him, but those numbers over two full months are no fluke.
Rounding out the back end of their rotation are Joe Saunders, Zach Duke and Armando Galarraga. Saunders looks to be a solid #3 or #4 starter at best. Galarraga we all know from his near perfect game last season. Zach Duke meanwhile comes to Arizona from Pittsburgh where he has spent the last several years as the Pirates' Ace. Let's dwell on that for a second. The Pirates Ace of the last half decade signs with the Diamondbacks and is their #4 starter.
I'll be in a dark corner somewhere crying -- with Rachel Berry...singing this song...which she just sang on my roommate's laptop.
"A .500 season" played by Lionel Richie.
"The Pittsburgh Pirates" played by the blind student.
The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks
C: Miguel Montero
1B: Juan Miranda
2B: Kelly Johnson
SS: Stephen Drew
3B: Melvin Mora
LF: Xavier Nady
CF: Chris Young
RF: Justin Upton
SP: Ian Kennedy
SP: Joe Saunders
SP: Daniel Hudson
SP: Zach Duke
SP: Armando Galarraga
CL: J.J. Putz
Best Case Scenario:
The Diamondbacks become last year's Padres. They race off to a fast start behind strong solid pitching and hang with the Giants, Rockies and Dodgers all the up until the All-Star Break. Kennedy and Hudson explode just as Latos and Richard last season, both earning 15+ wins and an ERA under 3.00. Behind a 30 save season from J.J. Putz, the restructured bullpen blows less than half as many games as in 2010. Zach Duke and Armando Galarraga both enjoy a rebirth in the desert, with Duke finally finding comfort in a #4 spot. Serious about making a run for the West, the Diamonbacks trade to get Michael Young from Texas to play Third Base and acquire Lef Fielder David DeJesus from a disbanding A's team off-loading all talent in anticipation for sale and move to San Jose. After remaining in the hunt through mid-September, both Chris Young and Ian Kennedy go down with minor injuries, effectively eliminating the Diamondbacks from contention. Nonetheless, with Young and DeJesus and an invigorated rotation, the Diamondbacks go into the 2011 offseason as legitimate contenders in 2012.
Worst Case Scenario
The Diamondbacks become last year's Diamondbacks. Kennedy fails to take the next step in his progression, while the league figures out Hudson and tattoos him with a 7.50 ERA in his first month. Justin Upton again under performs and after voicing his displeasure with the Diamondbacks and Arizona in general, demands a trade. Kelly Johnson comes back to Earth and falls of significantly from his 2010 totals. Armando Galaraga leaves the team to begin work on "Imperfection," a highly anticipated major motion picture on the Jim Joyce episode. Zach Duke is Zach Duke. Already 15 games out of the Division by the All-Star Break, first year GM Kevin Towers decides to unload and rebuild his own team from scratch. They trade away Young, Upton and Drew to build up a pool of young prospects. Requesting patience from fans, Towers admits it will likely be 2 or 3 years until the Diamondbacks can feasibly compete for the post-season. They change their logo and colors to Green, Brown and Orange.
Monday, February 21, 2011
MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers
Sausage races, cheap beer, and no world championships. That's what Milwaukee does. Will 2011 be the year of the Brewers? Perhaps. They certainly have a better chance than the Royals.
Wisconsin is still aflutter from its real team. It might be awhile before they remember that they have a baseball team too. Apparently even their marketing department is confused, as apparently their manager is actually an Angels bench coach.
But let's be real, who doesn't like the Brewers? When a team has never won even a pennant, it's pretty hard to dislike them. Also hard to dislike a team when one of it's old logos was this:
I admit freely: that makes me smile.
So, the Brewers. In case you forgot, last year they finished 77-85, 14 games behind the Cardinals. Unfortunately for the Brewers, the offense didn't click early enough last season, and the pitching staff was, in a word, poor. They finished 26th in the majors in ERA last year. They also had the unfortunate circumstance of playing in a division where the Cardinals were very dominant, and the Reds were not far behind. They also took a few lumps early when Trevor Hoffman coughed up a few games. However, they improved their pitching staff this year, and didn't lose much offense, I think this year they may be posed to be that blue to challenge the red.
The middle of the order will once again be a pretty scary place. Prince Fielder (.261, 32, 83), Ryan Braun (.304, 25 HR, 103 RBI) , Corey Hart (.283, 31, 104), and Casey McGehee (.285, 23, 104) can all mash. If Ricky Weeks (.269, 29, 83) stays healthy again and can drop his strikeout total, he'll be one of the league's best leadoff men. Jonathan Lucroy (.253, 4, 26), Yuniesky Betancourt (.259, 16, 78), and Carlos Gomez (.241, 5, 24) aren't quite as studly, but aren't bad fits in the lineup either.
The pitching staff became much better over the off-season, as the acquisition of Zack Greinke (10-14, 4.17) even after a down year makes everything a lot better. Yovani Gallardo (14-7, 3.84) had something of a down season in the win column, but still hit the 200 strikeout plateau. Workhorse Randy Wolf (13-12, 4.17) will be the a solid number 4 starter. The Brewers also went out and picked up a promising young arm in Shaun Marcum (13-8, 3.64). Their fifth starter, Chris Narveson (12-9, 4.99) is a solid and upcoming young player as well. Finally, closer John Axford busted on the scene, following in Trevor Hoffman's wake. His mustache is one of the greatest currently in the game.
So, in a walnut, here are your 2011 Milwaukee Brewers.
C Jonathan Lucroy
1B Prince Fielder
2B Rickie Weeks
SS Yuniesky Betancourt
3B Casey McGehee
LF Ryan Braun
CF Carlos Gomez
RF Corey Hart
SP Zack Greinke
SP Yovanni Gallardo
SP Shaun Marcum
SP Randy Wolf
SP Chris Narveson
CL John Axford
Best Case Scenario:
After a so so start in which the bullpen loses 6 games in the first month of the season, the Brewers make an early season trade with the A's for Brian Fuentes (For their first round draft pick and Jake Ordozzi) which helps them right the ship. They finish the All-Star break 7 games behind the Cardinals and 4 behind the Reds. Realizing they need to jumpstart the car if they want any chance of postseason, they sign Aaron Rodgers to a one month contract. Rodgers, or "Goliath" as he is nicknamed, becomes a force in the bullpen, and fills the hole left by an ailing Weeks. In one month he pitches 20 innings out of the bullpen, hits 8 home runs, and drives in 22 runs. The NFL lockout occurs and Rodgers elects to stay with the team for the rest of the season. On September 20th, the Brewers, Reds, and Cardinals are all within one game of each other for two playoff spots. The Brewers sweep the Pirates at home to win the Wild Card one games ahead of the Reds. Unfortunately, the lockout ends and Rodgers has to leave as the Brewers fall to the giants in the divisional series.
Worst Case Scenario:
They start the same, without making the trade for Fuentes, and end up 9 games back on June 1. Betancourt and Weeks start making errors and the bullpen starts coughing up more and more games. With hopes fading and the NFL already having settled on the new CBA, the Brewers bet the farm, trading 3 of their top 5 Prospects and Wolf for Kevin Gregg, All-Star Justin Duchscherer, and Frank Francisco in order to shore up the pitching staff. This, plus amazingly entertaining Sausage races, get them within 4 games of the Wild Card on September 1st, but then three things happen. One, football season starts, Wisconsin forgets about the MLB to watch the sinewy Adonis that is Aaron Rodgers; Hot Link and Bratwurst are caught with concealed weapons in a Minneapolis Night Club, suspending Sausage races for the rest of the season; and Francisco, Duchscherer, and Marcum go down hurt. Come the last series against the Pirates they are already mathematically eliminated, and a sweep still puts them two games behind the Reds.
Wisconsin is still aflutter from its real team. It might be awhile before they remember that they have a baseball team too. Apparently even their marketing department is confused, as apparently their manager is actually an Angels bench coach.
But let's be real, who doesn't like the Brewers? When a team has never won even a pennant, it's pretty hard to dislike them. Also hard to dislike a team when one of it's old logos was this:
I admit freely: that makes me smile.
So, the Brewers. In case you forgot, last year they finished 77-85, 14 games behind the Cardinals. Unfortunately for the Brewers, the offense didn't click early enough last season, and the pitching staff was, in a word, poor. They finished 26th in the majors in ERA last year. They also had the unfortunate circumstance of playing in a division where the Cardinals were very dominant, and the Reds were not far behind. They also took a few lumps early when Trevor Hoffman coughed up a few games. However, they improved their pitching staff this year, and didn't lose much offense, I think this year they may be posed to be that blue to challenge the red.
The middle of the order will once again be a pretty scary place. Prince Fielder (.261, 32, 83), Ryan Braun (.304, 25 HR, 103 RBI) , Corey Hart (.283, 31, 104), and Casey McGehee (.285, 23, 104) can all mash. If Ricky Weeks (.269, 29, 83) stays healthy again and can drop his strikeout total, he'll be one of the league's best leadoff men. Jonathan Lucroy (.253, 4, 26), Yuniesky Betancourt (.259, 16, 78), and Carlos Gomez (.241, 5, 24) aren't quite as studly, but aren't bad fits in the lineup either.
The pitching staff became much better over the off-season, as the acquisition of Zack Greinke (10-14, 4.17) even after a down year makes everything a lot better. Yovani Gallardo (14-7, 3.84) had something of a down season in the win column, but still hit the 200 strikeout plateau. Workhorse Randy Wolf (13-12, 4.17) will be the a solid number 4 starter. The Brewers also went out and picked up a promising young arm in Shaun Marcum (13-8, 3.64). Their fifth starter, Chris Narveson (12-9, 4.99) is a solid and upcoming young player as well. Finally, closer John Axford busted on the scene, following in Trevor Hoffman's wake. His mustache is one of the greatest currently in the game.
So, in a walnut, here are your 2011 Milwaukee Brewers.
C Jonathan Lucroy
1B Prince Fielder
2B Rickie Weeks
SS Yuniesky Betancourt
3B Casey McGehee
LF Ryan Braun
CF Carlos Gomez
RF Corey Hart
SP Zack Greinke
SP Yovanni Gallardo
SP Shaun Marcum
SP Randy Wolf
SP Chris Narveson
CL John Axford
Best Case Scenario:
After a so so start in which the bullpen loses 6 games in the first month of the season, the Brewers make an early season trade with the A's for Brian Fuentes (For their first round draft pick and Jake Ordozzi) which helps them right the ship. They finish the All-Star break 7 games behind the Cardinals and 4 behind the Reds. Realizing they need to jumpstart the car if they want any chance of postseason, they sign Aaron Rodgers to a one month contract. Rodgers, or "Goliath" as he is nicknamed, becomes a force in the bullpen, and fills the hole left by an ailing Weeks. In one month he pitches 20 innings out of the bullpen, hits 8 home runs, and drives in 22 runs. The NFL lockout occurs and Rodgers elects to stay with the team for the rest of the season. On September 20th, the Brewers, Reds, and Cardinals are all within one game of each other for two playoff spots. The Brewers sweep the Pirates at home to win the Wild Card one games ahead of the Reds. Unfortunately, the lockout ends and Rodgers has to leave as the Brewers fall to the giants in the divisional series.
Worst Case Scenario:
They start the same, without making the trade for Fuentes, and end up 9 games back on June 1. Betancourt and Weeks start making errors and the bullpen starts coughing up more and more games. With hopes fading and the NFL already having settled on the new CBA, the Brewers bet the farm, trading 3 of their top 5 Prospects and Wolf for Kevin Gregg, All-Star Justin Duchscherer, and Frank Francisco in order to shore up the pitching staff. This, plus amazingly entertaining Sausage races, get them within 4 games of the Wild Card on September 1st, but then three things happen. One, football season starts, Wisconsin forgets about the MLB to watch the sinewy Adonis that is Aaron Rodgers; Hot Link and Bratwurst are caught with concealed weapons in a Minneapolis Night Club, suspending Sausage races for the rest of the season; and Francisco, Duchscherer, and Marcum go down hurt. Come the last series against the Pirates they are already mathematically eliminated, and a sweep still puts them two games behind the Reds.
Friday, February 18, 2011
MLB Countdown: Florida Marlins
For a team with loads of young talent, 80 wins in 2010 and 2 World Championships in the last 13 years, it's a wonder the Florida Marlins dropped so far down our Team Preview Draft.
It may be the same reason they average around 13,000 fans per home game.
By all accounts, the Marlins have a lot to be excited about: a legitimate Ace pitcher, a Rookie of Year finalist at first base and one of the best shortstops in baseball. But in spite of it all, it's still hard to get excited about the Florida Marlins.
The image I associate with the Marlins is the sea of orange, empty seats you see on Spotscenter whenever someone hits a home run in Miami. And there's always that one kid running around in the bleachers trying to get the ball.
I suppose that just professional sports in Florida. None of the pro teams in the state have a devout following -- the Marlins, Rays, Dolphins, various other marine creatures. It's the result of the entire state being one big retirement/relocation haven. Too few people in Florida are from Florida, thus their sports allegiances, assuming they have them, lie with their native land. It'd be like moving to the Mars and expecting to all of a sudden cheer for Martians to destroy Earth. But I digress -- our topic is the burgeoning Florida Marlins, not sports apathy on Mars.
The Marlins finished the 2010 season at 80-82. While they were under .500, they remained in the playoff hunt longer than most clubs and finished 3rd in the NL East behind two playoff teams in the Phillies and Braves.
The Marlins strength is their youth. First baseman Gaby Sanchez was a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate and looks to improve on an impressive first full season that featured 19 HRs and 85 RBI. Mike Stanton in Right Field is yet another first year Fish who hit 19+ HRs. Logan Morrison, while significantly less proven, also shows some promise on the other side of the outfield. Hanley Ramirez, as we know, is a gem of a talent, albeit with some concerns about his attitude. All he does is hit .300, 20 HR and 75 RBI just about every year.
But like most teams contending in the baseball today, the Marlins strength appears to be their pitching. Their rotation is anchored by one of the most under-the-radar arms in baseball in Josh Johnson. He gained significant notoriety last season for sporting an ERA under 2.00 for much of the season. He had a few bad outings late in the year which derailed his Cy Young bid, but he finished the year 11-6 with a 2.30. 11 wins might not sound like much, but it's 7 more than Felix Hernandez had, and he won the Cy Young! Behind Johnson are youngsters Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Neither have been dominant, but both show potential to be solid #3 starters.
For a team barely mentioned between November and February, the Marlins had a pretty active off-season. They traded away their best player in Dan Uggla (to a division rival no less), but the trade was likely a good move. Assuming he continues to hit the crap out of the ball and wear his jersey sleeves a little too far up, Uggla was due a large payday which the Marlins likely did not want to give. In return, they got Omar Infante, an "All-Star" second baseman who hit .321 last year. They also signed Starting Pitcher Javier Vasquez, who may be the Marlins biggest X-factor. Vasquez struggled with the Yankees in 2010, but he has historically pitched much better in the NL, sporting an ERA almost 0.6 lower than his time in the AL. The Marlins biggest off-season acquisition however may have come in the form of several relief pitchers. They retrofitted their bullpen, the bane of their existence in 2010, by adding Edward Mujica, Ryan Webb and Randy Choate. A stronger bullpen will no doubt help preserve the leads that Johnson and Co. give the Fish after the 6th inning.
It's funny, if team that featured Josh Johnson, Gaby Sanchez, Omar Infante, Hanley Ramirez and Mike Stanton played in Chicago, Atlanta or even Cincinnati, it would likely be garnering a whole lot more attention. Should this team start winning games, it will likely draw a bit more press, but still nowhere near as much as even a struggling Cubs team. Alas, thus is the curse of the Orange.
The 2011 Flordia Marlins:
C John Buck
1B Gaby Sanchez
2B Omar Infante
SS Hanley Ramirez
3B Wes Helms
LF Logan Morrison
CF Chris Coughlan
RF Mike Stanton
SP Josh Johnson
SP Javier Vazquez
SP Ricky Nolasco
SP Chris Volstad
SP Anibal Sanchez
CL Leo Nunez
Best Case Scenario:
Behind a Cy Young caliber season from Josh Johnson, Javier Vazquez enjoys a rebirth, going 17-8 with a 3.00 ERA. Gaby Sanchez follows a brilliant rookie campaign with an even more impressive sophomore season, belting 30HR and 90RBI. Mike Stanton, Coughlin and Morrison each hit 20+ HR and become one of the more balanced outfields in the National League. Hanley Ramirez runs occasionally.
The Fish fly under the radar until the final two months of the season when they make a late season surge with the help of recently acquired Michael Young. With the Phillies having locked down the division in August, the Marlins set their sights on the Wild Card. Battling the Reds and Rockies for the fourth and final playoff spot, the Marlins come into the last day of the year needing a win to clinch the Wild Card. Behind Josh Johnson's complete game 3 hitter, the Marlins beat the Braves and win the NL Wild Card. In the playoffs, the Marlins pack Sun Life Stadium for their first round playoff series, but are ousted by the San Francisco Giants, who go on to repeat as World Champs. Nonetheless, the Marlins enjoy a taste of the postseason and set their sights on returning.
Worst Case Scenario:
Behind a torrid April from Ramirez, Sanchez and Stanton, the Marlins race out to a 30-10 record. Only two games behind the Phillies at the All-Star Break, they make a trade for Aaron Rowand to replace an injured Chris Coughlan in CF. The Marlins great baseball goes largely unnoticed until the people of Miami realize A. they have a baseball team B. they are good and C. LeBron James is now their starting Left Fielder.
Fed up with the NBA drama and looming lockout, LeBron signs a one-year contract with the Fish, boosting attendance 200% to 11,000 (half of which are in the press box). The Marlins embrace LeBron-mania, mowing an image of LeBron's "Powder Toss" into the outfield grass. Asked about the Marlins continued lack of attendance, LeBron responds, "It's cool. I'm used to playing in front of empty seats at home."
With LeBron somehow murdering the ball despite having never played professional baseball, the Marlins enter the final day of the season needing one win to clinch a Wild Card birth. Their opponent, the San Francisco Giants, already NL West Champs. Down one run in the bottom of the 9th, Hanley Ramirez smacks a two-out base hit. Mike Stanton then doubles, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd with two outs. LeBron then comes to bat amid a frenzied, sold-out crowd in Miami. James lofts a high, routine fly ball to Cody Ross in Right Field. In a seeming act of martyrdom to honor his old Florida home, Ross lets the ball drop to bring home the tieing and winning runs. Sun Life Stadium erupts in ecstasy for a full 5 minutes before realizing that Hanley Ramirez, having assumed the ball would be caught, had walked off the field and was in the dugout by the time the ball hit the ground. Ramirez is ruled out for leaving the base path. The game and season are over.
It may be the same reason they average around 13,000 fans per home game.
By all accounts, the Marlins have a lot to be excited about: a legitimate Ace pitcher, a Rookie of Year finalist at first base and one of the best shortstops in baseball. But in spite of it all, it's still hard to get excited about the Florida Marlins.
The image I associate with the Marlins is the sea of orange, empty seats you see on Spotscenter whenever someone hits a home run in Miami. And there's always that one kid running around in the bleachers trying to get the ball.
 |
| This is an actual crowd at a Major League Baseball game |
I suppose that just professional sports in Florida. None of the pro teams in the state have a devout following -- the Marlins, Rays, Dolphins, various other marine creatures. It's the result of the entire state being one big retirement/relocation haven. Too few people in Florida are from Florida, thus their sports allegiances, assuming they have them, lie with their native land. It'd be like moving to the Mars and expecting to all of a sudden cheer for Martians to destroy Earth. But I digress -- our topic is the burgeoning Florida Marlins, not sports apathy on Mars.
The Marlins finished the 2010 season at 80-82. While they were under .500, they remained in the playoff hunt longer than most clubs and finished 3rd in the NL East behind two playoff teams in the Phillies and Braves.
The Marlins strength is their youth. First baseman Gaby Sanchez was a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate and looks to improve on an impressive first full season that featured 19 HRs and 85 RBI. Mike Stanton in Right Field is yet another first year Fish who hit 19+ HRs. Logan Morrison, while significantly less proven, also shows some promise on the other side of the outfield. Hanley Ramirez, as we know, is a gem of a talent, albeit with some concerns about his attitude. All he does is hit .300, 20 HR and 75 RBI just about every year.
But like most teams contending in the baseball today, the Marlins strength appears to be their pitching. Their rotation is anchored by one of the most under-the-radar arms in baseball in Josh Johnson. He gained significant notoriety last season for sporting an ERA under 2.00 for much of the season. He had a few bad outings late in the year which derailed his Cy Young bid, but he finished the year 11-6 with a 2.30. 11 wins might not sound like much, but it's 7 more than Felix Hernandez had, and he won the Cy Young! Behind Johnson are youngsters Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Neither have been dominant, but both show potential to be solid #3 starters.
For a team barely mentioned between November and February, the Marlins had a pretty active off-season. They traded away their best player in Dan Uggla (to a division rival no less), but the trade was likely a good move. Assuming he continues to hit the crap out of the ball and wear his jersey sleeves a little too far up, Uggla was due a large payday which the Marlins likely did not want to give. In return, they got Omar Infante, an "All-Star" second baseman who hit .321 last year. They also signed Starting Pitcher Javier Vasquez, who may be the Marlins biggest X-factor. Vasquez struggled with the Yankees in 2010, but he has historically pitched much better in the NL, sporting an ERA almost 0.6 lower than his time in the AL. The Marlins biggest off-season acquisition however may have come in the form of several relief pitchers. They retrofitted their bullpen, the bane of their existence in 2010, by adding Edward Mujica, Ryan Webb and Randy Choate. A stronger bullpen will no doubt help preserve the leads that Johnson and Co. give the Fish after the 6th inning.
It's funny, if team that featured Josh Johnson, Gaby Sanchez, Omar Infante, Hanley Ramirez and Mike Stanton played in Chicago, Atlanta or even Cincinnati, it would likely be garnering a whole lot more attention. Should this team start winning games, it will likely draw a bit more press, but still nowhere near as much as even a struggling Cubs team. Alas, thus is the curse of the Orange.
The 2011 Flordia Marlins:
C John Buck
1B Gaby Sanchez
2B Omar Infante
SS Hanley Ramirez
3B Wes Helms
LF Logan Morrison
CF Chris Coughlan
RF Mike Stanton
SP Josh Johnson
SP Javier Vazquez
SP Ricky Nolasco
SP Chris Volstad
SP Anibal Sanchez
CL Leo Nunez
Best Case Scenario:
Behind a Cy Young caliber season from Josh Johnson, Javier Vazquez enjoys a rebirth, going 17-8 with a 3.00 ERA. Gaby Sanchez follows a brilliant rookie campaign with an even more impressive sophomore season, belting 30HR and 90RBI. Mike Stanton, Coughlin and Morrison each hit 20+ HR and become one of the more balanced outfields in the National League. Hanley Ramirez runs occasionally.
The Fish fly under the radar until the final two months of the season when they make a late season surge with the help of recently acquired Michael Young. With the Phillies having locked down the division in August, the Marlins set their sights on the Wild Card. Battling the Reds and Rockies for the fourth and final playoff spot, the Marlins come into the last day of the year needing a win to clinch the Wild Card. Behind Josh Johnson's complete game 3 hitter, the Marlins beat the Braves and win the NL Wild Card. In the playoffs, the Marlins pack Sun Life Stadium for their first round playoff series, but are ousted by the San Francisco Giants, who go on to repeat as World Champs. Nonetheless, the Marlins enjoy a taste of the postseason and set their sights on returning.
Worst Case Scenario:
Behind a torrid April from Ramirez, Sanchez and Stanton, the Marlins race out to a 30-10 record. Only two games behind the Phillies at the All-Star Break, they make a trade for Aaron Rowand to replace an injured Chris Coughlan in CF. The Marlins great baseball goes largely unnoticed until the people of Miami realize A. they have a baseball team B. they are good and C. LeBron James is now their starting Left Fielder.
Fed up with the NBA drama and looming lockout, LeBron signs a one-year contract with the Fish, boosting attendance 200% to 11,000 (half of which are in the press box). The Marlins embrace LeBron-mania, mowing an image of LeBron's "Powder Toss" into the outfield grass. Asked about the Marlins continued lack of attendance, LeBron responds, "It's cool. I'm used to playing in front of empty seats at home."
With LeBron somehow murdering the ball despite having never played professional baseball, the Marlins enter the final day of the season needing one win to clinch a Wild Card birth. Their opponent, the San Francisco Giants, already NL West Champs. Down one run in the bottom of the 9th, Hanley Ramirez smacks a two-out base hit. Mike Stanton then doubles, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd with two outs. LeBron then comes to bat amid a frenzied, sold-out crowd in Miami. James lofts a high, routine fly ball to Cody Ross in Right Field. In a seeming act of martyrdom to honor his old Florida home, Ross lets the ball drop to bring home the tieing and winning runs. Sun Life Stadium erupts in ecstasy for a full 5 minutes before realizing that Hanley Ramirez, having assumed the ball would be caught, had walked off the field and was in the dugout by the time the ball hit the ground. Ramirez is ruled out for leaving the base path. The game and season are over.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
MLB Preview: Kansas City Royals
After visiting Baltimore and Houston, we turn our sights on another team that I'll wager about 1,000 pesos you can't name more than 3 players in the starting lineup. Before looking earlier today, even I missed a couple. But now, having studied up, I am fully prepared to educate you on the promise and poise of the Kansas City Royals.
Oh, the promise and poise of the Royals. This is a team that hasn't been to the postseason since they won it all in 1985. 26 not so good seasons. Kind of like trying to root for the Pirates. Ha! They haven't been over .500 since 2003, when they overachieved to 83-79. They've lost star after star in David Cone, Kevin Seitzer, Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, and now Cy Young winner Zack Greinke and All-Star David DeJesus.
The Royals have become the definition of hapless franchise. A small market team with small minded ownership has yet to find that happy balance between youth and experience that has netted a bit of glory for other small market teams like the A's and Twins. Instead, the team keeps reloading on youth and failing to develop, quickly losing fans and support. Could this be the season for them to turn it around?
In a word, no. I wouldn't bet on it anyway. But, there are bright spots that Royals fans can look at to prove that maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Royals to recapture the magic of Brett, White, Wilson, Saberhagen, Leibrandt, and Quisenberry.
Leading the charge is DH/1B Billy Butler (.318, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 45 2B). This guy has quietly become one of the best hitters in the game over the past few years. Guess that's what happens when you play in Kansas City. He was signed to a four year contract extension a few weeks ago. He's there to stay, and hopefully to build around. Kila Ka'aihue is another young, exciting player that will eventually go to another team, or fizzle. He hit 8 HR in 180 AB last year. Not great, but he does have some pop. Melky Cabrera had a down year in Atlanta in 2010, but showed promise before that (13 HR, 68 RBI in 2009), and at 1.25 million, he's a cheap gamble. The Royals also added Jeff Francouer (13 HR, 65 RBI) who brings another veteran presence to the clubhouse. Speaking of veterans, the salty Jason Kendall still has catching duties, and I still stand by him as one of the best defensive backstops in the game.
After all that, the lineup gets interesting. Chris Getz is a ex-White Sox prospect passed over by Gordon Beckham. Aleides Escobar was disappointing last year for the Brewers, but still had enough upside and speed to be worth a Greinke. Alex Gordon, when healthy, might actually be the best piece of this team. Mike Aviles was a nice surprise last year, batting .304. But he needs to get the rest of his production numbers up.
So, the lineup is not stellar. How about the pitching? Subpar at best. Their best last year? Bruce Chen (12-7, 4.17 in 23 starts). Not very impressive. The rest of it doesn't get much better. They lost Greinke and replaced him with the great Vin Mazzaro, (6-8, 4.27) and Jeff Francis (4-6, 5.00). Luke Hochevar (6-6, 4.81) may be the ace of the staff. Then it's rounded out by Kyle Davies (8-12, 5.34), the only current pitcher on the Royals roster who made it through over 150 innings last season. Fortunately, they have one of the best closers in the game in Joakim Soria (43 SV), but they have to get the ball to him with a lead.
It's a bit grim, but here are your 2011 Kansas City Royals:
C Jason Kendall
1B Kila Ka'aihue
2B Chris Getz
3B Mike Aviles
SS Alcides Escobar
LF Alex Gordon
CF Melky Cabrera
RF Jeff Francoeur
DH Billy Butler
SP Luke Hochevar
SP Kyle Davies
SP Vin Mazzaro
SP Jeff Francis
SP Bruce Chen
CL Joakim Soria
Best Case Scenario:
Look, I'm sorry Royals fans, but this just isn't your year. However, we could see a lot of improvement. The young guys begin to develop and grow as people believed they would. Butler becomes a superstar. Francoeur and Cabrera contribute some pop. Francis returns to his 2007 form, Hochevar and Mazzaro become established pitchers, and the Royals hand enough leads to Soria to not be a doormat once again. They finish with momentum, earn their first .500 season since 2003, and look forward to an off-season where they start adding pieces to make a run at the 2012 division crown.
Worst Case Scenario:
Sad thought: this is what's been happening for the past 7 years. The offense just can't get going and Yost gets fired after they go 5-20 to start the season. Ka'aihue is sent back down to the minors. Gordon gets hurt again. Escobar is not the answer at shortstop, and proves he was not worth Greinke. Francis can't recapture the magic, and the stress on the rest of the pitching staff is a bit too much to bear. Francoeur gets traded to Milwaukee. Butler still has a great season, but he can't do it himself. Fortunately, the Royals don't have too many more pieces to trade away, so they get to regroup with what they have.
Oh, the promise and poise of the Royals. This is a team that hasn't been to the postseason since they won it all in 1985. 26 not so good seasons. Kind of like trying to root for the Pirates. Ha! They haven't been over .500 since 2003, when they overachieved to 83-79. They've lost star after star in David Cone, Kevin Seitzer, Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, and now Cy Young winner Zack Greinke and All-Star David DeJesus.
The Royals have become the definition of hapless franchise. A small market team with small minded ownership has yet to find that happy balance between youth and experience that has netted a bit of glory for other small market teams like the A's and Twins. Instead, the team keeps reloading on youth and failing to develop, quickly losing fans and support. Could this be the season for them to turn it around?
In a word, no. I wouldn't bet on it anyway. But, there are bright spots that Royals fans can look at to prove that maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Royals to recapture the magic of Brett, White, Wilson, Saberhagen, Leibrandt, and Quisenberry.
Leading the charge is DH/1B Billy Butler (.318, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 45 2B). This guy has quietly become one of the best hitters in the game over the past few years. Guess that's what happens when you play in Kansas City. He was signed to a four year contract extension a few weeks ago. He's there to stay, and hopefully to build around. Kila Ka'aihue is another young, exciting player that will eventually go to another team, or fizzle. He hit 8 HR in 180 AB last year. Not great, but he does have some pop. Melky Cabrera had a down year in Atlanta in 2010, but showed promise before that (13 HR, 68 RBI in 2009), and at 1.25 million, he's a cheap gamble. The Royals also added Jeff Francouer (13 HR, 65 RBI) who brings another veteran presence to the clubhouse. Speaking of veterans, the salty Jason Kendall still has catching duties, and I still stand by him as one of the best defensive backstops in the game.
After all that, the lineup gets interesting. Chris Getz is a ex-White Sox prospect passed over by Gordon Beckham. Aleides Escobar was disappointing last year for the Brewers, but still had enough upside and speed to be worth a Greinke. Alex Gordon, when healthy, might actually be the best piece of this team. Mike Aviles was a nice surprise last year, batting .304. But he needs to get the rest of his production numbers up.
So, the lineup is not stellar. How about the pitching? Subpar at best. Their best last year? Bruce Chen (12-7, 4.17 in 23 starts). Not very impressive. The rest of it doesn't get much better. They lost Greinke and replaced him with the great Vin Mazzaro, (6-8, 4.27) and Jeff Francis (4-6, 5.00). Luke Hochevar (6-6, 4.81) may be the ace of the staff. Then it's rounded out by Kyle Davies (8-12, 5.34), the only current pitcher on the Royals roster who made it through over 150 innings last season. Fortunately, they have one of the best closers in the game in Joakim Soria (43 SV), but they have to get the ball to him with a lead.
It's a bit grim, but here are your 2011 Kansas City Royals:
C Jason Kendall
1B Kila Ka'aihue
2B Chris Getz
3B Mike Aviles
SS Alcides Escobar
LF Alex Gordon
CF Melky Cabrera
RF Jeff Francoeur
DH Billy Butler
SP Luke Hochevar
SP Kyle Davies
SP Vin Mazzaro
SP Jeff Francis
SP Bruce Chen
CL Joakim Soria
Best Case Scenario:
Look, I'm sorry Royals fans, but this just isn't your year. However, we could see a lot of improvement. The young guys begin to develop and grow as people believed they would. Butler becomes a superstar. Francoeur and Cabrera contribute some pop. Francis returns to his 2007 form, Hochevar and Mazzaro become established pitchers, and the Royals hand enough leads to Soria to not be a doormat once again. They finish with momentum, earn their first .500 season since 2003, and look forward to an off-season where they start adding pieces to make a run at the 2012 division crown.
Worst Case Scenario:
Sad thought: this is what's been happening for the past 7 years. The offense just can't get going and Yost gets fired after they go 5-20 to start the season. Ka'aihue is sent back down to the minors. Gordon gets hurt again. Escobar is not the answer at shortstop, and proves he was not worth Greinke. Francis can't recapture the magic, and the stress on the rest of the pitching staff is a bit too much to bear. Francoeur gets traded to Milwaukee. Butler still has a great season, but he can't do it himself. Fortunately, the Royals don't have too many more pieces to trade away, so they get to regroup with what they have.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Good, the Bad and the Annoying
The Good:
Like many a Cal fan, I have a complicated relationship with DeSean Jackson. On one hand, he took my breath away more than any other athlete I've seen perform in person. His punt return against Tennessee in 2007 was one of the most unbelievable sports moments of my life. Never before had I been in a stadium with 70,000 other people all thinking and wanting the exact same thing as me:
"Man, wouldn't it be freaking sweet if he returned this punt for a TD right now.
Yeah, but everyone is expecting it. It'll never happen.
........
Holy crap, it just happened."
Considering the amount of publicity DeSean got before the season as the most "electric player in the country," a punt return TD on his first touch was almost too perfect to ask for. Like I said about the Duke-Butler game, rarely do sports work out 100% perfectly, just the way you would dream it up. This was one of those moments:
On the other hand, DeSean comes across as kind of a punk. He show boats, hot dogs, and whatever other terms you use to describe someone walking backwards into an endzone. He waves the ball behind him before crossing the goal line and does backflips. More than all of that though, he reps Long Beach Poly instead of Cal and that really irks me. If you don't like his arrogance on the football field, stop him. But the Long Beach Poly plug just always made it feel like he turned his back on Cal, which, after all, is the only reason any of us Alums give a hoot about him.
But it seems DeSean may have helped redeem himself in my eyes and the eyes of many others after a pretty touching show of compassion toward a boy who'd been bullied outside Philly.
I know he's not the only pro athlete to befriend a troubled young person and exchange cell phone numbers, but it's just nice to see athletes go out of their way to relate to other people on a human level. As much as it pains me to say it, Rick Reiley, gulp, wrote a really nice column on it. Ok, there, I said it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6120346
Between this and hugging Aaron Rodgers after the Packers-Eagles game, I think I'm getting ready to forgive.
The Bad:
*Hockey Alert* -- humor me.
On Friday night, the Penguins and Islanders combined for 65 penalties, 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections and 15 fighting majors. It was an all-out melee and the Islanders revealed themselves as the joke of a team anyone who follows hockey knows them to be.
They are bad, and that's not a biased opinion. They have the third fewest points in the NHL, can't pay people to take to their games, and if there is a God will be moving to Quebec soon.
I will admit, as I was trying to explain hockey fights to KB last night, I realized how much I sounded like a 12 year old trying to explain protocol in a WWF slam-fest. "You can't just grab a chair out of the stands, you have to tell the opponent you're grabbing the chair so he has time to prepare..."
But as dumb as it may sound to those who don't follow hockey, there is protocol, decency and order in the way fights and retaliation are handled. And the Islanders treatment of the whole ordeal made Hulk Hogan look like Gandhi.
Probably the most ridiculous part of hockey fights is the length of time retaliatory actions last. It goes something like "he hit me, so next time I hit him and then he hits me for hitting him for hitting me, etc."
In this case, on February 2, Max Talbot layed what the Islanders thought was a dirty hit on Blake Comeau. 10 seconds before the end of the game, Islanders goal Rick DiPietro took a jab at Matt Cooke as he skated by. Unhappy with that, Pens goalie Brent Johnson called DiPietro out and the two fought at center ice. Johnson absolutely clocked DiPietro landing a single punch square on his face. He shattered DiPietro's cheek and he'll miss at least a month.
The aftermath of that game is what sparked this fiasco. The Islanders, pissed about Comeau, DiPietro, having only 46 points and even fewer fans, were ready to erupt on the Pens. A 6-0 start to the game just made it the right time.
Now back to the WWF. If you want to retaliate, fine. It's part of the game. Just like hitting a batter in baseball or throwing behind a guy. But do it the right way. Hit him hard when he's coming head on across the ice. Check him hard into the glass. Challenge him to fight. This is all fine.
But don't sucker-punch a guy from behind when he's completely defenseless. It's cowardly. Don't cross check him up around his head when his back is turned. Don't go fight the goalie AFTER you've been ejected. And don't stand behind the glass on the way to the locker room and taunt a hurt player while he's lying on the ice being tended to by the medical staff.
It's weak, classes and cowardly. It makes you, your team and the whole freaking sport look barbarian, pointless and sad.
The Annoying:
Here's to hoping Albert Pujols signs a new contract with the Cardinals in the next 23 hours.
It seems to me like ever since the first Brett Farve melodrama a few years back more and more of sports news is being dominated by contract negotiations, free agency, holdouts and trade rumors. Look at Lebron, Farve, Cromartie and now Carmelo. Each dominated headlines during their time of indecision.
All of these athletes always say, "I don't want this to be a distraction." Well, it is a distraction -- it's distracting me from seeing actual athletic competition on ESPN.
It's naive for them to think that putting their contract negotiations on hold during the season is going to create less distraction. If anything, it creates more.
It distracts the media and the fans and ownership. If the Cardinals don't get this deal done before Wednesday, the entire baseball world will be wondering, writing and shock-jocking about whether or not this is Pujols' last season in St. Louis. Every time he goes 0-4, someone is going to write a column on how his attempt to keep his contract status separate from his play has failed. Not to mention the fact that all of St. Louis will be freaking out if the Cardinals have a sub-par year and just one writer drops the headline, "MLB Source: Pujols Says Winning More World Series Titles is Highest Priority."
I love Pujols. He's an incredible player and more importantly, one of the least dramatic elite athletes in sports today (until now at least). I don't want to see his name thrown around over the next six months like it was Farve's and Lebron's. I don't want to see a huge countdown to free agency and read reports of all the mystery teams courting Pujols during the Winter Meetings. I don't want to see Cardinals fans burning Pujols jerseys, filming YouTube rants and hijacking the Clydesdale Budweiser carriages and rampaging through the streets of St. Louis when he signs a deal with the Cubs. I don't want to see any of this.
My dad is a man with incredible baseball foresight and about 6 years ago he said, "Watch this guy, Pujols. He could go on to become the greatest player ever." And wouldn't you know it, he's right on track. He's 31 now and if he plays till he's 41, he could have 800 HR, well over 3,000 hits and a .330 career batting average.
If I'm the Cardinals, I give the man everything he wants and then 10% more. I give him the key to the city. I convert the St. Louis Arch into a giant swing set and give it to his children. I give him anything. A-ny-thin-g.
A summer of rumors, indecision and anxious fans is only going to lead to three things:
1. Too much Skip Bayless
2. Too much Colin Cowherd
3. The very distraction that everyone says they want to avoid.
Like many a Cal fan, I have a complicated relationship with DeSean Jackson. On one hand, he took my breath away more than any other athlete I've seen perform in person. His punt return against Tennessee in 2007 was one of the most unbelievable sports moments of my life. Never before had I been in a stadium with 70,000 other people all thinking and wanting the exact same thing as me:
"Man, wouldn't it be freaking sweet if he returned this punt for a TD right now.
Yeah, but everyone is expecting it. It'll never happen.
........
Holy crap, it just happened."
Considering the amount of publicity DeSean got before the season as the most "electric player in the country," a punt return TD on his first touch was almost too perfect to ask for. Like I said about the Duke-Butler game, rarely do sports work out 100% perfectly, just the way you would dream it up. This was one of those moments:
On the other hand, DeSean comes across as kind of a punk. He show boats, hot dogs, and whatever other terms you use to describe someone walking backwards into an endzone. He waves the ball behind him before crossing the goal line and does backflips. More than all of that though, he reps Long Beach Poly instead of Cal and that really irks me. If you don't like his arrogance on the football field, stop him. But the Long Beach Poly plug just always made it feel like he turned his back on Cal, which, after all, is the only reason any of us Alums give a hoot about him.
But it seems DeSean may have helped redeem himself in my eyes and the eyes of many others after a pretty touching show of compassion toward a boy who'd been bullied outside Philly.
I know he's not the only pro athlete to befriend a troubled young person and exchange cell phone numbers, but it's just nice to see athletes go out of their way to relate to other people on a human level. As much as it pains me to say it, Rick Reiley, gulp, wrote a really nice column on it. Ok, there, I said it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6120346
Between this and hugging Aaron Rodgers after the Packers-Eagles game, I think I'm getting ready to forgive.
The Bad:
*Hockey Alert* -- humor me.
On Friday night, the Penguins and Islanders combined for 65 penalties, 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections and 15 fighting majors. It was an all-out melee and the Islanders revealed themselves as the joke of a team anyone who follows hockey knows them to be.
They are bad, and that's not a biased opinion. They have the third fewest points in the NHL, can't pay people to take to their games, and if there is a God will be moving to Quebec soon.
I will admit, as I was trying to explain hockey fights to KB last night, I realized how much I sounded like a 12 year old trying to explain protocol in a WWF slam-fest. "You can't just grab a chair out of the stands, you have to tell the opponent you're grabbing the chair so he has time to prepare..."
But as dumb as it may sound to those who don't follow hockey, there is protocol, decency and order in the way fights and retaliation are handled. And the Islanders treatment of the whole ordeal made Hulk Hogan look like Gandhi.
Probably the most ridiculous part of hockey fights is the length of time retaliatory actions last. It goes something like "he hit me, so next time I hit him and then he hits me for hitting him for hitting me, etc."
In this case, on February 2, Max Talbot layed what the Islanders thought was a dirty hit on Blake Comeau. 10 seconds before the end of the game, Islanders goal Rick DiPietro took a jab at Matt Cooke as he skated by. Unhappy with that, Pens goalie Brent Johnson called DiPietro out and the two fought at center ice. Johnson absolutely clocked DiPietro landing a single punch square on his face. He shattered DiPietro's cheek and he'll miss at least a month.
The aftermath of that game is what sparked this fiasco. The Islanders, pissed about Comeau, DiPietro, having only 46 points and even fewer fans, were ready to erupt on the Pens. A 6-0 start to the game just made it the right time.
Now back to the WWF. If you want to retaliate, fine. It's part of the game. Just like hitting a batter in baseball or throwing behind a guy. But do it the right way. Hit him hard when he's coming head on across the ice. Check him hard into the glass. Challenge him to fight. This is all fine.
But don't sucker-punch a guy from behind when he's completely defenseless. It's cowardly. Don't cross check him up around his head when his back is turned. Don't go fight the goalie AFTER you've been ejected. And don't stand behind the glass on the way to the locker room and taunt a hurt player while he's lying on the ice being tended to by the medical staff.
It's weak, classes and cowardly. It makes you, your team and the whole freaking sport look barbarian, pointless and sad.
The Annoying:
Here's to hoping Albert Pujols signs a new contract with the Cardinals in the next 23 hours.
It seems to me like ever since the first Brett Farve melodrama a few years back more and more of sports news is being dominated by contract negotiations, free agency, holdouts and trade rumors. Look at Lebron, Farve, Cromartie and now Carmelo. Each dominated headlines during their time of indecision.
All of these athletes always say, "I don't want this to be a distraction." Well, it is a distraction -- it's distracting me from seeing actual athletic competition on ESPN.
It's naive for them to think that putting their contract negotiations on hold during the season is going to create less distraction. If anything, it creates more.
It distracts the media and the fans and ownership. If the Cardinals don't get this deal done before Wednesday, the entire baseball world will be wondering, writing and shock-jocking about whether or not this is Pujols' last season in St. Louis. Every time he goes 0-4, someone is going to write a column on how his attempt to keep his contract status separate from his play has failed. Not to mention the fact that all of St. Louis will be freaking out if the Cardinals have a sub-par year and just one writer drops the headline, "MLB Source: Pujols Says Winning More World Series Titles is Highest Priority."
I love Pujols. He's an incredible player and more importantly, one of the least dramatic elite athletes in sports today (until now at least). I don't want to see his name thrown around over the next six months like it was Farve's and Lebron's. I don't want to see a huge countdown to free agency and read reports of all the mystery teams courting Pujols during the Winter Meetings. I don't want to see Cardinals fans burning Pujols jerseys, filming YouTube rants and hijacking the Clydesdale Budweiser carriages and rampaging through the streets of St. Louis when he signs a deal with the Cubs. I don't want to see any of this.
My dad is a man with incredible baseball foresight and about 6 years ago he said, "Watch this guy, Pujols. He could go on to become the greatest player ever." And wouldn't you know it, he's right on track. He's 31 now and if he plays till he's 41, he could have 800 HR, well over 3,000 hits and a .330 career batting average.
If I'm the Cardinals, I give the man everything he wants and then 10% more. I give him the key to the city. I convert the St. Louis Arch into a giant swing set and give it to his children. I give him anything. A-ny-thin-g.
A summer of rumors, indecision and anxious fans is only going to lead to three things:
1. Too much Skip Bayless
2. Too much Colin Cowherd
3. The very distraction that everyone says they want to avoid.
Monday, February 14, 2011
This Day In History
February 14, 2009. A day Cal fans will never forget. After falling behind 22, the Bears defeated the Cardinal, 82-75. Randle and Christopher led the Bears all the way back, and Gutierrez had his coming out party. Look out for my quick cameo!
MLB Preview: Houston Astros
The Houston Astros were the second to last pick in our Team Draft, behind teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. They're not what you would call, at this point, an exciting team.
Like the Orioles, relevance is something they have struggled to find over the last few years. In a division featuring marquee franchises like the Cardinals and Cubs, the Astros are easy to miss. The upstart Reds now appear to be building a perennial contender and the Brewers, having signed Grienke, seem serious about winning.
And thanks to those pesky Pirates, they can't even be the best at losing! Jeez!
It's hard to believe the Astros won an NL Pennant as recently as 2005. But the days of Biggio and Bagwell are long gone. Their two most recent stars, Berkman and Oswalt, are with other clubs. Without a real marquee position player or pitcher to build around (except maybe Carlos Lee, who's 34 years old), the Astros are faced with the difficult task of rebuilding their entire franchise. Oh yeah, and the team is for sale.
The Astos started last last season 0-6 and were never over .500 once the entire season. They were, however, able to post a respectable 40-33 record in the second half and finish ten games below .500 at 76-86.
The 'Stros do have some talent. . Outfielders Carlos Lee (24HR/89RBI), Hunter Pence (25HR/91RBI) and Michael Bourn (52 SB) are all good players if not super stars. Pitchers Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers each had 11+ Wins and an ERA under 3.65 in 2010 (which is about 10 wins higher and 3 points lower than any Pirates pitcher). Despite the fact that the last two names in their rotation are Norris and Figueroa (who?!), the Astros had as many quality starts last year (95) as your World Champion San Francisco Giants. Seriously, look it up.
So all is not lost. The discouraging news is that the Astros were unable to do much of anything to upgrade their team this off-season. They signed Clint Barmes and Bill Hall, both decent players, but did not exactly construct a lineup opposing teams will fear. Their passive offseason may be more evidence of the team preparing to undergo a complete overhaul. Did I mention they're for sale?
Here is the Astros expected opening day starting roster:
C: Jason Castro
1B: Brett Wallace
2B: Bill Hall
SS: Clint Barmes
3B: Chris Johnson (not of the Tennessee Titans)
LF: Carlos Lee
CF: Michael Bourn
RF: Hunter Pence
P1: Wandy Rodriguez
P2: Brett Myers
P3: J.A. Happ
P4: Bud Norris
P5: Nelson Figueroa
Cl: Brandon Lyon
Best Case Scenario:
Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence both have monster seasons and stay off the DL. Michael Bourn steals 70 bases. Rodriguez, Myers and Happ all have 14+ win seasons and form one of the more underrated pitching trios in the league. Castro, Wallace and Johnson do something so that more than 12 people know who they are. The Cardinals fail to sign Albert Pujols before the season starts causing drama and distraction in St. Louis. The Cubs, Brewers and Pirates all sink below .500 early on and stay there. The Astros hang with the Reds for the division lead until mid-August when the Astros fall away. They finish the season with 85 wins, miss the playoffs but have something to build on. The team is sold to a local buyer committed to keeping the team in Houston.
Worst Case Scenario:
Carlos Lee's batting average falls from .241 to .141. Sick of people assuming he has a speech impediment, Wandy Rodriguez changes his first name to Randy only to go 0-5 in his first 7 seven starts with a 6.50 ERA and lands himself on the 60 day DL. Castro, Wallace and Johnson reveal themselves to not be big-league baseball players at all, but instead members of the witness protection program. No one notices. By the All-Star Break the Astros as 20 game below .500 and a local buyer walks away from a potential deal to buy the team and keep the team in Houston. Russian zillionaire Mikhail Prokhorov steps in and begins talks with Commissioner Bud Selig to buy the team and move it to Stalingrad. Carlos Lee's batting average falls from .141 to .041. The Pirates shock the world and finish in 5th place, forcing the Astros to the very bottom of the NL Central.
Like the Orioles, relevance is something they have struggled to find over the last few years. In a division featuring marquee franchises like the Cardinals and Cubs, the Astros are easy to miss. The upstart Reds now appear to be building a perennial contender and the Brewers, having signed Grienke, seem serious about winning.
And thanks to those pesky Pirates, they can't even be the best at losing! Jeez!
It's hard to believe the Astros won an NL Pennant as recently as 2005. But the days of Biggio and Bagwell are long gone. Their two most recent stars, Berkman and Oswalt, are with other clubs. Without a real marquee position player or pitcher to build around (except maybe Carlos Lee, who's 34 years old), the Astros are faced with the difficult task of rebuilding their entire franchise. Oh yeah, and the team is for sale.
The Astos started last last season 0-6 and were never over .500 once the entire season. They were, however, able to post a respectable 40-33 record in the second half and finish ten games below .500 at 76-86.
The 'Stros do have some talent. . Outfielders Carlos Lee (24HR/89RBI), Hunter Pence (25HR/91RBI) and Michael Bourn (52 SB) are all good players if not super stars. Pitchers Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers each had 11+ Wins and an ERA under 3.65 in 2010 (which is about 10 wins higher and 3 points lower than any Pirates pitcher). Despite the fact that the last two names in their rotation are Norris and Figueroa (who?!), the Astros had as many quality starts last year (95) as your World Champion San Francisco Giants. Seriously, look it up.
So all is not lost. The discouraging news is that the Astros were unable to do much of anything to upgrade their team this off-season. They signed Clint Barmes and Bill Hall, both decent players, but did not exactly construct a lineup opposing teams will fear. Their passive offseason may be more evidence of the team preparing to undergo a complete overhaul. Did I mention they're for sale?
Here is the Astros expected opening day starting roster:
C: Jason Castro
1B: Brett Wallace
2B: Bill Hall
SS: Clint Barmes
3B: Chris Johnson (not of the Tennessee Titans)
LF: Carlos Lee
CF: Michael Bourn
RF: Hunter Pence
P1: Wandy Rodriguez
P2: Brett Myers
P3: J.A. Happ
P4: Bud Norris
P5: Nelson Figueroa
Cl: Brandon Lyon
Best Case Scenario:
Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence both have monster seasons and stay off the DL. Michael Bourn steals 70 bases. Rodriguez, Myers and Happ all have 14+ win seasons and form one of the more underrated pitching trios in the league. Castro, Wallace and Johnson do something so that more than 12 people know who they are. The Cardinals fail to sign Albert Pujols before the season starts causing drama and distraction in St. Louis. The Cubs, Brewers and Pirates all sink below .500 early on and stay there. The Astros hang with the Reds for the division lead until mid-August when the Astros fall away. They finish the season with 85 wins, miss the playoffs but have something to build on. The team is sold to a local buyer committed to keeping the team in Houston.
Worst Case Scenario:
Carlos Lee's batting average falls from .241 to .141. Sick of people assuming he has a speech impediment, Wandy Rodriguez changes his first name to Randy only to go 0-5 in his first 7 seven starts with a 6.50 ERA and lands himself on the 60 day DL. Castro, Wallace and Johnson reveal themselves to not be big-league baseball players at all, but instead members of the witness protection program. No one notices. By the All-Star Break the Astros as 20 game below .500 and a local buyer walks away from a potential deal to buy the team and keep the team in Houston. Russian zillionaire Mikhail Prokhorov steps in and begins talks with Commissioner Bud Selig to buy the team and move it to Stalingrad. Carlos Lee's batting average falls from .141 to .041. The Pirates shock the world and finish in 5th place, forcing the Astros to the very bottom of the NL Central.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Baseball is Dead, Part 2...
The man has a solid point. I wanted to flesh out why it is that it seems our youth seem to have stopped playing as much baseball.
Soccer is a simple game. It's easy to learn. There are few rules. Anyone can learn it in little time, and be halfway decent at it. There is constant action. So, as a player, it's hard to get bored.
Baseball is kind of the opposite. Rules can be a little bit complicated. A fair amount of hand-eye coordination is necessary. There are breaks between every action. Outfielders tend to begin picking dandelions.
So why did 8-year-olds of the fifties love it while 8-year-olds of today complain and play soccer?
I blame the media. It's easy to blame the media. OK, it's not really the media. It's all of society's fault. We all have much shorter attention spans. You skip songs on an iPod with a touch. Before, you had to get the needle in that correct spot... it was easier to just listen to the record. And no, you couldn't carry it with you.
Kids today seem to have shorter and shorter time spans. Back then... no/little tv, no electronics, no instant gratification. They stayed outside, and baseball diamonds were always busy.
You also need a largish group to play baseball, kids don't flock like that anymore. Parents set play dates. Kids play indoors or only in supervised activities, they don't run around downtown all day. Soccer requires two people to play, one ball, not much other equipment. Why work at something?
Kids reflect their parents. And adults these days only want the instant gratification. This is how it works with soccer and baseball. They are instantly competent at soccer, while baseball takes a bit of time to learn. They're used to watching DragonBall with images and action constantly flashing at them. The strolling pace of baseball doesn't always agree.
Do us a favor America. Appreciate baseball. It's the national pastime. It's beautiful.
Soccer is not a bad game. It's actually pretty fun. I understand it's popularity. I'm glad it is at the university. It's just a sad day when a sport like baseball, with it's rich American history, is pushed out, when soccer remains.
Soccer is a simple game. It's easy to learn. There are few rules. Anyone can learn it in little time, and be halfway decent at it. There is constant action. So, as a player, it's hard to get bored.
Baseball is kind of the opposite. Rules can be a little bit complicated. A fair amount of hand-eye coordination is necessary. There are breaks between every action. Outfielders tend to begin picking dandelions.
So why did 8-year-olds of the fifties love it while 8-year-olds of today complain and play soccer?
I blame the media. It's easy to blame the media. OK, it's not really the media. It's all of society's fault. We all have much shorter attention spans. You skip songs on an iPod with a touch. Before, you had to get the needle in that correct spot... it was easier to just listen to the record. And no, you couldn't carry it with you.
Kids today seem to have shorter and shorter time spans. Back then... no/little tv, no electronics, no instant gratification. They stayed outside, and baseball diamonds were always busy.
You also need a largish group to play baseball, kids don't flock like that anymore. Parents set play dates. Kids play indoors or only in supervised activities, they don't run around downtown all day. Soccer requires two people to play, one ball, not much other equipment. Why work at something?
Kids reflect their parents. And adults these days only want the instant gratification. This is how it works with soccer and baseball. They are instantly competent at soccer, while baseball takes a bit of time to learn. They're used to watching DragonBall with images and action constantly flashing at them. The strolling pace of baseball doesn't always agree.
Do us a favor America. Appreciate baseball. It's the national pastime. It's beautiful.
Soccer is not a bad game. It's actually pretty fun. I understand it's popularity. I'm glad it is at the university. It's just a sad day when a sport like baseball, with it's rich American history, is pushed out, when soccer remains.
Baseball is Dead
The entire world watched this morning, anxiously awaiting the biggest development in what has become one of the most dramatic revolutions in recent memory.
Protesters had been filling to streets demanding swift and decisive change, but until now remained unsatisfied.
The news broke to cheers and shouts: Cal Athletics is reinstating Women's Lacrosse, Women's Gymnastics and Men's Rugby. Cal Baseball was not so fortunate.
Now I'm not going to sit here and lambast Cal Athletics for this decision. They're in a tough spot. Nobody in this state has any money. I'm sure you could point fingers at the way the Athletic Department has spent money in the last decade and how it's been spending more than it's been bringing in. But the moral of the story is, if the State had enough money to give to Cal, we wouldn't be having this or a lot of the other problems this great university is facing.
In addition to having no money, the Athletic Department has to comply with Title IX, try, attempt to satisfy numerous monocle-wearing donors trying to tell them how to do things, and consider which sports actually bring in money.
Cal Football, Men's and Women's basketball and Women's Volleyball are the only sports at this school that bring in enough revenue to pay for themselves. In fact, their revenue pays for everyone else too.
It makes sense, then, that a sport like baseball, which both costs a lot to maintain and brings in very little revenue, would get the axe.
I'm not going to sit here and say that I was an ardent supporter from Day 1, attended all their games and donated to save the program. I did attend a game, once. And that was mainly just because Eric was doing the PA and he told me that if I came, he'd play a special song for me during an inning break. He did. It was The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." And it was beautiful.
It's just sad that baseball, America's pastime and one of Cal's first sports, is no more.
Baseball's beauty is in its longevity, its consistency. Plus or minus things like the DH, baseball has been the same for 150 years. Equipment has changed, sure, as has strategy like the use of relief pitchers. But three stikes have always made an out. And three outs an inning.
More than any other sport, those who play baseball are indelibly linked to those who played before them, dating all the way back to Abner Doubleday. Thus, it's sad when that chain is broken.
More than anything, I think this just reinforces fears that baseball in America is slowly dying. We already have the statistics that show the number of American born players in the Major Leagues is rapidly declining. The even more dramatic drop in African American baseball players has been well documented. Football and Basketball, being much more flashy and marketable, are attracting a lot more young American athletes.
But the real issue comes down to my arch nemesis. You know what I'm talking about. When you drive by fields on Saturday afternoons, what are scores of little kids playing? No, not baseball.
Soccer.
I understand soccer's place in the world. It's the most popular sport in the world. It's important and stuff.
But when it comes to seeing my university keep its soccer team over its baseball team, it's sad. I realize soccer is a lot cheaper to maintain due to the overwhelming amount of equipment required for a baseball team. And I also realize that soccer has also had much more success in recent years than Cal Baseball.
But at the risk of sounding like an absolute moron, this isn't Europe. Jeff Kent is one of the greatest offensive second basemen of all time. He's a Cal Bear. So are Xavier Nady, Conor Jackson and Brandon Morrow. And it's just wild to think that in 50, heck 5, years, when kids go outside to a grassy field on a sunny summer day, they're going to play soccer, not baseball. That is, assuming they're not inside playing Call of Duty 7 on some Xbox 4D that attaches to your retina.
I realize this is a battle I cannot win. More and more kids are going to keep playing soccer. More and more kids are going to use the b-word to describe baseball: boring.
But it's a big day in this losing battle. A big time university program has eliminated its baseball team altogether. The sport which gave us the Stanford Axe has now fell victim to it.
I suppose we can only hope that the Chinese are big baseball fans.
MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles have not been "good" for quite awhile now. We all know that. I blame Tony Tarasco.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=3345251
I lied. I blame Derek Jeter, aka, the worst human being on the face of the earth.
Anyway, presenting your 2011 Baltimore Orioles.
C Matt Wieters
1B Derrek Lee
2B Brian Roberts
3B Mark Reynolds
SS JJ Hardy
LF Luke Scott
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
DH Vladimir Guerrero
SP Jeremy Guthrie
SP Brian Matusz
SP Justin Duchscherer
SP Jake Arrieta
SP Brad Bergesen
RP Koji Uehara
RP Kevin Gregg
Key players: Felix Pie, Nolan Reimold, Cesar Izturis
Well, its official, the Orioles have retooled, and have a lineup that has some dangerous potential. Jones (.284, 19 HR, 69 RBI), Markakis (.297, 12 HR, 60 RBI), and Wieters(.249, 11 HR, 55 RBI), provide a nice nucleus of talent. All three had poor showings in 2010, but could easily turn it around. Hardy (.268, 6 HR, 38 RBI) and Roberts (.278, 4 HR, 15 RBI) are solid veterans in the middle infield, and I think Roberts is one of the most underrated second basemen in the majors. Scott (.284, 27 HR, 72 RBI) had a monster second half in 2010, but can the gun enthusiast keep it up?
Then, they went out and spent some money. Guerrero (.300, 29 HR, 115 RBI), Lee (.260, 19 HR, 80 RBI), and Reynolds (.198, 32 HR, 85 RBI) are three big bats with which the Orioles hope to reshape the lineup and take the pressure off the younger guys. I dislike Mark Reynolds, he strikes out way too much. Guerrero and Lee have to stay healthy. The Orioles were 11th in the league in sluggling last year, 10th in home runs, and 13th in RBIs.... this should help. They were also 8th in average, and Reynolds will not help things.
The major issue with the Orioles is that the pitching will have to be there all season for them to be competitive. Guthrie (11-14, 3.83) was mostly effective last year, but after that, there are a lot of young guys who are unproven. Matusz (10-12, 4.30) and Arrieta(6-6, 4.18) and Bergesen (8-12, 4.98) and Tillman (2-5, 5.87) have potential, but have not quite yet proven it. Duchscherer needs to show he can be healthy. Take a gander at all of those stats..... they aren't "good". But, all those guys are young and could very much improve with the extra year of experience under their belts.
Best case scenario:
The lineup gels and becomes one of the best in baseball. After initially struggling, the starting rotation finds consistency. Arrieta and Matusz prove they belong in the majors. Duchscherer stays healthy and has another All-Star season. Uehara, Gregg, and Gonzalez combine to be a strong bullpen. They play strong the entire season, and are one of the main reasons that the Wildcard does not come from the east, as the Yankees and Orioles finish just behind the Sawks. The Orioles build some momentum and become a relevant team once again.
Worst case scenario:
Age and youth without much proven in between fails miserably. Guerrero and Lee go down hurt. Reynolds strikes out enough to set a new single season record and creates enough windpower to fuel Baltimore for a month. Wieters and Jones continue to struggle. Angelos reminds everyone how beautiful Camden Yards is, but still no one comes. After 3 Cy Young caliber starts, Duchscherer hurts his hip again. The rest of the youthful rotation struggle to last in games, tiring out the bullpen as the Orioles fall 20 games under .500 by the break. Guerrero and Lee get traded to the Tigers and Cubs, respectively. Markakis is shipped to the Angels, who desperately need another outfielder after Wells, Abreu, and Hunter all have to check into the nursing ward. The Orioles then fall into obscurity once again, with AA pitcher after AA pitcher getting swatted by professional teams.
There you have it. Stay tuned for the Astros
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=3345251
I lied. I blame Derek Jeter, aka, the worst human being on the face of the earth.
Anyway, presenting your 2011 Baltimore Orioles.
C Matt Wieters
1B Derrek Lee
2B Brian Roberts
3B Mark Reynolds
SS JJ Hardy
LF Luke Scott
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
DH Vladimir Guerrero
SP Jeremy Guthrie
SP Brian Matusz
SP Justin Duchscherer
SP Jake Arrieta
SP Brad Bergesen
RP Koji Uehara
RP Kevin Gregg
Key players: Felix Pie, Nolan Reimold, Cesar Izturis
Well, its official, the Orioles have retooled, and have a lineup that has some dangerous potential. Jones (.284, 19 HR, 69 RBI), Markakis (.297, 12 HR, 60 RBI), and Wieters(.249, 11 HR, 55 RBI), provide a nice nucleus of talent. All three had poor showings in 2010, but could easily turn it around. Hardy (.268, 6 HR, 38 RBI) and Roberts (.278, 4 HR, 15 RBI) are solid veterans in the middle infield, and I think Roberts is one of the most underrated second basemen in the majors. Scott (.284, 27 HR, 72 RBI) had a monster second half in 2010, but can the gun enthusiast keep it up?
Then, they went out and spent some money. Guerrero (.300, 29 HR, 115 RBI), Lee (.260, 19 HR, 80 RBI), and Reynolds (.198, 32 HR, 85 RBI) are three big bats with which the Orioles hope to reshape the lineup and take the pressure off the younger guys. I dislike Mark Reynolds, he strikes out way too much. Guerrero and Lee have to stay healthy. The Orioles were 11th in the league in sluggling last year, 10th in home runs, and 13th in RBIs.... this should help. They were also 8th in average, and Reynolds will not help things.
The major issue with the Orioles is that the pitching will have to be there all season for them to be competitive. Guthrie (11-14, 3.83) was mostly effective last year, but after that, there are a lot of young guys who are unproven. Matusz (10-12, 4.30) and Arrieta(6-6, 4.18) and Bergesen (8-12, 4.98) and Tillman (2-5, 5.87) have potential, but have not quite yet proven it. Duchscherer needs to show he can be healthy. Take a gander at all of those stats..... they aren't "good". But, all those guys are young and could very much improve with the extra year of experience under their belts.
Best case scenario:
The lineup gels and becomes one of the best in baseball. After initially struggling, the starting rotation finds consistency. Arrieta and Matusz prove they belong in the majors. Duchscherer stays healthy and has another All-Star season. Uehara, Gregg, and Gonzalez combine to be a strong bullpen. They play strong the entire season, and are one of the main reasons that the Wildcard does not come from the east, as the Yankees and Orioles finish just behind the Sawks. The Orioles build some momentum and become a relevant team once again.
Worst case scenario:
Age and youth without much proven in between fails miserably. Guerrero and Lee go down hurt. Reynolds strikes out enough to set a new single season record and creates enough windpower to fuel Baltimore for a month. Wieters and Jones continue to struggle. Angelos reminds everyone how beautiful Camden Yards is, but still no one comes. After 3 Cy Young caliber starts, Duchscherer hurts his hip again. The rest of the youthful rotation struggle to last in games, tiring out the bullpen as the Orioles fall 20 games under .500 by the break. Guerrero and Lee get traded to the Tigers and Cubs, respectively. Markakis is shipped to the Angels, who desperately need another outfielder after Wells, Abreu, and Hunter all have to check into the nursing ward. The Orioles then fall into obscurity once again, with AA pitcher after AA pitcher getting swatted by professional teams.
There you have it. Stay tuned for the Astros
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Giants Ticket Iron Still Hot / 30 for 30 MLB Countdown
To my knowledge, there is only one thing that can cheer a person up after their team falls just short of greatness.
Ok, three. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is one. Dogs are another (but please, not like this).
But the one I'm thinking of is jumping on tickets to a sporting event early, paying a ridiculously cheap price and watching remaining tickets soar to 3 times what you paid.
Maybe it's just me, but finding a great deal on tickets is one of the small but meaningful victories we peons can get against the Man. The Man is smart. That's how he became the Man, after all.
The Man thinks, "Hmm, what are the two most sought after games of the year? Why, Opening Day and Opening Night of course!"
"Now, what if we make it so that in order to purchase tickets to these games, customers also have to commit to paying full face value price for mid-week night games against crappy opponents, despite the fact that they could quite literally get the same ticket on StubHub for $5! Hurumph Hurmph Hurmph!!"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, "The Six Pack" ticket package.
Now by no means am I knocking the Giants. It's a great business strategy. People will pay it, especially the year after winning the World Series. But it forces the nimble foxes of the ticket world to find other means.
A few posts ago I tried to spread the word on great deals on StubHub. Hopefully you jumped into action because prices are already steadily increasing now that single-game tickets went on sale. For example, I got 4 upper deck tickets to Opening Night for $33 a piece on StubHub. Today, the cheapest ticket to that game on StubHub is $99!
Of course, you could always just go buy a six pack, get Opening Night tickets for $80 (and pay $35 per ticket to see the Giants play the Arizona Diamondbacks, Florida Marlins and the Cal Intramural Baseball Club).
So I say again, strike while the Iron is hot! Tickets to the Phillies series in August are still only $15-$25 per ticket. Come August, the cheapest seat to those games will be at least $40. Same goes for the first Dodgers Series and A's tickets. I know it's scary making purchases for games so far in the future. So much could happen between now and then, like the Earth ending (says that guy in Oakland) or worse, the Giants falling out of contention. But in the long run, it's worth it.
----
In case you couldn't tell, Eric and I are getting very excited for the upcoming baseball season.
In an effort to both enlighten our loyal readers on the happenings of each Major League Team and to sharpen our collective baseball wit, we are hosting our own 30 for 30 countdown in which we'll preview each of the 30 Major League Baseball Teams in 30 posts between the start of Spring Training and Opening Day. We will discuss each team's off-season happenings, expectations for the coming season and our own predictions for their results.
A few weeks back Eric and I held a draft in which we selected which teams we would each cover. Here were the results:
It's easy to tell from our draft results where our allegiances lie. Eric has all but two AL teams, while I have all but two NL teams.
We'll be counting down from Round 15 to Round 1, so you'll have to sit tight for your Giants and A's previews. But in the meantime, you'll get some quick hits on each team's competition for the 2011 campaign.
So stay tuned for Eric's write up on the Orioles coming soon. I'll start off by tackling the Astros.
Ok, three. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is one. Dogs are another (but please, not like this).
But the one I'm thinking of is jumping on tickets to a sporting event early, paying a ridiculously cheap price and watching remaining tickets soar to 3 times what you paid.
Maybe it's just me, but finding a great deal on tickets is one of the small but meaningful victories we peons can get against the Man. The Man is smart. That's how he became the Man, after all.
The Man thinks, "Hmm, what are the two most sought after games of the year? Why, Opening Day and Opening Night of course!"
"Now, what if we make it so that in order to purchase tickets to these games, customers also have to commit to paying full face value price for mid-week night games against crappy opponents, despite the fact that they could quite literally get the same ticket on StubHub for $5! Hurumph Hurmph Hurmph!!"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, "The Six Pack" ticket package.
Now by no means am I knocking the Giants. It's a great business strategy. People will pay it, especially the year after winning the World Series. But it forces the nimble foxes of the ticket world to find other means.
A few posts ago I tried to spread the word on great deals on StubHub. Hopefully you jumped into action because prices are already steadily increasing now that single-game tickets went on sale. For example, I got 4 upper deck tickets to Opening Night for $33 a piece on StubHub. Today, the cheapest ticket to that game on StubHub is $99!
Of course, you could always just go buy a six pack, get Opening Night tickets for $80 (and pay $35 per ticket to see the Giants play the Arizona Diamondbacks, Florida Marlins and the Cal Intramural Baseball Club).
So I say again, strike while the Iron is hot! Tickets to the Phillies series in August are still only $15-$25 per ticket. Come August, the cheapest seat to those games will be at least $40. Same goes for the first Dodgers Series and A's tickets. I know it's scary making purchases for games so far in the future. So much could happen between now and then, like the Earth ending (says that guy in Oakland) or worse, the Giants falling out of contention. But in the long run, it's worth it.
----
In case you couldn't tell, Eric and I are getting very excited for the upcoming baseball season.
In an effort to both enlighten our loyal readers on the happenings of each Major League Team and to sharpen our collective baseball wit, we are hosting our own 30 for 30 countdown in which we'll preview each of the 30 Major League Baseball Teams in 30 posts between the start of Spring Training and Opening Day. We will discuss each team's off-season happenings, expectations for the coming season and our own predictions for their results.
A few weeks back Eric and I held a draft in which we selected which teams we would each cover. Here were the results:
| Round | Eric | Frankie |
| 1 | A's | Giants |
| 2 | Yankees | Pirates |
| 3 | Red Sox | Phillies |
| 4 | Rangers | Dodgers |
| 5 | Angels | Rockies |
| 6 | Cubs | Cardinals |
| 7 | White Sox | Tigers |
| 8 | Reds | Braves |
| 9 | Indians | Twins |
| 10 | Rays | Mets |
| 11 | Mariners | Nationals |
| 12 | Jays | Padres |
| 13 | Brewers | D-backs |
| 14 | Royals | Marlins |
| 15 | Orioles | Astros |
It's easy to tell from our draft results where our allegiances lie. Eric has all but two AL teams, while I have all but two NL teams.
We'll be counting down from Round 15 to Round 1, so you'll have to sit tight for your Giants and A's previews. But in the meantime, you'll get some quick hits on each team's competition for the 2011 campaign.
So stay tuned for Eric's write up on the Orioles coming soon. I'll start off by tackling the Astros.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Big 4, and What Happened to the NBA
One of the major ideas when we started this blog was going to be an outlet for Frank and my sometimes riveting and enlightening conversations about sports and the sports world. Frank, genius that he is, brought up and interesting topic today, which kind of digressed into another, but hell, let's share both.
Frank's initial postulate: The LA Lakers are the only NBA team that dominate their city of all sports cities in the US that have more than one team.
The NBA, in past years, has become a largely irrelevant league. Yes, people still watch, but do you really think there are more Nuggets fans than Broncos fans? Even in Boston and New York, the Pats, Sawks, Giants, Jets, and Yankees are bigger than the Celtics and Knicks.
LA is the lone outlier, who does not have an NFL team. LA loves the Lakers. One might argue that they share the spotlight a little with the Dodgers, but really, Kobe is Los Angeles. Even in Miami, where they have three of the biggest names in baseball, the Dolphins are the bigger team. Well, let's discount Florida, do they really deserve teams? Let's be real. The NFL is dominating. There are few cities I would say baseball has a share of. New York and Boston, where their teams are national treasures; and Philly and SF, where their teams have been doing well.
Here's a recent poll showing what America's favorite sport is:
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2011/01/Jan-25/Ratings-and-Research/Harris-Poll.aspx
Some of it is what you might expect, with Football dominating, then Baseball and College Football following. But then look, auto racing over basketball? Who woulda thunk it? So what's up with the NBA? Why don't people care?
I think it's the Jordan plus lockout hangover. Has any star stepped up to be the nice guy the country can cheer for? No. Kobe, Lebron, Shaq, AI, Marbury, Melo, etc. A bunch of thugs. Basketball has become a bit of street ball over the past few years, and the populace hasn't responded.
I actually think things are looking up. I think that the NBA is poised for a bit of resurgeance. Durant, Granger, Howard, and others could be the answer. Lebron had a chance with the Cavs, where no one would disagree with them being bigger than the Indians or the Browns, but now they have quickly moved right back to record setting futility.
I believe, however, that there are two things standing in their way. MMA, and the NHL. I will not discuss MMA, because I am not a fan. But the NHL is growing.
Crosby, Ovechkin, Toews, and others are leading a movement that is beginning to grow interest in the sport right where The Great One left off.
Frank and I agree that Crosby is one of the most recognizable figures in sports right now, or at least more recognizable than any hockey player in a long time. Americans tuned in for the 2010 Olympic Hockey games. The Winter Classic is getting huge ratings.
In conclusion, NHL on the rise, NBA scrambling, NFL dominating, MLB just doing just fine. Go Bears!
Frank's initial postulate: The LA Lakers are the only NBA team that dominate their city of all sports cities in the US that have more than one team.
The NBA, in past years, has become a largely irrelevant league. Yes, people still watch, but do you really think there are more Nuggets fans than Broncos fans? Even in Boston and New York, the Pats, Sawks, Giants, Jets, and Yankees are bigger than the Celtics and Knicks.
LA is the lone outlier, who does not have an NFL team. LA loves the Lakers. One might argue that they share the spotlight a little with the Dodgers, but really, Kobe is Los Angeles. Even in Miami, where they have three of the biggest names in baseball, the Dolphins are the bigger team. Well, let's discount Florida, do they really deserve teams? Let's be real. The NFL is dominating. There are few cities I would say baseball has a share of. New York and Boston, where their teams are national treasures; and Philly and SF, where their teams have been doing well.
Here's a recent poll showing what America's favorite sport is:
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2011/01/Jan-25/Ratings-and-Research/Harris-Poll.aspx
Some of it is what you might expect, with Football dominating, then Baseball and College Football following. But then look, auto racing over basketball? Who woulda thunk it? So what's up with the NBA? Why don't people care?
I think it's the Jordan plus lockout hangover. Has any star stepped up to be the nice guy the country can cheer for? No. Kobe, Lebron, Shaq, AI, Marbury, Melo, etc. A bunch of thugs. Basketball has become a bit of street ball over the past few years, and the populace hasn't responded.
I actually think things are looking up. I think that the NBA is poised for a bit of resurgeance. Durant, Granger, Howard, and others could be the answer. Lebron had a chance with the Cavs, where no one would disagree with them being bigger than the Indians or the Browns, but now they have quickly moved right back to record setting futility.
I believe, however, that there are two things standing in their way. MMA, and the NHL. I will not discuss MMA, because I am not a fan. But the NHL is growing.
Crosby, Ovechkin, Toews, and others are leading a movement that is beginning to grow interest in the sport right where The Great One left off.
Frank and I agree that Crosby is one of the most recognizable figures in sports right now, or at least more recognizable than any hockey player in a long time. Americans tuned in for the 2010 Olympic Hockey games. The Winter Classic is getting huge ratings.
In conclusion, NHL on the rise, NBA scrambling, NFL dominating, MLB just doing just fine. Go Bears!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Super Bowl Recap: "The Whole World Knows You're a Loser"
Well, the original title for this blog was Damn it all to Hell. But a good night's sleep (during which I coincidentally dreamt about the Apocalypse) has calmed me down a bit. Here goes:
You can't lose the turnover battle 3-0 and expect to win the game. Period. Furthermore, you can't give up 21 points off turnovers, get none for yourself and expect to win the game.
The Steelers gave the Packers a Pick 6 and the ball at mid-field twice.
Of my two main keys to the game, the Steelers did a great job of protecting Ben Roethlisberger. He was sacked only once and generally given time to make the plays he needed to make. Doug Legursky's name was hardly mentioned, which is a huge credit to him. Where the Steelers failed was their inability to get enough pressure on Aaron Rodgers. They had only one sack and failed to ever fully disrupt Rodgers rhythm. More than anything, it was his receivers
Rodgers (and more so his receivers) weren't perfect, but the Steelers defense failed to force the issue at all during the game. They never hit Rodgers as he threw, they never tipped his passes, they never even got many clean hits on him after he threw the ball. Every mistake Rodgers made (and they were few) were mistakes he or his teammates made. It was a dropped pass or an overthrown ball. Rodgers maybe threw is a bit too hard or was just throwing it away. Not once did the Steelers force Rodgers into a mistake.
For that, the Packers O-Line deserves a ton of credit for giving Rodgers the time he needed. But more than anything, Rodgers himself deserves credit for knowing exactly how much time he had in the pocket and not allowing himself to make any big mistakes by holding the ball too long. He was aware of the pass rush at all times, and never let the Steelers defense force him into a bad decision.
And in spite of all of this, Ben still had the ball at his own 13, 1:59 to go and down 6 points. It was a dream scenario that I'm sure most Steelers fans would have gladly taken had they been offered before kick-off.
The fact that the Steelers had a drive to win the game was something of a miracle by itself, and Tomlin deserves credit for bringing them back out of their 18 point hole. But in the end, the defense was neutralized. We didn't hear the name Harrison, Polamalu, Hood or Woodley hardly at all. And that's a credit to the Packers. Eric pretty much nailed on the head. In a one-game series, it all comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes. And clearly, the Packers were the better team.
But that's sports. It produces the highest of highs and lowest of lows. And you being denied yours gives someone else theirs. That's the beauty of the thing and you have to respect it. For all of you true Packers fans out there, sincere congratulations. I know what it feels like when your team wins it all, and it's one of those euphoric feelings you'll never forget.
Thank goodness KTVU chose to broadcast a one-hour documentary on the Giants World Series an hour after the game ended. At least I was reminded of what that euphoria feels like.
Thankfully, KB was there to bring me back to reality.
KB: "I thought you said you didn't want the Steelers to take away from the Giants winning the World Series."
Me: "Ugh, that's just what losers say to make themselves feel better."
KB: "Well, you wrote that on your blog, so now the whole world knows you're a loser."
But not all is lost. I have half an Ike's sandwich in the fridge, one more disc of Modern Family to watch and 180 days of bliss just around the corner. Plus, Michael will always be there. So things are looking up...
You can't lose the turnover battle 3-0 and expect to win the game. Period. Furthermore, you can't give up 21 points off turnovers, get none for yourself and expect to win the game.
The Steelers gave the Packers a Pick 6 and the ball at mid-field twice.
Of my two main keys to the game, the Steelers did a great job of protecting Ben Roethlisberger. He was sacked only once and generally given time to make the plays he needed to make. Doug Legursky's name was hardly mentioned, which is a huge credit to him. Where the Steelers failed was their inability to get enough pressure on Aaron Rodgers. They had only one sack and failed to ever fully disrupt Rodgers rhythm. More than anything, it was his receivers
Rodgers (and more so his receivers) weren't perfect, but the Steelers defense failed to force the issue at all during the game. They never hit Rodgers as he threw, they never tipped his passes, they never even got many clean hits on him after he threw the ball. Every mistake Rodgers made (and they were few) were mistakes he or his teammates made. It was a dropped pass or an overthrown ball. Rodgers maybe threw is a bit too hard or was just throwing it away. Not once did the Steelers force Rodgers into a mistake.
For that, the Packers O-Line deserves a ton of credit for giving Rodgers the time he needed. But more than anything, Rodgers himself deserves credit for knowing exactly how much time he had in the pocket and not allowing himself to make any big mistakes by holding the ball too long. He was aware of the pass rush at all times, and never let the Steelers defense force him into a bad decision.
And in spite of all of this, Ben still had the ball at his own 13, 1:59 to go and down 6 points. It was a dream scenario that I'm sure most Steelers fans would have gladly taken had they been offered before kick-off.
But as I said before, Ben just didn't look comfortably enough to pull of another game winning drive in the Super Bowl. Their 2nd and 6 play was a perfect example of the whole game. People looked confused and unsure. Ben forced a lot of throws in this game (one of which led to his 2nd INT) and 3rd and 4th down were more examples of that. I wish they could have that drive back. I wish Ben could have just scrambled for a first there and then seen what happened next.
The fact that the Steelers had a drive to win the game was something of a miracle by itself, and Tomlin deserves credit for bringing them back out of their 18 point hole. But in the end, the defense was neutralized. We didn't hear the name Harrison, Polamalu, Hood or Woodley hardly at all. And that's a credit to the Packers. Eric pretty much nailed on the head. In a one-game series, it all comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes. And clearly, the Packers were the better team.
It'll take a little while to get over this one. Nothing compared to 2002, of course, but any time you come so close to the top only to fall away at the last step it hurts. Sometimes I wonder whether or not it's actually more painful to climb that ladder all the way to the top before falling rather than just slipping after taking the first step. Sure, you always want to go farther in the tournament, but the dissapointment is etched darker in your memory. The closer you come, the harder it is to forget.
But that's sports. It produces the highest of highs and lowest of lows. And you being denied yours gives someone else theirs. That's the beauty of the thing and you have to respect it. For all of you true Packers fans out there, sincere congratulations. I know what it feels like when your team wins it all, and it's one of those euphoric feelings you'll never forget.
Thank goodness KTVU chose to broadcast a one-hour documentary on the Giants World Series an hour after the game ended. At least I was reminded of what that euphoria feels like.
Thankfully, KB was there to bring me back to reality.
KB: "I thought you said you didn't want the Steelers to take away from the Giants winning the World Series."
Me: "Ugh, that's just what losers say to make themselves feel better."
KB: "Well, you wrote that on your blog, so now the whole world knows you're a loser."
But not all is lost. I have half an Ike's sandwich in the fridge, one more disc of Modern Family to watch and 180 days of bliss just around the corner. Plus, Michael will always be there. So things are looking up...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Bowl XLV, The Aftermath
Well, it's official. The Green Bay Packers are your Super Bowl XLV champions. I thought it was a fantastically entertaining game. The Steelers were poised to make it even more fantastic, but the Packer defense held, and my boy, the Second Coming, Aaron Rodgers, won the Super Bowl.
I extend sincere congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers, their fans, their city, Mr. Rooney, Mike Tomlin, Big Ben, and every other person associated with the team. They played a fantastic game, and should be proud of what they accomplished this season.
I made a point to a few friends earlier that I want to reiterate. When you get to this level of play, it becomes less about who is the better team and more about who makes fewer mistakes. The KNBR commentator on earlier this evening used this argument to state that this makes it less of an exciting Super Bowl in the annals of history. I disagree. It is what every game is. Mistakes happen. It's been said in every losing post game conference I've ever attended: "We didn't execute." That's what happened tonight. Two great teams squared off. They both played their games that they had played the entire season. When they play each other, they still play those great games, and the team that wins is the team that causes or capitalizes on the most mistakes. Otherwise, we would have seen a blowout. Those only occur when one team beats another team on scheme. That didn't happen tonight. Both teams showed why they were there, one just outlasted the other.
Three Steeler turnovers. 21 Packer points off those turnovers. Game. Sure, the Packers had dropped catches and missed tackles, but they did not make the egregious mistakes suffered by the Steelers. I don't believe this makes the game any less exciting. Yes, the onside kick out of halftime was insane last year, but does not make the game. The Packers, and Mr. Rodgers, played a hell of a game.
Though they did not get to Roethlisberger like I thought they would, they also protected Rodgers just fine. The secondary had a field day. The third and fourth Packers defensive backs, and third and fourth Packer receivers beat their counterparts across the line of scrimmage. Destiny seemed to be the Packers favor. Ben had his chance. He's proven he can take it, but it didn't happen this time. Maybe it was that the Packers had one less meltdown, but it still made for great football.
Look at my rebuttal post though. How right was I? The Packers jumped out ahead, by the time the Steelers showed up, they had too much overcome. It's like I scripted it. Rodgers did what he does:
C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT RATING
24/39 304 7.8 3 0 111.5
Pretty brilliant if you ask me, and totally deserving of the MVP. Tonight, I am very proud to be a Bear, and proud of having talked him up so much. It would have been even better in Nelson and Jones don't drop a few passes. Then again, I don't think the Packers win without the Mendenhall fumble in the 4th quarter. It was funny, Frank was yelling about his ball position the whole game, and on a carry where he had it tucked close, Pickett and Matthews combined to punch it right out.
Though Frank may be sad, he should be very happy over what the Steelers did this year. They have been an incredible team over the past five years, and though they didn't make it this year, they should still be a force for years to come.
For tonight,celebrate you Green Bay fans. They played a great game. Whether or not it was a game based on mistakes or on execution, they are champions of the National Football League.
Anyway, go Bears! Go Packers! Go A's! Go Giants! And lets look forward to another year of fantastic sports.
I extend sincere congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers, their fans, their city, Mr. Rooney, Mike Tomlin, Big Ben, and every other person associated with the team. They played a fantastic game, and should be proud of what they accomplished this season.
I made a point to a few friends earlier that I want to reiterate. When you get to this level of play, it becomes less about who is the better team and more about who makes fewer mistakes. The KNBR commentator on earlier this evening used this argument to state that this makes it less of an exciting Super Bowl in the annals of history. I disagree. It is what every game is. Mistakes happen. It's been said in every losing post game conference I've ever attended: "We didn't execute." That's what happened tonight. Two great teams squared off. They both played their games that they had played the entire season. When they play each other, they still play those great games, and the team that wins is the team that causes or capitalizes on the most mistakes. Otherwise, we would have seen a blowout. Those only occur when one team beats another team on scheme. That didn't happen tonight. Both teams showed why they were there, one just outlasted the other.
Three Steeler turnovers. 21 Packer points off those turnovers. Game. Sure, the Packers had dropped catches and missed tackles, but they did not make the egregious mistakes suffered by the Steelers. I don't believe this makes the game any less exciting. Yes, the onside kick out of halftime was insane last year, but does not make the game. The Packers, and Mr. Rodgers, played a hell of a game.
Though they did not get to Roethlisberger like I thought they would, they also protected Rodgers just fine. The secondary had a field day. The third and fourth Packers defensive backs, and third and fourth Packer receivers beat their counterparts across the line of scrimmage. Destiny seemed to be the Packers favor. Ben had his chance. He's proven he can take it, but it didn't happen this time. Maybe it was that the Packers had one less meltdown, but it still made for great football.
Look at my rebuttal post though. How right was I? The Packers jumped out ahead, by the time the Steelers showed up, they had too much overcome. It's like I scripted it. Rodgers did what he does:
C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT RATING
24/39 304 7.8 3 0 111.5
Pretty brilliant if you ask me, and totally deserving of the MVP. Tonight, I am very proud to be a Bear, and proud of having talked him up so much. It would have been even better in Nelson and Jones don't drop a few passes. Then again, I don't think the Packers win without the Mendenhall fumble in the 4th quarter. It was funny, Frank was yelling about his ball position the whole game, and on a carry where he had it tucked close, Pickett and Matthews combined to punch it right out.
Though Frank may be sad, he should be very happy over what the Steelers did this year. They have been an incredible team over the past five years, and though they didn't make it this year, they should still be a force for years to come.
For tonight,celebrate you Green Bay fans. They played a great game. Whether or not it was a game based on mistakes or on execution, they are champions of the National Football League.
Anyway, go Bears! Go Packers! Go A's! Go Giants! And lets look forward to another year of fantastic sports.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)