What's Up with That? The Next Welker

After last week’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, we’re already hearing that rookie Julian Edelman will become the next Wes Welker. And, why? Cause he’s a small white dude who can catch. What’s up with that? Just cause he’s sub-6’0” with great hands and crazy speed doesn’t make him a clone of Wes! Well, actually, there’s a lot more to the comparison than that.

Size:
Welker—5’9”
Edelman—5’10”
Race:
Welker—white
Edelman—white
Primary position:
Welker—WR
Edelman—WR
Returner:
Welker—holds NCAA record for most punts returned for TDs
Edelman—returned a punt 75 yards for TD in his preseason debut with the Pats
Versatility:
Welker—second player in NFL history to return a punt and kickoff, kick and extra point and field goal, and make a tackle in one game
Edelman—3-year starter at D-I school, Kent St., as a quarterback!
Usage:
Welker—short routes, great on third down
Edelman—use his speed and quickness to beat coverage down low
Weakness:
Welker—too small to be used on deep routes
Edelman—ditto
Doubted:
Welker—went undrafted in 2004 NFL Draft
Edelman—not even invited to NFL Combine this year

So what’s up with these unwarranted comparisons? Well, they’re pretty justified, actually.

The Vick Saga Comes to Philly

Michael Vick signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. His unconditional suspension by Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to be lifted after 3-4 regular season games. Vick is expected to be ready to play by the time the third and final Eagles preseason season game rolls around on Setpember third against the Panthers.



That is the press conference held by the Eagles to officially introduce Michael Vick to the squad. I don’t know what it is about it, but I have the gut feeling that Vick understands his wrongdoing and how it is affected his career. I think we’ve seen the end of Vick’s off-field troubles, and he will be able to begin again in the NFL, and work his way into a starting role somewhere. I have to say, I appreciate how Vick has handled himself throughout his ordeal. He has kept his cool and has remained calm, suave even, as he tries to not agitate any of the intense emotions felt by Americans nation-wide. He will be on 60 Minutes tonight to hold his first televised interview since 2007 when he confessed to torturing and killing dogs as part of his dogfighting ring. This could be the be-all or end-all for Vick, as he makes one last push to sway the nation.

Notoriously unforgiving PETA still questions Vick’s sincerity and is skeptical as to the genuineness of his remorse, or if he only out to repair his image. Instead of trying to futilely work with PETA, who is still contemplating organized protests wherever Vick plays football, the ex-Falcon is cooperating with the Humane Society to appease those middle-ground Americans: there are overly-righteous animal lovers who will never forgive Vick for his role in dogfighting, there are those who believe he has paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance no matter how he conducts himself from here on out, and there are those who are withholding their judgment until they can determine whether the quarterback is genuinely sorry for his actions. It is this last group whom Vick is attempting to sway. So far, I’d say he’s done a fine job.

Based on reports from Eagles training camp, Vick’s athleticism has not been overstated—he’s indeed a superathlete who can throw a football in his sleep. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Philadelphia coaching staff will utilize Vick. McNabb is the undisputed starter for the Eagles, who have him locked up until his 12-year deal ends in 2013. Vick’s two-year contract with the Eagles is worth $1.6 million, and we’ll soon see if Vick can become the dual-threat QB he once was, or if he’ll be used exclusively in the wildcat formation, maybe even as a wide receiver. But when 2011 rolls around, we’ll see if his role with the Eagles has shown he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Here's the NFL Network's report from Eagles' training camp:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-training-camps/09000d5d811ebe87/Vick-practices-with-Eagles

MLB Draft News

All 2009 MLB draftees have until August 17th to sign with their team. So far, the Red Sox have successfully signed first round pick outfielder, Reymond Fuentes out of his Puerto Rico high school, as well as their second rounder, pitcher Alex Wilson out of Texas A&M. Looking back at the draft results, the emphasis was undoubtedly on pitching and athleticism: out of the first 25 picks, 15 were pitchers and five were outfielders. I think that Red Sox front office look at natural ability in players they hope to draft, and anticipate them coming into their own as they mature both physically and mentally. Third round draft pick out of South Panola High School (Mississippi), David Renfroe is our highest pick that has yet to sign.

Elsewhere in the Majors, the Washington Nationals continue to struggle with their first round and #1 overall draft pick, flamethrower Stephen Strasburg. Despite offering him a record-breaking contract, this Boras-represented stud is still unsigned, just days away from the deadline by which all negotiations must be completed. If he does not reach a deal with the Nationals, he could find a team to play for in Japan, or finish his senior year at San Diego State and reenter the draft next year.

Thayer's Kyle McKenzie has not yet signed with the NY Yankees, although he has been in contact with the organization and has worked out for Yankee scouts at their stadium in the Bronx.

Stat of the Day: Scoring Efficiency

In last Sunday’s classic against the Yankees, the game went to New York, who won by three runs. However, the Red Sox managed to get nine hits throughout the game, to the Yankees ten. How did the Yankees manage to win by such a margin, despite getting practically the same number of hits as the BoSox? The Yankees are one of the best teams in the MLB at manufacturing runs. It’s becoming a lost art, but scoring runs efficiently is an extremely important piece to a winning ballclub. You can’t rely on all your hitters to create runs purely by hits; walks, stolen bases, bunts, an extra base hits can create runs without basing too much offense on the base hit. The MLB average of runs per hit is .509. Teams that are above the average are able to manufacture runs through things like the extra-base hit, stolen bases, timely hits, sac flies, etc. Teams that are below the average may have decent, even above-average hitters, but for whatever reason are not able to drive them in.

Top three teams, scoring efficiency
1. Phillies (top five OBP, SLG, HR, SB% in MLB)
2. Rays (most stolen bases in MLB)
3. Rockies (most sacrifice flies in MLB)

Bottom three teams, scoring efficiency
28. Giants (lowest OBP in MLB)
29. Astros (ground into most double plays in MLB)
30. Mariners (bottom five in XBH, BB, OBP in MLB)

Fighting Out of the Red Corner...

In Tuesday’s matchup against the Detroit Tigers, Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch in the second inning, and proceeded to charge the mound. There’s debate as to whether the ensuing brawl energized the Boston clubhouse or was just selfish behavior on the part of Youkilis. If it did indeed energize the Red Sox, they did not pay close attention to the fight. If anything, it should have humiliated the club to the point where they are ashamed to stay in the batter’s box. Youkilis is a 220 lb. beast—monster go-tee, shaved head, and the body of a Viking warrior. The head-hunting pitcher, Rick Porcello, on the other hand is a 200 lb. scarecrow—a 20 year-old rookie with the body of a fashion designer. Now let’s think about this. If these two squared off in the octagon, Youkilis would compete as a Heavyweight, the same weight class as juiced-up giant Brock Lesnar; whereas Porcello would fight in the smaller Light Heavyweight division. Since MLB owns the rights to the film, I’ll recap how the showdown went down.

Youkilis gets hit in the back, charges the mound, throws his batting helmet at Porcello (which is a dead givaway he has no idea what he's doing), and instead of throwing a punch at Porcello like any decent fighter would do, he opts to tackle Porcello, if you could call it that. Porcello doesn’t even know what’s going on, and throws his hands in the air like a spoiled hockey player getting called for a penalty. Then Youkilis wraps his arms around the Tigers rookie as if he were giving him a goodbye hug, not trying to tackle him to the ground. Don’t forget, Youkilis is trying to make a statement here: don’t mess with the Boston Red Sox, or you’ll be sorry. However, the statement he ended up making was more like: we’re pussies and don’t know how to defend ourselves. Porcello, who I must say is as lanky as lanky can be, basically throws Youkilis off him and lands on top of him, pinning him to the infield grass. If he wanted, Ricky Porcello could have started throwing wild punches at our All-Star hitter; luckily for Youkilis, Tigers and Red Sox alike just started piling on top of each other instead of letting the two go at it. There’s no doubt about this one. By unanimous decision, the fight goes to Rick Porcello.

Both players ended up getting suspended for five games by Major League Baseball after the bench-clearing brawl. I think professional sports should adopt the punishment system of Midway Sport’s NHL Hitz: the loser of the fight gets handed a huge penalty, but the winner essentially gets off the hook. In this case, I would suspend Youkilis for ten games for making a fool of himself and all who support the Red Sox, and fine Porcello a few thousand dollars.

Why the Sox are Slumping

Since the All Star Break, the Red Sox have gone from leading the AL East by 3.0 games, to being down 6.5 to the dreaded Spankees. Let's take a look at why:

1. Jason Varitek has had one multi-hit game in his past 23 games. I know he’s not an offensive catcher, but come on. Plus, he throws out a humiliating 15.1% of basestealers, which is last in the Majors, and way below the MLB average of 25.3%.
2. They’re on a stretch of 24 days, playing 23 games. They need a rest. Coming off days of rest, the Red Sox are 11-2 this season. Off days are turning us on.
3. Mike Lowell can’t field—he’s below the MLB median in assists, range factor, and fielding percentage. I can’t tell you how many plays I’ve seen him fail to execute because he moves like an old man. Sure, he can still make routine plays, but diving catches and off-balance throws are out of the question. He’s 35, coming off offseason hip surgery and is the oldest position player on the roster. You know, steroids are being called the fountain of youth, keeping muscles and joints young and healthy…maybe Lowell should have hopped on that bandwagon awhile ago.
4. Big Papi can’t hit. In the past 30 days, he has the third worst slugging percentage of all DHs. He can’t hit, he can’t field. But he’s good in the clutch, right? In late and close games (7th inning or later, with his team tied, ahead by one run, or with the tying at least on deck) his BA is .167 with a .250 SLG. Not really that good in the clutch. If I see Ortiz starting over Kotchman, Lowell, or V-Mart, I’m going to blow a fuse.
5. Jason Bay had 5 RBI in July, with a .295 SLG and .192 BA. Had more strikeouts than total bases. We had come to rely too much on our left-fielder, and he may have felt pressure to play while hurt with an apparent hamstring injury. Six days of rest in seven games this month have done him well. He has as many total bases in seven games as he did the entire month of July.
6. The only thing John Smoltz did effectively was wear out the bullpen. He never pitched more than six innings in eight starts, and in his final four starts, he gave up 35 hits. Everyone wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but when the Sox lost their sixth game started by Smoltz, they designated him for assignment. That was a waste of $5.5 million.

Stat of the Day: Steals

The common belief is that the National League plays baseball more strategically than the American League. Is it? Well, NL teams sacrifice bunt almost twice as much AL teams, and they also intentially walk batters more frequently than the AL by a considerable margin. However, the American League has stolen more bases per game than the National League for the eighth time in the past nine years (thanks to, in large part, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford combining for 102 SB, compared to the top to NL base stealers combining for 75). So on the basepaths, the American Leaguers do take more risks and play with somewhat of a strategy, but I'd still like to see the Sox do some more bunting. Tito needs to stop relying on batters like Nick Green (.306 OPB) and Jason Varitek (.329 OPB) to move a runner over with their swings. If you think about it (giving them a few more points for a fielder's choice here and there), batters like these two will move a runner over 35% of the time if you let them swing away. (Green and Tek will strikeout 35% and 22%, respectively). And if they bunt, the chances of them moving the runner over a base are virtually 100%. As of today, Boston is second to last in the MLB with 11 sac bunts. Maybe it's an AL East thing--the Sox, Yanks, Rays, Jays, and O's are five of the bottom six teams in the MLB in sacrifice bunts.

Heisman Trophy 's Meaning in the NFL

The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college football player and is the most prestigious award in the NCAA. Each of the 74 players who have been honored with the award deserves tremendous praise for their collegiate careers. However, what is even more impressive is when such success at the college level translates into success at the professional level. And in recent years, that just hasn’t happened. You can attribute that disconnect from NCAA to NFL stars to whatever you want—hype puts too much pressure on Heisman winners, NCAA football is played too differently than NFL football that it’s incredibly hard to be great at both, NCAA starlets get too accustomed to playing at the college level that they cannot transition to the NFL—whatever it is, especially in recent years, there is substantial evidence that a Heisman winner has a hard time having the same success he did in college as he did in the NFL.

Since Barry Sanders won the award in 1988, there have been 20 recipients of the Heisman Award. Fourteen went drafted in the top five rounds of the NFL Draft, including ten first-rounders. So there’s no question as to how NFL front offices look at Heisman winners—they like them, a lot. However, only four have had any measurable success in pro football, and two have yet to appear in an NFL game at all. Eddie George (1995), Charles Woodson (1997), Ricky Williams (1998), and Carson Palmer (2002) are the only players since 1988 to have both won the Heisman Trophy in college, and to have started at least 10 games in 2 or more seasons in the NFL. Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, good luck.

What's up with That? MLB Colors

Here’s what I want to know: why does just about every team in the Major Leagues have team colors that incorporate the three boring colors: white, red, and blue. Let’s take a look at teams whose caps do not feature a color other than the aforementioned three: Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Twins, Indians, Royals, Angels, Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Nationals, Cardinals, Cubs, Reds, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Padres. That leaves the orange teams (Orioles, Tigers, Mets, Giants), green (Mariners, A’s, Marlins), and gold (Astros, Brewers), then the purple of the Rockies and black and white of the White Sox. So what’s up with the monotony of professional sports dress? In college, there’s the maroon of USC and Alabama, yellow of Michigan and Cal, purple of TCU and Northwestern, orange of Florida and Tennessee—it’s just more interesting in the NCAA. When I go to a game, I want to be able to distinguish the fans of one team versus another. How cool is it to watch a Texas football game and sea a sea of burnt orange, then a segregated fifty or so fans, tucked away in one corner of the stadium wearing Oklahoma red? If I’m at Fenway, and I knock over someone’s beer, I want to be able to anticipate whether I should apologize—‘cause there’s nothing worse than saying “excuse me”, only to realize that it was a Yankee fan you accidentally shoved, and he didn’t deserve an apology. If the Yanks sported the more appropriate color of tickle-me-pink, Sox fans could see ahead of time who was holding up the hot dog line, who the drunk fan trying to hit on the ball girl was, and wouldn’t have to hold off judgment until they got a closer look at his hat. So next time a team decides to change their logo (ehem, Rays, ehem), I hope they don’t go with the flow and make it just like everyone else’s. The next expansion team—no matter what sport or what city—should be called the Supernovae.

People I Hate Most

1. Alex Rodriguez
2. Brett Favre
3. Roger Clemens
4. Eric Mangini
5. Kobe Bryant
6. Joba Chamberlain
7. Joe Morgan
8. Peyton Manning
9. Patrick Roy
10. Harry Frazee
11. Ohio State University
12. Adam Vinatieri
13. Roger Federer
14. Tim Tebow
15. Phil Mickelson
16. NHL Players Association
17. NFL Wide Receivers
18. Grady Little
19. Brock Lesnar
20. Tampa Bay Rays

Give Varitek a Break

To all you Varitek-bashers out there, chill out. Don’t jump to conclusions and ask for his demotion to Pawtucket, don’t yell and scream and plead for V-Mart to become out permanent backstop. Here’s why: Varitek ranks 12th in AL with 64 hits and 5th in the Majors with 13 HR, among catchers. His .229 average is what sets lots of people off. Compared to a deep Red Sox lineup everywhere else, he is a poor hitter--his average is almost 40 points below the team average. However, that’s the case in most clubhouses these days. Catching is the most physically demanding position in all of baseball, and those who play it are no longer the offensive threats they used to be. The days of Mike Piazza and Pudge and Sandy Alomar are over. We’re in the age of the Russell Martins, Dioner Navarros, and Geovany Sotos—catchers who can call a great game, allow few past balls, and have great baseball IQs. They’re main role on the team is to help the pitching staff feel comfortable and play smart, with offense swirling around in the back of their minds. And as far as that all goes, Varitek is as good as it gets. He’s caught more no-hitters (4) than any other catcher in Major League history, has helped Sox farmhands Lester, Buchholz, and Papelbon transition to the Big Leagues fluidly, and his unparalleled leadership often goes unnoticed—he is the team captain, after all. To understand how catching has changed from a hitter’s position to a thinking game, here are some stats.
This year, seven catchers have batting averages over .275. In 2006, that number was eighteen. In 2003, ten. 2000: fifteen. 1997: twelve. So ease up on Varitek, and let him bat in the 8th spot, maintain a low BA and drive in a run every once in a while. It's been 67 years since a catcher has won the batting title (Ernie Lombardi of the Braves did so in 1942). It’s not in a catcher’s job description to bat .320 with 45 HR anymore.

P.S. As far as Varitek’s contract goes, he has a dual-option next year. He has a club option for $5 million, and a player option for $3 million. Depending on how the Victor Martinez experiment goes, I don’t think Theo will pick up the club option, but I do believe ‘Tek will take the $3 million player option and finish his career with the Sox after the 2010 season.

What's Up With That? Jeter Doesn't Play Basketball

What's up with Derek Jeter's basketball wristband? Wrong sport, dude. The Yankee captain's Nike wristband features the "Air Jordan" Jumpman logo. And it's not like Nike doesn't make wristbands that just have their signature swoosh on them, so why does Jeter wear one that features a silhouette of a dunking Jordan? That's pretty queer if you ask me, even for a Yankee.

K-Mack Update

Taken from nomaas.org, "The definitive source on Yankee draft news, by Lane Meyer"

July 17, 2009
30th Round, KYLE MCKENZIE: The diminuitive RHP from Massachussets throws gas on the hill, and has a strong commitment to Tulane. As a lifelong Red Sox fan, his selection by the Yankees had to sting a little, but I’ve heard a rumor that he MAY have been the unidentified third guy at The Stadium on Tuesday, so that would at least indicate some level of interest on both ends if true. Chances of Signing: 20%

July 18, 2009
As for the third guy at the Stadium workout last Tuesday, the unconfirmed rumor I head about it being Kyle McKenzie is true. I was in contact with the young righty yesterday and he told me that yes, the Yankees wanted to get a look at him and he had a great time at the Stadium.

Look-a-Likes

Thayer Academy's Sean Fernald and Chiefs' quarterback Matt Cassell

Newbies

In his first night in a Boston uniform last night, Victor Martinez went a less-than-impressive 1-5. When he went 1-5 on June 19, he followed it up with a dismal streak of 0-15 through 4 games. Not this time, though. Today against the Orioles he got a season-high 5 hits, going 5-6 with 4 RBI (also a season-high). It's nice to see V-Mart bounce back like he did today; he also got to see a variety of Boston pitchers in his first game behind the plate, as Clay Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez, and Takashi Saito all got to the mound today.

Newcomer Josh Reddick has also looked impressive in his first two Major League starts. Yesterday, he became the first Red Sox rookie in over twenty years to hit two extra-base knocks in his first Major League start, and today, he hit his first Major League homerun. I love seeing the young guys, so if J.D. and Bay continue to struggle I'd love to see more of this 22 year-old, who just gives more depth to this Red Sox staff. On soxprospects.com, he's the #2 prospect for the Red Sox, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him optioned back down to double or triple-A in the coming weeks, but when the roster expands to 40 guys on September 1st, we could be seeing deja-vu of the 2007 season, when Jacoby Ellsbury debuted for the Sox and gave them a push through the postseason.

Kasey Kotchman also got some playing time today, his first game with the Red Sox. He did not start, but came in late in the game to hit for Lowell. He went 0-1, but I'm sure Lowell was happy to get the start, go 3-5, and come out early to hit the showers--or whatever old men do after a day's work.

Look-a-Likes

Tennis player Andy Roddick and Bradley Cooper as Zack Lodge in "wedding Crashers"

Stat of the Day: Playing their Cards Right

The St. Louis Cardinals have three starting pitchers with ERAs under 3.00. Chris Carpenter leads the NL with a 2.10 ERA, while Adam Wrainwright has earned 12 wins with his 2.80 ERA, and Joel Pineiro maintains a slim 2.84 ERA. How many Red Sox starters have a sub-3.00 ERA? Zero. What about the Yankees? Zero. Tampa Bay? Nada. As a team, the Cards have the third-lowest ERA in the Majors, to go along with the second-fewest walks. With the acquisition of Matt Holliday (.606 BA, 10 RBI, 3 HR, 1.061 SLG in nine games since joining the Cardinals), look for the Cardinals to make a run here in the second half. As of today, they lead the Cubs by 0.5 games in the NL Central, and are 7-3 in their last ten games.

$100 Million Not-So-Well-Spent

Last Friday, the Red Sox moved Daisuke Matsuzaka from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL. This means he’ll start rehabbing with Pawtucket in two months, at the end of September. Oh, wait, scratch that—Pawtucket’s season ends September 7th. The chances of seeing Daisuke pitch in October for the Red Sox? Well, not so good. Looks like we’ve seen the end of Daisuke this season.

No Vick, No Problem

Well, it is over. No, Mike Vick hasn't signed with a team or anything, but in the Patriots' eyes, it's over. Saturday, Rob Kraft ruled out the possibility of the team signing Vick, a possibility the whole nation speculated the Pats would do. Despite alleged "Vick spottings" late in the week, Kraft said on Sirius Sattelite Radio saturday, "For us, that’s an academic problem because we’ve got the number one player in the world at that position, as far as I’m concerned. Why would we want do anything that would take (quarterback Tom Brady) off the field for one play?" So New England PETA members can calm down now, Vick will not be coming to New England.

Training Camp Update: Bill Belichick has definitely made the opening days of training camp hard, as he scheduled Two-a-Days for the whole first week of training camp. But the players aren't complaining. They know it is important for later in the year, and it only makes them stronger. Rookie Darius Butler has lined up in the #2 CB spot here and there for a couple practices. The secondary seems to have jumped up from 2008. Brandon Merriweather is making good plays, along with 2nd year CB Terrence Wheatley. 2009 Draft picks Chung and Butler have also looked sharp. As far as I can see, OLB Adalius Thomas has been the best player in training camp thus far, making unbelivable plays and being smart. Granted, it's only training camp, but look for Thomas to have a breakout '09.

M. Vick (Not Who You Think)

When you think Virginia Tech QBs, who do you think of? I bet the first name that comes to mind is Vick. After all, no ACC player accounted for more total points for his team than Vick did for VT. He had an ACC-best 6 rush TDs for a quarterback, to go along with 17 passing TDs, 2nd in the ACC. Unfortunately, Vick went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. I’m talking about Marcus Vick, of course, the younger brother of Michael by 4 years. So what happened to this replica of the 2001 Draft’s #1 overall pick? They are both scrambling quarterbacks, they both run a sub-4.50 40-yard dash, they both led Virginia Tech to 11-win seasons, and together scored 61 TDs at Virginia Tech in three seasons. If you look purely at the stats, you could argue that Marcus was the better quarterback of the two. In his only season with Virginia Tech, he completed 61.2% of his passes for 2393 yards and 17 TDs, all three numbers trump those of his older brother’s two seasons at VT.

If Marcus was a better passer on the field, he was worse off the field. His amazing junior year in college should have made him a lock to go in the first few rounds. However, his on-field and off-field demeanor were too foreboding for anyone to give him another chance at football. Countless traffic offenses, speeding tickets galore, possession of marijuana, charges of rape, and unsportsmanlike conduct on the field resulted in his permanent dismissal from the Virginia Tech football program. “It’s not a big deal, I’ll just move on to the next level, baby,” he said—the next level being the 2006 NFL Draft, where he told ESPN that he considered himself better than 1st rounders Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler, and his brother Michael Vick. Apparently NFL front offices didn’t think so, as all 32 teams passed on him. What I should say is that NFL front offices acknowledged his talent, but did not anticipate him staying out of legal troubles as he continues his football career, and thus were not consider signing him a good idea. He did end up signing with the Miami Dolphins as a WR/QB/returnman, but played only one game in the NFL. Since the ’06 Draft, those owners, GMs, and coaches who passed on his proved their wisdom. He’s been charged with several traffic violations, including driving with a suspended license; brandishing a firearm, which he claimed was actually his Blackberry cell phone, mistaken for a gun; DUI, eluding police, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license—all in one night; no wonder he’s not playing professional football! As for his brother, that remains to be seen.