The Sports Blog of Boston

So You Wanna Play in the NBA?

2010-03-30T22:49:00.001-04:00

Method 1, (“Prep to Pro”): Get drafted out of high school à-la Lebron James. In 2005, the NBA Players’ Union outlawed Method 1. Now, a player must be 19 years or older, and at least one year removed from high school in order to enter the NBA Draft. So until another change is made, this method is out. But was this a good call by the union? Think about this for a second: the past two times the first pick in the NBA Draft has been a player coming straight out of high school was LeBron James in 2003 and Dwight Howard in 2004. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d say they’re doing alright for themselves in the NBA.

Method 2, (“One and Done”): Declare for Draft after freshman year at college, “attend” being a relative term, as the whole “student-athlete” thing is nothing more than a travesty. I’m pretty sure Derrick Rose to a maximum of two classes during his one year at Memphis, and rumor has it Kentucky head coach John Calipari wore a mask into a testing center to take the SATs for his pride and joy, John Wall. Secondly, what’s the point of recruiting the heck out of guys like Kevin Love and OJ Mayo just so they can come to school for a year for little more than parties and basketball? Not only is it a waste of time and money on behalf of Athletic Departments, it’s also doing a disservice to these nineteen and twenty year olds who are, for the first time, away from their families. All the special treatment they receive and all the babying they get doesn’t do anything to prepare them for the NBA.

Method 3, (“Trans-Atlantic Antics”): Spend the required one year removed from high school playing basketball for a European professional team such as Panathinaikos Athens. I think these guys wanted to get a jump start on their 401K. Why go to college and play for free when you can be making serious euros playing basketball matches in Barcelona? In all serious, these international teams are getting pretty good. U.S. Basketball really got a wake-up call at the 2004 Olympics in Athens when they got beat out by both Argentina and Italy. Where do you think Milwaukee Bucks’ rookie Brandon Jennings was when he showed up late to the NBA Draft?

FINAL WORD: Play European ball. To play basketball at a big name school like USC or Ohio State is to live in a bubble where everything is handed to you, where you can breeze through your classes that you don’t even show up for, and where your coaches and Athletic Directors will cover up all your tracks. Come on, you’re not fooling anyone. While it’s not impossible to keep a strong work ethic throughout college, most freshmen getting tons of attention from the ladies, the agents, and boosters will inevitably get distracted and lose the drive that they had relied on to get to this point in their careers. I’d even say play oversees over the prep-to-pro move, had it stayed legal. Experiencing other cultures and ways of life has a lot to offer. And, sometimes, the lead from high school senior to professional baller is too much. Kwame Brown was drafted first overall in 2001 by the Washington Wizards, and has by no means lived up to the hype.

2010-03-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

With a disappointing end to the season in 2009, the Patriots have to make some moves if they want to compete for a championship in 2010. So far, they’re heading in the wrong direction, and that direction is sideways. They’ve re-signed nose tackle Vince Wilfork and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain—both necessary moves, but where is the upgrade? And, if we’re just going to look at who they are re-signing, think about this: many ’09 Pats are still on the market as unrestricted free agents, notably RB Kevin Faulk, CB Leigh Bodden, G Steven Neal, and TE Benjamin Watson. So not only have the Patriots not made any improvements, they’re losing—or at least missing, for now—some really key players. Here’s what concerns me the most about the Patriots’ upcoming season:

1. Bill Belichick cannot coach this team by himself. As of today, the Patriots have the best head coach in the NFL, yet no offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator. I don’t know if this is some kind of ego thing for Belichick, as if he doesn’t need help/doesn’t want anyone second guessing his decisions, but I hope that’s not the case. Having people question your decisions makes you a better decision-maker overall. If the president didn’t have his Cabinet, where would we be? If Bill wants to take the defense, fine. He’s always been a defense-oriented coach, but by no means can he be the offensive playcaller. He’s already missed out on what I considered a golden opportunity to bring in Charlie Weis (he ended up with the Chiefs), who was offensive coordinator under Belichick for all three Patriot Super Bowls, and now Bill’s options are pretty limited. I honestly don’t know what makes a good offensive coordinator, or who would be a good fit in New England, but Belichick needs to start making some calls (on the phone).

2. The health of Wes Welker, who will be returning from a torn ACL and MCL. I don’t question his dedication or work ethic, so if there’s anyone who will rehab his ass off, it’s Wes. We saw Brady come back from his knee injury and produce, and I hope the same will hold true for Welker. His injury, especially the ACL, is a tricky one, and no one’s sure when he’ll be ready to play again. Everyone knows how important he is to the Patriots, and we’ll need him back next season.

3. The offensive line is nothing to brag about. Although Brady wasn’t sacked tons of times this season, you can’t say he had tons of time in the pocket either. Here’s a stat for you: in 2008, with Matt Cassel under center, the Patriots O-line allowed 8.1% of all Cassel’s dropbacks to go as sacks. This year, with the Chiefs, Cassel was sacked on 7.9% of all his dropbacks. What does this mean? Cassel got sacked less with the Chiefs than he did with the Patriots. I’m not sure about you, but something tells me that having an offensive line better than the Chiefs would be a good idea. Personally, I think this is an issue of age. The average age of Patriots’ starting offensive line this year was 31. The average age of the starting O-line in the past four Super Bowl teams—the Saints, Colts, Steelers, and Cardinals—were 28, 29, 26, and 26, respectively. Even on the Pats’ Super Bowl teams of ‘01, ’03, and ’04, the O-line was 25, 26, and 27 years old, respectively. And not only does this result in limited time in the pocket for Brady, an aging and poor offensive line also affects the run game, and must have had something to do with the Patriots weak rush attack. In 2009, they were 23^rd in the NFL in yards per rush attempt. People can blame Lawrence Moroney all they want, but he’s a good back when he finds a hole. Most mock drafts have six tackles going in the first round this year, and I’d love to see one of them go to the Pats.

4. Defense needs an upgrade. Like I said earlier, Vince Wilfork was a nice signing, but how is he any improvement over last year’s mediocre defense? Losing him would have been a negative, but simply bringing him back isn’t really a plus. We missed out on signing Julius Peppers, which would have been huge for this team, since he is perhaps the most talented D-lineman in all of football. But just as important as bringing in someone supremely talented like Peppers is finding some veteran leadership. The lack of leadership on defense was a big point of contention last season. Belichick even went so far as to convince Junior Seau, again, to come out of retirement for the sole purpose of giving the young and inexperienced defense someone to look up to. That’s why we should sign free agent safety Darren Sharper. It’s a long shot, because he’ll probably end up re-signing with the Saints, but it would be a hell of a signing. He’s a smart player who can be the spark for the Patriots lackluster defense. He would certainly bring more to the table than Seau, who started a total of zero games this season, and accumulated a total of zero sacks. What I don’t want to see is the Patriots draft a defensive player early in the draft, thinking he will be a good addition to the team in 2010. We have enough youth with plenty of room to mature on the defensive side of the ball. Jarod Mayo, Brandon Meriweather, Ron Brace, Darius Butler, and Pat Chung all have legitimate potential on this team. They just need to mature, and preferably in the presence of a Bruschi-like or Seau-like player who can actually still play.

5. Our receiving corps is a big question mark. The value of Randy Moss is always debatable, and with Wes Welker dealing with rehab all off-season, who knows what we’ll get in 2010? All season, I was disturbed by how heavily Brady relied on Welker, and I feel like there is a serious lack of receiving threats. I think Sam Aiken will have a big year, and I still believe Julian Edelman will be a great NFL player, and I’m excited to see what Brandon Tate will do this year. But still, another weapon would be nice. Anquan Boldin (I know that’s thinking pretty big), who just signed with the Bears, would have been ideal, but now that he’s off the table, I would look either to the draft or to Brandon Marshall, who is currently being tendered by the Broncos for a first round pick. If the Pats are willing to both relinquish a first round draft pick and to put up with Marshall’s antics, he would be a great addition.

There are several things that the Patriots should be looking to do this offseason, both in free agency and in the draft. As far as the draft is concerned, the Pats have a plethora of picks in the first few rounds and should look first and foremost to upgrade their O-line. Second, a wide receiver. Personally, I love Mardy Gilyard out of Cincinatti. But other options include Arrelious Benn out of Illinois or Jordon Shipley from Texas. Third of all, I’ve been hearing talks of the Patriots possibly drafting Tim Tebow, and I think it’s a great idea. A good pickup in the second or third round, the Patriots could use Tebow in a variety of ways. If they like his quarterbacking skills, Brady could be his mentor, and Tebow would really be learning from the best. Or, they could use his power and athleticism at full back or tight end, or even as a wildcat QB. Everyone knows about his intangibles, and I just think that any team should be able to find a place on their team for a player like Tim Tebow.

Tentative Super Bowl Prediction

2010-01-31T23:22:00.002-05:00

Saints: 28
Colts: 24

A Look into Super Bowl XLIV

2010-01-31T15:11:00.001-05:00

Saints have an advantage over the Colts in that they…

1. Have a balanced offensive game. At every position, the Saints have a legitimate threat. Marquis Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Jeremy Shockey are all capable of a big play as long as Drew Brees has the ball.

2. Are great against the long ball. Indy lives and dies by the ability to score through the air. They were third in passing touchdowns this season, while averaging less than one rushing touchdown per game. The Saints allowed less than one pass TD per game this season, and were 2^nd in the NFC. If the Colts can’t throw to the end zone, they’re in trouble.

3. Have a strong backfield. Two safeties on the Saints were elected to the Pro Bowl, and the team was third in the NFL in interceptions this season. Opposing quarterbacks average a 58.2% completion percentage against the Saints, which is 2^nd in the NFC. In games where Payton Manning has completed 58.2% or less of his passes, his record is 17-23.

4. Get to the quarterback. They may not register tons of sacks, but they punish quarterbacks. The Saints D-Line was on a mission last week to put Brett Favre on his back, and they did just that. They’ll do the same to Peyton Manning.

5. Have the ability to stop the Colts in the Red Zone. While both teams are in the top five in Red Zone scoring percentage, the Saints were third in the NFL with a 42.2% opponent Red Zone scoring percentage, while the Colts were not even in the top ten, behind the Raiders and Browns.

6. Can force turnovers. Only two teams this season turned the ball over less than the Vikings, and the Saints still forced five turnovers. As astonishing as that might seem, Gregg Williams has made a point to strip the ball and force interceptions: the Saints rank first in takeaways per game this season (3^rd in interceptions, 1^st in opponent fumbles lost). In 17 playoff games, Manning has thrown 18 interceptions, and the Saints certainly have the ability to take advantage of that.

Colts have an advantage over the Saints in that they…

1. Have the smartest quarterback to ever play the game. Peyton Manning is, in all sense of the word, a genius. With two weeks to prepare against a Saints defense that thrives on the ability to give opposing offenses different looks, who knows what Manning will have up his sleeve?

2. Are more experienced. In every roster category, they have at least one Super Bowl champion—quarterback: P. Manning; running back; J. Addai, o-line: J. Saturday; wide receiver: R. Wayne; tight end: Dallas Clark; d-line: D. Freeney; linebacker: G. Brackett; backfield: A. Bethea; special teams: Adam Vinatieri

3. Rarely turn the ball over. This year, the Colts were seventh in the NFL, averaging 1.4 givaways per game. The Saints rely heavily on getting key fumbles and interceptions, as evidenced by their win over the Vikings last week, where their five forced turnovers decidedly decided the game, and the Colts are certainly above-average when it comes to not turning the ball over.

4. They have a very strong D-line in Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney. I don’t know how effective they’ll be if Freeney’s ankle is bothering him on Sunday (and Brees has one of the cleanest jerseys in the NFL), but they’ll definitely have an impact on the game plan of Sean Peyton and the Saints.

5. Are not playing in the Superdome. I think the NFC championship difference maker was the home field advantage for New Orleans. Outside in Miami, Manning will be able to communicate a whole lot better than if they were in the Superdome.

6. PEYTON MANNING. Enough said.

One Last Playoff Look

2010-01-23T11:02:00.003-05:00

If my underdogs are going to win this weekend, here's how it will go down.

In order for the Jets to win...
1. Mark Sanchez will have to be on fire in the red zone. He'll have to throw for at least two TDs.
2. The whole NY secondary, not just Darrelle Revis will have to hold Peyton Manning to a completion percentage under 65%.

In order for the Vikings to win...
1. They will have to win the turnover battle.
2. Adrian Peterson will have to average 4+ yards per carry.

SOTD: Teams Left in NFL

2010-01-18T14:33:00.001-05:00

Of the four remaining teams in the playoffs...

Three teams play home games in a dome
Two teams have rookie head coaches
Three quarterbacks had regular season passer ratings of over 100 and completion percentages higher than 68%
Two quarterbacks were top 5 draft picks; two were 2nd round picks
Four quarterbacks were born in Southern states (Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, SoCal)

Conference Championships Predictions

2010-01-18T14:11:00.002-05:00

This one’s a no brainer for me. Here’s five reasons the Saints will beat the Vikings.

1.Drew Brees against a Minnesota pass defense ranked 24th in opponent passer rating. Come on, you do the math. Another reason I have reason to reason Brees will have a big game: Drew Brees averages 310 pass yards per game in eight home games this season. In their past four away games (GB, ARI, CAR, CHI), the Vikings have allowed an average of 286 pass yards. Brees will tear it up against a sub-par Vikings secondary.

2.The key to the Vikings’ win against the Cowboys was the pressure they got on Tony Romo (6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception). In home games the past two years, Drew Brees has been sacked multiple times only three times, and has thrown multiple picks only twice. Against Dallas today, Romo was sacked for 42 yards—this season, the Saints are sacked for an average of less than 8.5 yards per game.

3.Adrian Peterson hasn’t rushed for 100 yards since November 15. In fact, since then, he’s averaged only 66 yards per game. Minnesota can’t expect Brett Favre to win this game single-handedly.

4.In their first postseason game, the Saints rushed for 170 yards and passed for 247 with an almost 50:50 run:pass play ratio. That’s what the Saints were doing for the first 13 games of the season when they were unstoppable. I think that their Week 15 loss to the Cowboys (the only one I really care about—the rest were meaningless) can be attributed entirely to the fact that the Saints rushed the ball only 7 times, while passing it 29 times. Look for another balanced attack that will keep the Vikings D on its heels.

5.I don’t think any team could have used a first-round bye week more than the Saints. In the first 11 games of the season, the Saints outscored their opponents 407-221. In the last five games of the season—coming at the end of a stretch of 12 straight games, they were outscored 103-120. Now, after an off week, the Saints have reestablished their dominance, scoring three times as many points as the Cardinals in their first playoff game. When the Saints are rested and Sean Payton and Gregg Williams—who make the best coaching tandem in the NFL—have time to prepare their players, the Saints cannot be beat.

I’ve severely underestimated the Jets. Rex Ryan is really becoming one of the best coaches in the NFL. After he beat the Colts, I felt the Jets were getting lots of unwarranted hype. But since then, they’ve won three games against teams that I honestly thought would run all over them. I really liked the Bengals, and everyone liked the Chargers, but the Jets played them tough, and here they are in the conference championship. I still think the Colts will win, but I’ve become a believer in the Jets.

1.Mark Sanchez sucks, and the Jets have no confidence in him. No team has made fewer pass attempts this season than the Jets, and his past six games, he’s averaged 20 pass attempts per game. The Colts defense may not be the best in the league, but if the Jets do nothing but run the ball, the Colts will be ready.

2.The Jets have a rookie running back, a rookie quarterback, and a rookie head coach. Yes, all three have surpassed our expectations so far, but none have played in this type of capital “b” Big game. And Peyton Manning has. He’s won a Super Bowl, he’s been Super Bowl MVP, and he has almost twice as many pass yards in his 16 playoff games than Mark Sanchez does in his entire career. No one manages the game better than Peyton Manning, and he will lead the Colts to a victory.

3.The Jets have been so successful because Darrelle Revis has been able to shut down big name receivers like Chad Ochocinco and Vincent Jackson—the marquis receiver of their respective teams. Who is the marquis receiver for the Colts? Reggie Wayne? Maybe. But Dallas Clark has just as many receptions and just as many TDs. So who do the Jets think Revis will cover next week? He can cover anyone he wants, and he’ll probably shut that single down. But the fact remains that no quarterback is better at spreading the ball around than Peyton Manning. He throws to whomever is open, and he’ll complete it 99% of the time—well, really 69%, but you know what I mean. Austin Collie, Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon are all targets of Manning, and he does not discriminate. Revis will without a doubt take one receiver out of the game for one play at a time. But after that, Manning still has options.

4.Here’s what the Jets have going for them: they’re on a roll, having won four in a row—all against playoff teams—by a combined 64 points; they beat the Colts by two touchdowns less than a month ago (notice I’m leaving out the part about Peyton being benched after 1 half); the Colts defense is nothing special, especially against the rush: they allow 124 rush yards per game, 22nd in the NFL; the Jets defense is far and away the best in the NFL—1st in opponent completion percentage, pass yards, pass TDs, passer rating, and passing first downs; they just beat the hottest team in the NFL, the Chargers, in San Diego; the Colts have a rookie head coach, and Peyton Manning has only won one playoff game without Tony Dungy at the helm (it came last weekend). Those are considerable advantages, and I’m totally throwing out the Jets. They definitely have a chance to win…I just don’t think they will.

5.My fifth thing to think about, coming into this game is Peyton Manning. He’s having arguably the best year of his career this year, and has only been sacked 10 times—hence, he’s ready to play. You think he’s ready to lose to the Jets for the second time this season? I didn’t think so.

Round Two Picks, Confidence 4

2010-01-13T23:38:00.001-05:00

This game is really a tossup for me. I don’t know which Viking team we’re going to see. Will it be the Vikings that beat the Giants by 37 points in the last game of the regular season; or the Vikings who, just six days prior, gave up 36 points and lost to the Chicago Bears? Minnesota is a great team: their offense is loaded with weapons from Percy Harvin to Sidney Rice to Adrian Peterson to Brett Favre; in fact, Minnesota scored more points than any team in the NFL except the Saints. However, the Dallas defense is H-O-T hot. In their last three games, they’ve allowed a total of 14 points, 45 rush yards per game, 3.7 sacks per game, and 3 third down conversions per game (which is below their NFL-leading season average of 4.2 per game). The one thing Minnesota has going for them is Brett Favre. It didn’t work for him down the stretch in 2008: last season, after starting 8-3 with the Jets, he lost four of his last five games and NY did not qualify for the playoffs. This season, he’s made more pass attempts than he did last season, and I’m not sure how his arm will hold up this weekend. But in 2009, Favre achieved a passer rating, interception total, pass yard total, and touchdown total in the top three of his career. At home, his numbers are off the charts: his passer rating of 118.1 is incredible. And if the Cowboy defense has one hole, it’s the passing game. They’re below the league average in opponent passer rating and opponent passing yards per game. So if Brett Favre can bring his A game, the Vikings will have a serious chance at a win. In Dallas’s five losses this season, the opposing quarterback averages 255 yards through the air; while in those same five games, only one team ran for a hundred yards, and the leading rusher on the opposing team averaged 53.4 YPG. If the Cowboys can hold Adrian Peterson to 53.4 yards, there’s no way Brett Favre can pull together a game good enough for the Vikings to win.

On the other side, the Dallas offense is balanced: Tony Romo behind center is having a career year, all three backs—Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, and Felix Jones—have the potential to break out a twenty yard run at any point during the game, and with a receiving corps of Miles Austin, Jason Witten, and Roy Williams, the Minnesota D will have their hands full. The Vikings have accumulated the second-best point differential in the NFL, and they should put up a fight against Dallas. What the game will come down to is the advantage that each team has over the other: The Vikings home field advantage: Favre has been lights out at Mall of America Field, and has not lost a game there all season. The Cowboys have better chemistry and they have momentum: the Vikings haven’t had chemistry since training camp, when Favre admitted that he did not have the support of the locker room; plus, don’t forget Chad Childress and Brett Favre’s recent power struggles. The ‘Boys have won their last four games, outscoring their opponents 96-28; their defense (especially DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer) looks unstoppable; and Tony Romo is finally playing great.

In the end, the game will hinge of Brett Favre. If he throws for 300 yards, they’ll have a chance of winning. If not, the Cowboys will move on.

Round Two Picks, Confidence 5

2010-01-13T11:19:00.005-05:00

I like the Ravens, I really do. They played the Colts very close in Week 11, losing 17-15; they match up well against Indy. Manning’s home passer rating is worse than his away rating, Indy has a rookie head coach, an inexperienced receiving corps, and they essentially threw their final two games. On the Ravens side, they showed what they're capable of last Saturday in Foxboro, forcing four Brady turnovers, scoring 24 points in the first quarter, holding the Patriots to under 200 total yards and 14 points, and accumulating only 15 penalty yards. Ray Rice and Willis McGahee have become a two-pronged attack that no defense wants to see. You might say that Joe Flacco has encountered somewhat of a sophomore slump, throwing for fewer than 200 yards eight times this season (including a whopping 34 in last week’s game against the Patriots). But really, why throw and risk turnovers (Colts average a pick a game) when you have some of the best running backs in the NFL? I wouldn’t call it a sophomore slump, I’d call it being judicious. In their past two games, Rice and McGahee have rushed for a combined 458 yards. The Ravens have one of the best rushing attack in the NFL, and they’ll be going up against a Colts defense that allows just as many rush yards as the Detroit Lions. In fact, New England was ranked 13th in run defense this season, allowing 110 yards on the ground per game: Baltimore’s 221 rush yards doubled what the Pats D averaged this season. They’ll live and die by their rushing attack this weekend in Indy, as Flacco won’t be throwing the ball all that much against the Colts, whose D surrenders just a little more than 200 pass yards per game. In the end, though, I just can’t pick against Peyton Manning in the playoffs at home. Manning has had a career year this year, throwing for 4,500 yards for just the second time in his career, and completing a higher percentage of his passes than ever before. The only reservation I have is how sitting for three straight weeks will affect him, but I’ve got to believe he’ll come out strong.

Other Happenings in Sports

2010-01-13T01:17:00.000-05:00

There’s no doubting that Pete Carroll built one of the greatest college football teams ever. From 1996-2001, the Trojans were 37-35. Pete Carroll took over in 2001, and since then USC has a record of 86-18. But there’s no way Carroll will experience success anywhere near that in Seattle. College football dominance is based on recruiting. Hence, Pete Carroll could recruit better than anyone. Unfortunately for him, coaches in the NFL don’t recruit. I think Seahawks owner Paul Allen recognized the pro-style offense Carroll ran in SoCal, and plans on him being able to run a similar offense in Seattle. He’ll do that, for sure. But Pete Carroll just won’t have the talent he did when he was at USC. If you gave me the choice between Matt Barkley or Matt Hasselbeck, I’d take Matt Barkley. Until the Seahawks bring in better players, they can look forward to some more 5- or 6-win seasons over the next couple of years. What’s more significant in this story is that Carroll’s replacement will be former Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Volunteers football coach Lane Kiffin. When news of Carroll’s departure first surfaced, everyone wondered how USC could ever survive. Here’s how. Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC from 2001-2006, and will now be the top dog in Southern Cal. Also making the switch from Tennesse to USC are Carroll’s father and defensive guru Monte Kiffin, as well as the recruiting director there, Ed Orgeron. I really don’t think USC is left with a net loss at the end of all this (as long as they’re not slapped with any NCAA violations.) The fact that Lane Kiffin coached in the NFL and in the SEC will probably be a significant draw for future recruits; the fact that Lane Kiffin loves the spotlight will probably mean he’ll enjoy Southern California; and the fact that USC started only eight seniors last year means that Kiffin will have a lot of talent to work with. In five years, USC will have won one national championship, and the Seahawks will have had one winning season.

Just real quick, Mark McGuire came clean about steroids. I don’t care. I don’t care when you took them, why you took them, or what effects you claim they had on you. You used steroids and gave yourself an unfair advantage that skewed your natural ability—how much of McGuire’s success was natural, and how much does he owe to PEDs? “Grading” a user’s press conference is bull shit. Giambi used, A-Rod used, Pettite used, and Manny used. All these players had different excuses and, in many cases, they’re all perceived by fans in different ways based on how they admitted to steroid use. And that is preposterous. Anyone who has ever taken steroids should be treated the same.

Round Two Picks, Confidence 8

2010-01-11T18:14:00.002-05:00

Chargers over Jets
You’ve got to be kidding me on this one. I still can’t believe the Jets are in the playoffs. The Colts and Cincinnati better be getting thank you cards in the mail this week, because there’s no way the Jets would have made the playoffs if those two teams had played with any fire in the last two weeks of the season. Excluding their last two games, the Jets played three games against playoff teams and averaged 13 points for those three games. The Jets survive solely with their defense, and I don’t think it will hold up against the Chargers in San Diego. San Diego hasn’t scored fewer than 20 points once this season; and as good as the Jets defense is, it’s not that good. Phillip Rivers will still get between 250-300 passing yards (his season average is 265), and will lead to Chargers to at least 27 points. LaDainian Tomlinson seems to always be beat up, and the bye week last week should really do him some good (don’t forget about Darren Sproles, either). Jets’ cornerback Derrelle Revis will probably end up making Chargers top receiver Vincent Jackson a nonfactor, I’ll give you that. But Rivers should still be able to find either his Pro Bowl TE Antonio Gates or 6’5” receiver Malcom Floyd, who had 140 receiving yards in his last game of the season. The Chargers D isn’t anything special, but they should be able to stop the one-minded offense of the Jets, who rely exclusively on their run game. If you look at the Jets’ wins this season, they’ve beat up on poor rush defenses. And at home, the Chargers allow only 100 rush yards per game and .6 rush TDs per game. A third of their wins came against teams that allow over 150 rush yards per game (which only four teams in the NFL did); averaged together, the eight teams that the Jets did beat allowed 131 yards per game. Only six teams actually surrendered that many rush yards. What all that means is that the Jets do well against teams with weak rush defenses. And although the Chargers run defense might not be the best, it’s pretty good—and the Jets only beat one team (other than an unmotivated Cincy in Week 17) with a worse run defense than the Chargers. In his last six games, Jets’ QB Mark Sanchez averages 131 pass yards, and I don’t expect the Jets to score more than 20 points this weekend.

Round Two Picks, Confidence: 9

2010-01-11T16:58:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, say what you want about my wildcard round playoff picks. They sucked, I know. I’m batting .250 so far. But hey, that’s 15% higher than Varitek’s batting average last season.

This week, I’m going to post my Round Two Picks one at a time, starting with the ones I’m most comfortable with.

Saints over Cardinals
If the Cardinals couldn’t stop Aaron Rodgers, how can they expect to defend against the Saints, who not only have the best QB in the NFL, but also have a great receiving corps and an above-average rushing game? The Cardinals are going to play the Saints the same way they played the Packers: give the ball to Kurt Warner (I was wrong, he’s still got a full tank, even in Week 18), and he’ll throw downfield to Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald—maybe even Anquan Boldin, who could be back from his sprained MCL. He completed 88% of his passes, and threw for five TDs against the Green Bay secondary for a passer rating of 154.1. You think he’ll duplicate that against the Saints secondary in the Superdome? Quarterbacks against the Saints complete an average of 57% of their passes, and manage a passer rating of 67.2, fifth and third in the NFL respectively. The Saints have allowed fewer passing touchdowns this season than they have had games. Granted, you could have said the same thing about Green Bay’s passing defense prior to last night’s game, but over the course of the season, New Orleans has had a better overall defense. I mean, Roethlisberger threw for 500 yards against the Packers just three weeks ago! What I’m saying is you can’t expect Kurt Warner to throw for 350+ again this weekend. You can expect that out of Drew Brees, however. The Cardinals have allowed a 300 yard passing game five times this season. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 315 yards against the Cardinals, for cryin’ out loud; that’s 100 yards higher than his season average! Arizona is 27th in the NFL for passing yards per game, and 23rd in terms of overall yardage. In the end, the Saints defense is far from impenetrable, but they will hold Arizona to under 24 points. On the other side, the Saints offense—especially Drew Brees—will tear up the Cardinals defense and put up at least 31 points.

One More 2010 Red Sox Preview

2010-01-09T11:29:00.002-05:00

I have a problem with what the Red Sox have done this offseason. I know what they’re trying to do, but I don’t agree with it. Theo has crafted one of the deepest rosters in the MLB, but he doesn’t have the star power that championship teams must have—especially at the plate. Look at the World Series teams last year and they’re dangerous bats. The Yankees had A-Rod, Teixeira, and Jeter who can all harm you at any point in the game. The Phillies had J-Roll, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, and Jayson Werth.

We have three proven outfielders in Ellsbury, Cameron, and Drew. With this threesome, you know what you’re going to get: overall, they’re above-average defensively: Ellsbury and Cameron are definite Gold Glove candidates (Cameron already has three in his career). But no one will blow you away at the plate. They’re all decent hitters: together have a career batting average of .277 and 16 HR per year, which is okay, but it won’t win any championships. In the infield, it’s the same story: tons of depth, above-average defense, with mediocre bats. Between Adrian Beltre/Mike Lowell, Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Victor Martinez there are ten .300 seasons, two 30 HR seasons, and seven seasons of .500 SLG%. In the Bronx, between A-Rod, Jeter, Cano, Teixeira, and Posada, there are twenty-seven .300 seasons, twenty 30-HR seasons, and twenty-six seasons of .500SLG %. The Yanks probably even have the edge defensively: going around the infield, Beltre>A-Rod, Jeter> Scutaro, Cano = Pedroia, Teixeira>Youkilis, Posada = Marinez. We might have a little more depth with Lowie, Lowell, and Varitek as backups, but ten out of ten people would rather have the Yankee lineup at the four infield positions.

The star power that a team needs to make a long playoff run simply does not exist on the Red Sox lineup. If there’s ever an injury, I’m more comfortable with the Red Sox bench players; if both teams stay healthy, though, there’s no question as to which team is better. I’ve already said that the Sox have the best starting rotation in the MLB, and that still stands. I believe Buchholz and Matsuzaka have the potential to be shut-down starters, and if they play up what they’re capable of, we could be looking at one of the best starting rotations in the history of baseball. Nevertheless, I don’t necessarily feel comfortable with the 2010 Red Sox roster as it stands today.

Pass The Juice

2010-01-06T23:27:00.000-05:00

In March 2005, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, along with Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Rafael Palmeiro sat before noteworthy congressmen and congresswomen on Capitol Hill to discuss the steroid issue plaguing professional baseball. The purpose of the hearings was to eradicate the use of performance-enhancing drugs for posterity—not just in professional sports, but in the youth community across America as well. The use of performance-enhancing drugs by adult men and women is bad enough, but under no circumstances should still-developing young people put these substances in their body. Yet, they do.

At the college level, according to a TA graduate now playing Division 1 football, testing for illegal performance enhancers is taken seriously both internally and by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He has been tested by his own team five times since he started playing in 2007, and he says that the tests are “extremely difficult, if not impossible to cheat.” He told me that he knows of two teammates who have tested positive in the team-administered tests. The same player told me that the NCAA tests are administered in a similar cheat-proof procedure, but that he has never been tested. This year, the NCAA will drug test 10,500 athletes. To get a sense of how small this number is, even if all these tests were concentrated on college football, which they are not, the 10,500 tests would not even account for ¼ of all football players. Nevertheless, at least at this particular institution, it seems that illegal performance-enhancers are rare. The Thayer grad says that the “staff does a very good job of making sure we go by the rules” and that “the system seems to work well”. But what about in high school, where there is no testing, and students tend to be more shortsighted?

The steroid issue in high school is a nonissue, TA’s own Athletic Director Matt McGuirk believes. After all, he told me, the ISL has never had any incident of steroid use. He offers three reasons for this: first, with the development of advanced workout routines, and ISL students’ easy access to personal trainers, students can reach even the greatest fitness goals without the use of illegal drugs. Second, Thayer’s education about steroid use, including guest speakers and Sophomore Fitness, is effective in deterring students from using performance-enhancing drugs. When I asked him whether widespread steroid use in professional sports sets a bad example for students, McGuirk told me that publicized steroid use is actually the third factor that keeps young athletes from using them. When they see juiced up players like Gary Sheffield or Mark McGwire “lose their respect, pride, and dignity,” student-athletes are dissuaded from reaching for illegal performance enhancers by the worry that the same thing could happen to them. I never thought I’d say this, but thank you, Barry Bonds.

Is Matt McGuirk’s notion the right one, or is it optimistically naïve? Playing D-1 sports is romanticized by varsity players and coaches alike, and with ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the like, high school athletes are hardly strangers to sports media: they know that stars are born in college, and at some point, all the work in the world just isn’t enough for many high school athletes. Everyone wants to succeed, so everyone works hard—but injecting oneself with illegal and potentially fatal drugs is something not everyone is willing to do. As I was told by the D-I football player, “sports are all some athletes have. They don’t have a great education or skills to fall back on…so they are willing to do whatever it takes to get as far as they can.”

Dangers of steroid abuse are never more pronounced than when they are used by inexperienced young adults. As teenagers mature, their bodies are already chock-full of hormones. When steroids enter the body, they are converted into hormones, of which adolescents have more than enough. Even full-grown adults should never take steroids until they have absorbed every last detail about what steroids are and how they work. Drugs like steroids are just too volatile to play around with. How long a steroid can be used continuously will also differ from one steroid to the next; how much, how many times a day, and into what part of the body a steroid can be administered will also vary. The fact of the matter is that there are just too many things that could go wrong in the process of taking steroids that makes them dangerous, and until one knows everything there is to know about steroids, they should not be used whatsoever.

In 2001 the Center for Disease Control reported that 5% of all high school students had taken steroids without a doctor’s prescription. Although this national data probably does not translate to the Thayer community, it does indicate the possibility that up to five students in every class might have used steroids by the time they graduate.

I asked another former Thayer student-athlete about his experience with steroids. The former Tiger, who will be named Fred to maintain his anonymity, confessed that he had dabbled in steroid use, and said that even as he was taking the drugs, he “didn’t know anything about them except the fact that they worked on my friend.” That’s really all Fred was concerned with: the results. In the minds of many steroid users, it doesn’t matter what the drugs may do to the body in the long run—most don’t even know—as long they are effective in the short run. The oral steroid that Fred was using, Dianabol, resulted in side effects like acne and mood swings, two things that don’t sound like they could precipitate long-term health risks. However, if any type of steroid is misused, it can cause very serious problems such as liver damage, high blood pressure, infertility, and stunted growth. Fortunately, Fred did not renew his steroid cycle after his first 16-day cycle had ended. This must have been a difficult decision, as the steroids that cost him only $50 for a two-week supply produced “great results in only three days.” These drugs work, there’s no doubt about that. The dangers manifest themselves when users turn into abusers, which can easily end up happening when, as Fred did, one obtains steroids from a friend, who gets them from a dealer, who probably doesn’t know all that much other than to tell his clients “Take x pills at y times”.

The potential risks Fred was exposing himself to are numerous. One technique that is common by steroid users is called “stacking”, which involves the use of multiple steroids at the same time. If being supplied by an experienced trainer or doctor who knows all there is to know about the drugs, stacking can be safe and can enhance the effectiveness of workouts. But chances are, if Fred had asked his supplier for some new steroids, the supplier would go out and acquire some new type of steroid that he heard was supposed to work differently, without considering the risks of using multiple steroids at once. Not a lot is known about the exact effects of every steroid, but think of stacking like this: if one was to take golf lessons from two instructors at the same time, they could give contradictory advice that could possibly make one’s game worse.

Just as dangerous as irresponsibly stacking one’s steroids is using the same steroid for too long. While some steroids can be used year-round, the body will not be able to cope with most steroids if they are used for too long. Fred’s Dianobol starts to become toxic after around eight months of daily use. But what does a dealer do when his client continues to purchase the same steroids for several consecutive months? Probably nothing. Fred told me that he would have “definitely” been able to keep purchasing Dianobol, as long as he had the money, and that the supplier “would not have told us [that long-term use of Dianabol is dangerous] because he would just want to make a profit.” These potential problems are amplified during the age of the Internet, where one has the opportunity to buy steroids online.

Check out a website called isteroids.com; it sells illegal steroids to anyone with a credit card. All sorts of oral steroids are sold from prices ranging from $70 to $95 per bottle; the “Pro (Advanced) Bulking Stack” includes 24 bottles of pills and will costs $1200. The site even explains how to avoid getting busted by the Feds during the shipping process. The most disturbing part of the webpage is how difficult it is to find anything resembling a warning about steroid abuse. The only thing I could find was at the bottom of a page titled Effects of Steroids, and the warning states concisely, “Always remember, effects of steroids are very serious. Users do experience bad and negative side effects, so be warned! Do your research.” Yet, there is absolutely nothing to ensure that customers do any research at all; nothing to make sure drugs aren’t being stacked improperly, no one there to monitor long-term use of steroids. It’s actually quite unsettling that this steroid supplier downplays the harmful effects of steroids.

I believe that steroids will continue to be used by the McGwires, Sosas, and Cansecos of professional baseball. And, honestly, I’m fine with that. These baseball players can afford to work with experienced trainers who know all there is to know about how to safely use steroids—because they can be used safely. On top of that, these professional athletes have completed normal human development, and their bodies are not changing at the rate that yours and mine are. So if they want to use steroids, let them. That’s not the problem, and MLB knows that. The problem is when young athletes—kids—hear about these superstars juicing, they think that they can too. They can’t. Even if a student thinks he has absorbed every last morsel of information, even if he thinks his body can handle the drugs, he hasn’t, and it can’t.

My Round 1 Picks

2010-01-04T23:03:00.005-05:00

Three Week 17 rematches will be featured in the first round of The Playoffs

Patriots over Ravens
The loss of Welker isn’t as damaging as you might think. Rookie Julian Edelman is all the hype and by no means overrated. The Ravens were able to take Welker out the game in Week 4 anyway: on his first game back from injury, Welker only had six catches against the Ravens –which is his 2nd lowest total for the season—for 48 yards. The Pats went on to win that game 27-21. Tom Brady is 14-3 career in the playoffs and has never lost his first playoff game; the Pats finally have all their backs healthy: Laurence Maroney sat out Week 17 and will be rested, Sammy Morris is back from his injuries that sidelined him for six games in the middle of the season, and Fred Taylor rushed for two TDs last week and has recovered from his ankle injury that kept him out 10 games.

Bengals over Jets
The Jets played out of their minds on Sunday, and there’s no way that will happen again, this time in Cincinnati. The Bengals have had some quality wins this season, including at Green Bay, twice against Pittsburgh, and twice against Baltimore. Their losses came in a last-second lucky touchdown in Week 1 in Denver (they were good then, remember?), at Minnesota, at San Diego, a fluke loss to the up-and-down Oakland Raiders, and a Week 17 blowout that really had no impact on their playoff seeding. The only quality wins I’d give the Jets came in the first two weeks of the season against the Texans and Patriots; you could also throw in Week 15 against the Falcons, but I wouldn’t. The Bengals now know Sanchez won’t throw the ball next week (he threw for only 63 yards in Week 17) and the Cincinnati D can focus on stopping Brad Smith and the above-average run game of the Jets.

Cowboys over Eagles
What December woes? (What overused cliché?) Tony Romo has averaged 310 yards his last six games, throwing only two interceptions to go along with eleven touchdowns. The ‘Boys will be back in Dallas, and I don’t see any reason they won’t steamroll the Eagles in Round #2. The Dallas defense is playing harder than they have all season, and have shutout their last two opponents. The ‘Boys will likely be playing for their coach Wade Phillip’s job, and I think that they will be motivated more than they have been all season. The Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996. Jerry Jones didn’t spend a bazillion dollars on his new stadium to lose another playoff game. He wants to win. The Cowboy fans want to win. His team wants to win. They will win.

Packers over Cardinals
Aaron Rodgers is coming into his own after living in the shadow of Brett Favre, and is becoming one of the elite passers in the NFL. He still has some game management skills that he can improve upon, but when it comes to purely throwing the football, there’s few I’d rather have than Aaron Rodgers. Speaking of Brett Favre though, I don’t think veteran Kurt Warner, at age 38, really has any more big games in him. He averages less than 250 passing yards in his last five games (excluding Week 17, when he threw but six passes), and the Cardinals don’t really have much of a run game that he can lean on: Tim Hightower hasn’t had more than 15 carries all season. Of the twelve playoff teams, the Cardinals total the second fewest yards per game, and I don’t see their defense stopping the Packers 6th-ranked offense. To tell you the truth, I’m not really impressed with the Cardinals. At all. You know how many wins they had against teams with records better than .500? One. Against the Texans in Week 5…Warner and the Cards were coming off of a buy week. I mean look at their schedule. They beat St. Louis twice, they beat Seattle twice, and they beat the Tigers: that’s half their wins right there. If they lost to the 49ers twice, how do they expect to beat the Packers?

What's Up With That: Blue Turf?

2010-01-01T19:11:00.001-05:00

What’s up with Boise St.’s blue turf? I’ll be the first to admit that it looks awesome; it’s different, it’s noticeable, and it has put Boise on the map. Would Boise St. still be respected in college football if it did not have blue turf? Yeah, probably. But would they have won seven of the last eight Western Athletic Conference championships? I doubt it. High school athletes are not drawn to Boise St. because Boise is the sixth greenest urban area in the U.S., or because it’s the ninth hottest midsize city for entrepreneurs, not even because Idaho produces one-third of all the potatoes grown in the United States. It’s because they want to play on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium. But I do have a problem with it. In all honesty, I believe that it’s cheating. What color are the Bronco uniforms? Blue—they are the exact color as the turf they play on. Was this simply by accident? I think not. This year, the team even eliminated its orange pants to get the blue top on blue pants on blue turf camouflage look. You can’t tell me that when visiting
teams come to Bronco Stadium, they see the Boise players as clearly as they do their teammates. Especially if we’re talking about their peripheral vision. Do you have a better chance of seeing a blue jersey or a white jersey coming at you from the side? The home field advantage of Boise St. is one of the best in college football. Their players are essentially camouflaged by the field, and that’s not fair. What’s stopping Alabama from installing a crimson playing field? How many more TD’s would Tim Tebow have had if the Gators played on blue turf? Think about it: cornerbacks and safeties have their backs turned to the play until they see that no pass is coming, and then they locate Tebow immediately. If Tebow blended in with the turf he was playing on, I guarantee he’d have at least a half second extra time of not being noticed because the defensive backs wouldn’t know if he’s scrambling to the weak side or strong side. Boise playing on blue turf is an unfair advantage that the NCAA needs to take care of promptly.

Thunderstorms in OKC

2010-01-01T18:31:00.003-05:00

Now, I know I just sang the praises of one expansion team, the Texans (introduced in 2002). But let me sing the praises of one more.

I know the Oklahoma City Thunder is not really an expansion team; the Seattle SuperSonics just relocated to Oklahoma City, and changed their name and jerseys. But it does feel like a whole new team. In the three seasons from the ‘05-06 to ‘07-08, the SuperSonics compiled a record of 86-160 and failed to make the playoffs once—which you almost have to try to do in the NBA. After averaging a little over 15,000 fan attendance from 2002 to 2008, the SuperSonics moved to OKC, where attendance now hovers around 18,000 per game, which is good enough for 11th in the NBA. This season, the Thunder have a winning record, and, should the season end today, they would be in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Such a turnaround has certainly been unexpected. Look at some of the previous relocations in professional sports: Montreal Expos became the Nationals in 2005, who have yet to have a winning season or make the playoffs; the Washington Senators moved to Dallas to become to Rangers in 1972, and didn’t make the playoffs for their first 24 years in Texas, and still have only won one playoff game ever.

The move to OKC feels a different, though. For the first time ever, Oklahoma houses a major professional sports team, and the fans have welcomed the Thunder as well as they possibly could have. Personally, I'm not surprised; college football draws a huge crowd there, and I don't see why no pro team has ventured there before the Thunder. Regardless, the team has reacted to the support accordingly. Kevin Durant is becoming one of the most electrifying players in all of basketball, currently fourth in the NBA with 28.5 PPG (he just broke a 37-year-old franchise record, scoring 30 points in his 6th straight game). He leads an extraordinarily young team with tons of potential: the average years of experience on the roster is 2.8, including four rookies. The team's 18-14 record is a 14-game improvement from where it was at this time last season, and the Thunder have had some big wins, including against the Magic, Suns, Spurs, and Heat. I also have to give them credit for two losses against the Lakers by a combined six points.

So check your city’s forecast, and make sure there are no eminent thunderstorms. This might be The Inconvenient Truth talking, but something tells me that thunderstorms are growing more powerful every year.

Team to Watch: Houston Texans

2009-12-31T01:27:00.001-05:00

With only five players (excluding special teams) age 30 years or older, the Texans have immense potential. Since 2003, they’ve drafted four players to be voted to the All Pro team—Andre Johnson, Jerome Mathis, Mario Williams, and DeMeco Ryans. Add to that this year’s performance of rookie linebacker Brian Cushing out of USC: 128 tackles (first among NFL rookies), 4 sacks (second highest for NFL rookies; first in AFC), 4 interceptions (the only rookie to have more is Buffalo’s Jairus Byrd, a free safety), and 2 forced fumbles (tied for second among NFL rookies), and the Texans have compiled some of the most impressive draft histories in recent memory. In 2009, they started three rookies, and two others have played in every game this season. In 2006, we scoffed at their passing off Reggie Bush for Mario Williams. Well I ask you, who’s laughing now? The Texans have one of the youngest teams in the NFL and have nowhere to go but up.

Quarterback Matt Schaub has shown himself Pro Bowl worthy for the first time this year. He has thrown for more yards than any QB through week 15, is third in completion percentage behind only Drew Brees and Peyton Manning (elite company, I’d say), and is one of only three quarterbacks to throw more than 58 passes of 20+ yards and less than 15 interceptions. He has missed nine games due to injury in the past two years, but he’s only 28 years old (Romo is 29, Brees is 30, Brady is 32, Manning is 33) and has a bright future ahead of him. I predict him to be the best quarterback in the NFL in five years. Brees, Brady, and Manning will be washed-up by then; Roethlisberger (27) will not amount to much in the next few years, as he will continue to fight injuries—he’s only started 16 games once in his career and averages 40 sacks per season; Romo and Eli have yet to prove themselves, and could take a few more years to become top-tier quarterbacks; right now, only Phillip Rivers (28), Jay Cutler (26), and Matt Ryan (24) could possibly challenge Schaub in the coming years as NFL’s top quarterback.

But no one will have better weapons at wide receiver than the Texans in the coming years. Andre Johnson has finally come into his own after being drafted in the first round of the 2003 Draft. He has the most receiving yards of any WR by almost 200 yards and is the second-biggest deep threat after Philly’s Desean Jackson. Houston has nine players who have caught at least 15 passes this season, none of whom have played in the NFL for more than 7 years. The Pats have seven, who together average 8 years experience. You might be thinking that experience is a good thing, and it is. For the short term. Kevin Faulk is a great weapon for the Pats…right now. How great will he be in three years? He’ll probably be out of the NFL. The Texans, on the other hand, have a solid receiving corps to count for the next several years. Matt Schaub and the Houston offense will continue to put up big numbers and will continue to win games.

There’s no question as to where the strength of this Texans team is: it’s the passing game. It’s not the defense and it’s not the run game. As far as defense goes, the Texans aren’t great, but aren’t bad either. They have a reliable defense that gives up a little more than 20 points and 325 yards per game, right in the middle of the pack for the NFL. Super Bowls are no longer won with stellar defenses; it’s becoming more of an offense-driven league every year. So I don’t think much focus should be put on the Houston D. They do, however, need to focus on the run game. In 2009, only the Colts run for fewer yards. This is especially crucial in the red zone. Of all the teams with over 350 points this season, the Texans have the fewest run TDs, which hurts them most in the red zone. What number troubles me is that the Texans are 11th in total points this season, yet they are 5th in total yards. This tells me that their red zone game sucks. Even though they are gaining tons of yards, they can struggle to point enough points on the board. Their 52.7% TD conversion in the red zone is not going to cut it if they have Super Bowl aspirations. Only one 11-win team has a lower red zone conversion percentage, the Eagles. Indy and New Orleans together have a 62% conversion rate, and that is why they were both undefeated entering week 14.

The Texans will be a playoff contender for the next several years, and have Super Bowl potential. But they’re not there yet. If they really want to go somewhere other than a 9-7 season, they’ll need to get a new coach, work on their run game, maintain their electric passing game, and continue to have successful defense-centric (less risky) drafts.

SOTD: Large Market Teams

2009-12-26T22:54:00.004-05:00

There are 39 professional sports teams in NY/NJ, LA, BOS, CHI, DET, Pennsylvania, and Texas, across the four major sports of NHL, MLB, NBA, and NFL. There are a total of 122 professional sports teams in those four leagues. Since 1990, there has been a total of 76 championships, and one of those 39 teams have appeared in 60 of them (79%). In addition, they have a combined 78 appearances in the championships between them. The 39 teams lucky enough to be in such a large market account for 31.9% of all the professional teams in America. However, at the same time, they have more appearances in league championships than the other 83 teams do combined. WHat does this mean? The influx of money in professional sports, and the concentration of that money into major markets have left small market teams in the dust. Teams in Kansas City, Florida, New Orleans, or anywhere in the West outside of LA don't stand a chance anymore. Sure, they may have a run once in a while thanks to a bit of luck and a great star (Saints, Colts, Marlins, Lightning, Rays, and Rockies), but in the long run, they won't really make a dent in their respective sports. The Royals (Kansas City), Seahawks (Seattle), Grizzlies (Memphis), and Wild (Minnesota) will continue to be the punching bag of bigger and better teams, a game on the schedule they will always be able to mark down as a win before the season even starts.

The Minnesota Wild actually proves this best. Minnesota and the Northern part of America is hockey town: the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Wisconsin Badgers, and Michigan Wolverines are always contendors for the NCAA hockey championship. Why? Because kids grow up playing hockey there, and want to go to school close to home. Youth and high school hockey is HUGE up there, and the high school stars go play for the school they've rooted for throughout their childhood: usually the ones closest to their home. But as soon as money enters the picture, the story changes. If we were to follow the same pattern, the Minnesota college stars would want to play for the Minnesota Wild or the Winnipeg Jets: close to home. But how have these teams fared? Well, The Wild haven't been the Stanley Cup since their inception in 2000, and the Winnipeg Jets were forced to relocate to Phoenix. Big money teams like Detroit and Chicago can pay players more because they can sell more tickets, sell more merchandise, and attract more sponsers.

And until the leagues make some major revenue sharing moves or something else extraodinary, this will continue to be the case. Its been 12 years since we've had a World Series between two teams not from Chicago, Boston, Philly, or NYC. Its been six years for the NFL, three for the NHL; and if you throw in Texas, the NBA has NEVER had a finals between two small market teams.

The Houston Texans Will Make The Playoffs

2009-12-26T18:31:00.001-05:00

The Texans will make the playoffs because they will finish 9-7. Here’s why:

Their next two games (at Miami, vs. NE) look intimidating, but really they aren’t.
Miami will be playing a quarterback in his first year as starter, Chad Henne, who doesn’t have the big game experience that is necessary in a game like this. He’s been intercepted eight times in his last four games, while throwing only four TDs. Accordingly, Miami has had to rely on their running game all season, and rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards. The Texans, on the other hand, have allowed 100 rushing yards only once in their last eleven games, and the run-heavy Dolphins will have trouble gaining yards against an ever-improving Texans defense. The game against NE is an easy one. The Pats will be coming off a playoff-clinching win against the Jaguars, and should be resting some of their key offensive starters. But what’s more important is the Texans’ passing attack. Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson are becoming one of the biggest combos in the game, and will tear apart the young Patriots secondary.

However, the Texans will need a little help from their fellow AFC contenders. There are still seven teams fighting for the two AFC wild card spots. Since Houston will be winning out, the other four 7-7 teams will only have to lose once, and they all will. Jacksonville will lose in New England in Week 16; the Dolphins will lose against Houston in Week 16; the Jets will lose their two remaining games in Indianapolis and against Cincinnati; and the Steelers will lose in Week 17 in Miami. Baltimore will lose to the Steelers and the Raiders, thus finishing the season 8-8. This sounds a little crazy, but stick with me. Pittsburgh lost to the Ravens by just three points in Week 12, and Pittsburgh will come back with a vengeance to win in Week 16. Oakland has won five games this season, four of which came against playoff contenders (Philly, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Denver). They will pull off another upset in Week 17 with Bruce Gradkowski back from a knee injury that sidelined him in Denver, and with another big game from Michael Bush, who had 133 rushing yards last week against Denver.

The 2010 postseason will be the first in franchise history for the Houston Texans (expansion team in 2002), and will secure the head coaching job of Gary Kubiak for at least another season.

Red Sox Offseason

2009-12-26T14:29:00.003-05:00

SIGN
Mike Cameron -37 years old
-Never hit better than .275
-7 for 10 stealing in 2009 (fewest steals in 13 year career)
-Hit 20+ HR last 4 years
-Played 140+ games 10 of past 12 years, low injury risk
-2 Golden Gloves, 1 All-Star
-Against Yankees: .236 BA

Jeremy Hermida-26 years old
- Strong rookie season (.296 BA, .870 OPS)
-Benched in September for rookie Cameron Maybin
-.189 batting against lefties (.282 against righties) in ‘09
-1st round pick of 2002 draft
- 0 Gold Gloves, 0 All-Stars
-Against Yankees: 4-18, 5 SO

Marco Scutaro-34 years old
-Career year last year (.282 BA, .378 OBP, 1.2 BB: SO ratio)
-No power (50 HR in 840 game career, career .384 SLG)
-Solid fielder, can play virtually any position on the field
-6 year veteran (all in AL)
-0 Gold Gloves, 0 All-Star
-Against Yankees: .242 BA

LOSE
Jason Bay-32 years old
-100 RBI, 30HR 4 of 6 years in MLB
-Rookie of the Year in 2004
-3rd in HR, 2nd in RBI, Silver Slugger in 2009
-Accounted for 25% of runs scored by Red Sox in 2009
-Played 145+ in 5 of 6 years in MLB (162 in ’05)
-0 Gold Gloves, 3 All-Stars
- Against Yankees: .324 BA, .559 SLG

You do the math. Alex Gonzalez is gone, but Scutaro is a competent replacement. Let's face it, Gonzo may have been the fan favorite and we all wanted to see him stay, but Scutaro is just as good, and younger. We signed him for two years, with an option for the third year. Don't forget about Lowry either. If he stays healthy, he's a good person to have waiting in the wings. But then there's Jason Bay. Bay probably didn't add so much defense for the Red Sox in '09, but there's no way the outfield we have ligned up now (Ellsbury, Drew, Cameron/Hermida) will be able to replace what Bay meant for this offense--especially if Ortiz has another down year. Bay averages 33 HR and 107 RBI a year. Last year, no one else on the Sox had either 33 HR or 100 RBI.

The addition of John Lackey makes the Sox rotation more dangerous than any other in Major League baseball. We have three shut-down starters, there's no doubt about that. But our lineup really has virtually no power threats, and one or two solid bats: Youkilis, Pedroia, and maybe Papi. The Yankees have A-Rod, Jeter, Texeira, as well as Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano, as well as two Cy-Young candidates in Sabathia and Burnett. For the Sox lineup, Ellsbury will continue to pose a threat on the basepaths, but his .350 OBP won't cut it as a leadoff hitter. Lowell is question mark: he could have a great offensive year, but I doubt his ability to touch his toes anymore. He's the oldest 35 year-old I've ever seen, and is one-year removed from a major hip surgery. The fact that Boston brass tried to get rid of once this offseason (trade to Rangers was called off after his physical) tells you the Red Sox doubt his potential to for another .290 season., a BA only four Red Sox topped last season. Pedroia, Youkilis, and Martinez will have solid years, but don't be surprised if their numbers dip a little with the loss of Bay's protection in the lineup. Like it or not, J.D. will continue to be J.D. He'll bat around .265 with tons of walks and tons of strikeouts, but don't expect anything more.

The Yankees didn't make any big splashes this offseason, but they didn't need to. They won the World Series last year and have virtually the same roster. Yeah, they'll probably end up losing Damon, but he's past his prime anyway. Plus the Steinbrenners will probably end up signing Mark DeRosa or some other bat that can at least replace Damon. They made a couple minor moves, like sending Melky Cabrera to the Braves for pitcher Javier Vasquez, which will probably put Joba back in the 'pen with some scrub named Mariano Rivera.

The Denver............... Patriots?

2009-09-02T02:31:00.003-04:00

Well, Josh McDaniels moved to Denver, bringing a huge amount of Patriots players with him. The Pats have traded DE Le Kevin Smith to the Broncos ofr undisclosed draft picks, only a week after veteran OL Russ Hochstein. Now the list of former 2008 Patriot players who have moved to Denver....
Jabar Gaffney - WR
Lamont Jordan - RB
Lonie Paxton - LS
Le Kevin Smith - DL
Russ Hochstein - LS
Josh McDaniel - HC
Only five names, but still it is a lot considering it was during one offseason, and only between two teams. The Patriots will be facing the New York Giants in Gillete Stadium at 7:30pm.

What's Up with That? The Next Welker

2009-08-18T12:33:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-16T13:08:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-15T23:58:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-14T18:55:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-08-14T16:40:00.005-04:00

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

2009-08-14T07:53:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-10T18:51:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-09T10:33:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-08T13:12:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-07T17:03:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-06T23:04:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-06T22:13:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-03T17:45:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-03T17:30:00.003-04:00

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

Newbies

2009-08-02T18:56:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-02T15:25:00.005-04:00

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

Stat of the Day: Playing their Cards Right

2009-08-02T09:20:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-02T09:02:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-02T00:08:00.009-04:00

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)

2009-08-01T20:50:00.001-04:00

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.

Trade Deadline 2009

2009-07-31T21:00:00.001-04:00

This is my first ever in-game blog, and I’ll use a play that happened just moments ago in the Sox-O’s game to explain why the Red Sox acquired Casey Kotchman and Victor Martinez, despite already having an All-Star –laden group of infielders.

Matt Wieters on second, Brian Roberts hits a grounder to the backhand of shortstop Nick Green. Not having the best throwing arm, Green decides against making a Jeter-esque jumping toss to get the speedy Roberts at first base. Instead, he opts to make the quick throw to Mike Lowell covering 3rd base so that he can lay down the tag and get the runner trying to advance on a non-force out. 35-year-old Lowell hobbles to the bag so Green can throw him the ball from maybe thirty away. Green throws it low, but not really to either side of the 3rd baseman, who underwent offseason hip surgery. Low is generally a good place to throw the ball when trying to tag out a runner, but not today. It was painful watching Lowell barely to bend his knees, and attempt to make a shoestring catch without moving a single one of the fragile joints in his body. The ball rolled past Lowell, allowing Weiters to not only advance to third, but to score the tying run as the ball went out-of-play into the Sox dugout. The next batter comes to the plate with a runner on second and one out, instead of a runner on first with two outs. With such a favorable situation, he hits a two-run homer that puts Baltimore up by two runs.

So what did this play tell us? Mike Lowell is far from Gold Glove 3rd baseman he was in ’05. We need someone to man the hot corner and give Lowell a rest a few times a week. Who can we put at third? We have Youk, but he’s an excellent defensive 1st baseman, and only a decent fielder at 3rd. So we look to acquire one via trade who can play good defense, all the while able to create runs at the plate. Since there’s no one available, we’re forced to move Youkilis to 3rd base. Adam LaRoche was our original replacement 1st baseman, but his strength is really on offense, rather than on defense. Since we lost some fielding ability by moving Youk away from 1st base, so LaRoche wasn’t the perfect fit. So Theo went to the Braves to trade LaRoche (5-19, 1 HR, 3 RBI in 6 games with the Red Sox) for defensive-minded Casey Kotchman. So here’s the breakdown again: lose defense at first by moving Youkilis to third, but get more offense at third from Youk than from Lowell; get offense with LaRoche, but Theo sees the need for more defense in the infield; gets Kotchman, despite sacrificing a little at the plate.

What about Victory Martinez? Jason Varitek is undoubtedly feeling the wear and tear of his 12-year catching career. His knees, ankles, and shoulder are as beat up as they can be before landing on the DL. His 78 AB in May have decreased in June, and again in July, where he will probably end up seeing close to 62 AB. With all due respect to George Kottaras, he doesn’t belong in a Red Sox uniform; he’s just not good enough. V-Mart will be able to take some pressure off Varitek and his knees, and Tito won’t hesitate to throw him behind the plate because he’s such an offensive force. Plus, he can also play 1st base or DH, offering Papi and Youk/Kotchman the day off. It’s amazing how much flexibility Terry Francona has, lining up his infield. Lowell, Youkilis, Green, Lowrie, Pedroia, Kotchman, Martinez, and Varitek can all play interchangeably. If one needs a rest, or can’t hit righties, Francona won’t have to think twice about giving him the day off; they can all replace each other without the team missing a beat.

However, what is most intriguing about the Martinez deal is how little the Theo ended up giving Cleveland. We kept Buchholz, Bard, and our main pitching prospects of Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa, as well as hitting phenom Ryan Westmoreland. We traded middle reliever Justin Masterson, and 1st round draft picks of the 2007 and 2008 Drafts, LHP Nick Hagadone and RHP Bryan Price.

What’d the Yankees do? Roy Halladay? No. Jarrod Washburn? Guess again. Jerry Hairston Jr. is who the Yanks got today. In his 2009 season with the Reds, he was batting a whopping .254 with 8 HR. Whoop dee doo. He’s more of a utility guy, and the Red Sox need not worry about him at all. It was a good day.

Look-a-Likes

2009-07-29T22:36:00.003-04:00

Houston Alexander of the UFC Derek Fisher of the NBA

Stat of the Day: Papelbon is WHIPPED

2009-07-29T18:32:00.002-04:00

Of all the closers with more than 20 saves, Jonathan Papelbon has the highest WHIP (Walks, Hits per Inning Pitched). If you feel like Pap has been making his outings harder than they need to be, you're right. An average of 1.37 batters get on base per inning he throws, which is a high number for a closer, whose position is based most of all on the ability to get a 1-2-3 inning to end the game.

Stat of the Day: In the Field

2009-07-29T17:52:00.005-04:00

People point to a poor back of the rotation, untimely hitting, and lack of offense when they look at the Red Sox' woes. But what about defense? In terms of errors and fielding percentage, the Sox are middle of the pack, 15th and 18th respectively. But they have turned the second fewest double plays, and have allowed the most steals in the Majors, and have the lowest DER of any team. "DER" is an interesting stat I looked up, and it stands for Defense Efficiency Ratio, and it equals the percent of batted balls that are turned into outs by a defense. Boston's .689 DER means that only 68.9% of any ball put in play will become an out. A low DER like this typically means that our pitching staff relies too heavily on the strikeout and don't give their fielders a chance to make a play. Not surprisingly, the Sox have the most strikeouts in the AL. Pitchers should be making it a priority to keep their fielders on their toes by making a pitch not that is nit so good it cannot be hit and risk walking too many batters, but a pitch that's bad enough to be hit, but good enough to not be hit well. Look at Derek Lowe's no hitter of 2002: only 6 strikeouts. It's not about striking batters out, it's about recording outs, however that can be done. This seems like the first year where the Red Sox don't really have any defensive specialists--a David Roberts, Alex Cora, Gabe Kapler, or Doug Menkevich-type player.

Stat of the Day: The Unearned Run

2009-07-29T17:45:00.002-04:00

Bartolo Colon and Daniel Cabrera lead the Majors in unearned runs. In just 12 games, 13 unearned runs have found their way to the scoreboard for the North Siders' Colon. He has a decent 4.19 ERA, but a record of only 3-6. Sloppy defense probably has something to do with that. Daniel Cabrera, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, now with the Washington Nationals, has also given up 13 unearned runs. He is 0-5 in 8 starts with an ERA approaching 6.00. Lo and behold, the Nationals have more errors than any other ballclub, and the White Sox are 5th worst in the MLB.

What the Red Sox Need to Do At the Deadline

2009-07-29T16:07:00.003-04:00

What the Red Sox don't need to do is go after Roy Halladay. The Jays are asking for basically our whole farm system to get Halladay for the year and two months left on his contract. As great as Halladay is, I don't think it's worth it. As a team, Red Sox pitching is best in the AL East, and 8th best overall. Smoltz is bound to find his groove one of these days, Daisuke could come back rested in September, Wakefield will soon be off the DL, and Buchholz will continue to settle in. Pitching isn't really our greatest need right now. Furthermore, over his career, Halladay has only a .613 win percentage after the break, compared to a .710 before. Also, Fenway Park is one of only two stadiums at which Halladay has a losing record (5-8)*, and is the only place he has allowed more than 10 HR (15). I don't see Halladay carrying the Sox to the World Series.

Who the Red Sox should continue to pursue is Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres. Boston only has one player with 20+ HR this year, Jason Bay, while other World Series hopefuls like the Phillies have four. Adrian Gonzalez is this year's Mark Teixera: a good defensive first basemen with the power to hit one deep at any point in the game. With Lowell struggling, Youk could take some load off and play more games at third, leaving first base open for Adrian Gonzalez. Lars Anderson, a top prospect for the Sox, should be included in the deal because, with Gonzalez locked up for the next couple years, Boston could get away with trading this Minor League slugger.

With Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson getting dealt to Seattle in a 7-man trade this afternoon, the market for shortstops is meager. It looks like Nick Green and Jed Lowrie will have to step up their game for the remainder of the season, and be the 10the tenth man who steps up as the season draws to an end.

I can't think of a much better acquisition than Victor Martinez. This great offensive-minded catcher from the Cleveland Indians could take the place of George Kottaras as the backup for Jason Varitek. Kottaras is a non-threat at the plate, and is on the roster simply because he can catch Tim Wakefield. We're seeing more of Kottaras recently, and it seems like Varitek's 37 year-old body isn't up to the task of catching every day. Since 2003, Martinez is the only catcher to rank in the top three in BA, HR, RBI, and TB among catchers.

*mimimum of 2 starts

Brett Favre Retires, Take 3

2009-07-29T07:33:00.006-04:00

March 4, 2008

Real? No--he decided he wanted to play again the following offseason. After tense diologue between Favre and Green Bay General Manager Ted Thompson, the Packers traded him to the NY Jets on August 7 for a fourth round pick in that year's NFL draft (the took defensive end Jeremy Thompson out of Wake Forest).

Retirement from Jets? Real? This summer, even though it seemed like it we had once again been punk'd, even though Favre had surgery to repair his throwing arm this offseason, even though he once again considered a comeback with the, even though he contacted the Vikings about another return, we'll have to wait another year to see Favre on the field. He told Vikings head coach Brad Childress yesterday he plans to stay retired, saying his mind and body could not endure a 19th season in the NFL. Don't count him out for 2010, though.

In his career, he holds the NFL QB record for: pass attemps, completions, TDs, interceptions, yards, games won, and consecutive games started. Not too shabby.

Stat of the Day: Dan Bard

2009-07-26T23:19:00.003-04:00

In rookie Dan Bard's 23 appearances this season, he has allowed an earned run in only three of them. So as you can imagine, his 2.28 ERA is somewhat misleading. In fact, if you discard one outing on June 14 against the Phillies, his ERA would be a microscopic 1.11. The Red Sox are effectively easing Bard into the big leagues: at the end of July, he'll have increased his total innings pitched by one inning each month since his debut on May 13. July has undoubtedly been his best month of the season: in 9.1 innings, he's given up no runs and surrendered only two hits, while K'ing 17 and walking zero. A 17:0 K:BB ratio is unheard of in the Majors, as is averaging 2 strikeouts per inning pitched. Plus--always an important for a reliever--he has yet to give up a HR in his big league career. Look out, Pap.

What's up with That? Mascots

2009-07-26T13:41:00.002-04:00

What's up with teams that have mascots as citizens of the city in which the team plays? You know what I mean--Why should I be afraid of natives of Canada? What the hockey team from Montreal needs is a mascot that makes people afraid to play in Canada. The Montral Lynx, The Cougars, the Caribou, something frightening! People indiginous to Canada do not have a reputation as being fierce, agressive, strong, powerful, cunning, or mighty--traits that all mascots should have. Here are some other mascots that have no business being mascots.

Montral Canadiens
Houston Texans
Philadelphia Phillies
Utah Utes
Illinois Fighting Illini

Favre vs. Vick

2009-07-26T11:19:00.003-04:00

Why I’d Want Favre
• One of the best quarterbacks in the history of football
• Familiar with the West Coast Offense that he would play in Minnesota
• Play with something to prove to Green Bay
• Minnesota needs a QB better than Gus Frerotte
• He is an experienced leader who could take the Vikings to a Super Bowl

Why I Wouldn’t Want Favre
• He’s coming off surgery on his throwing arm
• He wouldn’t join the team any sooner than the start of training camp—not really enough time to get to know his receivers, coaches, and new playbook
• He’s practically 40 years old
• He would be asked to be Minnesota’s starting quarterback, which makes signing him a big risk
• If he takes a whole off-season to decide whether to play or not, how committed is he?

Why I’d Want Vick
• If he got signed, it would be with a team that already has a QB in place—he would be a backup/goal line specialist/wildcat quarterback, LOW RISK
• Would keep defenses on their toes if he got a few snaps per game
• He’s a lefty, which defenses aren’t used to seeing
• Dual-threat passer and scrambler, one of the best athletes in the game

Why I Wouldn’t Want Vick
• Hasn’t played since 2006, probably a little rusty
• Fan backlash, still guilty in the court of public opinion
• Might not be able to play a full season with a team due to a possible 4-game suspension by commissioner Roger Goodell to start the 09-10 season
• Possible distraction for his team

So who would I rather have? I’d rather have Vick. He’s low-risk, and if he signs with his team, he would by no means be the starting quarterback. Instead, a good coach would play him where he’s most dangerous: at the goal line, where defenses would have to be wary of the option pass, the QB draw, or a scrambling Vick. Another place he would be ultra-effective would be in the wildcat formation. The wildcat offense continues to hurt defenses, and no one is more well-suited for the formation than Michael Vick. You could also throw him in the game to return a kickoff or punt; he can avoid tackles as good as anyone in the league, and would be a devastating returnman. As far a team distraction and fan backlash goes, if a team lets one man disrupt an entire locker room, that team has no business playing professional football. I’m always baffled when teams declare that a player like Terrell Owens is responsible for their under-performing. One player cannot possibly cause a whole team to underperform. When each player is able to go out on the field and do his own job to the best of his ability, ignoring fans and media, then you’ve got yourself a team. If Vick lands himself on a team that already has a stable QB, a good receiving crew, a coach that would know how to utilize his skill sets, and has loyal fans that would root for their team before thinking about what having a convicted criminal on your team means, then Vick’s transition back into the NFL should be smoother than ever.

Brett Favre 2008 season with the Jets:
• Threw as many TDs and interceptions for only the third time in his career
• Threw 7 passes for 40+ yards, tied for his lowest since 1996
• Second lowest total passing yards and yards per game since 1993
• Scrambled less than 23 times for the fourth time in his career, feet aren’t what they used to be
• QB rating in 2008 lower than his career QB rating
• Failed to complete a pass longer than 56 yards for the second time in his career
• Compared to his 2007 season, every single passing statistic was worse in his 2008 season

What does all this tell us? Brett Favre isn’t what he used to be. Coming off surgery, he will turn 40 in October this year. How much gas does he have left in the tank? Already, people are doubting Kurt Warner, who turned just 38 last month; out of either quarterback, I would expect Warner to have a better 2009 season. Favre should get worn out earlier than Warner, who has taken half the sacks Favre has, and played in less than half as many games, over his career. I don’t see why the Vikings would have so much faith in Favre, yet the Cardinals almost didn’t resign the QB who took them to the Super Bowl, fearing his age might catch up with him. If Favre arrives in training camp in Minnesota, he’ll have to get acquainted with a whole new receiving corps, learn a new playbook, establish himself in the locker room, and prove his worth, all in the six weeks of training camp. Not to mention, he's indecision is keeping the entire Minnesota team wondering who will be their starting quarterback at the start of the season, which is not fair to anyone. Finally, the Vikings have a decent quarterback in Tavaris Jackson: he started the last three regular season games for the Vikings, won two of them, and compiled a 109.0 passer rating, 7 touchdowns to 1 interception, while completing 62% of his passes. Brad Childress, if you can hear me, give Jackson the starting job, and let the Favre saga come to an end. Please.

Why I Love Sports

2009-07-25T12:56:00.003-04:00

"Mandela used sport as a vehicle to make the impossible possible, sport has the power to unite people in a way that little else can, sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair." Let Barack Obama and Morgan Freeman tell you a story.

Holliday Celebration in St. Louis

2009-07-25T12:32:00.002-04:00

In his first game after being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals by the Oakland A’s, Matt Holliday tied a career high in hits, going 4-5. In his 93 games with the Athletics, he had got 4 hits in a game only twice. Yesterday in Philly, he also had a stolen base, a double, and an RBI. I don’t think this will be a flash in the pan for Holliday; I predict a great second-half from this three-time All-Star. Moving to the NL, he might be another Edgar Renteria-type player, who seems to thrive exclusively in the National League. (Renteria played in Boston in 2005 and in Detroit last year. Since 2002, his ’05 and ’08 totals are his two worst seasons in SB, BA, SLG, OPS, HR, E, and FPCT.) Matt Holliday was a huge success in Colorado playing in the NL, and now that he’s back in his comfort zone, we’ll see more of the 2006-2008 Holliday, who won three consecutive Silver Slugger Awards and three consecutive trips to the All-Star game. Another reason he’ll continue to hit with St. Louis is that he is now on a competitive team where every game matters. Oakland is 17.0 games behind the Angels in the NL West and has the worst attendance in all of baseball. St. Louis leads the NL Central and has the fifth-best attendance in the MLB. Holliday prefers a full stadium, as evidenced by his .428 BA in stadiums that average more than 30,000 fans per game, compared to his .270 BA everywhere else. The Cardinals’ Busch Stadium averages over 40,000 per game, so look for continued success from Matt Holliday in St. Louis this season.

What the Mariners and King Leonidas Have in Common

2009-07-25T11:20:00.004-04:00

Team chemistry is an often overlooked piece to a team’s success. The New York Yankees would be the classic example of that: George/Hank Steinbrenner shells out boatloads of cash to buy any All-Star he can get his hands on, and then expects them all to coexist in the same locker room. Those hotshots are not used to sharing attention, and their performance often takes a hit. But then look at the Red Sox. This generation of BoSox has been the most fun-loving team in all of sports, I’d say. From Kevin Millar’s “Cowboy Up” to Nomar fastening Pedro to a bullpen pole, to Manny Being Manny, team chemistry has not been a problem at Fenway. Let’s take a peek at how their chemistry has carried over to on-field performance: Red Sox, two World Series; Yankees, zero World Series. Where the importance of team chemistry manifests itself most is undoubtedly in the midst of a playoff run. When teammates can rally around each other, amazing skillsets and superstar talent take a back seat role. Since 2004, Boston has won 28 postseason games, and the Yanks have won 11.

But a novel kind of team chemistry attracted my attention a little while ago when the Sox played against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners bullpen’s chemistry is something else. Talk about things to rally around! The Red Sox had reversing the curse, and the Mariners bullpen has the movie “300”. Three year veteran reliever Mark Lowe started the tradition of hoisting gladiator-esque warrior helmets above the bullpen before each game. As Lowe explains it, “We all stick together and we’re all there for each other…it kind of symbolizes our mindset. When Lowe and the rest of the ‘pen watched the movie, they fell in love with it, and thought the message of camaraderie was fitting for their bullpen. Since then, they have found a replica of King Leonidas’s warrior mask, and started carrying it out the bullpen with them before each game. Now, they have a number of helmets, including Russell Crowe’s spiked helmet from the movie “Gladiator”. “Being the idiots that we are,” Lowe said, “we’ve taken it to extremes”. A self-proclaimed group of idiots, eh? Well, that worked for the 2004 Red Sox, whom Johnny Damon called “a bunch of idiots”. Having fun and team chemistry is an oft-forgotten-about criterion for a winning team. So far, it’s been working for the Mariners, who have the AL’s third-best bullpen ERA, lead the MLB in saves, and have one of the best closers in the game in former Red-Sock David Aardsma. I wouldn’t be surprised if the lighthearted atmosphere of the Seattle bullpen spills over to the rest of clubhouse, and the Mariners start to make a push in the competitive AL West, where they trail the Angels by 6.5 games.

Doc in Phil?

2009-07-21T22:24:00.001-04:00

The Roy Halladay trade talks have been dwindling recently. According to Blue Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi, no team has been “aggressive” enough. The Jays are in rebuilding mode, so an aggressive trade would include a few top prospects, including a pitcher. In Boston, few were willing to throw in touted righty Clay Buchholz; in the Big Apple, flamethrower Joba Chamberlain was untouchable; in Philly, 22 year-old Kyle Drabek was considered too good to give up. Until now, that is. It appears that the Philadelphia Phillies are warming up to the idea of parting with their top pitching prospect. But why would a team running away with the NL East (9-game win streak, 6.0 game lead) surrender the most important building block of their farm system for an aging pitcher that historically pitches better before the All-Star Break than after?

For one, Halladay isn’t any ordinary aging pitcher. If he joined 46 year-old Jamie Moyer on the Phillies rotation, Philly would be home to two of the biggest freaks of nature in the Major Leagues. Thirty-two year-old Roy Halladay has amazingly pitched 7+ innings in 16 of his 18 total starts this season, and has a miniscule 2.73 ERA. Even though Moyer’s 23-year Major League experience is valuable in the clubhouse, having a pitcher who is pushing 50 won’t win you the World Series. Sure, he’ll win some games along the way, and his experience is valuable in the clubhouse, but with a 9-6 record, Moyer has shown that he can be hit. What the Phillies lack is a lights-out starter. It’s debatable whether they actually need one at this point in the season, as their explosive offense can keep them atop an ever-weakening NL East. They lead the NL in runs scored, as well as in home runs hit. However, pitching wins in the postseason. If you can assemble three or four pitchers in whom you are confident they can pull out a win against any team, you’re in good shape. And I don’t think the Phillies have that right now. Jamie Moyer is their winningest pitcher, but has defeated only one team with a record better than .500—the Brewers (48-46). Joe Blanton has a career record of barely .500, and Cole Hamels’s season (5-5, 4.72) has been disappointing to say the least. Even with all this said, for now, the Phills probably don’t need Halladay—they have their division locked up, and don’t really need a playoff push at the end of the season. If they make a move to acquire Doc, it’s not a sign that Charlie Manuel isn’t comfortable with his rotation the way it is now; it’s a sign he plans on needing a sure-fire starter, come October.

Stat of the Day: The Error

2009-07-20T21:10:00.002-04:00

According to baseball writer Bill James, the “error” is one of the most useless and misleading statistics in baseball. “It’s a moral judgment” he says, “you have to do something right to get an error; even if the ball is right at you, then you were standing in the right place to begin with”. I don’t disagree with him. An outfielder could get a great break on a ball, take the right angle towards it, and get within an arm’s reach of a well-hit fly ball. If it bounces off his glove, he gets an error. On the other hand, if an outfielder does not judge the trajectory of the ball correctly, he ends up taking one step forward, one back, then sprints forward, only to slide and miss a shoestring catch that ends up as a triple, he’s off the hook. Who would you rather have? The one who can determine the path of the ball exquisitely but occasionally drops a can-a-corn, or the one who reliably has to field the ball on a bounce because he has no idea where it’s going when it leaves the bat? I’ll take the former any day of the week. To prove that simply watching a player cannot accurately judge his defensive prowess, he tells you to think about this: “If [the batter] hits a smash down the line and the third baseman makes a diving stop and throws the runner out, then we notice and applaud the third baseman. But until the smash is hit, who is watching the third baseman? If he anticipates, if he adjusts for the hitter and moves over just two steps, then the same smash is a routine backhand stop—and nobody applauds”. I do think errors are an important statistic, but by no means do they tell you all you need to know about a player’s defensive ability. Here’s some stats to look at.

Since 1995, Derek Jeter has committed the most errors of any player. In that time, he’s won three Gold Gloves. Craig Biggio has the most errors of any second basemen in that time—he has four Gold Gloves to his name. Since 1999, the four top error-committers have been shortstops. By no means does that mean they are poor fielders. On the contrary, shortstop is where managers like to play their best defensive players. They commit so many “errors” because they can get to many more balls and have so many chances to commit an “error” than any other fielder. Brandon Inge and David Wright, two of the most amazing fielders in the game (Web Gems, anyone?) are two of the worst thirty defensive players in the MLB, according to the error stat.

In case you’re wondering, this Bill James character invented his own statistic that he feels measures a player’s defensive ability more accurately. It’s called the range factor: (putouts + assists) ÷ innings played. Instead of counting the number of mistakes a position player made, it counts all the successful plays made in the field and does not penalize a player for dropping a ball he might have made a great play just to get to.

Stat of the Day: Around the MLB

2009-07-19T12:34:00.004-04:00

Of the nine batters with the most home runs in the Major Leagues, seven play in the National League. So much for the designated hitter. In fact, Toronto’s Adam Lind has the most HR of any DH with 20—good enough to be tied for 16th in the MLB.

Only three Red Sox position players have played 80+ games this year, the fewest in the AL East; four Blue Jays have played 90+ games. Albert Pujols leads the Majors, and is the only player to have played in 92 games this season. More than anything else, this stat shows the depth of the Red Sox roster. They have the flexibility to give a player the day off, without sacrificing much on either side of the field. Whereas most teams are only comfortable starting their starters, Tito can use his backups without so much as a second thought.

Say Bye-Bye to EEI

2009-07-18T13:21:00.005-04:00

WBCN, 104.1 The Rock of Boston will soon air only live on the internet, coming off the radio for good. Actually, if you have an HD radio receiver, you'll still be able to hear it through the radio on 98.5 HD 2. Replacing WBCN will be Mix 98.5, becoming Mix 104. Now, I don't know the logistics of changing one's frequency on the radio, but I assume 104.1's reception is somehow better than 98.5's. So what will be on 98.5? The first and only FM sports radio in Boston. CBS is launching a new FM sports radio campaign, in Boston under the title of "The Sports Hub", and will air "a wide assortment of sports talk and play-by-play programming", according to CBS. Starting August 13, it will also become the new home of the Patriots and Bruins. It will compete with the AM station WEEI, which, ironically, was owned by CBS up until 1982. It started its sports programming when it was sold to the Boston Celtics in 1991.

I like the move. FM undoubtedly gets better reception in the Boston area, and radios that broadcast on FM and AM frequencies are getting harder to find. I'll love not having to pay an extra 20 bucks for a radio that carries both broadcasting formats, just so I can get my sports radio fix.

AM radio has been around since the 1900s, and not until the 1980s did FM start being widely used, despite being patented in 1931. First it was music, then talk, now sports are all switching over to FM broadcasting. WEEI was really the only reason I ever had to turn to an AM station. Now, with FM radio being more convenient and having higher sound quality, I think sports fans will stop fiddling with their radios to switch to AM, and will instead opt to turn to FM 98.5 The Sports Hub. Unfortunately, unless Red Sox and Patriots play-by-play keeps it around, I don't think WEEI will stick around much longer.

Buchholz to Debut Friday

2009-07-16T19:44:00.002-04:00

Boston's top pitching prospect Clay Buchholz is set to make his Red Sox 2009 debut this Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto. Buchholz is 0-2 with a 4.22 ERA in his career against Toronto. What's the reasoning behind this decision? Read on to find out.

Last year, we saw Clay Buchholz crumble under all the media/fan hype, after his 2007 no-hitter and subsequent 3-1 record, 1.59 ERA. He was a kid, only 22 years old, and we Bostonians thought he would be the next big thing in Boston. However, in 2008, things didn't click for Buchholz. He still had good stuff—low to mid-90s fastball to go along with a devastating curve—but he struggled with his control, as he allowed .54 walks per inning, compared to .45 an inning in 2007. He gave up 11 homers in only 15 starts, and accumulated an ERA of 6.75. So this season, Theo tried to keep the Buchholz buzz to a minimum, keeping him in Triple-A until the right moment came. In Pawtucket, where he was able to avoid the spotlight, he thrived. His walks per inning dropped to .30, his ERA fell to 2.36, and his WHIP is under 1.0. Most other ballclubs would rush such a lights-out AAA pitcher into joining their 40-man roster. But the Red Sox aren’t like most ballclubs. Theo let him start 16 games in Pawtucket, and only now brings him up to start a game against the Blue Jays. In Buchholz’s one start against Toronto last year, he got the loss, pitched six innings, and gave up four runs, though he did manage to strikeout eight Blue Jays. I don’t think Buchholz will stay in the rotation, which already has five above average starters. But letting the youngster get some more experience, little by little, will hopefully make Buchholz Major League-ready come 2010, when Penny and Smoltz will both become free agents, and the Sox have club options on Beckett and Wakefield. I think Theo himself got caught up in Buchholz’s 2007 triumphs, and mistakenly brought him into the Majors before he was ready. So, for the remainder of this year, look for Buchholz to make periodic starts with the Sox, and maybe even come out of the bullpen. This gradual re-introduction in the Major Leagues will prime this young hurler for his future with the Sox.

But, let’s not forget about the other possible explanation for Buchholz’s unexpected start. It is somewhat curious that Theo decided to give Buchholz the nod against the Blue Jays the first day after the All-Star Break. One might expect his 2009 debut to come in the middle of a long stretch without off-days, when our starting five might need a rest day. However, none of our starters have pitched since last Sunday, and they should all be fresh. Yet, Buchholz, our top pitching prospect, is making his first start of the season instead. Why not let Lester, who is 2-0 with a 1.45 against Toronto this season, including a 12 strikeout performance back on May 31? Well, here’s why. After Buchholz’s lackadaisical 2008, his trade value has plummeted. Following his no-hitter and September success in Boston in ‘07, he was gold. Everyone wanted to get their hands on Clay Buchholz. But now, all teams see is that Clay can dominate Triple-A hitters, but can’t do so much in the Majors. After all, his 2-9, 2008 campaign can’t be overshadowed by his no-hitter against the Orioles two years ago. Anyways, the Red Sox are reported to be interested in acquiring Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay, whom Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi is prepared to trade, should a team aggressively step up and offer a superb set of prospects, which would ideally include at least one top pitching prospect. Well, what better way to showcase our top pitching prospect to Ricciardi than to have him dominate his own Toronto hitters? If Theo is serious about acquiring Halladay, we’ll probably have to part with Buchholz, and the more his trade value rises before the July 31st deadline, the less we’ll have to give up in addition to Buchholz. Personally, I think the Red Sox are World Series material without Halladay, whom we would have trouble resigning when his contract expires at the end of 2010; I hope the first scenario is really what the Red Sox front office is trying to do, not attempting to pump up Buchholz’s market value in an attempt to trade for Roy Halladay.

Mad at Madden

2009-07-16T14:50:00.001-04:00

Tim Wakefield didn’t pitch in Monday’s All-Star Game, and Joe Madden has slid a notch in my book. No, just being there isn’t a thrill for the 42-year old, no matter how much he might say it is. I was disgusted to see Wakefield relaxing in the bullpen with his feet up, while the AL closers came in to finish off the game. He’ll probably never get another chance to pitch in the All-Star Game, and the least Madden could have done is put him in for an inning just to throw the NL batters for a loop with his knuckleball. Most of them have never seen a knuckleball, and Wake has won three of the four games he started against NL teams. Mark Buehrle has decent stuff, but he’s basically Johan Santana in a White Sox uniform—nothing the NL isn’t used to seeing. And second of all, this was Buehrle’s fourth All-Star appearance, and in the 2005 Midsummer Classic, he threw two scoreless innings. I think he’s had his All-Star Game fill. Joe Madden must have known how much Red Sox Nation wanted to see the second-oldest first-time All-Star pitch, so why couldn’t he have let him thrown one freakin’ inning?

As an aside, we’ve been hearing about how Satchel Paige was the oldest first-time All-Star in Major League history, when he represented the St. Louis Browns on the American League team in 1952 at the ripe age of 46. In a rain-shortened game, he did not get a chance to pitch. However, the next year, he was again on the American League All-Star team, and he pitched an inning, while giving up three hits and two runs.

A Look Back, and a Look Forward

2009-07-16T14:19:00.002-04:00

Here we are, twilight of the 2009 All-Star Break. I’d like to take a moment to look back on how the standings looked at this time last year.

Let’s start with the AL. The improbable story of the 2008 Rays has grown all the more probable. Whereas last season, they stood atop the AL East virtually the whole year, today, they stand 6.5 games back of Boston in the East, good enough for third place. Right about where they belong. I get goosebumps just reminiscing about that ungodly situation for the BoSox. Chasing the Rays! Eesh! Glad that’s over. What I did like about last year’s AL East race was the Yanks finding themselves 12.5 games back of first place at the end of August. Today, they’re 3.0 back of Boston, even as their rotation and bullpen struggle mightily. I think 2008’s AL East was nothing more than a fluke. The Rays are back in the doghouse, and get used to seeing the Yankees in our rear view mirror. As for the AL Central, the Royals and Indians are in an even worse situation than last year’s combined .442 winning percentage at the break. This year, neither have won 40 games (two of the three AL teams to have less than 40 wins), and have a combined winning percentage barely over .400. Last year’s letdown season for the Tigers is no more—they’re now at the top of the division. However, that turnaround could also be accounted for by the struggles of Detroit’s main competition, the White Sox and Twins. Combined, they’re only three games over .500, and have basically handed the division to the Tigers, who have the worst record of any first place team in baseball. As for the West, the last time the Angles did not win the division was 2003, back when they were the Anaheim Angels. So it’s no surprise to see them atop the leaderboard there. The Rangers continue to progress, this year looking like a real contender for the first time in a long time. Even without Josh Hamilton for a large portion of the season, they’ve managed to keep the Angels honest, even leading the division as late as July 10th. Another change is in Oakland. Whereas last year they were seven games above .500, and second in the West, this year they are one of three AL teams to have less than 40 wins, and are 12.0 games back of first place.

The biggest shocker in the National League has to be in the NL West. At this time last year, the Diamondbacks were in the lead with a 47-48 record. It was the only division to not have a single team above .500. (Every other division had three teams with at least .500 records.) Yet this year, it is arguably the best division in baseball. Colorado has the median number of wins: 46—which is the best median record in the National League. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball, and San Francisco and Colorado are the top contenders in the Wild Card race. Turning to the Central, last year the Cubbies had the best record in baseball, and had the division locked up, leading St. Louis by 4.5 games. This year, with no team ready to step up and make a run for it, it’s a toss-up: five—count ‘em five—teams are within 4.5 games of the lead, and St. Louis is currently at the top, but with the worst record of any first place team in all of baseball. The West went from being the worst division in baseball to the best, and the Central has gone from one of the best divisions to one of the worst. In the NL East, the story has to be the not-so-Amazin’s. The Mets are under .500 by four games, and are ahead of only the Nationals in their division. At this time last year, they were in the hunt, only .05 games behind the Phillies. And other than the struggles of the injury-stricken Mets, the NL East standings are pretty stable compared to last year. Florida’s youth keeps them competitive, and the Braves are regaining some respect after their 14 consecutive playoff appearance streak came to an end in 2006.

Last year, only one team that led its division at the All-Star Break lost that lead by the end of the season. This year, I don’t think any will. The only change I predict by the end of the season will be the American League Wild Card: the Yankees will fall out of first place, and the Rangers will make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They start the second half with 12 of 15 games at home, which should get them off to a great start. They’re potent offense led by Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Josh Hamilton, along with a reliable bullpen will power them past the heavy hitters in NY. In the NL Wild Card, the starting rotation in San Francisco will fend off the Rockies, who are nipping at their heels, and all the league leaders will remain the same as the season continues.

Midsummer Classic Preview

2009-07-12T20:56:00.003-04:00

Here are my picks for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

1. The finals of the Home Run Derby will be Detroit’s catcher-turned-third-basemen-turned-power hitter, Brandon Inge, against San Diego’s first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. These two contestants have the highest HR/2B ratio in the competition. To me, this stat shows that, given a pitch in their strike zone, they’re not going to hit a double because they have the strength and athleticism to hit it out of the park. Since they’re not going to get anything out of their strike zone on Monday, they won’t be hitting any balls to the wall; just homers.

2. Adrian Gonzalez will win the Home Run Derby. He’s tied for the second-most HRs in all of baseball, and has been a consistent power hitter throughout his career. He’s missed one game the past three seasons, so with a day of rest he’s not accustomed to, he will be fresher than ever. At 27, he’s in the best shape of his career. He’s on pace to shatter his career high 36 home runs, and picked up his first stolen base of his career early this season. He’s on a cold streak, picking up only four home runs since the start of June, but I think he’ll find his power stroke by Monday.

3. Tim Lincecum will start the All-Star Game for the NL. Last year’s NL Cy Young Award winner will only be asked to throw a couple innings, he’ll be able to give it all he’s got for 30 pitches or so. Come Tuesday, Lincecum will have a full five days of rest and will be ready to throw. NL leader in wins, Jason Marquis, pitched yesterday, so he’d be coming off two day’s rest, which is not enough time to fully recover. Lincecum is an enthusiastic youngster, who will be pumped up to represent his league; so he’ll put forth more of an effort than a veteran like Johan Santana might. He leads the NL by almost twenty strikeouts with 149, and his unorthodox delivery might trouble some American Leaguers. Critics say he'll have a short career because of his strenuous wind-up, so one would hope he'll be able to take advantage of his oppertunities while he can. Honorable mention: Chris Carpenter—when he’s healthy, there’s no one better. A Cardinal, he’d get a friendly welcome from his fans in St. Louis. He missed an entire month with a rib injury, but he has a WHIP under .90, which you seldom see from a starter, and has an ERA under 2.50. It’s a shame the injury bug has plagued this one-time Cy Young winner for essentially his whole career.

4. Zack Greinke will start the All-Star Game for the AL. Early this year, we saw what this 25-year old is capable of: through his first 6 starts, he had 6 wins with an ERA of 0.40, 54 Ks against just 8 walks. When Greinke’s on, he’s virtually unhittable. Three years ago, he missed considerable amounts of time after being diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and depression, and to start in the All-Star Game this year would really be a great story. He has faltered a bit recently, but I would too if I figured out I could go six innings, with six strikeouts and one walk, give up two runs, and come up with the loss. The only thing Greinke’s done wrong this season is pitch for the Royals. They have scored the second fewest runs in the Majors this year (under four per game), which means Greinke needs to be utterly perfect in order to pick up a win. He has the lowest ERA in the AL, and has 10 wins. Ten wins is respectable, but if Wakefield can pick up 11 wins with a 4.31 ERA, imagine how many Greinke would have if he were pitching for an offense like the Red Sox. Wins can be deceiving, as they are dependent on how much run support a pitcher gets. Greinke is first in the AL in ERA and HR allowed, and is second in Ks, BBs, and WHIP.

Curse of the HR Derby?

2009-07-12T11:54:00.009-04:00

Nowadays, you'll hear players cop out of the HR Derby, claiming that, "it messes up your swing", or something along those lines. I don't see how three rounds of swinging for the fences (essentially a televised round of BP) can pull the plug on the rest of your season, right? Let's find out. Here's what the past nine HR Derby champions have done before and after the Derby.

SAMMY SOSA-2000
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 86 103 23 74 97 .305 .574
post-HR Derby 70 90 27 64 71 .338 .711

LUIS GONZALEZ-2001
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 87 103 26 66 43 .342 .674
Post-HR Derby 75 95 31 76 40 .308 .701

JASON GIAMBI-2002
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 86 100 22 71 63 .318 .602
Post-HR Derby 69 76 19 51 49 .309 .593

GARRET ANDERSON-2003
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 92 117 22 78 48 .316 .597
Post-HR Derby 67 84 7 38 35 .313 0.463

MIGUEL TEJADA-2004
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 85 107 15 75 28 .311 .506
Post-HR Derby 77 96 19 75 45 .311 .566

BOBBY ABREU-2005
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 89 99 18 58 65 .307 .526
Post-HR Derby 73 69 6 44 69 .260 .411

RYAN HOWARD-2006
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 84 88 28 71 97 .278 .582
Post-HR Derby 75 94 30 78 84 .355 .751

VLADIMIR GUERRERO-2007
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 85 101 14 75 32 .325 .548
Post-HR Derby 65 85 13 50 30 .323 .546

JUSTIN MORNEAU-2008
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 95 118 14 68 55 .323 .512
Post-HR Derby 68 69 9 61 30 .267 .481

Only three times did a batter's statistics change noticeably following their victory at the Derby (±3 HR ±.20 BA, in the same direction). One of these times (Sammy Sosa), both numbers increased. Furthermore, I wouldn’t give much thought to Morneau’s drop in numbers, since, throughout his 7-year career, his 1st half hitting numbers are far better than his second half numbers—his 1st half HR total nearly doubles his 2nd half’s, and his BA is 32 points higher before the All-Star break compared to after it. That leaves Abreu as the sole culprit; the only proof that superstitious players have that participation in the HR Derby creates glitches in your swing, and ruins the rest of the season. However, by citing Sosa’s improvement after his Derby victory, Abreu’s drop in offense is basically null and void. One player’s numbers shot up, while another’s plummeted—not a very convincing case. So what is it that has influenced notorious HR hitters like Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez to decline a chance to participate in the HR Derby? Probably arrogance. They don’t want to get shown up by someone whom they consider a lesser hitter. This will sound totally off the mark in Manny’s case, but those sluggers who refuse to put on a show on the eve of the All-Star Game must be taking the game way too seriously. In 1999, when Sosa was asked about his poor showing after the Derby’s first round, he told sideline reporter Stuart Scott that he didn’t care, it doesn’t matter since he was just out there to have a good time. Who could forget Big Papi’s role as towel boy, wiping the sweat away from, and bringing Gatorade to whomever is at bat? That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about winning and defining your legacy. Who’s going to remember if Manny got eliminated after round one of the HR Derby, then went 0-2 in the midsummer classic? Probably no one. So, if you look at the data, there’s virtually no reason anyone should refuse a chance to win the HR Derby.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=3183612

Look-a-Likes

2009-07-11T11:21:00.004-04:00

Golfer Phil Mickelson and Angels' pitcher John Lackey

What's up with That? ESPNChicago

2009-07-10T13:35:00.006-04:00

Chicago has their own ESPN site called espnchicago. It got started last April as ESPN’s first local sports media venture. Let’s juxtapose all the Chicago sports teams with those of Boston and see who has fared better in recent years. Since 2000, Chicago has brought home one championship, and Boston has taken six. And yet, ESPN feels like Chicago deserves its own media outlet, and that it should be advertised every half-hour on SportsCenter. If any city deserves special treatment in the sporting world, it’s Boston.So I ask you, ESPN, what’s up with that?

Bears: Record past five seasons, 45-35, two losing seasons. Since 1995, they’ve made the postseason three times, and two out of three times, they failed to win a single playoff game. Last championship, 1985. Marquis names: Brian Urlacher, Jay Cutler
Patriots: Record past five seasons: 63-17, zero losing seasons. Reached the playoffs six of the past eight years, and have never lost their opening series. Super Bowl champions 2001, 2003, 2004. Last championship: 2004. Marquis names: Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Jerrod Mayo

Bulls: Record past five seasons, 211-199, one losing season (two .500 seasons). Since the days of MJ, they’ve won a single playoff series. Last championship: 1998. Marquis names: Ben Gordon—gone to free agency, Kirk Hinrich—benched, Derrick Rose—sophomore slump, anyone?
Celtics: Record past five seasons, 230-180, two losing seasons. They’ve finished first in the Atlantic division three of the past five years, and have made the playoffs six of the past nine years. Last championship: 2008. Marquis names: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, the list goes on

Cubs: Record past five seasons, 416-393, two losing seasons. Do I need to mention the Curse of the Billy Goat? They haven’t won the World Series in a century! Three managers since 2001, and no postseason wins since 2004. Last championship: 1907. Marquis names: Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano
White Sox: Record past five seasons, 433-378, one losing season. I do have to give the South Siders some props for their recent years’ success. They won the World Series in 2005, and skipper Ozzie Guillen keeps his squad in the headlines (for good or bad). Last championship: 2005. Marquis names: Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko
Red Sox: Record past five seasons, 470-340, zero losing seasons. Do I need to mention the Curse of the Bambino? It’s been broken! World Series champs in 2004 and 2007. Stuck in the toughest division in baseball, these Sox haven’t had a losing season since 1997. Red Sox Nation is alive and well, and I’d be willing to bet its population equals the total number of Cubs and ChiSox fans. Not to mention, the Fenway Faithful hold the longest streak of consecutive sellouts in baseball history (at well over 500 games). Last championship: 2007 Marquis names: David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Beckett

Blackhawks: Record past five years, 163-186, three losing seasons. They’ve been making some progress in recent years, but they’ve only made the playoffs twice since the 1997-1998 season. They have longest current Stanley Cup draught in the entire NHL, now at 48 years. Last championship: 1961. Marquis names: Martin Havlat, Marian Hossa
Bruins: Record past five seasons: 199-145, two losing seasons. Made the playoffs 29 straight seasons from 1967-1996, and have qualified for the postseason the past two years. Last season, they tied for the most wins of any team in the NHL, and won the Eastern Conference. Last championship: 1972. Marquis names: Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron

Miscellaneous: Chicago Fire (soccer) won the MLS Cup in 1998, but haven’t made a trip to the finals since 2003. Chicago Sky (WNBA) have never had a winning season since their debut in 2006.
Miscellaneous: New England Revolution (soccer) made it to the MLS finals three years in a row from 2005-2007, and have qualified for the playoffs the past seven years. Boston Cannons (lax) is one of the original six teams of MLL and have a 9-season record of 60-48.

And so ESPN thinks Chicago sports have what it takes to keep ESPN reporters busy around the clock. Why? Because they have won extra baseball team? Clearly, Boston is where they belong. The only reason I can think of that would steer ESPN away from Boston is that Boston's local sports coverage--the Globe, WEEI, NESN--is probably the best in the country, and ESPN's Steve Phillips doesn't want to get shown up by the local reporters. But really, ESPN, what's up with that? We'd all love a little extra TLC from the national media.

Just Dive, Drew!

2009-07-09T15:23:00.007-04:00

I don’t know if I was the only one who noticed this, but last night, Sox fans gathered another piece of evidence in the case of Red Sox Nation v. J.D. Drew. In the sixth inning, Justin Masterson was charged with his first blown save after David DeJesus hit a 381 foot home run just into the right field bullpen. Now, most outfielders would relish a long ball that clears the wall by less than a foot, because most outfielders like to give the home crowd a show by making a magnificent catch that robs a home run. But not J.D. Drew. He was content to bump into the wall as gently as a leaf falling to the ground, content to watch the ball skim the top of the wall, as two Royals jogged around the bases. But we were playing the Royals, and already had the game in control, so why risk an injury, right? Actually, no. Dejesus’s two-run shot essentially won the game for the Royals, who ended up beating Boston 8-6. Here's J.D.'s lack of effort. http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5501039

It hurts me to say this about a professional outfielder, but J.D. must still be haunted by the time he crashed into the right field wall in 2007: chasing down a fly ball, he bruised his back, putting him out of the lineup for a few days. OK, so he’s a little wimpy for not wanting to put his body on the line like we watched Coco do time and time again. But there’s more. In 2007, two months after he bruised his back on that wall, Fenway groundskeepers added two inches of padding so that J.D. Drew wouldn’t have to fear hurting himself if he decided to play all-out baseball for once in his life. And yet, even now, J.D. still isn’t comfortable playing his position the way it was meant to be played. To see a real outfielder, see Aaron Rowand’s body-sacrificing running catch for the Phillies. I know people always look to J.D. as the cause of all the Red Sox’s problems, and I’m not one of those people. I know he’s ultra-talented, and his on-base percentage is off the charts. Plus, who can forget his grand slam in game six of the 2007 ALCS against the Indians (we won the World Series that year. Thanks, J.D.!) But I’m still waiting to see some $14 million-a-year defense from this one-time All Star.a

Stat of the Day: The Effects of a Full Count

2009-07-08T21:49:00.001-04:00

Out of the Red Sox starting nine, only one player is batting better than .250 with a full count this season. That player is David Ortiz. His BA with a full count is far away the best on the team; his .414 average is .164 higher than the Sox’s second best hitter with a 3-2 count, Kevin Youkilis (.250). I think this statistic explains why we love David so much. With the pressure on, and the Fenway Faithful on their feet, Ortiz comes through more often than any other Red Sock. In fact, even with Ortiz in the lineup, the Red Sox BA with a 3-2 count is .215. As a whole, the team batting average for the BoSox is .265, a full .50 points higher than our pipsqueak .215 with a full count. I didn’t know if this was a Boston idiosyncrasy, or if most teams struggle with a full count. So I took a look at the Yankee lineup. Their team BA with a full count is .264, whereas their team batting average, disregarding the count is .276, a difference of only .012 points. But more importantly, the Yankee BA with a full count is way better than what the Sox do when the count is full. Also, it may surprise you to know which Bronx Bomber has the best BA with a full count. No, not Mr. Clutch Derek Jeter, but Johnny Damon. His .429 average with a full count is even better than Big Papi’s!

So what have we learned after this rant? David Ortiz’s reputation for being good in clutch is no fallacy; he is in his element with the pressure on. In fact, his .414 3-2 BA is second only to the classic hitter’s count of 3-0. Also, when Johnny Damon is at the plate with a full count, be careful what you throw him. Next, the Red Sox lineup as a whole should not let the count run full all that much (especially Mike Lowell, who bats .111 with a full count), and should try their hardest to find a pitch to hit early in the count.

Stat of the Day: Youkilis

2009-07-08T13:48:00.001-04:00

Of the top 50 AL hitters, (by BA), the average difference between their BA and OBP is .66. So if a batter hit .305, one would expect his OBP to be .371. A difference of more than .66 would indicate that a batter has a keen eye, and thus walks quite a bit—this is a good thing. Generally speaking, walks are good, and if a batter can maintain a high BA, and high OBP, he is a valuable asset to his team. Kevin Youkilis’s OBP is an astonishing 1.20 higher than his BA. Of the top AL hitters, this range is second only to Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays, (1.22). Nevertheless, Youk’s data is more impressive because his BA is still .9 points higher than that of Zobrist, and his OBP is .7 points higher. Here’s what I mean:
Ben Zobrist: Batting average = .282
On-base percentage = .404
Difference, .404 -.282 = 1.22

Kevin Youkilis: Batting average = .291
On-base percentage = .411
Difference, .411 - .291 = 1.20

Stat of the Day: Junebug

2009-07-07T22:24:00.003-04:00

David Ortiz has finished one fantastic June after his maddening first few months to the season. Take a look at his numbers: .320 BA, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 1.062 OPS in 24 games. In each of these four telling stats, Ortiz ranks better than the entire AL All-Star starting infield of Evan Longoria, Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia, and Mark Teixera. On top of that, he’s only made one fielding error all season!

But what’s most interesting about this breakout June is that it wouldn’t be totally out of the question for him to keep batting at this pace for the rest of the year. If he batted a whole year at the pace of this past June, he would not set career highs in any category. His 1.062 OPS would rank behind his 1.066 of 2007, and his .320 BA would not be as good as the .332 he hit in ’07. The 121 RBI he would be on pace for would be less than the ’04, ’05, and ’06 seasons, and his 47 projected homers would tie his 2005 total, and fall short of the 54 he hit in 2006. So what does this June ’09 tell us about the remainder of Papi’s season? We know he still has it in him to put up big numbers, and it wouldn’t be asking too much of the 5-time All-Star to keep hitting as well as he did in June.

Furthermore, over the course of David’s career, June has been a turning point. What D-Day was to WWII, the month of June is to Ortiz’s hitting statistics. Once June rolls around, everything else starts to unfold for Ortiz. With each month following June, Ortiz’s numbers improve in every major category: his career hits, runs, doubles, RBI, walks, and homers are better in July than they were in June, and better in August than they were in July. Let’s look/hope for a monster rest of the season from Big Papi.

No Ring For the King with Shaq

2009-07-07T16:01:00.002-04:00

So LeBron and Shaq had some good chemistry at last year’s All-Star game, but I don’t think Shaq will get LeBron his championship when they play together this season, and here’s why. When Shaq has won championships, he’s had Kobe in LA (6-6, 205 lbs.), and he’s had D-Wade in Miami (6-4, 216 lbs.) Both are guards who prefer to take perimeter jump shots than drive the lane. Their style of play is what Shaq complements best. Not that of a forward like LeBron James (6-8, 250 lbs). Here’s what happens with Shaq under the rim: defenses need to double-team Shaq, or else he’ll swallow up every pass and use his post-up play to score basket after basket. With so many men down low, Kobe/Wade were left open—or at least under single-coverage, which is basically open, for them—so they could bury the their jump shots easily. In Kobe Bryant’s 13 NBA seasons, he has had better than 46.3% field goal shooting five times. All but one of those times he owes to Shaq. In the 2005-2006 season, the Heat won their first NBA championship with Shaq, and Dwayne Wade shot 49.5% from the field. He has never shot so well in his career, even last year when he led the NBA in PPG. But in Phoenix, Shaq wasn’t able to make a huge difference because the big stud he was supposed to play alongside was Amare Stoudemire, who looks more like a LeBron than Kobe or D-Wade. Stoudemire is a 6-10 and 250 lbs foward. Granted, LeBron is a more of a shooter than Stoudemire, but King James’s dominion is just as much in the paint as on the perimeter. With Shaq drawing so many defenders under the rim, where is LeBron supposed to go? If he tries to drive the lane, he’ll find that Shaq creates more traffic than NYC rush hour. Zdrunas Ilgauskas was happy to take passes further away from the rim and take a step-back two-pointer, leaving space for LeBron under the rim. Now, if the Cavs got Shaq as an answer to Dwight Howard, they did a good job. O’Neal will be able to stop Superman (#2) more effectively than Ilguaskas, as he is much more of a defensive force. However, he will also be an encumbrance to LeBron on the offensive side of court. Looking at the stars Shaq has played with, Lebron falls somewhere between Stoudemire and Dwayne Wade. So, look for the 2009-2010 Cavaliers to have a season that is more successful than the 2008-2009 Phoenix Suns, but not as successful as the 2005-2006 Miami Heat.

Bruins' Free Agent Market

2009-07-06T18:18:00.004-04:00

The NHL free agency period began July 1st. Some notable Bruin free agents include P.J. Axelsson, Mark Recchi, Steve Montador, Stephane Yelle, Byron Bitz, and Shane Hnidy, and Phil Kessel. Wingers Mark Recchi and Byron Bitz have already signed with the B’s, while 11-year Bruin P.J. Axelsson is still exploring the market, and scoring machine Phillip Kessel’s future has yet to be determined. The Bruins have only so much cap space left on their roster, so they may not be able to afford their first-line center this coming year. There were some trade rumors that would send Kessel to Toronto for 4-time All-Star defenseman Thomas Kaberle*. Kessel was undoubtedly the Bruin’s main offensive threat, and the B’s will need to either resign Kessel or acquire another big-name player, if they want to repeat as the Eastern Conference’s top goal-scoring team.

*Since Kessel is a restricted free agent, the Bruins do have “dibs” on the Kessel, with the chance to match any offer given to him. This is why, although Kessel is technically a free agent, the Bruins are within their rights to trade him.

NBA Free Agency '09

2009-07-06T14:15:00.000-04:00

The free agents of 2009 were free to begin negotiations with any NBA team on July 1st. Although free agents can’t actually sign with any team until July 8th, several free agents have agreed to sign with a particular team, once that date rolls around. The big names that have already signed are Ron Artest with the Lakers (3-year), Hedo Turkoglu with the Raptors, Trevor Ariza with the Rockets (5-year), Charlie Villanueva with the Pistons (5-year), Ben Gordon with the Pistons (5-year), and yesterday’s reports are that Rasheed Wallace is heading to Boston for a two-year contract.

Before I talk about this deal for the Celts, I’d like remind y’all that there is a salary cap in the NBA. However, unlike the “hard” cap of the NFL and NHL, the NBA features a “loose” cap. Whereas in the NFL teams can exceed the cap in only the rarest of circumstances, the NBA offers a variety of exceptions by which teams can exceeds the salary cap. One exception that you have probably heard mentioned this offseason is the mid-level exception (MLE). It allows a team already over the cap to sign a player with a single year’s pay that is equal to the league’s average salary. Another common exception is the Larry Bird exception (named because the Celtics were the first team to implement this rule when they re-signed Larry Bird), which allows a team to resign their own free agent for the league’s maximum salary if the so-called “Bird free agent” has played for one team for at least three years in a row, without being waived.*

Rasheed Wallace, who can play both forward and center, will make Boston one of the most experienced teams in the NBA. He is a great two-way threat with plenty of experience, and will make a great addition to the Celtics lineup. Between Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Wallace, the Celtics have an unprecedented 53 years of NBA experience. With the addition of Shaq, Boston’s Eastern Conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers projected starting five will have a combined 38 years of experience. Last year, ‘Sheed had his lowest PPG since his rookie year with the Washington Bullets, scoring only 12.0 points a game; yet his 7.4 rebounds per game was 2.6 above the league average and higher than his own career average. Since his career is on the decline at age 34, Wallace will probably come off the bench for the Celtics, serving as a backup for Kevin Garnett. His willingness to accept a two-year contract worth over $1 million less than his 2008-2009 single-year salary, in addition to his readiness to play fewer minutes is a testament to Rasheed’s desire to win his second championship ring.

Another rumor that has been circulating throughout the media is that Boston is actively pursuing Suns’ free agent Grant Hill, instead of Glen Big Baby Davis, who could be headed to the Spurs. Grant Hill is even older than Sheed, and at age 36, this will be his 15th season in the NBA. While Hill is undoubtedly more proven than Davis, we saw Big Baby’s potential in this year’s playoffs, where he scored 15.8 points and averaged 5.6 rebounds per game while filling in for KG; who knows when he’ll come into his own? 2008-2009 was only his second year in the NBA, and Ainge could probably sign Davis for a less costly contract than he will be forced to pay 7-time All Star Grant Hill.

Looking at Boston’s projected starting lineup, Boston has some of the most proven stars in all of the NBA. Here are some stats between Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, and Grant Hill:
• Pierce was selected 10th in the 1998 NBA Draft, the lowest out of any of the five players (Allen: 5th, Garnett: 5th, Wallace: 4th, Hill: 3rd
• Together, they have appeared in 40 NBA All Star games
• 5-player averages: 19.50 PPG, 7.06 RPG, 3.72 APG
• Combined 4,606 reg. season games (56 82-game seasons), 402 playoff games
And don’t forget, Boston still has Rajon Rondo prepared to play his 4th season with the Celtics. In this year’s playoffs, he was .3 rebounds and .2 assists short of averaging a triple-double.

Other free agents that have yet to commit to a team include: Dikembe Mutombo, Lamar Odom, Nate Robinson, Marcin Gortat, Andre Miller, Ime Udoka, Mike Bibby, and Shawn Marion, as well as the Celtics’ Leon Powe, Mikki Moore, Stephon Marbury.

*The MLB’s version of a salary cap is the called a “payroll threshold”. Instead of being penalized with the loss of draft picks or millions of dollars (as in the NBA), teams that exceed the salary cap pay a small “luxury tax” that goes to baseball’s “industry-growth fund”. Although the luxury is sometimes called the “competitive balance tax”, the tax money does not redistribute the money to poorer teams. Instead, the MLB uses this fund to promote baseball around the world and for player benefits.

What's Up With That? Wimbledon 2009 Finals

2009-07-05T20:58:00.005-04:00

What’s up with Roger’s tote bag that he carried onto Centre Court today? Number 1: It looks like he borrowed his wife’s gym bag. Number 2: What the hell does he need to carry onto the court other than a couple rackets, some Gatorade, and maybe a dry shirt? Number 3: He just looks plain goofy carrying his massive Wilson bag, plus his feminine bag big enough to carry a small child.

What’s up with Roger wearing everything detailed in gold? The Nike swoosh on his shoes and headband, the outline of his collar and sleeves, his warmup jacket, and his tote bag—all are white with a dash of gold. Is it because anything except gold will clash when he holds up the gold Wimbledon trophy? What's up with that arrogance, Roger?

What’s up with Roger’s on-court outfit? Not only does the gold detailing give the impression that he’s full of himself and has no chance of losing, it looks like he either just got drafted to the military or is about to go ballroom dancing. Underneath his military-themed jacket, with cargo pockets galore, he wore a button-down vest that he might as well wear under a tux to go with his Gillette-shaven face and Rolex-covered wrist.

What’s up with seating Roger’s wife directly in front of Roddick’s wife? Can anyone say catfight? Roddick is married to blond supermodel Brooklyn Decker, and Federer recently married his longtime girlfriend, Mirka, who is a bit chubby and has unflattering features. Not only does it make Mirka look even worse, but it won’t do anything to make the Roddicks and the Federers better pals. They already don’t have much respect for each other, as they are always getting in each other’s way on the court, but now the women of the family probably hate each other too. I must say, Brooklyn showed much more respect for Federer than Mirka did for Roddick. Whenever the camera showed the two, Mirka was actively rooting, clapping or yelling for her husband, while Brooklyn sat back, and watched with excitement, wanting Andy to pull off the upset, but not disrespecting Roger by applauding every time he made a mistake. What's up with that?

What's up with Venus barely putting up a fight against sister Serena in the women's final? Serena won in stright sets 7-6, 6-2. The previous three times the Williams' sisters met head-to-head they have battled it out, playing three sets each match. I know at 29, Venus might be on the decline in terms of her career, but what's up with that? That sure wasn't the final it was cracked up to be.

What's up with Serena's fashion this tournament? Are you sure she has her own clothing line? Apparently it's called Aneres...I guess she sometimes does dress pretty backwards. In her post-championship press conference, she sported a T-shirt reading "Are you looking at my titles?" across the chest. I know Serena's really not that arrogant, and it was just a playful shirt, but come on Serena. What's up with that? Then, onto the court, she wore an overcoat that I guess you could call "unique". It was basically a rain jacket that got mixed with a bathrobe, allthewhile it remained super short, hardly longer than her skirt, to show lots of thigh. You're at Wimbledon, for cryin' out loud! I know it's usually cold and wet in London, but what's up with that?

Why I Can't Wait For Federer to Retire

2009-07-05T20:10:00.001-04:00

Today, Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in the longest Grand Slam match of all time—77 games, 6 more than the previous record set in the 1927 Australian Open. And we thought last year’s encounter between the world’s #1 and #2, Federer and Nadal was the greatest match ever! John McEnroe called it “the greatest match I have ever seen”. ‘08’s final, like this match, could not be decided in just 5 sets; it was won 9-7 in the final set by the underdog Rafael Nadal. In some ways, despite a 30-game fifth set this year, last year’s final was actually better. There was more up-and-down, more service breaks, more comebacks, and the underdog actually won—the first time Roger had ever lost in a Grand Slam final. It wasn’t the server’s battle that was the 2009 final. Not until his 33rd service game was Roddick broken. If you add up only these games, that’s over 5 sets worth of service games won by Roddick. You gotta hand it to the guy. Coming into today, he was 2-18 against Roger. In 11 of those losses, he failed to even win a set, and all of his 18 defeats came in the quarterfinals or later in a tournament. Losing to the same opponent for 9 years in a row must be one of the most frustrating things a human being can go through (except maybe an 86-year World Series drought). And today, after some of the hardest offseason training he’s ever done, to come out in his 21st match against Federer, once again the underdog, and to battle the way he did, takes a whole lot of heart. Playing the final set was undoubtedly grueling for both competitors; however, because Federer just happened to serve the first game of the set (Roddick ended the previous set by winning his service game), the pressure was always on Roddick. Once the match was 5-5, as long as Roger kept winning his own service games (he had a career-best 50 aces in the match—his serve was on), if Roddick lost his serve, he lost the match. From 5-5, Roger won his service game to make it 6-5, and Roddick had to win the next game or the championship is lost. He continued to win his service games with ease, even knowing a loss would mean 2nd place. In the end, Federer was able to break Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

It’s hard to believe Roddick has only won a single Grand Slam (the 2003 U.S. Open). He’s a great player, and a decent backhand short of being the best, and the only American currently on tour who has ever won a Grand Slam. His only crime was being born within a couple years of July 8th, 1981. This is, of course, Roger Federer’s birthday. Since 2004, only 2 Grand Slams have been won by someone not named Federer or Nadal. Frankly, there has never been a time with such dominating players. The 70s and 80s had Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Guillermo Vilas all competing for the world’s #1. In the 90s, it wasn’t all Pete Sampras; there was Agassi, there was Jim Courrier, Patrick Rafter, Stefan Edberg, and Gustavo Kuerten. But for the past half decade, there has been Federer, and, well Federer. 2009 isn’t even over, and Federer has already shattered the record of 12 Grand Slams in a single decade (shared by Sampras and Roy Emerson); keep in mind, Federer didn’t even win his first Grand Slam tournament until 2004.

Personally, I’m sick of the guy. I want to have more anticipation, I want to be able to ask, “Who do you think will win?” without feeling like Nostradamus, being able to predetermine the response. It’s no fun watching Federer stroll to the finals, losing only one set in the whole tournament. What’s entertaining is watching Roddick play five sets against veteran Lleyton Hewitt, because the outcome was so uncertain. I can’t wait until the days of Federer are over and thrilling runs by unexpected players will no longer be crushed by the Federer Express.

The Fashion of Baseball

2009-07-04T22:21:00.003-04:00

In hockey, a goalie’s equipment is what distinguishes himself from all the other goalies in the league. Not just colors—all their designs are different and usually have some meaning to them. Some college goaltenders have pads that, when put together, they form their team symbols. A hockey goalie is one of the only positions in sports where a regular player can look different from the rest of the team. But there is one other: baseball catchers. And yet, they adorn themselves like their off to some dinner party: plain, conservative designs, one or two colors (max), and several catchers have the exact same equipment! How lame is that? It’s not like Easton or TPX can’t customize their pads for professional catchers. For the past few years, Jason Varitek has worn festive equipment on certain holidays: camouflage on Memorial Day, and today, he was decked out in some red white and blue pads with several stars around the neck. He even raffles off his equipment and donates the money once he’s used it on that single occasion. I don’t see why he doesn’t wear unique equipment more often. It would add a little something to the sometimes tedious event of watching baseball. He could even change it up depending on the occasion…

“Yankee Hater” when we face NY
A big picture of a clenched fist (knuckles) for Wakefield
“Wally the Green Monster”
A pipe (“right down the pipe!”)
The Earth for Earth Day (April 15)
Georgia Tech logo (his alma mater)

Plus, I know Varitek has been a big help to the Jimmy Fund, raising tons of money through countless fundraisers. What better way to make an everyday statement than to have its slogan “Because it takes more than courage to beat cancer” imprinted right where millions of viewers can see it on an every day basis?

Fines for Philanthropy

2009-07-03T13:47:00.001-04:00

Here’s a little known fact for you: all that money professional athletes get fined for bad-mouthing refs, on-field violence, obscene gestures, etc. doesn’t just make its way into the pockets of league executives. It goes to charity. Here’s a question for you: what has this world come to that donating a fraction of one’s salary to charity has become a punishment? Let me get this straight, if Chad Ochocinco has to donate $5,000 to charity, he has to make it worth his while and putt the football with the pylon? Now, I understand that taking away a greedy player’s money is one of the only ways to punish the player himself without punishing his whole team (i.e. don’t suspend him). And I guess it makes sense that league officials don’t tell fans where the money is going. Then superstars wouldn’t feel so bad about their poor conduct. (“Yeah, I gave the entire stadium the middle finger, but I did it for UNICEF!”) That’s the last thing we want to hear.

Here’s an idea: make certain fineable acts out to be some sort of contest, and whoever wins—by doing the most creative touchdown dance, by dishing out the best trash talk, whatever—will have the biggest portion of their salary donated to charity. Superstar athletes should be setting aside part of their salary for charity anyway—this is simply a way to make it more public and more interesting. Then, Ochocinco wouldn’t really be viewed as a cocky jerk, out to make himself look good with his post-TD cavorting; we could appreciate his showboating both for its pure entertainment, and because it will end up benefiting some foundation. (Notice that not included in the ways to “win” is who can be most disrespectful to the referees, or who can charge the mound the most often; these acts are either offensive or set a poor example for children who look up to professional athletes as role models.) Now, some might say that excessive celebrations give children the wrong idea about sportsmanship. But I think that, until they actually get to take part in this altruistic competition, it’s up to youth coaches to steer young athletes in the right direction; to explain that, while dancing in the end zone, T.O. wasn’t just expressing himself, he was being the humanitarian all athletes should be; and unless this enthusiastic Pop Warner kid wants to hand over his wallet to his coach so he can drop it off at the local hospital, he better cut out his skylarking. As long as this idea doesn’t interfere with the way the game is played, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Professional sports is entertainment. There’s no disputing that. Wouldn’t this philanthropic play contribute to making watching sports more entertaining?

Which Laker I Could See In Beantown

2009-07-02T00:12:00.007-04:00

The LA Lakers claim that they will not resign Trevor Ariza, now that free agent signing season has begun. The Celtics ought to take a look at this guy. Out of UCLA, he's only 24 years old, and can give the Celtic's defense a huge boost. His offensive game has room for improvement, but with his athleticism and Boston's phenomenal supporting cast, it wouldn't be unheard of for him to score 12+ points a game. In the 2009 playoffs, he shot almost 50% in FG% and from three point range, allthewhile scoring over 11 points per game. It would be new for him to be able to actually carry some responsibility on offense after playing with Kobe for the past two seasons. After suffering a broken foot in the 2007-2008 season, he played all 82 games for the Lakers last year, and after last year, we need some reliable starters. It doesn't look like Leon Powe will return with the Celtics, and with Cleveland's acquisition of Shaq, Jason Kidd going to Orlando, and the Piston's offseason overhaul, the Celts must be looking for a possible deal this offseason. Other big(ger) names that are being thrown around are Rasheed Wallace and Amare Stoudemire. While these would be great pickups, they'd probably cost the Celtics a lot more than an unproven Trevor Ariza. Plus, there would be no better way to stick it to the Lakers next season than beating them with a player they were too cheap and potential-blind to sign.

Marian Hossa Leaves Hockeytown

2009-07-01T19:57:00.003-04:00

Today, NHL star Marian Hossa decided not to resign with the 2009 Stanley Cup runner-ups, the Detroit Red Wings. Instead, he will play for the Chicago Blackhawks, who better prepare themselves to be Stanley Cup runer-ups--the past two seasons, Hossa has led his team to the Stanley Cup finals, but both times, he has lost. Since 2004, Hossa has been a journeyman, playing on four teams: during the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, he played in Europe for Slovakia; from 2005-2007, he played for the Atlanta Thrashers; at the trade deadline of 2008, he was traded to the Stanley Cup-ready Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he finsihed the season by losing in the Stanley Cup finals to the Red Wings; then, a free agent at the end of the 2008 season, he signed a one-year deal with Detroit, only to be defeated once again in the Stanley Cup finals, this time by his former team, ending consecutive seasons as the 2nd place team. Now, he hopes that his new team, the Chicago Blackhawks will be the team that gets him his first Stanley Cup victory. And if Chicago doesn't perform, he can just about forget about ever hoisting that silver trophy over his head. He signed a 12-year deal worth $62.8 million with the Blackhawks today. It will be weird seeing Hossa with one team for such a long time! (A twelve year contract may seem ridiculously long: if he gets hurt, then what? Well, like the NFL, if a player is unable to play, the franchise does not have to pay his salary. This is different from professional baseball, where 100% of a player's contract is guarenteed.) Nevertheless,the Blackhawks better hope Hossa keeps scoring goals and stays healthy, or else this could go down as one of the biggest flops in the history of hockey. Keep in mind, he did go down after suffering a neck injury this March (motionless for several minutes), and who knows whether anything is still lingering.

At the same time, Hossa better hope that the Blackhawks continue to progress as a team: Chicago has improved its 2005-2006 record from 26-43 to 2008-2009's 46-24, which culminated in a Western Conference finals appearance. Although the Blackhawks have the longest active Stanley Cup draught in all of hockey (48 years), its next several years seem awfully promising, and Hossa seems to be in a good situation. Chicago's 2006 and 2007 first round draft picks, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were each finalists for the 2007 rookie of the year award, and are sure to improve over the next few years. Toews is 21 and Kane is only 20. In all likelihood, Detroit probably probably made the decision for him, lacking salary cap space after giving Henrik Zetterburg a 12 year contract extension this offseason, however, I think Hossa will find that Chicago will actually be the better team in years to come, and will once and for all get that Stanley Cup that has eluded him since his debut with the Ottawa Senators eleven years ago. He will be 42 years old when his contract expires, and probably won't land another deal at that age, so this is it for Hossa. He's really putting all his eggs into one basket, a basket that might someday become a heavy silver one with his name engraved on the side.

Captain Jason

2009-07-01T11:17:00.004-04:00

Last night, the Red Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles, who are last place in the AL East, with a record of 35-42. The loss itself isn't so dissapointing as how we lost. John Smoltz made his second start of the season and went 4 innings, giving up just one run. Then, the rains came. and I'm not being metaphorical. A 71-minute rain delay took Smoltz out of the game earlier than expected. No problem, right? Bosten lead the O's 9-1 at this point, and the Sox bullpen leads the MLB with a combined ERA of under 2.90. However, something happened when play resumed that didn't seem too significant at the time: it wasn't the early departure of Smoltz; but instead, with the game seemingly in the hands of the Red Sox, backup catcher George Kottaras replaced Jason Varitek. 'Tek had to wait over an hour between innings, something catchers aren't accustomed to doing. He had fallen out of rhythm, and Kottaras's BA is basically identical to the Captain's, so it wouldn't be too bad to put the 26-year-old in the game, right? However, Jason Varitek knows the game of baseball better than anyone on the team, and calls the best game behind the plate in all of baseball. So, how did Baltimore become the the first last place team to come back from a 9-run deficit in the 7th inning to defeat a first place team? George Kottaras isn't Jason Varitek. No catcher is. Varitek has caught more no-hitters (4) than any catcher who has ever played the game of baseball, and that's not because he's caught for Cy Young-winning pitchers. Let's look at the no-hitters he's called: Hideo Nomo's, Derek Lowe's, Clay Buchholz', and Jon Lester's. Other than Lester, none of these pitchers have really gone on to have that much success in the Major Leagues. Pitchers get better with Varitek behind the plate. It's that simple. Our bullpen has average stuff, and without Varitek calling their game, they would be average (at best) pitchers. When Kottaras replaced Varitek after the rain delay last night, they became below average pitchers. Masterson, Okajima, and Saito gave up a total of 10 runs in two innings. That never happens! It seems totally out of whack for what we have come to expect out of our spectacular bullpen. The fact of the matter is, they're spectacular when Jason Varitek calls their game. When Varitek retires and is no longer calling games for the Red Sox, we're going to need a panacea of epic proportions to keep keep the team afloat. So, when 'Tek retires from playing catcher, Boston shouldn't let him retire from baseball alltogether. They should bring him back as some sort of coach--bench coach, catching coach, manager, it doesn't matter. Although his numbers might not show it, and although his number might not get retired by the Red Sox, and although he won't be inducted to the Hall of Fame, Jason Varitek is the most valuable player on the Red Sox roster.

Replacing Mike Lowell

2009-06-30T21:13:00.005-04:00

The Sox were delivered a huge blow today, losing starting third baseman and 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell to the disabled list with a right hip strain. Lowell, 35, is coming off pre-season hip surgery and wasn't expected to perform nearly as well as he has thus far (.282 AVG, .789 OPS). Nevertheless, hip strength and flexibility are absolutely crucial in the game of baseball, especially in hitting. Your hips generate most of the torque in your swing, thus healthy and powerful hips will result in more hits. Now that Lowell is experiencing the pain that most of us saw coming, I don't think we can completely rely on him to continue performing at this level for the rest of the season.

That being said, the Sox' brass has two options. They could test the trade market for a corner-infielder/utility type player to fill the void for the remainder of this season, or look internally and shuffle a platoon of Kevin Youkilis, Mark Kotsay and David Ortiz from 1B, 3B and DH; while having Nick Green, Jed Lowrie and possibly a healthy Mike Lowell manning third.

I feel Theo Epstein is one to look at matters internally first, before having to shell out the quality pitching it seems every team is after in order to land an every day player. If shuffling around the aforementioned players is not getting the job done, the Sox have a variety of options. Names that have popped up are Nick Johnson of the Nationals, a very good first baseman DH type that just plain gets on base. His OBP is hovering around .470, some 100+ points higher than the league average. Also Garrett Atkins of the Rockies, Mark Teahan of the Royals, and Bill Hall of the Brewers. All of these players would command mid-level pitching, probably a reliever along the lines of Takashi Saito or Manny Delcarmen.

With the Yankees and Rays in the rear view mirror but fast approaching, the front office needs to make a decision soon to secure another pennant for the hub.

Clean Pair of Sox

2009-06-30T10:51:00.006-04:00

With the trade deadline approaching on July 31, what can the Red Sox do to improve their lineup? Pitching? Debatably the best starting rotation in all of baseball, a premier closer, and a middle relief with only one pitcher who has allowed more than 9 runs in a grand total of 153.7 innings. Batting? I guess Varitek isn't the best offensive catcher, but he's the smartest catcher in the game, and no one can replace that. At shortstop, Nick Green has performed unexpectedly well both in the field and at the plate, and let's not forget we have Jed Lowrie waiting to return from his left wrist surgery. There's a lot riding on Lowrie, but he's certainly capable of driving in 50+ runs, and batting at least .275 during the second half of the season And I'm not forgetting about Julio Lugo, who is costing the Sox over $9 million this year alone. But, at the same time, I am forgetting about J. Lugo. Then we have:

Lowell (4x All-Star and 2005 Gold Glove)
Pedroia (Rookie of the Year and MVP the past two seasons)
Youkilis (a puny $3 million a year for a Gold Glove first baseball and 2008 All-Star)
Ortiz (All-Star selection the past 5 years, and great in the clutch)
Bay (2004 Rookie of the Year, 2x All-Star, having a breakout 2009 season)
Ellsbury (finally batting for average (.298), most stolen bases in AL 2008, stole home this year, and future Gold Glover)
Drew (2nd overall draft pick-1997, his 2008 All-Star Game MVP shows he's finally reaching his star potential)

The Boston Red Sox bench players could be starters on virtually any other MLB team. Should any player need a day off, I feel more than comfortable giving him one. The results a rested Kevin Youkilis or Jacoby Ellsbury are worth more than giving Mark Kotsay or Rocco Baldelli a start every once in a while.
Rocco Baldelli (First round draft pick-2000, second in Rookie of the Year voting-2003, injury-plagued 2005-2007)
Mark Kotsay (First round draft pick-1996, Bronze Medal winner in 1996 Olympics)
George Kottaras has assumed the damn-near impossible role of Wakefield's designated catcher role rather well (.993 fielding percentage, T-13 in doubles, .289 OBP)

The one problem the Red Sox face as the season rolls on is how well our aging players will continue to perform. Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell are more than past their prime (37 and 35, respectively), and who knows when Tim Wakefield's back will give up on him again (last year, an inflammation of the back of his pitching shoulder kept him off the roster for some time in October). 'Tek already gets one out of five games off for Wakefield's start, but the more rest we can give Mike Lowell, the better. We have Clay Buchholz waiting in Pawtucket, and, should Wake go down, we'll have him to fall back on. The Red Sox are clearly a buyer this trading season, and what we should be looking for is a team way down in the standings, needing young talent rather than a good player already in his prime. If you think it looks like the Red Sox don't need anything to boost them the postseason, think again. Even a team as deep as the BoSox would benefit from a deadline move to rejuvenate a team that has surely grown lackluster over the course of 182 games.

Which Boston Outfielder Will Win The Triple Crown Before Pujols

2009-06-28T03:00:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, the St. Louis Cardinals traded for Indians' infielder Mark DeRosa. The main purpose of this deal is to get some protection for slugger Albert Pujols, who is making a bid to become the first NL Triple Crown winner since 1937. He leads the NL in HR (28) and RBI (74), and is eighth in BA (.328). But the Cards' acquisition of DeRosa reveals the very problem that will keep Pujols from winning the Triple Crown any time soon: he has no help in the St. Louis lineup. Other than Pujols, there's really no one a decent pitcher should have any trouble dealing with. Only one batter (other than Albert) has double-digit home runs, two (other than Albert) have 30 RBI, and the highest slugging percentage (other than Albert) is .442. DeRosa will take third base from struggling Joe Thurston (.230 BA). However, I can't see DeRosa posing so much a threat to NL pitchers. With the Indians this year, he's been hitting .270 with 13 HR--just about what he's done his whole career. Sooner or later, NL pitchers will learn to pitch around The Machine in order to get to people like Chris Duncan, Cody Rasmus, Jason LaRue, and now, Mark DeRosa. They're simply not that good. Once pitchers figure out that giving Pujols the Bonds Treatment is the best solution, his RBI and HR numbers will drop. His average will likely remain high, but a batting title, for sure, is not the same as a Triple Crown.

Who we should really be thinking about as a Triple Crown candidate is Jason Bay. He has the protection that Pujols lacks; Boston is one of most prolific offenses in the MLB, scoring 390 runs through 74 games, and he's having a breakout year playing in Beantown. He leads the AL in RBI (69), is third in HR (19), and he does have some ground to cover in BA (.278, #40--not impossible). If you look at the HR leaders in the AL, though, they're sure to cool off before Bay does. Mark Texeira (20 HR) is on a hot streak after a dreadful start to the season, and who knows when he'll start to slump again. Carlos Pena of the Rays hadn't hit more than 27 HR until the 2007 season; with a batting average of .238 this season, it will be hard for him to continue to hit bombs at his current rate (23 so far). Jason Bay, on the other hand, is part of the best lineup in baseball: in the cleanup spot, he has reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury batting .301 this year, David Ortiz who is finally heating up, and AL OBP leader Kevin Youkilis batting around him. With that supporting cast, Bay won't have to bear the pressure of carrying his team, something Pujols faces on a daily basis. PItchers will also be forced to pitch to Bay--pick your poison of the venomous Sox batting order. Bay will keep driving in runs with Pedroia and Youk pretty much always on base, and he's been consistently hitting home runs throughout the year, so if he can work is average up to rival Ichiro's (easier said than done), he could very well become the first AL Triple Crown Winner since fellow Red Sock Carl Yazstremski.

Cheyenne Woods Misses Cut

2009-06-27T23:32:00.004-04:00

Cheyenne Woods missed the cut at her first LPGA tournament in NY today. When darkness ended play after her tenth hole yesterday, she had moved herself to one over par. However, after completing her round today, she found herself at five shots over par, after shooting a 75 in her second round: four strokes over the 1+ cut line. I've noticed she's getting LOTS of media attention, simply because she's got good genes. I hope that won't mess with her career, like it did for Michelle Wie (who also shot a 75 in her second round of play at the Wegman's LPGA; she is tied for 21st after coming out strong in her opening round).

Notable MLB Players from Massachusetts

2009-06-27T21:32:00.003-04:00

PLAYED FOR RED SOX
Mark Bellhorn-Boston
Tony Conigliaro-Revere
Billy Conigliaro-Revere
Lou Merloni-Framingham
Jerry Remy-Fall River
Wilbur Wood-Cambridge

ACTIVE PLAYERS
Jeff Bagwell-Boston (Houston Astros)
Manny Delcarmen-Boston (Boston Red Sox)
Sean Gallagher-Boston (Oakland A's)
Nick Gaureneault-Springfield (drafted by Texas Rangers)
Tom Glavine-Concord (Atlanta Braves)
Rich Hill-Milton (Baltimore Orioles)
Bryan LaHair-Worcester (Seattle Mariners)
Keith Reed-Yarmouth Port (drafted by Baltimore Orioles)
Tanyon Sturtze-Worcester (LA Dodgers)
Mark Sweeny-Framingham (LA Dodgers)

HALL OF FAME
Jack Chesbro-North Adams
John Clarkson-Cambridge
Mickey Cochrane-Bridgewater
Frank Grant-Pittsfield
Tim Keefe-Cambridge
Joe Kelly-Cambridge
Rabbit Marranville-Springfield
Connie Mack-East Brookfield
Tommy McCarthy-Boston

Stat of the Day: NFL Players Born in MA

2009-06-27T18:55:00.004-04:00

Cambridge: 18 (627 games)
Everett: 14 (503 games)
Worcester: 12 (597 games)
Brockton: 10 (179)
Weymouth: 7 (319)
Dorchester: 6 (433)
Quincy: 5 (515)
Bridgewater: 4 (292)
Newton: 3 (144)
Needham: 3 (134)
Brookline: 3 (39)
Cohasset: 2 (182)
Milton: 1 (5 were named Milton)
Hingham: 1 (John Cronin)
Canton: 0
Scituate: 0
Randolph: 0
Braintree: 0
Boston: 82

Most games played by a Massachussets-ite: 218 by Defensive Tackle Joseph Nash from Boston (1982-1996)

Thank You, Metzold

2009-06-26T22:37:00.004-04:00

June 25 at 5:34pm · Comment · Like · See Wall-to-Wall
Evan Metzold Just thought you might want to have this up on facebook...

Timothy Clinton likes this.

Evan Metzold at 5:37pm June 25
For everyone's information, this picture was in the Boston Globe with the caption: "Tommy Darling has come out. He is officially gay."

Tommy Logue at 6:09pm June 25
ahhahhahahahahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahhaahahahhaahhahahahahah

Tommy Logue at 9:24pm June 25
this is awesome shut up tom u have no right to tlk...u shuld complain to the globe no metzold

Joe Zimo at 6:47am June 26
Tom Darling: Tennis Player, Model, Homosexual.

so when the photographer came, did he just happen to find you in this pose? or was it planned?

Evan Metzold at 9:17am June 26
tom was already on the ground when the photographer came cuz he was sucking some d's

One Big Cactus in Cleveland

2009-06-26T18:28:00.002-04:00

Shaq was traded to the Cavaliers to join LeBron James in Cleveland yesterday. The deal that will put two of the biggest stars in the game on the same court was finalized around the time of the 2009 draft. Here’s the deal: Shaq will play the 2009-10 season for the Cavs, whereupon his contract will expire. The Phoenix Suns will receive second-string center Ben Wallace and backup forward Aleksandar Pavlovic, who, together averaged only 10.5 minutes a game, along with a 2010 second round draft choice and half a million dollars. Cleveland had tried to make a similar deal for O’Neal least season before the February deadline, and the failure to do so could have cost them a trip to the NBA finals when Zydrunas Ilgauskas could not hang with Dwight Howard in the Conference Finals. Cleveland was unwilling to let that happen again. For Phoenix, the deal was an attempt to get younger with 26-year old Pavlovic and an extra draft pick next year, but it also functioned as a salary dump. Shaq was costing them a lot of money ($20 million a year), and apparently the Suns have been hit pretty hard by the economic crisis.

For Cleveland, the purpose of the deal was a little more conspicuous: keep LeBron a Cav when his contract is up after this season. James has made it clear he would like to remain a Cavalier after this season, but no one would be surprised if he pulled a classic superstar move and signed a contract with a team that could afford to pay him a little more money—say, the Knicks? But if Cleveland could give Lebron an NBA title next season, the Akron native might be a little more tempted to stay in Cleveland. Shaq is 37 years old and is about to play his 17th year in the NBA. Cleveland is hoping he still has enough (diesel) gas in the tank to get Cleveland past the Celtics and Magic, by whom they have been eliminated in the playoffs the past two years. The Cavliers brass might be on to something too: O’Neal already has 4 rings, and there is something to be said for someone who has proven himself a champion. Even if the Cavs don’t bring home a title, this moves at least lets LeBron know that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get LeBron what he needs to win a championship. However, Cleveland does have one number off in the “Shaq + x = NBA champs” formula. In LA, there was Shaq, Kobe, and Phil Jackson; in Miami, there was Shaq, D-Wade, and Pat Riley. In Cleveland, there will be Shaq, LeBron, and…Mike Brown. He has the grade-A point guard that has helped him win championships in the past, but he doesn’t quite have the grade-A coach. (More like a grade-B rown coach).

One thing I know I’m looking forward too is watching Shaq join one of the most fun-loving teams in the NBA. He thinks there will be “a lot of fun, a lot of just having a good time and a lot of smiling, and a lot of winning.” Putting aside the winning part, I can’t imagine what Shaq will bring to the pre-game photo shoots and human bowling of the Cavs. Who can forget the 2007 All-Star game dance-off Shaq initiated between Dwight Howard, LeBron, and himself? To see the dance-off, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhfHeeQJhVQ. If nothing else, LeBron will have a fun season putting on a show for the fans of Cleveland playing alongside the biggest personality in all of sports, Shaquille O’Neal. Another thing we can count on: the Cavalier offense will no longer be get the ball to LeBron, and watch him do his thing. James’s numbers might drop off a bit with the addition of a 15-time All Star, but I don’t think he’ll care if it gets him a ring.

In the Same Neck of the Woods

2009-06-26T18:06:00.019-04:00

Seventeen years ago, a young child named Woods took up an interest in golf. Cheyenne Woods, that is, Tiger's niece. In 1992, when she was a mere 19 months old, she went with her mom to watch the 1992 Nissan Los Angeles Open and cheer on her uncle Tiger. At the time, Tiger was making his Tour Debut, and was heckled at the tee, as the spectators thought the 16 year old amatuer Tiger was far too young to compete. This was the first of two events that sealed Cheyenne Woods' fate of playing golf. When Cheyene was 8, Tiger's dad, the late Earl Woods, brought her to the course and made her chip some balls on the green. Before Earl had died, he was everything to Cheyenne. He listened to her, and she thought he was the wisest person in the world. Tiger has since filled his father's role, listening to everything she says, and mentoring her in the game of golf.

Over the course of Cheyenne's young career she has already won 30 amateur tournaments, as she prepares to enter her sophomore year at Wake Forest, which finished ranked #13 in the NCAA for women's golf. Her first year as a Demon Deacon, her teammates thought she was going to be a prima donna, a diva, but they have since changed their perspectives. They say she is "low maitenance" and has an "explosive laugh", making her easy to get along with. Cheyenne arrived at Wake Forest asking for no special treatment, and saying she has to earn everything.

Now, almost 19 years old, Cheyenne is currently playing her first professional tournament at the Wegmans LPGA in Pittsford, N.Y. In her LPGA debut on Thursday, she shot a 75 (+3), which was good enough to tie for 119th place. In her the second round of the tournament, she moved herself up to 63rd place, shooting -2 for the day. At +1 for the tournament, she sits one stroke above the expected +2 cut line. She's off to a good start, and perhaps one day we will see "Tigress Woods" atop the leaderboards for the LPGA.

R.I.P. the King of Pop, Michael Jackson

Guarding the Garden

2009-06-26T12:11:00.006-04:00

When the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett after the 2006-2007 season, they traded away their first round draft pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. So, the Celtics had but one pick in this year's draft: the 58th overall, third to last in the whole draft. They picked senior shooting guard Lester Hudson out of Tennessee-Martin. Almost 25 years old, he was oldest player selected in this year's draft. (It's too bad that college prospects get penalized for staying in college for four years, e.g. Tyler Hansbrough: ACC's all-time leading scorer, dropped to the Pacers at the 13th pick. In the past three drafts, 17 seniors went in the first round, compared to 22 freshmen. This year, we saw the first American player to sidestep the new rule requiring one year of college before entering the draft by playing professionally in Europe: 10th overall pick, Brandon Jennings.) The UT Martin Skyhawks led the Ohio Valley Conference (D-1) with 22 wins last season. Lester Hudson made headlines last year as a junior when he recorded the OVC's first ever quadruple-double (25 points, 12 rebounds 10 assists, 10 steals). A talented all-around player, Hudson was the only player in the nation to average 5+ points, 4+ rebounds, 4+ assists, and 2+ steals per game. He led the OVC in scoring with 27.5 points per game, which was good enough for second-best in the nation, behind Davidson's Stephen Curry (7th overall in the Draft). During his two years at UT Martin, he received a number of significant honors: two-time AP All-American Honorable Mention, back-to-back OVC Player of the Year, 7-time OVC Player of the Week (single-season record). Flying under the radar in a conference that has seen only one player get drafted to the NBA since 2004, Hudson was projected by ESPN to go in the late first round to early second-round. He had good numbers in college, but he's already older than Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Lebron James, Glen Davis, and Kendrick Perkins, and I don't know how much better this guy is going to get. Furthermore, the Celtics still have two young guards, J.R. Giddens and Gabe Pruitt, waiting for their chance to play at the Garden. Giddens and Pruitt (2008 and 2007 draft picks, respectively) have a team option for next season. Drafting another guard could be Danny Ainge's way of telling them that they better work their tails off, or this newcomer is going to take their spot. Or, maybe Ainge really likes the athleticism and maturity of Hudson and expects him to get a little bit of playing time next season. Regardless, it's nice to see a kid who actually graduated from college get drafted to the NBA.

Smoltz: "Very Encouraged" Despite the Loss

2009-06-26T11:49:00.003-04:00

What can we take away from John Smoltz’s debut with the Sox last night? Smoltz said himself that he was “very encouraged”, and Tito too seemed pleased after the game. That may seem a little odd when you look at the results of his first Major League since having shoulder surgery last June. He went five innings, and gave up five runs on seven hits, earning him a loss and an ERA of 9.00. But you can’t just look at the final box score. If you take away the first inning, Smoltz’s performance was rather good: four innings, one run, three hits, no walks, and four Ks. This was Smoltz’s first game ever not with the Atlanta Braves, and you can’t really blame him for maybe being a little rattled right off the bat. And it’s not the first time he’s struggled in his first appearance following a long layoff: in his first game as a closer in 2002, Smoltz gave up eight runs in two-thirds of an inning. In his first game returning t o the starter’s role in 2005, he went 1 2/3 innings and gave up six earned runs. Smoltz called this start “déjà vu…Three or four years ago, I heard he same doubt. It quickly changed, and that [first] game gets forgotten. The patience will be just from the nice little stretch here to get myself acclimated to this team, and you'll see what happens when I get in my groove.” It took one inning for him to get into the groove we’ll hope to see for the remainder of the season. He settled in after the first inning, and needed only 57 pitches to get through the next four. His command was solid, and his fastball averaged 91.7 mph. Keep in mind, Smoltz is 42 years old and coming off his second major surgery in his career (Tommy John surgery in 2000). No one knows how Smoltz will come back after his rough debut better than the man himself, and I too feel very encouraged about what is to come from this future Hall of Famer in a Boston uniform.

USA in FIFA Finals

2009-06-26T00:11:00.002-04:00

The FIFA Confederations Cup is held every four years, in the year preceding the World Cup. Considered a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, the tournament is not as significant as the grand-daddy of them all, but it is important in establishing which countries will be the teams to watch in the following year’s World Cup, and is still good for international bragging rights. Whereas 32 teams participate in the World Cup, only eight can qualify for the Confederations Cup. Six spots are held for the winners of the six FIFA confederations: UEFA (Europe), CAF (Africa), CONMEBOL (South America), AFC (Asia), CONCACAF (North and Central America, Caribbean), and OFC (Oceania). The seventh spot is given to the reigning World Cup champion, and the eighth to the tournament’s host country. (The host of Confederations Cup is also the host of the following year’s World Cup).

This year’s Confederations Cup was held in South Africa, and was important for the USA because it was marked by surprising—albeit lucky—upsets on behalf the Americans. After early losses to Brazil and Italy in group play, only under the most unlikely circumstances could the US qualify for the semifinal round. In the third round of group play, the US played Egypt and Brazil faced Italy. The American team could not advance with only a win on their part; they had to win by three goals. They could not advance with only a three-goal victory over Egypt; Brazil had to defeat Italy. They could not advance with only a three-goal victory over Egypt and a Brazilian victory; Brazil had to win by at least three goals. As you can see, the US had their work cut out for them. Often, soccer games see less than three goals between each team!

Considered the underdogs against Egypt, the Americans had a surprising 1-0 lead when Brazil-Italy’s final score flashed on the scoreboard: 3-0, Brazil. If the US could score two more goals and keep Egypt scoreless, they would advance to the semifinals. In the 71st minute, Charlie Davies scored the goal that put USA through to the finals.

But this was just the beginning for the Americans. Spain, riding a 35 game unbeaten streak in international play, was waiting to eat the American team like tapas. The Spaniards had outscored opponents in the tournament 9-0 in three games of group play and controlled the ball for nearly 60% of the game each of the three games. Should, by some stroke of luck, the Americans beat the #1 team in the world, it would be their first finals appearance in a FIFA-sponsored tournament ever. The few, the proud—the soccer fans of America, prayed for a victory, and the FIFA gods listened over the buzz of the vevuzela trumpets that permeated all of South Africa this week. The United States defeated Spain 2-0, and advanced to the Confederations Cup finals.

This Sunday, they will face a deep Brazil team, to whom they lost seven days ago in their second tournament game. Since that match, however, the Americans are 2-0 and have not allowed a single goal. The Brazilians struggled to score against a valiant South Africa team, but finally did in the 88th minute in their semifinal round. Come Sunday, Brazil will have but two days of rest after their grueling match against the hometown favorites, and the US will be coming off a full three days of rest and preparation. That extra day of rest and the newfound confidence after beating the best team in the world could be what America needs to beat Brazil in the finals. I know I talk a lot about soccer and hockey trying to create a broader fanbase in America, but this animated tournament and unexpected success will go a long way in creating interest among casual soccer fans here in America.

Fenway to Host NHL Winter Classic

2009-06-25T16:03:00.005-04:00

Reports confirm that the site for the 2010 Winter Classic has been decided by NHL's commissioner Gary Bettman: Fenway Park. Since 2008, the NHL has held one outdoor regular season game each year on New Year's Day. In the 2008 "Ice Bowl", the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres in front of a NY crowd of more than 70,000. Last year, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field. In 2010, the Classic will be a matchup between two of the Original Six hockey teams, the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. The annual event has been an attempt to spur more interest in hockey across America, so it's not surprising that the first three hosts will be New York, Chicago, and Boston--three large cities notorious for their enthusiasm for professional sports. Despite making the playoffs the past two seasons, the B's are still lagging behind the Pats, Sox, and Celts, as far as the average Bostonian's interest goes. Fenway's hosting of the 2010 Winter Classic could be what will put the Bruins back on the map.

Stat of the Day: Pretty Pitching

2009-06-25T15:24:00.004-04:00

The Red Sox are the only team in all of MLB to have four pitchers with at least 6 wins. Some teams (Phillies, Nationals, A's, and Orioles) don't have any pitchers who have won 6 games.

Wakefield: 9-3 Beckett: 8-3
Penny: 6-2 Lester 6-6

This stat speaks not only to how well the starting rotation has performed, but it also demonstrates the success of our bullpen. Red Sox relievers have allowed a total of 87 runs this year. (Compare that to the Yanks: 101; and to the team with the best record in baseball, the Dodgers: 101. Our strong bullpen, anchored by Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Papelbon, and Ramon Ramirez, has been able to hold the leads for that game's starter, allowing him to take the win.

Stat #2: Among the 13 NL pitchers who have at least 7 wins, you will find Bronson Arroyo (8-6, with Cincinnati) and Derek Lowe (7-5, with Atlanta)

On another note, John Smoltz will make his first start of the season tonight against the Nationals, and will hopefully keep the USS Fenway from rocking too much until Daisuke returns from the DL. When he does, Smoltz could be moved to the bullpen. After all, from 2001-2004, he picked up 154 saves for Atlanta, with an ERA of 3.02.

How did he Fehr?

2009-06-25T00:35:00.002-04:00

Donald Fehr retired from his position as executive director of the MLB players association on Monday after 26 years of service. Fehr is one month away from turning 61. He will be most remembered for his undying dedication to the players, as opposed to his dedication to the integrity of the game. Baseball’s player’s association is the strongest in professional sports, and Fehr did nothing to jeopardize that reputation. Through his cutthroat negotiations with franchise owners, Fehr helped raise the average MLB salary from $289,000 to $2.9 million. He led the players on a strike in 1994 that resulted in the cancellation of that year’s World Series. The average player made almost $1.2 million that season—up 9% from the previous year. A World Series-canceling strike because of $1.2 mil. a year? Not Fehr's crowning achievement, to be sure. The strike was effective, nonetheless: average salaries more than doubled over the next ten years. Because of Fehr, selfish baseball players have been able to squeeze every last dollar out of their organization’s bank account.

Another thing Fehr has done to negatively affect the game of baseball is his handling of the steroid issue. Using the strength of the MLBPA, Fehr was able to keep any drug testing program out of baseball in 2003, 16 years after the NFL, and 4 years after the NBA. Michael Weiner, a skilled lawyer and No. 3 official in the players association, will succeed Fehr. Hopefully, a new face at the head of the MLBPA will clean up the mess that is drug abuse in the MLB. Maybe not though, because it was at the behest of Fehr that Weiner take his position, and it is likely that Weiner will have take all the same stands as his predecessor.

Stat of the Day: In the Top 5

2009-06-24T22:29:00.008-04:00

Strikeout to walk ratio: 2.20 For every walk surrendered by Sox pitching, they strike out 2.20 batters
MLB rank: 3
AL rank: 3
Closest AL East team: NY (#14 in MLB)

Strikeouts per 9 innings: 7.68
MLB rank: 3
AL rank: 1
Closest AL East team: NY (#5)

Save percentage: 73%
MLB rank: 4
AL rank: 2
Closest AL East team: NY (#7)

Complete games: 5
MLB rank: T-3
AL rank: T-2
Closest AL East team: TOR (#T-6)

Slugging percentage: .453 Red Sox batters score .453 runs per at bat
MLB rank: 5
AL rank: 4
Closest AL East team: NY (#1)

Total walks: 298
MLB rank: 1
AL rank: 1
Closest AL East team: TB (#2)

Runs scored: 376
MLB rank: 3
AL rank: 3
Closest AL East team: TB (#1)

Doubles: 157
MLB rank: 1
AL rank: 1
Closest AL East team: TOR (#2)
**Stats up to Wednesday, June 24

Gonzo

2009-06-24T02:53:00.002-04:00

This may be the last year in the MLB for former Red Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Currently with the Cincinnati Reds, Gonzalez had surgery to remove four bone chips in his right elbow, and is expected to miss four weeks. This is the last year on his 3-year contract with the Reds, and injuries have sidelined the 32 year-old for considerable amounts of time in the past two years. There isn’t much demand for an aging SS with a career batting average of .247. But Gonzalez has managed to make a career solely out of his outstanding defensive ability. The 10-year veteran played his 2006 season with the Sox, and healed the wound left by Edgar Renteria the year before: in 2005, while playing in Boston, Renteria led the Major Leagues in errors. Gonzalez has never had a season where he hit over .280 or drove in more than 80 runs, yet his knack the shortstop position made him an All-Star in 1999. Gonzalez, along with former Venezuelan Omar Vizquel, will be remembered as the two best defensive shortstops of the past decade.

The $103 Million Arm Losing Stock

2009-06-23T23:20:00.005-04:00

We were all perplexed, looking at the bounty of pitching Sox GM Theo Epstein has been able to assemble, and we have wondered what to do, what to do. With the recent struggles of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Terry Francona’s proposed problem probably became much less of a predicament. He has put Daisuke, the ace of the 2008 season, on the 15-day DL. This will be Matsuzaka’s second stint on the DL this season: he was put on the DL early this year with “arm fatigue”. I just don’t understand what Dice-K’s problem is in American ballparks. The Red Sox spent $51 million just to enter negotiations with the Japanese star, and went on to sign this Scott Boras client to a six-year $52 million contract. Now, Daisuke doesn’t really seem to be worth the $103 million shelled out by the Boston front office. This season, he hasn’t pitched more than 5½ innings in a game, and has an 8.23 ERA. But at the time, it’s hard to blame Theo for thinking Matsuzaka might be the next Pedro. On the cover of Sports illustrated in March ’07, Tom Verducci wrote of the Japanese phenom,

“What strikes you now about Matsuzaka, once you get beyond the knowing countenance, is that after all that throwing, never did he bother to ice his arm or shoulder. In major league locker rooms, ice packs are ubiquitous appendages for pitchers, who wrap their shoulder or elbow or both, the better to calm muscles, ligaments and tendons that have been stressed by the unnatural act of throwing a baseball. Relievers are known to ice after facing only one batter in a game.

Not Matsuzaka. He didn't ice after he threw 103 pitches in the bullpen the second time he stepped on a mound in spring training in 2007, more than twice the number of even the heartiest of his fellow Red Sox pitchers. He didn't ice after one of his twice-weekly 20-minute long-toss sessions, when he throws from the rightfield foul pole to the leftfield wall -- a distance of about 300 feet -- while taking only one step to load his arm. (Most pitchers throw half that distance.) In past years with the Seibu Lions, he wouldn't ice even after his frequent 300-pitch bullpen sessions, a program that would have been grounds for dismissal for any major league pitching coach who allowed it.

Then you reflect on the 250 pitches he threw in a 17-inning complete game in high school -- the apex of a stretch in which he threw 54 innings in 11 days -- and the 189 pitches he threw on Opening Day in 2003, the 160 pitches in his second start of the '05 season, the 145 pitches in his penultimate start for the Lions, the 588 innings he threw for Seibu before he turned 21 (Oakland ace Rich Harden, 25, still hasn't logged that many big league innings) and the eight games last year in which he threw at least 130 pitches -- more such games than all major league pitchers combined.”
Not to mention, he’s been MVP of the previous two World Baseball Classics (2006 and 2009).

However, he hasn’t been able to duplicate the success he’s had pitching for Japan here in America. I bet it’s the conservativeness of Major League trainers and pitching coaches. Francona assumes Daisuke, like all other pitchers, tires right around 100 pitches, and so he feels the need to yank him when he gets near that number. The unfortunate thing is, with Daisuke’s tendency to nibble around the strike zone and throw gobs of pitches per inning, we see Terry jog out to pull him in the middle of the fifth inning, even if he’s pitching well. On June 2, Daisuke was pulled after 5 innings, even though he had only given up one run and had struck out 6, just because he had thrown 96 pitches. If he wants to go 9 innings and throw 200 pitches, let him, no matter how unorthodox and risky it seems. When Francona put Matsuzaka on the disabled list this week, he said, “this is not going to be a two-week DL”, hinting that it looks like it could be much longer than that. What worries the Sox isn’t anything structural, it’s arm weakness. The cause of this weakness is clear to me though, and rest won’t help. Daisuke isn’t accustomed to MLB’s unconditional limits on how much a pitcher can throw. He’s used to throwing all the time, and as much as he wants. Since he’s come to Boston, they’ve told him he can’t do that. It’s like telling a marathoner he can’t run more than one mile each day: he’s going to get out of shape. The Red Sox staff’s attempts to save Daisuke’s arm have been counterproductive, and have affected the weakness in his throwing arm. If the Sox want to help Daisuke find his form, they shouldn’t treat his arm like some antique Rolls Royce. They should treat it like a brand new Porsche, and push down on that throttle with all you’ve got.

The Future of Matt Cassel

2009-06-23T18:31:00.003-04:00

Before I start, I'd like to point out the striking resemblance between Matt Cassel and Thayer Academy's own Sean Fernald. Now, here I go.

Last year, we thought Matt Cassel showed that he deserved a starting QB job in the NFL. When reigning MVP Tom Brady went down with a knee injury in the season opener, Cassel led the Patriots to a more-than-respectable 11-5 record. The Patriots went on to give Cassel the most expensive one-year contract for an offensive player in NFL history, and then trade him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a second round draft pick. But this year, I think Cassel will show that Tom Brady may very well have the easiest job in the NFL.

We were shocked when Cassel, the supposed breakout player of the year, was traded to the Chiefs along with Pro Bowl linebacker Mike Vrabel for a measly second round draft pick. Some passed off the seemingly one-sided trade by claiming the Pats were cutting their former GM Scott Pioli—now Kansas City GM—a little slack, knowing that he had very little to give the Patriots in return. Others pointed to the fact that Belichick prefers second-round picks because he can sidestep having to pay the enormous contract that first rounders are accustomed to getting. But really, it was because Matt Cassel simply isn’t worth much more than a second round draft pick.

Matt Cassel was drafted in the seventh round by the Pats in 2005 for a reason: USC coach Pete Carroll didn’t start Cassel for a single game during his four-year career in Southern Cal. Cassel didn’t get to start any games during his college career for a reason: he is a mediocre quarterback. The numbers he put up during his 2008 campaign were not all that special. What got him so much attention was that no one expected the Patriots to do well at all without their superstar quarterback. Cassel’s 89.4 QB rating was good enough for tenth in the league, behind, among others, Matt Schaub of the Texans, Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, and Jeff Garcia of the Buccaneers. I don’t see teams licking their lips trying to sign 39 year-old Garcia to a $14 million, 1-year contract. Matt Cassel is a great story for sure. Having not started a single game since high school, he started all but one game for the Patriots, en route to a quality season. But how much of the team’s success was due to Cassel has been hugely over exaggerated.

The Patriots have the most QB-friendly team in the NFL; just about quarterback could find success with the New England O-line, WR corps, and passing game strategy. Three Patriots offensive linemen made the 2008 Pro Bowl, including two starters: Matt Light and Logan Mankins. No other team had more than one O-lineman make the roster. This brick wall of Pro-Bowlers gave Matt Cassel ample time in the pocket to find a wide receiver, one of whom is bound to get open at some point. Randy Moss is perhaps the best deep threat WR in the NFL. The fact that he drew a double team on almost every play created dream jobs for Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney, who seemed to always be open. Finally, the New England-style offense boils the passing game down to mostly short 7 or 8-yard passes—a high percentage game for any QB. This simple, yet effective passing strategy, combined with the above-average defense and rushing attack, the legendary O-line, and arguably the best coach in all sports today are responsible for the Pats’ 11-5 season—not Matt Cassel.

Next year, Cassel will play for the Chiefs and will find that not all teams are as easy to play for as the Patriots. Last year, Kansas City finished with a 2-14 record, and only four teams scored fewer points. Their WR corps is among the worst in the league: last year, only two players had more than 400 receiving yards—one was Tony Gonzalez, whom they proceeded to trade to the Atlanta Falcons. So Cassel will be forced to rely almost exclusively on one receiver, third year starter Dwayne Bowe out of Louisiana State. Another obstacle Cassel will encounter is an average offensive line. The Chiefs do have Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters, but, after Cassel’s time in New England, the pass rush will seem to be on top of him before he can even catch a glimpse of his wide receivers getting owned by opposing backfields. Last year, the Tyler Thigpen was the Chief’s QB, and he failed to throw for more than 2,750 yards over the course of the season, good enough for a 76.0 passer rating.

Here’s what I see happening this year: Cassel will be the starter in week 1, continue to start until mid-season, where he will have completed no more than 60% of his passes, and Larry Johnson will have been the chief (no pun intended) producer on offense. When KC continues to struggle, Cassel will start to share time with former Alabama-star Brodie Croyle. Kansas City will finish the season 5-11, and Cassel will go on to sign with a team desperate for a QB and hopeful that Cassel will miraculously reproduce his 2008-2009 season with New England, which he owes entirely to his supporting cast.

US Tennis: Out

2009-06-22T20:16:00.003-04:00

In the Nineties, we had Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. The 60s and 70s were dominated by Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe. And in the early 1900s, Bill Larned, Bill Tilden, and Don Budge brought home a total of 23 Grand Slam titles for the USA. Now, of the top 50 international tennis players, there are four Americans, who have won a combined ONE Grand Slam. James Blake and Mardy Fish, ranked 17th and 25th in the world, respectively, have never made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. And then there’s Andy Roddick. He became the poster child for American tennis following his 2003 US Open victory; he was supposed to take the torch carried by Agassi and Sampras during the previous decade. He is a thrill to watch (big serves, hard forehand, vicious temper, and good looks) which as undoubtedly contributed to his somewhat underserved popularity. Yet, he’s faded since his 2003 triumphs (he was ranked No. 1 for 13 weeks), as he has appeared in only three more Grand Slam finals. I must acknowledge his Davis Cup success, however, as he has the 2nd most tournament wins among US players. Finally, ranked at 47 in the world, the fourth American in the ATP top 50 is Sam Querrey. He has a sub .500 singles record for his career, has never made it past the first round of a Grand Slam, and has but one minor title to his name. And it doesn’t look like any American will break through the forcefield at the top of the ATP rankings. The top four players—Nadal, Federer, Murray, and Djokovic—appear to be quite capable of fending off any and all challengers for the time being.

On the women's side, we have the Williams sisters to root for. Serena and Venus are #2 and #3, respectively, behind Russia's Dinara Safina. Since Serena's injuries bumped her out of the top 100 in 2006, she's had to prove herself once again, which she did by winning the 2007 Australian Open, despite entering the tournament ranked #81. Since then, she has fought her way back into the top 3 in the world. Venus too struggled with injuries for a few years leading up to her own comeback in 2007, when she won Wimbeldon. And the Williams sisters are a dream team as a doubles team. They won the gold medal for doubles at the 2008 Olympics in China, and are defending Wimbeldon and Australian Open champs. Then, there's...well...Bethanie Mattek (#57) and Jill Craybas (#90), who are more doubles specialists than anything else. In the end, when you turn on Wimbeldon this week, you'll see Serena and Venus mixed in with Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, and all sorts of other -ova's, -eva's, and -vic's. The women's tour is becoming the battle of the Eastern Europeans. Like men's tennis, the days of American supremacy in women's tennis--Billy Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova--seems to be at an end. Since 1991, not including Venus and Serena, only three women--Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, and Monica Seles (who played most of career for Yugoslavia)--have ever won a Grand Slam.

USTA general manager of elite development, Patrick McEnroe, attributes the lack of American success in tennis to the unending media hype that young stars face in America. Enormous expectations are heaped upon US tennis players from their teenage years; when they find themselves unable to live up to these expectations, their confidence plummets and they don’t know what to do with themselves. In 2005, at age 15, Donald Young was the #1 junior tennis player in the world. He was all the rave, and prematurely turned pro in 2004. After reaching the 3rd round of the 2007 US Open, Young has not made it past the first round in any Grand Slam, and has a career singles record of 10-33. In April 2008, Young was ranked #73 in the world, but has since fallen out of the top 100. Unfortunately, I see the story of Donald Young becoming more the rule than the exception for junior American phenoms. It will take a youngster not only with astonishing talent and skill, but also one with an extraordinary ability to endure the national spotlight to find himself playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of 24,000 for the US Open finals.