The hardcore readers of Quest for a Repeat (and I know you're out there somewhere) will note that I have not mentioned anything about Beat the Streak recently. They will also remember my post a couple weeks back about me not talking about no-hitters, and streaks of that nature. It's finals time, so I hate to force you all to wrack your brains, but let's put 2 and 2 together here. I should really stop talking about it. In fact, after checking my blog dates with my Beat the Streak results, I discovered that each morning that I posted a blog regarding Beat the Streak, I failed to get a hit that night. Eerie.
Speaking of eerie, another no-hitter was broken up due to outside circumstances last night, albeit rather early into the game. Dice-K was working in the 4th with a no hitter (and 7 walks, not the point). My Yankee fan friend walks into the room where me and another friend of mine, this one a Sox fan, are watching the game. "How's Dice-gay doing?" was the question. Without even exchanging a glance, my friend and I said nothing. He asked again and still got no response. Puzzled, the Yankee fan went to his computer, presumably to look up the box score.
"Oh, I get it," he said. And that seemed to be the end of it. But I should have known better. About 30 seconds later, he opened the door, and screamed at the top of his lungs to no one in particular, "DICE-K HAS A NO-HITTER GOING!!!" The next pitch was looped into left field for a base hit. I kid you not. The baseball gods have sick senses of humor.
The sad part about all this is that I truly believe in it. I truly believe that Ryan Brown caused this no-hitter to be broken up because he's a little bitch and had to open his stupid-ass mouth. Yeah, I'm bitter. On the other hand, you can guarantee that if anyone on the Yankees has a no-hitter going, every Yankee fan I know will hear about it from me. Maybe twice. It has to be done. Although the way that pitching staff is looking right now... it doesnt look like it's going to be a pressing issue. (Anybody wish Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were on the Twins instead of Kevin Mulvey and Carlos Gomez? Shake it off.).
Yeah, I'm Still Talking about Hockey. What Are You Gonna Do? Skip over This Section? I Dare You
Ok, look. I promise this is the last time I try and convince you to watch hockey. But, hear me out here. Sunday night, Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals took place between the Dallas Stars and the San Jose Sharks. The time of the opening faceoff was 9:07. 5 hours and 14 minutes later, Brenden Morrow scored the game winning goal in the 4th overtime period. Let me put it to you this way. In the first three periods of play, each team scored a goal. Then, the two teams played another three entire periods without either team scoring a goal. Fantastic save after fantastic save was made.
So to you I say this. If you are a sports fan. If you truly love every thing that a sporting event brings to the table... Then there is no way that you could not find something like that exciting. And if you did watch, and you didn't find it enjoyable, then you're just being ignorant and stubborn. So here, free of charge, is my preview of the two Conference Finals.
Nah... I'm just kidding, I know you wouldn't read that. But seriously, if you have the time, give hockey a shot, have faith in me.
Get Rich Quick (actually, it might take a really really long time)
Since I'm no longer talking about Beat the Streak, I feel it's my obligation to tell you guys about other ways I'm trying to make money without risking any of my own. Imagine a place where you can bet on sports, win real money, and not have to risk a cent of your own money. Sounds like it has Corey Hersch written all over it. At centsports.com, you can bet real money on games without ever having to put any money into it. The slight catch is that you get 10 cents to start with. But play it right, and you can turn that 10 cents around real quickly. In 3 days, my friend here turned his 10 cents into 2 bucks. It doesn't sound like much, I know, but look at it this way. He increased his account 20-fold in 3 days. At this rate he'll be at 40 dollars by Thursday. The best part is, if you lose your money, you get another 10 cents to play with immediately. It's all paid off through advertisers, it's really a great deal. And with nothing to lose... why not? If this piques your interest, click on the link above and I'll win 5% of what you win every time you win a bet.
Ramblings
I'll be home on Thursday. I know a few of you will be as well. Anybody wanna go golfing on Friday? All this time at a rich white kid's school is really giving me the itch to play... Congrats to Dan Weiser's Penn State Nittany Lions, NCAA Champs in both Men's and Women's Volleyball. If that didn't convince Terrelle Pryor he should have gone to University Park I don't know what would have... Bobby Brownlie update... He improved to 4-0 in AA and is poised for a promotion to AAA... Here's a really cool chart I found detailing how much of a joke the NFL is when it comes to their crime control. Didn't Roger Goodell say he was cracking down on this stuff?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Dirtbag? Roger That
When reports surfaced that Roger Clemens had been involved in an affair with country singer Mindy McCready, I didn't think much of it. After all, the report was broken by Brian McNamee's lawyers, and I assumed they were just trying to soil his reputation. When it became clear that the affair may have started when McCready was just 15, I was even less inclined to believe it. I was prepared to give Roger the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he did steroids, but his morals have to be at least in tact enough that he wouldn't cheat on his wife. At least not with someone who isn't of consenting age. Right? Maybe?
Maybe not. I waited for the singer to come out and deny that anything ever happened. I waited for Roger to come out and deny that anything ever happened. The first statement was issued not by Clemens, but his lawyer instead. Predictably, the statement read, "It is unfortunate that the Daily News has chosen to report anonymous allegations that are completely unfounded, have no basis in fact, and have nothing to do with Roger's baseball career or the issue of steroid use in baseball."
Later that day, Mindy McCready issued her statement. And to my surprise, it was hardly a denial. "I cannot refute anything in the story," she said to FOX News. So, to recap... When Roger was 28, and married with 2 kids, he was takin' it to the house (yeah, I brought it back) with a 15 year old girl he picked up at a karaoke bar.
But then, more accusations of adultery. This time with John Daly's ex wife. She will not make any comment on the story, saying "I will not comment on this story." I'm very excited. This just can't be stopped. Who's next? I hope more women are reported to have been romantically involved with Clemens. Hell, I hope men are reported to have been romantically involved with Roger Clemens. This just can't get any better.
Roger is looking more and more like an absolute trainwreck everyday. At this point, there is literally nothing that could surface about the Rocket and surprise me. Bill Simmons calls this "The Tyson Zone". So without further ado, here is my list, in no particular order, of my favorite trainwrecks.
Pacman Jones- It takes a rare talent to do what Pacman did. In a 2 year period, he was arrested 3 times, and was stopped or questioned by police multiple other times. During his suspension from the NFL, he focused on a rap album (he hadn't already?), and signed a contract with TNA wrestling. TO and Pacman on the same team? How can this possibly be a good thing for the Cowboys? As TO would say, "Get ya popcorn ready."
John Rocker- So apparently, John Rocker's not a fan of the gays. Go figure. What was he doing riding the 7 train to Shea Stadium anyway? (One player who used to ride the 7 train to Shea when he was with the Mets was John Olerud) People think Rocker dropped off the face of the earth after his little rant about the New York City Subway system. But no, he still exists. In 2002, he starred in the movie The Greenskeeper. Surely a box office smash. He's appeared on Pros vs. Joes, where he took it upon himself to shut up a trash-talking Joe by throwing at his head. He's even begun to speak of himself in the third person, saying "Bud Selig knew in the year 2000 John Rocker was taking the juice." Nice.
O.J. Simpson- Speaking of the juice, this one is almost too easy. It was as if he thought he had been out of the news for too long. Yes, everyone knows he got away with killing his ex-wife and her new husband. Everyone knows about the police chase with the white Bronco. Apparently, that story had gotten old. So The Juice decided he would rob a Vegas casino of all its sports memorabilia. It's absolutely uncanny. I don't think people of our generation grasp how bizzare the O.J. situation is. He was a two time NFL player of the year and a six time Pro Bowler. He was the first player ever to rush for 2000 yards in a single season. Imagine if, 20 years from now, LaDanian Tomlinson is charged with murder, acquitted, and then robs a casino of millions of dollars of memorabilia. Wouldn't that seem to be an unprecedented fall from grace. Well, this is what the O.J. Simpson story feels like to people who watched him play.
The New York Knickerbockers- When your most productive and consistent player is a white guy (I guess I could really stop there) who comes off the bench, you know you have some serious problems. Although David Lee isn't your stereotypical white guy, he did win the McDonalds All-American High School Dunk Contest back in the day. But nevertheless, they really should win the lottery by default. I don't care if they don't have the worst record in the league, they lost to the Celtics by 55 points. That's a team in need of some serious help. (By the way, did anyone else find it ironic that Isiah wore an autism pin on his jacket lapel all season?)
Around the Diamond
From the when you're hot, you're hot department: The Dodgers, trying ever so hard to make me look good for picking them to win the NL West, have won 6 straight games. Good work, Torre and Co, but not as good as the sizzling D-backs. The Dodgers are still 5 games back despite their recent winning streak, and Arizona shows no signs of slowing down. Take Micah Owings for example. In Wednesday's game against the Astros, he came through with a pinch-hit home run. A rather insignificant stat, until you realize Micah Owings is a pitcher. Teammates say this guy could hit 35-40 HR's if he was an everyday player. And oh by the way, Owings is also 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA this season.
From the when you're not, you're not department: The New York Yankees. Whoooaaaa, doctor! Jorge Posada went on the DL earlier this week for the first time in his career (maybe he can get finally get his massive ears taken care of while he's gone). He was soon followed by A-Rod (if a guy goes on the DL, can he still strike out with the bases loaded?). And now Phil Hughes takes his turn on the shelf (wait a minute, you can go on the DL for sucking now? When did this happen?). After getting swept by the newly rejuvenated Tigers, I'm expecting a Hank outburst sometime this weekend. Should make for a good time.
Ramblings
Some of you may have heard me talk about Bobby Brownlie. Bobby went to Edison HS, and pitched for Rutgers while he worked for the World Famous Baseball Warehouse. He was a first round draft pick by the Cubs in 2002. I worked out with him a couple of times and he's absolutely hilarious. My two favorite stories of his involve anal sex and Dusty Baker (I promise they're two different stories). He's had arm problems and bounced around a couple organizations. He was picked up by the Nationals in the offseason and is 3-0 with a 2.78 ERA in AA Harrisburg. The Red Sox still have a player to be named later to collect on from the Wily Mo Pena deal last year, so Theo, if you're reading, for me, take a flier on Bobby for me. It would be greatly appreciated... Brian Monack, the QU centerfielder who was featured on SportsCenter's Top Plays, was interviewed on First Take on Wednesday. This 5 minute interview may have been the highlight of my freshman year... Speaking of that catch, I've been told that the video shows someone helping Monack back over the fence who bears a striking resemblance to me. Just to clear things up, it is not me. I choose to watch the games from behind home plate... Good luck on finals, everyone.
Maybe not. I waited for the singer to come out and deny that anything ever happened. I waited for Roger to come out and deny that anything ever happened. The first statement was issued not by Clemens, but his lawyer instead. Predictably, the statement read, "It is unfortunate that the Daily News has chosen to report anonymous allegations that are completely unfounded, have no basis in fact, and have nothing to do with Roger's baseball career or the issue of steroid use in baseball."
Later that day, Mindy McCready issued her statement. And to my surprise, it was hardly a denial. "I cannot refute anything in the story," she said to FOX News. So, to recap... When Roger was 28, and married with 2 kids, he was takin' it to the house (yeah, I brought it back) with a 15 year old girl he picked up at a karaoke bar.
But then, more accusations of adultery. This time with John Daly's ex wife. She will not make any comment on the story, saying "I will not comment on this story." I'm very excited. This just can't be stopped. Who's next? I hope more women are reported to have been romantically involved with Clemens. Hell, I hope men are reported to have been romantically involved with Roger Clemens. This just can't get any better.
Roger is looking more and more like an absolute trainwreck everyday. At this point, there is literally nothing that could surface about the Rocket and surprise me. Bill Simmons calls this "The Tyson Zone". So without further ado, here is my list, in no particular order, of my favorite trainwrecks.
Pacman Jones- It takes a rare talent to do what Pacman did. In a 2 year period, he was arrested 3 times, and was stopped or questioned by police multiple other times. During his suspension from the NFL, he focused on a rap album (he hadn't already?), and signed a contract with TNA wrestling. TO and Pacman on the same team? How can this possibly be a good thing for the Cowboys? As TO would say, "Get ya popcorn ready."
John Rocker- So apparently, John Rocker's not a fan of the gays. Go figure. What was he doing riding the 7 train to Shea Stadium anyway? (One player who used to ride the 7 train to Shea when he was with the Mets was John Olerud) People think Rocker dropped off the face of the earth after his little rant about the New York City Subway system. But no, he still exists. In 2002, he starred in the movie The Greenskeeper. Surely a box office smash. He's appeared on Pros vs. Joes, where he took it upon himself to shut up a trash-talking Joe by throwing at his head. He's even begun to speak of himself in the third person, saying "Bud Selig knew in the year 2000 John Rocker was taking the juice." Nice.
O.J. Simpson- Speaking of the juice, this one is almost too easy. It was as if he thought he had been out of the news for too long. Yes, everyone knows he got away with killing his ex-wife and her new husband. Everyone knows about the police chase with the white Bronco. Apparently, that story had gotten old. So The Juice decided he would rob a Vegas casino of all its sports memorabilia. It's absolutely uncanny. I don't think people of our generation grasp how bizzare the O.J. situation is. He was a two time NFL player of the year and a six time Pro Bowler. He was the first player ever to rush for 2000 yards in a single season. Imagine if, 20 years from now, LaDanian Tomlinson is charged with murder, acquitted, and then robs a casino of millions of dollars of memorabilia. Wouldn't that seem to be an unprecedented fall from grace. Well, this is what the O.J. Simpson story feels like to people who watched him play.
The New York Knickerbockers- When your most productive and consistent player is a white guy (I guess I could really stop there) who comes off the bench, you know you have some serious problems. Although David Lee isn't your stereotypical white guy, he did win the McDonalds All-American High School Dunk Contest back in the day. But nevertheless, they really should win the lottery by default. I don't care if they don't have the worst record in the league, they lost to the Celtics by 55 points. That's a team in need of some serious help. (By the way, did anyone else find it ironic that Isiah wore an autism pin on his jacket lapel all season?)
Around the Diamond
From the when you're hot, you're hot department: The Dodgers, trying ever so hard to make me look good for picking them to win the NL West, have won 6 straight games. Good work, Torre and Co, but not as good as the sizzling D-backs. The Dodgers are still 5 games back despite their recent winning streak, and Arizona shows no signs of slowing down. Take Micah Owings for example. In Wednesday's game against the Astros, he came through with a pinch-hit home run. A rather insignificant stat, until you realize Micah Owings is a pitcher. Teammates say this guy could hit 35-40 HR's if he was an everyday player. And oh by the way, Owings is also 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA this season.
From the when you're not, you're not department: The New York Yankees. Whoooaaaa, doctor! Jorge Posada went on the DL earlier this week for the first time in his career (maybe he can get finally get his massive ears taken care of while he's gone). He was soon followed by A-Rod (if a guy goes on the DL, can he still strike out with the bases loaded?). And now Phil Hughes takes his turn on the shelf (wait a minute, you can go on the DL for sucking now? When did this happen?). After getting swept by the newly rejuvenated Tigers, I'm expecting a Hank outburst sometime this weekend. Should make for a good time.
Ramblings
Some of you may have heard me talk about Bobby Brownlie. Bobby went to Edison HS, and pitched for Rutgers while he worked for the World Famous Baseball Warehouse. He was a first round draft pick by the Cubs in 2002. I worked out with him a couple of times and he's absolutely hilarious. My two favorite stories of his involve anal sex and Dusty Baker (I promise they're two different stories). He's had arm problems and bounced around a couple organizations. He was picked up by the Nationals in the offseason and is 3-0 with a 2.78 ERA in AA Harrisburg. The Red Sox still have a player to be named later to collect on from the Wily Mo Pena deal last year, so Theo, if you're reading, for me, take a flier on Bobby for me. It would be greatly appreciated... Brian Monack, the QU centerfielder who was featured on SportsCenter's Top Plays, was interviewed on First Take on Wednesday. This 5 minute interview may have been the highlight of my freshman year... Speaking of that catch, I've been told that the video shows someone helping Monack back over the fence who bears a striking resemblance to me. Just to clear things up, it is not me. I choose to watch the games from behind home plate... Good luck on finals, everyone.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Let's Gamble
The NFL Draft. Gambling at its finest. For every Peyton Manning(Pick 1, 1998), there is a Ryan Leaf(Pick 2, 1998). For every Edgerrin James (Pick 4, 1999), there is a Ki-jana Carter (Pick 1, 1995). Ask any NFL General Manager what the draft can do to make or break your career. After the Texans drafted Mario Williams over Reggie Bush and Vince Young in the 2006 draft, then-GM Charlie Casserly was literally run out of town, and resigned before the season had even started.
They say Matt Ryan is as close to a sure thing as you can get. Mel Kiper Jr Jr gave him his highest grade of the entire draft class, and Chris Berman already had 3 nicknames for Ryan before he had ever played a down, a draft-era record. In 1999, the first three picks were all quarterbacks. They were all considered to be can't-miss prospects. With the first pick, the Cleveland Browns took Tim Couch (Career Stats: 64 TD's 67 INT's 75.1 rating). After the Eagles took Donovan McNabb, who easily had the best career of any quarterback to come out of that draft, the Bengals took Akili Smith. Smith had 5 career touchdowns, and hasn't played a down since 2002.
So what makes Matt Ryan this "can't miss prospect"? Well, for starters, he's built like a quarterback. At 6'5", 218 lbs, he has the prototypical quarterback body. Although, he will have to bulk up a bit if he wants to say he's a 6'5", 240 lb quarterback with a laser rocket arm. Ryan became a full-time starter in his junior year at Boston College. Now maybe it's just me, but I'm curious about how 2 good years playing in the ACC can possibly equate to being a sure thing. That conference is nowhere near good enough to argue that Ryan can be a sure thing. Additionally, I'm sure we have some friends in College Park who would argue Ryan is overrated as well.
I'm not saying Matt Ryan won't have a fabulous NFL career, I honestly have no idea. But I'm a guy who has done no scouting, attended no pre-draft workouts, and conducted no Wonderlic tests on this year's draft class. And yet I know just as much about Matt Ryan's future as any NFL scout, General Manager, or coach around. The draft is the biggest gamble around, so as much of a "sure thing" as they say Matt Ryan is, ask Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, and Akili Smith what it means to be a "sure thing."
Speaking of gambling, I have a friend here that is the biggest gambler I've ever seen. In addition to being an absolutely outstanding poker player, he has put, by my count, at least 2000 dollars on sports this year. Yesterday, he was looking to make a big bet. He was feeling good, he said. So he asked me, if I was gonna make a big bet tonight, who would I take? After looking at the lines for last night's action, I told him to take the Lakers over the Nuggets. Sure, the Lakers were giving 4 and a half points, but the Nuggets have looked so bad, and the team is in such disarray, there was no way the Lakers were going to lose by more than 10.
At 9:00, I asked him what he had decided to do. He told me he had consulted with another friend from home, and he had also told him to take the Lakers. Saying that this kid was the worst sports gambler he had ever seen, he decided to take Denver. And he was confident enough to drop 200 on it. I told him this was the biggest sucker bet I've ever seen. Lo and behold, when the final buzzer sounded, the score was 107-101 Lakers, and my friend was $200 in the hole for the night.
I didn't see him for a little bit, and I figured he was just gonna crawl into bed and call it a night. But no, he had made a $300 deposit on Poker Stars. And yet, by around 3:00, that was gone, too. I've never seen someone lose that much money in so quick a time. He's got 5 classes today, but if I was a gambling man, I'd say he might just stay in bet all day. It's as sure a bet as the Lakers -4.5 over the Nuggets.
We're #1!!! We're #1!!!
This weekend, THE Quinnipiac University was involved in a #1, as well. No, we did not have a guy drafted #1, although this remains a mystery, as Quinnipiac University enjoyed yet another undefeated season in 2007. But rather, we had the Top Play on this morning's SportsCenter. Here's the play for those of you that didn't catch it (yes, I know I'm very clever). This makes the second time in 3 months QU has had the #1 play on SportsCenter.
You laughed. You scoffed at my decision to go here. "Corey," you said, "you're the biggest sports fan I know. How are you gonna go to school where there's no athletics whatsoever?" Well, to that I say... IN YO FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two top plays, how many of you can say that, huh? You can't touch this. You just wish your schools had half the athletic talent mine does. WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
(Ok, I'm done. Had to get that off my chest)
No ramblings this morning. I actually wrote this in class. Enjoy the shitty weather everybody.
They say Matt Ryan is as close to a sure thing as you can get. Mel Kiper Jr Jr gave him his highest grade of the entire draft class, and Chris Berman already had 3 nicknames for Ryan before he had ever played a down, a draft-era record. In 1999, the first three picks were all quarterbacks. They were all considered to be can't-miss prospects. With the first pick, the Cleveland Browns took Tim Couch (Career Stats: 64 TD's 67 INT's 75.1 rating). After the Eagles took Donovan McNabb, who easily had the best career of any quarterback to come out of that draft, the Bengals took Akili Smith. Smith had 5 career touchdowns, and hasn't played a down since 2002.
So what makes Matt Ryan this "can't miss prospect"? Well, for starters, he's built like a quarterback. At 6'5", 218 lbs, he has the prototypical quarterback body. Although, he will have to bulk up a bit if he wants to say he's a 6'5", 240 lb quarterback with a laser rocket arm. Ryan became a full-time starter in his junior year at Boston College. Now maybe it's just me, but I'm curious about how 2 good years playing in the ACC can possibly equate to being a sure thing. That conference is nowhere near good enough to argue that Ryan can be a sure thing. Additionally, I'm sure we have some friends in College Park who would argue Ryan is overrated as well.
I'm not saying Matt Ryan won't have a fabulous NFL career, I honestly have no idea. But I'm a guy who has done no scouting, attended no pre-draft workouts, and conducted no Wonderlic tests on this year's draft class. And yet I know just as much about Matt Ryan's future as any NFL scout, General Manager, or coach around. The draft is the biggest gamble around, so as much of a "sure thing" as they say Matt Ryan is, ask Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, and Akili Smith what it means to be a "sure thing."
Speaking of gambling, I have a friend here that is the biggest gambler I've ever seen. In addition to being an absolutely outstanding poker player, he has put, by my count, at least 2000 dollars on sports this year. Yesterday, he was looking to make a big bet. He was feeling good, he said. So he asked me, if I was gonna make a big bet tonight, who would I take? After looking at the lines for last night's action, I told him to take the Lakers over the Nuggets. Sure, the Lakers were giving 4 and a half points, but the Nuggets have looked so bad, and the team is in such disarray, there was no way the Lakers were going to lose by more than 10.
At 9:00, I asked him what he had decided to do. He told me he had consulted with another friend from home, and he had also told him to take the Lakers. Saying that this kid was the worst sports gambler he had ever seen, he decided to take Denver. And he was confident enough to drop 200 on it. I told him this was the biggest sucker bet I've ever seen. Lo and behold, when the final buzzer sounded, the score was 107-101 Lakers, and my friend was $200 in the hole for the night.
I didn't see him for a little bit, and I figured he was just gonna crawl into bed and call it a night. But no, he had made a $300 deposit on Poker Stars. And yet, by around 3:00, that was gone, too. I've never seen someone lose that much money in so quick a time. He's got 5 classes today, but if I was a gambling man, I'd say he might just stay in bet all day. It's as sure a bet as the Lakers -4.5 over the Nuggets.
We're #1!!! We're #1!!!
This weekend, THE Quinnipiac University was involved in a #1, as well. No, we did not have a guy drafted #1, although this remains a mystery, as Quinnipiac University enjoyed yet another undefeated season in 2007. But rather, we had the Top Play on this morning's SportsCenter. Here's the play for those of you that didn't catch it (yes, I know I'm very clever). This makes the second time in 3 months QU has had the #1 play on SportsCenter.
You laughed. You scoffed at my decision to go here. "Corey," you said, "you're the biggest sports fan I know. How are you gonna go to school where there's no athletics whatsoever?" Well, to that I say... IN YO FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two top plays, how many of you can say that, huh? You can't touch this. You just wish your schools had half the athletic talent mine does. WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
(Ok, I'm done. Had to get that off my chest)
No ramblings this morning. I actually wrote this in class. Enjoy the shitty weather everybody.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Curses!
As a Red Sox fan, I'd like to consider myself a relative expert on curses and jinxes. I'm a strong believer in the superstitious side of sports. By my count, I've broken up at least three no-hitters by simply saying out loud, "Hey, he has a no hitter going." I watched Clay Buchholz's no hitter with my father and the two of us barely made eye contact from the sixth inning on. Later in September, the Red Sox were up 8-3 after 7 to the Yankees when I got a call from my grandfather asking if I was happy with the way this game turned out. I told him, and I quote, "Grandpa, please don't do that. Not for this game." After the inevitable 9-8 Yankee victory, I emailed him to inform him of his injustices. Eventually, he was forgiven, but he knows what he did.
Crystal Springs employee Ryan "Ricky" Ross was in left field for the flukiest no-hitter ever thrown, mine last summer. After every out from about the 4th inning on, Ross proceeded to yell how many outs I had left after every out. It took every ounce of counter-jinxing I had in my body to keep the no-no alive. (The game before, Ben Penn also threw a no-hitter. The rumor that this league was filled with 15 and 16 year olds remains unconfirmed. In other news, Bears baseball improved to 1-9 after a win against perennial cellar-dweller Woodbridge.)
Baseball's longest running cursed team, the Chicago Cubs, won their 10,000th game in franchise history on Wednesday. Win #1? A 47-1 drubbing of the St. Louis Unions in 1870 when the club was known as the Chicago White Stockings. Julio Franco led the way that game, going 12-15 with a pre-modern day record 18 RBI.
On Saturday, the next chapter of one of the most publicized curses around will begin. The Madden Curse is so widely recognized ESPN.com took my idea to write this blog on it by running an article on it on Wednesday. The book closed on 2007 cover boy Shawn Alexander, after he was released by the Seahawks earlier this week. His fate was better than the man who graced the 2004 cover, though, who currently takes up residence in the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas.
My unsolicited guess on this year's cover? Let's just say I'd stay away from Adrian Peterson in your fantasy drafts this season.
Addendum: As I was about to put this up, I was informed that Brett Favre would be on this year's cover. As someone whose career has been filled with tragedy after tragedy off the field, here's hoping Favre's first year of retirement will be one where he can stay out of the news.
To Kill a Mock Draft Board
Seriously, dude? ESPN's new draft "expert" Todd McShay, or as I like to call him, Mel Kiper, Jr. Jr, released his final mock draft earlier this week. The difference between this and other mock dratfs I've seen. It contains 252 picks. That's right, McShay's draft covers all 7 rounds. Congratulations to Danny Lansanah (LB, UCONN), this year's mock Mr. Irrelevant. Now, I've been told by many people to get a life. And with good reason. I can tell you that Pierre, South Dakota is the only state capital whose letters are not contained in any of the letters of its state. I can also tell you that there is only one word in the English language that uses all 5 vowels, and the letter y, in order (facetiously). But it is this loser's opinion that Todd McShay could stand to take Mrs. McShay to a movie once in a while.
Does anyone even watch the 7th round of the draft anyway? I love the ads that ESPN is running about late-round draft picks that panned out. Brian Westbrook, Tom Brady, Marion Barber III... all taken on the second day of the draft. Well, I'll tell you what, ESPN. When you start actually showing second day picks as they happen, instead of just looking at them 5 at a time while you talk about the first round for hours, I'll believe you guys take the second day seriously.
Ramblings
Phenom Justin Masterson made his Red Sox debut Thursday afternoon. Because Masterson's name can't cleverly be made into an erection pun like the Sox closer, I'll just say I was very excited. He didn't disappoint, throwing 6 innings of one run baseball. But in pre-reverse the curse fashion, the Red Sox bullpen blew a 2-run lead in the 7th. The Red Sox already have 4 blown saves in the young season, although none of them come from Papelboner... Dustin Pedroia's 1-5 game on Thursday tied my best Beat the Streak run at 5. I haven't yet allowed myself to realize I'm not even 1/10 of the way to a million dollars... One streak that was broken on Wednesday was my 4 day, unleavened bread streak. Although it wasn't bread that did me in (the baked ziti from North Haven's Primo's Pizza is to die for), I'm hoping I'm not struck down before the week is up. I'll have to atone on Yom Kippur.
Crystal Springs employee Ryan "Ricky" Ross was in left field for the flukiest no-hitter ever thrown, mine last summer. After every out from about the 4th inning on, Ross proceeded to yell how many outs I had left after every out. It took every ounce of counter-jinxing I had in my body to keep the no-no alive. (The game before, Ben Penn also threw a no-hitter. The rumor that this league was filled with 15 and 16 year olds remains unconfirmed. In other news, Bears baseball improved to 1-9 after a win against perennial cellar-dweller Woodbridge.)
Baseball's longest running cursed team, the Chicago Cubs, won their 10,000th game in franchise history on Wednesday. Win #1? A 47-1 drubbing of the St. Louis Unions in 1870 when the club was known as the Chicago White Stockings. Julio Franco led the way that game, going 12-15 with a pre-modern day record 18 RBI.
On Saturday, the next chapter of one of the most publicized curses around will begin. The Madden Curse is so widely recognized ESPN.com took my idea to write this blog on it by running an article on it on Wednesday. The book closed on 2007 cover boy Shawn Alexander, after he was released by the Seahawks earlier this week. His fate was better than the man who graced the 2004 cover, though, who currently takes up residence in the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas.
My unsolicited guess on this year's cover? Let's just say I'd stay away from Adrian Peterson in your fantasy drafts this season.
Addendum: As I was about to put this up, I was informed that Brett Favre would be on this year's cover. As someone whose career has been filled with tragedy after tragedy off the field, here's hoping Favre's first year of retirement will be one where he can stay out of the news.
To Kill a Mock Draft Board
Seriously, dude? ESPN's new draft "expert" Todd McShay, or as I like to call him, Mel Kiper, Jr. Jr, released his final mock draft earlier this week. The difference between this and other mock dratfs I've seen. It contains 252 picks. That's right, McShay's draft covers all 7 rounds. Congratulations to Danny Lansanah (LB, UCONN), this year's mock Mr. Irrelevant. Now, I've been told by many people to get a life. And with good reason. I can tell you that Pierre, South Dakota is the only state capital whose letters are not contained in any of the letters of its state. I can also tell you that there is only one word in the English language that uses all 5 vowels, and the letter y, in order (facetiously). But it is this loser's opinion that Todd McShay could stand to take Mrs. McShay to a movie once in a while.
Does anyone even watch the 7th round of the draft anyway? I love the ads that ESPN is running about late-round draft picks that panned out. Brian Westbrook, Tom Brady, Marion Barber III... all taken on the second day of the draft. Well, I'll tell you what, ESPN. When you start actually showing second day picks as they happen, instead of just looking at them 5 at a time while you talk about the first round for hours, I'll believe you guys take the second day seriously.
Ramblings
Phenom Justin Masterson made his Red Sox debut Thursday afternoon. Because Masterson's name can't cleverly be made into an erection pun like the Sox closer, I'll just say I was very excited. He didn't disappoint, throwing 6 innings of one run baseball. But in pre-reverse the curse fashion, the Red Sox bullpen blew a 2-run lead in the 7th. The Red Sox already have 4 blown saves in the young season, although none of them come from Papelboner... Dustin Pedroia's 1-5 game on Thursday tied my best Beat the Streak run at 5. I haven't yet allowed myself to realize I'm not even 1/10 of the way to a million dollars... One streak that was broken on Wednesday was my 4 day, unleavened bread streak. Although it wasn't bread that did me in (the baked ziti from North Haven's Primo's Pizza is to die for), I'm hoping I'm not struck down before the week is up. I'll have to atone on Yom Kippur.
Monday, April 21, 2008
I'm Back Baby
It took a lot to get me back on the blog. My apologies in advance. I have four papers to do in 2 weeks, and I'm not making any progress anywhere. But that's neither here nor there. See, I have a bone to pick with one Hank Steinbrenner. Hank, as a loyal citizen of Red Sox Nation (which happens to be alive and well even if you don't think it exists), keep talking. You are out of your mind, and it's great to watch you self-destruct 20 games into the season. Absolutely fantastic. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, the current Yankee talking head fired the opening salvo in this year's installment of the 30 year "Steinbrenner vs. rest of Yankee management" war.
Here's the quote... "I want him [Joba Chamberlain] as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now," Steinbrenner told The New York Times. "There is no question about it, you don't have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don't do that. You have to be an idiot to do that."
Listen, Henry... Let me tell you a little something about baseball, since it's clear you are waaaaaaaaaaaay over your head here. When you find a guy with a 100 MPH fastball, that's exactly what you do. Put him at the back end of the bullpen, and let him air it out. See, starters can't maintain 100% velocity over 7 innings, Hank. It's just not happening. So Joba's 98-99 MPH fastball will drop to 94-95. Still an above average fastball, but no different than at least half of current starters in the league.
Here's another thing about Major League hitters you seem to be forgetting, Hank. They make adjustments. By the 2nd or 3rd time through the order, they will be much better prepared to handle Joba's stuff. The reason Joba's slider is so unhittable now is because hitters just don't see enough of it. All of his pitches become infinitely more hittable if you put him in the rotation now.
Cmon, Hank, you had to have been watching in 1996. Remember that set-up guy your daddy's team had that season? Ask your manager, he was catching him. He's the same guy who's closing games now. You know, the best closer ever. In 96, the combination of Mariano Rivera-John Wetteland combined to save 43 games in 1996. The ability to shorten games to 7 innings is invaluable. I could go on and on, Hank, but I think you get the picture. Don't be a dope.
A Sporting Saturday
Passover. Great timing, Hebrew calendar people. Saturday was the most exciting all-around days of sports I've seen in a real long time. The day started at 1, with a trip to Grandma's to watch Game 5 of the Flyers-Caps series with my uncles, one a huge Caps fan, the other a former NHL employee and current writer (more on him later). The Caps, on the brink of elimination, forced tonight's Game 6 with a 3-2 victory. Meanwhile, the Wizards were playing the Cavs in Game 1 of their series. Unfortunately, since I was watching the hockey game, I missed Bron Bron's spectacular dunk, one that would have made a certain friend of mine blogging under the name Lil' Crumbs fall out of his chair and start convulsing on the floor.
It takes a lot to get me to watch an NBA game from start to finish. But Saturday's Suns-Spurs game was positively outstanding. How bout Tim Duncan? Hits his first 3 of the year in an absolutely huge spot. And Steve Nash is even more unbelievable. This guy is the best passer in the league, and he still has the ability to score at will.
After dinner, it was back to the ice to watch the tail end of Game 6 of the Canadiens-Bruins series. With the score 3-2 Canadiens with 8 minutes to go in the 3rd period, the Bruins scored 2 goals in a row to make it 4-3 with 4:15 to go. The Canadiens came back with a goal 11 seconds later to tie it at 4, and the Bruins scored the final goal with 2 minutes left in regulation to force a Game 7. Just a scintillating flurry of goals, and great to watch, too. I'm telling you guys, hockey is back, and it's just begging for people to watch.
My Saturday sports watching doesn't even include the Red Sox come from behind 5-3 victory against Texas, which I didn't see because my grandmother didn't order the MLB Extra Innings package. What a bitch.
Ramblings
After tonight's post, I promise I'll be back on my Tuesday-Friday schedule, starting again on Friday... My aforementioned uncle also writes a hockey blog every morning for the New York Times, I enjoy it and recommend it, but the again, he is my uncle. But I think it's funny, you might like it, too... The NFL bothers me. They shorten the time between First Round Picks from 15 minutes to 10. Good move. But, this year they're starting the draft at 3 PM instead of noon. Terrible move. The first round still isn't gonna end till 7. I don't get it.
Here's the quote... "I want him [Joba Chamberlain] as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now," Steinbrenner told The New York Times. "There is no question about it, you don't have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don't do that. You have to be an idiot to do that."
Listen, Henry... Let me tell you a little something about baseball, since it's clear you are waaaaaaaaaaaay over your head here. When you find a guy with a 100 MPH fastball, that's exactly what you do. Put him at the back end of the bullpen, and let him air it out. See, starters can't maintain 100% velocity over 7 innings, Hank. It's just not happening. So Joba's 98-99 MPH fastball will drop to 94-95. Still an above average fastball, but no different than at least half of current starters in the league.
Here's another thing about Major League hitters you seem to be forgetting, Hank. They make adjustments. By the 2nd or 3rd time through the order, they will be much better prepared to handle Joba's stuff. The reason Joba's slider is so unhittable now is because hitters just don't see enough of it. All of his pitches become infinitely more hittable if you put him in the rotation now.
Cmon, Hank, you had to have been watching in 1996. Remember that set-up guy your daddy's team had that season? Ask your manager, he was catching him. He's the same guy who's closing games now. You know, the best closer ever. In 96, the combination of Mariano Rivera-John Wetteland combined to save 43 games in 1996. The ability to shorten games to 7 innings is invaluable. I could go on and on, Hank, but I think you get the picture. Don't be a dope.
A Sporting Saturday
Passover. Great timing, Hebrew calendar people. Saturday was the most exciting all-around days of sports I've seen in a real long time. The day started at 1, with a trip to Grandma's to watch Game 5 of the Flyers-Caps series with my uncles, one a huge Caps fan, the other a former NHL employee and current writer (more on him later). The Caps, on the brink of elimination, forced tonight's Game 6 with a 3-2 victory. Meanwhile, the Wizards were playing the Cavs in Game 1 of their series. Unfortunately, since I was watching the hockey game, I missed Bron Bron's spectacular dunk, one that would have made a certain friend of mine blogging under the name Lil' Crumbs fall out of his chair and start convulsing on the floor.
It takes a lot to get me to watch an NBA game from start to finish. But Saturday's Suns-Spurs game was positively outstanding. How bout Tim Duncan? Hits his first 3 of the year in an absolutely huge spot. And Steve Nash is even more unbelievable. This guy is the best passer in the league, and he still has the ability to score at will.
After dinner, it was back to the ice to watch the tail end of Game 6 of the Canadiens-Bruins series. With the score 3-2 Canadiens with 8 minutes to go in the 3rd period, the Bruins scored 2 goals in a row to make it 4-3 with 4:15 to go. The Canadiens came back with a goal 11 seconds later to tie it at 4, and the Bruins scored the final goal with 2 minutes left in regulation to force a Game 7. Just a scintillating flurry of goals, and great to watch, too. I'm telling you guys, hockey is back, and it's just begging for people to watch.
My Saturday sports watching doesn't even include the Red Sox come from behind 5-3 victory against Texas, which I didn't see because my grandmother didn't order the MLB Extra Innings package. What a bitch.
Ramblings
After tonight's post, I promise I'll be back on my Tuesday-Friday schedule, starting again on Friday... My aforementioned uncle also writes a hockey blog every morning for the New York Times, I enjoy it and recommend it, but the again, he is my uncle. But I think it's funny, you might like it, too... The NFL bothers me. They shorten the time between First Round Picks from 15 minutes to 10. Good move. But, this year they're starting the draft at 3 PM instead of noon. Terrible move. The first round still isn't gonna end till 7. I don't get it.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
A Final Four to Remember
Sunday morning, I awoke to find that many of ESPN's writers were upset. They were calling this year's Final Four the most boring in recent memory. First of all, when a team goes down 28 in the first half only to march all the way back to cut it to a four point lead, I don't know what else you're looking for in a game. Nevertheless, if you were bored to tears by the semifinal games, last night's championship had to have been the pick-me-up you so dearly needed. I'm not gonna go into great detail about the game, I'm sure you all watched it, but here are some of my thoughts during and immediately after the game.
Here's what Billy Packer said about 7 minutes into the game after a Joey Dorsey foul: "Here's the key to this game, Memphis is deep enough that they can afford to get into foul trouble, but Kansas cannot." Hold your horses, Billy. Isn't Kansas supposed to be the deepest team in the country? Don't they have four legitimate big men in Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun (that name even sounds awesome when you're typing it), and even freshman Cole Aldrich? That statement left me relatively confused.
There is a 75% chance that Derrick Rose is the number 1 pick in the draft come June. We saw this two years ago with Ty Thomas. A guy has an incredible March, and his draft stock skyrockets. Granted, Rose was probably already the consensus #2 pick, but now I see no reason why he can't be the next Dwyane Wade, which means anybody but the Heat should take him #1.
Speaking of Rose, we really saw everything we needed to know about him last night. But before I get there, let me just talk about his "stomach virus" he encountered over the weekend. CDR said that Rose's stomach hurt because he eats "Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner." If that's the case, this kid's got a weak stomach. I'll tell you this much, I wouldn't be the man I am today if I got a stomach ache every time I had Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast. Honestly, that's a disappointment.
It was clear by the end of the game that Memphis goes as Rose goes. He was cold in the first half, and the Tigers were down 5 at the break. Rose came out strong in the second half though, at one point scoring 13 consecutive Memphis points. Consequently, the Tigers held the lead for much of the second half. But what was the Achilles Heel for the Tigers all season finally caught up to them in the waning minutes, as CDR and Rose went 1-4 from the line with 30 seconds to go, opening the door for a Mario "Superintendent" Chalmers 3 to tie the game. The rest, as they say, is history.
Congrats to Dan Weiser, who takes home a well-earned 60 dollars for his victory in the bracket pool.
An Early Look Back
Week 1 of the baseball season has passed, so let's take a gander at how my preseason picks are looking 7 games in.
Red Sox(3-4)- Everyone is giving this team the benefit of the doubt because they've been on the road for three weeks. Well fair enough, but I can't complain with any aspect of this team except the bullpen. That's scary to me, because when I'm looking forward to the return of a 42 year old Mike Timlin to improve the relief, things could be better.
Tigers (0-6) Next question.
Angels(5-3)- John Lackey went down in Spring Training, and I'm a big fan of his because he once threw a perfect game against me in MVP Baseball 2005. And this was before he was even a household name. Now that he is, the sky is the limit for Lackey. Anyway, it's gonna take a big effort from the Angels young pitching to make up for Lackey's loss, but last night's walk-off grand slam from Torii Hunter helps, too.
Yankees (4-3)- We knew they were gonna score runs, and when Hideki Matsui is batting 8th in your lineup, it's pretty clear things will be ok in the Bronx offensively.
Braves (3-4)- Bullshit. That's all I have to say. I made this pick thinking I was so smart and then the next day Buster Olney takes the Braves to win the division, followed by Jayson Stark picking the Braves to win it all!!!! That was disappointing. I still like them to surprise some people, although I guess it's not much of a surprise anymore
Cubs (4-3)- Kosuke Fukodome has looked outstanding for the Cubs, and Kerry Wood has bounced back from a shaky first outing.
Dodgers (4-3)- The top four teams in the NL West are gonna just beat up on each other... and the Giants. It's anyone's guess who'll come out on top.
Mets (2-3) They've been troubled by rain outs, and the loss of Pedro. But they couldn't be expecting more than 20 starts from him anyway. No need to panic yet.
Ramblings
Things are starting to look dire in the meal plan situation, I'm down to 120 bucks left with still a month left to go in the year, I have no idea what I'm gonna do. Stay tuned, this could get ugly... I've officially made the decision to watch any and all Yankee games on mute, after color guy Kenny Singleton called a bases loaded, no out jam a "snakes on a plane situation"... Who's coming home for Passover? We can all go to Wendy's that Saturday and order, well, nothing... After Hank Blalock decided not to get a hit, my streak is back up to 3, with Manny as today's pick. He's a career .556 hitter against Kenny Rogers, so hopefully he can come through today... From now on, I'll have a new blog up on Tuesday and Friday mornings, cause I don't feel like inundating your Facebook inboxes with my notification.
Here's what Billy Packer said about 7 minutes into the game after a Joey Dorsey foul: "Here's the key to this game, Memphis is deep enough that they can afford to get into foul trouble, but Kansas cannot." Hold your horses, Billy. Isn't Kansas supposed to be the deepest team in the country? Don't they have four legitimate big men in Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun (that name even sounds awesome when you're typing it), and even freshman Cole Aldrich? That statement left me relatively confused.
There is a 75% chance that Derrick Rose is the number 1 pick in the draft come June. We saw this two years ago with Ty Thomas. A guy has an incredible March, and his draft stock skyrockets. Granted, Rose was probably already the consensus #2 pick, but now I see no reason why he can't be the next Dwyane Wade, which means anybody but the Heat should take him #1.
Speaking of Rose, we really saw everything we needed to know about him last night. But before I get there, let me just talk about his "stomach virus" he encountered over the weekend. CDR said that Rose's stomach hurt because he eats "Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner." If that's the case, this kid's got a weak stomach. I'll tell you this much, I wouldn't be the man I am today if I got a stomach ache every time I had Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast. Honestly, that's a disappointment.
It was clear by the end of the game that Memphis goes as Rose goes. He was cold in the first half, and the Tigers were down 5 at the break. Rose came out strong in the second half though, at one point scoring 13 consecutive Memphis points. Consequently, the Tigers held the lead for much of the second half. But what was the Achilles Heel for the Tigers all season finally caught up to them in the waning minutes, as CDR and Rose went 1-4 from the line with 30 seconds to go, opening the door for a Mario "Superintendent" Chalmers 3 to tie the game. The rest, as they say, is history.
Congrats to Dan Weiser, who takes home a well-earned 60 dollars for his victory in the bracket pool.
An Early Look Back
Week 1 of the baseball season has passed, so let's take a gander at how my preseason picks are looking 7 games in.
Red Sox(3-4)- Everyone is giving this team the benefit of the doubt because they've been on the road for three weeks. Well fair enough, but I can't complain with any aspect of this team except the bullpen. That's scary to me, because when I'm looking forward to the return of a 42 year old Mike Timlin to improve the relief, things could be better.
Tigers (0-6) Next question.
Angels(5-3)- John Lackey went down in Spring Training, and I'm a big fan of his because he once threw a perfect game against me in MVP Baseball 2005. And this was before he was even a household name. Now that he is, the sky is the limit for Lackey. Anyway, it's gonna take a big effort from the Angels young pitching to make up for Lackey's loss, but last night's walk-off grand slam from Torii Hunter helps, too.
Yankees (4-3)- We knew they were gonna score runs, and when Hideki Matsui is batting 8th in your lineup, it's pretty clear things will be ok in the Bronx offensively.
Braves (3-4)- Bullshit. That's all I have to say. I made this pick thinking I was so smart and then the next day Buster Olney takes the Braves to win the division, followed by Jayson Stark picking the Braves to win it all!!!! That was disappointing. I still like them to surprise some people, although I guess it's not much of a surprise anymore
Cubs (4-3)- Kosuke Fukodome has looked outstanding for the Cubs, and Kerry Wood has bounced back from a shaky first outing.
Dodgers (4-3)- The top four teams in the NL West are gonna just beat up on each other... and the Giants. It's anyone's guess who'll come out on top.
Mets (2-3) They've been troubled by rain outs, and the loss of Pedro. But they couldn't be expecting more than 20 starts from him anyway. No need to panic yet.
Ramblings
Things are starting to look dire in the meal plan situation, I'm down to 120 bucks left with still a month left to go in the year, I have no idea what I'm gonna do. Stay tuned, this could get ugly... I've officially made the decision to watch any and all Yankee games on mute, after color guy Kenny Singleton called a bases loaded, no out jam a "snakes on a plane situation"... Who's coming home for Passover? We can all go to Wendy's that Saturday and order, well, nothing... After Hank Blalock decided not to get a hit, my streak is back up to 3, with Manny as today's pick. He's a career .556 hitter against Kenny Rogers, so hopefully he can come through today... From now on, I'll have a new blog up on Tuesday and Friday mornings, cause I don't feel like inundating your Facebook inboxes with my notification.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Virtual Bracketology
My mom accused me recently of having "too much free time." Well, I've never been one to consider having too much free time to be a problem. But what is a problem is that I really only go to four websites with this free time. Facebook, ESPN, Addicting games (I'm a huge fan), and Yahoo fantasy. ESPN has a great feature, where they create a video game simulation of big games that happen to be going on. This week, I came across the ESPN March Madness 08 simulation of the Final Four.
This thing is great. It gives you a written version of the highlights of the "game" right up to Kevin Love's turn-around jump hook over Joey Dorsey with 4.8 seconds remaining in the semifinal. Now why is that such good news? March Madness 08 has a championship game final score of UCLA 66-UNC 64, which means 144 bracket points and a victory for me.
And you know what? I now feel infinitely more confident in my picks. And this was before I came across another ESPN promotion, Accuscore. Using a system of computers much more complicated than I could even begin to imagine, Accuscore plays each game at least 10,000 times, and calculates the likelihood of each team winning. Accuscore has UCLA beating Memphis by an average score of 69.8-69.1, and UNC beating Kansas by an average score of 81.1-80.1. This is all very good news for yours truly. Although I'm sure I've now put the mega-jinx on it all. But by this time Monday, we'll know for sure.
The Aubrey Huff Show
The paid attendance for Wednesday's Orioles-Rays game in Baltimore was 10,505. After seeing the highlights, saying that 5,000 actually showed up is probably a stretch. Oriole DH Aubrey Huff's line in that game... 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, enough to make even the smallest home crowd make some serious noise, right? Well, if you're talking about the boo birds and cat calls, then you've got the right idea.
See, apparently Aubrey thought that the fine people of the Greater Baltimore Area would take kindly to the fact that he called their city a "horseshit town" on Sirius Radio's Bubba the Love Sponge Program in November. Always important to endear yourself to the hometown crowd. He might be the most hated player in his own park since Fenway mercilessly booed Carl Everett for his ongoing controversy with Boston management and media. Everett also unleashed this gem in 2001. "[Dinosaurs] didn't exist. God created the sun, the stars, the heavens and the earth, and then made Adam and Eve. The Bible never says anything about dinosaurs. You can't say there were dinosaurs when you never saw them. Someone actually saw Adam and Eve. No one ever saw a Tyrannosaurus rex." Yikes! But as "Jurassic Carl" said himself, "I'm crazy, but I'm fun crazy."
Anyway, the pleasantries Huff shared for Baltimore may have been the least interesting part of his radio appearance. Apparently, he's also Major League Baseball's modern day Wilt Chamberlain, and it has nothing to do with his abilities as an athlete.
Producer: "...Who in here knows exactly how many women they've slept with?
Bubba: "Aubrey!"
Aubrey: "I couldn't even begin to tell ya. I couldn't even give ya a ballpark. I know I'm over..."
Bubba: "Five hundred?"
Aubrey: "No, no! I'd say between 2 and 300.
And who would have thought that there were any similarities between Huff and Trevir Nath...
Bubba: "Now Aubrey, do you jack off a lot on the road, like when you're not with your wife."
Huff: "It's all I do. It's all I do. You guys have no idea how much downtime there is in baseball. You wake up from a hangover about 1 o'clock."
Producer shouts: "In the afternoon?"
Huff: "Oh, yeah! Lemme tell you this. When you are hung over, how horny are you? I'm horny, when I'm hungover, I'm horny. So I'm just gonna beat off. And that's all I do."
On a related note, the Orioles are going off at 200-1 to win the World Series, by far the longest odds in baseball.
Ramblings
After watching my Quinnipiac Bobcats lose to Yale 19-13 Wednesday afternoon, I've made it my goal to get in some form of shape and attempt my comeback. Call it a pipe dream (and I'm sure you will), but I saw no reason why I couldn't at least just be a bench player for this team. They really aren't any good at all... I'm back watching the NHL, and I'm back on the Washington Capitals bandwagon. Those of you in Maryland should really take a good look at these guys. Root for some playoff hockey in the Metro Area... My Beat the Streak hitting streak was up to 3 when I decided to get cute on Wednesday by picking Hank Blalock, who promptly went 0-3. Thursday wasn't much better, as perennial pretty boy Derek Jeter went hitless as well. I'm starting to realize this might be harder than it looks.
This thing is great. It gives you a written version of the highlights of the "game" right up to Kevin Love's turn-around jump hook over Joey Dorsey with 4.8 seconds remaining in the semifinal. Now why is that such good news? March Madness 08 has a championship game final score of UCLA 66-UNC 64, which means 144 bracket points and a victory for me.
And you know what? I now feel infinitely more confident in my picks. And this was before I came across another ESPN promotion, Accuscore. Using a system of computers much more complicated than I could even begin to imagine, Accuscore plays each game at least 10,000 times, and calculates the likelihood of each team winning. Accuscore has UCLA beating Memphis by an average score of 69.8-69.1, and UNC beating Kansas by an average score of 81.1-80.1. This is all very good news for yours truly. Although I'm sure I've now put the mega-jinx on it all. But by this time Monday, we'll know for sure.
The Aubrey Huff Show
The paid attendance for Wednesday's Orioles-Rays game in Baltimore was 10,505. After seeing the highlights, saying that 5,000 actually showed up is probably a stretch. Oriole DH Aubrey Huff's line in that game... 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, enough to make even the smallest home crowd make some serious noise, right? Well, if you're talking about the boo birds and cat calls, then you've got the right idea.
See, apparently Aubrey thought that the fine people of the Greater Baltimore Area would take kindly to the fact that he called their city a "horseshit town" on Sirius Radio's Bubba the Love Sponge Program in November. Always important to endear yourself to the hometown crowd. He might be the most hated player in his own park since Fenway mercilessly booed Carl Everett for his ongoing controversy with Boston management and media. Everett also unleashed this gem in 2001. "[Dinosaurs] didn't exist. God created the sun, the stars, the heavens and the earth, and then made Adam and Eve. The Bible never says anything about dinosaurs. You can't say there were dinosaurs when you never saw them. Someone actually saw Adam and Eve. No one ever saw a Tyrannosaurus rex." Yikes! But as "Jurassic Carl" said himself, "I'm crazy, but I'm fun crazy."
Anyway, the pleasantries Huff shared for Baltimore may have been the least interesting part of his radio appearance. Apparently, he's also Major League Baseball's modern day Wilt Chamberlain, and it has nothing to do with his abilities as an athlete.
Producer: "...Who in here knows exactly how many women they've slept with?
Bubba: "Aubrey!"
Aubrey: "I couldn't even begin to tell ya. I couldn't even give ya a ballpark. I know I'm over..."
Bubba: "Five hundred?"
Aubrey: "No, no! I'd say between 2 and 300.
And who would have thought that there were any similarities between Huff and Trevir Nath...
Bubba: "Now Aubrey, do you jack off a lot on the road, like when you're not with your wife."
Huff: "It's all I do. It's all I do. You guys have no idea how much downtime there is in baseball. You wake up from a hangover about 1 o'clock."
Producer shouts: "In the afternoon?"
Huff: "Oh, yeah! Lemme tell you this. When you are hung over, how horny are you? I'm horny, when I'm hungover, I'm horny. So I'm just gonna beat off. And that's all I do."
On a related note, the Orioles are going off at 200-1 to win the World Series, by far the longest odds in baseball.
Ramblings
After watching my Quinnipiac Bobcats lose to Yale 19-13 Wednesday afternoon, I've made it my goal to get in some form of shape and attempt my comeback. Call it a pipe dream (and I'm sure you will), but I saw no reason why I couldn't at least just be a bench player for this team. They really aren't any good at all... I'm back watching the NHL, and I'm back on the Washington Capitals bandwagon. Those of you in Maryland should really take a good look at these guys. Root for some playoff hockey in the Metro Area... My Beat the Streak hitting streak was up to 3 when I decided to get cute on Wednesday by picking Hank Blalock, who promptly went 0-3. Thursday wasn't much better, as perennial pretty boy Derek Jeter went hitless as well. I'm starting to realize this might be harder than it looks.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Calling the Madness
Being a hopeful future broadcaster, the way a game is being called is sometimes just as important to me as the game itself. This March, I've found myself yelling at the TV much more than ever. Now I don't claim to know everything there is to know about the tournament, but the stupidity of some people announcing the games is really incomprehensible. This weekend, there were four different crews announcing at the four different regional sites. Here's my analysis.
Jim Nantz and Billy Packer- South Regional
This crew is CBS's number 1 crew, and they'll be in San Antonio for the Final Four. I have a few problems with this crew. First of all, Jim Nantz calls March Madness games like he's at Augusta calling a putt at the 13th hole by Notah Begay III. Cmon Jim, show some life... These are the biggest three weekends in all of sports. Billy Packer is probably the most knowledgeable of the analysts but is by far the most aggravating. In the Texas-Memphis game he said something to the effect of "Rick Barnes needs to get a team out there that has a clue how to handle this Memphis team." He is overly critical of any mistake any player makes. He needs to realize that these players are just college kids, and reminds me of an older, even more crotchety Coach Hock. All in all, though, if you're looking for a straightforward broadcast, and can handle Packer's negativity, this is a good crew.
Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery- West Regional
I'm a huge fan of Raftery's. It's always good to know that, off the tip, "UCLA is lining up... INTHEMANTAMAN!" By far the most energetic of the analysts, I would watch anything called by Raftery. I like him even better when he's doing Big East Basketball with Sean McDonough. Listen to Raftery after this dunk to see why he's the best. On the downside, with both Raftery and Lundquist being over 60, they occasionally have trouble seeing what is going on. Lundquist is a lot like Nantz in that he rarely gets excited, but he plays well off Raftery and makes for an enjoyable broadcast.
Gus Johnson and Len Elmore- Midwest Regional
By far, my favorite announcer in the entire world is Gus Johnson. He could make shaving interesting. In fact, I would pay a very large sum of money to have him narrate my life. He also does Knicks games on MSG, which is really a waste of his talent, because, in all honesty, I would rather watch someone shave than watch a Knicks game. There's honestly nothing I can say about him other than leave you clips of his fine, fine work. There was no one better than Gus to call Stephen Curry's lights out game in the Sweet 16. Here's Gus at his finest.
And a little bit of Gus doin the Knickerbockers.
Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas- East Region
Awful, just awful. How Dick Enberg has a job broadcasting sports is absolutely pathetic. He incorrectly called four consecutive possessions in the Louisville-UNC game. What's worse is that, after he makes a mistake, he refuses to correct himself. I don't know whether it's because he's too stubborn, or he honestly doesn't realize it. I think Hansbrough got called for 8 fouls in that game, and each team took 11 timeouts. But it's really a bad job by CBS to have him doing regional final games. I hadn't heard this much of him since he was the announcer for NFL Gameday 98, and that game was awful, too. That game pissed me off so much because if you tried to throw to your running back in the flat, the throw went right into the ground. Not only that, any field goal from within 60 yards was almost always good. Man, that pissed me off. At least I had that game longer than I had Head Coach, which I returned within 24 hours. The worst part was that the same person who rang me up when I bought the game was there the next day when I went to return it, which was quite embarrassing. And since it was out of the original packaging, I only got half price. Man, that was a bad investment.
Speaking of announcers, I'm launching an official online campaign to get the term, "quick blow", removed from all basketball telecasts. As in, "Quentin Thomas comes in to give Ty Lawson a quick blow." That has to stop. Granted, I notice any and all sexual innuendo in conversations, but this is out of control. You're telling me that there's no one who has figured out what this could possibly mean??
Moving on to the actual games, imagine this. This is the first time all four #1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. It's kind of surprising that that's never happened. If there was going to be a year where it would happen, though, this was the year. On Selection Sunday, there was no question who the top 4 teams in the country were, and all four of them were easily much stronger than anyone else. That being said, I thought there was no way Memphis had a shot to beat Texas. I mean, what are the odds they all of a sudden decide to go 30-36 from the line.
After seeing the excitement of the first two days of the tournament this year, I'm making a bold prediction. In the next 10 years, a #1 seed will fall to a #16. It's never been done, but I will take bets from anyone that this will happen. The overall talent in the college game is more vast than it ever has been. And maybe if Quinnipiac can ever win the juggernaut conference that is the NEC, we can be the one to do it.
What can you say about Stephen Curry. The first shocker was that he goes with the STEH-fin pronunciation. Good choice I think, because if he wasn't going to go with the way it's spelled, going with Ste-PHON would have resulted in a Starbury tirade. I can't remember anyone being as hot as Curry was for 3 and a half games. He singlehandedly lead his team to the Elite 8, and was one shot away from San Antonio. Was there any doubt going into this weekend that he would have at least one more 30 pt game?
On the flipside, most disappointing honors goes to Roy Hibbert. I don't get it. He's 7'2", but plays softer than anyone his size in the nation. For the second year in a row, I picked the Hoyas to go the Final Four, and again he let me down. In his two tournament games, Big Roy played a combined 32 minutes, less than a full game. The more I watch him, the more I compare his performance in big games to the game Andrew Bynum had against East Brunswick in 2004. He towers over everyone on the court, looks stronger than everyone on the court, but doesn't play like any of this is true. Needless to say, Bynum has more than proved he belongs in the Association, but I'm definitely not sold on Hibbert. His inability to stay out of foul trouble should be a real concern for all NBA teams, and, regardless of his size, I'd have a hard time picking him in the first round this June.
The worst uniforms in the tournament are, by far, those of the Oregon Ducks. Keep in mind that the names on the back were printed in black, and hardly able to see. They have always been a joke when it comes to their unis. It's unbelievable how bad they are. But my favorite name of the tournament comes to us from Norman, Oklahoma, where the starting center for the Sooners is none other than Longar Longar, who hopefully one day can be drafted by me in the last round of a fantasy basketball draft with the likes of Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje.
I lost two of my final four teams in Georgetown and Texas, but my championship game of UCLA and UNC still remains. I still like the UCLA's strong, suffocating defense to keep Hansbrough and Co. in check, and I like UCLA in a classic, 71-69.
Non-Tournament Related News
The real opening day of the baseball season is tomorrow at 1 o'clock. Just like it should be... Ryan Zimmerman hits the first walk-off HR of the season tonight in the Nats opener against the Braves, what will turn out to be the high point in the Nats season... The Western Conference of the NBA continues to beat up on each other, where there are 5 teams within 1.5 games of the top spot, not counting the Jazz, who is the 4 seed but remain 3 games back of the Hornets. Then we have a 3-way tie for 7th place, which means it is very likely a team in the West will win 50 games and miss the playoffs, while in the East a team with 35 wins could make the playoffs. I hate the NBA... As Facebook continues to take over the world, my least favorite development has been the "People You May Know" section on the right of the main page. I don't need Facebook to tell me who I do and don't know. Dirty bastards... In Beat the Streak news, Papi's 0-fer against the A's in the second Japan game set me back to zero, but Chipper's home run Sunday night puts me back on the road to 57 in a row, and 1 million dollars in my pocket. Let the dream live on.
Jim Nantz and Billy Packer- South Regional
This crew is CBS's number 1 crew, and they'll be in San Antonio for the Final Four. I have a few problems with this crew. First of all, Jim Nantz calls March Madness games like he's at Augusta calling a putt at the 13th hole by Notah Begay III. Cmon Jim, show some life... These are the biggest three weekends in all of sports. Billy Packer is probably the most knowledgeable of the analysts but is by far the most aggravating. In the Texas-Memphis game he said something to the effect of "Rick Barnes needs to get a team out there that has a clue how to handle this Memphis team." He is overly critical of any mistake any player makes. He needs to realize that these players are just college kids, and reminds me of an older, even more crotchety Coach Hock. All in all, though, if you're looking for a straightforward broadcast, and can handle Packer's negativity, this is a good crew.
Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery- West Regional
I'm a huge fan of Raftery's. It's always good to know that, off the tip, "UCLA is lining up... INTHEMANTAMAN!" By far the most energetic of the analysts, I would watch anything called by Raftery. I like him even better when he's doing Big East Basketball with Sean McDonough. Listen to Raftery after this dunk to see why he's the best. On the downside, with both Raftery and Lundquist being over 60, they occasionally have trouble seeing what is going on. Lundquist is a lot like Nantz in that he rarely gets excited, but he plays well off Raftery and makes for an enjoyable broadcast.
Gus Johnson and Len Elmore- Midwest Regional
By far, my favorite announcer in the entire world is Gus Johnson. He could make shaving interesting. In fact, I would pay a very large sum of money to have him narrate my life. He also does Knicks games on MSG, which is really a waste of his talent, because, in all honesty, I would rather watch someone shave than watch a Knicks game. There's honestly nothing I can say about him other than leave you clips of his fine, fine work. There was no one better than Gus to call Stephen Curry's lights out game in the Sweet 16. Here's Gus at his finest.
And a little bit of Gus doin the Knickerbockers.
Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas- East Region
Awful, just awful. How Dick Enberg has a job broadcasting sports is absolutely pathetic. He incorrectly called four consecutive possessions in the Louisville-UNC game. What's worse is that, after he makes a mistake, he refuses to correct himself. I don't know whether it's because he's too stubborn, or he honestly doesn't realize it. I think Hansbrough got called for 8 fouls in that game, and each team took 11 timeouts. But it's really a bad job by CBS to have him doing regional final games. I hadn't heard this much of him since he was the announcer for NFL Gameday 98, and that game was awful, too. That game pissed me off so much because if you tried to throw to your running back in the flat, the throw went right into the ground. Not only that, any field goal from within 60 yards was almost always good. Man, that pissed me off. At least I had that game longer than I had Head Coach, which I returned within 24 hours. The worst part was that the same person who rang me up when I bought the game was there the next day when I went to return it, which was quite embarrassing. And since it was out of the original packaging, I only got half price. Man, that was a bad investment.
Speaking of announcers, I'm launching an official online campaign to get the term, "quick blow", removed from all basketball telecasts. As in, "Quentin Thomas comes in to give Ty Lawson a quick blow." That has to stop. Granted, I notice any and all sexual innuendo in conversations, but this is out of control. You're telling me that there's no one who has figured out what this could possibly mean??
Moving on to the actual games, imagine this. This is the first time all four #1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. It's kind of surprising that that's never happened. If there was going to be a year where it would happen, though, this was the year. On Selection Sunday, there was no question who the top 4 teams in the country were, and all four of them were easily much stronger than anyone else. That being said, I thought there was no way Memphis had a shot to beat Texas. I mean, what are the odds they all of a sudden decide to go 30-36 from the line.
After seeing the excitement of the first two days of the tournament this year, I'm making a bold prediction. In the next 10 years, a #1 seed will fall to a #16. It's never been done, but I will take bets from anyone that this will happen. The overall talent in the college game is more vast than it ever has been. And maybe if Quinnipiac can ever win the juggernaut conference that is the NEC, we can be the one to do it.
What can you say about Stephen Curry. The first shocker was that he goes with the STEH-fin pronunciation. Good choice I think, because if he wasn't going to go with the way it's spelled, going with Ste-PHON would have resulted in a Starbury tirade. I can't remember anyone being as hot as Curry was for 3 and a half games. He singlehandedly lead his team to the Elite 8, and was one shot away from San Antonio. Was there any doubt going into this weekend that he would have at least one more 30 pt game?
On the flipside, most disappointing honors goes to Roy Hibbert. I don't get it. He's 7'2", but plays softer than anyone his size in the nation. For the second year in a row, I picked the Hoyas to go the Final Four, and again he let me down. In his two tournament games, Big Roy played a combined 32 minutes, less than a full game. The more I watch him, the more I compare his performance in big games to the game Andrew Bynum had against East Brunswick in 2004. He towers over everyone on the court, looks stronger than everyone on the court, but doesn't play like any of this is true. Needless to say, Bynum has more than proved he belongs in the Association, but I'm definitely not sold on Hibbert. His inability to stay out of foul trouble should be a real concern for all NBA teams, and, regardless of his size, I'd have a hard time picking him in the first round this June.
The worst uniforms in the tournament are, by far, those of the Oregon Ducks. Keep in mind that the names on the back were printed in black, and hardly able to see. They have always been a joke when it comes to their unis. It's unbelievable how bad they are. But my favorite name of the tournament comes to us from Norman, Oklahoma, where the starting center for the Sooners is none other than Longar Longar, who hopefully one day can be drafted by me in the last round of a fantasy basketball draft with the likes of Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje.
I lost two of my final four teams in Georgetown and Texas, but my championship game of UCLA and UNC still remains. I still like the UCLA's strong, suffocating defense to keep Hansbrough and Co. in check, and I like UCLA in a classic, 71-69.
Non-Tournament Related News
The real opening day of the baseball season is tomorrow at 1 o'clock. Just like it should be... Ryan Zimmerman hits the first walk-off HR of the season tonight in the Nats opener against the Braves, what will turn out to be the high point in the Nats season... The Western Conference of the NBA continues to beat up on each other, where there are 5 teams within 1.5 games of the top spot, not counting the Jazz, who is the 4 seed but remain 3 games back of the Hornets. Then we have a 3-way tie for 7th place, which means it is very likely a team in the West will win 50 games and miss the playoffs, while in the East a team with 35 wins could make the playoffs. I hate the NBA... As Facebook continues to take over the world, my least favorite development has been the "People You May Know" section on the right of the main page. I don't need Facebook to tell me who I do and don't know. Dirty bastards... In Beat the Streak news, Papi's 0-fer against the A's in the second Japan game set me back to zero, but Chipper's home run Sunday night puts me back on the road to 57 in a row, and 1 million dollars in my pocket. Let the dream live on.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Off we go...
And so it begins... Another season of walk-offs, hit-and-runs, sac bunts (unless you're an A's fan), cups of coffee, west coast road trips, pitcher's duels, and extra inning affairs. And what better way to start the season off than with a running diary of the first game of the 2008 MLB Season.
Just for the record, I'm watching this bad boy on NESN over ESPN the Deuce because, well, I can. You can have Gary Thorne and Steve Phillips (no seriously, please), I'll take Don Orsillo and legendary chain smoker Jerry Remy any day of the week. And if Michael Kay ever goes national, I can guarantee you I will never watch an ESPN telecast again. Yet I digress...
A couple thoughts before gametime...
5:57- My mind is immediately put at ease as the Oakland lineups are announced. The A's trot out a 3-4-5 of Daric Barton, Jack Cust of the Mitchell Report, and Emil Brown. Not exactly Murderer's Row. Good ol' Jack Cust. I'll never forget him tripping over his own feet on the way to home plate when there was no one covering the rundown.
6:01- Why is it that every other country's National Anthem sounds so much cooler than ours? Honestly, for a country who claims to be the best in the world, I really wish we were more impressive in the anthem category.
6:04- "Welcome to Tokyo, Japan, where the Red Sox begin their title defense." Man, just hearing that brings chills down my spine.
6:06- You think Dice-K's feeling a little pressure? Not only does he have something to prove to Red Sox Nation this year, he's back pitching in front of a crowd who thinks of him as a God. Maybe he's used to it, but I'll tell you right now, I'd already be on my third pair of underwear if I was in his shoes.
6:10- First pitch of the 2008 season... a fastball strike to Dustin Pedroia, who promptly bounces a single up the middle on the next pitch.
6:12- Just learned that J.D. is out tonight with a lower back problem. Glad to see he's gonna stay healthy this year
6:15- After a fielder's choice, and a mammoth pop out by Ortiz. Manny looks to put me on my way to a million bucks with one on and two out. He flies out to right though, and takes about 5 steps towards first base in the process.
6:17- Hey!!! Look who's batting 6th for Oakland. It's perennial MVP candidate Bobby Crosby!!! Here's to another year of making Peter Gammons look like an idiot.
6:19- Mark Ellis takes Dice-K deep to left on a 1-0 fastball right down broadway. It's rare when someone like Mark Ellis hits a no doubter like that. Great start. Make that my fourth pair of underwear.
6:25- After a walk to Barton, Dice-K hits Cust in the foot on a 2-2 pitch. The season is 15 minutes old and I've pulled half my hair out already.
6:26- Make that all my hair, a wild pitch puts runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out. Maybe Travis Buck can lend me some of his.
6:30- A cheap little chopper to the mound by Crosby scores Barton. 2-0 A's.
6:32- Big strikeout of Jack Hannahan stops the bleeding and ends the inning. But that was a disgusting display of pitching by Dice-K. Sliders all over the place, and the fastballs that were on the plate were not hitting corners. Let's hope he turns it around. At least I can take solace in the fact that Jack Hannahan sounds like he belongs on the 1980 Miracle on Ice team.
6:39- About three years ago, I went to a Red Sox game at Fenway. The people I was sitting with had created a nickname for Jason Varitek, "4-6-3", due to his propensity of hitting into double plays. Well, guess what? A double play off the bat of Tek erases a lead-off single by Mikey Lowell and ends the top of the 2nd. That's two lead off men on, no runs.
6:49- My new favorite part of Japanese baseball, the ballboys who are stationed down the lines are wearing combat helmets. I can't think of a goofier look.
6:52- Dice-K walks Mark Ellis on a 3-2 pitch with one on and 2 out, and for the first time I can ever recall, shows some emotion on the mound. I don't like the looks of this at all.
6:58- After yet another walk to load the bases, Dice-K gets a questionable called strike 3 on steroid user and foot tripper over Jack Cust. In other news, we see our first Julian Tavarez sighting from the bullpen. Don't be surprised if Francona gives Dice-K just one baserunner before he makes the move.
7:07- After singles from Lugo and Youkillis, its 2 on, 2 out for David Ortiz. I know it's early, but this is really a pivotal at bat.
7:09- Ortiz rips one to right, but oh wait, there's the 2nd baseman. I forgot about that pesky shift. I don't know who invented the shift, but that has to rank right up with pulling your goalie and the blitz as the most ballsy sports innovations of their day.
7:17- Another walk from Dice-K, and more frustration being shown. I'd put odds at 2-1 that he falls on his sword in the clubhouse at the end of this outing. Meanwhile, Lugo's putting together a nice little game as his leap robs Kurt Suzuki of a two out base hit. At the end of 3, 2-0 Oakland. Dice-K's high pitch count (75 through 3) could force an early exit in this one.
7:26- The middle of the order goes down 1-2-3 in the top of the fourth for the Sox. It's the first 1-2-3 inning for either pitcher. Manny remains hitless as my quest for a million seems to be having trouble getting started.
7:28- Dice-K comes out to start the inning, with Kyle Snyder warming in the bullpen. Hey, note to MLB, why are the commercial breaks twice as long when games are in the States? I like this a lot.
7:30- Another thing I like a lot, a huge, 6 pitch, 1-2-3 inning for Dice-K. Tito said he would be capped at around 80 pitches, so that should be all for Matsuzaka. It certainly could have been much, much worse.
7:37- How ridiculous is this? Both teams will play in exhibition games back in the U.S. following their trips to Japan. The players and coaches deserve every penny of their $40,000 stipend. This trip is a major inconvenience to everyone involved.
7:40- The bottom of the order looks to be up to its old tricks as Varitek, Ellsbury, and Lugo go down in order in the top of the 5th.
7:42- Wrong again, as Dice-K takes the mound here in the 5th after looking much sharper in the last couple of innings.
7:46- After strikeouts to Barton and Cust, a resilient Dice-K gets Emil Brown to ground to 3rd. He's retired 7 in a row and you have to wonder how much nerves played a part in the first couple of innings. Regardless, he settled down and you couldn't ask for anything more if you're a Sox fan.
7:52- A double by Pedroia and a 4-pitch walk to Youkillis brings up the meat of the order with 2 on, nobody out. Fenway would be rocking right now. The Tokyo Dome seems depressingly indifferent.
7:56- Big out here by Blanton. A ballsy 3-2 changeup to Ortiz forces a pop-up to third.
7:58- Manny rips a fast ball down the left field line for two RBI's and puts me 1/57 of the way to 1 million dollars. Talk about the best of both worlds. We're tied up at 2.
8:01- Huge 2 out RBI single by Brandon Moss. J.D. Who? I never liked that guy. That chases Blanton from the game, and puts Dice-K in position to get a win here.
8:08- Ex-Red Sox lefty Alan Embree strikes out his former battery-mate Varitek to end the inning.
8:11- Kyle Snyder comes in from the bullpen for the Sox and gives a quick base-hit to Bobby Crosby. Always have to sweat it out here in Boston.
8:13- Right winger Jack Hannahan takes Snyder deep and gone to right to make it a 4-3 Oakland lead. Damn. A great example of what happens when you miss location. This begs the question... has anyone ever felt comfortable with a relief pitcher that your team brings in in the 6th inning?
8:17- Snyder promptly retires the next three batters fairly easily, but again, damage done. 4-3 A's. Just an aside, I can't wait for breakfast after the game... it's chocolate chip pancake day at the caf.
8:22- Embree gives up a lead-off hit single to Ellsbury but Julio Lugo hits into a tailor-made double play to erase him. That's more like the Lugo we got to know and love last year.
8:24- Dusty P swings from his shoes and hits the ball 43 feet back to Embree who retires him to end the top of the 7th.
8:27- Ellis makes a bid for his 2nd bomb of the game, but Ellsbury is there at the track to reel it in. That will be all for Snyder, who departs as the pitcher of record. It looks like the battle still rages on for that last spot in the bullpen. I hear a kid named Hersch has a fastball that tops out at around 75...
8:31- A look at the Oakland bullpen reveals none other than Red Sox hero turned goat Keith Foulke warming up!! Who knew? Jerry Remy informs me he's given up a run in every appearance so far this spring. Quality stuff.
8:33- Lefty specialist Javier "Don't call me Javy" Lopez comes in and retires both Barton and Cust. He does his job, something that the Red Sox are gonna need him to do this year in the 6th and 7th innings.
8:40- Foulke enters and Youkilis and Ortiz both hit lasers to the outfield that are caught. Apparently you're supposed to hit 'em where they ain't.
8:43- A great job of pitching by Foulke to retire Manny on strikes. He threw 2 off speed pitches down in the count 2-0 and 2-1 to get it back even, then painted the outside corner with a fastball to punch him out.
8:45- In an apparent concession of victory, NESN runs a graphic indicating that the Red Sox have lost 6 of the last 7 Opening Days. Awesome news. But not as awesome as the fact that the Tokyo Dome comes through in the clutch and plays Sweet Caroline in the middle of the eighth.
8:47- WOW!!!! Jacoby Ellsbury makes the first of what Sox fans hope to be many Gold Glove caliber plays to rob Emil Brown of extra bases.
8:50 Hannahan and Suzuki ground out to end a solid inning by Bryan Corey. Lowell, Moss, and Varitek to face Oakland closer Huston Street in the 9th.
8:56- J.D. WHO????????????????????????????????????? Brandon Moss comes up huge with a solo home run off a pretty good pitch by Street. Welcome to Tokyo, Brandon Moss.
8:59- Varitek strikes out for the third time today, picking up right where he left off offensively last year. Ellsbury lines out to left, but we'll at least play a bottom of the ninth.
9:02- Another big ovation, this one for Hideki Okajima, let's hope he isn't as rattled as Dice-K was at the start of this one.
9:04- Kurt Suzuki strikes out for out #1
9:08- Mike Sweeney pinch hits for Ryan Sweeney and works a 4-pitch walk.
9:10- Travis Buck juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust gets under one to center for the second out. That looked real dangerous.
9:14- Oki gets Ellis to tap one back to the mound to send it to extras. To be honest, I dont think anyone involved wanted this to happen. But they'll leave it all out on the field now. Lugo, Pedroia and Youkilis in the top of the 10th.
9:18- An infield hit for Lugo, Pedroia has to be bunting here.
9:19- He gets it down perfectly, and advances Lugo to second.
9:22- A good high fastball sits down Youkilis, leading to an intentional walk to Ortiz... 2 on 2 out for Manny.
9:26- Lugo breaks for third, and thank god Manny fouls it off, a truly bonehead move... you're scoring on any single. There's no need for a steal attempt there.
9:28- Manny absolutely rips a ball off the wall for a 2 RBI double. By my count, he was in the box for 6 mississippi's before starting to run... at any rate, its a 6-4 lead for the Red Sox.
9:33- An intentional walk to Lowell leads to a Brandon Moss fly out, but on comes Papelbon for the bottom of the 10th to face the heart of the A's order.
9:44- Wow, Sox dodge a huge bullet there. Emil Brown hits a double to make it 6-5, but inexplicably tries to get to third. Instead of the tying run in scoring position with one out, the A's have 2 out nobody on down a run.
9:46- Crosby singles to center, and if not for Emil Brown's baserunning blunder, we'd have a tie game. Nevertheless, the A's are really attacking the Papelbon fastball.
9:47- Hannahan singles to left to make it a two on, two out situation for Kurt Suzuki.
9:50- 3 hours and 45 minutes after a fastball strike to Dustin Pedroia kicked off the 2008 season, a Kurt Suzuki ground out to first ends a great first game of the year.
Jeez, I don't think I had mentally prepared myself for extra innings in game 1. But the dream of 162-0 is still alive, and I'll be watching every pitch.
Just for the record, I'm watching this bad boy on NESN over ESPN the Deuce because, well, I can. You can have Gary Thorne and Steve Phillips (no seriously, please), I'll take Don Orsillo and legendary chain smoker Jerry Remy any day of the week. And if Michael Kay ever goes national, I can guarantee you I will never watch an ESPN telecast again. Yet I digress...
A couple thoughts before gametime...
- I was a lot more confident in Boston's abilities to win baseball games when I thought Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling were starting these two games in Japan. Now we're lookin at Dice-K and Jon Lester. Not to mention that 2 months ago the battle for the 5th spot was between Lester and Clay Buchholz. Now it's between Buchholz, Julian Tavarez and Bartolo Colon? Bartolo Colon??? Is that serious? I feel like he gains 20 pounds every spring training. Can you believe that just 3 seasons ago he was a Cy Young winner? Now he's pushin at least 280. He's like Elvis in the 70s. People will keep giving him a shot because they know what he once was, but he's really just a fat guy who's a couple of peanut butter and banana sandwiches away from being face down in his bathroom. (By the way, I typed that whole paragraph while having a conversation with a couple of my boys on how ridiculously hot Jessica Simpson is. And what's even more ridiculous is that most women refuse to admit that she's attractive. I don't understand how that's possible. That's the thing with women, they always feel threatened by another woman of equal or better looks. Guys are very different. I'll be the first to admit that George Clooney is a very good looking man, no homo. But mention Mariah Carey's mind blowing chest region to a woman, and she'll go on about what a vile human Ms. Carey is. Go figure.)
- Former Sox middle reliever Craig Breslow was picked up on waivers by the Indians yesterday. This guy went to Yale (go Bulldogs!), graduated with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry and said, "Fuck it, I'm gonna play ball instead." Some guys have all the luck. He might be the only professional athlete who could actually make more money outside the realm of sports.
- mlb.com is having its annual Beat the Streak contest. Basically, the goal is to pick a player each day who you think will get a hit. The goal is to accumulate the longest "hitting streak" possible. Highest streak at the end of the year wins 10 grand. Anyone who breaks Joe DiMaggio's streak of 56 games wins a cool million. Today, I've got Manny, a career .667 hitter against Oakland starter Joe Blanton. (Hey, remember when the A's big 3 of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito became the "new and improved big 3" of Danny Haren, Rich Harden, and Joe Blanton? What happened there, Billy Beane?)
5:57- My mind is immediately put at ease as the Oakland lineups are announced. The A's trot out a 3-4-5 of Daric Barton, Jack Cust of the Mitchell Report, and Emil Brown. Not exactly Murderer's Row. Good ol' Jack Cust. I'll never forget him tripping over his own feet on the way to home plate when there was no one covering the rundown.
6:01- Why is it that every other country's National Anthem sounds so much cooler than ours? Honestly, for a country who claims to be the best in the world, I really wish we were more impressive in the anthem category.
6:04- "Welcome to Tokyo, Japan, where the Red Sox begin their title defense." Man, just hearing that brings chills down my spine.
6:06- You think Dice-K's feeling a little pressure? Not only does he have something to prove to Red Sox Nation this year, he's back pitching in front of a crowd who thinks of him as a God. Maybe he's used to it, but I'll tell you right now, I'd already be on my third pair of underwear if I was in his shoes.
6:10- First pitch of the 2008 season... a fastball strike to Dustin Pedroia, who promptly bounces a single up the middle on the next pitch.
6:12- Just learned that J.D. is out tonight with a lower back problem. Glad to see he's gonna stay healthy this year
6:15- After a fielder's choice, and a mammoth pop out by Ortiz. Manny looks to put me on my way to a million bucks with one on and two out. He flies out to right though, and takes about 5 steps towards first base in the process.
6:17- Hey!!! Look who's batting 6th for Oakland. It's perennial MVP candidate Bobby Crosby!!! Here's to another year of making Peter Gammons look like an idiot.
6:19- Mark Ellis takes Dice-K deep to left on a 1-0 fastball right down broadway. It's rare when someone like Mark Ellis hits a no doubter like that. Great start. Make that my fourth pair of underwear.
6:25- After a walk to Barton, Dice-K hits Cust in the foot on a 2-2 pitch. The season is 15 minutes old and I've pulled half my hair out already.
6:26- Make that all my hair, a wild pitch puts runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out. Maybe Travis Buck can lend me some of his.
6:30- A cheap little chopper to the mound by Crosby scores Barton. 2-0 A's.
6:32- Big strikeout of Jack Hannahan stops the bleeding and ends the inning. But that was a disgusting display of pitching by Dice-K. Sliders all over the place, and the fastballs that were on the plate were not hitting corners. Let's hope he turns it around. At least I can take solace in the fact that Jack Hannahan sounds like he belongs on the 1980 Miracle on Ice team.
6:39- About three years ago, I went to a Red Sox game at Fenway. The people I was sitting with had created a nickname for Jason Varitek, "4-6-3", due to his propensity of hitting into double plays. Well, guess what? A double play off the bat of Tek erases a lead-off single by Mikey Lowell and ends the top of the 2nd. That's two lead off men on, no runs.
6:49- My new favorite part of Japanese baseball, the ballboys who are stationed down the lines are wearing combat helmets. I can't think of a goofier look.
6:52- Dice-K walks Mark Ellis on a 3-2 pitch with one on and 2 out, and for the first time I can ever recall, shows some emotion on the mound. I don't like the looks of this at all.
6:58- After yet another walk to load the bases, Dice-K gets a questionable called strike 3 on steroid user and foot tripper over Jack Cust. In other news, we see our first Julian Tavarez sighting from the bullpen. Don't be surprised if Francona gives Dice-K just one baserunner before he makes the move.
7:07- After singles from Lugo and Youkillis, its 2 on, 2 out for David Ortiz. I know it's early, but this is really a pivotal at bat.
7:09- Ortiz rips one to right, but oh wait, there's the 2nd baseman. I forgot about that pesky shift. I don't know who invented the shift, but that has to rank right up with pulling your goalie and the blitz as the most ballsy sports innovations of their day.
7:17- Another walk from Dice-K, and more frustration being shown. I'd put odds at 2-1 that he falls on his sword in the clubhouse at the end of this outing. Meanwhile, Lugo's putting together a nice little game as his leap robs Kurt Suzuki of a two out base hit. At the end of 3, 2-0 Oakland. Dice-K's high pitch count (75 through 3) could force an early exit in this one.
7:26- The middle of the order goes down 1-2-3 in the top of the fourth for the Sox. It's the first 1-2-3 inning for either pitcher. Manny remains hitless as my quest for a million seems to be having trouble getting started.
7:28- Dice-K comes out to start the inning, with Kyle Snyder warming in the bullpen. Hey, note to MLB, why are the commercial breaks twice as long when games are in the States? I like this a lot.
7:30- Another thing I like a lot, a huge, 6 pitch, 1-2-3 inning for Dice-K. Tito said he would be capped at around 80 pitches, so that should be all for Matsuzaka. It certainly could have been much, much worse.
7:37- How ridiculous is this? Both teams will play in exhibition games back in the U.S. following their trips to Japan. The players and coaches deserve every penny of their $40,000 stipend. This trip is a major inconvenience to everyone involved.
7:40- The bottom of the order looks to be up to its old tricks as Varitek, Ellsbury, and Lugo go down in order in the top of the 5th.
7:42- Wrong again, as Dice-K takes the mound here in the 5th after looking much sharper in the last couple of innings.
7:46- After strikeouts to Barton and Cust, a resilient Dice-K gets Emil Brown to ground to 3rd. He's retired 7 in a row and you have to wonder how much nerves played a part in the first couple of innings. Regardless, he settled down and you couldn't ask for anything more if you're a Sox fan.
7:52- A double by Pedroia and a 4-pitch walk to Youkillis brings up the meat of the order with 2 on, nobody out. Fenway would be rocking right now. The Tokyo Dome seems depressingly indifferent.
7:56- Big out here by Blanton. A ballsy 3-2 changeup to Ortiz forces a pop-up to third.
7:58- Manny rips a fast ball down the left field line for two RBI's and puts me 1/57 of the way to 1 million dollars. Talk about the best of both worlds. We're tied up at 2.
8:01- Huge 2 out RBI single by Brandon Moss. J.D. Who? I never liked that guy. That chases Blanton from the game, and puts Dice-K in position to get a win here.
8:08- Ex-Red Sox lefty Alan Embree strikes out his former battery-mate Varitek to end the inning.
8:11- Kyle Snyder comes in from the bullpen for the Sox and gives a quick base-hit to Bobby Crosby. Always have to sweat it out here in Boston.
8:13- Right winger Jack Hannahan takes Snyder deep and gone to right to make it a 4-3 Oakland lead. Damn. A great example of what happens when you miss location. This begs the question... has anyone ever felt comfortable with a relief pitcher that your team brings in in the 6th inning?
8:17- Snyder promptly retires the next three batters fairly easily, but again, damage done. 4-3 A's. Just an aside, I can't wait for breakfast after the game... it's chocolate chip pancake day at the caf.
8:22- Embree gives up a lead-off hit single to Ellsbury but Julio Lugo hits into a tailor-made double play to erase him. That's more like the Lugo we got to know and love last year.
8:24- Dusty P swings from his shoes and hits the ball 43 feet back to Embree who retires him to end the top of the 7th.
8:27- Ellis makes a bid for his 2nd bomb of the game, but Ellsbury is there at the track to reel it in. That will be all for Snyder, who departs as the pitcher of record. It looks like the battle still rages on for that last spot in the bullpen. I hear a kid named Hersch has a fastball that tops out at around 75...
8:31- A look at the Oakland bullpen reveals none other than Red Sox hero turned goat Keith Foulke warming up!! Who knew? Jerry Remy informs me he's given up a run in every appearance so far this spring. Quality stuff.
8:33- Lefty specialist Javier "Don't call me Javy" Lopez comes in and retires both Barton and Cust. He does his job, something that the Red Sox are gonna need him to do this year in the 6th and 7th innings.
8:40- Foulke enters and Youkilis and Ortiz both hit lasers to the outfield that are caught. Apparently you're supposed to hit 'em where they ain't.
8:43- A great job of pitching by Foulke to retire Manny on strikes. He threw 2 off speed pitches down in the count 2-0 and 2-1 to get it back even, then painted the outside corner with a fastball to punch him out.
8:45- In an apparent concession of victory, NESN runs a graphic indicating that the Red Sox have lost 6 of the last 7 Opening Days. Awesome news. But not as awesome as the fact that the Tokyo Dome comes through in the clutch and plays Sweet Caroline in the middle of the eighth.
8:47- WOW!!!! Jacoby Ellsbury makes the first of what Sox fans hope to be many Gold Glove caliber plays to rob Emil Brown of extra bases.
8:50 Hannahan and Suzuki ground out to end a solid inning by Bryan Corey. Lowell, Moss, and Varitek to face Oakland closer Huston Street in the 9th.
8:56- J.D. WHO????????????????????????????????????? Brandon Moss comes up huge with a solo home run off a pretty good pitch by Street. Welcome to Tokyo, Brandon Moss.
8:59- Varitek strikes out for the third time today, picking up right where he left off offensively last year. Ellsbury lines out to left, but we'll at least play a bottom of the ninth.
9:02- Another big ovation, this one for Hideki Okajima, let's hope he isn't as rattled as Dice-K was at the start of this one.
9:04- Kurt Suzuki strikes out for out #1
9:08- Mike Sweeney pinch hits for Ryan Sweeney and works a 4-pitch walk.
9:10- Travis Buck juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust gets under one to center for the second out. That looked real dangerous.
9:14- Oki gets Ellis to tap one back to the mound to send it to extras. To be honest, I dont think anyone involved wanted this to happen. But they'll leave it all out on the field now. Lugo, Pedroia and Youkilis in the top of the 10th.
9:18- An infield hit for Lugo, Pedroia has to be bunting here.
9:19- He gets it down perfectly, and advances Lugo to second.
9:22- A good high fastball sits down Youkilis, leading to an intentional walk to Ortiz... 2 on 2 out for Manny.
9:26- Lugo breaks for third, and thank god Manny fouls it off, a truly bonehead move... you're scoring on any single. There's no need for a steal attempt there.
9:28- Manny absolutely rips a ball off the wall for a 2 RBI double. By my count, he was in the box for 6 mississippi's before starting to run... at any rate, its a 6-4 lead for the Red Sox.
9:33- An intentional walk to Lowell leads to a Brandon Moss fly out, but on comes Papelbon for the bottom of the 10th to face the heart of the A's order.
9:44- Wow, Sox dodge a huge bullet there. Emil Brown hits a double to make it 6-5, but inexplicably tries to get to third. Instead of the tying run in scoring position with one out, the A's have 2 out nobody on down a run.
9:46- Crosby singles to center, and if not for Emil Brown's baserunning blunder, we'd have a tie game. Nevertheless, the A's are really attacking the Papelbon fastball.
9:47- Hannahan singles to left to make it a two on, two out situation for Kurt Suzuki.
9:50- 3 hours and 45 minutes after a fastball strike to Dustin Pedroia kicked off the 2008 season, a Kurt Suzuki ground out to first ends a great first game of the year.
Jeez, I don't think I had mentally prepared myself for extra innings in game 1. But the dream of 162-0 is still alive, and I'll be watching every pitch.
Pregame Ramblings
Welcome to Corey's blog... Where you'll get my rants on all things sports related, just like old times. And, because my mom isn't an uber bitch, this one might actually stay up as long as I don't get lazy.
What will the 2008 baseball season bring? In just 180 days, we'll have a World Series Champion. But between now and then, there are many storylines to watch for. Here's what I'm looking at...
Two fantasy seasons ago, I dropped Justin Verlander for supposed Phillie phenom Cole Hamels. Oops. With guys like Nate Robertson, 156 year old Kenny Rogers, and the aforementioned Willis, I think it's a pretty safe bet that they will coast to at least an AL Central Title.
2. What to do with Joba???
The Yankees have made it official. Joba Cahmberlain will be in the bullpen this season... At least to start. I know Joba has been bred to be a starter, I get that. But listen up Yankee fans, you will not, I repeat, WILL NOT, find a better heir to the Mariano Rivera throne than Joba Chamberlain. Sure, K-Rod's in a contract year, but over the last 4 years, his WHIP has increased from 1.00 in 2004 to 1.25 last year. Not to mention his lingering arm problems as well.
With Joba, you get a guy with two outstanding pitches as well as someone 5 years younger and (at least for now) at about 1/10 the cost of K-Rod. To me, this is a no-brainer. It takes a different breed of human being to close out games in Yankee Stadium, but provided he can get over the Attack of the Midges fiasco in Cleveland, he certainly seems like the one to do it. So while Joba might certainly become a top-line starter, he can be a lights-out bridge to Mo right now and slide seamlessly into his place when the time comes.
3. Will the addition of Johan Santana allow the Mets to get over the hump?
The knee-jerk reaction would be yes. After all, if it wasn't for that unspeakable collapse last September, the Mets would have been the prohibitive favorites in a very weak National League. But alas, it was not to be, and fans across the country were treated to Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Fogg starting back-to-back games in the World Series.
But let's think a little closer. I see a lot of weaknesses in the Mets lineup. Once you get past David Wright in the 5 hole... the lineup rounds out with Endy Chavez, Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, followed by the pitcher's spot. The Mets are going to have to rely heavily on that top of the order to enough runs to keep them in games. Luis Castillo will have to be the same compliment in the 2-hole as he was to Juan Pierre in Florida.
4. What about the base coaches wearing helmets?
What happened to Minor League 1st base coach Mike Coolbaugh was a tragedy. There's no denying that. But I feel like Major League Baseball's decision to require all baseball coaches to don protective helmets is an overreaction. By all accounts, this is the first time in over 125 years of professional baseball that a base coach had been even seriously injured by a foul ball. The vast majority of base coaches were major leaguers as well, and I'm sure they still have the reaction times to get out of the way of a line drive from over 100 feet away.
Why not make the pitchers wear helmets as well? After all, they are almost half as close to the batter by the time the ball is released. And they've been hit by many more batted balls than a base coach. I hope it doesn't come off as callous, because I feel it is a nice gesture by MLB, but I really don't think making coaches wear helmets was necessary.
My Preseason Picks
Here you go everyone, my preseason picks for 2008... on record for all to see.
American League
East- Red Sox
Central - Tigers
West- Angels
Wild Card- Yankees
National League
East- Braves
Central- Cubs
West- Dodgers
Wild Card- Mets
Post #2 will be up about 12 hours from now, and it will be a running diary of the Red Sox first game of the season. Till then, I'm sure you'll all be having nightmares about Stephen Curry busting your bracket.
What will the 2008 baseball season bring? In just 180 days, we'll have a World Series Champion. But between now and then, there are many storylines to watch for. Here's what I'm looking at...
- Can the revamped Detroit Tigers live up to all the hype?
Two fantasy seasons ago, I dropped Justin Verlander for supposed Phillie phenom Cole Hamels. Oops. With guys like Nate Robertson, 156 year old Kenny Rogers, and the aforementioned Willis, I think it's a pretty safe bet that they will coast to at least an AL Central Title.
2. What to do with Joba???
The Yankees have made it official. Joba Cahmberlain will be in the bullpen this season... At least to start. I know Joba has been bred to be a starter, I get that. But listen up Yankee fans, you will not, I repeat, WILL NOT, find a better heir to the Mariano Rivera throne than Joba Chamberlain. Sure, K-Rod's in a contract year, but over the last 4 years, his WHIP has increased from 1.00 in 2004 to 1.25 last year. Not to mention his lingering arm problems as well.
With Joba, you get a guy with two outstanding pitches as well as someone 5 years younger and (at least for now) at about 1/10 the cost of K-Rod. To me, this is a no-brainer. It takes a different breed of human being to close out games in Yankee Stadium, but provided he can get over the Attack of the Midges fiasco in Cleveland, he certainly seems like the one to do it. So while Joba might certainly become a top-line starter, he can be a lights-out bridge to Mo right now and slide seamlessly into his place when the time comes.
3. Will the addition of Johan Santana allow the Mets to get over the hump?
The knee-jerk reaction would be yes. After all, if it wasn't for that unspeakable collapse last September, the Mets would have been the prohibitive favorites in a very weak National League. But alas, it was not to be, and fans across the country were treated to Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Fogg starting back-to-back games in the World Series.
But let's think a little closer. I see a lot of weaknesses in the Mets lineup. Once you get past David Wright in the 5 hole... the lineup rounds out with Endy Chavez, Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, followed by the pitcher's spot. The Mets are going to have to rely heavily on that top of the order to enough runs to keep them in games. Luis Castillo will have to be the same compliment in the 2-hole as he was to Juan Pierre in Florida.
4. What about the base coaches wearing helmets?
What happened to Minor League 1st base coach Mike Coolbaugh was a tragedy. There's no denying that. But I feel like Major League Baseball's decision to require all baseball coaches to don protective helmets is an overreaction. By all accounts, this is the first time in over 125 years of professional baseball that a base coach had been even seriously injured by a foul ball. The vast majority of base coaches were major leaguers as well, and I'm sure they still have the reaction times to get out of the way of a line drive from over 100 feet away.
Why not make the pitchers wear helmets as well? After all, they are almost half as close to the batter by the time the ball is released. And they've been hit by many more batted balls than a base coach. I hope it doesn't come off as callous, because I feel it is a nice gesture by MLB, but I really don't think making coaches wear helmets was necessary.
My Preseason Picks
Here you go everyone, my preseason picks for 2008... on record for all to see.
American League
East- Red Sox
Central - Tigers
West- Angels
Wild Card- Yankees
National League
East- Braves
Central- Cubs
West- Dodgers
Wild Card- Mets
Post #2 will be up about 12 hours from now, and it will be a running diary of the Red Sox first game of the season. Till then, I'm sure you'll all be having nightmares about Stephen Curry busting your bracket.
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