And A Player To Be Named Later

Retirement

2011-06-29T11:34:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,

I am sad to say I have to announce my retirement. I just can't keep up with the blog as much as I would like. When I started this I was childless and had a job that didn't tax me that much. Since then, my workload has tripled (without compensating pay—awesome) and I have a precocious 10 month old. I liked doing this blog and was proud of what I thought was, decent analysis and writing. I am unable to continue to do it however.

I'd like to this of this as a leave of absence—I may have more retirements than Lord Favre and Sugar Ray Leonard put together. So keep tabs on AndAPlayerToBeNamedLater.com. If I can, I'd love to come back. And, as always, thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Paul L. Catalano

Vacation

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Taking a little vacation....as always, thanks so much to the people who read and comment. Couldn't do it without you.

Be back soon.

Transactions....

2011-06-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

Great to see that the second I start writing about how Mark Teixiera can't hit righties, he starts clubbing them. Tex has got his average up to .248 batting as a lefty against righties—still pretty bad, but a damn sight better than .222 which is where it was 2 weeks ago.

For my money, I really don't think there is much in the way of sports out there that I enjoy watching as much as a Nadal-Federer match. The competitiveness, the amazing athleticism and awesomely sick tennis...it's one of the true joys in sports right now.

That said, watching Federer blow a 5-2 1st set lead was painful. From the second Nadal caught him in that 1st set, Federer was never the same. He opened the game agressive and confident. Afterwards, he appeared more tentative and made silly, unRoger-like mistakes. It was a shame for that to happen to such a true great and class act.

It really is amazing to see LeBron come up so small in the final quarter of the first 3 games of the championships. Not that he can't drop 22 in the next 4th quarter...its just that he hasn't so far—just 9 points in three 4th quarters. And deferring to teammates isn't when LeBron is at his best. Miami might go ahead and win the whole thing, but going forward, it would behoove LeBron to learn how to keep his teammates involved, but still be aggressive.

Nice to see Jeter making a little bit of better contact lately. He got his average up to .260....that said..he still is at a 79 OPS+. And a 327 OBP is probably not what the Steinbrenner family had in mind when they signing him to a 3-year 51 million dollar contract.

10 bucks says that Matt Roth ends up a Jet. They just need a guy like him too much to not get him.

Paul Konerko's impressive season wont save Ozzie's job—especially now with Peavy going down again with a groin injury. My guess, Ozzie gets fired sooner rather than later.

Kinda of a ridiculous interview by Bobby Bowden the other day. Essentially, while commenting on Jim Tressel, Bobby said it was impossible to run a clean program because there are too many rules....Scuze me? Too many rules? The NCAA has too many rules? Please. Bowden has had more than his fair share of problems running his program at Florida State....blaming the NCAA or "one bad kid" for a program's problems seems dishonest to me and as if Bowden is shirking his responsibility for his program. Bowden, we're not saying that running a spotless program is the only possibility—things do happen. But hey, you get a lot of money. The responsibility of the program is yours. Talk to Bobby Knight. It's not impossible to run a clean program.

I don't really get the Bill Madden idea of "owing it" to trade a player who clearly doesn't want to be traded. If David Wright loves it here, why would trading him to Cincinnati or Seattle be "for his own good." Not following that Bill.

Love this article by Jayson Stark, about one GM's ideas about shorting the season. My favorite. the twice a year National Doubleheader Day. Heart that idea. Another interesting one: Our GM also would add breathing room to the schedule by starting the season earlier -- with a week in March he'd call International Week. Take six or eight teams and send them off in late March to Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Venezuela or some other foreign destination. That would leave plenty of flexibility to have all the other teams play their opening-week March games in warm-weather sites or domes. Interesting ideas.....too bad they will never happen.

I think the Nationals like to spend their money as if they were an alcoholic on a bender.

And finally, the oddest sports story in a while. I mean, what the hell was Bono doing walking? And really, the guy is richer than Croesus, and he can't afford an umbrella?

Kincks Nix Their Own Team

2011-06-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

This is the stupidity that has plague the Knicks for the past decade or so.

Donnie Walsh, who gutted the compost Heap that Isiah Thomas had turned the Knick Franchise into, and got eh team into the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, has been sacked becuse owner Jim Dolan wouldn't give him full authority.

Walsh, the guy who led the Pacers to 16 playoffs in 17 years, who built the team, then rebuilt the team—but never entered a full rebuilding mode—always kept the pacers rebuilding; this is the guy—a life basketball guy, that Dolan thinks should be jettisoned.

From the 2001-02 season till last season, the Knicks never got above 39 wins—and that one season was the year they fired Lenny Wilkens got fired—the guy most responsible for getting them that far. Last season, they had 42 wins and for the first time in a decade, they averaged more points than they gave up.

Here they have a reputable basketball guy—a proved winner—and they are setting the table for the return of one of the most justly vilified guys in the history of the game—at least GM-wise.

If Isiah Thomas comes back, the Knicks as a franchise are done. They are a joke. A ridiculous specimen of nepotism and the willful uncaring of the product a franchise puts on the floor. No one should attend a game.

Of course, people will attend. It's New York and people always will go.

But they shouldn't. A product ( the Knicks) that show a willful disdain for their consumer (fans), who accept that their product Isiah will make money whether they win or lose, and actively ignore the impetus to win, should be ignored. It is a crap franchise, on that doesn't care, and should be ignored.

This move typifies anything everything the Kicks have been for a decade—managed without any semblance of knowledgeable guidance. To let go a guy who...and let me be clear; I'm not saying that Walsh is the be-all end-all guy of basketball GM-ing; he is very good (didn't like the Carmelo move)but if Dolan had someone better, then fine...but this is a guy who had a proven track record of success—who got the Knicks this far, and headed in the right direction—to have no one better waiting.... Who are they going to replace him with. Someone unproved?? Isiah? To go into this, ready to let him go, and hav no one prepared, except, of course, Thomas, is a sure sign of stupidity. There is no other word.

The one hope is that the Knicks have a plan; that Thomas isn't the next GM (even if they hire a patsy and have Thomas running things from behind the scenes). That they actually are serious about moving the franchise forward., All there is is hope. lThe Knicks haven't earned any hop in a long time. let's just hope...that they are headed in a smart direction now.

Friday Five—The no rings edition

2011-06-03T06:25:00.000-04:00

Which of these championship-lessathletes was the best?

1. Charles Barkley (.540 fg %,12546 rebounds)

2. Dan Marino (Lifetime 253.6 ypg, 420 TD passes)

3. Ted Williams (.344 lifetime BA, 2-time MVP)

4. Patrick Ewing (2894 blocks, 21ppg)

5. Dick Butkus (5-time All-Pro,22 INTs, 27 FRs)

6. Tony Gwynn (.338 lifetime BA. 15-time All-Star)

7. Someone else

Vote and tell us why.

Did the Yankees Dodge a Bullet By Not Signing Cliff Lee?

2011-06-02T05:51:00.000-04:00

Check this out: Cliff Lee's ERA is 3.94, higher than Freddy Garcia's and Bartolo Colon's..

This season—in the year of the ~~steroid-free batter~~ pitcher, that 3.94 actually makes Cliff Lee a below average pitcher. (Albeit not by much, but still....)

And this is in the NL East, which, yes is a competitive division, is in no way, the AL East; the Jose Baustista, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Joyce, David Ortiz division.

Still, pitching in the National League, Lee's WHIP is way up and his BB rate has doubled to 2.14/per 9IP from 0.76/IP. But possibly the most telling stat is Lee's BABIP—specifically against righties. Last year, righties' BABIP was .276. That number is now .356. Righties overall are batting .270 against Lee this season, up from .224 last season. And amazingly, all batters are batting a grotesquely huge .337 against Lee with runners in scoring position, up from .259 last season.

What the heck happened? Well, one theory, courtesy of fangraphs.com is Lee's cutter. All of Lee's pitches are down value-wise this year, but his cutter has become downright bad. Last year, it was a 2.7 value pitch, this year it's a -3.7 pitch. And if you compare the 2 charts (the top is Lee's 2011 cutter heat map, the bottom is the 2010 version), it shows that Lee's cutter isn't as consistently avoiding the meat of the plate. Last year's cutter—as the hot spots show—was either way up in the strike zone, just along the upper part of the box, or lower down in the zone—avoiding the wheelhouse part of the plate. Lee's 2011 hot spot is just a touch higher in the zone, or exactly where the batter would like it. It's not a huge difference, but it's enough to make the batter happy.

The same is even more true for Lee's fastball—a huge value pitch last year at 26.4; this year's it's down to a 7.6 value. And again, comparing the heat charts against righties, you can see that the bright spot last season is down in the zone; this year, most of the bright spots for Lee's fastball are up in the higher half of the zone.

Lee hasn't lost any velocity. His pitches are almost exactly the mph they were last year. it's just that he's not placing them as well as he used to. Strangely, Lee's Ks are way up, but as stated before, so are his BB/9 and BABIP and his FB/HR rate. All of this points to location. Lee still has the stuff—see his velocity, movement and his K/9 rate. However, this year's his location is off. This very well could be a temporary thing—a correctable thing—and something that Lee probably will correct. Lee really only has had 3 truly bad games this season—there's not a lot of hard evidence that this isn't a blip on the 2011 season's radar.

The Yankees have had some incredibly good fortune with their pitching this season—and as Mike Silva wrote this morning—Brian Cashman deserves much of the credit for finding Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon, who have answered the bell mightily. And let's not forget Lance Pendleton and Luis Alaya who so far have pitched 25.1 innings of relief and have given up a total of 3 runs. On the whole, it's been a remarkable 2 months of pitching for the Yankees. But can we honestly say we wouldn't want Cliff Lee on our roster right now, even with him pitching sub-par (for him)? No we can't. Right here, right now, the Yankees would love to have him on their team, no doubt. As would any other ball club.

Transactions....

2011-05-31T10:22:00.002-04:00

Up next at Ohio State...I don't know. But I don't think it will be Urban Meyer. And I really don't think it will be Gruden. Why would he want to go to college, when he's in a position to grab almost any open NFL spot?

Now, Mark Dantonio at Ohio State makes sense. I can totally see a sweater vest on this guy.

And just a minute. Let me get this right.....college football players traded memorabilia for.....tattoos. Tattoos? Really?

Wow, Bartolo. I know the A's can't hit a volleyball, much less a baseball, but a complete game shutout is still pretty awesome.

Actually kind of impressive that Maria Sharapova won yesterday considering how many mistakes she made. She could look brilliant and like an amatuer, often in the same set. but hey, she's in the quaters.

Nice to see Mark Teixeira up his batting average from the left side 20 points in the past week. Still only at .248, but he looks a little cleaner batting as a lefty than he has for a while.

Who does these rankings? This kind of stuff is ESPN The Mag kind of stupid.

Eric Weddle would fit in perfectly in Jacksonville. He would be a real nice quiet pick-up.

I think Prince Fielder is a really good player. A really good one. but he won't be worth the sick money someone is going to pay for him this offseason. He is only 27, yes, and 35 HRs and a .535 slugging percentage is nothing to sneeze at. But at the kind of money you're going to have to pay to get him. Not sure i would do that.

Everybody who had Lance Berkman as leading the NL in slugging and OBP raise your hand. Anyone? Anyone?

And Matt Joyce leading the AL with a .368 average....anyone?

Good point by Peter King: I think when Plaxico Burress gets out of jail a week from today, and when the NFL resumes, he'll have two or three teams very interested. My guess is the Jets, Eagles and Raiders will be involved (the Jets if they don't sign Randy Moss), and I'll tell you a team that should be interested: Cleveland. A reborn Burress would do a good job giving Colt McCoy a threat he doesn't have right now-if Burress is in shape and as interested in resuming his career as I've heard.

If its true, Buress could help out McCoy immensely.

If Zach Grienke can get right...the Brewers win the NL Central.

Never. Ever. Thought I would agree with Stephen A. Smith. But wow, he's kinda right.....(I didn't just say that, did I?)

This is just brilliant. Really, really brilliant.

Friday Five

2011-05-27T09:15:00.001-04:00

These are really hard...a couple of them I had to look up. Anyway, they are about superstitions.

1. This Angels outfielder puts his glove in the microwave to punish it whenever "it" makes an error. "It's got to learn to catch the ball."

2. This defensive tackle from the U. of Tennessee has an assistant coach slap him across the face as hard as he could before games.

3. This Tigers pitcher used to talk to the baseball, actually telling it where he wanted it to go.

4. Easy one. This shooting guard always wore his University of North Carolina shorts under his Bulls shorts.

5. And last—hat tip to Dan—on the night before a game, this Maverick wears a pair of his future opponent’s shorts to bed.

Good For Dirk! And Jason!

2011-05-26T12:39:00.000-04:00

This is Dirk's chance to win it all—and he's playing like it.

I have a soft spot for future Hall of Fame players who never one the big one, the championship, like Charles Barkley. I have a bruised plum soft spot for players who could never even get to the Championship, like George Gervin (poor George—14 time All-Star, career average of 25.1 ppg, never sniffed a championship). That's why I'm really happy to see Dirk Nowitzki make it to his first Championship.

Dirk is a Hall-of Fame player doing everything right in his career. Good guy, good teammate, the 2006-07 MVP is averaging 8.5 boards, and 23 ppg on 48% shooting for his career. And like a true great, The Dirk gets better when it matters most—averaging 26 ppg and 10 boards in the playoffs, including 29 ppg this playoff season. Not only that, he is shooting a 52%—including a mental 52% from 3 point land. And no plan jump shooter, Dirk got to the line almost 10 times per game, making 92% of his free shots—including a sick 59 for 61 in the Thunder series (hat tip Pete S.).

And let's not forget Jason Kidd, who has to be, what? 57 years old by now, but has never won the big one. Kidd, at least played in 2 championships with the Nets. His play was mixed those 2 years, but with a future HOF in Notwitzki by his side (and not, say, Kenyon Martin), his job should be noticably easier.

So, does Dirk get his ring? Tough to say. The Heat play much better team defense team than the Thunder do. (Heat, Thunder, what's with the meteorological names?) It should be an heckuva interesting series—pure offense vs. tough defense. All we at AAPTBNL can say is that Dirk seems right now, to be a man on a mission from Yahweh. He knows that, at 32 years of age, this is his last, best chance. And he's playing like it.He needs to do it now. I hope he does.

Is It Time To Get Concerned About Mark Teixeira?

2011-05-24T05:23:00.001-04:00

Panicked? No. Concerned? Maybe.....

As of this writing, the well-paid, Yankee 1st baseman is batting .248—well below his .284 lifetime average, and a far cry from the .207 he hit in 2007.

After batting .220 last year in September and October, Teixiera started —for him—fairly decently. Tex batted .256 and 6 HRs in April, not bad for a notoriously slow starter. Since then however, instead of warming up as the weather warms—again, normal for him—Tex has gone the other way. Batting .241 in May, including .226 for the past 14 days, Tex hasn't gotten much good wood on the bat lately.

For instance, in the past 14 days, Tex's BABip is a pathetic .214. After hovering at about 20% for much of his career, Tex's LD rate has steadily dipped since 2008 to where it is now, at a lowly 15.0%. Conversely, his flyball rate has steadily risen from 36.5% in 2008 to a whopping 48.1% this season.

Now here's where it gets interesting: Tex's lifetime rate as a LHB against a RHP is .275. Last year it was .244. This season it is down to .228. Couple that with the rise in flyballs and the question becomes: Is the Yankee Stadium's short right field seats getting to Teixiera? Is Tex trying to hit it over the short porch?

Take a look at this chart from Fangraphs.com. Particularly pay attention to the red line, or Teixiera's BA vs. righties.

Since the day Tex became a Yankee that line has plummeted. Now take a look at this chart: Tex's BABIP:

For a while in his career, Teixeira drove the ball and got hits. Now, Tex's career seems to be heading for the home run or bust, Dave Kingman territory (well maybe not that bad).

After doing some research, it seems that The Captains' Blog wrote something similar not too long ago. The hypothesis of their article was just what we wrote above: "Despite establishing himself as a well-rounded hitter before joining the Yankees, Teixeira has gradually turned into a more one-dimensional slugger, particularly when batting from the left side." One wonders why that would be—his HR or bust numbers from the left side, and not the same from the right side? Could the short porch have something to do with it?

Tex's swing in Georgia Tech

Now, some theories have Texeira's declining numbers from the left side due to defenses shifting on him or pitchers learning how to pitch against Teixeira—but why wouldn't those numbers be reflected on the right side? Or that it could be wind shifts at the Stadium—but why wouldn't his lefty numbers level out on the road? No theories seem to make sense....

...except the swinging for the right field fences. Considering the other stats we know; Tex's plummeting line drive rate, his steadily increasing flyball rate, his dropping BABIP rate, as well as Teixeira's dropping fastball success rate and we can assume that Tex is swinging for the fences more. It's happened to other lefties who come into Yankee Stadium. They see the short right field seats and can't help themselves but to swing for it.

And heck, Teixeira himself said it last year: "I have never played in a home before where the discrepancy was so great between center and right," Teixeira said. "So it is a constant battle every game [to not get pull crazy]. I do have 30, 40, 50 at-bats here a year where I go back to the dugout and think, 'I am trying to pull too much."

And it shows. He's putting almost everything he hits from the left side in the air to right field (as well as a ton of slow grounders to the right side as well). All but 2 of his homers are to right field, regardless of park.

Is the swing getting more uppercut and pull-oriented?

This isn't the first time Tex has had his lefty swing down in the .220's as a Yankee. During June and July of last season, Kevin Long worked with Texeira to try to fix his lefty swing—not his righty swing, just his lefty. It worked for a little while—it got Tex's LHB vs. RHP up to .244 by season's end. Not good, but a smidge better. But this season, he's back to not getting good wood on the ball as a lefty—the flaw in his swing is back.

However, whatever the mechanical flaw, there is still the underlying cause of why is Texeira failing against righties when he batted .311 against RHP in 2008, the season before he became a Yankee? Itsabouthtemoney.net wrote recently an article entitled "Don't be concerned about Teixeira." I respectfully disagree. As the stats they point out, when you look at them as trends, you have to draw the conclusion: Worry, not yet. Concern. I think so.

Transactions....

2011-05-23T09:07:00.000-04:00

Hope Jimmer had nothing to do with the making of this t-shirt.

Matt Moore of CBSsports.com has Jimmer Fredette going to the Knicks at pick 17 of the draft. That seems like the kind of fit that D'Antoni would like. If he is still the coach.

Even though I don't watch hockey, I am still kinda glad that Atlanta is losing their franchise and that it is moving back to Winnipeg. Canada, the northern state. Hockey belongs there. No in "Hot-lanta."

Again with this crap. Enough. Either you have the proof he did it or not. Enough.

How did the Indians get this good this fast? Alex White? Asdrubol Cabrera, Mitch Tomlin, Josh Talbot. Who are these guys?

Brett Gardner is batting .357 in the last 28 days, which is awesome. but did you see that sliding catch he made in the 1st inning yesterday, getting Ivan Nova out of the inning 1-2-3? That's where he makes his money. Nice catch Brett. And nice pop-back-up!

As incredible as the Oakland' A's pitching is—and it is ridiculous—their batting is that bad. How bad? Brandon McCarthy has a 3.39 ERA, a 1.225 WHIP, leads the league with 1.414 walks per 9 IP, has 2 complete games, a shutout and and has a .1414 HR/9IP and is still 1 and 4.

Mark Polishuk discusses what a "bad" season for Albert Pujols would mean for his off-season negotiations for a new mega-deal. Me? I don't think a down year has any effect on it at all. Teams will still pay through the nose and ears for Albert no matter what he does this season.

If Brandon Jennings is really on the trading block, I betcha there are a bunch of teams willing to trade for the 21-year-old talent. But how would Bucks fans react. There has been along, long drought up there in Wisconsin.

Shawn Marcum...the best trade made this off-season, except maybe for Adrian Gonzalez. 6 out of his 10 starts have gone for longer than 6 IP and with 0 or 1 runs. Awesome.

Has Danica won anything yet? Then I'm tired of seeing her all the frickin' time. She's on the Cover of SI twice! For what?

Not including the ESPN love she's gotten and the stupid GoDaddy commercials.

I voted that the Giants had one of the nicest drafts this past April. let me take that back. The fact that they didn't touch their offensive line until the 45th round disqualifies them. Their line is old and breaking down. They should have addressed this this year if not last year.

Same goes for the Bills. Mansfield Wrotto? Demetrioius Bell? You really didn't address the line? When Gabe Carimi made it past 22 in the first round, how do the Bills not trade up before the Bears to take him. it's ridiculous. Why do you guys hate Ryan Fitzpatrick so much?

Nice little 1-hour special by MLB Network about the 40 biggest trades in MLB history. one caveat. How did they not have the 1972 Steve Carlton trade from the Cardinals to the Phillies. All Carlton did was win 4 Cy Young awards and 241 wins for the Phillies. Not a big trade?

And lastly ...I've avoided this topic because A0 it's being covered everywhere, and B) what is there to say....but now, I'll say this. Come on guys. Let's cut the crap and get back to some football. There's enough money for everybody.

Friday Five

2011-05-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

1. After America, which country has the most baseball players in the MLB?

2. Next most popular country in the MLB?

3. How many Samoans are playing the NFL?

4. Name the first Japanese ballplayer in MLB.

5. There was one NBA player from Egypt. Name him. Hint, drafted by the Blazers from Duke.

Should The Mets Trade Jose Reyes?

2011-05-19T11:49:00.000-04:00

You can't teach speed—and Reyes has oodles of speed

Until recently, the Mets were hard in "Win Now" mode. They spent beau coup bucks on Johan Santana, dropped 16 mil per on Jason Bay, signed oldsters Gary Sheffield and Gary Matthews to help compete in the NL East and signed K-Rod for serious coin.

That's all over now.

With Mets management having to cut costs due to the Ponzi scheme they got suckered in, and more importantly, their inability to keep up with the Phillies, the Metropolitans are in rebuild mode. With that the case, the question comes, do the Mets trade their most valuable trade chip, Jose Reyes, for prospects. Or do they try to sign him to a big, long-term deal?

The good news for the Mets is that their payroll for 2012 plummets from 2011's 135 million dollar payroll. As of now, the Mets payroll for 2012 is 64 million—even with a bump in Reyes pay to say, 17 million per, the Mets would still be well under 2011's payroll. And considering that the Mets would likely be playing with more prospects, the payroll shouldn't jump too much higher than that.

Reyes turns 28 in a few weeks—the prime of his career—and is fully healthy. He's batting .322, has 16 stolen bases already, and can still go pick it deep in the hole. He is the kind of guy most franchises would want to build around.

That said, both Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com and Rob Parker of ESPN.com feel the Mets should trade Reyes...this minute...and not wait for the deadline.

Rosenthal feels that the Mets have shortstop prospects in their system and that getting rid of a burdensome contract while rebuilding would benefit the Mets. "The idea of trading Reyes would be to acquire additional prospects with the goal of building a more well-rounded club."

Parker feels the Mets need to be blown up and rebuilt and Reyes (and Wright) "...represent(s) what went wrong, not right with the Mets. It's hard to look past the historic late-season collapses both autographed by the pair." Also, he posits, "Everyone knows this franchise needs an overhaul...There are no more quick fixes—no magical free-agent signings out there to turn the Mess back into the Mets."

Both are valid points. However, other writers, for instance, Thomas Saladino of NJ.com feels that selling Reyes would move the Mets backwards, not forwards. "My belief is that specific injuries should only affect a Franchise for weeks, for months, for a year… tops. Selling away your healthy assets during a time of injury-struggle, will perhaps let the effects of those injuries linger on for years...why is it that the Mets, at this point in the life of their franchise, HAVE to trade him? Why can’t he be a part of the plan moving forward?"

Ultimately it seems, the argument comes down to this: Do the Mets see themselves as competitive in the next few years, before presumably, Reyes skills begin to decline at 33 or 34. (Reyes has had some injuries, which could contribute to his skills declining sooner rather than later.) Do they play again at a high level within that time? Does Wright become the leader he needs to be? Does Jason Bay ever show up? Does Santana come back healthy and dominate? Is Ike Davis for real? Can the Mets fill out their pitching rotation with some nice prospects? Will the team be a genuine contender, thus making Reyes invaluable as part of the puzzle?

If you feel the answers to these are yes, then sign Reyes to a 5-6 year deal at about 17 per. But if you think that the Mets are not projectable serious contenders in the near future and have too many holes to fill, then trade Reyes for the best prospects you can get from a team desperate for an All-Star SS with serious lead-off capabilities. The Giants are salivating over a chance to get Reyes. And the Reds in a dogfight with the Cards would love to get Reyes hitting at the top of the order.

The Mets are a ways off from competing...and have a lots of holes to fill

Truth is, the Mets have a lot of holes to fill. Their outfield is a muddle of over-priced, over-aged and never-will-bes. Their rotation is a mess of spare parts. Their second baseman is actually a terrible leftfielder and 1st baseman who's averaged declined 80 points in 2 years. Their catcher is batting .220 and leads the league in passed balls.

If it were my club, I'd trade Reyes for a ransom. He's a potential franchise player when healthy and in a better lineup, he could be deadly. The Mets need to plug some of the gaping holes in their roster and can punch in anybody at shortstop until uber-prospect Wilmer Flores is ready. San Francisco would trade the Golden Gate Bridge for Reyes....so Mets, trade him—and Beltran and K-Rod—and start over.

New Blood: The Yanks Need To Call Up Some Kids

2011-05-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

Jorge Vasqez leads the International League with 16 HRs.

This morning, Mike Silva of the New York Baseball Digest wrote that the Yankees need some fresh faces. Couldn’t agree more. In fact, I think they should go even further than Silva suggests.

The Yankees average age of 31.5 is the oldest in the American League. Their average pitching age of 31.2 is the oldest in the majors. In short, they are old.

And it shows. Despite the immense talent on the roster and the good start to the season, the bats have been a bit slow. Overall the Yankees look a bit creaky and are starting to slow down in all phases of the game.

The Yankees don’t trust their farm system—I’ve written that before. Due to the fact that the Yankees’ core tenet is to win and win now, they have no patience to let a kid go through the growing pains to become a the good player. If Ivan Nova had a few bad starts in a row, he’d be out of the Bronx faster than you could say “George Washington Bridge.” And could you honestly say that the Yankees would have had the patience to let Gio Gonzalez get shelled for a couple of seasons until he became the 2.31 ERA, 170 ERA+ pitcher he is now? Fuhgeddaboutit.

However, times have changed. And with the Yankees ship looking a bit shabby, now might be the perfect time for the Yankees to actually go down to their number 5 ranked farm system and bring up some new blood to try to invigorate the flagging big ballclub.

Obviously, Jesus Montero is the evident 1st option, and as I’ve written, why not bring him up? And as Silva wrote, another good choice to bring up would be Jorge Vazquez. I mean all he’s done is go 5 for 13 in the last 4 games with 4 HRs, 7 RBIs and 3 walks. Why keep him Scranton when Posada is batting .179 (even with the 2 hits last night), Swisher is batting .218 and Andruw Jones is .220?

Wilson Arias is 30 years old and has been in Trenton since 2008. He has a 1.74 ERA as a lefty reliever this year. Batters are hitting a total of .162 off him this season and lefties haven’t scored a run off him yet. What are the Yankees saving him for? And are you really saying you want to rely solely on Boone Logan as the only lefty out of the pen for the next couple of weeks? What exactly is the hurt in giving a 30-year old lefty with some evident success a shot?

Bartolo is a little too chunky to be counted on to pitch the entire season

After a nice start, Bartolo Colon has a 5.26 ERA in his last 3 starts. He’s 38 next week, hasn’t pitched 100 innings in a season since 2005, and to put it kindly...is a smidge overweight. Meanwhile, in AAA, D.J. Mitchell has a 1.14 WHIP, a 2.50 ERA and is holding opponents to a .192 BAA. When—not if—Colon craps out, would the Yankees actually try out a prospect like Mitchell—or Adam Warren or David Phelps—or go to the waiver wire and pick up another castoff? Armando Galarraga is available.

No one is promising that these kids will turn around the season and lead New York to a championship. But the Yankees have the talent in their farm system. And the big club is old and creaky and in need of a jump. The time seems ripe for the Yankees to tap their farm system—not for a trade this time—but for young talent and the spark it could provide.

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2011-05-16T11:42:00.001-04:00

The King does not like tough D.

Kinda slow news day....anyway....

Have to give Luol Deng some mad props for the defense he played yesterday against LeBron. James looked frustrated and battered. If this is the kind of D he'll be facing all series, he's in for a long one. And apparently he doesn't like all the tough defense. Boo hoo, King James. Boo hoo.

All right, let's get past the Posada kerfuffle. Lemme just say this. I hate what Posada did this weekend, and I would have pulled him from the lineup and not just dropped him to 9th. That said. Swisher .217. Alex Rodriguez .250. Mark Teixiera .259. Derek Jeter .260. Russell Martin .243. It ain't all Posada. The entire team can't seem to hit anymore.

And it ain't just Posada who needs to find the bench.

So in his first few years in the majors, Jose Bautista hits 15, 16 home runs a season, then last year, he smacks 54 and this years he's on a pace for 80. Hate to say it, but in these times, I have my suspicions about doing the HGH and/or steroids. I hope it's nothing but talent....but....

Peter King wrote this today: "I think I'm for a reunion of Pete Carroll and Matt Leinart in Seattle. For one reason: Why not?" Frankly, I love it. If Carroll can get Mike Williams back on track, why not Leinart?

I think the Braves are starting to make their move in the NL East, taking 2 out of 3 from the Phillies. And I think Jair Jurrjens is the most underrated pitcher in baseball.

That sound whizzing past you....it's Adrian Gonzalez on his way to the MVP.

Ba ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Interesting fact: Since the birth of his daughter, Ian Kennedy has a 1.47 ERA, striking out 37 batters in 36 2/3 innings , walking just eight. With the high K rate, opponents managed his 23 hits against him. Did he name her Cy?

Wes Welker, part 2, trying to break Carlos Roger's ankle.

What is it about Texas Tech and small, fast white guys? After Wes Welker came from nowhere to be the Patriots most reliable receiver, now Danny Amendola—according to Rams offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels—will figure to be a big part of the Ram's offense next season. Amindola had 85 receptions last year, and if anybody knows how to get the best out of Danny Welker-clone, it would be McDaniels.

For my money, the Mavs-Thunder series is the one to really watch—Derrick Rose notwithstanding. Dirk Vs. Kevin Durant just sounds like a heck of a lot of fun—sorta, whoever has the ball last wins the game.

And lastly, sure this guy is an idiot for running onto the filed, but gotta give him creativity points for his escape.

Is Phil Jackson the Best NBA Coach Ever?

2011-05-15T12:28:00.000-04:00

More knowledgeable people than I could better answer this question. But honestly, my gut instinct is no.

When you have the best player in the history of the world on your team, it's easy to coach. Late in the game, down by one, all you have to say in the time out is "Give the ball to Michael."

When Michael wasn't there, did Jackson win any championships?

Then all he does is go to a team with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. "Give the ball to Shaq." Or, "Kobe, take over." Not much coaching needs to be done there.

No, I'd like to see Jackson go to Milwaukee, or Memphis, or Jersey. Some place like that, where the best player or two in the game aren't in Phil's starting five.

Jackson was a very good coach, no doubt. But the best ever. i don't think so.

Friday Five–the Saturday Edition

2011-05-14T12:20:00.000-04:00

1. What were the most home runs Reggie Jackson hit in one year?

2. What were the most TD passes Joe Montana threw in one season?

3. Did Dave Winfield ever win the MVP?

4. What was the highest batting average Babe Ruth hit for in a season?

5. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain hold the top18 seasons in RPG? Who's got the 19th spot?

A Further Look At Posada And Montero

2011-05-10T12:14:00.000-04:00

Last week, I wrote that the Yankees should sit Jorge Posada and bring up uber-prospect Jesus Montero to take over the full-time DH role. And I got raked over the coals for it. One week later, I’d like to take a look at the proposal once again.

Some suggested that the Yankees were fine with Eric Chavez and Andruw Jones as the DH platoon. I implied that Chavez was an injury waiting to happen and that Jones was a shell of his former self. Since then, Chavez has...wait for it...gotten injured. And Jones has been 1 for 9. If fact, Jones has been 3 for his last 20 and hasn’t had a home run since April 5th. He’s batting .231 against lefties and isn’t producing anywhere near where the Yankees had hoped. Who knows when Chavez will get back?

When the article was written, Posada had had a nice couple of days in Detroit. But since then, Jorge has gone 1 for 15 with 5 strikeouts. He hasn’t had a hit vs. a lefty all season.

Another criticism I got is that I quoted Posada’s BA from last year, but not his OPS+. OK, let’s take a look at Posada’s stats—all of them. Posada has struck out 26 times in 27 games. He’s batting .111 with runners in scoring position. His WAR of -0.4 is 10th worst in baseball. His K% of 28.3 is 24th in all of baseball. His BABIP of .138 is by far the worst in baseball. The next worse: Johnny Gomes with .190—52 points higher.

One last geek stat: out of 580 players, www.baseballprospectus.com had Posada rated 554th in the Value Over Replacement Player. Andruw Jones was 429th.

Meanwhile, Jesus Montero has been in a bit of a slump—he is only 6 for 18 lately...which is below his .337 BA—7th in the International league. He has a .768 OPS, which rises to a whopping 1.133 against lefties. (As I said before, Posada hasn’t gotten a hit off of a lefty this season.)

OK, you don’t think the Yankees should bring up Montero to be their full-time DH/part time catcher, then fine. So what do we do with Posada? The guy is cooked—he’s a 39-year old catcher whose body is shot. If Posada’s poor performance goes on much longer, the Yankees should be ashamed of themselves for letting one of the Core Four go out in such an embarrassing style.

So who do we play as a DH? One option is to rotate the DH, with Jeter and Rodriguez getting the bulk of the days and using Nunez more, but Jeter would hate that and it would embarrass the both of them in very damaging style. Another option is the Jones—Chavez split, but as we’ve said before, Chavez is once again injured and Jones is underwhelming at best.

Lastly, the Yankees could do what they always do; trade young talent for a veteran another team doesn’t want anymore. (Did you notice Mark Melancon has a 1.62 ERA?) That could work, but who could they get to fill the DH role in the middle of the Yankee lineup—I’ve heard Alfonso Soriano is for grabs? How about Carlos Lee? And whom do we surrender for the new DH?

The Yankees are decidedly middle of the pack with their .252 BA. Their superior slugging has gotten them this far, but come October, the Yankees are going to also need to know how to manufacture runs as well as club the ball.

To that end and for my part, bringing up Jesus Montero makes sense—the kid can just plain rake. And having him hit everyday and get accustomed to big league pitching, while easing him into the catching role slowly (playing him once a week there or so), again just makes sense. Trade Cervelli or Molina or both? Sure go ahead. Neither of them is Yogi Berra, so get what you can for them, and start grooming the kid.

Anyone have better options, let’s hear them.

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2011-05-09T11:40:00.000-04:00

You've probably seen it by now, but Andrew Bynam's foul while the Lakers were down 30 points in the 4th quarter in last night's game, then his subsequent shirt tossing—punkest move I've seen for a long time. Just a complete jerk move. First off, why do you take off your shirt—Bynam, you're not ripped—you just look like a punk. And second, why when you are down 30, do you have to throw an elbow into a defensive point guard's chest. Classless move. Hope the NBA suspends you for your blatant cheap shot for half of next season.

After a start where his fastballs were slogging down in the upper 80s, Joba Chamberlain's pitches are consistently hitting 95. Hope as the weather warms it goes even higher to the 98-99 range, back to where they were when he first came up.

One of the most underrated players in the NBA. Al Horford of the Hawks. Watch how he plays. Does a lot of the dirty work, setting screens, extending plays with tips. Dude shoots 56% for the regular season, then ups that to 78% in the playoffs. Also ups his rebounds to over 10 for the postseason and has almost 4 apg a game in the playoffs. Dude is an underrated man.

More and more baseball insiders see Albert Pujols staying in St. Louis after the season. The prevailing wisdom is that the big market teams, Philadelphia, the Yankees and Mets and Boston all have 1st basemen they like. I'd like to remind them that the Cubs have 80 million coming off the books this offseason and another 30 the season after. And sure Prince Fielder might be cheaper, but A) Fielder is just not the player Pujols is and B) screwing the Cardinals might be too much fun for the Cubs to pass up the chance. I think Pujols stays in St. Louis as well, but don't count out a massive offer from the Cubs.

Gotta admit, I did not see the Marlins top starting 3 of Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco combing for an 8-2 record and pushing the team to a 20-13 record. Johnson, sure, you expect it from him. But Sanchez and especially Nolasco, who knew? Those 3 guys could be a thorn in the side of the Phillies all summer and make the NL East a fun race down the stretch.

CFN.com has started its offseason team-by-team breakdown and preview with the Texas Longhorns and then going on to every BCS team from there—one a day. A good read even if you aren't a fan of the particular team that day. Good stuff. But still, I have to say, the best name I've heard in a while, Texas Longhorn running back Fozzy Whittaker. Waka, waka waka.

Nobody is happier that Jeter is doing well lately, but let's just wait until saying he's back until we get a little more evidence. yesterday's homers cam on fat pitches that weren't inside and not exactly hard heat. until he can consistently get the bat on the ball on fastballs, I'll reserve my judgement.

Everyone keeps waiting for the Indians to come back to earth...and they haven't. They are 8-2 in their last 10. And that includes a west coast trip. And big congrats to Travis Hafner for finally making back from all those injuries and returning to the player he once was. Way to endure, Pronk.

This is a nice read—the All-Under 22 team. Check out Bob Feller's 1940 season. 320 IP! 31 CG! And check out Jimmie Fox's 1929 season—batted .354, 33 HRs. But Foxx didn't even get one vote for the MVP award. What the hell?

And lastly....check out David Price's home run trot. Too bad we won't see it too much.

Friday Five

2011-05-06T09:34:00.000-04:00

Hall of Fame Edition!!

1. Which team did Tom Seaver put on his Hall of Fame plaque?

2. Which team did Sparky Anderson put on his Hall of Fame plaque?

3. How about Reggie Jackson?

4. And Carlton Fisk?

5. And, last...the oft-traveled Gaylord Perry?

The Sell-Out of ESPN

2011-05-05T13:03:00.001-04:00

Watching those stupid new Kenny Mayne/Erin Andrews Diet Mountain Dew commercials rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't know why, but they bugged me. So when I tried to find it on YouTube this morning to watch it again, I found like, a jillion Kenny Mayne commercials. For not only Mountain Dew (which I haven't had since I was eight), but for Progressive insurance, Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor, and the kicker, D-2 TopFlight golf balls.

It's bad enough when supposed impartial journalists go on TV to show their preference for Applebee's or Southwest Airlines or Audi but when they actually start to hawk things that they would actually cover, then it goes to far.

ESPN covers golf, so why should on their employees promote one golf ball over another? It's bias. And when Erin Andrews hawks Reebok, doesn't that imply that SportsCenter's coverage involving Nike would be biased.

Which is exactly what happened. In a recent ombudsman report on ESPN, Kelly McBride and Regina McCombs write this:

ESPN's approach toward endorsements came under intense scrutiny earlier this year when Reebok rolled out its Andrews campaign two weeks after she reported on traction issues with Nike cleats during the Rose Bowl.

Jeez. Isn't that a coincidence? Andrews reports that Nike cleats weren't working well at a game, and 2 weeks later, she's appearing in ads for Reebok. Wow.

Kelly McBride and Regina McCombs then quote the irascible New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick to show why mixing sports reporters with product endorsement is a bad idea. As usual, he puts it in his understated way.

"Nike, as if they and ESPN didn't know, is the largest steamroller among the sneaker cartel that has infiltrated, penetrated, dominated and eviscerated U.S. high school and college sports," Mushnick wrote. "But it's not as if [Lee] Corso, Herbstreit and Fowler would have any reason to report on any of that, ya know? And it's not as if Nike would have any reason to pay them off, ya know?"

Which is exactly what happened with Andrews and her Reebok endorsement. And even if Andrews is innocent and it was all a coincidence, it doesn't matter. The appearance of impropriety taints any journalistic integrity ESPN has left. (Which, after their attempt at a Barry Bonds reality show, is at an all-time low.)

McBride and McCombs continue:

For example, why can't anyone at ESPN, even an analyst, take a contract from a college or professional team? Because ESPN likely covers that team. It's challenging enough to create a perception of fairness during a game broadcast (That's probably the chief complaint in the mailbag: "ESPN folks hate Team X or Team Y, my team.") But it would be even harder to maintain credibility in the face of a perceived conflict of interest when the stakes get higher.
What if a player dies because an unreasonable coach bullied him into running too far in the August heat? Or an athletic program covers up the criminal activity of its star athletes? ESPN puts such restrictions into the endorsement guidelines because it recognizes that it would strain trust among the audience if even one person were perceived to be "on a team's payroll."

And this is not the first issue facing ESPN about favoritism. ESPN corporate sent a "Do Not Report" memo regarding the Ben Roethlisberger rape case. Reasons abound for their decision not to report it—their excuse was ridiculous and not even worthy to reprint—but its been speculated that if they ran with the story, they would be penalized financially. And who might be in a position to do that? Somebody who might be heavily financially involved with ESPN. The NFL perhaps?

Or as Mike Francesa said:

“Bottom line is ESPN is extremely protective of athletes, especially the ones that do commercials with them. … ESPN, when they are in bed with athletes, they just protect them. We know that. That’s nothing new.”

Naturally, when brought the fact that sports reporters selling shoes or golf balls is inappropriate—or that ESPN reports its news with favoritism towards certain parties and shows favoritism, the reporters got indignant.

"My loyalties are always to ESPN and the job and to basketball," said Jay Bilas, a former Duke basketball player and coach and a longtime network analyst. "I do this because I love basketball. When someone asks me a question, my job is to provide a factual basis for my opinion."

Right. So how about this? ESPN decides to quash a story that looked bad to the King of its ratings? Loyalties indeed.

Maybe this isn't big news. And maybe most fans don't care. But if ESPN wants people to take them seriously—Sports Reporters, Outside the Lines, etc—they need to have to project at least a muon of impartiality in its sports reporting. And their reporters shouldn't have a whiff of favoritism—to Reebok, Nike or whomever.

You're the worldwide leader in sports. And your sports news show is your flagship. Keep it clean.

Time For Posada To Sit

2011-05-03T14:44:00.000-04:00

This is Jorge Posada’s last year in a Yankee uniform as a player—there's no doubt of that. Someday he might make a nice coach, tutoring young catchers and using his stubborn fiery personality to put rookies through their paces. But as an everyday starter, he’s done.

Here in the beginning of May, Posada is batting .150. He has a miniscule .244 OBP and a 74 OPS+. And despite words from Girardi to the contrary, Posada is not looking better at the plate. Yes he did hit 2 meatballs from Justin Verlander, but once Verlander left the game, Posada struck out twice—once with men on 2nd and 3rd, the other time with runners on 1st and 3rd.

Right now the Yankees are in first and can cover Posada because the team as a whole is playing good ball. The Yankees team batting average is down, but their slugging percentage leads the AL and they have 9 more HRs than any other team in the AL. Over the long haul, however—once the season enters the dog days and the Red Sox come back and the Yankees are in a real pennant race, can the Yankees afford to hide Posada in their lineup?

And this is not new news. Posada batted .248 last year. After last year the Yankees brain trust decided to move Posada to full-time DH in an attempt to get him more rest and save his body so he could be fresher at the plate. That hasn’t worked.

Frankly, there is no masking the fact that Posada is 39 and has taken years of battering as a catcher. And the fact that it's taken its toll is self-evident in his play.

And it’s not the fact that he has to “adjust” to being a DH...please. That’s a load of bunk. And its not that he starts slow, ala Mark Teixeira, he doesn’t—over his career, Posada has hit more HRs in April than in any other month, and has batted .271 in April over his career (including this year).

Could this be an extended slump? Sure, anything is possible. But look at the hard facts. You have a 39-year-old catcher who moved to DH, after batting .248 the year before. And in 90 plate appearances over 23 games, said player is bating .150 and has easily had the worst start of his career.

Lucky for Jorge, Derek Jeter is struggling as well—and the Yankee poster boy has taken the attention off his awful start.

Still, when you look at the body of evidence, there's one conclusion. It’s time to sit Jorge Posada. It’s time to bring up Jesus Montero.

After last night’s AAA game, where he went 3 for 5, Montero is batting .373. He’s proven all he needs to down in AAA, t least hitting-wise. And coming up and filling the DH position, the pressure to catch and control a pitching staff is off his shoulders. He can concentrate on adjusting to major league pitching. And Girardi can work him in behind the plate in spot games and in low pressure situations to get him acclimated. But as stated before, the boy can hit and its time to bring him up.

Jorge Posada has 5 rings and has etched his name along the great Yankee catchers of Berra, Dickey and Howard. He has a puncher’s chance at the Hall of Fame. It’s been a great career. But now is the end his time as an everyday player. It’s time to sit Jorge.

Transactions....

2011-05-02T10:30:00.000-04:00

Chris Carter introducing himself to Boise State

Love the Greg McElroy pick by the Jets. He will eventually become a nice no. 2 behind Sanchez.

That said, I'm not sure how they passed on Chris Carter in the 5th round. Carter was a great force at Fresno State, ran a 4.58/40 yard dash, had 11 sacks—7th in the nation—and had 16.5 TFL. He was projected to go in the 3rd round and you had him there sitting in the 5th. And the Jets desperately need a OLB rush linebacker, which is where Carter projects to. Jeremey Kerley is a tiny wide receiver for a AB, Sanchez who's not exactly accurate. And here's Kerley's review in CFN.com

It’s one thing to put a nail in Wyoming’s coffin, but he’s not fast enough make anything big happen on a regular basis in the NFL. He’s quick and can be used as a return man, but he’ll be a disappointing receiver who’ll only be a No. 3.

Just great.

Good to see Brett Gardner working out of his early slump—batting .545 in the last 7 days with a 1.182 slugging percentage and a 1.888 OPS.

And hey, I was very much against the Granderson for Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy trade, and I still feel it was a lot to give up—especially with Kennedy pitching at a 3.93 ERA this year—but credit where credit is due. Curtis is playing really well lately. A 160 OPS+, a .281 BA and 8 HRs. Keep it up Grandy. And great work by hitting coach, Kevin Long. Derek Jeter, are you paying attention—Long can actually help you with your swing. Do what he says.

That foul call on Paul Pierce was a terrible call. Just a terrible call.

My early selection for the team with the best draft selection: The Giants. They got Prince at 19, when most said he would go in the top 12. DT Marvin Austin is a first round talent—taken deep in the 2nd. WR Jerrel Jernigan and OT James Brewer were all expected to go higher and both fill needs. Overall a great draft.

With King Felix pitching a 3.21 ERA, Michael Pineda throwing a 2.01 and Doug Fister throwing a 2.70, how the heck are the Mariners 3 games under .500. Well, i guess it has something to do with them in second to last place in almost every batting statistic—Thanks you Twins! Seriously, with that kind of pitching, which you don't see often, you need to win.

So....Twins. Did you organize a meeting and decide that everyone on the team will have the worst yea of their career? Seriously: Delmon Young, .228 BA, Alexi Casilla, .190 BA, Justin Morneau 225 BA, Michael Cuddyer .226 BA, Jim Thome .214 BA. Last year, the Tins had a team BA of .273, 3rd best in the AL. What the heck happened?

It's really time to leave the program you supposedly love, Jim.

Completely sucks that BC linebacker Mark Herzlich didn't get selected. I have a feeling he's going to regain some more of his athleticism and make teams pay for not taking him.

I feel terrible about the Phil Hughes situation. No 24 year old, with such a promising future should have the circulation problem he's having. Here's hoping he can make it all the way back. The Yankees sure need him.

Just out of curiosity's sake, take a look at the crazy article over at the Hardball Times. It's The Worst Day By Hall of Famers. Fun read.

Jimmy....it's time to step down.

And finally....no better story than this.

Some Draft Thoughts

2011-04-30T08:27:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been a while. Been crazy at work. Anyway...

It's pretty interesting that the Patriots took yet another cornerback at 33 with Akeem Ayers and Brooks Reed sitting there. Thee Patriots have drafted like 400 corners in the last few years, and still they haven't found 2 that they like. Odd.

I think Ryan Mallett is very lucky to go to the Patriots. That situation is going to be best thing for him.

Mason Foster is perfect for the Buccaneers.

In fact, the Bucs did really well for themselves so far.

So has Houston. Watt, Reed and Harris really, really improve that defense.

Christian Ponder is not a number 12 pick. He's not even a first-rounder.

Anthony Castonzo is perfect for the Colts.

Atlanta better be right about Julio Jones. They gave up the farm for him.

James Carpenter? In the first round? Really?

Muhammed Wilson to the Jets is a nice pick. Then Kenrick Ellis in the 3rd, and now the Jets have a young D-line. Now they just need someone to rush the passer.

On the other hands, the Eagles have had some strange picks. Can't say they were my favorite.

And finally, name of the draft so far. Ugo Chinasa. Ugo! Chin ass!

Transactions....

2011-04-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

Has anyone turned it around more than Alex Gordon of the Royals? And look! The Royals have a nucleus to build around.

I know its only 21 games, but boy....suddenly that Jason Werth contract looks really, really long.

So the buzz has the Falcons trying to move up to grab Julio Jones. That would be a really nice move for their offense, but they would have to sell the farm to do it.

Another rumor: The Redskins trading up to the number 2 pick to get Blaine Gabbert...the Redskins better be sure about Gabbert. They need help everywhere and sacrificing a ton of picks to get this kid is a risky, risky move.

Jair Jurrjens is back. Last night he got 13 outs with 43 pitches. And wow, that makes the Braves rotation a totally dominating one. How dominating? Brandon Beachy has the highest ERA of the starting 5. With a 3.68. He has a WHIP of 1.091.

I know Frank Thomas wont be elected to the Hall of Fame for a few years, but I hope his speech is going to be angry and that he rips into the steroid users of his generation. I really do.

The New York Knicks make many, many dumb moves. This was not one of them.

Heard a very, very sad fact. Paul Maholm tied Zach Duke for most career wins at PNC Park with 31. PNC opened in 2001. Wow.

Is Albert Haynesworth trying to make himself the most hated man in sports?

The more I think about it, the more I think that there are going to be a rash of teams trying to trade back into the first round to take some of the QBs. Colin Kirkpatrick or Christian Ponder could be taken by the Bengals, Niners, Titans or Cardinals late in the first round on a trade-up. And the Jets and Steelers could recoup picks.

I think we're going to be seeing more and more of Joe Mauer at DH. At only 28, he's beginning to break down a bit. He's the franchise. You can't risk him back there behind the plate.

Everybody who had the Cleveland Indians 2.5 games ahead in the AL Central, raise your hands. Stop lying.

Do people really care whether Jeter and A-Rod are best buddies? Whether they hang out and watch Die Hard 2 and have beers or whether they don't...it doesn't make one iota of difference.

Could somebody please tell B.J. Upton that all the "potential" he has is bogius, that 2007 was a long time ago and that he is just not a good baseball player.

And finally, this blog hates soccer. Hates it. A lot. But if this is real....this is ridiculous.

Mock Draft

2011-04-23T11:18:00.005-04:00

Panthers shock everyone and take the Alabama DT

I love the draft. I really do. And this year is extra fun because there is no consensus number 1 pick. The year of the defensive lineman, here's my guess at how I think the draft could go.

1. Carolina — Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
Carolina shocks the world! I just don't think they are sold on Cam Newton being the franchsie. Though I could eat my words come Thursday. If they could trade down to say, 4 or 5, they might.

2. Denver — Von Miller, OLB, Texas
The Broncs are sad. The guy they wanted and thought were getting, gets plucked right in front of them. But since they need defense in any way possible they go for the best defensive guy on the board.

3. Buffalo — Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Well, maybe Newton isn't a sure thing, but for a franchise that hasn't been relevant in over a decade, with one foot in Toronto and in need of a impact player, they can't pass up the guy who could revitalize the franchise and fan base.

4. Cincinnati — Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
The Bengals cannot, repeat, can freakin not, go into the season with Dan LeFevour and Jordan Palmer as the only QBs on the roster. And I don't think the Bengals would go after some of the available QBs (McNabb, Kolb). So I think they take the new face of the franchise and let him take his growing pains this season.

5. Arizona — A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
Ken Whisenhunt really wanted Von Miller. Sorry, Ken. And it's too early for OL help, so A.J. Green comes in to help Larry Fitzgerald and whatever QB they end up getting.

6. Cleveland — Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
Colt McCoy needs help. Seriously, the Browns haven't had a dynamic playmaker since Jim Brown. Mike Holmgren starts to get the offense he wants.

7. San Francisco — Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
The Niners could not be happier. Arguably the best player in the draft falls into their lap. And he fits a real need. Perfection.

8. Tennessee — Robert Quinn, DE. North Carolina
No, Quinn is not the most motivated player in the world, but there are goo-gobs of talent somewhere in there. And the Titans need someone to rush the QB.

9. Dallas — Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
The was a tough, tough pick. Tyron Smith makes a lot of sense. But the Cowboy pass defense was aw..aw...awful. The Boys could trade up to the end of round 1 and get Gabe Carimi, Nate Solder or Marcus Cannon. The Prince is too good to pass up.

Castonzo is the best, most ready LT in the draft

10. Indianapolis — TRADE (Washington trades the no. 10 pick to the Indianapolis Colts for their 1st round pick, their 2nd round pick and a conditional 2012 pick)
Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
Washington can get their QB down further. This is way too high for the next QB to go. So they trade with the Colts who need a left tackle they can rely on. Bill Polian hardly ever makes trades, but the core group isn't getting younger—Manning is 35. Tyron Smith may be more gifted, but has never played the left side at all. Castonzo can come in right away and start on the blind side.

11. Houston — J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
Wade Phillips is installing the 3-4 in Houston and gets the perfect player to anchor the DE spot.

12. Minnesota — Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
Too early to take a QB and they could probably pick one up in the 2nd round. That's of course, assuming Donovan McNabb isn't in town. In any event, Nick Fairley—a one-time Top 2 pick—wins the Slippery Slider Award and gets plugged into the spot Pat Williams is leaving.

13 Detroit — DaQuan Bowers, DE, Clemson
It seems like the entire planet has the Lions taking an OT here. But I have a gut instinct that Jim Schwartz wants to build the defense more. DaQuan Bowers, the best rush end falls into their lap—it's just too good to pass up for old Jim. Pairing him with Suh. A dream.

14. St. Louis — Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
The Rams gave up 4.5 yards per carry. Spags does not like. Also, Liuget is a quick penetrating tackle, perfect for Spags style of defense.

15. Miami — Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
Everyone has the Dolphins going with Ingram. And they are right. Makes too much sense not to take him here. Strong, smart, sophisticated back with nice shifts and power to pass-block. Helps the Fins immediately.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars — Alden Smith, DE, Missouri
The Jags only had 26 sacks last season, 2nd worst in the league. They get the best pure pass rusher left on the board to drop onto their D-line.

17. New England — Tyron Smith, OT, USC
The frickin' rich get richer. Sitting still at 17, the Pats get the most athletic OT in the draft. Damn Belichek.

18. San Diego — Muhammed Wilkins DT/DE, Temple
Too early to take a WR—probably will try to sign Braylon Edwards or someone else to fill that need. Instead they take the perfect D-lineman for them. Wilkins can play anywhere along the line and is strong, strong, strong. A lot of mocks have them taking a rush LB. Not sure why, the Chargers had 47 sacks last season—2nd best in the league.

19. New York Giants—Mike Pouncey, OL, Florida
The G-Men should have taken an OL guy last year. Diehl, O'Hara and Seubert are dinged up and all on the wrong side of 30. Mike Pouncey, taking over the LG spot could give the line a jolt of youth and punch.

20. Tampa Bay—Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
Like their Florida brethren, the Jags, the Bucs are looking for pass rushing. Ryan Kerrigan's teammates called him Superman—he ran a 4.67 (.5 seconds off the best DE) and benched 31 reps (second best for DE after Watt). Kerrigan joins the Bucs young defensive tackles and can help the pass rush.

21. Kansas City — Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
Strong, tough and athletic. Would fit either on right side or possibly the left side for the Chiefs o-line. OC Bill Muir will appreciate Carimi immediatly.

22. Washington — Jake Locker, QB, Washington
Washington needs help everywhere. Really. The interior of their O-line is awful—the 3rd worst run game and 46 sacks. After Orakpo, the next best sacker on the team had 2.5 sacks—The Andre Carter Show has mercifully been cancelled. But Shanahan needs a QB to coach. Locker probably reminds him a bit of Jake Plummer. Locker is not an immediate starter, but Shanahan probably feels he's the guy to get Locker on the right track.

23. Atlanta — TRADE (Atlanta trades their 1st, 3rd, and 5th round picks to the Philadelphia Eagle for the 23rd pick.)
Cameron Jordan — DE, California
Cameron Jordan has slipped a bit. But no more. Atlanta leapfrogs their rival Saints to grab the most complete DE left on the board.

24. New Orleans — Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
The Saints shrug towards the Falcons trade and grab the Iowa product who can do it all. A slightly disappointing senior year drops Clayborn down a bit, but the Falcons will love his motor.

25. Seattle — Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
Local boy Jake Locker might have been a nice story for the Hawks, but the truth is they need O-line help more. The Seahawks had a putrid 3.7 yards per carry last season and seemed to enjoy watching Matt Hassleback get pounded. Danny Watkins is a possibility, but Solder is too athletic and promising for the Hawks to pass up.

26. Baltimore — Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
The Ravens really need a WR and a CB. There is no WR worth this spot, but CB Jimmy Smith is a possibility. But the truth is the Baltimore pass rush is not what it used to be. After Terrell Suggs no linebacker had more than 2 sacks. Ayers is fluid and quick off the snap, and while not the fastest burner, he knows how to make plays behind the line. Ayers also has 6 INTs and had 7 forced fumbles.

27. Philadelphia — Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
The Eagles will look hard at Danny Watkins—the Eagles gave up 49 sacks last season—but truth is defenses are gonna sack Vick—just a fact. And Ellis Hobbs retired and Asante Samuel just turned 30. It's time for the Eagles to restock the corners—Smith is the consensus 3rd best corner and a nice pick for the Eagles. Texas's Aaron Williams is a possibilty as well.

28. Dallas — TRADE ( Dallas trades their 2nd round pick and the 2012 1st rounder for New England's 28th pick)
Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi
The Boys need to leapfrog the Bears who are sure to grab Sherrod with the next pick—they absolutely need to. Their O-line is aging and they need to protect the Romo-franchise. So they take a veteran LT who blocked in the SEC for 3 years. He can move the 320-lb Doug Free to his more natural RT spot and protect Romo for the next 10 years.

29. Chicago — Danny Watkins, OG/OT, Baylor
The Bears need a OT like my baby needs a clean diaper...which is to say, they really need an OT. They gave up 56 sacks last season and averaged 3.9 yards per carry. The overaged Danny Watkins is tough and played LT at Baylor. Only 6'3", Watkins isn't the ideal LT, but he won All-Big 12 honors and graded out high as a LT. And the Bears can't be picky right now.

30. Houston — TRADE (Houston trades it's 2nd round pick, it's 4th round pick and a conditional pick in the 2012 draft to the New York Jets for the 30th pick.)
Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
Houston needs a CB desperately. Kareem Jackson was a disappointment last year and the other corner is Glover Quin. Ooof. Aaron Williams is a tall, fast CB/S that can fill in multiple positions in the sad Houston secondary. The Texans jump the Steelers who needed a CB for themselves. The Jets reclaim a 2nd round pick and can get the defensive help they need later in the draft.

31. Pittsburgh — Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor

The Steelers look at Brandon Harris and Ras-I Dowling, but remember they need to repair an aging front 3. Casey Hampton is 33 and has been taking a pounding in the middle of the pile for a long, long time. Taylor can come in, learn from the best and take over in a year or 2.

32. Green Bay — Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona
2 blonde long-haired barbarian looking dudes trying to smash opposing QBs. It's too good to pass up. Reed, big, fast (1.54-second 10-yard split) takes the other side from Clay Matthews and gets the keys to the quarterback. Justin Houston and Cameron Heyward are potentials as well and Kyle Rudolph is a dark horse, but Reed, the complete package at OLB makes the most sense.

And that's the first round. And one last thing. The guy you see below is Mark Herzlich. A sure 1st-round pick 2 years ago, this kid got cancer...then kicked its ass. Herzlich worked out constantly as he was going through chemo—that word again was "chemo" and the other words were "worked out while going through"—and came back to start for the BC Eagles last year. Somebody has to take this kid. If he can sack cancer, he can sack opposing QBs.

Friday Five (Today, it's Seven)

2011-04-22T09:03:00.000-04:00

OK, today I'm going to give you an athlete changed name, and you have to give the original name.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

2. Marvelous

3. World B. Free

4. Pele

5. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

6. Tiger

And for good measure....Macho Man

Is Cam Newton Really A Number 1 Pick?

2011-04-21T14:21:00.001-04:00

Back in January after auburn won it all and people started thinking about the upcoming draft, most prognosticators and scouts had Cam Newton as a 1st round pick—not near the top, more like in the 20th pick range. In fact, on January 6th, Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly—when discussing the Panthers options after Andrew Luck opted to stay in school—dismissed Cam Newton in 2 sentences.

Cam Newton is a terrific athlete, but is he a sure thing as a QB?....That's why I think it's far more likely the Panthers will look at other positions.

Since then, Newton's stock has risen and risen and risen till now everyone has him as the top pick come next Thursday. Heck, all 4 guys at Sportsline.com picked Newton to go first.

If you watched Auburn at all this season, you can see why teams are high on him. And if you haven't, just check out some of the scouting reports—they are practically pornographic in their depiction of Newton's athletic attributes.

"Physical marvel."
"Can make all the throws with ease."
"Elite size and athletic ability."
"Outstanding natural athleticism and is very smooth."

Newton can scramble and run, throw a 50-yard spiral and can take/deliver a hit. He's the total package, physically.

It's the other part of the equation that raises the most questions—the mental and technical aspects, that bother people. 1st off, Auburn runs a 1-read and run system, which worked great down in the SEC, but in the pros...not so much with the success.

Also, instead of constantly being in a shotgun offense where he gets to see the defense right away, Newton will have to learn to take the snap and drop back and read the defense and his progressions—something that probably wont be easy against a Rex Ryan or Dick Lebeau defense.

And college quarterbacks who played in the spread option system, a shotgun system designed to take decision-making away from the QB, and base them on the offense design, haven't fared too well.

And its not just me saying it. Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun, a former NFL quarterbacks coach (hat tip to Smartfootball.com) is quoted as saying this about college spread QBs:

"And then they find it's tough to take that full drop behind center, a five- or seven-step drop, because at that level, in the NFL, the ball has to be released immediately without taking a gather or a hitch step. Guys just aren't able to get the ball out when it has to be released."

Gary Kubiak said this:

"Quarterbacks in this league don't play that deep (in the backfield) so it's an adjustment and one that can take some time. They have to see it more quickly and they have to do while having the footwork to get back from center, set up and throw."

Now wait a minute...what are the 2 knocks on Newton?

Seems content to short step throws and get rid of the football before the pressure is able to reach him, causing his accuracy and ball location at times to suffer...He also will get lethargic with his footwork at times...—National Football Post

• Raw footwork and operated primarily out of shotgun
• A tendency to get sloppy with mechanics at times
• Touch, timing and anticipation are all merely average—NFLDraftCountdown.com

...an option-type offense who rarely uses good footwork...his accuracy looks better than it would in a traditional offense because he is often throwing to receivers who are completely wide-open...Newton rarely had to go through his progressions in Auburn's offense. Most of the time he just caught the snap and made quick throws to wideouts behind or at the line of scrimmage—Sporting News

Played in a simplified, run-first, dive-option read offense with very basic high-low reads. Worked exclusively out of the gun and was very quick to run at the first flash of coverage. Limited field vision — does not process the passing game. Inconsistent throwing mechanics with a flick delivery — generates all of his power from his upper-body strength and too often arms the ball. Streaky passer with spotty accuracy. Makes his receivers work hard and throws into coverage.—Pro Football Weekly

So NFL coaches say the most necessary attributes a college spread quarterback needs to succeed in the NFL are 1. Good footwork and mechanics & 2. Quick field vision.

Eeep.

Now, this isn't to say that the Panthers shouldn't take him with the number 1 pick. If they feel that they can coach him up, or tailor an offense to work with his strengths, then more power to them.

And this is not to say that Newton won't be a great NFL player. He led the Tigers to the National Championship and he has all the physical tools to be a champ in the NFL—a howitzer arm and the ability to extend plays and/or run. That said, guys drafted primarily for their great arms and/or athleticism (Kyle Boller, JaMarcus Russell, Jeff George) haven't always fared too well.

This is just to say that when you are taking the number one pick in the draft, and are giving millions of dollars to a guy who will have your franchise put on his shoulders, you'd want that player to be as problem-free as possible.

Best of luck to you, Carolina.

Analyzing Brett Gardner's Hitting Troubles

2011-04-19T10:34:00.001-04:00

When investing into Brett Gardner's problems, one stat really jumps out at you. Gardner, after batting .287 against righties last year, is only batting a .105 against them this year.

But even more telling is what Mark Simon found out, in a excellent article on ESPN back in March. Last year, against righties, before he was hit by a pitch on June 21st, Gardner had an awesome .421 OBP. Afterwards, it dipped to .353.

What happened? Well, according to a heat map Simon uses, basically, Gardner stopped hitting the low and away pitch. The heat map shows that Gardner, except for the up and in pitch, was pretty effective in more batting zones pre-injury. Post-injury, righties began to throw low and away. And get him out.

And that trend has continued. The Fox Sports graphic to the left shows that while Gardner has actually been good this year on the up and in pitches and pitches towards the center of the plate, low pitches and outside pitches have rendered him ice-cold.And pitchers know that.

What happened to Gardner when he got injured? Who knows? Whatever it was, it changed his swing, and its still affecting him. Yesterday, Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long said they spotted a mechanical flaw in Gardner's swing.

"He is not trying to lift the ball at all, it has more to do with what he is not doing with the lower half," Long said of the ice- cold Gardner, who wasn't in the lineup last night against Rangers lefty Matt Harrison. "He isn't using the lower half. And he is looking at pitches and expanding the zone more than usual. He has been feeling for his swing."

"Not trying to lift the ball." "Not using his lower half." That sounds like Gardner couldn't get the low outside pitch because his swing was flat because his legs weren't under him. Hopefully, whatever Long found is the cure. Because the Yankees could use the guy who was batting .321 at the end of June last year, with the .821 OPS. Badly.

Transactions....

2011-04-18T12:48:00.000-04:00

Knicks. How the heck could you leave RAY freakin' ALLEN that open on that play. It's Ray Allen, one of the best pure shooters of his generation. Even with Garnett's illegal elbow, you still mirror that guy in that situation. I mean look at the photo. That hand running at him is amazingly late getting to him.

And speaking of crap defense. Lakers. You guys do remember that you have to play, right? I mean when Jarret Jack and Aaron Gray combine for 10-11 shooting and combine for 27 points, you ain't playing no defense, guys.

Their owner is borrowing money to cover salaries, and they are already 5.5 games behind the Rockies. if this does indeed turn out to be a down year for the Dodgers, how big do you think the fire sale would be? Do you think they would trade Matt Kemp rather than pay him epic bucks this offseason? Andre Either?

Same question for the Twins. If this does turn out to be a down year for the Twins, do you think they begin the fire sale? How about Carl Pavano or Scott Baker to a contender? What about Denard Span and his reasonable contract which runs through 2014?

I wasn't the biggest fan of ESPN's Gruden QB Grill, but it sure was telling how bad Cam Newton responded to Grunden's question about playcalling. At one point, Newton even complains that Gruden is putting him on the spot. Take a look. Jake Locker and Ryan Mallet had to diagram and break down plays...newton couldn't even give the terminology for a play they ran at Auburn.

Still almost every mock draft has Cam Newton going first. All I can say is the Panthers better know exactly what they are getting, be prepared to coach him up hard and tailor the offense to what Newton does best.

The Yankee Analysts had a good comment today about Brett Gardner.

"I’m a big Brett Gardner supporter, but he’s off to an almost remarkably bad start. That said, he’s still not even the worst LF in the AL East right now- that would be a Mr. Carl Crawford (.137/.185/.157/Yikes). I guess Andrew Jones is the best solution if the Yankees can’t get Gardner going anytime soon."

Epic agree. A platoon between these 2 guys might not be the worst idea, at least for a while.

So Curtis Granderson....how's that improved swing?

Interesting mock draft by the guys at Cold Hard Football Facts. They put Jerome Beal and Sam Acho in the first round and knock on Julio Jones and Blaine Gabbert. Beal and Acho don't make Rob Rang's Top 50 and to CFN.com, Beal is the number 10 OLB and Acho is the number 11 DE. To the National Football Post, Acho is the number 16 DE and Beal is the number 27. Wow.

You're a potential Top 10 pick, and you're interviewing for millions of dollars and you do this?

Just a hunch. The first trade of the season. Jose Reyes to the Brewers for prospects.

Think Grady Sizemore knows it's his big contract year?

Pssst. Albert's back.......uh oh.

I wonder if something is wrong with King Felix. His ERA is 4.33 and his H/9 is way up to 9.7. But according to Fangraphs.com he is throwing his change almost 23% of the time. Also he is throwing his curve 16% of the time and is throwing both his 4-seamer and 2-seamer a lot less. His speed is down a little across the board, but not frightfully so. This is just speculation, but when his WHIP is way up, his Ks are down, so the question could be there.

How can the National Football Post give the Steelers at pick 31 Mark Ingram. That would be the silliest pick in a decade for the Steelers, especially with the help they need first on the O-line and secondly on the D-line. And at CB.

Maybe they are still under .500, but the Pirates are sure fun to watch. Have a look whenever they're on.

And lastly, for those who haven't seen hit. Here's Justin Verlander's brain fart on the mound—one of the funniest balks I've ever seen.

Why Mock?

2011-04-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, today I got a rerun. It's from a few years back and it's about mock drafts and all the crazy geeks—like me—who take such pleasure in doing it. It's one of my favorites and I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

In an episode of the TV show Sports Night, the character Dan Rydell, an anchorman in the eponymous show, poses the question while reporting the NFL Draft, "Why should we care?" For an athlete, being selected as a 1st round pick as opposed to being picked in the second round represents a difference of millions of dollars....so the athletes definitely care. But why should we care—we couch potato sports fans who will never see the field of play in an NFL game let only the money—at all?

Why do we care so passionately if some young linebacker from BYU ends up going to the Colts at the end of round 2, or to Carolina in a trade-up in the middle of round 3? Why do some of us spend useless hours writing up drafts, months and months before the actual draft takes place? Why do we then post it to a message board only to have another mock draft fanatic hurl abuses at us for our stupidity? And when the actual draft day comes, none of our picks is anywhere close to the target. The futility is limitless.

And it’s not just the layman who’s questioning the passion for the draft. Professional sportswriters (including some who work for ESPN, the host of the draft) are not just expressing confusion over the Draft’s popularity, they are outright claiming that it’s stupid, boring and pointless. Mike Lupica has repeatedly ripped the NFL Draft both in print and on ESPN’s The Sports Reporters. On February 20th of this year, George L. Jones of the Selma Times-Journal published his “top 5 reasons to hate the draft,” which has since made the rounds on the Internet. And Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post wrote: “I hate the NFL draft. I realize that saying anything against the draft amounts to blasphemy, but somebody's got to do it…. I love pro football, but I hate the draft. I hate being asked, ‘Who is so-and-so going to take’ because not only do I not know, I don't care.”

The Super Bowl? Hah.
Here’s a statistic. Last year's NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers had an estimated average viewing audience of just under 9 million people per game. By comparison, over 30 million people watched the 2008 draft. Bizarre, no? Because while the NFL Draft is fantastically long—two full days, clocking in at over sixteen hours—not one point is scored. The draft is homework rather than great hits, paper-shuffling rather than explosive breakaway runs. It's 2 full days of "sports entertainment" that doesn't have a football, a field, or a scoreboard. What it has is men putting names on a bulletin board. It has the assistant NFL Commissioner and little-known kids dressed up in suits and caps.

Yet, ESPN broadcasts each and every second of it, up to and including the final, 7th round. And, those 30 million people at home, more likely than not, are on the web commenting on each of the selections on NFL message boards while thumbing through magazines covering draft prospects and with full mock drafts sold by Street & Smiths, Lindy's, The Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly and ESPN (among others) for eight dollars or more. For the truly obsessive draft fan, the Ourlads.com "complete draft package" is available for “only” $55.00.

The NFL Draft, according to CNNsi.com’s Tim Layden, “…is the biggest sporting event in America.” He adds:

“It is not a two-day event. It's a three-month event. NFL Nation (that's everybody) begins talking about the draft before the Super Bowl broadcast signs off.”

From early February into late April, fans talk endlessly about the draft, watch and listen to shows about the draft and hammer Web sites devoted to the draft. In March, I went to dinner with a group of New York Giants' fans who worship football, the Jints and the draft. Great guys, all of them. But I've got to say, their knowledge of the draft was vaguely scary.

The hype is endless from the dead of winter into the middle of spring. Give me another event that can match this. The Super Bowl? Hah. Two weeks of hype. Period.

But why? Sixteen hours of conference room tables and talking heads trying to fill the dead time between picks does not sound like the recipe for thrilling sports entertainment. Yet somehow it is.

Why Would You Want To Do That?
For years and years, the NFL Draft took place in a nondescript hotel conference room filled with cigar-chomping men who looked like overweight Mike Ditkas and the results were published in the newspapers the next week or so, if anybody cared.

Then in 1980, ESPN, a fledgling new network that needed something, anything, sports-related to broadcast, saw the perfect time-eater in the NFL Draft. ESPN figured, while the draft was definitely not scintillating TV, it filled a lot of hours, and it was better than high school curling, which took up most of ESPN's broadcasting at that time. So they went to then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and asked for permission to broadcast the NFL Draft in its entirety. Rozelle said, "Why would you want to do that?"

Funny thing happened though. This event that no one ever thought to broadcast and defies every logical tenet of sports entertainment—there's no competition, no violence, no drama—became a phenomenon. A cult audience grew. And grew. And then grew some more. Soon, people were waiting outside all night for a chance to watch the draft, live. By the end of the 80s, loud, raucous groups of fans (many of them, irate Jet fans who always hate whatever pick their team makes—usually with reason) came to cheer and jeer. Niche experts gained a niche popularity, building entire enterprises based solely on this one day. No one is more famous to draft fans, or “draftniks,” for his prognostications than Mel Kiper, the bouffant-sculpted 30-year guru of the NFL Draft.

It Started Out As A Hobby
How does one become a guru of a noncompetitive wing of a violent and popular sport? During an interview with ESPN, Mel Kiper explained how we got started:

I was a big fan of the NFL and college football. I saw the impact of the draft then. It was the only way you could improve your football team from year to year. There was no free agency, there were very few trades.

I always thought, if this is the only way to increase your talent base, there should be huge interest in this. I thought any college or NFL fan should crave the kind of information that I was interested in. The GM of the Baltimore Colts at that time, Ernie Accorsi, was a good friend of mine, and he basically encouraged me. He told me that fans would crave that type of information, that I should take it public and turn it into a business.

And Kiper was not alone. The late, great Joel Buchsbaum of Pro Football Weekly became involved with the draft even earlier than Kiper. In the early 70s, Buchsbaum was set on following in his father's footsteps and becoming an attorney. That is, until his hobby of writing scouting reports on college football players—imitating the scouting reports of Carl and Pete Marasco in Pro Football Weekly—eventually took over, and he left his career path to follow the NFL Draft full-time. As Buchsbaum later said: "It started out as a hobby and became a job."

And for thousands and thousands of people out there, the NFL draft is not just a hobby, but a job. And for some, it’s not just a job, but an obsession. Google "NFL Mock Draft" and you'll see that there are thousands of sites—featuring mock drafts, personal opinions and more—all amateurly run, all for little more than the love of the draft.

I think after the Super Bowl, it's the second biggest event, not just in the NFL, but in sports.

So says Scott Wright, owner and sole proprietor of www.draftcountdown.com, the world's most popular NFL Draft site. The site is completely free as well, which is amazing, considering that Wright maintains the site as a full-time job, year-round. That's right, all year round. The day after this year’s NFL Draft, Wright's site will begin the march to the 2010 NFL Draft (if it hasn't started already). For Wright, the NFL Draft is not just a hobby, it's his career.

I just became interested in it in high school, started messing around, making my own site. And it took off from there. Now I get to say, I get to work on the NFL Draft full-time.

Colin Lindsay of www.gbnreport.com also works full-time on his own NFL Draft web site. He started following the draft because: "...in the late 1970s there was absolutely no coverage of the actual draft up here in Canada, so I would take a day or two of annual leave from my job, but still go into the office, spread out my rating sheets and call the old sports ticker every 5-10 minutes to get the latest picks and followed the draft pick by pick that way."

Both Lindsay and Wright know that they aren't alone in their interest in the Draft and it's popularity. Lindsay says, "The interest in the draft is very real; indeed, it's become a year round thing, and for a lot of sports fans draft weekend has become the #2 'holiday' on the calendar after Christmas."

Those Who Can't
So still the question remains: Why would so many people devote such time over what is essentially a job fair? Says Lindsay:

I believe for many sports fans the NFL draft provides the best opportunity to play along at being GM for a day---and how many NFL fans don't fantasize about being general manager of their particular team.

Is that it? A fantasy football-like "Let's Pretend we're a GM." Perhaps. Instead of pretending to be Peyton Manning or Brian Urlacher, people are pretending to be Mike Tannenbaum or Scott Pioli. With fantasy football's popularity and the growing communities on the web of amateurs, "draftniks" abound on the web.

One such draftnik is Robert Bryant who not only follows the NFL Draft on a self-run web site, but on two. Bryant owns and runs NFLDraftDog.com as well as NFL-Draft-Site.com, both comprehensive sites that he frequently updates in addition to having a full-time job as a police officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He writes on his site that he: "...personally scouts NFL Draft prospects by analyzing hours upon hours of game film and has multiple contacts within the industry, including current and former NFL Scouts, coaches, current and former players, experienced sports writers and other Draftniks."

There's that old much-abused saying, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." Perhaps there's something in that for the draftniks. Since Wright and Lindsay and Buchsbaum and Kiper and Bryant and the 30 million other people who watch the draft can't run a 4.3 40-yard dash or throw a laser spiral into triple coverage, to become a part of the game they love, they do what they can do. And that is, obsessively watch game after game after game, analyze, form strong opinions of what they see, and pretend that they have a say in the future of their team.

So this April, old men, young men, fat men, thin men, all sorts of “men who can’t” will sit around, either in New York City at the actual draft, or on their couches in front of their TVs, or on their computers linked to other “men who can’t,” all cheering or booing, full of opinions and tirades, and watch hour after hour to see if their teams pick the way they guessed they would, trying to be a part of the sport they love.

And what’s wrong with that?

It's Not The Velocity: Why Can't Phil Hughes Throw A Change-up?

2011-04-14T14:26:00.001-04:00

Here's Phil not throwing a change-up.

Read the local papers and everyone is worried about Phil Hughes' velocity. Even Phil Hughes.

I'm not worried. No, what worries—or rather—my main problem with Phil Hughes has been his reluctance to add a meaningful change-up to his arsenal.

Look at A.J. Burnett last night. He threw 16 changeups last night—for him that's a ton. And last night, without his best knucklecurve, being able to go to his change-up 16 times—and getting some swings and misses—was huge. Hey, look! A.J. has a 3rd go-to pitch!

Hughes doesn't. Which was fine when he was an 8th inning guy. Coming in for an inning, like he did in 2009, Hughes could uncork his heater/cutter and let it fly. Which he did. And then he could change the hitters timing with a nice curve and basically that was all he needed. In 2009, as the 8th inning guy, his K/9 ratio was 10.05. He didn't need his change and as a result, that season he threw it only 0.6% of the time.

And it also worked fine for the 1st half of last year—those pitches were so good it got Hughes to the All-Star game. But then batters caught on. And then Hughes couldn't get strike 3. When batters figured out there was no change-of-pace pitch coming, they could foul off his pitches until a mistake came their way.

Want proof? Since batters figured Hughes out halfway through last season, his ERA is over 5.00. Batters' contact percentage has climbed through the roof and Hughes' SwStr percentage has steadily dropped. Not having a change-of-speed pitch has made him predictable and has rendered his other pitches less effective Hughes.

Let's use Ian Kennedy as an example. Coming out of USC, Baseball America said that Kennedy's best pitch was his fastball, and with the Yankees, he didn't rely on his change-up that much. And it showed. However, since being traded to the Diamondbacks, Kennedy has refined his change-up and used it over 18% of the time last season. In fact, its so good its become his strikeout pitch. Fangraphs rated it as a 16.4 wCH—good for 5th best in the game. And as a result, his WHIP dropped to 1.201.

So, what the heck, Phil? You've got a popping fastball, a nice complimentary curveball. What's with not developing a good change and committing to it? CC Sabathia, for all his power pitcher reputation threw his change over 17% of the time last year. King Felix threw it 16% last year. Heck, even Ivan Nova is committed to using his change. Yet you only use it less than 3% of the time.

So, no I'm not worried about the lack of velocity. That'll come back. It's the not trying to learn an offspeed pitch that bothers me.

Sheff Special? Does Gary Sheffield Get Into The Hall of Fame?

2011-04-13T12:27:00.000-04:00

Since he announced his retirement, there have been a slew of articles debating whether Gary Sheffield deserves to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. And perhaps no other potential candidate has brought such a polarizing argument with him to this question. Sheffield, you loved him or hated him. But as for his qualifications for Cooperstown, let’s take an in-depth look.

First, he has some really nice numbers. He has 509 HRs, 9 above the standard cut-off line for HOF consideration. He has a lifetime slugging percentage of .514. His 4737 total bases are good for 27th all-time. His 1676 RBIs are good for 25th all-time.

On the other hand, he never won the MVP. He won a batting title once. Sheffield was an All-Star 9 times. By comparison, the 3 people Baseball-Reference compares him to the most, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson and Mel Ott, each earned 14, 14 and 11 All-Star appearances, respectively. His contemporary Ken Griffey went 13 times. And after 22 seasons, his lifetime WAR of 63.3 puts him behind Reggie Smith, Bobby Grinch and Kenny Lofton.

And unlike other all-time greats, Sheff showed up small when it mattered most. In 202 postseason at bats, Sheff had a .248 BA and a .398 slugging percentage. Mr. October, in contrast, had a .278 BA and a .528 slugging percentage; Griffey; .290 and .590; Ott, .295 and .525.

A lot of guys, Sheffield included, would say regarding the Hall, “Look at the numbers.” Howard Medgal, for instance, makes the case that Sheffield’s numbers make him Hall-worthy. Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson are both worthy comparisons, he says. And that’s fine, but just comparing numbers is also reductive. Numbers don’t exist in a vacuum and have to be considered in the context of how they were achieved. Harmon Killebrew hit 573 HRs in an era where 32 HRs in a season might make you league leader. Are 500 home runs now the same as it was in the 60s? Is Ken Boyer winning the MVP in 1964 with a .295 batting average, 24 HRs and a .489 slugging (basically Robby Ventura’s 1995 season—no MVP votes) the same as it is now, with Josh Hamilton earning the award last year with a .359 BA, 32 HRs in 133 games and a .633 slugging percentage. Would you weigh them the same? Of course not. You need the context of a player’s career to judge them.

So...how did Sheff achieve his numbers? Let’s see how by taking a look Sheffield’s career and how his numbers/play how helped the team he was on.

A good comparison to start with might be Reggie Jackson. Reggie himself was a flamboyant character who moved around from team to team. But when Jackson moved to a new team, what happened? He brought championships with him. As “the straw that stirs the drink,” Reggie won 5 World Championships and 6 pennants. In Jackson’s first real year as an Athletic, the A’s won 20 more games than the previous year. His first year as a Yankee the Yankees won the World Series. His first year as an Angel, the team went from 5th to first place and a playoff berth.

Further, Jackson batted a preposterous .357 and slugged .755 in 27 World Series games and had a postseason career average of .278 with a .527 slugging percentage. As stated previously, Sheff batted .248 with a .398 slugging percentage in the postseason. Sheff’s play in the postseason does not represent his finest hours.

Jackson led the league in home runs 4 times to Sheffield’s 0. Jackson led the league in adjusted OPS+ 4 times to Sheffield’s once. Jackson led the league in extra base hits and adjusted batting wins twice. Never for Gary. Mr. October was larger than life and the Hall was an obvious destination for him.

So how about a contemporary of Sheffield’s—where the context of numbers would share common ground? Ken Griffey made the postseason 4 times during his career—including late in his career, when injuries had made him an empty shell of himself. Still, in those 4 series, Griffey slugged .580 and batted .290. During his career, Griffey was an MVP (Sheffield never was), a 13-time All-Star (to Sheffield’s 9), a 10-time Golden Glove (Sheffield never won one), led the league in WAR twice (Sheffield never did that), led the league in total bases twice (to Sheffield’s once) and led the league 4 times in home runs (Sheffield never did that, either). Also, during his injury-plagued career, Griffey topped 40 HRs 7 times, including 50 twice. Sheff only hit the 40-mark twice.

How about another contemporary? Alex Rodriguez is a 3-time MVP, a 13-time all-star, has 2 Gold Gloves, led the league in WAR 6 times, led the league in total bases 4 times and led the league in HRs 5 times. Gary...well, didn’t.

OK, so let’s not just take Sheffield’s number flatly, but consider how he earned them. For instance, Sheffield’s 9 All-Star years? Two times were when he was with the power-hitting Yankees in 2004 and 2005, with A-Rod and Hideki Matsui batting directly behind him, protecting him (A-Rod was MVP in 2005, Matsui a 2004 all-star). One was when he was with Atlanta, the best hitting club in the NL that year—with a .286 club BA—and with Chipper and Andruw Jones behind him. In 1992, Sheffield’s first all-star appearance, he had Fred McGriff and his 35 HRs batting behind him. With the Dodgers, Sheffield was protected by Eric Karros (33 HRs), Raul Mondesi (34 HRs) and Shawn Greene (44 HRS). Sheffield’s 1996 season was genuinely great, even with Jeff Conine behind him with his 26 HRs. Who protected Adrian Gonzalez last year—Scott Hairston? Who’s protected Shin-Soo Choo the past 2 years when he was 9th and 5th in adjusted OPS+?

Point being, Sheffield was a violent fastball hitter, and had a lot of protection over the years. Do the math...Sheff saw a lot of fastballs around the strike zone. Not that he wasn’t a great hitter, but the fact that he needed protection, and relied on other hitters, is not something entirely worthy of a Hall of Famer. Batting 3rd, where he mostly did for his career, Sheffield had a .530 slugging percentage and a 297 BA. But drop Sheffield down to 5th in the order, where he would be less protected by a good batter behind him, and his slugging percentage drops to .406 and his BA drops to .263.

Again, by comparison, Alex Rodriguez has a .602 slugging percentage batting 3rd, and when he drops to 5th in the order, where he would be less protected, his slugging percentage rises to .641. The same goes for the guy baseball-reference.com says is the best comparison to Sheffield, Mel Ott. Ott’s slugging percentage rises from a .532 when he bats 3rd (.307 BA) to a .555 batting 5th (.313 BA). Reggie Jackson’s average does drop 18 points when moved from 3rd to 5th, but his slugging percentage only dips to .476. Same thing for Adrian Gonzalez. Batting third his numbers are: .279 BA, .502 slugging. batting down at 5th, his numbers are: .313, and .552.

Now, often batters with less protection have their numbers go down. But a guy who was supposed to be one of the best of his generation—”the best player on every team he played on” (Sheffield actually said this; more on this later)—shouldn’t be a guy so dependent on protection in the lineup. He’s the guy who—no matter what, no matter where—is supposed to produce.

How about the question of is he a leader? Did Sheffield lead his team to victories, championships? Was he a winner?

For all of Sheffield’s excellent numbers, his career never really amounted to increased wins. In Milwaukee, in San Diego, throughout his career, Sheffield’s presence brought either a reduced amount of wins, or a generally flat team record from the year before. Medgal then states, “But let’s not mistake him for a player who prevented his team from winning. Sheffield played for the 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins, then made five straight postseasons with Atlanta and New York from 2002-2006.” But is Sheffield really to credit for that? In point of fact, the year they won the championship, the Marlins owed less of the thanks to Sheffield—Sheff only batted .250 and hit only 21 HRS in 133 games their World Series year, and his slugging percentage dropped 150 points from the previous year—than they did to the players they rented to win it all—Moises Alou, Alex Fernandez, Bobby Bonilla, Kevin Brown. Both Moises Alou and Charles Johnson were All-Stars that season and got MVP consideration, Sheffield didn’t.

Sheff’s time with subsequent teams followed a pattern—brought in to great fanfare, some nice numbers, no championships, and a hoopla of controversy and a one-way ticket out of town...ASAP.

In fact, the most curious aspect as we analyze Gary Sheffield’s career is that, for a player with potential Hall of Fame credentials, Sheffield was traded 5 times, and played for a total of 8 teams in a 22-year career (one every 2.75 seasons). Unusual to say the least for one of the move “among the best players of his era and among arguably the best of all time.” While most HOF players are considered precious and too valuable to let go and don’t, if ever—Frank Thomas, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey, Albert Pujols—Gary was moved/let go often. Very often.

And anyone who knows baseball knows why Sheffield was moved so often—and the reason he is such a polarizing figure in the sport—his attitude as a ball player and as a teammate.

Never a wallflower, Sheff was famous for arguments—violent and otherwise—with management, other players and fans. Sheff’s attitude went beyond the angry “I don’t give a F---” that many other athletes have had. Instead, it was pridefully antagonistic and purposely off-putting. Sheff seemed to deliberately exude “We’re gonna do everything my way, or I’m gonna make you regret it. One way or another.”

Sheff played hard when he wanted to. And when he did it was exactly one way: hard. Headstrong, more MMA fighter than baseball player, his swing shouted, “I’m going to crush everything.” And Sheffield was never one to adjust his game at all. If a pitcher was throwing soft, hard, curves, 4-seamers, knucklers...whatever—Sheff swung the same—absurdly hard. No adjustment. Ever. Sheff just didn’t believe in adjustments.

It was the same with his fielding. For example, say, Carl Crawford was on 2nd base and a grounder made its way to Sheff out in right field. No matter what—hell, high water, locusts...Sheff would throw home to try to get the fastest man in baseball out, the batter moving to second be damned.

And it was this attitude—the Sheff gotta take care of Sheff first, the team later (“If I don’t take care of myself, who will?”)—that drove him out of a lot of towns. Put it this way—consider who Gary Sheffield was traded for by the Dodgers, when he was at the peak of his career: the immortal trio of Andrew Brown, Brian Jordan and Odalis Perez. How about the trade that sent him from the Yankees to the Tigers—look at the haul the Yankees got for Sheffield: Kevin Whelan, Anthony Claggett and Humberto Sanchez. This from a potential Hall of Famer while he was still playing well?

Clearly these were teams that wanted Sheffield to leave, no matter what numbers he was putting up. To compare, the controversial, loud and oft-complaining Reggie Jackson was traded only once—by the A’s notoriously cheap owner Charles Finley. The A’s in 2004 retired Reggie’s number. How many teams will retire Sheffield’s?

Probably not too many, at least not those who have halfway-decent memories. For example, in Milwaukee, as a 20-year-old, Sheffield complained that the team wouldn’t move him to shortstop because of racial reasons—the Brewers shortstop at the time was white. He eventually wanted to leave Milwaukee and to do so, Sheffield became a clubhouse cancer, criticizing the organization and his teammates and even committing intentional errors until eventually he was traded.

As a Dodger, Sheffield again criticized teammates and management—including accusations of racism—until he was traded. As a Yankee, Sheffield decided he didn’t want to play first base and wanted to go back to right field which was being manned by Bobby Abreu. He stated publicly that he was better than Abreu and complained until the Yankees traded him to Detroit.

In 2005, when rumors popped up that Sheffield might be traded to the Mets for Mike Cameron, Sheffield said this: “If I didn’t choose to go there, things are gonna have to change about my whole situation, contract, years, everything. Other than that, you might as well not bother trading for me, cause you’re gonna have a very unhappy player. You gonna inconvenience me, I’m gonna inconvenience every situation there is. I mean, the only reason I’m playing is ‘cause I wanna play for the Yankees.”

When he was with Detroit, Sheffield wrote a book, which, among other things, stated that Yankee manager Joe Torre treated blacks players different from white players. Sheffield also said Derek Jeter, who’s from a mixed-race marriage “ain’t all the way black.” While a Yankee, both CNNSI.com and the Baseball Prospectus claimed that Sheffield was purposely slowing up his rehab from an injury because he was more concerned about his upcoming contract talks rather than helping the Yankees down the pennant stretch. From the Baseball Prospectus:

“....Sheffield was slowing his rehab deliberately, feeling no pressure to return. ’‘He says he’s not needed,’ one source told me, ‘and that he’s got to worry more about next year than this year.’ Several people [who] have knowledge of his rehab process claim that Sheffield shouldn’t be behind Hideki Matsui. “‘[Matsui’]s busted his [rear] and [Sheffield] is negotiating his contract. He talks more to his agents than he does the trainers.’”

Then, on March 31, 2009, the Tigers—despite owing him $14M—released Sheffield. After signing with the Mets at 40 years old—and playing pretty decently—Sheffield asked first for a contract extension (which was denied), then to be released or traded to a playoff contender (which was also denied). So Sheffield [deleted because “left” here echoes “leaving” later in sentence] decided to tell the Mets that he was leaving the team, and after sitting out a game suddenly had a rash of injuries forcing him to miss many games. This event—the pouting about not getting a new contract mid-season—is essentially a rerun of how Sheffield’s tenure ended in L.A. and Atlanta.

Back to his charges of racism. In his book, and in subsequent interviews, Sheffield discusses racism throughout his career as a ballplayer:

“I’ve been the best player on every team that I played on, so if I can’t be the poster child of your team, then what else is it? It’s got to be a black-white issue. Every white player I know who’s the best player on their team is the poster child of that team.”

Well, I’d be interested in how Robin Yount, Tony Gwynn, Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, among others, would respond to the “best player on every team I played on” comment. And putting aside the fact that Sammy Sosa, Big Papi, Frank Thomas, Barry Larkin, Carl Crawford and Jimmy Rollins were all poster boys for their respective teams and that the San Francisco Bay Area practically foamed at the mouth with love for Barry Bonds, the simple and obvious reason that Sheffield isn’t poster boy was because he never tried to be one. Confrontational, rage-filled and brandishing a me-first personality with pride, is it really any wonder why the Marlins might want to promote Jeff Conine over Gary Sheffield?

Speaking of Bonds, Sheffield was friends with Bonds in the early 2000s. And yes, that brings up the charges that Sheffield used steroids with Bonds in the famous BALCO steroid scandal. According to Sheffield, Barry Bonds gave him steroids without Sheffield’s knowledge—why is anyone’s guess. Here’s a quote from an interview with Sam Allpour on ESPN.com:

You write a vivid account of your workout with Barry Bonds and your link to the steroids controversy. You have said that you never knowingly took steroids. But while working out with Bonds after the 2001 season, you wrote that you received some cream from his trainer Greg Anderson -- which you applied to some busted stitches -- and you also took some vitamins from Bonds, who got them from Anderson, who got them from BALCO head Victor Conte. Later, you made a check out to BALCO, linking you to this scandal forever. For the record, were those substances -- the vitamins and cream -- tainted? And if not, how can you be sure?

I know they weren’t tainted. Tell me how rubbing something on me will make you feel any different? That’s the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard. Tell me this: Have you ever gone to a store and had a steroid-based cream put on you?

Can’t say that I have.

OK then, so are you on steroids?

No.

OK, that’s my point. If it’s that simple, why do I have to debate this with anyone?

Sheffield’s medical acumen aside, the debate continues to this day about whether Bonds, Sheffield or indeed any ballplayer who claims ignorance in taking steroids is telling the truth. So did Sheffield consciously take performance-enhancing drugs. Impossible to know. What is known is that the odor of steroid use is going to waft around Sheffield for all time.

And perhaps severely damage his chances of Hall of Fame inclusion.

All these facts, figures and stories add up to this: Sheffield’s numbers are barely borderline Hall of Fame worthy. Ignore the Frank Robinson comparisons; Sheffield played in the juiced ball and juiced athlete era when pitchers ERA’s were almost 2 runs a game higher than when Robinson played. And yes, while those numbers are good, real good, taken in a larger context—and if the Hall of Fame doesn’t deserve a larger context, what does—do they make it? And yes, the Hall of Fame has taken in some jerks before, but in every case, they don’t amount to Sheffield. Ty Cobb was a total jackass, but even in his final year of playing, when his skills had diminished at 41, he batted .323. Steve Carlton was a racist and a jerk but won 329 games and was the Cy Young 4 times. Rogers Hornsby’s own teammates hated him, but the man batted over .400 3 times and had a lifetime .358 BA. Mickey Mantle was a lush and womanizer but won the Triple Crown, has a lifetime OBS of .977, has a career adjusted OPS+ of 172 (6th all-time) and he’s frickin Mickey Mantle. Sheff is not in the same universe as those guys.

As the saying goes, “It Ain’t the Hall of Very Good.” And Sheff was very good. But in my eyes, to be a Hall of Famer, you have to not just be good, but for your generation, you have to be the game. You have to represent your era, and have your contemporaries define how good they are by comparing themselves to you. You have to be the game of baseball for the people watching in that era. In my eyes, Sheffield doesn’t even define any of the teams he was on. San Diego? Tony Gwynn. Atlanta? Andruw Jones and Greg Maddux and Chipper. Yankees? Jeter, Rivera.

So I end on one question. If a player is traded 5 times by teams who figure that they would be better off without him, how could he be held up as one of the all-time greats?

Transactions....

2011-04-11T13:39:00.001-04:00

So the early returns on my Baseball 2011 Predictions....awful. Only one of my predictions is in first place, with that being the Rangers. The Giants, Red Sox and Braves are in last place. The Tigers are 3-6 and the Brewers are 5-5. So far, so bad.

Everybody remember one thing before we banish Phil Hughes to thee nether world of trade bait. He's 24 years old. Yes, he's pitched very poorly so far in 2011. but it's April 11th, and he's 24. Now take a deep breath and remember that before you want to trade him to Pittsburgh for a couple of fungos.

Peter King is right about the Patriots very likely trading pick #33 (first pick in the second round for a future 1st round pick. That seems exactly like their M.O. Those guys always seem to have multiple picks in the first 2 rounds.

I saw Muhammad Wilkerson, DT/DE out of Temple play a few games this past college football season...and I remember seeing a man among boys. he just seemed like he was stronger and faster than everybody on the field.

Out of 9 games, the Rangers have gotten 8 quality starts...and the other one wasn't all that bad either.

So....did Tiger win something yester.....oh, frick it. Who cares?

If Oklahoma City could play any....any....defense, they would make it to the conference finals easy.

MLB Trade Rumors had a nice little piece this morning on free agent contracts gone sour. The Fernando Rodney one was a good call—I'd forgotten about that signing. How the heck did the Angels justify giving Rodney a 2-year deal?

Speaking of awful free agent signings, the Yankees might be counting the fat one they gave Derek Jeter this past offseason. And yes, they were absolutely handcuffed into signing the Captain—there was no way he could go somewhere else. That said, no other team was breaking down his door to sign him. He was an aging shortstop with a rapidly decreasing range on the field and a slowing down by the second bat. And with an ego. The Yankees should have signed Jeter yes, but I think to a more team friendly contract. No on else was signing Jeter for what he thought he demanded.

Seriously, there might some need to platoon Jeter sooner rather than later. Sure, let him get to 3000 hits, but against dominant righties, give him a "rest". Dude batted .246 last year against righties and that number is going down this year. Sooner or later it has to happen...and if he bats as badly as he did against the Sox this weekend (2-13, 3 Ks, a bunch of weak groundouts), then let him get to 3000 and get him ready for some pine time.

www.profootballweekly.com has an interesting little feature where they show the past 10 years of selections at each number of the first round. For instance , look how the perennial powers did when they had to select 30th the past decade. The Steelers drafted heath Miller and Kendell Davis—2 important parts of their recent Super Bowl runs, and the Colts drafted Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai at the 30th spot in 2006 and 2001. So you see, good teams pick smart...and Matt Millen picks poorly.

The Celtics are too old. They are busted. yeah, I said it.

I am so very happy the Yankees did not panic and trade for Francisco Liriano this offseason.

I'll say just one thing about the Manny substance-abuse-fueled retirement....is anybody surprised?

And finally, in white men can't jump news of the day...sit back and watch this 5'11" white boy dunk. And feel very bad about your own athleticism. Or lack thereof.

Friday Five

2011-04-08T11:33:00.001-04:00

Sorry about the lackl of updates lately....promise I have a few things coming....

1. Who has been hit by the most pitches of all baseball's history?

2. Who has the most fumbles of all time?

3. Who has the most personal fouls of all time in basketball?

4. Who has the lowest QB rating of all time?

5. Who has the most strikeouts?

Transactions....

2011-04-04T10:21:00.000-04:00

For all those people who doubted the Big East being a truly competitive division, and not just overrated, hear this: UConn, which is playing for the Championship, was 31-9 on the season. All 9 losses came within the Big East. They went 16-0 outside the East, 15-9 in it. If that doesn't tell you how difficult the Big East, nothing will.

Nothing against Ian Kennedy because he had a nice year last year, but my boy there should not be the Opening Day pitcher for any squad. Dude is a good pitcher, but nowhere near an ace.

I can't imagine what Warren Moon had to go through being one of the first prominent black quarterbacks. i get that. But the criticism of Cam Newton being racially motivated. Just, no, Warren. Every potential first round quarterback gets their lives scrutinized like crazy. Right now people are saying that Ryan Mallet is a bad guy because he drank too much his first year in college (what college kid didn't?). PFW wrote last year that Jimmy Clausen was "...an egotistical, disingenuous, scripted player with a sense of entitlement." Ouch. So relax, Warren. It's not about Cam's race, but about legitimate questions about Cam. And really, don't worry. Newton will still be a top 10 pick come the Draft.

Yes, sure it was fun to watch the Red Sox get swept down in Arlington, but really, the Sox will be OK come September. I have no ilusions about this team imploding at all. And I'm pretty certain they have enough time to come back.

That said, Saltalamacchia looked G-O-D awful this weekend. He looked like he no idea what he was doing up at the plate—just no idea. I'd be interested in seeing who the Sox go after as a half-a-season rental catcher at the trading deadline.

Pretty damning analysis from one anonymous scout of Georgia OLB Justin Houston:

• "(Georgia OLB) Justin Houston is very talented, but he could be the next Vernon Gholston. It's scary, but he shuts it down way too much. He's one of the draft's great magicians. He can disappear with the best of them."

Anyone who compares you to Vernon Gholston does not like your game, kid.

And now, a shout-out. MLB Gameday is awesome. Totally awesome. Especially for those watching the game on on the sly at work. The detail of each pitch, the stats and facts throughout the layout is great. One thing though—they have to get their batter's correct. They had Jeter as a lefty, and Granderson as a righty. Aside from that though, I highly recoomend watching any day games through that site.

If Jair Jurrjens could every get fully healthy, he'd be a Cy Young Candidate each an every year. He's that good.

Just a gut instinct. If Connecticutt wins tonite, Calhoun stays. he has every reason to go: his age, a coming NCAA investiation, nothing left to prove. But Calhoun is a ornery old coot. I think he wants another good fight, so he stays.

Don't look now, but Baltimore is 3-0 after sweeping the Rays and are on top of the AL East. Is Buck Showalter pulling off a miracle and getting Baltimore back into contention in the AL East. Ahhh, probably not.

And finally....Laurence Maroney, former first round pick, has probably just run out of chances. After getting busted on weapons charges back in January, Maroney was again busted for possession of weed. But hey, for my part, I'd probably bust him just for the hairdo. I mean, really is that's a felony of some sort?

Friday Five

2011-04-01T08:59:00.000-04:00

1. We all know that UCLA has won the most NCAAs; who has won the second most?

2. What team was the lowest seed to ever win the Championship?

3. After Wooden, which coach was won the most Tournaments?

4. Which team won the first NCAA ever?

5. Which player was the last to win the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player twice?

Baseball 2011

2011-03-31T09:59:00.000-04:00

Hey people. I know here in New York, it's windy and rainy, but it's Opening Day. So it's still one of the best days of the year—when the Boys of Summer come back. Here's the predictions for baseball 2011.

AL EAST: Boston Red Sox

AL CENTRAL: Detroit Tigers

AL WEST: Texas Rangers

WILD CARD: New York Yankees

Too much firepower in Fenway for anyone to handle. They take the East. The Tigers have an underrated pitching staff—look for Phil Coke to be the surprise player of the year now that he's starting. Look for the White Sox to be a disappointment and for Ozzie to finally be punted out of Chicago. Out west, the Rangers should repeat—their lineup is deadly in that tiny park—but might have a back-to-reality year a bit without Cliff Lee mopping up for them, and have a race to the last day. The surprise in the AL West might be the rejuvenation of Vernon Wells. Last year, Wells didn't play too badly for a mediocre team: 31 HRS, a 273 BA and a 127 OPS+, good for 3rd best in his career. In a better lineup—assuming Kendry Morales comes back—he may improve on those numbers. For the A's...not enough hitting, but some amazing pitching.

The Yankees, which everyone seems to forget won 95 games last year, should be the Wild Card, over the Rays, Angels and Twins. With a healthy A-Rod, a sturdier bullpen and an even half-way decent A.J. Burnett, they should at least repeat those 95 wins. The Rays bullpen is just ravaged from last year and can't keep up. The Twins and Angels are good, but not complete teams. The winner of the AL should be:

The Red Sox. Way, way too much firepower in that lineup for anyone to handle. After a great playoff series against the Yankees, the Red Sox head to the series.

Now, the NL:

NL EAST: Atlanta Braves

NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee Brewers

NL WEST: San Francisco Giants

WILD CARD: Philadelphia Phillies

Surprise! The Fab Four of Philadelphia can't win everything. Ben Francisco is not Jayson Werth. Chase Utley is more injured than I believe people are letting on. Pitchers are starting to learn Ryan Howard and Jose Contraras is your closer. Ugh. The Braves have some pitching of their own. And a lineup with some pop in it now with Dan Uggla. The Brewers made some nice moves to shore up their pitching, and the Reds give chase but fall at the end. Too much pitching in SF for anyone to give a serious chase out west—the Rockies are the second best team but can't keep up. The winner should be:

Milwaukee Brewers: I like what they've done with their pitching staff. Shaun Marcum and Zach Grienke are great additions to a staff with Yovani Gallardo and Randy Wolf—who is better suited to a middle rotation guy. The Brewers can pound the ball, and are too much for the Giants in the playoffs. Tim Lincecum will start to lose a bit of the old magic and will give up a 7th inning Grand Slam to Ryan Braun to cap the series for the Brewers and their first World Series appearance in....something like...82 years, I believe.

And the World Series winner is:

The Red Sox. Just enough pitching ( I don't think Josh Beckett is going to Josh Beckett ever again, but Lester, Buchholz and Lackey are enough), some quality hitters and some sick power makes the Red Sox the champs for the 3rd time in 7 years. Now here's the awards:

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez (easy one—should have a season for the ages.)

NL MVP: Ryan Braun (serious consideration given to Tulowiski who had 15 HRS in Sept/Oct last year.)

AL CY Young: Felix Hernandez

NL CY Young: Jonathon Sanchez

AL ROTY: Jeremy Hellickson

NL ROTY: Aroldis Chapman

Enjoy baseball everybody.

Transactions....

2011-03-29T12:16:00.001-04:00

First off, biggity ups to me for saying the Kentucky Wildcats would be a factor and "Don't be surprised in come the Final Four, the Wildcats are there." I took some crap from readers on the Bleacher Report board for saying that. Well, yeah to me.

I don't know anything more from trails than what I learned from Law & Order, but after hearing what's been said about Barry Bonds in court, I can't see how the defense is gonna exonerate him.

Peter King seems sure that the Browns are going to take a receiver with the number 5 pick. I never like receivers going that high—there are more busts with receivers taken high than practically any other position. Heck, if I were them and had the 6th pick, I'd trade down to get a pass rusher and get a receiver down the line a little.

What was up with the unnecessarily harsh Rick Reilly article on Jimmer Fredette? "If his last college game is what he's bringing to the NBA, then I'd say, in five years, he's got a really good chance to be your Provo area Isuzu dealer." WTF. kid was the highest scored in the country, dropped 33 on Arizona, 43 on San Diego State, 34 on Gonzaga and yes, had a bad game against Florida. But what the heck is with the nasty column, Reilly. Way to be a bully for no reason.

For more ridiculous sportswriting, we turn to waste of ink ESPN writer, Wallace Mathews who's hard up for something to actually write, declares that the 21 year old Montero not making the club is a blown opportunity."

But most shockingly, the kid with the high-end bat never really got it out of low gear. From the early days of live BP, Montero's bat seemed sluggish.... if Montero had made the Yankees, Romine would have advanced to Triple-A -- leave together, their once bright futures now, if not shrouded in doubt, at least open to question....Suddenly, Gary Sanchez, an 18-year-old who earlier this spring underwent surgery for a congenital heart ailment, leaps to the head of the Yankees' catching prospect class.

What an idiot. If he believes what he's writing then he has to be a world-class moron. First off, until Cervelli got hurt, the Yankees had no plans to promote Montero unless he batted 1.000. Everyone thought he needed more work. As far back as December 17th, Martin said “They told me that I’m the starting catcher.” And as for Sanchez jumping Montero as the best prospect...please. Sanchez is 18 and hasn't even seen a pitch in Low-A ball yet. He Wallace....try again. And this time, actually write something semi-valid.

So the Knicks win one game and it's front page news and the lead on Sportscenter. Really? One win?

I don't think I've ever seen a player get ripped by the entire organization like I've sen the Cubs comment on Carlos Silva. A good read.

I have a new found respect and healthy fear now for Evan "Hey that's my cap!" Longoria.

After a nice spring, King Felix part 2 is starting in the Mariners rotation. Michael Pineda, all of 22, pitched a 2.12 ERA in 17IP in spring training. Hope the Mariners aren't rushing him. By all accounts, he is talented, bu unpolished. If he does pan out as expected, the Mariners will have a awesome 1-2 punch in their rotation.

And to wrap it up, we here at AAPTBNL would like to give the first annual General Excellence in the Field of Jackassery and Utter Jerkdom to Adrian Peterson and with runner-up awards given to Leonard Weaver and Rashad Mendenhall. Why? Well because they feel that they are modern day slaves. Here's what Peterson said:

It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too

Weaver chimed in with this:

“We as players want to make a statement that you know what, we love playing for you all, we love your owners, you know?” Weaver told Derrick Gunn of CSNPhilly.com. “We love you guys very much, but at the same time we need to see some equal opportunity here and stop treating us basically like Adrian Peterson said, like slaves.”

Mendenhall followed with:

"Anyone with knowledge of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel each other."

Well, I do know about the slave trade. And no slave got a free pass to a huge university for playing a game. No slave was ever handed millions of dollars and received the adoration of millions. Likewise no football player was ripped from his family to go somewhere he could never leave and had to pick cotton for 18 hours a day. No football player was ever whipped for not running a screen route correctly. And instead of bling around their necks, slaves had collars.

This is garbage. And what's more it's an insult to the slaves of this country. To compare what they had to endure with what Adrian Peterson has is just vile. And worthy of much more derision than what he is getting.

Friday Five

2011-03-25T07:47:00.000-04:00

1. Who was the Yankee ShortStop before Derek Jeter?

2. Who was the Mets 3rd baseman before David Wright?

3. Who was the Bulls shooting guard before Michael Jordan?

4. Who was the Colts QB before Peyton Manning?

5. Who was the Cleveland Cavaliers leading scorer before LeBron James?

For Yankees, The Key to 2011 Might Be Josh Beckett

2011-03-22T15:04:00.000-04:00

When Josh Beckett was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2006, it was assumed he would be an Cy Young candidate and an ace for years to come. He was 25, an absolute hoss, and seemingly the reincarnation of Roger Clemens: a hard-throwing intimidator and strikeout king without fear.

And for the most part, he’s worked out for the BoSox just fine. He has pitched well—maybe not as consistently as Boston wanted—but he did lead the Red Sox to a Series victory in 2007, where he pitched lights out. His 2007 postseason: 4-0 with an ERA around 1.6.

Fast forward to now. Josh Beckett is no longer the ace of the Red Sox staff—Jon Lester is. He’s not the number 2 pitcher either—Clay Buchholz is. In fact, Beckett is the number 4 pitcher in the Red Sox rotation and is being jiggered by Terry Francona to make sure he starts the season against the Indians and not against the Yankees and Rangers.

Whoa…what’s happened to Beckett? Can he not even pitch to the Rangers without Red Sox Nation quaking in their caps? What’s wrong?

Well, checking the Fangraphs.com site, we see that Beckett has only lost only a touch off his mph, so arm strength is not the issue. No, looking further at the numbers, what the trouble seems to be is Beckett’s inability to spot his pitches like he used to. His curveball, once rock-reliable has lost movement and has earned a -2.1 wCB. His fastball, formerly his bread-and-butter pitch has seemingly abandoned the lower half of the zone. Now up in the strike zone, Beckett’s wFB has plummeted and as a result, Beckett is relying more on his two-seamer and cutter to try to get better movement on his pitches.

It hasn’t worked. Contact against his pitches (not down in the zone anymore) is way up from where it used to be. Walks are also up to a career-high for Beckett. Most telling, perhaps is his swStrk (strikes swung on and missed) which is an all time low. In short, he’s putting fatter pitches nice and up in the zone.

What’s also interesting to note is his change-up has actually gained almost 3 mph. So not only is his fastball slowing a bit, his change is speeding up. What the heck? How does that happen?

Well, last May, Red Sox manager Terry Francona expressed a concern with Beckett’s repeatable mechanics. According to the massblog.com of last May 29th:

Josh Beckett’s return from the disabled list hit a roadblock yesterday after the Red Sox became concerned with the pitcher’s inability to repeat his delivery in a side session where he threw 20-25 pitches. Manager Terry Francona...said that Beckett was changing arm angles on his deliveries and that his inability to remain consistent is a cause for concern.

Also, early last season, in the Boston Globe, (former) pitching coach John Farrell said:

“An additional side with Josh to reinforce, particularly out of the stretch, him getting back to a proper balance point and not getting his delivery too spread out to where he loses a downhill plane to his fastball. When he gets into a proper position, his curveball is less readable by an opposing hitter. Part of this is a constant use of the slide step that can cause some of the habits that we’re trying to recorrect here.”

If Beckett’s fastball isn’t really losing all that much mph, but batters are hitting him harder and he’s walking more per 9IP, logic would dictate that Farrell and Francona are right and that Beckett’s mechanics are fried and he can’t locate like he used to. Seemingly this started somewhere in late 2009, when Beckett’s ERA ballooned from a mid-August low of 3.10 to a season’s end of 3.86 with a number of bad performances. Former pitching coach Farrell is quoted as saying on seacoastonline.com in late August after Beckett gave up 15 runs in 13.1 IP in 2 starts:

“(Poor) location of his pitches has caused the numbers to be where they are. It’s been a matter of missing with some fastballs up in the strike zone or a curveball that hasn’t had the same finish.’’ ... And, Farrell added, that is easily correctable.

“For the majority of the season, he’s been so dominant in the bottom of the strike zone,’’ Farrell said. “Now, every effort is being made to get him down in the zone again. ... But a little tidying of Beckett’s mechanics could produce a dramatic turnaround.
“There may be some times when maybe some added effort or an attempt to get some added velocity has caused him to get a little spread out (with his delivery) and caused him to throw the baseball on a little bit more of a flat plane rather than the downward angle that all pitchers need.’’

For Yankee fans, the question is clearly, “Can Josh Beckett return to dominance?” Early signs are.... not yet. Despite even more work on mechanics (new pitching coach Curt Young is shortening Beckett’s stride in an effort to get him to repeat his delivery more easily), spring training has been a repeat of last year, with nice flashes of hard heat and a sharp curve, then a terrible inning where he can’t seemingly get anyone out. So far, Beckett has the 5.02 ERA and a WHIP of 1.4.

Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are an awesome number 1 and 2. John Lackey had a so-so 2010 and at age 32, it’s possible, but not guaranteed that he will be better in 2011, though most projections figure he will be somewhat better. In any event it’s questionable that Lackey will be as dominant as he used to be pitching to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in tiny Fenway Park. And Dice-K, minus a great 2008 season, has been a disappointment.

The key is Beckett. If he returns to form, the Red Sox have a dominant starting 3. If not...well then the Red Sox blew a sack full of money on a pitcher who’s busted.

Transactions....

2011-03-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

So who had VCU playing Florida State in the Sweet 16? Come on, be honest!

God I hate those Miller Light less taste more taste commercials. I don't care if I wear a Speedo, show up with bronzer and wear sunglasses in a bar, there's no way I want a living on tips "Barely Living on Tips" waitress insulting me. Hate those commercials.

What the hell was Duke's offense doing with about 4 minutes left against Michigan? They were just standing around clueless while Nolan Smith pounded the ball into the same spot on the floor. After a 36 minutes, why did they just let their offense stagnate the shot clock down. Weird. And stupid.

By the way, what was that weird design on Duke's white uniform. Looks like a soft print of Tron underneath their white jerseys. Weird.

So one team is reportedly offering a first rounder for Kevin Kolb. If I were the Vikings, Cardinals or 49ers I would make that deal in a heartbeat. Kolb is better, in not at least a sure thing, compared to Locker, Gabbert, Newton or Mallett. And wow, suddenly the Eagles look like major players this draft.

Next time you guys are considering the biggest draft bust in NBA history, you have to put Hakeem Thabeet in the conversation. Drafted 2nd in the 2009 draft—5 picks before Stephen Curry—Thabeet's career consists of 2 trips to the NBA Developmental League;then he was traded with a number 1 pick for Shane Battier; and he has a career stat line that reads, 2.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 10.9 minutes per game. Uggh. This guys is way up higher on the Bust-ometer than Michael Olowokandi or Kwame Brown.

I wrote Saturday that the Yankees might want a more reliable righty off the bench than Andruw Jones. Since I wrote that, Jones went 0-2 and looked really bad doing it. I hope Cashman is on top of this. I'd rather have had Marcus Thames, bad glove and all than this.

So the Mets just ate $18 million to make Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo go away. The first step to a full recovery is admitting you made a mistake, so "Way to Go Mets!"

PFW has an interesting article rating the Top ten 2010 draft classes one year after the fact. Intersint if you're into that stuff—which I am—but I would rate the browns class higher than 10th. If you're top 2 picks are all-rookie, and your 3rd pick is a QB, best the Saints and Patriots and looks like a potential franchise QB, I'd say that's not a bad draft at all.

Gotta say, I love Bobby Hurley's answer to Jalen Rose's Fab Five attack. Good stuff Bobby and Grant against that blowhard, Jalen.

The refs had no business not checking the replay on that last shot in the Washington—North Carolina game. Then to come on T.V., say you didn't check it but didn't need to—jeez....I call B.S. Shoddy, unprofessional work. No excuses.

And lastly...check out this picture and tell me the media doesn't hate, hate, hate Alex Rodriguez. Yes, he's a doof and a cheat, and you should absolutely call him on that. But unnecessary attacks like this—the guy is having a nice spring, you really have to call him Mr. March—make me want to defend him. And I don't want to defend Alex Rodriguez. So bust on the crap he pulls, but don't do the unnecessary attacks. It's unprofessional.

Late Spring Training Yankee Trade Speculation

2011-03-19T17:39:00.000-04:00

With the Yankee Roster more or less set for Opening Day, it's time for Brian Cashman to start earning his pay.

Why? Because the Yankees actually have more good players than positions.

Take for instance Jorge Vasquez, the welcome surprise of spring training. Unfortunately for Jorge, despite batting .483 with 3 HRs, there's a zeroey-zilch forget-it chance of him making the roster as a 1st baseman—that spot is kinda, sorta taken for the next 6 years or so. Well, then he's a commodity as a trade chip, isn't he?

What about Romulo Sanchez? As Ken Rosenthal tweeted recently, Sanchez's decent spring is attracting attention. His numbers aren't flashy but he throwing hard and seems to have done enough to earn a roster spot somewhere. Cashman needs to find that somewhere.

Then there's the rumor that the Yankees might release Sergio Mitre. Someone somewhere needs a 5th start/spot starter/reliever who had a 1.093 WHIP last year in 54 IP.

None of there guys are blue-chip trade pieces—if they were they'd be on the Yankee roster. But each of them has value to someone somewhere. So you have to ask, why can't Cashman package these guys, along with maybe a blocked prospect—say a David "Blocked by Cano" Adams or a Austin "Blocked by a bunch of guys" Romine and get a nice young 3rd base prospect? Or a right-handed bat more reliable than Andruw Jones? Or a power right field prospect?

Point being, now would be a good time for Cashman to look into getting something for pieces that either can't make the roster or are blocked. Either a good prospect for the future. Or a piece of the puzzle that might help the Yankees catch Boston during the long run of 2011.

March Madness 2011: Don't Sleep On Kentucky

2011-03-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

The Kentucky Wildcats finding out there are number 4 seed, 2 seeds behind Florida.

Let's face it. Kentucky got shafted.

A 4 seed? Really? Wow. For a team that beat Florida twice in the past 3 weeks—and handily beat them—and beat Alabama as well—also a whupping—a 4 seed seems kinda low. Doncha think?

And you think Kentucky feels disrespected? Take a look at the picture to the right. Think maybe that team wants to show the world that they are better than a flipping 4 seed?

Kentucky went 25-8, but they won 8 out of their last 9, including wins at Tennessee, and against Florida, Vanderbilt and Alabama.

Kentucky grew up during the year. Kentucky starts 2 freshman (sometimes 3) and relies heavy on a 3rd. Those 3 freshman, Terrance Jones, Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb are 1, 2 and 3 on the Wildcat stat sheet in scoring. Jones leads them in rebounding; Knight in assists, and Lamb in 3-point shooting (shooting an unconscious 47%). And as these guys got more time and more experience, they started winning games they would have lost earlier in the season. An early season loss to UConn had Brandon Knight shooting 3 for 15 with 5 TO. Terrence Jones had as many fouls as rebounds—4. And Doron Lamb had 2 TO and 3 fouls in 13 minutes. And only 5 points. They looked like a sloppy young team playing over their heads.

By the end of the season, in the wins against Vanderbilt, Florida and Alabama, those 3, Knight, Lamb and Jones were playing up to their talent, and leading the Wildcats to big wins.

And now the team that won the SEC Tournament is pissed....bit-time. To quote Catspause.com:

Calipari's problem is that he was introducing logic. UK and Florida were meeting in the SEC title game at 1 p.m. Sunday. The winner, he reasoned, would get the better seed at 6 p.m.

"One of us is a 3 and one is a 4 and whoever won the game would flip in there because they could easily do that," Calipari said. "That's the only thing they'll be able to do is switch us and Florida. But you can obviously see they had the 2 and the 4, and I don't think they were comfortable putting us in at 2. "I don't think it's personal," Calipari said. "But, wow."

There's nothing more dangerous than a talented athlete or team with a chip on its shoulder. Joe Louis's rematch with Max Schmeling leaps to mind. Kentucky is a supremely talented team—5-star blue chippers fill the roster—and they feel disrespected. Slighted. Angry.

I would not want to face these guys in this tournament. Don't be surprised in come the Final Four, the Wildcats are there.

Transactions....

2011-03-14T13:20:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Kevin Love for a remarkable record: 53 games in a row with a double-double. Most impressive.

Not sure I get everyone’s outrage at Colorado not getting into the tournament. Yeah, they won 22 games and that’s impressive. Beating Texas and Missouri is very nice, but to be honest Texas wasn’t the team we all thought they were when they were 23-3, losing 4 out of their last 7. And losing to San Francisco, Oklahoma and Harvard doesn’t help one’s resume. The truth is every year a team like Colorado gets left out, and who do you remove for them? Honestly, I don’t have too big a problem with them being in the NIT.

So the NFL is screwing this up. At least we’re not missing football, but really, wrap this up sooner rather than later.

Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports is predicting an upset of Gonzaga, ranked 11th in the Southeast conference against #6 St. John’s. I think I agree with him. Gonzaga after a bad loss to Notre Dame, which left them 4-5, have been on a tear since December. They beat Baylor, Xavier and Oklahoma State all in a 2-week span. Then they closed the season by beating twice in the past 3 weeks. St John’s hasn’t sniffed the Madness in a long time while Gonzaga is battle-tested. I smell an upset.

Over the weekend, I wrote an article touting how the 2011 might be one of the worst, most expensive teams in recent memory. And today comes an article on fangraphs.com showing how Jose Reyes has completely lost his eye at the plate, showing no discipline at all. Which is what we said. His OBP of .321 is ugly. And if the Mets are thinking of trading him at the trade deadline, they’d better get his OBP up to make him attractive to a team needing him for the pennant drive.

If Patrick Peterson falls to number 7, as in this mock draft here from Pro Football Weekly, The Niners and Jim Harbaugh will make human sacrifices to the Draft gods. "Praise be to the gods fo the draft. For this gift of Patrick Peterson, I humble sacrifice Alex Smith to you, O gods!" In other woods, Peterson will not be there at 7. If he makes it past 3 or 4, some team will trade up to get him.

Interesting point made in this article: Who exactly will the Cardinals be bidding against for Albert Pujols? The Yankees have Teixeira, the Red Sox have Adrian Gonzalez, and the Angles have Kendry Morales. The Mets and Dodgers are trying to cut payroll to due fiscal crises. The Cubs maybe, but they are still buried in Soriano’s and Zambrano’s long-term deals and might opt for the sure-to-be-cheaper Prince Fielder. The Rangers have a youngster in Smoak and might save their money for pitching. The White Sox have Konerko through 2014 and have a youngster in Dayan Viciedo who is slated to take over. Point being, you never know what can happen, but the market for Pujols doesn’t look as large as one might imagine.

So Tiki Barber, with his TV career a complete fail, wants to return to football. Let's get a refresher course on Tiki. The guy rips his teammates (Eli Manning, Michael Strahan—"Michael is not thinking about the team; he's thinking about himself"; "Eli's pre-game speeches sounded "comical.", just to name a few), his coaches (Tom Coughlin, 1 ring to Tiki’s none, 137-110 coaching record), and anybody else he can find. Then there's the fact that he decided to retire mid-way through a season. Oh, and don't forget his leaving his pregnant wife of 11 years for a 23-year old intern. Always the class act, that Tiki—I hope you get brained in a Julius Peppers—Brian Urlacher sandwich.

Early word has Grady Sizemore looking good at spring training. Which is important news for the Indians as well as Sizemore. If Sizemore is going to be an asset at the trade deadline for the Indians, he has to flash the bat and the athleticism that he had before the rash of injuries robbed the last 2 seasons. And for Sizemore, going into this late 20s big-time contract opportunity, he needs this year to flash that he can still hit .290, belt 30 HRS and steal 35 bases. Guys like him are rare, and if he wants a Carl Crawford similar contract, he needs to be healthy.

In “Derrr, durp!” news of the week, Pro Football Weekly informs us that the Denver Broncos might draft a DT? Really, you think so?

And for sheer silliness, I love this Sports/Hollywood lookalike picture-fest the Daily News had. Love the Brett Keisel-Yukon Cornelius comparison.

The Worst Team That Money Could Buy, Part Deux

2011-03-11T11:36:00.078-05:00

Mets fans have a lot to be upset about

The Mets have a the 5th largest payroll in baseball. They have a shiny new stadium, they play in the largest market in America, and have a roster loaded with talent.

For all this, the Mets are terrible. in every way imaginable.

The Mets won a total of 79 games last year—23 games behind their "enemies" the Philadelphia Phillies. They ranked 12th in attendance, despite the new stadium, and behind decidedly small market Milwaukee. They averaged over 12,000 less people per game than their cross town rivals, the Yankees.

The Phillies, like the Mets, made trades for veterans, signed big contracts, and generally succeed in their plan to win now. While that plan worked for the Phillies, it failed miserably for the Mets and only left them in a spiraling losing funk with an albatross of a expensive roster.

Let's take a look at the Mets roster. Johan Santana, the ace the Mets traded for, finally blew out the shoulder that scouts have said for some time that he would. The injury, which comes from long-term wear, comes with it, not only a long rehabilitation, but with the accusations of the Mets overusing Santana. Santana had been complaining about his arm as early as late June. Yet Mets continued to throw Santana out there every 5th day until early September, even though the Mets were completely out of the race by mid to late July. By the time Santana comes back in 2012, he will be 33 with 3 years left on his contract.

Carlos Beltran, who was an overpaid centerfielder to begin with, has mercifully only one year on his contract. A empty of husk of his former self, Beltran has played 125 games the past 2 seasons and has already injured himself in Spring Training. He batted .255 last year. He makes 18.5 million dollars this year.

Jason Bay, who the Mets signed to a large 4-year, 66 million dollar contract before last season, looked completely uncomfortable and intimidated in the spacious new CitiField. One year after hitting 36 HRS in Boston, Bay hit a pathetic 6 HRs in 95 games before concussing himself running for a fly ball.

Gary Matthews batted .194 last season before being cut by the Mets. He is set to earn 12 million this year.

One-time face of the franchise, Jose Reyes, who at one time was getting press that he would be the new "Best Shortstop in New York," is reportedly playing for a trade. Reyes, who made 7th on the MVP list in 2006, has been beset by injuries, a bad attitude and declining skills both at the plate and on the bases. Last year, Reyes had a Dave Kingman-esque OBP of .321—not what you want from your "speedy" shortstop. Reyes speed is also in question as he only stole 30 bases last season and was caught a third of the time—a far cry from his heyday of 2006-2007. Reyes will make 11 million in what his probably his last year as a Met.

Which brings us to Oliver Perez. Perez, who was signed by the Mets in 2009 to a 36 million, 3-year contract. Reportedly, the Mets competed only against themselves for the services of Perez, which was meant to solidify the rotation after Santana. Since the contract was signed, for that 36 million, Perez's record is 3-9 with an era of 6.81 in roughly 100 IP. Perez has been in the minors both in 2009 and 2010 to work on his wrecked mechanics. Perez, having completely lost any confidence he may have had, has lost velocity, has abandoned his fastball, as well as his curveball, which he didn't use last year at all. His fastball and change are 4 mph apart. The Mets recently gave up any idea of using Perez in the rotation this season and have sent him to the end of the bench in the bullpen. Price tag: 13 million dollars.

In 86 games last season, Luis Castillo committed 11 errors and batted .245. Price tag: 6 million dollars.

And then there is Francisco Rodriguez, he of the dramatic mound gestures. While his on-the-field play has generally been good, it's the other part of his life that the Mets wish they could make go away. Having no real reason for a high-priced reliever the Mets would do well trade K-Rod. Except they can't.

Since being signed, K-Rod has had tussles with opposing players, his own coaches and, most well-known, his girlfriend's father, who he punched in the face. Adding salt to the wound, Rodriguez injured a ligament in his thumb from the altercation and needed season-ending surgery. Rodriguez was ordered by the court to stay away from his girlfriend and he family; Rodriguez violated the court order, though he did escape further punishment.

The good news is that a ton of this payroll baggage comes off the roster next year. The bad news is that the Mets don't have a ton of talent on the way. Keith Law recently put the Mets minor league organization at 26 out of 32. The Mets didn't have one prospect ranked in the top 50. Also, the Mets have been accused of rushing their recent young talent too quickly, with Baseball Prospectus writing: "...the Minaya regime wasn’t particularly successful at any aspect of developing or handling prospects."

Put it all together and what you get is a big, expensive gooey mess. The Mets will go nowhere this year; the season already having been written off. And with the Madoff scandal having struck the Wilpon family fairly hard, it is tough to see the Mets being big free agency players anytime soon. So, to recap:

1. Terrible free agent signings
2. No young talent coming up the pike
3. Disgruntled and fading stars
4. No free agent help for the forseeable future.

The original Worst Team Money Could Buy was about the 1993 Mets who won 59 games. The 2011 squad might give those guys a run for their money.

Friday Five

2011-03-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'll give you the team and the number. You give me the player.

1. Chicago Bears—34

2. Los Angeles Lakers—44

3. Minnesota Twins—34

4. San Francisco 49ers—8

5. Los Angeles Dodgers—2

Derek Jeter's New Swing: The Early Returns

2011-03-10T08:52:00.000-05:00

Kevin Long always thought Jeter's swing was flawed.

But it seemed to work. For Jeter, his approach was to let the ball get deep into the zone before his quick bat would drive the ball—usually the other way—for base hit after base hit. He had a timing mechanics that let his left leg lift up and then move it forward as he drove the ball—usually to right field.

With Jeter's bat slowing just a touch, instead of driving the ball, Jeter ended up hitting easy ground balls. Long feels that Jeter's timing mechanism—picking up his left foot as he steps forward—is too time-consuming and no longer works. Long wants Jeter to leave the foot on the ground, simplifying the mechanics and giving Jeter extra time to swing.

After a disastrous September 10th game, where Jeter went 1 for 7, Long intervened and started to work on Jeter's mechanics. Shorting his stride and getting him to the ball quicker, Jeter batted .444 over the last 28 days of the season. So far this pre-season (and yes, it is only preseason), Jeter is batting .353.

Long also felt last year, that Jeter's taking too long of a stride left him leaning forward from his waist and swinging awkwardly at pitches outside the box.

Long is correct on that account—Jeter looked awkward a lot last year. But another reason why that was might be that, Jeter, realizing his swing was slower than before, was guessing more. The percentage of swings at balls outside the strike zone was the highest of his career by far. The percentage of "wins" on fastballs was Jeter's lowest of his career. All those signs point to a slower bat.

If Long can shorten his swing, Jeter should be able to catch up to pitches he couldn't last season. So far so good, according to Jeter: "You have more time because there's no stride," Jeter said. "Now, you've just got to figure out when to swing."

One interesting thing from the stats. After a fairly productive career at hitting grounders for hits—Jeter's BABIP for ground balls dropped precipitously. But not in 2010—in 2009. After a 2008 season which earned Jeter a .291 BABIP on ground balls, that number dropped to .236 in 2009. However in 2009, Jeter batted well at balls hit in the air. When that number (BABIP on line drives and fly balls) fell off in 2010, Jeter ended up with the worst batting season of his career.

What does this tell us? Well, some educated conjecture might lead us to believe that Jeter's bat actually began to slow down a bit in 2009, but that Jeter was able to cover it up. However, when 2010 rolled around and pitchers began to notice the slower bat, they changed tactics on Jeter and jammed him with hard heat up inside where he couldn't turn on the ball like he used to. Then they would catch Jeter guessing on breaking balls, down and outside where Jeter couldn't do much with it but hit soft grounders to second (A reason why Jeter leaned over the plate so much last season).

So......what the heck does this all mean? Not a heck of a lot in March. However, the early signs—from last September,as well as in spring training are good. Jeter feels that his has more time to get good wood on the ball and just needs repetitions. We'll see. Maybe Jeter can get back to MVP consideration. Stranger things have happened. But even if he can raise his batting average back up to .300 and his OPS+ to around 100-110, the Yankees will feel a whole lot better about the 51 million they gave their Captain this offseason.

Transactions....

2011-03-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

I have to start this blog with extremely sad news.......Tim McCarver has signed a 2-year extension with Fox. Yes, yes, I'm upset too. So sports fans, we're going to have to hear Tim's obvious bias and his constant and condescendingly belaboring of a point for 4 innings for 2 more years.

So a whole mess of teams are interested in Kevin Kolb now that the lockout might be drawing to a close. i would like to see Kolb go to San Francisco and work with Harbaugh out there. That seems like it would be a good fit for both.

Let's just say this. A college kid like Adam Morrison who gives all of his hearty and soul to try to win a game in March Madness—crying is ok. Some big shot who 'takes his talents" to a city and then things don't turn out to his liking—crying is not ok.

Really interesting article in the Hardball Times about Tim Lincecum and his diminishing velocity. Go read it, especially if you are a stat-head and love looking at numbers.

Nice article on ProFootballWeekly regarding DE/OLB tweeners. The magazine synopsizes a few of the tweeners and where they end up. Good stuff.

Been seeing a ton of mock drafts around the web with Cam Newton going first to Carolina. Said this before, I just don't see that happening. Sure they need a QB, but Cam—despite his physical talents—is a work in progress. He's not gonna Peyton manning the team—just walk in and start. Carolina has a myriad of needs, Cam Newton shouldn't be their priority.

Unless Derek Jeter completely falls on his face this spring and eats it, Joe Girardi won't move him from the one-spot. As much as I would like to have Brett Gardner in the leadoff position, Girardi is a loyal guy and I can't see him moving Jeter. I like Gardner's speed and his better OBP—in point of fact, Gardner has a .529 OBP to Jeter's .389 this spring and has 2 SBs to Jeter's goose-egg—but can't see Gardner moving up until Jeter totally bombs up in the one-spot.

Carlos....you've played in like 140 games the past two years. You batted .255 last season. You made like 1115 million over your career. And your knees still hurt. make sure this is your last year, dude. Go home and enjoy the money.

Love to see A.J. Burnett doing so well and feeling so good in Spring Training. Now let's see this in July. OK, A.J.?

As a March Madness fan and a Big East guy, today is a great day...the start of the Big East tournament. And with 10 teams in the mix for the Dance, this is going to be a great Big East tournament. Call in sick and get your couch on to watch this one.

And finally, is it me, or is this statue of Nick Saban down at the U. of Alabama just really, really creepy.

Friday Five—the nickname quiz

2011-03-04T08:59:00.000-05:00

OK, name the athlete who goes with the nickname:

1. "Crazy Legs"

2. "Boom Boom"

3. "Pronk"

4. "Chocolate Thunder"

5. "The Hit Man" 2 answers for this one.

The Vikings Need To Get Carson Palmer

2011-03-03T09:25:00.000-05:00

The Vikings have exactly bumpkus as their quarterbacks. Nothing. Farve is riding a tractor in Mississippi, presumably finally retired for real this time. Tavaris Jackson, who's shown next to nothing is said to be looking elsewhere for a job (lotsa luck). They also have Patrick Ramsey (yes, Patrick Ramsey) as a free agent. In other, clearer words, they have zilch. Nada.

Which is why they need Carson Palmer.

Madden should change the uni on Carson to Purple and Yellow

The Vikings are a team built to win...now. Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Adrian Peterson, Steve Hutchinson, Sidney Rice, Chad Greenway. All these guys are in the peak of their careers, or just about to start slipping. The team was designed to give Brett Farve to get one more ring.

They missed that, but Carson Palmer is just the guy to take over. he represents their best chance to win with the guys they have now. if the Vikings go into full rebuild mode—which they wont—then they go draft Jake Locker or Cam Newton and wait a few years and hopes he grows. And meanwhile, you waste Jared Allen and Sidney Rice's careers.

This is not the Bills or Panthers who need years and a complete roster overhaul. The Vikings are built to go for it right now. They have a star at running back and a well-rounded rush game (something the Bengals did not), explosive wide outs in Harvin and Rice, and a solid, if not spectacular offensive line. Would Palmer want to go to be a human tackling dummy in Arizona behind a terrible offensive line? Or play for the circus that is the Miami "Who's our coach today" Dolphins? I think Palmer has had enough of circuses.

If Palmer wants the best chance to win, and by all accounts, that's what he wants. Here's Palmer 2 days ago, requesting his leave of the Ocho-T.O. freakshow that is the Cincinnati Bengals. "I have $80 million in the bank. I don’t have to play football for money. I’ll play it for the love of the game but that would have to be elsewhere."

That sounds like a guy who doesn't want hassles. It sounds like a guy who wants to play in meaningful games with a professional and talented supporting cast. And the team that best represents that—a team built to win now—is the Minnesota Vikings.

Lee, Liriano and the Yankees

2011-03-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

Did I want Cliff Lee for the Yankees? Of course. The guy is a stud, equals playoff wins and more than replaces Andy Pettitte. Of course, 7 years was way too long for a contract, but the Yankees could expect a few dominating years with him, Sabathia and Hughes in their rotation, and likely a couple of championships. And of course, you give up no prospects for him. What’s not to like?

Do I want another lefty, Francisco Liriano, who’s only 26, has a wicked slider, gets Ks and could help anchor the Yankees rotation this year? Well, maybe not.

Unlike some other sites, which call this a no-brainer for the Yankees, I’m not as enamored of Liriano as others. Sure, he has really nice stuff, but the guy is a twitch away from the DL. And already this spring, he is complaining of shoulder stiffness. And what’s even worse is why he complaining about shoulder stiffness:

Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said he asked Liriano whether he did all of his shoulder exercises during the offseason, and Liriano said no.

Brilliant. So the guy couldn’t even stick to his off-season training program and earned himself some tendinitis. Outstanding.

No matter how good his stuff is, could you tell me this guy isn’t going to get injured again? Especially when conditioning isn’t his highest priority? Well, ask yourself this, if he is so good, how come the suddenly spend-happy Minnesota Twins don’t want him anymore? Would anyone want a hard-throwing 27-year-old strikeout machine?

There are other reasons for the Yankees to be concerned about Liriano than just injuries: He is a much better pitcher in the friendly, home run-sapping confines of Target Field than on the road. He has a lifetime 7.78 ERA and 1.678 WHIP against Boston—not to mention a lifetime 12.46 ERA pitching at Fenway. But the real worry is his health. Tommy John is one thing—bad, but returnable. A shoulder—that’s the worst thing for a pitcher. And to top it off, it may be sore because he’s not taking care of it? Forget it.

Which is of course to say nothing of Ivan Nova or any of the Yankee prospects. Forget Betances, Montero or Banuelos—the Yankees in a right state of mind should not even consider trading those guys. But if the Yankees are thinking of Nova + prospects for Liriano, they should think seriously about that trade, but do all their homework. Remember, Nova, who one scout said recently has some Pedro Martinez in him, throws ground balls, throws first pitch strikes, and didn’t appear at all overwhelmed to pitch in September in New York. This is not to say that he is the second coming of Pedro Martinez, or that a Nova + prospects (No Montero, Banuelos or Betances) isn’t a good deal. But it is to say that giving Nova up for a guy with a serious injury history should not be something taken lightly.

Liriano is no doubt, when healthy, a pitcher most teams would want. He’s young, a lefty and gets Ks. That said, the Twins are dangling him for a reason. Minnesota is adept at trading players just before the players begin the decline. Take Johan Santana—he was very good for the Mets, but was not the same pitcher he was he was earlier in his career for the Twins. And now he’s injured with...wait for it....a shoulder injury.

Perhaps this is an overcautious approach. Maybe the Yankees should snatch up Liriano if they get the chance, costs be damned. After all, they are the Yankees and they compete, every season. And it’s very possible that Ivan Nova goes through some growing pains this season and doesn’t become the—it’s a gamble. And buyer beware.

Transactions....

2011-03-01T09:23:00.002-05:00

Still think the Nets go the better deal. As good as Carmelo Anthony is, I'd rather have Deron Williams. Especially in D'Antoni's system.

Wainwright. Pujols. Not the best month ever for Cardinals fans, eh? If the Pujols thing starts to go south, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Tony LaRussa bails, citing his health.

What the heck happened to the Texas Longhorns? They were cruising with a 23-3 win with quality wins over Missouri, Kansas, the Aggies and the Tar Heels....and then they lose to Colorado? Nebraska? It's as if they suddenly forgot to play defense. K-State shot 50%, Colorado shot .533 and Nebraska .471. There is no way the Longhorns should be letting opponents like that shoot anywhere near 50%. They'd better turn it around fast. March is here.

One of the saddest paragraphs I've read in a while. From College Footballnews's combine coverage, a scout's take on Mark Herzlich, post cancer:

To be way too harsh and way too cold, he’s just not nearly the same player. If he was being evaluated just on his current skills and the cancer fight wasn’t a part of the equation, he’d be undraftable. … Plays with a rod in his leg and doesn’t have the same burst. It’s not even close. … He could be a solid producer and won’t miss a stop when things come his way, but he’s way too slow to be a special player again.

The Marlins say they aren't concerned that Javier Vasquez's fastball is topping out at 88mph. They should be. 88 is the same as it was last year, and with his change-up topping out a batting-tee-speed of 74mph and the movement on his pitches declining rapidly, they may soon regret signing Vasquez and giving up a draft pick for him.

What if Joba is really good again—as his impressive spring training outing suggests? Do the Yankees keep as a 7th inning guy? Or do they package him, with say, Curtis Granderson, Austin Romain and another prospect for something very nice?

I know he's been injured a lot, but the Jets giving up Kris Jenkins makes me nervous. is there anyone in the draft or in free agency as good as him at the NT? The same goes for the release of Damien Woody. Are the Jets really sure that Vladimir Ducasse can step in and man the spot. They'd better be sure.

Was never a big fan of Aaron Harang, but San Diego may have made a smart pickup in getting him for only 4 million. The cavernous Petco Park might be perfect for him. In 6 lifetime starts in Petco, Harang has a 3.49 ERA and 38 Ks, and has surrendered 3 HRs in 38.2 IP. To compare, Harang in Wrigley Field, in 73.2 IP, has a 5.01 ERA, has 56 K and has given up 16 HRS. Petco might be just the thing for him.
I'm getting really tired of these NFL labor talks. Guys, the NFL is giant ATM machine for everybody. Don't blow it.

Not how you want your team to "pull together" as the playoffs draw near.

And lastly...maybe you've heard the crazy/amazing comment by Iran. But if you haven't the short version is...Iran is upset about the 2012 London Olympics mascot. Why? Because it's Zionist.

Pick squiggly boxes with yellow borders....Zionist. Seriously, that's Charlie Sheen nuts.

Ray Lucas: The NFL and the Longterm Effect of Injuries

2011-02-26T10:53:00.002-05:00

On February 8th, ESPN's Rich Cimini reported that former NFL quarterback Ray Lucas was detailing on Facebook, his withdrawal from painkilling drugs. The pain he earned in the NFL.

Lucas hasn't played in the NFL since 2003, but he recently underwent back/neck surgery. He has been in pain every single day since his retirement from the NFL.

It got so bad, Lucas says “I couldn’t stand up straight, couldn’t walk up the steps. It was that bad.” So Lucas went to a Doctor Colao, who said that Lucas had a severe testosterone deficiency, likely resulting from his long dependence on pain medications. His prescription, unbeknownst to Lucas, HGH and steroids. Dr. Colao died a few years back and Lucas said “I know I’m not in that category where I was trying to get ripped up, because I was a fat pig (300 lbs at the time)...I was hurt when he passed away. I couldn’t believe it,” Lucas said. “I was actually supposed to see him two days after that.”

The pain continued. And so did the painkillers. Last September, Lucas, through the help of PAST—Pain Alternatives, Solutions and Treatments—a New Jersey medical group that specializes in helping retired athletes—performed neck surgery on Lucas in September and has been assisting his attempt to conquer addiction. Finally on February 5th, Lucas checked into the Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches, a West Palm Beach, Fla., drug rehabilitation center. Since that time, he has been chronically his journey out of painkiller dependency on Facebook.

Here's a just a few of Ray's Facebook entries:

"I arrived in Fla. Randy tells me not to be nervous but that is impossible. I am in the car on my way to BHOP/Seaside. Nervous about everything, my palms are sweating. This weather will be good for my body. Got a text from my mom she & my family are relieved I am here. I am on my way to start my life over. Can't believe all the FB responses already, it's a good sign & the support is needed.

"The end of day 2 detox. The symptoms of detox are taking hold, I am in a lot of pain & everything hurts. This gets me scared. This place is amazing, having another player, Randy Grimes, who has been through it by my side is a difference maker. Today in a session for the first time in my life I was dealing with the emotional impact of my departure from the NFL. This is the start of the fight & I AM WILLING TO FIGHT!

"Day 3 of detox was filled with a lot of anxiety. I was moved from the detox unit into the Seaside condos to start full days of various therapy sessions, group meetings & other treatment. I am nervous & feeling on edge. I met my therapist, it was a very emotional time a lot of feelings coming to the surface I am drained."

"Today marks 1 week since Randy Grimes & Jen Smith brought me to treatment for pain killer dependency due to my NFL injuries & depression. I am hangin in there. The 1st week has been difficult because of my pain. I had no idea how much pain I was in because the amount of medication I was taking. They are helping me with the pain with massage & acupuncture. I have started going to group & I am fighting the good fight."

"A day ago I was packing my s---; wanted to leave. I can't sleep & the pain is getting to me. The lead Doc talked me down & explained that my brain was in a craving mode & the thoughts of leaving were tied to that. It was enlightening & I am feeling better. P.A.S.T/ BHOP brought in another ret. NFL player into the player program Sunday. There are so many of us out there. This place & the program are saving lives."

I was not at all open to going to AA meetings. I was pissed I had to go. I did not understand. I was not an alcoholic, I was not abusing alcohol I thought this was a waste of time. My wife will tell you that I am as stubborn as a mule. I now go to AA meetings & they are making an impact. This week player only groups led by Randy Grimes will start. All the players here will get together for our own group.

This isn't a essay on the horrors of the violence of football and what it have wrought. It isn't to decry that these athletes don't know what they are getting into. They do. This is just to say that there has to be something the NFL can do to help these guys after their career is over. I don't have any idea what the NFL is bargaining with the Player's Union regarding this stuff. But Lucas is just one guy, who didn't play very long or very much. There must other guys—tons of other guys—who are in agonizing pain and need help. The NFL should do something about that.

My thanks to Ray Lucas for documenting his personal life and journey through this ordeal. And so do my best wishes. Good luck, Ray.

Friday Five

2011-02-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

1. In your opinion, who has been the biggest all-time mega-bust of the NFL Draft?

2. Would you take Cam Newton if your franchise needed a quarterback?

3. If you were St. Louis, would you give Albert Pujols whatever he wanted?

4. Without researching, name the past 3 no. 1 picks in the NFL draft.

5. Now the NBA.

Transactions....

2011-02-23T09:17:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the lateness of this Transactions. Couldn't be helped.

Before we start, a reminder.....via the Wall Street Journal: Beginning on July 1, 2011, the Mets will pay former player Bobby Bonilla $1.19 million a year for 25 years as part of a buyout of the $5.9 million the team owed him in 2000. A previous headline of this article incorrectly gave the amount of the annual payment as $1.9 million. Well played Mets. Well played.

Good article about age creeping on ballplayers, by Joe P. on SI.com. Hope that's not the case with Jeter. We have him for 4 years....oooops.

Connecticut basketball!...Recruiting violations!....No atmosphere of compliance!....who would have thought?

Like I wrote earlier this offseason, FoxSports.com is writing about the utter devastation of the Ray's Bullpen.

"The Rays’ bullpen figures to be a season-long work in progress," writes FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. Tampa Bay lost almost its entire bullpen to free agency, and Andrew Friedman admitted the club was "kind of freaking out about it" in January. Rosenthal says the Rays will look at relievers cut by teams at the end of Spring Training, and they will also continue to consider possible trades.

Seriously, no matter how good their starters are...and they are good...the bullpen is going to lose games for them.

Can anyone remember the Knicks actually had a draft pick?

Suddenly, contraction is the word of the day in baseball. Ain't gonna happen. Just won't. Baseball and Bud Selig are just sounding off to create fear and outrage. The A's will get their park in San Jose ("San Jose Athletics?"), and the Rays will either get an outdoor stadium in Tampa, or they will move to San Antonio or Charlotte.

No offense to Norv Turner, but you are creating the 80s Dolphins down there in San Diego. Phillip Rivers...arguably the best QB in the game (no offernse, Tom, Peyton and Drew) to never sniff the Super Bowl.

Hank Steinbrenner is quickly becoming the crazy uncle who makes everyone uncomfortable at holidays.
Pretty soon, the Yankees are going to have to keep this guy in the attic.

I have no reason to say this, other than having watched him a lot the past 2 seasons...I think Greg McElroy would make a good backup QB on an NFL team. He'll never be a starter, but a solid, dependable backup.

If Alex Rodriguez doesn't bounce back this season, he never will. And the Yankees will look extremely, extremely cerebellumly-challenged to have signed him through 2017.

And lastly, Todd Helton getting into the spirit of being a ball played at Spring Training.

In Honor of President's Day

2011-02-21T11:01:00.000-05:00

What was the greatest athlete with a President's name: Some examples:

U.L. Washington
Grant Hill
Antonio Pierce
Tyler Brayton
Roosevelt Potts
Charlie Hayes
Cleveland Gary

and my personal favorite,

Lincoln Kennedy

Come up with some other good ones.

Friday Five

2011-02-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

1. Which college did Carmelo Anthony go to?

2. Which college has the most NFL players on a roster?

3. OK, I'll ask it: Where does Albert Pujols end up?

4. If you were a HS or college wrestler, would you wrestle a girl?

5. Remarkably, Yahoo has the biggest 5 pro basketball busts as these guys:
The “top” five:
1. Adam Morrison
2. Ed O’Bannon
3. Steve Alford
4. LaRue Martin
5. Walter Berry

Who would you pick as the biggest bust of all time?

How They Got Here: The State of the Yankees

2011-02-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

The whole off-season drama with the Yankees is; "Who's going to pitch for us?" The Yankees have a talented minor league pitching prospects, but they aren't ready to pitch by Opening Day. And they have free agents on their staff, with decidedly mixed results. Where that leaves the Yankees as Spring Training 2011 begins, is with a staring rotation with holes the size of fishing nets. Just how did the richest organization in sports get into this mess?

Short answer; they don't develop pitchers.

Since the Core 4 came up together in 1996, the Yankees have developed exactly 1 starting pitcher: Phil Hughes. For years, the Yankees relied on Andy Pettitte and a bevy of free agents. Clemens, Mussina, Wells, Pavano, Wright, Irabu, etc. During that time—from 1996 until 2010, there were 2 pitchers the Yankees bought up that could have worked, but A: They traded Ted Lilly for a headcase, and B: they mishandled Chien-Ming Wang's injury and he is busted for the foreseeable future.

It's interesting to note that, the Yankees were initially reluctant to bring Wang up and showed little faith in him despite his domination of the minor leagues. Wang only was in the rotation, because free agents Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jared Wright all had catastrophic performances throughout 2005. Wang was never supposed to have been given a chance—circumstances and desperation afforded him his opportunity.

In any event, the point is the Yankees have had no real success in developing young pitchers since 1996. Their faith has always been placed—despite much evidence to the contrary—in free agency. Whether it was due to lack of interest, or just plain old incompetence, the Yankees haven't been able to develop a young pitcher and haven't shown any confidence in giving one a chance.

"We're gonna be in it every year," says Hank Steinbrenner. "Every single year." Which is great news for Yankee fans—having an ownership that puts their profit back onto the field is a wonderful thing. Ask the Pirates.

But it also means that trusting rookies to develop is going to usually be a non-starter, especially pitchers. Rookies make mistakes, need time to grow. Check out Randy Johnson's first couple of years, or Johan Santana's, or Tom Glavine's. It takes a bit of time before pitchers find their groove. The Yankees do not have a bit of time.

So here come the free agents. The Kei Igawas, the Kevin Browns, the Jared Wrights. The A.J. Burnetts.

Which brings us to 2011 Spring Training. And a ball club that has a 200 million dollar price tag and roughly 2.5 to 3.5 starting pitchers. Ivan Nova will probably have a starting job, but will also have the added pressure that he has to produce immediately as a starter in the rotation. He wont be afforded the luxury of developing in the bullpen and working his way onto the staff. His growth as a pitcher is borne of panicked desperation instead of prudent development.

Our rivals to the north have in 2 slots of their rotation, potential aces that were home-grown. Both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz came up young, were allowed to make mistakes (Jon Lester's WHIP his first 2 years was 1.648 and 1.460; Buchholz went 2-9, 6.75 ERA, 1.763 WHIP in 2008), were allowed to get sent back down to AAA to work on their stuff, and generally learn and grow. There is very little chance that the Yankees would have allowed a 2-9 performance or a 1.648 WHIP rookie on their staff. A call would have been made to Sidney Ponson or Shawn Chacon to try to save the season. Development over.

So that is where the Yankees are in 2011. 2 quality starters, 1 recovering starter, 1 journeyman starter and a rushed rookie. And a 200 million dollar price tag.

And tons of hope in the minors but most of them at least a year away. Going forward, the prayers of Yankees fans regarding those talented minor league pitchers are A: don't rush them (remember 19-year-old Jose Rijo?) and B: don't trade them for someone like Derek Lowe or Bronson Arroyo in an attempt to catch the Red Sox in July.

I do appreciate the Yankees spending beau-coup bucks to try to win. But that mindset—of winning every single season no matter what—has placed pitcher development on the back burner and has created a culture of distrust of young pitchers. Win now! has meant "No Growing Pains". Either perform like an All-Star immediately or you're out. Which is a short-sighted philosophy. Overpaying a older, fading pitcher who may not fit your team and who will plug your payroll for years (Brown, Johnson, Wright) instead of taking a chance to develop a younger cheaper pitcher makes no sense over the long haul. Yet the Yankees continue to do it.

Which is how we got here.

Why is Jeter Leading Off?

2011-02-15T16:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's Spring Training media interview was pretty much what you would expect. No new shocking revelations; high hopes etc. Joe Girardi said the platitudes as did Brian Cashman. Nothing new yo report....except for this:

“We signed Jeter to be our shortstop, and we signed him to be our leadoff hitter,” Girardi said. “And he’s got a pretty good track history of what he’s done in the game of baseball. He had a couple of rough months last year. The month of September he was back to being Derek, I thought. I’m not really too concerned about him as our leadoff hitter.

OK, one question. Why?

In almost every single way, Brett Gardner is the perfect leadoff man over Derek Jeter. As for Girardi's comment about Jeter being back to his old self in September, that's not entirely true. It is true that Jeter batted .287 in the last month, which is better than he batted in any month since April. But .287 isn't what you want out of Jeter.

Jeter can't draw walks like he used to; Gardner can. Jeter can't run like he used to; Gardner has speed to burn. Take September; Jeter's best month since April—he had a .375 OBP. In September, with a severely sprained wrist and his worst month of the year, Gardner's OBP was a .372. In that month—his best OBP month all season—Jeter stole 3 bases. In his worst month, with a sprained wrist, Gardner stole 8 bases.

Look, I get it, Jeter is the Captain. The face of the franchise. But would it be such a insult to him to bat 2nd? With Teixiera behind him? And trying to drive in Gardner with slaps the other way as Gardner creates a hole on the right side of the field? Doesn't that make more sense?

Gardner was 8th in the league in OBP, 3rd in steals, 10th in walks and 9th in runs scored. All batting 9th in the lineup. The man is a born leadoff hitter. Jeter at this point in his carer isn't. And it shouldn't be a slap to the captain. He has batted 2nd more in career than in any other spot over his career. So it's not a big move.

I admire Girardi's loyalty. He played with Jeter and has a bunch of respect for the Franchise. But batting Jeter first is a mistake

Transactions....

2011-02-14T14:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Pitchers & Catchers Day baseball fans.

If Albert Pujols goes to free agency he's only going to cost the Cardinals more to sign him. And if they lose him, that fan base would have to be crushed even worse than when LeBron took his talents to Miami.

Considering the fact that the Panthers haven been looking for a dominating presence in the middle of their defense since Kris Jenkins got traded and that their starting DTs are Nick Hayden and Derek Landri, I'd say the early run to be the first pick in the draft has got to be Nick Fairly, DT out of Clemson.

St. John's is starting to make a believer of me. beating 4 teams in the top 10, beating 19-5 Cincinnati last night....they might be putting it all together at the right time.

It's amazing to me that Green Bay won the Super Bowl with a defense that averaged 4.7 yards per rushing attempt—2nd worst in the NFL. That average dropped in the postseason to 4.1 yards, but it was still one of the worst for teams in the playoff. The important thing to notice is this. Even though the Packers gave up a bunch of yards per carry, in 4 games in the playoffs, the longest run against the Packers was 18 yards. That's pretty amazing.

The 2011 draft looks to be another draft without a Notre Dame player in the first round. The last first rounder from Notre Dame was in 2007, Brady Quinn. Before him was Jeff Faine in 2003 and before him Luke Petitgout in 1999. Tell me again, how does this team recruit so well?

Interesting audible from PFW: One scout writes:

"Everyone got all excited about Michael Vick — and there was reason to be excited early — but if you look at how he finished the season, you see (that) teams started to figure out that if you make him play quarterback, he is not that good. He's not a great three-step, five-step, read-and-throw-to-the-open-receiver quarterback. And he takes more hits because he does not read it quickly. Look at the Indy game when (Colts MLB Gary) Brackett drills him. If his primary (receiver) is not there and he has to go through the thought process, he holds it for an extra second to second-and-a-half, and in this league, that is the difference between a defender breezing by — like they do with Peyton Manning, barely touching him — or getting drilled. If I'm Michael Vick, I'm digging up every game that Steve Young played late in his career when he made his transformation, and I'm studying it."

Totally agree and said this myself. Vick. Talk to Steve...study him. He's the template for what you're trying to do.

I'm already of the mocking articles of how the Yankees got spurned on the should-have-been-a-layup signing of Cliff Lee. Lee never wanted to come to New York, guys and were just using the Yankees to drive up the price. You can stop gloating now guys and try writing an actual insightful article.

In the "Are You For Real?" news of the week, former baseball player Elijah Dukes has come out and said that he is being blackballed by MLB. In short, Dukes is claiming "Dukes talked about how the police are out to get him, the difficulties of being a black athlete in Tampa and how he was "thrown under the bus" by Major League Baseball."

Funny, Carl Crawford hasn't said anything about how difficult it is to be black in Tampa. Neither has David Price. Oh and the Reason baseball is blackballing you is probably because you batted .250 over your career, had as many stolen bases as caught stealings and had a problem catching the ball. Oh and it might also be the fact that you've been arrested at least three times for battery, and once for assault. Also you've threatened your wife and children with a gun. You also impregnated a 17-year foster girl then threw a bottle of Gatorade at her. Then you failed to pay child support. Not sure why they are blackballing you, don't have a clue.

And lastly, congratulations to Yankee announcer, Michael Kay; a good announcer, but.....well anyway, he somehow snagged news hottie Jodi Applegate.

The Wussification of Football

2011-02-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

I've written about this before, but I'd like to expound on this subject—and take to task one Frank DeFord of Sports Illustrated. Here's Deford a few weeks ago.

No -- the championship must be exported to more benign latitudes, leaving January to do its mischief to temperate America without tarnishing the gridiron game and forcing team season-ticket holders to venture out into an ugly second season. In 1967, Rozelle's first Super Bowl was played right about now, in mid-January. This year, it will go on three weeks later: Feb. 6, with playoff games scheduled all January, in places like icy Massachusetts and suburban Lake Michigan.

Seriously? Football should only be played in sunny warm climates where everyone is comfortable. Who came up with that silliness?

Apparently the chiefsblog.kansascity.com came up with it. This is what they wrote just last week.

Football was not meant to be played outside in February unless it's indoors or in South Florida or Southern California.

Even football players—supposedly the toughest people on earth, are catching the fad to complain about cold wet field conditions. Players have complained so much about field conditions (go Google "Heinz Field" or "Soldier Field" and "turf complaints") that now before games, football announcers will update—for us fans—the conditions of the field: Is it muddy? It it cold, etc. How do the players feel?

Really? See I thought the football players were...you know...football players. Big tough guys. Can take anything. Guess not. Here's a part of a complaint titled "Our Field Is Terrible" by Bears TE Desmond Clark from his blog.

"Did you guys take a good look at our field. If you did you had to be disgusted...Some of our opponents comments: "yall play on a cow pasture" "this is the [worst] field in the league" "what the hell is going on with this field". These are a few comments that come to mind. What the hell is the park distict of Chi cgo doing when it comes to taking care of this field. They have to resod the whole field before we play Pittsburgh, which will lead to loose turf.

Here's Rodney Harrison on playing in a cold weather Super Bowl:

"Part of the reward for getting to the biggest game of your life is the beautiful warm weather or the climate-controlled atmosphere," he said. "Players would hate playing in cold weather."

Players wouldn't like playing in the Super Bowl? Because it's cold? Good lord. Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and every player from the Ice Bowl must look at these modern football players and wonder, "What the heck is wrong with them? They play a bunch of their games either in a dome or in sunny climates on artificial turf and sometimes they have to Buffalo or Pittsburgh or Kansas City in January, and the field gets all muddy and get cold and wet and all uncomfortable. Poor babies."

Football was born in Connecticut and grew up in Pittsburgh. It became popular in places like Minnesota and in colleges like Harvard, Yale, Michigan and Northwestern. It was a violent game played in the cold. The game was played in the winter of the North, in the mud, without pads. On grass. In the cold.

But nowadays we have people saying things like "Football was not meant to be played outside in February unless it's indoors or in South Florida or Southern California." Or this: "The quality of the game would also go down because players would barely be able to move, and should anyone score, the cheers would be muffled by all those winter facemasks fans would be wearing." The quality of the game would go down?" "Should anyone score?" For reals? Has anyone seen the Ice Bowl? Or the Giants-Green Bay NFC Championship game of a few years back? Or the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati in 1982? Or The Greatest Game Every Played in Yankee Stadium in December 1958? Did they not score in those games? Were they not fantastic games? Would any of those games have been better in Florida on AstroTurf? Please.

What about Canadian football? Up in Edmonton, they play outdoors year round. For those who don't know, the average temperature in January is 10.0 F. They average 50 inches of snow a year. In Montreal, it averages around 14 degrees F and they get 86 inches of snow annually. They play outdoors.

To the contrary, football was exactly meant to be played in the mud in the cold. That's how it was born. That's how it developed and was enjoyed for decades. But now, poor shivering journalists want to play golf on Super Bowl week and players want to beach it up, the internet is swelled with articles how the Super Bowl in the cold is a ridiculous idea.

Because to host a Super Bowl in a place where winter weather can be cold and windy and snowy (see: blizzard conditions) is ridiculous.

A certain new Super Bowl record — most cups of hot chocolate sold. Limos sharing the parking lot with salt trucks. Something new to see for a $1,000 lower deck ticket: Your breath....Choosing New York was lunacy. Not only does the location rule out "optimal" playing conditions, it gives teams who are used to cold weather a huge advantage. Sure, "playing football in lousy weather can be memorable" — but there is "no reason" to do it "if you don't have to.

Bringing the Super Bowl to New York would be dumb on steroids. First off, in January and February it is cold here. Secondly, in January and February it is freezing here. Thirdly, in January and February it is arctic here. Absolutely, positively arctic.

Is it fair for teams to potentially alter their game plans dramatically in the face of wintry conditions?

It's a gamble. It's roulette. However, one wants to characterize it, Goodell's vision of putting the game in parts of the country in which an unexpected blizzard event or cold weather event can take away from the NFL 's ultimate game should be grounds for Goodell's dismissal.

It's as if no one remembers that that's how the game has been played for decades. Where did Jim Brown play? Did Gale Sayers not run on Soldier Field? Did Bart Starr not throw for 2 TDS in the Ice Bowl? Did Ken Anderson not throw the ball a lot? And where did these guys play their championship games before the NFL decided it had to make sure everyone was comfy? They played them in the Polo Grounds, Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Detroit's Briggs Stadium, Comiskey Field, Lambeau Field. In December. And I doubt the reporters whined about how cold it was. Fans didn't.

And the fans today don't either. In a recent ESPN SportsNation poll, 67% of the fans want a cold weather Super Bowl. So if fans do, why don't the journalists? Why do they say a northern Super Bowl would be bad for the game (sanctimonious bull)—that, indeed the weather shouldn't be a factor in the game. Well, fans say...why not? Here's Jeff Pearlman of SI.com.

For the game itself, meanwhile, cold weather is a killer. Does the NFL really want its calling card matchup to be plagued by, say, snow-caused sloppiness; by passes slipping out of the hands of quarterbacks; by halfbacks and wide receivers pulling off pratfalls atop the ice?

Jeff. I love your writing, but this is not about the players playing in cold. Players know football is a winter game and has been forever. They can still play the game. Aaron Rodgers throws the ball a bit, no? Can Tom Brady handle the weather in New England? What about Jim Kelly in Buffalo? Gale Sayers ran on Soldier Field and John Riggins in the mud of RFK Stadium. The cold weather hasn't stopped free agents from signing in New England, Chicago or Green Bay. Player will go where the money is and where the best chance to win is—and if that's the case in Chicago or Cincinnati or New England over places such as Houston or Tampa Bay, then cold and mud doesn't seem so bad.

And games played in New York, Green Bay, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are packed, so fans don't seem to mind all that much. So then what's the problem with a cold weather game?

This is about the journalists not wanting to go to a game in the cold. You said it yourself earlier, Jeff, in that very article: "I haven't attended another cold-weather NFL game. Never, ever will I ever attend another cold-weather football game."

Pearlman continues on why the Super Bowl in the northeast is a bad idea.

But, well, the weather. From start-to-finish, Super Bowl weeks are meant to take place in warm environments. Miami. San Diego. Arizona. The parties should involve fountains and beach motifs and Kardashian sisters in embarrassingly skimpy outfits. The media days are required to occur beneath a bright sun, so that questions like "How long have you been a black quarterback?" won't reverberate off the steely walls of, say, the Javits Convention Center. The rest of the nation is supposed to watch enviously from afar, jealous over the tans and the convertibles.

Kardashian sisters? Fountains? Media Days in bright sun? What the heck do I care about that? Isn't this supposed to be about football? I want football. I want hard-hitting football played in a hailstorm by huge men with grass stuck to their helmets. I want the breath of linebackers coming out of their helmets like raging bulls. I want mud-stained uniforms and snow-splattered grass fields.

I want Jack Lambert and and Alan Page and Jerome Bettis and Mike Singletary and Greg Pruitt and Mark Bavaro and Jamal Lewis and Ray Lewis and Jim Brown.

I want Emmitt Smith running for 168 yards and catching 10 passes with a separated shoulder because the Cowboys had to beat the Giants to win the NFC East. They did. I want Jack Youngblood playing in the Super Bowl with a broken leg because that's how much he cares about the game.

I want guys who want to play football because they love the game and want to win. And not care about where its being played. If the Super Bowl was being played in in a bus station parking lot in Butte, Montana in February, I want players who want to be there. And I don't want whiny reporters and million dollar athletes complaining that the field is snowy or that its cold.

It's what I want. It's what the fans want. So to the athletes and reporters. Cowboy up. Don't make our game wussy.

Friday Five

2011-02-11T04:39:00.000-05:00

1. Will there be a NFL lockout?

2. Have you ever watched the XFL, USFL or CFL?

3. How many teams has Jamie Moyer played for?

4. How many Super Bowls have the Green Bay Packers won?

5. Does the fact that Joe Montana's son is thinking of transferring to Montana U. tickle you

Know Thy Enemy: Tampa Rays

2011-02-09T13:23:00.001-05:00

A little while back, we did an examination on one of the Yankees oldest enemies; the Red Sox. Now we're going to look in depth on one of the newest Yankees rivals; the Tampa ("Don't call them Devils") Rays.

The Tampa Rays got hit hard this off-season; Carl Crawford left for the rival Red Sox. Rafael Soriano left for the rival Yankees. In fact, not just Soriano, but a goodly chunk of the Rays quality bullpen is gone, including Dan Wheeler (3.35 ERA, 46 SO, 1.08 WHIP, 48.1 IP), Grant Balfour (3.35 ERA, 46 SO, 1.08 WHIP, 48.1 IP) and Joaquin Benoit (1.34 ERA, 25 Holds, 75 SO, .68 WHIP, 60.1 IP). Ooof. That’s a lot to lose. Their rotation lost Matt Garza in a trade for prospects. Also gone is starting shortstop Jason Bartlett and 1st baseman/DH Carlos Pena. In short, the team has been gutted and remade.

But is it better. Well, one good thing for the Rays is that their farm system is loaded and quality replacements are at the ready. Taking over for Crawford is Johnny Damon who will man the left field spot until highly touted 24-year-old prospect Desmond Jennings is ready. Former first round pick Reid Brignac will take over shortstop duties. Brignac, like much of the team is young and can improve on his .256 BA.

The cipher of the Rays—and the man they most need to step up—is B.J. Upton. A 5-tool talent, Upton’s average has fallen each of the past 4 seasons, from .300 in his banner year of 2007, to a sickly .239 last year. Upton has the speed to turn every walk into a double, but can’t steal first base. He did flash a bit of power last year, hitting 18 HRs. A talented outfielder, Upton needs to put it all together—and still can at only 25 years of age.

Manny Ramirez will hit clean up as the DH, taking over for Carlos Pena. Manny hit for .298 last season showing he can still swing. Yet Manny hasn’t shown the display of power that made him feared and famous—batting for a wimpy .460 slugging percentage, the lowest of his career. Well, Manny had better hit for more power; taking over 1st base duties for Carlos Pena—who even in a terrible season, hit for 28 HRS—is Dan Johnson. Yes, that Dan Johnson. If Johnson completely muffs it, figure Ben Zobrist to take over 1st base duties, with the outfield reshuffled to make room for Jennings. The Rays also pray that Evan “That’s My Cap!” Longoria grows into his body more at 25 years of age and can hit for 30+ HRs. Let’s hope so for their sake.

The real strength for the Rays lies in their rotation. All young (James Shields is the elder, pitching at 29 years old), all talented. David Price is an all-out Ace; Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann and youngsters growing into their rotation role and Jeremy Hellickson—taking over for Matt Garza, has already shown signs of dominance in a limited role last year, throwing up a 3.47 ERA, with a 1.101 WHIP and striking out 33 in 36 IP. The rotation is as complete as any in the AL and could be the best in the league.

It had better be; the Rays bullpen has been decimated and now relies on the unknown quantities of Kyle Farnsworth, Joel Peralta, Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos. The Rays are counting heavily on rookie Jake McGee and former starter Andy Sonnanstine to fill some of the void left by all the free agent defections. As stated before...”Oooffff.”

The Rays are one of the few teams in MLB who can lose their best player, their op 3 relievers, their 2nd best pitcher and their starting shortstop and 1st baseman, and still be in the discussion for a playoff spot. It is a credit to their farm system, which didn’t rush their top prospects and groomed them into very talented pro ball players. But all the defections do hurt. Replacing Crawford with a diminished Damon and a raw Jennings can’t pan out well for the Rays in ‘11. Losing all that talent in the bullpen will cost games and put a lot of stress on a very young rotation. Pena’s 28 HRs be replaced by Ramirez? Can Longoria take the next step? What about young catcher Jaso? Can Upton put the bat on the ball (and cut down on his gargantuan 164 Ks?)? Most of these questions have to be in the Yes column if the Rays are going to compete with the Red Sox, much less the Yankees in 2011.

Overall, the Rays will be good this year. But look for them in 2012.

Transactions....

2011-02-08T11:14:00.000-05:00

So, I went 3 for 3 on Conference championships and the Super Bowl. Which I had money on those games.

Once again, NFL. Put the Super Bowl on Saturday! Getting up, especially on the East Coast, on Monday to go to work is awful.

I know college football is a religion in the south, but having a live video feed of the Alabama Crimson Tide fax machine as recruits' commitment letters came in—and then a mini-skirted check picking up the faxes—...is more than a little weird.
Project Prospect has their Top 100 prospects in the game right now. Worth a look.

Odd that the Rangers would lowball Josh Hamilton. Wouldn't they want to lock this guy up. as the Reds did with Joey Votto? Guy won the MVP, led the league in slugging, OPS+, batting average and RBIs. 8 mill per? That could get Hamilton mad, guys. Play fair.

How could the fans vote in Yao Ming ahead of Kevin Love? Ming played 5 games this year people, while Love is averaging 21/15 a game. And he's making "Donnie" Darko Milicic look like a decent player by playing next to him. That alone deserves a start on the all-star squad.

Profootballweekly.com speculates that the Patriots could use one of their first round picks on a DE. Well duh. One one of the best DE drafts in a while and the Patriots still trying to fill their glaring DE hole since Richard Seymour got traded, yeah, durp, PFW, they might use a pick on a DE.

Would the Nuggets just trade Melo already. This will they/wont they stuff is getting ponderous.

Speaking of which, how the heck did Clemson pull of this good a recruiting class. Clemson, notorious for high expectations and flopping during the season hasn't won double digits since the South seceded, and closed last season by losing 4 out of their last six, including getting annihilated by South Carolina, then blowing the final game to South Florida. Yet they put up a Top 10 recruiting class. How?

Interesting article regarding where Albert Pujols could end up if the Cardinals negotiations break down. The Texas Rangers make a lot of sense.

For AAPTBNL Man of the Week, come on....duh. Aaron Rodgers. Guy handled the whole Brett Favre thing with class, had the weight of all that on his shoulders—not to mention the Steelers defense, and not only handled it well, he made beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and winning the Super Bowl look easy. Let's go over this again, he took a 6th seed who squeaked into the playoffs and ended up beating the Steelers by throwing 3 TDs and over 300 yards. Well done, Aaron. Enjoy the moment.

And lastly....I'm not a fan of the guy and I'd be the last person to defend his actions overall, but really....piling on the guy because his girlfriend feeds him popcorn. Go after Alex for legitimate reason. not for something silly like this.

Super Bowl Prognostications

2011-02-05T17:21:00.000-05:00

Let's take a look at the Steelers and Packers and see who wins this throwback Super Bowl.

Take a look at this stat: Rashard Mendenhall ran for 95 yards in the first half against the Jets: The Steelers scored 24 points. The 2nd half, the Jets held him to 26 yards. The Steelers didn't score anything.

Most of the headlines will be about Big Ben and his right arm and his scrambling ability. And sure, those are important, but a big important hunk of what the Steelers need to do is up to Rashard Mendenhall. Especially with the Packers awesome (and number 1 rated) passing defense making it hard for Big Ben to find anybody. On defense, the Packers have 2 advantages. One is the aforementioned pass defense, which is turnover-happy. The other is the awful, sack-producing Steelers offensive line, made all the more awful with the loss of center Maurkice Pouncey. If the Steelers can force the Packers' secondary to cheat up a little by running consistently the run, then it will make things easier for Ben to matriculate the ball up the field. If B.J. Raji, Cullen Jenkins and crew can force the Steelers to be one dimensional, it will lead to turnovers and 3-and-outs.

The Steelers run defense on the other hand, is no slouch. The number one rated rush defense, the Steelers will definitely turn the Packers into a one-man, one-dimensional offense—namely Aaron Rodgers. Luckily, they have a of of experience at this. Despite having the 24th rated rushing offense, the Packers have the 5th rated passing offense, resulting in just under 360 yards a game. The Packers were 3rd in the league averaging 7.1 NY per passing attempt and 6th overall in yards per attempt. And in the playoffs, the Packers actually ran the ball better, having discovered James Starks in the postseason and averaging a respectable 118 ypg.

These teams match better than almost any other combination in the league. Both are dominant run stoppers with an excellent 3-4 corp. Both have sack-master rush linebackers. Both have young quarterbacks with howitzer arms. The are the 1st and 2nd ranked defenses in the league. They rank 3rd and 6th in turnovers, including 2nd and 5th in interceptions. They are, in short, a perfect Super Bowl matchup.

Statistically speaking, it boils down to the Steelers 11th-ranked run game. If it keeps the packers honest, the Steelers will move the ball and score the points they need. If not, the Packers have the advantage. The call?
Packers 21
Steelers16

Enjoy the game. And the hair.

Friday Five

2011-02-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

1. Name all 4 teams Nolan Ryan was on. Bonus points for getting his full name.

2. Is Jim Kaat in the Hall of Fame? Is Gaylord Perry?

3. Which team did Steve Carlton retire with?

4. Where did Warren Moon go to college?

5. Did Marshall Faulk ever win the Heisman? How about the NFL MVP?

Why Can Notre Dame Still Recruit?

2011-02-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

Can someone please explain the siren call Notre Dame football has over recruits?

Sure, way back when, The Fighting Irish ruled the college football world. They won championships, had Heisman winners and possessed a mystique that few colleges could possess. But, heck. That time was long, long ago.

Frankly, when it comes to challenging for a BCS title, the Fighting Irish are irrelevant. Annually overrated and irrelevant.

Oh sure, they always seem to be part of the conversation. They have the T.V. rights; they seem to always have some buzz about them. Commentators always seem to feel that this year, “they are back.” But the truth reveals itself on the field. On the field, they don’t matter.

They haven’t won a title since 1988. Their last Heisman winner was in 1987. Since 1995, they have a grand total of 4 first round draft picks (the same amount Florida has done in the past 2 years and only 1 more than Marshall). The last few quarterbacks they put into the NFL have been Jimmy Clausen, Brady Quinn, Jarious Jackson and Rick Mirer.

So what can they possibly offer a kid when recruiting him? Their history? Why would a kid care that they won 4 championships in the 1940s? And would he even know who Knute Rockne is?

If Ohio State and Notre Dame are recruiting a kid, how can Notre Dame promise him anything that those other schools couldn’t? In fact, what could they promise a five-star recruit? Their recent record of mediocrity? Their recent Bowl record of 2 and 7, including revealing blowout loses to LSU and Oregon State? That they have had 1 first round draft pick since 2004 and it was Brady Quinn? And only 2 first round picks in the last decade?

Yet the Fighting Irish keep recruiting. According to Rivals and Scout, Notre Dame has the 7th and 9th best recruiting classes respectively. According to Scout, Notre Dame has 4 of the Top 100 recruits, ahead of National Champions Auburn, and 4 5-star recruits, twice what Ohio State and Auburn have. National runner-up Oregon has none.

On Rivals, Notre Dame has a better class than Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida and Nebraska and a much better class than Virginia Tech (who last had a losing season in 1992—the last year they missed a bowl game).

Amazingly, Notre Dame recruits year in and year out exceedingly well. Jimmy Clausen was the number one prospect in the nation. How did that fare out? Meanwhile Sam Bradford was a middling recruit that Oklahoma’s staff turned him into a number one pick. Brady Quinn was a high recruit—well ahead of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. How did that turn out?

And heck, if a recruit wants an education as well as the ability to play football, go to Boston College (9 first rounders since 1995). Go to Northwestern (2 first rounders since 2003), Vanderbilt (2 first rounders since 2002) Cal (11 first rounders since 1995) or Stanford (Andrew Luck guaranteed first rounder if he had left this year).

Some recruit specialists say that scouting sites over-rank Notre Dame recruits. Maybe. But what can they say about Ishaq Williams, a 2011 five star DE recruit, who chose Notre Dame over Florida, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State. Same goes for Stephon Tuitt, another 5-star recruit. Schools like Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, LSU all offered Tuitt. Yet he went to Notre Dame. Why?

I have no answer. If anyone out there can explain to me why a recruit would choose Notre Dame over LSU—a two-time BCS champion coached by Les Miles, or Florida or Auburn or Alabama or Ohio State—please let me know. I am honestly fascinated.

Transactions....

2011-01-31T12:59:00.004-05:00

Would like to start out by tipping my hat to retiring Rocco Baldelli. Hate to see an athlete forced to quit due to injury or sickness. Ole' Rocco had had as much natural talent as anybody. Could hit for power and average. Could run. Glad to see that the Rays are doing right by him at least. And only 29. A damn shame.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's super-mega-awesome that St. John's beat Duke at the Garden yesterday. But let's remember; right now, the Red Storm's record is 12-8. At this point, last year, at this point, their record was 12-8. And yes, they have beaten some quality teams this year, unlike last year. But 12 and 8...is 12 and 8.

Vince Young tells ESPN that he’s an “elite quarterback,” and believes he’s worth starter money. What team would trade for him knowing his 2011 base salary is $8.5 million? Well, Vince—for a guy's who's completion rating was 6 points lower than Jon Kitna in the same amount of games played, who's never won either "jack" and/or "squat" and who's abandoned his teammates more than once—should be a little more humble when looking for a starting job somewhere. Look, you are a talented and sometimes very good QB, but you've got to grow up and apply yourself. You've already been passed by younger QB's, Ryan, Flacco and Freeman (and probably Bradford), don't waste your career, dude.

Can't say why for sure, but I just get the "bust" feeling from Christan Ponder. Again, really can't explain to you why, I just get the feeling: Major Bust.

Bad move, Titans. bad move. No stability. No direction. All the better coaches already hired. No clear-cut starting quarterback. As former Knick Michael Ray Richardson famously said: "The ship be sinking."

Some people believe that even though the Eagles franchised Michael Vick and have publically stated they would like in trading Kevin Kolb, that they won't trade him. Reasoning; Vick gets hurt. A lot. Which is true—so saying loudly that they want to trade him shows Kolb that they really are trying to get him to another team, but secretly keeping him to protect themselves if/when Vick gets injured. The only caveat I had is that, for some reason, the Eagles really like Mike "The Roach" Kafka, a 4th round draft pick who's got zilch experience. If they feel comfortable with Kafka backing up the injury-prone Vick, then trade Kolb and get more picks. But you'd better be right about "The Roach."

Good article over at MLBTR. Considering the Houdini act the Blue Jays pulled in getting out from under Vernon Wells behemoth contract, the article covers the Blue Jays future financial obligations, and projects a run at Prince Fielder. Also, considering the Blue Jays have 8 of the first 70 picks in the draft, there is some nice rebuilding going on over in Toronto.

Texas A&M OLB Von Miller has the potential to be an animal in the NFL. If he gets good coaching and put into the right scheme, he will be a beast.

This is a nice move by YES. Coney is a pleasure to listen to: informative and funny. Good hire.

And lastly, check out some really cool pix from the year in sports that was 2010.

Could The Yankees Eat Barry Zito's Contract?

2011-01-26T11:57:00.000-05:00

If it mean getting Matt Cain?

OK, back up. These are the slow days for baseball; no spring training; the free agent market mostly dried up. So why not speculate wildly?

OK, Barry Zito’s contract is an anchor of an albatross of a lead piano on the San Francisco Giants organization. Zito’s contract is costing the Giants between 18.5 and 20 million for the next 3 seasons and then another 7 million dollar payout to make him go away in 2014. Zito’s contract eats 1/6th of the Giants payroll next year. Think they would like to get rid of it?

Well, the Yankees are one of the teams that can actually do that. And what’s more, the Yankees are desperate. They completely whiffed this offseason and are at least one pitcher short of a rotation.

Let’s get something straight. That missing pitcher is not Barry Zito. It’s Matt Cain.

Now, would the Giants trade Matt Cain? Most likely, hells no. But if the Yankees take the gigunda Barry Zito contract off their hands and trade them Ivan Nova and say, Andrew Brackman and Austin Romine? (Or Adam Warren. Or Slade Heathcott. Or any prospect not named Montero, Banuelos, Betances, Noesi or Sanchez.) Where would that leave the Yankees? With a rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, Cain, Hughes and...well my mother could pitch the fifth game. Or Barry Zito, take your pick.

It would also leave their contract situation a complete mess until, at least, 2014. The Yankees would be at around $215 million right now. They would be over $165 next year, not including the arbitration raises of Hughes, Martin, Gardner and the rest. Simply put, with the contracts of Rodriguez, Burnett, Jeter and etc—the Yankees stuck with a lot of gargantuan and immovable contracts for a while.

But the Yankees could, in theory, do it. The other, more pressing question is....would the Giants do it? Probably not. That said, they have a lot people who need to be paid soon. Lincecum is up for arbitration in 2012 and is going to break the bank, if the Giants don’t sign him to a mega-contract before then. Sanchez is up for arbitration that year as well (he of the overlooked 133 ERA+). Wilson and Cain are due in 2013. That’s potentially a lot of money to be spent and soon. Getting about 20 million off the books to pay these kids might not be a bad idea. And they also a bunch of young, talented and cheap players in return. The word is, that this off-season Ivan Nova was coveted by a number of teams, who see a potential rotation starter in him. And the Giants might need a good young catcher if they plan on moving Posey to 1st base or the outfield. Also, the Giants have Dan Runzler, a good young lefty waiting in the wings (2.61 ERA in 41.1 IP) and Zach Wheeler and Eric Surkamp on the fast track to the majors. So the Giants rotation would be Lincecum, Sanchez, Bumgarner, Nova and Runzler, with Zach Wheeler coming soon. Not a shabby rotation...young, talented and cheap.

Of course, this is all just for fun speculation, and would never see the light of day. The Yankees wouldn’t want the Zito contract hanging around their necks like a noose (and God only knows how Zito—a slow-ball, fly ball pitcher in Yankee Stadium in the AL East would play out). And the Giants probably wouldn’t want to give away a pitcher who pitched 21.1 innings of scoreless ball in the postseason, even if it gets Zito’s contract off their backs and good prospects in return.

But heck, on paper it works.

Maybe The Steinbrenners Weren't Wrong

2011-01-25T10:38:00.000-05:00

I grew up in the 80s, which was a despondent time for Yankee fans. The first—and only—decade since the teens where the Yankees didn’t win a World Series. Oh, they had high profile free agents—talented guys who George always claimed was” the missing piece of the puzzle” when they signed him or traded away prospects for him. And, yes they won lots of games. But their pitching staff was a mish-mash of aging veterans and not-ready-for-prime-time kids—sound familiar? And as a result, they won a decent amount of games—again, the most games won in the 1980s—but always seemed to fizzle out come September and October. And not quite make it.

But what the Yankees had wrought in me—and many Yankee fans—during those long dark years of 80s and early 90s was a healthy suspicion of any player decision having to do with the Steinbrenners or their clan. Seriously, in those days, George Steinbrenner was a persona non grata among Yankee fans. His poor free agency signing (Jack Clark) and hasty prospect trading for aging veterans (Rick Rhoden, Ken Phelps) was legendary. In other words, if a decision was not made by a genuine “baseball man” GM-type, but instead by the Steinbrenners or their Tampa clan, it was stupid.

And that sentiment has been reinforced since the 80s and 90s. George’s suspension-fueled absence in the early 90s allowed guys like Pettitte, Jeter and Rivera to develop and not be traded for some fossil from another team. However, since 2001, George and the Steinbrenners have often overruled their GM and made rushed and ill-advised decisions since then—such as signing Jason Giambi, signing Gary Sheffield over Vlad Guerrerro, pushing Joba Chamberlain to the rotation (and effectively ruining him) as well as signing Alex Rodriguez to an albatross of an anchor of a contract until seemingly 2100. Almost of their decisions were colossal failures.

That said, the Steinbrenners might not be wrong about Raphael Soriano. They actually may be right about the signing.

According to Danny Knobler of CBSsports.com, the inability of Brian Cashman to sign Cliff Lee and his poor free agent signing record of late, has created an atmosphere of mistrust in the Yankee Front Office. To quote Knobler:

Some people within the organization were telling friends that the divide between Cashman and the team’s Tampa operation is growing again, and even that ownership wasn’t happy with some of Cashman’s recent moves.

Last winter, Cashman traded for Javier Vazquez, Nick Johnson and Randy Winn as free agents, and none of those moves worked out well. There was even talk that Cashman had mishandled the Lee negotiations by showing too much patience, rather than pushing to get a deal done quickly.

And you know what.....they are not wrong. Now let me clarify, I generally agree with Brian Cashman and disagree with the Steinbrenners. I generally am I believer in patience, letting prospects grow, and generally distrustful of big free agent signings. All things the Steinbrenners (and their ilk) generally eschew. Generally speaking, Cashman has been a voice of reason among that crew.

That said, Cashman has struck out on a lot of the free agent stuff. He’s made a ton of bad decisions. His signing Kei Igawa should be a start to any discussion of his worthiness as a GM. But Jeff Weaver should end the discussion. Here’s a New York Times article from 2003:

‘I don’t know— love the guy,’’ said Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, summing up his soliloquy. ‘’I absolutely love the guy.’’

Cashman is still excited about the trade that brought Weaver to the Yankees last July. Make that his trade.

Since the Yankees lost the World Series in 2001, the principal owner, George Steinbrenner, has orchestrated many roster moves. Raul Mondesi is here because of Steinbrenner. So are David Wells, Hideki Matsui and José Contreras. Steinbrenner wanted them; Steinbrenner got them.

Weaver is here because of Cashman. It may be no coincidence, then, that the right-handed Weaver sometimes seems to be a spare part on the Yankees’ staff. His stuff is electric but his profile is low. He is not here because the owner demanded it.

Really? Trade Ted Lilly, a lefty who had a 3.40 ERA in Yankee Stadium, as well as a 1.057 WHIP the year you traded him, and has been a 2-time All Star (and has been remarkably healthy, despite the fact that the Yankees traded him due to the fact that they thought his delivery would lead to injury), for an over-emotional—admittedly talented—diva, who was in no way was able to pitch in the pressure boiler that was New York. Cashman’s scouting was amazingly flawed. Yet it continued. He championed Carl Pavano so much, that after Pavano’s 4-year failure as a Yankee ended in 2008, Cashman admitted he was thinking of resigning him. Twice.

The point being, that, yes, while Cashman has made some good decisions, his track record definitely does deserve some closer diligence. Does the fact that he signed CC Sabathia, Mark Teixiera and the like point to the fact that he is good GM and can find good fits for his team, or that he has the Yankee wallet to back him up?

If the above examples show anything, they show that while Cashman is an advocate for patience involving prospects, rather than just using them as trading chips for aging stars—all good things—he hasn’t been the best GM in regards to scouting or value-judgment.

Maybe the Steinbrenners are right. Maybe phasing him out is the right course. Look...after the contracts of Giambi, Pavano and the like cleared out in 2008, Cashman, or any ape, was free to reload—with Yankee money—and sign Teixiera, Sabathia and Burnett. Are you telling me that you, the guy reading this reading this article, couldn’t have done that? But the harder stuff a GM for the Yankee GM should know; projecting how a player might adjust to playing in New York; how a prospect might pan out; Cashman hasn’t done well. Last year, Cashman traded Curtis Granderson for Austin Jackson, a top Yankee farm prospect. Granderson had fallen in every offensive category for 2 straight years and was locked into a long contract. Jackson was the top prospect in Baseball America’s Yankee farm system. By all accounts a born centerfielder; a defensive stalwart and a natural slap hitter. So how did that work out? Jackson batted .290 his first season, was an exemplary defensive outfielder, had 10 triples, had 27 stolen bases. Granderson meanwhile, didn’t improve appreciably in any category or statistic you care to look up; and overall batted what he did the year before or even lower—.247 BA, 24 HR, 12 SB. Would you have made that trade?

Look, being a Yankee GM means not only being a good judge of talent, but also, a judge of how that talent will play out in Yankee Stadium, under the hot lights of fan and media judgment. Which is why trading a lefty, like Ted Lilly who has a lifetime 2.15 ERA in Yankee Stadium, and has all the signs of a lefty strikeout Pettitte-type, for a mercurial talent makes no sense in 2004. Did Cashman not do his due diligence and check to see if Weaver could handle the Bronx? Likewise, a GM who scouts a veteran centerfielder player who declined in every statistic category for 2 straight seasons (.302 to .208 to .249BA; .38 to 26 to 23 2B; 135 to 123 to 103 OBP+) and decides to trade his no. 1 prospect for him, has to be put under suspicion—even before the fallout of the season.

Which brings us to the Soriano signing, which Cashman was against. Well, Soriano was a lights out closer and now mans the 8th inning, which pushes David Robertson, Boone Logan and Joba to the 6th and 7th inning, creating a nice bridge for the shaky Yankee rotation. In effect the Yankees just replaced Kerry Wood’s contract for Soriano’s. Soriano, who is younger, better and can man the 9th inning should the Yankees need it. Overall, you get one of the top closers to pitch your 8th inning, for the same price as the guy who did it last year. And with extra money in your budget, why not do it—especially with the 2012 free agent pitching class looking so dim? So why would Cashman be against it?

Cashman may have good intentions, and I believe he does, but his decision-making have made him more than suspect; they have made him close to failure. Should the Yankees ever have a GM with genuine prospect scouting skills—in the Yankee farm system and beyond—well, who knows, what he might accomplish? Is it time to phase Cashman out....maybe. But if not, that time may be near.

Transactions....

2011-01-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

I don't know how injured Jay Cutler really was, but hell, they would have to knock my head clear off my body and then run it back for a touchdown to get me out of a NFC Championship game.

B.J. Raji is going to be a force in this league. And not just because of his huge guy. At 340 lbs, the man can still move. Strong and nimble, he can do what no other NT can do. A future All-Pro.

Instead of demanding a trade, if I were Carson Palmer I'd worry more about my massively declining skills.

Just a hunch; but the Rays losing Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and Rafael Soriano are bigger losses than Carl Crawford. The middle relief and Soriano were a strength for the Rays. And now they have Kyle Farnsworth and Joel Peralta (who had a 5.98 the last time he pitched in the AL). A strength has become a significant concern.

I love the overkill of writers like this. And by "love" I mean I shake my head in disgust. It couldn't be that maybe the Steelers were just a better, more talented team? That the Jets have been playing way over their talent level for a while now and faced a superior team. Huh, maybe? No, to writers like this, someone always has to the idiot goat loser of the game. Everything is a overkill. ("Only Roethlisberger isn't Manning or Brady, both statuesque passers who crack and crumble under the first hint of pressure.") I hate writers like this. And by "hate" I mean loath.

How the heck are the Packers the favorite? Didn't they just eek their way into the playoffs while the Steelers were dominant all season long. Didn't get that one.

College Football News has it's early Top 10 projection for the 2011-2012 season, and the oddest thing. The former Big 10 has as many teams in Top 10 as the powerhouse SEC. How is that? Well obviously Ohio State and a strong Wisconsin team are in there. But the 3rd team in the Top 10 for the increasingly misnamed Big 10 is newcomer Nebraska. Another interesting thing: there are 7 SEC teams in the top 25 and not one of them is the national champion Auburn Tigers.

Wow, this is really the slow season of baseball.

You stay classy, Dan Jennings.

How the heck did the Royals get Billy Butler to agree to a contract that averages less than 8 per? B.B. batted .318, had a .388 OBP and had 45 doubles. And he's only 24, so you know he'll be getting tons better. I mean I know he's not eligible for free agency for a while, but I'd think he was worth more than 8M per.

I'd have liked to give the AAPTBNL Man of the week award to Brian Urlacher who was all over the field yesterday. He had 10 tackles, 9 of the solo, a sack, and interception deep in Chicago territory. But ultimately you have to give it to undrafted rookie Sam Shields. 2 INTs including the game deciding one late in the 4th. He also had a sack and a forced fumble. Totally deserving, Shields is Man of the Week.

And this....is just inexcusible.

Conference Championship Weekend

2011-01-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

NFC Championship Game
Packers at Bears
Up there with the Patriots-Jets and Ravens-Steelers, the packers and Bears know each other. There will be no shenanigins, no new trick plays. These teams know each others playbooks and today, they are just going to go out and try to beat the other guy. That said, this isn't the smashmouth football of old, between these 2 teams. No, Green Bay is all about aaron Rodgers and throwing the ball. While the Bears can also pass the ball, they have the worst offensive line in the pros. Which means if Cutler and the Bears fall behind early and have to throw the ball, Cutler should take out a life insurance policy on himself.

Also, add to the problems for the Bears is that Green Bay is great at defending the pass. The Bears, having trouble passing the ball and protecting Cutler will try to run the ball via draw plays and screens. It won't work. The pick: the number 6 NFC seed Packers beat the Bears at Soldier Field:
Packers 33
Bears 20

AFC Championship Game
Jets at Steelers
The Steelers and Jets are more alike than some pundits think. Yes, they are both 3-4 defense teams with loudmouth players. Both stop the run with Superman-like efficiency. And both teams live off of big plays. Ben Roethlisberger is 9-2 in playoff games and Mark Sanchez is 4-1. Both guys aren'r pretty all the time, but in the post-season they get it done.

The Steelers Achilles Heel is their terrible offensive line. Given that the Jets' excellence at stopping the run, the Steelers best offensive option will to rest their offense on Big Ben's right shoulder. Which has worked so far. Big Benny averages a shiny 6.90 YPA and rocked a 101.2 QB rating against the tough Ravens last week, even when his running backs averaged 2.3 ypc and only got 71 positive yards on the ground. Then do the Jets flood the zone as they did last week against Tom Brady. Or do they bring the house against Big Ben and knock him down.

Yes, the Jets beat Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. But now, as CHFF says, the Jets now face a team that has a better defense than any other in the AFC playoffs. The Jets have a noble run; but it ends late Sunday night in the cold.
Steelers 23
Jets 9

Enjoy the games.

Friday Five

2011-01-21T06:09:00.000-05:00

1. OK, midterm report card: Which team is the best in college basketball?

2. OK, off-season report card: Which MLB team had the best off-season?

3. Is Tom Brady the best quarterback in the NFL?

4. Will Sam Bradford be one the best NFL QBs in a few years?

5. Is "The LeBrons" the dumbest marketing idea in sports history. If not, what is?

Is Bill Belichek Really A Coaching Genius?

2011-01-19T14:11:00.000-05:00

Even before the media recently began touting the fact that the Patriots have lost their last 3 playoff games—dating back to the Giants upset in Super Bowl XXLI—some football analysts began questioning whether Bill Belichick was really the football genius he is purported to be. The Patriots haven’t won it all since 2004, right? Is he really such a brilliant tactician? Or is he the victim of some great good luck?

No, he really is that good. Really, really good.

Belichick has a .714 playoff winning percentage, 9th all-time, ahead of guys like George Halas, Jimmy Johnson and Bill Walsh. His regular season winning percentage of .633 is ahead of Walsh, Curly Lambeau, Joe Gibbs and Tom Landry. Not too shabby, huh?

On the other hand, while yes, he is a master tactician and motivator; luck can play apart of his success, can’t it? Consider this: Up until the day Tom Brady started as Bill Belichick’s quarterback, Belichick’s coaching record was 41-57. He’d had 1 winning season out of 6 that he coached and had been to the playoffs exactly once. Since Tom Brady is his starting quarterback, Belichick’s teams have won 3 Super Bowls, missed the playoffs twice—and one of those seasons was when Brady was out for the season with an injury—and have not had a losing season.

During Belichick’s stay as Cleveland’s head coach, his quarterbacks were Bernie Kosar, Mike Tomczak, Todd Philcox and Vinnie Testaverde—who put together don’t equal Tom Brady’s left pinkie. Belichick came in to Cleveland and found an aging team, past its prime. Belichick tried to dismantle the team—including a very public and controversial dumping of beloved Bernie Kosar—and build the team the way he wanted it to be. But Belichick had one major problem—he didn’t have the unconditional backing of Browns management, nor did he have someone to work closely with to get the players he wanted. Belichick knew that Kosar was done as a quarterback, but didn’t have a GM like Scott Pioli to help him find his Tom Brady and convince management to select him. The Browns organization had a number of football czars who each wanted different directions for the team. The result: chaos.

In New England, Belichick did have Scott Pioli—who worked with Belichick from the exact same script—to build a team from the ground up. From the time he took the Patriots out onto the field Opening Day 2000, to the time they won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2001 season, player turnover was the name of the game in New England. Drew Bledsoe was replaced by Tom Brady. Richard Seymour, Matt Light and Greg Randle were drafted and starting. Belichick favorites Anthony Pleasant, Bobby Hamilton were brought in to start as was Otis Smith, Roman Phifer, Mike Compton, Antoine Smith, Marc Edwards and Mike Vrabel. Quite a turnover......and it worked. The Patriots shocked the football world by winning the Super Bowl that year.

In a way he wasn’t able to in Cleveland, Belichick was able to turn over the roster and mold it into his image. And, to me, Belichick is twice a genius. Not only as a coach, which he unquestionably is (and anyone doubting that is ridiculous to the extreme). But equal to his coaching acumen, is Belichick’s acute vision for spotting players who could fit the system he likes to run. Selecting Tom Brady, who nobody thought would amount to a decent starting quarterback; signing the incredibly versatile Mike Vrable who the Steelers let go; getting Wes Welker for a 7th round pick—who went on to lead the league in receptions twice; picking Devin McCourty and Brandon Meriweather—both Pro Bowlers—deep in the first round; plucking BenJarvus Green-Ellis off the scrap heap and finding a starting running back; drafting Logan Mankins and Dan Koppen (Koppen in the fifth round), both Pro Bowlers; selecting Asante Samuel in the fourth round; plucking Danny Woodhead from the Jets for nothing. And so on.....

Some coaches—Mike Holmgren leaps to mind (Marcus Tubbs, Lamar King, Koren Robinson, Chris McIntosh, Ike Charlton)—are yes, extremely innovative and successful at the coaching aspect of the game. But they can’t scout a player who would mesh well into their system, with any accuracy. Belichick can.

As to why Belichick hasn’t won it all since 2004. Well, expecting to win it all every season, especially in a league with Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, is kind of ridiculous. All Belichick has done since 2004 has compile a 73-23 record, including a season where Tom Brady was out with a injury. He was also 2 minutes—and a God-produced miracle pass—away from another Super Bowl and the first perfect season in modern football.

So, yes, any coach with 3 Super Bowl rings is a genius. But what helps Belichick’s genius, is what prevented Belichick from succeeding in Cleveland. Being able to select the players to run his system. And it is what will keep New England competitive for a long while into the future.

Transactions...

2011-01-18T12:39:00.000-05:00

An amazing weekend of football leads to 2 improbably Championship games. And they are games the way they should be played in January: in the cold, maybe snow; in the mud. Played hard and hurt. Pittsburgh is going to be around 14 degrees warm on Sunday, Chicago a balmy 15. Going to be 2 good ones come Sunday.

Sure, Rafael Soriano can help the Yankees. But only if the Yankees can swing a deal for a new starters. Otherwise Soriano will be coming into the 4th inning of ball games.

So Brett Gardner...feeling valuable? Like, maybe, a trade chip? Cause I have the Yankees are feeling that way. I just hope its not for Derek Lowe. Because that would be bad. Really bad.

Tell me why the Big East basketball conference isn't better than say..the NBA Central Division. Cause I would put Pittsburgh, Syracuse, UConn, West Virginia, Villanova, Georgetown and Notre Dame up against Indiana, Cleveland, Detroit and those guys any day.

Here's another "football player" complaining about the sod in a stadium in the middle of January. And again, I say, "too. Damn. Bad." It's football for Christs' sake. For almost a hundred years it's been played in the cold, in the mud, in the rain and sleet. You don't like it? Start your own Sunny Day and Astroturf football league and leave the real game to the guys who don't complain.

Some buzz around the league is that John Elway may consider trading one of his few good defensive players, D.J. Williams, for draft picks. With just six draft picks, and only two after the third round, we hear the Broncos will be looking to stockpile selections prior to the draft. Williams was stripped of his captaincy after his second DUI arrest this season and has not displayed the attitude the organization expects from its leaders moving forward. Sounds like a future Cincinnati Bengal to me.

The past few years, I've been a fan of what the Milwaukee Brewers have been doing. Not running the show like a small market team, but like a team that will do what it takes to win. Love them. But putting a multi-year Rickie Weeks high on the To Do List. I don't get it. Sure he had 29 HRs, and that's nice. but the guy can't field (15 errors, 3rd in NL) and strikes out a just stupid 28.3 % of the time. That's ridiculous. Unless Prince Fielder is demanding the team to sign Weeks, the Brewers should focus on other things and maybe use Weeks as a trading chip.

I think that we can all agree—even Ohio State fans—that Michigan really needed this.

Derek Lee giving up Gopher Balls. That's what he does.

For the AAPTBNL Man of the Week, gotta go with Aaron Rodgers. 31 for 36. I mean, Jeeesh. He was 26 for 28...to his main 4 wideouts. Just a ridiculous performance. if he is anything like that next week in Chicago, the Bears defense is going to have a tough afternoon. Congrats, Aaron.

And lastly, some Clide the Glide photos. Just because.

Sick

2011-01-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

Got the flu that's going around Brooklyn. Will be back up asap.

Transactions....

2011-01-10T10:37:00.000-05:00

One of the really cool things about Marshawn Lynch's insane run, where he avoided like 95 tacklers, was that Matt Hasselbeck was downfield trying to throw blocks. When a QB is trying to throw blocks downfield, that is awesome.

The worst part of that run, for New Orleans, was Jabari Greer's attempted tackle. He looked like Jeff Van Gundy trying to hang on to Alonzo Morning

Michael Vick looks like Michael Vick again.

Yes, Carmelo Anthony is a scoring machine. but is he one of the top 3 players in the league. No. Show the Nets should not give up that much for Melo. They just shouldn't. Don't think he's that kind of player.

Another bad trade made this week. Well, maybe bad is overstating it, because Matt Gaza can be a good pitcher for the Cubs. But man, did they give up the house for him. Dude isn't 1977 Steve Carlton, Cubbies. It's Matt Garza.

After 2 crap seasons, Glenn Dorsey finally turned on the light switch in his head. 11 tackles yesterday for a 3-4 lineman—nice. He just seemed everywhere yesterday. Too bad the rest of his defense (except Eric Berry) didn't show up.

And I like Ray Rice as a RB a lot, but man did he whiff on some blocks yesterday. If I was Flacco, I'd be a little miffed at him.

Been wondering for a while who should the Eagles trade Kevin Kolb to. More and more I think the Niners seem like a good fit for him. Harbargh just seems like the coach to get the most out of a guy like Kolb—a strong armed smart passer. Look what his brother did with Flacco.

Not that Andy doesn't have the right to take his time to contemplate his future. But really, his his making the Yankees hang out in the wind.

Mark Sanchez is one of those guys who never, ever looks good doing what he is doing, but seems to always just do enough to win. How else can you explain him? Does he look like Joe Montana in the pocket. Aw, hecks no. But dude has done enough to have 3-1 in playoff games (all road game), and in the process beat Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning. Must be doing something ok.

Boy, Reggie Bush showed up big when his team needed him on Saturday huh?

You gotta like what the Rockies are doing. They just signed potentially the next Albert Pujols in Carlos Gonzalez to a very manageable long-term contract, after signing Troy Tulowitzski to a manageable contract last season. Keeping a young nucleus under wraps for a long while, all to manageable contracts. Nice way to build a dynasty.

Man of the Week. Easy. Matt Hasselbeck. Beat up seemingly since training camp. They guys goes out there and simply has the prettiest day a QB has had in a while. Go check the tape and how he throw the ball. Just the way it should be done. And got 4 TDs and beat a really good day by Drew Brees and took his 7-9 team another round in the playoffs. Way to go, Matt.

And if you haven't seen it yet...it's the Pro Bowl Shuffle. Stupid, but funny.

Friday Five

2011-01-07T11:02:00.000-05:00

1. If you were Andrew Luck, and pretty much guaranteed to be a number 1 pick in the draft, would you have gone back to Stanford?

2. Should Bert Blyleven be a Hall of Famer?

3. Who should Michigan go after for their head coaching job?

4. If you had to choose just one of them to join the Red Sox this off-season, would you prefer Carl Crawford or Adrian Gonzalez?

5. Is it just me, or does David Stern look like Kermit the Frog?

Pigskin Prognostications

2011-01-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

OK, one of the best times of the year is here—NFL playoff time. Before we spend the entire weekend on the couch watching the games, let's try to predict what we'll be watching.

New Orleans Saints at the Seattle Seahawks
Yes, Seattle really is hosting a playoff game. And that's just amazing considering they had the 31st worst rush defense, and gave up the 8th most points in the NFL. The Seahawks were just 2 and 5 against opponents with winning records. And yes, the Saints lost 2 of their top rushers this week, but honestly you could dig up Knute Rockne, hand him the ball and he'd get 5 yards per carry against the Hawks.

Going for the Seahawks is the fact that when the teams last met, back on November 21st, Matt Hasslebeck threw for 366 yards against the normally excellent Saints passing defense. And with starting safety Malcolm Jenkins, responsible for 2 of the Saints NFL-low 9 INTs, the Saints' pass defense is susceptible to the big play. Which is good for the Seahawks, who were 31st in rushing offense—they are going to need the big play to get points on the board.

In the week's most uninteresting game, expect a close game until the 4th quarter, when the Saints will remember they are playing the 7-9 Seahawks and run up the score a bit.
Saints: 36-13

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts
Oil. Water. Immovable Object. Irresistible Force. Colts. Jets
The Colts had the number 1 pass offense in the league, this despite the Colts offensive roster looking like the local emergency room. The Jets gave up successful passing plays at a 50.7% clip, best in the league. Despite having one of the worst running games in the NFL, the Colts had more first downs than anyone else in the league. The Jets gave up 4.8 yards per offensive play, 3rd best in the league.

Boiling this game down, it comes to, can the Jets defensive front stop the run and make Manning feel uncomfortable. if they can't do either, they've got problems. If Ryan sends extra guys to blitz, Manning will counter them, as he often does when team send more guys to blitz. Simple, more guys coming, someone is open, and Manning usually finds them.

What might be more impressive is the Colts rush defense. While they were 25th in the league giving up 127 ypg, in the last 3 games of the year, the game up, respectively, 67, 80 and 51 yards in those 3 games. It will be interesting to see how they handle the Jets 4th-rated rush offense, who are averaging 148.4 yards per game.

Guessing the score...you have to go back to Manning. One of the all-time greats, Manning has 46 game-winning drives in his career. Simply put, if the game is close in the 4th quarter—which it will be—Manning will find a way to win.
Colts: 26-24

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
Possibly the main stat that jumps out while researching the Ravens-Chiefs game is this: The Ravens have played 7 games going against + .500 teams, going 4-3; the Chiefs have only played 3 games against teams over .500, and lost 2 of them (the one they won was against the 9-7 Chargers early in the season—the Chargers later repaid them 31-0.

The Ravens calling card is still defense. 3rd ranked in the league, they will make life hard whenever the Chiefs try to pass. Lucky for the Chiefs they have the number 1 ranked rushing attack in the league. What further will turn the Chiefs into a one-dimensional run-only offensive is that the Chief's top wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe couldn't practice this week. Not a good sign when one of your best offensive weapons is down when you're about to face the Ravens.

The Ravens are not a top offense, but against the Chiefs, they won't need to be. Kansas City is a completely average defense that the Ravens can keep on the field a long time by beating up on the Chief offense and getting them off the field.

The Chiefs feasted this season by playing both the NFC West and the AFC West. While having improved, the should be nowhere near the playoffs. Easy draw for Baltimore:
Ravens: 27-13

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
No doubt aided by Michael Vick's exploits, the Eagle's rushing attacked average a remarkable 5.4 ypa. But even without Vick, LeSean McCoy averaged 5.2 ypa and Jerome Harrison averaged 6.0 per attempt. Remarkable. What this might force Green Bay to do—should the Eagles pound away successfully early in the game—is to call some of their backfield guys close to the line. The packers have the best passing defense in the league—2nd best 24 INTs over the season—but
Should the Eagles successfully run—and Vick can scramble for a few first downs—they may be switched to stop the run.

On the other side of the ball, the Eagles defense is a little banged up, which the Packers can try to exploit. The Packers have the 3rd best passing yards per attempt—and their 57 passes of 20 yards are 2nd in the league. Passing is their bread and butter and the Eagle's 14th ranked pass defense—banged up as previously stated—has its work cut out for themselves.

In their last meeting, game 1 of this season, the Packers held DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to 8 catches and 78 yards in a 27-20 win. But the interesting series, was the last one Philadelphia ha when trying to tie the score late in the fourth quarter. See below for what happened.

DRIVE TOTALS: GB 27, PHI 20, 6 plays, 34 yards, 2:19 elapsed
1st and 10 at PHI 24	(Shotgun) M.Vick scrambles left end pushed ob at PHI 33 for 9 yards (C.Matthews).
2nd and 1 at PHI 33	(Shotgun) M.Vick up the middle to PHI 49 for 16 yards (S.Shields).
1st and 10 at PHI 49	(No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Vick sacked at PHI 49 for 0 yards (C.Jenkins).
2nd and 10 at PHI 49	(Shotgun) M.Vick sacked at PHI 46 for -3 yards (C.Matthews).
3rd and 13 at PHI 46	(Shotgun) M.Vick pass short middle to J.Avant to GB 42 for 12 yards (B.Chillar).
4th and 1 at GB 42	(Shotgun) M.Vick up the middle to GB 42 for no gain (C.Matthews).

5 runs and/or sacks, and 1 pass.

In the previous 2 series, which ended in a TD and a FG, Vick ran the ball once and was sacked once. So, in other words, the hypothesis might be—make Vick run. I know, that sounds stupid. But in the last 5 games where Michael Vick has started and where the pass coverage has been very, very good and less concerned with his running, Vick has had 6 INTs, 7 fumbles and 13 sacks. In short, the defenses are using complicated pass defense schemes and disguised blitzes and forcing Vick to give up the pass and run.

Strange concept, but what works, works. I think Green Bay confuses and holds Vick in check, somewhat, and pull out this game
Packers: 34-24

Enjoy the games.