I was sitting in the cold, windy, and raining weather last night at Yankees Stadium talking with a friend about the state of the 2007 New York Yankees. We both agreed on this; the Yankees if healthy, have the best team in baseball, however at this point in time we are both scared that health might come far too late.
As the losing streak has moved to 6 six games, the bullpen is getting more overused, the starting rotation is going less innings, and now it appears it is having an affect on the rest of the team. Granted AJ Burnett pitched amazing last night, but no runs for the most potent offense in baseball? I have to think injuries and losing are starting to creep into the players heads.
On top of that, there is no guarantee that the pitching will get healthy and play as they should. Getting healthy mid way through the season is not the part that worries me the most. The Yankees could be the best team in baseball post all star break, but pre all star break they can become so far back in the standings, that no matter how well they play they will not be able to catch up.
Could this be the year that the Yankees finally finish behind the Red Sox in the AL East standings? I think the more prudent question is, will this be the year that the Yankees finally fall apart and do not even make the playoffs.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Sports and SUDS
I was thinking the other day that we have not been living up to the name of the blog. Sure we have been talking about sports, but there has not been any mention of suds. This is disturbing to me, because it is an important aspect of life. So in honor of the ten a-bombs from a-rod, including two walk off homers (the second of which I was lucky enough to witness in person) there will be suds consumed and possibly shot-gunned while watching (In HD) the New York Yankees take on the hated, Boston Redsox tonight at 7pm at Fenway Park.
To recap...arod is playing at an superhuman level, and the broad category of Suds is delightful.
To recap...arod is playing at an superhuman level, and the broad category of Suds is delightful.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Racist vs. Rapist
I will begin with a number of factual tidbits obtained from wikipedia.com.
Don Imus helped raise over $10 million (and personally contributed $300,000) toward Center for the Intrepid, a Texas rehabilitation facility. Considered to be the largest technological center of its kind in the country, it is designed to help treat disabled veterans and help them with their transition back into the community.
In the 1990s, Imus and his wife founded the Imus Ranch, a working cattle ranch near Ribera, New Mexico, 50 miles southeast of Santa Fe. The Imus Ranch is a charitable organization for children with cancer, as well as siblings of SIDS victim
Don Imus is a man who has given to the community more than most people could possibly want to give in their lives. Don Imus is a Pulitzer Prize winning radio broadcaster. Don Imus is an American who not only has opinions, but stands by them. And in the case of this latest controversy, Don Imus has proven himself to be a stand-up man that will admit his own wrongdoing when necessary.
Can Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson say any of that about themselves?
Don Imus called the Rutgers University women's basketball team a group of "nappy headed hoes." Jesse Jackson called three Duke University lacrosse team members rapists. Is there not some sort of double standard that is being held by the majority of America, the majority of the black population in America, and more importantly, the media? The Duke players and the Rutgers players, they are only college students -- nothing else. They both have wrongfully been accused, or disrespected, but in the wake of each situation, the way they have been handled are as different as black and white (no pun intended).
In the Rutgers scenario, the accuser (Don Imus), immediately stood up and apologized for his remarks. He put himself into the fire by going appearing on Al Sharpton's "radio" show, he publically and privately apologized to the team themselves, and now has accepted his fate of being unemployed. The media has ripped him to shreds and has wrongfully discussed only one side of the topic for fear of alienating their black audiences or, perhaps, for fear of being accused of being racist themselves.
In the Duke case, the accuser (not the "victim," rather Jesse Jackson), was on record on CNN saying that the Duke lacrosse players are rapists. One day after the charges were dropped, where is the apology? How come there isn't a call for him to be banned from speaking to any media outlet? The man called a group of young, quality, intelligent American citizens rapists. To accuse someone of being a rapist is a far worse crime than calling someone a ho. There is no debate.
The Rutgers women basketball team will be allowed to live the rest of their lives, and quite possibly will looked at as heroes for their race. The accused Duke lacrosse members will have to live the rest of their lives being known as alleged rapists. They have had everything normal taken away from them and will no longer be able to live a completely normal life. Where is the justice?
I am calling for an apology and a retraction of any statements made by people that accussed the Duke men of being racist. This is a racist double standard that is being held by the media and the majority of black America. I am like most level-headed humans, and I want to live in a world where everyone is treated equally. This begins with everyone taking responsibility, not just Don Imus.
Don Imus helped raise over $10 million (and personally contributed $300,000) toward Center for the Intrepid, a Texas rehabilitation facility. Considered to be the largest technological center of its kind in the country, it is designed to help treat disabled veterans and help them with their transition back into the community.
In the 1990s, Imus and his wife founded the Imus Ranch, a working cattle ranch near Ribera, New Mexico, 50 miles southeast of Santa Fe. The Imus Ranch is a charitable organization for children with cancer, as well as siblings of SIDS victim
Don Imus is a man who has given to the community more than most people could possibly want to give in their lives. Don Imus is a Pulitzer Prize winning radio broadcaster. Don Imus is an American who not only has opinions, but stands by them. And in the case of this latest controversy, Don Imus has proven himself to be a stand-up man that will admit his own wrongdoing when necessary.
Can Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson say any of that about themselves?
Don Imus called the Rutgers University women's basketball team a group of "nappy headed hoes." Jesse Jackson called three Duke University lacrosse team members rapists. Is there not some sort of double standard that is being held by the majority of America, the majority of the black population in America, and more importantly, the media? The Duke players and the Rutgers players, they are only college students -- nothing else. They both have wrongfully been accused, or disrespected, but in the wake of each situation, the way they have been handled are as different as black and white (no pun intended).
In the Rutgers scenario, the accuser (Don Imus), immediately stood up and apologized for his remarks. He put himself into the fire by going appearing on Al Sharpton's "radio" show, he publically and privately apologized to the team themselves, and now has accepted his fate of being unemployed. The media has ripped him to shreds and has wrongfully discussed only one side of the topic for fear of alienating their black audiences or, perhaps, for fear of being accused of being racist themselves.
In the Duke case, the accuser (not the "victim," rather Jesse Jackson), was on record on CNN saying that the Duke lacrosse players are rapists. One day after the charges were dropped, where is the apology? How come there isn't a call for him to be banned from speaking to any media outlet? The man called a group of young, quality, intelligent American citizens rapists. To accuse someone of being a rapist is a far worse crime than calling someone a ho. There is no debate.
The Rutgers women basketball team will be allowed to live the rest of their lives, and quite possibly will looked at as heroes for their race. The accused Duke lacrosse members will have to live the rest of their lives being known as alleged rapists. They have had everything normal taken away from them and will no longer be able to live a completely normal life. Where is the justice?
I am calling for an apology and a retraction of any statements made by people that accussed the Duke men of being racist. This is a racist double standard that is being held by the media and the majority of black America. I am like most level-headed humans, and I want to live in a world where everyone is treated equally. This begins with everyone taking responsibility, not just Don Imus.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
NHL Playoffs
This is one of the most exciting times of the year. The baseball season just started, the NBA is going to the stretch run for the playoffs, and the NHL playoffs are just starting. Yet some how the last one seems to be overlooked these days. Well not by Sports and Suds, avid hockey fans. (At least 50% are, the other half's position is not clearly defined, and avid might be pushing it.)
I know everyone claims to hate hockey. The only ones that seem to like it are the ones who grew up playing it. I have no idea why so many sports fans are against one of the most exciting and entertaining sports. However one thing that almost all sports fans will agree on, is that the NHL playoffs are something special. In no other sport does the intensity level pick up so much for post season play, with athletes sacrificing life, limb, and looks for a chance at a hoisting the Stanley Cup.
This year should be no different with some excellent first round match ups. Rather than go into all the match ups now, I will stick with the three local teams who all qualified for postseason play. Next round I will go over the remaining teams.
Lets start at the bottom, The New York Islanders. Two months ago they seemed poised for a playoff charge but then started to play erratically, soon followed by the concussion of their MVP, Ricky D. DiPietro was probably the second hottest goalie in the league behind Martin Brodeur at that point, and after he went down so did the Islanders confidence. They were never fully able to recover from that loss but persevered to win their last three games and have luck on their side to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, qualifying eighth means playing the Buffalo Sabres. Even with DiPietro fully healthy the Islanders have little to no chance at beating the Sabres over a seven game series. Without him they will be lucky to win a single game during what will be their short playoff life.
Next up is the New York Rangers. Out of the three teams they are playing the best by far coming into the playoffs, even though they are only a six seed. Two months ago it seemed like the Blue Shirts had no place or even chance to make the playoffs. Then came a few wins and the acquisition of Sean Avery and all of that changed. The stellar play of King Henrik Lundqvist. Is there a goalie playing better than him right now? I can think of two possibilities, but other than that, I do not think so. The Rangers have started to score more but what is most impressive is the addition of strong defensive play. The call up of Dan Girardi has had a huge impact. His steady blue line play has installed a calm demeanor that has permeated to the rest of the defensemen. He is not a flashy player but does everything necessary and does not make mistakes. The return of Fedor Tyutin should also help the defense stay strong. On the offensive side forwards like Matt Cullen, Petr Prucha, Jed Ortmyer, Blair Betts, and Ryan Callahan will shine in the playoffs with their incredibly high energy style of play. They will be able to fore check hard, yet are willing and back check even harder. They are good defensive forwards who are fast with offensive talent; Sean Avery should be added to that list as well. All of their fast hard playing forwards can put the puck in the net, but what about the names known for their snipers touch. The scoring will come from the big names like Shanahan, Straka, Nylander, and of course the ever deadly Jaromir Jagr. When healthy and playing with a passion, Jagr can not be stopped. He is too strong with too much talent and skill, which includes a rocket of a wrist shot that is released with such quickness and accuracy. He still is the best offensive force in the world. Their is no doubt that the opposing team, in this round the Thrashers, will shadow him with their best defender. It then becomes Jagr's job to pass the puck to the open man for quality scoring chances. I look for good things out of the Rangers this post season. It will be hard but I think they will advance to later rounds of the post season with the high intensity they have been showing for the last few months.
That leaves us with the New Jersey Devils. I think they peaked a few months ago playing the best defense in the league. They had trouble scoring goals but they did not often need more than one or two with Brodeur in net. I think it is safe to say that he is the best goalie of all time. Any team has a good chance at winning with him in net, the Devils also happen to be very good defensively; a combination that will give any team fits. This is a team built for post season play. However they have digressed as of late, culminating with the firing of their coach. It was most likely unwarranted but Lou Lamerillo, (the best GM in all of sports) did not want to take any chances. He demands winning, and was not willing to put up with inconsistent play. So he named himself the coach. For every other teams sake I hope it did not light too big a fire underneath the Devils. They will have some trouble scoring in the playoffs against high quality opponents, however, do not look for any team, even the Sabres to score much against them. There will be a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 games played against the Devils this post season, and do not think that Brodeur will be giving up two goals very often. The Devils have a very good shot at making it to the Stanley Cup finals.
This years playoff should be a good one. The team talent is very close this year, which should result in some memorable match ups, both in the East and in the West. I hope everyone tunes in to check out the fast paced, hard hitting action of the next month or so.
I know everyone claims to hate hockey. The only ones that seem to like it are the ones who grew up playing it. I have no idea why so many sports fans are against one of the most exciting and entertaining sports. However one thing that almost all sports fans will agree on, is that the NHL playoffs are something special. In no other sport does the intensity level pick up so much for post season play, with athletes sacrificing life, limb, and looks for a chance at a hoisting the Stanley Cup.
This year should be no different with some excellent first round match ups. Rather than go into all the match ups now, I will stick with the three local teams who all qualified for postseason play. Next round I will go over the remaining teams.
Lets start at the bottom, The New York Islanders. Two months ago they seemed poised for a playoff charge but then started to play erratically, soon followed by the concussion of their MVP, Ricky D. DiPietro was probably the second hottest goalie in the league behind Martin Brodeur at that point, and after he went down so did the Islanders confidence. They were never fully able to recover from that loss but persevered to win their last three games and have luck on their side to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, qualifying eighth means playing the Buffalo Sabres. Even with DiPietro fully healthy the Islanders have little to no chance at beating the Sabres over a seven game series. Without him they will be lucky to win a single game during what will be their short playoff life.
Next up is the New York Rangers. Out of the three teams they are playing the best by far coming into the playoffs, even though they are only a six seed. Two months ago it seemed like the Blue Shirts had no place or even chance to make the playoffs. Then came a few wins and the acquisition of Sean Avery and all of that changed. The stellar play of King Henrik Lundqvist. Is there a goalie playing better than him right now? I can think of two possibilities, but other than that, I do not think so. The Rangers have started to score more but what is most impressive is the addition of strong defensive play. The call up of Dan Girardi has had a huge impact. His steady blue line play has installed a calm demeanor that has permeated to the rest of the defensemen. He is not a flashy player but does everything necessary and does not make mistakes. The return of Fedor Tyutin should also help the defense stay strong. On the offensive side forwards like Matt Cullen, Petr Prucha, Jed Ortmyer, Blair Betts, and Ryan Callahan will shine in the playoffs with their incredibly high energy style of play. They will be able to fore check hard, yet are willing and back check even harder. They are good defensive forwards who are fast with offensive talent; Sean Avery should be added to that list as well. All of their fast hard playing forwards can put the puck in the net, but what about the names known for their snipers touch. The scoring will come from the big names like Shanahan, Straka, Nylander, and of course the ever deadly Jaromir Jagr. When healthy and playing with a passion, Jagr can not be stopped. He is too strong with too much talent and skill, which includes a rocket of a wrist shot that is released with such quickness and accuracy. He still is the best offensive force in the world. Their is no doubt that the opposing team, in this round the Thrashers, will shadow him with their best defender. It then becomes Jagr's job to pass the puck to the open man for quality scoring chances. I look for good things out of the Rangers this post season. It will be hard but I think they will advance to later rounds of the post season with the high intensity they have been showing for the last few months.
That leaves us with the New Jersey Devils. I think they peaked a few months ago playing the best defense in the league. They had trouble scoring goals but they did not often need more than one or two with Brodeur in net. I think it is safe to say that he is the best goalie of all time. Any team has a good chance at winning with him in net, the Devils also happen to be very good defensively; a combination that will give any team fits. This is a team built for post season play. However they have digressed as of late, culminating with the firing of their coach. It was most likely unwarranted but Lou Lamerillo, (the best GM in all of sports) did not want to take any chances. He demands winning, and was not willing to put up with inconsistent play. So he named himself the coach. For every other teams sake I hope it did not light too big a fire underneath the Devils. They will have some trouble scoring in the playoffs against high quality opponents, however, do not look for any team, even the Sabres to score much against them. There will be a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 games played against the Devils this post season, and do not think that Brodeur will be giving up two goals very often. The Devils have a very good shot at making it to the Stanley Cup finals.
This years playoff should be a good one. The team talent is very close this year, which should result in some memorable match ups, both in the East and in the West. I hope everyone tunes in to check out the fast paced, hard hitting action of the next month or so.
Insulting Imus?
I can not understand the commotion that has been caused over the comment made by Don Imus. While not a nice P.C. thing to say, "Nappy headed ho's" is not strong enough to warrant the hoopla that has been generated the past few days.
Why now do people speak up and take issue with comments made on his morning talk show, Imus in the Morning? I heard about comments made by Michael Ray Richardson for not even a full day. Then the story seemed to disappear. However, this story has been raging on for the better part of a week. Is it OK for some one to make bigoted comments against one group, but not another? It is funny how all of the sudden activists are coming out of the wood work to call for his dismissal, but where have they been for the rest of the racial and negative comments made daily? If what he said was so offensive and so wrong, then why do we hear much worse with song lyrics on music stations. I am not saying his comments were not bad, however in the society that we live in, I find it funny that what Imus said was singled out. Take into account how we glorify musicians who discuss in their songs the defamation on females. These artists are put on a pedestal and looked up to, as well as being made incredibly wealthy for it, yet no one is calling for a boycott of them. This double standard will never work. How can Chris Rock say very similar comments time and time again and not have a nation at arms over them. The majority of what Chris Rock says is overtly racist, and Imus's comments are not even close to being as severe, get him crucified. Imus and Chris Rock are in the same business of comedic entertainment, yet we only are outraged when one says something stupid. Either everyone is held to the same standard of decency, or comments like these will continue to happen. Not only will they continue, but if challenged legally, they will be protected under the first amendment.
Don Imus's show is so popular because it is some what controversial, with listeners tuning in to hear how he would make fun of guests and other well known public figures. No one is off limits, and everyone is a potential target. He should, and is legally allowed to say such comments, however it is at the discretion of his employer to retain or fire him for such acts. It is peoples choice whether to listen or not. If you do not agree, then boycott and do not listen or write letters of protest to the producers and sponsors of the show. That would be the best way for you to show your displeasure with what he did.
Please stop this typical knee jerk reaction of the liberal media to kill someone for the right of free speech. This same right is so deeply coveted by all those who speak out against Don Imus, and his over blown non-politically correct comments.
Why now do people speak up and take issue with comments made on his morning talk show, Imus in the Morning? I heard about comments made by Michael Ray Richardson for not even a full day. Then the story seemed to disappear. However, this story has been raging on for the better part of a week. Is it OK for some one to make bigoted comments against one group, but not another? It is funny how all of the sudden activists are coming out of the wood work to call for his dismissal, but where have they been for the rest of the racial and negative comments made daily? If what he said was so offensive and so wrong, then why do we hear much worse with song lyrics on music stations. I am not saying his comments were not bad, however in the society that we live in, I find it funny that what Imus said was singled out. Take into account how we glorify musicians who discuss in their songs the defamation on females. These artists are put on a pedestal and looked up to, as well as being made incredibly wealthy for it, yet no one is calling for a boycott of them. This double standard will never work. How can Chris Rock say very similar comments time and time again and not have a nation at arms over them. The majority of what Chris Rock says is overtly racist, and Imus's comments are not even close to being as severe, get him crucified. Imus and Chris Rock are in the same business of comedic entertainment, yet we only are outraged when one says something stupid. Either everyone is held to the same standard of decency, or comments like these will continue to happen. Not only will they continue, but if challenged legally, they will be protected under the first amendment.
Don Imus's show is so popular because it is some what controversial, with listeners tuning in to hear how he would make fun of guests and other well known public figures. No one is off limits, and everyone is a potential target. He should, and is legally allowed to say such comments, however it is at the discretion of his employer to retain or fire him for such acts. It is peoples choice whether to listen or not. If you do not agree, then boycott and do not listen or write letters of protest to the producers and sponsors of the show. That would be the best way for you to show your displeasure with what he did.
Please stop this typical knee jerk reaction of the liberal media to kill someone for the right of free speech. This same right is so deeply coveted by all those who speak out against Don Imus, and his over blown non-politically correct comments.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
2007 MLB opening week thoughts/predictions
Here is my assessment/predictions/thoughts of the upcoming 2007 Major League Baseball season.
The NL will continue to be a minor league affiliate to the AL. The best team by far will be the New York Mets, and their starting pitching is awful after Tom Glavine with their injuries. The good news is for Mets fans is that as bad as their pitching is, their line up is American League caliber. They are good, real good. The Phillies will be a more complete team, with superior starting pitching, but their batting lineup falls far shorts after Rollins, Utley, and the beast Howard. The Mets have a seven or eight man deep line up that will destroy opponents pitching. I can not say anything about the playoffs where there is a premium of pitching and defense, but for the regular season the Mets will dominate.
I like the Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies to make the playoffs. I do not think their are to many high quality NL teams, but I do think their will be a close race of mediocrity to make the playoffs at the end of the season.
The AL should continue to be the dominant league. Look for the Angles to have a big year. They are young, but extremely talented. I do not like Oakland. As usual they have good young pitching talent, but I think they will pull their typical routine and not start winning until the second half of the season. The AL is too good for that and they will fall short of a wild card berth.
The Tigers appear to be heading for another good year. They have very good young pitching in their rotation and their bullpen. Look for Gary Sheffield to make a big impact, not only by his production, but his presence will rub off on the younger hitters. This will make them take more pitches and not swing at every pitch like last year. The Twins always find a way to get things done, and I expect that again this year. The White Sox will fall short and not perform well this year. Their pitching will resemble last year rather than the championship year two years ago. The jury is still out on Cleveland. Everyone loved them last year and they tanked. Everyone seems to love them this year, but I am in the middle. They have all the potential that people saw last year, it is just a question of them playing up to their talent(not an easy thing for a team as young as the Indians).
The AL east will be another hard division. I think it is the toughest in baseball, but that could also be argued for the previously mentioned AL central. My very biased prediction is the Yankees to win the division. Their pitching could be a problem, but as a die hard fan I see the upside of a healthy rotation and a revamped bullpen. They have the best lineup in baseball. They also have too much drama, but hopefully it will bring the team together for a championship year.
The Red Sox could be a dominant team. That has a big "if" to it. Their lineup is not as good as past years, yet still one of the top in the league. Any lineup that includes ManRam and Ortiz is a scary one. Their bullpen is shaky, and their rotation could be the best in baseball, or could be awful. Beckett has yet to show signs of returning to his former self when he played for the Marlins. Schilling is getting old, and Dice-K could be the second coming of Jesus for Boston fans, or could be a complete bust. Too many question marks to know what the Red Sox will do this year.
The Blue Jays are also improved and will give the top two a hard time this year. Signing Vernon Wells to an extension was one of the best off season moves. He is a player that can do it all offensively, and defensively. The Devil Rays should not finish in last place this year with their lineup, and Baltimore should be worse than the Royals.
I am going with the Angles, Yankees, Tigers, and Red Sox to make the playoffs. (Though I could see another team out of the central getting the wild card, and the Red Sox beating out the Yanks for the AL east. To many good teams to even pretend that I know what the actual outcome will be.)
As far as playoff predictions go...I will just wait till later on those.
The NL will continue to be a minor league affiliate to the AL. The best team by far will be the New York Mets, and their starting pitching is awful after Tom Glavine with their injuries. The good news is for Mets fans is that as bad as their pitching is, their line up is American League caliber. They are good, real good. The Phillies will be a more complete team, with superior starting pitching, but their batting lineup falls far shorts after Rollins, Utley, and the beast Howard. The Mets have a seven or eight man deep line up that will destroy opponents pitching. I can not say anything about the playoffs where there is a premium of pitching and defense, but for the regular season the Mets will dominate.
I like the Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies to make the playoffs. I do not think their are to many high quality NL teams, but I do think their will be a close race of mediocrity to make the playoffs at the end of the season.
The AL should continue to be the dominant league. Look for the Angles to have a big year. They are young, but extremely talented. I do not like Oakland. As usual they have good young pitching talent, but I think they will pull their typical routine and not start winning until the second half of the season. The AL is too good for that and they will fall short of a wild card berth.
The Tigers appear to be heading for another good year. They have very good young pitching in their rotation and their bullpen. Look for Gary Sheffield to make a big impact, not only by his production, but his presence will rub off on the younger hitters. This will make them take more pitches and not swing at every pitch like last year. The Twins always find a way to get things done, and I expect that again this year. The White Sox will fall short and not perform well this year. Their pitching will resemble last year rather than the championship year two years ago. The jury is still out on Cleveland. Everyone loved them last year and they tanked. Everyone seems to love them this year, but I am in the middle. They have all the potential that people saw last year, it is just a question of them playing up to their talent(not an easy thing for a team as young as the Indians).
The AL east will be another hard division. I think it is the toughest in baseball, but that could also be argued for the previously mentioned AL central. My very biased prediction is the Yankees to win the division. Their pitching could be a problem, but as a die hard fan I see the upside of a healthy rotation and a revamped bullpen. They have the best lineup in baseball. They also have too much drama, but hopefully it will bring the team together for a championship year.
The Red Sox could be a dominant team. That has a big "if" to it. Their lineup is not as good as past years, yet still one of the top in the league. Any lineup that includes ManRam and Ortiz is a scary one. Their bullpen is shaky, and their rotation could be the best in baseball, or could be awful. Beckett has yet to show signs of returning to his former self when he played for the Marlins. Schilling is getting old, and Dice-K could be the second coming of Jesus for Boston fans, or could be a complete bust. Too many question marks to know what the Red Sox will do this year.
The Blue Jays are also improved and will give the top two a hard time this year. Signing Vernon Wells to an extension was one of the best off season moves. He is a player that can do it all offensively, and defensively. The Devil Rays should not finish in last place this year with their lineup, and Baltimore should be worse than the Royals.
I am going with the Angles, Yankees, Tigers, and Red Sox to make the playoffs. (Though I could see another team out of the central getting the wild card, and the Red Sox beating out the Yanks for the AL east. To many good teams to even pretend that I know what the actual outcome will be.)
As far as playoff predictions go...I will just wait till later on those.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Unusual Moves by the Manager
What I am about to write is in no way a negative criticism on New York Yankees manager Joe Torre. Over the years, Torre has been very loyal to his veteran players, which is a big reason why so many of his players like him as their manager so much. Coming out of spring training this year Torre has made three uncharacteristic roster moves that I was very surprised he made. Instead of going with the experienced veterans, he chose youth and new faces for the locker room.
The three roster moves I am referring to are Sean Henn over Ron Villone, Josh Phelps over Andy Phillips, and Wil Nieves over Todd Pratt. The most surprising of the three is choosing Wil Nieves over Todd Pratt. The reason for this is that in years past Torre has chosen older veteran backup catchers, that are very good at managing the pitching staff, as well as excellent club house guys. Using a young guy who has not seen much time in the majors goes in the opposite direction that Torre usually goes. It does not ensure that on off days for Jorge Posada the pitching staff which he manages so well, will be in the hands of someone who can come close to matching it. It will however give great experience to a young Yankee who could develop into a nice player. It can be debated whether the catcher position is a good position to try to infuse youth into, but it goes with the organizations overall effort to get younger. He did outperform Pratt in spring training, and it is showing signs of confidence from the manager to Wil and the rest of the youth in the organization.
The next move Torre made was to put Sean Henn on the roster over Ron Villone. I like Villone, but he is old and the Yankees do need some younger arms for the future. Also did you see Henn pitch? His stuff looked electric and after Villone's final debacle of an outing, Torre needed to give Henn a chance to show what he can do in the big leagues. Joe favors a few relievers each year, and each year he greatly over works them. It was evident by Villone's awful end to last year that his arm was just dead come the end of the season. The youth of Henn could allow him to stay strong throughout the season, if in fact Torre keeps with his precedent of using certain relievers for the majority of relief innings.
The third out of character move was to put Josh Phelps on the roster over Andy Phillips. Both players are young (Phelps is younger by about a year) so this was not a move to infuse more youth on the roster. This was very surprising because Joe Torre is incredibly loyal to his players, and Phillips has worked very hard for Torre over the last few seasons. This is especially surprising because Phillips missed a few weeks of spring training to deal with his mother who got in a very serious accident. While Joe said that would not affect his decision, Phillips could not have been playing at his potential due to missed time as well as the natural instinct to care about a loved ones health. I am not saying he made the wrong decision, just the opposite, however in years past Torre might have leaned toward a player who has played under him before, rather than a new one. Even more surprising in the decision is that Phillips can no longer be optioned to the minors without clearing waivers first, which makes it an almost certainty with his defensive talent that he will no longer be a Yankee.
I believe that the above mentioned roster moves that Joe Torre made were the correct ones. It went against what he has shown to be his usual instincts, and has put in place three players that have a legitimate shot of helping the 2007 New York Yankees win baseball games.
The three roster moves I am referring to are Sean Henn over Ron Villone, Josh Phelps over Andy Phillips, and Wil Nieves over Todd Pratt. The most surprising of the three is choosing Wil Nieves over Todd Pratt. The reason for this is that in years past Torre has chosen older veteran backup catchers, that are very good at managing the pitching staff, as well as excellent club house guys. Using a young guy who has not seen much time in the majors goes in the opposite direction that Torre usually goes. It does not ensure that on off days for Jorge Posada the pitching staff which he manages so well, will be in the hands of someone who can come close to matching it. It will however give great experience to a young Yankee who could develop into a nice player. It can be debated whether the catcher position is a good position to try to infuse youth into, but it goes with the organizations overall effort to get younger. He did outperform Pratt in spring training, and it is showing signs of confidence from the manager to Wil and the rest of the youth in the organization.
The next move Torre made was to put Sean Henn on the roster over Ron Villone. I like Villone, but he is old and the Yankees do need some younger arms for the future. Also did you see Henn pitch? His stuff looked electric and after Villone's final debacle of an outing, Torre needed to give Henn a chance to show what he can do in the big leagues. Joe favors a few relievers each year, and each year he greatly over works them. It was evident by Villone's awful end to last year that his arm was just dead come the end of the season. The youth of Henn could allow him to stay strong throughout the season, if in fact Torre keeps with his precedent of using certain relievers for the majority of relief innings.
The third out of character move was to put Josh Phelps on the roster over Andy Phillips. Both players are young (Phelps is younger by about a year) so this was not a move to infuse more youth on the roster. This was very surprising because Joe Torre is incredibly loyal to his players, and Phillips has worked very hard for Torre over the last few seasons. This is especially surprising because Phillips missed a few weeks of spring training to deal with his mother who got in a very serious accident. While Joe said that would not affect his decision, Phillips could not have been playing at his potential due to missed time as well as the natural instinct to care about a loved ones health. I am not saying he made the wrong decision, just the opposite, however in years past Torre might have leaned toward a player who has played under him before, rather than a new one. Even more surprising in the decision is that Phillips can no longer be optioned to the minors without clearing waivers first, which makes it an almost certainty with his defensive talent that he will no longer be a Yankee.
I believe that the above mentioned roster moves that Joe Torre made were the correct ones. It went against what he has shown to be his usual instincts, and has put in place three players that have a legitimate shot of helping the 2007 New York Yankees win baseball games.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Great Jmagulous makes his NBC debut
NBC Sports anchor, Len Berman, asks The Great Jmagulous what he thinks of Isiah Thomas' multi-year contract extention.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Tourney Travesty
I wanted to start writing this entry a little after six thirty pm March eleventh eastern standard time, however better judgement prevailed. If it were to be read on radio it would have drawn about 27 million dollars worth of fines from the FCC due to language content. It is now a little after ten in the morning on the 12th of March and I am still fuming about what transpired last night. For those of you who might not know, I wear orange and blue goggles so I have a bias in this situation, but there is NO WAY IN HELL that the Syracuse men's basketball team should not be in the field of 65 for the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament.
I am not sure where I should start because I have about a million things to say about this, and why it is complete and utter bullshit. I really want to know if any team from a power conference, especially one as deep as the Big East, has won ten regular season conference games and not gone dancing come March? Also how do two teams from your conference finish seeded lower than you in the Big East, yet one gets an eight seed (Marquette), and the other an nine (Villanova) while the Orange are left at home with no ticket punched for the tourney? Give me a break. Syracuse has beat a two seed in Georgetown, and an eight and a nine seed in Marquette and Villanova, but the tournament committee thinks that is irrelevant. Instead, a team that had a sub five hundred record in an incredibly weak division of the SEC makes the field as a twelve seed because they got blown out by Florida in the SEC championship game. They played and beat no one all year, and won against bad teams in the conference tournament and for that they are rewarded with a tournament birth. Whose ass were the heads of the selection committee stuck up the entire season. Clearly they were not watching the same games as the rest of the nation. If they were, Arkansas would not be in the tournament, and neither would Stanford or Xavier.
Don't get me wrong, Xavier had a good year, however an A10 team who loses in their conference tournament before the championship game to Rhode Island does not deserve a bid. The A10 had a very weak year, and in no way should be considered a two bid conference. The winner and auto bid of that tournament should be the only team to make the field, no questions asked, and of story.
On the other hand, Stanford can be very weakly debated, even though I whole heartily believe they were not tournament worthy. They had one decent win all year against UCLA. They beat a then ranked #17 Oregon in their own building. During conference play you are supposed to win your home games. It was a good win, but one in which I believe they should have won. They also beat Washington State and Washington, ranked respectively 23 and 24 at the time. Once again these games were at home and they should have been victories. Those two teams are not high enough caliber to rank them as quality wins. So Standford, an eleven seed in the tournament has had one decent win all season. (By the way, they only had 18 wins all year, hardly worth an at large bid.) They were blown out by Air Force (34 point loss) and Santa Clara, neither of which made the final field of 65. They were inconsistent all year losing to teams that they should have beat. This is not a trait that NCAA tourney worthy teams have. Even the chairman said that teams who qualify should at the very least play up to their ability when taking strength of schedule into consideration. When questioned how Stanford got in based on his previous statement, the Princeton AD and chairman of the committee could not come up with a valid reason. At this point neither can I.
You can always say that if Syracuse won a few more games, or didn't loose to the likes of Wichita St. (#22 at the time), Ok. St. (#24 at the time), Drexel, or St. Johns then they would have made it an impossibility for the selection committee to omit them from the final field. That is not the case, and the most disappointing(actually angering, maddening, outrageous, fill in the blank ____ etc...) thing about this is that at the end of the day Syracuse and coach Boeheim did enough to get themselves in the tournament. This was not a team that has to look back at some of those losses and ask "what if". This was a team who met all the criteria to make the NCAA tournament, and was flat out cheated and robbed. This is a blunder and absolute disgrace on the part of the NCAA tournament selection committee. I am to0 angry to continue any further.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Decision Making
After backing Isiah as a coach and a GM, I have to come back to the drawing board and rethink my stance. Last nights loss versus the league-worst Boston Celtics changes some things.
The Knicks only play good defense when their confidence is high, and that only happens when they're scoring. The team has one reason to blame for their loss last night: they got down by 23 points in the first half. The fact that they took the lead midway through the fourth quarter really doesn't apply. If they played the first half anything remotely close to the way they played the second, they would've been able to afford the late run by the Celtics that won them the game.
The Knicks started Malik Rose and Jared Jeffries at their forward positions last night. When you lose a player like Jamal Crawford, you would think you'd want to make up for his lack of scoring. Malik Rose is completely offensively inept. The team had no success getting the ball into Eddy Curry in the beginning of the game because he was being double and triple teamed. So where was the ball ending up? In Jeffries' and Rose's hands 20 feet away from the basket (not exactly where you want it).
Please, Isiah, think about your personnel. Channing Frye has virtually been lights out with his perimeter jump shot -- make him use it! That will only open things up for the rest of your offense, and you won't find your team down by 20 points at the half to the worst team in the league.
What's Worse?
What is worse…being the worst team in the NBA? Or losing to the worst team in the NBA? (Wait…if you lose to the worst team doesn’t that make you the worst team?) This is a question you could ask the entirety of the New York Knicks organization. From Mr. Dolan to Mr. Thomas, and all the way down to each player on the roster, there has to be a level of accountability for what went on last night. How can you as an organization allow the worst (by far) team in the National Basketball Association go into last nights game, and after twenty-four minutes of play have a twenty point lead? This is simply inexcusable. I blame everyone.
First let me start by saying I cannot understand how as professional athletes you do not come to play every night. Think about it, you have the one of the most desired jobs on the planet, and are living out every ones childhood fantasy. If that is not enough to get you motivated to play hard every night from the opening tip, then how about the millions upon millions of dollars you are being paid to play. I simply do not understand how the Knicks can continuously start out so bad against the worst teams in the league. To make matters worse they always make a comeback in the second half that falls just short. Not only are you showing the fans that you are capable of playing good basketball, you are also showing them that you do not give a rats ass about showing effort until your coach yells at you at half time. Which brings me to my next point...
Why is coach Thomas not telling them what he does at halftime before the game starts? This is not an aberration folks, this happens time and time again. The coach has a responsibility to make sure that his players are ready to play. Isiah is failing miserably in this respect. It is one thing to be outmatched by talent, but to lose because of lack of intensity and effort is just not acceptable from the players and the coach. This is the main if not the only reason why the Knicks have lost three games against the Celtics! That represents twenty percent of the Celtics total wins for the season. I am not even going to get into how bad the Celtics are because they have beaten the Knicks three times!
My time would be better spent trying to explain why the Knicks are so bad, and why they should be considered the worse team in the NBA. Sure, they have more talent that the young Celtics with an injured Paul Pierce, but to not be ready to play against a team with such a lack of talent makes the Knicks look even worse. It makes the Knicks look like the worse team, both in how they play, and how they are run. Losing Jamal Crawford is obviously a big blow to the team, also is not having David Lee in the lineup. However, even without those two it is not excuse to lose to the Celtics who have injury problems of their own, not to mention their “sharp shooter” is Brian Scalabrine. Everyone knows how good Pierce is, even injured he can put up twenty points, but the only other person on their roster that should even score a point is Al Jefferson. If you do not believe me, check out the Celtics record thus far, fifteen wins because of a high lack of shot making ability and huge deficiency is defense. So what do the Knicks do…they allow 57 points in the first half and can not even muster 40 points in the first half. Now look at the second half. The Knicks start to play a little defense (I will not even say they were playing great defense) and the Celtics magically are not hitting as many jumpers when a hand is in their face. Coincidence? I think not.
The Knicks talk in the locker room after wins about the push to the playoffs but they are just kidding themselves. There are certain games that playoff teams win, last night was one of them. Playoff teams win back-to-back games, the Knicks do not. The Knicks are not a playoff team, they cannot be a playoff team, because the last time I checked the worst team in the league does not make the playoffs.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Isiah the Individual
Isiah Thomas takes a lot of heat for the moves that he makes and the things that he says. The New York media makes him out to be a bumbling George Bush-like fool; the guy who's in charge but has no idea what he's doing. Everyone from sports columnists, to ESPN anchors, to NBA execs thinks he's insane. Isiah Thomas is not insane -- he is another "i" word; an individual.The self-proclaimed "ghetto child" knows how to win, and he does it his way. In a world filled with copycats (professional sports and professional businesses alike), Isiah is not afraid to step out on his own. Forget about the talk about him trying to make a team like the Phoenix Suns, it's clear the only way to do that is to get Steve Nash. Isiah, in a very short time, has built a solid NBA team with a solid future.
Isiah the GM
Much talk is made about Zeke being a bad GM for the contracts he takes on and the "questionable" picks he makes in drafts. ESPN even contradicts their own statements about him. A year ago, one person flat out said that Isiah only looks to get the best player in a deal, rather than looking at the larger picture. This year, Kiki Vandewege (former NBA player and general manager) went on record to say "What you want to do in any deal is get the best player." While not specifically talking about Isiah, it is clear that there is no one right way to succeed.
Isiah has been criticized for being a "reminder." When he speaks to reporters, he'll subtly let them know the good things that he's done, whether they're relevant or not. As cocky as it might be, it would be very helpful for reporters to actually listen to him. During last night's press conference after a Knicks win over Miami, Isiah reminded us all of the trade he made for Malik Rose a couple of years ago. To refresh your memory, here's the trade: New York gave up Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer to get Malik Rose and 2 San Antonio first-round picks. Those picks? David Lee (team's leading rebounder at 11 rpg/future all-star/The Freshmaker) and Mardy Collins (the man who singlehandedly put the Nuggets season in a pepetual downfall). If any NBA GM tried to trade for David Lee (11 ppg/11 rpg/2 apg/60% from the field/80% from the line) this season, you can bet it would take a lot more than Nazr Mohammed (6.4 ppg/5 rpg/.2 apg/55% from the field/58% from the line). His numbers are practically double that of Mohammeds. I can't leave out the fact that Isiah had the eye to actually pick David Lee when no one was talking about him being a first-rounder.
Malik Rose, on the other hand, has played only sporadically this year. But games like last night show you why Isiah pulled the trigger. He came in and provided solid defense on a guy that completely towers over him. That guy was Shaq. In fact, Rose's prescence might be even more beneficial when he's not playing. He has been a complete professional and has even helped Isiah coach the young players. Did you really think David Lee got this amazing practicing by himself?
Isiah the Coach
Much has been made about the Knicks improvement this year, but most people are still on the fence about actually how good they really are. They seem to beat the teams they shouldn't and lose the the teams they should beat. But what you have to do to see how far Isiah has taken this team as a coach is compare them to the Knicks of yesteryear.
First up, the 2002-2003 New York Knickerbockers. This marks the year before Isiah was hired as general manager. This team featured Howard Eisley (9 ppg/5 apg) at starting point guard. Our starting power forwards you ask? The all-time great tag-team of Clarence Weatherspoon and Othella Harrington. Wow folks... If it weren't for Scott Layden, they wouldn't have even been playing in the NBA at this point. Allan Houston had one of the best seasons of his career (22.5 ppg), but still only averaged less than 3 assists per game; terrible for a guy who had the ball in his hands that much. The team as a whole averaged 96 points per game and got literally no bench play (32.3 ppg) whatsoever. This years bench averages 40 points per game if you don't include Jamal Crawford (18 ppg/didn't start the entire first half) or Channing Frye (12 ppg/hasn't started the entire second half).
Next up, last years team. We all know the infamous number of wins this team had, but you have to ask why. Not only did Larry Brown start players based on if the team is playing in their hometown (Channing, Nate, Qyntel Woods to name a few), but he didn't even know which players on his team were good. David Lee could've been averaging close to what he is now if he actually played. Every minute he was out on the floor last year, he was the difference maker. Eddy Curry is obviously the biggest difference this year. Scott Skiles couldn't make him better. Larry Brown couldn't work his magic either. The guy who finally got Eddy Curry to become the dominant NBA player he should be was Isiah Thomas. Basketball is as much mental as it is physical. Isiah understands how to care for his players, and finally was able to instill some (a lot, actually) confidence into E-City. His low post moves are incomparable to anyone in the East. He dominated Shaq offensively and has schooled Dwight Howard a number of times. So is Larry Brown really the best basketball coach ever? Or has Isiah never recieved the credit he deserved? You be the judge, folks.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
New York Knickerbockers
After a short rant about NASCAR it is time to get down to business. It is now post all-star break basketball which means that the stretch run is upon us. The good news is the Eastern Conference is still disgraceful and many sub .500 teams still have a shot at the playoffs, especially the New York Knicks. They have been playing better as of late, and even though most would dismiss them as a team who does not have their acts together under coach Isiah Thomas, I do not think that is the case. The Knicks have won 4 of 6, and are starting to really play team oriented basketball. With thirty games remaining in their schedule they are only three games out of a playoff spot. Orlando has been playing poor after their good start, and with the Knicks victory over them last night they continue to slide down the standings. Meanwhile the Knicks have been slowly closing the gap between them and the final playoff spot. To make matters even better, the Nets have swirling trade rumors that might send Vince Carter and Jason Kidd to other teams, which would all but eliminate the Nets as potential playoff contenders. The Knicks schedule is also favorable, with seventeen games remaining against teams who are below .500, as well as 13 games against teams not currently in a playoff spot. These are games that the Knicks have to win. If they want to take the next step and show progress this is their chance. They must step up and play consistent basketball and beat the lesser teams, and honestly their is no reason why they shouldn't. Eddie Curry, the emerging franchise player should have his way with all of the Eastern Conference other than maybe Shaq. He showed last night that he could effectively pass out of the double team the entire first half before he took over and scored late in the game, finishing with 20 points. (Just to note, he did this against Dwight Howard, ESPN's "NEXT" cover boy) Jamal Crawford is playing very smart and choosing his shots wisely, as is Stephon Marbury. The turn overs must come down because that will hurt them, but the energy and effort is there. Let us not forget about the man who Tim Duncan said was going to be a special player in the NBA. David Lee (dubbed the Freshmaker) is an all out hustler. He has a nose for the ball, and a tenacious attitude that won't let him be denied. I can not count how many key offensive rebounds he has gotten in situations where the Knicks absolutely needed them. If all of the Knicks call follow his example and works their asses off, they would not have the consistency issues that might keep them from the playoffs. This should be an exciting stretch of basketball, and I feel that the Knicks will not pull a typically effort let down we have become accustom too in the last few years. The Knicks are starting to turn the corner and I think that they will win the games they need to, and maybe steal a few along the way. (Yes I am predicting it, one win over Dallas this year!)
-The Great Jmagulous
Monday, February 12, 2007
Readership Posts
Here's the post where you guys can contribute. Young McMeezy and The Great Jmagulous can only say so much.
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