Back From Hiatus

I know I've been away for a while. It's to be expected. All government officials take breaks in the summer. Here are some quick hit thoughts on the past month in sports. Or at least, as best as I can remember them.

The NFL Media Has Spoken: Barry Bonds Should Be a First Ballot Hall of Famer

The most bizarre story to come out of the fact that last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year failed a drug test was that the NFL writers had a re-vote fir DROY... and Cushing won again. The re-vote was done to, apparently, punish Cushing, yet he was left on the ballot. The NFL writers made it clear, by voting for him again, that they don't care too much about PEDs in their sport and, really, neither do we. So why the double standard? Why do NFL players get free passes for PEDs while MLB players get branded with a scarlet "S"? They shouldn't. The punishment, or lack thereof should be even handed. So MLB players who've come under PED suspicion should be judged by their numbers alone. PEDs could be mentioned of their Hall plaques, but they should not be unofficially banned.

Jim Joyce Was the Best Thing That Could Happen to MLB, and Armondo Gallaraga

The fact that a blatantly obvious call on replay was missed by an umpire on the last batter of a perfect game, put into public awareness an issue in baseball much more serious than PEDs: The need to keep an important game being blown by a missed call, While a perfect game seems important, it's not in the grand scheme of things. It's an individual achievement and as such is not more important than any other regular season game. So the issue was brought to the forefront by what seemed to be a vital moment without actutally being so. So it didn't tarnish the season.

MLB needs replay. Okay, not necessarily replay per se, but a way to utilize modern technology to improve the game. It's not really complicated. You take balls and strikes decisions away from the umpires and hand it over to a QuesTech type program, This is monitored by an umpire in a booth who instantly buzzes the result down to the home plate ump to make the call. The rest of the game is also watched by the ump in the booth who can buzz down anytime a call needs to be overturned. This keeps umps from having to huddle, then disappearing into the clubhouse for a few minutes, then coming out and explaining to everyone what happened. A replay official will also all but eliminate arguments., thus helping speed up the game. More on that below.

As for the man that seems to have been screwed by the call, this could not have worked out better. By the end of next season I'll wager most people won't remember that Dallas Braden threw a perfect game. They might remember that Halladay did. Everyone will remember Gallaraga.

A perfect game is an individual achievement. So it doesn't matter if it's acknowledged, as long as the person who did it knows what hed did. It's like this: Say I'm playing baseball at Lincoln Park and Alex Rodriguez happens to walk by and asks to have an at bat. I'm on the mound and a friend pulls out his cell phone to record the event. I go on to strike out Rodriguez on three pitches. Now, none of this officially happened, but are you going to try to convince me that I didn't actually strike A Rod out because it's not official? Obscure example, I know, but I just wanted to fit in a way to strike out a great player. It's my blog, my rules.

So there.

Anyway, Gallaraga knows he threw a perfect game, everyone knows he threw a perfect game and really that's all that matters. Still, he's getting more publicity than any perfect game hurler I can remember.

Can Joe West Remind Me How Pathetic Yankees- Red Sox Games Are?

If you recall, the ump bashed Yanks=Sox games for their length. It's a legit beef, but there;s a reason why those games run so long.First, the games are usually exremely important so the pitchers agonize over every pitch, as the managers agonize over every move. Second, they're usually national games so the commercial breaks are longer. Third, and most important, both teams are built around high OBP and running up pitch counts. Add it all up. More pitches= more agonizing= more pitching changes= equal more extended commercial breaks= longer games.

Still, West's crew had taken their mission of shortening untimed games to absurd levels. Last week, Angel Hernandez, who made a statement in the season opening series by refusing to grant time to batters, did so again. Only this time it was a 1-2 count in the top of the ninth with the road team down. Carlos Pena raised an arm asking for time. Hernandez did nothing. The closer, seeing this, pumped a fastball down the middle for a called third strike. This was just the worst of the multiple horrible decisions made by West's crew in the past week. Those umps want to enjoy as much face time as the players.

Wanting to speed up the game is fine, but influencing the game to do so is ridiculous. How much faster will the game be is you keep people from stepping out? Five minutes? Ten minutes maybe? If you want to do anything, put a clock on the pitcher. Outside of that there's nothing you can do. You can't put milk back in the udder.

It's ABout Time

The NFL did absolutely the right thing awarding the New Giants Stadium a Super Bowl. Now I'm not thrilled of having to deal with tons of traffic, rushes, and media ripping New Jersey. Didn't want a Super Super Bowl there, but it's about time we get a chance a cold weather Super Bowl. The elements are a great part of the game and it's a shame that we try to eliminate them for out ultimate showdown. Chicago and Green Bay deserve Super Bowls. Every city should het one.Media members just cry about it because they don't want to go somewhere cold for there annual vacation.

That's it for now.

Peace

What, Exactly, Are We Witnessing?

In the past calender year, four of the biggest names in sports have hit the darkest parts of their respective years. We had an all time great baseball player admit to using steroids, getting divorced, and having his sportsmanship questioned. Not to mention a hip surgery. He came back to one of his most successful years. Then there was the greatest golfer ever having his personal life being dragged into public awareness to total embarrassment. He's struggled so far on his way back. Then there's the two time SUper Bowl winning young QB who's now been involved in two serious off the field issues.

Now we have LeBron James.

The Ringless King who now finds himself in his darkest hour as a pro. The self proclaimed Chosen One played terribly in the swing game of his series against Boston. At home, no less. With the upcoming off season, the spotlight's never been brighter on James. So bright that he seemed to wither the other night. His talent is being called in to question. His clutchness is being called in to question. Worse of all, his heart's being called in to question.

In short, he has the basketball world right where he wants it.

This is where the King earns his title. This is when the Chosen One reveals himself. This is when LeBron James proves he's worth the hype. When greatness is questioned, that's when greatness steps up to another level. Is there any question how Jordan would play tonight? Likewise, there is no question how LeBron will play tonight. He will carry his team, if not to victory, then to a valliant loss. If not, then he's not who we thought he was.

Then we some to the much hyped 2010 off season. I'll probably have to revoke my NYK fanhood for saying this, but this experience should crystallize to LeBron why he shouldn't even consider coming to New York. New York fans are different from Cleveland fans, Right now in Cleveland, the Cavs are IT. The Browns and Indians are both rebuilding at best. The fans are 100 percent behind the Cavs and now some of them are questioning LeBron. In New York, where fans could turn to the Yankees/ Mets or Giants/ Jets or Rangers/ Islanders/ Devils, the fans will be a whole lot less forgiving. If you don't perform to your 100 percent potential 100 percent of the time, the fans will turn. Don't get me wrong, if you win in New York, you';; be the King. If not, well ask Stephon Marbury.

With that said, please come to Knicks LeBron!

Peace

How Many Sports Blogs Have You Read That Contain a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Excerpt?

For the longest time, baseball players were judged mostly by how they seemed to perform on the field to the trained eye. What constituted a person having a trained eye was never made clear. It was clear, however, that in order to have an informed opinion , one must have had to have played the game at a high level at some point in his life. Or so the experts would have had us believe. Then really intelligent baseball fans came along who'd never really played the game above little league and decided that they could be just as knowledgeable as the "experts." Since they didn't have a "trained eye" they decided that they'd develop an objective way to judge players. Sabremetrics were born.

The old school baseball people shunned the stats people saying that stats didn't tell the whole story. They were right. The sabremetricicans, angered by this, argued that if stats didn't tell the whole story they certainly could tell most of it. They were right. The stats people gained so much steam over the past ten years that now they've become exactly what they hated: pompous. If you don't follow their way of looking at baseball, your opinion holds no value to them.

Of course, as most of these things go, the trith is somewhere in the middle. Stats are extremely helpful, but they don't tell the whole story. They don't take human nature into account. It's like the difference between Sherlock Hokmes and real life. I'll refer you to this excerpt from The Red Headed League".

---------------------

“Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else.”

Mr. Jabez Wilson started up in his chair, with his forefinger upon the paper, but his eyes upon my companion.

“How, in the name of good fortune, did you know all that, Mr. Holmes?” he asked. “How did you know, for example, that I did manual labour. It's as true as gospel, for I began as a ship's carpenter.”

“Your hands, my dear sir. Your right hand is quite a size larger than your left. You have worked with it, and the muscles are more developed.”

“Well, the snuff, then, and the Freemasonry?”

“I won't insult your intelligence by telling you how I read that, especially as, rather against the strict rules of your order, you use an arc and compass breastpin.”

“Ah, of course, I forgot that. But the writing?”

“What else can be indicated by that right cuff so very shiny for five inches, and the left one with the smooth patch near the elbow where you rest it upon the desk.”

“Well, but China?”

“The fish which you have tattooed immediately above your right wrist could only have been done in China....

------------------

Now, that might seem clear cut in a Holmesian universe, but not in real life. An illness can cause swelling in one hand. A breastpin can be picked up from anywhere, especially if it seems aginst the strict rules of an order the man's supposed to be a part of. And so on. While chances are that Holmes and the stats are right, there is room for human nature.

The stats guys loved Javy Vasquez. Turns out, he can't handle the pressure of a big city. What predicts that? Aside from the fact that he failed there before, but that's an argument an old schooler would make. Additionally, the stats love J.D. Drew. Always have. Go find out what any Red Sox fan thinks of him. Better yet, find out what Yankees and Rays fans think of him.

Still, there's room for some fantastic stats. Things that could greatly open up any person's understanding of baseball. The problem is, I don't want to have to do a research paper to understand any opf them. BABIP, for example, sounds like it could be worthwhile to know. It stands for batting average of balls in play, how a person fairs when he makes contact. Great, but what's good? I mean, what's an average BABIP? What's a good one? A great one? A bad one? These things are too difficult to find. They should be simplified. Any sit dedicated to the new era stats should give these vital pieces of information when you click on any stat:

1.) What the acronym stands for.

2.) What the stat means.

3.) Why it's relevant.

4.) What's an average number.

5.) What's good (Number and player example)

6.) What's bad (Number and player example).

Is that really too much to ask for?

Still, some stats seem unreliable to me. For example, FIP (Fielder Independent Pitching or anything the pitcher controls) is the current fad among stat heads on how to evaluate pitchers. There are some pitchers, though, that pitch to contact. About five years ago, Chien Ming Wang started a three year stretch where he was lights out for the Yankees. He'd a low ERA and WHI. Yet he didn't strike out or walk many batters or give up many home runs. Almost everything he did was dependant on his fielders So how could you get a reliable FIP with him?The few days he got lit up, he didn't have command so he walked batters and gave up home runs. That's skew his numbers because he didn't have many otherwise.

Now, the stats people want to get rid of RBIs. Rid of them. Entirely. They claim RBIs are a product of your lineup and supporting cast so are mostly luck and unreliable as an objective stat. Because, you know, God forbid you have a stat that relies on your team helping you out in a team game. So this baffled me. The argument I come down to is:

If you have three hitters who each came up with a runner on third and less than two out thirty times in a season and each consistency came up with the same result: Player A hit a sacrifice fly every time, Player B struck out every time, and Player C walked every time and each player had the exact same stats as one another for the rest of the year, which player would you want on your team? Now, if you look solely at the the "important" stats, Players A and B have the same OBP,, while Player C would have the highest OBP. Player A's BABIP would be significantly lower than the other players (whose would be identical.) Player A would obviously have the most RBIs, but they don't matter. Players A and C would have a higher BA than Player B, but BA doesn't matter either. So what stat, exactly would lead you to pick Player A over the other two? There can be no stat developed that takes RBIs into account, because why would they? They don't matter. Of course, the stats people will develop a new stat that covertly counts RBIs without admitting it and try to push that on everyone.

Look, the some of the best stats are OBP and Slugging. Niether of which were created by the sbremetricians, though they'd like you to believe otherwise. Those stats were brought to the mainstream by them, not created by them. This entry was not meant, at all, to bash the stats. It's just that I've gotten annoyed by the arrogance of stats people and their intolerance of anyone who doesn't totally submit to their way of thinking.

Peace.

Draft TARP

If you haven't gotten more than enough of the draft, read on.

First, let's talk about the new format. I hated it; In the old days, you'd have the first three rounds on Saturday and the last four on Sunday. The first day of the draft was mostly about the picks as they happened, while on the seoond day the analysts would just talk constantly over the picks and all you could do to follow was watch the bottom line. I guess that was okay necause most of us didn't know anybody who going after the third round anyway, but now that tactic is being used for the second round of the draft too. Since it's not the first day, I guess, they figure they have to treat it like it's the late rounds. Honestly, I really couldn't care less what the analysts think. Though it was fun watching Kiper get more and more depressed as Jimmy Clausen kept falling.

If this is how they want to run their broadcast, fine. Then run a parallel where all you do is show the commish announce the pick followed by a three minute highlight reel of the player to hold us until the next pick. You could even play what Kiper/ McShay think about the drafted player. That's it. I don't need twenty analysts arguing over everything. Hell, you don't even need a host. Just let the draft be.

Now about the draft. I think we can all agree that QB is the most important position in the NFL, yes? So how could two QBs who seem to be at least NFL starters fall so far? Every time the Browns were on the clock I knew they'd take a QB, only to be shocked when they didn't. Finally they took McCoy. So that left me to ask, who does Kansas City, Oakland, and Buffalo, think they have at QB? How did Clausen fall out of the first round? Then pass these teams again in the second? Does Oakland think Jason Campbell is the future?

Look, I like Campbell. he's a solid NFL QB. He isn't the reason a franchise will win. Oakland could have gotten Campbell for the near future while the young QB they drafted develops. The Raiders won't be ready to compete for a Super Bowl for a few years. They might be good at times, but not elite. By the time they're ready, they'll need to draft a new QB and set themselves back three more years.

When's Kansas City going to realize that there's only one Tom Brady and he isn't Matt Cassell? Does Buffalo really believe in Trent Edwards? Is there an amazing QB class coming out next year that these teams are preparing for?

I understand that the Cardinals want to give Leinhart a year. Makes sense, so no real foul there. As for Seattle, I'd be worried if I was a fan. The fact that they didn't draft a QB when they had so many chances indicates that Pete Carroll isn't planning on satying long enough to develop one. He's going to gun for it with Hassleback and if that fails, go back to college while leaving the Seahawks in ruins.

As for the 49ers and Alex Smith. I get why they didn't draft a QB. Last year, Smith seemed to be coming on some late. He can't play from under center, the Niners understood that. So they started playing him from the gun and he was being successful. This didn't seem to hurt Frank Gore much either. So in this draft, the Niners improved a weak offensive line, picked up defense, and a backup running back. Now it's up to Smith. If he can show himself to be a good NFL QB, the Niners will win their division. If not, they get rid of him and draft one next year. Either way, the team is young and poised to make a comeback as an elite franchise in the league within a handful of years. The only problem is, by then Gore will be old so they'll jave to have found a replacement for him. Still, young and talented offense, young defense, they are poised.

One thing I'd love to see after the draft is a GM to say, "Yeah, we had a terrible draft. Everyone we wanted got taken before our picks. That sucked." But no, every GM claims that they got exactly who they wanted. I could tell you for a fact that the Giants aren't happy with their first round. They wanted McLain. He made perfect sense for them. Oakland took him and they scrambled to get a talented, but raw, pass rusher. I doubt they're pleased.

That's all I got time for now.

Peace

A-Lightning-Rod

I'm not going to talk about the draft today. Waiting until the end to do so. I didn't plan on posting until then, but Alex Rodriguez managed to get himself into another contra very regarding baseball's "unwritten rules". Now, A Rod's been involved in a few of these before.

The first came in the infamous 2004 collapse against Boston. In game 6 Rodriguez grounded down the first baeline with two outs and a runner on. The pitcher Bronson Arroyo picked up the ball and tried to tag Rodriguez out, who ended up slapping the ball out of his glove. At first, he got away with it, but the umps eventually overruled it and he was out. For this he was ripped for a few reasons. One was he should've just taken the out, not tried anything. Which is fine, but I'm convinced that if Derek Jeter had done the same thing the media would've lauded him for trying to do whatever it takes to win. The second reason he got ripped there was for slapping the glove. People said it was a girly move. He should've lowered his shoulder or punched. That's just dumb. Lowering your shoulder only works if the person is completely in front of you, not just his glove. Punching would not have had the same chance of success as slapping would've.Still, it was something he probably shouldn't have done. Oh and by the way, Dustin Pedroia tried an eerily similar move in the playoffs in 07 and no one said anything. See that here.

Then came a game in Toronto two years ago. When Jorge Posada hit a pop up on the left side of the infield. A Rod, while passing the third baseman shouted "Ha!" and the fielder didn't catch the ball. The fielder, Howie Clark, alleged that the shout distracted him form making the catch. Really? You can't catch a pop up because someone shouted? I've seen many football games in the park where defenders shout at a reciever trying to catch a pass. The reviever, you won't believe this, still usually makes the catch! If amateurs playing for fun could keep their concentration, a pro can't? The truth is, the guy was struggling on that pop up and used Alex as a scapegoat. Warch it herre. You can't tell me it was A Rod's fault he didn't catch the ball.

Now we come to yesterday. Alex on first runs around second on a pop up hit by Robinson Cano that ended up landing foul. Already halfway to third, he cuts across the diamond to go back to first going over the pitcher's mound. This upsets the pitcher, who remains quiet, Until, that is, he gets out of the inning and gets close to his own dugout and near his own teammates. Then he starts shouting in a "hold me back" manner. After this he throws his glove against the wall and kicks, kicks, a stack of paper cups. You know, because he's tough. All because A Rod stepped on the mound and Thou Shalt Not Step On The Pitcher's Mound, apparently.

Now, I've never heard of that particular unwritten rule. And A Rod may not be the best guy in the world, but this seems ridiculous. Does the pitcher mind when his cathcer steps up onto the mound? What about the infielders? What about the other team? When he's running to back up home plate, does he make sure not to step in a batter's box? This was plainly and simply because it was Alex Rodriguez. You can't tell me Alex did anything worth the attention here.

Peace

Close the Window, I Feel a Draft Coming

It's that time of year again. When every football fan becomes a college football expert. When we decide which teams will be any good next year. When Mel Kiper Jr. is at his annoyingest. Also, I will continue my annual tradition of not doing a mock draft. It's not that I don't enjoy them. I love 'em. I live and die by each one as if they're real. It's simply that I don't know enough about any of these players to do one. Id probably just end up copying someone elses. So instead, here's some pre draft thoughts.

Far be it for me to compliment a football analyst, but Jon Gruden's QB camp special on ESPN last Thursday was so great. For many reasons, not the least of which were seeing him really piss of Tim Tebow when he called him Mike Alstott. What was great about the show was that it took you where you rarely get to go: the film room. Gruden sat down with the top four QB prospects individually and broke down their college film with them. Talking about everything from mechanics, to reads, to protection, everything a QB should do. What made this fantastic, though, was that it was done as if there were no cameras around. Well, not entirely. They didn't swear or anything, but they talked to each other as football people. It wasn't dumbed down for the audience. I loved that. Too often, analysts act as if the viewers don't know what they're seeing. They simplify everything. They should go the other way and let the viewer try to keep up, If not all the time, then at least specific shows. I mean, I learned more from an analyst during that hour than I have in the past ten years.

With regards to the draft. I have a few guidelines for teams. THe first, and most important, is that teams shouldn't worry about what the media an/or general public will think. If a team thinks that an available player is worth their particular pick and can't move down while the media's projected the player to go lower, the team should just take him. Suffer the criticism for a little while then prove everyone wrong. A few years ago, the Titans took Chris Johnson with the 24th pick. At the time, the seemed to be about the right spot to take him. He was the fifth back taken after McFadden, Stewart, Felix Jones, and Mandenhall. Say the Patriots took him at twelve or the Panthers took him instead of Mayo or the Jets took at him at 6 over Gholston, they'd have gotten ripped for reaching so far. Yet given what he's become and what those teams are, the public would've been proven wrong there. So teams need not worry themselves about what ianalysts say. There's a reason why they're not GMs.

Next, if you think a QB available is a franchise QB, you have to take him. You don't get too many shots at a franchise QB, unless of course if you make a habit of passing on QBs. You don't want to pick that high ever again. So while you're there, take a QB.

While it sucks when your team trades away a pick when they're on the clock, I do love the idea of trading a round two pick for a round one next year. Except for this year, I guess, because there might not be any football next year.

Alright, Ill talk nore after the draft.

Peace

WHo Needs More Touches?

What an eventful offseason for the NFL. A face of a franchise for over a decade dealt to a division rival, another franchise face gets in some serious legal troubles, a great college coach takes another shot at working in the NFL after failing before, a controversial coin toss, The Redskins and Cowboys staying quiet in free agency during an uncapped year, the Jets trying to be like the Redskins, and all this without a single mention of The Gunslinger. Now oone of the most talented WRs in the league gets dealt. Together with Boldin and Holmes, Marshall makes it three big time WRs that have moved this year. Another big name WR, though not as good as he thinks he is, still hasn't even found a home.

The league is, finally, fighting back against the prima donna wideouts. For years now, we've all accepted that WRs are arrogant and selfish. We've been okay with it. But now a new breed of wideout is entering the league. Led by Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, and Andre Johnson, these new wide receivers are showing us that selfishness doesn't have to be a pre requisite to being talented. I mean, look at the best WRs in the league: the aforementioned three, Welker, Austin, Rice, Wayne, Smith, Jackson, Jackson, White, Jennings none of these gave caused problems within their locker rooms. The ones I skipped over are those that have switched teams at least once now (Moss, Holmes, Marshall, Boldin). To be fair, Welker did witch teams, but that was before most anybody knew he was great,

There are still some young WRs that seem to take the mold of the old ones (Jackson, Crabtree), but that can change. If these guys see how the prima donnas are being treated as compared to those who aren't, they might adjust their begavior. Hopefully, at least.

Peace