Today was MLB's trade deadline, but the biggest trade of the day was Kevin Garnett moving to Boston. More on that later. First, lets analyze the MLB trades. The biggest winner were the Atlanta Braves who acquired Stud Mark Teixeira from the Rangers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. ATL gave up some of their best prospects for Teixeira but he might be worth it since he is a pure power machine. Jarrod is expected to be real good and I can't believe Atlanta traded away the best name in baseball! Texas did well too as they loaded up on young talent. They also traded away Eric Gagne to Boston for some second tier prospects. Great pickup for Boston as Gagne will setup for Papelbon. I am sure the baseball crazy Bostonians are more excited about this trade than even Kevin Garnett! The other trades were not major in nature. San Diego got slightly better. They picked up Morgan Ensberg, who was shockingly waived by the Astros few days back. This dude was a MVP candidate just 2 years back. For some reason the Pirates helped the Giants dump Matt Morris's salary on them. Why Pirates are taking on an old pitcher's salary, I have no idea! I guess thats why they are the Pirates.
Now to the BIG trade in the NBA. The BIG ticket, KG finally ends up in Boston in a trade that sends forwards Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes, swingman Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair, center Theo Ratliff, two future first-round picks and cash considerations to the Timberwolves. This is apparently the biggest trade in terms for 7 pieces going one way for just one guy. The previous record was the Rockets sending 6 guys to Chicago for Scottie. This is great for the Celts (and TWolves too). They got one of the best big-3's in the entire league and they will be formidable in the L-East. All 3 are above 30 and considered a little old, but KG and Paul Pierce easily have another 4 solid years left. Even Ray allen, the oldest and the most injured of the big-3, has another 2 or 3 good years left and Boston might have enough to compete for a while. They do have nothing around the 3 since they traded their young roster away. The biggest problem is probably the lack of a good point. I wish they had retained Delonte West. That guy might have been the perfect fit for a loaded team like this. They'll also have a weak bench, but you can't have everything. You got 3 future hall-of-famers in their prime and you got to make it work.
I am happy for Danny Ainge. I like him because of his Suns connections and he is also a clean-cut, good guy. He has taken a lot of crap for his moves and I have been critical of him too. He did make some good moves, but my problem was, some of those moves looked disjointed. They all were decent on their own, but they failed to convey a cogent vision. He went young and collected talent and even openly said one year how he would like his team to miss the playoffs so he can get a lottery pick. But then he would get a Gary Payton and a Wally Szerbiak for no reason. He traded away Antoine Walker, then got him back, then let him go again. All along he held on to Paul Pierce for some reason. Even the Ray Allen trade didn't make sense to me since he gave up a high pick to get him and he was not the perfect compliment to Paul Pierce. But if he had gotten him to just lure KG, thats genius. Part of that trade was also to convince Paul Pierce to stay and it sure looked like a panic move. But at the end of the day, Ainge is smiling. He recovered big from that disaster on the lottery night.
The problem these days is, no fan base will accept a 5 year re-building plan. It's an instant gratification society these days and you can't blame the fans either. They pay 200 bucks for 2 mediocre seats and it's really not fair to ask them to do that for 5 straight years so that they can see a winner eventually. Those days are gone. No GM can even hold on to a job for 5 years with such a rebuilding plan. So Ainge had to do some crazy moves just to keep a competitive team on the floor at times. Also with free agency and the modern superstar culture, stars want out if the team struggles for a couple of years. Given all these compulsions, Ainge did do well to pull this off at the end. If you really think about it, it was no rocket science. Ainge was collecting some real young talent and you either wait for them to develop, or parlay them to get proven stars. He ended up doing the later as the patience of the fans was running out. But he did draft some studs, especially Al Jefferson and he deserves credit for that. If they didn't have Al Jefferson, no Kevin Garnett today for the Celts.
As for the T-Wolves, this is a great trade. They have a really young team right now with a lot of hope for the future. Al Jefferson is a stud and I'll pay money to watch this guy any day. They got Gerald Green and Corey Brewer (5-Th pick in this year's draft) to go with him and they got 2 picks in this trade as well. Those are some solid assets. They also got an expiring contract in Theo Ratliff and he is the only guy older than 25 they acquired in this trade. On the day of the MLB trade deadline, the T-Wolves did the NBA equivalent of a baseball team stockpiling talented minor league prospects.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Hall Of Fame.
MLB has one thing that the other sports does not have - history. Couple of times a year baseball history comes out and distracts us from baseball's present which is for the most part is a steroid covered mess. With Barry Bonds chasing 755, these have not been good times for baseball. Sure the Giants are happy with their collection at the gate and probably their TV ratings as well, but MLB as a whole has looked more uncomfortable than a 60 year old white millionaire at a Lil' Wayne concert! But today's Hall Of Fame induction ceremony saved at least one day for baseball. Cal Ripken Jr and Tony Gwynn were inducted in what could be one of the best pair of people inducted into the hall in the same class.
The whole "class guy" moniker is thrown around recklessly these days in Sports. It would be interesting to dig up and document how many media honks called Michael Vick a "class guy" in the past 5+ years before the dog fighting deal. The point is, we don't know any of these guys, but Cal and Tony seem to me like decent human beings all around. They have always been considered good guys and have handled the media and the fans with dignity over the years. Especially Tony Gwynn, I love that guy. I have always felt Cal Ripken is just a bit over-rated because of his consecutive game record. Awesome record, but still a little over-rated because it's not really related to the game on the field directly. But I am sure he makes it to the hall even without the streak. As for Tony, no questions asked. He is a straight-up, first ballot hall of famer. And the special thing about these 2 guys is that they played for the same team their entire career. Thats becoming rarer and rarer in all of sports. Among the stars today, probably Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer and David Wright are the only ones I can think of who might play their entire career in one town (once Craig Biggio is done that is).
Almost 70,000 people showed up for the induction ceremony today. Thats a great day for baseball and Cal since most of the East coast crowd had come in for him. But starting tomorrow, MLB has to deal with Bonds again who is at 754. Bud Selig was probably hoping Bonds will break the record this weekend as he had a good excuse to stay away at the hall of fame ceremonies. Now he needs to show up somewhere to watch the chase.
The whole "class guy" moniker is thrown around recklessly these days in Sports. It would be interesting to dig up and document how many media honks called Michael Vick a "class guy" in the past 5+ years before the dog fighting deal. The point is, we don't know any of these guys, but Cal and Tony seem to me like decent human beings all around. They have always been considered good guys and have handled the media and the fans with dignity over the years. Especially Tony Gwynn, I love that guy. I have always felt Cal Ripken is just a bit over-rated because of his consecutive game record. Awesome record, but still a little over-rated because it's not really related to the game on the field directly. But I am sure he makes it to the hall even without the streak. As for Tony, no questions asked. He is a straight-up, first ballot hall of famer. And the special thing about these 2 guys is that they played for the same team their entire career. Thats becoming rarer and rarer in all of sports. Among the stars today, probably Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer and David Wright are the only ones I can think of who might play their entire career in one town (once Craig Biggio is done that is).
Almost 70,000 people showed up for the induction ceremony today. Thats a great day for baseball and Cal since most of the East coast crowd had come in for him. But starting tomorrow, MLB has to deal with Bonds again who is at 754. Bud Selig was probably hoping Bonds will break the record this weekend as he had a good excuse to stay away at the hall of fame ceremonies. Now he needs to show up somewhere to watch the chase.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Who's Never!
ESPN is getting a lot of flak for a stupid segment called "who's now". It's their way of filling in free time during the down-time in the Sports calendar. MLB is the only major sport on display during summer and it can get boring at time out there. So ESPN has come out with this idea of a 32 athlete bracket which matches sports stars against each other. You got to pick one over the other based on on-field performance and off-field buzz. You get mind bending match-ups like Tiger Woods - V - Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush - V - Danica Patrick! And most fans are watching this and going "what the heck?". For most people, it's one more proof of ESPN taking itself way too seriously. And who better to compere this circus than Stuart Scott? He may soon qualify for the title of the second most ridiculous ESPN personality behind the insufferable Chris Berman. The only thing that could have made this segment any worse is if they had Chris "BackBackBack" Berman running this thing with his contrived nicknames for all the 32 athletes.
Whatever little credibility ESPN had with this thing - which was close to zero anyways, they lost it completely when they trotted out Jessica Beil and Kevin James (the fat guy from "King of Queens"). to vote for round 2. It was a shameless plug for the movie "Chuck and Larry" that I am guessing Disney, which owns ESPN, is involved in some way. Shameless idiocy! I guess I am also a little bored in summer. Actually I don't hate this whole "who's now" segment (or Stuart Scott) as much as some of the other guys. But clearly it has enough stupidity built in to it. First, the name. What the heck is "who's now" ? What does that even supposed to mean? They spend the first 5 minutes every night explaining what the hell it means. Secondly Stu looks like he put the stu in stupid! Finally, don't tell me Jessica Biel and Adam Sandler should be on Sportcenter voting on this thing. Personally, I wouldn't mind if they trot out Ms.Biel for 3 hrs straight everyday on ESPN. That girl is FINE! But not for this reason.
In any case, looking at what's happening in sports this summer and this stupid bit on sportscenter, I thought a more appropriate contest might actually be "who's never". There are so many guys screwing themselves and the sports-world so much, it's hard to even find any positive news about any of the major sports the last month or so. Some of these guys are so over the top with their actions, they may never be worth anything the rest of their careers. So I am calling it "who's never". I don't quite have the time that ESPN has on its hands and I don't take myself as seriously as those guys. So this is a 8 person bracket with the guy who is worse off in his life advancing to the next round of "who's never". All the results are listed below so you don't have to wait.
Round 1
-------
(1) Michael Vick - The Dog Killer extraordinaire.
V
(8) Tour De France - I don't know any names in this sport, but all of them are tainted.
Winner - Michael Vick. Real brutal stuff from Vick and who cares about cycling anyways?
(2) Tim Donaghy - This 5''8" white guy might bring down the NBA all by himself.
V
(7) Barry Bonds - Tainted home-run chase. 756 never looked this dirty.
Winner - Donaghy in a landslide. NBA will trade it's gambling problems for MLB's Steroids problem in a heart-beat.
(3) Bud Selig - The worst commissioner in all of sports. Has no clue what to do with this whole Bonds thing and is mumbling and stumbling through the chase.
V
(6) David Stern - A lifetime's worth of good work might disappear in a month or two. I am sure he is pissed.
Winner - Bud Selig. David Stern could sell his league for 10 bucks and export it lock, stock and barrel to China tomorrow and will still be a better commish than Selig.
(4) Sergio Garcia - Choked away another golden opportunity to win the big one recently.
V
(5) Kobe Bryant - "Trade me. But don't trade me. I definitely want a trade. Wait, wait. Please keep me in LA".
Winner - Sergio Garcia. Kobe seems flaky, but at least he has a ring or 3 - courtesy of Shaq.
Round 2
-------
Vick V Sergio Garcia - Vick wins based on his unique brand of cruelty.
Donaghy V Selig - Donaghy advances. Even Selig can't make Donaghy look good.
Finals
------
Vick V Donaghy - Tough one. What a finals. Truly a dream match-up! I would say Tim Donaghy wins. His effects could be felt for years to come and he might have set NBA back by 10 years. Also I trust our justice system and Vick's 100 million dollars. He'll probably walk away from this like all rich people do.
Whos Never - Tim Donaghy
Whatever little credibility ESPN had with this thing - which was close to zero anyways, they lost it completely when they trotted out Jessica Beil and Kevin James (the fat guy from "King of Queens"). to vote for round 2. It was a shameless plug for the movie "Chuck and Larry" that I am guessing Disney, which owns ESPN, is involved in some way. Shameless idiocy! I guess I am also a little bored in summer. Actually I don't hate this whole "who's now" segment (or Stuart Scott) as much as some of the other guys. But clearly it has enough stupidity built in to it. First, the name. What the heck is "who's now" ? What does that even supposed to mean? They spend the first 5 minutes every night explaining what the hell it means. Secondly Stu looks like he put the stu in stupid! Finally, don't tell me Jessica Biel and Adam Sandler should be on Sportcenter voting on this thing. Personally, I wouldn't mind if they trot out Ms.Biel for 3 hrs straight everyday on ESPN. That girl is FINE! But not for this reason.
In any case, looking at what's happening in sports this summer and this stupid bit on sportscenter, I thought a more appropriate contest might actually be "who's never". There are so many guys screwing themselves and the sports-world so much, it's hard to even find any positive news about any of the major sports the last month or so. Some of these guys are so over the top with their actions, they may never be worth anything the rest of their careers. So I am calling it "who's never". I don't quite have the time that ESPN has on its hands and I don't take myself as seriously as those guys. So this is a 8 person bracket with the guy who is worse off in his life advancing to the next round of "who's never". All the results are listed below so you don't have to wait.
Round 1
-------
(1) Michael Vick - The Dog Killer extraordinaire.
V
(8) Tour De France - I don't know any names in this sport, but all of them are tainted.
Winner - Michael Vick. Real brutal stuff from Vick and who cares about cycling anyways?
(2) Tim Donaghy - This 5''8" white guy might bring down the NBA all by himself.
V
(7) Barry Bonds - Tainted home-run chase. 756 never looked this dirty.
Winner - Donaghy in a landslide. NBA will trade it's gambling problems for MLB's Steroids problem in a heart-beat.
(3) Bud Selig - The worst commissioner in all of sports. Has no clue what to do with this whole Bonds thing and is mumbling and stumbling through the chase.
V
(6) David Stern - A lifetime's worth of good work might disappear in a month or two. I am sure he is pissed.
Winner - Bud Selig. David Stern could sell his league for 10 bucks and export it lock, stock and barrel to China tomorrow and will still be a better commish than Selig.
(4) Sergio Garcia - Choked away another golden opportunity to win the big one recently.
V
(5) Kobe Bryant - "Trade me. But don't trade me. I definitely want a trade. Wait, wait. Please keep me in LA".
Winner - Sergio Garcia. Kobe seems flaky, but at least he has a ring or 3 - courtesy of Shaq.
Round 2
-------
Vick V Sergio Garcia - Vick wins based on his unique brand of cruelty.
Donaghy V Selig - Donaghy advances. Even Selig can't make Donaghy look good.
Finals
------
Vick V Donaghy - Tough one. What a finals. Truly a dream match-up! I would say Tim Donaghy wins. His effects could be felt for years to come and he might have set NBA back by 10 years. Also I trust our justice system and Vick's 100 million dollars. He'll probably walk away from this like all rich people do.
Whos Never - Tim Donaghy
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
National Betting Association.
As if a betting scandal involving a referee is not bad enough for me as a NBA fan, it's also coming out that the tainted ref Tim Donaghy refereed game 3 of the pivotal Sun-Spurs playoffs series. I can't even imagine how bad I would feel if it comes out that he actually fixed that game. It was a poorly officiated game and here's a great Youtube video clip from a Suns fan.
Suns fans are already bitter about the game 5 suspensions that David Stern foisted on us by choosing a stupid rule over common sense. Now game 3 was fixed? You got be kidding me! Why is God so cruel to Suns fans? We are good guys really! This game 3 was the final game Donaghy officiated last season. Bill Simmons ripped the officiating just 2 days after that game and he now looks like a genius. Well, I think the "Sports Guy" is a genius anyways, but how ironic is it that he actually referred to the Cocaine era of the NBA while criticizing the officiating in this game? As it turns out, this is the biggest NBA scandal since the cocaine days and frankly much bigger than that.
It's one thing for some regular season games to be under the microscope, but if this playoff game is in question, especially the Suns-Spurs series which everybody knew was the de-facto NBA finals, it's a huge black eye for the league. Basically it means Donaghy determined last year's NBA champion. NBA has got a problem much bigger than the cocaine era or even the steroids issue in MLB. Gambling is the biggest fear of all sports leagues. Thats why Pete Rose is still outside looking in while the MLB hall of fame has it's share of racists, thieves and roid-heads. Thats why Vegas has no pro teams. Even a drop of gambling suspicion, and the NBA becomes the WWF (or WWE or whatever the hell it's called these days). Nothing threatens the integrity of a sport like a betting scandal. And NBA has got a juicy one on it's hands now. The only thing that can make it worse is if more referees and/or players are involved and if this game 3 was actually fixed. Heck, you look at the officiating in that game, you almost have to assume all 3 refs were involved! Bad call after bad call and only a few of them were actually Donaghy's.
NBA has multiple problems here. For one, it's already struggling with it's popularity due to a variety of reasons. Now this becomes another convenient and valid reason for NBA-haters to bash the league and stay away from it. The deeper this thing gets, the worse it is going to be for the NBA to recover. Just like the MLB with the steroids, you'll not see the impact immediately at the gate. People will still show up and have a good time, but the TV ratings and the general penetration of the game might not improve for years to come. It's already close to becoming a niche sport and the fear is, it might get there in a hurry and stay there for a while if this thing gets uglier.
The other big issue for the NBA is, the refs NEVER had any credibility in the first place. They were always viewed as guys who were implementing some external agenda by being preferential to the super-stars and the big market teams. The public rarely believed the refs called the game as they saw it on the court. You know what, I would agree with those doubters and the league is at fault for that. NBA is always subject to a lot of conspiracy theories and nothing in sports has lesser credibility than the NBA draft lottery. I don't buy most of these stories, but I have never been a fan of the officiating in this league. I hate the "super-star rules" and I have felt several games, especially in the playoffs, are manipulated to either help the home team, or push it to a game 7 or whatever. Even as a Suns fan, I can't forget or pardon the game 6 of the LA Lakers-Sacramento Kings series in the Western Conference finals in 2002. NBA basically gave that game to the Lakers so that they can all go to Sacramento and have a game 7 in one of the most entertaining series since MJ retired.
I am almost glad this scandal came out because everybody's eyes are on the NBA officiating and I am hoping desperately that the league will finally give their refs the rule book and ask them to call the game as it's meant to be. I met a friend from Bulgaria recently who said he used to play basketball growing up in his country. He told me the basketball rules are different in Europe and in the NBA. I was a little surprised and asked him which rules? He very innocently answered me "well they allow 3 steps in the NBA". I laughed and cried at the same time. This dude actually thought 3 steps was legal in the NBA. This tells you all you need to know about the officiating in this league. The league was apparently surprised that they couldn't spot anything wrong with Donaghy's officiating in their daily analysis of all officials and every call they make and do not make. My theory is, the NBA officiating is so uneven, incompetent and stage managed, it's hard to see when a ref is screwing up on purpose on his own. This is a wake-up call for the league. Call the freaking game like it supposed to be and may be you can spot such impropriety sooner than later.
David Stern and the league are also under fire here. Among other reasons, one reason Stern is facing the music is because of how steadfast he has been in supporting the refs and how quick he has been in fining people heavily for any criticism of the refs. What if Cuban and other guys were upset after some Donaghy games and what if those games were badly officiated or even fixed? Is the Commish going to refund those fines? One of last year's big fines was levied against the Magic coach Brian Hill after he criticized the officiating in a Donaghy officiated game. May be if the league had really looked at Donaghy's calls instead of figuring out how much to fine the coach, we wouldn't be in this mess right now.
There are a lot of fascinating facts about this coming out - from how inconsequential free-throws in a blowout can help the point spread to how the technical fouls can be used to go "over" rather than stay "under". There's also all kinds of theories on when exactly NBA knew about this guy's issues. Some stories say the league know about his gambling problems even last year, but just let him continue for some reason. Here's one of the article if you are interested.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07212007/news/nationalnews/best_bet_is_foul_play_nationalnews_mike_battaglino__post_wire_services.htm
It's just a bad time for all of sports right now. NBA and this betting scandal, Bonds and his big head chasing MLB's greatest record and Michael Vick slamming dogs and the Atlanta owner's hopes on the concrete floor. Thats the big 3 sports if you need 'em.
Suns fans are already bitter about the game 5 suspensions that David Stern foisted on us by choosing a stupid rule over common sense. Now game 3 was fixed? You got be kidding me! Why is God so cruel to Suns fans? We are good guys really! This game 3 was the final game Donaghy officiated last season. Bill Simmons ripped the officiating just 2 days after that game and he now looks like a genius. Well, I think the "Sports Guy" is a genius anyways, but how ironic is it that he actually referred to the Cocaine era of the NBA while criticizing the officiating in this game? As it turns out, this is the biggest NBA scandal since the cocaine days and frankly much bigger than that.
It's one thing for some regular season games to be under the microscope, but if this playoff game is in question, especially the Suns-Spurs series which everybody knew was the de-facto NBA finals, it's a huge black eye for the league. Basically it means Donaghy determined last year's NBA champion. NBA has got a problem much bigger than the cocaine era or even the steroids issue in MLB. Gambling is the biggest fear of all sports leagues. Thats why Pete Rose is still outside looking in while the MLB hall of fame has it's share of racists, thieves and roid-heads. Thats why Vegas has no pro teams. Even a drop of gambling suspicion, and the NBA becomes the WWF (or WWE or whatever the hell it's called these days). Nothing threatens the integrity of a sport like a betting scandal. And NBA has got a juicy one on it's hands now. The only thing that can make it worse is if more referees and/or players are involved and if this game 3 was actually fixed. Heck, you look at the officiating in that game, you almost have to assume all 3 refs were involved! Bad call after bad call and only a few of them were actually Donaghy's.
NBA has multiple problems here. For one, it's already struggling with it's popularity due to a variety of reasons. Now this becomes another convenient and valid reason for NBA-haters to bash the league and stay away from it. The deeper this thing gets, the worse it is going to be for the NBA to recover. Just like the MLB with the steroids, you'll not see the impact immediately at the gate. People will still show up and have a good time, but the TV ratings and the general penetration of the game might not improve for years to come. It's already close to becoming a niche sport and the fear is, it might get there in a hurry and stay there for a while if this thing gets uglier.
The other big issue for the NBA is, the refs NEVER had any credibility in the first place. They were always viewed as guys who were implementing some external agenda by being preferential to the super-stars and the big market teams. The public rarely believed the refs called the game as they saw it on the court. You know what, I would agree with those doubters and the league is at fault for that. NBA is always subject to a lot of conspiracy theories and nothing in sports has lesser credibility than the NBA draft lottery. I don't buy most of these stories, but I have never been a fan of the officiating in this league. I hate the "super-star rules" and I have felt several games, especially in the playoffs, are manipulated to either help the home team, or push it to a game 7 or whatever. Even as a Suns fan, I can't forget or pardon the game 6 of the LA Lakers-Sacramento Kings series in the Western Conference finals in 2002. NBA basically gave that game to the Lakers so that they can all go to Sacramento and have a game 7 in one of the most entertaining series since MJ retired.
I am almost glad this scandal came out because everybody's eyes are on the NBA officiating and I am hoping desperately that the league will finally give their refs the rule book and ask them to call the game as it's meant to be. I met a friend from Bulgaria recently who said he used to play basketball growing up in his country. He told me the basketball rules are different in Europe and in the NBA. I was a little surprised and asked him which rules? He very innocently answered me "well they allow 3 steps in the NBA". I laughed and cried at the same time. This dude actually thought 3 steps was legal in the NBA. This tells you all you need to know about the officiating in this league. The league was apparently surprised that they couldn't spot anything wrong with Donaghy's officiating in their daily analysis of all officials and every call they make and do not make. My theory is, the NBA officiating is so uneven, incompetent and stage managed, it's hard to see when a ref is screwing up on purpose on his own. This is a wake-up call for the league. Call the freaking game like it supposed to be and may be you can spot such impropriety sooner than later.
David Stern and the league are also under fire here. Among other reasons, one reason Stern is facing the music is because of how steadfast he has been in supporting the refs and how quick he has been in fining people heavily for any criticism of the refs. What if Cuban and other guys were upset after some Donaghy games and what if those games were badly officiated or even fixed? Is the Commish going to refund those fines? One of last year's big fines was levied against the Magic coach Brian Hill after he criticized the officiating in a Donaghy officiated game. May be if the league had really looked at Donaghy's calls instead of figuring out how much to fine the coach, we wouldn't be in this mess right now.
There are a lot of fascinating facts about this coming out - from how inconsequential free-throws in a blowout can help the point spread to how the technical fouls can be used to go "over" rather than stay "under". There's also all kinds of theories on when exactly NBA knew about this guy's issues. Some stories say the league know about his gambling problems even last year, but just let him continue for some reason. Here's one of the article if you are interested.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07212007/news/nationalnews/best_bet_is_foul_play_nationalnews_mike_battaglino__post_wire_services.htm
It's just a bad time for all of sports right now. NBA and this betting scandal, Bonds and his big head chasing MLB's greatest record and Michael Vick slamming dogs and the Atlanta owner's hopes on the concrete floor. Thats the big 3 sports if you need 'em.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Bonds Closing in
Barry Bonds is really close now. He was stuck on 751 for a while and the seriousness of the chase was missing until he hit 2 home runs at Wrigley last week. Now at 753, people can feel it. Record number of fans showed for his games at Wrigley and Milwaukee and the tickets for next weeks home games at San Francisco are becoming pricier by the minute. Looks like the Giants might have managed this perfectly. He did not start 3 of the 4 games at Wrigley and now he needs 3 to break the record. With a game at Milwaukee and then 7 at home, you would think it happens at home. That was always such a big deal in this story and things look good now for Bonds and the Giants. On the road, people are there to see him do his thing, but they do boo him. It's not a real aggressive "boo", just a gentle one. Some people do bring some steroids sign for him.
The other part of the story is how Bud Selig is just confused about what to do. Looks like he wants to stay away, but just can't because most experts say he should go. Of course he should. He pretty much presided over the entire steroid era and how dare he pretend to take the moral high ground now? There is no moral high ground here and he better do his job. He is the commissioner of MLB and this is one of the biggest events in baseball and it's his job to represent. I am not a fan of Bonds or this steroid era and I do consider all these records tainted, but Selig is part of the problem and I am not going to let him even think about dissociating himself from this mess. He should have fixed this 10 or 15 years back. Apparently Hank Aaron is a close friend of his and he is really upset that Bonds is passing Aaron with all this steroid clouds hanging over his head. Well, tough luck Bud. You are the freaking commissioner of Baseball and who else can you blame for his debacle?
At the end of the day, the real loser is baseball and I don't think baseball even gets it. People just keep talking about how strong the game is and how the attendance is growing and how apparently all this steroid scandal has not hurt anything. But this historic chase has been completely devalued by the steroid scandal. In this day and age of 24 hour sports radio hype and hero worship, baseball could have milked this like nothing else, but the hype is muted because of who's chasing the record. It's going to be this way until they fix the steroid thing for good, which, by the way, could be impossible the way science is going. MLB probably lost a lot of revenue in terms of jersey sales etc. because of Bonds and steroids. All the talk is about steroids and not the chase. This chase could be the very definition of the word "tainted".
The other part of the story is how Bud Selig is just confused about what to do. Looks like he wants to stay away, but just can't because most experts say he should go. Of course he should. He pretty much presided over the entire steroid era and how dare he pretend to take the moral high ground now? There is no moral high ground here and he better do his job. He is the commissioner of MLB and this is one of the biggest events in baseball and it's his job to represent. I am not a fan of Bonds or this steroid era and I do consider all these records tainted, but Selig is part of the problem and I am not going to let him even think about dissociating himself from this mess. He should have fixed this 10 or 15 years back. Apparently Hank Aaron is a close friend of his and he is really upset that Bonds is passing Aaron with all this steroid clouds hanging over his head. Well, tough luck Bud. You are the freaking commissioner of Baseball and who else can you blame for his debacle?
At the end of the day, the real loser is baseball and I don't think baseball even gets it. People just keep talking about how strong the game is and how the attendance is growing and how apparently all this steroid scandal has not hurt anything. But this historic chase has been completely devalued by the steroid scandal. In this day and age of 24 hour sports radio hype and hero worship, baseball could have milked this like nothing else, but the hype is muted because of who's chasing the record. It's going to be this way until they fix the steroid thing for good, which, by the way, could be impossible the way science is going. MLB probably lost a lot of revenue in terms of jersey sales etc. because of Bonds and steroids. All the talk is about steroids and not the chase. This chase could be the very definition of the word "tainted".
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Vick is sick
Ron Mexico is a sick dude. Thats all I can say. He has been indicted by the feds for dog fighting. The details are gruesome. Vick and the gang are accused of killing these dogs in real brutal ways after they lost some of the fight. It's really sickening and Vick is in a lot of trouble. He is facing a lot of wrath from the general public. I have always thought America loved dogs more than people! He probably could get away if he killed some people, but killing a dog is going to make him real unpopular among the dog loving American people. Typically, if are you good at what you do athletically and you are rich, you can get away with anything as Kobe and former NBA center Jayson Williams have shown us. But this could be a tough sell even for the talented Mr.Vick. I don't even like dogs and I feel like he is a completely soul-less person for what he is accused of doing.
I used to love Vick when he came out of Va-Tech. I looked at him as the quarterback of the next century - a prototype for the future much like Dan Marino was in the early eighties for the previous generation of QBs. I have been disappointed not just by his off-field issues, but even his on-field play. I had already lost all my love for him over the years as he was not getting any better on the field and was constantly getting worse off of it. But all of that just pales in comparison to this dog-fighting deal. The Feds seems to have done their homework and people are saying they got the goods on him and it'll be difficult for him to get out of this. I still would say he probably gets out unscathed. I am not a legal expert and I don't understand the difference between a federal court and the local court at Eagle county Colorado. But Vick is a 100 million dollar man and I can't see him doing hard time in our judicial system. Call me a cynic, but you know cynicism and realism are cousins. I think I am just being realistic when I say he'll probably be out though he should do time for this crime.
The one ridiculous thing I have been hearing on this topic has been some people trying to explain this as part of a sub-culture, referring to the inner-city black life style. Thats just unacceptable to me. I am very sensitive to racial issues in our society and I love black people as much as anybody else. But don't tell me we have to start defining criminal behavior along cultural lines! It's one thing to say my culture eats more chicken while yours eats more beef or we talk and walk a certain way, but we can't have different criminal laws and different definitions of decency and civility for different cultures. As somebody said on the radio, what if the KKK comes out and asks us to accept lynching because thats part of KKK's culture? Thats just stupid. It seems like it's becoming more and more common the last few years for some black people to explain away some of the stupid behavior of black athletes as part of the black culture. Thats an insult to the black culture more than anything. Thats why hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the Rev. Al Sharpton joined with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States in calling for strong stands against animal cruelty. "Today, we sound a clarion call to all people: Stand up for what is right, and speak out against what is wrong. Dogfighting is unacceptable. Hurting animals for human pleasure or gain is despicable. Cruelty is just plain wrong," the letter said. I am glad the Reverend did this because he tends to play the race card once too often. I have always had a lot of respect for Russell Simmons though.
The bottom-line - another racially divisive issue, thanks to Ron Mexico. It's amazing how everything in America, especially American sports is somehow related to race.
I used to love Vick when he came out of Va-Tech. I looked at him as the quarterback of the next century - a prototype for the future much like Dan Marino was in the early eighties for the previous generation of QBs. I have been disappointed not just by his off-field issues, but even his on-field play. I had already lost all my love for him over the years as he was not getting any better on the field and was constantly getting worse off of it. But all of that just pales in comparison to this dog-fighting deal. The Feds seems to have done their homework and people are saying they got the goods on him and it'll be difficult for him to get out of this. I still would say he probably gets out unscathed. I am not a legal expert and I don't understand the difference between a federal court and the local court at Eagle county Colorado. But Vick is a 100 million dollar man and I can't see him doing hard time in our judicial system. Call me a cynic, but you know cynicism and realism are cousins. I think I am just being realistic when I say he'll probably be out though he should do time for this crime.
The one ridiculous thing I have been hearing on this topic has been some people trying to explain this as part of a sub-culture, referring to the inner-city black life style. Thats just unacceptable to me. I am very sensitive to racial issues in our society and I love black people as much as anybody else. But don't tell me we have to start defining criminal behavior along cultural lines! It's one thing to say my culture eats more chicken while yours eats more beef or we talk and walk a certain way, but we can't have different criminal laws and different definitions of decency and civility for different cultures. As somebody said on the radio, what if the KKK comes out and asks us to accept lynching because thats part of KKK's culture? Thats just stupid. It seems like it's becoming more and more common the last few years for some black people to explain away some of the stupid behavior of black athletes as part of the black culture. Thats an insult to the black culture more than anything. Thats why hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the Rev. Al Sharpton joined with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States in calling for strong stands against animal cruelty. "Today, we sound a clarion call to all people: Stand up for what is right, and speak out against what is wrong. Dogfighting is unacceptable. Hurting animals for human pleasure or gain is despicable. Cruelty is just plain wrong," the letter said. I am glad the Reverend did this because he tends to play the race card once too often. I have always had a lot of respect for Russell Simmons though.
The bottom-line - another racially divisive issue, thanks to Ron Mexico. It's amazing how everything in America, especially American sports is somehow related to race.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Summer League Notes
The NBA summer league is done. Here are some interesting news and notes that caught my eye. The funniest note might have been Greg Oden fouling out of his first summer league game. The only problem - they allow 10 fouls in the summer league! We knew he is prone to foul trouble, but this is too much. He also had 9 fouls in his next game, but luckily avoided the one that would have fouled him out again. He did have some impressive blocks and looked pretty athletic. Oden then had to sit out the other games due to a tonsils surgery. This also erased a potential Oden-Durant match-up. Speaking of Durant, he had a tough shooting summer league, but finished strong with some huge games towards the end. He scored 28 in one of them.
Some people are saying the upcoming NBA season will be one of the most anticipated because of these 2 rookies among other things. I hope it's true, but really doubt it. First of all, these 2 guys are real young and are going to real young teams that seem committed to putting the "re" in rebuilding. They don't even want a talented veteran like Steve Francis and the Blazers decided to pay him 30 mill to buy his contract out. How far has the "Franchise" fallen. People are now paying him 30 mill to just go away? Unbelievable! Anyways, I don't want to digress too much, back to the 2 guys. The curiosity will be there for the first few games, but they are not going to win many games. This is the problem with the NBA. It always looks a lot more exciting in the summer. It feels like there are a lot of exciting stories, new players, great new teams, budding rivalries, young superstars whose games are improving every year like Wade, LeBron etc. And then when the season starts, nobody cares and a NASCAR rain delay on TV outdraws a Kobe-LeBron match-up. I sure hope NBA gets it's mojo back, but I'll buy the hype when I see it. I am tired of waiting for it the last 3 years.
Back to the Summer league. The Suns had a decent one. I would have liked a little more from Alando Tucker, but he was OK. DJ Strawberry was good and he might have even earned himself a spot on the roster. Of course, I doubt if he'll actually get on the floor when it matters in the regular season. The guy the Suns wanted but the Warriors took - Marco Belinelli, was the story of the summer league. He scored 37 points in one of the games and he looked pretty good against some inferior competition. He can shoot, dribble a bit and pass. He is fairly athletic too. Seems like a poor man's Ginobli and Nellie might have stolen one here. Speaking of Nellie, he is now holding the Warriors hostage and asking for 6 mill an year. Apparently he wants to convert all his incentives to raise his 3 mill a year pay to almost 6 mill. I love Nellie. But he has always been a mercenary when it comes to money and he is not going to change now. The Warriors had a great playoff run and they can't afford to break this guy off. Apparently the Warriors owner Chris Cohan is on the IRS radar for 160 million or something in tax evasion. Boy, tough times for this guy. You know Boom Dizzle is coming in next for an extension. He has already endorsed Nellie's request. Of course he did :-)
In other summer league news, Javaris Crittenton of the Lakers had a good run after enduring all the criticisms on draft day. Other guys with a good summer were Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Al Thornton of the Clippers. The guy who struggled a lot was Yi Jianlian of Milwaukee. Apparently he wants out and wants to go to Sacramento. Not sure if they want him, but there are some rumors about a Yi for Ron Artest trade while Ron just came out and said he wants to retire a Sacramento King. I would do this trade if I were the Kings. I think that team needs to rebuild much like the Sonics and the Blazers. The rumors of a Bibby trade to Cleveland are back and I sure hope the Cavs do it. It'll help them a lot. In other news, MJ signed Gerald Wallace and I think thats a great move for that franchise. Somebody on the wing has to erase his mistake of drafting Adam Morrison :-) Between J-Rich and Wallace, they got a shot at hiding Morrison.
Some people are saying the upcoming NBA season will be one of the most anticipated because of these 2 rookies among other things. I hope it's true, but really doubt it. First of all, these 2 guys are real young and are going to real young teams that seem committed to putting the "re" in rebuilding. They don't even want a talented veteran like Steve Francis and the Blazers decided to pay him 30 mill to buy his contract out. How far has the "Franchise" fallen. People are now paying him 30 mill to just go away? Unbelievable! Anyways, I don't want to digress too much, back to the 2 guys. The curiosity will be there for the first few games, but they are not going to win many games. This is the problem with the NBA. It always looks a lot more exciting in the summer. It feels like there are a lot of exciting stories, new players, great new teams, budding rivalries, young superstars whose games are improving every year like Wade, LeBron etc. And then when the season starts, nobody cares and a NASCAR rain delay on TV outdraws a Kobe-LeBron match-up. I sure hope NBA gets it's mojo back, but I'll buy the hype when I see it. I am tired of waiting for it the last 3 years.
Back to the Summer league. The Suns had a decent one. I would have liked a little more from Alando Tucker, but he was OK. DJ Strawberry was good and he might have even earned himself a spot on the roster. Of course, I doubt if he'll actually get on the floor when it matters in the regular season. The guy the Suns wanted but the Warriors took - Marco Belinelli, was the story of the summer league. He scored 37 points in one of the games and he looked pretty good against some inferior competition. He can shoot, dribble a bit and pass. He is fairly athletic too. Seems like a poor man's Ginobli and Nellie might have stolen one here. Speaking of Nellie, he is now holding the Warriors hostage and asking for 6 mill an year. Apparently he wants to convert all his incentives to raise his 3 mill a year pay to almost 6 mill. I love Nellie. But he has always been a mercenary when it comes to money and he is not going to change now. The Warriors had a great playoff run and they can't afford to break this guy off. Apparently the Warriors owner Chris Cohan is on the IRS radar for 160 million or something in tax evasion. Boy, tough times for this guy. You know Boom Dizzle is coming in next for an extension. He has already endorsed Nellie's request. Of course he did :-)
In other summer league news, Javaris Crittenton of the Lakers had a good run after enduring all the criticisms on draft day. Other guys with a good summer were Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Al Thornton of the Clippers. The guy who struggled a lot was Yi Jianlian of Milwaukee. Apparently he wants out and wants to go to Sacramento. Not sure if they want him, but there are some rumors about a Yi for Ron Artest trade while Ron just came out and said he wants to retire a Sacramento King. I would do this trade if I were the Kings. I think that team needs to rebuild much like the Sonics and the Blazers. The rumors of a Bibby trade to Cleveland are back and I sure hope the Cavs do it. It'll help them a lot. In other news, MJ signed Gerald Wallace and I think thats a great move for that franchise. Somebody on the wing has to erase his mistake of drafting Adam Morrison :-) Between J-Rich and Wallace, they got a shot at hiding Morrison.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Ichiro and A-Rod.
Coming off the All-Star break, usually you hear a lot of trade talks as we near the trade deadline. But this season, there has also been a lot more contract talk than usual. It started with the news that Seattle was trying to lock-up Ichiro for around 100 million over 5 years. Ichiro is 33 going on 34 and his game is based on speed. A lot of his hits are not really hits. He just outruns the ball to first base. His age is one of the things that makes this contract a little weird. However, he is a very disciplined athlete who takes care of his body in unique ways and if anybody can play 3 or 4 years younger than their age in their late 30's, it's him. The deal is for 90 mill with other incentives on top of it.
The other part of this that has shocked people is that traditionally in baseball, money equals power and Ichiro is not a power hitter. Among all the stars making his money or more, he has the lowest home-run and RBI numbers. Ichiro is a lead-off hitter, a very good one at that, but still he is just a table setter. Johnny Damon, who is the same age as Ichiro, signed a 52 million for 4 years contract 2 years back. That was considered too high back then and Boston actually let him walk to their dreaded rival Yankees because they thought it's way too much for a leadoff hitter. So this Ichiro deal is a head-scratcher for many people. In fact Marlins president David Samson ripped this deal calling it "the end of the world as we know it".
With all that said, I don't see what all the noise is about. Ichiro is a special player who is a little more than your standard leadoff hitter. That lineup in Seattle has been all about him the last few years. He is one of the most exciting players in baseball and the Seattle fans love him. He is an awesome fielder and on some days, he literally can hit any pitch, anywhere, anytime. This guy is unique and is a franchise player. Not many leadoff hitters get paid like a cleanup guy, but then again, not many leadoff dudes are franchise players like Ichiro is. Ichiro represents the new era of baseball to all Seattle fans because he followed A-Rod, Griffey and Big Unit and immediately led them to 120 wins or so. Plus, you got to look at the business impact. This guy put the Seattle Mariners in the Japanese market and this deal makes sure Seattle will be the favorite team in Japan for years. That might translate in to millions of dollars. Somebody was suggesting that if he just changes his jersey number, it might translate to millions because a whole bunch of fans in multiple countries will buy his jersey.
So if you take all this in to account, this deal is not half bad. I mean, it is bad, but not by baseball standards! For Samson to say this will kill MLB is crazy. Did he just wake up after a 10 year slumber or something? Zito was signed to 126 million over 7 years and he is a number 2 starter at best who works once in 5 days. Mike Hampton was offered 121 mill for 8 years 7 years back. Granted, baseball has toned its act way down after that ridiculous winter when A-Rod got 252 mill for ten years and Manny got 160 for 8 and on and on. But crazy salaries are back in baseball again the last couple of years in case Samson had not noticed. You are telling me 18 million to Ichiro now in 2007 is all that shocking? No way. It may not even break the list of top 5 worst contracts in baseball.
To prove my point, Scott Boras is saying A-Rod will be the first 30 million dollar a year player in baseball. Looks like he is looking for a 32 mill a year extension for Pay-rod and I am sure he will get it. This is where baseball is going and people seem to think A-Rod deserves it because his numbers are so awesome. It's like he got one bad contract and the league has to back it up with another bad one that'll include a moderate pay raise. Lets at least hope a dumb team like Texas doesn't chase him. This A-Rod play is just for the big boys, may be just one big boy - the Yankees. Actually the entire MLB is about 2 teams - Yankees and Redsox. At least ESPN had made it that way. The damn Yankees are 10 games behind first place and the news everyday is about them and A-Rod's contract. Now they are saying the Redsox might try to get him. They have a whole bunch of expiring contracts and they may be able to pay him 32 mill or whatever.
Sometimes I wonder why the rest of us in the country are even watching baseball. The entire league is a 2 team race, 3 if you add the Mets, may be 5 if you add the Mariners and the Angels - teams that have shown a willingness to spend big the last few years. The rest of the teams are mostly farm systems for the big teams. They need to be incredibly lucky and smart with their personnel moves to even compete for a couple of years before the big market teams come and steal their talent away. The other teams sure can compete, but it's not a level playing field by any stretch of the imagination. I hate the stupid experts when they point to Oakland and Minnesota and this years Brewers and say "see, everybody can win in MLB if they run their team the right way". But some teams can win even if they don't run their team the right way because they can buy their way out of their mistakes. Of course the Brewers are winning this year, but if you notice, their winning roster was built entirely differently from how the Redsox or the Mets or the Yankees usually build theirs. Milwaukee can never run their team the way Yankees do and the Yankees never have to run their team the way Milwaukee does. Thats the point. It doesn't matter what their records are this season. That only shows the Brewers have done a great job this season and the Yankees have done a horrible job. It doesn't mean the MLB system is fair or that it even works.
The other part of this that has shocked people is that traditionally in baseball, money equals power and Ichiro is not a power hitter. Among all the stars making his money or more, he has the lowest home-run and RBI numbers. Ichiro is a lead-off hitter, a very good one at that, but still he is just a table setter. Johnny Damon, who is the same age as Ichiro, signed a 52 million for 4 years contract 2 years back. That was considered too high back then and Boston actually let him walk to their dreaded rival Yankees because they thought it's way too much for a leadoff hitter. So this Ichiro deal is a head-scratcher for many people. In fact Marlins president David Samson ripped this deal calling it "the end of the world as we know it".
With all that said, I don't see what all the noise is about. Ichiro is a special player who is a little more than your standard leadoff hitter. That lineup in Seattle has been all about him the last few years. He is one of the most exciting players in baseball and the Seattle fans love him. He is an awesome fielder and on some days, he literally can hit any pitch, anywhere, anytime. This guy is unique and is a franchise player. Not many leadoff hitters get paid like a cleanup guy, but then again, not many leadoff dudes are franchise players like Ichiro is. Ichiro represents the new era of baseball to all Seattle fans because he followed A-Rod, Griffey and Big Unit and immediately led them to 120 wins or so. Plus, you got to look at the business impact. This guy put the Seattle Mariners in the Japanese market and this deal makes sure Seattle will be the favorite team in Japan for years. That might translate in to millions of dollars. Somebody was suggesting that if he just changes his jersey number, it might translate to millions because a whole bunch of fans in multiple countries will buy his jersey.
So if you take all this in to account, this deal is not half bad. I mean, it is bad, but not by baseball standards! For Samson to say this will kill MLB is crazy. Did he just wake up after a 10 year slumber or something? Zito was signed to 126 million over 7 years and he is a number 2 starter at best who works once in 5 days. Mike Hampton was offered 121 mill for 8 years 7 years back. Granted, baseball has toned its act way down after that ridiculous winter when A-Rod got 252 mill for ten years and Manny got 160 for 8 and on and on. But crazy salaries are back in baseball again the last couple of years in case Samson had not noticed. You are telling me 18 million to Ichiro now in 2007 is all that shocking? No way. It may not even break the list of top 5 worst contracts in baseball.
To prove my point, Scott Boras is saying A-Rod will be the first 30 million dollar a year player in baseball. Looks like he is looking for a 32 mill a year extension for Pay-rod and I am sure he will get it. This is where baseball is going and people seem to think A-Rod deserves it because his numbers are so awesome. It's like he got one bad contract and the league has to back it up with another bad one that'll include a moderate pay raise. Lets at least hope a dumb team like Texas doesn't chase him. This A-Rod play is just for the big boys, may be just one big boy - the Yankees. Actually the entire MLB is about 2 teams - Yankees and Redsox. At least ESPN had made it that way. The damn Yankees are 10 games behind first place and the news everyday is about them and A-Rod's contract. Now they are saying the Redsox might try to get him. They have a whole bunch of expiring contracts and they may be able to pay him 32 mill or whatever.
Sometimes I wonder why the rest of us in the country are even watching baseball. The entire league is a 2 team race, 3 if you add the Mets, may be 5 if you add the Mariners and the Angels - teams that have shown a willingness to spend big the last few years. The rest of the teams are mostly farm systems for the big teams. They need to be incredibly lucky and smart with their personnel moves to even compete for a couple of years before the big market teams come and steal their talent away. The other teams sure can compete, but it's not a level playing field by any stretch of the imagination. I hate the stupid experts when they point to Oakland and Minnesota and this years Brewers and say "see, everybody can win in MLB if they run their team the right way". But some teams can win even if they don't run their team the right way because they can buy their way out of their mistakes. Of course the Brewers are winning this year, but if you notice, their winning roster was built entirely differently from how the Redsox or the Mets or the Yankees usually build theirs. Milwaukee can never run their team the way Yankees do and the Yankees never have to run their team the way Milwaukee does. Thats the point. It doesn't matter what their records are this season. That only shows the Brewers have done a great job this season and the Yankees have done a horrible job. It doesn't mean the MLB system is fair or that it even works.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Back after the break.
The MLB All-Star game is done now. It was a good one with the AL winning it again, this time 5-4. It was a well-played game. The MLB All-Star game is not all that it's cracked up to be, but it's definitely the best All-Star game out there in all of sports. It works because baseball is fundamentally a one-on-one showdown between the pitcher and the hitter and it's not a contact sport either. So the individuals don't want to look bad and they put a decent effort even in an All-Star game. The only things that dilutes it are that the runners don't crash in to the catcher and the the managers rotate everybody in and out. In fact this game featured A-Rod going home gingerly and getting tagged out.
The game started with a beautiful tribute to Willie Mays. It was pretty special, but I guess it didn't have the same juice as the Ted Williams show in Boston in the 1999 all-star game. There are a few reasons for that. First, this was not the original since it felt a lot like that Ted Williams show. Secondly, Teddy Ballgame was wheeled on a golf-cart and Mays is still pretty mobile and can move around. So this was not quite as dramatic as the other event. Thirdly, Teddy came out of virtual oblivion for that event while Mays is pretty visible. Giants trot him out for everything. Especially with Bonds chasing big records, it seems like they make sure Mays is there in person for his 600-th home run, 660, 700, 715 everything. Giants fan have been seeing him in the ball-park at least a couple of times a year the last few years. So it was nice, but not quite all they way up there.
Bonds got a huge ovation, though he went 0-2. The game got real interesting in the 9-Th as NL made a late rally before K-Rod shut the door on them. The big news was Tony LaRussa not playing Albert Pujols in the 9-Th with a chance to tie or win the game. Tony said after the game that he saved Albert for extra innings because he is versatile and can play multiple positions and they were running out of position players. What? Why didn't you play him earlier in the 9-Th or even earlier in the game? I don't get it. Tony also said Albert was injured a little bit, but Pujols seemed upset he didn't get to play. Now they are saying he was actually in the locker room getting treatment and Albert is also saying things are all fine now between him and Tony. I don't know where all this goes because this is the biggest news in St. Louis right now, but to me Tony screwed up. Just put Pujols in for an at-bat and be done with it.
The game started with a beautiful tribute to Willie Mays. It was pretty special, but I guess it didn't have the same juice as the Ted Williams show in Boston in the 1999 all-star game. There are a few reasons for that. First, this was not the original since it felt a lot like that Ted Williams show. Secondly, Teddy Ballgame was wheeled on a golf-cart and Mays is still pretty mobile and can move around. So this was not quite as dramatic as the other event. Thirdly, Teddy came out of virtual oblivion for that event while Mays is pretty visible. Giants trot him out for everything. Especially with Bonds chasing big records, it seems like they make sure Mays is there in person for his 600-th home run, 660, 700, 715 everything. Giants fan have been seeing him in the ball-park at least a couple of times a year the last few years. So it was nice, but not quite all they way up there.
Bonds got a huge ovation, though he went 0-2. The game got real interesting in the 9-Th as NL made a late rally before K-Rod shut the door on them. The big news was Tony LaRussa not playing Albert Pujols in the 9-Th with a chance to tie or win the game. Tony said after the game that he saved Albert for extra innings because he is versatile and can play multiple positions and they were running out of position players. What? Why didn't you play him earlier in the 9-Th or even earlier in the game? I don't get it. Tony also said Albert was injured a little bit, but Pujols seemed upset he didn't get to play. Now they are saying he was actually in the locker room getting treatment and Albert is also saying things are all fine now between him and Tony. I don't know where all this goes because this is the biggest news in St. Louis right now, but to me Tony screwed up. Just put Pujols in for an at-bat and be done with it.
Monday, July 09, 2007
MLB All-Star break news and notes
MLB all-star break is here and the lineups for the 78-Th mid summer classic looks pretty good. The story of the first half to me are the Milwaukee Brewers. They are leading the NL central by a healthy 4.5 games with the World champs Cards a good 9.5 games behind. They are 49-39 and are just half a game behind the Padres for the best record in the NL. Their first baseman Prince Fielder is fast becoming one of the best young sluggers in the league. He is a legit MVP candidate of the first half with 29 home-runs, 70 RBIs. Lets see how they finish with the Cubs hot on their heels.
There was a lot of chatter about Barry Bonds missing the home run derby. I think it is one of the biggest waste of time. The event itself is played and tired - may be the only event thats even more played than the NBA's dunk contest. At least the dunk contest is surrounded by a couple of other events like the 3-point shooting contest and the whole setup with Barkley and the TNT crew and their discussions and ranking of the dunks make it marginally interesting. But what's even worse than talking about the home run derby is all this discussion about Bonds missing it. Who cares? It's his call and to be fair to him or any other guy who wanted to miss it, it can't be easy swinging like a wind-mill at 40/50 pitches. I think it takes a whole lot out of these guys, especially a 43 year old guy like Barry. I understand it's still 100 times easier than working for a living, but if you think from their perspective, it's a lot of effort and strain on their body and for what? Giants owner Peter McGowan's criticism of Bonds for missing the derby got a lot of national attention too. Whatever.
As for the derby itself, Vlad Guerrero won it with 17 total homers. His monster shot that went 503 feet was a beauty. I can't believe how violent this guy's swing is. That can't be good for his back. He had a huge entourage cheering for him, which looked a little amusing. I like the starters for the all-star game. Being an A's fan in AL and the D'Backs in the NL, I would have liked a Dan Haren - Brandon Webb match-up, but I will take a Dan Haren (10-3, 2.30 ERA) - Jake Peavy (9-3, 2.19 ERA) face-off. Those are some sick ERAs. Peavy is all the way back after a miserable, injury plagued year. The AL lineup is just ridiculous. This is their 1 through 6. Suzuki, Jeter, David Ortiz, A-Rod, Vlad and Magglio Ordonez. Talk about a murderer's row.
MLB All-Star break news and notes
MLB all-star break is here and the lineups for the 78-Th mid summer classic looks pretty good. The story of the first half to me are the Milwaukee Brewers. They are leading the NL central by a healthy 4.5 games with the World champs Cards a good 9.5 games behind. They are 49-39 and are just half a game behind the Padres for the best record in the NL. Their first baseman Prince Fielder is fast becoming one of the best young sluggers in the league. He is a legit MVP candidate of the first half with 29 home-runs, 70 RBIs. Lets see how they finish with the Cubs hot on their heels.
There was a lot of chatter about Barry Bonds missing the home run derby. I think it is one of the biggest waste of time. The event itself is played and tired - may be the only event thats even more played than the NBA's dunk contest. At least the dunk contest is surrounded by a couple of other events like the 3-point shooting contest and the whole setup with Barkley and the TNT crew and their discussions and ranking of the dunks make it marginally interesting. But what's even worse than talking about the home run derby is all this discussion about Bonds missing it. Who cares? It's his call and to be fair to him or any other guy who wanted to miss it, it can't be easy swinging like a wind-mill at 40/50 pitches. I think it takes a whole lot out of these guys, especially a 43 year old guy like Barry. I understand it's still 100 times easier than working for a living, but if you think from their perspective, it's a lot of effort and strain on their body and for what? Giants owner Peter McGowan's criticism of Bonds for missing the derby got a lot of national attention too. Whatever.
As for the derby itself, Vlad Guerrero won it with 17 total homers. His monster shot that went 503 feet was a beauty. I can't believe how violent this guy's swing is. That can't be good for his back. He had a huge entourage cheering for him, which looked a little amusing. I like the starters for the all-star game. Being an A's fan in AL and the D'Backs in the NL, I would have liked a Dan Haren - Brandon Webb match-up, but I will take a Dan Haren (10-3, 2.30 ERA) - Jake Peavy (9-3, 2.19 ERA) face-off. Those are some sick ERAs. Peavy is all the way back after a miserable, injury plagued year. The AL lineup is just ridiculous. This is their 1 through 6. Suzuki, Jeter, David Ortiz, A-Rod, Vlad and Magglio Ordonez. Talk about a murderer's row.
There was a lot of chatter about Barry Bonds missing the home run derby. I think it is one of the biggest waste of time. The event itself is played and tired - may be the only event thats even more played than the NBA's dunk contest. At least the dunk contest is surrounded by a couple of other events like the 3-point shooting contest and the whole setup with Barkley and the TNT crew and their discussions and ranking of the dunks make it marginally interesting. But what's even worse than talking about the home run derby is all this discussion about Bonds missing it. Who cares? It's his call and to be fair to him or any other guy who wanted to miss it, it can't be easy swinging like a wind-mill at 40/50 pitches. I think it takes a whole lot out of these guys, especially a 43 year old guy like Barry. I understand it's still 100 times easier than working for a living, but if you think from their perspective, it's a lot of effort and strain on their body and for what? Giants owner Peter McGowan's criticism of Bonds for missing the derby got a lot of national attention too. Whatever.
As for the derby itself, Vlad Guerrero won it with 17 total homers. His monster shot that went 503 feet was a beauty. I can't believe how violent this guy's swing is. That can't be good for his back. He had a huge entourage cheering for him, which looked a little amusing. I like the starters for the all-star game. Being an A's fan in AL and the D'Backs in the NL, I would have liked a Dan Haren - Brandon Webb match-up, but I will take a Dan Haren (10-3, 2.30 ERA) - Jake Peavy (9-3, 2.19 ERA) face-off. Those are some sick ERAs. Peavy is all the way back after a miserable, injury plagued year. The AL lineup is just ridiculous. This is their 1 through 6. Suzuki, Jeter, David Ortiz, A-Rod, Vlad and Magglio Ordonez. Talk about a murderer's row.
MLB All-Star break news and notes
MLB all-star break is here and the lineups for the 78-Th mid summer classic looks pretty good. The story of the first half to me are the Milwaukee Brewers. They are leading the NL central by a healthy 4.5 games with the World champs Cards a good 9.5 games behind. They are 49-39 and are just half a game behind the Padres for the best record in the NL. Their first baseman Prince Fielder is fast becoming one of the best young sluggers in the league. He is a legit MVP candidate of the first half with 29 home-runs, 70 RBIs. Lets see how they finish with the Cubs hot on their heels.
There was a lot of chatter about Barry Bonds missing the home run derby. I think it is one of the biggest waste of time. The event itself is played and tired - may be the only event thats even more played than the NBA's dunk contest. At least the dunk contest is surrounded by a couple of other events like the 3-point shooting contest and the whole setup with Barkley and the TNT crew and their discussions and ranking of the dunks make it marginally interesting. But what's even worse than talking about the home run derby is all this discussion about Bonds missing it. Who cares? It's his call and to be fair to him or any other guy who wanted to miss it, it can't be easy swinging like a wind-mill at 40/50 pitches. I think it takes a whole lot out of these guys, especially a 43 year old guy like Barry. I understand it's still 100 times easier than working for a living, but if you think from their perspective, it's a lot of effort and strain on their body and for what? Giants owner Peter McGowan's criticism of Bonds for missing the derby got a lot of national attention too. Whatever.
As for the derby itself, Vlad Guerrero won it with 17 total homers. His monster shot that went 503 feet was a beauty. I can't believe how violent this guy's swing is. That can't be good for his back. He had a huge entourage cheering for him, which looked a little amusing. I like the starters for the all-star game. Being an A's fan in AL and the D'Backs in the NL, I would have liked a Dan Haren - Brandon Webb match-up, but I will take a Dan Haren (10-3, 2.30 ERA) - Jake Peavy (9-3, 2.19 ERA) face-off. Those are some sick ERAs. Peavy is all the way back after a miserable, injury plagued year. The AL lineup is just ridiculous. This is their 1 through 6. Suzuki, Jeter, David Ortiz, A-Rod, Vlad and Magglio Ordonez. Talk about a murderer's row.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Will the Suns get to the "Hill-top"?
Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Phoenix Suns today. I am very happy about this for the Suns. I know he is 34 years old, injury prone and he is not the answer to the Spurs, but I like it for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it's about time something went right for the Suns this off-season. It's been one bad news after the other in the valley of the Sun ever since the Commish chose to stand behind a stupid rule instead of his common sense and suspend Amare and Diaw. Here's the complete list.
1) Atlanta defies odds and gets the third pick to deny the Suns a top pick in this draft that was top-3 protected.
2) Suns are rumored in all kinds of KG trades, but they are not even close to getting him.
3) Suns tried to trade into the top 10 this draft, but Charlotte pulls out in the last minute in favor of a better offer they got from Golden State.
4) Golden State also picks Marco Benelli who the Suns wanted to pick at 24.
So finally they get a man they want, and thats saying something. I personally like Grant Hill a lot, but who doesn't? He brings a lot of class, leadership and work ethic to the table. The Suns don't need a whole lot of all this with guys like Nash on the roster, but you can never have enough character guys on your team. But all these intangibles apart, I like this signing for basketball reasons too. Grant Hill may not be a great fit for the run and gun at this age, but the guy can still ball. He is coming off a healthy year for the first time in many years and he can do one thing the Suns desperately need. Another guy who can create his own shot. This was the greatest blow to the Suns when Joe Johnson left. They don't have that creator on the wing and their offense is completely dependent on Nash, Amare and the run and gun. Good defensive teams like our friends down there in San Antonio know how to take the top 2 or 3 things away from you and thats exactly why the Suns keep losing to the Spurs. They turn off your fast-breaks and also bolt down Nash. Suns are done right there.
Yeah, Diaw can do his thing if he has a small guy on him and LB can drive to the hoop on anybody, but Grant Hill definitely gives another dependable dimension to the offense. Also, he is a pass-first team player who will fit perfectly here. The Suns are hoping he can run the team when Nash is on the bench. He sure can settle things down for the sometimes out of control Barbosa. To me this would be a bonus. I would take Hill just for what he can do in the half-court with Nash and Amare around. We don't have to hold our breath every time Raja Bell or James Jones put the ball on the floor. I feel like Hill can do some damage for 5 to 10 possessions a game and I'll take that for 1.83 mill a year.
I know some Suns fans are upset that this is just another signing of a over-the-hill (no pun intended), injury prone super-star, but seriously, what are you going to get for less than 2 mill these days? Remember 2 years back we were all chasing Finley and he signed with the Spurs? I am happy that Hill at least didn't go to another contender and ended up here with the Suns. How shitty would we be feeling today if he chose the Spurs over the Suns? Also some fans seem to think this is just another Jalen Rose signing. Thats one fear I do share. I would totally agree with the criticism of Mike D'Antoni that he doesn't know how to use his bench. . I still don't think Jalen Rose is that bad or useless. I blame Mike D'Antoni for not even giving him a shot. It's kind of scary how similar Jalen's and Hill's numbers are at this point in their career, including their body types (6'8" and 225 pounds)! I sure hope their Suns career don't end up the same way. With all that said, I still think D'Antoni would give a much fairer shot to Grant Hill just because of who he is and how much crap Mike has taken for not using his bench last season. Plus, i think Hill's decision making on the court will impress Mike a lot more.
Of course all of this is contingent upon Grant Hill staying healthy, which is a BIG question mark. One of the web sites even joked with this headline - "Grant Hill signs with the Phoenix Suns for 2 years of injuries". It would put a tear in your eye if you look at what the Orlando Magic got from this guy for 7 years and 93 million dollars. And thats just if you are a normal NBA fan. I can't even begin to think how bad you'll feel if you are die-hard Magic fan. These are the number of games he played over his 7 years there.
2000-2001 - 4 games
2001-2002 - 14 games
2002-2003 - 29 games
2003-2004 - 0 games
2004-2005 - 67 games
2005-2006 - 21 games
2006-2007 - 65 games
This is so ugly that Hill actually seriously considered playing for the Magic for cheap just to make up for the 93 mill he inadvertently stole from them. Hill is so much class and he worked so hard to rehab from all those injuries that even Magic fans don't bad mouth this guy. Hopefully those days are behind him for good.
1) Atlanta defies odds and gets the third pick to deny the Suns a top pick in this draft that was top-3 protected.
2) Suns are rumored in all kinds of KG trades, but they are not even close to getting him.
3) Suns tried to trade into the top 10 this draft, but Charlotte pulls out in the last minute in favor of a better offer they got from Golden State.
4) Golden State also picks Marco Benelli who the Suns wanted to pick at 24.
So finally they get a man they want, and thats saying something. I personally like Grant Hill a lot, but who doesn't? He brings a lot of class, leadership and work ethic to the table. The Suns don't need a whole lot of all this with guys like Nash on the roster, but you can never have enough character guys on your team. But all these intangibles apart, I like this signing for basketball reasons too. Grant Hill may not be a great fit for the run and gun at this age, but the guy can still ball. He is coming off a healthy year for the first time in many years and he can do one thing the Suns desperately need. Another guy who can create his own shot. This was the greatest blow to the Suns when Joe Johnson left. They don't have that creator on the wing and their offense is completely dependent on Nash, Amare and the run and gun. Good defensive teams like our friends down there in San Antonio know how to take the top 2 or 3 things away from you and thats exactly why the Suns keep losing to the Spurs. They turn off your fast-breaks and also bolt down Nash. Suns are done right there.
Yeah, Diaw can do his thing if he has a small guy on him and LB can drive to the hoop on anybody, but Grant Hill definitely gives another dependable dimension to the offense. Also, he is a pass-first team player who will fit perfectly here. The Suns are hoping he can run the team when Nash is on the bench. He sure can settle things down for the sometimes out of control Barbosa. To me this would be a bonus. I would take Hill just for what he can do in the half-court with Nash and Amare around. We don't have to hold our breath every time Raja Bell or James Jones put the ball on the floor. I feel like Hill can do some damage for 5 to 10 possessions a game and I'll take that for 1.83 mill a year.
I know some Suns fans are upset that this is just another signing of a over-the-hill (no pun intended), injury prone super-star, but seriously, what are you going to get for less than 2 mill these days? Remember 2 years back we were all chasing Finley and he signed with the Spurs? I am happy that Hill at least didn't go to another contender and ended up here with the Suns. How shitty would we be feeling today if he chose the Spurs over the Suns? Also some fans seem to think this is just another Jalen Rose signing. Thats one fear I do share. I would totally agree with the criticism of Mike D'Antoni that he doesn't know how to use his bench. . I still don't think Jalen Rose is that bad or useless. I blame Mike D'Antoni for not even giving him a shot. It's kind of scary how similar Jalen's and Hill's numbers are at this point in their career, including their body types (6'8" and 225 pounds)! I sure hope their Suns career don't end up the same way. With all that said, I still think D'Antoni would give a much fairer shot to Grant Hill just because of who he is and how much crap Mike has taken for not using his bench last season. Plus, i think Hill's decision making on the court will impress Mike a lot more.
Of course all of this is contingent upon Grant Hill staying healthy, which is a BIG question mark. One of the web sites even joked with this headline - "Grant Hill signs with the Phoenix Suns for 2 years of injuries". It would put a tear in your eye if you look at what the Orlando Magic got from this guy for 7 years and 93 million dollars. And thats just if you are a normal NBA fan. I can't even begin to think how bad you'll feel if you are die-hard Magic fan. These are the number of games he played over his 7 years there.
2000-2001 - 4 games
2001-2002 - 14 games
2002-2003 - 29 games
2003-2004 - 0 games
2004-2005 - 67 games
2005-2006 - 21 games
2006-2007 - 65 games
This is so ugly that Hill actually seriously considered playing for the Magic for cheap just to make up for the 93 mill he inadvertently stole from them. Hill is so much class and he worked so hard to rehab from all those injuries that even Magic fans don't bad mouth this guy. Hopefully those days are behind him for good.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Bonds is an All-Star
Barry Bonds finally got in to the All-Star game as a starter. He made up more than 100 K votes on the last few days to leap-frog his competition. The Giants PR machine put all its efforts in to making Bonds an All-Star. Poor Bengie Molina! No similar campaign for him. Bonds was not having a great season and it seemed like the fans were doing the right thing by keeping him out. But how can you keep Bonds out of the All Star game in his hometown San Francisco, that too this season when he is chasing Hank Aaron's home run record? So it seemed like he had to be let in on account of his "lifetime achievement". But you look at his numbers now, it ain't half bad. You sure can make an argument that he is a deserving All-Star. He is batting .304 with 16 homers, 40 RBIs with an OBP of .516 with 84 walks. Thats impressive. It's amazing how much he controls the Giants lineup. Without him, they are just garbage. With him, they are still garbage, but the guys batting in-front of him and behind him see a lot more hittable pitches and they are the biggest beneficiaries. Bonds is a one-man lineup.
Speaking of the Giants, I might have seen the best young pitcher this Sunday. Young pitchers are sometimes like super-models on a fashion-show runway. They keep coming one after the other and they all look terrific for a while, but they all disappear sooner than later. You lose some pitchers to injuries and the others just get figured out by the big league hitters. Few do survive like Johan Santana and Jake Peavy, but there are countless hyped up young studs who are just nowhere after a few years. But this kid Tim Lincecum looked unstoppable yesterday against the D'Backs. He just flat out dominated with filthy stuff. All his pitches were working and the DBacks hitters appeared clueless as to what was coming their way. He had 12 strikeouts in 7 innings and looked like a future superstar. You are also amazed just looking at this guy because he looks like a middle-school kid waiting for his mom to pick him up from school! The Giants rotation is looking good right now with Lincecum and Matt Cain, both just 23 years old. Noah Lowry is not too old either. But everything else is broken with the Giants. I am not really complaining as a Diamondbacks fan (and as an A's fans in the AL).
Speaking of the Giants, I might have seen the best young pitcher this Sunday. Young pitchers are sometimes like super-models on a fashion-show runway. They keep coming one after the other and they all look terrific for a while, but they all disappear sooner than later. You lose some pitchers to injuries and the others just get figured out by the big league hitters. Few do survive like Johan Santana and Jake Peavy, but there are countless hyped up young studs who are just nowhere after a few years. But this kid Tim Lincecum looked unstoppable yesterday against the D'Backs. He just flat out dominated with filthy stuff. All his pitches were working and the DBacks hitters appeared clueless as to what was coming their way. He had 12 strikeouts in 7 innings and looked like a future superstar. You are also amazed just looking at this guy because he looks like a middle-school kid waiting for his mom to pick him up from school! The Giants rotation is looking good right now with Lincecum and Matt Cain, both just 23 years old. Noah Lowry is not too old either. But everything else is broken with the Giants. I am not really complaining as a Diamondbacks fan (and as an A's fans in the AL).
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Draft Winners and Losers
The draft came and went without any of the major rumored trades going down. Kobe, KG, Marion and Jermaine O'Neal stayed put. Lakers, Suns, T-Wolves, Atlanta and the Pacers were not involved in any major trades. But there were trades and deals done that involved other teams, players and stars. Boston, which couldn't get Marion, KG or O'Neal made a desperate move. They drafted Jeff Green at 5 and traded him away for Ray Allen. I did not know Danny Ainge was this desperate to save his job, Doc Rivers' job and to convince Paul Pierce to stay. They got a big name alright, but what's the point? They got another scorer at the guard position to duplicate Paul Pierce's only skill and neither of them can play defense or make team-mates better or do anything other than score. He also gave up Delonte West, the one guy who can set up his team-mates. Luckily, Ainge didn't trade Al Jefferson. Thats about the only good news for the Celtics fan. In the horrible East, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce probably will score enough to get to the playoffs, but where is the vision and what's the long-term strategy here? Where is Ainge going with this?
Jeff Green is an awesome talent and the Sonics got 2 of the top 5 picks. Durant and Green should be a great tandem for the future. Position wise, the Sonics could have actually used Ray Allen at guard to play along Durant and let Rashard Lewis go, but I guess they saved some money and got younger by trading Ray Allen. They might still let Lewis walk as well and thus start a complete rebuild.
The other big trade was Portland sending Zach Randolph, Fred Jones and Dan Dickau to the Knicks for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. Great trade for the Blazers and not a bad one for the Knicks either. Blazers get rid of their last Jail-blazer in Zach and open up the paint for Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. They get younger and save money. Channing Frye will fit well in that front-line as well. Francis is just a short-term move and there's even talk that the Blazers will buyout his contract instead of letting him get anywhere near Oden, Roy and that young core. How low Stevie Franchise has fallen! For the Knicks, Randolph is a talented big body who definitely upgrades the talent level. My only question is, Eddie Curry had a good season last year and is there enough space in that paint for both these guys? How will they play together? The chemistry could be a problem. But Zach does rebound and defend better than Curry. Knicks at least move hundreds of millions of dollars in bad salaries from their back-court to the front-court.
The other surprising trade of the day was the Warriors sending J-Rich to the Bobcats for the 8-Th pick Brandan Wright. This is a real tough one for the Warriors. I like Brandan Wright a lot, but J-Rich is a very good player. One of the few guys in the league who has gotten better every year in his first 6 years in the NBA. A hard-working professional who does not fit the NBA image of punk athletes. On the court, he is also probably the Warriors best 3-point shooter and his athleticism fits Nellie's style pretty well. But the Warriors dumped salary and got a athletic big guy and that can't be all that bad. I think J-Rich will also help Charlotte, especially if they re-sign Gerald Wallace. Poor J-Rich! After years of suffering through losing with the W's, he now goes to another perennial loser in the Bobcats just when the Warriors seem to be turning it around.
As for my Suns, not an eventful draft day. Seems like the Warriors got the top 10 pick that the Suns were hoping to trade for. So they stayed put. I love Alando Tucker and even the guy they drafted at 24. But they traded Rudy Fernandez to Portland for cash. This is the second straight year the Suns have traded a foreign PG to Portland for cash. They also got D.J.Strawberry in the second round. Alando will help, if D'Antoni lets him play that is, but not enough to achieve the Suns ultimate goal of surpassing the Spurs.
All in all, here are the big winners and losers this draft day.
Winners - Portland, Seattle, New York
Losers - Boston, LA Lakers, Philadelphia
Round 1
--------
1 Portland Greg Oden C
2 Seattle Kevin Durant F
3 Atlanta Al Horford F
4 Memphis Mike Conley Jr. G
5 Boston Jeff Green F
6 Milwaukee Yi Jianlian PF
7 Minnesota Corey Brewer F
8 Charlotte Brandan Wright F
9 Chicago Joakim Noah F
10 Sacramento Spencer Hawes C
11 Atlanta Acie Law G
12 Philadelphia Thaddeus Young F
13 New Orl/OKC Julian Wright F
14 LA Clippers Al Thornton F
15 Detroit Rodney Stuckey G
16 Washington Nick Young F
17 New Jersey Sean Williams F
18 Golden State Marco Belinelli SG
19 LA Lakers Javaris Crittenton G
20 Miami Jason Smith F
21 Philadelphia Daequan Cook G
22 Charlotte Jared Dudley F
23 New York Wilson Chandler F
24 Phoenix Rudy Fernandez G
25 Utah Morris Almond F
26 Houston Aaron Brooks G
27 Detroit Arron Afflalo G
28 San Antonio Tiago Splitter C
29 Phoenix Alando Tucker SF
30 Philadelphia Petteri Koponen PG
Round 2
-------
Pk Team Player Position
1 Seattle Carl Landry F
2 Boston Gabe Pruitt G
3 San Antonio Marcus Williams G
4 Dallas Nick Fazekas F
5 Seattle Glen Davis F
6 Golden State Jermareo Davidson F
7 Portland Josh McRoberts F
8 Philadelphia Kyrylo Fesenko C
9 Miami Stanko Barac C
10 LA Lakers Sun Yue G
11 Minnesota Chris Richard F
12 Portland Derrick Byars G
13 New Orl/OKC Adam Haluska G
14 Orlando Reyshawn Terry F
15 LA Clippers Jared Jordan G
16 Golden State Stephane Lasme F
17 Washington Dominic McGuire G
18 LA Lakers Marc Gasol C
19 Chicago Aaron Gray C
20 Dallas Renaldas Seibutis G
21 Chicago JamesOn Curry G
22 Portland Taurean Green G
23 Portland Demetris Nichols F
24 Houston Brad Newley G
25 Utah Herbert Hill F
26 Milwaukee Ramon Sessions G
27 Detroit Sammy Mejia G
28 San Antonio Giorgos Printezis F
29 Phoenix D.J. Strawberry G
30 Dallas Milovan Rakovic PF
Jeff Green is an awesome talent and the Sonics got 2 of the top 5 picks. Durant and Green should be a great tandem for the future. Position wise, the Sonics could have actually used Ray Allen at guard to play along Durant and let Rashard Lewis go, but I guess they saved some money and got younger by trading Ray Allen. They might still let Lewis walk as well and thus start a complete rebuild.
The other big trade was Portland sending Zach Randolph, Fred Jones and Dan Dickau to the Knicks for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. Great trade for the Blazers and not a bad one for the Knicks either. Blazers get rid of their last Jail-blazer in Zach and open up the paint for Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. They get younger and save money. Channing Frye will fit well in that front-line as well. Francis is just a short-term move and there's even talk that the Blazers will buyout his contract instead of letting him get anywhere near Oden, Roy and that young core. How low Stevie Franchise has fallen! For the Knicks, Randolph is a talented big body who definitely upgrades the talent level. My only question is, Eddie Curry had a good season last year and is there enough space in that paint for both these guys? How will they play together? The chemistry could be a problem. But Zach does rebound and defend better than Curry. Knicks at least move hundreds of millions of dollars in bad salaries from their back-court to the front-court.
The other surprising trade of the day was the Warriors sending J-Rich to the Bobcats for the 8-Th pick Brandan Wright. This is a real tough one for the Warriors. I like Brandan Wright a lot, but J-Rich is a very good player. One of the few guys in the league who has gotten better every year in his first 6 years in the NBA. A hard-working professional who does not fit the NBA image of punk athletes. On the court, he is also probably the Warriors best 3-point shooter and his athleticism fits Nellie's style pretty well. But the Warriors dumped salary and got a athletic big guy and that can't be all that bad. I think J-Rich will also help Charlotte, especially if they re-sign Gerald Wallace. Poor J-Rich! After years of suffering through losing with the W's, he now goes to another perennial loser in the Bobcats just when the Warriors seem to be turning it around.
As for my Suns, not an eventful draft day. Seems like the Warriors got the top 10 pick that the Suns were hoping to trade for. So they stayed put. I love Alando Tucker and even the guy they drafted at 24. But they traded Rudy Fernandez to Portland for cash. This is the second straight year the Suns have traded a foreign PG to Portland for cash. They also got D.J.Strawberry in the second round. Alando will help, if D'Antoni lets him play that is, but not enough to achieve the Suns ultimate goal of surpassing the Spurs.
All in all, here are the big winners and losers this draft day.
Winners - Portland, Seattle, New York
Losers - Boston, LA Lakers, Philadelphia
Round 1
--------
1 Portland Greg Oden C
2 Seattle Kevin Durant F
3 Atlanta Al Horford F
4 Memphis Mike Conley Jr. G
5 Boston Jeff Green F
6 Milwaukee Yi Jianlian PF
7 Minnesota Corey Brewer F
8 Charlotte Brandan Wright F
9 Chicago Joakim Noah F
10 Sacramento Spencer Hawes C
11 Atlanta Acie Law G
12 Philadelphia Thaddeus Young F
13 New Orl/OKC Julian Wright F
14 LA Clippers Al Thornton F
15 Detroit Rodney Stuckey G
16 Washington Nick Young F
17 New Jersey Sean Williams F
18 Golden State Marco Belinelli SG
19 LA Lakers Javaris Crittenton G
20 Miami Jason Smith F
21 Philadelphia Daequan Cook G
22 Charlotte Jared Dudley F
23 New York Wilson Chandler F
24 Phoenix Rudy Fernandez G
25 Utah Morris Almond F
26 Houston Aaron Brooks G
27 Detroit Arron Afflalo G
28 San Antonio Tiago Splitter C
29 Phoenix Alando Tucker SF
30 Philadelphia Petteri Koponen PG
Round 2
-------
Pk Team Player Position
1 Seattle Carl Landry F
2 Boston Gabe Pruitt G
3 San Antonio Marcus Williams G
4 Dallas Nick Fazekas F
5 Seattle Glen Davis F
6 Golden State Jermareo Davidson F
7 Portland Josh McRoberts F
8 Philadelphia Kyrylo Fesenko C
9 Miami Stanko Barac C
10 LA Lakers Sun Yue G
11 Minnesota Chris Richard F
12 Portland Derrick Byars G
13 New Orl/OKC Adam Haluska G
14 Orlando Reyshawn Terry F
15 LA Clippers Jared Jordan G
16 Golden State Stephane Lasme F
17 Washington Dominic McGuire G
18 LA Lakers Marc Gasol C
19 Chicago Aaron Gray C
20 Dallas Renaldas Seibutis G
21 Chicago JamesOn Curry G
22 Portland Taurean Green G
23 Portland Demetris Nichols F
24 Houston Brad Newley G
25 Utah Herbert Hill F
26 Milwaukee Ramon Sessions G
27 Detroit Sammy Mejia G
28 San Antonio Giorgos Printezis F
29 Phoenix D.J. Strawberry G
30 Dallas Milovan Rakovic PF
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