Inside Job

According to numerous reports Major League Baseball is going to start an investigation of steroid abuse. The investigation is going to led by George Mitchell, the former senator from Maine, minority owner of the Red Sox and one time candidate for the Commissioner's job. I guess there are a couple of things that can be said about this, the first being IT'S ABOUT F*@$ING TIME! It's amazing that it took a book about the steroids abuse of Barry Bonds and others to make the commissioners office finally decide to do something about this problem. Everyone and I mean everyone knew that this was an issue. Supposedly Bud Selig had a conversation with Barry Bonds a few years ago and asked him if he had an issue with steroids and Barry said no. That was good enough for the esteemed commissioner. He decided to take the word of the most notorious steroid user in sports. If he wants to tell us now that he actually believed Barry Bonds, then I've got a bridge in Brooklyn that I'd like to sell him. Bud Selig made his money selling used cars, so from his time shoveling bullshit he should be able to smell it from a mile away. I guess like any used car salesman, he's going to try and convince us that shit is actually shinola.

I don't believe Bud Selig anymore than I believe Barry Bonds. I'm sure that I've made it clear in previous posts that there is enough blame for everyone in this scandal; Bonds, the parade of players who took steroids, the players union and the commissioner's office. The commissioner works for the owners so they are also to blame for this mess. The problem with the investigation right off the bat is that George Mitchell shouldn't have anything to do with it. They need an INDEPENDENT investigator. Why on earth would they pick someone who's a part owner of the Red Sox? He is someone who clearly sat back and said nothing while the rest of us watched steroid infused players destroy the records of the game. When Bart Giamatti was commissioner, he appointed an INDEPENDENT investigator to look into the Pete Rose matter. He didn't appoint someone from inside the game who had their own agenda. It's really just appalling that the commissioner's office can't even get this one right.

I understand that George Mitchell has a great reputation for being far and tough, but why would Bud even risk the appearance of bias? What happens if he finds evidence that the owner of the Giants knew that Bonds was taking steroids? Will he want to indict one of his fellow owners? Would he want to take down someone from his own fraternity? I'm not saying that he will find anything like that (although it goes without saying that the owners knew what was going on), but it would be very simple to avoid a situation like this rearing it's ugly head. I'm sure that there are many capable people who would be able to handle the investigation (John Dowd where are you now). Is this just another example of Bud Selig damage control? Is he trying to make sure that the investigation doesn't end up in places he doesn't want it to go? After all, Bud is an employee of the owners. And since he's no longer an owner, he is simply an employee at will. How quickly do you think they would move to fire him if information implicating any one of them in the scandal were to surface?

Now is not the time for closing ranks, it's the time for full disclosure of all the facts. We need to know who knew what and when. We need to know who took what and when. There is practically nothing that can be done to any player implicated in this investigation. Steroids were not banned by baseball until 2004 and they weren't tested for until 2003 and any attempt to retroactively punish players would be opposed by the players union (and successfully so, I believe). It took Congressional prodding and threats to get Baseball to take their first baby steps to cleaning up the sport. It seems to me that Baseball has been kicking and screaming like a spoiled child and trying to do as little as possible to avoid Congressional intervention. The commissioner's office and the players union didn't agree to steroid testing for the good of the game, they agreed to it because they knew they didn't have a choice (and god damn it start testing for human growth hormone. I know it takes a blood test but I think the fragile players can stand it).

How can people who so clearly don't want to know the truth be put in charge of the investigation to find it? Now I don't think that the time and efforts of our government should be spent on something as trivial as the sport of baseball, but someone needs to deliver a clear message to Bud Selig and since there's no one else here, I guess it's going to have to be me. Bud, either clean up the sport or get the hell out of office and let someone else do it. I understand that you are an employee of the owners and that you have to abide by their wishes to a certain extent, but sometimes you just have to take a stand. Do you really think that if you went to public and said that you want to do a full and fair investigation but the owners are stymieing you, that the public wouldn't back you 100%? Of course they would. You are in a position to reverse your legacy. Instead of being the "Steroids Era" Commissioner, you could go down as the person who cleaned up the game. Wouldn't that be a better way to be remembered? Be a man Bud. You'll earn some well-earned respect around the neighborhood and you'll have a much happier Mrs. Bud at home (thanks Enzyte).

Bud Selig, I didn't know Bart Giamatti, but I know what kind of man he was and you sir are no Bart Giamatti. Grow some balls!

Supplies!

The baseball season is about to get under way and before I make my fearless (or fearful) predictions about what will happen this season, I wanted to talk about the team I'm picking to be the surprise of baseball in '06. The team is (drum roll please...) the Milwaukee Brewers. They play in a very competitive division that has produced the last two World Series participants from the NL (Houston & St. Louis) and the Cubs are always two healthy pitchers away from really doing some damage (unfortunately those two pitchers are Prior and Wood, who are a DL list unto themselves), but I really believe that they could squeak their way into the playoffs. They have great young talent (Weeks, Fielder), a great top of the rotation starter (Ben Sheets), Some power in the middle of the lineup (Carlos Lee and Geoff Jenkins) and a dominant closer with over powering stuff (Derrick Turnbow).

They have all the ingredients to make the leap from an 81 win team to a 90+ win team. There are a couple of factors that could derail them (Inexperience, youth, injuries), but with everything being equal, I think they have a better chance of surprising than the Blue Jays do. The Blue Jays with all the money they spent in the off-season still have to contend with the Yankees and the Red Sox, who are never ones to caught short when it comes to distributing the cash. However, I don't believe that the Cardinals or the Astros made themselves better in the off-season. The Astros offense is still lacking and they won't be able to sign Roger Clemens until June. The Cardinals look to be a year older but not necessarily better (except for Pujols, of course). So when the Brewers take control of the central, I'll be there to say I told you so. Also the Brewers are Amy Pofahl and Claire Campbell's favorite team, so how can I possibly be wrong.

Anyway, here are the picks for the season:
AL:
Yankees, Cleveland, A's
wild card: White Sox

AL Champ: Yankees

NL:
Mets, Brewers, Padres
wild card: Cardinals

NL Champ: Mets

World Series Champs: Yankees (Of course)

That's right, I'm predicting another subway series. I don't want one because Yankee fans have nothing to gain by beating the Mets and everything to lose, but that's the way I see it shaping up.

Awards:
AL MVP: ARod, Jim Thome
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Rich Harden
NL MVP: Pujols, David Wright
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, Ben Sheets

And there you have it folks, the only thing you'll need to read about the upcoming season. Please hold the applause, just throw money.

Boogie Nights

There's a story in the NY papers today about Randy Johnson and his legal battles with a woman with whom he had a child in 1998. Now this really doesn't have anything to do with sports but I just had to comment on this one. I'm assuming that Randy isn't a serial bastard maker ( e.g., Shawn Kemp, Larry Johnson, Evander Holyfield, just to name a few), but seriously why would the press feel the need to jump on a story like this. The only reason I can think of is that they just want to embarrass him. Randy didn't get off to the smoothest of starts here with NY press and he's known to be a little bit on the surly side. However, I'm not sure that's enough of a reason to splash his personal life across the front of the newspaper. Randy Johnson is a baseball player and a Hall of Fame baseball player to boot. His personal life has no bearing on his performance and frankly it is of dubious news value. This looks like a case of the press just trying to get even with someone they don't like.

How would the press react if Bernie Williams had an illegitimate child? Would they be so willing to make front-page news of that fact? Would the fact that Bernie is known as a good guy and has always been very accommodating to the press make them kill that story? How about Mariano Rivera or Tino Martinez or any of the Yankees that are perceived to be "good guys"? I would think that they wouldn't print that story. First of all, it's nobody's business. Secondly, it has nothing to do with their performance on the field. These guys are not public officials whose lives should be subject to this kind of scrutiny. Being a public figure (especially in sports) should not mean that your private life is an open book. I can understand why players are so guarded with the press. How would you feel if everything that you have ever done was put under the microscope of press scrutiny? I'm sure that everyone has done things that they are not proud of and would not like to made public.

Randy fathered this child before he was married. This is not a lurid tale of cheating or scandal. This is a personal matter that took place long before Randy was even a star player. While the circumstances of an unwanted pregnancy and single parenthood are always are always slightly tragic, it is simply not a story that is worthy of this kind of press attention. Look, Randy may not be Mr. Sunshine, but it's clear that this is really beyond the scope of his profile as an athlete. If people in the press have personal issues with Randy Johnson, then they should discuss that with him. They should feel free to criticize his performance on the field all they want, but this is above and beyond the call of duty. I'm sure Randy doesn't need me to defend him, but clearly he can't say these things in the press because they would simply crucify him even more.

Here is an example of a story that the NY press chose not to report on; this is from a profile of Hideki Matsui in Asian edition of Time Magazine:

"His only eccentricity, if it can be called that, is his extensive private library of adult videos. His refreshing ability to laugh self-deprecatingly about his porno collection, reporters say, is one reason why fans and even non fans have taken to him so much. He likes to watch his much vaunted porno collection tapes that he often trades with Japanese reporters. As one Japanese journalist put it, describing Matsui's affinity for such unique Japanese cultural institutions like the no-panties shabu-shabu in Japan, "Matsui is a horny guy. All of us are horny, more or less. But Matsui doesn't attempt to hide the fact." Yet another win for the Japanese Everyman."

Apparently Mr. Matsui loves his porn, but the NY press chose not to pick up that story. Let's leave baseball players personal lives out of the story. It really doesn't add anything to the fans enjoyment of the game. Anyway, on my behalf, I'd like to offer an apology to Randy Johnson. And to Hideki Matsui; it's fortunate for you that nobody reads this thing.

Baby, I'm a Star

Stephon Marbury is talking today about how much he'd love to play with Kevin Garnett. He pines for the days when he and Garnett were supposed to be the second coming of Stockton and Malone. Here's what he had to say about playing with Garnett again:

"In New York, that would be great. Playing back with Kevin, that would be something, that would be talked about forever. I think for the NBA it would be great also. Because you get to have two guys reunited from when they were younger, when they were predicted to be [John] Stockton and [Karl] Malone."

That's really amusing that he would long for his days with Garnett because, if memory serves correctly, he was the one who forced a trade out of Minnesota because he didn't want to play second fiddle to anybody. The strange thing is that Garnett seems to have amnesia about his time with the self proclaimed "Starbury" as well. While they did make the playoff in the two years that they were together, it was clear that Marbury was never going to sacrifice his offensive goals for the good of the team. Garnett had this to say about playing with Marbury:

"You need two guys to connect. The chemistry Steph and I shared basketball-wise is one I shared with Spree (Latrell Sprewell) and Sam Mitchell. I don't think he made that connection with anyone else. I sacrificed. He sacrificed. We made it work."

Marbury never sacrificed for Garnett. Garnett, on the other hand, is the consumate team player. He can do practically anything he wants on the court. He has never hogged the ball, (even though it's clear that he's the best offensive weapon that his team possess), he works hard on the boards (which practically defines effort), and he works hard on the defensive end of the floor. Garnett has always demanded so much more out of himself than he has his teammates. Would he be willing to put up with the indifferent defensive performance that Marbury gives every night? Would he put up with Marbury firing up 20 shots a night? Would he sit quietly as Marbury starts to criticize him in the press? I don't think so.

I'm not sure who he thinks Marbury is, but he's certainly not Jason Kidd. Marbury proclaimed himself the "best point guard" in the league last year and in his own mind, I think that he truly believes that. His reward doesn't come in wins; it comes in the form of his paycheck and his individual stats. In his mind the role of a point guard is not to run the team, but to be the star of the team. He wants the ball in his hands all the time. He doesn't trust his teammates and his teammates don't trust him. It sounds like a match made in hell. Larry Brown was able to get the most out of Alan Iverson, who was supposed to be impossible to control, but in Marbury he has clearly met his match. Marbury doesn't listen to anyone, because listening or trying to conform to the wishes of someone else would somehow diminish his star, and he clearly can't let that happen.

Marbury closed with this comment about his time in Minnesota:

"You had two guys who knew how to play basketball and loved the game, that's how I thought it was going to be everywhere. When you're young, you really don't know. That's why it's called experience."

There is so much wrong with that statement that I barely know where to begin. First of all Marbury has never shown that he loves the game. What he loves is being the star of the game. He doesn't do anything well except score and even that is now in question. And if he had such an ideal situation in Minnesota then why did he want to leave? He thought it was going to be like that everywhere? What the hell does that mean? He was clearly hoping that it wasn't going to be like that everywhere because he refuses to share the spotlight with anyone. Kobe Bryant, who is twice the player that Marbury is (and who many point to as the poster boy for the spoiled NBA Player), managed to keep his ego in check long enough to win three championships with Shaq in LA. Marbury is apparently incapable of or certainly unwilling to make the same sacrifice. He couldn't get out of Minnesota fast enough.

Experience has taught Marbury nothing. He still doesn't care about winning, or playing the right way, or being a team player. He longs for Garnett because he longs for a change. He's worn out his welcome in NY just as he has in every other city that he's played in. Is it just coincidence that every team he leaves gets better (Phoenix and NJ as prime examples)? I don't think so. He has never and probably will never make a team better. Unless he changes his ways (and that is highly doubtful), controversy and that shiny dome of his are doomed to be the only things that rotate around "Starbury".

Swing for the Fences

Barry Bonds and his crack legal team have decided to sue the authors of "Game of Shadows". They aren't suing for Libel however. They have decided to sue based on the fact that the grand jury testimony in the book was obtained illegally. They are going to ask for temporary restraining order against the release of the book and so what they are saying is that because the testimony is supposed to be sealed and therefore unavailable to the public, the book should not be released. Not since the Republican Party and Karl Rove have I seen this kind diversionary tactic. However unlike the Republicans, I don't think that Barry Bonds has the spin machine in place to make this work.

Who would have guessed that Barry Bonds would turn into the champion of the legal system? It's not like he didn't make a mockery of the entire grand jury system by lying under oath. The funny thing is that the suit doesn't claim that anything that's being reported in the book is untrue. Meeting the standard for Libel is extremely hard. You have to show that the authors knew that what they were writing was untrue and that they meant to cause harm. However, if you feel that someone has written lies about you, wouldn't you try and sue them for libel anyway? Even if it is just to try and show that public that you feel that you've been wronged.

Barry has decided to pass on the full frontal attack and try to get them on a technicality. Perfect. Just like a guilty man to try and manipulate the legal process for his benefit. It's like a mob boss saying that wiretaps used to gain incriminating evidence are illegal. It's a classic "fruit of the poisoned tree" defense. It's a smoke screen, and hopefully it won't work. Unless of course, he can get Bill O'Reilly and the entire fox news team on his side.

Barry, if you think what has been reported is false, then says so. If not, stop with the frivolous lawsuits. Resorting to actions reserved for drug dealers and mob bosses only serves to make you look guilty as sin. Remember, the company that you keep defines who you are. If you hang out with know steroid dealers, then people are going to assume that you have something to do with steroids. If you resort to tactics employed by criminals then, well, you can figure out the rest.

The Great White Hope, Part Deux

J.J. Redick shot 3 for 18 and scored 11 points in the Duke loss to LSU and then cried as he left the court. I really don't have much to say except, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

No, really, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...

I'm sure Gregg Doyel at CBS Sportsline will be happy to console you (see "I don't know how to quit you" 3/2), J.J., ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

Greatest college player ever, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

I have to apologize for being a five year old. I just can't help myself sometimes.

For Love or Money?

Usually we ask this question of our athletes to find out why they won't play hurt (see John Abraham) or why they bolt their team every other spring (see Johnny Damon), but over the course of this week I have been asking that question of myself. I'm in a sticky situation...my favorite college team for the past 26 yrs (and for the remaining 47), the UCLA Bruins is taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a battle for western supremacy and a trip to the Elite 8. My problem is that in my bracket I picked the Zags to win.

Now you might say this is an easy call, my heart is in Westwood, but my wallet is in Spokane so any real sports fan would go with their heart and you're right to a certain extent, but there is another reason for me to hope that Adam "Stache" Morrison lights it up in Oakland. You got it, I'm talking about the prognostication factor, the yearning in every sport fan's heart to correctly predict the outcome of a major sporting event. To say "I knew this was going to happen" and finally have the facts to back that statement up. When you think about it both sides have one major theme in common...superiority. When your teams wins it all you get to tell everyone else to "suck it" or even worse "better luck next year". The same holds true during March Madness. Predicting the outcome of The Tourney can not only make you cash, but can cement your position as the guy who knew exactly what was going to happen...at least until next year when your bracket goes to hell before the weekend is out.

Passion Fruit

John Donovan of SI.com wrote a follow up article about the WBC, praising the talented Japanese team for their victory. Here's part of what he had to say:

"So it follows ... the best Japanese team ever, beating the best competition the world has ever offered. Can there be any doubt? Japan is the best."

However according to his previous article (see "Even the President needs... on 3/20), being the best team has nothing to do with winning. It's all about passion and desire. So I guess it follows that the Cuban team just didn't "want" it enough.

What an idiot.

I'm Sori, so Sori

Alfonso Soriano is behaving like a spoiled child. Yesterday he refused to play left field for the Nationals. They will ask him to play the outfield again today and if he refuses they will place him on the disqualified list. Soriano "lost" his arbitration case this off-season but is still slated to make $10 million this season. The Nationals traded for him in the off-season with the idea of moving him to the outfield, but they didn't speak to him about it first. So it makes sense that Soriano feels like he was blindsided by this request. He has played second base for the last four years and he has repeatedly stated his preference for remaining there.

Soriano has made 105 errors in the past 4 years. He has made almost twice as many as any other second basemen over that time period. The Nationals already have an all-star caliber second baseman in Jose Vidro, so it's pretty clear that Soriano is not needed at that position. The problem is that Soriano feels that his value is highest as a second baseman and that a move to the outfield would damage his value on the free agent market next year. And he's probably right. As a second baseman, his offensive numbers are off the charts. He's producing at a hall of fame level as a second baseman. As a corner outfielder, he's simply one of many who can provide the type of offensive numbers that he produces. I honestly think that this is a ploy by Soriano to get out of Washington. The ballpark there is cavernous and his offensive numbers are bound to suffer. I believe that he would have played the outfield, without a question, if he had been traded to the Yankees. Moving to the outfield in Washington will not only impact his next contract, but playing in that ballpark will impact it even more. If he goes from being a 30 home run/100 rbi second baseman to a 15 home run/80 rbi corner outfielder, the list of teams lining up for his services next year is going to be short.

The Nationals and GM Jim Bowden are partly to blame for the situation. I'm not sure there was a person in baseball that thought that this trade made sense when it was made. Why would they bring in a second baseman who had already stated that they didn't want to play the outfield when they already had Jose Vidro to play second base? I'm not sure. Soriano has benefited from playing in a couple of good HR parks (Yankee Stadium and Arlington), and his value is significantly decreased if he's playing in a park that does not play to his strength. He's a fly ball hitter and RFK in Washington is much more suited to a gap hitter. Soriano's offensive numbers will take a dive, which will affect his attitude and his already shaky defense. This was not the smartest move by the Nationals' brain trust. I'm sure the last thing Frank Robinson wants to deal with is a prima dona who doesn't do what he's told. Frank Robinson is one of the greatest players of all time. He's an old time baseball man who believes that players should play hard, run out every grounder and do what the manager says. Does that sound like a match made in heaven? Any way you look at it, Bowen f%@ked this one up royally. He can't even really trade Soriano at this point without taking cents on the dollar.

The bottom line is that Soriano is going to have to play. I am certain that he doesn't have another $10 million dollar job lined up. He said last night that he was going to discuss the situation with his wife and then come to a decision today. That's probably a good idea, because someone needs to talk some sense into him. And I'm sure his wife would prefer being married to Alfonso Soriano the $10 million a year ballplayer, rather than Alfonso "welcome to McDonalds can I take your order" Soriano. And I'm sure she's going to make her opinion known, in no uncertain terms.

He's gonna play.

Ichi(ro) the Killer

The WBC came to a fitting end last night with the Japanese team crowned as the champions and Ichiro proving once again that he's one of the best baseball players in the world. Unfortunately I forgot to publish my pre tournament pick, but believe it or not I predicted that Japan would win. You'll have to contact Michael Mejias for confirmation of that, but it's true. I really did believe that they would be the best-prepared team for the tournament. I never expected the strong showing from Korea. In fact for the first two rounds, Korea performed the way I thought Japan would. They did not commit an error, got great pitching and executed flawlessly. I think in the end that Japan just had too much talent for them. Japan had all their best players, except for Hideki Matsui (who I'm sure is kicking himself now for not taking part), and they had extensive preparation. They were robbed of a win against the US, but thankfully that did not stop them from moving on.

As I said yesterday, I think that the US has the most talent in the world and will probably be much better prepared for the next WBC, so I don't think that Japan will repeat as champions. However, for now, they can lay claim to being the best baseball team in the world. The Cubans had a great showing, but of course their team has been depleted by defections. It really is an amazing feat that they have been to the finals of every international competition that they've competed in for the last 50 years. It's a tribute to the dedication of the players and to the love they have for the game.

I think this is one of the best things that Bud Selig has done as commissioner. With Inter-league play, the wild card and now the WBC, Bud clearly deserves a lot of credit for bringing more excitement to the game. Now if he would just get rid of that ridiculous all star game tie in to home field advantage in the World Series, he would definitely be able to say that he left the game in better shape than he found it (that is, of course except for the whole steroid mess). The WBC will only get bigger and better and whether or not Bud is around as commissioner to see the next one, it will clearly be part of his legacy.

So I say congratulations to the Japanese team. Enjoy your well-deserved victory. You are the World Champions until 2009 when you'll have to prove yourselves all over again. But this one is yours and not even bad calls from the umpires can take it away.

How Sweet is it?

We go through this every year and every year it seems to get better. No, I'm not talking about being drunk before noon on St Patty's day (although it applies there too), I'm talking about the first two rounds of The Big Dance. The games were absolutely amazing and though it pains me to do so I must give credit to CBS for their almost seemless transition from game to game, with the exception of the Gonzaga/Indiana to UCLA/Alabama fiasco where you could get motion sickness from the amount of switches in a two minute window (which by the way was a tournament record). And the best part about the tournament...watching the games with friends. There is nothing like ridiculous arguments tinged with misquoted tournament history to get me going. I just want to relay this little story about my Sunday spent watching games in the hopes that someone will take my side...although it will never happen.

So we gathered the usual suspects in my friend's apartment on the upper west side. You know how it is, 7 guys who want to watch and one guy who thinks that means an automatic poker game. So about an hour later we're sitting around playing hold 'em when Bradley starts making their move. The effect on the room is immediate as we all stop focusing on the table action and turn our attention to the TV. It's like that until it becomes obvious that Pitt doesn't have enough firepower to muster a comeback and we start dealing the cards. That's when I start thinking...what makes a tournament game exciting? Is it the David vs. Goliath feel or the fact that we can watch basketball players who are actually passionate about the game they're playing? Is it the one and done format or the chance to say "I knew George Mason would make it to the Sweet 16"? For me it's all of it and I love every second.

All this leads us to the main argument of the day which was caused by this idiotic comment (I guess you can tell what side I'm on) "Wouldn't it be great if George Mason made it to the final four?" The majority of the room decided that it would be better if every game was an upset, if every favorite got knocked down a peg or two. When I asked if they were more excited for the Gonzaga/UCLA game or the George Mason/Wichita St contest they said of course UCLA/Gonzaga, but they'd rather have the Braves cutting down the nets on Championship Monday. Am I the only one left who wants to see the best teams advance so that they can face off in instant classics rather than watching Duke or Texas walk into the championship game by beating Bradley and their lanky 7-foot center. Feel good stories are great for rounds 1 & 2, but making it to the final 8 is only for the elite.

Even the President needs...

I was reading SI. com this morning and ran across an article by John Donovan about the WBC (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/john_donovan/03/17/wbc.passion/index.html). Here's a sample of what he had to say:

"That's what the U.S. was up against in this tournament and what, in the end, was its downfall. The final four teams in the WBC have a desire, a passion that the U.S. team simply couldn't match. Passion is the difference in this tournament. It's carried the WBC."

I understand his premise on some level, but seriously, passion and desire or lack thereof were not the reasons that the US did not make the semi-final. The US looked pretty passionate when they stormed the field after Arod's winning hit against Japan. I've already made mention of Chipper Jones' comments, so I'm fairly sure that they were passionate. And how exactly do you measure passion or desire. Were the Mexicans not passionate, the Venezuelans, hell even the Italians and Canadians were passionate. I didn't see one US player acting like they didn't want to be there. Passion has not carried the WBC, talent and pitching have.

Here's another quote from the article:

"But the truth is that the best four teams in the new World Baseball Classic are in this weekend's finale, and Team USA -- for all its future Hall of Famers, All-Stars and multi-multimillionaires -- is not. Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Korea and Japan have shown, even in the abruptness of a tournament like this one, that they're better teams. That they wanted it more."

I happen to agree with everything he said in this quote until the last sentence. How does he know "that they wanted it more"? What is that based on? The fans waving flags in the stands? It's a silly premise to base wins and losses on in a tournament like this. I could put together an all-star team of the most passionate little leaguers in the world and they wouldn't stand a chance in the tournament. Desire and passion are a part of the game, but in this tournament, I am fairly confident that all the teams had that going for them. All the players were proud to represent their countries. Is John trying to suggest that the team from Japan had more pride than the team from the US, or Mexico, or Puerto Rico? It just doesn't make sense (Maybe the team from Korea did have a better reason to play well than anyone else in the tournament. They were all promised that their mandatory military service obligation would be waived if they made the semi finals, they did and it was). Baseball isn't like basketball where desire can be seen by things like diving after loose balls and rebounding or football where fighting for extra yardage and running hard on each play are indicative of effort and desire. I've certainly heard the argument that people who care too much don't perform as well, because they are trying too hard. Why not make that argument about the US baseball team? Maybe the US just cared too much and they were too tight to perform. Some would say that Dontrelle Willis was so pumped up that he wasn't his usual self. I think that argument holds just as much water as the opposite does. Or course I don't think either of them are valid in this case.

The US may have had the most talented team at the WBC, but the teams with the most talent simply do not always win baseball games. The team with the better pitching and the timeliest hitting on that day wins them. The US had a couple of bad pitching performances from Dontrelle Willis that they simply could not overcome. The preparation time for the US was probably lacking. I think there was a conceit on the US side that they could simply put together an all-star team and win by mere talent alone. That does not mean that the players weren't passionate, it just means that they were not as prepared as some of the other teams. If the US team had been given a 3 week training period, I have no doubt that they would have had a stronger showing. In fact I would bet that the US would win a tournament like this 7 out of 10 times with the appropriate amount of time to get ready.

I applaud the teams and fans of the teams that made the semi's in the WBC. They all deserve to be there. The teams played with passion and desire and their fans reflected that emotion in the stands. The most important elements for the four teams however, were talent and preparation. Not passion and desire. By the way if there's a major league team out there looking for a passionate 40 year old who hasn't played since little league, give me a call. I'm still available.

Rockets Red Glare

We may very well have seen the last pitching performance of Roger Clemens on Thursday in the loss to Mexico. If so, I will be very happy to tell people in the future that I saw one of, if not the greatest right handed pitcher of all time. Roger's resume is absolutely filled with accomplishments. Seven Cy Young awards (although the 7th should have gone to Randy Johnson, but since he should have gotten the award last year, I'll call that one a push), Seven league ERA titles, led the league in strikeouts five times, 2 pitching triple crowns (leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts), one MVP award (although I would have voted for Don Mattingly, but I digress), 2nd all time in strikeouts, 9th all time in wins, the list goes on and on.

I've always been a big fan of Tom Seaver. I've always thought that if anyone could stake a claim to being the greatest right hander since Walter Johnson, he was the man. Winning three Cy Young awards (and coming close to winning a fourth in '81 when he went 14-2 during a strike shortened campaign), winning over 300 games, and recording over 3,500 strikeouts was enough for him to claim that title. His career ERA is actually lower than Clemens', but Roger played the majority of his career during the steroids era and in the American League so his numbers are going to be slightly inflated. And Roger's career ERA (ERA+ 143) is actually lower in comparison to the rest of the league than Tom's (ERA+ 127). Tom Seaver is an all-time great, but I think even he would have to agree that Clemens has had the better career.

The battle for greatest right handed pitcher of all time really comes down to Roger and Walter Johnson. Walter Johnson's record is impeccable. He won the AL triple crown three times, won the MVP twice, led the league in shutouts seven times, led the league in strikeouts 12 times, he is that all time leader in shoutouts, he's second all time in wins, he led the league in ERA five times, his career ERA is almost a full run lower than Roger's and is lower in comparison to the rest of the league (ERA+ 146), and he was the career strikeout leader for about twenty years longer than Babe Ruth was the all-time home run king. Walter's career actually spans the dead ball and live ball eras. He was successful in both.

So what's the answer? Who is the greatest right handed pitcher of all time? On the surface at least, Walter Johnson's career is more impressive than Roger's. However, Roger played in the more difficult era. There is obviously a much larger pool of talent to draw on, night games and travel make the game much more draining, and the players are stronger (through natural and unnatural methods) and better conditioned. It really is a hard call and I don't think that it's one that necessarily needs to be made.

I'm fairly confident in the fact that Roger is one of the two best right handers of all time. And I'm just happy to be able to say that I saw him pitch. We've seen the supposed end of Rocket's pitching days before and he has come back to not only pitch but to dominate. I personally hope he comes back for at least one more year. If he does he'll provide a lot of youngsters with the chance to say that they saw one of the greatest pitchers of all time in person.

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

The WBC lost its biggest draw yesterday. The US was eliminated, meaning that the inaugural champion of the World Baseball Classic will come from either the Caribbean or the Far East. In my opinion this is without a doubt a positive for the WBC. First of all it will make all those players who withdrew from the US team think better of it next time. There's nothing that makes Americans more upset than losing at a game that they supposedly own. Look at what happened in the Olympics. The US basketball team finally lost with the college kids so they sent Michael, Magic and Larry to make sure that didn't happen again. Secondly, if the goal of Classic was to increase the profile of baseball on the worldwide stage (and that is what Bud said he wanted to do), then what better way to accomplish that than to have the US fail to advance to the semi-final. The basketball "Dream Teams" inspired the rest of the world to get better at the game. The rest of the world has gotten so good in fact that the latest incarnation of the basketball "Dream Team" won the bronze medal at the last Olympics. The US not being dominant in the inaugural WBC will only serve to give hope to some of the nations that didn't get out of the first round. Maybe next time Canada will advance to the finals.

The WBC goes a long in proving that baseball is a global game. The majority of the best players in the world may play in the US, but they are not necessarily American. The original basketball "Dream Team" went to the Olympics and destroyed their competition. Most of the players from the other countries were just happy to be on the same court with their heroes. That was not the case in the WBC. Because the major league players were sprinkled throughout the all the rosters, there was no intimidation factor (except for some of the teams in the first round like South Africa). The players did not come to praise the American team, but to bury it.

I think the excitement that surrounds the WBC makes up for all the criticism that was leveled against it before it started. People claimed that the players would treat it like a glorified exhibition, that the crowds would be small and uninterested. Well nothing could be further from the truth. Chipper Jones was even quoted as saying that he thought that playing in the WBC was better than playing in the All-Star Game or the World Series! That is high praise indeed from someone who has done both. I think the WBC is on its way to being an institution and a lot of the credit has to go to Bud Selig. While he has faced his share of criticism about the steroid situation (and rightly so), he got this one right. He had to withstand complaints about the timing, harping from George Steinbrenner, and talking heads on TV talking about how it would fail (I'm talking about you Lupica) and yet he held his course and has come out a winner on the other end. The only issue I would bring up is the umpire situation. It just would not have been that hard to make sure that the umpires were of a different nationality than the teams playing in each game. I wouldn't even want Major League umpires. I know that they are trying to be impartial, but mistakes are made. They are human and removing the element of nationality would help remove the suggestion of impropriety.

I'm really looking forward to the next round of games. The crowds in San Diego should be loud and enthusiastic. There may be some who are disappointed that the US is not represented, but I think that they should look a little deeper. They should look at the flag waving enthusiasm of Dominican fans, or the Korean fans and the sheer joy in the faces of the players on the teams and revel in the fact that they get to watch baseball being played at the highest level. It is after all the WORLD Baseball Classic, not the US baseball Classic.

Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?

Bud Selig has a dilemma. He doesn't know what to do about Barry Bonds. The simple answer is nothing. There really isn't anything to do about Barry Bonds. The problem with opening up an investigation is that it cannot simply be limited to Barry Bonds. That would be a witch-hunt and regardless of how popular such scrutiny would be, it would be blatantly unfair. If the commissioner is going to open an investigation into Barry Bonds' steroid use, then he would have to open up an investigation on Ken Caminitti, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Belle, Jose Canseco, Juan Gonzalez, Pudge "I stopped eating sugar" Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling (that sanctimonious, self-righteous prick), Brett Boone, Sammy Sosa, Jason Giambi, Lenny Dykstra, Brady Anderson (Who somehow managed hit 50 home runs one year. Yeah, that was natural) Gary Sheffield, etc, the list is endless.

The commissioner has two choices here. He can either instigate an investigation that will track and illustrate the rampant use of steroids throughout baseball for the past 15 years or he can choose to ignore the problem and hope it goes away on its own. His problems are twofold. First of all steroids were not banned in baseball until last year. So even if an investigation were to show that Barry Bonds or whomever took steroids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and as a late night snack every single day, there could be no sanctions against that person. Secondly it's clear that everyone in baseball, including the Commissioner's office, knew that there was a huge steroid problem and did nothing to stop it. They simply turned a blind eye to it in favor of balls flying out of the park and the fans flying in. The Commissioner is complicit in this scandal. He's almost as much to blame for this as the players who took the steroids.

Look, it's clearly not my usual position to defend Barry Bonds. However, if the reports of him doing the steroids out of jealousy are true, then it proves the point. If the steroid issue had been addressed when it first reared its ugly head then we wouldn't be talking about Bonds breaking the all time home run record. He would never have taken them. Perhaps McGwire would never have taken them. Perhaps Roger Maris would still be all-the time single season home run record holder and the integrity of the game and its records would be more secure.

The problem was that the Commissioner and the owners didn't trust the fans. They didn't think that they would come unless the home runs were flying out of the park. They didn't think that the fans would care about baseball unless they could come and see some Paul Bunyan type hit the ball 800 miles. The people who run the game clearly don't love it as much as the fans do. People always talk about how the home run race between McGwire and Sosa helped save baseball. That is absolute and utter bullshit. As a lifelong baseball fan, I was thrilled by that home run duel/chase, but it didn't change the way I felt about the game. There were probably a large number of casual fans that perhaps paid more attention to baseball during that period, but that single event didn't turn a whole nation into baseball loving fanatics. The game was fine before the home run chase and it would have been fine without it. Why couldn't the people in charge see that?

The Commissioner does have the broad reaching "best interest of baseball" clause that he could conceivably invoke, but I don't think, no wait I know that the players union would never stand for that. They would never stand for one of their own being punished for doing something that wasn't against the rules of the game. Breaking the law has never been reason enough to be banished from baseball (Ask Steve Howe, Daryl Strawberry, Tim Raines, Keith Hernandez, Doc Gooden, go ahead ask them). The Commissioner lost his ability to do anything about this situation when he abandoned the moral high ground in favor of record attendance. Any attempt at this point to express shock or surprise or outrage at any players steroid use is purely for show. He knew it, you knew it, I knew it and the American people knew it. As the headline in the Onion proclaimed, "Barry Bonds took steroids reports everyone who has ever watched baseball".

So suck it up Bud. When Barry Bonds passes Babe Ruth in April or early May, you'll have to grin and bear it just like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us though, you could have done something about it. You simply chose not to.

I'll Just Throw My Money In the Street

I just filled out my NCAA bracket. I'm not really sure why I feel compelled to do this every year. I know that I have absolutely no shot of winning. I've tried all different types of strategies to try and win this thing. I've done the favorites strategy (but of course all four #1's never make it to the final four). I've tried picking the upsets (I always end up picking the wrong 12 - 5 game). I've tried relying on senior leadership (don't even talk to me about Jacque Vaughn). I've tried going with the best point guard (Jason Kidd losing in the first round after I picked Cal to win the championship is one of my favorite memories). I've tried picking the long shot (Thanks Boston College, I should have known better than to pick a team from Boston). I've tried picking the teams based on their mascots (Stanford has a Tree for a mascot??!? Does that beat a friendly bear? And what the hell is a Zag by the way???). Nothing has worked and I'm fairly confident that my half-assed strategy for this year won't work either. But what the hell, I've got nothing better to do with my time than wonder if UNC-Wilmington can beat George Washington (I think they will, but what the hell do I know).

So I say good luck to all you office handicappers out there. I'm sure you all have the winning strategy. And good luck to all the teams in the NCAA's. I wish you all well. Except for Duke, of course. They can burn in hell!

There Ain't No We Either

Terrell Owens is looking for a team. Or rather looking for a place to show off his considerable skills and incite dissent. It's amazing how much people are willing to over look when you can produce 15 touchdowns a year. Terrell has a special place in his heart for quarterbacks. He questioned the sexual orientation of Jeff Garcia. He questioned Donovan McNabb's heart, conditioning, leadership abilities and probably his ethnicity for good measure. Why would any team want to take on the cancer that is Terrell Owens? The simple answer is that he's one of the best at what he does. He can catch the ball, he can run with the ball, he can make people miss, he can make plays. He's a consummate fantasy player. He puts up big stats for you week in and week out. Unfortunately if he's on your team, you have to deal with him for the other six days of the week.

He managed to get himself suspended last year for his inability to keep his mouth shut and for fighting with a teammate. His goal isn't to win a Superbowl. His goal is to promote himself. His problems last year would have been minor if he could have just kept his seemingly perpetually open and babbling mouth shut, but once a microphone is pointed in his direction, for some reason he feels he has to say something that's going to make sportscenter. Once a week isn't good enough for T.O., he needs to be on every night. And if saying something stupid about the quarterback is going to do that, well then that's what he's going to do. He is also never happy with his contract. His satisfaction with his new contract with Philly lasted exactly one year. He started complaining the minute the Superbowl was over.

The city of brotherly love was simply not loving or big enough for T.O. He needs a much grander stage for his one-man show. There is only one place where his star could reach the heights that he aspires to. He needs America's Team. And America's Team is apparently willing to indulge him. The Dallas Cowboys are now hot on the trail of Terrell Owens. I think it would be fitting if he went back to the stadium where he is literally one of the most hated visiting players in the league. He embarrassed the Cowboys by posing on the star at midfield after scoring a touchdown. The fans have never forgiven him. However, Jerry Jones apparently doesn't hold a grudge. He's willing to bet that Bill Parcells can keep Owens in line. He figures that if Parcells could do it with Keyshawn, he can do it with Owens. It's clearly a sucker bet, but Jones is going to do everything in his power to make it happen.

The T.O. show will roll on. It will be coming to a town near you come next fall. Just pray that he's not playing for your team. Unless it's your fantasy team, of course.

Fame! I Want to Live Forever...

I hate to have to revisit the topic of the Hall of Fame, but I couldn't help but comment on this article in Sunday's NY Times. It was written by John Thorn, who is the editor of Total Baseball. He wrote an editorial about the recent Hall of Fame controversies regarding Buck O'Neil and Barry Bonds. He states his case as to why both of them deserve to be in. I have no particular issue with that, but then he went on to say this:

"Baseball itself is a vibrant anachronism, the museum for our archaic and most endangered values. We expect Cooperstown to embody the qualities we believe made America great and to rectify injustices in the game, even those long past cure, like the color bar."

I think that anybody who is a true fan of the game is fairly clear on the fact that the Hall of Fame has a lot of people in it of undesirable character. There are racists (pretty much anyone who played the game before 1930 was opposed to having Blacks in the majors), gamblers, cheats, thieves, wife beaters, drunks and every form of malcontent. None of these things is a bar to the Hall. The Hall is not a place for the pure. It's a place for the greatest baseball players of all time. Buck O'Neil is an incredible man. He has single-handedly kept the sprit of the Negro Leagues alive. He, more than any one individual, is most responsible for the 17 Negro Leaguers who were voted into the Hall last week. If the Hall were used as Mr. Thorn states above then Buck O'Neil would have been voted into the Hall. The truth is that the numbers that he put up on the field didn't warrant his inclusion as a player.

Mr. Thorn continues:

"Yet the Hall operates, like Augusta National, as a private club. It may create rules by which Joe Jackson is banned for life and unforgiven thereafter. It may dismiss the hobgoblin of consistency by inducting Alex Pompez, a numbers kingpin and mobster, while holding Pete Rose at arm's length."

The Hall of Fame is in fact a private institution which is able to set it's own rules and regulations for admittance. Is he suggesting that there should be no rules at all? You bet on baseball? So what, come on in. You tried to fix a game? So what, come on in. He mentions the fact that Pete Rose is not in the Hall as a problem. Pete Rose knows the rules of baseball better than probably 99.9% of the people in the sport today. He knew that the only thing you could do to get permanently banned from baseball for life was to bet on baseball. So what did he do? He bet on his own team and then lied about it for 15 years. He knew the consequences if he was caught and he chose to take the chance anyway. There are no tears to shed for Pete Rose. He made his own bed and now he has to lay in it.

And to end this ridiculous article, Mr. Thorn then decides to take some shots at Babe Ruth:

"Babe Ruth will always be the greatest of all baseball players, not for his statistics but for his aura and his era."

No you idiot! Can you believe this shit?!! Babe Ruth is the greatest of baseball players because he hit 714 home runs, had a batting average of .342 and was one of the best left handed pitchers of his day. He was probably good enough to make the Hall as a pitcher if his hitting career had not taken off. He held the record for consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series longer than he held the single season home run record. He even pitched a complete game victory for the Yankees as a 38 year old. Mr. Thorn then contradicts himself:

"Ruth may have been better than any baseball player ever was or will be (though I think not), but it defies reason to claim that his opposition was likewise better than any since."

What is he basing his statement about Ruth on? His aura? His era? No, his statistics. God this guy's an absolute moron. I don't know if Ruth will be greater than any baseball player ever to play the game (and I don't think I've heard too many people seriously make the argument that he played against the best opposition of all time), but it's pretty clear that he's the best so far. His batting average ranks 9th all time (the only other person within in even 200 hr's of him on the top 20 BA list is Ted Williams, who hit 521). He's second (for the time being) on the all time home run list. He's second in OBP, first in Slugging %, third in runs, fifth in total bases, second in RBI's, and on the pitching side he's 15th in ERA, and 12th in winning percentage. There is simply no one in the history of the Major Leagues or Negro Leagues that has a career that even approaches what Ruth did on the field. There can be an argument about who was the best hitter, best fielder, best base runner, best pitcher, but as far as best player goes, it's an easy call. Mr. Thorn continues:

"African-Americans never graced the same field as Ruth, had they been allowed to do so, many white players would have lost their positions the overall level of competition would have risen..."

Astounding! He finally came up with points that are actually somewhat true. I'm not sure about many, but some white players would have lost their jobs and the level of competition would have gone up. I'm shocked and amazed! Unfortunately, the article continues:

"... Ruth's statistical dominance would have narrowed, and many players from the golden age now in the Hall would instead be recalled only by their statistical entries in the baseball encyclopedias."

Okay, where do I start? I'm sure that some of the weakest players would have been banished to the minor leagues, but to suggest the greats of the day would have been relegated to also rans is ludicrous. Was there something special about the way the Negro Leaguers played the game that made them super human? As far as I know, Ruth could hit a pitch from anyone (Unless Mr. Thorn is suggesting that the likes of Walter Johnson and Lefty Grove are inferior talents. And given the retarded nature of his arguments, he may very well be).

Would Josh Gibson have hit 700 home runs in the Majors? Maybe. But would he have faced far superior competition on a day to day basis compared to what he faced in the Negro Leagues? Of course. The thing that is not mentioned here is that the Negro Leaguers compiled their stats in a segregated league as well and with a far smaller talent pool to draw on. Isn't it fair to assume that if the level of competition would go up for the white players, then the same would be true of the Negro Leaguers. Would the stars of the Negro Leagues have been as dominant in the Majors? Undoubtedly some of them would have been and some of them would not (I would also argue that the Negro Leaguers faced inferior competition considering that some of their stats were compiled during barnstorming tours and against semi-pro teams). All things being equal, I don't think that the conclusion that Babe Ruth is the greatest player of all time is seriously in doubt. And I'm fairly sure that the Negro Leaguers who have made the Hall of Fame would have been great players in the Majors and I am equally as sure that the great white players would still have been great.

He continues:

"Buck O'Neil and the 17 he elevated to fame would all have been in the Hall long ago."

I have made this argument in a previous post. I have no earthly idea if those players would be in the Hall, but based on the available statistical evidence, Buck O'Neil does not deserve to be a Hall of Famer. And the owners among the newly inducted group would definitely not be in the Hall, including Alex Pompez who he bad mouthed earlier in this article (Is consistency too much to ask from Mr. Thorn? Apparently it is).

Mr. Thorn wraps up his article with this statement:

"And Willie Mays or Hank Aaron ... or Barry Bonds ... might now be seen as the greatest baseball player who ever lived."

Unless they learned how to throw a split fingered fastball at 95 MPH, it's just not possible. By the way, the steroid fueled numbers that Bonds put up for the last 5 years, are roughly equal to what Babe Ruth did for about 12 years. In 1921 he hit .378, with 59 home runs and 171 RBI's! He hit over .340 ten times! It amazes me that someone who edits a seminal tome like Total Baseball and should have a good understanding of baseball history, is so completely and utterly unaware of the facts. Mr. Thorn, stick to editing. You clearly have not gleaned any actual information or knowledge from the work that you've been doing.

Holy shit, can you believe that the NY Times published this crap?

John, We Hardly Knew Ye

John Chaney retired as Temple coach yesterday. He leaves behind a stellar legacy as a coach, 5 trips to the elite eight, 17 NCAA appearances, 7 A10 titles, and 516 wins. He's a Hall Of Famer who has helped many kids get an education and has been a tireless proponent of education over athletics.

If that were all there was, John Chaney could ride off into the sunset with all his deserved accolades with him. However, there is just a little bit more. John Chaney once walked into the press conference of an opposing coach and threatened to kill him. He had to be physically restrained from attacking him. Obviously coaches get a little heated after loses, but to threaten to kill someone? That seems a little above and beyond the call of duty, don't you think?

And of course if that were the only incident, then we could chalk it up to a one-time lapse in judgment. I mean who hasn't lost their temper at an inappropriate time before. Well then there was the incident last year when during another losing effort, he inserted an enforcer to intentionally foul the opposing players. That enforcer ended up breaking the arm of one the players from the other team. Enforcer isn't a position in Basketball. This isn't Hockey. This isn't Football. This isn't Boxing. The goal of the game is not to injure your opponent. He should have been fired. Can you imagine, Roy Williams or Mike Krzyzweski or even Bobby Knight pulling a maneuver like that? Great coaches don't resort to being thugs. Woody Hayes snapped at the end of his career and ended up punching a player from an opposing team. He retired the next day, but the incident has stained his legacy. For some reason the press just seems to want to look the other way when it comes to Chaney's Indiscretions and I have no idea why.

Chaney has been cut a lot of slack over the years because of his "good" deeds, but it is clear that his time has past. He probably should have retired after last year's incident, but he got off with a short suspension. Will Temple be better off without him? I don't know. His match up zone has caused problems for opponents for years. He managed to get various under manned teams into the NCAA's and brought the Temple basketball program to prominence. The bottom line however is that he's a bully. And at the end of the day, I think the school, the team, and college basketball are better off today without him.

You Dropped the Bomb on Me, Baby

The Japanese were apparently ripped off in the WBC yesterday. I did see the game and while there is no definitive angle to prove whether the runner left early, the one that ESPN provided clearly showed that he did not leave early. I have been watching baseball for 30 years now and I have seen the appeal play at third base work twice. It works far less often that the "Hail Mary" pass at the end of a game, or the half court shot at the buzzer. It is practically never called. The Japanese are probably the most disciplined team at the WBC. They do everything by the book. I know that the players were excited about the possibility of beating the US, but excited enough to leave early from third base on a fly ball? I seriously doubt it.

First of all, the 2nd base umpire had already turned down the appeal. He was covering 3rd because the 3rd base ump had to go out to make sure the ball was caught. He was closest to the play and he made the call when the appeal was first attempted. The US manager Buck Martinez then asked the home plate umpire to talk to the crew and make sure that the correct call was made. I have never seen an umpire conference after an appeal has been rejected. NEVER! After a brief conference the home plate umpire then called the runner out. Think of what happened here, the US got an appeal of an appeal. Is this the US court system where you keep on going up the ladder until you get the decision you want? It was crap.

Just imagine what the US press and players response would have been if this game had taken place in Japan and the situation had been reversed. A Japanese umpire over ruling an appeal in favor of the home team. The press would have been using headlines like "Pearl Harbored", or "Sneak Attack", or "Damn those Asians are crafty", you get what I mean. They would have been merciless. It would have been worse than when the US basketball team lost the gold medal at the '72 Olympics. The players would have called the whole thing a travesty and demanded justice. The Japanese players and coaches have been very tempered in their response to the situation so far. There was a point when I didn't think that they were going to take the field after the call, but their manager sent them out after he met with the home plate umpire.

It's a shame really that the game had to be marred by one suspect call. The US and Japan played a great game. Good pitching, good defense, clutch hitting, it had all the feeling and excitement of a late season game between rivals. I give the Japanese players and coaches a lot of credit for not causing an international incident, because I can assure you that if it had been the other way around, the whining would still be going on.

March Madness

It's that time of year again. That's right, March Madness which is the time of year when I have a birthday party every weekend. And also it's time for the NCAA basketball tournament. Last year the tournament was won by UNC (I did go to school there, but I'm not gloating). This year it really does seem like anyone can win, but as usual the winner will probably come from a Number #1 or #2 seed. I'm just going to give a brief rundown of the teams that I think actually have a shot to win this thing. I will make a pick at the end of this article, which of course is the kiss of death for that team.

The Number #1's are all flawed. Duke is not deep and if you can shut down either Williams or Redick, then you have a good chance to beat them. They can be out muscled down low and I can't see them advancing beyond the sweet sixteen. Connecticut and Villanova are good teams, but they seem to give inconsistent efforts. One night they can be dominant and the next night they look like the teenagers that they are. Unfortunately, to win the tournament, you have to on for 6 games in a row. I'm not sure either one of these teams is capable. Memphis just hasn't played anybody. The Big East raided conference USA and in the process created the monster that is Memphis. They had practically no competition in their own league and therefore ended up with over 25 wins and a #1 seed. They are actually my pick for the first #1 seed to be eliminated. I think the second round could be the end of the road for them.

By the way, how did Tennessee get a #2 seed? I don't think anyone would have pegged them as one of the top 8 teams in the country. Anyway, I could go into further analysis of the teams, but there will be enough of that on ESPN. My pick to win it all is... (Drum roll, please) The Ohio State University Buckeyes! Why you ask. Why not! They won both the regular season and tournament championships in a tough Big Ten conference. They are playing very well right now. They are battle tested. They have a good inside, outside game and they have a "The" at the beginning of their name. What more do you need?

If you're looking for a dark horse, I'll give you three. UNC, LSU, Boston College, two out of the ACC and one out of the SEC and all three are very capable of making it to the final four. Well there you have it, I've doomed at least four teams to ignominious failure. Of course if any of them actually do win the tournament, I'll be here to proclaim my brilliance.

Why the Long Face?

Barry Bonds is laughing. He's laughing at anyone who thinks that these latest allegations of steroids and HGH are going to make one bit of difference to him. He's laughing at baseball fans that think that the home run record shouldn't belong to someone who cheats. He's laughing at the commissioner of baseball who is powerless to stop him from breaking the home run record. He's laughing at Hank Aaron. He's laughing at the ghost of Babe Ruth. He's even laughing at his Godfather, Willie Mays, whose 660 HR's he passed a couple of seasons ago. He's laughing at all of us.

He's going to go on laughing at as and there's nothing that we can do about it. The Commissioner's office should have done something about this years ago. When a 35 year old who is already producing at a Hall of Fame level suddenly makes a quantum leap in ability, clearly there is something out of the ordinary going on. Bud Selig and the rest of the baseball establishment chose to look the other way. While Bonds turned himself into the Incredible Hulk, they just sat by and enjoyed the show. Every objective baseball fan could see that something was going on. Everyone in baseball knew that something was going on. They chose to ignore it. Bud Selig, with his "let's not rock the boat" attitude, should take the blame for this one. His job as commissioner is to protect the integrity of the game. He has failed to do that. Record attendance numbers apparently clouded his mind to what was going on with steroids in the game.

The most ironic thing about this whole situation is that Jose Canseco is going to go down as the hero in all of this. Canseco, who was one of the first proponents of steroids in baseball, is going to get the credit for blowing the whistle on the abuse of steroids. It's a little like the pot calling the kettle black, but it worked.

However, Barry is going to keep on laughing. He's going to laugh all the way to the bank (The Giants owe him $18 million for this year). If there is any justice in the world, his knee will give out before he can play another game. Of course we live in the real world and that probably won't happen, so Barry will get his money and probably the record as well. And that sound you hear in the middle of night will be laughter coming from somewhere in San Francisco.

Where Have You Gone, Barry Bonds...

Remember this guy?

You Mean There's No F*@king Easter Bunny Either?

BREAKING NEWS:
An about-to-be-released book claims that Barry Bonds started taking steroids in 1998 because he was jealous of the attention that Mark McGwire had gotten by breaking the home run record. The book also claims that he worked with the BALCO owner and his trainer to design a regimen that would avoid detection and increase his muscle mass.

Wow, Barry Bonds on steriods and Human Growth Hormone after he denied ever knowingly taking anything. God damn it! I can't believe in anything anymore!

One More Time with Feeling

Kirby Puckett died yesterday. He was a great player to watch and one of the people that everyone loved to be around. The press loved him, his teammates loved him, hell even the opposition loved him. Love can take you a long way. Apparently even all the way to being a first ballot Hall of Famer. I have to apologize for being on this HOF kick lately, but this particular inductee has always been a sore spot for me. Kirby Puckett played 12 full seasons in the major leagues. He led the league in hitting once, led the league in hits 4 times, led in total bases twice, won 6 gold gloves and helped the Twins win two World Series titles. It's an impressive resume, no doubt, but does it stack up to the greatest at the position? Can you make an argument that Kirby is one of the best CF's of all time? On his hall of fame plaque it calls him a "prolific" run producer. He was so prolific in fact that he scored 100 runs three times and drove in a hundred three times. That compares to five 100 rbi seasons for Bernie Williams and eight 100 run seasons and five 100 rbi seasons for Dale Murphy along with scoring 100 runs four times. Let's compare Kirby to Bernie Williams: Kirby's 162 game averages: Hits- 209, Runs - 97, HR's - 19, RBI - 99, Walks - 41, OBP - .360, Slg. - .477. Here are Bernie's numbers: Hits- 185, Runs - 108, HR's - 23, RBI - 100, Walks - 86, OBP - .384, Slg. - .480.

As you can see Bernie's numbers compare favorably with Kirby's. And keep in mind that Bernie did win a batting title, won 4 gold gloves and helped the Yankees to Four World Series titles. And Bernie is the all time leader in post season HR's and RBI's.
I am not here to argue that Bernie belongs in the HOF, but I am here to raise the question of why Kirby made it on the first ballot. Are his numbers so overwhelming that it would have been a travesty to deny him? No. Was his situation so tragic, that it would have been cruel to deny him? No. So how do you explain his status as a first ballot HOF'er? Goodwill must go a really long way.

Albert Belle played 12 full seasons, just like Kirby. He put up better stats at the plate than Kirby. His career was ended before its time by an injury, just like Kirby. But the only way that Albert Belle will get into the HOF in Cooperstown is by buying a ticket. Unlike Kirby, Albert never smiled. He never gave good interviews. He was surly with the press and the fans. He engendered no good will at all. He may not get enough votes to even stay on the ballot. Dale Murphy was all the things that Kirby was (5 Gold Gloves in CF, 2 MVP awards, Clemente Award), although he never won a World Series. Perhaps if his career had been cut short by injury after those MVP seasons, he would have been a first ballot HOF'er too.

Look, I don't want to bash Kirby Puckett. He was a great player, but his career stats do not warrant being a first ballot Hall of famer and his year-to-year stats don't either. Sandy Koufax had his career cut short by an injury, but he was so dominating that his yearly stats made him worthy of the Hall. Puckett's career stats clearly don't reach the best at the position (Willie, Mickey, Cobb, DiMaggio, Speaker) and his yearly stats don't even stand out against the good at the position (Bernie Williams, Dale Murphy). This is the slippery slope that leads to mediocrity in the HOF.

How can Bernie not be in if Kirby's in? How can Dale Murphy not be in if Kirby's in? See what I mean.

Just for fun here is a partial list of players who could be considered among the top 3 players of all time at their position, that did not get in on their first HOF attempt:
Joe DiMaggio, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Matthews, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Eddie Collins, George Sisler, Carl Hubbell, Whitey Ford, Mel Ott.

Did This Big, Ugly Woman Swallow Barry Bonds?

See, What Had Happened Was...

J.J. Redick tonight versus UNC: 5 for 21. 1 for 19 after the first five minutes. Well I guess it's pretty clear that he's the greatest player/shooter in the history of college basketball. Just like all the greats he really produced in the big game. Somewhere Gregg Doyel is crying.

Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

Miami is going to lose their baseball team after the 2007 season. This is the team that has brought South Florida its only professional sports championships in the past 30 years. Do you think that anyone in Miami cares? Do you think they're sweating at the prospect of losing the Marlins? Absolutely not. They aren't even in the conversation to save the team. Local officials have summarily dismissed the Marlins requests for a new downtown stadium. The only time that anyone in Miami cares about the team is when they are in the playoffs. And I mean in the playoffs. A playoff race does not count. They would play in front of fewer than 10,000 fans during day games when they were in the middle of the playoff race last year.

The $64,000 question is how did we get here? Miami was supposed to be a no brainer for baseball. The weather is great, there's a large baseball loving Hispanic population, the local teams have many loyal supporters, it seemed like Baseball would be an instant hit. It only took the Marlins 5 years to win their first World Series. Red Sox and White Sox fans waited for over 80 years to get a World Series victory.

The team was dismantled and suffered through a horrible season after winning in 1997 and perhaps most will point to that as the reason that the team was never embraced. The ownership did not build on the championship and perhaps alienated their most loyal fans. Since '97 when they were fifth in the NL in attendance, they have failed to finish higher than 14th out of 16 in any season. And they have in fact finished 15th for six out of the past seven years. I know that there may be some lingering bitterness over the fire sale of '97, but this team won the World Series in '03! They have been in contention for a wild card or division title for the past two years. This has made very little impact on the "fans' in South Florida.

I've heard lots of reasons why Baseball has not been successful in South Florida, including that there's just too much to do. I guess the people in NY, Chicago, LA, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, etc, have nothing to do in those boring cities. How they long for Baseball to take them away from the endless drudgery that is their allotted city. I don't think that anyone can come up with a definitive reason of why Baseball failed in South Florida. My suspicion is that Miami is filled with transplants from other places. Whether it's snowbirds from up north or Immigrants from the south. Most show up with team affiliations already ingrained. They simply are not looking for another team to embrace. They will make the occasional trip to see a live baseball game, but there's no passion. TV now allows everyone to follow his or her favorite teams.

The only real team that South Florida supports is the Dolphins. They seem to be immune from the whims of the transitory population. Trust me on this one. I remember when no one cared about the Hurricanes, or the Heat. It seems that if it's the trendy thing to do, people in Miami will hop on for the ride. But they are just as eager to hop off when the ride's over. Sure, they'll support the Marlins in the playoffs, but they really can't be bothered during the regular season.

Miami really doesn't deserve a Baseball team. There are other markets that will support this team. Markets where Baseball means something other than being at the cool place to be seen by others. It's sad because it'll be a while before MLB tries to put another team in Miami. A whole generation of Miami kids will have to travel to Tampa to see Major League Baseball (and I'm not going to make any crack about the quality of baseball in Tampa). Miami isn't going to miss the Marlins. It'll just wait for the next cool thing and jump on for the ride.

I Don't Know How to Quit You

We have the latest example of the unabashed man love that takes place in the press over J.J. Redick. Gregg Doyel of CBS Sportsline has these fine words to share with us:

"I like J.J. Redick. Actually, that's not strong enough. Not nearly so. I don't just like J.J. Redick. I like dolphins. I like $12 appetizers. I'm in love with J.J. Redick...Redick, is my favorite player in nine years as a college basketball writer. I'm allowed to have a favorite, you know."

Okay, so he's got some sort of major man crush on Redick, but that shouldn't cloud his judgment as an objective writer, right? Wrong, wrong! Here's what he said later:

"He's good, J.J. Redick. He's better than anyone you've ever seen in college basketball. Probably better than anyone you will see in the future."

Wow, Gregg not only decided that Redick is the not only the greatest player that we've ever seen, he's the greatest that we'll ever see. Don't you think this greatest player of all time could at least lead the nation in scoring. I mean since shooting is all that he does? As far as I know, he's second to Adam Morrison. Don't you think the greatest player of all time should be able to do more than score? What about rebounding or passing or defense? I guess to Gregg these are minor points of the game. Sorry Oscar, Jerry, Larry, Magic, Michael, you guys were wasting your time with that other stuff. Love is apparently blind and stupid.

Here's his closing line:

"One day I'll tell my kids I saw the greatest shooter in college basketball history"

I think I'm going to cry. Well, cry or go and beat the shit out of Gregg Doyel. He could tell his kids that he saw the greatest shooter in history and he could also tell them that pigs fly out of his ass every half an hour, but neither of those statements would be true (actually I don't know about the pigs, but I'm not going to do any follow up on that one). I don't have to go that far back in history to find Ray Allen, Glen Rice, Chris Jackson, Chris Mullin or Dennis Scott, any of whom I would take over Redick. He bases this "greatest shooter" label on the fact that Reddick has more 3 pointers than anyone else in the history of College Basketball. That is true, but what he doesn't tell you is that the greatest shooters from the past didn't have a 3 point line to shoot from. Pete Maravich averaged 44 points a game for his career without the benefit of a 3 point line. How many 3 pointers do you think he would have had? Jerry West, Larry Bird, Bill Bradley? The number would have been well beyond Redick's reach.

It's this kind of shortsighted analysis that gives sports writers a bad name. I guess if he wasn't this asinine, I wouldn't have had anything to write about today, so I should be grateful. Thanks Gregg Doyel. You really deserve my first annual "I don't think Brokeback Mountain went far enough" award. Congratulations!

There's a poll attached to the is article that asks if Redick is the greatest player of all time. The saddest part of this whole fiasco is not that this idiotic poll was included, but that 31% of the respondents said yes. I'm really worried about the future of this country.

By the way, if you care to see this trash, here's the link: http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9274126