This isn't on ESPN or anything, but during the M's Yanks game today, it said so during the 7th inning. Personally, I don't care, I think Clemens is overrated, and by playoff time, his fat tired old body is so useless that he won't help his team much anyways. He's never been much of a playoff factor anyways. Good move for the Yanks though, because with a strong AL Central, they're not guaranteed a playoff spot.
Update: So Roger is going to be paid $4.5 million per month for what would've been $28 million over a full year. I bet they got this number just so he's the highest paid player, which is dumb because he's not the best player, and he'll cost the Yanks $7 million or more in luxury tax. I also hate this because I hate Roger's mercenary attitude and the whole give me attention thing, I'm sick of it. Retire already you fat lard.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Mariners back over .500
Despite losing 6 games in a row last week, and being swept in two series, and despite Jeff Weaver being the worst pitcher alive, the M's are now above .500 with a record of 11-10.
It's pretty clear that anyone from AAA, whether is Jorge Campillo, Jake Woods, Ryan Feierabend, or even Brandon Morrow or Sean Green, we'd do better than having Weaver start. He has no stuff, his attitude sucks, and he sucks the life out of the team by giving up so many runs so early. He's also killing the bullpen by not making it out of the 3rd inning ever.
Bad news though, we don't play a sub .500 team (except for the Yanks) until the 22nd, so this stretch of games could very well determine our season and the fate of Ichiro perhaps.
Unexpected surprises so far? Vidro is leading the team in BA with a .315, Jose Lopez has the highest OPS with .780 (Johjima's .933 doesn't have enough at-bats to qualify), Beltre leads the team with 2 stolen bases, Raul Ibanez has the least hrs for a regular on the team with 1, Jamie Burks has a line of .375/.474/.625, and our starting pitching is actually starting to look decent.
For Youngsters, Brandon Morrow has had some great relief appearances, just blowing by his 99 mph fastball to get guys to strike out when he needs to. Matt Tuiasosopo, whom everyone stupidly called a bust last year, is tearing up AA with lines of .371/.478/.506. He's starting to hit doubles too, so I can only expect the HRs to come. Wlad Balentien is equally impressive with .371/.436/.640 with 6 HRs. Wlad is still just 22, and Tui is just turning 21, so needless to say both these guys could be studs, and if not great trade bait.
It's pretty clear that anyone from AAA, whether is Jorge Campillo, Jake Woods, Ryan Feierabend, or even Brandon Morrow or Sean Green, we'd do better than having Weaver start. He has no stuff, his attitude sucks, and he sucks the life out of the team by giving up so many runs so early. He's also killing the bullpen by not making it out of the 3rd inning ever.
Bad news though, we don't play a sub .500 team (except for the Yanks) until the 22nd, so this stretch of games could very well determine our season and the fate of Ichiro perhaps.
Unexpected surprises so far? Vidro is leading the team in BA with a .315, Jose Lopez has the highest OPS with .780 (Johjima's .933 doesn't have enough at-bats to qualify), Beltre leads the team with 2 stolen bases, Raul Ibanez has the least hrs for a regular on the team with 1, Jamie Burks has a line of .375/.474/.625, and our starting pitching is actually starting to look decent.
For Youngsters, Brandon Morrow has had some great relief appearances, just blowing by his 99 mph fastball to get guys to strike out when he needs to. Matt Tuiasosopo, whom everyone stupidly called a bust last year, is tearing up AA with lines of .371/.478/.506. He's starting to hit doubles too, so I can only expect the HRs to come. Wlad Balentien is equally impressive with .371/.436/.640 with 6 HRs. Wlad is still just 22, and Tui is just turning 21, so needless to say both these guys could be studs, and if not great trade bait.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
NBA Playoffs
Well, so far, there have been THREE Sweeps in the East, and the West has been equally interesting (read Houston vs Utah, and Dallas vs Golden State).
Eastern Conference:
Detroit vs. Orlando:
Did anyone think Orlando was going to win one? They have Dwight Howard, who isn't quite there yet. Jameer Nelson should never be a second player on a good team, and an aging Grant Hill.
Cleveland vs. Washington:
NO ONE should Praise Lebron for sweeping the Wizards. Besides Antawn Jamison, they have NOTHING. NOTHING!
Chicago vs. Miami:
WOW. THis series could not have turned out better. Miami got swept and they deserved it. You can't just walk through the regular season and hope to turn on a switch. Also, Hinrich played great defense on Wade despite Wade getting special treatment for the refs. OVerall this was a 2 person team with 2 guys who aren't even that good (Wade's shoulder and inability to shoot, and Shaq's oldness) against an up and coming complete team. Deng was awesome, Gordon provides some timely scoring (thought I think he shoots to much) and Wallace even played very well.
New Jersey vs. Toronto:
Lots of people picked New Jersey, despite Toronto playing well in the second half. Still Toronto is too young, and Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson should be too much, and it looks like they might be.
Western Conference:
Dallas vs. Golden State:
Well, the Warriors have wont 8 of the last 9 and this is a good story of Don Nelson vs. the team he built, 8 seed vs 1. Sure its a great underdog story, but if I were the league, I'd MAKE Dallas win because they seem to have decent character guys, where Golden State has Baron Davis, who isn't too high on my list, and Stephen Jackson, who isn't high on anyone's list. Still, Dirk is getting a lot of criticism, as he should for his "if we don't win this game (game 5), we probably won't win the series) comment." HOWEVER, Avery Johnson should not blame Dirk, since he is being THOROUGHLY outcoached. Looking back on this, Avery Johnson should NOT have EVER been considered for Coach of the Year, and Dirk should NOT be MVP.
More on this matchup is the talent levels of each team. Golden State is not that much worse. How good is Dallas anyways? There second best player is Josh Howard, and he's not even that good. So it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they lost. Not now, not before the series.
San Antonio vs. Denver:
Denver sucks. Carmelo is fat. Iverson is a loser. Spurs are winners despite me not liking them. That's all I have to say.
Phoenix vs. L.A. Lakers:
The Lakers cannot win this if Kobe has to do it all, it has to be a team effort because while Kobe can outscore bad teams, he can't outscore good teams, and he CERTAINLY cannot outscore Phoenix. That said, Kobe's team isn't good enough. Bynum is too young (not that I think he'll be good later), Kwame will never play up to his talent, and Odom can only do too much.
Houston vs. Utah:
Good matchup of a good well-rounded team (Utah) against Houston, essentially a 2 man team with some good parts (Battier, and ... some other dudes). I hope Houston wins, but it could go either way.
Eastern Conference:
Detroit vs. Orlando:
Did anyone think Orlando was going to win one? They have Dwight Howard, who isn't quite there yet. Jameer Nelson should never be a second player on a good team, and an aging Grant Hill.
Cleveland vs. Washington:
NO ONE should Praise Lebron for sweeping the Wizards. Besides Antawn Jamison, they have NOTHING. NOTHING!
Chicago vs. Miami:
WOW. THis series could not have turned out better. Miami got swept and they deserved it. You can't just walk through the regular season and hope to turn on a switch. Also, Hinrich played great defense on Wade despite Wade getting special treatment for the refs. OVerall this was a 2 person team with 2 guys who aren't even that good (Wade's shoulder and inability to shoot, and Shaq's oldness) against an up and coming complete team. Deng was awesome, Gordon provides some timely scoring (thought I think he shoots to much) and Wallace even played very well.
New Jersey vs. Toronto:
Lots of people picked New Jersey, despite Toronto playing well in the second half. Still Toronto is too young, and Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson should be too much, and it looks like they might be.
Western Conference:
Dallas vs. Golden State:
Well, the Warriors have wont 8 of the last 9 and this is a good story of Don Nelson vs. the team he built, 8 seed vs 1. Sure its a great underdog story, but if I were the league, I'd MAKE Dallas win because they seem to have decent character guys, where Golden State has Baron Davis, who isn't too high on my list, and Stephen Jackson, who isn't high on anyone's list. Still, Dirk is getting a lot of criticism, as he should for his "if we don't win this game (game 5), we probably won't win the series) comment." HOWEVER, Avery Johnson should not blame Dirk, since he is being THOROUGHLY outcoached. Looking back on this, Avery Johnson should NOT have EVER been considered for Coach of the Year, and Dirk should NOT be MVP.
More on this matchup is the talent levels of each team. Golden State is not that much worse. How good is Dallas anyways? There second best player is Josh Howard, and he's not even that good. So it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they lost. Not now, not before the series.
San Antonio vs. Denver:
Denver sucks. Carmelo is fat. Iverson is a loser. Spurs are winners despite me not liking them. That's all I have to say.
Phoenix vs. L.A. Lakers:
The Lakers cannot win this if Kobe has to do it all, it has to be a team effort because while Kobe can outscore bad teams, he can't outscore good teams, and he CERTAINLY cannot outscore Phoenix. That said, Kobe's team isn't good enough. Bynum is too young (not that I think he'll be good later), Kwame will never play up to his talent, and Odom can only do too much.
Houston vs. Utah:
Good matchup of a good well-rounded team (Utah) against Houston, essentially a 2 man team with some good parts (Battier, and ... some other dudes). I hope Houston wins, but it could go either way.
Monday, April 30, 2007
NFL Draft: Seahawks
NFL Draft is over, and the Seahawks had a so so draft. Ruskell did his patented draft high character, good work ethic undersized/undervalued guys thing, that's a good idea to have for a few picks, but not all the picks.
His first pick was the 55th pick overall in the late 2nd round, and he picked Josh Wilson, a CB from Maryland. I was hoping for a TE or a G, but the two best TEs were taken, and no guards were here that we couldn't get about the same value in the 3rd round. Wilson is blazing fast and really strong for a guy his size. He'll be a great return man, and an awesome nickelback. I'm happy about this because Arizona and St. Louis always have a good aerial assault, so a nickelback is important, especially if it gets Kelly Herndon off the field, and especially if we get as many injuries as last year.
Our third round pick was Brandon Mebane, a high character, undersized DT, who fits well in a rotating scheme. I, along with others, wanted us to take Michael Bush, the 250 pound back from Louisville, but apparently Ruskell felt that there would be better backs in later drafts, and that Alexander would be adequate next year. This is exactly what we do, so it's easy to see why Ruskell took him, though I think there were decent tackles available later. The best part about him is that he's great against the run, and that's what we need, especially if Tubbs is injured. So far, so good, not much complaints.
Our first 4th round pick was Baraka Atkins, perhaps our best pick of the draft, from a value standpoint. He oozes 2nd round talent because he's big, heavy, and fast, and will be a great DE later. He's a steal, and I'm glad we got him, though I really wanted a TE or a G at this point because I felt these were the only areas of need so far.
With our second pick in the 4th round, we got Mansfield Wrotto, a DT for three years, then a OT for his senior year, who is projected to be an OG. This guy looks like he'll be raw, with upside to improve, but the problem is, is that we had to trade Darrell Jackson to get him. And we traded him to the 49ers, a team that is in our division and beat us twice last year. DJack for a 4th rounder, Randy Moss for a 4th rounder, but Branch for a 1st rounder? Something doesn't make sense here. That is just poor planning on the part of the Seahawks managment, because DJack > Branch, and 1st round pick >>>>> 4th round pick. Holmgren was mad we got so little in return, and rightfully so, Hasselbeck was probably mad as well because that was his favorite receiver. Just a very stupid move by the organization. I was pretty much yelling at the tv for the Seahawks to take Kevin Boss, a TE from Western Oregon at this point, and the didn't.
With our round 5 selection we could have taken Ben Patrick a TE from Delaware, or Michael Allan, a TE from Whitmore. Both would have been great picks because we need a TE. Patrick was projected to go to Seattle in the 3rd round on most mocks, though I'd seen him go in the 2nd on a few. Allan is a project who is a late bloomer and could be real good in a few years, which is fine with me because Pollard will be good for a few more years. Instead, we took Will Herring, a saftey for three years, who played linebacker his senior year. He's friends with Ben Obamanu, and he's currently the FCA leader at Auburn, which is the position Obamanu held last year. It's great to get character guys, but you can't win based solely on character, you need talent as well.
On to the 6th round, where the Hawks were fortunate enough to take Ben Patrick or Michael Allan yet again. Instead we took to WRs, a position we are extremely deep in. First we took Courtney Taylor, a WR from Auburn, then Jordan Kent, a WR from Oregon. Taylor is the all-time leading reception leader at Auburn, and he had a poor senior year because of ankle problems. He's a solid pick, except for the fact that we don't really need him, unless we foresee dumping Burleson or Branch in the near future. I actually love the Kent pick because he went to Oregon to play basketball and track, so you' know he's a great athlete. He picked up football his Junior year, and was a bit raw, but showed that he could play. He's also the son of Ernie Kent, Oregon's basketball coach, so you know athletics play a big part in his life.
For the last round, Patrick was taken early in the 7th, and Michael Allan was taken by the chiefs, just one pick before. I don't think Ruskell would've taken him anyways. We instead got Steve Vallos, an OT from Wake Forest. He was All-ACC last year, and he All-American on some lists. He could be a great guard from what I hear, and I like this pick because line depth is something we need, and drafting two OGs gives us a better chance of one panning out.
For Undrafted guys, we picked up 11 guys, most notably Joe Newton from Oregon State, CJ Wallace from UW, and Tim Mixon from Cal, Kenny James from UW, and Tafisi from Cal. I love getting Newton, because for TEs, I wanted to get one of the top two, if not then I wanted Boss, but if not them, Allan, Patrick, and Newton were all fine with me, and we got Newton for nothing. He's 6'7", is a solid blocker, and can catch bad passes in traffic. His problems are staying healthy and being a tad slow at 4.9 for his 40 yard dash. CJ Wallace played safety for UW, and was amazing. He seemed to have a hand on almost every play. Kenny James played RB for UW, and our RBs last year were a mess, so I don't see him doing too well, but seeing as how we don't really have a 3rd string running back who's any good, he could fit in well. From Cal we got Mixon and Tafisi. Mixon is awesome, he's a tough ass safety who's only 5'9" but is adequatley fast at 5'9" though he lacks size at only 184. At worst he'll be dynamite as a special teams guy, at best he'll be a good cover safety. He's like a poor man's Polamalu because he reads coverages so well, and tackles real well. Tafisi is a DE who is described as "the motor that drives Cal's defense". One downside is that he'll be 26 next month, but he is the type of player who's hunger and work ethic will inspire others on the team to work harder. Can't go wrong with a player like this either for UDFA's.
Overall, I like Ruskell's draft, I just wish he placed some emphasis on conforming his picks and basing his picks on talent, because he can't find every diamond in the rough.
His first pick was the 55th pick overall in the late 2nd round, and he picked Josh Wilson, a CB from Maryland. I was hoping for a TE or a G, but the two best TEs were taken, and no guards were here that we couldn't get about the same value in the 3rd round. Wilson is blazing fast and really strong for a guy his size. He'll be a great return man, and an awesome nickelback. I'm happy about this because Arizona and St. Louis always have a good aerial assault, so a nickelback is important, especially if it gets Kelly Herndon off the field, and especially if we get as many injuries as last year.
Our third round pick was Brandon Mebane, a high character, undersized DT, who fits well in a rotating scheme. I, along with others, wanted us to take Michael Bush, the 250 pound back from Louisville, but apparently Ruskell felt that there would be better backs in later drafts, and that Alexander would be adequate next year. This is exactly what we do, so it's easy to see why Ruskell took him, though I think there were decent tackles available later. The best part about him is that he's great against the run, and that's what we need, especially if Tubbs is injured. So far, so good, not much complaints.
Our first 4th round pick was Baraka Atkins, perhaps our best pick of the draft, from a value standpoint. He oozes 2nd round talent because he's big, heavy, and fast, and will be a great DE later. He's a steal, and I'm glad we got him, though I really wanted a TE or a G at this point because I felt these were the only areas of need so far.
With our second pick in the 4th round, we got Mansfield Wrotto, a DT for three years, then a OT for his senior year, who is projected to be an OG. This guy looks like he'll be raw, with upside to improve, but the problem is, is that we had to trade Darrell Jackson to get him. And we traded him to the 49ers, a team that is in our division and beat us twice last year. DJack for a 4th rounder, Randy Moss for a 4th rounder, but Branch for a 1st rounder? Something doesn't make sense here. That is just poor planning on the part of the Seahawks managment, because DJack > Branch, and 1st round pick >>>>> 4th round pick. Holmgren was mad we got so little in return, and rightfully so, Hasselbeck was probably mad as well because that was his favorite receiver. Just a very stupid move by the organization. I was pretty much yelling at the tv for the Seahawks to take Kevin Boss, a TE from Western Oregon at this point, and the didn't.
With our round 5 selection we could have taken Ben Patrick a TE from Delaware, or Michael Allan, a TE from Whitmore. Both would have been great picks because we need a TE. Patrick was projected to go to Seattle in the 3rd round on most mocks, though I'd seen him go in the 2nd on a few. Allan is a project who is a late bloomer and could be real good in a few years, which is fine with me because Pollard will be good for a few more years. Instead, we took Will Herring, a saftey for three years, who played linebacker his senior year. He's friends with Ben Obamanu, and he's currently the FCA leader at Auburn, which is the position Obamanu held last year. It's great to get character guys, but you can't win based solely on character, you need talent as well.
On to the 6th round, where the Hawks were fortunate enough to take Ben Patrick or Michael Allan yet again. Instead we took to WRs, a position we are extremely deep in. First we took Courtney Taylor, a WR from Auburn, then Jordan Kent, a WR from Oregon. Taylor is the all-time leading reception leader at Auburn, and he had a poor senior year because of ankle problems. He's a solid pick, except for the fact that we don't really need him, unless we foresee dumping Burleson or Branch in the near future. I actually love the Kent pick because he went to Oregon to play basketball and track, so you' know he's a great athlete. He picked up football his Junior year, and was a bit raw, but showed that he could play. He's also the son of Ernie Kent, Oregon's basketball coach, so you know athletics play a big part in his life.
For the last round, Patrick was taken early in the 7th, and Michael Allan was taken by the chiefs, just one pick before. I don't think Ruskell would've taken him anyways. We instead got Steve Vallos, an OT from Wake Forest. He was All-ACC last year, and he All-American on some lists. He could be a great guard from what I hear, and I like this pick because line depth is something we need, and drafting two OGs gives us a better chance of one panning out.
For Undrafted guys, we picked up 11 guys, most notably Joe Newton from Oregon State, CJ Wallace from UW, and Tim Mixon from Cal, Kenny James from UW, and Tafisi from Cal. I love getting Newton, because for TEs, I wanted to get one of the top two, if not then I wanted Boss, but if not them, Allan, Patrick, and Newton were all fine with me, and we got Newton for nothing. He's 6'7", is a solid blocker, and can catch bad passes in traffic. His problems are staying healthy and being a tad slow at 4.9 for his 40 yard dash. CJ Wallace played safety for UW, and was amazing. He seemed to have a hand on almost every play. Kenny James played RB for UW, and our RBs last year were a mess, so I don't see him doing too well, but seeing as how we don't really have a 3rd string running back who's any good, he could fit in well. From Cal we got Mixon and Tafisi. Mixon is awesome, he's a tough ass safety who's only 5'9" but is adequatley fast at 5'9" though he lacks size at only 184. At worst he'll be dynamite as a special teams guy, at best he'll be a good cover safety. He's like a poor man's Polamalu because he reads coverages so well, and tackles real well. Tafisi is a DE who is described as "the motor that drives Cal's defense". One downside is that he'll be 26 next month, but he is the type of player who's hunger and work ethic will inspire others on the team to work harder. Can't go wrong with a player like this either for UDFA's.
Overall, I like Ruskell's draft, I just wish he placed some emphasis on conforming his picks and basing his picks on talent, because he can't find every diamond in the rough.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Vegas, Baby!
Well, according to ESPN.com, SuperSonics (and Storm) owner Clay Bennett is taking a "really hard look right now" at Las Vegas as a possible destination for the franchise(s).
For some reason, it never really occurred to me that they would move the Sonics anywhere but Oklahoma City, and for this reason, I was mildly optimistic, because there isn't an owner in the league who doesn't realistically believe that a market as big as Seattle doesn't have more earning potential than one as cowtownish as the OKC. However, like the hangover I currently have, the possibility of Vegas makes me uneasy.
First of all, I think Vegas still has a few hurdles to hurdle over in a hurdling motion before it can have an NBA team. Still, because of the successful Sin City All-Star Game this last February, some of those hurdles have been hurdled with near-hurdle inducing quickness.
Another question to ponder for Bennett, the Maloofs, and other who think a basketball team in Vegas is a good idea: do you really think a basketball team in Vegas is a good idea? Who would really go to Vegas to watch a basketball game? That's like going to Seattle just to get good barbeque, and though "Home of Good Barbeque" on Yesler is bombin', you may be better off going to a different city to get your barbeque on. Now I'm hungry. What were we talking about?
Anyway, assuming the Sacto Kings don't move there first, it looks like Vegas has become a possible destination for the Supes. Stay tuned.
For some reason, it never really occurred to me that they would move the Sonics anywhere but Oklahoma City, and for this reason, I was mildly optimistic, because there isn't an owner in the league who doesn't realistically believe that a market as big as Seattle doesn't have more earning potential than one as cowtownish as the OKC. However, like the hangover I currently have, the possibility of Vegas makes me uneasy.
First of all, I think Vegas still has a few hurdles to hurdle over in a hurdling motion before it can have an NBA team. Still, because of the successful Sin City All-Star Game this last February, some of those hurdles have been hurdled with near-hurdle inducing quickness.
Another question to ponder for Bennett, the Maloofs, and other who think a basketball team in Vegas is a good idea: do you really think a basketball team in Vegas is a good idea? Who would really go to Vegas to watch a basketball game? That's like going to Seattle just to get good barbeque, and though "Home of Good Barbeque" on Yesler is bombin', you may be better off going to a different city to get your barbeque on. Now I'm hungry. What were we talking about?
Anyway, assuming the Sacto Kings don't move there first, it looks like Vegas has become a possible destination for the Supes. Stay tuned.
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