Unintentionally I ended up at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Sunday to watch the Rockies take on the Giants. Well, I was there intentionally, but the fact that my home team was there was a pure luck.
When it came to the game, I got everything I could have asked for: runs, Bonds HR and a Rockies extra inning victory. It was almost as if I had written the script for the game.
It was truly an exhilarating experience seeing Bonds take Bucholtz yard. For as much as I hate him, and everything he has done to get in the position he is at, seeing him homer into single digits of Aaron was a sight. Even after the dinger, the Rockies were still leading, so I didn’t mind standing with the crowd and watching Bonds makes his 746th trot around the bases. I didn’t clap or cheer, but seeing a monumental event like that was a great experience for any fan.
As for the game…. I was there with my less-than-baseball-knowledgeable fiance’. I will give her credit that she deserves. I did teach her how to score a ball game and she embraced the challenge. Midway through the game, though, she was overcome by the brisk San Francisco air and handed the scorebook my way to finish out the game. But for it being probably her 5th game ever (4 of which have been with me in the past 2 baseball seasons) I was proud.
The Giants tied the game up in the bottom of the 9th and sent the game to extra innings. The Rockies had their 4, 5 and 6 hitters up in the top of the 10th, so all was good on the Rockies front.
The finace’ and I moved down to the 3rd row for the extra frame and got to see a great display.
Leading off, Todd Helton roped a single to the outfield. He was then replaced by Kaz Matsui, who got to second on a passed ball. Garret Akins then hit, arguably, his hardest shot of the year, only to be caught at the wall by Giants CF Randy Winn. For some unapparent reason, though, Kaz didn’t tag up and returned to second, bringing up Mr ClutchORADO himself, Troy Tulowitski.
I learned over to the fiance’ and whispered about Troy clutch hitting in the past and he didn’t make me sound like an amateur, roping an RBI single and advancing to second on the throw home.
After a Chris Ianetta RBI double and a 1-2-Bonds Walk-4 inning by Fuentes, the Rockies flew back home with the franchise’s first sweep in SF.
All said and done, Bonds going yard, Tulo getting the GWRBI and the Rockies sweeping the Giants made the game a truly unbelievable experience that I shall cherish for a lifetime.
- SEO, TEO
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Ping Pong
The Pacific Northwest made out Tuesday evening in the annual NBA Lottery bingo night.
Greg Oden in Portland with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge will be a force to be reckoned with for some time. Kevin Durant freeing up shots for Ray Allen will also make the Sonics a team to watch.
But the luckiest draft spot, for the NBA, was the Hawks going at #3. Had they not hit one of the top three spots, the Phoenix Suns would have secured their spot and would have only made the rich get even richer.
For the fourth year in a row, the Nuggets weren’t in the running for the top spot. It wasn’t like this was 2002 when their third selection netted them Melo, who at this pace will go down as one of the top Nuggets of all time.
No, for the fourth year in a row the Nuggets made the playoffs and had no shot at a lottery pick. This is also the fourth year in a row that they were bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
(Another time, probably closer to the start of the NBA season, I will analyze what the Nuggets need to do in order to advance deeper into the playoffs.)
Today, the discussion is around the NBA Draft and why the Nuggets not only do not have a lottery pick, but do not have a selection in the draft at all.
Usually no draft selections is a bad thing, besides, how can you build your team around a strong, young nucleus without the help of strong, young athletes?
Instead, the Nuggets traded away their pick for a shooting guard out of Georgetown with 10 years experience. Obviously I am talking about AI.
Now ESPN Insider, Chad Ford put up his latest mock draft after the lottery was announced. Obviously he has Oden and Durant at 1 and 2 and then the usual cast of characters follows.
Scanning down the list you see some guys who could alter the shape of basketball for years to come: Conley Jr, Brewer, Rush, Wright, Wright. Keep going down to pick 21 where Ford thinks the 76ers will draft Duke PF Josh McRoberts.
Without the AI trade, this would have been the Nuggets selection. I highly doubt that the Nuggets would have gone with the big man, having Nene, Kleiza, Najera, Camby, and K Mart on their squad. But looking past McRoberts at some of the guys the Nuggets would have had a chance to select just reiterates how well the Nuggets did in this trade.
If AI’s career were the workweek, he would be on Wednesday, hump day. He is not falling off, but he has probably seen his game elevate to the top and, although it can stay there a while longer, it is probably not going to keep rising. What you see in AI is what you get.
That is not to say that he doesn’t have another 5-7 All Star caliber seasons left in him, he most certainly does. That is just to say that he has reached and exceed his potential and we know what we are going to get from him.
So scanning past McRoberts you still see Brandon Rush and Daequan Cook on the board, along with a handful of foreign imports and some pretty good athletes.
It should just be apparent that this AI trade was one of the biggest in the league this year, and one of th ebiggest in the Nugget’s history.
Time may reveal that Cook or Gabe Puritt from USC will turn out to be the next AI. Time has a tendency to weed to good and bad picks and ruin GMs credibility’s.
So even though the NBA Draft may not be as fun for Nuggets fans as it has been in the past, in the meantime, for the next 5-7 All Star years, I think selecting AI with the 21st pick will turn out to be one of the top 3 picks in this year’s draft.
- SEO, TEO
Greg Oden in Portland with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge will be a force to be reckoned with for some time. Kevin Durant freeing up shots for Ray Allen will also make the Sonics a team to watch.
But the luckiest draft spot, for the NBA, was the Hawks going at #3. Had they not hit one of the top three spots, the Phoenix Suns would have secured their spot and would have only made the rich get even richer.
For the fourth year in a row, the Nuggets weren’t in the running for the top spot. It wasn’t like this was 2002 when their third selection netted them Melo, who at this pace will go down as one of the top Nuggets of all time.
No, for the fourth year in a row the Nuggets made the playoffs and had no shot at a lottery pick. This is also the fourth year in a row that they were bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
(Another time, probably closer to the start of the NBA season, I will analyze what the Nuggets need to do in order to advance deeper into the playoffs.)
Today, the discussion is around the NBA Draft and why the Nuggets not only do not have a lottery pick, but do not have a selection in the draft at all.
Usually no draft selections is a bad thing, besides, how can you build your team around a strong, young nucleus without the help of strong, young athletes?
Instead, the Nuggets traded away their pick for a shooting guard out of Georgetown with 10 years experience. Obviously I am talking about AI.
Now ESPN Insider, Chad Ford put up his latest mock draft after the lottery was announced. Obviously he has Oden and Durant at 1 and 2 and then the usual cast of characters follows.
Scanning down the list you see some guys who could alter the shape of basketball for years to come: Conley Jr, Brewer, Rush, Wright, Wright. Keep going down to pick 21 where Ford thinks the 76ers will draft Duke PF Josh McRoberts.
Without the AI trade, this would have been the Nuggets selection. I highly doubt that the Nuggets would have gone with the big man, having Nene, Kleiza, Najera, Camby, and K Mart on their squad. But looking past McRoberts at some of the guys the Nuggets would have had a chance to select just reiterates how well the Nuggets did in this trade.
If AI’s career were the workweek, he would be on Wednesday, hump day. He is not falling off, but he has probably seen his game elevate to the top and, although it can stay there a while longer, it is probably not going to keep rising. What you see in AI is what you get.
That is not to say that he doesn’t have another 5-7 All Star caliber seasons left in him, he most certainly does. That is just to say that he has reached and exceed his potential and we know what we are going to get from him.
So scanning past McRoberts you still see Brandon Rush and Daequan Cook on the board, along with a handful of foreign imports and some pretty good athletes.
It should just be apparent that this AI trade was one of the biggest in the league this year, and one of th ebiggest in the Nugget’s history.
Time may reveal that Cook or Gabe Puritt from USC will turn out to be the next AI. Time has a tendency to weed to good and bad picks and ruin GMs credibility’s.
So even though the NBA Draft may not be as fun for Nuggets fans as it has been in the past, in the meantime, for the next 5-7 All Star years, I think selecting AI with the 21st pick will turn out to be one of the top 3 picks in this year’s draft.
- SEO, TEO
Thursday, May 24, 2007
ClutchORADO
For those of us who grew up watching sitcoms in the 80s, Growing Pains has to be one of those shows in the forefront of our memories.
Originally it was 5 Seavers: Mike, Carol, Ben, Jason and Maggie. Then, most likely to boost ratings, they brought in Luke Brower, the rough kid from the streets who added a bit of intrigue to the family dynamics.
Well, fast forward 15 years, and so goes the story line of the 2007 Colorado Rockies. Last year it was Helton. Holliday, Atkins, Francis and Fuentes. Then, most likely to boost the team’s wins, they brought in Troy Tulowitzki.
This fresh-faced kid out of Long Beach State had a pretty good reputation coming into pro ball. He was the 7th overall selection in the 2005 MLB Draft and his scouting report said he could field anything hit his way. His one question mark was at the plate. Could this kid, who lives and breathes baseball, hit major league pitching.
Looking solely at his batting average, you wouldn’t think he had caught one, hitting at the .250 mark. But it isn’t the first 8 innings that you need to look at when evaluating Tulowitski’s performance, it is the 9th inning.
Tulowitzki has ice in his veins. He get clutch hit after clutch hit. This is a guarantee, if Tulowitzki is up in a clutch situation, he will get you that hit. He has shown it time and time again this year, most recently in the extra innings game against KC (which they eventually lost) and then again 2 nights later in Arizona.
And it isn’t just late innings when Tulo shines. He is batting .333 with runners in scoring position. For a team that isn’t getting very much run support, that number glows even brighter.
With the return of Kaz Matsui, the batting order has shifted a little bit and Tulo is now in the 7th spot. Originally I had my qualms with this placement, but thinking about it, this may make sense in the interim.
Ahead of Tulo is now the meat of the lineup. If, and when they get on, Tulo is there to knock them in. Even though he isn’t anywhere near the top of the league in RBI, you have to consider that he was batting ahead of table-setters like Holliday and Helton for a month. His RBI will rise.
Knowing all this shows that Tulo is the real deal. What we need to get behind Tulo on is his at bats early on in the game and without runners in scoring position. He is obviously doing something right when the game is on the line, that he needs to do earlier on. Whether it is concentrating harder or moving his hands up the bat, we need to gt behind Tulo in the early inning so that he can hit .333 regardless of the situation.
Think about that for a moment. If Tulo was hitting above .300 and Atkins straightened his swing out, the Rox would have a heart of a line-up that would match any in the league.
So, think again back to Growing Pains. You liked the show and then they brought in Luke Brower, and you had some reservations. Then you watched a re-run and realized that Leo DiCaprio played Luke. You missed your chance to peg Leo as the next up and comer.
Don’t let that happen with Tulo. Hop on the bandwagon today.
- SEO, TEO
Originally it was 5 Seavers: Mike, Carol, Ben, Jason and Maggie. Then, most likely to boost ratings, they brought in Luke Brower, the rough kid from the streets who added a bit of intrigue to the family dynamics.
Well, fast forward 15 years, and so goes the story line of the 2007 Colorado Rockies. Last year it was Helton. Holliday, Atkins, Francis and Fuentes. Then, most likely to boost the team’s wins, they brought in Troy Tulowitzki.
This fresh-faced kid out of Long Beach State had a pretty good reputation coming into pro ball. He was the 7th overall selection in the 2005 MLB Draft and his scouting report said he could field anything hit his way. His one question mark was at the plate. Could this kid, who lives and breathes baseball, hit major league pitching.
Looking solely at his batting average, you wouldn’t think he had caught one, hitting at the .250 mark. But it isn’t the first 8 innings that you need to look at when evaluating Tulowitski’s performance, it is the 9th inning.
Tulowitzki has ice in his veins. He get clutch hit after clutch hit. This is a guarantee, if Tulowitzki is up in a clutch situation, he will get you that hit. He has shown it time and time again this year, most recently in the extra innings game against KC (which they eventually lost) and then again 2 nights later in Arizona.
And it isn’t just late innings when Tulo shines. He is batting .333 with runners in scoring position. For a team that isn’t getting very much run support, that number glows even brighter.
With the return of Kaz Matsui, the batting order has shifted a little bit and Tulo is now in the 7th spot. Originally I had my qualms with this placement, but thinking about it, this may make sense in the interim.
Ahead of Tulo is now the meat of the lineup. If, and when they get on, Tulo is there to knock them in. Even though he isn’t anywhere near the top of the league in RBI, you have to consider that he was batting ahead of table-setters like Holliday and Helton for a month. His RBI will rise.
Knowing all this shows that Tulo is the real deal. What we need to get behind Tulo on is his at bats early on in the game and without runners in scoring position. He is obviously doing something right when the game is on the line, that he needs to do earlier on. Whether it is concentrating harder or moving his hands up the bat, we need to gt behind Tulo in the early inning so that he can hit .333 regardless of the situation.
Think about that for a moment. If Tulo was hitting above .300 and Atkins straightened his swing out, the Rox would have a heart of a line-up that would match any in the league.
So, think again back to Growing Pains. You liked the show and then they brought in Luke Brower, and you had some reservations. Then you watched a re-run and realized that Leo DiCaprio played Luke. You missed your chance to peg Leo as the next up and comer.
Don’t let that happen with Tulo. Hop on the bandwagon today.
- SEO, TEO
Monday, May 21, 2007
The Culture of Winning
After the Rockies defeated the Royals on Saturday night, I was watching the post game report on FOX Sports Rocky Mountain and Tim Ring of The Rockies Post Game Report was interviewing Garret Atkins, who had just hit his first homerun in over a month.
Ring started out with a question about how Atkins had been slumping. He followed it up with a question about how the Rockies had been slumping. Then when he sent it back to the studio he tossed it with something along the lines of “It may be too late for the Rockies, but they won tonight.” (They are less than 10 games out and it is only May!)
This is not the culture that produces champions. This is the culture that produces mediocre season after mediocre season.
There are two types out there. There are the types that have the aura of winning and those that don’t. When you are on a team that perpetual contain winners and those with positive attitudes towards winning, your team has the confidence it needs to win games. Sure, there is skilled involved in winning, but there is also the idea of winning.
Duke basketball, Ohio State football, Yankees baseball, Lakers basketball. Players on these teams know they are playing in a winning atmosphere and act like it on the field/court/diamond like it. Then there are other teams out there, who may have a winning season or two, but the culture doesn’t promote winning. Penn State basketball, Kansas football, Devil Rays baseball, Hornets basketball.
Think about it. How is it possible that the Yankees have been winning World Series for almost 100 years, while their AL East rivals, who also have an unlimited bankroll, have only won 2 in the past 90? How is it that Duke can be universally feared in college basketball for 20 years, while their intrastate rivals Wake Forest and NC State are just blips on the hoops roadmap?
In order for the Rockies to start changing their ways they need to universally have a winning attitude. I do admit that attitude alone won’t win ball games, but if the #8 hitter has the confidence that he can get a clutch hit, then he will get the hit more times than if he thinks he will strike out.
Half of sports are pure athletic ability, half are mental. Why can’t Shaq hit free throws? Because he doesn’t believe he can. Why do pitcher’s ERAs inflate when they are traded to perennial losers? They don’t have faith that their team can come through and over pitch.
The Rockies need to maintain a positive attitude, and keep it throughout the season. The wins may not rack up this year, but eventually the entire team will catch onto a winning idea and will start believing in themselves.
The Rockies have one of the best 1-6 lineups in the NL. Speedy Taveras, clutch Tulowitsky, Holliday, Helton, Atkins, Hawpe. Coupled with timely hits from the bottom of the lineup and what you have is a team that should score a lot of runs…. With the right attitude.
Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t believe that I don’t think Helton isn’t an all star “clubhouse guy.” Don’t, for a second, believe that I don’t think he brings it to the table everyday and wants to win more than anyone in the league. I know he does. I know all of those guys do. Losing stinks. I just think the culture makes it easier for them to lose than win. I think the crowd, the commentators, the media, the bloggers (maybe even this one, although I hope not), all contribute to the losing ways.
We know they have the talent. We know they have the desire. They just need the right attitude. They need the right culture.
==Personal Interesting Note==
During Sunday’s 12 inning affair against the Royals, Matt Holliday was up in the bottom of the ninth and they flashed a stat that Holliday has one walk-off HR in his career. It is an interesting personal note because on Thursday night in my Englewood softball league (scores, standings, schedules on www.whosinfirst.com) I hit a walk off HR in the bottom of the 6th to bring home an 18-16 victory. It was the second walk-off of my softball career, having hit a walk-off grand slam a year earlier.
- SEO, TEO
Ring started out with a question about how Atkins had been slumping. He followed it up with a question about how the Rockies had been slumping. Then when he sent it back to the studio he tossed it with something along the lines of “It may be too late for the Rockies, but they won tonight.” (They are less than 10 games out and it is only May!)
This is not the culture that produces champions. This is the culture that produces mediocre season after mediocre season.
There are two types out there. There are the types that have the aura of winning and those that don’t. When you are on a team that perpetual contain winners and those with positive attitudes towards winning, your team has the confidence it needs to win games. Sure, there is skilled involved in winning, but there is also the idea of winning.
Duke basketball, Ohio State football, Yankees baseball, Lakers basketball. Players on these teams know they are playing in a winning atmosphere and act like it on the field/court/diamond like it. Then there are other teams out there, who may have a winning season or two, but the culture doesn’t promote winning. Penn State basketball, Kansas football, Devil Rays baseball, Hornets basketball.
Think about it. How is it possible that the Yankees have been winning World Series for almost 100 years, while their AL East rivals, who also have an unlimited bankroll, have only won 2 in the past 90? How is it that Duke can be universally feared in college basketball for 20 years, while their intrastate rivals Wake Forest and NC State are just blips on the hoops roadmap?
In order for the Rockies to start changing their ways they need to universally have a winning attitude. I do admit that attitude alone won’t win ball games, but if the #8 hitter has the confidence that he can get a clutch hit, then he will get the hit more times than if he thinks he will strike out.
Half of sports are pure athletic ability, half are mental. Why can’t Shaq hit free throws? Because he doesn’t believe he can. Why do pitcher’s ERAs inflate when they are traded to perennial losers? They don’t have faith that their team can come through and over pitch.
The Rockies need to maintain a positive attitude, and keep it throughout the season. The wins may not rack up this year, but eventually the entire team will catch onto a winning idea and will start believing in themselves.
The Rockies have one of the best 1-6 lineups in the NL. Speedy Taveras, clutch Tulowitsky, Holliday, Helton, Atkins, Hawpe. Coupled with timely hits from the bottom of the lineup and what you have is a team that should score a lot of runs…. With the right attitude.
Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t believe that I don’t think Helton isn’t an all star “clubhouse guy.” Don’t, for a second, believe that I don’t think he brings it to the table everyday and wants to win more than anyone in the league. I know he does. I know all of those guys do. Losing stinks. I just think the culture makes it easier for them to lose than win. I think the crowd, the commentators, the media, the bloggers (maybe even this one, although I hope not), all contribute to the losing ways.
We know they have the talent. We know they have the desire. They just need the right attitude. They need the right culture.
==Personal Interesting Note==
During Sunday’s 12 inning affair against the Royals, Matt Holliday was up in the bottom of the ninth and they flashed a stat that Holliday has one walk-off HR in his career. It is an interesting personal note because on Thursday night in my Englewood softball league (scores, standings, schedules on www.whosinfirst.com) I hit a walk off HR in the bottom of the 6th to bring home an 18-16 victory. It was the second walk-off of my softball career, having hit a walk-off grand slam a year earlier.
- SEO, TEO
Friday, May 18, 2007
Shifting Gears
Beginning Monday, I am going to shift the direction of Strike ‘Em Out, Throw ‘Em Out from a national sports blog to a Concentrated Colorado sports blog.
Not that I don’t and won’t follow the national scene, but I think the Rocky Mountain region needs a good voice, and I will hope to provide it.
The format is going to stay the same, but the frequency is going to change a little bit from a daily blog to a thrice-weekly blog. I am going to try and stick with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday format, but there could be intermittent posts on other days if, say, the Broncos play on MNF.
I think what I can bring to the table is an informed perspective of the area sports scene that is not so disillusioned by having grown up in the shadows of the Rockies during my formidable years. Having moved here 7-years ago I have become a fan of the local teams and seen what they are about through clear eyes. Before moving here my teams were the Ohio State Buckeyes (hometown team), St Louis Cardinals (mom’s hometown team), Tennessee Titans (because of Eddie George), and Mizzou Tigers (alma mater).
In order of adoption I started in with the Nuggets right away, and man were they bad. Juwan Howard and crew had winning totals in the low teens. The Nene-Skita draft was the first I really followed and was psyched about. I then latched onto the Rockies, and have since found myself watching more Rockies games that Cardinals games on the tube. Finally when the Broncos dumped their Wolverine QB, I was able to follow the Broncos. The Buckeye in me would not allow me to root for a team with a Wolverine under center, and when he left and Plummer came on (loser to Ohio State in the 1996 Rose Bowl) I could follow that team.
So I am going to try and stay on course with the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and the area colleges. I may touch upon the Avs, but my hockey knowledge has dwindled since Brett Hull and Adam Oates left the formidable Hull & Oates line in St Louis.
Also, I am going to change the Capps-O-Meter to the Corpas-O-Meter as Manny Corpas has 10 Holds and has as good of a shot at breaking the “unbreakable” Holds record as Capps.
That is the big news. Look for the first local post on Monday. The topic of discussion will be the Rockies-Royals series. In this battle of bottom dwellers, the loser get Greg Oden, winner gets Kevin Durant.
If you are looking for national sports news, check out Dan Shanoff’s blog.
- SEO, TEO
Not that I don’t and won’t follow the national scene, but I think the Rocky Mountain region needs a good voice, and I will hope to provide it.
The format is going to stay the same, but the frequency is going to change a little bit from a daily blog to a thrice-weekly blog. I am going to try and stick with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday format, but there could be intermittent posts on other days if, say, the Broncos play on MNF.
I think what I can bring to the table is an informed perspective of the area sports scene that is not so disillusioned by having grown up in the shadows of the Rockies during my formidable years. Having moved here 7-years ago I have become a fan of the local teams and seen what they are about through clear eyes. Before moving here my teams were the Ohio State Buckeyes (hometown team), St Louis Cardinals (mom’s hometown team), Tennessee Titans (because of Eddie George), and Mizzou Tigers (alma mater).
In order of adoption I started in with the Nuggets right away, and man were they bad. Juwan Howard and crew had winning totals in the low teens. The Nene-Skita draft was the first I really followed and was psyched about. I then latched onto the Rockies, and have since found myself watching more Rockies games that Cardinals games on the tube. Finally when the Broncos dumped their Wolverine QB, I was able to follow the Broncos. The Buckeye in me would not allow me to root for a team with a Wolverine under center, and when he left and Plummer came on (loser to Ohio State in the 1996 Rose Bowl) I could follow that team.
So I am going to try and stay on course with the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and the area colleges. I may touch upon the Avs, but my hockey knowledge has dwindled since Brett Hull and Adam Oates left the formidable Hull & Oates line in St Louis.
Also, I am going to change the Capps-O-Meter to the Corpas-O-Meter as Manny Corpas has 10 Holds and has as good of a shot at breaking the “unbreakable” Holds record as Capps.
That is the big news. Look for the first local post on Monday. The topic of discussion will be the Rockies-Royals series. In this battle of bottom dwellers, the loser get Greg Oden, winner gets Kevin Durant.
If you are looking for national sports news, check out Dan Shanoff’s blog.
- SEO, TEO
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Today's Story
Suns cannot overcome loss of Diaw and Stoudemire in loss to Spurs.
BIG Strike 'Em Out, Throw 'Em Out news coming tomorrow.
BIG Strike 'Em Out, Throw 'Em Out news coming tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tomorrow's Story
What will be the lead tomorrow? Will it be "Suns overcome loss of Diaw and Stoudemire to defeat the Spurs" or "Suns cannot overcome loss of Diaw and Stoudemire in loss to Spurs"?
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Suspensions
The NBA kicked themselves again in the rear by suspending Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw`for Wednesday's Game 5 between the Suns and Spurs.
What did those guys do? NOTHING!!!! Sure they may have stepped onto the court after Big Shove Rob hip-checked Steve Nash into the scorers table, but they encountered no Spurs and had NO IMPACT on what transpired. You throw in the fact that Stoudemire was in an offensive-defensive substitution pattern in the last few seconds because of 5 personal fouls and what you have in an NBA Office that wants to hand the series to the Spurs.
Maybe their ratings go up when the TV pans to Tony Parker's fiance Eva Longoria? Maybe Tim Duncan's incessant whining attracts the 18-35 year old demographic of kids who got picked on High School? Maybe the American viewer is anti-Canadian and the NBA knows they don't want to see Steve Nash go on?
Whatever the reasoning behind the rule, it needs to be changed. The rule shouldn't give an automatic suspension for anyone leaving the bench. here is what the rule should say:
"If a player leaves the bench then they are up for review by the league office to see if they in any way assisted and/or was involved in any on court ruckus. If they were involved then they are suspended. If they were not involved and were merely curious as to what was going on then they will not be suspended."
If the rule is as hard and fast as the NBA made it out to be on Tuesday, then they need to look at the stepping pattern of players checking into games. You see all the time that players who are on their way to the scorers table will step onto the court. SUSPEND THEM. Also watch for coaches who wander too far out of their assigned box. GIVE THEM THE BOOT.
The NBA is SO lax with so many of their rules (can someone please say traveling) that to suspend Stoudemire and Diaw, who were subdued by their assistant coaches and ended up nowhere near the altercation is an atrocity.
Horry deserves the suspension. He should have been suspended longer. Granted he didn't do any irreparable harm, but his actions were uncalled for.
I just wish the NBA would take a step back and realize what they have done. Had they wanted to give the series to the Spurs they could have done so in many less-obvious ways.
==NBA Playoffs==
Warriors - Thanks for the good times. See you next year.
The Bulls manhandled the Pistons in Detroit to bring the seires one step closer at 3-2. In a year that we saw the 8-seed Warriors defeat the 1-seed Mavs in a Best-of-7 series, it is not impossible to think that the Bulls can come back to from a 3-0 deficit.... until you wake up and smell the coffee. The Pistons are just too good to lose the next 2 (one of which will be back in Detroit).
==MLB Roundup==
I checked my calendar today and it confirmed that it is 2007. What is Randy Johnson doing with 9Ks, 1 H, 0 ER in 6 IP? Again, this is 2007, not 2001.
Happy Humpday to all,
- SEO, TEO
What did those guys do? NOTHING!!!! Sure they may have stepped onto the court after Big Shove Rob hip-checked Steve Nash into the scorers table, but they encountered no Spurs and had NO IMPACT on what transpired. You throw in the fact that Stoudemire was in an offensive-defensive substitution pattern in the last few seconds because of 5 personal fouls and what you have in an NBA Office that wants to hand the series to the Spurs.
Maybe their ratings go up when the TV pans to Tony Parker's fiance Eva Longoria? Maybe Tim Duncan's incessant whining attracts the 18-35 year old demographic of kids who got picked on High School? Maybe the American viewer is anti-Canadian and the NBA knows they don't want to see Steve Nash go on?
Whatever the reasoning behind the rule, it needs to be changed. The rule shouldn't give an automatic suspension for anyone leaving the bench. here is what the rule should say:
"If a player leaves the bench then they are up for review by the league office to see if they in any way assisted and/or was involved in any on court ruckus. If they were involved then they are suspended. If they were not involved and were merely curious as to what was going on then they will not be suspended."
If the rule is as hard and fast as the NBA made it out to be on Tuesday, then they need to look at the stepping pattern of players checking into games. You see all the time that players who are on their way to the scorers table will step onto the court. SUSPEND THEM. Also watch for coaches who wander too far out of their assigned box. GIVE THEM THE BOOT.
The NBA is SO lax with so many of their rules (can someone please say traveling) that to suspend Stoudemire and Diaw, who were subdued by their assistant coaches and ended up nowhere near the altercation is an atrocity.
Horry deserves the suspension. He should have been suspended longer. Granted he didn't do any irreparable harm, but his actions were uncalled for.
I just wish the NBA would take a step back and realize what they have done. Had they wanted to give the series to the Spurs they could have done so in many less-obvious ways.
==NBA Playoffs==
Warriors - Thanks for the good times. See you next year.
The Bulls manhandled the Pistons in Detroit to bring the seires one step closer at 3-2. In a year that we saw the 8-seed Warriors defeat the 1-seed Mavs in a Best-of-7 series, it is not impossible to think that the Bulls can come back to from a 3-0 deficit.... until you wake up and smell the coffee. The Pistons are just too good to lose the next 2 (one of which will be back in Detroit).
==MLB Roundup==
I checked my calendar today and it confirmed that it is 2007. What is Randy Johnson doing with 9Ks, 1 H, 0 ER in 6 IP? Again, this is 2007, not 2001.
Happy Humpday to all,
- SEO, TEO
Big SHOVE Rob
The Suns came from 11 down in the 4th IN SAN ANTONIO to defeat the Spurs and tie the series up at 2. With the other 3 series at 3-1, this is obviously the only one left to watch and what a series this will turn out to be. As it stands, the teams have alternated victories, with Game 5 on Wednesday in Phoenix.
The big event of the night was the shove by Robert Horry that threw Steve Nash into the scorers table in the waning seconds of the game. With the Suns up 3, the Spurs missed a layup that was boarded by the Suns. Nash got the ball and was pushing it up the court when he ran into a brick wall, named Robert Horry. Horry was given a Flagrant 2 and ejected from the game. I fully suspect him to be in street clothes on Wednesday.
The big question is Amare Stoudemire. When the players on the court started in on each other after the hit, Stoudemire is clearly caught on tape leaving the bench. His defense is that in the late moments of the game, with 5 fouls, he was in an offensive-defensive substitution situation and was just running to the scorers table t9o check in. I am not sure why, but I believe him and don’t expect him to sit out Wednesday.
The Spurs losing Horry, while a big deal, would be nothing compared to the Suns losing a First Team All NBA player. If the suspensions happen as I see them, Suns will win Game 5 in Phoenix to take a 3-2 series lead.
In the other game last night, LeBron scored 30 and Eric Snow’s D on the last possession disrupted Vince Carter enough to squirt the ball out of Vince’s hands and the series, seemingly out of the Nets reach.
==MLB Round Up==
Dice K gets his first MLB Complete Game against Detroit. This comes a day after Tigers skipper Jim Leyland calls out the hype of Dice K Mania.
Slow day today,
- SEO, TEO
The big event of the night was the shove by Robert Horry that threw Steve Nash into the scorers table in the waning seconds of the game. With the Suns up 3, the Spurs missed a layup that was boarded by the Suns. Nash got the ball and was pushing it up the court when he ran into a brick wall, named Robert Horry. Horry was given a Flagrant 2 and ejected from the game. I fully suspect him to be in street clothes on Wednesday.
The big question is Amare Stoudemire. When the players on the court started in on each other after the hit, Stoudemire is clearly caught on tape leaving the bench. His defense is that in the late moments of the game, with 5 fouls, he was in an offensive-defensive substitution situation and was just running to the scorers table t9o check in. I am not sure why, but I believe him and don’t expect him to sit out Wednesday.
The Spurs losing Horry, while a big deal, would be nothing compared to the Suns losing a First Team All NBA player. If the suspensions happen as I see them, Suns will win Game 5 in Phoenix to take a 3-2 series lead.
In the other game last night, LeBron scored 30 and Eric Snow’s D on the last possession disrupted Vince Carter enough to squirt the ball out of Vince’s hands and the series, seemingly out of the Nets reach.
==MLB Round Up==
Dice K gets his first MLB Complete Game against Detroit. This comes a day after Tigers skipper Jim Leyland calls out the hype of Dice K Mania.
Slow day today,
- SEO, TEO
Monday, May 14, 2007
Rumors. Roids. McCarthyism.
(I know I am a little late to the party on this one, but here is my Roids take).
I heard an interesting theory in our softball dugout last Thursday about Roger Clemens. Now I am not one to throw about unconfirmed stories, hypothesis’s, about anyone, but this one struck me so here we go.
Why does the greatest pitcher of our generation, and arguably the greatest pitcher of all-time, Roger Clemens follow around Andy Pettitte, a slightly better than average (188-106 career win-loss) pitcher?
The hypothesis I heard from this bitter, die-hard Astros fan was that Clemens and Pettitte had a special, performance enhancing relationship. He theorized that neither wanted a random ball player, like a Jason Grimsley, to get involved in their use of performaing enhancing drugs, and that each could trust each other, and only each other.
Now the basis for this talk, as stated above, is that our softball shortstop is from Houston, and through the MLB Extra Innings package watches every Astros game each year. If he is not near the TV, rest assured the game in on TiVo. I don’t think we would have ever heard this theory had Clemens and Pettitte kept their original allegiances to the Astros, but since they bolted for the big lights of the big city, this is what we are hearing.
This theory actually brings up an even bigger issue. Why can’t players have good years and pick teams of their liking without steroids becoming an issue? We are living in a world where any guy who hits over 40 HR must be on the juice. If a guy has a down year it is because he is off the juice. If a normally injured-proned guy stays healthy for an entire year, it must be with the help of steroids.
It is actually sad. There are some really good ball players out there having really great careers, but because of the actions of some (or many if you believe Jose Canseco) their careers will be grouped into the “Steroid Age” and the legitimacy of their stats will forever be questioned.
There are some big name players who have been accused publicly of steroid use. And some of these players either broke , or will break, very prominent baseball records. When all signs point to their steroid usage, it is hard to defend them, but in a land where you are innocent until proven guilty, this is not the American way.
As with Todd Helton three years ago, just mentioning a name in connection with steroid use is enough to convince the public that they are a user. Bonds is in the papers and on TV daily, and every mention of him either directly or indirectly comments on his alleged steroid use. Other fall into this category, and don’t get me wrong some are guilty, but there will be others who had their names thrown into the mix that will have just played the game right, worked hard and, coupled with natural ability, will amass great career statistics. Welcome to the McCarthyism, 2007 version.
Now, has Clemens’ name ever been thrown into the alleged mix? Not that I have heard. Am I saying Clemens, or Pettitte, are steroid users? Not at all. The purpose of this, and the reason for the lead in story, was to comment on the witch hunt, not to accuse anyone of anything.
==NBA Playoffs==
The Baby Bulls avoided a series sweep with a 15 point victory in game 4 last night over the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, still lead the series 3-1 and will win.
The Jazz also went up 3-1 against reeling Golden State in Oakland. Combined Jason Richardson and Baron Davis had 22 points, whose tally would have been only the third leading scorer on their team. The Warriors cannot win like that, and now cannot win the series.
On Saturday the Spurs took a 2-1 series lead behind 3 points and 19 boards from Tim Duncan. Pivitol game 4 tonight in San Anton.
The home team has won all three games of the Cavs-Nets series, as New Jersey finally got a W while the Cavs lead the series 2-1.
==MLB Round Up==
Pink bats on Mother’s Day is a great idea. Those who didn’t use one should look in the mirror this morning.
In other new it is good to see new Oakland Athletic, Jack Cust finally get his. Cust was the talk of the Rockies organization in 2002 before being traded to Baltimore then San Diego, where he saw limited playing time in the majors. He has now hit more HR in 7 games for Oakland (6) than he had in 70 previous MLB games, including a walk-off 3-run blast yesterday.
The Royals bats came alive recording 14 hits and 11 runs vs Chi Sox.
Have a good week,
- SEO, TEO
I heard an interesting theory in our softball dugout last Thursday about Roger Clemens. Now I am not one to throw about unconfirmed stories, hypothesis’s, about anyone, but this one struck me so here we go.
Why does the greatest pitcher of our generation, and arguably the greatest pitcher of all-time, Roger Clemens follow around Andy Pettitte, a slightly better than average (188-106 career win-loss) pitcher?
The hypothesis I heard from this bitter, die-hard Astros fan was that Clemens and Pettitte had a special, performance enhancing relationship. He theorized that neither wanted a random ball player, like a Jason Grimsley, to get involved in their use of performaing enhancing drugs, and that each could trust each other, and only each other.
Now the basis for this talk, as stated above, is that our softball shortstop is from Houston, and through the MLB Extra Innings package watches every Astros game each year. If he is not near the TV, rest assured the game in on TiVo. I don’t think we would have ever heard this theory had Clemens and Pettitte kept their original allegiances to the Astros, but since they bolted for the big lights of the big city, this is what we are hearing.
This theory actually brings up an even bigger issue. Why can’t players have good years and pick teams of their liking without steroids becoming an issue? We are living in a world where any guy who hits over 40 HR must be on the juice. If a guy has a down year it is because he is off the juice. If a normally injured-proned guy stays healthy for an entire year, it must be with the help of steroids.
It is actually sad. There are some really good ball players out there having really great careers, but because of the actions of some (or many if you believe Jose Canseco) their careers will be grouped into the “Steroid Age” and the legitimacy of their stats will forever be questioned.
There are some big name players who have been accused publicly of steroid use. And some of these players either broke , or will break, very prominent baseball records. When all signs point to their steroid usage, it is hard to defend them, but in a land where you are innocent until proven guilty, this is not the American way.
As with Todd Helton three years ago, just mentioning a name in connection with steroid use is enough to convince the public that they are a user. Bonds is in the papers and on TV daily, and every mention of him either directly or indirectly comments on his alleged steroid use. Other fall into this category, and don’t get me wrong some are guilty, but there will be others who had their names thrown into the mix that will have just played the game right, worked hard and, coupled with natural ability, will amass great career statistics. Welcome to the McCarthyism, 2007 version.
Now, has Clemens’ name ever been thrown into the alleged mix? Not that I have heard. Am I saying Clemens, or Pettitte, are steroid users? Not at all. The purpose of this, and the reason for the lead in story, was to comment on the witch hunt, not to accuse anyone of anything.
==NBA Playoffs==
The Baby Bulls avoided a series sweep with a 15 point victory in game 4 last night over the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, still lead the series 3-1 and will win.
The Jazz also went up 3-1 against reeling Golden State in Oakland. Combined Jason Richardson and Baron Davis had 22 points, whose tally would have been only the third leading scorer on their team. The Warriors cannot win like that, and now cannot win the series.
On Saturday the Spurs took a 2-1 series lead behind 3 points and 19 boards from Tim Duncan. Pivitol game 4 tonight in San Anton.
The home team has won all three games of the Cavs-Nets series, as New Jersey finally got a W while the Cavs lead the series 2-1.
==MLB Round Up==
Pink bats on Mother’s Day is a great idea. Those who didn’t use one should look in the mirror this morning.
In other new it is good to see new Oakland Athletic, Jack Cust finally get his. Cust was the talk of the Rockies organization in 2002 before being traded to Baltimore then San Diego, where he saw limited playing time in the majors. He has now hit more HR in 7 games for Oakland (6) than he had in 70 previous MLB games, including a walk-off 3-run blast yesterday.
The Royals bats came alive recording 14 hits and 11 runs vs Chi Sox.
Have a good week,
- SEO, TEO
Friday, May 11, 2007
Individual vs Team Sports
The two biggest stories of the day have to deal with auto racing and golf, two sports I just don’t follow.
Sure I will watch the back 9 of a major where the scores are close, but I just don’t get into the first 63 holes. And truthfully, I generally only watch the 18th hole of a major on Sunday. I just cannot get into it.
Same goes for auto racing. I may watch the final lap of the Indy 500, but not NASCAR. I just don’t get it. I don’t get the fascination with the sport. It isn’t the “they are driving a car and I can drive a car, so what is the big deal” theory. It just does not entertain me to see the cars go around in circles. Now I hear that the infield at one of these things is about as fun of a time as one can have, but that doesn’t make me want to watch the sport.
Think harder about it, it may be the individual vs team sport idea. I understand that auto racing is far from an individual sport, as is as obvious on the day that Dale Junior leaves his father’s racing team, but in my mind I still see it as an individual sport. It is the one guy driving around the oval.
MJ summed it best last week at the Wacchovia when playing with Tiger (and this is not a direct quote, but more of a paraphrase). “Tiger has a tougher time, because if I was off one night I could rely on my teammates to fill the void.” I see the same with auto racing. If the driver is off his game, the team has no chance. What other sport is so reliant on one individual? In baseball a pitcher who is underperforming can be yanked at any time and in basketball a guy whose shot is not dropping can pass to a hot teammate. A good argument would be for the QB in football, but as the 2001 Ravens showed, you can win without a good QB as long as your D isn’t giving up any points. Along the same lines, it took Peyton Manning years to win the Super Bowl, even though he was the best QB in the league for some time.
So while I respect those who are following The Players Championship and the Dale Jr. saga, they are just not my cup of tea.
==MLB Roundup==
Ken Griffey Jr hit his 569th career HR yesterday to move into 9th all time. While Griffey has one of the sweetest swings in baseball, I still have to say Will Clark has the best swing I have ever seen.
Kudos to hometown hero Todd Helton for taking over the NL batting lead. I know there are a lot of games yet to be played, but it is good to see his name again at the top of the list after his injury plagued year last year (where he still batted .302)
==Chasing The Record==
Bonds was in Denver and hit a screatching shot off the right field wall for a double. That and 2 BB were all he got.
But, Matt Capps recorded his 11th Hold of the season, inching him ever closer to the single-season record of 36 set last year.
==Bicycles==
Floyd Landis has come out to say that the US Anti-Doping Agency offered to go easy on him if he implicated Lance Armstrong. This may turn out to be a huge story, or it may turn out to be Landis trying to deflect some of the bad press off him.
==NBA Playoffs==
Detroit came from behind to defeat the Bulls in Chicago and take an insurmountable 3-0 series lead. The way they are playing now the Pistons should be the odds on favorite to win the title.
==Personal Update==
My softball team lost last night 20-13 thanks in no part to my 5 errors in the field. I was 4-5 at the plate, with 3 singles and a double off the fence, but the errors were the talk of the team at the bar afterwards.
- SEO, TEO
Sure I will watch the back 9 of a major where the scores are close, but I just don’t get into the first 63 holes. And truthfully, I generally only watch the 18th hole of a major on Sunday. I just cannot get into it.
Same goes for auto racing. I may watch the final lap of the Indy 500, but not NASCAR. I just don’t get it. I don’t get the fascination with the sport. It isn’t the “they are driving a car and I can drive a car, so what is the big deal” theory. It just does not entertain me to see the cars go around in circles. Now I hear that the infield at one of these things is about as fun of a time as one can have, but that doesn’t make me want to watch the sport.
Think harder about it, it may be the individual vs team sport idea. I understand that auto racing is far from an individual sport, as is as obvious on the day that Dale Junior leaves his father’s racing team, but in my mind I still see it as an individual sport. It is the one guy driving around the oval.
MJ summed it best last week at the Wacchovia when playing with Tiger (and this is not a direct quote, but more of a paraphrase). “Tiger has a tougher time, because if I was off one night I could rely on my teammates to fill the void.” I see the same with auto racing. If the driver is off his game, the team has no chance. What other sport is so reliant on one individual? In baseball a pitcher who is underperforming can be yanked at any time and in basketball a guy whose shot is not dropping can pass to a hot teammate. A good argument would be for the QB in football, but as the 2001 Ravens showed, you can win without a good QB as long as your D isn’t giving up any points. Along the same lines, it took Peyton Manning years to win the Super Bowl, even though he was the best QB in the league for some time.
So while I respect those who are following The Players Championship and the Dale Jr. saga, they are just not my cup of tea.
==MLB Roundup==
Ken Griffey Jr hit his 569th career HR yesterday to move into 9th all time. While Griffey has one of the sweetest swings in baseball, I still have to say Will Clark has the best swing I have ever seen.
Kudos to hometown hero Todd Helton for taking over the NL batting lead. I know there are a lot of games yet to be played, but it is good to see his name again at the top of the list after his injury plagued year last year (where he still batted .302)
==Chasing The Record==
Bonds was in Denver and hit a screatching shot off the right field wall for a double. That and 2 BB were all he got.
But, Matt Capps recorded his 11th Hold of the season, inching him ever closer to the single-season record of 36 set last year.
==Bicycles==
Floyd Landis has come out to say that the US Anti-Doping Agency offered to go easy on him if he implicated Lance Armstrong. This may turn out to be a huge story, or it may turn out to be Landis trying to deflect some of the bad press off him.
==NBA Playoffs==
Detroit came from behind to defeat the Bulls in Chicago and take an insurmountable 3-0 series lead. The way they are playing now the Pistons should be the odds on favorite to win the title.
==Personal Update==
My softball team lost last night 20-13 thanks in no part to my 5 errors in the field. I was 4-5 at the plate, with 3 singles and a double off the fence, but the errors were the talk of the team at the bar afterwards.
- SEO, TEO
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Playoff. DRAMA
WOW! How much drama could you have in one NBA Playoff game… in Utah?
Last night will be forever remembered in Utah for the point gaurds. All three PGs on the Utah roster brought their own drama and intrigue to an unbelievable game.
In chronological order of intrigue, first you had Dee Brown. The Illini alumni was involved in a freak accident where Mehmet Okur fell on Brown and virtually crushed his spine. Anyone who say Brown “walk” off the court, saw a man that was visibly shaken. Good news is that reports are that X-rays were negative and Brown will be fine.
Next you had Derek Fisher. Fisher missed the first game of the series to be with his daughter in NY. When the game began Fisher was nowhere to be seen and even heading out of the locker room after halftime, Fisher wasn’t anywhere. Come the middle of the third quarter the TV cameras started following Fisher dressed in street clothes to the locker room. Five minutes later Fisher was on the floor. Thought he only ended up with 5 points (on 1-1 from 3 and 2-2 FTs) Fisher was an inspiration to the crowd and his team. Though it is not listed in the box score in today’s paper, besides his 5 points, 1 reb and 3 assists, Fisher also got 2000 air miles last night.
Lastly you had Deron Williams, Brown’s Illini teammate and 2005 3rd overall pick. When this guy was selected by the Jazz that high, I thought they were out of their mind. But Williams has hushed every critic this postseason. Last night, with less than three seconds on the clock, Williams hit a runner to tie the score at 113 and send the game into overtime. TV commentator Reggie Miller kept saying, “At home you go for the tie, on the road you shoot the 3 for the win.” Was he ever right, Williams’ runner sent the game into an extra frame and that was all she wrote for the Warriors, who managed only 4 points in overtime, compared to 14 for the Jazz, leading to a 127-117 Jazz victory and 2-0 series lead.
This series is turning out to be a classic. Two really close games. Home team winning both. Lots of intrigue. Going into the series I saw this as the least entertaining of the 4, but I was wrong.
==MLB Wrapup==
BoSox manager Terry Francona stepped in to quiet his players down on the Bonds topic. This comes after consecutive days of Big Papi and Schilling commenting publicly on the Bonds steroid issue (although with conflicting interpretations). Good job Terry. No need for this type of distraction.
Last on this, but Monday night, Rickey Henderson, sitting in the stands at AT&T Park caught a foul ball AND REFUSED TO GIVE IT TO A KID saying he has always wanted to catch a foul bal. For a guy that probably caught 10,000 fly balls in his 25 years, what is going on? He used this story as a platform to announce that he wants to return to the majors, and will listen to any offer. This just adds another layer to Henderson’s already hilarious resume (Joh Olerud, $1M check, Gwynn)
In non-sports related news, Austin City Limits Festival lineup was announced. My bachelor party will be EPIC.
- SEO, TEO
Last night will be forever remembered in Utah for the point gaurds. All three PGs on the Utah roster brought their own drama and intrigue to an unbelievable game.
In chronological order of intrigue, first you had Dee Brown. The Illini alumni was involved in a freak accident where Mehmet Okur fell on Brown and virtually crushed his spine. Anyone who say Brown “walk” off the court, saw a man that was visibly shaken. Good news is that reports are that X-rays were negative and Brown will be fine.
Next you had Derek Fisher. Fisher missed the first game of the series to be with his daughter in NY. When the game began Fisher was nowhere to be seen and even heading out of the locker room after halftime, Fisher wasn’t anywhere. Come the middle of the third quarter the TV cameras started following Fisher dressed in street clothes to the locker room. Five minutes later Fisher was on the floor. Thought he only ended up with 5 points (on 1-1 from 3 and 2-2 FTs) Fisher was an inspiration to the crowd and his team. Though it is not listed in the box score in today’s paper, besides his 5 points, 1 reb and 3 assists, Fisher also got 2000 air miles last night.
Lastly you had Deron Williams, Brown’s Illini teammate and 2005 3rd overall pick. When this guy was selected by the Jazz that high, I thought they were out of their mind. But Williams has hushed every critic this postseason. Last night, with less than three seconds on the clock, Williams hit a runner to tie the score at 113 and send the game into overtime. TV commentator Reggie Miller kept saying, “At home you go for the tie, on the road you shoot the 3 for the win.” Was he ever right, Williams’ runner sent the game into an extra frame and that was all she wrote for the Warriors, who managed only 4 points in overtime, compared to 14 for the Jazz, leading to a 127-117 Jazz victory and 2-0 series lead.
This series is turning out to be a classic. Two really close games. Home team winning both. Lots of intrigue. Going into the series I saw this as the least entertaining of the 4, but I was wrong.
==MLB Wrapup==
BoSox manager Terry Francona stepped in to quiet his players down on the Bonds topic. This comes after consecutive days of Big Papi and Schilling commenting publicly on the Bonds steroid issue (although with conflicting interpretations). Good job Terry. No need for this type of distraction.
Last on this, but Monday night, Rickey Henderson, sitting in the stands at AT&T Park caught a foul ball AND REFUSED TO GIVE IT TO A KID saying he has always wanted to catch a foul bal. For a guy that probably caught 10,000 fly balls in his 25 years, what is going on? He used this story as a platform to announce that he wants to return to the majors, and will listen to any offer. This just adds another layer to Henderson’s already hilarious resume (Joh Olerud, $1M check, Gwynn)
In non-sports related news, Austin City Limits Festival lineup was announced. My bachelor party will be EPIC.
- SEO, TEO
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Band-Aids for All
The NBA Playoffs are heating up. Anchored by the Spurs-Suns last night, the 2006-2007 NBA is finally becoming Fantastic once again after a sub-par regular season.
In the nightcap, the top two teams in the West again faced each other in Phoenix. I had said earlier that if the scores were in the 80 the Spurs would win, if the scores were in the 100s the Suns would win. I didn’t mean in the same game, obviously, but that is how the scores fell. Suns won 101-81 behind 27 pts from Amare and 16 dimes from Nash.
An interesting thing happened in Phoenix though, and that was the presence of the nose band-aids in tribute to Nash’s gash in game one. It reminded me of two phenomena’s from the 80s. First was Lakers fan wearing the Kurt Rambis glasses to all the games. You would see the entire home crowd, including all the Hollywood elite, donning thick framed, black glasses during the Lakers Show Time era.
In 1985 you also had Jim McMahon and the headband craze. Spurred on by NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle’s fine of McMahon for wearing an adidas headband, McMahon came out the next week and sported “Rozelle” Sharpied onto this headband. Again the home faithful caught on and headband sales reached an all time high (I could only assume). There were also copycat headbands around, such as Ohio State donning them in support of fired head coach Earl Bruce during the 1988 Michigan game.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Suns faithful keep the band-aid thing going when the series returns to Phoenix for game 5 on May 16.
In the other game, LeBron’s 36 pts and 12 dimes paced the Cavs. The game was tied going into the 4th quarter, but there was too much Cavs for the Nets to keep up with. Jason Kidd narrowly missed yet another triple-double with 17/10/8.
What really gets me about this series, though, is that patch of hair below Drew Gooden’s headband. WHAT IS THAT DREW? Did the barber miss a spot? Seriously. Shave that off!
==Chasing The Record==
The guy in San Fran moved one step closer to the all-time record with his 745 blast of his career. The big news that came out on this day regarding his HR hitting was from Curt Schilling’s weekly radio show in Beantown. Schilling said “He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes, and cheating on the game, so I think the reaction around the league, the game, being what it is, in the case of what people think. Hank Aaron not being there.” He then went on to say he wouldn’t give Bonds a pitch to hit if the record was on the line in June when the Giants played in Fenway.
In other record news, Matt Capps pitched 2 scoreless innings in a non-Holds appearance and is still stuck on 10.
Til tomorrow
- SEO, TEO
In the nightcap, the top two teams in the West again faced each other in Phoenix. I had said earlier that if the scores were in the 80 the Spurs would win, if the scores were in the 100s the Suns would win. I didn’t mean in the same game, obviously, but that is how the scores fell. Suns won 101-81 behind 27 pts from Amare and 16 dimes from Nash.
An interesting thing happened in Phoenix though, and that was the presence of the nose band-aids in tribute to Nash’s gash in game one. It reminded me of two phenomena’s from the 80s. First was Lakers fan wearing the Kurt Rambis glasses to all the games. You would see the entire home crowd, including all the Hollywood elite, donning thick framed, black glasses during the Lakers Show Time era.
In 1985 you also had Jim McMahon and the headband craze. Spurred on by NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle’s fine of McMahon for wearing an adidas headband, McMahon came out the next week and sported “Rozelle” Sharpied onto this headband. Again the home faithful caught on and headband sales reached an all time high (I could only assume). There were also copycat headbands around, such as Ohio State donning them in support of fired head coach Earl Bruce during the 1988 Michigan game.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Suns faithful keep the band-aid thing going when the series returns to Phoenix for game 5 on May 16.
In the other game, LeBron’s 36 pts and 12 dimes paced the Cavs. The game was tied going into the 4th quarter, but there was too much Cavs for the Nets to keep up with. Jason Kidd narrowly missed yet another triple-double with 17/10/8.
What really gets me about this series, though, is that patch of hair below Drew Gooden’s headband. WHAT IS THAT DREW? Did the barber miss a spot? Seriously. Shave that off!
==Chasing The Record==
The guy in San Fran moved one step closer to the all-time record with his 745 blast of his career. The big news that came out on this day regarding his HR hitting was from Curt Schilling’s weekly radio show in Beantown. Schilling said “He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes, and cheating on the game, so I think the reaction around the league, the game, being what it is, in the case of what people think. Hank Aaron not being there.” He then went on to say he wouldn’t give Bonds a pitch to hit if the record was on the line in June when the Giants played in Fenway.
In other record news, Matt Capps pitched 2 scoreless innings in a non-Holds appearance and is still stuck on 10.
Til tomorrow
- SEO, TEO
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
NBA Playoffs
The Utah Jazz won a close game 1 in Salt Lake City last night behind another strong performance by Carlos Boozer 35 pts, 14 reb. Golden State and the Jazz traded blows late in the game until Stephen Jackson’s potential game winning 3 ended up hitting the front of the rim with less than 10 seconds to play. Matt Harpring secured the rebound and the Jazz the victory.
This does not swat me away from my original 4-1 series victory for the Warriors, it just makes it a little more difficult to attain. As I stated before, the biggest factor in the series is the play of Boozer, who showed last night that his size, strength and speed will create awkward match-ups for the smaller, faster Warriors. I still feel the Warriors will win it, but have expanded the series to Warriors in 6.
In the other match-up of the night, the Pistons again dominated the Bulls, bring home a 108-87 victory. The Pistons are up 2-0 heading to Chicago and look unstoppable. In the first two games the Pistons have oursscored the Bulls 203-156, but as we all know the NBA’s winds can change at anytime. I am still sticking by my original pick of Pistons in 6.
Game Two tonight between the Suns and Spurs. A MUST WATCH
==MLB Wrap Up==
In the biggest news of the day for baseball David Ortiz was quoted as saying he didn’t think Bonds used steroids to help him hit all those long balls. All that does is make me wonder if Big Papi is just trying to validate the use of Roids.
==Capps Watch==
Matt Capps, in his pursuit of the single-season Holds record, has been suspended 4 games for his hit of the Fresh Prince (Fielder) of Bel Aire.
Quiet day for a Monday.
- SEO, TEO
This does not swat me away from my original 4-1 series victory for the Warriors, it just makes it a little more difficult to attain. As I stated before, the biggest factor in the series is the play of Boozer, who showed last night that his size, strength and speed will create awkward match-ups for the smaller, faster Warriors. I still feel the Warriors will win it, but have expanded the series to Warriors in 6.
In the other match-up of the night, the Pistons again dominated the Bulls, bring home a 108-87 victory. The Pistons are up 2-0 heading to Chicago and look unstoppable. In the first two games the Pistons have oursscored the Bulls 203-156, but as we all know the NBA’s winds can change at anytime. I am still sticking by my original pick of Pistons in 6.
Game Two tonight between the Suns and Spurs. A MUST WATCH
==MLB Wrap Up==
In the biggest news of the day for baseball David Ortiz was quoted as saying he didn’t think Bonds used steroids to help him hit all those long balls. All that does is make me wonder if Big Papi is just trying to validate the use of Roids.
==Capps Watch==
Matt Capps, in his pursuit of the single-season Holds record, has been suspended 4 games for his hit of the Fresh Prince (Fielder) of Bel Aire.
Quiet day for a Monday.
- SEO, TEO
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Clemens Heads back to the Bronx
7-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens announced during the Yankees-Mariners game on Sunday that he would be retuning to New York for another go 'round with the Yanks. Clemens' contract, worth a pro-rated $28M, will earn him in the neighborhood of $4.5M per month for the months of June, July, August, and Sept.
I question this move by Clemens. At the time of this writing the Yanks in second place in the AL East, 5 games behind the BoSox, and 1 game below .500 on the season. The addition of Clemens surly improves their starting rotation, but his announcement came on the same day that it was released that Carl Pavano may need season-ending elbow surgery.
Rumors flying around had Clemens' choice narrowed down to 3 ball clubs, the Yankees, Boston and the Houston Astros. Currently the BoSox are 5 games up on their division rivals in New York and Houston is 6.5 games behind Milwaukee, who holds the NLs best record.
Houston would have been a good fit for Clemens for several reason. First is that the NL Central is in disarray. While the Brewers do have the best record in the NL, that division is just flat out bad. With the defending World Champion Cardinals losing Carpenter to elbow surgery, effectively ruining their chances of winning any more ball games this year, sub-par squads in Cincy and Pitts (except for Hold extraordinaire, Matt Capps), and under the achieving Cubs, the Astros really have 1 team to beat in that division to make the playoffs. Secondly, he lives in Houston would have been able to work out a deal similar to the one he had previously, where he would only pitch home games. And lastly, his son is a catcher in their organization, possibly leading to the first ever father-son battery in MLB history.
But for as many good reasons for him to re-sing with Houston, Boston would have just been a better fit. Besides allowing his career to come full circle, Clemens would have been on a better team, with better team chemistry and a better shot at winning another title. While I don't have a breakdown like the pro-Houston reasonings above, Boston to me, looks like it'd just be a better fit for the Rocket.
As it stands though, with Clemens, the staff in NY will likely be Andy Petite, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, rookie Philip Hughes and Clemens. I don't see this as a World Series winning squad.
(I am not sure how I got the Yankees into this Blog for the third straight day, but as stated before, if they are in the news, the will appear here)
==NBA Playoffs==
So there was more blood and action Sunday afternoon in Phoenix than Saturday night in Vegas. Steve Nash’s nose crashed into Tony Parker’s head, leaving a nasty cut on Nash’s nose and keeping him on the sidelines for the final crucial moments of the game. Result, Spurs win a close one.
In the other Sunday game, the tired Nets played better than expected to the fresh-legged Cavs, but in the end, King James and the Cavs came away with the victory, despite James matching a career low in playoff points with 21.
==MLB Roundup==
Tim Lincecum, the highly touted Giants rookie was shaky in his debut, giving up 4 runs in just over 4 innings pitched. His predecessor, last years hyped-rookie call up, Cole Hamels, surrendered only 3 ER in 7 IP against the Bonds-less Giants.
Cubs Are over .500. I am checking the record books to determine if this is the first time in franchise history. Details tomorrow.
==NHL Playoffs==
I saw a highlight of the NHL Playoffs yesterday meaning, that unless it was a replay, the NHL Playoffs are still going on. Details tomorrow.
==Golf Update==
Tiger wins the Waccovia by 2 strokes. I guess a little MJ magic must’ve rubbed off on him.
==Chasing the Record==
Somce my initial post, Capps has given up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning over 2 games. Might be the new Curse of Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out.
I question this move by Clemens. At the time of this writing the Yanks in second place in the AL East, 5 games behind the BoSox, and 1 game below .500 on the season. The addition of Clemens surly improves their starting rotation, but his announcement came on the same day that it was released that Carl Pavano may need season-ending elbow surgery.
Rumors flying around had Clemens' choice narrowed down to 3 ball clubs, the Yankees, Boston and the Houston Astros. Currently the BoSox are 5 games up on their division rivals in New York and Houston is 6.5 games behind Milwaukee, who holds the NLs best record.
Houston would have been a good fit for Clemens for several reason. First is that the NL Central is in disarray. While the Brewers do have the best record in the NL, that division is just flat out bad. With the defending World Champion Cardinals losing Carpenter to elbow surgery, effectively ruining their chances of winning any more ball games this year, sub-par squads in Cincy and Pitts (except for Hold extraordinaire, Matt Capps), and under the achieving Cubs, the Astros really have 1 team to beat in that division to make the playoffs. Secondly, he lives in Houston would have been able to work out a deal similar to the one he had previously, where he would only pitch home games. And lastly, his son is a catcher in their organization, possibly leading to the first ever father-son battery in MLB history.
But for as many good reasons for him to re-sing with Houston, Boston would have just been a better fit. Besides allowing his career to come full circle, Clemens would have been on a better team, with better team chemistry and a better shot at winning another title. While I don't have a breakdown like the pro-Houston reasonings above, Boston to me, looks like it'd just be a better fit for the Rocket.
As it stands though, with Clemens, the staff in NY will likely be Andy Petite, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, rookie Philip Hughes and Clemens. I don't see this as a World Series winning squad.
(I am not sure how I got the Yankees into this Blog for the third straight day, but as stated before, if they are in the news, the will appear here)
==NBA Playoffs==
So there was more blood and action Sunday afternoon in Phoenix than Saturday night in Vegas. Steve Nash’s nose crashed into Tony Parker’s head, leaving a nasty cut on Nash’s nose and keeping him on the sidelines for the final crucial moments of the game. Result, Spurs win a close one.
In the other Sunday game, the tired Nets played better than expected to the fresh-legged Cavs, but in the end, King James and the Cavs came away with the victory, despite James matching a career low in playoff points with 21.
==MLB Roundup==
Tim Lincecum, the highly touted Giants rookie was shaky in his debut, giving up 4 runs in just over 4 innings pitched. His predecessor, last years hyped-rookie call up, Cole Hamels, surrendered only 3 ER in 7 IP against the Bonds-less Giants.
Cubs Are over .500. I am checking the record books to determine if this is the first time in franchise history. Details tomorrow.
==NHL Playoffs==
I saw a highlight of the NHL Playoffs yesterday meaning, that unless it was a replay, the NHL Playoffs are still going on. Details tomorrow.
==Golf Update==
Tiger wins the Waccovia by 2 strokes. I guess a little MJ magic must’ve rubbed off on him.
==Chasing the Record==
Somce my initial post, Capps has given up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning over 2 games. Might be the new Curse of Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out.
My Predictions Were A Little Off
I pretty much went 1-fer on my predictions last night.
First to the ponies. I guess the odds makers do know what they are doing when handicapping horses. Odds-on-favorite Street Sense came back from 19th place after a quarter mile to win the Running of the Roses. We ended up watching the race at a bar that had 19 patrons, bartenders and wait staff. Each of us threw a dollar into the pool and selected a horse, based solely on name. Because of a name resembling hometown hero Carmelo Anthony, I took Stormello, who had a great early showing. Stormello was running strong early, in 4th place after a quarter-mile, only to finish out of the money. Actually none of the horses I predicted here finished in the money. In case you were curious, the 1 horse nobody selected (19 patrons, 20 horses) was the commonly named Sam P.
Next to the NBA Playoffs where I aptly stated that the Rockets would win because of "Too much T-Mac, not enough Boozer." Well I think Boozer's 35/14/5 kinda set me straight. Not that T Mac didn't show up (29/5/13), but he is going home again after just one round.
==The Fight to Save Boxing==
(Written in third person, as a tribute to the champ, Floyd Maywhether)
Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out (SEO, TEO) watched the De la Hoya-Mayweather fight last night and only agreed with one of the judges. SEO, TEO felt De La Hoya out boxed Mayweather and should have retained his title. SEO, TEO thinks that the fight was only mildly entertaining, and if it was supposed to save boxing on its own merit then the sport is doomed. What boxing needs is a big time Heavyweight to come in and rule the world. These smaller guys are fast and entertaining but chicks dig the long ball and KOs. The Oscar-Floyd fight needed someone to hit the canvas, or a rapid series of punches to make the fight worth the $55 PPV price.
SEO, TEO is convinced that even more entertaining than the fight was Floyd Mayweather Sr. SEO, TEO thought that Alien vs Predator was a ficticous action movie (that SEO, TEO actually never saw) but after seeing Floyd Sr in the ring with Larry Merchant after the fight, SEO, TEO is convinced that aliens have descended onto our planet.
A good conversation started brewing during the fight about the best Mike Tyson's Punchout character. Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out was a big fan of King Hippo. Sure, easy to beat, but the look on his face when he was jabbed in the stomach was priceless. Add in the fact that his fat ass could stand after getting knocked down once makes King Hippo the "Official MTPO Character of Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out."
==NBA Semis Predictions==
(Back to first person, that was tiring and gave me a headache)
East:
Pistons over Bulls in 6. This would have been my prediction before game 1, but the 95-68 thumping that Denver native Chauncey Billups (20 pts) and the rest of the Pistons put on the Baby Bulls just solidified my prediction.
Cavs over Nets in 6. I love watching the Nets play. Jason Kidd just makes his team better, which is saying a lot when you have greats like Vince and Jefferson on the court, but I think that LeBron and the Cavs will just be too much for New Jersey. The Cavs have been resting up after their first round series sweep, while the Nets just got out of an emotional, hard fought 6 game set against Toronto. I think that fresh legs and LeBron will make the NBA yell "Cleveland Rocks!"
West:
Suns over Spurs in 7. I think home court advantage is what will sway this series. Steve Nash is the most exciting player in the NBA and his supporting cast will help guide the Suns to the Conference Finals. Here is the one guarantee, if the scores are in the 80s and 90s, the Spurs will win the series. If the Suns can get out and run and winning scores are in triple-digits then Phoenix will advance.
Golden State over Utah in 5. Both teams are coming off of tough series, GS beating the Mavs in 6 and Utah finishing off Houston in 7, but I think that the "gun-and-gun" Warriors will be able to out pace the Jazz and head to the Conference Finals. This series doesn't tip-off until Monday, giving Baron Davis an additional day to heal his hammy.
By the way, if my Western Conference picks are correct, the Conference Finals will be some of the most entertaining games in recent history, with scores barreling into the mid 100s.
==MLB Wrap Up==
The Cardinals should start looking for delivery rates for their championship trophy, since it won't be staying in St Louis another year. After losing to the Astros 13-0 on Saturday the Cardinals learned that Chris Carpenter will be out 3 months. Hey, at least Mark Mulder will have a canasta companion on the DL.
Chien-Ming Wang takes a perfect game into the 8th for the first decent Yankee outing of the year. But with one swing of Ben Broussard's bat, the perfect game, no hitter, and shut out were all lost. (This is my second consecutive Yankee posting. Not sure why. I have no bias towards or against them, they have just been in the news the past two days.)
On a local note, it is good to see Todd Helton climb up to second in the the NL batting race, hitting a Helton-esq .390
==Chasing the Record==
While that one guy hit a baseball pretty far to move one step closer to the all-time record for balls hit pretty far, Matt Capps did not record a Hold. In fact Capps actually got roughed up for the first time all season giving up 2 ER while only tossing 5 pitches without recording an out. Capps is still at 10 holds on his way to breaking the record of 36 set last year.
==NHL Playoffs==
As far as I know they are still going on. I have not heard anything to the contrary. If I am mistaken, please leave a comment.
Taking the bike out for a spin,
- SEO, TEO
First to the ponies. I guess the odds makers do know what they are doing when handicapping horses. Odds-on-favorite Street Sense came back from 19th place after a quarter mile to win the Running of the Roses. We ended up watching the race at a bar that had 19 patrons, bartenders and wait staff. Each of us threw a dollar into the pool and selected a horse, based solely on name. Because of a name resembling hometown hero Carmelo Anthony, I took Stormello, who had a great early showing. Stormello was running strong early, in 4th place after a quarter-mile, only to finish out of the money. Actually none of the horses I predicted here finished in the money. In case you were curious, the 1 horse nobody selected (19 patrons, 20 horses) was the commonly named Sam P.
Next to the NBA Playoffs where I aptly stated that the Rockets would win because of "Too much T-Mac, not enough Boozer." Well I think Boozer's 35/14/5 kinda set me straight. Not that T Mac didn't show up (29/5/13), but he is going home again after just one round.
==The Fight to Save Boxing==
(Written in third person, as a tribute to the champ, Floyd Maywhether)
Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out (SEO, TEO) watched the De la Hoya-Mayweather fight last night and only agreed with one of the judges. SEO, TEO felt De La Hoya out boxed Mayweather and should have retained his title. SEO, TEO thinks that the fight was only mildly entertaining, and if it was supposed to save boxing on its own merit then the sport is doomed. What boxing needs is a big time Heavyweight to come in and rule the world. These smaller guys are fast and entertaining but chicks dig the long ball and KOs. The Oscar-Floyd fight needed someone to hit the canvas, or a rapid series of punches to make the fight worth the $55 PPV price.
SEO, TEO is convinced that even more entertaining than the fight was Floyd Mayweather Sr. SEO, TEO thought that Alien vs Predator was a ficticous action movie (that SEO, TEO actually never saw) but after seeing Floyd Sr in the ring with Larry Merchant after the fight, SEO, TEO is convinced that aliens have descended onto our planet.
A good conversation started brewing during the fight about the best Mike Tyson's Punchout character. Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out was a big fan of King Hippo. Sure, easy to beat, but the look on his face when he was jabbed in the stomach was priceless. Add in the fact that his fat ass could stand after getting knocked down once makes King Hippo the "Official MTPO Character of Strike Em Out, Throw Em Out."
==NBA Semis Predictions==
(Back to first person, that was tiring and gave me a headache)
East:
Pistons over Bulls in 6. This would have been my prediction before game 1, but the 95-68 thumping that Denver native Chauncey Billups (20 pts) and the rest of the Pistons put on the Baby Bulls just solidified my prediction.
Cavs over Nets in 6. I love watching the Nets play. Jason Kidd just makes his team better, which is saying a lot when you have greats like Vince and Jefferson on the court, but I think that LeBron and the Cavs will just be too much for New Jersey. The Cavs have been resting up after their first round series sweep, while the Nets just got out of an emotional, hard fought 6 game set against Toronto. I think that fresh legs and LeBron will make the NBA yell "Cleveland Rocks!"
West:
Suns over Spurs in 7. I think home court advantage is what will sway this series. Steve Nash is the most exciting player in the NBA and his supporting cast will help guide the Suns to the Conference Finals. Here is the one guarantee, if the scores are in the 80s and 90s, the Spurs will win the series. If the Suns can get out and run and winning scores are in triple-digits then Phoenix will advance.
Golden State over Utah in 5. Both teams are coming off of tough series, GS beating the Mavs in 6 and Utah finishing off Houston in 7, but I think that the "gun-and-gun" Warriors will be able to out pace the Jazz and head to the Conference Finals. This series doesn't tip-off until Monday, giving Baron Davis an additional day to heal his hammy.
By the way, if my Western Conference picks are correct, the Conference Finals will be some of the most entertaining games in recent history, with scores barreling into the mid 100s.
==MLB Wrap Up==
The Cardinals should start looking for delivery rates for their championship trophy, since it won't be staying in St Louis another year. After losing to the Astros 13-0 on Saturday the Cardinals learned that Chris Carpenter will be out 3 months. Hey, at least Mark Mulder will have a canasta companion on the DL.
Chien-Ming Wang takes a perfect game into the 8th for the first decent Yankee outing of the year. But with one swing of Ben Broussard's bat, the perfect game, no hitter, and shut out were all lost. (This is my second consecutive Yankee posting. Not sure why. I have no bias towards or against them, they have just been in the news the past two days.)
On a local note, it is good to see Todd Helton climb up to second in the the NL batting race, hitting a Helton-esq .390
==Chasing the Record==
While that one guy hit a baseball pretty far to move one step closer to the all-time record for balls hit pretty far, Matt Capps did not record a Hold. In fact Capps actually got roughed up for the first time all season giving up 2 ER while only tossing 5 pitches without recording an out. Capps is still at 10 holds on his way to breaking the record of 36 set last year.
==NHL Playoffs==
As far as I know they are still going on. I have not heard anything to the contrary. If I am mistaken, please leave a comment.
Taking the bike out for a spin,
- SEO, TEO
Saturday, May 5, 2007
The Best Bet
Being an amateur gambler for most of my life, I would venture to say that the Kentucky Derby is the single greatest sporting event to bet on.
Not because I know anything about horse racing, in fact quite the opposite. Since I have no idea about the ponies, and neither do any of the guys I bet against, the Kentucky Derby is the one time that all else is equal in our passion to wager anything and everything on sports. We pick our horses by their names, their numbers or the colors, not because of any preconceived notion, love (or hatred), or favoritism.
By the time the Preakness and Belmont come around, you have heard of all these 3-year olds. Not true for the Derby. In 2004, Smarty Jones won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. When the Belmont came around, Smarty was a household name. Because Smarty was such a favorite, that year, when we picked our Belmont horses, Smarty was ineligible for our friendly wager. There would never be an ineligible horse for the Derby since all these horses are no names to the layman viewer.
With that said, my prediction for this afternoon is:
Win: Storm In May (how can you bet against this horse running on Cinco de Mayo)
Place: Tiago (this just sounds like a Derby winner)
Show: Stormello (being a Nuggets fan, I sense that the spirit of our Melo Man will show)
Last Place: Sam P. (what a horrible name for a horse!)
==In other news==
The last prize fight of all-time (potentially) is tonight on HBO PPV. I haven't followed prize fighting since the Tyson-Holyfield era, but will go out on an uniformed limb and take Floyd Mayweather to remain unbeaten against Oscar De La Hoya. I think the younger, faster Mayweather will just be too much for the Golden Boy to handle tonight in Las Vegas.
==MLB Round Up==
The New York Yankees score 11 and lose to Seattle. There are big issues in New York, and I am happy I got off the Yanks bandwagon when they got rid of Rickey Henderson.
==NBA Playoffs==
The Nets defeat the Raptors in an exciting game in New Jersey to wrap up the series 4-2. Richard Jefferson showed that despite the his mid-season injury this year, he can still take it to the hoop to finish off the Raptors. Would it have been wise for Chris Both to have fouled him on the last basket? Jefferson's 95% free throw percentage in the playoffs suggests the same final score.
==NBA Semi Predictions==
Predictions will come tomorrow after the Rockets eliminate the Jazz in game 7 tonight. Too much T-Mac, not enough Boozer (coupled with an 81% home team winning percentage in game 7s)
Off to have a Mint Julep!
Not because I know anything about horse racing, in fact quite the opposite. Since I have no idea about the ponies, and neither do any of the guys I bet against, the Kentucky Derby is the one time that all else is equal in our passion to wager anything and everything on sports. We pick our horses by their names, their numbers or the colors, not because of any preconceived notion, love (or hatred), or favoritism.
By the time the Preakness and Belmont come around, you have heard of all these 3-year olds. Not true for the Derby. In 2004, Smarty Jones won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. When the Belmont came around, Smarty was a household name. Because Smarty was such a favorite, that year, when we picked our Belmont horses, Smarty was ineligible for our friendly wager. There would never be an ineligible horse for the Derby since all these horses are no names to the layman viewer.
With that said, my prediction for this afternoon is:
Win: Storm In May (how can you bet against this horse running on Cinco de Mayo)
Place: Tiago (this just sounds like a Derby winner)
Show: Stormello (being a Nuggets fan, I sense that the spirit of our Melo Man will show)
Last Place: Sam P. (what a horrible name for a horse!)
==In other news==
The last prize fight of all-time (potentially) is tonight on HBO PPV. I haven't followed prize fighting since the Tyson-Holyfield era, but will go out on an uniformed limb and take Floyd Mayweather to remain unbeaten against Oscar De La Hoya. I think the younger, faster Mayweather will just be too much for the Golden Boy to handle tonight in Las Vegas.
==MLB Round Up==
The New York Yankees score 11 and lose to Seattle. There are big issues in New York, and I am happy I got off the Yanks bandwagon when they got rid of Rickey Henderson.
==NBA Playoffs==
The Nets defeat the Raptors in an exciting game in New Jersey to wrap up the series 4-2. Richard Jefferson showed that despite the his mid-season injury this year, he can still take it to the hoop to finish off the Raptors. Would it have been wise for Chris Both to have fouled him on the last basket? Jefferson's 95% free throw percentage in the playoffs suggests the same final score.
==NBA Semi Predictions==
Predictions will come tomorrow after the Rockets eliminate the Jazz in game 7 tonight. Too much T-Mac, not enough Boozer (coupled with an 81% home team winning percentage in game 7s)
Off to have a Mint Julep!
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