Draft is over. I will provide some analysis once I get a chance to look over everything.
Farm Team Round--This is where you get your player pool from for the year. We have second pick, so we will take a look and see what we can get. We took the Washington Nationals. Who knows with this stuff, but we can probably get some good bullpen help.
33rd Round--Final round is starting and thank goodness. Our final pick is Jarrod Parker. He may be up sometime, but no one else would have helped, so why not take a chance on a young prospect.
32nd Round--I get a guy that I have targeted for over a month now, Esmailin Caridad. You heard it here first, setup man, maybe closer. Mark it down...or we won't ever hear from him again. Either way
31st Round--Holy cow I am about to fall asleep. I woke up a little with the Pedro Alvarez pick. He is in the minors, but he should be called up to play 1st or 3rd, so could be nice value.
30th Round--Big pick with, wait for it, Yorvit Torrealba. Yes, backup catcher for the Padres, but we have Hundley, so it is a necessary pick.
29th Round--Oscar Salazar was our choice. Could play outfield or on the left side of the infield, so why not.
28th Round--Took my chances on Fernado Nieve for the Mets. Could be the 5th starter and that is enough at this point.
27th Round--Another middle relief picther with Brian Bruney. It is time to turn back to hitters.
26th Round--Dad got his pick here with Houston SS Tommy Manzella. Could turn out to be a nice help as a backup infielder, we shall see. Well, the thing I feared with picking Manzella came true here and Mike Stanton came off the board. He is a year away, but still wanted to have him just in case it started at the end of this year.
Final Break
25th Round--This is no longer for the weak at heart. We are on hour five and players are moving off the board at a slow pace. The good news is you usually get the guys are target because everyone is filling their own needs. Going to the bullpen again this time around. Got a nice late innings guy with Dan Meyer of the Marlins. Should pitch in the 8th a lot for us. By the way, it is Arizona Fruit Punch time!
24th Round--We took a chance on Pittsburg's 5th starter Daniel McCutchen. Why not at this point, he has been named the fifth starter and if it works, great, if not, no big deal.
23rd Round--I got to get one of my sleepers, Gaby Sanchez. We have Fielder, so we won't need much backup, but he is still a good bat and can come in handy as a pinch hitter
22nd Round--I still have some names on my board that I really want to go after, but we are hurting at catcher, so we will probably go there. There are a few starting pitchers and some quaility relief innings, so we should be okay. We took Ronny Paulino. He is a backup catcher for the Marlins, but he plays about 45% of the time and puts up good production, so why not.
21st Round--Another no thrills pick with Sergio Romo, but he is solid out of the pen, so he can help. This is where the draft gets dual and the weak fall off and the strong survive. We finally take a catcher with Nick Hundley.
20th Round--Took Felipe Lopez to have the ultimate middle infield backup.
19th Round--It is still early and there are guys flying off the board I have never heard of. Middle relief, but still. Picked an old friend of our Jeff Francis. He is due for a strong comeback year.
18th Round--This is where you fill out your roster with enough versitale players as you can. Long inning relief, backup middle infielder. So, in that sprite, we took Felipe Lopez.
17th Round--Franklin Morales was our selection. I like him a lot and he is a power pitcher and left handed, so why not.
16th Round--Now it is kicking in. We take Jeremy Affeldt. Probably not going closer this year, or a good one, just doing to get a bunch of strong relief innings. The guy who made the trade earlier just picked his trade pick and got Ryan Madson. So Madson and Josh Johnson for Joey Votto. Nice trade.
Break time
15th Round--First pick of the 15th round cause me to say "who". It was Kris Medlen. He the 4th guy out of the bullpen for the Braves. I remember him now, but no where on my draft list. Well, this is my first, "fuck it" pick. Akinori Iwamura. Nothing special, just a .280 to .290 hitter. He won't hurt us, but not much help either.
14th Round--Well, I took Milledge. He is just too good to be sitting there this late. I don't know, but this could be a backup in case Heyward doesn't work out. The end of the 14th feature the first repick, which isn't too bad.
13th Round--Aaron Cook gets Round 13 off on the right foot, this is what it is about. Names like Cook, Chad Qualls, and Casey Blake is what the rounds are like now. And we continue to take pitchers with Randy Wells. He is better than people think and we are just stock piling them now. We are officially back on track with our plan. Poor Lastings Milledge. He is still on the board. The first guy not on my hitter list just got taken, Craig Counsel.
12th Round--It gets ugly quick now. There have been 132 players taken and it is hard to find picks now. We took Brad Penny. Now before you start, he is a solid pitcher, and we aren't so much drafting him as we are Dave Duncan. Kyle Blanks just got taken by the other owner other than us to know of such values. The kid is going to be a stud, and it could be this year
11th Round--We took Everth Cabrera, SS from SD. I like him a lot because he is young and has speed. Brandon Webb finally got taken, which is a good upside, especially for an owner who doesn't have many other injury risks. Nyjer Morgan just came of the board at an incredible value. He hits for average and has speed, real nice value.
Tenth--Now is when it gets a little crazy. And so you know, with a little help, I'm about to go a little crazy. Carlos Beltran in the 10th good be a huge steal. Mind you the owner also has Reyes, Hudson, Oswalt. Could be a long season, or a great season. This is the second pick that will either win it for us or lose it, Stephen Strasburg. We will have to wait, but it will be worth the wait. In and NL Only to get Heyward in the 6th and Strasburg in the 10th is real good value, if they are who we think they are, to modify a Dennis Green quote. The first player off my third page of hitters just got taken, Kosuke Fukudome
Ninth Round--Starting to dig in now. Everyone is realy quite and trying to figure out who to fill out their teams. This is where we are at our best and pick up the guys that cause us to win. Young and steady pitching again this round with J.A. Happ. I like this pick at this time a lot. Jeff Francoeur just got picked, holy cow, it is starting up again.
Eigth Round--Back from break and probably looking to take a pitcher. I went old and steady last pick, so here comes young and wild. And right now cue, we take Bud Norris, young, wild, and huge upside. Chipper Jones finally comes off the board. If you understand what you are getting with him, you will be happy. Michael Bourn just got picked, another good value pick.
First Break--Pretty happy with my team, but we have some holes to fill.
Seventh Round--We got Ted Lilly, blah, but steady. I don't usually like those types of pitchers, but we need some steady innings at this point.
Sixth Round--Stephen Drew was the first pick in the 6th round, which is just great. The same owner that got Hudson just drafted Reyes, if it works it will work, if not, it will be a disaster. Another utility guy off the board, Skip Schumaker. They are valuable, but not that valuable. Well, I was the one who reached Heyward, but the 6th round isn't a reach in an NL Only League. Remember when I talked about winning or losing a draft with one decision, we just made ours.
Fifth Round--We were able to get Carlos Gonzalez, which makes me really happy and I can calm down now. Not many surprises in the fifth, course how could there be with the first four rounds, this is where most of those guys should be being drafted. Tim Hudson got picked up, which could turn out to be the pick of the draft. I was hoping he came back around, but oh well.
Forth Round--Thank goodness the 3rd is over, maybe now some sanity can be established. Not really, Uggla and Cantu were picked with the 1st and 3rd picks in the round. We just got Yovani Gallardo, which I never thought would be there. This isn't going to plan, but is looking good. Ubaldo Jimenez was selected and it breaks my heart. The new guy just pulled a little move. He drafted two first baseman and then traded away his pick and got Josh Johnson and a 16th rounder. A nice little move.
Third Round--A little reach for Kershaw with the 3rd pick in the 3rd round, considering Wainwright, Gallardo, Carpenter are all still on the board, though in fairness, some people are much higher on him than I am. Holy cow, Geovany Soto just came off the board in the 3rd round, at best he is a 7th round pick, at best. We got Jayson Werth and I am thrilled, because he shouldn't have been there. I am always surprised, that I am surprised. Martin Prado just came off the board, great pick but too early. Utility infielders are real important in this league, but better players could have been had and then scooped up Prado a couple rounds later. Russell Martin is now gone, my goodness.
Second Round--We were able to get Sandoval, as I wanted, so that is good. No big surprises. As I typed that, Manny Ramirez was selected about 4 rounds too early. The first big reach just happened. Well shit, someone else was just as high on Andre Ethier as I was and he is off the board, time to regroup. Only three pitchers off the board in the first two rounds, that is a surprise.
9:20--Pujols goes first, to no one's surprise. Ramirez second, again no surprise. Utley goes next, a little early on some draft boards, but not for this league, he's probably the best player. Braun predictably goes next. And our first surprise, Brian McCann goes much too early with the fifth pick. Halladay goes sixth and I am glad to see he is the first pitcher off the board, because he should be. That leaves Prince Fielder to fall to us, I love Matt Kemp, but power is a must and something to build a team around. Tulowitski goes eighth and Lincecum follows, both solid picks, though a little early for Tulo. Ryan Howard is a surprise 10th, only because the owner always drafts pitchers first. My man Matt Kemp gets off the board and my heart sinks, great pick at 11. Rounding out the first round is Matt Holliday...I'm not going to do every round, just recaps from now on.
9:15--Getting started with introduction and then the picks will start coming in.
8:10--It’s ten after eight and the draft starts at 9:00. I have already showed up at the draft site, probably about 30 minutes before anyone else will show up. That’s just my style. Well, I am pretty sure that this is my 19th year of playing in this league. That would have put us as starting when I was 11. Needless to say, I know more today than I did back then. It took us 15 years to win our first Championship, but since then we have won two and should have had a third. We won last year in dominating fashion, so it is going to be tough to repeat that feat, but we will find out today how close we can come to that goal.
For you fantasy baseball players out there, let me tell you a little about the league. We are in a 12 team, NL Sim League. We play on a system called Scoresheet Baseball. There will be 33 rounds today and a farm team chosen for each team to use as their player pool. On the day of the All Star game, there will be a supplemental draft where another 6 players will be chosen. There is a 40 man roster limit.
Anyway, there are 45 minutes until the first pick of the draft and several questions that will be answered that happen every year. For example,
Who will be the first to reach for a player reached for? It will be Jason Heyward and I predict it will be in the 3rd or 4th Round. This isn’t a keeper league, so the owner who takes him that early can have him.
Who will be the first owner to draft someone and I say “what”? This happens every year. Look, I have a certain drafting style and others have their own, but very early in the draft, before the 3rd Round, someone will make a pick that just baffles me.
Who will be the first owner to draft someone and I say “who”? This also happens regularly. I don’t consider myself to be the best drafter, or have endless knowledge of NL rosters, but very few people can be more prepared for a draft than me, yet there will still be players drafted fairly early, who I have to look up on my computer to see who they are.
At what point in the draft is Dad going to tap me on the shoulder and point to a name on his piece of paper as the person we should draft, the person, Rickie Weeks? I have said this before, but on Dad’s tomb, we are going to write “Here lies Dennis Sutton…He believed in Rickie Weeks.” It is without doubt that about the sixth round Dad is going to start pointing to him and I will tell him we will look at him next round and then say a little prayer that someone else drafts him. Remind me to thank that guy at the break.
What Round will be the round that determines whether you win or lose the league? There is a round in every league that determines how your team is shaped, especially in a Sim League like ours where there aren’t waivers and many trades. Most likely it is around the 7th or 8th Round where we will have to determine the direction of our team. Being able to identify that pick is what determines whether your team will win or lose.
When will Dad say, “but he is the #5 starters for the Marlins”? Earlier than you think.
Alright, I am going to prepare a little more. I will be blogging throughout the draft, so keep coming back to see how it is going…later
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, June 5, 2009
Greatest Records in Sports
One of the greatest sports debates of all time is over which records are the best. By the best, I mean those records that were the hardest to obtain, and have the least likelihood of being broken. I don't break these down between single season records and career records because some single season records simply will never be broken, so they need to be included. It is tough to break it down to just ten, but here we go:
10. Jim Brown's 5.22 career rushing average: The next closest was Barry Sanders at 5.0, I believe, so if Barry can't do it, I don't think anyone can
9. Wilt Chamaberlain 50.4 NBA single season scoring average: There simply isn't anyone who could dominate the league like Wilt did. We make a big deal when someone scores 50 in a game, averaging 50 just isn't going to happen
8. Richard Petty's 200 career wins: Jeff Gordon is like 50 back of this record, if not more, and the way NASCAR is set up now, this will never fall.
7. Hack Wilson's 191 RBI in a single season: Manny came close in 99 with something like 160. In my opinion, this is one of the more underrated records in baseball history.
6. Bill Russell's 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons: I can't imagine a situation where this could happen in any sport. It is just an abused record that no one will come close to. 11 titles will be tough enough, but in 13 years just isn't going to happen
5. Wayne Gretzky's 92 goals in a single season: Put it this way, the league leader in goals this year was Ovechkin and he had 56, 36 behind The Great One. The next closest scorer was at 87 and that was Wayne Gretzky. The closest this decade was 59 back in 2000-01 season.
4. Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hitting streak: For a long time I considered this is the top baseball record (though I have since changed my mind). The closest this decade was Jimmy Rollins with 38. It just isn't going to happen. The consistency among hitters just isn't there any more.
3. Phil Jackson's 43-0 record after winning first game of playoff series: I hate to include this and jinx Phil after the win last night, but this is simply an amazing record. I didn't know about it till this year, but winning 43 playoffs series is one thing, but 43-0 after winning the first game is insane and will never be matched.
2. Cy Young's 511 careers wins: The closest modern day player to this record is Greg Maddux and he is 156 wins behind. I am not sure when the next pitcher to win 300 will come around, and nobody, nobody, I mean nobody will ever get even close to this record. I bet that, from today on, nobody gets with 175 wins of this record.
1. Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played: Simply the greatest feat in all of sports. There is no question, no argument, nothing compares to playing 2,632 consecutive games, especially in the modern era. Lou's record was amazing, but in that time it was expected. Today, guys take off every four days or during a day game. I don't care the sport, the distance, the person, anything, nothing will ever compare to this record.
Please share your own if you disagree.
10. Jim Brown's 5.22 career rushing average: The next closest was Barry Sanders at 5.0, I believe, so if Barry can't do it, I don't think anyone can
9. Wilt Chamaberlain 50.4 NBA single season scoring average: There simply isn't anyone who could dominate the league like Wilt did. We make a big deal when someone scores 50 in a game, averaging 50 just isn't going to happen
8. Richard Petty's 200 career wins: Jeff Gordon is like 50 back of this record, if not more, and the way NASCAR is set up now, this will never fall.
7. Hack Wilson's 191 RBI in a single season: Manny came close in 99 with something like 160. In my opinion, this is one of the more underrated records in baseball history.
6. Bill Russell's 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons: I can't imagine a situation where this could happen in any sport. It is just an abused record that no one will come close to. 11 titles will be tough enough, but in 13 years just isn't going to happen
5. Wayne Gretzky's 92 goals in a single season: Put it this way, the league leader in goals this year was Ovechkin and he had 56, 36 behind The Great One. The next closest scorer was at 87 and that was Wayne Gretzky. The closest this decade was 59 back in 2000-01 season.
4. Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hitting streak: For a long time I considered this is the top baseball record (though I have since changed my mind). The closest this decade was Jimmy Rollins with 38. It just isn't going to happen. The consistency among hitters just isn't there any more.
3. Phil Jackson's 43-0 record after winning first game of playoff series: I hate to include this and jinx Phil after the win last night, but this is simply an amazing record. I didn't know about it till this year, but winning 43 playoffs series is one thing, but 43-0 after winning the first game is insane and will never be matched.
2. Cy Young's 511 careers wins: The closest modern day player to this record is Greg Maddux and he is 156 wins behind. I am not sure when the next pitcher to win 300 will come around, and nobody, nobody, I mean nobody will ever get even close to this record. I bet that, from today on, nobody gets with 175 wins of this record.
1. Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played: Simply the greatest feat in all of sports. There is no question, no argument, nothing compares to playing 2,632 consecutive games, especially in the modern era. Lou's record was amazing, but in that time it was expected. Today, guys take off every four days or during a day game. I don't care the sport, the distance, the person, anything, nothing will ever compare to this record.
Please share your own if you disagree.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Very Funny Recommendation
I was up last night watching the Cavs/Magic game and on Comedy Central was the roast of Bob Saget is an extremely underrated comedian. Because of his roles on Full House and America's Funniest Home Video, Saget gets pegged wrong. He isn't this clean cut, children's comedian. Saget is raw and dirty and very, very funny. If you get a chance sometime, check out Saget's HBO Special That Ain't Right. Saget is also very funny in Farce of the Penguins and various other movies where he makes hilarious cameos.
Anyway, seeing Saget made me think of a very funny movie that I saw a couple of years ago that I wanted to recommend. The movies is called The Aristocrats. The movie is a documentary of a series of over 100 comedians telling the same joke. It is a joke told by comedians to other comedians. The outline of the joke is that a man goes into an agent's office and says he has a family act. he then either acts out or describes the most obscene acts possible. The stunned agent says, "And what do you call yourselves?" and the man answers, "The Aristocrats." Penn Jillette produced the movie as a documentary on the joke. It is a joke that every comedian tells, but never on stage, just to other comedians. Now, by itself that really doesn't seem that funny, but it is one of the top five funniest things that I have ever seen. It is watching each comedian tell their version of the joke that is so funny. I have never laughed so hard.
The best part of the movie is the cast. It isn't just a few lower comedians telling the joke. The following are just a few that tell their version of the joke in the movie: Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Lewis Black, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Carrie Fisher, Gilbert Gottfied, Eric Idle, Richard Jeni, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Kevin Nealon, Penn Jillette, Trey Parker, Kevin Pollak, Paul Reiser, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams just to name a few. For what it is worth, in my opinion, the funniest were Richard Lewis, Penn Jillette, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, and the best was Gilbery Gottfied (I am not a Gottfied fan, but I could even sit down while I watching him).
Anyway, if you get a chance and want to watch something really funny, go out and find The Aristocrats. I haven't seen anything funnier since I watched it a few years ago and could watch it 50 times and laugh harder every time. It is completely worth it.
Anyway, seeing Saget made me think of a very funny movie that I saw a couple of years ago that I wanted to recommend. The movies is called The Aristocrats. The movie is a documentary of a series of over 100 comedians telling the same joke. It is a joke told by comedians to other comedians. The outline of the joke is that a man goes into an agent's office and says he has a family act. he then either acts out or describes the most obscene acts possible. The stunned agent says, "And what do you call yourselves?" and the man answers, "The Aristocrats." Penn Jillette produced the movie as a documentary on the joke. It is a joke that every comedian tells, but never on stage, just to other comedians. Now, by itself that really doesn't seem that funny, but it is one of the top five funniest things that I have ever seen. It is watching each comedian tell their version of the joke that is so funny. I have never laughed so hard.
The best part of the movie is the cast. It isn't just a few lower comedians telling the joke. The following are just a few that tell their version of the joke in the movie: Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Lewis Black, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Carrie Fisher, Gilbert Gottfied, Eric Idle, Richard Jeni, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Kevin Nealon, Penn Jillette, Trey Parker, Kevin Pollak, Paul Reiser, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams just to name a few. For what it is worth, in my opinion, the funniest were Richard Lewis, Penn Jillette, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, and the best was Gilbery Gottfied (I am not a Gottfied fan, but I could even sit down while I watching him).
Anyway, if you get a chance and want to watch something really funny, go out and find The Aristocrats. I haven't seen anything funnier since I watched it a few years ago and could watch it 50 times and laugh harder every time. It is completely worth it.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Observations of the NBA Playoffs
I have followed the NBA Playoffs pretty closely this year and I was watching the Cavs/Magic game last night and I had a few thoughts come to mind, so I thought I would share...
...this is the worst playoff officiating I have seen in any major sport playoffs, including college. I don't know what the NBA has done to these refs, but they have just been bad. No one team can complain that they lost a game because of an official, because they have been equally bad for every game. It isn't that they are making awful calls, it is that they are extremely inconsistent. They let the big guys kill each other underneath and then they call weenie reaching calls out front. Nobody out there can figure out how to play. One minute they are letting the guys play and the next everything is a foul. They really need to shape up before they truly cost someone a game and a shot at the championship.
...nobody can win one alone, not now, not ever. Okay, so some would say that Jordan won alone, but that is garbage. Pippen is a HOFer and Paxton and Kerr were the ultimate role players. Jordan was the closest to winning one alone, but other take him out of the equation and no other superstar has even come close. Kobe won with Shaq, Duncan had Robinson and then Parker, Shaw had Kobe and Wade, Garrnet had Peirce and Allen, Magic had Kareem and company, Bird had Parrish and company, and the Pistons have always been a team effort. So this does not bode well for LeBron and Kobe. Kobe at least has some help, but where have those guys been and LeBron is just out there on a mountain by himself.
...speaking of LeBron, I think that this is probably it for him in Cleveland. He will be there next year, but I don't think that he will stay after that unless they help him out a little. There is no reason that he shouldn't be winning championship after championship expect he doesn't have any help. I hope that he doesn't go after the money and put himself in the same situation, because the money will be there, but he goes somewhere to win.
...no disrespect to the best coach of all time, but Phil Jackson has done his worst coaching job ever in these playoffs. I believe that Phil has done his best coaching job over the last two season, but something is not clicking right for him in these playoffs. He changes schemes every game and for some reason refuses to let guys play when they have the hot hand. It just seems like he is lost over there and that is really not like him. I hope he figures it out before it is too late.
...speaking of bad coaching, Mike Brown gets the award for the worst of the playoffs. What was Brown thinking putting Ben Wallace on Rashard Lewis at the end of regulation. Ben Wallace. They guy can't even move out there and Brown puts him on the best score on the Magic. What could he have been thinking. Brown gets credit for that loss.
...speaking of that loss, I learned last night that LeBron isn't ready yet. He is probably the best player in the game and is the most physically gifted player of all time, but he isn't quite ready yet. If you want your name mentioned with Jodran, Magic, Bird, West, Kobe, etc then you cannot miss two big free throws in the fourth quarter and you certainly cannot have six turnovers in the fourth and overtime. Put the ball in your hands and win the game. Now I know he doesn't have much help and that is all the reason more to put the ball in your hands. When he does he is amazing, but he has to take over and not make those mistakes. Also, again with all respect to LeBron, and it could have just been last night, but he doesn't seem to have that drive or determination that Jordan and company had. Nobody wanted to win more than Jordan and I just don't see that on LeBron. He is still the best player, but if the game is on the line, and I don't mean last shot, I mean closing the game out, he needs to shape up.
...if you follow the comments on this blog you will see that there was a comment made in disrespect to Robert Horry. There is no doubt that if I had a gun held to my head and my life depended on one shot that I would pick up the phone and call Big Shot Bob. No doubt. If the game is on the line, Horry could not have played for three weeks straight, pick up the ball and nail a three. So please, if you don't like what I say fine, but don't show any disrespect to Big Shot Bob, the man is a living legend.
...finally, I want the NBA executives that read my blog to imagine something for me, and the rest of you can join in. It is Game Six of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Magic. The Lakers are up three games to two. There are three minutes left in the game and the Magic are up by four. Kobe has decided to take over and pull the Lakers back into the game. Kobe steals the ball from Lewis and heads toward the basket. Not wanting to give Kobe and easy two points, Dwight Howard steps in and knocks Kobe down. The two guys get up and exchange words in a very tense situation. To ease the situation, the refs hit them with a double technical. No big deal, no free throws are taken. Kobe does all he can, but the Magic pull it out and they are headed to Game Seven. Game Seven is getting ready to start and everyone in the Staples Center is pumped. Jack is there along with Spike Lee, Tom Cruise, Andy Garcia, etc. This is what the NBA is wanting, and it will be the highest ratings game of the year. The tip is thrown up and the epic battle begins.
...oh wait, did I forget to mention that Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard were both wearing suits and ties because they were suspended for Game Seven because of the NBA's rule for seven technicals in the playoffs. Give me a break. Something inside of me, though I am a Lakers fan, really wants this to happen to the NBA. They deserve something like this for creating such a stupid ass rule. I think that if this happens that the NBA executives should all line up and Jack and Spike Lee get to punch them all in the groin before the game starts. Of course, it never would happen, because I am sure the NBA would rescind the technicals and let Kobe and Howard play, which would make them look even worse. Would they do the same for Luke Walton and Rafer Alson? I am completely feed up with the NBA and all of there stupid rules. These guys are idiots. Let the players play and what happens happens. Stop with all of the silly rules that make you feel like you have some control over your league. (UPDATE: 3:50 pm--The NBA just rescinded Howard's technical from last night. I agree with the decision, but it isn't one that they should even have to make. What a pitful disgrace)
...this is the worst playoff officiating I have seen in any major sport playoffs, including college. I don't know what the NBA has done to these refs, but they have just been bad. No one team can complain that they lost a game because of an official, because they have been equally bad for every game. It isn't that they are making awful calls, it is that they are extremely inconsistent. They let the big guys kill each other underneath and then they call weenie reaching calls out front. Nobody out there can figure out how to play. One minute they are letting the guys play and the next everything is a foul. They really need to shape up before they truly cost someone a game and a shot at the championship.
...nobody can win one alone, not now, not ever. Okay, so some would say that Jordan won alone, but that is garbage. Pippen is a HOFer and Paxton and Kerr were the ultimate role players. Jordan was the closest to winning one alone, but other take him out of the equation and no other superstar has even come close. Kobe won with Shaq, Duncan had Robinson and then Parker, Shaw had Kobe and Wade, Garrnet had Peirce and Allen, Magic had Kareem and company, Bird had Parrish and company, and the Pistons have always been a team effort. So this does not bode well for LeBron and Kobe. Kobe at least has some help, but where have those guys been and LeBron is just out there on a mountain by himself.
...speaking of LeBron, I think that this is probably it for him in Cleveland. He will be there next year, but I don't think that he will stay after that unless they help him out a little. There is no reason that he shouldn't be winning championship after championship expect he doesn't have any help. I hope that he doesn't go after the money and put himself in the same situation, because the money will be there, but he goes somewhere to win.
...no disrespect to the best coach of all time, but Phil Jackson has done his worst coaching job ever in these playoffs. I believe that Phil has done his best coaching job over the last two season, but something is not clicking right for him in these playoffs. He changes schemes every game and for some reason refuses to let guys play when they have the hot hand. It just seems like he is lost over there and that is really not like him. I hope he figures it out before it is too late.
...speaking of bad coaching, Mike Brown gets the award for the worst of the playoffs. What was Brown thinking putting Ben Wallace on Rashard Lewis at the end of regulation. Ben Wallace. They guy can't even move out there and Brown puts him on the best score on the Magic. What could he have been thinking. Brown gets credit for that loss.
...speaking of that loss, I learned last night that LeBron isn't ready yet. He is probably the best player in the game and is the most physically gifted player of all time, but he isn't quite ready yet. If you want your name mentioned with Jodran, Magic, Bird, West, Kobe, etc then you cannot miss two big free throws in the fourth quarter and you certainly cannot have six turnovers in the fourth and overtime. Put the ball in your hands and win the game. Now I know he doesn't have much help and that is all the reason more to put the ball in your hands. When he does he is amazing, but he has to take over and not make those mistakes. Also, again with all respect to LeBron, and it could have just been last night, but he doesn't seem to have that drive or determination that Jordan and company had. Nobody wanted to win more than Jordan and I just don't see that on LeBron. He is still the best player, but if the game is on the line, and I don't mean last shot, I mean closing the game out, he needs to shape up.
...if you follow the comments on this blog you will see that there was a comment made in disrespect to Robert Horry. There is no doubt that if I had a gun held to my head and my life depended on one shot that I would pick up the phone and call Big Shot Bob. No doubt. If the game is on the line, Horry could not have played for three weeks straight, pick up the ball and nail a three. So please, if you don't like what I say fine, but don't show any disrespect to Big Shot Bob, the man is a living legend.
...finally, I want the NBA executives that read my blog to imagine something for me, and the rest of you can join in. It is Game Six of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Magic. The Lakers are up three games to two. There are three minutes left in the game and the Magic are up by four. Kobe has decided to take over and pull the Lakers back into the game. Kobe steals the ball from Lewis and heads toward the basket. Not wanting to give Kobe and easy two points, Dwight Howard steps in and knocks Kobe down. The two guys get up and exchange words in a very tense situation. To ease the situation, the refs hit them with a double technical. No big deal, no free throws are taken. Kobe does all he can, but the Magic pull it out and they are headed to Game Seven. Game Seven is getting ready to start and everyone in the Staples Center is pumped. Jack is there along with Spike Lee, Tom Cruise, Andy Garcia, etc. This is what the NBA is wanting, and it will be the highest ratings game of the year. The tip is thrown up and the epic battle begins.
...oh wait, did I forget to mention that Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard were both wearing suits and ties because they were suspended for Game Seven because of the NBA's rule for seven technicals in the playoffs. Give me a break. Something inside of me, though I am a Lakers fan, really wants this to happen to the NBA. They deserve something like this for creating such a stupid ass rule. I think that if this happens that the NBA executives should all line up and Jack and Spike Lee get to punch them all in the groin before the game starts. Of course, it never would happen, because I am sure the NBA would rescind the technicals and let Kobe and Howard play, which would make them look even worse. Would they do the same for Luke Walton and Rafer Alson? I am completely feed up with the NBA and all of there stupid rules. These guys are idiots. Let the players play and what happens happens. Stop with all of the silly rules that make you feel like you have some control over your league. (UPDATE: 3:50 pm--The NBA just rescinded Howard's technical from last night. I agree with the decision, but it isn't one that they should even have to make. What a pitful disgrace)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Random Thoughts
No topic for this blog, expect just some random, non sequential thoughts about things...
...I hate interleague baseball play...it ruins fantasy stats and it is just pointless...so please stop this mess
...how is it that a Major League baseball player could actually miss a base, more or less miss third base while trying to score the go ahead...i once missed a base (maybe two) when I was nine years old
...by the way, you can now do mock fantasy football drafts on espn.com...only about four months before the season
...i am anti-no trade clauses in major sports
...let Mick Vick play football...i despise what he did and am glad he served time but he has served his time and now should be allowed to make a living...dan synder anyone
...just to make it clear...i don't care who won idol
...but...drumroll please...season premiere of So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight...get your dvr ready
...Team A has an ERA of 3.67, a BA of .299, a run differential of +62...Team B has an ETA of 3.71, a BA of .248 and a run differential of +23...Team A and Team B have the same record in my fantasy simulation league...that is horseshit
...i have taken up gardening a little bit...just thought you would like to know
...the Black Mamba will score 40+ again tonight and the Lakers will win
...just close down Guantanamo Prison and lets take George Carlin's advise on create state prison farms please
...special thanks to the President and Congress for helping people out a little when dealing with the sneaking credit card companies...it is about time
...my wife claims that the new Terminator movie is the first movie to be both a prequel and a sequel...i don't see how that is possible but I am not going to argue with her...anyone have an opinion
...I wish I could dunk like Dwight Howard...he broke the basket last night
...speaking of which...I have said all a long that the Magic are the best in the East but I still want that Kobe v. LeBron finals to shut everyone up...though I agree with an article written by J.A. Adande that the match up between Kobe and Melo is more exciting to watch than Kobe and LeBron would be
...speaking of match ups...the best may turn out to be Obama v. Cheney...in a battle of wits, intelligence, or anything that matters I take Obama...steel cage match...I would take Cheney...cause he would be the guy to bring in a weapon he shouldn't have...a la Man Kind
...another great match up is brewing between political blogs in West Virginia...in one corner you have West Virginia Blue for Democrats...in the other corner you have West Virginia Red for Republican...in a match up between them...they would both lose because neither of them are any good or make any sense...you know a la freeze frame at the end of Rocky III
...apparently my Outlook calender is broke because I missed my invitation to the Billionaire meeting yesterday with Ophra, Gates, Buffet, and Bloomburg
...he gets some credit but not nearly enough so please check out Nate Silver's blog...http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
...I am thrilled that Scrubs will be back next season and the main stars will be in six episodes to transition the show...to what I have no idea
..."to what I have no idea" makes me think of the classic scene in Back to School between Rodney Dangerfield and Sam Kinison...the final line of one of the funniest scenes in movie history is "...good teacher...he really seems to care...about what I have no idea"
...the new season of Next Food Network Star starts the first week in June...just and fyi
...a new movie networking site that was helped launched by Martin Scoresese is pretty nice...http://www.theauteurs.com/home...they have free movies and forums...pretty fun
Maybe I will add some more later...
...I hate interleague baseball play...it ruins fantasy stats and it is just pointless...so please stop this mess
...how is it that a Major League baseball player could actually miss a base, more or less miss third base while trying to score the go ahead...i once missed a base (maybe two) when I was nine years old
...by the way, you can now do mock fantasy football drafts on espn.com...only about four months before the season
...i am anti-no trade clauses in major sports
...let Mick Vick play football...i despise what he did and am glad he served time but he has served his time and now should be allowed to make a living...dan synder anyone
...just to make it clear...i don't care who won idol
...but...drumroll please...season premiere of So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight...get your dvr ready
...Team A has an ERA of 3.67, a BA of .299, a run differential of +62...Team B has an ETA of 3.71, a BA of .248 and a run differential of +23...Team A and Team B have the same record in my fantasy simulation league...that is horseshit
...i have taken up gardening a little bit...just thought you would like to know
...the Black Mamba will score 40+ again tonight and the Lakers will win
...just close down Guantanamo Prison and lets take George Carlin's advise on create state prison farms please
...special thanks to the President and Congress for helping people out a little when dealing with the sneaking credit card companies...it is about time
...my wife claims that the new Terminator movie is the first movie to be both a prequel and a sequel...i don't see how that is possible but I am not going to argue with her...anyone have an opinion
...I wish I could dunk like Dwight Howard...he broke the basket last night
...speaking of which...I have said all a long that the Magic are the best in the East but I still want that Kobe v. LeBron finals to shut everyone up...though I agree with an article written by J.A. Adande that the match up between Kobe and Melo is more exciting to watch than Kobe and LeBron would be
...speaking of match ups...the best may turn out to be Obama v. Cheney...in a battle of wits, intelligence, or anything that matters I take Obama...steel cage match...I would take Cheney...cause he would be the guy to bring in a weapon he shouldn't have...a la Man Kind
...another great match up is brewing between political blogs in West Virginia...in one corner you have West Virginia Blue for Democrats...in the other corner you have West Virginia Red for Republican...in a match up between them...they would both lose because neither of them are any good or make any sense...you know a la freeze frame at the end of Rocky III
...apparently my Outlook calender is broke because I missed my invitation to the Billionaire meeting yesterday with Ophra, Gates, Buffet, and Bloomburg
...he gets some credit but not nearly enough so please check out Nate Silver's blog...http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
...I am thrilled that Scrubs will be back next season and the main stars will be in six episodes to transition the show...to what I have no idea
..."to what I have no idea" makes me think of the classic scene in Back to School between Rodney Dangerfield and Sam Kinison...the final line of one of the funniest scenes in movie history is "...good teacher...he really seems to care...about what I have no idea"
...the new season of Next Food Network Star starts the first week in June...just and fyi
...a new movie networking site that was helped launched by Martin Scoresese is pretty nice...http://www.theauteurs.com/home...they have free movies and forums...pretty fun
Maybe I will add some more later...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Yet Another Reason
I was watching the Lakers/Nuggets game last night and I learned yet another reason why I never got to play in the NBA. First, it is important to go over some of the previous reasons that have prevented me from playing professional basketball.
I am a six foot, two inch white guy who can't jump. I have a decent, but inconsistent jump shot and never have been a great free throw shooter. I can't dribble with my left hand, or really even to to my left at all. I am a decent passer, but sometimes I tend to throw the ball a little hard and wild, leading to a broken nose or two, and I usually see holes that aren't really there and I try and slip it in. I have deceptive speed, though, all in all I am pretty slow. My best move was to start at the top of the key, put my head down, lower my shoulder, pick up my dribble, and go to the basket. It was an affective move if I didn't commit a charge and if I was able to slow down and get under control. So I had that going for me so I think that would have given me a chance.
But I learned last night that one of the top reasons I am not playing in the NBA is because I don't have any tattoos. I have always noticed the tats on NBA players, but watching the game last night it just really stood out to me. I mean, really the only difference between me and Chris "Birdman" Anderson is that he can jump, wears a headband, looks like a tool, and is covered in tats. All of the tats don't bother me, I really don't care, I just noticed it and realized that that was one of the reason I didn't make it to the NBA.
All of this led to me thinking about a match up between an All-Tat Team and an All-Clean Team. I am going limit the players to those that have played in my lifetime and I am considering each guy in their prime (though some haven't reached their prime yet). To be on the All-Tat Team you have to have multiple, vi sable tats. I am going to compare each position match up and declare a winner and then declare the overall winner. Okay, let's give it a try.
Point Guard
All-Tat: Chauncey Billups
All-Clean: Magic
Winner: Magic...Billups is going to be great, but he is no Magic. It wasn't easy to find a tatted up point guard, but Billups could hold his own in a big game.
Shooting Guard
All-Tat: The Black Mamba
All-Clean: Jordan
Winner: Jordan...As much as you all know I would love to give it to Kobe, I just can't
Small Foward
All-Tat: King James
All-Clean: Larry Bird
Winner: LeBron...Could you all imagine Bird with a bunch of tats...funny...anyway, as good as Bird was, LeBron takes this on.
Power Forward
All-Tat: Dennis Rodman
All-Clean: Tim Duncan (he has a tattoo, but it is on his back and you can't see it during games)
Winner: Duncan...He is the best, but boy, I would love to see Rodman go at it again.
Center
All-Tat: Shaq
All-Clean: The Dream
Winner: Shaw...This is a close one, but Shaq in his prime was the best.
Bench
All-Tat: Carmelo, AI, Amare Stoudemire, Deron Williams, Tracy McGrady
All-Clean: Barkley, The Admiral, Stockton, Garnett, D Wade
Winner: All-Clean...Not really even close.
In my examination of these teams I realized that while tattoos are a big part of the NBA, they really aren't any indicator of the type of player you will be. Now I know that these teams look the the 80s versus the 2000s, but even still, the bench on the All-Tat Team isn't great compared to the players that were left of the All-Clean Team that play today. So I have to give the advantage to the All-Clean Team on this one, but it would be a fun game to watch.
I am a six foot, two inch white guy who can't jump. I have a decent, but inconsistent jump shot and never have been a great free throw shooter. I can't dribble with my left hand, or really even to to my left at all. I am a decent passer, but sometimes I tend to throw the ball a little hard and wild, leading to a broken nose or two, and I usually see holes that aren't really there and I try and slip it in. I have deceptive speed, though, all in all I am pretty slow. My best move was to start at the top of the key, put my head down, lower my shoulder, pick up my dribble, and go to the basket. It was an affective move if I didn't commit a charge and if I was able to slow down and get under control. So I had that going for me so I think that would have given me a chance.
But I learned last night that one of the top reasons I am not playing in the NBA is because I don't have any tattoos. I have always noticed the tats on NBA players, but watching the game last night it just really stood out to me. I mean, really the only difference between me and Chris "Birdman" Anderson is that he can jump, wears a headband, looks like a tool, and is covered in tats. All of the tats don't bother me, I really don't care, I just noticed it and realized that that was one of the reason I didn't make it to the NBA.
All of this led to me thinking about a match up between an All-Tat Team and an All-Clean Team. I am going limit the players to those that have played in my lifetime and I am considering each guy in their prime (though some haven't reached their prime yet). To be on the All-Tat Team you have to have multiple, vi sable tats. I am going to compare each position match up and declare a winner and then declare the overall winner. Okay, let's give it a try.
Point Guard
All-Tat: Chauncey Billups
All-Clean: Magic
Winner: Magic...Billups is going to be great, but he is no Magic. It wasn't easy to find a tatted up point guard, but Billups could hold his own in a big game.
Shooting Guard
All-Tat: The Black Mamba
All-Clean: Jordan
Winner: Jordan...As much as you all know I would love to give it to Kobe, I just can't
Small Foward
All-Tat: King James
All-Clean: Larry Bird
Winner: LeBron...Could you all imagine Bird with a bunch of tats...funny...anyway, as good as Bird was, LeBron takes this on.
Power Forward
All-Tat: Dennis Rodman
All-Clean: Tim Duncan (he has a tattoo, but it is on his back and you can't see it during games)
Winner: Duncan...He is the best, but boy, I would love to see Rodman go at it again.
Center
All-Tat: Shaq
All-Clean: The Dream
Winner: Shaw...This is a close one, but Shaq in his prime was the best.
Bench
All-Tat: Carmelo, AI, Amare Stoudemire, Deron Williams, Tracy McGrady
All-Clean: Barkley, The Admiral, Stockton, Garnett, D Wade
Winner: All-Clean...Not really even close.
In my examination of these teams I realized that while tattoos are a big part of the NBA, they really aren't any indicator of the type of player you will be. Now I know that these teams look the the 80s versus the 2000s, but even still, the bench on the All-Tat Team isn't great compared to the players that were left of the All-Clean Team that play today. So I have to give the advantage to the All-Clean Team on this one, but it would be a fun game to watch.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Seriously
I am sitting here watching the Lakers/Rockets game and the Lakers look like a bunch of sissies. Seriously, give me a Rockets uniform and I could post Pau Gasol up. Anyway, despite the Lakers looking like shit, the worst part of the game is the officials. The NBA is getting completely ridiculous with all of the bullshit fouls and technicals. These guys need to watch a Big East game and watch the college officials do a game and then maybe they could learn how to call a game. The Lakers and Rockets aren't even playing physical and the officials are still calling the game as if it was a church league championship game.
I have complained about this before, but it is getting worse and worse as the playoffs go on. The NBA needs to fix this and they need to fix it during half time of this game and let these guys play. I am sure that they don't have to worry about Gasol or Bynum being too physical, I don't think that there is any chance of that happening.
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