It's coming! At midnight on July 1st, which is tonight, NBA teams can start to sign free agents. Here is the complete list of free agents. I'm going to break down the needs and possible signings for our New York Knicks.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Knick Fans, PLEASE
I'm disgusted by the Knick fans at the draft and the stuff that they are saying after the draft. They're criticizing our second round pick because they've never read of him before. It's the 48th pick in the draft, the Knicks were never going to get a star player or even a player that will be expected to start this season. Kostas Papanikolaou was being booed before Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver finished saying "K."
Have some trust in this organization. The post-Isiah Thomas regime has not done anything completely and utterly insane yet. Yes, Amar'e and Chandler's contract are a bit inflated, but the team has tried to put the best team on the floor. If they think that this Greek player can help when he finally comes over from Olympiacos (most likely for the 2013-14 season), then wait and see.
He was being scouted by the San Antonio Spurs, which is a good sign. They seem like they can judge good foreign talent. It's not like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are both All-Stars or anything. Furthermore, Papanikolaou was projected to be a late first rounder to an early second round pick, so the Knicks seemed to have stolen him at 48.
He's not terrible.
Not at all.
Have some trust in this organization. The post-Isiah Thomas regime has not done anything completely and utterly insane yet. Yes, Amar'e and Chandler's contract are a bit inflated, but the team has tried to put the best team on the floor. If they think that this Greek player can help when he finally comes over from Olympiacos (most likely for the 2013-14 season), then wait and see.
He was being scouted by the San Antonio Spurs, which is a good sign. They seem like they can judge good foreign talent. It's not like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are both All-Stars or anything. Furthermore, Papanikolaou was projected to be a late first rounder to an early second round pick, so the Knicks seemed to have stolen him at 48.
He's not terrible.
Not at all.
NBA Draft Recap 2012
Last night, the NBA Draft changed the direction of many franchises, while others basically did nothing for themselves.
I'm not going through every pick in the draft or even in the first round, but mostly what stood out to me.
Watch out for the Hornets. They now have a lineup of:
PG Austin Rivers/Eric Gordon (it depends which will play the point and the shooting guard position, but this is definitely their backcourt because Jarrett Jack is not better than either).
SG Rivers/Gordon
SF Al-Farouq Aminu (who isn't terrible)
PF Anthony Davis (major defensive presence, "wingspan wingspan wingspan"- Jay Bilas)
C Chris Kaman (they could re-sign him, but if not, they'll throw in Gustavo Ayon)
Obviously it's too early to expect much from them right now, but once they upgrade at the center position, they will be legitimate contenders. They have two young studs who will carry the franchise for years to come. Davis is expected to be a Kevin Garnett/Tim Duncan-like player, and Rivers can really create his own shot and get to the basket with ease. If they solidify the pieces around these two cornerstones, I see bright things in their future.
Well, the Charlotte Bobcats took the best player available in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Now to see if he fits in their system. But then again does anyone fit in Charlotte?
Washington took Bradley Beal to "fill to biggest position hole they have" (according to what I heard on ESPN before the draft). Their starting small forward is Trevor Ariza, that's a pretty big hole.
I correctly predicted Cleveland's pick of Dion Waiters. I expected them to swap with the Cats and get the #2 pick in order to steal Beal (nice rhyme eh?) from the Wizards. Once they knew Beal wasn't there, they stuck to the plan and got a shooter. Waiters has talent, give him a shot before you kill this move.
Joe Dumars violated the rule of drafting. Section 20 rule 1.09 in "Drafting for Dummies" clearly states, "Never shall thou select a center who cannot grab rebounds on the defensive end, never attempts to box out his opponent, and shoots TWENTY NINE PERCENT from the line at which one shoots free throws." Well, that's Andre Drummond. Everyone talks about his athleticism and potential, but look at this. Basically, he is a big, tall, athletic guy who doesn't know how to play basketball. Here's how he probably started playing in high school:
Math Teacher: Hey Andre, how tall are you?
Andre: I'm 6'8"
Math Teacher: I'm also the basketball coach here, you should try out!
Andre: What's basketball? I can't really, I'm on the raquetball team.
Math Teacher: You don't need to know what it is, just stand in that blue painted area, and swat the ball whenever you see it.
Andre: No problem!
Who shoots 29% from the free throw line? That's worse than Shaq's free throw numbers, who is regarded as a terrible free throw shooter, and even Diesel himself never shot less than 46.1% for a season. I know I mentioned Drummond as the best center prospect available earlier this week, but I'm totally recanting that mini-paragraph. I might even delete it from that post and wipe it from all of your minds. Okay, I'll just admit my lack of knowledge of how bad he is. The fact that he is from the same school as Hasheem Thabeet, is very troubling.
The Sixers added more depth with Maurice "Not Moe, Okay, Stop Calling Me Moe" Harkless and Arnett Moultrie. They keep adding productive players, but they really need to make a big trade to turn some of these guys into some star power. They will stay young and athletic, which will get them into the playoffs on a yearly basis, but that one star will put them over the top.
The Houston Rockets did well for themselves without getting Dwight Howard. They turned Samuel Dalembert and Chase Budinger into Jeremy Lamb (good shooter), Royce White (super athletic power forward who can play like an in-shape Boris Diaw, which by the way, is very good), and Terrence Jones (a great prospect at the PF position, and unlike Drummond, knows how to play). They'll be fun to watch next season.
Funny to see the Magic pick a center in Andre Nicholson. It looks like they want him to learn as much from Dwight as he can before Orlando rids themselves of Mr. Howard. Nicholson is a good shooter and he's Canadian, which means that Steve Nash is on his side. Okay, but in all seriousness, he plays a completely different style than Howard, so it will be interesting to see how these two work together during the season. Or at least over the next 5 days before Dwight goes to Brooklyn.
The Celtics were able to get Jared Sullinger after his free-fall. Sullinger is apparently undersized and unathletic. Whatever, he knows how to play the game of basketball. That basically means that if you combine Andre Drummond's body and Sullinger's knowledge, we would have a Hall of Famer here. He's always been able to overcome his physical limitations and dominate in the low post. His mid-range shooting is also good. He'll find a way to be productive. Fab Melo is also a big and tall guy who doesn't really know the game well. Though he still is more knowledgeable than Drummond. I've mentioned Drummond so many times, let's go ahead me fulfill my Drummond quota for the rest of this article. Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond. I was allowed to say in 15 times max without getting myself into a legal mess. I'm just making stuff up. Okay, back to The Guy Named Melo Who Plays In The Same Divison As A Guy Commonly Referred To As Melo. He's a good shot blocker and with some development, I believe could be a decent starting center in this league.
The best part about the draft, by far, was David Stern. He successfully trolled the whole crowd last night. The Commish is great. I love him for that great performance. It was top notch stuff. I also have to applaud the crowd for continuing to boo him for all 30 picks. It was pretty entertaining.
Drummo
I'm not going through every pick in the draft or even in the first round, but mostly what stood out to me.
Watch out for the Hornets. They now have a lineup of:
PG Austin Rivers/Eric Gordon (it depends which will play the point and the shooting guard position, but this is definitely their backcourt because Jarrett Jack is not better than either).
SG Rivers/Gordon
SF Al-Farouq Aminu (who isn't terrible)
PF Anthony Davis (major defensive presence, "wingspan wingspan wingspan"- Jay Bilas)
C Chris Kaman (they could re-sign him, but if not, they'll throw in Gustavo Ayon)
Obviously it's too early to expect much from them right now, but once they upgrade at the center position, they will be legitimate contenders. They have two young studs who will carry the franchise for years to come. Davis is expected to be a Kevin Garnett/Tim Duncan-like player, and Rivers can really create his own shot and get to the basket with ease. If they solidify the pieces around these two cornerstones, I see bright things in their future.
Well, the Charlotte Bobcats took the best player available in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Now to see if he fits in their system. But then again does anyone fit in Charlotte?
Washington took Bradley Beal to "fill to biggest position hole they have" (according to what I heard on ESPN before the draft). Their starting small forward is Trevor Ariza, that's a pretty big hole.
I correctly predicted Cleveland's pick of Dion Waiters. I expected them to swap with the Cats and get the #2 pick in order to steal Beal (nice rhyme eh?) from the Wizards. Once they knew Beal wasn't there, they stuck to the plan and got a shooter. Waiters has talent, give him a shot before you kill this move.
Joe Dumars violated the rule of drafting. Section 20 rule 1.09 in "Drafting for Dummies" clearly states, "Never shall thou select a center who cannot grab rebounds on the defensive end, never attempts to box out his opponent, and shoots TWENTY NINE PERCENT from the line at which one shoots free throws." Well, that's Andre Drummond. Everyone talks about his athleticism and potential, but look at this. Basically, he is a big, tall, athletic guy who doesn't know how to play basketball. Here's how he probably started playing in high school:
Math Teacher: Hey Andre, how tall are you?
Andre: I'm 6'8"
Math Teacher: I'm also the basketball coach here, you should try out!
Andre: What's basketball? I can't really, I'm on the raquetball team.
Math Teacher: You don't need to know what it is, just stand in that blue painted area, and swat the ball whenever you see it.
Andre: No problem!
Who shoots 29% from the free throw line? That's worse than Shaq's free throw numbers, who is regarded as a terrible free throw shooter, and even Diesel himself never shot less than 46.1% for a season. I know I mentioned Drummond as the best center prospect available earlier this week, but I'm totally recanting that mini-paragraph. I might even delete it from that post and wipe it from all of your minds. Okay, I'll just admit my lack of knowledge of how bad he is. The fact that he is from the same school as Hasheem Thabeet, is very troubling.
The Sixers added more depth with Maurice "Not Moe, Okay, Stop Calling Me Moe" Harkless and Arnett Moultrie. They keep adding productive players, but they really need to make a big trade to turn some of these guys into some star power. They will stay young and athletic, which will get them into the playoffs on a yearly basis, but that one star will put them over the top.
The Houston Rockets did well for themselves without getting Dwight Howard. They turned Samuel Dalembert and Chase Budinger into Jeremy Lamb (good shooter), Royce White (super athletic power forward who can play like an in-shape Boris Diaw, which by the way, is very good), and Terrence Jones (a great prospect at the PF position, and unlike Drummond, knows how to play). They'll be fun to watch next season.
Funny to see the Magic pick a center in Andre Nicholson. It looks like they want him to learn as much from Dwight as he can before Orlando rids themselves of Mr. Howard. Nicholson is a good shooter and he's Canadian, which means that Steve Nash is on his side. Okay, but in all seriousness, he plays a completely different style than Howard, so it will be interesting to see how these two work together during the season. Or at least over the next 5 days before Dwight goes to Brooklyn.
The Celtics were able to get Jared Sullinger after his free-fall. Sullinger is apparently undersized and unathletic. Whatever, he knows how to play the game of basketball. That basically means that if you combine Andre Drummond's body and Sullinger's knowledge, we would have a Hall of Famer here. He's always been able to overcome his physical limitations and dominate in the low post. His mid-range shooting is also good. He'll find a way to be productive. Fab Melo is also a big and tall guy who doesn't really know the game well. Though he still is more knowledgeable than Drummond. I've mentioned Drummond so many times, let's go ahead me fulfill my Drummond quota for the rest of this article. Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond Drummond. I was allowed to say in 15 times max without getting myself into a legal mess. I'm just making stuff up. Okay, back to The Guy Named Melo Who Plays In The Same Divison As A Guy Commonly Referred To As Melo. He's a good shot blocker and with some development, I believe could be a decent starting center in this league.
The best part about the draft, by far, was David Stern. He successfully trolled the whole crowd last night. The Commish is great. I love him for that great performance. It was top notch stuff. I also have to applaud the crowd for continuing to boo him for all 30 picks. It was pretty entertaining.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
NFL Top 100 List
Everyone knows about the Top 100 Players of 2012 in the NFL list that was voted on by the players. I have a lot of issues with this list, and that's to be expected, so let's start with the top.
Tom Brady was ranked number 4 under (from first to third) Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Calvin Johnson. As a Jets fan, I'd put him above Johnson. I watch too much football and too much of the Patriots to ignore Brady's ability to completely shred defenses. While Calvin Johnson is beyond beastly, Tom Brady is a quarterback, and at the elite level that he plays at, a quarterback deserves to be ahead of a wide receiver at the same level. Generally I'm fine with the placement because it's arguable either way between the two of them.
Darelle Revis can be lower, but I guess his placement is fine. He's a great shutdown corner and (favoritism, but with merit) his ability is unmatched at his position. It wouldn't be an outrage if he was lower, but still in the top 10.
I personally think that Patrick Willis is a better linebacker than DeMarcus Ware, even though he remains the most underrated player in the league. I mean, yes he somehow ended up at number 10, but he doesn't get enough credit for just how amazing he really is. I would move him up to number 6 and drop Ware to 10.
Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are way too high. They are great and are both first-ballot Hall of Famers, but age has changed their games lately. The fact that they are at 16 and 20 respectively is bad. There are other players at their positions that are better than them (see: Troy Polamalu, Clay Matthews, James Harrison).
I find it funny that Jimmy Graham is 7 spots above Rob Gronkowski. I do agree, but I wasn't sure that everyone gave Graham the credit that he deserves.
Okay, now here's to the New York Giants part of this (don't worry, though I'm a Jets fan, I don't hate the Giants. Even though Giants fans are extremely annoying, I enjoy seeing the team do well). Jason Pierre-Paul is a complete joke at 24. Second year in the league, he has a lot of talent and skills, but there is no way that he is the 24th best player in the league. It's just crazy to think that he had one good year and the rest of the NFL players think this of him. He is not better than Julius Peppers who is two spots behind him. Will he deserve to be at 24 or higher in the future? Yes, he will because he has the skills to be, but not right now. I'd even take Justin Tuck above him, who in a criminal act is only 62nd. Teammate Chris Canty was asked on ESPN if he would rather have JPP or DeMarcus Ware, and in a terrible statement, he picked Pierre-Paul. That's why defensive tackles shouldn't speak words.
Victor Cruz is 39, I don't even know what to say. He was on the practice squad in 2010, and he thrived in the slot last year. Again, it's one year, give me a break with this one. Outside of Devin Hester and Jordy Nelson, I would put every wide receiver ahead of him.
Eli Manning at 31 is psychotic. Ben Roethlisberger is not better than him. Eli has led his team to 2 Super Bowls and is an elite quarterback. I'd put him at 4th best QB in the league, which in the current era of signal callers is no insult at all.
Cam Newton is not better than Matthew Stafford. Yet. Newton has the unmatched ability to be an elite quarterback, but I want to see him improve on his accuracy a little bit.
I love how Peyton Manning did not sniff the field in 2011, and he made the list at 50. I consider him the best QB in NFL history, (I kid you not) but his neck surgery is a major question mark this year and in his future. I'm not sure at all how he'll play with that issue. He's still Peyton Manning and his ability is unquestionable.
Nnamdi Asomugha was considered to be the second best cornerback in the NFL, and he still is a great shutdown cover corner. He can take any WR out of the game completely. Guess his spot on this list? 79. Humorous.
My biggest issue with this list is one of the newest New York Jets. Tim Tebow is on this list. He should not even be mentioned along with "Top 100" at all. If Cruz's spot was criminal, Tebow is Al Capone. I can even begin to describe the stupidity it takes to put Tim Tebow at the 95th best player in the NFL. He's a quarterback and he can't do the most basic of QB skills, throw the ball. He's terrible at throwing and out of the 1,696 players on NFL rosters, he is not 95th. Even Mark Sanchez, who I have the agony of watching every week, is light years ahead of Tebow in terms of being a quarterback. If this is about winning, Sanchez has been further than Tebow in the playoffs, twice. I feel bad for Tony Romo, who is 4 spots ahead of Tebow. Romo is the second most underrated QB in the league, and it must suck to be considered "4 players ahead of Tebow."
Where is Matt Schaub? Talk about getting no respect, he is a top 10 quarterback and certainly racks up the yards every year. He also carried my fantasy team to the playoffs before he got injured.
Tom Brady was ranked number 4 under (from first to third) Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Calvin Johnson. As a Jets fan, I'd put him above Johnson. I watch too much football and too much of the Patriots to ignore Brady's ability to completely shred defenses. While Calvin Johnson is beyond beastly, Tom Brady is a quarterback, and at the elite level that he plays at, a quarterback deserves to be ahead of a wide receiver at the same level. Generally I'm fine with the placement because it's arguable either way between the two of them.
Darelle Revis can be lower, but I guess his placement is fine. He's a great shutdown corner and (favoritism, but with merit) his ability is unmatched at his position. It wouldn't be an outrage if he was lower, but still in the top 10.
I personally think that Patrick Willis is a better linebacker than DeMarcus Ware, even though he remains the most underrated player in the league. I mean, yes he somehow ended up at number 10, but he doesn't get enough credit for just how amazing he really is. I would move him up to number 6 and drop Ware to 10.
Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are way too high. They are great and are both first-ballot Hall of Famers, but age has changed their games lately. The fact that they are at 16 and 20 respectively is bad. There are other players at their positions that are better than them (see: Troy Polamalu, Clay Matthews, James Harrison).
I find it funny that Jimmy Graham is 7 spots above Rob Gronkowski. I do agree, but I wasn't sure that everyone gave Graham the credit that he deserves.
Okay, now here's to the New York Giants part of this (don't worry, though I'm a Jets fan, I don't hate the Giants. Even though Giants fans are extremely annoying, I enjoy seeing the team do well). Jason Pierre-Paul is a complete joke at 24. Second year in the league, he has a lot of talent and skills, but there is no way that he is the 24th best player in the league. It's just crazy to think that he had one good year and the rest of the NFL players think this of him. He is not better than Julius Peppers who is two spots behind him. Will he deserve to be at 24 or higher in the future? Yes, he will because he has the skills to be, but not right now. I'd even take Justin Tuck above him, who in a criminal act is only 62nd. Teammate Chris Canty was asked on ESPN if he would rather have JPP or DeMarcus Ware, and in a terrible statement, he picked Pierre-Paul. That's why defensive tackles shouldn't speak words.
Victor Cruz is 39, I don't even know what to say. He was on the practice squad in 2010, and he thrived in the slot last year. Again, it's one year, give me a break with this one. Outside of Devin Hester and Jordy Nelson, I would put every wide receiver ahead of him.
Eli Manning at 31 is psychotic. Ben Roethlisberger is not better than him. Eli has led his team to 2 Super Bowls and is an elite quarterback. I'd put him at 4th best QB in the league, which in the current era of signal callers is no insult at all.
Cam Newton is not better than Matthew Stafford. Yet. Newton has the unmatched ability to be an elite quarterback, but I want to see him improve on his accuracy a little bit.
I love how Peyton Manning did not sniff the field in 2011, and he made the list at 50. I consider him the best QB in NFL history, (I kid you not) but his neck surgery is a major question mark this year and in his future. I'm not sure at all how he'll play with that issue. He's still Peyton Manning and his ability is unquestionable.
Nnamdi Asomugha was considered to be the second best cornerback in the NFL, and he still is a great shutdown cover corner. He can take any WR out of the game completely. Guess his spot on this list? 79. Humorous.
My biggest issue with this list is one of the newest New York Jets. Tim Tebow is on this list. He should not even be mentioned along with "Top 100" at all. If Cruz's spot was criminal, Tebow is Al Capone. I can even begin to describe the stupidity it takes to put Tim Tebow at the 95th best player in the NFL. He's a quarterback and he can't do the most basic of QB skills, throw the ball. He's terrible at throwing and out of the 1,696 players on NFL rosters, he is not 95th. Even Mark Sanchez, who I have the agony of watching every week, is light years ahead of Tebow in terms of being a quarterback. If this is about winning, Sanchez has been further than Tebow in the playoffs, twice. I feel bad for Tony Romo, who is 4 spots ahead of Tebow. Romo is the second most underrated QB in the league, and it must suck to be considered "4 players ahead of Tebow."
Where is Matt Schaub? Talk about getting no respect, he is a top 10 quarterback and certainly racks up the yards every year. He also carried my fantasy team to the playoffs before he got injured.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Dewayne Wise is NOT Derek Jeter
Last night, this atrocity happened. I refer to this play as atrocious not because of anything that Dewayne Wise or the Yankees did while trying to create a new version of this famous play, it's because of the umpire.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Dwight Howard to Follow in the Footsteps of Olajuwon?
I heard a couple days ago that the Houston Rockets were going to stockpile first round picks from other teams then use those picks to get Dwight Howard from the Magic. Well, it looks like this may be coming true. Today the Rockets were able to get the 18th pick in the 1st round from Minnesota in exchange for Chase Budinger and the draft rights to Lior Eliyahu. Being that the Rockets also own picks 14 and 16, they can most likely turn two of these teen picks into a top 10 pick. Once that happens, it's not impossible that Orlando would accept a top 10 pick, a mid first rounder and Luis Scola for Dwight Howard.
Obviously, Dwight is not staying with the Magic for very long, so they really need to get him out and get something for him before he becomes a distraction for the team and also to avoid his trade value dropping due to injury. If they see something wrong with his back, they need to let him go before anyone sees him play with a bad back.
The best part about all the wheeling and dealing that Houston is doing, is that they also plan to clear up enough room to join Howard and free agent point guard Deron Williams. Williams said that he only had two teams on his list: his home town Dallas Mavericks, and the Brooklyn Nets (WHY?); but he probably did not consider that he could play with Dwight in his home state.
In my opinion, if the Houston Rockets can actually pull this off, they deserve a round of applause. If they already have a handshake deal in which Orlando agreed to give up Dwight if Houston somehow gets a high pick, then this will be a great deal for both sides. Giving up Dwight is never a great deal, but other than an aging Pau Gasol, there isn't much out there for the Magic. They can possibly grab a nice young player in the draft (Andre Drummond), maybe even a center to replace Howard (Andre Drummond). Maybe even a very unproven center with a lot of raw talent that can be a star if things fall into place for him (Andre Drummond).
(Drummond isn't a sure thing, but he is the best prospect at the center position in this draft, and the Magic will definitely need one to replace that random Dwight Howard guy. I heard he was pretty good.)
For the Rockets, pulling off a near fire-sale to rebuild around Williams, Howard, and quite possibly (if they can keep him) Kevin Martin (who gets buckets. I mean BUCKETS), is a very good way to start. They were already in the playoff race pretty late in the year this year, so I expect at least a couple of first round wins from this team before they are able to grab some pieces around them. Once that happens, the Thunder won't be able to completely roll through the West as they would be doing otherwise for the next 10 years.
From the side of the Timberwolves, they're still trying to figure it out, but with a healthy Ricky Rubio for this next year, they actually can sneak into the playoffs because Kevin Love is one of the best 5 players in this league. Essentially drafting a developing Budinger with an 18th pick is a good value for him. He's a good piece to have around for a young team on the rise and he's definitely getting better with more experience.
So watch out Houston, you might need to clear out a space in your hearts for a new star center, Dwight Howard.
You too Toronto, for this now means that you will get a washed up former MVP in about 10 years.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Weekly Awards 6/25/12
Best Player in Baseball- Mike Trout is unbelievable.
Youk Award- Yewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwk is on his way out of Bahhston, much to the delight of Bobby Valentine. He's looked terrible this year, but I expect him to pick it up in Chicago. He was really unhappy with the BoSawx, so his performance should definitely improve.
Impressive Minor Leaguer of the Week- Anthony Rizzo because he's on his way up this week (to face the Mets, of course). He's hit 23 homers with an OPS of 1.110 down in AAA. One thousand one hundred and ten. I'm not kidding. He's also batting .345. His only stint in the majors last year didn't go too well, but this first baseman has potential. It's scary.
Amar'e Stoudemire/Javale McGee Stupid Act of the Week- Fire extinguisher-puncher guy is back at it. The NBA is reviewing a situation in which he used a homophobic slur in a direct message to a fan on twitter. The fan told him to step up his game in the upcoming season, and Stoudemire decided to get angry and type out a direct message including this word. The fan then posted this to his timeline for the world to see. Sometimes, people's judgement can just be so bad.
Fix Your Bullpen- New York Mets
Stop Putting so Much Effort into a Backup- New York Jets. Tim Tebow can't throw, so my Jets better stop with this train wreck.
Skip Bayless Annoying Analyst Award- It's Skip Bayless
Best Player in Basketball- Lebron James obviously.
Birthday of the Day- My boy! Carlos Delgado!
Mike Trout Award- He's Mike Trout, he deserves a separate award.
Youk Award- Yewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwk is on his way out of Bahhston, much to the delight of Bobby Valentine. He's looked terrible this year, but I expect him to pick it up in Chicago. He was really unhappy with the BoSawx, so his performance should definitely improve.
Impressive Minor Leaguer of the Week- Anthony Rizzo because he's on his way up this week (to face the Mets, of course). He's hit 23 homers with an OPS of 1.110 down in AAA. One thousand one hundred and ten. I'm not kidding. He's also batting .345. His only stint in the majors last year didn't go too well, but this first baseman has potential. It's scary.
Amar'e Stoudemire/Javale McGee Stupid Act of the Week- Fire extinguisher-puncher guy is back at it. The NBA is reviewing a situation in which he used a homophobic slur in a direct message to a fan on twitter. The fan told him to step up his game in the upcoming season, and Stoudemire decided to get angry and type out a direct message including this word. The fan then posted this to his timeline for the world to see. Sometimes, people's judgement can just be so bad.
Fix Your Bullpen- New York Mets
Stop Putting so Much Effort into a Backup- New York Jets. Tim Tebow can't throw, so my Jets better stop with this train wreck.
Skip Bayless Annoying Analyst Award- It's Skip Bayless
Best Player in Basketball- Lebron James obviously.
Birthday of the Day- My boy! Carlos Delgado!
Mike Trout Award- He's Mike Trout, he deserves a separate award.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
RA vs. CC
The matchup of the initials tonight on ESPN. While C.C. Sabathia is overrated (if you disagree, check this out) this will be a pretty good pitchers duel. Robert Allen Dickey is on a streak that has been touched by almost no one in MLB history, from Russ Ortiz to Sandy Koufax to Daniel Cabrera to Bob Gibson. Two straight one-hitters and every time he pitches, he seems to be setting a new record for insane dominance. As a Mets fan, it's so great to watch and it will be fun watching all the Yankee swings and misses tonight. I highly doubt he'll get to Orel Hershiser's scoreless inning streak of 59 (Dickey's at 42.2 now) but he might get close. The only thing that worries me is that the Yankees are a big home run hitting team, and one good swing could mean trouble for Dickey, but he's R.A. Dickey, he'll find a way around it.
Let's Go Mets.
Let's Go Mets.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
How Jerome Holtzman Singlehandedly Ruined Baseball: The Art of Closers
It's the Bottom of the 6th inning in a 2-2 game, and Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Joel Peralta has just loaded the bases against the Washington Nationals. Prior to 1969, Joe Maddon would bring in his best relief pitcher, Fernando Rodney, but since this is the closer era, Peralta is left in the game. Danny Espinosa is the next batter up, and he smacks a 2-run double to right field, and the Nats take the 4-2 lead. The Rays go on to lose the game 5-2.
Friday, June 22, 2012
NBA Finals Chronicles, Friday June 22
Well the series is over. I did my live blog last night so I don't have much else to say but congratulations to the Miami Heat.
In terms of the blog, now that the NBA season is over, there will be a major shift towards more baseball content very soon.
In terms of the blog, now that the NBA season is over, there will be a major shift towards more baseball content very soon.
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