NL East
Ups: As much as I hate to say it, being an Atlanta Braves fan, the ups in this division have to go to the Mets. Despite not scoring any runs for Santana, an injured Carlos Delgado, and a questionable back-end rotation and middle relief, the Metropolitans have managed to stay atop arguably the toughest division in the NL. I'm scared to think what this team will do when a "slumping" David Wright get's hot, if they land another starter, because I can't see them collapsing for a third straight year, as much as I'd like to see it.
Downs: Florida Marlins. Every analyst in baseball, as well as myself, was stunned at the Fish's hot start. However, now I feel like their true colors are coming out. Despire one of the best young rotations in the game, Florida has a rather flat bullpen and not a very strong core surrounding Uggla and Hanley. I think in a few years, this team will run away with a World Series, but as all clubs, they are experiencing some growing pains and, despite the good start, have completely fallen off the table.
NL Central
Ups: Milwaukee Brewers. As if the loss of Sabathia and an injured Ben Sheets weren't enough, the Brew-Crew have stayed atop the central, and are competing with, I feel, the favorites in the Cardinals. Prince Fielder and JJ Hardy can lay some lumber, and OF Corey Hart is one of the most underrated in the game. Moreso, 2B Rickie Weeks is on the shelf for a year, and if Milwaukee can keep on winning, I think it will be one of the best season successes in a while.
Downs: Chicago Cubs. Now, I thought this team would be where Milwaukee is, but with the loss of Aramis Ramirez for a while, this Cubs lineup doesn't look as formitable. Inconsistent pitching and hitting has led to a mediocre start for the Cubbies. Do I feel this team will get hot? Yes. But Derrek Lee needs to start hitting, Zambrano needs to stop throwing fits and Piniella needs to-well-keep being Sweet Lou.
NL West: LA Dodgers. What can you say? No Manny, and still comfortably atop the West. Granted, it's the probably the worst excuse for a division in the MLB, but with Andre Ethier and James Loney in the middle of your order and running away with a division is still impressive. SP Chad Billingsly has been a present surprise, and Joe Torre, of any manager, knows how to deal with a situation like Manny. Once Manny starts bein' Manny again and comes back, the Dodgers are my pick to win the NL penant and go to the series.
Downs: Colorado Rockies. One of the worst disappointments in a previous World Series contender, the Rockies seem lost. No starting pitching, an order seemingly made-up of Todd Helton alone, and a stadium I could hit a home-run in. The Rockies seem like one of those one-hit wonders of two years ago in which they got hot, ran under the radar, then got a huge dose of reality in the series in the form of the Boston Red Sox. They are a low in a division full of lows, and I see no going up for the Rocky Mountain boys.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
End of May Baseball Chatter: Ups and Downs
Well, it's the end of May, and two months of the season are in the books. It's time for some ups and downs talk, starting in the AL.
AL East:
Ups: To the New York Yankees. Despite the nagging injuries, inconsistent starting pitching and the A-Roid Era, the Bronx Bombers have managed to stay .5 game out of first place behind Boston. I shutter to think what this team will be able to do when guys like Wang, Posada, Chamberlain, A-Rod and even Burnett get back to top form. This win streak now is, I feel, what every New Yorker expects to see from a team as loaded as the Yankees, and they have nothing but good things ahead.
Downs: Tampa Bay Rays. Where's the underdog magic from last year? They have speed coming out of their ears, young hitting but where I think they lack, is pitching. They're in fourth place in the AL East, with guys like Garza, Kazmir and Sonnanstine not really showing the versatility and consistency they showed last year. I know it's early, but if the Rays don't find the magic quick, it might be back to the cellar in the division.
AL Central:
Ups: Kansas City. It's been a while since you could say the Royals where even remotely considered a contender. But as Bob Uecker says, "they've managed to win a few, and are threatening to come out of the cellar." Zack Greinke and Gil Meche have been masterful, Alex Gordon and Mark Teahan are two very underrated players, and the Royals find themselves in the hunt for that Central division crown. I hope they win, and add some royal interest in the postseason.
Downs: Cleveland Indians. I don't think I've ever seen a team with so much talent perform so poorly. Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, then Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona and Kerry Wood. I feel that this team every year just doesn't perform the way they should. The Central is a very winnable division, and with that talent, Cleveland should, like they did two years ago (with C.C. Sabathia) run away with the division. But, I guess, Cleveland just remains as that mistake on the lake.
AL West
Ups: Texas Rangers. Finally, the Rangers have been able to utilize that powerful offense by getting some decent pitching the land themselves atop the AL West. Kevin Millwood, Brendan McCarthy and and Vicente Padilla have all have relatively good starts to the year, with Kinsler, Young and Blalock carrying the load. Josh Hamilton isn't even 100% percent yet. I'm a Texan by birth, and I like to see the Rangers at the top for once.
Downs: Seattle Mariners. And I thought resigning Griffey, Jr. would be a decent move. Yeah. I feel like every year, Ichiro is the only positive thing emanating from Safeco Field, even though this club could be competitive. Adrian Beltre continues to be a waste of money, as the offense seems rather weak. Seattle's pitching isn't too bad, with Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, and Jarrod Wasburn anchoring a decent rotation, but the loss of J.J. Putz puts their bullpen in a bit of a tailspin, leaving Griffey wondering what happened to the Seattle that was good when he was there?
NL To follow soon!!
AL East:
Ups: To the New York Yankees. Despite the nagging injuries, inconsistent starting pitching and the A-Roid Era, the Bronx Bombers have managed to stay .5 game out of first place behind Boston. I shutter to think what this team will be able to do when guys like Wang, Posada, Chamberlain, A-Rod and even Burnett get back to top form. This win streak now is, I feel, what every New Yorker expects to see from a team as loaded as the Yankees, and they have nothing but good things ahead.
Downs: Tampa Bay Rays. Where's the underdog magic from last year? They have speed coming out of their ears, young hitting but where I think they lack, is pitching. They're in fourth place in the AL East, with guys like Garza, Kazmir and Sonnanstine not really showing the versatility and consistency they showed last year. I know it's early, but if the Rays don't find the magic quick, it might be back to the cellar in the division.
AL Central:
Ups: Kansas City. It's been a while since you could say the Royals where even remotely considered a contender. But as Bob Uecker says, "they've managed to win a few, and are threatening to come out of the cellar." Zack Greinke and Gil Meche have been masterful, Alex Gordon and Mark Teahan are two very underrated players, and the Royals find themselves in the hunt for that Central division crown. I hope they win, and add some royal interest in the postseason.
Downs: Cleveland Indians. I don't think I've ever seen a team with so much talent perform so poorly. Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, then Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona and Kerry Wood. I feel that this team every year just doesn't perform the way they should. The Central is a very winnable division, and with that talent, Cleveland should, like they did two years ago (with C.C. Sabathia) run away with the division. But, I guess, Cleveland just remains as that mistake on the lake.
AL West
Ups: Texas Rangers. Finally, the Rangers have been able to utilize that powerful offense by getting some decent pitching the land themselves atop the AL West. Kevin Millwood, Brendan McCarthy and and Vicente Padilla have all have relatively good starts to the year, with Kinsler, Young and Blalock carrying the load. Josh Hamilton isn't even 100% percent yet. I'm a Texan by birth, and I like to see the Rangers at the top for once.
Downs: Seattle Mariners. And I thought resigning Griffey, Jr. would be a decent move. Yeah. I feel like every year, Ichiro is the only positive thing emanating from Safeco Field, even though this club could be competitive. Adrian Beltre continues to be a waste of money, as the offense seems rather weak. Seattle's pitching isn't too bad, with Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, and Jarrod Wasburn anchoring a decent rotation, but the loss of J.J. Putz puts their bullpen in a bit of a tailspin, leaving Griffey wondering what happened to the Seattle that was good when he was there?
NL To follow soon!!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
NCAA Lacrosse National Championships
Wow, to say the least.
As if Syracuse's absolute blow-out over Duke didn't stun me, Cornell's domination of Virginia definitely did.
First off, the performance of the SU offense against the Blue Devil's defense was so methodical. Cody Jamieson, Kenny Nims and especially Pat Perritt did a phenomenal job of breaking down the D, then either finishing on cage, or finding someone open who could. Seems as if Jamieson, the OCC transfer, is indeed everything he was hyped up to be. It was nice to John Galloway back in net and making some solid saves. The SU defense looked a little shaky early, but All-American Sid Smith and Matt Tierney got it together to stop Crotty, Howell and Quinzani in the long run. Let's not forget, this is a Blue Devils offense that beat Virginia twice.
Ahhh, the Cavaliers, oh how the mighty have fallen. A 15-6 drubbing by the fifth seed Cornell puts the Big Red in an all-central New York Championship showdown, the eleventh if SU wins, Cornell's first ever. Cornell possessed the ball incredibly well, and kept that talented offense of the Brattons, Garrett Billings, Steele Stanwick and Tewaraaton finalist Danny Glading in check. I must say, when I saw UVA play the Orange early in the year and winning in the Dome, I said to myself, "we'll see these guys in the NCAA finals." I guess, for the second year in a row, the buck stops in the Final Four for UVA.
Now, for the championship game itself. SU did top the Big Red earlier in the season on the Hill, 15-10. However, Cornell had a very impressive second half, and made it a contest late in the third. They have perhaps one of the better midfields, rivaling that of the 'Cuse, and an offense in general led by, I think, the Tewaraaton winner Max Seibald, freshman of the year Rob Pannell and Scott Glynn. They can run with SU, score with SU and even beat the Orange if it is not careful. What do I think? I believe the Cuse will win a nation-leading eleventh national title, but in overtime on a game-winnig goal by Kenny Nims. Give all the respect to the Big Red. They've earned it! But they've never been on a stage like this, at least in a while, and I think Desko's boys will prevail in Foxborough.
As if Syracuse's absolute blow-out over Duke didn't stun me, Cornell's domination of Virginia definitely did.
First off, the performance of the SU offense against the Blue Devil's defense was so methodical. Cody Jamieson, Kenny Nims and especially Pat Perritt did a phenomenal job of breaking down the D, then either finishing on cage, or finding someone open who could. Seems as if Jamieson, the OCC transfer, is indeed everything he was hyped up to be. It was nice to John Galloway back in net and making some solid saves. The SU defense looked a little shaky early, but All-American Sid Smith and Matt Tierney got it together to stop Crotty, Howell and Quinzani in the long run. Let's not forget, this is a Blue Devils offense that beat Virginia twice.
Ahhh, the Cavaliers, oh how the mighty have fallen. A 15-6 drubbing by the fifth seed Cornell puts the Big Red in an all-central New York Championship showdown, the eleventh if SU wins, Cornell's first ever. Cornell possessed the ball incredibly well, and kept that talented offense of the Brattons, Garrett Billings, Steele Stanwick and Tewaraaton finalist Danny Glading in check. I must say, when I saw UVA play the Orange early in the year and winning in the Dome, I said to myself, "we'll see these guys in the NCAA finals." I guess, for the second year in a row, the buck stops in the Final Four for UVA.
Now, for the championship game itself. SU did top the Big Red earlier in the season on the Hill, 15-10. However, Cornell had a very impressive second half, and made it a contest late in the third. They have perhaps one of the better midfields, rivaling that of the 'Cuse, and an offense in general led by, I think, the Tewaraaton winner Max Seibald, freshman of the year Rob Pannell and Scott Glynn. They can run with SU, score with SU and even beat the Orange if it is not careful. What do I think? I believe the Cuse will win a nation-leading eleventh national title, but in overtime on a game-winnig goal by Kenny Nims. Give all the respect to the Big Red. They've earned it! But they've never been on a stage like this, at least in a while, and I think Desko's boys will prevail in Foxborough.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Michael Vick on House Arrest and Carmelo Anthony
I just saw today that Michael Vick returned to his home in Hempstead, Virginia to serve his remaining two months of jail time at home in confinement, working a $10 dollar an hour job. Wow. Imagine that transition. You go from being one of the richest (if not THE richest) player in the NFL, a player with so much potential, to (quoting Shawshank Redemption) "baggin' groceries at the the Foodway." Now, I know the Falcons certainly are not complaining, seeing as they have a new franchise quarterback in Matt Ryan. But for the NFL, I think it's sad to see one of its former icons and Madden cover-boys reduced to something so lowly as Vick. Now, I do not know what possessed him to be infatuated with seeing dogs kill each other or how much he got paid to do it, but I'm torn as to what I think the future holds for Mr. Vick. I think a year in prison is NOT enough the rectify this situation solely because it was an animal-related case. Rather, I think he should be banned from the NFL for at least three seasons, THEN I think he will learn. Once he has to survive on a limited income, see the real-world and what an honest dollar means, I hope Mike will learn, or attain rather, some moral fiber.
Nonetheless, I would love to see Mike back in the NFL at some point. To quote Dewayne The Rock Johnson from WWE, "he's the most electrifying entertainer in sport's history." I loved seeing Vick on the run, running and dodging through defenses, then slinging a 40 yard bullet across the middle. There really is not quarterback like him (if you're thinking Pat White, think again), and I think it would be a great story if he came back and won a championship...or it would be a good controversy.
Now, to another rather "controversial" player, Carmelo Anthony. No, for all you dreamers, am I writing this just because he is a one-year graduate of Syracuse. I'm trying to get a gauge on what people think about this guy's ability because everyone is talking about. Simply, does he belong among the likes of James, Bryant, Wade and Garnett? I definitely think Melo is among the top ten, but what he needs to do to solidify himself among NBA's elite is to win the series against Kobe, then claim a title. Some people question his scoring ability. 22 ppg. on the year, but averaging over 30 in the playoffs, when it counts. Not to mention, he's doing it on a team with Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith, so that adds more fuel to the fire. What I think makes Carmelo so great is that he's the complete player. He can rebound, hit the mid-range jumper, penetrate and dish and even hit the three. I just feel that to be mentioned as a Kobe, he needs to do what made Kobe and Shaq so great: win an NBA title or two, because the stats are there, but the hardware is not.
Nonetheless, I would love to see Mike back in the NFL at some point. To quote Dewayne The Rock Johnson from WWE, "he's the most electrifying entertainer in sport's history." I loved seeing Vick on the run, running and dodging through defenses, then slinging a 40 yard bullet across the middle. There really is not quarterback like him (if you're thinking Pat White, think again), and I think it would be a great story if he came back and won a championship...or it would be a good controversy.
Now, to another rather "controversial" player, Carmelo Anthony. No, for all you dreamers, am I writing this just because he is a one-year graduate of Syracuse. I'm trying to get a gauge on what people think about this guy's ability because everyone is talking about. Simply, does he belong among the likes of James, Bryant, Wade and Garnett? I definitely think Melo is among the top ten, but what he needs to do to solidify himself among NBA's elite is to win the series against Kobe, then claim a title. Some people question his scoring ability. 22 ppg. on the year, but averaging over 30 in the playoffs, when it counts. Not to mention, he's doing it on a team with Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith, so that adds more fuel to the fire. What I think makes Carmelo so great is that he's the complete player. He can rebound, hit the mid-range jumper, penetrate and dish and even hit the three. I just feel that to be mentioned as a Kobe, he needs to do what made Kobe and Shaq so great: win an NBA title or two, because the stats are there, but the hardware is not.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Atlanta and S-U Update
A decent weekend for my favortie sports programs.
Let's start with S-U Lacrosse. They easily handled ACC foe Maryland this weekend in the NCAA Quarterfinals 11 to 6 at Hofstra University. Al Cavalieri turned in a sensational performance for a food-poisoned John Galloway, and Stephen Keough did what he's done all year-finish the rock. Next up for the Orange is a date with another ACC foe, the three seed Duke Blue Devils. This time, the Orange may have it's hands full, with Tewaraaton Finalist Ned Crotty and skilled attacker Max Quinzani leading the way. I think if Joel White and Sid Smith can keep these guys contained, and Galloway can avoid digesting whatever it is he ate, the Cuse may once again find itself playing for a National Title in Foxborough-a nation-leading 11th Title I may add.
Let's go to my pride and passion, baseball. Now, the Braves split a pair of games with the Diamondacks over the weekend, then fell to the Rockies last night, spoiling a great start by new-found ace Derek Lowe. Now for the first time in three years, I am not worried about Brave pitching. They have one of the best ERA's in the leagues as a staff, but it's the offense that's been inconsistent. With the abscence of Mark Texeira, it's been up to Garret Anderson, Brian McCann and Casey Kotchman to carry the load. Non of those guys are 40 homer players, but I expect more RBI's at least, especially with Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar and Chipper Jones getting on base in front of them. But not to worry. Tonight, Jair Jurrjens takes the hill, and Lowe labeled him as, "the best pitcher we have." I'm confident that, once we get Tim Hudson back, this team will be complete. Non of our middle of the order guys are 100% and if there is one thing I've learned, it's that Bobby Cox knows what he's doing come mid-summer. With the addition of Hudson, the rotation looks as follows (roughly):
Derek Lowe
Jair Jurrjens
Tim Hudson
Javier Vazquez
Kenshin Kawakami
Not too bad, considering Vazquez is top's in the NL in strikeouts. Hopefully Frank Wren can land a bigger bat to protect Chipper, and we can reclaim our spot atop the NL East.
Anyone want to chatter up the Bronx Bombers?
Let's start with S-U Lacrosse. They easily handled ACC foe Maryland this weekend in the NCAA Quarterfinals 11 to 6 at Hofstra University. Al Cavalieri turned in a sensational performance for a food-poisoned John Galloway, and Stephen Keough did what he's done all year-finish the rock. Next up for the Orange is a date with another ACC foe, the three seed Duke Blue Devils. This time, the Orange may have it's hands full, with Tewaraaton Finalist Ned Crotty and skilled attacker Max Quinzani leading the way. I think if Joel White and Sid Smith can keep these guys contained, and Galloway can avoid digesting whatever it is he ate, the Cuse may once again find itself playing for a National Title in Foxborough-a nation-leading 11th Title I may add.
Let's go to my pride and passion, baseball. Now, the Braves split a pair of games with the Diamondacks over the weekend, then fell to the Rockies last night, spoiling a great start by new-found ace Derek Lowe. Now for the first time in three years, I am not worried about Brave pitching. They have one of the best ERA's in the leagues as a staff, but it's the offense that's been inconsistent. With the abscence of Mark Texeira, it's been up to Garret Anderson, Brian McCann and Casey Kotchman to carry the load. Non of those guys are 40 homer players, but I expect more RBI's at least, especially with Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar and Chipper Jones getting on base in front of them. But not to worry. Tonight, Jair Jurrjens takes the hill, and Lowe labeled him as, "the best pitcher we have." I'm confident that, once we get Tim Hudson back, this team will be complete. Non of our middle of the order guys are 100% and if there is one thing I've learned, it's that Bobby Cox knows what he's doing come mid-summer. With the addition of Hudson, the rotation looks as follows (roughly):
Derek Lowe
Jair Jurrjens
Tim Hudson
Javier Vazquez
Kenshin Kawakami
Not too bad, considering Vazquez is top's in the NL in strikeouts. Hopefully Frank Wren can land a bigger bat to protect Chipper, and we can reclaim our spot atop the NL East.
Anyone want to chatter up the Bronx Bombers?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sunday Afternoon Golf
I went golfing today at Mark Twain in Elmira. A great student fee, challenging course and relatively nice people. But seriously, that is the great thing about being home. You work, sock away some money, go play some golf, then do the thing over again the next day. What is better than just sipping a brew on the course in the sun, ripping a 250 yard drive down the fairway then tapping it in for par? there really is no better feeling of freedom than that. Not to mention, getting the news of a 3.6 GPA for the semester added even more emotion to the moment. Good stuff.
Friday, May 15, 2009
NBA Coaches
So, I was talking to my good friend Greg Schiefen at Brockport last weekend and we were discussing being a successful NBA Coach. Now I realize you may have to scheme once in a while to come up with plays to get your shooters open, discipline a player here and there. But honestly, how hard can it be to be a GOOD NBA Coach for a team stacked with talent?
Take Doc Rivers last year. He has Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, The Big Ticket and Ray Allen as four of his starting five. How can you not be "coach of the year" with that lineup? What coaching goes into teaching four perennial all-stars the secrets of basketball? Take Mike Brown with Lebron James. When the game's on the line, what the hell could he be writing on that clipboard when they huddle up? Something like, "get the ball to Lebron..." I'd assume.
Now this is in no way a diss on NBA Coaches. There are probably behind the scenes antics that hey have to deal with, the media and other external factors. But to be a good NBA coach, I just don't understand rewarding coaches who play on teams filled with All-Stars or the next Michael Jordan. Give it to a coach who took a mediocre team and made them something-maybe Mike Woodson from the Hawks or 76ers coach Mo Cheeks. They took a team of essential nobodies (if you consider Andre Iguodala or Joe Johnson superstars, yikes) and made them into playoff contenders. That's real coaching. Take it or leave it, kids.
Take Doc Rivers last year. He has Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, The Big Ticket and Ray Allen as four of his starting five. How can you not be "coach of the year" with that lineup? What coaching goes into teaching four perennial all-stars the secrets of basketball? Take Mike Brown with Lebron James. When the game's on the line, what the hell could he be writing on that clipboard when they huddle up? Something like, "get the ball to Lebron..." I'd assume.
Now this is in no way a diss on NBA Coaches. There are probably behind the scenes antics that hey have to deal with, the media and other external factors. But to be a good NBA coach, I just don't understand rewarding coaches who play on teams filled with All-Stars or the next Michael Jordan. Give it to a coach who took a mediocre team and made them something-maybe Mike Woodson from the Hawks or 76ers coach Mo Cheeks. They took a team of essential nobodies (if you consider Andre Iguodala or Joe Johnson superstars, yikes) and made them into playoff contenders. That's real coaching. Take it or leave it, kids.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
