Ray Durham has been hitting 3rd for the Giants (*sigh*). Why is a guy who leads the team in hitting into double plays (aka "AJs"; named for the man who redefined the art, AJ Pierzynski) hitting ahead of the one semi-legit threat (Bonds) in the lineup? And how exactly does a guy hitting behind Mendoza AllStars like Dave Roberts and Omar Vizquel (hey, they're table setters, the table just happens to be in Somalia) manage to lead the team in AJs? Are the pitchers reaching too often (related note: Noah Lowry, who has an OBP of about .070 has been doing a lot of pinch hitting recently; next up: Molina the pinch runner)?
To top it off, he's incapable of hitting a sac fly. Even Carl Lewis couldn't score on a fly ball to medium shortstop, Ray. (Attention Brian Sabean: I know he's in his 40s or 50s by now, but DO NOT go and sign Carl Lewis. Please join the rest of us in this millennium and stop trying to put together the year 2000 All Star team or the 1984 Olympic team. Rule of thumb: if they look old enough to have served in Vietnam, don't sign them. If they look old enough to have attended the Gettysburg address, don't sign them - sorry Benito.)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Giants' winning streak is over
Well, that didn't take long. After a 3 game reprieve, the Giants are back in the L column. Once again, the pitching (allowing only 3 solo homers in 10 innings) held up but the hitters couldn't deliver. The Giants left the bases loaded a couple times and stranded 14 runners while squeeking out a couple runs. I don't think the Giants have had a bases clearing double this year. The paucity of extra base hits is absurd and a major reason this team stinks worse than Charlie Weis after a mid-summer power waddle. To top it off, the daddies committed 3 errors but that still wasn't enough for the Giant failures. The game fittingly ended with 57 year old centerfielder/leadoff hitter Dave Roberts getting thrown out trying to steal second.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Duncan should've been the MVP
Tony Parker was named the Finals MVP for being the Spurs' leading scorer and having a high fg% in an ugly shooting series. But was he deserving? I say no. Tim Duncan was the clear MVP despite subpar shooting during the series.
Duncan is the dominant force in everything the Spurs do. The offense runs through him. Duncan, from his power forward position, had more assists than point guard Parker did. Think about that - Parker was getting into the lane at will (in part because he spent most of the series being guarded by badly injured Larry Hughes and rookie 2nd round pick Daniel Gibson) and couldn't set up anyone while Duncan was cold from the field and was still setting up teammates. Duncan routinely drew two or three defenders and that opened up Parker and the rest of the Spurs. When Cleveland took a 2nd half lead for the first time in the entire series during game 4, the Spurs went to a cold Duncan who managed to get the Spur offense going again.
That aside, the Spurs' strength is a suffocating defense. Duncan is the heart of that. He controls the middle, blocks shots, gobbles up rebounds, and shuts down his man. Lebron James' field goal percentage plummeted against the Spurs in no small part because Duncan was patrolling the lane and not allowing James his usual flashy dunks.
Parker made more shots and provided ABC an excuse to promote Eva Longoria for an extra 10 minutes. Duncan did everything else. The MVP trophy is in the wrong hands.
Duncan is the dominant force in everything the Spurs do. The offense runs through him. Duncan, from his power forward position, had more assists than point guard Parker did. Think about that - Parker was getting into the lane at will (in part because he spent most of the series being guarded by badly injured Larry Hughes and rookie 2nd round pick Daniel Gibson) and couldn't set up anyone while Duncan was cold from the field and was still setting up teammates. Duncan routinely drew two or three defenders and that opened up Parker and the rest of the Spurs. When Cleveland took a 2nd half lead for the first time in the entire series during game 4, the Spurs went to a cold Duncan who managed to get the Spur offense going again.
That aside, the Spurs' strength is a suffocating defense. Duncan is the heart of that. He controls the middle, blocks shots, gobbles up rebounds, and shuts down his man. Lebron James' field goal percentage plummeted against the Spurs in no small part because Duncan was patrolling the lane and not allowing James his usual flashy dunks.
Parker made more shots and provided ABC an excuse to promote Eva Longoria for an extra 10 minutes. Duncan did everything else. The MVP trophy is in the wrong hands.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Props to 'Bron
LeIcon was fouled at the end of game 3 as he went up for the potential game tying and season saving 3 pointer. Bowen was trying to foul him before James got into a shooting motion and made a big mistake fouling too late. One problem: there was no call. James complained to the ref immediately after, but reading his lips all he was repeatedly saying was, "He fouled me right there." No cursing, no tantrum. After the game, he didn't seem to complain about it much (though I haven't seen the entire press conference at this point).
Lots of credit to LeBron for taking the loss like a pro. His team had tons of chances to win and he appears to have chosen to focus on that instead of one bad no-call. That will serve him well and hopefully will drive him to improve in the offseason instead of just being bitter.
It's not even being made much of a story, which is shocking. He should have been at the line with a chance to tie game 3. Now his team is down 3-0 and totally done. Bowen was blatantly trying to foul. There isn't a question here. The initial AP game stories left this out entirely. The newer ones barely mention it. Amazing. The mainstream media is passing on a legitimate controversy? Must be because its the glamor matchup of Cleveland and San Antonio. Now back to your regularly scheduled debate on how many days Paris Hilton should spend in prison (where's the eye-rolling icon when you need it?).
Lots of credit to LeBron for taking the loss like a pro. His team had tons of chances to win and he appears to have chosen to focus on that instead of one bad no-call. That will serve him well and hopefully will drive him to improve in the offseason instead of just being bitter.
It's not even being made much of a story, which is shocking. He should have been at the line with a chance to tie game 3. Now his team is down 3-0 and totally done. Bowen was blatantly trying to foul. There isn't a question here. The initial AP game stories left this out entirely. The newer ones barely mention it. Amazing. The mainstream media is passing on a legitimate controversy? Must be because its the glamor matchup of Cleveland and San Antonio. Now back to your regularly scheduled debate on how many days Paris Hilton should spend in prison (where's the eye-rolling icon when you need it?).
Friday, June 8, 2007
NHL to expand???
It appears that the NHL is leaning towards expanding into Kansas City and Las Vegas. If true, Commissioner Gary Bettman is about to take over Dave Twardzic's spot as the most incompetent sports executive I've ever witnessed. What does the NHL possibly have to gain by expanding? There is a short term financial bump from expansion teams (assuming someone is financially suicidal enough to buy an NHL team), but then what? Talent dilution, empty seats, and microscopic television ratings?
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Spurs in 5
The big sigh of relief heard last week came from the NBA corporate offices as they were spared a Spurs-Pistons rematch from 2 years ago that would've brought ratings to a new low. The NBA's marketing plan for years has been centered around stars. Tim Duncan is the best player in the league, but his personality and locale make him hard to market (ironic considering how Duncan is what most of the league's critics and fans claim to want in a player). ABC would've been stuck with "Chauncey Billups ... ... Mr. Eva Longoria .... next!"
Instead they get LeIcon in Le Finals, where he will play a top 5 team for the first time in a few months (meanwhile, every opponent the Spurs have faced was at least as good as Cleveland). Good for NBA marketing. Probably good for the future of the league, as the Pistons are done (thanks to the Darko pick; they'd be looking good if they had gone with any of the 3 guys taken after Darko - Anthony, Bosh, Wade) and the league needs LeBron to be an elite player on an elite team (though I'm sure they'd prefer that he were somewhere a little more Nielson friendly than Cleveland).
For Cleveland to have a good chance, they either need Tim Duncan to turn into Adonal Foyle overnight or they need 4 huge games from LeBron, his shooters to be hot in those games, and his rebounders to continue their work on the offensive glass in those games. Their formula would probably be to steal one in San Antonio with LeBron throwing up a huge game, taking game 3 in Cleveland with a big game from LeBron and guys like Gibson continuing to be unconscious from deep, and then hope the Spurs crumble under the pressure. Odds aren't good, and the Spurs will take it in 5. They're simply the better team, able to play any style, more experienced, and they have the best player in the league (and one of the best ever, but that's another discussion).
(oh, and how did David Stern allow the league to reach a point where San Antonio vs Cleveland was the preferred result of the conference finals?)
Instead they get LeIcon in Le Finals, where he will play a top 5 team for the first time in a few months (meanwhile, every opponent the Spurs have faced was at least as good as Cleveland). Good for NBA marketing. Probably good for the future of the league, as the Pistons are done (thanks to the Darko pick; they'd be looking good if they had gone with any of the 3 guys taken after Darko - Anthony, Bosh, Wade) and the league needs LeBron to be an elite player on an elite team (though I'm sure they'd prefer that he were somewhere a little more Nielson friendly than Cleveland).
For Cleveland to have a good chance, they either need Tim Duncan to turn into Adonal Foyle overnight or they need 4 huge games from LeBron, his shooters to be hot in those games, and his rebounders to continue their work on the offensive glass in those games. Their formula would probably be to steal one in San Antonio with LeBron throwing up a huge game, taking game 3 in Cleveland with a big game from LeBron and guys like Gibson continuing to be unconscious from deep, and then hope the Spurs crumble under the pressure. Odds aren't good, and the Spurs will take it in 5. They're simply the better team, able to play any style, more experienced, and they have the best player in the league (and one of the best ever, but that's another discussion).
(oh, and how did David Stern allow the league to reach a point where San Antonio vs Cleveland was the preferred result of the conference finals?)
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