I'm changing up the Week in Review a bit here, and rather than looking sportswide at everything that's happened in the NBA so far with the crazy free agent period that's upon us and, as per usual, pointing out the five goods and the five bads. Make sense? I certainly hope so because it's pretty simple. What are you, some kind of idiot?
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to the Miami Heat. The Heat won the championship in case you hadn't heard yet so there wasn't really a huge need to upgrade and with Lebron, Wade, and Bosh there they didn't have a whole lot of of flexibility, but they managed to upgrade in a big-time way and made the prohibitive favorite for next year even more prohibitiveable. Now instead of Shane Battier and Mike Miller taking all the open threes that are created by their offense, it's going to be Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. For reference, Battier was a career 38% shooter going into last season (and shot 38% this year) and Miller was at 40% and hit 45% this season. Allen is a career 40% who has been 44% or better the past two years, and Lewis is a career 39%. Looking strictly at those numbers it looks like a push, but Allen is peaking as a shooter as he ages, Miller can't stay healthy and hasn't played in more than 53 games the last three years, Battier is toast as a defender, and both Allen and Lewis are defensive upgrades - for a team that's biggest asset as an overall squad was defense. Make no mistake - barring injury or an ugly "disease of more" situation there's no way Miami doesn't win the title. None. I know, I hate it too.
2. Jason Terry to the Boston Celtics. The main reason the Celtics should stay competitive next season is KG suddenly showing some resurgence and Rajon Rondo remains the most confounding and interesting and one of the most unstoppable point guards in the league. But grabbing Jason Terry to replace the newly departed Ray Allen is a pretty big reason as well. Terry doesn't shoot as well as Allen but he's not far off, and he's a better defender, scorer, and passer and, assuming they keep him in that same sixth man role he played in Dallas he brings more energy to the game when he enters than the more subdued Allen, as well as more athleticism as well - something the super old Celtics can use. The C's weren't without some questionable moves this offseason - the 3 years to KG and the holy shit huge contract they gave to Jeff Green for some reason - but Boston will be in the thick of the East when it all comes down to it. I look forward to 20 annoyingly homerrific articles on them from Bill Simmons next year.
3. Dallas Mavericks sign Elton Brand and Chris Kaman and trade for Darren Collison. The funny thing about Dallas is I'm pretty sure they didn't really expect to be rebuilt into a contender again unless they managed to sign Deron Williams, so after he re-signed with the Nets give Mark Cuban credit for making an effort rather than giving up, because it's working out. The trade for Collison might be the most important part after losing Jason Kidd to New York and not getting Williams, because although he's no great superstar Collison gives them an excellent starting point guard and they got him for basically nothing (see below). They then signed Chris Kaman to a super cheap 1-year/$8 million deal and won an amnesty bid on Elton Brand for just $2.1 million and suddenly they've remade the team without crippling themselves for the future. Given the strength of the league they aren't a serious contender most likely, but a lineup of Collison/Delonte West or Jones/Shawn Marion/Nowitzki/Kaman with Brand coming off the bench is absolutely a play-off team and probably a 4-5 seed, and then they'll have a whole mess of cap room next year to take a run at Howard or whoever. Bravo.
4. Lakers trade draft picks for Steve Nash. Yes, the problems with a Nash/Kobe pairing are apparent, but if things work out and they figure out how to make it work the Lakers become instant contenders to win the West, even if they stand pat and don't end up with Dwight Howard. And I don't see how it's not worth the gamble considering all it cost them was a few pretty worthless draft picks. No matter what you think of Kobe, and I hate him, he is a pretty savvy basketball mind and he should be able to figure out how to play off Nash. As long as his ego will allow him to become a spot-up shooter more often and let Nash work the offense it will benefit him (he can be more fresh later in the season and/or for his when he inevitably breaks out hero ball in fourth quarters), as well as Gasol and Bynum working off pick-and-rolls and post-ups. Of course this all relies on one of the most selfish players I've even seen (I'd put as more selfish than Iverson based on Iverson needing to play that way to win where Kobe could easily let Gasol and Bynum get more involved and probably make the team significantly better) realizing he needs to change if the teams going to win so it's pretty much a toss-up if it'll work, but again, it pretty much cost the Lakers nothing to make this gamble and if they win they're a good bet to end up losing in the Finals to the Heat.
5. Washington Wizards trade for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza. It was a minor move in the big scheme of things, but picking up Okafor and Ariza for the bloated contract of Rashard Lewis (who was then bought out), along with last year's late trade where they picked up Nene for Javale McGee and the drafting of Bradly Beal gives them a starting five of John Wall/Beal/Ariza/Nene/Okafor, which is a definite playoff contender in the East and for a team that hasn't made the playoffs in five years and has only won a single playoff series since 1983 and hasn't won more than 26 games since 2007 it's a big step forward. Not to mention that Okafor, Ariza, and I think Nene will be dropping off the payroll in two years, which should be enough time to figure out exactly what they have in Beal and Wall and rebuild their team around those two. I don't know exactly how we ended up here, but the Wizards are doing a really great job all of a sudden. Now, they'll probably end up trading a couple of guys for Hedo Turkoglu or Spencer Hawes and then we'll be all like, "I knew it" but for now? Curiouser and curiouser.
WHO SUCKED
1. Charlotte Bobcats trade Corey Maggette to Detroit Pistons for Ben Gordon. There are a million good reasons to trade Corey Maggette. He really does nothing but score, he blocks Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's playing time, he makes too much money, and if you're trying to rebuild there's really zero reason to have him around because he's got a bit of a cancer to him as well. Thing is though, I don't know that trading him for Gordon and his $25.6 million he's still got coming his way is what makes sense. I guess he gives you shooting, which the Bobcats need and doesn't duplicate Gilchrist's skillset, and by all accounts is a good dude, and you're getting rid of Corey Maggette who is someone teams should always strive to get rid of, so maybe the Pistons made the bad end of the deal here. Actually I think they both lost.
2. Houston Rockets go all in to try to get Dwight Howard. I understand Houston trying to lure Howard there, even if its more for a rental, and then hoping he'd end up staying, but I kind of feel like once they started they didn't know how to just stop because although they've compiled a lot of assets they're all just kind of like, lame assets. A bunch of middle first round picks and a bunch of guys who drafted in middle rounds I'm not so sure do them much good. Their best asset, a Raptors first round pick, is probably going to be lottery but to get it they gave up Kyle Lowry, who might have been worth more. They've traded off pretty much the entire roster and even amnestied Luis Scola, who is no great shakes but did average 16 & 7 last season. And it looks like the upside is trading away all these assets for Howard and a whole bunch of crap like Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson and the way too much money they're owed. If this works and they get Howard and can somehow convince Chris Paul to sign then this has all been a genius move. Anything else and it's been just a cluster of WTF.
3. Similarly, Orlando Magic have no clue what to do. Is the big plan now to go through a second straight season of circus? I get that it's tough to trade a guy of Howard's magnitude and that makes sense, but at some point you bite the bullet and figure it out - and don't think Howard doesn't deserve an equal portion of the blame for this crazytown as well, especially for signing his option for this year instead of just becoming a free agent. Not to mention that the places Howard seems best suited for (Lakers, Hawks) he seems to have no interest in and the places he wants to go are Brooklyn (which can't make it work) and Cleveland (wait what?) while the place that is busting there ass for him (Houston) he doesn't really want to go nor can they figure out a way to put enough players around him to both trade for him and field a competitive team. All that does is pretty much guarantee another year of same old-same old, because Brooklyn's signing of Brook Lopez kills that trade so it's either L.A., Houston, or it's another year of pussying around and figuring this shit out. But hey, the Magic resigned Jameer Nelson while letting their second best player (Ryan Anderson) walk, so sounds like a huge ole win for Magic fans. HAVE A GREAT SEASON!
4. Indiana Pacers go kind of crazy for unathletic big men. You'd think when Portland offered Roy Hibbert a max deal the Pacers would be all like, "Take 'em" and then giggle under their breath like when Dawger inevitably drafts someone like Roy Helu and then holds onto him for like six years in our keeper league just waiting for that breakout season. But instead they matched so they can pay like $1 million per blocked shot this year. Not only that, but they also drafted Miles or Mason Plumlee (I don't feel like looking it up) when Perry Jones and well, let's face it anybody other than a poor man's Cherokee Parks was available - and this is a team that already has Tyler Hansbrough. Then they traded Collison so they could get Ian Mahinmi and paid him way too much money and, in case you haven't heard of him like me, he's another center. Overall just a bizarre turn of events, especially for a team that has generally seemed to make pretty smart decisions. So maybe it'll turn out I'm wrong here, I suppose there's a first time for almost everything.
5. Phoenix Suns assemble a 20-win team. I can't figure out Phoneix's angle. They traded Nash for very little, seemingly opening up playing time for their first round pick Kendall Marshall, but then went out and signed Goran Dragic for 4 years and $36 million, apparently blocking Marshall for the length of his rookie contract. Not only will Dragic be a career back-up making starter money, but he's not a true distributor and the Suns traded him just a couple of seasons ago (along with a first round pick) for Aaron Brooks who they're now letting go in free agency. So they paid a first round pick to accomplish nothing. They then signed Michael Beasley for three years and won an amnesty bid on Luis Scola, then found out the Hornets matched their max offer to Eric Gordon and vowed to match any offer extended to Robin Lopez, he of the career averages of six points and three boards per game. I'm not suggesting I could have done better, although it wouldn't have surprised me either, but all these moves just reek of a 16-year kid playing franchise mode on NBA Live with no real concise or clear plan for rebuilding post-Nash. I suppose that shouldn't be surprising from a management group that gave huge money to both Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick and routinely sells it's first round picks for cash, but it seems like they're in on every player just because why not that's why. Now they're the leaders for OJ Mayo as well. This team makes zero sense the way it's constructed.
There's also plenty of Wolves' stuff to discuss as well, including this semi-bizarre Nic Batum showdown, but we'll get to that down the road when everything is finalized. And probably TRE will do it not me because he's way more crazy about the T-Wolves than normal people.
Finally, for those of you who believe in prayer send them this way (and if you don't, send good thoughts), I will forward them on. I don't want to say too much since it isn't my place, but someone who all regulars to the blog know well could use them right now.
Showing posts with label Ray Allen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ray Allen. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Can You Feel the Excitement?
NBA Finals, Game 7. It feels like it's been a while since we've had one of these, or at least one between teams that mattered. See, I generally always watch the NBA Playoffs (although I skip the regular season), but I wouldn't say I really ever get excited for them - more like "interested." I would say my usual level of excitement for them is somewhere between waiting in line at the DMV and watching an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the 800th time (unless it's the one with the dragon, that one rocks). So why do I watch every year? I guess I'm waiting to get excited.
As you can then imagine, I'm pretty thrilled that my current level of excitement has reached "hearing the ice cream man's bell" levels going into this game. If we get something good here, I'm hoping to at least approach "Audrina just asked me to join her in the shower" levels. At this point I don't really even care who wins (although I'd prefer the Celtics, and I'd prefer Ray Allen win the MVP at 8-1), I just want a good, exciting game. Hopefully somebody will hit a big shot with time winding down in the fourth or a buzzer beater of some kind. I'll even take a big shot by Kobe, even though he's pretty much a dickmitten. I just want to see something good.
This won't be a live blog of the game per se, but I'll be watching and tossing out random thoughts as I think of them. Try to stay with me here.
8:44 1Q - Lakers are looking to pund it low to Gasol and Bynum. That is a really good strategy, which means bad news for the Celtics. And by the way, I am no longer rooting for a close game if i tmeans the Lakers win. It took 3 minutes of watching Kobe, who is now whining about a Rondo foul, to hate them again.
6:54 1Q - I love how they're playing Kobe. Ray Allen playing tough, in-your-face one-on-one, and they're doubling him every time. But they aren't sending the double until he puts it on the floor and starts his move. He seems to be in "I'm Michael Jordan" mode tonight, and he's taking his sweet time getting a shot up so teh double is really affecting him. He's like, 0-3 with couple turnovers already, and the last time down he tried a turnaround fade-away with both Pierce and Allen on him from about 18 feet and hit the top of the backboard. I love it.
5:10 1Q - Wallace out for Boston, Glen Davis in. This is where it gets interesting, because Davis can't score on Bynum, and he can't stop Bynum. Due to Bynum's knee injury though, he can only play limited minutes. I'm a little surprised Rivers is going to Davis already, but I guess with Wallace's bad back and explosive temper you have to pick your spots.
3:52 1Q - Kobe ended up on KG on a switch, fell asleep, and gave up an easy alley-oop dunk. He's really not having a very good first quarter. If this double-teaming defense can frustrate him and get in his head, this could get ugly for the Lakers.
1:36 1Q - My bad, Glen Davis now has 6 points in about 3 minutes, all against either Bynum or Gasol. Now Odom's in. He's a huge key for LA. If he's dialed in, he can destroy either Davis or Wallace. If he's just floating around, dreaming about candy and women who are built like men, he's going to get killed by either of them.
0:00 1Q - 23-14 Celtics after one. Really couldn't have gone much better.
10:43 2Q - Rondo takes a jumper from the elbow and misses. They're going to give him that shot for infinity and if he can't make them pay it's going to be tough for the Celtics to win. He's got to be able to hit that shot.
9:24 2Q - The Lakers have 12 offensive rebounds already, and they're still down 4 after scoring the first five of this half. Incredible. Celtics are playing amazing defense, but just can't get the rebound.
8:44 2Q - So I have some bad news. It seems my body can no longer handle jalapenos. At work the cafeteria has an awesome taco salad, but it's best with jalapenos and this jalapeno salsa. But it destroys me. Like, it wrecks my whole night and I can barely walk by the end of the evening. I've tried with just jalapenos and no salsa, and with just salsa and no actual jalapenos, but no matter what I almost die every time. That is not an exaggeration. It's similar to taking a bunch of Taco Bell's fire sauce, dumping them into a shot glass, sprinkling Ex-Lax on top, and then using it wash down a meal of White Castle and fire.
6:34 2Q - Ray Allen can no longer shoot. This is the most depressing thing I've ever seen. It's like in Superman II, when Superman decides he loves Lois Lane so much that he gives up his powers for her for some stupid reason (probably because all women are evil) and then they go to that diner and he gets beaten up by that hick guy who probably loves "muddin'" in his crappy jeep.
8:18 2Q - And we're tied. 9 straight for LA.
4:22 2Q - Artest seems to be under the impression that he can shoot. That is good news for the Celtics. At this point he's like the guy at open gym who got lucky and hit a couple of threes one day, so now he's convinced he's a shooter, and so you just dare him to shoot and it's like watching Snake and Dawger play a game of HORSE. Clang clang clang.
2:48 2Q - Wow does Derek Fisher whine. WonderbabyTM whines less when you take away her little fairy wand. I mean baseball. Her baseball.
1:22 2Q - Artest goads Pierce into a double-technical. Not smart - at all - by Pierce.
0:41 2Q - I'm not sure who these announcers are, but one of them has the exact cadence of Trent Tucker. It's awesome. "What the Timba-wooves need to do hea, is take the ball........to the bas-ket." Also I think I lied, this is definitely a live blog. I didn't mean it.
HALF - Celtics up 40-34. In a game this ugly, it's easy to expect the Lakers to kick it in gear in the second half, but that would be discounting the Celtics incredible defense. It would be like blaming the Twins for only scoring 1 run against Ubaldo Jimenez this afternoon instead of crediting his pitching. What's that? Mauer sat out because he "took too many foul tips?" That can't be possible. I don't believe you. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. It's far too preposterous to be true. That would mean Butera, Valencia, Punto, and Tolbert all would have had to play against Ubaldo. They did? Wow. I gotta say, in that case scoring 1 run is basically a victory, no?
10:55 3Q - Allen misses again. I'm going to go ahead and consider that MVP bet a loss. Damn dude. Big State will never want you now.
10:30 3Q - Kobe launches one from about 6 feet behind the three-point line. Getting desperate, and activating Chucker ModeTM despite the fact that he can't get any open looks. Maybe Allen needs to be considered for MVP after all.
9:45 3Q - Celtics up 11 now after a Rondo floater. Also we have Tornado and Thunderstorm warnings all over the place tell you to "take shelter in a structure that is not a mobile home." Sorry Nickelback fans.
8:20 3Q - 49-36 Celtics, and Rondo has the MVP sewn up if Boston doesn't blow this. And what's funny about that, is if the Lakers were up 13 right now, I'd be tempted to just turn the game off and chalk up as a win for evil (like Empire Strikes Back). But it's so hard to believe the Lakers won't make a run, so I'm actually nervous for Boston. Like right there Ray Allen threw a pass that was intercepted by Derek Fisher. Do you know how terrible a pass has to be to be intercepted by Derek Fisher? Let me put it this way, it would take Brett Favre's career-worth of Brooks Bollinger playing QB to have Fisher pick one off. Also, related - hey Pete Rose of basketball - go ahead and hang 'em up anytime.
7:34 3Q - Wait, the NBA draft is next Thursday already? Awesome. That is always a fun time.
6:20 3Q - Gasol can't guard KG. That's at least the third time KG has just blown by him from the perimeter. God damn I still love that insane mofo. I'm willing to bet at least 50 bucks he's killed somebody at some point. Also mini-Laker run, lead down to 6.
3:25 3Q - Rasheed has been ridiculously good tonight. This would be like if Adam Morrison came off the Lakers bench and hit a bunch of threes. Admit it, you giggled thinking of Morrison.
2:12 3Q - Ray Allen with a huge steal against Kobe. Man, if he was playing any offense at all he'd have MVP wrapped up thanks to some pretty incredible defense on Kobe in the series, particularly in the fourth quarters. I don't know what the numbers are, but he's been awful in fourth quarters. Hopefully that continues.
1:24 3Q - Allen now 1-9. Other than his monster game 2 and a good game 6, he's been brutal. Time to bring it in Q4. Luckily Kobe is 5-20. I hated Jordan, but anybody who compares Kobe to him ever again should probably just have their throat ripped out, Dalton-style.
0:00 3Q - C's up 57-53. Best replay ever is Garnet screaming "mother fu...." right after scoring on Gasol and right before ABC cut away. Very nice. Pretty sure this one is coming down to whoever decides to actually make shots, Ray Allen or Kobe. Fingers crossed for Ray.
Also what happened to Heath Slocum? The guy was looking like a genius longshot pick, and now I look and he's at +4. Which is 3 shots better than my pick to win, since Hunter Mahan shot a 78! And Ben Crane, maybe the hottest golfer on the planet, shot an 80! Good god, and 80! I thought this US Open would be a little more reasonable since it was at Pebble. I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm betting -4 ends up taking this thing in the end. Hopefully it ends up being Karlsson or Furyk.
10:22 4Q - Pierce making some horrendous decisions when it comes to shot selection. Honest to god it's like Pierce and Kobe are filming a Bad Idea JeansTM commercial. "Normally I wear protection, but I figured, when am I going to be in Haiti again?"
8:23 4Q - Allen with a floater over two Lakers to put the Celtics up 61-58. Maybe that's the shot he needs to get going. Come on Jesus. I love you Jesus.
7:13 4Q - Kobe actually has sex with Ray Allen as he goes up for a jumper. When he's called for the foul, he reacts as I'm sure O.J. did when they told him he was accused of murder. One difference: Kobe was guilty, while O.J. was innocent.
5:56 4Q - Tied at 64. Kobe heading to the line. I don't like where this is going. Celtics offense has disappeared. Come on, Ray. This is sick.
5:56 4Q - I thought about it, and even though it's over, I'm going to tell my wife about the afffair.
5:33 4Q - Allen misses another jumper. Kobe hits one on the other end. Lakers by four. This feels over. I also think Mark Jackson (announcing the game) is likely retarded in some fashion.
5:33 4Q - They use an Eminem song in the trailer for the video game Call of Duty? I....I....I....I literally can't think of anything to say. I am completely stupified right now. Completely.
Well, he's an ex free-base addict, and he's trying to turn it around, and he needs a place to stay for a couple of months.
4:38 - I don't mean to sound like some crybaby chowderhead or anything, but the refs are clearly handing this to LA at this point.
4:13 - Allen with a missed layup. Jesus.
3:05 - You can really tell the Lake show is feeling it. They're playing better defense now than they have all game. Three point Laker lead, Gasol going to the line. Hopefully the Lakers win by less than seven.
2:20 - Lakers up 74-68, and they've made about 20 free throws thsi quarter. Thanks refs. Lakers up 32-15 in free throw attemps. I don't even know why I watch this crap. Let's all cheer ourselves up for a moment:
Better? Better.
1:30 - Ballgame.
1:23 - Rasheed 3 pointer. 76-73. Interesting.
1:01 - Artest with a 28-footer. Clearly it's meant to be. Or, Allen answers with a three. Crazy right now. Like a typical sorority after I show up.
0:26 - Kobe misses a three, but Gasol with the rebound and Kobe ends up getting fouled. As was clear early, LA offensive boards are the key. Fuck this sucks. I really hate that guy. Congrats David Stern. No matter how much you orchestrate it ( and the refs made it clear their was a mandate) this dickmitten will never be another Jordan. And I hated Jordan.
0:00 - Gay.
As you can then imagine, I'm pretty thrilled that my current level of excitement has reached "hearing the ice cream man's bell" levels going into this game. If we get something good here, I'm hoping to at least approach "Audrina just asked me to join her in the shower" levels. At this point I don't really even care who wins (although I'd prefer the Celtics, and I'd prefer Ray Allen win the MVP at 8-1), I just want a good, exciting game. Hopefully somebody will hit a big shot with time winding down in the fourth or a buzzer beater of some kind. I'll even take a big shot by Kobe, even though he's pretty much a dickmitten. I just want to see something good.
This won't be a live blog of the game per se, but I'll be watching and tossing out random thoughts as I think of them. Try to stay with me here.
8:44 1Q - Lakers are looking to pund it low to Gasol and Bynum. That is a really good strategy, which means bad news for the Celtics. And by the way, I am no longer rooting for a close game if i tmeans the Lakers win. It took 3 minutes of watching Kobe, who is now whining about a Rondo foul, to hate them again.
6:54 1Q - I love how they're playing Kobe. Ray Allen playing tough, in-your-face one-on-one, and they're doubling him every time. But they aren't sending the double until he puts it on the floor and starts his move. He seems to be in "I'm Michael Jordan" mode tonight, and he's taking his sweet time getting a shot up so teh double is really affecting him. He's like, 0-3 with couple turnovers already, and the last time down he tried a turnaround fade-away with both Pierce and Allen on him from about 18 feet and hit the top of the backboard. I love it.
5:10 1Q - Wallace out for Boston, Glen Davis in. This is where it gets interesting, because Davis can't score on Bynum, and he can't stop Bynum. Due to Bynum's knee injury though, he can only play limited minutes. I'm a little surprised Rivers is going to Davis already, but I guess with Wallace's bad back and explosive temper you have to pick your spots.
3:52 1Q - Kobe ended up on KG on a switch, fell asleep, and gave up an easy alley-oop dunk. He's really not having a very good first quarter. If this double-teaming defense can frustrate him and get in his head, this could get ugly for the Lakers.
1:36 1Q - My bad, Glen Davis now has 6 points in about 3 minutes, all against either Bynum or Gasol. Now Odom's in. He's a huge key for LA. If he's dialed in, he can destroy either Davis or Wallace. If he's just floating around, dreaming about candy and women who are built like men, he's going to get killed by either of them.
0:00 1Q - 23-14 Celtics after one. Really couldn't have gone much better.
10:43 2Q - Rondo takes a jumper from the elbow and misses. They're going to give him that shot for infinity and if he can't make them pay it's going to be tough for the Celtics to win. He's got to be able to hit that shot.
9:24 2Q - The Lakers have 12 offensive rebounds already, and they're still down 4 after scoring the first five of this half. Incredible. Celtics are playing amazing defense, but just can't get the rebound.
8:44 2Q - So I have some bad news. It seems my body can no longer handle jalapenos. At work the cafeteria has an awesome taco salad, but it's best with jalapenos and this jalapeno salsa. But it destroys me. Like, it wrecks my whole night and I can barely walk by the end of the evening. I've tried with just jalapenos and no salsa, and with just salsa and no actual jalapenos, but no matter what I almost die every time. That is not an exaggeration. It's similar to taking a bunch of Taco Bell's fire sauce, dumping them into a shot glass, sprinkling Ex-Lax on top, and then using it wash down a meal of White Castle and fire.
6:34 2Q - Ray Allen can no longer shoot. This is the most depressing thing I've ever seen. It's like in Superman II, when Superman decides he loves Lois Lane so much that he gives up his powers for her for some stupid reason (probably because all women are evil) and then they go to that diner and he gets beaten up by that hick guy who probably loves "muddin'" in his crappy jeep.
8:18 2Q - And we're tied. 9 straight for LA.
4:22 2Q - Artest seems to be under the impression that he can shoot. That is good news for the Celtics. At this point he's like the guy at open gym who got lucky and hit a couple of threes one day, so now he's convinced he's a shooter, and so you just dare him to shoot and it's like watching Snake and Dawger play a game of HORSE. Clang clang clang.
2:48 2Q - Wow does Derek Fisher whine. WonderbabyTM whines less when you take away her little fairy wand. I mean baseball. Her baseball.
1:22 2Q - Artest goads Pierce into a double-technical. Not smart - at all - by Pierce.
0:41 2Q - I'm not sure who these announcers are, but one of them has the exact cadence of Trent Tucker. It's awesome. "What the Timba-wooves need to do hea, is take the ball........to the bas-ket." Also I think I lied, this is definitely a live blog. I didn't mean it.
HALF - Celtics up 40-34. In a game this ugly, it's easy to expect the Lakers to kick it in gear in the second half, but that would be discounting the Celtics incredible defense. It would be like blaming the Twins for only scoring 1 run against Ubaldo Jimenez this afternoon instead of crediting his pitching. What's that? Mauer sat out because he "took too many foul tips?" That can't be possible. I don't believe you. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. It's far too preposterous to be true. That would mean Butera, Valencia, Punto, and Tolbert all would have had to play against Ubaldo. They did? Wow. I gotta say, in that case scoring 1 run is basically a victory, no?
10:55 3Q - Allen misses again. I'm going to go ahead and consider that MVP bet a loss. Damn dude. Big State will never want you now.
10:30 3Q - Kobe launches one from about 6 feet behind the three-point line. Getting desperate, and activating Chucker ModeTM despite the fact that he can't get any open looks. Maybe Allen needs to be considered for MVP after all.
9:45 3Q - Celtics up 11 now after a Rondo floater. Also we have Tornado and Thunderstorm warnings all over the place tell you to "take shelter in a structure that is not a mobile home." Sorry Nickelback fans.
8:20 3Q - 49-36 Celtics, and Rondo has the MVP sewn up if Boston doesn't blow this. And what's funny about that, is if the Lakers were up 13 right now, I'd be tempted to just turn the game off and chalk up as a win for evil (like Empire Strikes Back). But it's so hard to believe the Lakers won't make a run, so I'm actually nervous for Boston. Like right there Ray Allen threw a pass that was intercepted by Derek Fisher. Do you know how terrible a pass has to be to be intercepted by Derek Fisher? Let me put it this way, it would take Brett Favre's career-worth of Brooks Bollinger playing QB to have Fisher pick one off. Also, related - hey Pete Rose of basketball - go ahead and hang 'em up anytime.
7:34 3Q - Wait, the NBA draft is next Thursday already? Awesome. That is always a fun time.
6:20 3Q - Gasol can't guard KG. That's at least the third time KG has just blown by him from the perimeter. God damn I still love that insane mofo. I'm willing to bet at least 50 bucks he's killed somebody at some point. Also mini-Laker run, lead down to 6.
3:25 3Q - Rasheed has been ridiculously good tonight. This would be like if Adam Morrison came off the Lakers bench and hit a bunch of threes. Admit it, you giggled thinking of Morrison.
2:12 3Q - Ray Allen with a huge steal against Kobe. Man, if he was playing any offense at all he'd have MVP wrapped up thanks to some pretty incredible defense on Kobe in the series, particularly in the fourth quarters. I don't know what the numbers are, but he's been awful in fourth quarters. Hopefully that continues.
1:24 3Q - Allen now 1-9. Other than his monster game 2 and a good game 6, he's been brutal. Time to bring it in Q4. Luckily Kobe is 5-20. I hated Jordan, but anybody who compares Kobe to him ever again should probably just have their throat ripped out, Dalton-style.
0:00 3Q - C's up 57-53. Best replay ever is Garnet screaming "mother fu...." right after scoring on Gasol and right before ABC cut away. Very nice. Pretty sure this one is coming down to whoever decides to actually make shots, Ray Allen or Kobe. Fingers crossed for Ray.
Also what happened to Heath Slocum? The guy was looking like a genius longshot pick, and now I look and he's at +4. Which is 3 shots better than my pick to win, since Hunter Mahan shot a 78! And Ben Crane, maybe the hottest golfer on the planet, shot an 80! Good god, and 80! I thought this US Open would be a little more reasonable since it was at Pebble. I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm betting -4 ends up taking this thing in the end. Hopefully it ends up being Karlsson or Furyk.
10:22 4Q - Pierce making some horrendous decisions when it comes to shot selection. Honest to god it's like Pierce and Kobe are filming a Bad Idea JeansTM commercial. "Normally I wear protection, but I figured, when am I going to be in Haiti again?"
8:23 4Q - Allen with a floater over two Lakers to put the Celtics up 61-58. Maybe that's the shot he needs to get going. Come on Jesus. I love you Jesus.
7:13 4Q - Kobe actually has sex with Ray Allen as he goes up for a jumper. When he's called for the foul, he reacts as I'm sure O.J. did when they told him he was accused of murder. One difference: Kobe was guilty, while O.J. was innocent.
5:56 4Q - Tied at 64. Kobe heading to the line. I don't like where this is going. Celtics offense has disappeared. Come on, Ray. This is sick.
5:56 4Q - I thought about it, and even though it's over, I'm going to tell my wife about the afffair.
5:33 4Q - Allen misses another jumper. Kobe hits one on the other end. Lakers by four. This feels over. I also think Mark Jackson (announcing the game) is likely retarded in some fashion.
5:33 4Q - They use an Eminem song in the trailer for the video game Call of Duty? I....I....I....I literally can't think of anything to say. I am completely stupified right now. Completely.
Well, he's an ex free-base addict, and he's trying to turn it around, and he needs a place to stay for a couple of months.
4:38 - I don't mean to sound like some crybaby chowderhead or anything, but the refs are clearly handing this to LA at this point.
4:13 - Allen with a missed layup. Jesus.
3:05 - You can really tell the Lake show is feeling it. They're playing better defense now than they have all game. Three point Laker lead, Gasol going to the line. Hopefully the Lakers win by less than seven.
2:20 - Lakers up 74-68, and they've made about 20 free throws thsi quarter. Thanks refs. Lakers up 32-15 in free throw attemps. I don't even know why I watch this crap. Let's all cheer ourselves up for a moment:
Better? Better.
1:30 - Ballgame.
1:23 - Rasheed 3 pointer. 76-73. Interesting.
1:01 - Artest with a 28-footer. Clearly it's meant to be. Or, Allen answers with a three. Crazy right now. Like a typical sorority after I show up.
0:26 - Kobe misses a three, but Gasol with the rebound and Kobe ends up getting fouled. As was clear early, LA offensive boards are the key. Fuck this sucks. I really hate that guy. Congrats David Stern. No matter how much you orchestrate it ( and the refs made it clear their was a mandate) this dickmitten will never be another Jordan. And I hated Jordan.
0:00 - Gay.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Oh no! What's wrong with Joe Mauer!
This week I've heard from a couple of different radio programs that something must be wrong with Joe Mauer. He must be injured and we don't know about it. He must be pressing too hard because of the new contract. He must be coasting because of the new contract. There's something wrong.
How about he's playing exactly the way we should expect? You didn't really think he'd hit .365 with 28 home runs every year, did you? Even though his career averages suggest he's more of a .325 hitter with 15 homers? You didn't really, did you? Oh my god, you did. How embarrassing for you.
He's hitting .312 this year at this exact moment as I type this thanks to his 1-2 so far tonight. That's not exactly terrible. That still ranks in the top 15 in the AL. And would you be happier if he was hitting .350? Do you know the difference between .312 and .350 at this point in the season? Seven hits. Or, one extra hit every seven games. That's it. And I've got news for you: Batting average will fluctuate wildly for a non-power hitter.
That one hit every seven games could be a liner hit at somebody, a diving catch, or a blooper that just doesn't quite fall in. At some point those are going to fall. His line drive percentage is up quite a bit this year (27.6% to 22.6%), and his BABIP is down from a ridiculous .373 last season (though still high at .337). He's going to be fine.
Oh. Wait. You probably thought he was suddenly going to turn into a power hitter thanks to that ridiculous stretch of games last year. Did you know that last year, according to hittracker.com (which is awesome) that 11 of Mauer's homers were classified as "just enough?" Meaning they barely cleared the wall. Did you also know that last year his HR per Fly Ball spiked to a ridiculous 20.4%, a number which ranked him with guys like Adam Dunn, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez? Did you know his career number is around 10%?
So process all that. Is it really realistic, in the least, to expect him to hit 30 homers? Or even 25? Using his career fly-ball rate and his career HR/FB rate (including last year's ridiculous number), you can expect Mauer to hit about 14 home runs per year. You can also expect him to hit around .325-.330 ever year.
And this is a disappointment? No, those numbers aren't worth the contract he just signed, but if you thought the contraction was just for his production, you probably think he'll hit 40 HRs in a season, too.
No, you're not dumb. You're a visionary.
- As long as I'm here, I might as well weigh in on Strasburg's debut. I watched the first six innings, and there is no doubt I came away impressed. He was hitting 97-98 with his fastball all game, and I expected the radar gun to be a little juiced, but the way some of those Pirates were swinging at the ball (and yes, granted they are the Pirates) I think I believe it. You can read more about Strasburg than his mom would even want to if you go to basically any website, so I won't belabor it here, but I'm going to make two points.
First, just this line: 7ip, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 bb, 14k. 14 strikeouts, no walks. Wow.
Second, watching him strike out 5 of 6 batters in the fifth and sixth was like watching a dominant closer come in and shut the door. Except it was two innings, and it was his fifth and sixth frame of the night. Wow.
He had a lot of hype, and it's going to get worse, but for tonight at least (and I'm sure there will be rough patches) he absolutely lived up to it.
And he's on our fantasy team.
- By the way, those of you who thought I was an idiot for calling out that there was something wrong with Zack Greinke can suck it (Dharma Bum -> hi).
- Also Kobe Bryant is absolutely playing like a man possessed tonight. He has been so impressive in this postseason. Like, a whole new level. At this point, I have to say he's the fourth best guard I've ever seen behind Magic, Jordan, and Glen Rice.
- UPDATE: Celtics making a nice little run here, cutting the lead down to four. Getting murdered by the refs though. I didn't think the "Lakers must win" mandate would come down until Game 5, four at the earliest. Also, Rondo is very, very good with the ball, but he's passing up 15 footers out there. He should be in the gym four hours a day this offseason figuring out how to shoot. He'd be unstoppable. Like Big Baby is now, apparently. Wow did he come to play.
- UPDATE: These refs are just brutal either way. Baby goes up for a layup, a little bit of contact. He missed, and now there's a whistle and a foul on the Lakers. Really just terrible officiating. Story of the finals, unfortunately.
- UPDATE: Kobe in "Operation Chucker" mode. Fisher carrying the Lakers right now. Also, Kevin Garnett is not dead yet, having a monster game. If Ray Allen could hit anything (just missed another open three and I think he's 0-12 now) Celtics would have this.
- UPDATE: Garnett 25 points, 11-15 shooting.
- UPDATE: Ray Allen 0-13. Denzel Washington is sad.
- UPDATE: This constant reviewing of out-of-bounds calls is killing this game.
- UPDATE: Ray Allen just missed a layup, although it didn't count because KG was called for a moving pick. John Thompson would be so proud.
- UPDATE: Still hate the Lakers.
How about he's playing exactly the way we should expect? You didn't really think he'd hit .365 with 28 home runs every year, did you? Even though his career averages suggest he's more of a .325 hitter with 15 homers? You didn't really, did you? Oh my god, you did. How embarrassing for you.
He's hitting .312 this year at this exact moment as I type this thanks to his 1-2 so far tonight. That's not exactly terrible. That still ranks in the top 15 in the AL. And would you be happier if he was hitting .350? Do you know the difference between .312 and .350 at this point in the season? Seven hits. Or, one extra hit every seven games. That's it. And I've got news for you: Batting average will fluctuate wildly for a non-power hitter.
That one hit every seven games could be a liner hit at somebody, a diving catch, or a blooper that just doesn't quite fall in. At some point those are going to fall. His line drive percentage is up quite a bit this year (27.6% to 22.6%), and his BABIP is down from a ridiculous .373 last season (though still high at .337). He's going to be fine.
Oh. Wait. You probably thought he was suddenly going to turn into a power hitter thanks to that ridiculous stretch of games last year. Did you know that last year, according to hittracker.com (which is awesome) that 11 of Mauer's homers were classified as "just enough?" Meaning they barely cleared the wall. Did you also know that last year his HR per Fly Ball spiked to a ridiculous 20.4%, a number which ranked him with guys like Adam Dunn, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez? Did you know his career number is around 10%?
So process all that. Is it really realistic, in the least, to expect him to hit 30 homers? Or even 25? Using his career fly-ball rate and his career HR/FB rate (including last year's ridiculous number), you can expect Mauer to hit about 14 home runs per year. You can also expect him to hit around .325-.330 ever year.
And this is a disappointment? No, those numbers aren't worth the contract he just signed, but if you thought the contraction was just for his production, you probably think he'll hit 40 HRs in a season, too.
No, you're not dumb. You're a visionary.
- As long as I'm here, I might as well weigh in on Strasburg's debut. I watched the first six innings, and there is no doubt I came away impressed. He was hitting 97-98 with his fastball all game, and I expected the radar gun to be a little juiced, but the way some of those Pirates were swinging at the ball (and yes, granted they are the Pirates) I think I believe it. You can read more about Strasburg than his mom would even want to if you go to basically any website, so I won't belabor it here, but I'm going to make two points.
First, just this line: 7ip, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 bb, 14k. 14 strikeouts, no walks. Wow.
Second, watching him strike out 5 of 6 batters in the fifth and sixth was like watching a dominant closer come in and shut the door. Except it was two innings, and it was his fifth and sixth frame of the night. Wow.
He had a lot of hype, and it's going to get worse, but for tonight at least (and I'm sure there will be rough patches) he absolutely lived up to it.
And he's on our fantasy team.
- By the way, those of you who thought I was an idiot for calling out that there was something wrong with Zack Greinke can suck it (Dharma Bum -> hi).
- Also Kobe Bryant is absolutely playing like a man possessed tonight. He has been so impressive in this postseason. Like, a whole new level. At this point, I have to say he's the fourth best guard I've ever seen behind Magic, Jordan, and Glen Rice.
- UPDATE: Celtics making a nice little run here, cutting the lead down to four. Getting murdered by the refs though. I didn't think the "Lakers must win" mandate would come down until Game 5, four at the earliest. Also, Rondo is very, very good with the ball, but he's passing up 15 footers out there. He should be in the gym four hours a day this offseason figuring out how to shoot. He'd be unstoppable. Like Big Baby is now, apparently. Wow did he come to play.
- UPDATE: These refs are just brutal either way. Baby goes up for a layup, a little bit of contact. He missed, and now there's a whistle and a foul on the Lakers. Really just terrible officiating. Story of the finals, unfortunately.
- UPDATE: Kobe in "Operation Chucker" mode. Fisher carrying the Lakers right now. Also, Kevin Garnett is not dead yet, having a monster game. If Ray Allen could hit anything (just missed another open three and I think he's 0-12 now) Celtics would have this.
- UPDATE: Garnett 25 points, 11-15 shooting.
- UPDATE: Ray Allen 0-13. Denzel Washington is sad.
- UPDATE: This constant reviewing of out-of-bounds calls is killing this game.
- UPDATE: Ray Allen just missed a layup, although it didn't count because KG was called for a moving pick. John Thompson would be so proud.
- UPDATE: Still hate the Lakers.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Week in Review - 6/7/2010
Obviously the biggest news of the week was the non-perfect game thrown by Andres Galarraga's son. Since you probably haven't heard enough about that whole situation, allow me to weigh in.
Just kidding. Yes, it was a big deal and even the kind of thing we discussed around the office the day after, but I think it's probably time to just let it go. And let me tell you a secret. Galarraga is going to get killed his next time out. Just shelled. Trust me on this one.
Oh, and I suppose Wooden passing is a pretty big deal, too. RIP. Fifth best Wizard ever behind Merlin, Gandalf, Raistlin, and that kid from that Nintendo movie.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Justin Smoak. Smoak is rising (sorry, had to be done). Uber-prospect and secret crush of mine Justin Smoak got the call up early this year after Chris Davis crashed and burned (and whiffed) for the second year in a row, and didn't exactly get off to a great start. All through April and May he never got his batting average over .200. There were good signs, however, such as a good OBP (around .310), a good BB/K ratio (nearly 1:1), and good power when he did make contact. One of these days, things were going to click. And it looks like they have. He went 8-18 this week, including a 3-3 with a HR game against the Rays, and has now raised his average to .212, which may not sound like much, but it's a huge improvement. Oh yeah, he also walked five times. Seriously, man, this kid can hit, and he's going to be a player for a long, long, time. Get on board.
2. Tommy Hunter. As long as I'm talking about how the Rangers' are stacking with youngster types, we might as well throw a little bit of praise Hunter's way after he tossed a complete game five-hitter on Saturday in his first start of the year. And it's not like he threw it against a crappy hitting team like the Mariners or Twins, he threw it against the Rays. Hunter, a top pitching prospect type, made his debut in 2008 and got destroyed in his three starts, but then came up again mid-year last season and ended up putting up respectable numbers with a 9-6 record, 4.10 ERA, and 1.30 WHIP in 19 starts. For some reason that I don't know, he started the season in the minors, but was recalled this weekend in time to completely shut down Tampa. Because the Rangers don't have enough blue-chippers (Smoak, Andrus, Feliz, Borbon, Max Ramirez, and the list seriously goes on and on and on.) I don't really believe in Hunter, however, because there's no such thing as a good fat pitcher. 6-3, 280 lbs.? Oof.
3. Ray Allen. Game 1: 27 minutes, 0 three-pointers, 12 points, Celtics loss. Game 2: 44 minutes, 8 three-pointers, 32 points, Celtics win. Watching that game 2 tonight, Allen is clearly a major, major key for the Celtics if they're going to win. In game 1 he was limited by a bunch of terrible foul calls against him, but tonight he was able to get free and he lit up the Lakers for 7 threes in the first-half, which tied a finals record for a full game. Pierce is being limited pretty well by Artest and Garnett has shown that he's aged ten years in the last two real years, so it's basically up to Allen and Rondo, and they came through (Rondo had a triple double) to pull it out. They needed this one, and Allen was the biggest reason they got it. Plus that jumper is just so beautiful. What's prettier than a Ray Allen jumper. Nothing, that's what. And if you disagree you're a stupid liar.
4. Ubaldo Jimenez. I know I already wrote about Ubaldo early last week in his very own spotlight post, but I have to point him out once again because he won once again. My favorite part is that he pitched seven innings and gave up two runs, and it raised his ERA by 19%. He's now 11-1, with an ERA under one, and by all accounts is completely unhittable. Nobody can hit his fastball, and nobody can hit his changeup. And both his curve and his slider are above average. His BABIP and runner strand rate are outside of the normal range, so he should come back to earth, but watching him pitch I'm not sure. He seriously looks ridiculous out there. I feel like I'm watching Bob Gibson or the bizarro Brad Radke. He probably has around 22 starts or so remaining, so 30 wins is basically out of the question, but I can see him getting to 25-27, which would be the most since Bob Welch's 27 twenty years. Yes, he's that good. At least so far.
5. Troy Glaus. I seriously thought Glaus was retired, but it turns out he's playing 3B for the Braves, which is where I thought Chipper Jones played. Clearly I don't know what's going on. Especially because Glaus homered four times last week. That gives him 11 this year. That's as many as A-Rod, Joe Mauer, Ian Kinsler, and Nick Punto have combined. And Troy Glaus is like, 45. He should be playing softball with Matt Stairs and Matthew LeCroy, but instead he's killing NL pitching. Makes no sense. Although I'd take him on the Twins. I tire of slap-hitting corner infielders easily, no matter the amount of bare-handed pick-ups they make.
WHO SUCKED
1. Zack Greinke. Did I, or did I not tell you about Zack Greinke? Now, after a 6 inning, 10 hit, 4 run outing, even the too great to be put into actual words Joe Posnanski agrees. Check out his full blog post here, but it highlights the same drop in velocity I brought up, and mentions how his slider isn't breaking like it used to - big keys in him missing bats, the #1 change from last season. Posnanski believes that it isn't Greinke's physical tools that are hurting him this year, but his confidence. Check out these quotes: "The last month I haven't really been myself, I guess. Everything looks tougher, like the hitters look better and the strike zone looks smaller. It just seems tougher out there at the moment." and about his slider, "I was probably striking out like six guys a game last year on a slider, and now I probably do one or two a game. I still throw it, but I don't know why it's not working. But obviously, something's wrong with it. I don't know." Now it's not like his numbers are Kevin Mulvey-esque or anything and he's still one of the best pitchers in baseball, but it sounds like his head is all out of whack. And for a guy like Greinke who has had some mental problems before, that is a huge red flag. I hope he can get his head right and not go into a shame spiral, because when he's dominant he's about as fun to watch pitch as there is.
2. Ricky Rubio. It seems Mr. Rubio has no interest in coming to the NBA until after next season, and is only interested in becoming a Timberwolf if things "get better" and "gel." Well excuse me, your majesty. Did they not scout the arrogance on this kid? I'm starting to hope he never ends up a Wolf. Hopefully they can just go ahead and trade his rights. Maybe they can include him in a sign and trade with the Heat and get Dwyane Wade. I'm just sayin' that Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer, and the rights to Rubio would work under the salary cap rules to get Wade. And, if they do that trade, that still leaves them enough to sign Bosh. So Bosh, Love, Wade, Flynn, and Evan Turner after he slips to #4. Sounds about right.
3. Matt Wieters. Good god this is some kind of world-record slump. But do you remember when Jesus was in that slump and ended up getting crucified for it? And then three days later he smashed through that rock and flew up to heaven? Expect Wieters to be rebirthed in three days. Wednesday versus C.C. Sabathia. Make your time.
4. Denard Span. Since we are talking world record slumps, how can I leave out Spansy? He tripled on Sunday, which was his first hit in June, and his 1-5 on the day was a huge improvement over the 1-20 he had put up so far in the week. Span's average has now dipped down to .266, but because he has such a good command of the strike zone and such good plate patience, even when he's slumping with the bat he's still valuable because he gets on base due to walks. Of course, with the injuries piling up to the point where Matt Tolbert and Brendan Harris are now considered regualrs, Span's bat is sorely needed. Also, why did Brendan Harris play first base with Morneau out? Are we serious here that Jim Thome is really too old and too slow that he can't fill in in an emergency? With nearly ever big bat out of the lineup for various reasons it would have been a pretty good idea to get Thome in there. Either he's become completely immobile or Gardy is an idiot. I know which way I'm leaning.
5. Nick Blackburn. Staying with your precious Twinkies, Blackburn really stayed hot, didn't he? After a May in which he posted a 2.65 ERA and looked like he could be half as good as Dawger thinks he is, he came crashing back hard this week, going 0-2 and lasting a total of just six and a third innings, givng up 20 hits (yes, 20) and 10 runs while striking out zero. Yes, zero. See, here's the problem with Blackburn - if he's not hitting his exact spots, he gets destroyed because he doesn't have good stuff. He has good control and good sinker which can be a great weapon when he can keep it down and move it in and out, but if he's not he can't get away with just throwing. When opponents swing at his pitches they swing and miss only 5.6% of the time - lowest in the majors - so he needs the ground balls. Obviously, this week he couldn't hit the corners and didn't keep the ball down, and he got knocked all over the yard. This is exhibit A through exhibit Z of while he'll never be a top-line pitcher, and will always be mid to end of the rotation type. I still like him and all, but there are going to be plenty more games like this in his future. Zero margin for error.
Just kidding. Yes, it was a big deal and even the kind of thing we discussed around the office the day after, but I think it's probably time to just let it go. And let me tell you a secret. Galarraga is going to get killed his next time out. Just shelled. Trust me on this one.
Oh, and I suppose Wooden passing is a pretty big deal, too. RIP. Fifth best Wizard ever behind Merlin, Gandalf, Raistlin, and that kid from that Nintendo movie.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Justin Smoak. Smoak is rising (sorry, had to be done). Uber-prospect and secret crush of mine Justin Smoak got the call up early this year after Chris Davis crashed and burned (and whiffed) for the second year in a row, and didn't exactly get off to a great start. All through April and May he never got his batting average over .200. There were good signs, however, such as a good OBP (around .310), a good BB/K ratio (nearly 1:1), and good power when he did make contact. One of these days, things were going to click. And it looks like they have. He went 8-18 this week, including a 3-3 with a HR game against the Rays, and has now raised his average to .212, which may not sound like much, but it's a huge improvement. Oh yeah, he also walked five times. Seriously, man, this kid can hit, and he's going to be a player for a long, long, time. Get on board.
2. Tommy Hunter. As long as I'm talking about how the Rangers' are stacking with youngster types, we might as well throw a little bit of praise Hunter's way after he tossed a complete game five-hitter on Saturday in his first start of the year. And it's not like he threw it against a crappy hitting team like the Mariners or Twins, he threw it against the Rays. Hunter, a top pitching prospect type, made his debut in 2008 and got destroyed in his three starts, but then came up again mid-year last season and ended up putting up respectable numbers with a 9-6 record, 4.10 ERA, and 1.30 WHIP in 19 starts. For some reason that I don't know, he started the season in the minors, but was recalled this weekend in time to completely shut down Tampa. Because the Rangers don't have enough blue-chippers (Smoak, Andrus, Feliz, Borbon, Max Ramirez, and the list seriously goes on and on and on.) I don't really believe in Hunter, however, because there's no such thing as a good fat pitcher. 6-3, 280 lbs.? Oof.
3. Ray Allen. Game 1: 27 minutes, 0 three-pointers, 12 points, Celtics loss. Game 2: 44 minutes, 8 three-pointers, 32 points, Celtics win. Watching that game 2 tonight, Allen is clearly a major, major key for the Celtics if they're going to win. In game 1 he was limited by a bunch of terrible foul calls against him, but tonight he was able to get free and he lit up the Lakers for 7 threes in the first-half, which tied a finals record for a full game. Pierce is being limited pretty well by Artest and Garnett has shown that he's aged ten years in the last two real years, so it's basically up to Allen and Rondo, and they came through (Rondo had a triple double) to pull it out. They needed this one, and Allen was the biggest reason they got it. Plus that jumper is just so beautiful. What's prettier than a Ray Allen jumper. Nothing, that's what. And if you disagree you're a stupid liar.
4. Ubaldo Jimenez. I know I already wrote about Ubaldo early last week in his very own spotlight post, but I have to point him out once again because he won once again. My favorite part is that he pitched seven innings and gave up two runs, and it raised his ERA by 19%. He's now 11-1, with an ERA under one, and by all accounts is completely unhittable. Nobody can hit his fastball, and nobody can hit his changeup. And both his curve and his slider are above average. His BABIP and runner strand rate are outside of the normal range, so he should come back to earth, but watching him pitch I'm not sure. He seriously looks ridiculous out there. I feel like I'm watching Bob Gibson or the bizarro Brad Radke. He probably has around 22 starts or so remaining, so 30 wins is basically out of the question, but I can see him getting to 25-27, which would be the most since Bob Welch's 27 twenty years. Yes, he's that good. At least so far.
5. Troy Glaus. I seriously thought Glaus was retired, but it turns out he's playing 3B for the Braves, which is where I thought Chipper Jones played. Clearly I don't know what's going on. Especially because Glaus homered four times last week. That gives him 11 this year. That's as many as A-Rod, Joe Mauer, Ian Kinsler, and Nick Punto have combined. And Troy Glaus is like, 45. He should be playing softball with Matt Stairs and Matthew LeCroy, but instead he's killing NL pitching. Makes no sense. Although I'd take him on the Twins. I tire of slap-hitting corner infielders easily, no matter the amount of bare-handed pick-ups they make.
WHO SUCKED
1. Zack Greinke. Did I, or did I not tell you about Zack Greinke? Now, after a 6 inning, 10 hit, 4 run outing, even the too great to be put into actual words Joe Posnanski agrees. Check out his full blog post here, but it highlights the same drop in velocity I brought up, and mentions how his slider isn't breaking like it used to - big keys in him missing bats, the #1 change from last season. Posnanski believes that it isn't Greinke's physical tools that are hurting him this year, but his confidence. Check out these quotes: "The last month I haven't really been myself, I guess. Everything looks tougher, like the hitters look better and the strike zone looks smaller. It just seems tougher out there at the moment." and about his slider, "I was probably striking out like six guys a game last year on a slider, and now I probably do one or two a game. I still throw it, but I don't know why it's not working. But obviously, something's wrong with it. I don't know." Now it's not like his numbers are Kevin Mulvey-esque or anything and he's still one of the best pitchers in baseball, but it sounds like his head is all out of whack. And for a guy like Greinke who has had some mental problems before, that is a huge red flag. I hope he can get his head right and not go into a shame spiral, because when he's dominant he's about as fun to watch pitch as there is.
2. Ricky Rubio. It seems Mr. Rubio has no interest in coming to the NBA until after next season, and is only interested in becoming a Timberwolf if things "get better" and "gel." Well excuse me, your majesty. Did they not scout the arrogance on this kid? I'm starting to hope he never ends up a Wolf. Hopefully they can just go ahead and trade his rights. Maybe they can include him in a sign and trade with the Heat and get Dwyane Wade. I'm just sayin' that Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer, and the rights to Rubio would work under the salary cap rules to get Wade. And, if they do that trade, that still leaves them enough to sign Bosh. So Bosh, Love, Wade, Flynn, and Evan Turner after he slips to #4. Sounds about right.
3. Matt Wieters. Good god this is some kind of world-record slump. But do you remember when Jesus was in that slump and ended up getting crucified for it? And then three days later he smashed through that rock and flew up to heaven? Expect Wieters to be rebirthed in three days. Wednesday versus C.C. Sabathia. Make your time.
4. Denard Span. Since we are talking world record slumps, how can I leave out Spansy? He tripled on Sunday, which was his first hit in June, and his 1-5 on the day was a huge improvement over the 1-20 he had put up so far in the week. Span's average has now dipped down to .266, but because he has such a good command of the strike zone and such good plate patience, even when he's slumping with the bat he's still valuable because he gets on base due to walks. Of course, with the injuries piling up to the point where Matt Tolbert and Brendan Harris are now considered regualrs, Span's bat is sorely needed. Also, why did Brendan Harris play first base with Morneau out? Are we serious here that Jim Thome is really too old and too slow that he can't fill in in an emergency? With nearly ever big bat out of the lineup for various reasons it would have been a pretty good idea to get Thome in there. Either he's become completely immobile or Gardy is an idiot. I know which way I'm leaning.
5. Nick Blackburn. Staying with your precious Twinkies, Blackburn really stayed hot, didn't he? After a May in which he posted a 2.65 ERA and looked like he could be half as good as Dawger thinks he is, he came crashing back hard this week, going 0-2 and lasting a total of just six and a third innings, givng up 20 hits (yes, 20) and 10 runs while striking out zero. Yes, zero. See, here's the problem with Blackburn - if he's not hitting his exact spots, he gets destroyed because he doesn't have good stuff. He has good control and good sinker which can be a great weapon when he can keep it down and move it in and out, but if he's not he can't get away with just throwing. When opponents swing at his pitches they swing and miss only 5.6% of the time - lowest in the majors - so he needs the ground balls. Obviously, this week he couldn't hit the corners and didn't keep the ball down, and he got knocked all over the yard. This is exhibit A through exhibit Z of while he'll never be a top-line pitcher, and will always be mid to end of the rotation type. I still like him and all, but there are going to be plenty more games like this in his future. Zero margin for error.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Here's What Happened - 4/20/2009
Neither awesome, nor sucky, but I wanted to mention Torry Holt signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars today. It's a three year deal, with base salaries totaling $13 million and which could reach up to $20 million with incentives. Most interesting is that their is no signing bonus, and only the first year is guaranteed, making this extremely low risk for the Jags. With a better QB (if you consider Garrard a better QB) if Holt can return to his pro bowl form - the form where he was able to gather at least 80 catches and 1,180 yards for eight straight years - this contract is a steal for Jacksonville and a boon for Holt. If he looks more like the creaky, broken down old man he did last year, well, no big hit to the Jags and Holt gets a bit more cash for the pile.
Anyway, on to the real stuff.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. The Celtics/Bulls game. WOW. Just wow. That might have been the best basketball game I've seen since Kansas/Memphis [EDIT: Never mind, I forgot about Gonzaga/Western Kentucky, but it's the best game since that one.] I was going to highlight a player from the game, but who to choose? Rajon Rondo put up a triple double with nineteen points, sixteen assists, and twelve boards, despite Derrick Rose not at all respecting his jump shot and pretty much giving him anything outside of eighteen feet. It didn't matter, as Rondo used his quickness to get to the rim and either score or find teammates beautifully. How about the battle between former UCONNers Ben Gordon and Ray Allen? Gordon finished with a game-high 42, and was absolutely unconscious in the second half. Of course, so was Allen, who finished with 30, 28 coming in the second half, and hit the game winning three with 2.2 left of a Rondo assist following a Rondo offensive rebound. Allen not only has the prettiest shot in the NBA, but it might be the quickest as well. Even Big Baby Davis, filling in for the injured KG, deserves mention for putting up his career high 26 points in a big spot. Just an awesome, awesome game all the way around, and reminded me why I love the NBA playoffs.
2. Ross Ohlendorf. Who? Yeah, I don't know either, but guess who completely stymied the hottest team in baseball (the Marlins) last night? Yep, Rossy. Seven innings, two hits, no runs, and picked up the win when the Pirate bullpen decided not to blow it. Ohlendorf has made just thirteen career starts after two years as a reliever, and has never posted a season ERA of less than 6.35 in his three years. Due to his low strikeout rate, he was never considered an elite prospect, but hey, he shut down the hottest team in baseball. I'm guessing this is more mirage than trend, but who the hell knows? I'm kind of an idiot.
3. Tony Parker. I hate writing about commies as much as the next guy, but my only other choice for this spot would have been Dustin Pedroia, and I hate writing about Red Sox even more, so here you go. Parker led the Spurs to 105-84 victory over the Mavs last night to even their series at 1-1, going for 38 points (on 16-22 shooting) and dishing 8 assists. Of course, this is much less impressive considering he had Jason Kidd guarding him, who would have trouble stopping Travis Busch at this point. Parker has abused Kidd (assuming he played for Dallas all year, I'm too lazy to look it up), going for 31.2 points and 7.5 assists against him compared to 22 and 7 overall this year. And I'm already bored with this paragraph.
WHO SUCKED
1. Andrew Miller. Once a first round pick and top prospect of the Tigers, Miller was shipped over to the Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera trade and, well, has looked more like David West than John Smoltz (they were both prospects traded for veterans, you see). Last night we was the poor bastard to faced the Cy Young candidate Ross Ohlendorf, but it wasn't much of a battle with Miller not getting out of the fifth, giving up five hits and four runs to boost his season ERA to 6.94. In his 35 career starts, Miller is 11-17 and sports an ERA of 5.87 and a WHIP of 1.70. I know what you're thinking: it's only 35 career starts and he's still just 24 years old, but this might be a case of rushing a player to the bigs before he is ready. Last night Miller's fastball topped out at just 87 miles per hour - that's being blamed on an oblique injury (he's now on the 15-day DL), but warning sirens are screaming right now.
2. Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates are 7-6 and showing some life. The Marlins are 11-2 and have the best record in the entire league. The Rays were in the series last year and are considered one of the top contenders to win the whole thing this season. The Royals are on top of the AL Central, and might be able to stay there. Every historic bad team is at the very least giving their team some hope this season - except for the Orioles, who, after a good start, have fallen back to earth and are in the midst of a five game losing streak after losing 12-1 to the Red Sox yesterday in a game where Radhames Liz (my favorite first name in MLB) continued his spectacular flameout from prospect to pitching in the Northern League (maybe) going 0.1 innings and giving up six earned runs while hitting two of the seven batters he faced and walking another. As per usual, the O's can hit and score, but the pitching is atrocious with a team ERA of 6.72, and without a single good pitcher or even one with potential, this is just going to continue. Might as well call up Wieters now to try to get some good PR.
3. Chris Iannetta. Rockies catcher Iannetta went 1-3 last night against the D-Backs, and if you're wondering why that's news it's because it pushed his hit total to a grand total of three on the year, raising his average from .086 all the way up to the stellar .111. Iannetta has been the hot catching prospect for three years now, flaming out in his first season (.218/.330/.350) before bouncing back last year with a nice .264/.390/.505 with 18 ding dongs. Now, this season, he's put up .111/.314/.333 and is striking out once every 2.7 at bats. The plate patience is still nice with seven walks already, but at some point you actually have to hit the ball. He still has power when he does (two of his three hits are home runs) and the potential is still there, but since this guy screwed me in fantasy baseball two years ago he can go suck it. Rockies guy, any insight here?
Anyway, on to the real stuff.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. The Celtics/Bulls game. WOW. Just wow. That might have been the best basketball game I've seen since Kansas/Memphis [EDIT: Never mind, I forgot about Gonzaga/Western Kentucky, but it's the best game since that one.] I was going to highlight a player from the game, but who to choose? Rajon Rondo put up a triple double with nineteen points, sixteen assists, and twelve boards, despite Derrick Rose not at all respecting his jump shot and pretty much giving him anything outside of eighteen feet. It didn't matter, as Rondo used his quickness to get to the rim and either score or find teammates beautifully. How about the battle between former UCONNers Ben Gordon and Ray Allen? Gordon finished with a game-high 42, and was absolutely unconscious in the second half. Of course, so was Allen, who finished with 30, 28 coming in the second half, and hit the game winning three with 2.2 left of a Rondo assist following a Rondo offensive rebound. Allen not only has the prettiest shot in the NBA, but it might be the quickest as well. Even Big Baby Davis, filling in for the injured KG, deserves mention for putting up his career high 26 points in a big spot. Just an awesome, awesome game all the way around, and reminded me why I love the NBA playoffs.
2. Ross Ohlendorf. Who? Yeah, I don't know either, but guess who completely stymied the hottest team in baseball (the Marlins) last night? Yep, Rossy. Seven innings, two hits, no runs, and picked up the win when the Pirate bullpen decided not to blow it. Ohlendorf has made just thirteen career starts after two years as a reliever, and has never posted a season ERA of less than 6.35 in his three years. Due to his low strikeout rate, he was never considered an elite prospect, but hey, he shut down the hottest team in baseball. I'm guessing this is more mirage than trend, but who the hell knows? I'm kind of an idiot.
3. Tony Parker. I hate writing about commies as much as the next guy, but my only other choice for this spot would have been Dustin Pedroia, and I hate writing about Red Sox even more, so here you go. Parker led the Spurs to 105-84 victory over the Mavs last night to even their series at 1-1, going for 38 points (on 16-22 shooting) and dishing 8 assists. Of course, this is much less impressive considering he had Jason Kidd guarding him, who would have trouble stopping Travis Busch at this point. Parker has abused Kidd (assuming he played for Dallas all year, I'm too lazy to look it up), going for 31.2 points and 7.5 assists against him compared to 22 and 7 overall this year. And I'm already bored with this paragraph.
WHO SUCKED
1. Andrew Miller. Once a first round pick and top prospect of the Tigers, Miller was shipped over to the Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera trade and, well, has looked more like David West than John Smoltz (they were both prospects traded for veterans, you see). Last night we was the poor bastard to faced the Cy Young candidate Ross Ohlendorf, but it wasn't much of a battle with Miller not getting out of the fifth, giving up five hits and four runs to boost his season ERA to 6.94. In his 35 career starts, Miller is 11-17 and sports an ERA of 5.87 and a WHIP of 1.70. I know what you're thinking: it's only 35 career starts and he's still just 24 years old, but this might be a case of rushing a player to the bigs before he is ready. Last night Miller's fastball topped out at just 87 miles per hour - that's being blamed on an oblique injury (he's now on the 15-day DL), but warning sirens are screaming right now.
2. Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates are 7-6 and showing some life. The Marlins are 11-2 and have the best record in the entire league. The Rays were in the series last year and are considered one of the top contenders to win the whole thing this season. The Royals are on top of the AL Central, and might be able to stay there. Every historic bad team is at the very least giving their team some hope this season - except for the Orioles, who, after a good start, have fallen back to earth and are in the midst of a five game losing streak after losing 12-1 to the Red Sox yesterday in a game where Radhames Liz (my favorite first name in MLB) continued his spectacular flameout from prospect to pitching in the Northern League (maybe) going 0.1 innings and giving up six earned runs while hitting two of the seven batters he faced and walking another. As per usual, the O's can hit and score, but the pitching is atrocious with a team ERA of 6.72, and without a single good pitcher or even one with potential, this is just going to continue. Might as well call up Wieters now to try to get some good PR.
3. Chris Iannetta. Rockies catcher Iannetta went 1-3 last night against the D-Backs, and if you're wondering why that's news it's because it pushed his hit total to a grand total of three on the year, raising his average from .086 all the way up to the stellar .111. Iannetta has been the hot catching prospect for three years now, flaming out in his first season (.218/.330/.350) before bouncing back last year with a nice .264/.390/.505 with 18 ding dongs. Now, this season, he's put up .111/.314/.333 and is striking out once every 2.7 at bats. The plate patience is still nice with seven walks already, but at some point you actually have to hit the ball. He still has power when he does (two of his three hits are home runs) and the potential is still there, but since this guy screwed me in fantasy baseball two years ago he can go suck it. Rockies guy, any insight here?
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