So the Sledgehammer – Teddy Johnson – has decided finally to call it quits. Number 52 will be sorely missed by this fan who always felt Johnson was one of the more underrated inside guys in all of football. The former Colorado Buff may not have been the most fleet afoot, and he certainly was not a great cover guy, but he was an absolute hammer against the run, particularly in short yardage. Unlike Zach Thomas, who often gets carried three yards on each of his tackles, Johnson was a “stand-up” guy who could stuff the NFL’s biggest and toughest. If you don’t believe me, just ask Jerome Bettis, who has been Johnson’s personnel bitch ever since the 1996 playoffs. For ten years, the Pats have owned the Bus and the guy holding the pink slip has always been Teddy Johnson. So most in the NFL world are now predicting gloom for the Pats now that they have lost their inside backers - Johnson and Teddy Bruschi. Are such predictions warranted? I am not going to sit here and argue that I am not slightly concerned by this development since Johnson was being counted on for at least another year of stability. But I am not raising the white flag either. The Pats perhaps saw this coming and have brought in Chad Brown and Monty Beisel to plug the inside holes. Moreover, I suspect Roman Pfeiffer will be talked out of retirement to give it a final go and there is talk that Mike Vrabel will play some inside backer this fall, leaving the outside to Willie and Rosie. With that said, I am pretty confident the Pats will find a way to replace numbers 52 and 54 on the field. But I must concede that with Johnson and Bruschi now retired, Sunday’s at Gillette will not quite be the same.
Maybe it is time for the Colorado Rockies to simply fold up shop and ride off into the sunset. I say this because just yesterday, the Rockies did a “salary dump” that netted the organization just $800,000. That is the amount the Rockies will save by sending Shawn Chacon to New York for a couple of minor league jokers. How can an organization this focused on the bottom line ever succeed in baseball? Listen, I know the Rockies were not going anywhere with Chacon, but where does it end? Is it going to be common practice for this team to sign guys for a couple million and then trade them off at the deadline every year? Is that any way to run a franchise? At this rate, why don’t the Rockies just field a team made up of players making the major league minimum. If they aren’t willing to stick with guys making a couple million dollars a year, then there is simply no way they will ever compete.
Most of you have probably never heard of Kaitlin Sandeno unless you at least casually follow women’s swimming. And that is a shame because Sandeno is simply one of the toughest “competitors” in sports today. For those not familiar with her resume, last Summer in Athens, Sandeno hooked up in the Olympic 400 IM final with Yana Klotchkova in what was an epic struggle to the wall. In that race, Sandeno came out of nowhere to lower her best time by about five seconds and give Klotchkova - one of the ten greatest female swimmers of all time - all she could handle in an event Klotchova had dominated for years. Last night, Sandeno was at it again as she anchored the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay at the World Swimming Championships in Montreal. Heading into the final leg, Sandeno trailed Australia by about a half second. The Aussies had a competent anchor so the U.S. chances looked a bit uncertain. So what did Sandeno do? Well, she ended up swimming the third fastest 200 freestyle spilt in history and rallied to beat the Aussies by three tenths of a second. It was a big-time swim from a big time competitor who always seems to perform well in the big spot. She may not be the most talented swimmer in the World, but she is undeniably one its best “racers” If I had to compare Sandeno to anyone in sport, it would be Robert Horry. Like Horry, Sandeno may not have a gaudy resume, but when it comes to performing on the big stage, both Sandeno and Horry usually rise to the occasion.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
July 27 - Baseball Rumblings and Boilermaker Musings
Big Unit has been pitching better of late and was real tough yesterday, but the Twins offense isn’t exactly Grey Goose or Kettle One. It is more like Blue Ox Vodka, made and bottled in Fargo. I thought Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau were supposed to provide this club with the power it has lacked in recent seasons. Well, Mauer has just seven bombs and 23 total extras (virtually none against lefties) while Morneau looks about ten home runs short of the 35-bomb guy he was advertised to be. These kids are still young and they may someday blossom into bigger power guys, but as of right now, they are not supplying the electricity that Minnesota expected. Here is a telling stat for Minnesota – Mauer is the only .800 OPS guy on the team.
Are the Yankees really considering signing Hideo Nomo? That is like lunging for that last piece of sushi that no one else at the table will dare eat. The Yanks are also reportedly trying to deal Carl Pavano for Joel Pniero and Randy Winn. Let me get this straight – the Ms are supposed to trade their crap for more expensive crap. What this purported deal says to me is the Yanks know Pavano’s injury is basically a season-ender.
The O’s finally won a game last night but it probably came against the coldest team in baseball Am I the only one who finds it disgraceful that Sammy Sosa is being mentioned in the same sentence as Frank Robinson this morning as a result of them now being tied on the all-time home run list? Borrowing a line from Scott Hastings, the only sentence that should contain these two names is as follows: “That Sammy Sosa – he’s no Frank Robinson.”
I have been waiting a couple months to see Paul Byrd get cracked and it finally happened at Toronto last night. Anyone notice that Steve Finley got shoved down to the eight hole against a tough lefty? Boy has he been a waste of money.
The Manny watch is on in Boston where Manram is reportedly unhappy and wants to be traded - again. Perhaps hoping to affect a trade, Manny refused to run out a ground ball last night and it almost cost the Sox a run. The absurdity continued today when Manny approached Terry Francona and begged out of today's game. According to Manny, he was promised a day off last week and was intent to cash in even though the Sox have an off day tomorrow. Is this just Ramirez being Ramirez or are we seeing a new and more lazy Manny? I suspect it is the former but am concerned it is the latter. And lets be clear - this has explosive potential since Manny can't be traded without the Sox agreeing to eat at least $15 over the next thee years. With that established, Boston is basically stuck with Manram (for at least another year) and you have to wonder what will happen if the dominican bomber suddenly starts sulking. Peer presure seemed to be enough to difuse a similar situation back in 2003 but there is no telliing whether the same tactics will work again in 2005.
Look at that – it took eleven tries, but the Royals finally beat the White Sox. Amazingly enough, the win came against Mark Buerhle who has been struggling ever since Cracker Jax started giving away those Mark Buerhle de-coder rings a couple weeks ago. In all fairness to Mark, even when he gets cracked, he does it quickly.
Hey Theo, the guy you traded for Tony Graffinino is 6-13 in Kansas City Oh, and another thing, the guy you threw into the OC-Nomar trade is hitting over .400 for the Cubs. Before you trade any more prospects, could you make sure they suck. I can feel it now – Annabel Sanchez will go to Florida for AJ Burnett and will end up beating Burnett to sixty career wins (AJ already has 44). Someone actually showed up and beat the A’s last night although it should be mentioned that the A’s got another great start. With five days to go, are the Indians buyers or sellers? Unfortunately for the Red Sox, I don’t see them selling Wickman.
The Assholes kept it going last night as Lee Harvey threw a gem. Lieber threw well for Philly, but he got caught up in Oswalt’s drive for the NL Cy Young. Craig Biggio hit his 250th bomb last year and even I am beginning to concede that this guy has a pretty worthy HOF resume. This guy is going to finish the year with 2800 hits and 1700 runs. It is not inconceivable that Bigs cracks 3000 if he can stay healthy and find someone who will let him play in 2007.
How in the world can San Diego still be leading the West after going 17-31? Los Madres have now lost eight straight and if Peavy losses tonight, that streak will hit double figures. During this losing streak, the Mads have scored just 14 runs in eight games. Unless you have Koufax and Pedro, you aren’t going to win many games with that kind of offense. How do you punish guys who turn down trades? In the case of Phil Nevin, San Diego has decided to make him catch.
It seems everyone in the world is assuming that the winner of the Big-10 this year will be determined in November when Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor. This is the assumption every year but in 2005 I would caution that Purdue may have something to say before it is all said and done. I say this because the scheduling gods have decided this is the year Purdue gets a pass against both Michigan and Ohio State this year. Talk about good fortune. That is like a Democrat running for president without having to play in either Texas or Ohio. The Boilermaker case is further strengthened by the fact that Purdue gets Iowa at home and all eleven starters are returning on defense. I guess that is a good news/bad news story since Purdue’s defense wasn’t exactly stout last year, but experience should count for something. Listen, Purdue still needs to prove it can replace Kyle Orton at quarterback, but the ingredients seem to be in place for a big year in West Lafayette. If a couple of things break right, it may not matter who wins that game at Ann Arbor since Purdue will have already sewn up the conference’s BCS invite.
Are the Yankees really considering signing Hideo Nomo? That is like lunging for that last piece of sushi that no one else at the table will dare eat. The Yanks are also reportedly trying to deal Carl Pavano for Joel Pniero and Randy Winn. Let me get this straight – the Ms are supposed to trade their crap for more expensive crap. What this purported deal says to me is the Yanks know Pavano’s injury is basically a season-ender.
The O’s finally won a game last night but it probably came against the coldest team in baseball Am I the only one who finds it disgraceful that Sammy Sosa is being mentioned in the same sentence as Frank Robinson this morning as a result of them now being tied on the all-time home run list? Borrowing a line from Scott Hastings, the only sentence that should contain these two names is as follows: “That Sammy Sosa – he’s no Frank Robinson.”
I have been waiting a couple months to see Paul Byrd get cracked and it finally happened at Toronto last night. Anyone notice that Steve Finley got shoved down to the eight hole against a tough lefty? Boy has he been a waste of money.
The Manny watch is on in Boston where Manram is reportedly unhappy and wants to be traded - again. Perhaps hoping to affect a trade, Manny refused to run out a ground ball last night and it almost cost the Sox a run. The absurdity continued today when Manny approached Terry Francona and begged out of today's game. According to Manny, he was promised a day off last week and was intent to cash in even though the Sox have an off day tomorrow. Is this just Ramirez being Ramirez or are we seeing a new and more lazy Manny? I suspect it is the former but am concerned it is the latter. And lets be clear - this has explosive potential since Manny can't be traded without the Sox agreeing to eat at least $15 over the next thee years. With that established, Boston is basically stuck with Manram (for at least another year) and you have to wonder what will happen if the dominican bomber suddenly starts sulking. Peer presure seemed to be enough to difuse a similar situation back in 2003 but there is no telliing whether the same tactics will work again in 2005.
Look at that – it took eleven tries, but the Royals finally beat the White Sox. Amazingly enough, the win came against Mark Buerhle who has been struggling ever since Cracker Jax started giving away those Mark Buerhle de-coder rings a couple weeks ago. In all fairness to Mark, even when he gets cracked, he does it quickly.
Hey Theo, the guy you traded for Tony Graffinino is 6-13 in Kansas City Oh, and another thing, the guy you threw into the OC-Nomar trade is hitting over .400 for the Cubs. Before you trade any more prospects, could you make sure they suck. I can feel it now – Annabel Sanchez will go to Florida for AJ Burnett and will end up beating Burnett to sixty career wins (AJ already has 44). Someone actually showed up and beat the A’s last night although it should be mentioned that the A’s got another great start. With five days to go, are the Indians buyers or sellers? Unfortunately for the Red Sox, I don’t see them selling Wickman.
The Assholes kept it going last night as Lee Harvey threw a gem. Lieber threw well for Philly, but he got caught up in Oswalt’s drive for the NL Cy Young. Craig Biggio hit his 250th bomb last year and even I am beginning to concede that this guy has a pretty worthy HOF resume. This guy is going to finish the year with 2800 hits and 1700 runs. It is not inconceivable that Bigs cracks 3000 if he can stay healthy and find someone who will let him play in 2007.
How in the world can San Diego still be leading the West after going 17-31? Los Madres have now lost eight straight and if Peavy losses tonight, that streak will hit double figures. During this losing streak, the Mads have scored just 14 runs in eight games. Unless you have Koufax and Pedro, you aren’t going to win many games with that kind of offense. How do you punish guys who turn down trades? In the case of Phil Nevin, San Diego has decided to make him catch.
It seems everyone in the world is assuming that the winner of the Big-10 this year will be determined in November when Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor. This is the assumption every year but in 2005 I would caution that Purdue may have something to say before it is all said and done. I say this because the scheduling gods have decided this is the year Purdue gets a pass against both Michigan and Ohio State this year. Talk about good fortune. That is like a Democrat running for president without having to play in either Texas or Ohio. The Boilermaker case is further strengthened by the fact that Purdue gets Iowa at home and all eleven starters are returning on defense. I guess that is a good news/bad news story since Purdue’s defense wasn’t exactly stout last year, but experience should count for something. Listen, Purdue still needs to prove it can replace Kyle Orton at quarterback, but the ingredients seem to be in place for a big year in West Lafayette. If a couple of things break right, it may not matter who wins that game at Ann Arbor since Purdue will have already sewn up the conference’s BCS invite.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
July 26 - Young Americans Shine in Montreal
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Monday, July 25, 2005
July 25 - Phelps Washes Out in Montreal
I had to take a sabbatical because I was getting compulsive but I am back with some thoughts this morning.
What the hell happened yesterday morning in Montreal where Michael Phelps failed to make it out of the prelims in the 400 free at the World Swimming Championships? Phelps probably hasn’t missed a final since he was seven and swimming against ten year olds at Pimlico in North Baltimore. The bet here is Phelps will have a disappointing meet (in Phelpsian terms) and many in the mainstream media will come to view his Olympic year as a fluke. Don’t let them fool you – Phelps is still the most versatile and dominant swimmer ever and he will come back next near with added motivation.
Thank god the Lance Armstrong era has finally come to a close. I grew tired of this story four years ago and am glad that I won’t have to hear any more mention of Lance until he makes his inevitable comeback in 2008. I am not entirely sure why I am so luke warm on this guy, but there is something about Lance and his minions that put me off. Perhaps it’s the doping and perhaps it’s the fact that Lance’s army is comprised of thousands of jingoistic sycophants, but either way, I am not a fan. Don’t get me wrong - I like his ESPN Sportscenter spot and appreciate his accomplishments as difficult and perhaps even extraordinary, but I feel they are a bit overstated. After all, plenty of people have won multiple tours and when you get right down to it – tour racing is just one facet of cycling. If Lance truly wants my respect, he will win the Race Across America next year without Team Discovery backing him every step of the way.
It is becoming more and more clear to this scribe every day that the Boston Red Sox won last year despite the stupidity of manager Terry Francona. Here is the most recent travesty. During yesterday’s game at Comiskey, Boston trails 6-3 in the 8th with runners on first and second and one out. Facing a right-hander and with John Olerud and Edgar Renteria on the bench, Francona decides to go with Alex Cora and Tony Graffinino. Listen, I know Renteria was given the day off, but shouldn’t he be forced to attend sixth period if the game is on the line? Letting Cora hit in that spot was treasonous, but I guess Francona loves this .200 hitter in big spots because he let him hit in a similar spot last week against Big Mo. I can just see it now – sixth game of the ALCS and the following is heard: Now hitting for Ortiz: Alex Cora.
What the hell happened to Baltimore this weekend down in Tampa? Yesterday, the Birds got their ace back (Eric Beddard) but he got worked over by the Blade. In case you haven’t noticed, Casey Fossum has quietly had a nice year by shutting down lefties and challenging right-handers inside (13 hbp). But back to the Birds. In the throes of a pennant race, how do you go down to Tampa and get swept by the hapless Rays? It sure didn’t help that Brian Roberts went 1-12 with four whiffs. Roberts has had a real quiet month and the O’s need to turn him around quickly if they are going to stay in the hunt.
How bout this comment from Scott Boras this morning? Speaking of Bernice Willaims, Boras said: “He wants to play beyond this year, A lot of people in baseball want Bernie Williams to play beyond this year.” This doesn’t pass the laugh test and its time that Scott reveal his sources. I got to know who in the baseball world thinks Bernice Williams is still a major league baseball player? Obviously, this man has no business wearing leather, but is his bat any better? The answer is yes but only by default. This is a guy who is hitting .240 and slugging just .350. Those are Mark Belhorn numbers .To make matters worse, he has just one home run at the stadium in 150 at bats. And lest you think this is a recent development – think again. Bernice has been a sub .800 OPS woman for three years now and she needs to get on her horse to make sure 2005 is not a sub .700 year. Williams is currently projected to drive in just 60 runs this year and there is almost no shot that anyone other then New York will pay decent money for such services. So that begs the question: will Bernice agree to play next year for what he is worth? Will he swallow a $2 million dollar contract to be a part time DH in Seattle or Cleveland? Hell, why not - $2 million is a lot more then he can make playing that dopey guitar.
Why in the world is everyone so fascinated with A.J. Burnett? Sure, he has some gas and he was impressive yesterday, but this guy has an ERA of 3.5 in the best pitcher’s park in the National League. Is there a guy more set up to fail once he arrives in the American League? A curious thing about Burnett is that right-handers hit him much harder then lefties, casting serious doubt over whether he would be a good fit for Fenway Park. This is a guy who has a 3.85 ERA on the road and that basically translates into an ERA of 4.2 in the AL. So why would anyone give up a serviceable player and a top prospect to acquire what amounts to be a middle of the rotation guy? I don’t get it and I will not be happy if the Sox give up Annabel Sanchez in order to bring this guy to Boston. Sanchez is a 21 year-old strike out machine that hits 95 with a plus change and a nice curve. That sounds a bit like 1994 Pedro to me and I’ll take a poor man’s Pedro over AJ any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
I hate to admit it, but it seems to me as if the Assholes are going to walk away with the National League Wildcard. This team is just scorching right now and they can do plenty of damage this week as the Phils and Mets come to the little Juice Box. Most people are aware of the year Roger Clemens is having, but there are other guys on that staff, like Dan Wheeler, who have been brilliant as well. In case you don’t believe me, check out Dan’s numbers: 46 Ks in 44 innings and an ERA of 1.61. That is good stuff, especially when it comes as the bridge from Clemens and Oswalt to Lidge.
What the hell happened yesterday morning in Montreal where Michael Phelps failed to make it out of the prelims in the 400 free at the World Swimming Championships? Phelps probably hasn’t missed a final since he was seven and swimming against ten year olds at Pimlico in North Baltimore. The bet here is Phelps will have a disappointing meet (in Phelpsian terms) and many in the mainstream media will come to view his Olympic year as a fluke. Don’t let them fool you – Phelps is still the most versatile and dominant swimmer ever and he will come back next near with added motivation.
Thank god the Lance Armstrong era has finally come to a close. I grew tired of this story four years ago and am glad that I won’t have to hear any more mention of Lance until he makes his inevitable comeback in 2008. I am not entirely sure why I am so luke warm on this guy, but there is something about Lance and his minions that put me off. Perhaps it’s the doping and perhaps it’s the fact that Lance’s army is comprised of thousands of jingoistic sycophants, but either way, I am not a fan. Don’t get me wrong - I like his ESPN Sportscenter spot and appreciate his accomplishments as difficult and perhaps even extraordinary, but I feel they are a bit overstated. After all, plenty of people have won multiple tours and when you get right down to it – tour racing is just one facet of cycling. If Lance truly wants my respect, he will win the Race Across America next year without Team Discovery backing him every step of the way.
It is becoming more and more clear to this scribe every day that the Boston Red Sox won last year despite the stupidity of manager Terry Francona. Here is the most recent travesty. During yesterday’s game at Comiskey, Boston trails 6-3 in the 8th with runners on first and second and one out. Facing a right-hander and with John Olerud and Edgar Renteria on the bench, Francona decides to go with Alex Cora and Tony Graffinino. Listen, I know Renteria was given the day off, but shouldn’t he be forced to attend sixth period if the game is on the line? Letting Cora hit in that spot was treasonous, but I guess Francona loves this .200 hitter in big spots because he let him hit in a similar spot last week against Big Mo. I can just see it now – sixth game of the ALCS and the following is heard: Now hitting for Ortiz: Alex Cora.
What the hell happened to Baltimore this weekend down in Tampa? Yesterday, the Birds got their ace back (Eric Beddard) but he got worked over by the Blade. In case you haven’t noticed, Casey Fossum has quietly had a nice year by shutting down lefties and challenging right-handers inside (13 hbp). But back to the Birds. In the throes of a pennant race, how do you go down to Tampa and get swept by the hapless Rays? It sure didn’t help that Brian Roberts went 1-12 with four whiffs. Roberts has had a real quiet month and the O’s need to turn him around quickly if they are going to stay in the hunt.
How bout this comment from Scott Boras this morning? Speaking of Bernice Willaims, Boras said: “He wants to play beyond this year, A lot of people in baseball want Bernie Williams to play beyond this year.” This doesn’t pass the laugh test and its time that Scott reveal his sources. I got to know who in the baseball world thinks Bernice Williams is still a major league baseball player? Obviously, this man has no business wearing leather, but is his bat any better? The answer is yes but only by default. This is a guy who is hitting .240 and slugging just .350. Those are Mark Belhorn numbers .To make matters worse, he has just one home run at the stadium in 150 at bats. And lest you think this is a recent development – think again. Bernice has been a sub .800 OPS woman for three years now and she needs to get on her horse to make sure 2005 is not a sub .700 year. Williams is currently projected to drive in just 60 runs this year and there is almost no shot that anyone other then New York will pay decent money for such services. So that begs the question: will Bernice agree to play next year for what he is worth? Will he swallow a $2 million dollar contract to be a part time DH in Seattle or Cleveland? Hell, why not - $2 million is a lot more then he can make playing that dopey guitar.
Why in the world is everyone so fascinated with A.J. Burnett? Sure, he has some gas and he was impressive yesterday, but this guy has an ERA of 3.5 in the best pitcher’s park in the National League. Is there a guy more set up to fail once he arrives in the American League? A curious thing about Burnett is that right-handers hit him much harder then lefties, casting serious doubt over whether he would be a good fit for Fenway Park. This is a guy who has a 3.85 ERA on the road and that basically translates into an ERA of 4.2 in the AL. So why would anyone give up a serviceable player and a top prospect to acquire what amounts to be a middle of the rotation guy? I don’t get it and I will not be happy if the Sox give up Annabel Sanchez in order to bring this guy to Boston. Sanchez is a 21 year-old strike out machine that hits 95 with a plus change and a nice curve. That sounds a bit like 1994 Pedro to me and I’ll take a poor man’s Pedro over AJ any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
I hate to admit it, but it seems to me as if the Assholes are going to walk away with the National League Wildcard. This team is just scorching right now and they can do plenty of damage this week as the Phils and Mets come to the little Juice Box. Most people are aware of the year Roger Clemens is having, but there are other guys on that staff, like Dan Wheeler, who have been brilliant as well. In case you don’t believe me, check out Dan’s numbers: 46 Ks in 44 innings and an ERA of 1.61. That is good stuff, especially when it comes as the bridge from Clemens and Oswalt to Lidge.
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