A miserable thing is going to happen to Michelle Kwan now that her Olympic career is likely over. For the rest of her life, a section of the population is going to make sure a dark cloud hangs over her reputation.
Why? She never won the big one.
Kwan, not-so-arguably the standard-bearer for American female figure skaters for the past decade, never won Olympic gold. At age 25, she probably won't get another chance now that a nagging groin injury has forced her out of her fourth Olympics.
It's the same fate Dan Marino has been subjected to, the same reputation that is growing on Peyton Manning. It's the smear Ted Williams avoided because he played in Boston where baseball, and the stars who play it, transcend the diamond.
But to Kwan, who came to the forefront of the American consciousness just once every four years, the blank line on her Olympic resume is all-too-glaring.
Those nine U.S. figure skating titles are unapproached and unprecendented. She was a one-woman dynasty. If she was an NFL quarterback with that kind of hardware, she'd have been a god.
Instead, she is a figure skater, and your average American doesn't care what people like Michelle Kwan do unless they are either competing in the Olympics, or tangled up in a scandal involving redneck husbands and goons hired to smash the competition in the knee with a blunt object.
Because Kwan's success largely flew under the public radar, her failure on her sport's biggest stage will be the thing that defines her. Bill Buckner, anyone?
It's not fair, but seldom does our sporting society reward sustained excellence without getting all the way to the top. The flip side is that average performers are somehow vindicated by winning it all, even if they weren't much more than passengers along for the ride.
It's the dreaded "but."
Marino? Greatest passer in NFL history ... but he never won a Super Bowl.
Trent Dilfer? Mediocre quarterback ... but he has a ring.
It's a skewed way of thinking that brands great athletes who never claimed their sport's top prize as somehow overrated. But it simplifies things too much.
In Cleveland, we know all too well how greatness can be derailed by everything from injuries to playing the wrong team in the wrong place at the wrong time. An individual's greatness can't always be measured in hardware. Or a lack of greatness by a lack of hardware.
Talent, dedication, perseverance, those things can measure an athlete. A quarterback can't be measured by a team that never put a talented enough cast around him to win a title. Just like a figure skater can't be judged for all eternity by a groin strain that robbed her of her last chance at an Olympic gold medal.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Bad bats
Zach thinks Indians management needs to apologize to fans for making us watch Class AAA legend Casey Blake play right field for 147 games last year.
I am among the fans who think an Indians ballclub that truly wants to view itself as a contender shouldn't have a spare part with a questionable hitter's eye manning a power position like right field for most of the season.
I also know that, love it or hate it, manager Eric Wedge has his reasons for sticking with Blake. And Aaron Boone. And Ben Broussard. And most of it has to do with the roster GM Mark Shapiro hands him.
Fans are antsy. They don't want another season of the Rally Killer B's batting seven, eight and nine in the order. But with a shackled payroll, Shapiro won't be wiping all three off the roster anytime soon.
Farm system analysts on ESPN.com and FoxSports.com give prospects an estimated time of arrival, or ETA, in the big leagues. Below, I'll give you an estimated time of departure (ETD) for the much-maligned bottom third of the Indians order. My estimates are based on several factors, including who is in the farm system and how valubale Wedge and Shapiro view the player in question.
Aaron Boone, 3B
Age 32
2005: 143 games, .243, 16 HR, 60 RBI
ETD: End of 2006 season
Aaron Boone is an Eric Wedge type of guy. He's a company man who buys into the system and uses his veteran status to get the younger players to buy in as well. Wedge loves the leadership Boone brings to the table. But there is no secret that Boone is an old 32 with surgery-scarred knees. His .243 average last year is 22 points below his career average. And he needed a productive second half to even get that high.
The Indians made the Coco Crisp trade for one player above all else: third-base prospect Andy Marte. When Corey Smith fizzled, the Indians were left with no high-level prospects for the hot corner. Marte got his feet wet at the major league level with Atlanta last year. If he isn't ready to take his turn at the position at some point during the upcoming season, he should be ready by spring training 2007, spelling the end of the road for Boone in Cleveland. He can be a free agent after the '06 season.
Casey Blake, RF
Age 32
2005: 147 games, .241, 23 HR, 58 RBI
ETD: 2007 or 2008
Not what you expected? Sure, Blake can be a free agent after this season, but four factors will probably cause Shapiro to offer Blake a one- or two-year extension beforehand: he's affordable, versatile, plays a position with no top-flight prospects in the minors and, like Boone, is a great clubhouse guy.
Brad Snyder is the closest thing the Indians have to right field prospect. Even though he will likely start the season at Class AAA Buffalo, no one seems to know when/if Snyder will be ready for the big leagues, or if he will hit for enough power to play right field. That puts Blake on much more stable footing for 2006, despite his lackluster numbers.
Even if Snyder or someone else emerges as a right fielder of the future, Blake has proven he will make a drastic position change with no public complaint. In a sport saturated with huge egos, that is one of the quickest ways to a manager's heart. Whether in a starting role or off the bench, Wedge will probably always find a use for Casey Blake.
Ben Broussard, 1B
Age 29
2005: 142 games, .255, 19 HR, 68 RBI
ETD: 2006 or 2007
If Broussard were a catcher, his stat line would be easier to swallow. But he's a first baseman, and if you don't hit for either high power or a high average, you aren't cutting it.
Something is going to get re-configured in the Tribe's lineup either this year or next, and push Broussard out. Either Ryan Garko will move in at first base, or newly-acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach will step in behind the plate and allow Wedge to move Victor Martinez to first.
Broussard, with adequate power potential, could be a serviceable pinch hitter for a National League team. My guess is he gets traded.
I am among the fans who think an Indians ballclub that truly wants to view itself as a contender shouldn't have a spare part with a questionable hitter's eye manning a power position like right field for most of the season.
I also know that, love it or hate it, manager Eric Wedge has his reasons for sticking with Blake. And Aaron Boone. And Ben Broussard. And most of it has to do with the roster GM Mark Shapiro hands him.
Fans are antsy. They don't want another season of the Rally Killer B's batting seven, eight and nine in the order. But with a shackled payroll, Shapiro won't be wiping all three off the roster anytime soon.
Farm system analysts on ESPN.com and FoxSports.com give prospects an estimated time of arrival, or ETA, in the big leagues. Below, I'll give you an estimated time of departure (ETD) for the much-maligned bottom third of the Indians order. My estimates are based on several factors, including who is in the farm system and how valubale Wedge and Shapiro view the player in question.
Aaron Boone, 3B
Age 32
2005: 143 games, .243, 16 HR, 60 RBI
ETD: End of 2006 season
Aaron Boone is an Eric Wedge type of guy. He's a company man who buys into the system and uses his veteran status to get the younger players to buy in as well. Wedge loves the leadership Boone brings to the table. But there is no secret that Boone is an old 32 with surgery-scarred knees. His .243 average last year is 22 points below his career average. And he needed a productive second half to even get that high.
The Indians made the Coco Crisp trade for one player above all else: third-base prospect Andy Marte. When Corey Smith fizzled, the Indians were left with no high-level prospects for the hot corner. Marte got his feet wet at the major league level with Atlanta last year. If he isn't ready to take his turn at the position at some point during the upcoming season, he should be ready by spring training 2007, spelling the end of the road for Boone in Cleveland. He can be a free agent after the '06 season.
Casey Blake, RF
Age 32
2005: 147 games, .241, 23 HR, 58 RBI
ETD: 2007 or 2008
Not what you expected? Sure, Blake can be a free agent after this season, but four factors will probably cause Shapiro to offer Blake a one- or two-year extension beforehand: he's affordable, versatile, plays a position with no top-flight prospects in the minors and, like Boone, is a great clubhouse guy.
Brad Snyder is the closest thing the Indians have to right field prospect. Even though he will likely start the season at Class AAA Buffalo, no one seems to know when/if Snyder will be ready for the big leagues, or if he will hit for enough power to play right field. That puts Blake on much more stable footing for 2006, despite his lackluster numbers.
Even if Snyder or someone else emerges as a right fielder of the future, Blake has proven he will make a drastic position change with no public complaint. In a sport saturated with huge egos, that is one of the quickest ways to a manager's heart. Whether in a starting role or off the bench, Wedge will probably always find a use for Casey Blake.
Ben Broussard, 1B
Age 29
2005: 142 games, .255, 19 HR, 68 RBI
ETD: 2006 or 2007
If Broussard were a catcher, his stat line would be easier to swallow. But he's a first baseman, and if you don't hit for either high power or a high average, you aren't cutting it.
Something is going to get re-configured in the Tribe's lineup either this year or next, and push Broussard out. Either Ryan Garko will move in at first base, or newly-acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach will step in behind the plate and allow Wedge to move Victor Martinez to first.
Broussard, with adequate power potential, could be a serviceable pinch hitter for a National League team. My guess is he gets traded.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Getting the finger
Some discouraging news from the Cavaliers on Thursday:
Larry Hughes' infamously-broken finger on his shooting hand hasn't progressed as hoped following his Jan. 6 surgery. He saw a hand specialist in Washington, D.C. Thursday, and the team is reportedly exploring other options to treat the fractured digit.
That means the original 6-to-8 week prognosis for Hughes' recovery time was a bit optimistic. No new timetable has been set. Hopefully, we're not looking at a season-ending situation.
Monday update
Two losses in two games since the news of Hughes' setback became public. I think LeBron and Co. have taken a psychological hit learning that they will be expected to hold down the fort without Hughes for a longer (and as yet undetermined) amount of time.
If Hughes needs additional surgery, I hope he gets it done this week so he has a fighting chance to make it back before the end of the regular season.
Larry Hughes' infamously-broken finger on his shooting hand hasn't progressed as hoped following his Jan. 6 surgery. He saw a hand specialist in Washington, D.C. Thursday, and the team is reportedly exploring other options to treat the fractured digit.
That means the original 6-to-8 week prognosis for Hughes' recovery time was a bit optimistic. No new timetable has been set. Hopefully, we're not looking at a season-ending situation.
Monday update
Two losses in two games since the news of Hughes' setback became public. I think LeBron and Co. have taken a psychological hit learning that they will be expected to hold down the fort without Hughes for a longer (and as yet undetermined) amount of time.
If Hughes needs additional surgery, I hope he gets it done this week so he has a fighting chance to make it back before the end of the regular season.
Z's feet
If you've ever wondered, as I have, what Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas goes through to keep his tormented feet in playing shape, The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff has written an excellent story on the subject.
Eariler this season, hall-of-fame center Bill Walton remarked that the NBA is missing out on one of the great comeback stories in the league. He's right.
Consider that:
A) Z has 10 screws holding his feet together -- seven in the left and three in the right.
B) He's had five feet operations since 1995.
C) The most recent foot operation in February 2001 was an all-or-nothing gamble, as Baltimore surgeon Mark Myerson surgically altered the shape of Z's left foot. The surgery could either have repaired the foot, or forced Z to walk with a limp for the rest of his life.
D) The recovery took nearly a year of painful rehab. Z has to undergo a regimen of nearly constant exercise and icing to keep his feet in playing shape during the season.
E) He's only 30.
When you look at where Z has been and where he is now, it is a startling turn of events. Z suffered his most recent foot fracture in December 2000. After undergoing a previous surgery in January of that year, struggling through yet another lengthy rehab stint, only to have another fracture sideline him, Z was seriously mulling over retirement. The surgery performed by Myerson was viewed as a last-ditch effort to save his career.
The Cavs had drafted Chris Mihm and DeSagana Diop in 2000 and 2001 in ill-fated attempts to replace Z should he have decided to end his career. But he stepped on the floor about a quarter of the way through the 2001-02 season, and hasn't left for a foot-related problem since.
Since returning, Z has made a pair of all-star teams, and has emerged as one of the elite centers in the game. He's become durable, missing no games in the 2002-03 or 2003-04 seasons due to injury. He missed a handful last year with a dislocated finger on his shooting hand.
This year, he is setting to work burying the long-standing notion that he is a one-trick pony who is soft and can't play defense. Through Wednesday's win in Minnesota, Z is averaging 16.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, all the while showing a hustle and willingness to mix it up on defense that he has seldom shown before. That's likely due in large part to the schemes and teaching of head coach Mike Brown.
Z can score outside with a smooth mid-range jumper, and is a master at drawing fouls inside and getting to the free-throw line. Sending Z to the line is like handing Paris Hilton a boyfriend, video camera and darkened bedroom. He is the top free-throw shooting center in the NBA this year, making foul shots at a nearly 87 percent clip. He is the only player in the NBA in the top 20 in both free-throw percentage and field goal percentage (.514).
And yet, because Z plays with an ambling, cumbersome style that is not TV-friendly, he has become the Bob Wickman of the Cavs: underappreciated, and always making fans think the grass might be greener somewhere else. But, like Wickman, he gets the job done in his own way. And that's the bottom line.
For those who know basketball, and know just how rare a 7'-3" center with Z's skill set is, he is invaluable. We appreciate what LeBron brings to the floor on a nightly basis. We should appreciate Z in much the same way. It's a blessing he's even on the floor.
Eariler this season, hall-of-fame center Bill Walton remarked that the NBA is missing out on one of the great comeback stories in the league. He's right.
Consider that:
A) Z has 10 screws holding his feet together -- seven in the left and three in the right.
B) He's had five feet operations since 1995.
C) The most recent foot operation in February 2001 was an all-or-nothing gamble, as Baltimore surgeon Mark Myerson surgically altered the shape of Z's left foot. The surgery could either have repaired the foot, or forced Z to walk with a limp for the rest of his life.
D) The recovery took nearly a year of painful rehab. Z has to undergo a regimen of nearly constant exercise and icing to keep his feet in playing shape during the season.
E) He's only 30.
When you look at where Z has been and where he is now, it is a startling turn of events. Z suffered his most recent foot fracture in December 2000. After undergoing a previous surgery in January of that year, struggling through yet another lengthy rehab stint, only to have another fracture sideline him, Z was seriously mulling over retirement. The surgery performed by Myerson was viewed as a last-ditch effort to save his career.
The Cavs had drafted Chris Mihm and DeSagana Diop in 2000 and 2001 in ill-fated attempts to replace Z should he have decided to end his career. But he stepped on the floor about a quarter of the way through the 2001-02 season, and hasn't left for a foot-related problem since.
Since returning, Z has made a pair of all-star teams, and has emerged as one of the elite centers in the game. He's become durable, missing no games in the 2002-03 or 2003-04 seasons due to injury. He missed a handful last year with a dislocated finger on his shooting hand.
This year, he is setting to work burying the long-standing notion that he is a one-trick pony who is soft and can't play defense. Through Wednesday's win in Minnesota, Z is averaging 16.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, all the while showing a hustle and willingness to mix it up on defense that he has seldom shown before. That's likely due in large part to the schemes and teaching of head coach Mike Brown.
Z can score outside with a smooth mid-range jumper, and is a master at drawing fouls inside and getting to the free-throw line. Sending Z to the line is like handing Paris Hilton a boyfriend, video camera and darkened bedroom. He is the top free-throw shooting center in the NBA this year, making foul shots at a nearly 87 percent clip. He is the only player in the NBA in the top 20 in both free-throw percentage and field goal percentage (.514).
And yet, because Z plays with an ambling, cumbersome style that is not TV-friendly, he has become the Bob Wickman of the Cavs: underappreciated, and always making fans think the grass might be greener somewhere else. But, like Wickman, he gets the job done in his own way. And that's the bottom line.
For those who know basketball, and know just how rare a 7'-3" center with Z's skill set is, he is invaluable. We appreciate what LeBron brings to the floor on a nightly basis. We should appreciate Z in much the same way. It's a blessing he's even on the floor.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Blockbuster trade
How did NBC land Al Michaels? ESPN traded him for a prohibition-era cartoon character. I am not making this up.
From ABC to NBC
Turns out, ABC's loss should be NBC's gain.
The NFL will return to NBC for the first time since the late '90s next season, and to broadcast NBC's marquee Sunday night game of the week, they have recruited none other than this past season's ABC Monday Night Football duo, Al Michaels and John Madden.
Talk about a coup.
A network that lost its Major League Baseball, NFL and NBA contracts in rapid-fire succession, a network that has been reduced to airing arena football and rodeos as its premier weekend sporting events, will bring in two of the most well-known broadcasters of the past quarter-century to man the booth for its national telecast.
Michaels was originally slated to continue serving as the Monday Night Football play-by-play man on ESPN alongside Joe Theismann, but backed out to switch networks.
For money? Maybe. To continue working with Madden? Possibly. My bet is that Michaels cringed the instant an ESPN executive said, "Wait, we'll put Tony Kornheiser in the booth, too! It will be great!"
Michaels has a great sense of timing from years in the broadcast booth. Part of that timing is knowing when to back out.
Can you imagine Michaels calling the 1980 Miracle on Ice alongside Kornheiser and Theismann?
Michaels: Five seconds!
Kornheiser: I don't care what you say, Terry Bradshaw would not make a better hockey player than Jack Tatum!
Michaels: Do you belie---
Theismann: Bradshaw would bring skill and finesse! All Tatum would be is a goon!
Michaels: Believe in mirac---
Kornheiser: But you have to be tough to play hockey! Tatum would knock Bradshaw's head off!
Michaels (as the USA team is mobbing each other at center ice): Do you b----
Theismann: Are you saying Bradshaw's not tough? Are you saying quarterbacks aren't tough enough to play hockey? You want to see how tough a a quarterback is? Let's go! right now!
(Kornheiser and Theismann begin fighting, as Michaels struggles to keep his microphone on)
Michaels: Doyoubelieveinmiraclesyes! Ow! you rolled on my leg, you &%$#!! Stop It!! Go to commercial!! Now!!!
The NFL will return to NBC for the first time since the late '90s next season, and to broadcast NBC's marquee Sunday night game of the week, they have recruited none other than this past season's ABC Monday Night Football duo, Al Michaels and John Madden.
Talk about a coup.
A network that lost its Major League Baseball, NFL and NBA contracts in rapid-fire succession, a network that has been reduced to airing arena football and rodeos as its premier weekend sporting events, will bring in two of the most well-known broadcasters of the past quarter-century to man the booth for its national telecast.
Michaels was originally slated to continue serving as the Monday Night Football play-by-play man on ESPN alongside Joe Theismann, but backed out to switch networks.
For money? Maybe. To continue working with Madden? Possibly. My bet is that Michaels cringed the instant an ESPN executive said, "Wait, we'll put Tony Kornheiser in the booth, too! It will be great!"
Michaels has a great sense of timing from years in the broadcast booth. Part of that timing is knowing when to back out.
Can you imagine Michaels calling the 1980 Miracle on Ice alongside Kornheiser and Theismann?
Michaels: Five seconds!
Kornheiser: I don't care what you say, Terry Bradshaw would not make a better hockey player than Jack Tatum!
Michaels: Do you belie---
Theismann: Bradshaw would bring skill and finesse! All Tatum would be is a goon!
Michaels: Believe in mirac---
Kornheiser: But you have to be tough to play hockey! Tatum would knock Bradshaw's head off!
Michaels (as the USA team is mobbing each other at center ice): Do you b----
Theismann: Are you saying Bradshaw's not tough? Are you saying quarterbacks aren't tough enough to play hockey? You want to see how tough a a quarterback is? Let's go! right now!
(Kornheiser and Theismann begin fighting, as Michaels struggles to keep his microphone on)
Michaels: Doyoubelieveinmiraclesyes! Ow! you rolled on my leg, you &%$#!! Stop It!! Go to commercial!! Now!!!
LeBron comes through again
I'm beating a dead horse, but LeBron James is proving his critics so irrefutably wrong, I can't ignore it.
You want clutch? You got clutch. You've gotten clutch in every Cavs win since coming back from last month's West Coast trip, where B.J. Armstrong and his legion of fellow jocks-turned-talking-heads first made the assertion that LeBron is not a clutch player.
In last night's 97-91 win in Minnesota, LeBron scored 12 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring and outdueling none other than Kevin Garnett, who finished with 21 points and 1-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter.
The Timberwolves were breathing down Cleveland's neck with 36 second to go, as a 6-0 run drew Minnesota to within 90-88. Much like he did against Milwaukee on Monday, LeBron took the ball on the ensuing possession and blew past the entire defense for the winning bucket, swooping to the basket for a don't-even-try-to-contest-this left-handed layup to make it 92-88.
The basket forced the Timberwolves to foul on each possession thereafter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and James cashed the game out with four consecutive free throws.
Maybe that isn't clutch enough for Armstrong, a former barnacle on the butt of Michael Jordan. But that's why Armstrong's career was basically over after 1994, when Jordan began his baseball hiatus.
You want clutch? You got clutch. You've gotten clutch in every Cavs win since coming back from last month's West Coast trip, where B.J. Armstrong and his legion of fellow jocks-turned-talking-heads first made the assertion that LeBron is not a clutch player.
In last night's 97-91 win in Minnesota, LeBron scored 12 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring and outdueling none other than Kevin Garnett, who finished with 21 points and 1-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter.
The Timberwolves were breathing down Cleveland's neck with 36 second to go, as a 6-0 run drew Minnesota to within 90-88. Much like he did against Milwaukee on Monday, LeBron took the ball on the ensuing possession and blew past the entire defense for the winning bucket, swooping to the basket for a don't-even-try-to-contest-this left-handed layup to make it 92-88.
The basket forced the Timberwolves to foul on each possession thereafter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and James cashed the game out with four consecutive free throws.
Maybe that isn't clutch enough for Armstrong, a former barnacle on the butt of Michael Jordan. But that's why Armstrong's career was basically over after 1994, when Jordan began his baseball hiatus.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
MNF announcers
Tuesday, we got all the evidence we need that Monday Night Football is undergoing a transformation from a weekly national event to just another football game.
Monday Night Football announcers used to be icons, or at the very least household names: Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, Keith Jackson, Frank Gifford, Al Michaels, John Madden.
Even -- ahem -- Dennis Miller.
So, with ABC bowing out after 36 years, who is ESPN going to trot into the broadcast booth next season?
Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Joe Theismann.
I don't have a problem with Tirico as the play-by-play man. He's a polished, personable announcer with experience covering a number of sports. Kind of a younger version of Michaels.
Kornheiser and Theismann together as the color guys? That's another story.
Tirico might be overpowered by the hyper-opinionated bullhorns of his booth-mates. Kornheiser is used to shouting down and cutting off co-host Mike Wilbon on "Pardon the Interruption." Theismann has a history of abrasive commentary that could set Kornheiser into full debate-team mode.
Can you imagine Theismann snapping off a "John Riggins was a better running back than Jerome Bettis" comment during a telecast, or the like? It might be a semi-outlandish assertion, but for Kornheiser the argument would be on. Touchdown drives, interceptions, it probably wouldn't matter what was going on down below. Kornheiser and Theismann would determine a winner if it took until the end of the game. Tirico might as well head to the media lounge and get some coffee.
ESPN obviously wants talkative, opinionated commentators for its telecasts. But there is a time and place for Kornheiser's brand of commentary, and I question whether it's in the broadcast booth when the game is supposed to be the focus, not "would T.O. be a good fit for one of the teams?"
The object of a broadcast booth team is the opposite of what Kornheiser does on "PTI." You are supposed to work with your colleagues to enhance the telecast, not try to verbally subdue them. I'm not saying Kornheiser can't make the adjustment, it just seems like a broadcast style that goes against his grain. And the quality of ESPN's telecasts might suffer because of it.
The ABC-ESPN two-headed monster has tried this before. The Dennis Miller experiment failed because, for all his extensive vocabulary, his football knowledge didn't extend beyond "yeah, that guy is pretty fast."
The Rush Limbaugh experiment was quickly killed after the infamous "Donovan McNabb gets a free ride from the media because he's black" comment. Again, a bad mismatch of commentator and job.
ESPN, I think, is looking for the next Cosell. A brash, fearless, opinionated announcer with sports knowledge. But Cosell wasn't just good at spouting out what he thinks. He was also an excellent announcer and interviewer with an unforgettable delivery.
With Kornheiser, as with Miller and Limbaugh, ESPN might be looking for love in all the wrong places.
Monday Night Football announcers used to be icons, or at the very least household names: Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, Keith Jackson, Frank Gifford, Al Michaels, John Madden.
Even -- ahem -- Dennis Miller.
So, with ABC bowing out after 36 years, who is ESPN going to trot into the broadcast booth next season?
Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Joe Theismann.
I don't have a problem with Tirico as the play-by-play man. He's a polished, personable announcer with experience covering a number of sports. Kind of a younger version of Michaels.
Kornheiser and Theismann together as the color guys? That's another story.
Tirico might be overpowered by the hyper-opinionated bullhorns of his booth-mates. Kornheiser is used to shouting down and cutting off co-host Mike Wilbon on "Pardon the Interruption." Theismann has a history of abrasive commentary that could set Kornheiser into full debate-team mode.
Can you imagine Theismann snapping off a "John Riggins was a better running back than Jerome Bettis" comment during a telecast, or the like? It might be a semi-outlandish assertion, but for Kornheiser the argument would be on. Touchdown drives, interceptions, it probably wouldn't matter what was going on down below. Kornheiser and Theismann would determine a winner if it took until the end of the game. Tirico might as well head to the media lounge and get some coffee.
ESPN obviously wants talkative, opinionated commentators for its telecasts. But there is a time and place for Kornheiser's brand of commentary, and I question whether it's in the broadcast booth when the game is supposed to be the focus, not "would T.O. be a good fit for one of the teams?"
The object of a broadcast booth team is the opposite of what Kornheiser does on "PTI." You are supposed to work with your colleagues to enhance the telecast, not try to verbally subdue them. I'm not saying Kornheiser can't make the adjustment, it just seems like a broadcast style that goes against his grain. And the quality of ESPN's telecasts might suffer because of it.
The ABC-ESPN two-headed monster has tried this before. The Dennis Miller experiment failed because, for all his extensive vocabulary, his football knowledge didn't extend beyond "yeah, that guy is pretty fast."
The Rush Limbaugh experiment was quickly killed after the infamous "Donovan McNabb gets a free ride from the media because he's black" comment. Again, a bad mismatch of commentator and job.
ESPN, I think, is looking for the next Cosell. A brash, fearless, opinionated announcer with sports knowledge. But Cosell wasn't just good at spouting out what he thinks. He was also an excellent announcer and interviewer with an unforgettable delivery.
With Kornheiser, as with Miller and Limbaugh, ESPN might be looking for love in all the wrong places.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Cavaliers 89, Bucks 86
You know when a team loses a game it should have won, and all the doomsdayers and naysayers say, "at the end of the season, they might look back at this one"?
The Cavaliers have had plenty of losses like that this year. The gag against New York in early January. The close losses to the Lakers, Blazers and Nuggets on the West Coast swing.
Last night, however, the Cavs had a win they might look back upon at the end of the season.
Monday's 89-86 win over the Bucks is important in a couple of ways: It keeps the Cavs three games up on Milwaukee for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. It was a game they could very easily have let slip away. Most importantly, it won the season series over Milwaukee 3-1, giving the Cavs the tiebreak should the two teams finish the season with identical records.
The Cavs are now 9-2 against the Central Division, having won the season series from both the Bucks and Pacers.
A winning divisional record is important when you are jockeying for playoff positioning. Are you taking notes, Eric Wedge?
Monday's game had a playoff feel to it. A lot of sportscasters say that about a lot of games, but this truly felt like a first-round playoff preview. There was a see-saw, ebb-and-flow to the game. The Cavs would make a run, knocking the lead out to double digits, but the Bucks would come storming back with unlikely contributions from guards Bobby Simmons and Charlie Bell, who picked up the slack for Michael Redd. Redd was the primary focus of the Cavs' defense. He finished with a respectable 18 points, but was shut down for much of the game.
Like a lot of playoff games, Monday's game ended in a stare down. The Bucks went on an 11-0 run to take the lead on a T.J. Ford jumper with 30 seconds to play.
These were the situations the Cavs were failing in during the West Coast trip. Remember how the media and fans were riding LeBron James for missing game-winners on that trip. Well, he got one Monday.
No, it wasn't a buzzer-beater, a stupid, contrived litmus test for how meaningful a basket should be considered. But the play displayed everything that is unstoppable about LeBron. He dribbled up top, looking for a seam, found it down the left side of the lane, and exploded to the hoop.
Once he turned the corner around Simmons, there was no way any Buck was going to stop him without fouling him. He tossed the layup in off the glass for an 87-86 lead.
The Bucks had a chance to answer with less than 20 seconds remaining, but Anderson Varejao stepped up. More exactly, he fell down.
No player in the NBA spends more time with his butt, back and shoulders on the floor than Varejao. But he makes his falls count. He is showing a propensity for floppery that probably makes the greatest European players jealous. And no flop was more important than the one he took when Redd gave him a forearm to the chest with 11 seconds left.
No sooner had Varejao's moptop grazed the floor than the referee jabbed his arm toward the other end of the floor, signaling a Redd charge.
LeBron took the ensuing inbounds pass, sucked the defense toward him, then found a wide open Donyell Marshall for an uncontested dunk to seal the game.
It was the type of game the Cavs should file away for late April and early May, when a LeBron bucket or Varejao flop could make the difference between advancing or going home for the summer.
The Cavaliers have had plenty of losses like that this year. The gag against New York in early January. The close losses to the Lakers, Blazers and Nuggets on the West Coast swing.
Last night, however, the Cavs had a win they might look back upon at the end of the season.
Monday's 89-86 win over the Bucks is important in a couple of ways: It keeps the Cavs three games up on Milwaukee for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. It was a game they could very easily have let slip away. Most importantly, it won the season series over Milwaukee 3-1, giving the Cavs the tiebreak should the two teams finish the season with identical records.
The Cavs are now 9-2 against the Central Division, having won the season series from both the Bucks and Pacers.
A winning divisional record is important when you are jockeying for playoff positioning. Are you taking notes, Eric Wedge?
Monday's game had a playoff feel to it. A lot of sportscasters say that about a lot of games, but this truly felt like a first-round playoff preview. There was a see-saw, ebb-and-flow to the game. The Cavs would make a run, knocking the lead out to double digits, but the Bucks would come storming back with unlikely contributions from guards Bobby Simmons and Charlie Bell, who picked up the slack for Michael Redd. Redd was the primary focus of the Cavs' defense. He finished with a respectable 18 points, but was shut down for much of the game.
Like a lot of playoff games, Monday's game ended in a stare down. The Bucks went on an 11-0 run to take the lead on a T.J. Ford jumper with 30 seconds to play.
These were the situations the Cavs were failing in during the West Coast trip. Remember how the media and fans were riding LeBron James for missing game-winners on that trip. Well, he got one Monday.
No, it wasn't a buzzer-beater, a stupid, contrived litmus test for how meaningful a basket should be considered. But the play displayed everything that is unstoppable about LeBron. He dribbled up top, looking for a seam, found it down the left side of the lane, and exploded to the hoop.
Once he turned the corner around Simmons, there was no way any Buck was going to stop him without fouling him. He tossed the layup in off the glass for an 87-86 lead.
The Bucks had a chance to answer with less than 20 seconds remaining, but Anderson Varejao stepped up. More exactly, he fell down.
No player in the NBA spends more time with his butt, back and shoulders on the floor than Varejao. But he makes his falls count. He is showing a propensity for floppery that probably makes the greatest European players jealous. And no flop was more important than the one he took when Redd gave him a forearm to the chest with 11 seconds left.
No sooner had Varejao's moptop grazed the floor than the referee jabbed his arm toward the other end of the floor, signaling a Redd charge.
LeBron took the ensuing inbounds pass, sucked the defense toward him, then found a wide open Donyell Marshall for an uncontested dunk to seal the game.
It was the type of game the Cavs should file away for late April and early May, when a LeBron bucket or Varejao flop could make the difference between advancing or going home for the summer.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Injuries and trades
The news that Cavaliers guard Luke Jackson might out until the end of March with a broken wrist isn't the gut-shot that the loss of Larry Hughes was. Jackson, after all, has been inconsistent at best, a bit player with on-again, off-again minutes.
But it still thins out the Cleveland bench a bit more, and makes the question of whether GM Danny Ferry will make a move before the Feb. 23 trading deadline all the more pressing.
The Cavs have no Hughes until around the start of March, no Jackson until the end of March or later. Compounding that is center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who dislocated the ring finger on his shooting hand last week against Miami. He has played with no noticeable ill effects since then, but no one knows the long-term ramifications.
(It might be a case of an inch being all the difference. Ilgauskas dislocated his ring finger and can still shoot the basketball. Last year, he dislocated his middle finger and it wreaked havoc with his shot.)
This is a Cavs team that knows how to win, but can't sustain it on the floor. The result is a streaky team that might win 50 games or might win 40, depending on how they finish the season. A key addition or two could go far to stabilizing the team's play.
ESPN's Greg Anthony spent half a column last week bellyaching about the Cavs' lack of a star point guard and how it would stop them from being a factor come playoff time. While Anthony has somewhat of a point, he also does a disservice to Eric Snow, who has been solid if not a stat-sheet stuffer.
No doubt, having a Mike Bibby, Stephon Marbury or Allen Iverson up top would make the Cavs a much better team. But let's be realistic. The odds of Ferry pulling off a deadline deal of that magnitude are almost nil. Even if he could, he'd have to decimate the team to do it.
In Ferry shoes, I'd take my chances with Snow at the point and try to deepen the bench. A trade like that is workable, and the Cavs have some pieces that could make it happen.
When trading for bench help, a team needs to take the approach of the Indians, who almost always make a trade through the scope of how it will benefit the team two and three years from now.
In other words, no more Jiri Welsch "OK, you're a shooter, you'll do" trades like last year. I'd much rather see a youngster who could be developed by Mike Brown into an eventual starter.
One trade rumor that keeps surfacing is Drew Gooden for Chicago's Chris Duhon.
It's a difficult proposition to trade Gooden, who has been a productive member of this year's team. But he's a restricted free agent after this year and could be eyeing some big money on the open market. Ferry has to watch to whom he commits long-term dollars. He already has Hughes, Ilgauskas, Snow, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones inked long-term. A long-term contract offer is on the horizon to LeBron James, one that might make him the highest-paid player in the league. Factor all that together, and the Cavs could be over the salary cap for a while, subjected to paying the dreaded NBA luxury tax.
With that in mind, trading Gooden could lessen the financial noose on the Cavs. Whether it's for Duhon or another youngster with upside, it would still give the Cavs a deeper bench.
The obvious downside is what happens to Gooden's minutes. Anderson Varejao, Marshall and Alan Henderson would not fill his role completely, resulting in a power-forward-by-committee until (hopefully) Varejao matures into a starter by next year.
(That's the other issue. Varejao is a free agent in the summer of 2007. Money will need to be committed to him.)
I am proposing a deal that would package Gooden and recently-resurgent Sasha Pavlovic for a youngster with star potential, one who might be the point guard that someday runs the floor with LeBron and Hughes.
But it still thins out the Cleveland bench a bit more, and makes the question of whether GM Danny Ferry will make a move before the Feb. 23 trading deadline all the more pressing.
The Cavs have no Hughes until around the start of March, no Jackson until the end of March or later. Compounding that is center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who dislocated the ring finger on his shooting hand last week against Miami. He has played with no noticeable ill effects since then, but no one knows the long-term ramifications.
(It might be a case of an inch being all the difference. Ilgauskas dislocated his ring finger and can still shoot the basketball. Last year, he dislocated his middle finger and it wreaked havoc with his shot.)
This is a Cavs team that knows how to win, but can't sustain it on the floor. The result is a streaky team that might win 50 games or might win 40, depending on how they finish the season. A key addition or two could go far to stabilizing the team's play.
ESPN's Greg Anthony spent half a column last week bellyaching about the Cavs' lack of a star point guard and how it would stop them from being a factor come playoff time. While Anthony has somewhat of a point, he also does a disservice to Eric Snow, who has been solid if not a stat-sheet stuffer.
No doubt, having a Mike Bibby, Stephon Marbury or Allen Iverson up top would make the Cavs a much better team. But let's be realistic. The odds of Ferry pulling off a deadline deal of that magnitude are almost nil. Even if he could, he'd have to decimate the team to do it.
In Ferry shoes, I'd take my chances with Snow at the point and try to deepen the bench. A trade like that is workable, and the Cavs have some pieces that could make it happen.
When trading for bench help, a team needs to take the approach of the Indians, who almost always make a trade through the scope of how it will benefit the team two and three years from now.
In other words, no more Jiri Welsch "OK, you're a shooter, you'll do" trades like last year. I'd much rather see a youngster who could be developed by Mike Brown into an eventual starter.
One trade rumor that keeps surfacing is Drew Gooden for Chicago's Chris Duhon.
It's a difficult proposition to trade Gooden, who has been a productive member of this year's team. But he's a restricted free agent after this year and could be eyeing some big money on the open market. Ferry has to watch to whom he commits long-term dollars. He already has Hughes, Ilgauskas, Snow, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones inked long-term. A long-term contract offer is on the horizon to LeBron James, one that might make him the highest-paid player in the league. Factor all that together, and the Cavs could be over the salary cap for a while, subjected to paying the dreaded NBA luxury tax.
With that in mind, trading Gooden could lessen the financial noose on the Cavs. Whether it's for Duhon or another youngster with upside, it would still give the Cavs a deeper bench.
The obvious downside is what happens to Gooden's minutes. Anderson Varejao, Marshall and Alan Henderson would not fill his role completely, resulting in a power-forward-by-committee until (hopefully) Varejao matures into a starter by next year.
(That's the other issue. Varejao is a free agent in the summer of 2007. Money will need to be committed to him.)
I am proposing a deal that would package Gooden and recently-resurgent Sasha Pavlovic for a youngster with star potential, one who might be the point guard that someday runs the floor with LeBron and Hughes.
Super Bowl XL champions
Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks, who defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers last night 20-17, winning their first-ever Super Bowl title. The Seahawks had some clock management problems at the end of the first half, but they won the statistical battle and the game.
Seattle set the tone early with a first-quarter touchdown reception by Darrell Jackson to make it 7-0. Though replays showed Jackson giving his defender a little stiff-arm, the officials never considered nullifying the reception with an outlandish pass intereference call.
In the second quarter, the Seahawks responded to a Pittsburgh first-and-goal with a great defensive stand. On third down, Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger ran left and tried to muscle the ball over the goal line, but was unsuccessful by a fraction of an inch. The officials reviewed the play upstairs, but couldn't come up with enough evidence to overturn the ruling. Pittsburgh had to settle for a chip-shot field goal and trailed 7-3.
As time expired in the first half, Seattle kicker Josh Brown nailed a field goal in perfect, windless dome conditions for a 10-3 Seattle lead.
Pittsburgh tied the game at 10 on a 75-yard touchdown run by Willie Parker in the third quarter, the longest TD run in Super Bowl history. But the tie was short-lived.
The next Steeler series, with the Seahawks once again pinned against the goal line, Seattle corner Kelly Herndon plucked a wobbly Roethlisberger pas out of the air and raced 76 yards. The interception set up Seattle's second touchdown to make it 17-10.
Brown later followed with another dead-red field goal in those climate-controlled dome conditions, a 50-yarder to extend Seattle's lead to 20-10 in the fourth quarter.
Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck was later picked off deep in Steeler territory. On the ensuing drive,The Steelers reached into their grab bag for a gadget play, trying desperately to stay afloat as their championship hopes began slipping away.
The reverse TD pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward drew the Steelers to within three at 20-17, but time was running out. Seattle began using the running tandem of Shaun Alexander and Mack Strong to wear down the clock. Pittsburgh got the ball back for one last heave, but a Roethlisberger hail mary fell well short of field foal range on fourth down.
Hasselbeck took a knee to seal the Seahawk win. Jubilant owner Paul Allen joined coach Mike Holmgren and MVP Hasselbeck on the dais at the 50-yard-line.
"This is a great moment for the city of Seattle, and for the entire Pacific Northwest," said Holmgren as he hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy high over his head. Holmgren becomes the first coach to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.
In the Steeler locker room, Joey Porter racked up an unprecedented $325,000 in fines as he lit into the refs, calling them "blind old farts" who "should either be dead or in a nursing home," among other things we can't print here.
Outside Ford Field, drunk tanks began filling up with irate Steeler fans who had started throwng half-full cans of Iron City Beer at anything that even remotely resembled a windshield.
And in Cleveland, we all slept well.
Seattle set the tone early with a first-quarter touchdown reception by Darrell Jackson to make it 7-0. Though replays showed Jackson giving his defender a little stiff-arm, the officials never considered nullifying the reception with an outlandish pass intereference call.
In the second quarter, the Seahawks responded to a Pittsburgh first-and-goal with a great defensive stand. On third down, Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger ran left and tried to muscle the ball over the goal line, but was unsuccessful by a fraction of an inch. The officials reviewed the play upstairs, but couldn't come up with enough evidence to overturn the ruling. Pittsburgh had to settle for a chip-shot field goal and trailed 7-3.
As time expired in the first half, Seattle kicker Josh Brown nailed a field goal in perfect, windless dome conditions for a 10-3 Seattle lead.
Pittsburgh tied the game at 10 on a 75-yard touchdown run by Willie Parker in the third quarter, the longest TD run in Super Bowl history. But the tie was short-lived.
The next Steeler series, with the Seahawks once again pinned against the goal line, Seattle corner Kelly Herndon plucked a wobbly Roethlisberger pas out of the air and raced 76 yards. The interception set up Seattle's second touchdown to make it 17-10.
Brown later followed with another dead-red field goal in those climate-controlled dome conditions, a 50-yarder to extend Seattle's lead to 20-10 in the fourth quarter.
Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck was later picked off deep in Steeler territory. On the ensuing drive,The Steelers reached into their grab bag for a gadget play, trying desperately to stay afloat as their championship hopes began slipping away.
The reverse TD pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward drew the Steelers to within three at 20-17, but time was running out. Seattle began using the running tandem of Shaun Alexander and Mack Strong to wear down the clock. Pittsburgh got the ball back for one last heave, but a Roethlisberger hail mary fell well short of field foal range on fourth down.
Hasselbeck took a knee to seal the Seahawk win. Jubilant owner Paul Allen joined coach Mike Holmgren and MVP Hasselbeck on the dais at the 50-yard-line.
"This is a great moment for the city of Seattle, and for the entire Pacific Northwest," said Holmgren as he hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy high over his head. Holmgren becomes the first coach to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.
In the Steeler locker room, Joey Porter racked up an unprecedented $325,000 in fines as he lit into the refs, calling them "blind old farts" who "should either be dead or in a nursing home," among other things we can't print here.
Outside Ford Field, drunk tanks began filling up with irate Steeler fans who had started throwng half-full cans of Iron City Beer at anything that even remotely resembled a windshield.
And in Cleveland, we all slept well.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Super Bowl musings
It's Super Bowl Sunday. Time for people who aren't Steelers or Seahawks fans to consume beer, feast on cocktail shrimp and pizza, and lose $10 because they drew the 5-by-5 square in their office's Super Bowl score picks.
The guys watch the game. The girls watch the commercials for Matthew McCougnahey sightings. And Cleveland fans like myself prepare to lob things at the TV set when Ben Roethlisberger hooks up with Hines Ward for a Steeler touchdown.
It's like Christmas, except there's no presents and the alcohol is a lot cheaper (Out: Bailey's. In: PBR) In that spirit, here are some random Super Bowl thoughts as the hours wind down to kickoff:
It's good to be No. 12
The first thing you should notice when sizing up the Super Bowl matchup is the absence of a starting quarterback with jersey No. 12.
It's too bad for Messers Roethlisberger (No. 7) and Hasselbeck (No. 8). No. 12 is a cherished number in the annals of Super Bowl history. No other number has been on the jersey of the winning QB as often:
Bob Griese (twice)
Terry Bradshaw (four times)
Roger Staubach (twice)
Tom Brady (three times)
Ken Stabler
Joe Namath
Doug Williams
Every champion quarterback from Super Bowl VI through Super Bowl XIV wore No. 12. If you were wondering the track record of today's QB numbers, they've been on top, too. But the ledger favors Hasselbeck's No. 8 slightly.
No. 7:
John Elway (twice)
Joe Theismann
No. 8:
Troy Aikman (three times)
Steve Young
Trent Dilfer
Stay away from the Ohio Turnpike this evening. It's not so much the lake effect snow we've been getting as the hordes of drunk Steeler fans who will be making a mass-exodus out of Detroit after the game. If you live in Toledo, I suggest staying as far away from I-75 as possible.
And for the six Seahawk fans who will be at the game tonight, yes there are places to get sushi and a cappuccino east of the Mississippi. Just not the same place.
Sorry, that was a cheap shot at Seattle. I don't doubt you are devoted to your team, and I know all of you aren't millionaire dot-com executives who wear Dockers 365 days a year. But if you take a tour of downtown Detroit, that thing that looks like a burned-out building isn't modern art. Don't tell that slovenly-looking guy in a trench coat that you love his work.
Actor Haley Joel Osment hasn't been wrong in six years of Super Bowl predictions. He predicts a 31-21 win for Pittsburgh.
If the prognostication of a teen actor isn't enough, Jamie Foxx, Jack Nicklaus, John Kerry, Condoleezza Rice, LeBron James, Placido Domingo, Shaquille O'Neal and Bill O'Reilly also pick the Steelers.
Seattle-area resident Bill Gates understandably picks the Seahawks. And he's rich enough to own everybody listed above. Checkmate.
As for my own prediction, I'm taking Sultan's Harlot in the fifth at Pimlico.
Finally, I have to hand it to fellow BGSU blogmeister Matt Sussman, who predicted a Seattle win today based on the the Scrabble word value of Hasselbeck's name against that of Roethlisberger. His unique take on Super Bowl predictions got him noticed by columnists for the Seattle Times and Los Angeles Times, his name getting published in the latter.
It's a quirky but marketable idea. Sussman's own, personal "jump to conclusions" mat.
The guys watch the game. The girls watch the commercials for Matthew McCougnahey sightings. And Cleveland fans like myself prepare to lob things at the TV set when Ben Roethlisberger hooks up with Hines Ward for a Steeler touchdown.
It's like Christmas, except there's no presents and the alcohol is a lot cheaper (Out: Bailey's. In: PBR) In that spirit, here are some random Super Bowl thoughts as the hours wind down to kickoff:
It's good to be No. 12
The first thing you should notice when sizing up the Super Bowl matchup is the absence of a starting quarterback with jersey No. 12.
It's too bad for Messers Roethlisberger (No. 7) and Hasselbeck (No. 8). No. 12 is a cherished number in the annals of Super Bowl history. No other number has been on the jersey of the winning QB as often:
Bob Griese (twice)
Terry Bradshaw (four times)
Roger Staubach (twice)
Tom Brady (three times)
Ken Stabler
Joe Namath
Doug Williams
Every champion quarterback from Super Bowl VI through Super Bowl XIV wore No. 12. If you were wondering the track record of today's QB numbers, they've been on top, too. But the ledger favors Hasselbeck's No. 8 slightly.
No. 7:
John Elway (twice)
Joe Theismann
No. 8:
Troy Aikman (three times)
Steve Young
Trent Dilfer
Stay away from the Ohio Turnpike this evening. It's not so much the lake effect snow we've been getting as the hordes of drunk Steeler fans who will be making a mass-exodus out of Detroit after the game. If you live in Toledo, I suggest staying as far away from I-75 as possible.
And for the six Seahawk fans who will be at the game tonight, yes there are places to get sushi and a cappuccino east of the Mississippi. Just not the same place.
Sorry, that was a cheap shot at Seattle. I don't doubt you are devoted to your team, and I know all of you aren't millionaire dot-com executives who wear Dockers 365 days a year. But if you take a tour of downtown Detroit, that thing that looks like a burned-out building isn't modern art. Don't tell that slovenly-looking guy in a trench coat that you love his work.
Actor Haley Joel Osment hasn't been wrong in six years of Super Bowl predictions. He predicts a 31-21 win for Pittsburgh.
If the prognostication of a teen actor isn't enough, Jamie Foxx, Jack Nicklaus, John Kerry, Condoleezza Rice, LeBron James, Placido Domingo, Shaquille O'Neal and Bill O'Reilly also pick the Steelers.
Seattle-area resident Bill Gates understandably picks the Seahawks. And he's rich enough to own everybody listed above. Checkmate.
As for my own prediction, I'm taking Sultan's Harlot in the fifth at Pimlico.
Finally, I have to hand it to fellow BGSU blogmeister Matt Sussman, who predicted a Seattle win today based on the the Scrabble word value of Hasselbeck's name against that of Roethlisberger. His unique take on Super Bowl predictions got him noticed by columnists for the Seattle Times and Los Angeles Times, his name getting published in the latter.
It's a quirky but marketable idea. Sussman's own, personal "jump to conclusions" mat.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Ouch
Public relations rule No. 1: if you are a high-ranking public relations official in a professional sports organization, and you plan to disseminate a racially-charged e-mail, make sure you don't accidentally send it to the media.
Winter thaw
The Cleveland weather forecast is white for one of the few times this winter. Areas east of the city could have over a foot of snow by nightfall tomorrow.
No matter. Winter's grip is bound to loosen. The truck that carries the Indians' bats, balls, uniforms and bubble gum to Winter Haven, Fla. pulled out of town today.
The Coco Crisp-less Indians will begin spring training in 13 days when pitchers and catchers report.
The off-season work of GM Mark Shapiro is winding down. Those Jake Westbrook-for-Austin Kearns rumors appear to be just that. The Indians might add an outfielder in spring training, but Shapiro will likely let the bulk of spring training play out before he decides on making a move.
The focus will soon shift to the guys in uniform: manager Eric Wedge and his players.
It will be the outset of a very interesting season for the Tribe, one that will go a long way to determine if the Shapiro-led rebuilding project can yield a perennial playoff contender, even when inhibited by a lack of funding from ownership.
Expectations are high. The Indians won 93 games and were a last-week collapse from making the playoffs last year. But several of the players who played a large part in last year's run -- namely Crisp, Kevin Millwood and Bob Howry -- are gone.
The good news: The backbone of the lineup and starting rotation remains intact. Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez both hit .305 last year. Jhonny Peralta and Grady Sizemore arrived with breakout years. Ronnie Belliard proved 2004 was not a fluke, and pitchers C.C. Sabathia and 18-game-winner Cliff Lee make up the front of the rotation along with playoff-tested Paul Byrd.
The bad news: Casey Blake is still in right field. Left field could be a platoon of part-timers Todd Hollandsworth and Jason Michaels. The durable Howry has been replaced by talented-but-fragile Guillermo Mota in the all-important eighth-inning setup role. Arthur Rhodes is gone. Wedge will be relying on reclamation projects Danny Graves and Steve Karsay to round out the bullpen. Closer Bob Wickman might have caught lightning in a bottle with his 45-save season last year. Sooner or later, his body is going to realize it's overweight and pushing 40.
More good news, at least possibly: The Indians have a group of talented youngsters at Class AAA Buffalo who might be ready to contribute this year. Andy Marte's ability has just about made scouts drool on their notebooks. If Aaron Boone continues his slow decline toward has-been status, Shapiro shouldn't hesitate to promote his newfound third-base prodigy. Ryan Garko can rake, but where he will play defensively remains a question. Franklin Gutierrez might be a long-term replacement for Crisp.
Pitchers Jason Davis, Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers are waiting in the wings to round out the starting rotation and bullpen as needed. But understandably, Wedge probably would rather give jobs to veterans out of spring training. Dress rehearsal is over. It's time for this team to contend.
Good news or bad news: Fans are poised to pounce one way or the other. This season, the fans will either embrace a winner, or reject a team that, as they feared, took a major step backward this winter. Another season of double-digit Central Division deficits to the White Sox won't help matters. Season ticket sales are predictably up following last year's success, but baseball fans in Cleveland have shown they will embrace a winner and spurn a loser with equal passion. The Tribe's financial lifeblood, ticket revenue, hangs in the balance.
No matter. Winter's grip is bound to loosen. The truck that carries the Indians' bats, balls, uniforms and bubble gum to Winter Haven, Fla. pulled out of town today.
The Coco Crisp-less Indians will begin spring training in 13 days when pitchers and catchers report.
The off-season work of GM Mark Shapiro is winding down. Those Jake Westbrook-for-Austin Kearns rumors appear to be just that. The Indians might add an outfielder in spring training, but Shapiro will likely let the bulk of spring training play out before he decides on making a move.
The focus will soon shift to the guys in uniform: manager Eric Wedge and his players.
It will be the outset of a very interesting season for the Tribe, one that will go a long way to determine if the Shapiro-led rebuilding project can yield a perennial playoff contender, even when inhibited by a lack of funding from ownership.
Expectations are high. The Indians won 93 games and were a last-week collapse from making the playoffs last year. But several of the players who played a large part in last year's run -- namely Crisp, Kevin Millwood and Bob Howry -- are gone.
The good news: The backbone of the lineup and starting rotation remains intact. Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez both hit .305 last year. Jhonny Peralta and Grady Sizemore arrived with breakout years. Ronnie Belliard proved 2004 was not a fluke, and pitchers C.C. Sabathia and 18-game-winner Cliff Lee make up the front of the rotation along with playoff-tested Paul Byrd.
The bad news: Casey Blake is still in right field. Left field could be a platoon of part-timers Todd Hollandsworth and Jason Michaels. The durable Howry has been replaced by talented-but-fragile Guillermo Mota in the all-important eighth-inning setup role. Arthur Rhodes is gone. Wedge will be relying on reclamation projects Danny Graves and Steve Karsay to round out the bullpen. Closer Bob Wickman might have caught lightning in a bottle with his 45-save season last year. Sooner or later, his body is going to realize it's overweight and pushing 40.
More good news, at least possibly: The Indians have a group of talented youngsters at Class AAA Buffalo who might be ready to contribute this year. Andy Marte's ability has just about made scouts drool on their notebooks. If Aaron Boone continues his slow decline toward has-been status, Shapiro shouldn't hesitate to promote his newfound third-base prodigy. Ryan Garko can rake, but where he will play defensively remains a question. Franklin Gutierrez might be a long-term replacement for Crisp.
Pitchers Jason Davis, Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers are waiting in the wings to round out the starting rotation and bullpen as needed. But understandably, Wedge probably would rather give jobs to veterans out of spring training. Dress rehearsal is over. It's time for this team to contend.
Good news or bad news: Fans are poised to pounce one way or the other. This season, the fans will either embrace a winner, or reject a team that, as they feared, took a major step backward this winter. Another season of double-digit Central Division deficits to the White Sox won't help matters. Season ticket sales are predictably up following last year's success, but baseball fans in Cleveland have shown they will embrace a winner and spurn a loser with equal passion. The Tribe's financial lifeblood, ticket revenue, hangs in the balance.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
A very bad year
Forget the Indians and Braves. Nevermind the Chiefs and Redskins. Now, there is a whole new sports nickname to be offended by. Something so vile, so disgusting, it will leave the taste of moldy enchiladas in your mouth for days.
Enter the evil lair of the Houston 1836, the newest Major League Soccer team, relocated from San Jose.
I'm offended by it, but for reasons entirely different than the Hispanic community of southeastern Texas. So let me get my beef out of the way.
History tells us that when naming a sports team after a year, you must always follow it with the suffix "-ers." That turns into an active noun denoting people doing something associated with that year. The 49ers means 1849 gold prospectors in northern California. The 76ers means the founders of America.
The 1836 sounds like a self-important street address, kind of like "The Donald." It sounds like an adjective with no noun to modify.
I realize soccer nicknames aren't like nicknames in other sports. Americans want ferocious animals and monochromatic stockings in their sports monikers. Soccer offers F.C. this and United that, so we'll never see eye to eye with Europe on that front. But, still, when I see "The 1836," I want to say "The 1836 what?"
OK, enough of my issues. Let's get to the real party. You see, across most of the country, 1836 was a year with a lot of farming, hunting, cholera and other things associated with a growing nation in 19th Century. But in Texas, it was a year of bloodshed.
Texas broke away from Mexico that year, igniting a war that cost Texas Davey Crockett and The Alamo. Many white settlers died in that war, and many more Mexicans, which is why they now curse us with Taco Bell.
Apparently, members of the Hispanic community believe that, by naming a Houston sports team "The 1836," the team owners are celebrating a war that cost uncounted Mexican lives and fractured Mexico. Sort of like Jewish people being upset over a Berlin soccer team being dubbed "The 1939."
A Houston Spanish newspaper flippantly asked if the next step was to be a soccer team called the "New Orleans Hurricanes."
Oliver Luck, a former Houston Oilers quarterback who is the 1836's general manager, said the team name was aimed at embracing Texas history. Raul Ramos, a University of Houston professor, wrote an op-ed piece in The Houston Chronicle stating that the team apparently wants Hispanic fans, but "on (the teams) own terms."
Several readers lashed back at Ramos with letters to the editor, prompting this response on FoxSports.com:
"The team's name is something of a litmus test," said Ramos wanly. "If you disagree with this singular opinion of Texas Independence, then you're not a good American. But in a multicultural America, Americans can hold differing views of the same event. I spoke up because these should be questions not just for Latinos, but for all Americans, about how could we be more inclusive."
Is it another case of dense white folks being insensitive to the concerns of other ethnic groups, or are we being forced to walk on PC eggshells again? Or should the 1836's owners just split the difference and name the team the Houston 1800-somethings?
Enter the evil lair of the Houston 1836, the newest Major League Soccer team, relocated from San Jose.
I'm offended by it, but for reasons entirely different than the Hispanic community of southeastern Texas. So let me get my beef out of the way.
History tells us that when naming a sports team after a year, you must always follow it with the suffix "-ers." That turns into an active noun denoting people doing something associated with that year. The 49ers means 1849 gold prospectors in northern California. The 76ers means the founders of America.
The 1836 sounds like a self-important street address, kind of like "The Donald." It sounds like an adjective with no noun to modify.
I realize soccer nicknames aren't like nicknames in other sports. Americans want ferocious animals and monochromatic stockings in their sports monikers. Soccer offers F.C. this and United that, so we'll never see eye to eye with Europe on that front. But, still, when I see "The 1836," I want to say "The 1836 what?"
OK, enough of my issues. Let's get to the real party. You see, across most of the country, 1836 was a year with a lot of farming, hunting, cholera and other things associated with a growing nation in 19th Century. But in Texas, it was a year of bloodshed.
Texas broke away from Mexico that year, igniting a war that cost Texas Davey Crockett and The Alamo. Many white settlers died in that war, and many more Mexicans, which is why they now curse us with Taco Bell.
Apparently, members of the Hispanic community believe that, by naming a Houston sports team "The 1836," the team owners are celebrating a war that cost uncounted Mexican lives and fractured Mexico. Sort of like Jewish people being upset over a Berlin soccer team being dubbed "The 1939."
A Houston Spanish newspaper flippantly asked if the next step was to be a soccer team called the "New Orleans Hurricanes."
Oliver Luck, a former Houston Oilers quarterback who is the 1836's general manager, said the team name was aimed at embracing Texas history. Raul Ramos, a University of Houston professor, wrote an op-ed piece in The Houston Chronicle stating that the team apparently wants Hispanic fans, but "on (the teams) own terms."
Several readers lashed back at Ramos with letters to the editor, prompting this response on FoxSports.com:
"The team's name is something of a litmus test," said Ramos wanly. "If you disagree with this singular opinion of Texas Independence, then you're not a good American. But in a multicultural America, Americans can hold differing views of the same event. I spoke up because these should be questions not just for Latinos, but for all Americans, about how could we be more inclusive."
Is it another case of dense white folks being insensitive to the concerns of other ethnic groups, or are we being forced to walk on PC eggshells again? Or should the 1836's owners just split the difference and name the team the Houston 1800-somethings?
10 games over, once again
With last night's win over New Jersey, the Cavaliers reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season at 27-17.
It matches the high-water mark from last season, six games earlier. The Cavs made it to 30-20 and matched at 31-21 before their epic slide began. So we can be forgiven for doing the Cleveland thing and holding our breath until that little "X" appears next to the Cavs in the standings, denoting a clinched playoff berth.
Last season taught me to reserve judgment until the whole season plays out. It also taught me the value of not placing expectations on a team that hasn't proven anything yet. Last year, I viewed missing the playoffs as unacceptable. Guess what? The unacceptable happened. And there wasn't a thing in the world my moaning and bellyaching was going to change about that.
This year, I just want the Cavs to go as far as they can go. Is that 40 wins? 50 wins? The fourth seed? The sixth seed? A first-round series win? A complete, total, distastrous implosion like last year? I don't know, and I'm content with that.
Reviews are mixed on the Cavs to this point, which is understandable considering the streaky season they have had. The Cavs play with tremendous confidence for a couple of weeks, then lose an embarrassing game and reel for a couple of weeks. That's a sign of a team that needs to mature and grow together.
Right now, the Cavs' confidence is at a season high like their record. They have exorcised some demons on their seven-game winning streak by beating Indiana twice, followed by New Jersey. They notched an impressive win over Phoenix on Sunday.
Everything seems to be coming together for the rest of the season. The loss of Larry Hughes to hand surgery has made the team stronger, forcing weak links like Sasha Pavlovic and Damon Jones to step up and start producing, which should make the bench that much stronger once Hughes returns. Anderson Varejao has returned to his energetic form after coming back from shoulder surgery.
Did we mention LeBron James is better than ever? The King averaged almost 33 points per game in January.
The schedule is also more user-friendly. A back-to-back with the Pistons at the end of this month is the biggest remaining hurdle in the schedule. The grueling West Coast road trips are done.
Does it sound like I'm getting too high? I'm trying not to. The items I listed above are the facts. That's all I'm stating. The rest is up to LeBron, his teammates, coach Mike Brown and GM Danny Ferry, who could still make a move before the Feb. 23 trade deadline.
I'd like to see May basketball around these parts, something we really haven't had since the early '90s. But I'm not expecting it. I'm just going to go with the flow. I hope.
It matches the high-water mark from last season, six games earlier. The Cavs made it to 30-20 and matched at 31-21 before their epic slide began. So we can be forgiven for doing the Cleveland thing and holding our breath until that little "X" appears next to the Cavs in the standings, denoting a clinched playoff berth.
Last season taught me to reserve judgment until the whole season plays out. It also taught me the value of not placing expectations on a team that hasn't proven anything yet. Last year, I viewed missing the playoffs as unacceptable. Guess what? The unacceptable happened. And there wasn't a thing in the world my moaning and bellyaching was going to change about that.
This year, I just want the Cavs to go as far as they can go. Is that 40 wins? 50 wins? The fourth seed? The sixth seed? A first-round series win? A complete, total, distastrous implosion like last year? I don't know, and I'm content with that.
Reviews are mixed on the Cavs to this point, which is understandable considering the streaky season they have had. The Cavs play with tremendous confidence for a couple of weeks, then lose an embarrassing game and reel for a couple of weeks. That's a sign of a team that needs to mature and grow together.
Right now, the Cavs' confidence is at a season high like their record. They have exorcised some demons on their seven-game winning streak by beating Indiana twice, followed by New Jersey. They notched an impressive win over Phoenix on Sunday.
Everything seems to be coming together for the rest of the season. The loss of Larry Hughes to hand surgery has made the team stronger, forcing weak links like Sasha Pavlovic and Damon Jones to step up and start producing, which should make the bench that much stronger once Hughes returns. Anderson Varejao has returned to his energetic form after coming back from shoulder surgery.
Did we mention LeBron James is better than ever? The King averaged almost 33 points per game in January.
The schedule is also more user-friendly. A back-to-back with the Pistons at the end of this month is the biggest remaining hurdle in the schedule. The grueling West Coast road trips are done.
Does it sound like I'm getting too high? I'm trying not to. The items I listed above are the facts. That's all I'm stating. The rest is up to LeBron, his teammates, coach Mike Brown and GM Danny Ferry, who could still make a move before the Feb. 23 trade deadline.
I'd like to see May basketball around these parts, something we really haven't had since the early '90s. But I'm not expecting it. I'm just going to go with the flow. I hope.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Job posting
If you or anybody you know is a journalist, just out of school or looking to gain a toehold in the biz, The Medina County Gazette has a job opening.
My editor is looking for someone to cover the southern tier of Medina County, a beat that includes the city of Wadsworth and the villages of Seville and Lodi. The pay is entry-level, but the opportunities to write and build a clip file are many.
Anyone interested should send resume, cover letter and clips to the attention of Liz Sheaffer, managing editor at:
The Medina County Gazette
885 West Liberty St.
Medina, OH 44256.
Tell her you got the job posting from Erik's blog.
My editor is looking for someone to cover the southern tier of Medina County, a beat that includes the city of Wadsworth and the villages of Seville and Lodi. The pay is entry-level, but the opportunities to write and build a clip file are many.
Anyone interested should send resume, cover letter and clips to the attention of Liz Sheaffer, managing editor at:
The Medina County Gazette
885 West Liberty St.
Medina, OH 44256.
Tell her you got the job posting from Erik's blog.
Super Bowl no-show
Space. Alaska. Cleveland. The final frontier.
Last week, I wrote about the six teams that have yet to reach the Super Bowl. But being a part of that select group of rejects just isn't special enough for Cleveland.
Nope. We're in a class by ourselves. As if we didn't know that already.
Of the six NFL cities who have yet to see their team go to the Super Bowl, five of them -- Phoenix, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Houston and Detroit -- have hosted the big game.
That leaves Cleveland as the only NFL city to neither have hosted nor played in the Super Bowl.
Forty years, and zero direct connections to football's prized game. You think dynasties take work to build? Try remaining completely separate from the Super Bowl for four decades in a league with only 31 other competitors.
The law of averages would have to catch up to you sooner or later, right? But in Cleveland, "law of averages" is an entirely different term.
Spending four decades as a Super Bowl isolationist takes work on the part of the local football team, the city government, and a couple harsh slaps in the face from Lady Luck.
The Browns' part
Since the NFL merger in 1970, the Browns' front office has screwed up draft pick after draft pick. Sure, we've had the occassional Ozzie Newsome, but more often we've seen draft picks used on Mike Junkin, Clifford Charlton and Gerard Warren. One draft pick, Don Rogers in 1986, died of a drug overdose less than a year later, and another, Jeremiah Pharms in 2001, was thrown in the clink before he could even ink a contract.
Art Modell had a nasty habit of spending money he didn't have. His line of credit eventually gave way to stifling debt that caused him to borrow more money from minority owners Bob Gries and Al Lerner. Not wanting to leave son David with a choking debt, he sought a financial windfall that would cure all his long-term money problems.
Baltimore came calling, and the rest is history. Cleveland football has been in a state of upheaval ever since.
Cleveland's part
We could have had a domed stadium in the mid-'80s. A domed stadium would have prevented Modell's move and Cleveland would have hosted one or two Super Bowls by now.
Instead, funding couldn't be secured and the idea died on the drawing board. A new idea was concieved, but the Browns were left out.
While the Indians and Cavaliers received posh new downtown digs as part of the Gateway project, the Browns got stuck with dilapidated Cleveland Stadium. That fried Modell, since the Browns were pretty much the only game in town from the '60s through the '80s.
Modell continued to make subtle threats about pulling out of Cleveland, but the administration of former Mayor Mike White kept dragging their feet, trying to call Modell's bluff up until 1994, when it was too late.
A new stadium was hastily constructed on the site of the old stadium, eating up a choice section of lakefront real estate for another 50-to-75 years. The biting winter winds off Lake Erie and lack of even a partial roof make Cleveland Browns Stadium a no-go for hosting the Super Bowl.
Luck's part
We need no primer on this. January has not been kind to the Browns:
Red Right 88. The Drive. The Fumble. A 37-21 loss to the Broncos in the 1989 AFC title game. An 0-5 record in games that would have sent the Browns to the Super Bowl. Playoff eliminations at the hands of the Steelers after the 1994 and 2002 seasons. And a whole lot of sucking in between.
Last week, I wrote about the six teams that have yet to reach the Super Bowl. But being a part of that select group of rejects just isn't special enough for Cleveland.
Nope. We're in a class by ourselves. As if we didn't know that already.
Of the six NFL cities who have yet to see their team go to the Super Bowl, five of them -- Phoenix, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Houston and Detroit -- have hosted the big game.
That leaves Cleveland as the only NFL city to neither have hosted nor played in the Super Bowl.
Forty years, and zero direct connections to football's prized game. You think dynasties take work to build? Try remaining completely separate from the Super Bowl for four decades in a league with only 31 other competitors.
The law of averages would have to catch up to you sooner or later, right? But in Cleveland, "law of averages" is an entirely different term.
Spending four decades as a Super Bowl isolationist takes work on the part of the local football team, the city government, and a couple harsh slaps in the face from Lady Luck.
The Browns' part
Since the NFL merger in 1970, the Browns' front office has screwed up draft pick after draft pick. Sure, we've had the occassional Ozzie Newsome, but more often we've seen draft picks used on Mike Junkin, Clifford Charlton and Gerard Warren. One draft pick, Don Rogers in 1986, died of a drug overdose less than a year later, and another, Jeremiah Pharms in 2001, was thrown in the clink before he could even ink a contract.
Art Modell had a nasty habit of spending money he didn't have. His line of credit eventually gave way to stifling debt that caused him to borrow more money from minority owners Bob Gries and Al Lerner. Not wanting to leave son David with a choking debt, he sought a financial windfall that would cure all his long-term money problems.
Baltimore came calling, and the rest is history. Cleveland football has been in a state of upheaval ever since.
Cleveland's part
We could have had a domed stadium in the mid-'80s. A domed stadium would have prevented Modell's move and Cleveland would have hosted one or two Super Bowls by now.
Instead, funding couldn't be secured and the idea died on the drawing board. A new idea was concieved, but the Browns were left out.
While the Indians and Cavaliers received posh new downtown digs as part of the Gateway project, the Browns got stuck with dilapidated Cleveland Stadium. That fried Modell, since the Browns were pretty much the only game in town from the '60s through the '80s.
Modell continued to make subtle threats about pulling out of Cleveland, but the administration of former Mayor Mike White kept dragging their feet, trying to call Modell's bluff up until 1994, when it was too late.
A new stadium was hastily constructed on the site of the old stadium, eating up a choice section of lakefront real estate for another 50-to-75 years. The biting winter winds off Lake Erie and lack of even a partial roof make Cleveland Browns Stadium a no-go for hosting the Super Bowl.
Luck's part
We need no primer on this. January has not been kind to the Browns:
Red Right 88. The Drive. The Fumble. A 37-21 loss to the Broncos in the 1989 AFC title game. An 0-5 record in games that would have sent the Browns to the Super Bowl. Playoff eliminations at the hands of the Steelers after the 1994 and 2002 seasons. And a whole lot of sucking in between.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
The King has declined
You wouldn't ask Bill Gates to personally defrag your hard drive.
You wouldn't ask Queen Elizabeth II to change a flat tire in the royal motorcade.
You wouldn't ask the President to tie on a "Texans do it better" apron and grill up some bratwursts at your Labor Day picnic (OK, maybe this President you would).
So why would you be offended when LeBron James says "thanks but no thanks" yet again to the most overblown event of the NBA all-star weekend?
For the third straight year, LeBron has declined to participate in the slam dunk contest. And for the third straight year, I say "bravo."
Why should a tremendous all-around talent like LeBron, who performs one or two poster dunks in just about every game, need to cheapen himself and risk injury to display a talent we already know he has?
In previous years, the national media chided LeBron by saying he could save the dunk contest, and was willfully letting the contest wither on the vine by declining to participate.
My answer to that is, the contest isn't worth saving.
Twenty years ago, the dunk contest was uncharted waters. Michael Jordan taking off from the free-throw line was a mind-blowing feat. The victory of 5'-7" Spud Webb in the 1986 contest was a true David-versus-Goliath moment.
Since then, the limits of the contest have been reached ad nauseum. Superstars like Jordan and Dominuque Wilkins have given way to the likes of Harold Miner, Cedric Ceballos and Brent Barry.
We've seen the high-bounce dunk 1,000 times. We've seen the 360 mid-air pirouette 1,000 times. We've seen the free-throw line takeoff 10,000 times.
Through the legs. Off the backboard. The two-ball dunk. It's all been done before.
Unless someone is going to vault a donkey this year, I fail to see where originality is going to play a part.
The slam-dunk contest is beneath LeBron. It's beneath Kobe Bryant. It's beneath Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade or anybody else you'd pay to see.
The dunk contest has gone from a spectacular show of athleticism to a circus sideshow of tired, overplayed maneuvers. If the NBA finally decides to bury it, I won't shed any tears.
I don't think LeBron will, either. He has signed up to participate in the skills competition during all-star weekend, which is indicative of the type of player he is.
If you've got the whole package, might as well display it all.
You wouldn't ask Queen Elizabeth II to change a flat tire in the royal motorcade.
You wouldn't ask the President to tie on a "Texans do it better" apron and grill up some bratwursts at your Labor Day picnic (OK, maybe this President you would).
So why would you be offended when LeBron James says "thanks but no thanks" yet again to the most overblown event of the NBA all-star weekend?
For the third straight year, LeBron has declined to participate in the slam dunk contest. And for the third straight year, I say "bravo."
Why should a tremendous all-around talent like LeBron, who performs one or two poster dunks in just about every game, need to cheapen himself and risk injury to display a talent we already know he has?
In previous years, the national media chided LeBron by saying he could save the dunk contest, and was willfully letting the contest wither on the vine by declining to participate.
My answer to that is, the contest isn't worth saving.
Twenty years ago, the dunk contest was uncharted waters. Michael Jordan taking off from the free-throw line was a mind-blowing feat. The victory of 5'-7" Spud Webb in the 1986 contest was a true David-versus-Goliath moment.
Since then, the limits of the contest have been reached ad nauseum. Superstars like Jordan and Dominuque Wilkins have given way to the likes of Harold Miner, Cedric Ceballos and Brent Barry.
We've seen the high-bounce dunk 1,000 times. We've seen the 360 mid-air pirouette 1,000 times. We've seen the free-throw line takeoff 10,000 times.
Through the legs. Off the backboard. The two-ball dunk. It's all been done before.
Unless someone is going to vault a donkey this year, I fail to see where originality is going to play a part.
The slam-dunk contest is beneath LeBron. It's beneath Kobe Bryant. It's beneath Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade or anybody else you'd pay to see.
The dunk contest has gone from a spectacular show of athleticism to a circus sideshow of tired, overplayed maneuvers. If the NBA finally decides to bury it, I won't shed any tears.
I don't think LeBron will, either. He has signed up to participate in the skills competition during all-star weekend, which is indicative of the type of player he is.
If you've got the whole package, might as well display it all.
Monday, January 30, 2006
It begins
Watch out. The East Coast media machine will get its grimy claws into Coco Crisp in short order now.
Already, he's being compared to Johnny Damon to the point that on-again, off-again Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is telling fans and media to cool their jets.
After sitting through two weeks of watching ESPN and other national outlets analyze this trade purely from the Red Sox standpoint, focusing only on what Crisp brings to Boston and treating what the Indians received as mere collateral damage, we will soon be subjected to a tidal wave of Coco-mania.
Hope you're ready, Covelli. In Cleveland, you didn't exist. Now, you have been born.
Once David Letterman and Jay Leno realize there's this ballplayer named Coco Crisp, make room for a slew of cereal jokes that will make you want to set all your boxes of Cocoa Puffs on fire.
Look for all the Boston and New York newspaper headlines, to be aired on said late-night talk shows: "Hot Coco" when Crisp hits for the cycle. "Choko Crisp" when he strikes out three times in a game. "Coco Loco" when he flips out and throws his postgame potato salad at a Boston Globe reporter because he's sick of reading lame newspaper headlines about himself.
At least once a week, we will have to hear the same question from someone, somewhere: "Is Coco Crisp your real name?" At which point, we will have to hear the story about how his nickname, Coco, was derived from his given name, Covelli.
Due to the mass-crush thousands upon thousands of New England girls will now develop on Coco, we will learn things about his personal life we never wanted to know:
Does he have a girlfriend?
Does he prefer boxers or briefs?
Does he have a girlfriend?
Does he have a piercing in a naughty place?
Does he have a tattoo in a naughty place?
Do any of his teammates have a piercing or tattoo in a naughty place?
Does he have a girlfriend?
Boston sportswriters will be scrambling to find Coco's place in the pantheon of Red Sox centerfielders by June. It's already happening with comparisons to Damon. Soon, we will find out how he ranks in comparison to Carl Yaztremski, Dominic DiMaggio, and Tris Speaker. If Peter Gammons doesn't write an article on it, you'd damn well better be sure Bob Costas will write a book and produce a TV special on it.
In 2007, Doris Kerns Goodwin hits the lecture circuit with a program titled "Coco, My Father and Me: A Retrospective." Ken Burns will produce a 15-part series on the tour.
In 2008, MIT graduate students concoct a theory called "The Coco Factor," irrefutably showing how the Curse of the Bambino could have been erased in half the time had six metric tons of chocolate been planted at the base of Babe Ruth's grave upon his death in 1948. It actually has nothing to do with Coco Crisp, but thanks to his newfound fame, the "a" has officially been dropped from "cocoa" in most American dictionaries, which, not coincidentally, are edited by Red Sox fans.
In 2010, Stephen King writes "The Coco Man," a novel about a Coco Crisp-worshipping Red Sox fan who is thrown in jail for a murder he didn't commit, is beguiled by a psychotic car, tries to kill his family at a remote mountain hotel, and gets held prisoner by a fat, crazy lady who breaks his legs. It becomes a national bestseller.
In 2022, Crisp is voted into the Hall of Fame with a career .281 average. Omar Vizquel is still waiting.
Already, he's being compared to Johnny Damon to the point that on-again, off-again Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is telling fans and media to cool their jets.
After sitting through two weeks of watching ESPN and other national outlets analyze this trade purely from the Red Sox standpoint, focusing only on what Crisp brings to Boston and treating what the Indians received as mere collateral damage, we will soon be subjected to a tidal wave of Coco-mania.
Hope you're ready, Covelli. In Cleveland, you didn't exist. Now, you have been born.
Once David Letterman and Jay Leno realize there's this ballplayer named Coco Crisp, make room for a slew of cereal jokes that will make you want to set all your boxes of Cocoa Puffs on fire.
Look for all the Boston and New York newspaper headlines, to be aired on said late-night talk shows: "Hot Coco" when Crisp hits for the cycle. "Choko Crisp" when he strikes out three times in a game. "Coco Loco" when he flips out and throws his postgame potato salad at a Boston Globe reporter because he's sick of reading lame newspaper headlines about himself.
At least once a week, we will have to hear the same question from someone, somewhere: "Is Coco Crisp your real name?" At which point, we will have to hear the story about how his nickname, Coco, was derived from his given name, Covelli.
Due to the mass-crush thousands upon thousands of New England girls will now develop on Coco, we will learn things about his personal life we never wanted to know:
Does he have a girlfriend?
Does he prefer boxers or briefs?
Does he have a girlfriend?
Does he have a piercing in a naughty place?
Does he have a tattoo in a naughty place?
Do any of his teammates have a piercing or tattoo in a naughty place?
Does he have a girlfriend?
Boston sportswriters will be scrambling to find Coco's place in the pantheon of Red Sox centerfielders by June. It's already happening with comparisons to Damon. Soon, we will find out how he ranks in comparison to Carl Yaztremski, Dominic DiMaggio, and Tris Speaker. If Peter Gammons doesn't write an article on it, you'd damn well better be sure Bob Costas will write a book and produce a TV special on it.
In 2007, Doris Kerns Goodwin hits the lecture circuit with a program titled "Coco, My Father and Me: A Retrospective." Ken Burns will produce a 15-part series on the tour.
In 2008, MIT graduate students concoct a theory called "The Coco Factor," irrefutably showing how the Curse of the Bambino could have been erased in half the time had six metric tons of chocolate been planted at the base of Babe Ruth's grave upon his death in 1948. It actually has nothing to do with Coco Crisp, but thanks to his newfound fame, the "a" has officially been dropped from "cocoa" in most American dictionaries, which, not coincidentally, are edited by Red Sox fans.
In 2010, Stephen King writes "The Coco Man," a novel about a Coco Crisp-worshipping Red Sox fan who is thrown in jail for a murder he didn't commit, is beguiled by a psychotic car, tries to kill his family at a remote mountain hotel, and gets held prisoner by a fat, crazy lady who breaks his legs. It becomes a national bestseller.
In 2022, Crisp is voted into the Hall of Fame with a career .281 average. Omar Vizquel is still waiting.
Shapiro's poker face
As Shapiro defended the Coco Crisp trade this weekend, pleading with fans to be patient (what other choice do we have?), he added that he was having "zero discussions" right now about any other trades.
But this fly keeps buzzing around the Cleveland media, saying the Indians continue to dangle Jake Westbrook in front of the Reds for outfielder Austin Kearns.
It's hard to believe the Indians would want to stand pat with a corner outfield corps of Todd Hollandsworth, Jason Michaels and the incomparable Casey Blake. But as we all know, Shapiro holds his cards close to his vest and never rushes into anything. In a small-market setting, it is a great attribute to have as a general manager.
But something has to be done. I cringe at the idea of having the Indians' left fielders and right fielder combine for 30 home runs and 70 RBI. The whole purpose of this off-season was to upgrade the bottom third of the batting order so the rest of the lineup wasn't lugging it around like a ball and chain. Instead, the bottom third of the lineup might be worse than at the end of last season.
I commented on Zach's blog last week that I had no desire to trade Westbrook right now. In the aftermath of the Crisp trade, however, I have changed my mind. If Westbrook can get the Indians Kearns, that is.
Rumor has it that if the Indians trade Westbrook, Shapiro might be able to swing a one-year deal for free agent pitcher Jeff Weaver, a one-time prized prospect of the Tigers who is in limbo as the off-season winds down.
Even if that doesn't happen, there are plenty of young pitchers already in the Indians' farm system. Let Jason Davis, Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers compete for the open spot in spring training. If none of them win the job, there's always a stopgap on the waiver wire somewhere.
I'd much rather hold onto Westbrook, but the situation at the bottom of the batting order just makes me really uncomfortable. Having Kearns would allay my discomfort. Having Andy Marte and Ryan Garko assert themselves as rising major-league stars would make me feel a lot better a year from now.
But this fly keeps buzzing around the Cleveland media, saying the Indians continue to dangle Jake Westbrook in front of the Reds for outfielder Austin Kearns.
It's hard to believe the Indians would want to stand pat with a corner outfield corps of Todd Hollandsworth, Jason Michaels and the incomparable Casey Blake. But as we all know, Shapiro holds his cards close to his vest and never rushes into anything. In a small-market setting, it is a great attribute to have as a general manager.
But something has to be done. I cringe at the idea of having the Indians' left fielders and right fielder combine for 30 home runs and 70 RBI. The whole purpose of this off-season was to upgrade the bottom third of the batting order so the rest of the lineup wasn't lugging it around like a ball and chain. Instead, the bottom third of the lineup might be worse than at the end of last season.
I commented on Zach's blog last week that I had no desire to trade Westbrook right now. In the aftermath of the Crisp trade, however, I have changed my mind. If Westbrook can get the Indians Kearns, that is.
Rumor has it that if the Indians trade Westbrook, Shapiro might be able to swing a one-year deal for free agent pitcher Jeff Weaver, a one-time prized prospect of the Tigers who is in limbo as the off-season winds down.
Even if that doesn't happen, there are plenty of young pitchers already in the Indians' farm system. Let Jason Davis, Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers compete for the open spot in spring training. If none of them win the job, there's always a stopgap on the waiver wire somewhere.
I'd much rather hold onto Westbrook, but the situation at the bottom of the batting order just makes me really uncomfortable. Having Kearns would allay my discomfort. Having Andy Marte and Ryan Garko assert themselves as rising major-league stars would make me feel a lot better a year from now.
LeBron's answer
So, you want to nitpick LeBron James' game, huh?
You want to ride him for missing a game-winning shot against the Lakers, and needle him for passing on a game-tying shot in Portland?
You want to go so far as to question his greatness, B.J. Armstrong?
If so, LeBron gave you 44 reasons to shut up Sunday.
LeBron didn't hit a single game-winning shot in the Cavaliers' 113-106 win over the Suns at The Q. He hit about three of them.
He took the game over midway through the fourth quarter, coming out of nowhere to block a would-be layup by Leandro Barbosa, take the outlet pass and swoop to the other end for a poster dunk. He hit another jumper, followed by a three-pointer.
He let Phoenix know, in no uncertain terms, that this was his game, his house, and they weren't going to stop him.
You think LeBron isn't a clutch player? The Suns would probably beg to differ today.
Phoenix is an extremely talented offensive juggernaut. To boot, they are ninth in the league in opponents' field-goal percentage, meaning they aren't defensive slouches.
But nobody the Suns had, not Steve Nash, not Shawn Marion, not Boris Diaw, could solve LeBron.
Want to use the absence of Amare Stoudemire as an excuse? The Cavs were missing Larry Hughes. Touche.
This was a game that could easily have gotten away from the Cavs, who were trailing by as many as 16 in the first half. They made the mistake of trying to run with the Suns. Then they got smart, began taking advantage of their size inside, and Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones and Sasha Pavlovic began knocking down perimeter shots.
They prepared the buffet, and come crunch time, LeBron loaded up his plate.
Sure, LeBron has yet to make a game-winning shot as a pro. But with more fourth quarters like he had on Sunday, it might not come down to a final possession that often.
There are many ways to take over a game if you are a superstar. There is the Michael Jordan way, having the ball in your hands with the clock about to hit zero. And there is the LeBron way, taking over every phase of the game in the fourth quarter.
Both result in wins. Jordan's way just seems better because it gives ESPN a nice, neat three-second highlight to show over and over again.
You want to ride him for missing a game-winning shot against the Lakers, and needle him for passing on a game-tying shot in Portland?
You want to go so far as to question his greatness, B.J. Armstrong?
If so, LeBron gave you 44 reasons to shut up Sunday.
LeBron didn't hit a single game-winning shot in the Cavaliers' 113-106 win over the Suns at The Q. He hit about three of them.
He took the game over midway through the fourth quarter, coming out of nowhere to block a would-be layup by Leandro Barbosa, take the outlet pass and swoop to the other end for a poster dunk. He hit another jumper, followed by a three-pointer.
He let Phoenix know, in no uncertain terms, that this was his game, his house, and they weren't going to stop him.
You think LeBron isn't a clutch player? The Suns would probably beg to differ today.
Phoenix is an extremely talented offensive juggernaut. To boot, they are ninth in the league in opponents' field-goal percentage, meaning they aren't defensive slouches.
But nobody the Suns had, not Steve Nash, not Shawn Marion, not Boris Diaw, could solve LeBron.
Want to use the absence of Amare Stoudemire as an excuse? The Cavs were missing Larry Hughes. Touche.
This was a game that could easily have gotten away from the Cavs, who were trailing by as many as 16 in the first half. They made the mistake of trying to run with the Suns. Then they got smart, began taking advantage of their size inside, and Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones and Sasha Pavlovic began knocking down perimeter shots.
They prepared the buffet, and come crunch time, LeBron loaded up his plate.
Sure, LeBron has yet to make a game-winning shot as a pro. But with more fourth quarters like he had on Sunday, it might not come down to a final possession that often.
There are many ways to take over a game if you are a superstar. There is the Michael Jordan way, having the ball in your hands with the clock about to hit zero. And there is the LeBron way, taking over every phase of the game in the fourth quarter.
Both result in wins. Jordan's way just seems better because it gives ESPN a nice, neat three-second highlight to show over and over again.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Coco to Bosox
The trade that outlasted the lifespan of some insects finally was consummated Friday, as Coco Crisp became a member of the Red Sox.
As with any trade, it was a give-and-take. The Indians gave up a proven .300 hitter in the big leagues to land, above all else, one of the most coveted prospects in baseball.
I remember writing in by Bowling Green days about how this was going to be the wave of the future for the Indians, like it or not. Every few years, we'd likely watch the Tribe pawn off an established player to add prospects. I wouldn't be shocked if we were watching C.C. Sabathia get shipped to a big-market team in a few years.
Having said that, the Red Sox were the impetus behind this deal. Even though Crisp was arbitration-eligible, the Indians were under no real pressure to make a trade. It was the Red Sox who were missing a center fielder and leadoff hitter, and needed to make this deal happen.
The good news is, that means the Indians were acting from a position of strength, getting Boston to pay a hefty price for a good-but-not-great player. The bad news is, the Indians just took a large piece out of the top of their order to add another piece for the future.
For the Indians, it's always going to be a balancing act between present and future. It's a difficult task, one frought with calculated risks.
Below is my breakdown, positive and negative, of arguably the biggest trade Mark Shapiro has pulled off since dealing Bartolo Colon to the Expos in 2002.
Positives:
Andy Marte
One scout reportedly said Marte had the potential to be Manny Ramirez without the oddball personality. Judging from his .275 average last year in Class AAA, I doubt he'll routinely hit for average the way Ramirez does. But the 40-homer and 120-RBI potential are there. To boot, he is a third baseman with a good glove. Third basemen like this don't grow on trees. Ask the Seattle Mariners, who overpaid for Adrian Beltre last off-season. If Marte matures into the type of player many scouts say he can be, the Indians will by far get the better end of this deal long-term.
Guillermo Mota can fill Bob Howry's void
No more rolling the dice on Danny Graves or Steve Karsay to fill the all-important eighth-inning set-up role. The Indians will now roll the dice on the fragile pitching arm of Mota, who was among the best set-up men in baseball in 2003 and '04. Shapiro and his crew seem to think that, with a limited workload, a good 2006 season can be coaxed out of Mota. But manager Eric Wedge used the daylights out of Howry last year, so what are the odds of Mota being used sparingly?
Mota, 32, is a free agent after this coming season, and will likely not be back in 2007.
Kelly Shoppach adds a catcher to the fray
Shoppach will compete with aging Tim Laker and never-was Einar Diaz to back up Victor Martinez. But that might only be the beginning for the 25-year-old who has hit 48 home runs in two seasons at Class AAA.
If Shoppach can transfer his seemingly-competent bat to the majors, his presence might allow the Indians to move the valuable bat of Martinez to a position with fewer physical demands in the next few years. In the meantime, he should be an upgrade over Josh Bard as a backup catcher, should he win the job.
Negatives:
That huge hole in left field
Deciding whether Todd Hollandsworth or Jason Michaels -- also acquired Friday from Philadelphia for Arthur Rhodes -- will fill Crisp's void in left field is akin to throwing darts at a board.
Either could win the job. Or neither could win the job, and the Indians could be left with an undesireable platoon of scrubs. Pair that with the continued presence of Casey Blake in right field, and the Tribe's corner outfield situation has the potential to be very shaky this year.
That huge hole in the second spot of the batting order
Even worse than left field, Crisp's departure takes a .300 hitter out of the second spot in the batting order. Hollandsworth or Michaels could fill it, but open auditions are likely in spring training. Other candidates include Blake, Aaron Boone, Jhonny Peralta and Ronnie Belliard. Regardless, Crisp's departure takes a proven, capable bat out of the lineup, shoving the productive hitters one spot higher. Once you get past the quintet of Peralta, Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Belliard and Martinez, it's a crap shoot. Possibly in more ways than one, I fear.
The bullpen now resembles a tossed salad
So long to last year's bullpen, the best in the American League. Gone now are Rhodes, Howry and David Riske. In their places are Mota, Graves and Karsay.
Only one lefty remains in the bullpen with Scott Sauerbeck.
It's not to say the 2006 bullpen won't be good, but Friday's trades sent it into full-scale upheaval. It will take a while for things to settle down. The Indians will be relying heavily on Mota and closer Bob Wickman to stay healthy, or they might end up with a 2004 situation where everyone is pitching out of their roles.
As with any trade, it was a give-and-take. The Indians gave up a proven .300 hitter in the big leagues to land, above all else, one of the most coveted prospects in baseball.
I remember writing in by Bowling Green days about how this was going to be the wave of the future for the Indians, like it or not. Every few years, we'd likely watch the Tribe pawn off an established player to add prospects. I wouldn't be shocked if we were watching C.C. Sabathia get shipped to a big-market team in a few years.
Having said that, the Red Sox were the impetus behind this deal. Even though Crisp was arbitration-eligible, the Indians were under no real pressure to make a trade. It was the Red Sox who were missing a center fielder and leadoff hitter, and needed to make this deal happen.
The good news is, that means the Indians were acting from a position of strength, getting Boston to pay a hefty price for a good-but-not-great player. The bad news is, the Indians just took a large piece out of the top of their order to add another piece for the future.
For the Indians, it's always going to be a balancing act between present and future. It's a difficult task, one frought with calculated risks.
Below is my breakdown, positive and negative, of arguably the biggest trade Mark Shapiro has pulled off since dealing Bartolo Colon to the Expos in 2002.
Positives:
Andy Marte
One scout reportedly said Marte had the potential to be Manny Ramirez without the oddball personality. Judging from his .275 average last year in Class AAA, I doubt he'll routinely hit for average the way Ramirez does. But the 40-homer and 120-RBI potential are there. To boot, he is a third baseman with a good glove. Third basemen like this don't grow on trees. Ask the Seattle Mariners, who overpaid for Adrian Beltre last off-season. If Marte matures into the type of player many scouts say he can be, the Indians will by far get the better end of this deal long-term.
Guillermo Mota can fill Bob Howry's void
No more rolling the dice on Danny Graves or Steve Karsay to fill the all-important eighth-inning set-up role. The Indians will now roll the dice on the fragile pitching arm of Mota, who was among the best set-up men in baseball in 2003 and '04. Shapiro and his crew seem to think that, with a limited workload, a good 2006 season can be coaxed out of Mota. But manager Eric Wedge used the daylights out of Howry last year, so what are the odds of Mota being used sparingly?
Mota, 32, is a free agent after this coming season, and will likely not be back in 2007.
Kelly Shoppach adds a catcher to the fray
Shoppach will compete with aging Tim Laker and never-was Einar Diaz to back up Victor Martinez. But that might only be the beginning for the 25-year-old who has hit 48 home runs in two seasons at Class AAA.
If Shoppach can transfer his seemingly-competent bat to the majors, his presence might allow the Indians to move the valuable bat of Martinez to a position with fewer physical demands in the next few years. In the meantime, he should be an upgrade over Josh Bard as a backup catcher, should he win the job.
Negatives:
That huge hole in left field
Deciding whether Todd Hollandsworth or Jason Michaels -- also acquired Friday from Philadelphia for Arthur Rhodes -- will fill Crisp's void in left field is akin to throwing darts at a board.
Either could win the job. Or neither could win the job, and the Indians could be left with an undesireable platoon of scrubs. Pair that with the continued presence of Casey Blake in right field, and the Tribe's corner outfield situation has the potential to be very shaky this year.
That huge hole in the second spot of the batting order
Even worse than left field, Crisp's departure takes a .300 hitter out of the second spot in the batting order. Hollandsworth or Michaels could fill it, but open auditions are likely in spring training. Other candidates include Blake, Aaron Boone, Jhonny Peralta and Ronnie Belliard. Regardless, Crisp's departure takes a proven, capable bat out of the lineup, shoving the productive hitters one spot higher. Once you get past the quintet of Peralta, Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Belliard and Martinez, it's a crap shoot. Possibly in more ways than one, I fear.
The bullpen now resembles a tossed salad
So long to last year's bullpen, the best in the American League. Gone now are Rhodes, Howry and David Riske. In their places are Mota, Graves and Karsay.
Only one lefty remains in the bullpen with Scott Sauerbeck.
It's not to say the 2006 bullpen won't be good, but Friday's trades sent it into full-scale upheaval. It will take a while for things to settle down. The Indians will be relying heavily on Mota and closer Bob Wickman to stay healthy, or they might end up with a 2004 situation where everyone is pitching out of their roles.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Super Bowl virgins
Somewhere along the line, the Browns ran off to join a convent. It's their fans, however, that have taken the vows of poverty and chastity.
With the NFC championship of the Seahawks, yet another Super Bowl virgin has been deflowered. That leaves six NFL franchises awaiting their first trip onto football's biggest stage.
Two of them -- the Jaguars and Texans -- are young enough to have an excuse. Even the Jaguars have made it to two AFC championship games in 10 seasons of play.
The remaining four -- the Browns, Lions, Cardinals and Saints -- are pro football's spinsters. Seldom good, almost never great, they are the barren old maids of the NFL. Youth, fertility, libido, all seem to have dried up.
The Browns would appear to be the most eligible of the four. They have been on the cusp of a Super Bowl appearance five times and fell short. But you wouldn't know that the way the replacement franchise has been run up to this point.
The Browns appear to be trying really hard to emulate the truly sorry franchises in the league. The Lions, Cardinals and Saints have been, by far, the sickest, saddest teams in the league for the past half-century. The Lions have advanced to just once NFC championship game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, getting blown out by the Redskins in 1991.
The Cardinals have one playoff victory since World War II, and the Saints have one playoff win in their 38-year history.
I can't help it. I have to rank them. Which one of these Super Bowl virgins gets taken to bed first? Rankings go from most likely to least likely.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags have some old parts, but they also have some young, talented parts. It remains to be seen if Byron Leftwich will be as good a QB as Mark Brunell in his prime, but he is the only thing close to a franchise quarterback among our cast of six lily-white teams. The Jags also made the playoffs this year, which the remaining five can't say.
2. Detroit Lions
Sure, they suck, and have sucked for quite some time. What other team could take a talent like Barry Sanders and win only one playoff game with him?
Having said that, it's Detroit, and sooner or later, things are bound to fall into place. Sooner or later, they will stop hiring guys like Matt Millen as their GM, and will bring in real talent evaluators. It's happened before. The Lions were a league power in the 1950s.
While the Lions have been busy roaming the desert, the Tigers won a pair of World Series, the Pistons a trio of NBA titles, and the Red Wins a trio of Stanley Cups. It's Detroit, where good things eventually happen, like casinos.
3. Houston Texans
They have good talent in some key positions, like running back Domanick Davis and wide receiver Andre Johnson. Teams like the Texans could be terrible one year and swing around with a vengeance the next year. However, it remains to be seen whether new coach Gary Kubiak will be a good fit. For years, he's turned down head coaching overtures and appeared to shun the spotlight. Now that he's finally emerged from Mike Shanahan's shadow, how will he react?
4. Cleveland Browns
With the departure of John Collins, the greasy hands of Carmen Policy have now been completely removed from the organization. With GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel settled in, some stability might finally be present. Now, all we have to do is prevent Savage from going insane like Butch Davis, and prevent Crennel from developing a career-threatening heart murmur. And then we can worry about players getting stabbed in the back by enraged girlfriends, and other players doing gymnastics stunts over the handlebars of crotch rockets in nearly-empty parking lots.
Then, everything will be OK.
5. New Orleans Saints
Armed with some solid talent like Aaron Brooks and Joe Horn, the Saints possessed the capability of leapfrogging the Browns and Texans on this list. But, as we all know, Hurricane Katrina turned this into a vagabond franchise searching for a home and identity. Until they find a new or rebuilt foundation in New Orleans or another city, this team will be in a state of flux, and contention will be nearly impossible.
6. Arizona Cardinals
The scary part: sooner or later, Bill Bidwill will die, and this franchise could be put in far more competent -- and less tightwaddish -- hands. If Jerry Colangelo and his canyonesque pockets every get ahold of the Cardinals, look out. But that's probably a ways off. Until then, they are an annual contender for the worst franchise in pro sports.
With the NFC championship of the Seahawks, yet another Super Bowl virgin has been deflowered. That leaves six NFL franchises awaiting their first trip onto football's biggest stage.
Two of them -- the Jaguars and Texans -- are young enough to have an excuse. Even the Jaguars have made it to two AFC championship games in 10 seasons of play.
The remaining four -- the Browns, Lions, Cardinals and Saints -- are pro football's spinsters. Seldom good, almost never great, they are the barren old maids of the NFL. Youth, fertility, libido, all seem to have dried up.
The Browns would appear to be the most eligible of the four. They have been on the cusp of a Super Bowl appearance five times and fell short. But you wouldn't know that the way the replacement franchise has been run up to this point.
The Browns appear to be trying really hard to emulate the truly sorry franchises in the league. The Lions, Cardinals and Saints have been, by far, the sickest, saddest teams in the league for the past half-century. The Lions have advanced to just once NFC championship game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, getting blown out by the Redskins in 1991.
The Cardinals have one playoff victory since World War II, and the Saints have one playoff win in their 38-year history.
I can't help it. I have to rank them. Which one of these Super Bowl virgins gets taken to bed first? Rankings go from most likely to least likely.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags have some old parts, but they also have some young, talented parts. It remains to be seen if Byron Leftwich will be as good a QB as Mark Brunell in his prime, but he is the only thing close to a franchise quarterback among our cast of six lily-white teams. The Jags also made the playoffs this year, which the remaining five can't say.
2. Detroit Lions
Sure, they suck, and have sucked for quite some time. What other team could take a talent like Barry Sanders and win only one playoff game with him?
Having said that, it's Detroit, and sooner or later, things are bound to fall into place. Sooner or later, they will stop hiring guys like Matt Millen as their GM, and will bring in real talent evaluators. It's happened before. The Lions were a league power in the 1950s.
While the Lions have been busy roaming the desert, the Tigers won a pair of World Series, the Pistons a trio of NBA titles, and the Red Wins a trio of Stanley Cups. It's Detroit, where good things eventually happen, like casinos.
3. Houston Texans
They have good talent in some key positions, like running back Domanick Davis and wide receiver Andre Johnson. Teams like the Texans could be terrible one year and swing around with a vengeance the next year. However, it remains to be seen whether new coach Gary Kubiak will be a good fit. For years, he's turned down head coaching overtures and appeared to shun the spotlight. Now that he's finally emerged from Mike Shanahan's shadow, how will he react?
4. Cleveland Browns
With the departure of John Collins, the greasy hands of Carmen Policy have now been completely removed from the organization. With GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel settled in, some stability might finally be present. Now, all we have to do is prevent Savage from going insane like Butch Davis, and prevent Crennel from developing a career-threatening heart murmur. And then we can worry about players getting stabbed in the back by enraged girlfriends, and other players doing gymnastics stunts over the handlebars of crotch rockets in nearly-empty parking lots.
Then, everything will be OK.
5. New Orleans Saints
Armed with some solid talent like Aaron Brooks and Joe Horn, the Saints possessed the capability of leapfrogging the Browns and Texans on this list. But, as we all know, Hurricane Katrina turned this into a vagabond franchise searching for a home and identity. Until they find a new or rebuilt foundation in New Orleans or another city, this team will be in a state of flux, and contention will be nearly impossible.
6. Arizona Cardinals
The scary part: sooner or later, Bill Bidwill will die, and this franchise could be put in far more competent -- and less tightwaddish -- hands. If Jerry Colangelo and his canyonesque pockets every get ahold of the Cardinals, look out. But that's probably a ways off. Until then, they are an annual contender for the worst franchise in pro sports.
Ricky Ricky
If you remember back to the summer of 2002, Ricky Davis signed an offer sheet with the Minnesota Timberwolves. After much discussion, the Cavaliers decided to match the offer sheet and keep Davis for the next six years ... or so they thought.
This was pre-LeBron James, after all, and Davis was the closest thing to a great player the Cavs had.
Well, we kind of know the rest of the story. LeBron arrived, Davis had a hard time relinqushing his centerpiece status to the rookie, and was traded to the Celtics in December 2003.
In Boston, Davis, one of the league's great immature knuckleheads (wrong rim), developed into a solid sixth man and now brings just about everything current LeBron sidekick Larry Hughes does, save maybe for passing skills.
Now Davis has come full circle from the summer of '02. He is a member of the Timberwolves, traded in a seven-player swap yesterday.
Part of Davis' problem in Cleveland might have been being given too much leash by a franchise desperate for anything positive. He saw himself as a rising star in the league, and honestly felt he was as good as LeBron.
In Boston, he was hip-checked by Paul Pierce into his proper place: a capable supporting cast member. Once he accepted that role, he flourished.
One still has to wonder, however, why Boston thought acquiring injruy-plagued and overpaid Wally Szczerbiak was better than keeping Davis. There might still be some personailty issues there.
But Davis will head to another team with another all-encompassing superstar to keep him in check. What Pierce started in Boston, Kevin Garnett will be able to continue in Minnesota. There is every reason to believe Garnett will keep Davis' knucklehead tendencies in check and keep making him a productive supporting cast player.
It's in the job description of a superstar and team leader: keep your knuckleheads in line. LeBron couldn't have done it with Davis since no one takes an assertive rookie seriously. But LeBron has a new puppy to housebreak in Damon Jones.
Jones, like Davis, hasn't been properly disciplined in Cleveland. The more I watch him, the more I think Shaq had a great deal to do with the excellent season Jones produced last year in Miami, making Jones afraid to let the big guy down. Left to his own devices, Jones has no idea how to play within a team. Shaq got him to play within a team last year, and LeBron needs to do that this year.
LeBron is friends with Jones, who reportedly hasn't made a lot of friends in Cleveland due to his self-promoting and outspoken nature. But maybe LeBron needs to be Jones' teammate first and his friend second.
If LeBron doesn't fill the Shaq role in Jones' life, we might have another Ricky Davis situation on our hands. And if Jones goes to another team with another superstar and becomes a solid player again, it won't be a great reflection on LeBron's leadership in the Cavs' locker room.
This was pre-LeBron James, after all, and Davis was the closest thing to a great player the Cavs had.
Well, we kind of know the rest of the story. LeBron arrived, Davis had a hard time relinqushing his centerpiece status to the rookie, and was traded to the Celtics in December 2003.
In Boston, Davis, one of the league's great immature knuckleheads (wrong rim), developed into a solid sixth man and now brings just about everything current LeBron sidekick Larry Hughes does, save maybe for passing skills.
Now Davis has come full circle from the summer of '02. He is a member of the Timberwolves, traded in a seven-player swap yesterday.
Part of Davis' problem in Cleveland might have been being given too much leash by a franchise desperate for anything positive. He saw himself as a rising star in the league, and honestly felt he was as good as LeBron.
In Boston, he was hip-checked by Paul Pierce into his proper place: a capable supporting cast member. Once he accepted that role, he flourished.
One still has to wonder, however, why Boston thought acquiring injruy-plagued and overpaid Wally Szczerbiak was better than keeping Davis. There might still be some personailty issues there.
But Davis will head to another team with another all-encompassing superstar to keep him in check. What Pierce started in Boston, Kevin Garnett will be able to continue in Minnesota. There is every reason to believe Garnett will keep Davis' knucklehead tendencies in check and keep making him a productive supporting cast player.
It's in the job description of a superstar and team leader: keep your knuckleheads in line. LeBron couldn't have done it with Davis since no one takes an assertive rookie seriously. But LeBron has a new puppy to housebreak in Damon Jones.
Jones, like Davis, hasn't been properly disciplined in Cleveland. The more I watch him, the more I think Shaq had a great deal to do with the excellent season Jones produced last year in Miami, making Jones afraid to let the big guy down. Left to his own devices, Jones has no idea how to play within a team. Shaq got him to play within a team last year, and LeBron needs to do that this year.
LeBron is friends with Jones, who reportedly hasn't made a lot of friends in Cleveland due to his self-promoting and outspoken nature. But maybe LeBron needs to be Jones' teammate first and his friend second.
If LeBron doesn't fill the Shaq role in Jones' life, we might have another Ricky Davis situation on our hands. And if Jones goes to another team with another superstar and becomes a solid player again, it won't be a great reflection on LeBron's leadership in the Cavs' locker room.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Sacramento fire sale
It appears this particular championship window for the Sacramento Kings has closed.
In the past two years, they have lost Vlade Divac (free agency and subsequent retirement), Chris Webber (traded to Philadelphia) and now Peja Stojakovic (traded to Indiana).
Even with Ron Artest, finally received in exchange for Stojakovic Wednesday, it looks like the Kings aren't going to sniff contention for at least a few seasons. Right now, they are glued to the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 17-24 record.
So let's get while the gettin' is good.
If you're Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry, you have to know that an elite point guard could cure a lot of the backcourt impotence since Larry Hughes went down with hand surgery at the start of the month.
If the Kings are in a dealing mood, let's talk Mike Bibby. He's averaging 20 points per game as one of the few remaining offensive options for the Kings. He is among the league leaders in three-point field goal percentage. He can quarterback an offense with the best of them.
And, man, would he look good in a Cavs uniform, starting right in bewteen Hughes and LeBron James.
Of course, to get something, you have to give up something in return. Contrary to what a Plain Delaer reader wrote to Cavs beat reporter Branson Wright last weekend, Alan Henderson, Sasha Pavlovic and Damon Jones would not be enough to get Bibby. If it was, it would rain Guiness Draught in Cleveland every St. Patrick's Day.
Any deal to get Bibby or any other meaningful player would likely force the Cavs to part with Drew Gooden, who in addition to rebounding and double-digit points, also brings the added salary-cap attraction of being a restricted free agent this offseason.
Of course, that would leave a pretty large hole to plug in the frontcourt. And before you blurt out "Anderson Varejao," remember he has been back for two weeks after missing two and a half months recovering from shoulder surgery. He brings energy, but little in the way of skill. He hasn't been able to work on his game since July.
There's Alan Henderson and Donyell Marshall, but both have shortcomings. Henderson is a decent bench player, but if he was a starter being relied on for 10 points and 10 rebounds a night, it might be a different story.
Marshall is 32 years old with deteriorating legs. His perimeter shooting is so important to the Cavs, I'd be afraid to start him for fear he'd break down physically and get injured.
So, if Gooden is too hard to replace, who is trade bait then?
The good news is the Kings are probably interested in low-cost, younger players. The Cavs have first-round draft picks Pavlovic and Luke Jackson to market. Pavlovic's tradeability is in an upswing since he has been starting and producing.
Other than that, the Cavs' tradeables are limited too the too costly (Eric Snow, Damon Jones) and bit players (Ira Newble).
The end result might be aiming for a talent like Bibby, but having to compromise for something less.
In the past two years, they have lost Vlade Divac (free agency and subsequent retirement), Chris Webber (traded to Philadelphia) and now Peja Stojakovic (traded to Indiana).
Even with Ron Artest, finally received in exchange for Stojakovic Wednesday, it looks like the Kings aren't going to sniff contention for at least a few seasons. Right now, they are glued to the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 17-24 record.
So let's get while the gettin' is good.
If you're Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry, you have to know that an elite point guard could cure a lot of the backcourt impotence since Larry Hughes went down with hand surgery at the start of the month.
If the Kings are in a dealing mood, let's talk Mike Bibby. He's averaging 20 points per game as one of the few remaining offensive options for the Kings. He is among the league leaders in three-point field goal percentage. He can quarterback an offense with the best of them.
And, man, would he look good in a Cavs uniform, starting right in bewteen Hughes and LeBron James.
Of course, to get something, you have to give up something in return. Contrary to what a Plain Delaer reader wrote to Cavs beat reporter Branson Wright last weekend, Alan Henderson, Sasha Pavlovic and Damon Jones would not be enough to get Bibby. If it was, it would rain Guiness Draught in Cleveland every St. Patrick's Day.
Any deal to get Bibby or any other meaningful player would likely force the Cavs to part with Drew Gooden, who in addition to rebounding and double-digit points, also brings the added salary-cap attraction of being a restricted free agent this offseason.
Of course, that would leave a pretty large hole to plug in the frontcourt. And before you blurt out "Anderson Varejao," remember he has been back for two weeks after missing two and a half months recovering from shoulder surgery. He brings energy, but little in the way of skill. He hasn't been able to work on his game since July.
There's Alan Henderson and Donyell Marshall, but both have shortcomings. Henderson is a decent bench player, but if he was a starter being relied on for 10 points and 10 rebounds a night, it might be a different story.
Marshall is 32 years old with deteriorating legs. His perimeter shooting is so important to the Cavs, I'd be afraid to start him for fear he'd break down physically and get injured.
So, if Gooden is too hard to replace, who is trade bait then?
The good news is the Kings are probably interested in low-cost, younger players. The Cavs have first-round draft picks Pavlovic and Luke Jackson to market. Pavlovic's tradeability is in an upswing since he has been starting and producing.
Other than that, the Cavs' tradeables are limited too the too costly (Eric Snow, Damon Jones) and bit players (Ira Newble).
The end result might be aiming for a talent like Bibby, but having to compromise for something less.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
More Coco news
What started out as a trade rumor is turning into a novella with subplots.
The rumored trade that would send Coco Crisp to Boston ground to a halt Tuesday when Guillermo Mota failed his Indians physical.
The questions lay in Mota's pitching shoulder. An injury to the shoulder caused him to be used sparingly by the Marlins late last year.
Mota has also had elbow problems in the past few years.
The Indians haven't totally quashed the trade, The Plain Delaer said today, but they apparently want more in return for Crisp because of the risk they'd be assuming in taking on Mota's $3 million salary this year.
As it stands, the Indians would likely part with Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard for Mota, third-base prospect Andy Marte and possibly catcher Kelly Shoppach.
The Plain Dealer reported that Major League Baseball has signed off on a subsequent trade that would send Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for outfielder Jason Michaels. But that trade is contingent on the Indians and Red Sox consummating their deal.
Stay tuned.
The rumored trade that would send Coco Crisp to Boston ground to a halt Tuesday when Guillermo Mota failed his Indians physical.
The questions lay in Mota's pitching shoulder. An injury to the shoulder caused him to be used sparingly by the Marlins late last year.
Mota has also had elbow problems in the past few years.
The Indians haven't totally quashed the trade, The Plain Delaer said today, but they apparently want more in return for Crisp because of the risk they'd be assuming in taking on Mota's $3 million salary this year.
As it stands, the Indians would likely part with Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard for Mota, third-base prospect Andy Marte and possibly catcher Kelly Shoppach.
The Plain Dealer reported that Major League Baseball has signed off on a subsequent trade that would send Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for outfielder Jason Michaels. But that trade is contingent on the Indians and Red Sox consummating their deal.
Stay tuned.
Joel's new job
Toot your horn for Joel Hammond, the newest member of the staff at Crain's Cleveland Business. As Joel will soon find out, it is one of the best publications in Northeast Ohio.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Cavaliers 96, Pacers 66
Now that's what I'm talking about. A much-needed cruise for a team that has had to fight just to stay in games for the past two weeks.
And some more good news: Larry Hughes started hitting the practice floor a bit during the Western Conference swing, taking shots with his left hand. He's still probably three weeks to a month away from playing, but it is an encouraging sign.
The Pacers, meanwhile, had a really bad day. Hours after after news hit that Ron Artest had been traded for long-coveted Peja Stojakovic, the deal fell through. The Pacers then walked out on the floor and proceeded to score 15 points fewer than Kobe Bryant scored by himself Sunday night.
It was Indiana's fourth straight loss, and suddenly, without Artest or someone to replace him, the Pacers are no longer an Eastern Conference juggernaut. They're just another team.
(Of course, when the Pistons are on pace for more than 70 wins, "juggernaut" is a relative term.)
And some more good news: Larry Hughes started hitting the practice floor a bit during the Western Conference swing, taking shots with his left hand. He's still probably three weeks to a month away from playing, but it is an encouraging sign.
The Pacers, meanwhile, had a really bad day. Hours after after news hit that Ron Artest had been traded for long-coveted Peja Stojakovic, the deal fell through. The Pacers then walked out on the floor and proceeded to score 15 points fewer than Kobe Bryant scored by himself Sunday night.
It was Indiana's fourth straight loss, and suddenly, without Artest or someone to replace him, the Pacers are no longer an Eastern Conference juggernaut. They're just another team.
(Of course, when the Pistons are on pace for more than 70 wins, "juggernaut" is a relative term.)
More trade winds
The potential deal to send Coco Crisp to Boston took a more definite shape Monday, The Plain Dealer reported.
It appears the Indians are prepared to part with a lot more that originally thought.
Whatever happens, the Phillies appear to be involved.
The Plain Dealer said the Indians and Red Sox have hammered out the parameters of a six-played trade that would send Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard to Boston for Guillermo Mota, Andy Marte and possibly catcher Kelly Shoppach.
The Indians would then turn around and trade Arthur Rhodes to Philadelphia for Jason Michaels.
As with anything involving the Indians, money is a main factor.
Crisp, who made about $390,000 last year, is arbitration eligible. After hitting .300 last season, he is looking for a significant bump in pay, which he can probably get. Media reports have placed Crisp's worth at around $3 million next year.
Riske was recently signed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, but the longer he stays in the majors, the more he can demand to be paid.
Crisp and Riske are becoming the dreaded "v-word," as in "veteran." Veteran experience equals veteran salary equals too rich for the Tribe's blood, at least among players the Indians might not consider "core players."
Rhodes is 37 and due about $4 million next year, so it should come as no surprise that the Indians would like to jettison his salary. The Plain Dealer reported, however, that the Indians first offered Riske for Michaels, but the Phillies balked. They reportedly asked for Rafael Betancourt, which the Indians, in turn, balked at.
The Indians apparently would like to keep Mota over Rhodes, given the choice, since Mota is 32 and still in his prime baseball years. Even as a lefty, Rhodes might be staring retirement in the face in a couple of years.
If I were manager Eric Wedge, I'd be a bit concerned about losing an important, left-handed piece of my bullpen. But judging by the infrequent use of Scott Sauerbeck down the stretch last year, I am beginning to think Wedge doesn't think much of the lefty-righty matchup philosophy.
(Lefties hit well over .300 against Rhodes last year anyway.)
A healthy Mota would end the hand-wringing about Bob Howry's replacement as well.
So there you have it, at least for today. If everything goes down as scripted, Michaels would platoon in left field with lefty-hitting Todd Hollandsworth, Casey Blake would still man right field, Mota would be Bob Wickman's main set-up man, and Marte would likely open the season as the starting third baseman at Buffalo.
Offensively, the lineup from the sixth spot down would be a question mark next year, and the Indians would be relying heavily on Marte and Ryan Garko to arrive as the cavalry by 2007, meaning another year of "making do" and having no major moves at the July trade deadline. Marte and Garko do have the potential to be tremendous big league hitters, however.
It appears the Indians are prepared to part with a lot more that originally thought.
Whatever happens, the Phillies appear to be involved.
The Plain Dealer said the Indians and Red Sox have hammered out the parameters of a six-played trade that would send Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard to Boston for Guillermo Mota, Andy Marte and possibly catcher Kelly Shoppach.
The Indians would then turn around and trade Arthur Rhodes to Philadelphia for Jason Michaels.
As with anything involving the Indians, money is a main factor.
Crisp, who made about $390,000 last year, is arbitration eligible. After hitting .300 last season, he is looking for a significant bump in pay, which he can probably get. Media reports have placed Crisp's worth at around $3 million next year.
Riske was recently signed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, but the longer he stays in the majors, the more he can demand to be paid.
Crisp and Riske are becoming the dreaded "v-word," as in "veteran." Veteran experience equals veteran salary equals too rich for the Tribe's blood, at least among players the Indians might not consider "core players."
Rhodes is 37 and due about $4 million next year, so it should come as no surprise that the Indians would like to jettison his salary. The Plain Dealer reported, however, that the Indians first offered Riske for Michaels, but the Phillies balked. They reportedly asked for Rafael Betancourt, which the Indians, in turn, balked at.
The Indians apparently would like to keep Mota over Rhodes, given the choice, since Mota is 32 and still in his prime baseball years. Even as a lefty, Rhodes might be staring retirement in the face in a couple of years.
If I were manager Eric Wedge, I'd be a bit concerned about losing an important, left-handed piece of my bullpen. But judging by the infrequent use of Scott Sauerbeck down the stretch last year, I am beginning to think Wedge doesn't think much of the lefty-righty matchup philosophy.
(Lefties hit well over .300 against Rhodes last year anyway.)
A healthy Mota would end the hand-wringing about Bob Howry's replacement as well.
So there you have it, at least for today. If everything goes down as scripted, Michaels would platoon in left field with lefty-hitting Todd Hollandsworth, Casey Blake would still man right field, Mota would be Bob Wickman's main set-up man, and Marte would likely open the season as the starting third baseman at Buffalo.
Offensively, the lineup from the sixth spot down would be a question mark next year, and the Indians would be relying heavily on Marte and Ryan Garko to arrive as the cavalry by 2007, meaning another year of "making do" and having no major moves at the July trade deadline. Marte and Garko do have the potential to be tremendous big league hitters, however.
Monday, January 23, 2006
A scorer's scorer
With Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant is Michael Jordan. A fearless competitor who truly believes the ring is the only thing, and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it.
Without Shaq, he's Tracy McGrady. A superlative scorer who brings little to the team game.
There are definite reasons to be impressed with Bryant's 81-point outburst against the Raptors Sunday night. There are also reasons to stop short of erecting a statue of Bryant in New York Harbor.
Reasons to be impressed:
It is the second-highest single game total in NBA history
Prior to last night, the late Wilt Chamberlain had the market cornered on single-game scoring efforts, with the top four single-game performances in NBA history. Now, Bryant has cut a swath through the record books that only Chamberlain's historic 100-point effort in 1962 avoided.
Bryant is a 6'-6" guard
Chamberlain was a 7-foot center in the days when 7-foot centers just weren't that common. Chamberlain was a heck of a basketball talent, but his height gave him a great physical advantage. He was Shaq in his time.
Bryant, by contrast, is a 6'-6" guard who relies on athleticism and outside shooting instead of physical girth. It is far less likely that a player the size of Bryant can dominate the way he did, as opposed to Chamberlain.
Bryant did his damage in less than a regulation game
For all his dominance, Michael Jordan needed overtime to drop a career-high 69 on Cleveland. Chamberlain needed three overtimes to score the previous second-best mark of 78.
Bryant did his damage in 42 minutes, six less than a regulation game. That's almost two points per minute.
Reasons to be less impressed:
The rest of the Lakers roster
Kobe scored 81 on 28-of-46 shooting. The next-highest Laker was Smush Parker, who scored 13 on 5-of-11 shooting. Chris Mihm was the only other Laker in double figures with 12, which means the likes of Devean George and Lamar Odom were all but silent. Granted, when a guy is on fire like Bryant was, who can be blamed for getting him the ball and getting out of the way? But this game was artificially tilted toward Bryant, who didn't have a backup band. Heck, he didn't even have a tinny speaker creaking out old Neil Sedaka records.
C'mon, it's the Raptors
Mike James (not to be confused with LeBron James, or Henry James for that matter), scored 26 points Sunday. No other Toronto player managed 20.
The Raptors are 14-27, in a virtual tie with the Knicks for last place in the Atlantic, the NBA's weakest division.
If Kobe drops 90 on the Spurs, then he can apply for the "Michael Jordan Greatest Player Ever Club."
Seven three-pointers
Chamberlain scored all his points in an era without a three-point shot. Sunday, 21 of Bryant's 81 came from beyond the arc. It doesn't mean it's easier to score 81 points, but having that arc back there is a great way to stack up points more quickly for a great shooter like Bryant.
"It's all about the W"
Or so Kobe said after the game, stating that he didn't really know how many points he'd scored until after the game because he was so focused on winning.
Excuse me, but when you score 81 points, you have to at some point consciously think "man, I'm really pouring it on tonight."
If you score 81 and are only thinking about the win, it means one of two things: you are trying to singlehandedly win the game because you are monumentally selfish, or you are trying to singlehandedly win the game because your supporting cast offers the support of balsa wood. Either way, it's not a good reflection on your team.
Without Shaq, he's Tracy McGrady. A superlative scorer who brings little to the team game.
There are definite reasons to be impressed with Bryant's 81-point outburst against the Raptors Sunday night. There are also reasons to stop short of erecting a statue of Bryant in New York Harbor.
Reasons to be impressed:
It is the second-highest single game total in NBA history
Prior to last night, the late Wilt Chamberlain had the market cornered on single-game scoring efforts, with the top four single-game performances in NBA history. Now, Bryant has cut a swath through the record books that only Chamberlain's historic 100-point effort in 1962 avoided.
Bryant is a 6'-6" guard
Chamberlain was a 7-foot center in the days when 7-foot centers just weren't that common. Chamberlain was a heck of a basketball talent, but his height gave him a great physical advantage. He was Shaq in his time.
Bryant, by contrast, is a 6'-6" guard who relies on athleticism and outside shooting instead of physical girth. It is far less likely that a player the size of Bryant can dominate the way he did, as opposed to Chamberlain.
Bryant did his damage in less than a regulation game
For all his dominance, Michael Jordan needed overtime to drop a career-high 69 on Cleveland. Chamberlain needed three overtimes to score the previous second-best mark of 78.
Bryant did his damage in 42 minutes, six less than a regulation game. That's almost two points per minute.
Reasons to be less impressed:
The rest of the Lakers roster
Kobe scored 81 on 28-of-46 shooting. The next-highest Laker was Smush Parker, who scored 13 on 5-of-11 shooting. Chris Mihm was the only other Laker in double figures with 12, which means the likes of Devean George and Lamar Odom were all but silent. Granted, when a guy is on fire like Bryant was, who can be blamed for getting him the ball and getting out of the way? But this game was artificially tilted toward Bryant, who didn't have a backup band. Heck, he didn't even have a tinny speaker creaking out old Neil Sedaka records.
C'mon, it's the Raptors
Mike James (not to be confused with LeBron James, or Henry James for that matter), scored 26 points Sunday. No other Toronto player managed 20.
The Raptors are 14-27, in a virtual tie with the Knicks for last place in the Atlantic, the NBA's weakest division.
If Kobe drops 90 on the Spurs, then he can apply for the "Michael Jordan Greatest Player Ever Club."
Seven three-pointers
Chamberlain scored all his points in an era without a three-point shot. Sunday, 21 of Bryant's 81 came from beyond the arc. It doesn't mean it's easier to score 81 points, but having that arc back there is a great way to stack up points more quickly for a great shooter like Bryant.
"It's all about the W"
Or so Kobe said after the game, stating that he didn't really know how many points he'd scored until after the game because he was so focused on winning.
Excuse me, but when you score 81 points, you have to at some point consciously think "man, I'm really pouring it on tonight."
If you score 81 and are only thinking about the win, it means one of two things: you are trying to singlehandedly win the game because you are monumentally selfish, or you are trying to singlehandedly win the game because your supporting cast offers the support of balsa wood. Either way, it's not a good reflection on your team.
Coco beans
Ask and ye shall receive, apparently.
The Red Sox have been pestering the Indians for Coco Crisp pretty much since Johnny Damon bolted for the Yankees last month. Sunday, it was revealed that the Indians might have finally cracked. Cleveland and Boston have reportedly hammered out a tentative deal to send Crisp to Boston.
Taken in the context of who they are reportedly to receive in exchange, the deal makes some sense. But that might not be the whole story if the Phillies get involved, as The Plain Dealer reported today.
The deal, as it purportedly stands, would send Crisp to Boston for reliver Guillermo Mota and third-base prospect Andy Marte. Mota is regarded as one of the better right-handed setup men in baseball, with a 3.61 career ERA in stints with the Expos, Dodgers and Marlins.
The Red Sox acquired him as part of the Josh Beckett trade earlier in the offseason. Last year with the Marlins, he set up closer Todd Jones, going 2-2 with two saves. His ERA, 4.70, was a bit high, but he held opposing hitters to a .254 batting average.
In 2003, Mota had a tremendous season for the Dodgers, going 6-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 76 appearances.
Mota would be a very capable replacement for Bob Howry. Paired with Arthur Rhodes, the two would give the Indians one of the top set up corps in the majors.
Marte has piqued the Indians' interest for a while. Coming up through the Braves system, he was highly coveted by many teams, considered a top third base prospect. The Red Sox landed him in the Edgar Renteria trade.
In a handful of games, he hit .227 for Atlanta last year. Marte would likely be groomed as Aaron Boone's replacement, possibly by 2007.
All of it would make sense if not for the sizeable hole Crisp's absence would leave in left field. That's where the Phillies might come in, and that's where things get a bit hairy.
The Plain Dealer also reported that the Indians might turn around and ship Mota to Philadelphia this week for outfielder Jason Michaels.
Michaels, a right-handed hitter, platooned with Kenny Lofton in center field last year for the Phillies. His batting average was good (.304) but the Indians are craving some right-handed power hitting, and Michaels provides little of that. In 105 games last year, he managed only four homers and 31 RBI.
If the Indians acquire Mota, then turn around and deal him for Michaels, I fail to see how they come out ahead in 2006, when everybody will be expecting a playoff run.
The difference between Crisp, a career .287 hitter, and Michaels, a career .291 hitter, is negligible. Michaels might provide a better arm in the outfield, but he likely has less plate discipline than Crisp. Michaels struck out 80 times in 2004 and 45 times last year.
Marte adds a top prospect to the upper tiers of the farm system, but the likelyhood he'll be able to contribute anything meaningful before 2007 is small.
And, without Mota, you'd still be rolling the dice on the rebounding Danny Graves or washed-up Steve Karsay to replace Howry.
If the Indians are satisfied with Mota's physical, they might keep him and send either Rhodes or David Riske to the Phillies for Michaels. Here's hoping that's the case, preferably with Riske.
The Red Sox have been pestering the Indians for Coco Crisp pretty much since Johnny Damon bolted for the Yankees last month. Sunday, it was revealed that the Indians might have finally cracked. Cleveland and Boston have reportedly hammered out a tentative deal to send Crisp to Boston.
Taken in the context of who they are reportedly to receive in exchange, the deal makes some sense. But that might not be the whole story if the Phillies get involved, as The Plain Dealer reported today.
The deal, as it purportedly stands, would send Crisp to Boston for reliver Guillermo Mota and third-base prospect Andy Marte. Mota is regarded as one of the better right-handed setup men in baseball, with a 3.61 career ERA in stints with the Expos, Dodgers and Marlins.
The Red Sox acquired him as part of the Josh Beckett trade earlier in the offseason. Last year with the Marlins, he set up closer Todd Jones, going 2-2 with two saves. His ERA, 4.70, was a bit high, but he held opposing hitters to a .254 batting average.
In 2003, Mota had a tremendous season for the Dodgers, going 6-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 76 appearances.
Mota would be a very capable replacement for Bob Howry. Paired with Arthur Rhodes, the two would give the Indians one of the top set up corps in the majors.
Marte has piqued the Indians' interest for a while. Coming up through the Braves system, he was highly coveted by many teams, considered a top third base prospect. The Red Sox landed him in the Edgar Renteria trade.
In a handful of games, he hit .227 for Atlanta last year. Marte would likely be groomed as Aaron Boone's replacement, possibly by 2007.
All of it would make sense if not for the sizeable hole Crisp's absence would leave in left field. That's where the Phillies might come in, and that's where things get a bit hairy.
The Plain Dealer also reported that the Indians might turn around and ship Mota to Philadelphia this week for outfielder Jason Michaels.
Michaels, a right-handed hitter, platooned with Kenny Lofton in center field last year for the Phillies. His batting average was good (.304) but the Indians are craving some right-handed power hitting, and Michaels provides little of that. In 105 games last year, he managed only four homers and 31 RBI.
If the Indians acquire Mota, then turn around and deal him for Michaels, I fail to see how they come out ahead in 2006, when everybody will be expecting a playoff run.
The difference between Crisp, a career .287 hitter, and Michaels, a career .291 hitter, is negligible. Michaels might provide a better arm in the outfield, but he likely has less plate discipline than Crisp. Michaels struck out 80 times in 2004 and 45 times last year.
Marte adds a top prospect to the upper tiers of the farm system, but the likelyhood he'll be able to contribute anything meaningful before 2007 is small.
And, without Mota, you'd still be rolling the dice on the rebounding Danny Graves or washed-up Steve Karsay to replace Howry.
If the Indians are satisfied with Mota's physical, they might keep him and send either Rhodes or David Riske to the Phillies for Michaels. Here's hoping that's the case, preferably with Riske.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Montville Township series
For anyone interested in reading some of my non-sports work at my day job, I have a five-part series examining growth in Medina County's Montville Township beginning on Tuesday and running through next Saturday.
I'm a little nervous about the outcome. It is by far the biggest project I've undertaken as a writer. I've been working on it since May, doing interviews when time permitted. I wrote the stories in November, and it was after the first of the year before all the copy, photos and graphics were amassed and edited.
You can read my stories at the Web site for the Medina County Gazette. That is, if it's fully updated and in working order. I've heard more bad things than good about our site.
I'm a little nervous about the outcome. It is by far the biggest project I've undertaken as a writer. I've been working on it since May, doing interviews when time permitted. I wrote the stories in November, and it was after the first of the year before all the copy, photos and graphics were amassed and edited.
You can read my stories at the Web site for the Medina County Gazette. That is, if it's fully updated and in working order. I've heard more bad things than good about our site.
Steel-gray clouds
I might as well just get this off my chest now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl.
No, I haven't been won over to the dark side. It's just a premonition. But it's the same one I had when the Baltimore Ravens made their Super Bowl run in the 2000 playoffs.
The premonition works like this: I'd be cool with any other team winning the Super Bowl. Carolina, Seattle, even Denver. The one image that would really grate me is Bill "The Chin" Cowher glowing as he holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy over his head with black and gold confetti fluttering around him.
The one soundbite I wouldn't be able to stand is Ohio turncoat and budding Browns killer Ben Roethlisberger thanking everyone from God to the water boys for making his Super Bowl MVP possible.
That's how I know. If I don't like it, and it involves the NFL, it's probably going to happen.
Back in my Bowling Green days, I wrote a column about how the Super Bowl seems to have it in for Cleveland. Since I wrote that column prior to New England's victory over St. Louis in February 2002, nothing has changed. Seven of the last eight Super Bowl champions have anti-Cleveland overtones.
John Elway, Lord of the Browns Killers, won Super Bowls off the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Then came back-to-back wins by former Cleveland teams: the St. Louis Rams after the 1999 season and the Ravens after the 2000 season.
After that, the Reign of Bill started. In Cleveland, Bill Belichick was closer to Fred Sanford as a football coach and person. In New England, he is Napoleon, Genghis Khan and George S. Patton rolled into one.
Now Belichick is the coach of a generation, with three Super Bowl titles in four years.
The only solace I have gotten since 1997 was watching the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl after the 2002 season. Even that soured, though, as I tried to wrack my brain to figure how a stalwart NFL franchise like the Browns can fail to make the Super Bowl in 37 years, but the Bucs, who sucked eggs for 90 percent of their existence, could suddenly rise up and win a championship.
So, you see, I know Pittsburgh will win the Super Bowl next month. If it will turn the perpetually-placed knife in Cleveland's back a bit more, the NFL gods will gladly do it.
Next year, when the Steelers pay the Browns their annual visit and subsequent butt-whupping, Browns fans had better wear flak jackets to the lakefront. Prideful, arrogant Pitsburgh fans will be out in full force, wearing their world championship merchandise.
At least we'll have a warm-up, when White Sox fans/frontrunners show up in force at Jacobs Field this summer, tooting their own horns.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl.
No, I haven't been won over to the dark side. It's just a premonition. But it's the same one I had when the Baltimore Ravens made their Super Bowl run in the 2000 playoffs.
The premonition works like this: I'd be cool with any other team winning the Super Bowl. Carolina, Seattle, even Denver. The one image that would really grate me is Bill "The Chin" Cowher glowing as he holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy over his head with black and gold confetti fluttering around him.
The one soundbite I wouldn't be able to stand is Ohio turncoat and budding Browns killer Ben Roethlisberger thanking everyone from God to the water boys for making his Super Bowl MVP possible.
That's how I know. If I don't like it, and it involves the NFL, it's probably going to happen.
Back in my Bowling Green days, I wrote a column about how the Super Bowl seems to have it in for Cleveland. Since I wrote that column prior to New England's victory over St. Louis in February 2002, nothing has changed. Seven of the last eight Super Bowl champions have anti-Cleveland overtones.
John Elway, Lord of the Browns Killers, won Super Bowls off the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Then came back-to-back wins by former Cleveland teams: the St. Louis Rams after the 1999 season and the Ravens after the 2000 season.
After that, the Reign of Bill started. In Cleveland, Bill Belichick was closer to Fred Sanford as a football coach and person. In New England, he is Napoleon, Genghis Khan and George S. Patton rolled into one.
Now Belichick is the coach of a generation, with three Super Bowl titles in four years.
The only solace I have gotten since 1997 was watching the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl after the 2002 season. Even that soured, though, as I tried to wrack my brain to figure how a stalwart NFL franchise like the Browns can fail to make the Super Bowl in 37 years, but the Bucs, who sucked eggs for 90 percent of their existence, could suddenly rise up and win a championship.
So, you see, I know Pittsburgh will win the Super Bowl next month. If it will turn the perpetually-placed knife in Cleveland's back a bit more, the NFL gods will gladly do it.
Next year, when the Steelers pay the Browns their annual visit and subsequent butt-whupping, Browns fans had better wear flak jackets to the lakefront. Prideful, arrogant Pitsburgh fans will be out in full force, wearing their world championship merchandise.
At least we'll have a warm-up, when White Sox fans/frontrunners show up in force at Jacobs Field this summer, tooting their own horns.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Song lyric
(With apologies to Zach, who has made this a regular feature of his blog. I'll probably only do this when I'm really "feeling" a song, meaning I probably just bought the CD.)
Everyone knows I'm in
Over my head, over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on your mind
--The Fray, "Over My Head (Cable Car)," How to Save a Life, 2005
Everyone knows I'm in
Over my head, over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on your mind
--The Fray, "Over My Head (Cable Car)," How to Save a Life, 2005
Losing at the line
The free-throw line is an underrated place on the basketball court.
Calvin Murphy, Rick Barry and Mark Price excelled there. Only Barry is probably considered an all-time great.
The free-throw line is the only place a player can take a shot guaranteed to be uncontested. Yet to find an NBA player who can consistently make eight of 10 free throws is bucking the odds, to find one who can make nine of 10 is downright scarce.
Free throws seldom get the credit they deserve for deciding the outcome of games. Yet the Cavaliers are giving all of us a case study in how missed free throws can directly translate into losses.
In last night's 90-89 loss to the Nuggets, the Cavs missed 15 of 35 free throws, including a miss by LeBron James with 0.6 seconds left that would likely have forced overtime.
Last night's performance comes on the heels of bad nights at the line against the Lakers (14-for-23) and Blazers (17-for-24). LeBron also missed a late free throw to tie against Los Angeles.
The Cavs lost all three games, by a grand total of four points.
Statistically, the Cavs are a middle-of-the-pack team at the line, but it hasn't been due to steady mediocrity. Like their wins and losses, Cleveland's free-throw shooting has been streaky this year.
Currently, they rank 11th in the league. In November, they were a top-three team at the line.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is far and away Cleveland's best performer at the line, shooting at 85.2 percent among players who average at least one free-throw attempt per game. After Z, it drops off to the injured Larry Hughes (76.9), LeBron (74.2), Eric Snow (73.8), Damon Jones (73.1) and Donyell Marshall (72.4).
Any player who can't convert at least 75 percent of their free-throw attempts could (and should) be considered a below-average performer at the line. The league average, by team, is 74.67 percent.
By that formula, the Cavs have one good free-throw shooter, one decent free-throw shooter, and the rest need improvement.
(Sparingly-used Luke Jackson is shooting free throws at an 80 percent clip, but is averaging less than one attempt per game).
This is what I mean when I say coach Mike Brown has to emphasize offense with the same gusto he hammers home defense. Last night, through all the abysmal shooting, free throws and otherwise, the Cavs held the best fast-break scoring team to five fast-break points.
These guys will listen to what their coach has to say. And while defense might win championships, the object of the game is still to put the ball in the basket.
Even great teams that possess lockdown defenses like San Antonio and Detroit are still skilled offensive clubs. Having the whole package is how they are title contenders.
Brown can't throw offensive caution to the wind in favor of harping on defense. That's only coaching half of the game.
Just like when the Cavs were struggling on defense each night, if they can't bring it at the free-throw line, and from the rest of the offensive floor, they are going to continue to have a fatal flaw that is going to cost them games.
Calvin Murphy, Rick Barry and Mark Price excelled there. Only Barry is probably considered an all-time great.
The free-throw line is the only place a player can take a shot guaranteed to be uncontested. Yet to find an NBA player who can consistently make eight of 10 free throws is bucking the odds, to find one who can make nine of 10 is downright scarce.
Free throws seldom get the credit they deserve for deciding the outcome of games. Yet the Cavaliers are giving all of us a case study in how missed free throws can directly translate into losses.
In last night's 90-89 loss to the Nuggets, the Cavs missed 15 of 35 free throws, including a miss by LeBron James with 0.6 seconds left that would likely have forced overtime.
Last night's performance comes on the heels of bad nights at the line against the Lakers (14-for-23) and Blazers (17-for-24). LeBron also missed a late free throw to tie against Los Angeles.
The Cavs lost all three games, by a grand total of four points.
Statistically, the Cavs are a middle-of-the-pack team at the line, but it hasn't been due to steady mediocrity. Like their wins and losses, Cleveland's free-throw shooting has been streaky this year.
Currently, they rank 11th in the league. In November, they were a top-three team at the line.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is far and away Cleveland's best performer at the line, shooting at 85.2 percent among players who average at least one free-throw attempt per game. After Z, it drops off to the injured Larry Hughes (76.9), LeBron (74.2), Eric Snow (73.8), Damon Jones (73.1) and Donyell Marshall (72.4).
Any player who can't convert at least 75 percent of their free-throw attempts could (and should) be considered a below-average performer at the line. The league average, by team, is 74.67 percent.
By that formula, the Cavs have one good free-throw shooter, one decent free-throw shooter, and the rest need improvement.
(Sparingly-used Luke Jackson is shooting free throws at an 80 percent clip, but is averaging less than one attempt per game).
This is what I mean when I say coach Mike Brown has to emphasize offense with the same gusto he hammers home defense. Last night, through all the abysmal shooting, free throws and otherwise, the Cavs held the best fast-break scoring team to five fast-break points.
These guys will listen to what their coach has to say. And while defense might win championships, the object of the game is still to put the ball in the basket.
Even great teams that possess lockdown defenses like San Antonio and Detroit are still skilled offensive clubs. Having the whole package is how they are title contenders.
Brown can't throw offensive caution to the wind in favor of harping on defense. That's only coaching half of the game.
Just like when the Cavs were struggling on defense each night, if they can't bring it at the free-throw line, and from the rest of the offensive floor, they are going to continue to have a fatal flaw that is going to cost them games.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
LeBron's instincts
ESPN.com contributor Bomani Jones offers an interesting take on the recent national bellyaching about LeBron James and his inability to singlehandedly lift the Cavaliers to wins over the Lakers and Blazers.
It's the age-old question: when the chips are down, and you are the leader, is it better to enable those around you, or damn the torpedos and take the whole load on yourself?
It's the age-old question: when the chips are down, and you are the leader, is it better to enable those around you, or damn the torpedos and take the whole load on yourself?
Witness to history
Late last week, I found out I have a connection to the new movie "Glory Road," albeit in a strained, convoluted "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" sort of way.
I have met Lutheran West boys basketball coach Phil Argento, who was there when Texas Western's all-black starting lineup bested Adolph Rupp's all-white Kentucky powerhouse in the 1966 NCAA title game. The victory by Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso) was not just a Villanova-over-Georgetown type upset; it went a long way toward erasing racial stereotypes in college basketball.
As The Plain Dealer's Eddie Dwyer wrote today, Argento was an inactive freshman member of Rupp's team in 1966. He spent the game holding equipment for a sideline cameraman.
Odds are, he isn't portrayed in the movie, which was released last weekend, and if he is, the actor playing him probably has no lines. But Argento was there.
I probably should explain how I met Argento. I was the manager for the boys basketball team at Lutheran West for three years. Back then, about 10 years ago, Argento was simply an involved parent who just happened to be a high-school hardwood legend.
In the early 1960s, Argento was one of the top high school basketball players in the state for the now-defunct West High School in Cleveland. His son, Phil Jr., was a sharpshooting guard for Lutheran West.
Phil Sr. and I seldom exchanged words. He probably couldn't pick me out of a police lineup now. But on a few occasions, we had camera duty in common. Argento would tape his son's junior varsity games while I handled the coach's tape for the varsity games.
I don't think I appreciated that I was sharing space with a rather famous basketball player until my senior year, when Argento appeared on "More Sports and Les Levine," a local cable sports talk show (it sticks out in my mind because the show aired in March 1997, the same day Kenny Lofton was traded to the Braves. More callers wanted to talk about the trade than to Argento).
Both Argento and his son went on to bigger and better things after I graduated in 1997. Phil Sr. has been the head coach at Lutheran West for, I believe, five years and has the Longhorns at 11-0 this season. He coaches Richard Semrau, one of the top high school basketball players in the region, perhaps the country.
Phil Jr. went onto to Mount Vernon Nazarene College, where he became Ohio's all-time collegiate leader in three-point shooting.
It's a newspaper story to a lot of people, but my time with the Lutheran West basketball team became more special to me in the past week. Ten years ago, I met someone who was a witness to history, now captured on celluloid.
I have met Lutheran West boys basketball coach Phil Argento, who was there when Texas Western's all-black starting lineup bested Adolph Rupp's all-white Kentucky powerhouse in the 1966 NCAA title game. The victory by Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso) was not just a Villanova-over-Georgetown type upset; it went a long way toward erasing racial stereotypes in college basketball.
As The Plain Dealer's Eddie Dwyer wrote today, Argento was an inactive freshman member of Rupp's team in 1966. He spent the game holding equipment for a sideline cameraman.
Odds are, he isn't portrayed in the movie, which was released last weekend, and if he is, the actor playing him probably has no lines. But Argento was there.
I probably should explain how I met Argento. I was the manager for the boys basketball team at Lutheran West for three years. Back then, about 10 years ago, Argento was simply an involved parent who just happened to be a high-school hardwood legend.
In the early 1960s, Argento was one of the top high school basketball players in the state for the now-defunct West High School in Cleveland. His son, Phil Jr., was a sharpshooting guard for Lutheran West.
Phil Sr. and I seldom exchanged words. He probably couldn't pick me out of a police lineup now. But on a few occasions, we had camera duty in common. Argento would tape his son's junior varsity games while I handled the coach's tape for the varsity games.
I don't think I appreciated that I was sharing space with a rather famous basketball player until my senior year, when Argento appeared on "More Sports and Les Levine," a local cable sports talk show (it sticks out in my mind because the show aired in March 1997, the same day Kenny Lofton was traded to the Braves. More callers wanted to talk about the trade than to Argento).
Both Argento and his son went on to bigger and better things after I graduated in 1997. Phil Sr. has been the head coach at Lutheran West for, I believe, five years and has the Longhorns at 11-0 this season. He coaches Richard Semrau, one of the top high school basketball players in the region, perhaps the country.
Phil Jr. went onto to Mount Vernon Nazarene College, where he became Ohio's all-time collegiate leader in three-point shooting.
It's a newspaper story to a lot of people, but my time with the Lutheran West basketball team became more special to me in the past week. Ten years ago, I met someone who was a witness to history, now captured on celluloid.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Bubbie
After a long, long time (too long if you ask me), "Bubbie" is back.
Today, the Indians dealt left handed pitcher Brian Tallet to the Blue Jays for right-hander Edward "Bubbie" Buzachero.
Move over, Bubby Brister. There's a new Bubbie in town. With a cooler last name that makes him sound like a mafia goon, or a professional boxer from about 1940.
And this Bubbie will be playing for the good guys (or at least at the Class AA affiliate thereof). Although I do long for the days of Bubby under center for the Steelers. Those Pittsburgh teams were quite beatable back when the Browns were winning the AFC Central every year.
Since the Indians are in the habit of signing old acquaintances this winter, I wonder what Dave Burba is up to. Also former Tiger and Yankee Bubba Trammell.
Think about it. Bubbie, Bubba and Burba. Beautifully bashing down and boring through the opposition, beating and besting the whole bunch, brandishing bats and balls to buoy us up on summer nights.
If only Boone, Blake and Broussard would do the same.
Today, the Indians dealt left handed pitcher Brian Tallet to the Blue Jays for right-hander Edward "Bubbie" Buzachero.
Move over, Bubby Brister. There's a new Bubbie in town. With a cooler last name that makes him sound like a mafia goon, or a professional boxer from about 1940.
And this Bubbie will be playing for the good guys (or at least at the Class AA affiliate thereof). Although I do long for the days of Bubby under center for the Steelers. Those Pittsburgh teams were quite beatable back when the Browns were winning the AFC Central every year.
Since the Indians are in the habit of signing old acquaintances this winter, I wonder what Dave Burba is up to. Also former Tiger and Yankee Bubba Trammell.
Think about it. Bubbie, Bubba and Burba. Beautifully bashing down and boring through the opposition, beating and besting the whole bunch, brandishing bats and balls to buoy us up on summer nights.
If only Boone, Blake and Broussard would do the same.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Broncos-Steelers
It's the AFC championship game no Browns fan wanted to see.
The team by which John Elway used to torture Cleveland, revamped with Browns retreads on the defensive line, versus the arch-rival Steelers, in the AFC title game for the seventh time since Bill Cowher became head coach in 1991.
Either way, one of the Browns' old foes is going to get richer while Cleveland remains huddled in the football poorhouse.
Last spring, when Phil Savage unloaded Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Ebenezer Ekuban and Mike Myers to Denver, we knew we were finally going to see whether the Browns' defensive problems lay with a lack of talent, or ineptitude in the front office and coaching staff.
Guess what? The bad apples weren't foisted off on Denver, as we had hoped. The rot is embedded in Cleveland.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan took the Browns' garage-sale merchandise, refurbished it, and could now probably sell it on eBay for a tidy profit. The Broncos had the third-best defense in the NFL this year.
Warren was right when he said the Browns would be sorry for letting he and the others go. Not that any magnificent change would have happened in Cleveland, as it has in Denver. Shanahan runs a tight ship focused on winning, and the Cleveland castoffs have benefitted from the heathier environment.
The Browns, too often, get team leaders focused on themselves more than anything else (Carmen Policy, Butch Davis, Jeff Garcia, John Collins).
The same stable environment exists in Pittsburgh. One of the most astounding statistics in football is the ratio of head coaches to home stadiums the Steelers have had since 1969. Since Chuck Noll was hired as Pittsburgh's coach in 1969, the Steelers have had one coaching change, hiring Cowher when Noll retired.
In that span, the Steelers have called Forbes Field, Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Field home.
Three home stadiums to two head coaches. That, my friends, is stability.
The stability has lent itself to a great team environment, free of John Collins-esque fiascos. Great draft picks are nurtured and cultivated into productive players. As a result, the Steelers won four Super Bowl titles under Noll, had a fifth Super Bowl appearance under Cowher, and score almost-yearly playoff appearances.
With the Colts and Patriots knocked out of the playoffs this year, the Vince Lombardi Trophy appears up for grabs. Nobody should be surprised if the Steelers are hoisiting it in three weeks.
Cowher has developed a reputation of a coach who can get his team to the doorstep of a championship but never to the summit. But if your team is banging on the door almost every January, sooner or later, you're probably going to get in.
The sustained success of the Steelers, and to a lesser extent the Broncos, is probably as painful to watch as anything if you are a Cleveland fan. It is for me.
Shots, drives and fumbles I can get over. What really gets under my skin is watching a rival win a championship. More than anything, it rubs salt in the wound of wanting, reminding me what my teams don't have.
The team by which John Elway used to torture Cleveland, revamped with Browns retreads on the defensive line, versus the arch-rival Steelers, in the AFC title game for the seventh time since Bill Cowher became head coach in 1991.
Either way, one of the Browns' old foes is going to get richer while Cleveland remains huddled in the football poorhouse.
Last spring, when Phil Savage unloaded Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Ebenezer Ekuban and Mike Myers to Denver, we knew we were finally going to see whether the Browns' defensive problems lay with a lack of talent, or ineptitude in the front office and coaching staff.
Guess what? The bad apples weren't foisted off on Denver, as we had hoped. The rot is embedded in Cleveland.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan took the Browns' garage-sale merchandise, refurbished it, and could now probably sell it on eBay for a tidy profit. The Broncos had the third-best defense in the NFL this year.
Warren was right when he said the Browns would be sorry for letting he and the others go. Not that any magnificent change would have happened in Cleveland, as it has in Denver. Shanahan runs a tight ship focused on winning, and the Cleveland castoffs have benefitted from the heathier environment.
The Browns, too often, get team leaders focused on themselves more than anything else (Carmen Policy, Butch Davis, Jeff Garcia, John Collins).
The same stable environment exists in Pittsburgh. One of the most astounding statistics in football is the ratio of head coaches to home stadiums the Steelers have had since 1969. Since Chuck Noll was hired as Pittsburgh's coach in 1969, the Steelers have had one coaching change, hiring Cowher when Noll retired.
In that span, the Steelers have called Forbes Field, Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Field home.
Three home stadiums to two head coaches. That, my friends, is stability.
The stability has lent itself to a great team environment, free of John Collins-esque fiascos. Great draft picks are nurtured and cultivated into productive players. As a result, the Steelers won four Super Bowl titles under Noll, had a fifth Super Bowl appearance under Cowher, and score almost-yearly playoff appearances.
With the Colts and Patriots knocked out of the playoffs this year, the Vince Lombardi Trophy appears up for grabs. Nobody should be surprised if the Steelers are hoisiting it in three weeks.
Cowher has developed a reputation of a coach who can get his team to the doorstep of a championship but never to the summit. But if your team is banging on the door almost every January, sooner or later, you're probably going to get in.
The sustained success of the Steelers, and to a lesser extent the Broncos, is probably as painful to watch as anything if you are a Cleveland fan. It is for me.
Shots, drives and fumbles I can get over. What really gets under my skin is watching a rival win a championship. More than anything, it rubs salt in the wound of wanting, reminding me what my teams don't have.
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