This past weekend, I felt, was worthy of a Weekend in Review. It was the Presidents’ Day Holiday Weekend, which is exciting, because I love President Bush. I know it’s not his holiday, but still.... Washington and Lincoln weren’t bad, either. There’s an excellent new biography out right now on Washington called His Excellency by Joseph Ellis. It’s a great read, only about 250 pages. On to the weekend....
Friday night after work, Ellen, Brian Campbell, my friend Sabina and I headed down to McSorley’s Ale House in somewhat-downtown Manhattan. You may have heard of McSorley’s as the oldest bar in New York (in continuous existence). It’s quite the experience. Loyal KankaManiacs would love it. It’s a complete dive that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned since the 1800’s. Sawdust is all over the ground, the mustard on each table is in a glass instead of a standard mustard jar, there are old maps all over the wall, and lots of drunk Irish guys yelling at random times. Now, you can only order 2 types of drinks here: light or dark. No mixed drinks, no bottled beers. Light beer or dark beer, made right there. The beers are $2 each, and the waiter (and by waiter I mean drunk Irish guy standing next to the bar) brings them to you 2 at a time. So I guess they cost $4? Excellent brews. The glasses are smaller than regular pint glasses, so you just keep ordering rounds and throwing down beers without having to spend hours deciding what to drink (which helps things when Ellen’s involved). Seeing as it was a Lenten Friday, we all ordered fish & chips, which was pretty good. After 2 hours at this place, everyone was pretty drunk. Sabina still wasn’t sober when she got back to the train station, so her mom had to pick her up. Ellen passed out on the train. Good times all around.
Saturday was a day-night doubleheader of Big East sports action. First, Ellen and I attended the Rutgers-Notre Dame women’s basketball game, which was played under the rules of “no blood, no foul.” Rutgers has some tough-looking girls, presumably from the streets of Newark, who kept blatantly knocking over Megan Duffy and not getting called for any fouls. Ugly, ugly game, double-digit ND loss. I was pretty impressed with the RAC, though, as they got just about a full house. Little Friend Caitlin (manager) was too busy to really stop and chat, so we may try to harass her again next week at Seton Hall.
The nightcap was the Big East Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships from Eisenhower Park (on Long Island, by Nassau Coliseum). So soon after returning from the game, we got in Ellen’s car (actually, her mom’s car, for reasons which are beyond my comprehension) and drove to LI. To give you an idea of how exciting swim meets are, the first 2 events were 1,650 meters each – about 16 minutes of back-and-forth apiece. Yikes. But after that, it got easier to handle, and the platform diving amused me. Both ND teams won the team titles, and both coaches won Coach of the Year. It was the women’s 9th win in a row, and the men’s first ever. Ellen was having a freak-out attack because she LUUUUVS Tim, the men’s coach (he loves the Pope and cowboys). So it was a very exciting night for Ellen. After leaving the pool around 10, and realizing we hadn’t eaten dinner, we met Sabina and Vino at a diner.
The next two days did not really consist of anything that would amuse KankaNation.
Coming up next: because of a scheduling conflict, in lieu of a running diary of the men’s Big East basketball tourney, we will be a doing an international edition of Weekend in Review, starring me, Ellen, Molly who Kanka’s only seen sober that one time she was working at Recker’s, and my brother, from London. Look for it around March 18 or so.
Editor's note: I'll be back next week with the AL East preview.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
The Weekend in Review
Revolving Deadline Edition
Transaction Wire
- Bobcats sign Matt Carroll. Carroll had been leading the NBDL with 20.1 PPG, and was the NBDL player of the month for January.
- The Bears will assign Nick Setta to an NFL Europe team in March.
- Jerome Collins, Mike Goolsby, Justin Tuck, and Ryan Grant were invited to the NFL Combine which started Wednesday and lasts until March 1.
- Raiders allegedly will trade Napoleon Harris and draft picks to Minnesota for Randy Moss. Hoorah for the malcontents.
- Jerry Jones signs Drew Bledsoe. Hey, it doesn't take that much talent to take a snap and hand off to Julius.
- Calgary Stampeders name Bill Diedrick QB/RB coach. I'll let you form your own opinions on the press release.
- Indians sign Darren Bragg to a minor league deal. I'm not sure, but I think Bragg started his career before Darrin Bragg was even born.
- Nationals sign Carlos Baerga to a minor league deal.
Bubble Watch
Men: As you know, the magic number for the men is 34 - that's the number of at-large teams that make the tournament. As of Sunday night, the Irish had an RPI of 39. Of the 38 teams ahead of the Irish, 16 lead their division. That gives the Irish a theoretical "bubble magic number" of 23. Barring any major collapse, I would think that's good enough to dance into a 7-8-9 seed.
Women: Nothing to worry about here. A loss to Rutgers dropped them to #10 in both polls. But, the 12th toughest schedule gives them an RPI of 5, one ahead of tOSU. Look for a 2 seed for the "Lady Irish."
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Is Nascar turning into the WWE with its sponsorships? Darryl Waltrip was on SportsCenter recently, and it named him as the Nextel Cup Champion in '82, '83, and '85. But wait... it wasn't called the Nextel Cup back then.
- Thanks to the two pieces of "fan mail" I recently received. One shared my admiration of Brian Brennan. The other asked about the Kim Dunbar that works for DavidGivens87.com. I looked into it, and it turns out Givens' site is made by Paid, Inc., a Massachusetts company that, among other things, makes personal websites for athletes. (Check out TroyBrown80.com, KevinFaulk33.com, and MattLight72.com among others). Dunbar writes for all of these sites, so I'm not sure whether or not this is the same Kim Dunbar.
- So, I was in the ND Bookstore this past weekend, and do you believe they sell video games now?
- Speaking of ND, the McDonalds High School All-American Game, featuring ND recruit Luke Zeller, will be played at the Joyce Center March 30. Who's with me? There's even a special event at Bethel College on the 28th as part of the festivities. Bethel's such a nice school.
- Link of the week #1: If you're ever wondering what the current Bones are up to, check out these videos taken by current GradAss Matt Merten. I will warn you, though, that "Bones Love Nature" prominently features F-Bomb being F-Bomb.
- Link of the week #2: Apparently, there's this site called The Face Book, where you enter your information and list your friends who are also a part of the Face Book. And they list their friends, etc. Originally, I thought it was only for current ND students, but apparently alumni can join as well. Here's why Ellen has join: not only is it a blatant "your face" reference, but there's also a group called "The DJ Fitzpatrick Fan Club." I swear I'm not making this up. (Hat tip to Andy for pointing this out to me.)
- Link of the week #3: For all you liberal democrat ND sports fans out there, here's Musings of a Domer.
- Wrasslin' Rambling #1: Dave, it's too bad your brother is abroad this semester. Otherwise, he could have warned us that Mick Foley was coming to ND on February 17 to talk. You could have gone up to him afterwards and told him that you, too, come from "the city of Long Island."
- Wrasslin' Rambling #2: Chyna (or, Chyna Doll, as she is now known to avoid legal prosecution from the WWE) is on this season's "Surreal Life." In the next episode that's coming up, her boyfriend shows up and they get in a fight. Now, do you remember who her boyfriend is? That's right, it's none other than X-Pac. I'm not even making this up.
AL East preview coming later this week.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
MLB Preview 3: NL East
Atlanta Braves
LineupRafael Furcal SS
Marcus Giles 2B
Raul Mondesi RF
Chipper Jones 3B
Brian Jordan LF
Johnny Estrada C
Andruw Jones CF
Adam LaRoche 1B
Rotation
Tim Hudson
John Smoltz
John Thomson
Mike Hampton
Horacio Ramirez
This is a good lineup, if Mondesi and Jordan can still perform, and if Estrada's year wasn't just a flash in the pan. The only thing close depth on offense is in their infield - Julio Franco and Nick Green - include Wilson Betemit if you think he's going to break out this year.
The rotation has experience if nothing else. All they have to do is get it to Bobby Cox's endless bullpen and hand the ball to new closer Danny Kolb. If Kolb can do well in Milwaukee, imagine what he can do on an Atlanta staff.
Philadelphia Phillies
LineupJimmy Rollins SS
Chase Utley/Placido Polanco 2B
Bobby Abreu RF
Jim Thome 1B
Pat Burrell LF
Mike Lieberthal C
David Bell 3B
Kenny Lofton CF
Rotation
Brett Myers
Randy Wolf
Vincente Padilla
Jon Lieber
Paul Abbott
Corey Lidle
Gavin Floyd
Rollins and Thome are strong. Abreu had a good year batting in front of Thome - look for him to repeat. And, finally, Pat Burrell was able to play at his expectation level. Other than that, this isn't a division winning lineup. Lieberthal is a good hitting catcher, and Bell and Utley are good role players. But will Lofton be agreeable? And can more than Rollins, Thome, Abreu, and Burrell produce consistently, or even stay healthy consistently?
The rotation has a lot of great middle of the rotation names, but someone will need to step up and be a dominator if this team wants to go anywhere. If they do, their bullpen, again lead by Billy Wagner, shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Florida Marlins
LineupJuan Pierre CF
Luis Castillo 2B
Miguel Cabrera LF
Carlos Delgado 1B
Mike Lowell 3B
Paul LoDuca C
Juan Encarnacion RF
Alex Gonzalez SS
Rotation
Dontrelle Willis
Josh Beckett
AJ Burnett
Al Leiter
Ismael Valdez
Logan Kensing
Nate Bump
Throwing a healthy Delgado in the middle of this lineup makes it look really nice, arguably the best in the division (it'll take a healthy Lowell and good years from 6, 7, and 8).
The rotation will need bounce-back years from Willis and Beckett, and the long awaited breakout of Burnett. The veteran Leiter in the middle of the rotation will help from an experience standpoint. Meanwhile, the addition of Guillermo Mota turns a so-so bullpen into a pretty good one.
New York Mets
LineupJose Reyes 2B
Kaz Matsui SS
Carlos Beltran CF
Mike Piazza C
Clifford Floyd LF
Mike Cameron RF
Doug Mientkiewicz 1B
David Wright 3B
Rotation
Pedro Martinez
Tom Glavine
Kris Benson
Steve Trachsel
Victor Zambrano
Jae Seo
Matt Ginter
Tyler Yates
Aaron Heilman
Well, you can't buy championships, but little can stop you from trying. This lineup is an interesting one - Reyes, Piazza, and 6 #2 hitters. The emergence of Reyes and Wright are key, of course. But, if Floyd and Cameron can produce, and Mientkiewicz can get back to being a .320 hitter, the Mets will do OK in this division. Speaking of Cameron, who MLB.com expects to move to right, isn't it interesting to have him and Andruw Jones in the same division? Both are 4-tool players, and in each case the lacking tool is hitting for average. The Mets have one of the deepest benches in the NL East. Jason Phillips, Miguel Cairo, and Super Joe Ewing will back up the infield, while former Expo Ron Calloway, fantasy star Victor Diaz, and Eric Valent back up the outfielders.
The rotation looks really good on paper (but, of course, you don't play the game on paper - you play it on grass). Pedro will play well if the team plays well. Benson has been blasted for his poor numbers, but those numbers will look a lot nicer when they're supported by a lineup not wearing gold and black (sorry, Andy). Everyone has Victor Zambrano tabbed as a sleeper this year, and with any luck Heilman will return to his superprospect form. A big name or two in the bullpen by the trading deadline will help, but other than that the pitching staff is pretty much set.
Washington Nationals
LineupBrad Wilkerson 1B
Endy Chavez CF
Jose Vidro 2B
Jose Guillen RF
Termel Sledge LF
Vinny Castilla 3
Brian Schneider C
Christian Guzman SS
Rotation
Tony Armas
Zach Day
Livan Hernandez
Esteban Loaiza
Tomo Ohka
John Patterson
Jon Rauch
Claudio Vargas
This is just one of a possible 100 lineups with the replaceable parts on this team. Throw Alex Escobar or hot prospect Ryan Church in the outfield. Move Wilkerson to the outfield if Nick Johnson finally decides to show up. Heck, why not let Frank Robinson return to his player-manager days?
The rotation is not as bad as it looks. I'd go into detail, but I don't want to think about it too much and end up changing my mind. The bullpen? Well, when I'm looking at the entire staff and have to ask, "who's the closer?", they're in trouble. Rocky Biddle, used as a closer and a spot starter (hey, if he's good, you might as well give him playing time) last year, will miss most of the year with a shoulder injury. So, the Washington staff will need some help.
Monday, February 14, 2005
The Weekend in Review
Browns Notes
- Patriots Secondary Coach Eric Mangini has decided to stay in New England as the Defensive Coordinator. He took winning and learning under Bill Belichick over money - I'll salute him for that. With Mangini off the Browns' list, they most likely will turn to former Cleveland linebacker Pepper Johnson, most recently a position coach with the Patriots.
- The Offensive Coordinator position goes to former Giants running back Maurice Carthon. Carthon, most recently an Offensive Coordinator for Bill Parcell's Cowboys, has coached with Romeo Crennel for 13 years.
- Good news for the Cleveland fans who like him - and for the man himself - Terry Robiskie will stay with the Browns as their receivers coach. It would have been nice to see him as the OC, but you have to expect a demotion for a guy from a fired staff.
- Other hirings: Jerry Rosburg, special teams (retains his current job); Jeff Davidson, O-Line; John Lott, strength and conditioning.
- Well, I was hoping to break the news nationally when I heard it Sunday, but now I'm too late. Jeff Garcia will be cut by the Browns. I liked him for being a gamer, but he needed to keep his mouth shut and keep his opinions on coaching between him and the team. The new staff likes Kelly Holcomb from what they've seen. Holcomb has been outstanding in relief over the past few years, but no so good when a team has had a week or two to prepare for only him. If the offensive line can protect, and if he can learn not to stare down his intended targets, Cleveland will be OK. Luke McCown is still the QB of the future, and I'm still a fan of the guy (although he needs to get used to the weather). Bowling Green (not a state) productJosh Harris remains on the roster after a late season addition - who knows what his future is.
- After the Davis era, Jeff Faine is becoming considered by the local media "just another first round bust." The fact that he has only played 22 out of a possible 32 games hasn't helped, especially when Courtney Brown and other top picks have had trouble staying healthy. At the same time, though, one of the knocks on Butch Davis is that he overworked his guys in the weight room, not giving them breaks and causing them injuries. But, the knock on Faine is that Melvin Fowler, drafted the year before, is a better center. Now, wait a minute. Story time. At the beginning of this year, the Packers released Tim Couch. They said that they had compared the tapes of Couch at Kentucky and what they were seeing now - it wasn't the same. The Browns staff had messed up his delivery, and the Packers didn't have the time or the motivation to correct it. Isn't it possible that the same thing happened to Faine? He's spent two years hearing about how the guards next to him are terrible, and as a result often tries to overcompensate. I wish I had stats to back my claim up, but for now there's nothing to combat Butch Davis's O-Line coach and a growingly feisty Cleveland media.
Transaction Wire
- T-Wolves fire Flip Saunders and name Kevin McHale interim coach. Well, someone's got to get that talent to play well. Will it be McHale? We shall see. I can only speculate based on the recent performances of Isiah Thomas and Larry Bird, but I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that.
- Nets trade second round picks in '05 and '07 to Golden State for Clifford Robinson. I had to look this up, because I had no idea. Robinson is 37 years old. Funny, I thought he was about 37 when I started watching basketball 15 years ago.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Great quote from my grandpa the other day. The family was discussing anniversaries, and my grandma said that she and Grandpa had been married for 59 years. I jokingly mentioned that she had a bit of a sour face when she said that. She said that it was because Grandpa always claimed that one day he would "trade her in for the new model." Grandpa's response: "Yeah, I thought when she turned 40, I could trade her in for two 20's."
- Utah paid $68 million for Carlos Boozer this offseason, and now they're starting to regret it. First of all, they're finally realizing that Boozer is not a $68 mil superstar - he's a role player that works well on a team with a star center and a star perimeter player. He's definitely not a #1 option, although he thinks he should be. And now, he's starting to mail it in on the court, especially on defense (where he wasn't that great to begin with). The Jazz have called him out on it, and it's all downhill from here. Meanwhile, Drew Gooden has taken over Boozer's double-double every night role in Cleveland.
- Speaking of disgruntled Cavs, Darius Miles is not happy in Portland. Say what you want, but character guys and chemistry do make a difference, even in the pros.
- Finally, in "you can't make this up" news, an Akron, OH man is being investigated by the FBI after allegedly sending threatening emails to Ray Lewis via his charity organization. Some reports say that the man is a relative of one of the two men killed by Lewis's posse in 2000. Wow, I can't even comment on this one - there's just too much going on.
Later this week: NL East Preview.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
MLB Preview 2: AL West
Fighting Los Angeles Fighting Baseball Angelroons of Anaheim, California, USA
LineupChone Figgins 3B
Orlando Cabrera SS
Garret Anderson LF
Vlad Guerrero RF
Steve Finley/Jeff DaVanon CF
Darin Erstad 1B
Tim Salmon DH
Bengie Molina/Josh Paul C
Adam Kennedy 2B
Rotation
Bartolo Colon
Jarrod Washburn
Kelvim Escobar
John Lackey
Paul Byrd
Aaron Sele
Ramon Ortiz
Esteban Yan
I tried to go lefty/righty here, but in a perfect situation, Vlad hits 3rd, Anderson 4th, and a meathead righty hits fifth. Finley is a decent pickup, though.
Not much change in the rotation - Byrd is serviceable and will give the Angels good innings. Plus, he's a great change of pace after throwing Colon and Washburn at an opponent. And, of course, the bullpen is once again great, even after the loss of Troy Percival.
Oakland A's
LineupMark Kotsay CF
Jason Kendall C
Eric Chavez 3B
Erubiel Durazo DH
Eric Byrnes LF
Nick Swisher RF
Bobby Crosby SS
Scott Hatteberg 1B
Mark Ellis/Marco Scutaro 2B
Rotation
Barry Zito
Rich Harden
Danny Haren
Juan Cruz
Justin Duchscherer
OK, the A's lineup in reality will look nothing like this. But, I have no idea how a moneyballer would play it. Durazo has been playing low in the order; Ellis is normally a 1-2 guy but is coming off surgery. I may have given Byrnes too much credit, and judging by the reviews, I may not have given enough. The bad news for Steve Stanley (A's best AA player, mediocre year at AAA) and Brian Stavisky (high A) is that, in addition to three quality starting outfielders, the A's also have Bobby Kielty and Charles Thomas coming off the bench.
Major turnover in the rotation for a team that only needed to use 6 starters all of last year. Harden and Haren are huge on promise, though. I don't know if Cruz will be a starter, but they really don't have anyone else to do it. The lack of experienced starting pitching could really wear on what otherwise is a good looking bullpen (and on the cartilage of curveballer Zito if he needs to become an innings eater this year).
Texas Rangers
LineupMichael Young SS
Hank Blalock 3B
Alfonso Soriano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Richard Hidalgo RF
Dave Dellucci/Adrian Gonzalez DH
Kevin Mench LF
Laynce Nix/Gary Matthews CF
Rod Barajas C
Rotation
Kenny Rogers
Ryan Drese
Chan Ho Park
Pedro Astacio
Ricardo Rodriguez
Joaquin Benoit
RA Dickey
Chris Young
Juan Dominguez
Nick Regilio
Kameron Loe
Not much change in the lineup this year. Hidalgo basically replaces Brad Fullmer. I have a feeling that Nix and Matthews will have a bit of a lefty/righty platoon. I'd love to see PT for Gonzalez this year, too. But, with Teixeira at first, it will have to be at DH unless he can learn to play the outfield.
Rogers is backed by a boatload of decent young starters in the rotation. But, can any of those guys make the jump from "decent" to "great?" We shall see. Meanwhile, the best bullpen in the league returns led by breakout star closer Francisco Cordero.
Seattle Mariners
LineupIchiro! RF
Randy Winn LF
Richie Sexson 1B/DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Bret Boone 2B
Bucky Jacobsen DH/1B
Miguel Olivo/Dan Wilson C
Pokey Reese SS
Jeremy Reed CF
Rotation
Jamie Moyer
Gil Meche
Joel Pineiro
Ryan Franklin
Bobby Madritsch
Ron Villone
Travis Blackley
Clint Nageotte
Cha Seung Baek
Wow. Well, that's how the lineup may look, but I really have no idea. Perhaps Mike Hargrove will try something completely different. This lineup looks great 1-6 - assuming Sexson stays healthy, Beltre wasn't a flash in the pan, and Boone isn't a 'roid user. But after that it's not so good. Reese will play great defense no matter where he is, and I put him and Reed at the bottom of the order as "secondary leadoff men." To be honest, though, I've never heard of Reed before in my life. The tricky task for Hargrove will be to get 3B Justin Leone in the lineup. Leone showed some promise after being called up after the All Star break, but cooled off over the rest of the season.
The lineup won't scare too many people, but that may be to Seattle's advantage. Given these guys, I'd go with a 5-man rotation, but would try to convince Moyer that he would be by #1 and #4 starter. The numbers of Meche, Pineiro, and Franklin last year weren't great, but they'll look much better with this lineup. All they need to do is get it to the 7th, so Rafael Soriano, Shiggie Hasegawa, and Everyday Eddie Guardado can take over.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
The Weekend in Review
Sorry, talking animals and groin shots not included
NFL Playoffs Update
Players
Jerome Bettis, RB - Pittsburgh: This Week: 17 rush for 64 yd and 1 TD, 1 fumble lost. Total: 44 rush for 165 yards and 2 TDs, and 1 lost fumble. 1 rec for 21 yd.
Brennan Curtin, OT, Green Bay: Team total: 105 rushing yards, 2 sacks given up.
Vontez Duff, CB, Pittsburgh:
Tony Fisher, RB - Green Bay: Total: 1 rush for 4 yards, 2 receptions for 1 yard, and 1 drop.
David Givens, WR - New England: This week: 3 receptions for 31 yards and 1 TD. Total: 12 receptions for 116 yards and 3 TD. 1 rush for -1 yards.
Joey Goodspeed, FB - St. Louis: Total: Thrown at once (screen pass), 0 receptions.
Paul Grasmanis, DT - Philadelphia:
Jim Jones, OG - Pittsburgh: Team this week: 163 rushing yards, 1 sack given up. Team total: 356 rushing yards, 2 sacks given up.
Mike Rosenthal, OL, Minnesota: Team total: 98 rushing yards 2 sacks given up.
Allen Rossum, PR - Atlanta: This week: 4 kickoff returns for 102 yards, 2 punt returns for 20 yards. Total: 8 kickoff returns for 182 yards, 5 punt returns for 172 yards and 1 TD.
Gerome Sapp, S - Indianapolis: Total: 2 special teams tackles.
Hunter Smith, P - Indianapolis: Total: 8 punts, 40 yard average, 5 inside 20, long of 54 yards.
Bobby Taylor, CB - Seattle:
Coaches
(Former ND assistants or ND alumni)Pete Bercich, Linebackers Assistant, Minnesota: Linebackers total: 26 tackles, 1 forced fumble.
Kirk Doll, Special Teams, Denver: Team total: 23.5 kick return average, -1.0 punt return average. 18.0 kick return average and 9.0 punt return average given up.
Bishop Harris, Running Backs, New York Jets: Team total: 226 rushing yards.
Jim Johnson, Defensive Coordinator, Philadelphia: Team this week: 24 points , 236 passing yards, 113 rushing yards given up. Team total: 48 points, 688 passing yards, 319 rushing yards given up. 3 interceptions.
Dean Pees, Linebackers, New England: Linebackers this week: 19 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT. Linebackers total: 54 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT.
Johnny Roland, Running Backs, Green Bay: Team total: 105 rushing yards, 1 TD.
Kurt Schottenheimer, Defensive Backs, Green Bay: Team total: 284 passing yards, 4 TD given up.
George Stewart, Receivers, Atlanta: Team this week: 136 receiving yards. Team total: 220 receiving yards, 2 TD.
Mike Stock, Special Teams, St. Louis: Team this week: 17.4 kick return average, no punt returns. 20.0 kick return average and 50.7 punt return average given up (including 1 punt return TD). Team total: 20.3 kick return average, 4.7 punt return average. 18.9 kick return average and 40.3 punt return average given up, with 1 punt return TD.
Trent Walters, Secondary, Philadelphia: Team this week: 236 passing yards. Team total: 688 passing yards and 3 TD given up. 3 interceptions.
Charlie Weis, Offensive Coordinator, New England: Team this week: 24 points, 236 passing yards, and 113 rushing yards. Team total: 85 points, 597 passing yards, 449 rushing yards.
Transaction Wire
- Tigers sign Magglio Ordonez. Catcher? Check. Right fielder? Check. Hey, only 7 more years until they're contenders!
- Devil Rays trade Jose Cruz Jr. for Casey Fossum. Will they have good years? Will they underacheive again? Who knows! It's baseball time again in Phoenix and Tampa!
- Browns sign Romeo Crennel to a 5 year deal worth $11mil.
- NBA All-Stars of note: Vince Carter (starter), LeBron James (starter), Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Rashard Lewis.
- ND Trustee Dave Duerson resigns his post facing charges of domestic battery. Lucas Sayre of Daily Contentions calls the resignation "telling." Don't forget, though, that Duerson was a big Malloy backer, and that Monk's camp is noted for over-control of public image.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Nothing says "impending sense of doom" like Tim Higgins' crew doing a Syracuse-ND. Now, he shouldn't get all the blame this time - after all, he wasn't the one who went 5-17 from the free throw line.
- Seeing Dennis Lattimore at the free throw line running the "high" of the high-low offense against Syracuse's 2-3 zone, was I the only one who missed Tom Timmermans' shooting and passing ability from that spot on the floor?
- On to that football game. I made a point of not watching any pregame... or so I thought. When will I learn that a 6pm start on Fox really means 6:35?
- You have to love Alicia Keys for her respect of the legends who came before her, or at least her manager for making her look like she does. Playing with Stevie Wonder at an awards show, and now the tribute to Ray Charles with his alma mater. There's someone with her head on straight. (And yes, I do now officially have a thing for girls named "Alicia." I hate you guys.
- Early on in the pregame, I made a wishful comment about the Anthem being sung the right way - by a military choir. Who knew that I would get my wish? Well done, NFL.
- Speaking of well done, my dad and I both incredibly 'ppreciated the tribute to the WWII vets. A big salute to bringing class to sports instead of going for ratings.
- Very early in the game, I could tell Romeo Crennel was a great choice as Cleveland's new head coach. The Browns' defense has been incredibly inconsistent these past few years. This year, it boiled down to sloppy tackling. The Patriots, meanwhile, rarely missed a tackle early on (there were maybe two in the first half, one by Troy Brown). Instead, they wrapped up, held on, and drove back. The Browns can start with a fundamentally sound defense and build from there.
- Not a great game from Givens, but of course he came up with a key touchdown. Next time, though, don't do your mocking celebration right next to the ref. Have you learned nothing from Bobby Brown?
- Hey, a quality halftime show that everyone could enjoy. It was odd, though, seeing people of all ages, and even families, rocking out in the SRO area around the stage - an area normally reserved for groupies and "beautiful people."
- What happened to the Eagles halfway through the final quarter? I started seeing the Eagles of last year's NFC championship - a team that blatantly didn't show up. That team was a team that didn't want to go over the middle, ole'd balls for fear of getting hit, and didn't fight for the extra yards. This team was patient to a fault, getting way to cautious at a time when they didn't need to be.
- OK, OK, so Terrell Owens had a great game. Was he even hurt? I was expecting a Byron Leftwich-esque "looks great during the play and drastically worse after the whistle" performance where his teammates would have to carry him down the field by the end of the game.
- Speaking of receivers with great games - would Deion Branch be getting the proper attention for tearing up the great Eagle pass defense if he was a big talker?
- My dad loved the group hug by Belichick, Crennel, and Weis. I wouldn't be surprised to find a framed picture of it in our living room one day. It may be a while, though - I just tried to find it using Google with no luck (let me know if you see it).
- I don't know how much Fox contributed to the pregame, but they definitely could have done better with the postgame. Hey, this is a great moment in sports - let's bring in Darryl Waltrip to advertise the Daytona 500 for the 300th time tonight!
- Cleveland GM Phil Savage said he was going to offer Crennel the head coaching spot shortly after the game. He wasted no time - Crennel's cell phone rang at 10:30 and he accepted the job. Rumor has it that Maurice Carthon of Dallas will be the Offensive Coordinator.
- The new man of the hour, meanwhile, is Patriots DB coach Eric Mangini. Mangini is supposed to be offered the Defensive Coordinator position in both New England and Cleveland (and is expected to pick Cleveland due to a bigger offer). Can he handle it? Well, he was the Patriots DB coach this year. Meanwhile, with a few more years' experience, Patriots DLine coach and former Browns linebacker Pepper Johnson is due to be a popular choice as someone's Defensive Coordinator.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Super Bowl XXXXIXXIXXXIX. Or whatever.
by Klondike, special to KankaNation
I suppose I have to contribute some sort of meaningful, Super-Bowl-Related commentary to the blog. The Whiskey Monster has been trying to convince me to do a colorful and insightful review of the game, backed up with statistics and historical facts and whatnot. Unfortunately, the Whiskey Monster left after half time, and the Gin Fiend had to take over.
The Gin Fiend doesn't know fuck-all about sports. I had to go with the next best thing.
Why yes, Mr. Fiend, I will have an extra olive with that.
All the best.
Editor's note: First of all, I hope Klondike's not too pissed that I blatantly stole this from the message board. Second, I'll be back tomorrow with a Weekend in Review, and later this week with MLB Preview #2.
The Gin Fiend doesn't know fuck-all about sports. I had to go with the next best thing.
Commercial Highlights:
- Bud Light: One of the first ones out there, where the pilot jumps after the beer. Simple. Funny. Short and sweet. Thumb up.
- Quiznos: That talking baby. Slightly humorous the first time we saw it. Incredibly annoying the 98th time we saw it. Thumb down.
- Fed-Ex: 10 things needed in a Super Bowl Commercial. Groin kicks, dancing grizzly bears, and hot girls. Thumb up.
- Subway: Two guys in a car eating sandwiches. This does absolutely nothing for me. Way to blow your advertising bucks, guys. Thumb down.
- GoDaddy.Com: Hot Girl on a spoof of C-Span. Hilarious. Thumb up.
- Diet Pepsi: P-Diddy gets a ride in a Diet Pepsi truck, causing everybody to drive one. Thumb up on the monster Diet Pepsi truck.
- Regular Pepsi: Thumb up on the beautiful girls. Thumb down on the terrible, terrible commercial.
- Lays: Random nonsense getting thrown over a fence, including MC Hammer. Awesome. Thumb up.
- U.S.Cellular: Some guy shoving his pelvis at people. Plus, it's an old commercial. Thumb down. Way down.
- Tobasco Sauce: Hot Sauce. Hot Girl. Thumb Up.
- Nascar: Pirates? Thumb up. Nascar? Thumb down. Nice try.
- CareerBuilder.Com: A normal guy working with a bunch of monkeys. We've all had days like this. Did I mention Monkeys? Thumb up.
- Anheuser-Busch: Airport travelers giving a standing ovation to American soldiers. Well done. Thumb Up.
- American Mortgage: 'Don't Judge Too Quickly' Situational comedy, Thumb up. The guy looking like an idiot every time (as opposed to the girl) Thumb down.
- Hyundai: Ugly pickup truck, thumb down. Big-Ass Alaskan belt buckle, thumb up.
- Bubblicious: LeBron James walks out acting like LeBron James. This is a commercial for Bubblicious. ?! Thumb gouging out eyeballs.
Potential Things That We Should've Seen, But Didn't:
- The Eagles winning the Super Bowl.
- Paul McCartney's Breast.
- Team captains beating the ever-loving crap out of that little kid for such a bullshit coin toss.
- Paul McCartney's Drummer's Breast.
- Bush vs. Clinton Celebrity Deathmatch.
Why yes, Mr. Fiend, I will have an extra olive with that.
All the best.
Editor's note: First of all, I hope Klondike's not too pissed that I blatantly stole this from the message board. Second, I'll be back tomorrow with a Weekend in Review, and later this week with MLB Preview #2.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Super Bowl XXXIX Preview
Eagles Rush Offense vs. Patriots Rush Defense
The Eagles ran for 1639 yards this year, 4 more than Corey Dillon had in less than 16 games. This isn't a pound it out team. Brian Westbrook (812 yards, 3 TD) will get the brunt of the carries, but Dorsey Levens (410 yards, 4 TD) will get his fair share. But Levens really isn't a role player - the "big back" or short yardage guy - he's used whenever. Aside from Westbrook and Levens, Donovan McNabb has strategically rushed for 220 yards this year. With 3 rushing touchdowns, he's always a threat in the red zone.The Patriots gave up 1572 yards on the year, which comes to less than 100 yards per game. They chiefly employ a 3-4. The 3-4 isn't used by many teams, but those who do use it use it very well (the Steelers are another example of this - have you ever seen a team with a bad defense run the 3-4?). If necessary, though, the Pats aren't afraid to put 9 guys in the box, or even 2 guys in the box.
Patriots Rush Offense vs. Eagles Rush Defense
Dillon was the workhorse for New England this year. In addition to his 1635 yards, he also had 12 touchdowns. Kevin Faulk had 255 yards in a spot role. Everyone's a player in this offense, too - fullback Patrick Pass had 39 carries this year, abnormally high for a "no-name" fullback these days.The Eagles, meanwhile, are not known for their run defense. Somehow, though, only Mike Martz and Butch Davis of all people were able to figure that out this year. Philadelphia gave up 1903 yards on the ground this year. Weis knows how to play on an opponent's weaknesses, so look for a steady dose of Dillon in this one.
Eagles Pass Offense vs. Patriots Pass Defense
Will Terrell Owens play or won't he? Doesn't God have better things to do than talk to spoiled loudmouths? I'm sure Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel realize that even if he plays, TO won't be much more than a decoy. Who's the guy to stop then? Brian Westbrook. Westbrook is a Marshall Faulk-in-his-prime style threat out of the backfield. Do the Patriots have a linebacker athletic enough to cover him? Will Crennel just settle into a zone? Or will we see Kevin Faulk's debut as a DB spying Westbrook? Besides Owens and Westbrook, McNabb has distributed most of the remainder of his 3875 yards and 31 TDs between Todd Pinkston (676 yards, 1 TD), Freddie Mitchell (377 yards, 2 TD), LJ Smith (377 yards, 5 TD), and Chad Lewis (267 yards, 3 TD). Chad Lewis, of course, is out as well, moving Jeff Thomason to backup TE.Facing the team that no longer has any receivers is the team that no longer has any DBs. The pass defense, and really the defense as a whole, revolves around the linebackers. New England had 45 sacks this year, led by Willie McGinest with 9.5 and Mike Vrabel with 5.5, Patrolling the middle of the field will be leading tackler and safety Rodney Harrison. The Patriots as a team gave up 3400 yards in the air this season.
Patriots Pass Offense vs. Eagles Pass Defense
Will Charlie Weis go to the air when former ND assistant Jim Johnson tries to crowd the box? If he does, he has a 3692 yard, 28 TD season from Tom Brady to work with. David "I thought I was his favorite receiver" Givens led the team with 56 catches for 874 yards. Right behind him is Cleveland castoff David Patten with 800 yards and 7 TDs. Deion Branch is #3 with 454 yards and 4 TDs. Daniel Graham is the red zone threat with 7 TDs, and Faulk and Pass are the threats out of the backfield.Well, the Eagles had to do something right on defense to make it to the Super Bowl. That something right is their pass defense. Philadelphia has held their opponents to 3212 yards in the air and has recorded 47 sacks. The team sack leader, of course, is Jevon Kearse with 7.5. (Only TO could make Kearse's addition underrated.)
Special Teams
If you like kickers (ahem, Ellen), you'll love this game. Adam Vinatieri and David Akers are two of the best. Vinatieri was 31/33 with a long of 48, and Akers was 27/32 with a long of 51.The punters are close as well, and it's hard to give an edge to either one. Josh Miller of New England had an average of 42 yards, a net of 33.7 (hoo hoo), 5 touchbacks, 19/56 inside the 20, and a long of 69. Dirk Johnson of Philadelphia had an average of 42.1, a net of 37.4, 6 touchbacks, 20/72 inside the 20, and a long of 62.
The Eagles gave up an average of 6.5 yards per punt return, and only 34 of Johnson's 72 punts were returnable. Philadelphia's kick coverage teams, however, gave up an average of 23.2 yards per kick, with a long of 75 yards. New England's punt covereage team gave up 11.8 yards per game and 1 TD. Their kick coverage gave up an average of 23.3 yards and 1 TD.
Punt return duties for Philadelphia were shared between Dexter Wynn and Reno Mahe. Mahe was the better of the two, with an average of 10.8 yards and a long of 40. The main kick returner for the Eagles was JR Reed with an average of 23.1 and a long of 66 yards. Kevin Faulk actually got the majority of the punt returns for New England this year, not Troy Brown. Faulk averaged 6.7 yards with a long of 16, while Brown had an average of 6.9 yards and a long of 23. The Patriots' top kick returner was the speedy Bethel Johnson (Bethel's such a nice returner). Johnson had an average of 24.8 yards, with a 93 yard TD return.
Look for a big game from
Brady, Dillon, Givens, Bethel Johnson, Troy Brown, Harrison, Vinatieri Westbrook, Pinkston, Dhani Jones, Akers.
Patriots 33, Eagles 27
Transaction Wire
- Marlins sign Carlos Delgado. I probably should have guessed this when I didn't see Delgado on Dave's fantasy team. And Dave - no "I hate you" cheap shot on the message board - you already got Beltran and Pedro. You'll have to live with...
- Mets trade a prospect to the Red Sox for Doug Mientkiewicz. Mientkiewicz has shown that he can put a solid hitting season together - he should at least be good enough to fit in an NL lineup.
- Pirates sign Ben Grieve. Andy, all I can say is this: hey, at least your football team is doing well. And the NHL lockout can't last forever.
- Cubs trade Sammy Sosa to the Orioles for Jerry Hairston, Jr. and two prospects. The general feeling was that the Sosa-Chicago marriage was over. Hairston and Brian Roberts were both playing well in Baltimore, but you can't put two guys at second base at the same time. (Not even in the T-ball league I played in, where everyone on the 15-20 kid team played defense the whole game - one kid at each regular infield position, and everyone else lining the outfield. If you can have 4 center fielders, I argued, why can't you have two second basemen. Eventually, I did get "promoted" to the right fielder specifically in charge of backing up throws to first base. Whoops, I'm caught in a tangent, aren't I? Moving on.) The only problem for Hairston now is another log jam, as Dusty Baker will likely find a random 35 year old second baseman to start 140 games. Sosa, meanwhile, makes the Oriole lineup look very good - I couldn't find a weak hitter at any position. Of course, quite a few of those guys, including Sosa, are nearing the end of their primes - if they aren't there already.
- Mets sign Scott Stewart. Sorry, I ran out of "Hey, I played little league with a guy named Scott Stewart" jokes last season.
- Cubs sign Jeromy Burnitz. He's no Mags Ordonez, but he can be a decent NL hitter when the wind's blowing out to right.
- That's all I got, other than the Indians trading away a third base bust for a guy that Baseball Think Factory compares to Mark Lewis. I don't even want to think about that.
Bonus Ramblings
- Remember when I mentioned that my dad knew a guy who's daughter was dating Drew Carey. Well, the guy is from Pittsburgh, and apparently he knows Dave Wannstedt well enough that "Wanny" is the godfather of the guy's other daughter. My dad has already started bugging this guy about tickets.
- Congrats to Allen Rossum, who was named the NFC's Pro Bowl return man as an injury replacement.
- Finally, a new entry in the "best website ever" competition - Snooperbowl.com. Snoop Dogg will be bringing his youth football team from California to Jacksonville to play a local all-star youth team. And, a direct quote from the site: "NFL representatives will be on hand for the official announcement of the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL) which will begin play in the fall of 2005." I don't know what's better, the fact that there will be a Snoop Youth Football League, or the fact that the announcement needs NFL representatives on hand.
Monday, January 31, 2005
MLB Preview 1: NL West
Welcome back to the MLB previews. The order as of right now is NL West, AL West, NL East, AL East, NL Central, AL Central - one a week. Remember that the lineups are in the order that I'd put them as manager, not necessarily what they'll be on opening day.
Cesar Izturis SS
Jose Valentin 3B
Milton Bradley LF
Jeff Kent 2B
JD Drew RF
Jayson Werth/Ricky Ledee CF
Hee-Seop Choi/Olmedo Saenz 1B
Dioner Navarro/Paul Bako C
Rotation
Jeff Weaver
Odalis Perez
Derek Lowe
Kaz Ishii
Brad Penny
Wilson Alvarez
Edwin Jackson
Gone are Shawn Green and Adrian Beltre. In are Kent and Drew. Green may not be headed for a great year - he's been in a steady decline, his health hasn't been the best, and he's playing for a team that may make not get him very motivated this year. Beltre, he of huge expectations, took seemingly forever to live up to them. So, there's no guarantee this year will match his last. Kent is still a performer, even if he's not a long-term keeper. If Green and Beltre perform poorly, and Drew stays healthy, the Drew pickup looks like a good one. Meanwhile, Valentin will have to keep drinking from the Julio Franco foutain of youth, Bradley will have to stop making Mark Shapiro look like a genius (in other words, stop doing stupid stuff), and the 6-7-8 spots will have to get some decent production. Werth, Ledee, Choi, and Saenz can all do it in short stints, and Navarro is supposed to be full of talent. The rotation, meanwhile, will have to stay healthy and productive, and not burn out the bullpen before it's Game Over.
Ray Durham 2B
Omar Vizquel SS
Barry Bonds LF
Moises Alou RF
Edgardo Alfonzo 3B
Marquis Grissom CF
JT Snow 1B
Mike Matheny/Yorvit Torrealba C
Rotation
Jason Schmidt
Kirk Rueter
Brett Tomko
Jerome Williams
Noah Lowry
Brad Hennessey
Wayne Franklin
If Alfonzo can produce, and if Grissom can hit with the pop he has been, this isn't a bad lineup. I'd definitely take Bonds/Alou 3-4 over Grissom/Bonds. Vizquel can still get the job done, but he doesn't take crap from people. Let's see how his relationship with Bonds turns out. Meanwhile, the rotation looks decent but not deep. I'd say this team is a hitter, a starter, and a reliever away from a very good team.
Sean Burroughs 3B
Mark Loretta 2B
Brian Giles RF
Phil Nevin 1B
Ryan Klesko LF
Dave Roberts/Jay Payton CF
Ramon Hernandez C
Khalil Greene SS
Rotation
Jake Peavy
Adam Eaton
Woody Williams
Brian Lawrence
Miguel Asencio
Justin Germano
Top to bottom, that's not a bad lineup for an NL. Of course, I'd probably put Roberts at leadoff and move Burroughs to 7 when Roberts plays. And, personally, I'd play Roberts often. If Roberts can teach Greene how to run, and if Loretta joins in on the act both with the base stealers and the big boppers, this is a good team once again. Of course, as always, health will be a huge factor in this team's success. Peavy, Eaton, and Lawrence are great young pitchers, but they needed help. Williams, while not a dominant pitcher, has done well in the middle of the rotation - just the kind of guy this team needs. And Asencio, while he wasn't great for Kansas City, should do better at PetCo and in the NL, and gives the rotation needed depth.
Aaron Miles 2B
Luis A. Gonzalez/Desi Relaford SS
Todd Helton 1B
Preston Wilson CF
Jeromy Burnitz RF
Matt Holliday/Dustan Mohr LF
Alfredo Amezaga 3B
Charles Johnson C
Rotation
Jason Jennings
Joe Kennedy
Aaron Cook
Jamey Wright
Jeff Francis
Jason Young
This lineup has three very good no-name second basemen. Miles broke out last year, although quietly as far as the media's concerned. Gonzalez was a great Rule 5 pickup from Cleveland. Helton is just going to get it done. Holliday/Mohr is a good enough combination in left, but the big questions will be Wilson's health and whether Amezaga - last year Anaheim's "other" utility guy - can play everyday third base.
Scott Hairston/Matt Kata 2B
Craig Counsell/Alex Cintron/Royce Clayton SS
Luis Gonzalez LF
Troy Glaus 3B/1B
Shawn Green RF
Shea Hillenbrand 1B/3B
Reggie Abercrombie/Josh Kroeger/LuisTerrero CF
Chris Snyder/Koyie Hill C
Rotation
Russ Ortiz
Brandon Webb
Casey Fossum
Shawn Estes
Edgar Gonzalez
Lance Cormier
Mike Gosling
There's so many random middle infielders on this team, I'm starting to wonder if I sleep-GM this team. Maybe I should start looking in the mail for a check from ND alum Joe Garagiola, Jr. (or, as Sally Brown would call him, "Joe Garagiagiagiagiola). Neither Glaus nor Hillenbrand can handle a full season at third - Glaus due to health, and Hillenbrand due to skill. That's why the resigning of Counsell was a good move. But, who can play left when Luis Gonzalez gets hurt again? And who can play center period? Kata's an underrated bat - maybe he can play some outfield. Russ Ortiz is a good pickup. Brandon Webb will have to bounce back from a sophomore slump, and Casey Fossum will have to find a way to shake the "never lived up to expectations" billing. If you're out in Arizona this summer, at least you have the sun, the pool, and the random TV shots of Jenny Finch once husband Casey Daigle gets called up.
Los Angeles Dodgers
LineupCesar Izturis SS
Jose Valentin 3B
Milton Bradley LF
Jeff Kent 2B
JD Drew RF
Jayson Werth/Ricky Ledee CF
Hee-Seop Choi/Olmedo Saenz 1B
Dioner Navarro/Paul Bako C
Rotation
Jeff Weaver
Odalis Perez
Derek Lowe
Kaz Ishii
Brad Penny
Wilson Alvarez
Edwin Jackson
Gone are Shawn Green and Adrian Beltre. In are Kent and Drew. Green may not be headed for a great year - he's been in a steady decline, his health hasn't been the best, and he's playing for a team that may make not get him very motivated this year. Beltre, he of huge expectations, took seemingly forever to live up to them. So, there's no guarantee this year will match his last. Kent is still a performer, even if he's not a long-term keeper. If Green and Beltre perform poorly, and Drew stays healthy, the Drew pickup looks like a good one. Meanwhile, Valentin will have to keep drinking from the Julio Franco foutain of youth, Bradley will have to stop making Mark Shapiro look like a genius (in other words, stop doing stupid stuff), and the 6-7-8 spots will have to get some decent production. Werth, Ledee, Choi, and Saenz can all do it in short stints, and Navarro is supposed to be full of talent. The rotation, meanwhile, will have to stay healthy and productive, and not burn out the bullpen before it's Game Over.
San Francisco Giants
LineupRay Durham 2B
Omar Vizquel SS
Barry Bonds LF
Moises Alou RF
Edgardo Alfonzo 3B
Marquis Grissom CF
JT Snow 1B
Mike Matheny/Yorvit Torrealba C
Rotation
Jason Schmidt
Kirk Rueter
Brett Tomko
Jerome Williams
Noah Lowry
Brad Hennessey
Wayne Franklin
If Alfonzo can produce, and if Grissom can hit with the pop he has been, this isn't a bad lineup. I'd definitely take Bonds/Alou 3-4 over Grissom/Bonds. Vizquel can still get the job done, but he doesn't take crap from people. Let's see how his relationship with Bonds turns out. Meanwhile, the rotation looks decent but not deep. I'd say this team is a hitter, a starter, and a reliever away from a very good team.
San Diego Padres
LineupSean Burroughs 3B
Mark Loretta 2B
Brian Giles RF
Phil Nevin 1B
Ryan Klesko LF
Dave Roberts/Jay Payton CF
Ramon Hernandez C
Khalil Greene SS
Rotation
Jake Peavy
Adam Eaton
Woody Williams
Brian Lawrence
Miguel Asencio
Justin Germano
Top to bottom, that's not a bad lineup for an NL. Of course, I'd probably put Roberts at leadoff and move Burroughs to 7 when Roberts plays. And, personally, I'd play Roberts often. If Roberts can teach Greene how to run, and if Loretta joins in on the act both with the base stealers and the big boppers, this is a good team once again. Of course, as always, health will be a huge factor in this team's success. Peavy, Eaton, and Lawrence are great young pitchers, but they needed help. Williams, while not a dominant pitcher, has done well in the middle of the rotation - just the kind of guy this team needs. And Asencio, while he wasn't great for Kansas City, should do better at PetCo and in the NL, and gives the rotation needed depth.
Colorado Rockies
LineupAaron Miles 2B
Luis A. Gonzalez/Desi Relaford SS
Todd Helton 1B
Preston Wilson CF
Jeromy Burnitz RF
Matt Holliday/Dustan Mohr LF
Alfredo Amezaga 3B
Charles Johnson C
Rotation
Jason Jennings
Joe Kennedy
Aaron Cook
Jamey Wright
Jeff Francis
Jason Young
This lineup has three very good no-name second basemen. Miles broke out last year, although quietly as far as the media's concerned. Gonzalez was a great Rule 5 pickup from Cleveland. Helton is just going to get it done. Holliday/Mohr is a good enough combination in left, but the big questions will be Wilson's health and whether Amezaga - last year Anaheim's "other" utility guy - can play everyday third base.
Arizona Diamondbacks
LineupScott Hairston/Matt Kata 2B
Craig Counsell/Alex Cintron/Royce Clayton SS
Luis Gonzalez LF
Troy Glaus 3B/1B
Shawn Green RF
Shea Hillenbrand 1B/3B
Reggie Abercrombie/Josh Kroeger/LuisTerrero CF
Chris Snyder/Koyie Hill C
Rotation
Russ Ortiz
Brandon Webb
Casey Fossum
Shawn Estes
Edgar Gonzalez
Lance Cormier
Mike Gosling
There's so many random middle infielders on this team, I'm starting to wonder if I sleep-GM this team. Maybe I should start looking in the mail for a check from ND alum Joe Garagiola, Jr. (or, as Sally Brown would call him, "Joe Garagiagiagiagiola). Neither Glaus nor Hillenbrand can handle a full season at third - Glaus due to health, and Hillenbrand due to skill. That's why the resigning of Counsell was a good move. But, who can play left when Luis Gonzalez gets hurt again? And who can play center period? Kata's an underrated bat - maybe he can play some outfield. Russ Ortiz is a good pickup. Brandon Webb will have to bounce back from a sophomore slump, and Casey Fossum will have to find a way to shake the "never lived up to expectations" billing. If you're out in Arizona this summer, at least you have the sun, the pool, and the random TV shots of Jenny Finch once husband Casey Daigle gets called up.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
ND Basketball: Where are they now?
Austin Carr: TV color commentator, Cleveland Cavaliers
Adrian Dantley: Assistant coach, Denver Nuggets, and a motivational speaker
Laphonso Ellis: Retired from the Miami Heat after the '02-'03 season
Pat Garrity: Orlando Magic
Ryan Hoover: Upea Capo D'Orlando (Italian league)
Matt Gotsch: Computer teacher and basketball coach at St. Thomas High in Houston
Doug Gottlieb: Transferred to OK St, now a college basketball writer and radio personality for ESPN
Phil Hickey: Last seen mentioned on a Tom Timmermans poster
Friel, Keith: Transferred to Virginia, last played for Boston Frenzy of the ABA
Troy Murphy: Golden State Warriors
David Graves: Gary Steelheads (CBA)
Martin Ingelsby: ND Coordinator of Basketball Operations
Harold Swanagan: ND Strength & Conditioning coach
Javin Hunter: Switched to DB, released by Baltimore Ravens prior to the '04 season
Matt Carroll: Roanoke Dazzle, NBDL
Ivan Kartelo: KK Split (Croatian league)
Jere Macura: Zagorje Tehnobeton (Croatian league)
Mike Monserez: Transferred to Butler after he didn't think Matt Daugherty gave him enough PT, graduated in '04
Ryan Humphrey: Memphis Grizzlies
Torrian Jones: After playing for Boston of the ABA, drafted by Gary of the CBA last September, released last November
Tom Timmermans: MPC Capitals (Dutch league)
Danny White: Ohio U grad school - sports management
Katryna Gaither: Tarbes GB (French league)
Ruth Riley: Detroit Shock, Colorado Chill (NWBL), Team USA
Sheila McMillen: Became an assistant coach for Northwestern in 2001; no longer with the team
Danielle Green: A war hero, she lost part of her left arm in combat in Iraq
Niele Ivey: Indiana Fever, Mann-Filter (Spanish league)
Kelley Siemon: Now Kelley Deyo, assistant coach for Liberty College women's team
Diana Braendly: now active in the ND club of Philadelphia
Meaghan Leahy: With the Springfield (MA) Spirit (NWBL) until they folded in September '04
Imani Dunbar: San Francisco Bay Are ProCity (Pro-Am travelling team)
Alicia Ratay: Saarlouis Royals (German league)
Amanda Barksdale: Homesickness told her to transfer to Houston and play basketball there. Now, she's a grad student at Houston and part time schoolteacher.
Katy Flecky: Still enrolled at ND, she quit the team to focus on academics and graduate in May of '05
Kelsey Wicks: Quit the team for unspecified reasons, appears to have graduated in '04
Allison Bustamante: transferred to Florida International, where she played basketball and apparently graduated in '04
Jill Krause: Still enrolled at ND, she quit the team to enjoy basketball as a fan
Finally, I'll leave you with an interesting article/video clip from BBC Nortern Ireland. "Hat tip" to Classic ND.
Monday, January 24, 2005
NFL Playoffs Update
You know how the games turned out. Let's bring back our look at ND alumni in the playoffs.
What you can look forward to over the next few weeks (maybe): an ND basketball "where are they now?", the return of the MLB division previews, a Super Bowl preview akin to the ND football previews, and not Senior Bowl coverage (as no ND players were selected - good, good).
Players
Jerome Bettis, RB - Pittsburgh: This Week: 17 rush for 64 yd and 1 TD, 1 fumble lost. Total: 44 rush for 165 yards and 2 TDs, and 1 lost fumble. 1 rec for 21 yd.
Brennan Curtin, OT, Green Bay: Team total: 105 rushing yards, 2 sacks given up.
Vontez Duff, CB, Pittsburgh:
Tony Fisher, RB - Green Bay: Total: 1 rush for 4 yards, 2 receptions for 1 yard, and 1 drop.
David Givens, WR - New England: This week: 5 receptions for 59 yards and 1 TD (all clutch). 1 rush for -2 yards. Total: 9 receptions for 85 yards and 2 TD. 1 rush for -1 yards.
Joey Goodspeed, FB - St. Louis: Total: Thrown at once (screen pass), 0 receptions.
Paul Grasmanis, DT - Philadelphia:
Jim Jones, OG - Pittsburgh: Team this week: 163 rushing yards, 1 sack given up. Team total: 356 rushing yards, 2 sacks given up.
Mike Rosenthal, OL, Minnesota: Team total: 98 rushing yards 2 sacks given up.
Allen Rossum, PR - Atlanta: This week: 4 kickoff returns for 102 yards, 2 punt returns for 20 yards. Total: 8 kickoff returns for 182 yards, 5 punt returns for 172 yards and 1 TD.
Gerome Sapp, S - Indianapolis: Total: 2 special teams tackles.
Hunter Smith, P - Indianapolis: Total: 8 punts, 40 yard average, 5 inside 20, long of 54 yards.
Bobby Taylor, CB - Seattle:
Coaches
(Former ND assistants or ND alumni)Pete Bercich, Linebackers Assistant, Minnesota: Linebackers total: 26 tackles, 1 forced fumble.
Kirk Doll, Special Teams, Denver: Team total: 23.5 kick return average, -1.0 punt return average. 18.0 kick return average and 9.0 punt return average given up.
Bishop Harris, Running Backs, New York Jets: Team total: 226 rushing yards.
Jim Johnson, Defensive Coordinator, Philadelphia: Team this week: 10points, 136 passing yards, 99 rushing yards given up. Team total: 24 points, 452 passing yards, 196 rushing yards given up. 3 interceptions.
Dean Pees, Linebackers, New England: Linebackers this week: 18 tackles. Linebackers total: 35 tackles, 1 sack.
Johnny Roland, Running Backs, Green Bay: Team total: 105 rushing yards, 1 TD.
Kurt Schottenheimer, Defensive Backs, Green Bay: Team total: 284 passing yards, 4 TD given up.
George Stewart, Receivers, Atlanta: Team this week: 136 receiving yards. Team total: 220 receiving yards, 2 TD.
Mike Stock, Special Teams, St. Louis: Team this week: 17.4 kick return average, no punt returns. 20.0 kick return average and 50.7 punt return average given up (including 1 punt return TD). Team total: 20.3 kick return average, 4.7 punt return average. 18.9 kick return average and 40.3 punt return average given up, with 1 punt return TD.
Trent Walters, Secondary, Philadelphia: Team this week: 136 passing yards, 1 INT. Team total: 452 passing yards and 1 TD given up. 3 interceptions
Charlie Weis, Offensive Coordinator, New England: Team this week: 41 points, 207 passing yards, and 126 rushing yards. Team total: 61 points, 361 passing yards, 336 rushing yards (so close to 337 but not quite - kind of like me most of the time).
What you can look forward to over the next few weeks (maybe): an ND basketball "where are they now?", the return of the MLB division previews, a Super Bowl preview akin to the ND football previews, and not Senior Bowl coverage (as no ND players were selected - good, good).
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Transaction Wire
- Mets trade Vance Wilson to Detroit for SS prospect Anderson Hernandez.
- Blue Jays sign Billy Koch. True, once the league figured him out, he fell off rapidly. Fortunately, the Jays already have a closer, so maybe this erratic fireballer can settle into a setup role.
- Blue Jays also sign Scott Schoeneweis. He's an innings eater, but only because he's a decent reliever and a mediocre starter. Unfortunately, he's under the impression that he's a good starter, and should only be a starter.
- Blue Jays (have I mentioned them yet?) trade a pitching prospect for Shea Hillenbrand. Well, Carlos Delgado is officially out the door. His numbers are good year-in-year-out, unless you're a die-hard Moneyballer.
- Marlins resign Paul Lo Duca. The man his manager still calls "De Luca" will put up decent numbers when he's healthy. For a team without a huge budget in a league without many good-hitting catchers, Lo Duca will do.
- Braves sign Raul Mondesi. So much potential, so much talent, but... he doesn't live up to expectations and he doesn't always show up (mentally and physically). It's a risk, but it has potential to pay off. Maybe.
- Devil Rays sign Roberto Alomar. Another guy with a tendency to not show up when he's not too happy. There's some good young talent on that team, but they're not there yet. And, how will an apathetic Robbie and Lou Pinella live together?
- Mets sign Roberto Hernandez and Cubs sign Scott Williamson to minor league deals. Didn't Hernandez retire about 17 years ago? A minor league deal for Williamson, meanwhile, is a decent investment if he has a huge spring, or if the Cubs pen (or rotation for that matter) runs into injury problems.
- Indians sign Alex Cora. The Tribe infield is already crowded, but if you look closely, you see this is a two-year deal. Jose Hernandez probably won't last two years, if he even last one. If Ronnie Belliard has another huge year, he may jump into the free agent pool for more money. Plus, if either Brandon Phillips or Jhonny Peralta don't work out, or are still coming along slowly, there's some insurance.
- Even more Gammons-esque signings:
Devil Rays: Danny Bautista
Pirates: Kip Wells
Dodgers: Paul Bako
Astros: Dave Burba
Indians: Warren Morris
A's: Erubiel Durazo
Phillies: Jose Offerman (minor league)
Braves: Brian Jordan
Diamondbacks: Jose Jimenez - 49ers name Ravens DC Mike Nolan head coach. Cue Dave's dad and mine, as Mike's father Dick was San Francisco's head coach in the '60s and '70s.
- Now that the Niners have a coach, it appears that Romeo Crennel is inching ever closer to being named the Browns' head coach. Jim Bates still has an outside shot, but again hiring another former interim coach would only anger the fans who have grown to like Terry Robiskie.
- Ravens promote Jim Fassel to offensive coordinator and name Rick Neuheisel QB coach.
- Jets OC Paul Hackett resigns.
- Rockets release guard Brandin Knight. I was wondering what happened to him.
- UConn signs Gino Auriemma to a five-year contract extension. If you ever want to put yourself in a great deal of pain, try listening to the Huskie women's radio feed. They kiss up to Auriemma almost as much as ESPN.
- Seven Notre Dame coaches show up at the house of DE recruit Lawrence Wilson. Wilson attends St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School, the alma mater of LeBron James. Wilson decommitted when Ty Willingham was fired, so Charlie Weis took the maximum number of coaches he can have on the road at one time (7) and sent them all to Wilson's house.
Monday, January 17, 2005
The Weekend in Review
"Kanka << Martin Luther King, Jr." Edition
NFL Playoffs
You know how the games turned out. Let's bring back our look at ND alumni in the playoffs.Players
Jerome Bettis, RB - Pittsburgh: This Week: 27 rush for 101 yd, 1 TD, and 1 lost fumble. 1 rec for 21 yd.
Brennan Curtin, OT, Green Bay: Team total: 105 rushing yards, 2 sacks given up.
Vontez Duff, CB, Pittsburgh:
Tony Fisher, RB - Green Bay: Total: 1 rush for 4 yards, 2 receptions for 1 yard, and 1 drop.
David Givens, WR - New England: This week: 4 receptions for 26 yards and 1 TD.
Joey Goodspeed, FB - St. Louis: This week: One special teams tackle, possibly preventing an Allen Rossum TD. Total: Thrown at once (screen pass), 0 receptions.
Paul Grasmanis, DT - Philadelphia:
Jim Jones, OG - Pittsburgh: Team this week: 193 rushing yards, 1 sack given up.
Allen Rossum, PR - Atlanta: This week: 2 kickoff returns for 80 yards, 3 punt returns for 152 yards and 1 TD (of 68 yards). He also was very close to going 3 for three on punt returns. Is Rossum the most underrated ND alum currently in the NFL?
Gerome Sapp, S - Indianapolis: Total: 2 special teams tackles.
Hunter Smith, P - Indianapolis: This week: 6 punts, 40.7 yard average, 3 inside the 20, long of 54 yards. Total: 8 punts, 40 yard average, 5 inside 20, long of 54 yards.
Bobby Taylor, CB - Seattle:
Coaches
(Former ND assistants or ND alumni)Pete Bercich, Linebackers Assistant, Minnesota: Linebackers this week: 10 tackles. Linebackers total: 26 tackles, 1 forced fumble.
Kirk Doll, Special Teams, Denver: Team total: 23.5 kick return average, -1.0 punt return average. 18.0 kick return average and 9.0 punt return average given up.
Bishop Harris, Running Backs, New York Jets: Team this week: 110 rushing yards. Team total: 226 rushing yards.
Jim Johnson, Defensive Coordinator, Philadelphia: Team this week: 14 points, 316 passing yards, 97 rushing yards given up. 2 interceptions.
Dean Pees, Linebackers, New England: Linebackers this week: 17 tackles, 1 sack.
Johnny Roland, Running Backs, Green Bay: Team total: 105 rushing yards, 1 TD.
Kurt Schottenheimer, Defensive Backs, Green Bay: Team total: 284 passing yards, 4 TD given up.
George Stewart, Receivers, Atlanta: Team this week: 84 receiving yards, 2 TD.
Mike Stock, Special Teams, St. Louis: Team this week: 17.4 kick return average, no punt returns. 20.0 kick return average and 50.7 punt return average given up (including 1 punt return TD). Team total: 20.3 kick return average, 4.7 punt return average. 18.9 kick return average and 40.3 punt return average given up, with 1 punt return TD.
Trent Walters, Secondary, Philadelphia: Team this week: 316 passing yards and 1 TD given up. 2 interceptions
Charlie Weis, Offensive Coordinator, New England: Team this week: 20 points, 144 passing yards, 210 rushing yards.
ND Football News
- Justin Tuck is on pace to graduate (as he is a fourth year senior), and he will enter the 2005 NFL draft. He is projected to be a day 1 pick, perhaps going as high as the late first round.
- The East-West Shrine Game was held last Saturday, with Ryan Grant as ND's lone representative. Grant rushed 7 times for 24 yards, and caught 2 passes for 19 yards.
- The Gridiron Village Classic was also played last Saturday (why don't people tell me these things?!). Greg Pauly was ND's lone representative, and had 3 tackles, including 1 sack.
- The Senior Bowl will be played January 29, with rosters announced January 23.
- If anyone has any news on other senior bowl games being played, please let me know. I haven't seen anything about these anywhere. Also, if anyone caught any ND recruits in the Army All-American Game (advertise, for the love of God!) the other day, talk to me about a guest column.
Notre Dame Sports Update
For those who haven't heard yet, ND still leads in the director's cup with 337 points after the final fall update.Baseball: Ranked #20 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll. Closer Ryan Doherty and outfielder Craig Cooper are preseason All-Americans.
Men's Basketball: It hasn't been pretty, but a close win over St. John's gives ND their second best start under Mike Brey at 11-3. Chris Thomas, ND's all time leader in free throw percentage, was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, among the likes of Travis Deiner, Jerritt Jack, Aaron Miles, and Chris Paul.
Cross Country: The men finished as high as 5th and the women as high as 6th in postseason polls.
Men's Soccer: The US U20 team, featuring ND sophomore Greg Dalby, won the CONCACAF Group A Title, and is now en route to the World Youth Championship. (Who's up for KANKAKAF Fantasy Soccer?) The team, by the way, finished as high as 9th in final regular season polls.
Women's Basketball: After falling to Villanova and UConn, #7 ND routed Purdue 86-69. This one wasn't even close, but it was the first time ND Beat Purdue since the 2001 finals. This team looks good, and this only begs the question: who's a better coach, Mike Brey or Muffet McGraw?
Women's Soccer: Still National Champions. Is that good enough for you?
Softball: In preseason voting, Big East coaches unanimously predicted ND to win the Big East title.
Men's Lacrosse: Ranked as high as #10 in preseason polls.
Swimming and Diving: The men and women are both ranked #21 as of January 13.
Tennis: The men are ranked #34 and women ranked #21 as of January 11.
Fencing: I couldn't find a ranking, but I'm sure they're doing well. Oh, and Nick Schumacher is cool, but not as cool as Mariel Zagunis.
Join us later this week for a Transaction Wire, and (maybe) a KankaMatic Baseball update.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
The Class of 2005
The stakes were higher this year, requiring 5 votes. Out of 7 ballots and 1 carryover vote from last year, these three pulled through with exactly 5 votes:
Darrell Campbell: In the words of KankaManiac Andy Wolkiewicz, "best neighbor and snacky cake eater ever." Good luck with the Bears next year, Super Saian.
Fr. John I. Jenkins, CSC: The only person to qualify without a carryover vote from last year. Jenkins is best known for the controversial firing of Ty Willingham and subsequent hiring of Charlie Weis. To paraphrase Jenkins, a Notre Dame football coach has three responsibilities: to raise players with good character, to make sure those players perform academically, and to win football games.
Kanka: Hey, that's me (next to 2004 KankaNation Hall of Famer Coach Joe Yonto). Thanks guys.
The also rans. Look for all of them, especially Dick Lynch, to make a run next year.
| Dick Lynch | 4 |
|---|---|
| Bob Golic | 2 |
| Cooper Manning | 2 |
| Notre Dame women's sports | 2 |
| Ruth Riley | 2 |
| loyal KankaManiacs | 2 |
| Cronk's Sister | 1 |
| Dave | 1 |
| Dave Poulin | 1 |
| Eli Manning's girlfriend | 1 |
| Ellen | 1 |
| Ellen's face | 1 |
| Hatton | 1 |
| Jerome Bettis | 1 |
| Julius Jones | 1 |
| Klondike | 1 |
| Luke Petitgout | 1 |
| Peter Gammons | 1 |
Monday, January 10, 2005
The Weekend in Review
"Half of this won't make sense since I'm watching the Syracuse game right now" Edition
NFL Playoffs
You know how the games turned out. Let's bring back our look at ND alumni in the playoffs.Bertrand Berry, DE - Arizona: Not in the playoffs, but he will be starting in the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
Jerome Bettis, RB - Pittsburgh: Bye.
Tony Fisher, RB - Green Bay: 1 rush for 4 yards, 2 receptions for 1 yard, and 1 drop.
David Givens, WR - New England: Bye.
Joey Goodspeed, FB - St. Louis: Thrown at once (screen pass), 0 receptions.
Paul Grasmanis, DT - Philadelphia: Bye.
Jim Jones, OG - Pittsburgh: Bye.
Allen Rossum, PR - Atlanta: Bye.
Gerome Sapp, S - Indianapolis: 2 special teams tackles.
Hunter Smith, P - Indianapolis: 2 punts (37 & 39 yds), both inside the 20.
Bobby Taylor, CB - Seattle: A sore knee led to 0 tackles.
Cavaliers Update
I realize that I haven't said anything on the Central leading Cavs yet this season, so here you go.LeBron James: Coming into last year's draft, I wondered if Lebron was overrated. There was just way too much hype with this kid. Well, at 24 PPG, 7 APG, and nearly 7 RPG, I'd say he's perfectly "rated." This town hasn't seen basketball excitement like this since its new color commentator (Mark Price) played. Heck, it probably haven't seen this much excitement since its returning color commentator (one Austin Carr) played.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: He's one of the best centers in the East, and he's a free agent after this year. He's solid offensively - his mid-range jumper puts Tom Timmermans to shame. But, before this year, he never hustled or played defense. Thanks to the increased energy of the team, his hustle and willingness to play defense has vastly improve. There's no longer a hole down low.
Jeff McInnis: This team has done nothing but win since this "problem child" joined the team. Problem child? When the coaches asked LeBron to stay after every practice to shoot threes for an hour, McInnis said "me too." The result? "J-Mac" is shooting a Ratay-esque 42% from 3 point land, and it seems like every single one is in a clutch situation.
Drew Gooden: I was worried when this black-socked, droopy headbanded fool joined the team. Thank goodness I was wrong again. The Cavs replaced a double-double power forward with another double-double power forward. Gooden is averaging 13.8 PPG and 10.2 RPG, and it's not out of the ordinary for him to get 20 in either category on any given night.
Ira Newble: The Cavs' whodat? starter at SF is played for his defense. 14 point nights like the one against the Knicks the other day are always a bonus, though.
Lucious Harris: Cleveland needed outside shooters this year. Unfortunately, Harris got off to a terrible start this year and lost his spot in the starting lineup. Fortunately, he's now picking up steam, and had 16 against New York last weekend.
Robert Traylor: Tractor's second go-round with the Cavs has been much better than his first so far. Since when was a physical presence inside a bad thing?
Anderson Varejao: The Sideshow Bob look-alike is quickly become a fan favorite. Varejao is a member of the Brazilian national team, and he's one of those players that hasn't been told yet that no one in the NBA expends any energy. Anderson is one of thos "infectuous hustle" guys. He's a power forward and can guard you down low, but he's always active and always going after the ball. Already people are predicting a long career in Cleveland for the Brazilian.
Dajuan Wagner: A pure slasher, Wagner may be the only odd-man out on this team. He's perfected the running floater, but he's not a good enough ballhandler to be a point guard. Again having a need for an outside shooter, the Cavs have tried to turn Wagner into one. Unfortunately, he hasn't been successful so far (19.2% for 3). Perhaps he should have spent more than one year at Memphis.
Aleksandar Pavlovic: In his second year, Sasha was picked up as a free agent from Utah. He was meant to be another piece of distant future puzzle for Cleveland, but he's proved that he can flat out shoot the rock this season. A mind-boggling 54.5% on threes has caused coach Paul Silas to start looking for more playing time for the young man from Serbia-Montenegro.
Eric Snow: Snow had started beside Allen Iverson for years, and he was brought in to possibly start this year. But, McInnis has proven to be the man at point, and Snow has graciously accepted his backup/veteran teacher role. I guess playing point guard for AI teaches you something about unselfishness.
Luke Jackson: If you want to talk fan favorites, Jackson is the Jill Krause to Varejao's Karen Swanson (I'll have to ask Mothball how Sasha Pavlovic fits into this analogy). Unfortunately, back problems have limited Jackson to 10 games.
Scott Williams: Hey, a veteran big man who can play defense. Brilliant!
DeSagana Diop: Diop was a first round pick once upon a time, and nowadays everyone considers him a bust. I honestly don't think the 7-footer is as bad as everyone thinks. Why get rid of him? The Eastern Conference championship now goes through Shaq and Miami, so why not stock up on as many big bodies as possible?
- Women's Basketball: Notre Dame got out to a great start, rising to #3, before falling to Villanova on Sunday. Next up? An underdog UConn team (the underdog part scares me), and down the road - Rutgers. UConn and Tennessee are both out of the top 10 for the first time in about 275 years. Meanwhile, Rutgers has knocked off the #8, 4, and 1 teams, and still aren't in the top 10. Rutgers gives ND fits when the Scarlet Knights aren't playing well, so that'll be one to watch.
- Men's Basketball: The window of opportunity may be closing for an Irish team that coach Mike Brey says is only "middle of the pack" this year in the Big East. Still, a 10-2 start is a 10-2 start.
- Devil Rays sign Alex S. Gonzalez. I don't even remember which one he is any more.
- Yankees trade Javier Vazquez and two decent prospects (C and P) for Randy Johnson. I believe it was SportsPickle who mentioned that Bud Selig was enacting the "best interest of the Yankees" clause in this one. What scares me though, is that for the last 4 years sportswriters have been handing the Yanks the championship in February. This year, we're getting "the Yankees still aren't a threat."
- Indians sign Kevin Millwood. The deal is $3mil guaranteed for 1 year, with a conditional $4mil signing bonus. That condition? Millwood can't spend more than 20 days on the disabled list... but, that's only if it's a pitching related injury. If he hurts himself batting or fielding, those days on the DL don't count against the 20 count. Right. The Indians are also working on a minor league deal with Juan Gonzalez. Both deals are being lauded for their length and dollar value, especially in this offseason of 3 year, $36mil deals.
- Mets sign Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, and are rumored to be going after Carlos Delgado. Now, what was that about John Franco having mob ties?
- Browns name Phil Savage GM. Savage, the former Ravens Director of Player Personnel, was with the Browns organization in the early '90s. Savage wants to put together a team that the "lost generation" of Browns fans - those who haven't seen a winner since the late '80s - can be proud of. He said he want 10 or 12 guys that fans would be proud to own a jersey of. What's up first for Savage? The coaching search. One source has Patriots Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel as the favorite, another says Miami interim coach Jim Bates is Savage's choice. Bates was a Bill Belichick assistant during Savage's first Cleveland stint. The fan favorite, however, is Browns interim coach Terry Robiskie.
- Meanwhile, Browns O-Line coach Larry Zierlein has come out and said that Melvin Fowler is a better center than Jeff Faine. First of all, if you're the offensive line coach, shouldn't you have noticed that and made the change sooner? Second of all, it appears that maybe Faine has gotten worse since joining the team. But isn't that your fault? (I'm no line coach, but it appears that Faine's problem is that he always feels the need to help a guard double someone (the guards are considered the weak link of the Cleveland line), allowing a linebacker to come up the middle untouched.)
- Dan Gilbert buys the Cavaliers, pending league approval. Gilbert was arrested in college for being a campus bookie, but that isn't expected to prevent him from getting the required approval votes from the other NBA clubs. Rumor had it that Gilbert would bring Bill Laimbeer to the Cleveland front office, but both have said that isn't the case.
- Laimbeer, meanwhile, has named former teammate Rick Mahorn as an assistant coach. Let's make Ruth all the more dominant.
A reminder that we're still short on KankaNation HOF ballots. We could also use a few more players for KankaMatic baseball - don't worry if you didn't play last year. Returning KankaMatic baseballers - here's the first of a few new rules this year. Everyone can keep 10 players and will release the rest. Then, we'll have another draft in late February to fill out the rest of our rosters. Why? The draft is the most fun part of fantasy sports, isn't it?
Monday, January 03, 2005
Baseball Hall of Fame 2005
Just in time for the announcement of the election results today (Jan. 4), here are the eligible candidates in each category this year. The way I see it, there are several categories of players: those who would make it into an exclusive Hall of Fame (like baseball's), those would make it into an inclusive Hall of Fame (like football's), innovators (like Roger Bresnahan, inventor of shin guards), sentimental favorites, and those who are nothing but a tribute to longevity (as everyone who plays 10+ years makes the ballot).
Regular Ballot
Jim Abbott, P: A record of 87-108 and an ERA of 4.25 doesn't look impressive, until you remember that Abbott was born without a full right arm. Yet, he still managed to throw a no-hitter in 1993. Abbott has little chance of making the hall, but the fact he could play baseball at a high level for 10+ is indeed something to be commended.
Bert Blyleven, P: When you pitch for 23 years, you're going to put up some big numbers. Blyleven ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts. His 287 wins in a time when 300 seems nearly unattainable is certainly something of note. I wouldn't be all that surprised if he was on more than a few ballots, especially in his 8th year of eligibility. On a generous day, I may put him on my ballot.
Wade Boggs, 3B: Boggs came into the league at a time when hitting .287 was a good year. So, what did he do? Hit .328 for his career. When I discovered that I was more of a singles hitter than a power guy, there were two people I looked to: Tony Gwynn and Boggs. He's in. Tangent: Boggs lived in the Cleveland area for a while, and he and a teammate once out a friend's mom and her friend on a date - even when he knew the mom and the friend were married. Apparently, this wasn't out of the ordinary for Boggs (wife swap, anyone?). See below.
Tom Candiotti, P: I used to love Candiotti when he was on the Indians. In fact, I can still remember trying to throw knuckleball after knuckleball in my back yard. That being said, though, Candiotti wasn't even the most dominating pitcher on this staff (and this on the Indians of the late '80s), so he's not quite HOF material.
Dave Concepcion, SS: Played 19 years, won championships, had five gold gloves. Looking at his average offensive numbers, though (even for a shortstop), he'd only be a good HOF candidate had he won 15 gold gloves. In other words, I don't remember seeing him play, but he doesn't appear to be in Ozzie Smith territory defensively, so he's a no-go.
Chili Davis, OF: Davis had 350 HR, 1372 RBI, and 1240 runs scored in his career. In an inclusive HOF, I'd give him an outside shot. In reality, he maybe has a chance on the Veterans Committee.
Andre Dawson, OF: 438 HR, 28th all time in RBI with 1591. A shoe-in in an inclusive HOF. His 8 Gold Gloves and 4 top-10 MVP finishes should easily put him in with the Veterans Committee.
Steve Garvey, 1B: Boggs, Garvey, and Pete Rose are in a bar. Boggs points out a girl and says, "I'm going to get that girl to sleep with me." Garvey says, "she's already carrying my baby." Rose replies, "wanna bet?" Garvey has OK numbers; his 1308 RBI and .294 average make him an outside shot on the Veterans Committee. He's the all-time leader for fielding percentage by a first baseman (.9959), but as active leader David Segui will tell you, that really just means his range wasn't that great.
Goose Gossage, P: Supposedly a good shot to make it in this, his 6th year of eligibility. Gossage has 310 career saves, 124 careers starts, and finished in the top 6 in Cy Young voting 5 times.
Tommy John, P: Yeah, "the surgery guy." He also managed to post 288 wins in a 27-year career. He hasn't made it yet, so I'm guessing the Veterans Committe will come calling one day.
Mark Langston, P: Once again, a tribute to longevity. Langston was usually the #2 starter on a staff led by Chuck Finley. Finley may have been underrated playing on the west coast, but not underrated enough to have his #2 starter make the hall.
Don Mattingly, 1B: Maybe a little better than Dave would like to admit. Mattingly had a career average of .307 and won 9 gold gloves. Of course, if he didn't play for the Yankees, he probably would have just been the Doug Mientkiewicz of the '80s.
Jack McDowell, P: He had some solid years, but only finished with 127 career victories. I'd say he has a slightly better chance of making the baseball hall than Stick Figure (McDowell's band) has of making the Rock Hall.
Willie McGee, OF: Has it been 5 years already? McGee was always a fan favorite, and he is a tribute to longevity, but on paper (where it counts), he comes up a little short.
Jeff Montgomery, P: Wow, I very very vaguely remember this guy. He did have 304 saves with the Kansas City Royals over 13 seasons. I suppose you could argue that you have to consider this guy if you're conisdering Bruce Sutter.
Jack Morris, P: A definite favorite of those who have seen him play, he was statistically the best pitcher of the 1980s. Morris may be a catch-22. The older writers and voters prefer heart while the younger guys prefer numbers. However, it's the younger generation that is familiar with Morris, while he may need a few heart-based votes to get in.
Dale Murphy, 1B: Underrated? Perhaps a bit. Then again, to get into the baseball hall, you need to be a big name. Murphy's 398 HR and 1266 RBI gives him an OK chance (but not a great one) on the Veterans Committee someday.
Otis Nixon, OF: If I went the Ellen route and voted for people I LOOVED, Otis Nixon would defintely make my ballot. He stole 620 bases in 17 years, but his 878 runs scored are very low for a leadoff guy without much pop (and apparently without any Gold Gloves, either).
Dave Parker, OF: Decent numbers in average (.290) and RBI (1493), had 3 Gold Gloves, finished in the top 10 in MVP voting 6 times. But, I don't remember him ever being a household name (of course, he did retire in '91). Parker may be hearing "thanks for playing, but no thanks" from the hall for the 10th straight year.
Tony Phillips, UT: Again, a tribute to longevity (especially considering his crack addiction). His 1300 runs are the only stat of note, and even that doesn't put him in the top 100.
Jim Rice, OF: A fan favorite in the Boston area, Rice had a career average of .298 and 1451 RBI. If I was on the Veterans Committee, I may vote for him one day just for the "feel good story"-ness of it.
Ryne Sandberg, 2B: Dave says he was the most dominant 2B of his time. I looked at his numbers and wasn't sure. But, then I read the fine print. Sandberg hit .285 in an "era" when that was great for anyone. Plus, this was still a time when second basemen were still expected to be "good glove, no hit" guys. Sandberg has the highest career fielding percentage for a second baseman, and won 9 straight Gold Gloves to prove his field prowress. The defensive pluses go on and on, too. Ryno also held the record for HR by a second baseman (277) until Jeff Kent passed him. Looking at the facts, I'd have to vote him in.
Lee Smith, P: Again, if you want to take Sutter and Gossage, you have to take Lee Smith. Smith is the all-time leader in saves with 478, and almost averaged 1 strikeout per inning pitched (1251/1290). There's a great chance you would find Smith on my ballot.
Terry Steinbach, C: A great player, and you have to tip your cap to anyone who can wear the tools of ignorance for 14 years. But not everyone is hall of fame material in this league, Terry.
Darryl Strawberry, OF: If you stretch his 1983 potential over 17 seasons, you have an easy hall of famer. But, life isn't that simple, and Darryl Strawberry again comes up a little short.
Bruce Sutter, P: Well, this is his 12th chance. He had 300 saves in 661 games played. A good sentimental pick, but he may not even be the 3rd best reliever on this ballot.
Alan Trammell: Tough call. His offensive numbers aren't too far off of Sandberg's, but Trammell played at a time when Ozzie Smith was ruling the shortstop position. Trammell's a good guy, but he's probably not hall material this year.
Veterans Committee
Dick (Richie) Allen, 1B: Decent career numbers, nothing oustanding. But his Baseball Reference player page HOF indicators (Black Ink, Gray Ink, HOF Standards, HOF Monitor) tab him a hall of famer.
Bobby Bonds, OF: Again, decent numbers, but the HOF indicators aren't there. Bobby is mostly known for the career strikeout record and for being Barry's dad.
Ken Boyer, 3B: HOF standards give a resounding no to yet another guy with OK but not great numbers.
Rocky Colavito, OF: His 374 HR stand out, and his defense appears to have been decent. As a Cleveland guy, I'd consider voting for him, but I don't know if he's quite HOF material.
Wes Ferrell, P: 193-128 and a 4.04 record looks OK for a current pitcher, but it's not that impressive for a guy who played from 1927-41. Ferrell is considered the best hitting pitcher not named Ruth. He hit .280 on his career, and his 37 HR are the most ever by a pitcher.
Curt Flood, OF: Flood's numbers aren't that spectacular, but he can be considered an innovator. Flood's rejection of a trade and associated events led to the creation of free agency.
Joe Gordon, 2B: Great range, decent pop (32 HR by a 2B was a record until 2001). But his career numbers aren't that spectacular. I'd have to see what Veterans Committe voter and respected Cleveland writer Hal Lebovitz's opinion is on this guy.
Gil Hodges, 1B: 370 career HR, 3 Gold Gloves, 8 All-Star selections. Plus, he was the manager of the '69 Mets. As a sentimental type, I'd probably include him on my ballot if I had an extra spot.
Elston Howard, C: First African American to win AL MVP, he also invented the batting "donut." If that doesn't impress you, the numbers won't either.
Jim Kaat, P: 283 wins in a time (1959-83)when the great ones won 300.
Mickey Lolich, P: 2832 strikeouts remains an AL record for lefties. the HOF Standards are indecisive on Lolich.
Sparky Lyle, P: 238 saves over 16 seasons. OK, but not HOF material.
Marty Marion, SS: A great defensive player, but not much with the bat, Marion played 13 season before bowing out with back injuries. (Well, if he had back injuries, maybe he didn't "bow" out.)
Roger Maris, OF: Considered underrated by those who watched him play, Maris had 61 of his 275 career HR in 1961.
Carl Mays, P: 207 wins in a time (1915-29) when that wasn't much at all. If you love submariners, though, this was your guy.
Minnie Minoso, OF: Mr. Longevity, or was he Mr. Gimmick? Minoso holds a record for playing in 5 differed decades. He mainly played from 1949-64, but had token comebacks during the 1976 and 1980 seasons (he also played a few games for independent minor league teams in the '90s and early '00s). In an inclusive HOF, Minoso gets in on that record alone.
Thurmon Munson, C: His career and life were cut short by a plane crash. But, he still played 11 seasons and posted 1558 hits and 701 RBI at catcher.
Don Newcombe, P: A 10 year career that sandwiched a stint in Korea (I'd assume; he didn't play in '52 or '53), Newcombe is the only player to win the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP. Newcombe finished his career with 149 wins and 1129 K.
Tony Oliva, OF: Playing 15 years for the Twins, Oliva hit .304 for his career, but only had 1917 career hits. The HOF Standards are actually decent for Oliva.
Vada Pinson, OF: Pinson put up great offensive numbers in an era mostly known for pitching (1958-75). Most notable are his 2757 hits and 1366 runs.
Ron Santo, 3B: A sentimental favorite for Cubs fans. Santo holds many records for third basemen and has 2254 hits, 342 HR, and 1331 RBI. HOF Standards are questionable, but what do those unathletic nerds know?
Luis Tiant, P: 229 wins, 2416 strikeouts, and decent HOF Standards.
Joe Torre, C: Ooh, look at me, I'm a genius because I can win with a payroll that's twice as much as everyone else. Oh wait, no I can't.
Maury Wills, SS: 586 stolen bases are nothing to sneeze at. I'd definitely vote for him.
Smoky Joe Wood, P/OF: Walter Johnson said Wood threw harder than anybody, and Johnson definitely knew what he was talking about. After winning 116 games, an arm injury moved him to the outfield, where he hit .283. I would think that those who know (if there are any old enough to remember) would want to see Wood in the hall.
Ford C. Frick Broadcaster's Award
Tom Cheek: Expos, Blue Jays
Jerry Coleman: Padres, Yankees, Angels
Ken Coleman: ndians, Reds, Red Sox
Dizzy Dean: Cardinals
Gene Elston: ubs, Astros, national coverage
Tony Kubek: Blue Jays, Yankees
France Laux: St. Louis Browns, Cardinals, national coverage
Graham McNamee: national coverage
Dave Niehaus: Mariners
Ron Santo: Cubs
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Again, see Baseball Reference for more information on these players.
- With one update to go, Notre Dame leads the Fall Sears Directors' Cup Standings with 337 points. Hoo hoo.
- Looking for more information on Charlie Weis's new assistants? Blue-Gray Sky has a great article on them.
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