Monday, July 24, 2006
Teams you love to hate but will occasionally root for
by F-Bomb
From time to time the average college football will fill his day with other games while waiting for their game to come on. So when we sit down to watch a rivalry game like that of Michigan and Michigan State, we must pick someone to root for, but who? I say to this we must root for MSU. Despite the fact that ND has suffered at the hands of MSU a ton over the past several years, we must pull for them. This all stems from the history of MSU and Michigan. Basically Michigan tried to blacklist MSU from joining the Big Ten conference prior to 1950. Often Michigan looks at MSU as the bastard step child while U of M is the prim and proper heir to the throne of everything. So rooting for MSU is rooting for the underdog everywhere. It’s the same as rooting for Rocky or Rudy. So once again we find ourselves rooting for those we hate.
This occurs with other Notre Dame opponents as well.
When you see the famed winged helmets of Michigan hatred brews from deep within.
Being Notre Dame Alums, we hate Michigan like no other team on our schedule. We can all point to one game or another over the years where Michigan has just killed ND in terms of score or their spirit. However lately I have found myself rooting for the Maize and Blue. This is blasphemous for sure but it’s the lesser of two evils when they play those Scarlet and Gray wearing Hellions from Columbus. So here we are, as the title of the article suggests, rooting for a team we love to hate.
You can even root for Purdue but that is solely out of pity for them.
Now, from year to year the balance may swing from one team to the other. These choices for teams to root for are not concrete. Years when Ohio St. is down and Michigan is up then we switch but I really dislike OSU.
You may ask yourself if it’s ever alright to root for USC or Ohio State and the short answer to that is as long as they are winning this much, then NO.
So in the end its alright to root for ND opponents.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
On the Bandwagon
OK, so I didn't buy an XBox 360. But I did finally break down and buy a PS2. It's one of the newer, "slimline" models, and it's pretty nice. Babbage's had quite a few copies of NCAA Football 07 in a locked display case. I held my breath when I asked for it, though, as the salesperson easily could have handed me a copy with a Brutus Buckeye cover [PDF]. I also picked up MVP NCAA Baseball 06 (ping!) and NCAA March Madness, featuring the back of Bill "D-Day" LaFleur's head.
My blog productivity has been poor as of late, and these purchases certainly won't help. Which reminds me - before I go on vacation, guest columns are due by 5 PM Eastern this Wednesday.
Oh, and if I decide to get Madden this year, I already have an image picked out for the custom cover:
Yes Andy, I do have to talk like that.
I hope your fiancee can protect you.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
NBA Draft "Never Heard of Him": Year 2
A few weeks back, I posted this year's "Never Heard of Him" poll results. Now that the draft is done, it's time to crunch numbers.
For each of our pollster's names, a 1 indicates that that person has heard of the player. A 0 means they have never heard of the player.
For the Round, -1 indicates the player later withdrew from the draft. 0 means they remained draft eligible but went undrafted. I included only players who went to American colleges, since I apparently did the same thing last year. I know the formatting sucks, but just bear with me please.
For those of you who like pretty pictures, here's the graphical evidence, including only those players who left school early.
This year's results break down thusly:
Combined with last year's numbers, you get results like this:
As you can see, the difference between being taken in the second round and not being taken at all is still slim. But some trends are beginning to form. If close to half of the people polled have heard of you, you should get drafted. If 60% or more have heard of you, you have a good chance at the first round.
Well, that's it for this year. Perhaps next year I can incorporate the following things:
By the way, I'd like to say hello to His Eminence Cardinal Tauran, Vatican Archivist and Librarian, who Googled himself and came across my "Who Will be the Next Pope?" column.
For each of our pollster's names, a 1 indicates that that person has heard of the player. A 0 means they have never heard of the player.
For the Round, -1 indicates the player later withdrew from the draft. 0 means they remained draft eligible but went undrafted. I included only players who went to American colleges, since I apparently did the same thing last year. I know the formatting sucks, but just bear with me please.
| Player College | Andy | Dave | Ellen | Hatton | Kanka | Klondike | Tara | Total | Pick | Round | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akbar Abdul-Ahad Idaho State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Arron Afflalo UCLA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge Texas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Morris Almond Rice | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Renaldo Balkman South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Larry Blair Liberty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Will Blalock Iowa State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 2 | 60 |
| Jahsha Bluntt Delaware State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Josh Boone Connecticut | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 1 | 23 |
| Ronnie Brewer Arkansas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 14 |
| Bobby Brown Cal State-Fullerton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Shannon Brown Michigan State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 1 | 25 |
| Derek Burditt Blinn College (TX) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LeRoy Dawson Emporia State (KS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Travis DeGroot Delta State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guillermo Diaz Miami (FL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 52 |
| Cem Dinc Indiana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Quincy Douby Rutgers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 19 |
| Mike Efevberha Cal-State Northridge | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carl Elliott George Washington | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Jordan Farmar UCLA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 26 | 1 | 26 |
| Nick Fazekas Nevada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Thomas Gardner Missouri | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rudy Gay Connecticut | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Reggie George Robert Morris College (IL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Daniel Gibson Texas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Gray Pittsburgh | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| LeShawn Hammett St. Francis (PA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Heath San Diego State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Tedric Hill Gulf Coast CC (FL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clarence Holloway IMG Academy (FL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Ekene Ibekwe Maryland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Donald Jeffes Roxbury CC (MA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alexander Johnson Florida State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 45 |
| David Johnson Clinton JC (SC) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Johnson Jackson State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Coby Karl Boise State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Mark Konecny Lambuth University (TN) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Lowry Villanova | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 1 | 24 |
| Aleks Maric Nebraska | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Japhet McNeil East Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Paul Millsap Louisiana Tech | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 47 |
| Matt Mitchell Southern University-New Orleans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Morrison Gonzaga | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Patrick O'Bryant Bradley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Evan Patterson Texas Wesleyan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Danilo (J.R.) Pinnock George Washington | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 2 | 58 |
| Leon Powe California | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richard Roby Colorado | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Rajon Rondo Kentucky | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 21 |
| Blake Schilb Loyola University (IL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Mustafa Shakur Arizona | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Cedric Simmons North Carolina State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 15 |
| Marcus Slaughter San Diego State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curtis Stinson Iowa State | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrus Thomas LSU | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| P.J. Tucker Texas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 35 |
| Jontae Vinson Cal State- Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Ian Vouyoukas St. Louis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Darius Washington Jr. Memphis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Albert Weber Connors State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Marcus Williams Connecticut | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 1 | 22 |
| Shawne Williams Memphis | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 17 |
For those of you who like pretty pictures, here's the graphical evidence, including only those players who left school early.
This year's results break down thusly:
| Type | Total "Heard of Hims" | Players | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrew | 32 | 26 | 1.230769231 |
| Undrafted | 16 | 15 | 1.066666667 |
| Round1 | 68 | 16 | 4.25 |
| Round2 | 11 | 6 | 1.833333333 |
| Drafted (Combined) | 79 | 22 | 3.590909091 |
Combined with last year's numbers, you get results like this:
| Type | Total "Heard of Hims" | Players | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawn | 62 | 40 | 1.55 |
| Undrafted | 25 | 20 | 1.25 |
| Round1 | 106 | 32 | 3.3125 |
| Round2 | 18 | 13 | 1.384615385 |
| Drafted (Combined) | 124 | 45 | 2.755555556 |
As you can see, the difference between being taken in the second round and not being taken at all is still slim. But some trends are beginning to form. If close to half of the people polled have heard of you, you should get drafted. If 60% or more have heard of you, you have a good chance at the first round.
Well, that's it for this year. Perhaps next year I can incorporate the following things:
- Breaking down the first round into lottery/non-lottery picks.
- Comparing Big East players to non-Big East players (since all people polled to date have been Notre Dame fans, and therefore more familiar with the Big East).
- Include foreign players.
- See what affect CBS's annual "Tournament Human Interest Story about a Guy With a Very Cool Name" has on name recognition.
By the way, I'd like to say hello to His Eminence Cardinal Tauran, Vatican Archivist and Librarian, who Googled himself and came across my "Who Will be the Next Pope?" column.
Monday, July 17, 2006
What We're Working On
...or at least thinking of working on.
KankaManiacs can also look forward to the following events (which I may or may not have made up):
Last, pop quiz: Separated at birth?
- NBA Draft "Never Heard of Him" results. No, really - I have the numbers somewhere.
- A massive Transaction Wire, coming right after the MLB trade deadline, and including thoughts on the trade of Gerome Sapp to the Ravens, Jeff Samardzija's callup to Low A Peoria, and ND baseball's coaching situation.
- A "best case scenario" look at current and former Cleveland Indians still active in the majors.
- First-person reporting from Browns training camp!
- Guest columns galore! (Hint, hint.)
KankaManiacs can also look forward to the following events (which I may or may not have made up):
- Kanka's 2007 Midwest Barnstorming Tour
- Notre Dame Bloggers Tailgate, possibly coinciding with the band reunion/Third Kankaversary celebration Stanford weekend.
- Win a Date with Kanka Contest (Those currently engaged to fellow KankaManiacs are inelligible.)
Last, pop quiz: Separated at birth?
Monday, July 10, 2006
Breaking Down the MLB All Star Voting
I broke each position down four ways. First is the actual fan voting winner, followed by the guy with the best statistical season. Next is the Peter Gammons-friendly choice, a young up-and-comer (or an old up-and-comer), or a veteran come back from the dead. Finally is the name I put down on the ballot. Now, I'm not afraid to say that I'm an Indians fan, and I'm not afraid to vote that way. I don't always vote along party lines, but I have no qualms with voting for a Clevelander who's got a legitimate argument.
By the Numbers: Joe Mauer
Gammonsesque Pick: Mauer
My Pick: Victor Martinez
Pudge won a close vote against Mauer by virtue of being a guy that people have heard of. With a .378 average and 7 steals, Mauer is playing more like a young Kirby Puckett (or even a young Tony Gwynn) than a young Matt Walbeck. He'll get to backup Rodriguez.
Martinez has the edge over Rodriguez in most offensive categories. He has more homers and RBI than Mauer, and trails only Roberto Hernandez among AL catchers in those categories. Arguably, Hernandez is another AL snub.
By the Numbers: Ortiz
Gammonsesque Pick: Justin Morneau
My Pick: Travis Hafner
This is one of a few AL positions with a Red Sock and a Yankee in the top two in votes. Ortiz and Jason Giambi are deserving to some extent. But if Paul Konerko or Hafner (who finished third and fourth, respectively) were beneficiaries of the East Coast Bias, they would probably be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. (Well, Konerko is, but that's another story.)
By the Numbers: Tad Iguchi
Gammonsesque Pick: Jose Lopez
My Pick: Lopez
Yet another position where Boston and New York finished 1-2. Robinson Cano was leading the voting for a while, probably until his injury. However, his numbers are nothing spectacular. Loretta is having a decent season, and he's always been a solid ballplayer. Still, you have to wonder how many Boston fans who voted for him were saying "who is this guy?" at the beginning of the season.
Lopez, who was selected as a backup, and Iguchi have a definite argument here. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves.
By the Numbers: Rodriguez
Gammonsesque Pick: Troy Glaus
My Pick: Glaus
You'll never guess who finished second: Boston's Mike Lowell. Lowell is having a decent season, and is a legit contender for Comeback Player of the Year.
Arguments about Joe Crede and his defense aside, there isn't a young up-and-coming AL third baseman with a legitimate argument for the All Star team. So, the Gammonsesque pick goes to Glaus, on whom the Angels gave up several years ago. His average is mediocre (.241), but he does have 23 HR, 60 R, and 60 RBI. Glaus will backup A-Rod and participate in the Home Run Derby.
By the Numbers: Jeter/Miguel Tejada
Gammonsesque Pick: Michael Young/Orlando Cabrera
My Pick: Tejada
This one's basically a tossup. Jeter has better stats as a tablesetter, batting 30 points higher than Tejada with 14 more SB. But Tejada, who's no slouch with a .315 average, his 12 more HR, 4 more R, and 10 more RBI.
Michael Young is having a typical Michael Young year, so he's barely Gammonsesque any more. Cabrera, typically a role player, deserves some credit for his best numbers since his final season in Montreal.
Tejeda and Young will backup Jeter while Cabrera stays home.
By the Numbers: Ramirez, Vernon Wells, Grady Sizemore
Gammonsesque Picks: Raul Ibanez, Jermaine Dye, Mags Ordonez
My Picks: Sizemore, Wells, Ibanez
Well, you can't argue with the numbers of the top three guys. But Wells is having a great season. Toronto fans have been waiting for years for him to break out and become a superstar; it looks like he's finally made that leap. Sizemore is a star on the rise that gives his all on every play. He'll end up a #3 hitter some day, but for now he's doing a great job in the leadoff spot. He's first in the AL with 71 runs and is on pace for 30 homers. Plus, he's a Web Games staple.
The Gammonsesque picks pay tribute to some veterans who have shown some longevity and endurance. Ibanez has quitely become a "stat sheet stuffer" over the past few years in Seattle. This season he has 20 homers and 70 RBI already. And, even with Jim Thome on his team, I don't know how Dye hasn't been getting more press with a .318 average and 25 HR and 68 RBI of his own. Ordonez, meanwhile, looks like the Ordonez of old with a .312 average and 62 RBI.
Dye, Sizemore, Wells, and Ordonez will be the backup outfielders, along with Texas' Gary Matthews, Jr., who is also having a solid season. (And did you see that catch?)
By the Numbers: Johnny Estrada/Michael Barrett
Gammonsesque Pick: Brian McCann
My Pick: McCann
Estrada and Barrett are neck-and-neck numbers-wise, but Lo Duca gets the edge thanks to a large city fanbase and a the Mets' spectacular record.
McCann, Lo Duca's backup, is essentially Mauer's NL counterpart. The 22-year-old was leading the NL in hitting before an injury. He's still batting .343. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to lose his job to fellow prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia this past spring.
By the Numbers: Pujols
Gammonsesque Pick: Nomar Garciaparra/Ryan Howard
My Pick: Pujols
Well, it's Albert Pujols. Duh. Garciaparra and Howard both put up numbers worthy of making the NL team, but for different reasons. Garciaparra is leading the NL with a .358 average, while Howard has 27 HR and 72 RBI. Lance Berkman, also having a stellar season, will be in Pittsburgh as a first baseman/outfielder/Home Run Derby participant.
By the Numbers: Utley
Gammonsesque Pick: Dan Uggla
My Pick: Uggla
This solidifies Utley's star status, as if the .312 average, 16 HR, and 71 runs weren't enough. Uggla has been a very pleasant suprise on a Florida team that wasn't supposed to do anthing this year. Uggla will backup Utley.
Hometown star Jose Castillo finished second in the voting, but unfortunately didn't make the roster. Castillo keeps getting his name in the news, both for his glove and his bat. I'm really starting to like this kid. His future is very bright and he's sure to be an All Star one day.
By the Numbers: Wright
Gammonsesque Pick: Garrett Atkins/Freddy Sanchez/Ryan Zimmerman
My Pick: Wright
Wright is another young player whose star status was cemented by this year's All Star voting. It's hard to pick between Wright, Miguel Cabrera, and Scott Rolen, so the NL squad took all three.
Also on the team is local star Freddy Sanchez, who is percentage points behind Nomar with a .358 batting average. The former top Red Sox prospect will certainly be an asset to the Senior Circuit team, as he can play all three infield positions. The Rockies, like the Marlins, are playing well when no one expected them to. One of the reasons why is Atkins, who is hitting .306 with 11 HR and 55+ runs and RBI.
Zimmerman is an especially Gammonsesque player. A year out of college, everyone knew he was already Gold Glove caliber defensively. But most didn't think he was anywhere near the Major League level as a hitter. He's silenced critics so far with a .287 average, 12 HR, and 59 HR. With Wright, Cabrera, and Zimmerman all under the age of 25, NL fans will enjoy quality hot corner plays for the next decade at least.
By the Numbers: Reyes
Gammonsesque Pick: Hanley Ramirez/Bill Hall
My Pick: Reyes
Reyes leads all of baseball with 75 runs and 39 steals, with a .300 average to boot. Hard to argue with that.
Ramirez and Hall have put up decent numbers, but perhaps not All Star quality. Ramirez, another former Red Sox shortstop prospect, is having a decent rookie season with 69 runs and 26 steals. Utilityman Hall has 17 HR and has played well defensively at a number of positions.
By the Numbers: Beltran, Matt Holliday, Carlos Lee
Gammonsesque Picks: Bay, Beltran, Soriano
My Picks: Bay, Beltran, Holliday
Carlos Beltran has faced some heavy criticism over the past few years. Twenty-five homers, 12 steals, 66 runs, 68 RBI, and a .279 average should do well to silence those critics. Bay's 21 HR and 66 RBI are enough to legitimize the hometown poster boy's spot in the starting lineup. Soriano may not be a leadoff hitter, but he is on pace for a 40-40 season in homers and steals.
Holliday is another surprise out of Colorado, with a .337 average (hoo hoo), 16 HR, and 61 R. Carlos Lee is having an average year by his standards, with a .290 average, 26 HR and 73 RBI. They'll be joined on the bench by Andruw Jones, who has 20 RBI and 75 RBI. Jones continues to develop into a solid all-around hitter, instead of just an all-or-nothing guy.
American League
Catcher
Fan's Pick: Pudge RodriguezBy the Numbers: Joe Mauer
Gammonsesque Pick: Mauer
My Pick: Victor Martinez
Pudge won a close vote against Mauer by virtue of being a guy that people have heard of. With a .378 average and 7 steals, Mauer is playing more like a young Kirby Puckett (or even a young Tony Gwynn) than a young Matt Walbeck. He'll get to backup Rodriguez.
Martinez has the edge over Rodriguez in most offensive categories. He has more homers and RBI than Mauer, and trails only Roberto Hernandez among AL catchers in those categories. Arguably, Hernandez is another AL snub.
First Base
Fan's Pick: David OrtizBy the Numbers: Ortiz
Gammonsesque Pick: Justin Morneau
My Pick: Travis Hafner
This is one of a few AL positions with a Red Sock and a Yankee in the top two in votes. Ortiz and Jason Giambi are deserving to some extent. But if Paul Konerko or Hafner (who finished third and fourth, respectively) were beneficiaries of the East Coast Bias, they would probably be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. (Well, Konerko is, but that's another story.)
Second Base
Fan's Pick: Mark LorettaBy the Numbers: Tad Iguchi
Gammonsesque Pick: Jose Lopez
My Pick: Lopez
Yet another position where Boston and New York finished 1-2. Robinson Cano was leading the voting for a while, probably until his injury. However, his numbers are nothing spectacular. Loretta is having a decent season, and he's always been a solid ballplayer. Still, you have to wonder how many Boston fans who voted for him were saying "who is this guy?" at the beginning of the season.
Lopez, who was selected as a backup, and Iguchi have a definite argument here. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves.
| AVG | R | HR | RBI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loretta | .305 | 44 | 3 | 37 |
| Iguchi | .287 | 57 | 10 | 40 |
| Lopez | .280 | 48 | 9 | 58 |
Third Base
Fan's Pick: Alex RodriguezBy the Numbers: Rodriguez
Gammonsesque Pick: Troy Glaus
My Pick: Glaus
You'll never guess who finished second: Boston's Mike Lowell. Lowell is having a decent season, and is a legit contender for Comeback Player of the Year.
Arguments about Joe Crede and his defense aside, there isn't a young up-and-coming AL third baseman with a legitimate argument for the All Star team. So, the Gammonsesque pick goes to Glaus, on whom the Angels gave up several years ago. His average is mediocre (.241), but he does have 23 HR, 60 R, and 60 RBI. Glaus will backup A-Rod and participate in the Home Run Derby.
Shortstop
Fan's Pick: Derek JeterBy the Numbers: Jeter/Miguel Tejada
Gammonsesque Pick: Michael Young/Orlando Cabrera
My Pick: Tejada
This one's basically a tossup. Jeter has better stats as a tablesetter, batting 30 points higher than Tejada with 14 more SB. But Tejada, who's no slouch with a .315 average, his 12 more HR, 4 more R, and 10 more RBI.
Michael Young is having a typical Michael Young year, so he's barely Gammonsesque any more. Cabrera, typically a role player, deserves some credit for his best numbers since his final season in Montreal.
Tejeda and Young will backup Jeter while Cabrera stays home.
Outfield
Fan's Picks: Manny Ramirez, Vlad Guerrero, Ichiro!By the Numbers: Ramirez, Vernon Wells, Grady Sizemore
Gammonsesque Picks: Raul Ibanez, Jermaine Dye, Mags Ordonez
My Picks: Sizemore, Wells, Ibanez
Well, you can't argue with the numbers of the top three guys. But Wells is having a great season. Toronto fans have been waiting for years for him to break out and become a superstar; it looks like he's finally made that leap. Sizemore is a star on the rise that gives his all on every play. He'll end up a #3 hitter some day, but for now he's doing a great job in the leadoff spot. He's first in the AL with 71 runs and is on pace for 30 homers. Plus, he's a Web Games staple.
The Gammonsesque picks pay tribute to some veterans who have shown some longevity and endurance. Ibanez has quitely become a "stat sheet stuffer" over the past few years in Seattle. This season he has 20 homers and 70 RBI already. And, even with Jim Thome on his team, I don't know how Dye hasn't been getting more press with a .318 average and 25 HR and 68 RBI of his own. Ordonez, meanwhile, looks like the Ordonez of old with a .312 average and 62 RBI.
Dye, Sizemore, Wells, and Ordonez will be the backup outfielders, along with Texas' Gary Matthews, Jr., who is also having a solid season. (And did you see that catch?)
National League
Catcher
Fan's Pick: Paul Lo DucaBy the Numbers: Johnny Estrada/Michael Barrett
Gammonsesque Pick: Brian McCann
My Pick: McCann
Estrada and Barrett are neck-and-neck numbers-wise, but Lo Duca gets the edge thanks to a large city fanbase and a the Mets' spectacular record.
McCann, Lo Duca's backup, is essentially Mauer's NL counterpart. The 22-year-old was leading the NL in hitting before an injury. He's still batting .343. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to lose his job to fellow prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia this past spring.
First Base
Fan's Pick: Albert PujolsBy the Numbers: Pujols
Gammonsesque Pick: Nomar Garciaparra/Ryan Howard
My Pick: Pujols
Well, it's Albert Pujols. Duh. Garciaparra and Howard both put up numbers worthy of making the NL team, but for different reasons. Garciaparra is leading the NL with a .358 average, while Howard has 27 HR and 72 RBI. Lance Berkman, also having a stellar season, will be in Pittsburgh as a first baseman/outfielder/Home Run Derby participant.
Second Base
Fan's Pick: Chase UtleyBy the Numbers: Utley
Gammonsesque Pick: Dan Uggla
My Pick: Uggla
This solidifies Utley's star status, as if the .312 average, 16 HR, and 71 runs weren't enough. Uggla has been a very pleasant suprise on a Florida team that wasn't supposed to do anthing this year. Uggla will backup Utley.
Hometown star Jose Castillo finished second in the voting, but unfortunately didn't make the roster. Castillo keeps getting his name in the news, both for his glove and his bat. I'm really starting to like this kid. His future is very bright and he's sure to be an All Star one day.
Third Base
Fan's Pick: David WrightBy the Numbers: Wright
Gammonsesque Pick: Garrett Atkins/Freddy Sanchez/Ryan Zimmerman
My Pick: Wright
Wright is another young player whose star status was cemented by this year's All Star voting. It's hard to pick between Wright, Miguel Cabrera, and Scott Rolen, so the NL squad took all three.
Also on the team is local star Freddy Sanchez, who is percentage points behind Nomar with a .358 batting average. The former top Red Sox prospect will certainly be an asset to the Senior Circuit team, as he can play all three infield positions. The Rockies, like the Marlins, are playing well when no one expected them to. One of the reasons why is Atkins, who is hitting .306 with 11 HR and 55+ runs and RBI.
Zimmerman is an especially Gammonsesque player. A year out of college, everyone knew he was already Gold Glove caliber defensively. But most didn't think he was anywhere near the Major League level as a hitter. He's silenced critics so far with a .287 average, 12 HR, and 59 HR. With Wright, Cabrera, and Zimmerman all under the age of 25, NL fans will enjoy quality hot corner plays for the next decade at least.
Shortstop
Fan's Pick: Jose ReyesBy the Numbers: Reyes
Gammonsesque Pick: Hanley Ramirez/Bill Hall
My Pick: Reyes
Reyes leads all of baseball with 75 runs and 39 steals, with a .300 average to boot. Hard to argue with that.
Ramirez and Hall have put up decent numbers, but perhaps not All Star quality. Ramirez, another former Red Sox shortstop prospect, is having a decent rookie season with 69 runs and 26 steals. Utilityman Hall has 17 HR and has played well defensively at a number of positions.
Outfield
Fan's Picks: Jason Bay, Carlos Beltran, Alfonso SorianoBy the Numbers: Beltran, Matt Holliday, Carlos Lee
Gammonsesque Picks: Bay, Beltran, Soriano
My Picks: Bay, Beltran, Holliday
Carlos Beltran has faced some heavy criticism over the past few years. Twenty-five homers, 12 steals, 66 runs, 68 RBI, and a .279 average should do well to silence those critics. Bay's 21 HR and 66 RBI are enough to legitimize the hometown poster boy's spot in the starting lineup. Soriano may not be a leadoff hitter, but he is on pace for a 40-40 season in homers and steals.
Holliday is another surprise out of Colorado, with a .337 average (hoo hoo), 16 HR, and 61 R. Carlos Lee is having an average year by his standards, with a .290 average, 26 HR and 73 RBI. They'll be joined on the bench by Andruw Jones, who has 20 RBI and 75 RBI. Jones continues to develop into a solid all-around hitter, instead of just an all-or-nothing guy.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Get Well Soon, Peter Gammons
I was planning on writing another "Transaction Wire" column today, but it just didn't seem right. Not before mentioning the king of the trade rumor, the only man who knows more obscure prospect names than I do, Peter Gammons. Gammons was found to have a brain aneurysm on Tuesday. He's since had surgery, which went well. Gammons is currently listed in good condition, but will be in the Intensive Care Unit for the next 10-12 days.
Like fellow J.G. Taylor Spink Award recipient Hal Lebovitz, Gammons reminds fans of a bygone time when sportswriters were basically positive individuals. In this day and age, anyone with a keyboard can disparage anyone else. People cut from their high school baseball team make up for it by criticizing the motives and moves of professional athletes and teams. Not so with Gammons. He looks at the game of baseball with a childlike passion and optimism. Every utility infielder from Class A Palookaville has all the potential in the world. People like Gammons and Lebovitz don't need "secret inside sources," because they've earned the trust of players and general managers. They don't need to write shock pieces to draw readership, because their informative, truthful, quality writing builds its own fan base. This is by no means an obituary for Gammons, as I know his passion and optimism will help him pull through. Instead, this is a tribute to a class act.
For the latest news on Gammons, I would trust his employer, ESPN. If you'd like to leave a comment for Gammons, as so many have already, you can do so here. My fellow Gammons fanatics at Deadspin have a nice feature on him as well.
Finally, I'll leave you with a quote from Gammons' Spink Award acceptance speech. It's good advice for everyone, not just sportswriters.
Throughout my career I have tried to be guided by one principle, that because I am human I have the right to like people. But because I am professional, I have no right to dislike any one.
Like fellow J.G. Taylor Spink Award recipient Hal Lebovitz, Gammons reminds fans of a bygone time when sportswriters were basically positive individuals. In this day and age, anyone with a keyboard can disparage anyone else. People cut from their high school baseball team make up for it by criticizing the motives and moves of professional athletes and teams. Not so with Gammons. He looks at the game of baseball with a childlike passion and optimism. Every utility infielder from Class A Palookaville has all the potential in the world. People like Gammons and Lebovitz don't need "secret inside sources," because they've earned the trust of players and general managers. They don't need to write shock pieces to draw readership, because their informative, truthful, quality writing builds its own fan base. This is by no means an obituary for Gammons, as I know his passion and optimism will help him pull through. Instead, this is a tribute to a class act.
For the latest news on Gammons, I would trust his employer, ESPN. If you'd like to leave a comment for Gammons, as so many have already, you can do so here. My fellow Gammons fanatics at Deadspin have a nice feature on him as well.
Finally, I'll leave you with a quote from Gammons' Spink Award acceptance speech. It's good advice for everyone, not just sportswriters.
Throughout my career I have tried to be guided by one principle, that because I am human I have the right to like people. But because I am professional, I have no right to dislike any one.
EDSBS Round Table
Every Day Should Be Saturday took a turn with some Round Table questions. Even though I'm not a blogpoller, I still decided to throw my two cents in. Here goes.
1. Education. List the region of the country you were born in, what universities you attended and at least one other you would have attended if your alma mater didn’t exist.
Born and raised in Ohio - Cleveland area.
BS in Computer Engineering from Notre Dame - thus explaining all the bells and whistles (and lack of artistic eye) on my site. Supposedly doing some grad school work at Ohio U in the near future.
If Notre Dame didn't exist? I looked at Kettering and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Cleveland State is my dad's alma matter. There are also the local options - Case Western, and the Jesuit school John Carroll.
2. Sports Affiliations. List your top 10 favorite teams in all of sports in decending order. For instance, your alma mater’s football team may be number 1, but perhaps there is a professional team that squeezes in before you get to your alma mater’s lacrosse team.
1. Notre Dame football
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Notre Dame women's basketball
5. Notre Dame baseball
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
7. Notre Dame men's basketball
8. Any team that wears USA across their chest
9. Any team that wears IRISH across their chest
10. The underdog
3. Movies. List the movie you’ve watched the most, your favorite sports related movie, the movie you secretly love but don’t like to admit it (possibly a chick flick or b film), and the movie you were (or still are) most looking forward to from this summer’s season.
Most: I watch Rudy every time it's on TBS. But it would probably be something that goes back to my childhood: The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music (yeah, I said it), or the Adam West-era Batman.
Favorite Sports Movie: I'll be cliche: Rudy. But, if you play recreational baseball or softball in the Cleveland area, you develop a deep apprecation for Major League and Major League II. Field of Dreams is up there, too.
Secretly Love: 10 Things I Hate About You
4. Music. List your favorite band from middle school, high school, college and today. Also, as with the movies, include the song you secretly love but don’t like to admit. If Nickleback is involved in any of these responses, please give a detailed explanation as to why, god, why.
Middle School: The Monkees - I grew up watching reruns of the show.
High School: When you're 17, and the girl you like is a huge Beatles fan, you start digging through your parents' record collection for their Beatles albums.
College: I would have to define this as my Snoop/Dre phase.
Today: Um, I don't know. I'm all over the place. Should I try to sound classy and mention my new Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane CD?
Secretly Love: Anything by Kelly Clarkson. It's good music. Kelly is "attainable hot," and I may or may not have a thing for passionate women.
5. Books. Favorite book you’ve finished, worst book you’ve finished and the book you really should read but haven’t gotten around to it.
Favorite Book: Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author. I'd have to go obscure and pick Player Piano, the story of an engineer who decides to give up the business and move to a farm in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like a great idea.
Worst Book I've Finished: If a book is that bad, I just won't finish it. I will admit that I struggled through the first half of Catch-22 until I realized that it was being intentionally absurd. From that point on I couldn't put it down.
Should Read: I didn't finish any book I was assigned in 12th grade. The Great Gatsby, what I read of it, was good, and I keep saying that I'll read the whole thing one day. I also plan to one day read all 1700+ combined pages of Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. No, really.
6. Travel. Favorite city you’ve every been to and the one place you still must visit before you shuffle off this mortal coil.
Favorite City: I've only been to the Washington, DC, area once, and I can't wait to get back this summer.
Still Must Visit: My homeland, Slovakia. As I understand it, I'm from the town of Kosice.
7. What do you love most about college football in 20 words or less?
Passion, intensity, pageantry. That I have a blog and am compelled to answer another blog's questions speaks for itself.
1. Education. List the region of the country you were born in, what universities you attended and at least one other you would have attended if your alma mater didn’t exist.
Born and raised in Ohio - Cleveland area.
BS in Computer Engineering from Notre Dame - thus explaining all the bells and whistles (and lack of artistic eye) on my site. Supposedly doing some grad school work at Ohio U in the near future.
If Notre Dame didn't exist? I looked at Kettering and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Cleveland State is my dad's alma matter. There are also the local options - Case Western, and the Jesuit school John Carroll.
2. Sports Affiliations. List your top 10 favorite teams in all of sports in decending order. For instance, your alma mater’s football team may be number 1, but perhaps there is a professional team that squeezes in before you get to your alma mater’s lacrosse team.
1. Notre Dame football
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Notre Dame women's basketball
5. Notre Dame baseball
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
7. Notre Dame men's basketball
8. Any team that wears USA across their chest
9. Any team that wears IRISH across their chest
10. The underdog
3. Movies. List the movie you’ve watched the most, your favorite sports related movie, the movie you secretly love but don’t like to admit it (possibly a chick flick or b film), and the movie you were (or still are) most looking forward to from this summer’s season.
Most: I watch Rudy every time it's on TBS. But it would probably be something that goes back to my childhood: The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music (yeah, I said it), or the Adam West-era Batman.
Favorite Sports Movie: I'll be cliche: Rudy. But, if you play recreational baseball or softball in the Cleveland area, you develop a deep apprecation for Major League and Major League II. Field of Dreams is up there, too.
Secretly Love: 10 Things I Hate About You
4. Music. List your favorite band from middle school, high school, college and today. Also, as with the movies, include the song you secretly love but don’t like to admit. If Nickleback is involved in any of these responses, please give a detailed explanation as to why, god, why.
Middle School: The Monkees - I grew up watching reruns of the show.
High School: When you're 17, and the girl you like is a huge Beatles fan, you start digging through your parents' record collection for their Beatles albums.
College: I would have to define this as my Snoop/Dre phase.
Today: Um, I don't know. I'm all over the place. Should I try to sound classy and mention my new Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane CD?
Secretly Love: Anything by Kelly Clarkson. It's good music. Kelly is "attainable hot," and I may or may not have a thing for passionate women.
5. Books. Favorite book you’ve finished, worst book you’ve finished and the book you really should read but haven’t gotten around to it.
Favorite Book: Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author. I'd have to go obscure and pick Player Piano, the story of an engineer who decides to give up the business and move to a farm in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like a great idea.
Worst Book I've Finished: If a book is that bad, I just won't finish it. I will admit that I struggled through the first half of Catch-22 until I realized that it was being intentionally absurd. From that point on I couldn't put it down.
Should Read: I didn't finish any book I was assigned in 12th grade. The Great Gatsby, what I read of it, was good, and I keep saying that I'll read the whole thing one day. I also plan to one day read all 1700+ combined pages of Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. No, really.
6. Travel. Favorite city you’ve every been to and the one place you still must visit before you shuffle off this mortal coil.
Favorite City: I've only been to the Washington, DC, area once, and I can't wait to get back this summer.
Still Must Visit: My homeland, Slovakia. As I understand it, I'm from the town of Kosice.
7. What do you love most about college football in 20 words or less?
Passion, intensity, pageantry. That I have a blog and am compelled to answer another blog's questions speaks for itself.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Hey, Do You Like Women?
I hope I have your attention now. You see, I learned something today. Title IX is about more than sports. It's about an end to discrimination in all academic programs. Some would even say that it's about keeping tabs on sexual harassment and opening career choices for women - and men.
Several sportswriters enjoy going out of their way to put down women's sports. Hey, if you don't like a particular sport, male or female, that's fine. But if you feel the need to continuously mention women's sports just to demean them, that doesn't speak well of your psyche. Besides, you're missing the big picture. Everyone should have the goal of being a well-rounded individual. Title IX and women's sports allow girls and women of all ages not only to participate in sports, but also to have positive role models of a healthy lifestyle. Mr. Sportswriter, when your docile trophy housewife (who nods and smiles politely every time your words demean women in any fashion), bears you a daughter, would you rather have that daughter look up to a shallow, petty socialite, or an active, well-rounded professional athlete?
In March of 2005, changes were passed that arguably loosen the compliance requirements of Title IX. Soccer star Julie Foudy and Save Title IX have put together some material on these changes. If you like pictures and sound, check out this flash video. If you prefer words, or don't like the fact that there are so many UConn players in the video, read this PDF factsheet. Either way, be sure to also check out this FAQ, including the "10 Key Areas of Title IX" list in the left sidebar. Finally, I'm not a big "cause" person myself, so I won't request that you sign Save Title IX's petition. However, if you choose to, the petition is found here.
Thank you. I'll be stepping off of my soapbox now to go play some coed softball.
(A grateful hat tip to reader Tara.)
Several sportswriters enjoy going out of their way to put down women's sports. Hey, if you don't like a particular sport, male or female, that's fine. But if you feel the need to continuously mention women's sports just to demean them, that doesn't speak well of your psyche. Besides, you're missing the big picture. Everyone should have the goal of being a well-rounded individual. Title IX and women's sports allow girls and women of all ages not only to participate in sports, but also to have positive role models of a healthy lifestyle. Mr. Sportswriter, when your docile trophy housewife (who nods and smiles politely every time your words demean women in any fashion), bears you a daughter, would you rather have that daughter look up to a shallow, petty socialite, or an active, well-rounded professional athlete?
In March of 2005, changes were passed that arguably loosen the compliance requirements of Title IX. Soccer star Julie Foudy and Save Title IX have put together some material on these changes. If you like pictures and sound, check out this flash video. If you prefer words, or don't like the fact that there are so many UConn players in the video, read this PDF factsheet. Either way, be sure to also check out this FAQ, including the "10 Key Areas of Title IX" list in the left sidebar. Finally, I'm not a big "cause" person myself, so I won't request that you sign Save Title IX's petition. However, if you choose to, the petition is found here.
Thank you. I'll be stepping off of my soapbox now to go play some coed softball.
(A grateful hat tip to reader Tara.)
Sunday, June 25, 2006
NBA Draft Predictions
Last year, I Introduced the "Never Heard of Him" theory for NBA Draft Early Entrants. Here are last year's results. I know it's far too small a sample set, but I'm going to draw some premature conclusions from that data. As you can see, players taken in the first round on average were familiar to just over 50% of the people participating. Players in the second round were familiar to 25% of the people participating.
Last year we had four people participate. This year it's seven. Now I'll draw on two of my favorite sources - fuzzy math and a sportswriter's ability to make predictions based on far too little input data - to make these bold predictions for the 2006 NBA Draft.
Full coverage of this year's "Never Heard of Him" results will come some time after Tuesday's draft.
"With the first pick in the 2006 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors select..." 7/7
Adam Morrison Gonzaga
Lottery Picks 6/7
Josh Boone UConn
Rudy Gay UConn
Aaron Gray* Pitt
Kyle Lowry Villanova
Mustafa Shakur* Arizona
PJ Tucker Texas
Marcus Williams UConn
First Rounders 5/7
LaMarcus Aldridge Texas
Quicy Douby Rutgers
Jordan Farmar UCLA
Shawne Williams Memphis
Late First/Early Second Round 4/7
Arron Afflalo* UCLA
Nick Fazekas* Nevada
Thomas Gardner Missouri
Rajon Rondo Kentucky
Tyrus Thomas LSU
Second Rounders 3/7
Shannon Brown Michigan St
Cem Dinc* Indiana
Daniel Gibson Texas
Ekene Ibekwe* Maryland
Patrick O'Bryant Bradley
Curtis Stinson Iowa St
Contenders for Mr. Irrelevant 2/7
Will Blalock Iowa St
Guillermo Diaz U of Miami
Mike Efevberha Cal St Northridge
Marcus Slaughter San Diego St
Ian Vouyoukas* St Louis
Darius Washington, Jr. Memphis
Mr. Agent, the NBDL is on Line 1 1/7
Renaldo Balkman South Carolina
Ronnie Brewer Arkansas
Carl Elliot* George Washington
Brandon Heath* San Diego St
Trey Johnson* Jackson St
Danilo (JR) Pinnock George Washington
Black Schilb* Loyola (IL)
Cedric Simmons NC St
Andrea Bargnani Benetton Treviso (Italy)
Sun Yue* Beijing Aoshen Olympians (ABA)
Everyone else should have taken a hint from these guys, who went 0/7 and withdrew.
Akbar Abdul-Ahad Idaho St
Morris Almond Rice
Larry Blair Liberty
Jahsha Bluntt Delaware St
Bobby Brown Cal State Fullerton
Derek Burditt Blinn College (TX)
LeRoy Dawson Emporia State (KS)
Travis DeGroot Delta St
Reggie George Robert Morris College (IL)
LeShawn Hammett St. Francis (PA)
Tedric Hill Gulf Coast CC (FL)
Clarence Holloway IMG Academy (FL)
Donald Jeffes Roxbury CC (MA)
Alexander Johnson Florida St
David Johnson Clinton JC (SC)
Coby Karl Boise St
Mark Konecny Lambuth University (TN)
Aleks Maric Nebraska
Japhet McNeil East Carolina
Paul Millsap La Tech
Matt Mitchell Southern University-New Orleans
Evan Patterson Texas Wesleyan
Leon Powe Cal
Richard Roby Colorado
Jontae Vinson Cal St Los Angeles
Albert Weber Connors St
Andriy Agafonov Khimik (Ukraine)
Nemanja Aleksandrov FMP Zeleznik (Serb. & Mont.)
Pape-Philippe Amagou Le Mans (France)
Yannick Bokolo Le Mans (France)
Carlos Cedeno Guaiqueries (Venezuela)
Tadija Dragicevic Crvena Zvezda (Serb. & Mont.)
Lior Eliyahu Hapoel Galil Elyon (Israel)
Rudy Fernandez DKV Joventut (Spain)
Kyrylo Fesenko Mariupol (Ukraine)
Rafael Hettsheimeier Akasvayu Vic (Spain)
Marko Lekic Atlas (Serbia-Montenegro)
Damir Markota Cibona (Croatia)
Mickael Mokongo Chalon (France)
Brad Newley Townsville (Australia)
Oleksiy Pecherov Paris Basket Racing
Hrvoje Peric Split (Croatia)
Kosta Perovic Partizan (Serbia & Mont.)
Giorgos Printezis Olympiacos (Greece)
Milovan Rakovic Atlas (Serbia-Montenegro)
Aleksandar Rindin Gala Baku (Azerbaijan)
Sergio Rodriguez Adecco Estudiantes (Spain)
Dusan Sakota Panathinaikos (Greece)
Renaldas Seibutis Olympiacos (Greece)
Saer Sene Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium)
Sidiki Sidibe Levallois (France)
Tiago Splitter Tau Ceramica (Spain)
Ali Traore Roanne (France)
Ejike Ugboaja Union Bank Lagos (Nigeria)
Last year we had four people participate. This year it's seven. Now I'll draw on two of my favorite sources - fuzzy math and a sportswriter's ability to make predictions based on far too little input data - to make these bold predictions for the 2006 NBA Draft.
Full coverage of this year's "Never Heard of Him" results will come some time after Tuesday's draft.
"With the first pick in the 2006 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors select..." 7/7
Adam Morrison Gonzaga
Lottery Picks 6/7
Josh Boone UConn
Rudy Gay UConn
Aaron Gray* Pitt
Kyle Lowry Villanova
Mustafa Shakur* Arizona
PJ Tucker Texas
Marcus Williams UConn
First Rounders 5/7
LaMarcus Aldridge Texas
Quicy Douby Rutgers
Jordan Farmar UCLA
Shawne Williams Memphis
Late First/Early Second Round 4/7
Arron Afflalo* UCLA
Nick Fazekas* Nevada
Thomas Gardner Missouri
Rajon Rondo Kentucky
Tyrus Thomas LSU
Second Rounders 3/7
Shannon Brown Michigan St
Cem Dinc* Indiana
Daniel Gibson Texas
Ekene Ibekwe* Maryland
Patrick O'Bryant Bradley
Curtis Stinson Iowa St
Contenders for Mr. Irrelevant 2/7
Will Blalock Iowa St
Guillermo Diaz U of Miami
Mike Efevberha Cal St Northridge
Marcus Slaughter San Diego St
Ian Vouyoukas* St Louis
Darius Washington, Jr. Memphis
Mr. Agent, the NBDL is on Line 1 1/7
Renaldo Balkman South Carolina
Ronnie Brewer Arkansas
Carl Elliot* George Washington
Brandon Heath* San Diego St
Trey Johnson* Jackson St
Danilo (JR) Pinnock George Washington
Black Schilb* Loyola (IL)
Cedric Simmons NC St
Andrea Bargnani Benetton Treviso (Italy)
Sun Yue* Beijing Aoshen Olympians (ABA)
Everyone else should have taken a hint from these guys, who went 0/7 and withdrew.
Akbar Abdul-Ahad Idaho St
Morris Almond Rice
Larry Blair Liberty
Jahsha Bluntt Delaware St
Bobby Brown Cal State Fullerton
Derek Burditt Blinn College (TX)
LeRoy Dawson Emporia State (KS)
Travis DeGroot Delta St
Reggie George Robert Morris College (IL)
LeShawn Hammett St. Francis (PA)
Tedric Hill Gulf Coast CC (FL)
Clarence Holloway IMG Academy (FL)
Donald Jeffes Roxbury CC (MA)
Alexander Johnson Florida St
David Johnson Clinton JC (SC)
Coby Karl Boise St
Mark Konecny Lambuth University (TN)
Aleks Maric Nebraska
Japhet McNeil East Carolina
Paul Millsap La Tech
Matt Mitchell Southern University-New Orleans
Evan Patterson Texas Wesleyan
Leon Powe Cal
Richard Roby Colorado
Jontae Vinson Cal St Los Angeles
Albert Weber Connors St
Andriy Agafonov Khimik (Ukraine)
Nemanja Aleksandrov FMP Zeleznik (Serb. & Mont.)
Pape-Philippe Amagou Le Mans (France)
Yannick Bokolo Le Mans (France)
Carlos Cedeno Guaiqueries (Venezuela)
Tadija Dragicevic Crvena Zvezda (Serb. & Mont.)
Lior Eliyahu Hapoel Galil Elyon (Israel)
Rudy Fernandez DKV Joventut (Spain)
Kyrylo Fesenko Mariupol (Ukraine)
Rafael Hettsheimeier Akasvayu Vic (Spain)
Marko Lekic Atlas (Serbia-Montenegro)
Damir Markota Cibona (Croatia)
Mickael Mokongo Chalon (France)
Brad Newley Townsville (Australia)
Oleksiy Pecherov Paris Basket Racing
Hrvoje Peric Split (Croatia)
Kosta Perovic Partizan (Serbia & Mont.)
Giorgos Printezis Olympiacos (Greece)
Milovan Rakovic Atlas (Serbia-Montenegro)
Aleksandar Rindin Gala Baku (Azerbaijan)
Sergio Rodriguez Adecco Estudiantes (Spain)
Dusan Sakota Panathinaikos (Greece)
Renaldas Seibutis Olympiacos (Greece)
Saer Sene Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium)
Sidiki Sidibe Levallois (France)
Tiago Splitter Tau Ceramica (Spain)
Ali Traore Roanne (France)
Ejike Ugboaja Union Bank Lagos (Nigeria)
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
U.S. vs. Italy Recap
by Mike Hatton, KankaNation FUTBOL! Correspondent
In general, the U.S. looked much better than in their game against the Czech Republic. The attack's were crisper, although the finishing still needs some work. Other than one mental lapse, the defense looked solid, and the midfield controlled posession fairly well. Clint
Why then was the U.S. only able to come away with one point in a 1-1 draw? Look no further than the head referee from Uraguay, who was suspended from the 2002 World Cup do to "inconsistencies."
It was obvious early on that it would be a tightly called game. Italy scored off a free kick when Eddie Pope tried to run a one man offside-trap, letting his man get an easy header past Keller. The U.S. quickly equalized off a free-kick of there own, when the Italian player, trying to clear the ball out for a corner kick, and prevent McBride from having an open net, cleared it into his own net.
Then the cards started coming out. Pope was already carrying a yellow on a ticky-tack foul at this point, when McBride went up for a header, and was elbowed in the face by De Rossi, opening up a cut that required three stitches to close. The red card was well deserved.
Then in the closing minutes of the first half, Pablo Maestroeni came in a little late on a slide tackle, with the ball still on the Italian half. This would normally be a foul at least with maybe a verbal warning, a yellow card at worst. Instead, Pablo was shown a straight red, nullifying the man advantage the American's had.
Minutes into the second half, Pope picked up his second yellow of the match, leading to his ejection, leaving the U.S. to play with 9 men for over 40 minutes.
The remaining 9, bolstered by second half subs Conrad and Beasly, managed to hold off the Italians, and even had a few chances to score the first World Cup goal with only 9 men on the field. If Brian McBride hadn't been offside when Beasly's shot glanced off the Italian keepers hands and into the net.
Some will wonder why McBride, wasn't subbed out for fresh legs in last 10-15. However the best option, Eddie Johnson, who played well against Czech Republic, has limited experience, and maybe wouldn't be the best choice when playing with 9 men.
My only tactical criticism is why wasn't Pope removed at the half. He had already made key mistakes, was carrying a yellow, and would be crucial in the game against Ghana. Now the U.S. is forced to play with a very young back line in a must win tomorrow.
U.S. advancement scenarios:
The U.S. will advance to the second round, likely to play Brazil if...U.S. win, Italy win
Italy tie up to 2-2, U.S. win by 5+
Italy tie of greater than 2-2, U.S. win by 5+goals more than 2 scored by Czech Republic
Czech Republic win, U.S. win, combined margin of victory 5 or more
Monday, June 19, 2006
Preseason Round Table
Via Bruce Ciskie's blog, a quality site.
Which preseason college football magazine is your favorite?
Honestly, I'm still in baseball mode this time of year. (Keep that in mind as you read the rest of my answers.)
SMQ has been doing an oustanding job. That blog is good enough for me as far as previews go. But if I had to pick a magazine, I'd try Phil Steele. Obscure abbreviations and a "unique" stat-packed writing style seem right up my alley.
What team is being supremely overrated in the preseason rankings?
I could play devil's advocate and pick Notre Dame here. Close analysis of last season shows Charlie Weis is still learning on the job: The offense couldn't put up big numbers against Michigan, Michigan State upset them in the home opener, and sloppy play in the second half of the season led to a disappointing Fiesta Bowl loss. But the schedule this year favors a top 10 finish. (Of course, last year's schedule looked like an 0-6 start to some, so we'll have to wait and see.)
Most of the traditional powerhouses of the last 5-10 years are overrated. Michigan seems about right at 10 or 11, as does Nebraska in the bottom five. But placing Miami in the top 10 and Tennessee in the top 15 is a bit too much. Tennessee's defense is solid, but Ainge has yet to perform up to lofty expectations. If you put Oklahoma in your top 3, it just looks like you're trying to justify overhyping Adrian Peterson over the past two years.
Everyone seems to be pretty high on Clemson. I haven't watched them much over the past few years, so for the time being I'm going to assume their rankings are justified.
West Virginia's soft schedule may give them a good record, but does a final ranking of #6 mean they're better than all but five teams in the country? I suppose that's an argument for another day.
Turn the tables. Who is underrated?
I'm going to go with three teams who have been atop the SEC as of late: Auburn, Georgia, and LSU. All three have managed to stay consistent, even immediately after losing key players to the NFL. Ironically, what's inconsistent is the polls' opinions of these three teams. Steele has Auburn at #2 and Rivals has LSU at #4, but other than that the opinion of these three teams isn't incredibly high.
Which conference will be the best in 2006?
As a blogger following an Independent team, I'm going to stay out of this one.
Which "non-BCS" conference will be the best in 2006?
This would be a perfect time to show love to the MAC (it's MAC-tastic!), but that conference is in a down period right now.
Top to bottom, I'd have to go with the Mountain West. The WAC has a good argument with Boise State (Boise isn't a state) and Fresno State (neither is Fresno). There are a few other teams who could make a decent showing if they wanted to. But then there are perennial homecoming opponents like Idaho and Louisiana Tech. The Mountain West is led by TCU, with BYU and Utah on the rise. Colorado State always turns in a decent showing, and San Diego State is bound to beat a Big Ten opponent one of these days.
Which non-BCS conference team will have the best season?
I want to see Navy do well this season, and I think they can. However, it will be interesting to see how the quarterback position plays itself out.
But what would preseason predictions be without a blatant contradiction or two? I just said the Mountain West would be a tough conference. Now I'm going to tell you that TCU is also going to have a great season.
Let's get your first read on this one...who will win the H*i*m*n? Oh, by the way, players whose last names begin with the letter "Q" are ineligible.
Well, that saves me the trouble of checking on Dan Quisenberry, Jr. status.
CFR put together a good list of players who fit Heismandment 7. That's a good place to start. Names that jump out for me:
Which preseason college football magazine is your favorite?
Honestly, I'm still in baseball mode this time of year. (Keep that in mind as you read the rest of my answers.)
SMQ has been doing an oustanding job. That blog is good enough for me as far as previews go. But if I had to pick a magazine, I'd try Phil Steele. Obscure abbreviations and a "unique" stat-packed writing style seem right up my alley.
What team is being supremely overrated in the preseason rankings?
I could play devil's advocate and pick Notre Dame here. Close analysis of last season shows Charlie Weis is still learning on the job: The offense couldn't put up big numbers against Michigan, Michigan State upset them in the home opener, and sloppy play in the second half of the season led to a disappointing Fiesta Bowl loss. But the schedule this year favors a top 10 finish. (Of course, last year's schedule looked like an 0-6 start to some, so we'll have to wait and see.)
Most of the traditional powerhouses of the last 5-10 years are overrated. Michigan seems about right at 10 or 11, as does Nebraska in the bottom five. But placing Miami in the top 10 and Tennessee in the top 15 is a bit too much. Tennessee's defense is solid, but Ainge has yet to perform up to lofty expectations. If you put Oklahoma in your top 3, it just looks like you're trying to justify overhyping Adrian Peterson over the past two years.
Everyone seems to be pretty high on Clemson. I haven't watched them much over the past few years, so for the time being I'm going to assume their rankings are justified.
West Virginia's soft schedule may give them a good record, but does a final ranking of #6 mean they're better than all but five teams in the country? I suppose that's an argument for another day.
Turn the tables. Who is underrated?
I'm going to go with three teams who have been atop the SEC as of late: Auburn, Georgia, and LSU. All three have managed to stay consistent, even immediately after losing key players to the NFL. Ironically, what's inconsistent is the polls' opinions of these three teams. Steele has Auburn at #2 and Rivals has LSU at #4, but other than that the opinion of these three teams isn't incredibly high.
Which conference will be the best in 2006?
As a blogger following an Independent team, I'm going to stay out of this one.
Which "non-BCS" conference will be the best in 2006?
This would be a perfect time to show love to the MAC (it's MAC-tastic!), but that conference is in a down period right now.
Top to bottom, I'd have to go with the Mountain West. The WAC has a good argument with Boise State (Boise isn't a state) and Fresno State (neither is Fresno). There are a few other teams who could make a decent showing if they wanted to. But then there are perennial homecoming opponents like Idaho and Louisiana Tech. The Mountain West is led by TCU, with BYU and Utah on the rise. Colorado State always turns in a decent showing, and San Diego State is bound to beat a Big Ten opponent one of these days.
Which non-BCS conference team will have the best season?
I want to see Navy do well this season, and I think they can. However, it will be interesting to see how the quarterback position plays itself out.
But what would preseason predictions be without a blatant contradiction or two? I just said the Mountain West would be a tough conference. Now I'm going to tell you that TCU is also going to have a great season.
Let's get your first read on this one...who will win the H*i*m*n? Oh, by the way, players whose last names begin with the letter "Q" are ineligible.
Well, that saves me the trouble of checking on Dan Quisenberry, Jr. status.
CFR put together a good list of players who fit Heismandment 7. That's a good place to start. Names that jump out for me:
- Chauncey Washington - USC is still USC, and Washington does have experience in that offense.
- Adrian Peterson - If only to satisfy the hype machine. Of course, if he averages 200+ yards a game, that's not just hype.
- Troy Smith - If the Bucks are undefeated come the end of the season, will some voters feel that giving Smith the Heisman somehow makes up for the Vince Young "situation" last year? (I'm not implying Young deserved the Heisman over Reggie Bush, or that Smith and Young should be in any way connected. I'm just wondering aloud if some voters would think that way.)
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
U.S. vs. Czech Republic Recap
by Mike Hatton, KankaNation FUTBOL! Correspondent
Editor's Note: See, I knew I was right to leave the soccer analysis to the experts.
Also, in case you're not used to such frequent posting, make sure you don't miss Jon Byrer's Prairie Home Companion movie review and my World Cup team nickname rundown.
The simplest analogy I can use for this game, is that the U.S. looked like ND against BYU in 2004. They looked un-inspired and un-prepared.
Everyone was standing around, no-one wanted the ball. When we did try to mount an attack, it was quickly stifled by Czech midfielders who seemed to be everywhere.
Five minutes in, the left back failed to challenge the Czech attacker, giving him too much time to get a good cross in, that was easily headed past Keller by the 6'8" Koller.
Reyna had a chance at an equalizer, but hit the post, and the US wouldn't seriously challenge again.
Later in the first half, Onyewu headed a clearance into the middle of the field, leading to a 30 yard strike that beat a diving Keller. Middle school players know that clearances should go to the outside, never up the middle.
Eddie Johnson, a second half sub, seemed to be one of the few bright spots, and he should crack the starting 11 against Italy on Saturday.
Its now an uphill climb to get out of the group stage. In a perfect world, we win out against Italy and Ghana, and the Czech's do the same, giving the group a 9-6-3-0 look. If we can only manage a tie against Italy, we'd need to blow out Ghana, to make up for our -3 goal differential coming out of the game against the Czechs.
But its the World Cup, and anything could happen. I look forward to seeing how we bounce back against Italy on Saturday, and hopefully manage to move on to the knock-out round.
Watching a little bit of the Italy-Ghana game, I'd expect the US to have more room to operate in the midfield, which should help their confidence. Time will tell.
Prairie Home Companion Movie Review
by Jon Byrer, KankaNation Legal Analyst and Movie Critic
If I had to describe this movie, I wouldn't use words like "good" or "bad", I'd be more likely to say "bone-crushingly disappointing."
Garrison Keillor has always struck me as a fantastic storyteller. Having grown up in a small town myself, his stories about his fictional hometown in Minnesota always struck a particular chord for me. He could always manage to tell the sort of stories that were both poignant and funny at the same time, evoking laughter one moment, and nearly bringing you to tears the next.
It was with this in mind that I insisted to my friends that we go see the Prairie Home Companion movie last night. Instead of classic Keillor storytelling, however, we get Meryl Streep playing what is perhaps her most unlikable character, a near-mad singer who blathers on and on in some of the movie's most awkward moments.
Also, an odd angelic figure constantly makes an appearance throughout the movie. The figure only has one good piece of dialogue, when describing how she died while reacting to a joke told on the radio show ("Two penguins were sitting on an iceberg. One says to the other, 'You look like you're wearing a tuxedo.' The other says, 'What makes you think I'm not?'") Otherwise, she is merely awkward and somewhat creepy.
Though the film was supposed to be a poignant look at the last broadcast of the radio show, the script never really makes you feel sad that the show is coming to an end (which is odd considering that I personally think it would be a disaster if the show ever were to be cancelled). The only time I felt really sad throughout the film was with the resolution of the romance between two of the elderly cast members, which might have been the best side-story in the movie.
Throughout the film, Keillor was outstanding, and I wish the directors would have focused more on him instead of the Streep psycho-character. Keillor continues to be everything that Hollywood is not, rising above the things that makes modern movies so downright terrible. It was a shame that the director saw necessary to focus on Hollywood hacks like Lindsey Lohan, who once again showed that she can't really act, even when blonde.
Overall, if I had to make a recommendation regarding this film, it would be 1) buy the soundtrack, which is phenomenal; and 2) go to the Prairie Home Companion website and listen an episode of the radio show instead. The radio show is much more fun, and isn't marred by the weirdness and Hollywood crap that ruined this movie. And it's free, which is always a good thing.
Final rating: 2 stars (out of 5).
Monday, June 12, 2006
World Cup Nickname Rundown
Well, this may or may not be a blatant ripoff of Golden Tornado's football analysis. But, considering what I know about soccer, maybe it's better that I stick to nicknames and stay away from real analysis.
Also, since this is blatantly copied and pasted from Mike's message board post, the numbers in parentheses represent the current FIFA world rankings.
I was playing around on YouTube yesterday, and I came across a video with the same name. Trust me, you do not want to see it.
Poland (28) "The White and Red"
Nothing fancy, just Poland's official colors. At least they got their official colors correct (unlike one country we'll see later).
Costa Rica (26) "The Ticos"
Another simple one, as "Ticos" is a nickname for someone of Costa Rican descent. May I suggest a cheer for them:
"Give me a T!" "T!"
"Give me a cos!" "Cos!"
"What's that spell?" "Ticos!"
Ecuador (39) "The Tricolor"
This is a pretty down-to-earth group. Ecuador's flag has - you guessed it - three colors: yellow, blue, and red.
The three lions on England's coat of arms go back to the days of Richard the Lionhearted. (You may remember him - the good guy from Robin Hood.) That's a pretty cool guy to base a nickname on.
Sweden (16) "The Blue and Golds"
Again we're playing it safe and sticking with the country's official colors.
Trinidad and Tobago (47) "The Soca Warriors"
It's always cool to call yourself the warriors. It's even cooler when you describe yourself as warriors of island dance music. I only see two bad things coming from this.
1.) Once American announcers find this out, they're going to make as many "Who Let the Dogs Out?" references as possible.
2.) It'll be hard to convince some people that you have no relation to the ASU version of "Hot Hot Hot".
Paraguay (33) "The Guaranies"
Wait, the American Idol guy?
Yep, just a blatant excuse to post a Kelly Clarkson picture.
Ivory. Elephants. Duh.
The Netherlands (3) "The Oranje"
Oranje, while not in The Netherlands' flag, has become an official color of the country's athletic teams.
Serbia and Montenegro (46) "The Blues"
As we'll soon see, "The Blues" is a popular nickname for soccer clubs.
Argentina (8) "The Albicelestes"
Every time I look at this, I see Asbestocides. Asbestos is bad, and an Asbestocide would get rid of Asbestos, so I guess an Asbestocide is a good thing.
For those of you who don't habla espanol, Plancas Negra is Portugese for Black Impalas. For those of you who don't habla fancy words, Impala is fancy wordish for an African deer.
Iran (22) "Team Melli"
Iraq, of course, is Team Vanelli. Please don't bomb me.
Portugal (8) "Team of the Shields"
Well, the official symbol of Portugal is a shield, duh. What, you thought the team was huge fans of the FX Network? (Warning: Annoying flash movie with sound. Just don't bother clicking on the link.)
Mexico (6) "El Tri"
Well, the name could either refer to Mexico's triangular shape, or the Aztec Triple Alliance. I'll go with the latter, and leave any lame NCAA Native American jokes to the reader.
Because there's a black star on their flag. Duh.
Italy (14) "The Azurri"
Again with "The Blues"? (That does mean The Blues, right?)
Czech Republic (2) "The Locomotives"
Well, no wonder they're #2 in the world. They're obviously coached by some sort of Robot Genius from the Joe Yonto School of Locomotive Propulsion.
USA (4) "Stars and Stripes"
I'll give it an A+ for patriotism, but a C- for creativity. A version of the Stars and Stripes has been sailing in the America's Cup since 1987.
There's that blue again. And blue isn't even one of Japan's colors.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
Croatia (24) "The Vatreni"
Vatreni, of course, means "Is not foul in Croatia!"
Australia (44) "The Socceroos"
Australia's team nickname was decided by a write in contest. Other finalists included the "Battlin' Teachers" and the "Ball State Ball Busters."
Brazil (1) "The Selecao"
When you've won more World Cups than anyone else, you have the right to call yourselves The Select. (Assuming my Portugese is correct, of course.)
While you're trying to figure out if you should be fearful of the hawk part, or laugh at the sparrow part, Togo will run circles around you. Then again, maybe not. There was a team named the Ligers in our softball league last year, and they only won one game all season.
South Korea (30) "The Asian Tigers"
I've never seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and I'm still worried about what the Koreans can do.
France (7) "Les Bleus"
I can just picture the French version of Klondike sitting in the stands:
"Oui Bleus!"
"Oui Bleus!"
"Oui Bleus!"
"Oui Bleus!"
Switzerland (35) "The Oath Comrades"
This team does not sound like they back down easily.
The lack of originally with the name Eagles is instantly made up for by the reference to the ancent culture of Carthage.
Saudi Arabia (34) "The Falcons"
Solid, if not creative.
Ukraine (41) "Zbirna"
Zbirna is Ukranian for "The Zbikowskis." I wouldn't want to mess with them.
Spain (5) "La Furia"
Remember when you actually waited with anticipation for Dan Patrick to say "En Fuego"? Now, picture him saying "La Furia."
Also, since this is blatantly copied and pasted from Mike's message board post, the numbers in parentheses represent the current FIFA world rankings.
Group A
Germany (19) "The Mannschaft"I was playing around on YouTube yesterday, and I came across a video with the same name. Trust me, you do not want to see it.
Poland (28) "The White and Red"
Nothing fancy, just Poland's official colors. At least they got their official colors correct (unlike one country we'll see later).
Costa Rica (26) "The Ticos"
Another simple one, as "Ticos" is a nickname for someone of Costa Rican descent. May I suggest a cheer for them:
"Give me a T!" "T!"
"Give me a cos!" "Cos!"
"What's that spell?" "Ticos!"
Ecuador (39) "The Tricolor"
This is a pretty down-to-earth group. Ecuador's flag has - you guessed it - three colors: yellow, blue, and red.
Group B
England (10) "The Three Lions"The three lions on England's coat of arms go back to the days of Richard the Lionhearted. (You may remember him - the good guy from Robin Hood.) That's a pretty cool guy to base a nickname on.
Sweden (16) "The Blue and Golds"
Again we're playing it safe and sticking with the country's official colors.
Trinidad and Tobago (47) "The Soca Warriors"
It's always cool to call yourself the warriors. It's even cooler when you describe yourself as warriors of island dance music. I only see two bad things coming from this.
1.) Once American announcers find this out, they're going to make as many "Who Let the Dogs Out?" references as possible.
2.) It'll be hard to convince some people that you have no relation to the ASU version of "Hot Hot Hot".
Paraguay (33) "The Guaranies"
Wait, the American Idol guy?
Yep, just a blatant excuse to post a Kelly Clarkson picture.
Group C
Ivory Coast (32) "The Elephants"Ivory. Elephants. Duh.
The Netherlands (3) "The Oranje"
Oranje, while not in The Netherlands' flag, has become an official color of the country's athletic teams.
Serbia and Montenegro (46) "The Blues"
As we'll soon see, "The Blues" is a popular nickname for soccer clubs.
Argentina (8) "The Albicelestes"
Every time I look at this, I see Asbestocides. Asbestos is bad, and an Asbestocide would get rid of Asbestos, so I guess an Asbestocide is a good thing.
Group D
Angola (58) "Plancas Negra"For those of you who don't habla espanol, Plancas Negra is Portugese for Black Impalas. For those of you who don't habla fancy words, Impala is fancy wordish for an African deer.
Iran (22) "Team Melli"
Iraq, of course, is Team Vanelli. Please don't bomb me.
Portugal (8) "Team of the Shields"
Well, the official symbol of Portugal is a shield, duh. What, you thought the team was huge fans of the FX Network? (Warning: Annoying flash movie with sound. Just don't bother clicking on the link.)
Mexico (6) "El Tri"
Well, the name could either refer to Mexico's triangular shape, or the Aztec Triple Alliance. I'll go with the latter, and leave any lame NCAA Native American jokes to the reader.
Group E
Ghana (50) "The Black Stars"Because there's a black star on their flag. Duh.
Italy (14) "The Azurri"
Again with "The Blues"? (That does mean The Blues, right?)
Czech Republic (2) "The Locomotives"
Well, no wonder they're #2 in the world. They're obviously coached by some sort of Robot Genius from the Joe Yonto School of Locomotive Propulsion.
USA (4) "Stars and Stripes"
I'll give it an A+ for patriotism, but a C- for creativity. A version of the Stars and Stripes has been sailing in the America's Cup since 1987.
Group F
Japan (17) "The Boys in Blue"There's that blue again. And blue isn't even one of Japan's colors.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
Croatia (24) "The Vatreni"
Vatreni, of course, means "Is not foul in Croatia!"
Australia (44) "The Socceroos"
Australia's team nickname was decided by a write in contest. Other finalists included the "Battlin' Teachers" and the "Ball State Ball Busters."
Brazil (1) "The Selecao"
When you've won more World Cups than anyone else, you have the right to call yourselves The Select. (Assuming my Portugese is correct, of course.)
Group G
Togo (59) "The Sparrow Hawks"While you're trying to figure out if you should be fearful of the hawk part, or laugh at the sparrow part, Togo will run circles around you. Then again, maybe not. There was a team named the Ligers in our softball league last year, and they only won one game all season.
South Korea (30) "The Asian Tigers"
I've never seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and I'm still worried about what the Koreans can do.
France (7) "Les Bleus"
I can just picture the French version of Klondike sitting in the stands:
"Oui Bleus!"
"Oui Bleus!"
"Oui Bleus!"
"Oui Bleus!"
Switzerland (35) "The Oath Comrades"
This team does not sound like they back down easily.
Group H
Tunisia (21) "The Carthage Eagles"The lack of originally with the name Eagles is instantly made up for by the reference to the ancent culture of Carthage.
Saudi Arabia (34) "The Falcons"
Solid, if not creative.
Ukraine (41) "Zbirna"
Zbirna is Ukranian for "The Zbikowskis." I wouldn't want to mess with them.
Spain (5) "La Furia"
Remember when you actually waited with anticipation for Dan Patrick to say "En Fuego"? Now, picture him saying "La Furia."
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Notre Dame MLB Draft Mini-Recap
(and a mini-er link dump)
- Cubs select Jeff Samardzija in the 5th round. This ends Samardzija's baseball career at ND, but he's said several times that he will return for his senior football season. Rumor has it that Cubs GM Jim Hendry, good friend of ND manager Paul Manieri, will offer the Shark "first round money" in an attempt to persuade him to go baseball-only. Regardless, Samardzija will play this summer in Boise or Peoria. Boise, the Cubs short-season Class A team, starts play June 19. Peoria is Chicago's full season Low-A affiliate, and it would be relatively close to home (Valparaiso, IN) and school. Coincidentally, the Indians assigned the collegiately seasonedChris Niesel to Low-A Lake County to start his professional career. Samardzija's press conference is available on UND.com.
- Padres select Craig Cooper in the 7th round. Cooper, ND's leadoff hitter and first baseman, led the Big East by hitting .425 this year. He also led the team by a large margin in several categories: 79 runs (runner up: 46), 97 hits (68), 9 HR (6), 149 total bases (107), .654 slugging % (.525), .522 OBP (.441).
- Twins select Jeff Manship in the 14th round. Manship, a junior, said before the draft that he would return to ND if he wasn't taken in the first three rounds, so that may be the reason he went relatively late. Of course, he did miss the 2004 season after Tommy John surgery. Then again, Tommy John is as vogue as elbow guards these days, so that shouldn't be too much of a red flag.
- Tigers select Tom Thornton in the 21st round. The lefty went 7-3 for the Irish this year with 2 complete games.
- Toronto selects Greg Lopez in the 33rd round. G-Lo was a two-year captain for the Irish. The infielder, who started at shortstop this year, hit .305 on the season.
- They're endorsed by Fred McGriff!
- For those of you who forgot, Tom Zbikowski makes his professional boxing debut this Saturday. House Rock Built has the story covered.
Blatantly stolen from BGS. I hope their servers can handle the extra 40 hits a day.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Gammonsesque Thoughts
- It was a piece of Gammonsesque serendipity that Lastings Milledge made his Major League debut on a night when Alay Soler started. Milledge was a proven commodity. At the time of his call-up, he was leading the International League in on base percentage despite batting just under .300. Soler, a defector from Cuba, is largely an unknown (both talent-wise and age-wise, some would say). In his first start he followed a three-run first with five shutout innings in a no decision. Tuesday night he was not so lucky, giving up 7 earned runs in five innings of work.
- Aaron Boone was in the lineup a day after tumbling head first into a camera bay. However, had he gone on the DL, it would have been interesting to see what the Indians would have done to replace him. Option one would have been to call up veteran utilityman Ramon Vazquez to platoon with Lou Merloni. Boone's heir apparent, Andy Marte, would have been option #2. Marte has been struggling to keep his average around .250 at AAA Buffalo, but he is 8 for 19 in his last five games. With Marte struggling at Buffalo and Vazquez struggling while at the Major League level this year, the dark horse in this situation is AA Akron third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. Kouzmanoff is currently one of the top hitters in all of the minors with a .410 average. In my mind, asking Kouzmanoff to back up Merloni at third while continuing to let Marte play every day at Buffalo is something to consider.
- Sibling Watch: Jered Weaver was dazzling in his MLB debut: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. Stephen Drew is hitting .310 with 9 HR and 31 RBI for AAA Tucson. BJ and Justin Upton are both batting .297, BJ for AAA Durham and Justin for LoA South Bend.
- Offspring Watch: Tony Gwynn II is hitting .323 for Milwaukee's AAA affiliate. He appears to be a singles hitter like his dad, with 53 of his 65 hits being singles. Before you know it, the Brewers will be the team to beat in the NL Central.
- Back in spring training, it was known that Brian McCann would be Atlanta's starting catcher. But the media did quite a bit to hype Jarrod Saltalamacchia (and I'll admit it, I almost took him in my fantasy draft). McCann was near the top of the NL with a .347 average before going on the DL last week. Meanwhile Saltalamacchia is struggling with the Mendoza line at AA Mississippi, hitting .198.
- Speaking of Atlanta's spring training, the Braves gave prospect Anthony Lerew a few chances to end ballgames, and they didn't go too well. Lerew is currently 1-3 with an ERA of 9.26 for AAA Richmond.
- The Mets have a pitching prospect named Mike Swindell, who has yet to give up a run in 17 innings of work for St Lucie. He's too old to be a relative of Indians legend Greg Swindell, but I wonder if there's still a connection.
- The bad news for Jeremy Sowers is that he hasn't been able to keep up his career 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio this year. The good news? Just about everything else. The Indians prospect is 6-1 this year for AAA Buffalo with a sparkling 1.12 ERA. That ERA was aided by a 22 inning scoreless streak that was just recently broken. I wonder how long we'll have to wait to see this 2004 Vanderbilt graduate's MLB debut.
- Speaking of Indians pitching prospects named Jeremy, it's good to see Jeremy Guthrie back on track. Coming out of Stanford in 2002, Guthrie made 10 starts at AA Akron in 2003 before being promoted to AAA. At Buffalo he promptly fell apart, and he spent the next two and a half years being labeled a bust. Following a decent performance in spring training this year, and aided by a few decent performances out of the Tribe bullpen, it looks like it's time to remove that "bust" label. Guthrie is 3-0 this year at Buffalo with an ERA of 0.53.
- If the Indians need more bullpen help this season, the Gammonsesque pick is Edward Mujica. Mujica had 8 saves as AA Akron's closer before being called up to AAA Buffalo. Combined, he's pitched 27 scoreless innings this year.
- Just for fun: Which of these Indians minor leaguers has the better name: Bear Bay or Rodney Choy Foo?
- The one Notre Dame alum that comes closest to the Gammonsesque label this year is Matt Macri. Macri, who passed up an offer from the Twins out of high school to play at Notre Dame, did not always play up to his potential as a member of the Irish baseball squad. Now he's in the Rockies organization, hitting .271 with 6 HR and 26 RBI for AA Tulsa.
Hey, I found my contact!
Enjoy dining on delicious Rodney Choy Foo while overlooking Bear Bay
Monday, May 29, 2006
My Week of Walkon Tryouts
No opportunity wasted. That was the motto I went with when I decided to try out for the Notre Dame baseball team at the beginning of sophomore year. Sure I was a longshot, but I'd rather try and fail than always wonder what if. I found out that a kid who lived down the hall from me in Fisher - Matt - was also trying out for the team. Matt and I had had freshman comp together the previous year. He was a Cleveland Browns fan from Arizona. The large number of "Browns Backers" in the Phoenix area have roots in the days when Cleveland had its own national TV presence similar to Notre Dame football's NBC contract; their are similar followings in Los Angeles and as far away as Africa.
Matt told me that a third Fisher resident was trying out, a freshman named Greg. I've always contended that baseball players are either the nicest people in the world or the meanest people in the world. Greg convincingly falls into the former category. We met Greg at the ticket window of the football stadium (it was football ticket lottery time) and walked over to the baseball field, Frank Eck Stadium.
The trio of Fisher residents joined the other potential walkons in the bleachers down the third base line. Day one, Sunday, was easy enough: fill out an information sheet and set the practice times for the rest of the week. The form had space for a primary and secondary position. For primary, I scribbled in 2B. It was a fair choice, by that point I had been playing second base for a few years. I had as good a chance there as anywhere else. But what to put in the secondary spot? I had been an outfielder my entire life prior to becoming a second baseman. I started to write OF on the line, then stopped. Generically listing myself as an outfielder implied that I could play centerfield. Implying that I could play center also implied that I had range and was a competent outfielder. So I hastily crammed RF/LF into what little space I had.
The last section of the form was uniform information. It mostly asked sizes, but also included a spot for "Preferred Uniform Number." I took care to write in a perfect numeral 4, my lucky number from high school. Filling out the uniform section, I was reminded of the time Hannigan told me he was given a full set of issue gear, number twenty seven, for touring a baseball recruit around campus. I had delusions of receiving some issue gear of my own for tryouts, but that dream soon faded.
On Monday, I suited up in a uniform from my days in the city league: Henley-style jersey t-shirt, generic white baseball pants, and socks with a vertical stripe running down each side. I dug up the old metal Nikes that someone found for me and my two gloves - a beat up old Nokona for infield play, and a brand new black leather beauty for the outfield. I then set out for the extreme southeast corner of campus, location of Eck stadium.
I had gone to a few Irish games freshman year and knew some names on the team. Other than that, I knew virtually nothing of Notre Dame's rich baseball history. Still, I felt a great sense of priviledge stepping onto a college field. Heck, at that time I would have felt priviledged to step onto any baseball field. I descended the concrete steps into the first base dugout (Descended! It wasn't at ground level!), quickly laced up my spikes, and tried my best to mill around and meet the others. Soon an assistant coach walked up with a clipboard and began taking roll. As he neared the K's, I began to wonder how badly my last name would be butchered.
"Katricak?"
"Here."
"Did I say that right?"
"Perfect," I replied, with a little more surprise than reassurance. That coach's name, by the way? Wally Widelski.
Our first assignment was to stretch, and our second was to line up for the 40-yard dash. "We're not going to do any conditioning, because you should all be in shape already," a coach yelled. I immediately thought of all the training Rudy, and then of the complete lack of training I had done. Whoops. Well, I was once clocked at 7.2 seconds in the 60-yard dash in high school, second fastest on the team, and equivalent to a 4.8 40 or better. So I wasn't too worried. On the other hand, I was actually in shape back then. It came to my turn and I toed the line in a classic baserunner's stance, as I had been instructed. The whistle sounded and I took off. Yet I felt like I was holding something back. Why? I knew what I needed to do, how I needed to run, to go my fastest, and yet somehow I didn't do it. As I crossed the finish line, I thought I heard the coach with the stopwatch mutter "five flat." At least I hope it was five flat, and not worse. Still, that's terrible for a small guy with no power.
After loosening up to a game a catch, the outfielders were instructed to meet in right field. Being an unnecessarily picky ballplayer, I raced to the dugout to swap the infield glove I used to play catch for my outfielder glove. Somehow, I managed to be first in line among the outfielders for our first fielding test. There's a reason why thje outfielder with the stongest arm plays in right: the throw from right field to third base is one of the longest in baseball, if not the longest. Here was our chance to show off our throwing arms. A fielder was stationed at third, with a cutoff man positioned 40 feet in front of him. The coach rolled a grounder to similate a batted ball. My form was near-perfect: one-handed scoop, crow hop, and throw all in one motion. The throw was a perfect strike to the cutoff man... who then moved out of the way to allow the baseball to continue on to third base. The ball hit the ground and weakly rolled on the infield grass, stopping two feet in front of the fielder on third. Assuming that I had misunderstood the assignment - that the ball was actually supposed to get all the way to third - the coach gave me a second chance. This time I threw a solid one-hopper to third. Any embarrassment from the first throw was erased by this toss. I had never had a great throwing arm, and I was pleasantly surprised that I could even throw it that far. Who cares what the coaches thought, I was happy with myself. Maybe I wasn't such a longshot after all.
Next we were told to line up at our respective positions for fielding practice, to be followed by the start of batting practice. I ran to second, after retrieving my infield glove of course, and got in line behind four or five other prospective keystone sackers. They began to discuss their high school accolades - first team all-county, third team all-state - you get the picture. I avoided mentioning that I wasn't even first team all-high school (that is, I was a bench player). I fielded a few grounders without incident, and soon it was time for the first few potential walkons to take batting practice.
When BP started, I was again at the start of the line at second. The first batter hit a blooper over my head. I never was able to get the hang of fielding a fly ball hit over me, so I simply looked up and followed the flight of the ball as it landed twenty feet behind me. From the bench a coach yelled, "Infielders are allowed to go after fly balls!" Right. Whoops.
The rest of Monday passed uneventfully. At the end of the day, I had to tell Coach Widelski that I may be late for Tuesday's practice because of marching band. I went up feeling like a complete nerd for having to say it, but Coach was totally cool about it. On Tuesday I wore my baseball attire to band practice. I'm sure I got a few odd looks, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. As it turns out, I was on time for baseball anyways. But Tuesday wasn't nearly as memorable as Wednesday's practice.
On Wednesday, I agreed to show up early with a few others for extra batting practice in the cages. The coaches agreed to leave some old bats, helmets, and balls out for us. I looked at the decrepit navy blue helmets, some cracked, all well-worn, and still somehow felt a great deal of pride and honor when I looked at the faded interlocking ND painted on each. I was mediocre at best hitting in the cages; the ND helmet obviously didn't have any magical powers for me. When it came my turn to throw, I was all over the place. I must have apologized thirty times for my wildness.
As it came close to the announced start time of our practice, we walked to the edge of the field to watch the "real team" finish up their practice. On the team was a short sparkplug of a character with the last name Pope. Every time he made a play, he was met with cheers of "Poop!" from his teammates. One of the other guys trying out pointed to Steve Stanley. "That's the guy who led the Cape Cod League in hitting last year. Do you know what that is?" It was obvious that I didn't, so he continued. "The Cape Cod League is where the best college players play in the summer. They even use wooden bats." Needless to say, I was impressed. Here was a roommate of Jason Garza, himself a walkon who stuck with the team for a full month, and he was one of the best hitters in college baseball. (You may be familiar with the Cape Cod League from the movie Summer Catch. If you are, I feel sorry for you. Stanley, by the way, finished second in the country in batting average to Khalil Greene his senior year.)
It finally came to be my turn for batting practice on Wednesday. Coach Widleski stood in front of the mound at about 45 feet to pitch. I've never been blessed with great batspeed, and I was using a heavier bat than I was used to, so suffice it to say things weren't pretty. Greg later came up and insisted on using a wooden bat. I was impressed as he displayed WTP - Warning Track Power. I thought he had a good chance to make the team.
After a day off, we came back for a scrimmage that would be our final test. We would each have one or two at bats and play three innings in the field. I checked the lineup and was scheduled to bat around 27th and spend the 4th through 6th innings in center field. OK, I can handle that, I guess. So much for making a big deal out of not listing myself as a generic outfielder on the information sheet. When it came my turn to step up to the plate, there were runners on first and second and one out. This was the first time we were facing live pitching from one of our peers all week, and I did the one thing I knew I could do competently. I laid down a nice bunt to the right of the pitcher and raced to first. I was out by a mile, but everyone praised me for my "smart" play. Right, smart in the fact that I didn't embarrass myself by trying to swing away.
When it came to be my turn in the field, I grabbed my outfield glove and raced out to center. I was nervous, but I had learned in my high school days how to convert nervous energy into positive energy. I'm sure a few people may have given me odd looks for hopping around (shaking myself up and down, not jumping on one leg like a schoolgirl playing hopscotch) between pitches, but that's what works for me. There were three balls hit to me over the course of three innings. Two were routine base hits that I fielded on the ground. One was a fly ball hit over my head to my right. To this day I couldn't tell you if a "regular" center fielder could have caught that ball.
After the scrimmage we were told to meet in the third base dugout and wait for Coach Paul Manieri to come around and announce his final decisions. Some of the walkon candidates had been grumbling all week that Manieri had been completely ignoring these tryouts. I didn't seem to notice. Then again, I wasn't taking things as seriously as some of the others. Coach Manieri walked over and started to read the list of those who had made the team - at least for now. I recognized some of the names - Johnny Heinz, Zach Sisko - they were good people and solid ballplayers, and I was happy for them. I held out hope for Matt and Greg, and also for myself to some extent. The list ended with none of our names called. I knew I had given a terrible performance, but still I had my fingers crossed.
When all was said and done, the "winners" were told to move over to the first base dugout while the rest of us were left to pack up and head home. A few of those who didn't make it stopped to thank Coach Manieri for the opportunity. I wanted to as well, but didn't. At that point, I was in a great mood. I have a great love for baseball, and that four day experience was one of the best of my life. Somehow, though, I didn't think my exuberance was right for the situation. Still, on the way back to Fisher, I managed to individually talk with both Matt and Greg. Their mood wasn't nearly as chipper as mine. Here were too guys who were used to success and accolades, and for the first time in years, perhaps the first time ever, they were being told they weren't good enough. Both conversations followed a similar pattern. I reassured them that they had another chance the following year, and the year after that. I then went on to tell them how I was the worst guy out there, but still I enjoyed even having a shot. Both Matt and Greg gave a generic white lie that I wasn't the worst guy out there. (I was, by quite a considerable margin.) Then they politely explained that they'd rather be alone to contemplate things on the long walk back, rather than suffer an attempt to be comforted by Mr. Happy to be There. So I split away and headed home, knowing at the very least that I would have a great story to tell from that one week in September. And, as sad as this may sound, that week was the highlight of my baseball career.
By the way, the Notre Dame baseball team went on to be ranked #1 in the nation later that season. So now I can say that yes I was cut, but only from the best baseball team in the country.
Matt told me that a third Fisher resident was trying out, a freshman named Greg. I've always contended that baseball players are either the nicest people in the world or the meanest people in the world. Greg convincingly falls into the former category. We met Greg at the ticket window of the football stadium (it was football ticket lottery time) and walked over to the baseball field, Frank Eck Stadium.
The trio of Fisher residents joined the other potential walkons in the bleachers down the third base line. Day one, Sunday, was easy enough: fill out an information sheet and set the practice times for the rest of the week. The form had space for a primary and secondary position. For primary, I scribbled in 2B. It was a fair choice, by that point I had been playing second base for a few years. I had as good a chance there as anywhere else. But what to put in the secondary spot? I had been an outfielder my entire life prior to becoming a second baseman. I started to write OF on the line, then stopped. Generically listing myself as an outfielder implied that I could play centerfield. Implying that I could play center also implied that I had range and was a competent outfielder. So I hastily crammed RF/LF into what little space I had.
The last section of the form was uniform information. It mostly asked sizes, but also included a spot for "Preferred Uniform Number." I took care to write in a perfect numeral 4, my lucky number from high school. Filling out the uniform section, I was reminded of the time Hannigan told me he was given a full set of issue gear, number twenty seven, for touring a baseball recruit around campus. I had delusions of receiving some issue gear of my own for tryouts, but that dream soon faded.
On Monday, I suited up in a uniform from my days in the city league: Henley-style jersey t-shirt, generic white baseball pants, and socks with a vertical stripe running down each side. I dug up the old metal Nikes that someone found for me and my two gloves - a beat up old Nokona for infield play, and a brand new black leather beauty for the outfield. I then set out for the extreme southeast corner of campus, location of Eck stadium.
I had gone to a few Irish games freshman year and knew some names on the team. Other than that, I knew virtually nothing of Notre Dame's rich baseball history. Still, I felt a great sense of priviledge stepping onto a college field. Heck, at that time I would have felt priviledged to step onto any baseball field. I descended the concrete steps into the first base dugout (Descended! It wasn't at ground level!), quickly laced up my spikes, and tried my best to mill around and meet the others. Soon an assistant coach walked up with a clipboard and began taking roll. As he neared the K's, I began to wonder how badly my last name would be butchered.
"Katricak?"
"Here."
"Did I say that right?"
"Perfect," I replied, with a little more surprise than reassurance. That coach's name, by the way? Wally Widelski.
Our first assignment was to stretch, and our second was to line up for the 40-yard dash. "We're not going to do any conditioning, because you should all be in shape already," a coach yelled. I immediately thought of all the training Rudy, and then of the complete lack of training I had done. Whoops. Well, I was once clocked at 7.2 seconds in the 60-yard dash in high school, second fastest on the team, and equivalent to a 4.8 40 or better. So I wasn't too worried. On the other hand, I was actually in shape back then. It came to my turn and I toed the line in a classic baserunner's stance, as I had been instructed. The whistle sounded and I took off. Yet I felt like I was holding something back. Why? I knew what I needed to do, how I needed to run, to go my fastest, and yet somehow I didn't do it. As I crossed the finish line, I thought I heard the coach with the stopwatch mutter "five flat." At least I hope it was five flat, and not worse. Still, that's terrible for a small guy with no power.
After loosening up to a game a catch, the outfielders were instructed to meet in right field. Being an unnecessarily picky ballplayer, I raced to the dugout to swap the infield glove I used to play catch for my outfielder glove. Somehow, I managed to be first in line among the outfielders for our first fielding test. There's a reason why thje outfielder with the stongest arm plays in right: the throw from right field to third base is one of the longest in baseball, if not the longest. Here was our chance to show off our throwing arms. A fielder was stationed at third, with a cutoff man positioned 40 feet in front of him. The coach rolled a grounder to similate a batted ball. My form was near-perfect: one-handed scoop, crow hop, and throw all in one motion. The throw was a perfect strike to the cutoff man... who then moved out of the way to allow the baseball to continue on to third base. The ball hit the ground and weakly rolled on the infield grass, stopping two feet in front of the fielder on third. Assuming that I had misunderstood the assignment - that the ball was actually supposed to get all the way to third - the coach gave me a second chance. This time I threw a solid one-hopper to third. Any embarrassment from the first throw was erased by this toss. I had never had a great throwing arm, and I was pleasantly surprised that I could even throw it that far. Who cares what the coaches thought, I was happy with myself. Maybe I wasn't such a longshot after all.
Next we were told to line up at our respective positions for fielding practice, to be followed by the start of batting practice. I ran to second, after retrieving my infield glove of course, and got in line behind four or five other prospective keystone sackers. They began to discuss their high school accolades - first team all-county, third team all-state - you get the picture. I avoided mentioning that I wasn't even first team all-high school (that is, I was a bench player). I fielded a few grounders without incident, and soon it was time for the first few potential walkons to take batting practice.
When BP started, I was again at the start of the line at second. The first batter hit a blooper over my head. I never was able to get the hang of fielding a fly ball hit over me, so I simply looked up and followed the flight of the ball as it landed twenty feet behind me. From the bench a coach yelled, "Infielders are allowed to go after fly balls!" Right. Whoops.
The rest of Monday passed uneventfully. At the end of the day, I had to tell Coach Widelski that I may be late for Tuesday's practice because of marching band. I went up feeling like a complete nerd for having to say it, but Coach was totally cool about it. On Tuesday I wore my baseball attire to band practice. I'm sure I got a few odd looks, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. As it turns out, I was on time for baseball anyways. But Tuesday wasn't nearly as memorable as Wednesday's practice.
On Wednesday, I agreed to show up early with a few others for extra batting practice in the cages. The coaches agreed to leave some old bats, helmets, and balls out for us. I looked at the decrepit navy blue helmets, some cracked, all well-worn, and still somehow felt a great deal of pride and honor when I looked at the faded interlocking ND painted on each. I was mediocre at best hitting in the cages; the ND helmet obviously didn't have any magical powers for me. When it came my turn to throw, I was all over the place. I must have apologized thirty times for my wildness.
As it came close to the announced start time of our practice, we walked to the edge of the field to watch the "real team" finish up their practice. On the team was a short sparkplug of a character with the last name Pope. Every time he made a play, he was met with cheers of "Poop!" from his teammates. One of the other guys trying out pointed to Steve Stanley. "That's the guy who led the Cape Cod League in hitting last year. Do you know what that is?" It was obvious that I didn't, so he continued. "The Cape Cod League is where the best college players play in the summer. They even use wooden bats." Needless to say, I was impressed. Here was a roommate of Jason Garza, himself a walkon who stuck with the team for a full month, and he was one of the best hitters in college baseball. (You may be familiar with the Cape Cod League from the movie Summer Catch. If you are, I feel sorry for you. Stanley, by the way, finished second in the country in batting average to Khalil Greene his senior year.)
It finally came to be my turn for batting practice on Wednesday. Coach Widleski stood in front of the mound at about 45 feet to pitch. I've never been blessed with great batspeed, and I was using a heavier bat than I was used to, so suffice it to say things weren't pretty. Greg later came up and insisted on using a wooden bat. I was impressed as he displayed WTP - Warning Track Power. I thought he had a good chance to make the team.
After a day off, we came back for a scrimmage that would be our final test. We would each have one or two at bats and play three innings in the field. I checked the lineup and was scheduled to bat around 27th and spend the 4th through 6th innings in center field. OK, I can handle that, I guess. So much for making a big deal out of not listing myself as a generic outfielder on the information sheet. When it came my turn to step up to the plate, there were runners on first and second and one out. This was the first time we were facing live pitching from one of our peers all week, and I did the one thing I knew I could do competently. I laid down a nice bunt to the right of the pitcher and raced to first. I was out by a mile, but everyone praised me for my "smart" play. Right, smart in the fact that I didn't embarrass myself by trying to swing away.
When it came to be my turn in the field, I grabbed my outfield glove and raced out to center. I was nervous, but I had learned in my high school days how to convert nervous energy into positive energy. I'm sure a few people may have given me odd looks for hopping around (shaking myself up and down, not jumping on one leg like a schoolgirl playing hopscotch) between pitches, but that's what works for me. There were three balls hit to me over the course of three innings. Two were routine base hits that I fielded on the ground. One was a fly ball hit over my head to my right. To this day I couldn't tell you if a "regular" center fielder could have caught that ball.
After the scrimmage we were told to meet in the third base dugout and wait for Coach Paul Manieri to come around and announce his final decisions. Some of the walkon candidates had been grumbling all week that Manieri had been completely ignoring these tryouts. I didn't seem to notice. Then again, I wasn't taking things as seriously as some of the others. Coach Manieri walked over and started to read the list of those who had made the team - at least for now. I recognized some of the names - Johnny Heinz, Zach Sisko - they were good people and solid ballplayers, and I was happy for them. I held out hope for Matt and Greg, and also for myself to some extent. The list ended with none of our names called. I knew I had given a terrible performance, but still I had my fingers crossed.
When all was said and done, the "winners" were told to move over to the first base dugout while the rest of us were left to pack up and head home. A few of those who didn't make it stopped to thank Coach Manieri for the opportunity. I wanted to as well, but didn't. At that point, I was in a great mood. I have a great love for baseball, and that four day experience was one of the best of my life. Somehow, though, I didn't think my exuberance was right for the situation. Still, on the way back to Fisher, I managed to individually talk with both Matt and Greg. Their mood wasn't nearly as chipper as mine. Here were too guys who were used to success and accolades, and for the first time in years, perhaps the first time ever, they were being told they weren't good enough. Both conversations followed a similar pattern. I reassured them that they had another chance the following year, and the year after that. I then went on to tell them how I was the worst guy out there, but still I enjoyed even having a shot. Both Matt and Greg gave a generic white lie that I wasn't the worst guy out there. (I was, by quite a considerable margin.) Then they politely explained that they'd rather be alone to contemplate things on the long walk back, rather than suffer an attempt to be comforted by Mr. Happy to be There. So I split away and headed home, knowing at the very least that I would have a great story to tell from that one week in September. And, as sad as this may sound, that week was the highlight of my baseball career.
By the way, the Notre Dame baseball team went on to be ranked #1 in the nation later that season. So now I can say that yes I was cut, but only from the best baseball team in the country.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Notre Dame Spring Sports Mini-Update
Of course I'll never up to this fine piece of reporting, but I'll try to do my best. (Or I'll just read UND.com so you don't have to.)
- Men's basketball names Gene Cross. Cross, a 10-year college assistant, replaces Lewis Preston, now with Florida. I couldn't find much playing information on Cross, who was a two-year letterman for Illinois in the mid 90s and most recently coached at Virginia. The Irish frontcourt has been disappointing at best in the past few years. Let's hope Cross can effectively develop Notre Dame's young post players. Story here.
- The top seeded baseball team started the Big East Tournament with a 3-1 win over USF. At the time of this writing, they are playing the 4th seeded WVU Mountaineers in the second round. Tournament bracket here.
- The Irish softball team was bounced from the Evanston regional 7-4 by Northwestern on Sunday.
- Notre Dame women's lacrosse is making its first ever final four appearance. After beating Cornell 16-8 and Georgetown 12-9, the Irish are set to face Dartmouth this Friday. The winner will play the winner of the Northwestern/Duke semi on Sunday.
- The #2 seeded women's tennis team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, before losing to #7 Miami. In singles play, Carin Thompson has reached the NCAA round of 32 for the second straight year.
- The men's golf team finished 17th at the NCAA East Regional.
Monday, May 22, 2006
"Never Heard of Him": Year 2
Last year, I unveiled my "Never Heard of Him" theory, basing a basketball player's decision to enter the NBA draft early on his name recognition in a randomly sampled group of people. Here are last year's results. Of course, the more information we collect (both in size of the group polled and the time span), the more we will be able to learn.
So please, take a look at the early entries to this years NBA draft, and let me know who you've heard of in this post on the message board. Even if you've never posted on the message board, we'd be glad to have you. As this is a predominantly a Notre Dame site, data on Big East players is understandably tainted. So, the more the merrier! Not a sports fan? Not a basketball fan? Go for it!
The draft begins on June 28. Please post your picks by 5 PM Eastern on Wednesday, June 14.
So please, take a look at the early entries to this years NBA draft, and let me know who you've heard of in this post on the message board. Even if you've never posted on the message board, we'd be glad to have you. As this is a predominantly a Notre Dame site, data on Big East players is understandably tainted. So, the more the merrier! Not a sports fan? Not a basketball fan? Go for it!
The draft begins on June 28. Please post your picks by 5 PM Eastern on Wednesday, June 14.
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