The Sports Chair

CC Sabathia Trade

2008-07-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

CC Sabathia was traded on Monday to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Matt LaPorta and three other players. This looks to be a great trade for both teams. The Indians get Matt LaPorta, a great Double-A hitter who should start for them in left field next year and for years after that. For the Brewers, they get the best possible starting pitcher on the trade market. In addition to that, the best player they gave up, LaPorta, was blocked by Ryan Braun in left field and had little chance of breaking into the majors.

An overlooked advantage of getting CC for Milwaukee is that they traded for him on July 7, more than 3 weeks before the trade deadline. This gives them up until the 31st to see whether the rest of the team can continue their winning ways. As of before Friday's game, the Brewers are the Wild Card leaders, 1/2 game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and 4.5 games behind the Cubs. Since trading for Sabathia, the Brewers are 2-2. If Sabathia, along with the rest of the staff, can continue playing well the Brewers are in prime position to head to the playoffs as the Wild Card.

Let's say, though, the Milwaukee slides in the next three weeks. What's to say they don't trade Sabathia to the highest bidder? Nothing at all. They traded a prospect that was blocked by their own future star. By trading Sabathia to another contender, they can get back at least two prospects that are on the same level as LaPorta. That would be a huge return for trading Matt LaPorta away. All of this is pretty speculative, of course, because it would take a lot of losing to convince the Brewers to trade away Sabathia three weeks after getting him. The important thing to remember, though, is that the option is there and very real. Just something interesting to watch in the next three weeks.

The Washington Nationals

2008-02-21T23:34:00.000-08:00

2007 in Review

The Washington Nationals came into 2007 with little expectations. Many people slated them to lose 100 games, or more. With Manny Acta taking over as manager, this was definitely a rebuilding year. Yet the Nats played better than a lot of people expected. In what was a difficult NL East they held their own, tying the season series with the Mets and winning 10-8 against the Marlins. They even played well against the American League, with a 9-9 record. The Nats were hurt by their poor hitting and OBP, which led to the worst runs per game in the National League. Surprisingly, even with 12 pitchers starting at least 6 games, their team ERA was right in the middle of the NL.

The Nationals best hitter was Dmitri Young, who came out of nowhere for the Nationals to end up winning the Comeback Player of the Year award. He set career highs in batting average and on base percentage while getting his second All Star appearance. For the pitchers, Matt Chico stood out in 2007. While the case could be made for Chad Cordero, Matt Chico was the only starting pitcher for the Nats not to miss a start. All of this was in his rookie season, too.

New Additions

The Nationals were a busy team this offseason. With a new ballpark on the way, there were many trades made to try to build a team that will both be competitive this season, as well as for the long term. Two pickups that could help with the long term goals of the team are Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes. While both these players have had trouble in their previous organizations, they also have the talent to be impact players for a long time to come. The Nats also picked Tyler Clippard from the Yankees, a pitcher who could make the rotation for the Nationals before 2008 is over.

Unfortunately, the Nationals also made a couple of pointless signings. Aaron Boone and Paul Lo Duca were both signed this offseason. I really don't see the point of these signings. Boone is nothing more than a backup with Ryan Zimmerman and Young at the corners. The Nats have a young starter in Jesus Flores, which limits the need for a veteran catcher like Lo Duca. They also have Johnny Estrada, who will fill the backup catcher role nicely. Overall, I'd rate these moves a 3. There were some definite moves that showed thoughts of contention beyond this season, yet moves like signing Lo Duca will only hurt the team (especially with his steroid allegations)

Ranking the Lineup

The Nationals have an interesting lineup. If it plays out like ESPN's Hot Stove predicts, they will have a lot of potential in the outfield with Milledge, Wily Mo Pena, and Austin Kearns. All three of those hitters, as well as Ryan Zimmerman and Jesus Flores will be under 27. While there is a lot of potential in those names, there will also be the danger of inconsistency. In comparison, Dmitri Young, Lo Duca, and Ronnie Belliard will provide some stability in the lineup. Finally there is Cristian Guzman, who the Nats are hoping will play more like he did in 2007 (.328 in limited action) than 2006 (.219 batting average over 456 at bats).

Ranking the lineup, I'd really like to give them a 3. The Nats seem like the team that could put together some good runs, especially moving into a park that is more hitter friendly than RFK Stadium. Yet, I can't because I feel that's putting too much on the production of still unproven hitters. Because of that, the Nationals lineup scores a 2.

Ranking the Rotation

Unfortunately, I do not think nearly as highly of the pitching staff. With four starters under 27 and only John Patterson (age 30) with more than 200 innings pitcher for his career, this is not a rotation that shows in any way a hope for winning games. That's not to say there isn't potential here. Matt Chico, Jason Bergmann, and Shawn Hill all had decent seasons last year. Still, there is no chance that there is a pitcher here who wins 10 more games than he loses. Sadly, they'd be lucky to get a pitcher with 10 wins (last year's leader was reliever Jon Rauch with 8). With all of this in mind, it's pretty obvious that the Nationals pitching staff would score a 1 in this system.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

I don't think I'd mind if I lived in the DC area and had to watch the Nationals every night. Yes, they may not win much again with their pitching staff but at least they'd be interesting. It's far easier to root for a young starter than an old washed up pitcher who's bounced around far too often. The Nationals also have a great bullpen, which will make any close games exciting to watch in the later innings. Finally, their lineup is filled with young players who could easily knock the ball a mile.

While I don't see many wins in 2008 for the Nationals, it wouldn't surprise me if their season went much like 2007. Everyone writes them off and they hold their own and even surprise a team or two. I expect big things from Ryan Zimmerman this year. Since he came into the league, he's had one of the best gloves at third base. I think this will be the year he will complement that with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. I see the Nationals finishing fourth again in the NL East.

Next up: Toronto Blue Jays

The Offseason in Review

2008-02-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

With pitchers and catchers reporting to their camps this week, I thought it would be a good time to sit back and take a look at what each team did to better themselves in the offseason. This past offseason was an active one, with many key players changing teams either through trades or free agency. The free agents who remain will most likely fill in spots in rosters that may be a bit thin so now would be a great time to review how player movement has affected each of the 30 major league teams.

Each of the reviews will begin with a synopsis of how the team performed in the 2007 season. This will include my thoughts on their best hitter and pitcher. Following that will be a review of the new additions of the team. To make it easier to compare, I will rank the additions on a scale from 5 down to 1. The rankings will be determined as follows:

A team will get a 1 ranking if their only additions will end up hurting their team, whether it be in the short or long term
Not as bad as a 1 ranking, scoring a 2 would mean the players added may still end up hurting the team's performance
If the additions a team makes will neither positively or negatively effect their team's performance (only minor additions, bench players, average players, etc.)
If a team made significant moves in the offseason, they would score a 4
This score would be reserved for big additions to a team that will change the outcome of the upcoming season

Following a review of the additions a team made, their new lineup and pitching rotation will also be scored. For the projected 2008 rosters, I will be using ESPN's Hot Stove homepage. The basic idea of the scoring for these ares will follow as such:

Hitters: There are no threats in the lineup; Pitchers: None of the 1-5 starters fit into projected rotation results (will be explained below)
Both for the lineup and rotation, this score will be for a team with one standout player surrounded by otherwise average or below average players
A completely average lineup, the sort that will be enough to win some games, but no real firepower to carry a team
This is where a team starts to look interesting. The 1-5 pitchers start to show some real life and the hitters could easily change the course of a game
Scoring a 5 would mean having a dangerous lineup, from 1-9. Likewise for the pitchers

A note on what I will be looking for with pitchers. I heard Steve Phillips explain once what he tried to do when putting a rotation together back when he was the GM of the Mets. He said he looked for certain results from his 1-5 pitchers. From his number one pitcher, he looked for about 10 more wins than losses. This could be 14-4 or 20-10, as long as their was that 10 game differential. From his number two pitcher, he wanted 7 more wins than losses. Number three was 5, then a difference of 3 from the number four pitcher, and finally an even record from his number five pitcher.

While in reality, this sort of win differential from a rotation would be very hard to compile, it does have its uses when reviewing a team's rotation. For example, Baltimore has Daniel Cabrera slated as its number one pitcher going into the 2008 season. Last year Cabrera was 9-18 and he has never had a record better than 12-8. Placing him into that framework shows that the Orioles might not have the top of the rotation starter they would be looking for.

After grading the additions, lineups, and rotations, the team review will conclude with a couple of final thoughts on the upcoming season. What to look for, breakout candidates, and the like will finish off the team's offseason in review. The first team on the block will either be the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Washington Nationals, at which point I will work my way alphabetically through all 30 teams. I guess that all depends on whether I want to start with a great team or a team with little hope of getting out of last place in their division (any guesses which is which?)

The Mitchell Report

2007-12-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

So George Mitchell will be annoucing tomorrow the results of his investigation into performance enhancing drugs in major league baseball. While I'm sure I could go on about what I think of the process in general, I won't. The only real exciting part of this is that the Mitchell Report is promising to "name names."

So with Mitchell naming players, it leads me to speculate as to who might be on the list. From what I've heard, there are 60-80 players on the list, including some very surprising names. That being said, I thought it would be fun to sit down and try to guess who might be on the list. I'm not good enough to try to guess all 60 players, but there are some names I'd like to get down before it becomes official. Just gut guesses here. No evidence or anything like that.

Here are some links before I get going:
Players suspended for violating MLB Drug Policy: A misleading list, as some of the players were suspended for violations other that steroids (Neifi Perez, for example)
NL Standings and AL Standings for 2005: Assuming that baseball has been "clean" since 2006, any players I am guessing from should be looked at from 2005 and back

The Names (Teams as of 2005):

Marcus Giles, Atlanta Braves - His numbers dropped off after his '05 year and he hasn't been much of a force since then. That could just be from a fluke down year followed by moving to Petco Park, to be fair

Cliff Floyd, New York Mets - Here's a guy who struggled for a lot of his career to stay healthy. Maybe there was a temptation to use steroids to get back quicker

Pedro Martinez, New York Mets - What a shocker this would be? The most dominant pitcher from 1997 - 2005 getting busted for steroids. This would blow my mind. I doubt it would happen, but just imagine if it did

Roger Clemens, Houston Astros - I've thought this for a couple of years now. Someone his age pitching as well as he did has to bring up some suspicions. Honestly, I don't think this one would surprise as many people as if Pedro was flagged.

Jeff Kent, LA Dodgers - He's got the time he spent with Bonds going for him, plus the production at an older age. Also, he was with the Mets while Kirk Radomski was still there.

Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles - He was playing with Rafael Palmeiro, who was caught with steroids, Jay Gibbons, who used HGH, and Jason Grimsley. If he didn't, there has to be a couple of Orioles who did.

Eric Chavez, Oakland A's - This guy was a great hitter from 2000 - 2005 and never really produced the past two years. Injuries were a problem and could explain that

Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers - I heard about him from a guy who knew a guy. If I had to put money down on any player who hasn't been mentioned, it would be him. Just wait and see

So that's my list. Upon review of my list, I think the biggest way in which it won't represent the actual names is the lack of pitchers. I think the list will be made up of about 60% pitchers, most of whom will be relievers. That was something that really doesn't show up while looking over names so I couldn't pick out many myself. Also, I have almost all stars on this list. In all likelihood, the Mitchell report will name mostly players who struggled to get to the majors and stay there. Players like that had the most to gain from steroids.

Regardless of what I've guessed, if this report actually lives up to the hype and names players, it will be a huge challenge for baseball to overcome. Already burdened with being the most scrutinized of professional sports, MLB would then have to deal with 20+ years of results being questioned (meanwhile the NFL has teams with video tapes of opponents being used to win games, but you can never say anything bad about them). Baseball has proven it is strong enough to clean up the game. I hope now it is strong enough to once again change people's perceptions

Postseason Primer

2007-10-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to get back here and get some writing done, but the overwhelming event that was the Phillies postseason drive and collapse made me nervous to approach writing about the playoffs. Having only experienced the playoffs when I was nine years old, I thought it better to avoid this site altogther. Now that my worries are no longer an issue, I want to see what I can get done.

We are now in the Championship Series for each league. It is the Colorado Rockies vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox vs. the Cleveland Indians. For me, neither matchup is really spectacular. Not that the teams themselves aren't good, but more that there isn't a story that would hold me like some of the teams who were eliminated. The Phillies remaining in the playoffs would have been best for me. Take that out and you still have the Cubs and Yankees with intriguing storylines. Unfortunately, they are both out as well.

So, in an attempt to find some connection to the teams who are remaining, I have decided to write a Postseason Primer (alliteration is pretty catchy) to sort out the remaining teams. I'll cover a pro and a con for supporting each team. This won't be an official prediction. Maybe I'll get to that later. This will be more of an introduction to the teams that we'll be spending the rest of the postseason with.

The National League

Arizona Diamondbacks

Players to watch: Chris Young, Brandon Webb, Eric Byrnes

Pro:

They are a young team. 3/4ths of their infield are under 25 and their outfield has 24 year old Chris Young and 20 year old Justin Upton. Maybe that's just more interesting to me because they are my age, but so be it. These are guys who have never seen the postseason before. We could be looking back in a couple of years and see this Diamondback team as the start of a long run of success. Much like Miguel Cabrera and Josh Beckett in 2003 and more recently Justin Verlander, there's bound to be at least one future star on this team

Con:

This is Arizona's tenth year in the league. In this time, they have already won a World Series. Meanwhile teams like the Cubs and Indians have been waiting a combined 148 years for a World Series victory. The Phillies have 1 World Series win in more than 120 seasons. It's sort of tough supporting a team who could end up with a second W.S. victory in 10 years

Colorado Rockies

Players to watch: Matt Holliday, Manny Corpas, Troy Tulowitzki

Pro:

The Rockies have won 17 of their last 18 games. To do that at any point in the regular season is ridiculous. To do that in September and the postseason is insane. In the process they beat Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego (in a three game series and the one game playoff), and took two of three from the Diamondbacks (the one loss coming from Brandon Webb on September 28). Even if the Rockies take this series to 7 games and win, they will have won 21 of their last 25 games. 21-4 in 25 games. An .840 winning percentage. A run like that might be the best ever in September and the postseason.

Con:

Matt Holliday never touched the plate. While it's possible that the Rockies could have gone on to win that play-in game, nothing is guaranteed. If Holliday is called out, the Padres have two outs with their closer on the mound. I think people are forgetting about this, and that's great, but it's still there. And yes, I'm probably bitter that they beat the Phillies. I'm allowed to be

The American League
Boston Red Sox

Players to not watch (snack break?): Julio Lugo, J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek

Pro:

They have a seriously good team. Josh Beckett made the Angels look like they didn't belong while pitching a complete game shutout. The rest of their pitching is just as good with Curt Schilling (best postseason ERA all time), Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Jonathan Papelbon. They have two great hitters in Ortiz and Ramirez. This team is full of recognizable star players, which makes them very easy to follow.

Con:

After the 2004 World Series, it seemed like the Red Sox fans were all over the place. In a lot of ways, they became the new Yankees. If the Sox win again this year, this will only add to their numbers. While it's not possible to reverse the season they've had this year, a loss in the ALCS coupled with a few down years could thin out the ranks of the new Red Sox fans (Note: this is impossible....the Red Sox have too many good players to all of the sudden stop being great....nothing against the Red Sox themselves either, but I feel you should be following your regional team unless you have good reasons not to be)

Cleveland Indians

Players to watch: C.C. Sabathia, Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Travis Hafner's defensive shift

Pro:

They haven't won a World Series since 1948. I'm not willing to do the research, but I'm pretty sure that makes them the Cubs of the American League since the White Sox won two years ago. Any time a team has a chance to win their first championship in over 50 years, that makes for an interesting story. Again, a team who has been around since 1901, but only has two World Series victories (the other coming in 1920). It'll be interesting to see if they can win a third

Con:

I've got nothing. The Indians play well. They have great young pitchers in Sabathia and Fausto Carmona (which still surprises me because he was horrible last year). I even thought they had chance to play well last year (they didn't). I'm not saying this is the team that I will be following, but I don't have anything negative to say about them.

Alright. So that's the Postseason Primer. For people such as myself who are stuck without a team to follow, maybe this will aid in finding a reason to watch the games. I'm pretty sure it will help if the games aren't as one sided as the division series, but that's something that remains to be seen. At least I won't have the stress of watching the Phils forget how to hit. That's a story noone wants to follow

Back Again

2007-04-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

So, it's been far too long of a time since I've had something to say about sports. Living in an apartment without cable and internet will do that to you. Things have changed now, though, so I hope to be back in full swing. So without wasting too much more time, I'll get down to work

The NBA Playoffs

I don't have too much to point out here. I did want to note the fact that the playoffs started April 21th. I still think the NBA playoffs are too long. According to nba.com, the first game of the finals isn't until June 7. If that series goes 7 games, you're looking at the playoffs ending two months after it began. Nobody should be expected to follow playoffs for that long.

If I were able to call the shots, I'd try shortening the first two rounds. Nobody needs a best of 7 series between Orlando and Detroit. You can't really allow less teams to get into the playoffs because that will just encourage more teams to play poorly for a better shot at the lottery. The only option would be to have a best of 3 or even best of 5 in the first two rounds. Keep people interested.

That being said, there are some teams I'd like to see play well. Chicago and Toronto have a lot of young players who would be fun to see play in the second round (Chris Bosh, Luol Deng). I also wouldn't mind seeing Iverson getting another shot at a championship. I have no bad feelings about that trade. He deserved to get a better shot with a good team. Detroit and Dallas are two teams who I wouldn't mind seeing bounced at all. They aren't exciting. I'm not going to want to watch them play, especially if they end up in the finals against each other.

With all that said, I'd really like to see Cavs-Suns or Cavs-Nuggets in the finals. Lebron James is ridiculously good and having him face up against the speed of the Suns or the scoring of AI and Carmelo would be a great series to watch. I think everyone would rather see some high scoring and high flying rather than a team like Detroit win again. We will see

Alright. I think I'm calling it quits for today. Hopefully within the next couple of days I'll get down my thoughts on the beginning of the baseball season. It actually looks like the Phils will get a record somewhat close to .500 by the end of April. That will be pretty clutch if they are able to. That'll be a topic for next time though. I'm just getting back in to this. It's probably not best to tackle too much in one sitting.

Reporting Live From the Boondocks

2006-11-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

One of the toughest things as a sports fan is when you're put in a situation removed from the sports world. When this happens, news that may seem new to you is in all reality days old. That's the situation I'm in right now and it leaves me with little to write about. Yet I will do my best to get what's on my mind down on "paper."

-It really bothers me that it's been almost a whole month since the World Series ended and I still haven't heard who the MVP is. I read yesterday that Brandon Webb won the NL Cy Young, which is great, but it comes after I've more or less forgotten about who really might have deserved the award. If MLB really wanted to encourage discussion, they would find a way of announcing the winners of the MVP and Cy Young awards during the World Series. Maybe annouce one a game so Joe Buck has something significant to talk about. By November, very few people really care about those awards because the season has been finished for so long.

-I read yesterday that the Red Sox paid over 50 million to negotiate with 27 year old Japanese pitcher Daisuke lastnameforgotten. That really bummed me out when I read about it because it just gives the people who hate baseball one more thing to gripe about. Baseball gets enough bad press about huge salaries already that this will only make it worse. Personally, I can see the importance of getting a, from what I've read, ready made ace for your rotation but even I have trouble with the amount paid just to negotiate with him. (Side note...resident Sports Chair Japanese expert Mike Reddick once told me that the way people have been pronouncing his name...DICE-kay...roughly translates to I love you in Japanese. If he is correct, that's pretty funny).

-Jamie Moyer signed a 2 year deal with the Phillies with a contract incentive that he can leave road trips in which he is not pitching the last game early. I can only guess that is so he can rush home, cash his social security check, and catch the early bird special at Denny's.

-I think I'd pay $25 a month to have some way of staying more informed on what is going on in basketball. After I spent much of last season really trying to keep up with the sport, I have had little chance to see anything this season. I mean, sure, there's probably no difference in the Sixers between this season and last, but that's just one of those things you want to see firsthand.

That's all I've got right now. Hopefully the next time I write I will have more up to date topics to discuss.

Hey! We've Got Cy Young Award Winners Over Here!

2006-09-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Chicks Dig the Long Ball

This has to be one of the funniest commercials ever made. I found it on another site and had to put it here. Besides all of the intentionally funny parts, the billboard with McGwire has to be mentioned. I don't think the Senate investigation remembered to ask him about his shoes, but this commercial is the evidence that he had nothing to hide. I should get me a pair of those.

NFL Season Predictions

2006-09-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

Alright. Got to get these thoughts down before the season begins.

First off, the division winners:

NFC East: New York Giants
I hate to say this, but they just seem like they have everything in place. The Redskins seem really shaky. The Cowboys have TO. I'm tempted to put the Eagles in here just because they are always competitive, but I don't think they'll quite make it.
NFC North: Chicago Bears
Good defense. Bad division. They seem like they can sneak by without being too good
NFC South: Carolina Panthers
I think this division will be between the Panthers and Tampa Bay, but I'm giving it to Carolina because they have a better QB.
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks
No competition there
NFC Wild Card Teams: Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AFC East: New England Patriots
They're a lot like the Eagles in that they are always competitive, but I think their division will be easier to win.
AFC North: Cinncinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh will be good, but I think the Bengals will still win more games.
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
I didn't even look at the other teams in this division. It's that easy
AFC West: Denver Broncos
I like the Chargers, but with a new QB it's tough to pick them. Denver has Javon Walker too.
AFC Wild Card Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars

Alright. Now that I've got that, how about some player predictions

NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Jon Kitna!
Yeah. Last year I said Joey Harrington would be great. I was wrong. This year, the Lions have Jon Kitna as their QB and I think he can win the award for the second time (he also won it in 2003 for Cinncinnati). Mark my words. Kitna will be good.
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year: AJ Hawk, Green Bay
He was the top linebacker taken in the draft and he'll be starting from week 1 on a bad Packers team. That means he'll be able to rack up the numbers.
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: Reggie Bush, New Orleans
Even if he plays only a limited role in the offense, I still think he will be impressive enough to make the case to win.
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: Larry Johnson, Kansas City
He's number one all over ESPN! Reggie Bush took him in his fantasy draft. You have to think he'll put up great numbers.
NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Keith Bulluck, Tennessee Titans
He's been putting up great seasons for years. Why do I know this? He's been one of my favorite fantasy players. I've had him on my team for a while now.
NFL MVP: Carson Palmer, Cinncinnati Bengals
I think this could be the year for Cinncinnati. If Cinncinnati does do well, I think Palmer could take this award.

Super Bowl Prediction: Cinncinnati over Carolina

Alright. That covers everything I can think of. While I'm on a roll, why not mention awards for baseball:

NL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Zimmerman
After a slow April, he's consistently hit .280 or better and has 93 RBIs right now. Zimmerman is playing solid baseball, both offensively and defensively. That's good enough for me. Josh Johnson has been great for Florida, but he's been slowing down in August.
AL Rookie of the Year: Jonathan Papelbon
ERA under 1 with 35 saves? 75 strikeouts in 68 innings? Those are ridiculous numbers, even for someone who's been in the league for years.
NL Cy Young: Chris Carpenter
For me, it was between Carpenter or Brandon Webb, but Webb's second half numbers aren't nearly as good. It's surprising the lack of good pitchers this year in the NL. I don't even like Carpenter, but there isn't a better option.
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
He hasn't lost since before the All-Star break. Santana is also the only pitcher who will strike out more than 200 batters this year (maybe Jeremy Bonderman from Detroit, but that's about it) . Point being, Johan Santana is far and away the best pitcher this year.
NL MVP: Ryan Howard
Here's what I think of the MVP award. If you take the player away, does the team fall apart? There's no way the Phillies win nearly this many games without Ryan. For those who say Pujols is the MVP, I say that he was out for 20 games and the Cardinals still did fine. That means he wasn't that important.
AL MVP: Deter Jeter
I saw him play last week. Even on a team with so many great players, there's no way the Yankees are where they are now without him. He gets clutch hits, steals clutch bases, and plays clutch defense. That would make him the MVP.

So that's what I've got. A lot of predictions. Probably too many predictions. It's all good though

15-10, 24 games to go

A Tale of Two Left Fielders

2006-08-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

Since Bobby Abreu has been traded, David Dellucci has been getting a lot more playing time in the Phillies outfield. Some of this has come in right field, which was vacated by Abreu, but some of Dellucci's starts have also come in left field in place of Pat Burrell. Yesterday's game against the Mets was one of Dellucci's starts in left. He ended up hitting a home run and the Phils won, 13-0. This started my thought proccess in two directions. First, who has hit better since Abreu was traded, Burrell or Dellucci? Second, do the Phils have a better record with Burrell in left field or with Dellucci in left field.

First, who is hitting better? Here's what I found:

Pat Burrell: 13 games, 11 started, 43 AB, 3 R, 10 H, 1 HR,
5 RBIs, 6 BB, 11Ks, .233 BA
David Dellucci: 13 games, 10 started, 39 AB, 13 R, 17 H, 4 HR,
9 RBIs, 9 BB, 3 Ks, .436 BA

I think the numbers tell a lot about who's been playing better lately. In virtually the same amount of time, Dellucci has hit for an average 200 points higher than Burrell while scoring 10 more runs and striking out much less. Seeing that would make me think that Burrell should be sitting so Dellucci can play.

What of the question of who contributes more in left field for the Phils? To figure this one out, I looked at each game since the Abreu trade and noted the left and right fielders and the outcome of the game. Here's the results.

Burrell (LF) and Dellucci (RF): 4 wins, 3 losses
Burrell (LF) and Victorino (RF): 2 wins, 2 losses
Dellucci (LF) and Victorino (RF): 2 wins, 1 loss

The results here show more that 1) my ideas don't always have merit and 2) given more playing time for the Dellucci/Victorino combo, my idea might be right. If I was Charlie Manuel right now, I would give it a shot. One thing I didn't mention in the first question was that in the same stretch of time, Victorino is hitting .282 with 11 runs scored. Even that's a good deal better than Burrell.

One last thing that needs to be mentioned is that the Phillies announced that Tom Gordon will miss the next couple of days because of a sore shoulder. Gordon said that he's been pitching with the soreness for a couple of months now. Couple of months, eh? Maybe since July 4th, like I mentioned a couple of days ago. One of my concerns when the Phils signed Gordon was that he's old. This is why I was concerned. Maybe it'll just heal itself with some time off, but if not then the Phils are in trouble because Gordon is still signed for another two years.

2-2, 45 games to go

The Phillies Bullpen

2006-08-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'm done picking on Tom Gordon. He really hurt the Phils this past weekend. That being said, I wanted to take a look at how the bullpen did in the series against the Reds. With two extra inning games, plus a game Saturday where Mathieson left in the fourth inning, the bullpen was worked a lot. Here's the stats for the weekend:

Phils' Bullpen: 1 win, 1 loss, 15.1 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 15 K, 0 HR, 1.19 ERA
Tom Gordon: 1 loss, 1 blown save, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 20.45 ERA

In fairness to Gordon, I looked to see when he had pitched last before Friday. It was a whole week before, so his blown save can't be the result of overwork. Still, the reason I bring this up isn't because of how Gordon hurt us, but instead how well the rest of the bullpen performed. Despite poor performances by both Myers and Mathieson, the Phillies were in each game until the final out. That's great work by the bullpen.

Note: If I remember, on Wednesday I want to put in my take on the Rookie of the Year award

1-2, 46 games to go

Ryan Freel, Tom Gordon, and Another Player

2006-08-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

So the Phillies lost last night. I watched the game and I thought of a couple of things worth mentioning.

First is Ryan Freel, the Reds' utility player. Freel is in his fifth season in the league, fourth with the Reds. In his five seasons, he has played second base, third base, and all three outfield positions. This year he has done that while also hitting .294 with 27 stolen bases. His speed on the basepaths contributed to the Phillies loss last night. A player such as Freel gives a manager not only someone who can give a man a night off, but also a great defensive substitution in late innings.

Next player I want to mention is Tom Gordon. Somehow, Gordon has gone from gem of the bullpen to its downfall. The Phillies bullpen yesterday pitched 4.2 innings of relief, giving up 2 hits while striking out 4. Gordon came in for the 9th and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk, ultimately getting pulled for Rick White Flag. Since July 4th, Gordon has an ERA of 5.87 and has given up 17 hits in 15.1 innings. Gordon has given up more home runs (4) than from the beginning of the season to July 3rd. Maybe the trade rumors got to him? I don't know, but he's blown two consecutive games and is a weak point in the Phillies pitching right now.

Finally, another blog site I read, The Baseball Crank, does player comparisons from time to time. Here's one I came up with.

Player A: .289 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 80 R, .365 OBP, .477 SLG, 51 BB, 21 SB, 25 2B, 3 3B
Player B: .269 BA, 17 HR, 49 RBI, 91 R, .332 OBP, .458 SLG, 41 BB,
26 SB, 31 2B, 4 3B

Player A? Johnny Damon. Player B? Jimmy Rollins. Both are leadoff hitters, and their numbers are pretty similar. I think this just speaks to the value of Rollins.

1-1, 47 games to go

Phils vs. Reds: 8-11-6

2006-08-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

Alright. After last night's 14 inning game, I thought I should write down a couple of key points that I found to be interesting.

First, how about Ryan Howard getting the Barry Bonds treatment? He got 3 intentional walks in extra innings, including one in the 14th where there were men on first and second and nobody out. To be fair, the next batter in each situation was the pitcher. In addition to that, Howard did beat the Reds in extra innings back in May. But still, with 2 men on and noone out, you would think that they might not want to load the bases just to avoid Howard.

Next, how could the Reds not have enough men in the bullpen to go into extra innings without using two of their starters? To be fair to the Reds, the bullpen moves they made before the 10th can't be held against them. If Guardado holds the lead, then it really doesn't matter. Yet, after Kent Mercker pitched 2 innings they were forced to use Aaron Harang and Elizardo Ramirez. Both of these pitchers struggled coming in for relief, with Ramirez ultimately losing the game. What I don't understand is that this is the same Reds team that made about 1,000 trades at the deadline to strengthen their bullpen. The Phils had Castro and Sanches still in their bullpen, while the Reds only had Cormier (who was busy working on using a highlighter to color a baseball for most of the game). Just doesn't make much sense to me.

Finally, the dramatic plays that kept the game alive for both teams need their own mention. In the 8th, Ken Griffey's misplay of a fly to right-center by Pat Burrell led to Burrell's second triple since 2003. Later in the 9th, a failed pickoff play to second allowed Chris Roberson to advance to third and later score on a Shane Victorino sacrifice fly. The Phillies were not the only beneficiaries of dramatic plays, though, as the Reds' Todd Hollandsworth stopped a game winning line drive in the 13th inning with a desperation dive. In addition to all of these plays, both Eddie Guardado and Tom Gordon blew saves for their teams.

This is only one game, but it speaks well of what I mentioned yesterday. If the Phillies can keep this level of play up, they will be in good position in September.

1-0, 48 games to go

Thoughts on the Rest of the Phillies Schedule

2006-08-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Alright. I'm sitting here watching the Phils play the Reds and earlier Harry Kalas and Larry Andersen brought up a very interesting point. The Phillies have 49 games left, yet just 16 games against potential playoff teams. Yeah. I had to recount that just to make sure. It's true though. Just 16 games against the Reds, Mets, and Astros. Here's how the whole schedule plays out:

3 against the Reds (home)
4 against the Mets (home)
3 against the Nationals (home)
4 against the Cubs (away)
3 against the Mets (away)
3 against the Nationals (away)
4 against the Braves (home)
3 against the Astros (home)
4 against the Marlins (away)
3 against the Braves (away)
3 against the Astros (away)
3 against the Cubs (home)
3 against the Marlins (home)
3 against the Nationals (away)
3 against the Marlins (away)

The most important thing is to come out of this 7 game set with maybe 4 wins. Even 3 wouldn't be the end of the world. After that, their schedule is gravy. There's no reason they can't make a serious run at the wild card spot. Of course, this is the Phillies and they've blown better chances before.

Just for fun, I'm going to make a prediction for the Phillies. Looking at their schedule, I'm going to say that they go 31-18. That means they'll finish with a record of 86-76, 2 less wins than last season. I'm not going to be bold enough to predict wild card or not, but that's just because I don't want to be let down. Still, 86 wins would put them into contention, if nothing else.

Thoughts on MLB Comeback Player of the Year

2006-08-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

I was watching Baseball Tonight and they raised the question of whether or not Jason Giambi could win Comeback Player of the Year two years in a row. That got me thinking about who are some of the players who should be considered for that award, so I figured I'd do some research and come up with a couple of names. If nothing else, it beats having to listen to the Baseball Tonight guys debate every night about who should be MVP.

That being said, this is my very unofficial take on a couple of players who should be considered for comeback player of the year. The official definition says that it should go to a player who has "reemerged as a star in the season." Based on some past winners, most notablt Gil Meche in 2003, I think the star quality is not as necessary as someone who has improved their play greatly. That being said, here's what I found.

American League: Magglio Ordonez

2005 numbers: 38 runs, 92 hits, 8 home runs, 46 RBIs, 17 doubles
2006 numbers (projected): 85 runs, 179 hits, 24 home runs, 115 RBIs, 33 doubles
Changes: +54 runs, +87 hits, + 16 home runs, +69 RBIs, +16 doubles

Makes a lot of sense to mention Ordonez, who they don't mention often in Tigers highlights. He's a big reason why the Tigers are playing so well. Ordonez hasn't had a season this good since 2003 with the White Sox

National League: Carlos Beltran

2005 numbers: 83 runs, , 16 home runs, 78 RBIs, .266 BA, 56 BB
2006 numbers (projected): 128 runs, , 50 home runs, 148 RBIs, .283 BA, 84 BB
Changes: +45 runs, +34 home runs, +70 RBIs, +.17 points on the BA, +28 BB

Maybe this might be seen as an easy pick, but since I haven't heard or read anyone else's picks I'm sticking with it. Beltran is projected to hit 3 times as many home runs as last season. He's already doubled last season's total. Carlos is also on pace to hit twice as many RBIs as last season. I don't think anyone else has improved like that.

Honorable Mention: Colorado Rockies pitching staff

Jeff Francis: 5.68 ERA to 3.55 ERA
Jason Jennings: 5.02 ERA to 3.48 ERA, 3 complete games and 2 shutouts (1 complete game in '05)
Aaron Cook: 3.67 and 3.78 ERA the past two seasons (a low of 4.28 before then)
Josh Fogg: 5.05 ERA to 4.39 ERA
Byung-Hyun Kim: 4.87 ERA to 4.58 ERA

I think this is a whole different area of research in and of itself. Colorado's five starters have all seriously improved their numbers. My guess is that a lot of this has to do with the humidor that they are using to store their baseball in, but still the numbers are ridiculous. I know the award can't go to a whole group, but these things need to be mentioned.

So that's what I've got. It's a very unscientific list, but the players I've mentioned have definitely improved their level of play from one year ago. If I remember, I will revisit this post around the end of September when names start to be mentioned seriously for the award. Hopefully my guys will be some of those names. I'm done with this for now though. I need to focus my attention to how the Phils are losing tonight

Thoughts on the USA - Puerto Rico Game

2006-08-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yup. Count me as one of the few people who were excited for Thursday night, when the USA basketball team went up against Puerto Rico in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. The game didn't mean anything, but it was still the first chance to see the team that Coach K has been preparing to eventually play in the Olympics. Personally I was hoping just to see the U.S. dominate, something that hasn't happened since 1992 (I wasn't old enough to see those guys play, but I think the old puzzle I have of them in my basement gives me right enough to mention them).

The U.S. team did go on to dominate in the exhibition game on Thursday, winning 114-69. In the final three quarters they outscored Puerto Rico by a score of 85-43. Yet there were a couple of things that I saw that worried me just a bit as I watched, so I figured I'd write them down.

I watched more of the first half than the second and one thing Team USA struggled with in the first half was establishing an inside game. Many of the possessions in the first quarter had the US spread out around the 3 point line, trying to break through the zone of Puerto Rico. This led the US to taking bad shots and kept Puerto Rico in the game early on.

The other problem that Team USA encountered was the different rules that come with the international style of play. These rules include the trapezoid lane, being able to knock a ball out of the cylinder after it has bounced off the rim, and stricter rules against traveling. I doubt this will be much of a problem in the long run though because of the leadership that Coach K will bring. With his college background, he'll have the patience to teach the NBA players how to deal with the rules.

Other than those two things, I think the US is set. Their bench is huge. No player on Team USA played more than 20 minutes in the game. In comparison, Puerto Rico had four players with at least 20 minutes played and another three with at least 18. The ability to rest players during the game will give Team USA the ability to outlast their opponents.

I'll end with my last thoughts on the topic. Check out the production from Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Paul had 8 assists in 15 minutes and Howard had 10 rebounds (including 5 offensive rebounds) in 12 minutes. That is just ridiculous.

A Look at Predictions at the Halfway Point

2006-07-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Alright. Just thought I'd compare my predictions to what the Phils stand at after 81 games. All I'm doing is doubling their stats to get a full season's worth. Original prediction is normal, the halfway point number is bolded.

Pitching:
Most wins: Brett Myers, 16 wins Ryan Madson, 16 wins
Most losses: Cory Lidle, 13 losses Cory Lide, 14 losses
Lowest ERA: Ryan Madson, somewhere around 3.25 Myers, 3.86 (starter)/Cormier, 1.27 (overall)
Most strikeouts: Brett Myers, at least 190 Brett Myers, 164
Most saves: Tom Gordon (prediction forgotten) Tom Gordon, 42
Most shutouts: Brett Myers, 2 Can't find, which might be good

Batting:
Most home runs, Ryan Howard: 42 Ryan Howard: 56
Most hits: Jimmy Rollins. 202 Chase Utley, 194
Most runs: Jimmy Rollins, 114 Chase Utley, 132
Most RBIs: Chase Utley, 120 Ryan Howard, 138
Most stolen bases: Rollins: 45 Jimmy Rollins, 36
Highest batting average: Bobby Abreu, .310 Chase Utley, .300

Two things are obvious here. First, Utley and Howard are having amazing seasons. Second, it can't be a good sign that only one of our starting pitchers has an ERA under 4. Finally, I was close with some of my division winners (though there is stil half a season left). I did pick the Mets and the Giants are only a half game back, but I had no idea Detroit would be so good and for some reason I had hope that the Phils were for real.

In any case, there's still half a season left. A lot can happen in 81 games

What's More Disappointing? The Sports Chair or the Phillies?

2006-07-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

Seriously, a case could be made for either

Alright......so my guess is that the Sports Chair has completely lost any readers it might have earned, but that's fine. It'll go back to its original purpose of me getting my ideas down. I'm currently here in the Poconos, an area where nobody cares about sports at all. Because of this, not only am I slightly behind on the times but I'm really missing out on good conversation about sports.

Still, there are two things on my mind that I need to get out quickly:

1) The NBA Draft

Definitely one of my favorite days of the year. My point for mentioning it is the approach I've had after hearing the Sixers drafted Rodney Carney. After learning this, I spent the rest of the day trying to talk myself into being excited about him. It's not that he's a bad player and I'm lying to myself (I'm guessing from what I've read that that approach is more for a Knicks fan). I guess it's just more that I want to be excited about something, which brings me to my other point...

2) The Phillies

Disappointing, both as a team and a fan base. First, the fans. I had the pleasure of attending the game on June 21st against the Yankees. It turned out to be a beautiful day for a game. Unfortunately, the fans from Philly allowed themselves to be outcheered by Yankees fans. I don't care how bad the Phillies are, that should never happen.

The Phillies are bad, though, I can't lie. Last I heard, they managed to be overtaken by the Florida "15 million payroll" Marlins. The Phils seem more like a fantasy team than a real team. You've got your top players (Utley, Howard, Abreu), your home run and nothing else guy (Burrell), the shortstop you really wish you would just drop from the team (Rollins), the catcher you picked up because you had no one else (Fasano), and a handful of lousy pitchers.

Speaking of lousy pitchers, Brett Myers was finally starting to earn some respect when he got arrested. Only good pitcher on our team and I can't like him anymore. What I really wonder is what Myers would have had to do in order to not get the start the day after he was arrested. Huge mistake by the Phils when they let him go out there.

Anyway, I think that wraps up what I've got to say. My apologies for my opinions being a week old, though I think I'm safe because I don't think I have any more readers.

Quick Link

2006-04-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1570

Not entirely sports related, but definitely a cool article on sports photography. I thought it was interesting so I figured I'd pass it on.

If I'm motivated, I might write some baseball stuff this weekend

Predictions for the 2006 Baseball Season

2006-04-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

With the first game of the season starting tonight I thought it would be a good idea to write up a couple of predictions, just for fun. First off, some Phillies predictions:

Pitching:
Most wins: Brett Myers, 16 wins
Most losses: Cory Lidle, 13 losses
Lowest ERA: Ryan Madson, somewhere around 3.25
Most strikeouts: Brett Myers, at least 190
Most saves: Tom Gordon (I have to throw in an easy one for myself)
Most shutouts: Brett Myers, 2

Batting:
Most home runs, Ryan Howard: 42
Most hits: Jimmy Rollins. 202
Most runs: Jimmy Rollins, 114
Most RBIs: Chase Utley, 120
Most stolen bases: Rollins: 45
Highest batting average: Bobby Abreu, .310

Really, a lot of these can go many different ways. Howard, Utley, and Burrell could all lead the team in home runs and RBIs. Abreu and Rollins could both lead the team in runs. What this means is that the Phillies offense will be impressive and definitely the best part of their team.

There are plenty of features of this team that I'm not looking forward to. Gordon hasn't had a season being the closer since 2001. The rest of the bullpen could be iffy, though I like Fultz and Geary. Bell and Lieberthal are both too old. While Lieberthal will be starting, hopefully Bell will spend most of his time on the DL. The starting pitching on paper looks shaky too, but I saw them play in Clearwater and feel that they could be a little better than people expect.

National League Division Winners:
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
NL West: San Francisco
NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies

The Mets have so much talent that they should be able to knock off the Braves. I don't think the Cardinals will be nearly as much of a threat as years past. The Milwaukee Brewers should play much better than everyone expects, especially if Ben Sheets stays healthy. Speaking of healthy, I don't think the Cubs will ever get a full season from Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. It's sad because if they did, they'd be the team to beat. Finally, I think the Phils might pull the wild card (if not then the Brewers or Dodgers) just because most of their team is back from last year. Team chemistry can be a big help.

American League Division Winners:
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
AL West: Oakland Athletics
AL Wild Card: Cleveland Indians

I really hate the Yankees, but their lineup is stacked full of hitters. Their pitchers should do better than last year too. Chicago's pitching is amazing. Their number 5 pitcher Freddy Garcia would be a number 1 here in Philadelphia. Cleveland will be fun to watch too because of all of the young players they have.

Playoff predictions:
I wrote out playoff predictions, but I didn't like how they turned out. Neither of the teams I saw in the World Series were ones I liked. So I'm not including playoff predictions. I'm probably not close to how it will really turn out anyway. That's the beauty of baseball. You never know which teams will emerge from year to year.

So that's all I've got right now. The Phillies are playing the Red Sox right now in their final exhibition game. They're looking good too. Howard already has two RBIs. The Phils' first game is tomorrow and I will definitely be watching. It'll be a fun season

P.S. One last thing to watch for this season (I didn't know where to put this). Look for Sal Fasano's new hair. He went from this to this. Definitely one of the funniest things I saw in Florida

All Star Game Thoughts

2006-02-19T20:54:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here watching the first few minutes of the NBA All-Star Game and two thoughts occurred to me. Better get them down before I forget

-Why is the NBA using the Houston Philharmonic to introduce the starting lineups? I don't think many basketball fans will be even more interested to watch if they have an orchestra introducing the players? What's even worse is that the orchestra covered Eminem and what I think was Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne. Really weird

-If Nate Robinson was 6 feet tall, Igudala would have won the dunk contest with ease. Andre had the better dunks overall and his behind the backboard dunk was one of the most amazing I've ever seen

In general, it's fun to watch a little bit of the All-Star game. There is so little defense played that it makes for a entertaining game. Lots of turnovers. Lots of fancy passes.

My guess is that this would be the most fun of the three All-Star games to play in. It's nothing more than a little pick-up basketball with all of the guys you like playing with. I'd put baseball All-Star game next, with the Home Run derby and the importance it carries to the end of the season (which I don't really like, but I don't call the shots). Way back in last is the Pro Bowl, which I completely forgot about and only found out today who won. There's no way I would want to play in that. No interest from the fans at all

(You have no idea who won either, do you?)

Fed Up With the Red Sox

2006-02-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

You know who’s got me fed up? The Boston Red Sox. That’s right. Everyone’s favorite team. I’ve had enough of them. Honestly, this wasn’t always the case. I was one of the many who jumped on the bandwagon back in 2004 when they won the World Series. By no means was I hanging their flag out and praying to a Fenway Shrine every night, but I wanted to see the Sox win the World Series. I liked the underdog, and that’s what they seemed like to me at the time.

Something changed since then, though. Maybe it wasn’t the team itself, but I’ve seen a different side of the organization and that has changed my thoughts on the team. At the risk of angering Sox fans everywhere, the Red Sox organization reminds me, more than any other team, of……the New York Yankees. Yeah, I said it.

Hear me out on this one. The way I see it, the Yankees are that beautiful girl in high school that had everything go her way in life, while the Red Sox are the crazy girl who spent all her time trying to be like the beautiful girl. Everything always works out for the Yankees. People like them, and if they don’t it’s because they win all of the time. Meanwhile the Sox are spent living in the Yankees shadow, trying to outdo them all the time.

It makes sense if you think about it. A couple of years ago, the Sox spent all winter trying to get A-Rod (baseball’s prize player, despite seeming like one of the softest players in the game). Of course they didn’t get him, and when they didn’t they cried unfair and called the Yankees the “Evil Empire”. They blame their 86 years of losing on a curse. Most recently they lost their star center fielder to the Yankees and spent the entire off-season without a general manager, until they brought back the guy who left 3 months before.

I’m not saying all of this because I’m a Yankees fan. I’m not. I don’t like them at all and I hate what they’ve done to the game of baseball. But at least they run their team in an organized fashion. You can hate them for all the players they’ve signed and the money they’ve spent, but you can’t hate them for taking care of business. Compared to the Yankees, the Sox are a mess. Everything the Red Sox try to do just seems like a reaction to the Yankees. While other teams go out and try to fill holes, Boston and New York are in a ridiculous competition against each other

So that’s where I stand. A team I used to enjoy supporting has come full circle. They are quickly becoming what they claim to hate, a team whose success is built around high priced players. As for me, I’m just tired of hearing all about them. I’ve had my fill of hearing all about the newest drama in Boston and I’m prepared to spend my upcoming baseball season the peaceful way, listening as the Phillies come up short yet again.

(This appeared in the Albrightian, but I reposted it for people who don't have easy access to that.)

Basketball, Mr. Fuji, and Some Other Big Event

2006-02-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah yeah. I know it's the Super Bowl. So what? You've heard everything that there is to say about it already. Just like any other year, the Super Bowl has been sufficiently (if not overly) hyped. There's no real point in saying too much more about it. Especially when I have an idea like this.

So, back in the day I used to watch pro wrestling. It was pretty cool and all, watching ridiculous characters like the Ultimate Warrior and Yokozuna go at it. One thing that you could always count on was the involvement of a wrestler's manager at a key point in the match. The manager would come up to distract the referee while the wrestler would bring out a pipe or chair and knock his opponent senseless.

That got me thinking, why hasn't a coach pulled that stunt in basketball yet. Sure, this wouldn't work in the NBA, but in a lower level it definitely could. After a bad call, a fast break would start up. As this happens, the coach begins to chew out the closest referee. While the majority of the players follow the play, there is always one or two left behind. Because the other two refs are also following the break, this creates the perfect opportunity for a well placed elbow to send a message. Because the two refs are following the play and the third is being yelled at, nobody is left to see the intentional foul. Think about it

Yeah. I know that's pretty ridiculous and it has no chance of ever happening, but everyone needs something to laugh at and I thought that would be pretty funny. As for the Super Bowl, I'm going with the Steelers. No real reasoning here for a couple of reasons. One, I don't like either team. Two, I'm never really excited about the Super Bowl. And three, I've avoided most of the hype so I haven't heard much about how they match up. I'm just going in blind and hoping that I'm still interested by the third quarter, when they start replaying commercials and a third of America is asleep.

Good News of the Day

2006-01-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

It's a happy occasion. The Phillies didn't sign Mike Piazza today. Not that I'm a Mike Piazza hater. I'm not. He's a great player. Hall of fame career and the like. But the last thing the Phillies needed is another over the hill catcher. We already have one in Mike Lieberthal. They're basically the same player anymore. Really....look

Piazza (2005) 398 AB 41 R 100 H 19 HR 62 RBI .251 BA
Lieberthal (2005) 392 AB 48 R 103 H 12 HR 47 RBI .263 BA

Words can't express how happy I am that Mike Piazza decided to take the chance to catch more games with the Padres, instead of being basically a utility man with the Phils. Hopefully the Phillies will take this opportunity to throw Ryan Howard into the fire against left handed pitching. Also, the Phillies could use a young catcher and signing Piazza wouldn't get us any closer. Just something to think about

Sports Chair Scrub of the Week: LeBron James

Oh yeah. You read that right. The man who was just named the Eastern Conference player of the week is my scrub of the week. Why? Easy. The man with more natural skills than any other player who walks on the hardwood has decided that he's not going to compete in the dunk contest this February. That's just not fair to the many NBA fans who want to see a serious dunk contest, not second rate players going at it. If LeBron competes, it would open up the contest to other top rank players who would join in just to go against LeBron. But since that didn't happen, he's the Sports Chair Scrub of the week.

Reader Request: The Big East

2006-01-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

When an avid reader makes a request of the Sports Chair, I answer the call. This request was a little challenging, though, because I am not that knowledgeable about what the reader calls the "dominance of the Big East." Being more of an Atlantic 10 man myself, I don't know a ton about the Big East. Still, the numbers don't lie and it is pretty obvious that the Big East is one of, if not, the best conferences in men's college basketball.

Rather than recap everything the Big East has to offer, I ran across a website here that pretty much sums it all up. Seven teams in the top 25. The ACC and Big Ten follow behind with five apiece.

What's the difference between the conferences then? Well, first off the Big East has Kevin Pittsnogle, and you really can't argue with the comedy of a name like that. Also, some of the lower teams in the Big East have pulled off major victories against ranked opponents (St. John's over Pitt, Seton Hall over NC State, Marquette over UConn). Even recently, Georgetown handed Duke its first loss of the year. Happenings like that show the toughness of a division, when any team has a chance against a far superior team.

Of course, this might not mean as much when March rolls around. It doesn't usually take much for a team to sneak by with a victory. Still, with West Virginia, UConn, Pitt, and Villanova, the Big East will be a force to be reckoned with once the tournament begins.

First Look at the World Baseball Classic

2006-01-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

Count me as one of the five people around who are excited about the World Baseball Classic (coming up March 3). I won't lie. I'm really pumped about this. Getting a chance to see players representing their countries. Seeing the games played in stadiums across the world. This will be a great couple of weeks (far better in my mind than the Olympics, but that's just me).

So what happened when I found a roster list of players for each country last night at 12:30 am? I had to stay up and read through every country's list of players. Since most people aren't like that, I thought I could offer a quick rundown of the standout players from each team and offer some opinions. Maybe this will get some interest going in what will be a great new idea for baseball. So, in order of likelihood of making any noise in the WBC, here is a list of the countries involved.

The "Happy to Be Here" Teams - Probably not going to do anything, but they'll still be fun to watch

15. South Africa (Pool B)
Standout players: None

Four players with major league experience. No other players with recent experience against any professional clubs. I like South Africa, I really do. If this was the World Cup, I'd be rooting for them. But I don't see how they can manage to make much noise in a division with the United States and Mexico. Even their manager admits to the challenge, saying "At some point we're going to be sending high school guys out there to face like Derek Jeter and Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey [Jr.] in a big league ballpark. And obviously at that point, nerves become a factor, too." I really don't know if I can say anything positive about the team. Luckily, it's only 138 days until the World Cup starts

14. China (Pool A)
Standout players: None

This is the only team in the WBC without any MLB experience, though all of their players have experience playing in the Chinese baseball league. I can't say I can make any real judgments on this team, but each list needs some teams at the bottom and this is my choice. Their manager, Jim LeFebvre, has some playing experience in Japan but if I could guess a possible problem I think it might be communication issues between the manager and the team. Again, I don't really know but this is my guess

13. Chinese Taipei (Pool A)
Standout players: Chien-Ming Wang (NYY)

This is another one of those teams I know very little about. I did like seeing Chien-Ming Wang pitch last year, but he's all I really know about. A lot of these guys have experience playing either in Japan or the CPBL, whose website gave me no real clues to the level of competition. I'm just speculating here, mostly looking forward to the more powerhouse teams that are coming.

12. Korea (Pool A)
Standout players: Hee-Seop Choi (LAD), Jae Seo (COL), Chan Ho Park (SD)

This might be a fun team to watch. They also have Byung-Hyun Kim so their major league experience is far above some of the other teams mentioned so far. Still, compared to some of the teams to come, Korea will not have the talent to go far. Of course, if they're playing at midnight and I can watch them play, you better believe I will.

The "Question Mark" Teams - Could be great. Could not show up at all. I think these teams are very interchangeable within the group

11. Australia (Pool D)
Standout players: Damien Moss (formerly of TB)

Put another shrimp on the barby, mate. These guys are probably the weakest of this group. Maybe you could even make the case that they don't belong in here. But they have a significant amount of players with major league experience, which I think is a plus. Their manager, Jon Deeble, coached Australia to a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics too. I think that will separate them from the previous group of countries. Still, in a pool with the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, the Aussies don't have much of a shot.

10. Italy (Pool D)
Standout players: Frank Catalanotto (TOR), Marco Scutaro (OAK), David Dellucci (TEX)

Here's an interesting team. A couple of players with serious major league contributions, including one of my favorite names in Frank Catalanotto. Most of the other players have professional experience with various Italian clubs. Plus, there's always the possibility of a Mario-style mustache on one of their catchers (which would double in awesomeness if the player's name was Mario). This team will be fun to watch, though again most of the watching will be them making the D.R. and Venezuela look good.

9. Netherlands (Pool C)
Standout players: Andruw Jones (ATL), Mark Mulder (STL), Danny Haren (OAK)

Another team with some serious contributors from the major league ranks, more so even than Italy. Andruw Jones is a powerhouse coming off of an amazing season. Mark Mulder and Danny Haren are both solid pitchers who will contribute to their team's possible success. Sidney Ponson will be able to defend the team from both bar fights and late night buffets. The Netherlands could easily become an underdog story and make some noise in the opening round.

8. Japan (Pool A)
Standout players: Ichiro Suzuki (SEA), Akinori Otsuka (TEX)
Noteable players missing: Hideki Matsui (Steinbrenner's wallet)

I don't think there is a team I struggled with placing as much as Japan. They are a team with very little major league experience. Yet, the rest of their team has experience in the Japanese leagues. They also have the Japanese Hank Aaron, Sadaharu Oh, coaching their team. It's for this reason I put them up so high. More respect than anything else. I also think they can win in a pool that contains China, Chinese Taipei, and Korea. Of course, I've been wrong before.

7. Canada (Pool B)
Standout players: Jason Bay (PIT), Erik Bedard (BAL), Corey Koskie (MIL)

Canada, eh? Almost made it. What I mean is that these guys could almost make it out of their pool. They have some great talent. They have a player named Stubby Clapp. They even have french fries and gravy. They're the best of the question marks. But they don't quite make it to the next round. Still, if you have to put your money on a dark horse to make some noise, why not try our neighbors to the north.

The "Runner-up" Teams - These teams definitely separated themselves from the question mark teams, yet they aren't quite up to being included in the powerhouse teams either

6. Panama (Pool C)
Standout players: Mariano Rivera (NYY), Carlos Lee (MIL), Carlos Ruiz (PHI-you haven't heard of him yet, but he's good)

The Panama team has a good mix of MLB experience and players with no experience at all. Yet I think they warrant not being in the question mark category. Many of the players they do have are either top tier (Rivera, Lee) or young players who might thrive playing with people from their own country (Bruce Chen, Einar Diaz, Olmedo Saenz). I think if they can get a lead to their bullpen, with Rivera and Ramiro Medoza, they will be a tough team.

5. Mexico (Pool B)
Standout players: Nomar Garciaparra (LAD), Esteban Loiaza (OAK), Rodrigo Lopez (BAL)

Another one of those teams with a mix of MLB experience and professional experience in their own country. A lot of the players from Mexico are recognizable to baseball fans, even if they aren't the best players. These guys include Vinny Castilla, Jorge Cantu, and Luis Ayala. Mexico could come out of Pool B, though Canada will be strong competition. If I was forced to choose, I would choose Mexico, but it's far too early to tell.

4. Puerto Rico (Pool C)
Standout players: Carlos Beltran (NYM), Carlos Delgado (NYM), Javier Lopez (BAL)

This team is pretty loaded. In addition to these standouts, you also have plenty of other solid contributors, including Ivan Rodriguez, Felipe Lopez, and Javier Vazquez. These guys could easily go to the next round in their pool, and even challenge the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. They will play solid baseball together and be one of the best teams to watch. Should be good

The Powerhouses - The name explains it all with these teams. These guys will be gunning for the top spot towards the end.

3. Venezuela (Pool D)
Standout players: Bobby Abreu (PHI), Francisco Rodriguez (ANA), Miguel Cabrera (FLA)

Wow. The scary thing is that this team isn't nearly as good as the next two. They have great hitting in Cabrera, Abreu, and Melvin Mora, among others. They also have some solid pitching, most notably Angels closers Francisco Rodriguez. They're also being coached by Luis Sojo, who has been coaching with the Yankees for the past couple of years. Still, they're a little behind with both pitching and hitting and that will be the difference.

2. United States (Pool B)
Standout players: Barry Bonds (SF), Johnny Damon (NYY), Derrek Lee (CHI)

I've only been listing three standout players, but the U.S. has much more than that. They can run out a pitching rotation of Roger Clemens, Dontrelle Willis, Roy Halladay, Tim Hudson, and Andy Pettitte. In addition to that, they have a bullpen with Billy Wagner, Huston Street, Scot Shields, and Chad Cordero. My question is why did they include Al Leiter in the initial roster? Hopefully he does not make the cut because he's a couple years removed from when he was good.

1. Dominican Republic (Pool D)
Standout players: Albert Pujols (STL), Vladimir Guerrero (ANA), Pedro Martinez (NYM)

If the United States has the pitching, the D.R. has the hitting. This team is seriously stacked. In addition to those three, they have Manny Ramirez, Miguel Tejada, and Alfonso Soriano. The list could go on. In addition, they also have Pedro on the mound. To complement him, they have a couple of young arms in Francisco Liriano and Daniel Cabrera. Watching the D.R. go against the U.S. in the final will be a classic baseball game that could go either way.

So, if you read all of this you're probably as much of a baseball nerd as I am. Hopefully this will help you get excited about the World Baseball Classic coming up (March 3rd). If nothing else, maybe it informed you that such an event was even happening. Now that you know, all you have to do is wait. I know I will

Going with my Gut

2006-01-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

If I were to tell you that I was excited about this week's games and the upcoming Super Bowl, I'd be lying. The only team I'm sort of interested in seeing play is the Steelers, but even that is nowhere near the level of excitement I'd have if it was Indy-New England this weekend.

(Quick note: as much as I'm not excited, that Steelers-Colts game went from snoozer to amazing very quickly and might have been the best game of the playoffs. Hearing the announcer's voice through most of the first half almost sounded like someone actually died and they were being forced to call the game anyway. The way that game went seemed very similar to the Colts-Chargers game went down. Of course, I'm not really sure because CBS made the bold move of putting on the Jets-Dolphins on instead. Still bitter about that one)

Anyway, these games aren't really doing anything for me. To be honest, the only reason I'm writing anything about it is because I want to continue to make all the wrong calls (1-3 last week, after going 2-0 the first week). So, in my way of tackling this week, I'm going to rank which Super Bowls I'd most like to see, from what's left of the field.

4. Seattle-Denver
Two teams that seem really bland to me. Nothing exciting about either team really. Might be interesting to see Alexander win a championship. Might be funny watching Plummer make some mistakes (His source of power? His beard. Someone should sneak in one night and shave everything except for that ridiculous mustache he had. Guaranteed three interceptions from him after that). Besides that? Nothing really. I hope this doesn't happen

3. Carolina-Denver
Same sort of feeling, but it would be more exciting to see Steve Smith embarrass another team and win a Super Bowl MVP (If the Panthers win the Super Bowl, it will be Smith getting the MVP).

2. Seattle-Pittsburgh
Seeing how Pittsburgh is actually fun to watch, because they hit hard on defense, force turnovers, and run the ball like champs, this wouldn't be horrible. I think it would definitely go in favor of the Steelers, though it would be a close game. At the end, though, the Bus gets his ring and rolls off into the sunset.

1. Carolina-Pittsburgh
Combine what I'm excited about from the other games (Smith being awesome, Pittsburgh playing good overall football), and you've got an alright Super Bowl. While not a historic matchup, this is the sort of game you want to get the pizza and chips for, get some people together, and actually pay attention to.

With that said, I'm going with my gut and picking Carolina and Pittsburgh this weekend. Why? Because I want to be awake through all of the Super Bowl. Those two give me the best chance of that happening. Of course, since I'm picking them it'll be Seattle and Denver and I'll be playing video games by the third quarter.

Sports Chair Athlete of the Week: Antonio Davis

Look up doing the right thing in the dictionary (because they put phrases in there now). Who will you find? Sports Chair athlete of the week Antonio Davis. Davis went into the stands this past week to defend his wife from what he thought was a drunken fan. Regardless of what comes after, he did the right thing and handled it the right way. I've got a ton of respect for someone like that.

Underappreciated Players Vol. 1: Troy Murphy

2006-01-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

Note: There are some athletes out there I respect/like for what they do. This will be a ongoing list as I remember guys who need some props.

When people talk about basketball's big men today, the discussion usually begins and ends with Duncan, Garnett, and Shaq (maybe to a lesser extent Ben Wallace, usually more so when he lets out his fro). But that's about it. Well, I'd like to add another name to that list. Troy Murphy of the Golden State Warriors.

Why do I bring up Troy Murphy? Look at him. Kid averages about 16 and 9 per game. He's giving the Warriors 16 double doubles in 35 games. His points and rebounds have either gone up or stayed strong in each year he's been in the NBA. It looks even better when you compare him with Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown, and Tyson Chandler, all players who went ahead of him in the draft (Kwame's making 3 million more and he does a heck of a lot less).

I'm not saying this kid is the next coming of Bill Walton (though now that I look, their numbers aren't that different). All I'm saying is that if I were running an NBA team, I'd want a guy like Murphy on my team. Hits the boards hard. Consistent with the numbers. No flash, but no trouble either. I respect that

With that, Murphy becomes number 1 on my ongoing list of athletes I respect. Congratulations

Bring Your Appetite

2006-01-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice that any time that there is an especially good amount of games all in a day or two, they say that it's a full plate? Well this weekend fits the bill perfectly with the football playoffs and I've got my plate ready.

To try to make this interesting, I'm going to do this a little differently. Just follow along, all five of you who actually read this.

The Appetizer (New England vs. Denver)

In our playoff dinner, this is the setup game. A great game in its own right, but not quite enough to fill you up. I'm going to go with New England on this one. In last week's predictions I wanted to pick New England, but held back because I was secretly rooting for Jacksonville. No more will I hold back. Belichick is the last coach you want to run into in the playoffs and Denver's habit of not winning playoff games without Elway will continue.

The Drink (Seattle vs. Washington)

Every meal needs a good drink to compliment the meal. My choice would usually be some cold Icy Tea, but to each his own. This game is the drink. Definitely not something you can make a meal out of (unlike the appetizer), this game will be a nice addition to the other heavyweight games. I'm liking Seattle here. Washington showed last week that it can win without an offense, but that was against a different team in Tampa. The combination of Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck will be too much for Sheriff Gonna Getcha and his deputy Brunell (who they might as well take out behind the shed and finish off).

The Main Course (Indianapolis vs. Pittsburgh)

This is it. The meat and potatoes of the meal. This game will leave you with that nice, content feeling of seeing two great teams at work. I'm liking Indy here, in part because they have the whole "play hard for the coach" deal for them and part because they are amazing on their own. Pittsburgh will make it amazingly tough though and could pull out the win. The fact that the Colts haven't played a meaningful game since their loss to the Chargers might mean something, and if Manning is roughed up it could easily go to the Steelers. Still, I'm moving a notch out on my belt and taking the Colts in this feast of a game.

The Dessert (Carolina vs. Chicago)

This is the closer. A good dessert after a meal means you go home happy. At the same time, you never know what you get with some desserts and I don't know what to expect with this game. Popular opinion seems to like the Panthers, but I like the Bears. They've got spunk, and spunk is a good thing. I don't think DeShaun Foster can put up another beast game, especially against the Chicago D. Along with that, the Bears are coming in rested at home, which will only help things. So the official Sports Chair call goes to the Bears, as a excellent meal comes to a close.

So there's what I think. Even writing this has gotten me a little hungry, but I can wait until the games start. Finally, the Sports Chair award for best player of the past week goes to Chad Johnson, who tailgated with the fans before the game. That's class

Enjoy this week's games and holla at me with your suggestions

Hey! Let's Be Cool and Boo the Ref

2006-01-11T23:14:00.000-08:00

Let me get one thing straight. Being from Philadelphia, I was born with vocal chords primed for booing. Some people can sing, others have a great radio voice. Me? I can boo with the best of them. I am not one to discourage my talent either. Starting at a young age I distinctly remember booing along in my car as they took Michael Irvin off the field (classless maybe, but my parents didn't stop me) and I booed at the last Phillies game I went to. It's a part of me

I've got a problem with some people booing, though. If you're at a basketball game and the call doesn't go your way, that is not an excuse to boo. Open up your eyes for a second and watch the play. If it's a cheap call, by all means let loose. The ref deserves it then. If the call is legit, though, let it slide. You only make the fans look bad by booing a good call. Even a bad ref will get a call once in a while

A lot of power can be found in booing. It can be a great way of joining in with the game. Just remember to take the time and watch the game before running your mouth. Everyone will look a lot better that way

A Couple of Playoff Predictions

2006-01-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

What up? We've got four great playoff games this weekend and I thought I'd throw in my opinion for some of them.

First off we've got Washington and Tampa Bay. They met up once already this season and Tampa Bay won on a late two point conversion by the Bucs. Personally, I don't think it will be as close of a game this time around. Unlike the other game I'll write about, I don't see any one player on this field being the key to victory. What I do see is that the Bucs have is a (for all intents and purposes) a rookie QB in Chris Simms and a rookie running back in Cadillac Williams.

Compare those two to the Redskins' Mark Brunell and Clinton Portis (here on out known as Sheriff Gonna Getcha). Brunell and the Sheriff are much more experienced players and will have a easier time staying cool if they start off down. Simms and Williams, while good players, aren't experienced in the playoffs and could easily end up in a situation where they are pressing too hard to make things happen. So my pick for this game is Washington over Tampa Bay

The other game I have a feeling about is Carolina against the Giants. There is one player who will be the key to this game and his name is Tiki Barber. Take Tiki Barber out of the equation and the Giants don't have a chance. Eli is not yet the kind of quarterback that can put a team on his shoulders, as I saw when he threw a bunch of interceptions late against the Eagles. While Carolina does have some great players, especially comeback player of the year Steve Smith, none of the Panthers alone could change the outcome of the game.

Tiki, on the other hand, is essential for the Giants' victory. If he has a great game, the pressure will be off of Manning and it will also give the defense a break. That is why my prediction for this game comes with a stipulation. If Tiki Barber is held to less than 120 all purpose yards and a touchdown, the Panthers win this game. If Barber goes for more than 120 all purpose yards, then I think the Giants will take this one. Point being. the key is Barber (speaking of, how come he didn't get a little more respect for the MVP voting.......I know he wasn't tops, but I thought he was pretty important to his team).

The other games are way too hard to read so I'm not going to put my neck out for them. A couple thoughts though. First, I wouldn't mind the Jaguars winning a couple just so I could see the headline "Ernest Goes to the Super Bowl" after Jaqs' Ernest Wilford has a big game in the conference championship. I also wouldn't mind seeing someone like Chad Johnson in the Super Bowl, if only because he could score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and then end up giving out fake Super Bowl rings to everyone in the crowd as a celebration.

That's all I got for this edition of the Sports Chair. If you're enjoying what I'm writing, pass it on to others you know. Later

Here's the Deal

2006-01-05T23:11:00.000-08:00

What up? This is going to be the place where I, Nelson, write down my ideas on sports. I figured I needed to start something like this after watching prediction after prediction of mine come true (the proverbial straw was my dead-on prediction of Cliff Floyd's final stats at a time when he was red hot). So from now on out, if I have something to say about sports it's going in here. That way I have some actual proof

Some things you might see here:
-playoff predictions
-opinions on players (more focused on Philadelphia, but I'll cover anything that comes to mind)
-anything else that I might find amusing or important for you, the reader
Things you won't see here? Glad you asked:
-what I think about stuff outside of sports, unless it is incredibly important
-any information about myself (just ask me if you need to know)

I will try to keep up with this as much as I can. Within the next 24 hours, I should have something written for this week's playoff games. After that, who knows what this will hold.

If you have any ideas on what I should write about, let me know. I'm open to suggestions.

Until then, just kick back and enjoy the Sports Chair