tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137185542024-03-12T22:20:39.772-04:00Motown Sports RevivalAn informative and truthful look at Motown sports.Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.comBlogger656125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-11907646989168035842021-02-27T12:21:00.000-05:002021-02-27T12:21:20.796-05:00The100Greatest.com<p> It's been a while! Check me out at <a href="http://The100Greatest.com">The100Greatest.com</a> </p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-77582771016016018492010-06-30T16:26:00.001-04:002010-06-30T16:28:18.373-04:00Cue the amply-sized lady!<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">This is a bitter sweet post for me. I really didn’t know how I wanted this to go. I wrote two posts and half of a third before scrapping them all. None seemed to fit the occasion even though I admittedly don’t necessarily know what that means. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Since this is the last post you are going to read here, I had delusions of making it particularly superb. The first of the discarded posts was about the irony of starting this blog as a disgruntled Michigan fan and finishing five years later as a disgruntled Michigan fan despite all of the change that I had hoped for coming to fruition. I didn’t like the finished product so I tossed it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After that I figured I’d go with a “slam dunk” and write about the Tigers shedding $92 million in payroll over the next two years. I wrote it and—for reasons I don’t fully understand—scrapped that one, too. I started and abandoned yet another post chronicling the competition between Sepp Blatter (FIFA’s President) and Bud Selig to see who can be the dumbest person in the world by holding out the longest on video replay. That was an easy decision, though. Part of my personal constitution is to not devote a final blog post to Bud Selig. I apologize to those of you who needed a Selig fix. Scrapping two and a half posts does not result in the most fulfilling feeling. However, the fact that I even had to let me know that I was doing this all wrong. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">What I realized as I tried to chase the white rabbit of a magnificent final post is that there was no single topic that was going to be “worthy” of a final post. This isn’t “just another post.” I spent 696 posts over the last five years writing about various sports related topics. Today is about saying, “so long!” It’s about saying “thank you” again to all of the people who took the time to read and comment. It was never my goal to make this blog mainstream. I knew from the very beginning that I could probably attract a much larger audience if I kept the content narrow. But, that’s not what I wanted to do. I liked the freedom of writing about whatever popped into my head even if that was wondering “how many MVPs should Babe Ruth have won?” Even though it isn’t necessarily the status quo of the blogging community, I appreciate that you not only allowed me to post such diverse content but demanded it (Remember last fall when I got called out for writing too many Rich Rodriguez themed posts?).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When I started this thing, I lived in Germany, had a 6-month old baby boy, and was just starting my new job as a stay-at-home dad. Now I live in Michigan with a five-year old little man who’s about to start kindergarten and a 3-year old little girl nipping at his heels. It’s not easy being a stay-at-home parent. The work is endless and the appreciation is non-existent. There’s a reason why so many American parents gladly transport their children to daycare every morning and pay a king’s ransom to do so. It’s an amazing experience that I would not trade for the world but, to survive, you absolutely need an escape. This blog was my escape. This was my connection to the outside world. This was my chance to be a contributing member to society.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s not going to be easy to say “goodbye.” I can look back at any and all of my posts and remember where I was and what the circumstances where in my life when I wrote them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Looking back at old posts is like an emotional time machine. However, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that this is the time to let it go. I’m really looking forward to not having to deal with the sudden fear that comes with realizing it’s Wednesday night and I don’t have a post topic in mind. I’m also looking forward to being able to think of something interesting without having to automatically spend a few hours researching and writing about it. And, I’m especially looking forward to spending more time with my kids. They’re rapidly approaching the age where nap time is no longer mandatory. That’s important because “naptime” is when I spent researching and writing 95% of my blog material. Now that will become their time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One of the most difficult aspects of being a stay-at-home parent is watching your friends excel in various professions while you sit idly at home. I’m friends with more doctors than I can count on one hand. I know lawyers, engineers, writers, teachers, chefs, chemists, soldiers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, paleontologists, filmmakers, administrators, computer programmers, principals, bankers, investment reps, financial analysts, business owners, and managers. You name it, I know someone who works it. I share engaging conversations with these people but what I don’t share is a fancy resume or a list of impressive career achievements. Instead, I’ve got 5,000 diaper changes and 3,000 prepared lunches under my belt. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate in the real world. I often wonder what I’m going to do when my kids no longer need me at home. That’ll be here before I know it. This blog is all I have in the form of measurable accomplishments. I have no idea what a prospective employer will think when I reference what I’ve done here but one thing is for certain, I’m proud of it. Thanks for contributing to that feeling. It has been a pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So long!</p><p></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-45770214564526569622010-06-21T17:32:00.002-04:002010-06-25T14:50:19.842-04:00Irish Eyes are still not smiling.<p class="MsoNormal">One of the more controversial subplots of World Cup Qualifying and the subsequent 32-team field it produced was the way France snuck into the tournament or, more appropriately, the way Ireland was kept out of it. Back in November, France and Ireland met in a 2-leg playoff to decide one of the final four World Cup qualifiers out of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA">UEFA</a> . France won the first match, 1-0, in Dublin. Ireland was on its way to winning the second match by the same score when sportsmanship went out the window. International superstar Thierry Henry <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLUxMRYJAso">intentionally touched</a> the ball with his hand in the goalie box which immediately led to the game-tying goal. The score gave France a 1-1 draw which was enough to avoid a shootout and advance to South Africa. The soccer world was outraged at Henry for the unsportsmanlike play and FIFA for not having an adequate system in place to prevent such blatant cheating. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As hard as it is to believe, amid all of the flopping and fake injuries in soccer exists a personal conduct code very similar to that of professional golf. Unlike the NBA or NFL where honesty is frowned upon in competition, the soccer community puts a great deal of emphasis on fair play which is why Henry was so roundly criticized for “getting away with” the infraction.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An intentional handball is the cardinal sin in the world’s most popular sport.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not only should France’s goal not have counted but Henry should’ve been red carded and kicked out of the game. That would’ve given Ireland a tremendous opportunity to score again which would’ve sent it to the World Cup free and clear of having to win a shootout. At the very least, Ireland would’ve had the opportunity to advance via penalty kicks. Instead, Henry held on to his <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/republicofireland/6599687/Thierry-Henry-admits-to-handball-that-defeated-Ireland-in-World-Cup-play-off.html">secret</a> until after the game and France unjustifiably advanced to the World Cup.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fast forward seven months to the opening Group stage of the 2010 World Cup and France is sticking it to Ireland yet again. I’m sure there are more than a few Irish lads who were rooting hard for France’s early demise but even the most bile-fueled fans cannot be happy with the way France has pissed away the bid it literally stole from Ireland. France began the tournament with an uninspiring 0-0 tie opposite Uruguay.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The #9 team in the world followed that up with a 2-0 loss to Mexico. In just over three hours of soccer in this World Cup, France has netted zero goals. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unfortunately for the French, offensive futility is the least of its problems. “Les Bleus” are literally unraveling on the biggest of soccer stages.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It all started when Nicolas Anelka—a striker for France—was booted from the tournament for a profane tirade directed at his coach. (In a twist of fate, Anelka is most responsible for France even being in the WC as he tallied the only goal in the first leg of the France/Ireland UEFA World Cup Qualifying Playoff in Dublin last November.) Anelka’s dismissal was just the beginning of what has become a total meltdown by France. In protest to their countryman’s treatment, the French team refused to practice on Sunday. That, in turn, led to the resignation of not only the team trainer but the team director. That was followed up by a meeting with the French Sports Minister who <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65K68Z20100621">told the team</a> that it faced a “moral disaster” and it had “tarnished France’s image.” <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So, the Irish are left to ponder the reality that France not only stole a World Cup bid from them but then promptly treated it with the significance of toilet paper. The country of Ireland surely wasn’t rooting for France to advance in the World Cup but never in its worst nightmares could it have imagined that France would treat the privilege with such disrespect. In a game built on sportsmanship, France may have found an even more egregious infraction than the handball that sent it to South Africa in the first place. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Surely, Ireland would’ve relished the opportunity to participate in what is perhaps the pinnacle of world sport competition. Ireland is a nation that does not have a rich tradition in the World Cup. In fact, it has only qualified for three World Cups in its 61 years of fielding a competitive soccer team. However, had Ireland made it to South Africa, it certainly wouldn’t have been as a “sacrificial lamb.” Despite such an unceremonious history, Ireland’s current team is no pushover. Sure its world ranking is an uninspiring 41<sup>st</sup> in the FIFA World Rankings but that seems to be more of a function of Ireland’s penchant to “not lose” rather than “win.” The FIFA World Ranking formula is not favorable to ties. The Irish are incredibly proficient at earning draws against quality teams. As a result, Ireland has only lost six of its last 36 matches. It boasts a 13-6-17 record over that span including wins over World Cup participants S. Africa, Paraguay, Algeria, Slovakia, and Denmark to go along with draws against France, Italy (2), Nigeria, Serbia, Germany and Slovakia all of which are in the 32-team World Cup field. Even Ireland’s losses have been impressive. Two were against the #1 team in the world (Brazil). In fact, in its last 36 matches, Ireland has lost just one game against teams ranked outside of the world top 40. Against teams inside the top 40, Ireland has played 22 contests over that span and lost just five. Ireland is certainly an accomplished and worthy team and would’ve been an uncomfortable sight for whatever group it would’ve been allocated to had it advanced to South Africa. The Emerald Isle undoubtedly deserves a fate far better than having its six million occupants nauseated by France’s indifference. If one thing is for sure, unlike France, Ireland would’ve come to play.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">France is certainly a villain here but I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the absurdity of not using modern technology to correct officiating errors. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just in the last year, we’ve seen Ireland denied a chance of making the World Cup on an intentional handball, Armando Galarraga denied of a Perfect Game on an umpire mistake, and the U.S. Soccer Team denied of a goal in the World Cup—and advancement to the knockout stage that likely would’ve come with it—as a result of a phantom call. These are just three extremely high profile injustices among many more that occur routinely in competitive sports. Anyone who feels that sports <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">should</i> be soiled by officiating errors rather than use advanced technology that could easily eliminate the vast majority of judgment mistakes has no business being in an authoritative position on a sporting governing body. Citing “integrity of the game” as a reason <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">not</i> to use video replay is just another way of saying, “We are incredibly lazy.” </p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-50841060652819074922010-06-18T17:00:00.003-04:002010-07-01T21:30:20.672-04:00Patriotic TiesI don’t know about all of you but I’m getting sick of being denied a return on my emotional investment into sports by referees and umpires. It’s rare enough to have that investment actually pay off. The gambling equivalent of the payoff would be akin to winning $250 for every $1,000 sunk into a slot machine. I’m already working at a heavy loss, here. I’ve learned to accept those losses, however. They are a known and accepted risk of reckless emotional investment into sports. What I can’t deal with is having the joy of a payoff brutally ripped away on the count of stupidity. I can’t cite statistical proof but the Red Wings have to have more goals disallowed than any other team in hockey. Then, of course, there’s the perfect game that was taken away from Armando Galarraga. I don’t even want to get into the timekeeping injustices that have occurred at the expense of the Michigan football program. As a fan living in Detroit, false jubilation has become an all too real part of the sports fan experience.<br /><br /><div>In some ways, you would think that would make what happened to the U.S. soccer team today easier to swallow. When you’re dealing with the bloated emotional units that come from being a diehard, unfortunately, it never gets easier. The U.S. was on the brink of one of the greatest wins in U.S. soccer history. After leaving the field at halftime down 2-0 to Slovenia, it came back to play a brilliant second half that was as exciting as the best college football showdown you will ever see. The U.S. played so flawlessly that the announcers were optimistically discussing a U.S. victory even when it still trailed 2-1. In retrospect, the U.S. tying the game was inevitable. Once that happened, it seemed very realistic that the U.S. would net the game-winner as it peppered the field with scoring chances. The scoresheet has no record of it but in the same way Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game, the U.S. scored the game-winning goal. All it lacked was the proper referee to count it.<br /><br /></div><div>The U.S. was wrongfully denied a victory but the fact that it still managed a tie does offset the injustice at least somewhat. That’s because the U.S. is not only very much alive in the World Cup, it controls its own path to the knockout stage. If the U.S. defeats Algeria on Wednesday, it will advance to the World Cup’s sweet sixteen (it can also advance with a tie and a little bit of help). I don’t think there’s a player on the U.S. roster who wouldn’t have gladly taken a scenario in which the U.S.’s fate rested entirely on beating Algeria. Having said that, how good is Algeria?<br /><br /></div><div>For starters, here is how Algeria has fared in its last 20 games…</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/TBvegEnXf0I/AAAAAAAAAMc/89lMPHIIZkc/s1600/Algeriasschedule.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 354px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/TBvegEnXf0I/AAAAAAAAAMc/89lMPHIIZkc/s400/Algeriasschedule.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484221613829750594" /></a><br />Upon further review, the world may want to reconsider the allocation of the “Group of Death” to Group G. Group C—the U.S.’s group—is more stacked than anyone thought it would be. In retrospect, however, this shouldn’t be much of a shock. Algeria and Slovenia—Group C’s perceived weak teams—earned their way into the World Cup by knocking off Egypt and Russia, respectively. Egypt and Russia—rated #11 and #12 in FIFA’s World Soccer Rankings—are perhaps the top two teams in the world not in the World Cup. Algeria and Slovenia were not supposed to even be in the 2010 World Cup field but earned their way to South Africa by outlasting two world soccer powers. The U.S. saw just how good Slovenia can be in the first half on Friday. Much like Slovenia, Algeria is no stranger to playing teams of the U.S.’s caliber either. It has played Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, and Uruguay—all three are in the World Cup field—as well as four contests against Egypt just in the last year. Of course, that is on top of earning a tie against England on Friday. This team is battle-tested and will not be in awe of the U.S. squad.<br /><br /></div><div>The U.S. will likely come in as the favorite against Algeria much like it did against Slovenia. However, those who were not too distracted by the vast difference in population sizes between the U.S. and Slovenia, understood that if the U.S. was a favorite, it was by miniscule proportions. The same can be said of Algeria. If there’s one positive to look towards from a U.S. perspective, it’s that Algeria hasn’t played nearly as well of late as it did during World Cup Qualifying. In fact, the Algerians are just 1-4-1 in their last six games with the only victory coming against a UAE team on the outside of the world top 100. If we dig a little deeper, the news gets even better for the U.S. In those six contests, Algeria scored just one goal—total. Nonetheless, Algeria will be a strong opponent for a U.S. team that desperately needs to buck its trend of starting games slowly and falling behind early. Hopefully, the U.S.’s inspired second half play against Slovenia is a sign that it is about to do just that. With just one game remaining for each team in Group C, all four countries are still alive. That either makes Croup C the “Group of Death” or the “Group of Apathy.” As long as U.S. beats Algeria, I don’t really care which one it is.<br /></div>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-38331981176880861312010-06-10T17:43:00.001-04:002010-06-10T17:47:25.146-04:00All Things Not "Conference Expansion"<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">With only a few posts left before I start cashing my blog retirement checks, opportunities for post topics are scarce. So, I decided to hit on a few different topics in this post to maximize content. Reader Jim provided me with the perfect opportunity by sending along a few questions. Without further ado, a little Q&A courtesy of reader Jim.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><i><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Q: 1. The likelihood that the Pistons do something, anything of note this offseason: would you put money on it? A lot of money? I would give up something valuable (e.g. beer) for six months if they could finagle Bosh away from the Raptors in a sign-and-trade but would also be happy if they struck a deal for someone like Paul Millsap.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">A: This is my least favorite of Jim’s questions. Having to answer it depressed me severely…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">I would not bet money on Joe Dumars putting his shoes on the correct feet let alone wager that he’ll get something of note accomplished this summer. In fact, I think I’d put a considerable amount of money in the other direction. Joe has been nothing short of incompetent since he convinced Danny Ainge to facilitate the trade that brought Rasheed Wallace to Detroit in 2004. The second the Pistons lost to the Spurs in the 2005 Finals, they began to slowly but very visibly deteriorate. Of course, there were probably more than a few “yippy skippy” fans who thought the Pistons were going to win the next 10 NBA championships but it was very obvious to the basketball savvy fans that the team was going to decline in a hurry. Although the Pistons made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals in ’06 and ’07, they were easily dispatched by the Cavs and Celtics. That was the point at which Joe D needed to take quick action if he hoped to avoid the same fate that his “Bad Boy” Pistons suffered some 15 years earlier. The Bad Boys went from back-to-back NBA Champions to 20-62 in just four years. Pistons management had no transition plan in place to offset a rapidly aging roster which led to the expedited decline. Zeke’s career-ending Achilles injury at the incredibly ripe age of 32 surely didn’t help but considering how little there was in the name of youth on the roster, the Pistons were beyond the point of salvaging. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Of all people, Joe D should’ve recognized the same signs of rapid decline that ended his championship run as a player. Yet, what did he do to prevent the same horrific fate that met his Bad Boys from happening again? The answer is, “very close to nothing.” The only thing that can even remotely be described as constructive was the Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson trade. At the time, it looked like a brilliant cap move. Billups was easily Detroit’s most valuable commodity. Joe used Billups to bank $20 million (in the form of A.I.’s expiring contract) that would seemingly be available this summer to spend on perhaps the greatest NBA free agent class of all-time. Of course, like an elderly woman watching QVC, Joe D could not resist the temptation to blow all his money on the first thing he saw. Meanwhile, Billups turned the Denver Nuggets into a rising force in the West. Even in the one instance when Joe appeared to have a plan, it ended in disaster because he blew the second—and most important—part of the plan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">No thanks to Joe, the Pistons are saddled with horrible contracts and an abundance of redundancy on an unimpressive roster. There is virtually nothing in the name of trade value to be seen. Rip’s contract is totally unreasonable for a player who can barely be described as one-dimensional. Ben Gordon’s contract is even worse. Rodney Stuckey’s value probably peaked before last season when it looked like he might break out as a bona fide star. Now that it’s obvious that he is stuck between positions and doesn’t have a reliable jumper, you can expect NBA GMs to take a pass on Joe D’s likely high asking price. Any worth that Charlie Villanueva had as a potential breakout player is long gone after his miserable effort in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">The only move Joe has left is to parlay the expiring contracts of Tayshaun Prince and Kwame Brown for a star player. I have more faith in Jim Joyce preserving a perfect game than I do that Joe can or will pull this off. Unfortunately, many NBA superstars have control over where they are traded and nobody is going to sign off on being traded to a team as ill-equipped to compete for an NBA Championship as the present day Detroit Pistons. I suppose there is always the possibility that Al-Farouq Aminu—or whoever the Pistons draft—turns out to be the anti-Darko but judging from Joe’s unimpressive draft history (Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey, Mehmet Okur and Jason Maxiell over 10 years does nothing for me), the Pistons are surely poised to take home the rotten eggs of the NBA Draft Lottery yet again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">The future is bleak to say the least. The Pistons will suit up one of the worst frontcourts in recent memory in 2011 and have $25 million tied up through 2013 by just the shooting guard position alone. I like Paul Millsap but one guy won’t change anything. The entire roster needs to be overhauled. </span><a href="http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2009/06/boston_celtics_offer_rondo_all.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Remember</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"> when the Celtics reportedly offered the Pistons Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen for Prince, Hamilton, and Stuckey? It seemed like an insult at the time but, looking back, that might have been the only way out of this mess. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><i><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Q: 2. The Johnson/Burleson/Stafford/Best Quartet: I just relocated to Maryland, think I should pay for NFL TV to watch these guys work? Nate was running his mouth about how good they were going to be, in your opinion is Nate actually going to be any good?</span></span></i></b></span><b><i><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"><br /><br /></span> </span></i></b><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">A: Burleson’s bravado is simply a continuation of a Lions pastime that provides media fodder around this time every year. Unfortunately for Nate the Great, the joke’s on him. In the same way that nobody prepped Rich Rodriguez on the history of the #1 jersey at Michigan (which, of course, did not go over well), nobody ever informs Lions off season acquisitions how absolutely horrible the franchise is. I’ll use a real life example to better illustrate my point. There is a position at a member of my extended family’s place of business that is quite simply the most frustrating job in America. Just in the past four years, three people have left this position and a fourth is set to do the same. Nobody ever tells the people interviewing how miserable this job is because they’d never be able to hire anyone. This is, of course, quite unfortunate for the person who ends up with the job. I’m afraid Nate Burleson is about to find out what it’s like to unwittingly sign up for the NFL equivalent of the worst job in America. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">I could probably count on five hands the number of players who have mouthed off about </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">“this” </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">being the Lions year over the last 10 years alone. Every new guy who comes in thinks </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">he </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">is the answer for 50 years of futility. The Mike Martz era was the worst. Every offensive player from the Martz era was convinced that the Lions were going to have the best offense in the NFL. I’d say they were delusional if they weren’t cashing million dollar paychecks. So, “no,” I don’t think Nate Burleson is going to be any good. By that, I mean he won’t be any better than Shaun McDonald, Mike Furrey, Az Hakim, or Bryant Johnson. However, I think the offense has a chance to be something better than nauseating. I think there is a pretty good chance that Matt Stafford is (or will be) the best quarterback the Lions have had in my lifetime. I think there’s a pretty good chance that Javid Best is (or will be) the best running back the Lions have had since Barry retired. I also think that Calvin Johnson is the best wide receiver the Lions have had in my lifetime. This is a team with talent. The mediocrity on the offensive line will prevent it from breaking out too much but I fully expect this to be the most diverse and effective Lions offense since the Barry era. Plus, I think Ndamukong Suh is going to be such an influential addition that we might even see the best defense the Lions have had since the Barry era. The sad thing is that all of these “best since” accolades I’m throwing around are still not good enough to make this team worth getting excited over. That’s a sad indication of how bad things have been.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">If I lived outside of Metro Detroit, I would not buy the Sunday Ticket just to watch the Lions. The Lions have been dead to me for a few years now. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped paying attention. It doesn’t mean that I don’t think it’s possible that they will become undead and reacclimate themselves into my emotional spectrum again at some point. It just means that I don’t get excited or frustrated by them. I’m in “show me” mode until further notice. I’ve invested—and lost—way too many minutes of my life hoping that the Lions are going to get things turned around. However, if I were the kind of person who would do such a thing in the event that I reasonably expected the Lions to be a little more exciting and a little more competitive than usual, this might be the year I’d consider it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"><br /></span> <span class="apple-style-span"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Q: 3. THE University of Michigan vs. THE Ohio State University: Last season I briefly entertained the thought that Michigan could upset OSU, this year I feel very strongly about it. The chip on Michigan's shoulder must feel like a cinder block by now and I can only assume that despite the controversy, they have another years' worth of experience and recruits. We need the Maize 'n Blue to play like the SEC teams Tressell so fears, what kind of shot do you give us?</span></i></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">A: I love the enthusiasm but Michigan is not coming back from Columbus with a victory this year. Rich Rodriguez is still suiting up a roster extremely light on experience. There is a very good chance that he’ll be starting his 3</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">rd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"> different quarterback in three years. His stable of running backs is young and, for the most part, unproven. His downfield receivers are quite possibly the least talented the school has had in decades. And as you know, offense is supposed to be the strength of this team. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">The worst defense in school history is virtually intact from last season except for the departure of one of the top five defensive players in school history. The defense could be considerably better this season and still be below average. That’s how bad things were last year. Assuming Ohio State is healthy (read; Terrelle Pryor), there is a 0% chance that Michigan will beat Ohio State in Columbus this year. There is a 25% chance that the final score will be closer than the 21-10 defeat in Ann Arbor last season. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">That said, I still think Rich Rodriguez can win at Michigan if given the administrative support that he deserves. It is pretty obvious by now that he won’t get that support (see; Demar Dorsey). I fully expect that he’ll either be fired at the end of the season or he’ll hop the first train to SEC-ville the minute an opportunity arises. However, if by some miracle his employment status has improved following the 2010 season, I think it becomes quite reasonable to start thinking about a win over Ohio State in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">2011</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">. If Denard Robinson masters the Pat White-role, this team will be deep, experienced, and explosive next season. As far as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">this</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"> season, I am much more focused on how Michigan fares against UCONN, Notre Dame, and Michigan State. Winning those three games would significantly change things for Rodriguez. I know fans are anxious to beat (or even compete with) the Buckeyes but I don’t think this is the season to be concerned with Ohio State. In the event that Michigan heads into Columbus with a 5-6 record needing a victory to earn a bowl bid and—more importantly—preserve Rodriguez’s job, then he is in a whole lot of trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" line-height: 115%; font-family:'Segoe UI', sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">P.S. I would’ve written a conference expansion post but—judging from the warp speed rate at which information is flowing—whatever I wrote would’ve been totally out of date two seconds after posting it.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-65266146526483780642010-06-03T20:34:00.003-04:002010-06-03T20:35:38.959-04:00Mr. Perfect*<p class="MsoNormal">On a day when Ken Griffey Jr.—one of the top 50 players in MLB history—retired, the Blackhawks and Flyers were trying to inch closer to their first Stanley Cup in 49 and 35 years, respectively, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Celtics vs. Lakers XII</i> was fewer than 24 hours from beginning, none were the story du jour. For those of you experiencing more than an 23 hour delay on your satellite TV feeds, Armando Galarraga was robbed of a perfect game on Wednesday night.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a gutbuster that left me stunned in my living room. With two outs in the ninth inning, I was on the phone with my brother in one hand and had my son pulled close to me with the other as we collectively awaited history. The excitement was more than palpable and I can verify that there were sweaty palms. My brother was listening on the radio so he was two seconds ahead of my satellite feed. I heard him yell with ambiguous intentions. I didn’t know what it meant. Given the confusion of the play, I don’t think he knew what it meant. All I knew was that in two seconds, I was going to be subjected to an emotional extreme. I just didn’t know which one. Ugh. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Most of you know how rare a perfect game is but I’ll let my good friend “math” put it into perspective. Of the 392,018 games in MLB history, 20 have resulted in a perfect game.” Account for two pitchers per game and the odds of a pitcher hurling a perfect game are .0025% or, 1 in 39,202. Needless to say, what happened last night was a big deal. Galarraga breezed through the first 26 batters tossing 62 strikes on just 80 pitches including 22 of 26 first-pitch strikes. Jason Donald, Cleveland’s #9 hitter, came to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning. All 26 Cleveland Indians who came to the plate before him fell victim to Galarraga’s impeccable control. Donald would do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Galarraga elicited a weak dribbler from Donald that rolled towards Carlos Guillen at second base. That’s when Jim Joyce—the first base umpire—made a gaffe that will unfortunately define his career while simultaneously denying Galarraga a perfect game. Considering all of the consequences, it was quite possibly the worst non-injury related play in the history of MLB baseball.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Joyce’s call and MLB’s official record books cannot change the fact that Galarraga was, in fact, perfect. Semantics won’t change what Galarraga did on the field on Wednesday night. In fact, he actually one bettered a perfect game by recording 28 consecutive outs. Obviously, it would mean a whole lot more to Galarraga, his teammates, and the fans if it were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">officially</i> recognized as a perfect game. It would’ve been a historical accomplishment not only for Galarraga but for a Tigers franchise that was literally on the brink of its first perfect game in club history. Once Joyce interrupted his out call (check the replay to see him begin to call Donald out) with a double sneaky “safe” call, any chance for a perfect game went out the window. MLB is historically stubborn about reversing calls <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">in</i> games let alone <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">after</i> games. However, there is precedent for MLB intervention. In fact, the infamous George Brett Pine Tar Incident was overturned a full <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">week</i> after it happened. The “spirit (of the game)” was cited as the reason Lee McPhail (A.L. President in 1983) overturned that call. One would think that the same “spirit” of the game should apply to Joyce’s gaffe. Unfortunately, the MLB Commissioner is an idiot. MLB just announced that it <a href="http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2010/06/umpires_call_stands_bud_selig.html">will not overturn</a> Joyce’s ruling.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">MLB had a unique opportunity here. In nearly every controversial play in sports history, overturning a play following a game is not possible simply because removing just one play creates a domino effect of “what ifs” for every play that occurred after. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This situation was different. Galarraga got the very next batter out and the Tigers won the game 3-0 and would’ve won the game 3-0 with or without Joyce’s mistake. Some will argue that overturning this one play would be akin to opening “Pandora’s Box” with every other blown call in MLB history. That’s simply not true. What made this game different is how easy the clean-up would’ve been. I’m not even sure the Cleveland Indians would’ve minded the call being overturned.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even if Bud Selig wasn’t an idiot and MLB overturned the call, Galarraga was denied something on Wednesday night that he will not get back. A reversal would’ve set things right as much as things <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">could’ve</i> been set right but it wouldn’t restore everything that Galarraga was denied. Perhaps the most exhilarating aspect of a perfect game is the immediate euphoria that follows the final out. Nobody carried Galarraga off the field. Nobody gleefully sprinted to the mound from the bullpen. Hell, nobody even smiled. Galarraga will never get that special moment back.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The official scorekeeper for the game could’ve sent Galarraga home with a hell of a consolation prize. A perfect game is 10 times as rare as a no-hitter but let’s not minimize what it would’ve meant for Galarraga and his career to have an officially recorded no-hitter to his name. A MLB Scorekeeper has all the discretion in the world to make executive decisions on close plays. Once it became obvious after it was shown on replay that Donald was out, the idea of issuing an “error” on that final play became a possibility. Detroit’s official scorekeeper scrutinized the play but <a href="http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2010/06/official_scorer_on_armando_gal.html">concluded</a> that there was not an error. I don’t think Miguel Cabrera would mind a little extra scrutiny on a less-than-perfect throw to first base especially if it preserves a no-hitter for his teammate. However, the scorekeeper decided that there simply wasn’t an error. I don’t agree with his decision to not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">find</i> an error to at least get Galarraga into the recordbooks but I can’t blame the guy for sticking to his principles. Unfortunately, once Joyce took away the perfect game, Galarraga’s fate was in the hands of Bud Selig. Selig knows a thing or two about scrutiny and criticism. It’s not often that life presents the perfect opportunity to make everything right.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In one swift swoop, Selig had the opportunity to not only preserve Jim Joyce’s legacy as a top-tier umpire and right the worst wrong in MLB history, he also had the opportunity to repair his own image which has been beaten and battered for the better part of two decades. Unfortunately, like I said, Selig is an idiot.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once the initial shock and anger died down on Wednesday night (or Thursday morning depending on how pissed off you were), there was still a considerable amount of venom directed at Joyce from not just Tigers fans but sports fans across the country. I understand that sports fans, by trade, are emotional to the point of being tortured when injustices are committed. Believe me, I’ve been there and was there last night. However, it’s important to keep perspective. Joyce made a horrible call. It was one of the worst calls in sports history because it needlessly derailed a perfect game. That pisses me off and it should piss you off, too. Just remember that it was a decision that was made in a quarter of a second. Jim Leyland said after the game that he (and the Tigers bench for that matter) did not know if Donald beat the throw until he watched the replay. Although I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">wanted</i> him to be out, I did not know for sure if he was out until I watched the replay. Joyce did not have the luxury of replay. The collateral damage of Joyce’s mistake will reverberate through baseball for as long as the game is played. However, let’s not confuse mistake with premeditation or intent. Everyone makes mistakes everyday whether it’s going through a red light or forgetting to DVR your wife’s favorite TV show. Somewhere in America this year, maybe even this week, a highway patrolman mistakenly issued a speeding citation to a veteran driver with a previously perfect record. The police officer wasn’t vilified. The driver wasn’t showered with compassion. Nobody cared. The big difference between what happened to Armando Galarraga and what happened to that driver is that people care about baseball. Jim Joyce made a splint-second mistake. Let’s not compound the situation by making an even more damaging mistake by directing hate towards Joyce and his family. It could’ve happened to any of us. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The travesty on Wednesday night was that Armando Galarraga was denied an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">official</i> perfect game. It wasn’t that Jim Joyce made a mistake. Save the hate mail and threats for someone with more diabolical intentions. Plus, Joyce has more than <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100603&content_id=10754978&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb">taken responsibility</a> for his gaffe.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) boo him every time he comes back to Detroit. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On a lighter note, I think it’s safe to say the Galarraga for Willis rotation adjustment has worked out pretty well.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">* I wanted to title this post, “Bud Selig is an idiot” but I chose to reference the guy who pitched a perfect game rather than a guy who is an idiot.</p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-21491036270287852402010-05-27T23:56:00.002-04:002010-05-29T15:26:21.388-04:00Closing Time<p class="MsoNormal">A few months ago in the aftermath of a post that was literally 20 times the length of my average longwinded post, I mentioned that I would be moving to a one-post per week format.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had initially planned for that to be a temporary move but clearly that wasn’t the case. There’s a reason why I didn’t return to my normal post frequency and the point of this post is to let you know that reason. My first blog post was on June 28, 2005. It had been a goal from early on to maintain this blog for five years. In just over a month, I will reach that goal. I’ve enjoyed having my own personal real estate on the interwebs but I am more than ready to retire this baby.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve thought about hanging it up at various points in the past but I never felt comfortable until now. I wanted “no regrets” and reaching the five-year mark assures that. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’d like to thank my readers who surprised me time and time again by coming back. I appreciate your patience in the beginning when I was largely unsure of what I wanted this to be. I also appreciate your patience as I figured out how to write. It wasn’t always pretty but I’ve grown considerably as a writer from where I was five years ago. While it was my passion for sports that got this thing going in the first place, it was my readership that gave me the drive to put out a quality product. I’m not going to win any awards for excellence in writing but I like to think that I wrote some things that made people think. Without a vested readership, that never would’ve happened. I thank you, sincerely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It has been a pleasure to be a part of your weekly internet consumption and I take pleasure in knowing that, even in just a small way, I’ve contributed to the enjoyment of your lives. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve had many readers and reader comments over the years and those were instrumental in fueling my material for the blog. I’d like to thank the following readers specifically for making this blog a part of your jaunt around the internet landscape…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Michael C., Redhog1, J.R. Ewing, Scott-O, Chensk, Lombaowski, Jeff in Cols, Dan, Jim, Lord Byron and the Steady’s, Eric, the Gaver, Tony P., Matt S.,Section 16 Big House, Kyle C., NickO, Big Ben the Giants fan, Robert Paulson, Hwood, Rat, Chris of Dangerous Logic, Mayur, Dieterface, Bojo, Sabir, Shawn, Justin S., Yale Van Dyne, Kyle C., Bill, Luke, Christy Hammond, Eric, Danny, and Seth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’d also like to thank my family—even the ones who have had no interest in any of the topics I’ve written about <span style="font-family: Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-char-type: symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type:symbol; mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;">J</span></span>--for humoring me and following along for five years. This has been an enjoyable experience and I’m glad I did it. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">My last post will be on June 30<sup>th</sup>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll be taking a break from my usual literary marathon this week. In its place, I’d like to bring attention to an old friend. It’s a topic that I wrote about on a number of occasions during my maiden year as a blogger. I’ll begin with a sad tale of misfortune. In 2004, I was so convinced that Jeremy Bonderman was embarking on a glorious, Hall of Famer caliber career that I invested in 105 of his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">autographed</i> rookie cards over a period of four months. My rationale was grounded in logic—or so I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the time, Bondo had just come off a season in which he hurled two complete game shutouts over the final five weeks of the season. His ERA over that span was just 2.33 to go along with a 1.05 WHIP, and a .195 BAA. Did I mention he was only 21? Just in these last couple sentences I’ve almost convinced myself that I should’ve bought even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">more </i>than I did—but I digress. I thought I was getting way ahead of what was sure to be a mad rush for Bonderman rookie cards but as I painfully and mercilessly and endlessly found out, I was simply lining the pockets of 105 random strangers with eBay accounts. I wonder how many giggled as they packaged up the cards and sent them my way. The sad thing is that <i>I</i> was laughing at <i>them</i> for parting with such obvious gold for such a reasonable price. The great Bondo Experiment of 2005 ended in fiery disaster. It was a colossal blunder on par with any and all of Matt Millen’s worst mistakes. The other two players that I considered loading up on exclusively were Justin Verlander and Hanley Ramirez. Their cards were going for more than Bondo’s so I thought my bang-for-buck was going to be higher with the “sleeper.” You get what you pay for.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bondo’s career nosedived the minute I decided that my collection was complete. His ERA+ from 2005-2009 was an unspectacular 98 and his WHIP was an even more unmoving 1.38. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After missing most of the past two seasons, it looked like he was headed towards pitching obscurity and early retirement. He entered 2010 battling two other pitchers for Detroit’s fourth and fifth rotation spots. Nobody—including me—thought that he had anything left to offer a team badly in need of reliable pitching at the back end of the rotation. As it turns out, I was just as wrong about that as I was about Bondo’s Hall of Fame future in 2005. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aside from one miserable start at Seattle in mid-April, Bonderman has been brilliant this season. His ERA is 3.78 which would be, by far, the best of his career. His WHIP is 1.21 which would also be, by far, the best of his career. He has given up just two home runs in 47.2 innings and has a K/9 rate above 8.00. If we remove the debacle in Seattle in his second start of the season—just his 2<sup>nd</sup> road start since June ‘08—then Bondo has posted a wicked 2.47 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in eight starts. Not surprisingly, the Tigers are 6-2 in those starts. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The window for Bondo to pile up Hall of Fame stats has long been closed and, consequently, so has the window for Bondo to save my personal finances. What’s not over, however, is the window for Bondo to become a good major league pitcher. That wouldn’t put money back in my pocket but it sure would give the Tigers a fighting chance in the Central Division. Isn’t that really all that matters?</p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-21250184540549155882010-05-20T10:44:00.005-04:002010-05-20T10:49:56.232-04:00The Precedents' Trophy<p class="MsoNormal">The Red Wings were abruptly bounced from the playoffs by San Jose last week. By Wings standards, the season was a failure by virtually every measure. For the first time in 19 years, the Wings did not have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. For the first time in 10 years, they did not win the Central Division Title. For the first time in 10 years, they had worse than a .650 winning percentage in the regular season (.622). There is certainly plenty of “negative” to focus on when the model franchise not just in the NHL but in all sport has a clunker of a season. However, despite the disappointing second-round exit in the postseason—and a relatively unimpressive regular season—the season wasn’t a total loss. On February 11, the Wings were just 27-21-12 and out of the playoff picture. Since an Overtime Loss (OTL) is just a nice way of saying “loss”, the Wings were essentially 27-33 heading into the Olympic break. They emerged from the two-week hiatus playing a different brand of hockey. They rattled off 16 wins in 21 games after the break to finish the regular season as the hottest team in the league. The show of force wasn’t just for kicks. The Wings were in danger of not even making the playoffs heading into the last six weeks of the regular season. Behind Henrik Zetterberg (22 points in 21 games), Pavel Datsyuk (21 points in 21 games), and Jimmy Howard (16-2-2, 2.2 GAA), the Wings climbed all the way to the 5<sup>th</sup> position. They quickly acquired the title of “team nobody wants to play in the first round.” Unfortunately, having to play “playoff hockey” for the six weeks leading up to the playoffs ended up taking its toll by way of the defeat to the Sharks.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Not surprisingly, the loss prompted a number of “chicken little” reactions. Art Regner even <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/regners-ravings/2010/04/an_era_could_being_to_crumble_for_the_detroit_red_wings_with_game_7_in_phoenix.html">invoked</a> the “end of an era” hyperbole before eventually providing context. On one hand, it’s easy to fear the worst when a team that has consistently been the model franchise in the NHL unexpectedly lays an egg for the better part of a season. However, we’ve been down this road many times before. The Wings have always had a penchant for first round duds. They lost in the first round in 2001, 2003, and 2006 when they were the #2, #2, and #1 seeds, respectively. They followed up their back-to-back Stanley Cups in ’98-’99 with what still stands as one of their worst regular seasons of the last 20 years. This team has never been shy about sprinkling in mediocrity with heaping pile of greatness. It comes with the territory in a sport as uneven as hockey. One fluke goal here or a skate in the crease there can dictate an entire postseason.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t think the Wings are any closer to the “end of an era” than they were the last time we went down this road in 2006 when they were blitzed by Edmonton in the first round. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In fact, I think there is every reason to believe that the Wings are going to continue to add to the successes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">this</i> era. If we let precedent be our guide, it’s not a stretch to envision the Wings right back in the Stanley Cup Finals as early as next season. The Wings entered this season as one of the heavy favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Even after a bumpy regular season, they still entered the playoffs as a chic pick to bring home the trophy. In short, the Wings are hardly past their expiration date. Henrik Zetterberg (29) and Pavel Datsyuk (32) are two of the top 5-10 forwards in the NHL and well within their prime years. And we still likely haven’t seen Johan Franzen (30) play his best hockey which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league. I won’t even get into the ray of hope that is Jimmy Howard’s potential in goal. The more the layers of the 2010 are peeled away and analyzed, the more it becomes obvious that the Wings <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">accidentally</i> had a poor season.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If we look to recent examples in the four major sports of teams that followed successful stretches with unexpected down seasons, the results are very encouraging. Specifically, there have been six such instances of elite caliber teams that followed championships with unexpected down seasons. Each of the six teams won a championship, were expected to win or heavily contend again, and then suffered an unexpectedly poor season. There have been a number of teams over the years that have been one-hit wonders. This list features teams that were still largely intact and considered to be major championship contenders for not just one season but for the foreseeable future. In every scenario, the team went back to the championship game within three seasons. In all but one scenario, the teams went on to win a championship within three seasons. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">*************************************************************************************************************</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12.0pt;">The 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Success:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2005. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Unexpected Struggle:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the offseason, Ben Roethlisberger nearly died in a motorcycle accident. After recovering in time for the start of the 2006 season, Roethlisberger had to sit out the opener following an emergency appendectomy. In week 7, Roethlisberger suffered a concussion and was replaced. Not surprisingly, such turmoil at the most important position on the field had a major impact on the season. Roethlisberger never settled in as he threw a league-leading 23 interceptions. The Steelers struggled to a 2-6 record by the midpoint of the season which all but ended any shot at the playoffs. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Rebound:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Like the ’10 Wings, however, the Steelers got hot in the second half. They closed out with a 6-2 record setting the stage for a return to form in 2007. Just one year after missing the playoffs all together, the Steelers won the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12.0pt;">The 2006 Boston Red Sox<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Success:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 with a 98-64 record.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They were back in the playoffs again in 2005 after posting a 95-67 record. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Unexpected Struggle:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The 2006-season brought a different story. After beginning the year as one of the favorites to win the World Series, the Sox struggled to an 86-76 record. It was the first time in five years that the Sox failed to win 90+ games. It was also the first time in four years that they had failed to make the postseason. This was quite a blow to a team that had just won the World Series two years earlier and still fielded one of the most potent lineups in the league. The Sox didn’t just randomly decide to stink in 2006. Manny Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Jason Varitek, and Keith Foulke missed extensive time with various injuries and ailments. The Sox used 14 different starting pitchers in ‘06 which was in stark contrast to the championship-winning team from two years earlier that saw Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, Derek Lowe, and Bronson Arroyo start 157 of 162 games.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Boston also had to replace five of its eight everyday fielders including Johnny Damon who bolted to the Yankees in the offseason. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Rebound:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After an injury-plagued ’06 campaign, the Boston starting rotation returned to form in 2007. Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Julian Tavarez, and Daisuke Matsuzaka started 140 of the team’s 162 games and the Red Sox won the World Series for the second time in four seasons.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12.0pt;">The 2002 New Jersey Devils<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Success:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Just like the Wings did in ’08 and ’09, the Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2000 and then lost in the Finals in 2001. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Unexpected Struggle:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also like the Wings, the Devils followed two consecutive Finals appearances with a disappointing season. The Devils finished with just 95 points in 2002 which was their lowest output in six years. This was quite a downward turn for arguably the best defensive team in the NHL. As it turns out, it wasn’t the defense that was the problem. The Devils allowed the 2<sup>nd</sup> fewest goals in 2002. It was an astonishing 90-goal drop-off in goal production from the previous season that proved to be their downfall.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This wasn’t a team that had reached the end of its era rather it was a team faced with compounding (and temporary) issues. Despite having a solid core and one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, the 2002 Devils could not account for the offseason departure of Alexander Mogilny who provided a huge boost to the power play. In fact, Mogilny was so pivotal to the PP that New Jersey fell from 3<sup>rd</sup> in PP goals in ’01 to 26<sup>th</sup> in 2002. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Rebound:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Devils countered their offensive struggles by becoming even more dominating defensively. They allowed a league best 2.02 goals per game in the regular season and a league-low 1.62 goals per game in the playoffs on their way to their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12.0pt;">The 2002 New England Patriots<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Success:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Pats shocked the world in 2001 by beating the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Unexpected Struggle:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Unlike the present day Pats, the ’01 Patriots were the quintessential “team.” It relied on superior production from every unit to win football games. As a result, the margin for error was smaller than the average championship contending team. When the running game fell from 13<sup>th</sup> in rushing yards in ’01 to 28<sup>th</sup> in ’02, the margin for error proved to be too thin as the Pats missed the playoffs all together. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Rebound:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Just like the ’02 Devils, the Pats used the #1 defense in the NFL to get back on track in 2003 and, you guessed it, won the Super Bowl again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12.0pt;">The 2000 St. Louis Rams<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Success:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Kurt Warner and the Rams provided one of the most astonishing franchise turnarounds in NFL history by winning the Super Bowl in 1999. Not only were the Rams not expected to contend for the championship heading into the season, they hadn’t finished above .500 in nine years. Behind Warner and Marshall Faulk, the Rams led the league in scoring and yardage and were front and center as the NFL’s new unstoppable offensive force. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Unexpected Struggle:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With the same offensive cast returning the following season, the Rams were expected to repeat their successes in 2000. The “Greatest Show on Turf” was up for the task as the Rams offense was even more devastating than the previous season putting up the third highest single-season point total in NFL history. It was the defense that proved to be the fatal flaw. The Rams “D” plummeted from 4<sup>th</sup> in the league in 1999 to dead last in 2000. The Rams still managed to sneak into the playoffs but were unceremoniously bounced in the first round by New Orleans. While the offense was certainly talented enough to carry the Rams to another Super Bowl, it was a lousy defense that forced the Rams to begin the playoffs on the road which led to an early exit at the hands of New Orleans. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Rebound:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Rams “D” was back to 7<sup>th</sup> in the league in 2001 and it was no coincidence that they were back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons as heavy double-digit favorites. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12.0pt;">The 1991 San Francisco 49ers<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Success:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Behind Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and a stellar defense, the 49ers won the Super Bowl in 1989 and followed it up with a 14-2 regular season in 1990. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Unexpected Struggle:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Montana would miss the entire ’91 season with an elbow injury but expectations were still high with Steve Young—not only the best backup in the league at the time but one of the top quarterbacks in the league—set to take over.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The offense had a hard time gelling initially with Young under center as the Niners started the season just 4-5. Young suffered a knee injury in Week 10 giving way to the team’s 3<sup>rd</sup> string QB, Steve Bono. Bono’s debut the next week at New Orleans was a disaster as the Niners produced their lowest scoring output in 14 years. Despite turmoil behind center, the Niners were still very much the same team that had racked up a 28-4 regular season record over the previous two seasons. This was clearly a case of a team having a hard time adjusting without its leader. By Week 12, everything started to come together. Bono and Young would lead the Niners to a 6-0 record to close out the season outscoring their opponents 189-94 over that stretch. There is little question that by the end of the ’91 season, the Niners were one of the top teams in the league. Unfortunately, even a 10-6 record wasn’t enough to get them into the playoffs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Rebound:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While not making the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons was a disappointment, the Niners—much like the ’10 Wings—ended the season playing brilliantly. It was little consolation at the time but it no doubt foreshadowed a return to glory for the Niners. Behind Young—who took over at QB permanently the following season—the Niners would go on to make the playoffs the next seven seasons and win the 1994 Super Bowl.</p><p class="MsoNormal">**************************************************************************************************************</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A veteran team like the Wings isn’t accustomed to making excuses, but I have no problem doing it for them. The level of consistency that the Wings have demonstrated over the past 20 years is unprecedented not just in the NHL but in any sport. Wings fans have been spoiled and they know it. In fact, most assumed that the era was D.O.A the minute the hard salary cap was instituted in 2005. Detroit’s demise was cast prematurely then and people are doing the same now. The Wings didn’t magically turn into an old and talentless team in one off-season. Remember, they were the hottest team in the NHL over the last six weeks of the regular season. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Let’s ignore the late-season surge for a second. The Wings are entitled to down seasons. We’ve seen it before. What people need to understand is this wasn’t just a random down season. It was inevitable from the get-go because of various factors beyond Ken Holland, Mike Babcock, and even the players’ control. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Each instance highlighted above where a team in its prime unexpectedly dropped off was the result of extenuating circumstances. The 2010 Wings trump them all in that department. First, no contending team in the NHL had to contend with the sheer amount of injuries the Wings had to deal with in 2010. In fact, based on the total number of games lost to injury, it’s a miracle they even made the playoffs. All told, the Wings lost 312 player games to injury. Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, Tomas Holmstrom, Niklas Kronwall, and Dan Clearly all missed significant time. It wasn’t a coincidence that when the Wings finally got healthy post Olympic break, they were the best in the NHL.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Injuries weren’t the only factor. The 2010 Wings were a tired team. Over the previous three seasons, the Wings played 63 playoff games which were, by far, the most in the NHL. The next three highest totals were Pittsburgh (49), Anaheim (40) and San Jose (30). Aside from two teams—Pittsburgh and Anaheim—the Wings played more than double the number of playoff games over the last three seasons than every other team in the league. In fact, the Wings played the equivalent of ¾ of a regular season more than the average team in the NHL over that span. Compounding the issue was a brutal travel schedule. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Since the Wings are an ill fit geographically in the Western Conference, a whopping 17 of those 63 playoff games were played at least two time zones away. Not to mention the Wings had seven players participate in the Vancouver Olympics which was the second highest total in the NHL. All of these factors contributed to an exhausted team. Tired legs and injuries were largely responsible for why the Wings found themselves on the outside of the playoff picture at mid-season. By the time the team got healthy, it was forced to play playoff hockey for six weeks just to get into playoffs. Even then, they had to play on the road in the first round three time zones away in Phoenix and again in the second round three time zones away in San Jose. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As well as the Wings played to close out the regular season, it’s amazing to think how much offensive production was lost in the off-season. Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson, and Jiri Hudler accounted for 82 goals in 2009 which was 28% of Detroit’s scoring. That sort of personnel loss is hard to deal with regardless of how talented the rest of the roster is. Those losses became an even bigger burden when the Wings were faced with mounting injuries. The depth that was the team’s cornerstone before had vanished. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the same time, Jimmy Howard took over the #1 job in goal making 2010 one whopper of a transitional season. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The 2010 Wings shouldn’t be remembered for underachieving. In fact, I would argue that—considering all of the factors involved—they ended up overachieving. The 2011 Wings should have no problem following the precedent set by the teams I referenced above. Jimmy Howard should improve on his stellar debut as Detroit’s starting goaltender. Jiri Hudler is expected to re-join the team after spending the season overseas. The early exit in the playoffs will give the team more than a month of additional rest compared to the previous three seasons. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The takeaway from 2010 is that it was a blip and not a trend. Take solace in the number of factors that were working against the Wings and then take even more solace in the way they finished the regular season. If precedent means anything, the Wings should be a heavy favorite to return to the Stanley Cup Finals in the next season or two. That doesn’t sound half bad for “the end of an era.” <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-59450505051889217032010-05-12T22:10:00.001-04:002010-05-12T22:12:26.638-04:00Zoom Zoom Riot<p class="MsoNormal">I didn’t want to jinx it, so I waited until it was over before posting on it. Prior to Monday’s blow-up against the Yankees, Joel Zumaya had pitched 18.2 consecutive innings to begin the season without issuing a single walk. That might be a ho-hum feat for the control freaks of the pitching profession like Zack Greinke and Roy Halladay. For Zumaya, there’s nothing ho-hum about it. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The previous best walk-less streak of his career was just 12.1 innings. His next best stretch after that is just six innings. With Zumaya’s newfound affection for the strike zone, it should come as no surprise that he’s flashing shades of 2006 when he was the most feared pitcher in baseball. Part of his early success came from mixing 103 MPH heat with wicked off-speed stuff. However, a bigger part had to do with throwing strikes, or at least not being the worst pitcher in baseball at throwing strikes. Although injuries have certainly been a major factor in Zoom-Zoom’s struggles over the past three seasons, equally responsible was his penchant for issuing the free pass. Prior to this season, his career BB/9 was a horrendous 5.4 including an unfathomable 7.3 over the past two seasons. Even during his stellar rookie campaign, he was at a far from respectable 4.5 BB/9. Hitters might not be able to catch up to his heater, but they can sure avoid swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. That had been “the book” on big Z until this season. Remarkably, he is sporting a .9 BB/9 through 20 innings this season. As a result, he has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball despite a robust and incredibly unlucky BA<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">bip</i> of .370. Most pitchers carrying around that stat are on their way to AAA. Zumaya’s control has made that a moot point. His 1.10 WHIP thus far is the best mark of his career—as is his 10.8 K/9. And, he has yet to give up a home run. All are signs that, at least for the time being, Zumaya has found the one thing that separates pitchers from throwers: control.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S-td1ChYBmI/AAAAAAAAAL8/QuiN1GT5g_4/s1600/Zumayaisback.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 123px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S-td1ChYBmI/AAAAAAAAAL8/QuiN1GT5g_4/s400/Zumayaisback.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470569338162906722" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Tigers are 19-15 and very much in the thick of the AL Central race. They have done this despite a frightening 5.49 ERA from their starting pitching. Fortunately, the bullpen has been, by far, the best in baseball. And, nobody has been more responsible for that than Zumaya. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has logged the most innings out of the pen not only for the Tigers been in the entire American League. His 2.24 ERA and .9 BB/9 have spearheaded a bullpen that not only leads the AL in innings pitched but also ERA. There’s no question that the unit as a whole has been fantastic. Jose Valverde has been sparkling in the closer role while Phil Coke, Eddie Bonine, and Fu-Te Ni have been ultra reliable. However, there’s also no question that Zumaya’s re-emergence as the most effective set-up man in the American League has restored order to the Tigers bullpen and, for the time being, has allowed the Tigers to play well above their means despite horrific starting pitching. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S-teAUfox-I/AAAAAAAAAME/grIxAje1swk/s1600/Tigersrelievers.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 396px; height: 329px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S-teAUfox-I/AAAAAAAAAME/grIxAje1swk/s400/Tigersrelievers.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470569531966015458" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While it’s safe to assume that the starting pitching will eventually rebound, the same assumption cannot be made regarding Joel Zumaya’s health. Just 20 innings into the season, he is already approaching the most innings he has pitched in a season since 2006 (33.2 in ’07). Jim Leyland—to no fault of his own—has been relying on Zumaya heavily. He has pitched at least 1.2 innings in 9 of his 13 appearances. He has logged the most innings of any reliever in the American League and has thrown the 5<sup>th</sup> most pitches among relievers in the AL. Considering his injury history and knack for abruptly breaking down, it might be wishful thinking to expect Zumaya to still be pitching in September let alone July or August. Still, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_averages">law of averages</a> would seem to dictate that Zumaya is due for a healthy season. Then again, I’m not so sure the “law of averages” is supposed to be applied to a 210+ pound man with a lengthy injury history hurling a baseball 100+ MPH. Cliché as it is, “so far, so good” is all I've got.</p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-50875395236621224172010-05-06T10:28:00.000-04:002010-05-06T10:29:38.660-04:00Mess with Texas<p class="MsoNormal">Considering Jim Delany and the Big Ten <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/04/big-ten-commissioner-tells-colleagues-that-expansion-is-not-on-fast-track/1">reiterated</a> their original 12 to 18-month timeline just two weeks ago, I’m hesitant to believe the <a href="http://twitter.com/TomDienhart">latest scuttlebutt</a> on expansion that has Syracuse, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, and Missouri coming to Big Ten country. It was only five months ago that Delany first issued a press release suggesting the Big Ten’s potential expansion interests. I can’t imagine that just five months after giving the original timeline, the Big Ten has already admitted defeat in courting the likes of Notre Dame and Texas. With the massive success of the Big Ten Network, the conference is in a position to be patient and picky. Big Ten institutions have the financial stability and the potential for growth that every school in the country would love to have. There’s a reason why other conferences—including the SEC—are waiting around to see what the Big Ten is going to do. Delany has everyone looking his way for good reason. Right now, he is the maestro of college football. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No offense to the five schools mentioned above but if that’s all the Big Ten can attract given its impressive financial standing and academic reputation, then I think it’s fair to question both how much power the conference actually has and Delany’s status as a “maestro.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Big Ten doesn’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">need</i> to do anything. There is no timeline other than the artificial one that Delany put forward in his press release. Members raked in a mindboggling $22 million per year each from the Big Ten Network alone last year. Everyone in the Big Ten is sitting pretty right now. I realize that the primary—and in the end maybe the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">only</i>—objective of expansion is to generate even more money through increased ad revenue from the additional live events that expansion would bring to the BTN. If that is the only objective, then Rutgers and Syracuse it is. However, I would think that there is something more to it than just making more money. Given their athletic prowess (or lack thereof) I would think that Rutgers and Syracuse would be fallback options. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Big Ten is about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">athletic</i> prestige as much as it is about academic. The addition of Penn State made the conference stronger athletically. Subsequent additions should as well. Adding Syracuse and Rutgers would hardly accomplish that objective. They were 63<sup>rd</sup> and 92<sup>nd</sup> respectively in last year’s final Director’s Cup Standings. Indiana—the Big Ten’s lowest ranked school in the standings by a considerable margin—chimed at 55<sup>th</sup>. It’s one thing to invite schools that are not competitive in Olympic sports and another to invite schools that would make the conference weaker in the sport that pays the bills: football. That’s why I find it hard to believe that Delany and Co. have already given up on Texas and Notre Dame. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Maybe it’s a smokescreen. Maybe Delany is working any and all channels to Austin and South Bend as I type. Certainly that would be the very least to expect coming from the guy who had his hands all over the creation of the epically successful Big Ten Network. It just doesn’t make sense for college football’s current A-#1 powerbroker to be fast tracking fallback plans. I understand the allure of Syracuse and Rutgers from a financial perspective. The idea being, of course, to infiltrate the NYC market by stealing the top programs in the New York/New Jersey area. What remains to be scene, however, is how much pull those schools have in NYC. It would seem to be an awfully risky gamble to simply assume that viewers in NYC would collectively start watching Syracuse and Rutgers football when there has been very little previous interest. I have to admit that I’m coming from an ignorant place with respect to their potential drawing power in NYC. Maybe they’ll produce a ratings bonanza for the BTN. I could definitely be wrong but luring Syracuse and Rutgers seems like a feeble attempt to corral a market that just doesn’t have interest in local college football.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Despite his lofty position atop the college football landscape, Delany doesn’t have a genie in a bottle. He can’t simply command schools to the Big Ten. However, his primary objective—even above trying to convince Notre Dame to pursue the path of sanity—should be to sweet talk Texas into joining the Big Ten. I realize there are factors working against this. First, Texas has visions of achieving financial utopia with a network of its own. Second, Texas might find the geographic proximity to the SEC more to its liking. Or, it’s possible that Texas simply wants to remain the benefactor of the disproportionate revenue set-up it currently has in the Big XII. Whatever it is, there are many reasons why Texas might turn down an offer from the Big Ten. None of that should affect Delany’s course of action. If Texas wants to say, “no”, it should be after an onslaught of recruiting attempts by Delany and his Big Ten compatriots. Texas is the biggest fish in the sea by a long shot. Few institutions can equal UT’s athletic prowess. The Longhorns have finished in the top 10 of the Director’s Cup Standings for eight consecutive years. More importantly, no school in the country can come close to offering the sheer number of additional TV viewers. That’s what this is all about, right? The state of Texas has seven of the top 100 TV markets in America and unlike, say, California where allegiances are spread pretty thin , the University of Texas is the main attraction in the state of Texas. That’s 7.2 million additional households just from those top 100 markets for the Big Ten Network to penetrate. NYC and all its glory stands at 7.5 million. If you’re wondering about Texas A&M, my guess is that if Texas is off to the Big Ten, A&M wouldn’t be too far behind. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Don’t sleep on TAMU’s credentials. It was ranked as the 22<sup>nd</sup> best public university by the US News and World Report and finished 13<sup>th</sup> in the 2009 Director’s Cup Standings.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S-I8Lya64xI/AAAAAAAAAL0/If3HVJ_2Vts/s1600/TexasDMAranks.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S-I8Lya64xI/AAAAAAAAAL0/If3HVJ_2Vts/s400/TexasDMAranks.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467999070792114962" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-tab-count:6"> </span><a href="http://www.tvb.org/rcentral/markettrack/us_hh_by_dma.asp">DMA Rankings</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Texas is a prestigious academic institution. It will not find too many peers in the SEC. That—along with the existence of the Big Ten Network—should be Delany’s primary recruiting tools.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Big Ten has 10 of the top 30 public schools in the country <a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-top-public">according to</a> the U.S. News & World Report. Northwestern—the only school not on that list—is a private school and better than them all. The SEC, on the other hand, has just three of the top 30 public schools. Texas stands at #15. Based on that, it’s doubtful UT’s administration would be overjoyed by a move to the SEC. Clearly, forcing its athletic teams to travel to the Midwest for every road game is not something the administration would be overjoyed about, either. However, by adding Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Missouri , the Big Ten could soften that blow significantly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don’t have any inside information when it comes to expansion talk—or anything for that matter. For all I know, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Missouri, and Nebraska could be headed to the Big Ten tomorrow. What I do have is what I hope amounts to a decent amount of common sense. It makes no sense for the Big Ten to be wrapping up the expansion process early with Syracuse and Rutgers set to receive invitations. Anything short of Texas (and Notre Dame I suppose) filing for a restraining order against Delany should not deter the Big Ten’s pursuit of Texas. While he’s at it, Delany might want to get the king of secondary recruiting violations to make a trip to Austin. There’s no doubt in my mind that Jim Tressel could put together the right kind of financial package to get UT to sign on the dotted line.</p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-73508230601639090832010-04-29T15:47:00.001-04:002010-04-29T15:50:43.153-04:00So what's it gonna be?I’m a little confused by the Tigers. They have great pitching and hitting, and… horrible pitching and hitting. That’s really the only way I can describe this walking contradiction of a baseball team. The starting pitching has been worse than atrocious. Collectively, Tigers starting pitching boasts a 5.56 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. While the starting pitching has been horrendous preventing runs, the offense hasn’t fared much better scoring them. The Tigers are one of the worst teams in MLB at advancing—and thus scoring—baserunners. They are dead last in stolen bases. Only two teams in the AL are worse at taking extra bases on singles and doubles. They are 8th of 14 teams in scoring runners from 3rd with fewer than two outs. They’re also 12th of 14 teams in advancing runners from 2nd base with no outs. Part of the problem has to do with the number of strikeouts they’re piling up. With 156 K’s, the Tigers have the 4th most in the AL. It’s difficult to advance runners without putting the ball in play. “Not advancing runners” might not be such a big deal if the Tigers hit home runs. Unfortunately, they’re just 11thof 14 teams in home runs. It’s difficult to score runs without power and speed. Most teams have the luxury of at least one of the two. <br /><br /><div>Most teams that struggle with starting pitching, advancing baserunners, and hitting home runs have “cellar” written all over them. Inexplicably, the Tigers are not in the cellar. In fact, they’re 13-10 and just 1.5 games behind the Twins despite playing 14 of 23 games on the road to start the season. How is this possible? Well, it’s crazy-complicated. As poor as the starting pitching has been, the bullpen has been equally brilliant. The bullpen sports a stellar 2.22 ERA over 81 innings. Jose Valverde, Joel Zumaya, Eddie Bonine, Phil Coke, and Fu-Te Ni all have ERAs under 2.00. The bullpen is the only reason the Tigers stand at 8th in team ERA in the AL despite such terrible production from the rotation. Detroit is dead last in the league in quality starts. That has translated into the bullpen pitching more innings than any other bullpen in the American League by a long shot. Fortunately for the Tigers, that hasn’t been a problem, yet.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S9nf4XV-vqI/AAAAAAAAALs/hbn_LKYDbBU/s1600/Tigerspitching2010.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 315px; height: 393px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S9nf4XV-vqI/AAAAAAAAALs/hbn_LKYDbBU/s400/Tigerspitching2010.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465645782222683810" /></a><br />The only other thing keeping this team afloat right now is its ability to get on base. As poor as Tigers hitters have been at advancing baserunners (and as poor as the baserunners have been at advancing themselves) they’ve been equally superb at getting on base. Unlike the boom or bust Tigers of recent years, this team can draw a walk. The Tigers are 2nd in the American League in walks and hits. The “hits” have always been there but the newfound proficiency in drawing walks has helped give the Tigers the highest OBP in the American League. That was not a misprint! The barrage of free passes has been led by Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, and Johnny Damon who all have at least 12 walks and a better than 1:1 BB:SO ratio. So, while the Tigers are abysmal at advancing and scoring runners, they are the best at putting runners on base. That dichotomy has not surprisingly resulted in a ho-hum 4.78 runs per game. One reason why such a high OBP has resulted in such a correspondingly low number of runs is that the players drawing all the walks are the players who are supposed to be driving in the runs. They can’t drive in runs if they’re standing on first. Drawing walks is a great quality even from power-hitters but Detroit’s 6-9 hitters have been so wretched that a walk from Cabrera, Ordonez, and Damon has been as good as an out for the opposition.<br /><br /></div><div>What we’re left with is a team that is hedging its bets in virtually every capacity. The relievers have bailed out the starters in a way that nobody could’ve predicted. The sheer number of baserunners the offense has generated has offset the dreadful rate at which the Tigers have both advanced and scored runners. Yet, somehow, the Tigers are three games over .500 and very much alive in the AL Central. As great of a development as that is, I don’t think it foreshadows anything moving forward. None of what the Tigers are doing right now is likely to last. The starting pitching will improve. Bullpen production will drop off. The offense will advance and score baserunners at a higher percentage. And, you can expect a sharp decline in OBP. The Tigers are producing at the extreme of virtually every measure. Extremes don’t last. Unfortunately, that leaves us in the dark in terms of what can be expected when these numbers normalize. It just all depends on whether the forthcoming improvements in starting pitching and driving in baserunners offset the inevitable return to reality in terms of the bullpen and OBP. In other words, I have no idea what’s going to happen. If there’s one thing I can say, it’s that this team is either good, bad, or average and I’d put money on that.<br /><br /></div>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-48644058667139749202010-04-23T00:13:00.005-04:002010-04-25T12:29:57.491-04:00Identity CrisisWith Big Ten expansion looking like a mere formality, what would the Big Ten call a new 16-team mega-conference? Keeping the “Big Ten” name when Penn State was added brought enough ridicule. With the addition of five more schools, the name “Big Ten” opens up the conference to quite the public relations embarrassment. There’s a pizza joint down the street from my house called, “Belly Buster’s.” I never eat there because I can’t get past the name. I feel guilty enough as it is eating pizza. I have to suspend my understanding of nutrition and the human body for the five minutes it takes me to eat a large pizza or otherwise I’d never be able to put such an insane amount of calories in my body at one time. With a name like Belly Buster’s, it’s literally impossible for me to forget that I’m doing serious damage to my body while decreasing the number of minutes I have on Earth in the process. Although it seems catchy in theory, the name absolutely kills this place and I’m sure it keeps people from eating there. The Big Ten won’t exactly have difficulty making money regardless of what it calls itself. It could be called “The Big Worst” and not lose a cent. However, Jim Delany is ultra-sensitive about the conference’s reputation as evidenced by his awesome letter defending the Big Ten against the SEC in the perception battle. So, trust me when I say that being widely lampooned for having a 16-team conference called the “Big Ten” will get under Delany’s skin. Like Belly Buster’s, the first thing anyone will think about when they think of the Big Ten is how ridiculous the name is. So, Delany has two options: 1). Change the name to something that makes sense, or 2). Keep the name and find a new significance for the number “10.”<br /><br /><div>Ever since last December when the news broke that the Big Ten was going to look into expansion, message boards and fan forums have been littered with ideas for new names for a 16-team conference. Unfortunately, it’s a fruitless endeavor. A new name is out of the question. The Big Ten isn’t just an athletic conference; it’s a brand. It’s a brand that has, among other things, its own TV station worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Perhaps even more than the individual universities that make up the conference, the name “Big Ten” is the most visible attribute the conference has to offer especially after the creation of the “Big Ten Network.” That doesn’t necessarily mean that the conference is stuck with a contradictory name. The key could be to find a new meaning for “10.”<br /><br /></div><div>My first thought was to look at the number of states in the conference instead of “teams.” If Notre Dame and Pittsburgh are among the additions, then the end result will likely be 16 members across 11 states. In that scenario, the Big Ten can just claim that instead of having 11 members, it now has 11 states with no name change necessary. However, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh would both have to be involved for that scenario to work.<br /><br /></div><div>Another idea—and this isn’t a slam dunk by any means—is to associate “10” with the largest markets in the Big Ten region. To be fair, the only reason the conference is even looking at expansion is to significantly increase revenue. So it would only seem fitting to incorporate the Big Ten’s motives for expansion as the new interpretation of the “Big Ten.” It’s impossible to know exactly which markets are going to end up in the conference because we don’t know which schools, if any, are coming to the conference. As it stands right now, however, the Big Ten region boasts 7 of the top 25 markets in the country according to the DMA rankings…</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S9Ed_JOWFRI/AAAAAAAAALc/kq692XEMWNE/s1600/BigTenmarkets.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 377px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S9Ed_JOWFRI/AAAAAAAAALc/kq692XEMWNE/s400/BigTenmarkets.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463180793622172946" /></a><br />It’s not unreasonable to think that three additional markets among the top 25 could be delivered via expansion. Depending on which schools get invites, we could see New York City, Boston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Kansas City or a number of Texas markets enter the mix. Either way, it’s likely that the Big Ten will have either 10 of the top 20 markets or 10 of the top 25 making for a fairly convenient explanation for remaining the “Big Ten.” Owning “markets” might sound a bit trivial but it’s important to remember this whole expansion conversation is about reaching new markets. The SEC only has three of the top 25 markets. So having 10 is no small feat and is certainly worth acknowledging.<br /><br /></div><div>Otherwise, I’m all out of ideas. A name change isn’t a realistic option. The name itself is a brand and brands don’t just change names. I could see something like “Big Ten +” or a derivative there of but it would make everyone’s job a lot easier if there was a convenient, built-in reason to continue calling it the “Big Ten.” At the very least, it would save everyone from having to read another sweet letter from Jim Delany in 2015 explaining that it’s “not nice” to make fun of conferences with contradictory names.<br /></div>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-76343116600505763242010-04-14T22:09:00.001-04:002010-04-14T22:09:41.413-04:00It's time for Tiger vs. Lefty<p class="MsoNormal">Tiger Woods has accomplished just about everything in golf. He has won each major at least three times over. He’s been named the PGA Player of the Year 10 times and has been the Tour Money Leader nine times. If his performance at the Masters over the weekend is any indication—especially coming off a lengthy and tumultuous layoff—he is still well on his way to shattering Jack Nicklaus’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_men's_major_championships_winning_golfers">record</a> for career majors and Sam Snead’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_golfers_with_most_PGA_Tour_wins">record</a> for most PGA Tour wins. Tiger is only 34. He needs just four major championships to tie the record. Nicklaus won six majors after his 35<sup>th</sup> birthday and—no offense to “The Golden Bear”—Tiger is peerless when it comes to physical conditioning. Barring an unforeseen catastrophe, Tiger is well on his way to becoming the greatest golfer of all-time if he’s not there already. As impressive as he has been and likely will continue to be, that level of success comes at a price. Namely, the price of not having a rival. Not that it’s his fault. Still, many media pundits have used Tiger’s lack of a rival as fuel for criticism. Some have used it as an indictment of his competition which, of course, mitigates his accomplishments. Others have argued that he has made golf boring by being too dominant. Whether those things are actually true doesn’t matter. It’s the perception that matters. The public “need” for a rivalry is deeply rooted. Rivalries transcend sports from a mere “game” to a compelling battle of ability<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>and style. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Michigan has Ohio State. The Yankees have the Red Sox. Jack Nicklaus had Arnold Palmer and, to a lesser extent, Gary Player. <a href="http://www.buddytv.com/articles/lost/jacob-vs-the-man-in-black-whos-35511.aspx">Jacob has the Man in Black.</a> <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Tiger has nobody.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don’t personally buy into the notion that Tiger needs a rival to validate his career or to transcend golf anymore than he already has. He is quite likely the most recognizable athlete in the world and has won more money than anyone in the history of the sport. If there is one thing that Tiger is doing just fine without, it’s a rival. Hell, judging from TV ratings, golf is doing just fine without a rival for Tiger. However, I think many people—and unfortunately many of these people are backed by the power of the press—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">need</i> him to have a rival. While I’m sure it has been enjoyable for Tiger to dominate golf tournaments like he’s dunkin’ on a six foot rim, it has gotten pretty boring at times for fans and the media. That has led to a number of “jump the gun” scenarios in which Tiger’s long awaited rival had supposedly arrived. Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Sing, David Duval and Sergio Garcia were all, at one time or another, given the “Tiger’s rival” treatment. Of course, we know how all that turned out. The aforementioned “rivals” have combined to win 11 major championships. Tiger has 14 all by himself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Despite everyone’s best efforts to create a rival for Tiger, he has just been too good to have one. That may have all changed on Sunday.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of all of Tiger’s fake rivals, Phil Mickelson has always been the one most likely to be the real thing. He has been the most successful golfer in the world outside of Tiger over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, the lengthy major drought to start his career made it impossible for the golfing world to take him seriously as a legitimate rival to Tiger. By 2004, Lefty’s struggles at the major championships had become equal parts “running punchline” and “heartbreak”. It wasn’t that he played horribly at the majors; he was, in fact, consistently good. Entering the ’04 Masters, Lefty had finished second or third at a major a total of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">eight</i> times without winning. He finally broke through at the ’04 Masters and then followed that up with a PGA Championship in ’05 and another Masters in ’06. Still, entering the ’10 Masters, the major count stood at 14-3 in favor of Tiger. That’s not exactly a record that screams “rivalry!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Three events over the past year-and-a-half have combined to potentially change the rivalry landscape considerably for the first time in the Tiger Woods era: </p> <p class="MsoNormal">1). Tiger was forced to miss eight months to rehab the ACL tear in his left knee. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tiger hasn’t won a major championship since his return from knee surgery. Right now, the drought stands at five majors and counting without a victory including only his second “missed cut” as a professional. It is his second longest major drought in over ten years. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2). The revelation of Tiger’s freaktastic personal transgressions. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Returning from reconstructive knee surgery is difficult enough without added distractions. The scrutiny, embarrassment, and self-doubt that must come from having personal infidelities aired in front of six billion people just makes maintaining focus in arguably the most difficult sport in the world that much more challenging, if not impossible.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3).Lefty’s win at the Master’s on Sunday. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mickelson’s win wasn’t so much impactful because of the fact that he won a major as it was the timing of the win. Tiger came to Augusta last weekend to reclaim his dominance. It can be debated whether that was a realistic goal or not considering the mental obstacles he was dealing with, but there is no question that he came to win. Instead, Phil Mickelson won and that may very well prove to be a shot across Tiger’s bow. Don’t get me wrong, Tiger’s game hasn’t exactly suffered. He has finished in the top-six in four of the last five majors—all post surgery. Also, don’t forget that he won the ’08 U.S. Open hobbling on one leg which put him more at a disadvantage than any event he has entered post rehab; including the Masters over the weekend. Nonetheless, this is an interesting time for both Tiger and Lefty. The gap between the two that was seemingly the size of the Pacific Ocean just a few years ago seems to be narrowing on both sides. Mickelson will never erase the gap—or come close to it—but he could close it enough to bring credibility to Tiger’s first—and likely only—rivalry. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What Mickelson did by winning the Masters over the weekend wasn’t just prove that he can beat a motivated, lurking Tiger Woods at a major. Trevor Immelman did that at the ’08 Masters and that didn’t exactly catapult him into a rivalry with Tiger let alone prove that he was capable of winning more than one tournament. Plus, Mickelson has already proven that he can ward of a contending Tiger at a major when he outplayed him on Saturday and Sunday to win the ’06 Masters. What Mickelson did do that was far more meaningful than winning one tournament or beating one player was add to an ever increasingly rival-worthy resume. Nobody knows how Tiger is going to perform in the face of a rehabilitated knee and a yet-to-be rehabilitated image. By <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">his</i> standards, though, he has played poorly in five consecutive majors. It would not be surprising to see his winning percentage at major championships drop from the ridiculous level it was previous to ’09. If that happens—even in the slightest— then prepare for the very real possibility of the Tiger vs. Lefty era. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s unfortunate that this all couldn’t have happened 12 years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lefty’s run of “runner-up” finishes damaged his reputation considerably because while he was coming “oh so close”, Tiger was winning eight majors. The interesting thing is that this thing has been rivalry worthy even if few have actually realized it. Since 2004, Tiger holds just a 6-4 advantage in major championships over Mickelson. He holds a slight 16-13 advantage in top-tens at major championships. Tiger has 70 top-ten finishes on tour over that span to Lefty’s 55. There is no doubt that Tiger is the greatest golfer in the world. His career accomplishments trump not just any golfer on the PGA Tour today but just about any two golfers. Lefty certainly isn’t in the same ballpark as Tiger as far as career accomplishments. Fortunately, he doesn’t need to be.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The greatest rivalry in the history of golf is generally considered to be Jack Nicklaus vs. Arnold Palmer. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There were a few extracurriculars involved with Jack vs. Arnie that Tiger vs. Lefty simply can’t match. First, Arnold Palmer was the top golfer in the world when Jack Nicklaus came on the scene. Second, as a 22-year old baby face, Jack beat Arnie in an 18-hole playoff to win his first ever tournament at the 1962 U.S. Open. That gave Jack vs. Arnie an aura of intrigue that few rivalries could ever match. Jack knocked Arnie off the mountain top. Instead of engaging in an ultra-competitive rivalry right at the beginning, Lefty vs. Tiger—if it materializes—would begin some 18 years after Lefty turned pro and 13 years after Tiger turned pro. That’s not exactly as compelling as the immediate drama that the Nicklaus vs. Palmer rivalry produced. Fortunately, rivalries in sports are based on results as much as they are drama. Had Palmer not been the greatest golfer in the world in ’62 or had he not continued to be a force on the tour for the decade after Nicklaus’s breakthrough win at the ’62 Open, there would not have been a rivalry. While style is a bonus, rivalries are built on substance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, the question is, does Tiger vs. Lefty have substance, or at the very least, potential for substance? To answer that question, we need to strip away all of the extracurriculars that gave Jack vs. Arnie its initial “juice” and simply look at how competitive they were on the golf course. That should be a measuring stick for a potential Tiger vs. Lefty rivalry. In Palmer’s best seven-year stretch against Nicklaus, he trailed 7-3 in majors. In that same stretch, he trailed 19-17 in top-ten finishes at major championships. As it turns out, that isn’t so different from how Lefty has fared against Tiger over the last seven years. As I referenced earlier, Tiger holds a 6-4 advantage in majors and a 16-13 advantage in top-tens at majors. Although, it hasn’t really been acknowledged as such, Tiger and Lefty seem to already have a worthy rivalry. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S8XFrQNDdMI/AAAAAAAAAK8/p9gHTHhc480/s1600/BestofTigerPHIL.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S8XFrQNDdMI/AAAAAAAAAK8/p9gHTHhc480/s400/BestofTigerPHIL.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459987470131360962" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mickelson is nearly 40 and about to begin a stretch in his career that has historically been the end for elite golfers. If this thing is going to happen on a much larger scale, it needs to happen now. Fortunately, it would only take a solid 2-3 year stretch of Tiger vs. Lefty, if that, for this thing to go down as an iconic rivalry. If this thing heats up, experts will undoubtedly apply a little revisionist history to the past seven years to make this thing a nine or ten year battle. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because Tiger has been so dominant, it’s not surprising that Mickelson isn’t necessarily thought of as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">great</i> golfer. The numbers tell a different story, though. Tiger and Lefty are on pace to have very similar careers to Jack and Arnie. Palmer was an iconic golfer but really doesn’t compare to Nicklaus’s accomplishments. The same can be said of Mickelson with respect to Tiger. Jack vs. Arnie took off because of the added appeal of a 22-year old jumpstart challenging “The King.” Without that, their rivalry would’ve been far less compelling. While Tiger and Lefty have been bereft of intrigue up to this point, the “juice” that it needs to take off might finally be here. With Tiger’s mental and physical ailments, Mickelson will have a chance of his own to knock off the king—albeit a younger one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S8XIped7L7I/AAAAAAAAALU/Svez6pVFhPw/s1600/WorstPhilvTiger.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 178px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S8XIped7L7I/AAAAAAAAALU/Svez6pVFhPw/s400/WorstPhilvTiger.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459990738135363506" /></a></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-26640673767925937312010-04-09T00:11:00.001-04:002010-04-09T08:19:11.840-04:00Loserville<p class="MsoNormal">If you’ve ever seen NBC’s reality show, “The Biggest Loser”, then you’re fully aware that the biggest <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">loser</i> is actually the biggest <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">winner</i>. The object, of course, is to lose the highest percentage of weight thus becoming the biggest <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">loser.</i> The Pistons are a different kind of “biggest loser.” Of all of the wretched teams in the NBA this season—including the near historically bad New Jersey Nets—the Pistons are, without a doubt, the biggest collection of losers in the group. While every other horrible team is spreading minutes to younger players and ethically tanking the remainder of the season, the Pistons have decided it’s time to showcase the $20 million of wasted money they had the misfortune of acquiring last summer. The only thing worse than Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon hibernating through the entire year is for the dreadful duo to wake up just in time to ruin Detroit’s only ray of hope in an otherwise miserable season. Thanks, guys. I didn’t think there was any way you could prove to be a bigger waste of roster space than you already had over the first 76 games. Clearly, I was wrong. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Pistons were in the Cadillac of draft positions just three days ago. With the first and second positions locked in place weeks ago by New Jersey and Minnesota, the Pistons were standing at the top of a massive heap of teams in the battle for the 3<sup>rd</sup> position. Thanks to the strength of an 11-game losing streak, the Pistons were just a week from securing a 15.6% chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery. At the very worst, they were guaranteed the 4<sup>th</sup> overall pick meaning John Wall, Evan Turner, Derrick Favors, or DeMarcus Cousins was on his way to Detroit. That’s when Villanueva and Gordon decided that they were going to extend their lead as the most worthless players in the NBA. Not only are they largely responsible for Detroit’s inflexible cap situation and its worst record in 15 years, they also cut the team’s chances of winning the NBA Draft lottery by nearly 250% in just 24 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S78a2ebwKfI/AAAAAAAAAKc/P10Iy2dYQss/s1600/Pistonsdraftposition+(2).png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 342px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S78a2ebwKfI/AAAAAAAAAKc/P10Iy2dYQss/s400/Pistonsdraftposition+(2).png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458110796581054962" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The idiocy began on Tuesday night when Villanueva erupted for 25 points off the bench to lead the Pistons over the Sixers. Villanueva hadn’t scored 20+ points in a game since January 12<sup>th</sup>. Over that span, he averaged a whopping 9.3 points per game. Gordon—obviously unhappy at the prospects of Villanueva singly handedly pissing off every Pistons fan in the universe—decided that he wanted to wake up from his long winter’s nap against the Hawks on Wednesday night.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Gordon came off the bench to score 22 points to lead the Pistons to victory. He hadn’t scored that many points since February 5<sup>th</sup>. Over that span, he averaged a Villanueva-esque 9.4 points per game. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that the Pistons have been nauseatingly unwatchable this season, the fact that Villanueva and Gordon sabotaged Detroit’s draft, or the fact that we’ll undoubtedly have to endure Joe D telling us that these worthless wins are a sign that this team has started to gel. This team couldn’t gel if it were the Jonas Brothers at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unfortunately, a lack of quality hair product and bucket of slime is only part of the problem. Perhaps the biggest problem is that this team has no future. Villanueva and Gordon are the equivalent of a pair of anchors buried in the concrete floor of cap space hell. Thanks in part to Joe D’s regrettable decision to sign them to longterm contracts last season, the Pistons not only find themselves the proud owners of a pitiful basketball team, but the proud owners of a pitiful basketball team for what appears to be a long, long time. They are already on the hook for $51.40 million next season. As bad as the Nets, T-Wolves, Kings, and Wizards have been this season, none of the four are on the hook for more than $36 million next season. At least they have the funds to do something about their futility not to mention improved draft position courtesy of Deeetroit Basketball’s awesome two-game winning streak. All of this makes the Pistons the “Biggest Losers” of the NBA.</p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-57224719892696849862010-04-01T00:01:00.005-04:002021-02-27T12:37:34.368-05:00Updated 100 Greatest Basketball Players of All-Time<p class="MsoNormal">I receive email from readers on a weekly basis asking when I’m going to update my top 100 lists. The most requested is the basketball list. I’ve decided to bow to the pressure of my readership and issue an updated version of the <a href="http://motownsportsrevival.blogspot.com/2008/05/top-100-basketball-players-of-all-time.html">top 100 basketball players of all-time</a>. The same rules apply from the previous lists. If you need a refresher on list criteria, please click <a href="http://motownsportsrevival.blogspot.com/2005/06/criterion-for-top-50-lists.html">here</a>. Without further ado, here are the updated 100 greatest basketball players of all-time.</p> <p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">100 Greatest Basketball Players of All-Time<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">1. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chilcpe01.html">Pete Chilcutt</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He'd “cutt” you with a razor on the court and then take you to dinner off of it.<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/colesbi01.html">Vernell Eufaye Coles</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This guy was a first class “bimbo."<span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 9;">3. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nimphku01.html">Kurt Nimphius</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Despite his name, Nimphius was prude on, and off, the court.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">4. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rambiku01.html">Kurt Rambis</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once blazed through 38 lbs of scotch tape in one season to hold his glasses together.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">5. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sparrro01.html">Rory Sparrow</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Became the first player in NBA history to be born to bird parents. He honored them by changing his last name from "Winslow" to "Sparrow" on his 18th birthday.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;">6. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loderke01.html">Kevin Loder</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although most people remember him for his work as an MTV VJ, Loder was such an important force in the NBA that he closed down two NBA franchises: the San Diego Clippers and the Kansas City Kings.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">7. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brickfr01.html">Frank Brickowski</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Overcame arguably the most detrimental last name in basketball history to shoot a robust .519 from the field.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 11;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">8. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hastisc01.html">Scott Hastings</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hastings had a reputation for being a frontcourt bully but he was actually one of the greatest score-o participants the world has ever seen. He took shooting from three feet way to new heights. I know this because a friend was blessed with the knowledge of Hastings at a chance encounter at Dunham Sports.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">9. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nevitch01.html">Chuck Nevitt</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The original "human victory cigar" was also a great mentor. Nevitt is almost solely responsible for Fennis Dembo becoming the greatest towel waiver in NBA history. <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">10. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nealyed01.html">Ed Nealy</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Honorary member of Chicago's three-headed monster was solely responsible for Chicago's third-straight NBA Title in 1993.<span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">11. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kitegr01.html">Greg Kite</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Kite once flew a Kite for an entire 48 minute NBA game without allowing his opponent to score a single point.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">12. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wittmra01.html">Randy Wittman</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Spun such beautiful poetry that coaches who didn’t even want him on the court actually allowed him to be an on-court player/coach while they went to the bathroom to wipe away their tears.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">13. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bolma01.html">Manute Bol</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bol was so good that he was drafted twice. He also once killed a lion with his bare hands in the middle of an NBA game.<span style="mso-tab-count: 11;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">14. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bowiesa01.html">Sam Bowie</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bowie is single-handedly responsible for the city of Portland being recognized as one of the luckiest cities in the world. The Blazers nearly made a crippling mistake by selecting Michael Jordan. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">15. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/durrade01.html">Devin Durrant</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Devin Durrant was very nearly Kevin Durant. He never let the cruelty of the situation bring him down as he went on to a remarkably effective 63-game NBA career.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">16. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wennibi01.html">Bill Wennington</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">One of four members of Chicago's three-headed monster to appear on this list. “Beef” Wennington excelled brilliantly in "fouls per minute."<span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">17. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/newmajo01.html">Johnny Newman</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aerodynamic Arsenio Hall hairstyle gave him the extra inches necessary to grind and thrive in the paint.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">18. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wingada01.html">David Wingate</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyone who collected basketball cards in the early 90s knows of the David Robinson rookie “false positive” all too well. Wingate and Robinson were both “Davids” who played for the Spurs. As the opener was flipping through the pack of cards going from left to right, the “David” and “Spurs” logo was easily identifiable. At that point, the opener had no choice but to hold their breath and hope for the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if the opener was lucky, they would be a proud owner of a David Wingate 4<sup>th</sup>-year card.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">19. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jacksmi02.html">Michael Jackson</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">No introduction necessary. Jackson gave up a career with the Knicks to become the King of Pop.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">20. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lesji01.html">Jim Les</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The classic example of “Les is more."<span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">21. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/myerspe01.html">Pete Myers</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Fistpump Pete.” Perhaps no player in NBA history was more instrumental in cheering on the Chicago Bulls than Pete Myers.<span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">22. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/farmeji01.html">Jim Farmer</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Gave up a lucrative farming career to cultivate points in the NBA.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">23. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/royaldo01.html">Donald Royal</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once won a head-to-head vote against Royal Ivey to see who truly was the “Royalty of the NBA.” Not surprisingly, Donald was the winner. Making the selection even more meaningful was that it was voted on by his NBA peers. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">24. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/royaldo01.html">Chris Dudley</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was such an exemplary strategist that he once turned a career 46% free throw percentage into $34.8 million.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">25. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/haleyja01.html">Jack Haley</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was a member of Chicago’s vaunted three-headed monster for one game. As the saying goes, though, “once a member of the three-headed monster, always a member of the three-headed monster.”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">26. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perduwi01.html">Will Perdue</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps the most accomplished member of the three-headed monster. Perdue led the Bulls to three consecutive NBA Titles from 1991-93. He then went on to mentor Tim Duncan and resurrect the flailing career of David Robinson in San Antonio.<span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">27. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/delnevi01.html">Vinny Del Negro</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Of the Black" was so silky smooth that he could smoke a doob in one hand and dunk on you with the other.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 11;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">28. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dembofe01.html">Fennis Dembo</a></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dembo was arguably the greatest towel twirler in NBA history. One can only wonder how much better he would’ve gotten had he waved his towel for more than one season.<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">29. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/ellispe01.html">Pervis Ellison</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nobody tried harder to shed an unwanted nickname than “Never Nervous” Pervis Ellison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not one to let others dictate his state of mind, Ellison played nervously on purpose just to spite the people who gave him his nickname.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">30. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hammoto01.html">Tom Hammonds</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Hambone” spent much of his career announcing Notre Dame games from the end of the bench. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">31. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/richapo01.html">Pooh Richardson</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Despite hellacious gas problems that caused him to head to the dressing room every 14 minutes, Pooh thrived as a merciless distributor of the ball.<span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">32. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/blankla01.html">Lance Blanks</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You never know if a gun shoots blanks unless you're willing to fire it. Blanks left no doubt that there was nothing in the chamber.<span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">33. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/blankla01.html">Luc Longley</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Double L was the sexy accent of the Bulls three-headed monster. He was also the Will Perdue and subsequent MVP of the Bulls’ second three-peat.<span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">34. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/keefead01.html">Adam Keefe</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It's difficult to tell if Keefe is more known for being a menace in the paint or being a "W" away from infamy.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">35. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/milleol01.html">Oliver Miller</a></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Miller derived much of his talent from eating college teammates Todd Day and Lee Mayberry.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">36. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mornida01.html">Darren Morningstar</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Most thought Mornginstar's fate was sealed the day the NBA decided to play its games after noon. Clearly, most were wrong.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">37. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hammige01.html">Geert Hammink</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was so good in college that LSU urged Shaquille O'Neal to turn pro so Hammink could run the show.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">38. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dareyi01.html">Yinka Dare</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A man with priorities. I once asked him for his shoes following a game. His response would've made Socrates smile. "What will I wear for the next game?"<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">39. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/simpkdi01.html">LuBara “Dickey” Simpkins</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The most unheralded member of Chicago’s three-headed monster to go along with a nickname well earned from what I hear.<span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">40. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/persowe01.html">Wesley Person</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was so good that video game programmers had no choice but to make sure he never missed a shot in NBA LIVE '95.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">41. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/abdulta01.html">Tariq Abdul-Wahad</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once played Olivier St. John to a draw in a game of one-on-one.<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">42. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/shammgo01.html">God Shammgod</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Basketball Jesus has nothing on this guy. Heck, Jesus himself has nothing on this guy.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">43. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/olowomi01.html">Michael Olowokandi</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Say his name three times in the mirror and you'll get dunked on for eternity. Countless NBA centers have doubted the legend and, as I type this, they are currently and repeatedly getting dunked on by Michael Olowokandi.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">44. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bendejo01.html">Jonathan Bender</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was so dominating on the court that he is the subject of M. Knight Shyamalan's forthcoming "The Last Airbender."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 11;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">45. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Weis">Frederic Weis</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although Weis never actually played in the NBA, he was such a selfless basketball player that he allowed Vince Carter to posterize him with the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWkUksAv5V0">"Le Dunk de la mort."</a> <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">46. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mihmch01.html">Chris Mihm</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mihm's the word on this elite big who scorched the league for a .337 field goal percentage in 1998--an impressive feat for a center.<span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">47. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cardibr01.html">Brian Cardinal</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The shrewdest of negotiators--Cardinal has amassed over $30 million in career earnings with a .412 career field goal percentage.<span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">49. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wagneda02.html">Dajuan Wagner</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Scored more points in a high school game than he did in his last two NBA seasons combined. That stat is a little misleading because he once scored 5,000 points in a high school game.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">50. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamir_Goodman">Jewish Jordan</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">JJ was destined to break Kareem's scoring records but chose religious obedience over superstardom. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">51. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamir_Goodman">Dan Dickau</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The Dick" or "DDs" as he was often referred to was so sought after that he was traded eight times. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">52. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/araujra01.html">Rafael Araujo</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This former 8th overall pick out of BYU was so Mormon that he was born in Brazil.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">53. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/ewingda01.html">Daniel Ewing</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The son of J.R. Ewing, Daniel overcame the pitfalls of growing up under the shadow of a famous father to dominate the NBA.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">54. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/koncajo01.html">Jon Koncak</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Koncak was so physical that writers often subconsciously replaced the "c" with a "t" in his last name.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">55. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/blabuw01.html">Uwe Blab</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Blessed with the "gift of blab", Uwe often talked his opponents into mental breakdowns and then dunked on them.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">56. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/benjabe01.html">Benoit Benjamin</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was so gifted as a youngster that his father changed the pronunciation of his name ala Joe Theisman. His parents ditched the common French pronunciation of “Benoit” for the phonetic version to rhyme with "anoint." As a result, Benjamin grew to 7'0 tall and was anointed the “King of the NBA.”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">57. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wolfjo01.html">Joe Wolf</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Wolf became the first Werewolf to start an NBA game. <span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">58. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/williho01.html">Hot Rod Williams</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Earned his nickname by taking a charge from a 1949 Mercury Hot Rod. His career arc nosedived after the collision but he limped away the proud owner of a flashy nickname.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">59. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bedfowi01.html">William Bedford</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Following a successful NBA career, Bedford was traded to the Lonestar Stabbers of the Texas State Federal Prison league where he has thrived under the alias "Inmate 675328."<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">60. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/corzida01.html">Dave Corzine</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There is a famous story in NBA circles that Dave Corzine was set to become the greatest player in NBA history but was so secure with himself that he allowed a teammate--Michael Jordan—the honor instead. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">61. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/incavpe01.shtml?redir">Pete Incaviglia</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was such a good baseball player that his baseball career ranks as one of the top 100 basketball careers of all-time.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">62. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/incavpe01.shtml?redir">Scotty Brooks</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ran into trouble with the law following a splendid basketball career. He was sent away to Shawshank State Prison where upon his release found it difficult to re-acclimate himself into society and thusly ended his life but not before etching, "Brooks was here" into the very wood beam that he hung himself on.<span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">63. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/schayda01.html">Danny Schayes</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Danny was actually a better player than his legendary father (Dolph) but, out of respect for him, played worse on purpose to preserve his legacy. <span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">64. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/battsll01.html">Lloyd Batts</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This guy was flatout bats.<span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">65. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/boumtru01.html">Ruben Boumjte-Boumjte</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Initially went by just Ruben Boumjte when he entered the league but, after seeing how awesome he was, league officials demanded that he become Boumjte squared, or the more familiar Boumjte-Boumjte.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">66. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brezepr01.html">Primoz Brezec</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Brezec was straight-up gangster. Among many honors, he scored the first points in Charlotte Bobcat history which is generally recognized as one of the greatest accomplishments in the NBA record books.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">67. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/minerha01.html">Harold Miner</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Miner's basketball exploits were so legendary that he was affectionately referred to as “Baby Jordan” after the legendary Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block.<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">68. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/carran01.html">Antoine Carr</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although not as famous as his brother, Lloyd, Antoine was not only a force in the paint but a purveyor of sweet goggles.<span style="mso-tab-count: 12;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">69. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chapmre01.html">Rex Chapman</a></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While a litany of former NBA players have fallen victim to inconsistent play following changed hairstyles, Chapman bucked the trend by flourishing with every new do. He was just as good under “normal haircut” as he was under “ridiculously dyed red hair” and “bald.”<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">70. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chrisdo01.html">Doug Christie</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Christie was so devoted to the game of basketball that he once went 8 minutes without talking to his wife.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">71. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chrisdo01.html">Billy Curley</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Curley was so focused on the court that he once scored a basket by simply asking the ball to throw itself into the hoop. Even more remarkable, he was fouled on the play.<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">72. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/declean01.html">Andrew Declercq</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Despite a remarkable basketball career, Declercq will best be remembered for ending apartheid in South Africa.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">73. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/edwarbl01.html">Blue Edwards</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Theodore "Blue" Edwards was the Joseph "Blue" Pulaski of the NBA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">74. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/eisleho01.html">Howard Eisley</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">One aspect of Eisley's NBA career that is often overlooked is the fact that he succeeded despite spending half of his career touring with the Eisley brothers.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">75. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lovest01.html">Stan Love</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 2005, Mike Love—Stan’s brother—filed a lawsuit against fellow Beach Boys member Brian Wilson for, among other things, being one of the greatest songwriters of all-time. Stan Love was such an awesome basketball player, that he didn't do the same thing to Michael Jordan. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">76. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/haganto01.html">Tom Hagan</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Could've been even higher on the list had he not abruptly retired after one season to become the consigliere to the Corleone family.<span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">77. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wingfdo01.html">Dontonio Wingfield</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the face of nothing but dissenting opinion, Wingfield went pro after his freshman season at Cincinnati. The result was a mathematical match made in heaven as Wingfield became one of just a handful of NBA players to match his number of career starts with the round he was drafted in. <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">78. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iuzzomi01.html">Mike Iuzzolino</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">One of only 18 players in NBA history with a last name beginning with "I", Mike proved that while there isn't an "I" in team, there is one in both "Mike" and "Iuzzolino."<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">79. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/langan01.html">Andrew Lang</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lang was the centerpiece of one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. The 76ers stole Lang from Phoenix along with Tim Perry and Jeff Hornacek for Charles Barkley. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">80. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/laudepr01.html">Priest Lauderdale</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although he wasn't a "priest" and he wasn't from Ft. "Lauderdale", he was without question, the greatest basketball player ever named Priest Lauderdale.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">81. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/liberma01.html">Marcus Liberty</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When the Denver Nuggets handed in their pick in the second round of the 1990 draft, their new General Manager scribbled on the card, "Give me Liberty or give me death." David Stern tried to talk them into "death" but they were hell-bent on Liberty and they were rewarded with a blistering .417 field goal percentage over four years.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">82. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/liberma01.html">Don Maclean</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rumor has it that Maclean wrote the words to "American Pie" midair as he dunked over former college teammate Tracy Murray.<span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">83. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/marcisa01.html">Sarunas Marciulionis</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was so valued by the Golden St. Warriors that the franchise forced Don Nelson’s son to learn Lithuanian rather than let this non-English speaking superstar go.<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">84. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perkisa01.html">Sam Perkins</a></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Perkins was a natural having reportedly slept during 52% of his time on the court. Imagine how good he would've been had he been awake the whole time. <span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">85. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/reevebr01.html">Bryant Reeves</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Big Country was such an iconic figure in American sports history that Canada made it its mission to build its entire sports program around Reeves. Canada had to play coy since any inkling of suspicion on the part of the United State would've ruined the plan. Canada eventually succeeded in the heist when the Vancouver Grizzlies selected him in the first round of the 1995 draft. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">86. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/reidjr01.html">J.R. Reid</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Reid took the reins from Earvin Johnson as the NBA's magic man. He played 11 seasons in the NBA but nobody had any idea he played more than five.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did he do it? A good magician never reveals his secrets.<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">87. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rollitr01.html">Tree Rollins</a></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rollins was literally a tree that teams planted in front of the basket to deter shot attempts. Sadly, he was cut down for firewood following the 1994 season.<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">88. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/crottjo01.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">John Crotty</span></a></b></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 11;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 11;">There’s nothing I can say about John Crotty that hasn’t been said a million times.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">89. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thorpot01.html">Otis Thorpe</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Was such a respected basketball player that the Vancouver Grizzlies were willing to give up the rights to Darko Milicic six years before he was even drafted just to get their hands on O.T.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">90. <b><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/edwarja01.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">James</span></a></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/edwarja01.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Edwards</span></a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 9;">With his famous Fu Manchu, “Buddha” was the ultimate intimidator. Every single one of his 14,862 career points came within the first five minutes of the game. <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">91. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/roberst01.html">Stanley Roberts</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Recorded the first NBA Triple Double of its kind when he went for 11 points, 11 rebounds and ate 10 meatball sandwiches in a game against the Pistons in 1993.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">92. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/aguirma01.html">Mark Aguirre</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What he did on the hardwood was impressive but his most notable achievement came when he added an "M" to his last name and went on to hit 583 home runs and break Roger Maris's single season home run record.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">93. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smrekmi01.html">Mike Smrek</a></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Smrek was the first ogre to suit up for an NBA game. His brother, Mike <i>Shrek</i>, reached international fame when he married Princess Fiona in spite of Lord Farquaad’s best efforts to steal the headlines.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">94. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cagemi01.html">Michael Cage</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cage was a two-sport start. Everyone knows about his exploits as a feared NBA baller but most people don't know that he defeated Eric LaSalle in the 1987 World Jheri Curl Championships.<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">95. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leckner01.html">Eric Leckner</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Leckner broker the lower limit of John Hollinger's PER rating in the 1989 playoffs with Utah. Although the Jazz were swept out of the playoffs, Leckner did his part with a -14.8 PER. <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">96. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grayeje01.html">Jeff Grayer</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In a career full of highs, Grayer will be most remembered for being the grayist player to ever suit up in an NBA game.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 10;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">97. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/buechju01.html">Jud Buechler</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Buechler led the Bulls to back-to-back NBA Championships in '97 and '98. <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">98. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/buechju01.html">Chris Gatling</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I've always said that you can judge a player’s worth by how many times he has been traded. Few players in NBA history were worth more than Gatling who was traded nine times. Interestingly, Gatling was, at one time or another, traded for every player in the NBA.<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">99. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bradlsh01.html">Shawn Bradley</a></span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I've always said you can judge a player's worth by how much his sweat glistens. I once asked Shawn Bradley for his shoes. Luckily for me, he threw me his sweaty towel instead. His glisten was magnificent.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">100. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/glassge01.html">Gerald Glass</a></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Glass became the first and only player in NBA history to be entirely made of glass. </p> <span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SAfont-family:"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">101. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">April Fools! </span></b><span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span></span>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-69418834468128600282010-03-24T23:15:00.001-04:002010-03-24T23:20:25.662-04:00'Big' Again<p class="MsoNormal">It only takes a cursory look at the historical records of the RPI to understand the cyclicality of college basketball conference supremacy. The SEC had a four-year run as the best conference in America from 2000-2003. The ACC followed that with a two-year run. Then the Big Ten took the reign for a year before the ACC regained supremacy for three more years. The Big XII was tops in 2010. Of course, when conferences have rough patches—especially the Big Ten—you can bet that the alarmists will be quick to pronounce the demise and irrelevance of a struggling conference. Perspective is not a valued or commonly held trait in the sports world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, overreaction doesn’t change the fact that conferences fluctuate. The year before the Big Ten was the #1 rated conference in the RPI in 2006, it was the #6 rated conference. Clearly, what conferences do from year-to-year can be pretty random. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">However, what they do over time is not. For as much criticism as Big Ten basketball has received over the years, the conference sure seems to show up with authority in March. This March has been no different. Three Big Ten teams are in the sweet 16 and the conference has compiled a 7-2 record with at least three more wins likely to come this weekend. Despite its consistent success in the NCAA Tournament, the media has hammered Big Ten basketball so much so that its reputation of “slow and ugly” has usurped anything it has done on the court. The comparative “flash” of the ACC, Big East, and Big XII has left the Big Ten as the clear loser of the public relations battle. Coaches and players within the conference (not to mention the fans) are constantly forced to defend its value because the jabs have been lathered on so thick for so long. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The media thrives on building things up and then destroying them and vice versa. So, it pays to pretend last year never happened and next year never will. Obviously, that yields some pretty heavy distortions on reality. In the case of the Big Ten, it has ended in one of the most successful basketball conferences being the most maligned. Fortunately, there is another option other than living in the narrow-mindedness of year-to-year overreaction. A thorough look at the whole college basketball picture reveals something that looking at one pixel at a time won’t: Big Ten basketball is a beast.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S6rV4xtIZ3I/AAAAAAAAAKM/CYsudlGNiMM/s1600/BigTeninNCAA.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S6rV4xtIZ3I/AAAAAAAAAKM/CYsudlGNiMM/s400/BigTeninNCAA.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452405470277429106" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">By nearly every measure, the Big Ten has been extremely successful in the NCAA Tournament. Since 1998, only the ACC has produced a better winning percentage. The Big East—with all of its 16-team might—has been outperformed in every equalizing measure by the Big Ten as have the rest of the big six conferences. It’s hard to argue against the ACC’s success. The Big Ten has received more bids and produced more wins while the ACC has compiled the best winning percentage. However, the ACC’s advantage in winning percentage isn’t exactly “case closed.” It’s important to note that since 1998, the ACC has been awarded 15 #1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Conversely, the Big Ten has received just six. That’s not all that unexpected considering North Carolina and Duke are two of the five best college basketball programs of all-time. Not surprisingly, they account for the vast majority of those #1 seeds. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Big Ten—even with Michigan State’s run of success—hasn’t had an equivalent at the top. The result has been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">nine</i> additional 1 vs. 16 matchups in the NCAA tournament for the ACC over the Big Ten. That means nine guaranteed wins that considerably bolster the ACC’s tournament winning percentage. It’s not the ACC’s fault that it has performed well enough in the regular season to receive so many #1 seeds. However, when looking at which conference has actually performed the best in the NCAA Tournament taking Strength of Schedule into consideration, the Big Ten has been more impressive than the ACC.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since 1998, the average seed of an ACC team in the NCAA Tournament is 4.53. The average seed of a Big Ten team is 5.62. That means that, on average, ACC teams that have made the big dance over that time have been considered to be “better” than the average Big Ten teams. However, since 1998, the average seed of the teams the ACC has defeated in the NCAA Tournament is 9.12. The average seed of the teams the Big Ten has defeated is 8.72. That means that despite having “worse” teams in the tournament, the Big Ten has compiled “better” wins. For example, the Big Ten has beaten 28 teams seeded 1-4 since ’98. The ACC has beaten just 23. This is to take nothing away from the ACC. Even though the Big Ten has received more bids than the ACC and has received more bids per team from its conference, the ACC has answered the call in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. I’m not interested in arguing that the Big Ten is better than the ACC. I’m merely interesting in pointing to the fact that the Big Ten has been every bit as successful as the ACC in the NCAA Tournament which speaks heavily about its place in the college basketball world. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Big Ten and the ACC have easily been the most productive conferences in the NCAA Tournament over the past 13 seasons. They are tops in winning % and Final Fours. The fact that the ACC has performed so well in the NCAA Tournament should surprise nobody. It’s what the Big Ten has accomplished that should be an eye-opener especially to the folks outside of the Midwest who<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>enjoy ripping the Big Ten at every opportunity (and subsequently enjoy being wrong about it). Interestingly, I wrote a similarly themed post about Big Ten Football during the bowl season that revealed nearly an identical result. Apparently, the sports world is littered with people who refuse to let facts get in the way of ignorant stereotyping when it comes to the Big Ten. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-73648392714681237812010-03-17T09:58:00.002-04:002010-03-17T10:14:46.926-04:00Attack of the Mid-MajorsThe only thing more certain than Mid-Majors ruining brackets all over America is the uncertainty of exactly which Mid-Majors are going to do the ruining. That’s why I can never bring myself to pick an “upset.” Sure, they’re going to happen but if you miss on your upset picks, you get beat twice. This year is harder than ever because of the sheer volume of Mid-Majors in the tournament. In many cases, you have to pick against the mid-major to qualify for the “upset.” More so than ever, parity has taken over college basketball. We knew this was coming when the NBA required players to be one year removed from high school to be eligible for the NBA Draft. While the rule meant more talented players would be playing college ball—and in the vast majority of cases they would be playing at powerhouses—it also meant that traditional powerhouses would suffer from a lack of continuity. This created a major contrast in program building. Mid-Majors looked to build veteran laden, mistake-free teams while major programs looked to fast track championships with “one and done” stars.<br /><br /><div>The “one year removed from high school” rule has given more teams more opportunities to advance in the NCAA Tournament than ever before. It’s eye-opening to count the number of mid-majors in the RPI 50. Mid-Majors consist of 20 of the RPI 50 and 52 of the RPI 100. The latter is a five-year high. Not surprisingly, the impressive RPI numbers have translated into impressive seeds in the NCAA Tournament. All told, 32 Mid-Majors* received bids in the 2010 NCAA Tournament which is the highest total ever. The average seed for the 32 Mid-Majors was 11.56 which is also the best total ever. It’s not just that there are more Mid-Majors than ever before; it’s that there are more “good” Mid-Majors than ever before. Keep in mind that Memphis significantly reduced the average Mid-Major seed with its run under John Calipari. Memphis didn’t even make the tournament this year and there wasn’t a Mid-Major anywhere near as dominant as Calipari’s crew. Yet, this crop still produced the best average seed on record. That mark was achieved by a litany of single seeds including #3 New Mexico, #5 Temple, #5 Butler, #6 Xavier, #7 BYU, #7 Richmond, #8 Gonzaga, #8 UNLV, and #9 N. Iowa. That group doesn’t even include some of the more “dangerous” Mid-Majors in the tournament like Siena, Cornell, San Diego St., Old Dominion, Houston, UTEP, Utah St., St. Mary’s, and New Mexico St.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S6DfdqrqdDI/AAAAAAAAAKE/IqISkCSjYcs/s1600-h/midmajor.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 169px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S6DfdqrqdDI/AAAAAAAAAKE/IqISkCSjYcs/s400/midmajor.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449601249884927026" /></a>Of course, your guess is as good as mine in determining who out of this group is going to be a national news story a week from now. I’m not even going to venture a guess. Just beware that there are more obstacles to a perfect bracket than ever before and those obstacles are more dangerous than ever before. Unless you’re in a 500 person pool, all that matters is picking the elite eight anyways and you can rest assured that I’m not brave enough to pick any of the above cats to make it that far.<br /><br /></div><div>* Conference status is not static. Before Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, and DePaul left for the Big East in 2006 and Charlotte and St. Louis left for the A-10 the same year, they were all members of Conference USA. C-USA received a total of 14 bids in 2003, 2004, and 2005 including six in 2004. Before the mass exodus, C-USA was hardly a Mid-Major conference. I did not count it as one until 2006. Likewise, the A-10 routinely received 3+ bids in the 90’s and was hardly the 14-team monstrosity of a Mid-Major conference that it is today.<br /></div>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-23430936702147554782010-03-11T09:05:00.000-05:002010-03-11T09:06:16.916-05:00Nathan's Famous Injury<p class="MsoNormal">Last week I wrote that barring significant injuries in the AL Central, the Tigers had a 0% chance of making the playoffs. Well, it looks like we’ll never see that prediction come to fruition because we’re at one massive injury and counting. Perhaps the best player in the division over the last six years—and one that has been particularly abusive to the Tigers –is likely out for the season. <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2010/news/story?id=4978634">Joe Nathan a has torn ligament in his right elbow.</a> While not official, yet, it looks like there is a very good chance that he will miss the season. It’s hard not to appreciate Nathan’s resume even though he makes a habit of destroying the team that I root for. He has been one of the best (if not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">the </i>best) closers in baseball since 2004. Irrespective of team affiliation, it’s always disappointing to hear about season-ending injuries. Hopefully, Nathan comes back better than ever regardless of his prognosis and uniform color. Nonetheless, this is an incredibly fortuitous injury from a Tigers perspective.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since 2004, Nathan has been an elite, Hall of Fame-caliber, closer. Over that time, he put up a 1.87 ERA, a .934 WHIP, and a .182 BAA in 418.2 innings. He has also had more saves (246) than any closer in baseball over that time. If you’re a Tigers fan, then you probably know he has been even better against the home team. Since joining the Twins in ’04, Nathan has piled up a 1.55 ERA, a .955 WHIP, and a .153 BAA in 52.1 innings against the Tigers. He is a big reason why the Twins are 60-52 against Detroit over that timeframe. Having Nathan in the AL Central is a tough enough obstacle in itself. The fact that the Tigers have had nobody close to Nathan’s ninth-inning dominance closing out their own games makes his presence in the division even more meaningful. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S5g1RA1guZI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/n3kM3FzcXYQ/s1600-h/RodneyvsNathan.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 54px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S5g1RA1guZI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/n3kM3FzcXYQ/s400/RodneyvsNathan.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447162315703105938" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It remains to be seen how Jose Valverde will perform in the closer role for the Tigers. Fernando Rodney and the other cast of characters who have attempted to close out games for the Tigers over the past six years have been abysmal compared to Nathan’s steady brilliance. If Valverde performs well as Detroit’s closer, then Nathan’s injury could have what amounts to twice the impact on the Central Division race. The Twins have always had the upper hand at the end of tight games within the division. Now, instead of possibly narrowing the gap with an effective closer like Valverde, the Tigers may very well have the upper hand with the sudden absence of Nathan to anchor Minnesota’s bullpen. That is quite a change in fortune.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of course, this all depends on who the Twins are able to find to replace Nathan. No organization in MLB has been more resourceful than the Twins. It would not surprise me to find they have a capable closer already sitting in their bullpen. Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, Jose Mijares, and even, former All-Star, Pat Neshek come to mind. However, even if the Twins are able to find a functional replacement, they aren’t going to be able to come up with someone to duplicate Nathan’s success anytime soon. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is where things get interesting. The impact of Nathan’s injury is not concrete. For instance, if the Twins make a trade for an elite-level closer (i.e. Heath Bell), then the impact could be fairly small. Bell won’t match Nathan’s success but he’ll be better than anything the Tigers have had over the last six years. That would also allow the Twins to maintain their bullpen depth. However, it won’t be easy to snag an elite closer during spring training. This just happens to be the month of infinite hope. Every team in MLB thinks “this is our year.” It’s doubtful that San Diego—fresh off a better than expected ’09 campaign—is looking to blow up its bullpen before the season even begins. Although not a certainty, it’s likely that the Twins will try an internal candidate first. This is where Nathan’s injury reaches its maximum impact potential. Let’s say the Twins look to Guerrier first by yanking him from his regular set-up role. The impact of Nathan’s absence becomes substantial as it essentially weakens two areas that Minnesota considered strengths last season. Guerrier—even with an above average season— would be a huge drop-off from Nathan. Additionally, the Twins would then have to replace Guerrier—one of the most effective set-up men in baseball last season—with an unproven commodity. The Twins have had success in the past promoting players within the organization but predicting success in late-inning pressure situations is no sure thing. Once upon a time, Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney were quite effective in set-up roles. You know how that turned out. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Clearly, an injury to Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer would have had a greater impact on the division race since they happen to be AL MVP winners in their primes. However, Nathan has owned the Tigers in tight games. If he is forced to miss the 2010 season, then his void in Minnesota’s bullpen would increase Detroit’s chances of competing for the division significantly. If Valverde ends up being a substantial improvement over Fernando Rodney, then that would help it even more. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-63997312906479742322010-03-04T11:54:00.005-05:002010-03-04T18:43:15.312-05:0010 Things We'll See from the Tigers in '10<p class="MsoNormal"><b>1). Johnny Damon will be injured early and often.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While there is no question that Damon has been one of the most productive top-of-the-order hitters in baseball throughout his career, there is even less of a question regarding his status as an injury machine. Perhaps only the fragilely fragile Chipper Jones can compete with the <a href="http://www.rototimes.com/mlb/player/1239/notes/2006">awesome variety</a> of Damon’s injuries. Here is an abbreviated list of injuries that have caused Damon to miss games over the last four seasons…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S4_qIvjO8NI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/Ip5BssF5wsU/s1600-h/Damonsinjuries.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 193px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S4_qIvjO8NI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/Ip5BssF5wsU/s400/Damonsinjuries.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444827910438318290" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I feel stupid for not knowing that “fluttering eyes” was an actual condition. Damon has played in an average of 146 games over the last seven seasons. Just to compare, Ichiro—another aging, top-of-the-order, lefty—has averaged 159 games over the last seven seasons. Damon hasn’t played over 150 games in a season since 2002. He hasn’t played fewer than 141 games in that same timeframe, either. So, there is a very good chance that Damon will miss between 12 and 21 games in 2010. The good news is that, despite his litany of injuries, he has only been placed on the IR once in his career. The bad news is that Damon’s presence in the lineup on a regular basis is unreliable at best. Plus, he has spent 92 games as a DH over the past four seasons and I’m sure that a good portion of those DH starts involved playing around injuries. That means the Tigers will have to plan on Damon occupying the DH spot more than you’d expect from a starting outfielder. With Carlos Guillen already slotted as the DH because of defensive and injury issues of his own, the Tigers may have a hard time keeping Damon and Guillen in the lineup at the same time. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> <b>2). Jeremy Bonderman will not be an effective starter.</b></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Bonderman Experiment is going on its eighth and possibly final season. When Bondo was a 20-year old fireballer with a wicked slider, the sky was the limit. By most accounts, he was just two steps from becoming an elite pitcher; 1). Harness command and 2). Develop a third pitch. Since those steps tend to come naturally to maturing pitchers, Bondo’s future looked promising. Eight years later, he hasn’t made any headway on either front. Bondo is the equivalent of a professional “Paper, Rock, Scissors” competitor who can only throw down “paper.” Eventually (or more likely immediately), opponents will realize you can only throw “paper” and will simply choose “scissors.” Bondo has a meaty fastball that hitters daydream about. If he doesn’t get a strikeout, very bad things happen. He can’t throw his out-pitch (the slider) for a strike which means disciplined hitters are basically extended a welcoming invitation to first base. He also struggles to find the plate in 3-ball counts which, of course, is a recipe for disaster. His career WHIP is a horrid 1.40. However, despite all of those unfavorable statistics, Bondo—when healthy—has managed to survive as a decent starting pitcher because of his strikeout rate. Considering his recent injury history, however, it’s reasonable to assume that his K/9 will drop precipitously from his career best of 8.5 in ‘06. It has already dropped in each of the past four seasons. Since that was his livelihood as a pitcher, a Bondo renaissance is less likely than a fair and balanced story from the Detroit Free Press. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>3). The bullpen will be a strength.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The bullpen probably looked a lot better than it actually was last season. Nobody was truly horrible in the ERA department but it was an unreliable bunch. Most of the primary players had putrid WHIPs and BB/9. Fernando Rodney, Ryan Perry, and Zack Miner all had WHIPs over 1.46. That level of inconsistency at the back of the bullpen is a disaster waiting to happen. This year’s cast should be much better. Perry—with a year under his belt—should be more reliable. Jose Valverde—Rodney’s long awaited replacement—has been far less precarious with late-inning leads. Bobby Seay—despite a less-than-stellar ’09 campaign—has been the Tigers most reliable reliever over the past three years. Phil Coke was a solid reliever for the World Champion Yankees and there’s no reason to think he won’t be one for the Tigers in ‘10. I don’t want to factor in Joel Zumaya and Nate Robertson too much considering how inconsistent and/or downright horribly they have pitched. However, if either can put together a productive 2010, then the bullpen could easily be the strength of the team.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>4). The offense will be better than last year (if it can remain healthy).</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">At any given time, the Tigers seem to be one hitter away from having the best offense in the AL and one hitter from having the worst offense in the AL. When Gary Sheffield was healthy in 2007, the Tigers were an offensive machine. When Sheff went south the next season, the offense was putrid. As much as I enjoyed rooting for Curtis Granderson and as much as I respect what he is capable of as a player, the Tigers need Johnny Damon more than they need Granderson. Damon’s bat—most notably his ability to hit lefties and righties equally—is going to be a godsend for the Tigers. Damon’s eye will be, too. It’s not that he walks more than Granderson—they’re pretty much a wash there—it’s that he strikes out far less. Damon has never struck out 100 times in a season. Granderson has never struck out fewer than 111 times in a season. Those extra balls in play should make a big difference. Scott Sizemore should give the Tigers more activity on the base paths considering he walks more and steals more bases than Placido Polanco. All of that should set up nicely for Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen to drive in more runs than last season. Of course, this is all on paper. If/when Damon and Guillen start falling apart limb by limb, this offense could get bogged down in a hurry. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>5). Austin Jackson won’t last six weeks at leadoff (if that).</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jackson was the highest rated player in the Yankees system so clearly he has promise. I just don’t think that “promise” is meant for 2010. Jackson doesn’t walk and he strikes out in bundles. Those happen to be the first two “rules” of how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">not</i> to be a successful leadoff hitter. In fact, those are exactly the reasons the Tigers were so willing to part with Curtis Granderson. I have no idea why Jim Leyland would even entertain the idea of Jackson as the leadoff man. Maybe I’m an idiot.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe Jackson is about to become the second coming of Ichiro. Until that happens, though, I’m calling this experiment a terrible idea.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>6). Magglio Ordonez will be much better playing for another contract kicker.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s déjà vu all over again. Mags has <a href="http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/detroit-tigers_21.html">another kicker</a> in his contract that puts him on the books for $15 million in 2011 if he reaches 562 play appearances in 2010. When his “guaranteed option” started looking precarious last season, Mags turned up the heat at the plate. I’m not gullible enough to think it was a coincidence. He put up a .961 OPS in August and a 1.057 in September after looking like Rob Deer for the first four months of the season. This time around, though, Mags needs to be in the lineup virtually every day to vest his option. He can’t afford to be benched for extended periods of time like last season. Mags is motivated by money. He’ll be back in 2010. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>7). The Tigers will be at least five games below .500 on May 25.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Tigers have a fortuitous nine-game stretch to start the season that includes six games against Kansas City and three against Cleveland. Hopefully, they’ll be over .500 heading into game #10. Unfortunately, that’s when <a href="http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=det&m=4&y=2010">the schedule gets brutal.</a> The Tigers immediately head out west for an 11-game road trip against Seattle, Los Angles, and Texas. Then comes another brutal stretch of six games against Minnesota and three against the Angels. They follow that with a three-game breather in Cleveland immediately followed by a four game series against the Yankees and a three-game set against the Red Sox. It doesn’t stop there. They immediately start into a two-game series against the White Sox and then after two games against Oakland, they have to play the Dodgers and Seattle. Starting on April 16, the Tigers play 32 of the next 39 games against teams that were above .500 in 2009. The schedule is much easier after May 25 so if the Tigers are anywhere near first place entering June, then odds of a division title increase considerably.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>8). Minnesota will own the Tigers in 2010.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Twins owned the Tigers in 2009 which is why they made the playoffs and the Tigers didn’t. Detroit was just 7-12 against Minnesota including the one-game playoff in the Metrodome. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s dominance over Detroit will continue again in 2010. The Twins went out and signed the Tiger-killer, Jim Thome, to give them three lethal left-handed bats in the middle of their order. Thome has more home runs and a higher OPS against the Tigers than any other team in the American League. As if the Mauer-Morneau-Thome combination isn’t bad enough, the Twins can put together <a href="http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=det&m=4&y=2010">a lineup with seven lefties</a> which is a nightmare for Detroit’s all-righty rotation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>9). Justin Verlander will be even better in 2010.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Justin Verlander was stellar in 2009. He finished 3<sup>rd</sup> in the Cy Young voting and had, by far, the best season of his career. However, it would’ve been even better if it weren’t for some bad luck. In his first three seasons, his Batting Average on Balls in Play (BA<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">bip</i>)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>was in the .280-.290 range. Last season it jumped to .323. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-BABI?urn=mlb,203710">BA<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">bip</i> is considered to be a measure of “luck”</a>, meaning that pitchers have little control over the outcome of a ball put in play. JV became a bona fide elite pitcher in 2009 as he posted career bests in both K/9 and BB/9. The only thing missing was “luck.” Look for “luck” to either be on his side or a non-factor in 2010. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>10). Better team=Worse record.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bill James <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_expectation">created a formula</a> called the “Pythagorean expectation” that predicts the number of wins a team <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">should</i> have based on runs allowed and runs scored. Using that formula, the Tigers should’ve gone 81-82 last season. Instead, they went 86-77. Unlike the “bad” luck that Justin Verlander dealt with in 2009, the Tigers as a team had pretty good luck.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In fact, of the 30 teams in MLB, only four had more wins above their “expected” total than the Tigers did. In short, the Tigers probably weren’t as good as their record which should surprise nobody. There’s a pretty good chance that the Tigers are going to be a better team this season based on expected improvements offensively and in the bullpen. As a result, I wouldn’t be surprised to see their “expected” win total to be better than it was last season. However, it would also not surprise me to see their actual win total be lower. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">10.5). One final thought…barring major injuries to elite players in the AL, the Tigers have a 0% chance of making the playoffs in 2010. They cannot and will not beat the Twins in the Central and there is no way that they’ll finish with a better record than both Boston and New York.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This won’t be a lost season, however. Rick Porcello, Ryan Perry, Max Scherzer, Scott Sizemore, and Austin Jackson are vital to the future success of the organization. Tracking their progress will make 2010 worth watching not to mention expected Cy Young and MVP runs by Verlander and Cabrera, respectively. </p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-28723979381399863052010-02-24T23:05:00.001-05:002010-02-24T23:06:44.557-05:00With all due respect...<p class="MsoNormal">Joe Dumars—the player—will always have a place in my heart. His rainbow jumper and in-your-face defense brought two NBA Championships to Detroit when Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan ruled the world. Those were my formative years as a sports fan so his legacy as an iconic Detroit athlete will certainly stand at the top for me with Barry, Zeke, Stevie Y, and Tram. Joe Dumars—the General Manager—however, has worn out his welcome. I know that sounds harsh and, trust me, it was difficult to write.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unfortunately, that’s just the reality of the situation. I’m guessing that most Detroit fans agree with me but for the few who don’t, let me ask just one question: what has Joe D done that can even remotely be considered “effective” since February 19, 2004? It’s been over six years since he made the trade for Rasheed Wallace that led to an NBA Championship. It’s also been over six years since anyone has been able to say a good thing about Joe the GM.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Joe deserves credit for assembling a championship roster in a city that by mere mention sends free agents running for cover. He acquired Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton via savvy trades. He stole Chauncey Billups off the free agent market. He scored big by drafting Tayshaun Prince last in the first round and then capped it all off by acquiring Rasheed for essentially nothing at the trade deadline. That finished product won an NBA Championship. It was a brilliant lesson in team building. Like fresh produce, however, NBA teams have shelf lives. If you let produce sit on the counter for too long, it goes bad— really bad. Joe D let his team deteriorate long after it was obvious that it was no longer salvageable. It went rotten and he did nothing to stop it. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been willing to give Joe D a pass for quite some time. An NBA Championship certainly earns a GM a requisite amount of goodwill. After seeing Joe’s malaise last far too long, I’m willing to define “requisite amount of goodwill” as “six years.” <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Joe’s inability to move Prince or Hamilton—not just this year but the last few years—has been mindboggling. Those moves should’ve happened three years ago. It became quite clear once the Pistons were bounced by the Heat in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals that he was going to ride his team into the ground even to the detriment of its future. On one hand, remaining loyal to the players that brought you a championship is honorable. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, every GM who has ever tried to milk every last basket out of a championship team without an exit plan has lived to regret it. Joe should know that more than anyone after what happened to the Bad Boys team that he played for. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m guessing that Joe thought the rebuilding process was going to be fairly “easy” and thus neglected to put the proper emphasis on it when things were going well. That’s really the only way I can rationalize how horrible he has performed his job. The fact that he shipped off Billups for Iverson in a cap-freeing move gave me cause for optimism. It was a bold move but necessary, in my opinion. I was convinced that it was the first step in Joe’s secret plan to rebuild the Pistons into a championship contender. Instead, he took the money from Iverson’s expiring contract (along with the money that freed up when Rasheed left) and wasted it on two players who are more known for their flaws than their abilities. The acquisitions of Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon nearly drained every last ounce of confidence I had in Joe’s ability to turn things around. In fact, “dread” is the perfect word to use to describe my state-of-mind when these moves were announced. However, those moves only “nearly” drained the entirety of my confidence. What happened last week, however, ran my confidence tank completely dry.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Earlier this season, Joe expressed interest in seeing his team “healthy” before making any major moves. The idea being that, despite early-season struggles, maybe the Pistons were actually “good” when healthy. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And, of course, maybe if I put a quarter in a slot machine, I’ll win $250,000. If you have watched the Pistons at all this season or even follow the NBA in even a remedial capacity, you would know that Joe’s desire to see his team “healthy” screams incompetence. I don’t know what Joe expects to see from a healthy team that simply glancing at the roster wouldn’t easily reveal. Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey play the same position. One of them has to go. Tayshaun Prince and Charlie Villanueva play the same position. One of them has to go. No amount of “health” is going to change the fact that Prince and Rip are redundant players who essentially create a black hole of $22 million. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s something that should be obvious before watching this team play a single minute of basketball. When it comes to actually watching the team play, it becomes even more obvious that major moves need to happen and they need to happen now. Other than an aging Ben Wallace, the Pistons have no defensive post presence. They have nobody who can score in the paint. They have nobody who can take a game over or score easy baskets. Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon combined would make a phenomenal player but individually they are either too flawed or too inexperienced to be counted on to lead a team. The fact that Joe needs to see his team fully healthy before making a move is troubling. You don’t need to be Jerry West to know what the Pistons are lacking and, unfortunately, it’s quite a bit. Remember, he said this earlier in the season when it actually made sense to hold off on moves with the trade deadline still months away. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here we are 2-3 months later and Joe <a href="file:///C:/Users/Jake/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Word/I%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20what%20Joe%20expects%20to%20see%20but%20even%20if%20his%20team%20was%20entirely%20healthy,%20Rip%20Hamilton%20and%20Rodney%20Stuckey%20play%20the%20same%20position%20and%20Tayshaun%20Prince%20and%20Charlie%20Villanueva%20play%20the%20same%20position.%20How%20is%20he%20supposed%20to%20see%20how%20his%20team%20plays%20when%20he%20d">cited</a> the exact same reason for remaining static at the trade deadline. I’ve been around for quite a few trade deadlines and this was the busiest I can remember. Among the players on the move were Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Martin, Antwan Jamison, and Caron Butler. Players that were reportedly available included Amare Stoudamire, Carlos Boozer, and Chris Bosh. The Pistons have a cash-strapped roster full of non-compatible parts. With so many marquee players up for grabs, this was the perfect time for Joe to make a move. Even if he didn’t want to sell the farm for Amare or Bosh, making a run at McGrady’s $22 million expiring contract would’ve given him a mulligan on last year’s free agent debacles. Camby was a player Joe could’ve targeted at the beginning of the season when it was obvious that the Pistons were lacking acumen in the lane. Joe’s primary objective in 2009-10 should’ve been to unload Prince and Rip by any means necessary. I am fairly certain that something could’ve been done with one of the aforementioned players involving Rip and Prince. Instead, Joe cited his desire to see what his 20-35 team could do when healthy. Thanks to that desire, the Pistons will continue to be a hopeless, rudderless ship destined for oblivion. Joe struck gold ten years ago with a slew of under-the-radar moves. Unfortunately, it’s not ten years ago anymore. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Joe hasn’t done anything in six seasons to help his organization move towards an NBA Championship. Joe’s refusal to move redundant commodities has crippled his franchise. The fact that he actually thinks that his biggest problem is his inability to get his players healthy is infuriating. I don’t see any avenue that gets this team competitive in the next three years. If Joe gets this thing turned around, I’ll gladly print out this post and eat my words. But, I’m not worried in the slightest. Dumars for Governor!</p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-3079785044568409772010-02-16T21:58:00.002-05:002010-02-16T22:05:18.946-05:00Blame the Dead Guy<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The only thing worse than an Olympic athlete dying in competition is for that athlete to be blamed for dying. Mistakes are not supposed to end in death at the Olympics. There’s a reason why it had been nearly 50 years since an Olympic Games produced a death in competition and that reason isn’t “luck.” Olympic athletes—even the ones who participate in obscure sports from even more obscure countries—know enough about their sports and have had enough training in their sports to avoid making fatal mistakes. For the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to attempt to avoid the microscope by calling into question an athlete’s training is callous, cruel, and barbaric. It’s unfortunate that it’s not illegal, too, because someone should have to face consequences for such an ignorant and self-serving act of inhumanity.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nodar_Kumaritashvili">Nodar Kumaritashvili</a> was not a favorite to medal in Vancouver but let’s not confuse that with being a charity case. Kumaritashvili came from a family of lugers. <a href="http://newsolio.com/david-kumaritashvili-says-son-nodar-terrified-of-winter-olympics-luge-track,5428">He began training</a> in 2003. Out of 65 lugers on the World Cup circuit, he was ranked 44<sup>th</sup>. He had completed 26 runs on the same Whistler Sliding Centre track that ended up taking his life. This isn’t an athlete who was unfamiliar with his sport or even the fatal track. Yet, that didn’t stop the International Luge Federation (FIL) from releasing <a href="http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/fil-statement-on-mens-luge-competition_274462nE.html">a statement</a> saying his death resulted from driver-error rather than its torture chamber of a track. Specifically, the FIL said, “Officials of the FIL were able to retrace the path of the athlete and concluded there was no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Congratulations to FIL officials for being masters of semantics. The accident may not have been caused by deficiencies in the track but Kumaritashvili’s death sure was. Even if the track itself was universally praised—which was certainly not the case—there’s the whole issue of the unprotected steel beams just inches off the edge of the track; the same steel beams that ended Kumaritashvili’s life. Lugers make mistakes but Kumaritashvili didn’t die because he made a mistake. He died because he catapulted into an unprotected steel beam. Again, mistakes in competition are not supposed to kill Olympic athletes. When they do, you can rest assured that someone other than the athlete did something very wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">It’s not that I would expect the parties responsible for producing such a widely ridiculed track to openly accept blame for the death of an athlete. That wouldn’t be good for business. However, would it be too much to ask for them to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/sports/olympics/14longman.html?src=tptw">avoid saying things like</a> “the changes were made for emotional considerations and not necessarily for safety purposes”? That rationale is peculiar in light of another FIL statement that said, "Based on these findings, the race director, in consultation with the FIL, made the decision to reopen the track following a raising of the walls at the exit of curve 16 and a change in the ice profile. This was done as a preventative measure, in order to avoid that such an extremely exceptional accident could occur again.” That would seem to indicate that the track was made safer, to you know, make it safer—instead of the emotional considerations it cited previously.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The FIL and other Olympic butt-coverers must think that the rest of the world is pretty dumb to attempt to pawn off this as an unprepared athlete gone wrong. The Whistler Slide Centre has been <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/sports/olympics/14track.html?ref=olympics">panned</a> by coaches and competitors alike for being unsafe and borderline unfit for competition for over a year. Even the FIL’s own president said the track was too fast and dangerous. And based on the events of last week, he clearly knew what he was talking about. A two-time gold medalist from Italy <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-olympics-luge-death13-2010feb13,0,4446237.story">crashed</a> in training as did a German medal contender. A Romanian luger was knocked unconscious. It would be some coincidence if all of these crashes by some of the world’s best lugers just happened to come at a track that had been roundly criticized for being too fast and dangerous and yet have nothing to do with the safety of the track. It would be even more of a coincidence for a luger to die on that track and yet have nothing to do with the safety of the track.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Kumaritashvili himself was downright afraid of the course. His father said that his son told him before his fatal run that he was <a href="http://newsolio.com/david-kumaritashvili-says-son-nodar-terrified-of-winter-olympics-luge-track,5428">“scared”</a> of the track. Remember, this is a luger who had made 26 runs down the track and was ranked as the 44<sup>th</sup> best luger in the world. To hear that an Olympic athlete was literally afraid of participating in a sport that he had spent seven years training for is both sobering and sad.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">In the end, the FIL got it right. It shortened the track and, more importantly, put the protecting wall in front of the steel beams that should’ve been there in the first place. It’s just too bad that it couldn't have gotten it right without first getting it so incredibly wrong both in the track design and then in its need to point fingers at a dead Olympian in the wake of such a tragic accident.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-68600615800463810422010-02-11T15:43:00.002-05:002010-02-11T15:47:44.458-05:00NBA MVP Race is Over<p class="MsoNormal">Some of you may have noticed a slight dip in post frequency over the last few weeks. I’ve been on a hiatus from my normal two posts per week routine. In the aftermath of the 100 Greatest Michigan Football Moments post—which was 20 times the length of an average post—I’ve been taking it easy with just a weekly post. Not sure how long the malaise is going to last but, in the meantime, I figured with the NBA All-Star Game just a few days away, now would be a good time to look at the NBA MVP race. Come to think of it, it might be an insult to LeBron James to call it a race because it’s one in name only.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">MVP races and voting results can be frustrating for fans. Voting criteria is often based on lame precedents and position prejudices. This expectedly leads to controversy and often cynicism. For instance, Peyton Manning was just named the NFL MVP for a record 4<sup>th</sup> time. He had a good year but it would be difficult for anyone to argue that he won solely based on the way he performed this season. In a comparison with Drew Brees and Brett Favre, Manning is barely even in the conversation. Brees and Favre had two of the top 12 single-season passer ratings of all-time; Manning wasn’t even close to either.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Brees threw 11 interceptions and Favre threw just seven; Manning threw <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">16.</i></b> All three QBs played for first-place teams. The only advantage that Manning had was that his name was “Manning.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fortunately, it doesn’t look like we’re going to find anything to criticize when it comes to the 2010 NBA MVP. LeBron James—and his preposterous 30 points/8 assists per night stat line—is going to easily win his second consecutive NBA MVP. In fact, barring injury, I’m not sure how anyone other than LeBron is going to win an MVP over the next five years. Clearly, voters could simply become tired of awarding the trophy to the same person every season a la Michael Jordan. MJ probably should have at least two more MVPs to his credit. With the Age of LeBron just getting off the ground, however, it’s unlikely that anyone will be tiring of King James anytime soon.</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S3RsDS2MtXI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Ewxs-SGIg4k/s1600-h/NBAMVPRACE.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S3RsDS2MtXI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Ewxs-SGIg4k/s400/NBAMVPRACE.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437089453997602162" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal">While it remains to be seen whether LeBron is ready to lead his team to an NBA Championship, his ability to statistically dominate the NBA like nobody in the last 30 years is not in question. He leads the NBA in scoring and is 6<sup>th</sup> in assists. He shoots over 50% from the field and 36.2% from 3-point land which is, by far, the best mark of his career. He has the highest defensive rating of any non C/PF in the NBA (the measure appears to be biased towards those positions). His team has the best record in the league and—despite his offensive awesomeness—the Cavs boast the best opponent field goal % in the NBA. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">If LeBron were erased from the picture, the 2010 MVP race would be one for the ages. LeBron’s exploits are certainly impressive but he isn’t the only baller putting up gaudy statistics. Steve Nash is having arguably the best season of his career with averages of 18.4 ppg and 11.1 apg to go along with a remarkable 52% from the field. Dwight Howard leads the league in rebounds, free throw attempts, and blocks and is second in field goal %. Kevin Durant is having possibly the greatest season ever by a 21 year old. He’s just .1 behind LeBron in the scoring race while averaging more rebounds and shooting better from 3-point land. He also leads the NBA in Free Throws Made which should terrify the rest of the league. Don’t forget about Carmelo Anthony who has seen his game finally mature after six productively disappointing seasons. He might even be the odds on favorite if it weren’t for 13 DNPs. The league is certainly not short on MVP-worthy performers this season. I haven’t even brought up Dirk, D-Wade, and Tim Duncan who are one-man shows for playoff teams. But for all of the shining performers the league has seen this season it will still come down to LeBron vs. Kobe in the minds of the voters (even though it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">should</i> be LeBron vs Durant).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The debate rages on. It’s every bit as fierce as Team Jennifer vs. Team Angelina and the testosterone equivalent of Team Jay vs. Team CoCo. Everyone has an opinion. LeBron haters argue that he lacks Kobe’s killer instinct. Kobe haters point to LeBron’s freakish size and athleticism. This is a debate that will likely continue for decades. It’s like Russell vs. Chamberlain II with one major exception. What made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">that </i>rivalry so great was the fact that Wilt and Russ met in the NBA Finals three times. We’re still waiting on LeBron vs. Kobe I. In the meantime, Kobe’s season has been inferior to LeBron’s in just about every measureable away. Thus, LeBron James is your 2010 (and 11, and 12, and 13…) NBA MVP.</p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-24552451566665142952010-02-01T23:00:00.004-05:002010-02-01T23:17:06.123-05:00I'm sayin' there's a chanceThe Michigan basketball team has disappointed more over the last decade than Detroit Lions draft picks and that’s no small feat. After starting the season ranked in the top 15, the Wolverines sit at #124 in the RPI just behind <i>Fairfield</i> and just ahead of <i>Long Beach State</i>. The excitement generated by Michigan’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years combined with the return of its top five scorers from last season was expected to yield something much more lucrative than the 11-10 record it currently boasts. It’s not that Michigan hasn’t been competitive. Six of its 10 losses have come by six points or fewer including a one-point loss to Michigan State. Michigan only has its self to blame, however. There is little excuse for a team as talented and experienced as Michigan to lose to Alabama, Indiana, and Northwestern. Even its home loss to Boston College was inexcusable for a team that was picked to challenge for the Big Ten Championship. With just two wins over the RPI 100, Michigan is quickly nearing the end of the runway for a safe takeoff into the NCAA Tournament field. Just one win in its recent three-game stretch against Wisconsin, Purdue, and Michigan State would’ve put Michigan on a much more manageable performance plan to close out the season. Instead, it dropped all three games setting up a slew of must-win games over the next five weeks.<br /><br /><div>The good news for Michigan is that its remaining schedule is far from brutal. That bad news is that there is literally no margin for error. It would be crazy to assume that Michigan is going to walk into Columbus (with Evan Turner present) and East Lansing during the last week of the Big Ten regular season and pick up W’s. It’s even crazier to think that “M” will win four games in four days in Indianapolis to win the Big Ten Tournament. That means that, for all intents and sanity, Michigan is already sitting at 13 losses. Michigan would need to win all eight of its other games—including a first round win in the BTT— just to get to 19-13. With that record, it would likely boast seven wins over the RPI 100 with an RPI hovering around the top 60. Considering how well Michigan would have to play just to get to 19-13—it would need to go 8-3 to close out the season—that might be enough to snag an at-large bid. Anything worse than that doesn’t even merit serious discussion. Michigan will not receive an at-large bid with an 18-14 record. So, a team that stands below .500 in the Big Ten after nine conference games has to win six in a row including three on the road just to get into the discussion for an NCAA at-large bid. So, I’m saying there’s a chance!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S2ejgDtH_2I/AAAAAAAAAJk/CXRGpsEvGxs/s1600-h/OddsofMatlarge.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 204px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S2ejgDtH_2I/AAAAAAAAAJk/CXRGpsEvGxs/s400/OddsofMatlarge.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433491246591508322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S2ejcdLutXI/AAAAAAAAAJc/LZJlyu2F0I0/s1600-h/Oddsofautomatic.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 146px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S2ejcdLutXI/AAAAAAAAAJc/LZJlyu2F0I0/s400/Oddsofautomatic.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433491184711284082" /></a>Based on my totally arbitrary odds for Michigan’s next six games, the chances of winning all six is 2.25%. As if that isn’t unrealistic enough, Michigan would then need to beat Minnesota at home between its brutal end-of-season matchups with Ohio State and Michigan State. Given a 60/40 chance of beating Minnesota, Michigan’s odds of securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament are a robust 1.35%. Michigan looks to be destined for a 6th or 7th seed in the Big Ten Tournament. That means that it would theoretically need to beat the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st seed in successive days to win the tournament. The odds of that—according to me— are 2.4%. Throw in the 60/40 first round matchup and Michigan’s odds of winning the Big Ten Tournament come in at a stout 1.44%. So, if you’re still holding out hope that Michigan will make the NCAA Tournament, don’t even worry about anything between now and March 11th because Michigan’s best chance at making the tournament is via the Big Ten Tournament by a tally of 1.44% to 1.35%*. I don’t know about you but I’m putting together my itinerary for Indianapolis right now!<br /><br />*The odds are slightly higher for both scenarios simply because of the unlikely—but still possible—outcomes in which a) Michigan wins in Columbus or E. Lansing and b) one or more of the top three seeds get upset in the BTT creating more favorable paths to the Big Ten Championship game.<br /><br /></div>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-43200860093592389172010-01-26T16:58:00.003-05:002010-01-26T17:10:20.488-05:00Joe Montana Has a Visitor<p class="MsoNormal">For the vast majority of professional athletes, legacies are cemented over the entirety of a career. By the time a player hits his twilight, the bulk of the resume building has long since passed. However, sometimes a player reaches the doorstep of a greater legacy and is subsequently presented with an opportunity to walk through that door. The most recent example of this phenomenon occurred in the Stanley Cup Finals last summer. Had Chris Osgood picked up his third Stanley Cup ring as a starting goaltender—combined with his standing on both the all-time regular season and playoff wins lists—he would’ve been headed to the Hall of Fame. As it turned out, it all came down to a game seven with Osgood’s legacy hanging in the balance. The Wings lost, of course, and it is unlikely that Osgood will get another chance to stamp his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Just as it came down to one game for Osgood, had the Minnesota Vikings not literally fumbled away the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, the Super Bowl would’ve presented what very well could’ve been a one-game duel for the title of “Greatest Quarterback of All-Time.” Favre vs. Manning for all the marbles. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Before I lose you, I want to be clear that I’m not arguing that one game—even a game as big as a Super Bowl—is important enough to define an entire career at face value. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Osgood’s legacy wasn’t defined by losing to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Finals any more than it was by all the other Finals he played in. It just so happened that he reached the Cup Finals at a point when his career was nearly over and his resume was just below that of a Hall of Fame goaltender. That same situation would’ve existed for both Favre and Manning had they squared off in the Super Bowl. Consider that Favre is, far and away, the most successful regular season quarterback in NFL history. He is the all-time leader in touchdowns, passing yards, and completions and it’s not even close. While he wasn’t nearly as prolific in the playoffs, he was certainly no slouch in the postseason. However—and this is why winning the Super Bowl was so crucial to Favre’s claim as the G.O.A.T—Favre only has one Super Bowl ring. That might be enough to make Dan Marino jealous but it’s not enough to beat out Joe Montana who while not as prolific as Favre in the regular season was a more <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">efficient </i>regular season quarterback and has <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">four</i> Super Bowl rings to close the deal. A second Super Bowl ring combined with Favre’s regular season exploits would’ve made it pretty easy to argue Favre’s place at the top of the quarterback heap. Favre is easily one of the top five quarterbacks of all-time and one of the 25 greatest players who ever played the game. However, Sunday’s loss closes the door on a legacy greater than that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Manning faces a slightly different—but equally important—situation. Based on his career progression, Manning will challenge Favre for all of his records and do it more efficiently. Barring an injury, Manning will probably become the most prolific regular season quarterback of all-time—a position that Favre is very familiar with. Like Favre, though, Manning has just one Super Bowl ring. His breakthrough in Super Bowl XLI quieted the notion that he was not a big game quarterback. However, he still posts an underwhelming career playoff record of 9-8. Unless his reputation as a postseason quarterback changes significantly, he will run into the same problem that Favre is facing right now. At 33, Manning is still relatively young but, time is fleeting for aging quarterbacks in the NFL. Favre won his first Super Bowl when he was 27. It’s unlikely that there were many who thought that would be his only Super Bowl win. In fact, he went into Super Bowl XXXII as the prohibitive favorite just a year after picking up his first ring. An upset and 13 years later and Favre is still trying to get back to a Super Bowl let alone win a second. Quarterbacks have remained productive well into their 30’s but they rarely win Super Bowls—at least not recently. Brad Johnson is the only quarterback over 33 to win a Super Bowl in the last 10 years while Johnson and John Elway are the only quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl over the age of 33 in the past 25 years. If Manning has any chance of being considered the G.O.A.T at the end of his career, he needs to win a second Super Bowl. As Favre can attest to, if he doesn’t win this one, he might never get another shot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S19mldJo7gI/AAAAAAAAAJE/i23i5K6B07U/s1600-h/GOAT+QB.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Senojws8fvk/S19mldJo7gI/AAAAAAAAAJE/i23i5K6B07U/s400/GOAT+QB.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431172469298359810" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*Johnny Unitas is certainly in the discussion but considering how much different statistics are for quarterbacks now compared to what they were in the 50's, it would serve little purpose to include him in this comparison.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal">As things stand now, Joe Montana still has to be considered the alpha QB. He is the most efficient and accomplished playoff quarterback of all-time. His regular season statistics—although a bit underwhelming compared to the massive pile put up by Favre—are extremely efficient if not gaudy. Having said that, Montana is not untouchable. Tom Brady has nearly equaled his playoff accolades and Manning has surpassed his regular season success. Right now, Manning has an opportunity to bolster the only thing keeping him from being viewed as the greatest QB of all time. Do not be surprised if the outcome of this one game solidifies Manning’s status as either the G.O.A.T. or as a great quarterback who struggled in big games. Now if Tom Brady ever makes it back to the Super Bowl with a chance to duplicate the great Joe Montana’s four Super Bowl rings, we can have a similar conversation about how big of an impact one single football game will have on his legacy. Right now, though, it’s Manning serving for at least a share of the championship.</p><p></p>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-89924747227230763822010-01-25T16:59:00.000-05:002010-01-25T17:00:43.007-05:00100 Greatest Moments in Michigan Football History<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">It has come to my attention that my post from last week listing the 100 greatest moments in Michigan football history may have been too big for my RSS feed. If the post did not update in your blog reader, you can find it <a href="http://motownsportsrevival.blogspot.com/2010/01/100-greatest-moments-in-michigan.html">here</a>. Apologies for the late notice!</span>Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.com0