-Rich Keefe
Just a few days ago the Celtics finished up their 5 game Las Vegas Summer League where they finished with a dazzeling 3-2 mark. Of course its not about wins and losses rather how these guys play. Who will help and who will hurt their chances of making the roster. As the five games unfolded Celts fans saw the good and the bad. I'll break down the performances of the players who have a realistic chance of wearing green this season. So no Eric Hicks or big Greek guy grades here.
(in alphabetacal order)
Glen Davis: A
Davis, who the Celtics picked in the 2nd round as part of the Ray Allen for Jeff Green, Wally, and Delonte deal played the best of any Boston player in the 5 games. He finished second in points (12), first in rebounds (9.8), first in blocks (1.8), and even first in assists (1.8). Pretty good debut for Big Baby. Not good enough to earn a spot on the Summer League All-Star team, but no Celtic was so honored. In a league that is always dominated by guards and wings, Davis as well as Leon Powe were the lone bright spots for the squad. Looking forward to seeing what he can do behind Jefferson this season. More on how all these guys will factor in later on.
Gerald Green: F
Green showed great scoring promise at times last year. He won the slam dunk contest, and looked like he could become one of the next great stars of the league. He will be in his third year this season, and playing in the summer league... well he should have just dominated. Not only did he not dominate, but he was terrible. For someone who could have partied all night in Vegas and still dropped 25 the next day against potential D-leaguers, he was flop. Green averaged 11.4 points, which was good for 3rd on the team behind two low post scorers, who did most of their damage off offesive rebounds. And it wasn't just the lowing scoring that warrants his grade but his "shooting." How about 29.8% from the field and 15.4% from 3 sound? Not to mention his free throws were in the low 60s. And this guy was supposed to be the scoring spark off the bench? Hopefully Green's Summer League game will stay in Vegas.
Leon Powe: A-
His overall numbers were down because he played just 18 minutes in their final game against Dallas. But Leon certainly impressed fans with a 19-9 game against Portland and a 23-12 vs. China. He shot over 54% in the 5 games he started, and looks like he will be figting for time all season long on the C's frontline. He's a hustle player, but considering he was a 20-10 All-American at Cal, teams can't sleep on him either. He'll do whatever it takes to get on the floor. With Pierce, Allen, and Big Al handling most of the offense, Powe just needs to get rebounds, loose balls, and play D.
Gabe Pruitt: D+
Pruitt is another of the C's second round picks to play in the Summer League. I thought he would be the perfect fit to step in and take most of Delonte West's minutes as he is combo guard out of the same mold as West. Probably a natural shooting guard he had to play point at USC out of necessity. Therefore he should be comfortable at either spot. The first three games he did a bit of both, but didn't record one damn assist. Rondo sat out the last two games giving Pruitt more control of the offense. In the first game without Rajon, Gabe played well going 6-9 from the field for 14 points to go along with 3 rebs, 3 dimes, and 2 steals. But that was really his only signs of life in Vegas. I haven't given up on this guy, but he really needs to improve. The problem for him is Doc Rivers will be the one responsible for developing him. Goodluck Pruiit.
Allan Ray: D
27.8% from behind the arc isn't going to get it done for a 3 point specialist. With rumors surrounding that Ray may not make the team this year, he really struggled through the first three games. He came on a little in the final two, 14 and 15 points, but still a disappointing 5 game set as he could only muster 10 points a night. As I said before its usually scoring wings who really dominate the summer league, so guys like Green and Ray should have lit it up. They did not.
Rajon Rondo: Incomplete
How many starting point guards in the NBA play in the summer league? Probably not a good sign. 4 assists in 3 games... definitely not a good sign. I'm not going to panic because his assist totals will certainly improve with Pierce and Allen on the wings compared to Green and Ray. He got into double figures in scoring 2 of the 3 games he played. The Celtics coaches and staff obviously felt good about Rondo as he sat out the final two games. He's always had the defense just needs to work on his shot, which may have been the worst in all of basketball last season.
Brandon Wallace: ?
The only reason this rookie is on the list is because the C's, for some reason, decided to sign him up to a 2-year deal. I don't get it. If I average 4.2 points and 5 rebounds could I get a contract? Wallace never got into double digits in any statistical category... well besides minutes. And his 1 point 1 rebound performance in the team's final game against Dallas has to leave you wanting more. Hey Danny nice sign.
So those are the 7 guys who played in the summer league that have an opportunity to make this roster. How will these guys factor in with a roster that already consists of: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen, Theo Ratliff (and his contract), Sebastian Telfair (yes he's still on the team), and Brian Scalabrine (yes he's still on the team too). It'll be interesting to see how the summer leaguers blend with this group. Obviously Rondo will be a big part, but I feel that Powe and Davis deserve time in the rotation as well. What will Gerland Green bring to the table or will he be traded? The C's look like they're still one move away from being a serious threat in the East, but will they pull the trigger?
-Rich Keefe
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
One Last Thing: Celts, Trades, and Draft
-Keefe
First of all, the draft is just hours away, so I apologize if I’m just too excited/ nervous for any of this to make sense. I want to take a look at papa shark’s incredible insight into the Celtics’ roster. What do they need to do to become a dominant presence in the league? His answer: Defense. And I don’t think you can argue that after watching (or hearing about, since no one watched) the Spurs dismantle the sorry Cleveland Cavs. What about the Suns? Well even though they allow over 102 points per night, they still have Shawn Marion and Raja Bell, two shut down defenders, plus their style of “8 seconds or less” sways their statistics both offensively and defensively.
The Celtics don’t have one lockdown defender. Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen are two guys who showed promise last season, but neither are quite there yet. As horrible as Gerald Green may have been at that end of the court, you would think a player of his athletic ability, should be able to learn D. Right? Well Doc Rivers is not known for developing young talent. Just ask Tracy McGrady when he was with Orlando. Besides Al Jefferson name one young player who improved under Rivers’ “tutelage.” Actually try naming a player who hasn’t regressed. Perk’s points and rebounds were both down from the previous season. Telfair had career lows in both points and assists. Some of the other youngsters stats may have improved, but the injuries of Pierce and Wally as well as the “let’s see what these guys can do, and if we lose that’s ok” minutes they received in their efforts to get Oden or Durant.
“To trade or not to trade?” I think the question is more simply, who to trade? One way or another this team needs to make a trade. Whether it’s the No. 5 pick, which Danny Ainge is claiming to keep at this point, or Jefferson, Green, even Pierce. If Boston keeps the 5th overall pick as well as Big Al, what does Pierce do? He probably demands a trade, and who could blame him. If you’re not going to go for the gusto, i.e. Garnett, Marion, or even Kirilenko, why make Pierce suffer through another season in which the Celtic fans will be on the Love, Beasley, Mayo bandwagon for next year’s draft. The only way I could see both Jefferson and Pierce on the same team next season is if a guy like AK-47, Marion (if he’ll play more than 1 season) or Ron Artest, all great defensive players, joins them. Just the 5th pick, whether its Corey Brewer, Jeff Green, or Yi Jianlian, is not going to propel them deep into the playoffs.
A perimeter defender like Artest, AK and Marion (at times, they can do a little of everything), even Brewer or Green (I like Green more than Brewer), are more important to the Celtics than a big man in the middle. Is it nice to have a dominant low post guy? Of course. But particularly in the East, it’s not essential by any means. The list of guys I just mentioned will have the task of guarding the likes of LeBron, Wade, Vince, Rip Hamilton, Arenas, Ben Gordon, Caron Butler, Richard Jefferson, Iguodala, Redd, Joe Johnson and others. Right now Jefferson and Perk (who certainly aren’t great defenders) have to put up with… let’s see… Zydrunas Ilgauskas won the East, Dwight Howard will be a force, but right now just dunks. Bosh is solid, but like Big Al, more of a 4 than a 5. Looking at the studs in the East, wouldn’t you rather have perimeter defenders than low post guys? If I have to watch someone like Mo Williams, Ty Lue, or Chucky Atkins have a career night in the TD Banknorth one more time I might lose it. So defense is a must. What else can they do?
Why not trade Pierce? I hate the thought, especially after watching this team lose a franchise record 18 straight games, with the Truth missing the majority of them. Boston had 11 players see court time last year who were born in 1982 or later. And if they keep this draft pick, there will be yet another. Pierce, 30 in October, doesn’t need to baby sit these guys. If they keep the 5th pick, and that’s a big IF right now, see what you can get for Pierce. Ben Gordon, Ty Thomas, the No. 9 pick? Maybe I’m overvaluing Pierce, but he’s one of the best players in the league, I’d argue that with anyone. Pierce is the difference for some playoff teams, like the Bulls, to become championship teams.
Clearly Ainge and the Celtics have a lot of decisions to make. If they stand pat and just make their two picks tonight (5 and 32), they will have failed, again. They need to do something. We’ve given them plenty of ideas. Garnett (if he will stay) for No. 5, Jefferson, Telfair, Ratliff. Marion (also if he will stay) for the No. 5 and Ratliff in the three teamer. AK-47 for Green, Allen, Wally, and a future pick. Ron Artest for a similar package. For the record I do not want Jermaine O’Neal, thanks. Or go the other way with it, and trade the captain. Do something. I can not wait for tonight. I’ll be back soon with all my reactions to the draft, with all the winners and losers. Let’s just hope the Celtics fall in that “winners” category. Goodluck tonight and I hope your team makes the right choices.
-Rich Keefe
First of all, the draft is just hours away, so I apologize if I’m just too excited/ nervous for any of this to make sense. I want to take a look at papa shark’s incredible insight into the Celtics’ roster. What do they need to do to become a dominant presence in the league? His answer: Defense. And I don’t think you can argue that after watching (or hearing about, since no one watched) the Spurs dismantle the sorry Cleveland Cavs. What about the Suns? Well even though they allow over 102 points per night, they still have Shawn Marion and Raja Bell, two shut down defenders, plus their style of “8 seconds or less” sways their statistics both offensively and defensively.
The Celtics don’t have one lockdown defender. Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen are two guys who showed promise last season, but neither are quite there yet. As horrible as Gerald Green may have been at that end of the court, you would think a player of his athletic ability, should be able to learn D. Right? Well Doc Rivers is not known for developing young talent. Just ask Tracy McGrady when he was with Orlando. Besides Al Jefferson name one young player who improved under Rivers’ “tutelage.” Actually try naming a player who hasn’t regressed. Perk’s points and rebounds were both down from the previous season. Telfair had career lows in both points and assists. Some of the other youngsters stats may have improved, but the injuries of Pierce and Wally as well as the “let’s see what these guys can do, and if we lose that’s ok” minutes they received in their efforts to get Oden or Durant.
“To trade or not to trade?” I think the question is more simply, who to trade? One way or another this team needs to make a trade. Whether it’s the No. 5 pick, which Danny Ainge is claiming to keep at this point, or Jefferson, Green, even Pierce. If Boston keeps the 5th overall pick as well as Big Al, what does Pierce do? He probably demands a trade, and who could blame him. If you’re not going to go for the gusto, i.e. Garnett, Marion, or even Kirilenko, why make Pierce suffer through another season in which the Celtic fans will be on the Love, Beasley, Mayo bandwagon for next year’s draft. The only way I could see both Jefferson and Pierce on the same team next season is if a guy like AK-47, Marion (if he’ll play more than 1 season) or Ron Artest, all great defensive players, joins them. Just the 5th pick, whether its Corey Brewer, Jeff Green, or Yi Jianlian, is not going to propel them deep into the playoffs.
A perimeter defender like Artest, AK and Marion (at times, they can do a little of everything), even Brewer or Green (I like Green more than Brewer), are more important to the Celtics than a big man in the middle. Is it nice to have a dominant low post guy? Of course. But particularly in the East, it’s not essential by any means. The list of guys I just mentioned will have the task of guarding the likes of LeBron, Wade, Vince, Rip Hamilton, Arenas, Ben Gordon, Caron Butler, Richard Jefferson, Iguodala, Redd, Joe Johnson and others. Right now Jefferson and Perk (who certainly aren’t great defenders) have to put up with… let’s see… Zydrunas Ilgauskas won the East, Dwight Howard will be a force, but right now just dunks. Bosh is solid, but like Big Al, more of a 4 than a 5. Looking at the studs in the East, wouldn’t you rather have perimeter defenders than low post guys? If I have to watch someone like Mo Williams, Ty Lue, or Chucky Atkins have a career night in the TD Banknorth one more time I might lose it. So defense is a must. What else can they do?
Why not trade Pierce? I hate the thought, especially after watching this team lose a franchise record 18 straight games, with the Truth missing the majority of them. Boston had 11 players see court time last year who were born in 1982 or later. And if they keep this draft pick, there will be yet another. Pierce, 30 in October, doesn’t need to baby sit these guys. If they keep the 5th pick, and that’s a big IF right now, see what you can get for Pierce. Ben Gordon, Ty Thomas, the No. 9 pick? Maybe I’m overvaluing Pierce, but he’s one of the best players in the league, I’d argue that with anyone. Pierce is the difference for some playoff teams, like the Bulls, to become championship teams.
Clearly Ainge and the Celtics have a lot of decisions to make. If they stand pat and just make their two picks tonight (5 and 32), they will have failed, again. They need to do something. We’ve given them plenty of ideas. Garnett (if he will stay) for No. 5, Jefferson, Telfair, Ratliff. Marion (also if he will stay) for the No. 5 and Ratliff in the three teamer. AK-47 for Green, Allen, Wally, and a future pick. Ron Artest for a similar package. For the record I do not want Jermaine O’Neal, thanks. Or go the other way with it, and trade the captain. Do something. I can not wait for tonight. I’ll be back soon with all my reactions to the draft, with all the winners and losers. Let’s just hope the Celtics fall in that “winners” category. Goodluck tonight and I hope your team makes the right choices.
-Rich Keefe
In Response to "Countdown to the Draft"
This was a comment left by papa shark, following my last article. It provides a ton of great breakdown of the current Boston Celtics roster, and what it will take to make them a championship team, as far off as that seems. Here is his comment, and then I will follow that up.
papa shark says:
To trade or not to trade?---That is the question! But the larger question continues to be, "What is the Ainge plan for winning an NBA title?" (I'm tired of hearing about making the playoffs only---Red Auerbach is turning over in his grave listening to "making the playoffs" talk , rather than "winning a championship" talk).
It's obvious that CHAMPIONSHIPS begin with defense, end with defense, and feature a blend of youth, experience, chemistry, and did I mention DEFENSE? Do you absolutely need 3 great players as many experts claim? No! Do you absolutely need an all-star center and an all-star scorer? Not necessarily, but DEFENSE is a must!
So who on the Celtics can(or will) defend, and is Doc Rivers the right coach to teach & demand team defense? When the C's were embarking upon the run for Greg Oden in the 2nd half of the 2006-2007 season, they turned a number of 6-20 point 3rd quarter leads into losses simply by playing Telfair, Ray & Green at the same time down the stretch.---that trio flat out could not (Telfair would not) defend! Therefore, Telfair is toast, Ray's services are no longer needed, and Green's future(despite his jump shot & obvious quickness)is very much in question. DOC's future should also be in question since he's given no evidence over the past few years that he can teach defense!
Let's start with the bigs:
JEFFERSON---He's quicker than ever, he's stronger than ever, and he blocks shots more regularly now. But can he defend against a 5 with better than average lowpost offensive skills? On most nights, the answer is "No!" Alternatively, can Big Al defend 4's? Well, let's just say that his defense has improved in the last year, but that he's not even close to being considered a lock down defender. Duncan and Bowen are lock down defenders, while Ginobili, Oberto, and Parker play well within Greg Popovich's defensive scheme. I love Garnett not just because of his offense (which is 5 times more diverse than Big Al's) but because Garnett is a mobile, strong,rebounding & shot-blocking presence in the lane! Jefferson is still a loooong way from Garnett defensively!
PERKINS---He's much stronger than Jefferson, is more willing to bang, but can't stay on the court(due to fouls) for more than 15-20 minutes per game. On a championship team, Perk is a backup.
PIERCE---He can rebound when he so desires, and the refs do let him get away with more on both offense & defense. He's strong and can play offense (if it's not run & gun) for 30+ minutes per night. Given his age and his body type, his durability is now a question, along with his gamein/game out commitment to playing defense. (In addition, if the C's are ever to become a championship caliber team with Pierce, Pierce has to let the point guard, not Pierce, run the offense!)
GOMES---He showed a more consistent defensive effort 2 years ago. On what playoff team would Gomes start? Sorry, he's at best a 6th or 7th man on a serious playoff team, i.e. not quite big/string enough to be a power forward, not quite quick enough or with enough range to play the "3", and not the lock-down defender we're looking for.
ALLEN---He's strong, plays with grit, has well above average quickness on the perimeter, and will rebound and then run the break. His knee injuries are killers, i.e. can he come back again and have the same quickness and jumping ability? If yes, then Tony has a chance to become an all-NBA defender. So don't trade him!
RONDO---He's so quick & disrupts defensively by leaving his man to make weakside/ blindside steals. He also rebounds, is surprisingly tough battling for balls in the lane, and runs the break! However, his on the ball defense is just ok in that he gets picked off & sealed far too often (Maybe that's a function of the lack of team defense not being taught/demanded by Doc?). Like Allen, Rondo also has a chance to someday be an all-NBA defender (If only he had a jump shot!). Don't trade him!
WEST---He's tough, determined, competes every night, but is not quite qick enough to consistently defend the quick point guards. He's best suited to coming off the bench as a replacement for your 1 or 2 guards.( How is it possible that he has no right hand dribble moves at all?)
WALLY---He's too slow, has no defensive quickness, and is an offensive player only. On an NBA championship team, he can only come in off the bench and play the role of Vinnie "the microwave" Johnson.
GERALD GREEN---one of the worst defensive players in the league, despite his incredible athleticism. Green's inability to play defense again makes one ask, "Can Doc teach/demand individual and team defense?"
TEAM NEEDS---1) The "5" who can muscle with other 5's & control the paint on defense. Perk will give you 15 minutes per night---Who will give you 30 minutes? Garnett can right now & so can Kirilenko. Shawn Marion will not and he's not a 5 or a true 4. It's too bad that Horford won't be there at the 5th pick in the draft (Sorry Rich, I think Horford will be a beast in the NBA), and that Sean Williams is such a gamble because of off the court issues. 2) The perimeter defender, the Bruce Bowen clone is also needed---Maybe it's Tony Allen, maybe it's Corey Brewer! Maybe it's an unknown European ballplayer to be taken in the 2nd round, 3) A point guard to lead both the offense and the defense---Rondo is not quite ready yet for 30+ minutes of point guard leadership. Chauncey Billips, Andre Miller? Those are the kind of point guards that are needed to let Rondo develop within the next few years. Who is available, and what the salary cap implications would be are tough questions.
WHO TO DRAFT? Yi has the most upside( 7 footer, quick, agile,a shooter and perhaps a shot blocker); Brewer fills an immediate and long term defensive need; Jeff Green could replace Pierce if Pierce is traded,and Sean Williams looks like the best defensive big man available in the draft.
Would I trade Jefferson for Garnett? Absolutely,but only if Garnett would stay for more than 1 year. Would I trade the 5th pick for Shawn Marion (world's ugliest jump shot)? Only if Marion stays for more that 1 year. Would I trade for Kirilenko? Yes, but don't give up Allen, Rondo, or Jefferson.
Draft night should be interesting!
papa shark says:
To trade or not to trade?---That is the question! But the larger question continues to be, "What is the Ainge plan for winning an NBA title?" (I'm tired of hearing about making the playoffs only---Red Auerbach is turning over in his grave listening to "making the playoffs" talk , rather than "winning a championship" talk).
It's obvious that CHAMPIONSHIPS begin with defense, end with defense, and feature a blend of youth, experience, chemistry, and did I mention DEFENSE? Do you absolutely need 3 great players as many experts claim? No! Do you absolutely need an all-star center and an all-star scorer? Not necessarily, but DEFENSE is a must!
So who on the Celtics can(or will) defend, and is Doc Rivers the right coach to teach & demand team defense? When the C's were embarking upon the run for Greg Oden in the 2nd half of the 2006-2007 season, they turned a number of 6-20 point 3rd quarter leads into losses simply by playing Telfair, Ray & Green at the same time down the stretch.---that trio flat out could not (Telfair would not) defend! Therefore, Telfair is toast, Ray's services are no longer needed, and Green's future(despite his jump shot & obvious quickness)is very much in question. DOC's future should also be in question since he's given no evidence over the past few years that he can teach defense!
Let's start with the bigs:
JEFFERSON---He's quicker than ever, he's stronger than ever, and he blocks shots more regularly now. But can he defend against a 5 with better than average lowpost offensive skills? On most nights, the answer is "No!" Alternatively, can Big Al defend 4's? Well, let's just say that his defense has improved in the last year, but that he's not even close to being considered a lock down defender. Duncan and Bowen are lock down defenders, while Ginobili, Oberto, and Parker play well within Greg Popovich's defensive scheme. I love Garnett not just because of his offense (which is 5 times more diverse than Big Al's) but because Garnett is a mobile, strong,rebounding & shot-blocking presence in the lane! Jefferson is still a loooong way from Garnett defensively!
PERKINS---He's much stronger than Jefferson, is more willing to bang, but can't stay on the court(due to fouls) for more than 15-20 minutes per game. On a championship team, Perk is a backup.
PIERCE---He can rebound when he so desires, and the refs do let him get away with more on both offense & defense. He's strong and can play offense (if it's not run & gun) for 30+ minutes per night. Given his age and his body type, his durability is now a question, along with his gamein/game out commitment to playing defense. (In addition, if the C's are ever to become a championship caliber team with Pierce, Pierce has to let the point guard, not Pierce, run the offense!)
GOMES---He showed a more consistent defensive effort 2 years ago. On what playoff team would Gomes start? Sorry, he's at best a 6th or 7th man on a serious playoff team, i.e. not quite big/string enough to be a power forward, not quite quick enough or with enough range to play the "3", and not the lock-down defender we're looking for.
ALLEN---He's strong, plays with grit, has well above average quickness on the perimeter, and will rebound and then run the break. His knee injuries are killers, i.e. can he come back again and have the same quickness and jumping ability? If yes, then Tony has a chance to become an all-NBA defender. So don't trade him!
RONDO---He's so quick & disrupts defensively by leaving his man to make weakside/ blindside steals. He also rebounds, is surprisingly tough battling for balls in the lane, and runs the break! However, his on the ball defense is just ok in that he gets picked off & sealed far too often (Maybe that's a function of the lack of team defense not being taught/demanded by Doc?). Like Allen, Rondo also has a chance to someday be an all-NBA defender (If only he had a jump shot!). Don't trade him!
WEST---He's tough, determined, competes every night, but is not quite qick enough to consistently defend the quick point guards. He's best suited to coming off the bench as a replacement for your 1 or 2 guards.( How is it possible that he has no right hand dribble moves at all?)
WALLY---He's too slow, has no defensive quickness, and is an offensive player only. On an NBA championship team, he can only come in off the bench and play the role of Vinnie "the microwave" Johnson.
GERALD GREEN---one of the worst defensive players in the league, despite his incredible athleticism. Green's inability to play defense again makes one ask, "Can Doc teach/demand individual and team defense?"
TEAM NEEDS---1) The "5" who can muscle with other 5's & control the paint on defense. Perk will give you 15 minutes per night---Who will give you 30 minutes? Garnett can right now & so can Kirilenko. Shawn Marion will not and he's not a 5 or a true 4. It's too bad that Horford won't be there at the 5th pick in the draft (Sorry Rich, I think Horford will be a beast in the NBA), and that Sean Williams is such a gamble because of off the court issues. 2) The perimeter defender, the Bruce Bowen clone is also needed---Maybe it's Tony Allen, maybe it's Corey Brewer! Maybe it's an unknown European ballplayer to be taken in the 2nd round, 3) A point guard to lead both the offense and the defense---Rondo is not quite ready yet for 30+ minutes of point guard leadership. Chauncey Billips, Andre Miller? Those are the kind of point guards that are needed to let Rondo develop within the next few years. Who is available, and what the salary cap implications would be are tough questions.
WHO TO DRAFT? Yi has the most upside( 7 footer, quick, agile,a shooter and perhaps a shot blocker); Brewer fills an immediate and long term defensive need; Jeff Green could replace Pierce if Pierce is traded,and Sean Williams looks like the best defensive big man available in the draft.
Would I trade Jefferson for Garnett? Absolutely,but only if Garnett would stay for more than 1 year. Would I trade the 5th pick for Shawn Marion (world's ugliest jump shot)? Only if Marion stays for more that 1 year. Would I trade for Kirilenko? Yes, but don't give up Allen, Rondo, or Jefferson.
Draft night should be interesting!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Countdown to the Draft
-Keefe
With seven days and counting until the NBA Draft, I thought about updating my mock draft. After giving it a closer look, I’m not sure I have any better answers than I did before. Besides the obvious change of DeVon Hardin from Cal, (who I had 30th overall, just bump Gasol up) who is returning to school, I didn’t want to switch anyone. The risk you run when you make multiple mock drafts is similar to creating multiple brackets for the NCAA tourney. Sure I could say the updated one is the only one that counts, but then when I get more right on my initial attempt, I’d try to lean toward that one. I only fill out one bracket, and I’m only going to do one mock draft. Word is Horford will be picked 3rd over Conley, and the Ohio St. point guard drops to 4th. Again, I still don’t see Horford being a dominant player, and feel the Hawks should pick Conley. But enough about the soon-to-be rookies, I stand by my original choices, I want to address some of the many rumors floating around the league.
Some of the biggest names in the game are being discussed right now: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Shawn Marion to name a few. Where will these superstars be playing next season, and how important will the draft be in attempts to acquire them? Let’s first examine a trade rumor surrounding my team, the Boston Celtics.
Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ratliff/ Wally contract, and the No. 5 pick for Kevin Garnett.
So potentially the C’s would be trading an entire lineup for the 10 time All-Star. And you know what, if I’m either team here, I do it. For one the T-Wolves, who are stuck in the dominant Western Conference aren’t going to win anytime soon. They might as well build around some young guns and hope to win in a few years when guys like Nash, Duncan, Dirk, and Kobe are on their way out. You bring in Jefferson, Green, Telfair (who I don’t think is done, he’d be entering his senior year at Louisville right now had he gone that route), and the No. 5 pick, and combine them with the No. 7 pick, Randy Foye, Craig Smith, and Rashad McCants (who maybe can do something), and that’s a young and exciting team. The Celtics on the other hand have two top 10 players in the Eastern Conference. LeBron won the East on his own; I think Pierce and Garnett could do pretty well together. Garnett could opt out of his contract at the end of the year, and that scares me, but if the Celts do go through with this trade they would need to address that. Also I would be much more comfortable with this trade if Boston just switch picks (the 5th and 7th) rather than just tossing away their first rounder in this loaded draft. Should be interesting to see what happens.
What about Garnett to the Bulls or Suns? I don’t know. I think the Celtics have the best chance if they are willing to part with Al Jefferson, who will be an All-Star for years to come, as well as other young parts, like Green and a draft pick. There’s no way the Suns give up Amare, nor should they. And that might be the only way to get Garnett away from Minnesota and to Phoenix.
The Bulls are intriguing as they talk about Garnett as well as Kobe. They are not that far off from winning the East, and how much would they have to give up in order to acquire one of these studs? Gordon, Deng, Thomas, the No. 9 pick, all of these names have been thrown about. Why are they in so much of a rush? I know every team wants to win now, but when they have a solid young squad, why not keep them together? Salaries can screw that up, but a nucleus of Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Thomas, and their lottery pick could be competitive for a long time. Teams like the Celtics or Suns who have Paul Piece and Steve Nash need to win now.
The Suns are already “winning.” No they haven’t won the championship, but it’s clear they’re on the right track. But what if they get rid of Shawn Marion? I think he’s far more important than anyone thinks. And why would he want to play anywhere else, unless Nash was going with him? I don’t get it. I like the rumor of the Clips sending Corey Maggette and the No. 14 to the Suns for Boris Diaw, the No. 24, and No. 29 picks. Phoenix probably won’t keep the two picks anyway, so this would be a great move. Also Maggette could provide some of the scoring they would lose with Marion, but the Matrix’s defense may not be replaceable. If Marion wants to get out of Amare’s shadow, maybe Boston would be a place he could do that.
Pierce and Marion, although not as daunting as Piece and KG, could still do damage in the East. Also you would assume Ainge wouldn’t have to give up nearly as much to get Marion. But here’s the dilemma. Yes you may have to give up a lot in order to get a big name veteran to go along with Pierce, but you would be winning, and not losing 18 straight and playing for a top pick in next year’s draft. If the Celtics do keep Pierce, I believe they owe it to him to go out and get either Garnett or Marion. But if they decide not to bring in a superstar, maybe, as much as it pains me to say it, they should part with Pierce and get some more valuable young parts.
I’ll finish with this. Next year’s Boston Celtics rotation should look like one of these, and not a hybrid.
A. Pierce, Garnett, West, Rondo, Gomes, Perkins, Allen, Dudley (with the 32nd pick)
Or (using a Pierce for Gordon and the No. 9 pick, as well as a third team to make the money work trade)
B. Jefferson, Ben Gordon, Al Thornton, Yi Jianlian, Rondo, West, Green, Allen.
All these rumors and mock drafts are driving me crazy. Bring on June 28!
-Rich Keefe
With seven days and counting until the NBA Draft, I thought about updating my mock draft. After giving it a closer look, I’m not sure I have any better answers than I did before. Besides the obvious change of DeVon Hardin from Cal, (who I had 30th overall, just bump Gasol up) who is returning to school, I didn’t want to switch anyone. The risk you run when you make multiple mock drafts is similar to creating multiple brackets for the NCAA tourney. Sure I could say the updated one is the only one that counts, but then when I get more right on my initial attempt, I’d try to lean toward that one. I only fill out one bracket, and I’m only going to do one mock draft. Word is Horford will be picked 3rd over Conley, and the Ohio St. point guard drops to 4th. Again, I still don’t see Horford being a dominant player, and feel the Hawks should pick Conley. But enough about the soon-to-be rookies, I stand by my original choices, I want to address some of the many rumors floating around the league.
Some of the biggest names in the game are being discussed right now: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Shawn Marion to name a few. Where will these superstars be playing next season, and how important will the draft be in attempts to acquire them? Let’s first examine a trade rumor surrounding my team, the Boston Celtics.
Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ratliff/ Wally contract, and the No. 5 pick for Kevin Garnett.
So potentially the C’s would be trading an entire lineup for the 10 time All-Star. And you know what, if I’m either team here, I do it. For one the T-Wolves, who are stuck in the dominant Western Conference aren’t going to win anytime soon. They might as well build around some young guns and hope to win in a few years when guys like Nash, Duncan, Dirk, and Kobe are on their way out. You bring in Jefferson, Green, Telfair (who I don’t think is done, he’d be entering his senior year at Louisville right now had he gone that route), and the No. 5 pick, and combine them with the No. 7 pick, Randy Foye, Craig Smith, and Rashad McCants (who maybe can do something), and that’s a young and exciting team. The Celtics on the other hand have two top 10 players in the Eastern Conference. LeBron won the East on his own; I think Pierce and Garnett could do pretty well together. Garnett could opt out of his contract at the end of the year, and that scares me, but if the Celts do go through with this trade they would need to address that. Also I would be much more comfortable with this trade if Boston just switch picks (the 5th and 7th) rather than just tossing away their first rounder in this loaded draft. Should be interesting to see what happens.
What about Garnett to the Bulls or Suns? I don’t know. I think the Celtics have the best chance if they are willing to part with Al Jefferson, who will be an All-Star for years to come, as well as other young parts, like Green and a draft pick. There’s no way the Suns give up Amare, nor should they. And that might be the only way to get Garnett away from Minnesota and to Phoenix.
The Bulls are intriguing as they talk about Garnett as well as Kobe. They are not that far off from winning the East, and how much would they have to give up in order to acquire one of these studs? Gordon, Deng, Thomas, the No. 9 pick, all of these names have been thrown about. Why are they in so much of a rush? I know every team wants to win now, but when they have a solid young squad, why not keep them together? Salaries can screw that up, but a nucleus of Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Thomas, and their lottery pick could be competitive for a long time. Teams like the Celtics or Suns who have Paul Piece and Steve Nash need to win now.
The Suns are already “winning.” No they haven’t won the championship, but it’s clear they’re on the right track. But what if they get rid of Shawn Marion? I think he’s far more important than anyone thinks. And why would he want to play anywhere else, unless Nash was going with him? I don’t get it. I like the rumor of the Clips sending Corey Maggette and the No. 14 to the Suns for Boris Diaw, the No. 24, and No. 29 picks. Phoenix probably won’t keep the two picks anyway, so this would be a great move. Also Maggette could provide some of the scoring they would lose with Marion, but the Matrix’s defense may not be replaceable. If Marion wants to get out of Amare’s shadow, maybe Boston would be a place he could do that.
Pierce and Marion, although not as daunting as Piece and KG, could still do damage in the East. Also you would assume Ainge wouldn’t have to give up nearly as much to get Marion. But here’s the dilemma. Yes you may have to give up a lot in order to get a big name veteran to go along with Pierce, but you would be winning, and not losing 18 straight and playing for a top pick in next year’s draft. If the Celtics do keep Pierce, I believe they owe it to him to go out and get either Garnett or Marion. But if they decide not to bring in a superstar, maybe, as much as it pains me to say it, they should part with Pierce and get some more valuable young parts.
I’ll finish with this. Next year’s Boston Celtics rotation should look like one of these, and not a hybrid.
A. Pierce, Garnett, West, Rondo, Gomes, Perkins, Allen, Dudley (with the 32nd pick)
Or (using a Pierce for Gordon and the No. 9 pick, as well as a third team to make the money work trade)
B. Jefferson, Ben Gordon, Al Thornton, Yi Jianlian, Rondo, West, Green, Allen.
All these rumors and mock drafts are driving me crazy. Bring on June 28!
-Rich Keefe
Thursday, June 14, 2007
NBA Mock Draft '07
-Keefe
With the NBA Finals just about over, (not sure Cleveland knew they even started), let’s look ahead to one of the greatest nights in sports, the NBA Draft. June 28th, I can’t wait. Here’s how I see it breaking down. And look, both rounds!
Round 1:
1. Blazers- Greg Oden, C, Ohio St.
Not much to really say here. I’m not going to go out on a limb and say anyone else but Oden will be the first pick later this month. If they can pull off the Zach Randolph for Antawn Jamison trade look out for the Blazers. With a starting five of Jack, Roy, Jamison, Aldridge, Oden… fans and Portland would certainly have something to cheer about.
2. Sonics- Kevin Durant, F, Texas
Couldn’t bench press 185 pounds once. Not once. Really? I think most bloggers can bench 185. I know that you’re not allowed to write for the Sports Brief unless you can. But the fact is he still was the most dominant player in the country last year, and not even 20 years old he will get stronger. When he’s making 10+ million a year he can sit in his mansion and laugh at me while I put up 185 at the local Y. And yes, as a Celtics fan, as soon as I heard about his workout I thought for a second he could slip to 5th. I can wish right?
3. Hawks- Mike Conley, PG, Ohio St.
They can’t pass up another point guard can they? Apparently they didn’t want Deron Williams, Chris Paul, or even Ray Felton two years ago. Last year they passed up on Brandon Roy (I know he’s a SG, but still rookie of the year) and Randy Foye. They also could have traded down for someone like Rajon Rondo, Marcus Williams, or Jordan Farmar. Don’t think Ty Lue is the answer down in Atlanta.
4. Grizzlies- Al Horford, PF, Florida
Florida big man shouldn’t fall past Memphis here at four. Yes they would really like Oden, and with the league’s worst record probably feel like they “deserve” him, but as it shook out they have the fourth selection. Horford is probably more suited for a power forward role in the West, but with Pau Gasol, Hakim Warrick, Rudy Gay, and Stromile Swift he quickly becomes the best option at center. Frankly not a big fan and I don’t expect big things from Horford. I hope the Grizz take him just so the Celtics can’t screw it up.
5. Celtics- Yi Jianlian, F, China
Yi or bust. And by bust I mean trade the damn pick. If the C’s keep this pick and do not use it to acquire someone like a Shawn Marion or Rashad Lewis I hope they go with Yi. No one knows a whole lot about him minus all the youtube clips, but after Oden and Durant there’s no one who really jumps out at me. I’ve heard comparisons to Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, and even Allen Iverson. Of course he could also be the next Nikoloz Tskitishvili… wait he was also the 5th pick? Damn it. I still can’t believe Oden or Durant won’t be playing in Boston next year. Unbelievable.
6. Bucks- Corey Brewer, SF, Florida
I really believe that Brewer will end his career as the best pro of all the Gators he won back to back championships with, and it won’t be close. He has great skills, and if he works at it, he could survive in this league with his defense alone. Horford is overrated, Noah is an Anderson Varejao with college experience, and Green is a back up point guard at best. If Milwaukee resigns Mo Williams, they could have a solid five with him, Redd, Brewer, Villanueva, and Bogut. Yeah they would definitely rather have Durant, but for a team that tanked even worse than the Celtics or Grizzlies they really earned the 6th pick.
7. Timberwolves- Brandan Wright, PF, North Carolina
By picking up Brandan Wright, the T-Wolves could think about moving Kevin Garnett, even though he will never ask to be traded. Draft Wright, and build around him, Randy Foye and Craig Smith. Maybe McCants will even find his game, and with whatever they get from the Garnett deal the future could be bright.
8. Bobcats- Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown
Though he isn’t a great scorer Green can do just about everything. Charlotte is stacking up some talent of college stars, but has yet to become any kind of threat in the league. Felton, Okafor, and May are three up and coming players, while Morrison proved to be more of a liability for this team. Green’s defense could possibly make up for the mustached one, but if Morrison shoots 37% from the field again he won’t even be out there.
9. Bulls from Knicks- Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
How the hell does a team with young stars of Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and supporting guys like Ty Thomas, Andres Nocioni, and Chris Duhon have a top 10 pick? Oh that’s right, I forgot about the Knicks. Good thing they got rid of Tyson Chandler or this team might have been too good through 2017. I’m not sure how good Hawes will be, but he’s the obvious choice here because of his size and low post scoring.
10. Kings- Julian Wright, PF, Kansas
Not much offense here either out of Wright. But in Sacramento most of the offense comes from the backcourt anyway, all they need out of him is solid defense and to catch some ally-oops. This shows what a crap shoot the lottery is. After Oden and Durant there’s a lot of solid guys with potential, but there’s a great chance at some busts as well. If Conley goes 3rd to the Hawks you’re looking at picks 4-14 being anyone’s guess as far as who will come out of this as winners.
11. Hawks from Pacers- Joakim Noah, PF, Florida
Speaking of winners, this “guy” did a lot of that at Florida. I already made the comparison to Anderson Varejao, and I’m standing by it. Varejao was the last pick of the 2004 draft, and averaged under 7 points and 7 boards this year. So why would you pick him with a lottery pick? He may surprise people and play like a poor man’s AK-47… and the way AK played this season, a poor man’s Kirilenko doesn’t even belong in the league.
12. 76ers- Al Thornton, F, Florida St.
Thornton had some huge games against some great teams. Keeping in mind who is on these teams check out the numbers from: vs. Florida- 28 pts 9 reb, @ UNC 29 pts 12 rebs, @ UVA 30 pts 16 rebs, and you can also throw in a 45 point performance at Miami and you can say this guy made the most out of his senior season with the Seminoles. He’s been compared to Shawn Marion, and if the 76ers take him and have him play along side Iguodala they could be scary.
13. Hornets- Nick Young, SG, USC
Nick Young could be the missing piece for the Hornets that helps get them into the postseason. He’s a silky smooth scoring wingman that would compliment their fantastic point guard Chris Paul, and their bruising low post scorer David West. Young really improved his three point shooting from his sophomore season (33%) to his junior year (44%) at USC. Still pretty raw, but I like this pick for the Hornets over anyone else who is available.
14. Clippers- Acie Law, PG, Texas A&M
They should have their point guard of the future in Shaun Livingston, who’s actually younger than Law, but after the horrific injury the Clippers may have to select yet another PG with a lottery pick. The team regressed this past season, but a proven winner like Acie Law could give them the push they need to get back to the playoffs.
15. Pistons from Magic- Rodney Stuckey, SG, Eastern Washington
Playing out in the Big Sky not a lot of people have seen or even heard of Stuckey. I’m not going to lie and say that I caught many Eastern Washington games this season, but from what I’ve heard about this guy he could land right in the middle of round 1. He’s a scoring machine who can also dish the ball making him twice as valuable. The Pistons have no bench, particularly at guard, so picking a combo guard like Stuckey would be wise.
16. Wizards- Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech
One and done at G. Tech for Young. Another guy who would be picked mainly on potential, but if the Wizards to get rid of Antawn Jamison, suddenly they need some help at that position. Who knows what will happen with Arenas, but with Agent Zero, Caron Butler, and Thaddeus Young they’d certainly be a team you wouldn’t want to miss.
17. Nets- Sean Williams, C, Boston College
If Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson are all back on the Nets next season, (I doubt they will be, but for this let’s say they are), then they need something up front. No one on New Jersey last year averaged 1.0 blocks per game. Williams would be an instant force in the middle for a team that not only needs a low post stopper but also a scoring threat.
18. Warriors- Jason Smith, PF, Colorado St.
Big guy who can get up and down the floor, would be perfect for Nellie Ball. He can even shoot the 3 a little, and make free throws, something that killed the Warriors last year. Showed he could rebound last year as he averaged a double-double for the Rams. Smith would definitely work his way into that short Nellie rotation.
19. Lakers- Josh McRoberts, PF, Duke
If Noah and Horford are going to be busts, I don’t even know what to call McRoberts. A top pick if he left after his freshmen year, McRoberts returned to school for a disappointing season at Duke. He and the team struggled and now he finds himself dropping to 19, at best. I think he should go even lower, but the Lakers might try to take a big name.
20. Heat- Javaris Crittenton, PG, Georgia Tech
Jason Williams is 31, Gary Payton (if he returns) is 38. The Heat are an old team, average age of last year’s squad was 29. Crittenton (19) and Wade (25) could be the backcourt in Miami for years to come. Javaris, like Thaddeus Young is another one and done Yellow Jacket. We’ll have to wait and see how they do, but one thing is for sure, the rest of the ACC is happy with their decisions to go pro.
21. 76ers from Nuggets- Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil
With the second of their three first round picks the 6ers take a chance on an international player that has garnered a lot of hype the past few years. If they do take Thornton with their first pick, then every else would be gravy. It’s not 100% that he would be able to play next year in the NBA, so a team with multiple picks, like Philly, might feel like they can take a shot on him.
22. Bobcats from Raptors- Morris Almond, SG, Rice
Almond is a great scorer and fantastic shooter. Playing for a team that didn’t receive much coverage, Morris is a bit under the radar. With three straight seasons shooting over 44% from long range, he might be the best shooter in the draft. What Jeff Green brings in defense and intangibles, Almond brings in offense. These two guys could help turn around the bobcats entire franchise.
23. Knicks from Bulls- Aaron Gray, C, Pitt
I really don’t think the Knicks will pick Aaron Gray, but come on. Imagine all the New York fans as the commissioner announces: “With the 23rd pick, the New York Knicks select… Aaron Gray.” Even David Stern would smirk at that one. I hope this happens.
24. Suns from Cavs- Derrick Byars, SF, Vanderbilt
Byars really put Commodore basketball on the map this past season, helping Vandy reach the Sweet 16. He can play the 2 or the 3, and run the floor, which of course is essential for playing in Phoenix. It’s going to be real interesting to see what the Suns do this off season. If they lose Marion, what will they do to remind in the top tier of the West?
25. Jazz- Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio St.
As seen in the Western Conference playoffs the Jazz have a lot of pieces to the puzzle. An athletic, scoring shooting guard, is not one of those pieces. Cook might be better suited for another year with the Buckeyes, but with the loss of Oden and Conley, as well as Ron Lewis, you can’t blame him for cashing in on the team’s success. Cook could be that missing ingredient the Jazz need to advance to the NBA Finals. Could be.
26. Rockets- Glen Davis, PF, LSU
His buddy and Final 4 partner from two years ago, Ty Thomas, was a top 5 pick. Big Baby returned for his junior year, and is now a borderline first rounder. Rockets could use another big body to play upfront with Yao. Hayes has played well, Howard has also played. Who knows what you’ll get out of Mt. Mutombo this year, so a big guy like Davis would be a nice pick for Houston.
27. Pistons- Gabe Pruitt, PG, USC
I already had the Pistons taking a big combo guard in Stuckey earlier in the draft, here with their second pick I think they go after another player to bolster the backcourt. Pruitt is a big point guard who should be able to do a lot of the same things as Billups. He put up three solid seasons at USC, and I believe will be good pro.
28. Spurs- Ali Traore, PF, France
Does it matter who they take? International seems to be working for them. Why not take another guy from France. He’s a big fella to boot. I got nothing more on him. I’m sick of the Spurs too. Who’s with me?
29. Suns- Rudy Fernandez, SG, Spain
Word is the Suns won’t hang on to this pick. It’s going to be a busy off season for Phoenix. Steve Kerr will have a lot to examine. They have two first round picks, as well as the whole Shawn Marion situation. And with Nash being 33 years old, they need to really get after it the next couple seasons for their best chance of winning the whole thing.
30. 76ers from Mavericks- DeVon Hardin, C, California
Not officially staying in the draft as of yet, but Hardin is big and athletic. Still a bit of a work in progress, one reason he could return to school. The 6ers have three first rounders, they don’t have a great track record of drafting, see: John Salmons, Keith Van Horn, and Shawn Bradley, or they take guys who become good in other places like Larry Hughes and Jerry Stackhouse. Who knows if they’ll hold on to all three guys. The Celts had three first round picks once: Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown, and Joe Forte in 2001… its ok, I’m almost over it. Not like they passed on Gilbert Arenas three times.
Round 2:
I’ll spare you my pick by pick take in Round 2, as the chances of any of these coming true are as likely as the Olsen twins NOT doing Playboy.
31. Sonics from Grizzlies- Marc Gasol, C, Spain
32. Celtics- Jared Dudley, F, Boston College
33. Spurs from Bucks- Marco Belinelli, SG, Italy
34. Mavericks from Hawks- Taurean Green, PG, Florida
35. Sonics- Marcus Williams, SF, Arizona
36. Warriors from Timberwolves- Arron Afflalo, SG, UCLA
37. Blazers- Alando Tucker, SF, Wisconsin
38. 76ers from Knicks via Bulls- Dominic James, PG, Marquette
39. Magic from Kings via Jazz- Demetris Nichols, SF, Syracuse
40. Lakers from Bobcats- Nick Fazekas, PF, Nevada
41. Timberwolves from 76ers- Wilson Chandler, SF, DePaul
42. Blazers from Pacers- Aaron Brooks, G, Oregon
43. Hornets- Trey Johnson, SG, Jackson St.
44. Magic- Herbert Hill, PF, Providence
45. Clippers- Reyshawn Terry, SF, North Carolina
46. Warriors from Nets- JameOn Curry, SG, Oklahoma St.
47. Wizards- Zabian Dowdell, PG, Virginia Tech
48. Lakers- Ramon Sessions, PG, Nevada
49. Bulls from Warriors via Suns, Celtics, and Nuggets- D.J. Strawberry, G, Maryland
50. Mavericks from Heat via Lakers- Kyrylo Fesenki, C, Ukraine
51. Bulls from Nuggets- Marko Tomas, SG, Croatia
52. Blazers from Raptors- Dominic McGuire, SF, Fresno St.
53. Blazers from Bulls- Marcelus Kemp, SG, Nevada
54. Magic from Cavs- Carl Landry, PF, Purdue
55. Jazz- Adam Haluska, SG, Iowa
56. Bucks from Rockets- J.R. Reynolds, SG, Virginia
57. Pistons- Ron Lewis, SG, Ohio St.
58. Spurs- Jared Jordan, PG, Marist
59. Suns- Brandon Heath, PG, San Diego St.
60. Mavericks- Mustafa Shakur, PG, Arizona
-Rich Keefe
With the NBA Finals just about over, (not sure Cleveland knew they even started), let’s look ahead to one of the greatest nights in sports, the NBA Draft. June 28th, I can’t wait. Here’s how I see it breaking down. And look, both rounds!
Round 1:
1. Blazers- Greg Oden, C, Ohio St.
Not much to really say here. I’m not going to go out on a limb and say anyone else but Oden will be the first pick later this month. If they can pull off the Zach Randolph for Antawn Jamison trade look out for the Blazers. With a starting five of Jack, Roy, Jamison, Aldridge, Oden… fans and Portland would certainly have something to cheer about.
2. Sonics- Kevin Durant, F, Texas
Couldn’t bench press 185 pounds once. Not once. Really? I think most bloggers can bench 185. I know that you’re not allowed to write for the Sports Brief unless you can. But the fact is he still was the most dominant player in the country last year, and not even 20 years old he will get stronger. When he’s making 10+ million a year he can sit in his mansion and laugh at me while I put up 185 at the local Y. And yes, as a Celtics fan, as soon as I heard about his workout I thought for a second he could slip to 5th. I can wish right?
3. Hawks- Mike Conley, PG, Ohio St.
They can’t pass up another point guard can they? Apparently they didn’t want Deron Williams, Chris Paul, or even Ray Felton two years ago. Last year they passed up on Brandon Roy (I know he’s a SG, but still rookie of the year) and Randy Foye. They also could have traded down for someone like Rajon Rondo, Marcus Williams, or Jordan Farmar. Don’t think Ty Lue is the answer down in Atlanta.
4. Grizzlies- Al Horford, PF, Florida
Florida big man shouldn’t fall past Memphis here at four. Yes they would really like Oden, and with the league’s worst record probably feel like they “deserve” him, but as it shook out they have the fourth selection. Horford is probably more suited for a power forward role in the West, but with Pau Gasol, Hakim Warrick, Rudy Gay, and Stromile Swift he quickly becomes the best option at center. Frankly not a big fan and I don’t expect big things from Horford. I hope the Grizz take him just so the Celtics can’t screw it up.
5. Celtics- Yi Jianlian, F, China
Yi or bust. And by bust I mean trade the damn pick. If the C’s keep this pick and do not use it to acquire someone like a Shawn Marion or Rashad Lewis I hope they go with Yi. No one knows a whole lot about him minus all the youtube clips, but after Oden and Durant there’s no one who really jumps out at me. I’ve heard comparisons to Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, and even Allen Iverson. Of course he could also be the next Nikoloz Tskitishvili… wait he was also the 5th pick? Damn it. I still can’t believe Oden or Durant won’t be playing in Boston next year. Unbelievable.
6. Bucks- Corey Brewer, SF, Florida
I really believe that Brewer will end his career as the best pro of all the Gators he won back to back championships with, and it won’t be close. He has great skills, and if he works at it, he could survive in this league with his defense alone. Horford is overrated, Noah is an Anderson Varejao with college experience, and Green is a back up point guard at best. If Milwaukee resigns Mo Williams, they could have a solid five with him, Redd, Brewer, Villanueva, and Bogut. Yeah they would definitely rather have Durant, but for a team that tanked even worse than the Celtics or Grizzlies they really earned the 6th pick.
7. Timberwolves- Brandan Wright, PF, North Carolina
By picking up Brandan Wright, the T-Wolves could think about moving Kevin Garnett, even though he will never ask to be traded. Draft Wright, and build around him, Randy Foye and Craig Smith. Maybe McCants will even find his game, and with whatever they get from the Garnett deal the future could be bright.
8. Bobcats- Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown
Though he isn’t a great scorer Green can do just about everything. Charlotte is stacking up some talent of college stars, but has yet to become any kind of threat in the league. Felton, Okafor, and May are three up and coming players, while Morrison proved to be more of a liability for this team. Green’s defense could possibly make up for the mustached one, but if Morrison shoots 37% from the field again he won’t even be out there.
9. Bulls from Knicks- Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
How the hell does a team with young stars of Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and supporting guys like Ty Thomas, Andres Nocioni, and Chris Duhon have a top 10 pick? Oh that’s right, I forgot about the Knicks. Good thing they got rid of Tyson Chandler or this team might have been too good through 2017. I’m not sure how good Hawes will be, but he’s the obvious choice here because of his size and low post scoring.
10. Kings- Julian Wright, PF, Kansas
Not much offense here either out of Wright. But in Sacramento most of the offense comes from the backcourt anyway, all they need out of him is solid defense and to catch some ally-oops. This shows what a crap shoot the lottery is. After Oden and Durant there’s a lot of solid guys with potential, but there’s a great chance at some busts as well. If Conley goes 3rd to the Hawks you’re looking at picks 4-14 being anyone’s guess as far as who will come out of this as winners.
11. Hawks from Pacers- Joakim Noah, PF, Florida
Speaking of winners, this “guy” did a lot of that at Florida. I already made the comparison to Anderson Varejao, and I’m standing by it. Varejao was the last pick of the 2004 draft, and averaged under 7 points and 7 boards this year. So why would you pick him with a lottery pick? He may surprise people and play like a poor man’s AK-47… and the way AK played this season, a poor man’s Kirilenko doesn’t even belong in the league.
12. 76ers- Al Thornton, F, Florida St.
Thornton had some huge games against some great teams. Keeping in mind who is on these teams check out the numbers from: vs. Florida- 28 pts 9 reb, @ UNC 29 pts 12 rebs, @ UVA 30 pts 16 rebs, and you can also throw in a 45 point performance at Miami and you can say this guy made the most out of his senior season with the Seminoles. He’s been compared to Shawn Marion, and if the 76ers take him and have him play along side Iguodala they could be scary.
13. Hornets- Nick Young, SG, USC
Nick Young could be the missing piece for the Hornets that helps get them into the postseason. He’s a silky smooth scoring wingman that would compliment their fantastic point guard Chris Paul, and their bruising low post scorer David West. Young really improved his three point shooting from his sophomore season (33%) to his junior year (44%) at USC. Still pretty raw, but I like this pick for the Hornets over anyone else who is available.
14. Clippers- Acie Law, PG, Texas A&M
They should have their point guard of the future in Shaun Livingston, who’s actually younger than Law, but after the horrific injury the Clippers may have to select yet another PG with a lottery pick. The team regressed this past season, but a proven winner like Acie Law could give them the push they need to get back to the playoffs.
15. Pistons from Magic- Rodney Stuckey, SG, Eastern Washington
Playing out in the Big Sky not a lot of people have seen or even heard of Stuckey. I’m not going to lie and say that I caught many Eastern Washington games this season, but from what I’ve heard about this guy he could land right in the middle of round 1. He’s a scoring machine who can also dish the ball making him twice as valuable. The Pistons have no bench, particularly at guard, so picking a combo guard like Stuckey would be wise.
16. Wizards- Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech
One and done at G. Tech for Young. Another guy who would be picked mainly on potential, but if the Wizards to get rid of Antawn Jamison, suddenly they need some help at that position. Who knows what will happen with Arenas, but with Agent Zero, Caron Butler, and Thaddeus Young they’d certainly be a team you wouldn’t want to miss.
17. Nets- Sean Williams, C, Boston College
If Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson are all back on the Nets next season, (I doubt they will be, but for this let’s say they are), then they need something up front. No one on New Jersey last year averaged 1.0 blocks per game. Williams would be an instant force in the middle for a team that not only needs a low post stopper but also a scoring threat.
18. Warriors- Jason Smith, PF, Colorado St.
Big guy who can get up and down the floor, would be perfect for Nellie Ball. He can even shoot the 3 a little, and make free throws, something that killed the Warriors last year. Showed he could rebound last year as he averaged a double-double for the Rams. Smith would definitely work his way into that short Nellie rotation.
19. Lakers- Josh McRoberts, PF, Duke
If Noah and Horford are going to be busts, I don’t even know what to call McRoberts. A top pick if he left after his freshmen year, McRoberts returned to school for a disappointing season at Duke. He and the team struggled and now he finds himself dropping to 19, at best. I think he should go even lower, but the Lakers might try to take a big name.
20. Heat- Javaris Crittenton, PG, Georgia Tech
Jason Williams is 31, Gary Payton (if he returns) is 38. The Heat are an old team, average age of last year’s squad was 29. Crittenton (19) and Wade (25) could be the backcourt in Miami for years to come. Javaris, like Thaddeus Young is another one and done Yellow Jacket. We’ll have to wait and see how they do, but one thing is for sure, the rest of the ACC is happy with their decisions to go pro.
21. 76ers from Nuggets- Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil
With the second of their three first round picks the 6ers take a chance on an international player that has garnered a lot of hype the past few years. If they do take Thornton with their first pick, then every else would be gravy. It’s not 100% that he would be able to play next year in the NBA, so a team with multiple picks, like Philly, might feel like they can take a shot on him.
22. Bobcats from Raptors- Morris Almond, SG, Rice
Almond is a great scorer and fantastic shooter. Playing for a team that didn’t receive much coverage, Morris is a bit under the radar. With three straight seasons shooting over 44% from long range, he might be the best shooter in the draft. What Jeff Green brings in defense and intangibles, Almond brings in offense. These two guys could help turn around the bobcats entire franchise.
23. Knicks from Bulls- Aaron Gray, C, Pitt
I really don’t think the Knicks will pick Aaron Gray, but come on. Imagine all the New York fans as the commissioner announces: “With the 23rd pick, the New York Knicks select… Aaron Gray.” Even David Stern would smirk at that one. I hope this happens.
24. Suns from Cavs- Derrick Byars, SF, Vanderbilt
Byars really put Commodore basketball on the map this past season, helping Vandy reach the Sweet 16. He can play the 2 or the 3, and run the floor, which of course is essential for playing in Phoenix. It’s going to be real interesting to see what the Suns do this off season. If they lose Marion, what will they do to remind in the top tier of the West?
25. Jazz- Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio St.
As seen in the Western Conference playoffs the Jazz have a lot of pieces to the puzzle. An athletic, scoring shooting guard, is not one of those pieces. Cook might be better suited for another year with the Buckeyes, but with the loss of Oden and Conley, as well as Ron Lewis, you can’t blame him for cashing in on the team’s success. Cook could be that missing ingredient the Jazz need to advance to the NBA Finals. Could be.
26. Rockets- Glen Davis, PF, LSU
His buddy and Final 4 partner from two years ago, Ty Thomas, was a top 5 pick. Big Baby returned for his junior year, and is now a borderline first rounder. Rockets could use another big body to play upfront with Yao. Hayes has played well, Howard has also played. Who knows what you’ll get out of Mt. Mutombo this year, so a big guy like Davis would be a nice pick for Houston.
27. Pistons- Gabe Pruitt, PG, USC
I already had the Pistons taking a big combo guard in Stuckey earlier in the draft, here with their second pick I think they go after another player to bolster the backcourt. Pruitt is a big point guard who should be able to do a lot of the same things as Billups. He put up three solid seasons at USC, and I believe will be good pro.
28. Spurs- Ali Traore, PF, France
Does it matter who they take? International seems to be working for them. Why not take another guy from France. He’s a big fella to boot. I got nothing more on him. I’m sick of the Spurs too. Who’s with me?
29. Suns- Rudy Fernandez, SG, Spain
Word is the Suns won’t hang on to this pick. It’s going to be a busy off season for Phoenix. Steve Kerr will have a lot to examine. They have two first round picks, as well as the whole Shawn Marion situation. And with Nash being 33 years old, they need to really get after it the next couple seasons for their best chance of winning the whole thing.
30. 76ers from Mavericks- DeVon Hardin, C, California
Not officially staying in the draft as of yet, but Hardin is big and athletic. Still a bit of a work in progress, one reason he could return to school. The 6ers have three first rounders, they don’t have a great track record of drafting, see: John Salmons, Keith Van Horn, and Shawn Bradley, or they take guys who become good in other places like Larry Hughes and Jerry Stackhouse. Who knows if they’ll hold on to all three guys. The Celts had three first round picks once: Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown, and Joe Forte in 2001… its ok, I’m almost over it. Not like they passed on Gilbert Arenas three times.
Round 2:
I’ll spare you my pick by pick take in Round 2, as the chances of any of these coming true are as likely as the Olsen twins NOT doing Playboy.
31. Sonics from Grizzlies- Marc Gasol, C, Spain
32. Celtics- Jared Dudley, F, Boston College
33. Spurs from Bucks- Marco Belinelli, SG, Italy
34. Mavericks from Hawks- Taurean Green, PG, Florida
35. Sonics- Marcus Williams, SF, Arizona
36. Warriors from Timberwolves- Arron Afflalo, SG, UCLA
37. Blazers- Alando Tucker, SF, Wisconsin
38. 76ers from Knicks via Bulls- Dominic James, PG, Marquette
39. Magic from Kings via Jazz- Demetris Nichols, SF, Syracuse
40. Lakers from Bobcats- Nick Fazekas, PF, Nevada
41. Timberwolves from 76ers- Wilson Chandler, SF, DePaul
42. Blazers from Pacers- Aaron Brooks, G, Oregon
43. Hornets- Trey Johnson, SG, Jackson St.
44. Magic- Herbert Hill, PF, Providence
45. Clippers- Reyshawn Terry, SF, North Carolina
46. Warriors from Nets- JameOn Curry, SG, Oklahoma St.
47. Wizards- Zabian Dowdell, PG, Virginia Tech
48. Lakers- Ramon Sessions, PG, Nevada
49. Bulls from Warriors via Suns, Celtics, and Nuggets- D.J. Strawberry, G, Maryland
50. Mavericks from Heat via Lakers- Kyrylo Fesenki, C, Ukraine
51. Bulls from Nuggets- Marko Tomas, SG, Croatia
52. Blazers from Raptors- Dominic McGuire, SF, Fresno St.
53. Blazers from Bulls- Marcelus Kemp, SG, Nevada
54. Magic from Cavs- Carl Landry, PF, Purdue
55. Jazz- Adam Haluska, SG, Iowa
56. Bucks from Rockets- J.R. Reynolds, SG, Virginia
57. Pistons- Ron Lewis, SG, Ohio St.
58. Spurs- Jared Jordan, PG, Marist
59. Suns- Brandon Heath, PG, San Diego St.
60. Mavericks- Mustafa Shakur, PG, Arizona
-Rich Keefe
Monday, June 11, 2007
No-Hit bid was great, but not the only thing
-Besse
Don’t get me wrong. As a former Division 1 collegiate pitcher and owner of one no-hitter in high school, I realize how difficult it is to throw a no-hitter at any level, never mind at the major league level.
So what Curt Schilling did on June 7, 2007 was put forth an incredible effort, mixing up his low 90’s fastball with that devastating splitter he has been struggling to consistently find. In fact, in his outing against Cleveland on May 28 in which he went seven strong while recording 10 strikeouts, Schilling commented on his personal blog, 38pitches.com, that it was the “1997 version” of his splitter that decided to show up. I learned at the park last week that apparently he and John Farrell have been working on altering the grip just slightly, moving his fingers a bit further up the ball so that they are resting more towards the wide end of the seam (the horseshoe).
And while the four he punched out against Oakland certainly didn’t stack up to the 10 he sent packing against the Indians, what he did do was keep the A’s off-balance in soliciting 12 ground ball and 11 fly ball outs. Most of the outs were fairly routine, aside from Coco Crisp’s outstanding reaching catch on the run and Mike Lowell’s terrific stab and throw at third.
But most importantly, this all came, for the fourth time this season, after a Red Sox loss. That’s right. Schilling improved to 4-0 on the season when registering a decision after a Sox loss, while the Sox upped their record to 6-0 in games that Schilling started after a loss; Javy Lopez registered a decision against Baltimore on May 12 while Hideki Okajima was the beneficiary against the Yankees on June 2nd.
The reason I make this point the focus of my entry is because it has become vividly clear that Josh Beckett is now taking over as the ace of the Sox staff. At 9-0 and a 2.88 ERA, Beckett has been absolutely phenomenal and will start the All-Star game and take home the Cy Young as long as no more “avulsions” appear between now and October.
Schilling, meanwhile, has been extremely inconsistent. In 13 starts so far, he has provided Boston with eight quality starts. Of those eight starts, he surrendered only one run or less in five of them. So what’s the problem, you ask? Well first off, while eight out of 13 might be pretty good at the plate, Curt Schilling is not Kevin Youkilis. He’s a pitcher making $13 million this season to be a top-of-the-rotation guy. Eight out of 13 won’t cut it, especially when you look at those five not-so-quality outings. In those games, Schilling has given up four runs or more, and only once did he do it while finishing the 7th inning. He recorded a no-decision after leaving trailing 5-2 to the Yankees on April 20th; the Sox scored five times in the eighth to win it. All in all, these numbers are atypical of both Schilling and any bona fide ace for that matter.
And after his plea for at least $13 million next year during spring training, he’d have trouble arguing his case in court.
But where Schilling has been consistent, both this year and throughout his hopefully Hall-of-Fame career? As a stopper. He forever cemented himself in Red Sox lore during the great World Series run of ’04, particularly in that bloody sock Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees. And this year, as mentioned, he has refused to let the Sox losses pile up.
When you have Schilling, Beckett and Matsuzaka as your top three in the rotation, it’s going to be hard over the course of the season to lose three or more games in a row. At some point one of the three big guns will falter and it will happen as it did last week, when the Sox lost the series finale to the Yankees and then made it four straight after dropping the first three to the A’s. But Schilling stepped up again, and he did it in tight quarters.
The A’s have the best pitching staff in Major League Baseball, so it was no secret that the four game series would play out like a soccer match with each team trying to scratch together runs whenever possible. And Thursday’s match up against Joe Blanton, who was coming off a nine-inning shutout of Minnesota, was no different. In fact Blanton, after surrendering four first-inning runs against the Sox on May 1st, shut out Boston for six innings thereafter en route to a 5-4 win.
So to find Schilling tossing a no-hitter into the ninth while involved in a 1-0 nothing game was nothing short of the amazing. It was reminiscent of Jack Morris’ 10-inning gem for the Twins back in ’91. Lest we forget that John Smoltz was on the other side of the diamond matching Morris for seven innings. Or that game in Little League when we played Amaral’s Linguica and Adam Bielski and I both threw no-hitters. That’s right, no hits for either team over seven innings. And we combined to strike out 27 batters. Not afraid to admit I still hang em up on the glory days of my youth baseball achievements.
But as far as Schilling goes, there’s no question that he is not as consistent as need be to exist in the role of ace like that of Beckett this season. However, he still belongs at the top of the rotation. Because when the stars align and the Sox top spot in the rotation is slotted up against their opponents’ top dog, Schilling must be there. Whenever there’s hype being built up, whether it’s for a stickball game in the yard or Game 7 of the World Series, Schilling thrives at being in the midst of it. You don’t even need to ask him…he’ll be the first to let you know.
-Besse
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, pleast contact Besse, Keefe and Sharkey at sportsbrief.blogspot.com.
Don’t get me wrong. As a former Division 1 collegiate pitcher and owner of one no-hitter in high school, I realize how difficult it is to throw a no-hitter at any level, never mind at the major league level.
So what Curt Schilling did on June 7, 2007 was put forth an incredible effort, mixing up his low 90’s fastball with that devastating splitter he has been struggling to consistently find. In fact, in his outing against Cleveland on May 28 in which he went seven strong while recording 10 strikeouts, Schilling commented on his personal blog, 38pitches.com, that it was the “1997 version” of his splitter that decided to show up. I learned at the park last week that apparently he and John Farrell have been working on altering the grip just slightly, moving his fingers a bit further up the ball so that they are resting more towards the wide end of the seam (the horseshoe).
And while the four he punched out against Oakland certainly didn’t stack up to the 10 he sent packing against the Indians, what he did do was keep the A’s off-balance in soliciting 12 ground ball and 11 fly ball outs. Most of the outs were fairly routine, aside from Coco Crisp’s outstanding reaching catch on the run and Mike Lowell’s terrific stab and throw at third.
But most importantly, this all came, for the fourth time this season, after a Red Sox loss. That’s right. Schilling improved to 4-0 on the season when registering a decision after a Sox loss, while the Sox upped their record to 6-0 in games that Schilling started after a loss; Javy Lopez registered a decision against Baltimore on May 12 while Hideki Okajima was the beneficiary against the Yankees on June 2nd.
The reason I make this point the focus of my entry is because it has become vividly clear that Josh Beckett is now taking over as the ace of the Sox staff. At 9-0 and a 2.88 ERA, Beckett has been absolutely phenomenal and will start the All-Star game and take home the Cy Young as long as no more “avulsions” appear between now and October.
Schilling, meanwhile, has been extremely inconsistent. In 13 starts so far, he has provided Boston with eight quality starts. Of those eight starts, he surrendered only one run or less in five of them. So what’s the problem, you ask? Well first off, while eight out of 13 might be pretty good at the plate, Curt Schilling is not Kevin Youkilis. He’s a pitcher making $13 million this season to be a top-of-the-rotation guy. Eight out of 13 won’t cut it, especially when you look at those five not-so-quality outings. In those games, Schilling has given up four runs or more, and only once did he do it while finishing the 7th inning. He recorded a no-decision after leaving trailing 5-2 to the Yankees on April 20th; the Sox scored five times in the eighth to win it. All in all, these numbers are atypical of both Schilling and any bona fide ace for that matter.
And after his plea for at least $13 million next year during spring training, he’d have trouble arguing his case in court.
But where Schilling has been consistent, both this year and throughout his hopefully Hall-of-Fame career? As a stopper. He forever cemented himself in Red Sox lore during the great World Series run of ’04, particularly in that bloody sock Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees. And this year, as mentioned, he has refused to let the Sox losses pile up.
When you have Schilling, Beckett and Matsuzaka as your top three in the rotation, it’s going to be hard over the course of the season to lose three or more games in a row. At some point one of the three big guns will falter and it will happen as it did last week, when the Sox lost the series finale to the Yankees and then made it four straight after dropping the first three to the A’s. But Schilling stepped up again, and he did it in tight quarters.
The A’s have the best pitching staff in Major League Baseball, so it was no secret that the four game series would play out like a soccer match with each team trying to scratch together runs whenever possible. And Thursday’s match up against Joe Blanton, who was coming off a nine-inning shutout of Minnesota, was no different. In fact Blanton, after surrendering four first-inning runs against the Sox on May 1st, shut out Boston for six innings thereafter en route to a 5-4 win.
So to find Schilling tossing a no-hitter into the ninth while involved in a 1-0 nothing game was nothing short of the amazing. It was reminiscent of Jack Morris’ 10-inning gem for the Twins back in ’91. Lest we forget that John Smoltz was on the other side of the diamond matching Morris for seven innings. Or that game in Little League when we played Amaral’s Linguica and Adam Bielski and I both threw no-hitters. That’s right, no hits for either team over seven innings. And we combined to strike out 27 batters. Not afraid to admit I still hang em up on the glory days of my youth baseball achievements.
But as far as Schilling goes, there’s no question that he is not as consistent as need be to exist in the role of ace like that of Beckett this season. However, he still belongs at the top of the rotation. Because when the stars align and the Sox top spot in the rotation is slotted up against their opponents’ top dog, Schilling must be there. Whenever there’s hype being built up, whether it’s for a stickball game in the yard or Game 7 of the World Series, Schilling thrives at being in the midst of it. You don’t even need to ask him…he’ll be the first to let you know.
-Besse
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, pleast contact Besse, Keefe and Sharkey at sportsbrief.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Maybe New and Improved Does Make Sense
As I watched the 2007 NFL draft unfold, I couldn’t help but hold skepticism over some uncharacteristic moves that were….well, uncharacteristic of the New England Patriots. First, of course, was their decision to draft embattled defensive back Brandon Meriweather out of the U. While very talented and highly touted heading into the draft, he will forever be remembered for the grape stomping imitation he did here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=djig29mgp9k
But nonetheless, the Patriots addressed a serious need, particularly with the dubious future of the franchised Asante Samuel.
Yet the real headliner for the Pats was when they traded a 4th round draft pick for the enigmatic, five-time pro bowl wide receiver, Randy Moss. This is a guy who has had several on field and off field run-ins with the law of some kind. On September 24, 2002, he was cited for failing to stop for a police officer and was arrested for bumping the officer causing her to fall down; he was also found with marijuana on his person. Then there was Moss walking off the field during the final game of that season against the Redskins, deserting his team in the waning moments as they closed the book on another disappointing season, failing to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. Moss has also been fined by the NFL numerous times for incidents such as mooning the crowd during a game and squirting a referee with a water bottle. And he has also been accused of taking plays off at his discretion.
All this from a guy who had just been picked up by a team that, since winning the Super Bowl in 2001, has predicated its mantra on filling the locker room with character guys who fill roles and put the team first.
But then I realized something. The Patriots already have proven leaders, character guys, some of whom now wear three Super Bowl rings on their finger. And according to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com, Bill Belichick and Patriot officials were “candid in apprising Moss that there will be a zero-tolerance approach, and that the kind of behavior he has manifested at times in the past will not be acceptable.” Kraft even alluded to the veteran leadership of his team, affirming his confidence in Scott Pioli and Belichick to stack the roster with said character guys that can help a player who might otherwise become somewhat of a pariah acclimate to the culture of the organization that has made it such a stable presence at the forefront of the NFL over the last six years.
Meanwhile, Moss is already saying the right things. He is asserting that he is in awe at now being a part of this organization and was overwhelmed with some of the things Belichick said about him during the recruiting and interviewing process. This wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. The Patriots went to great lengths to ensure that this would be a good fit for the team, both performance and personality wise. And if he continues some of the erratic behavior that has made headlines since being drafted 21st overall by the Vikings in 1998?
According to owner Bob Kraft, "If people don't adjust to our standards, they won't be here."
Enough said.
As far as Moss the player, the Patriots are getting a tall, athletically gifted deep threat they have longed and desperately needed. The Pats have lost their deep threats over the past few seasons, watching as the Davids, Givens and Patten went to greener pastures via free agency. Then there was the high criticized and publicized departure of Deion Branch to the Seahawks. This forced the Patriots passing game to adjust to an offense that predicated itself on utilization of the tight ends, a two-back system with Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon and short passing routes to the outside. In fact, the Patriots only had two wide receivers with 25 or more receptions; Ben Watson and Kevin Faulk were the others, along with the released Doug Gabriel. The result? The passing game fell to 12th in the league and Tom Brady passed for the fewest yards in a season since taking over the reigns full-time in 2002.
You can argue that Moss has seen his numbers slip since leaving that potent, high-powered offense in Minnesota. After becoming the first players in NFL history to record 1,000-yard seasons in each of his first six years in the league, he has since only done that once in 2005. Also, after logging back to back seasons with over 100 receptions in 2002 and 2003, Moss failed to catch more than 60 passes in each of his next three years. But why be concerned? We may not need the Moss of old to bring home another Super Bowl, statistically speaking, at least. Moss is just the icing on the cake in an off-season that saw the Pats also add receivers Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker and Kelley Washington. Stallworth was brought into Philadelphia last year to become a bona fide number one after sitting shotgun to Joe Horn in New Orleans for four seasons. Although an injury plagued 2006, combined with the season ending injury to Donovan Mcnabb left Stallworth with less than stellar numbers (38 receptions, 725 yards and 5 touchdowns), he showed in the first two weeks just how explosive he could be. Against Houston and the New York Giants, Stallworth logged a combined 11 receptions for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. I remember how jacked up I was since I had selected him late in the 5th round of my fantasy football draft. What a steal!
With Welker, you pick up a slot receiver who will be invaluable across the middle as a possession guy. Welker really came into his own last year with the Dolphins, catching 67 balls for 687 yards and a touchdown. Not a big scorer, but a guy you can trust will catch the ball when thrown, too. Washington, meanwhile, has failed to hit stride over the past two seasons with the Bengals playing in only 12 games and logging 19 balls for 216 yards and a pair of scores; disappointing for the four year veteran out of Tennessee who displayed blossoming potential when drafted in 2003. And how can you not get excited to see “The Squirrel?”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xMuvjLcuvTI
All this depth in the receiving corps will give Tom Brady all the options he needs when packaged with Ben Watson, Kyle Brady and David Thomas at the tight end positions. Brady thrives on spreading the ball, and I am seriously excited to see him do it with players who have more talent than the cast of characters that did a laudable job of filling in last season as if we were watching The Replacements. But you do have to feel sorry for Reche Caldwell, who went from being the Patriots leading receiver last season with 61 receptions to being the 4th or 5th receiver on the depth chart at best. As my buddy Keefe said, this must be a real “eye-opener” for him.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=djig29mgp9k
But nonetheless, the Patriots addressed a serious need, particularly with the dubious future of the franchised Asante Samuel.
Yet the real headliner for the Pats was when they traded a 4th round draft pick for the enigmatic, five-time pro bowl wide receiver, Randy Moss. This is a guy who has had several on field and off field run-ins with the law of some kind. On September 24, 2002, he was cited for failing to stop for a police officer and was arrested for bumping the officer causing her to fall down; he was also found with marijuana on his person. Then there was Moss walking off the field during the final game of that season against the Redskins, deserting his team in the waning moments as they closed the book on another disappointing season, failing to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. Moss has also been fined by the NFL numerous times for incidents such as mooning the crowd during a game and squirting a referee with a water bottle. And he has also been accused of taking plays off at his discretion.
All this from a guy who had just been picked up by a team that, since winning the Super Bowl in 2001, has predicated its mantra on filling the locker room with character guys who fill roles and put the team first.
But then I realized something. The Patriots already have proven leaders, character guys, some of whom now wear three Super Bowl rings on their finger. And according to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com, Bill Belichick and Patriot officials were “candid in apprising Moss that there will be a zero-tolerance approach, and that the kind of behavior he has manifested at times in the past will not be acceptable.” Kraft even alluded to the veteran leadership of his team, affirming his confidence in Scott Pioli and Belichick to stack the roster with said character guys that can help a player who might otherwise become somewhat of a pariah acclimate to the culture of the organization that has made it such a stable presence at the forefront of the NFL over the last six years.
Meanwhile, Moss is already saying the right things. He is asserting that he is in awe at now being a part of this organization and was overwhelmed with some of the things Belichick said about him during the recruiting and interviewing process. This wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. The Patriots went to great lengths to ensure that this would be a good fit for the team, both performance and personality wise. And if he continues some of the erratic behavior that has made headlines since being drafted 21st overall by the Vikings in 1998?
According to owner Bob Kraft, "If people don't adjust to our standards, they won't be here."
Enough said.
As far as Moss the player, the Patriots are getting a tall, athletically gifted deep threat they have longed and desperately needed. The Pats have lost their deep threats over the past few seasons, watching as the Davids, Givens and Patten went to greener pastures via free agency. Then there was the high criticized and publicized departure of Deion Branch to the Seahawks. This forced the Patriots passing game to adjust to an offense that predicated itself on utilization of the tight ends, a two-back system with Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon and short passing routes to the outside. In fact, the Patriots only had two wide receivers with 25 or more receptions; Ben Watson and Kevin Faulk were the others, along with the released Doug Gabriel. The result? The passing game fell to 12th in the league and Tom Brady passed for the fewest yards in a season since taking over the reigns full-time in 2002.
You can argue that Moss has seen his numbers slip since leaving that potent, high-powered offense in Minnesota. After becoming the first players in NFL history to record 1,000-yard seasons in each of his first six years in the league, he has since only done that once in 2005. Also, after logging back to back seasons with over 100 receptions in 2002 and 2003, Moss failed to catch more than 60 passes in each of his next three years. But why be concerned? We may not need the Moss of old to bring home another Super Bowl, statistically speaking, at least. Moss is just the icing on the cake in an off-season that saw the Pats also add receivers Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker and Kelley Washington. Stallworth was brought into Philadelphia last year to become a bona fide number one after sitting shotgun to Joe Horn in New Orleans for four seasons. Although an injury plagued 2006, combined with the season ending injury to Donovan Mcnabb left Stallworth with less than stellar numbers (38 receptions, 725 yards and 5 touchdowns), he showed in the first two weeks just how explosive he could be. Against Houston and the New York Giants, Stallworth logged a combined 11 receptions for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. I remember how jacked up I was since I had selected him late in the 5th round of my fantasy football draft. What a steal!
With Welker, you pick up a slot receiver who will be invaluable across the middle as a possession guy. Welker really came into his own last year with the Dolphins, catching 67 balls for 687 yards and a touchdown. Not a big scorer, but a guy you can trust will catch the ball when thrown, too. Washington, meanwhile, has failed to hit stride over the past two seasons with the Bengals playing in only 12 games and logging 19 balls for 216 yards and a pair of scores; disappointing for the four year veteran out of Tennessee who displayed blossoming potential when drafted in 2003. And how can you not get excited to see “The Squirrel?”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xMuvjLcuvTI
All this depth in the receiving corps will give Tom Brady all the options he needs when packaged with Ben Watson, Kyle Brady and David Thomas at the tight end positions. Brady thrives on spreading the ball, and I am seriously excited to see him do it with players who have more talent than the cast of characters that did a laudable job of filling in last season as if we were watching The Replacements. But you do have to feel sorry for Reche Caldwell, who went from being the Patriots leading receiver last season with 61 receptions to being the 4th or 5th receiver on the depth chart at best. As my buddy Keefe said, this must be a real “eye-opener” for him.
Friday, May 25, 2007
How the Celtics Can Make the Most of Yet Another Lottery Flop
-Besse
I watched Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery on the edge of my seat. I watched with this sense of nervous energy as if I was climbing into the Octagon against Chuck Liddell; as if I was stepping into the batter’s box against Joel Zumaya in his pre-Guitar Hero days; as if I was plugging the C gap only to see Jerome Bettis turn the corner. Simply put, I was defecating in my pants. I had spoken with Keefe about an hour earlier as we ran down all the possibilities of what could happen. “Hey, the worst they can do is the 5th pick,” he assured me. “I guarantee they get the 5th pick,” I immediately replied. We would’ve been remiss to not discuss the possibility of getting screwed again, 10 years fresh off the Tim Duncan debacle back in ’97. After losing a franchise record 19 straight games, watching D-League players log significant time and our star sit out most of the season en route to the 2nd worst record in the league, an entire season rested on a stupid lottery system. The thing is so ridiculous I think I even had 0.00000389% chance to win the Greg Oden sweepstakes. And when the Celtics drew the 5th pick, I couldn’t help but feel the same emotions of panic, distress and frustration that have been the proverbial wet blanket over the TD Banknorth Garden in recent years.
I was bullsh*t. I was irate. I was speechless, thoughtless, emotionless, depressed, suicidal…alright it didn’t get that serious, but you can understand that I felt like someone was squeezing my testicles like a stress test outside of K-Mart and Shaw’s. Pop in a quarter and see how over the top you are. I mean honestly, how does that happen? The TrailBlazers might as well have been all-in on a draw with 3, 4 suited against some poor saps’ pocket rockets only to pull a one-outer on the river. Ridiculous, and after steaming all night and into the morning, I finally took some time to reflect on what happened and where the Celtics should go from here. My thoughts have led to following: Danny Ainge & Co. must decide if the future shall be now or if they want to sign it to another 3-year extension.
Should the Celtics opt for the latter, then Ainge should place a call over to Yawkey Way and ask Theo Epstein how he worked up the intestinal (and testicular) fortitude in 2004 to trade away the face of the franchise in Nomar Garciaparra. As crazy as it sounds, and it did in ’04, it may be in their interest to put captain and five-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce on the trading block. Look at it this way, Pierce will play all of next season as a 30 year old in his ninth season in the NBA. Should the Celtics use that fifth pick on a young player like Al Horford from Florida, Brandon Wright from UNC or Yao Ming’s fellow brethren there from China, it will still most likely take the Celtics another two or three years to become contenders in the diluted Eastern Conference, and even that is wishful thinking, especially when you have to acknowledge that first-rounders aren’t always a lock. Besides, the top-seeded Pistons would have only finished 4th in the Western Conference last year. Think there’s any sort of disparity or variance there? A couple years to even think about mixing it up with the best of the East which isn’t even on the same level of it’s adversary out West. By that time, Pierce will be 32 or 33 and either finishing up the back nine of his heralded and arguably Hall of Fame career or just simply impossible to re-sign. And if that was the case, that would leave us with a group of still maturing NBA players who just recently earned the right to drink legally; yet their fearless, exemplary leader will be out the door and Doc Rivers not too far behind when he realizes his already sunken ship has been discovered. So let’s do this: dangle Pierce in the collective face of the Portland or Seattle franchises, along with that 5th pick and see if they’ll take the bait. If they do, the Celtics take home either Oden or collegiate Player of the Year Kevin Durant to add to a nice stable of developing NBA players. They’d probably miss the playoffs again next year, but could end up with another lottery pick or close to it and continue Ainge’s 30-year re-building effort. A guard rotation of Delonte West, Rajon Rondo and Gerald Green with a front-court of Perkins/Gomes, Big Al and another impact type player, ideally Durant or Oden, later on looks to a promising future. Or if you send Pierce straight up for another pick to a team looking to add a veteran player, you can keep that 5th pick and select another first-rounder. We’d have the second coming of the Fab Five, or Six, just older and in the NBA. The franchise would continue to experience growing pains, but like last year the team would be fun to watch and times and exciting for talk-radio and writers/readers/fans like ourselves to talk about in anticipation of what’s to come. All it would take is the continued patience of Celtic Pride to understand that Ainge and the Celtics are like Matt Amorello and Big Dig. We said the project was going to be completed seven years ago, but we suck at what we’re doing yet we’re still excited about the future of this organization and where it’s heading.
Meanwhile, Pierce could do what other great athletes have done in this area. Like Ray Bourque, he could amicably part ways with the franchise and go elsewhere to try and win a championship. If he ends up on Portland, Zack Randolph, Jarrett Jack, Brandon Roy and Co. wouldn’t object to Pierce’s arrival. They could probably make a run out West immediately. Or if he went to Seattle, how about the tandem of Ray Allen and Pierce with Rashard Lewis, pending the SuperSonics re-sign him which they say they will, and Nick Collison. That’s not too shabby, either. Or like Nomar, he could ungraciously go where the Celtics send him, although I think Pierce would take the high road and make the most of a fresh start.
But of course that all depends on whether or not teams would be willing to take Pierce for any of those options. Which brings us to the former. The future is now and Pierce stays in Boston. Ainge could look at the 5th pick as a lost cause and dish it away. After getting of the phone with Keefe today, he left me feeling optimistic about this alternative when he suggested the likes of Jermaine O’Neal or Ron Artest. O’Neal might make the most sense for the Pacers. They forked over their 11th pick to the Hawks as part of the Al Harrington deal, so Larry Bird would’ve been better off as a no-show at that brutal live Draft Lottery. More importantly, he could’ve been spared the awkward dialogue between he and Fred Hickman which was embarrassing just to watch. It was even bad enough to have Tom Heinsohn and Jerry West leaning over to exchange pleasantries and derisions at Hickman’s expense.
But back to the Pacers and O’Neal. In O’Neil you’re getting an athletic big man that can score 20 ppg and be a double-double threat every night washing the boards. And with 2.6 blocks per game last season, he’d add a defensive presence to alleviate some of the pressure down low on Big Al, who would be a bit of an undersized center. Meanwhile, the Pacers could draft in the top five for the first time since 1988 when they selected Rik Smits second overall. Smits, of course, went on to average almost 15 ppg over 12 NBA season.
Another option for the C’s would be Ron Artest, who really knows how to wear out a welcome wherever he goes. But as Keefe mentioned on the phone, him and Pierce are boys and that might make him a welcome fit in the locker room. Besides, Artest would probably get Pierce on his next album and be a staple at Mirage on Tremont St. That alone is worth the price of admission. On the court, he’d be like that nut job in White Men Can’t Jump, taking his gun around the corner to rob a convenience because he lost a bet in the middle of the game. He’s a raw dude like Corey Dillon and would bang bodies down low and seriously aid a defense that allowed opponents to score just a shade over 99 ppg last season.
And of course there’s the ever-desirable Kevin Garnett, whom many are comparing Durant to this year. Although he may not be on the trading block for Kevin Mchale et al, I would be remiss not to drool over the thought of him, Pierce and Big Al. After Tuesday night’s “worst-case scenario,” that would easily be the “best-case scenario.”
All in all, these are obviously hypothetical situations that may or may not be feasible for Ainge to execute using either his star player or the “coveted” 5th pick in this year’s draft. Essentially, the point I’m trying to make is although we got the raw end of the deal, landing the “worst-case scenario” on Tuesday night, it’s actually not all that bad. If Ainge can finally play his cards right, the Celtics should absolutely make tremendous headway by the time the 2007 draft has completed on June 28. But the most important thing they must do is commit to one or the other. If the Celtic brass decides that the future is now, trade that pick for a big-time veteran that can turn the Celtics into a venerable playoff contender. But if the Celtics choose to take the alternate route, you can’t keep Pierce leading a group of young, underdeveloped talent that is still a few years away from being much of anything. It’s unfair to him and an impediment to the overall status of this esteemed yet recessed franchise. You can’t get caught in the middle for yet another season because the current value of their assets is as high as they will be. You don’t need to be an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal to know that you buy low and sell high. But I suppose with his history, Ainge could probably use a subscription.
And us fans? Let’s just relax knowing that although Tuesday night was certainly not a Utopian wet dream , we are still in a substantial position. Let’s just hope Ainge doesn’t pull a Pitino.
If you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions, please send them to Keefe, Besse and Sharkey at sportsbrief@gmail.com.
-Besse
I watched Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery on the edge of my seat. I watched with this sense of nervous energy as if I was climbing into the Octagon against Chuck Liddell; as if I was stepping into the batter’s box against Joel Zumaya in his pre-Guitar Hero days; as if I was plugging the C gap only to see Jerome Bettis turn the corner. Simply put, I was defecating in my pants. I had spoken with Keefe about an hour earlier as we ran down all the possibilities of what could happen. “Hey, the worst they can do is the 5th pick,” he assured me. “I guarantee they get the 5th pick,” I immediately replied. We would’ve been remiss to not discuss the possibility of getting screwed again, 10 years fresh off the Tim Duncan debacle back in ’97. After losing a franchise record 19 straight games, watching D-League players log significant time and our star sit out most of the season en route to the 2nd worst record in the league, an entire season rested on a stupid lottery system. The thing is so ridiculous I think I even had 0.00000389% chance to win the Greg Oden sweepstakes. And when the Celtics drew the 5th pick, I couldn’t help but feel the same emotions of panic, distress and frustration that have been the proverbial wet blanket over the TD Banknorth Garden in recent years.
I was bullsh*t. I was irate. I was speechless, thoughtless, emotionless, depressed, suicidal…alright it didn’t get that serious, but you can understand that I felt like someone was squeezing my testicles like a stress test outside of K-Mart and Shaw’s. Pop in a quarter and see how over the top you are. I mean honestly, how does that happen? The TrailBlazers might as well have been all-in on a draw with 3, 4 suited against some poor saps’ pocket rockets only to pull a one-outer on the river. Ridiculous, and after steaming all night and into the morning, I finally took some time to reflect on what happened and where the Celtics should go from here. My thoughts have led to following: Danny Ainge & Co. must decide if the future shall be now or if they want to sign it to another 3-year extension.
Should the Celtics opt for the latter, then Ainge should place a call over to Yawkey Way and ask Theo Epstein how he worked up the intestinal (and testicular) fortitude in 2004 to trade away the face of the franchise in Nomar Garciaparra. As crazy as it sounds, and it did in ’04, it may be in their interest to put captain and five-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce on the trading block. Look at it this way, Pierce will play all of next season as a 30 year old in his ninth season in the NBA. Should the Celtics use that fifth pick on a young player like Al Horford from Florida, Brandon Wright from UNC or Yao Ming’s fellow brethren there from China, it will still most likely take the Celtics another two or three years to become contenders in the diluted Eastern Conference, and even that is wishful thinking, especially when you have to acknowledge that first-rounders aren’t always a lock. Besides, the top-seeded Pistons would have only finished 4th in the Western Conference last year. Think there’s any sort of disparity or variance there? A couple years to even think about mixing it up with the best of the East which isn’t even on the same level of it’s adversary out West. By that time, Pierce will be 32 or 33 and either finishing up the back nine of his heralded and arguably Hall of Fame career or just simply impossible to re-sign. And if that was the case, that would leave us with a group of still maturing NBA players who just recently earned the right to drink legally; yet their fearless, exemplary leader will be out the door and Doc Rivers not too far behind when he realizes his already sunken ship has been discovered. So let’s do this: dangle Pierce in the collective face of the Portland or Seattle franchises, along with that 5th pick and see if they’ll take the bait. If they do, the Celtics take home either Oden or collegiate Player of the Year Kevin Durant to add to a nice stable of developing NBA players. They’d probably miss the playoffs again next year, but could end up with another lottery pick or close to it and continue Ainge’s 30-year re-building effort. A guard rotation of Delonte West, Rajon Rondo and Gerald Green with a front-court of Perkins/Gomes, Big Al and another impact type player, ideally Durant or Oden, later on looks to a promising future. Or if you send Pierce straight up for another pick to a team looking to add a veteran player, you can keep that 5th pick and select another first-rounder. We’d have the second coming of the Fab Five, or Six, just older and in the NBA. The franchise would continue to experience growing pains, but like last year the team would be fun to watch and times and exciting for talk-radio and writers/readers/fans like ourselves to talk about in anticipation of what’s to come. All it would take is the continued patience of Celtic Pride to understand that Ainge and the Celtics are like Matt Amorello and Big Dig. We said the project was going to be completed seven years ago, but we suck at what we’re doing yet we’re still excited about the future of this organization and where it’s heading.
Meanwhile, Pierce could do what other great athletes have done in this area. Like Ray Bourque, he could amicably part ways with the franchise and go elsewhere to try and win a championship. If he ends up on Portland, Zack Randolph, Jarrett Jack, Brandon Roy and Co. wouldn’t object to Pierce’s arrival. They could probably make a run out West immediately. Or if he went to Seattle, how about the tandem of Ray Allen and Pierce with Rashard Lewis, pending the SuperSonics re-sign him which they say they will, and Nick Collison. That’s not too shabby, either. Or like Nomar, he could ungraciously go where the Celtics send him, although I think Pierce would take the high road and make the most of a fresh start.
But of course that all depends on whether or not teams would be willing to take Pierce for any of those options. Which brings us to the former. The future is now and Pierce stays in Boston. Ainge could look at the 5th pick as a lost cause and dish it away. After getting of the phone with Keefe today, he left me feeling optimistic about this alternative when he suggested the likes of Jermaine O’Neal or Ron Artest. O’Neal might make the most sense for the Pacers. They forked over their 11th pick to the Hawks as part of the Al Harrington deal, so Larry Bird would’ve been better off as a no-show at that brutal live Draft Lottery. More importantly, he could’ve been spared the awkward dialogue between he and Fred Hickman which was embarrassing just to watch. It was even bad enough to have Tom Heinsohn and Jerry West leaning over to exchange pleasantries and derisions at Hickman’s expense.
But back to the Pacers and O’Neal. In O’Neil you’re getting an athletic big man that can score 20 ppg and be a double-double threat every night washing the boards. And with 2.6 blocks per game last season, he’d add a defensive presence to alleviate some of the pressure down low on Big Al, who would be a bit of an undersized center. Meanwhile, the Pacers could draft in the top five for the first time since 1988 when they selected Rik Smits second overall. Smits, of course, went on to average almost 15 ppg over 12 NBA season.
Another option for the C’s would be Ron Artest, who really knows how to wear out a welcome wherever he goes. But as Keefe mentioned on the phone, him and Pierce are boys and that might make him a welcome fit in the locker room. Besides, Artest would probably get Pierce on his next album and be a staple at Mirage on Tremont St. That alone is worth the price of admission. On the court, he’d be like that nut job in White Men Can’t Jump, taking his gun around the corner to rob a convenience because he lost a bet in the middle of the game. He’s a raw dude like Corey Dillon and would bang bodies down low and seriously aid a defense that allowed opponents to score just a shade over 99 ppg last season.
And of course there’s the ever-desirable Kevin Garnett, whom many are comparing Durant to this year. Although he may not be on the trading block for Kevin Mchale et al, I would be remiss not to drool over the thought of him, Pierce and Big Al. After Tuesday night’s “worst-case scenario,” that would easily be the “best-case scenario.”
All in all, these are obviously hypothetical situations that may or may not be feasible for Ainge to execute using either his star player or the “coveted” 5th pick in this year’s draft. Essentially, the point I’m trying to make is although we got the raw end of the deal, landing the “worst-case scenario” on Tuesday night, it’s actually not all that bad. If Ainge can finally play his cards right, the Celtics should absolutely make tremendous headway by the time the 2007 draft has completed on June 28. But the most important thing they must do is commit to one or the other. If the Celtic brass decides that the future is now, trade that pick for a big-time veteran that can turn the Celtics into a venerable playoff contender. But if the Celtics choose to take the alternate route, you can’t keep Pierce leading a group of young, underdeveloped talent that is still a few years away from being much of anything. It’s unfair to him and an impediment to the overall status of this esteemed yet recessed franchise. You can’t get caught in the middle for yet another season because the current value of their assets is as high as they will be. You don’t need to be an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal to know that you buy low and sell high. But I suppose with his history, Ainge could probably use a subscription.
And us fans? Let’s just relax knowing that although Tuesday night was certainly not a Utopian wet dream , we are still in a substantial position. Let’s just hope Ainge doesn’t pull a Pitino.
If you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions, please send them to Keefe, Besse and Sharkey at sportsbrief@gmail.com.
-Besse
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Can you still win the draft after losing the lottery?
-Keefe
Seriously? As a Celtics fan what can I possibly say after last night’s lottery nightmare coming true. My buddy Shark said this ranks right below Aaron Boone’s homerun in the “worst Boston sports moments of our life time” list. And he might be right. I’m not going to even get into that list, as I am already far too depressed, rather I will focus on the newest “kick to the groin” in Celtics history. After all we endured the longest losing streak of the franchise, 18 games, injuries to our best players, and having to watch serious minutes being given to the likes of Allan Ray, Brian Scalabrine, and Kevinn Pinkney. The Sebastian Telfair trade and the contract extension to Doc Rivers also comes to mind, but if the C’s landed the first or second pick, all of that would have been forgotten, or at least pushed to the side for now. Pierce-Jefferson-Oden/Durant… you’d be lying to yourself if that’s not a serious threat in the East. And we have been looking forward to that for months. Now Pierce-Jefferson-B.Wright/J.Wright/Yi… I don’t feel good. Look I like Leon Powe, Ryan Gomes, and Kendrick Perkins as much as the next guy, but they all shouldn’t be saying things like, “nice, I should still get a ton of minutes next year.” Wow, the 5th pick? Really? Even big Tommy couldn’t get them into the top 2, I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I’m sure Besse and Shark will comment about the miserable state of the Celts, and I can’t blame them, I just don’t want to go there quite yet. Instead I’m going to look at the top 10 picks from the past 10 drafts, and prove to myself that you can still cash in without winning the lottery.
Let’s work our way from bottom to top.
#10
The Good: Paul Pierce ’98, Jason Terry ’99, Joe Johnson ’01, Caron Butler ’02.
The Bad: Keyon Dooling ’10, Luke Jackson ’04.
Comments: The Celtics had success picking 10th both in ’98 and ’01, unfortunately they didn’t hold on to Johnson long enough to see him make the All-Star team. But they still have Pierce, right? For now.
#9
The Good: Tracy McGrady ’97, Dirk Nowitzki ’98, Shawn Marion ’99, Amare Stoudemire ’02, Andre Iguodala ’04.
The Bad: Joel Pryzbilla ’00, Rodney White ’01.
Comments: Sign me up for the number 9 pick. Bulls fan should be looking at this and thinking they can add another piece to the already exciting young nucleus they have. Hey if guys like T-Mac, Amare, the Matrix, and the league’s MVP fall to 9, the Celts should get someone great at 5… right? I thought this was supposed to help.
#8
The Good: Andre Miller ’99, TJ Ford ’03, Rudy Gay ’06.
The Bad: Adonel Foyle ’97, DeSagana Diop ’01, Rafael Araujo ’04.
Comments: First off its hard to say for the rookie class if they will fall into the good or bad category. I put Gay there, he was a first team all-rookie selection, and I think he will continue to get better. Larry Hughes was also an 8th pick, but he’s so up and down, sometimes he’s good, sometimes he’s bad. The difference between one pick can be huge. Look at Foyle ahead of T-Mac, Hughes ahead of Dirk, Chris Wilcox ahead of Amare, with just four teams in front of Boston hopefully those teams will screw up too.
#7
The Good: Richard Hamilton ’99, Kirk Hinrich ’03, Luol Deng ’04, Charlie Villanueva ’05.
The Bad: Chris Mihm ’00, Eddie Griffin ’01.
Comments: I put Villanueva on the good list, because not only do I think he will be solid, but also people bashed the pick at the time. Other interesting numbers 7s include Nene, Tim Thomas, Jason Williams, and Randy Foye who was immediately traded for this years rookie of the year Brandon Roy. Who cares, let’s hurry up to the 5th pick.
#6
The Good: Shane Battier ’01, Brandon Roy ’06.
The Bad: Ron Mercer ’97, Robert “Tractor” Traylor ’98, DeMarr Johnson ’00, Dajuan Wagner ’02, Josh Childress ’04, Martel Webster ’05.
Comments: Gross. You do not want to the 6th pick apparently. Wally Szczerbiak and Chris Kamen were others who went 6th. A combined 1 all star appearance for the last ten players picked in this spot. I believe Roy will start to turn things around, but look at some of these picks. Awful. Could be worse for the Celtics… Oh wait, nope, 5th was the lowest spot they could get. And without further ado.
#5
The Good: Vince Carter ’98, Mike Miller ’00, Jason Richardson ’01, Dwayne Wade ’03, Ray Felton ’05.
The Bad: Tony Battie ’97, Jonathan Bender ’99, Nikoloz Tskitishvili ’02.
Comments: Devin Harris and Sheldon Williams round out the group that is very hit or miss. With Danny Ainge pulling the strings the Celts have a better chance of snagging this years Tskitishvili than they do Vince or Wade. The lottery was seriously last night? You sure? Friggin Seattle won’t even be there in a year what are they going to do with Durant? This is awful.
#4
The Good: Antawn Jamison ’98, Lamar Odom ’99, Chris Bosh ’03, Chris Paul ’05.
The Bad: Antonio Daniels ’97, Marcus Fizer ’00, Shaun Livingston ’04.
Comments: This high in the draft the bad become real bad. Your team is investing a top 5 pick in an attempt to save the future of the franchise. You pick a Marcus Fizer its good news, bad news. Bad news you won’t make the playoffs, good news you’ll likely get another crack at the top 5 next year. I better not be watching next year’s lottery with this much anticipation.
#3
The Good: Chauncey Billups ’97, Baron Davis ’99, Pau Gasol ’01, Carmelo Anthony ’03, Ben Gordon ’04, Deron Williams ’05.
The Bad: Raef Lafrentz ’98, Darius Miles ’00, Mike Dunleavy ’02, Adam Morrison ’06.
Comments: Billups is good now. Him and Mercer make me sick, and it has nothing to do with either of them. This list isn’t making me feel any better. I don’t even want to finish it, but I will.
#2
The Good: … has there been a good number 2 pick in the last 10 years? Steve Francis was really good, but now? Mike Bibby is solid, but has never made an All-Star team. I’ll give the nod to Emeka Okafor ’04. (Got to have someone.)
The Bad: Keith Van Horn ’97, Stromile Swift ’00, Jay Williams ’02 (I know injuries, but still), Darko Milicic ’03, Marvin Williams ’05.
Comments: Its tough to be a number 2 pick, even if you have above average careers, being selected that high makes you an underachiever. Also in the case of a Mike Bibby, getting picked ahead of Jamison, Carter, Dirk, and Pierce doesn’t look good. Kevin Durant may already be the best #2 pick in the last 10+ years. Got to go back to Marcus Camby or certainly Jason Kidd to find a better one.
#1
The Good: Tim Duncan ’97, Elton Brand ’99, Yao Ming ’02, LeBron James ’03, Dwight Howard ’04.
The Bad: Michael Olowokandi ’98, Kwame Brown ’01.
Comments: Yeah Tim Duncan was a good number 1 pick. Why did I do this? Wow how many bad top 10 picks have played in Boston? All of them? Olowokandi, Raef, Mihm, Mercer, Battie, Luke Jackson. Worst part is they didn’t miss draft on most of them, they decided to pick them up later. Well I did this with the intent of proving to myself that despite not winning the lottery, you can still win the draft. But with Oden and Durant sitting there, who am I kidding? There's just over a month until the draft, and a lot will have to happen to get Celtics fans thinking positively again. Well if Pierce is healthy, Jefferson is already a double-double guy, and it is a really deep draft right? Ugh.
-Rich Keefe
Seriously? As a Celtics fan what can I possibly say after last night’s lottery nightmare coming true. My buddy Shark said this ranks right below Aaron Boone’s homerun in the “worst Boston sports moments of our life time” list. And he might be right. I’m not going to even get into that list, as I am already far too depressed, rather I will focus on the newest “kick to the groin” in Celtics history. After all we endured the longest losing streak of the franchise, 18 games, injuries to our best players, and having to watch serious minutes being given to the likes of Allan Ray, Brian Scalabrine, and Kevinn Pinkney. The Sebastian Telfair trade and the contract extension to Doc Rivers also comes to mind, but if the C’s landed the first or second pick, all of that would have been forgotten, or at least pushed to the side for now. Pierce-Jefferson-Oden/Durant… you’d be lying to yourself if that’s not a serious threat in the East. And we have been looking forward to that for months. Now Pierce-Jefferson-B.Wright/J.Wright/Yi… I don’t feel good. Look I like Leon Powe, Ryan Gomes, and Kendrick Perkins as much as the next guy, but they all shouldn’t be saying things like, “nice, I should still get a ton of minutes next year.” Wow, the 5th pick? Really? Even big Tommy couldn’t get them into the top 2, I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I’m sure Besse and Shark will comment about the miserable state of the Celts, and I can’t blame them, I just don’t want to go there quite yet. Instead I’m going to look at the top 10 picks from the past 10 drafts, and prove to myself that you can still cash in without winning the lottery.
Let’s work our way from bottom to top.
#10
The Good: Paul Pierce ’98, Jason Terry ’99, Joe Johnson ’01, Caron Butler ’02.
The Bad: Keyon Dooling ’10, Luke Jackson ’04.
Comments: The Celtics had success picking 10th both in ’98 and ’01, unfortunately they didn’t hold on to Johnson long enough to see him make the All-Star team. But they still have Pierce, right? For now.
#9
The Good: Tracy McGrady ’97, Dirk Nowitzki ’98, Shawn Marion ’99, Amare Stoudemire ’02, Andre Iguodala ’04.
The Bad: Joel Pryzbilla ’00, Rodney White ’01.
Comments: Sign me up for the number 9 pick. Bulls fan should be looking at this and thinking they can add another piece to the already exciting young nucleus they have. Hey if guys like T-Mac, Amare, the Matrix, and the league’s MVP fall to 9, the Celts should get someone great at 5… right? I thought this was supposed to help.
#8
The Good: Andre Miller ’99, TJ Ford ’03, Rudy Gay ’06.
The Bad: Adonel Foyle ’97, DeSagana Diop ’01, Rafael Araujo ’04.
Comments: First off its hard to say for the rookie class if they will fall into the good or bad category. I put Gay there, he was a first team all-rookie selection, and I think he will continue to get better. Larry Hughes was also an 8th pick, but he’s so up and down, sometimes he’s good, sometimes he’s bad. The difference between one pick can be huge. Look at Foyle ahead of T-Mac, Hughes ahead of Dirk, Chris Wilcox ahead of Amare, with just four teams in front of Boston hopefully those teams will screw up too.
#7
The Good: Richard Hamilton ’99, Kirk Hinrich ’03, Luol Deng ’04, Charlie Villanueva ’05.
The Bad: Chris Mihm ’00, Eddie Griffin ’01.
Comments: I put Villanueva on the good list, because not only do I think he will be solid, but also people bashed the pick at the time. Other interesting numbers 7s include Nene, Tim Thomas, Jason Williams, and Randy Foye who was immediately traded for this years rookie of the year Brandon Roy. Who cares, let’s hurry up to the 5th pick.
#6
The Good: Shane Battier ’01, Brandon Roy ’06.
The Bad: Ron Mercer ’97, Robert “Tractor” Traylor ’98, DeMarr Johnson ’00, Dajuan Wagner ’02, Josh Childress ’04, Martel Webster ’05.
Comments: Gross. You do not want to the 6th pick apparently. Wally Szczerbiak and Chris Kamen were others who went 6th. A combined 1 all star appearance for the last ten players picked in this spot. I believe Roy will start to turn things around, but look at some of these picks. Awful. Could be worse for the Celtics… Oh wait, nope, 5th was the lowest spot they could get. And without further ado.
#5
The Good: Vince Carter ’98, Mike Miller ’00, Jason Richardson ’01, Dwayne Wade ’03, Ray Felton ’05.
The Bad: Tony Battie ’97, Jonathan Bender ’99, Nikoloz Tskitishvili ’02.
Comments: Devin Harris and Sheldon Williams round out the group that is very hit or miss. With Danny Ainge pulling the strings the Celts have a better chance of snagging this years Tskitishvili than they do Vince or Wade. The lottery was seriously last night? You sure? Friggin Seattle won’t even be there in a year what are they going to do with Durant? This is awful.
#4
The Good: Antawn Jamison ’98, Lamar Odom ’99, Chris Bosh ’03, Chris Paul ’05.
The Bad: Antonio Daniels ’97, Marcus Fizer ’00, Shaun Livingston ’04.
Comments: This high in the draft the bad become real bad. Your team is investing a top 5 pick in an attempt to save the future of the franchise. You pick a Marcus Fizer its good news, bad news. Bad news you won’t make the playoffs, good news you’ll likely get another crack at the top 5 next year. I better not be watching next year’s lottery with this much anticipation.
#3
The Good: Chauncey Billups ’97, Baron Davis ’99, Pau Gasol ’01, Carmelo Anthony ’03, Ben Gordon ’04, Deron Williams ’05.
The Bad: Raef Lafrentz ’98, Darius Miles ’00, Mike Dunleavy ’02, Adam Morrison ’06.
Comments: Billups is good now. Him and Mercer make me sick, and it has nothing to do with either of them. This list isn’t making me feel any better. I don’t even want to finish it, but I will.
#2
The Good: … has there been a good number 2 pick in the last 10 years? Steve Francis was really good, but now? Mike Bibby is solid, but has never made an All-Star team. I’ll give the nod to Emeka Okafor ’04. (Got to have someone.)
The Bad: Keith Van Horn ’97, Stromile Swift ’00, Jay Williams ’02 (I know injuries, but still), Darko Milicic ’03, Marvin Williams ’05.
Comments: Its tough to be a number 2 pick, even if you have above average careers, being selected that high makes you an underachiever. Also in the case of a Mike Bibby, getting picked ahead of Jamison, Carter, Dirk, and Pierce doesn’t look good. Kevin Durant may already be the best #2 pick in the last 10+ years. Got to go back to Marcus Camby or certainly Jason Kidd to find a better one.
#1
The Good: Tim Duncan ’97, Elton Brand ’99, Yao Ming ’02, LeBron James ’03, Dwight Howard ’04.
The Bad: Michael Olowokandi ’98, Kwame Brown ’01.
Comments: Yeah Tim Duncan was a good number 1 pick. Why did I do this? Wow how many bad top 10 picks have played in Boston? All of them? Olowokandi, Raef, Mihm, Mercer, Battie, Luke Jackson. Worst part is they didn’t miss draft on most of them, they decided to pick them up later. Well I did this with the intent of proving to myself that despite not winning the lottery, you can still win the draft. But with Oden and Durant sitting there, who am I kidding? There's just over a month until the draft, and a lot will have to happen to get Celtics fans thinking positively again. Well if Pierce is healthy, Jefferson is already a double-double guy, and it is a really deep draft right? Ugh.
-Rich Keefe
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Best Pitch I've Ever Thrown
-Bess
Imagine standing in the middle of Fenway Park, just shy of the perfectly molded pitcher’s mound with your feet atop the plush, picturesque green grass. Imagine standing there, over 30,000 sets of eyes watching as you rub your hands down your sides, trying to dry the sweat off your hands as you go to pick up the baseball. Imagine standing there, your teammates eagerly watching you as the catcher settles in behind home plate just a mere 50 feet away. Wait, what? Fifty feet?
That’s right, just 50 feet from where I stood to home plate as I prepared to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park this past Monday night, May 14, 2007. You see, the Northeastern Baseball team, which I am proudly a senior tri-captain of, was being honored for winning the Baseball Beanpot, which coincidentally was played on the same field just a few weeks prior. Now the Baseball Beanpot is certainly not the extravagant event that the hallowed, traditional hockey Beanpot has been. This is evidenced by the small crowd of 214 people that was fleeing for exits due to rain during our 2-0 championship win over Boston College this season. But it’s important to us, and it was certainly satisfying that the Boston Red Sox found it significant enough to honor us before Monday’s game against the A.L. Central leading Detroit Tigers. And lucky enough for me, I was chosen by my teammates to physically carry out what we were actually there to do: throw out the first pitch.
I found out on Sunday night that I was going to be the guy. Fellow senior captain and starting catcher Dan Milano sent me a text message telling me I would be throwing out the first pitch. It had come down to the two of us, and he said that since I had graduated back on May 5th, he would afford me the honor of actually making the pitch for our team. I would find out later on that he was actually too chicken-shit to make the pitch. He had disclosed to teammates that he feared hurling it off the backstop and thus relinquished the task to me.
Now any of you reading may be wondering how a Division I baseball player could possibly be concerned about tossing a baseball, something I do everyday, a mere 50 feet. Why don’t you ask Mark Mallory, the infamous Mayor of Cincinnati whose pitch arguably landed closer to first base than it did home plate?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC1dLxYwWJc&mode=related&search=
Or how about “Mr. Ceremonial First Pitch Thrower Outer” from the “Real Men of Genius”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eDzJ_K9i_0
It was unsettling to think what nerves or pressure would do to me out on the field, and my biggest fear was embarrassing not only myself, but my team as well if I didn’t at least put the ball within an arm’s length of the catcher. But then again, I couldn’t do much worse than our aforementioned pioneers from the school of What Not to Do When Throwing Out the First Pitch.
So with that issue settled the next item to check off the list was what kind of throw I would make. I’m not talking pitch selection here, as we’ll get to that in a moment, but rather arm angle. You see, for the last season and a half or so I have been throwing sidearm when I pitch. In order to get better acclimated and comfortable with the motion, I have narrowed my focus of throwing strictly to that angle. So whenever I try and go back to throwing at a three-quarter or over the top arm angle, it often feels uncanny and tends to result in an errant and at times embarrassing throw. This left me with two options: embarrass yourself by dropping down to throw side arm and risk jai-alai’ing it into the Tigers dugout or go with a normal throwing motion that you haven’t done much of and risk spiking a divot on the green of the Par-3 17th. What a conundrum. Until I came up with Option Three. Keep it simple and easy by going with the Batting Practice Pitcher’s motion. The process is effortless and unproblematic. Just step into the throw, keep a short arm action down and back and release from the left ear. I had thrown my fair share of b.p. to some teammates this season, so I thought this might work the best.
The last issue to check off was the actual pitch. I could go with a fastball, but wouldn’t it be fun if I threw a hammer, or dropped in a knuckleball or honored Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka with a gyro-ball? No. Not only would it be idiotic and foolhardy, but I can’t effectively throw any of these pitches. So after ruling out anything off-speed, I was left with one option: a fastball. Now with this fastball, do I pump it in there? I mean what if I inexplicably pumped one in there at 97 mph and a Disney producer immediately came over offering to do a Rookie of the Year 2. Adrian Grenier would play a college graduate who wanted to give baseball one last shot, but little did he know that shot would last a lifetime. Hey, why not?
At about 6:15 p.m. our team was led down onto the field behind home plate. Initially we felt privileged and distinctively unique, until we realized that there were about a million other people down on the field, too. Apparently from what I’ve been told, bigwigs can dole out scores of cash from their bottomless coffers to be down on the field for batting practice. People are ushered behind man-made barriers along the backstop to give the players sufficient room on the field; there are also people that enjoy the pre-game routine from the triangle out in center field. At about 6:30 p.m. a large number of those people were cleared off the field, leaving us and a few other groups along with the grounds crew which was working fervently to get the field ready for the 7:05 p.m. first pitch from Matsuzaka.
But being down on the field afforded me the chance to see just how well organized, thorough and efficient the Red Sox front office really is. There were probably a million different pre-game activities scheduled, five to be exact, but it was impressive to see them bang one out then move the next group in immediately to keep the proverbial car in drive. From the “Fan of the game” to the “Blood Donor of the Game”, followed by the National Anthem, all that was left was the ceremonial first pitch aside from the token little kid that comes on the field to whisper “Play Ball” into the microphone. I swear you never actually hear the kid say it but the crowd still goes nuts. He could be whispering “Go Yankees” for all we know. In fact I can’t believe no parent has ever tried to pull that off, vicariously living through their five year old to spite the enemy Red Sox fans on their own turf. I digress.
Back to the first pitch. There were two on this night, and first up was the head coach of the Trinity squash team, which apparently has won 165 straight matches and nine straight national championships. I don’t care if we’re talking checkers, chess or Parcheesi. You win that much and not only are you doing something right, you’re doing something special. So out came Paul D. Assaiante, and his throw went as expected: an overhand lob that would have made Henry Rowengartner’s mom proud. It got there…in unimpressive fashion but kudos to him for not sailing or spiking himself into the pantheon of ceremonial 1st pitch choke artists. As soon as his pitch hit the mitt, we were immediately being ushered out onto the field. I led the way, joined by fellow captains Dan Milano and Josh Porter. Our head coach, Neil McPhee, was directly behind with the other coaches and my teammates all followed suit. I looked up onto the jumbotron, and like any other idiot fan, saw myself up on the screen but couldn’t figure out where the camera was or why it was showing the back of my head. I gave up and kept walking, refocusing on the pitch I was about to throw. Arguably the most important pitch of my life.
I settled in front of the mound, about ten feet in front of the rubber. The rest of the team assembled behind me, and I looked up to the see the ball boy crouched down next to the home plate. There were a couple things that bothered me about this: first is that it wasn’t Mirabelli. This guy is getting $750,000 to catch once every five days and sport a .235 career average; he hit a combined .191 last season between San Diego and Boston. The least he could do is catch the ceremonial 1st pitch every night to earn some of that paycheck. Plus, I had actually contemplated tossing in a knuckleball, regardless of how good it was, just to mock him. The second thing that bothered me is that the ball boy was the older brother of a player on our team. The kid just graduated with me on May 5th, and it was somewhat disheartening for all of us to see Chuck’s older brother decimated to wearing a pseudo-uniform that was fit for a 12 year old. I felt bad, but certainly appreciated him being a good sport even though his hand-eye coordination was equivalent to that of a “mentally challenged” cyclopse. But again, I digress.
I was now seconds away from making the pitch, the crowd was buzzing, cameras flashing and surprisingly, I wasn’t panicking or showing full moon sweat stains under my arms. I felt like I had been put on this earth to make this pitch, and I stood there just soaking in the surreal moment. Then I heard Carl Beane’s booming voice come on the loudspeaker.
“The Boston Red Sox would like to congratulate this year’s Beanpot champions, the Northeastern Huskies’ Baseball Team. Throwing out the first pitch will be Senior Captain….Tristan……Resse.”
Woah, wait a minute numnuts. Tristan Resse? But before I had enough time to complain, Red Sox personnel gave me the okay and I looked back at my team one last time.
I patted my right hand with the ball.
I turned my left foot towards first.
Then as I stepped towards home, well, just outside the left-handed batter’s box, my hands separated.
Everything was perfect, so far.
I wound up and felt my hand coming back towards my left ear.
Then boom. The pitch was in flight. I let it go and tried to put enough on it so that I didn’t look like I had a skirt on but didn’t risk hurting Chuck’s brother. As I watched it go, I could see that I had followed through a little more upright and towards third than I had hoped for. The ball was going to cut in. Oh sh*t. I panicked, but with only 50 feet between myself and home plate, I lucked out. The ball was about 40 feet away when it lifted its left wing and began a 45-degree descent towards the right-handed batter’s box. Thankfully, I had put enough steam on it that the pitch dropped in for a called strike, just off the catcher’s left knee. I gave a pump of the fist and turned towards my team, everyone elated and relieved that I had not only thrown the pitch, but safely gotten it in there for a strike. But before I could converse or communicate with anyone, we were quickly being ushered off the field. That was it. We were quickly being brought back from cloud nine to our insignificant, inconsequential lives. Julio Lugo said, “What’s up, guys?” as we made our way to the stands. I even got a pat on the shoulder and a thumbs up from some random old guy, approving of my throw. Thanks, buddy.
And so looking back, the whole thing probably lasted all of 60 seconds, maybe not even that long. But despite my nerves, my worries of rivaling Mark Mallory for YouTube hits or whether or not I’d get that professional contract and movie rights, I managed to do what I should have been worried about the whole time: “No news is good news.”
Oh and by the way, all the Red Sox could give us was standing room only tickets.
But thankfully for me, I went right back to work in the Red Sox radio booth with Joe and Glen, only to be promptly made fun on the air because Joe “clocked” me at 68 mph. So I guess I made some news, but I’m sure Jimmy Kimmel won’t deem it necessary to have me on his show for a second chance.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QjwFnfEVdgQ
-Bess
Imagine standing in the middle of Fenway Park, just shy of the perfectly molded pitcher’s mound with your feet atop the plush, picturesque green grass. Imagine standing there, over 30,000 sets of eyes watching as you rub your hands down your sides, trying to dry the sweat off your hands as you go to pick up the baseball. Imagine standing there, your teammates eagerly watching you as the catcher settles in behind home plate just a mere 50 feet away. Wait, what? Fifty feet?
That’s right, just 50 feet from where I stood to home plate as I prepared to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park this past Monday night, May 14, 2007. You see, the Northeastern Baseball team, which I am proudly a senior tri-captain of, was being honored for winning the Baseball Beanpot, which coincidentally was played on the same field just a few weeks prior. Now the Baseball Beanpot is certainly not the extravagant event that the hallowed, traditional hockey Beanpot has been. This is evidenced by the small crowd of 214 people that was fleeing for exits due to rain during our 2-0 championship win over Boston College this season. But it’s important to us, and it was certainly satisfying that the Boston Red Sox found it significant enough to honor us before Monday’s game against the A.L. Central leading Detroit Tigers. And lucky enough for me, I was chosen by my teammates to physically carry out what we were actually there to do: throw out the first pitch.
I found out on Sunday night that I was going to be the guy. Fellow senior captain and starting catcher Dan Milano sent me a text message telling me I would be throwing out the first pitch. It had come down to the two of us, and he said that since I had graduated back on May 5th, he would afford me the honor of actually making the pitch for our team. I would find out later on that he was actually too chicken-shit to make the pitch. He had disclosed to teammates that he feared hurling it off the backstop and thus relinquished the task to me.
Now any of you reading may be wondering how a Division I baseball player could possibly be concerned about tossing a baseball, something I do everyday, a mere 50 feet. Why don’t you ask Mark Mallory, the infamous Mayor of Cincinnati whose pitch arguably landed closer to first base than it did home plate?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC1dLxYwWJc&mode=related&search=
Or how about “Mr. Ceremonial First Pitch Thrower Outer” from the “Real Men of Genius”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eDzJ_K9i_0
It was unsettling to think what nerves or pressure would do to me out on the field, and my biggest fear was embarrassing not only myself, but my team as well if I didn’t at least put the ball within an arm’s length of the catcher. But then again, I couldn’t do much worse than our aforementioned pioneers from the school of What Not to Do When Throwing Out the First Pitch.
So with that issue settled the next item to check off the list was what kind of throw I would make. I’m not talking pitch selection here, as we’ll get to that in a moment, but rather arm angle. You see, for the last season and a half or so I have been throwing sidearm when I pitch. In order to get better acclimated and comfortable with the motion, I have narrowed my focus of throwing strictly to that angle. So whenever I try and go back to throwing at a three-quarter or over the top arm angle, it often feels uncanny and tends to result in an errant and at times embarrassing throw. This left me with two options: embarrass yourself by dropping down to throw side arm and risk jai-alai’ing it into the Tigers dugout or go with a normal throwing motion that you haven’t done much of and risk spiking a divot on the green of the Par-3 17th. What a conundrum. Until I came up with Option Three. Keep it simple and easy by going with the Batting Practice Pitcher’s motion. The process is effortless and unproblematic. Just step into the throw, keep a short arm action down and back and release from the left ear. I had thrown my fair share of b.p. to some teammates this season, so I thought this might work the best.
The last issue to check off was the actual pitch. I could go with a fastball, but wouldn’t it be fun if I threw a hammer, or dropped in a knuckleball or honored Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka with a gyro-ball? No. Not only would it be idiotic and foolhardy, but I can’t effectively throw any of these pitches. So after ruling out anything off-speed, I was left with one option: a fastball. Now with this fastball, do I pump it in there? I mean what if I inexplicably pumped one in there at 97 mph and a Disney producer immediately came over offering to do a Rookie of the Year 2. Adrian Grenier would play a college graduate who wanted to give baseball one last shot, but little did he know that shot would last a lifetime. Hey, why not?
At about 6:15 p.m. our team was led down onto the field behind home plate. Initially we felt privileged and distinctively unique, until we realized that there were about a million other people down on the field, too. Apparently from what I’ve been told, bigwigs can dole out scores of cash from their bottomless coffers to be down on the field for batting practice. People are ushered behind man-made barriers along the backstop to give the players sufficient room on the field; there are also people that enjoy the pre-game routine from the triangle out in center field. At about 6:30 p.m. a large number of those people were cleared off the field, leaving us and a few other groups along with the grounds crew which was working fervently to get the field ready for the 7:05 p.m. first pitch from Matsuzaka.
But being down on the field afforded me the chance to see just how well organized, thorough and efficient the Red Sox front office really is. There were probably a million different pre-game activities scheduled, five to be exact, but it was impressive to see them bang one out then move the next group in immediately to keep the proverbial car in drive. From the “Fan of the game” to the “Blood Donor of the Game”, followed by the National Anthem, all that was left was the ceremonial first pitch aside from the token little kid that comes on the field to whisper “Play Ball” into the microphone. I swear you never actually hear the kid say it but the crowd still goes nuts. He could be whispering “Go Yankees” for all we know. In fact I can’t believe no parent has ever tried to pull that off, vicariously living through their five year old to spite the enemy Red Sox fans on their own turf. I digress.
Back to the first pitch. There were two on this night, and first up was the head coach of the Trinity squash team, which apparently has won 165 straight matches and nine straight national championships. I don’t care if we’re talking checkers, chess or Parcheesi. You win that much and not only are you doing something right, you’re doing something special. So out came Paul D. Assaiante, and his throw went as expected: an overhand lob that would have made Henry Rowengartner’s mom proud. It got there…in unimpressive fashion but kudos to him for not sailing or spiking himself into the pantheon of ceremonial 1st pitch choke artists. As soon as his pitch hit the mitt, we were immediately being ushered out onto the field. I led the way, joined by fellow captains Dan Milano and Josh Porter. Our head coach, Neil McPhee, was directly behind with the other coaches and my teammates all followed suit. I looked up onto the jumbotron, and like any other idiot fan, saw myself up on the screen but couldn’t figure out where the camera was or why it was showing the back of my head. I gave up and kept walking, refocusing on the pitch I was about to throw. Arguably the most important pitch of my life.
I settled in front of the mound, about ten feet in front of the rubber. The rest of the team assembled behind me, and I looked up to the see the ball boy crouched down next to the home plate. There were a couple things that bothered me about this: first is that it wasn’t Mirabelli. This guy is getting $750,000 to catch once every five days and sport a .235 career average; he hit a combined .191 last season between San Diego and Boston. The least he could do is catch the ceremonial 1st pitch every night to earn some of that paycheck. Plus, I had actually contemplated tossing in a knuckleball, regardless of how good it was, just to mock him. The second thing that bothered me is that the ball boy was the older brother of a player on our team. The kid just graduated with me on May 5th, and it was somewhat disheartening for all of us to see Chuck’s older brother decimated to wearing a pseudo-uniform that was fit for a 12 year old. I felt bad, but certainly appreciated him being a good sport even though his hand-eye coordination was equivalent to that of a “mentally challenged” cyclopse. But again, I digress.
I was now seconds away from making the pitch, the crowd was buzzing, cameras flashing and surprisingly, I wasn’t panicking or showing full moon sweat stains under my arms. I felt like I had been put on this earth to make this pitch, and I stood there just soaking in the surreal moment. Then I heard Carl Beane’s booming voice come on the loudspeaker.
“The Boston Red Sox would like to congratulate this year’s Beanpot champions, the Northeastern Huskies’ Baseball Team. Throwing out the first pitch will be Senior Captain….Tristan……Resse.”
Woah, wait a minute numnuts. Tristan Resse? But before I had enough time to complain, Red Sox personnel gave me the okay and I looked back at my team one last time.
I patted my right hand with the ball.
I turned my left foot towards first.
Then as I stepped towards home, well, just outside the left-handed batter’s box, my hands separated.
Everything was perfect, so far.
I wound up and felt my hand coming back towards my left ear.
Then boom. The pitch was in flight. I let it go and tried to put enough on it so that I didn’t look like I had a skirt on but didn’t risk hurting Chuck’s brother. As I watched it go, I could see that I had followed through a little more upright and towards third than I had hoped for. The ball was going to cut in. Oh sh*t. I panicked, but with only 50 feet between myself and home plate, I lucked out. The ball was about 40 feet away when it lifted its left wing and began a 45-degree descent towards the right-handed batter’s box. Thankfully, I had put enough steam on it that the pitch dropped in for a called strike, just off the catcher’s left knee. I gave a pump of the fist and turned towards my team, everyone elated and relieved that I had not only thrown the pitch, but safely gotten it in there for a strike. But before I could converse or communicate with anyone, we were quickly being ushered off the field. That was it. We were quickly being brought back from cloud nine to our insignificant, inconsequential lives. Julio Lugo said, “What’s up, guys?” as we made our way to the stands. I even got a pat on the shoulder and a thumbs up from some random old guy, approving of my throw. Thanks, buddy.
And so looking back, the whole thing probably lasted all of 60 seconds, maybe not even that long. But despite my nerves, my worries of rivaling Mark Mallory for YouTube hits or whether or not I’d get that professional contract and movie rights, I managed to do what I should have been worried about the whole time: “No news is good news.”
Oh and by the way, all the Red Sox could give us was standing room only tickets.
But thankfully for me, I went right back to work in the Red Sox radio booth with Joe and Glen, only to be promptly made fun on the air because Joe “clocked” me at 68 mph. So I guess I made some news, but I’m sure Jimmy Kimmel won’t deem it necessary to have me on his show for a second chance.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QjwFnfEVdgQ
-Bess
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
The Good Sun
-Keefe
First off I have to say that I’ve been completely swept up in the Nellie ball, “We Believe” Bay Area hysteria that has surrounded the playoff run by the Warriors. They might be the most exciting team to watch to right now. For the record, I am a Celtics fan, but also an NBA fan. So when I realized the Celts wouldn’t be making a playoff push, (this happened early in the season as you could imagine) I had to find another team(s) to follow to get me through the season. I still watched nearly every Celtics game all season long… long season long, but it was other players and teams that kept me loving NBA basketball. I guess this has happened more often than not in the past years cheering for Pierce and the C’s. Between Gilbert Arenas and the Phoenix Suns, I was able to find a reason to follow the year in the NBA. The Warriors are dominating much of the talk after their first round upset over the Mavs, but let’s not forget about the Suns.
Ever since Steve Nash rejoined the Suns in ’04-’05 I have made a point to watch their games. It’s hard not to love the way they play, pushing the pace, “7 seconds or less.” I don’t consider myself a bandwagon jumper, because first off they play in the West, and I think it’s ok to cheer for a team in both conferences, second: they’ve never won the title, not like I’m cheering for the Kobe/ Shaq’s Lakers or Jordan’s Bulls. Also if the Celtics ever played the Suns in the playoffs, (doesn’t even feel like a remote possibility for the near future) there wouldn’t be a question in my mind I’d be cheering hard for the Celtics.
It’s favorite players and style of play that attracts you to teams other than those in your hometown. I love watching Chad Johnson, Gilbert Arenas, and Ken Griffey Jr., but none of them have played for New England or Boston. But when you combine the style of play with great and likeable stars you have something special. The Suns have that with Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire. Even players like Barbosa and Raja Bell offer certain skills that make watching them a must.
So after the Suns and Warriors both emerged from the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the thought of them playing each other, in a 7 game series, made me as excited as Lattimer when he found out he’d be on the starting defense in The Program. The only things standing in the way of this dream match up are the Jazz and the Spurs. (Just think of all the showings of Barkley’s 56 point game against Mullin, Spree, and C-Webb from the ’94 playoffs leading up to this series). And let’s be honest here, after Game 1 of both series, it was a long shot for the two most exciting teams in the league to face each other in the Western Finals. But I have faith in both of them. The Warriors could have and probably should have beaten the Jazz in Game 1. It was a great and close game, that the Jazz eeked out. That wouldn’t have happened in Oakland, that’s for sure. Baron Davis (one of many, extremely likeable/ must watch players on Golden State, you got to put Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson, and even Matt Barnes on this list) will bounce back, and if they take Game 2, which is on in less than an hour, I can’t see Utah winning a game in California.
It looks as though the Suns will have a much tougher time keeping up their end of the deal. They clearly don’t match up well against San Antonio. Duncan has looked unguardable so far (33-16 in Game 1, 29-11 in Game 2.) I mean… come on. But I certainly wouldn’t give the series to the Spurs just yet. Game 1 may have ended differently if Nash didn’t get cut open like a dead body on CSI, and Game 2 was an impressive 20 point home victory. A lot of writers have harped on the importance of Kurt Thomas for this series (12 pts, 4 rebs in Game 2), because he is the best candidate to guard Duncan. I understand that of course, but the obvious difference between the first two games wasn’t Duncan’s performance, (both were dominant), but from the Spurs’ second best player, Tony Parker. And maybe I’ve become a bit of a Shawn Marion apologist, I agree he doesn’t receive enough attention, and I think he’s a top 15 player in the league, but you can not argue with his impact guarding Parker in Game 2. In Game 1 Parker shot 14-22 from the field for 32 pts and dropped 8 assists. In Game 2, not always guarded by Marion, but shot just 5-14, was 3-6 at the line and had only 13 pts and 3 assists. Ginobili also has not been effective, thanks to Bell.
Bottom line is the league’s best offense will win this series because of their defense. Talk all you want about Kurt Thomas’s impact, but Duncan can get his stats and the Suns can still win. If Parker and Ginobili play like All-Stars, Phoenix is in a lot of trouble. Nash and Amare have been the only consistent threats on offense so far, Marion won’t have 5 points (like he did in Game 2) again this series, and I expect more from the 6th man of the year as well.
Ok the Warriors will be on shortly, trying to tie up the series with Utah. With each win by Golden State and Phoenix we are closer and closer to what could be the best NBA playoff match up in a long long time. A series that could make be forget that the most important future dates for my team are the Lottery (May 22) and the NBA Draft (June 28).
-Rich Keefe
First off I have to say that I’ve been completely swept up in the Nellie ball, “We Believe” Bay Area hysteria that has surrounded the playoff run by the Warriors. They might be the most exciting team to watch to right now. For the record, I am a Celtics fan, but also an NBA fan. So when I realized the Celts wouldn’t be making a playoff push, (this happened early in the season as you could imagine) I had to find another team(s) to follow to get me through the season. I still watched nearly every Celtics game all season long… long season long, but it was other players and teams that kept me loving NBA basketball. I guess this has happened more often than not in the past years cheering for Pierce and the C’s. Between Gilbert Arenas and the Phoenix Suns, I was able to find a reason to follow the year in the NBA. The Warriors are dominating much of the talk after their first round upset over the Mavs, but let’s not forget about the Suns.
Ever since Steve Nash rejoined the Suns in ’04-’05 I have made a point to watch their games. It’s hard not to love the way they play, pushing the pace, “7 seconds or less.” I don’t consider myself a bandwagon jumper, because first off they play in the West, and I think it’s ok to cheer for a team in both conferences, second: they’ve never won the title, not like I’m cheering for the Kobe/ Shaq’s Lakers or Jordan’s Bulls. Also if the Celtics ever played the Suns in the playoffs, (doesn’t even feel like a remote possibility for the near future) there wouldn’t be a question in my mind I’d be cheering hard for the Celtics.
It’s favorite players and style of play that attracts you to teams other than those in your hometown. I love watching Chad Johnson, Gilbert Arenas, and Ken Griffey Jr., but none of them have played for New England or Boston. But when you combine the style of play with great and likeable stars you have something special. The Suns have that with Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire. Even players like Barbosa and Raja Bell offer certain skills that make watching them a must.
So after the Suns and Warriors both emerged from the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the thought of them playing each other, in a 7 game series, made me as excited as Lattimer when he found out he’d be on the starting defense in The Program. The only things standing in the way of this dream match up are the Jazz and the Spurs. (Just think of all the showings of Barkley’s 56 point game against Mullin, Spree, and C-Webb from the ’94 playoffs leading up to this series). And let’s be honest here, after Game 1 of both series, it was a long shot for the two most exciting teams in the league to face each other in the Western Finals. But I have faith in both of them. The Warriors could have and probably should have beaten the Jazz in Game 1. It was a great and close game, that the Jazz eeked out. That wouldn’t have happened in Oakland, that’s for sure. Baron Davis (one of many, extremely likeable/ must watch players on Golden State, you got to put Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson, and even Matt Barnes on this list) will bounce back, and if they take Game 2, which is on in less than an hour, I can’t see Utah winning a game in California.
It looks as though the Suns will have a much tougher time keeping up their end of the deal. They clearly don’t match up well against San Antonio. Duncan has looked unguardable so far (33-16 in Game 1, 29-11 in Game 2.) I mean… come on. But I certainly wouldn’t give the series to the Spurs just yet. Game 1 may have ended differently if Nash didn’t get cut open like a dead body on CSI, and Game 2 was an impressive 20 point home victory. A lot of writers have harped on the importance of Kurt Thomas for this series (12 pts, 4 rebs in Game 2), because he is the best candidate to guard Duncan. I understand that of course, but the obvious difference between the first two games wasn’t Duncan’s performance, (both were dominant), but from the Spurs’ second best player, Tony Parker. And maybe I’ve become a bit of a Shawn Marion apologist, I agree he doesn’t receive enough attention, and I think he’s a top 15 player in the league, but you can not argue with his impact guarding Parker in Game 2. In Game 1 Parker shot 14-22 from the field for 32 pts and dropped 8 assists. In Game 2, not always guarded by Marion, but shot just 5-14, was 3-6 at the line and had only 13 pts and 3 assists. Ginobili also has not been effective, thanks to Bell.
Bottom line is the league’s best offense will win this series because of their defense. Talk all you want about Kurt Thomas’s impact, but Duncan can get his stats and the Suns can still win. If Parker and Ginobili play like All-Stars, Phoenix is in a lot of trouble. Nash and Amare have been the only consistent threats on offense so far, Marion won’t have 5 points (like he did in Game 2) again this series, and I expect more from the 6th man of the year as well.
Ok the Warriors will be on shortly, trying to tie up the series with Utah. With each win by Golden State and Phoenix we are closer and closer to what could be the best NBA playoff match up in a long long time. A series that could make be forget that the most important future dates for my team are the Lottery (May 22) and the NBA Draft (June 28).
-Rich Keefe
Monday, April 30, 2007
Worth the Wait
-Keefe
Before I get to my thoughts on the NFL Draft, how about this sports weekend? One of the best ever. The past few days had almost everything; football (draft), basketball (NBA playoffs), baseball (highlighted by a Red Sox/ Yanks series). All we were missing was a UFC pay-per-view on Saturday night. A lot happened from Friday- Sunday. We know we will have a new NBA champion this year, as the talented Chicago Bulls swept the Heat. Mariano Rivera didn’t get his first save until April 28th, and still has an ERA over 10. The Golden State Warriors put on an absolute clinic Friday night against the league’s best team, then beat the Mavs again Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The thought of a Suns/ Warriors Western Conference Finals match-up might actually make people want to watch the NBA again. It should, Baron Davis is incredible, and Nellie ball is fun for everyone. With all of that, the NFL Draft stole the show, proving once again it’s the most popular sport in America.
What did we learn during the two day Mel Kiper marathon that is the NFL Draft? Well frankly, we learned a lot.
-Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Young either weren’t aware the Draft was being televised, or thought they would lose their souls if they looked into the camera. I was convinced by say pick 20 they might find the camera… I was wrong. And where was Michael Irvin? I wanted him to explain how the U could have three first round picks and struggle to make a bowl game.
-Patrick Ramsey (who was 0-1 passing last season) was listed as a “key loss” for the New York Jets, proving that “none” was not an option there.
-We learn from Michael Smith that Arizona Cardinals #5 overall pick Levi Brown is nastier than Browns’ new OT Joe Thomas.
-Mark Malone, college football “expert” claims he would “lick his chops” if he was lined up against a 19 year old, after the Texans select Amobi Okoye. He continues by saying Okoye is undersized at 6’1, 275, just as the graphic appears on screen displaying the Louisville star as 6’2, 302. Consistency.
-One of the highlights for Marshawn Lynch is of him driving a cart around the field. Wonder if he’ll think the women of Buffalo are better looking than McGahee.
-Brady Quinn’s girlfriend looks like Ashlee Simpson, that’s not a good thing. (More on Quinn later.)
-The Miami Dolphins are either positive they’re getting Trent Green, or know something we don’t about Culpepper. Worst pick of the first round. A bit high for a Wes Welker replacement. (Even if Ginn turns out to be good, they could have got him at least 10 picks later.) We know Ted Ginn played some quarterback in high school, but not sure if it will translate to the pro game. Chris Chambers must be thrilled that the Phins have another guy to not get the ball.
-The 28th pick Joe Staley from Central Michigan started college at 215 lbs and is now 305. Seriously? I thought that only happened in baseball.
-The Patriots made news by trading for Randy Moss, and getting a guy with character issues. And by character issues I mean someone who pulled a gun out and shot at a guy three times, and also stomped on the legs of a downed opponent in the FIU-Miami brawl. I’m a Pats fan, and although the Meriweather pick surprises me a little, I’m thrilled about both additions.
-The Eagles joined the Dolphins in the wtf department. No only did they trade their first round pick to a division rival, so they could get the pass rusher they coveted, but with their first pick (36th overall) they drafted Kevin Kolb, who plays the same position as their best player. Sends a good message to McNabb.
But speaking of quarterbacks, Brady Quinn was certainly the biggest story of Day 1. The Notre Dame star got past by his hometown Cleveland Browns (with their first choice), and then after the Dolphins foolishly selected Ted Ginn, there was no where for Quinn to go. He needed to snag one of those Under Armor parachutes he fell so far. He ended up going to his own private suite, because the new commish really cares about the players, (just ask Pacman and Chris Henry) as three corners, a couple safeties, a running back, even a 19 year old got picked. At this point Aaron Rodgers began to feel bad for Quinn. Then the Cleveland Browns get themselves back into the first round with the 22nd pick. The wait was over for Quinn. For guys like Brady Quinn, Trent Edwards, and fans like myself who watched the longest first round in the history of the NFL draft (6+ hours), it was a long wait. I have to say though; this will work out better for Quinn. Sure it was brutal to sit there with the “last guy in the green-room” tag, but look at it from a football standpoint and not a pride or money one. He goes to the same team he would have if he was the 3rd overall pick, but now he has the best offensive tackle in the draft protecting him. (I also like their 2nd rounder, Eric Wright, CB from UNLV, great three picks by Cleveland.) I’m not saying the Browns will be knocking on the playoff door, or even .500, but give Quinn some protection, and make sure he utilizes other top draft choices like Edwards and Winslow, and for Brady Quinn it may have been worth the wait.
Randy Moss also had to wait. He hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2004, and the Pro Bowl since 2003. This should be its own blog, but after many successful seasons in Minnesota, Moss went to Oakland and has almost been forgotten. Well after two seasons he’s going to one of the best teams in the NFL with one of the best quarterbacks in the game. The addition of Moss will make Tom Brady as happy as Kristie Ally when she heard about Domino’s 5-5-5 deal. I’m sure it’s the other way too. Randy Moss is relevant again. It’s amazing that a receiver with over 100 career TDs was left for dead playing for a team in the basement, and traded for a 4th round pick. A 4th rounder? John Bowie, CB, Cincinnati, will definitely be an answer to a trivia question, especially after Moss is holding a Super Bowl Trophy and giving his speech in Canton.
So after a long and great sports weekend all we have left to do now is wait. Wait for Moss to catch his first pass from Brady, wait for Quinn to start his first game for the Browns. I don’t know if I can make it that long. Luckily game 5 of the Warriors/ Mavs series is tomorrow night, maybe I can wait for that.
-Rich Keefe
Before I get to my thoughts on the NFL Draft, how about this sports weekend? One of the best ever. The past few days had almost everything; football (draft), basketball (NBA playoffs), baseball (highlighted by a Red Sox/ Yanks series). All we were missing was a UFC pay-per-view on Saturday night. A lot happened from Friday- Sunday. We know we will have a new NBA champion this year, as the talented Chicago Bulls swept the Heat. Mariano Rivera didn’t get his first save until April 28th, and still has an ERA over 10. The Golden State Warriors put on an absolute clinic Friday night against the league’s best team, then beat the Mavs again Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The thought of a Suns/ Warriors Western Conference Finals match-up might actually make people want to watch the NBA again. It should, Baron Davis is incredible, and Nellie ball is fun for everyone. With all of that, the NFL Draft stole the show, proving once again it’s the most popular sport in America.
What did we learn during the two day Mel Kiper marathon that is the NFL Draft? Well frankly, we learned a lot.
-Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Young either weren’t aware the Draft was being televised, or thought they would lose their souls if they looked into the camera. I was convinced by say pick 20 they might find the camera… I was wrong. And where was Michael Irvin? I wanted him to explain how the U could have three first round picks and struggle to make a bowl game.
-Patrick Ramsey (who was 0-1 passing last season) was listed as a “key loss” for the New York Jets, proving that “none” was not an option there.
-We learn from Michael Smith that Arizona Cardinals #5 overall pick Levi Brown is nastier than Browns’ new OT Joe Thomas.
-Mark Malone, college football “expert” claims he would “lick his chops” if he was lined up against a 19 year old, after the Texans select Amobi Okoye. He continues by saying Okoye is undersized at 6’1, 275, just as the graphic appears on screen displaying the Louisville star as 6’2, 302. Consistency.
-One of the highlights for Marshawn Lynch is of him driving a cart around the field. Wonder if he’ll think the women of Buffalo are better looking than McGahee.
-Brady Quinn’s girlfriend looks like Ashlee Simpson, that’s not a good thing. (More on Quinn later.)
-The Miami Dolphins are either positive they’re getting Trent Green, or know something we don’t about Culpepper. Worst pick of the first round. A bit high for a Wes Welker replacement. (Even if Ginn turns out to be good, they could have got him at least 10 picks later.) We know Ted Ginn played some quarterback in high school, but not sure if it will translate to the pro game. Chris Chambers must be thrilled that the Phins have another guy to not get the ball.
-The 28th pick Joe Staley from Central Michigan started college at 215 lbs and is now 305. Seriously? I thought that only happened in baseball.
-The Patriots made news by trading for Randy Moss, and getting a guy with character issues. And by character issues I mean someone who pulled a gun out and shot at a guy three times, and also stomped on the legs of a downed opponent in the FIU-Miami brawl. I’m a Pats fan, and although the Meriweather pick surprises me a little, I’m thrilled about both additions.
-The Eagles joined the Dolphins in the wtf department. No only did they trade their first round pick to a division rival, so they could get the pass rusher they coveted, but with their first pick (36th overall) they drafted Kevin Kolb, who plays the same position as their best player. Sends a good message to McNabb.
But speaking of quarterbacks, Brady Quinn was certainly the biggest story of Day 1. The Notre Dame star got past by his hometown Cleveland Browns (with their first choice), and then after the Dolphins foolishly selected Ted Ginn, there was no where for Quinn to go. He needed to snag one of those Under Armor parachutes he fell so far. He ended up going to his own private suite, because the new commish really cares about the players, (just ask Pacman and Chris Henry) as three corners, a couple safeties, a running back, even a 19 year old got picked. At this point Aaron Rodgers began to feel bad for Quinn. Then the Cleveland Browns get themselves back into the first round with the 22nd pick. The wait was over for Quinn. For guys like Brady Quinn, Trent Edwards, and fans like myself who watched the longest first round in the history of the NFL draft (6+ hours), it was a long wait. I have to say though; this will work out better for Quinn. Sure it was brutal to sit there with the “last guy in the green-room” tag, but look at it from a football standpoint and not a pride or money one. He goes to the same team he would have if he was the 3rd overall pick, but now he has the best offensive tackle in the draft protecting him. (I also like their 2nd rounder, Eric Wright, CB from UNLV, great three picks by Cleveland.) I’m not saying the Browns will be knocking on the playoff door, or even .500, but give Quinn some protection, and make sure he utilizes other top draft choices like Edwards and Winslow, and for Brady Quinn it may have been worth the wait.
Randy Moss also had to wait. He hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2004, and the Pro Bowl since 2003. This should be its own blog, but after many successful seasons in Minnesota, Moss went to Oakland and has almost been forgotten. Well after two seasons he’s going to one of the best teams in the NFL with one of the best quarterbacks in the game. The addition of Moss will make Tom Brady as happy as Kristie Ally when she heard about Domino’s 5-5-5 deal. I’m sure it’s the other way too. Randy Moss is relevant again. It’s amazing that a receiver with over 100 career TDs was left for dead playing for a team in the basement, and traded for a 4th round pick. A 4th rounder? John Bowie, CB, Cincinnati, will definitely be an answer to a trivia question, especially after Moss is holding a Super Bowl Trophy and giving his speech in Canton.
So after a long and great sports weekend all we have left to do now is wait. Wait for Moss to catch his first pass from Brady, wait for Quinn to start his first game for the Browns. I don’t know if I can make it that long. Luckily game 5 of the Warriors/ Mavs series is tomorrow night, maybe I can wait for that.
-Rich Keefe
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Draft Madness?
-Shark
Why are we so crazy about the NFL Draft? We’ve had Draft preview shows running daily on ESPN for more than a month; we have countless newspapers, websites, and draft guides giving us tips on who this year's hidden gems will be; and of course, we have Draft god Mel Kiper who demonstrates his omnipresence every time I turn on the television.
Today, Cold Pizza was interviewing a player from Harvard who is predicted to be the last player in the draft. I repeat. The LAST player in the draft. There is a reason why the last guy drafted gets called Mr. Irrelevant. So what makes them think anyone would want to watch an interview with this guy?
Unless you've somehow managed to avoid the Draft previews completely, which is impossible, then you already know that the NFL draft is a pretty big crapshoot. For every "can't miss" prospect like Tim Couch and Ryan Leaf that doesn't make it, there are guys you probably have never heard of like rookie of the year Marcus Colston and stock boy turned MVP: Kurt Warner. Once the first round is finished, go back and see how close the experts were in their mock drafts. If they get 10 picks correct in the first round then they did a very good job. The rest of the draft is an even bigger gamble. It just seems pretty irrational that someone will listen to weeks of "expert" discussion, read endless mock drafts, and partake in hours of water-cooler debates, all over something that is almost completely unpredictable. . .
Except that's your answer right there. The draft IS almost completely unpredictable. The chaotic nature of the draft gives every fan hope that their team might land the next Who? (Kurt Warner), the next Where did you say he went to school? (Jerry Rice), and possibly the next Thank God he's still on the board (Vince Young). No team is in last place on Draft Day and every fan has the right to dream of its team playing in January or simply climbing out of the divisional cellar. We DO want to see interviews with Mr. Irrelevant because we all want a glimpse at a current nobody who could be a future Disney movie…something that speaks of triumph in the face of adversity, but scares off viewers because its given a stupid one-word title like “Invincible” …oh my bad.
If we were intelligent beings we’d simply wait to see which players our team drafted and then start from there. We wouldn’t spend hours upon hours speculating over something that we have absolutely no control over. However, we are not intelligent beings, we are sports fans. For us, the NFL draft is very much like New Year’s Eve: it gives us an excuse to start over, an excuse to imagine how the upcoming year will be better, and best of all, an excuse to have a few drinks and celebrate for no real good reason. Happy NFL Draft Day.
-Brian Sharkey
Why are we so crazy about the NFL Draft? We’ve had Draft preview shows running daily on ESPN for more than a month; we have countless newspapers, websites, and draft guides giving us tips on who this year's hidden gems will be; and of course, we have Draft god Mel Kiper who demonstrates his omnipresence every time I turn on the television.
Today, Cold Pizza was interviewing a player from Harvard who is predicted to be the last player in the draft. I repeat. The LAST player in the draft. There is a reason why the last guy drafted gets called Mr. Irrelevant. So what makes them think anyone would want to watch an interview with this guy?
Unless you've somehow managed to avoid the Draft previews completely, which is impossible, then you already know that the NFL draft is a pretty big crapshoot. For every "can't miss" prospect like Tim Couch and Ryan Leaf that doesn't make it, there are guys you probably have never heard of like rookie of the year Marcus Colston and stock boy turned MVP: Kurt Warner. Once the first round is finished, go back and see how close the experts were in their mock drafts. If they get 10 picks correct in the first round then they did a very good job. The rest of the draft is an even bigger gamble. It just seems pretty irrational that someone will listen to weeks of "expert" discussion, read endless mock drafts, and partake in hours of water-cooler debates, all over something that is almost completely unpredictable. . .
Except that's your answer right there. The draft IS almost completely unpredictable. The chaotic nature of the draft gives every fan hope that their team might land the next Who? (Kurt Warner), the next Where did you say he went to school? (Jerry Rice), and possibly the next Thank God he's still on the board (Vince Young). No team is in last place on Draft Day and every fan has the right to dream of its team playing in January or simply climbing out of the divisional cellar. We DO want to see interviews with Mr. Irrelevant because we all want a glimpse at a current nobody who could be a future Disney movie…something that speaks of triumph in the face of adversity, but scares off viewers because its given a stupid one-word title like “Invincible” …oh my bad.
If we were intelligent beings we’d simply wait to see which players our team drafted and then start from there. We wouldn’t spend hours upon hours speculating over something that we have absolutely no control over. However, we are not intelligent beings, we are sports fans. For us, the NFL draft is very much like New Year’s Eve: it gives us an excuse to start over, an excuse to imagine how the upcoming year will be better, and best of all, an excuse to have a few drinks and celebrate for no real good reason. Happy NFL Draft Day.
-Brian Sharkey
Monday, April 23, 2007
After Sweep, A Few Things Left Clear
-Besse
For baseball fans across the world, one of two things will be determined after this weekend sweep of the Yankees by the Red Sox this past weekend: a) it’s early in the season and the sweep means nothing or b) the Red Sox are the team to beat this year.
As of now, I’ll take the latter. I predicted at the outset of the 2007 season that the Red Sox will win the A.L. East and the Yankees will take the wildcard. This weekend’s three game sweep re-affirmed that for me, but we would be remiss to forget that objects in the rear-view mirror are closer than they appear. This will be the case all season long. This weekend’s match-up was perfect for the Red Sox. Schilling vs. Pettite was the toughest test on Friday night, but Beckett vs. Karstens and Matsuzaka vs. Wright were ideal. The Yankees’ pitching has been hampered by injuries early on, and this is what led to the downfall of Red Sox Nation late in the season last year. With Pavano, Mussina and Wang all out, the Yankees had to turn to two young pitchers with slightly more Major League experience than me. Karstens had made eight career appearances before Saturday’s start opposite the 2003 World Series MVP, while Wright was called up from Double-A earlier this year. For Wright, four was the number of the night (how poetic). He had made only four starts above A-ball heading into his Sunday night outing, and he seemed to be in control until surrendering a Red Sox team record four straight homeruns in the third inning. So while I feel that the Red Sox were the better team and will continue to be so throughout the season, the outlook is still to be determined with injuries leaving question marks in the Yankees clubhouse.
However, there were a few observations from the weekend that offered me some definitive answers.
1) Josh Beckett has matured as a pitcher and will be the dominant ace we signed to a 3-year, $30 million extension last season.
After watching Beckett get lit up in the first two innings of Saturday’s game, I said to myself that the next few innings would define what kind of season he will have. The 2006 version of Beckett would have continued to get lit up until Francona mercifully pulled the plug when the issue was no longer a doubt. Last year, when it rained, it poured for the hard-throwing righty. Of his 34 starts, there were eight outings that I termed as unacceptable, meaning Beckett pitched six innings or less and surrendered five earned runs or more. Within these eight outings, he threw a total of 40 innings, averaging five innings per start. Not bad, considering these were “bad starts.” But the statistic that I found alarming is that he surrendered runs in 25 of these 40 innings. Nine of these came after innings in which the Red Sox scored. And to top it off, Beckett was hammered for 55 runs in these 40 horrible innings. As a top of the rotation starter, these numbers are simply unacceptable.
There are some nights when as an athlete, particularly as a pitcher, you simply just don’t have it. As a Division 1, college pitcher, I’m fully aware of this (unfortunately, more than I wish). But regardless, it is your job to give your team every opportunity to stay in the game and have a chance to win in any way possible. By allowing runs to score in 62.5% of the innings in these starts, with 60% of those innings being more than one run, Beckett was simply not affording the Sox the opportunity to do this. In boxing and other combat sports, people always talk about athlete’s having a “puncher’s chance.” The baseball equivalent of this would be an offense like the Red Sox. As long as you keep the team in the ballgame, there’s always a chance they can comeback by rolling a yahtzee.
And herein lies my point: On Saturday afternoon, Beckett seemed to turn the corner. He surrendered a pair of two-out runs in the first only to have the Sox offense tie it up in the bottom of the inning. In the second, it looked like the Beckett of old as he continued to leave pitches up and over the plate, getting tagged for two more runs and again putting his team in the hole. But after a double play ball allowed that fourth run to score, what we saw was a transformation. Beckett went on a tear. After imploding time and time again last year, how could we ever see this coming? As Yankees’ manager Joe Torre said after the game, “It was a heavyweight fight for the first couple of innings. Once Beckett got the lead, he settled in.” And did he ever, retiring 15 of the next 17 batters holding the Yankees scoreless over the next four innings while Julio Lugo’s groundout and Big Papi’s big fly gave the Sox a 7-4 lead. Although he allowed another two-out run in the 7th, it could only be attributed to fatigue at this point as Hideki Okajima came in and shut the door on any comeback hopes the Yankees may have conceived. Simply, Beckett did what an ace is supposed to do in a slugfest like this. He limited the damage in innings in which the other team scored and kept his team in the game until they could deliver the big knockdown that would put them ahead on the scorecards. In other words, he gave them a puncher’s chance.
2) The Red Sox bullpen is better than the Yankees.
This weekend alone, the Red Sox bullpen pitched 7.2 innings surrendering only one run, which was earned. The Yankees, on the other hand, went to their bullpen for a total of nine innings and eight runs, all earned, including Friday night’s massive meltdown in the eighth inning and Sunday’s blown 5-4 lead in the seventh inning. Although he was touched for two runs and a blown save Friday, there is no doubt that Mariano Rivera is still among the top three most feared closers in the game today; Papelbon and Francisco Rodriguez of Anaheim are the only two others allowed to sniff his jock. But the Yankees don’t have anyone who can come in before the ninth to set up a save situation for Rivera, and this will become especially critical down the stretch when these divisional games become so critical. Instead what they have is a trio of unproven relievers (Viscaino, Bruney and Henn), Scott Proctor, who effectively took the loss on Sunday, Kyle Farnsworth, who pulled a Rick Vaughn and procured a cute pair of glasses so he can see home plate, Mike Myers, the age-less wonder-less lefty, and Colter Bean, who looks like he could provide a great “before” shot for the next Nutri-System commercial with Don Shula and Co.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, found out they have another guy to trust in the ninth when Papelbon is not available in Okajima. His delivery hides the ball well and he has great differential in speeds to keep hitters off-balance. Then there's Brendan Donnelly, who made a name for himself with the Angels after being cut in 1999 by the Devil Rays to make room for 36 year old school teacher Jim Morris. I still wonder why Disney didn’t give Donnelly a cameo and show that locker room scene. But back to the ‘pen. Donnelly will be a great compliment to Okajima when Francona chooses to utilize lefty and righty matchups late in the game, and also can go to J.C. Romero before handing things over to a now healthy Mike Timlin to pave the way for Papelbon. And speaking of Papelbon, I’m scared shitless just watching him, especially when he does a more controlled, tempered version of Mike Fetters. Even the expressions on the faces of Damon and Jeter said it all: they were overmatched and they knew it. Papelbon was easily sitting at 95-97 and even touched as high as 98 and 99. Plus, he threw a 94 mile-per-hour splitter on Sunday night that made me question if the radar gun is even credible anymore. I had to open the DVD player and make sure “The Scout” wasn’t playing, because it looked like Steve Nebraska was out there on the mound. Which reminds me, can you imagine what kind of deal Nebraska would have gotten with the Yankees had Boras been his agent instead of the washed-up Al Percolo?
3) Matsuzaka will experience more growing pains this season like that of Sunday night.
Let’s face it: Matsuzaka is a talented pitcher, no doubt about it. But his tendency to leave pitches up in the zone will leave him vulnerable to getting hit like he did against a potent Yankees’ lineup on Sunday. For example, in the first inning against Giambi, he threw a changeup early in the count that started at the knees and ran low and off the plate. With two strikes, that would be exactly where Daisuke wants to put that pitch, particularly against a left-handed hitter like Giambi who likes to hit the ball to right field. Yet after working to two strikes against Giambi later in the count, he went back to the change-up...this time he left it up knee high and over the outside half of the plate as this one didn’t have that arm-side run. The result? A two-run double to left-center that staked the Yankees to an early 2-0 lead. Giambi got to Daisuke again in the third on another pitch that was left up in the zone. Although Giambi got jammed by a slider that came in on the hands, the pitch was again up in the zone. Because of this, it gave Giambi a chance to use that upper body strength to muscle the pitch out into shallow right field just out of the reach of the vertically challenged Dustin Pedroia. Speaking of which, did anyone catch the awkward interaction between Jon Miller and Joe Morgan following that play? Find a rough copy of the transcript below:
Miller: Perhaps if Pedroia was a couple inches taller he would have gotten to that ball!
Morgan: I don’t say things like that….
Miller: Well, perhaps if he added a couple inches to his vertical then…
Morgan (brief pause): I don’t say things like that…
(Awkward silence ensues)
Morgan was obviously bitter at Miller’s comments, considering he is only 5’7 and realized, while sitting in the booth, that he never would have made that catch during his playing days. In fact seeing Pedroia fully extend and still miss by an inch probably brought back flashbacks of the several times Morgan came up just short while playing up the middle. You almost have to wonder if he comes up short in other areas, as well. I mean it got pretty tense in that booth. Don’t be surprised if he’s wearing lifts and sitting on a copy of the Yellow Pages during their next telecast.
But back to Matsuzaka. It’s no secret that the knock on him was his propensity to pitch up in the zone. With a mid-90’s fastball, pitchers will tend to have confidence in trying to blow it by a hitter. In Japan, there is not a consistent threat of power that exists in Major League Baseball, and so Matsuzaka will continue to get banged around if he leaves his pitches up in the zone. Personally, I think it’s more mechanical than it is anything else. After watching his throw in his last couple of outings, it appears that he tends to finish higher when throwing his fastball. Although he finishes his off-speed pitches better, he still finishes high and actually shows a bit of a re-coil. Now this guy was worth over $100 million for the Red Sox, so I’m going to step in and say “Look guy, we need to change up a few things.” But I think he needs to make a more concerted effort at finishing all of his pitches and working lower in the strike zone. He’s leaving too many pitches up and over the plate. While he’ll certainly rattle off his fair share of strikeouts – he currently leads the Red Sox with 31 K’s in 27 innings (10.33 per 9IP) – but he has shown that he can lose command of the zone at times and pay for it. Another case in point was his last outing against the Blue Jays. During that fourth inning in which he surrendered the Jays’ only two runs of the game, which ended up being the game winning runs, he issued three walks and two hits. The three walks all evidenced the claim I made earlier. He was missing up in the zone. In this case, his pitches weren’t being hit because they weren’t strikes, but it supports the criticisms that Daisuke has received during his transition to Major League Baseball. He’ll need to learn how to work the bottom half of the strike zone more consistently. If he can do eventually do that, I have no doubt that this guy will be unhittable.
There are a lot other things from the weekend, and beginning of the Red Sox season in general that have left an impression with me thus far. But these were a few that I felt were the most significant and had the most impact.
If you have any questions, thoughts or comments about my observations, please send them into the Sports Brief at sportsbrief@gmail.com.
-Besse
For baseball fans across the world, one of two things will be determined after this weekend sweep of the Yankees by the Red Sox this past weekend: a) it’s early in the season and the sweep means nothing or b) the Red Sox are the team to beat this year.
As of now, I’ll take the latter. I predicted at the outset of the 2007 season that the Red Sox will win the A.L. East and the Yankees will take the wildcard. This weekend’s three game sweep re-affirmed that for me, but we would be remiss to forget that objects in the rear-view mirror are closer than they appear. This will be the case all season long. This weekend’s match-up was perfect for the Red Sox. Schilling vs. Pettite was the toughest test on Friday night, but Beckett vs. Karstens and Matsuzaka vs. Wright were ideal. The Yankees’ pitching has been hampered by injuries early on, and this is what led to the downfall of Red Sox Nation late in the season last year. With Pavano, Mussina and Wang all out, the Yankees had to turn to two young pitchers with slightly more Major League experience than me. Karstens had made eight career appearances before Saturday’s start opposite the 2003 World Series MVP, while Wright was called up from Double-A earlier this year. For Wright, four was the number of the night (how poetic). He had made only four starts above A-ball heading into his Sunday night outing, and he seemed to be in control until surrendering a Red Sox team record four straight homeruns in the third inning. So while I feel that the Red Sox were the better team and will continue to be so throughout the season, the outlook is still to be determined with injuries leaving question marks in the Yankees clubhouse.
However, there were a few observations from the weekend that offered me some definitive answers.
1) Josh Beckett has matured as a pitcher and will be the dominant ace we signed to a 3-year, $30 million extension last season.
After watching Beckett get lit up in the first two innings of Saturday’s game, I said to myself that the next few innings would define what kind of season he will have. The 2006 version of Beckett would have continued to get lit up until Francona mercifully pulled the plug when the issue was no longer a doubt. Last year, when it rained, it poured for the hard-throwing righty. Of his 34 starts, there were eight outings that I termed as unacceptable, meaning Beckett pitched six innings or less and surrendered five earned runs or more. Within these eight outings, he threw a total of 40 innings, averaging five innings per start. Not bad, considering these were “bad starts.” But the statistic that I found alarming is that he surrendered runs in 25 of these 40 innings. Nine of these came after innings in which the Red Sox scored. And to top it off, Beckett was hammered for 55 runs in these 40 horrible innings. As a top of the rotation starter, these numbers are simply unacceptable.
There are some nights when as an athlete, particularly as a pitcher, you simply just don’t have it. As a Division 1, college pitcher, I’m fully aware of this (unfortunately, more than I wish). But regardless, it is your job to give your team every opportunity to stay in the game and have a chance to win in any way possible. By allowing runs to score in 62.5% of the innings in these starts, with 60% of those innings being more than one run, Beckett was simply not affording the Sox the opportunity to do this. In boxing and other combat sports, people always talk about athlete’s having a “puncher’s chance.” The baseball equivalent of this would be an offense like the Red Sox. As long as you keep the team in the ballgame, there’s always a chance they can comeback by rolling a yahtzee.
And herein lies my point: On Saturday afternoon, Beckett seemed to turn the corner. He surrendered a pair of two-out runs in the first only to have the Sox offense tie it up in the bottom of the inning. In the second, it looked like the Beckett of old as he continued to leave pitches up and over the plate, getting tagged for two more runs and again putting his team in the hole. But after a double play ball allowed that fourth run to score, what we saw was a transformation. Beckett went on a tear. After imploding time and time again last year, how could we ever see this coming? As Yankees’ manager Joe Torre said after the game, “It was a heavyweight fight for the first couple of innings. Once Beckett got the lead, he settled in.” And did he ever, retiring 15 of the next 17 batters holding the Yankees scoreless over the next four innings while Julio Lugo’s groundout and Big Papi’s big fly gave the Sox a 7-4 lead. Although he allowed another two-out run in the 7th, it could only be attributed to fatigue at this point as Hideki Okajima came in and shut the door on any comeback hopes the Yankees may have conceived. Simply, Beckett did what an ace is supposed to do in a slugfest like this. He limited the damage in innings in which the other team scored and kept his team in the game until they could deliver the big knockdown that would put them ahead on the scorecards. In other words, he gave them a puncher’s chance.
2) The Red Sox bullpen is better than the Yankees.
This weekend alone, the Red Sox bullpen pitched 7.2 innings surrendering only one run, which was earned. The Yankees, on the other hand, went to their bullpen for a total of nine innings and eight runs, all earned, including Friday night’s massive meltdown in the eighth inning and Sunday’s blown 5-4 lead in the seventh inning. Although he was touched for two runs and a blown save Friday, there is no doubt that Mariano Rivera is still among the top three most feared closers in the game today; Papelbon and Francisco Rodriguez of Anaheim are the only two others allowed to sniff his jock. But the Yankees don’t have anyone who can come in before the ninth to set up a save situation for Rivera, and this will become especially critical down the stretch when these divisional games become so critical. Instead what they have is a trio of unproven relievers (Viscaino, Bruney and Henn), Scott Proctor, who effectively took the loss on Sunday, Kyle Farnsworth, who pulled a Rick Vaughn and procured a cute pair of glasses so he can see home plate, Mike Myers, the age-less wonder-less lefty, and Colter Bean, who looks like he could provide a great “before” shot for the next Nutri-System commercial with Don Shula and Co.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, found out they have another guy to trust in the ninth when Papelbon is not available in Okajima. His delivery hides the ball well and he has great differential in speeds to keep hitters off-balance. Then there's Brendan Donnelly, who made a name for himself with the Angels after being cut in 1999 by the Devil Rays to make room for 36 year old school teacher Jim Morris. I still wonder why Disney didn’t give Donnelly a cameo and show that locker room scene. But back to the ‘pen. Donnelly will be a great compliment to Okajima when Francona chooses to utilize lefty and righty matchups late in the game, and also can go to J.C. Romero before handing things over to a now healthy Mike Timlin to pave the way for Papelbon. And speaking of Papelbon, I’m scared shitless just watching him, especially when he does a more controlled, tempered version of Mike Fetters. Even the expressions on the faces of Damon and Jeter said it all: they were overmatched and they knew it. Papelbon was easily sitting at 95-97 and even touched as high as 98 and 99. Plus, he threw a 94 mile-per-hour splitter on Sunday night that made me question if the radar gun is even credible anymore. I had to open the DVD player and make sure “The Scout” wasn’t playing, because it looked like Steve Nebraska was out there on the mound. Which reminds me, can you imagine what kind of deal Nebraska would have gotten with the Yankees had Boras been his agent instead of the washed-up Al Percolo?
3) Matsuzaka will experience more growing pains this season like that of Sunday night.
Let’s face it: Matsuzaka is a talented pitcher, no doubt about it. But his tendency to leave pitches up in the zone will leave him vulnerable to getting hit like he did against a potent Yankees’ lineup on Sunday. For example, in the first inning against Giambi, he threw a changeup early in the count that started at the knees and ran low and off the plate. With two strikes, that would be exactly where Daisuke wants to put that pitch, particularly against a left-handed hitter like Giambi who likes to hit the ball to right field. Yet after working to two strikes against Giambi later in the count, he went back to the change-up...this time he left it up knee high and over the outside half of the plate as this one didn’t have that arm-side run. The result? A two-run double to left-center that staked the Yankees to an early 2-0 lead. Giambi got to Daisuke again in the third on another pitch that was left up in the zone. Although Giambi got jammed by a slider that came in on the hands, the pitch was again up in the zone. Because of this, it gave Giambi a chance to use that upper body strength to muscle the pitch out into shallow right field just out of the reach of the vertically challenged Dustin Pedroia. Speaking of which, did anyone catch the awkward interaction between Jon Miller and Joe Morgan following that play? Find a rough copy of the transcript below:
Miller: Perhaps if Pedroia was a couple inches taller he would have gotten to that ball!
Morgan: I don’t say things like that….
Miller: Well, perhaps if he added a couple inches to his vertical then…
Morgan (brief pause): I don’t say things like that…
(Awkward silence ensues)
Morgan was obviously bitter at Miller’s comments, considering he is only 5’7 and realized, while sitting in the booth, that he never would have made that catch during his playing days. In fact seeing Pedroia fully extend and still miss by an inch probably brought back flashbacks of the several times Morgan came up just short while playing up the middle. You almost have to wonder if he comes up short in other areas, as well. I mean it got pretty tense in that booth. Don’t be surprised if he’s wearing lifts and sitting on a copy of the Yellow Pages during their next telecast.
But back to Matsuzaka. It’s no secret that the knock on him was his propensity to pitch up in the zone. With a mid-90’s fastball, pitchers will tend to have confidence in trying to blow it by a hitter. In Japan, there is not a consistent threat of power that exists in Major League Baseball, and so Matsuzaka will continue to get banged around if he leaves his pitches up in the zone. Personally, I think it’s more mechanical than it is anything else. After watching his throw in his last couple of outings, it appears that he tends to finish higher when throwing his fastball. Although he finishes his off-speed pitches better, he still finishes high and actually shows a bit of a re-coil. Now this guy was worth over $100 million for the Red Sox, so I’m going to step in and say “Look guy, we need to change up a few things.” But I think he needs to make a more concerted effort at finishing all of his pitches and working lower in the strike zone. He’s leaving too many pitches up and over the plate. While he’ll certainly rattle off his fair share of strikeouts – he currently leads the Red Sox with 31 K’s in 27 innings (10.33 per 9IP) – but he has shown that he can lose command of the zone at times and pay for it. Another case in point was his last outing against the Blue Jays. During that fourth inning in which he surrendered the Jays’ only two runs of the game, which ended up being the game winning runs, he issued three walks and two hits. The three walks all evidenced the claim I made earlier. He was missing up in the zone. In this case, his pitches weren’t being hit because they weren’t strikes, but it supports the criticisms that Daisuke has received during his transition to Major League Baseball. He’ll need to learn how to work the bottom half of the strike zone more consistently. If he can do eventually do that, I have no doubt that this guy will be unhittable.
There are a lot other things from the weekend, and beginning of the Red Sox season in general that have left an impression with me thus far. But these were a few that I felt were the most significant and had the most impact.
If you have any questions, thoughts or comments about my observations, please send them into the Sports Brief at sportsbrief@gmail.com.
-Besse
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