Lakers to NBA Finals… and Kobe/MJ Discussion

 

I’m really almost speechless right now.  The Lakers have defeated the Spurs tonight 100-92, and in doing so have advanced to the NBA Finals.  Looking back six months, this moment is almost unbelievable.    

It’s been such a wacky season for LA, starting with all the Kobe trade talk, there were points there when I thought Kobe would be gone.  I was as shocked as anyone when the Lakers went on that great run to start the season with Andrew Bynum stepping up his game.  Bynum had become the point of a lot of contention with the Lakers last year when upper management refused to package him in a deal for Jason Kidd, something Kobe was not happy about at all   Andrew did a fantastic job of working on his game in the off season and was a steady 10 and 10 guy for LA early in the season.   When Bynum went down I thought the season was over for the Lakers, but then Mitch Kupchick pulled off what could go down as the greatest steal in NBA history when he was able to get Pau Gasol in a deal with Memphis for: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie’s  contract , the draft rights to Marc Gasol and first round picks in 2008 and 2010.

I can’t stress enough how much Pau Gasol has helped the Lakers this season.  I know Kobe is the MVP, but he should really let that trophy stay at Pau’s house for a couple of months this off season.  Just ask Lamar Odom how important Gasol has been to this team.  With Pau in town, the Lamar Odom has thrived as the third option.   I’ve written about this before but when Odom can roam around the court and get offensive rebounds and easy dunks the Lakers are just unbeatable.  Kobe’s game has also been helped out by Gasol, not only does Bryant face less double teams now with Pau on the court, but Kobe can also play more aggresive defense with Gasol under the basket to block shots.   Then there are the three point shooters, Sasha Vujacic and Vladimir Radmanovic have become deadly on the perimeter because of the inside out game that they can play with Gasol.  The only person who has really done a good job on Gasol all year has been Tim Duncan, and he’s probably going to go down as the greatest power forward in NBA history.

As for Kobe, what else can be said?  

Actually, I do have a story to tell…

I was at my brother’s baseball game the other day and I couldn’t help but to listen in to a conversation  that two guys were having about Kobe Bryant.   These gentlemen were obviously Bulls fans, and it was interesting to hear what they had to say about Kobe when it came to comparing him to Michael Jordan.   One guy kept talking about how Jordan was much more competitivethan Kobe is.  Which just isn’t true.  How can anyone give more than 100%  Yes, I know that Michael Jordan is one of the most competitive athletes in the history of sports, but so is Kobe.   Just ask anyone who follows the NBA closely and they will tell you some crazy stories of how driven Kobe is.   Just like Jordan worked on something every off season, Kobe does the same, and do you remember that fade away jump shot that Jordan developed midway through his career?  Kobe has the same kind of unblockable shot, we saw it on multiple occasions tonight! 

Then the conversation turned to how Michael Jordan was a better teammate than Kobe is, specifically how Jordan did a better job of making his teammates better than Kobe does.  At this point I wanted to ask these gentlemen if they had a television, because if they did, they’d notice how Kobe deferred to his teammates time after time this season, at the detriment of his own numbers.  Kobe has also become one of the best defenders in the game, and does whatever it takes to get wins.  Yes, Kobe did demand a trade before the season, but he only did so because he felt like the team was not doing all it could to win.  You know what happened when Jordan got fed up with the Bulls front office?  He retired… twice.  

I actually chimed in when the two local yokels started rambling on about who is the better clutch performer.   I conceded that Michael has had more “big moment shots” than Kobe, but Kobe still has a long time to add onto his already illustrious resume.   Take tonights game for example, there was just no way Kobe was going to let that lead slip away in the fourth quarter.  Forget about it, it’s over.   When it comes down to closing out an athletic competition you have Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant as the mark of excellence right now, and just like what Tiger Woods is doing in golf, it’s only a matter of time before Kobe starts getting to Jordan’s numbers when it comes to “big moment shots.”

Finally the conversation devolved into how much better of a man Michael is.  This is the point where I got up and walked away from the two gentleman, because if I would have stuck around, I would have said something that I probably would have regretted.   I’m not sure why, but somehow Michael Jordan get’s a pass on his personal life because of how good he was on the court, a luxury that Kobe didn’t get because of what happened in Colorado.   I’m not condoning what Kobe may or may not have done, because at the very least he was cheating on his wife, but it’s not as if Jordan is a saint.  When it comes to gambling and whore-mongering, Jordan is a titan.  There are all kinds of stories about how Jordan would stay up partying all night, then play great in a game the next day.  Which to me seems pretty cool, in the same way that Babe Ruth’s antics were pretty cool, but it still doesn’t make what he did right.  To be honest, I don’t even care what athletes do with their spare time, and I’ve written about this before at length, but I’ll say it again.  These guys are entertainers, not role models, and Jordan belongs in this same boat.  No one is perfect, not even the great MJ.

What made me so angry about the conversation that these two Jordan fanboys had is that they didn’t concede that Kobe was an all-time great player on the same level as Michael Jordan.  Yeah, Michael Jordan has more titles, MVPs and points, but like I mentioned before, Kobe’s not done yet.  Let time decide how the numbers will shake out, because when you watch Kobe play, the numbers don’t matter.  All I see when I watched Bryant carry the Lakers into the NBA Finals tonight, against a team that has won five of the last nine NBA championships no-less, is one of the greatest players of all time.

The next test for Bryant and the Lakers lies in the NBA Finals; where they will play either the Detroit Pistons or the Boston Celtics.  While the thought of a Lakers/Celtics Finals  makes me all giddy inside, it’s enough to know that Kobe has a chance to get one step closer to shutting up the sports retarded.  That’s really all the build-up I need.  Yes, Kobe Bryant is that good.  Yes, he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan.  Some people are just going to have to get used to the truth, because this Lakers team is loaded for the future.

…and what a bright future they have to look forward to.

I, for one, can’t wait. 

 

Collins Next Bulls Coach?

 

According to ESPN.com, Doug Collins is going to be named the head coach of the Chicago Bulls sometime in the near future.  You may remember that Collins coached MJ for a couple of years back in the day, before they replaced Doug with Phil, and started to win all those championships.  Collins, who has been a pretty decent anaylst for TNT over the last couple of years, has said recently that he had no interest in coaching again, but there’s nothing like having a chance to coach Derrick Rose to get those coaching juices flowing again.  

The question here has to be whether or not Collins can take this Bulls team anywhere.   Chad, our resident Bulls expert, doesn’t think so:

The Doug Collins of the 1980’s couldn’t beat the Pistons, so why would the 2000’s version be any different?  I hate going back to recycled coaches.  And if we were going to go after a coach turned announcer, why not snatch up Rick Carlisle before Dallas took him?  Hell, I would’ve loved to see Jeff Van Gundy back on the sidelines too!

One of my favorite talk-radio shows, Boers and Bernstein on 670 The Score,  addressed the issue of the Bulls coaching vacancy a couple of weeks ago, and they made some pretty good points about this Bulls team.   They contended that there was really no good coaching fit for this team, because the talent was just not there to get the Bulls over the hump.  Well now they have the first pick in this years NBA draft, and the smart money is on Derrick Rose to be the first pick.  When the Bulls got the number one pick, whoever they selected as their head coach was going to be handcuffed to that pick when it came to success or failure.   I hope those handcuffs aren’t too tight Doug.

 Having a player like Rose on your team instantly makes your team better.  Rose is a playmaker who isn’t afraid to take the ball to the rim, a trait that the Bulls have been desparately lacking for years.   He can also see the court well, and will only make jump shooters like Ben Gordan and Luol Deng that much better.   The trick for Collins is going to be making the best of Rose’s talents as well as managing the other players on this team, because if the Bulls want to be sucessful in the coming years, this will have to become Rose’s team. 

The bottom line is that Collins has been a decent coach in this league for a number of different teams.  His career regular season record is 332-287, those are very respectable numbers no matter how you look at it.   The problem for the this Bulls team is that they need a coach who can get them over the hump in the playoffs, and this is where Collins has struggled over the years, his post-season record is only 15-23.  Again, if you can remember back far enough, that was the reason why he was fired from the Bulls before MJ and crew rolled off six championships in eight years.

Who knows, maybe this is Doug Collins’ chance at retribution?   Maybe he has felt slighted all of these years for missing out on the Jordan dynasty, actually, I’d wager a pretty penny that this is the case.  Now is his chance to win a title on the team that burned him almost two decades ago.   Of course now he is going to have to deal with this guy…

Good Luck With That

The Fisher Incident

So let’s get straight to the question that everyone seems to be asking me today.

Do I think that Derek Fisher fouled Brent Barry at the end of last nights’ 93-91 Lakers’ victory?

 

Yeah, probably.

I’m not sure what all the ruckus is about though, NBA fans should have known that there wasn’t going to be a foul called, no matter how bad Fisher bumped into Barry at the end of the game.

Consider the following:

• David Stern was so worried about the Spurs winning this game that he had Joe Crawford, a ref who has had multiple run-ins with the Spurs, officiate this game. This was the first Spurs’ game that Crawford has officiated during these playoffs.
• Barry should have known to throw up a shot the second Fishers’ feet left the ground. If he would have done so, it would have forced the officials’ hand. Instead Barry, who was having the game of his life before that sequence (23 points, including five buckets from beyond the arc), let the refs off the hook by taking a dribble after the contact.
• Perhaps Tim Duncan had rendered the officials blind with all of his bitching. I’ve honestly never seen a player complain as much as he did in game four. It was nothing short of pathetic.
• On the possession preceding the “Fisher bump,” the officials made an erroneous call when they didn’t see Fisher’s shot hit the rim before it was knocked out of bounds by the Spurs. The shot clock should have reset, giving the Lakers a chance to inbound the ball, get fouled, and make free-throws that would have made it a four-point game, rendering that last Spurs possession meaningless. Funny how this is getting played down by the media.
• Most intelligent NBA fans know that refs have a tendency to lose their whistles in the closing moments of big games. Do any of you remember Jordan’s last shot as a Bull? He pushed Byron Russell so hard on the play Russell still hasn’t gotten up. It’s quite tragic actually.

Chad made a good point during the closing seconds of last nights game when he said that the Lakers didn’t deserve to win. The Lakers did a terrible job of managing the clock coming down the stretch, and when Kobe Bryant forced up a very difficult running bank shot when he should have held onto the ball, I almost had a heart attack. I mean, come on Kobe, you’re better than that.

Fortunately for LA, San Antonio got absolutely nothing out of Manu Ginobli. Not only did Ginobli struggle from the field, shooting only 2-8 from the field, was also unable to get the ball on that last possession. The play was designed to go to Ginobli, but Manu couldn’t shake off his defender to get off the last shot, great players find a way to get open in that circumstance. Do you think Kobe would have let that happen? No way. You would have to call in the state militia to keep Bryant from getting the ball in that situation.

Then again, there is no stopping the Mamba from striking!

(Sorry, I had to say that.)

When you look strictly at the numbers San Antonio should have won the game last night. San Antonio had the edge when it came to: three pointers (7-3), assists (22-17), steals (7-5) and blocks (4-3). You have to look at the scoring numbers of the Spurs and Lakers’ starters to see how LA was able to win this game. The Lakers’ starters scored 74 points to the Spurs 59 points. It didn’t help San Antonio cause that Michael Finley and Fabricio Oberto both put up a big, fat, zero on the score sheet.

I’m sure Spurs fans will have plenty of time to argue whether or not Fisher fouled Barry during the off-season because, as I was made aware of last night during Sports Center, teams that are up 3-1 in a series have gone on to win the series 95% of the time. Given that the Spurs have only one night off before the next game, and given the nature of the games during this series, it will be a near impossible feat for San Antonio to mount a comeback.

Have we seen the last of the dreaded Spurs as NBA champions? Well, I hope so, David Stern hopes so, and I think it’s safe to say that even the basketball gods are rooting for the Lakers at this point. Now I’m just rooting for Boston to do their part so we can all be treated to a Lakers/Celtics Finals.

 

Knock on Wood!

The 33% Report (Part 2 – AL Central)

(Editor’s Note: This is Part two of a six part series breaking down where all the MLB teams stand 1/3 of the way through the season)

Well folks, we’re briskly moving to the time of year when you start hearing scouts and experts use the phrase “small sample size” less and less, and begin to believe that the slump your star hitter is going through is no longer just a slump or that hot start for a guy may turn into season-long success. How are the stars and the no-namers doing so far in 2008? Let’s just see…

We steadily move in the easterly direction through the American League to check on AL Central – where the current landscape is as follows:

Chicago White Sox    29-23
Minnesota Twins       26-25
Cleveland Indians      24-29
Detroit Tigers            21-31
Kansas City Royals    21-31

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Biggest Suprises:

1. Carlos Quentin (OF)- I will pay anyone a million bucks if they can prove they predicted Quentin would be lead the American League in homers after nearly two months. I knew he would be good, but when the Sox traded 22-year-old Chris Carter, a player that hasn’t made it out of A-ball yet for Quentin, I knew Sox fans would love this trade. The D-Backs are kicking themselves for trading Quentin and re-signing Eric Byrnes, and the Pale Hose are reaping the benefits (.296/.402/.587).
2. The Pitching Staff- From a bullpen that made talk show hosts and fans alike rip their hair out, to a team that has a back end of the pen that is scary. Bobby Jenks, Scott Linebrink, Mike MacDougal, Nick Masset, Octavio Dotel, Matt Thornton, and Boone Logan have been rock solid in defending the leads that starters Gavin Floyd, John Danks, Jose Contreras, and Javier Vazquez are handing them. Those four starters all have an ERA under 3.52, and those seven relievers dominating the late innings all have ERAs under 3.57. With just three regulars batting above .280, can this really last? My magic 8-ball says “Don’t Count On It.”

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Mark Buehrle (SP)- Buehrle seems to be the only White Sox pitcher that can’t figure it out. Don’t worry folks, he’s going to get better. He’s getting knocked around quite a bit early on in the year, and his BABIP (Batting Average for Balls In Play) is way above the league average – which means he’s due to come back down to earth. Unfortunately, his rise won’t offset what will happen to the rest of the staff.
2. The Big Three- This team relies heavily on the middle of their order, and those guys just aren’t producing. Paul Konerko (.206), Nick Swisher (.206), and Jim Thome (.204) have been killing the team in the batters box. These guys may draw a lot of walks, but those low batting averages are unacceptable for guys that should be batting 2-3-4 in a normal year. For Thome and Konerko, chalk it up to them being on the downside of their career, but it shouldn’t be this excessive and Swisher can’t use that excuse.

MINNESOTA TWINS

Biggest Surprises:

1. Carlos Gomez (CF)- I figured the Twins would keep Gomez down in Triple-A for most of the season to develop some plate discipline. Instead, they handed him the territory that Torii Hunter nobly manned for many years, and Gomez hasn’t disappointed. His plate discipline still isn’t any good (only a .313 OBP) but his defense, hitting ability, and speed on the bases are a big reason why the Twins are in second place right now. And he better keep getting better, because he will always be known for the main puzzle piece in return for Johan Santana.
2. Livan Hernandez (SP)- After struggling in Arizona in 2007, I figured that it was time for Hernandez to work his way out of the league. Sure, he is a solid, innings-eating No. 5 pitcher for a good team, but not the ace of a staff through two months. He’s impressed everyone with a solid 4.22 ERA in what is (err…supposed to be) a hitters division. And if I’m the Twins, I would consider not using the DH on days that he pitches because he’s such a gifted hitter. Did you know that he has the most hits for any pitcher since 2001? Yes…I did.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Delmon Young (OF)- With their plethora of pitching to give away, and in dire need of somebody with some pop in their bat, the Twins traded young fireballer Matt Garza to Tampa Bay (along with Jason Bartlett) for Young. All Young has done is hit 0 homers and seemingly hack at anything and everything that the pitcher throws. They need him to be a .290-25-100 guy in that lineup, and he has not lived up to that billing potential.
2. Michael Cuddyer (OF)- We know he’s got a cannon attached to his right shoulder, but that’s not enough when playing a corner outfield spot in the majors. Despite these outfielders being able to track down darn near any flyball, they need more hitting from them – especially from Cuddyer. For the past two years, he’s been the righty that Rod Gardenhire could throw in between his lefty hitting machines Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. In 2008, he hasn’t deserved that honor.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Biggest Surprises:

1. Cliff Lee (SP)- Out of nowhere, he leads the American League in ERA at 1.50 and has been the anchor to that pitching staff. C.C. Sabathia (more on him in a bit) came out of the gate ice cold, and Lee stepped right in and kept the Erie Warriors in the race so far. Who would have thought it? Lee was back and forth between Triple-A and the majors in 2007, but has carved himself a permanent spot in Cleveland with his hot start this year.
2. C.C. Sabathia’s Rebound (SP)- From the last half of 2007, through the first four starts of the 2008 season, I thought something was seriously wrong with Sabathia. He had lost control on everything and seemed to be letting his long-term contract situation distract him from what was taking place on the mound. Since that fourth start, Sabathia has pitched 50.1 innings with a 1.61 ERA. His ERA for the season now sits at 4.74, which tells you just how awful he was. If he keeps pitching like this, he’ll have a $100 million contract with the New York Yankees in December.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Travis Hafner (DH)- It’s gone from slump to scary for the man named Pronk. He’s hitting just .217 with four homers so far in ‘08, and his walk numbers are way below where they normally are. He hit .308 with 42 homers in 2006, and cashed in on a new deal with Cleveland. I’m afraid that his hitting slump isn’t anything that is real easy to fix, and he may have been one of those short run guys that blasted pitchers for three years, and lost it after that.
2. Hitting in General- Don’t blame all of the offensive woes that the Indians are having on Hafner, his teammates have sucked something else. They have 0 guys that have played more than 30 games and have a .300 batting average, and just one regular that is better than the .254 star CF Grady Sizemore sits at (Victor Martinez .299 – but with 0 homers). They will surely get better offensively, and will contend for this division, but will they hit enough to get any farther than a sniff of the playoffs?

DETROIT TIGERS

Biggest Surprises:

1. Magglio Ordonez (OF)- This isn’t the first time I’ve been wrong about Ordonez. He was awesome for my fantasy team in the first half of last year, but I traded him for pitching because I had too many OF’s, and I figured he would drop off the most. He’s continued hitting ever since that day. His .323, 9 HR, and 35 RBI lead the Tigers in all categories, and he has managed to not injure himself playing right field. I apologize Maggs – look for continued success for this man.
2. Armando Gallaraga (SP)- Where would their rotation be without this guy? His jump from the minor leagues, and his early success has stunned scouts and and Tiger fans alike. They gave Dontrelle Willis a $27 million extension, and then tell him when he gets off the disabled list that he’s heading to the bullpen because his rotation spot is filled by a rookie making a little more than 1/100th of his salary. I doubt he’ll maintain that 3.70 ERA he’s sporting right now, but at the very least he’s reliable right now.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Miguel Cabrera (3B/1B)- Dave Dombrowski traded the house and new car for Cabrera’s age (25) and offensive consistency (has never hit below .294 or had less than 24 homers in any of his four full Major League seasons). The return on his investment has lacked enormously. Not only have the Tigers moved him over to 1B because of his awful defense at 3B (and Carlos Guillen’s struggles at first), but his hitting stats are way down while getting used to hitting against American League pitchers on a daily basis. He should find his stroke soon, but he’s now considered just a top-5 first baseman instead of the best young player in the game.
2. Justin Verlander (SP)- If I could’ve laid a $5 bet on anything prior to the Major League Baseball season, I would’ve bet that Verlander would be well on his way to 20 wins. Instead, his 2-7 record is the worst on the staff (I apologize, that’ll be the last time I refer to a W-L record by a pitcher – what a worthless stat) and his 5.17 ERA makes you want to hurl when you consider he’s supposed to be the ace of this staff. They need him to get on a roll if they want to win this division (which I still predict will happen).

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Biggest Surprises:

1. Joakim Soria (CL)- How about these for numbers: 11/11 saves, 0.84 ERA, 10.55 K’s/9. I like them a lot. But he really hasn’t had a chance to defend many leads. I’ve heard some baseball people say that the Royals should stretch him out and try him as a starter to see how good he could be. Before debuting in the majors in 2007 with the Royals, Soria had only thrown 16.2 innings of pro baseball!!! They should see if he can be a starter, and then have a potential rotation of Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, Soria, Brian Bannister and Luke Hochevar. Man…if you give this team some pop in the lineup, they could contend in 2009. Maybe they become the surprise team to chase after Mark Teixeira.
2. Zack Greinke (SP)- After suffering through social anxiety disorder the past couple of years, Greinke has returned to the form that Baseball Prospectus envisioned he would have (they predicted he’d win the ERA title in 2005). Greinke has fought back in fine style, delivering quality starts eight out of ten times he’s toed the rubber this season. If he can step up and be the ace of this staff, the Royals will have a reliable arm they can build around for years to come.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Billy Butler (1B)- Scouts and fans alike raved about this kid coming out of spring training, claiming that he may very well hit near .300 with 25 homers this season. So much for expectations. He’s stumbled out of the gate with a .265 average and just one homer during the first 1/3 of the season, and it may not be getting any better. He tore up most of his minor league stops, now it’s time for him to prove his worth in The Show.
2. Jose Guillen (OF)- The Royals were fortunate that Guillen wasn’t suspended for 25 games because of steroid use, and you have to wonder if they’d like to risk Guillen getting back on the juice. I thought a three year, $36 million dollar deal was right in line with what he deserved, and was a smart, short-term move for a team looking to keep their win total in the 70’s. You hope for the Royals sake, however, that the numbers Guillen posted in the past weren’t completely a product of the creme and the clear…

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The 33% Report

(Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 of a six part series breaking down where all the MLB teams stand 1/3 of the way through the season)

Well folks, we’re briskly moving to the time of year when you start hearing scouts and experts use the phrase “small sample size” less and less, and begin to believe that the slump your star hitter is going through is no longer just a slump or that hot start for a guy may turn into season-long success. How are the stars and the no-namers doing so far in 2008? Let’s just see…

We’ll begin this six part series with the American League West – where the current landscape is as follows:

LA Angels of Anaheim 30-22
Oakland Athletics        28-23
Texas Rangers             26-26
Seattle Mariners           18-33

LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

Biggest Suprises:

1. Joe Saunders (SP)- I never quite understood why the Angels never gave him a full-time rotation spot before this season. And the only reason he is in the rotation is due to injuries at the top of the staff. In filling in for Cy Young type guys like John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, Saunders has delivered Cy Young type numbers: 8-1 with a 2.31 ERA (2nd best in the AL). The punchline to this surprising success story is that it won’t last long. Saunders has recorded just 29 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched, and with an average groundball to flyball ratio, his ERA and L numbers will be on the rise soon.
2. Ervin Santana (SP)- He’s always possessed the “stuff” of an ace pitcher, but he’s desparately lacked in the three-C’s department (control, command, and composure). In past years, he’s been known for his Dr. Jekyll road games (8.38 ERA in 2007) and his Mr. Hyde home starts (3.38 ERA in 2007). Despite three consecutive rough outings, Santana is finally starting to prove that he can be an anchor in a Major League rotation.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Vlad Guerrero (OF/DH)- He’s been considered one of the most dangerous hitters for the past decade, but it seems like his decline could be more accelerated than most. Premier hitters start to go downhill around his age (32), but when that hitter rarely plays at 100%, that decline tends to be much quicker. Guerrero has never hit below .300 as a full time Major Leaguer, and he’ll more than likely do so again this year. But his power numbers are going to begin their steep decline. I sure hope he can get into the Hall of Fame someday, because he deserves it.
2. Gary Matthews Jr. (OF)- Matthews Jr.’s contract is one of the top-5 worst position player contracts in baseball, and it’s time to stop playing him, and view him as a sunk cost. He has 3 years and $33 million remaining on his contract after the 2008 season, and he’s barely getting on base at a .300 clip. Why he still has a spot in the OF over Reggie Willits (.293/.391 with 27 SB in 2007) is an absolute mystery to me.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Biggest Surprises:

1. Dana Eveland (SP)- How much would the Brewers love to have this guy back? A couple years ago, they traded a package that included Doug Davis and Eveland for Johnny Estrada and Claudio Vargas (both no longer with the Brew-Crew). Eveland was eventually shipped to Oakland in the Dan Haren trade, and so far, it looks like Billy Bean has struck again! Eveland has a 2.90 ERA on the season, which is stunning considering that opposing hitters are batting .415 vs. his fastball. That number will come down, but his ERA will go up a tick. He’s going to finish the year with a 3.70ish ERA.
2. Greg Smith (SP)- He’s never had an ERA above 4.00 since Rookie ball, and he is continuing that success at the Major League level. Another player that came over in the Dan Haren trade, Smith is not going to blow you away with his stuff, but he’s going to get K’s, and he’ll keep you in ballgames. The 3.18 ERA will be closer to the 3.80 range as we progress during the season, but the A’s will take that in a heartbeat.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Rich Harden (SP)- He’s not a disappointment in the way he pitches; he’s on this list because of the frequency he pitches. If the A’s can run him out for two months straight (which would put us right at the trade deadline) and get him ten consecutive starts, they should pull the trigger on a trade. There will surely be a team out there willing to take the risk on this injury waiting to happen.
2. Daric Barton (1B)- Barton is really only on the disappointment list because seemingly every guy on this team is playing at or above what they should be doing. Barton is only batting .213 with a couple of dingers, but he’s getting on-base at a .332 clip thanks to his 29 walks. His batting average will come around soon, and he’ll get that OBP up around the .400 levels. The only issue I have with teams that have a low batting average but a high on-base percentage is, who is going to drive in the runs??

TEXAS RANGERS

Biggest Surprises:

1. Josh Hamilton (OF)- This isn’t really a surprise. Instead, it’s a potential happy ending on what was potentially a fatal story. Hamilton went from superstar prospect, to heroin addict, to a Rule 5 steal in the span of six years, and has turned out to be the perfect offensive force to replace the departed Mark Teixeira. They had to trade Edinson Volquez to get him, so the question for the long-term will be if the trade was worth it or not?
2. Milton Bradley (OF)- Everyone knows that Bradley is an uber-talented ballplayer, but he’s always had a problem controlling and harnessing his anger along with staying healthy. I always thought he could be very successful playing for a team where he wasn’t one of the best players. With Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, and Michael Young flanking him in the batters box, Bradley has exploded so far this season with a 1.028 OPS, including a .443 OBP. If he can stay healthy, the media shouldn’t be bothering him in a market like Texas.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Kevin Millwood (SP)- The starting pitching is always a weak spot in the hitters palace that the Rangers play in, and 2008 is no different. Millwood made a foolish decision after his gem of a 2005 season and decided to go to Texas. He would’ve been much better served to go to the NL West instead of the AL West. That decision could cost him some serious dough in his next contract – if there is one.
2. Jason Jennings (SP)- He’s working on a 1-year $4 million contract with the Rangers, and they’re probably really happy that it’s that short. His 8.56 ERA is one of the five worst in the majors with the amount of innings he’s thrown. After having a fantastic year in Colorado in 2006, he was traded to Houston and hasn’t been the same. He’s had a few injuries which have probably contributed to how bad he has been.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Biggest Surprise:

1. That they haven’t fired somebody yet (TEAM)- Something has to change here, and if I’m the president of that team, GM Bill Bavasi is the first one to go. This team is built all wrong, and why Richie Sexson wasn’t sent packing a couple of years ago boggles my mind. Most of these guys played far above expectations last year, and they gave up a ton in the Erik Bedard trade. To replace Bavasi, I would go into San Diego and steal Paul DePodesta away from Josh Towers staff. Unless of course DePodesta believes he can pry the Padres job away from Towers because of their awful play.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. Kenji Johjima (C)- When the Mariners signed Johjima to an extension on April 25th i was completely blown away. He was in the final year of his contract, hitting .195 at the time, and Jeff Clement (one of the top catching prospects in the minors) was ready to go. Trading Johjima to a team in need of a catcher would’ve netted them a couple of pretty good prospects. He doesn’t handle pitching staffs well (mainly because he still doesn’t speak the language incredibly well) and may now become a long-term problem for the Mariners.
2. Richie Sexson (1B)- He started the downhill slide late in his second season with the Mariners, and it hasn’t gotten any better. He may have 9 homers so far this season, but that doesn’t make up for his lineup killing .197 batting average. They can’t wait to get his name and salary off the books.

TOUTS Podcast Test

So here it is folks, the first TOUTS Podcast, I guess now we are actually living up to our names. Our apologies if this podcast is a bit crude, but bear with us, we assure you that the quality will only improve as time goes on.  We are going to keep the podcasts to around ten minutes in length, except when the occasion calls for a longer episode.   Feel free to leave us any feedback via the comment section, or our drop us an E-Mail via the links on the right sidebar.  So without further adieu, enjoy the test episode of the TOUTS Podcast.

TOUTS Podcast Episode 1 Download

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Lottery Luck

By: Chad Ruter

I admit, when the logo for the Chicago Bulls wasn’t revealed in the envelope that said “9″ on it, I started running around my apartment like a sugar-crazed five-year-old. The announcers re-iterated a fact that I already knew: the Bulls would be picking somewhere in the Top-3. I dropped to my knees and begged God not to leave us at three. Yes, it would be great to stun the odds and choose third, but at the same time it would be the ultimate sucker punch to the groin. With two players towering above the rest talent wise, a pick in the Top-2 would be franchise changing – although a third pick would result in either O.J. Mayo or Eric Gordon.

When the “3″ envelope opened, and I saw a spec of gray from the fur of the Minnesota Timberwolves, my blood pressure plummeted to normal, while my rate of excitement did the inverse. Even in the 12 or so seconds before the opening of the second to last envelope, I again asked God for some assistance. I absolutely DID NOT want the No. 1 pick in the draft. In a draft where the first two players are neck and neck, you would rather have the second pick so that the team that’s number one does all the work for you. Take whichever guy is left, and you can’t be second guessed.

Instead, the Miami Heat’s logo was revealed at No. 2, leaving the Bullies with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft come June. At just a 1.7% chance, it was an absolute blessing to win the lottery. But at the same time, its a curse. Names like Michael Olowokandi, Derrick Coleman, and Mark Workman started flying through my head. Guys who were tabbed as the No. 1 pick, but who turned out to be a bucket of yuck.

But that can’t happen this year, can it? Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose are head and shoulders above the rest of the class. The sleek shooting scoring machine that can play forward, rebound, and run the floor, or the pure point guard with an ability to penetrate against any defender, make his teammates better, and defend any guard on the floor. Which one do you take??

To me, it’s simple – you take Derrick Rose. Unless you have a guy named Kobe or LeBron on your team, you need a strong point guard to be a successful team. Kirk Hinrich doesn’t qualify. A guard can be broken down into four basic categories: shooter, scorer, passer, defender. Hinrich ranks above average in just one of those (defender), while he ranks wayyyyyyy below average in the other three. The Bulls overpaid him, and should almost treat his contract as a sunk cost unless they can trade him.

Rose brings forth a leadership ability that no current Chicago Bull possesses. If they would’ve had him in 2007, the Bulls might have stood a chance in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Instead, they crumbled – looking toward a teammate and begging someone else to take over the game. Rose is that kind of guy. He may not be the one that scores the bucket, but you know he’s going to have the ball, and he’ll find the right person to be taking the shot.

Michael Beasley is a beast too. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s going to have a solid NBA career. But the more I think about it, the more questions I have. How tall is he? And don’t bullshit me with this 6′10″ nonsense. He’s 6′8″ at best, and would get murdered against the top half of the power-forwards in the NBA. The Bulls already have four PF’s, and despite Beasley being better than all of them skill set wise, he might just be too small to play on the defensive end. And if he can’t play the four, is he fast enough to play the three? See what I mean? Question after question.

Rose doesn’t have those questions. He’s plenty tall for the PG position (6′3″ – 6′4″), can play the position on both ends of the floor – all while being a difference maker. He’s going to score 15+ points, dish out 8+ assists, and grab 5+ rebounds every night, and be an impact defender. Can you pass on a guy like that with the number one pick?

Although…the last time they did take a guy named Michael in the first round…

Pistons/Celtics Recap, Lakers/Spurs Preview

Uh oh Boston, you’ve got some winning on the road to do!   It figures that the night Ray Allen decides to show up for the Celtics that they would fall to Detroit 103-97.  Allen, who has been pretty awful in these playoffs, shot 9-16 from the field and scored 25 points in the Celtics loss.

It’s not as if the big three of Garnett, Pierce and Allen didn’t play well last night, they would combine to score 75 out of their total 97 points.  The problem was the only other player on their squad to score in the double figures was Rajon Rondo who helped out with 10 points and eight assists.

The Pistons, on the other hand, had six players in double figures and were led by Richard Hamiton’s 25 points, ten of which came from the charity stripe.   Chauncey Billups was able to improve upon his game one performance by scoring 19 points, and also handed out nine assists. 

The question now will be whether or not Boston can finally get their first road victory of the playoffs.   With Allen shooting better, and Rondo playing beyond his years,  it’s hard to see the Celtics getting blanked on the road for the third straight series.   Detriot has a tendency of not showing up for playoff games, and one let-down at home would be disastrous for the Pistons.

(Derek Fisher needs to play big tonight if the Lakers are to grab a 2-0 advantage against the Spurs tonight)

 

(Moving On)

Tonight is game two of the Western Conference Finals, and if game one was any indication, we should be in for a wild ride.  I kind of doubt Kobe will go 1-for-3 from the field in the first half, like he did in game one, so this game should have a completely different dynamic to it.  LA will also be looking to get Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom better looks, as they struggled to get good shots on Wednesday night.

The burden is on Manu Ginobli to ignite the Spurs offense tonight, as more attention will be on Tim Duncan following his dominating performance in game one.  Ginobli will continue to be hounded by Sasha Vujicic, but he will still have some open looks at the basket as a result of Tim Duncan drawing double-teams. 

It’ll be interesting to see how the Lakers decide to deal with Tony Parker tonight.  Fisher had a hard time staying in front of Parker in game one, and if the Lakers continue to collapse on him when he gets into the lane, the Spurs will have a lot of open looks from beyond-the-arc.

I don’t think that either team feels like they truly need this game if they want to win the series.  Both teams have enough experience and talent to be able to win on the road later if need be.   That doesn’t mean that either LA or San Antonio will take this game off, there is a certain level of hate between these two teams, and I doubt there will be any blow-outs in this series.  

(One Last Thing)

Expect Chad’s glorious return tonight, and part one of his MLB update will hit sometime this weekend as well.  Enjoy the games everyone, and have a great weekend! 

The Belated Eastern Conference Finals Preview

By: Justin Jacobs

Did you know that the Celtics haven’t won a single game on the road this playoffs? You should, the media has made every effort to remind us before, during and after every Celtics game that the big three haven’t really showed up for a road game this postseason. The thing is, Boston doesn’t have to win any road games, they have home court advantage throughout the playoffs! Until a team can beat the Celtics in Boston, it doesn’t matter what their road record is like.

This is Detroits burden, they need to steal a victory in Boston tonight to really have a shot against the Celtics, and I’m not sure they can do it. It seems pretty clear that Chauncey Billups still has a sore hammy, and that is really going to hurt the Pistons. During the regular season Billups played great against Boston and gave Celtics’ point guard, Rajon Rondo, all kinds of problems. With Billups’ injury he was unable to press his advantage in game 1, only getting off six shot attempts and allowed Rondo to score 11 points and get seven assists en route to a 88-79 Celtics’ victory. If Rondo out-produces Billups this series Detroit has almost no shot at getting past Boston.

A lot has been made of Ray Allen’s struggles as of late, and his 3/10, nine point performance in game one isn’t going to make him feel any better about his game. Why Allen can’t make a jumper lately is beyond me, but if he continues to struggle, Doc Rivers is going to be forced to keep him on the bench when it comes down to crunch time. Allen is not a great defender, and if he is not stretching the defense, he really has no reason to be out there when the game is on the line.

(Yes, I am aware there is a series going on in the Eastern Conference right now)

A few other thoughts about this series:

• This Kevin Garnett/Rasheed Wallace match-up is fantastic, you have two of the smartest, most intense players in the league facing off and both teams need big performances out of their respective star to go on to the finals. This is the closest thing we have to Thunderdome in the playoffs, two men enter, one man leaves.
• Every once in a while Paul Pierce likes to remind everyone that he is one of the top ten players in the league when he feels like trying, this postseason has been one of those times.
• I like Richard Hamilton’s game, but does he really need to wear that face-guard? It’s been years since he’s need to wear that thing, and every time I see it I can’t help but think about Will Purdue, which is unsettling for me.
• It’s just struck me that none of the coaches from this years Eastern Conference Playoffs has ever won a championship as a head coach, then again I guess Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich have a monopoly on those things lately.

If Billups can get back to being his “big-shot” self Detroit should be able to make a run at Boston, if not, this will be a short series. I think that Boston can overcome Ray Allen’s recent shooting problems because they have the home court advantage and that’s been good enough for the Celts so far. If Detroit can steal a win tonight however, it will put a great deal of pressure for Boston to finally get a win on the road, it should make for an interesting game tonight. Enjoy it everyone.

———-

TOUTS Update: Chad is not dead, I promise. In fact, he’s quite elated that the Bulls were able to beat the odds and get the number one pick in this years NBA Draft. Something he is going to share with you in greater detail tonight or tomorrow. He’s also cooking up a six part MLB recap, because he cares deeply about the MLB, and you readers out there. We are also one step closer to recording our first podcast, we are just getting a few final details locked down and we’ll actually be talking about sports on the internet, instead of just writing about them.