A shameless setup (but, it’ll be worth it, trust me):
How awful is the current Knicks’ situation?
What’s Cooking in the Phillies Hot Stove?
There are a lot of rumors circulating, as there always are this time of year, about who the Phillies will bring in to try to defend their NL East title in 2008. Mike Lowell and Miguel Cabrera have been mentioned as possibilities to fill the void at third base. There’s been much speculation about Aaron Rowand and whether or not the Phillies will bring him back. Here’s my prediction: the Phillies won’t be bringing in any thirdbaseman or centerfielder this offseason. On Opening Day 2008, Shane Victorino will be the centerfielder and Greg Dobbs will be platooning with Wes Helms at third.
That’s not really what Phillie fans want, but I think that’s the reality right now. Why? Well, the Phillies ownership, via David Montgomery, has said that the player payroll in ’08 will be in the $100-105 million range, and right now it is about $90 million. Pat Gillick has said consistently since the Brad Lidge trade that pitching continues to be the priority. It’s very hard to imagine the Phillies still having enough in their budget to sign a high-priced free agent like Rowand if they’ve already shelled out for another pitcher.
As hard as it is for me to say, I agree with Gillick if his ultimate decision is, in fact, to let Rowand walk and not pursue a thirdbaseman, in order to focus on upgrading the pitching. If there’s any blame to placed here, it would be on the Phillies ownership. After the success of the team last season and the recent announcement by commissioner Bud Selig that baseball posted record profits this year, you would really hope to see the team commit to raising the payroll. But assuming that that isn’t going to happen, Gillick has to make some tough decisions and some concessions.
Put yourself in Gillick’s shoes and take a look at the spots on the team that could use an upgrade. You have Victorino in centerfield and Jayson Werth in rightfield. You have Dobbs and Helms at third. You have Adam Eaton in your starting rotation. Which of those spots would you choose to address? I think the obvious answer is the starting pitching. The 
Phillies went into last season with six starting pitchers and we all saw how that turned out. Right now, they have five and one of them is Eaton. They need another starter and chances are it won’t come cheap. It will be interesting to see how Gillick chooses to go about getting this pitcher. Will he make another trade? Or will he choose from free-agent pool that includes options like Randy Wolf, Kris Benson, Bartolo Colon, Kyle Lohse, Hiroki Kuroda, and Carlos Silva? I’m sure Gillick isn’t too interested in making another Eaton-like signing, but he may feel forced to roll the dice once again on a free-agent pitcher.
The Phils will have to replace Rowand and Tad Iguchi on the roster, but they’ll probably do it with low-priced backups, not big name stars, and they’ll probably bring in an over-priced pitcher. For every team that’s not the Yankees or Red Sox, those are the trade-offs that have to be made.
Tagged aaron rowand, free agency, mike lowell, MLB, pat gillick, phillies
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Cimorelli’s Question of the Day
I heard a quote somewhere, I think it was Voltaire, saying: “Judge a man by the questions he asks, not by those he answers.” If this is true, then I ought to be judged well because I’m an idiot, and I have a TON of questions. This is the impetus to a new segment on BroadStreetBelievers.com, called Cimorelli’s Question of the Day. Periodically, I will pose a question on the blog that is meant to be somewhat thought-provoking. Hopefully, the questions will be ones that can spark debate, but since I don’t have any friends and our writing isn’t good enough to garner followers, I’ll give all the questions a certain element of rhetoric as well, so that they can stand on their own. So, without further ado (there’s already too much ado about this little nothing), here is the first edition of Cimorelli’s Question of the Day:
If the Phillies sign Mike Lowell to play third base, will the infield of Howard, Utley, Rollins and Lowell be the best infield of all-time?
The Perfect Face for Egg on It
As a semi-opinionated person, there are plenty of public figures whom I would be delighted at the sight of them falling flat on their faces. I throroughly enjoy any public character attacks on Tiki Barber or Curt Schilling. I remember reveling in the numerous legal troubles of Michael Irvin and Nate Newton. I couldn’t get enough of strikeout lowlights this year from J.D. Drew and Andruw Jones. I even get a real kick out of every atrocious story that revolves around Isiah Thomas or Stephon Marbury. But, this week may have been the most satisfying example of a brash, cocky, seemingly invulnerable sports figure who got his just due.
Unless you live in a small West African village, you probably know more than you want to know about the saga that resulted in Alex Rodriguez signing the largest contract in the history of professional sports. The funny thing is that the size of the contract, his return to the Big Apple and the direction of the “New Yankees” may not have been the biggest stories that came out of this ordeal. In my opinion, the biggest (and most satisfying) story is that the mega-agent Scott Borass looks like a buffoon and may have lost the ultimate piece to any agent’s career–credibility. It seems as if Borass completely and utterly misread the market, and it may be just the beginning of the end for the worst man in sports.
The dominoes are already beginning to fall for Borass. Just yesterday, another Borass client, Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers, fired the high-priced agent because he was outraged that Borass’s insistence on “testing the waters” had upset the Tigers to point where they almost cut ties with the veteran pitcher. Reportedly, Rogers wants to stay in Detroit, but Borass informed the Tigers that his client would be testing the free agent market. A common ploy of the devious agent that usually results in a higher pay day because the team ends up bidding against itself. The player gets where he wants, just with more money. Apparently, this technique has run its course because the Tigers would have none of it, and Rogers is outraged.
Even before the fiasco of this offseason happened, Borass was getting criticism from some of the most respected sports writers about his affect on the game itself, and some of its best prospects. His influence on the draft was obvious this year, when Rick Porcelo, arguably the best pitcher in the amateur draft and a Borass client, fell to the Tigers at 27 because none of the teams before them wanted to deal with Borass in negotiations. It was a great thing for Detroit, but is it really good for the game that even the draft is skewed towards teams with money? The Pirates and the Royals cannot even draft Borass clients anymore because they cannot afford the signing bonuses that Borass insists upon receiving. This is just one example of how this egomaniacal, money- and power-hungry agent is affecting every aspect of the National Pastime.
However, the players kept coming to Borass in spades for one reason: he always got top-dollar for his clients–oftentimes much more than they were even worth. Now with public opinion believing that A-Rod agreed to his newest contract DESPITE Borass (as opposed to because of him), this one key ingredient to the Borass empire may have fallen because, in this business, perception often becomes reality and it may no longer be perceived that Scott Borass will get you top–dollar. Because of this, more and more players like Kenny Rogers may say “no thanks” to having to put up with the “bigger-than-the-game” circus stunts–like the one during Game 4 of the World Series–that always accompany a Borass offseason.
And, honestly, I couldn’t be happier.
(ps…I am well aware that the last name of A-Rod’s agent only has one “s” at the end)
Tagged alex rodriguez, MLB, scott boras
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Puerto Rico Bound
As the 2007-08 season dawns on the Temple Owls, there are some really interesting subplots to pay attention to as the season starts to get going:
1). Though the Legend is gone (probably on the golf course or at the card table as we speak), Coach Fran Dunphy has continued the Temple tradition of a killer out-of-conference schedule–at least as much as he can. Because of the move of the football team to the MAC, Dunphy’s basketball team is required to play home and away games against all the MAC members over the next couple of years. Three more of these will be taken care of after the Owls get back from Puerto Rico, as they play Bowling Green, Akron and Ohio U. They also get E. Michigan later. But, Dunphy used his other non-conference slots much the way Chaney used to: at Florida, at Tennessee (an 80-63 loss Friday night) and home against Duke. These three games will teach the young guys how to play at the top level, regardless of the results.
2). Remember the name, Lavoy Allen. He could be really special. Allen scored 8 points (4-7 from the floor), pulled down 9 rebounds and even dished out 3 assists, all while battling a formidable frontcourt of #7-ranked Tennessee. Look for Allen to anchor a somewhat decent front-line for the Owls this year, with rail-thin center Sergio Olmos and not-so-rail-thin forward Anthony Ivory. All three of these frontcourt players were highly-touted coming into Temple. Olmos was coveted by a couple other schools originally, but made it clear that he wanted to play for the Owls because he idolizes Pepe Sanchez. Ivory was a top-100 recruit out of Washington, D.C. and originally signed with Big East member Providence, before changing his mind and coming to Temple. But, Allen is the real gem of the group. Dunphy’s first big signing, Allen was good enough to be offered a tryout for the Under-19 national team this summer. He has the potential to be a big-time Atlantic 10 performer for years to come.
3). Despite all the potential upside in the frontcourt, there are still a lot of question marks. Not so for the backcourt, which for the upteenth year in a row, should be the strength of the Owls this season. Last year, Temple became the first team in the 30-year history of the league that two players from the same team have finished 1-2 in scoring. And, they are both back this year. 6’5″ junior Dionte Christmas led the A-10 in scoring last year at more than 20 points per game, but Dunphy feels that he hasn’t even fully realized his true potential. If Christmas can put together a full season of consistency, he has a legitimate chance to win the A-10 player of the year in a conference loaded with talented and experienced players up and down the rosters. The other big-time scorer returning this year for the Owls is 6’5″ senior Mark Tyndale. Tyndale, a swingman who can play multiple positions, but is probably best suited for the 3, averaged 19.4 points per game last year, including 37 against Charlotte and 22 in the conference tournament. Tyndale’s energy and reckless fervor with which he plays is unmatched, but he also has the basketball ability and acumen to go along with it. The combination of Tyndale and Christmas is going to be a hard combination for anyone to stop this year and, if coupled with an improved defense and strong frontline, could, with some luck, lead this team back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001.
Game two of this season tips off in about 20 minutes with a first-round game of the preseason tournament in Puerto Rico against the Providence Friars.
Why Jimmy Rollins is the NL MVP
Outside of Boston, the sweetheart run of the Colorado Rockies is the most recent on-field baseball story in everyone’s memory (as if what happens on the field matters anymore), but let me quickly remind you why the Phillies and their fans will be celebrating their second straight National League MVP when the vote is announced in a couple of days.
I am not going to cite all the stats that true SeamHeads (like me) typically do to prove a point. Plus, I’m sure you’ve all heard, ad nauseum, all the numbers comparing Rollins and his two legitimate contenders, Matt Holliday and Prince Fielder. All I have to say is that it seems every year people have to be reminded of what this award really is: the Most Valuable Player. It is not the Most Outstanding Player or the Most Popular Player. The award is awarded to the player that was more valuable to his team than anyone else in the league was to theirs.
That’s where Rollins comes in considerably ahead of his competition. Now, I admit I did not watch 130+ Rockies or Brewers games and, therefore, would have difficulty truly estimating how many wins Holliday or Fielder meant to their respective teams, but I’m willing to say, with the utmost confidence, that it wasn’t nearly as many as Rollins meant to the Phillies.
He did everything.
Defensively, Rollins was awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove (and this wasn’t a Bobby Abreu Gold Glove either, as this one was most deserved), as the best defensive player at his position. I think it’s safe to say that neither Holliday nor Fielder were even in contention for the award at their respective positions. And, Jimmy Rollins played SHORTSTOP–the most important every day position on the field. This year’s NL Rookie of the Year vote (part one of the “Referendum on Shortstops” that is going on for today’s baseball writers that will conclude with the Rollins vs. Holliday vs. Fielder vote) cemented that this opinion that defense matters still exists, despite the obsession with the longball and the big numbers in today’s baseball. The fact that Troy Tulowitzki came within 2 points of the Ryan Braun (who set rookie records in so many offensive categories) shows that people still respect defense and acknowledge just how important shortstops are on the field. Rollins won the Gold Glove at shortstop.
Offensively, J-Roll was the quintessential catalyst for the National League’s best offense. He hit for average; he hit for power; he stole bases; he even took pitches (something he’s been criticized for not doing in the past). In my opinion, he was the best pure hitter on the Phillies team, even better than the incredible Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Oh by the way, he won the Silver Slugger Award, for the best hitter at his position in the National League, to go along with the aforementioned Gold Glove.
And, finally, and most importantly, he was the unquestionable leader on a team that played with as much fire, determination and charisma as any team in baseball. In fact, I remember listening to an interview with Peter Gammons about a week before the playoffs. Gammons was asked about the upcoming National League pennant races (the Phillies were still, at this point, about 4 games behind the Mets and at least 2 behind San Diego). He responded with a quick, confident, but somewhat un-Gammons-like response, “the Phillies will be in the playoffs because Jimmy Rollins won’t allow it not to happen.” This from a Hall of Fame baseball reporter about a team that was several games out of the playoffs and running out of time. That is how much Jimmy Rollins willed his team to victory. And, that is what the Most Valuable Player is all about.
Yes, as Phillie fans, we celebrate awards, not titles…so what? We’re about to go back-to-back. I’ll be at the parade.
Tagged jimmy rollins, matt holliday, MLB, nl mvp, phillies, prince fielder
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College Basketball Preview: The Contenders
At the beginning of the college basketball season, there are so many questions and so few answers. Even the most involved fan has to wait at least a month to really know a little of what to expect for this season of college hoops. However, the one question that can probably be, at least, discussed is which teams have a legitimate chance to win the whole thing. As Memphis coach John Calipari always says, at the beginning of every year, there are about 30 or so teams that think they can make the Final Four, but only about 6 or 7 that think they can win the national title. We here at Broad Street Believers have picked 8 that we think have a legitimate shot to cut down the nets in San Antonio next March.
THE FAVORITE: UCLA
–Balance. The Bruins are the most balanced team in the country. Despite the loss of Arron Afflalo to the Detroit Pistons, the backcourt is one of the best in the country. The sharp-shooting son of two world-class sprinters, Darren Collison (who actually ran a 40-yard dash faster than the fastest time at the NFL draft combine) may be the best point guard in the nation and a healthy Josh Shipp (which has rarely been seen) is a certifiable star at the SG or SF position. And, if Love can 
carry the scoring in the frontcourt, the rest of the Bruin bigs will take care of everything else. Cameroonian native, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute might be the nation’s best defender and Lorenzo Mata-Real (the center formerly known as simply Lorenzo Mata, I guess he got married in the offseason and kept his name) is a blue-collar rebounder, shot-blocker and presence in the middle.
-Depth. Coming off the bench, UCLA has guys like Michael Roll, Alfred Aboya, Russell Westbrook and highly-touted Nikola Dragovich. And, most of the major players on this team can play a variety of positions. Not only does this give Coach Howland great in-game flexibility, but he can juggle his starting lineup and crunch-time lineup depending on situation and matchups.
–Experience. UCLA is probably the most experienced team in the country this year. Yes, the loss of Afflalo hurts, but most of the pieces are back from a team that has won 9 NCAA tournament games in the last years en route to their back-to-back Final Four appearances.
–Coaching. Though I am not ready to make this claim myself, I would not argue vehemently with anyone who wanted to tell me that Ben Howland is the best coach in the country. The man simply wins. He won Big East titles at Pittsburgh with marginal talent and now he is on his way to winning national titles with great talent at UCLA. He preaches a methodical, calculated defensive brand of basketball, but somehow does it without sacrificing efficient offensive sets. Despite his slow, defensive-minded approach, somehow Howland keeps offensive stars bought-in to the system and keeps them happy on both ends of the court—something that is not easy to do with this generation’s superstars.
QUESTION MARKS:
–Freshman Love? Quite possible the biggest question mark of the entire season in college basketball this year revolves around the #1 ranked high school recruit, Kevin Love. If Love can adjust to the college game as well as everyone seems to think, this team has no holes and no real reason not to win the title. Love is not only a great scorer (33 points per game his senior year of high school in Lake Oswego, OR), but his passing ability has drawn comparisons to Wes Unseld and Bill Walton. Apparently, this kid is a can’t miss player. If so…wow, this team is good.
–Lacking a True Small Forward? As it stands right now, it looks like the most probable starting lineup will be Collison, Shipp, Mbah a Moute, Mata-Real and Love. This means that Mbah a Moute will have to play the small forward position. This is not a problem on defense because he can guard just about any position on the floor, but offensively if really limits UCLA’s ballhandling ability. Collison is terrific and Shipp is adequate with the ball, but if a team can press effectively and get the ball into the hands of Mbah a Moute or Mata-Real, there are possibilities for turnovers.
–Free-Throw Shooting? Aside from Collison and Shipp, this team has seriously struggled at the charity stripe, particularly Mbah a Moute (57%) and Mata-Real (37%–yes, 37%). This could really hurt them in tough games down the stretch. Continue reading
Posted in College Hoops
Tagged college hoops preview, georgetown, kansas, louisville, memphis, michigan st., north carolina, tennessee, ucla
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Braun Deserved It…Barely
Brewers thirdbaseman Ryan Braun beat out Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki for NL Rookie of the Year honors yesterday, in the closest contest the award has ever seen. Did Braun deserve the award? I say yes, but it probably should have been as close as it was. It’s a very tough call.
The knock on Braun is that he is, by any measure, a downright awful defensive thirdbaseman, while Tulowitzki played a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop for the NL champion Rockies. Rob Neyer points out that, while Braun had the highest slugging percentage ever for a rookie, he also had the second-worst fielding percentage for a thirdbaseman, rookie or not, since 1910.
I understand the impulse to say that any player that had a year that bad defensively doesn’t deserve the award. But here’s my question: If Braun was playing left field, would his defense be as much of an issue? Doesn’t it seem like the Brewers are the ones at fault for playing him at third, when it was painfully obvious that he didn’t belong there? When Ryan Howard won the Rookie of the Year Award a couple years ago, I didn’t hear anyone saying he didn’t deserve it because of his defense, but surely Braun is a better defensive player than Howard. The difference is only that Howard’s team didn’t ask him to play a position he couldn’t handle.
Tulowitzki had an amazing year and looks like he’ll be an excellent shortstop for a lot of years. But the offensive numbers for Braun (.324, 34 HR, 97 RBI in 113 games) are just too impressive. The Brewers should move him to a corner outfield position and he could be an MVP candidate next season. I don’t think Braun should be penalized for a mistake his organization made.
Tagged MLB, rookie of the year, ryan braun, troy tulowitzki
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Late Skins Miscues Keep Slim Eagle Hopes Alive
Yes, the Eagles won yesterday to improve their record to 4-5. Yes, Brian Westbrook continued to show why he is one the elite running backs in football, with 183 total yards and one of his signature touchdowns, weaving 57 yards through the entire defense, to give the Eagles the lead with 3 minutes to play. But the win wouldn’t have been possible if the Redskins hadn’t shot themselves in the foot in the red-zone on the drive prior to that Westbrook score.
After Donovan McNabb fumbled with 8 minutes to play, Washington immediately drove down inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line. The Skins were up 22-20 and a touchdown would have basically ended the game. After a penalty gave the Skins first-and-goal at the 3, the Eagles defense stepped up with two big stops by Takeo Spikes and (shockingly) Darren Howard. On the ensuing third down, the Skins blew their best chance to win the game. Tight end Chris Cooley jumped offsides on a play where the Eagles didn’t have a chance to get the right personnel on the field and Brian Dawkins admitted after the game that it would have been a sure touchdown:
“That was huge,” said free safety Brian Dawkins. “The play they ran, that was a touchdown. Thrash was open in the flat. That was my guy. I was really happy to see that flag.
“They did a zigzag motion in the backfield. They did it earlier in the game. The play went to the other side that time. I was anticipating them doing it again. But they came back to the tight end side. If they hadn’t jumped offsides, it would have been a real hard play to try and make. Because he had me.”
On the next play, Joe Gibbs sealed his team’s fate with an odd decision. It was third-and-goal from the 7-yard line and offensive coordinator Al Saunders called for a pass to the end zone. Gibbs overruled the call and changed it to a draw-play to Clinton Portis. Portis had no chance of making it in for the score, forcing the Skins to settle for a field goal and a tenuous five-point lead. That lead was erased when the Eagles got the ball in Westbrook’s hands a few minutes later.
So, yes, the Eagles did what they had to do and won the game. It didn’t inspire a ton of confidence going forward though. They have the very beatable Dolphins (0-9) next week, followed by the seemingly unbeatable Patriots (9-0) in two weeks. It looks like they’ll be 5-6 and needing to win at least four of their final five games. It’s far from likely, but yesterday’s win makes the playoffs at least a possibility.
Tagged brian westbrook, eagles, joe gibbs, NFL, redskins
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Two More Awards for Phils
Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were each awarded Silver Slugger Awards today. The award is given to the best offensive player at each position in each league. Neither of the selections comes as a surprise to those who watched these two guys 
play throughout the ’07 season.
Utley won the award for the second year in a row and Rollins won for the first time, two days after being awarded his first Gold Glove. He was one of five players to win a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award this year, the others being Ichiro Suzuki, Russell Martin, David Wright and former Phillie Placido Polanco.
